#y'all this is actually the most excited i've been about some writing in a while

[joelslegalwhre]

"Stop flirting." "Then stop teasing." | Dieter Bravo x f!reader

word count: 2k

pairing: dieter bravo x fem!reader

summary: You're interviewing Dieter for his new movie, and no matter how many years you've been together - recently married too - he loves to flirt with you like the first time you've met.

warnings: age gap (reader is in late 20s, Dieter in his 50s but only mentioned once), Dieter flirting needs a warning, fluff, reader and Dieter are married, Dieters mind is pure smut who's surprised, allusions to smut, reader wears a dress and gets her nails done, use of the word "Daddy" like once (don't read it if you don't like it), use of nicknames (baby -like a hundred times, peach), also little disclaimer; I'm reading smut like my life depends on it but I've never properly written it so bare with me pls, not proofread

a/n: I saw a TikTok for this a while ago about Pedro (the account is pedritolovesu) and got super excited to write a little something for Dieter with it.. so have fun y'all

I'm a whore for age gaps, sorry not sorry

main masterlist

the gif is by a7estrellas (I found it on Pinterest)

"First of all, thank you for your time, Dieter." You started the interview. "It’s my pleasure." He answered with his signature grin, his fingers playing with the ring on his finger.

"Tell me, what was your favorite part about filming the new Cliff Beasts movie?"

"Oh, there are a few," Dieter began to tell some stories from the set, stories you already knew about, because he had told you all of them right after they happened. Calling you late at night, during the day, or sometimes just right after you woke up. 

Interviewing Dieter was still something you found a little strange, but in a good way. 

It didn’t happen often, but when it did, work felt a little less like actual work. When Dieter was there, it was easier, and you instantly felt like you’re home again.

Today, it was just the two of you, no co-stars or other interviewers. Which also meant, no distractions from the looks Dieter gave you.

"Well, that sure sounds like a lot of fun." You smiled at him, when he had finished, "Oh it was." He grinned, but his eyes never left your lips once when he spoke. 

You tried to give him a warning look that said "stop it, concentrate", but you already knew it would do nothing to stop Dieter. 

The interview went on for a little longer, you asked him some fan questions you had gotten before the interview for him, which Dieter all answered perfectly. 

His flirting didn’t stop though. His eyes couldn’t stop wandering between your lips and your eyes, and the subtle winks weren’t as subtle as he thought. „Stop it, Bravo.“ You whispered in a short break, while the crew was angling the camera for another shot. 

"Stop teasing me and I might." He threw you an air kiss, jokingly, making you chuckle.

Not everyone knew that you were married to Dieter Bravo, although it was pretty obvious when you were in situations like this one. And your last name didn’t hide the fact either. 

Dieter managed to keep most of your relationship from the public. But of course the majority of people, especially his fans, knew. And there was nothing wrong with that, you didn’t want to hide anything. It was just nice to have some privacy then and there, so you didn’t make a big fuss about it.

The first time rumors had reached the media that Dieter Bravo was off the market, you had already been dating for almost a year. And the real shocker wasn’t the obvious age gap, with Dieter being twice your age, but the fact that he dated someone for longer than a month. 

"Sorry guys, the camera just stopped working, one second. Sorry, Dieter." Your camera man said all of a sudden. „Oh shit, okay.“ You nodded in surprise. "Yeah, no problem man." Dieter assured him. Not a second later, some of the crew was back around Dieter, to freshen him up. 

When he took something out of his pocket that suspiciously looked like the small box, he had his "drugs on the go" -how he liked to call them- in, you raised your eyebrows and shook your head, "No. Definitely not here". Dieter was down bad for you, and literally did anything that would please you, so to the obvious surprise of some crew members, he stuffed the box back into his pocket with a sigh. 

"Fine, fine."

"You know I don’t care, but not at work. Please?" you gave him your best pout, you knew he couldn’t say no to.

"Yeah, yeah okay, baby." Dieter looked up at the guy who was relatively new to the team that always surrounded Dieter.

What was his name again? He couldn’t remember.

"Happy wife, happy life. Isn’t that the shit they say?" He shrugs and goes on, "I’ll do what my girl wants. No one can tell me shit, but you bet she can."

The expression on the guy’s face changed from surprised to confused and then surprised again, making you giggle quietly. "Oh, you’re married?" He asked, eyebrows raised. Dieter shot him a lopsided grin, "Heck yes, we are." Dieters eyes locked with yours and you couldn’t help but grin like an idiot. There was nothing that made you as happy as knowing you’re married to him, his drug problems aside, being Mrs. Bravo was so different to anything you had imagined as a little girl. And you loved it. 

"Alright, cameras are working again, guys." The camera man announced, and the crew quickly left the two of you alone again. 

As the interview went on, you asked Dieter some more questions about the new movie, how shooting under quarantine was for him - horrible, he had called you what feels like a hundred times a day, whining about being alone and horny- and if there were any new movies coming up with him. Dieter answered everything you wanted to know, giving the fans some insights into the film and little sneak peaks. One being a short scene, which was currently playing on a little screen next to you. Later on, the video would be seen during the interview clips, but the screen was for you to know when to go on with the interview. 

Dieter had other plans, though. He didn’t pay an ounce of attention to what was playing on the screen, his attention on your nails instead. 

"Did you get your nails done?" He asked, leaning forward to hold your hand and inspect your new set of nails. 

He had only seen you when he fell into bed, the night before. He didn’t usually come home as late as he did yesterday, but the press tour has really been "kicking his balls", to quote him. So you must have gotten them done either yesterday or today, there hasn’t been a time Dieter didn’t notice a new set of nails. Not once. 

"Yesterday, after work." You softly smiled, showing Dieter the nails. So he was right. "They match the ring." He gave you one of his cocky grins. "That was the intention." You grinned back at him. Neither of you had noticed that the video was long over, and the camera was back on the two of you. Faces inches apart and both of you with a stupidly content smile on your faces. "They look fucking amazing, baby." He said, almost whispering in awe. "Thank you, Dee." 

"Uhm, guys." someone from the crew cleared their throat. Your head shot up, and you quickly slid back into the position you had before.

"Oh my- sorry, sorry," 

Dieter leaned back in his chair and grinned at you, again. And as much as you wanted to keep professional, you had to smile at him too. 

"You should see her nails, they match our rings." Dieter said straight into one of the cameras, a cocky grin on his lips once again. You shook your head with a little giggle. So much for being professional. 

"So, back to the movie, as we could all see right now, it’s very promising." You went on, trying to act like you didn’t just want to grab Dieter’s hand and drag him to your car. Driving straight home, laying next to him in bed, nice and warm, cuddled up in his arms. 

Only a few more hours, you told yourself.

Dieter had to hold back like hell not to kiss you senseless in front of the crew members. He’s had a shit ton of media work today already, now that you were his last interview of the day -only some minor things to do afterwards- his mood has changed for the better, drastically.

He wanted to throw you over his shoulder -hell, he starts to think like a fucking caveman- carry you out of here and rip that fucking dress off of you. He’d even be fine with cuddling, anything that involved having you close to him. Although he wouldn’t quite be himself, if he wouldn’t also think about dragging you to the next empty room and fuck your brains out right now. 

Dieter was down bad for you, and -a thing he never thought was possible for him- it only got ‚worse‘ when the two of you got married. Calling you Mrs.Bravo for the first time had him almost come in his jeans. 

The interview was finally done, and you got up from your chair to get rid of all the mics and cables.

"Do you know when you’re coming home today?" You asked Dieter, back still turned to him, untangling a cable that got stuck in the chair somehow. "Hopefully fucking soon." He’s had enough of behaving, he desperately needed to feel you, even if it was just a quick kiss, his cock already painfully hard in his jeans. 

"You look fucking beautiful today, baby. The most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen." Dieter whispered in your ear. He wrapped his arms around your waist, as he pressed your back against his chest. "Well, thank you, but I’m still working, you know." You chuckled, joking with him. You couldn’t care less that you were at work right now, and Dieter knew you well enough to know. 

"Yeah, working pretty hard, interviewing your husband in that tease of a dress, baby."

You grinned, the dress was one of his favorites, and it showed enough skin without being too exposing to wear it for work. 

"You know I fucking love it." He whispered, so only you could hear it. "Really? I had no idea, Bravo." You teased him with a grin, turning your head to see his face. 

You could feel his stubble on your cheek as he got even closer to your ear and pressed you tighter to his body. "Can you feel what you do to be, baby? I’ll rip that fucking dress up the second we’re home." His bulge was pressing against your lower back, and your body immediately reacted to it. 

"I thought you loved it? Wouldn’t wanna ruin it, would you?" You kept teasing him, feeling his grip on your waist tighten. "Don’t challenge me, baby."

"Or what?" You looked at him with a spark in your eyes. He nuzzled his nose in the nook between your neck and shoulder. You closed your eyes at the feeling, stopping a moan from escaping your lips. "Or I’ll take your cute ass to that storage room right now and let everyone hear how good your husband treats you." He said with a low groan, sending vibrations through your whole body, straight to your core.

It took you every inch of will power you had left, not to make a head start to that damn storage room down the hall. You could feel the wetness pool in your panties. 

Instead, you turned around in his embrace and slung your arms around his neck. Playing with the strands of his now almost salt and pepper hair, you got on your tiptoes, brushing his lips with your own. "I’ll be waiting for you at home, Daddy." It elected another groan out of Dieter, his eyes closed, probably imagining what he’d do to you later. 

You gave him another soft kiss, and caressed his cheek, running your finger down bis jawline. "I’d do something about that, if I were you." You smugly grinned at Dieter's noticeable bulge in his pants. "I’d be careful what to say, peach." He muttered into your ear. Oh, you couldn’t wait to get home.

Everyone had left the room by now, leaving the two of you behind. 

"I love you." you whispered, looking into his chocolate brown eyes. There was no more joking in your voice. No more teasing. 

"I love you too, baby." Dieter pressed his forehead against yours and his nose gently nudged against your own. "I love you." He repeated and closed the little gap between you. You smiled into the kiss, letting your hands wander from his soft tummy to his back.

"I can’t fucking wait to get home." Dieter grunted out between kisses. 

I had to include this Dieter picture because🥵

I have an update blog now, so follow @joelslegalwhrereads if you want to get updated when I post💗

taglist: @alexxavicry @snow30285 @queer_poncho (tell me if you want to be added to the taglist) 🖤 @mountsgirl (thank you for being the best bestie I could ask for🫶)

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#fluff #pedro pascal #dieter bravo x reader #dieter bravo x female reader #dieter bravo #the bubble #x reader #pedro pascal x reader #dieter bravo smut #dieter bravo x f!reader #dieter bravo fic #pedro pascal characters #pedro pascal character fanfic #pedro pascal fanfiction #pedro pascal x you #em's masterlist

[lainiespicewrites]

Someone to take her home

Hey guys so I wrote this a while ago! This is a Henry one shot it an OFC because I'll die on the self insert hill! LOL it gives me so much comfort. Is that weird IDK. Anyway this story is kind of heavy. I wrote this to get out some feelings about an SA that I had experienced. I've always been someone that if I'm stressed I rewrite the situation with a comforting outcome or a better outcome to release the stress or make myself feel better. I wanted to sort of write myself a way to get some comfort from the trauma. And I hope having a character like this sweet soft version of Henry may help some of you too. I never reached out for myself for help and maybe I should have but if you experienced something please talk to someone. If you need someone to talk to or just want a place to let it out my DM's are a safe space <3 Just as disclaimer this doesn't mention any of the actual situation that happened to me. Just a filler to get out the emotion. Still this is a fluff with lots of love and sweet gentle young Henry bc I just know in my soul this was and is how he is as a person!

Warnings: Light Cursing, Trauma, Mentions of sexual assault. (Please reach out for help even if it's just talking to someone about your situation. My DM's are open if y'all wanna talk after this <3)

Description: OFC goes to college party and meets Henry and they become fast friends. and he helps her when things turn bad with a guy he warned her about.

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I stared at myself in the mirror one more time. I needed to leave soon. If I looked any longer I would find something I hated and talk myself out of going. So I grabbed my bag and turned off my bedroom light. Nervous didn’t begin to describe how I was feeling. I’d never been to a party like this before. Sure I’d been out a few times in high school. But it was usually theater cast parties. And one time my friend and I stole some captain morgan from her parents liquor cabinet. But this was on an entirely different scale. 

Most of my drinking was a night in with the girls with wine or movie night drinking games. God I sound so boring. It’s not that I don’t enjoy partying. I was genuinely excited to be invited out tonight. Lilly and I had worked together for a few assignments in class. And we would say hi when we ran into each other in the dorms. But, I never expected to get a text this afternoon inviting me to her boyfriend's party. Purdue was an incredibly large campus. Upwards of 40,000 plus students. Yet somehow Lilly’s boyfriend Riley Hardesty seemed to know everyone. He was known for throwing huge parties all year. They weren’t exclusive. You could just be driving through the neighborhood and stop in.  But she told me a friend of  Riley’s had asked her about me. 

Matt Parker. I know of him. He’s in my English 204 lecture. But we’ve never talked. But he is really attractive. So maybe something good would come from all of this! I decided just to walk as my dorm wasn’t far from the house Riley and his roommates lived in. It was a cool night in mid october and I was definitely regretting the little black denim skirt I was wearing. I was smart enough to wear a cardigan but it was still cold. Thank God it's only 2 blocks down. I bit my lip nervously. Am I even going to know anyone here? Anyone I actually talk to? It’s too late now. I already got dressed and ready. I walked here. I have to go through with this. 

I took a deep breath and walked inside. Things were already full swing. I could hear the music outside before I even opened the door. No one seemed to notice me and honestly I was okay with that. I looked around scanning the room. Almost everyone had a drink in hand, standing around in groups talking. The smell of  pot hit me immediately as I started to walk through the house. I wasn’t  the least bit surprised. I made my way to the kitchen where I found multiple drinks, alcohol and mixers available. I kept it simple and grabbed a wine cooler. Something fruity. I was definitely going to need a buzz if I was going to be here longer than 5 minutes.

 I pushed my way out of the kitchen and found a quiet corner to drink and observe for a while. I was busy listening to some guys talk about last weekend's football game when I heard someone’s voice. And I realized they were talking to me. I shifted my eyes seeing a guy standing next to me. He was maybe 6’1, blue eyes, and brown hair with soft curls. I gave him a gentle smile,

“I’m sorry, what was that?” I asked. He smiled and chuckled softly. His smile was beautiful. 

“I uh, Just noticed your shirt. Are you a Def Leppard fan?” He asked. I looked down. I completely forgot that was the shirt I was wearing. I just thought a band t-shirt would look cute with the skirt. But

“Yeah! Well I know a few of their songs! My Mom was in her 20’s in the 80’s and she loved them!” I said. 

“She has good taste! They’re awesome! Are you here by yourself? Not trying to be creepy I just noticed you were by yourself over here and I wanted to make sure you were alright,” He rambled. I nodded.

“I look that out of place huh? Yeah, I um. I’m friends with Riley’s girlfriend. Well not friends necessarily. But I know her. Anyway she invited me because of some friend of Riley’s but I don’t know this isn’t normally my scene. Wow that was a lot,” I blushed. “Sorry,” I mumbled. 

“For?” He smiled, raising an eyebrow. “We’re talking. I like getting to know people! And I totally get it. This can kind of be a lot sometimes. I actually came with some friends but I needed to step away from all the crazy for a second. I’m Henry by the way.” He smiled, extending his hand. I took it and He squeezed mine softly. 

“Alayna!” I said. 

“It’s nice to meet you!” He smiled. “Which one of Riley’s friends? If you don't mind me asking,” He raised an eyebrow. 

“Matt Parker,” I said bluntly. “You know him,” Henry took a sip of his beer and nodded. 

“I do, He’s alright. We’re sort of friends I suppose. He may have good intentions. Listen, I know you don’t need my advice, but just be careful around him. I don’t know what you were expecting with him or hoping for. But he can be a little, well, if I had a daughter I wouldn’t trust him with her. But I could be wrong. I’m sorry, that was a bit much. I don't want to ruin your evening,” He said. 

“For?” I smirked copying his face from earlier. “You seem to have pure intentions. Just looking out for someone. That’s really kind of you actually. I honestly don't know what I was expecting. But I can handle myself. I didn’t really come out tonight for him. I wanted to actually let loose and have fun for once. I’ve been trying to have more adventures, meet new people, make new friends.” I smiled looking him in the eyes on that last part. He gave me a big smile and held out his beer bottle to cheers me. 

“To new friends,” He spoke and we clinked our bottles together. “I like you, I mean talking to you.” He said. 

“I like talking to you too! I was honestly super anxious about coming tonight. I was worried I’d be too anxious and awkward to have fun or it would be too much. Because this is a lot. I’m 100% sure I saw someone do coke off the kitchen counter. But I’m actually enjoying myself. Right now anyway.” I laughed. Henry chuckled. 

“Good! Well, I’m going to go find my friends but, what's your number? I’ll send you a text real quick and if you get overwhelmed or uncomfortable  or need to escape all of this for a bit come find me! Or text me. I’d be happy to be there for you.  And we can just chill out for a while.” I smiled and gave him my phone number. It was nice to meet someone as kind as Henry. You don’t meet a lot of people that… genuine and gentlemanly in places like this. He gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze before he walked off to find his friends. I wandered off to get another drink while I was standing in the kitchen waiting to grab another wine cooler. I felt someone lay their arm across my shoulder. 

“Hey gorgeous,” I recognized Matt’s voice. I gave him a soft smile. 

“Hi,” I spoke. 

“I’m glad you came tonight, You having a good time,” He asked, clearly buzzed. 

“Yeah,” I said tentatively “One hell of a party!” I laughed. 

“For sure!” He smiled and moved to the side of me taking his arm off my shoulder. “What are you drinking babe?” He asked. 

“Just Mike's lemonade.” I chuckled awkwardly. 

“Aw come on girl you can do something stronger than that huh?” He joked. I shook my head.

“I probably could but I’d rather not get sick.” I said. 

“Aw well come on at least do a shot with me?” He asked, giving me a puppy dog face and pouting. “Just tequila, we got training wheels!” He added. 

“I don’t know… I don’t wanna get too crazy,” I said. 

“Nah, it’ll be alright, it’ll just loosen you up a bit!” He spoke already pouring the shots. He slid one over to me. And a piece of lime. “Ready?” I picked up the shot and stared at it questioningly. 

“Alright,” He smiled. We clicked the glasses and hit them against the table before taking the shot. It was super bitter. I immediately followed it with the lime. But it didn’t help much. When I looked up again Matt had gotten me another Mike’s from the cooler.

“Atta girl!” He smirked. He took a step closer and I took the drink from him. Then I heard someone call his name from across the house. They were starting another game of beer pong. “That’s my que babe, but wait for me yeah? I’ll come back to you after this game!” He smirked and left a wet kiss on my cheek before running off to join the boys. 

Charming is certainly not a word I would use to describe him. But he’s nice. And he’s just trying to make sure I have fun. There’s no harm in that. I wandered around the party again. I opened up my new bottle and tossed the cap on a nearby coffee table. I thought about watching the beer pong game but I honestly wasn’t interested. I found the door leading to the backyard and saw there was a bonfire going. I stepped outside and found an empty seat by the fire. I watched it crackle for a bit and took a long sip of my drink. I felt a warmth inside me and knew it was coming from the alcohol. I started to relax as I listened to the fire and the white noise of the people chatting around me. It was a gorgeous night.

“Hey!” I heard a voice from behind me. “Funny meeting you out here!” Henry spoke, pulling up a chair next to me.

“Hey!” I said excitedly. “It’s calm out here. I like it!” I said. Henry smiled. 

“I do too, I love a good fire. Fuels the soul.” He half joked. 

“ I love the smell! Is that weird?” I laughed. 

“No,” He chuckled softly “Not at all! So, besides the band on that very cool shirt, What other music do you like?” Henry asked, leaning back in his chair and taking a long swig of his beer. 

“Oh all kinds. I’m a big lover of the stuff from the 70s though! Elton John, Heart, the Beatles, I guess they’re technically 60’s. I know it’s kind of old school but. I feel like they just don’t make music like that anymore.” I explained. 

“Classic! I like it,” He smiled. 

“What about you?” I asked. 

“Oh I’m all over the place too. I’m actually a big country fan!” He smirked. 

“I wouldn’t have expected that from you but I respect it. It’s not my favorite genre but there are definitely some good ones there!” I smiled. Henry and I chatted for a while. We talked about our majors. He's a history major. Where we’re from, he has an accent but I didn’t want to ask and be weird about it. He told me he’s from the UK. We talked about books, history and our friends. It was nice. A little while later I felt an arm around my shoulder again. I knew it was Matt. 

“There she is! Did you think I forgot about you babe?” He asked. 

“No,” I smiled blushing softly. He smiled. 

“Hey Henry! Are you having a good time, man?” He asked. Henry nodded and finished his beer. 

“Yeah! Actually I should go get another one. It was nice talking to you Alayna!” He smiled at me before he got up and left. I don’t know why but I could tell Henry wasn’t the biggest fan of Matt. He said they were friends earlier but I think he was just trying to be nice

I was shaken from the thought when I heard Matt’s voice again. 

“Hey, follow me!” He said enthusiastically. 

“Okay,” I smiled. I got up and followed him back inside. He led us upstairs and down the hall to what I assume was his room. 

“Too many people out there, I wanted to be alone with you,” He smiled. 

“That’s really sweet! It is pretty crowded.” I said. 

“Yeah,” He said blankly. “Are you enjoying the party?” He asked. 

“I am,” I said half telling the truth. I enjoyed talking to Henry. 

“God you’re so gorgeous,” He said. “I always want to talk to you in class but you always leave so quickly I never get the chance.” He said. 

“Thank you,” I blushed. 

“Can I kiss you?” He asked. I don’t know if I wanted it or if it was the alcohol but I nodded. He smirked and leaned in kissing me on the lips. It was gentle at first but then he quickly started using tongue. I felt kind of awkward. So I backed away. “Oh sorry, you okay?” he asked. 

“Yeah,” I lied. He just nodded and went back to kissing me. I kissed him back a bit but then I felt him start to feel me up. I froze. I really didn’t want that. He moved his hand under my shirt and I stopped him. 

“Uh Matt, I really don’t know about this.” I said nervously. He pulled back 

“It’s fine, nobody's gonna come in, don't worry about it.” He said and started kissing my neck. Oh god this sucks. 

“No I mean. I don’t… want to do this.” I stuttered. 

“Come on, it’ll be fun babe, it’ll be alright.” He kept feeling me up and continued kissing me. I felt stuck. He pushed himself against me, grinding into me. He moaned. I swallowed hard. Fuck, I really didn’t want this. 

“No, Matt, I really don’t want to.” I said again. 

“Shhh just go with it.” he said, shushing me. “You’ll enjoy it, I promise.” He said, sliding his hand under my skirt and rubbing his fingers against me. 

“No, stop Matt,” I said again, my voice quivering. He was definitely stronger than me. He used his other hand to take himself out of his shorts and he grabbed my hand putting it on him while he kept touching me, forcing his fingers inside. It hurt. I don’t know how but finally I found the strength to push him away from me. He stumbled back and fell against the bed and I ran out of the room. I could feel the tears stinging in my eyes already but I had to get out of this house. I quickly ran down the stairs and out the front door. Matt was pretty drunk so I don’t even think he tried to follow me. I walked a little way down the street and stopped letting out a sob. What the hell just happened. How did I let that happen? How could I have been stupid enough to trust him or follow him? I didn’t know what to do. I probably should have headed back to the dorm but I didn’t want to be alone right now. I took to my phone trying to think of who to talk to. 

I saw I had a text. It was Henry. “Hey it’s me! Henry I mean lol feel free to text me anytime.” I sent him a quick text taking a deep breath and trying to pull myself together. I didn’t want him to see me like this. I was so stupid. He tried to warn me. 

“Hey, it’s Alayna, where are you?” I sent it. To my surprise he responded almost immediately. 

“By the fire, You okay?” it read. 

“Would you wanna go on a walk with me?” I asked. There’s no way I could go back there. 

“Sure :) where are you?” 

“On the front sidewalk like 3 houses down toward campus.” 

“Be right there!” true to his word about 2 minutes later I saw him walking down the sidewalk toward me. 

“How are you?” He asked. 

“Good,” I nodded absentmindedly. 

“Were you leaving?” He asked.

I um,” I stuttered “Yeah, it was just… too much. I was gonna head home. I feel stupid I was just gonna walk home. I'll be fine, I’ll let you have fun. I don’t wanna interrupt your night.” I rambled. 

“No! Please do! I’d be happy to walk you home. Talking with you was the most fun I had tonight actually.” He stated simply. I smiled weakly.

“I’m glad.” I said. 

“Are you alright?” He asked me. I sighed trying not to get emotional. 

“Yeah, just a little overwhelmed and tired.” I lied. We walked in silence for a bit. I couldn’t believe how kind he was. The fact that he would leave his friends to walk me home. He was genuinely concerned about me. That feeling made me even more overwhelmed and finally after everything I could help but start crying. I felt like I had no control over my body as I started to sob. I felt my shoulders start to shake. Henry stopped and put his hands on my shoulders.

“Alayna what's wrong?” He asked me. I tried so hard to speak.

“He wouldn’t.. And I said… no, but he kept…” it all came out in broken sobs. Henry didn’t say anything. He just pulled me into him and hugged me tightly. After a few seconds. I started to calm down and tried to steady my breathing. 

“Shh it’s alright,  just breathe.” I heard him say. I slowed my breathing. “Did he touch you?” He asked gently, trying not to upset me again. I couldn’t speak, I just nodded. Henry went stiff. I looked up and saw his jaw was clenched. “Mother fucker,” He mumbled quietly under his breath. Then he spoke louder “Do you want to go talk to someone? Like report it?” He asked. Again his voice was gentle. I shook my head. 

“I can’t, I know I should but I really can’t, not now.” I said. He nodded. 

“Okay, well let's get you home.” He said. I started to walk again. Henry kept an arm around me as we walked. We were quiet the whole way there. He walked me all the way to the door. Wanting to make sure I got in okay.

“Thank you,” I said. But just as he turned to leave I grabbed his hand. “Wait, please don’t go.” I said, trying not to sound desperate. Not that I had the energy to care. 

“You want me to stay?” he asked. I nodded. 

“Yeah, no, I .. I don’t .. You don’t have to, I’ll be okay.” I said. 

“Hey,” He paused, grabbing my hand. “It’s okay, I don’t mind.” So I took off my shoes and slipped into the bathroom to change into some shorts. I laid in my bed and Henry sat next to me. “Do you want to watch something?” He asked. I nodded. And turned on my TV scrolling aimlessly. I stopped on some old 90’s sitcom. 

“Thank you, for staying,” I said. 

“You shouldn’t be alone right now. And I meant what I said. I had more fun talking to you tonight than with anyone else.” He smiled sympathetically. 

“I did too,” I said.  I sat up going to kiss him but he stopped me.

“Not tonight, darling. Believe me I would love to kiss you. But I think you’ll regret it later if you do this now. I like you. I’m not going anywhere. Let's take this slow. You’ve been through a lot tonight. I’ll still be here when you’re ready. But I think tonight you need to rest.” he said. The universe gave me Henry tonight. If I hadn’t ran into him. I’d have been alone after being sexually assaulted by a guy I barely know. Any other guy wouldn’t have treated me like him. He was so gentle and respectful. He was genuinely looking out for my best interest when he could’ve taken advantage of my vulnerability. I just nodded.

“I’m sorry that was stupid.” I sighed. 

“No, it wasn’t” he put his arm around me pulling me into his side and I naturally rested my head on his chest. “You don’t need to apologize. Try to get some rest.” He spoke gently. I could hear his heartbeat and my breath slowed to match the rhythm. Eventually so did he. I looked up to find him asleep with his arm still around me. I settled in snuggling into his side. All the noise around me slowly faded away and I finally got to rest, falling asleep in Henry’s arms.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That’s it you guys please let me know what you think. I love you all so much! You’ve shown my writing so much love 🥰

#henry cavill imagine #fanfic writing #henry cavill #captain syverson #henry cavill fanfic #henry cavill smut #Henry Cavill x ofc #captain syverson smut #sherlock holmes fanfiction #enola holmes #august walker fanfiction #august walker #captain Syverson fluff #mike hellraiser #henry cavil x reader #captain syverson x ofc #walter marshall #fanfiction #walter marshall fanfiction #Henry Cavill fanfiction #captain Syverson fan fiction

[gyuhanniescarat]

Mr. Perfect Face (fall-ing for you collab) | Wen Junhui | [teaser]

: ̗̀➛ summary: Not being one to indulge in the party life, you indeed know of the campus heartthrob and infamous frat boy Wen Junhui, but you don't know who Wen Junhui is. So, when your best friend and her sorority sister bring you along to a mixer, you're in for quite a treat when the most popular, stunning guy on campus with the perfect face and body appears to show a keen interest in you.

: ̗̀➛ pairing: fuckboy!junhui x naïve!virgin!fem!reader

: ̗̀➛ genre: suggestive (minors dni! — If you're not 18+, then see yourself to the door n let it kick you), university!au, goofy comedy, cheesy fluff, subtle flirting, non-mutual pining, slow burn

: ̗̀➛ rating: (M) 18+

: ̗̀➛ teaser warnings: frat and sorority life, loads of stereotypical fall time college activities, mentions of drinking/ alcohol consumption. any names of other idols are considered to be OC's/ face claims. (this teaser is actually vv mid, but eventual smut is to be easily expected)

: ̗̀➛ teaser wc: 1.7k (and some change — i was feeling rather generous)

💌 MESSAGE FROM JESSI: heyyyy yah cutie pie luvvies! this is my FIRST time writing a series, and my return to writing on kpopblr after 8 months!! forgive me if this whole thing turns out to be cringe... but my writing skills are a lil bit rusty. i've been crafting this one for a lil while now, so i'm really feeling hopeful about showing y'all this series.

a huge thanks to the svthub admins for hosting this seasonal collab!! i'm so excited to participate in this project!! and a massive thanks to my daeeun luvvie @daddyfordaeddy for creating this stunning, sexy, flawless, aesthetic junhui banner 💕

: ̗̀➛ this series is in conjunction with the @svthub fall-ing for you collab. if you are interested in reading the other fics which are apart of this fall collab (please do, my besties have created some amazing work) i will leave the full collab masterlist here.

: ̗̀➛ there is an official taglist for the fall collab, but let me know if you want to be added to the series taglist (send me an ask, send a DM, or comment).

: ̗̀➛ enjoy a little snippet of what's to come in part 1, under the cut

~ dni/support banner/divider credit @cafekitsune

“Ohh… come on, babe! It's just a friday night party. Please. Come on girlie. You need to get out of the dorms for once and live a little.” Your best friend and roommate says, trying to get you to go along with her new greatest plan.

It's only been around 2 months since the Fall semester began, and yet your best friend is already nagging you about your social life, or lack thereof. When you entered college, you’d been determined to get through the 4 years of your undergrad quietly, although that has most definitely not been the case. As a result of a few monstrous professors and their power hungry whack-ass policies, here you are, a 22 year old English major still sluggishly trying to finish your program and find your way into the “real world”.

“Just a ‘friday night party’? Really. You really think I'm gonna buy into that, Yuyu? When is it ever just a 'friday night party'? Be honest with yourself.” You scoff, slightly bitter to the out of the blue suggestion your best friend is implying.

See that's the thing. It's not like you're a fun hater or something, but despite your lifelong friendship with Yunjin, the one thing you don't understand is why showing up at some dumb ass frat and sorority party is so important to a young woman's social life.

“I'm being so serious about this, babe. It's just a little mixer. We can leave at any point if you're not enjoying it. But, I promise I won't even leave your side once. And I'm sure Zuha will stick right by your side too. Right, Zu?” Yunjin coos, eyes silently exchanging thoughts with her sorority sister standing in the corner. “Ohh… y-yeah, yeah… totally.” Kazuha slightly awkwardly replies.

When the two of you ventured off to college, Yunjin joined the Gamma Phi Beta sorority in her freshman year. She had initially tried to encourage you to rush with her during that very first Fall semester. But being raised by your rather strict parents who had always discouraged you from ever engaging in the party lifestyle, you had grown up to become a simple girl. So, upon your entrance to university, you elected to stick to extracurriculars befitting of an English major.

While on the other hand, Yunjin found herself assimilating into Greek life quite easily and possibly far too quickly. All the parties, activities, charity events, alumni dinners, and the found sisterhood encapsulated this new chapter of her life. And this part of her life is how the two of you came to welcome Kazuha into your inner circle.

“I-i don't know, Yuyu. You're just so freaking used to going to parties and stuff now, but I… I'm not really sure that I can fit into the party lifestyle now after a life of being the ‘goody goody’. What would people back home say of me? How would my mom and dad react to the idea of me, their shy, sweet daughter going to a party where alcohol is involved?” You ramble on, anxiety and hesitation settling into your bones.

“Yes, you can. You can totally fit into the party lifestyle, because you got me. And as your best friend since the diaper days, I'm not gonna let you just live life as a ‘WHO’S that girl’. Nah, my babe, people should be looking at you and wondering ‘who’s THAT girl'. It's our college years now!” Yunjin counters, emphasizing her desire to see you start thriving in your young adult life, “And who cares what your parents or anyone back home thinks of you. It's YOUR life and you should live it the way you want.”

Should you? Yunjin has a point. You are an adult now, and your decisions are now your decisions. It would be nice to dip your toes into a life you’ve never known and finally experience what all the other girls your age have long been doing.

“I- Yuyu, you and Zuha are the popular sorority girls and pretty artistic major girls. I wouldn't even know where to begin. I mean look at me... I’m just some plain non-attractive girl that's an English major. What would I do at a party?” You ponder, sighing as you significantly degrade your worth in the process.

“Y/n, what are you talking about? I will not have my bestie slander herself like that. Nuh uh. No self-deprecating, only self-love and positive vibes allowed in this space right now, babe.” Yunjin lightly scolds, walking over from her bed on the other side of the room and sitting down beside you. “Now, we are going to go out, enjoy a little partying, maybe some flirting with hot guys, and live our best lives, okay? Because we're young, and besides, don't you wanna be able to look back on your 20s and say you have no regrets?” Yunjin tries to reason with you, grabbing your hands as she graces you with her signature pout.

Returning her pleading pout with an angry, grimacing pout and dagger eyes, you snappingly respond, “B-but why? Huh? WHY?! What exactly have you got up your mischievous sleeve, Yuyu? Why do you want me to go to a fucking frat and sorority party so bad? Tell me. I'm not even a sorority member. What? Have you forgotten all the party horror stories you used to share back in our teens? And don't you remember what happened at the blacklight party in the middle of junior year? I was so fucking flustered and inexperienced with boys that I vomited on Sunghoon’s shoes.”

“Yeah, I know babe. But that was high school.” Yunjin interjects. Sure. It was a horrific high school memory that still haunts you to this day. “Yuyu, that was the most embarrassing moment of my entire life thus far. Give me one good reason. Just one good reason why I should go with you and Zuha to the graffiti party tonight. Why should I get all dolled up just to end up spending my Friday night at some dumb ass frat house with you, getting caught up in a sea of sweaty, wild, drunk-off-their-ass upperclassmen? What's so fun about putting in a copious effort to look cute and hot just to go home with some pretentious fuckboy frat bro?” You argue, laying back and squeezing the life out of your fluffy throw pillow.

Kazuha looks at Yunjin with a face full of confusion. “W-wait… you haven't told her yet, Jen? Junhui, he—” Kazuha questions, wondering why her ‘big’ sister hasn't explained the reason she's so determined to get you to the party. “Just tell Y/n about what Junhui said to you earlier outside the sorority house.”

Junhui? As in… Wen Junhui?! The most popular guy on campus. Wen Junhui, the biggest heartthrob of the Sigma Chi fraternity?! Wen Junhui, the charming performing arts major who everyone predicts could very well become an idol? THAT Junhui?

“Wen Junhui?! Wh-w… what did he say, Yuyu? Did he ask you to be his plus one to the graffiti party tonight?” You sputter in disbelief, words coming out almost like 100 miles per minute. Rather than respond to the onslaught of interrogative questions that's being thrown her way, Yunjin stands up and walks across the room, going towards her 'little' Kazuha. The two girls now silently exchange suspicious looks, as if they're having a conversation that you're not privy to hear.

Normally, you can pick up enough on the unspoken context and vibes from your best friend's facial expressions and body language. But, it seems at this very moment you can't even read your best friend of 15 years at all. What she's thinking about is beyond you at this point. Hell, now that you’ve linked her to Junhui, she could be in a string of deep thought contemplating all the discreet methods she could apply to freaking murder you in your sleep tonight, and you would have no damn clue.

“Ughh… Yes, bestie. That Junhui. The one and only Junhui in the Performing Arts program that's majoring in the departments of Practical Dance and Music. And no, you little brat! It wasn't me that he was asking about. Actually, funny enough, he wasn't even asking about any of the girls in the sorority at all.” Yunjin scoffs, arms folded and crossed over her chest, her hazel doe eyes narrowing as her piercing glare locks in on you.

“She's not lying, y/n. Jen really meant it when she said Junhui didn't ask her about any of the girls in our sorority.” Kazuha clarifies, embracing you by sitting down in the empty space on your bed and holding your hands out.

Still riddled with an overwhelming sense of shock and disbelief, your ever curious mind can't stop itself from asking the deepest burning question plaguing your current thought process, “So, i-if he wasn't looking to invite you, Yuyu, or one of the other girls in your guy's sorority… then, who… who was Junhui asking about?”

Over in the other corner, perched on her bed, back resting against the wall under the window, Yunjin snorts, her facial expressions hardening as her eyebrows snap together. The look she gives you is that of sarcasm. Suddenly, she reaches towards her nightstand and grabs her phone. Without a single word, but a very intimidating and compelling gaze in Kazuha's direction, Zuha scrambles to take the phone from Yunjin. Opening what appears to be kakaotalk chat logs, Kazuha moves closer to show you the screen.

“You. Fucking hell. It's you, y/n. Wen Junhui wasn't asking Jen or I about any of the sorority sisters. He asked both of us about you, y/n. Junhui personally inquired about you. He really really wants you to come to the graffiti party tonight, y/n.” Kazuha explains, passing the phone over to you.

You? Pfft. Yeah right. Not a chance. Wen Junhui asking about you? THE Wen Junhui asking Yunjin and Kazuha about you? If this is some kind of sick joke concocted by the older Gamma Phi Beta girls, you won't be forgiving at all.

“Wen Junhui… THE Wen Junhui asking not about someone else, Pfft. Nice try there, but that's the funniest shit i’ve ever heard. Come on, Yuyu. Seriously, Zuha? Wen Junhui personally asked you two about me going to a mixer when I've barely spoken more than two words to him in the span of a month. Yeah right.”

m.masterlist • svt masterlist • navi

apply to join my permanent taglist here (⁠◠⁠ᴥ⁠◕⁠ʋ⁠)

༶•┈┈୨ reblogs/feedback are always greatly appreciated ୧┈┈•༶

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© gyuhanniescarat | 2023 - all rights reserved. Reposting/Modifying of any fic, scenario, drabble, reaction or piece of original writings posted on this blog is not allowed. Translations not allowed.

#svthub #svthub.collab #kvanity #ksmutsociety #svt series #seventeen series #svt fic #seventeen fic #seventeen au #svt au #jun fic #junhui fic #junhui fluff #junhui smut #junhui angst #jun x reader #jun x y/n #seventeen imagines #svt imagines #junhui scenarios #junhui imagines #svt fluff #svt smut #svt angst #seventeen fluff #seventeen smut #seventeen angst #gyuhannie writes #gyuhannie.txt #jessi.txt

[schlatt-love-bot]

Chuckle Diner (Prologue)

so, i've been a little influenced by my current obsession with bistro huddy on tiktok as well as a few ideas i've seen floating around here on tumblr of executive chef!schlatt x hostess!reader, and thus chuckle diner was born. this is simply the prologue—the first chapter i'm hoping to post some time this weekend!! enjoy, and let me know your thoughts below~

Moving to a new city was never easy, especially when you just up and left your old life behind. Fresh starts were exciting to you—you enjoy the thrill of meeting new people, making new connections, and the idea of starting over again—but no one warned you before you left your small town two states over how hard it would be to adjust to life when you had little to no money left in your savings. 

“I don’t know, man. I just thought things would click for me when I left home. I thought the puzzle pieces would start fitting into place, that life would get easier.” You sighed, sipping the last few drops of your drink before putting the empty glass back on the bar and turning to the patron beside you. 

“Well, I think you’re just not putting in the effort to make things better. Have you even considered starting to look for any jobs around here, (Y/N)? I can’t keep supplying you with free drinks forever.” Charlie let out a chuckle before signaling to the bar tender to serve you both one more drink and then to give him his tab. Charlie was one of the first people you met in this small town, at this exact bar where you two sat now. He was one of the only people in the place to go out of his way to talk to you—and not just outright flirt with you like the other fine specimens in the joint had done. Needless to say the two of you hit it off, and you’ve made a pact with him to meet at the bar at least once a week to check in and see how one another is doing. 

“Well…I haven’t exactly started…it’s just hard! I’m not really qualified for much, I just barely graduated high school, and I never went off to college…” Your voice trailed off, while Charlie shook his head. 

“You know, this diner down the way is actually looking to hire, I’m a regular there since a couple of my other friends work there. Maybe you can apply there!” He says, a glimmer of hope in his eyes as you take a moment to consider his proposal. 

“A diner Charlie? Really? I’m not fit to be in the kitchen, and I’m not the most coordinated person in the world so being a server is definitely out.” You said, looking at him with disappointment. 

“Good thing for you the position they're looking to fill is for a hostess, and they’re in desperate need. Swing by tomorrow morning and I can guarantee you’ll be getting yourself a job.” He says, finding a pen and a scrap piece of paper on the edge of the bar to write down the location of this diner before sliding it over to you, finishing his drink, and leaving you to ponder. 

Chuckle Diner, you read in your mind. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to give it a chance in the morning. 

__________________________________________________________

prologue complete! let me know what y'all think!! i'm really excited about the potential this series has!

#schlatt #jschlatt #jschlatt x reader #schlatt x reader #jschlatt x you #schlatt fanfic #schlatt fic #schlatt x y/n #schlatt x you #jschlatt x y/n #chuckle sandwich #chuckle sandwich x reader #charlie slimecicle #ted nivison #ted nivision x reader

[adventuringblind]

Ghoulverse Headcannons

I've been getting a lot of interest in this idea and am planning on writing something here soon. Worldbuilding in this format tends to be tricky, so I thought I'd give y'all some more information!

If you could all give me some ideas of what you'd like to see or questions you might have, it would really help me out. I love this little universe, and I'm excited to share it!

I'm not begging (yes, I am). I'm just asking for some ideas or starting points, I guess. I might do driver headcannons as well because each one is so unique and have different quirks and things I'd like to expand on.

Also! If you want a better picture of how I picture the ghoul drivers, I've started tagging them specifically on my page.

Anything ghoulverse related: ghoulverse

Specific driver related: driversfullname.ghoulverse (e.g. oscarpiastri.ghoulverse)

If you've read my A03 fic (which has three chapters left and im sad about it), then you already know some of the background behind this. I've flushed out more things since then!

Headcannons under the cut!

All of them get self-conscious while looking human. They only look human when it's absolutely neccecary.

If a ghoul is mated to another ghoul, it's easier not to be overprotective because they are both terribly strong and can fend for themselves. On the other side, if a ghould is mated to a human, then beware! Scary guard dog privileges, litteral growling, territorial instincts, anything that could put you in danger is now suspect.

They don't nest because they don't need to. However, that doesn't mean they don't require their own space. Younger tribe memeber are capable of sharing a room with someone they are close to. Olders are more demanding and particularl about the spaces they feel comfortable it. Housemates are fine as long as they have their own room.

GROOMING! These monsters are actually just really big dogs. They growl and purr and whine and wrestle with each other for fun. They don't lick themselves clean. It's actually more intimate than that and a right reserved for a select few. Some ghouls have soft tails that need to be combed, and others have scales that get dry and need to be pulled off. Spikes fall off and grow back but need to be cleaned.

Horns, tails, and other features are each unique to the ghoul. Some have antler horns, and others have ram horns, etc. Aside from the royals, who all look unique still, they share similar traits nobody else has. They are the lucky few that have wings and crowned horns.

HORNS ARE SENSITIVE. They have the most nerve endings. No one gets to touch unless given very explicit permission. The most intimate gesture amongst the ghouls.

Specific abilities are unique to the ghouls aside from strength (breaking human bones and all).

Their senses are dialed up to 12 and makes for easy overstimulation. Some ghouls possess abilities based on a sense, like being able to hear at a 20. Ghouls with an upped sense of smell are the only ones that can decipher person specific scents and smell emotions.

Mates can smell each other in specific smells as well, but not in an emotional way. They just have a sixth sense for each other and know when something is going on, maybe a hint of pain or an extreme emotion of some kind that alerts the other. Not just when they are upset but also happy pangs.

Speaking of mating, it works like a soul mate. Once you meet them, it physically hurts to be without them. I've called it a 'mating call', but it sounds so corny that I might change it. (Suggestions appreciated)

Yes, bite marks are for mating. No, it doesn't work like ABO. Ghouls don't have scent glands and purposely bite each other on the clavicle. It satisfies instincts, helps that sixth sense, and protects each other. For humans, it's also a means of protection. Mated to a ghoul? You're off.limits now for any purpose.

Yes, they are still drivers in my head. They just keep it hidden. Their strength helps in certain areas.

Ghouls bleed black instead of red. Their blood is a tad bit thicker, and they don't need it to sustain life. It's a necessity for energy but can live without (albeit with great difficulty).

WEAKNESS TO FIRE. Fire rips them to pieces. Their skin burns quickly and takes hours to shed to get even a semblance of peace. Water doesn't help much, and burn cream helps side effects like itchiness but won't help heal the wound.

Burning horns is the worst kind of physical pain a ghoul can be in. Horns grow back, but it takes a long time. Ghoul often give each other a piece of their horn to symbolize affection and protection.

Tribes are interesting. I've not figured this out yet, but I'm getting there. Tribe bonds go deeper than blood. They are a secondary family to the immediate family. Some members don't have immediate family and the tribe acts as that for them.

Again, NOT ABO. It goes based on personality who falls naturally into what roles. Most ghouls hate doing any kind of hunting. It's up to the leaders to work out how they will provide for tribe members.

Okay, rant over.

Would love to see what y'all want to know more about! Send me questions or ideas! It makes me so happy to talk about it that I get jittery while typing!

#x reader #f1 fic #formula 1 #fanficion #f1 fanfic #racing #max verstappen #charles leclerc x reader #ghoulverse #max verstappen x reader #max verstappen f1 #lando norris x reader #lando norris #lando norris f1 #oscar piastri f1 #oscar piastri x reader #oscar piastri #charles leclerc #charles leclerc f1 #daniel ricciardo x reader #daniel ricciardo #carlos sainz x reader #carlos sainz #carlos sainz f1 #logan sargeant #logan sargeant x reader #sebastian vettel #sebastian vettel x reader #lewis hamilton f1 #lewis hamilton x reader

[atalossofwords]

YOU TASTE THE SILVER - IvanTill WIP (PART 1)

Hi y'all. The brainrot took me with no warning, and I've written 5k for these two just the last two days. I've no idea how much I'll write, but I'm going to squeeze the serotonin for as long as I can lmao

Anyhow, this is a streamer/actor AU that somehow evolved into a sugar daddy AU. Till is a streamer, and Ivan is a famous actor who found him when he was a small streamer and fell in love; he's been sending donations for a good while now, but they've never communicated outside of it.

Until Till opens his PO box and Ivan's need to spoil Till is too much, at least. Then all bets are off, and Till finally starts thinking more about the stranger who keeps sending him gifts. I have a basic outline for it all, but I'm going with vibes first, since I mostly just want to write them and torture Ivan.

I'm going to be posts little snippets of what I've writer so far over the next few days, so please don't be afraid to come to my inbox to ask about them!

This was inspired by this fic! Check it out!

Till wasn't the most famous streamer there was. Not anything near that, actually, though he thinks he does well enough.

He has an established fanbase, almost 500k of them, he's sold some merchandise and collabed with some pretty nice people. He likes streaming, varying between his songwriting and recording processes and any new video game that catches his fancy.

When he started, he didn't think he'd do this for a living. He probably wouldn't be able to afford it, being a struggling musician as he was, for once.

He couldn't blame his comfortable living situation solely on one person, no, since that would be incredibly inconsiderate of the rest of his fans, but this one Navi person definitely funded Till's move from his old apartment mostly by themselves.

Case in point.

NAVI (TILL'S ATM) DONATED $100: Hyung, how's the new house?

Till reads the donation out loud, ignoring his chat going a little crazy over Navi's donation. By now, Till is used to Navi only ever sending messages through donations. He'd be so flustered, in the beginning, and worried enough he almost disabled them. Luckily Hyuna talked him out of it.

"It's going well. As everyone can see, my studio isn't done yet," he says, gesturing behind himself into the empty expanse of freshly painted wall. At least he'd painted it black already. "but the rest is going okay. I'm really sorry for the week I had to take off, everyone."

He quickly scams the chat, his heart feeling warm as all the people watching rush to reassure him that it's not a problem, he should take care of himself, and how glad they are he managed to move from his shitty rented apartment.

"Actually, I have some news for you all." He scratches his neck, a nervous habit, and looks to the side. Hyuna convinced him to do this, so he knows it's something streamers do, but he can't help being anxious about it. "Since I moved, and this place needs some decorations, I was thinking of opening a PO box and doing an... what's it called? Unboxing?"

The chat is going crazy, he can barely keep up, oh god. He feels his cheeks heat.

"An unboxing live and then decorate my stream setup with some stuff I get. Would you guys like that?"

His chat is a mess of "yeses" and incoherent screams, and Till can't help but smile a little. He's got to say, he's looking forward to this.

The following weeks are a bit of a mess. He streams less than normal, still setting up his new apartment; he goes with Hyuna to buy electronics she swears will make his streaming better.

Dewey, his brother, goes with him to buy a new shelving unit and help him set up all his new furniture. Isaac is strangely fixated on saying Till needs rugs and other things, otherwise his apartment is "just a place, not a home, bro", apparently.

He checks in with his PO box frequently, each day more excited by all the packages he got. After two weeks he announces on twitter he'll be closing the PO box in a week since he wants to be able to open all the gifts on stream and he's already got a good amount of them.

The day after his announcement, he goes to pick up any new packages to store in his living room since he doesn't want to burden the office workers and finds a package that makes his stomach twist in itself.

It's a large box, clearly packed by hand instead of the usual post-service stamps. And it has a large sticker reading "FROM: NAVI" on it.

Till doubts anyone would use the name to get his attention, since he does treat all his viewers equally, so this really is from Navi. He wonders what is in it, since Navi clearly has money to spare and intends to spend it on Till.

"It's probably a maid dress." Hyua says, helping him lug it all to his apartment.

"It's not!" He splutters, mortified. Hyuna raises an incredulous eyebrow. "It's probably snacks, or something like that. Navi's said they travel a lot." That, somehow, just makes the eyebrow twitch higher.

"You remember what your viewers say?" She asks, hip-checking his door open. He follows, frowning a little. He always remembers what his viewers say.

Navi, obviously, since they only talk in donations, but also a few other regulars. Kirby has an older sister they're sharing the computer with; Siren started learning the guitar because of Till, and is doing well for himself; Jaewoon – with the username Till's Merch Overlord – draws and is currently suffering through art university, BonBon who has a one-year-old and listens to Till while doing his household chores.

"Yeah? I mean, there's only so many people who regularly chat. And out of those, a good part are my mods." He says, shrugging. He knows Hyuna pays someone to mod for her, but Till didn't think he'd need a mod, since he never expected to get so many views. He kept going without mods for so long that the most active members of the community ended up auto-modding the rest, at which point Till just reached out and asked if they wanted to mod, and now he pays them for it because he felt bad otherwise.

(Of course, Navi isn't a mod. They'd fit Till's criteria, but they never chatted normally, so it was kind of hard to ask.)

"Aaah, you're just too wholesome, heartbreaker." Hyuna says, sighing, the old nickname that still makes Till confused coming out with a teasing lilt. She waves him off before he can say anything, though, plopping the box on the couch and grinning at Dewey. "Hey, this one you'll definitely want to check!"

Till rolls his eyes as his brother 'oohs' and 'aahs' over the package, Isaac peering over with a pocket knife ready to pry it open. When Till mentioned opening a PO box, he insisted on checking the gifts beforehand, just to make sure they were all stream-appropriate and, most importantly, not dangerous for Till.

He was grateful his brother cared, but he was less amused by the teasing and hint-dropping they'd been doing over the content of the packages. He leaves them to it, moving to the kitchen to get some much-needed coffee.

Looks like Isaac bought bungeo-ppang, so Till fills a mug and picks one, nibbling at it and looking into his fridge. He should go buy more food, but there's a seven-eleven right across his street, so he almost never bothers stocking up. He does need to get more tea, though, since he dislikes drinking water, and for reasons unknown, his chat enjoys it when he drinks on-stream.

He finishes updating his list and walks back to the living room, where Dewey has already closed the package back up, but is holding a small parcel in his hand, frowning. Hyuna looks over as he approaches, a complicated expression on her face.

"The rest of the package is fine to open on-stream, but I think this one might be best off-stream." She says, and the lack of any teasing or barb makes him worried. She must've read that in his expression, because she grins. "Do you happen to know why this Navi person likes you so much? I wouldn't mind getting some of these myself."

Till can't help but scowl, snatching the parcel from Dewey's hands. He doesn't know Navi, not really, but they're still one of his first viewers, and they do kind of give Till a lot of money.

"Keep your hands away from my viewers, hag." He has to move fast to escape her grab, which soon develops into a little keep-away with the parcel, soon ending up with Dewey on the ground howling with laughter as Isaac tries to haul Hyuna off him, curled on himself on the ground to keep the parcel to himself.

"Ugh, you brat! Just open it!!" She exclaims, sitting down on Dewey's lap, making the older man yelp. Till huffs, but sits up to analyse the gift.

It seems to be an envelope, like many of the letters he got, but there was something inside of it, making it weirdly bulky. Till folds it open, tipping the envelope so whatever it is can fall on his open hand, and stares.

There is a pair of... earrings, on his hand.

Diamond earrings, to be precise.

That the fuck.

Till stares at it, then peers inside the envelope. Nothing weird falls out, like a damned credit card or pure gold, but a little recipe with the return address of a high-class jewellery store makes itself known. The rest of the envelope contains a certification for the damned diamonds.

Till curls up back again, head in his hands, groaning. His face is so hot you could cook an egg in it.

Navi got him diamond piercings because Till complained once, months ago, that he wanted to switch out his piercings but didn't have the money for it.

"C'mon Till! You didn't tell me you had a sugar daddy!" Hyuna jeers, and from the hiss and yelp, Dewey just dropped her. The sound of them bickering – Hyuna insisting this Navi person has to be after Till's virtue, and Dewey being insulted by the thought of someone going after his little brother like that, plus Isaac googling the store to throw fuel on the fire – is enough to distract Till form his own freakout.

He sits back up, his face still red, to study the piercings better. There are six items in total. One is a simple diamond stud, a tiny and delicate stone, probably for his second hole. A pair of bigger stones, with four elongated asymmetrical spikes, making it look like a shining star, probably for his first hole. One's a series of round stones inlaid together in a belt, forming a hoop, for his helix piercing. The final ones are two silver loops, delicate and silver, for his double auricle piercing.

He thinks if he puts any of those on, he's going to spontaneously combust.

(Later that night, after Hyuna and Isaac went home and Dewey crashed on his couch, Till locks his bedroom door and tries them on. The pair of star-shaped earrings go on both ears, the tiny stud on his left, alongside the helix, which he takes a while to get on since it is so finicky, he pierced it himself with a safety pin in high school. The hoops go on his right, looking a little lonely with just the earring, remembering Till that he really wishes he had money to get a constellation on that ear.

He's wearing a simple white shirt, ready for bed, that slips off his shoulder to show off the simple moon covered by clouds on his clavicle, clashing with the TILL tattoo he has over his neck. He turns this way and that, watching the diamonds shine, and feels almost bad for using them.

Why did Navi send this to him? What did Till do, to deserve something as delicate as this? He's not the kindest of people, he's kind of an asshole actually, all shouting and side eyes. He's not the kind of guy that can properly appreciate such nice jewellery, not the kind of person that should be appreciated like this.

Still. The diamond shines against his skin, the silver compliments his white hair. He takes most of them off, only keeping the simple snake bites. He doesn't want to somehow dirty up the diamonds.)

part two

#writing #wip #ivantill #alien stage

[adecila]

alice are you on a tumblr break? hope all is well 🫶🏻

Thank you for checking in, that's actually very sweet of you 🫶

I'm not necessarily on a tumblr break, it's sorta just happened as I'm more on a break from most things in my life if I'm being completely honest. Currently dealing with some high-level things at my job, so things are a bit insane right now. I'm working most weekends, and the rare off day I get, I just try to rest as much as I can. I'd take a screenshot of my Outlook calendar if it wasn't confidential because I literally have days where I'm just jumping from one meeting to another, with barely any time to eat my lunch (unless the lunch itself becomes a business lunch lmaooo). And the no-meeting days are for doing the "actual" work and catching up on the emails I couldn't read because of the meetings. It's gotten to a point where I feel like January was 8 weeks long 😩

If I get some me time, I usually just scroll through reels on Instagram. Everything else just feels like a lot of effort. It doesn't help that I've been pretty sick in December and January, so it feels like every other week I'm dealing with a cold, some sort of bug, or PMS/period.

I should be getting a bit of a break soon(ish). I can't say more since it doesn't depend on me alone (I was given 3 different dates so far lmao). But I know you're all eager for more FTC. I miss them too 🫠

So yeah... it's just impossible to do any writing at the moment. I'm really sorry for keeping y'all waiting. Trust me, I feel plenty of guilt and anxiety over it 🙃 No one feels worse about it than I do at this point.

Sorry for the long reply 😭. I finally got around to checking my tumblr notifications and your message made me realise I haven't posted/reblogged anything in a while. What is time even...

As I'm reading this back, it's giving corporate Barbie on the brink of burnout, but I have to say that it's actually the opposite. While it is pretty intense at time, it's pretty fucking amazing and exciting 😂 I really love my job, and what I'm doing now is a pretty rare opportunity so I feel very lucky to be part of this thing. I hope you can understand 🥹💖

#alice has mail #thank you so much again for your kindness 💞 it made me feel very appreciated tbh

[lincolndjarin]

what i've been up to and what's coming up:

ok ok ok so my break is actually over now.

i'm back in the full swing of things, and have been working towards very seriously writing my novel. but my break ran a little long so here's a small little updated list of my fic plans:

oh honey's final chapter will be posted soon, that's where my priorities are but i need to reread the last chapter to refresh my memory since it's been a while

i have a husbannd!joel x reader one shot in the works

i plan to go back through bks and do a full edit now that it's done

i have the two series that i have teased for january (most likely first week of february for those, apologies)

and i started working on that short horror anthology with pedro characters a while back so that will also be out soon

i'm certain there will be more but for now thats the plan, in this new year i'm hoping to do weekly updates, alternating between the two fics i have planned but that's subject to change.

in less interesting news here's what i've been doing in my time away:

to be completely honest it's been a whole lot of nothing. i buried myself in writing from the day i started bks until it ended. all my free time was devoted to writing and i never really took a second to step back from that. and i wouldn't change a thing, i absolutely adore writing and i'm extremely proud of what i wrote but i didn't make time for anything else in those months.

i did end up writing on several occasions, whenever i had an idea i was worried about losing i would take a day to write it out but that was it.

i was in a little slump for a while and eventually realized i've just needed some sort of creative outlet besides my writing, that outlet used to be dnd. but all my friends i used to play with are now spread out across the state so that isn't really an option anymore.

so i got my dosage upped and starting playing baulders gate and i gotta be honest, it worked lmaooooo

i'm doing a lot better, i feel better, i'm excited to start writing again because i love doing it. so thank y'all so much, and i can't wait to keep making things. <3

#lincolndjarin

[abalonetea]

I was just wondering kinda what your process for novel writing is? Please don't feel like you have to answer or spend any time or anything answering!

Hi hi! Sorry this took so long to answer, the month has been crazy busy and flown by just like that! I've super been looking forward to answering this, though!

My process is actually pretty straight forward! When I get an idea, I write it down as a concept, usually one paragraph that just sums up the basic thought. I share a lot of these on Patreon, just as a side note! Then, when one of the concepts is a Big Enough Thought that I can't stop thinking about it, it gets pulled into its own file!

At this point, it becomes an outline! I use a bullet point method, breaking down all of the things I want to happen in the novel. Sometimes, I get super excited and will even have bullet-point conversations included, or set lines of description I come up with as I outline it!

Then the writing process starts! For shorter novels (25k-40k) I write them in a chronological order, starting with the first bullet point in the outline and working my way through. For longer stories (like Abyss, sitting at 115k right now), I pick whatever section of the outline I think sounds interesting at the time and that's where I start writing.

Now, for me the big key is that I don't start talking about it on tumblr until it's got at least 10k written for it. Otherwise, I would be throwing new characters up every five hours and y'all would never hear about them again, ever. So, once it hits about 10k, then I'm free to post whatever.

Another key for me is that while I have one Main Story I'm actively trying to complete, I let myself write down scenes and chapters out of other stories. This keeps me from getting super antsy if I hit a block. So, let's say I'm actively working my way through writing The Possession of Joshua Roe. I get an idea for a new crime thriller, I write down the idea and the outline and maybe even a chapter or two. Then I jump back to TPJR!

Once the first draft is finished, I let the book sit for at least three months. Not only does this give me time to get those New Idea Jitters out and do some fun project hopping, but by the time the three months is up, the idea feels fresh again!

So, I'll jump back in and start reading at chapter one, writing as I go. Sometimes, I'll only add about 1k or 2k words to the draft. Other times, I'll add entire chapters. (I Drowned In The Summer of 85 had 20k words added at this phase!) Then, I let it sit again. Usually for another month or so, and jump back in for another round. The focus of this round is the copyediting, so grammar and punctuation and the like. By the time I finish this third read through, I'll know whether the draft is complete or not.

If it's complete, I move on to making steps toward publishing. If it's not, then I wait a month, add in what needs to be added, and then do another round of copy editing on it!

Any novel that starts feeling like a real deal gets its own playlist! I listen to the playlist most of the time I'm writing for that book!

[skysometric]

why, thank you for asking! i've been thinking it through for the last few days, i just wanted to make sure my answer was all written and ready to go first. all... checks notes... 4,000 words of it.

ICYMI, last week i sent asks to a bunch of my friends with a simple question: "what's your favorite game you played this year?" as i hoped, y'all gave a bunch of EXCELLENT answers, all of which i reblogged on my side blog @autumatically! (if you didn't get an ask like this and you want to join in, ping me – i sent too many asks to keep track of and i probably just forgot to send one your way!)

of course i wanted to answer this myself, but i wanted to write about more than just one game! and when i sat down to write, i just kept going, and going, and going...

so we're splitting this up! every day this week, i'll be counting down my top 5 games that i played in 2023. not all of these are games that i've streamed, and only one of them has shown up on anyone else's lists so far, so i'm really excited to reminisce and share my experiences this year 💖

maybe you'll even find a new game to try out? i'm certainly really excited to dig through y'alls lists and try some of the ones i missed out on this year!

to kick things off, let's start with:

Honorable Mentions

two games came out this year that i would probably put in my top 5, no competition. so why didn't i? because i didn't actually play them!

see, as much as i love to play video games, oftentimes i also like to watch them just as much. this has always been great for games that i never intended to play in the first place, like the Final Fantasies and Fortnites of our day… but lately it's also let me take turns with my partner on who plays which new releases.

in fact, for both of the games i'm about to list, i watched my partner play them in full and i've watched no less than two separate people stream them as well. which means, with all that oversaturation, it's probably gonna be a while before i play them myself…

either way! here's my top two games that i didn't play in 2023.

Pizza Tower

this one likely needs no introduction! Wario Land 4 is one of my favorite games of all time, and the way Pizza Tower extends those basic concepts is a masterclass of game design. the moveset is perfectly geared toward accessible speed tech, the level layouts are top notch, the different forms are unique and funny, the art style is GORGEOUS, the combo system adds incredible replay value and pushes the player to their limits…

honestly the only thing stopping me from playing this right now is that the levels are too fresh in my mind, and i'd like a little time to let those memories fade before i dive back in and experience everything in a wave of nostalgia. seeing so much of the game already was totally worth it, though – i had the distinct pleasure of watching my partner learn how to P Rank most of the levels, and the simple joy of watching her build up her skills is one of my standout memories of 2023. proud of you, love!

god, Pizza Tower is a perfect slice of video game. i can't WAIT to play it myself!

Super Mario RPG

as a young kid, i always wanted a physical copy of this game. i could never justify it, though, because i already owned it on Wii Virtual Console, and it was one of the more expensive SNES games i had my eye on… a whole $40 in 2007 money! fast forward to the modern day, and not only do i no longer have easy access to that old Wii copy, but a physical cart now goes for like $90???

blessedly, along comes the Switch remake. i still can't believe this exists – it's a perfect remake in every way, shape, and form! the sprite-based animations are lovingly recreated, the battle system is rebalanced in fun ways, and the music is PERFECTLY re-arranged. even the dialog, which i expected to be completely retranslated… it's smoothed over, but mostly unchanged! the original game's unabashed weirdness and charm is fully intact, and i did NOT expect that out of modern Nintendo.

this is one that i didn't mind watching others play; Super Mario RPG is all about the vibe, and this remake captures that vibe perfectly. i'm excited to play it myself once it's had time to settle! but, for now, i'm perfectly content just vibing with others~

#gaming #writing #top 5 games 2023 #pizza tower #super mario rpg #2023 year in review

[beautifulpersonpeach]

YES! BPP! YES! I KNEW YOU'D SHARE MY EXCITEMENT!!!! I don't know anyone in real life who is an army and shares my love for BTS' music and story, so it's so awesome to see a fellow enthusiast gush over such a stellar magnificent artist!!! Yoongi looks so in the zone on the stage. Like he can finally breathe again, like he has found himself again, like he is finding the meaning of his life over and over again. He looks so at home. It's mind boggling how at ease he is in front of 15k(?) ppl?? +

*

Ask 2: His command of the stage, much less the audience and his music, is impeccable. "Electric" is definitely the word for it. I mean how does he look more relaxed here than his variety/advertisement gigs!? The word natural comes to my mind but I know that's not quite it. It's like how gravity works, like how water flows. He just is. With his music. And I'm just in awe watching him, and thankful. Every time I look at them perform their music, my worry kinda vanishes and it's unbelievably addicting. +

*

Ask 3: Sorry! I thought I was done but I wasn't!!! Did you know that this is the VERY FIRST MINIMINI LIVE TOGETHER EVER!?!?@! Like what?!? But you know what that's ok cuz they were hilarious and lovely and made me so happy! lol Don't worry tannies, I'm confused about barking thingy, too. haha. Also did you see the crowd control wristband and the arena lightning colors (prudential was awful tho, UBS ftw!!)?? It has to be intentional, right? Along with that rainbow cake, everything is just chef's kiss

*

Ask 4: BPP, pretty pretty please can you try to describe Yoongi's music? What does he sound like to you?

***

Hi Anon(s),

Yoongi's music sounds like nothing I've heard anywhere else. Nobody, past or present, sounds like Yoongi.

But if I were to make a rough approximation, I'd say his sound is something close to if Hans Zimmer, Jimi Hendrix, Pop Smoke, and Andre 3000 had a four-way, with Eminem directing and filming the whole affair. The product of whatever that is, is kinda close to Yoongi's core soundscape. In my opinion. Yoongi too, more than any other member, loves infusing Korean texture, sounds, and proverbs, into his music and it’s something I really can’t get enough of. In terms of lyrical focus, he's similar to Kendrick Lamar, Lupe Fiasco, and Tablo. Also, from the way Yoongi makes music, you can tell that he plays musical instruments. Yoongi's songs are some of the most fun to play on guitar or keyboard/piano. If any of my followers play guitar, I'd like y'all to actually let me know if you've tried playing Amygdala, and tell me how you felt playing it. (You can DM me if you like.) The music Yoongi makes is angst, it's unapologetically emo, and I'm an emo girl who refuses to outgrow this phase. He makes music for people like me. People who want to scream "burn it!" on the disgusting beat he crafted from scratch. Yoongi makes music for carpenters, sluts, philosophers, queers, parents, rebels, misfits, for anybody who finds themselves caring too much about the world around them, and those who sometimes struggle to know themselves.

I'm just going to stop here because I can't do this. Writing about him is hard.

Let's just talk about how hot he is instead. :)

(Even his scars are pretty)

*

(…he deadass looks like that. In real life.)

*

(Yoongi’s vocal inflections fuck me up. By the way. He reveals what he is, every time he uses his tone to make his point. He reveals just how insane he is every time he does that. It drives me mad.)

*

(He likes to be tied and spanked fyi. He’s recently taken to pouting a lot too. And now barking apparently gets him excited. Any way you look at it, he’s trouble.)

*

(Yoongi is so beautiful.)

*

(Pretty)

*

(Cute)

*

Anon in ask 3, Yoonmin’s live was the cutest, sweetest, most wholesome and queer interaction I’d seen from the tannies in a good while. I love what they have. Jikook is jikook, but I mean, I actually bias Yoongi. Seeing how he is with Jimin, how he’s always been with Jimin, is impossible for me to ignore. It’s one reason I started paying attention to Jimin in the first place. Anyway, everything about their conversation - the way Yoongi introduced him, the Tony Montana sneak, their mutual barking, the smiles, jokes and stares, the cutting sarcasm and bickering rallies - I’d missed seeing that and I’m glad they shared that moment with us.

I’m really hoping Yoongi is able to keep his health up the whole tour. He goes all out 100% every time he’s on stage, and that would put a strain on even the most fit person alive. His shoulder surgery was ~3 years ago yeah, but he likely still does physical therapy, and excessive use during the tour could strain it again. My hope is for him to be healthy the whole time. And ARMYs who always show up for BTS, being there to be the energy he needs. He deserves all the support he gets.

#min yoongi #Yoongi #Suga #Agust d #d day tour #d day #kpop #BTS #yoonmin #jimin #park jimin

[an-abyss-of-stars]

Something I haven't done in AGESS, is give y'all some fic updates!!

-

I'm going in order of what's being worked on the most at the moment!

✵It's Visceral And It's Cruel✵

So I've been working on chapter 5 for the past couple of weeks here and there, but I've really tried to buckle down this week and I'm actually about halfway through it! Since the next couple chapters are already pre-planned out, I've got my list of plot points/scenes that I know need to be included per chapter. This chapter has 6 plot points/scenes and I'm planning on finishing off the 2nd scene and moving on to the 3rd today! Fingers crossed honestly, but Y'ALL I'M SO EXCITED FOR THIS CHAPTER!! A lot is going to happen, and while it won't all be particularly Rhaemond based, I think it'll be super interesting! A lot of things will be set into motion and there's going to be some super tense and interactions between our big name characters!

Release date: TBD (I would LOVEEE to work all through my weekend to get this out by then, but we'll see, I won't promise that now tho)

-

❤️‍🔥Burnt Over And Over Again❤️‍🔥

OOOOOooooo this fic has a chokehold over me right now!! Likeee, chapter 5 has ALOT planned for it. It's going to be a pretty long one in comparison to the other relatively short chapters! Last chapter had Aemond tracking Rhaena down in Venice and it was so tense and sexual, just imagine that energy multiplied for this next chapter!! The ✨DRAMAAAAA✨ I'd say I'm about a quarter of the way through, there's an argument/conversation they needed to have at the start of this chapter that was really giving me trouble, but once I worked through it, things were flowing a lot easier!

Release date: TBD (there's still a lot left to write, but who knows, maybe the inspiration will hit me this weekend)

-

💝Coffee, Tea, Muffins and Nibbles 💝

I.e. Early One Morning Part 2

So technically this is a pretty direct sequel to Early One Morning, and if you've read that, then this literally takes place that very same morning 😂😂 except it's ✨ Breakfast Time✨ now. I've actually got this entire thing written out, back when Early One Morning was going to be one big one-shot, I'd already written this scene as the next scene after the kids joined Rhaena and Aemond in bed. So technically, all I need to do is spruce it up a little and then edit it and it's done! Thinking about it now, I think I might try and finish this one up as soon as possible so maybe it can go up by Thursday or Friday...maybe even tonight, but we'll see.

Release date: (Hopefully) Thursday OR Friday!

-

☾ He Saw Her At Daybreak ☾

Oh fuck...here go 😭😭😭

Y'all... there's only so many times I can be sorry about the delay with this ONEEEE 😭😭😭😭😭😭 Remember the good ol' days when I used to just drop a chapter a week 🤣🤣🤣 like spontaneously it was all flowing! But not any more it seems. Again, honestly, I think you all know the issue by now. It's editing and reworking it 😂😂 which might have actually been done by now if I could find the will to return to that 30k doc 🤣😭 All things aside tho! Like don't worry, EVENTUALLY this will come out and hopefully my readers still care about it when I finally do😂😂 I'm not planning on discontinuing or abandoning it, I've got too much planned for this smutty fic to just let it go 😂 too much planned for the futures of all of their babies and the family at large 😂

Release date: TBD (Eventually 😂)

#aemond x rhaena #aemond targaryen #rhaena x aemond #hotd fic #hotd fanfic #rhaemond #rhaena targaryen #fic updates! #ivaic updates!! #hshad updates!! #bo&oa updates!!

[captainderyn]

31, 40, 48, and 50 as an optional bonus from the OC asks

Thank you for the asks <3

--

31. Pick one OC of yours and explain waht their tumblr blog would be like (what they reblog, layout, anything)

I'm trying to think which of my idiots would be the most tumblr-bound lol out of my current OCs. V would run a helluva shitpost blog. Like you know the Heritage Post level shitposts? That is absolutely something she would be fantastic at. But she'd constantly be night blogging: "V, why are you posting at 3:43am?" "Don't worry about it".

Era, on a completely different note, if she was given the time would have a beautifully formatted, gorgeously aesthetic blog showcasing her paintings, her painting set up, scenes around Dromund Kaas (especially the floral gardens) with everything carefully curated. Theme? Moody pastels. Photosets? Color coordinated.

40. Any fond memories linked to your characters? Feel free to share!

I have SO many fond memories linked to my characters, especially ones I've made since joining tumblr back in...*checks notes* 2016ish as I've really built myself a fantastic community of mutuals that are so supportive, have engaged me with my characters all the more, and created some truly stunning joint worlds. I'll highlight a few that I've stumbled back across while digging through tumblr (though its absolutely NOT an all encompassing list):

The entire Fictober 2019, where I wrote Moments in Time will forever be special to me; it was my first attempt at fictober and the outpouring of love and support and excitement to follow ficlets of Wulfwryn and Raenor (who were NEW) was so inspiring and as we've seen they've become some of my most written characters <3

Emeldir's Traffic Cone Jacket Saga aka the series of in game shenanigans, fics, and prompts that @greyias and I clowned about a few years ago but keep resurfacing every once in awhile :P

Co-writing fics and writing duo fics with mutuals, especially the Idan and Terrance Odessen Reunion that @lumielles and I wrote pair fics for. There's something so beautiful about writing together with friends.

The enabling you all do >:D the Dream Team of Five, Roslynd, and Rhys wouldn't exist if @tiredassmage hadn't encouraged my tomfoolery with pulling Five off the shelf and breathing new life into a character I didn't think I'd feel inspiration for again and that truly is the story with so many of my characters. They wouldn't exist without y'all! Not in the way they currently do.

48. OC who is a perfect cinnamon roll, too good for this world, too pure?

Its a pretty solid toss up between Raenor and Tucdela. Hmmm...nah, I'll go with Tucdela because Raenor has his super saucy side which while that DOESNT mean he isn't the most perfect, cinnamon roll, it does mean he's a little less "pure" :P

50. Give me the good ol' OC talk here. Talk about anything you want.

Terrance has been on my mind a lot lately (hence the stumbling back on the fics) and I really really need to talk more about him because not only is his and Idan's dynamic fantastic, but I actually really popped off with him when I created him. The idea of a miraluka who struggles really really hard with using the Force to "see" as he gets overwhelmed extremely easily, especially on high population planets (like Coruscant) or highly Force attuned planets (Tython, Odessen) is something I want to explore more. That, and I need to write more JediSon and JediDad because Idan really comes through and extends a kind hand to a young kid who has not been shown that. The simple things like a cup of tea, or some spare soft fabric for his eye covering. I need an excuse to go wild over Terrance lol

#captainderyn rambles #oc asks #so many good moments with my mutuals over the years I'd be here tagging all night so I am giving an overwhelming <3 <3 to you ALL

[ursafootprints]

E, I, M, V, Y

c:

Aaaaaa you spoil me!!!

E: What character do you identify with most? Is there a certain fic of yours that captures these qualities particularly well?

HMMM I don't think there's a "most" necessarily! Neither Tony nor Peter is a character I super identify with just on the face of things, but there are individual traits that they have that I resonate with-- Tony's "gotta fix it (alone)" attitude, Peter's dorkiness and "gotta prove myself" drive, but those traits are expressed very differently in those characters than for me, haha.

The things that I identify most with for them in my fics are things that I put there through my various Situations rather than stuff they reflect in canon, lmao. I identify more with Peter in YNYD and with Tony in the Starkercest saga!

I: How many fandoms have you written in? Do you have a favorite?

Oh I counted this up one time! Assuming I'm not missing any from the actual fics/accounts being long lost to time, I've written for 14~16 fandoms:

Digimon

Inuyasha

Detective Conan

Fullmetal Alchemist

Gundam Wing

The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)

Cardcaptor Sakura

xxxHolic

X/1999 (unposted)

Yu-Gi-Oh!

di[e]ce

07-GHOST

Eyeshield 21

Chihayafuru

Ookiku Furikabutte (unposted)

MCU

Everything on that list that isn't MCU or The Outsiders is an anime/manga of widely varying levels of obscurity, haha. My favorite original work on the list is Cardcaptor Sakura, but my favorite fandom experience has been y'all here in Starker fandom! :P

M: What’s the weirdest AU scenario you’ve ever come up with? Did it turn into a story?

The weirdest AU I've ever come up with/written was the Tokyo Babylon-Starker fusion that @shivanessa and I are collaborating on! Because they drew some Peters and Tonys in the style of early CLAMP and I was immediately possessed by CLAMP Starker brainworms.

TB is a manga from the 90s written by CLAMP about a teenage medium tackling supernatural cases in Tokyo while being romanced by a kind and flirtatious much-older man… who secretly has very dark intentions for him. I might be the only person in the world that it appeals to but I am excited for it to be posting-ready!

V: Are there certain comments you’ve received on your stories that have stuck with you?

Any time a reader has told me that my portrayal of trauma felt resonant/especially realistic/cathartic based on their own experiences-- it's one of those things where obviously I'm sad for anyone to have to have that in common with me, but I also know how important and special it can feel when you read something that really resonates with your own experiences, too, so I'm always very touched by those comments.

(Also, any time I end up writing a paragraph or straight-up essay of meta in response to a comment it means that they said something that I grabbed and ogled and rotated in my mind in delight, so those ones, too!)

Y: What are your thoughts on your personal satisfaction with something you’ve written vs. the popularity of your stories? Do you tend to be most satisfied with your most popular stories?

It varies by fandom! I'm pretty much equally satisfied with everything I've written for Starker-- there's always stuff that I feel like I did really well, and stuff that I feel I could've executed better-- so it's a moot point there. But for Eyeshield 21, there for a while my most popular fic on that account by far was something I wrote when I was 13 and had only posted for archival reasons/a fun little stroll down memory lane, and until my multichap for the same ship overtook it I was a little jealous of my 13-year-old self!

Thank youuuu for all the questions! 😭💖💖💖😭

#ask games #ursa asks

[shyguycity]

It's been a while since I made a formal game of the year list on this page; in 2020, my now wife and I decided to make an entire fanzine about my favorite games of the year, which ballooned in size and scope from there. If you're interested, you can find the link to the (free!) magazine, Critical Diversions, as well as see what else I've been up to in the gaming space, over at https://twitter.com/crit_diversions. It was written by five people, myself included, layoutted into a magazine format by me, and with some lovingly done illustrations made by my wife. We've also started a discord, games club, and podcast, all under the Critical Diversions banner, if any of that sounds appealing to you.

Since that magazine project, I haven't really had the creative energy to write a full game of the year list the way that I used to. Until now! 2023 has been the most incredible year for game releases that I've been alive to see, and there's so much to be excited for and talk about, I just couldn't resist anymore, despite the fact that we're gearing up to do a community game of the year podcast. But before we get to the top 10 list proper....

Honorable Mentions:

We Love Katamari ReRoll + Royal Reverie

The original We Love Katamari, released on the Playstation 2 in 2005, was already one of my favorite games ever made, so it's borderline unfair of Namco to release an absolutely perfect HD remaster of it in 2023. Namco must've thought so, too, because this was one of my most anticipated games of the year, and I didn't even realize it had released until I happened to see it on the eShop. To the uninitiated, Katamari games task you with rolling up real world objects with your sticky katamari ball, growing bigger and bigger as you go, all with the intent of making your katamari big enough to make stars in the sky. It's a simple yet delightful enough concept on its own to be enjoyed by anyone, but add in an unmeasurable amount of charm and one of the greatest soundtracks ever made, and it's easy to see why this goofy little series has persisted for over two decades now.

For my money, this is the best entry in the series, practically spilling over with creative and fun new ways and reasons to roll over innocent bystanders and animals with a space ball given to you by your negligent, abusive father, who is also basically god. Oh did I forget to mention that there's an actual well told narrative with a genuinely emotional-but-not-saccharine message at its core? Buy this fucking game y'all, I've already seen it for as low as 15 dollars.

Final Fantasy V Pixel Remaster

Final Fantasy as a series misses way more often than it hits, for me. Yeah I love 7, its remake, 10, and 10-2, but by and large, every other entry I've tried to spend time with has left me incredibly cold (looking at you in particular, 6). Between craving a turn-based RPG and having the flu earlier this year, I decided to take a chance on the pixel remaster version of 5, released on consoles for the first time in 2023. Imagine my surprise when it became hands down my favorite entry in the series, as well as one of my favorite RPGs I've ever played.

Not to say that what's presented here hasn't been improved upon in the past 30 years; Octopath Traveler 2, a game we'll be talking about in my actual top 10, seemed to base its entire design around "Hey remember Final Fantasy 5? Let's make a way more open and less restricted version of that". Still, though, what FF5 was doing as an early Super Famicom game is pretty impressive; boasting a fairly open-ended job and multiclass system that's absolutely begging you to make as many fun combinations as you can imagine with your party members, it's a game that's infinitely more replayable than your average Final Fantasy fare, despite its lacking (but not horrible!) story. I ran through the game with a samurai that could also shoot hoardes of squirrels and bees out of my pockets, so you know it's a great game.

Super Mario RPG

Look, you'll never convince me that Mario RPG and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door aren't both wildly inferior to the original Paper Mario on the Nintendo 64. I've held this belief (and grudge against these other Mario spinoff fandoms) for most of my life, and I will continue to do so. And I say this as someone whose first exposure to RPGs was renting the original version of this game as a seven-year-old!

"It's too simple!" I would always bleat feebly in the general direction of the nearest hardcore Geno fan whenever this game was brought up. "It's a solid blueprint for what was to come later, but largely feels like a rough draft, a 16-bit Final Fantasy with a Mario coat of paint!" And, yeah, I am right about all of those things, and I'll continue to never let any of you forget it. But in 2023, playing this remake of one of Nintendo's most annoyingly favorited fan favorites, I couldn't help but let myself get washed away in its charms. There's no build variety or real "role-playing" to speak of, you can 100% the game in like 12 hours, and you just generally never have to turn your brain on while playing the game at all. Call it softness, call it old age, call it just really being in the mood for a cute and charming little adventure, but I fell in love with this game and its world in a way I never was able to previously. Bring on that Thousand-Year Door remaster next, Nintendo; I'm in a forgiving mood.

Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania

Speaking of being in a forgiving mood, did y'all know that I thought the original 1.0 release of Dead Cells was incredibly boring? Released in 2018, this sidescrolling roguelite was getting a ton of accolades at the time that had me extremely excited. That's not to say that it was bad, of course; I could see the markings of a well made game, and obviously the game was appealing to someone out there, with all the praise it received. But after 10 hours with it I deleted it off my Switch, thinking I'd never.........return.

It only took five years and a paid Castlevania expansion to make me give this game another look, but I'm glad I did, because I would put this pretty high up there on my all-time roguelite list now. To be clear, most of my issues with this game still remain, mostly that it gets repetitive much sooner than you'd expect of a game with as much content as this does. But instead of cooling on it 10 hours in like I did back in 2018, I got over 60 hours and dozens upon dozens of runs in before calling it quits on Dead Cells this time.

And if you're a Castlevania dork, honestly, just pick this up. There's more than enough love and fanservice here to keep even the most ardent of Castlevania freaks crying bloody tears, including the ability to replace the entire soundtrack with Castlevania songs, most of them the original version but with some new compositions included. Roguelite shredding in a video game hasn't been this good since Hades.

Now...the actual list.

10. Marvel's Spider-Man 2

No one is more down on open world checklist collectathons than I am; the idea of spending over 100 hours playing a modern Assassin's Creed game honestly makes my tummy hurt. And by and large, Spider-Man 2 doesn't stray far from this design template. You run, jump, swing, and glide all over New York City, stopping burglaries and car chases on your way to the next story objective or side mission, leveling up and spending points on various skill trees to level your Spider-Men up to gain new/upgrade old abilities, rinse and repeat. Structurally, this game isn't really doing anything different from the previous two Spider-Man games from developer Insomniac, and yet this entry was an absolute joy to play to me in way those weren't.

Largely, I think it's the pacing of the game. And not just on a macro scale, though I do think that's improved here as well. No, for me it was most noticeable in the combat; no longer are you holding down a button to freeze time and pull up a gadget wheel and having Spider-Man select one of his little science tools to shoot out before doing a few melee attacks and web shots. Instead, all of your gadgets and super moves are activated in real time with different button combinations. It might sound breathlessly dorky, but that simple change really sold the illusion of playing a Spider-Man simulator to me, and not just a Ratchet and Clank game with a Spider-Man skin.

The story I also found to be a wholesale improvement over the last two games, albeit with the caveat that the symbiote and Venom storyline almost never come across as anything beyond tryhard 90s edgelord shit in any form of media. Truly, I think Venom is just a straight up awful character, and is even worse here than usual, and I was exceptionally tired of Peter's gruff mean guy voice by the end of his time wearing the symbiote. Miles more than made up for any issues I had with the Peter side of the story, and with the way the game's story leaves off, I hope to see that character again sooner than Spider-Man 3 in another half decade.

9. Pikmin 4

This feels like Pikmin's big breakout moment as a series. And honestly, maybe my biggest surprise of the year isn't how great this game was, but how many other people were (finally) raving about Pikmin. The fact that it's this relatively low on my own list when most people I know that played it have it near the top of theirs shocks, while also making me feel pretty damn great about Pikmin's future.

From a casual perspective it's pretty easy to see why this has been such a hit for the series. It retains all the charm and cuteness and great gameplay loop of previous games in the series, while making a ton of smart changes along the way. New to 4: a fully adjustable camera that makes you feel way more involved in the action (and see all of the impossibly cute death happening around and to you); a whole host of quality of life changes, like being able to move your spaceship around each stage at will to have a more accessible base of operations; bonafide multifloor dungeons where you're able to soak in some of the best aspects of Pikmin's gameplay without worrying about time passing; "dandori battles", both against the CPU or local rivals where you aim to manage your armies as efficiently as possible; and partner space dog Oatchi, who can help you and your little army of dudes in whatever way you see fit, from battling to carrying to scouting, thanks to an honest to god skill tree. In a Pikmin game! Who woulda thought.

Honestly though, as great as this game was, I can't help but pine for the more complex level and puzzle design of Pikmin 3, as well as the local splitscreen cooperative play of Pikmin 3 Deluxe. That second feature in particular was sorely, sorely missed in our household, as Pikmin 3 Deluxe's sublime coop is some of the most fun I've ever had playing a video game with my wife. Here's hoping the now inevitable Pikmin 5 manages to bring these missing elements home, much like my group of 100 Pikmin carrying an entire watermelon the size of a small mountain back to our spaceship for the day.

8. Bomb Rush Cyberfunk

Besides just being a great year in game releases, 2023 was also the year where my expectations were subverted many times over. I'd seen plenty of overhyped indie spiritual successors to fan favorite games from the late 90s and early 2000s come and go, so my interest level for BRCF as someone that's never played a Jet Set Radio game couldn't have been much lower. But that's all on me, because if I'd known that this game and its inspirations were essentially just 3D platformers dressed up as a 2002 cyberpunk anime that'd air at 2am on Toonami, I'd have been all over it much sooner.

This game effortlessly pulls off everything I value in 3D platformers. The level designs are masterful and well thought out while still feeling organic instead of just abstract obstacle courses (the game does dabble into the latter at times, and they're some of the most standout moments as well). Being set in a city, it's naturally got a large emphasis on verticality that I think not enough games in this space bother with; I want to feel my stomach drop when I miss landing on a grind rail half a mile in the sky, even if falling from that far has no consequences beyond needing to pull off the platforming section again. And unlike the earlier Tony Hawk games, I'm free to explore each environment to my heart's content, looking for new songs to add to my playlist or spots just begging to be tagged with graffiti. Wrap all of this up in a style and soundtrack that are both just fucking cool, and what else could I really ask for? Well, besides just more of this, please.

7. Resident Evil 4

In a year full to the brim with remakes, remasters, and revisits, Resident Evil 4 is the one with the most expectations put on it, due to not only the pedigree of the original RE4 (often cited as one of the best games of all time, and surely the catalyst for the modern over the shoulder third-person shooter), but the obscenely high quality of Capcom's other recent remakes from the series; 2019's Resident Evil 2 remake, in particular, being one of the best big budget games of the last half decade, by my estimation. A lot of fans cited RE4 as both "impossible" and "pointless" to remake, though I imagine those same fans were the ones most anxiously waiting for this remake to drop with bated breath.

The end result? RE4 as a remake can't live up to the lofty expectations a lot of people probably hoped it could, not really, but I think it's also one of the most successful video game remakes I've ever had the pleasure of playing, in terms of the fun factor. The gaming landscape has changed a lot since 2005, a lot of that change because of RE4, so what do you even do to make a revisit under a modern lens worthwhile? I think Capcom didn't fully know the answer to that question, as the biggest mechanical additions to this game are the ability to parry the vast majority of attacks with your knife, and erm....craftable ammo? You'll of course find a handful of new enemies and remixed encounters, an even fewer amount of new weapons, and a couple welcome completely redone areas, like a mini open sandbox where you're free to explore the shores of a lake, and a much more clever and interesting version of the brief time spent playing as Ashley.

This might all sound like damning with faint praise, but truly, Capcom's ability to thread the needle here and deliver an honest to god, full on remake of RE4 with modern production values and budget, all without compromising the vision of the original, AND managing to make the remake tonally fit with the current vision of the extended Resident Evil universe? There's some black magic at work here, surely. Or at the very least some ancient parasite bugs at large.

6. Kirby's Return to Dreamland Deluxe

Kirby is the best Nintendo series, and this is an excellent remaster of one of the best Kirby games. What more is there to say? The only reason this isn't top three of the year material is because, well, I played it when it originally released on the Wii. But what's your excuse, coward?

I often hear the refrain of "Kirby games just aren't for me", and I used to humor that line of thinking, largely to avoid prolonged contact with dumb babies. But that dies today, and so will you if you don't stop being a dweeb. High quality sidescrolling brawlers with lite platforming elements and puzzle solving, set to some of the best music ever made for the medium, sporting an adorable aesthetic that's used as set dressing to cover up some of the best backstory and lore this side of Dark Souls? That's not for you? What is for you then, besides being a sad weirdo that still waxes nostalgic about the girl you held hands with once in middle school? Her mom dropped you two off at the theater once to see White Chicks and she never thought about you again. Grow up. Change something about your life. Kirby's got more charm and delight in whatever his puffy mass equivalent to a pinky is than Super Mario Bros. Wonder managed to wearily attempt to slump over its shoulder for an entire game. Y'all should be ashamed.

...

I dunno what this bit is anymore, so let's pivot back to normalcy. Yes, I know, I know, I'm the Kirby guy. It's my favorite gaming series, hell, maybe my favorite franchise in any medium period. But I'm also not blind to its faults and missteps, such as 2018's Star Allies. When I tell you that Return to Dreamland Deluxe, a remaster of a game I played over a decade ago, now with additional content, is one of my favorite games of 2023, I really mean it. The base game was already excellent, and the first entry of the modern era of Kirby, under the helm of Shinya Kumazaki. A new cel shading-adjacent rendering, coupled with completely new abilities Sand and Mech on top of perhaps the overall best set of copy abilities in a Kirby game, really help make the game feel fresh; Sand's combo and damage per second capability in particular is through the roof, while not feeling imbalanced.

The meat of the new content, however, is the new epilogue, in which you play as fan favorite character Magolor. Magolor plays very differently from Kirby, eschewing copy abilities and quicker movement for magic, and the game also introduces an honest to god skill tree into the series. This mini adventure culminates in not only what is probably my favorite boss fight of the year, but an in-universe lore explanation for why Magolor shows up in spinoff Kirby games adorned in green instead of blue and trading in crystal apples.

That may sound goofy and extremely in the weeds, and it is, but for a man in my mid-30s that's been beyond bored of Nintendo's refusal to do any significant kind of world building or storytelling in almost any of their mainline games, Kirby manages to continuously surprise and delight me with both its gameplay and universe in a way no other Nintendo game is even interested in trying. The Super Mario games should take heed.

5. Octopath Traveler 2

I played both demos for the original Octopath Traveler back before that game came out, and to say I didn't like it would be an understatement! The writing was at best flat, and at worst, overtly sexist (and that was just from a demo!), I found the battle system to be clunky, and the thing most people praised it for, its "HD2D" approach to graphics, I found quite ugly; it seemed to be throwing away any attempt at an actual artstyle in favor of cranking a bunch of photoshop filters up to max and letting people ooh and aah over some particle effects and oversaturated lighting. Great soundtrack, at least.

I couldn't tell you what drove me to check out the demo for 2, but I did, and instantly, something clicked for me that didn't in my limited experience with the original. Full disclosure, I haven't finished this game yet, and in fact I don't think I'm even halfway through. And that's a shame, because I think it could honestly rise even higher up this list, based on what I've already played. The battle system is fast and snappy, as long as I'm paying close enough attention to all the information on screen, like enemies weaknesses and my current BP situation. The overworld feels far more inspired by popup books than I remember 1's world feeling like, while still retaining the gorgeous battle sprites that the original excelled in. The soundtrack is an all-timer, to put it lightly. Even the writing for the characters, while still nowhere approaching the rest of the game's strong points, feels less like it works exclusively in lazy caricatures and broad stereotypes. Yeah there's a merchant character named Partitio from an old west-styled silver mining town, and yes I was just as worried about that fact as you probably are reading that sentence. And yet, Partitio has honestly become one of my favorite characters of the year, his desire to use his mercantile skills to ease the burdens of the working class only being outshone by the electric guitars and saxophone in his theme song.

What truly impresses with Octopath Traveler 2, though, is its sheer openness. The world is, while not quite your oyster right from the start, pretty dang free form for the most part, allowing you to go recruit your party members and explore towns and monster-filled wildlands in whatever order you see fit. This extends to the job system, which affords you the most freedom to truly make whatever kind of team you see fit I've ever seen in a game of this kind. I'm currently multiclassing my cleric, Temenos, into a scholar, and I've rarely felt cooler/dorkier at the same time, wielding nearly every magic type offered in the game at once with one world-weary church inquisitor. Just typing up this entry has got me itching to get back to the game, hoping to discover even more jobs to multiclass the rest of my crew into.

Take it from me, someone who as little as a few years ago felt pretty much over turn based RPGs, especially those coming out of Square-Enix: this game is very worth your time, regardless of your feelings towards the series, or even genre as a whole.

4. 30XX

In a year chockful of exceedingly excellent roguelites (Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania, Risk of Rain Returns, Cobalt Core, Vampire Survivors, just to name a few), 30XX stands tall above the rest for me, not just in terms of quality, but also in its ability to completely take over my gaming time for a couple months. This has all the trappings you expect from a game with the structure of a roguelite; permadeath resulting in having to start your entire run over, unlockable items and stat upgrades purchasable with currency carried over from the run you just died in, powerups that you collect during a run to give yourself a fighting chance (and which force you to make on-the-fly decision making about how best to synergize your build), and a white knuckle intensity that makes the runs when you really start to shred feel all the more rewarding, albeit no less anixety inducing.

What ends up separating 30XX from any other game in this admittedly crowded space is that it's essentially a roguelite take on Mega Man X4, the beloved Playstation 1 entry in an even more beloved series. X4 was the first game that really fleshed out lightsaber wielding cool guy Zero as a fully playable character, for the first time letting you play through the entire game as both him and series protagonist X. 30XX makes no bones about its inspiration; Nina, the blue one, is the X equivalent, meaning you'll be primarily shooting enemies with your arm cannon, while Ace, the red one, slices and dices with an energy sword, just like Zero. Likewise, the (absolutely gorgeous) spritework and extremely catchy soundtrack are doing their best to evoke the oft overlooked aesthetic and sounds of 2-D games from the Playstation 1. Rounding out the package are full-featured coop, both local and online, community made levels, daily and weekly seeded runs with leaderboards, and the promise of even more updates, including new characters(!!).

Even Mega Man series staples you might not expect to show up in a roguelite take on the formula end up being major focuses of the game, like gaining new abilities from defeating bosses. The game even takes that mechanic a step further, letting you mix and match two abilities to form completely new ones, like combining your black hole and homing lightning abilities to create a barrage of homing lightning strikes emanating from a swirling void. Or, in true roguelite fashion, you can even forego an ability from a boss altogether, if a different reward suits you. And that's just if you're playing as Nina! Ace gets an entirely different set of abilities and mechanics, all built around melee capabilities and close quarters combat.

If any of this sounds appealing to you, you're probably now asking yourself "why have I never heard of this game?" And I truly can't answer that, as this feels like it should already be a revered indie darling on the level of Shovel Knight or Super Meat Boy. If you're a Mega Man fan, please do yourself a favor and check this out. There's even a separate mode that minimizes the roguelite elements, including a removal of permadeath, if that suits you! This is a better Mega Man X revival than you'll likely ever see out of Capcom, if a day even ever comes for that at all. It also happens to be better than just about any official Mega Man game Capcom has ever put out, as well.

3. Sephonie

My personal gaming identity feels inexorably linked to Analgesic Productions, the two person development team that's putting out the best indie games most people have never even heard of. The only thread on Resetera I've ever made was solely for the purpose of evangelizing Anodyne 2: Return to Dust, a game that resonated so hard with me the effects are still reverberating outwards, as my habit of recommending that game anywhere I go has helped me forge genuine friendships (and probably gotten me on to a few government watch lists). Even the Ocean was the third game my friends and I covered in our games club, and was by far and away the best talk I've ever had about video games, sparking a creative spirit in me for months afterward. Marina Kittaka and Melos han-tani make some real affecting fucking games, is what I'm saying, and the idea of trying to sum up what makes Sephonie so special (and maybe even my favorite of their impressive work) is a bit daunting.

At its most base level, Sephonie is a 3-D platformer not dissimilar from the Tony Hawk Pro Skater series, or even the above Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, albeit without any wheels; instead of tilting the analog stick to move at whatever angle you want, you hold a button to run forward, the stick's sole purpose being to make adjustments to direction. Your mobility on its own isn't very versatile, and getting around requires careful and clever use of the environment to do wall runs and jumps, grabbing giant dandelions to float, landing on mushrooms to bounce, etc.

Even for a self-proclaimed platformer guru (maybe even especially for one!), the movement feels unwieldy or even downright intimidating at first. But in Analgesic we trust, and by the end of my initial 8 hour or so playthrough of the game, I felt like a parkour god, able to pull off complex maneuvers that I would have never been able to dream of in the opening sections of the game. Coming to grips with the controls and eventually mastering them was one of the biggest joys I experienced in video games this year; don't go into this expecting s Super Mario Odyssey-level of 1:1 control that lets you immediately start flowing through the environment like a hot knife through butter, because that's decidedly not the point here. Despite what the past few console generations have taught us, we don't need standardized controls across every game, as all that would serve to do here is sand down the distinct personality and learning opportunities presented in Sephonie.

Rounding out the gameplay are linking puzzles. The three playable characters are researchers who have come to the remote island of Sephonie to study its unique animal and plant life. Linking with each new lifeform you discover presents you with tile-based block puzzles, which end up being a nice change of pace from the platforming. As a testament to just how much love and care was put into Sephonie, the vast majority of these linking puzzles each have unique mechanics, be it teleporting tiles, tiles that are blocked and need busted open by matching blocks on adjacent tiles, tiles that multiply your point total, creatures that travel the puzzle and alter when and where you're even able to place your tiles, etc. With some tweaks, the link puzzles could be a whole game unto itself, and it's really impressive!

That's all well and good, but the main reasons I come to Analgesic games are the unbelievably good writing and even unbelievably-er soundtracks, and both are where Sephonie truly shines for me. Unfortunately, to talk too much about the story here would be bordering on a cardinal sin, and you're better off listening to some of the music on your own. Why not try the entire playlist here?

The previously mentioned Anodyne 2 opens by telling you it's a game about life. That's a bit of an understatement for me with Analgesic's games in general, but Sephonie might be the best example of "a game about life" that I can think of. As someone that grew up in a midwestern town full of basically nothing but nothingness and corn, the Bloomington, Illinois section of the game is without a doubt the most beautiful segment of any game I've ever played, and the main thing I keep coming back to with this game even six months later. I've never been so simultaneously full of nostalgia, regret, disdain, self-loathing, and fond memories as I was while platforming around an abstract dreamscape version of a midwestern town right off the highway. And I don't think I've ever related to a character in any fictional work as much as I did when Amy was talking about feeling lucky she was born in a small town, because it made learning how to drive much less intimidating.

If there's one game on this list I would beg someone to give a shot, it would be Sephonie. Hell, if there was one game I could force anyone to play, Sephonie might be taking that spot as well. As a thorough contemplation of what it means to be alive, and what connecting with one another can truly mean and feel like, there's no better work of art out there today, and certainly not one anywhere near as fun, either.

2. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

What can I say about TotK that hasn't already been expressed in a million think pieces, essays, and podcasts across the entire internet by now? As a direct followup to 2017's stellar Breath of the Wild, I had concerns going in - would the magic still be there? Is exploring the same incarnation of Hyrule going to be fun when I know all of the broad strokes already? Are the bosses not going to suck this time? The answer to all of these is a resounding "absolutely", but there's so much more on offer here.

Everything in this game makes BotW feel like a rough draft, a sentence I never in a million years thought I'd be typing prior to getting my hands on the game. Any mechanic you can think of that you loved in the prior Zelda entry is either improved upon here or excised for something infinitely more interesting. The Sheikah slate abilities from BotW feel not only basic, but downright boring compared to the powers on offer in this sequel. Who cares about being able to spawn bombs at will when I can fuse batwings to arrows to make them fly further? Or just swim through through the damn ceiling!? To say nothing of the fact that you can build basically anything your imagination can spring into existence, from cars to rocket ships to pilotable mechs to lawn mowers. And it all....just....works, somehow, not only tonally with the game's world, but also from a game perspective. The game even lets you have five CPU controlled companion characters out at the same time, every one acting independently to take down enemies near you! It feels like your Switch is going to collapse under the weight of this game's ambition at any moment, and yet I put over 300 hours into the game with not a single crash in sight.

If there's one thing I can complain about, it's that the story feels like an actual afterthought, to the degree that it actually bummed me out, even as someone with rock bottom expectations when it comes to story in a Zelda game. The marketing REALLY hyped up the return of longtime series antagonist Ganondorf, and he just....kind of has no motivation for anything he's doing here. I'm not asking for much, and there are genuinely great character moments lightly sprinkled throughout the game's runtime, mostly with princess Zelda herself. But I couldn't help but imagine how much harder some story beats could have hit if Nintendo, again, actually even attempted to give people the tiniest but of anything to chew on when it comes to the stories they're telling.

But whatever, I've got a catapult to build to launch me and a korok buddy up a damn mountain.

Baldur's Gate 3

Like most people who cut their gaming teeth on more straightforward action fare on consoles, the term "CRPG" (computer RPG) seemed beyond out of reach for me. Dice rolls? Skill checks? Playing as a charisma based character to persuade bosses to kill themselves instead of having to fight them? READING!? Uh, I'm an American, thank you very much; I like my video games game-y and my gravy portion extra, ma'am, and I don't have the patience to think about probability and stats.

So imagine my surprise when, after my wife started playing the game on her own, I found myself itching to get into the character creator myself. Not the moment to moment gameplay, mind you, but the character creator, a step I'm notorious for getting through as fast as possible so I can start "actually playing", even if I'm stuck with a boring default character named Goober. Something about watching my wife agonize over which horn style and subrace to go with on her tiefling bard, which hairstyle and color looked cutest and would match her vision of how she was going to roleplay in the world, stirred something in me I didn't know existed. While she was perusing all the customization options, I spied the class "monk" and a race called "dragonborn", some anthropomorphic dragon people with a lot of pretty color options for their scales that also affect your elemental resistances. "Yes," I thought to myself. "I'd like to make a humanoid lizard dude that punches shit to death. I'd like that very much". And before my wife was barely out of the tutorial section on her first character, we were already backing out to make a second save file where we would play the entire thing cooperatively, fretting over the decisions and romance options each step of the way together. I got to make my silverscale (that means he's got ice powers, baby) dragonborn monk, Shikai, and the following 300+ hours (and counting!) with Baldur's Gate 3 have been the most fun I've ever had playing a video game.

Would I be as gobsmacked with the game if I was intimately familiar with the genre? Maybe not, but I guess that's my point. Living with my wife and playing games together has completely changed how I engage with a lot of them; Animal Crossing was basically a cute chores and debt repayment simulator with a dash of fishing on the side until watching my wife play the game for thousands of hours taught me the joy of decorating.

Elden Ring was her first foray into the Souls-like genre; she had a similar reaction watching me play the opening hour of Elden Ring as I had watching her in the BG3 character creator, growing increasingly frustrated as she watched me putz around making a boring dexterity based samurai character when what she wanted to see was some faith-based holy magic in action. Despite my love of Souls-likes, I had always just made standard melee based characters in them, usually katana wielding doofuses; I'm an American, I don't know a lick about incantations, I HATE thinking, and please keep your Wes Anderson movies to yourself, ma'am.

But as I saw how much fun my wife was having shooting fireballs and throwing lightning bolts at enemies, I eventually started speccing my dexterity character into intelligence as well, making a samurai sorcerer, undeniably the only thing cooler than a normal samurai. That's not to say that playing Elden Ring with a melee exclusive character is wrong, but just that with a touch of curiosity and willingness to take the tiniest step outside of my comfort zone, a comfort zone I didn't even realize was as tiny as it was, I opened up a whole new way of enjoying a game I already loved playing. Learning to enjoy Baldur's Gate 3 feels like I've opened the door to an entire new avenue in my mind, waiting for me to fill it with opinions about games I've been avoiding my whole life. I'm gonna actually make a concerted effort to finally play stuff like Mass Effect and Disco Elysium sometime soon, two games I had preemptively decided years ago were just "not for me", and I'm genuinely excited about it.

This entry is so long already, and I didn't even mention anything about how the game actually plays (it's the best turn-based battle system I've ever experienced, to say nothing of the freedom you're afforded to solve every single scenario presented to you in the game.

Or anything about the characters (this is the best cast of characters I've seen in any medium, and they feel like genuine friends of mine in a way that no other game has ever come close to feeling).

Hell, to save time and my poor fingers: Baldur's Gate 3 is without a doubt the best video game I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing. And as little as a few months ago, my only thought towards it was "that game probably isn't for me".

Don't make my all too human mistake; check out shit that looks interesting, take the chance to expand your mind and your taste. They're not all gonna be Baldur's Gate 3-level bangers (what is though, really), but you truly never know what you're going to discover. And you might even find yourself open to a whole new avenue of life to enjoy that you had previously assumed was just for mega dorks.

#gaming #nintendo #pc games #ps5 #goty 2023 #game of the year

[fearandhatred]

for tmi tuesday, from the writers Qs:

how do you come up with your fic titles?

do you listen to music while writing?

hello hello thank u for the ask <3 this is going to be unnecessarily long because i love talking about myself and my fics. sorry in advance

how do you come up with your fic titles?

ooh it really depends. i only use song lyrics occasionally if the song directly inspired the fic. if not i just go through different titles until i find one that just clicks, but usually i want the title to encompass the main theme/premise of the fic

ok none of y'all have to read this part but i'm just gonna dump all the explanations for my fic titles here because i've never explained this out loud before so i'm excited lol

transitional heart taxidermy (good omens):

i had literally ten different working titles that i wasn't fully vibing with before coming up with this one. i don't really wanna say anything about this fic because it's not finished but basically snakes have transitional hearts, which means they only have one ventricle instead of the two that humans do. but it's also a cool term even without knowing what it means because the word transitional does describe some... things... crowley goes through in this fic. and the taxidermy is kind of a metaphor of how his heart has been cut open and the insides removed and replaced with something artificial due to. circumstances :)

to sleep, perchance to dream (sandman):

ok sounds kinda basic for a sandman fic but hear me out it made so much sense for the fic i wrote (morpheus/calliope) because it was basically about yearning. long lost love. regret over losing a relationship that still means a lot to you and the emptiness and hopelessness that comes with it. and this quote in context is basically talking about suicide—if death is like sleep, then maybe there will be dreams. or something. maybe death would be more peaceful than the life i'm going through

sub-consequence (six of crows):

this was the one fic title i came up with almost immediately because i knew what the essence of the story would be. i feel like this is a completely made up concept that only makes sense to me because i have gotten confused over my reasoning for this but. the idea is that there is consequence (A happening as a result of B) and subsequence (A happening after B happens) (honestly don't even know if this is an actual word. let's just say it is). and there's a difference between these two. for some people most of the life events they go through are a result of subsequence. so it just happens to them not as a direct result of any one thing but just as life does. but the idea is that for this character (kaz brekker) his entire life is a consequence of that one thing that happened to him when he was younger (no book spoilers but Trauma), so his whole life—all his actions, his behaviour, whether conscious or not—is a direct consequence of that trauma he endured. so the fic is him gradually learning how to remove himself from that

do you listen to music while writing?

no i literally can't. i've tried but eventually i've had to turn it off to really focus and like. feel what the character feels. i can't have any sound at all usually so even instrumentals are distracting

#fearandhatred #fearandasks #fearandfics #thank u again for the ask bestie. sorry this was so long #good omens #the sandman #six of crows #writing