#without it being really connected to a key event/situation

[saerins]

⋆୨ chapter two ୧˚ a million miles away, still you connect me in your way

⋆୨ if not for you (masterlist) ⋆୨ previous: chapter one - thorns without flowers, bars with no drinks <> next: chapter three - for a while, you were all mine ୧˚

⋆୨ synopsis ୧˚ neither of you want this. both you and sae reluctantly agree to this marriage, although sae’s dissatisfaction far outweighs your own. with hidden agendas and old flames, will this ever work out between the two of you, or will your forced spark be doomed to fail?

ೀ series: sae x f!reader | wc 3.8k | ೀ content warnings: fluff/angst, modern au, arranged marriage, rich!sae and rich!reader, gaslighting, generally bad parenting across the board, miscommunications/misunderstandings | notes: looks like i made it for this week after all !! not proofread though because i’m still sick <\3 & hehe i heard you guys asking for sae redemption arc … hmm :)

To the whole world, your marriage with the eldest Itoshi son is a fruitful event. Both your parents, having history as college classmates turned business rivals, have put their differences aside and green-lit the marriage. (It kind of perplexes you, since it’s their idea in the first place, but both you and Sae know that it’s always better to just leave things be.)

“You both need to get along well, do you hear me?”

Ever the authoritative figure, your father, naturally, expects you to do the impossible and get your husband to—you don’t really know, actually. To be a husband?

“Dad, we just got married and we barely know each other, can’t we just—”

“Then do something about it.” The line clicks before you can say anything else, a long sigh leaving your lips. That’s easier said than done.

It’s been a week into the marriage and the most Sae has ever said to you was “here, got you the keys.” Which was on day two. And he hasn’t spoken to you since. Except to respond to your (fake) chirpy good morning! with his own lacklustre “morning”.

And it isn’t like you haven’t tried. On the off chance that you do catch Sae when he’s at home and not frolicking around outside, you try to ask about him. Foolish you thought that maybe if he saw you trying then he’d at least entertain you.

Of course, life isn’t that kind to you. Any time you try to speak to him casually, you’re locked out by his icy stare, quick to glare at you like you’re some weirdo who just happens to live in the same apartment.

Maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad if you were the type to initiate such things but you’ve never been so until now. And it’s killing you inside everytime you try.

“Save me, please.”

Reo’s chuckle rings over the speakers, your heaved sigh drowned out by him. “Not even a month in, are you sure you can last with this your whole life?”

“Stop rubbing it in, Reo,” you whine, nearly dropping your breakfast on the floor.

It’s a Thursday morning and you’d been given a week off to acclimatise to life as a newlywed. From what you know, Sae was too. Problem is, Sae hasn’t even been home. He leaves early in the morning and comes back late in the night; there’s really no difference than when he’s actually going to work.

And given your… situation, you don’t really want to ask where he’s been and sound like, well, a wife. It’s stupid and crazy for you to think that when you are his wife, but it’s the sticky feeling of the two of you being strangers that makes you feel like you can’t act that way.

That night when Sae comes home to see dinner still untouched, all handsome as usual in his white dress shirt with the top unbuttoned, he gives you a brief once-over before toeing off his shoes. He reeks of alcohol when he walks past you but you don’t comment on that; he doesn’t look tipsy one bit so you have a feeling he was just surrounded by the people doing the actual drinking. 

“Why haven’t you eaten?”

You bet he’s only asking because you’ve meticulously placed yourself at the dining table, not moving even when he almost shuts his bedroom door on you. There are two empty plates set out on the table—one for you and one for him.

One glance at the clock sets the time at 9.30pm. Entirely way too late for dinner—or well, a normal one, at least.

Tonight is different from all the other nights, because before tonight, you’d resigned to cooking and eating dinner alone. But given your earlier talk with Reo, he’d convinced you to try forcing Sae into it, as bad as that sounds, and you want to see it through.

“I was waiting for you,” you say, back faced to him.

In this huge apartment, your soft voice bounces off the walls.

You can hear Sae hesitating for a while before finally speaking up. “I already ate.”

It’s like a huge joke, whatever this is. It’s nothing that you can put into words because you expected as much but you’re disappointed that you have a husband who doesn’t care about your feelings yet you can’t actually fault him for it because your circumstances aren’t exactly… normal.

You don’t even realise you’re tearing up until you hear the abrupt sound of Sae’s bedroom door shutting, your tears falling from your cheeks as you jump in your seat.

From your father pressuring you to make this marriage work, to Reo who—bless his pure heart—believes wholeheartedly that you can, and lastly to Sae, who seems absolutely determined to see this marriage through to its divorce, you’re tired.

There’s no such thing as failure to your parents—you’d known that ever since you were born. Especially not to your father, who tolerated nothing less than perfection from you. He wouldn’t even let it go when you failed to bag a huge client and decided that scolding you in front of the entire office was the least he could do.

As his name lights up your phone screen again, you stare dumbly at his message.

So? Are things going well with him?

You would mistaken it for parental concern if not for his next message.

Don’t screw this up like you always do. No one else would want you anyway, hear me?

He has a way of kicking you when you’re down. It’s almost like he decided you not being born would be better.

Just as you’re starting to lose your appetite, you hear the click of the door handle, your heartbeat the only sound you hear before the familiar shift of Sae’s feet against the ground. Half of you thinks he’s just forgotten something and is coming out to get it, but the other half of you is so stupidly optimistic that you can’t help but wish he’s had a change of heart.

Still, you wipe your tears away—a stubborn habit you’ve had since young to not let anyone see you crying, another byproduct of having parents who scolded you even more when they do see your tears—and pretend like you’re completely fine, sitting at the dining table all alone at 9.30pm having cooked entirely too much for a single person.

You can almost laugh at yourself looking at how pathetic this all feels.

But when you see Sae out of the corner of your eye, he’s changed out into more comfortable clothes, just a white oversized shirt with black shorts, taking a seat across from you.

“Let’s eat, then.”

To the outside eye, this might seem like a lacklustre dinner, like there’s nothing noteworthy about it at all. But to you, in that moment, it feels like everything. For once, you can see that even if Sae doesn’t want to, he’s trying. Just like you are. 

“Here.” He’s quiet when he eats. Apart from when he’s offering you more meat, quietly picking the bones off of the fish and discarding it onto his own plate and the meat in favour of yours.

You wonder what’s happened today that could contribute to his sudden change of decision. But it’s enough for you to feel his efforts, so you don’t harp on it.

“Do you… like it?”

Even though Sae doesn’t look at you all night, he does respond to you. Which is more than you can say for the past week.

“Mhm.”

And suddenly, it doesn’t feel so lonely.

Your father’s talking about visiting, so hopefully we can all meet again soon!

Sighing, you toss your phone aside and stuff your pillow on your face. Trust your mother to be the bearer of bad news like she’s always been, somehow resigned to being your father’s messenger whenever he feels like he loathes to speak to you directly.

Without even thinking, you know this is just his way of ‘checking up on you’, making sure that everything is going according to his plan. You’re not really sure why he insists that this marriage has to last when divorce happens to be all the rage these days. Sadly.

You can just envision the reprimand you’ll get if he comes over and finds out that you and Sae are not even sharing a room, often not even seeing each other apart from meal times and barely ever speaking at all. He will get to say that he knew all along that he has a useless daughter who can’t even do this simple task right.

Even at this age, he doesn’t want to vanquish his hold over you, always threatening to push the burden onto your sister instead, knowing that you won’t allow that to happen, banking on it to be the catalyst that drives you to obey his every command.

It’s a Saturday, and you haven’t heard the main door open today—unless Sae left the house before 6.30am which is unlikely—so you grind your teeth, weighing the pros and cons of going up to Sae and asking him for a favour. Really, the worst he can do is shut the door in your face, so what are you so scared of?

So ten minutes later, after whining internally to yourself and prepping for what you’re going to say, you find yourself at his bedroom door, quietly knocking on it a few times before hearing his show pause in the background and opening the door.

Sae’s eyes look tired, same as they’ve always been, teal eyes hidden behind those long lashes and his hair more of a mess than usual.

“Yeah?”

It’s stupid for you to think that hey, at least now he’s speaking instead of just grunting at you but your relationship is at an all-time low so you excuse yourself for that.

“We need to talk.”

Minutes later, Sae is sitting on the couch, arms crossed, brows furrowed helplessly as he listens to your ‘favour’.

“So… long story short,” Sae sighs, and you’re awkwardly shifting in your seat on the adjacent couch, anticipating his response. “Your parents might do a surprise visit and we need to look like an actual couple, is that it?”

Well, at least he was listening.

You nod, your fingers fiddling with each other. Somehow, you’ve become a nervous mess whenever you’ve had to interact with your husband.

“That won’t do.”

Your heart sinks just from those three simple words. You’re looking at the ground, polished and white, cold like real marble. You should’ve expected as much, but you really really don’t want to risk this impacting your sister.

“But if you could just—”

Before you know it, Sae’s right in front of you, forehead pressed against yours and teal eyes coldly calculating, as though he’s evaluating some statistic you’re not aware of.

He sighs and you can feel his hot breath against your lips, and suddenly you forget how to breathe, until he pulls away and sits back down where he came from. Sae’s eyes are still fixed on you, unrelenting.

“How are they gonna believe a thing when you’re that awkward around me?”

Sae can do all he can to make this believable, but it sure as hell won’t work if you’re this shy and nervous around him. Your parents are like his own, like vultures, they’ll pick this tension up in a second and they’re just going to know something is off. Then your plan will be all for naught.

“Um, well…”

He can tell you haven’t thought of that yet, so he brushes it off. You look like you’re going to hyperventilate if he pressures you on this any more. You looked cute though, all flustered when all he did was close the gap between you—but he keeps that to himself.

“Never mind that, what else do we need?” Because even without you saying, Sae can tell that this marriage doesn’t seem the slightest bit convincing. It just seems like two strangers sharing an apartment together.

“I was thinking maybe we could… takesomepicturesandframethemup on the wall?”

This time, Sae doesn’t hide his perplexity, blinking profusely at your statement. You’re averting your gaze too, and Sae nearly finds himself laughing, nearly. Your nervousness is quite amusing. It takes him a while to fully grasp what you were saying.

“Fine,” he relents, leaning back against the couch, internally snickering at the way you seem like a puppy, starry eyes gazing at him when he agrees. “You book a studio, put it on my card. Anything else?”

He’s like a businessman through and through, you realise, releasing everything off his to-do list in one fell swoop. You go to the next item on the agenda in your head.

“Oh… about finances,” you approach the subject carefully, knowing how it’s a sensitive topic for most people. “Should we just split everything fifty-fifty?”

For this, however, Sae wastes no time. 

“That’s fine, I’ll pay,” he says, matter-of-factly, in the most no-nonsense way he can manage. Though, the next thing he asks of you is one you never expected. “How much do you spend in a month? Excluding bills.”

You blink at him in surprise for a while, before trying to calculate it in your head. “Without bills? Um, maybe ¥150,000?”

Sae nods, pulling up his phone and typing on it for a while before looking back at you. “I don’t know how much you have in your bank, but I’ll open up a joint savings account, you can put everything else aside from your monthly expenditure in there. If you need any urgent expenses, just withdraw it as you need to.”

The way he says all this stoically nearly makes you mistake this for a business meeting.

“Excuse me? You want me to… transfer all my money into this account?”

“Except for your monthly expenses,” he corrects you, back to staring at his phone. “I’ll handle everything else, taxes, bills, whatever.”

This somehow sounds like all the scams you’ve watched on crime shows. That’s why you’re hesitating, but you have an inkling that Sae’s not that kind of person… is he?

“Um… what if…” You trail off, hesitant to get the words out, afraid of how he might take it.

Sae looks at you, putting his phone down on the table, his fingers interlaced with each other. He seems to understand your conflict, but he doesn’t explain anything further. He just asks you something simple. “Do you trust me?”

The simplest answer would be no, because you barely knew each other. Yet somehow, you feel the “yes” coming out of your mouth before you realise it, and Sae nods in acknowledgement. 

“I’ll send you the details soon,” is all he tells you before you see his phone lighting up, vibrating with a call. You manage to see the nickname ‘dummy’ come up before Sae grabs his phone, looking at it seemingly nostalgically before saying a “I gotta take this” and retreating to his bedroom.

The call ends as soon as Sae shuts the door to his bedroom. But just as quickly, he sees a new text popping up, and it’s irritating how he’s quick to open it immediately.

Maybe it’s a little pathetic of you to be in a good mood simply because Sae’s become a little more open now. And by open, you just mean he’s not just cold and silent and distant, but is now being more receptive.

Another two weeks have passed and you’re beginning to see a lot more progress. Like how Sae tells you what time he’ll be back so you can coordinate dinner. Or how he’ll be the one to settle dinner if you’re the one getting home late. His texts are a lot more than just simple acknowledgements and you find yourself smiling at your phone even if he’s there complaining about old geezers at work and how they’re so irritating and asking why they won’t just shut up.

“I guess that means everything’s going well in the new Itoshi household?”

Across from you, Reo’s smirking as he sips on his udon, noticing how your lips curve into a smile as you form a text. You pout and kick his shin lightly, annoyed that you got caught red-handed.

“Maybe,” you tell him, giggling.

For someone rumoured to be as rude and negative as Itoshi Sae, you find that he’s not all that bad once you get to know him a little. He’s just a regular guy, or maybe one that has a bigger chip on his shoulder than most people do, but you know better than to pry on that a little too early.

Reo ruffles your head, making it a little messier than usual but somehow, you don’t care too much about that now. “Just make sure he treats you well, ‘kay?”

You grin and nod in response, “yes, sir!”

For the lack of love your parents failed to provide, you’re more than grateful that you can get such concern from your best friend. You guess you can count yourself luckier than most.

That same afternoon, you get home from work with a hop in your step as you get a message that your photos have been delivered to your doorstep. And just as promised, it sits on your mat tied up neatly in a box and you squeal as you hurriedly unlock the door and unwrap it.

The still shots of you and Sae look perfect, all thanks to that professional photographer you managed to hire. Sae was less than thrilled to be there, but somehow, even with his stoic expression, the photos work. There’s shots of him with his arm around your shoulder, head resting on yours as he looks at the camera. Other shots where he follows your poses and sticks his tongue out. And when you get to the bottom of the pile, you see the last shot, the one you remember the most, because it’s the one where you’re just looking at the camera and Sae, without any direction at all, just leans in and kisses you on the temple.

At that moment, your phone vibrates, a message from Sae popping up.

But night falls and it’s suddenly 8pm and you haven’t touched the food on the table, sweet and sour pork long forgotten on the dining table because you’re busy setting up the pictures all around the house.

To his credit, the frames Sae picked are beautiful. They’re made of a dark wood to contrast the impossibly white walls and the white backdrop of your photoshoot. Though, he managed to order way too many of them so you idly wonder what you can do with the rest of the spares.

Once you’re done with the living room, you find yourself left with a few photos you reserved for the master bedroom, and you hesitate before going in. After nearly a month here and you realise you’d never actually been in here before.

It looks nice and clean and Sae’s a lot less messier than you thought he’d be. His towel is thrown sloppily on the floor and his bedsheets are a mess, but other than that the rest of the place is relatively spotless. Heck, you think even your room’s not as well-kept as his. Somehow you feel a little shameful about that.

Shaking your head, you snap out of it, getting back to the task at hand: meticulously placing these photos so you can act like the perfect couple once your parents decide to visit. (There’s a little glimmer of hope inside of you that hopes that by then, it wouldn’t have to be an act.)

Fifteen minutes later, you’re all about done in there, except when you accidentally gave yourself a paper cut trying to fit the photo in nicely. Clambering to the bedroom to find the nearest first aid kit, you find one in the nightstand—the other side of where he sleeps, judging from the way his blanket is thrown. Grabbing the plaster out of there, you stop in motion when you see a small A4-sized black gift box inside, a translucent gold bow rimming its sides.

As you bandage your finger up, you try not to think about it but your curiosity gets the best of you; it’s wrong but you can’t help yourself. Your fingers grab the box carefully out of its place, and you open it to see Sae’s alien face.

Only alien because he actually looks happy in those pictures.

The first few pictures you see are of Sae with Rin, who you know is his younger brother. They look alike too, and in some ways, it reminds you of you and your sister. It brings a smile to your face, but only momentarily, before you get bombarded by a ton of pictures of Sae with a girl you’ve never seen.

She’s pretty; brown hair down to her chest, having those beach wave curls that make you envious, piercing green eyes that shine through her bangs. A petite frame, with a style that’s already sophisticated even when she was a teenager back then. 

You can’t help but wonder who she is, though you don’t really need to when you have your gut instinct telling you it’s an old flame. And judging by the amount of photos he’s kept, it’s someone he still can’t forget. Is she why he’s been so hesitant?

All the photos were taken in those old school photo booth machines that used to be all the rage. That’s why their pictures always have filters and little scribbles drawn on before printing. It’s heartbreaking yet you can’t stop looking. So Sae is a person who can smile a lot, as long as he’s with the right one, it seems.

Most of the pictures have scribbles of M+S on them, and you assume M must be her initial. Is it crazy for you to be hurt by this? It’s a whole side of Sae you’d never seen, and it was on full display for someone else. It must seem like a fever dream for you.

You try to think positively, like it doesn’t mean much that he still keeps this even though it was a love seemingly long gone. You should have faith in him… right?

But then, the last in the pile is a normal picture, taken by camera and developed by film. It’s a picture of Sae and M lip-locked, his arms on her waist, her wanton smile visible even from this angle. Behind it, like a secret love note meant only for the lovers’ eyes to see, written in bright red:

itoshi sae, will you love me forever?

forever and ever, dummy.

And then you remember the same nickname flashing across his phone that night, and it all comes crashing down on you. And you feel like the stupidest person on the planet. These pictures are from forever ago, but it’s entirely plausible that he’s not finished with whatever it was.

Somehow, it feels like everything is in reverse.

You want Sae’s love, and this is your marriage—you and Sae’s—but then why, even as his wife, do you feel like the third party instead?

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[writingintheshadowsforever]

Kate Bishop x Reader Not Who You Think I Am Part 7

"Take off the mask." It wasn't a command this time but a plea. Her bow still laid at her feet with her knees quaking, and her eyes blinking back tears.

Her words barely reached your ears but a gust of wind blew by carrying them to you. Along with the tone of disbelief in her voice as well. Kate was telling herself this was all just one big mistake, or better yet a nightmare. She took a hard fall somewhere between getting off the plane and heading home. You were hovering over her hospital bed right now with glistening eyes begging her to wake up. Because the reality of this situation wasn't something she could handle. Not when she just barely survived her own mother betraying her in so many ways. Not when her mother revealed her father was anything but the hero she remembered he was.

You were her person. Her safe place. Her peace.

She buried herself in your arms night after nighter shedding tears for putting her mom in jail, and every single night you had told she had done the right thing. Out of everything you were to her the most important thing was being her reassurance. But now her entire image of you was beyond destroyed as she watched. Her nemesis who she believed you needed protection from lifted the wolf mask revealing to her. The two of you were actually the same person, and you had been playing her from the start.

What else did you lie to her about? Had you been under Fisk's payroll this entire time? Why weren't you present at the events that went down during Christmas last year? Did Fisk keep you on standby so he could use you later on?

"Why?" was the only word Kate could utter in the moment before she broke. Her bow clattered to the ground along with the arrow. Her legs carried her backwards till she felt her back connect with wall next to the door. She braced herself against for support with her body left with no strength to keep her standing.

You were still positioned on the ledge with your mask sitting atop of your head. Tears cascading down your face at the sight of your beloved breaking down. "Katie please I need you to understand-"

"Understand what" she fired back cutting you back as her voice finally returned. Kate pushed off from the wall to stalk back towards you. "Understand that you have been lying to me this entire time, understand you hired your goons to kidnap Lucky to lure me in."

"That wasn't me I would never put you or Lucky in danger and you know that." You corrected her jabbing a finger at her. Anger crept into your voice as it became harder to keep the emotion at bay. Yet you couldn't help but be bothered at how easy it was for Kate to see nothing but the worst in you. Then again maybe you were foolish to put your faith in the girl who called the cops on her own mother without hearing her side of the story first.

Maybe you should just be grateful Kate was granting you that courtesy.

"Really because I can't tell y/n what do you think you're doing right now" Kate cried.

"I'm trying to tell you the truth but you won't listen."

"Oh please go on tell me the truth. Explain to me why you are working for a criminal like Wilson Fisk."

"I didn't have a choice Kate okay. It was either clean up the Tracksuits mess, or he was going to come after you. I did it to keep you safe and get him off my back for good."

Kate frowned and if it was even possible the feeling of betrayal increased tenfold. "What do you mean for good? How long have you been working with him?"

"I told on the joyride to find Lucky remember. I was born into this Katie I never really a choice. It was only because of my brother Wilson didn't come knocking on my door sooner."

"This is a family legacy type of thing there was no helping me." Kate was replaying every single word from the previous conservation she held with you. Back when you were just a stranger she low-key felt sorry for. All of those words held new meaning to her now. The two of you had grown up together sharing every little dirty secret with each other. She was supposed to know you better than anyone in her life, but just like her parents there was a dark side to you. She knew nothing about till now.

"Where is your brother now? Why did he stop protecting you?" She asked with venom in her voice. Of course she was projecting the blame on him now. Kate was spiraling trying to make sense of all this, and some way to justify your actions in her eyes.

"Kazi is dead" You told her with no emotion. Knowing the revelation would hurt her even more considering she knew your brother after facing off with him more than a few times.

Kate tried to keep her reaction in check and give nothing away, but her mouth opened for just a fraction of a second. Before closing as no words came to mind she knew Kazi had died during the showdown between her and Clint, but only because the Avenger was the one who told her.

Clint had discovered his dead body while trying to round up all the bad guys to make sure. The cops put all of them behind bars where they belonged. He didn't tell her rather or not it was one a misplaced or arrow that had killed him, or something else. She always believed Fisk had doubled back to punish his second in command for failing him, but now she know the crime lord still had use of him. Kate was on the verge of hyperventilate at the thought that her or Clint had caused your brother's death. When you spoke up again easing her mind.

"Maya killed him in self-defense he wanted her dead so he could take over the Tracksuits. She was supposed to die the same night her father and mine's did." You reassured her stepping off the ledge wanting nothing more than to go to her.

"Wait your dad died in a car accident" Kate whispered sounding unsure. She didn't what to believe now.

You shook your head. "That's what I told you to and how it was setup to look like. But Kazi orchestrated those hits on the behalf of Wilson Fisk."

"Y/N' she breathed your name with sympathetic eyes. The night she had came to you crying about putting her mother away. You were grieving the death of your brother.

"Its okay Kate I came to terms with Kazi's death years before it happened. I knew this life would put him in the grave sooner than later. Why do you think I spent most of my teenage years begging him to leave it behind with me?"

"Why didn't he?"

"He was sucked into all of this from day one and no matter what it costed him. Kazi believed this was a legacy worth fighting and dying more. I knew it was a curse the day it took our mother away from me." You said with a faraway look in your eyes. The memory forced its way from the deep dark depths of your subconscious fighting to the surface.

It had been years since you thought about that night when ten-year old you was lying in the bed fast asleep. Until a crash in the living room pulled you from your peaceful slumber.

The sound of breaking glass was followed by your mother's cries of pain mixed in with pleas for her children to be spared. You could make out a few words with the side of your face pressed to the door. Frozen in fear waiting for your big brother or father to come to rescue, in the moment you hadn't yet realized. All of this was happening to the later, and eventually Kazi did burst from his room with a baseball bat in hand.

You heard the sickening crunch of the aluminum bat connecting with a goon's knee knocking out of place. The man let out a cry of pain dropping to the floor to clutch his knee. Before you knew what you were doing adrenaline took over, and you yanked your door opened to rush onto the scene.

Another goon was too busy trying to wrestle the bat away from Kazi who held onto it for dear life. A bigger guy stood in the living room doorway with a shape so big. It blocked out the moonlight trying to peek through from the windows behind him. His focus was solely on your mother who was kneeling before him with her hands folded out in front of her.

No one seemed to notice your arrival till you grabbed the gun that fell from the crippled goon's hands. You pulled back on the mechanism just like your dad taught you reloading it. Everyone's eyes snapped in your direction as you trained the gun on the big man. Unable to make out his face hidden by his over-the-top hat, and the shadows of the night.

"Leave my mommy and brother alone" You ordered keeping the gun steady.

The other goon released his hold on the bat causing your brother to stumble back into the table. He recovered fast enough to put himself between you and the goon. When the man pulled a gun from his waistband to aim it at your head.

"Boss say the word and I'll light the little brats up" came the man's gruff voice.

"No" your mother shrieked pushing herself to her feet to run over throwing her arms around. Both of you into her tight and protective embrace. "Not them Fisk please you can take me but leave them be. I'll make them behave."

The big man named Fisk tilted his head to the side letting out a hmph sound. The goon's finger trembled on the trigger ready to pull it, and bring an end to all this.

"Leave the children be and bring the mother. We shall make an example out of her" Fisk ordered his man. His voice calm and unwavering despite the intensity of the situation. He talked like this was just another business meeting, and he hadn't come here to destroy a family tonight.

Kazi fought his way out of his mother's grip and tried to shield her away from the goon. But the bigger man just slammed the butt of his gun into his head. Your big brother froze for just a second as his body locked up, and the bat slipped from his fingers. A second later he toppled over onto the floor.

"Kazi" you cried attempting to raise the gun still in your grip again. But your mother forced your hands back down and brought a hand to caress your cheek.

"Babygirl I need you to put this down. Can you do that for me?" she asked softly.

You were able to make out her soft features, and the tears glistening her face. "Mom please don't go with them" you whispered covering her hand with yours.

"I have too sweetheart but its going to be okay. They're only taking me to your father. I promise it'll be okay but you have to stop fighting" she tried again.

Your mother never broke a promise so you didn't hesitate in tossing the gun aside. She told you to stay with Kazi and pressed lingering kisses all over both of your faces. Then you watched as she was escorted from the house by the abled goon and the crippled one limped his way out. Fisk was the last to leave the house throwing one last glance at you and Kazi.

It would be the last time you saw your mother alive.

"I know you thought my mom died of a sudden heart attack." You whispered as Kate regarded you with a mixture of pity and pain.

"Did my mom know about this?" She mustered up the courage to ask after a moment of silence.

You nodded. "Its why she was always so welcoming to me. She knew I wanted nothing to do with this life, and tried to give me a little bit of normalcy by hanging out with you all the time."

Kate found herself unable to be angry with all the secrets being brought to the light. Even though she had every right to be after all you knew a good portion of her life had been a lie, and you played a part in maintaining the lies. But then again her mother probably hadn't given you much of a choice. In the matter she wanted to ask but was afraid to her more.

"My father failed and my mother paid with her life. My brother failed and the torch was passed onto me."

"I get why you kept all this from me when we were kids y/n-"

You let out a premature sigh of relief believing this argument was over. She understood your reasons and didn't hate you. Until Kate threw out a hand stopping you from hugging her as you approached her.

"But we're not kids anymore and I'm not a child who needed you to protect me from the boogeyman. I'm an Avenger now who took down Fisk last year. You should've came to me for help instead of doing his dirty work. You're no better than my mom."

It was too much especially the her last comment. You exploded unable to hold back anymore.

"Are fucking serious right now? After everything I just told you how can you still believe any of this was a choice. You know what Katie you are a child" You shouted knocking her hand away.

"I'm a child" Kate repeated your words with a scoff. Although you could hear the agony in her voice that she was trying so hard to mask. It broke your heart to be the one causing it, but you went on.

"Yes Katie I don't care what you did last year Fisk could've snapped your neck in a blink of an eye. If he wanted too but he needed your mom's money. Fisk has been put behind bars twice, and he managed to manipulate his way out both times. Maya put a bullet in his head and somehow he's still standing. What do you think you can do that hasn't been done?"

"I would've figured something out" Kate argued.

"And your plan would've failed Kate the only way out for me was too give him what he wants. It was just a few jobs here and there no one even got hurt." You told her.

"Fisk is still a bad guy y/n who killed your mom, and was willing to kill mine. How can you defend him?"

"I'm not defending him. I'm trying to make you understand I couldn't lose anyone else to him especially you. Kate I fucking love you, and I'll burn down this entire city to keep you alive. Not a day goes by where I don't wish I didn't put an end to him that night he came for my mother.

"Y/N" Kate murmured your name finally letting herself reach out to grip your chin. Lifting your head to making you look in soft blue eyes which were filled with tears.

"I told Yelena you wouldn't get it because in your world everything is black and white. There's no room for a gray area."

"Yelena knew about you" she said raising an eyebrow. The gears in her head started to turn, and there was nothing you could do to come back from it. The little moment of peace was over as Kate frowned.

"Is she the reason we're even having this conservation?"

"She was going to tell you if I didn't come clean on my own" You confessed.

"So you were going to continue to run around and do Fisk's dirty work."

"I only have one job left."

Kate released her grip on your chin to clench her fists. "Have? You're still going to finish the job."

"Do you have a better idea?" You shot back matching her tone of anger.

"You're lucky I haven't called the cops yet" she blurted out turning around to put her back to you.

"Locking me up the way you did your mom" You said looking away.

"You told me that was the right call or did your forget?" she yelled whirling back around.

"I told you what you needed to hear Kate but you were wrong. Your mother wasn't the bad guy. If anybody was it was your father who died and left behind a trail of mistakes. Eleanor did her to clean up his mess and keep you safe."

"So what does that make me then?"

"A blinded hero" You answered.

Kate didn't reply right away dropping into a crouch with her hands tangled in her hair. Turmoil on her face as she tried to process your words while working double time to keep. The guilty thoughts away as you unlocked a door she closed a long time ago.

You contemplated making a run for it while Kate was stuck in her own head. But no part of you wanted to leave things like this between the two of you. You wanted clarity on where your relationship with her stood.

The silence was deafening as both of you waited for the other to say something, but neither of you knew what to say because thing were so broken. It was beyond repair and Kate couldn't deal with that right now. While you wanted to believe all of this was still salvageable.

"You have ten seconds."

You had been staring up the night sky counting the stars to pass time when she spoke, so her words didn't register with you right away. "What?"

"You got ten seconds to get out of my sight and I never want to see you again." Kate said with a bit more force this time. Her eyes wouldn't meet yours.

"What about us" You implored.

"I can't be with you anymore y/n not after this. I'm letting you go that's enough alright so just go please" Kate replied. There it was again agony in her voice but this time she didn't try to mask it.

"Katie please you're my light okay. I need you in my life" You begged covering the distance between the two of you with one stride. You placed both of your hands on either side of her face.

"Y/N no stop calling me that" Kate protested attempting to pull away. Until a arm was secured around her waist and then your lips were on hers in a breathtaking kiss. You poured all of your emotions, all the desperation, and pain into it. You needed her to understand and her lips molded with yours like the perfect fit they were. The two of you were meant to be for better or worse. Hero and villain, good and bad, light and darkness. Nothing was supposed to be able to come between the two of you. She had promised you that herself, and you wasn't going to let Wilson Fisk cost you another promise.

Kate finally gathered up the will to shove you away so hard you fell back on the ground. Her bow was back in her hand in a flash, and before you knew. She had an arrow notched trained right at your heart. "And you were the one person in my life who I thought wasn't broken and messed up. But it turns out it was all a lie."

Her words torn through you, and ripped your heart to shreds. You got back to your feet holding back sobs. But the tears fell again as you had lost count just how much crying was done tonight. Your hand move to your collarbone where the arrow with the heart charm rested. "Wow would you look at that foreshadowing."

You yanked the necklace off and threw it to her feet. "Gooddbye Kate." Those were your last words and you turned around to breakout into a swift run. Leaping from the ledge of the apartment building to the next one. Kate watched as you disappeared into the night taking her heart with you.

Not knowing you left yours behind with her.

A Week Later

Wilson blew up your phone with numerous of calls and text messages in the following days. He sent a few men over to the apartment you use to share with Kate, but they never made it. You intercepted them every single of time, and put an end to their lives. Until he finally got the message to stop sending them on the fourth time. When none of his guys returned back to him to report.

He resorted back to threatening calls which were ignored as you were busy plotting revenge.

"Please please I give don't" the robber pleaded holding up his arm. You dropped to one knee moving his hand aside to sock him in the nose. He groaned in pain as his head bounced off the concrete ground.

Your fist was drawn back for another shot when a baton attached to a metal wire wrapped around wrist and tightened. Till the point your hand went numb with blood circulation cut off. The person on the other end gave tugged hard pulling you away from the beaten and battered robber.

"You are one hard dude to find you know. I've been trying to get your attention for days."

You twisted your around as your body was dragged backwards deeper into the alley. Your legs were extended out catching your assailant in the chest. He absorbed the kick with ease due to his armored suit.

"So you beat a bunch of street thugs within an inch of their life"said the mysterious man. His identity concealed under a yellow horned mask, but strangely enough it was only covered the top half of his face.

"You got an update on the suit I see it doesn't really go with the whole Devil of Hell's Kitchen title." You commented observing his suit for every little detail.

"I go by Daredevil now" he said with a shrug.

"That's catchy and less of a mouthful I guess."

He began to unwrap the wire from around your wrist and once you were free. The baton snapped back into place with the other end. "What do you want with me?"

"Your help you and I share a common enemy. The name Wilson Fisk ring any bells?" You asked ready to judge his reaction.

He hid his facial expressions well but his body tensed up at the sound of his number one nemesis's name. "I actually do my best too stay off his radar these days. He's not my concern anymore."

You nodded in understanding. "I would back off too if a man like that uncovered my secret identity, but what happens you should know better. Matthew because believe Fisk still keeps tab on you and your friends. Foggy Nelson and Kare-"

Matthew Murdock didn't give you the chance to finish your sentence before bone-rushing you. Slamming your body into the brick wall pressing the side of your face with vicious intent.

"Keep her name out your mouth" he sneered right in your ear. He was so close you could feel his breath on your neck.

"Who are you?" He growled.

"Someone who wants Fisk dead just as much as you did a few years back, but unlike you I intend on going through with it." You said through gritted teeth.

"What does that have to do with me? I wasn't going to stand in your way."

"I know but others might and I need help keeping them off might back."

"Why would I do that? Its not my style" Matt argued but he stepped back letting you turn around to face him.

"Because you're tired of walking eggshells around your home careful not to step on his toes, and bring upon his wrath again. You want to go the bed at night without looking over your shoulder or your loved ones's."

Matthew reached up to pull his mask off revealing his entire face to you. His dark hair was a mess and his eyes were guarded. "What did Fisk take away from you."

Tag List: @danveration @yelenabelovasgf @xxromanoffxx @xxxtwilightaxelxxx @natashasilverfox @catswag22 @be-missed @lizlil @acutenobody @kacka84 @supercorpdanbeau @itbeila @jimicantaffordtherapy @screechcat

"Everything so I got nothing else to lose so what do you say? Think you can go back to being the Devil of Hell's Kitchen for one more night."

#marvel imagine #mcu imagine #kate bishop x reader #kate bishop imagine #kate bishop #hawkeye #matthew murdock #daredevil

[thewriteadviceforwriters]

How to Write Character Description in Your Novel

Creating compelling characters is the backbone of any successful novel. A well-written character can make readers laugh, cry, or even rage along with them. In this blog post, I'll help you all delve into the art of character description and how to craft three-dimensional characters that readers will love. We'll explore the importance of showing vs. telling and avoiding stereotypes and clichés when describing your characters. So, whether you're an aspiring writer or a seasoned novelist, let's get started on writing characters that readers won't forget!

Mastering the Art of Character Description in Your Novel

As a writer, creating memorable characters is one of the most important aspects of your craft. Character description is an essential part of a novel and can make or break the reader's experience. It's important to strike a balance between revealing enough about the character and leaving some mystery for the reader to uncover. A well-crafted character description should give readers a clear picture of the character's physical appearance, personality, and backstory.

The Importance of Creating Three-Dimensional Characters

Two-dimensional characters are not only boring to read, but they can also ruin the credibility of your story. For a character to be three-dimensional, they must have a past, present, and future as well as flaws and motivations. A well-crafted three-dimensional character will evoke emotions in readers and make them invest in the story. One way to develop a three-dimensional character is to give them a unique personality and voice. This can be achieved through their dialogue, actions, and even their thoughts. It's important to avoid stereotypes and cliches, as these can make a character feel flat and uninteresting. Additionally, allowing a character to grow and change throughout the story can add depth and complexity to their character arc. By creating fully-realized characters, you can elevate your story and keep readers engaged from beginning to end.

Crafting Believable and Compelling Characters for Your Story

Believability is key when it comes to character creation. Characters must act and react like real people, even if they are in an extraordinary setting. Compelling characters are relatable to readers and feel like they have a purpose in the story.

This is why it is important for writers to really understand their characters, their backgrounds, motivations, and flaws. By doing so, they can create well-rounded characters that readers can connect with on a deeper level. A character's actions and decisions should also align with their personality and past experiences, rather than being forced to fit the plot. When characters are believably written, readers will become invested in their journey and care about the outcome of the story.

Understand characters' backgrounds, motivations, and flaws

Ensure characters' actions and decisions align with their personality and past experiences

Create well-rounded characters that readers can connect with on a deeper level

Showing vs Telling: The Key to Bringing Your Characters to Life

Showing is a powerful tool that writers use to bring their stories to life. It allows readers to experience the story as if they were right there with the characters, feeling every emotion and witnessing every event. When a writer shows, they use a combination of actions, thoughts, and feelings to create a vivid and engaging scene. This helps to make the story more immersive and memorable. On the other hand, telling is simply conveying information to the reader without much detail or description. While telling can be useful in some situations, it is generally considered less effective than showing because it doesn't allow the reader to fully engage with the story.

When it comes to showing, it's important to strike a balance between being descriptive and not overly so. If a writer is too descriptive, it can bog down the story and make it difficult for the reader to stay engaged. However, if a writer isn't descriptive enough, the story can feel flat and uninteresting. This is why it's important to find the right balance between showing and telling.

Creating well-rounded characters is also essential when using showing in writing. By using a combination of actions, thoughts, and feelings, a writer can give their characters depth and complexity. This helps to make the characters more relatable and memorable, which in turn makes the story more engaging for the reader. When showing a character's actions, it's important to think about why they are doing what they're doing and how it affects the story as a whole. By doing this, a writer can create a character that is both believable and interesting.

In conclusion, showing is a powerful tool that writers use to create engaging and memorable stories. By using a combination of actions, thoughts, and feelings, a writer can bring their characters to life and make their story more immersive. However, it's important to strike a balance between being descriptive and not overly so, and to create well-rounded characters that are both believable and interesting.Tips and Tricks for Describing Your Characters Without Resorting to Clichés

Avoid using stereotypes and clichés, as they can make your characters seem unoriginal. Use unique details that reveal something about the character's personality or backstory. Consider using comparisons or metaphors to create a vivid image of the character.

Character Motivation: It's More than Just Wishes and Desires

Character motivation is an essential element in any story, serving as the driving force that propels the plot forward and creates conflict. Without a clear and compelling motivation, a character's actions can feel arbitrary or unconvincing, leaving readers or viewers feeling disconnected from the story.

A well-crafted motivation should be specific and personal to the character, rooted in their backstory, personality, and desires. It should be something that the character cares deeply about, something that they are willing to fight for, even if it means sacrificing other things they value.

One of the most interesting things about character motivation is how it can change and evolve over the course of a story. As the character faces challenges and obstacles, they may discover new aspects of themselves or find that their initial motivations are no longer relevant or compelling. This evolution can add depth and complexity to a character, making them feel more realistic and relatable.

When writing a story, it's important to consider the motivations of each character and how they interact with one another. Conflicting motivations can create tension and drama, while shared motivations can bring characters together and create alliances. By understanding the motivations of your characters, you can create a more engaging and compelling story that will keep readers or viewers invested from beginning to end.The Dos and Don'ts of Writing Effective Character Descriptions

Do give enough detail to create a clear picture of the character.

Don't rely on physical descriptions alone.

Do make sure the character's description serves a purpose in the story.

Creating Empathy: How to Make Readers Care About Your Characters

Empathy is what makes readers care about the characters and their story. Create empathy by giving the character struggles that readers can relate to. Don't make the character perfect; flaws and vulnerabilities make them relatable.

Going Beyond Physical Descriptions: How to Capture Your Character's Essence

A character's essence is what makes them unique. Essence can be revealed through actions, thoughts, dialogue, and interactions with other characters. Essence should be consistent throughout the story.

The Importance of Creating Three-Dimensional Characters

Two-dimensional characters may be easy to create, but they are not interesting to read about. In fact, they can ruin the credibility of your story. Readers want characters that they can invest in emotionally and root for. Creating three-dimensional characters is critical in achieving this.

A three-dimensional character must have a past, present, and future, as well as flaws and motivations. This makes them more believable and relatable to readers. Without these elements, characters can seem one-dimensional and unrealistic.

Building a well-crafted three-dimensional character can evoke emotions in readers and make them invest in the story. The emotional connection a reader has with a character is what keeps the story alive long after the last page has been turned.

Crafting Believable and Compelling Characters for Your Story

Creating characters that readers will care about is one of the most challenging aspects of novel writing. Here are some tips for crafting believable and compelling characters:

Believability is key

One of the most important aspects of character creation is believability. Even if your characters are living in an extraordinary setting or time period, they still need to act and react like real people. This means that their dialogue, physical actions, and emotional responses should ring true to readers. If your characters feel authentic, your story will feel authentic.

Compelling characters have a purpose

Compelling characters are ones that readers can relate to and care about. To make your characters compelling, it's important to give them a purpose within the story. This could be a goal they're trying to achieve or a conflict they're faced with. Whatever it is, it should be something that readers can root for or against.

Avoid stereotypes and clichés

When creating characters, it's important to avoid falling back on stereotypes or clichés. These can make your characters seem unoriginal or even offensive. Instead, focus on unique details that reveal something about the character's personality or backstory. Consider using comparisons or metaphors to create a vivid image of the character.

Flaws make characters relatable

Finally, remember that flaws and vulnerabilities make characters real and relatable to readers. Characters who are perfect in every way are often boring and uninteresting. Give your characters flaws that they need to overcome, or vulnerabilities that make them more human.

By following these tips, you'll be able to create characters that feel authentic and compelling to readers. And once you have characters that readers care about, they'll be invested in your story from beginning to end.

Showing vs Telling: The Key to Bringing Your Characters to Life

One of the biggest mistakes that writers make when it comes to character description is telling the reader instead of showing them. Telling simply informs the reader, while showing allows the reader to experience the story through the character's actions, thoughts, and feelings. When you show, you need to be descriptive but not overly so. A balance between showing and telling is essential for creating well-rounded characters.

For example, instead of telling the reader that a character is sad, show the reader through their actions and dialogue. Maybe they slump their shoulders, speak in a monotone voice, or avoid eye contact. This not only gives the reader a more vivid picture of the character's emotional state, but it also allows the reader to connect with the character on a deeper level.

Showing can also be effective when it comes to describing physical characteristics. Instead of listing every detail about a character's appearance, choose unique details that reveal something about their personality or backstory. For example, instead of saying a character has brown hair and blue eyes, you could say they have hair that falls over their eyes and only tucks it behind their ear when they're nervous.

Remember, showing not only brings your characters to life, but it also makes your story more engaging and memorable for the reader.

Tips and Tricks for Describing Your Characters Without Resorting to Clichés

When it comes to describing your characters, it's important to avoid clichés and stereotypes that can make them seem unoriginal and one-dimensional. Here are some tips and tricks for creating unique and compelling character descriptions:

Avoid using physical descriptions that rely on tired cliches like "tall, dark, and handsome" or "blonde bombshell."

Use unique details that reveal something about the character's personality or backstory.

Consider using comparisons or metaphors to create a vivid image of the character. For example, instead of saying someone has "deep-set eyes," you might describe them as having eyes that looked like "cavern pools reflecting a starry sky."

Show, don't tell. Instead of saying "She was shy," show the character's shyness through their actions and dialogue.

Think about the character's profession, hobbies, and interests, and use these to create a unique description. For instance, a firefighter might have calloused hands and a strong, muscular build, while a writer might have ink stains on their fingers and a thoughtful expression.

Consider using sensory language to bring the character to life. What do they smell like? How do they sound when they speak?

Remember that your character's description should not only be unique but also serve a purpose in the story. It should reveal something about the character's personality or backstory, or help move the plot forward. By following these tips and avoiding clichés, you can create character descriptions that are both memorable and effective.

Character Motivation: It's More than Just Wishes and Desires

Character motivation is what drives the story forward and creates conflict. It's what gives the character a reason to act and make decisions that move the plot forward. Motivation should be specific and personal to the character, and it should be something that readers can understand and relate to.

For example, a character might be motivated to seek revenge for a loved one's death, or they might be motivated by a desire for wealth. But it's important to remember that motivation can change and evolve throughout the story. As the character faces new challenges and experiences, their motivation may shift or become more complex.

In addition to being a driving force for the plot, character motivation can also add depth and complexity to your characters. By understanding what motivates your characters, you can create more realistic and compelling portrayals that will resonate with readers.

The Dos and Don'ts of Writing Effective Character Descriptions

When it comes to creating compelling characters in your novel, character descriptions play a crucial role. Here are some dos and don'ts to keep in mind:

Do give enough detail to create a clear picture of the character.

Readers should be able to visualize your characters, so it's important to provide enough physical detail. However, avoid going overboard and describing every little feature – leave some to the reader's imagination.

Don't rely on physical descriptions alone.

While it's important to give readers a clear picture of your characters' physical appearance, it's equally important to describe their personality, motivations, and backstory. This will help readers connect with your characters and invest in their journey.

Do make sure the character's description serves a purpose in the story.

Every detail you include in your character description should serve a purpose in the story, whether it's revealing something about their personality or setting up a future conflict. Avoid including unnecessary details that don't add to the story.

Creating Empathy: How to Make Readers Care About Your Characters

Empathy is an essential aspect of making readers invested in your characters. They need to care about the character's struggles and root for them to succeed. Here are some tips on creating empathy:

Give the Character Struggles Readers Can Relate To

Your character should face obstacles and challenges that readers can understand. Whether it's dealing with a difficult boss, struggling to make ends meet, or battling personal demons, the character's struggles should be relatable. This helps readers see themselves in the character and feel empathy towards them.

Show Their Vulnerabilities and Flaws

No one is perfect, and your characters shouldn't be either. Showing the character's vulnerabilities and flaws makes them more relatable to readers. Whether it's a fear of failure, a tendency to be too trusting, or a past mistake that haunts them, flaws make the character more human and worthy of empathy.

Avoid Making the Character Too Perfect

Readers don't want to read about a character who always makes the right decision and never faces any challenges. This type of character is unrelatable and can come across as annoying. Make sure to give your character flaws and struggles so that readers can empathize with them.

By following these tips, you can create characters that readers will care about and root for throughout your novel.

Going Beyond Physical Descriptions: How to Capture Your Character's Essence

A character's essence is what sets them apart from other characters and makes them unique. This essence is what captures readers' attention and makes them invest in the story. Here are some tips for capturing your character's essence:

Actions

One of the most effective ways to reveal a character's essence is through their actions. What they do and how they do it can reveal a lot about their personality and motivations. For example, a character who is always helping others might have a strong sense of empathy, while a character who takes risks without hesitation might be adventurous or impulsive.

Thoughts

A character's thoughts can also give readers insight into their essence. What a character thinks about and how they think about it can reveal their beliefs, values, and fears. For example, a character who is always questioning authority might have a rebellious streak, while a character who constantly worries about the future might be anxious or cautious.

Dialogue

What a character says and how they say it can also reveal their essence. Dialogue can show their intelligence, sense of humor, or empathy. Speech patterns can also be revealing, such as a character who talks fast and interrupts others might be impatient or impulsive.

Interactions with Other Characters

A character's interactions with other characters can reveal their essence in how they treat others. Do they treat others with kindness or aggression? Are they loyal or do they betray others? How they interact with others can reveal their values and beliefs, as well as their flaws.

By using these techniques, you can capture your character's essence and make them more interesting and compelling to readers. Remember to keep their essence consistent throughout the story and make sure it serves a purpose in the plot.

Conclusion

Mastering the art of character description in your novel is no easy feat, but by creating three-dimensional, believable, and compelling characters with unique details, specific motivations, and relatable flaws, you can make your readers care deeply about your story. Remember to show, not tell, and capture your character's essence through their actions, thoughts, and interactions with other characters. With some practice and patience, you can create characters that will stay with your readers long after they finish your novel.

Copyright © 2023 by Ren T.

TheWriteAdviceForWriters 2023

#writers #creative writing #writing #writing community #writers of tumblr #creative writers #writing inspiration #writeblr #writerblr #writing tips #writblr #writing prompt #story prompt #writing ideas #writing prompts #creative writing prompts #creative writing prompt #story idea #story ideas #writing idea #just write it #writers block #writer things #writers life #just writer things #let's write #writing resources #thewriteadviceforwriters #how to write #on writing

[invested-in-your-future]

Can you elaborate on what you mean when you say "Volume X is meaningless in the grand scheme of things"? As in, it doesn't move the plot further or doesn't affect/progress characters from the previous volumes?

Both.

I delved a bit more in depth about it when I was talking about Volume 4 all those years back, but I think it holds true for content past that volume too. It's "content" but there's not really narrative there.

Especially V9 - the only thing that matters in that volume is the kiss and that can happen anywhere anytime (and would likely work better without contrived Ever After nonsense).

I'd go even further now and say that you could technically cut V4 through V9 in their entirety from the story where V10 had ended up. You would not lose much of anything - there's no difference between offscreening Vale getting destroyed and offscreening every other Kingdom but Vacuo getting destroyed - crucial characterization and reactions are omitted either way.

We don't lose anything from not seeing Mistral get messed up for example - that Kingdom barely exists in the show as-is.

We actually would GAIN from not seeing how Atlas falls because it would remove majority of the things that basically demolished whatever critical acclaim the show could muster before.

Vale getting destroyed doesn't hinge on anything past v3 because V3 already set's up the conditions for that and we don't see the interesting bits either way since it's offscreened.

In fact the other Kingdoms EXISTING has not contributed anything meaningful to the story - the fact all the more obvious by how little them being deleted from the story had impacted anything.

RWBY is a pretty unique situation where REMOVING content already there would make the show BETTER rather than worse - which tells a lot about the show's content. Seriously, for example, what's better - Yang "recovering" offscreen or wasting time on a sexual harasser professor telling her PTSD is like fear of mice while her own father berates her?

The plot is a vehicle for Characterization - the story goes from scene A to scene B because there's the writer's intent to elicit a change within a character or have a character react.

A writer usually decides where a character starts and where they end and then connects the dots - the "connecting the dots" part is the so-called "plot".

Thus a character goes through a chain of events and either reacts or changes, creating the next status quo to build their next scene with.

If a scene (or set of scenes) can be removed without affecting anything in the story/characters, then why was that scene(or scenes) in the story in the first place?

In fact, it's one of the key pieces of advice when trimming one's fictional work - just outright cutting scenes that don't do anything for characters.

And with RWBY, sadly, a lot of V4 and onward content goes backward - it certainly hasn't moved a single step forward from the high point at the end of Volume 3 when Beacon fell - characters haven't progressed at all(and if anything some of them, like Yang, had regressed or, like Blake or Weiss, outright vanished) and the world hasn't really been impacted or altered by what happened there for six volumes - the show held Vale's situation in a limbo for years till they decided to offscreen it.

It's funny how the core aspect of building the narrative - characters reacting or changing - is COMPLETELY absent from RWBY past V3. And then V9 specifically punishes a character for attempting to.

It's almost like they had no idea what to do after V3 at all and just spun their wheels for as long as possible making up things.

That's what I mean by the pointlessness of content.

#rwby #rwde #rwby volume 9 #rwby volume 10 #rwby meta stuff mine #rwby analysis #rwby asks

[nadjasworkshop]

Introducing my Builder:

BIRTHDAY:

14th of Autumn

HEIGHT:

164 cm

WEIGHT:

68 kg

AGE (ARRIVAL AT SANDROCK):

29 years old

LIKES:

Art & Literature, dark humor, cats

DISLIKES:

Noisy crowds, bullies, greed

BACKGROUND:

Nadja spent most of her twenties studying Humanities while working part-time as an assistant for several teachers and librarians. She eventually grew tired of her stale environment and decided to turn her natural talent for fixing gadgets from a lost hobby to a profession. Nadja graduated surprisingly ahead of time, landing her first job in an environment she deemed less competitive than Highwind, and more fitting for her temperament.

PERSONALITY:

Nadja was a bookish, sensitive child and often felt more at ease around teachers than she did around other kids. She still struggles to connect with other people, but keeps very strong bonds with her small group of friends.

Often dismissed as aloof and unreachable, those who ever managed to get past her shell would describe her as extremely loyal, with an imaginative mind and a very vulnerable core that she tries hard to never show in public.

While wisdom and integrity are the real keys to her heart, people with a dry sense of humor and an ability for keeping their cool are the easiest get on her good side.

RANDOM FACTS:

Shares the birthday with Yan. This was completely accidental on my part, but makes for a lot of funny occurences (not for her).

One of the most obvious signs of her toughening up since her arrival in Sandrock is the way she learn to handle guns in self defence. The first time she entered a hazardous ruin, she was so scared of shooting a geegler that Justice had to cover for her and promise he wouldn't make fun of the situation. In time, she was able to pull the trigger without a flinch. The Duvos invasion and the events that allowed it were quite the turning point.

She enjoys all sorts of arts, from drawing to playing the flute, but can't imagine making a life of them. It was one of the reasons she wasn't able to make the best of her time as a student.

Usually perceived as serious and even gloomy, she tends to catch people off their guards with unexpected quips. One of the many things she admires from Grace is her sense of humor.

RELATIONSHIPS:

Nadja had a really hard time getting used to Sandrock. For several months the taste of Highwind Fried Rice was enough to bring a tear to her eye. However, getting directly involved in the protection and recovery of the town turned her into a true Sandrocker in the end, and after two years she couldn't think living anywhere else.

Nia's parents and hers have been living next door for decades. In fact, Nadja was 6 when Nia was born and used to pretend she was her babysitter. They remain close despite being so different from each other, in a sisterly "goth & prep" kind of way more than as friends.

After a long rollercoaster of a story and a year without seeing each other she and Miguel started as a couple not long before the end of his imprisonment.

In the beginning they used to have a strange dynamic where they had fun antagonizing each other all the time and spent hours discussing philosophy (while mostly everyone wondered what the hell were these two nutcases always arguing about). As they got closer, they started getting in the way of each other's purposes. There was a brief intimate moment after Nadja came back from Logan's hideout and was presumed dead but both regretted instantly. Then the Incident happened. Obviously she didn't take it well, being someone whose trust is not easy to earn. It took a lot of time, a Duvos invasion and a long collective healing process in parallel to Sandrock's own healing for her to start to see past the bad blood. Once the "greenification" was complete, she found herself more and more often visiting her long lost antagonizer in prison and bringing him books once she finished reading them. It was mostly the difference between the person she once bid farewell with a cold "Matilda has betrayed you" and the one who was talking to her from behind the bars that sparked a renewed, less troubled feeling in her, one that would not fade away.

Other than that she finds easy to be around quiet people with a lot going on in their heads, hence she considers Fang his best friend. In the early days when she still had trouble socializing with the townsfolk, Unsuur and Heidi were the ones who found it easier to approach her. With the former, it was because they quickly understood each other's "weirdness". with the latter, out of common interests and encouraging each other's work from similar fields.

On the other hand she really doesn't like Pen. It's like if someone tailored a person entirely for her distaste, that was him. She can't stand Yan either but that could be said about everyone in town.

She adopted two cats and a half (Macchiato, Banjo and CoCo) and would have adopted many more given the chance.

#about time ._. #i made my own template because the ones i found didn't fit the information i wanted to feature #my time at sandrock #mtas builder #edited #long post

[look-a-ghost]

Saw Digimon Adventure 02: The Beginning tonight and need to dump thoughts in a void abt it --

!!!!! HEAVY SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE MOVIE FOLLOW !!!!

I thought it was really compelling that they were willing to tackle a serious issue with Lui being a victim of abuse and trauma and Ukkomon being a manifestation of coping with trauma... But it felt like there were a lot of weird mixed signals about how all of those themes resolved. In a way it felt like the movie relied too much on "a few sentences will fix this extremely deep-seated and complicated problem" to move beyond what it was bringing up. Maybe the movie would've benefited from being in more parts, like Tri? But then again, I'm not sure if the story would have necessarily held that way without being something else entirely.

I think a slight problem for me was that, like Tri, the focus of the film was centered around a newcomer, in this case Lui -- and because of that it felt like Lui's film really, and that the 02 kids just kind of happen to be there for him. Davis was really the only character who felt directly anchored to the events in any way, which I guess is fitting since he has the protag energy, but it still didn't feel as deep as the connection between Tai and Matt as the protags of Kizuna who carried the story forth. Lacking that direct personal connection made it harder to connect to the movie imo. Tri had a similar problem with it being centered around Meiko and Meicoomon's struggle, but Tri had other problems in terms of the story being fractured that it didn't feel like Meiko's story necessarily dwarfed all the other parts of the film series...

I had a thought about the theme of the film -- that you need to communicate clearly with one another to move forward and find harmony -- and felt like the theme may have applied more appropriately if Lui was having relationship troubles (either romantic or platonic). In general, it's a good theme... it's true that to maintain and support any sort of interpersonal relationship, openness, honesty, and communication are key. But Lui's trauma comes from an abusive mother, where I feel like communication is... not necessarily a guaranteed solution most of the time... mostly because there is a different relationship, and technically a different power dynamic, between a parent and a child. A child of an abusive parent is generally much less likely to be able to "communicate" their way out of being abused, and the way the movie just inserts future Lui to go "talk" to his mom in the past and magically solve her parenting tactics is like. What. What!!! How!!!!! The movie was presenting nuance in that his mom was clearly under an enormous amount of stress with Lui's dad being critically ill, and yes, it's thorny to think about that as the movie somewhat trying to rationalize what is CLEAR CUT and SUPER NOT OK abuse of Lui, but to think that she would straight up stop being abusive just because (effectively) a stranger told her to just think about her situation for a second is way too convenient for me. The same issue applies with Lui's reconciliation with Ukkomon. So just because you talked to them and hashed out the problem, it's ok that they basically possessed (and... killed????!) your parents and did a bunch of shit against your will?

My hope was that it would be revealed that Ukkomon was actually some kind of actively malevolent entity, like King Drasil or something, and the idea was to spread Digimon like a virus across the human world under the guise of being helpful. (Aww man edit, the more I think about this, the more I wish it happened… it could have turned out that the bonds between humans and Digimon became too real and powerful, and not artificially constructed as my hypothetical Ukkomon wanted, and defied the big bad’s expectations, which would further explain the loss of Digivices — that humans and Digimon care for each other so much, it transcends the need for an artificial medium. Agghhh guys can I rewrite this part of the movie for you…) I mean I looked at Ukkomon in the promo pics and I'm like this mf looks so creepy... they really played up the Kyubey factor and that led me further to believe that they would be a big bad with a plan... but no, just a weird misguided creepy lil dude....

The other reason I was thinking that Lui's communication difficulties with Ukkomon could be mirrored with some kind of relationship issue is, maybe if Lui was a parent and started a family, there would be stakes with a relationship that wouldn't have as much gravity if he was a teen in a relationship... which leads me to my next point, how is he the first Digidestined if Himekawa and Nishijima were shown to have Digimon as kids????? They could have maybe retooled it that Lui was older and reconciling with his past? Though idk i guess the more i say it the weirder it sounds to have the story be about a dude who projects heavy divorce energy, but idk... could have been a strained friendship, or a strained relationship with a sibling, really it did not have to be romance at all, just any type of interpersonal connection where there is more of a power balance, and not a relationship with an abusive mother exclusively. And again I actually respect that Digimon is willing to go to places of childhood trauma/difficult situations like divorce, illness, and death, so i didn't necessarily have a problem with the abusive mother plotline (and I actually really dug the huge horror vibe with the Ukkomon possession sequence, felt pretty interesting to see it in the Adventure setting), but just wish they could have strengthened the theme more. They could have even made it more reflective of the 02 kids, maybe their relationships with each other have been strained and they learn better to listen to one anothers' needs and move forward in cooperation. Then again yeah that would not have fit in an hour and a half long movie and then maybe it would have needed to be another bloated Tri movie series oh noooo

idk I took a while to see Kizuna and I literally only watched it a few days before going to see the 02 movie and it kind of bums me out to go from something that I felt really understood the assignment of what it means to explore Digimon, the Adventure kids, adulthood, and the nature of growing up; to this, which tried to tackle some difficult subjects but walked away with it seeming (to me) half baked in execution, and also half baked in the way it utilized and engaged with the 02 crew. I mean, the 02 kids got weirdly fridged in Tri and then just showed up as cheerleaders in Kizuna, which leads me to believe the writers kinda don't know what to do with them, which is like. Whyyyy... 02 felt so rich in story and character as well :(

On that note!! one of my favorite parts of 02 was the Digidestined Around the World stuff so it was super nice to see them getting screen time shout outs in this one :') I have always adored how much Digimon puts an emphasis on global connections so I'm always happy to see more of that stuff in this series.

Also super weird that Ukkomon as a creepy lovecraftian big bad (which was cool!) ended up being a wet noodle (almost literally) of a battle at the end too. I'm usually loath to say that a big bad is a good idea in movies (I really liked the balance with Menoa being both insane/an enemy to reckon with alongside Eosmon being a real threat, but also very much misguided and sympathetic), but they really needed to up the tension more with Ukkomon. Because Ukkomon basically surrendered and gave Lui the all clear to take it down, the final showdown felt inert and devoid of any real stakes.

Also unilaterally deciding that everyone in the world is not allowed to have a Digimon partner is like. Hello!!! Fun police!!!! Y'all canonically took my Digimon away from me!!!!!! (I mean yes ok the practical reasoning for this can definitely be argued to be sound, but still. Fun police...)

Didn't think i'd have so many thoughts but it was just a rollercoaster from finally finishing Tri recently over the span of a few years (which is why I understood why that series is so divisive), to Kizuna (which I totally get why it was well received), to this which is like... perhaps not as bad as Tri in the fact that it is not an overblown, badly paced film series with a messy narrative, but does not build on the very meaningful and emotionally provocative parts of Kizuna. Basically I expected more :'(

#digimon #digimon adventure 02 #digimon adventure 02 the beginning #digimon spoilers #me rambling

[birdhouseblog23]

Hi, my name is BlueJay short for B.J. Welcome back to my Yu-Gi-Oh rambles Duel Links edition.

So, I just got back into Duel Links lore now that I got caught up with the stories of the events, I will be discussing a little bit about my reaction towards the ending of the Ghost Gal event story since I missed it and I am SUPER late to the party but it's okay.

Spoilers if you have not read the Ghost Gal storyline in Duel Links. Get ready for the rambling:

-First off holy crap it is great to see Ghost Gal again. Can't wait to unlock her. Her story may be short, but it's just great to see one of my favorite characters in the game because I want to play the Altergiest deck. Welcome Back Queen 👑.

-So apparently ALL the worlds in Duel Links are connected through not just the digital crystal cloud system but the NUERON NETWORK as a whole branching out to other timelines at an increasing rate?! Well damn, Declan was defiantly right to tell Yuya and the gang that another dimensional war is coming, and it's coming much faster than we anticipated.

-Without a shadow of a doubt, Seto Kaiba probably knew all this bull crap was going to happen, at least that's what I think. All I'm saying is that Kaiba probably knew the neuron network was expanding at a much faster rate than expected. Keep in mind the whole point of the creation of Duel Links was to resurrect the Pharoh, even if it meant resurrecting all the other past antagonists from OTHER TIMESLINES that are major threats to the Duel Links Worlds. Like did this man not have a plan in case this gets out of hand??? He probably said to hell with it, and let the whole situation handle itself considering there are skilled duelists in the different worlds to stop the threat arising because all of them have been through this song and dance before. And yet.. my guy... Mr. Kaiba sir.. THE CALCULATIONS AREN'T MAKING SENSE. YOU ARE PUTTING PEOPLE AT RISK.

-So the chances of another big bag antagonist dwelling in the deep reaches of Duel Links makes a lot of sense. Kaiba Corp can't be the only one that knows the full potential of dual links and the neuron link. Sure we have other corporations like SOL Tech and Leo Corp., but even those operations still have a lot to learn from Duel Links's potential. We don't know what this mysterious threat may be but it sure as heck gonna lead to a giant all-out dimensional dueling royal that'll make the Battle City arc blush with glee. My tiny theory is that Ai might be the key to stopping this looming threat from terrorizing the worlds that might seep into the real world. Just another thing to keep note of, Ai was resurrected in a new body. This may not be the Ai we know but a 2.0 copy that has all the memories from the past Ai. This Ai might go through the same arc as the original Ai from the anime, becoming an antagonist who will plan out everything for his demise just to ensure the safety of Duel Links and protect Yusuke. Or it could be the other way around. All I can say is that I am not ready for another heartache. The Vrains ending got me messed up. Let Ai enjoy being with his friends damn it.

-This only makes my theory on Yusaku stepping into his Homura Akemi rebellion arc a lot scarier than I expected it to be right now. Damn. Yusaku really can't catch a break.

Link to that theory here: https://www.tumblr.com/birdhouseblog23/723776532763525120/duel-links-yugioh-theory?source=share

-Speaking of antagonists and small-scale theories, Noah Kaiba will definitely come to Duel Links as an antagonist in his event and then become a future ally in the Duel Links story Take this theory with a grain of salt. I could see a plot of his event revolving around the characters not knowing who Noah is because these are characters from the manga timeline and not the anime timeline. He's a digital being himself, so whatever code the Neron Network will use from the timeline will recreate him. I may not be a fan of the digital world arc in Duel Monsters, but it would be a crazy twist nevertheless if he does come to Duel Links. Who knows that's just a theory.

-SEVENS IS A PART OF THE MAIN STORY?! I thought it would be a separate continuity from the Master Duel Era! WHAT TYPE OF SHENANIGANS IS THIS?!?

Yeah, that's all I'm gonna say.

My brain hurts. I'm gonna sleep now.

#yugioh #yugioh gx #yugioh 5ds #yugioh zexal #yugioh arc v #yugioh vrains #duel links #yugioh duel links #gacha salt #duel monsters #master duel #yugioh sevens #ghost gal event #spoilers

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

“Can you practice any quieter? I’m having trouble tuning with all your noise.”

Bronwen Traver glared at her stepbrother, Adam, as he worked through several scales as practice on the piano. Both siblings were in Arkhelios for a government funded performance for teens and had been voluntold that they were contributing to the music that night. President Wanda wanted a mixer for the various teens of Arkhelios who were not already in a foreign educational program to make important connections. Her first idea had been a formal ball, which was probably influenced by the time she spent in richer nations like Pleasantview. In Arkhelios, there was neither the funding or desire from the population to dress formally and dance. She had had to change her vision to a social mixer with music selected or performed by the teens themselves. Most of the teens refused to dress up for the occasion, including the heir to the Bellamy fortune, who she had been hoping would set an example for the other children. Apparently dressing up on a day he didn’t have to wear his school uniform was too much for Theo, who had then whined about her “oppressive government program” until Roman not only signed his son up for the event, but had promised to deposit him personally on the property if he continued to complain.

Bronwen Traver was in a similar situation. Her stepmother Edana had signed the entire family up for the event, even if it was only her son, Adam, who wanted to go.

Wanda really wanted to focus on hosting foreign witches and warlocks and other supernaturals to increase Arkhelios’ supernatural population. The more Arkhelios citizens learned to appreciate the supernatural community, the easier it would be for the country to benefit from their knowledge. It had taken a long time, but Wanda had personally gone from a closeted magic enthusiast to the head of Arkhelios’ own coven. It was no longer something that she had to hide about herself and kids like Theo could grow up knowing that they were accepted for their differences...or at least that was her goal. After several years without demons threatening to destroy Arkhelios and its residents, the whispers about Roman and his large family of demon hybrids had mostly been quieted. Arkhelios gossiped largely about the Bellamy marriage instead of its demonic heritage, and Wanda couldn’t be prouder of her community for this change. Her next step was introducing vampire hybrids like Bronwen as well as any plant sim or alien she could find. She already humanely housed and isolated the zombie population in Arkhelios, giving their family members chances to bond safely with them if they chose to. Public opinion would change with this new generation of Arkhelios voters, now that the older, more judgemental generation was starting to die out and mixers like this were how she planned on cementing supernatural acceptance.

“Are you going to ask your boyfriend to dance?” Bronwen teased, watching Adam’s face flush predictably. “The only good thing about having to do this stupid event will be if you finally tell him that you love him and put the rest of us out of our misery.”

“He’s not my boyfriend, he’s just my friend,” Adam snapped, smashing the piano keys to emphasize his point. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re friends with him too; I don’t see anyone accusing you of being in love with him.”

“Because I’m not. Theo’s great, but I have higher standards. I’m not going to date a guy who will only cheat on me with my stepbrother.”

“You’re delusional,” Adam groaned, glaring at his sibling. “Theo will find someone else to dance with tonight and then you’ll look stupid. He probably wants to date another demon, not a warlock he’s been friends with since he was a kid.”

Bronwen rolled her eyes, but returned her focus to tuning her instrument. Elowen and Remy were all on her side, and getting irritated by their brother’s constant pining whenever Theo was around. Theo was around their house almost constantly when he wasn’t at school with them. Enough was enough.

While teens trickled into the event, Theo watched his best friends start their warm up from across the room to avoid them noticing his gaze. Wanda hadn’t wanted to host the event herself and had slyly suggested to Elaine Helios that her grandson could network or find a proper romantic match at such an event, if only she could host it.

The Helios mansion had held several events and had more than enough space to accommodate the teens. As long as it wasn’t branded as a party, which Elaine loathed, she was more than happy to host it. She worried about her eldest grandson’s future; god knows his parents didn’t seem to. The boy’s head was filled with magic and and a weak work ethic. At least the twins had Adrian and Evren to guide them properly. She feared for poor Saturnia and Abraham III’s futures if they only had her son and the man who’d cheated on him with royalty as examples.

Lucy’s children at least seemed to inherit their mother’s spunk and ambition, which put Elaine’s mind at ease. Her daughter was many things, but lazy wasn’t one of them. She rarely spoke to her daughter after their falling out, but Elaine had no doubt that Lucy was carrying on the Helios tradition of ruthless ambition and teaching her children accordingly. As far as her youngest was concerned, Nathan and his string of illegitimate children were of no concern to Elaine. It was hard enough keeping Abe out of the headlines, she couldn’t imagine trying to take on Nathan as well.

“Check. Check check. Is this mic working?”

Medora Toyonaga grabbed the microphone closest to her group of friends and tapped it quickly.

“You’re singing, I take it?” Bronwen asked, still struggling to tune her instrument while Adam hit random piano keys to disorient her.

“Yeah, I was roped into this too,” Medora replied. “Grandpa insisted we humour the Arkhelians.”

“Theo, good to see that you’ve arrived on time. I won’t have my grandson show up late to help me host an international event.”

Elaine hugged her grandson and was grateful to have him return the gesture. Maybe there was hope for him after all.

“Hi Grandma. Dad says hi too.”

“I hope you’re ready to help set things up. I’m not going to be embarrassed in front of the global community in my own home. Everything has to be perfect. Wanda may even televise our little concert if things go well. And they will go well. Am I understood, Theodosius?”

Theo scowled at his grandmother.

“You’re not supposed to call me that in front of people,” he hissed. “Just call me Theo like everyone else.”

“That school you go to gets worked up over the most ridiculous things,” Elaine sighed. “I mean, really, I can’t address my own grandson by his own name? What if you’d been named something normal like Abe? Everyone would know what it’s short for and we wouldn’t have to dance around wording because someone might use your name in a spell. Though as long as we’re taking precautions, I might as well give you these.”

To Theo’s horror, his grandmother pulled a small box from her purse and held it out to him. Theo’s eyes could read the words and see the images printed on it and if he weren’t in complete shock, he’d be trying to force the box back into the purse it had come from.

“Condoms, Grandma? Really? My friends are all here! What if they saw me with those?”

Elaine scoffed at his embarrassed rage, but set the box on a nearby table.

“Before you were born, your fathers were friends,” she explained coldly. “You’re at an age where you might start to have certain feelings about your own friends. I’m hosting a public event with a group of hormonal teenagers. I had a child young. Your father had a child young. I’m ending this cycle before I’m holding another little Theo.”

“I’m thirteen, Grandma!” Theo hissed, looking around him anxiously. “I don’t have a boy or girlfriend and this important dance is at my grandmother’s house! What do you think is going to happen?”

Elaine gestured towards the other room where Gavin Chezzetcook and Lexy Toyonaga were exchanging kisses unsupervised. Theo couldn’t see how their actions possibly related to him. They were filling out college applications and driving cars; Theo was afraid to even brush his hand against Adam’s for fear of rejection.

“I wish my other grandparents weren’t dead or a zombie,” Theo muttered loudly, pushing past his grandmother towards the bass guitar he’d borrowed from school for the event. “They wouldn’t embarrass me at the stupid event I was forced into. They’d give me money for the mall and bake cookies or shit like grandmothers are supposed to do. This is so unfair.”

“I’ll leave the box by your jacket and bag,” Elaine called out, smiling at the glower she received in reply. “Go make me proud!”

#sims 2 #sim: Medora Toyonaga #medora toyonaga #theo bellamy #sim: theo bellamy #sim: Lexy Toyonaga #elaine helios #sim: bronwen traver #sim: Adam Darktide #adam darktide #darcy mishra #gavin chezzetcook

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

What are your thoughts on jimin dad’s debacle? If you have any that is.

Yeah, I do have some thoughts. I assume you mean what has been going on at Magnate, right? I've been observing what has been happening for the past few days and all the opinions surrounding it.

Given the situation and the event that took place, I don't find it surprising that the cafe turned into a tourist attraction. Just as the mural. It was due to circumstances. Not that fans haven't visited Magnate before, but they went there simply as fans/customers and it was a stop in their itinerary. Mostly low-key and people filmed inside, took photos, without any of it being turned into a big deal. But given the current situation, with a large influx of people coming to Busan for a weekend, it was bound to happen. I saw Jimin's dad and other employees being hands on outside, offering water and other refreshments for those who had to stand there for hours. Does it make sense for me why people flocked to a cafe owned by a member's dad? Perhaps not. But I guess they saw it as just a really close connection to Jimin.

What I didn't like and found it odd to say the least, was some of the behavior exhibited there. I can look past going there straight from the airport to stand in line (after getting off a flight, I would head straight to the hotel to settle and freshen up, but that's me), but it turned into a mob which was crazy to see. It was like army were in the presence of the Mesia's father and they had to touch the man himself, as if some of those genes would rub off on them. It reminded me of Life of Brian. The man is not a public figure, he was just there managing his business and running the cafe and I think he did a good job taking care of everyone. It was obvious he was grateful for everyone and happy that all those people were there because of the direct association with Jimin. I would be proud myself if Jimin was my son. I'd gloat to everyone and their mother until they wouldn't stand me anymore.

As to criticisms regarding Jimin's father and Magnate, I can't take them seriously because I know they come from a place of hatred in regard to Jimin, as it's obvious in the way they phrase it. They say the man was profitting off from the Busan event and the fans being there. What was he supposed to do? Close it for the entire duration? When one of the purposes is that tourism can help local businesses as well and how this is a great opportunity? I bet all of Busan's restaurants/cafes gained a lot, but Jimin's father is to blame for doing what any normal owner would do. And there would have been no point in staying hidden and not show his face. He was working and taking orders at Magnate even before this. People knew who he was. I think he handled everything really well. Yeah, I do think it's odd to ask the man to hug the fans or to sign their Jimin photocards, but he did it. Because he knew why all those people were there. The man is proud of his son and he should be. Nothing that he did ever shown any sign that he's taking advantage of anything.

#bmt asks #jimin #jimin's dad cafe #magnate busan

[hypnotisedfireflies]

I was just wondering, what were the key moments that Joel grieved or thought about Tess on the way to Wyoming? I figure on the way to Bill and Frank’s because Tess was the reason they even connected. He probably wondered how he’d have to explain that to them. But what else? When did he think about how he’d have to tell Tommy?

Hello anon! Thanks for such a thought-provoking question; it's had me stroking my imaginary beard.

In Driftersverse, Joel does not think of Tess much during that trip because he can't. He knows how debilitating grief is for him and that he can't fulfill his promise to Tess if he lets it in.

The epilogue of Dawn is Joel letting her go for the time being to be able to do what he has to. When it picks up with his POV again in Dusk, he's bracing himself for that period of grief that he knows he's coming, but also can't indulge the way he did with Sarah, because Ellie needs him. So that's really the start of his grieving period proper.

So while he did very little grieving for her during the canon events, there were certainly moments where it happened anyway. I think it's in Blood Orange where he tells Tess he had a moment in the shower at Bill and Frank's, and there would have been other times, too - just when it was quiet and safe, in that twilight before sleep when it would just hit him like a ton of bricks that she wasn't there. Or waking up and automatically looking and ... no Tess.

In most situations of thinking of her it would've been waiting to hear her tell him what they were going to do, lol. In Dusk Joel tells Ellie to "Think like Tess," to keep herself alive, and that's definitely what Joel did whenever he had to make a choice except that he wasn't that great at it because Tess wasn't going through the middle of a fucking city when they had been Hunters/Raiders themselves and knew what kind of shit went on in there but ANYWAY

I think Joel was so determined to palm Ellie off to Bill and Frank that he barely thought about how he was going to tell them - especially Frank - what had happened. He just needed it to be over. He would have known that Bill could accept a simple, "Tess is dead," but that Frank wouldn't, that Frank would want to know, and telling Frank how it ended would have been so traumatic for him. And omg can you imagine, because Frank knew that Tess died thinking Joel didn't love her the same way she loved him ... awful.

My version of events doesn't gel with how Tommy responds to Joel showing up in Jackson without Tess and not immediately knowing that means Tess is dead, lol. So I just played it off that Tommy knew but was prepared to let Joel continue the lie until he felt he could talk about it, which may or may not work, but this is what I have to work with when I romanticise events, lol. But Joel probably approached Jackson knowing that he was going to have to say something to Tommy and thinking he could get away with, "oh yeah she's fine >>" until he had dealt with the whole Ellie thing.

I hope that answers the question! As nuts as I am about Tessjoel Joel and Ellie is sacred, and I think he really did spend the majority of their TLOU journey together thinking mainly of her. Because Tess told him to. >>

#driftersverse #asks #tlou fanfic #tlou #joel x tess

[wgc-productions]

Okay so some light backstory that might will certainly be relevant by the end of this diatribe:

I'm a Black Christian and I grew up in a megachurch. And when I say "grew up" I mean we were there at least three days a week. It was a major part of how we processed the world. It's where I formed a majority of my childhood friendships. It has a strong impact on how I was shaped and saw the world.

When I got older, around highschool age, a variety events occurred that slowly separated me and decharmed me with the institution of church without necessarily separating me from the ideology of Christianity.

And then I went off to college, and being in a new city with new people and new ideas placed me in a spiritual crucible so to speak. Things inside of me were melting and changing and reforming.

Within this spiritual crucible, I found myself being drawn to Judaism in a really beautiful way. The emphasis on questioning and actively doing good for people, the deempahsis on hell and the grander focus on maintaining memory touched me in a very particular way.

I spent a lot of time in college reading books by rabbis and learning more about Jewish history and religious customs and, in a way that I am low key embarrassed about now, joking about how I'm almost certainly going to convert to Judaism when I get older.

It was around this time that I started writing Small Victories (HA! I bet you didn't think this was WGC related but it is! I always bring it back, baby.)

And I wanted to write this because Season 2 of SV is framed around the story of Jacob (a major story in both Christianity and Judaism, albeit in different ways).

I didn't really plan to make Marisol's journey a Jacob allergory (and I emphasis allegory because it is not a one-to-one metaphor) but at the end of Season 1 when I was just reabsorbing the story I realized that I ended up telling a story about a twin who fled home and is constantly put in these stressful and tricky situations only to have been deeply injured/marked by a figure in their attempt to do the right and honorable thing.

In short, I had started writing a Jacob allegory. And once you realize you've accidentally started writing an allegory you have to go all the way, that's just manners.

Anywho, Season 2 follows the thread that was set up by that allegory which you probably picked up on in Episode 10 "The Interlude" as it literally had Marisol wrestling with an Angel.

Small Victories is always going to be connected to a very particular set of events and time in my life. Within the course of writing this story I experienced: a spiritual journey, falling in love for the first time, heartbreak, learning that my mom had cancer, and more. There are entire episodes I can't hear without being directly beamed back to a specific moment in my life, and that particular time of spiritual exploration is one of them.

All this to say, that I am not Jewish even though the philosophy and ideology has/had a large impact on how I view the world. And it's interesting because I think the season reflects that (I feel like you'll have a better grasp of what I mean when Season 2 comes out).

#small victories podcast #it's one of those things that smacks me in the face everytime I read season 2 #or plan season 3 #and it's funny because it's glaringly obvious to me #but it's probably not super obvious to anyone who didn't know me then #I was having a whole spiritual journey and it seeped all through the work

[holocene-sims]

next // previous

may 18, 2021 1:00 p.m. department of rheumatology, room 414

[grant] please tell me this is a temporary flare. i really don't know if i can go back to the way things were before i got diagnosed. i'm probably being paranoid and traumatized by last year's events but...i just feel back to square one. like i can barely stand up it's so bad.

[alisa] i completely understand the concern! you finally have the keys to get things managed after having uncontrolled symptoms since you were a child. of course you don't want to lose progress. we'll get to the conversation around disease progression but i promise you i will treat this now. easiest and best way to get you feeling better in just a week or two is oral steroids. you know the drill: suppress the immune reactions and the manifestations go away.

[grant] they make me feel terrible but i'm kind of desperate and beggars can't be choosers. i'll take whatever you give me.

[alisa] temporary side effects are better than suffering unmitigated for a long time, especially since you are doing so well on a biologic. why risk letting this go on when you can treat it?

[alisa] you're also welcome to take NSAIDs like aspirin for the anti-inflammatory properties and pain relief but...

[grant] ahh, you know, i would, just...well, i don't like...um, i don't feel comfortable with pain medication.

[alisa] oh, i understand. i'm not in the business of forcing them. they are helpful for autoimmune disorders but i do know that you are, um...how do i say this?

[grant] you can tell i used to be an addict?

[alisa] well, it's not like you admitted to it on any of your paperwork, but there is a pretty curious note in your chart from a surgeon that says you completely refused any pain medication after serious invasive spinal surgery...which is...

[grant] damning evidence?

[alisa] let's just say you'd need a very strong reason to refuse in that situation.

[grant] first of all, um, i am really sorry for not being honest about it. it's just embarrassing. for the record, totally don't recommend having spinal surgery without meds because it almost killed me and that was the last time i had something this bad going on with my eyes from stress. but um, same reason i don't want over the counter stuff right now. it's not a good idea. i got into all that because i was in pain and i really don't want that to be my solution...or my death.

[alisa] oh, no, no, i absolutely respect you for sticking to your sobriety. anyway, i really shouldn't have brought it up because short-term steroids for a flare is a better solution and you're already on the best long-term treatment and that's a biologic. you know, a disease inhibitor. for you, that's humira.

[alisa] besides that, you are supposed to have yearly x-rays and bloodwork in september. keep the appointment but we'll go through all that today as well. let's see how things look internally now.

[grant] i know i kind of asked you the same question a minute ago but do you think, even if this is temporary, that it might be active disease progression?

[alisa] this is the first time you've had a flare up since starting humira, right?

[grant] uhh, yes! it is, actually. thankfully.

[alisa] then i have hope you're not getting worse and this is just connected to stress like you said. i won't make an uninformed guess about what's going on since your last x-rays were the diagnostic images when you were diagnosed last june at...oh wow, cedars sinai in los angeles. long way from home, huh?

[grant] oh, yeah. i was living and working there at the time.

[alisa] but the evidence i do have is this. you started the medication in september when you were being treated in sault ste. marie. by the time you came to see me here in january, you were already seeing some symptom relief and no flare ups. and let's see, back when you were seeking a diagnosis, you were having significant symptoms, increasingly poor quality of life, and you needed extensive surgery from herniated disks and adjacent spinal cord issues...

[alisa] outside of today, how similarly do you feel today as you did then?

[grant] i mean...things are better. a lot better. i still have pain every day and limitations but my quality of life is definitely at least good. i kind of feel more like my old self and like treatment is working.

[alisa] exactly. this being the first time you've come to see me outside of normal check-ups bodes well for you. and to be honest, for a variety of reasons, you have a very aggressive disease manifestation. to be your age, not even thirty, and to this early on in life have really extensive spinal fusion from the disease...you know what i mean? half your spine has already fused itself together. if it were progressing at the same pace, you should hypothetically feel the same or worse and you should be suffering from similar problems as last year.

[alisa] whatever is going on internally we'll see in imaging, but if it means anything to you, i am at least confident that you're doing very well, even with this current flare up. i hate that i can't reverse the damage that's already been done or ever cure you, but i feel like we're making good progress and i feel hopeful that'll prove itself through physical evidence. if it doesn't, the fact that you say you have better quality of life on a normal day is great. any improvement is a good thing.

#ts4 #the sims 4 #sims 4 #sims 4 story #ts4 screenshots #simblr #hlcn: everything the stars promised #this is text and medical heavy so lemme know if you need more information or wikipedia links!! #disclaimer that i'm not a doctor just that i do have an autoimmune disorder and know someone with the same one as grant #i did my research and consulted real experiences but this may not be perfectly accurate because it's fictional #also i love alisa otto m.d. <3 #she's so pretty and funky with her lil flower earrings and yellow nails #holocene.png #holocene.docx #hlcn: grant

[kaegaeguli]

Goals

I saw this challenge mentioned on twitter and figured why not join in. I'm just going to be talking about my main languages for the time being, if you're curious of my others please let me know!

Korean

For Korean, I have been studying it a very long time without very clear and solid goals. Only recently have there been some starting to appear for me.

Read Crimson Heart's Prologue ㅡ I recently got a copy of Le Sserafim's Antifragile. It came with a prologue for their upcoming webtoon. Although it does release this month, I would like to postpone reading it and improve my Korean so I can read the prologue first.

Obtain KSI's Cyber Korean Intermediate 1A Certificate ㅡ I would like to do 2 lessons a week in order to complete this. As these are framed to be about 50 minutes each, i will schedule an hour twice a week to go over them, maybe another period on the weekend for review.

In addition to these, I do want to start posting more in Korean so that I can more real time output and practice. On twitter, I have started tweeting in Korean every now and then however they're very short and not very useful. Whether it be a diary/journal or just random bits, I do hope to start doing so.

Portuguese

Attend Favela's Exchange Night ㅡ A Brazilian cafe in my city holds an exchange event every friday evening. I would like to attend at least once and hopefully make connections with other Portuguese speakers. To prepare, I would like to start responding to some sort of prompts or keeping some sort of audio log so that I get speaking practice and work on my pronunciation.

Play Games w/ Davi ㅡ Davi is my friend from Minas Gerais, I used to play Minecraft and Overwatch with them a lot when I was younger. At the time, we really only spoke in English. Now that I am taking Portuguese classes, I'm hopeful that eventually I will be able to speak with them in Portuguese. To prepare for this, I will start watching more content in Portuguese. At the moment, I watch a lot in Korean or Japanese so hopefully this switch will allow for me to build up more game related vocabulary.

Russian

Complete One Year of the Flagship ㅡ Recently, I changed my major and quit learning Japanese academically. While dealing with my emotions and thoughts around that situation, I joined the Russian flagship program offered at my university. I joined the Japanese program with a fair bit of knowledge and after a bit over two years, I was still really discontent and unsatisfied with my proficiency. With Russian, I have essentially no background except for looking at the Cyrillic alphabet. This I feel gives me the opportunity to really see and prove to myself how far I am able to go with a consistent and intensive schedule. I would also like to see how far I am able to develop my speaking abilities as it is often severely underdeveloped for me in languages.

Find Interests ㅡ At the moment, I don't really have anything relating to Russian that involves my hobbies or interests. I would like to eventually find things, even if they're outside of my current interests so that I can feel more motivated to study and pursue Russian longer.

Spanish

Obtain DELE or SIELE Certificate ㅡ I feel like Spanish is definitely a key language to learn not just professionally but within my own personal circle. A lot of my friends and community members speak it as well as a lot of content for my interests being in it as well. I feel that setting out to take a certification test will push me to be more motivated to consistently and sufficiently learn it.

Converse w/ Nando ㅡ Nando is one of my friends that I've met recently from Nicaragua. Within out friend group there's not a lot of people that speak Spanish, this also sometimes limits getting to hangout or understand things sometimes as his other friends only speak Spanish. For both of these goals, I am trying to find a sufficient resource or class for Spanish along with supplemental materials, at the moment I have a few textbooks so if I choose to commit to those, I am going to try keeping an audio log and journal/writing log so I can get enough output.

#langblr reactivation challenge #korean #한국어 #spanish #español #português #portuguese #russian #русский

[valorxdrive]

HC; Re:Connect.

This particular HC is more of specific for my blog than a tie in to game events. When it comes to his journey of KH3, that idea of Lost power whether from missing memories, incidents or horrible situations have led to an unorthodox training method for Sora.

A lot of his focus didn't have to be put on the present compared to the past. Similar to discovering the Power of Waking, his path to Mastery lied in being able to successfully explore that divide. While it would take a good deal across that journey, the key to it all be focused within a phrase that mean great people in his life told him.

Just Follow Your Heart.

Simple as that sounds, exactly what does it mean? And how does it happen to be an element that often comes to fall onto Sora's hands? It'd be the view of the night's sky that genuinely revealed that answer to him. Connections were similar to stars in the sky, and the great expanse would be his heart, so isn't it only natural to follow those very paths?

Similar to how he, despite being in his own Heart, had seamlessly discovered Riku's heart station as if it was in the realm of his own, it'd be through this method that he'd come to tap upon an important element from the beginning of his KH3 journey.

What he truly needed to find wasn't the ephemeral memories of the mind. Rather, the eternal, unchanging boundary of memory within the Heart. From the day he was born, to his most current second, it's all recorded within this great hall. Connections would be the key to let him consciously press into his realm of his own accord, a dominion that is entirely under the name of Sora.

I'd like to imagine that his biggest hint at first would be the Dream Eaters. How in comparison to the many other Links he's made in 3's journey, there was one essential difference. He wasn't simply pulling forth manifestations of their heart's strength. (As shown by their exaggerated highlights.)

They were all in real time. Dreamy forms that manage to have a sustainable link to persist in the waking world. Normally it was only the Chirithy and their Nightmare based variants that could really roam without any restriction. (Not that he knows that.)

Somehow, this answer has been staring him in the face the whole time and he's never come to realize it until that epiphany, how those words of wisdom were in fact his biggest hint to find all that he's lost. Through the power of connections, he'd have the doors absolutely open to find everything he's lost and scattered in the realm of his heart.

This his journey alongside of the adventure of traveling the Worlds, held a bigger emphasis of exploring himself, digging deep upon path ways that was there but never tapped into with All his heart. While they're only momentary fragments instead of a full collection for the time. (Which is why he wouldn't remember the reason for Thanking Namine YET, just fragment hints), it's a path that allowed him to secure virtually all of his missing strength by the time of the Keyblade War against Xehanort.

On top of that, to fully harness the new might secured with newly forged strength and the support of his companions.

Tl;Dr: Sora's primary goal was to learn how to be a Heartwalker. To safely travel that unconscious plane that constantly requested for his consciousness to explore it. Mastery over connections is what would inevitably give his Power of Waking purposes, and to utilize it as a means to purge Xehanort's possession with the efforts of the others.

Dreams are no longer the sole entryway. It's an ability he can openly press into if his being were to make the demand. You can picture it like walking into your own spiritual world on a whim.

#| HCs #Those scenes such as in Re:Mind #and the part with Ventus's involvement and even the dark abyss travel #I believe gradually put the pieces together in his mind #and he'd need that if he were to figure how to survive in that said adventure of Re:Mind

[funkymbtifiction]

Hi, I have been struggling to find my mbti and enneagram type so I’ve been recommended by a few friends to come to you. I would really appreciate it if you can give me recommendations of the type I should look into.

You're an ISTP, but I'm not sure about your Enneagram type. I see attachment core (friendly, adaptable, likable) either paired with a competency wing or a boundary-enforcing wing, so I think either 6w5 or 9w8. I lean 9w8. Anyway... some things I noticed...

I would say that I am a quiet, low-key, reserved person who maintains an easy-going, charming demeanor to others. Even though I prefer to be alone most of the time, I still like to engage in social interactions whether it will be parties or events because have a good time and not engaging in trouble is what is important to me. Even though I am a friendly, easy-going person I am who someone who is serious and no nonsense that doesn’t tolerate too much bullshit and childish behavior. <- this feels 9w8 to me. Being approachable, good-natured, and easy-going, but with a side of you that "doesn't tolerate bullshit."

I like to engage in a lot physical activities throughout my day whether it be playing basketball or learning new skills hands on. <- high Se / SP

I also enjoy researching, gain knowledge and having intellectual conversations for hours and dive deep into serious topics like history, politics, psychology etc. <- this supports the idea of high Ti, but also suggests your Ni isn't inferior (ISTPs have tert-Ni)

Being analytical and logical comes very easy to me. I naturally analyze everything around me as I constantly need to understand everything and everyone to see what makes them tick and to decide if this is a person I should engage with or not. <- being detached and analytical, seeing people as something to "figure out" is very ITP/Ti-dom -- but there's also a strong gut-driven decision-making process here that could speak to 9w8 as well (8 wings are black and white, either I like this person or they suck)

I am very adaptable person that can adapt to any group of people and situation with ease. My persona tends to change with the type of people I am around so if I am around people who are more jokey I will be jokey to fit in and things of that nature. <- this can be 3ish, or it can also be 9ish, but it shows me you are an attachment core with low Fe that isn't opposed to altering yourself to fit a situation

Under stress I tend to become more emotional and irritable who complains about things the that are causing me to stress and then go silent and have a regret about having a temper tantrum. <- this is extremely normal behavior for ITP types, they become unusually emotional under pressure, release their emotions, and then often feel humiliated for having 'lost control' like that

I also tend to have a doomsday vision when I am stressed out and tend to think that everything is going to go bad, if my current situation is bad etc. <- low Ni

My core fears are being without peace, light and fun also being seen as a unworthy, uncool and not a competent person. <- this is a positive core with a competency component; it COULD be 9w1 as opposed to 9w8, or 9's connection to 3.

In life I strive to be successful, cool, professional and respected to those among me. It’s very important to maintain a polished image of myself and become very angry and upset when I feel like other are trying to ruin my reputation. <- this sounds more like a 3, which could also be a potential core here instead of 9.

The best feeling of life to me is achieving my goals and succeeding as it gives me a reminder of improving myself. <- 3ish

Living a life without fun, adventure and not peace is another thing I can’t go with out. I am a fun person but I also believe in `Work Hard, Play Hard’ and `Live Life To The Fullest’. <- this could be 9 or 3

So, I am confident of ISTP and encourage you to look at 3 and 9.

#question #mbti #enneagram

[datastate]

Honestly respect you so much for doing a canon rewrite and making an intense effort not to overwrite the development of other characters and overall themes. I know it's hard work because I've been working on a similar project for YEARS with a different fandom and Boy... It is a time. Best of luck to you!!

thank you so much!!! i wish you luck with your own projects too!! this is a very kind message, and it means a lot ♡

I've kind of rambled on abt AUs and this specific one and such because I'm tired, but I'll put that under the cut.

honestly i was very close to putting this project in particular down because - well, it is a bit indulgent! i am satisfied with how kai's story ends in-game, but i still wondered specifically how his dynamics with other characters would form if he was alive. this was especially important to me because ... we don't get to see much of sara's reaction! which is a shame! because she's the only person that really had any connection with him prior to the death game, and i would've liked to see her process it more.

BUT I've gone on. my point here was: i almost had to put it down because if sara and kai were to begin to reconcile, then kai would end up filling in the place that nao currently takes (specifically as a source of support and not wanting sara to burden herself) and it would be a disservice to both of their characters. and i didn't want that!!!

part of why chapter two hits so hard for me is because of the dynamic between sara and nao after the events of chapter one. they both admire the other for being strong, and try their best to support each other after the losses they endured. in order to keep this, i needed to add other factors to the story that would keep kai from disrupting it - beyond the fact that he wouldn't wish to make her uncomfortable. remedying this was an issue i had for a long time, but because it's been in the background for a while, i've found an alternative way to keep the weight of sou's antagonism, nao's support, and kai having a strong presence in the story without directly interacting with sara herself as often as others do. i could go into that but i am sleepy and this is getting long aghsms

but yeah!!! something i really appreciate about the original game is how these themes (especially of humanity and healing/grieving) are conveyed through the characters and their relation with each other (even in this short time) and in order to recreate the feeling of these satisfying arcs, you'd have to figure out why the original ones were put there at all! which usually ties into the overarching message and...idk aghsms dissecting this stuff is really fun for me, regardless of whether or not I'm trying to recreate it with stuff like this! but it really does help, especially with the relatively short time we have with the characters in this situation, to make it feel complete and fit in line with the impact the game provides without like...completely ripping the same few lines for its use? if that makes sense? like, understanding why this works is a key part to making the au feel complete and not just. shallow...? which sounds a little harsh, and i don't intend for it to be, because those can still be enjoyable! but it's just not my type of story???

surprisingly! i don't really like aus, generally. at least not making them myself. the premises are usually cool! I'll read a few on occasion. but i tend to be really thorough when i write things, and that's part of why my original story stuff has taken so long [alongside the entire. plot revamp OTL] too. i feel the need to pick apart every bit and make sure it's reasoned out properly, which is why a lot of my other wips tend to be left behind too...! if i can't figure out when this would take place, and it's not an easy fix to readjust to be compliant with the timeline, I'll usually discard it or completely rewrite it later on. it's not necessarily a good habit, but it's how i tend to work when it comes to writing!

erm. this was a lot afhsms but my main point is that...it really does mean a lot to me when the effort is actually recognized and i really do hope when i finish this project that it does work well and that I'm able to get the idea across as I've meant to!!! I really love yttd as it stands and i just hope this theoretical ends up feeling as put together and satisfying as most of the game has been so far! (just...hesitantly looking at ch3 ngl agbsms)

#agggh i cannot emphasize how happy this msg made me :] ik i got off track bc I'm in a rambling mood (incoherent ver) #but like...yeah!!! i like stories that primarily expand upon what we're given and still feel so...embedded in that world #it's part of sbabI's appeal to me!! (an hk fic. i really love it) #and I really hope this doesn't come off as pretentious im just autistic and this is how i prefer to enjoy the stories i love #i like digging into them and seeing how it works and i can only hope to somewhat emulate it when im figuring out fanwork!!! #that's part of why i got so happy when someone complimented how i wrote mask//maker (hk) as if it was actual dialogue #because i like looking into lore and speculating on it and even for characters like that where the speech style is unfamiliar #it's just so fun to look into how they got to this point in the snapshot im writing and using that to write the pov AND to #show how much is kept to themself by comparison. or the subtleties (as is the case w mm especially) of its core conflict #AHHHH IM TALKING TOO MUCH. UM. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! HAVE A GREAT NIGHT #ask #anonymous