#<- well other reasons too. last year was a really bad year overall tbh

[muirneach]

oh my god i just got my timetable for the year i’m about to murder someone i was put into the fucking art class. if you weren’t here circa last semester the thing about me is i hate that art teacher with my entire being. good god. also inexplicably put into marketing for semester two which was not even remotely what i signed up for. oh my guidance counsellor is gonna be hearing from me for sure

[viktoriakomova]

i want to make this a separate post instead of tacking it onto the last post i reblogged, because a) i feel like its getting way too far away from the point of the OP and as someone who has been in that position several times on my main blog its annoying as shit, and b) i dont want it to feel like anybody is ganging up on OP or "dragging" them or whatever, i dont think what they said was mean spirited or came from a place of bad faith etc etc etc. (if i did i would have been a whole fucking lot meaner in replying lmfao) and i also dont think anything it said was Wrong tbh.

okay all that being said!

i will put my tags of my last reblog in the main text here, because this is something i want to expand on:

not to get too Deep about it but. the colonizing countries literally have more wealth and resources and opportunity *because* th#*they stole so much from the global south. they have the $ and the stability to develop ‘frivolous’ things like gym#at the direct expense of the colonies who are left penniless and in perpetual chaos and upheaval

(for context this is re: children of immigrants in diaspora and their connections to their parents'/grandparents' homelands and culture, and maintaining those ties when the reason they came to the global north are for increased opportunity for success and upward mobility etc.)

i wont turn this into a treatise on economic exploitation and its consequences like i alluded to in the tags (i would if i had like 3 glasses of wine tho lol) but the following is something i really do want to underscore:

i love nemour for a lot of reasons. the gymnastics itself, yes of course. i know i snark and make jokes all the time about her shitting on the FFG every time she does anything great under the 🇩🇿 flag. but sincerely, what she is doing for gymnastics in algeria, in north africa in general (hell even in africa overall given the attention that african champs got because of her), is truly something special. i will admit that i dont stay on top of algerian sports media lol but i do speak french and what ive seen, just what has come across my radar, in the francophone algerian press (both in france and in algeria) is drumming up major excitement about her. this is the kind of attention that gets people who otherwise wouldnt give a shit emotionally invested in the sport. the social and historical baggage of the treatment of algeria and algerians in france, and the olympics being in paris, is just the icing on the cake.

its not exactly the same dynamic, especially not in terms of the Discourse about resources and access in diaspora, but i cant help but to be reminded of daiane dos santos, who famously started the sport at the age of 12. and only 8 years later she became a world champion on floor. she was the first world champion in WAG from brazil, south america entirely in fact, ever!!!! rebeca andrade mentions her all the time as an inspiration for her as a little girl. rebe went out of her way (i mean that figuratively as well as very literally, we all know the story about her brothers escorting her through the favela to the gym and back) to do the sport, because she saw dos santos do great things and looked up to her. and now shes REBECA FUCKING ANDRADE. would we have Rebe™ if it hadnt been for daiane? no probably not!

i guess it just..... not "upsets" me, thats not the word im looking for, but maybe gives me pause when i see anybody say (about any of the aforementioned US-born gymnasts representing other countries, not just in this case with nemour) that its opportunistic or undeserved to be competing under the flag of a country your parent(s) came from but you've never properly lived in. because...... isnt that the whole purpose of the multi-generational Narrative Arc? dont they pick up their whole lives and move to "wealthy" countries to pursue better lives for themselves, and more importantly, for their children? and then their children do take advantage of those opportunities they would not have gotten back "home" and reach the highest levels of a (very expensive and, until very recently, highly "inaccessible") sport. and then there's a chorus of "well it isn't like she's FROM from there and came up from the ranks within that country." i mean you're not wrong but thats.... kinda the point!!! she couldnt have done it at "home," shes a clear example of how much talent there is in places that are torn apart and dirt fucking poor and how if you give those people the opportunity, they can be really fucking good at this! world class, even!

she is, in a very REAL sense, "representing" algeria. if she does well in paris (🧿🧿🧿🧿 *furiously knocking on every wooden surface in my apt*) she will become an emblematic iconic sports star for algeria. she will be the reason a ton of little girls in algeria (and even franco-algériennes in france) will want to sign up for gymnastics! she will have (and has already had, by the looks of it) a tangible impact on the popularity and the future of the sport in algeria. it cannot be overstated how fucking much that means.

[madfoxx]

listen i loved s2 as much as the next guy but some of the plotholes are just hilarious to me because they employ the fanfiction logic of “i want this scenario to happen so it will just happen” and i feel people aren´t talking about it enough, so here are some of the things that made me go “oh, no beta read huh.”:

1) first question: why the fuck did gabriel delete his memory?? seriously though, i havent seen one single post about this, but i just dont understand!? So, heaven threatens to fire gabriel and delete his memory, which, okay, bad news. and then his solution is to....delete his own memory for them, so now he doesnt remember his own name let alone the love of his life, beelzebub, who he planned to run away with?? WHY??? he left heaven immediately afterwards anyways it literally made no sense and just caused major problems for everyone involved. But i guess the answer is: we needed him to have no memory for the story to happen so that makes sense by ao3 standarts

2) on a related note, why was he naked?? he could have just speedwalked outta heaven in his suit with the matchbox in his pocket, so why strip down?? Again, no reason, but arent you glad we got to see john hamms naked butt, so lets pin that on gabriel being an sweet dumb himbo maybe

3) also, how did he find aziraphales shop while not even remembering his own name? Dont know dont care, googlemaps probably.

4) not really a plothole, but that whole Maggie and Nina getting locked in the bookshop thing was the tropiest trope they pulled this season and it didnt even work because we got nothing from that scene, not even one hearfelt deep conversation

5) this one is a bit pedantic, but how is it that a demon with magical powers has to live in his car? i guess its a character thing and we need to see him at his lowest point but he could literally just miracle himself an enormous pot of gold if he wanted to

6) why would beelzebub order an attack on the bookshop and risk gabriels life? why didnt they simply explain the situation to aziraphale & crowley? well you see we didnt want the story to be over after 1 episode and also we needed a finale of some sort.

7)  i mean the whole attack on the bookshop was just....a thing that happened i guess. kinda strange the demons (especially shax who seems to have at least 1 spare braincell) would dare to kidnap an archangel in the first place. isnt he like, insanely powerful? and they didnt even know he lost his memory, so to them he was just an archangel hanging out on earth because he wanted to. how did they think storming the bookshop and taking him prisoner would go down?

8) tbh i dont really understand why heaven wanted gabriel back so much they would threaten to destroy anyone helping him and then....they just let him just go without any problems whatsoever? feels incredibly anticlimactic and illogical to me but i suppose the season needed some kind of threat to make the romantic elements work

9) this might actually get resolved in s3 but i cant believe Upstairs wants aziraphale - an angel who spend years deceiving heaven and overall just sucked at his job because he was too busy trying to fuck a demon - they want him to be the new supreme archangel of heaven. he literally stopped the last apocalypse a couple of days ago and now he´s in charge of armageddon 2.0? that´ll for sure take some explaining!

there´s a lot more stuff, but these are the most obvious things that have been on my mind since s2 aired. i also want to reiterate that i do love many things about this season despite the writing being all over the place. and no, i dont believe that all inconsistencies will be magically explained away by s3. i think it boils down to neil gaiman saying “lets make a big budget 6 chapter fanfic so david tennant and michael sheen can kiss each other on the mouth. also not beta we die like eric the disposable demon” and i can respect that. 

[feuqueerfire]

April 2024 Movies/Shows Wrap-Up

A little monthly (spoilery!) wrap-up of all the shows, movies, and shorts I’ve watched or am watching in April 2024, general thoughts, and ranking of them all.

Recommendation of the month(s): idk, had a bunch of shows that I rated pretty well but they each have big caveats lol.

Ranking

The Good Bad Mother (2023) = Utsukushii Kare S2 (2023) = 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) = The Warp Effect (2023)

I Hear Your Voice (2013) = Rewatch: ? Utsukushii Kare S1 (2021) 

Jazz for Two (2024) =  Utsukushii Kare: Eternal (2023)

Some More (2018)

Watching: 23.5

I managed to watch some shows that I’d been really anticipating for quite a while and were released early last year: Utsukushii Kare S2 + movie and The Warp Effect

Average Rating: 6.5/10

MDL Updates - Added to Watchlist: 

A section because I’m curious about how many shows I decide to add to my Watch List a month and also the ratio of watching them:adding them.

Title MDL (year) - (date added to Considering or finalized to Watchlist): initial reaction

Jazz for Two - 240411: New kBL that seems fine

Love is Better the Second Time Around - 240417: i'm fond of the second chance/post-breakup romance trope, hopefully I’ll like this one

Blank - 240417: Only season 1 is out for now and apparently it ends on a cliffhanger, so idk if I should be adding it to the watchlist quite yet but I want age gap GL (w dubious morality? idk what the discourse is about tbh), so I’ll add it and hope S2 is released in May as expected and turns out well

My Beautiful Man: Eternal (2023)

Unknown: I’d been keeping an eye on it since it started releasing and it got pretty high praise all throughout. I think I can get into the we’re-not-biological-brothers-but-we-grew-up-together-as-brothers dynamic 

Deep Night: I’ve enjoyed First Piyangkul in shows before and am curious about the host club setting in this. This show is such an interesting case because on reddit and on Tumblr, everybody seems to love it and MDL has some mixed comments but mostly positive there too and yet the MDL rating is 7.5, I wonder why the discrepancy.

23.5: FINALLY

I Became the Main Role of a BL Drama - 240417: The Conversation podcast mentioned in their 2024 Winter Lagniappe and seems like it's a celeb-related show? they’re actors?

To Watch List At Start Of Month: 64

To Watch List At End Of Month: 64

Removed from To Watch List:

Title (Year) - (date removed): reason

Nothing this month

Completely Watched

The Good Bad Mother (2023)

Country: South Korea

Release Dates: Apr 26, 2023 - Jun 8, 2023

Watch Via: iQiyi (so, ;>) 

Watch Dates: Apr 1 - 3, 2024

Rating: 7/10

Overall Impression: Lee Dohyun <3 My reason for watching but the show is bigger than just him. It was so addictive and entertaining, watched the whole show in like 2 days and 2 hours. Impressed by the acting of Lee Dohyun and the mother and Mijoo's actors. The show was mostly about the mother and son relationship, with the revenge plot + the Mijoo/Kangho romance arcs in the background. I deeply wish that Kangho hadn't apparently forever loved and understood his mother and did everything for her and sang her favourite song while studying for the Bar or whatever. He went low-contact with her in Seoul even before he discovered the stuff that made him break up with Mijoo, so I think the reasons behind that and the hurt and betrayal that caused him to take such an action should have been focused on more. We got fleeting moments of him being angry or her saying she's bad but it was all explained away or he understood or whatever. Anyway, idk, I think if that relationship was more clear + the ending of the revenge arc was more solid, I would've rated it higher because I did enjoy this but some things bothered me significantly.

Also Appears In: The Good Bad Mother Live Blogging

I Hear Your Voice (2013)

Country: South Korea

Release Dates: Jun 5, 2013 - Aug 1, 2013

Watch Via: Viki (paid, so ;>)

Watch Dates: Apr 3 - 11, 2024

Rating: 6.5/10 [May 12, 2024 Update: Decreased by 0.5 stars when rerating shows I've watched in 2024: 7 -> 6.5]

Overall: Noona romance + mystery + courtroom + sliiight supernatural with mind-reading, it has a bunch of things I liked. It's from over a decade ago but enjoyable nonetheless. I liked it, though Hyeseong and Sooha were quite cute but I wish 1) the episodes were a bit more condensed to be 14-16 episodes and 2) the fucking love triangle wasn't so prominent (though I get that they probably did it because Sooha was underage at first). Not life-changing and kind of overstayed its welcome for me, esp because I was barely watching 1 ep a day in the middle there.

Also Appears In: I Hear Your Voice Live Blogging

Jazz for Two (2024)

Country: South Korea

Release Dates: Mar 26, 2024 - Mar 29, 2024

Watch Via: iQiyi (paid, so ;>)

Watch Dates: Apr 11 - 12, 2024

Rating: 6/10

Overall: Nobody in this drama asks before kissing lol not Doyoon, not Seheon, not the little kiss that Seheon's brother gave to sleeping Taejoon, and the other two, Juha and Taeyi, are experts in being creeps and having internalized homophobia that they direct outwardly to the guys they like as well (Seheon's brother fits here too lol). Yet, I enjoyed it a fair amount, the story was coherent, the acting was fine, I was endeared by Doyoon (is he the Omega X kid?), and the dynamics were enjoyable, if iffy on certain counts. Not super attached though.

tags: jazz for two

Also Appears In: Jazz For Two Live Blogging

Some More (2018)

Country: South Korea

Release Dates: Nov 7, 2018

Watch Via: Gagaoolala (paid, so ;>)

Watch Dates: Apr 13, 2024

Rating: 5/10

Overall: It was fine ig but I did skim through the latter half. 

Ah, my exams are done (for this semester or forever? who knows), so I can finally start some new shows. Dunno whether I want yaoi with Utsukishii Kare rewatch + S2 and movie or to watch The Warp Effect. They’re both early 2023 shows that I’ve been meaning to watch but it’s been so long of me anticipating them before their release + wanting to watch while releasing + meaning to binge them after release that the expectations are a little high and I keep putting off watching them oof.

And then I got a bunch of Love for Love’s Sake tiktoks on my FYP and the edits for that show are really good, so I’m tempted a bit to rewatch that because it’s on my To Rewatch list anyway but I’ve decided no.

Rewatch: Utsukushii Kare (2021)

Country: South Korea

Release Dates: Nov 18, 2021 - Dec 23, 2021

Watch Via: Viki

Watch Dates: Mar 23, Apr 17 - 18, 2024

Rating: 7?/10

Overall: Ahh, idek why I wasn't Gripped by this rewatch, like I like the characters and dynamics but it wasn't keeping my attention as much, maybe because it's a rewatch? Maybe my original rating of 6.5 was correct and I shouldn't have bumped it up to 7 but who knows, maybe I'll be reintroduced to the brainworms after watching Season 2 because I found ep 6 really engaging and was into it and S2 + movie will have new, unfamiliar stories for me.

tags: utsukushii kare

Also Appears In: Utsukushii Kare, Utsukushii Kare (S1, S2, Movie) Live Blogging

Utsukushii Kare Season 2 (2023)

Country: South Korea

Release Dates: Feb 8, 2023 - Mar 1, 2023

Watch Via: Viki

Watch Dates: Apr 18 - 19, 2024

Rating: 7/10

Overall: This season is about Hira and Kiyoi's relationship. They didn't become boring after getting together, they didn't magically end up being a perfect happy well-adjusted couple after getting together, nor were there random issues thrown just because; the struggles and hurdles are true to their characters and dynamics. I liked the themes and dynamics it explored and their character + relationship development and progression. I also smiled a lot and lost my mind a little at certain moments. Strong writing, strong characters, strong acting, what a relief.

tags: utsukushii kare

Also Appears In: Utsukushii Kare (S1, S2, Movie) Live Blogging

My Beautiful Man: Eternal (2023)

Country: South Korea

Release Dates: Apr 7, 2023

Watch Via: Viki

Watch Dates: Apr 19, 2024

Rating: 6/10

Overall: Great, fun, though not as emotionally invested as Season 2 because they're in a better place in their relationship in this movie (even if it's not necessarily Perfect). It was interesting to have new people in their lives like Anna and Noguchi and how their stories influenced them. I'm happy with where we're leaving off the characters after ~6h of show/movie but lowest rating so far because it felt like we spent too much time on stuff like Anna’s story or the random kidnapping.

tags: utsukushii kare

Also Appears In: Utsukushii Kare (S1, S2, Movie) Live Blogging

The Warp Effect (2023)

Country: Thailand

Release Dates: Dec 12, 2022 - Feb 27, 2023

Watch Via: Youtube

Watch Dates: Apr 20 - 26, 2024

Rating: 7/10

Overall: A unique and enjoyable show, it was so fun to see all these characters in their specific situations and how they deal with them. The characters were all compelling, it's wild how I was into all their storylines. how charming each character/their story was, and how the story juggled them. It also made me see a bunch of actors in new lights, New most of all, as they acted in a role outside of their usual wheelhouse. I think the most frustrating part for me was how it seemed like although they were getting at it, they never quite acknowledged that what Alex did to Jean that night was rape. It made me quite angry actually, especially how Alex's actions didn't feel like it actually took Jean's feelings and trauma and requests into account. I was at least glad that in that timeline, Jean doesn't get back with Alex. 

tags: the warp effect

Also Appears In: The Warp Effect Live Blogging

GMMTV 2024 Part 2 Showcase happened and it was very intriguing, I’m excited! 

10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

Country: USA

Release Dates: March 31, 1999

Watch Via: TV

Watch Dates: Apr 23 , 2024

Rating: 7/10

Overall: Watched it with my sister impulsively because apparently Heart Breakers is loosely inspired by Taming of the Shrew/10 Things I Hate About You and I wanted to understand all the stuff that referenced that movie. It’s a fun one, I thought Kat and whatever the guy’s name is were cute, even though I thought the resolution was much too easy. 

Change2561 Changing Project Lineup 2024 happened and oooh, it had some gems, I’m sooo excited for Goddess Bless You From Death now! 

Also last night I created a list on MDL for Upcoming shows without release dates (mostly BLs, some GLs, a non-QL here and there) and it now has 33 shows. I hope most of them are released by this year please

Currently Watching

23.5 

Country: Thailand

Release Dates: Mar 8, 2024 - May 24, 2024

Watch Via: Youtube

Watch Dates: Apr 27 - ONGOING, 2024

Rating: -/10

Overall: Started it when 8 episodes were released.

tags: 23.5 degrees

Also Appears In: 23.5 Degrees Live Blogging 

I think I'm just in more of a mood to watch intense/thriller stuff and would binge if I was watching that was more that route because I've been watching one ep of 23.5 a day and while it's fun, I'm not dying to watch the next part or next ep. The Warp Effect was kinda like that too, I was watching 1-2 eps a day for a while. Been a while since I binged stuff quickly (The Good Bad Mother in 3 days at the start of the month). Hopefully I can make sure I keep up with the rest of the episodes as they release and don’t get distracted with other shows.

Posts Created This Month:

GMMTV 2024 Part 2 Showcase

Change2561 Changing Project Lineup 2024

[viviane-lefay]

Fandom Meme

I guess this here needed an update. It’s been a while ... several years to be precise.

If you want to do this, too, feel welcome to. ^^

—

FAVOURITE …

LITERATURE

Fantasy & Sci-Fi

J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, etc.

M.Z. Bradley’s Avalon-Novels & Firebrand

J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter

Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles

Medieval & Antique Literature, Myth & Folklore

Ovid’s Metamorphoses

The Edda

Nibelungenlied

works of Walther von der Vogelweide

Arthurian Romances - like Erec, Iwein, Parzival, etc.

Gregorius

Aeneasroman

Iliad & Odyssee

Murasaki Shikibu’s “Genji Monogatari” (the language is really beautiful, but I can’t stand the protagonist, old philanderer that he is)

some Classics

Pride & Prejudice

Wuthering Heights

The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders

The Picture of Dorian Grey

Dracula

Faust I+II

Macbeth

The Life and Opinions of Tomcat Murr

works of the Brothers Grimm

Siddharta

some “regular” novels

Paulo Coelho’s “The Alchemist”, “Brida”

Nobara Takemoto’s “Shimotsuma Monogatari”

some fanfiction

“Father’s Heart” & “Process of Elimination” by Fern Withy

“Antiquity’s Corollary” by gonnabefamous

biographical books

Mineko Iwasaki’s “Geisha of Gion”

Paramahansa Yogananda’s “Autobiography of a Yogi”

Baird T. Spalding’s “Life and Teachings of the Masters of the East”

interesting non-fiction

such as science-related books / websites

those of a more metaphysical & occult subject matter

or those about more controversial topics, such as Extraterrestrials, so-called “conspiracy theories”, and the like (Problem!? Your loss. I don’t see why I shouldn’t look into these topics. It certainly is interesting, and it’s quite arrogant to assume we have it all figured out. Besides, no one says you have to believe anything you read, but it sure can’t hurt to approach things with a more open mind, and to just look where evidence leads us, when it presents itself.)

SHOWS

Fantasy

Game of Thrones (until D&D started messing things up)

Princess Fantaghiró

Buffy

Wednesday (it`s not too bad, but still quite entertaining)

Sci-Fi

Star Wars - The Clone Wars

The Mandalorian

Star Trek TOS

Doctor Who

some Asian dramas

Gou - Himetachi no Sengoku

Atsu-Hime

Ryomaden

Neko Samurai

some Animé

Avatar - The Last Airbender

several works of Hayao Miyazaki

Leiji Matsumoto’s “Queen Millenia” & “Maetel Legend”

Sailor Moon

Naruto  (not anymore, but I still keep it here, for nostalgia reasons)

FANDOM QUESTIONS

DO YOU PREFER REAL-LIFE OR ANIMATED SHOWS?

Both, although there is a definite bias towards the former.

With the latter it greatly depends on the overall quality of the show, as well as the style in which it is presented.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST FANDOM?

As a child I had quite some:

Disney Ducks, Pippi Longstocking, Ronja Rovarsdóttir, Princess Fantaghirò, Queen Millenia, and The Addams Family.

While I never was a gamer myself, I very much loved to watch others play games - especially the classic Sonic games, as well as the Super Mario ones … which you can (somewhat) call a childhood fandom of mine, too.

WHAT’S THE LONGEST YOU’VE EVER BEEN IN A FANDOM? WHAT FANDOM WAS IT?

I'm in the Star Wars fandom since the age of twelve, which, in fact, was some years before the prequels came out. (yes, I'm a little older than most of you here, just in case you were wondering ... the same age as RotJ to be precise)

WHAT WAS THE FIRST THING YOU EVER CONTRIBUTED TO A FANDOM?

A drawing of Princess Leia, if I remember correctly.

A PERSON WHO GOT YOU INTO A FANDOM. WHAT FANDOM DID THEY PULL YOU INTO?

@mikeilo got me interested in Prince Phobos (W.I.T.C.H.) several years ago, but to say that I was “involved” in the fandom is a bit too much. It was more about this particular character, though.

NAME A FANDOM YOU DIDN’T CARE / THINK  ABOUT UNTIL YOU SAW IT ALL OVER TUMBLR.

No idea.

Tbh, I hardly search for fandom stuff on Tumblr - given experience showed me that the majority here and I don’t get along, taste-wise.

HAS TUMBLR CAUSED YOU TO STOP LIKING ANY FANDOMS? IF SO, WHICH AND WHY?

No, why should I let a community affect my love for a fandom!? It’s not the fandoms’ / characters’ / authors’ fault that some people are just plain disagreeable and obtrusive.

If anything, it has just reinforced my aversion against the things I disliked from the get-go - especially if there is some “activist” fanaticism, connected with aggressive, proselytizing behaviour involved.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE OTHER PEOPLE IN YOUR CURRENT FANDOM(S)?

Ambivalent.

There are some obnoxious brats, which should be ignored at best. Drama is a waste of time and energy!

Then again, there are also some very nice people out there.

Most of the time I prefer to have just a few contacts, anyway - i.e. like-minded ones I & my preferences & convictions get along with. Those, I do appreciate greatly, though.

5 FAVOURITE CHARACTERS FROM 5 DIFFERENT FANDOMS.

Star Wars

Darth Vader / Anakin Skywalker, Leia Organa, Padmé Amidala, Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade-Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, Satine Kryze, Bo-Katan Kryze, Merrin, Asajj Ventress, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn, Dagan Gera, Santari Khri, Cal Kestis, Arc Trooper Fives, Captain Rex, Hondo Ohnaka, Greez Dritus, Firmus Piett, Chewbacca, R2D2

Tolkien

Mairon / Sauron (but only my headcanon version), Nienna, Aulë, Olórin, Aiwendil, Rúmil of Tirion, Finrod, Glorfindel, Maglor, Thranduil, Tauriel, Lúthien, Galadriel, Nerdanel, Haleth, Eowyn, Faramir, Aragorn, Kili, Samwise

Harry Potter

Severus Snape, Luna Lovegood, Fred & George Weasley, Hagrid, Andromeda Tonks, Regulus Black, Leta Lestrange, the genuinely nice Slytherin students that JKR forgot to mention, Queenie Goldstein, Newt Scamander

Avatar - The last Airbender

Ozai, Ursa, Zuko, Iroh, Katara, Toph, Suki, Sokka, Ty Lee, Aang, Kyoshi, Roku, Master Piandao, Cabbage Guy, Appa

Legend of Zelda

Link, Zelda, Midna, Impa, Purah, Robbie, Urbosa, Riju, Patricia, Revali, Teba, Tulin, Kass, Mipha, Sidon, Yona, Dorephan, Daruk, Yunobo, Bludo, Deku Tree, Terrako, Epona, some Koroks & Bokos (they're a bit anoying, but cute)

Only five characters per section, wasn’t it!? … Nevermind.

A CHARACTER YOU USED TO DISLIKE BUT EVENTUALLY LIKED

Jaime Lannister (book version)

A CHARACTER YOU USED TO LIKE BUT EVENTUALLY DISLIKED

Loki

THE CHARACTER EVERYONE ELSE LOVES THAT YOU DON'T

Melkor

James Potter

Sheldon Cooper

AN EXAMPLE OF A CHARACTER YOU RELATE TO AND WHY

There are many characters I can relate to for one reason or another - my fav villains, for instance, but I think I'll choose a completely different example here (one not even from a fandom of mine), because of an aspect we share, also in regards to rl experiences. It's about something we both did to achieve a desired end, even though the means were a bit different.

So, my pick is Yennefer of Vengerberg.

Why!?

There is a lovely fanmade song about her, and there is one line that describes it quite nicely.

No more explanations here - I'll just let the lyrics speak for themselves:

"I paid in blood so I'd be beautiful"

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE FEMALE / MALE SHIPS?

Mairon & Morvanië (an OC of mine - the “Vani” I happen to mention sometimes)

Finrod Felagund & Amarië

Beren Erchamion & Lúthien Tinúviel

Aragorn Elessar & Arwen Undómiel

Anakin Skywalker & Padmé Amidala

Dagan Gera & Santari Khri

Cal & Merrin

Obi-Wan Kenobi & Satine Kryze

Spock & Uhura

Ivo Robotnik & Adelia Sigrún Sharpe (another OC)

Ozai & Ursa

Zuko & Katara

Link & Zelda

King Boo & Hellen Gravely

Hades & Persephone

Vlad Dracula & Mina Harker

Gomez & Morticia Addams

Rhett Butler & Scarlett O'Hara

Mr. Darcy & Lizzie Bennett

Spike & Buffy Summers

Severus Snape & Lily Evans

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE MALE / MALE OR FEMALE / FEMALE SHIPS?

Albus Dumbledore / Gellert Grindelwald

Willow Rosenberg / Tara Maclay

I can’t say that I’m all that emotionally involved in any of these, though, other than finding them somewhat interesting regarding the dynamic between the characters.

If these weren’t canonical pairings already, I would probably never even have thought of them as a romantic shipping constellation at all, as it’s a theme that neither concerns, nor interests me when it comes to the dynamic between characters of the same sex.

Friendships are an entirely different matter, though. But that wasn’t the subject of this question here, was it!?

DO YOU HAVE ANY 3-WAY SHIPS? IF SO, WHAT?

No! I don’t like this theme at all.

A PAIRING YOU SHIP THAT YOU DON’T THINK ANYONE ELSE SHIPS.

My OC / canon ones … alas. T_T

WHAT’S A SHIP THAT YOU WANT TO SHIP PUBLICLY, BUT EVERYONE ON TUMBLR HATES IT, SO YOU KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT ABOUT IT?

I’m just doing my thing. If anyone doesn’t like it then that isn’t my problem.

EXAMPLES OF NON-SEXUAL/-ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP DYNAMICS THAT YOU LIKE

PARENT & CHILD

Darth Vader & Leia Organa - The father / daughter dynamic between these two has always fascinated me a lot.

Mairon & Alcanis - The "vaniron" kid, also a complicated case. (OC headcanon)

Ozai & Zuko - Dramatic ...

Severus Snape & Harry Potter - I love the snily ship, so I headcanon Snape as Harry's biological father, because why not ... it's interesting.

CLOSE FRIENDSHIPS

Anakin & Obi-Wan & Ahsoka

Luke & Han

Cal & Cere & Greez & BD-1

Cal & Dagan

Frodo & Sam

Finrod & Beren

Fingon & Maedhros

Ratbag & Ranger (from the Tolkien-based "Shadows of War" game - the only known orc friendship)

YOUR FAVOURITE THEMES / FANDOM TRENDS.

fantastical / mythological elements

As someone who has always been fascinated by ancient myths, I can’t help but love this stuff.

occult / magical elements

Given I am interested in these subjects, I very much like to see, and incorporate, these themes in the fictional universes and characters I like.

anachronistic elements / fusion of different historical period styles

For example, say, Cyber Victorian (garments that combine Victorian era designs with a Matrix style twist, plus futuristic technology, and a setting in a likewise futuristic world)

scientifically sound elements and reasoning

I think this is a quite important aspect, especially in sci-fi.

philosophically inspiring + visionary elements

Such as caste-free social structures & natural law anarchy (not to be confused with the “rule of force” one, let alone the woke version).

scientists, explorers, philosophers & (martial) artists

I just happen to enjoy seeing these types of characters.

sarcasm, dry humour & banter

It certainly adds some “spice” to the mixture.

characters with a scorpionic & virgoan influence

Many of my faves have this, especially the scorpionic one.

depth and complexity in character portrayal & a well thought-out backstory

Should be a given, but unfortunately isn't, more often than not - especially these days. Shame!

complicated, long and well thought-out redemption arcs

If not canon, I’ll do it myself.

I've always been fascinated by the concept of redemption.

In connexion with my favourite villains, it is a theme I am quite obsessed with and can't do without, as I find evil as such not appealing at all.

In fact, what makes these characters attractive to me is their power & potential, and not their misuse of it. The process of redemption finally brings said potential out and puts it to good use, which I find deeply satisfying.

Plus there is also the element of defying the forces of darkness, who always twist and pervert - and this is the ultimate solution to it, making everyone and everything whole again. Redemption arcs are a great "f**k you" to said forces & I love them all the more for that!

happy developments & outcomes for my faves

Because I simply can't have it otherwise.

villain/anti-hero & (anti-)heroine pairings (or vice versa)

It’s a dynamic that I find particularly intriguing - always have - also regarding the redemption theme.

partners that are of equal rank in a relationship - plus healthy relationships, for a change

Especially where you least expect it (see pairing constellation), and where both partners had to work on themselves to achieve it (i.e. realism doesn’t hurt, now does it!?).

happy and loving (not to mention enduringly passionate) committed relationships / marriage

Just like Morticia & Gomez ... *sigh*

monogamous unions + fidelity

Guys as committed as Anakin, Snape, and Gomez are the best!

eternal love / twin flames / soulmates / however you want to call it

Regarding OTPs this theme is an absolute must!

het content

Why yes, that’s just my personal preference, as that is something I can actually relate to.

not overly sexualized portrayals of relationships

I just don't want to see the explicit content (graphic description of genitals, for instance). Most of the time it's enough when it's just hinted at.

Or if you want to write about the sexual act, then at least express yourself in a more pleasant manner - it doesn't always have to be this crude, pornified language.

If anything, make the characters make love - with all the emotional intensity, intimacy, and tenderness that should be there - and not just plain fuck, like mere beasts.

portrayal of female characters where being badass and being feminine isn’t mutually exclusive

Because it is NOT!

physical beauty / perfection + humility

I can't stand it when people are smug about something such as winning the genetic lottery - be proud of your actual achievements, but not about something like this ... if anything be grateful for your luck.

the apotheosis theme

Mortality sucks ... and who wouldn’t want to ditch everything awful that comes with it!? Like diseases, aging - begone!

INVENT A RANDOM AU FOR ANY FANDOM (WE ALWAYS NEED MORE IDEAS).

Star Wars

Darth Vader doesn’t die and gets the chance for an actual redemption arc, atoning for his ill deeds as the Dark Lord - as an act of purification and reclaiming his original, true name - as well as helping the Alliance free the galaxy. (given how powerful he is, his contribution would be immense)

more importantly - he finally has the opportunity to make up with and actually get to know his children - especially Leia. That has always bugged me a great deal. Ani didn’t even get the chance to talk to his daughter. There is just too much focus on the father-son dynamic anyway. Nothing against Luke – love him, but it’s just not right that Leia was being left out of it almost entirely. Plus she is the one that resembles her father more (personality-wise) after all. I’d so have loved to see a confrontation of these two. (not to mention some cute father-daughter moments, eventually)

~*~

I also made an AU for an OTP of mine (Dagan Gera & Santari Khri) from the Jedi : Survivor - Game

[byersfanclub]

You can just tell that milkvinis really don't pay attention to this show because as of today, one of their most used arguments as for why Mike is in love with her and the right person for her is because in season 3 he was in the right while controlling her on how much she was using her powers instead of letting her choose herself, and according to milkvinis, since no one listened to Mike, El overused her powers and that's why she lost them. But in season 4 it was established several times that Vecna made the Mind Flayer bite her leg and suck her powers (that's how he became stronger and was able to start opening gates the following year). Literally the whole point of the "Mike not letting El use her powers by herself" plot was to show the lack of trust and healthy dynamics in that relationship. It's even worse when they go even further and accuse Max of manipulating El (when she just taught her to make her own choices, stand up for herself and make the choice to dump a boy if he's not treating her like she deserves). It really bugs me that they want to misinterprete a feminist arc on the main female character and accuse her friend (first and needed positive female influence on her life) of being toxic and manipulative, just for the sake of defending a sinking ship.

That's why we shouldn't take them seriously anymore, even if they come to the tag to cross tag and spit their dead ass takes

I think pretty much all of their reasonings are bad, including this one, but also just... so many other things that make el and mike a bad couple when they'd be better off as friends. I've never really taken them seriously in the first place, they're hopeful over a dying relationship where both individuals have constantly felt cheated and lied to, where neither can feel confident and secure, both continuously put on a front to seem cool to one another when they both know they're "freaks" and it'd have been different if this got resolved in s3 altogether and not slapped them back "together" at the last 5 minutes of the season and actually just showed us that mike and el can work and they are good for each other, but they didn't do that and went into season 4 showing us that they still lie to each other and make one another feel bad about who they really are and that they have to hide their true selves. milkvan will never be able to overcome this if they stay together or else it would have been resolved by now instead of dragging out this toxic, shit on and off relationship throughout 4 seasons while showing us how good mike and will are together and how confident and loved they make one another feel and the tension and jealously when it comes to girls between them. tbh, el never actually stood a chance with mike, she just got caught in the crossfire that is comphet and internalized homophobia within mike (as someone who is a gay mike truther, it's my belief he never actually liked el romantically, ever) and before anyone comes after me, I love el, but this is specifically targeted at other characters because stranger things isn't JUST about el, it's an ensemble cast for a reason and she doesn't have to be the center of everything all the time. she's used for story arcs for both hopper and max as well, I don't see how it's out of the realm of possibility she's used for mike and will and their relationship as well. THIS GOT WAY TOO LONG! anyways, yes, I overall agree to this.

[chellyfishing]

i’m trying to finish one last book before my year-end book post goes up so i’m gonna talk about games and tv first. not too many of either to talk about this year tbh but i apparently still have so many words.

no movies post bc i don’t log my films anywhere and i simply cannot remember what i watched. maybe i should make 2024 the year of using letterboxed. not enough to talk about with new music either. 2024 can also be the year of getting back into music.

games: i actually haven’t played much ffxiv this year. well in the first half i sorta did but i have barely touched it since like. august. except to keep my houses from getting demolished. i did finally finish myths of the realm last week, since they wrote that entire storyline for me specifically. i need the minion so bad yoship help.

in march capcom gave me a birthday prezzie with the release of the resident evil 4 remake which i’d had preordered since last year (the only games i’ll preorder and pay full price for are resis and ffxiv expansions). i don’t need to explain this to you. it’s incredibly good, the best of the extremely good remakes so far i think. i haven’t played the dlc yet but i’m excited to think there is more of this game i still have to play. btw ashley defense squad. i’ll brook no ashley slander in my house.

i can’t remember exactly when but i think it was some time in the summer that i finally, finally finished breath of the wild! i’m so behind the curve on this one, but i did at least get to start tears of the kingdom in the same year as everyone else. umm, i have to admit i remain ambivalent to this approach to zelda. i have to challenge myself to figure out how much of that is because iT’s DiFfErEnT but genuinely i think the things i dislike about it, i would still dislike even if i had nothing to compare it against. i really wish i thought it was the best zelda ever like so many do but i guess i just struggle to find a flow state with either of them which is why it’s taking me so fucking long to finish them lmao. still obviously extremely good and beautiful! like still head and shoulders above most games, easily, a good time overall!! (wish nintendo wasn’t the way that it is.)

i should mention that one day in july i fucked around in catlateral damage while streaming for bella. this is a very basic game, literally you are just a cat’s paw knocking things over, but man when you just need a brain-free giggle? it did its job.

also in july i played the sequel to oxenfree, which is a game that i love. this game didn’t click with me quite as much, i haven’t revisited it since i finished it, but there are probably also other reasons i shan’t get into that aren’t the game’s fault. idk i feel a bit unqualified to give a final verdict without playing it to completion but i guess the fact that i’ve had it for months and not bothered to do that yet is a kind of verdict in itself since with oxenfree i went straight back in till i got that final ending and platinum trophy.

for basically all of autumn i of course played baldur’s gate 3. i’m very sad that my extreme anhedonia has hit before i could play the new epilogue. i tried to load up one of my finished games but i ran into a problem because the only way to back up your saves is in the cloud so you can’t shuffle files around or make copies, only overwrite, and don’t get me STARTED again or i’ll start spitting i’m so SICK of PROFIT PROFIT PROFIT AAAAAHH. anyway it’s a pretty good game. i won’t be surprised or mad if neil wins the bafta but it really really should be samantha please if there’s justice in this world.

tv: season 3 of only murders in the building. umm, idk. it’s not a revolutionary show but it’s comforting, it doesn’t feel stale yet, and there’s just a lot of talent at work here. just fun to watch.

i watched almost all of neon genesis evangelion but couldn’t finish it because i decided to have an (unrelated) emotional breakdown instead. i’ll finish it eventually if for no other reason than i owe it to phil. shinji is baby.

finally got to the first season of our flag means death. just a delight. i love fun pirate adventures and i love the queers. unfortunately watched it right before the second season released and haven’t gotten to that yet.

did watch the second season of good omens though. i think they made the right choice to scale it back because honestly once you’ve averted the apocalypse trying to outdo yourself becomes a fool’s errand. also, jon hamm’s butt what who said that.

that’s it i think. as i said no season 2 of ofmd, not even the new flanagan yet which i had really been looking forward to for a long time. i dunno ya girl is struggling to find any pleasure in life atm.

[ashthemadwriter-archived]

Hi! Can I request a matchup? I can make mistakes while writing and sorry for that, English is not my first language 🥲

Im 18 years old, my zodiac sign is Scorpio, rising is Aries and moon sign is Leo.

I'm an INTP.

As my characteristic; I'm funny, I don't like to stay cold unless the situation needs it.

I am a problem solver, my friends always asks for my opinions if they can't decide.

I really like to learn literally anything and everything but I love history and art especially.

My hobbies are drawing, visiting museums and art galleries, shopping and reading.

Still I'm a bit lazy and a procrastinator. I always deliver my tasks at the last minute.

I'm so creative, I can say that it's a bit too much. My brain doesn't stop for a second even 🤣

I'm calm under the pressure, I always think logically but I don't forget about my feelings. I think I have a good balance about it.

As my bad traits, I'm a bit weird. I don't think it's bad actually but still it's not good either. I like to search the weirdest infos,songs, books etc.

I can lose my temper a little too quickly but I am not vocal about it, I dont like to make noises while I'm angry, sad or overly happy.

But when I have someone I cherish -which is pretty rare- I can make them feel like they are the most important person of the world. I can't say it to their faces but I am comfortable while texting or when I don't look at their eyes directly. Nobody gets bored around me because I have interest for nearly everything and I'm okay with any suggestion they will come with.

I don't like to talk about my problems but I am a good listener. I don't listen only but can help them to find the solution as well.

I guess that will be last, I'm not a jealous person and I like to give my all courage to them when I feel like they need it.

Thanks for accepting ❤️ if you don't, it's not a problem. Have a nice day

Fandom: Bungou Stray Dogs

Format: Headcanons

Warnings: None

Word Count: 0.7K

A/n: Tysm honey, and here you go :>

I match you with...

Ryuunosuke Akutagawa!

So the main reason I matched you with him was because you have the same interests and likes (It's not like other characters don't enjoy it, but it's not as mush as Akutagawa does). Akutagawa is really into art (any type of it, but mostly drawing since he's a pro at it), so he would definitely enjoy going to art galleries, like you do. Sure, he's more comfortable with spending time with his s/o at home, but I can definitely see him going to museums, art galleries and book stores. BTW you have my respect if you get him to go shopping with you lol. He will be really helpful tho, you know what I mean if you've watched BSD Wan; and if you haven't? Well, I assure you, you won't be having any trouble carrying all the bags. Rashoumoun will take care of it.

Akutagawa needs encouragement, A LOT. The man has literally Zero confidence and self steam due to abandonment issues (All Dazai's fault tbh) so it would mean a lot and also really helpful if you encourage him over doing stuff. I mean he cares about your opinion a lot cause you and Gin are the most important people to him; so it would definitely make him feel better.

Becoming his s/o takes a lot of effort. Akutagawa has his guard on, and even won't open up to his sister about some stuff; so he needs someone who he can interact with without having to worry about them telling others or thinking lowly of them. It would take you a lot of time to reach that level where he trusts you enough to show his feelings toward you. I mean it will take him a long time to even realize them and accept them... Overall, patience is the key.

I think he would ask your opinion about almost anything since you don't seem to mind it and as I said before, you and your opinion are important to him. He just wants everything- especially himself- to be perfect in your eyes; so your opinion matters to him more than you think.

Please assure him that he's perfect the way he is and doesn't need to change anything :")

If he ever talked to you about Dazai... Just know that the man trusts you with his life. literally. Ooh and never bring Dazai up unless he really wants to talk about it. It reminds him all his insecurities.

Akutagawa is not one to talk much tbh. Even if he's that comfortable around you. His love language is Acts of service and he tries to show your value to him by doing meaningful things.

It would be nice to hear you adore him though, the man would furiously blush while having butterflies in his stomach when hearing you saying how much he means to you or how much deeply you're in love with him. Doesn't matter if you do it over text or without making eye contact, But if you do it while looking into his eyes, The man would melt.

Do I need to say that this man literally memorizes everything you say. Even the most random things or the things that you've only said once is always on his mind.

You seem like you can get along with a lot of people, and it would mean a lot to him if Gin is considered as those people as well <3 Gin is his most important. You two dating will never happen if you have any problem with Gin or the other way around. Don't worry tho, she's a sweetheart, and so are you :)

You can make your partner feel like he's the most important in the world? Please do it to him. The man needs it so much ngl.

He wouldn't think you're weird, or he will find it adorable if he does. I mean he's weird in a way himself lol.

Him closing his eyes when feeling your fingers gently caressing his cheeks while he's the little spoon which is really, really rare cause he thinks you'd think of him as weak when you have to take care of him; but he didn't argue with you about it that day cuz ROUGH DAY AT WORK-

tysm for participating, and hope you like it <3

[whenfatecollides]

a bit of a vent/update (it’s heavy). I’ve always dreaded the ‘where do you see yourself in 5 years?’ question because I honestly have never been able to picture anything for myself that felt real and tangible and something that I could actually want and achieve in the future. I would be like ‘yeah I want to be dating my future girlfriend by then’ or ‘yeah I want to be working a job that I actually like’ or ‘yeah I want to feel like I’m doing something meaningful with my life by then’ but it was all very superficial in a way, it felt like I was saying rehearsed words and although those are still things that I want, there’s a lot more detail to them now. tbh since I finished high school (almost 10 years ago at this point..) that I’ve felt really behind in life compared to my friends, and other people in general, but at the same time it took me 14/15 years to actually figure out what happened to me when I was a pre-teen and why I spent 10+ years of my life crippled by depression, so all things considered I think I came out of all that pretty okay. I started therapy about 5 years ago and altho it was a slow progress, I can at least say that I’m not on the verge of feeling suicidal anymore. I think being a teen on tumblr in 2010-2013 definitely didn’t help much with that either, the romanticisation of depression and self harm back then was Real and the last thing I should have been exposed to at the time. it was to the point that I actually tried to kill myself when I was 16, right before a family trip. I can talk about this now, but I can tell you all as well, this was a root of deep shame for me until 2020, when I finally had the courage to tell my mom and siblings about it, because it made me feel so ungrateful, stupid and generally a shit person for not appreciating everything good that I had, while at the same time it made me hate myself for not actually going through it fully, to the point that I always thought that I would take this to my grave without letting anyone know. at this point, I’ve forgiven myself for it and acknowledged that, despite how hurtful it was, this is a common pain and, unfortunately, many people know it too. No matter how much I convinced myself of it back then, I was never alone in that pain. At the same time I made really great friends here (some I’ve been friends with for over 10 years now), even met some of them in real life, and it was overall the place that made me feel comfortable enough to consider (and accept) that maybe I wasn’t straight. so not everything was bad.

it was a few weeks into 2022 when I finally figured out what had happened to me, why most of who I was so deeply lost in shame, to the point that it felt like I had been drowning most of my life. there were several things that contributed to it like, giving up who I was out of pressure to please my family (until I was around 23 - constantly hearing ‘you should let your hair grow’, ‘you should dress more like a girl’ etc etc when you’re a 10 year old really does a number), giving up the things I loved in order to pass as “normal”, my father not being emotionally available (or simply available in general tbh - unfortunately too common as well), my mom having to take care of 4 kids and therefore not really being emotionally available either, dealing with womanhood, puberty and all those nice, not at all confusing and hard, things by myself because I thought that if I could just ignore it it would not be real (a nice not at all dumb trait I got from my father - thankfully I’m over that), consequently emotionally abandoning my closest friends bc of all that further isolating myself. and I could go on and on, but the reason why I’m saying all this is that maybe it can spark a light in someone else too. Until this year, I thought that nothing had happened to me, that I had no reason to feel the way I did back then, and it was suffocating to think that while the pain I felt was very real. and you may ask ‘okay, where does shame come into the picture here?’ so here’s a few that I could identify from the things I said above - shame for my sexuality (giving up things I loved to pass as “normal”), shame for being gender non conforming (pressure to please my family), shame for not feeling connected with my parents (having friends who do have good relationships with theirs), shame for not having the life they expect of me, shame for not having the life I think I’m supposed to have to “impress” my friends, therefore hiding away, isolating myself, further convincing myself that no one else was going through the same. until I realised that, of course, I would never find other people talking about how they felt the same, because we were all hiding away.

this isn’t a story about how suddenly I’m cured from depression or anything like that, there’s still days and days, but figuring out why I felt the way I did back then was a major step towards finding healing, and I feel like I’ve been changing very rapidly over the past 5 months because of it. recognizing that my self-criticism was doing more harm than good (I wouldn’t talk to my friends the same way I talk to myself sometimes..), that I can choose self-compassion instead, and the good-old exercising, journaling, reading, eating and sleeping well, really made major differences (as well as keep going to therapy of course, it was important to have someone trained to talk about the really heavy and more complicated stuff).

in the end, this has been a journey towards (re)finding myself, and I finally have an answer to the question that I found so dreadful ‘where do you see yourself in 5 years?’. and for the first time in my life, I’m not afraid to try, I’m not afraid to fail, I’m not afraid of the set backs I may face. for the first time in my life, I can actually picture a future for myself, and I’m actually excited to see myself getting there. I don’t have it all figured out, but I do know that I’m persistent. in the end, I think this is also a bit of a letter to everyone who’s lost in life, I’m currently 27 and I’m now figuring out a path that I might actually enjoy to take and that makes sense to me. If you’re like me, you probably also feel like you’ve run out of time and that there’s no way you can still turn your life around, but to be honest, who really knows how much time we have left? You make a little bit of time now, and deal with tomorrow, 3 months, 5 years from now, when it comes. I have no idea what turns life will still take and where I’ll end up after all, but I do know that recognizing my pain, owning up to the shameful feelings I had (and still have), accepting my feelings and thoughts as they are (failing a lot and trying again), definitely took me from a drowning person to a vivid swimmer. I’ve always liked to share my thoughts here, but recently having the number of followers increase on this blog has made it feel quite... intimidating to share pieces of my life like before. still, this was something I felt was important for me to share, even if just to say, feeling lost and behind in life is a normal part of the human experience.

[jentlemahae]

going to be so honest, i don't think this look is on theme whatsoever. every reason we could give for it to be on theme is a stretch like having a blue dress with pearl accessories doesn't make it the sea. the theme required everyone to do some research and idt jennie or her team or alaia's team did any and there's no way around that bcs this doesn't match the exhibition nor the dress code. this isn't me being a hater either. jennie is my ult bias and i genuinely think this dress is so beautiful and i love the look so so so much, it's so cunty and fabulous, i just wish she wore it somewhere else. tbh i prefer it to last year's dress but at least last year's was on theme, and we need to be on theme for the met gala or what's the point? 😐 this isn't a jennie-specific issue either, every single one of my faves dropped the ball last night and a lot of guests who usually do really amazing at the met were really really bad too. a lot of people feel pretty underwhelmed at this year bcs absolutely nobody did their research. in all, the theme was a good idea but clearly too vague bcs only 1% of guests actually got it right. most of the guests who showed up in something floral looked bad too. let's just hope next year's is better. what i don't agree with is kpop stans getting brave about jennie bcs if The Fashion Girl of Kpop isn't on theme, there's no way in hell any of their biases would be 🤷‍♀️ they think just bcs their ults did a photoshoot with some flowers around them means they would have served cunt at the met gala last night, let's all bffr 😭

i honestly don’t really care about the theme 😭 especially since most other people weren’t on theme either! she looks good and gorgeous and (especially!) she doesn’t look boring, the look was unique overall and something different for her as well so we cheer!!!! and i honestly i am happier it was like this rather than something floral which is kinda boring imo 🤷🏻‍♀️ and yeah everyone saying their kpop faves would have done better…..let’s be serious guys 😭 and i don’t think any of them would have even gotten the chance to be a vip guest so fshsjsj let’s not compare when u can’t compete

[yodiaryshitblows]

#16 The Last(?) One (Here Anyways)

Thursday July 15, 2022 Hello for the last(?)/first time future mes! Confusing opening I know but if you’ll remember, we made a discord for all of this, many months after the last post! The new place is nice, we’ve got a fuckton of channels for all manner of thoughts and vents, very organized overall really! Unfortunately with that split focus means a lack of, real drive to make an *actual* post/entry, so 3: But! I have been, revitalized? I guess! Weekly updates! Minimum !! In a new, proper channel!!! Which, unfortunately means a discontinuation of this blog, but maybe not? The main reason for starting the discord was a lack of need to add a date/time due to it being an autofuction but upon further reflection, I still like the format! Plus I think the nature of this is pretty nice, so, maybe infrequent update dumps to here? We’ll see, time will tell. But updates! That’s what we’re here for! And an apology to my future self for not updating more frequently. That and the evergreen statement of I like having a little time capsule of my mental space at the time of writing! It’s fun looking back every few months tbh. UPDATES! FINALLY!!! I am writing this with sprained wrists due to too much monhun (and unemployment). Also I’m unemployed! Quit the pillow perfect job (again) to pursue landscaping with my dad (and my friend joey) but joey got fired 2 weeks in roughly, so i was stuck with just my dad and a rotating cast of hispanic people who are, bad at this easy job! For a whole year! It sucked!!! But, with the addition of carlos (half brother we paid a collective 16k to hop the fence) I was emotionally free to quit! And so here i sit, unemployed with 2 sprained(?) wrists. Avoiding employment. Also, I have a therapist now! NOT the experience I expected but, in many ways exactly what I expected. Paying somebody, to tell me that I need to leave the house more. And get a job. Also, officially depressed! WOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! YEAAAA BABEY THAT’S WHAT I’VE BEEN WAITIN FOR, THAT’S WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT!!! Freeing, in a way. To be proven right. Anyways, there’s so much more but my wrist is KILLING me and the other is fit to join in soon. So for now, farewell, yodiaryshitblows. I’ll visit you and be nostalgic over little egg me all over again some day. Maybe soon! And hello! New discord channel. Home to, well all of these now. And a final hello/goodbye to you, future me. We have our ups and downs but, ultimately, in the end. I love you. I WANT to love you. I know I will eventually. You’re kind, funny, maybe even kinda funny. No matter what, ‘til deletion do us part, these posts are with you. They’ll always be a part of you, hidden away in a corner of your mind. I hope, you remember me fondly, me of the future. The way I’ve done with my past selves, so far at least. I’ll wax poetic about myself more in the future, eventually. For now though, (after some spellcheck [and a date adding update!! dummy!!] ;P), I love you, and bye!

[forestlingincorporated]

I wanna talk about Janet Drake

I’m not against exaggeratedly evil versions of Tim’s parents, tbh. It’s fanfiction, if we can depict an Exaggeratedly Good version of Bruce (which we can, and I do, and I love) then we can depict the Drakes as Exaggeratedly Bad. As someone who personally identifies with Tim, and his brand of complicated parental abuse in particular, I find it cathartic to uncomplicate that abuse and rescue him from the Obviously Evil Bad People. 

That said, since much of comics lore is passed down word of mouth, the oral tradition surrounding Tim has developed this idea of Janet as The Worse Parent between her and Jack that was never really present in the comics. We see much LESS of Janet, and we have 20 years worth of comics depicting Jack as a neglectful hotheaded idiot who ultimate does love his son. More importantly, Jack isn’t very much LIKE Tim, so there is a habit to attribute Tim’s traits to his mother... and, as someone who really really identifies with Tim, Tim has... some negative traits. Tim can be a bitch sometimes. He’s fiercely intelligent and sweet and kind, with a strong sense of justice, but he can be cold and judgmental and unthinking - he fights those traits, but he does have them. 

And it is perfectly fine to depict Janet that way. I’ve enjoyed depictions of Cold Calculating Janet Drake, but it’s not the ONLY option, and I want to challenge fans to consider different avenues. Tim could pick up these traits from anywhere: a nanny, Mrs. Mc Ilvaine (”Mrs. Mac”), a teacher, tv, Sherlock Holmes novels, Bruce Wayne himself. Tim is capable of not being like EITHER parent. 

So, what do we KNOW about Janet? (I’ll also touch on Jack, but only in scenes he appears with Janet.) 

When Janet was first introduced she was depicted as a gentle but “modern” woman. This was written in 1989, told by a 13 year old Tim, so this theoretically was meant to take place in 1979. I’m not here to give a lecture on the history of sex discrimination in the united states, but much of the legislation protecting women in the workforce or surrounding women’s bodily autonomy would have been very very new in this initial depiction. 

Here, Janet is shown to be encouraging, emotional, maternal, and projects her own feelings onto Tim. Jack is shown to be slightly sexist, possibly discouraging, but not overbearing. And the artist is shown not to know how to draw children. 

To insert some speculation, I think it’s important to note all the Drakes witnessed a terrible murder/accident that day. I point this out, because this is the last time Jack and Janet are depicted this way. It’s possible they changed as a result of this event specifically. 

However, this is also a story being told by Tim. It’s also possible these events aren’t really “real” at all, and Tim is misremembering what his parents were like as a three-year-old, possibly projecting a more palatable version of his parents into the narrative. This is entirely up to personal interpretation. 

In fact, the Drakes are shown in Legend of the Dark Knight attending Haly’s Circus, and the artist knows what a toddler looks like and they’re depicted as already having a slightly strained relationship. Jack is clearly on the defensive, and Janet seems to be passive-aggressive, though she could just be attempting to explain the situation to her toddler honestly. The intended tone isn’t especially clear. 

I do want to point out, in this depiction, Tim isn’t being carried like he was in the previous one. He’s walking ahead of his parents, which isn’t a terrible horrible crime, but could be dangerous in a crowded place like the circus. Might be a subtle hint to his parents overall neglect. 

Back to A Lonely Place of Dying, in Tim’s memories of the night he discovered Robin and Dick Grayson were the same person at nine-years-old, his parents are home, and watching TV together while Tim played... trucks, idk, in the living room with them. (This is semi-interesting, because you could say “oh, Tim liked vehicle toys as a kid” or you could extrapolate that this is another subtle indication of Jack’s sexism, providing Tim with appropriately “boy toys.” Either interpretation is valid. If Tim was assigned female at birth, would they have been given “girl toys,” or allowed to play with whatever they wanted?) 

This is, to my knowledge, the only panel of the Drakes when Tim is between ages 3 and 13. They’re all together, which might indicate that the Drakes were home more often when Tim was 9, only later going on business trips when Tim was “old enough” but... 

This is Tim’s boarding school when he’s 13. While most boarding schools in the US are for grades 9-12, Tim is clearly not a freshman at age 13; look how much younger the other kids in this panel are. In the US, the youngest you can attend most boarding schools is 7. 

That means Tim could have begun going to boarding school anytime between 7 and 13. He most likely spent all of middle school in boarding school, at least. There are an almost infinite number of possible ways the Drakes handled having a business that required lots of international travel, an archeology hobby, AND a very young child. Janet staying home until Tim was 7, 11, 13, is equally possible as the Drakes having a nanny until 7, 11, 13. Tim just doesn’t talk about that period of his life very much.

(”What about Mrs. Mac?” - it is unclear when Mrs. Mac begins working for the Drakes. We only see her when Jack comes out of his coma. She could either be a long standing staff member, or a recent hire.) 

Note: I’ve seen it said that it’s canon that “According to Tim, when his parents were home, they made a point to try and include him in their activities, bringing him along to events that were normally adults only.” I have never seen this panel, or I don’t remember it, so I cannot confirm, but I also cannot debunk this because... comics. 

By the time Tim is 13, Jack and Janet are away on business trips a lot, with limited communication, and no firm return date. If I’m feeling generous, I’d say it was harder to communicate internationally in 1990 than it is today. If I’m not feeling generous, I’d say the Drakes are extremely wealthy, and international communication was easier than ever before in the 80s and 90s. They’re not even going home to see Tim in a week or two, they’re going home and calling Tim at boarding school in a week or two. 

Even Bruce thinks its weird, though he doesn’t say so to Tim’s face. It’s written almost as if Tim’s parents’ neglect was meant to be a plot point that just got forgotten about. 

Tim’s parents are fighting at this point (their poor assistant), but Janet still goes with Jack on these business trips. And she’s clearly involved in the business, somehow, but the comics never SAY what Janet’s JOB is. We’re told Jack is the exec, but Janet is ONLY ever referred to as Jack’s wife, though they’re later described as the “heads” of the company, plural. 

Just to be clear, this is Jack’s business. There’s a perception that Jack is a bad business man because he and Janet fight over company decisions, and Jack looses the business after Janet dies, but Jack looses the company YEARS after Janet dies, and maintains it for about a year after No Man’s Land at that. We’re not told how Jack looses the business, but he’s got to be doing something right. Janet isn’t necessarily the “real brains” of Drake Industries. 

And I’m not... gonna... touch the... exploitation and racism because... I’m not qualified to do that. But, here’s the panel. The Drakes sure seem exploitative and racist in their business decisions. Someone else can... analyze that with more nuance. 

Regardless how how long they’ve been fighting, when their lives are in danger, the Drakes fall back into a loving husband and wife. Their marriage may be falling apart, but they do care about each other. 

I want to show these panels because it shows that Tim and Jack do have things in common. They’re both level headed in a crisis and can be somewhat cold in their practicality. Janet meanwhile and silent. Jack is later willing rant and rave at their captors, but Janet remains silent. 

That is, until they’re alone, and she finally lets herself fall apart. 

God, Jack can be obnoxious. Janet just looks miserable and resigned. I actually think Tim takes after his parents in this respect in equal measure. Tim can have a temper, but he can also be fairly melancholy and defeatist. 

Jack keeps reminding Janet to be strong and in control, which could be period typical sexism? But Jack seems so practiced and ready with the words of encouragement, and with Tim’s history with depression, I wonder if Janet has an inclination towards it as well. 

As the end approaches, when Jack brings up Tim, Janet seems to have a lot of regret. She talks about “wasting” the good things, and I don’t think it’s too big of a stretch to assume she’s talking about time spent with her only child. 

From this point on, Janet is at times spoken of, but not seen. Like here, when Jack says Janet wouldn’t approve of him and Tim being so “far apart.” He says this after he tells him he takes back his threat to send him back to boarding school, which might imply Janet was against the idea of boarding school? Though she obviously lost that argument when she was alive. 

Jack will of course renege on this later, but that’s Jack Drake for you. 

Or here in Tim’s illness induced dream, where he gets everything he wants. Though, since this is a fantasy of Tim’s, where his father and girlfriend are both more accepting and understanding than they are in real life, I would take this depiction of Janet with a grain of salt. 

After loosing Drake Industries, Jack thinks about Janet (though, they call her Catherine/Cathy for some fucking reason) during his depressive episode. And... uh... 

Hallucinates a Valkyrie???? Is this symbolic of suicidal thoughts, or is she... real? Or is he seriously hallucinating? 

Anyway, we’re not here to discuss Jack’s mental state, the fact that he forgot Tim’s birthday, or that concerning “I was going to knock some sense into you but you’re still bigger than me” statement from Tim, we’re here to talk about Janet. And even though this entire arc is about Jack mourning his first wife, they don’t SAY anything about Janet herself at all. I mean, they don’t even get her name right, so I guess what was I expecting. 

Then there’s Origins and Omens, which also doesn’t say anything about Janet, except that Tim’s memory of her is faulty - Janet was poisoned, her assistant Jeremy’s throat was slit on television, but Tim seems to have conflated the death he did see with the death he didn’t. 

The only piece of canon to suggest that Janet might be cold, is Tim compares her to Thalia. And even then, he’s really just saying Janet was protective of him. It’s kind of a scary look to make at your kid, but Bruce does the same thing, so. 

I do want to say... it’s not 100% clear if Tim is even talking about Janet. He could be talking about Dana. Dana was observably protective of Tim, though I don’t think he’s ever called her mom. He PROBABLY means Janet. 

And finally we have Tim visiting his mother’s grave (in a duel Christian/Jewish cemetery, make of that what you will), where Tim says she was “a little religious.”

And that’s it! That is all we know about Janet Drake in New Earth. Hardly the Mom From Hell, but she isn’t perfect. I’d be interested in seeing some alternate depictions of her within the fandom. 

I’m still gonna eat up Terrible Parents From Hell like a starving puppy dog, though. Just some food for creative thought. 

[anghraine]

So, Darcy’s mea culpa at the end of P&P is interesting to me for a few reasons.

He goes out of his way to emphasize that he’s not talking about some development of the last few years, but his character from childhood—8 to 28.

His representation of himself is decidedly incompatible with the testimonies we heard at Pemberley, especially the one from Mrs Reynolds.

His insistence on Elizabeth’s innocence in her misjudgments conflicts pretty sharply with Elizabeth’s own dramatic mea culpa after his letter and her general sense of responsibility for her errors.

He manages to simultaneously argue that his faults were created by his parents and he didn’t know better until Elizabeth’s reality check, and that his own mistakes were monumental and inexcusable.

With regard to #1 and #2, I think the most likely explanation is that both he and Mrs Reynolds are (unintentionally) exaggerating—his remorse and relief leads him to overstate his failings from childhood on, while her affection leads her to idealize him and Georgiana, and dismiss all criticisms.

#3 makes it clearer that he’s not an entirely reliable judge in this interchange. He won’t blame her because, IMO, he’s too in love and thrilled, but the narrative does not excuse her to nearly the same degree. It makes sense that he would feel that way, for sure—this isn’t a criticism of the writing—but I don’t think we’re meant to fully adopt his view.

#4 is where it gets really interesting, because that is a very, very delicate balance.

It’s important to him that Elizabeth knows he isn’t fundamentally assholish, but rather, that his mistakes arose from how he was brought up, and he adjusted course as soon as he understood them. (Veering into headcanon a bit, I think part of the purpose of this is assuring her that she can trust that his current behaviour is what she’ll find in marriage.) At the same time that he blames his parents, though, he also idealizes them (especially his father) and avoids criticizing them directly, instead focusing on his own faults and moral responsibility for them.

That’s what I find most compelling about his speech, tbh. It manages to balance an awareness of the largely external factors that made him the way he was and to avoid wholly dismissing his responsibility for his own behaviour. I think there’s often a tendency to treat flaws based on upbringing as entirely dismissable (because other people created them) or to go in for the psychological bootstraps of insisting people should just magically know better than what they’ve been taught and simply lift themselves up by this age or that. But this walks between those two things, so that the impression for most readers is that he has flaws and made mistakes that he’s answerable for, but also that being influenced by dubious parenting doesn’t make him (or you) a fundamentally bad person.

I think that balance is one of the main reasons his character and development work so well for me. Even early on, we can see signs of his underlying personality as well as his flaws, and that underlying personality is revealed as better and better as the second half of the novel progresses, but his flaws are treated as significant, things that he is morally obligated to at least partially overcome once he understands them, while a few of them persist enough to be a) funny and b) credible. It’s just ... his character is put together in such an interesting, satisfying way overall, but especially in terms of his faults.

[chronic-claire-universe]

Hey! Congrats on reaching 500, you deserve it ♡

I'd really like to take part in your milestone event so here I am, heh. I would like a tokyo revengers and jjk/haikyuu ( I can't decide the second tbh you can pick just something?) match up if possible. But you can also just ignore this ask if It's too much! Kisses anyway.

Uhm where do I start?

I'm an ENTP and bi with a preference for fictional man ( like everyone here)

I'm super pale with dark red and white hair mostly in two pigtail braids. I have a stick and poke tattoo from a friend on my leg(a moon). I mostly wear black and red and have a little Jewellery addiction - especially rings. I kid you not I own over 100 but I tend to gift them to random people at parties when I wear too much and get bored of them.

I'm blunt, sarcastic and come off as mean sometimes, but I actually just can't shut up and do/say what I want. I'm also very competitive and chaotic and for being a huge flirt. I'm a little dramatic and get bored easily. I start many things but lose interest fast ( people and activities ). Overall I'm pretty chill with everything and go with the flow. Most of the time I'm very outgoing and can start conversations/arguments with everyone. I can get super awkward with affection so my love language are mostly acts of service and gifts. I love bad puns and jokes, dark and dirty ones specifically. My humor is broken if I'm honest.

The things I love are Horror stories, Philosophy, the iliad ( old stories and epics in general ), cats, coffee and late night adventures.

Poppy it's time to prepare your ice cream and I'm really happy about it!!! First before matching you up, I have to say something, I had real fun reading your request and during these days I was impatient to arrive here and write it, also I think I'm in love with you after your appereance description 💜

Warnings: Smut, Pegging, Video, Male Sub, Sex Toys, Overstimulation, Minors DNI.

Tokyo Revengers: Hajime Kokonoi

I have to be frank in here, I thought of Ran hearing your description, not only for the braids but also for your personality, but I think that you would be a disaster couple together cause you're way too similar, so here I am matchin you with our favourite sugar daddy Koko!

Why do I choose him? Well he enjoys sarcathisc people and also your strong personality. Koko knows that you're a strong girl who doesn't need protection and that's why he loves you!

You find yourself bored easily but Koko has a remedy for it, your dates with him don't consist only in fancy restaurant but most of the time, last minute holiday on the other part of the world!

When you go on holiday you love to go around and discover the meaning of new places, I canon you being in New York in the top of Empire State Building while you explain the history of the art-deco building and Koko opens up a champagne and makes a toast for the view in front of you!

This sounds big right? But don't worry, you're not going to the other side of the world every weekend, infact most of the time you and Koko enjoy the warm of your house.

During your domestic dates he comes back with the takeaway of your favourite italian restaurant and you decide the wine to drink.

Despite dinner, I canon you cuddling the persian cat he gifted you, who stays calm in his/your lap.

You have the habit to play poker, do you bet? Of course! Money? Nah too boring, you enjoy betting sex, in particular ways.

He tried to let you win but the first time he did it, you got so angry that you didn't talk with him and got to bed alone, he had to pray for an hour before forgiving him, you're not a baby that he must protect!

Going back to the sex bet, most of time it involves domineering kinks, from both him and you.

You peg him, you overstimulated him with his personal vibrator, he did the same with you, but most of all you recorded your intercourse.

Both of you have a nude album of the other, but you also did a professional one together, everyone in Bonten knows about it!

Talking about Bonten, you never go to their hideout but the guys know you and respect you, during the poker nights it happened that they were invited.

In the beginning they tease you, most Sanzu and Haitani bros, in the end they respect you, to the point that Ran became one of your closest friend and always keep you updated about Koko's conditions.

The relationship with Koko sounds sophisticate but genuine, strong and powerful. Keep it tight cause most of the people don't understand each other like you do!

Haikyuu: Suguru Daishou

Please bear with me, it seems that I picture you with guys that have snake eyes 😂 but there is a reason: snake eyes remember me of people with a sassy and asshole attitude!

You and Daishou professionaly tease people together! You love joking about them to the point to result mean, but this is something that your friends can go through.

You love outdates especially to arcade where you challenge and most of the time you win! This annoy Suguru to hell that most of the time bring you shouting at home and throwing you to bed, he fucks the hell out of you.

No Suguru doesn't want you to be in charge, sex for him is important to establish who is the male in the couple, and you don't care about it cause this leave you completely satisfied.

Sex isn't everything in your relationship, you enjoy a lot going out to dinner with friends, you even became buddy with Kuroo and this annoys Suguru as fuck, but respecting Nekoma's captain he doesn't complain too much about it

When you stay at home you definitely watch horror movies, but most of the time he's really annoyed by it, he just does it cause he loves you.

You also play board games, but being this a bit calmer than arcade ends up with you just laughing and eating snack until you can't keep your eyes open and you both lay on the couc/bed with him spooning you.

Daishou is competitive, loosing a match brings him lot of frustration. It's canon that he really struggle facing this problem, but seeing you helping him and just doing simple things like welcoming him with a hug and preparing his favourite dinner helps him recover.

Acts of service mean: training with him, cooking for him. The time he lost against Nekoma he came back hom without saying a word, there beside his computer there was a dvd you prepared.

"Watch me" you written on it, and here he was tears flowing from his eyes. It was a compilation of all the points he score in the year and compliments from schoolmates and teammates but also others friends.

He watches it everytime he feels down and this is enough to help him improving his mood.

You're a meanie couple but when something happens, you're always there for the other and that's what makes you fantastic together!

Poppy I finished, I really hope that you like this cause I had lot of fun writing it, kisses 💜

[luckychild]

Headcanons for the the guys introducing their S/O to the rest of the gang

I was soooo happy to get this so close to Valentine’s Day! Hope you like how these scenarios play out, and thanks so much for the Ask. ♥

Warnings: None. Gender neutral reader. 

KUWABARA

Kuwabara told his friends about you quite literally within 24 hours of meeting you, so they already know a ton about you.

He’s also been telling his friends how amazing you are for months, so you have a lot to live up to. (*gulp*)

When he introduces you at last, he absolutely gushes.

He’s so proud to call you his S/O, he basically babbles a glowing introduction until he’s blue in the face, pushing you out toward his friends so they can see you.

He can’t wait to show you off and for them to see how amazing you are!

You’re nervous at first, but those feelings quickly fade.

Kuwabara has gushed about his friends to you (this boy is so proud of all of his friends even Hiei), so you already know a ton about them, too!

Actually, you feel like you already know Yusuke and the others, and they feel like they already know you, too.

It makes getting along with them really easy, all thanks to Kuwabara’s inability to play it cool about how much he loves you/his friends.

(Even Hiei seems OK, despite what Kuwabara’s said about his bad attitude; you just think he’s shy and resolve to be kind to him no matter what.)

You mesh into the group perfectly, Kuwabara looking on with pride as you make friends with ease. 

KURAMA

Unsurprisingly, Kurama is not nearly as gushy or effusive as Kuwabara.

No, Kurama is way more subtle about how he introduces you.

For one thing, he doesn’t gush about you when you’re not around.

He’s mentioned you to his friends, but he’s generally quite private about his relationships.

They know who you are and some basic facts about your life, but you’re pretty mysterious overall.

The fact that he’s introducing you to his friend group is proof that he’s serious about you, tbh. You never would’ve met them if you weren’t important.

Kurama gently introduces you to everyone at a social event (one he chose quite carefully for an atmosphere he thinks will put you at ease).

He doesn't babysit you, introducing you to everyone and then letting you make friends as you see fit.

Kurama watches from afar, shooting you smiles from across the room whenever you catch his eye.

He’ll intervene if you seem uncomfortable, but otherwise he trusts you to handle yourself, confident you’ll make a good impression. He’s with you for a reason, after all. 

HIEI

This little shit.

No one knew he was seeing anyone, let alone that he had a formal S/O!

He’s literally never talked about you once.

He just shows up with you in tow one day and they’re like “??? Who?? Who is that???”

And he just casually drops your name and lets you fill in the labels and stuff.

You stumble a bit over what to call Hiei, TBH, but they all seem to get it even if you avoid the word “boyfriend” (that label seems juvenile and your relationship with Hiei is anything but that).

Yusuke teases Hiei a lot once they realize who you are, and Kurama keeps shooting Hiei knowing looks, and Kuwabara sputters about being left out of the loop again, but all in all everyone is super welcoming.

They’re also super curious about you, because Hiei dating someone is a foreign concept for everyone involved.

Kuwabara starts off a little reluctant/suspicious (he’s not sure what to make of someone Hiei would date) but soon he sees you’re awesome and warms up to you.

They all eagerly welcome you into the fold and ask you lots of questions.

Eventually Hiei gets tired of it and basically drags you away while you wave over your shoulder, saying you’ll see them soon (you hope).

You like all of Hiei’s friends and they like you a lot in return.

Hiei isn’t sure if he likes how well you get along with everyone, though.

Is he going to have to share you with them now, or…?

YUSUKE

Elephant in the room: Yukimura Keiko

Yusuke and Keiko were super serious when they dated, but they didn’t work out as romantic partners and instead remain good friends, which suits them much better.

So when Yusuke meets you and realizes he’s interested, he’s… well, he’s not sure what he’s doing, TBH.

The pair of you start off as friends (because that’s how he started off with Keiko and he doesn’t know how else to go about dating anyone).

This means that when Yusuke introduces you to his friend group for the first time, he introduces you as a friend, and as a friend only.

But Keiko is a smart lady, and she takes one look at the way you and Yusuke bicker and banter, and she knows.

She can see the way you look at Yusuke, and she sees how he looks at you, and Keiko spent enough time pining after Yusuke to recognize someone else pining after him when she sees it.

She takes great pains to make you feel welcome, making sure you don’t feel weird about hanging out with Yusuke’s ex in the room.

And then in private, she absolutely lays into Yusuke for not being more forthright with you about his feelings.

“We danced around each other for years, and look where it got us!” Keiko tells him as he stares at his feet, pouting. “You need to be honest! Confess how you feel, and soon!”

Keiko is the smartest person Yusuke knows (aside from maybe Kurama), so while it takes him a while to work up the courage, he eventually comes around and takes her advice to confess.

Basically, the act of Yusuke introducing you to his friends is what brought the two of you together as a couple, and Keiko remains your biggest advocate in your relationship with Yusuke.

Thank you so much for reading! It was nice to address the Keiko element in the Yusuke section; it’s tough to write X-reader pieces for characters who are in canon relationships, so working her into it felt natural.

Hope you enjoyed, and thanks!

[iamanartichoke]

I need spoilers for episodes 5 and 6. They've got to be out there. I can't take two more weeks of this.

I think what's giving me this vaguely ill feeling, right now, is the sinking realization that there was no grander plan behind Loki's getting drunk, breaking the Timepad, just general kinda incompetent behavior. There were theories and there were hints and subtext and it amounted to nothing.

Cut for spoilers/negativity, sorry.

Basically I'm getting major "that opening scene in IW was just too full of holes, the-sun-will-shine-on-us-again, one little dagger, Loki has to have something up his sleeve - oh .... no, no he's really dead, there was no greater plan" flashbacks.

It's so incredibly frustrating for Loki's narrative to come so close to something profound, again and again, only to swing and miss at the last second. The pieces are there. The threads are there. And tptb keep choosing to just ... sit on them, bc idk, it's easier for Loki's complexity to remain unexplored?

Tom says that episodes 4 and 5 are where the series takes off and I'm just like, you can't wait until the second to last episodes to have something happen! You've been dropping breadcrumbs since episode 1 - episodes 4 and 5 are where you start to sweep them up! You've only got 6 total!

Also, I was really interpreting Loki having confused friendship with romance, bc that's what makes the most sense for his character but then there was this, and the aforementioned 'oh so this really is just surface-level material and I shouldn't even waste my time examining the subtext and context clues' feeling occurs. (Note - this article isn't overly flattering to Loki, bc of course it isn't, so just be aware of that before reading.)

So, yeah, it's just - it's not exactly the content of this episode that has me so upset. I can live with bad plots and dangling threads. Lord knows I tolerate other, arguably much more terrible tv shows for the sake of the parts I like (Reign, Once Upon a Time, a few seasons of Pretty Little Liars, just to name a few).

It's not the content. It's the refusal of tptb to take Loki's character to the depths he deserves, especially since they promised us that this series would really explore his identity and his gender and all of these things that the fandom mostly has wanted. It's frustration in the overall way the surface-level plot makes Loki's characterization suffer. And it's definitely the trigger of those feelings of heartbreak and fury and denial and grief that followed IW. I practically have ptsd from that death scene.

(I realize that these are hefty words to use to describe one's reaction to fiction, especially in the sense that an emotional downward spiral is being legitimately triggered by a tv show, but - look, everyone already knew I was cringe, okay, so leave me alone with my feelings.)

I think that if the show had more episodes, there would have been hope for it? Like all the breadcrumbs that have been dropped implied lots of fascinating things to be explored, but they just didn't have room to explore them as thoroughly as they'd need to in order for all of it to have an impact. Loki/Sylvie does not feel earned. Mobius turned on the TVA super quickly (so did B-15, for that matter). Ravonna went from kinda sus to outright villain in, like, ten minutes. And Loki and Mobius's friendship didn't exactly come out of nowhere, bc it was set up as the outcome from the first episode (in my opinion) but it did happen much too quickly. It wasn't earned, either. And the reason I'm harping on this is because these are all really good character journeys that could have been done so much better - yeah, even Loki/Sylvie - if they had just paced them better, used more of their own subtext, and had a few more episodes in which to develop the characters alongside the complicated plot.

(Yeah, there may be a season 2, but I'm not here for waiting a whole nother year or so for it to be filmed, produced, and released only for it to continue to ultimately not meet my expectations.)

So, yes. I'm sorry for the negativity; I realize I went from "hey I mostly liked this! It wasn't that bad!" to "I will ragequit and kill everyone in this story and then myself" in, like, a few hours but - well. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I'll most likely rewatch it again tonight. I may or may not cry it out and then do my best to enjoy the remaining two episodes for what they are, not for what they could or might be. Once the rawness of all of this fades, I'll focus on the things I liked and come up with my own headcanons, I suppose. Or maybe I'll overall change my mind again. Idk. Whatever. I just need a glass of wine and a few more xanax tbh. (Great. Now fiction is going to give me a drug problem as well lmfao.)

Also - it is actualy really, really funny that, if you think about it, it turns out that a fanfic by Tom isn't actually all that good. (I'm being facetious, but the general sentiment is true.) I'm sorry, Tom. I know you're excited about this and you said this episode was your favorite, so I hope you don't see some of these reactions (either here, or on twitter, or reddit, or wherever he may end up) and feel bad about yourself/your project. I guess there's just no universal cup of tea for everybody.