#Yes Dan is also 10 lol

[puppetmaster13u]

Prompt 235

“Mother, I have made a friend.” 

Now don’t get him wrong, Danny was delighted at the idea of Jordan making a friend, he really was. But the last three attempts had been borderline kidnappings, so he wasn’t entirely sure if he should be. Thankfully it doesn’t seem he’s kidnapped this one. Hopefully. 

Not that he wouldn’t be surprised if Dan managed to kidnap a tiny kryptonian, but the kid- Jon apparently- seemed happy enough to be there. Apparently his grandparents lived in the midwest too, and was happy enough to have someone to talk about it. 

Though um, maybe Danny should have checked to see if his parents knew where he’d gone, because he was not expecting a harried-looking superman to suddenly appear at his window. 

[crunchycrystals]

nooooooo is conrad sad next ep nooooooooooooo

[phulge]

also this coming out the year of my 10 year phannieversary is so insane like weve all been doing some growing dan and yes essay post coming later

[antimatterz]

boyfriend/dating headcanons

ft. dan heng, gepard (my fav hubbies yesyes)

they might be ooc since i'm still getting into hsr and still trying to get to know them. might rewrite this when i am at that point and maybe i'll expand it with various other characters, i'll see lol

content under the cut | masterlist

— dan heng

here's the thing with dan heng

he's quite reserved but also unintentionally blunt and bold sometimes

i mean, he literally was about to perform cpr when he found you unconscious? boy going for that kiss after meeting you a minute ago

the proverb "still waters run deep" perfectly applies to him. he appears placid and that's something you really have to get used to in the beginning

he doesn't say much, nor does he seem to react much to what happens around him

which is a little weird to you at first. is he even happy with you? is he even affected by your presence and your actions? it doesn't seem that way... it confuses you

but really, once you get to know him, you learn to read him very well and you start to see things

his eyes, the corners of his mouth, the faint blush on his cheeks, the secret glances, the way he seems less indifferent around you

the light touches when he thinks no one is watching; his hand on the small of your back as you walk through the corridors of the space station, his fingertips grazing yours as he ponders whether or not to just take your hand even though you're in public..

eventually he grows more confident and open, and though he's still not a big fan of pda, he just can't resist showering you with subtle hints of affection

like playing with your hair during trailblazer meetings as you sit against him (the corners of his mouth would curl up ever so slightly that it's barely even noticable)

oh as i said before, he tends to be quite blunt sometimes, as he often speaks his honest thoughts. okay, he isn't the type to just blurt out things so he knows what he's saying but he also knows how it never fails to make you blush as his remarks leave you flustered

he's not the most cuddly person, you might have to help him get into a little. maybe you have to initiate acts of affection 9 out of 10 times but that doesn't mean he doesn't love you !! it's just how he is

you'd be surprised, though, as the longer the two of you are together, the more he makes the first move when it comes to showing love and affection

still though, i feel like he's more the type to verbally tell you how much you mean to him than through affection

and yeah, he'll leave you flustered as heck because he likes you a lot and he bluntly tells you so because why hide it?

you often tease him about the cpr thing and all the teasing will eventually lead to your first kiss (c'mon, you literally challenged him with all your teasing and who would not indulge if their s/o is literally asking for it?)

well, dan heng takes the chance

as blunt as he is with words, he is way more shy with next-level physical affection so his kisses are shy shy shy and careful which is really cute especially since he becomes so blushy afterwards in the beginning

and seeing the always so collected dan heng being flustered is a rarity and it's just super adorable

— gepard landau

this guy has a reputation

that of being a tough guy, stern and with a strong sense of justice, strong-willed and to some maybe even as cold as the ice of the eternal freeze that covered jarilo-vi

however, that was merely a facade, one that was pretty much mandatory as the captain of the silvermane guards and part of the royal family of belobog

it was only his public image, one that he showed to the people of belobog. you fell for it at first, being quite intimidated by the reputation that preceded him far and wide

but oh, then he developed a soft spot for you and it's so so so obvious that even the people of belobog notice it lol

yes they might notice it but they will never actually get to see the softie he is around you and he r e a l l y is soft for you

will go to his sister serval for advice in the beginning because as tough as he may seem he is actually quite insecure regarding this matter and just wants to do it well

and he is such a sweetheart??

special little smiles only for you, watching him utter out compliments and sweet nothings while he's trying to hide how very flustered he is even more so when you are the one calling him cute names and stuff

not afraid to show you off when the two of you are walking around belobog during his free time, always holding your hand and all

gets beet red every time serval teases him and that happens a lot – which is super adorable; seeing such a tall and tough guy all blushy, you can't help but coo at it which makes it even worse for the poor male

i wouldn't necessarily say he's super cuddly, he's more casual when it comes to that? like he loves it when you snuggle up against him and he won't hesitate to wrap his arm around you and hold you close but going all tiny and cuddly? that's just not him ig but he loves it when you get all clingy around him and he'll reward you with the cutest smile

but really, he has his own ways of showing that he's super into you. for instance, the fact that he's gepard around you instead of captain landau

[accio-victuuri]

wait.. i’m literally on here or weibo almost 24/7 ( as you can tell lol ) but I feel like i missed something. i’m seeing clowning related to xz’s photos and how it looks like he is a groom and it’s a wedding photoshoot. the place is also famous for wedding shoots ( allegedly, idk. i’m not from there ) so turtles are imagining again. lol. freakin coincidence that wyb’s GRA photoshoot was done at a wedding shop. plus the “wedding outfits” for weibo night. which is all clowning and galaxy braining.🌌

now, we’re joking around, like where’s yibo? he should be taking photos with his partner.

then i see comments that there is this one song WYB recently listened to. meaning, as recent as when XZ flew to singapore which is called 超人不会飞 (superman can’t fly) by Jay Chou. i know WYB and everyone else is a big fan of Jay Chou but the clowning comes from the timing of when he listened to it. let me get to that first.

here is the song if you wanna listen to it. 🎶

turtles are interpreting it as WYB longing to “fly” to where XZ is and be with him but he can’t because of all his work commitments. he wants to take a breather. thinking about what his life is and the constraints, and at times like this, when they spent days in Beijing, but now they have to be apart, it affects him even more.

however when i read the lyrics, it could also be because he can relate to what jay chou is singing about. here’s the english translation i found here. i have bolded the ones i felt like WYB relates too. literally no need for explanation. just read it. It fits with his status in life so much that it’s almost scary.

妈妈说很多事别太计较

ma ma shuo heng duo shi bie tai ji jiao

Mum said one should not be too fussy over most matters

只是使命感找到了我 我睡不着

zhi shi shi ming gan zhao dao le wo wo shui bu zhao

But my sense of mission found me and i can't sleep over it

如果说骂人要有点技巧

ru guo shuo ma ren yao you diao ji qiao

If scolding someone requires some skills

我会加点旋律你会觉得 超屌

wo hui jia diao xuan lu ni hui jue de chao diao

I will add a tune and you will feel it's very cool (diao)

我的枪不会装弹药（弹药）

wo de qiang bu hui zhuang dan yao (dan yao)

My gun is not loaded with ammunition

所以放心不会有人倒（人倒）

suo yi fang xin bu hui you ren dao (ren dao)

So don't worry, nobody will collapse

我拍青蜂侠不需要替身 因为自信是我绘画的颜料

wo pai qing feng xia bu xu yao ti sheng yin wei zi xin shi wo hui hua de yan liao

I don't need a double for The Green Hornet because confidence is the coloring for my painting

我做很多事背后的意义远比你们想象

wo zuo heng duo shi bei hou de yi yi yuan bi ni men xiang xiang

The meaning behind the things I did is far beyond your imagination

拍个电视剧为了友情与十年前的梦想

pai le dian shi ju wei le you qing yu shi nian qian de meng xiang

Filming a tv drama is for friendship and a dream 10 years ago

收视率再高也难抗衡我的伟大理想

shou shi lv zai gao ye nan kang heng wo de wei da li xiang

No matter how high the rating is, it can't match my noble ideal

因为我的人生无需再多一笔那奖项

yin wei wo de ren sheng wo xu zai duo yi bi na jiang xiang

Because my life do not need another award

我不知道何时变成了社会的那榜样

wo bu zhi dao he shi bian cheng le se hui de na bang yang

I don't know when I have become a society's role model

被狗仔拍不能比中指要大器的模样（怎样）

bei gou zai pai bu neng bi zhong zhi yao da qi de mo yang (zen yang)

Can't show the paparazzi the finger and have to put on a magnanimous front

我唱的歌词要有点文化

wo chang de ge ci yao you dian wen hua

The lyrics I sing must have some degree of literacy

因为随时会被当教材

yin wei sui shi hui bei dan jiao cai

Because it might become teaching material anytime

CNN能不能等英文好一点再访

CNN neng bu neng deng ying wen hao yi dian zai fang

Can CNN interview me when my English gets a little better

时代杂志封面能不能重拍

shi dai za zhi feng mian neng bu neng chong pai

Can i reshoot the Time magazine cover

随时随地注意形象

sui shi sui di zhu yi xin xiang

I must take care of my image at all times

要控制饮食不然就跟杜莎夫人蜡像的我不像（本来就不像）

yao kong zhi yin shi bu ran jiu gen du sha fu ren la xiang de wo bu xiang (ben lai jiu bu xiang)

I must control my diet or i won't look like the "me" in Madame Tussauds (it doesn't look like me in the first place)

好莱坞的中国戏院地上有很多手印脚印

hao lai wu de zhong guo xi yuan di shang you heng duo shou yin jiao yin

There are many handprints and footprints at Grauman's Chinese Theatre

何时才能看见我的掌

he shi cai neng kan jian wo de zhang

When will mine be seen there?

如果超人会飞 那就让我在空中停一停歇

ru guo chao ren hui fei na jiu rang wo zai kong zhong ti yi ti xie

If Superman can fly then let me take a breather in the sky

再次俯瞰这个世界 会让我觉得好一些

zai ci fu kan zhe ge shi jie hui ran wo jue de hao yi xie

Overlooking this world again will let me feel better

拯救地球好累 虽然有些疲惫但我还是会

zheng jiu di qiu hao lei sui ran you xie pi bei dan wo hai shi hui

Saving the world is tiring, though I am a little tired, I still will

不要问我哭过了没

bu yao wen wo ku guo le mei

Don't ask me if I have cried

因为超人不能流眼泪

yin wei chao ren bu neng liu yan lei

Because Superman can't cry

唱歌要拿最佳男歌手

chang ge yao na zui jia nan ge shou

(You) must get best male singer award as a singer

拍电影也不能只拿个最佳新人

pai dian yin ye bu neng zhi na ge zui jia xin ren

A newcomer award is not enough if you act

你不参加颁奖典礼就是没礼貌

ni bu can jia ban jiang dian li jiu shi mei li mao

Not attending award ceremonies is considered rude

你去参加就是代表你很在乎

ni qu can jia jiu shi dai biao ni heng zai hu

And if you do, it means you are over-concerned about it

得奖时你感动落泪（落泪）人家就会觉得你夸张做作（做作）

de jia shi ni gan dong luo lei (luo lei) ren jia jiu hui jue de ni kuang zhang zuo zuo

When you won an award and teared, people will think you are fake and exaggerating

你没表情别人就会说太嚣张

ni mei biao qing bie ren jiu hui shuo tai xiao zhang

When you have no expression, others will say you are too arrogant

如果你天生这个表情 那些人甚至会怪你妈妈（妈妈）

ru guo ni tian sheng zhe ge biao qing na xie ren sheng zhi hui guai ni ma ma (ma ma)

And if you are born with that expression, they will even blame your mum

结果最后是别人在得奖 你也要给予充分的掌声与微笑

jie guo zui hou shi bie ren zai de jiang ni ye yao ge yu chong fen de zhang sheng yu wei xiao

In the end someone else gets the award, you also have to give ample applause and smile

开的车不能太好 住的楼不能太高

kai de che bu neng tai hao zhu de lou bu neng tai gao

The car you drive can't be too luxurious nor can you live too high up

我到底是一个创作歌手 还是好人好事代表

wo dao di shi yi ge chuang zuo ge shou hai shi hao ren hao shi dai biao

Am I a singer-songwriter or a representative of good men and good deeds?

专辑一出就必须是冠军

zhuan ji yi chu jiu bi xu shi guan jun

My album must be ranked top once released

拍了电影就必须要大卖

pai le dian yin jiu bi xu yao da mai

My movie must sell well

只能说当超人真的好难

zhi neng shuo dan chao ren zhen de hao nan

I can only say, being a Superman is difficult

如果超人会飞（超人会飞）那就让我在空中停一停歇（停一停歇）

ru guo chao ren hui fei (chao ren hui fei) na jiu rang wo zai kong zhong ti yi ti xie (ti yi ti xie)

If Superman can fly then let me take a breather in the sky

再次俯瞰这个世界 会让我觉得好一些

zai ci fu kan zhe ge shi jie hui ran wo jue de hao yi xie

Overlooking this world again will let me feel better

拯救地球好累（地球好累）虽然有些疲惫但我还是会（我还是会）

zheng jiu di qiu hao lei (di qiu hao lei) sui ran you xie pi bei dan wo hai shi hui (wo hai shi hui)

Saving the world is tiring, though I am a little tired, I still will

不要问我哭过了没

bu yao wen wo ku guo le mei

Don't ask me if I have cried

因为超人不能流眼泪

yin wei chao ren bu neng liu yan lei

Because Superman can't cry

=====

I don’t think there is anything wrong with how cpfs are relating this to cpn cause that’s just how it is. But sometimes, there are other reasons why they do what they do.

SO MY CONFUSION COMES FROM HOW THE HELL DO PEOPLE KNOW WHAT HE RECENTLY LISTENED TO. I can’t seem to dig up how or maybe it’s something we don’t talk about. I have never experienced this kind of tidbit related to them before so I wanna know the source. Or is this like the gaming cpn where certain people know and they will not divulge the boy’s account for privacy? if anyone knows, feel free to comment. If i find out in the future, I will share.

[astrophilip]

hi yes I would like to scream over the recent video 🙋🏼‍♀️

WHERE TO EVEN START

(a) i love the game. generally love co-op games and generally love dnp playing co-op games. the visuals are so beautiful. the calm nostalgic autumnal vibes were so lovely i was in a dreamy state the whole time while watching. the gameplay is fun and also really unique. (cordiceps troll?? the actual ability to smack some poor farmer's ass as he's just trying to make an honest living????)

(b) on that note, PHIL'S LITTLE BROTHER ENERGY. i love that they first of all, acknowledged it, but also how cute phil was about it too. "IT'S COS I'M A LITTLE BROTHER" which is true and honestly something i forget so often just cuz i always see him in relation to dan, whom he is older than

(c) the overt, painful dramatisation of calling each other brother for the lols (mostly phil). like, how do dnp do this?? tell me you're not just besties in the most unintuitive contradictory way possible challenge - and they ALWAYS WIN

(d) same vein - phil calling dan "bro" in 20 different accents and 5 different languages (there was once when he said it almost sexually and i shrieked)

(e) little note, i loved the little stories they shared about their childhoods, it was so cute!! all that stuff about tree-climbing and bouncing on branches and roaming in the wilderness. plus the random family parrot lore 😭

what a great video, 10/10 good vibes.

SORRY FOR THOUGHT-DUMPING but i did say "scream" over the recent video lmaoo. please tell me your thoughts too!! i'd love to hear

[kaeyachi]

Am I the only one, who finds the lore of descendants of those, who abandon their gods, turning into hilis, ridiculous?

You want to tell me, that in the whole history of teyvat, nobody ever witnessed their unbelieving uncle turn into a hilichurl, because he spit on the imagine of the shogun or something?

What about the sages? Even scara said that Nahida's people abandoned her. Yet last time I checked the sages didn't turn wild.

Or is it the act of leaving celestia's grace and going underground to Khaenri'ah something that seals the curse? And you want to tell me, that in the history before the cataclysm, nobody knew, that going to the surface will kill their humanity?

Seems like something hoyo didn't plan properly

Doesn’t Kaeya's character story imply that he was born and raised in Khaenri'ah (or what remained) before his father brought him to the strange lands of Mondstadt (the literal starter region that is so basic)

If the HSR crew did the lore of Genshin we would have known about his childhood before Mondstadt by know.

Man, if the Genshin crew did HSR lore than Dan Heng's secret and story arc would have been resolved 5 patches later lol

And March's past would have still not been touched on, I was so surprised that she herself suggested to use the Matrix to find some clues! I didn't expect much but that was a Genshin would never moment for me

Hey there anon! Here are the answer to some of your questions!

- Yes, they have to enter Khaenri'ah for the hilichurl curse to work. The act of turning against your archon is easy because archons come and go. The major difference is that by choosing to stay in Khaenri'ah, you are basically declaring that you are against Celestia and the seven

- People have observed others turn into monsters before. In fact, Khaenri'ah is not the first nation Celestia cursed. Turning into a monster is also not as fast as most people think it is.

- Caribert was implied to have stayed in Khaenri'ah for a while with Clothar's voiceline where he tells Caribert that there is "no more red sky". Clothar brought his lover and his illegitimate son closer to him, and that was their downfall. He met the prerequisites I mentioned above.

- Khaenri'ah probably knew that non-purebloods going to the surface would turn them into monsters, if the Perinheri tale is to be trusted. They would end up choosing a select number of families or clans that they know are purebloods (non-Teyvatian). Arguably, this could be why the Alberich clan was so hell-bent on keeping blood purity.

- The Cataclysm is basically a "die here if you choose to stay" or "leave this place and lose your humanity" situation

-Kaeya's story does not imply that he was in Khaenri'ah. At most, they mentioned his father teaching him and talking about their clan, but no direct mention of Kaeya ever having stepped foot inside it. Additionally, Kaeya's attitude of subtly trying to research more about Khaenri'ah somewhat implies that he doesn't have much information other than anything related to his "mission" from his father. Again, Kaeya was once a little boy who purposely attempted to run away from the Ragnvindr family when he saw a chance to go to Sumeru and, therefore, learn more about Khaenri'ah.

- Lmao don't expect any Mondstadt slander from me. I love that nation, and I know that nation so much that I believe there is something more to it. Also, do note that Mondstadt is a hub for people with mysterious lore, not just Kaeya. I guess we can argue that Mond is a starter nation for all of them too ig.

Finally, FYI FOR EVERYONE

I do not care for HSR v. Genshin discourse! Please take this issue somewhere else, okay guys? I am a Kaeya blog 90% of the time and 10% of everything else, and I do not have space in my 10% for arguments ✌️ but for the record, I prefer playing Genshin for a multitude of reasons. Take that as you will.

[detectivebambam]

For the choosing violence thing.

I curious about your thoughts on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24, and 25

(Your thoughts make my day tbh)

lol i gotchu pinky

the character everyone gets wrong: Dan. she's not a badass. i mean she is, but she's not. she's a scared little girl who had to raise herself and has no idea what she's doing at any given time and i love her for it

why andrew would never top or bottom: actually he does both, and tends to enjoy it. kind of an agressive top but Neil likes it, and sometimes likes to follow orders when he bottoms 🫣 i think they do anything and everything with each other. Neil could be dominant or submissive at any given time, which gives Andrew space to learn about what he actually enjoys. He finds that as long as it involves Neil, he doesn't mind

worst tumblr take I've seen: that Andrew was a misogynist because he doesn't like being manipulated, and "manipulation is a woman's weapon" like how is THAT not misogynistic be so real

why did you block that annoying person?: kept saying that Kevin abused Riko as much as Riko abused Kevin. don't know how far they had to reach into the depths of their asshole to find that one, i just hope they didn't get stuck

i don't have discord

which ship fans are the most annoying: y'all are going to absolutely murder me for this but kevaaron. 1) where did it come from? 2) what's wrong with Katie?? 3) no hate ship what u want but also, i can ship what i want? and it's fine it's literally fine

what character did you start to hate because of fanon: i hate to say it but Thea. i adored her when I read the books originally, but after 4 years of exclusively fanon content i didn't like her. but i did a reread recently and adore her again so it's all good

common fandom opinion everyone is wrong about: Andrew being a sex god. Neil is his first consensual sexual partner. like yeah he knows how to suck dick like a dying man, which he learned in juvie (when he was 13-16?) but in terms of sex? he doesn't know what he's doing and he's probably really scared and nervous

worst part of canon: kevin and thea turning their daughter into a mini Raven 😔

worst part of fanon: Renee erasure 😔😔

fandom related words you've filtered: as of currently? anything tsc related because I don't have access to it yet and people aren't tagging properly. but I also have Rinee (rixo x renee) blocked because,,, what do you actually mean

unpopular character you like and why people should like them: Aaron. yeah he's an asshole and a little homophobic but he was raised that way and he's getting better

worst blorboification: if this means what i think it means, fucking riko. like wdym "he serves cunt" he needs to serve time

answered prev

answered prev

you can't understand why this is popular: kevaaron, any riko ship, riko himself, ichirou x neil, andreil breaking up in fics ?

there should be more of this: fic: oral fixation. sexual or non sexual idc but let's Freud these bitches. fanart: ANDREW WITH LONG HAIR PLS PLS PLS

it's criminal that y'all have been sleeping on: STUART HATFORD. LITERALLY NEXT TO WYMACK ON THE FATHER FIGURE SCALE. I LOVE HIM

you're mad/ashamed/horrified you actually kind of like: i don't feel guilt I'm Presbyterian

part of canon you found boring: anytime they were in class like wdym

part of canon you think is overhyped: this one is going to get me in trouble so i wanna start off by saying that yes, Riko was a victim of abuse. I'm not disputing that at all. but the part where he got beat by Tetsuji and "was more blood and bruise than skin", while being horrible, was also because of Kevin leaving due to Riko breaking his hand. Tetsuji lost one of his biggest investments because of Riko's petty ego

fav part of canon that everyone ignores: Stuart Hatford man

ship you've unwillingly come around to: Kandreil lol. i didn't like it at first but idk the more fanfic i see I'm like yeah that could be cute

topic that brings up the most rancid discourse: picture this, if you will: Nora Sakavic says something about her own damn characters. yeah that's all

common fandom complaint you're sick of hearing: "it's poorly written" it's not. if you can get over the first chapter of The Raven King, the rest is actually written very well and it's so so beautiful and depicts traumatized characters in a way I haven't seen before that is very refreshing

ty for the ask pinky ily

[slayter-kinney]

i've been trying to formulate how i feel about wad and this era of phandom since i finally got the chance to watch wad all the way through with my girlfriend last night and after sobbing violently following the smash mouth credits i think i have some semblance of a train of thought. long ramble incoming after the read more hehe

for context, i've been watching dnp for about 10 years, which for some of you is an extremely long time and for others is piddly. regardless, a decade of my life has been spent in varying amounts watching dan and phil and interacting with the phandom. and part of what i was trying to express to my gf after watching the show was that it really is a sense of pride to see the sad clown poster child for being, well, sad, to open up about his mental health struggles, to coming out, to making we're all doomed. i think this is a very similar reaction to the pride a lot of us feel for dan.

for me too, though, it's been the phandom (hi guys lol). I was really active in the phandom from like 2014ish-2017 (at which point i still watched videos as they were posted but i also just wasn't on tumblr as much and i had ~college~ to focus on), but that time was very formative teenage years for me during which i was going through similar mental health struggles, struggling with sexuality, regular ol' teenage demons, etc. and this sort of phandom revival has been making me feel this ridiculous nostalgia for those teenage years (even tho i was fighting for my life the whole time lol). i can sooo distinctly remember where i was when certain videos were uploaded, the feeling of being curled up in my bed at midnight in the summer with my iphone 5c catching up on the previous years' videos, making subpar edits on my phannie instagram while i was on a plane for my family's summer vacation.

having both the boys and the phandom (more) active again gives me that nostalgic feeling but with the feeling that everything feels So Much Better Now. i get the same excitement and rush watching new videos, sharing around edits and gifs, being insane with you all, but with the knowledge that i am older and i am better now. in a lot of personal ways i'm literally living the life i so desperately wanted when i was a teen and now i get to live it but with the same things that brought me joy when i was a sad 15 year old. despite the nostalgia, i dont think i would choose to go back to that time, but getting to look back on it now, and watch videos where dan and phil are unapologetically gay and happy and soulmate-y, see dan living his theatre kid dreams and is so so proud of his work, and to have this community of you all where we're all old(er) and queer and so proud of our dads (sorry). it's indescribable despite my best efforts to describe it. and yes i know i don't actually talk to a lot of you that's cause im awkward and bad at replying but if you've made it this far this is your open invite to start a convo with me in dms/ask box. anyways. i love you all. i love our boys. im grateful to be here with all of you.

[feelingofcontent]

Video Breakdown: THE FINAL GOOGLE FEUD

For @childofphivorce​ who won this breakdown from the @phandomgives​ fanworks raffle as part of Dan’s birthday fundraiser! Thanks for donating and for choosing one of my favorite DAPG videos! 😄

Date video was published: 08/22/2018 (X)

Welcome to perhaps the most chaotic of all DAPG videos. 😜 It was filmed in early August during Interactive Introverts, in a hotel room in Vancouver before they started the Australia leg of the tour. It was also filmed the same day as DIL CLONES A SIM which was the video posted before this one. (Also chaotic, and the source of my most meaningless DNP theory).

They left Vancouver on August 16 (1, 2), so this video was posted once they were already in Australia, the same day as one of their shows in Brisbane. (Can we talk about what else they posted from Australia? That month was extremely…something 1, 2).

This was the fourth (and ‘final,’ obviously 😅) of their videos playing Google Feud. ‘Excitement mixed with terror’ indeed.

0:00 - it is immediately wild. the synchronized leaning. Phil’s huge staring eyes. could they be sitting any closer. the single bed in background…

0:10 - Phil giggle! they really put a lot of editing effects into this one

0:16 - Phil’s hair is so messy!

0:20 - Dan with the “live your truth”

0:23 - “you get up to a lot when you’re not tweeting” Phil, WHAT?! 😳

0:35 - 30+ seconds into the video and they haven’t started the game but Dan’s discussing politics…seems about right

0:44 - does that…happen a lot Phil? 😅

1:02 - they are so into this conversation with each other. also significantly more eye contact than most videos

1:09 - ah there we go, lmao. I love Phil’s wide natural smile

1:23 - Phil is really not blinking…the slow head turn as he looks back at Dan. also Phil’s always sitting up straight and Dan hunching a little so Dan’s always looking slightly up at him

1:32 - nice transition to promo there. love Dan making Phil name them and trying to catch him out for not knowing

1:46 - behind the scenes searching and conversations…a lot of that in this one

1:59 - Phil thinking of something camera-appropriate to say but just went in a weird!Phil direction because he can’t help it

2:22 - Phil having a speaking struggle

2:29 - but they will not tell us the final score or who wins…guessing this might have been forgotten after the upcoming pizza break 😂

2:33 - Dan…what are you doing with your hand off camera there

2:38 - cutie! Phil is wearing one of his new merch shirts, we had just recently been released (1, 2). nice promo there boys; I’m sure everyone was able to understand that

2:47 - HOW are they always on the exact same page

2:52 - what a start to the actual game…Phil immediately and excitedly with “nipple” and Dan with “Prince Albert”...sure

2:59 - Phil is SO MAD 🤣 and Dan is immediately mocking

3:10 - “my mind goes to the dirty place” …well no shit, lol

3:15 - “ladydoor” Dan, NO

3:18 - Phil with the references. they are sitting so close they’re literally touching this entire video

3:38 - Dan does not believe this for one second and Phil is so confident about it.

3:44 - the implied ‘this guy’

3:52 - again, Dan with the touching/pushing partially off camera. surprised this video didn’t have WAY more jump cuts

4:01 - again, Phil with the extreme confidence that he’s correct. what a conversation

4:13 - love Phil somehow figuring out exactly what Dan’s talking about

4:22 - “you don’t even know what culture means” 😂 roast him Phil

4:24 - Phil is immediately excited at the words “game show”

4:26 - “my secret ideas folder”...Dan pointing at himself; Phil’s lip bite…I don’t think I want to know what else is in that folder actually 😳

4:38 - ah yes, the start of Dan guessing “dog” for many questions straight

4:39 - does Phil say “owls”?! what? I’ve never heard that before when watching this!

4:50 - surprised Phil is the one to answer with his phone anxiety

4:54 - I love the teasing and Phil’s lack of ability to keep a straight face

5:01 - jump cut and Phil’s still grinning about that “burn” 😅

5:03 - “I don’t have legs” I LOVE him

5:05 - this is some INTENSE rock-paper-scissors. god I love that they left this whole bit in

5:20 - mukbang mention! was this the initial idea or had Phil already been thinking about it for a while at this point?

5:23 - I am 100% on the side of that noise here is an ass-slap. I know people say it’s the chair, but I simply choose to believe otherwise 😊

5:25 - every video should have a pizza intermission, apparently

5:39 - they did not discuss it. love that they can’t remember and don’t care

5:43 - the prompts they got in this one really just add to the whole vibe 😂 I love Phil always looking at Dan right away to see his reaction

5:48 - love Dan basically asking if they’re just giving up at this point

5:58 - “men can be milked” …Dan is losing his will to live

6:12 - Phil being right about “man”...he should really trust the first thing that comes to his mind! 

6:21 - this video is really an insight into Phil’s brain

6:28 - minds on two different things there…

6:42 - Phil would have been so mad if Dan had gotten it right by stealing his thought. that song is from 2005.

6:53 - bread-face-Dan smile

7:01 - Phil looks so sad! 🥺 love Dan turning it around into audience compliments

7:12 - “you keep saying dog” …no kidding!

7:13 - their reaction to this one kills me 🤣 it truly makes no sense. the “carrot” bit runs through my head at least a couple times a week

7:31 - Dan is so right about the hand thing!

7:45 - this one should have been in ‘why I was a weird kid’ at some point!

7:52 - “cop out when you get to the neck...same” what does that mean Dan

8:08 - the dog guessing finally paid off! Dan is so pleased with himself and Phil cannot believe it

8:18 - oh, maybe Phil still is keeping track of the scores! they just hadn’t gotten one right in ages

8:50 - now Phil is questioning everything he thinks of

9:00 - Phil with his angry hands-behind-his-head

9:12 - really want to know what conversation got cut out where Phil suggested “tampon”!

9:17 - shingles should not get an eyebrow waggle…why

9:23 - old Dan video reference there!

9:35 - now Dan’s turn to tell a likely untrue story about a potentially non-existent aunt, lol. “a barbeque of jesters” what is happening in Phil’s brain

9:43 - WHAT was that jump cut that comes back in with Dan laughing and shaking his head and another ‘this guy’ gesture

9:51 - Dan ‘valley girl’/Becky/Jessica voice! he has fully given up at this point

10:02 - and then I love the contrast with Phil giving one actual serious answer in the whole video and getting it right 😂 and Dan’s cackle!

10:20 - they really have stopped discussing the answers much at this point

10:26 - Phil’s long-standing hatred of cheese! why he thought that would be a common search though, I don’t know…more hands on head!

10:36 - that’s what makes the video amazing actually

10:47 - Dan is so insistent on knowing who it is! like that bit in one of the Stereo shows where he HAD to know who Phil was talking about

10:56 - the dabbing was such a thing! surprised they didn’t accidentally smack each other doing that

11:06 - “why do they call it spoons” oh Phil 🤣 I don’t remember where, but I saw someone say that this isn’t as ridiculous as Dan’s making it seem! Phil was probably referring to the UK chain Wetherspoons, which is usually just referred to as “Spoons”

11:14 - Phil leaning fully into Dan’s space. and then having to get him back for the teasing!

11:26 - love Dan being so upset about Phil skipping past this even though they’ve hardly been discussing the answer at all anyway

11:29 - Phil trying to keep Dan from getting loud seems like a losing battle…though he seems a bit more distracted than upset

12:09 - there was 100% about to be a nose boop here, why did they cut it? 🥺

12:15 - the parallels of their guesses with “tall”-”tol” and “endangered”-“rare”!

12:31 - more valley girl! love the implication from Phil that this is something Dan has been doing all day/”today”

12:39 - another bit that runs through my head far too often

12:46 - Phil upping the stakes! the dramatic sound effect is great

13:10 - and now he is immediately regretting throwing that gauntlet down

13:18 - Dan is enjoying Phil’s struggle. and making throw-away guesses so Phil can’t try again 😅 (or just trying to end the video as quickly as possible at this point)

13:26 - Phil doing a bit of the voice too here…mimicking Dan!

13:40 - oh Phil…love when he’s so amused by his own thoughts

13:52 - I really can’t believe the game did that when it didn’t even accept “nipple” rather than “nipples” earlier

13:59 - I guess we know who wins after that, even without them saying

14:13 - Phil had to pick up Lion to use as a stress ball!

14:27 - “blood”...what is Phil’s brain. Dan cackle! I love it

14:45 - Dan just trying to be done and do the endscreen as Phil is speechless in the background 😂

14:52 - of COURSE he pulls out all-or-nothing! how could he not

15:07 - but for once Dan telling him no!

15:21 - “I’ll lick…” lick WHAT Phil?! and then he looks around the room for something!

15:24 - love the sad music

15:32 - Dan finding a way to defend Phil/blame someone else

15:39 - Phil is not listening just…looking 👀

15:45 - love the endscreen bubbles - “danisnotacarrot” and “noallornothingphil” heehee

15:52 - Dan has far too much energy for the end of this video

WHAT were they thinking when they edited and posted this?! I mean...it is a lot. They must have looked at the footage and then decided to just really lean into it with the edit as well. And I love it. During the Cambridge WAD preshow, Dan was asked if they were high during filming. 😂 A very common theory, but at least during the 2018ish era Dan always seemed pretty ‘meh’ about weed, so I tend to believe that they were just really really tired and horny. 🤐 Or I could see maybe a bit drunk.

We were living on DAPG content (and tour insta stories and Rize 😅 live shows I suppose)—the last main channel video was What Dan and Phil Text Each Other from mid-July, and there wouldn’t be another until the mukbang video in October after the tour ended. The next DAPG video was Dumber Ways To Die, filmed in Sydney, Australia after the (in)famous ‘or perhaps in Sydney’ live show. This was truly prime glass closet era and I think the DAPG videos they filmed during II are some of their best.

[cunningweiner]

Regarding your petition for hcs.. bc I can't sleep, my personal hcs

Randy: After defeating the sorcerer the Nomicon calling him the "Last Ninja" He is the last one in the chain (making reference to the symbol in his shirt)

(A little non sense considering the 9 chapter thingy but ok)

He constantly forgets to covers up bruises and no one thinks anything weird because he has the fame of being kind-of adventurous (and stupid)

He makes up stories when someone asks him about them and recycles them. Sometimes when someone points out they already heard that, he convinces them into thinking they did not (art of manipulation nomicon lesson when)

His notebooks are full of doodles and drawings of lessons the nomicons gives him, and they're messy af

Has scars from fights that didn't end to well

He knows Japanese thanks to the Nomicon

He settled for having only one friend so his social skills are terrible.

Messy guy overall

Howard: Knows facts about everything, but not to the point of being an expert.

Knows how to read people (body language and expressions) ESPECIALLY Randy, he knows every habit of his, he knows him pretty well.

Has lots of "proyects" started none of them finished.

Has a scar on his back from the thengu incident (representing the wings)

He is never alone, let it be with his family or with Randy but he always has someone beside him, that's one of the reasons why he's has issues with being alone (it's weird for him) he feels bad when Randy tells him it's not a big deal (Randy's absent parents hc sorry for this)

Theresa: lots of friend groups but she doesn't feel like she belongs anywhere

Baby bat (interested in goth)

YES TYTYTY sorry for the slow response but okok here we go

I also kind of thought of him as the last ninja (lowkey disregarding secrets of the nine💀) but I got a different ask with some really interesting points so I’m kinda torn lol

Scars-having Randy is soso real to me. Also YES about him forgetting what he said and gaslighting people. That boy has so much brain damage I know it KNFHD

Him keeping a notebook full of the doodle lessons from the nomicon is sooooo good. Also him learning Japanese from it????? 10/10. I hc him as part Japanese but I don’t think he was taught any growing up (true wasian experience tbh) and I think he was really happy to learn

Howard is suchhhh a socialite but nobody ever talks about it??? He makes friends so easily (even if he doesn’t like them) and is super well received in crowd situations. I’ll write up a seperate post about that soon I think lmao. Anyway I love that Randy is the socially awkward one of the two. I think he would never make any other friends if Howard didn’t introduce him lmao

Smart Howard is so dear to me and I think he’s definitely the type of guy to know at least surface level about literally everything. Like that one Dan Vs clip about knowing who carved Mt Rushmore but not what state it’s in

I have a Whole Thing about Tengu Howard that I’ll write up/draw soon and the wing scars are going in immediately. I think I’m just a sucker for those scars specifically I’ll never turn them down on anyone

Yes you’re so correct about his isolation issues being purely from circumstance. I think he has a huuuuge family so he’s never really by himself but Randy is an only child with only child parents so he’s Always alone when he’s not with Howard. Absent Cunningham parent are real to me - would love for them not to be but he gets away with so much shit there’s no way they pay that much attention

I’m not really a big Theresa fan in general (she’s just a little boring imo but I know they would have developed her more if they had the time to :,( )but her being a baby bat is so good. I think Julian shows her his music and they share cassettes (they’re edgy like that). I think also I just want to see the members of the Klub interact more

[poppypickle]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by mi amor @cfr749, so obvs I gotta do this.

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 29

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count? 230,379

3. What fandoms do you write for? I've written the most for The Rookie. I've also dabbled in: The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, Avengers, Community, and Miss Scarlet and the Duke.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Lots of Chenford up in here...

• Come a Little Closer • I Can’t Help Myself • Want You to Stay • Bang Bang (Look What You Started) • Break Up With Him

5. Do you respond to comments?

I do! It's really important to me to respond to anyone who takes the time to leave a comment. That reciprocal appreciation is a really vital part of fandom for me.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Hmmm...probably Let Me Tell You a Story About War, which adds further angst to the canonically angsty ending for Clint and Natasha in Avengers: Endgame.

But all of my Gale-centric Hunger Games fics are suitably angsty too. 😅

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I Can’t Help Myself is ooey gooey sweet. Let Me Name the Stars for You isn't sweet in the same way, but giving Gale and Johanna a happy ending still warms my heart.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not really. I have found most people in my fandoms to be very kind and considerate.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

"Yup... the horny kind?"

Lana, I LOL'ed. That pretty much sums it up. I had Chenford banging in closets and on tables and in cars and in bar bathrooms! Very satisfying for all, I hope.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

No. They aren't really my thing.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? 

I think someone asked me if they could translate Let Me Name the Stars for You many years ago, but I'm not sure I ever saw the finished translation.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes! Want You to Stay with the amazing @cfr749. The collaboration brought me so much joy, taught me so much about writing with someone else, and helped me push through some major writing block. Lana is an amazing friend and we need to write something together again!

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

I can never choose a favorite, so I'll say that my favorite ships that I never finished fic for are Dan/Blair and Jonsa. I have quarter-written fics for each pairing somewhere in my notes and google docs.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

The one I currently have rattling around in my brain where Miss Scarlet and the Duke's William and Eliza try out a Victorian friends with benefits thing. 😅

16. What are your writing strengths?

This is too loaded of a question. Hmmm...I think I write humor and banter-laced-with-feelings well.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I don't love writing climactic love confession moments, and I think it shows. I think I could let my characters be sappier sometimes. I also don't write action very well! Muddling my way through the gas station hostage crisis (LOL) in Want You To Stay was a STRUGGLE.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I would want a native speaker to review before publishing.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

First fandom I wrote for (but never published) was General Hospital. Jason & Robin 4eva. 😂

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Let Me Name the Stars for You. It's a quiet little thing that covers a lot of emotional ground in not that many words, and I really love exploring how broken people find ways to put themselves back together again.

I also loved some of the moments I created for Hermione in Could You Leave Me With a Scar?

Tagging @itsoneofthemuses @crose84 @farfarawaygirl - but no pressure!

[stabbyfoxandrew]

Happy wip wednesday! Could I please have some arsonist neil? (also, im just curious if tsc made you want to start any new wips? I know it did for me lol)

WIP Wednesday (4/17) | Arsonist Neil / Firefighter Andrew AU (Part 149)

10 I didn’t realize you were trying to talk to me, Andrew. I thought you wanted to be left alone so I turned my phone off to keep from messaging you back. But I was not ignoring you on purpose. I haven’t been to a movie in a long time. I like M&Ms, but they’re not my favorite. Having that many kids underfoot sounds like a pain in the ass. Which coworker? I don’t know their names. Just large man, girl, smaller girl. And you. That’s the team I’ve seen you with. Is it called a team? You’ve mentioned your brother before. I don’t think he hates you. If he hates you, why would he go to a movie with you? No promises. But if we ever go to a movie together, I will buy you your $50 soda. Goodnight Andrew.

Andrew reads 10’s messages twice, then starts a third time. He turned off his phone to ensure he respected Andrew’s wishes? Goddamn this foolish man. Andrew lets out a breath and starts to craft a response.

Andrew I was angry and I said something I didn’t mean. You didn’t have to turn off your phone about it. M&Ms are ‘fine’? What is your favorite candy then? Yes. It was horrible. I hate children. Large man’s name is Matt. He is indeed very large. Girl is Renee. Smaller girl is Dan, our captain. It’s called a crew. Aaron is complicated. And stupid, as I mentioned before. Do you rob banks in your spare time or did a rich relative die and leave you everything? Good morning 10.

Andrew takes his phone with him to the kitchen to grab his coffee, then goes to sit in the living room. He eyes his stack of books and plucks the one off the top. Before he can finish the first page, his phone vibrates.

10 Oopsie. Skittles. I’ve never really been around kids, but they seem unpleasant. Then again, so do most adults. It’s hard to type all this. Can we call again?

Andrew perks up at that. Instead of answering, he dials 10’s number. It takes two rings for him to pick up with a nervous-sounding, “Hey.”

“Hey,” Andrew returns. The next thing out of his mouth is, “Tell me why you think it’s okay to play with fire but it’s not safe to meet me in a cafe.”

“Uh, that’s hard to explain.” 10 answers.

“Try.”

[thequeenofmyownscreen]

Embroidery updates : a cat in needle painting !

About a month ago, I finished this project of a cat in a hoop, needle-painted, and gifted it to a colleague at her retirement party. It was my 1st time using this technique, and I think the result is pretty good.

This project started about a year ago, with me wanting to learn this technique... and not really having an end goal for it lol. So I bought Hiroko Kubota's book : Embroidered Cat in My Pocket (the French version is Brode un chat dans ta poche, at Les Éditions de Saxe). And I just started slow, not knowing where I was going. Here are some creepy photos of a cat without eyes (the quality is not ideal but I don't have any other photos of the WIP) :

Then later in the year, my dear colleague announced she was leaving, and suddenly I had the best idea ever : why not gift it to her, since she likes cats and has an artistic mind ? This meant, of course, that I could no longer dilly-dally, and so I finished just in time for her retirement party. (And yes, I worked on the Laudna blouse in parallel, the summer was very complicated guys)

I didn't know how to finish it properly on the back, so I watched a bunch of Youtube videos, cut the fabric very close, glued it on the hoop with clothespins to keep it in place, and cut a cardboard circle and glued it on the hoop on the back.

My colleague loved it.

More details under the cut !

The posture is maybe leaning a little bit too much to the right, but once I started, there's nothing I could have done.

The colours on the ears are a little weird (the darker colours should be on the inside, not on the outside) and that's because the book used Olympus thread - that I cannot find here in France easily - and give a chart for DMC threads equivalency... and the chart is not very well done. Some colours are not the same at all, including the ones I used on the ears. But I started by the ears, and again, once you're in, you're in !

I'm mostly proud of the general fading of the colours, especially on the body, and I think I managed to give to this project the texture desired : like a cat's fur !

It was a good intro to this technique (oh yeah btw : 1 strand only, with size 10 embroidery needle, a combination of long and short basic stitches, except for the whiskers that are done in split stitch). And I will continue to use the book and the things I've learned, but also coming back to traditionnal embroidery... because yes, needle-painting is great, but it takes so much time !!

[regina-del-cielo]

Fic 20 questions

I was tagged by @bewires, thank you!

1 - How many works do you have on AO3?

13, lucky number.

2 - What's your total AO3 count?

67,881 words. Not bad.

3 - What fandoms do you write for?

Right now, only for The Old Guard (2020). I'm a "one hyperfixation at a time" type of person.

4 - What are your top five fics by kudos?

Celebrated for Their Frankness (P&P)

Kissing a Stranger (P&P)

Galeotto Fu'l Cane (P&P)

hand in hand, we stumble and we fall (then we stand, once and for all) (TOG)

seems like happiness is just a thing called Joe (TOG)

5 - Do you respond to comments?

99.9% of the time, yes, even if it's just to write "thank you for reading" thirty times in a row

6 - What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Uuuuuh I don't actually write angsty endings? Even the sadder ones always have a vision of hope in the end

7 - What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Again, difficult to say. Probably c'est lui pour moi, moi pour lui (dans la vie) because it's Reunion and Fluff Galore. Or A Marriage of True Minds, because of Wedding Fluff and Feelings.

8 - Do you get hate on fics?

Thankfully not, and I hope it never happens

9 - Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

No, not really. Love reading it, but I don't think I'll go that far myself.

10 - Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

No I don't. The thought never really crossed my mind

11 - Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Never, thank goodness

12 - Have you ever had a fic translated?

No - although one could say that I already am doing my own mental translation since English is not my first language lol - but if someone wanted to I wouldn't mind, as long as they asked me first

13 - Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, never happened

14 - What's your all time favourite ship?

Why are you asking me to rank my children?! Darcy/Elizabeth has been around longer, but Joe/Nicky really Hit Different. So I say it's a tie.

15 - What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

All of them? There's a reason I don't post WIPs - inspiration is flighty and cruel. I never say 'never', but knowing myself if I haven't worked on something for longer than a year it's unlikely I'll ever start again

16 - What are your writing strengths?

I'm the wrong person to ask this - Maybe plot coherency and world building? I tend to take a lot of time to make sure that the plot flows well and that things are as accurate I can get them. Also, clearly, writing soft and fluffy things.

17 - What are your writing weaknesses?

I always have the feeling of my writing being clunky and too detail-filled, because I want the readers to see the scene as I see it in my mind. And I've never been able to stay within the number of words I expected to - my one-shots get stupidly long.

18 - Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I literally make Nicky speak in Italian as much as I can get away with it all the time. But also, if it's a language you don't know well and unless you have a human who speaks it that can check it, I wouldn't just trust a translation software. I have seen enough of glaring Italian errors in fic to make me want to go "please just say that they spoke in another language in the dialogue tag I beg of you."

19 - First fandom you wrote for?

Winx Club, a long long time ago, and not in English

20 - Favourite fic you've written?

I think it's a tie between hand in hand and We're Meant to Find Each Other - they're more team-focused than the others; hand in hand was the first I wrote for TOG fandom and a true stroke of inspiration. Meant to Find Each Other is the only multi-chaptered fic I ever managed to finish, it spans through multiple time periods, and the AU it's set in is very close to my heart.

I don't know who has already done this, but I'll tag @ellynneversweet @raedear @gallifreyburning @nicolos @nicolodigenovas and anyone else who feels like it!

[invisiblegarters]

OF Character Rankings and Ramblings - Ep 10

Last week, everyone decided to be mature and actually talk to each other for a change and it was very jarring. Mew boomeranged back to being sensible, Nick and Sand tried to feel the power of love with each other and failed spectacularly (and were very adorable about it), Top and Ray did some boundary pushing that the people they were infringing on were into in spite of their protests, and Cheum was back to her usual MO of having three lines if she's lucky. Atom was very creepy and I looked at him and said oh boy you're gonna cause all the trouble. Boeing showed up to prove that Top has a type and also to make us all understand exactly why Sand's still pissed. I get it, Sand. Also, Nick decided to move on with Daddy Dan but still made time to stalk Boston and a hookup to the toilets and give him a heartfelt speech that was actually really sweet and clearly got to him, and Ray and Mew finally fucking broke up thank all the gods in every universe. They had a great conversation that was my second favorite thing about the episode. There was lots of great communication happening.

So of course we had to make up for it this week with a lot of people being very stupid.

And be forewarned, I am very ornery today and also frustrated. So maybe don't read if you don't want to see that frustration expressed. That said, if you continue and you want to talk about any point, that would be a lot of fun. I'm always up for a friendly exchange of views.

So let's get to it, shall we?

Character Rankings (Fave to Least fave atm)

Boston. Nope, nope, and nope. Fuck you show. Fuck you for having your characters imply or outright state that Boston's sluttiness means he's on par with being a sexual predator. And fuck you for the "Atom likes girls. What did you do to him?" line. I really hope that this isn't going to be left at that, because I'm incredibly over the constant conflation of Boston's promiscuity with deviance or some sort of moral failing. He's an asshole. He likes to sleep around. The two things aren't actually related and I'm SICK of seeing them treated like they're one in the same. STOP IT. And don't think I don't see parts of fandom doing the same, because I do. People really need to stop treating promiscuity or lack thereof as though it has anything to do with morality.

That done with, I have to say that I've been super impressed with Neo and with Boston as we've gone on. I don't need or want some big sob story to be the reason that he's an ass, and I am tentatively hopeful that it won't be the case. But I have been enjoying the way we're seeing him grow by increments. Boston's not nice, he's not a very good person generally, and I think that he's been coming to terms with that and with how he feels about it as the series has gone on. It hasn't been flashy - in fact it's been subtle enough that I almost didn't notice it - but the Boston that he was in episode one is not the one we're looking at in episode ten, and I love it to bits because the type of reflection he's doing is the type I've done with myself. I really really REALLY hope they don't pull the "reformed character is now monogamous" thing because as I've said, that's not actually a problem and shouldn't be considered one. But I do really love that he's clearly reflecting on some of the choices he's made and trying to decide if maybe he doesn't want to keep making some of them in the future.

Also his reactions when he realized that his friends really believed he could do what Atom was accusing him of...just great work.

Simply put, I adore him.

Sand. My ride or die baby, this one. I've already said it, but I'll say it again. I do not care what this man does. I support him. Every stupid decision, every misstep, every ridiculously misguidedly noble thing. I will just be like "you do you baby, because you are amazing."

Was he dumb to not keep Ray's daddy's money? YES. Did I actually expect him to? Lol no. That's just not my man. Not even a little bit. It's not just limited to Ray, either. Sand has some noble ideas about money that I really would like to smack out of his beautiful dumb head because that kind of thinking only really works for people who can afford it, but I love him anyway. That said, I will maintain until that I am blue in the face he did nothing wrong (maybe that's my bias showing but let's be real here, whatever Ray's dad said Sand's desire to help Ray was always going to come from caring for him first and foremost). Honestly he should take the money as reparations for all the shit Ray's put him through. Putting the blame on him for Ray's hurt boggles my mind, because something hurts you it doesn't automatically make the other person wrong. That's a lesson a lot of people could stand to learn, frankly. But I half expect Sand to blame himself for it anyway, because that's what he does. He internalizes, blames himself, subsumes whatever he may be feeling in favor of the other person. I no longer think he's going to snap (although who knows a lot can happen in two episodes in this show) but I still think the man could use a good hug, and for someone to tell him that his constant care for people who like to throw it in his face is appreciated. You know. To him, and not an imaginary version of him that can only be full of calm acceptance.

Now, when it comes to the alcohol business. While yes, that is a source of income for him, if he's serious about helping Ray and it's going to be a real problem for him to do that (and there's every indication that it is), if he chooses to get rid I will not blame him or consider it particularly stupid. To me, it's different from dad's money because one hurts Ray's feelings, the other could legitimately fuck with his road to recovery. If he wants to stay with Ray (and there is no indication given by him that he doesn't, even after that fight), then that is a step he might need to take to help him, if he can safely do it. And to be fair, we've been given no indication that he can't do that, either. Although it would be interesting to explore what might happen if he couldn't, I don't think we have enough time for that.

Mew. God help me, I love a petty bitch.

Look. I don't do the OF tags anymore because I've found it's better for my peace of mind overall, but I've seen enough around here and elsewhere to know that a lot of people are now sick of him (although a lot of people were sick of him from episode one, lol). They think that this episode he took the petty shit too far, and that if he's not going to just take Top back he should tell him and let him move on. There's also a lot of annoyance with the way he acted during the confronting Boston scene.

To all that I say I hear you, but I'm going to have to disagree. I get him a lot with the Top thing, in fact. He was hurt, but worse, he was humiliated, and all this is because he doesn't want to be fooled again. He still doesn't trust his own judgment. He's back to testing everything Top does and says now because he wants to believe him, but if he believes him and Top does it again, then it's no longer Top who's to blame. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. And Boeing is really really good at playing with those fears.

I do feel a little more iffy about the Boston thing, though. The little pat on the shoulder amused me at the time, I won't lie, but the more I think about it the more annoyed I get. He had no right to open his mouth, and he wasn't really there to give moral support to Cheum or even because was concerned about Atom. He was there to watch Boston suffer. Not cool, my dude. I'd be more amused by the whole thing if not for the SA subject, and for the constant slut shaming that goes along with it.

Boeing. Speaking of petty bitches. This man is out here doing the most for this episode at least, I'm not mad about it (he hurts Sand though and all bets are fucking off, did you not read what I wrote about him?). I wish that he'd been brought in a little earlier, mostly because he feels extremely plot devicey, but I can't say I don't like looking at him or don't admire just how petty he can be. I genuinely don't know if he actually wants Top back or if he just wants to break him, and that's kind of fun. Also his little digs at Mew were hilarious. I kept trying to manifest a threesome between him, Mew and Top but I guess I wasn't doing it right because the show did not oblige. There's always Ray and Sand or my personal favorite, a flashback to one with Top and Sand. And that's why Sand doesn't do threesomes.

Ray. Oh, Ray. Raymond. Here's another one that I came out of the episode with initial thoughts and then the more I sat on them, the more they changed. Or not changed but. Sigh. Okay, let's try to be coherent here.

I want to start off by saying I do not blame Ray for going off the way he did when he thought that Sand was taking money from his dad. I know that sounds contradictory when I have also said Sand was stupid for not taking the money, but being able to see why Ray was upset doesn't mean I think Sand should pretend he couldn't use the money. And as I already said he kind of deserves it for all the shit Ray puts him through.

Anyway, I don't blame Ray for his upset, mostly because I really do think he was coming at it from a place of hurt, because look. I am not Ray's biggest fan and probably never will be since he is constantly hurting my personal favorite, but it seems extremely clear to me that what went down with Ray is the same thing that happened with Sand in episode 5: he found out a piece of information that made him recalibrate his entire relationship with Sand, and he came some very unhappy conclusions. The fact that he's wrong doesn't change that. Because from Ray's POV Sand went and made him fall in love with him, convinced him he cared, and now Ray's doing this huge thing for him (which is part of why I love that first therapy session - Ray treats it like a chore, like something he has to get over with so that he can appease Sand and fulfil his end of a bargain he half thought Sand would back out of, and that's EXACTLY how he should have treated it because that's how he felt about it then) and the whole time Sand wasn't doing any of it because he cared like he made Ray believe, he was just doing as his father paid him to do. He was always gonna find a way to get out of it initially anyway, but this was delicious to me personally because god help me, I love the kind of anguish that comes with caring so much for someone and then having to suspect that every time they claimed to feel the same they were doing it under false pretenses. Sue me. Only don't because I don't have a lot of money.

And I do think deep down he probably knew better. But when has rationality ever gotten a look in with Ray? He's a live wire, he's too fucking reactive to sit down for two seconds and think. Which is where my issues come in but just a sec, we're not there yet.

I really liked his second therapy session. I liked how different it was from the first, how obvious it is that he's now determined to at least try, even if he still doesn't think that he needs to be there. He's still doing it for Sand, but less in a "I'm going to tick this box so he'll shut up" way and more in a "I want to try to be better for him" way, which to me does make a difference. As the therapist said, people go to rehab for all kinds of reasons. Sometimes it's for themselves. Often it's for someone else. And that's okay. Sometimes it's easier to fight for someone else than it is to fight for yourself.

The entire last scene with Ray breaking down was painful to watch, and like everyone else I have to commend Khaotung for his performance. He really went all out and that's what makes the scene so powerful. I commend First as well, because I can't imagine how hard it was to walk the line he had to walk as imaginary Sand, and also not start crying in sympathy. I mean, it got me and I wasn't even in the same room, and we all know how First gets whenever Khaotung cries. They've certainly talked about it enough. I swear, this drama is a crash course in forcing First not to cry.

The scene was raw and painful, and I really felt Ray's desperation and sadness and remorse.

That said, I can't help but have trust issues. Ray is very good at apologizing and then demonstrably learning nothing. With one exception (Sand told him to stop throwing money at him because it makes him uncomfortable, and to my knowledge Ray has not made a habit of doing so since), Ray seems to think that apologizing means that he can go right back to the same behavior. This one does seem different in that he's way more devastated, and it was clear enough that he was apologizing for a lot more than going off at Sand in his apartment, but I can't help but worry that he'll just retreat back to form when Sand inevitably forgives him as he has so many times before (and that we'll never hear him say even a fraction of that to Sand's actual face, which if he doesn't I really hope bites him in the ass later).

I want to believe in Ray, I do. Despite myself I like the guy and I would really love to stop seeing him take one step forward, two steps back all the time. But as I said I have trust issues.

Ray's Dad. I knew he actually gave a shit. He's horrible at expressing it and he's clearly at his wit's end with Ray and his self-destruction, but he cares. And I believe him when he says that he wanted to pay Sand because he admires him. Here this dude is out here doing so much for his unappreciative son, and he clearly doesn't have the same resources that this man has. It'd impress me too. And frankly for that much alone he should have offered him money. I get that he thinks that Ray will be more likely to listen to Sand than him but also he's asking a twenty something year old to do something that he apparently can't. Hell yeah he should have put money on the table. I appreciated him setting Ray straight. I can definitely see why his way of dealing with Ray doesn't work, though. Still, it's nice that he's not the stereotypical only cares about his reputation guy he appeared to be at first, especially when seen through Ray's eyes (although I already suspected he wasn't, since Sand was so adamant that Ray's dad gave a shit. I loved the "I don't want him to end up like his mother" line, too - it made me think that maybe her death haunts him just as much as it does Ray).

Top. Still rooting for him, like I am every week. Would love to know why he's so damn passive with all of his exes. Think he's aware of exactly what Mew is up to and has decided to weather it out. That's about all I got for him this week, though.

Nick. For some reason he just didn't work for me this week, which is weird because I think his scene on the roof with Boston is one of the best of the episode. I think I wanted him to make Boston work for it more but well, that's not my pathetic dude at all. It'll never be in him to make Boston work for it, lol. Oh, Nick.

Cheum. Okay, before I say anything else I want to say that I get where she was coming from, going at Boston. I also get her not being able to calm down enough to register that not only is Atom not nude in any of those pics, he also looks the complete opposite of coerced. She's already mad (whether fairly or not) at Boston for what happened with Top, and now she's got her baby bro telling her that Boston not only sexually assaulted him, but that he's trying to continue doing so via blackmail. It's no surprise that she's so mad she can't think.

That all said, I'm still not pleased with some of the things coming out of her mouth. I can understand where she is coming from and still not like the way she's expressing herself, and boy howdy is that the case here. I've said it before, but I am SO done with the slutshaming. And I was really not down with that "Atom likes women. What did you do to him?" line. Fuck all the way off with that shit, too. I am actually really worried about what she's going to do about this, because I actually don't think she's gonna calm down and have a think before she does something really fucking stupid.

Atom. Oh, this little fuck. I knew he was gonna pull some shit, I could feel it in my bones, but I didn't expect him to go quite that low. More fool me. I don't care how upset he is, going around accusing Boston of SA because he wouldn't fuck him again is vile. Just gross. And he knew what he was doing. This shit was planned and purposeful. Vile. Just vile.

Relationships (Most to Least Fave atm)

There weren't really any friendship moments this go around (well, I guess you could say the core group had a moment, but uh), so I'll just be doing the couples this time.

TopMew. What can I say. It's still the one. I've already explained how I see things above, and I still think that these two are definitely end game. I do think that by next ep they'll be actually working things out though, as opposed to Mew paying lip service to it while he tests the fuck out of Top to see what he does. I appreciate that this ship isn't for everyone but it is for me, apparently. Come on, guys, I believe in you.

Threesomes - the order in which I crave these is TOPSANDBOEING followed by TopMewBoeing, but honestly SandRayBoeing will do in a pinch, even though I'm still in camp "Ray says he wants the threesome but what he really wants is to scare the third party off." Boeing is the last person to be scared off by that though, I feel, so. We'll see what happens. That said, Sand really doesn't appear to be Team Threesome nowadays and hopefully his opinion matters, hence my desire for a TopSandBoeing flashback.

SandRay. Yeah, I know. I'm surprised too. Still think they're made to break, but I liked their stuff this time. Everything about it was really good from an angst lover's perspective. Preview wants me to think that Sand and Boeing have a chance (and honestly I would not say nay) but let's be real here, Sand ain't going there. He might have conflicted feelings about Boeing but he's far too focused on Ray now to be with anyone else. If anything, we'll see Ray fuck Boeing first. And Boeing does seem to like going after the love interest...

BostonNick. I don't know why it wasn't firing for me this ep, but it wasn't firing for me this ep. Still think they deserve each other. Still rooting for them. But for this episode only, they did less for me than Ray and Sand.

SandBoeing. The way I need these two to kiss on the mouth. Look, my GramYok heart wants what it wants. I thought they were gonna kiss in Not Me and I was denied. Actually, they denied me a lot in Not Me. Asshole show (not really). But now that Mond's here and actually kissing guys instead of faking me out this needs to happen (and I think it will. Via flashback, most likely).

BoeingMew. What? I could get behind this. That one brief moment where Mew kissed him back really worked for me, although I don't think Mew could go through with it.

In Conclusion

I really liked this episode. The apartment fight and Ray's end scene were particular standouts, but so were both BostonNick scenes. I will appreciate it if Boeing has more to do than just cause stupid mess, but I'm guessing that he's mostly here to cause mess and either kiss or try to kiss every one of these dudes. There are worse things to exist for. Plus he's pretty.

I'm kind of glad that we only have two weeks left. I suspect that this is a show that might do better on binging overall, so if the ending is good (and by good I mean something that I personally find satisfying - I'm not claiming any objectivity here) I will probably do that. A week between episodes leaves us all with too much damn time on our hands to come up with dumb shit (ask me about how I have convinced myself Ray and Boeing are gonna do the do).

If you made it this far, thanks for reading. See you next week.