#I think it is so undeniably better in my opinion because it 1) is what I am used to

[pitske]

ROTZBACKE! HAKENZAHN! OI! OI! OI!

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

When discussing or analyzing Dazai, one thing I hope you will keep in mind when reading anything I write about him is that from my perspective, he is always, always both.

What do I mean by this? Well, I find there tends to be a general split among people who hold the opinion that "he's a manipulator and will always be manipulative" and "he's doing his best to be good and helpful and live up to Oda's last wishes for him", of which, neither is completely right - because he is both. But even among the people who hold to this dual-nature interpretation, I find that his individual actions and motivations still tend to be thought of in a dichotomous manner - is it manipulative, or genuine?

Again, I think it's always both.

Dazai has a very pragmatic view on a lot of things - he is always looking for the usefulness of things and people so that the situation turns out in his favour. He's incredibly adept at this, and his prediction and placement and careful reveals are all manipulation tactics to get his allies and enemies doing exactly what he needs them to. I don't think anyone can contest this since we see it over and over in the series.

But that's not all there is to it. He's not solely manipulative and he does, to some extent, sympathize with others - I think there are several instances of this in the series, but I want to stress that this has been apparent since Chapter 1!

For context, Dazai is recalling what Atsushi said to him a few minutes earlier, but it's very interesting that it should be this specific part of the conversation. He could've flashed back to the part where Atsushi said he had nowhere to go; no money, no food - he is about to trick him into joining, after all, and this is the key piece he uses to basically force Atsushi into the Agency. But instead it's Atsushi's self-deprecation that catches his attention, and it really does, because even during the conversation, he turns to look at him after he says this with an odd expression.

You could say that this makes Atsushi easier to manipulate, if that's your angle, but that can't be solely it, because in the later conversation with Hirotsu, we know Dazai was planning to bring Atsushi into the Agency and set him up as one half of the new Double Black the moment he met him. The panel shown there is the riverbank, set much earlier in the day than this scene. He was already planning to pair him with Akutagawa since he figured out he was the tiger, so what's with this reaction?

Well. Sometimes the simplest explanation is the best.

He manipulated Atsushi into joining with the intention of utilizing him in his future plans. He also helped him and gave him a place to belong, and importantly, he likes this kid! It's both.

I think much of it might be that his brain just kinda works way too fast - he's such a natural at crafting these elaborate plots and seeing how things connect and gathering useful people like resources that it's practically automatic - though this is not a great means when you're trying to be a kinder person. There's an omake, I believe, that has him saying "I like using my head for justice", i.e. using these underhanded means to act for the better. Not great, but those are the kind of gifts he has. He's way more suited to exploitation, but is choosing to use these tactics to save people now, which is quite reminiscent of what he tells Kyouka. Kyouka's talents lie in killing people - when what you're good at isn't who you want to be, what do you do? Well, I expect you use what you have, even if it's not ideal.

Now, about the current situation with Sigma - I think he definitely likes him, and is intrigued by him and his situation. We did get a little thought bubble where the guy amusedly compares him to Atsushi, and you can't tell me he doesn't care about Atsushi (listen to the onsen drama cd, or read 55 Minutes if you somehow don't believe me). But also, it's undeniable that Sigma is in a very vulnerable position of being homeless and having had no one be genuinely kind to him before. His trust is very easy to earn, and with the latest chapter, Dazai has now saved his life multiple times. There is, as always, a practical purpose he needs him for. And I have to be somewhat amused because Dazai is quite literally telling Sigma everything he ever wanted and needed to hear. It's a brilliant means of quickly endearing himself to Sigma - but I don't think that's all it is.

Look. The most honest moments we get in this series from Dazai are, interestingly for an expert manipulator, when people are at their most vulnerable. In spite of every pointlessly cruel act he inflicted on Akutagawa, his first meeting with him was open and transparent; much like the orphanage director, it seems he thought this treatment would make him strong and adaptable (he's wrong but that's not the point of this). He cuts Kyouka off in irritation and says "don't give me that" when she implies that she would fail the entrance exam. He tells Atsushi it's normal to cry after losing a father figure and to feel however you feel, even if that person caused you nothing but incredible pain and cannot be forgiven. He refuses to entertain Sigma's assumptions that Dazai sees himself as a superior being to him.

Selective honesty can also be utilized to great effect; Mori does this, and undoubtedly it serves this purpose for Dazai too. But I want to stress that I do sincerely believe this is all still honesty from him. Manipulation, or genuine?

Both. It's both.

[jhugas]

PROVE IT. II- Jeon Jungkook- ‘Good night?’

✿✼:*ﾟ:༅｡.｡༅:*･ﾟﾟ･⭑

Series: Prove it

Genre: smut

Pairing: athlete!rival!Jungkook X athlete!afab!Reader

Summary of this chapter (part 1 is different): something bad happened, videos of you two last night got leaked. And when you got a call from your managers, you expected them to be mad, scold you, but instead… they asked you a favour.

Word count: ~1,9k

Warnings/tags: Slut shaming, eye contact, pet names (once; kitten), sub!reader, dom!Jungkook, penetration, filmed sex (not really mentioned though), clit play, make out, you get to know Jungkook’s real intention since the beginning (part 1)👀, unprotected sex, cums in her, they cum together, teasing, restraining (makes her cum when he wants to), oral sex (f receives), cum eating (m eats).

Reminder: this is a part II of ‘Prove it. I’ (In my opinion, it’s better to read it first to get the whole context :) )

✿✼:*ﾟ:༅｡.｡༅:*･ﾟﾟ･⭑

Your alarm wakes you up, it’s 10am and you’re exhausted. The night before was rough, and long, so you didn’t get that much sleep.

You opened your eyes slowly and stopped the alarm as quick as possible. For the moment, everything was alright and you didn’t even remember what happened last night. Until, as you sat up on the bed, you felt courbatures from your back to your legs.

‘Fuck…’ you think to yourself, and everything comes back to your memory; the drinking alcohol, make out… sex? You really had a doubt on that last assumption, it’s impossible that you guys really had sex right?

Well anyways, you get this idea out of your mind and get out of bed since Jungkook was already out.

‘If he acts weird or calls me a slut, something definitely happened. If not, then everything is alright!’

You put on your slippers, some clothes to hide yourself a bit more and head to the kitchen.

And to your surprise, Jungkook wasn’t in the pool, but cooking something in the place you were heading to.

‘Hi.’

He quickly says stealing a glance at you.

‘Hi?’

You answer. Well let’s say you weren’t expecting him to talk to you at 10 in the morning. But since he might remember fully what happened last night, you try to read on his face what happened. That was useless though, he looked completely fine. And still looking at him, you sit down and he immediately brings the breakfast that he cooked himself.

‘Had a good night? Mhm?’

He asks you in a mocking tone. There he was the arrogant Jungkook you knew!

‘ “Good night” ?’

You answer back, trying to get more informations.

‘Yeah, got fucked like a slut huh? So I was right in the end.’

He raises his eyebrow with pride and his tone raises. So you did get fucked by him… it was a mistake, if you were sober, you swear you would’ve proved him wrong.

‘What about it? You just got lucky. Be happy you got to fuck one of the best out here.’

‘Oh yeah? And will you be happy when you learn our reputations got destroyed? Because of your little slutty ass?’

He says as he tilts his head to the side and pokes his cheek with his tongue.

‘What the fuck are you talking about? Just leave me alone, and let’s just forget about last night, no one will know.’

You answer like it’s obvious, but unfortunately, you’re missing a part of the story.

‘No one will know? Well trust me, everyone fucking knows. Everyone’s sharing videos of us fucking and watching them.’

He says then in a way more serious tone. And all of the sudden before even getting a proper explanation, he gets his phone out, opens twitter and shows you the videos in question.

The videos, unfortunately, are clear and have a good quality. So anyone could tell it was you two, it was undeniable.

And not only they could see everything, like Jungkook pushing himself in and out of you and throwing his head back as you arch your back, but they could also hear everything. Your moans, the bed squeaking, and lastly the most oblivious, you screaming each others name.

Now, how were you going to deal with this? Everybody was 100% sure you were enemies, that you hated each other. And now, all they have are videos of you two creaming on each other.

‘You’re just a little fucking slut. Look at yourself, arching your back with my cock in you. So fucking naughty.’

He whispers the last part and caresses your hair. But suddenly, you both get a phone call from your managers.

During the call…

‘…do you know that you’re trending right now?…I can’t believe you did this…not only you did it, but you also got caught!…however, you’ve both gained many followers since…I’m just saying, you just won fame after this incident!…maybe it’d be good to do something like that one more time…c’mon! At least once! You’re in a pretty place and safe, you have nothing to lose…’

You hang up and take a deep breath, trying to calm yourself…

So, if you understood well, your manager asked you to have sex with Jungkook one more time, and get caught by paparazzis once again, because you gained fame and followers after last time…

You look over to Jungkook that’s outside now, and you can clearly tell that he’s mad, or maybe just stressed. But life goes on, so you take one more deep breath, and start eating the breakfast Jungkook made. It was good, but it wasn’t a surprise anyway, he already cooked yesterday and it was also delicious.

Once Jungkook came back inside, you walked toward him and told him you wanted to have a serious talk.

You’re now both on the couch, sitting, and the conversation starts…

‘So… we’re really gonna do this?’

He says hesitantly.

‘Yes. We don’t have a choice, we have a contract, managers, and we need to follow them.’

You answer, explaining that it is against your will and that if you could avoid this awkward situation, you would.

‘So what, should we do it tonight?’

He says in a more gentle voice. You don’t know what changed, but the atmosphere seems more chill.

‘My manager told me to do this the quickest possible, so tonight is a good idea… by the way, should we get drunk again?’

You ask.

‘Drunk again? I think it’s better that you enjoy it tonight, right? Sadly, though your pussy was throbbing yesterday and you came twice under me, you didn’t even remember it this morning. How sad…’

He tells you as a smirk grows on his lips before licking his bottom ones.

‘So what’s the plan?’

You ask him. It’s currently 11 pm and it’s time to do it. The paparazzis could only see in your bedroom and balcony, so you had time and privacy to get everything ready in the living room.

‘It’s simple, I bring you to the balcony, kiss you, then we start making out. Then, after a few minutes, I take you back inside and we fuck on the bed. And listen, I’m not the type to comfort others, especially sluts like you, but just for tonight y/n… It’ll be alright. Just follow me, you won’t even have to do anything. Relax, and enjoy is the best thing you could do.’

He says. It was the first time you saw him like this. And it was surprising to see him reassuring you, especially when he was about to rock your shit.

‘Ok…’

You whisper back and nod, giving him the permission to start.

So he takes your hand, and brings you to the balcony passing by the bedroom to finally lean on it. To start, you create a false conversation, like you were flirting with each other. Then after talking for like five minutes, he cups your face, leans in, and presses his lips against yours.

He starts by pecking your lips many times and kissing your cheeks. Just a few cute and short kisses making you innocently giggle. But then, he started giving you longer kisses. He held you more firmly and the kiss got more intense, which led him to suck on your top lip. Meanwhile, you sucked on his bottom ones and bit them sometimes. This went on for a few minutes, making out but too scared to go further. Until, he slid his tongue in between your lips, so you used yours to play with his piercing.

It was such a turn on for him, having a woman just sucking and playing with his piercing in public. He couldn’t stop himself from moaning in your mouth as you pulled off a little bit, but he doesn’t want to lose any time. He kisses you again, passionately and with force as he pushes your back against the balcony and plays with your hair with one hand, then with the other, grabs your ass. You two were finally opening to each other, not scared to express what you needed or felt.

‘fucking slut’ he whispers between kisses, ‘got me so fucking horny’ he repeated.

And then suddenly, he lifted you up with only one hand massaging your ass, and brung you to the bed.

He laid you down, got on top of you, and kept making out with you, devouring your lips. Sucking harder on them, switching between your top and bottom lips, licking them tenderly… And after making your lips all red and swollen, just like his, he slowly began to slide his hand that was in your hair, to your slit, caressing your beautiful skin and lifting your sleeping dress.

When his fingers finally arrived to your pussy, he took off your panties and slowly began to just slide them up and down your folds, spreading your wetness.

You move a bit under his touch but he holds you firmly. Next, he disconnects his lips from yours, and starts pecking your body from your jaw, to your breast, to your tummy.

He gives you wet kisses on your lower stomach, leaving purple marks here and there to prove he was here. Then later, with his lips, he went lower and reached just above your clit. He lightly pressed his lips against it, teasing you, making you feel his hot breath and smile growing as time passed.

Until suddenly, he wrapped his cherry lips around your clit, sucking on it like his life depended on it.

Meanwhile, his fingers were teasing your hole, sliding in one a little bit, then pulling it out. He could feel your juice on his fingers and it made him so hungry, just he wanted to eat you out so bad. And at the thought of it, he unconsciously started eating you out like a whole meal, his tongue also getting a taste.

You can feel everything, his fingers teasingly sliding in and out of you, his tongue licking your juice and flicking your clit, and him just sucking on it.

He moans with your clit in his mouth, making you feel vibrations, he just wishes you knew how good you taste. You feel your orgasm approaching, the hot wave coming to your head and you start shaking. But as soon as he felt your walls clench around one of his finger, and felt you shivering, he stopped everything.

‘Thought I’d already let you cum? C’mon now, you know me better than that. Don’t you?’

He said with a smirk drawn in his face as you frowned your eyebrows and whined in frustration. And he didn’t lose a second to shove his fingers in his mouth, finally getting what he wanted; the taste of your juice. It was so yummy to him, so delicious, he could make out with your pussy for hours. But sadly, you don’t got time for that.

He takes off his short and you can see a bulge in his boxers, he was hard, very hard. You can already guess how big and good looking that dick will be.

And just when he took off his Calvin Klein boxers, his cock bounced till it found it’s right position, and stood tall and proud over your stomach. This is what you missed last time, this big cock, ready to fill you up and Jungkook hovering over you, making you feel so secured, protected and horny.

‘Fuck’ you whisper to yourself, you don’t even know if it’ll fit. But if it once did, then it should still.

He laughs at your comment and spread your legs, positioning himself in front of you, before putting the tip in front of your entrance.

He teases you with it, slides it in your folds, touches your clit with his pretty tip. Then finally, pushed himself inside of you. At the feeling of your walls not clenching around his fingers this time, but around his cock, he can’t help but curse at this feeling he’s been needing all this time.

This reminded him of why he won; he just won to fuck you right, he didn’t even care about the luxury hotel, all he wanted was this pussy in his mouth and his dick in it. And he knew damn well he’d get it. All these years masturbating on your pictures, magazines...

It’s true, he was actually pissed off you always had the same score as him, but he was so jealous of your teammates. How could they be so close to you but not him? That’s when he just told himself that you were a slut. It was easier for him that way.

And everytime he saw you walking to the podium he was already standing at, with those shorts holding your cheeks moving, your boobs bouncing as you laughed, this look and smirk you gave him and just your attitude in general, it just made him want to fuck you hard in the lockers.

Back in the reality, he’s sliding it in and out of you, taking care to get the deepest possible, and to make you feel every inch of him.

You close your eyes with force and moans leave your lips. Even though you’re embarrassed, nothing could make you feel better than Jungkook’s big dick. And nothing was hotter than the sound of wet clapping in the room filled with moans and groans.

It’s also crazy how not only he was good with his dick, but also with his lips, tongue, fingers… he’s truly an all rounder.

He keeps pumping in and out of you, groaning and looking at your pity face, and nothing could make him feel better, than you praising him and showing how good he’s giving it to you.

‘Uh you’re such a good little slut. You’re my good little kitten aren’t you?’

He asked, waiting for a positive answer.

‘I- I am!’

You answer as he laughs at your stupidity. How could anyone really want to be his kitten?

‘I’m your good little kitten!’

You repeat as your orgasm approached. Well it seems like you did. He bites his lips and also feels your walls clenching around him.

‘Wait for me to cum princess. Let’s both cum in you together.’

He ordered while looking deep in your eyes. And then, faster than you thought, you both found yourselves cumming in the same spot, painting your walls white as he kept eye contact with you, and looked carefully at your facial expression.

As you both came back to earth, you tried to catch your breath. Then, when he saw you were ready, he pulled out and watched his cum mixed with yours sliding down your asshole. He quickly took a tissue to stop it from staining the bed, then came back at you.

‘How are you love?’

He gently asked.

‘Mmhhhhhh’

You just answered as you were already ready to go to sleep. He giggled, also tired and pulled on your legs to get you closer to him. Next, he carried you to the toilet, checked that you didn’t fall off, and brung you back to the bedroom.

Because you already fell asleep, he himself changed you to some new, refreshing clothes and put you in the bed, before going to sleep himself, holding you close to his chest.

@dolliecat ^^

Thank you for reading! Reminder: if you liked it, please like, reblog or comment! Thank you!

Masterlist

Prove it masterpost

[harpieisthecarpie]

AN ORV JOONGDOK/DOKHYUK ANALYSIS OF HIS HANDS BY BLEGH

SPOILERS AHEAD

Okay so this is a song I have been OBSESSED WITH recently that I of course have to connect to my current favorite fandom and ship, Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint and Kim Dokja/Yoo Joonghyuk.

The essence of "His Hands" by Blegh is about a relationship that, while it already has love, may yet cause the speaker to "fall in love" (though they contemplate that it might have already happened).

This relationship is also filled with wanting and anxiety because there is a yawning chasm between the speaker and their muse formed from the now visible chasm between who they each are and who they perceive the other to be.

The pain evoked in "His Hands" echoes that of the relationship between Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk. While it is contentious whether there are romantic elements between the two, the tension that fills Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint is undeniable.

I personally believe (and have agreements from others I forced to talk about this song with me) that "His Hands" works from both perspectives of the JDJ relationship. For them, the song is more like a duet than a solo.

Onto the lyrics!

I expect you've listened to the song, class.

I kissed every stranger in the corridor that night

The first line shadows the way both Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk search for each other in other people when it is combined with the final line of the song:

I kissed every stranger in the corridor that night I think I was searching for the taste of you in everyone

For Dokja, it all starts at the beginning. Yoo Joonghyuk is his protagonist, the one who became a father figure, a friend, someone to root for and rail against. He poured into the novel Yoo Joonghyuk all of the relationships he so desperately needed but never received.

This also reflects the (unhealthy, though so much of what Dokja does is) way that Kim Dokja constantly compares others to Yoo Joonghyuk, including the real Joonghyuk himself. If they don't fit Kim Dokja's perception of them, what their "canon" is in his mind, he often discards their actions in favor of keeping their image in his mind until he is actually forced to reckon with their humanity, something the Fourth Wall works so tirelessly to prevent.

Meanwhile, in the epilogue Joonghyuk is literally searching for Kim Dokja's fragments in other worldlines. But there is also the metaphorical way he has been so affected by Dokja's existence and how it intertwines with his own that it now colors the way he sees everything.

We are a collection of all the people we've loved, after all.

This directly connects to the rest of the first verse:

I kept changing his mind He kept changing my mind His hands, his hands

There is a constant, visceral connection of love and hands in Blegh's work. Human hands mold and destroy and change things in ways that nothing else (except perhaps human relationships) can.

The hands here are not physically changing anything, instead they change the speaker's mind, their perceptions.

There is nothing more evocative of Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk's relationship, in my opinion. They are constantly changing each other's minds about the other, themselves, and the world around them. JDJ is a relationship in constant motion, constantly affecting each other for better and worse.

The next verse is a long chunk that I'll break up, but I want to show it in full first because it connects to a piece I commissioned from my friend Bard.

He feels handcrafted just for you But he's a little bit too far away and You can’t, you can't His hands are in you And you know you'll be gone by the morning but you know he loves you And you know you like his strong hands, strong hands

(Art by @everyones-least-favorite-bard )

Gorgeous art, please give Bard a retweet and follow.

Done? Great!

I'm going to continue in the morning because this is going on a lot longer than expected. Sorry I only analyzed the first few lines but it is almost 1 AM.

[alicentsgf]

What do you like in rhaenicent? What attracts you to them as a couple, and what attracts them to each other in your opinion?

i was so tempted to just respond with 'im a lesbian' but imma bite. prepare yourselves.

the basic cornerstone of it is i love women and i really really love tragedy, so this pairing is Perfection. on the most basic level, episode 1 rhaenicent was just cute like anyone who denies that just hates joy i guess. i was at least a little invested from scene 1.

you've got these two girls who have such different temperaments but then theres this undeniable element of sensual intimacy and chemistry. to me it seemed obvious even without the comments from the cast and crew that alicent and rhaenyra were in love with each other (in some way) as girls. they start off so comfortable with each other, reaching out for each other at every opportunity. rhaenyra even admits, however flippantly, to wanting alicent (and freedom) to the detriment of everything and everyone else. she would leave it all behind except alicent. but this means the dream dissipates with alicents disproval. rhaenyra is All desire, whereas, for better or worse, alicent tempers that because she is All duty and shes been raised to perform it without question (initially for rhaenyra as her companion, then later for her king/husband and their children). the biggest themes in the story are brought forth by rhaenicent's dynamic and by ways in which they act as foils for each other: loss, betrayal, duty vs desire, generational curses, motherhood, the madonna/whore dichotomy and its impotence, and the inevitability of a tragic ending.

they loved each other so deeply because growing up they were each others everything. i honestly think alicent only ever experienced unconditional love with rhaenyra, which is why she clings to the memory of it so desperately, (whereas rhaenyra had aemma perhaps?). alicent and rhaenyra were never without each other in their formative years, and they probably thought they never would be. in some ways they were torn out of each others lives with the same amount of violence and resulting mutilation as aemond losing his eye. they had molded themselves into each others empty spaces, making up for what the other lacked. they're incomplete without each other and deep down they both know that, and its why even after everything, with all the reasons they shouldn't care about each other anymore, they still find themselves desperate for reconcilation. and alicent still wont see rhaenyra dead, even when shes a possibly lethal threat to alicent's family. otto sees the truth of it, forcing alicent to acknowledge it too - even at the peak of their estrangement a world without rhaenyra is a world alicent cant make sense of.

and heres the really delicious part: they're going to destroy each other. its inevitable and it always was, because the world they live in would never have let them do anything else. its the curse of the targaryens meets the curse of westerosi womanhood. idk maybe at this point some people might wonder 'well then why bother having them love each other at all, if it ends with them alone and afraid and hating each other?', but isnt that the point of tragedy? love matters even if it sours. it matters even if it cant save anyone. theres catharsis in acknowledging the cost of human frailty and not doing anything to suggest things should or could have happened differently, but just encouraging us, very simply, to indulge our own ugly, stupid humanity.

the truth is the moment their relationship first truly gripped me was actually episode 6. i loved young alicent and rhaenyra but it was seeing their older versions so at odds with one another in contrast to their past that captured my interest. which is why i feel 'shipping' is just... not the right term for what where my brain is at with them. i feel it implies i want things for them as a pairing that i dont: i dont want them together, i dont want them to be less resentful, or to reconcile, and for all the jokes i dont even want them to be physically intimate. i want them to hate each other and i want them to hate how much they still care, i want it eating them alive, i want them unable to deny it because its the love, grief, and betrayal thats at the root of their resentment.

for me it seems like the reason grrm and the development team okayed this change is because whilst a 'history' book like fire and blood doesnt need an element such as this, the change in format to an intimate portrayal made it almost necessary. rhaenyra and alicents dynamic anchors the plot whilst also critiquing the nature of the shows own source material for its inaccuraces and misogyny. as a result the story of the dance becomes not just a story of targaryen entitlement and the resulting retribution, which i would have been a fan of anyway, but the tragic love story of two women who fell victim not just to the unforgiving nature of the world they were born into, but to their own human frailties. and im honestly just basking in it because this is so much more than i could have hoped for.

so i guess my point is that rhaenicent are barely even a 'couple' to me lmao, im studying them like a live specimen under a microscope and im not afraid to prod them with sharp implements.

[utilitycaster]

hi! is s01e01 representative of midst as a whole? i tried it but couldn't get through it bc i found it very distracting with the bg music/noise and the tag teaming of the narration; it all kept pulling me out of my minds palace and i just couldn't get into it. however, a lot of people on here and on reddit highly recommend it so the story must be good, and i like good stories so id like to enjoy it. does it "get better", so to speak, in regards to the background ambiance and narration? is it available in written form anywhere, so that i could enjoy it by reading it? thank you!

Hi anon,

In terms of the narration style and sound design, yes, it is.

I've thought fairly carefully about this answer but in short: I think with podcasts (and frankly, anything), the medium is the message. There are transcripts, and you can read them. I think if you are hard of hearing such that the sound design makes it difficult to separate narration from the music or noise; or you have misophonia or auditory processing disorders or something similar such that it is genuinely uncomfortable, then the transcripts are available.

However, if that's not the case, Midst's sound design is in my opinion a strength. It is undeniable that if you choose to read the transcripts rather than listen, you will be losing a major dimension of the storytelling and worldbuilding: the sound is, fundamentally, part of the mind palace. And as someone who listens to a decent number of fiction podcasts that have background sounds or music, I actually think the design and the pure technical balance of Midst is one of the best there is, to the point that actually I find that some sounds fade into the background very naturally and I end up relistening when someone else brings them up.

What I would recommend, if you have only listened to the first episode, is to stick it out through a few more, because I suspect that if an auditory issue is not at play, you are actually having difficulty with the three-narrator structure. I personally found it initially difficult but quickly acclimated (and it too is a key part of the whole). Listen to the first 3-4 episodes. Episode 1 is barely over 15 minutes. Would you give up altogether on a TV show 15 minutes in? Give it another hour or so, and if you still don't like it, you can decide what to do from there.

I think just to wrap up I do want to admit that this might make me sound like a cranky millennial and also a completionist, and to be fair I am both these things, but I think there is a tendency in fandom spaces to want to be part of something whether or not it is working for you. This is an understandable impulse. However, I think this has unfortunately become entangled with a tendency I am less sympathetic towards; that of demanding things be catered to your existing preferences rather than allowing yourself to be a little uncomfortable. Naturally I don't think anyone should deliberately trigger themselves or be in pain; but perhaps we could all stand to be more patient, give things more time, be more willing to meet works where they are rather than trying to pull them towards what we already know and love, and listen to the songs on the album we don't love as much rather than skipping to the easy hits. And, if after a good-faith patient effort, it's still not clicking for us, to walk away instead of trying to find a way to sand it down enough to fit into our comfort zone.

[mmagoats]

MMA GOATS - Blog 1

The question “Who is the greatest of all time” or “Who’s the G.O.A.T” has always been a question asked anytime people are great at the things they do. In the realm of MMA especially, this question is one of the most heated and argued you could try and answer because of how the game is constantly evolving along with the fighters and their styles and also because of the sheer amount of fighters that have come and gone throughout the history of MMA. But in my list, I’ll chose fighters that I think are undeniably great that they stick out from the rest. So I'm going to try and rank all of the greatest fighters based on their achievements, what they brought and or meant to the sport of MMA and based on how they inspired me to get into combat sports.

In my goat tier list, the fighters are going to be placed between 1 and 10 with ten being the absolute top goat of MMA and one being at the bottom respectively. Also, each spot can and probably will hold more than one person because I believe that there has been too much talent throughout the history of MMA just to be put into a top 10.

With all that out of the way I want to state some of my honorable mentions before I start the list. 

Maurício “Shogun” Rua

Shogun Rua is definitely a great, competing in Pride where he held wins over big names such as Rampage Jackson, Alistair Overeem and Big Nog. It’s more because of who he took out and the age he did it that I find impressive enough to have me place him here, but definitely other have done it better.

Wanderlei Silva “Axe Murderer”

Fighting for reasons to be desirable, Wanderlei is one that sits comfortably in honorable mentions for claiming the middleweight championship at Pride, holding title defenses and competing for multiple grand prix. I find his story compelling and his drive being the aspect I wish I had (plus his nickname is cool).

TJ Dillashaw 

Arguably the best bantamweight champion the UFC had for his time, being a two time champion with multiple title defenses and an unrivaled underdog story. He’s here because he was the first great champion in his division so I almost feel obliged, but in my opinion is not the best in regards to the people that came after him.

“Big Nog” Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira

The big brother and other half of “Little Nog”, Big Nog fought in early Japanese fight promotion alongside people like Fedor and later fought in UFC and Pride. I think it’s his rivalry with his brother he always end up winning against that I can relate to.

Alistair Overeem 

Another name that deserves a place in honorable mentions, a man who learned martial arts to defend himself from bullies and held multiple heavyweight champion titles and the first to hold world titles in MMA and kickboxing at the same time. He’s here because he’s the first on the list that has reached double champ status, but did so in a division at a time that I think was pretty simple and boring, lacking technique and skill (but still, something about 200 pound men kickboxing makes for great entertainment that I’ll get my attention).

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson 

Rampage Jackson started as a wrestler at the age of 17, eventually trying out MMA after the success of other wrestlers, something that led to him getting multiple championships in the likes of UFC and Pride. Overall, he a great fighter but a better personality and I find him to be just a likeable person.

Chael Sonnen “The American Gangster”

Chael was a notorious figure during the early days of UFC in 1997 and a great villain for the scene, deserving a mention for not just his skill but his trash-talk and the eyes he brought to the game even though he never won a title. The only reason he’s here and not on the top is that I want to give a chance to the other fighters to be on my goat list of MMA, otherwise he would take over the entire thing.

[anotherpapercut]

tell me more about rbg

my main thing with rbg is that like. undeniably she had an incredible and positive impact on our jurisprudence. I really cant overstate the importance of even some of her dissents, where her opinion was not in the majority. that said

1. her jurisprudence is far from perfect. she had an iffy track record on things like incarceration probably in part due to the particular privilege that comes with being a wealthy white woman and it's weird to act like she was perfect and never made any mistakes because like she was a human person

2. the girlbossification of rbg seems to have created a sort of feedback loop that ended in her having an ego so large that she genuinely seemed to think no one could do her job as well as or better than her? which is weird bc Sotomayor was already on the court and already kicking ass but w/e. she literally said in interviews when people asked her about retirement that she didn't think anyone could take her place

3. this absolutely fucked us and if you think it didn't you're fucking kidding yourself. if she had retired, oh I don't know maybe in 2009 when there was a democratic president and democratic Senate supermajority, she would've been promptly replaced by another liberal judge. even if we assume the Republicans would still block Obama from filling Scalia's seat in 2016, that would leave the court at 5-4 in favor of conservatives instead of the 6-3 we have now and w the way the supreme court works that could mean it could have taken DECADES less to claw back to a democratic majority

people who don't know what the fuck they're talking about will look at that and say "well either way it's a conservative majority so it doesn't matter" this argument completely falls apart the second you actually inspect the voting records of these people over the past few terms. there have been many occasions where one or more conservative justices have sided with the liberals. with a 5-4 court MANY of the extremely shitty decisions that have come down recently would've gone the other way

again people who don't know what the fuck they're talking about may say "well roe would've still been overturned" and to that I say how fucking selfish and shortsighted do you have to be to think that just because ONE case would've gone the same way nothing else is important? do you guys have any idea about any of the other cases they've taken in the past few years??? this argument is just so idiotic I can barely even entertain it long enough to respond

okay anyway TL;DR rbg was obviously important and obviously affected great positive change in this country. but she knew when she accepted this job that the entire fucking country was depending on her. she chose not to retire knowing there was a significant chance she could die under a Republican administration and leave us with an extremely fucked up court and she did it anyway out of sheer egoism and that disgusts me! ultimately she doomed us to a court that's going to be impossible to come back from for decades without major reform. she did this knowingly. she knowingly endangered the country out of vanity. and she should absolutely be fucking held accountable for that shit

[blueskittlesart]

It’s not often you see a BotW fan AND Genshin Impact fan…what are your thoughts on the game mechanics in both that are extremely similar? Do you think one stole from the other?

oh 100% i think genshin impact stole its initial design and mechanics from botw. it's hard to pretend like it's a coincidence when one game came out 3 years after the other and almost everyone's immediate impression of it was "it looks just like botw!!" I remember when it first came out i IMMEDIATELY had people telling me i would like it because it was so similar to botw. just for that reason, nothing else. no mention of story or combat mechanics or gacha, just... it's exactly like botw. lol. and ESPECIALLY in mondstadt and liyue, where the open world is a lot of flat plains populated by the remains of ruined civilizations and monster camps, the. im going to be nice and say the INSPIRATION from botw is undeniable. they look exactly the same. I wouldn't be surprised if the grass asset was like. legitimately datamined and stolen line-for-line because they look so similar.

I will say that the open world is about where the similarities end between the two games. botw is a AAA big-name franchise game which spent multiple years in development and was a complete story upon release, and has a rich history of prewritten lore in the form of other games and media to back it up. Genshin is an online gacha game which, on release, was only 1/7 finished. and yes, teyvat is huge and there's a shit ton of lore and worldbuilding to be found, but unlike botw there was no foundation of lore to stand on when writing genshin, which means 100% of that worldbuilding must be found in-game, which leads to extremely long, wordy, and hard-to-understand quests, plus a ton of lore that just ends up buried in side quests or npc dialog that the average player will never know about. story-wise.... i mean. i could list similarities if i desperately had to, but aside from amnesiac protagonist (which was an established trope before botw anyway) there's really not a ton to say here. genshin's story and lore is decent, in my opinion. I don't think it compares to botw, in concept or in execution, but like i said before, genshin has no preestablished lore to get a foothold on. they're doing everything from scratch. and there are plenty of places where the story and lore falls short, either in concept or in execution, but comparing genshin's story to botw's when their circumstances and even the way their content is produced and released is so different just seems... unfair. like. of course botw is going to be better LMAO.

One of the most interesting things to me about the way genshin has developed is that the longer they go on releasing content the more they seem to be trying to distance themselves from the initial similarity to botw. one of the more notable ways this manifests is in the fact that they've almost entirely phased out the botw-style dungeon segments that were the domains in early-game mondstadt. the initial 6 or so domains you have to complete in mondstadt's archon quest were VERY similar in mechanics to botw's dungeons, in that it was less about fighting enemies and more about puzzles to solve. Now, though, even domains that are one-time completion dungeons are largely combat challenges rather than puzzle dungeons. I think they probably did this to distance themselves from botw in some way because open-world mini dungeons were like. one of botw's main mechanics. The newer locations like inazuma, the chasm, and sumeru also bear significantly less similarities to botw's terrain design than mondstadt and liyue. this may simply have been an effort to distinguish the nations from each other visually, but with sumeru being physically connected to liyue and mondstadt and yet lacking nearly any of the open plains and stone ruins that defined those two nations, it seems to me like a deliberate effort to move away from the botw aesthetic and develop a more unique style of worldbuilding for the game. Which is 100% a good thing!! i just kinda wish mondstadt and liyue were allowed the same thought and time that have clearly been put into inazuma and sumeru.

The fact that genshin appears to be actively attempting to branch out and create a coherent story and aesthetic for its world without.... "taking inspiration" from botw so heavily now that it's gotten a foothold in the industry is a really good sign to me. If I had to guess, the emphasis on the botw-like open world in the early days of its marketing was an attempt to capitalize on botw's insane popularity at the time, and tbh i think it was a smart move by their developers if a little underhanded. the nature of genshin's story is such that upon release they had almost NOTHING to draw people in except the initial conflict: "your sibling is gone and you have to find them." and they could PROMISE that more story content was coming in the future, but without something to satiate fans and draw new players in in the meantime the game was going to drown. a large open-world serves two important purposes: 1. drawing in new players who loved botw's worldbuilding and were looking for something similar, and 2. provide endgame content for returning players while the new story quests were being worked on. (this model doesn't work quite so well nowadays, with so many players stuck in a fairly underwhelming endgame for months at a time between updates, but when the game was released it was probably the perfect solution.) In any case, now that genshin has some notoriety and name-recognition of its own, it no longer has to rely on word-of-mouth "this game is just like botw!" to draw people in, and it's exciting to see that they recognize this and are taking the opportunity to branch out. i'm excited and cautiously optimistic to see where they'll take the game in future patches!

[dolceaspidenera]

Hii! when I read your post about bg3 and what could be better, it’s like you I’ve read everything on my mind. I love this game, it’s an absolute masterpiece, that’s an undeniable truth. I desperately wanted sth like this after I fell in love with DA games. the minute I knew I can romance Astarion I jumped at the chance - because LOOK AT HIM!! and they’ve given him the BEST voice actor, the BEST character backstory- better and richer than any of the DA characters had. he feels alive, everything in his behaviour and motivations makes sense, the whole breaking the cycle of abuse is incredibly deep. And really makes me crave for more..more party banter, more things to talk about overall. there are certain shining moments between him and Shadowheart, moments where she teases him or is curious about certain things. YES GIVE ME MORE OF THIS overall with all the companions!

100% agree about how it is frustrating that companion reactions get overridden. I romanced Asta and wanted to hear his reaction to the owlbear and he got blocked by Shadowheart. why??? if anyone has sth to say let them say it.

Now I’m gonna rant a bit about Asta’s content in act 3. there’s quite a big difference between act 1 and 3 in terms of camp cutscenes. while in act 1 you have to long rest pretty much constantly to see everything that’s queued up, in act 3 it isn’t necessary. act 3 feels much emptier esp when it comes to Astarion or Karlach. Cazador isn’t involved in the main plotline so there’s no incentive to deal with him unless you really want to help Asty. Karlach and her soul coins - i didn’t understand their purpose, guess it was scrapped. same as the possibility for Asty to explore different ways to release himself from Cazador’s clutches, to be able to stay in the sun. as it is now there’s nothing for him, just a throwaway dialogue option added last minute that you’re going to look for the solution together. that solution should have been available in act 3–another scrapped content—necromancy of thay. as it stands now - I think mainly because of this missing content, there’s only one option to help Asty see reason to refuse the ritual and even that requires high persuasion check. all that we’re given is one good choice (which you can’t probably pass with a non-charismatic character) and two bad choices with one of them being No I won’t help you which does not give you any additional chances to reason with him. which there should’ve been especially if he’s romanced and on the highest approval. lastly, we should’ve been given a waaaay more satisfying conclusion - once again as it stands now, it deeply hurt me to watch him run away from the sun with nobody expressing any sort of concern for him whatsoever. he deserves better. and i’m too old and tired to write a fix-it fic about this 🙈

the end of rant 😅

Hi! Thank you for sharing your opinions with me 😊 I agree with you, I would've preferred, for example, fewer shiny objects and more party banters/cutscenes with our companions. Especially when it comes to friendship interactions, you really feel a lack of content. They are all amazing characters and I wish we could spend more time with them, it would have been cool to have something similar to the Citadel DLC in Mass Effect.

Regarding the companions' reactions that override each other, if Larian is hell-bent on leaving it like that, I hope there will be some saint modder out there who will be able to get rid of this mechanic. I'd do it myself but unfortunately I know nothing of how mods work 😭

And Yes, after completing the quest for the characters there's 0 content after that unfortunately when it comes to interactions in camp. Don't get me started on our best girl Karlach, they really did dirty to her. Her confrontation with Gortash is the most anti-climatic thing I've ever seen. She gets angry, understandably so, for like 5 minutes, and then that's it, everything is back to normal. AT least give us a cut scene with her stabbing the hell out of Gortash, them staring in each other eyes while he dies, give me some pathos, something! It's supposed to be the climax of her narrative arch, c'mon!

There's definitely a lot of cut content, I don't know if it's because they ran out of time or they were having budget issues, maybe a bit of both. I hope they will add them back later but I honestly doubt that. Unfortunately, the ending is really lacking as well, you can really see that they ran out of time there. Larian promised they would fix it, so I hope they manage to put together a satisfactory epilogue for all the characters. I reeeeeeally hate Astarion's ending in particular, there's no way my character wouldn't run after him to make sure he's okay and to comfort him. It would have been cool to have at least a party like the one with the tieflings in Act 1 to properly say goodbye to all characters (Dragon Age Origins really nailed it in that sense, even if it's brief you have the chance to speak with all characters and ask them for their future plans after the final battle).

[beautifulpersonpeach]

hi bpp,

i hope this isn't a controversial ask. i really want your opinion. do you think another kpop group can win a grammy before bts? another group or singer winning a grammy first or even getting a nomination before bts returns - do you think it is possible?

***

Hi Anon,

Of course it's possible. BTS isn't the only group in k-pop putting out incredibly good music, after all. So it only tracks that before BTS returns in 2026, another k-pop artist or group may get Grammys recognition. In fact I expect it because of BTS, because BTS has put the spotlight on k-pop in a way no artist or group before them has ever done. Not even BoA and she's a legit g.o.a.t. in the industry. BTS has elevated k-pop to what is still widely considered to be the highest echelon in music. There's more attention on k-pop globally than there's ever been, and BTS is a big reason for that. So it's only a matter of time before good music coming out of Korea is more widely recognized.

Personally (and some of my friends agree), there's no group in the history of k-pop that has put out a better song than Dis-ease by BTS. And I do think they are the absolute best performers in the business. So my verdict is if the universe was fair, BTS would've been walking away with a Grammy every year since 2015. Nobody ever has done a better remake than Come Back Home by BTS, Fake Love by BTS is the song that caused the decisive shift in the dominant 4th gen sound or formula. I mean, much of what we understand as k-pop today is undeniably influenced (and to some degree, even forged) by choices and achievements BTS has made so far. Including the music, and some of that music happens to be pretty good.

There's also the fact the k-pop industry will push very actively for that sort of recognition, and they certainly see an opportunity to do that while BTS enlists. Expect any of the groups people try to force into the 'next BTS' discourse, the usual suspects being Blackpink, Stray Kids, Twice, Seventeen, and any random SM group (for some reason the animus is especially high with SM). Just calling a spade a spade...

In any case, let's hope good music wins because the Grammys don't have a good track record on that note.

Some favourites in the current Grammys eligibility period (October 1, 2022 - August 31, 2023):

On The Street - J-hope ft J. Cole

Indigo - RM

Set Me Free Pt. 2 - Jimin

Ay Yo - NCT127: The song is decent but it’s the performance that elevates it to something special. Too bad the beauty of the performance is in the details which would be lost in a grand concert setting.

NewJeans' Summer 2023 Release

Hurt was the best non-BTS k-pop song to be released in 2022, but NewJeans was much too green to submit their debut EP for consideration at the Grammys. So I really do hope they take the chance to be considered for the Grammys next year by dropping another smash-hit album/EP before August/September 2023. Ditto and OMG are nice but we know they can do better, and I expect them to in their upcoming album this summer.

*

This isn't to say I don't think BTS will win a Grammy ever. I'm personally indifferent, but I do think if they ever win it, it won't be soon. But I’ve been told I’m a k-pop pessimist, so please take all I’ve written with a pinch of salt.

[ftmcutiepie]

Answering All The Questions From "Ask Game For FTMs <3" Because I'm A Needy Filthy Slut

I'm an attention whore! I love letting internet strangers know intimate details about me, it gets my girly pussy so wet.

And while I appreciate every single ask I got so far - thank you to everyone who sent one (or two) - that didn't cover all of them so here we go.

Do you have large labia or small labia?

Uhhh not sure what to compare it to? My labia minora are bigger than my labia majora lol if that helps paint a picture?

How high is your cervix? Can you touch it?

Too high for me to touch🥺

How large is your clitoris?

I don't have anything to actually measure it rn so I have to guess.

When not aroused I'd say it's... less than one inch. God I feel pathetic even typing that out😖 In the metric system I'd say it's a bit more than one 1cm that feels like more of an accomplishment. But that's still less than one inch which is. Humbling.

Aroused it's a bit more than 2cm I think. Still less than 1 inch😖 It's embarrassing I thought any one would care about the difference. It's still so tiny and girly it's pathetic🥺

How wet is your vulva on average?

Very wet. Wetter when I'm edging and not cumming. Even wetter when I'm no touch.

How big are your breasts?

Like I said before. Small. Idk the cup size.

But I wish I could get implants to make them bigger🥺

Maybe too big to bind even so I can never hide what I really am. Give real men, lesbians and other ftm girls something to play and torture me with <3

How many kids do you think your husband will want?

My stupid little bimbo brain is a bit confused by this question. Who is this imaginary future husband? Surely I would need to get to know him first to know how many kids he would want?

But in my humble opinion, the ideal state for a confused fakeboy ftm girl to be in / the fastest way to fix us is to keep us permanently pregnant. The second we're done giving birth (or as soon as that's realistically safely possible if that's more your drift) fuck another one into us.

I want my tits to be heavy and swollen with milk, leaking at the most embarrassing of moments. My hips even wider now, undeniably feminine.

And of course, a big belly, proving I'm serving a real man in the most devoted way I can - my letting him fill me with his seed and carrying his children.

Bullet vibes or wands?

I have never tried either, but @aimymisgenderme kindly mansplained the differences to me.

I think I'd choose the bullet vibe because I can shove it inside me my needy pussy🥺

But I also think it could be fun if someone overstimulated me by holding a wand to my clit until I cry😳

Have you ever rimmed a man? What about another girl?

Sadly not. But I want to so badly!

Would you lick another girls vulva if she told you to?

Yes! I want to have lesbian sex so bad🥺

Do you like being spanked?

I love it! Especially having my pussy spanked it hurts so good and makes me kinda dysphoric🥴

What would you cook for a first date?

I really suck at cooking so I would probably go for something easy like pasta or pizza.

What do you look for in a real man?

Not sure what this question is aiming at?

In fantasy, any real man is superior to me and deserves to use my body for his pleasure. I don't deserve to have standards, and I'm a slut desperate for male attention anyways.

More realistically, I want a Dom who gives me guidance and rules and helps me become a better girly slut <3

Are you an undewire girl or a bralette girl?

I only own underwire bras but they tend to get a bit uncomfortable after a while, and most bralettes look more feminine in my opinion and more appropriate for my smaller tits. So as soon as I get a job I'll go shopping for those!

Have you realized you're just a confused girl yet? If so, when did you realize?

Well, getting called a (confused) girl is getting my pussy wet, and my pussy doesn't lie, so that must mean I'm a girl, right?

But sometimes I still get dysphoric delusional and get silly ideas in my head about being a boy.

But @aimymisgenderme is helping me work through that, setting me straight and fixing me! Sir is helping me become a good girl again and I'll be forever grateful for his hard work <3

[funkymbtifiction]

Goblins of Discord Video Typing Review

I got curious about Goblins of Discord after watching some of their content and purchased a video typing from them. Here is my video submission, and here is their analysis. I stumped them a bit, but also amused them, both of which pleased me. They said I'm an excellent example of 6-1, if anyone is wondering about being one themselves....

I really liked their approach and how nice they were. The turnaround was fast (which I appreciate) and they typed me 6w7 1w2 3w4* sp/so with over an hour's worth of available analysis (and the disclaimer that my video was quite short -- because I edited out all the awkward moments, lol). I believe it's accurate. I had been leaning into 6-1 lately and seeing 1 in myself, but also felt the undeniable presence of double attachment fixes and wondering about 3, given how empty I feel when I am not being productive. But it wasn't until I recorded myself answering their questions that I saw how 3ish/competency-focused all of my answers were.

So, yeah. That's what I am pondering at the moment. I'll look into myself going forward and see if I spot 3w4-ness, but I suspect that would explain a lot of my competency/frustration angst. I can just about drive myself insane trying to be perfect/the best. And I agree that I am not as warm and supportive as a 2 fixer.

If you are on the fence about being typed by someone, I would say they are more accurate than others I could name and they cost less. They are not mean and do not force their opinions on you, but leave you to decide if it fits or not, so it is a pleasant experience (you will get lightly roasted a little, but it's all in good fun). It's also worth a lot to be able to watch them react to and discuss you and provide reasoning as to why they think you are what you are, instead of just sending you an answer. Maybe they know that a lot of their clients will be 6s for whom "it must make sense." ;)

Explains why I relate to Hermione and Nancy Wheeler and Mary Crawley. I always put logic and fixing it ahead of soothing and supporting, unfortunately.

*I lean 3w2 myself, even if I am task-oriented. It seems a better fit, but I think they got the tritype right and in the 24 hours since the video response, I've felt a lot of things click into place and make "sense" to me, both in hindsight and in terms of how I act "now" (and how I used to be). I feel just the right amount of shame and relief. ;) It also explains why I'm not like most ENFPs (they "can't finish things"), while still fitting that profile cognitively / being a last-minute genius.

[ignorethisemma]

Dream support and appreciation

not that this post will reach anyone at all, let alone someone willing to read a dream defense essay, but in light of all the dream negativity lately, i just want to clearly express why i support and love his content and also respect him so much as an actual human being. LONG thread btw, sorry 😵‍💫

1. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY! dealing with controversies

nobody’s born woke, obviously. dream’s open about the fact that he was a middle class white boy who grew up in florida; of course he was going to be raised somewhat conservatively and not very exposed to diverse perspectives. and of course through his years of creating content—since when he was a child—he has done and said plenty of things i don’t agree with or even just think he could’ve handled a little bit better. but that’s not the deal breaker for me.

dream never shies away from apologizing and taking full accountability for his actions, even the ones from years and years in the past. and sure, sometimes you can tell it’s difficult for him to own up, but that’s human, and i honestly can’t fault him at all for it. but what really sealed the deal for me was that hasan abi stream—hasan, who’s actually so woke lol, and they’d had tension on twitter until dream decided to come on stream and talk it all out. in that ONE stream, you could actually see dream actively growing and expanding his perspective and shape his views and opinions?? i don’t think he gets enough credit for this at all.

when i outgrow my old and often misguided beliefs, it is an active and constant battle. i have to convince myself and consciously choose to let my old beliefs go, and with that, a lot of my pride and stubbornness, and mould and shape and mould and shape until i eventually am able to accept that i’ve grown for the better. it is a long, difficult, sometimes painful and humiliating process. i need time; to unlearn, to let go, to swallow my pride and deal with the shame of having been wrong, to introspect and then talk it through and hear from people whose opinions i trust, and then finally realize my new opinions. dream was doing this in a huge platform, with the pressure of his status and in front of a live audience that was ready to pick him apart in ONE stream. he was listening to and learning from hasan. it was difficult, but it was happening, and you can actually see the moments he lets his defensiveness go (which i also can’t fault him for considering his internet reception) and really grow into his thoughts more. i don’t think i could do that now—nevermind if i was a white boy from florida.

and you can see how much dream continues to progress and grow and change so quickly! i can’t even compare him to who he was last year or the year before, because that’s how fast he’s growing and learning. that’s the moment i gained so much respect for him. and i see this so often in a lot of his online presence. sure, he’s not perfect, and i have no doubt there’ll be more moments i don’t entirely agree with him, but how can i hold that against him when i can’t imagine anything that could be as deserving of respect as this is? when it’s undeniable that he is purposefully taking advantage of his platform to educate and better himself?

2. not rlly smthn he specifically did, ig, but his views on sexuality made me lose it

i won’t go too much into it, but his views on sexuality and also just, relationships with close friends. i’m just so grateful to him. i’m a lesbian, but i do have some turbulence with my sexuality, identity, how others perceive me or their idea on how sexuality should work. but the way dream approaches his and also clearly explains his views when he’s comfortable really helped shape and develop my own views on mine. when he said it’s hard for him to identify with even one label a little bit more than another, because he feels it’s so much more complex than that and he doesn’t know how to compress it to just one word—something slipped out of place in me.

i won’t talk about all the nuances of my current perceptions on sexuality, mine or as a whole, but i respect him so much for this, and it was absolutely heartbreaking when every attempt dream’s made at seriously addressing his sexuality has been met with the assumption of insincerity. i honestly see a lot of similarities in our outlooks and situations in all of this, and i’m just so grateful and appreciative of him for helping me get a stronger footing of who i am.

3. he’s just a silly, goofy little guy

he’s just so fun and entertaining to watch. i love him, i love his friends, i love watching them dick around with each other. i love how close they are. and i’m so excited to see more of it now in the new era. his videos are so funny and i always look forward to them. simple as that.

4. i have a dumb little cat who reminds me a lot of patches. i have a parasocial relationship with patches specifically. my cat, too, drools on me when she’s sleepy and is a little challenged in the braincells apartment. patches my shining star

anyway that’s it i just wanted to get this out there. i have a lot on my mind and it’s been really hard to see a creator i care about get dragged so much both online and by people i know. i just need to defend my boy a little here—especially since i’ve long thought he’s been held to a ridiculous standard and pedestal and is kinda undeservingly the easy punch for so many online communities. so: i love u dream, i’m so proud of u for face revealing, i’m so proud of you for a lot more than just face revealing, and i’m so excited to see what comes next. (also my best friend and i guessed pre-reveal u’d kinda look like sapnap but just in a different font and i’m so sorry. i’m so sorry but i think we kinda nailed that one. it’s like papyrus to garamond istg. but that’s just confirmation that now there’s three pretty best friends <3)

[gunsatthaphan]

I FEEL YOU! Like ok we are only 3 months in 2023 but I watched only GMMTV stuff! and MLC is the only bl that actually did it good for me, I am not even watching any bl at the moment... I hope I get more inspired cuz at the it is looking a bit bleek not gonna lie

tho I know there is actually a lot of stuff airing but I have no real want to watch anything

I don't know if I love or hate that we got Moonlight Chicken so early this year because really nothing has lived up to it it really set some new standards at least for me. we are only in April I am hoping something can come along and either be on Par with MC or maybe even better than it I am trying to not pin my hopes on Only Friends because I know sometimes the show isn't as good as what you think based on the trailer but I just have really good feelings about this one probably because I don't think P Jo'jo has ever missed for me

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I mean MLC was supposed to air last year so February was actually late rather than early lmao.

but I get you anons. this year has been a huge letdown so far. we're only 4 months in and everything is bad lmao. meanwhile last year around this time we already had quite a few gems.

I tried so many new shows because I wanted to watch something and I've dropped almost all of them. they were all bad and by far not up to par with what we got in january/february. and those were leftovers from last year.

nonetheless, gmmtv still has the best shows in my opinion and I'm gonna file boss and babe as a faux pas lmao but the non-bl stuff is undeniably really good right now.

but we're only at 1 out of 9 bls/gls so I'm hopeful. for Only Friends but also for shows like Hidden Agenda and Dangerous Romance which will be the next one to start filming as far as I know. And of course 23.5 🥺 and Our Skyy2 obviously which is not far away either.

here's to the remaining 8 months of 2023 being better than the first 4 ✌🏻 lol.

xxx

[dumbfilmschoolkid]

i've been wanting to watch/read american gods! have you also read the book too? would you recommend that first and then the show or either way?

Thank you for the ask!🌸 I wish I had read the book so this recommendation could be better but it’s just been sitting on my shelf for ages!

From what I gather they’re very different in tone and events and fans of the book aren’t very happy with the tv show but! I’ll give my opinion on the show anyway because I love saying things.

Here’s my selling point - season 1’s showrunner is Bryan Fuller and the show is just what you’d expect from a Bryan Fuller show. I’m a big fan of very strictly plot/character oriented media (on which this show is very relaxed) but the vibes, imagery and visuals are maybe the best I’ve ever seen. The characters and their actors are so good that I’m still thinking about them even though there’s not really a fandom to remind me (Laura Moon and Mad Sweeney were the most original to me). Also the mix of mythology, theology and technology is just *chef’s kiss*

But. The production had a huge falling out and Fuller and the people he brought aboard left after s01. It was still visually very compelling and it gave us really good scenes like the ones in the gifs below but the writing started to decline rapidly until in s03 it was undeniably bad and all over the place. And then it was, of course, cancelled.

I’ve watched s01 many times and I’d watch it again, it’s just really good imo (gore warning though). But I’m betting on the book and show being two very different experiences so I’ll be reading it with no context. In fact maybe I’ll start tomorrow :) thanks again and in case it wasn’t clear, I DO think it’s worth watching despite all the drama that followed!