#and tbh I can just see it really easily?? like him flattering her and maybe it's not even intentional or meant in that way on his behalf

[beanghostprincess]

Trans buggy is my lifeblood and I am SO HAPPY YOU LOVE HER TOO and I'm feral I'm shaking the bars of my cage FUCK I LOVE WOMEN

Like. Yes. Absolutely, Shanks and Buggy have little bits and pieces of ALL their parents, specifically Ray and Roger but No Adult Was Safe From Their Assimilated Found Family, Alright?

Shanks does this one movement when he's showing off and being SILLY about it that he picked up from Oden. Buggy uses chopsticks more easily than forks and spoons, which is mind boggling to those who know her and how clutzy she is.

Crocus was the KING of unexpected and frankly terrifying threats, something Buggy learned like a damned religion. Shanks got his penchant for Gay Uncle On Holiday clothes and patterns from him.

A lot of Shanks' attacks and swordplay was taught to him by Roger and Rayleigh, so his style is a mix of their own with a TWIST that's all him. Buggy wasn't as interested in swordsmanship, but she certainly isn't a novice at it. The forms and katas to her are meditative, and she can't really sit still for normal meditation ((AuDHD Buggy my beloved)) so THIS is her way of grounding. Her knife fighting is also derived from Ray's style, with quick, devasting blow that focus more on backlash damage, Haki and agility.

Buggy and Shanks both have Roger's grin, and when Rayleigh sees them, grown and side by side and beaming and greeting him so warmly, part of him breaks and heals and splinters and oozes love. He of course will not show weakness and instead teases them, as is his love language.

Also consider Cross Guild adopting the Seraphims. Stuff's normal at first until they give the kids some children's books. Cue "what is a dad? What is a mom?" questions. The adults answer them, and the kids simply nod before wandering off again.

Then, a few hours later, Buggy feels a tiny hand tug-tug at her pants. It's two little dark haired tykes, big saffron and violet eyes staring up at her. She blinks. "What's up, munchkins?"

"Mother, we want a snack and fathers are busy."

"Oh. Yeah, sure thing, sweeties, let me ju- WAITWHAT-?!"

Shanks is frothing, seething, crying in the window like a Victorian woman betrayed when he gets word that Buggy and the other two have "sons". He then proposes they have a baby too, to be fair.

Then the kids call him uncle or father twice removed and he is suddenly living his best life wdym he's gonna be the BEST uncle ever, hey kids wanna go harass people-?

Buggy is BEYOND flustered but she's also.... really flattered? Shanks wants a baby? With HER?? Like a real, whole ass baby. Wow. And she already has two sons! Maybe. Her little Birdie seems a tad unphased by the concept of gender anyway, so she won't push. She has two kids. And Shanks wants a third. Wow. Wow~ ♡

And then Crocodile has to go and ruin it by suggesting the kids stay with "auntie Al" for the weekend, while the guys see if they can get that baby idea rolling~

Buggy proceeds to blush so hard she's STEAMING and promptly faints.

I FUCKING LOVE WOMEN TOO!!!!!!!!!!! SCREAMING THIS EVERYWHERE I GO!!!!!!!!!

Both of them having traits of all their parents and role models and keeping them with them forever,, When Rayleigh sees them again he's so fond of their little gestures and :(( He loves them so so much.

Also, the whole thing about Cross Guild adopting the Seraphims is just so so cute. And them calling Buggy 'mom'??????? Crying and sobbing, idk. Cute family that is not dysfunctional but pretty much not normal my beloved.

Honestly, Buggy as a mom just feels so right. But especially as an adoptive mom, you know? She just keeps seeing outcasts and understanding them so well and wanting to take care of them. Tbh, Shanks and Buggy should just,, Find a kid in a treasure chest and keep the baby.

[schtroumpf-a-lunettes]

So going off Coquet = flirt, Schtroumpf Coquet aka Vanity Smurf

ok this is kinda hc type stuff which is more about comics vanity I guess;

Even though Vanity is not interested in girls he flirts with Smurfette, because the thing is he flirts with just about everyone. Despite flirting with the other smurfs he’s not actually interested in any of them either because he doesn’t think any of them are good enough for him/he’s too good for them. No one can meet his high, high standards. So yeah, he flirts with them despite not being actually interested in them at all, and from what I’ve read this is completely in-line with being a coquet.

Because at the end of the day it’s all about him and his self-centredness. He wants other people to see him as KNOW he’s attractive, to be desirable. stuff like that

meanwhile in the cartoon he mostly just keeps to himself and obsesses over himself. he loves himself enough so can’t care too much what other smurfs might have to say about it. But let’s make one thing absolutely clear:

IF Vanity were to turn his charms on just about any of the other smurfs they would be helpless. By focusing so much on himself, the others are all spared his intensely bedazzling charms. The guy has the power but he CHOOSES not to use it. because as long as he has his reflection to look at he doesn’t need anything more

[liannelara-dracula]

👙 reacting to seeing her gf in a swim suit (dl prompts)

Thank you both for requesting so here it is.

Link to prompt---> HERE

Please join my diabolik lovers group chat! Link---> HERE

Read Laito Sakamaki Fanfic [Dark Theme]---> Here

—————-

Sakamaki

Shu:

He’s doesn’t care too much about what you wear but seeing you made him more active. Shu tries to see more of your body by rubbing sun screen on your body. He’ll honestly tease you about showing so much.

“You must really want me, showing your chest off to me like that.” He’d say grinning.

“You’re such a pervert!” You’d shout.

“Why don’t you just come over here so I can mark you?” He’d suggest while laying on the beach towel.

Reiji:

He’s eyes are on you the whole damn time, and you know it. I mean you can feel his gaze burning into you but your doing your best to ignore it. Reiji is loving the view but would deny it if you mentioned it.

“Sunscreen is needed to protect you. Please come here so I can apply it on you properly.” He’d say, in low voice. The tone of it made you aware that he wasn’t happy about you showing of your body very much.

“Reiji, I can do it myself you know.” You’d say approaching him to take the sunscreen.

Yet, he insisted that you let him do it so you did. But this was just his excuse to touch your hips.

“Reiji!”

Laito:

omg someone call the police on this man

He’s into the color and likes how it hugs your body. Hopes your boobs spill out of it a bit. Or he’ll get you to bend forward to show them more. Laito likes the string bc he can easily untie it which he does.

“Laito!” You’d scream, holding the two ends before your bottom could come off. 

“Bitch-chan you need to keep it on a little tighter. Or perhaps this is your way of getting my attention.” He’d grin.

“It is not!”

Kanato:

Likes the color and how it makes you look small. He likes that his brothers can’t see your body since it’s not the type that shows it off too much.

He’s going to mark you up no questions asked.

Ayato:

He is in love and he can’t stop looking at you. It’s a sporty look and he’s all about it! Ayato also likes how he can see your boobs with it. Expect him trying to touch your chest if the beach is not so crowded.If you’re at the pool at his place he’s going to find every excuse to touch you. Loves play sports with you to, to see how the body moves.

“Let’s play volleyball.” He’d say winking at you.

“That’s an excuse to touch me.” You’d laugh.

“No it isn’t.” He’d say playfully.

Subaru:

Loves the frills and he is blushing because you are beautiful. He will get jelly bc guys are staring so he takes off his shirt and slips in over your head.

“Subaru!” You’d whine.

“No one is allowed to see your body except me. So be a good girl and where this.” He’d say.

He’d probably play volleyball with his brothers and you so there he wraps his arms around your waist a lot.

Kino:

Digs it like Ayato does, but he doesn’t want anyone looking at your body. So he’ll come up with a way to show you are his.

If you two are walking he finds a way to smack your ass.

“Kino. Not here!” You’d have whisper to look at him with wide eyes.

“Just showing people what’s mine.” He’d say before grabbing you by the waist.

Mukami

Ruki:

He like loves lace on your body. I hc that. No one can tell me otherwise.

So when he sees you barely wearing any clothes and its lace he is in love. He won’t do or say anything till you two get home. 

“What?” You’d ask smiling while laying down beside him on your beach towel.

“It’s nothing.” He’d say smiling while caressing your face.

Once you are home it’s all over. He’s back you into the wall and then carry you to his room.

Yuma:

Okay he loves the color but maybe would have wished it was orange but whatever. He’s not like some of the boys where he’s making a big deal about it. But that doesn’t mean his hands aren't wondering. He loves that he can admire your body and he kinda wants to go the beach more often now. 

He’d tease you by coming behind you and pulling the strap of your bottom while sliding it down. He’d grip your hips too. Lord who am I.

“Yuma!” You’d say pushing off his hands.

He’d just laugh before bringing you in for a kiss.

Kou:

Loves the colors because they look nice on you. He is praising you for sure. Kou can’t take his eyes off you, his arm is around your waist. Or or your shoulders and arms. He just loves the way you look in it.

“You should wear bright colors more often.”

Azusa:

Plays with the ruffles and traces circles in your thighs. He thinks you look really pretty. He wouldn’t do much he’s just admiring you. He hopes he can see this more often.

“You look. . .so. . .cute.”

Tsukinami

Carla:

Loves the elegance of it I swear. He finds it to be very flattering and is happy that you’re confident in wearing it. Carla thinks you look beautiful and wouldn’t look at it very sexually but more as a piece of art. He’s probably going to want to paint you tbh. 

“You look so beautiful.” He’d whisper.

Shin:

Prepare for over protective Shin! He thinks you look great, really. But you can’t wear that around others. He gets very jealous and gives you his shirt to cover you up. But he will stare at you before protecting you. If you’re at home with him and you have a pool he thinks he’s seeing heaven. When you guys are no longer swimming you won’t be walking for a few days for sure. lol.

“You’d don’t know how long I’ve been waiting to do this.” He’d say before pulling you in for a kiss.

[lordeasriel]

I really care about your opinion, how do you feel about the bbc show and the way it's going?

I feel like before I give my take, I need to say that I understand the show is its own thing, and while I do wish they did a better job adapting certain things, I understand that sometimes there is a need for radical change or cut, especially when your budget is not super high (which HDM does have a lot of money into it, still is not a super big budget production, so they have to worry about these things). And I do enjoy many things about the show, but my overall vibe is mixed, to be honest. I’m stating this now because people often question whether I like the show or not, becaus I do criticise it a lot, and I simply have a critic view of the things I like, which is why I discuss them a lot and it can be overwhelming.

My main issues with the show are these 3 things: (which I’ll put under the cut because this got a bit longer than I wanted to lmao sorry)

Lack of worldbuilding and loose lore: I’ve been talking about this since day one, and this mostly applies to season 1 because I can’t judge season 2 yet because it’s not fully aired yet, but the show suffers from lack of worldbuilding, especially in Lyra’s world, which is the world that sets everything in motion. I still dislike the fact they introduced Will mid-NL, I don’t think he needed all those episodes to establish something that easily could’ve been done in S2 and because they gave TSK a lot of time, other parts of Lyra’s world suffered considerably, mainly the witches and the Magisterium.

The show doesn’t really expand on those two groups, especially, and I think that’s not good, especially the Magisterium (which they have over simplified by making it one big baddie, or so it seems at least, not to mention that implying a single leader for them practically ruins Marcel Delamare’s arc in TBOD and I’m very mad about that lmao). A lot of the Magisterium plot has that infighting aspect, which creates tension on their side as well as against their enemies, but the show doesn’t really explore that or the nuances of the Church, and they also don’t explore how varied the witches are, and I feel like this is a serious mistake. (The portrayal of the witches is by far my least favourite thing in the show, if I’m being honest).

Dull parallel world (and lack of daemons): this ties a bit with the worldbuilding aspect, but this is mainly about design choices. I think the show doesn’t make Lyra’s world as unique as it should be. On its own the world looks pretty and the outfits of most of the cast are great, but when you realise that Will’s world is intertwined with that, you don’t really feel like these two worlds are vastly different.

There is an odd situation in which Marisa’s fashion feels 30s/40s, but most of the men from her social circle (not fair to compare with the gyptians) just wear plain suits and they look much more modern. And while I get that they went for a timeless vibes, with different eras and styles, Lyra’s world feels like a caricature and it doesn’t feel believable. The colour palette is mostly the same for both worlds (even in s2, it’s hard to tell much of the difference because either the scenes are indoors or at night.) This, paired with the lack of daemons (which has been discussed many times in the fandom) kinda bums me out.

Marisa’s oversimplification: I’m mentioning Marisa, specifically, because she is the one that suffers the most due to this writing issues, but other characters like Lord Asriel, MacPhail, the general collective of the Witches, they all suffer from the writing trying to take away the nuances of them and make them flatter than in the book. Marisa is the worst because without her complexity and her flaws, she simply gets dull and boring and flavourless, and it’s kinda what has been happening in the show in my opinion. All she does is weep and she has no strength that doesn’t rely on a random fit of rage that dies out and she gets upset. There’s some great moments, like when she mimics the Monkey, but most of the time she’s just a shadow of who she is supposed to be.

The show tries really hard to make her a Scorned Mother - right from the get go, they try to makes us see how she wants Lyra, how she struggles with her “bad nature” and how that affects their relationship. There is this lingering implication that Lyra was taken from her against her wishes; they make it seem like being a mother to Lyra is her driving force, the only reason why she seeks power and influence. And that is the opposite of Book! Marisa, who is a force of nature, ruthless and ambitious, with not an ounce of maternal instinct.

She does eventually decide to help Lyra, instead of harming her, but even that action comes from a narcisistic place: Lyra is to her a possession, something that belongs to her, and that she wants to preserve. The show just handles her badly, falling into overused, boring tropes that struck far from the book version.

These are usually my main complaints about the show, and they upset me every episode to the point I’m practically ignoring them now lmao The show does a lot of good things too, making Will less of a prick, restoring Lyra’s personality from the first book into S2 Lyra (so far, please keep it that way), Mary is looking great too. They have mostly a great cast, and they did improve the daemons this season (except uh, there are far less daemons to show because of the other worlds - and the Ruta Skadi daemon change pisses me off tbh).

They do have a lot of interest in the show, but the writing (the main issue to me) feels clunky and childish, with the show toning down most of the themes that make His Dark Materials so special, especially to me (which frankly I expected them to do, but it still stings a bit). They make the Magisterium a single bad entity that feels more Authoritarian-Fascist, than a theocracy (even if they sneak in the religious symbols and rituals and garments, it’s just not a good portrayal, it’s very tame and shy); and they try to justify Marisa’s actions (especially in current interviews, there’s lots of talk about how her background will play in the show to “explain why she is the way she is”). The fact the Magisterium is portrayed as pure evil makes it looks less familiar than it should be, and therefore they don’t look scary, they seem like a caricature, a joke.

A lot of the essence of the characters get lost, and the core message of the story too, like when Iorek and the Gyptians tell Lyra she can be one of them, to support her lack of “proper family”, when that is the opposite of the books message. It doesn’t make sense for them to change that, other than maybe Jack Thorne wanted to because it makes the story feels less hopeless, but it’s why he fails to adapt these character - he doesn’t capture the essence, he tries to write these character with gaps in them.

However, the thing that annoys me the most is how they portray Asriel. It’s just... it’s bad. Really bad, which is a shame cause James is talented as fuck, but he had little time to film for season 1, and then they portrayed him very poorly. That scene when he addresses Roger in episode 7 is ridiculous, Asriel would never behave that way; there was relief in him finding Roger was there too, yes, but not to that extent and not in such a cringe way. Asriel is not deranged or irrational, he is a man on a mission, and Roger was a tool (there is no pleasure in Asriel taking his life and no excuses - it needed to be done and he did it); they just needed him to sound creepy in the show for whatever reason.

I hated how they handled the bridge scene for Asriel, Lyra and Marisa, but that’s long and complicated for me to explain here. In S2, there has been some mentions of him so far, including the implication he might have ruined Cittàgazze himself and I frankly don’t understand where did they get that idea. But the cherry on the top was Thorold telling Marisa that Asriel was gonna kill Lyra and that’s just-- that’s so dumb. That’s genuinely dumb writing, because Thorold knows Lyra followed Asriel to the mountain, and while I do believe Asriel would have killed Lyra if Roger wasn’t there, there is no way Thorold should know or consider that Asriel was gonna hurt Lyra, because Roger was there. In fact, Thorold’s interactions with Asriel in episode 8 already disprove this, so either Thorold was lying in S2 for the sake of, I don’t know, chaos or whatever, or the person who wrote this was a five-star, solid gold, fucking moron.

I’m not gonna mention the lost episode because that was no one’s fault, but the fact that they discarded an episode that all information we have on imply that it was important to set up the backstory of the angels and the city, it’s... concerning. It means they wrote something parallel that should’ve been woven into the season.

The truth is, I still watch the show on Sundays, and I still like some stuff they do (especially Mary’s stuff, so far), and despite me slandering the show per your request anon lol (cause unfortunately my honest opinion is mixed, I just don’t try to overfocus on the negative on Tumblr, I mostly talk about it on discord or private), I do think anyone who has read the books should watch the show.

For me, personally, everything I love about HDM is barely on the show - complex characters, the philosophy, the oppression by religion, the interesting world - and the vibe I get is that they’re adapting a coming-of-age love story, which is the last and - being fully honest - the least important message these books give us, but unfortunately they were set to making a family show from the start, and my expectations were high and unmatched, and a family is what we’re getting: toned down, cute, pretty visuals and soulless (heh, pun intended), philosophically speaking. I expect a certain pattern going into S3, but I always like to hold out hope that they will hire better writers (apparently Jack Thorne already wrote 4 scripts, so there you go lmao), and try to give HDM the adaptation it deserves. The truth is, if you’re a picky, canon reliant person like I am, the show might be a struggle, but if you just like the story for the teen romance, or if you don’t care about overthinking a show/book, then most people can have a good time with it.

[la-paritalienne]

Eve!!!! Need your thoughts about Taylor's album!!!! 💓💓💓💓💓💓

i love getting asked :”(((((( :”))))))) thank uuuuuuuu. let’s get to it. as usual, it’s an almost-first impression (normally i write my basic thoughts during the first listen – yeah i’d started doing it before getting this, you know, just in case – and then i review them w a second one, where i also select my favourite passage). sooo, let’s go

♡♡♡♡

the 1 — such sweet yet heartbreaking lyrics... very soft sound, if it sets the mood for the album im 100 per cent in! This one didn’t stick w me after one listen, but after the second i was like wooow! I love how she says waking up alone ughhh. 8

fave lyrics: persist and resist the temptation to ask you / if one thing had been different / would everything be different today?

cardigan — !!!!!!! the sound has that bittersweet something that gets under your skin and makes you nostalgic for something you can’t even pinpoint. it reminds me of the softest lana, especially in nfr (eg bartender!!). i’m in awe. instant obsession!!!! the ending takes you to another plane of existence – ‘cause i knew everything when i was young... i knew you’d miss me... you’d come back to me. also i’m crying. 10+

[it’s hard to choose bc the whole song reads like poetry but i’m especially obsessed w] giving me your weekends; once in twenty lifetimes; tried to change the ending / peter losing wendy; you drew stars around my scars

the last great american dynasty — storytelling on pointttt and sound, too! telling the story of someone she bought her house from?? the genius jumped out. she paints it like a romantic portrait, mad woman pacing on the shore, but then also gatsbian, the crazy parties, dali... and then takes it back to today w the key lime green dog, idk, iconic. i want to know this woman. this song truly takes you somewhere else, i thought it was a bit repetitive but then the bridge came in and the final vocals plus i had a marvelous time ruining everything, i have to stan! 8+

there goes the maddest woman this town has ever seen / she had a marvelous time ruining everything

exile — ok wow, bon iver’s voice is something else!!!! i was kind of ignorant when it came to him, i admit. his depth and rasp paired with how angelic she sounds... heavenly. sound-wise, but also thematically, this vaguely reminds me of tomorrow never came w lana and sean ono lennon. (one of my fave songs of all time maybe?). the way they enunciate i think i’ve seen this film before is literally a work of art all in itself, not to mention – well i’m mentioning it bc it’s worth it! – the you never gave a warning sign vs the way she goes over it w i gave so many signs. god this makes me feel sooooo sad and like, involved. it’s so beautiful. 10

you’re not my homeland anymore / so what am i defending now?

my tears ricochet — ok wtfffff??? everything about this speaks to my soul. the airy voice, the way she sets the scene... sunlit room, the funeral metaphor, you turned into your worst fears. i didn’t have it in myself to go with grace speaks to me more than anything, but just, everything about the lyrics. truly something else, cursing my name / wishing i stayed gives me chills everytime she says it. the beat that gets more insistent towards the end, with the bridge....... the high notes that then fade..... just wow. 10

and i can go anywhere i want / anywhere i want, just not home / and you can aim for my heart, go for blood / but you would still miss me in your bones / and i still talk to you when i’m screaming at the sky / and when you can’t sleep at night you hear my stolen lullabies

mirrorball — love the lyrics, maybe a bit less the sound? i mean i do love the sound, so far i’m loving how softly produced and coherent this album is, but this one i wouldn’t listen to on repeat and maybe there’s something a bit whiny that i don’t love. powerful meaning tho, and who’d use a mirrorball as a metaphor for feeling like you’re fragile, trying too hard to be a people-pleaser and no one sees the real you? 7

i’m still trying everything to keep you looking at me

seven — ah........ i started crying as soon as this one started, pleeease picture me in the trees, i hit my peak at seven....... like ok there’s no need to go that hard??? it’s so dreamy and like... naïf? in a perfect way. the way she says i still got love for you...... and everything else... she mentions folk songs... the purest love described in the purest way. i don’t think i have enough words to descrive the way this song moves me. like i want to listen to it again and again, to be able to feel like that again, but also i’m almost scared to listen bc it touches me too deeply. i still will tho hehe. 10+ (also just realised this is track 7 ok makes sense but my mind is blown. 100)

[this is literally deeper than a shakespeare sonnet so everything literally is my fave but, having to choose] and i’ve been meaning to tell you / i think your house is haunted / your dad is always mad and that must be why / and i think you should come live with me / and we can be pirates / then you won’t have to cry / or hide in the closet / and just like a folk song / our love will be passed on

august — i love the contrast between the lighthearted, happy singing and guitars and the sad lyrics. the story it tells is so simple and yet there’s so much poetry in that... plus it reminds me of fearless or even speak now?? which are like. the taylor that gets to my heart, tbh. the bridge and the outro made the song for me. 8,5

for me, it was enough / to live for the hope of it all / canceled plans just in case you’d call

this is me trying — oh god... lyrically this song is so raw and honest, it gives me chills! i do have to say, i don’t love how she says i just wanted to know (like metrically?? idk, im weird) but these are really just small comments on amazing songs, bc i feel like all i’m saying is wow this is great, lyrics and sound, but it truly is a complete and consistent work of art, easily listened to top to bottom each time. 8-

they told me all of my cages were mental / so got wasted like all my potential / and my words shoot to kill when i’m mad / i have a lot of regrets about that

illicit affairs — ok this goes without saying but i love storyteller taylor, it’s the taylor i grew up loving and singing to in my room. the thing about most of these songs, this one included, is that they probably grow on you after a few listens, bc they’re not made to be catchy, the production and backgrounds are always very soft and some i love more than others. this one musically maybe isn’t my fave but the narration is on point, and the bridge?? the fuckkkk. plus it has one of mt favourite themes ever which is so rarely spoken about, which is the fact that language you only speak w a particular someone you love, makes you miss them even more when they’re gone. or well not exactly this but i can’t put it into words, she did tho. 8+

you taught me a secret language i can’t speak with anyone else / and you know damn well / for you, i would ruin myself / a million little times

invisible string — the color theme!!! the guitar strumming!!! and the idea of an invisible tie w someone special... i do think she outdid herself w this album. again, not my fave soundwise, maybe slightly whiny when she goes meEeeEee? but, lyrically adorable and moving. 7,5

one single thread of gold / tied me to you

mad woman — maam...... this is iconic shit........ how could she say stuff like this w such a dreamy, breathy voice. musically i get huuuge lana’a nfr vibes again (which i mean. goals) but i also adore that lyrically it’s so taylor, no one would say this shit the way she does. adore how she sings to wrap your news around and bonus for women like hunting witches too, i do love me a nod to the fact that some women are so deeply filled w machism that they’re basically men in disguise. 8,5 

every time you call me crazy, i get more crazy / what about that? / and when you say i seem angry, i get more angry [isn’t this just womanhood condensed in a few lines]

epiphany — aw! it sounds like a lullaby, maybe it’s slightly ‘boring’ for my taste? meaning i get distracted which is surely a shame bc the words seem beautiful, but it’s so soft i just drift off? but reading the lyrics – for focus hehe – i’m moved. 7+

only twenty minutes to sleep / but you dream of some epiphany / just one single glimpse of relief / to make some sense of what you’ve seen

betty — okay byeeeeeeeeee. this is taylor at her finest! countryyyyyyyy, storytelling, lesbian jdjdfk no yeah I know I knowww, romance went sour. gut wrenching and beautiful, this feels like... watching a sad teen movie but w a sepia filter, idk. i dreamt of you all summer long oh my......... it’s like og taylor from her iconic first couple of albums came back but w all her baggage and growth and experience and better than ever. also why does taylor sing so wel about being in love w a woman????? well. 10+

betty, right now is the last time / i can dream about what happens when / you see my face again

peace — ..........yes yes yes. the high notes, the honesty, the syncopated parts where she says so much so quick and yet it still hits you. it’s not even a short song but it ends too soon, it goes by like that..... a poem. omg it just hit me this has flo vibes! especially from high as hope, for example grace or south london forever?? i mean... taylor doing alt folk country pop...... queen. give you my wild, give you a child?? ok ok. 10

all these people think love’s for show / but i would die for you in secret

hoax — weeeell the lana inspo jumped out w that piano!!!!! and like. mood. and lyrics...... this reminds me of wuthering heights or of lana’s tormented love stories (shades of blue.....). a powerful closer. poetry. 9

i am ash from your fire

♡♡♡♡

okkkkk this was a flattering review, very well deserved imo since the review is mine gjgjhkhk i agree w myself. thank you again and as i always say, feel free to come back w your comments! and have a great dayyyyy! much love

[muthaz-rapapa]

Precure S.H. Figuarts Waitlist

As much as I hate thinking about it, need to post this to make sure I’m not the only one bemoaning Bandai’s horrendous track record of exclusive, non-releases. 

*sobbing* (; _ ;  )

Tbh, I really prefer scales but like that’s going to ever happen again. Even Hugtto’s success wasn’t enough to bring back the prize figures. Or even trading figures! :P

Missing Cures:

Cure Ange - Prototype pics already up, just no release date yet.

HaCha team [Lovely, Princess, Honey, Fortune] - Now this is just ****** unfair! Yes, I understand that they’d want to capitalize on the more recent and/or popular seasons first but it’s been almost six years and these girls should be given their due. Just because their season was polarizing doesn’t make them any less deserving members of the franchise. >:(

Maho team [Miracle, Magical, Felice] - Only Miracle received a proto but the photos of her are hardly flattering. Still, at least she and Magical have been announced so there’s still hope for improvement and eventual release dates and of course, though it might take another eternity Felice. I can say with 80% certainty they’ll probably be released before the HaCha team, though. *more sobbing*

Star team [Star, Milky, Soleil, Selene, Cosmos] - Being a more recent season, expect them to be announced (not released)...2 years from now? And that’s just me being optimistic. I don’t know how popular StarPre is but I’m pretty sure not as much as Hugtto was during its run so it’ll likely take a while to finally get started on this line. Not to mention, with current production being delayed due to the pandemic and all (just to be clear, this I have no problem with because always safety for the workers first!!). And that’s just for the first Cure, too, which will undoubtedly be Star. Then after, it’s a matter of the most to least popular in the team which I suspect goes something like this: Milky, Selene or Cosmos, Soleil.

Heal team [Grace, Fontaine, Sparkle, Earth] - Can’t expect any announcement when the season isn’t even halfway done yet. Nah, the soonest I can expect to see any confirmation will have to be closer to the end. As for order of release, probably this: Grace, Sparkle, Fontaine. I’m leaving Earth out for now since she hasn’t debuted yet so can’t really judge when there’s no reception to judge on. *shrug*

Other potential releases (no guarantees, though):

These are mainly recurring, supporting characters. At least those who were popular enough that some fans would want to purchase them so Bandai might be convinced to keep an open mind for?? Maybe?? I dunno.

There was a poll a few years ago but(with the exception of Twilight) I’m not sure the ones I listed here were on it. Anyways, too lazy to look for the link and translate the results atm.

Not strangely, they are also mostly villains.

Dark Dream - Ok, so she’s movie-exclusive but Dark Dream’s still receiving a lot of love today. If any other character from Yes!5 had the chance of getting the figure treatment (ignoring the Renewal version of Dream), it’d be her.

Regina - I’m not really big on Regina so I don’t know how many would want to buy a Figuarts of her but I’m sure a good chunk of people would love to include her with the rest of the Doki team.

Twilight - She is my greatest grail. Who do I have to kill to get her? (⊙◡⊙ ;;) In all seriousness, though, Eas and Dark Precure got theirs so don’t see why Twilight can’t get one either since she was one of the best parts of Go!Pri.

Pikario/Rio - All the YES. I mean, I’m not collecting Kira merchandise but hell yea, I want to see him part of the line-up anyway! And they’ll likely go with his purified form over his villain form (Julio). Simply because it’s the most fab out of everyone else’s.

Lulu Amour (Criasu version) - Sometimes I think I love this look on her more than I like Cure Amour. Just sometimes, though. Anyways, Lulu is easily the most popular girl among the Hugtto team so would not be surprised if she got another Figuarts. But honestly? Not really that hopeful for it. At least, priority for her is lower than the main Cures who haven’t gotten released yet.

Would be nice but 0.00000000...1% chance of happening:

Form Changes. I mean, the only alternative forms that got Figuarts were Cure Angel (Peach only, the other Fresh girls were shelved), Heartcatch Super Silhouette...and yea, that’s it.

Really, though, that was a different time altogether so don’t hold your hopes up. If it takes a miracle to get one of the main characters finally released, it would take another dozen lifetime of miracles for a Form Change to just be considered.

*SIGH*

Go!Pri Mode Elegant - A proto of Flora’s Mode Elegant was showcased years ago but since she’s never been announced for mass production, then she probably was only made for the showcase. So yea, sadly, none for the other girls either. :’( If there were Figuarts, though, I’d only want their first Elegant forms. The other ones like Rose, Lily, Bubble, Luna, etc, I don’t really care for since there’s not that much difference from the initial forms.

Maho Form Changes - This is me we’re talking about so frickyea, I want the Ruby, Sapphire and Topaz forms! I also wouldn’t mind Alexandrite but hah, in my far off dreams probably.

StarPre Zodiac Forms - ...actually, I am more saddened by the fact that Cosmos has 4 forms while the other girls only have 2. Yes, STILL upset about that and will be forever upset about that so leave me the hell alone and let me sulk! xP

......

That’s all, I suppose.

[vancilocs]

is javi and keyes viable yet? aaand yeehaws and their respective goths?

the three musketeers and their partners

How did they they meet?

Javier spotted a guy to whore a drink out of and this guy ended up being the softest and most earnest guy who not only offered the drink without blinking and didn’t expect anything out of it, was just happy a cute guy talked to him

Max went to get a tattoo from a parlor she hadn’t been to before and really bonded with the artist

Kasia went as emotional support to a friend getting a tattoo and ditched them immediately after laying eyes on the piercer bear

Who developed romantic feelings first?

Keyes genuinely, Javier was more flattered by the attention at first

It was very mutual, though Max was already all hot and bothered by Heather when she asked her out while Heather was just testing the waters

Kasia probably, sure it was just lusting after Bailey at first but he’s a nice guy so romance came first for Kasia too maybe

Who is their biggest “shipper?”

Heather knows Javier knows what he’s doing and likes Keyes, dude seems like sunshine in a bag. Sunny is happy for Keyes, go on get it boy

Cameron practically declared himself the godfather of their first kid when Heather expressed interest in Max

Despite all the teasing, Heather can tell Bailey and Kasia are all too head over heels for each other and supports them wholeheartedly

When did they have their first kiss and under what circumstances?

One seeing the other home, Javier took initiative

Hanging out at Max’s place, Heather complimented her lipstick and Max asked if she’d like to try it out

Kasia sneaked one from Bailey by turning their head at just the right time. Flustered the poor boy

Who confessed their feelings first?

Keyes bc he has no fucking filter

Heather asked Max out on a date but Max talked about feelings first after that

Could really be either tbh

What was their first official date?

They mainly just ran into each other for a time until Keyes asked if Javier would go grab fast food at 2 am

Go to see a movie and then to dinner, then have drinks at a bar before seeing each other off

Go to an art gallery and to dinner before parting ways

How do they feel about double dates/group dates?

Down for it tbh, all three could go together

What do they do in their down time?

Javier works on his music and art, Keyes draws and does his occasional freelancer work, lay around scrolling through their phones, show memes, braid Keyes’ long-ass hair, Javier helps him with writing emails bc his dyslexia is a bitch

Hang around, do makeup for fun, do hair, cook, watch TV or movies, draw, go on walks or grab something to eat at a cafe

Draw together and on each other, mess with hair, lay on bed going through phones, paint nails, go on walks, watch TV, play with cat

What was the first meeting of parents as an official couple like?

Keyes’ mom is just as eccentric and loving and open as her son, no problem accepting the twink into the family. Javier’s mom and stepdad were somewhat surprised but not negative about this weirdo dating their son either

Went well, Heather’s mom was a little surprised by Max’s aesthetic but loves her all the same, Max’s parents are happy with Heather, seems like a good lass

After seeing Max it was easier to get over Kasia’s aesthetic, for sure different but if Bailey’s happy she’s happy. Just make sure the thing eats. Kasia’s parents liked Bailey too.

What was their first fight over and how did they get past it?

Keyes is an unfortunate scatterbrain and Javier as an opinionated guy would snap about it, but he’s since realized that the guy’s mind just doesn’t work sometimes so it’s unfair to be mad at him for that. Just apologize about getting heated and work on solutions for the future

Something honestly stupid probably, but they’re both the yelling kinda type with bad past relationships so it easily got nasty. Just apologized after that but after a few of those arguments got some professional help bc that ain’t right

They honestly don’t argue. If anything then just small things like leaving things laying around.

Which one is more easily made jealous?

Keyes has low self-esteem but Javier isn’t flirty when in a relationship, Keyes is friendlier with others but Javier trusts him so. Keyes gets jealous easier but Javi doesn’t make him

They’re both really confident in their relationship, even if Max gets attention as a bartender Heather ain’t worried

Neither really? Neither gives reason and neither is jealous by nature

What is their favourite thing to get to eat?

Junk food, the spicier the better

Spicy but not junk food

Bailey likes it spicy and plenty

Who’s the cuddly one? What their favourite cuddling position?

Keyes is cuddly and he’s also chubby so he’s good for cuddling, he can lay down while Javier curls up next to him

Both are so soft and good for cuddling, Max can just lay on Heather and rest that head on them titties

Kasia weighs a couple of grapes worth and Bailey is a straight-up bear, they can lay on top of him all they like

Are they hand holders?

Keyes is, Javier happily goes along with it.

Sure, sometimes

Holding hands or linking arms

How long do they wait before sleeping together for the first time? What’s the circumstances?

For some time, Keyes has a low sex drive and Javi didn’t mind waiting, he’s not the type to jump into bed immediately in a relationship either so it’s fine

After like the second date when hanging out at either one’s apartment

Took a good while probably, Bailey is a shy boy, agree on it beforehands or he’ll get overwhelmed

Who tops?

Javier is a twink and he’s a top and Keyes is like well sure I do whatever

Either can

Kasia wants to be dominated and Bailey is still a shy boy but when he’s comfortable he’ll agree

What’s the worst fight they’ve ever gotten into?

Something about Keyes accidentally breaking or losing something important and Javier being this close to losing it and just. Going for a walk before he yells. Sad Keyes is a miserable sight anyways

About something absolutely stupid, could be sparked from laundry. And at that point it’s like jesus christ we need professional help

Like for them the worst would be like if. Kasia brought up how much Bailey spoils them and uses money on them and they feel kinda bad about that

Who does the shopping and the cooking?

Either, give Keyes pictures he’s bad at reading lists. Also he will always bring something like poptarts bc he has no inhibitions

Either, both love to cook, Max is better at it

Bailey cooks a lot and he cooks kinda spicy, either does the shopping

Which one is more organized and prone to tidiness?

Javier who didn’t realize how organized he is until after sharing a space with a guy who couldn’t find his own ass with both his hands taped on it

They’re both tidy, but Max a bit more because she keeps her makeup organized while Heather’s painting corner can get messy

Both are pretty tidy, dunno if Kasia’s art supplies tend to spread

Who proposes?

Haven’t gotten there yet but for some reason Javier has made the decision to marry this man one day, minion tattoo or no

Heather with the help of the kids

Bailey in cargo shorts i’m kidding

Do they have joined Bachelor/Bachelorette parties or separate?

Joined probably

Separate, Cameron can steal Max away like old times while Javier can deal with Heather

Separate, Heather and Max stole Kasia

Who is the best man/maid of honour? Any other groomsmen or bridesmaids?

Heather can be Javier’s best woman, Sunny can be Keyes’

Likewise Javier is Heather’s man of honour, Max will ask Cameron

Bailey miiiiiiight ask Heather to be his best woman, Kasia has their own buddies

Big Ceremony or Small?

Small but Refined, Javier will handle it bc if it was up to Florida Man he’d show up in a sleeveless shirt and on an ATV

Kinda medium, nothing super grand, suitable for children, two guests dressed up like they came to a house party

Similar to Heather and Max, kinda medium, got family there, less kids bc they weren’t around yet, nature-themed with the Jewish side clearly shown

Do they have a honeymoon? If so, where?  

Probably at Cuba or Florida, just a short visit

Not really, they have two kids to look after. If anything then after the wedding dunk the kids on friends for the night and go to a luxury hotel

A short one maybe, visit Russia or South Africa or both

Do they have children? How many?

Nah, Keyes has never wanted bio ones bc of his medical history and Javier doesn’t want kids in general

Two, a boy and a girl

One rootin’ tootin’ princess

[golden-redhead]

Do you think Kokichi is bi? Because of the "I like you" thing with Himiko. I can't figure out if it was genuine at all or not - it's a weird thing to write into Kaito's script just to get a reaction from her, but it's also weird given how heavy his crush on Shuichi seemed to be. Also I've recently come to terms with the fact that I'm bi and that my weird unexplainable feelings toward female classmates weren't actually unexplainable, hi.

Uhh, I have a feeling that many people will hate me for my response, it’s so full of controversial and unpopular opinions, but here we go, I guess.

Starting with the Himiko thing, I think it was mostly there to get a reaction out of her, it’s a very Kokichi thing to do in my opinion, maybe it seemed a bit out of nowhere, but if I really think about it I kinda have to admit that many of his comments sounded like that. Personally, I think people pay too much attention to that line? And I feel like it says much more about Himiko than about Kokichi. And how she actually has this... very heteronormative view of the world and it was very flattering for her to hear something like that from a boy, as opposed to her being clearly uncomfortable when Tenko was paying so much attention to her. I think that’s something more worth discussing than a passing comment that seems more like weird fanservice than anything else. Because that can be actually analyzed, this fact that she was pleased to hear that.

Secondly, I don’t really have, like... fixed... orientation headcanons. I just... don’t. And I never understood why fandom is so obsessed with them tbh. I’ve always seen the fact that my interpretations of characters as fluid as a good thing and I just... don’t really think about things like that, like... actively? For me it’s always been, what best fits the AU I’m writing or just a gut feeling that doesn’t really need to be overly analyzed, I guess. Especially since, you know, sexuality in general is fluid. As for bi Kokichi... For me bi Kokichi only works in AUs where he could have sex with women but I believe that romantically he’s exclusively attracted to men. unless we’re talking abt polyam relationships but that’s another topic entirely

Also, it’s gonna be super controversial, but... I don’t think... that Kokichi..... actually had a crush on Shuichi. Or at least it’s not that important whether he had or not because the game was more important.

There. I said it.

Like, I genuinely think that fandom took some small hints of it that could easily be interpreted as him being simply suspicious and kinda impressed by Shuichi’s talent and EXTREMELY blew it out of proportion.

And it doesn’t have anything to do with how I feel about this ship, I just genuinely don’t think it was there as much as fandom insists it was. As oppossed to komahina where it was all over the place and they had an actual bond and interacted a bunch of times.

I think that people in V3 fandom really tend to overlook how freaking suspicious Shuichi must have been in Kokichi’s eyes. People forget that we can sympathize with Shuichi’s actions and see where he’s coming from because we have the first person narration, but in REALITY, his actions must have been super suspicious if you analyze them from the perspective of other characters. We know he’s good. Kokichi can’t know that. Like, look... this guy solved practically every trial, no one else even really tried, he had full control during the motives reveals, it’s fucking dangerous to have someone this perceptive who could easily manipulate the facts and NO ONE would even realize. And then he goes and becomes friends with a fucking assassin and an optimistic idiot that had some pretty dangerous ideas and ability to motivate and convince people to do what he tells them to do.

I’m not denying that Kokichi might have had a crush on Saihara, but more than anything, I think he was suspicious of him and afraid of what could happen if he happened to be the mastermind or was somehow manipulated by Monokuma. I think that in a way he tried to focus on that more than on his feelings because letting them dictate his actions would get him and everyone else killed. And, story-wise, that is much more important but not really discussed in the fandom because of shipping wars and people forgetting that we know why Shuichi acts the way he does, but other characters can’t say the same thing.

But yeah, anyways, I’m happy to hear that you realized you might be bi : D It can be a bit scary and weird, especially this realization that ‘oh my god, all these years I’ve been attracted to girls and now suddenly EVERYTHING MAKES SENSE’, haha. Honestly, I’ve had 2-4 years to get used to the idea that I’m bi but it still blows my mind a little? I know how you feel! I’ve been there. And for me knowing that I’m bi, knowing that such a big part of me finally makes sense... Like some weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I hope it’s the same for you :3

[solrika]

Every so often I come across descriptions of old school butch/femme courting behaviors, and they generally leave me puzzling over my own behaviors with people I’m interested in, trying to figure out where I’d fit in that dynamic.

One thing, off the bat--I do not have the energy to maintain the hoped-for high polish on either the femme or butch side of things, at all. For a nice night out, sure. Everyday? NAH. But honestly, pretty sure that’s how most couples worked out anyways. There’s the ideal and then there’s real life, and often the latter’s more comfortable. (Catch me rhapsodizing about the true love found when you don’t have to worry about your partner seeing all your imperfections and messy everyday). 

The second thing is that I definitely am not confined to either a butch or femme presentation, and instead swing wildly from one to the other depending on the day and my circumstances, or (more realistically) just opt for the comfiest sweater. 

That said, it’s fascinating to me how some of the dynamics play out in my two romantic relationships. 

In my primary one, I definitely take the role of the doted-upon femme. I love being spoiled. It makes me so happy to be treated as if I’m precious. But one thing I love reading about in old school relationships is the femme’s contributions to the relationship even when she’s being championed by her butch. I plan the majority of our social outings, I get us from point a to b, I do logistics. 

I consider it very womanly work mostly because my mother does the same for our family, but also because it’s so domestic. It’s taking care of the day-to-day. It’s helping the family unit. I would happily plan dinner parties, and at some point probably will. Me handling all this makes life easier for him. In the butch-femme stuff I’ve read, this hard work is recognized. And so it is in my relationship, even though by outside eyes it’s a ‘straight’ one. 

( I think that’s something I really like--the idea that the behind-the-scenes is acknowledged. Related, when I make an effort in appearance, and that’s recognized--I really do like that.)

I get more butch in my secondary relationship, and I can’t help but wonder if it’s because it’s a more explicitly queer one. I have more societal room to be masculine when there’s not a man already sitting in that box. And while my primary partner always encourages all my expressions, there’s an extra... interest towards butchness from my secondary partner. (Tiny butches are definitely a type for them). 

I want to open doors for them. I want to pull out their chair. I want to flatter them, and make sure they feel pretty or handsome, because they are. And not that I don’t want to make my primary’s life easier and show them how much I care, but it comes out differently with my secondary. There’s this... well it’s cliche, but a chivalry. 

I’m definitely not leading, though. This is all a desire to please, to be praised and--to some degree, still--cosseted and adored. If I’m a little spaniel on a pillow with my primary, I’m that same little spaniel retrieving a duck from the water for my secondary. (Of course I think in dog analogies.) 

Either way, I want to be praised and petted. I just want to more obviously work for it with my secondary, probably because our romantic relationship is a playful courting without any real work. (We definitely do personal work with each other, but that’s in our friendship--the romance is more a for-fun thing.) 

On the other hand, a lot of work (joyful work, and tbh 80% of it is just habit at this point) (I could do a whole essay on what ‘work’ is in a good relationship but it boils down to ‘this person is sharing my life, how do we make this a nice thing for both of us’) goes into my primary romantic relationship every day--it’s intended to be a life partnership, so of course it needs a lot of time and effort.  Maybe that’s why I want his romantic affection to be easily gained, since it’s an everyday instead of a sometimes date thing. Who knows. Shrug shrug. I’ve gotten away from  my thesis of butch-femme, but eh. It’s late, I can ramble!

anyways

being queer is interesting

relationships are interesting

 i’m going to bed. 

[yo-namine]

Lots of KH3 talk under the cut. This post contains spoilers from the start of the game through the scenes just before Toy Box.

Oh my GOD, those first few notes of “Dearly Beloved.” I just sat and listened to it until the menu trailer started again. It sounds really… romantic? Somehow? I teared up a bit, ngl. 

That opening FMV was a thing of beauty. I'm so glad I didn't watch the full thing when it leaked because it really sets the tone for the game. I love the final shots of young Xehanort eyeing Sora's chess piece and Sora holding Xehanort's. It makes me wonder if this game is going to end with Sora keeping Xehanort's heart in his after all. Also, the part with the Seasalt and Wayfinder Trios standing in the dark and a door opens to the light and Utada Hikaru is chanting backwards (I think) gave me chills. 

I loved the intro tutorial; it was such a nice callback to KH1's opening. I chose the Trinity's "all for one" scene and then Naminé and Sora's pinkie-promise for my playthrough. I'm too scared to google to see if I'm remembering this correctly, but I think that meant I chose balance and the power of the guardian. While making my choices, I had a sick feeling that maybe this game would have multiple endings, and who you saved depended on what you chose during the tutorial. I'm pretty sure if just determines how you level up/when you get certain abilities like in previous games, but idk. 

The Kingdom Hearts II.9 title card was so fucking rude lmao. That paired with the intro to Olympus, with the narrator saying the planets had FINALLY aligned for this momentous occasion was hilarious. 

Herc talking about being with the one he loved was more important than being an all-powerful god… idk, it has me wondering how Sora’s story (where he’s constantly reminded how weak he is) is going to play out. 

Oh God, the DREAD that filled my heart when the game switched over to Riku in the Dark Realm. I was NOT emotionally prepared to see Aquanort, and I was so relieved when he and Mickey decided to leave. I do really like Riku and Mickey’s relationship in this game so far, though. I’m generally not a big fan of Mickey in this series (save for CoM), but so far, his interactions with Riku have felt really organic and genuine, and it makes him more likable. Also, their conversation about how much Riku’s grown over the past couple of years has me really, really concerned that he might die after all at the end of this game… I hope I’m wrong about that. 

The effect on Repliku’s voice inside the demon tide was really cool. I can’t wait to see how his storyline developes. 

Also, I like that you get to briefly play as Riku so early in the game just because it really emphasizes just how much weaker Sora has become. Like Riku's casting thundaga and curaga and warping across the battlefield, keeping up with a fucking demon tide like it's nothing; meanwhile, Sora's out here splashing level 1 water spells at little soldier heartless and hoping for the best. It's kind of like a nod to how Riku saw them both in KH1 when they reunited in Traverse Town, when he was patronizingly telling Sora that he'll take care of everything and that Sora shouldn’t worry his pretty little head. That said, all this talk about how weak and puny Sora is really makes me think they're priming him for a Terra-style storyline, and that's... worrisome. 

I may’ve teared up at the Twilight Town intro. The world is just SO beautiful. 

lmao @ “It hasn’t been that long.” I am seriously loving how self-aware the writing has been so far. In fact, the writing in general for this game has been surprisingly… good? For one thing, I’m honestly getting blown away by characters just casually referencing things from previous titles. And that’s not really something that should be all that impressive on its own, but I can’t help but be surprised because it’s not something that happened that much in past games. A lot of KH feels episodic, where characters will vaguely reference past events occasionally, but rarely does a character just straight-up say, “Hey, remember when we went here and did this and learned this? Let’s build on that.” And just that simple writing change is already doing this game’s story wonders. 

The dusks refer to Roxas as "our liege," and I love it. That was such a genuinely creepy and interesting way to introduce them in KH2. And I can’t get over the fact that Sora understands them.

Sora sounding so sincere when he says Roxas is a cool guy is just adorable. Like you know Roxas is probably in Sora's heart listening to all this and cringing, but he's also lowkey flattered, haha. 

I also like the scene where Sora resolves to bring Roxas back. He mentions that Herc said he would need something to fight for “with all his heart” (and sidenote: I LOVE how relevant the Disney worlds are in this game. They’re not just filler between story cutscenes; the worlds are actually important.), and he decides that saving Roxas is it. 

God, the sheer RELIEF I felt when Sora actually brought up Naminé living in Kairi's heart is indescribable. I was so, so sure Nomura would just forget that in favor of connecting Naminé only to Sora's heart, but I guess I was wrong. I hope he keeps surprising me like this. 

Not to harp on about this, but the dialogue in this game is seriously such a step up. A whole staircase up, actually. I had a bunch of lines I wanted to quote, but there are just too many. The script has so much life and charm to it, and so far I haven't noticed any awkward/stilted lines or forced comedy that was common in the other games. 

And the gameplay! I love it. It’s essentially 0.2′s system, which utilizes the best parts of KH2, BBS, and DDD. I'm always forgetting just how many options I have to take out mobs, lol. I should probably make a list.

Ienzo is so... nice? It's kind of weirding me out, tbh. I just expected him to have a little more edge to him, or to at least be a little condescending, but no. He's just your friendly neighborhood science guy. You think he's ever gonna bring up the fact that Lea murdered him a past life or nah? 

I did like Aeleus’s reintroduction, though, how he just side-eyed Ienzo talking to Sora and kept walking. 

I'm so easily overwhelmed by any mention of Kairi in this game, lmfao, like every time they mention her in passing the fucking room starts spinning a la Mr. Krabs meme. They actually remember her! And talk about her plot relevance! 

Kairi’s letter from the orchestra concert is in the game!!!! I wonder if Naminé’s conversation with Terra will make it in, too? I did really like that scene with Kairi and Lea/Axel in the forest. They’re not super best friends or anything, and you can still sense some awkwardness between them, but you can tell that Axel is genuinely trying to be kind to her, and that Kairi’s open to it. She’s at least comfortable enough around him to talk about her writing, which is something. I’ll admit that I’m still uneasy about Axel potentially only seeing Kairi as a Xion stand-in, but I think I’m willing to give this subplot a chance. I know Nomura’s writing is always a letdown when it comes to Kairi, but given how much stronger it’s been in this game… Would it be that stupid to hope for a decent character arc for her? Not even a good one lmao, just a decent one? I dunno. I’ll just keep playing and see how it goes.

[panda-noosh]

Paladins +Matt’s reaction to a SO who wears red lipstick. I love red lipstick and you never know how people are going to react.

Here you go! x

---

Shiro:

This boy has a secret love for red lipstick.

He’s never admitted it - to be fair, the topic of red lipstick has very rarely shown up in any of the conversations he has been a part of, but he loves the stuff.

Especially on you.

He isn’t very subtle about his love towards red lipstick, either. 

On other people, he doesn’t really pay it much attention. Though he does think people naturally look a lot more vibrant when wearing red lipstick, he can easily ignore a complete stranger wearing it.

But whenever he sees you coming downstairs with red lipstick on? Gods give him mercy.

Because suddenly he isn’t the timid, in-charge Shiro we’re all so used to seeing. Suddenly, he’s a teenager again and he’s whistling at you as you walk towards him, really appreciating you.

It could be in front of anyone. He doesn’t really care.

He’ll wrap his arms around your waist and tug you into him, and the kisses will be extra on that day, just because Shiro finds amusement in smudging this particular coloured lipstick lmao.

Keith:

I don’t really think he would notice it until you kiss him.

Keith is a busy man, okay? He has a lot going on, and his schedule is always busy. So he doesn’t really have the time to sit back and admire something as simple as what colour of lipstick you’re wearing.

And honestly, he thinks you look good with any colour of lipstick on, so it doesn’t really make a difference to him either way.

But with red lipstick, it’s definitely a lot more noticeable when it gets on skin, and this makes Keith flustered.

He didn’t even think about the consequences when he leaned down to kiss you. He hadn’t seen you all day, and he was just very happy to be in your presence for the night.

So he leans down and presses a long, drawn out kiss to your lips before pulling away. As soon as he turns around and is met with his own reflection, his cheeks start to burn.

And he thinks he’s gotten away with it. He thinks he moved fast enough to cover the red lipstick smudging his own lips, but then he hears Lance and Hunk cooing behind him and silently curses himself for not thinking fast enough whenever he had greeted you with a kiss.

Lance:

Honestly, Lance probably puts it on you in the morning because he wants to see you wear no other colour but bright red.

He likes the variety you can have with such a simple colour - if you style yourself correctly, you can pair it with red lipstick and just change your entire aura in seconds.

Want to look cute? Style yourself in cute clothing, a cute hairstyle, throw on some red lipstick, and bam. You have a cute look.

Want to look threatening? Throw on some black clothing, maybe some heeled boots along with some red lipstick and bam. You look threatening.

Lance just loves that.

He loves looking at you and getting these different sides of you all through the way you apply the lipstick.

And unlike Keith, I can imagine Lance really enjoying it whenever he gets the lipstick on himself.

He’ll slump down beside you sometimes and poke at his cheek, beckoning for you to lean over and kiss him.

You’ll roll your eyes and press your lips to his cheek, pull away to reveal a perfectly shaped, red lipstick stain on his skin.

And then Lance will proceed to take cute, aesthetic couple photos with the lipstick stain still adorning his cheek.

Hunk:

Hunk is a lot more casual about the whole thing.

It’s not like he doesn’t care, because he definitely appreciates the look of you wearing red lipstick. 

But at the same time, Hunk appreciates you wearing most type of lipstick colours, so it’s not like the red sticks out to him a whole lot.

But he really does try and make an effort to understand the appeal of red lipstick as best as he can. He sees the sudden surge of confidence you always seem to get when you apply it, and he knows how it affects other people - more people will whistle at you on the street, more people will try to chat you up, much to Hunk’s annoyance.

So he tries his hardest to kind of fit in with that crowd as well, only he’s a lot more respectful, and he’s allowed to because he’s your boyfriend, you know?

It might take him a little while to catch on to the fact that you are indeed wearing red lipstick, but once he goes, he’ll be showering you in compliments.

Of course, they all sound very forced and very planned out, and everyone is aware he is only doing it just to show the other males that you’re his.

But you still find it flattering, and you press a kiss to his cheek.

He gets incredibly flustered whenever he looks in the mirror and sees the perfect lipstick stain on the side of his face.

Pidge:

Will probably not notice. Will not care.

Ug, she just doesn’t see the appeal.

She likes the look, and she thinks you look incredible when you wear it, but she watches Shiro and his S/O, and the way Shiro gushes over such a simple part of his S/O’s appearance, and she just doesn’t understand it.

She’ll compliment you when she sees you wearing it, but she would never go to lengths to scream to the world about how much she adores you wearing red lipstick.

For Pidge, it’s merely a think of wrapping her arms around your waist and saying, “I like the lipstick you’re wearing today,” and that’s really the length of it.

And you don’t mind, of course. You don’t wear red lipstick with the intention of getting compliments off of Pidge - you wear it because it makes you feel confident and you get that little bit bolder whenever you apply it.

But honestly, Pidge just gives you a passing compliment and that’s really enough for her. She doesn’t want to make a scene over something as small as your lip colour.

Matt:

He would get flustered as hell.

Especially if this was pre-dating days and he was just silently crushing on you from a far - seeing you in red lipstick would send him over the edge tbh.

Of course, there’s the whole thing of you looking absolutely incredible with that particular colouring on your lips, but there’s also the added look of pure ‘I-don’t-give-a-fuck’ that completely takes Matt off guard.

He knew you were a good soldier. He had seen you fight before, seen you take down fleets of Galra, seen you control an entire army with your demanding voice and your skills of being a leader.

But whenever you add red lipstick to the mix? Matt isn’t sure why, but it just adds this whole other level of oh wow to the already threatening and in-control demeanour you already have, and he loves it.

His cheeks turn all red and he struggles to keep his eyes off of you as you give orders with this particular look.

He just truly sees how strong you are, and it’s all because you added one little bit of colour to your look.

[i-might-be-a-kpop-fan]

KPOP SONGS! Part 2/?

So I thought I’d make a list of the songs in my „kpop“ playlist and write a little about them because I’m bored. These are supposed to be chronological, but after looking at the list I’m not so sure about it also because I love to buy music in bulks. 

PT.1

THESE ARE JUST MY OPINIONS/EXPERIENCES TAKE IT WITH A PINCH OF SALT AND DON’T KILL ME! 

Also write me if you wanna chat about it :D 

ZUTTER - GD & T.O.P:

 This song is a little scary tbh, apart from the badass vibes

I always loved T.O.P’s deep ass voice and with GD’s high pitched rap it’s just perfect

The MV is funny, creepy and a bit fucked up but what did we expect honestly :D

They rhyme aLOT in this song which makes it really interesting to listen to

made me addicted to the GD & T.O.P combination 

…..ZUTTER!

THE BADDEST FEMALE - CL:

 It took me a while to understand that this isn’t a solo version of „I’m the best“

It’s the queen saying she’s a bad bitch so you know it’s a banger

As almost all CL songs this is good to let off steam and regain your badass level after someone pissed you off

The MV is a sexual awakening on it’s own and performances of that song are also definitely worth a watch

„Not bad meaning bad, but bad meaning good you know?“

Perfect to practice bitch drops and feel yourself to

Burning Up (Fire) - BTS:

 So I don’t really listen a lot to it but I still like it

Has all kinds of badass vibes and I like the soft breaks in-between

RM’s part is by far my favourite his deep voice is so satisfying

The MV is also really cool

You can see from previous songs I had a badass song phase (I still have this phase, I love badass songs) where I only took badass kpop songs seriously

Growl - EXO: 

Okay, so I sometimes forget about this song haha

A good song that screams SM to be honest which I always thought was not that much the case with other EXO songs

The dance to this is really satisfying to watch and was probably the reason I bought this song

It shows EXO’s excellent vocals, has a nice feel and is easy to listen to 

Quite an early song too

I love that you could potentially dance really hard to this but still is very soft

Instantly recognisable and also a kpop classic I would say

GOOD BOY - GD & Taeyang: 

 Is this a kink? This is a kink right?

An awesome song i have bopped to a million times

I really love the „pretty/good boy“ trope and who is better for that then our bad boys™️ GD and Taeyang?

Their voices sound a bit alike and I sometimes had trouble differencing them….whoops

The dance is so so good and the MV is such an accurate representation of these two freaks

God I just love them and miss them so much

I am the best (JP. Ver) - 2ne1:

Welcome to another round of Aki isn’t capable of differencing Japanese and Korean lol

I must say I prefer this version though, I recently bought the korean version and it’s just not the same I got so used to the english parts lol 

This is also a classic, bow to the queens of badass girl group songs!

The MV made me fall in love with CL and the gang

„It’s 2 in the morning our bodies getting freaky, the beats bumping loud but this boy keeps talking! I can’t really hear him but I think he’s saying he loves me? Put his number on this paper but i throw it like frisbee, huh?“

I C O N I C this song raised me, fed me, dressed me and gave me the kick in the butt I needed.

Oh my god! 

BOOMBAYAH - BLACKPINK:

 Why of course after discovering 2ne1 BP wasn’t far behind

Recently showed this MV to a non kpop friend of mine and she drooled over all of them soooo, you can do that

Loved this song the second it started and love dancing violently to it

I now, btw, also own the whole album but it took me a bit to get into them (I was in girl group denial, don’t be like me show them girls some love!)

OPPA!

Being only four really makes it possible for all of them to shine, the vocals are clean and pretty but raspy enough to fit the concept and Jennie and Lisas raps are perfect as always

The beat is easy as is the whole song, doesn’t get annoying and is just a bop.  

Fantastic Baby - BIGBANG:

Nananananananana wow, fantastic baby!

Well well well if it isn’t history right there

Watch the MV, listen to the song! It’s mandatory to know this I’m sorry I don’t make the rules

Danceable, walkable just all in all go crazy(-able)

Boomshakalaka! 

A bit poppy so maybe not for everyone as it sounds a lot like stuff that is randomly on the radio

A dance song that probably was never intended to be more than that. Typically YG, a bit flatter than Bang Bang Bang

I’m repeating myself but you know I heard it’s also something non kpop people enjoy (Basically show them all of BIGBANG, lol)

Ice cream cake - Red Velvet:

Oh boy! My first Red Velvet song that I have because the refrain was stuck in my head and I wanted to know what it was

There’s way more RV later on but for now I think it was the only song

As I said I was in denial of girl groups that didn’t have a badass concept which was soooo dumb!

I love the song, it’s cute and easy to listen to

I love RV’s kinda cute-creepy concept and with the music box in the background it feeds into my liking very easily

I have moved on from it though after discovering other songs from them so I don’t listen to it as often

„I scream, you scream, gimme that, gimme that ice cream!“

Sherlock (Clue + Note) - SHINee:

I have known this song for years! Back when my best friend was into kpop and told me all about SHINee I looked into it, Youtube gave me this song and I instantly clicked. Didn’t like it clicked away and didn’t touch it for 5 years

Well now I love it and can’t stop dancing when it’s on

„SHINees back….“

The MV is confusing but god they’re all so cute in it! Taemin looks so adorable with long hair!

I have watched the dance practice about 100x times and you should too! (jk)

„Tonight, SHINee’s in da house! So give it up for SHINee!“

And as much as I love SHINee’s vocal squad and they’re great in this, Key and Minho really do it for me in this song

The song lives from the dance and the performance and makes it 10x better

It’s also good for just listening though but not really calm and casual so be prepared to break out into sudden song

„Oh I’m curious, yeah!“ (Is it noticeable that I’m listening to it while I write? probably not.)

Breaking News - SHINee:

 And my struggle with japanese songs continues haha

„Come on break down the walls!“

I really like this song though, especially the refrain it’s so much fun

It’s also really danceable (as I think every SHINee song is, I mean have you seen them dance?)

Partly really dramatic (slay Onew slay), partly badass rapping

I mean it’s SHINee it’s fun bright and has a dance rhythm what more could you possibly want?

Ring Ding Dong - SHINee:

 Yeah, i doubt you don’t know this one

Coincidently the first kpop MV I watched after deciding to dive deeper down the rabbit hole and well would you know it…now we’re here

It’s the one about the broken doorbell! Break it down!

This song and dance is Legendary!

Also a fun song that isn’t to be taken too seriously

The MV is kinda dramatic for this song lol

Good to listen to, has a nice beat and melody

There are these songs that every idol can dance to, this is one of them (In the list of “songs every idol can dance to” you’d find a LOT of SHINee btw)

„Ringdingdongringdindongringdigidingdigiding“

SHAKE THAT BRASS - AMBER (feat. Taeyon):

Amber…oh Amber. I love her really a whole lot and as I saw the MV I just had to have this song!

It’s a super fun and dancey song with (as the title suggests) a brassy sound

Much like Woof Woof I really enjoy this song bc of the MV, 

Amber is rapping and being the goofball she is ;)

BUT! As much as I like that song and think she deserves all the solo stuff she can get I like her new stuff more because it’s more „hers“. I really enjoy her singing as well.

And confession of the month: I don’t like f(x)’s sound so I’m happy she does solo stuff

She’s such an inspiration with her unique style and attitude (sighs in very gay)

 Lucifer - SHINee:

 I LOVE this song! OMG!

The MV is kinda uneventful but the DANCE PRACTICE!

Oh boy! Well first off Lee Taemin is very distracting in it but you have to see the dance to believe it! That’s what they perform with! On a regular basis!

The sound is very electric and theres a quiet electric melody running through the whole of it that kinda sounds like some alarm clocks lol

Edgy™️

You should absolutely watch performances! Jonghyuns high note is not portrayed well in the recorded version, boy has breath forever!

Apart from the vocals slaying absolutely every note the rap parts can’t be discarded by any means

It all just fits so perfectly

Oh and of course for a song of it’s time it’s just a little bit...nonsensical (especially the english parts lol: Loverholic, robotronic. what?)

Hero - MONSTA X:

 I’m thinking of a helicopter landing platform, pulled up shirts and a scared Wonho 

The dance to this song is…well do yourself a favour if you like abs and boys

Apart from the drool worthy performance, the song is super cool! Kinda chill, but still powerful and damn rapline went off!

This song really made them known more and it’s for a good reason

The sound in this is what is „typically“ MX for long time (Till up until Jealousy I’d say)

„I can be your hero, I can be your man!“

Sometimes a bit repetitive but what song isn’t lol?

Also still is in the „we all dress awful and don’t know what to do with our hands“ phase but that passes soon

Lead to many wonderful reality shows that makes it easy for new fans to get to know them better (Their group dynamic never changes they all just mature a bit it’s really nice to see.)

Also yes, Jooheon is kinda scary in this but I swear he a cutie

[shipcestuous]

And I Darken book 2 (Submission)

Okay, I’ve read a bit more now, and I continue to love the sheer complexity of this relationship. Of course I highly doubt it’s going to become canon—these ARE based somewhat on historical people/events—but I still love it.

There’s a part shortly after where I left off last time where the siblings’ old nurse asks after Radu/how he’s grown up to be, and Lada describes him as “Smart. Sly. Too handsome.” Of course this is a reference to the historical Radu’s title of Radu the Handsome, but he hasn’t been given that title yet at that point in the book. Like…. okay, Lada, it’s a little interesting that you found that worth mentioning.

Later, she thinks of why Radu might not have answered her summons. A couple options that cross her mind are that he’s dead or maybe he’s hooked up with Mehmed (the sultan they both have feelings for). She reflects that the latter idea is only slightly better than the first. Of course this could be her crush on Mehmed speaking, but there’s been enough emphasis on her relationship with Radu that you have to wonder.

Radu decides against following his older sister’s summons because he feels like he’s more useful where he is (and because where he is = where Mehmed is, tbh).

But at the same time, it’s notable that between the two, Radu chose to rescue Lada at the end of the first book. And how flattered he is that Lada admits to needing him in her letter. (I feel like the author intends for Radu to be read as gay—though it is never explicitly said since there weren’t modern terms for sexuality in the Ottoman Empire era—but really he can easily be read as being attracted to men and Lada, with the way he dwells on her.)

(The historical Radu and Mehmed did have a relationship. I’m not far enough in the book to see if it follows history in that regard, though book!Mehmed does know about his feelings. Mehmed and Lada already have a mutual attraction in the books and it continues in the sequel, but frankly, that relationship was doomed from the start.)

When she and Mehmed reunite in chapter 22, she doesn’t take long into their conversation to ask after her brother. And then when she learns that Mehmed sent Radu on a mission elsewhere, she is crushed and all her happiness at seeing her crush is replaced by sadness and anger. She snaps at Mehmed for putting Radu in danger and when he insinuates he knows Radu better than she does, she is furious.

When she learns Mehmed knows of her brothers feelings, she tells him to let Radu go for his own good. Mehmed confesses his love for Lada, and she reflects, “Radu felt like a ghost in the room.” Then she just tells Mehmed to order her brother to come back. Again: the sibling relationship is deeply important to the novel and Lada can think only of her brother’s safety even when she hears the confession she wanted. She parts ways with him furiously, and a big part of that is because she feels Mehmed betrayed her brother.

Also in this book, we see more of the relationship between Lada and her old nurse’s son Bogdan, who I mentioned during my reading of the first book. She considered him to be her brother as they grew up together but they also got “married” as kids, and he obviously still has feelings for her. But I haven’t gotten far enough to see how that’s resolved yet.

And I Darken anon: (sorry for the sporadic updates, I haven’t had time to read in a while) From the sequel, p 274: “Radu would survive. He would be fine. He could not die… because he belonged to [Lada] and she would not allow it.” I love how even when they’re apart or she’s mad at him, she still has such a massive possessive streak regarding her little brother. Their relationship is complex and messed up but I adore it.

And I Darken anon again—I know you’ve been busy, but I just wanted to check if my submission a few weeks ago went through, bc I know my tumblr app was being odd that day. It was pretty long and I’m unsure I could remember it to resend it but I do at least have a couple key lines of text bookmarked still.

And I Darken anon: (sorry for the many messages): just finished the sequel. Lada and Radu don’t get to meet again for the rest of the book, but a lot of times (as they both go through awful things) they spend wishing the other was beside him. The book closes with a letter from Radu to Lada, and then her response. She’s still pissed at him for rejecting her request for him to join her earlier, even though he begs her to visit. But it’s… ofc… complicated. Book 3 shall be interesting.

As you can see, I do still have your submission from a month ago. I apologize for not publishing it sooner. I really appreciate your updates on And I Darken. I love Radu and Lada’s relationship and how important and central it is to the story and I know for many people it’s helpful to know as much as possible when considering taking on a new book, especially a book series. Thank you!

[therealchoreanese]

Okay but hear me out:

When Traci first joins the Team, she finds Jaime really cool and likes talking to him and decides to ask him out, even tho her feelings for him aren’t even close to romantic, it’s more like a puppy crush and she wants to see where it goes and if it’ll develop into something more. Jaime, being a sweet cinnamon roll, is very flattered and agrees bc he finds Traci equally cool even tho he can’t help but think about how this might affect his friendship with Bart, like “What if he gets jealous or feels like a third wheel? I don’t want him left out”, you know the standard stuff when people first start dating

Fast forward to when they tell the Team, and among the congratulations Jaime can’t help but notice how Bart seems a little down and how his “Wow that’s totally crash!” seemed a little too enthusiastic to be real (bc after these many years Jaime and Bart are at least besties and can read each other like a book, Jaime especially bc of Scarab), so he takes Bart to the side and asks if anything’s wrong and if there’s anything he can do to help and Bart, all cheery, is all, “Dude c’mon nothing’s wrong I’m just a little bummed I’m not the only person you’ll be sharing Chicken Wheezies with anymore” and Jaime easily believes that even tho Scarab is a golden lie detector (but Jaime made Scarab promise not to scan his friends bc that’s just creepy)

Eventually Jaime and Traci are going out more and more for little dates - ice cream, coffee shop, bookstore, etc. - and every goddamn time Jaime notices tiny things that remind him of Bart, like a sweater Bart would really like or maybe a shade of green that matches Bart’s eyes, and every single time he points out these tiny tiny details to Traci who is starting to have her suspicions about Jaime’s feelings, but since he doesn’t seem exactly sure of himself yet she decides to keep quiet.

Fast forward a little more (not too much more) and Jaime and Traci are comfortable enough to just sit somewhere private outside during the night and just talk about whatever, which makes Jaime happy but a little sad bc he hasn’t spent much time with Bart in a while thanks to the dating life and he doesn’t want to drift away from Bart, he wanted to joke and laugh with Bart the way they used to and give Bart his shoulder whenever he wakes up gasping from nightmares of the future and just be there for Bart the way a best friend would, except he didn’t want to be best friends he wanted it to be more-

Waitholyfrick did he really just think that?

And suddenly everything makes so much sense, why Jaime never really felt anything for the girls that confessed to him during his middle school days (bc lbr at some point it happened), why he thought girls were pretty but never in the same context as his guy friends, but he doesn’t want to hurt Traci bc she’s such a good person and has been an amazing girlfriend to him, so he decides to think about it for a little while longer. 

Then, during one of their night talks (Jaime isn’t really paying attention since his mind is focused elsewhere), they somehow reach a topic that results in Traci leaning forward to kiss him, and Jaime is about to lean in too but all he can see is Bart’s idiotic dorky grin, and he breaks down with his head in his hands: “I can’t, I’m so sorry Traci, I feel like I’ve been lying to you this whole time.” 

And Jaime spills everything, about how he thought there was nobody for him to talk to bc the senior Team members were doing their secret co-ops thing and Virgil, Tim, and Gar were too close to Bart to trust, how Cissie and Steph would understand but they might distrust him for what felt like lying to their best friend. (A/N: I know that might seem OOC, but we don’t actually know when Cissie and Steph join the Team so it could literally be like two months before the first episode takes place, in which case Jaime would be wary of new members, especially considering how Green Beetle seemed so trusting then turned out to be a puppet)

And Traci, who is actually very relieved bc lately it felt like the relationship was moving nowhere and she’d been forcing herself to like Jaime, is so incredibly supportive and tells him she had her suspicions a while back, and that she’ll always be willing to talk with him and give him a hand. Jaime is so incredibly thankful and they agree to break up (quite happily) and remain friends.

The next day, they break the news to the Team (tbh most of them aren’t very surprised), and after Jaime approaches Bart, saying, “Hey, I need to talk to you about something.”

[class-wom]

Five Unpopular Downton Opinions

I was challenged by @downtonabbeyandausten , and tbh I think voicing “unpopular opinions” might be kind of a first for me!  Bwahaha...so here I go...

1) Mary is terrible for betraying Edith’s secret and has to do everything to make it up to her, from “admitting that she’s in love” (sorry, Sir Fellowes, but I’m still not buying it 🙄) to personally arranging for another shot between Edith and Bertie...yet Edith never apologized for ratting out Mary’s dirty little secret via “poisoned pen” and worse, when confronted by Mary over it, proceeded to call her sister a slut!!!  Um, Edith willingly goes to bed with her married editor, gets pregnant by him, and she’s a victim rather than a slut herself?!?  I mean, unlike Mary, Edith had control from the word go and was not put into such an awkward position that the situation could easily qualify as a rape, a controversy to this day, though Sir Fellowes insists that, no, Parmouk didn’t rape Mary.  (My take on that scene:  The implication is that, once again, Mary has to be “convinced” by Parmouk to submit and finds herself physically succumbing to his sexual prowess.  Pretty male way to write it imo...🙄)

2) I politely respect the opinion of Chelsie fans but am not one myself.  That is to say, I’m okay with the professional banter over nighttime sherry and even snicker at actor Jim Carter’s reflection (this was at the end of Season 3) that Carter should marry Mrs. Hughes...and they would continue to address one another as Mr. Carter and Mrs. Hughes!  Since I didn’t watch S6, I feel awkward using an apparent S6-exchange to express my problem with the Carson/Mrs. Hughs marriage, but based on gif-sets I’ve seen, an apparent discussion with Anna and Mary (presumably over her own relationship with Henry) sums up my issue with Chelsie in a nutshell:  When Anna reminds Mary that they say opposites attract, Mary replies by questioning whether they live happily ever after.  And that right there is my problem with Chelsie as a married couple rather than as sparring professionals with protective yet flirtatious affection for one another:  Just because they have chemistry does not necessarily mean they should be matrimonially joined imo.

3) I think I’m borrowing this one, lol, but the idea of Matthew being “bland.”  Okay, maybe the character of Matthew may have been a little flatter on paper, but Dan Stevens as an actor managed to inflate Matthew with an undercurrent of humor, frustration, and passion to such a degree that he was anything but “bland.”  I mean, think about it:  When a character is killed off so coldly and callously on screen, would we as fans be shrieking to the heavens and furious with DS as an actor if we found him “bland”?  (Well, I’m not, personally; I’m  angry at Sir Fellowes for changing the original three-season idea, but not DS for wanting to wrap up his original contract and move on.  But that’s not my point here, lol...)  Are we to consider him “bland” because he has consideration for Mary’s feelings and gives her time and room to think and be who she is -- good, bad, and at times ugly -- because he can see the goodness in her?  Or instead are we to cheer when more forceful types “push their way in” (with implied help, if I understand summaries of that ep correctly) and “prove their love” by claiming and clutching her like a trophy and even threaten her into submission, then rushing her into marriage “before she has time to change her mind”?  I mean, hey, if that’s everyone’s idea of not “bland,” give me “blandness” any day of the week and twice on Sunday, I say!

4) I don’t like Rose.  There -- I said it!  It’s pretty obvious that she was intended as a replacement character for the dearly departed Sybil, and frankly, at least in my opinion, Downton’s predecessor, Upstairs Downstairs, did a far, far better job replacing the absent Suffragette daughter with the fun-loving cousin Georgiana.  Some time ago, I mentioned that Martha Levinson as a character was pretty flimsy and underdeveloped, and it was as though Sir Fellowes was heavily relying on Shirley MacLaine’s personality to override the absence of true character.  And imo, she was the beginning of that disturbing trend on the heels of a successful franchise in which, with a few notable exceptions here and there (Maggie Smith, of course, and we’re pretty familiar with Elizabeth McGovern), more original characters were played by less familiar, “hungry” English actors developing and enriching their characters.  But Rose was the first of these paper-thin characters actively used as a replacement!!!  And it saddens me to observe that she wasn’t the last by a long shot.

5) If there is a movie (which I do not support, btw), I would be okay with killing off Lady Mary in childbirth, or for that matter in any other fashion.  Yes, it’s a cold thing to say, no, I don’t like admitting it (although this isn’t the first time, lol), and yes, we’ve already had that with Lady Sybil, but a) it would reunite Mary with Matthew in the afterlife, b) it would end this forced union with Henry, c) there would be incredible dramatic potential for reactions, and d) thanks to Sir Fellowes’ railroading writing, apart from divorce and/or separation, I can't really see any other options.  (Okay, there’s killing off Henry, but again, there’s more dramatical potential with Mary since we’re actually familiar with her as a character.)

Hmmmm, tags:  @klstheword , @rap541 , @haslemere , @kavan30013 , anyone else who’s interested, and apologies as always for possible double-tags!

[kmclaude]

Hi Father Claude! (If it's okay to call you that?)This is going to sound silly, especially since we don't really know each other, but I've followed you for a while and you seem to be pretty versed in art-for-hire, I was wondering if you could help me out? Someone messaged me (across several accounts on different sites) about an artwork of one of my OCs asking if they could use it for a logo. I said no but I'd be happy to work on a commission for them -- how do I determine what a fair rate is?

2- I don't really do art for a living, just a hobby (I know it sounds cheap when I put it like that...) so I don't want to shoot myself in the foot, particularly since by the sounds of it this person wanted to use this for branding purposes and that's pretty major. I'm both a little flattered and a little overwhelmed, so...you know, how would you negotiate something like this? How would you determine an acceptable rate (either hourly or a flat fee? I'm not sure which is better)?- Sorry for taking up 3 asks for 1 question but you seem like you have experience with this, and I'm used to deferring to experts for matters I don't know much about! Any advice you could give would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Yeah sure and oh that is tough! So you got someone who needs a brand logo and you wanna know what rate to quote him at, yeah? First, congrats! Second, well I don’t know too too much about logos and other specifics of graphic design branding freelancing as I didn’t go that route professionally but I have done book covers, illustrations, and comic work so I guess I’ll speak from that. Please note that I don’t do this full time or even much part time (though I might soon enough if I return to school fulltime) so this is a tad laid back in nature. Someone who does this professionally might be better equipped to talk about this.

If I were in your shoes, the first thing I’d do would ask about his budget -- what’s his budget and what is he willing to work within? You ever hear the phrase “the first person who mentions price loses?” Yeah, so find out where his budget is. Next, compare that budget to both the industry standard for the product (which’ll take some googling or asking around) and to what you’d be willing to charge (which should be based on a mixture of living wage, time it will take to complete, skill, supplies, and other). For the record you can also be doing that step while you send off the “hey what’s your budget” email because it’s always good to have that in mind. If he asks your rates first a decent response is always “well that changes based on what you want and the complexity of the design; a budget would best help me figure out a logo solution that won’t break the bank” or something.

 If the budget looks doable, I’ll give him my quote for the project and my terms and if he agrees to them then I’ll write up a contract. I’ve often based my contracts off of the ones on Art Pact which offer free templates. Contract time is where all the negotiation begins and you can stipulate price, whether the client will cover Paypal fees, when you’ll get it done by, and so on and so forth. It’s always good to have a contract because if you’re not working as part of a firm or whatever the contract is a way to CYOA (hell even my boss and I signed and informal contract and when I send them invoices I always specify that such and such fee is there “as discussed in our correspondence” or somesuch just to, again, CYOA. 

So for example, if someone came up to me and wanted a logo done for let’s say their startup coding company -- nothing fancy, just a name in perhaps a decorative fashion, easily applicable to say a website or an invoice -- then first I’d write them back asking for their budget and maybe a little info on what they need it for, what their plans are, etc. You don’t wanna be charging pennies for the next Warner Bros. logo, y’know?

Then while waiting, I’d research the industry standard for logo designs -- what’s the general rate, what are people asking, what are newbie freelancers asking, what’s the range, what should I be charging? I’m lucky in that my best friend works in a print shop and does logo design so in theory I can ask her but let’s say she’s at church and I need an answer before Communion, so I’m gonna google “industry standard logo design”. Deluxe Corporation gives a few figures and an idea of what you’re paying for and why but no less than $200 seems to be the oft quoted number. So the industry standard is at least $200.00 USD. 

Now the question is what’s my standard? Well I refuse to work for under $15/hour minimum, I have over a decade of doing art in a public sphere, longer still of doing art in general, and about 7 or so years on and off of doing art for pay and in all that time I’ve become familiar enough with some programs, have a handful of resources font-wise and other, and can also work super fast. General experience and speed will up my price because its taken years to get there. The downside is I’m the least knowledgeable at a vector program like illustrator and I don’t have as many resources at my fingertips that a professional graphic designer would nor the dedicated training of one. Those drawbacks will lower my price. The professionality of the piece also matters -- this is branding for a company not someone’s Sonic OC that they’re gonna get framed but will otherwise not see much of the public sphere so it’s gonna cost more, obviously.

Side note: I mention $15/hour minimum but when I give out quotes, I never quote as $/hour but rather a roundabout flatrate. That’s because in general I know about how long it takes me here or there to complete a certain type of work because most clients like a general rate. In fact a lot of times I charge a LOT per hour because while I get a lot DONE in an hour/it doesn’t take me many hours to do, it’s taken me over a decade or so of work to get to the point where I can DO, say, a whole comic page from sketch to final word balloons in 5 hours or so if need be. So keep in mind that the length of time it takes to do something isn’t all there is to the price or value of a thing! This is a good blog post of tips for setting rates btw -- it also covers that tricky realm of $/hour versus flatrate!   Essentially, your flat rate is based off what you’d consider your hourly fee + wiggle room and managed for an assumed time of work done and correspondence and all those other experiential variables. If nothing else, there’s taking the 8 hour work day and multiplying that by an hourly fee. You may not TAKE a full 8 hour day to do it but that gives you a baseline of sorts if you’re totally lost. Again, most clients like a flat rate -- they know what the total pricetag is at the get-go -- and it can be to your benefit (though like that article mentions you can also find yourself doing hours of work that results in you having worked for less than minimum wage.)

Anyway, all those things in mind give me a price idea and help me out when the client emails me back with his budget because if he comes back nowhere NEAR either the industry standard or what I’m willing to work with, the decision’s made for me. If he comes back close to let’s say the industry standard of $200 -- let’s say $190 -- and I’m wanting closer to $250 because I’m doing this outta my free time but I recognize I have limitations and am willing to meet him halfway then I may be willing to say “hey, I understand budgets can be tight, but for what you’re asking I’d have to charge a bit more” and maybe raise him say $240, basically the haggle process. Which is its own art because you want the business but you don’t wanna screw yourself and have it be more trouble than its worth but it at least helps to have an idea of what industry-wise you deserve and also what you personally are willing to work for.

IDK I hope that doesn’t suck. If I were good at running a business as a freelancer I probably wouldn’t work my crummy exhausting dayjob and could actually afford my stupid dumb top surgery and obviously neither of those things are true SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO take everything I say with a grain of salt. That’s just how I do things and TBH it’s a flexible process.