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gffa · 3 months

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Usually, I like to finish reading a fic before recommending it properly, but I've been sucked into about five different STAR WARS fics recently that I've gotten far enough into that I'm willing to trust my heart to them because they're scratching a very specific itch for me--namely, that I want deeper explorations of both the Jedi Order and of Anakin's character. I want fic to punch me in the feelings over both of these aspects of the story. I want fic to sometimes set Obi-Wan and Anakin aside and focus on Ahsoka for awhile, really tell her story. I want Jedi themes woven into a story. I want an exploration of Anakin's mindset that reminds me of just how much I love him and have sympathy for him. And fandom has delivered for me.

DO YOU WANT FIC TO BLACK OUT TO AND LOSE AN ENTIRE WEEKEND OVER? HAVE I GOT SOME RECS FOR YOU:

✦ Out with Lanterns by SkyeBean, ahsoka & mace & jedi & clones & cast, 312.5k In another universe, Jedi Masters Plo Koon and Depa Billaba decide a Padawan could do Mace some good. It takes a while, but he eventually agrees. When he takes Ahsoka Tano as his Padawan, Mace knows that he's broken through a Shatterpoint and changed the course of a life. How, he doesn't know. This fic accomplishes several things that have sent me over the moon: 1) At its heart, it's an Ahsoka fic that shows her growing up as a Padawan, going on missions, learning lessons, and having character growth. 2) It weaves in so many other characters around her, that Mace is there in almost every chapter, serious but warm in the Force, just as beautifully characterized as she is. 3) The other Jedi get their moments of excellents, Shaak taking Ahsoka on her Akul hunt was wonder to read, seeing Obi-Wan show up for a chapter had me over the moon, Adi taking care with Ahsoka was lovely, Depa was a shining star when she took Ahsoka under her wing, Fox growing used to these strange Jedi and growing into himself through Ahsoka's eyes was wonderful. 4) The writing is that kind of solid that I don't mean as mid-tier, but the kind that I feel like can bear weight on it, I can pick it up and read for 30k and barely realize any time has passed, despite that I've gotten through an entire arc of the fic. 5) It does an incredible job of balancing that feel of The Clone Wars show, without directly copying anything, that it's like these are arcs that I could have seen on the show itself, the lessons woven in, but still with enough plot moving forward and action to make it exciting. If you want more Jedi-centric fic in your life (where they don't have to be perfect! sometimes they can be less than perfect and it's okay because they're still good! ohhhh, my heart warmed at that) or you want to read a lovely Ahsoka-centric fic in a different life, but still so recognizably herself, then this is one I want to shove right in your face immediately.

✦ Take it from the top and try again by mauvera, obi-wan & anakin & qui-gon & padme & mace & dooku & cast, time travel, 116.k wip Five years into his self imposed exile on Tattooine, Obi-Wan Kenobi is gifted the chance to go back and bring hope back to the galaxy. With hindsight on his side, he fully intends to save his master, save his padawan, make some new and old friends again, prepare the Jedi for a war they’ll hopefully never see and begin to pull apart all the many tangled threads of the Sith Lord’s plans. Should be relatively easy. Right? I got sucked into the first fic in this series (which is complete, if you want to read it--it's not the end of the story, but it's a good stopping point and feels like it should have some solid resolution if you don't want to get into a wip) and read the first fic over the course of about three days because I was sucked in so thoroughly. I can never get enough of Obi-Wan time traveling back to the past, where he loves the Jedi and they love him, and I love this one because he has to make genuine plans for changing things--things change and I have no idea how that's going to affect Palpatine's machinations! Exciting! But it's also a lovely look at Obi-Wan's dynamics with multiple characters--I found the Obi-Wan & Padme scenes a hightlight personally, their friendship really blossomed as they both flung themselves into trying to better the galaxy, even if she doesn't know he's from the future, that he's working so hard matched a lot of her energy and I really enjoyed that--from Qui-Gon to Mace to Padme to Anakin and, as the sequel progresses, Dooku as well. It's another Jedi-positive fic, it has me invested in the plot, it's a joy to see competent!Obi-Wan, and I would love to shove it at more people.

✦ Post Order 66 Exile AU by Livsy, obi-wan & anakin, 46k (wip-esque) After a failed order 66, in which many Jedi still died but the Sith were defeated, an exiled warrior and a boy wander a distant planet and attempt to get along. This is probably the shortest fic on this list but I'm including it because it genuinely felt longer than that, for how dense the emotional intensity of it is. It's an AU where the Jedi barely eked out a victory, still on the edge of extinction in many ways, and Anakin deep in the pits of the dark side, so Obi-Wan takes him to a backwater planet in exile for the both of them, traveling through the countryside and just trying to make it from day to day. What punched me right in the feelings place is that this fic doesn't shy away from the hurt and the anger on both sides, that both of them are allowed to be unreliable narrators that have their own points of view on what's transpired and what lays between them. It doesn't back away from the hurt they both feel, the despair they both feel, yet there's hope here. It's ultimately a story about clawing yourself back from the dark side, and it's beautifully characterized for both of them, that unkind things are said on both of their parts, but you understand why the characters are in the place they are. It's wrapped up in a lushly written backdrop, with some lovely Japanese feudal era details woven in, but also with a Star Wars patina spread across all of it. It's not necessarily a kind fic, but if you like fic that bites down on a wound, I enjoyed this series a lot and would love to see it continued--but, honestly, what's here is already enough resolution that, looking back on it after the initial "Noooooo, I need more!" feeling has faded, I'm actually very satisfied with. ✦ Men of Power by AlabasterInk, obi-wan & anakin & mace & yoda & jedi & palpatine & cast, 86.1k wip When an old powerful man suddenly comes in and sweeps your underage Padawan away without so much as a by your leave, that’s the time to start asking questions. I'm only about 20k into this fic, so I can't say what shape it will take later on or how much pairings might come into it, but I still had to come running over to shove this fic at people, because it's scratching the itch I have for Jedi-positive fic that explores the idea of Anakin's trauma from his childhood as a slave, that this is a child who is wound so tight and comes from such a horrible thing having been done to him, having been owned as a person, that I understand why he stays silent on some of the things I desperately wish he could talk about or he doesn't really believe some of the things the Jedi tell him. It's a fic that takes a lot more care with Anakin's character than I think canon ever intended, weaving in a lot of the heartbreaking stuff from Legends' supplementing the canon, and is creating something that punches me right in the feelings place for him, that he's such a bright, brilliant boy, but I see why he struggled and it's not about assigning blame in any direction. It's about deeply caring people who fate has take a few steps to the left and something shifts just a little--and I appreciate that there's something very delicate feeling here, that the Jedi just don't have any real reason to be suspicious of Palpatine, his actions make sense, they genuinely can't feel any ill intention from him in the Force, they discuss why it would make sense that he'd want to support Anakin, all while we the readers can see, in hindsight, where the shadows have been creeping in. If you want Jedi-positive fic that also leaves some teeth marks over Anakin's trauma being explored in a way that is entirely sympathetic to him, then I want to shove this fic at you, too.

#lumi.txt #star wars #obi wan kenobi #anakin skywalker #mace windu #yoda #ahsoka tano #jedi order #fic recs #star wars fic recs

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becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys · 24 days

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I'm an A-Level student and so many of my classmates use ChatGPT for essays in Law and RS and stuff - like, they sound proud of themselves, as if they're cheating the system and being clever? Just makes me feel very bleak. What are we doing man

Well, the unfortunate news for them is that they are going to struggle if they make it to uni.

This is the big problem with AI - it cannot analyse a single thing. If I were to say to you "What are the features Tumblr users would most want and why?", you are a human being with a brain and experiences and decision-making skills, and you could probably sit and come up with an answer. You would base that answer on things you personally find lacking, or want to see; you would also base it in things you have seen others bemoaning on the site.

For example, I reckon I'd say something like:

The permanent ability to boop people with a cat paw, which is implemented as opt-in. Also customisable, so you can choose whether you want a random cat paw to appear on your screen each time it happens to you. Also a different animation for super boop/evil boop, and maybe more boop options than those two, and maybe also different paw colours.

Actual enforcement of hate speech rules. We all agree to them when we join, so it's perfectly legal to delete someone for spouting Nazi shit AND YET.

No more banning or censoring queer folks' accounts

More ability to adjust the interface for disabled bloggers, e.g. colour and contrast, font, layout, switching off moving GIFs or other animations by default, etc.

Tag editing, it's frustrating having to delete whole tags.

Tag memory! Where have my tags gone??? For a year now I have slightly better luck on desktop, but for the most part, which of my tags are remembered by autofill and which are never, ever offered to me has been wholly divorced from how often I've used them. And my tags are often lengthy and odd, so it's become much harder to use mobile.

No data scraping. This is the anti-cap site thank you. Also on that note, get rid of the For You section and any other algorithmic tracking, because it's just as likely to show you a Nazi blog as an anti-Nazi one as long as you have spent any time at all discussing Nazism.

Better blocking ability, on that note.

Better search function

I could go on, but you get the idea. That's analysis that I've done, based on discussions I have seen and taken part in, and my own experiences.

I just asked ChatGPT. Here's what it had to say:

"Tumblr users have diverse preferences, but there are several features that many users would likely appreciate: 1. Improved Content Discovery: Tumblr is known for its vast array of content, so improving content discovery mechanisms such as personalized recommendations, trending topics, and enhanced search functionality can help users find more of the content they enjoy. 2. Enhanced Customization Options: Tumblr users value the ability to customize their blogs extensively. Providing more themes, layout options, and customization tools can empower users to express themselves creatively and make their blogs unique. 3. Integration of Multimedia Formats: Tumblr is a platform where users share various types of multimedia content, including images, GIFs, videos, and audio. Enhancing support for different media formats, improving media upload and management features, and optimizing the viewing experience can enhance user engagement. 4. Improved Mobile Experience: Many Tumblr users access the platform via mobile devices. Therefore, optimizing the mobile app for better performance, usability, and feature parity with the desktop version can greatly enhance the user experience. 5. Community Engagement Features: Tumblr has a vibrant community, so features that facilitate interaction among users, such as improved messaging, reblogging, tagging, and commenting functionalities, can foster a sense of community and increase user engagement. 6. Content Moderation Tools: Given the diverse content on Tumblr, providing users with robust content moderation tools, including options for filtering, blocking, and reporting inappropriate content, can help ensure a safer and more enjoyable experience for all users. 7. Monetization Options for Creators: Many Tumblr users are content creators who would appreciate opportunities to monetize their content. Introducing features such as ad revenue sharing, subscription-based content, or integrated e-commerce capabilities can incentivize creators to produce high-quality content and invest more in their Tumblr presence. 8. Accessibility Features: Improving accessibility features such as alt text support for images, screen reader compatibility, and customizable text sizes and color schemes can make Tumblr more inclusive and accessible to users with disabilities. 9. Privacy and Security Enhancements: Enhancing privacy controls, data protection measures, and account security features can help users feel more confident and secure when using the platform, which is especially important given concerns about online privacy and security. 10. API and Third-Party Integration: Opening up Tumblr's API and allowing for easier integration with third-party services and apps can encourage innovation and development within the Tumblr ecosystem, providing users with more options and flexibility in how they use the platform. Overall, focusing on improving content discovery, customization options, community engagement, and user safety while also providing opportunities for creators to monetize their content can help Tumblr retain and attract users in a competitive social media landscape."

It's possible that feels alright, on first glance. But take a closer look.

Every point made is vague, and disconnected from any real life examples. In the very first point, it thinks we want better search functions (yes!) but also more algorithmic recommendations (no!). It wants us to have personalised recommendations AND better security, in fact, which are incompatible - but an LLM doesn't and can't know that. Monetisation of the platform is something that has historically faced appalling backlash from users, and this thing is suggesting ad revenue sharing and subscription services.

Because, its suggestions are generic suggestions. These are not Tumblr-specific. No mention of queerphobia, no mention of Nazis, and absolutely zero understanding of what the specific users on this site actually want.

... all of which is to say...

It's what is academically known as descriptive work. It lays out some facts, but there's no depth, no analysis, no interpretation of those facts at all. Why would we want third party integration? What apps are we calling for? Give examples. Would that aid ad-blocking? Search functions? In that case, wouldn't third-party integration be tackling the symptoms and not the cause? Shouldn't we work better ad-blocking and search functions into Tumblr at a base level?

And in school - even up to A Level - that's okay. You won't get top marks for that, because it's all too vague and too descriptive, but it's fine. School-level assignments tend to be more broad and less applied, too, which LLMs fare better with.

But in university, you start with descriptive facts, and then you are expected to analyse. If you cannot analyse, you run a very real risk of failing. Which means if you've spent your GCSEs and A Levels not bothering to learn those analytical skills and letting ChatGPT do the work for you, you are going to face an extremely uphill struggle when the expectations of study increase.

So, to round off, try not to get too discouraged. You know you aren't doing it, which means you are the one actually learning and developing and growing. Others will learn eventually, and probably more painfully. You do you!

#asks #chatgpt

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jade-len · 4 months

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i adore how mxtx sorta flipped the idea on the whole top/bottom thing with svsss, and just BL relationships in general.

making bingqiu very open to switching, not making the "bottom" super feminine and actually leaning more to the handsome side compared to the "top", how luo binghe is manipulative sensitive and cries easily, etc. one of the main themes in svsss is literally about sexuality (and possibly even about gender roles).

as a queer asian man myself, i absolutely despise the "yaoi archetype" and it was one of the reasons why i avoided consuming BL media. hell, years ago when i first saw heavens official blessing, i mentally groaned and went, "ugh, let me guess, the bottom is super feminine and innocent, while the top is masculine and experienced." of course, that's not the case now, but it's disappointing how that thought was there purely because of the god awful way fetish-y media portrays homosexual people and couples. because, believe it or not, we are not assigned male/female typical gender roles just because one likes to top/bottom (and even then, it's not even like that! some people have preferences, sure, but it's not so strictly "i'm top/bottom")

so, while i absolutely LOVE the english novel designs (especially luo binghe's cute curly hair, gongyi xiao, etc, and personally believe a lot of the takes from the western artist on the designs are an improvement), i am greatly saddened by people subconsciously assigning shen qingqiu as someone more delicate and feminine and luo binghe as someone super masculine and muscly. like, if you're going to have luo binghe depicted as the western design (i believe this stems from binghe being applied to more western ideals for men, and, admittedly, i actually really love his design), at least don't make shen qingqiu feminine and delicate? don't have his appearance play into the stupid yaoi thing?

i get that people have different takes on svsss, especially how the western version depicts it. but, people just... seem to very over exaggerate the top/bottom roles when it comes to bingqiu (again, these two are, canonically, VERY open to switching).

it's weird, it's uncomfortable, and it comes across as, "so, who wears the pants in the relationship?"

so, can we please have more canonically handsome shen qingqiu? canonically beautiful and pretty boy luo binghe (they literallly state that binghe looks EXACTLY like his mom, su xiyan! while a more handsome woman, is still very beautiful!! plus it is stated several times that binghe is slim, and that shang qinghua made him that way!) or at the very least, a BL couple who actually look like normal people (ok thats a little hard considering binghe is literally supposed to be perfect) and not just a stupid fetishized version of themselves.

and no, i'm not saying that queer men shouldn't be feminine or men who are feminine shouldn't be in a relationship with guys who are masculine, etc.

TLDR: please stop twinkifying shen qingqiu and going against what mxtx defied for us queer men (the stupid yaoi roles). and for the love of whoever you believe in, do NOT think that i hate the english design or people's personal interpretation of characters, i just hate the subconscious assigning of gender roles to bingqiu and how media portrays and fetishizes LGBTQ+ relationships in general.

edit: also i love teardrew's (check them out on twitter!) interpretation of shang qinghua. while i do really like the the eng novel design's tiny scared hamster vibes, teardrew's version just radiates "up to no good, paranoid but suspicious looking bitch" rat man and i love it so so so much. i'm not gonna repost their art bc i don't know how they feel about that but perhaps you can search up "svsss designs" on here, you'll see it pop up eventually lol.

edit 2 (1/16): i just saw someone reblog a post (that im pretty sure was referring to this one because, well, if you saw it i think it'd be a little clear kahxj) that was about how bingqiu switching and completely eschewing traditional top/bottom dynamics was a fandom idea or smth? so now i'm wondering, since i swear i remember that they were open to switching, but it's just that sqq preferred to bottom and/or was just a little too lazy to top. plus, sqq is a pretty unreliable narrator who says he doesn't want something one moment and then he does. how could he say no to bingbing? esp if he seems to wanna try bottoming too. perhaps i'm mixing things up though, idk? so if anyone can find that passage that says he only and strictly wants to bottom or whatever please show me! but i think the point of this post still stands haha (i wanted to ask about it, actually, but when i clicked on the og post's user it turned out that they blocked me ? so that was a little surprising oops. hey if ur somehow reading this, im... sorry for making you want to block me bc of this post? akdhxjj)

#JOIN THE 'STOP TWINKIFYING SQQ' GROUP #did i make sense? i have no clue i just wanted to rant about this #i really pulled a cucumber bro there huh #this also applies to GL #thinking about it more #there should be trans men and women bl and gl #and not in a fetishy way #of course luo binghe is still the big strong protag and taller than sqq but come on #i dont believe luo binghe is a twink exactly?? maybe?? but just feminine in a historical chinese male ideals way #for edit 2:#i was just saying how it made me happy that mxtx didn't follow the yaoi archetypes and how i lov her for it <3 #never said bingqiu was never done before and COMPLETELY flipped it over skdhjx #but i do believe that bingqiu did a good job providing variety and such :)#same goes for mxtx's other works as well i love her stuff sm #svsss #mxtx svsss #the scum villain's self saving system #luo binghe #shen qingqiu #luo bingge #shen yuan #luo bingmei #bingqiu #luo binghe x shen qingqiu #danmei

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bamsara · 19 days

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A03 Questions Tag Game

I got tagged by: @kagedbird I tag: @onethirdofimpossible, @coffincrows, (first two that come to mind) and anyone else who wants to do the game

1 – How many works do you have on AO3?

At the time of writing this post, currently 30 fics. (Not including any fics or written works that are not posted to AO3)

2 – What's your total AO3 word count?

1,066,633

3 – What fandoms do you write for?

Formerly: Don't Starve, FNAF, Dragons Dogma, Invader Zim

Currently: Cult of the Lamb

4 – What are your top five fics by kudos?

Solar Lunacy, Celestial Omens, Bytes of Lunacy, The Rehabilitation of Death, Saturday Insomnia

5 – Do you respond to comments?

I try to but I also get very nervous responding because I often don't know what to say back and I feel like it's almost rude or disrespectful to respond to a comment, esp the very nice ones that are long and in-deph with just a keysmash or a bunch of emojis, but I do read every single one since I have email notifications on for them

I'd like to sit down and respond to many but I really don't want to make it awkward so pls dear god readers forgive me

6 – What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I don't like unhappy endings. I enjoy angsty stories but I like when it's at least ending happy to me

7 – What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Not posted? Solar Lunacy

Ongoing? TROD

8 – Do you get hate on fics?

Not really? Most adults (in my experience) know the 'don't like don't read' rule and know basic online etiquette. I've gotten some for discontinuing a fic or switching fandoms though

9 – Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I don't write or draw NSFW! I like to make some suggestive themes sometimes, but I'm a very ace person, it's not something I do often. (I do have a current running goal that if my friend reaches their donation goal for their medical bills that I would give NSFW a shot, but again its not really my cup of tea)

10 – Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Nah I haven't written any cross overs, but I do draw them sometimes. Recently I've been spinning a Alice in Wonderland x COTL crossover in my head.

11 – Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yep. I've had people copy and paste my work, go in with a thesaurus to change a few words (like changing 'angry' to mad, 'upset' to 'sad', and so forth) to try and avoid detection and re-posted my written work under a different title name. AO3 staff took them down for violating their policy against plagiarism though

12 – Have you ever had a fic translated?

No. I wouldn't mind it so as long as I'm asked before hand, though not on anon so I can actually work with the person to prevent any mistranslations or mishandling, and that I don't want my work posted to other websites

13 – Have you ever co-written a fic?

I think I did when I was a teen but I cannot remember now

14 – What's your all-time favorite ship?

Eh I don't have any favorites, just ones I really focus on for a long while

15 – What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Pass.

16 – What are your writing strengths?

I can sit down for hours or several days and work on a writing wip completely in the zone. I cant do it on command but its at least something I can do

17 – What are your writing weaknesses?

Spelling and grammar, and sometimes long running sentences. I just kinda write, theres not really a goal for it to be perfect though so as long as the story gist and vibe is right, im fine with it

18 – Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I've done it before but only minor, had a friend help me with it (one or two lines of dialogue) Aside from that, I'm not comfortably fluent enough in anything to do it again without assistance

19 – First fandom you wrote for?

Soul Eater, when I was wayyy too young to be posting anything on the internet. My fanfics I wrote are still on fanfic.net to this day

20 – Favorite fic you've written?

It's inbetween TROD and EE&E right now

#sara shush

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writingwithfolklore · 9 months

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What advice would you have with a story that doesn’t necessarily have one set main character, but rather a group of important characters that influence the world around them? Is one set main character necessary?

Hi, thank you for the question!

Managing Multiple Main Characters

One main character is definitely not necessary. However, it depends how you define a main character. Are main characters just characters that have their own POV and arc? Or are they the point of the story telling? How significant does their impact on the world need to be?

Typically, even stories with multiple main characters (characters with POV and their own major arc), still has one main arc to follow that the others work with.

To make this point clearer, imagine a story with two main characters--one is a ballerina trying to land the main role of the show. The other is an astrophysicist discovering new things about our universe. At the end of the story, the ballerina lands the role, and the astrophysicist lands their promotion. One might wonder why these stories couldn't have each been their own novel, right?

So imagine instead, a ballerina is trying to land their dream role, and an astrophysicist is discovering new things about the universe. The theme for the upcoming ballet is space, so the ballerina goes to the astrophysicist for inspiration--leading to a blending of discovery, dance and science that leads the ballerina to landing the role and the physicist to opening their perspective on the universe.

Two main characters, but one 'story' that draws them together.

This is the most important part about writing multiple MCs. Readers typically expect--at some point--for the arcs of the MCs to intersect and work together. That's to say, if you have two characters who are both going through their own individual arcs completely separate from each other (such as the ballerina and physicist), at some point, they will have to interact or impact each other, and typically finish the story together, strengthened by their connection.

In cases of more than two main characters, it gets a bit more difficult. The more arcs and MCs your story has, the longer and more complicated it becomes.

To help with this, you can do a few things:

1. Have several arcs work together

Just like with two MCs, you can combine several of your MCs to going through arcs together. They may have the same objective (maybe for different reasons/motivations/goals, but the same 'end-game'), or otherwise they have to help each other or bounce off each other to get to their goal.

Romantic subplots are a really easy example of this. Two characters have an arc that both contribute to the same thing: the relationship.

2. Make some arcs 'weigh' more than others

The project I'm working on right now has five major characters who all have arcs and POV chapters. Character A and B are the protagonists, but character A is the 'more main' character out of the two of them. Then characters C, D, and E still have arcs, but theirs are much smaller than A and B. They still take the entirety of the story to fulfill their arc, but require less chapters and scenes to do it.

Thus, the breakdown in amount of time spent with characters is easy:

A - 40%, B - 30%, C - 15%, D - 10%, E - 5%

It's a bit less common to find a story with a lot of main characters that are all equal in their main character-ness. They may all impact the world and the story, but they aren't necessarily equal in doing so.

3. If all your characters are equal, they probably all have the same objective

Now, characters all having the same objective doesn't mean they're all going through the same arc. Objective may just be 'save the world from evil', but character A wants to save it for their family, character B wants to save it to have some control over it, character C wants to save it to promote their podcast, etc. etc. Their goals (or what they want out of achieving the objective) will be different, but they can band together to accomplish the same objective.

This keeps your astrophysicist and your ballerina together. Your characters' stories have meaning to each other, and a point to being put in the same novel.

Good luck!

#writing #writers #writing tips #writing advice #writing inspiration #creative writing #writing community #books #film #filmmaking #screenwriting #novel writing #fanfiction #writeblr #managing multiple main characters #multiple POVs

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battymommastuff · 11 months

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The Loop [Lighting Strikes Twice]

Batmom x Batfamily

Prompt: Okay, what the hell is happening? She was perfectly fine...she was safe

Masterlist Part 1 Part 2

TW: DARK THEMES AND DEATH

Here you were making your delicious birthday breakfast. Here you were making your delicious breakfast...with your entire family watching you. You were glad that the kitchen was big enough to fit so many bodies inside of it. "I really don't need all of you to watch me. I'm sure I'll be perfectly fine cooking the eggs." You said jokingly, obviously unaware of what's been happening to you. After beating the eggs, you turned to grab a knife so you could slice the bacon.

"NO!" Your entire family screamed out, making you nearly drop the sharp blade on your foot. Dick jumped over the counter that separated you from the rest of them, and took the knife from you, "How about you let us make the breakfast. Hell, most of us have watched you do it since we were kids." Dick said and nudged you out of the way.

"Dick I-" You were cut off by Bruce pulling you further away from your oldest son and towards him, "Why don't we take the plane somewhere? FIji? It'll be just the two of us" Bruce asked hoping that you would readily agree. You did. It's been awhile since you had the chance to be alone with your husband.

After he sent you upstairs to pack, he turned to everyone else. "We can't let this happen again." He said instantly switching from happy husband to The Dark Knight. "Both times she's...died, we were in Gotham. Leaving the city has to be the solution. I want everyone on watch. We WILL make it through today." Bruce said and several heads started nodding.

What they didn't know was that you didn't go upstairs. You were leaning against the wall right outside of the kitchen. You knew that your family could act weird at times. They run around kicking crazy villains in the face at night, but this was different. They all looked at you as if you were the one they were trying to stop. As you listened to what Bruce said, your face formed into a frown. Were they talking about you? You didn't die...you were standing right there.

Before you could listen more, Alfred opened another door to exit into the hallway, so you quickly made your way upstairs to pack.

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You gave each member of your family a warm hug before boarding the private jet. Each of them hugged you back as if they would never see you again. It made what you heard even more suspicious. They were keeping something from you, and you were going to find out what it was.

After boarding the plane, you sat down across from your husband who gave you a warm smile. He loved you to pieces...he truly truly did, but that man never smiled. The only time he ever smiled was in front of the press. Normally you would bombard him with questions, but he could still exit the plane if he needed to.

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Now that you were up in the air, you took your seatbelt off to relax. "Bruce, what's going on?" You asked as you crossed your leg over the other. You were dressed in attire for an island and he was too. He wasn't lying about going to Fiji, "Was the fight with the League over me?" You asked your second question before he could answer the first.

"Nothing's going on Y/N. We just wanted to spend a little time with you on your birthday. The trip to Fiji was a last minute thing." Bruce was a good liar. He had to be for what he does with his freetime, but that didn't matter now; You knew something was wrong.

"That's interesting, I'm always able to use a knife to cut food. Today you all lost your mind as soon as I picked it up." A small smirk made its way onto your face. That smirk always appeared when you caught someone in a lie. You could see the confidence start to weaken on Bruce's face after you said that. He knew that they acted out too quickly. They should have kept their composure.

"Also, I happen to overhear your little conversation with our kids after I left the kitchen." Game over. You knew something was up, and Bruce knew he couldn't talk his way out of this one. There was a reason he was trying to get you to leave Gotham, and you had him in the perfect place to figure out what it was.

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"So who's trying to kill me?" You asked after a long pause between the two of you. Bruce tensed up, and you frowned. A death threat or attempt on your life wasn't anything new. You were Bruce Wayne's wife, and Batman's wife. Those who hated the Waynes lashed out at you, and the ones who knew of Batman's identity also lashed out at you.

"We don't know...we've...um..." Bruce's voice started to crack as he struggled to find the words to say. He didn't know how to explain this to you without freaking you out. Everyone loved to say that you were the perfect woman to be Batman's wife. He was known as the World's Greatest Detective, and that skill bled into you as well.

"Bruce?" You said softly after your husband completely broke down. His hands covered his face and he rested his elbows on his knees. This wasn't anything new. He would have moments like this a lot...when he thought about his parent's death. You knew there was magic, and things that couldn't be explained in this world.

"How many times have I died?" You asked, resting your shaky hand on his forearm. While there were magical villains, there were also villains that could manipulate time, "Bruce, please talk to me."

Bruce moved his hands away from his face, and he let you interlace his fingers with yours. Your wedding bands rubbing together in an oddly comforting way to both of you, "Twice...the first was at a party we threw to surprise you...the second...you were stabbed by someone...we still don't know who it is. Then we all wake up, the kids and I. We wake up and it's today all over again."

Any normal person would have quickly dismissed this as a lie, but after seeing the things you've seen? You weren't questioning it at all. "I'm sure we'll figure this out. We're out of Gotham, surely whoever is trying to kill me can't follow us here." You reassured him then climbed into his lap, "Let me distract your mind. Just lean back, and I'll take care of you."

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Bruce rested his head on yours as you slept in the seat next to his. His arm wrapped tightly around your shoulders, and yours were hugging his waist. He looked at the time on his watch, and saw that time had passed, you would have been dead by now. Bruce let out a breath of relief when he saw that.

It seems like he was right, leaving Gotham was the answer. Now he needs to keep you hidden until they find whoever is doing this to you.

Or so he thought...

The weather outside of the plane went from sunny to very cloudy. Those clouds then turned dark as thunder rumbled from all around them. Bruce felt an odd sense of dread fill him as he saw the lighting in the clouds. He didn't see any storms in the forecast before they took flight. That dread soon turned to horror when the lighting hit one of the plane's engines. The explosion startled you awake, and you sat up quickly.

Bruce made his way into the cockpit to find both of his pilots had vanished. There was no way they could have jumped. You both were facing the doorway, you would have seen them leave. He wasted no time in taking control. He could fly the batplane, this was simple work. He would signal the batplane then fly out of the storm. They would make it with one engine, and his plane was very fast.

"Bruce!" You screamed out as you saw another bolt hit the second engine. He saw it as well. He knew what this was. Whatever wanted to kill you had found you. Bruce got up from the pilot's seat, and quickly made his way to you, "There are parachutes, we're going to have to jump. The batplane should be here any second." He then made his way to the bin that held the parachutes.

As if fate was against him, there was only one. The plane was still gliding through the air, but they couldn't wait. Bruce picked up the parachute to try and get you to wear it, but you pushed back towards him, "Bruce no. If this is what you told me, then I'll die..and you'll wake up. In some twisted way, this is the only way we'll both live." You said and forced your husband into the parachute.

"And if it isn't, and this is just fate truly fucking us over...then you still need to survive. The world needs Batman more than it needs Y/N Wayne." That last sentence broke both of your hearts to hear and say. When Bruce refused to move, you were the one who opened the door to the plane.

You braced yourself against the wall, so you didn't go flying out of it, "If you wake up again, save me." You said then pushed Bruce out of the plane before he could do or say anything. You watched as he fell quickly through the air and watched the parachute unfurl.

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Bruce looked up towards the crashing plane, and saw you standing by the doorway. He watched you vanish from the door. You walked back into the plane, and sat down in the nearest seat. You felt tears rushing down your face as you felt the plane start turning down.

The plane would never touch the water below them. The largest bolt of lighting he's ever seen came from the clouds and hit the plane. As if he were watching a movie, the plane exploded. Bruce let out a gut wrenching scream as he watched the explosion fill the sky. Never had he wanted to wake up so badly in his life.

He then saw something slowly falling from the explosion. It was too small to be your body. The batplane flew through the clouds, and Bruce was safe in the pilot's seat. The falling object still fell, and landed gently on the nose of the plane and he felt sick.

Slowly the handle started to spin, and the little clock arms started turning. Despite bullet proof glass separating them, he heard that nursery rhyme that he would grow to hate. Bruce felt his eyes grow heavy and he collapsed back against the seat when sleep took over his body.

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Bruce's eyes opened, and he sat up in his bed. He didn't need to know what the date was or what time it was. He knew the loop had repeated. He knew you were in the bathroom, and he knew that his door was about to open and his family would flood the room with questions. They weren't there this time, and they didn't have to witness what he had to.

On que, the door opened, and everyone made their way into the room. Nothing was said between anyone as they all looked at Bruce, and he looked at them.

You finished up your morning routine, and stepped out of the bathroom. You let out a soft shriek when you saw everyone in your room, "You all scared me. You aren't supposed to be awake yet. I have to make my special birthday breakfast first!"

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bettyfrommars · 11 months

Text

Death Becomes Us

vampire!Eddie Munson x supernatural!Fem Reader

(Slightly) True Blood au

Series Masterlist

🚨: 18+Only, mature themes, blood, enemies to lovers, mention of a rough past, brief homelessness, eventual smut. Reader has visible scars, and an important history to go with them, but the specific skin tone is not mentioned. The Upside Down exists but is also very different from how it was in the show. Bob Newby is alive and well. Reader and Eddie are around 30.

Word count: 4.4k

Playlist: here

A/N: I came up with this during another True Blood re-watch, but as I started writing, it morphed into something else. If you are a fan of the show, part 2 will start to feel more familiar to you. I'm still deeply involved writing a different series atm, but have been dipping into this piece as I sink further into the sea of insanity. I'm not entirely sure how far I will take it🫶 Idk, it's just something fun and random. Hope you enjoy xoxo

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Death Becomes Us - Part 1 - Dead Again

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Daytime in Hawkins was safe; that is when the living walked the streets. You were turned down by several different places while looking for work, including the gas n’ sip, the hardware store, and Family Video. You were just about to head back when you saw the blue neon on the side of the next building, bricks painted black, windows heavily curtained. The sign said “Main Vein” in cursive blue letters and there was a red and white sign hanging underneath that read: HELP WANTED.

Because of the floor to ceiling, black out curtains, you couldn’t get a glimpse inside, and when you tried the door, it was locked. You noticed there was more written in cursive on the Help Wanted sign: Humans Needed for Day Help, and then a phone number.

You bent your knee to make a table for yourself and wrote the number on the back of the application for Family Video in blue ink, along with the name of who to ask for: Bob.

You took one last look at the place before returning to your ride that was parked on the other side of the street. It was the 1976 Cadillac hearse that your father drove for 15 years as a funeral director before he passed on, and then he had one last ride in it.

Your hearse was your house at the moment. You’d made a cozy little bed for yourself on top of a bedroll in the back where 2 decades of corpses had been escorted to their final resting place.

You’d been parking (living) at the Love’s Truck Stop that was just off the freeway about ten miles from Hawkins. They had showers there and you could brush your teeth, and splurge on a muffin and coffee in the morning. You should’ve moved on by now, but for some reason, you couldn’t. Hawkins had a hold on you unlike any town you’d happened upon in the past few months. Maybe it was all the death.

You’d called Bob at Main Vein from one of the payphones inside Love’s earlier and he told you in a chipper voice to come by the next day at a designated time after sunset, and that he was looking forward to meeting you.

Propped up behind the single bench seat in the hearse, you heard the motorcycles before you saw them. The windows around the coffin hold of the hearse were covered to ensure your privacy, but then their headlights lashed through the cracks in the black velvet curtains as they passed, shooting bright shafts of light across your face.

You poked an eye out to see the same vampire boys on motorcycles that you’d witnessed the night before. They always raced down from the hills, headed for the bridge and into town, long hair and black coats flying out behind them, howling and calling out to each other.

You drank the rest of your Yoohoo, hoped it wouldn’t make you have to pee before morning, and tucked yourself way down in the blankets, covering your head.

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Sure, you were one of the living, but the sun had never agreed with you. You shielded your face with your arms, as if it were raining, as you dashed in and out of your hearse to do some errands the next day, including stopping by to check out a trailer for rent in an area that was mostly vampires. The human manager on duty was a woman in a floral muumuu and iridescent pink lipstick; her name was Dolores. She looked you up and down with unapologetic judgment.

“You’re not from around here, I take it.” She put her hands on her slight hips and exposed her pearly dentures to you in a bit of a grimace, squinting at the sun, her short, orange hair in perfect curls from her rollers..

You bit the inside of your cheek and told her you’d only been in town a few days.

She paused to indulge in a painfully drawn-out appraisal of the visible scars on your body. Thick, pronounced, railroad scars around your wrists that you tried to cover up with leather cuffs and bracelets, one that came up from the middle of your chest and peeked out from the collar of your shirt, one that looked like a long lash from the side of your mouth to your ear. Your left eyebrow was also cut in half by a line of scar tissue. There were other scars that you always kept covered up, and would never let anyone see: you were the freak of the human world, and you didn’t have an excuse to hide like the vampires did, but you secretly envied them for it.

“You’re not a damn tourist, are you?” Dolores asked, gesturing to the Polaroid camera you had in your hand.

“This? No,” you assured her. “I don’t really care for vampires.”

This was a relief for Dolores, because ever since families had started flocking to Hawkins to get a glimpse of the bloodsuckers, the whole town had become a nuthouse of folks wanting a tug on Satan’s proverbial ball sack. People wanting to rent the vacant trailer just so they could see the Fangers come out at night and smoke their cigarettes and fornicate with each other?? Didn’t these idiots know that they killed humans for fun? Drank their blood? All of it was an abomination and a sin against god and Dolores was one of the most god-fearing woman in the county.

She fumbled with her keys as the two of you came up onto the porch of the rental. The exterior was yellow, which was probably your least favorite color, and the porch was wobbly, bare wood, and the first step was cracked like someone had stomped on it a little too hard. There was a small, round metal table with two metal camp chairs with a used ashtray sitting in the middle.

“The ad mentioned that the rental is furnished?” You wanted to confirm because you had no furniture of your own and that particular detail was a huge selling point. Otherwise, you were doing just fine in the hearse, even if the coffin rollers stuck in your back at night.

Dolores nodded as she turned the knob and pushed the door open. “Previous resident couldn’t take it all with him when he moved up to Heaven to be with Jesus, so you’ve got a sofa, kitchen table set, TV, microwave,” she went over to stand by the pea green, formica island that jutted out as a divider between the living room and kitchen, opening her palms to the sky. “Gas stove, baseboard heat. Standing shower only, no bathtub.” There was a large velvet painting of geese in flight over a pond above the wagon wheel design, orange and brown couch.

You followed her hand gesture down the narrow hallway. “Plenty of storage space. Brand new toilet, just had it installed. First months rent plus $100 deposit, $25 deposit for each pet. Garbage and cable included. Rent is due on the 5th of every month, no exceptions.” She came in close to say the next part, whispering it, covering her mouth. “Might want to turn the mattress over before you sleep it, though. Poor thing passed away in there and it was a week before anyone realized.”

The unpleasant odor hiding under a mask of Glade room freshener you’d been trying to identify was suddenly explained. You could also hear flies buzzing down the hall.

Dolores stepped up to pull back one of the brown curtains of the front window, exposing the glorious expanse of the sparse, dead grass that separated you from your neighbors. “It’s quiet during the day, you won’t hear a peep, but I advise you to lock your doors at night and don’t go out unless it’s absolutely necessary,” she turned to make serious eye contact with you. “Or unless you’ve got some kind of death wish.”

You came over to look out of the window as well, taking note of a garden gnome statue flipping the middle finger on the weathered porch steps across from yours. “I thought vampires and humans were successfully co-existing for the most part since we offered them asylum from the Upside Down? It made worldwide news. With the invention of synthetic blood substitutes, I heard it’s been going fairly well, considering.” You could feel Dolores frowning at you, upset that you didn’t want to engage in her rhetoric. You cleared your throat. “Like I said, I don’t care for them myself. I'm sure there are a few bad apples who ruin it for everyone."

Dolores wiped her face of any emotion. “Those bad apples you speak of? Well, you’re in luck, hunny, because they’re all right here in this trailer park.”

You lifted the Polaroid camera to your eye from where it hung around your neck, and snapped a photo of the vulgar gnome on your neighbors porch before you followed Dolores to the office to sign paper work.

----------

You got out of of your hearse in front of Main Vein just as the sun set, tall trees tucked cozily in the hazy purple sky, and there was an immediate shuffling of feet, opening of windows, and mumbling of voices all around the town as humans locked their doors and the dead were rising.

You were about to touch the metal handle on the curtained, glass door to Main Vein, when someone pushed it open from the inside, startling you.

A stout, cute man appeared with sparkling, eager eyes, and rosy apple cheeks. His skin flushed with the vibrant color of someone who was alive, just as he flashed a mouth of vampire teeth.

“Don’t vorry,” he said in an attempt at a Hungarian accent. “I von’t suck your blahhhd,” and then the plastic white teeth in his mouth slipped and he caught them in his hand, sucking back a line of saliva, smiling at you, chuckling at his own joke, skin crinkling around his eyes.

You were too confused to speak, your mouth moving like a fish out of water, hand paused in the air.

“I’m just kidding, it’s a joke,” he said, holding up the teeth in his hand to assure you they weren’t real as he held the door open. He had on a plaid sweater vest over a white shirt and trousers. “I’m not a vampire. But a lot of my friends are. Come, come, let’s get you some tea or something. Do you like sweet tea? I just made some. Is that your car out there? That’s amazing!”

You didn’t get a chance to introduce yourself as you shuffled in, smiling and nodding.

The inside of Main Vein looked like a hip dive right out of a movie: exposed brick on one wall, dotted in artwork, a long bar on the opposite side that appeared to serve beer, wine, and cocktails, classic, original wood floor, and a small area toward the back where some microphones and instruments were set up. The blue neon repeating the name Main Vein above an open space behind the bar where the kitchen was.

“Are you musical?” The man you assumed was Bob asked over his shoulder as he gestured for you to take a seat at a table where it looked like he’d been jotting things down in a spiral notebook.

“I sing sometimes,” you cleared your throat. “In the shower, mostly.”

Bob Newby laughed so hard he threw his head back. “Oh, you’ve got a sense of humor, I like it. We need more of that around here. Don’t we, Argyle?”

You hadn’t noticed him at first, but on a stool behind the bar, a tall guy with long, straight black hair sat a bit hunched over, engrossed in a celebrity magazine.

“Totally, man,” Argyle agreed, but then he looked up. “Wait, what was the question?”

“That’s Argyle, he really is a vampire. He lives upstairs. He’s also the best bartender in town,” Bob moved his hand between the two of you. “Argyle, this is---”

You told them your name.

“Rad,” Argyle said, hoping from the stool, flapping his magazine down on the counter, squinting across the bar to see you better in the dim, blue light. “It will be nice for Bob-a-roonie to have another human around. I like your scars, they’re sick.”

You hadn’t even been interviewed yet, let alone officially hired, so you weren’t quite sure how to respond, but you nodded at what was intended as a compliment.

Bob adjusted himself in the seat across from you, and you asked if he preferred to be called Bob or Bob-a-roonie, to which he responded: “You can call me anything you want, just as long as it’s not late for dinner.”

When Argyle brought over two glasses of sweet tea, his sharp fangs shot out when he winked at you, and you weren’t sure if it was a threat or something flirtatious. One thing unnerving about vampires was how the irises of their eyes went completely black when their fangs came out; that was something that would take you a while to get used to. You’d heard about the phenomenon, but in person it was particularly jarring.

Bob asked you a few standards, polite questions, but then the curiosity was killing you, and you had to ask: “What type of food do you serve? I thought vampires only subsided on blood?”

Bob smiled and wagged his finger at you. “I knew you were a smart one. You ask good questions!”

He came forward in his seat, excited. “This place,” he gestured around the building. “Is about to be one of the first crossover Human/Vampire establishments in the area. I asked myself one night, I said Bob, what is missing in Hawkins? And then I went to make plans with my girlfriend, who just happens to be a vampire, and there was nowhere we could go out on a date together where the menu accommodated both of us.”

Okay, you could see where this was going.

“So, here we have it,” He sat back, giving himself a bit of double chin as he smiled. “Our menu offers a selection of blood substitutes like Fang Tang and LifeForce, as well as some ethically sourced blood from local donors, and then we have a full bar and an appetizer menu. We’ll have an open mic night, maybe a bingo night. Vampires and humans having a laugh together. It’s perfect, right?”

Your eyes didn’t know where to settle as you took in the information, imagining vampires on dates with humans, and human/vampire hybrid families all clinking silverware and slurping their meals like it was the most natural thing in the world. It was a scenario you’d never imagined or heard of before, but hey, if Bob was excited about it, well, then, you were excited about it too.

“It’s great,” you cleared your throat, taking a sip of tea. “When do you plan to open?”

Argyle heard your question from behind the bar and he snorted a laugh, flipping the page on his magazine.

“Well, we are open, technically. We’ve been open for a week,” he stuttered but then gave an approving sniff. “but new concepts like this take time to catch on.”

“Plus,” Bob continued, eyebrow raised. “That’s where you come in. I want to start opening earlier on the weekends, see if we can get a bit more human traffic in to try out our happy hour menu that Argyle worked so hard on. What does your availability look like?”

“Oh, I’d be happy to work whenever you need me,” you assured him. “I don’t have any restrictions.”

“What about kids? No family?” He asked it innocently enough, but still it put a lump in your throat for some reason. You were almost 30, and you weren’t falling in line with the standard human breeding ritual, so it made people curious.

You lowered your eyes as your index finger started to work at a piece of skin on your thumb. “Nope, just me.”

“I’m sorry,” Bob’s brow creased. “I didn’t mean for it to sound…I just wanted to know if you could work weekends, that’s all.” He exhaled a breath, slapped his hand to his thigh, and then asked you when you could start.

You were on the verge of telling him you could start immediately when the door to the outside opened, and out of the corner of your eye, you saw Argyle’s face light up at the sight of whoever it was.

“Yo, Eddie, man, what’s going on, my dude?”

“Not much,” a deep voice muttered as you peeked over your shoulder to see who it was, trying not to twist around fast and make it obvious.

But it was still obvious, and his eyes snapped to yours as he stood in the doorway, hesitating with his toes at the threshold, holding the door open with his body.

The guy called Eddie was at least 6’3” with a strong, but thin build, long wavy dark hair passed his shoulders and across his forehead. There was a tattoo along the side of his neck, and on the backs of his hands, while the rest of him was in all black: boots, jeans, leather motorcycled jacket, and a tattered Type O Negative shirt underneath with ragged edges around the neckline where the collar had been ripped out. His skin was not chalk white, more like vanilla ice cream, and his plump lips were somehow pink.

Eddie was a vampire.

“Come on in, Eddie,” Bob swung his hand over his head, gesturing for him to enter. “Fang Tang cocktails are half off until midnight.”

At Bob’s formal invitation, Eddie stepped into the space, and made his way over to the bar to straddle a stool and talk with Argyle.

“What do you think?” Bob’s voice brought you back to reality.

“Sorry?” You swallowed awkwardly as you turned back to him.

“Tomorrow? Can you start tomorrow?”

------------

As you parked your hearse at an angle next to the trailer, you took notice of how changed the scene was from earlier that day. Every single curtain in the 10 or 12 trailers were open, exposing vampire lives being lived, television being watched, couples kissing, and there was a bonfire in the middle of the courtyard. A few heads atop dark shadow figures turned at the beam of your headlights before you flicked them off.

You were safe in your rental from vampires, you knew this, and it had been confirmed by Eddie pausing at the door of Main Vein earlier.

They had to be invited in.

But, you were fair game out in the open, so lingering there after you slammed the hearse door was possibly, as Dolores suggested, a death wish.

Maybe that was the point. Maybe you didn’t care anymore.

You were cautious not to land your foot on the broken stair as you made it up to the porch and put your new key in the lock. All around you floated the soft existence of a summer evening: crickets and frogs sounding their alarms while the incense of charcoal briquettes filled the air and the occasional tipsy laugh cackled in the distance. Bottle rockets zoomed off at a shrill speed and then exploded into tiny gold bursts in the sky.

A few minutes later, you stood staring at the dark red and yellow stain on the mattress in the wood-paneled bedroom of your trailer while you ate a few salted peanuts from a jar, deciding in that moment you’d rather sleep on the sofa for a night than do the work of scrubbing it, turning it over, and dressing it with new linens. You were too exhausted for that shit.

You washed your face and unpacked a few things, but that was the extent of your energy. You decided it was time for a beer on the porch before bed, and that is what you went out to do.

To your delight, there was a black and white cat walking the plank of your porch railing. Not much older than a teenager, with handsome yellow eyes. You held your beer in one hand while you stroked her from head to toe with the other, grinning and cooing as she bucked against your touch and purred. Your porch light was broken, but the glow from inside your trailer lit the expanse of her long whiskers.

“Dio,” a deep voice said from somewhere in the darkness, startling you.

You stepped back, closer to the door of your trailer, eyes adjusting to the outline of a silhouette at the bottom of your stairs.

Vampire Eddie flicked his lighter, and you caught his face in the flame, just long enough for him to ignite the end of his cigarette before it was dark again. His eyes lifted to meet yours at the last second before he fell into shadows again.

“Her name is Dio,” he repeated, introducing his cat. “She doesn’t like anyone but me.”

As he said it, the Dio in question sprang down from the beam to circle your legs, purring, rubbing her face on you. “Well, I don’t know about that,” you started. “She looks like she---”

“What are you doing here?” Eddie’s voice interrupted.

You glanced around, wondering if someone else had walked up.

“You don’t belong here,” he continued talking to you, specifically. You watched the cherry of his smoke light up as he inhaled, and then a plume of white smoke on the exhale, like you were having a conversation with The Invisible Man.

You leaned your shoulder against the railing and laced your fingers around your beer. “Maybe you’re the one who doesn’t belong here,” you countered, meeting his eyes as best you could in the darkness, tension sparking like electricity in the space between. “This is my porch.”

Eddie scoffed, flicking ash to the ground. “You have no idea what you’ve stumbled onto here, Princess.”

You wandered over to close the distance between the two of you, down the three rickety stairs to the dead grass, as another bottle rocket fizzed like pop rocks overhead.

Eddie stood his ground, even though it was insane Human behavior to be so casual with a vampire like that. Did you have a wooden stake you were going to try and drive through his heart? That was one of the only myths that held true for slaying his kind: wood and silver and sunlight; the trinity of vanquishing. Holy water was a joke, he could drink that all day long, and crosses were everywhere in his home décor.

There you stood, within arms reach of a supernatural killer. He could rip your throat out in the time it took for you to steal your next breath, but instead, he shifted his mouth to exhale his smoke to the side so it wouldn’t go in your face.

His eyes never left yours.

Chocolate brown peepers, rimmed in long, dark lashes; you could see the fine details of his face now that you were closer. You waited for his irises to go full black as Argyle’s had done when his fangs came out, but Eddie only parted his lips as the muscles of his throat jerked in a reflexive swallow as you matched the intensity of his eye contact. You intrigued him in a way that no one had in a very long time.

“So, what do you want?” You asked, point blank.

He used the hand holding his cigarette to jerk his thumb over his shoulder. “Dio and I live here,” he said, referring to the trailer with the vulgar gnome on the steps. “I’m just having a smoke before I go inside. If that’s alright with you?”

“Oh,” you felt a bit foolish, but how were you supposed to know? Earlier, you’d noticed an old van parked in his spot next to the trailer, but now there was a black BMW there, and you weren’t a car expert, but it appeared to be one of the newer models.

“Whose car is that?” You asked with a jerk of your chin. There was a better way you could’ve asked it, but that is just what slipped out of your mouth in the moment.

Eddie turned his head to stare at the BMW for a blink, cigarette secured between his lips. “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart,” he told you with a squint.

You regretted ever trying to make conversation. “Great, well, enjoy your evening. Or the start to your day. Whatever the hell it is,” and then you stuffed one hand in your pocket and spun on your heel.

His heightened reflexes had a hold of your arm in a flash to catch you and stop you. His touch was icy on the crook of your elbow, and when you spun around, you regarded him with eyeballs that were milk white, void of iris or pupil. “What the hell…” he hissed under his breath, fascinated. But then you blinked, and your eyes were back to their natural state, and it made him question what he’d just seen.

He noticed your scent was different too, come to think of it. You smelled human, but there was also something else mixed in with your tissues, swimming in your bloodstream. It hinted to rain and static and firework sparks.

“What are you?” He called from the bottom of the steps as you booked it up the stairs and across the porch.

With your hand on the doorknob to your trailer, you responded, “don’t worry about it,” calmly, without looking back, and then you fumbled the door shut behind you and locked it, frantically, as if you were being chased.

“What are you?” His question repeated in your head, as you worked fast to make sure all of the curtains were closed. You didn’t want anyone to see you. You stopped in the hallway and put your face in your hands, trying to catch your breath, trying to figure out why that question had bothered you so much; it’s not as if you’d hadn’t been asked it a millions times before. Why did he bother you so much? He was just an ordinary vampire for fucks sake, you demanded that you get a hold of yourself.

Absently, your fingertips traced the ridge of the long scar across your cheek, and you prayed to whichever deity was listening that any interaction with your neighbor Vampire Eddie from there on out would be minimal.

--------

Part 2: When Doves Cry

#eddiemunsonseries #eddiemunson #eddie munson fic #vampire eddie au #vampire eddie x reader #fem reader #true blood au #90s au

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drenix004 · 6 months

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𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐝 part2

Valeria Garza Headcanons

Part 1 here

Note: I plan to do headcanons of Valeria as chapters of Valeria's fanfic are published! besides, I also want to do the same with 141, Alejandro, Rodolfo, Valeria,Horangi and koning in different situations and contexts, especially if they are shapeshifters or hybrids feel free to ask for a headcanon, one shot or drable, I'll be happy to do it! And they'll be all soft, comforting and light angsty themes! Life is already too cruel and hard to make them suffer here too :)

Sadly there will be no smut or nsfw, I'm really bad at writing that kind of content, sorry. But, there will be slight superficial mentions of that as a reward.

Pairing: Valeria Garza x fem!Reader

Summary: You work at the bar of a night bar in Las Almas, you knew the menu backwards and forwards so you had a certain fame. One day you draw the attention of a certain narco when you kicked an idiot out of the establishment just as the armored van was passing by, not only did you draw attention because of the commotion, but also because not a sound came out of your mouth, not a whimper, curse or insult, nothing. Just a death stare at the man.

━━━━━━━━》❈《 ━━━━━━━

Valeria has always had women at her disposal, it was nothing more than something carnal, just physical. I had never had any other contact than that with people of the same sex.

●Until you came, you opened the forbidden door that The Nameless One kept in the depths of his being; their feelings.

●You reached to the depths of his being without realizing it, you were not a one-night stand. You are more than that to The Nameless.

●Now the consequences had to be paid.

●Valeria didn't let you go when you had already walked through that damn door, oh no.

● That's not how the game was played and Valeria was very clear about it, since you opened her forbidden place you were doomed.

● You were hers, as well as the consequences of having fallen in love with her to the point of insanity if possible.

●You calmed her inner demons, but you also teased them if she didn't have you around.

●Same as now.

●His office was a shit after a fit of rage, they hadn't heard from you for more than three days.

● Many bad scenarios had been generated in his head, did the rival cartel kidnap you?

●That couldn't be possible, even among criminals there was a code: never mess with one's family or partner. Something that could be very simple, but that was essential to avoid generating conflicts beyond the territory or the product.

●Although you were not Valeria's official partner, by now she had made it clear that she was very interested in you.

Valeria was getting tired after searching with no results, so she decides to investigate everything about you. She didn't want to do it because she wanted to respect your privacy, but that had already moved to another level.

●She found out that the name you gave her wasn't your real name, so she couldn't find you that easily... With your real name he was able to access your credit card records, he realized that you did not stay in the same place for more than two days in inns or small hotels.

. ●Valeria recognized that pattern, you were running away. But what were you running from? It couldn't be her because she never gave you a reason to do it.

The more I researched about you, the more things came to light; you were three years younger than Valeria, you had gardening experience, years ago you had been admitted several times to the emergency room for assault injuries, but they never mentioned a neck injury.

●That fact became interesting to her, Valeria had noticed the scar on your neck that you tried to hide with chokers.

Valeria went to every hotel and inn you were in, looked at the security footage, and then left without saying a word. He had to admit that you were cunning, a challenge he liked.

●Unknowingly, you entered a hunting game, where you are the prey and Valeria was the hunter.

●Valeria followed your steps closely, the chase becoming more and more exciting, the beast within her moving violently every time it got closer and closer.

●But she was aware that she wasn't the only one chasing you, there was a man who was also looking for you; your brother. The man had complaints of domestic violence, and also had an arrest warrant and a restraining order.

●Valeria understood why you were running away, you were afraid that your brother would hurt you again. that's why you ended up in Las Almas.

●Valeria would help you escape your brother's clutches... to end up in his.

● Valeria was no saint, but at least her claws would be more careful and gentler than your brother's. She could not and would not change what she already was, but she could take care of you in his darkness. ●When she knew where you were, she left immediately. Your brother had also found your whereabouts.

●It was a race against the clock, who would get there first? ●Which demon would get to you first?

●You were the ray of light that the darkness wanted out of selfishness, to envelop you completely so that you could not escape, you were its complement… because without light there is no darkness.

Part3?

I had planned to upload this for hallowen, but I couldn't because I had an anxious crisis :) why do I feel this looks more like a one shot than a headcanon? anyway I liked how it turned out, I hope you do too. likes and reblogs are much appreciated!

#valeria garza #valeria garza x reader #valeria x reader #valeria mw2 #valeria cod #valeria x f! reader #valeria garza x fem!reader #valeria garza x you #el sin nombre #cod mw2 #headcanons #valeria headcanons

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luvfy0dor · 6 months

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"Keep warm with me" ; Seasonal Scenarios ੈ✩‧₊˚ BSD x GN!Reader

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Fyodor Dostoevsky, Chuuya Nakahara

Warnings; None! Pure fluff.

Description; Several winter-themed scenarios with select bsd boys! (Part 1/?)

A/N; In Fyodors part I wrote it how the way I make hot chocolate, I know some people make it very different but yk 😭 were getting back into the swing of things you guys except I gotta take two chapters of notes for my AP class....hmu if u got notes for chapter 24/25 of Traditions & Encounters; A Global Perspective on the Past Updated Sixth Edition...💔

Fyodor Dostoevsky ༉‧₊˚.

╰┈➤ Snuggling together and hot chocolate

Huddled up on the comfortable couch together, you watched the snow fall outside. Your body was pressed against your boyfriends, his arms wrapped around your torso as you both basked in the warmth from the nearby fire. Fyodors eyes started to droop, his breathing soft and steady. Your head was on his shoulder with a warm blanket sprawled out over your back and therefore over him, trapping some heat for the both of you to use.

Your fingers entangled themselves in Fyodors hair, gently twirling the straight strands around your fingers. He could feel your soft breaths against his skin, smiling at the sensation. He feels your arms gently tighten around him as you snuggle into him further, breathing in his scent of lavender, which only aids in lulling you to sleep. His voice, however, swiftly catches you from falling into a peaceful, void of dreams.

"Are you warm enough, dear?" He asks quietly, just barely over a whisper, his hands rubbing up and down your arms before he tilts your head upwards with his finger under your chin to look at him. You nod with a smile, which he returns and gives you a soft kiss on the lips. His hand gently holds your cheek while rubbing your cheekbone with his thumb. You both pull away after a couple of seconds, and you can feel his warm hands move you off of him, lifting the blanket to get up from the couch. You shiver at the feeling of cold air hitting your skin, your teeth chattering a bit.

"Where are you going?" You ask, tilting your head and wrapping the blanket around you to trap more warmth in the makeshift cocoon. He walks towards the kitchen, the sound of his feet hitting the floor quietly fills your ears as you watch his form. "I'm going to make hot chocolate, do you want some?" He says, turning to look at you after rummaging through the cabinets that were filled with numerous things, which were usually relatively organized.

You nod eagerly, craving the sweet drink now that he had mentioned it. "Alright." He says before grabbing a pot and filling it with tap water, putting it on the stove and cranking the heat up. He stands against the counter while he waits. He feels drawn to the window, so that is exactly where he goes, leaning over and peering outside, the snow glistening as it fell. The dim glow of the kitchen lights illuminated Fyodors skin as he leaned against the sill, his lips parted ever so slightly. You study every curve in his face, finding each one as beautiful as the others. He glances over at you, presumably having felt your stare.

"Yes, moya lyubov?" He says, his head leaning further in his hand before he turns his whole body to face you. The pale pink color of his thin lips nearly blended with his skin tone as he stood, his reflection clear as day in the glass pane. You shook your head. "Nothing, just lookin' at you." You say, your voice slightly muffled by the blanket you held close. His cheeks become a bit rosier while the lanky man bit on his fingernails and averted his eyes.

"Oh, alright then.." He walks back over to the stove, peeking over at the boiling pot of water and deeming it hot enough. He turns the stove down and grabs two mugs from another cabinet, placing them firmly on the counter before carefully pouring the steaming water into the cups. He pours in the powder, stirring the mixture together before putting some ice in them. He carries them over, cautious of his surroundings and making sure not to do something silly like trip over his own feet. He places the ceramic mugs on the coffee table, crawling under the blanket with you while they cool a bit more.

You open your arms for Fyodor, swiftly embracing him. He started to scooch around a bit, seemingly finding a comfortable position. His foot brushes over the skin of your ankle, making you yelp a bit and pull your body away from his. He looks at you, a bit confused by your sudden movement. "Jeez, Fyodor, you need some fuzzy socks or something, your feet are so cold." You say, your eyebrows furrowed. He laughs a bit and places his warm hands on your sides, his thumbs gently massaging your waist. "Mm, well I can make up for it by warming you up a bit, my dear." He says with a smile, pressing a gentle kiss to your lips. You sigh softly, his hands warm to the touch from holding the glasses of hot chocolate.

"Mm, that's a lot better." You say, flashing your teeth in a small grin. You put your arms around Fyodors neck and cuddle into him and he does the same, only his arms are under yours. You reach over for your hot chocolate and bring the cup to your lips, sipping on it carefully as not to spill any. You hum in approval, placing the mug back down on the table. "Good?* He asks, his fingers softly caressing the back of your neck, making you squirm a bit. "Very good, thank you." You press a gentle, chaste kiss to his jawline, making him blush a bit. The corner of his lips are tugged into a small smile, matching his gentle expression.

"Mhm, anything for you. I love these relaxing evenings with you, they're so calming and sweet." He mumbles against your head, giving you a gentle squeeze as he starts drifting off to sleep in your arms. You can't help but smile at his words, nuzzling into him further.

"Me too." You say quietly, adjusting the blanket before you also doze off, your head pressed against his shoulder and your legs entangled with his.

Chuuya Nakahara ༉‧₊˚.

╰┈➤ Baking and decorating cookies

You and Chuuya had recently been sucked into the world of culinary shows, specifically the baking ones. You both had the intense belief that you two could both make the same thing first try without experience, so you decided to try it. So, there you both stood in your kitchen, an array of ingredients sitting in front of you in the counter. Chuuya was more into the decorating part than the actual baking half, so you both settled on that premade mix that you only add eggs and milk to.

You stood with your hands on your hips, the sleeves of your wooly sweater rolled up to your elbows. The cold, winter air gave you goosebumps and made the hair on your arms stand up a bit. You watched Chuuya try to open the mix, but the tear strip seemingly didn't exist because he clearly couldn't find it. You reached out for the bag.

"Here, Chuuya, let me see it. I'll cut it open." You say, watching him struggle some more, his eyebrows furrowed. "No it's alright darlin', I got it." He reassured you, to which you raised your eyebrow and continued to watch him try to pry the bag open. "It's alright, Chuuya, we can just-" you're cut off by the loud popping sound of the bag opening, cookie mix going all over the place, turning your boyfriends familiar fiery orange hair partially white. It was all over both of your faces as you blankly stares at eachother before erupting into a fit of laughter.

After a couple seconds, you're able to calm down, your body leaning against his with your head hung and shoulders shaking. The giggles fade out before you return to your upright position.

"Alright, I guess we'll just have one bag" you say, amusement still prominent in your voice. He giggles and wipes some of the powder off of your cheek when he cups it, leaning in and speaking quietly against your lips. "Im sorry doll." He laughs and presses his lips to yours, humming quietly into the kiss. When he pulls away, his pretty blue eyes stare into your (e/c) ones, flickering down to your lips every now and again. "And you still taste as sweet as ever." His words make you blush and pull away with a flustered grin, covering your face with your hand. "Quit it." You mumble, your other hand pressed against your boyfriends chest. You redirect your attention to the other bag of cookie mix in the counter, grabbing that along with a pair of scissors.

You cut along the top, throwing out the strip of plastic and pouring the powder into a large bowl. "Look at that, no explosion." You tease Chuuya a bit, who just playfully rolls his eyes and grabs the milk and eggs from the refrigerator. He measures out the proper amount of milk and cracks the eggs into the bowl. He then tosses the eggshells and washes his hands, drying them off before hugging you from behind while you mix everything together. You smile softly at his affectionate action, his head resting on your shoulder.

You both sway with one another until you finish mixing everything together and step away to grab a cookie sheet and some parchment paper. "Alright, Chuuya, are we making shapes out of these or are we just rolling them into balls?" You tilt your head, squinting your eyes as you think on the decision, as does he. "Well, we don't have any cookie cutters, but I think we could make shapes on our own, yeah?" He says cockily, taking some of the dough and starting to make some sort of form. You couldn't quite tell what it was, but he seemed pretty proud.

"Look at that! I'd like to see those baking show people try this." He says, grabbing another piece of dough. You tilt your head every which way trying to figure out what it was. "Chuuya...what is that? Is it an airplane?" You ask. He gives you an offended look and shakes his head. "No, it's a little person, and I even made another one. It's you and me." He says, embarrassedly. You feel your heart skip a beat at the silly, yet loving and caring action. "No, Chuuya, I didn't mean that, I can clearly tell that's us! Who wouldn't be able to? We look so cute in cookie form, oh my gosh." You say, placing your hands on his shoulders as you excitedly look at the little cookie couple. He scoffs and rolls his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, doll." You return to the bowl of dough, both of you using the rest of it to make smaller shapes like hearts or stars, and even some plain circles. Chuuya stuck them in the oven and set a timer, washing the oily feeling from the cookie dough off of his hands. While he does that, you figure out how you mix different colors of icings and put them into little icing bags, making an array of colors. You were obviously making one hell of a pile of dishes for yourself later, too, but you'd like to say you live in the moment.

You both waited for the timer to count down, then waiting again for the cookies to cool down on the stove top. The penthouse smelled so sweet, and your hunger only made it smell sweeter. You grabbed a plate to put all of the cookies on and another for each of you to decorate. You grabbed one of the bags filled with bright red icing, carefully piping it onto the cookie. You could see Chuuya out of the corner of your eye putting all his effort into the mini him. You could tell he was taking this seriously because he was even using a toothpick to perfect every detail of his icing-hair. You smiled and continued to decorate your cookies, placing them onto the plate when finished. By the time you were done with every cookie you had made, Chuuya had decorated cookie you and cookie him. He held them up proudly to show you, being careful not to hold them too vertically, making the icing run.

"Oh, darlin', we gotta sign me up for those shows right now, that was way too easy." He says with a smug grin, placing the two works of art on a plate separate from everything else. "They're absolutely gorgeous, Chuuya." You say with a smile. "I bet they taste just as good." You say, reaching to grab one, which he smacks your hand away. "I'm sorry, but you are not eating those ones first. We have all these other not cool or special cookies and you wanna eat those first." He says, giving you an absolutely perplexed look. You blink and nod in understanding, taking a bite out of a different, star shaped one.

"Alright, I won't eat those ones yet, but this one is really good. Try it." You say, holding the cookie up to Chuuyas mouth, him taking a large bite out of it. "Mm, yeah, that is really good." He says after swallowing it.

"Do you think they're as good as the ones those people make on TV?" You ask. He nods, running his fingers through his hair and adjusting it. "Absolutely. Those ones are rushed and have no love put into them whatsoever." He says, leaning against the counter. "Not ours though, ours are ten times better." He proudly says. You grin and embrace your boyfriend, leaning your head on top of his. "I agree, we did such a good job." You hum, playing with his hair softly. "You know it, doll." He says, pressing a soft kiss to your shoulder as he snuggles into your body, enjoying the warmth you emit.

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hometoursandotherstuff · 2 months

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I was very curious to see what a $2.5M condo in an 1895 school in Washington, DC looks like (there's also a $350mo. HOA fee.) The unit has 3bds & 3ba.

There's a large foyer off the main hallway.

Very spacious living/dining room.

Either walls were taken down or new stairs were built, but that's the difference between a professional conversion and a DIY.

In the corner of the living room is a bar.

All of the high ceilings and windows are intact and the floor is original.

The kitchen is cool. Interesting architectural details were worked around and incorporated.

This is nice and it actually looks like science lab cabinetry.

What a cool vintage bath. The cabinets actually look like they were in the old nurses office. Love the green pedestal sink.

The primary bedroom is so open. It's huge- look at the size of the TV area. This unit is on several levels, so it's very large.

A sitting room area is on the other side of the primary bedroom.

Bd. #3 looks like a spare or guest bedroom.

Gigantic bath is 2 rooms.

This child's room has a castle theme with it's own loft.

The children's bath.

I don't know what the owners do, but there are 2 floors of work rooms.

Looks like they do something with plants or flowers, and it's so large, they must live and work here.

I'm assuming that this yard isn't shared and each unit has its own.

Well, for the price, it seems like unless you have a use for the workshops and a child who would enjoy the castle room, it wouldn't be worth it. The 3rd bedroom is disappointing and it infringes on the privacy of the primary bedroom.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/111-Quincy-Pl-NE-1-Washington-DC-20002/490453_zpid/

#converted school #condos #old house dreams #houses #house tours #home tour

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technicallyverycowboy · 4 months

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playboyy: no fags, no femmes

okay, so. playboyy meta. thanks to @lugarn, @chaos0pikachu, and @cryptidafter for talking all this out with me <3

i originally started this post with "not to be that guy," but honestly, i do want to be that guy. because so much of the critique and analysis of playboyy i'm seeing is a) grounded in a lack of knowledge about queer history and aesthetics and b) veers unintentionally but wildly into unexamined homophobia.

so, given i'm going to reference susan sontag's notes on camp several times, i've decided i might as well go full queer studies major about it and copy the list style she uses. (i would highly recommend reading notes on camp. it is academic and somewhat dense, but it's a tame 13 pages)

1. so many people are confidently asserting that playboyy is not camp, regardless of what the creatives behind the show think. to which i have to ask: how are you defining camp? what things are campy to y'all?

2. the personal definition of camp that i arrived at after writing a bunch of papers about it is two-fold: camp is exaggeration, treating things that are serious casually and treating things that are casual seriously. camp is about an aesthetic of inhabiting a role, where something is a little bit off or being something that it's not meant to be.

and to be clear, this is a wildly incomplete and simplified definition, because one of the points of camp is that it's a vibe, not something concrete. It’s also something that shifts over time the relationship between queerness and society changes.

2a. camp often intersects and overlaps with surrealism, like in rocky horror picture show. very often media that is campy exits the mundane world and enters a heightened world of exaggeration and stylization.

3. so, is playboyy campy? i sure as hell think it is. i think lugarn and chaos0pikachu both made really good points about the campiness of playboyy and it being specifically sexwork camp. (both replies are at that link.)

4. a brief list of things that specifically resonated as campy to me: first throwing american dollars in the pool for soong to catch, zouey's fantasy of feeling up teena in art class, every single element of nant's room (especially the projected images), captain's sports plot that involved zero doing the sport and 100% fucking and fantasy, the softly romantic framing of nuth and phob's sex scenes, jump's pleather tank top & coverall combination, prom wearing assless chaps to a rooftop party at 2:30 in the afternoon, the entire concept of investigating a disappearance via a themed party... i could go on and on, but i said this was brief.

5. i think the actual problem a lot of people have with playboyy is that it doesn't care about straight people.

6. what i mean by that is that playboyy is not a universal story. you could not plug different characters with different sexualities into the plot and preserve the essence of the story. the gayness of the characters is integral to the plot. the sex work is integral to the plot. this is not a world where homophobia doesn't exist and being gay is just like being straight.

7. additionally, these characters are all performing gender in a specifically queer way. they are femmes and fags, they are obvious, they are clockable, they're visible. when nice gays talk about the people who are giving gays a bad reputation and making it harder for everyone (to assimilate into heteropatriarchy) they're talking about playboyy gays.

8. comparing playboyy to only friends is low hanging fruit at this point, but i would argue that the reason boston stood out in that cast and was so viciously punished by the ending is because he was a fag stuck in a nice gays narrative.

9. and this is where the fandom homophobia comes in. so, so many people describe these characters and chaotic and messy, watchable as incoherent and vaguely amusing from a distance, but without real substance. the resulting narrative is often that no one could take their characters or their stories seriously or resonate with them.

10. again, why? why was ray and sand's high and low, blow up fights, calling each other whores relatable but soong and first's miscommunications about what they mean to each other unbelievable chaos? why is white taking black's place an acceptable plot point, but nont pretending to be nant is absurd?

11. most bls do not deal with flamboyance except in limited capacities by comedic side characters. flamboyance is a baseline trait for most of the playboyy characters. so if they feel too much, too loud, too out there, consider asking yourself why they do.

12. to a large extent, i think a lot of the criticism of playboyy is rooted in a bad faith refusal to engage with the show beyond a surface level pearl clutching about the sexual content. the unspoken belief here being that sex scenes are inherently vulgar distractions. they can't be integral to characters or their relationships. they can't be vital pieces of a narrative.

to which i say, there are nine thousand other BLs out there where the kissing is chaste and sex scenes are ~tastefully abstracted shots of shoulder blades and hands. watch those instead.

13. if you decide you want to watch it anyway, take a couple minutes to examine what parts of the show make you uncomfortable and why. and to be clear, i think there’s a lot of value in watching things that make you uncomfortable; media is often one of the best ways to dip into interrogating your emotional responses from a safe distance.

but don’t use discomfort to dismiss the possibility that there’s meaningful artistic and stylistic choices made to serve a meaningful narrative. take a second to sit with your reactions and ask yourself where it’s coming from.

#playboyy #playboyy meta #i want you all to know i hunted through three emails to find the rhetoric of camp essay i wrote in college for this

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janmisali · 1 year

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Tournament Hype Optimization

after spending the past several days running a number-themed tournament bracket (which at the time of writing is currently on the championship match), I've had a lot of thoughts about what makes a tournament exciting, and how to theoretically organize one in a way that ensures that it's as exciting as possible. bear with me, this is going to get very long and technical.

unpredictability

excitement (or "hype") is a subjective emotional experience that cannot be given an exact definition. nonetheless, it's still a little bit possible to make a mathematical model of what it means for a competition to be more or less hype than another competition.

here is my key assumption: the more predictable an outcome is, the less hype it is. this should make intuitive sense, I think.

imagine a competition between two competitors A and B where A has an 80% chance of winning, and B has a 20% chance of winning. I reckon that it would be generally more hype if B won than if A won, specifically because A winning is more predictable.

similarly, imagine an evenly matched competition, where two competitors C and D each have a 50% chance of winning. both outcomes are equally unpredictable, and I think either outcome would be more exciting than A winning against B, but less exciting than B winning against A.

so, a major factor of hype is what I'm going to call "unpredictability", equal to the estimated probability that a different outcome could have happened instead. so, A winning against B has 20% unpredictability, B winning against A has 80% unpredictability, and either of C or D winning has 50% unpredictability.

from here, we can define the oxymoronic-sounding notion of "expected unpredictability", a weighted average of the unpredictability of all possible outcomes of a competition.

the C vs D match would result in 50% unpredictability no matter what, so that's also its expected unpredictability.

then for the A vs B match, there's an 80% chance of 20% unpredictability (A wins), and a 20% chance of 80% unpredictability (B wins), which adds to an expected unpredictability of 32%.

for an event with n possible outcomes, the expected unpredictability cannot be greater than 1/n, the expected unpredictability in the case where all outcomes are equally likely.

unpredictability and hype aren't exactly the same thing, for some obvious reasons and some less obvious reasons. most of the remaining major factors can't be easily modeled with math (it's more hype when the competitor you're rooting for wins, it's not hype when something unpredictable happens if you just don't care about the competition at all, etc) but what can be turned into math is the idea of long-term consequences.

this is actually pretty straightforward to define. all we need to do is consider the average unpredictability across every match in a tournament.

formal definition

so, now that I've explained the basics of my idea, here's the formal definition of my hype-optimized tournament structure. note that a lot of things are "customizable", in particular the "elimination rule" and "scheduling rule". anyway, definitions and assumptions first:

a tournament is a sequence of matches, played between a set of competitors.

a match is a single event involving a set of competitors (specifically a subset of the competitors in the tournament), ending in some outcome.

the state of a tournament consists of the set of competitors in the tournament and the sequence of matches (including their outcomes) which have already occurred.

given the state of the tournament, there is some deterministic process (the elimination rule) for deciding which, if any, competitors are eliminated.

given the state of a tournament, it is known which subsets of the set of competitors would be allowed to participate in the next match. (the scheduling rule)

given a set of competitors and the state of a tournament, it is known which outcomes for a match between the given competitors would be possible, and it is at least approximately known what probability each outcome has of occurring.

the unpredictability of an outcome is one minus the previously determined probability of that outcome occurring.

the average unpredictability of a sequence of outcomes is the sum of the unpredictability values of the outcomes, divided by the number of outcomes.

the average unpredictability of a tournament is the average unpredictability of the tournament's sequence of outcomes.

the expected average unpredictability of a tournament, given its current state and a method for determining from any state which match happens next (and when the tournament ends), is the weighted sum of the average unpredictability values of all possible ending states for the tournament, with each multiplied by its probability of that ending state occurring.

okay, and now here's the actual tournament structure rules.

if there is exactly one competitor remaining, the tournament ends, and that competitor is declared the champion.

otherwise, use the scheduling rule to determine which subsets of competitors may compete in the next match. let S be the set of these allowed subsets of competitors.

if S is empty (meaning a "next match" is impossible), the tournament ends without declaring a champion. as a special case (to discourage this from happening), a tournament that ends this way is considered to have an average unpredictability of zero.

otherwise, for every set of competitors C in S, determine the expected average unpredictability of a tournament starting from the current state where the next match is between the competitors in C, continuing from that point by following the rules outlined here.

hold a match between whichever set C in S was found to have the maximum expected average unpredictability in the previous step.

use the elimination rule to determine which, if any, competitors should be eliminated, and remove those that should be.

return to step one.

potential issues

this definition is recursive, and also very general. there is no guarantee that it would actually like, work. I also haven't actually been able to get a simulation of this working, but that's probably just because I'm not very good at coding.

for some rulesets, it's possible for a tournament to never end. theoretically, the rules for determining which matches are more unpredictable discourage this already (the definition of the expected average unpredictability of a tournament implies that if there's a nonzero probability of a tournament never ending, then that would count as a tournament with average unpredictability zero), but that's still a pain to actually calculate.

the fact that the matches happen in a linear order means that this tournament structure isn't very parallelizable. you kinda need to do all the matches one at a time. however, this can be worked around by crafting a scheduling rule that avoids having the same competitor go twice in a row whenever possible.

counting the unpredictability of every match equally means that the hypeness of the championship match is given the same weight as everything else. this could be addressed by altering the "average unpredictability" metric to give more weight to later matches, but I'm not sure which method of doing that would have the best results.

#jan misali #tournament hype optimization #don't make me tap the sign (points to my ''some ideas are just posts'' post)

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peachymilkandcream · 3 months

Text

Fraud | Part 1 | Yandere All Might x Hero!Reader

(A/N: So I decided to start this instead of the Reiner one (which I have some drafts off for the future don't worry. But I'm currently rewatching the show right now so I'm just particularly more inspired by this one. So if/when I do the AOT one I'm not sure. Most likely not for a while unless I feel super inspired by it. And if so I'll probably write it all out and then post it on an additional day once a week. Since I usually post Break Me Slowly on Monday and now this on Tuesday, if I decide to do it I most post it on a Wednesday basis. I'm not sure. Also this won't follow canonical story line! For a little background, reader's hero name is Shade, and their quirk is that they can create shadow copies of their enemies. But thank you for reading and comment to be added to the taglist!)

WARNINGS: implied noncon, dubcon, manipulation, domestic abuse, yandere themes, forced marriage, forced pregnancy, stockholm syndrome, graphic depictions of violence, mind breaking, misogyny, power imbalance, age difference, etc.

==============================================

The world's symbol of peace and justice, a hero for all. Great and mighty. People all across the world knew him, he was the ultimate authority on this planet. Respected and revered.

All Might. The Symbol of Peace.

As a pro, Shade of course respected him above all other heroes, he was the ultimate role model that everyone should look up to and adore. Admittedly that had to do with her desire to become just like him since she was a bit of a fangirl. But regardless, there was nothing so bad about wanting to follow his ideals, was there?

She was determined to meet him one day and make an impression. Hopefully, he would see her talent and invite her to be one of his sidekicks. It wouldn't be totally uncommon, Sir Nighteye was already his right hand man, surely a hero as busy as him could use some more help to keep Japan in its state of reigning peace.

Ever since she was little she dreamed of becoming a pro just like him, she enjoyed watching his battles and keeping up with the news of his latest feats to inspire herself even on her daily commute, who wouldn't want a chance to impress their idol by embodying the same ideals he has?

Besides, her success as a pro was...lacking, to say the least. Her quirk was impressive enough, creating shadows of her enemies and even comrades to fight with her in battle. However the problem lied with the fact that some people believed her quirk seemed rather villainous from outward perspective, apart from some of the teens who enjoyed more intense heroes she had a small fanbase. Most of the ones who did follow her stopped after they discovered her personality didn't match her hero persona at all.

A boost from All Might's agency would really help her brand.

Eventually she could go out more on her own and maybe in form a team with her new found friend and mentor.

"Wake up Shade! Unless you want to be sprayed with acid in the face!?"

On the scene of the crime several pros faced off against a dastardly villain, his quirk was to spew acid from his mouth, and the power of it was disintegrating her shadows. It always seemed like the moment she had a chance to make a name for herself it was against a villain who completely outmatched her quirk type.

"I'm awake, okay? I've got it."

Nothing was able to touch this villain, all hope seemed to be lost until the laugh she had gotten so familiar with filled the air.

"Fear not citizens, hope has arrived!"

An expression of wonder and awe comes across her face when the gust of wind followed by the monstrous form of the Number One Hero steps into the scene.

"Because I am here."

One punch is all it ever took for the criminals to surrender and admit defeat, but this was the first time she had seen him in a professional setting, he was even more amazing then she ever could have believed!

Now was her chance to become a hero just like him.

============================================

"Well done fellow pros, that evil-doer was certainly a heavy hitter, but all of your valiant efforts to keep the peace are much appreciated." His smile never wavered.

"You were amazing All Might, I think I can speak for all of us when we say thank you for saving our butts back there. None of our quirks were really suited for it." Shade's giddy expression never left, truly in awe of the man before her.

"Anytime, but I don't think I've seen you before, still a newbie I take it."

She blushes ever so slightly. "Yes sir, I'm just starting out, my hero name is Shade, it's super nice to meet you-"

"The pleasure is all mine ma'am," His stare was piercing, as if deciding if she really was a hero. "now I must be off, a hero's always got somewhere to be!"

With that he flew off, leaving her behind even more inspired than before.

"He's the most amazing hero in the universe, one day I'll be just like him-"

==============================================

All Might returned to Nighteye religiously pouring over his computer screen, only around his sidekick could the hero's mask fall slightly. His smile disappearing.

"Excellent work on that takedown, your approval rating keeps going up."

"I want you to do something for me. There's a new hero in town, goes by Shade. A newcomer. Find out everything you can about her."

"Why? Another one of your little projects?"

"You could say that."

"All Might this is twice this year now."

"Does that matter? It's not my fault the last ones couldn't handle me."

He rolls his eyes. "I'll find what I can. But go easy this time, alright? I barely was able to cover it up last time."

"Agreed. I'll be more careful."

He shut the door behind him to his personal quarters, staring down at the city below. Being the strongest in the world came with a deep sense of dissatisfaction, he was untouchable, unbreakable.

He needed something to break.

#fraud #all might #yagi toshinori #mha #boku no hero academia #all might x reader #all might x you #all might mha #all might bnha #yandere all might x reader #yandere all might #mha toshinori #bnha toshinori #toshinori yagi x reader #toshinori x reader #toshinori yagi #toshinori yagi x you

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