#any other time I’ve never said anything bc I’m appreciative of the interaction I already get

[evansbby]

Tumblr used to be so fun now you guys just block and complain people for every small thing like I truly love your work but u always ask for interaction and then even though u get it, you complain that it’s not enough (while you ignore the MANY reblogs you have) or just don’t even bother replying and it gets ignored. I’m not saying we’re entitled to your time like that and that we HAVE to have a response, but if you’re going to make such a big deal and ask for something it would be kind to spend more time acknowledging how people actually come through instead of asking for more and making it seem like no one tried to in the first place?

Wtf all I said was that I block spam likers. Those who know me, know how appreciative I am of everyone else. I literally say it all the time, almost every time I answer an ask that’s praising my work. I of course cannot reply to every single ask and reblog, that’s impossible. But you’re acting like I’m complaining when all I said was that I block people who spam like 18282929 posts in a row. If me saying that makes this blog less fun for you, PLEASE unfollow me. I insist.

[caroldantops]

hey! im quite new here and i have seen a lot of talk about readers interactions and i was wondering what is the best way to support my favorite writers (like you) because i think i have been doing this wrong and i really want to support writers who do this<3 ps. sorry if that was confusing, english isnt my first language

not confusing at all babes! you're 100% clear.

also can i just say, i very much appreciate you asking this. i would much rather more people speak up and be like "hey, we dont know the best way to support our favorite writers so how can we?" other than just. Not Knowing and Not Doing Anything.

so, im going to speak from my own personal experience but also what ive seen many of my mutuals/writers i follow talk about. this might get a little long but i wanna answer as thoroughly as i can because people should know!

im putting it under a read more because it got hella long, but please i encourage everyone who reads fics but don't interact to read and consider these things.

fellow writers i encourage you to reblog and add any other commentary you think is helpful!

before anything else (this is absolutely not directed at you, anon, you're perfect), i just want to get this out of the way. never come to a writer's blog and get angry with them for complaining about lack of engagement. like jesus christ. writers are putting hours of work on tumblr for you for free. the least we ask is for comments and reblogs. that's it. if you go and act shitty towards writers who ask for more engagement, yet still follow and wait for the next fic, like what are you even doing bro. just stop.

anyway. now let's get to the actual question!

basically all writers on tumblr will agree, reblogs are vital. and i feel like that gets said a lot but maybe people dont actually understand how impactful it is so lemme give an example.

so let's say hypothetically i have 100 followers. that is 100 potential people who see a fic that i post (i say potential because timezones exist so you might not see it as it's posted)

and let's say one of my followers (Person A) reblogs it, and they have 50 followers. that's 50 more people that can read the fic.

and let's say Person B followers Person A and they also reblog it to their 50 followers.

with only two people reblogging a fic, that's already doubling the number of people who have read the fic.

now imagine Person C followers Person A and reblogs the fic, and Person C has like, 1,000 followers. that's so much more exposure for the writer.

and that's only from two followers of the writer. so imagine if all 100 that read the fic reblogged it? the numbers skyrocket at an exponential rate.

plus, more people reading means that the writer could get more people follow them. so they get a more consistent audience.

likes, on the other hand, do not guarantee this exposure. i would say that most people don't have their likes public on tumblr. and also, even if they do, i know that I'm not about to scroll through people's likes rather than scrolling thru their blogs. likes up the notes, and that's about it. of course i understand liking a fic so you can come back to it later, i do that all the time. but if I've liked a fic, i always reblog it once I've read it.

now, say you're reading hardcore smut that you might not want on your main blog for whatever reason, so that's why you don't reblog a fic. look, i get it. sometimes irl people follow your blog, or sometimes you just don't want people to know what you're getting up to. but that's why i made a sideblog specifically for fics.

this entire blog BEGAN as a way for me to reblog fics i liked. and then it grew and grew and grew into all this. not saying that you have to start writing if you do that of course, but i guarantee, i'd rather see a small sideblog blog with like 3 followers reblog my fic than a blog just like the fic and leave. because that's still 3 more people who will see my fic and possibly read it and reblog it. 3 is better than none.

comments. reblogs are important, but comments are really what keep writers writing. they inspire us with new ideas, help figure out what it is that people enjoy from us, help us improve our writing, and most importantly, they make us feel good. and like writing and posting is worth it.

now, i know that sometimes it can feel awkward reblogging with a comment directly on the post. i even usually don't do that unless it's with a friend. but here are some alternatives/tips!

send an ask or DM! if you're really intimidated, sending an anonymous message is by far the easiest way to bypass that awkwardness.

write in the tags!! i cannot express this enough. comment in the tags. ramble about the fic. just put three tags worth of screaming. literally ANY comments in the tags are my favorite thing. i promise you that writers will scroll thru like basically every tag.

also, if they post it on both tumblr and ao3, don't feel weird about giving a little comment on both! i do that all the time. you can even be like 'hey i read this on tumblr first but wanted to say again how much i enjoyed it' and that is like, heart burstingly nice to hear.

also, if you're having trouble coming up with something to say, my like top commenting tip as both a writer and a reader is point out something specific that you like about the fic. when i comment on a fic (this is moreso when i comment on ao3 bc my comments are always longer there) i try to point out a particular line i like. literally if you just copy and paste it and go 'wow i really really like this line especially' that is the number one way to a writer's heart. seriously. it's the simplest thing, but it makes SUCH an impact.

however, if your comments are only asking for more fics, then that's not a comment, that's a request (which not all writers take).

saying something like 'hey i loved this fic a lot! if you have more in store for this in the future, i'd be really excited to read it!' is a million times better than 'will you do a part 2'. i know they don't sound that different, but i promise you that the tone makes a big difference.

(i honestly have more thoughts about good ways to get over commenting fear/know what exactly to comment that doesn't feel generic, so if people would like me to make another post about it i'd do it.)

and last but not least, if the writer has a way to donate, like a ko-fi, that always is so appreciated. of course, take care of yourself first, but if you have a few bucks and wanna show some support to your faves, that's a great way to help :)

oh! also, if the writer ever reblogs those little ask game things, just send them something! engagement outside of writing is also so much appreciated.

i think that's about everything i can think of! i hope this is helpful and that my explanations weren't confusing (if i need to clarify anything let me know). and again, thank you so much for asking! even doing that shows that you're a reader who cares, and that means the world ❤

[pascalpanic]

“You can call me whenever you want… Even if you don’t have a reason to.” with Javi 😩 OR marcus moreno bc I think it fits him too

Personal Number (Javier Peña x f!Reader)

Summary: You’re lonely working as the American ambassador’s secretary. You miss the days of being down with the agents as a receptionist. At least you get to talk with Javier Peña on the phone somewhat often.

W/C: 1.5k

Warnings: language, brief mentions of sexual content. this is pretty tame.

A/N: I LOVE JAVIER. can you tell?? thank you for this idea Thea!!! I love it so much and I hope you like it too. Also, can you tell I like writing phone calls? I just think it’s so fun and a medium that isn’t covered super often.

it’s definitely not because I like not having to write about body language or action.

Javier Peña was a flirt. You knew that from the start, from the stories you’d heard from the other women around the embassy. He was cute, you admitted. Tight shirts and equally slim-fitting jeans, dark hair, lean and strong. He walked with power in his stance.

You liked him. He was a nice man, respectful. He flirted with everyone, but he never went too far. Sure, he’d slept with a solid chunk of the women who worked here, but he was supposedly a wonderful lover. His methods were unorthodox in the field, but he got what he needed. He was incredibly clever, setting up traps and getting information by any means necessary. You talked occasionally, when he’d stop by because you had a message for him at the receptionist desk. He was good for conversation. He liked the cinnamon candies you kept on your desk.

The other women talked with you more than he did. You and the other women chatted, ate lunch together. The rare female presence was much appreciated in such a testosterone-laden environment. You all got along well. Even compared stories of sleeping with certain agents, how their skills at finding the clit ranked, how snuggly they were after, how receptive they were to certain acts. It was fun.

Javier was a busy man. The phone on his desk rarely rang. If someone needed someone around the embassy, they went and talked to them in person. It was an excuse to get away from your desk, people figured. You rarely used the phone too, even as a receptionist. You’d answer calls when they came, but they were usually directed other places, with specific extensions. People here were more direct.

That was before you’d been appointed as the ambassador’s secretary. It was an honor. It meant you were good at your job. You’d taken it, bragging to the other girls over lunch. Everyone was excited for you.

The job, you found out, was dry. It consists most days of making phone calls. Stechner, Ambassador wants you. Ambassador? Stechner’s here. Yep. I’ll let him in. Hi, we’ll take three orders of arepas- sorry, yes sir? Scratch that, he wants four. And can you throw in a coffee- one second, yes sir? Got it- with four creams and two sugars.

You doodle on a notepad many days. You read newspapers or reports. You proofread memos for the ambassador before he sends them off to someone important. It’s draining and dry and you have to admit you hate it.

“Peña,” a voice answers the phone.

“Hi Javier. Are you busy?” You ask.

He smiles a little as he hears your voice, leaning back in his chair and crossing his legs. “When am I ever around here?” He asks, and you chuckle.

“I know the feeling.”

The two of you had talked a few times before. He was nice enough, if curt. Usually, he was busy. People only came to you when they needed something as a receptionist, and now even more so as a private secretary.

“How’s the promotion treating you?” He asks. He’d heard word as he talked with others. Noticed your spot was empty for a day or two before being replaced by another woman. He missed the little candies you kept on your desk. You always kept cinnamon disks stocked in a separate jar from the seasonal candies for him.

“It’s… good,” you nod, drawing a little fish on your notepad. “Kind of feels like a demotion sometimes. It’s boring up here. And lonely. I miss being around to talk with people.”

“We miss you,” he admits with a smile. “You still keep those cinnamon candies on your desk up there?”

You shake your head, holding the phone between your ear and your shoulder. “No. Ambassador doesn’t like them, so I switched over. I did get some new fun caramel flavored stuff though.”

“Damn,” he chuckles.

“Would it make you come up here if I had them?”

“I may have to visit the ambassador more often if you did,” he teases, and you chuckle softly. “Poor little social butterfly, cooped up on the highest floor, away from humanity.”

“I do feel like Rapunzel some days,” you sigh, still smiling. “Oh shit, I’m sorry. I was supposed to ask if you were busy for the ambassador, not for myself. He wants to see you if you have a minute.”

“Yeah, I’ve got time. Right now?”

“Right now.”

You can hear shuffling on the other end. “Let me put my signature on one more paper and I’ll be up.” He hangs up and you sigh. There was the most interaction you’ll get for the day.

-

It seems that the closer the men get to Escobar, the more the ambassador needs to see Murphy and Peña. You don’t mind. The two men are funny, and the way they interact makes you smile.

Peña talks to you more than Murphy. Steve is more likely to go outside to smoke, while Javier smokes at his desk. That means you dial him more often simply because there’s a higher probability he’s at his desk. Not because you enjoy talking with him more.

The two men had picked up on calling you Rapunzel. Your energy and excitement was draining day by day, and they compared your new position outside of the ambassador’s office, high on the top floor of the embassy, to Rapunzel’s tower.

You playfully called them Javi and Stephen in return to annoy both of them. It didn’t work on Javier. It turned out he liked that, and you could tell by the way his voice softened. So you kept that.

“Peña.”

“Guess who?” you ask dryly, tapping your pen against your notepad.

The man chuckles. “You must be having an exciting day up there. I can hear it in your voice.”

“Ha.” The word is humorless and flat. “Ambassador wants to see you two.”

Javier groans. “Kind of busy.”

“Well, I’ll tell him that,” you nod and write down on a legal pad- separate from your doodling pad- Peña busy. 11:30. “How are things going down there today?”

“Annoying. Steve is a pain in my ass- hey, shut the fuck up,” you can hear him say even as he removes the receiver away from his phone. You giggle at that, smiling as he speaks again. “Sorry. Can you guess who that was?”

“What was he saying this time?” You ask, twirling the cord to the phone around your finger.

“Nothing,” he insists, but you can hear Murphy shouting. Some message he’s trying to get to you.

“Well, alright. Call up when you’re less busy,” you ask him and hang up.

You really want to know what Murphy was going on about. You dial his desk and he picks up. “S’this Rapunzel?” A southern accent twangs.

“Of course,” you chuckle. “What were you shouting into Javi’s phone?”

“Oh, nothing. Oh, hey, wait,” he says, pulling the phone down and pressing it to his chest. You can hear the muffled voices of the two men, but not what they’re saying. He puts it back to his ear quickly after. “Anyway, it’s nothing. We’ll call you back when we’ve got a minute to come up.”

Odd, you think, before going back to your work on your desk.

-

The phone rings again an hour later. “Ambassador’s office,” you say with a gentle lilt to your voice.

“Hey, Rapunzel,” a kind but rough voice speaks through the phone. Javi.

“Hey,” you chuckle a little. “You guys ready to come up?”

“Uh, no, not yet. But I do want you to write something down for me.”

“Anything,” you nod, priming your pen above the piece of paper.

Javier rattles off ten numbers, and you diligently write them down on the paper. You repeat it back and he affirms that it’s correct. “Got it. What is it?”

“It’s my personal phone number.”

“Javi, the ambassador already has your phone number.”

“No, I know. It’s for you.”

Oh. Your heart flutters excitedly in your chest, causing you to let out a soft giggle.

“I like talking with you. Our phone calls are the highlight of my day. You can call me whenever you want… even if you don’t have a reason to. I just… like hearing your voice. I like you.”

You clutch the paper, grinning ear to ear. “Well, I like you too, Javi. I’ll be using this,” you assure him, looking down at it and beaming. “Now, you said you’re busy. Get back to work.”

“Yes ma’am. See you in a bit.”

Click. Dial tone. Your heart fills with sparks and little fireworks, sending you into a loud laugh of excitement.

The thick oak doors swing open. The ambassador looks at you with concern. “Everything alright out here?” He asks you.

You nod, biting your lip and looking down to hide your grin. “Yeah, yeah. Great, sir. Peña and Murphy aren’t ready yet. They’ll be up later.”

The man gives you a nod and closes the door behind him.

The grin returns. You trace the freshly-dried ink, the nine numbers that will connect you directly to Javier at any time you want. You pull your contact book from your purse, sitting beneath your desk, flipping to a clean page.

Javier Peña, you write.

xxx-xxx-xxxx

personal number

You go back and draw a small heart next to his name.

[littleoddwriter]

Issues with Reader Fics

Okay, I'm probably going to be a bit controversial here. Yet, I'm asking you to hear us out, please. Fanfic writers, specifically those who write "x Reader" fics, please read this. My dear friend Jack has already made a post, where I and others have contributed our experiences and feelings towards certain issues with these fics. Those issues still prevail and therefore I've decided to make my own post, which is more of a PSA, I think. Anyway. You can and should read Jack's (@mlmxreader) post here, please. It is long, yes, but it is extremely important and will say a lot of things we will not talk about here again. Now, what this is mostly about is the tagging of those fics. Every single time, we (men and non-binary people) come across Reader fics and they're tagged with just "Reader", so, naturally we assume they'll be gender neutral then. Well, they basically never fucking are. Every time, in the first few sentences or in later paragraphs something like "baby girl, girlfriend, wife, she/her" will come up and it is frustrating, can be triggering (for trans people, like myself, especially because it can cause dysphoria), and is honestly just very excluding and rude. By doing that, you show us that you do not consider anyone but women to read those fics. Even though that isn't the case. Men who like men exist and we read fics. And we want to be able to read some that don't make us feel bad or excluded. We're not asking you to suddenly write Male!Reader fics. We're asking you to tag properly. If your reader is female, tag it as "Female!Reader" or "Fem!Reader". It doesn't take more than two seconds to do that. So, please for the love of everything good, take those two seconds and type in that one word, even the abbreviation is enough. But tag it! Please! Also, please, stop tagging "male reader" or "gender neutral reader" when it's a female reader. You won't get more notes from it. All it does is clog the tags and push down fics that are actually targeted towards those groups. So, don't do that, please, thank you. One thing I personally wanted to ask actually. Why do women read "Male!Reader" fics? This is a genuine question. Why do you, if you're a woman, read those fics? They aren't targeted at you, and frankly, I don't understand it. If I were cis and not dysphoric, I still wouldn't read "Fem!Reader" fics. They aren't for me, and I wouldn't be interested in it, even if those were the only fics for a certain character. So, if anyone could answer me this, genuinely, then I'd actually appreciate that a lot, I'm truly just curious, as I have noticed women reading my "Male!Reader" fics, too. Which is cool, as we've said, you may interact, as long as you're not creepy or fetishistic, but I still don't understand why you would read that in the first place. Now, onto what my two wonderful friends have said, when I asked them if they had anything to add to this issue, or perhaps overall, still: @iscariot-rising said, "It's just disrespectful for writers and readers alike to assume that everyone reading their fanfics is inherently female, to the point where for some it has become the standard that any fic has female reader - leading to writers not tagging their fics as female readers or mentioning in their descriptions that reader is female, instead only titeling it as "character x reader", before then three sentences in referring to reader as some sort of female term. This isn't just rude, it can also be triggering for people or make them dysphoric, if not just plain uncomfortable. Fandom spaces are something that is shared across all genders and sexualities and it is only courteous to respect this and tag your fics accordingly, since it doesn't take a long time and saves a lot of trouble for readers." And you know what? He is absolutely right and he should say it. You need to listen to us, please. @mlmxreader said a lot, too. For example, he's mentioned that there is a reluctance to even write Gender Neutral Reader fics, which is true. Even though it would be much easier, to be perfectly honest. Yet, people seem not to do it. Do y'all not want people of different genders to enjoy your fics without feeling excluded? He also said, "oh! yeah! there's also the whole thing about lingerie, too, like putting men in women's lingerie and talkin about panties and stuff, which comes off as extremely fetishising (when it's not written by mlm) as well as just... really gross bc like that stuff can trigger dysphoria and half the time it's not even tagged? Like it wouldn't be so bad if y'all tagged it; on top of that, there's also the whole fact that they assume that all mlm relationships revolve around sex and that that's all that matters. But then also using (m/n) standing for "male name" instead of (y/n), like, what the FUCK is up with that?? /gen" Again, he is absolutely right. Tag your shit, please. I know it can be tiring to pick out everything relevant, but trust me; you'll do a lot of people a big fucking favour when you tag your stuff properly. And frankly, I agree with him. I don't understand the whole '(m/n)' thing because if we're men, our names are automatically male because, well, we're male. It doesn't really make sense. That might just be a thing that personally bugs us, though, I honestly don't know. TLDR; Tag your fics properly, be respectful, don't assume everyone is female and therefore exclude everyone who isn't, just say (y/n)???, and yeah, that's basically it. Just be more considerate, please! That was it. I don't mean to personally attack anybody, but if you do feel attacked, that probably means that you're guilty of doing something I've listed here, and perhaps should consider changing that. I also wanna note that if you consider sending me threats or hate of any kind, I will delete it and not engage with it. If your first response to this post is something rude and hateful, you should take a step back and reconsider why you're about to do something so senseless. Does it help you in any way? No, it doesn't. So, what's the point, other than acting like a complete dick? Anyway, have a lovely morning/day/night; cheers!

[redxblueihateloveyou]

Hey i really love your blog!!! I just plucked the courage to actually send u an ask fhdjhd but GOSH i love your video edits and your gifs and your meta article posts, you're so articulate and you can explain/describe moments in a way that makes me go "oh wow, i cant believe i haven't seen it that way before!!" Haha ANYWAYS i'm just here to say that i completely agree with what all u said, Free creators might do a lil fanservice here and there for the 25 ships that exists within the fandom's circle, but rinharu's storyline is clearly the most romantic one! And i'd argue it's the one closest to being canon esp after part 1, i mean the fact that they put such an explosive emotional outburst right at the end of the second to the last movie means a lot. It's like reinforcing the fact that this series has always been about them, and everything that has happened only happened either because they met or they grew appart and miss eachother. I kinda feel like maybe.. juust maayyybe there's a chance KA wants to make the ship canon, since it's the last movie and they want to end it on a highnote maybe (bcs honestly i think the only reason they've been holding back is purely bcs of the merch sales, since they don't have a problem showing a wholesome lesbian love story in kobayashi maid dragon) butt i could be wrong, maybe i'm just overly optimistic and delusional, they could somehow ruin it and give an ending that panders to all the ships again 😅🥲, but at least there's a clear-cut guarantee that part 2 would dedicate a large portion of it fixing rin and haru's fight!!! Oohh how can i wait another 6 months now!!😭😭 (sorry for the long ask btw!! 🙏🙇‍♀️🙇‍♀️)

OMG thank you so so much!! For watching my vids too! ❤️❤️❤️ It really means a lot to me! Ahhhh wow, thats the longest ask I've ever recieved! 😍 I'm trying to explain myself so hard lol I'm glad its appreciated, bc sometimes I'm like "I don't fucking know how to say this" xD

Well, you know me, I only care for one ship, which is the only one with confirmed info that they're both actually gay and have mutual feelings for each other. There are some other ships in free! I'm fine with (those do not include Rin or Haru in them xD), but I just mostly don't care, bc after reading all the stuff, you can see that in some of those to one the other one is actually like his second option, which I just do not like. Others I just don't even see, bc again to me who witnessed great close male friendships and having two sisters who I'm very close to, I just do not see anything romantic in that.

It's not just Free! tbh, it's like any sports anime these days. They see two guys walking together, it's a ship. And like no one cares if they're just bros. Like I'd get i they did some fanservice fanservice, but like I never saw anyone in Free! crossing the line the way rinharu do. I can without thinking much name you 10 rh moments that no matter how hard you think can't be explain as being bros, but can't name one when it comes to others. I just find some ppl shipping everyone with everyone weird sometimes. It's like western fans see like some eastern actors or singers slap each other ass lovingly and they're like "oh they're fucking" I'm like "yeah, ofc all 500 of them, you're absolutely right". And Free! doesn't do anything even like that, I just do not get sometimes like what moment even brought on some ships. I'm genuinely confused. Albert and Haru? You fucking fell from a sakura tree or smth? I'm...

I'm especially confused when it comes to guys, whose character type is who I call "I only want this one and if I can't have it, then I'm ok" xD. It just always surprised me, when they try to pair up them with someone else, it's like a complete ooc.

I'm also not into this whole "well, if there are gays in this anime, than everyone there is gay". I'm like... huh. It's like with KNB and MDZS I had same feeling. It's like you have already couples there who are canon/borderline canon, why do you need another 10 who don't even interact or just don't even go there? I'm always so confused in those situations. Or like wangxian is married and some are like "no, I actually don't like it, let me write a fic when they're with other ppl". Lan Zhan... being in love or having sex with someone else? Yeah, that's not Lan Zhan, dude, you're writing about someone else. Might as well change the name at this point.

But last time I went to twitter someone had a thread about how if they make s4 of Free! they should mainly explore there Momo's angst (and no, it wasn't a joke), so I'm already like, I'm just.. nothing will surprise me no more. But I'm forever gonna be confused.

Yeah, I eel you about "going there". I mean seeing part of it, it just kinda cemented my confusion, bc I do not get how it can be considered platonic. We were just discussing since yesterday with @freeseafirefly how I now even more perplexed and do not understand how they will resolve it without going into relationship territory. It's just our point here is that like... no one forced them to go there (I mean its not like this whole fandom has some wild expectations or anything already), we were waiting or our usual friendship and swimming and maybe tiny conflict about struggles of pro-careers and some usual rh implications (maybe all the rh gay in dramas as always). Not some pure fanfiction coming to life here haha.

Like why I'm laughing is bc I twice used in my "fics" bringing up him leaving Haru as a force to push the confession, bc there's no way if he adresses this it won't lead to this. And now we not only have this (bc Haru just basically layed it out there), but an actual scene of him playing on their feelings for each other and a literal image of Rin leaving and "taking Haru's heart with him" to the point when he's for the first time in his life openly crying on the ground. And it's not like this scene can be interpreted as anything else, the whole fandom talks same, bc the whole fight was just about them, what Haru said was just about them, there's a literal boom of his heart getting out of his chest, before he falls and now he's heartless.

So our question is like... why go there?

It's like some say that they might still resolve it with "they're special to each other" and swimming, but still like we already knew that, there was no reason to go that far is what I'm saying. And to think that it was planned since forever giving the clues is like... ???

The whole spoon theme also throw me on the loop because like, lets be honest, it's wedding themed. And that part of the interview about part 2 there also made me go...?????? Because I mean, huh?

This is just all in all very interesting turn of events to say the least. I do not see the point of all of this if its not what I think it is, esp after seeing tweets like "even I see a rh wedding and I'm mh T_T". It's just all very unsubtle, that's why we're confused.

Like who knows, maybe we'll really by some magic turn of events get lucky and they really decided that since its the ending, it's okay to go for it. But I also don't wanna to hype myself much, I'm already really happy with it, just bc again, this scene already proves all of my points.

And yeah, I'm sure they'll pander to everyone, bc it's the end and etc and we have to handle everything on the good note and there's a whole line of ppl who's obsessed with us, esp with Haru xD, but like bromance pandering and romance pandering are different things, you know *wiggles eyebrows* and u know who always gets the second one.

[jangofctts]

dealing with a plagiarist is probably one of the most tiresome things to deal with as a writer. though there were other reasons i left a former writing app a few years back, one of the motives was the blatant plagiarism. i was particularly passionate about an original character i made and a follower seemed to feel the same. they would comment and i would reply and we’d have these fun little interactions. that alone made me very delighted as it would make any writer. you've poured the utmost time and effort on and someone likes it!

but, y’know.

i don't know how to say this without sounding too far up my bootyhole, but there are forms of admiration that can be harmless, but when it starts to become toxic (eg. hyper-competition, plagiarism, jealousy) that's where i draw the line.

it started small, with a copy of my character's appearance which wasn’t something i found myself to be too uneasy about. then, the person proceeded to duplicate things like my character’s mannerisms, personality, morals, backstory, and more in their works. i also started to notice that their writing style became quite analogous to mine down to the way i talked or interacted with others on the net even. to say it was creepy was an understatement.

after it went on for a bit, i mustered enough courage. i confronted them and i was disappointed that i already knew that they would be defensive. i addressed plagiarism specifically publicly without mentioning their @ and not even moments later they responded, disregarding my concerns further and even going as far as to insult me.

i was already tired of the app, but after that, i was done. i told my supporters that i was leaving, not wanting to give the person any more chances to leech off of anything i did.

thankfully, i’ve been told by one of my trusted muts and closest friend today that they have since then stopped production of the story and deleted it, because several commenters said things along the lines of, “hey, this reminds of...” or “i’m getting [...] vibes from this,” but the person kind of just went off like it never happened. frustrating, but a bittersweet win, i guess.

i want to am sorry you’re dealing with that hot mess.😞 we’ve got you, keida! you have such an amazing following and supporters who acknowledge your exquisite, remarkable talents and I can see it— seriously, these anons are incredible. we’ll stand by you no matter what this person may try to accomplish by doing something so harmful to you who has put so much into what she does. we appreciate you!

sorry for the essay🥲

ahhh thank you so much for this. not happy that it happened but glad it’s a shared experience lol

like, it’s just so exhausting bc yeah, they rewrote shit and like when comparing their fics to mine you can TELL it’s similar and like idk uhg. and the worst part of it is, half of it is my fault too. like when we were friends they would ask for “ideas” or like ask me to write parts of their fic and bc i was dumb i did. i just didnt realize the amount of my work in their fic until they published their stuff and like after we stopped being friends it just continued so um uhg whack

[elriel-oblivion]

Okay here's the thing.. I respect everyone's opinions and they can ship whoever they want but like... For Elucien and Gwynriel... I literally cannot even see how. I would gladly ship them if someone gave me a valid reason. Elain avoids talking or even being in the same room as Lucien, and Azriel had one polite conversation with Gwyn. Az is just nice to her. As nice as he would be to any female. Elriel has foreshadowing & chemistry- The roses painted on her drawer and the rose necklace...👀

Strongly agree with all of this!! My main problem with anything that's not elriel is that a lot of anti-elriel shippers completely ignore or erase Elain. With these ships, it's always what benefits Elain does or doesn't bring. It's so misogynistic, people just ignore everything she's mentioned about her own heart and how she doesn't want a mate or the bond, she doesn't care for it, but oh Lucien's had such a hard life, he deserves his mate!!!!!

😒😒😒

Surely he deserves someone who wants him as much as he wants them, no?

Non-elriel-endgame with the canon we currently have would mean Elain's choices are stripped once again since she'd have to give up/lose the love she actually wants in favour of one she doesn't want that's attached to some cultural concept that means zilch to her and her human heart. I mean, sure sjm could spin it so Elain catches feelings for Lucien and they end up happily mated. But then what is the point of having Elain constantly avoid him for three books? That's not even setting up for a good relationship bc every time they interact/meet, the communication just gets worse.

While I can honestly see the potential of gwynriel bc platonic interactions can later become romantic, I still don't ship it bc it doesn't feel right the way elriel does to me. I can def see gwynriel becoming a strong healthy friendship, but if it's endgame then Elain ends up with Lucien, whom she visibly shrinks from and has been avoiding since acowar. She doesn't feel seen by him at all - as much as I love Lucien and truly do want him to have his own HEA, we can't deny that he's really just pursuing (I use pursuing in the loosest way since he's very respectful about it 😅) Elain bc of the bond. If we take that away, there's nothing between them imo and he probably wouldn't give Elain more than a passing glance for her beauty and that's it bc she's not the type of girl he's into.

But people don't wanna think about how that makes Elain feel. This girl who previously felt seen by only one person - who then rejected her bc of that bond itself - and craves someone to see who she truly is, is being courted by someone who doesn't actually like her for her, but just the idea of what a relationship with her would entail. He's only trying bc of some divine belief she doesn't share. That must suck like hell. It's almost objectfying, the bond. And again, I don't blame Lucien at all, not even for trying bc it is something that's important to him and his culture, but it's not a mutual thing. If it were important to Elain too and she just wasn't cooperating bc of some stupid shallow reason, then I'd be angry at her. But that's not the case at all.

But with Azriel, the first person to see her since Graysen, there's so much potential for growth - for both of them. They make each other feel seen. And for all that antis say neither has grown in the time they've known each other, how did Az pluck up the courage to almost kiss Elain after having not done anything with Mor for five centuries? How did Elain initiate that kiss - ie have the courage to follow her heart again after having it torn and shredded by Graysen? And anyway, weve never seen into Elain's head so we don't know what she feels has changed within her; we can only detect subtle changes from other povs, but there might be some huge changes in her learnt from Azriel, maybe about her outlook on life/strength, that she's just keeping hidden for the time (or that no one has bothered to see bc Elain is invisible 😭). Same with Azriel. One little chapter isn't gonna tell us everything he's been thinking the past two years.

But either way, we know now that they both have feelings for each other. Why is a mutual healthy relationship shut down so quickly, one where both partners' choices are taken heed of? If Elain had said no in that moment, Azriel would've stepped back instantly, no questions asked. He probably would've have some huge internal conflict about his own self worth but he wouldn't have gone further without Elain's consent. He's already shown he respects her, he said they've been sharing looks and touches, and these are things fandom eat up, so I don't understand why it's suddenly wrong or unwanted just bc Elain makes up half the ship.

And there's so much foreshadowing/symbolism that antis seem oblivious to, which, fair enough, interpret the text how you want. But even if somebody doesn't see the spark or blooming feelings between the pair throughout the books (how do they explain away all the stiffness whenever one of them is mentioned or is in the same room or something though? Genuinely curious here), there's a lot of plot foreshadowing. The Blood Duel has now been mentioned twice, as has the idea of breaking the bond, maybe more. There's the issue with Koschei and Elain not being able to see things related to him past mist and shadow. There's all this potential conflict that could arise between the Courts if elriel pursue their love, and conflict is the driving force of any novel.

If gwynriel were an IRL couple, I wouldn't care if there were never any conflict, but if I'm reading their story, I want more than just them falling in love and having internal conflict about whether they should kiss the other or not. Especially if the backdrop is a fantasy world on the brink of war with many players. I saw a gwynriel post mentioning Merrill once and while I do think she has the potential to be a running antagonist, I don't see her as anything but a subplot/crony for/associate with another stronger villain. I don't think she could carry a whole novel at the moment. So Gwyn is tied to nothing in the overarching plot. Same with Az. Not to mention all the theories about the Koschei/Swan Lake/firebird folklore that is potentially inspiring this new series in the acotar world. Of course, this could all change as we get more info about the next book/s and all, but compared to elriel certainly, I don't think there's as much conflict with gwynriel.

Ultimately, I don't claim knowledge of the next books' content, so I don't really care what people ship, but the main thing I take issue with is how they treat Elain in the midst. A lot of gwynriel arguments I've seen portray certain acts in a romantic/positive light for Gwyn but either completely ignore or erase any semblance of romance for Elain or tear her down. Like, we shouldn't push the narrative that Gwyn as an SA survivor can't have healthy meaningful sex in the future (yeah, of course I agree), yet some of the same people who say that are also people who judge and make fun of Elain and call her too vanilla for Az without having a clue what her bedroom habits/preferences are 🤯 This is just one of many. There are so many double standards I've seen for gwynriel against elriel and I'm just tired of it. And even if they're not doing any of that, they simply hate Elain and don't want her to be with Az and so ship gwynriel as the next best alternative. Like, can they not push down Elain in favour of Gwyn, please? That's so misogynistic 🤮

For all that this fandom flaunts the series being feminist with strong female characters, they sure do a good job in tearing down females who don't fit their definition of strong, despite even Feyre stating and acknowledging multiple times that Elain has a different kind of strength 😒

Gahhhhhhh. *exhales deeeeeeeeply* Sorry this is so damn LONG!! 😅😅😅😅😅 I did not expect to write a whole bloody essay lol but I hope it was fun/comforting to read at least 😅😆 I know I fall back on elriel posts when the ship war gets too intense bc I actually enjoy shipping elriel. They've become my otp, and I absolutely adore both characters of the ship; I think most of us elriels do. I haven't really seen any elriel stans who dislike/don't care for Elain and her welfare so it's nice being in this corner of the fandom where we can appreciate both Az and Elain equally. And of course, the other characters with their due respect. I truly do want Lucien to finally get his good life, but I don't think that's with Elain 😕

[capricxs]

so you’ve been roleplaying for years... things change, the way the community does things shift, and sometimes there’s new skills you need to pick up and adjust to in order to make your time rping as creatively rich and fulfilling as it can be. one of those things that’s become extremely important is plotting & hcing. either in groups, in indie, or doing 1x1s, these two are the foundation to your interaction (unless you’re the type to wing it). sometimes when i interact with people, it seems they don’t really click with this process, so in the guide below, i’ll help to explain why these are so important, and how to do it in a way that not only gives you a rich plot, but helps inspire and keep your writing partner engaged with you.

disclaimer --- this is just my personal experience and opinions being shared. i am not the end-all-be-all on how to interact with writing partners. this is just here to get people to begin thinking about things they otherwise wouldn’t have thought about.

questions regarding this help post can be found here. let’s jump in!

WHY IS PLOTTING & HCING SO IMPORTANT?

firstly, rp has changed a lot since the days of launching into an rp or writing a random starter for a new follower. things are a lot more established and regardless of if you’re in a bio/skeleton rp with pre-written connections, or you’re in a new plotless group or indie and you’re coming up with them on your own, it’s a major foundation to your writing experience, so don’t treat it lightly!

secondly, regardless of format, and with the shifts in rp culture, behind the scenes plotting & hcing is crucial to the development of your plot & characters. as writers, we take more time with our replies so development on dash happens a lot slower. personally i don’t mind that, but i don’t want that to hinder my writing experience so i like taking things behind the scenes to help build up dynamics and situations so the whole relationship isn’t based off one or two threads/instances.

lastly, it helps to keep things inspiring. sound dumb? you bet, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles baby. so many times i have plotted ships, sibling relationships, best friends, or other core relationships, and wanted to sink my teeth in relationship lore and background and dynamics, only to be returned with “hahah yes! i love that!” now i understand this is never ill-intentioned, but it does suck the muse right out the situation. if you do not validate & expand on your partner’s ideas, it’s not going to make that writer’s ideas feel appreciated or loved. the way to tell them you love their ideas? sink your teeth right back and send an equally meaty response right back!

PART ONE: SO YOU WANT TO PLOT

you don’t need this post to tell you how to come up with plot ideas, that’s a whole different guide, but let’s say you’re in the brainstorming process. you’re throwing ideas back and forth based on your muse’s two backgrounds and seeing what sticks. what is SUCH a downer, is when a writing partner is just ... not contributing. yes, we are all guilty of the line “i’m open to anything!” but try and limit yourself to using that line once in a conversation. hell, i prefer it when a person doesn’t even say it at all and they’re HONEST. if i come in guns-a-blazing and i ask ‘what plots do you need filled?’ if a person responds with ‘i need someone who hurt my muse’ there’s two option, i fill that plot, or i don’t. it’s that simple. don’t be afraid to say what you want, the worst that can happen is the person says ‘eh, i don’t really think that fits my character’ and you come up with something else! but when you’re already passionate about the idea, you’re setting yourself up for such great success!

so what do you do when your one (1) braincell isn’t working and you can’t come up with any connection ideas? two options, you can either go to one of the dozens of guides for basic connection ideas and give your partner something, or you can look at the other person’s bio, and your muse, and try and find connections between them. both of these are painfully easy! i’m a personal fan of the latter as it seems a bit more grounded and juicy than the former, but those can be twisted into something great too! **if you’re in a group setting, even asking what that person’s other connections are, and piggybacking off of that. these create super spicy connections. example: you find out muse a is muse b’s ex, and your muse, muse c, is best friends w muse b, so it’s safe to assume your muse c will probably not get along with muse a.

this important thing is not to make your partner feel like they’re doing all the work. because that’s never fun, and truthfully, it doesn’t make that person want to write with you if you’re not also putting in the elbow grease. plotting is fun, not a chore! make it a party!

PART TWO: NOW YOU HAVE TO BACK IT UP

you’ve got your plot now, congrats! and you’re so excited. but now you need that plot to be fleshed out a bit. there’s some history there so you’ve got to establish it. in comes the powerhouse--- my favorite part to this whole thing: HCING. it’s the most laid back, and in my opinion, creative part of the rping process. truthfully, i enjoy it more than threads because of the absolute insanity you can dig up. but i only love it if my partner can hand it back just as i can serve it.

maybe you’ve never quite thought that this part was that important, but i can assure you, if a person is giving you 3+ sentences about the dynamic of your characters, they’re trying to hc with you, and if you don’t enrich them, your dynamic is going to wither away.

i brought up an idea in the first part of this guide that’s extremely important to how you hc with your writing partner: VALIDATE & EXPAND. it’s the idea that no matter how much or how little your rp partner gives you in terms of an hc, you respond to it with a validation, which can range anywhere from ‘i LOVE that’ to as simple as a key smash and the pleading emotion, or even repeating a fraction of what they said to show you understand their vision. but then you have to back that up with expanding on that idea. hcs could be about a situation or about your writing partner’s character, so expand on how your character feels and reacts to things. it’s beyond discouraging when i write a whole idea out, explaining how my character feels in this emotionally intense setting, and my writing partner only gives me the validation portion, and now i have no idea how my opp’s character thinks, feels, or interacts.

see, a point i mentioned above is the fact that threads don’t work like they used to. and that’s fine! but hcing is an easy and fun way to make up for the fact that we take time with our threads now. if you’re rping to find rich, in-depth, satisfying dynamics, it’s going to take many many months to get your understanding of your opp’s muse, and the relationship they have, hcing fast tracks that process. i’m writing with you, i love your muse, give me the dirty details, i promise it’s not obnoxious. the more your give back, the more you will receive. so why wait around, sitting on our thumbs for me to fully get a grasp of your character’s voice, and your character’s thoughts, when we could do that on chat and have a grand time.

but now you’re thinking to yourself: okay, but how exactly do i validate and expand? and for that, we go to EXAMPLE-BOT 3000 !! not a real bot, unfortunately, but example bot has dug up a personal interaction i’ve had hcing. for context, this is a 1x1 writing partner i’ve had for years. we have an excellent dynamic and they are perfect. they have also given me permission to use our convos as example.

here is my message [ CONTEXT: this is a sandbox-star-wars-esque verse]

Okay but I had a thot in the shower,,, where the best thoughts are had. And what if,,, after this meeting and they part ways and such and it was just another weird occurrence in their lives, blastis gets a mission and it’s either to protecc salia or like guide salia across the galaxy to do something smth and save some lives or whatever. And ofc not because she couldn’t take care of herself but he has smth she doesn’t that gives an edge or just a close loved one of her’s didn’t want to see her get hurt. So you have these two traveling across the galaxy,,, sometimes arguing bc she can manage herself but he’s just fulfilling the mission. And them both kicking but. And all the steamy tension and cliches.

let’s break this message down before we get into the response. first, hcs don’t have to be formal. they are the most fun when they’re less together and don’t rely so much on “sounding good”. you’re just rolling off the top of your brain, chatting like you would with a friend, don’t worry too much on formalities because this isn’t the place for that.

i am also presenting my idea in a way that is confident, and with plenty of ideas to work on. i am involving my partner’s character but not godmodding. i am taking things i have learned from character introductions (like salia being independent and empowered, and wanting to do good/help others) and not disrespecting them, but having her take part in the plot. there are also small bits at the end of this idea that are little nuggets to build off of.

let’s look at my partner’s response.

AAAAH okay i love the idea!!! however shes a v. freelance kinda healer and doesnt really take official things. and she doesnt have loved ones that would know if there was danger - she can telepathically communicate with her own people but if she doesnt want them to know things they cant just. force their way in its a Closed Communication line not an open invitation into her thoughts asdfghjsh. But i could imagine that some guy or family hire her to find their children maybe who were lost on their adventure/mission with friends and the last message sounded like one was hurt,,, badly. and the other cant help for some reason. and they hire blastis to both protect her and later the people shes supposed to heal??

but anYWAY the Important part is ofc. the tension. and his big ass in her ship bc why would she?? take another if hers is right there. so hes gonna take that single bed and not complain. but ooof those two?? just kicking ass and being amazing. growing on each other more and more.

right off the bat is validation. and validation doesn’t have to be as direct as it is in this message. the validation is important here specifically, my partner showed they were interested and supportive of the idea i presented, but needed the plot to fit in their character’s story better. we see them making adjustments--- this is a collaborative experience so i alone shouldn’t be the one coming up with the plot, nor would i want my idea taken just as is. instead they mold it to fit what makes sense, getting more specific than my idea with a “mission purpose”. this is where the bouncing off of each other begins.

they then take the “bait” and start building on the tension our muses will experience (this is a ship afterall). while this is the beginning of our conversation, and there’s aren’t specific moments we’re working off of, this is setting the ground for future headcanons (see: the focus on sexual tension, living in a ship together, kicking butt), we are both mutually giving each other little tethers to take hold of. this is a very good start to begin working out the dynamic and situations these two characters are found in, with multiple different launch-off points.

CONCLUSION

there’s no right or wrong way to rp. even the tips listed here might not be applicable to your style, just having the idea in the back of your mind helps. the important thing is you and the person you’re writing with are having fun. you both are respecting each other’s time and ideas and creating a beautiful dynamic or world or relationship. this is a collaborative experience, and it’s important not to leave your partner feeling like they’re doing all the heavy lifting creatively.

hope this helped! as always, you can send me any questions you have in regards to this topic HERE. you can find a tag of answered questions in relation to this topic HERE.

[cirkkaa]

I'm going to ramble a about something that bothers me a bit about rayemma so if you're not in for me being overly invested in fictional characters, this is your cue to not read this lol. Also I might sound like I'm taking it too seriously, but it's just me talking out loud, dw. I'm drinking coffee as I write :)

This contains manga spoilers!

I've already vented a little on twitter but now that days passed and I could notice other things, I want to talk about it here bc I think is calmer and I feel a little self conscious bringing ship related matters there. ( also I would've making a long ass thread no one wants to see lmao)

Let's state something first: I love Ray. He's my favorite tpn character, and I'm multishipper. Either if I'm being biased or not, I love rayemma, and I also love noremma and other ships. But RE has a soft spot for me for obvious reasons. And I'm not only talking only about romance here, tho of course I can't take it out of the frame bc, well is just another layer of their relationship. But my primary concern has to do with the interaction between both as it is.

Now, you may know about Shirai's and Sugita's commentary on the forest arc RE, if you don't it's here. Let's go to what is my perception.

Ray and Emma shared an unique bond like no other, would they have spent all those arcs on building their relationship from a very unstable/chaotic one to one which showcased a level of trust so deep that they were able to enter another realm and defy time and space......... that Ray out of all people was the one who felt her presence, was literally GUIDED to find her in a context in which realistically they might as well never ever see each other again to show us.. A sibling relationship? COMRADES? I felt like a bucket of ice was thrown at me. 

I've always loved that they didn't emphasize the sibling part of tpn when it came to the trio bc in no way it feels sibling-like. I always considered them as best friends, the kind that life puts in your way and you can feel it's different from any other bond you may have. And besides, story-wise, it makes sense since ehem NE exists, so that would be a weird concept to praise while putting characters on a shippy moment. Now, I think it's only fair for all 3 to be considered under the same context. But looks like NE gets a free pass, RE doesn't, and NR is close to nonexistent so we'll never know.

RE bonding was one of the best ones I've ever seen and probably my favorite, I have no words to describe how much I loved Shirai for taking this path with them. But this commentary?? Honestly, wouldn't you feel at least a little salty if this happened to a couple that means a lot to you? imagining that exactly this description was used to describe NE. Sounds incredibly ridiculous and just nonsensical doesn't it? Like hell, it can be anything but not this.

"Hey but NE is sorta canon and RE never existed" Well that doesn't mean that they aren't friends FIRST and foremost, which is the kind of relationship they showed ALL the time throughout the story. Not of siblings, not of comrades. Of course Emma referred to all GF as her family, but that I remember, she never considered Norman or Ray as her brothers, explicitly.

So in short, I felt sad and in disbelief. Nothing to do about it, it's done.

“But he said it´s okay to interpret it the way you want” Yes, which is very nice of him. But after reading that, I felt so drained and confused that romance in RE at this point sounded like a joke, when their friendship is pretty much.. Just there.

On a more selfish note, RE doesn't get half the credit it deserves. Their friendship goes under the rug most of the time, and considering canon events and how Ray fell on the sides, and now this commentary over a relationship in which in  2 arcs it might as well have been a central point, being diminished with this.. Just what even??

Not that I have power over someone else likings or interpretations, but man I wish they could appreciate them more.. I also would love to see Shirai taking his time to describe their relationship not focusing on the " there's definetly not romance here if that's what you want to know"I feel like there is much more to it that just the explanation he and Sugita gave, but that's just me being hopeful.

I think this is the only thing I highly disagree on with canon facts so far. Not that it matters what random fan on tumblr says, but yeah

A side note: this commentary was part of the fanbook, which is not translated officially and the parts that are, were made by fans. So maybe there is more info about them, for which I will say take my input with a grain of salt. Also, I'm not hating in any tpn ship or Shirai or Sugita. This is just a way for me to express my feelings over my disagreement with their answers. Do not take this as me about to break into Shirai´s house trying to validate a ship, or forcing ppl to ship them. I'm just voicing my thoughts and maybe regretting making this post later on 🤠

I do believe in the potential of all kind of fictional relationships, so I don't think siblings or comrades are in any way less important than lovers, for instance. However in my reflection, if you read the manga, you will know how not fitting those term are for RE. At least, in my opinion, they aren´t.

Thank you for reading, have a nice day.

[cinematicnomad]

Hey there, i‘m really interested in your opinion on where this Bucktaylor storyline will go. I’ve seen you say that you think that they will break up eventually, and i‘m right there with you, but i‘m also a delusional Buddie clown so i don’t think my personal assessment is really worth anything 😂 you seem like a much more level headed person, which is why i would love to hear what you think about this.

anonymous asked: Where do you think the Bucktaylor storyline is going? I like them a lot better than EddieAna, and used to think that they might be endgame (although i wouldn’t have been too happy about that) but the way they handled them in the finale not only disappointed me, it also kind of left the impression that they are definitely not going to last. I think if they seriously wanted this to go somewhere, they would have waited a while and developed them a bit more until they brought them together (yk, like a proper slowburn) If they are endgame there’s no rush, right ?

i'm not sure if you're the same anon or not, but i figured i'd answer both at the same time!

i have no idea where bucktaylor is going! i'm not stressed about it. for one thing, despite my enjoyment of buddie and despite how much i like to clown and read meta and make parallel gifsets about them, i?? have no real expectations that they'll become canon. so the bucktaylor of it all doesn't stress me out. i like taylor. i liked her when they introduced her in s2 and i liked when they brought her back in s4.

and i don't? actually think that their relationship was rushed in s4. i know i've seen some other people say that and like, to each their own, but i much more appreciate the way that taylor was brought back into the storyline, how she and buck clearly spent time together and started to build that rapport back up, that the show made it clear that buck was interested in more, and then they got together. like that's WAY BETTER than just having eddie run into ana on the side of the street and then the show just being like "lol they're together now, we don't need to show any development, here have a cringey math date and a 10 second scene of them cuddling on the couch with chris."

and honestly, other than madney, 9-1-1 isn't GREAT at developing romantic relationships. they kind of did it with buckabby in s1 but like...the less said about s1 the better. but otherwise, bobby/athena? spent an entire season having v little interaction with each other and then by the end they were like 'oh let's go on a date' and in s2 it was just full throttle they are COMMITTED. michael and david got trapped on an elevator together, went on a date in the finale, and then in s4? LIVING TOGETHER. buckalli was v reminiscent of eddieana which i already covered. so like, bucktaylor? actually having scenes over several episodes where they build up their friendship before kissing? Not The Worst. in fact, Actively Kind Of Good in my opinion.

like, was it perfect? no. i wish they'd payed that scene outside the grant-nash house a little differently—i know the actress who played taylor tried to take a cop out on twitter and was like "if you rewatch this you can tell taylor ~*doesn't really*~ mean it" but like...nah, fuck that noise, it did not come across. i don't know if that's bc the writers retconned their decision, bc the director didn't give the right notes, bc the editors chose a bad take, or bc the actress herself didn't get it right but that didn't work (though i was, like, genuinely amused at how many people on this site were like "HA! BUCKTAYLOR IS NEVER GONNA HAPPEN!" bc?? have you SEEN a television show before, sir, that's not how this works). and the decision to get them together in the finale kind of sucked bc like, that episodes was OVERSTUFFED already and we didn't really need the bucktaylor of it all. honestly i wouldn't have hated if we'd had the first kiss and then left things more open and come back in s5 to find out they were dating (i mean i would have PREFERRED if they explicitly decided to stay friends in the second scene instead of getting together but that's neither here nor there).

anyway, i don't think they're endgame just bc i don't think the writers are really ready to tie up buck in a serious final romantic relationship. plus i think buck and taylor are a little too similar to tell a variety of stories about them (they kind of seemed to already hit a rut in s4 with just a lot of repetitive "let's solve this episodes mystery together"). and also bc when buck does enter into an endgame relationship i imagine it'll be with a first responder (ideally obviously eddie, but i wouldn't be surprised if they introduced someone new). i don't think the 9-1-1 universe likes slow burns. i mean, maybe i'm a fool and they really ARE playing the long con and actually do want to get buddie together, but i think given what we've seen in OG and LS, the writers just. aren't interested in telling stories about people falling in love (i know everyone loves t*rlos but omg that relationship development was like...NIL). they're much more interested in stories of committed partners IN a relationship (henren and juddgrace are their BEST relationships).

i've just been rambling this whole time and i don't think any of it actually makes sense but i have a meeting in 3 minutes so i gotta wrap this up. basically: taylor is here for now, i like her way more than ana, i don't mind that she's here, i DO think they will eventually break up for the reasons mentioned but i have no idea when or how it'll come about.

[1rintooru]

Haikyuu!! as their Zodiac Signs

Starring Oikawa Tooru as cancer

Soo there are a couple of fundamental traits associated with cancer’s: They are loyal, protective, intuitive and caring. On the flipside they can be overly sensitive, moody and prone to be vindictive. I’ll start with the good and see where and how they apply best to him.

Positive Traits:

Loyal:

I can totes see Oikawa as being a loyal person and this reflects itself in a couple of areas in his life. Firstly, his long-term friendship with his childhood best friend Iwaizumi. The two seem to have very different approaches to life, people and how they confront problems. Despite their differences, they balance each other out and take their friendship seriously. Iwaizumi is probably one of the very few people he’s authentic with since Iwaizumi can clearly tell when he’s being genuine or not. He’s also incredibly loyal to volleyball who would have thought and even though he may have had his doubts when he felt burnt out, he’d always end up returning back to the sport. He is so loyal and one-track minded when it comes to volleyball that it apparently got in the way of his previous relationship, so it’s clear that it’s a priority. Cancers are known for being extremely loyal partners and even may stay in relationships that are unhealthy because of this. I have a hard time imagining Oikawa as this playboy because he’s very much an all-or-nothing kinda guy.

Protective:

Hmmm I didn’t really see Oikawa as protective at first. But I do think he’s quite family-orientated since he coaches his nephew (along with other children) and is seen to spend time with him. But this dude is so protective of his pride like get a grip. Even though shiratorizawa was the better option, he refused to go because of his “worthless pride”. This guy holds onto certain beliefs and ideologies that really do more harm to him than good and they can show themselves in really toxic ways- like him overworking himself or almost beating kageyama up like chill tf out

Intuitive:

All waters signs are innately intuitive and cancers are no exception and I think Oikawa exemplifies that well. Oikawa is excellent at reading his teammates as well as his opponents. He can manipulate opposing teams by spotting their weaknesses but also has the ability of bringing his team together and bringing out the best of his teammates. His intuition gives him a lot of social grace as well (even if he acts like a child a lot of the time). He really does have the gift of gab and can probs sweet talk his way out of anything- he knows what social mask to wear for which occasion. Even Iwaizumi has said that he’s only seen Oikawa smile genuinely once. That’s not to say that this bish is fake, but he is highly adaptable und will tailor his actions based around those around him- he’s a social chameleon and there’s only few exceptions where he’s truly himself.

Caring:

He cares a lot about a lot of things. It probably seems like all he thinks about 24/7 is volleyball which is partly true, but he does care about others a lot as well. Again, his friendship with Iwaizumi showcases this really well, but also his connection to his family and his nephew in particular. He can be savage classy, bougie, ratchet on the volleyball court, but outside of it he actually seems really polite?? Like he takes time out of his day to interact with his fangirls even though they probably can be overbearing at times or even get in the way of getting to and from practice- yet he still takes photos for them and is appreciative when they offer him bentos?? And unlike Kageyama, Oikawa truly is a teamplayer and brings out the 100% of his team- even when they lose, he is never resentful or regretful. I’ve also felt that his teammates are not just his teammates because he seems pretty close with all of them and they all have banter back and forth. Oikawa is truly great at making sure these bonds and interactions are harmonious. To bring out their strengths but also bc I think Oikawa would be sensitive to conflict.

Negative traits:

Overly-sensitive:

Yeah, for sure. He tends to take things personally, even impersonal criticism or objective advice. He’s the type of guy who probably remembers something innocuous you said only to bring it up again months later. He was also really bent out of shape when kiyoko ignored him it’s not that deep dude. Cancers are not really the aggressive type, so I doubt you’ll get into an explosive fight (it can happen ofc, but they’ll probably think abt hurting you than actually doing anything) but they are so effing petty! They will resort to childish antics, petty remarks and are prone to being passive aggressive. These are all qualities that we have seen Oikawa exhibit, so I’m not even going to elaborate more.

Moody:

I think this fits him well. He does manage to put on a good social mask and depending on the situation, he can maneuver his way through life with his charm and social skills. However, he isn’t like ushijima, akaashi or suna who tend to not let outward factors affect their emotions. He’s a very reactive person and feels deeply to what is happening around him. A lot of cancers (esp in my experience) have the tendency to go MIA and retreat into their shells. I haven’t seen Oikawa do this as frequently, I think. For him, home is where the heart is and his heart is with volleyball. He doesn’t really brood or fall into a cycle of self-pity- he’s just too ambitious for that. Instead, he’ll throw himself into the sport to improve and he does this obsessively to the point of injuring himself. He doesn’t want to see himself as a victim and he certainly doesn’t want others to view him that way either. He’ll only open up to those he truly trusts and even then, it’s usually through passive aggressive insults, bitter remarks and barely hidden insecurity.

Vindictive:

Cancers are not vengeful in the way that scorpios are, but they can hold onto a grudge for years and become extremely resentful. This is esp the case if a cancers insecurity is “attacked”. (I use that term loosely btw). Oikawa hated kageyama from the beginning bc he “hated geniuses” and refused to teach or help him- this is oikawa’s inferiority shining through. He didn’t want to give kageyama, who is already gifted with raw talent any more advantage over him. Yeah, oikawa is extremely talented and skilled but he probably thinks that those with the natural gift for volleyball will always be a step ahead since they’ll learn new techniques and get better as they improve. Rationally speaking, oikawa and kageyama would learn a lot from each other, but oikawa is vindictive and won’t help someone he sees as an enemy. At least not without throwing some petty jabs. It also would have made more sense for him to go to shiratorizawa if he was concerned with being the best of the best, however it was personal for him. He has a longstanding rivalry with ushijima and it wouldn’t have made much sense for oikawa to join because it’s personal for him. He wouldn’t just throw away his personal beliefs and ignore his vendetta just because logically it would make more sense for him to do so. He’s very much a heart over head kind of guy so a lot of how he acts and responds are going to align with his own value system.

[rsmrymnt-tea]

lia here, and lol i was that anon that said that. but what are your thoughts? i wanted to ask this -- om before, i think, has hinted/expressed the fact that this game wasn't intended to be dark or to be taken very seriously. ig they wanted to go w the "wholesome but interesting bfs" thing bc mysme already exists lol

I’ve never played MysMe so I can’t comment on any similarities, but I feel like Solmare can’t just give us a world of demons and angels and magical humans, give us the writing that S1 and the Chapter A cards had, then just expect us all to be okay with nothing but fluff right after. Right? Not that I have anything against fluff, but the stream of super tame and fluffy events really… didn’t do much for me + it didn’t help that the writing was so ??? For a lot of them.

Because I for one am all for a game that takes itself a little bit more seriously and doesn’t hesitate to explore darker themes. This is a game about demons ffs even if they aren’t insanely violent and bloodthirsty I’ve love to see more than just cute family moments and the occasional smooch/implied sex.

Also my faves in pain pulls at my heart more than fluff ever will, but that may just be me lol

There’s something about OM that makes me ache for it to take itself more seriously. It doesn’t even have to be serious all the time—S1, the latter third of S2, and what I’ve seen of S3 look like enough proof that they can be serious and still balance it out with wholesome family moments. I’d argue that keeping it to just wholesome moments and fluff makes it a lot less interesting because it’s exploring the heavy (hurt) gives the lighter, fluffier times more weight (comfort).

Like… They can’t just give us demon boyfriends, an angel, and an immortal human and then act like they’re just some quirky humans. Otherwise why didn’t they just give us some quirky humans? At least it wouldn’t feel like they’re wasting potential when they hint at something that seems huge but then turns out to be nothing.

They at least nailed the ‘interesting boyfriends’ part because I think the cast has so much potential depth to them—the writing isn’t great and much of world building has a lot to be desired (hence everyone’s personal rewritings of canon story and the insane amount of headcanons) but I’m very much invested in seeing the characters and how they grow and interact with each other. But I feel like even that’s at risk of being ruined due to pandering and flanderization just for the haha funny and fluff? Might just be me though.

Tbh if I only had canon to go on, I’d have lost interest in OM ages ago. But I have an imagination and so do a lot of other people on here. Plus the gravity and depth that’s given to the characters in some people’s analyses here adds a ton to how much I appreciate the cast, though I feel like it’s a bad sign if I can’t tell whether the devs and writers actually intended for us to look at the characters that way or not.

[giggles-and-freckles]

creator tag game

Ooh, thanks for the tag @pandora15!! I’m excited to go through the tags of this and read some of the things from all of you that I never got the chance to read!!

Rules: It’s time to love yourselves! Choose your 5 (ish) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. Tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

---

that one person  (snips & skyguy, mostly just banter and fluff as they teach each other some lessons with laser swords and hearts of gold)

I’d be remiss if I did not mention my first ever fic! I read it now and cringe a bit (which is crazy bc I only wrote it in August!! but yay for growth!), but I still really do love it. I’ve said this a few times over the past few months, but I watched my first EVER Star Wars movie in January (and it was TFA hahaha). As I devoured any and all SW content in those first couple months of quarantine, Anakin and Ahsoka are what first compelled me and brought me to this fandom. Their dynamic feels like home to me.

all too young (obi & soka, cold starry nights on Onderon and hurt/comfort for their brother-friend)

This is what catapulted me into my Obi-Wan and Ahsoka obsession! I’d always been very interested in them as a duo based on their limited little moments in TCW, but my imagination really got the best of me on this one. I was thinking about late night conversations between my grandpa and me and how that would play out for Obi and Soka and, before I knew it, I had written this fic and become literally incapable of thinking about anything else. That...hasn’t subsided. Haha.

hologram heart-to-hearts (obi & soka, hurt/comfort and angst as the two navigate the difficulties of staying in touch after Ahsoka’s departure from the order)

This makes me smile to think about because it’s what got me here! I had kind of been a lurker on Tumblr for about a month, maybe? And I’m honestly not sure what compelled me to post this here, but I did, and then, before I knew it, I had my first reblog and my first follower and then poof. Now I have a sweet little internet home. My own personal SW found fam. 

nothing a cup of tea can’t fix (disaster trio sick-fic, humour, light fluff, anakin being a dramatic whiny baby. y’know–the WORKS.)

This one is just a personal favourite of mine. I’m really proud of some of the dialogue and this is the fic that stands out in my mind as one where I really started to feel the characters. They each fit into a different part of my imagination and, since this fic, I do not struggle as much to change hats anymore. There are pretty clear distinctions where one character ends and another begins and this fic showed me where those are and what to do with them.

brilliant (obi & ani, hurt/comfort and mechanical arms)

And lastly, this one! I found some new bread and butter that I liked with this fic. Honestly, though, what SW author doesn’t like writing the frustrations of Obi-Wan and Anakin being incompetent idiots with their communication skills and then making them hug it out? Again, the dialogue in this particular fic feels more real to me than some of my other stuff. I remember how easy and quick this was to write because I could so viscerally see every part of this interaction happening in front of me. It wasn’t in the Halls of Healing, it was in my room. Also, this story was inspired by one of my dyslexic students who had an outburst as I worked with him on reading, so it feels very personal. 

no pressure tags: I’m gonna be honest and say that I’ve seen just about every possible fic author be tagged in this at some point tonight already haha, so I’m going to focus on artists whom I admire to spread the love! If I’m tagging you, you may not know me, but please know how appreciative I am of you and the creativity you bring to this fandom in a way I am physically incapable of! 

You can partake or not...I just mainly wanted you to know WE FIC-WRITERS SEE YA AND LOVE YA. @thenegoteator @autumnchild22 @rolrol @ginger-sass-master @hollyoakhill @space-passenger @rrrainbo @lugzug 

[quidfree]

Wondering how you decided to characterize the Regulus-Marauders relationships in LMV? Really love that fic btw :)

i’m glad someone asked bc i make no secret of the fact that writing said relationships (or interactions, more accurately) is one of my very fav parts about writing LMV- i’m pretty sure i’ve answered something similar but i have no qualms doing it again. i’ll put it under the cut so i can do them one at a time.

lily: lily is probably my very fav of the regulus interactions, for a variety of reasons. lily, remus and james are all three predisposed to be friendly and kind towards strangers and/or their enemies (unlike regulus and his brother lol), but lily is the person whose kindness is one of her (very few) defined traits in canon, and it’s set in stone that she has a high tolerance for bullshit, so obviously she’s the one who is going to be most unfazed by regulus’ antics and just continue to be faultlessly polite and sympathetic around him. on the other hand, lily has 0 tolerance for death eater bullshit specifically, esp after the snape experience, so she will not hesitate to sharply reprimand regulus whenever he says something even remotely anti-muggle. this means that on balance regulus is hard-pressed to find anything to complain about with her other than the fact she won’t let him be racist towards her, and especially given his recent moral quandaries he feels more chastised than he’d like to admit on the latter point. and lily is not just kind- she’s also a very clever, capable and charming witch, with none of james’ more annoying traits nor remus’ cynicism, and regulus just increasingly likes her a lot while kind of attempting to pedal back on it. lily, on the other hand, beyond her refusal to put up with any bigotry, has a particular soft spot for difficult siblings trying to make amends, and beyond that also finds regulus quite cute in certain regards- his obvious attachment to sirius, his newfound bambi act around anything muggle, his very real concern for kreacher, his transparent reluctance to befriend them. also she enjoys a bit of slytherin snark, amidst all of her gryffindor boys. basically lily gently bullies regulus by simply not leaving him be to stew in his self-indulgent pureblood angst and regulus is helpless to it. down the line, since regulus is canonically kind of a fanboy type (hello posters) he will become a staunch lily stan who spends 50% of their conversations trying to convince her to divorce james because she could do better (and silently deploring the fact she didn’t choose him as a token slytherin friend instead of severus snape). i imagine the absolute outrage of shifting his schoolboy admiration from lord voldemort to lily is one no one ever lets him (or voldemort) live down; lily takes it in stride, since he’s not even close to the most questionable admirer she’s ever had. 

remus: in some ways remus and regulus’ relationship covers a lot of the same beats as lily and regulus’ - remus is also a blood aberration in the eyes of pureblood society, and also infinitely more patient with regulus’ various suspicions and barbs than he deserves. the main distinction is just that remus is less trusting- both because he lacks lily’s sibling angle to lend him sympathy, and because he’s more skeptical on the subject of personal loyalties impacting moral compasses. he’s also less willing to confront regulus’ bad takes because unlike lily remus is not comfortable with his lycantrophy and in part feels the bigotry towards werewolves is deserved, having internalised much of it and living in fear of his capacity to harm others across much of canon. as with sirius (or any of their other friends), remus is also the most observant of the gang, so he can read regulus best, which regulus (as a keen-eyed slytherin himself) is uncomfortably aware and suspicious of. these elements all add a level of strain to their relationship that doesn’t exist with lily and regulus. beyond that, however, remus is of course faultlessly civil, and his teaching instincts mean that in practice he does a lot of the quiet helping regulus privately appreciates the most- pretends to check cupboards out loud so regulus doesn’t have to ask where things go, repeats well-known details to himself within earshot of him, unobtrusively shuffles sirius’ bookshelves around so regulus has things to read. despite his suspicions regulus would pick him to spend time with any day, even fully aware of the fact remus can and will needle him into a seemingly mild debate about some facet of pureblood doctrine after a couple of hours of companionable silence. remus isn’t quite so indulgent of regulus as lily is, but he privately suspects he’s growing on him, because remus sees the good in people despite himself and also sees the black in regulus. he’s a smart kid, anyways, and it’s nice sometimes to have someone around that’s just a little less *handwaves* than the rest of the group, and someone else that does the watching. regulus just wishes remus’ general perceptive doubt didn’t have a massive sirius-(and james-)shaped blindspot, and maybe also that he didn’t look quite so contemplative whenever sirius threatens to feed him to the wolves.

james: james and regulus’ relationship is obviously the funniest of the bunch. i simply do not believe there is any way regulus could not have loathed james with every fibre of his grudge-holding being. and it’s not just the deep dark regulus-intro-chapter thing about james being very literally the one to turn sirius decisively away from his family, or the fact that for regulus’ last two years of school he had to put up with the fact sirius lived with james, or even the fact james was so archetypal of everything he’d been taught to revile as a smarmy blood traitor of the highest class. no, it’s also just that james is obnoxious- at least from the bitter perspective of a middle-schooler whose beloved older brother has unceremoniously ditched him for some loudmouth arrogant gryffindor who struts around hogwarts like he owns it and beats regulus’ quidditch team and makes a big show of thwarting his attempts to catch the snitch while he does it, winking up at the stands where sirius sits howling with laughter all the time. there is no living being on earth regulus can’t stand more than james potter. and james, of course, is thoroughly bewildered by this, because regulus is kind of civil with lily and remus despite his bigotry, and warming up to his brother, but if james so much as breathes remus looks like he wants to club him to death with an antique vase. so then it’s this whole cycle of adversity where james ‘why would someone not like me’ potter only grows more determined to get in regulus’ good books in the face of his loathing, and regulus is having a conniption bc james just won’t stop being friendly and helpful. and james fundamentally is a sirius simp (lol) and also canonically The most trusting and idealistic of the bunch, so he is staunchly in the regulus redemption camp, which makes it all the harder for regulus to just oppose everything he says in principle. not to mention james is genuinely a personable guy, who will do shit like recall some of regulus’ better quidditch plays or remember the names of people in his year regulus hung out with you, and regulus is just. suffering. beyond the inexplicable loathing james finds him very entertaining (duh, it’s sirius’ kid brother) and somewhat like a debutante who just needs to blossom into an order member; he’s the one who most regularly engages with regulus’ inflammatory statements because he’s the one who’s most willing to believe he’ll change (and also because he has years of experience telling sirius that you can’t just say that, mate, where the hell did you hear that from?). regulus hates him, and also hates himself for kind of very much definitely seeing why sirius is so into him. bastard. 

also, i’m not really going into sirius here because LMV itself already does so much, but like. they’re brothers. they love each other wholly. they can (and do) hurt each other like no other. they are very awkwardly trying not to do that on purpose so much. sirius wants very, very badly for regulus to Be Like Him, which regulus resents, but really sirius wants more than anything for regulus to be Good, so they can be on the same side of things again, and regulus doesn’t really know how to handle that (especially bc some part of him very desperately seeks to regain his brother’s approval). it’s a mess but they’re trying. i think it’s esp weird for them bc they never really had a middle ground- in the Before they were inseparable and sirius was the cool older brother who stuck up for regulus as he shadowed him around, and in the After sirius was the family disappointment who couldn’t believe regulus wouldn’t follow in his footsteps and took this out on him as angrily as he could manage while regulus bitterly returned the favour. now they’re sort of at an impasse, trying to relearn the actual people they are rather than what they’ve always been to each other. 

[nonbinarykai]

You seem to be heavily focusing on the use of the word valid in my ask, and completely twisting my words, so I will try and be more clear. I never said or implied anything you argued. They both reasonably feel the way they feel, because everyone experiences grief differently, and they are both allowed to feel that way, and there are reasons behind each individuals interactions with grief. Just because someone acknowledges that people experience, understand, and just feel things differently does not mean they are justifying or excusing any of those actions. While Kai may feel like his words are not selfish as he is grieving, other people who are ALSO grieving may feel like they are, and Lloyd is an example of that. I was explaining why he may feel that way. I never justified either character’s actions, or said that Kai was wrong, and I never said that Kai’s way of handling grief was some special thing. Without going into detail, I’ve also had to deal with grief and have had my mom say the things Kai says to my family, so I understand how bad that can feel, and why Lloyd may react the way he did, but that’s a discussion for another day. Acknowledging the perspective of another character does not mean that I agree with their perspective. They are “valid” because they are allowed to feel that way, and they have reasons for feeling that way NOT that their negative actions while grieving are excusable.

OOOOOOH OK, yeah I was a lil confused by your wording sorry. I think instead of using the term valid you should have just said that you think that there’s a reason behind what Lloyd did or something lol.

Anyways since this is a clarification of that ask Im going to continue with the pretense that this is before you were aware about the comments about the wu and Lloyd situation. So I’ll be explaining myself a bit more about that here because I haven’t explained that yet. No worries if you didn’t know!

Ok so going under the pretense that this is about lloyds perspective and understanding that what about to be mentioned is in no way an excuse for what Lloyd said I’d still like to question a few things in terms of general character motivations and why I think it ties back to wu.

I still don’t exactly think lloyds way of thinking is exactly a healthy way to cope but this time I’m going to try to explain why it’s harmful to Lloyd. Like I stated before thinking that expressing thoughts is selfish is encouraging the concept of bottling it up which Ya know plz cope and grieve it’s very important. But I think with what your trying to say is that Lloyd also thinks that about himself which id love to explore more. Because I do agree with that, I think Lloyd was sort of projecting onto Kai in that scene and think that he can’t express those thoughts either.

Now you mention in your original post that you think that Lloyd thinks that way because he thinks Kai isn’t appreciating Zanes sacrafice. Which I’m curious how you came to that conclusion /gen. Because to me the line “first with the green ninja and now this, when do you think about anyone other then yourself” comes off to me more like Lloyd thinks Kai is Selfish because Lloyd thinks that Kai is trying to gain some sort of attention or popularity like he did with the green ninja if that makes sense?

((Hope u don’t mind me infodumping about wu for a sec bc Even tho u said why Lloyd said so is a discussion for another day I felt the need to clarify that I think wu is the most at blame here lol))

One thing that always struck me as weird is how Lloyd mentioned the green ninja stuff even though he was hardly involved in it. He has no reason to think Kai has any personal grudges or vendettas he hasn’t already resolved by the time Lloyd did get involved. Which is making me believe that what Lloyd doesn’t really know what he’s saying, like he’s been taught to say these things. And this is where I think wu comes in. I firmly believe that lloyds reason for thinking this way is because of wus influence. Not only because wu holds enough of a grudge against Kai for what Lloyd said to line up with his character more then anyone else. But also because wu has had this sort of ideal to put work ahead of your own or others needs. To just “get it done” no matter the cost it has on you. Again, I’ll make a post about it later, but wu has a very toxic influence on Lloyd and the ninja that gets targeted onto Kai the most.

[pendragaryen]

Before I start I just wanted to say: THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for all you brilliant, open minded, always positive and hopeful people and writers in this fandom, in this fam, that i am so proud to call me a part of for many years now. Thanks so much for all you analysers, all you meta-writers and speculators! I love you so much, because i’m shown time and time again, that i’ve chosen THE RIGHT peeps to follow. My dash is 80% hopeful Blarkes! And i LOVE it! Thanks for always being so inspiring and motivational, despite everything that happens on screen (or behind it). THANK YOU, FAM! That’s just my introduction today, before i dive into my mood…..

I probably shouldn’t write anything today for my mind is kind of dizzy bc of the painkillers I’ve taken earlier but well… I’m in a mood to get at least a few things off my chest now.

So. “The queens gambit”. You guys already summed it up, meta-ed about it and speculated the heck out of it so that my own 5 cents seem completely unnecessary at this point. I love some of your opinions, some I don’t. But here’s just what I feel about it (if anybody cares): In contrary to my whole excitement before the episode “Welcome to Bardo” and the tiny possibility that our Bellamy would finally and hopefully be back on our screens, THIS time, while I WAS CERTAIN to see him again, my whole reaction to finally HAVE him back was like… “yeah.. hey.. there you are. Nice.”  And that’s it. I truly wish my excitement would come back. But well… I am exhausted. My job is a pain in the ass too right now. I don’t want to feel bored or even annoyed by my fave tv show ever, this should BE FUN. But yeah a certain scene DID annoy me. Of course. I was in fact very thankful for all the distracting things that happened on Sanctum this time.

For those who know me a bit this isn’t news. I feel sick to my stomach when I have to watch scenes like that B/cho farce today. I did it for Bellamy/Bob AND I did it for Lindsey (congrats on your directing-debut, my queen!). But all your beautifully written and stubbornly hopeful metas couldn’t change the fact that THAT moment was simply painful to watch. It wasn’t even as lovey-dovey as I thought it would be. And I am truly relieved bc of the fact that it seems that Bellamy (at least at this “first time”) had some serious physical needs to get satisfied by that sweaty, sporty woman right in front of him (like it was with “Threesome-Bellamy” in season 1) and that THIS was the primary reason that my boy practically jumped E at that moment… (I mean… she IS attractive… i have to give this to her). With THAT in mind I can live. Everyone his needs. That’s okay. Sex is healthy. Needs are healthy. I am content that they haven’t shown us LOVE here. That wasn’t love. For sure. And their conversation is already wonderfully explained by several posts of you guys, so I won’t say anything else about that godforsaken scene than that it was a pain in the ass to watch for me. Despite all the things I said above and despite the fact, that IT’S JUST THE PAST. It still stings. BUT… It’s not current. And I understand the statement that underlines especially THAT fact: This is long gone and done. It is not current anymore. And now… not even thinkable any longer. I think E knows that too, despite her being clingy to her memories.

Whatever… I’m pms-ing… heavily. Don’t mind my ramblings. What I REALLY wanted to say tho is: I hope that - in comparison to that B/cho scene on the ring - we get to see one other significant scene (or more than just one, I wouldn’t mind it) at some point in S7 : Bellamy grieving the loss of Clarke Griffin - and I mean ON THE RING. That particular grief, that was addressed especially by Murphy last season “If he knows Clarke is dead all of this is for nothing” etc….. PLEASE! That would make the PERFECT opposite to that cringy, awkward B/cho scene today!!! What do you guys and analysts think? Is it possible that we get that somehow? Maybe we somehow get to see how the Bardonians extract memories from Bellamy’s mind at some point? I don’t know. That’s just what I wanted to shout into the void today. I’d appreciate it so much…

Anyway.. I missed Indra in the santum scenes? Where was she? But I really agree with most of you guys today too: Some of the best parts of this episode had to do with finally addressing some bad things people did in the past, bad decisions and actions I thought I have already heard the last  about. I am talking about the Blake’s of course. O’s treating of her brother after Lincoln’s death and Bellamy “forcing” the flame on Madi in S5. Well done. All of this a little late for my taste. But better now than never. Oh and I almost forgot: Murphy was brilliant. Again. His interactions with Sheidrussell… wow… deep. And Emori! What a QUEEN! I’m glad we have these two in Sanctum - tho I’m fearing a bit for their safety now, I have to admit.

Did I mention that i LOVE the Diyozas? No? Yes i love them. Very much. That scene between mother and daughter was TEARjerking. And NOW i’m really afraid of what will happen to especially Charmaine… I cannot put a finger on it WHY. But i TRULY fear for her now… She’s a unique character. I don’t want to lose her tbh… (In contrary there’s Nikki. Or Nelson, for example. To THEM i cannot find any connection at the moment… They are just… there.. making trouble… I wouldn’t shed a tear if they die at some point.)

And then… Clarke tho… CLARKE… These few seconds they’ve been showing her reaction to the news that HER Bellamy’s dead… All these emotions mirrored in her sad, shook eyes in that precise moment… This really made it up for me and saved almost the whole episode imo. Wow… (Eliza… Eliza, you brilliant little thing. I love you. I’ve been reading, that you weren’t allowed to show more than a minimum of a reaction at this point. But you transferred it, ALL the feelings - just through your eyes!) You can almost pinpoint the very moment her heart broke. I can’t wait to see the continuation of that scene. (Btw: Great job, Lindsey! Zooming in on Clarke’s face in just the RIGHT moment… I’m in tears…)

All in all (and despite of a certain scene) a solid episode. (But WHAT THE ACTUAL F.. DO YOU MEAN WITH “YOU’RE MY FAMILY TOO” OCTAVIA?! You CAN’T be serious! E?! YOUR FAMILY?! No..  HELL nO…  That shows without ANY doubt how much she's changed and that she now must be some sort of an all forgiving Buddha, whereas I clearly haven’t grown or changed one bit, bc THAT… hurt like hell to hear from especially her. WTH.. It REALLY bugs me..)

ugh… that was long… i am sorRY