To all my writers who have a tough time with smut terms and not knowing which ones to use, I have found the holy grail for us.
This reddit user took a poll of 3,500 people and went really in depth with asking their favorite terminology, along with actual pie charts on what the readers preferred to see in their smut.
Here's the direct link to the Google doc with all the info!
syn: they take an interest in the book you've been reading recently
cw: suggestive, mentions of erotic novels, gn!reader
a/n: i'm iffy on diluc's, but v proud of alhaitham's
â alhaitham
in all the time you'd been together, he'd never seen you so engrossed in a book before. he'd seen you read many times, but not with such an intense look in your eyes, like you were devouring whatever lay within those pages. it piqued his curiosity, to say the least.
the most interesting part of it all was the fact you never left it unattended. almost as if you didn't want him to look at it. he'd tried to peek over shoulder at point only for you to shift your position on the couch so he couldn't see the pages. that annoyed him. but made him all the more determined to find out what the books was.
his moment finally arose when he noticed the book laying peacefully on your nightstand. he'd come home ready for a nap but that initially plan was forgotten the moment he laid eyes on that little tome. he carried it to the living room and made himself comfortable as he opened to the first page, pleasantly surprised by the contents within.
hours later you found him lounging on the couch, nose tucked into a book. it was far from an unusual sight. until you took a second glance at the book in his hands. it dawned on you then that you had forgotten to tuck it into the drawer of your nightstand before you fell asleep last night, and in your rush to leave on time that morning it remained in plain sight. heat rose to your cheeks as you took him in. he was completely unfazed as he turned the page.
"alhaitham," you said, voice weak. he didn't acknowledge your presence. "what are you reading?"
"it's your book, you should know. don't bother asking a question you know the answer to, it's a waste of breath." his eyes trailed the words printed on the paper as he spoke, still not looking at you.
you tried to take the book from his hands but he moved it out of your reach with one hand and caught your wrist with the other. "haitham, please," you whined, tugging weakly against his grip. he let you go without a fight. "put the book down."
"why? i'm almost finished with it."
with a pathetic groan, you threw yourself on the couch next to him, waiting in agony until he finally snapped the book shut with one hand. you peeked at him from the corner of your eye, but his expression gave nothing away.
"you have an interesting taste in literature," he said, finally, "but i can't fault you, it's well written and the plot is captivating."
"that's all?" you asked, expecting more from him. mostly something chastising.
he held the book out to you. "don't suggest recreating the kitchen scene. there were too many utensils involved."
â diluc
he found the sight of you curled up on the couch with a book rather endearing. you always looked so happy in those moments. and you'd always tell him about them over dinner or on walks around vineyard. he absolutely adored these moments. so much so that he wanted to be able to have an in depth conversation about one these books you loved so much. he figured the one you had just finished, one he'd often seen you with, and still had yet to tell him anything about would be a good place to start. a nice little surprise. since there must be something about it if youâre keeping it to yourself.
what he hadn't expected was to be met with a very detailed sex scene halfway through. it had started off so innocent and sweet, exactly the way he'd expect a romance to go. and then all of a sudden the scene took quite a turn. yet he couldn't pull his eyes away from the pages. he kept wondering why you would read something like this.
maybe he wasn't satisfying you well enough? and you needed this to make up for his shortcomings. his thoughts kept spiraling as he turned page after page. he'd read his share of romances--even ones similar to this--but discovering this in your possession, he couldn't help but wonder if he'd disappointed you. which may be wrong, but he couldn't stave off the thoughts.
this could end up being his worst decision, but he felt he had no other choice if he wished to quell his worries. the first chance he got, he sat opposite you at the dining room table and slid the book across the table and asked, "am i not performing well enough for you?"
you were at a complete loss for words, staring in disbelief at the book in front of you. "what?"
"in the bedroom. am i not satisfying you enough? it's the only reason i can think of that you'd read this book so many times. and so often."
despite your best efforts, you couldn't help the giggle that escaped you. you folded your hands over his, squeezing tightly as you composed yourself. "i assure you it is just the romance that i'm reading it for. and even if i did use it for my personal reasons, it'd be you i'm thinking about, diluc. honestly, how could i ever imagine myself with another man when i have you."
he mulled over your words for a moment. "do you have more books like this?"
there was silence for a long moment. then you said, "so many."
"is this one your favorite?" because whether it be or not, he still wanted to talk to you about what you enjoyed, even if it almost gave him whiplash the first time. he was prepared now. after quite possibly making a fool of himself. nor could he deny that, feelings of insecurity aside, he rather enjoyed the book.
â thoma
he'd never seen you with the book before. but he found it on a table in your shared home, your favorite bookmark tucked within the pages. it was partially hidden under some decorative books, which he found strange. curiosity got the better of him and he opened to the marked page.
you hadn't left off on a noteworthy scene, so he flipped back and skimmed the text. his brows rose at what he read, a sly grin curving his lips. this little discovery was by far the highlight of his week. he made himself comfortable on the couch and read through a few chapters, making mental notes of his favorite scenes for later.
the cover and first chapter were entirely misleading, having one believe it was just an innocent romance. by the end of the second chapter the two lead characters were already falling into bed together. the main plot was obviously overshadowed by the many sex scenes. if it wasn't for the detailed yet flowy writing style, he would have put it down immediately. honestly, he could see why you were enjoying it. and why you might want to keep it hidden from him.
as if to further his enjoyment, you walked through the front door, a bag of groceries slung over one shoulder. he drew your attention to him as he spoke from his place on the couch.
"i knew yae publishing was going to venture into new genres, but this wasn't what i expected. nor did i think you'd be into this sort of story. it is interesting, though, in it's own way. these positions are what's most intriguing. should we try them sometime?"
the bag on your shoulder dropped to the floor, a few vegetables rolling out and away. you marched over to him with a blush burning your face.
"give it back," you said, reaching for the book. he held it held it away with one hand and held you back with the other, laughing as you pouted.
eyes shining, he said, "not so fast. answer me this: who do you think is better in bed, me or him?" he waved the book for emphasis.
you huffed. "he wouldn't be so cruel."
"a few scenes say otherwise."
â kazuha
anytime the crux fleet docked, you made it your mission to stock up with a stack of new books. reading was one of the few ways to not lose your mind at sea. it was peaceful, but there was such a thing as too much peace, even with a crew as rowdy as the one on the ship.
kazuha rarely touched your haphazard stacks, but while you were out of the room, he found himself picking up the nearest one. there were little scraps of paper marking pages throughout the book, but didn't let his curiosity allow him to spoil anything. he opened it to the first page and began reading. he was only a quarter of the way through when the first explicit scene came up. it just so happened to be one of the marked scenes.
it wasn't what he'd normally expect of a scene like this. there was care put into its writing. a sensuality that drew him further in. it ignited feelings of familiar moments. it captured perfectly, in his opinion, what that moment felt like. or what it should feel like. what he knew it to be.
as he read on, he made note of certain parts that he wanted to try out later. nothing too crazy or experimental, but things he thought you might like. he couldn't believe he hadn't thought of some of these things before.
the door to the cramped room opened and he gave a little "hello".
"of all the ones to read, you chose that one?" you said by way of greeting. he closed the book over finger to mark his place, though he was close to the end, and looked your way.
"something led me to this one. and for good reason. i can see why you would enjoy this."
"is that so?" you asked, raising a brow. you made your way to sit beside him on the small bed. it was truly a feat to both fit on it sometimes, but for the most part it was cozy.
"mhm. do you read this when i'm not around? i only ask because of the many bookmarks."
"does it bother you that i do?" there wasn't a hint of guilt or shame in your response. you had needs, and there were time he wasn't around to help.
he didn't hesitate, "no. as long as you're enjoying yourself, i see no problem at all. however, it has given me some ideas."
your throat was tight as you looked down at your lap, cynoâs hair was soft against the skin of your thighs, warm in contrast to the cool desert air around you. he hadnât wanted to restâthe two of you had been moving for nearly three days straight and he was intent on getting back to sumeru city before tomorrowâs dawn, but you had seen the way his eyes were drooping with every step, and you had insisted that you stopped for just a moment, claiming that your own feet were hurting because you knew damn well he would deny being exhausted himself.
that, of course, had led to him offering to carry you and it was a ten minute argument trying to convince him that, no, you didnât want to be carried and no, stopping for an hour or two wouldnât kill him. it wasnât until the two of you spotted an oasis in the distance that he finally gave in, your waterskins having dried out a few hours before, cynoâs lips dry and parched.
and he had collapsed when he had bent down to scoop up some water, face-down in the shallow pool of the oasis and unmoving.
you had rushed to him, heart erratic in your chest as you flipped him over and pulled him away from the waterâhe was heavier than he looked, short but a body of pure muscle that had you struggling to drag him away.
he was still conscious at the time, but only barely, eyelids heavy and cracked open, chest rising and falling thinly. his skin was hot, burning even, and you could see the way his muscles were twitching, spasming with even the smallest movement.
guilt spread through you again as you thought back to how he had fought off a large band of eremites while traveling past the dune of carouses the other day while you rested. you pressed another kiss to his forehead, then to each of his cheeks. he had pushed himself too far and had overstrained his body without giving himself time to rest.
⌠and now he was dealing with the consequences, unresponsive in your arms as you tried to keep him cool with water and wet rags. you were lucky that it was dusk when he collapsed, taking away the majority of the heat⌠but dawn would be breaking soon, and you could only hope that his body didnât start crashing again when it did.
you shut your eyes as you brushed your fingers through his tangled hair, remembering how weak he had been as you brought your waterskin to his lips, eyes fluttering shut, throat bobbing as he swallowed all the water he could get.
and you hated how he had immediately to push himself up, but you think you hated even more how when you pressed your hand to his chest to hold him down, he was too weak to even knock your hand off.
âwe need to get back to the city,â he had said, voice hoarse and scratchy from the harsh desert winds.
âyou need to rest,â you had shot back, âyou can barely walk.â
âiâll make it,â cyno had countered with but you didnât even bother to acknowledge the comment. instead, you worked at slipping his headpiece off of his head, despite his protests, shifting him into a more comfortable position on your lap, leaning against a tree on the edge of the shallow pool.
any fight he mightâve had left in him dwindled as you carded your fingers through his hair, fingers brushing over his cheekbones and tracing soft patterns on his skin. he had always been weak to gentle touches, melting into your arms after long days of work, leaning into your hand whenever you cupped his cheek. but what always got him the most was when you played with his hair, running your fingers through it and toying with the strands, it always had his eyes drooping shut before he could stop himself.
it worked like a charm every time, and it had worked just as easily a few hours ago when he was trying to convince you that he was okay to keep going when he could barely even move. in no time, cynoâs breath had evened out, chest rising and falling steadily, lashes brushing his cheek as he dozed off in your lap.
you were certain he had never looked so peaceful. even with you, there was often a sort of strain in his face that never went awayâthe unfortunate effect of his demanding position.
your throat was tight as you looked down at him, fingers absently tracing the scars that littered his chest. you never got to see him like thisâcyno, the rare times he was actually home, always stayed up later than you working on paperwork and then woke up before you so he could handle his meetings with the sages and get back to you before noon.
if you ignored what had caused the situation to arise, you could almost savor the way he rested in your lap. he was always the one to take care of you and it was a nice treat finally being able to be the one to take care of him⌠even if it wasnât by his own will.
in the distance, the sun began to break over the dunes, and of course, cyno began to stir in your lap. no matter how exhausted he might be, his body would always have him up as soon as the sun rose.
a small smile pulled at your lips as his red eyes fluttered open, glittering against the morning sun.
âgood morning, sleepyhead,â you said softly as cyno squinted, confused at where he was and trying to figure out what had happened.
as soon as he remembered what had happened last night, he sighed, shutting his eyes in disappointment.
âwe lost the night,â he murmured. âi wanted to get back before sunrise, itâll be more difficult trekking the rest of the way to aaru in the heat. iâm-â
âcyno, youâre in absolutely no condition to move right now,â you said, pressing down on his shoulders as he tried to force himself into a sitting position. and you supposed it was testimony to how weak he was when he dropped back into your lap and gave you a look that was nothing short of withering.
âwe canât waste another day, the meeting-â
âcan wait,â you interrupted, leaning down to press your lips against cynoâs forehead. his skin still burned, but you made sure to position the two of you beneath one of the oasis evergreens. you hoped that the shade would prevent him from overheating again. âyou run yourself ragged trying to placate them. they can handle waiting on you for once.â
cyno shook his head, eyes sliding shut again. âno, my duty-â
âduty this, duty that, i donât care, cyno,â you interrupted loudly, catching him off guard as his eyes shot back open to look at you. âi can handle being alone for days on end, i can handle the risks and dangers, but iâm not going to sit here and watch you kill yourself for a bunch of old coots that would probably rather you dead anyway!â
cyno hesitated before he let out a deep sigh, reaching down to intertwine his fingers with yours. âis it that obvious that the sages donât like me?â he asked wryly.
âitâs not that they donât like you,â you said as he brought your fingers to his lips to press a kiss against each pad. âtheyâre wary of you⌠i think youâre the first general mahamatra whoâs ever taken his job seriously enough to challenge them.â
you added the end lightly, but cyno evidently did not take it lightly.
âa disgrace,â he muttered, and you let out a breath as you traced his lips. âthey have nothing to worry about so long as they abide by their own laws.â
you hummed, prodding at his bottom lip and letting out a soft giggle as he nipped at your fingers.
âmaybe that should speak volumes then,â you noted off-handedly, âthat theyâre nervous.â
you watched as cynoâs expression shifted into a more perplexed one, absently massaging your hand as he considered your words.
âmaybe youâre right,â he said quietly, but you didnât get a chance to question him as he turned his gaze back toward the rising sun.
the heat was already suffocating and the sun wasnât even fully in the sky but the air already felt as if it was scorching your skin, even beneath the shade. it wasnât this hot yesterdayâyou would not survive the journey to aaru village⌠and you didnât think cyno would either.
after a few moments, he let out another tired sigh. âin my pouch⌠thereâs a tarp. we can set it up above us to block out sun.â
your eyes lit up even if cyno didnât look pleased with his decision. with a wide smile gracing your face, you leaned over him to press your lips against his.
and as much as he might be feigning disapproval, you could feel the way his lips pulled into a small smile against yours.
âand how are you going to entertain me while weâre stranded out here?â cyno said softly against your lips. âyou know i donât like being idle.â
you laughed quietly as you sat back up straight, watching as his intense gaze followed your every movement.
âwell, i could think of a few ways,â you said, fingers grazing his cheekbone as cyno looked up at you through his lashes.
âoh? would you like to hear the new jokes i learned? i need to test them out on someone, i bought a book while on the liyue border a few months back and have yet to-â
âoh my god, cynoâ you complained loudly, hand dropping from his face. âcanât you ever-â
you didnât get a chance to finish your sentence, cut off with a soft hmph as cyno pressed his lips against yoursâthey were still dry and chapped but they felt like home. he moved fast, evidently already feeling better, as he leaned you back against the warm sand and hovered above you, red eyes dark and lidded as he looked down at you.
âiâm kidding,â he murmured. â⌠letâs make the most of our alone time.â
ok so since it's just occurred to me that the fandom is constantly growing and changing and learning, there's some bits of hermit backstory that I know that others might not. hermitfacts coming up:
the server was built as an equal mix of builders and redstoners (and then Joe Hills was added as a WILDCARD to shake things up)
season two only happened because Joe Hills ran a coup
tango is the father of the iron farm, before 1.14 made iron farms easy, your best bet was to ask tango. tango also modded villagers before the villager update
etho invented the etho hopper clock, revolutionised the minecraft let's play, and inspired a lot of the server to play/film
impulse is the guy behind the item sorter, and he is a master of villager manipulation, with his villager breeder being in massive use
bdubs' brother, pungence, joined hermitcraft before he did and played for season one
iskall is behind the vault hunters mod and it's really cool and you should check it out
the way cub built concorp inspired Mojang to update the way villagers work
doc is friends with the Mojang game Devs (even if they took his arm)
Hypno runs the hermitcraft website, even when he's not active on the server
Welsknight came in to defend the others in a rap battle when he was away from the server
Stress runs a fitness channel alongside her Minecraft channel and being a parent
Joe hills used to have a webcomic and do drawing streams - he saw twitch be born, and will likely see twitch die
Scar got his start in call of duty
Joe Hills thought hermitcraft was a scam when he was invited
Something I'm obsessed about is.. How some hermits come off in other people's videos vs their own videos
Scar can feel infinitely more threatening in others' videos whilst in his own pov he seems so fun and cheery. One of my favorite example is his audience with Ren. From his POV he comes off as just messing around, not really listening and just doing his own thing because he doesn't really respect Ren, not really
From ren's pov he comes off as terrifying - you watch Ren have his audience and assert his authority with the rest of his court, and then Scar walks in, and he takes complete control of the scene. Where others listened, nodded, and kneeled - Scar strolls to the throne at his side, sits, and smiles condescendingly as Ren demands scar sell his gigapies.
Whereas from Scar's point of view it's one of his endless swindling moments, when he tries to negotiate the whole thing, from ren's pov he just comes off as... So... Terrifying? Its hard to put into words. He won't budge. Faced with a monarch he supposedly swore his fealty for, for whom he's killed and brought the head of resistance members... He continues to stand tall, chin up, and refuse his frivolities.
It's just... So interesting to me.
Similarly, Joel in the life series - particularly last life - almost always comes off as so unhinged, unpredictable and violent. He's scary in a different way than scar, like an rabid dog.
But if you watch Joel's povs he's so soggy and pathetic. Even in last life. Especially in last life. Rather than a rabid dog he's suddenly a shaking chihuahua, barking and growling at everything that comes his way but obviously helpless.
There's many more examples. How aloof grian comes off from other people's point of view is a good one. It's just... Interesting to me.
I myself struggle a lot with understanding the way I come off to other people. Coworkers and friends will describe me in ways that will genuinely surprise me. When watching the hermits/lifers, you can see this phenomenon from both angles, in a way. It's a nice little case study. How someone comes off when you have an intimate knowledge of their intentions and thought processes vs how they come off from an outside perspective.
i need art of joe hills shaking wilbur a hand after their vote, turning around expecting to be grian but instead quackity stands there drenched in blood. he asks wilbur who that is and he just says good luck and quietly walks out of frame
There's something so amazing about the fact that Mumbo made such a terrible slime farm that it never created a single slime, and then became such a massive meme in the tech community that it revolutionized slime farming because people wanted to see if they could make it work. All while he was gone. He made something fail so hard that it lead to a breakthrough in minecraft redstoning. Beautiful.
Hey Tumblr... I haven't seen a certain poll or anything... I'm also not getting involved at all... And I'm absolutely not here to do any sort of encouragement at all in these final struggling wet cat times.... Hey there, how's it going?
grief is an interesting concept. when things happen that are out of your control and youre forced to grieve, there is no right way to do it. youâll have people who tell you the âbest waysâ to grieve, or even the usual âtop ten ways to grieveâ. but, in reality, nobody can tell you how to, because this grief is your own. you are human, you are allowed to grieve and nobody can tell you the right way to. an analogy i like to use is the ball button grief analogy, which is the one where you imagine a little ball that is hitting against a button. that button is your grief. when the grief begins, when its first happened, the ball is big and is constantly just hitting that button because it has nowhere else to go. however, as time goes on, the ball gets smaller, but the button is still there. the button never leaves, despite how much you can try to get rid of it, the button will always be there. as time goes on, the ball starts to hit the button less as it gets smaller, but less doesnât mean its gone forever. there may be a day where the ball hasnât hit the button in a long while, and you even may think its strange how you dont feel as affected as you used to years ago, but then on a random tuesday years after the grief happened, the ball hits the button and you feel it as intensely as you did in the first place, because grief never really goes away. however, its managing with the grief and living through it instead of trying to âget over itâ is what matters the most. thats what dealing with grief is for me
grief is always with you, and it can be beautiful too. take care of yourselves <3
Turns out when a religious astronaut dies in space theyâre out of bounds of their after life, instead of going to Heaven, they go to you. God of the abyss.
jimmyeatworldofficial
titsay
2087
germansingergirl
kianamaiart
origamiaround
