#and similarly I can't really blame him for not wanting to go back to being the Ice King!

[gumclones]

honestly I think that whatever the Winter King did to transfer his insanity was an accident. not necessarily something that came out of nowhere, but more… he was trying to do one thing and then suddenly he felt a lot more clearheaded

[luveline]

we know that the criminal minds writers looooved hurting spencer but i would love to see bau!reader (bombshell!reader if you think it would fit) hurt and spencer losing his mind a little (ofc everything would end up being okay because we love fluff in this house 💗)! thank youuu <333

ty for requesting! ♡ fem, 1k

“Spencer, are you coming in?” 

The boy in question winces, the cellophane wrapped stems in his hand strangled by an anxious grip. Your voice is hoarse, quieter than usual, though that could be attributed to the thick wooden door between you both. He takes the door handle in his hand, readjusts his fingers, can't quite get himself to go in. 

“Spence,” you say, missing your usual cheer. “Please come in.” 

He opens the door slowly. It weighs a hundred pounds, each inch heavier than the last. 

You're propped up on the movable bed with a dinner table over your legs. Someone's brought you contraband, it seems, expensive soup from the fancy restaurant you like just outside of work. Next to it lies your phone, your chapstick, and a prescription bottle. The orange of it is too glaring to look at for long. 

“Nice to see you finally, heart-throb,” you say, sitting back, rolling your shoulders as you smile. “Where've you been?” 

Sapped by terror in the waiting room, mostly. “Sorry,” he says, offering no explanation. You deserve one, but he can't get the words out. “How are you feeling?” 

“Shot at.” 

“Is it bad?” 

Your eyes soften. “No. Wanna see it?” 

He does in an awful way. To alleviate his panic, sure, but to know what it did. To see what his stupidity resulted in. The unforgivable in stark scarring. 

You lift your shirt and shift your soft bralette up a touch to show him the wound and all its grim stitches. “It almost missed me. Guess I'm not as lucky as I think.” 

“Does it hurt?” 

“Not right now. They told me not to wear wire bras for a while, so you win some, you lose some.” You let your shirt fall back into place. He can see the indecision in your eyes. Not one for hiding like he wants to, you address the elephant in the room. “Now you've seen it's not so bad, can you look at me again?” 

“I'm looking at you.” 

“You know what I mean.” 

The thing is, Spencer doesn't, not really. Half the time you act like you're sharing a secret with him but he doesn't have a clue what you're talking about, and the intimacy is lost, and it's his fault. He's never been good or smooth or charismatic, he's never deserved your attention, and it's his fault you're here, hurting, his fault you'd been prone on the ground, his fault Morgan had to hold your side closed, his fault you almost died. 

“Spencer,” you murmur, “you know I don't blame you.” 

Of course he knows that. 

“You should,” he says tightly. He doesn't mean to get angry. 

“Well, I don't. So give me my flowers and sit down.” 

He bites the inside of his cheek. He's mad, but he gives you the flowers without any roughness, and you take them with a similarly thin thank you. 

Your reunion isn't going how either of you wants it to, it seems. 

Spencer sits in the chair next to your bed as you pick between the petals, admiring their colours, their softness. For a moment you're peaceful, but you close your eyes and press your nose gently to a small bud, and you ask, “Why are you acting like this?” Heartbroken. 

He could explain it in halves. You passed out in the back of the ambulance. Your surgery had unexpected complications. Hotch was so angry, and he still wasn't as mad at Spencer as Spencer was at himself. 

Seeing you hurt because of his mistake isn't a feeling he thinks he'll survive a second time.

“I don't get why you like me,” Spencer admits. “Not before, and especially not now. You should be pissed. This,” —he gestures to you quickly— “is my fault.” 

“It's not your fault, Spence.” 

“What would you call it?” 

You put your flowers down and stare at your lap. He's pushed you too far. Nice, he thinks to himself scathingly, to upset you in your sick bed, that's exactly what he should be doing to make it up to. Great going, Spencer. 

“Will you hold my hand?” you ask quietly. 

He hesitates, his heart skipping a beat like a missed step down the stairs. 

“Please? I just… this has been a lot. I'm not telling you to make you feel guilty, I swear, but it's been a lot. And so many times I wished someone was here. I wished you were here.” You turn your head away from him. “I thought you were mad at me. I'm still worried.” 

Spencer stands up. He feels every stretch of muscle as he does it. You raise your eyes to his, holding out your hands; you know him better than anyone else, he thinks. He overcompensates every time. 

“I'm sorry,” he says, crossing his arms behind your shoulders carefully. 

“I told you it's not your fault.” 

“For not being here to hold your hand.” 

Your hand curls in the front of his shirt. 

“M'not mad. Not even slightly. I mean, not at you…” He rubs your back with his thumb. “Why would I be mad at you?” 

“What was I supposed to think?” 

He presses his nose to your temple, eyes squeezed close in regret. “...You're right.” 

This is what he should've done the moment you woke up. Instead, he let his mind focus on detail, what flowers demarcates remorse, or if cellophane wrapping would be an imposition. Anything to forget how your hands shook as the adrenaline wore off. 

They're steady now as they wrap around his sides to rest at the small of his back. 

“I’m sorry,” he says again, lips touching to your skin with each syllable, like fractions of kisses. 

“I missed you, handsome. Please– don't do that again.” 

He rubs your back. “I won't,” he promises. “I'll be here as long as you want me to be.” 

“Forever, then.” 

For once, your flirting doesn't make him blush. 

[eashgirl]

If anyone remembers that one episode from season nine where Peri got Mrs crocker for a godchild(slight spoilers for a new wish and Peri's relationship with Dev)

She was depressed because she felt like Crocker didn't love her back,and she tried to use wish after wish to quell that emptiness,leaving Peri so exhausted because no matter how many wishes he tried to grant she never seemed to get happy

It got so bad from what I remember they tried all ways to get her to break the rules just so Peri would be free from her,she only truly lost him when she reconciled with Crocker who admitted he did indeed love her

I can't help but compare this to Peri's new godkid in ANW, Dev tried to do something similar,all he ever wanted was to have his dad's love which he never got because Dale literally cares more about money and his literal boots more than him,hence similarly no matter how many wishes he kept asking for hardly any of them were able to geniunely make him happy beyond the surface level, I'd argue the only times he was truly happy was when he and Hazel were friends but that's for another post.

Peri did try his best to adhere to the rules and to grant his wishes,but this in turn just made Dev get even more frustrated because in all fairness he doesn't really NEED a fairy to give him little things like a cupcake or something like a game he's rich he can get an AU pair to bring him that anytime,and the more riskier wishes that can be deemed as more fun is against the rules. Heck I'd even argue that initially Dev may not have seen Peri as anything besides an AU Pair but with magic given that he only really used him to make wishes. Dale probably just told him to ask the au pairs anything he wanted as a means of neglecting his own parental responsibilities. That and Peri wanting to do his absolute best at his first job to impress his parents and stick by the rules along with Dev's frustration and lashing out is the core reason why it fell apart so quickly.

This difference in opinion led to all of this, they're both at fault and both have legitimate reasons for it,Peri had the excuse that this really is his first job he's just doing what he was taught at the academy just grant the kid's wishes and make them happy,he probably did not anticipate the need for severe emotional understanding when it comes to troubled kids(honestly who decided to give a newbie a kid that needed way more help from a seasoned fairy godparent though? I blame whoever made that decision)he did care about Dev in the end but by that time it was too late.

With Dev it's he's a hurt kid and he lashes out at others which I'm not trying to justify it's still wrong,and people can get hurt because of that but given his circumstances I really understand him, he's not used to allowing people in and builds walls around himself even the slightest gesture is enough to make him to increase his guard even more like when he thought a single argument with Hazel meant their friendship was over and tried to go back to being his old self until Hazel pointed that out to him,the sunglasses being a literal metaphor for it,he takes them off a lot during his friendship arc with Hazel and starts putting them on all the time near the end during his downward spiral. He acts the persona of a bully as a means of gaining control of his situation,when it's obvious that is not how he truly is lost and founders day being a prime example,he was genuinely getting better until he found out about project H,and I can understand his reaction his dad who's always absent,hardly ever pays any attention to him literally won't look him in the eye unless it concerns bussiness,cares more about his son's friend then he cares about his own son,did Hazel deserve to get yelled at though?no she didn't, it's still not her fault.

Then immediately after Hazel leaves Peri comes back and tries a feeble attempt to cheer him up by persuading him to make a wish,which really wasn't the right call to make in that specific moment which further aggravates Dev into telling him to leave before having a mental breakdown.

And later in best of luck he ends up getting in a vulnerable position when Peri declares he's quitting,and Irep ends up being a bad influence,he gets manipulated and tries to take over fairy world as a desperate means of getting Dale to finally, finally pay some attention to him which he does initially until he immediately shifts his focus to Irep instead. Literally leaving Dev in the dust on the ground. Alone again.

(I really want to make this post a bit more detailed but I'm six days away from an exam so I can't find the time,any grammar mistakes is because of how rushed this one was might edit it later)

Cosmo phrases it best what he wanted was something no fairy could ever give him,he wanted a parent's love and that is something no amount of wealth or magic is ever going to amount to,which is ultimately the final straw in making Dev abandon everything and accept the consequences without any persistence.

Peri couldn't really relate to or understand Dev because he always had the love or his parents even when he was anxious of messing up they were always supportive and loving, I don't think it's a coincidence that the panel always shows the three of them hugging infront of Dev and Hazel the latter trying to talk to him after everything that transpired. A physical metaphor of what he doesn't have and has to see Infront of his eyes all the time. Again I don't really blame anybody(except maybe Dale but if I'm blaming Dale I'm also blaming Vicky),Peri is a rookie he just graduated so it's unrealistic to expect him to be the best right away, I actually think he might need to ask Wanda and Cosmo for advice in season two how they dealt with certain kids and how he can improve himself.

Because neither Dev or Peri were perfect they were horrible to eachother,but that doesn't mean they can't be better.

It's clearly setting up an overarching story, I actually have faith in the new writers they didn't throw in that scene of Peri saying he cared about Dev and leaving it ambiguous whether or not Dev actually still remembers because of that one theory for nothing.

My reason for bringing in Mrs Crocker is to point out that the only way Dev can really quell his own emptiness is by attaining the love he always wanted, I think by off chance he does indeed remember everything- which I believe is the better option to retain his charecter development-,he may have finally come to understand that no matter what he does his dad would never care about him the same way he cares about his Business and himself,maybe this will lead to him forming better connections with other people, reconciling his friendship with Hazel and befriending Winn and Jasmine and maybe even getting Peri back as his fairy.

Another reason slightly crack that inspired me to make this post is this

This is Peri's eventual state/reaction every time he gets a godchild, boy's been bad at this from the very beginning it's that and simultaneously always gets a hard case on his first try

[lemonhemlock]

I think a thing that bothers me the most is how fragmented TG (the fandom) is now. After season one, many of us had issues with character writing, but it still felt like we were largely on the same page. Now, some people can accept Aegon got bad writing but not Aemond, Alicent, or Helaena. They are all “good” or “bad”characters depending on how much they hurt Aegon this season. I’m so glad he got the time to be well rounded, and that TGC delivered on all his scenes, but I think people forget Aegon has received some poor writing as well even this season. His whole outburst about Jaehaerys’s death is not about his son, but the impact on his legacy- I thought this very odd at the time, but realize it’s because they can’t have him mourn Jaehaerys for a long time either. Nobody on TG is allowed to focus on this dead child, least of all his mother! Aegon goes out drinking with his friends next episode 😭 seemingly unconcerned. But somehow only Alicent and Aemond are called out for this, when it is a clear problem that Daemon is more affected by this loss than the greens. It feels like such an uphill battle to even discuss the faction and family anymore.

This is such a good point!

I know I am so contrarian about this rn, but I have had some issues in connecting with Aegon's grief scenes over Jaehaerys this season. And it's such an opinion I DON'T want to have, bc I'm fully on the Aegon/TGC bandwagon and I do think TGC is a competent actor.

But it's something about the general clownery of the framing, how everything is gloomy and dark but at the same time no one gives that much of a shit over Jaehaerys? It's very weird to describe. I know Olivia also shows Alicent crying and swallowing sobs and trying to conceal her grief, but, if you think about it, Alicent is just Kind Of Like That in a lot of her scenes anyway. Big doe wet eyes, filled with regret and unspoken emotions etc so that her acting similarly after B&C kind of doesn't hit as much?

And, in that context, having Aegon rage over this event is rendered kind of.....hammy and, honestly, comical. I'm reminded of the scene of the small council where everyone is somber and quiet and he kind of looks like he's pretending to cry. In other moments it's fine but there are frames where I can't take it seriously and it registers in my brain like a parody.

I realise how I sound right now, like I'm not satisfied with the subdued performances, but I'm not satisfied with the expansive ones either. IDK. I have a huge problem with the framing and direction this season, I think it's a huge impediment in making me enjoy the supposedly emotional scenes.

All of this to say that I agree, Aegon has also received some bad writing this season, especially him ALSO being kind of over Jaehaerys the next episode. But people tend to overlook it, because when you draw the line, the writing for him is still so much better than what he got in S1.

And, yes, this is why I can't really join the choir in blaming Alicent and Aemond for how they act with him, because it's not a naturalistic and organic progression, it's shoehorned in with little buildup or motivation and not even drawn to its natural conclusion. For example, Aemond should have been toast the minute Aegon woke up, because Prince Regent or not, Aegon is still the King and has the power to remove Aemond if he fears him. He doesn't have to justify himself in front of anyone, just give the order to arrest his brother and name someone else as regent, then just go back to sleep.

[gaypyro]

To be honest, in EPIC I think the takes I like the least are the ones trying to absolve Odysseus of Guilt or defend his actions.

Is Odysseus a sympathetic character in over his head who gets screwed by circumstances? Absolutely! But often eh screws himself by leading to those Circumstances by his Pride and obsession with finding the perfect solution. The man is a great tragic hero! But like... a tragic hero often is responsible for their own downfall.

Odysseus has a tendency to think he knows better then anyone else; and its only when faces with an overwhelming force that he stops. This tends to make him operate on a perfectionism that makes it so he tries to find a perfect solution; when pursuing such a solution often just makes it worse.

"The Blood on Your Hands Is Something You Won't Lose, All You Can Choose is Who's" is a very important line as it defines the central themes of the Musical. Odysseus is a military leader and King, who needs to make tough decisions, and trying to stick to his guns and perfectionism instead of actually making sacrifices, until it's to late, bites him in the ass.

Polyphemus, Circe, Poseidon and Zeus, all these threats attack Odysseus over what his decisions lead to in order to either get revenge on those important to them, or keep them safe.

Odysseus never apologizes outside of to the infant he is about to kill. He never expresses genuine remorse for the terrible shit he does, as he is, even from the start, to caught up in his own hype to do so. Polyphemus was attacking him not because he was hungry, or because he broke into his house, but because the sheep were his close friends. If Odysseus simply ransacked his home for food, that would be a thing he'd need to sort over but theoretically defendable with Odysseus' defense of "I was Hungry, here I'll pay you back." When Poseidon orders Odysseus to Apologize for leaving his son blind (Instead of killing him), Odysseus just tries to explain why he blinded him, as if Poseidon is an idiot who can't pick up context clues. And while he doesn't defend himself for sacrificing his men to Scylla, he also doesn't express any remorse for it. While apologizing likely wouldn't fix these issues, it stems from his Pride and later on, desperation.

And Odysseus' Pride doesn't just stop there, it also causes him to think he needs to get as many people out alive as possible before the Thunder Saga. If he killed Polyphemus, or at least didn't try to teach him Mercy and reveal his name; he could have gotten home scot free. If he chose to either brave the storm despite the risk of losing a few ships, or just kill people who tried to open the Bag, he'd not have lost his entire fleet. Odysseus only successfully got everyone out alive when he had literal Divine Intervention from Hermes, who was impressed with his speech.

And when he did start to embrace Ruthlessness, he did so at the cost of his followers, instead of for them! Something no one else was doing. The Cyclops attacked to defend his flock, Circe cursed them to keep her Nymphs safe, the Siren begged for her Sisters lives, Zeus attacked only after he broke a divine law, and even Poseidon, though he lacked the love the other 3 had, still attacked Odysseus for his son's sake. It's little wonder Ares and Aphrodite are so unsympathetic to Ody, by the time he started being willing to go killing people to keep his men safe he also reached the point were he stopped caring for his men. He was a coward in there eyes, and they only let him go when Athena told them he would cause a Bloodbath for the only people he cared about left.

It's easy to blame Athena for "Provoking" Odysseus into revealing his name, even if she really, really didn't and he was doing it entirely of his own volition. Similarly, it's easy to blame Eurylochus for opening the bag and being a coward; but unlike Odysseus he tried to actually apologize at the first opportunity (It's what he wanted to talk about at the start of Circe) and had actual regrets. Every problem that plagued Odysseus often was made worse by his Pride, and to try to blame others for them ignores the fact Odysseus has agency, and is smart enough to know better. It's what makes him so interesting as a protagonist; that Odysseus is at the end of the "Selfish and Prideful and Vain." The musical is a tragedy, and his tragic flaw has fueled much of the conflict. He's not an idiot, but he also isn't some victim of fate.

[bite-scars]

Recently fully contenting with the fact that I have a big brother kink,,

I blame being stuck as the oldest child but with horrible anxiety, autism, and emotional neglect making the idea of being any kind of role model without one for myself Terrifying, combined with being transmasc and having that pretty much dismissed or at the very least constantly undermined literally all throughout my teenage years 💀

I was also just an obsessively horny kid for no discernable reason dhzjhx maybe it was the only clear form of affection from guys I was at all familiar with being romantic/sexually coded and not really knowing how someone was meant to bond with them otherwise idk. Add that to me literally making an imaginary friend that was just a caring older brother at first and you can imagine the progression of that had a hand in this also🧍

I'm just. I think enough Tough Love type kinda loser older brother that's also just super overprotective and will back you/help you through anything while simultaneously insisting you should "man up" fantasies could fix me--

Older brother that on the one hand has a rebellious dgaf overall bad influence reputation to uphold but on the other hand had to deal with the same parents I did and can't help but be protective of his cute little brother seeing him going through the same or similarly shitty situations, doing his best to mitigate the damage when he realizes how much more sensitive I am to it than he was.

Being the only person in the house I'm comfortable going to for anything, always making me feel safe even when trying to get me to push a boundary for my own good (whether it's Actually for my own good or not-). Insisting any and all unhealthy coping mechanisms I've turned to (or he's introduced me to) are done in his presence only, he's just concerned about my safety and doesn't want me doing them alone (again whether true or not I'm too trusting or dependant to notice a difference). Basically singlehandedly supporting my transition, making sure I get any and all hand-me-downs he still has lying around (and there are plenty, his closet is like a museum of old shit at this point, like he's never gotten rid of a thing in his life even though he definitely has. There are still character-print boxers in there that are pretty much my size), going over our parents' heads to talk with my school about it (having to "correct" all that would be too much effort for them anyways, they'll just leave it be at that point) and interacting with our parents in general for me unless it's absolutely necessary for me to be there.

Finding any excuse to brag and show off his adorable little brother to his equally delinquent friends, letting me join in on smoke sessions since he knows I can't go 10 minutes without following him around like a little puppy, always wanting to be in his lap (he tries to act like it's annoying but he thinks it's cute, not to mention convenient), and hey, with how high-strung i am already he decides maybe the weed would do me good anyways. Keeping the less respectful of his friends on a short leash around me, not hesitating to kick anyone out that can't heed a warning (full-stop, better not forget anything on your way out because you ain't gonna get another chance to get it back-). Getting quietly jealous over any of the others I end up getting sort of attached to, but rather than starting actual shit with them he'll just find ways to remind me that he's the most important to me, even if his friend is cool he's always cooler, right?

Idk this general underlying setup is a theme in a lot of my fantasies tbh, there's a lot that can vary between them (sometimes either brother is grosser or more genuine, really just depends on my mood lol) but the dynamic is always some flavor of this and it probably says a lot 💀

[absolutebl]

Hi!

So apparently GMMTV will be announcing their 2024 line up in October!

Which actors do you think will be paired together this time? I feel like Mix and Pond have hinted they will be studying more so maybe not their pairings…. GeminiFourth said they will have a series so definitely them…

I would love to see ThorFluke plus Pawin with anyone and Drake with anyone!

What are your predictions?

Ooooo, GMMTV 2024 Pure Speculation

(remember if it's not data driven I'm historically pretty bad at this, but sure, let's shoot the shizz)

Most Likely

EarthMix - they're reading v burned out (in addition to Mix + school) but they are currently GMMTV's cash cow so I can't imagine GMMTV won't try to put them in something, no matter what Mix said... but it's possible they'll be let rest for most of 2024.

First & Khao - naturally, if GMMTV can find a script the boys like, these two are likely their the biggest pair earners (if EarthMix really are out).

GeminiFourth - of course, the new princes

ForceBook - honestly they are steady, reliable workhorses who visually suit many BL scripts, they seem easy to work with, fun, and game. Not the most charismatic pair and I'm shaky on their range and versatility, but GMMTV clearly doesn't feel that way. I think it's pretty likely they will get something... I just hope it is something interesting. Are they bankable enough for a historical? That's the real question.

Not Sure

JoongDunk - I really don't know, I think they are slightly more likely than not but they keep getting lackluster scripts. GMMTV is more likely to blame the pair than the show. And it is possible they are just a lackluster pair... too.

JimmySea - what happen to (or will happen with) Last Twilight?

I'd like to see Jimmy paired with someone else. He's too charismatic for Sea. To really break us they should pair him with Gun and just burn down the world. GMMTV would never do this, tho.

Least Likely

It's unlikely PondPhuwin will lead out a show. Pond def said something about going back to school. (Which is code for a long break, if nothing else). They're good but less $ than EarthMix so I think GMMTV will back off from them.

OffGun - I'm not saying it won't happen anymore, but...

TayNew - see above

Bright with... anyone but Win.

A queer can dream, tho.

Some noodling

I do think First & Khao were successful enough, and Only Friends will be enough of a sensation, for GMMTV to consider more First Khao style stuff. AKA instead of just dropping a whole pair, GMMTV will try rearranging pairs. Especially for couples that had previously been mostly just sides.

So we can expect Neo, Mark, Marc, Puwin, Aou, possibly even the twins or the Flukes show up paired "experimentally" with different other actors. Some that may genuinely surprise us.

That said, I'd like some more role swapping too.

For example, with Pond away, and him getting older and being SO established in the genre, I would love to see Phuwin play a seme roll. Not sure he has the personality for it in terms of how he's bonded with some of the newer GMMTV talent since I don't watch any of the variety/BTS anymore, but he has the screen presence.

Remember originally Neo & Phuwin had a pairing... I wonder if that would ever happen again.

I would love love LOVE to see Tay paired with someone else. I thought he was a revelation in 3 Will Be Free showing range I'd no idea he had and he's such a big puppy and friendly with everyone. I bet he could get many partners to trust and relax.

Similarly New needs to play a seme. I think he once said he'd rather not do BL with anyone but Tay, but I still think he'd be fun to see.

So New is less likely, but I think we can safely assume Tay would be game. With TayNew it's whether their shipper/stalker fans would "allow" this.

What GMMTV Wants/Needs

I said in the past they needed to onboard new talent and they went for free agents (Joong, Perth). I thought they'd go for whole pairs, and I still think they'd be wise to consider this.

Given they're likely shifting focus on expansion into darker, higher heat, and more gritty arenas (which I think they need to do given the paucity of scripts within their preferred BL style, the tenor of the market, and the aging of their existing stable) what they want is Zee++. Now they can't wrestle him/his pair free of Dormundi, so...

For solos they are looking for:

actors who have lost their pair, have range into dark territory, will do high heat, and can play harsher seme roles (tall a bonus.)

If they're smart they make a play for Bible, but I wouldn't rule out Lee Long Shi. Both actors have a style that fills a niche in the GMMTV stable and are pro enough to work well in a new pair that GMMTV sets for them.

You KNOW they want Bible. How could they not? Can you imagine?

If they go after a pair?

If they're smart as I think they are? They want NetJames. And they might be able to get them, depending on contracts. NetJames has been awful quiet recently, they either are actually finally filming Love Upon a Time or that's fallen through and they're in contract negotiations. YinWar and JaFirst are also tempting prospects, I would imagine. Especially Ja.

It's this "new pair to GMMTV" announcement I'm most interested in, come October.

I think I'm leaving a key high heat pair on the table, but GMMTV also has a specific appearance and acting style they tend to cast for, and not all of the current indy heat pairs have that. Plus their are high value pairs that clearly do not want to sign with or work with GMMTV (OhmFluke for example) so that's a factor.

Finally, you KNOW they want to recreate the magic of GeminiFourth with young talent so I would bet they are actively recruiting high school grade pink milk via auditions, so we can expect one set of totally fresh faces.

Also tumblr ate half this post so I might have missed a few pairs worth discussing, because I had them but it deleted them. Don't blame me, blame tumblr, and leave a comment.

FYI my predictions for 2023 were as follows:

10 GMMTV THAI BL 2023 Predictions (and how I did)

(these are the ones I made last year before their announcements)

EarthMix (yes, 2x)

something with Joong but not paired with Dunk (nope, they tried the same thing again)

dito Jimmy (not sure what's going on there)

what the hell: Lee does a BL (still no, last man standing)

probably a new attempt at ForceBook (yep)

2 set in high school and fewer set in uni (yep/nope)

at least 1 set in an office of some kind and at least 2 set in the countryside (yep/sorta but mostly nope)

one experimental paranormal/alt reality/time slip (yep)

something Friend Zone messy featuring several LBGTQ+ characters and couples and higher heat (yep)

an attempt to resurrect big guns like TayNew (yep - if cherry magic happens) or even BrightWin (nope, they went for OffGun instead, who I had thought were out)

So here's my...

10 GMMTV THAI BL 2024 Predictions

First & Khao lead out something non-school and complex (GMMTV BL grows up)

ForceBook & GeminiFourth get new shows

Phuwin paired with someone else

GMMTV starts experimenting more with busting up and rearranging pairs

What the hell, Tay does a BL with not New.

We see Joong and Perth star in something GMMTV but not BL

GMMTV pulls in at least one established outside talent who plays harsh seme roles and has a more aggressive tone

GMMTV recruits/onboards an established pair who can and is willing to do higher heat

They option something v complex: crime thriller, mystery, suspense, historical even, I wonder if they might be interested in adapting say... Trapped.

JoJo gets to helm another "off brand" show

What I want them to do?

Finally admit that they can take an established script and "make it gay" and just LEAN in. Descendants of the Sun, but gay. Business Proposal, but gay. Home Town Cha Cha Cha... but gay. Thailand has the latent pool and the screen time but they don't have the scripts/stories.

Time to look to Korea and just fill in the gap that Korea is already leaving on the table (by only doing short form BLs).

Korea has the romances. Hundreds of them. MANY of which are not gender dependent.

Can you fucking imagine if Boss & Babe had been that exact cast but GMMTV doing a gay Dali and the Cocky Prince instead? It would have been amazing.

(source)

[solifloris]

THE "after all, you and i... we're the same. true kindred spirits" AND WHAT YOU SAID ABT MANIPULATION? thats fits sooooo well somehow i can see it

DJSJJF I MEAN LIKE. there's a lot that can go into that line!!! i'm probably reading into it more than necessary!!! but it's just really interesting to me that he says it considering they're first meeting in the main story 🤲 and i dunno if it's intentional or not or true or not, but he does nevertheless frame his words (this line and along with the other quotes i mentioned, too!) in a way where mc is the subject— which is a manipulation tactic that... somehow i haven't seen any of the LI's use on her like this as of yet !! so it stuck out to me 🤔

but like. there's two sides to it and i'm going to. analyze his dialogue under the cut,

(1); using "I" statements directs the subject of the conversation to you yourself. it's usually done by starting the sentence with "i". this helps to avoid pointing fingers, especially when touching sensitive topics. it's used when you want to say something without making the other person recede/back away from you or otherwise gets defensive, because they feel blamed/accused for something! it also shows vulnerability, which makes it easier for others to sympathize with you subconsciously!

for example, "i felt upset when we argued about this earlier" is nicer to hear than "you made me feel upset when we argued about this earlier".

similarly zayne's line in snowy serenity— "i need you. i have never denied that." contrasts how mc says things like "you should stay quiet while i'm still pitying you" and "you're better off not talking" even "the person you like may not feel the same way". the first (zayne) conveys more vulnerability, whereas mc's lines convey more harshness—the same way that zayne uses "you" statements when he scolds her!

(2) using "you" statements directs the subject of conversation to the person you're talking to. it usually involves starting the sentence with "you", and it generally gives off a harsh, authoritative tone. it's imperative, usually—it's commonly used for scolding or chastising, and it's difficult to use sometimes because it can come off as very accusatory. HOWEVER. it can also be used to feed on things like empathy and a sense of belongingness. because the subject on the conversation is on them, they feel special, and seen, and understood, sometimes even wanted—it's one way to garner rapport with someone, and you can even get them to talk about themselves this way! and it's normal human nature for humans to want to talk about themselves, which is why it can work!

for example, "but you're here now, and that's what matters the most." is more attuned to your presence being there, while "i'm so glad you're here now, that's what matters the most." is more attuned to what they feel about you being there. there's a difference depending on what vibe you want to convey in the conversation.

or, off the top of my head there's xavier's line "you seem to bring me happiness that sleep can't give" that sounds easier on the ears and is more heart-fluttering than "i feel happier spending the day with you than sleeping", or something along the lines—it's about what you do to him, not about what he feels.

and so in the dialogues we see so far, sylus seems very fond of using "you"-statements... which like.... i think i can only remember zayne using them the first time we meet him in the main story because he scolds mc on her health, or something? 😭

but again considering that they're just meeting, and yet it already seems like he's making a very conscious decision to choose his words in this way....

it's not even in the same scolding way like we see with zayne/mc, nor is it in a gentle way like with xavier's line

it's like it's deliberately played out to spin the narrative that yes, mc is the guest, the star of the show, and she deserves every bit of attention in this moment.

"you went through all that trouble to enter the N109 zone"

(1) places a card of sympathy (whether mocking or not) because the fact is that the N109 zone is difficult to get into and;

(2) regardless of the situation, mc's efforts to get in are recognized, and she is seen for it.

"i must fulfil my duty as your host"

(1) starts of with "i" so it's technically an i-statement, but closes of with a variant of the pronoun "you". mc is not the subject of the sentence, but mc is the object. in a way, she's still the focal point;

(2) the point could be to soothe being "pointed at"/accused by the harshness of the previous you-statement, while not driving away the focus from mc—she's still seen and recognized in this case, enough so to be treated as a guest, and sylus the host.

(3) it's fun to note that this is the second clause of his statement; it's a follow-up to the previous one. he chooses to address her effort first before going on to shift the harshness of his words, and allow her to relax a little by placing responsibility on him as the host instead. because all a guest has to do is sit back and relax.

(4) a bonus bc!! the introduction of power dynamics! which is an interesting point! because! with hosts and guests—the guests might be getting special treatment, but the host still runs the show! sylus is still able to insinuate that he is the one in control right now, that this is his territory.

"after all, you and i... we're the same. true kindred spirits."

(1) starts off with "you" and is therefore a you-statement BUT...

(2) it's formulated to be almost sympathetic. it's a way of saying, "i understand your plight, your struggles," without being outwardly vulnerable about it. so sylus gets to keep his position of power, while simultaneously:

(3) playing into the theme of belongingness. mc is in an area she's not familiar with, yet sylus uses words that give her the sense of belongingness she likely wants to feel somehow—because humans will always want to feel that need.

(4) it's attempting to simulate trust and, again, make her needs feel seen and understood; therefore making it seem as if, on the emotional front (disregarding the conditions we don't actually know about right now), like mc is obligated to agree.

and like. you know. the pattern!!!!!! it fits with a lot of his other dialogue too and like... generally? it feels like a conscious choice from what we see of him im the trailer. and i have genuinely no idea how intentional that's supposed to be, but because of that, there are hints of subtle manipulation in his dialogue that made me so interested in it LMAOFJSJFJSJJF

LIKE IM PROBABLY OVERTHINKING?? bc who are we kidding right? we don't know anything about this guy or what situation they got caught up with

YET... yk... its a fun thing to try and pick apart

because again it's like. if it's true? we get to see how that facade melts away into genuineness when we realize he actually cared for her. which is like. just as fun <3

[thatgirl4815]

Intimacy (Ep4)

So there is a lot of behind the scenes work happening in this episode, diving into character histories and further developing how they've come to find themselves in the relationships they're in. All of these details will likely play a large role in how each couples' bonds deepen or widen.

RaySand

Ray's behavior gets a lot of context this episode, particularly in regards to Mew, who he is still crushing on. Because this is such a big plot point this episode, it has a lot of subtle implications for Ray's burgeoning relationship with Sand. Forgive me while I go on a tangent about Ray...

It's become clear--and I think Ray himself even realizes this--that Ray's feelings for Mew are more about the role Mew can fulfill rather than the person Mew really is. How many times does Ray say "No one loves me" in that opening scene? Ray needs so desperately to feel that someone loves him, and he's grown accustomed to being called a brat and a burden because he sees himself that way too.

Ray tells Mew that he isn't looking for a real relationship, but he seems to crave one. I think though that if Ray did date Mew, he would find himself in a similar situation as what he is (eventually) going to find with Sand: having someone love him is all he wants, but the threat of that person leaving him is worse than receiving no love at all. The thought of having Mew return his feelings is perfect because it's just a fantasy--a reflection of what he needs to feel whole again.

Ray turns back to Sand to distract himself from Mew, but Ray's relationship with Sand is going to show him what happens when the fantasy of being loved by someone becomes a reality. Being loved means acknowledging all of the hurt and pain that Ray has likely worked so hard to suppress in the years since his mother's death.

Ray and Sand are edging closer and closer to the edge of the "feelings" abyss, and at the moment, Sand is still the only one who seems aware of it. They've already developed an intimate relationship physically, but small gestures like this reflect the emotional intimacy they're working towards. That's what could end up destroying both of them.

TopMew

Top and Mew make more headway as far as physical intimacy this episode, but their emotional intimacy has taken a few steps back from the steady incline it's been on so far...Mew just doesn't know it yet. The trust they have in one another is going to be put to the test again and again as Top tries to conceal the truth about his hookup with Boston.

While I admire how strongly Mew holds to his convictions, particularly where sex is concerned, something still feels missing from their relationship both emotionally and physically. I can't decide if it's intentional or not. If it's intentional, perhaps it's meant to reflect that all is not as it seems between them, that there are still substantial barriers they'll have to overcome to make their relationship work (trust issues, for one). Part of it might also be that we have witnessed Top try again and again to win Mew over, but Mew still seems resistant in any case. Again, I don't blame him given Top's reputation, but even when he opens up, Mew still comes across extremely guarded, almost as if he isn't completely sold on being in a relationship at all.

This might just be my take on it. I'm curious if anyone else feels similarly. I want to be invested in Top and Mew's relationship, but the very obvious cheating and lying going on is making it difficult for me to anticipate a happy ending, and it casts a cloud over their intimate scenes already. (Again, probably intentional. I'm anxious to see where it'll go from here.)

BostonNick

Boston never changes. He plays Nick like a fiddle. The only change we see between them this episode comes from Nick's side, with him finally admitting verbally that he's into Boston (as if we did not already know that). I find it funny that Nick agrees with everyone who tells him that Boston is bad news, yet he's just as down bad as before. I think Nick takes the cake for most pathetic character on the show (*affectionate*)...can't say I condone his obvious spying and breaking into Boston's phone though. At least Nick has flaws too, otherwise Boston would be blowing him out of the water as far as negative traits are concerned.

Boston's ego is also extremely apparent in every scene with Nick. I think Boston likes knowing that Nick is developing feelings, even if he has no intention of returning them. He sees himself as a prize, and Nick's affection just reaffirms that (something he desperately needs while Top is rejecting him).

Boston and Ray both take the cake as far as getting back into Nick and Sand's good graces though. Those cheek kisses and puppy dog eyes haven't failed them yet.

(Not entirely related, but I am not ready for Boston and Nick to crash RaySand's makeout session next week. Let the boys kiss in peace please.)

[new-tella-us]

Okay, I just got a little thought. Demon War- Erik's Route. At some point, it was suggested that Mika was pregnant before that got shot down for the Oribel plot. And I like the Oribel plot.... but hypothetically... what if it was pregnancy? I could see that working. Clearly unborn, demon kids have consciences because Oribel so I have an idea for the Erik route if they did use the pregnancy idea.

Demon kids have consciences, thoughts and opinions before they are even born. It seems they have the intelligence of a young child but it gets reverted to a baby once they are born. They can hear and somewhat "see" through their mother's eyes. However, all they know is who their mom is. They wouldn't really know their dad and it's not as intrinsic as literally being hosted by their mom.

Mika's kid doesn't know who Erik is. Since they haven't acknowledged Mika as pregnant, they haven't verbally acknowledged Erik as the kid's father. They don't know that she exists yet, after all. All she knows is that a weird man is touching her mom. A man far stronger and more magically inclined than her mom. In response, she starts making Mika defensive and even makes small spells to keep the "icky man" away.

Eventually, the child appears to Mika as a soul, trying to bond with her mother and convince her to get away from Erik. This defensiveness increases when the Demon Lord kidnaps Mika. The child doesn't know that she is related to Erik but she can tell that Erik is related to the Demon Lord aka the "evil man". Why would she want her mom anywhere near someone connected to the "evil man"? Especially someone who the child already didn't trust.

The three endings of the route now differ.

(For future reference, I tend to call the bad ending you get usually midway as "The Bad Ending" and the bad ending you get at the end of the route as "The Worst Ending" So in this case "If I can't live, you can't either" = Bad Ending, "You hurt me, Now I'll hurt you" = Worst Ending)

In the midway point of the game, the soul confronts the group mid exorcism to say that she thinks Mika is her mother. Afterwards, you will get a decision to either claim that the soul is a Soul Eater and is lying to you about being your kid or claim that the soul may be telling the truth. Both bad ending come from determining that the soul is lying to you.

In the Bad Ending, it goes similarly to canon. You need low love points with Erik. You won't get the decision to determine the honesty of the soul because Erik is too busy trying to skewer it. The soul dies but takes Mika with her out of spite.

In the Worst Ending, you have high enough love points to convince Erik but you don't convince him to stop, instead choosing to side with Erik. Everything seems okay, the soul seems to have died but there's something odd about the gameplay. Mika is very distant and things you would usually have a choice in, like whether to be affectionate to Erik on your last night or just go to sleep, you no longer get a say.

The war has begun, the two make it to the castle, the demon lord is slain but... instead of it all being over, when Diana and Erik have their backs turned, Mika uses magic tentacles, similar to Erik's, to stab them both. Turns out, the soul lived. And the soul that Erik and Diana managed to remove from Mika's body and destroy was Mika's own soul. The child, now possessing her dead mother and furious, kills the people she blames for taking away her chance at having a happy life and a loving mother.

In the Good Ending, Mika convinces Erik that this child may be telling the truth and they manage to talk and figure that this is in fact Mika and Erik's child. She's able to use all of Erik's abilities, granted, at a slightly lower power range. This helps in battle where the child is able to use her magic defensively to protect her mom. Then the same thing as canon happens, the path, the castle, the dead father in law, etc. But instead of Diana meeting Oribel, Diana simply admits that the unborn child reminds her of her little sister, "Oribel".

Everyone goes home and epilogue is that there's a new member of Mika and Erik's family.

[cloud-somersault]

49 and 26 for the ask game

Does either of them have a hard time being away from the other?

Yes! Definitely! They both have a hard time being away from the other. This isn't as apparent...well, it kinda is now. It's kinda apparent where we are now in the epilogue. Wukong deadass just said he wants Macaque to come around more, and Macaque said he'd think about it, but, before the fight, he was actually going to stop by more. They like being around each other...they like hanging out together! they just are prone to fight and be stupid LMAO

But! If they're together, Wukong has the hardest time being apart. After nearly... 2,050 years of having NO MACAQUE in his life? He wants to be beside Macaque always and forever now. He gets upset when Macaque has to go do something. Similarly, he gets upset when he has to leave Macaque to go take care of some business. Wukong always invites Macaque to come along with him, and Macaque only sometimes agrees to go.

Macaque also misses being around Wukong, though he hides it better. It takes a bit more for him to "miss' Wukong due to the whole. Murder. But he also can hear Wukong no matter where he is. Macaque can just listen to Wukong's heartbeat and his breaths. He can listen in on conversations Wukong is having. And! He can instantly teleport to him, so it's a bit harder for Macaque to "miss" Wukong. But he does. He will find himself wanting Wukong around or wishing Wukong was with him.

If they've been separated for a while, they both get clingy. Wukong is always clingy. Macaque will get clingy if it's been a while. He'll wraps his arms around Wukong from behind and play as if he's tired or lazy, but really he just wants to lounge about and hold Wukong in his arms.

Macaque will also just pick Wukong up sometimes. Just! Pick him up and carry him around. Sometimes, Wukong clings to Macaque's back or his front like a baby monkey, and Macaque has to like...cook dinner with his husband attached to his chest and like...sleeping. Snoring in his ear.

What are their vices?

Wukong had a drinking problem in the past. He'd get drunk at every feast and be unable to handle his duties the day after. Macaque kinda got tired of having to handle that on his own, so they had a fight about it. Wukong cut back on the alcohol and now it's just a special indulgence.

Other than that, I kinda take this to mean "bad habits" and Wukong's bad habits are avoiding things, keeping secrets, being impulsive, all that. He's kinda cut back on the impulsivity...kind of. He's working on it. But! He's definitely not as bad as he used to be. He also has a bad habit of thinking if he attempts to do something, it'll work. And he can't be blamed for that too much; when he was training with Shifu Subohdi and all that, Wukong took to things quickly where others needed more practice.

For Macaque, he's prone to isolation and forgetting that...relationships and talking with other people are actually essential things and yeah, he should leave the house and get some fresh air. He also likes to think he's right most of the time. He sometimes doesn't listen to others opinions and stuff. He just...objectively believes he's got the right answer.

He's also got a bit of a coffee addiction. He hides it, but if he doesn't have coffee before bed, he gets very cranky. He likes a cup before bed (I hc he sleeps at around 4am) and then one when he wakes up (around noon or so) the caffeine helps him sleep.

[sizzlingpatrolfox]

More than whether he has a girlfriend or not, JK's persistence in feeding his y/n's delusions is annoying. And then he wonders why his fans are so crazy and stalkery. If you leave your gate open and house unlocked, I won't be able to act like it's not partially your fault when you get robbed blind. So if you spend all your time making statements like ARMYs are my girlfriends and ohh I have no time for one, and then your fans stalk you to the gym, or spend their hours trying to look into your house - I don't want to victim blame but maybe JK should take some responsibility too especially since he's obviously benefiting in other ways which is why he keeps doing this.

I'm glad Jimin grew out of this phase - he always set boundaries but he used to be a bit more lenient indulging this sort of behaviour in the past. Nowadays he almost always (sweetly) shuts y/n's down and even shipping-wise, he treats all the members pretty similarly - not that that helps much but still. JK with his y/n's and Tae with his shippers - they should really tone it down.

- I doubt JK is lying but all he said is that he doesn't have a girlfriend. He didn't confirm or deny the video. Chances are she's just a hookup and today's remarks will be enough to kill this whole discourse. Plus he posted a new Tiktok so that'll be a good distraction too.

Well it stemmed from a pretty gross violation of privacy so it's just as well I guess.

Tae should take some notes honestly. Him staying mum during the photo leaks, the whole following and unfollowing Jennie ig debacle and the (in my opinion) botched soft launch of their relationship in Paris - that was one L after another.

---

No, he didn't say it wasn't him in the video. And there are more photos of him inside his apartment, from the same angle of the video. I only saw one where he's cooking and it's literally the same kitchen, same trashbins and all. I'm pretty sure it is him in that video.

I also never said that was his girlfriend, just a girl he was having sex with, so this changes nothing for me because my question was "is it Jungkook in that video?" no "does Jungkook have a girlfriend right now?" There is a difference.

Besides, he said he's not going to sue them - why couldn't he have clarified that it's not him in the video in the same sentence? Just saying that someone was spreading lies about him, or spreading false footage claiming it's him would've been fine. He confirmed tho that there's something that could be sued, he's just not going to. He also said he doesn't have a girlfriend right now because he wants to work. But back then when the video was allegedly filmed he wasn't working, so.

Not to mention everyone -shippers included- saying "he should sue those stalkers" like girlssss I thought that wasn't him being stalked? JSKSJD but well. That's about the fandom and not really about him.

I can't with jikookers tho, because some others are saying "well, he's not going to admit to having a girlfriend" and they're right. Jikookers have spent two years calling Jimin and Jungkook liars but now they're trying to act like the bigger person acting like they're offended at people calling him opportunistic and an editor of the truth. Like they don't do that themselves everytime their imagination of jikook doesn't fit reality.

For the record, I actually believe they would deny a girlfriend even if they had one. I said that months and months ago, that they would deny a relationship if it was the best thing to do because they're putting their careers first. ESPECIALLY Jungkook now, who's so desperate for fame. He'd literally be the first to deny a girlfriend the most vehemently even if he had one.

Not to mention it was the wrong place and time to say "actually yeah I have a girlfriend". Like I'm going to need people to be real.

The women who date people like them know that. They know they're not going to be acknowledged publicly. Chen was it? From exo. He's not even as famous as BTS and he never admitted to having a girlfriend, even though a lot of his fans already knew about it. He only came through when he had to get married, and that's what most do. So, if idols who are far less popular than BTS are keeping their romantic lives private, do army really think BTS -who have way more to lose- wouldn't do the same?????

As fun as gossip is and sometimes you just want to watch the world burn, I also don't really believe that they should admit to relationships. Part of me thinks that in case of taennie for example, all those photos were leaked and they've been seen together, they should've acknowledged it out of respect. On the other hand, they don't really owe anyone an explanation.

There's stuff that bothers me on a personal level, like once Harry Styles said he's never had a public relationship, when in fact everyone in the world who's interested could make a timeline of every single relationship he's ever had in his life because of how public he was about it. But... the thing is he was seen in public with his girlfriends but he never acknowledged them to the public. He doesn't get asked about them in interviews, fans don't ask him about it either. He doesn't even speak to the fans outside of his concerts. He definitely never brings up his girlfriends on conversations either. He doesn't show up to events with them.

So that bothered me a lot when he said that because it's very gaslight-y imo. Like, dude... we've seen it all. We've seen you with them. And the thing about taennie is pathetic to me in a similar fashion because we've also seen it and everybody pretends it doesn't exist. And the thing about following her on Instagram and victimizing himself like the app had done something wrong to him. That was so shitty. One thing Taehyung does have in his favor is that at least he never really denied it either.

In conclusion, I'm just a girl and human and sometimes my curiosity gets the best of me and there's a lot of lingering frustration about not knowing everything. At the same time, logically and empathetically, I understand that people are under no obligation to disclose personal information.

[bonesandthebees]

So I'm sending chap 7 & the first 2 parts of my chap 8 stuff then I'm going to sleep. Since I'm off tmr I should have it all done by then and I will see if I have the energy to digest the monster that I imagine chap 11 will be.

CHAPTER 7 (1/2)

The difference between their reactions to the situation is actually kind of funny I'm not going to lie. [“After his screaming died down, Tomys had given him an exasperated look and asked if he was done”] Tommy is so real he doesn’t have time for Wilbur to be dramatic they need to SURVIVE.

The separation anxiety is already starting to set in from the moment Wilbur is rendered immobile on the floor of the cave [“Fear shot thrugh Wilbur like the red hot pain spiked from his leg to the rest of his body”]. Despite the fact that Wilbur knows it’s smart to get wood because they cannot freeze to death, if the bandits somehow find Tommy again, Wilbur will be by himself until he freezes or starves to death, whichever comes first.

His spiralling overthinking when he’s alone says so much about this boy’s issues. He’s constantly comparing himself to his father, what he could have done, should have done that his father would have thought of because he’s just that great and intelligent. And how could he ever fill those shoes as the next Consil?

The difference between the two of them in terms of their knowledge is also very fun as it further shows how different they are but how well they can work together. Like Tommy knowing how to start a fire but not knowing what kindling is called. They fill in the gaps in each others’ knowledge which will ultimately help them survive.

And their different attitudes. Tommy is determined to get both of them back while Wilbur has already just accepted that he’s probably going to die as his chances are fucked with a broken leg.

The reveal of Tommy being in the running to become the heir coming from Wilbur will make him trust him more in the long run as he was the only one being real. The fact that he considered that Tubbo and Jack knew without telling him makes me think that when they go back, he’s going to be similarly detached from them like Wilbur is from Niki.

Tommy saying that he doesn’t want the throne is just so sad though. He’s just a kid who wasn’t given the choice in whether he wants to have the weight of an entire country on his shoulders. And now Phil is considering to shape him to become the perfect ruler for Wilbur to be Consil if Wilbur is up to partaking in a lil manipulation for funzies.

- 🦈

SO I REMEMBERED THESE

the contrasting reactions of crimeboys to the carriage accident/bandit attack was so funny to write. you'd really expect tommy to be the one freaking out but because wilbur is the one freaking out tommy literally can't also freak out. it's like that one yuker (I think it was yuker I could be wrong) comic with c!crime where ctommy is like "ghostbur we can't both be having panic attacks at the same time we need to have a system"

SEPARATION ANXIETY ALREADY HITTING IT'S A CLASSIC! yeah wilbur is very aware that if literally anything happens to tommy at this point he is going to starve and/or freeze to death in a cave. he really needs tommy to stay alive. and of course this anxiety leads to him overthinking the whole incident and blaming himself for it because why would he have a normal reaction to this. of course he's going to blame himself and think it's because he's inadequate compared to his father he has so many issues

I loved showing the balance with the knowledge each of them have. tommy knows how to do a lot of survival things but wilbur has actual book knowledge. when tommy's knowledge fails, wilbur has to grasp at whatever he remembers from books to fill in the gaps. they work REALLY well together which was really fun for me to show

wilbur revealing to tommy that he's in the running for heir was one of the smartest things he could've done. that earned him so much of tommy's loyalty. literally no one else in tommy's life had gotten around to telling him yet and he learned from one of the last people he would expect to tell him, so of course that was huge. but either way, the tragic part is like you said he doesn't even want it :( he's just a kid :(( but that doesn't matter because he's in the running either way. he's been put in the rat race and now he has to survive

[shitty-davesprite-daily]

okay, I can't Double Jeopardy you about being gay. BUT, I'm gonna fucking litigate you to hell and back about this.

In perfectly serious legal terms, FYM, 'pretend he cares about me'? Let's move onto the first piece of evidence: @badlydrawnjohn and his Dealings With The Fuck Hat.

John's first though upon learning the Truth was not to think any lesser of your own person, but instead worry about how YOU'D think of HIM! This ties back into Strider V. How Down Bad Is Davesprite For John Egbert (2023), (viewable here), as you similarly elevated your own concerns of the Fuck Hat and worried about John's views and opinions on you! And, with the effective ruling that You Are Down Bad For One John Egbert, this is certainly cause for further examinations on John's feelings! But, i'm not done yet! In our second piece of evidence, JOHN'S OWN THOUGHTS ON DISCUSSING TIMELINE FUCKERY WITH YOU!

NOT ONLY would he be willing to discuss his feelings with you (despite he himself being hesitant to do so), HE IS DIRECTLY-QUOTABLE IN SAYING HOW IMPORTANT YOU ARE TO HIM! But wait! I'm back for round three, with: WOULD HE HAVE SIMPLY LET YOU DO THE WINGY THING IF HE WAS NOT AMIABLE...

In Circumstances Just As Meat-Dave and Karkat are having a blushy-blushy, You-Make-My-Heart-Go-Doki-Doki ass moment?? And Finally, for my Times Four John-Care Combo,

UN-GRIMDARKIFYING HIM WITH AN ACT OF LOVE AND CARE, WHICH WOULD'VE NEEDED TO FORCE THROUGH HORRORTERROR BULLSHIT, WOULD HAVE HAD TO MEAN SOMETHING TO HIM ON-PAR WITH CUTTING DOWN TO HIS VERY SOUL, The very ESSENCE OF HIS BEING! I rest my goddamn case.

Of Course, this isn't to downplay everyone else's role in The Un-Grimdarkening but you can't deny that it's still meaningful that the thing that dealt the final blow was The Hug. (sorry for the Longass Posts but. Davesprite man. Can You Blame Me.)

TG: oh my god dude i

TG: seriously

TG: what the fuck do you want me to say

TG: yeah okay maybe he cares about me

TG: for some fuckin reason

TG: and obviously i care about him

TG: but what the fuck am i supposed to do about that

TG: especially when people like you are absolutely reading into shit that isnt there about how much he "really" cares about me

TG: seriously man

TG: im fine. im cool

TG: just lay off

[ryuseiired]

Hello!! I meant to respond to your reply but I forgor -- thus, I'm here to ask about any Mahiru thoughts/theories/opinions you have 👀🌻 (only if you want, I'd just love to hear!)

OHHH you have no idea how happy i am to talk about mahiru... she is so dear to my heart. as evidenced by the last time someone asked me about her and i accidentally wrote a 1900 word response. going to try and make my answer to this ask a little shorter lol.

i think there's just something really compelling to me about the fact that like. whatever it is that happens with her boyfriend feels so much more like an interpersonal problem that went horribly wrong than like a murder case. obviously the characters with more traditional and direct murders can be and are interesting as well but there's just that special flavor of tragedy to the instances where characters never intended for their "victim" to die. especially mahiru, who sincerely loved her boyfriend and seems to have not even wanted to inflict Any sort of harm nor to have been aware that she was doing so.

i really really like and resonate with how she deals with the realization that she in fact Did hurt her boyfriend though. it's just so nuanced and realistic, you know? she blames herself for her emotions and desires and her inability to get it right, and she doesn't want to hurt anyone again... but she also can't stand the idea that she'd have to be alone and unloved for the rest of her life in order not to hurt anyone, either. which i think is a dichotomy mahiru seems really familiar with: she doesn't really want to get upset with her boyfriend or hurt him or anything like that; it's just that she also desperately wants more attention and love and commitment than what she's getting (and ends up giving in to that desire and demanding it seemingly to his detriment, judging by all that "calling you in the middle of the night" she mentions in this is how to be in love with you, or the "if you don't hug me our hearts will drift apart").

which is... a really realistic struggle, you know? wanting something from someone that they for whatever reason can't give you. on one level i think she does need to work on how to actually be okay by herself, and to find healthier outlets to cope with it. on one level her behavior is destructive and harmful to others. but on another level, she's not wrong for having a high desire for attention and reassurance, either. and it seems like she doesn't really know how to deal with those emotions. or with her emotions in general, actually... she gets carried away with happiness when things are good, and sinks into despair when they're bad, and doesn't know how to handle it or find a middle ground.

it's just a really nuanced situation without a clear right or wrong, and that level of difficulty in coping with/controlling your emotions is really hard to handle even without a situation where you end up becoming implicated in your boyfriend's death... i feel for her a lot :( poor girl just needs therapy and a better support system in her life. and actually circling back then to my tags on your fic... i think in another world, that mahiru with her uncontrollable emotions and ideals of love as her meaning to live could absolutely find some sort of kinship and seeing herself in kotoko, who similarly seems to struggle with her anger towards injustice spiraling out of her control and with her vigilante work being connected to a sense of purpose for her.

unfortunately, as is... i think the opportunity's been a bit lost with mahiru's canon guilty vote and what happened between them. mahiru forgives her, yeah, but... i just don't think it'd be great for her to pursue a connection with someone who nearly killed her.

that's what alternate universes are for though, right? ;)

[axvwriter]

Budding Friendship?

More interactions between my Bobo and @daedalusslabyrinth's Pluto! Abel's Pluto OC Story 3 is somewhat relevant to this so please consider reading it first.

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It had been a day or two after Leona's overblot incident. Bobo had gotten in a few naps, but she hadn't let herself truly sleep. She didn't want the nightmares. Not when the one she had in the infirmary had her questioning this reality again.

"Geez, you seem sleepier than usual. What's gotten into you?" Ace asked as Bobo's group of friends entered the cafeteria. Bobo glanced at him, wondering if she was the only one still hung up over what happened. Everyone seemed to have gotten over the whole disaster by simply taking revenge on Savanaclaw during the tournament. Well, that's what Ruggie had basically told her.

"Just... been up late studying." Bobo relunctantly answered. The world of magic is certainly different if someone nearly dying from uncontrollably overusing their magic didn't effect the mages around her. That or they're acting similarly to her, keeping up a front. Though if that's how they're going to be, she wasn't going to act out of line in that regard.

"You're such a goody two shoes." Ace sighed, throwing his hands up in a dramatic display as he shook his head. He then brought his arms down, one landing around Bobo's shoulders.

"What's the point of all that studying if you can't even stay awake?" Ace teased. "All work and no play is going to make you quite dull."

"At least I don't nap during Professor Trein's classes." Bobo grumbled.

"Hey, you can't blame me there! He just drones on and on... it's like the perfect lullaby." Ace whined. Bobo shook her head, trying to hold back an amused smile. Ace noticed and reached a hand up to poke at her cheek. Before he could actually make a comment, Bobo swatted the offending finger away before it made contact.

"Don't touch my face." Bobo responded, her voice betraying her by revealing a slight panic in her tone. It didn't help that Ace felt her tense under his arm. Ace let his hand drop, pulling his arm away as he looked at her. Bobo crossed her arms, realizing she was caught as she looked away. The lack of sleep must be making it easier for her to slip up.

"Are you okay, Bobo?" Deuce asked, the small scene drawing his attention away from Grim. Which Grim took advantage of to try to cut in the cafeteria line. The cat monster not even noticing what was going on with his henchhuman.

"I'm fine... I just... I suppose I should explain why I don't like my face being touched..." Bobo squeezed her own arms, trying to reassure herself that she could open up to these three- or two. She looked over at the Heartslabyul duo just to notice the lack of Grim's presence.

"Or perhaps that should wait until Grim's with us." Bobo stated. Deuce started and looked about.

"Grim! I told you to wait your turn!" Deuce ran off to go find the gremlin. Ace shook his head and ran after him, figuring the boy was going to get himself into trouble. Bobo watched, wondering briefly if they expected her to join them.

She had no interest in doing so. Plus she figured it may work out better for her to keep their place in line. There was a good chance that the troublesome trio would get thrown to the back of the line. Bobo relaxed her stance, dropping her arms to her sides. Should she order for them all? There was a chance that them trying to rejoin her might be seen as cutting in line again.

"Hey babe! Thanks for holding my place!" A voice called out before an arm wrapped around her shoulders. Bobo lurched forward in surprise, nearly stumbling from the surprise weight. She might have to brave those nightmares if she really failed to sense someone get so close to her.

"Pluto?" Bobo looked positively confused at the blue-haired boy. It took a second for her to realize he was using her to cut in line. Something about the timing of that caused an exasperated laugh to escape her.

Pluto withdrew his arm, placing his hands in his pockets. He threw a glance behind him, checking if the students behind them would try to toss him out. They looked disgruntled, but not enough to actually take action.

"...You know what?" Bobo whispered, leaning towards Pluto. He had to lean over towards her short stature in order to hear. Was she able to speak really quietly or was the cafeteria just that loud?

"I'll let you cut in line, but we're going to eat lunch together." Bobo proposed. Pluto gave her an odd look, unsure if she was now hitting on him? Bobo saw his confusion, but didn't quite understand what he didn't get.

"I do want to talk. At least about that pill bottle you gave me." Bobo clarified. Pluto straightened his posture and gave a little nod. He hadn't exactly planned to stick around and chat, but maybe he could just bring her with him. After all, he had someone back in his room that needed lunch as well.

The two waited in comfortable silence, both lost in their own minds. That is, until Bobo's friends came back to regroup with them.

"Hey! What's going on here? You weren't in line with us." Ace glared at Pluto, getting into the boy's space.

"What do you mean? He had been waiting behind us." Bobo calmly stated. "He simply stepped up to give me some company since you three abandoned me. Grim, trying to rush things isn't going to help you."

"Nyah! But I'm hungry! You wouldn't buy me any snacks!" Grim wailed from his prison within Deuce's arms.

"Wait, wait a minute. I could swear that he was not behind us before. Are you lying to me? Your good friend, Ace Trappola?" Ace held a hand over his own heart, giving Bobo a rather disbelieving look.

"Oh come on, you're just throwing a fit because you want to hog the Prefect all to yourself." Pluto responded, trying to step around Ace to get closer to Bobo. Ace wasn't having that. He pulled Bobo into a protective hug, startling her.

"I am not hogging the Prefect!" Ace claimed. Bobo blinked before she started laughing. She brought her arms up around Ace, returning the hug.

"Ace, what would you say you're doing right now?" Bobo continued to laugh. Deuce couldn't help how his face twisted as he tried to hold back from joining in her laughter. Grim snorted and weaseled free to jump onto Ace's shoulder.

"What's the big idea? Didn't this guy help us in the fight against Leona? Stop trying to suffocate my henchhuman." Grim swiped at Ace's head, causing him to let go. The boy tried to swipe back at Grim, but the cat-like monster jumped onto Deuce.

"Do you have some personal grudge against Pluto?" Bobo asked as she crossed her arms.

"Well, yeah, even if he did help us, he's a con man!" Ace threw a hand out in exasperation as he tried to decide if he should focus on Bobo or Grim.

"Considering you do have some grievances with Pluto, I'll have lunch with him by myself." Bobo calmly responded. Ace gaped at her then grabbed her by her shoulders.

"Did you not hear me say he's a con man?!" Ace kept from shaking her.

"I can handle myself, Ace." Bobo brought a hand up, resting it over one of his own. She gave a reassuring, yet tired smile. Ace grumbled and pulled her into another hug.

"I'm not happy about this." Ace gruffed as he glared at Pluto. Pluto might have been torn between returning Ace's animosity or simply smirking. While this might mean he still can't infiltrate the Prefect's friend group, this might be better. He doesn't need to be part of the friend group at all in order to get to know the Prefect better. By the sounds of it, Ace wouldn't be able to do a thing about it.