#i've never watched this either these replies are going to be completely out of context for me

[rafesfavgirl]

gurl i neeed a part 2 of stop asking me to stay, that broke me😭😭😭

you ask, i deliver :) hope you like it!!

i don't regret a thing — r. cameron

part 1.

❝ we're not the only ones,  i don't regret a thing every word i've said, you know i'll always mean ❞

pairing: ex-bf!rafe x fem!reader

context: you and rafe have been dating for seven months, and while the relationship started it out well, as soon as the honeymoon phase ended (about 3 months in), everything went to shit. you've been trying to put up with it, knowing the situation with ward, but tonight, you realize you've had enough.

words: 2.4k+

warnings: swearing, toxic relationship, mentions of drug use, mainly fluff, a little angst, might still make you cry. rafe being an absolute simp for you, basically.

rafe wakes up the next morning, faced-down on topper's living room couch with almost no recollection of what happened the night before. except one thing—you'd finally walked away from him.

"not enough to choose me. you give in every time." your words echo in his head, as he opens his eyes.

fuck. what did he do?

"good morning sunshine," kelce comes down the stairs and greets rafe, who looked as if he couldn't move from the couch. "you sleep well?"

"i slept like shit," rafe groans, finally sitting himself up. "what the hell happened last night?"

"you mean other than you getting coked out and royally screwing things over with y/n?" kelce sasses him. "not much bro."

rafe shoots him a glare. "i did not royally screw things over with y/n."

"are you sure about that?" kelce raises a brow at him. "cause i had to drive her home last night crying, bro."

rafe's ear perk up at kelce's confession of you crying over him. you wouldn't have. you were the one who broke up with him.

"she was crying?" rafe asks.

"do you seriously even have to ask?" kelce replies. "i can't even count on two hands how many times you've made her cry the last few months."

no, that couldn't be true. surely he hadn't made you cry that often.

"shut the fuck up kelce," rafe gets up from the couch in complete denial of how shitty he's treated you the last few months and makes his way over to the kitchen.

rafe opens the fridge and grabs a bottle of water, while kelce joins him in the kitchen.

"you know it's true," kelce says, leaning back against the counter and crossing his arms. "you just never see it, because she won't let you."

was he right?

"you know how y/n is, bro," kelce adds, as i take a sip of water. "she'll never let you know you're hurting her, because you fear nothing more than being the cause of her pain and losing her. but she's also not going to beg and cry for you to stay and fight for her."

i did know that. that's what i loved about her. she didn't necessarily play hard to get when i tried asking her out on a date after months of texting, but she didn't give in too easily either. she wanted me to prove i was serious about her before giving me a real chance. she knew her worth.

i recap the bottle i'm drinking from and set it down on the counter beside me, my eyes focused on kelce. "so what should i do?"

kelce holds his hands up. "if you don't know by now, i can't help you."

—

rafe wasn't an idiot. he knew what he had to do.

so, after going home and taking a shower to freshen up and get a change of clothes, he drove to the flower shop in town to get you a bouquet of lavender and baby's breath, then nothing bundt cakes to get your favorite treat—a white chocolate raspberry bundt cake—and finally, your house.

once he parked his truck in front of your house and got out, he went through his usual routine of rounding around to your backyard, where he moved the ladder the gardeners used towards your bedroom window.

he climbed up and knocked, balancing the flowers and bundt cake in one hand.

you were sitting in bed watching after we fell on your laptop with a box of tissues beside you and puffy, red eyes when you hear the knock on your window.

without even thinking about it, you already knew who it was. this was just what he did. and against your better judgment, you got up from your bed, and walked over to pull the curtains open and find rafe outside with a regretful look on his face, a bouquet of flowers and a small box of your favorite treat.

slowly, but surely, you unlock the window and pull it up.

"i'm sorry," he speaks before you can, and you scoff.

"you know, i'm getting real sick of hearing you say that," you reply, turning around to walk away and reposition yourself back on your bed, while he slips in through your window.

"i got you flowers," he offers you a small smile and holds both items out to you. "and your favorite bundt cake. white chocolate raspberry."

your eyes shift from the gifts in his hand to his piercing blue eyes. they were no longer dark like they were last night, but there was a sense of uncertainty in them. like he wasn't sure he could win you back.

"so what? am i suppose to just forgive you? just like that?" you retort.

he lets out a sigh, and takes a seat at the edge of your bed, placing both items down on your bed next to your box of tissues. he finally gets a good look at you—from the messy bun on your head, to the bags under your eyes from barely getting any sleep last night, to your red, puffy eyes—and realizes just how badly he's messed up this time.

"i should've just fucked all those other girls. at least they know how to have fun." he still couldn't believe he said those words to you last night.

"i don't deserve your forgiveness," he admits. "i know that. but i want it, y/n. and i'm willing to work for it."

while those words were music to your ears, you were apprehensive. he apologizes every time. and while things do change for a while, they're never permanent. and a week or two from now, you'd be back in this same situation again. was that really worth it?

"i know i don't deserve any more chances," he continues, his eyes only focused on yours. "but i promise… i promise just give me one more and you won't regret it."

your eyes shift between his. he looked a little… scared? was he really that afraid to lose you?

"i don't know, rafe," you say honestly, shifting a little. "you've hurt me so bad… i don't know if i can take you doing it one more time."

"i'm not going to," he immediately shakes his head and reaches out to take your hands in his, fiddling with your fingers and glancing down at them. "please, baby, please. just let me show you i'm the guy for you. that i can be the guy you need and want me to be."

"how?"

"you'll give me a chance?" he asks, his eyes lighting up at the idea of being given another chance to win you back. 

despite your brain screaming at you not to, your heart wins over and you nod. you couldn't help it. every part of you yearned for him. and if he was willing to show you that he really could be the guy you knew he was—the guy you fell in love with—then maybe it would be worth it.

"wear something nice," he says. "i'll come back to pick you up at seven."

—

at exactly seven on the dot, you hear rafe park his car in front of your house, and look out your bedroom window to see him dressed in skinny black slacks and a long sleeve, white button down carrying a bouquet of red roses as he walked towards your driveway and front door.

you can't help the small smile that forms on your face as you hurry to strap your heels on and look at yourself in the mirror one more time, before grabbing your purse off your vanity and heading down the stairs.

"where are you heading off to?" your mom asks when you pass by the living room, all dressed up.

"date with rafe," you reply, walking towards the front door.

your parents had never been rafe's biggest fan—they weren't exactly unaware of how often he's made you cry the last couple of months—but they also knew they couldn't stop you from dating whoever you wanted, so they never fought you on it, and you were grateful for that. it was comforting to know they'd support you no matter what happened.

taking a deep breath, you place your hand on the doorknob, and finally open the door when the bell rings.

rafe's eyes instantly widen at the sight of you, his eyes trailing down your body wrapped in a tight, short, satin red dress. "wow," he gasps. "you- you look…"

your cheeks redden at his loss of words. "you don't clean up too bad yourself, cameron."

he smiles at your use of his last name as a nickname, and holds the red roses in his hand out to you. "these are for you."

"you already got me flowers this morning, you know," you joke, taking the bouquet from him. your mom was gonna be pleased to know rafe was back to filling up all her flower vases.

"i know, but…" he trails off. "you deserve the best."

the blush on your cheeks deepen at his words. "give me a second," you turn to walk back towards the living room, and set the bouquet down on the coffee table in front of your parents. "don't wait up."

they don't even get a word in before you're walking away again to join rafe outside.

"shall we?" you ask, looking up at him through your lashes, as you closed the door behind you.

"just… one more thing," a sly smile comes across his lips, as he reaches into his back pocket to pull out a black blindfold.

you stare at it, your mouth agape. "you're kidding, right?"

he shrugs, "i want it to be a surprise."

you groan, but give in anyway. "fine. but if i trip in these heels because i can't see where i'm going, consider us broken up for good."

he laughs at the threat, even though a part of him was afraid you still wouldn't forgive him after tonight. "you know i won't let that happen. turn around."

you do as he says, and he ties the blindfold around your eyes, before taking your hand in his and leading you down the driveway towards his car parked up on the curb. he opens the door for you, and carefully helps you into the passenger seat, before closing the door and rounding the car to get in the driver's seat.

the second the engine comes on, your romantic taylor swift playlist plays through the car's speakers.

"you didn't," you say. he would always complain when you had aux because she was all you'd ever play.

"i guess she's not too bad," rafe shrugs, chuckling as you began singing along to the lyrics of wildest dreams.

rafe continued driving through the island for another ten or fifteen minutes, before he finally pulled the car to a stop in front of his family's beach house on the edge of figure eight, completely secluded from everything else.

he gets out of the car first, and helps you out, taking your hand in his to lead you through the house and out to the back porch.

"are you ready?" he leans in towards your ear, and goosebumps rise along your skin at his proximity.

you nod, and he reaches his hands up to the back of your head to untie the blindfold.

it takes a little while for your eyes to adjust, but once they do, a feeling of warmness fills your heart at the sight in front of you.

red rose petals were scattered in the sand of the private beach, along with fairy lights, a candlelit table for two set up in the center of it all, as acoustic instrumentals of taylor's best love songs played through the speaker situated on the porch.

"you like it?" he asked.

you turn your head to look at him. "rafe, i… it's perfect."

"that's what i was going for," he shrugs smugly, and nods his head towards the set up. "come on."

you both remove your shoes, before he takes your hand in his again and leads you down the back porch to the table in the middle of the beach.

"i can't believe you did this for me," you say, as he pulls a chair out for you to sit in.

"i'd do anything for you," he smiles, taking the seat across from you once you're seated.

—

after a three course dinner and a bottle of wine, which was all served to the both of you by a waiter that rafe hired from the country club, the night slowly came to an end, an endless amount of stars filling the night sky above you.

but while you were focused on the stars, rafe was focused on you.

"god, you're beautiful," he says, causing you to look at him now.

you chuckle, "shut up."

"no, i'm fucking serious," he replied, standing up from his seat.

you watched him carefully as he walked over to you, and held a hand out.

you glance at his hand and tilt your head up at him, "what are you doing?"

"dance with me," he says.

"you're asking me to dance?" you raise a brow at him.

"mhm," he nods. "you gonna say yes?"

"well how can i say no?" you reply, a small smile forming on your lips as you put your hand in his.

he leads you a few feet away from the table, and rests a firm hand on your waist, as you trail a hand up to his shoulder.

he locks his eyes with yours as you both begin swaying to taylor's timeless, and scans your face.

"what?"

he shakes his head, "i don't deserve you..."

"rafe…"

"but i'm gonna do everything i can to make sure i become the kind of guy who does," he cuts me off. "i want to be better, y/n. not only for you, but for myself too."

you smile, and pull him closer, your hand snaking to the back of his head.

"i'm sorry for being such an ass the last few months," he says, and you close my eyes, taking the moment in as he continues. "i know i haven't deserved all the chances you've given me, but i'm not gonna disappoint you again. i want to be the guy you think i am."

you pull away, just enough to have your eyes lock with his.

"you are that guy, rafe," you tell him, and you mean it. "you just need to let him show more."

he smiles, "you're pretty damn amazing, you know that?"

"so i've been told," you shrug jokingly.

he chuckles. "i love you, y/n."

"i love you too."

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[ask-whitepearl-and-steven]

You don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but how has your opinion changed on Steven Universe now than when it first aired? Like I have fond memories of watching the show while it was airing but now I realize that it had a lot of problems that I feel like a lot of fans either flat out ignore or bend over backwards to make sure their rose tinted glasses stay on.

... okay, fair question. Let's talk about this.

I'll try not to wax poetic too long, but there are a lot of things to be said here.

First and foremost - how has my opinion changed since the show has ended?

Simply put - it hasn't.

When I started watching Steven Universe over 7 years ago, I didn't have much knowledge of it. I sat down, saw a few of episodes and went 'well, this is a silly show for kids with a goofy but loveable protagonist... but it seems like it's also incredibly charming with its delivery and has some nice, more complex themes about loss and healing and grief throughout.'

And if you ask me what Steven Universe is now... I would probably say that exact same thing.

Am I wearing rose tinted lenses? Interesting question.

What ARE 'rose tinted lenses' in this context anyway?

What do these lenses represent? What do they obscure?

Since you didn't go into specifics, I can only assume what you're referring to when you say that many fans ignore the show's problems.

There have been many discussions surrounding various aspects of the show and how it might be read as 'problematic' (ahhh how I've come to despise that word.... without context, it has all the descriptive power of the word 'icky' - none of the critical details and all of the emotional punch of scrunching up your face like a cat that just sniffed a lemon...)

Is this about something as simple as the 'SU doesn't have a consistent size for its characters' debate?

Because that has been gone back to, over and over again, and proven to be a point of opinion. SU favored allowing storyboarders to show off their personal flourish, and even though Peridot was 30% hair in that one episode, it did not overall take away from the plotline being told, which was their goal. If you wanted to watch a show with consistent styling throughout, you can always watch a 3D modeled show, but keeping that up was simply never one of SU's main pillars. And I feel like it didn't have to be.

Is this about something more complex such as the way Rose was presented?

...and how her arc was shown backwards instead of forwards - showing first the person she became in the end, and afterwards revealing all the growth she had to have to get there?

That was on purpose! And I don't think this is a problem. It's a feature, not a bug. Rose was never meant to be an ideal character - she was meant to be complicated and messy, and I think the fact that the fandom is so split in their opinions of her shows that the Crewniverse pulled that off really well!

She fucked over Bismuth! She forced Pearl to be silent! Those are both parts of her character arc that were never resolved because she died before she could resolve it - that's BY DESIGN. Sometimes, you just do something absolutely stupid and cruel, and you cannot go back to fix it.

Is this about the Diamonds? The fact that they were not put in space jail, after being put on trial for space crimes, and then publicly executed for space eco-genocide?

Here's the thing - most people I know who watched and loved SU are fully aware of that. But simply put - Steven Universe was not a story about Revenge.

Steven Universe was a story about love. A story about family. A story about truth, and lies, and hurt, and healing. About how sometimes healing doesn't happen. And how sometimes it will, but you won't be around to see it.

But it's not a story that can be all things for all people.

That is the thesis of my reply: It is a story.

It is not a manifesto. It is not a bible. It is not a Complete Truth.

It is a single story. Made by a group of very talented people, who cared about these characters, who did their best. They made a funny, emotional, well-drawn and complex cartoon show about the things THEY personally wanted to tell stories about.

Does it answer all questions the way everyone wants them answered? No. That's impossible.

Everyone wants a different story. Everyone wants a different solution, a different resolution. A different ending.

Steven Universe is one story. It cannot satisfy all people.

So when you ask me 'has your opinion of Steven Universe changed'? The answer is 'no'.

I went in, expecting to see a story. I saw a lot of what I liked! I saw some parts which I thought were interesting. I saw some parts which, yes, I disagreed with a little.

But overall, it's a good story. And that's what I expected, and that's what I got, which means I'm pretty satisfied. I love that story.

I feel like recently, there's this expectation of media, to be Everything For All People. And it's a bit unrealistic. No one call tell the perfect story. We are all simply telling the stories we want to tell. And people will vibe with that, more or less.

A single story, made by a small group of people, will never be that for you. There will never be an Unproblematic Cartoon that you watch that will be devoid of things you disagree with.

Being critical of media doesn't mean 'Criticize the FUCK outta that media, and the one with the least criticisms is the best one'.

Critical thinking is about evaluating things critically - that means being critical of YOURSELF. Being critical of your OWN reactions. Asking 'why did I like this?' and 'why did I dislike this?'. Asking 'this doesn't mesh with me, but who WOULD it mesh with? It isn't for me, but who is it for? Who would it hurt, but also who would it help?'

Some people HATED how SU: Future ended. They beat their fists on the wall and cried about how Steven was leaving his family behind, and how THEY could never imagine doing something like that, and how he was running away from his problems just like Rose had.

Me? I loved it. I think it was the right choice, and I COULD imagine it and thought it was in character. I thought he needed to be his own person, instead of shouldering everyone else's responsibilities for once. Was one of us more right than the other? Maybe not? Maybe that was the whole point?

Loving things is not about putting on rose colored glasses. Sometimes, choosing to love something with flaws is an act of rebellion. It's about knowing you have differences, but understanding that there is value in the things you DO agree on, and knowing you can consume that.

Healthy consumption of media does not mean throwing the whole cartoon away as soon as you notice something is wrong with it, like a bruise on an apple.

Healthy consumption of media involves critical thinking AND feeding yourself. Acknowledging you may disagree with parts of it, but not starving yourself just because your apples all have small imperfections.

Eat, for fuck's sake. Feed yourself. You'll feel better.

Thassit.

#chekhov answers #steven universe

[unforth]

@ltleflrt in reply to your comment, I can only think that the people who say "this would be cool if it were real" are either very young or just extremely isolated/insulated and have never had the kinds of experiences that sound totally batshit impossible except that like. They literally happened to me.

When I was in grad school, I hit it off with a woman, like, we really got along and were well on our way to being besties within a few weeks of knowing each other. The first time I was over at her house, it came up that she went to the same undergrad as my brother, and I mentioned that he ran the radio station there. She gave me this look, went to a pile of papers on her table, flipped through it and produced a photograph of her standing with my brother. She and her friends had done a radio drama. They'd celebrated at the end by taking a pic with the station manager. This was a normal thing for her to do. Her then going to the same grad school as me was a coincidence, us both being gamers was a coincidence, us meeting was a coincidence, and the series of coincidences culminated in me holding this goddamn picture of the woman I'd just met, two strangers, and my brother.

When I was living in NYC, I gave up my seat to a stranger on the bus. She was elderly, and using a walker, and she started to talking to me cause I'd initiated by offering the seat. "Oh, see that building over there? My son used to be a teacher there," she says, using something she can see out the bus window as a conversation starter. "Oh," I reply. "That's where I went to elementary school." Because we're in the neighborhood where I grew up, and yes, I went to school there. "What are the chances...?" we both muse. "Nonexistent," she says. "He only taught for a few years. He's in Florida now. It didn't work out for him." "I mean...we could see...the odds are tremendously low but you never know and wouldn't it be cool...?" And yes this woman's son was my fourth grade teacher. The odds that I'd meet a random person on the bus, then get to talking, then find out that we had a connection, were fucking millions to one, but it actually happened to me.

Whenever I see a really unlikely story on this website, I remember that if I pulled out the most exceptional, weird, out-there stuff that's happened to me, it'd sound absolutely impossible. So, I give people the benefit of the doubt that their hand-selected-from-their-entire-lives anecdote that sounds nigh impossible could actually have happened. Why should I doubt it? If I took either of the above stories out of context the "oh I'm so clever I know this must be fake and made up for (why?????)" crowd would jump on it as Not Real! Made up! But I have no reason to make up a story like that. I get zero benefit. Tumblr clout isn't a real thing, and if it were I sure as fuck don't have it. I think I've had five posts break 1k notes in my entire decade on this website.

I'd rather just believe people. It's so much easier. If they are lying, that's on them.

So when I get a "this must be internet fake" reply on something much LESS outlandish than the above - people doubting that my mother...is a real person? who likes fan things? who might talk about sex??? - I'm really just completely baffled.

Like look, my mom will turn 79 later this year. She was 6 when Isaac Asimov (who my grandfather knew, by the way, speaking of outlandish unlikely scenarios) finished writing the Foundation series. She was 10 when the Lord of the Rings came out. She went to Cornell when she was 16 and tells me stories about the young dude nerds who loved LotR so much that they carried their copies around campus. Those guys would be 80 now. They were geeks before many of the people on this website's parents were born. Mom had just turned 22 when Star Trek: The Original Series started airing. She was hooked immediately and watched the whole series, and the movies, and took me to Star Trek 4 as my first movie theater experience (I was almost 4), and watched ToS in syndication, and loved sci-fi and Murder She Wrote. When I asked her, "do you ship Spirk?" she looked at me like I'd grown a second head, cause she had no idea what I meant, but when I asked her, "do you think that Spock and Kirk were a couple?" she also looked at me like I'd grown a second head, because fucking duh.

It's not a myth that fandom existed before us, before the internet, before our parents, our grandparents, our great-grandparents were born. Some ancestor of mine squeed over the newest Jane Austen chapter (change locality based on origin, but the idea stands). Their ancestor got weak in the knees over Tom Jones. Go back enough generations and someone was fanboying over Euripides (that's a lie, I'm not Greek). But the point stands.

Fandom isn't new.

And don't even get me started on sex. I shouldn't have to explain to literally anyone ever born that sex isn't new. Where the fuck they think babies come from?

I just. This idea that anyone comes onto Tumblr.com to lie about their real lives is fucking bizarre. Just relax and believe people. What's the damn harm???

#unforth rambles #I am gonna be late getting my kid to the bus because of this #apparently today is hyperfixation on nonsense o'clock #when i see a stranger that say they think a post must be made up #what i hear is that they are the kind of person whod make up a story for attention #the phone call us coming from in the house my dude

[narvaldetierra]

The betrayal [1/5]

Summary: “I know who Dragonfly164 is,” Tasha suddenly said, without even knowing where she got the strength to do it, “Is Borden. He's alive”

“How could you possibly know that?” Patterson asked, a slight tremor in her voice. 

“Because Atlantic17 is me.”

Tags: Angst. Established relationship. Canon divergence. Words: 2288 A/N: Although this is seeing light just now, this was the first thing I ever write about Blindspot, and it is part of my series "rewriting our stars". This is going to be a short multichapter and I have already written the first three chapters, I just have to finish the translations. Disclaimer: This first chapter has some scenes and dialog from the show. The rest of the story will diverge more from canon but will have some context from the series. Read it too on Ao3

~ What I've done? ~

“You have no idea how hard it was for me to keep that from you.”

“How hard it was for you?!” she replied, facing her “I can still feel his hands on me when I try to fall asleep at night. Because before he beat me, shot me, and put a tracker device in me, he used to sleep in my bed.” She took a few steps closer to the brunette and mumbling so that only she would be able to hear, added, “You should know that more than anyone.”

“I was trying to protect you,” Zapata shortened the distance between them, “I thought it would be better if you never knew he was alive.”

“It tormented me that he died on his own terms! All I wanted was to put him in prison, to take back a fraction of the control he took away from me!” Both were doing their best to keep their composure, but their eyes were filled with tears. “Now not only I couldn't do it, but you've also taken away the little control I had left. You got a second chance, and you should have given to me that. But instead, you chose to work with him.”

“I had to. It is my job.”

Patterson watched Tasha in bewilderment, in complete disbelief “And I was your girlfriend” she said and her voice cracked. Those words stabbed into Tasha's chest like a sharp knife. Was. “You should have cared about me more.” 

Without anything else to say and knowing that she couldn't keep it together long enough, she walked away, leaving Tasha alone. She went straight to the nearest restroom, locked herself inside a cubicle, squatted, and then she released her feelings. Muffled sounds came from her as she sobbed, tears streaming down her cheeks. She tried to make as little noise as possible, while she allowed herself to feel the panic of knowing that Nigel was alive, that he could have paid her a visit at any time, catching her by surprise and off guard. Pain lodged firmly in her chest at the thought that Zapata knew all along and had decided to hide it.

After a few minutes, she forced herself to regain her composure, she stood up, held her breath, and left the cubicle. She went to the sink, wiped her face, and drank some water. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, seeking the concentration she would need, and stepped out, keeping a serious and stoic profile.

However, seeing Borden was something she wasn't ready for. Although she kept her distance and made sure to see him only through the cameras, she was tense the whole time. Knowing that he was just a few steps away made her feel a lump in her throat. Feeling Tasha's gaze on her back every time they were in the same room didn't help either. Work had always helped her to keep her mind busy when she didn't feel able to cope with something, however, this time it was the same job she loved that was stressing her and putting her in a situation she wasn't ready to face. She needed to leave, she needed to go back to her apartment, she needed to be anywhere but there. And yet, she wouldn't leave. She didn't want the team to think she was fragile or to see her differently, she couldn't stand that and she certainly wouldn't let Nigel take anything else away from her.

At the end of the day, despite their setbacks, they had once again succeeded in eliminating the threat to their city, avoiding a terrorist attack. Looking for the last time Nigel while Zapata inform him about his destination, Patterson stood still, feeling Jane's gaze over her, full of questions and worries. 

“Just say it,” she said barely glancing at her out of the corner of her eye. She only allow her, because she was her friend.

“Uhm, what?”

“I know you know about… me and Zapata. She told me a few days ago.” Her tone of voice was serious and subdued.

“I just wanted to know how are you,” Jane said being completely honest. “It was a really rough day.” She was surprised by the way Patterson had handled all, she knew that if she had been in her place, she wouldn't have acted so peacefully.

Patterson took a deep breath, She pursed her lips, thinking of the right words to say. “Not quite good, but I will be.”

“Listen, I know she was wrong but you know Tasha, she would never do anything to–”

“Jane, really, I appreciate the intention, but I can't and don't want to talk about it now.” Her gaze was still glued to the screens, watching very carefully the two people she had once loved and who had betrayed her. “I can't believe this is happening again,” she said in a barely audible whisper.

Jane in no way justified Tasha's decision. Most of Tasha's decisions during the past couple of years generated internal conflicts for her, starting with working not only for the CIA but especially for Keaton. However, she knew her intentions had never been to hurt Patterson, nor anyone on the team. She needed to believe that, and a part of her needed to talk about it with her friend, while her logical side knew she shouldn't interfere in their relationship.

Borden's screams inside the interrogation room caught the attention of the two women.

“Are you sure you have anything you want to say to him?” Jane asked.

“I thought I would,” Patterson was surprised when uttering those words, “In my head, he's become this great mythical monster. But now that he's in front of me, all I can see is a weak broken shell of a man.”

Paperwork kept them busy for the next hours, and before call it a day, Patterson went to Tasha's desk, with a copy of the dragonfly file. She has no idea where she got the strength to see and talk to her.

“Hey… Reade still has some extra cake samples in the fridge, if you wanted–” Tasha said hoping to continue their previous talk in a more private and relaxed space.

“No,” Patterson interrupted her, “this is the only relationship I can have with you right now.”

Those words broke Tasha's heart into so many pieces that she wouldn't even have believed it could keep pumping blood. Tears came to her eyes, and almost begging for a second chance she said “I made a mistake.”

“I don't think you did” She almost didn't recognize this Patterson, she was cold and distant. “I think you are just someone who can see things objectively, without emotions getting in the way. The CIA is lucky to have you” She turned and walked away down an empty hallway.

Tasha followed her, willing not to leave things that way. “Patterson, it's not like that. Yes, I'm constantly trying to keep my emotions or relationships out of my work, but it is different with you. I can't do that with you. What I feel for you is getting in the way all the time, in every decision I make. I truly wanted to protect you and I thought I was doing it. I thought if I could keep an eye on him, he couldn't hurt you.”

“But it wasn't like that. I don't feel cared for, or safe at all.” She turned instantly to face her, making a great effort to control the volume of her voice. “You knew how much it took me to feel safe again, how much it took for me to trust in someone else. You knew about my nightmares every night.” Her teary eyes were fixed on the brunette. “You were by my side in that hospital bed when I told you that, somehow, I felt he could be still alive. You looked me in the eye and you lied to me, you convinced me that it had only been a dream.”

“I wanted to tell you, but–”

“But what? You had countless opportunities to tell me since I returned to New York, and you didn't..”

“Patterson, I–”

“No! I don't know if I can trust you or anything you say. Not right now.” And without another word she walked away, leaving Tasha behind.

She went to her lab, thinking she was ready to continue working, but it was halfway down the stairs when she began to feel the weight of the argument with Tasha. She hoped she wouldn't have to go through that, she had wished to be at home when reality hit her like that. But she couldn't control it. A sharp sensation of being short of breath came over her, she needed to scream but she didn't think she was even capable of speaking. Holding on to the railing, she slid down until she was sitting on the floor. Her breathing was halfway between a sob and hyperventilation, feeling like she was suffocating. Her hands won't stop shaking, was unable to coordinate a thought, and felt as if it would never end.

“Patterson?” 

The voice felt far away. She turned looking over her shoulder and was able to see Rich, bewildered, three steps away. 

“Patterson, what's wrong?” Seeing her, he understood the situation and, determined, hurried down two steps and sat down next to her.

Because of his presence, Patterson wanted to force herself to pretend that everything was fine, failing miserably. 

“It's ok, breathe with me, ok?” Rich insisted, and then he took a deep breath, gesturing with his hand, guiding her in the process. “Is it okay if I put my hand on your back?” he asked and only, when Patterson nodded, he made physical contact, rubbing her in a circular movement. “Come on again, breathe in and out.”

Despite Patterson's image of the former cybercriminal, Rich stayed serious the entire time, until the unbearable anguish wore off. In fact, he even appeared to be experienced in the matter.

“That's it, you are ok now,” Rich said reassuringly, “do you feel better?”

“I'm fine…” her breathing became normal as she uttered those words, “I'm fine” insisted, “I'm fine.”

“Say it one more time and I'll believe you” Rich joked, “can you stand up?” Still with one hand on her back, he offered her the other to hold and help her to stand up. “Do you want some water? Coffee? Maybe a drink or an ear? I'm a good listener.”

“I'll just… go home. It's been a long day.”

“You need me to come with you? To drive you? I don't have a car but I could ask for the agents that drive me to the safe house, to take you home first.”

“It's ok Rich,” she went down a step, then she turned around to add "and, you don't have to worry about your job, we already took care of it."

“You did? Thanks." he asked in surprise and Patterson nodded, then he added, "you can text me if you need something, anything.”

“Okay. I would appreciate it if this…”

“I don't even know what happened.”

“Thanks.”

A couple of hours later, Zapata was in a bar, drinking her third glass of whisky, fulfilling the cliché of drowning her sorrows in alcohol. Reade had texted her earlier and she told him to not come to see her. she didn't have the strength to argue with him about why she hadn't said anything about it before. Nas warned her and she thought she was prepared for it, but it didn't make it hurt any less to have fought with Patterson and not be able to talk to her best friend about it. Great was her surprise to see him at the bar, next to her. It turned out that he was a good friend and beyond the issues at work, he was there to support her. 

“You were protecting Patterson the best way you knew how. Maybe one day she'll see that” Reade said trying to cheer her up, “and you know what? Even if she doesn't, it's fine, you still got me. Everything is gonna be okay.”

“No, it's not,” replied. She looked at him silently, hesitating, but she needed her best friend, so she finally said, “because I love her… and now she hates me.”

Reade stared at her in silence, stunned at her words. 

“We...” she sighed, “I told her what I felt for her about a year ago, and apparently she felt something for me too,” she said, feeling that she owed him that explanation, “we had… this kind of ‘long distance relationship’ this last months before we got kidnaped and Jane came back.” She played with the glass in her hands, alternating glances with her friend. “Since Borden she was… She has had a hard time trusting someone else or herself, and about her decisions outside of work. So we decided to take baby steps. we wouldn't be telling anyone until she feels confident and… and now this,” she did her best to not shed the tears in her eyes, “I don't think she can trust me ever again.”

It took a few seconds for Reade to process all, “How it is possible for me to not know–? Yeah, no, that's not the point here,” he cut himself off mid-sentence, realizing how out of line his comment had been. He pondered his words for a moment before speaking again. “Look, Patterson is hurt. Give her space, let her clear her mind. She's a woman of logic. Perhaps, when she can analyze it, she will see that you only wanted to protect her.”

Tasha didn't say anything, just nodded, without believing his words. Reade invited the next round.

---

Next chapter

#blindspot 3x16 #rewriting our stars #zapatterson fic #tasha zapata #patterson #william patterson #jane doe #rich dotcom #edgar reade #zapatterson #blindspot #blindspot rewatch 2022 #blindspot fanfic

[luimagines]

Okokok not a request but I've just been thinking of a stupid scenario and I NEED to share it with someone or else I'm gonna forget

Imagine you're traveling with the chain, and maybe it's the beginning of the adventure, so you're not exactly close to anyone yet but there ha been a few lighthearted pranks here and there (and they were well received, even by members who you would think wouldn't like them)

And you guys stop in ruins for the night after a long day of traveling. Maybe it's an old temple, maybe it's just a random house that got left behind for time to take over. And you make a fire, and as the night is settling most of the group wander off, either to explore the ruins (within earshot range), to gather some herbs and food, or just to get some air.

So you're in this large room, and you think you're alone but then you see Twilight by the fire making sure it doesn't go out when no one is watching. And you think 'I haven't really had the time to bond with the guy. He seems approchable enough, I'll try a light prank I'm sure it'll go well :D'

:D

So you pick up, let's say, a stick (so it's not dangerous) and you start being like "oh no!! Look!! It's the yiga attacking you with this very dangerous weapon right now!!!" And you poke him with the stick.

And the bastard just. Bites your hand. Like, one good chomp.

As a reflex.

Cuz Wolfie.

And he stays like this for like 10 whole seconds while he processes that he has a hand in his mouth, and he looks up to see who it's attached to and just sees you completely bewildered and a little bit horrified, because this well put together hunk of a hero just bit your hand.

He immediately let go and looks horrified, puts a hand over his mouth and just muffles "im so sorry" in the tiniest voice you could ever imagine and you just fucking crack because the whole thing is fucking ridiculous.

I mean it's kinda your fault, but also. Don't put random stuff in your mouth buddy. You dont know where they've been.

Anyway keeping it a secret from the rest of the group to save him the embarrassment is what gets you closer <3 (also you can blackmail him if he gets too annoying and with a group like this it's never too much)

Anyway hope you liked it, I needed to share this with someone before forgetting and I thought you might enjoy this ^^

❤🧡💛💚💙💜

I was saving this to reply with some thoughtful words and maybe add onto it.

But I just read it again to make sure I got the context right and remembering what this said and just..... I love this dork.

I can picture it so clearly. The red face. The horror. The squeak. The pregnant moment of silence before any of that where both of you process what the hell is happening.

I can't add more to it than there already is there. This is brilliant.

#pinky replies

[swinging-stars-from-satellites]

Txf + 10

Hehehe lol

this is so on-brand for you..... anyway they're the Harkers now lol, wifeguy who might dubiously be semi-vampire and his incredibly devoted wife :) also for context during the time Scully was abducted Mulder was... seduced by a vampire I guess??? idk I've never watched the episode so I'm just guessing this is remotely plausible

~~~~~

If it wasn't for the photos, she probably wouldn't have noticed.

Their office doesn't have windows, anyway, and Mulder is enough of a recluse that it isn't a surprise that he burns easily when out in the sun. He's preoccupied with the cannibalism and near-beheading, but she distracts herself from yet another trauma by fussing over the angry red sunburn on his forearms. In the airport before they fly back from Arkansas, she buys a tube of aloe vera gel and makes him take his jacket off so she can rub it into his skin. She tells him to use sunscreen next time.

For the sake of an undercover assignment, they need to collect a few pictures of the both of them, and it strikes Scully suddenly that she doesn't think they have any photos together. She thinks it's only right that they should, so borrows Melissa's little Polaroid camera and insists that Mulder squeeze right next to her so they can take a picture. She doesn't anticipate the sudden white brightness of the flash and flinches maybe a little too hard, maybe enough for Mulder to notice, but he doesn't say anything.

The tiny printed picture fades slowly into clarity, or at least, it halfway does. Mulder's image is blurry and half-corporeal, like the photo paper hadn't developed properly. They try again, with the same result. Scully turns and snaps a picture of herself, then one of him. Hers develops pristinely, but if she didn't have that as proof she would think something was wrong with the little camera. "Weird," Mulder dismisses, pocketing the small picture of her like he thinks she doesn't see him doing it; he probably thinks she doesn't see the perturbed expression on his face, either.

It isn't until they have to have their badges reissued, and new I.D. photos taken, and Mulder's comes out looking strange again, that she finally asks what he thinks is going on. He's had a look on his face all day, like he's thinking hard enough to give himself a headache, and it worries her. "Mulder?"

"Yeah?" He glances over at her, a little absently.

"What's wrong?"

He stares at her for a long minute, and she stares right back. He rubs his neck and sighs before speaking again. "I never told you about the vampires," he eventually says.

Scully frowns. "Vampires?"

Mulder nods. "When you were... gone." He glances at her sheepishly. "They were uh... the seductive type."

Scully closes her eyes for a long moment. "Oh no," she says flatly. The depths of his recklessness frighten her sometimes.

"Yeah." He motions to the side of his neck and she steps closer to see the tiny pinhole scars there. "Did you know," he whispers, almost against the top of her head, "That those bitten by a vampire are said to not show up properly in photographs? Bram Stoker may have been writing from experience."

All she can do is laugh, breathlessly, in complete and utterly disbelief and a little bit of nervousness. "You're not saying that you-"

"No," he replies quickly, placing a hand on her shoulder as if to steady both of them. "But I'm not saying it's outside the realm of possibility. I mean, the photos speak for themselves, don't they?"

Scully bumps her head against his chest before stepping away. "It is outside the realm of possibility, Mulder. Vampires don't exist."

Neither of them is sure which of them she's trying to convince. And she keeps aloe vera gel around every time they travel from then on.

AU prompts

#this is likely Not what you were expecting but hey #Lu writes #txf #asks

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

I sent in the ask about Starstruck - not offended you removed the last part! BTW Seann Walsh's ex gf (the one who he cheated on with his Strictly partner, who then accused him of gaslighting and abusing her) is about to release a self-help book about leaving toxic relationships called "Why Did You Stay?" It's just interesting watching him do interviews where he paints himself as a victim of the media. His show Kiss tried to paint that narrative too. He wants people to feel sorry for him.

I didn't know that either and generally don't know a lot about that situation. I haven't seen much of Seann Walsh, just that he was a regular for a season on Argumental years ago, and makes occasional guest appearances on other shows. I sometimes have nights when I just spend ages clicking through YouTube videos of clips of stand-up routines by various comedians, and I've come across Seann's a few times, and never found him funny. Besides that, I know through some general osmosis that he had a Strictly curse scandal. But don't know details.

Having said that, I just watched the first episode of Backstage with Katherine Ryan, and did find him off putting in the way he talked about that. On the one hand I do think tabloids should leave people alone and I feel bad for people who've been hounded by them, but also, I find it annoying when people who did something shitty then go on TV to talk about how difficult it was for them to have people think they're shitty because of it. I recently saw an interview with Jimmy Carr about his tax scandal that annoyed me for the same reasons, in which he said that's when you learn who your real friends are during such difficult times and James Corden was the only person who cared enough to call and see how he was doing, and it was full of comments saying this is the one time when James Corden is the good guy in a story. Maybe your friends were just disappointed that you had knowingly as good as taken food out of the mouths of people who are much less lucky than you were, Jimmy. Maybe James Corden didn't care because he's a dick too.

Anyway. Bit off topic, but it reminded of me of that Jimmy Carr video when I watched that episode of Backstage with Katherine Ryan, where Seann Walsh was shown shown as a figure of sympathy because of the time everyone got mad at him for a bad thing he did. I do think tabloids should have left Seann Walsh alone if all he did was cheat on his wife, but I'm also a bit grossed out by him suggesting he's deserving of sympathy in that instance.

A lot of people are not great people. In a completely different context, I just happened across the information that Frank Skinner once married a teenage girl who was a student at a college where he taught when he was in his thirties, and now I have to find Frank Skinner gross, and I liked Frank Skinner. So I'm annoyed about that and that may have coloured how little sympathy I'm ready to feel for people who do gross things, and that may have affected how annoyed I sound in this post.

So... sorry that I took your message about one genuinely important issue, of a person who's gotten out of a bad situation writing a book about how often people stay in those situations, and replied by just being annoyed at shitty people on TV in general. People suck, but I hope the book is good and sells well.

[serenityseventeen]

Seventeen: when they get into a dating scandal with you who is their bff

세븐틴

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

written in the context that a news reporter set the claim/started the rumor.

laughs at the news report that you and he are dating because they find it ridiculous and amusing (with the possibility of going live and telling the world that you two are just dorky best friends): jun, minghao, seungkwan, vernon, dino

while watching the news, turns to you and says, “why not make it come true?”: seungcheol, jeonghan, hoshi, mingyu

calls you to see how you react to the scandal before saying anything: joshua, wonwoo, woozi, seokmin

-

Jun, Minghao, Seungkwan, Vernon, Dino: Since you two are best friends, they would find it so funny. The first funny thing about it is that you two are friends, not lovers. The second funny thing is probably because the reporters who caused the scandal to break out did not do their research properly and revealed something false. I think they draw the line between friendship and romance thus why they would possibly address the scandal themselves and tell the world that you two are nothing but extremely good friends, allowing you two to keep a good friendship.

Seungcheol, Jeonghan, Hoshi, Mingyu: They would probably be watching the news with you, on the couch or something; either that or they give you a call. I think they would be half-joking and half-serious when they ask “why not make it come true?”. They would wait for your reply before they say anything else. So, what do you say as their bff?

Joshua, Wonwoo, Woozi, Seokmin: These guys are extremely cautious when it comes to you, their best friend. They don't want to say anything or act out of hand even when the two of you are caught in a scandal together because they value what you think. They constantly wonder if you'd find the news a nuisance, humiliating, awkward, or funny, so they give you a call and react based on how you do.

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

request:

© serenityseventeen

a/n: I've been so caught up with the series that I haven't been able to complete requests! I'll try and complete a dino request tomorrow since I've already written Wonwoo's tldoswy imagine :D + not seventeen related: but congratulations to Joy and Crush! I never really kept up with Red Velvet or Crush, but God, I've always loved Crush and his voice + Young K's Eternal solo mini-album sampler comes out on the day I begin school again 😭😭

#seventeen kpop #seventeen #svt kpop #seventeen reactions #scoups #choi seungcheol #jeonghan #yoon jeonghan #joshua hong #hong jisoo #moon junhui #wen junhui #kwon soonyoung #hoshi #jeon wonwoo #wonwoo #woozi #lee jihoon #dokyeom #lee seokmin #the8 #xu minghao #mingyu #kim mingyu #seungkwan #boo seungkwan #vernon chwe #chwe hansol #lee chan #lee dino

[tinisprout]

Not as a Friend

Pairing: Heeseung x gn!Reader

Genre: Fluff, Angst

Word count: 2,485

Summary: The two of you have always been close to each other. Saying, I love you, as friends, since young. But your feelings are deeper than that of a friend. A confession pushes you to tell him how you really feel, even if it might ruin your friendship.

A/N: It's been a millennium since I've written. This is also my first time writing in First Person so this was a struggle. Still, I hope it's not too bad. *I wrote this with the thought of the Reader and Heeseung being high school seniors, already 18, but I never specified age or grade in the story, so I guess it doesn't really matter. Anyways, enjoy!

The walk home with Heeseung today feels unbearable, I know that he keeps glancing in my direction, I know he’s worried after seeing my face in class. That makes it hurt even more, he’s so kind and caring, what did I do to deserve a friend like him? We continue our walk back home in silence and I think about the past.

I like you and I love you are very straightforward words, but depending on the context of the relationship they can have a different meaning. I remember the first time I said I loved him, it was a very wholesome moment. We were only six, our mothers watched us play together in the park, “They haven’t known each other for very long but they get along so well,” my mother said gleefully.

“Yes, they must really like each other,” Heeseung’s mother replied. I lifted my head to look at Heeseung, our eyes met and we smiled at each other. Hearing their conversation, I turned to them ready to tell the world about my friend.

“I love Heeseung, he is my best friend!” I grabbed his hands, they were just as small as mine. Heeseung leaned into me, flashing a dazzling smile to our parents.

“I love y/n too.” It was so innocent. For a long time after that, we never had a problem saying, I love you, to each other. It was just a casual statement between friends. In instances when saying goodbye to each other or times when we would annoy each other, one of us would say, ‘you still love me, don’t you?’ and the other would reply ‘...I still love you.’

It changed when we were older and our peers would make fun of us for saying it so casually. I wasn’t bothered by the teasing, but Heeseung would always try to defend the innocence of our relationship, “Guys, we don’t like each other. We're just friends, this is just how we have always been with each other.” I had already started to develop feelings for him, maybe I was feeling guilty because when I would say, I love you, it wasn’t so much in a platonic way anymore. So one day I drew a line.

“Heeseung, you know I love you, right?” We sat in his living room, relaxing after we came back from school.

“What’s wrong?” I guess my tone didn’t sound too happy, he looked concerned as he looked at me in silence waiting for my answer.

“I think we should stop saying, I love you, to each other...not just in front of our classmates, but probably when we’re alone too.” He sat up straight quickly, pushing his hair back.

“What, why? Is it because of all the teasing?” I couldn’t meet his eyes and tell him the real reason.

“Not really, I’ve just been thinking. We aren’t in love with each other or anything, we’re just friends. When you do end up dating someone, I don’t want to be the problem in your relationship. If I was in their shoes, I think I would be jealous. So...yeah.” I looked back up at him, he looked at me too, seeming to be thinking and searching for something. After the long pause, he slumps back a little and leans his head back, letting out a big sigh.

“If that’s how you feel then we can do that.”

“Hey come on, it’s not like I suddenly stopped caring about you.”

“Ha, yeah.” He gave a small smirk. We continued our evening together with a somewhat awkward atmosphere.

Not long later, I regretted what I said that day. Most people were finished with class cleaning, same for me. I was packing my things, getting ready to leave school with Heeseung like we do every day. Weirdly enough Heeseung usually finishes before me and comes to me first, but he wasn’t here yet. I walk to his classroom after I'm done getting ready, and yet still, I didn’t see him. I asked some of his classmates, “Hey, do you know where Heeseung is?”

“Uh, he left with a girl a little while ago, but he didn’t take his stuff,” one of his classmates answered, pointing to his bag half-packed on his desk, he didn’t take his phone either. Many thoughts flew through my head, but the loudest one was, ‘He’s getting confessed to.’ I pursed my lips and then said my thanks to his classmates and left back to my classroom. I wanted to take his bag, pack it for him, but the thought of finding out that he said yes, I don’t think I could look at him, it would hurt too much.

I sat down on my seat in the now-empty class, laying my head down and covering my head with my arms. ‘A confession doesn’t take long, I’ll wait for 10 minutes max. If he doesn’t come to get me then I’ll just leave.’ I gripped onto my forearms, ‘I should be happy for him if he says yes to her.’ I started to anxiously bounce my leg, ‘Please, come back soon.’ It felt like an eternity left alone with my thoughts. The sounds outside the classroom slowly softened as students continued to leave. Within the muted sounds came pounding footsteps and then the sound of the door slamming open. Startled, my head shoots up from the desk and I look to the door. There he was, bag slung on one shoulder, his breathing irregular from running, a nervous smile on his face as he let out a just as nervous chuckle.

“Thank goodness you're still here, I wasn’t sure if you left without me. And sorry, I had to do something really quick.” His face fell when he saw my face go from shocked to one that was holding back tears, emotional upheaval nearby. “What’s wrong? What happened?” his eyes were filled with concern as he quickly went up to me kneeling in front of my seat. His head now lower than mine, I looked down at him.

“Heeseung,” my voice had a slight tremble. “I- can we go to your place first...I’ll be ready to tell you then.”

“Of course,” he wrapped his arms around my body, it was such a natural gesture. “It’s gonna be okay.” I hoped it was going to be okay and that he wouldn't leave me after this.

"I-I would never leave without you," even though I said only 10 minutes, I would have waited till the sunset, till there was no more hope. With those last words I pull away from him and we walk out of the classroom without another word and made the seemingly long walk home. Finally, at his home, his parents are still at work it seems so we head straight upstairs. He gets into his normal spot on his bed but instead of leaning against the wall, he sits forward, looking at me. My normal spot would be next to him but I just stood in front of his bed. I don't want to make him uncomfortable after what I'm about to tell him.

"Before I say anything else, I just want to confirm something, if you are comfortable with sharing. What did you have to do during cleaning time?" Heeseung processed for a bit and then his eyebrows shot up in realization.

"Oh uh…" he hesitates.

"It's fine if you don't want to share." ‘I'm still gonna say what I have to say regardless of the answer, I thought to myself.’

"No, no, it's just a little weird. I…got confessed to," silence.

"...Ah, I thought that was the case."

"I rejected them!” he retorted. “...sorry, I'm not mad at you, I just-” he sighed while putting his head in his hands. “I don’t want to make this about me, but I need to say something to you too,” he looks back up at me. I was startled but I knew he wasn’t angry at me, but he was obviously in distress.

“It’s okay, Heeseung. I’ll always be here for you, no matter what. I just hope I don’t ruin the mood after this. Okay, okay, ...sorry, just a little bit longer,” I say, letting out nervous laughter. I start to pace around his room, nerves getting the best of me. I feel my heart pick up speed and I try to keep my breathing under control, clenching and unclenching my fists. I didn’t realize he got up from the bed till I felt his hand squeeze mine. I look at him, freezing up in his gaze. My thoughts are telling me to run away but the heat from his hand was suffocating against my burning one, and yet I didn't want to let go, the feeling told me to stay.

"Hey, you know. You know... I'll love you no matter what. It's okay." Those words that I want so dearly to be true made my heart stop and my body tremble with trepidation. More than anything I didn't want to lose Heeseung, but I care about him, so I don't want to lie and not tell him how I really feel.

"I love you so much. I- I don't know what to do with myself…" My hand squeezes his back, making his hand quiver along with mine. There was heat building up behind my eyes, vision becoming a little blurry.

"It’s okay, breathe. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“No, you don’t get it,” the tears that had been brimming around my eyes finally fell. “I love you and I always will but for a long time now it’s been more than that. I like-like you, I- I’m in love with you! I don’t want to be just your friend anymore. The thought of you being with someone else hurts...so much, but I’ve been too scared to say anything because I don’t want to lose you.” The words became more unsteady, I tried to stop myself from losing complete control of my emotions. I slowly started to sink to the floor and Heeseung followed me down till we popped to the ground in the middle of his room. While stared into each other’s eyes the entire time, I could see Heeseung’s face change, expressing multiple different emotions, none of them seem good.

“...I’m sorry, I d- I didn’t know. I’m sorry, y/n.” Heeseung pursed his lips, he looked like he was about to cry with me. He lets go of my hand and wraps his arms around my body squeezing me tight, repeating, I’m sorry. Are we both trembling now? It’s hard to tell if it’s just me but I wrap my arms around him too and let it all go, my whimpers and sniffles became full-blown sobs. I don’t know how long we cried for, but eventually, our cries came to a hush. It seems like we cried for a long time together and I feel exhausted.

“Ugh, I kinda feel like I have to throw up.” As an attempt to lighten the mood I joke about the very real condition of my stomach, while I pull away from him. Heeseung sniffles and chuckles.

“Yeah, same here,” we look each other in the eyes again. His hands came up and touched my face wiping away the dampness from my cheeks. Even after gently wiping he still kept his hands there. “I’m sorry, that I was a coward. If I just told you how I felt sooner, much sooner, you wouldn’t have to suffer like that. I’m in love with you too…” He pauses to see my reaction as I process this new information. “Pfft, I thought you would have been happy, why are you crying again?” he teases as he rubs at my face again. Even in a moment like this, we can't stop our bantering.

“Shut up, these are tears of happiness,” I hadn’t even realized more tears fell out, I thought I was all cried out. “We are both cowards though. It feels kinda silly now, we’ve cried this much just to say, I love you. When did it all become so complicated?” I sighed, tilting my head a little.

“I don’t know exactly when I fell for you, but when I realized, I knew I wanted you by my side, always, not like before, not as just friends. But I was afraid of ruining our relationship if you didn’t feel the same way.” I grab his shoulders pushing him down to the ground, straddling his body.

We’re so lame, worrying about the same thing, and in the end, we have nothing to worry about, because we both like each other!” Heeseung raises an eyebrow.

“Correction, love each other.” I purse my lips as I look down on him.

“Yeah, I like you, I love you, I’m in love with you! Happy now?

“Yup,” He gave a sly smirk.

“...Damn, I really want to kiss you.”

“What’s stopping you?” ‘Fair enough,’ I thought as I leaned down, closing my eyes, placing a chaste kiss on his lips. I could feel his lips form a smile against mine which made me smile too. I pulled away laughing, the happiness I’m feeling right now seems unreal, but looking at his smile, the reddish color that dusted his cheeks and ears told me just how real it was.

“That was nice,” I say as I remove myself from the top of his body and lay beside him.

“Much better than our first kiss. This time I didn’t have to hide how much I like kissing you.” He turns his body to face mine, propping his head with his hand. My eyes widened at this revelation.

“Wait, you liked me since then?”

“Definitely before then, but yes.”

“Ahh, why were we both so oblivious?!” I bring my hands up to cover my face.

“Hey, at least we know now. I don’t plan on letting you go.”

“Oh, dearest boyfriend of mine, who said I was going anywhere without you?” Heeseung grins from ear to ear.

“I like the sound of that.”

“I’m sure all our classmates and friends will love to tease us about this when they find out. Heeseung cringes at that statement, not exactly something to look forward to.

Sure enough, when we came to school the next day we decided we were not going to try and hide anything, and walked to school holding hands, fingers intertwined. The hollers from our friends and classmates made us embarrassed, but explanations would come later. Though what left everyone flabbergasted, myself included, is when we had to part ways, going into our classrooms, Heeseung bent down and tilted my head up towards his and kissed me. It was short and he left me in the hall dumbstruck as he scurried to class. The shouts of everyone watching were lost to my ears. I was so gonna get him later for this.

#heeseung #lee heeseung #heeseung x reader #enhypen #enhypen heeseung #enhypen x reader #enhypen fluff #enhypen angst #heeseung fluff #heeseung angst #enhypen imagines #enhypen scenarios #enhypen x gender neutral reader #enhypen x you #heeseung enhypen #my writing #Not as a Friend

[crackinglamb]

You Have Chosen Nydha To Be Your Companion!

Hopping off @little-lightning-lavellan's idea to take a DA:I OC and turn them into a companion, may I present Banal'ras Nydha (from Hope Is a Fragile Thing) and her wiki page.

General

Banal'ras Nydha looks human, although there is something that doesn't seem quite right about her. She has dark hair and skin and startlingly green eyes, and speaks with a low, raspy voice. It is often difficult to find her in a room. Nydha first appears, and is available to recruit, in the Temple of Sacred Ashes before attempting to close the Breach. She offers knowledge and combat tactics against demons. If dismissed, or never spoken to, she will then be spotted in Haven behind Solas's cabin. She will not be available to recruit at that time, although once the Inquisition is relocated to Skyhold, she will make an offer to travel with the Inquisitor. If dismissed again, she will become a non-interactive NPC in the Rotunda, usually found near the mural or atop the scaffolding. If she is never recruited, she will disappear from Skyhold after the final battle with Corypheus.

Nydha is not romanceable by any Inquisitor, but can engage in a relationship with Solas if a female Dalish Inquisitor has not done so. She is friendly and bonds well with most of the other party members, especially Cole, Dorian and, of course, Solas. She prefers diplomacy and tends towards mediation rather than confrontation. If a Dalish Inquisitor has romanced Solas, and has high approval, Nydha will offer comfort and sympathy upon termination of the relationship. If low approval, Nydha has nothing to say.

She has strong opinions on the plight of elves, slaves and mages. She is supportive of any measures that would improve the lives of them. Her early banter with Dorian revolves around debating Tevinter's practices and trying to get him to see a better way. She will also speak with Iron Bull about the shortcomings of the Qun, although never with the same level of disdain as Solas. While she never openly mocks the Chantry or Andrastianism, she isn't a strong supporter or believer and has no opinion on who becomes Divine.

Location

In Haven, Nydha can be found behind Solas's cabin, usually in the darkest corner. Once the Inquisition relocates to Skyhold, she can be found in either the Arcane Library or the Rotunda.

Approval

Nydha's approval level is based upon empathy. An Inquisitor who is helpful, respectful and curious will gain approval. Nydha has no opinion on quests such as Wicked Eyes, Wicked Hearts or the outcome of Here Lies the Abyss, but approves diplomatic resolutions to judgments. She will greatly approve allying with the Free Mages, and only slightly approve conscripting the Templars. Conscription of the Free Mages or allying with the Templars will result in full disapproval. She will greatly approve Iron Bull becoming Tal-Vashoth and keeping Cole as a spirit. Actions that are ruthless or cruel will lose approval.

A high approval Inquisitor will learn that Nydha was born in another world and 'crossed over' through the Veil when the Breach opened. She will tell the Inquisitor that her name was given to her as a gift from someone she met in the Fade. She does not, however, say that it is Solas (see below for unique Trespasser dialogue). She will say that her name means 'Shadow of Night', according to her translation. A Dalish Inquisitor can have special dialogue to recognize the name as being Elvish and can question how a human came to have it. Nydha will answer that it is because the native language of the Fade is Elvish, a remnant from when elves held all of Thedas before human arrival.

A low approval Inquisitor will not learn this part of her history and she will remain an enigma. If approval falls to zero, she will refuse to speak to the Inquisitor, although she does not leave and is still available as a companion.

Quests

Survivor In the Shadows – the quest for meeting Nydha initially at the Temple of Sacred Ashes. It begins upon speaking with her, and ends with either recruitment or dismissal.

From the Ashes – only available after either In Hushed Whispers or Champions of the Just, but before completion of In Your Heart Shall Burn, Nydha will ask the Herald to accompany her back to the Temple of Sacred Ashes to search for her few belongings. The Herald will find a journal, a bundle of unusual clothes and a single unmarked vial. Nydha will approve completing this quest.

A Better Form – Nydha will ask for help in stabilizing her corporeal body if Dagna is brought into the Inquisition. Resolution of this quest will involve having Dagna create a unique amulet that will act as a permanent grounding source, rather like a lightning rod. Components for this amulet are: 1 blank rune stone, 1 wisp essence, and either 5 dawnstone or 5 volcanic aurum (both imbue constitution bonuses). It will act as an Amulet of Power, granting Nydha an extra skill point. This is the only time such an ability will be available to her. This will also allow her to wear other amulets throughout the remainder of the game. She, and Solas, will greatly approve completing this quest.

Twice-Born – available during the Jaws of Hakkon DLC. Nydha, if in the party, will ask to speak with the Augur of Stone-Bear Hold once relations with the hold have been established. If she is not among the Inquisitor's party, she will be found in the main scout camp near Professor Kenric. What the two speak about will be unknown, but at the end of the quest, Nydha will inform the Inquisitor that she has been given the legend-mark Twice-Born from the hold's 'gods'. Cole will greatly approve completing this quest, regardless of whether or not he is in the party.

Note: This quest is not dependent upon approval, but is the only time she will speak with a zeroed out Inquisitor, should that level of low approval be reached.

Ability Tree/Specialization

Nydha is technically a rogue, and can utilize either a bow or double daggers. She has an autolevel preference for the Subterfuge tree, and has an additional, unique starting skill in Fade Cloak. This does not require further leveling to be active. It is the only skill that cannot be deactivated from her skillset.

She can specialize in either Tempest or Rift Mage, due to her nature as a being from the Fade. She is not otherwise a mage. Her decision on specialization can be influenced, as she will ask the Inquisitor's opinion. If no opinion is given, she will default to taking Tempest.

Combat comments

“Come get some!”

“Catch me if you can!”

(If specialized in Tempest) “Burn, baby, burn.”

(If specialized in Rift Mage) “Ooh, the stuff of nightmares.”

Kills an enemy

“Another one bites the dust.”

“Cool story, bro.”

“Then perish.”

Low Health

“This was not on my agenda today.”

“A little help?”

Low Health (Companions)

For all general companions: “I have your back.”

If in a romance with Solas: “Take a breather, fenorain.”

Fallen Companions

For all general companions: “I'll make them pay!”

If in a romance with Solas: “NO!”

Location Comments

Ferelden:

Hinterlands: “Why is it so big? Why is everything so big?”

Fallow Mire: “I have mud in unmentionable places. Can we go now?”

Storm Coast: “I must go down to the sea again, to the lonely sea and sky.”

If companions question her: “It's just from a poem I once read.”

Orlais:

Exalted Plains: “So much death. Can't you feel it?”

Emerald Graves: “This forest is old. Very old.” [laughs] “I always wanted to say that in proper context.”

Emprise du Lion: “Stay away from the bloody lyrium. And wear a hat.”

At Suledin Keep after Imshael, if Solas is in the party: “Ir abelas, lethallin.” (If romanced) Ir abelas, fenorain.”

Solas's reply (only translated if the Inquisitor is Dalish): “Ma serannas. Ea lam'an.” (It is in the past)

At the Pools of the Sun, regarding the trio of dragons: “Can't we just leave them alone? They really won't hurt anyone if we keep our distance.”

Hissing Waste: “You know, if you ignore the endless vista of sand, it's really quite beautiful. In a bleak kind of way.”

Western Approach: “Hot. Hot and blighted. I need a drink.”

Forbidden Oasis, upon reaching the second camp: “That's it, I'm never leaving.”

Arbor Wilds: “Mind your footing. This place is full of secrets.”

In Val Royeaux: “Pretty place.”

Frostback Basin: “I could stay here forever. Even with the varmints.”

The Descent: “Nice and dark, just the way I like it.”

At the Wellspring: “Wow...that's amazing.”

Trespasser: “Now it all ends, my friend.”

If the Inquisitor questions the statement: “You'll see soon enough.”

Companion/Advisor comments

Varric – Gotta watch out for Spooky, there's something about her I can't put my finger on.

Cassandra – She is an able fighter, but I would not trust her out of my sight, which is far too often.

Solas – She is secretive by nature, but I would assure you that she means no harm.

Iron Bull – She's a tricky one. Good fighter, lotta secrets. Good at keeping them too. I don't think I've cracked a single one that she didn't tell me herself.

Dorian – She's fascinating. I am not at liberty to say why, of course, if you don't already know.

Cole – Bright as the sun and scattered as the stars. She wants to help, just like I do.

Vivienne – She seems capable enough, my dear. But I would not dare to trust her. She is an accomplished player of the Game, for all her smiles and good cheer.

Sera – She's as bad as Creepy, although she's better at jokes. She's better at hiding than I am!

Blackwall – She knows something. She knows too many somethings.

Josephine – She keeps to herself and has caused no diplomatic incidents. I wish I could say the same for some of the others gathered here.

Leliana – I find it curious that I cannot find any solid evidence of her existence before the Conclave, but that does not automatically mark her a spy. However, her nature makes me no more inclined to trust her. I would be wary of her.

Cullen – Who? Oh, the...shadowy...person. I hear she can handle herself. I can't say I've spoken with her, so I don't have an opinion.

Trespasser

There is a unique dialogue tree available to the Inquisitor while speaking with Solas if Nydha was recruited as a companion.

“Did you know about Nydha?”

“Yes, I am the one who gave her her name. I found her while I yet slept, and she became corporeal after the Breach.”

(First branch) “Is she one of your agents?”

“No. She has only ever been my friend.”

(Special, if not romanced) “Your friend? It seemed to be more than that.”

“In another world, perhaps.”

(Second branch) “Is she joining you?”

“No, I would not wish her on this path.”

(Third branch) “She knew this whole time. Why didn't she tell me?”

“She had her reasons for not telling you. (If high approval) I hope you will not hold them against her.”

Regardless of approval, Nydha disappears after the Exalted Council. She settles in the Frostback Basin among the Avvar. A high approval Inquisitor will receive correspondence from her from time to time, but she will refuse to come back to the 'civilized' nations of Thedas, preferring privacy and isolation.

Trivia

If in the party during Here Lies the Abyss, the Nightmare demon will speak to her in Elvish. Her reply is a scoff and nothing else.

Nydha can be a third option at the Vir'Abelasan if she is in the party. If she is chosen to drink from the Well, Abelas does not object, although he will still point out that she will be bound as they are. If Nydha drinks, she will summon Flemeth and work with the Inquisitor to tame the dragon for the final confrontation with Corypheus. If she is in the party during Trespasser, she will be able to provide the password to the spirit guards, preventing a fight.

If Morrigan is allowed to attack Abelas, she will attempt to defend him and will argue that the witch is not worthy of the knowledge she seeks if brutality is her only way to get it. If there is a peaceful alliance with the Sentinels and Morrigan is chosen to drink, Nydha will slightly disapprove but hold her tongue on the matter.

If the Inquisitor drank from the Well, and succeeds in finding enough clues to determine that Solas is Fen'Harel, Nydha will appear saddened when the Inquisitor rebuts to the Viddasala that they already know. She will state that this was what she'd been waiting for. The Inquisitor will have the option to accuse her of knowing the whole time. She will answer yes, but she won't explain.

If Nydha is never recruited, and remains an NPC in the Rotunda, one will hear her occasionally speak with Solas. These conversations range in topic from books they are reading to the mural. Never about Inquisition business. There is a slight chance to hear them speaking in Elvish, and their words are not translated, regardless of Inquisitor's race. Solas's replies appear to be noncommittal.

Nydha will remark upon the Inquisitor's romantic choices, usually with something supportive and a hope that they are happy together. She will also comment something generally pleasant about each companion if asked. The exception to this is if Iron Bull remains Ben-Hassrath. Nydha will caution the Inquisitor to be careful of telling him too much since his loyalty is now unknown.

It can be implied from various interactions and from high approval conversation that Nydha was in fact aware of everything that would happen during the course of the game. She never gives a reason for keeping her silence on matters pertaining to what foreknowledge she had, although any input given during the game events is sound and often given in such a way so as not to risk suspicion.

It can also be implied that regardless of what Solas says during Trespasser, Nydha has actually left the Inquisition to join his ranks, or at least does not stand opposed to him. This is not confirmed, however, and according to her epilogue card, she is enjoying a quiet life in the Frostback Basin with no intention of ever interfering with Thedosian politics or events again.

#dragon age inquisition #oc as a companion wiki #original female character #banal'ras nydha #hope is a fragile thing #this is super long #I might have gotten carried away

[thehollowprince]

CONTEXT IS EVERYTHING

I got a reblog from one of the people that really dislike Scott McCall on one of my asks today. Like, an actual reblog and not just another anon chasing their tail in circles trying to convince me, themselves and the rest of the world that Scott was truly just Bad™. I was super surprised because that usually doesn't happen until after their leaders Athena and Cole give them the signal, but in the same breath I wasnt surprised because they had me blocked so that I couldn't reply. Par for the course, I guess, but I managed to snag screencaps of the reply and I'm here to just... go through them.

My favorite part of this is that they seemed to have been under the impression that my answer to that anon was a challenge of some kind.

For anyone interested, this was all in response to this ask that I answered yesterday. I went through and debunked all of their points and that's what I'm going to do again with this.

1: are we referring to the first season when they broke up after Night School because Scott "abandoned" them to save their lives from Peter? Because, yes, Scott did send her texts and a picture of them when they were together, and she got upset, and after explaining things, guess what, he did, in fact, leave her alone!

2: I've already talked about Scott's interaction with Isaac in Anchors ad nauseam, which can be read here and here. If anyone doesn't want to read the second one (I admit, I can get a little long-winded), what I said was that I didn't like that scene because of how out-of-character it was for Scott. As for Jackson, with the way he treated people, Scott in particular, I'm honestly surprised that no one beat him before that. Scott has the patience of a saint to deal with that for as long as he did without snapping.

3: what's really weird about this is how these people who really dislike Scott (and just by how that was phrased I think I finally found the anon) always fixate on that time Scott shoved Isaac. Just that one moment, and you know why, because their were no moments after that. Scott had no objections to Allison and Isaac hooking up (they never got around to actually dating).

4: this is one of those moments where I want to shake people and say "please watch the damn show!", because what this dingus left out, like everything else in their reply, was context (more on that in a minute). In that scene where Scott yells at Allison (Raving), its after their plan starts to fall apart. That's one of Scott's legitimate flaws in the show (conveniently overlooked in favor of fictional flaws). When things don't go according to plan, he gets frazzled and upset. It's why he and Stiles work so well together, because Stiles excelled at the spur-of-the-moment stuff. Their plan to capture Jackson (to save his life) and discover who his master was wasnt going according to plan. As a matter of fact, it went completely belly up, and a lot of people were in danger. Forgive me if I give a scared sixteen-year-old some leeway in that situation.

6: this is another instance where you just know that they either haven't watched the show, or they've seen the episode once (probably when it aired) and have never gone back to watch it again, relying solely on their Tumblr community to reaffirm their stance on the situation. What this person failed to include, was that the hunters were already hunting Isaac and Erica and Boyd. They were after Derek's pack since the moment Gerard came to town and declared war on all werewolves, whether they were involved in Kate's death or not (Omega). No thought as t all is given to why Isaac, Erica and Boyd were even in that situation to begin with. Why did Derek involve children in his issues?

What this person is also leaving out is that Scott and Allison didn't get to talk about what happened to her mother at the rave until season three. After she killed herself, she was manipulated by Gerard into actively hunting Derek's pack, and basically told Scott to leave her alone while she contemplated murder.

But once again, we have that double standard rearing its ugly head. Why is Scott supposed to tell everyone everything, but the same doesn't apply to characters like Derek or Stiles? Why didn't Derek tell Scott about his history with the Argents and why he hated them so much? Why didn't Stiles tell Scott about Donovan's or Josh's deaths or Theo's involvement? Why is that the fandom allows themselves to empathize with how these characters are feeling, with allowing them to be emotional in their decisions, but not the lead?

This is where context becomes incredibly important, because without context, we get people making blanket statements about a character in order to paint them in a bad light. Without context, I could make statements like "Stiles is a murderer for killing Donovan" or "Stiles nearly killed a police station full of people" or "Lydia was in league with Peter to bring him back from the dead". Those statements by themselves don't put those characters in a good light, do they? But once you add the context to those situations, it changes the entire perspective of things.

With context, I know that Stiles didn't murder Donovan, but that it was an accident that happened in a life-or-death situation. With context, I know that it wasnt Stiles that planted those explosives, but the Nogitsune possessing him. With context, I know that it was Peter's hijacking of Lydia's mind and untapped power that allowed him to rise from the dead. We're allowed to remember the context of these situations, but why not ever when it concerns Scott and his hardships? Another good example is painting Scott as an idiot because he had bad grades, while completely ignoring the circumstances around his life that led to his grades slipping, namely the werewolf shenanigans he was getting dragged into. The double-standard comes in when a legion of fans come to Stiles' defense for writing an essay on the history of circumcision for an Economics class, because "he has ADD/ADHD" all over one throwaway line about him taking Adderall.

Context is everything, and it's amazing how often it's completely ignored when it comes to Scott.

Two more points.

Sadly, this isn't just something specific to the Teen Wolf fandom. Fandom in general seem to think that romance is the final evolution of any kind of relationship. It says something about them that that's where they're putting the emphasis on Scott's and Allison's relationship, and not the fact that they found their way back to being friends after everything that happened between them in season two.

And then there's this gem.

Wait... what?

I am so confused by this, because I'm not talking about a character I hate, but rather defending one I actually live against a campaign of misinformation. They use the word irony, but I don't think it means what they think it does (this isn't the Alanis Morrisette song).

Final thoughts: I often find myself wondering why I even humor these people anymore because it doesn't matter what I say, or what evidence I produce, they're just going to go out of their way to twist everything into making it sound like I think Coolsville sucks. But I'm like a cockroach, I persist. It's going to take more than they can throw at me to make me stop calling out the racism and double-standards that permeate this fandom.

#scott mccall defense squad #teen wolf fandom problems #teen wolf meta #fandom racism #context is everything

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

Uh, hi. I've just started writing my own fanfiction and I really want to write something for twdg fandom, so my question is how do you write your characters perfectly? I mean, whenever I read your fanfics they're always completely in character, how do I do that? Thanks for answering (if you do) :)

This ask is older, so I’m sorry that I haven’t been able to answer it until now. Hopefully, you’re still out there to see this response, anon. 

Also, this got long, so... sorry.

First of all, thank you for reading my stories and for the compliment! :) I try to keep everyone in character the best I can when writing, and sometimes I second guess, or question if I’m writing them out of character, so it truly means a lot to read this message. 

As for writing them in character? I’ll be honest, the reason I haven’t replied to this is because I didn’t really know how to respond. 

The best advice I can give, and it’s advice that I’ve always given, is to replay the game. Replay the game, take notes, and focus more on the characters and their reactions to the situations they find themselves in. 

Or, if you can’t replay the game for whatever reason, go on youtube and watch a playthrough. Preferably one without commentary that plays a similar route to what you’d play. I know that can be damn near impossible with all the different YouTubers out there, but it doesn’t hurt to try and search for one.

If you need to, you can look up those videos regarding a certain character that goes through all of their moments +all dialogue choices. Those videos can be useful since that way, you can see how a character reactions to Clementine’s various treatments. 

For example, you can find a video containing all of Mitch’s moments, and you can see how he reacts when Clementine’s mean to him. That can help when writing his character. 

As for the actual writing, I believe that comes with practice. It’s hard to explain, mostly because I’m not good at explaining stuff like this, but I can try. 

Outside of playing the game, read. It doesn’t matter if you read other fanfics to see how others portray these characters [so long as you’re not plagerizing] or if you’re reading books, listening to audiobooks, whatever. 

Reading/watching character analysis posts can help you understand how to break down a character, too. Not just analysis posts for twdg, either. Any character from any story will work. There’s plenty of character posts here on Tumblr, and on youtube, too. 

Now, as for these characters themselves...

Let’s use Mitch as an example since we were already talking about him. 

The way I write Mitch won’t be the same as someone else, even if we share the same opinion or headcanons. Things like dialogue, mannerisms, and writing style play a huge part in it.

Say that I share a headcanon with someone. 

Person A and I both share the headcanon that Mitch can play guitar.

Person A probably has a different backstory than I do of how and why he came to play guitar, as well as his skill level. Maybe Person A writes about how wonderful of a guitar player he is because he’s practiced playing for the past eight years. Meanwhile, I write about how he’s fairly decent at the guitar but hasn’t practiced in years, so when he picks it up again, he has to figure it out all over again.

Neither of these headcanons is wrong, and one isn’t “better” than the other, it’s just how differently we view these characters, as well as how we execute this.

He’s a character that doesn’t get as much screentime as Clementine, or Louis and Violet, since he dies in ep2. Most of his character traits are drawn from the few moments in the game, as well as from our interpretations and headcanons. 

We all have different views of these characters. The way we see Mitch within the context of the game shapes our opinion of him, which affects our writing. 

I’ve had lots of practice writing for Mitch’s character and most of the time, I can easily imagine what he’d say or do in these situations I put him in. I’ve spent so much time talking about him with you guys, analyzing him from different angles, and screwing up his character. 

Yeah, there have been times where I’ve written something, paused, then scrapped because “what the hell, man, that’s not what he’d do.” But, you gotta screw up, understand why you view it as a screw up, then fix it. 

Also, I do want to add this: You called my characterization of these characters as perfect, which is insanely flattering, but when you think about it... none of our characterizations are perfect. We didn’t create them, nothing we write is “canon” within the context of the game. 

If the writers picked up my stories and read them [which, fingers crossed they never have oof-] then odds are, they’d be like “That’s not what Aasim would say there... and Mitch wouldn’t ever do that because he’s dead. Seriously, him and James? That’s not how we intended for Violet to react, and actually, that’s not how Clementine and Louis would act as a couple-”

But if we constantly think along those lines, we’ll drive ourselves insane. I’m here to write and have fun, not pick arguments with the creators over what’s “Canon” or “correct” or “perfect” y’know?

What I’m trying to say is when you’re writing, don’t worry about perfection. Do what feels right, and if you go back and it doesn’t feel right, change it. You’ll find your style. 

Moving on...

Another thing that we can have trouble with is flanderising a character. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, it basically means that you’re picking a single character trait and not only exaggerating it over the course of the story but making it their sole character trait. 

Take Louis. This is one I always see complaints about. If someone flanderises Louis, they’re taking one of his traits i.e. he’s funny and makes jokes, and that’s who he is. That’s it, he’s always cracking jokes and flirting with Clementine and doing all this wacky stuff. 

I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve scrolled through Louis’ tag only to come across a rant post about how others write him, and this is usually the #1 problem. 

Anyone who has played the game knows that Louis likes to joke, sure, but there’s WAY more to him than that. We all know that, and hey, odds are the author didn’t realize they were doing it.

Of course, on the flip side, maybe an author is afraid of making him a jokester so they just make him.... emo or something. Overly emotional and sarcastic, I guess. 

Louis isn’t just a jokester or an overly emotional mess. 

A good chunk of Louis’ “happy-go-lucky” personality is just a comfortable persona that he’s fallen into over the years of guilt, belittling, loneliness, self-doubt, and  inattentional blindness. He does like to crack jokes, but he has a cynical edge a lot of the time, causing him to be sarcastic in more serious or desperate moments. He’s selfless and willing to sacrifice himself for his family, he expresses anger and grief, and he’s not afraid to say he’s sorry for his mistakes. 

If you’re writing for a character like Louis, you can focus on certain parts of his personality, but having a grasp of his overall complex character will do wonders when it comes to writing him within your stories. 

Basically what this long post is saying: Know your characters, grow comfortable with your writing style, and don’t fret over perfection. Embrace your mistakes and learn from them in order to improve. Read and write as much as you can. Practice with smaller stories, then move onto bigger ones. 

You got this, anon. 

And hopefully this helps you, even if just a little. :)

#asks #long post #once again i talk too much haha #twdg mitch #twdg louis