#also i'm a firm believer in skill. not talent

[honnojis]

'Art isn’t about talent' lol said the talented artist that without artistic talent will have no commissions and be out of a job.. you're not one to talk

oh brother. that comment was an aside from the whole AI issue but apparently that wasn't clear, so let me amend that.

My point was that calling people who can't draw well "talentless hacks" is just plain fucking rude!!!! My own skills have literally fuck all to do with that. Some people may not be as skilled, but they create art for fun as a way of creative self expression. Some people are still LEARNING. Be nice to others, god damn

[witlesswitnesstm]

I am a firm Marvin Gardens BPD/NPD truther, so here’s all my evidence.

This is a very long post, so buckle up.

• Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Let’s go through the symptoms he shows, shall we?

- Has unreasonably high sense of self importance, and requires constant admiration:

Marvin, especially as a child, exhibits a large amount of grandiosity. This is most evident in How Marvin eats his breakfast and My Highschool Sweetheart.

He thinks of himself as above the maid staff and he constantly threatens/accuses them. Then he’s given the role of Columbus, and highly identifies with him to the point where he claims he *is* Columbus. That he’s this grand explorer, who’s the king of the ocean. He believes he’s powerful because of the role.

Then as an adult, Marvin has a constant need for adoration. He needs people (like Whizzer and Trina) to love and want him in songs like Thrill of first love and This had better come to a stop. That might even be a reason he got with Trina in the first place. He wanted to feel needed, without the responsibility of having to love back.

Not to mention the line “Kid. Be my son.” In Father to son. He wants Jason to fulfill the role as his son (and subsequently love him), not really acknowledging he’s his own person. But he still deeply cares about Jason, and wants him to succeed, he just does it through the only lense he understands; himself. Also, I noticed that Marvin literally moves the chess board aside and makes Jason face him during that song, even though he clearly doesn’t want to.

- Believes they deserve special privileges or treatment:

The R of Ms. Goldberg shows Marvin is obsessed with getting what he wants, for no other reason besides the fact that he wants it. It’s also implied that he didn’t even necessarily have the acting skills required to be Columbus, Ms. Goldberg just conceded because he kept pestering her. He believed he deserved it, so he got it.

- Make achievements and talents bigger than they actually are:

Again, Marvin obsessed over being a star actor. He also consistently exaggerates his intelligence with lines like “I can read her like a book” in How Marvin eats his breakfast and “I'm not so rich but hell I'm smart.” In This had better come to a stop.

In I never wanted to love you, Marvin also claims that he’s in demand, when he’s most likely not and is just trying to cover for his ego.

- Preoccupied with fantasies of success, power, brilliance

Oh wow. Ok, so we all know about the metaphor for games at this point. Marvin loves winning, he literally says it’s everything to him. He also says that he wants it all multiple times which is just, really driving home the point that he craves success and power over everything else.

Marvin is also characterized as being rich, which again emphasizes his need for success. I’m thinking he climbed the corporate ladder for the sole objective of looking like he’s successful.

Side note, I think the reason he never acknowledges how rich he is might be because he’s ashamed of being a trust fund baby. He had a whole maid staff as a kid, so it’s implied his parents had mad stacks. He might’ve sought success outside his parents’ money so that it was his own accomplishment, not his family’s.

I want to touch on My chance to survive the night, specifically the line “I played a game. She was as cute as a dime and couldn't spell. I asked her to spell my name. That's it for girls.” Marvin has a history of using games as a basis for breaking up with people because of his insecurity, even before Chess game. He gets a lot better with this in act 2, and this is evident in the racquetball matches. He seems a little unconfident, but he’s not devastated by it in the way he would be before.

I’ve mentioned this in a separate post, but The r of Ms. Goldberg can also be interpreted as a fantasy for power, since Marvin isn’t actually interested in having sex with Ms. Goldberg, and instead just wants to have control over her.

- Is critical and looks down on people they feel aren’t important:

Marvin consistently ignores his sweetheart even when she begs for his attention. When she tries to tell him she’s a person, he calls her ridiculous.

Marvin also just generally acted out as a child because he considered everyone as beneath him.

This trait is especially highlighted In Tight Knit family reprise, where he just straight up talks shit about Mendel, not being able to believe that Trina can love him. It’s also shown in Marvin hits Trina, that he dislikes her platitudes and expects substance from her, and then goes on to again beg for admiration with the line “How could you ever deny what we had?”

- Expects others to do what they ask without question:

This is best shown in This had better come to a stop and Chess game. Marvin expects Whizzer to play the housewife, while not acknowledging that he’s his own person.

This is also displayed in Tight Knit family, where he expects everyone to go along with his perfect vision of what a family should be.

- Has an inability or unwillingness to recognize the needs and feelings of others:

This is most clear with Sweetheart and Trina. As I’ve said, Marvin blatantly ignores sweetheart’s attempts to love him, and completely disregards her. I want to note how he does this in favor of being attached to Ms. Goldberg and playing Columbus which are his power fantasies, essentially.

This trait is also shown in Breakfast over Sugar when Marvin basically tells Trina to shut up and that she’ll get over it when she’s having a a pretty expected emotional outburst to him divorcing her. He completely disregards her feelings, showing no empathy to her.

- Acts arrogantly:

This can just be interpreted as confidence but Marvin says that he loves being himself multiple times over the course of In trousers.

• Borderline Personality Disorder

- A strong fear of abandonment:

This ties into Marvin’s need for admiration, but he constantly asks others for validation, and even doesn’t want Trina to find new partners because he interprets it as abandonment of his family.

There’s also the workshop version of This had better come to a stop, which is all about how Marvin is terrified that Whizzer’s going to leave him again in act 2, but he tries to bury all those feelings down so that he doesn’t appear needy. One of the lines is “I sit here and slowly rot. Wait for Whizzer, wait for answers, and get none.” Which just really nails down this point.

There’s also Unlikely lovers, when Marvin refuses to leave Whizzer’s side in the hospital.

- A pattern of unstable, intense relationships:

I’m sure we all know where this is going.

Marvin has a lot of opinions about Trina. He says that he thinks she’s perfect in I have a family, but that at the same time, he says that he hates her in I swear I won’t ever again.

His wants are contradictory. He wanted Trina to leave him alone when he divorced her, but couldn’t accept that she married Mendel. Also, he fights with Trina consistently, even throughout Act 2.

Onto Whizzer, their relationship is driven solely by chaotic passion. Their relationship is *built* on fighting and making up with hate sex.

Whizzer has no idea how to feel about Marvin because of how unstable he is. Marvin can be gentle, but he expects everything to go his way. He’s affectionate but highly judgemental. (Then again, so is Whizzer.)

- Quick changes in how they view themself:

This is best shown in Your Lips and Me reprise. Marvin goes from hating who he was and what he did to Ms. Goldberg to having a whole ass victory song about how he loves being himself.

This might be sarcasm, but Marvin is also self deprecating in Tight knit family reprise, with the lyric “I'm too damn peeved, self-absorbed, self-deceived. Who knows?”

- Periods of stress related paranoia and loss of contact with reality

This is a stretch, but Marvin’s exes always hovering around him in In trousers might be paranoia about his past manifesting itself. This is especially clear in I can’t sleep and Your lips and Me reprise where they physically interact with him, preventing him from sleeping or reminding him of his past.

- Impulsive/risky behavior:

Bro got multiple STDs, presumably from unsafe sex. Also, it’s implied that he also got HIV after Whizzer.

Hitting Trina could also be seen as impulsive behavior.

- Wide mood swings:

This is where Marvin’s giddy seizures comes in. He has periods of extreme laughter and giddiness, sporadically.

- Inappropriate levels of anger

Marvin hits Trina. I mean, what else do I have to say? This whole song is about Marvin’s anger taking over his actions and causing physical harm because of it. He also shows inappropriate anger when he brings out Whizzer’s belongings after the Chess game.

Ok Jesus Christ that was a lot of words. Keep in mind that these are just my headcanons and you’re allowed to interpret Marvin in any way you want.

Also I don’t have these disorders myself and I’m not a professional psychologist or anything so let me know if I got some things wrong. I just care way too much about the Marvin Trilogy and I’m also interested in becoming a psychologist.

[shakesthewizard]

Hi please explain about fabianxadaine???

Okay since you asked so nicely here's the fucking thing about Fabadaine

First, some background info

Before we dive in, you should know a couple things. For one, I'm a firm bad kid polycule truther. You could truly pitch me any pairing/grouping of those kiddos and I could find a really ineresting and/or sweet dynamic to eat the drywall about

You should also know that I'm gonna most likely remember some details during this analysis - if you spot them, please let me know by putting them in a bottle and throwing them into the ocean.

Second, some character meta

Adaine O'Shaughnessey is a girl with a lot of courage. It's sort of her defining character trait. The idea of "a wizard with an anxiety disorder" brings to mind someone pretty timid, who's afraid of speaking their mind. But from her first appearance, we see clearly that to Adaine, her disorder is pretty explicitly medical. On her first day of freshman year, she's already talking back to her horrible parents and trying to stand up for herself. Long before she gets access to medication, her disorder hinders her the way an asthma attack might; it has no bearing on her willingness to do the courageous thing.

Relatedly, Adaine thrives under adversity. Not abuse or mistreatment, mind - what I mean is that she likes it when people push back at her a little, so that she has opportunities to test her ideas and opinions against dissent. Look at her dynamic with Aelwyn in season three. Those two bicker and banter; they poke at each other, but it's how they're expressing things like concern or pride.

You could argue, probably well, that this is a product of sisterhood, and a product of their history in particular. But I think there's more to it than that. We see throughout the show that Adaine is a person who cares about exceeding; about learning and growing and achieving great things. It's classic wizard.

Adaine is the child of the wealthy and the important, and that shapes everything about her. It influences her struggles; her abandonment issues in particular. But it also shapes her goals, her values, and her attitudes. She seeks recognition for her skills and her labor, and she wants the people she loves to challenge her so that she can grow and make them proud.

Fabian Seacaster is the son of a famous man and a natural talent. His showmanship is clear and evident from the first moments we see him, and it's reflected in his character build from the start. He's a Champion Fighter, after all.

This showmanship is, frankly, a testament to Lou Wilson's masterful understanding of characters. That single trait can be picked apart to help us understand everything about him.

Fabian is a showman because he was raised as the scion of an up-and-coming house; given every tool he needed to learn his parents' skills, and to prepare him to take the Seacaster name when the time comes.

Fabian is a showman because he believes wholeheartedly in his own greatness. His whole life, he's been surrounded by tutors whose whole job it has been to mold him into the perfect son, and they were paid enough to care about doing it right.

Fabian is a showman because he knows he's earned his own arrogance; wealth or not, pampered lifestyle or not, we see him scold his fencing teacher when he goes easy on him. Fabian isn't blinded by his privilege (or at least not entirely) - he genuinely cares about being the best, and he'll give up the luxury if it means greatness.

Fabian is a showman because he's deeply anxious. Bill and Hallariel clearly love their son, but being the only child of a world-famous pirate, tasked with being their emissary to Solace for future generations, is an unbelievable amount of pressure. Fabian has to be perfect to the world outside. He can't just be good; he can't just be great; he has to be Fabian Aramais Seacaster, Son of the Famous Bill Seacaster!

Fabian is a showman because he has to figure out who he is, somehow. Who is he, outside of his father? He certainly doesn't know, but suddenly he realizes he has to know, for his own sake. So he does what any kid does when they're trying to figure out their identity - they act out.

Finally, what I understand about Fabadaine that nobody else does

Fabian Seacaster and Adaine O'Shaughnessey are the children of the wealthy; the important. They're both second generation Solesians, sent out to represent their families. They're both ambitious people who are trying to achieve great things outside the expectations of their parents. They're both proud and straightforward, prioritizing their values over social niceties.

Adaine and Fabian both carry the swords of their dead fathers.

To put it simply - Fabian and Adaine are really good foils for each other, and I dislike when their dynamic is reduced to classic highschool boyfriend/girlfriend tropes.

As an example, a number of fics I've read have Fabian pursuing Adaine, and that simply doesn't hold up. Let's be honest here - Fabian has terrible taste in women, and has a bad track record of making the more self-destructive choice whenever romance is on the table. I have no doubt he likes Adaine, but he would also know that she'd hold him accountable and challenge him when he makes stupid choices. No, Adaine is the one initiating here.

The thing that really draws me to this pair is because both of them need and want to be challenged, but each of them has a different attitude towards challenging others, and it makes for an active dynamic that can evolve in a lot of interesting ways.

You know what, check back later. I need to write fic about this.

[night-raven-miscellany]

Testing, testing... This thing on? Groovy.

Alrighty NRC! It's your lovely host Chamomile back once again. It seems that I've really been slacking on the news front these past coupla' weeks, but hopefully that'll all change soon, because I have a biiig surprise for you all!

Chamomile. Is it really necessary to keep the audience in suspense? Is there even still an audience to keep in suspense.

Oh hush, you...

But if you picked up on that voice there just now, you heard right!

Back from his long and boring drama club shenanigans alongside the film appreciation club is our one and only Earl Grey! Listeners, if you're out there I want you to give a big hand for my amazing co-host!

Chamomile it really isn't necessary for you to do all this to announce my return! Though I don't believe I mind the attention, ohohoho~

But of course! I only wanna give the best for the best host ever!

So, EG. Any words you have for your fans out there who have been waiting for your return?

Well, I don't have much for now, but I desperately need to know all that I've missed while I've been away... Since SOMEONE hasn't been keeping up with things.

Eheheh... Guilty as charged, Earl...

Anyways, that's all we have time for for today. Just a quick announcement for you all, yep yep!

Indeed. Although it seems we've a lot to do, I'm quite glad to be back.

Thank you, dear listeners, for your time. In the meantime, make sure to stay thirsty~

What's all this nonsense about finding and leaking student files? I should very well be doing this all myself.

Since I'm so kind to you all, I'll grant you access to my student profile. Someone has to appeal to the audience, no?

✨...thank you James for that lovely segue. Anyways. Profile time.

James Ratt (ジェームズ・ラット - Jemuzu Ratto)

Other Names: “Squeaky”, “Coipo”, “Monsieur Mousetrap”

Gender: Male (He/They)

Age: 17

Birthday: 7/2

Starsign: Cancer

Height: 196 cm (6’05”)

Eyes: Gold

Hair: Dark Brunette

Homeland: Rose Queendom, but moved to Pyroxene/The Shaftlands as a baby.

Family: Unnamed Mother, Unnamed Father

Dorm:Pomefiore

School Year: Second

Class: 2-B, Student no. 09

Occupation: Student, Heir to Ratt Family

Club: Drama Club

Best Subject: Defensive Magic

Dominant Hand: Left

Favorite Food: Caramel

Least Favorite Food: Processed Cheese

Dislikes: Dirty Things

Hobbies: Solving Puzzles

Talents: Estimating Quantities of Items

A Pomefiore second-year with a charming and sly personality. As the heir to a massive banking firm, he’s a student that oozes with charisma, but he also will stop at nothing to get what he wants. (I'm not sure whether to be flattered by the compliments or offended that you pose persistence as a negative trait!)

Unique Magic: Goodbye So Soon: James can vanish from anything he perceives as a “trap” without a single trace of him ever having been there. This ability can override other magical skills, but ONLY if the mage is of equal to or lesser power than him. (It can be… very humbling, at times...)

[prettyboykatsuki]

hewwo fang i'm an only child entj pls analyze sjdfhjo

nice to meet you bakugou JSDHJSDK

tbh there's nothing i can reveal to you about yourself that the emotional arc of bkg has not already but i will do my best.

entjs are known for being pragmatic, somewhat rigid, and hard-working. all of these things are true and show up in entjs extremely early on in childhood. entj children are known for enjoying specific roles of leadership and actively enjoying taking them on. entj young girls are often called bossy. things like class leader and hallway monitor and other things probably called on you a lot.

as you are pragmatic from childhood, you are also generally gifted with understanding systems and concrete steps. knowing how you need to get where you need to go is an extremely natural skill for entjs. contrarily though, you also recognize very quickly what things are working and what not. you work systematically but that only works well with your system since you believe it to be the most efficient. and it often is actually. your ability too see inefficiency and replace it with something better makes you a valuable asset in many aspects in your life but also makes you insanely stubborn on certain aspects of yourself.

and while you are gifted at working hard, you lack emotionall awareness. there are few aspects of you that are flawed on paper. a lot of entjs also have some talent at athletics. however your introverted feeling is your last function and largely your worst. in childhood this manifests as being abrasive while also (unintentionally) cruel

your cruelty is not rooted in some sort of sadism, rather a lack of awareness of your own emotional state and underlying sense of inadequacy in the face of failure, big or small. your critiques of others are accurate but accusatory and a shield to your own emotional flaws. as you get older though, these outbursts of cruelty and not keeping them in check become a heavy weight. depending on the kind of entj you are, you can either respond to this by growing or enforcing this habit of violence.

most entjs in my experience grow up to become incredibly sympathetic and emotionally aware people as a result of these circumstances and carry around the weight of these failures in their upbringing with great sincerity which i admire. eventually even entjs hung up on their own anger and resentment reach it but often it is too late. a resentful entj tends to reach a level of extremity and outbursts that makes them well and truly unbearable.

entjs, hilariously, most often are compatible to people fundamentally different from them and don't like being around their own type. you would assume they like strict, pragmatic types but they actually generally prefer highly emotional types with a sort of artsy vibe about them and this makes their friend groups very funny. this often extends in partners. entjs are naturally independent and thus prefer being around partners that can in some way relax them - which are usually more feeling types. not to say other relationships can't work, but that this pattern appears most often.

entjs are talented with pin-point accuracy in their assessments of everything, including themselves so they are unbearably harsh on themselves and their internal monologue is very negative while also being very self-assured. they are often walking contradictions but are also extremely firm about only doing things that they want to do so this flaw mostly results in needing someone to help draw them away from themselves as opposed to them getting involved in bad situations. you are likely a very precautions type.

most entjs are strict in some sense of the word and that includes having high expectations for their loved ones. if a entj wants you besides them they will also go out of their way to check in on you, reassure you, and cultivate your talents and will go much farther in supporting your aspirations then virtually any other type. they struggle to apologize even when they understand that they are wrong as they can be prideful.

to me i think you should mostly keep in mind that there will always be plenty of time for you to work but you need to vaction sometimes. throwing yourself head first into your goals is admirable but you will have left so many relationships behind if you persist down that path forever. don't feel embarrassment when you try to get more in tune with yourself in writing and allow yourself to admit that it's nice to be cared for sometimes as opposed to always caring for someone else. it is a not a character to flaw to be a human with needs and not a machine.

you are also more charismatic than you are giving yourself any credit for i can guarantee.

[firstyok]

- Tonhon Chonlatee End Notes -

So, I've just finished Tonhon Chonlatee - yes, that notorious bl show that everyone is upset with. I'm not one of them, though. Like, yes every bl show, unless it's a classic one - have it's set of strong points and drawbacks, and so does this show. But honestly, I've immensely enjoyed watching this fabulous bl series. I was exposed to a lot of potential in this show. So, stay with me and hear me out on this!

Below, I've addressed a few of the strongest points of this show, along with the major flaws. But overall, it was a wonderfully enjoyable bl show for me, and I'd probably rewatch it's first episodes, once again.

STRONG POINTS

1. Chonlatee's Character

Ever since the first time I saw Chonlatee onscreen, I fell in love with this shy, kind-hearted, diplomatic, mature, and sassy boy. This young boy is the epitome of sweetness. Unlike most bl shows, where the bottom is often an innocent, reserved, naive, gullible boy who is constantly being taken advantage of, by others - Chonlatee is that sassy mature bottom, who knows how to stand his ground, be brave, and speak up for himself when he's treated unfairly.

Another thing I loved about Chonlatee - eventhough he seems soft, sweet and warm to everyone in his life, he is a strong person. He knows when to walk away from people, when to stop giving people another chance, or even knowing about which things to spill and which not. When he was badly treated by Amp, it didn't stop him from giving that woman a taste of her own medicine. He was firm enough to reject Tonhon when he found out about his kiss at the party, and carried that stubborness on until the last moment. He knows how to say NO, and that's the most attractive thing about him. Since, I often struggle saying no to people, this thing specifically made him so freaking cool to me. Overall, he is a gentle, warm, mature and lovely person, who also knows when to be sassy, savage and stand up for himself. I'm just sooo in lovee in with this boy.

2. Khaotungg's Acting

Yes, I had to write a separate point, exclusively for his acting in his show, because I was utterly impressed and stunned by his skills. Firstly, he was extremely adorable here with beautiful round black eyes, cute coconut hairstyle and he was so charming with a complete different aura, from the Eclipse. Since, my first exposure to Khaotungg's acting was in Eclipse, I'm only used to seeing his flirtatious gazes and seductive advances, but here! Omg, this man knows how to act in a completely different role of being a sweet, warm and adorable boy. From his minor, detailed eye movements to his soft, loving, low tone voice, everything in his acting was just beautiful and so damn enjoyable.

When you see an actor performing polar opposite roles flawlessly, that's when you realize how talented and versatile of an actor he is. After watching First's shows, I've finally watched another Khaotungg show - and trust me, Khaotungg's acting and screen presence gave me constant giddiness, smiles, and happiness. I couldn't stop smiling especially on the first episodes, because the setting was a lot lighter, humorous and fun, rather than the last episodes. I have been a huge fan of First ever since Not Me, but after I watched Tonhon Chonlatee, I've become another big fan of Khaotungg's acting too. I can't wait to see both of them in many more upcoming shows, whether as a couple or individually - I'd just be so happy to watch them work!

3. Best Supporting Cast

Now, believe me when I say - the Supporting Cast of this show couldn't get any better. It's absolutely the perfect supporting cast that the show would have needed. Where do I start? Firstly, the two amazing actors Mike and Toptap, portraying as Ni and Ai, were the best ever friend group the show could ever had. I was starstruck by their exceptional acting skills. Whether it'd be Chonlatee's iconic mom, Nam or his best friend Pang, the new rich kid, Na or even their new friend Miriam. They all are just absolute all-rounders at their respective roles. What is there that you won't enjoy about them? None.

It is safe to say that the entire Tonhon Chonlatee show was basically carried out by the Supporting Cast, whereas the main leads also did a wonderful job on portraying their roles. However, the Supporting actors wins on this, I'd say. These actors were the core essence of fun, entertainment and cheeky vibe of the show. They're hilarious, joyful and bring a sweet warmth to the show, they are also the best ever people one could ever find in their lives. Everyone is a loyal friend, they are helpful and has got one another's back. I think there's nothing more positive and beautiful than that.

4. A Simple, Humorous Show

To be precise, I'd describe this show as a simple, sweet, and humorous bl series. There are a few aspects of the show which aren't appealing, with complex ideologies and actions, however - this show still shines bright overweighting those flaws. The introduction of the first episode is hilarious, one of the best I've ever seen in a bl series. I was only half a minute into it, and I was giggling, smiling and laughing on my bed. Like seriously, the first few episodes were wholesome, adorable and endearing, despite a few disturbances, which could be ignored because of the stunning acting skills and vibe of the show.

The last episodes got a bit angsty, with a lot drama to overcome, but I cannot just forget all the warmth, happiness and joy this show gave me, when I was just starting out in the beginning. Many people have rated this series really low, because of how ending turned out. But for me, I believe it was a believable, sorta happy ending, which was needed for the peace of everyone. I was never a watcher who just rates stuff low because I didn't like the ending. I rate shows based on how much I enjoyed watching it. So here it goes, this show certainly over 8.7 for me, out of 10. I would highly recommend this bl to others who have backed out from watching it because of the scary reviews, but it is actually a lovely show.

WEAK POINTS

1. Tonhon's Character

Isn't it ironic how Chonlatee's character is in the Strong points list and I'm adding Tonhon's character here? Well, yes because he deserves it. Eventhough he is one of the main leads of the show, he is not a likeable character, due to several reasons. He is a tough, raunchy, macho dude ( atleast pretends to be ), who is too possessive over Chon, who is gaining lots of male attention in his University. He claims Chon as his brother but still obsesses over him like a psychotic jealous boyfriend. He doesn't like any male approaching Chon, atleast that's how he pretends, until someone sane put some wisdom into his brain that he actually likes Chon, more than like a brother.

Later on in this show, we realize Tonhon is always pressured by his family, especially his father to bring grandchildren to be an heir of his legacy -  which constantly puts Tonhon in an uncomfortable position. I also hated how Tonhon forced Chon to hook-up with women, eventhough he showed absolute disinterest towards it. Tonhon even kissed his ex-girlfriend Amp, while dating Chon, which was really infuriating for me. I hate seeing my baby boy Chon crying like that, I swear. Eventhough the kiss was planned and tricked, Tonhon did that to satisfy his ego and show others that he is not afraid of women, eventhough he loves Chon now. So, basically - there are plenty of factors why Tonhon's character was not a good one, instead it caused a lot of drama and pain, but we got to know his secret feelings at the end of the show, and everything was sorted out peacefully.

2. Annoying Villains

The worst part of the show is definitely the Villains, without a second doubt. In my eyes, the actual villains are Tonhon's ex-girlfriend Amp and her friend Neung. Technically, both of them are seniors at Chon's Department of Food Science, and that's why they get exceptional advantage for picking up on Chon in every way possible. Let's face it; they are the worst kind of people. Amp is a popular girl but with zero friends, funny huh? Her personality sucks, because she only focusses on how to create drama with Chon, how to give Tonhon a harder life, while damaging the peace of the show, so effortlessly. Neung is a side-kick of Amp, follows her plans basically, but worse because he tried to harm and force himself on Chon, after making him and his friends drink too much at the freshers party. But, it was Amp's plan though. I don't who is worse here.

But that's not all. When Tonhon actually starts dating Chon, she even dares to tell his family about Tonhon being gay, or tries to break their relationship apart by that kiss trick. She is rude, and disrespectful - she threw water at Chon, thinking as if she has the right of it, because she is his senior. I cannot even explain how much I hated Amp and Neung. I was glad that Neung stopped listening to Amp later on, because they both together are the worst duo ever. Amp's character is very under-developed and never evolved in the series. She constantly strategize new plans to tear apart Tonhon & Chonlatte. I'd have liked it if we could witness a little realization on her side, that what she did was wrong and felt guilty for that, but unfortunately we didn't get to see it. So, basically these two villains are pure evil, nasty and annoying, without any hint of humanity.

Tonhon Chonlatee is a quirky, charming thai bl series, showcasing the bloom of an exceptional love evolving from the unrequited phase. The show features strong loyal friendships, lessons on unconditional love despite any gender, and showcases messages on LGBTQ with a flawed yet beautiful storyline, and legendary acting skills from the actors. I wish this show was more popular, because it certainly deserves more recognition than it gets.

[tobiasdrake]

Whee, it's time to begin the fourth chapter of Rain Code: Chapter Two.

Oh good. This chapter's going to involve high school students and theater. I was a theater kid in high school so this certainly won't be extremely affecting.

Do I get to pick who I hang out with? Because I pick Fubuki.

Then, next chapter, I can hang out with... Mmm... Fubuki. And after that, if there's time, Fubuki.

Yeah, they filed a formal complaint after all of the stuff I said about them during our last investigation together. They had no problem being suspected of the crime; Philosophically, they're a firm believer in nobody being above suspicion. But I also called them a corporate shill and said a lot of other mean things that were completely unprofessional, creating a hostile work environment.

Chief doesn't have any money to pay out compensation, though. Instead, Halara gets to be the boss for the day.

The real explanation for why Halara's over there is that they walked in, saw Yakou's chair and desk unoccupied, and immediately called dibs. They're like a housecat when it comes to important seats of privilege.

No, for real, there has to be some incredible secret talent that simply hasn't come up. I can fully believe that she's... like this. I'm pretty sure at this point that she has some kind of cognitive disability or short-term memory loss. Neurodivergent at least.

But there has to be more to her than just this running joke. She's a Master Detective who survived Amaterasu's murder-wall. You gotta give me something, game.

We're definitely partnering with Desuhiko this chapter. That's unfortunate. Crime-solving with my bestie will have to wait.

Which means, based on the precedent set with Halara, we're going to team up with Desuhiko not just for the investigation but also the Mystery Labyrinth - Ultimately earning his respect, but then he won't remember what happened in the labyrinth so he can continue being shitty in the real world.

Great. I look forward to spending hours attached at the hip to Blue/Gary Oak.

I'm amazing, but you heard what Halara said about the fridge being empty. We're out of milk, butter, battery acid, sausage... a lot of staples for meal prep simply aren't available. I wouldn't know where to begin.

Oh, I guess we are hanging out with Fubuki. Desuhiko's about to quit and go become a professional street musician instead. I wish him the best of luck in his fulfilling new career.

You go follow your dreams, bruh! I will be rooting and believing in you. From in here. Where it's dry and warm.

Oh. Oh no! The 14-year-old Shonen Rival wants to impress us with his sick guitar skills! Someone, anyone get us out of--

YAKOU! MY MAN! GLORIOUS LEADER OF OUR PROUD INSTITUTION! Have a seat. Let's hold a team meeting! I am very invested in whatever you have to say, just as always!

Halara get out of his chair

Can I get you a hot cup of coffee? No, shit, I just said there's no milk or battery acid. Uh. Lukewarm cup of skywater? I'm trying, man, but we're wiped out.

[reejindeed]

Would you say Art is something people are just born with the natural gift or it’s a talent you can acquire with proper dedication and resources?

The older I get the more I realize how little talent matters in the grand scheme of art. I'm a firm believer that at any stage in your life, a person can become an artist. Talent plays a very miniscule role in that.

It IS about having the focus and drive to pursue it consistently.

A person who consistently works on their craft will far surpass a person who relies solely on their talent. I've seen this happen so many times in my life... Consistency outweighs talent every time.

Intentional consistency was also something I had to learn. The only reason I draw the way that I do was because as a kid, it was an obsession for me and I knew I was good. AND I was encouraged.

But when I first got into college I still drew a lot, I just prioritized what was comfortable vs. what I could have been learning. For a little while there I just lived in what was comfortable and kept expanding that side of things. It wasn't until my professor (who became my mentor throughout college) warned me about being "naturally talented" and how, kind of like the hare, you get too comfortable and stop advancing. It took me a bit for that to really sink in, and eventually I started pushing myself to try to become a more well-balanced artist.

Even now there are things that I'm still teaching myself.

Also please don't think I'm implying because I went to college I think people need to go to college to become an artist. You absolutely do not need it. I got very lucky and really enjoyed the experience, but it's expensive, oftentimes wildly inaccessible, and definitely not for everyone.

I DO think it can be helpful to take online courses (if you can afford it) or to consistently ask for critique from people who know what they're talking about, like a portfolio review. That kind of feedback is invaluable, and I think learning how to critique your own work (and other people's work) from an unbiased position is an incredibly important skill and language to learn.

[duhragonball]

Now that you pretty much wrapped up the Baby Saga, I have to ask a question. During your original Dragon Ball GT Retrospective in 2019, you said that Baby is actually a good villain once you ignore that nonsense with the Machine Mutants and the Luud Cult and it seems like you changed your mind on that. Is Baby really a good villain or is he only a good villain in comparison to the other GT villains?

Let me put it like this: Baby is a good villain in the sense that he's thoroughly evil, and he has a consistent motivation to do evil things, and he also represents the opposite of what the hero represents.

I mean, he basically hijacks the whole world, and turns everyone into a population of slaves who adore him. He takes Goku's relationship with the Earth and flips it on its head. Now Baby is the Earth's hero and Goku has to fight against his adopted planet to defeat him. Baby doesn't train to get stronger. Instead he uses the strengths of others, like how he took over Vegeta's body and used the others' powers Bulma's scientific genius to enhance it.

There's also no depth that he won't stoop to. He fights dirty. He picks on defenseless enemies like Pan. He attacks, betrays, and abandons his own followers without a second thought. Baby is either a perversion of everything the Tuffles stood for, or he's actually what the Tuffles stood for, which is pretty chilling to consider.

And he's basically in a position where he has to be this vile, despicable menace. The Tuffles created him to take revenge and Tuffleize the universe. He can't just blow that off and become a farmer. He has to control other people's bodies and infect people with his eggs, because that's the only way he can achieve his goals. The closest he ever comes to doing anything noble is when he decides to kill Goku face-to-face, instead of taking over his body like he did to the others. And that turns out to be a huge mistake, since it allows Goku the opportunity to defeat him.

So he's a solid villain. He is not one of these mythical "good ideas" that GT apologists like to talk about. Baby's whole deal is just a mashup of past Dragon Ball villains.

He's a Tuffle doomsday weapon, like Hatchiyack.

He mind controls the entire population of Earth like Garlic Junior.

He's a Saiyan-hating autocrat, like Frieza.

He was created in some sort of incubation tank, and had to develop into his "perfect form", like Cell.

He uses Vegeta to achieve his goals, like Babidi

He uses the Oozaru form to turn the tables on Goku, like Vegeta.

He absorbs the powers of others to get stronger, like Majin Buu.

A lot of the Machine Mutant stuff is very reminiscent of Meta Cooler from Movie 6.

Again, it's not a sin to re-use ideas from other characters. I'm a firm believer in "Talent borrows; genius steals." The trick, though, is that you have to repurpose the ideas you take and disguise them like something original.

For example, the Androids Saga in DBZ was heavily inspired by the Terminator films. That's no secret; one look at Trunks' haircut and 16's everything should give it away. What makes it unique, however, is that Toriyama didn't just do a shot-for-shot retelling of the Terminator movies. His villains were created by a human scientist (Dr. Gero) instead of a supercomputer (Skynet). While the Terminators were relentless killing machines skilled in infiltration, most of Gero's assassins weren't even interested in killing their target, and they didn't even try to be subtle. All 17 wants to do is joyride in an ice cream truck.

Then you have Cell, who seems like he has more to do with Cronenberg movies than the Terminator franchise. He's an unexpected bad guy from an alternate future, kind of like Biff Tannen in "Back to the Future II," but he has all the powers of strong characters from the past, kind of like Serpentor from G.I. Joe. Did Toriyama swipe ideas from those stories as well? Maybe, but somewhere along the way, he ended up combining so many things together that he wound up with something original. The parallels are still there for critics to notice, but no one's filing lawsuits over 17 and Cell, because it's understood that they're distinct, unique characters, even if they were inspired by other works.

Baby's problem is that his creators just swiped ideas from just one property: Dragon Ball. And that's a terrible way to go about it, because the target audience is already familiar with Dragon Ball, so every time Baby does anything, the viewer is going to recognize it as something they've seen before in the same show. It makes Baby look rather authentic. You see him do stuff and he looks like he belongs in this franchise, because it's consistent with what you've seen before. But none of it is innovative because he's not doing anything new.

Now, if they had cast a wider net, and been a little more clever about it, Baby could have turned into something truly special. Suppose the writers had borrowed ideas from the 90's Batman movies, or "Knight Rider" or literally anything else. You'd have to do a lot of tinkering just to make it fit in to a series like GT, and that's where the creativity comes from. Then, when Baby does something, it's not going to be exactly like a time Frieza or Vegeta did something similar. He'd bring his own unique flavor to it. He'd whip out a gadget from his talking utility belt, and it'd be totally fresh.

I think this is why I like the concept of the Tuffles in general a lot more than I like Baby specifically. When I saw Kamin and Oren in Super Dragon Ball Heroes, I was thrilled, because it looked like someone had taken the Baby IP and done something genuinely fun with it. I think there's a mission in one of the games where Kami and Oren Tuffleize the planet Sadala in Universe 6, and you have to fight all the mind-controlled Saiyans to liberate the planet. It's basically the Baby Saga on a different location, but it still sounds a lot more appealing, because it's not saddled with Baby himself.

I sometimes think of trying to do stuff with the Tuffles in my fanfic, but I've never been able to come up with a good angle for it. There's a good story to be had from the Baby lore, but it's not the Baby Saga itself, because I just finished watching it, and it's a mess.

And I guess that's the trouble with Baby. Is he a good villain? Yeah, I think he clears the bar. Is he a great villain? I don't know if I'd go that far. But good? Sure, especially if you separate him from all the bullshit before his debut. But he's a good villain based on unoriginal ideas, and the execution was thoroughly botched. It's like if Tommy Wiseau put Dracula in "The Room". It doesn't matter how good a villain Dracula is, he's not going to come across well.

[wallabywannabe]

Just auditioned for a community choir. Their website sounded a little intimidating, but once I heard the director explain what he was looking for (mostly technical skills) it was pretty clear it was going to be easy to make. And I did. I also sang really well, and I'm reasonably confident my assessment of myself is accurate. Which sounds like a boring self-congratulatory statement, when actually it's pretty monumental for me.

My voice teacher in high school was a very firm believer in some concepts, like "Everyone can sing if they're taught well" and "I'm an incredible voice teacher." At the time I was one of his victories, not because I was the best student he had, but because I was the worst singer he had taught to sing successfully. Which he told me, often.

I was incredibly anxious, full of physical tension in all the wrong places, and hated drawing attention to myself. I also "talk wrong." All of those things still apply, but overcoming them AND overcoming a long period of incredible embarrassment while figuring it out is something I'm genuinely very proud of. It was super emotionally difficult and would have made a lot more sense to give up. But I didn't for some reason.

I think I learned the techniques and tools in high school, but I don't think I've been able to gain mastery or real consistency until recently. It took 15 years of aging to understand myself enough to make singing well easy. I also experimented with musical theater and got some more understanding of the difference between styles. And aging physically also seemed to help my voice "settle."

Now no one knows me or my singing from before, and I can trick people into thinking I'm a good singer with a "lovely voice." It's kind of fun and feels slightly deceitful. Little do they know I have no talent!

[ablogmadebyjose]

TERM PROJECT NO.2 | BASTARD

Topics of interest

Teen Magazine | In style, bright, advertisements

Film Title Sequence | Serious, emotional, thematic

Record Album Cover | Impression, story, tone

CHOSEN TOPIC -> RECORD ALBUM COVER

I decided to pick a record album cover, as ever since the M&M assignment from last semester, I wanted to have another attempt at an album cover design, but this time I chose a different medium, and in this case, I used Photoshop. I am always so intrigued by the art of album covers, and I appreciate the amount of effort the musician and designer put into the art of an album cover to ensure that the album is well represented to audiences.

Creative Concept

One of my favourite artists of all time is L.A. Tyler, the Creator, and even though his artwork for the last five albums has been outstanding in terms of quality and visuals, his cover designs for his first two albums (Bastard and Goblin) are less than superb. So, I decided to take on the role of recreating Tyler's first album's cover. My main challenge was sticking to a monochrome colour palette with a hint of red to take a nod to the original album cover, which is included above. My secondary constraint was ensuring that I eluded to the story within Bastard without making the design look outlandish and keeping in mind how album cover designs can influence the sales of records.

Description

Bastard is a mixtape by American rapper and producer Tyler, the Creator. Released in 2009, it serves as Tyler's debut solo project and showcases his unique style, blending elements of hip-hop, alternative rap, and dark, introspective lyrics. The mixtape gained attention for its raw and experimental sound, setting the stage for Tyler's future success with Odd Future (Tyler's friend group made up of other rappers, graphic designers, and skateboarders) and his solo career. Tyler, the Creator produced the entire "Bastard" mixtape himself at the young age of 19, demonstrating not only his skills as a rapper but also his talent as a producer. This DIY approach to his music production has been a consistent aspect of Tyler's artistic identity throughout his career.

Bastard is well known for its grunge-like production with tones of darkness in its lyrics and production so I really wanted to capture those characteristics in my redesign. When it comes to my roughs for graphic design I tend to find it quite difficult to really articulate my final vision as my process is changed quite a ton from when I plan my roughs to when I export the final JPG whereas when it comes to illustration I need complex roughs to lay a firm foundation or else I struggle to even begin. This could just because of the amount of experience I have between design and illustration but its a hurdle I must overcome. However, thankfully I will say I am quite skilled in photoshop so tackling this project was a nice refresher after the winter break and I was able to learn some new techniques that enhance my work such as colour overlay and dealing with adjustment layers. Layering multiple images resulted in the texture in the final result and effects such as grain, and roughen to portray the scuffed-like condition of the album. The album heavily contains themes of religion so it felt right to include an image of heaven while Tyler on the left wearing a ski mask with a upside-down cross is there to show a contrast of the rebellious influence Tyler has on the record. I wanted to keep type simple yet unique so I went with a sans serif typeface for the body text and a more decorative yet striking typeface for the title and I adjusted the kerning to increase readability. The graphics on the bottom are all made by me and even though I could've just grabbed them on google I figured I might as well have more pen tool practise. Overall I'm beyond pleased with how this turned out and I plan on recreating other album designs from Tyler, the Creator and I believe I was able to reach my objective in this week's illo.

KEYWORDS

Unsettling

Disturbing

Tone Deaf

ROUGH -> PROCREATE

ROUGH -> FINAL

[thoughtsaladblog]

Mid-morning Intrusive Thoughts

Well Imma be honest, this is going to be your regular rant because I'm trying to sort through a mélange of different thoughts- talk about an overactive mind!

While I want to start with (no longer) Morally Grey, I feel like he's been the subject of too many posts at this point and I'd rather focus on something else at the moment. So let's talk about the intrusive thoughts on feeling completely talent-free (that's the polite way of saying I'm a dud). Not that I can't do things- I know I have certain skills, but none that will truly set me apart, nor help garner any income. And in addition to that I feel like an absolute moron when smart people have conversations with me- not necessarily because I can't hold a conversation with them, but I feel like my lack of knowledge on intelligent topics limits me, and therefore I don't present them with interesting conversations. Which obviously makes me feel pretty insecure. And lately I've been feeling like I lack anything special that adds value to me- I mean I'm a good teacher, but frankly, in this world no one gives a shit about that. And yes, there's nothing wrong with being ordinary- but honestly I don't think my heart could be content being ordinary. I like to be seen/known for something. I also believe my lack of qualifications is now starting to fuck with my head. I'm starting to feel like an idiot- because people are like- oh hey you can do this, apply here, try this job... and I know I can't because my CV lacks the credentials to get me that. And I would like to go finish my studies but there's a dilemma there too- ever since I struggled with my Marketing degree because I didn't have access to a proper firm for my final assignment I have wondered if I'm lacking in what it takes to do a good job at my studies. But also, finances. I can't necessarily quit my job and go finish my studies- it's not like we've got millions stored somewhere where I don't have to earn a living while studying... And I certainly can't juggle a degree and my classes. So it's safe to say I'm stuck in a rut where the wheels are spinning but all I'm doing is muddying up the place.

Speaking of finances... whoof! I'm the brokest I've been since I started teaching. Don't ask me how-even I don't know. Bad spending decisions, high cost of living, students not paying on time, losing my extra work- I suppose all these have contributed. All I know is I'm in a bad fucking state. It feels so weird... It's been a while since I've been this broke and I'm not liking it to say the least. Amma told me to move back home- I'd rather kill myself. That place depresses me beyond anything, and saying goodbye to my freedom means coming into a state of depression I don't really want to think about. And let's be real... As long as you live in that house it means doing dog's work/housework and frankly I'd really rather not. I like having the freedom to live the way I do without having to answer to anyone. It's the one thing that keeps me sane to be honest. Overall my life seems to be unravelling at a miserable rate and this one thing gives me a sense of being in control.

Out of control? Oh yeah.. My plans to bid adieu to this sinking ship have gone out of control. I am still stuck here, and unable to find a way out. I'm bloody losing my mind. I need to get the fuck out. Honestly. I mean I have loved my job and there are still days when it brings me joy- but its only a select few classes that have that effect on me. For the most part, all the negative shit that's happened with students leaving, parents being ungrateful and unwanted drama from school I've really lost my love for teaching. It doesn't feed my soul anymore. And if we're no longer feeding the soul then I might as well go back to corporate- because that way at least I get my social life back! Once the current 11s leave I really don't feel motivated to stay on... They're the last of the ones I'm close to. Not to mention that that's going to be one of the hardest goodbyes. I kind of wanna run away after- just have a change of setting and meet new people. I want to take a risk but I'm also scared. My cowardice is standing in the way of me getting anywhere- as always!

Well not always... Coz clearly when it comes to my love life I tend to take unnecessary risks. Oh yes, we've arrived at the elephant in the room. If you look to your left here, you would see this large fucking elephant , labelled Morally Grey. The highlight of my bad decisions at the start of the year... Because why the fuck not start the year with a big-ass blunder right?? But no I won't ramble on about that- except to mention that it's become weird between us ever since (reasonably so). Good job Nichole, give yourself a fucking pat on the back for ruining a perfectly good thing for nothing! But oh wait.. the lunacy doesn't end there. This bitch is unable to come to terms with the fact that this shit will go nowhere. No no.. She still wants to imagine she has a chance. Fucking dumbass. Frankly I can only call myself a masochist at this point, for the way I sabotage myself and manage to bring myself so much heartache. Idiot. I dunno if it's because I'm listening to the hopeful ideas of dew-eyed teens, or it's my own sense of denial, because I keep obsessing over the moron, wanting to talk to him and missing him and a billion other cringey shit. Honestly... I need to fucking move on... But do I? No! Of course not! Instead I'm off on a downward spiral- spending more money that I don't have. Honestly everything is just unravelling and my head is spinning and it's all too much. I really don't want to cry over spilled milk- or in this case, a guy who clearly doesn't feel the same about me. Where's my fucking pride? Or shame for that matter?! This is pathetic!

And as much as I'd like to end this post with some sort of revelation or epiphany, the truth is I'm stuck in a rut and it's filled with quick-sand. There's no way out, and no one's saving me. As always, I'm completely on my own to pull myself out, and frankly I'm tired of saving myself. For once, I'd like someone else to come pull me out... Because honestly, I lack the energy and strength to help myself this time around. No, no I won't kill myself.. I know as always I will cone through.. But for now I'm sinking and I'm going to let it happen.

[tuulikannel]

just some nightly ramblings about Nagito

I was just thinking about a post I made recently about how much I love the interactions of Nagito and Hajime in the Ultimate Talent Development Plan, and… it’s all so funny, except honestly, it’s actually quite sad. And then I started thinking about Nagito in general, his past and family and, well, you know, everything. And… well. This is the point where I tell certain mutuals who’ve not played DR2 yet to stop reading, in the case you are. ^~ In fact, let’s put here a cut…

So. Here are those scenes from UTDP:

Hajime: Do you say this kinda stuff to everyone you meet? Nagito: *surprised Pikachu face* Yes, I do. Why?

Hajime: Nagito, let go of my hand. Nagito: What? Why? Hajime: Why…? This is a handshake. Normally you let go when the handshake’s done.

I mean, it’s funny, it’s dorky, it’s cute, and it’s a clear sign that someone here has very low social skills and ability to read social situations. And most likely this is something caused by his condition; apparently difficulty interacting socially with others is a key symptom of frontotemporal dementia. So, yeah, first of all, Nagito… I’m sorry I’m laughing at you for being “funny” like this. Of course, I’m no expert in the matter, and I don’t know how well Nagito’s behavior really fits this condition, and who am I to guess authorial intent and all that, but I’m at least assuming this is what his weirdness is supposed to be about. So, yeah… is it really that funny?

And I wonder if there aren’t other sources for his social awkwardness, too. Like, for example, the lack of social relationships during his whole(!?) life. I wonder if he has ever really had friends. In Ultimate Summer Camp, there is an event where he goes to movies with Hajime and Ryoma, and he’s all excited about it, saying that it’s his first time going to movies with friends. Just think about that. First time. Going to movies with friends. In high school. Also, in the island mode of DR2, he mentions that he has only been to an amusement park once before with his parents. Never with friends, in other words. He has never even sat at a park talking with someone.

Is it any wonder, then, that just trying to talk normally with someone (albeit someone important to him), makes him feel like this:

I was also wondering about his relationship with his parents. I think it’s safe to assume that Nagito has always had his crazy luck. What did his parents think about it? They must have noticed early on something was off. Did they worry over their son? Did they fear him? Did they love him despite everything? They took him to an amusement park – once. I wonder what happened that they never did that again…

One line Nagito said in the first class trial remained with me long after, even before I knew anything else about his past: “Nobody's ever complimented me on my appearance before! Not even my own mother!” I mean… there are all kinds of personalities, and I bet not all mothers are always gushing about how handsome their little boys are, wearing a suit for the first time or whatever, but still. Never? His parents never gave him any compliments, at least not when he was old enough to remember it? That’s… sad.

There's also Nagito's firm believe that he is ultimately worthless. Where does that come from? He is clearly quite intelligent, yet he calls himself stupid and insignificant. For a 15-year-old kid to be so sure of his worthlessness... that doesn't happen without outside influence. I doubt mere lack of support (what his parents never complimenting him hint at) is quite enough for this. Okay, maybe I'm overthinking things... but the bits and pieces we have about Nagito's relationship with his parents do seem quite worrying to me. I’m kind of wondering… did all the bad stuff their son brought to their life make them resent him?

When Nagito talks about his parents' death, he doesn’t really show any sorrow at all. OK, it might be partly due to his condition, and partly because just to remain sane on any level, he has convinced himself that all the bad stuff will lead to good stuff in the end… so even his parents’ death is just a sacrifice for the greater good. But what is that greater good, in this case? His parents died in front of his eyes, and he’s telling about it like, “oh, but then I inherited a lot of money, so all’s good!” Now, I’m not saying he wouldn’t have felt sad (and guilty) about it, and perhaps he just blocked it all away, but I honestly wonder about his relationship with his parents and how close they really were. It’s also good to keep in mind that this happened when he was in elementary school. That means he was under 13 years old. This was years before his sickness kicked in, so in this regard, apart from his weird luck, he should have been a pretty normal kid. I wonder how he really felt about their death back then. If it was even half as devastating to him as it should have been, would he really be able to talk about it so lightly now?

Btw, do we know anything about what happened to him after their death? Who took care of him? He was way too young to be on his own, anyway. I’m also now wondering about why they were traveling with him in the first place. They must have known it’s risky business to get on an airplane with someone like him. (A weird new head canon that was just born: they were traveling in order to find healer/exorcist/something in those lines to fix their son’s strange luck!) Or… maybe I really am reading too much into the few lines we have about his parents. Maybe they were a happy family on a vacation, and that’s all. (I wish.)

Yeah… it’s past 2 am, so sorry if all of this isn't making any sense. I should head to bed. What was the point of all this anyway? Just… Nagito’s somehow so funny and so sad at the same time, and I’m eternally torn between “don’t ever change, my darling fluffhead <3” and “imma take this boy to therapy right about now” …that's all, I guess. If anyone has any opinions about any of this, please share, but for me, it’s bedtime now.

[staygolddindjarin]

Grief

Chapter two: Rebellion

Din Djarin x Reader x Cassian Andor

Series Summary: Raised on Mandalore, born into a bloodline of warriors, no one ever expected for the daughter of a Clan leader to go rogue. Leaving the life of security and making the journey to fight in the war against the empire meant many things... giving up the way of the Mandalore, and giving up a solid future. A future that involves an arranged marriage to a foundling from another clan.

Chapter warnings: some brief angst, this ones pretty mellow ngl

Words: 3.3k

A/n: i was not expecting such a good response from the first chapter but bruh you guys are amazing- anyway here's part two of my brain's misery

Part 2/?

The trip from Mandalore to the planet of Dantooine was long, and still ongoing. We all took turns, watching to see if we were any closer. After each jump from hyperspace, the transport would stop at a space refueling tank, before slowly going onward toward the destination. We must have been traveling several systems across the galaxy. We had a few laughs, mainly while watching Gander try and steal Shyloh's food from his knapsack while he was sleeping. Most of the other time we all just sat in silence, up until this point.

"What do you think we're all going to do once we get to the rebel base?" Merc raised his voice slightly, barely capturing our attentions as we had all been dozing off, and Shyloh was taking watch at the view point.

"What do you mean?" I had asked, not quite sure of what he was getting at. I sat up straighter against the wall, showing my interest in the newfound conversation.

"What branch do you think you'll end up in?" He was in a daze as he spoke, almost unsure of his intentions of bringing it up. His dark eyes were nearly emotionless under his furrowed brow.

"I hadn't really thought about it. I would say maybe something like mechanics," I said, thinking of the best possible use of my talents. I'm sure there's plenty of mechanical help already assisting the rebels, but with the galactic empire growing it's forces by the day, they needed all the help they could get.

"What about flying?" Shyloh perked up from his seat at the window.

"What about it?" I asked, curious as to why he suddenly thought of the new topic.

"You could do it of you wanted to. Be a pilot, I mean. You have the skills," He told me, but I scoffed. He wasn't in any way shape or form was making an ounce of sense at all.

"Speeder control races are a bit different from piloting fighters against the imperial troops don't you think?" I laughed at the idea, but he rolled his eyes, persistent with his opinion.

"It's less different than you think it is. Also mind you, I never saw you lose a race," He objected, but I wasn't having any of it.

"That's because when I raced, my own credits were on the line," I joked, seeing what he would try and come up with next, only to be met with a cold hard stare, before an answer that would shake me to my core.

"Well, now the freedom of the galaxy is on the line."

My smile dropped from my face and I turned to face the other two, who were looking back at me. They didn't expect that answer either. Shyloh was well known to be a boy of few words, and only really spoke to his friends and family. He was a founding just like the rest of them, but he had been with ths clan longer, due to having been saved from a war infested home as a baby.

He could sometimes be very wise, even if he didn't think he was being so. We weren't sure what it was, but he had this sort of presense that was so powerful. We knew when he would walk in a room, or walk out of it. It's like the air would change. Much like it changed now, with his words rendering us all speechless.

The silence was uncomfortable, and I was the one who left it unresloved, so I spoke up in favor of my crewmates to not keep quiet any longer.

"Perhaps I shall see where I am needed first."

"Perhaps you shouldn't be so afraid to explore an option you would excel in," He again rendered me speechless, and I did not have anything else to say this time. I was young, but my mind was not. I could comprehend thoughts the same way that an adult could. I could handle things just as well and if not better than some, too. He was right. I was simply afraid.

"I think we're finally here," Shyloh said, turning back to look out of the view port again.

"Its about time," Gander stood up, slinging his knapsack over his shoulder and standing at the transport door waiting for it to slide up.

We all followed suit, but Shyloh stopped us and held up a warning finger to stay still.

"There's manding droids, we gotta sneak off carefully. They don't look like bulk but they could be armed," He suggested. We were not yet at the rebel base, meaning these were probably droids of the land, and belonged to whoever oversees the exports on this planet.

When the panel opened, we were all careful to first peek out of the transport. This planet was nothing at all like Mandalore, which was dry and hot. This planet was lush with plants. And the air was slightly humid. It was a very welcome contrast from where I spent most of my life.

We all sneakily bolted out of the transport, ducking down behind one of the cargo units placed outside. We saw an opening in what looked like some sort of forrest patch.

There was a chill in the air on this planet, even in the middle of the day. Mandalore only ever got colder at night, when the sun was down and the moons were shining.

"That was close." Merc mumbled as we began to turn around and head into the grasslands, trying to find the rebel base.

We made sure no one was behind us, and were careful to check if any droids had caught sight of us.

We all went to turn around, but as soon as I did, I collided with someone's chest, rather hard might I add, sending me to the ground on my bottom. I didn't even collide that hard with the person, it was just the shock that sent me backwards.

"Need a hand?" I looked up to see a man, a sly smirk on his face as he held his hand out towards me. I took it without question, heaving myself up from the grassy, and somewhat muddy ground beneath me.

"You must be our contact," Merc smiled, and the man nodded, turning and begining to lead us to a speader that was hovering nearby behind a large set of trees.

"We must be careful not to use names outside of the base. I would be more than happy to formally introduce myself once we reach our final destination," He chuckled. It was only now that I realized he had an accent, a thick one. Probably left over from his native tongue that spilled out his mouth when he spoke galactic basic.

I know that sometimes my accent slips in when i speak. I never had to worry about using Mando'a around my fellow crewmates. They were foundlings, and hadn't been raised to speak it. Shyloh was, but he prefered to use galactic basic anyways because he had forgotten so much of it.

We all boarded the speader, Gander and I sitting on the back, our legs hanging off as we held onto the side bars.

"This might be a bumpy ride for you two," The man said, looking at both of us before giving me a wink. I scrunched my face up, not sure how else to react to it. The man was definitely on the younger side, but I wasn't sure how he could possibly see an interest in me.

Maybe he did and I just didn't want him to. Maybe I was still hinged to the idea that I would go back to Mandalore someday and marry my betrothed. I was so young, and hadn't the slightest idea of what feelings I could possibly be harboring, if any at all.

I couldn't deny I found him appealing. Anyone would, at least any human with eyes that is.

His hair was dark, and so were his eyes. He had a bit of stubble along his jaw and above his lip. He was somewhat scruffy looking, but in a good way.

As the speeder went through the forresty stretch of pathway, I kept turning around to catch a glimpse of him. Each time I did I had to look away fast because Gander would give me weird stares.

I would play it off like I was simply taking in the view of the green planet around me, and he wouldn't seem to notice.

After a while, with quite a few twists and turns, and Gander and I nearly falling off the speeder twice, we arrived to our destination.

We all hopped out of the transport, following the man into a giant cargo port. As soon as I looked to my left I could see an X-wing fighter in all it's glory. I had never seen a real one before, just heard stories and viewed holograms.

"Alright. We have about twelve other recruits arriving on this base today, so you will all be attending orientation this evening. As for right now, you look beat, and should rest. PX-74 will assign you to your bunks," He said, gesturing to the droid before beginning to walk away with a nod, but I stopped him before he could take a step.

"Wait a minute... I believe I recall something about a formal introduction," I crossed my arms over my chest and shifted my weight, trying to give off the look of having as much confidence as I could muster. I was putting on a facade, possibly to make me seem more mature. I didn't know the real reason.

He smirked, raising an eyebrow as he scanned me up and down with his dark eyes.

"Cassian Andor," He smiled, then looking right back at me with questioning eyes. "And how about you... you got a name?"

"Y/n from clan Maldrix," I said, my confidence wavering a little when he looked at me the way that he did.

"She's a Mandalorian," Shyloh perked up, and I sent him a warning glare.

"Yeah, sixth generation," Merc added, his cocky smile pasted on his face for all to see and be annoyed by.

"A mandalorian? I've heard the stories but I haven't ever met one. Are you-?"

"I'm not," I cut him off before this got twisted into one big lie. "My mother and father are."

"Doesn't that make you one too?" Cassian furrowed his brow but his tone was somewhat joking and humorous.

"No, it does not," I wasn't harsh with the way my voice came out, but I was firm. Though I wasn't one of them, the mandalorians and all they stood for were very important to me.

"Mandalorian is not a race, it's a creed. Some of the best Mandalorians I ever had the pleasure of knowing didn't even have a bloodline from Mandalore. They were foundlings, like these three," I explained, laying out the facts so that there was no longer any confusion lingering, but now there was a tension that was thicker than the trees on this planet.

"Even still, she can fight just as good as any soldier taken the creed," Merc jumped in, trying to clear the air, and thankfully, it seemed to be working.

"She flies even better," Shyloh mentioned, and I swore I could kill him. He was just so pushy sometimes, even with his massive sense of wisdom.

"You fly?" This peaked Andor's interest, and immediately he seemed more engaged towards me.

"I'm not as good as they say I am," I admitted, but he shook his head.

"No, really... if you can fly we could really use you. We're putting together a team for an air raid that's set to happen about one month's time from now," He came up closer to me and stared me in the eye.

"I'm just a kid, I might really let you down," I joked, trying not to get too caught up in his eye contact. His eyes were much darker when you could see them closely.

"I tell you what, I can arrange for you to have time in the flight simulator after orientation. If we feel you would be an asset, we can add you to the strike team," He said, nodding along to his words. I understood that they might need backup, and if push came to shove, I could maneuver faster than any pilot back on Mandalore. I never lost a race, nor did I ever lose a bet.

"Okay."

I could tell I was blushing from the extra attention I was receiving. I wasn't so sure what about me was so enticing that I deserved it.

"I have to go now to pick up the other recruits from a drop station. I leave you in the capable hands of PX-74," He said, returning to his speeder and letting us be lead off into the base.

"There are only so many open bunks left. Two of you will share one, and the other two will be placed with bunk mates." The metalized voice of the PX unit was strong in our ears, and we all followed after him as we ventured into the long hallway at the end of the cargo port.

The droid stopped at a door about midway through the hall and opened it using the side panel on the wall, revealing a young man that seemed almost younger than me even.

"One of you will be staying here. Which will it be?" The droid asked, turning towards our small group.

"I'll take this one," Shyloh said, stepping forward into the bunk to meet his new roomate.

The boy looked a bit frightened at first, but because of Shyloh's powerful yet calming energy, he seemed to relax almost immediately.

He turned and smiled back at us, waving before the IG unit closed the door and kept us going.

He walked us down passed several more doors, maybe more than twenty, before he stopped at another one and opened it up.

Inside sat a young woman, her legs crossed as she sharpened a knife with a smirk on her face. She looked up and made eye contact with me first.

"I wondered how long it would be before they got someone else in here." Her voice was somewhat low and raspy, but it was kind of soothing in a way.

"One of you-" the IG unit began again, but I stopped him, stepping into the bunk with the girl inside.

"I'll take this one." I smiled at the two boys left before the door closed on my new bunk.

I moved to set my knapsack down on the bottom bunk, but my roomate stopped me.

"Bottom one's mine." She said, looking up from her sharpened knife again to inform me of the sleeping arrangements.

I instead threw my knapsack on the top bunk, trying to climb up into it, but failing miserably.

"You need a hand?" She chuckled, watching my lame attempts to swing my leg up high enough. The fact that there was no ladder should have tipped me off.

"I'll be okay, thanks," I laughed, keeping my attitude loose and positive, though this bunk bed was already causing unnecessary problems for me.

"If you say so," She chuckled again, seeing as I finally managed to haul myself up and onto the bed.

"First try," I joked, and she laughed like it was the funniest thing in the world. I think that we would be getting along, because no one ever laughed at my lame sense of humor.

I laid back, resting my arms behind my head and staring blankly at the ceiling.

"So, where are you from?" She piped up, not taking her eyes away from her previous knife. That thing must mean a lot to her.

"Mandalore," I let out, trying to get comfortable on this lumpy pad that was under my head.

"Actually?" She seemed surprised. Everyone had heard of the planet that the mandalorian tribes had resided upon, and usually they understood what kind of people the place would breed.

"Yeah. Left just in time. Tomorrow's my birthday," I shut my eyes continuing our converastion with one less sense. It didn't matter, though. I was still fully awake.

"What would you have had to do?" She pondered curiously, finally looking up towards the bunk in interest.

"Well, to put it short... tomorrow I would have had to swear my freedom away. No living being would ever be able to see my face again till the day I died," I laid it out plain and simple, and she seemed to understand.

"How old are you?" She asked, her trail of questions getting longer and longer.

"Sixteen tomorrow," I answered, feeling a bit more tired now that my eyes had been closed, and the lights in the bunk rooms were dim.

"You're just a baby," She scoffed. "How could they possibly expect you to make that choice so young?"

"It's just the way it's always been there. This is the way," I remembered. Those words used to be said to me nearly ten times a day, and now they only rung in my mind as a memory.

"That's insane. The people on your planet must be crazy to take an oath like that," She muttered.

"You would think so... the strangest part about it is that there are kids brought back as foundlings that take the creed without hesitation. They don't even belong to a bloodline, they just feel as though they have right to the creed as much as anyone else," I silently remembered Din for a moment. He was the bravest, strongest, most loyal Mandalorian I'd ever known. A foundling.

I began to get bitter at the thought of leaving him. He could have made things better for me if I had just given him a chance. I had to let my head get in the way. I needed to think about something else.

"What about you, huh? Where you from?" I asked, changing the subject as quickly and painlessly as possible.

"Alderaan. Born and raised," She said, getting up from the floor and dropping herself on the bottom bunk.

"You been a lot of places since then?" I asked, but she first let out a heavy sigh before speaking.

"Only too many to count," She said, settling herself on the bunk like I had done.

"Must be nice..." I muttered. Finally able to relax on this pathetic excuse for a bed pad. Of course I couldn't complain. I'm the one who chose the life of the rebellion, including their miserable bedding. "I've never been anywhere outside my home planet until now. I haven't even seen the entirety of my own planet."

"Most new comers are the same. They haven't been anywhere else, then they come here and its like we're moving non stop. Base to base, on just about every planet in this galaxy," She reassured. At least now I didn't feel so out of place.

"How long have you been stationed here?" I asked, unsure of how long I would get to adjust to things.

"A few months. It's likely we'll have to leave soon. There's rumors of the imperials knowing our location," She answered, rolling her eyes, thought I couldn't see from the top bunk.

"You're kidding," I scoffed. After just getting here, I might have to up and leave again. I'll have to learn to accept this new life, it's what I wanted.

"I wish I was, kid," She added.

"I have a name," I retorted back, not a fan of the nickname 'kid'. I waited for her to ask me what it was, but when she stayed silent I sighed. "It's Y/n."

"I'll call you what you are... now get some rest, they'll come pounding on that door in a few hours for orientation," She said, as though she somehow had grown to a habit of mothering me only five minutes after we met. I dropped the conversation and drifted off to sleep, my eyes were too heavy to keep open anymore anyway.

.

.

Tags open

A/n: okay so like i wrote this a while before everything with gina carano happened and i do not in any way condone her whatsoever so let's pretend she's been recast already...

[jimlingss]

can i request a yoongi chef au? i feel like yoongi's culinary skills are underrated, and I'm just a slut for chef aus in general

Anonymous said: Hi I saw ur request open posts for the new year!!! Could u write more yoongi stories🥺?!?! Your stories are so fantastic and i’m thirsty for more yoongi lolol🤪(hopefully u get enough votes to do more of him haha)

I feel like Jin’s the one who’s usually written as the chef, prob because he’s the better known chef in BTS, but you’re right! There’s gotta be more chef Yoongi!AUs, so here you go!!!

↳ Buttering Up

2.2k || 100% Fluff & Flirtation || Min Yoongi || Chef!AU

He clearly doesn’t know who you are.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

You hum, arms crossed as you eye him up and down. His black hair is practically a bowl cut, bangs covering his forehead. He’s in casual clothes — a taupe trench and black pants — looking like he’s ready for a trip to the grocery store rather than to cook. You wonder where this child crawled out from.

“You’re Yoongi?”

“That I am.” He approaches the door of the restaurant before plunging his hands inside his trench coat pockets. He fishes out the key and unlocks it, ushering you inside. “Hope you don’t mind that the restaurant’s closed down.”

You mind much more that he left you waiting on the cold city street for over ten minutes. You still can’t believe he was late. The audacity.

“I would’ve liked to see how you and your staff do your dinner service.”

“Unfortunately, we’re booked full for the next two months.”

You scoff — how doesn’t he know who you are? You’re a food critic who’s brought highly regarded restaurants to their knees through a review of five sentences. Your words alone has had rippled effects in the industry. Even the most talented chefs hold their breaths when you taste-test.

You make Gordon Ramsey look like Mother Teresa.

This Yoongi character is much too arrogant to not respect you. His new and upcoming restaurant might have raving reviews, but you’ll see what’s really going on.

“Sit wherever you’d like.”

There are no waiters in fancy garb, no hand sewn tablecloths made of silk. He doesn’t even pull out the chair for you. Instead, he’s off flickering on the lights of the restaurant while you choose a wooden table and chair right in front of his open kitchen — which is a horrible mistake in itself.

Open kitchens have always been a concept that has fallen short in your eyes. It’s much too noisy during dinner service and it gets smelly fast. Who actually wants to leave smelling like butter and oil?

It’s something you note as you get settled. 

Your coat drapes at the back of the chair and then you watch him. Yoongi’s taken off his trench as well, revealing a white long sleeve that he’s beginning to roll up to his elbows. He’s lean and his build is small, but somehow, he’s far from being scrawny. You gawk at the veins running up his forearm until he casually asks—

“Do you have a preference for wine?”

“I’m fine with any.”

He hums and comes over from the glass cabinet with a bottle of chardonnay and a wine glass. Yoongi pops the bottle easily and pours into the pristine glass with a mere tilt of his wrist. You watch the stream fill the glass a quarter way full.

“Is there a menu?”

“You don’t need one.”

Your brows raise. “Excuse me?” 

“If I were you, I’d put myself in the chef’s hands entirely and go with their recommendation.” He strides away, placing the wine bottle on the other table and then he turns with a glint in his eye and his mouth slightly crooked upwards. “Unless, of course, you don’t trust your chef.”

Oh. He’s confident. 

You can’t wait for his ego to blow up in his face.

“Fine then.” Your head tilts upwards. “What’s your recommendation then?”

He rounds his way to go into the kitchen that’s only a few meters away from where you sit. “Risotto with grilled chicken breast, topped off with caramelized onions, mushroom, grilled zucchini and sautéed tomatoes.”

You roll your eyes. What a basic dish. Isn’t it just rice? And with chicken breast?! Ew. It's guaranteed to be bland.

“Alright then.” You give a smile that might be more mocking than intended. “We’ll see how it tastes.”

Yoongi starts and while sipping the chardonnay, you take a good look at the restaurant from your spot. The place is rustic with a hint of contemporary. There’s exposed brick, wooden tables and chairs, and low, yellow lighting. There’s nothing particularly impressive about the place.

Soon, the sound of rapid, rhythmic chopping fills the space and then sizzling. You watch him intently. And you’re appalled. This Yoongi guy commits the worst cooking sins — his pan is cold when he starts throwing on ingredients. He cooks with olive oil. He overcrowds the pan. And he doesn’t even taste test once as he cooks.

What the actual fuck. 

There’s a line between arrogance and insanity, and he was crossing it.

You cringe when he starts using his metallic spatula on the non-stick skillet.

Is he even qualified to run a restaurant?!

Or maybe your assistant sent you information about the wrong restaurant? Or maybe this was not the guy you were supposed to be eating from. What if he poisons you or kills off all of your taste buds?! Your career would be ruined.

“Everything going okay?” you pipe up.

He glances up at you for the first time, eyes peering past his bangs. “Yep. Should be done in five.”

Food is simple. It either tastes good or it doesn’t. But the higher up you go and the fancier it gets, the more convoluted the food tastes with bland flakes of gold and the same old truffle shavings. That or it’s entirely boring and unoriginal. 

Or in this case, it might kill you. Which would be the first. And you’re not happy about it.

You feel unsettled when he plops the dish in front of you.

“Chef’s recommendation.”

“Thanks.”

You feel unsettled because it actually smells good. The aroma that fills your senses is flavoursome and buttery, and the thyme on top adds a fresh hint. You’re also unsettled because the plating isn’t actually bad. It’s been presented in a pasta bowl with wavy designs and the chicken breast is thinly and neatly sliced on top. It’s clean. It’s bright. It’s colourful.

But the most lethal poisons are the appetizing ones.

“Are you going to wait until it gets cold?”

You look up, brows raising at how he’s gotten comfortable in the chair across from you. Usually the chefs and waiters or waitresses like to skedaddle off and leave you to your own thoughts, too afraid to stand in your intense scrutiny. But Min Yoongi twists off the cap of his water bottle and casually downs it in front of you.

“I’m just looking at the presentation.”

“Tastes better than it looks,” he exhales after swallowing his water. 

Your expression becomes skeptical. But you take the silver spoon beside you anyhow and decide not to waste any more time.

The spoonful goes into your mouth. He watches you. You chew.

Instantly, you halt. 

The flavour hits your tongue. Creamy. Thick. But each individual grain of rice still has some firmness with a discernible texture. It’s been done al dente. There’s sweetness from the caramelized onions. An earthy flavour from the mushrooms. A zesty touch from the thyme. The chicken breast is somehow still juicy and the tomatoes burst on your palate. 

Suddenly, you’re thrusted back into your childhood. Those summer days spent in the cottage. Sun-kissed cheeks, dirtied knees, cotton dresses. You can hear your late grandmother in the kitchen. The way she calls out that it’s lunchtime. You can feel the comfort of family and love.

It feels like you’ve become the food critic in the ratatouille movie. 

You almost cry.

“What do you think?”

You clear your throat. You have to be honest. There’s no way you can lie about something like this. “It’s good. I think...this is the best risotto I’ve ever had. You cooked it perfectly and the toppings you chose were absolutely immaculate with this dish—”

You look up at him. Min Yoongi has an enormous, cocky smirk plastered across his stupid face.

It’s entirely off-putting. 

“But of course,” you quickly add, “there are many ways you could improve on it. You could add cilantro—”

“That would unnecessarily drown out the notes of thyme you taste,” he rebukes without a single beat and you scoff. 

“I noticed you didn’t add any pepper to it which could deepen the flavour.”

“Except this dish doesn’t need it,” Yoongi deadpans. “You don’t need to help me make any adjustments. I think I know what I’m doing better than you are. Just do your job and I’ll do mine.”

You suck in your cheek and narrow your eyes on him before you take another bite of the risotto while it’s still hot. “The food is delicious, but I must say, the company really spoils it.”

Yoongi’s slumped with one cheek resting in his hand, elbow on the table. He lazily stares at you with that smirk of his. “Really? Because if I didn’t know any better, you look nervous rather than annoyed.”

You scoff for the second time. “Why would I be nervous?”

“Maybe you didn’t expect the food to taste as good as it does and that makes me unexpectedly attractive,” he states plainly. You almost choke. You hit your chest as you sputter. “Or maybe you’re intimidated by me. I’ve gotten both before.”

You wipe your mouth with the napkin. “I’m afraid you’re not very perceptive, Min Yoongi.”

“Really? I think I am.” He smiles, the corners of his mouth quirked. “I’ve read your reviews before.”

You’re unamused. “Have you now? So you must know how difficult I am to satisfy.”

His smirk is sly and it’s jarring against his softer, more tender features. He’s smaller than the men you’re used to being around, but somehow it feels like he’s taken up the entire space of the restaurant. His focus on you is sweat-inducing. Even if you don’t want to admit it. 

“I don’t think so. You’ve just been eating shit food,” he says bluntly and your brow cocks. “You just need someone good you can trust. Someone who can take care of you properly.”

You’re not sure if the double entendre is purposeful. You wouldn’t put it past him.

“And is this someone you?”

Yoongi shrugs and sits back. “It could be.”

You grab your glass of chardonnay and gulp the rest in an effort to stop the conversation before it completely derails into a different direction. Yet, Yoongi’s half-lidded and darkened eyes stay on yours with each swallow. He’s unfazed. Unbothered. And that bothers you even more — bothered in a way that makes your face hot.

There’s a clack as you put the wine glass down and gasp. 

“I’m a professional.” You won’t be swayed so easily. “I can’t be bribed.”

“Of course.” He blinks as if he doesn’t know what you’re talking about. You glare at him and he gestures to the dish. “Please. Keep eating.” 

You finish the plate.

“Do you want any seconds?” he asks as he gets up.

“I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” Yoongi lingers, all too brazen and fearless. “If you don’t get any more now, you might have to come back for more.”

This time, you don’t try to hide the roll of your eyes. “That’s a presumptuous assumption.”

Yoongi smirks and his voice is husky. “After getting a taste from me, everyone comes back for more.

You scoff.

Min’s Restaurant Review

Three nights ago, I ate at Min’s Restaurant and met the main man in the kitchen. Unfortunately, he is a difficult person to interact with. I hope no one has the disservice of having to speak to the chef behind the dishes. Doing so may as well ruin the experience. Furthermore, his cooking methods are unconventional and unorthodox. It was completely shocking to watch.

However, and what I would consider most important, the food at Min’s Restaurant is spectacular. What Min’s Restaurant lacks in likeable personnel, they make up in the served cuisine. The meal that was prepared for me not only subverted my initial expectations, but overcomes, what I consider, what the food industry is lacking in this modern age exactly. Without unnecessary garnishes and ingredients, the flavours of Min’s Restaurant are both light and deep. It was an undeniable delight to consume and for the first time, I licked my plate clean. 

It is undoubted that the man behind Min’s Restaurant has the hands of god.

You should have pride.

But you’ve always loved good food. It’s your Achilles heel. It’s the one thing you’ve been passionate about since you were a kid. The reason why you love your job.

Even after writing such a review, you find yourself booking another reservation. But as a customer instead of a critic.

Of course, they were booked full for the next six months, largely thanks to your review, and they swiftly refused you with numerous apologies. But they called back not ten minutes later. You have a feeling that your name finally sunk into them — that he had something to do with it. 

That theory is confirmed when you arrive. The person in question is next to the seemingly nervous hostess as the noisy kitchen echoes throughout the busy restaurant. 

In the low lighting, Min Yoongi stands there with a relaxed smirk. As if he was expecting you. As if he knew you’d come crawling back to him to eat out of the palm of his hand, literally and figuratively.

You hate that he’s right.

“Welcome back.”

[green-lanterns-c0ck]

Did you ever make a callout post about how Hal was terrible to guy and/or john, and why hes not the best green lantern, despite popular opinion?

Not yet! I talked a little about Hal's treatment of Guy in my GuyHal essay here: Link and a bit about his treatment of John here: Link

I'm not sure I ever brought it up in a post before but Hal not being the best Green Lantern 100% used to be true until Geoff Johns rewrote history in 2004 - Before that, it was always John.

For example: John is a better flyer than Hal. It's set up in his first appearance when Hal says he has a real talent:

Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and John Stewart flying. Narrative says: "For hours, they practice in the sky above the city..."

Hal says: "You have a real talent, John! You've quickly mastered the skills necessary to sustain flight -"

John replies: "It's easy compared to the skills needed to reach my pad after dark! Those muggers - something else!"

And later brought up more explicitly, like here:

Narrative boxes talking about Green Lantern John Stewart. Box 1 reads: "Of all the Green Lanterns of Earth, John Stewart was always the best flyer." Box 2 reads: "When noticing his strenght at flight, Hal Jordan had called him a natural athlete. John had thanked him and then asked if Hal thought "... all black men were natural athletes?"

John also just beats Hal whenever they fight. It's pretty funny, in my opinion.

I am also a firm believer in John Supremacy, meaning: If John had been old enough to be eligible for the ring when Hal first got it, he would have gotten it. There would have been no argument, no considering two equally worthy candidates - That ring would've gone to John, no questions asked.

I will probably write a longer post compiling at this eventually, but... Anon, Nonny, my beloved. It will not be a callout post. Hal Jordan is a fictional character, I cannot call him out.