#and second favorite actor overall

[probablygayattorneys]

Though, on the subject of Kira… I liked her breakdown but it felt weirdly familiar. I’m probably just being silly, though. When has someone named Kira ever laughed manically and made crazy eyes as they tried to cover up that they have magical powers that they used to kill multiple people at once? That would never happen, right? Completely unrelated, but has anyone here ever heard of the Death Note musical? It’s pretty good.

[blmpff]

AUN WARIT at a Pride Event igs 30.06.24

[rpgchoices]

The WINNER of the Tournament of fav tumblr rpg male romances is...

The Master of the Vollante

The Babe of Frontiers

The Heart of the Gate

WYLL RAVENGARD

Enjoy this two minute FANVIDEO DEDICATED TO HIM (don't miss the final quote, it is my favorite), I used the most appropriate song ever. Congrats, Wyll with a y!

(he is the hero, but he also needs a hero to sweep him off his feet, get it?)

With about 1235 votes, Wyll beat Garrus in the finals of the tournament. This gives him the title of best tumblr rpg blorbo and babygirl.

(more under cut about the Wyll's sweep and his character)

Wyll jumped into the tournament qualifying among 69 total characters, and being the most voted of his section in round zero! Wyll was also the most voted OVERALL in round one where he got about 6420 votes against Cullen (88% of votes). Round two saw him winning a very close competition against Zevran, and in round three he won with almost double the votes against Astarion! Again with double the votes he won against Dorian Pavus in the semifinals!

Very appropriate for him to win as his character is truly a romantic at heart and his actor even revealed in an interview that the romantic scenes were his favorite to film.

Wyll is a companion and romancable option for any gender in Baldur's Gate 3. You will meet him while he is in pursuit of a devil, just to find out that the honor and code he is trying to live by might be clashing with the path he could be choosing.

Wyll's romance has a kiss that has been nominated (and won) for "favorite kiss ever in a rpg game by me and for my opinion only and I just love it".

Man who will crack a joke when you least expect it

EVEN WHEN IT REALLY IS NOT THE TIME

Just to turn around and offer you the most heart shattering and unwavering support

Monster smasher (in all senses) hero, who truly needs someone at his side who makes sure he fights his own battles too, not just the trials of the coast!

Very happy to see he is currently (with all the biases and limitations of such polls, of course) the favorite romance in the rpg fandoms here on tumblr (for male characters)!!

Please, make sure to also jump in the female characters tournament!!

Also, CONGRATULATIONS TO GARRUS who came second in the tournament, and FENRIS who came third! (as he had more votes than Dorian, in the semifinals)

*In the fanvideo there are the seven clips that are not from Wyll games. I wanted to write them down as this is supposed to be a rec for his romance, so I don't want to trick people!

00:16 I modded Wyll into Karlach and used Astarion as player character (Karlach romance scene act 3)

00:38 Astarion romance scene, I played as Wyll but I flipped the character with the ring of metamorph mod so Wyll could pick up Astarion

00:50 Like the first clip, this is Karlach scene from act 3

00:51 I modded Karlach into Wyll, this is her scene from act 1

00:53 I modded Shadowheart into Astarion and I was playing as Wyll, this is Shadowheart romance scene in act 1

00:59 This is Astarion romance scene in act 2, I was playing as Wyll

01:07 The hug is from Astarion romance, epilogue, where I was playing as Wyll

[lurkingshan]

What are some JBLs you recommend that have good kisses AND a good romance plot

LOL I can hear the pain behind this question, anon. It’s true that a lot of JBLs with a good romance story fail to deliver on the physical intimacy side of things, though that is becoming less and less the norm. I do have some that I think do both reasonably well. I don’t know exactly what “good romance” means to you, but I’m going to assume we’re talking about well-executed romance plots, regardless of the show’s overall genre and focus, where the characters and relationship arc make sense and don’t randomly derail somewhere along the way. Here’s what I got:

I Cannot Reach You

This is a high school friends to lovers (the cream of the crop for that trope, IMO). This is a story about realizing feelings and building the courage to change your most important relationship, so you’ll have to wait a bit to get those kisses but once you do, I think you’ll be pleased.

His

The second chance romance for me. This is a bl film about two men who come back together after a bad breakup and figure out how to make it work. I love them and this story so much.

Old Fashion Cupcake

There’s only one kiss in this short and sweet show, but it’s a real doozy. A super tight workplace age gap romance that knows exactly what it’s doing.

At 25:00 in Akasaka

Two actors who went to college together meet again when they are cast opposite each other in a bl drama, and get tangled up in the blurred lines between their professional and personal relationships. Angst, baby!

The Pornographer

This series features some of the best kissing and sex scenes you will see anywhere in the bl genre, but warning that it’s a twisted and wild ride. There are five installments and you gotta watch them all to see the full picture of the character and romance arcs. It’s so rewarding if you do.

The End of the World With You

From the same mind of the previous entry and similarly hot and wild and weird. This show has more going on than the second chance romance at its core, but it themes come together beautifully.

Tokyo In April Is…

Another second chance romance, this one features a lot of sex but also deals with heavy subject matter, so mind the CWs. It’s one of my favorites of last year and the love story in this one has really stuck with me; it’s beautiful and so hard won.

Love is Better the Second Time Around

This one comes with a disclaimer that it goes off the rails in the final two episodes, but you asked for good kissing so it would feel wrong not to include it. Yet another second chance romance (are you picking up on a theme here?), this one gets two former high school lovers back together as adults to sort out their misunderstandings, lingering feelings, and buckets of sexual tension. It was so good—until it wasn’t.

[squiddy-god]

MC who voice a  levi favorite character in h game he plays. So he really really likes it when they speak. They noticed that and then tease him.

This is really cute, i think his brain would melt tbh but here we go

Cw : none, fluf, gn reader, heavy simping

Ok lets say that your regular speaking voice isn't the exact same as the voice you use for the character so he thinks you sound really similar at first and his mind is already melting

He loves the way you sound so much because it's so similar to his favorite character in “xxxx game here” 

Then you say something eerily close to a voice line and he gets suspicious, but he just writs it off as you also playing the game

The character you play is his favorite character, its definitely a close second to rui-chan honestly 

I am imagining some type of gacha game or something like that, but any game is still going to have the same affect

Unless its a romance game, that would kill him because he has played the rout of your character like 50 times 

But once he heard you talking in the voice you use for the character he literally combusts

Instantly hes asking you 50000 questions on why you sound exactly like his favorite character in his game

Actually slack jawed when you reveal that you are in fact the voice actor

He could listen to you take for hours

Sometimes he asks you to say things in the character voice

He makes a whole mod for the game to add more voice lines

If its a romance game he mods it to where you are the new rout, if its a genshin type game he mods in a skin that looks like you lol 

Overall he is very cute about all of this 

[vasito-de-leche]

;R1999 - Self-Aware AU

Headcanons about an Alternate Universe in which everyone knows they're living inside a videogame. However, Vertin is the only one aware of the entity inhabiting her own mind, the real conductor - the "Player".

this is one of my favorite AUs to slap on whatever media I'm into so here we are <3 not sure if anyone's done this already, but PLEASE PLEASE PRETTY PLEASE link me if you've seen any other ppl write for this AU! this one and any actor AUs are my absolute fave

this is just a word vomit introduction for fun, to get the basic ideas out of my head, so I can start writing for characters individually!

Okay, okay! First of all, some context for the AU before I go deranged overexplaining my HCs!

Aside from the "Storm", there is something else that haunts the people of this world: the fact that their lives are nothing but a simulacrum, part of a game.

The requirements to obtain this "self-awareness" is unknown. Those within the Foundation believe it's related to their respective "roles", that only the main and relevant characters are given the chance to fully open their eyes to the truth. Those within Manus Vindictae claim that one must be strong enough to break through the fog of complacency and their assigned scripts, to have their full potential unleashed and obtain true liberation. Either way, similar to the "Storm", this is a well-kept secret for a very good reason - everyone wants to have the upperhand.

There is one outlier to this whole system. Vertin is not only aware of the truth of this world, but also of her duty as the eyes and hands of the "Player". She must experience it all for their sake. Or rather, whatever she experiences will be the story that the Player will see.

This applies to her suitcase, the place where the Player's influence increases tenfold, bending everything and everyone to their will through her own body and voice. The longer one stays within her suitcase - or within her general vicinity - the easier it is for them to become self-aware.

How does one become "self-aware" and what does it entail?

The requirements and the catalyst for a character to become self-aware are still a mystery. But that's mostly because I specifically wanted to keep them as vague as possible, to allow some flexibility for NPCs and other characters outside of Vertin's suitcase.

The whole process of gaining sentience or self-awareness is mostly described as waking up from a nightmare, or a very, very realistic dream. It's like a switch, something that happens in a second without any warnings whatsoever.

I like to think that most of the people who wake up are easy to spot, because it's a jarring experience and panicking is the most normal reaction - but that they're often taken care of by the Foundation or recruited by Manus Vindictae.

The levels of awareness also depend heavily on each individual - some only know that nothing is truly real, that everything they've done up until that point was just a carefully scripted lie, the most basic realization. Others can understand the rules that govern this game and use them to their advantage, either through observation and study or just inherently.

Overall, the experience of being sentient varies as well, with some describing a disconnect from their body, while others feel exactly the opposite. Again, keeping it pretty vague so that people can fill in with their own ideas!

I'll talk about Vertin's case in detail when we get to her specific bullet point, but the same way the Player is able to experience the "story" through her eyes, she's able to see the same things they do - this includes the UI, the menus and everything you can interact with in-game.

Vertin as a character and a vessel for the Player.

The most common thing I've seen in self-aware AUs in my years of fandom is to turn the player stand-in (the main character that serves for the player to experience the story through and/or project onto, depending on the genre of the game) into an obstacle, one that keeps the characters from truly interacting with the Player, capital P.

The second most common thing I've seen is to simply ignore the existence of this player stand-in and replace it with the Player themself, either through isekai methods or thanks to the customization the game allows, etc etc.

When it comes to Vertin in this AU, I know I want her to retain her role as the center of everything, instead of being sidelined by the Player. She's THE Timekeeper, after all.

There's still some details I'm trying to iron out, like whether she's always been self-aware or if she became self-aware at some point during her childhood at the St. Pavlov Foundation. But I like to think that her relationship to the Player is a parallel to her immunity to the "Storm" - neither of these two things are inherently good nor bad. Surviving the "Storm" is helpful, sure, but it's painful for her. Having an entity like the "Player" haunting her is scary, sure, but it can be an advantage. It's a matter of how she utilizes the assets she was given, since her adaptability and determination are big aspects of her character. Vertin makes up for her mediocre arcane skills with unconventional plans and strategies.

But this isn't to say that Vertin isn't affected by the presence of the Player. Ironically, she's the one person whose freedom is limited. During battles, her skills and Tuning are available to you, they can also prove to be vital to win a fight, but in the end you're still the one calling the shots and choosing when her friends get to attack. You're the one choosing the layout of the Wilderness. You're the one picking which one of her friends deserves to become stronger.

In the last bullet point I mentioned that some characters can understand the rules of the game - Vertin is the most extreme case, as she can see the same UI as you do. She learns the way you like to fight your battles, your own strategies, she can see this and more.

Overall it's a very complex dynamic. It's not as easy as saying that she likes or dislikes you, that she considers you a friend or foe. You're part of her, you influence each other in many aspects and are stuck together for reasons she can't even fathom. While you may be able to read her thoughts most of the time, she becomes invisible once you enter the suitcase - the main menu of the game. Sure, the character you selected to greet you every day is actually talking to her, not you, but she's out of your view and therefore, out of our range. That's when Vertin wonders the sort of person that you are, if you care about her friends as much as she does. Are you playing just to be entertained? Are you invested in these events? Will you be there for her until the end of her story?

Another detail I like to think about is that Vertin is the only one who knows your name. Because at the very beginning, you were asked to input a name and she was there.

[screenshot was taken from this video, since it's the first one I could find that showed this specific part of the game lol]

Well, "your name" not quite right - she knows that whatever you wrote there is the name linked to your account, at least. And that's the name she knows you as.

Those who take residence in Vertin's suitcase or spend prolonged amounts of time with her, growing closer to her and all, end up becoming self-aware. This is a direct side-effect of your presence.

I like to think that characters who reach the 100% Bond can begin to sense the Player, to see the world in a similar way as Vertin does. Maybe even feel their presence EXACTLY like Vertin does whenever there's a battle. There is someone else on the other side of this screen, the fourth wall, who watches over them.

To some, it's hard to differentiate Vertin from the Player, as they just go hand in hand - but Sonetto, for example, has the easiest time telling the two apart.

On the subject of freedom and acting out of script.

The Foundation, Manus Vindictae, Laplace... It doesn't matter if they're self-aware and acting outside of what their script dictates, because they're missing one key ingredient: you. No one else but Vertin and her group knows about your existence, after all.

They don't know that the only story that matters is the one that Vertin is part of. The one that the Player gets to see and read and experience. And because the game gives you a very limited view into the lives of these characters, you don't know what neither Arcana nor Constantine do behind the scenes. You and Vertin don't see that, therefore, it never truly mattered.

Those most likely to start "acting out" are the troublemakers within Vertin's suitcase. Characters who are too curious for their own good, who are more susceptible to supernatural entities, who are just too impulsive - they would start to test the limits and see how far they can go, how much they can interact with the Player. Can the game be broken should they end up shattering the fourth wall? Is there a way for the Player to communicate with them? What will happen to Vertin?

I like to think that Vertin probably supports this, as she's rather curious herself, prone to questioning everything. She would also like to learn more about the Player, to truly tear into the game and see the full extent of your influence and her freedom.

Sometimes, Regulus and X will change their usual voicelines, just enough to be noticeable if one pays enough attention. Characters like Sotheby or Leilani might slip up and address the Player, rather than Vertin. Lilya, Pavia, Bkornblume have new animations and different expressions, ones you've never seen before - they stare ahead, as if searching for something, and then smirk or hum to themselves, deep in thought, like they realized something you're not privy of.

Sometimes, if you leave them as your selected assistant on the main menu, you can catch them muttering to themselves - idle quotes you never heard enough, about the outside world. Diggers does this the most, it's almost embarassing how easy it is to catch him talking nonsense, followed by Sonetto. If you leave Medicine Pocket alone for too long, you might come back to a screen covered in weird scratch marks.

On the subject of these characters being curious about the outside world and all, I think that a good chunk of them are generally content with the way things are?

We have to remember that in-universe, they're arcanists displaced from their respective eras. Their best chance at surviving is siding with Vertin, and if Vertin is content with the way things are, then there's no point in trying to disrupt what they have right now. They're curious enough to prod, but only as far as Vertin allows it.

And I think that's it for the word vomit!

There are some details I didn't know where to fit in, like the possibility of the fourth wall slowly dissipating the more time the Player invests in the game, leading to some characters being able to directly hear you if you talk while playing and whatnot. Or what would happen should someone outside of Vertin's suitcase figure out the existence of the Player, let alone interact with you in some way.

Or the concept of death being meaningless, unless it was pre-established by the game itself.

In Borderlands, there's this game mechanic where you can just be revived over and over and pay a percentage of your money as a fee, even though the canon that's established is that you play through the whole story without dying a SINGLE time - because the revival mechanics aren't canon. There's the divide between story and gameplay. That's pretty much the standard. But what about the deaths in battles in R1999? The amount of times I died to 1.3's UTTU's Flash Gathering is insane. How do self-aware characters feel about this, now that they know that they're bound to die over and over and be brought back because you have to do your Pneuma Analysis or reach the final stage of Limbo?

But that's pretty much it for now, I think I got most thoughts out of my system! Thank you for reading!

[dangermousie]

2023 End of Year Post - cdrama edition

Yes, we have a lot of December left, but I don't think anything else I want to check out will air before 2024 hits (it's cdrama so caveat is - you never know.)

This is only going to cover cdramas that aired in 2023; if I watched it but it was made in a different year, it's not on the list. This was a pretty good cdrama year, all in all.

DRAMAS WATCHED

(In order of liking from least to most as opposed to pure quality; I am including if I’ve seen enough to make up my mind; yes I realize that’s inaccurate, but that’s my list)

30 legend of twin flower - Not dignifying that drama with capital letters, as the only capital that should be associated with this is capital punishment - which is what watching this feels like.

29 Dominator of Martial Gods - sounds like a bdsm gay porn title. Would probably be better acted and written if it was.

28 Beauty of Resilience - you'd need a lot of said resilience to sit through this incoherent, barely acted mess. The thing that I remember the most other than my annoyance is all the jingly-jangly head gear on JJY. Perhaps they could have sold some of them and spent the money on a better script.

27 Divine Destiny - if you think you have too many brain cells and want to get rid of some, boy do I have a drama for you!

26 Wanru’s Journey - honestly it's probably tied with SEL - I mean it's worse but it has actors who are nowhere as well known and a fraction of SEL's budget. Still, this is a big fat nope. I will not say what I think of Aoi Rupeng's "acting" or I'd have to put money in the curse jar.

25 Snow Eagle Lord - Gulinazha's stone face, nonsense plot, terrible CGI. Take your pick as to why this is terrible.

24 Scent of Time - it was uneven but fun but then that ending was dumb enough to destroy the whole thing. Show me on the doll where common sense hurt you, makers!

23 Royal Rumors - Jeremy Tsui and Meng Ziyi are utterly wasted in this nothing trifle of a drama.

22 Legend of Anle - I had high expectations but alas. This is the drama version of color beige. There is nothing offensive about it but nothing good either. Mediocre actors are mediocre, good actors become mediocre, this is just a waste of our finite time on planet earth.

21 Romance on the Farm - it's not you, it's me in action. I can see why people would like this wholesome slice of farming family life, but it's tailored to trigger every one of my "nope" opinions.

20 Back from the Brink - if I were 12, it would be my favorite thing. I am not 12.

19 Journey of Chong Zi - objectively a terrible drama with plot holes the size of Mars and a leading lady whose face has apparently frozen when the wind changed. But I am a total sucker for the trope of upright shizun falling for his demonic disciple and going mental so here we are. Objectively, garbage, subjectively my precious!

18 Love you Seven Times - just call poor Ding Yuxi "Atlas," he carried this mess so hard.

17 Blooming Days - trashy dogblood harem fight fun throwback. It's not that great (and the fact that it was shredded doesn't help) but it's probably the last gasp of that genre for the foreseeable future, so I am grading on a curve.

16 The Starry Love - a fun fantasy where the secondary OTP stole the thunder but overall a really solid fantasy xianxia romance.

15 The Longest Promise - it could have been better - the secondaries were unbearable and there was too much of them and what they did with Alen Fang's character still gives me rage fits, but the main couple was impeccable and lovely and I rooted so hard for them.

14 Chang Feng Du/Destined - visually gorgeous, solidly acted, impeccable first half. Bland as hell second half. Win some, lose some.

13 Circle of Love - this drama is a nonsense trash heap on fire. After a typhoon hit it. It was also the most entertaining, addicting drama on this whole list.

12 Hidden Love - the sole modern on this list, this story has barely any plot but it made me care about the young, decent lovers so hard.

11 Choice Husband - starts out wacky, continues with angst and blood and happy ending. I loved it, but I've always had a soft spot for melo and schemers turning devoted.

10 Pledge of Allegiance - bromance, super solid acting, visuals, a really dark take on officials and the world. Insanely underrated.

9 Provoke - a truly fun Republican revenge and love tale, showing that short format can be wonderful.

8 Gone with the Rain - some of the secondary characters are rage-inducing (hi there, cardboard boy!) but the scheming, ruthless, vulgar FL is amazing and her slowburn with her age gap general who is delighted by her out-there-ness is great!

7 Wonderland of Love - Fei Wo Si Cun goes wholesome and the result is surprisingly entertaining. Battle couple, glorious visuals, a fast paced plot. It's the first Xu Kai drama I enjoyed in years (and he plays a rare cdrama ML it would be pretty neat to pair up with in rl.)

6 My Journey to You - that ending is infuriating (and I am OK with open endings if done properly) but what a visual feast, probably the most gloriously shot drama on this list, and that's a tough competition. Also it packs a hell of a lot of couples and familial and adversarial relationships into its slim running time; assassin lady won over by a gentle man is my favorite trope and so this is extra great.

5. Till the End of the Moon - the ending is a rage-inducing disaster for me, but this drama was the most incredibly emotionally intense, visually eye popping experience. It was deeply flawed but when it was amazing, it was like nothing else in its visuals, its characters and its narratives. It took insane risks; some paid off and some did not, but it was glorious.

4. Story of Kunning Palace - I don't often care for reverse harem stories but this one was such fun - the main OTP was glorious (strong FL, unhinged ML) but honestly everything about this was just so excellently done.

3. The Ingenious One - the most adult drama on this list. Smart protagonists, intelligent plot, emotions that felt true, this is a revenge and a mystery and found family and goes into so many directions you do not expect (Su Mengyu's PTSD after his first kill - that is something you never see in dramas, definitely not prolonged and profound - not like this.) If I was to say which drama was objectively the best on this list, as opposed to favorite, it would be this.

1 (tie) Lost You Forever 1 - this is an exquisite emotional jewel of a story about damaged people moving forward, with damage always present - their past informs their present and always will. The narrative about Xiao Yao and three very different men in her life makes me think that it's an equivalent of a neutron bomb going off right before the main narrative starts and now we are watching the survivors wander in the wreckage. This is very high fantasy setting but it's one of the most emotionally human narratives out there.

1 A Journey to Love - everything I ever wanted - assassins, ride or die adult OTP with genuine believable conflicts, great and complex secondaries, beautiful fights. Oh, and yeah Liu Shi Shi domming the hell out of every man in a ten mile radius, as she should.

FAVORITE DRAMA

It's a tie between Lost You Forever Part 1 and A Journey to Love. LYF1 is a bona fide art piece but it's only part 1 and who knows if part 2 will be any good (seeing the huge ep number cut, I have my doubts) and so it's incomplete. AJTL is an old school wuxia romance with incredibly competent, adult people in love and great cast of secondaries. I can't pick.

WORST DRAMA

romance of twin flower - this is a drama that should not exist. If I could hex everyone involved with it, I would. It's a terrible, stupid, shrill, badly acted drama to start with, but where it really is catapulted into stratosphere of horror is that is took my very favorite non-danmei web novel of all time, a smart and complicated tale with incredible protagonists and turned it into that barftastic abomination. Peng Xiao Ran kept making horrible drama after horrible drama but I kept giving her a chance because of Goodbye My Princess but after this disaster, I've had to accept GMP was a fluke and she is on my "if she's in it, I am out” list. Ding Yuxi is not that far yet (his performance in Seven Lifetimes was the one thing carrying that mess afloat) but he's on freaking thin ice. Anyway, I like to pretend this drama does not exist.

FAVORITE MALE CHARACTER

It was hard because there were so many I loved this year - Deng Wei's traumatized, gentle Seventeen from LYF1 (if someone told me I'd swoon and weep for a character played by Deng Wei, I'd have told them to examine their brains asap), Liu Yuning's incredibly capable, deadly, contained Ning Yuanzhou from AJTL, Zhang Linghe's unhinged Xie Wei from SoKP, Chen Xiao's schemer with a heart Yun Xiang from TIO.

But ultimately, it couldn't be anyone else but Luo Yunxi as Tantai Jin/Demon God/Ming Ye/Cang Jiumin in Till the End of the Moon. He was everything - a demon, a saint, a martyr, a monster, a tormented abuse victim, a savior, joyful, unhinged, smart, pitiable. It was the cdrama performance of the year for me. Luo Yunxi even in a mediocre role is impressive but in a complex (series of) role(s) designed for his strengths, he is a force of nature.

FAVORITE FEMALE CHARACTER

Xiao Yao (Lost You Forever Part 1). Once again, there were runner ups - Bai Lu's smart a little evil FL in Kunning, the gloriously unhinged assassin domme Liu Shi Shi in AJTL, Esther Yu's assassin longing for a different life in MJTY etc etc etc. But Xiao Yao's damaged, difficult, very self-aware woman stole my heart. I was skeptical going in because I haven't enjoyed a Yang Zi performance in a long time, but she was the wounded beating soul of this incredible drama.

NEEDS TO BE MURDERED

Where do we start? How about all of Seventeen's (LYF1) monster family? His brother, who tortured him for years physically and emotionally to such a degree his body is a horror map and his personality is permanently altered because "mommy liked you better." Psycho mother who created a situation where the kids were going to turn on each other and "let's get my grandson raped" grandma. Where is a well-placed meteorite when you need one.

FAVORITE SHIP

Xiao Yao/Seventeen, LYF1. Yes, a ship of characters played by Yang Zi and Deng Wei is my favorite. Leave me alone, I am on my tenth helping of crow already. They are both incredibly damaged, barely functioning survivors who find what they need in the other - he finds a savior and someone who sees him as a man and rebuilds himself around her and she finds someone who will always put her first and only, and subsume himself in her. Is it healthy? No. Does it make sense for them and is it making them slowly functional? Yes.

Runner up: Ren Ruyi/Ning Yuanzhou, AJTL - two adults, so competent, so chemistry full. She has so much damage and so little normalcy but is so strong and he is oddly gentle (in between murders) and incredibly self-reflective. They are each other's mirrors and I love them.

FAVORITE SECONDARY OTP

Su Mingyu/Ke Menglan, The Ingenious One - the idealistic merchant who wants to join jianghu until he sees its horrors firsthand and a slave entertainer who wants security but decides she wants him more. They are gorgeous and glorious and wholesome and I adore them.

Runner up: Liu Gong Quan/Ming Zhu, The Ingenious One - that drama was a shippy gift, especially impressive considering it wasn't even romance-centric. He's the officer who has to bring down her treasonous father but loves her. Delicious.

Another runner up is Chao Feng/Qian Kui, the angelic good girl and the scheming bad boy in The Starry Love. They stole the drama from the main OTP for me.

NOTP

Scent of Time endgame. What the hell was even that. It made NO sense.

FAVORITE SCENE

So many good scenes this year - Tantai Jin taking apart Li Susu in prison in TTEOTM, the OTP fighting in perfect sync and insane rhythm in the gorge battle in AJTL, Chen Ruoxuan's character stopping the execution in Pledge, Yan Lin's coming of age in Kunning, the poison/antidote "gamble" in MJTY, Cang Xuan detoxing in LYF1. But I think ultimately, me being who I am, my favorite scene is Xiao Yao kissing Seventeen's damaged, scarred knee to show he is in no way inferior for her. AAAAA!

In terms of pure jaw dropping visuals tho nothing will ever beat Ming Ye’s battle against the Devil God in TTEOTM.

BIGGEST CRUSH

Ning Yuanzhou, AJTL. He's sexy as hell (that height, that way he moves in battle) but he's also so incredibly competent, so adult, so self-reflective and so attracted to a woman for her strength. He also gets whumped on the reg. Anyway, my hormones are ready.

BEST SCENE STEALER CHARACTER

Gong Yuanzhi (My Journey to You) - I loved the unhinged, brocon poison boy. He was everything. Also Yan Lin (Kunning) - talk about sunshine; I totally got why all these people felt they needed to save him.

NEEDS A SEQUEL

My Journey to You - what the HELL was that ending?

NEEDS SCISSORS TAKEN TO IT

legend of twin flower - that is, stab it with scissors like it stabbed the novel until it's dead.

TOO MANY SCISSORS TAKEN TO IT

Till the End of the Moon - they clearly cut stuff to fit into the new regs about runtime and it made the last 1/5 rather abrupt. Gimme!

TROPE THAT NEEDS TO DIE

The emperor cannot be irredeemable. WTF, China, you are a communist country!

FAVORITE TROPE WE’VE SEEN A LOT OF

This is the year of a ML who yearns to be dommed by his FL. Long may it continue.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

The Legend of Anle - the novel had a great plot, the cast were all actors I either enjoy a lot or somewhat and we got - whatever that soggy piece of wonderbread toast was.

BIGGEST GOOD SURPRISE

LYF1 - I only checked out to mock because nobody could explain the story to me and nobody in the cast did anything I like either ever or in years. And then I fell utterly and completely in love and had to eat so much delicious crow.

2023 DRAMAS I HAVEN’T SEEN THAT I MOST WANT TO WATCH

Ancient Love Song is the only one on that list. It looks really good, I just need to brace myself.

BEST NON-2023 DRAMA I’VE WATCHED IN 2023

The Imperial Doctoress - best slowburn and pining and glorious character development and adult leads.

MOST ANTICIPATED

Anticipating any nonaired cdrama is a mug's game but if they air, I will definitely check out all the Fox Matchmaker dramas, LYF2, JoL2 and The Last Immortal. If Prisoner of Beauty ever is allowed out of the vault (dubious), it goes on the list too.

[blurglesmurfklaine]

I saw TUTS Newsies last night and here are some little things I noticed and also thoughts and opinions because I have them!

The *second* the actor stepped on stage, @jlmjlmjlm leans over to me and says “He is SO Davey” and I 1000% agree. Costume, acting, the way he held himself? Perfection. THE Davey of all time

((Davey was the show stealer for me honestly. He was so fucking good. Put his whole Davussy into everything. Probably the best tenor in the show and also a great dancer))

PULITZER HAS A RUSSAIN/EUROPEAN ACCENT??

In the first circulation gate scene where Davey is introduced, Race sits on a stack of newspapers and continuously drums on them, kind of in his own little world, incredible ADHD coded

In the transition after the “That’s disgusting/that’s business” scene, Les spits on his hand and shoves it in Davey’s face. Davey moves out of the was but cracks the fuck up. It’s so siblings and so damn cute

Davey tries to follow Jack when he goes up to the box to speak with Katherine, but Jack stops him

The scene before TWWK shows Davey as MUCH more conflicted than livesies. He’s not standing with the newsies, he’s in the middle of the stage and keeps looking back between the circulation gate and them and finally goes with the newsies to strike and it’s SO GOOD

Honestly this whole scene Davey is SUCH A FUCKING LEADER and it’s amazing! Not only Jack, but the rest of the newsies keep looking for to him for guidance on the strike and it’s very funny but also so good. I think this might be my favorite Davey yet.

In the Seize the Day fight scene, one of the goons picks up Les and Davey and a few other newsies go to help him and then use him as a battering ram

“The woild is… *dramatic pause, looks off into distance* ya erster!” “Ya what?” 😒 “*redoes dramatic pause* Ya erster!”

No tap break for KONY :(

But Katherine and Davey are BESTIESSSSS! She stands on the table and says “Alright Davey!”

Davey also ate during this dance scene and left not a single crumb

“Is that a real place? Is that—”*Davey takes off his hat and holds it to his heart and looks up to the sky like he’s swooning* “Santa Fe?”

The way they hid Katherine from Jack in Pulitzer’s office was SO FUCKING FUNNY. Pulitzer tells her to sit before Jack comes in and she does, but as soon as the door opens she makes the shrek meme face and spins the chair around and slides her back down the chair to hide and it was SO GOOD that actress was so fantastic!

When Davey is speaking at the rally before Jack gets there, one of the newsies shouts “YOU TELL EM DAVEY!” And it’s very cute and funny, these newsies looooove Davey

Oh my god the POST RALLY TRANSITION??? Is fucking amazing. Jack takes the money off to the side and disappears. Spotlight on Davey and the Manhattan newsies all forming a line on the apron. They all start looking for Jack, calling for him and no one can find him so they all look to DAVEY and start crowding him like “what do we do?” And Davey has no idea what to do, gets overwhelmed and runs offstage, all of the newsies following him

Before Once And For All, Katherine and Davey have an off to the side moment and give each other little hi-fives

*thick Russian accent* “It’s a compromise we can all live with”

“What’s Santa Fe got that New York ain’t? Sandstorms?”

When Jack and Katherine kiss at the very end of the show, all the newsies lose their shit and Davey is the ONLY one who doesn’t clap for them akdhsjsj

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with and looooved how Davey-centric it was! One of my favorite Davey’s ever. He and Kath totally stole the show. Great experience and probably the best birthday present ever in the history 💞💞

[saltydkdan]

Sorry, if you already got this question before but in your honest opinion, which friendlocke was your favorite?

It's pretty hard, because I do enjoy all of them... BUT

I think the second one was probably my favorite if we're speaking overall. The first playthrough (Emerald) will always have a special place in my heart, but it was a glorified test run of a concept that I had no idea would actually work. Season 2 (Black) allowed us to be way more confident, and expand every aspect.

And despite all the issues with streaming and editing which eventually allowed me to discover that I DO INDEED get overstimulated sometimes-

Season 2 just really allowed me to hardcore flex my improv and editing muscles in a way that previous projects just didn't. And while it was stressful at points, I felt so driven in every other instance!

Somehow recording a semi well put together shitpost roleplay for 5 hours at a time, as well as editing and creating numerous custom assets for every other scene, is something I'm still actively impressed by. Usually I cringe at previous stuff, but the edits especially on these I still like to brag about.

Like damn, I just need to pat myself on the back, I really did that. The custom sprites even had shading based on the time of day in game so they don't look out of place. It took hours upon hours, but I'm still so proud of the work I did in this season (as well as all seasons, but Season 2 had a lot of these sorts of edits in particular).

Not to mention that Friendlocke Season 2 was such a MASSIVE collaboration and one of the biggest I had ever worked on to that point. The list of credits in the description legit hit the character limit. Something that had never happened to me before that point!

So many musicians, editors, artists, voice actors, and other folks got involved. Even though it was stressful I wouldn't have redone those videos in any other way. It came out so much more amazing than I ever could have concieved!

I can't believe that all this had started from me wanting to do my own spin on a Pokemon Nuzlocke of all things, and what I thought was a silly idea that wouldn't work haha.

Anyway sorry for the gushing and dumping, was just nice to reminisce about this stuff in such a positive and self reflecting sort of way, thanks for the ask!

[wonuwrites]

Hellooooo, I saw the reaction of seventeen to black widow🥺, I could ask you for a second part of that reaction, what would they do when accompanying you on the set, would they talk with the rest of the cast, would they record you or I don't know😘

ooo yall love supportive Seventeen!~ I don't blame y'all. Sorry this took awhile.

Sure I'll do my best <3 In case yall didn't see the black widow one: x

-> S. Coups:

Seungcheol would blend in to the producers of the movie where he watched. He would NOT want to bring any kind of attention to himself because this was your moment. He wanted to watch you in your element and would be staring at you with such love and pride. He would hug you in between scenes and constantly compliment how you executed scenes. He was the bestest and most perfect partner to bring to filming days.

-> Jeonghan:

Jeonghan would come to filming days as a surprise. He'd have your favorite bouquet of flowers and would order a food truck to come. He wouldn't talk much to the cast because he is a bit more shy but anyone would just know how proud of you he was. He would be smiling at you every time you were acting or just standing on the set. He was so proud of you. <3

-> Joshua:

Oh so boyfriend. That's Jisoo. He would be smiling at you from the background as you slayed every line and would be shocked by the dialogue even if he already knew the script because he helped you with lines shortly before you started to film. He was friendly with the rest of the crew and other actors but he was there for you. Everyone knew that. He was so proud of you.

-> Jun:

Jun would be like a fly on the wall when you were being filmed. He would be monitoring you the whole time and his face would be very similar to how he was while watching the Spell MV. Once certain scenes were finished though he would be all smiles and would tell you how amazing you were. He was your biggest fan and everyone with half a brain cell knew it.

-> Hoshi: (Ok so this is going to be very niche but y'all know im a swiftie/carat atp lmfao just hang with me for a second.)

Y'all know how Travis Kelce looks at Taylor Swift when she's performing or anything like that? Well, that would be Soonyoung with you. He would be staring at you with so much pride and would just have such a soft smile on his face. He would observe everything and would constantly swoon when you would come over to him in between scenes. He was your biggest fan and you along with everyone else knew it.

-> Wonwoo:

I feel like Wonwoo would be fangirling because he was on a Marvel set. Sure he was proud of you but he would just be so into the sets and the plot. If you were to be like "you like Marvel more than me," he would just scoff and say "you are literally Black Widow, I love you the mostest," or he would tease you by saying "depends on the day." Either response would cause your to roll your eyes and kiss his cheek. Overall, I feel like he would be such a supportive partner on set. He'd make sure you were hydrated. If you were sleepy he'd offer his shoulder during breaks. Just so perfect.

-> Woozi:

Even though Jihoon is more comfortable in his own home or studio, he would be at the set whenever he could be. He wanted to show you support just like you did for him. He'd be in the shadows but you would know when he was there. He would be smiling and taking pictures of you. He was just so proud of you doing what you loved and oh my god seeing you in your element was just so precious to him. He enjoyed when he could come to set.

-> DK:

On days Seokmin came to visit you on set, you would feel like a superstar. He would be so soft because this was your moment and not his. He would be watching you kick ass and just would feel so emotional seeing his baby be in her element. During takes, he would constantly compliment you and he would help you with lines if you asked. He was there for you. So many of the crew just found him so precious and would think you both were goals.

-> Mingyu:

Oh this beefcake of a MAN would have his phone out and take so many behind the scenes photos and videos of you acting. Mingyu often would tell you how proud of you he was but he showed every time he came on set. He also became basically part of the crew family. He knew all the directors and so many of the crew staff by name. When he came on set, everyone was so in love with him and his charms but his heart eyes were always directed at you, his precious lil actress.

-> Minghao:

Minghao is one of the members that goes to other members solo or group shoots to show support so naturally he would be at your shoots as well. He would be similar to Jihoon and be in the shadows but during breaks he would be near you and complimenting you. His whole attention would be on you and he just had so much pride toward you.

-> Seungkwan:

Seungkwan would treat your filming days like they were the most fun things ever. He was your personal cheerleader and your happy little pill. No matter the scene, he had such a proud smile on his face and would constantly tell you that you were doing such an amazing job. He would always have an extra iced americano on hand. Some of your coworkers would tease and call him your "assistant" instead of your boyfriend which he'd just joke back and say "isn't that the same thing basically?" lmfaoooo.

-> Vernon:

oh boy Hansol would be cheesing the whole time. When I said he would be there every step of the way I mean it. He would be basically besties with set designers and on first name basis with the director. If people had no idea who Hansol, they would assume he was working on set because that's how often he was there.

-> Dino:

Chan would be your biggest hype man ever. When you got done acting a scene he would have a bottle of water ready for you and would massage your shoulders and shit. He would constantly compliment you and would just feel so much pride. He'd also text his members things like "this movie is going to be the best." He was just so so so proud of you.

[flugsammy]

HEYYYYY!!! Got another request for ya! Can we get the main 3 with an s/o that is an actor (and- if you can include it-) they’re mostly in musicals? Not like kids musicals but more like, 13 and up kind of things? Aka like Mean girls or heathers!

HELLO, GIGI!!! I apologize for all the delay. Creative block has been killing me, but I'll try to post other requests this week.

Have a good read!❤️

-

🎩Black Hat:🎩

In a romantic setting, Black Hat would certainly feel at least a shred of pride in your work, however, how you act about it would influence how he shows his 'appreciation'. If you are too cocky about your profession, he would definitely find a way to break your pride, so maybe you should behave in front of him. Don't expect compliments that resemble genuine admiration, but he would use your work as a kind of flirtation. (Alan has already confirmed that he's a sly dog, what did you expect?/j).

He would make a few faces at the language, depending on which musicals you participated in (he's a classical man, so he prefers things with less 'vulgar' language). In general, he would take some time to watch some of your movies with a glass of wine in hand. It's your choice to decide whether you want to stay by his side while this happens. (Friendly advice: don't do that.)

✈️Dr Flug✈️:

It's difficult to tell how Flug would react to that, keeping in mind that he doesn't like music. Well, that's because he still hasn't found any melody that makes him feel. In a positive scenario, we could say that he would learn to like any song that features your vocals, but realistically, that would hardly happen. Please, don't misunderstand him! He wouldn't be rude about it. Knowing the doctor, he would try to pretend to like it in front of you. It's not like he hates it. Your action and voice are impeccable, maybe it's just not his thing...?

Nevertheless, he would definitely enjoy watching your movies when there isn't incessant singing! If you recommend a movie to him, firmly assuring him that he would like it, he’d save up his monthly five seconds of free time to watch your entire movie! (You would have to wait 5 years for him to manage to watch the entire movie, so patience would be required for that🤷).

🦎Demencia🦎:

Keeping in mind that Demencia would be equally crazy if she was in love with anyone other than Black Hat, she would watch ALL of your movies. Literally all of them. Even the ones you no longer remember acting in. The lizard girl would ask (or force) you to do personal shows for her, where she would be rocking the guitar and you would be performing vocals.

Any time movies are involved, she would be the first to suggest that everyone watch a movie in which you were cast. You'd have a little trouble telling whether she likes these movies/series so much just because you're involved in the acting or if it's simply because the more “maturely fun” genres are her thing. Probably both. You'd catch her humming the song from a movie you starred in, or even imitating the lines and movements of her favorite character (we already know the kind of character she'd like, right?)

Overall, our girl would be your number one fan!

Bonus: 5.0.5 would be curious to watch a movie you were in, but Flug would hide all the tapes to prevent him from coming across something not appropriate for his age.

Thanks for reading!

[ebonystarfall]

Hey, I just saw your blog, and I'm so excited to see more of this fandom!! Could you write some Red Son x M!reader, where reader is a dragon? Maybe a familiar of Mei, who is very cold and introvert. Maybe an ice dragon??? Also, if you're not comfortable with male reader, can you make it gn? Thanks!!

Blazing Flames and Frigid Ice

Red Son x M!Dragon Reader

Created by: Starbeam (Owner 1)

Type of content: Headcanons

Pov: Second

Word count: 562

TW: N/A

A/N: I’ve played so many pjsk matches that I want to curl up and cry. However, I will write this to ignore everything on my CRK blog (I still love it, just a bit tired). Also decided to read Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol and loved it. Please read it. Oh, by the way I made the reader be Mei’s cousin.

REBLOGS ARE APPRECIATED

For starters, Mei introduced the two of you sometime after s3 and before s4, stating that of course she would want her favorite cousin to meet the hot-tempered (but overall heroic) mentor she had when she was training to control the Samadhi Fire. Of course, Red Son and you didn’t…well, let’s just say that the two of you didn’t get along. While you were much more cold and indifferent, he was much more vocal on the fact that he did NOT need to be meeting another arrogant dragon…

And both of you thought of the other as a pompous, ignorant snob, that was for sure. Not like you planned to voice your opinion.

Yet, it was Mei that brought the two of you for a day of fun and gaming. Since MK was busy with other things, this was a great opportunity to see how her favorite cousin and one of her best friends would interact!

…she basically decided to put you and Red Son in a gladiator match for gaming. (You both tied and were equally pissed at that fact)

—

For the next few days you were staying at Mei’s house, you unfortunately had to deal with seeing the Bull Prince more. Especially the times when she made you tag along with him. Honestly? You’d much rather stay in bed eating ice instead of going out in the sun and next to someone who literally controls fire. You can handle if Mei’s just there, but when two people with pyrokinesis are by you? Yeah, you felt like turning into a puddle for the most part.

Surprisingly, Red Son was the one who noticed this first, and he actually kept his distance from you for the most part. On a day that was particularly hot, he decided to begrudgingly buy you an ice cream. During this, your cousin was giving you ALL types of teasing looks, basically saying, “I think someone has a crushhhhh…” ;)

You decided to ignore them for the most part, because there was absolutely no way that either of you could ever have a crush on-

He let you lean on him when the three of you were watching a horror movie.

Most of the time, the two of you were just blaming the directors and actors for making everything look stupid instead of scary. Yet…in that moment, you guessed you could tolerate him for the time being. He didn’t seem so hot-tempered after all. Or was he only this way around you?

—

At the end of the sleepover, when Red Son was about to leave, you felt the urge to walk up to him. Of course, he was slightly annoyed and confused, but all that vanished as you pressed a hesitant little kiss against his cheek. He stared at you in complete shock, an immediate blush appearing on his face as he looked away.

You paused. Had you done something wrong? Was he mad? Oh, gods, you knew that it was a bad idea, what if he didn’t lik-

Now it was your turn to blush as he gave you a tiny kiss on the forehead, then he immediately started to walk away awkwardly, clearly flustered and embarrassed. You actually felt…warm, after that. No ice could compare to what the hell just happened here.

Well…guess you were definitely planning to stay at Mei’s place more, weren’t you?

[simplydifficultme]

So I think I finally know what my favorite or at least most emotionally impactful moment was of ASOCAS and it was this: When Kit first saw my Wesper Artbook.

Mans jaw dropped when I told him I was the one who made it, told me how impressive /amazing (some sort of that was) and went right back to open mouth stare as I started to flip through it a bit.

At the moment I really had no idea what clever thing to say. I did say things of course, answered to what he was commenting, said a few things about some of the pieces in there especially the 0.2 seconds Wesper moment in the S2 trailer redraw I did back in then. Talking to him was very easy for me overall. I didnt stammer, nothing, actually felt always quite calm whenever I saw him and realized. You know what, he's just another fellow person and I do know how to talk to people so.

But anyways, today it just really hit me. If that was a genuine reaction to my art (I am just paranoid b they do be actors ya know but if certainly felt genuine to me) then I had Kit Young speechless for a few seconds... and that somehow hits me quite hard.

I KNOW why it does too, but I am not sure I can explain it adequately what exactly it is about that that makes me feel so much right now. If anyone would like me to elaborate I will try tho to make it as clear as possible what I mean.

I can tell you it is vaguely related to a certain piano scene tho and the fact that somehow I had absolutely NO, zero, nada, clue or expectations how both Kits and Jack's reaction to my Artbook would be and when I got it, it's still taking me to process. Heck I could make another post about Jack's reactions too.

Bless ASOCAS staff for capturing this exact moment, I had no idea these pics exists until I saw it on their IG story.

[genericpuff]

You probably don't want to talk about 'Kaos' anymore so you don't need to respond to this, I just want to tell my thoughts

At first I thought that "Hades and Persephone love each other", "Demeter is a helicopter mom" and the famous "Hades is misunderstood and the least bad of his brothers" 🙄 good thing I was too shy to say those thoughts on the internet

Ironically, thanks to "Lore Olympus" I realized the altered perception that almost everyone has about this couple and poor Demeter (now she is my favorite goddess ♥️). The clearest example is that pretentious webcomic.

When I saw the HxP version of 'Kaos'... I liked it

I feel like it's because I don't really see them as Hades and Persephone, I just see an old couple who genuinely love, respect and support each other and not a bastardization that only exists to fulfill a twisted fantasy (*Cough* LO *cough*)

I've only seen up to the beginning of chapter 6, but so far I like this version of Hades, he's not a hypocrite who feels superior to Zeus, he genuinely cares about his family, he doesn't want Zeus' pride to destroy it and tries to warn him and that went very wrong 😞

Well, that's all I wanted to say, bye 👋

I actually don't mind talking about Kaos at all, it was a great watch!!!

I was a little sigh when Persephone was like "ACTUALLY I went down WILLINGLY" but I'm glad at least that so far that it was more so just a brief, inconsequential mention and nothing that seemed to imply toxicity between her and Demeter. That said, there's still clearly meant to be a second season (whether it gets renewed is a whole other issue) so I'm reeeeallly hoping it doesn't go "haha psych!" and pull the rug out from under me with Demeter slander, but we'll see.

Again, thankfully it wasn't too major of an inclusion that it doesn't ruin the overall presentation of H x P in the show, the casting is genius (I hadn't even realized at first the actor portraying Hades was David Thewlis until my husband pointed it out and that made me love him even more hahaha) and the dynamic between Persephone and Hades is very fun as they're both clearly on the same playing field in terms of age and life experience, Persephone never seems like she's just an accessory to Hades and if anything it's Persephone who's often having to run the show (but it doesn't ever put Hades down either, he's just overworked and tired and his wife is trying to make him do self-care aahah)

And yeah, I mentioned this in a previous unrelated ask but I really feel like there's too much focus around teenagers / young couples / May-December couples (i.e. "old guy x young girl") in a lot of romance these days so seeing Kaos' depiction of H x P as a middle-aged couple who are clearly in love but also have a lot of burdens between themselves and their responsibilities was very refreshing and needed. I know a lot of romances are centered around younger couples because then they can play on the whole dramatic, "whirlwind romance" trope, but people older than 40 can have great romance stories too! And frankly considering how many romances are centered around the "first love" couples who are just constantly making out / flirting / having sex / etc., it's weirdly fun to watch a couple who are clearly past that puppy love stage and are now just working together as a unit the way experienced couples would. The love has moved past the short-term excitement of kissing and sex and moved into the long-term strength of simply committing yourself to another person and tackling life's problems together.

That's not to say that young couples can't be depicted in that way, either, but again, a lot of it often gets thrown to the wayside in favor of the more "exciting" stuff like the "will they won't they" trope and the love triangles and moments of "firsts". Ironically, those moments of "firsts" aren't so special when every romantic couple in media is having them 💀😆

Sooo yeah! Hades and Persephone in Kaos are very fun and endearing to watch, they genuinely feel like two people committed to both each other and their responsibilities as rulers of the Underworld and it shows in both their actions and how they behave together while standing against Zeus. I really hope that it gets a second season, and that whatever is contained within doesn't fall into the same "Demeter was the villain" shtick. I don't see what's so difficult about having Persephone choose to go to the Underworld without it being at the expense of her mother, it's wild how so many stories can't seem to play to both sides of the myths.

[neiptune]

Happy birthday V! Could you do sanemi + I know you like me? Have a great day :)

sanemi shinazugawa x I know you like me

You can’t help but wince when Tanjiro headbutts him, lips curling and brows furrowing in a grimace that, much to your embarrassment, has Shinobu chuckling. It feels like she’s always watching you when he’s filming a scene, especially if it’s anything involving any kind of violence or bleeding.

“It doesn’t really hurt, you know” she whispers.

“I know. I’m the one who has to make sure it looks realistic” you whisper back heatedly. She offers you a smile.

“Right”

But then it happens again, right as he slashes his hand open with a knife in front of Nezuko. You suck in a sharp breath and are unable to keep your eyes on the fat blobs of blood dripping from his wrist to the floor, devilish grin splitting his face not really enough to ease your nerves.

Rationally, you know it’s just the corn syrup you have prepared. You know the injuries on his body have been meticulosuly applied with your own fingertips, barely half an hour spent exchanging casual remarks about each other’s dark circles and asking informal questions about the other’s weekend. It was pathetic, really, the contraction your stomach responded with when he handed you the extra hot beverage he brought to his trailer. Black hazelnut coffee. It’s sweet, because he remembered it’s your favorite, it’s also expensive: you know that because he got it from that extra popular cafe downtown, where they don’t use syrups and hazelnuts are grinded in with the coffee.

As cliché as it sounds, the moments spent prepping him for his scenes are the best part of your day. He’s similar to his character in a way, equally stubborn, blunt, with brows often furrowed and a deep scowl distorting his features, especially when he has to be on set early in the morning. But he’s also completely different. Sanemi’s smile grows warmer throughout the hours spent between takes, lunch breaks and infinite amounts of caffeine. His eyes light up whenever Genya is around and although he usually makes a whole scene of huffing and puffing, in the end he always accepts to be part of his stupid tiktoks. He loves hanging out with people, is a great listener and the sweetest, most friendly person a fan of the show could ever run into.

Overall, he’s a very decent, kind, attractive person whose thoughtfulness shouldn’t stir anything in your chest and definitely shouldn’t have your palms feeling all clammy and disgusting in response to a simple smirk or a good morning mumbled with a big, warm hand lingering a few seconds more than what’s needed on your shoulder.

Well, perhaps you have a small, insignificant crush. You might feel infinitesimal pangs of jealousy whenever he’s locked inside his trailer with Kira, the costume designer, because she gets to touch him for hours on end. You may often wonder how it must feel for Kenji, the hairstylist, to run his fingers through that snowy locks each day.

“Cut!” the director seems pretty satisfied with the scenes they’ve rolled until now. He gives the actors two thumbs up and lands a few friendly pats on Tanjiro’s back. Izumi, the assistant director, approaches you to notify that Sanemi is going to film another gruesome fight scene. Genya, Gyomei and Muichiro are gonna need extra makeup to be applied as well, but their prosthetics are not ready yet and they’ve all asked for a short break anyway: Muichiro has to finish his homework, the other two haven’t had lunch yet.

“Have fun” Shinobu gives you a knowing smile as she noisily sips her taro milk tea. Although it may be unprofessional, you shoot her a glare.

“Stop it”

“Why? You don’t think your job is fun?” she innocently bats her eyelashes, to which you groan.

“Shinobu”

“I think it’s fun”

“What’s fun?”

You jump and Shinobu can’t contain her chuckle any longer, a sound so sweet that would have you smiling immediately on a different occasion. Right now, it just accentuates your embarrassment.

“Their job” she shrugs and Sanemi cocks his head, a small frown settling over his features as he looks at you.

“Ah, guess you’re tired. Sorry to be a bother, I didn’t think we’d film that scene so early”

Dumbfounded, you stare back at him for a few seconds. Always so clever, of course he’s sensed the sarcasm.  

“What? No, no. You’re not a bother, it’s my job to take care of you”

Perhaps you could have phrased that better. Nevertheless, the smile that splits his face is a reason good enough not to succumb to the abyss of awkwardness threatening to swallow you whole.

And so, back you are in his trailer, sitting in front of him, well aware of the fact that you’re soon gonna have to apply makeup all over his exposed chest. Still, you choose to start from his face.

“Was the coffee good?” he asks as you apply a thin layer of yellow cream to his cheekbone.

“So good” you smile “thank you”

“We should get another”

You hum distractedly, busy dabbing a layer of violet cream mixed with navy cream on top of the previous layer. Finally, you add pockets of maroon, keeping everything as asymmetric as possible to make it look realistic.

“Tomorrow is your day off, right?”

Finally, your fingers come to a halt as you slightly pull back to look at him.

“Yes?”

Cautious, he thinks. Pretty, too.

“So, coffee? My treat?” he’s offering a charming smile, one that has your pulse freaking out on the spot.

“Why?” surely it’s not the best reply one could come up with but, seriously, why would he…?

Sanemi laughs at your shocked expression.

“I know you like me” he has the nerve to shrug but is quick to make up for a cockiness that doesn’t quite suit him, nor the pinkish tips of his ears “I like you. And coffee. Seems only fair we do something about it, right?”

[ultratradmalewife]

So I’m not sure why I’m awake, but I saw some rumors about a screenshot from Lou and I had to go see second hand. Honestly, I’m really disappointed in him if it’s real. Although I’m mostly in this ship for Tommy, and not Lou himself, I wouldn’t mind if they recasted Tommy’s character because I do think he’s the perfect fit for Buck. And if they do write his character off and the writers are still interested in exploring Buck’s mlm bisexual side I really hope the next love interest is a person of color. It will be very interesting to see, especially fandom wise knowing most of the BoBs have backed themselves into a corner regarding their fake activism. Whoever comes next needs to be welcomed with open arms, because at this point the pattern is pretty obvious regarding fandom behavior.

Overall, I’m still excited to see what comes next. I entered this fandom with complete excitement to see what it would be like, thinking shipping would be fun, but even though I’ve only been here for a few months I can confidently say I’m really anti-buddie. I still respect the multi-shippers and polyshippers. They’re some of my favorite people in this fandom. But I agree we shouldn’t reward bad behavior to the actors, and it only makes sense to carry that sentiment to the fandom. There’s no reward for you guys either. Because regardless of what you think and what I think, it’s time to let it sink in… Ryan isn’t interested in Buddie and you need to respect that.