#been able to get a b at least in that one vs this one i don’t know if i’ll pass at all

[pallases]

[infinitethree]

OOC::

More progress, more realizations that I yet again forgot to say there was an update here. Oops.

[0-therw-0-rldly]

I’ll preface this by saying I’m not really a shipper. I just enjoy canon couples on TV Series/films.

Terms I’d like B*ddies to remove from their vocabulary because they don’t know how to use them correctly:

Media literacy: For a group that uses this term a lot you sure do misinterpret everything in this show.

Queerbaiting: Going to expand on this one. A show that’s already been pre established for having queer characters simply cannot queerbait.

Ship baiting: While sometimes you can argue that they could be doing that, that’s only if you look at the show in a very biased manner. You might think this is the case but the general audience doesn’t think the way you do.

Ship war: This isn’t a one tree hill situation where there was Team Brooke Vs. Team Peyton where the middle guy (Lucas Scott) had canonically been with both women. This is people not understanding fanon vs. canon and not being able to just watch the show. It’s like playing quarterback on Madden and thinking you could be better than Patrick Mahomes.

Plot device: everything’s a plot device. Move tf on.

Predator: You sound like crazy MAGA supporters calling everything regarding the LGBTQIA+ community as predatory. Sit down.

Co-parenting: I know this is a big one and discourse was brought up during the hiatus. Oliver and Ryan have loosely mentioned this years ago but it was never to be taken this seriously. Do y’all even know what co-parenting is or are you that big of a donut? Buck is someone who loves his best friend deeply and by extension, his kid too. Him taking care of him frequently does not make him a co-parent. Maybe he is a parental or uncle figure, but he isn’t a co-parent. Also, I swear y’all need to learn how a will works. He is a GODPARENT, not a GUARDIAN. Stfu.

Hag: This especially applies to women, but to say that someone 25-30+ is a hag for still being in fandoms or enjoying tv shows/films is inherently misogynistic. Men are never held to this much criticism for enjoying fictional media, but women aren’t allowed to?

Queer Coding: people of the same sex “looking at each other”, hugging, or having intimate moments all together doesn’t make them queer coded. It could mean that they just love each other that deeply platonically. While representation is amazing and just because you interpret a character as queer coded (just like my ship baiting comment) doesn’t mean others interpret it that way as well. In addition, network TV has stipulations, and also actors are allowed to decline storylines. Ryan has mentioned his character is heterosexual an abundance of times which means (at least for now) that he isn’t willing to go for this storyline.

Dead naming: Y’all construing the fact that Buck wants people like coworkers and some of his former love interests, to saying Evan is his dead name is inherently transphobic because do you even understand what a dead name is? Evan Buckley is shown as being fine with being called Evan by both Tommy and his sister. I’m pretty sure some of his love interests have called him Evan as well.

Fetishizing: You guys saw two hot guys who “looked at each other” and for 6 seasons have wanted nothing but to see those two make out with each other. Those of us who enjoy Tevan saw Buck giddy at the thought of Tommy and have wanted domestic fluff for them since.

Anything to do with racism, homophobia, and misogyny: I’ve seen the way you guys have conveniently weaponized Henren and by extension Aisha/Tracie when you didn’t get the Ryan/Oliver interview, don’t try to act like you’re morally superior. Not to mention wanting a canonically gay man to die in a show and not even holding those who use your ship name to write CSA fics accountable because you’re petty and want to throw hissy fits. Anyone looking at your comments as an outsider would think you’re homophobes and yes queer people can be homophobic.

I do hope you can expand your vocabulary. 🤍

[ixiot-ghostrebel]

Hello there sagau brain rot like in many sagau versions reader/creator are often to soft to kind to my taste and then Idea comes to my head what if creator reader shows his cruler uncaring side to the pepole he truly hates or thinks deserve thier wrath like I can image that in place of raiden shogun the creator kills Singniora after begin defeated by traveler, azar the grand sage after whole begin in that day loop, and scaramouche when he had audacity to think that by begin inside giant mech he is now a God becose even if the creator is the kindest begin in tevyat.....his wrath has no bounds

@zardas75 welcome back to my very dead mailbox LOL—Let me see what I can come up with with your brainrot.

I don't fully get the Raiden Shogun vs Signora part, so I'm going to (unfortunately) not include that in this post.

The Creator Being Moody Fr (Jkjk—Unless? 👀)

(Disclaimer: Might Be OOC & Spoilers to the Genshin Impact Archon Quest Lore!)

Boy oh boy...where to begin...

To put it simply: It's Azar's Fault. Blame and point your fingers to the rusty old man, bois, we ain't forgiving him any time soon. It all started with him.

The moment you saw him in the Archon Quest, you knew, without even needing the slightest hint of evidence, that you did not like him and he was sus.

And when things escalated throughout the Archon Quest, you swore so loudly it shook the entire nation of Sumeru, if not all of Teyvat.

Here were Some of the Sumeru People's Reactions:

Cyno

He finished his confrontation with Azar and was waiting outside when you swore like your life depended on it. During his entire time being under your presence, Cyno was aware of how much you hated the guy—every moment you had gotten, you were seething and spouting insults from your mouth about Azar.

Even the General Mahamatra was stunned and shocked to the very core. He didn't you could and would do this.

And when you made it clear that your tantrum was yet to end, Cyno just braced himself for the fate of Sumeru to be in your hands.

"At least Azar is truly facing the wrathful judgement of the gods..." he mutters to himself, trying to convince himself of the situation at hand.

(Meanwhile You in the background: "YOU MF HOW DARE YOU. HOW DARE YOUUUU I WILL F—KING KILL YOU IF YOU CONTINUE THIS YOU SON OF A B—")

Scaramouche & Nahida

(Decided to add them both here since It's the False God Fight. This is kinda for the sake of convenience—)

Nahida never knew such intense emotion could ever erupt from Their High, Almighty Grace, and here you are, cursing and insulting Scaramouche. It wasn't as bad as Azar's, since you weren't throwing in any "I will have your head by morning" or anything similar threats, but it was still pretty intense.

Scaramouche, on the other hand, has heard you yelling at the old man Azar, and he already been yelled at for—quote on quote—"killing Teppei" (REST IN PEACE, TEPPEI 😭), so he knows what your wrath was like.

He did not like it then, and he still doesn't like it now. That much was a solid fact. Nevertheless, he has an image to uphold, especially in front of that Buer.

"Their Almighty Grace is really mad..." Nahida thought as they were confronting Scaramouche. (Cue you in the background still insulting Azar) "And it seems they won't be forgiving Azar anytime soon..."

"So, Their Grace still hasn't let go of their grudge against me..." Scaramouche mutters to himself once he was out of the view of Their Almighty Grace in his mecha. "Tch. Whatever...I'll make them see my true potential one I've squashed these insects."

Dehya

She knew you were explosive. She's seen it happen by the way you were cheering to beat Rahman's ass and "save the kid's grandpa!"

She knew you were pretty emotional on behalf of them. She's pretty happy and honored about that—that means Teyvat meant a lot to you.

What she was not expecting was to hear you curse and scream at Azar at the top of your lungs, as if that was the only enjoyment you were able to indulge yourself in.

You sounded murderous, and yet here you were, just yelling. Dehya would've shrugged it off, since she understood getting things out of your system was good, but she was not expecting the world to shake with your voice.

She looks over at Rahman. "You think Their Grace is handling this well?" "Probably not...Hard to say, Dehya." "Well, we'll just have to wait it out, then. They'll get it out of their system...eventually..."

Dehya was not expecting to wait until after beating the False God for it to be truly over. Gosh, that was scary...

Tighnari

He sensed that you didn't like Azar the moment you saw him, and frankly, he's pretty glad you don't trust him too. What he wasn't expecting was your explosive personality.

For all the stories about the Almighty Creator's kind and gentle nature, you were ANYTHING but. And you were proving it HARD.

Tighnari thought he heard it all when he got struck by lightning. Boy, was he wrong, because you just one-upped his expectations with the amount of cussing, cursing, threats, and insults you were hurtling in one go, streaming out of your mouth like you were running a marathon with your words.

So here he was, waiting in some form of dread in Pardis Dhyai, waiting if you were going to strike down the Akademiya with your godly might.

"I hope they don't accidentally blow up all of Sumeru..." he mutters to himself as he prays to all the archons that the nation wouldn't be turned into water or something.

Alhaitham

He should have taken account of your behaviour to the plan. You did play a crucial part. That was the sole mistake he overlooked.

Then again...it didn't seem like you were doing anything other than yelling at Azar...So perhaps the plan wouldn't change all that much.

He should keep in mind of how reactive you are, though. You...remind of his roommate sometimes...

"Hm. It seems Their Grace has yet to let Azar go of their scandal." He says it so calmly as he waits in Aaru Village. Candace stands a few feet away, looking unsure of what was going on—and probably praying that Their Almighty Grace won't strike down Sumeru in their anger against the rogue Grand Sage.

And let's not talk about the Traveler or Paimon. Those two are both used to it and still terrified. But they're okay with you dw 👍

Ghost Rebel Side Notes: IM COMING BACK WOOO! I'm so excited! There's been quite a few more requests than I usually got back in the past, so I'm a little stoked. They'll be out real soon, but I hope you enjoy this one! Hopefully I'll have time to do them all! :D

✦ Check out The Ghost Rebel’s Blog Description & Info Page to See if Their Mailbox is Open! ✦

[detentiontrack]

hi there, hope you're doing well! do you have any survival tips for freshmen starting their first semester at college? thanks!

Hello! Yes I do! Up until this Tuesday, all of my experience has been at a community college, but I have some universal advice!

Sage's supercool freshman survival guide:

You don't need expensive and a wide variety of school supplies. Here is a list of what you need:

A notebook for each class

A good pack of pens (i like gel pens)

A pack of pencils (+ sharpener) or mechanical pencils

Either colored pens, thin tip markers, or highlighters for notes

Ruler and calculator if you are taking math/science classes

A binder or folder for loose papers

GRAPH PAPER. Even just a pack of loose graph paper. It sucks when you need it and don't have it

2. it's better to take notes on paper vs on a computer unless you have some sort of reason (like dyslexia, visual impairment, or other physical disability etc) Taking paper notes forces your brain to pay attention better, and you can reference them easier than if you take them on a computer. (plus a lot of professors don't allow laptops in lectures unless you have an accommodation with the school)

3. GET A PLANNER! A PHYSICAL ONE!!!! Online calendars and planners are okay, but it is MUCH easier to forget assignments if they're out of sight. Get a paper planner, fill it out each week so you know what you're doing, and keep it opened on the current week somewhere you can see it. I personally like the planners intended for teachers because it divides the days up with individual subjects! This is the one I got for this school year

4. Get a giant ass water bottle. If you are going from class to class, you most likely won't have time to refill your water bottle. Get a huge one, fill it up at home or at your dorm or whatever, and carry it with you. I promise you it is worth adding an extra thing to carry (mine is a 1/2 gallon)

5. No one at college cares about stuff like in high school. No one cares what you're wearing or how you're doing your hair. In fact, individuality is ENCOURAGED. Wear bright colorful makeup or weird earrings. Do what makes you happy.

6. Pack yourself lunches and snacks that you can easily stuff in your face while walking to your next class. I'm a big fan of protein shakes and granola bars.

7. Ask questions! No one will think you're annoying for asking "too many" questions. It's better to over ask than under ask and not understand the topic. Chances are, at least one other person in the room has the same question as you.

8. Similar to number 7, most professors will gladly go back and explain a topic again or in a different way! Just politely and respectfully ask for them to briefly go over it again, or define a word you don't understand.

9. Unlike high school, most professors don't care, and will actually get annoyed if you interrupt their lesson to ask to go to the bathroom or take a phone call or even leave class early. Unless they explicitly say you can't leave (like during a test) you can just walk out, no questions asked.

10. Do every extra credit assignment you can. Even if you have a good grade in the class. You never know when you'll forget an assignment or lose points for something small. It's good to have backup.

11. Just like in a good relationship, communication with professors is everything.

12. Make connections with people in your classes. You don't have to be besties, but introduce yourself to a few people in class, make small talk, and get their phone numbers. That way you can discuss assignments or get notes if you miss a class.

13. DO NOT slack on first week assignments. Most professors WILL drop you if you A. Don't attend the first week of classes and/or B. Don't turn in the first few assignments.

14. Register for classes as soon as you possibly can. Like if your group is able to register at 9am, be in front of your computer with the registration site open at 8:55am, just to be ready.

15. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS CHECK RATEMYPROFESSOR BEFORE REGISTERING FOR CLASSES!!! NEVER IN YOUR LIFE REGISTER WITHOUT CHECKING. IF YOU ARE LATE TO REGISTER AND A GENERAL EDUCATION CLASS AT THE PERFECT TIME SLOT IS COMPLETLEY OPEN, IT IS FOR A FUCKING REASON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rate my professor is really accurate because people are able to submit honest reviews anonymously after the class is over. If someone says the teacher is a hard ass who is flakey and assigns a lot of reading, BELIEVE IT. Ideally you want a professor that has above a 3.5/5 rating.

16. There is no shame in needing accommodations for a disability, and getting accommodations in college is a lot easier than in k-12 school. You just need to make a request and submit proof of disability, and you'll meet with someone to give you accommodations.

17. DO NOT buy textbooks until the first week of class is over. This is for 2 reasons. 1. you might need to drop the class and 2. most professors will just give you a link to the textbook for free or post individual chapters every week. There is no point in spending $200 for a textbook you might not even use.

18. I think at every college, you can drop a class with no consequences or anything on your record as long as you drop it within the first week or so (the exact time differs depending on the college, but it's always on their website)

19. Colleges very often have events with free food or free merch. Even if you have no interest in the event, a free hot dog is a free hot dog yk?

20. If you're a freshman, literally no one knows each other and everyone is worrying about making new friends. Literally everyone. Find someone who seems cool, compliment their outfit or say something about the class/the college, and boom. New friend.

21. If you have time, join a club! Colleges have clubs for EVERYTHING and it's an easy way to connect with people who have the same interests.

22. Before your first day of class, if you're neurotic like me, take time to think of a few things: 2 truths and a lie, 3 fun facts about yourself, your favorite __, etc. Just so you can be ready for icebreakers (I actually don't know if other people are as scared of first day icebreakers as me.... Every semester I prepare 2 truths and a lie and fun facts about me so I'm ready. Just in case. This just might be my specific flavor of autism though...)

23. Colleges are big, even community colleges. Make yourself a playlist and bring headphones for walking from class to class

24. Jumping off 23, when you're choosing your classes, pull up a map of your campus. Learn how long of a walk it is from building to building, so you can make sure you have enough time to walk to your next class. This goes double if you have a physical disability. I personally need some extra time so I can drink water and walk slowly.

25. Prioritize comfort over style. Most people by the third week will just be wearing tshirts/sweaters with jeans/sweatpants. There also usually isn't a super strict dress code at college. I had a girl in my astronomy class that exclusively wore bikini tops and booty shorts, and she never had any problems.

26. It's easy to tunnel vision and schedule your classes back to back, but try to give yourself at least one gap for lunch, to stretch, or to just hang out. I have 3 on campus classes this semester and my morning class ends at 11:45am and my second class doesn't start until 1:00pm. You're (most likely) an adult, close to an adult, or have adult responsibilities. One of those responsibilities is to take initiative to take care of yourself.

27. College professors, unless they're abnormally strict, literally don't care about anything, as long as your ass is in the chair and you're not being disruptive to others. Drinking water in class? Fine. Doodling on your notes? Fine. Doing homework for another class? Fine, as long as you look up like you're paying attention occasionally. I wrote amphibia fanfiction in my classes, and I had a girl in my public speaking class who literally brought yarn and a crochet hook and crocheted stuff in class.

28. OH that's another thing! Literally no one cares about your public speaking skills. In college, it is inevitable that you'll have to take one class with speeches. People aren't waiting for you to slip up to mock you. Most people are too focused on their own speeches. I took a public speaking class last year, and I genuinely could not tell you the topic of even ONE other student's speech. It is very likely that 90% of the people won't even be paying attention to your presentation because they're worrying about if they're next.

29. In group projects, be a bitch. I'm serious. DO NOT do all the work. If people in your group aren't moving, assign them their share of work. If they still don't participate, threaten to leave. If they still don't, ask the teacher to work alone. You NEED to stand up for yourself.

30. Most colleges have a lot of services for free (or included in tuition) you should use. The library is a great resource, I'm typing this on the laptop I rented for free from my school, and I believe my college has completely free STD checks and birth control options available through their health services.

31. Expand your horizons! In college, you get a LOT of options for electives and classes. Take the fun classes or a topic you've never heard of! I'm taking a philosophy of disability class this semester for my extra humanities credit.

32. Build a good relationship with your professors. It never hurts to go up to them before or after the first class and introduce yourself.

33. DO NOT leave things for the last minute. I like to write down all my assignments for the week in my planner, sorted by due date, color coded, and plan which assignments I'm going to do on what days.

34. Take advantage of professor's office hours, especially if it's a subject you're not strong in. Personally, I'm not the best at math, and the summer I took statistics for psych, I was at my professor's office hours every single Tuesday. Even if you think you understand the subject perfectly, you never know when you're making a mistake without realizing it. It can just be a less than 5 minute zoom visit of like "hey, this is my answer to question 5 and here's my work/process. Is this correct? Yes? Okay thanks see you in class"

35. Summer classes, especially in community colleges, are a great way to get extra credits and make it so you don't have such a heavy load during the regular school year. A lot of summer classes are online, so it's really easy to do at home. But.....

36. ...NEVER IN YOUR LIFE TAKE A SUBJECT YOU ARE NOT STRONG IN OR A SUBJECT WITH A LOT OF WORK IN A CONDENSED SUMMER CLASS. Summer classes are always more work per week because you have less time to go through the curriculum, so be sure it's a light class. I took my world religions class as an 8 week summer class and oh my god.... I am being 100% serious and not exaggerating when I say I had to read 500-750+ pages a week......... be careful

37. Make time for other things! Even if you're full time school and work, let yourself watch an episode of your favorite show after homework or during a break. Rest and recreation is important too.

38. Treat yourself! When I was a kid, my mom would let me and my brother pick out a little candy at the grocery store for a "friday treat" during the school year. I still do that. It can be as simple as buying a $2 chocolate bar or finally trying that bath bomb you got as a gift.

39. You are inevitably going to get a low grade on something. You're going to struggle with a subject or misunderstand an instruction. Not one single person has made it through all of college without getting anything less than a 100%. Ask for feedback from your professors. Don't beat yourself up.

40. You don't have to have a backpack. I use a green messenger bag with embroidered mushrooms on it :3

Hope this helps!

[haveyoureadthisfantasybook]

some preliminary statistics

(based on the first 102 polls)

general

we’ve had 10 majority-YES results so far

the highest result by far is J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit (76.5% YES), followed by Maggie Stiefvater’s The Raven Boys (60.4% YES) and Terry Pratchett’s Going Postal (59.5% YES). this mirrors the pattern of overall results by age demographic.

publisher

there is a clear and dramatic divide between books published in English by Big 5 imprints, which have an average YES rate of 21.3%, and books published by independent publishers, academic publishers, self-published books, or books not published in English (average YES rate 3.1%). this is unsurprising, considering the market dominance of Big 5 publishers, especially in fantasy and science fiction.

age demographic

adult books

there have been 70 adult book polls so far, of which 4 have had YES results (5.7%). the average YES rate for adult books is 13.6%, the lowest for any age demographic — unsurprising, I think, for a number of reasons.

teen/YA

there have been 14 teen/YA book polls so far, of which 2 have had YES results (14.3%). the average YES rate for teen/YA books is 20.4%, ahead of adult and behind children’s. this makes sense to me, since tumblr users mainly came of age during the YA boom of the 2010s.

children’s

there have been 17 children’s book polls so far, of which 4 have had YES results (23.5%). the average YES rate for children’s books is 24.5%, and it’s being dragged down by a) Frances Hardinge’s books, which were mostly published a little late for the tumblr userbase, and b) a bunch of non-anglophone children’s books that either haven’t been published in English or were published in English a little late for the tumblr userbase. if we exclude non-anglophone children’s books the average jumps up to 31.4% (even with the loss of Tintenherz / Inkheart), and if we exclude Hardinge it jumps to 41%. I expect this trend will continue at least for anglophone children’s books published before ~2010.

publication date

average YES percentages are on something of a bell curve centered on the 2000s (’m excluding everything before the ’70s because there’s only 1 book for each of the earlier decades):

1970s: 8.5%

1980s: 12.2%

1990s: 18.5%

2000s: 21.2%

2010s: 15.4%

2020s: 10.7%

this also makes conceptual sense to me but I can’t explain why.

race

sadly but unsurprisingly, books by white authors have an average YES rate of 19.7%, versus 4.8% for non-white authors. I expect this trend will continue — if N.K. Jemisin’s The Fifth Season, one of the most highly acclaimed books of the last decade, can’t get a majority YES result (which it’s currently not on track to), I doubt anything else will be able to. the one other thing that seems possible to me might be Mo Xiang Tong Xiu’s webnovels, which have been submitted but aren’t yet queued. we’ll find out eventually!

gender

books by men (17.9% YES average) are slightly more likely to have been read than books by women (15.9% YES average). there are two few data points for nonbinary writers for that average to be meaningful as yet.

geography

books from the Europe (read: almost exclusively the UK) are slightly more likely to be read than books from North America (read: almost exclusively the US) — average YES percentage 20.5% for Europe vs. 16.1% for North America. the average for the rest of the world is 5.6% — no other single continent has enough data yet to really be meaningful.

this attests perhaps to the relative prestige of British fantasy — the percentages are being skewed upwards by Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Diana Wynne Jones.

language

books originally published in English have an average YES percentage of 17.9%; books originally published in other languages average 6.5% (2.2% excluding Tintenherz / Inkheart)

[nilboxes]

I loved the way you characterise Aventurine! So I wanted to know your opinion if you think he’s able to have a fulfilling relationship, like life long sort of thing and what makes him hold on to that in spite of him always gambling on his life. Because I can’t really imagine an old Aven.

Hello Anon! Thanks, that's a first xD mostly people like my takes on Ratio more, but I do admit I find Aventurine harder to wrangle. There's just a lot to him but at the same time I keep coming back to feeling like "this guy's got noooothing"

So then, when you ask this, I don't even have like a good answer that isn't going to be a long essay.

Would he be able to hold a fulfilling relationship? In a way, yeah?

For me, I think Aventurine would love to be a family man. He'd be such a good dad! I just don't think his mental state would allow him to really be happy about it when he does get that because:

a) I don't think he will ever be free of being a Stoneheart and live a normal life b) because as he is his entire deal is that he is a man who got (nearly) everything (money + power) because he has nothing to lose.

So the nothing to lose bit is like, key to his character. If he becomes a family man the edge he has, the daring to bet his life vs what he wants to get will really start to have weight, he would start weighing that kind of wager more, and I think he thinks he can't risk that, because while we don't know what his new motivations are, I do think he would still want to accomplish a lot of huge things therefore...

The only way I see him gaining some balance in his desire to win against all cost but having like, a bit of attachment to life enough that there will be some stakes to make his mental state less bleak. He would probably permit himself only the ONE desire/one irreplaceable someone/one weakness, and that is all concentrated in Dr Ratio.

I feel like, idk, he's got to have something to live for, but not too much, enough to keep going. It might as well be 1 single person who he just wants to have a few pockets of peace with, not necessarily a white picket fence life, but just enough to get by in companionship etc. (I also don't think Ratio is the settling down kind tbh)

I really do see him winning until the very end though, at least he'd never lose a gamble where it counts. That said, I also don't think he'd get old, he'd probably die due to some recklessness or something. I do see him kinda sticking to the IPC though, but not because of Diamond's grander ambitions idk too early to tell.

I still really wonder what the deal was in the Myriad Celestia when he looked unhappy to receive his stone back. I don't think he was going to walk out of it alive, so did he want to die instead of come back to being a Stoneheart? It doesn't align with what should have been his character development at the end of the 2.1 quest and the title of his boss theme (Hell is Preferable to Nihility) suggests he is glad to face hell (continuing on his life) rather than be gone so anyway let's assume, he isn't exactly happy to be in the IPC but that is his the "state" that serves him best soooo

Thanks for the ask, anon! I hope that was sufficient answer enough and made sense. He's kinda hard to wrangle....

[loosesodamarble]

Hellooooo hope you are having a good day/night, I just read your headcanon of nacht vs nozel over the readers feelings.... and I BEG!!! I NEED A PART 2!!! Could you write a part 2 where the reader chooses nacht?? Your characterization is amazing!!!

Thank you for the well wishes, Anon. I'm doing the best I can where I am. I hope you're day/night, whenever you see this, is going well.

So a part 2 of Nacht vs Nozel... With Nacht winning (he sure would win if it was me!)... I never considered it until you've brought it up!

..........

Nacht vs. Nozel Part 2 (Nacht victory!)

It had been months since Nacht and Nozel started their little battle for your heart.

Nacht doesn't let Nozel bother him, he tries not to at least.

His heart tightens a bit at the sight of you still letting Nozel kiss you on the hand or even embrace you in greeting. And he feels discouraged when he hears that Nozel began inviting you to House Silva for casual visits.

Nacht doesn't give up though. He makes sure to talk with you daily. He learns more about you and he tells you more about himself.

You two began a game a guessing each other's interests because of how close you were becoming.

Whenever Nacht guesses correctly, he notices the way you giddily smile and encourage him. "It's so cool how you can just read me!" you say to him. And it makes his heart skip a beat.

You and Nacht also begin training together, looking for ways for his Shadow Magic and your Light Magic to work together. The synergy isn't as natural as Dark and Shadow.

But you and Nacht keep trying. You two figure out that by intentionally creating light around objects that will cast shadows, you can empower Nacht's Shadow Magic.

"I'd like a way for my shadows to make your light stronger too..." Nacht laments with exaggerated regret and you laugh it off.

And unlike the slowness of Dark Magic, Shadow Magic is quite speedy, even without the teleporting capabilities. This leads you and Nacht creating a combo spell which attacks enemies with a quick barrage of light and shadow tendrils.

You and Nacht are returning from a mission one day and you're met by a worker from House Silva at the base. Nozel is inviting you over for tea.

Nacht is about to tell you it's okay to go but you speak up first.

"Me and my partner just got back, we need to wind down," you say while hooking your arm around Nacht's.

You called Nacht your "partner." Nacht's heart fluttered at that and your sentence repeated in his head for the rest of the day.

Another Magic Knight party rolls around and once again, Nozel approaches you during the event. When Nozel moves to kiss your hand, you pull back.

"Sorry, Nozel. I don't think... I'd prefer if you didn't do that anymore..." you tell him.

Nozel gives Nacht a quick glance before looking to you again. "I see. Thank you for letting me know." He stays to chat with you for a bit before being pulled away by some of his squad members.

Nacht asked why you turned Nozel down and you answer, "I'm just not comfortable with it. I've got my eyes on someone else and don't want to lead Nozel on."

Hearing you suggest that you're in love but not in love with Nozel makes Nacht pause and consider... Maybe...

The next time you and Nacht play the guessing game, you challenge him to guess who you're interested in. You give him hints. "A man, in a position of authority, and known for having a rough personality."

"And it's not Nozel..." Nacht runs through a few names. "Damnatio... Jack... Langris... Xerx?!"

You laugh, "You're getting close with those vice captains." And that makes it click for Nacht.

"You're interested in me?!" Nacht feels his face burn up and he's sure that you're able to see his flush. "B-b-but I-!"

You hold Nacht's face in your hands and smile at him. "I know you're not the picture of perfection but I don't care. I like you as you are, harsh but also determined and giving."

Nacht wasn't sure if he was still breathing after you confessed to him.

"I... I love you too," Nacht managed to whisper. "Your confidence and intelligence is admirable. I'm glad that you've always been kind to me. And I..." Nacht takes your hands in his. "Want to stay by your side."

"I want to be by your side too, Nacht."

You and Nacht share your first kiss then and there. It feels too good to be true, but it's reality.

When you and Nacht tell announce your relationship, Nozel cordially accepts the results. He wishes you both well. But he also takes Nacht aside and tells him with no hidden malice, "I will humbly stand back and let your relationship flourish. But if you hurt them or break their heart, I will make sure you are punished so thoroughly that you will beg for death. Am I clear?"

Nacht blinks. "Clear as crystal."

When the men return from their "chat," you give them both questioning looks. "I don't have to worry about some kind of petty nobility battle, do I?"

"No, you don't," Nacht assures you. Nozel shakes his head and adds, "Wouldn't dream of it."

[horizon-verizon]

I see that you have a lot of knowledge and I have a question. Why don't they end the blockade of KL by sending Vhagar to burn the fleet? Why was a naval intervention necessary? Especially once Meleys dies.Was that space between his death and the search for riders not big enough? What was Aemond doing that he couldn't take 5 minutes and go?

(I'll be honest, the timeline confuses me a little)

Well, first, it wouldn't be "five minutes and go":

And this was the Gullet of Blackwater Bay, where the Velaryons made their blockade:

These are the plans the blacks made at the first black council, after Rhaenyra is forced to birth the stillborn Visenya ("The Blacks and the Greens"):

Here Daemon makes it clear that it'd be dumb for any green and their dragon to approach their waters or anywhere close to their castle with all their dragons as it would be also dumb for the blacks to try to take KL when the greens are still there.

If you see the distance b/t KL and Harrenhal, you'll see that it's a little longer than that b/t the closest waters to Driftmark and KL. Which is pretty far even for a single dragon ride. Aemond took a little more than two weeks to get to Harrenhal while sticking close to the main part of his army ("Rhaenyra Triumphant"):

So I believe that if he hadn't decided to stick to the army's pace or hold Vhagar back to a pace he thought would cover that army's best speed while not being "too slow" (which could have been still slower than he could get), it would have taken Aemond at least a 5-7 days to reach Harrenhal on dragonback if he really decided to go alone. Again, that's what i am guessing.

There's already a big thing abt dragon vs raven speed, how it's possible ravens can get to a place faster than an approaching dragon in the fandom (and my answer to that is that it takes a while for the armies that these riders amass and wait for to be ready to set out, while a person who has observed these plans can ready an already destination-knowing raven can send said raven before the actual army arrives at the same place...like what happened with Aemond, Daemon, Harrenhal. If you look through Targs and their wars, the dragonriders almost nearly never leave their army behind to preemptively attack, or those dragons usually fought right after the 2 separate armies made contact and fought "normally" until the dragon v dragons came out and I'm talking about Maegor vs Aegon the Uncrowned. Dragons vs other dragons fought above the still fighting armies or if there were only dragons on one side, that dragon would be flaming the other side as their armies fought that side....thus why they are so efficient).

Why does all this matter? Since the distances SEEMS pretty similar b/t KL and Driftmark/Dragonstone vs KL & Harrenhal, I BELIEVE that Aemond didn't want to get into close range with the blacks' dragons who were all on Dragonstone and the blockade blocked the Blackwater Bay from the Narrow Sea. Such proximity where he was closer to them than he was to DrStone w/o being able to flee faster than they could get him.

Or/and Aemond couldn't or was pressed to not leave behind KL defenseless (as he later does and finds out just a few days after he takes Harrenhal w/Cole) if he were to attack the blockade, as he wouldn't make it back in time to block the blacks and their dragons. Yeah, there was Sunfyre, but still the greens had less battle-useable dragons and it's not advisable to send out your ruling king to fight. Plus, Helaena was no warrior/was the Queen Consort.

Another idea is that maybe the greens wished to preserve the fleet for future use for if/when they expected to win, but I doubt it since Otto orchestrated the Triarchy smashing through and trying to destroy the same fleet.

"Westeros" can be used to refer to the continent and a portion of the continent designated as the "Seven Kingdoms", btw. "The Seven Kingdoms of Westeros" = "the territories of this continent" nearly similar to the purpose of "The United States of America" being a part fo the Americas but also sometimes referred to as just "America". Thought this random nugget was appropriate here rather than another non-ask post.

[doodlegirl1998]

In your opinion in regards to the Sports Festival, which arc would you say had the most disappointing/ abysmal conclusion or just ?

Looking back through them, in my opinion, I personally do think the Sports Festival takes the cake imo.

It started out strongly enough. Yes, so many readers have brought to attention the flaws the whole concept of the Sports Festival, but it also was a good starting point to introduce us more of Izuku’s classmates and flesh them out.

We see a setup for Todoroki and we get to know more about him and his story, as well as setting up for a rivalry between him and Midoriya.

We get to see more of Uraraka, such as what drives her (having a sustainable job to help her parents back), and showcasing it’s great to rely on friends, but sometimes there’s battles you’ll have to learn to fight on your own.

We are introduced to interesting characters like Kendo, Testsutestsu, Monoma, and the rest of 1-B.

We also see more moments of the rest of 1-A like Ashido, Yaoyorozu, Iida, Ojiro, and of course Tokoyami, who seems to be the new, mysterious powerhouse.

We also see Midoriya on his absolute A-Game, relying on his wits alone to get through the obstacle courses! This was peak Midoriya in my opinion. Not just in him being successful in the festival, but him being human to the other competitors, particularly with Shinsou and Todoroki.

SO many characters with great potential and plot points to consider, and it got me to thinking, “Who’s actually going to win this?”

Oh, and Bakugou is just acting like an absolute dip**** throughout the arc, but who cares about that, right?

Well, apparently HORIKOSHI cared.

Bakugou had no impactful or actual significance to the story, just kept insisting“I’m gonna win! I’m gonna win!” And all of a sudden he wins the entire thing. All the while being an asshole to everyone around him. So the childish idiot gets his way instead of letting other more interesting characters to shine and Bakugou instead learns something from LOSING to someone other than Deku.

And I recall the first I got finished watching the arc, I thought, “…really? That’s how we’re finishing this? All these characters to focus or benefit from being in the spotlight or at least winning the tournament, and Hori decides to reward HIM? That’s pathetic.”

Anyway, back to my question, do you have an arc where you felt like this the most?

Hi @khonaker 👋,

The most disappointing arc to me was of course the Izuku Solo arc concluding with 1A vs Izuku and Bakugou's apology.

The solo arc seemed to be taking a tonal shift, seemed to be perfect opportunity to focus on Izuku again, seemed to be building up AFO again as an actual threat via Nagant explosion and hinting at DFO in places ("It's your turn," and "This path you have chosen is a thorny one.")

Then 1A vs Izuku, Bkg's joke of an apology and taking him back to U.A crapped all over it. I feel like I haven't gotten as excited over MHA since. Most of the recent arcs are a bunch of empty hype then a huge let down.

I'd also like to give my opinion on the Sports Festival arc specifically since you mentioned this one.

I also found it a huge let down with how it concluded by the very notes of how Shoto's quirk works he should have been able to stomp Bkg with just his ice. ❄️ But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Like you mentioned it fleshed out Izuku's classmates well. It set up a rival class in Class 1B and introduced Shinsou (personally I'd change a few things about him such as have him train prior to Aizawa's mentorship, have him actually be bullied in his backstory and narrowly miss out on entering the hero course by a couple of points.)

I'd change a few things with the one on one battles too because I feel like the Sports Festival would work better with a few shake ups.

Round One

First, Bakugou vs Shinsou and have Shinsou win. This would be Bakugou's pride getting the best of him because he would refuse advice from an 'extra' like Ojiro and pay the price for it.

I'd have Aoyama vs Midoriya. With Midoriya winning. This is to hint at the traitor reveal earlier, to build their bond earlier with their similar self harming quirks.

I'd have Mina vs Momo, just because I feel like they'd be an interesting match up. Momo is versatile and intelligent and Mina is, quite frankly an under used powerhouse and has a quirk that would counter creation. I feel like Momo should win and show off her smarts by creating something to counter Mina's acid. Plus it would build their friendship earlier.

I'd keep Kiri vs Tetsutetsu as it was in canon just because I liked that battle and their friendship that came from it. 🤣

I'd have Tokoyami vs Ibraha and have Tokoyami win.

And I'd keep Mei vs Iida as canon because I found that fight funny.

Then Sero vs Uraraka because that could also link into her growth with wanting to learn to fight hand to hand through failing to win against a more nimble Sero and a poor quirk match up. So Sero would win this.

I'd have Kaminari vs Todoroki with Todoroki winning because I feel like they would be an interesting match up. And Todoroki could similarly stomp him with his ice just like he did with Sero.

Round Two

Shinsou vs Midoriya with Midoriya winning, like how Midoriya's canon first battle went but in round 2 this time so it's more realistic that Shinsou impressed Aizawa and Midoriya being BAMF more - yes please.

Momo vs Sero with Momo winning, I feel like Momo would have to make lots and quickly against someone like Sero who is able to quickly restrain her. It would make for a good battle.

Todoroki vs Iida like canon, Iida gets far into the battle but loses against Todoroki.

Tokoyami vs Kirishima with Tokoyami winning and Kirishima being manly about it. I can see Dark Shadow and Kiri getting along and this would be a good opportunity for them to meet.

Round 3

Midoriya vs Todoroki and the famous "It's your power" moment, I'd have happen here. Along with Midoriya losing, and Todoroki winning

Momo vs Tokoyami, here I would build the foundation for Momo's confidence issues despite her intelligence. I'd have the battle be harder than canon for Tokoyami, but have her make a 'flash bomb' then falter under the pressure of the crowds watching her (maybe insecurity about the amount of skin she had to show, discomfort from the crowds leers) which enables Tokoyami to take her out of the ring. Here Tokoyami would win.

Final round.

I'd have Tokoyami vs Todoroki. Here, this would make sense to have Todoroki lose to a powerhouse like Tokoyami with his weakness being light - not cold. Here it would be realistic that Todoroki's hesitancy to use his fire - to create that light that Tokoyami is weak to - would cost him the match. Plus Tokoyami and Dark I could see being much more concerned for Todoroki than Bakugou was when he passed out.

Therefore in this version of events, Tokoyami (and Dark Shadow) accepting the gold medal with pride, Todoroki being pensive with silver and re-evaulating himself (he can't win every battle with just his mum's ice) and Momo being third (Midoriya breaking himself too much to fight her for third place.)

Let me know what you think of my thoughts and shake up in pairings :)

[extasiswings]

I'm so curious your thoughts on this - all the PR and interviews with Oliver, Ryan and even Lou confirming these buddie related things and queer storylines for Eddie and Buck - why now? I believe in buddie canon, but it's so odd that they are no longer playing things close to the chest? Is it because they're trying to keep buddie fans? Or attract more viewers with the promise of it?

For the "why now," I think it's because they know that Buddie canon is happening and they're taking advantage of finally being able to speak their minds openly instead of being actively silenced. As to your two suggestions, I don't think they've ever needed to talk about Buddie-related things in PR to "keep" Buddie fans, and the show has gotten an influx of new viewers just from making Buck explicitly queer--the things they say in interviews imo aren't a factor. I also highly doubt it's any sort of targeted PR strategy, because to me it really sounds like Oliver just talking off the cuff about things he's probably been holding back sharing for years.

As to the "is it odd" of it all--Yes and No? It's not entirely out of the question for people who have worked on a show and had a terrible experience to spill the tea somewhere down the line. It's not common, because most people still want to work in Hollywood and don't want to burn bridges, but there are times when circumstances align to make it possible (like someone gets outed as a horrible person to work with in a very public fashion and then people who have worked with or under them can jump in like "yeah, I worked with them, worst experience of my life, they suck."). Or sometimes years later the cast of something might look back and go "oh yeah, XYZ." On rare occasions, someone who has been fired from a show might air all the dirty laundry because they're pissed. (Grain of salt, it's also hard sometimes to differentiate between what has been actively shared vs. info that is generally just an open secret?). For Oliver to say what he did though when Tim, for example, has been hedging about "oh it just felt like the right time" tells me that a) he feels secure enough right now to throw Fox under the bus by implication and b) he probably doesn't care if he ever works for another Fox show. Which! I can't blame him!

I will say this is a unique situation in that usually when bts issues like this come to light a show isn't still airing, at least in part because it's historically been rare for a show to move networks like this (especially while also keeping the entire cast and crew the same), but clearly Oliver in particular feels comfortable with what he's doing and no one is stopping him so I'm here for it.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

missed opportunities

This isn’t meant to be a summary or a translation of the Sunset Savanna event!! I just wanted to share my thoughts surrounding the actual tournament and the characters involved in the overall story.

I felt like??? This event was originally meant to be much bigger and much more elaborate than what we got. Is that just me?? Don’t get me wrong, what we ended up with was… okay. It was serviceable. It worked. I just feel like it could have easily been more, but there had to be significant downsizing for some reason.

One thing that kind of confused me was the hyping up of the Catch the Tail tournament versus what we actually got?? (Loved the tourism part though, hearing about local foods, stories, and customs is fun!) I understand the cultural significance of the game, but a tournament arc doesn't work that well if we're only invested in one side; obviously, we'll be rooting for NRC to win because we know them the best and have spent the most time with them, but... They have no significant rival or opposition to go against (which is at least one thing episode 5 had going for it in the form of Vil vs Neige, and even in the Harveston event when the Seven Dwarves reappear). We don't even really have names or faces to think of as their foes. We aren't really given the chance to cheer for anyone else. Like???? NRC's first opponents get no artwork at all, and then we slip through ALL the other matches to the very end. Their last opponents are supposedly Cheka's usual trio of guards--except they're just beastmen mobs A, B, and C. What happened to the lore about "most of the important roles being fulfilled by female warriors"?? You really going to sit here and tell me that the people assigned to guard the person who is essentially the future of your country aren't roles traditionally fulfilled by strong lionesses? All three of the roles just happened be occupied by easily reused male assets? Even the replacement/temporary guards assigned to Cheka were women, and the way the originals were foreshadowed made it seem like they would later be a big deal or the "rivals" NRC had to overcome in their final matchup. They technically were, but they were just your typical run-of-the-mill mobs. (And what a waste, because they comment in the game that the leader of the guards is a HYENA. You could have easily made these three mobs twisted Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed.) They have some investment, being that Kifaji trained them and they are bitter about having won previous years but Leona stood them up for training. It’s basically one big ploy to circumvent Leona not wanting to give the warrior lessons to the winning team, a way to counteract his laziness. It makes sense for the story, but it isn’t very high-stakes.

The first team NRC fought against was even more unremarkable; they cheated just as much as NRC did and didn't even compensate for it with at least recognizable artwork or personalities. In fact, they got NO art at all. If anything, this team should have been the run-of-the-mill mobs from how generically mean they were.

It feels like this event had a handful of red herrings and cheeky lines thrown in to tease at the reveal of significant new characters, only to never follow through on them. I like Kifaji, and it's reasonable that Leona says tourists like the NRC kids can't possibly meet the head of state (Farena/Falena). However, I don't like that a lot surrounding Cheka's guards amounted to nothing?? They even mention they have a member to substitute in that's a retired imperial guard, but that ends up being of no real importance either… (he throws the match because Kalim showed him great kindness earlier by buying him a bus when his original breaks down.) It’s more like a convenience that lets Leona swap in and cinch the win for NRC even though he’s not able to formally compete). It's in-character for Leona to play dirty but it’s still so... anticlimactic????? Especially since the competition is supposedly for the best warriors to prove their wits and might.

Another missed opportunity is that??? The competition is supposedly open to anyone, even those from outside the Sunset Savanna. That may very well be just a writing loophole for Leona to easily shoehorn Kalim/Jack, Vil, and Lilia in as competitors, but there's so much more you could do with that idea!

Maybe there are other outsiders come to fight for the title. Maybe Rook shows up as a competitor to spook them if the devs don't want to design that many actual "rivals" with unique designs or new faces. Maybe there are your "non-traditional" fighters as well, people that are very young (just for the lols, imagine a kid Cheka's size kicking butt, using their small size and speed to their advantage) or very old (Rafiki weaponizing his wisdom and experience in combat, idk) but are still skilled enough in their own right to participate. Maybe show us more types of beastmen and how they use their specific animal’s physical traits to their advantage! I don't know how likely it is for merfolk or fae to join (since those races seem like recluses compared to beastmen and humans and merpeople don't do well in arid climates), but it would have been cool to see others throw their hats into the ring!

There were probably just limitations in place due to this being a hometown event…? It wouldn't be fair for the others to only feature one new character while this one features a TON of them, nor would it be fair for this hometown even to be significantly longer or more detailed than the others. Basically only the Halloween events are super extensive. In which case, I get it. I still would have really liked to see this concept more fleshed out and fully realized though!

[love-is-a-pearl]

Watching Pokemon mezamas for the first time because I can't binge DP rn orz

If you wanna see me ranting and reacting, I'll leave things under the readmore >w<)b

Starting with ep 1 and 2! Cause I dont have as much free time as I wish I had so I'm doing 2 episodes per day till friday.

Winds of Beginning! The Endless Road!!

It's just me or the music at the beggining was Alola music? If yes.. That's just the cutest. Alola music as Ash's music QAQ

The best part of the episode was the 5 minutes we spent with Ash and Pikachu before the stupid Latias appeared. Add that one to the pokemon I now hate because of the anime..

Man, I'm still bitter those 10 episodes weren't focused on Ash and his Pokemon only. It would've been the absolute best way to use those 10 episodes (and still reach the same conclusion Mezamas as it is reached), why couldn't Ash ever be alone with his mons? He can be enjoyable if the writers tried. Sigh

At least Buizel is here ♥ Also it was adorable to see Noivern and Sceptile in security duty while everyone else slept! Babies! However I'm sad Buizel and Donphan didn't go to cuddle with AshPika and Latias ù3ú

What was the point of all the drama about "Ash's pokemon not being able to attack TR because it could hurt him" when... Pikachu just went and... did just that? (also, Noivern going there and breaking the glass would've hurt Ash less??????) I get they needed "Ash suicidal tendencies make him likeable" moment but gosh, it could've been done better, for sure.

And you know, mandatory Dawn mention, but it's kinda poetic that both Ash and Dawn got done dirty in their final moments because of some stupid legendaries. They're trully one and the same. Even in shitty writing decisions from anipoke staff LMAO

Satoshi VS Kasumi! Seaside One-on-One!!

I know that Misty's metaphor about how her and Clauncher are meant to be is an obvious Pokeshipping hint, of course it is! I know that! but...

Not to sound like a conspiracy theorist but the fact Pikachu ignored Psyduck for Misty, and Clauncher didn't seem at all to reciprocate Misty's feelings is... interesting... Added to that how Ash just replaced her lure with Cilan's is.. Almost like adding to her own metaphor, that while Misty still has feelings for Ash and believes that they're meant to be, because of fate, because she is the "OG twerpette" like TR called her, Ash himself is like.. Pikachu to Psyduck and Clauncher to her. Neutral at most, and with someone else having their favoritism.

And y´know, it's even more interesting that at the beggining of Sinnoh Ash still had her lure (and was protective of it) and immediately after Sinnoh he changed her lure for Cilan's. I sure wonder what happened between those events for him- It's Dawn! its Dawn that happened!

Dont judge me I can make anything be about pearlshipping if I try hard enough.

Shipping aside, I adore seeing episodes with the general same plot but with different characters. Compare this to the Buneary catch and it's really interesting to see just how different Ash acts with Misty and Dawn about the same thing. Him and Misty have a battle about who is gonna get it, which does makes sense, they will resolve all their arguments with battles instead of actual talking and I adore that trait of their relationship~

And even Misty's disappointment at the end, that Clauncher still likes hanging with Corphish is very different than Dawn bringing up her closeness with Ash to win Buneary over. I love those sort of similar episodes, it's great to understand how each character thinks.

Gosh, even comparing to Totodile's catch shows how Misty and Ash themselves have become closer and more understanding of eachother! In here they make rules about how to catch Clauncher instead of fighting the whole time, it's a nice showcase of how they've grown! I'm just sad that Totodile was in this episode and no one mentioned the similarities :T

Also I will never get tired of Pikachu's "Pikachupi"! Ikue Otani does it in the cutest voice and I just want to squeeze the rat's cheeks every time he says it!!!

Speaking of Pikachu, I love that at the very least in those 10 episodes he went back to having some hint of a personality since he hadn't shown much of it for... a long time before it (and remembered the names of the people he cares for. I was so angry at the lack of "Pikapi" in Alola).

Same goes for TR, is nice to see their motto being animated instead of some re-used footage. One of the things that made their apparitions enjoyable in OG-DP was that they always added some personality to it. That was fun to see again.

---

And that's it for today.

[olderthannetfic]

I'm really glad that the / wank is something I've only seen on your blog, but it's really silly seeing people go, "This must mean the founders of AO3 see sex and romance as the same thing!" / being used to indicate two things =/= those things being the same. The word qora is used to mean both snow and the color black in my native language. That doesn't mean we think they're the same thing. You're supposed to have enough intelligence to be able to go, "Well, the rest of the sentence is about a storm, and it's not night, so snow is probably the right meaning." Likewise, even as a teenager, even though English isn't my first language, I understood Character A/Character B + noncon to mean A and B are fucking and there's noncon involved, and it never occurred to me once to go, "Ah-ha! This must mean the author/the people who made tags/the people who made the / sign think rape and romance are identical!"

The kind of weird places American minds go is unsettling. No one thinks sex and romance are the same thing, but especially no one thinks that in fandom, where we're always discussing romance and sex and things like that. There is no group of people on Earth less likely to think those things are the same than this. And yet Americans love this idea of the ignorant masses vs them, the only smart ones, so they just swallow the lie without questioning the batshit insanity of the premise. They don't ask for a source or citation. They genuinely go, "Yeah, it makes sense people would think love and fucking are the same, including love and rape." and never once does it occur to them that no, it really, really doesn't.

I read recently that half of the US' population aged 30 and under read at the level of a fifth grader, which is roughly 11-12 year olds. They struggle to read chapter books, according to the data. I didn't believe that prior to this, but seeing people struggle to comprehend a word or symbol can have two different, unrelated meanings... I think maybe there are some of you who are at that level. Not all, probably not as high a percentage as has been reported, but definitely, some Americans don't know how to read.

No wonder Americans struggle to learn a second language. If the idea one word can have two meanings without conflating the two meanings is this mind-blowing, being handed new vocabulary must present a huge challenge.

--

To be fair, that particular "wank" is one person vs. the rest of the internet.

We suck at languages because people in large monolingual territories generally do, and getting good at foreign languages requires a significant motivation, like not getting dinner, not just vague ideas that the language will be useful one day. Memorizing vocab is the least important bit, frankly.

Not to defend US education, which leaves much to be desired, but this is just a moronic take on language learning.

[violetlunette]

Responding to this

Well, I have no idea how unpopular these are, but here are mine.

To state it up front, none of these things I’m going to mention are bad or flaws; they’re just things that bother me personally. If you’re not mature enough to understand that, please move along.

Notes:

*Twst Spoilers for multiple entries in the series

*Some Twst Critical

*Grammarly’s being a dick so I’m trying a new grammar helper. Proceed with caution.

Trigger warning:

*Mentions human trafficking.

Okay, so let’s just randomly jump into it.

*I think Chapter 2 is the worst chapter so far.

I think it's one of the dullest, and, if I understand it correctly, Leona’s plan doesn’t make sense.

The plan was to stampede Malleus to injure him, right?

1: Would that actually work against someone who can a) fly, b) teleport, or c) has super strength and therefore could just knock down anyone that rammed him? And more.

Also, if on the SLIM chance he was injured, the whole game would be canceled due to an international incident as the Prince of Briar Valley was flattened like a Looney Tune character.

And let's assume the plan was to take out the other Dia-players. Malleus is so OP that he can just grab random members from his dorm and win the game himself, so that plan fails.

And didn’t Leona want to win again, Malleus? That’s why he refused to let Crowley remove him from the game! Why try to remove him himself?

If Leona’s thing was that he wanted to win against Malleus, have it that he was going to cheat, but Heartslabyul stopped him with Jack’s help. Or have it that Leona was subtly poisoning Malleus or that he was using potions to amp up his team. Something along those lines! And speaking of Riddle vs. Leona:

*I don’t think it should have been Heartslabyul against Savanaclaw. I see what they were trying to do; it’s law against the lawless with the “law” hunting down the "criminals,” but it wasn’t done very well, and we never see the ideals go toe-to-toe. Having Scarbia in the Pomeire chapter was also a waste, as Jamil and Kalim don’t really do anything. You could replace them with other characters, and the story would mostly be the same. I’d rather see Riddle vs. Azul and Savanaclaw vs. Vil. (I have another post where I’ll talk more about it.)

*Octaville should have suffered just a bit more at the end of their arc. I like these boys; they’re in my top ten, in fact, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think they got off too easily. Keep in mind that they manipulated and enslaved students and physically abused their dorm mates.

Yet despite everything, they barely got a slap on the wrist, only losing the contracts and Ramshackle before they were completely forgiven for everything. Even something like community work around the school would have sufficed. But I guess you can say that’s in line with the tone of the story, and I can live with it as everyone was able to walk it off in the end. And at least Azul did lose something he valued as a sort of compensation for everything, unlike Fellow and Gidel.

Yeah, while we’re on the subject, Fellow and Gidel deserved a hell of a lot worse. Again, I like them as characters and enjoy them as being an actual threat to the main characters. But they were kidnappers and HUMAN TRAFFICKERS. Believe it or not, with characters, I let a lot slide, but letting human traffickers get off without any karmic punishment will always bother me. Ace and the others should have kicked their asses. “Even Gidel? But he’s just a mute child!” True, but he’s still a human trafficker and therefore should have received punishment. I sympathize with their circumstances, but human trafficking is still human trafficking. And before anyone says, “Well, that’s keeping in tone with the story,” no, it’s not.

For this event, the stakes and tone were raised. How? Simple; there were lasting effects from their actions.

With every other antagonist—even Rollo and Azul—once they were defeated, everything was “okay.” People were sore but could go on with their lives, no problem. Not in this case. In this instance, all the people who were tricked and kidnapped are still dolls trapped in their minds. Just because we didn’t see them doesn’t mean their lives mattered less than those of the main characters.

“But it’s not in characters for the protagonist—who are twisted from villains—to care about stuff like that.” And sadly, you’re right. (Though I think Jade and Floyd would have tried to get revenge, as they’re that vindictive.) Doesn’t mean that it doesn’t rub me the wrong way. Plus, all that buildup, and we get nothing for the climax—what the hell twst?!

Story-wise, I hate Playful Land events ending for not delevering on the buildup. And I hate it personally for letting the human traffickers not face any consequences. At least, as a middle ground, I wish the story could have treated the two getting away scott-free as an unfortunate downside instead of an upbeat thing at the end.

*I don’t like Kalim x Jamil, nor am I too crazy about Yuu x Malleus.

While I want them to be friends, I really dislike the two as a couple for several reasons that I won’t bother to list here. Let’s just sum it up and say that it’s not my cup of tea.

As for Malleus and Yuu, while they have sweet moments, I don’t feel anything for them as a pair. And outside of Canon, it’s basically an Oc/X Canon, so my feelings vary depending on the different Yuus.

That being said, I understand why both of these are popular ships, as they possess a lot of tropes that fans just eat up. (And Yuu is a self-insert for people to have their own fun with Malleus.) However, those same tropes don’t appeal to me, hence why it’s on the list.

*While I think Malleus is cute, I get a bit tired seeing him everywhere. (It’s like the Frozen effect.) I also think he’s a bit overrated.

*While we’re talking about Malleus, I hate that he’s overpowered. I know that’s the point of his character, but I still dislike this trope with passion.

And I really hate that TWST seems to be presenting that the only option to defeat Malleus and save everyone in Chapter 7 is to basically beg him to snap out of it.

I believe that having a violent option available—like having the #1 mage in the world threaten to kill Malleus—would be stronger for the story.

For starters, it gives a personal stake for Silver and Sebek as they’re at risk of losing someone they love, and it makes the fact that they’ll choose the peaceful option all the more meaningful, especially in what we learn in Chapter 7, where their ancestors chose violence over peace.

Oh, and speaking of which:

*I wish they introduced more of the gray morals in Lilia’s dream instead of just ripping off Pocahontas’ plot and making the fae the woobie race. The reason is that in vignettes, Lilia’s usually talking about how it was misunderstandings on both sides that caused war, which is why he worked so hard to instill understanding in Malleus and Silver and tries to do the same with Sebek. By playing the humans are bastards trope, it underplays what he was saying. (And yes, I get they were taking influence from the live-action Maleficent movie, but still.) It would have added so much more value to everything if the fae were just as bad as the humans or if there was a genuine misunderstanding on both sides. And, again, it would make the ending, where they stop Malleus through peaceful methods, all the stronger.

And now on to the little stuff:

*I think the rating should be higher. I feel that if the story was rated teen at least instead of 10+, we might have gotten a bit more meat in the story, which is what most people want when they hear that a story is about characters inspired by villains.

*The shaft/shift land outfits are ugly outside of Vil’s. The hairstyles are pretty, but the rest

*I’m a bit disappointed with Silver’s Masqurade outfit. I like the mask, hair, and cape, but the rest does nothing for me.

*I like the idea that Lilia had an unrequited puppy love for Malenore that he grew out of and became the more powerful familial love over the idea of him being a poly with her and Leven.

*I hate the idea of Crowley being Leven. Crowley’s great being Crowley; he doesn’t need to be Malleus’ daddy.

*I like that Silver and the KotD are almost exact lookalikes. The only thing I’d like to change is the color palette.

And that’s it for now. We’ll see how long I survive the twst fandom after I post this. If anyone else has unpopular twst thoughts, feel free to share!

[friends-to-lovers-tournament]

Friends to Lovers Tournament: Round 1, Side B, Match 30

propaganda under the cut!

Knighthouse:

Submission 1

They were friends for years, he fell slow she fell hard, they both pined thinking each other was in love with someone else until he just up and asked if he might ever have a chance with her. "If I loved you less I might be able to talk about it more" SO GOOD

And then he moved into HER house instead of bringing her to his, which was unheard of at the time and would've been seen as pretty embarrassing, even emasculating for a landowner not to live in his own house, but he puts her needs over all of that. 

Submission 2

One of the earliest, and absolutely delightful. Austen has a book for every general romance trope and Emma's THE friends to lovers romance of all time 

Percabeth:

Submission 1

they are the cutest thing ever with 5 books of slow burn

Submission 2

HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE THEM?? THEY ARE THE BEST OTP! THEY START OFF WITH UNCERTAINTIES BUT ANNABETH CHOOSES TO BE HIS FRIEND, HER FIRST INDEPENDENT STEP TO NOT CONSIDER THE OLYMPIAN'S WISHES WHEN MAKING CHOICES. SHE IGNORED HER MOM'S OPINION GUYS, THAT IS BIG! AND HE DOESNT REALLY HAVE FRIENDS UNTIL THE SUMMER HE TURNS 13 AND SHE IS ONE OF THEM. SHE AND HIM ARE ALWAYS BY EACHOTHER'S SIDES (METAPHORICALLY AT LEAST). THEY WORK TOGETHER ON QUESTS SOO WELL BECAUSE THEY KNOW EACH OTHER THAT WELL. AND SHE KISSED THEM DURING THE LABYRINTH QUEST AND HE KINDA IGNORED IT FOR LIKE A YEAR. AND SHE WAS HIS ANCHOR TO THE MORTAL WORLD. AND HE TOLD HER ABOUT HIS ACHILLES HEEL. AND SHE BACKS HIM UP ALL THE TIME. AND IT WAS THE GREATEST UNDERWATER KISS OF ALL TIME. AND WHEN HE WENT MISSING SHE DID NOT SLEEP. AND SHE WAS ALL HE REMEMBERED WHEN HERA TRIED HER SHENANIGANS. AND THEY FELL TOGETHER. AND THEY ARE EACH OTHERS BEST FRIENDS (sorry grover, but you get it) AND I LOVE THEM TOGETHER SO MUCH. THEY EMAILED EACH OTHER AT 13 BECAUSE CELL PHONES WERE A BIG N O! AND HE KEPT A PICTURE OF HER IN HIS BINDER. AND SHE WANTS TO BUILD SOMETHING PERMANENT WITH HIM.