#but it's actually really frustrating on top of all the other frustrating changes they've been implementing

[tadeadshihamurder]

I logged into memrise for the first time since ~2016–2017 recently and found that they're basically trying to remove the community-made courses and promoting their own generic, structureless, auto-generated courses and filling the interface with irrelevant ads and videos.

and while duolingo's decline hasn't been as steeply dramatic, their removal of discussion forums and relevant grammar notes along with the removal of the incubator has really disappointed me. also, I'd made it pretty far in my Japanese course a few years ago when it was still linear, but I'd returned recently to find that they reset all my progress when they overturned the course structure and now, I've been stuck relearning the words "hotel" and "convenience store" for weeks.

it's not a great time for language self-study enthusiasts right now :(

[tdlauren]

Alright, here we go. I'm doing this.

So, if you like Gwuncan or hate it; I'm pretty sure most of us can agree the way they got together was contrived and poorly written with the icing on top being Courtney.

So here I go; how I personally think Gwuncan SHOULD'VE gone. Or at least a better way of getting them together. This is also a minor analysis of them. Long post under the cut.

So let's begin. Starting with action and how it goes into world tour.

In action they have an established friendship. Whilst they were acquainted in Island, they never really had an actual friendship. They respected each other, had a few moments of banter and closeness but were otherwise not close friends. Action, however, lets them get closer. They have fun banter where they can riff at each other without it feeling like genuine hatred. Their shared common interests also giving them more to talk about. Their bonding is just way less toxic than him and Courtney's. Even if Duncan likes it, their relationship is doomed to fail.

And now we have the Courtney problem.

While Duncan, being attracted to Courtney physically; does really not seem to like her. He finds their bickering fun most of the time; but as it later goes on, it feels less like bickering for fun and bickering in an unhealthy way. I don't even HATE Courtney! I've warmed up to her

But like I said, their relationship was doomed to fail beyond Island. It was NEVER meant to work long term. Their mutual attraction gets them far, but it doesn't make them GOOD together. If they did not find the other attractive they would not even be friends, or even acquainted. At all.

Courtney likes being in control of her surroundings and the people ahead of her, she likes being a winner and being competitive. And her relationship with Duncan in action brings out the worst part of her, especially with this.

It's not a shocker that Duncan wouldn't like this. Let's skip to World Tour, though.

Courtney and Duncan are back together for some reason. But now we have the love triangle. Courtney and Gwen already have a mutual dislike of each other, Courtney's is especially strong considering her assumptions that Duncan cheated on her with Gwen in action.

The first challenge arrives and they've been bickering the ENTIRE time. Leading to Duncan's annoyance and him willingly getting himself off the show.

Now we're here without Duncan, what now? Well, Gwen & Courtney end up making a friendship. Personally; I don't like this decision. It feels forced and it's just the lead up the 'betrayal' of Courtney's trust with Gwen.

I think Gwen & Courtney would be much better as not friends, but bond over their hatred of Heather the same way they do, while still not being friends they can come to a mutual agreement on a person.

I See London would be essentially the same; but I have a few changes at the ending.

I think this scene should've led to them breaking up. Duncan is clearly frustrated with Courtney here, and even though Courtney says she's 'not mad', she clearly is, at least a little.

I feel like Duncan at this point should've snapped and broken up with her. Having Gwen walk in on Courtney getting angry over their breakup and seeing Duncan look at her.

The bathroom scene can still stay the same, yes, even Tyler.

Gwen's guilt would not be the fact that she kissed Duncan who's still dating Courtney, but that she feels kind of guilty about it BECAUSE they just broke up and is getting the guy on the so called rebound.

Courtney is still bitter about the break up; and hearing him move on so fast would hurt her ego a ton. So they decide to not tell anyone, except, well, Tyler saw it. Most of it is the same as well, Courtney still throws a fit but its about Gwen taking her sloppy seconds so soon after they broke up.

A lot of the show after this point can stay the same, just with the situation changing minorly to make it still true to the show and keep most of the plot points flowing in ways they already would've gone.

Duncan is still annoyed with Courtney, still throws a shoe at her, they still make out on the boat to ROTI, etc. All Stars doesn't exist either <3

[midnightshard06]

STH Rarepair Week Day 1: First Kiss / First Encounter

You can check it out on ao3 here if you prefer.

Summary: Knuckles finally learns the odd truth behind Sonic's weird behaviors after all these years. He didn't expect it to be a whole other person, and neither of them expected they'd fall for each other. They've made it work though, even if it can be rough sometimes.

Pairing: Knuckles/Fleetway Super Sonic

Warnings: A tiiiiiny smidge of violence in one part? Not really much but warning just in case.

Word Count: ~2800 words

AN: Just so people who are familiar with my stuff are aware, this is unrelated to my Chaos Uncontrolled AU. It's actually related to a fic I never finished, got 8k words deep in it too, but I felt the urge to do something for it.

Knuckles had known Sonic for a long time. He’d been dragged into the hedgehog’s small circle of friends, consisting of just Tails at the time so he thought, pretty much immediately in the wake of everything that happened on Angel Island. Part of him thought that Sonic wouldn’t forgive him for being tricked by Eggman, but that hadn’t been the case. Once the Death Egg had been dealt with Sonic and Tails had come back to make sure he was ok, and also to ask if it would be ok if they visited every once in a while. It didn’t take long for him to say yes, not that he made it look like he was desperate for company or anything. Sonic and Tails were just… decent company is all. Plus he still felt bad for going against them.

As time passed the duo would visit him when they could, even drag him into adventures from time to time. Those adventures got more frequent the longer they knew each other. It was on those adventures that he started to realize there was something Sonic wasn’t telling him about.

It started off easy enough to ignore, especially when he was being distracted by whatever was going on. Though the more time he spent around Sonic the harder it was to ignore. The hedgehog would seemingly… talk to himself sometimes. Even odder was that when he did it with Tails nearby the fox didn’t seem to even care. Knuckles really wanted to ask what that was all about but any time he tried Sonic found some way to change the topic. Frankly it was getting frustrating.

It would be some time, and many failed attempts, before he managed to figure out what was going on. For all his attempted plans though, he would end up finding out completely by accident. Sonic and Tails were on Angel Island for the day, making sure Knuckles wasn't lonely even if he assured them he was fine. Sonic had gone off to run around for a bit and Tails had been tinkering with something nearby as Knuckles watched the Master Emerald. 

"I've been trying to work on some stuff that would help keep the Master Emerald safe while you were away." Tails paused in his work to glance over at Knuckles. "If you'd actually consider using it anyway…" The fox looked slightly nervous.

Knuckles hummed. It would be nice to have some more peace of mind when he couldn't watch it. "Would it be… easy to use?" He asked. Technology for the most part eluded him. Most of the time when Tails tried to explain something he was working on he couldn't keep up at all.

"Yeah!" Tails perked up. "I made it my top priority to make it easy to use. I've even had Sonic and Fleet test it out to make sure."

Knuckles blinked. "Fleet?" His brow furrowed in confusion. That wasn't a name he'd ever heard before.

Instead of possibly just explaining that it was some new friend they'd met, Tails froze. "Oh uh… I must have misspoke. Heh heh." He looked away and rubbed the back of his head.

Now this was odd behavior. Plus Tails was an awful liar. "What did you mean to say then?" Knuckles tilted his head. He'd give the fox the benefit of the doubt for now.

"I… uh…" Tails' eyes darted around. "Froggy..?" He winced.

Knuckles huffed. "Nice try. Wanna give me the truth?" He crossed his arms.

Tails' ears drooped. "I do…"

"But?" Knuckles pressed. This honestly didn't seem like too much of a deal to him. Why was Tails so hesitant to tell him?

"I'm not sure I should…" Tails sighed.

Before Knuckles could say anything else another voice cut it. "Don't worry about it kid. I can explain myself." There was suddenly a golden hedgehog there. One that looked remarkably like Sonic in his super form. As he walked over he ruffled the fur on Tails' head, an action that looked almost automatic. "Good to properly meet you Knux. I was wondering when this was gonna slip." Despite the hedgehog's casual demeanor Knuckles could tell he was nervous.

"... you're Fleet then?" Knuckles cautiously approached. It was hard to ignore the sheer amount of chaos energy he could feel coming off the hedgehog.

"The one and only." Fleet eyed him, shuffling his feet. "I assume you have questions."

"Several." Knuckles nodded. "First, who are you and why have I never seen you before?"

Fleet seemed to hesitate before sighing. "Well… if we're just gonna rip the bandaid off here. I'm a being made up of chaos energy who's been with Sonic his whole life. Like I came into existence when he was born. Something to do with the emeralds taking a shine to him." He waved a hand. "We're not too sure." He crossed his arms. "Reason you've never seen me before is cause typically only Sonic can, but I can 'pilot' for a bit I guess. That let's me interact with the world and be seen." He shrugged.

"So you're just… sentient chaos energy?" Knuckles didn't quite relax at the explanation, but at least Fleet seemed to be telling the truth. It would be a rather unbelievable lie if it was one. Plus it would explain the chaos energy he could feel.

"I guess?" Fleet hummed. "Kinda a simple way to put it though." He mumbled.

This had certainly not been what Knuckles had guessed was going on, but it did put some things into perspective for him. Especially Sonic seemingly talking to himself. He glanced at Tails. "How long have you known about him?" He gestured to Fleet.

Tails looked away. "Uuuuh since before we met you. I accidentally met him at the end of the first adventure me and Sonic had."

"I'd gotten all the emeralds." Fleet hoped in. "Turns out if I'm not careful that much chaos energy can cause me to go a bit… wild." He looked at the floor. "Didn't know that at the time though. Tails ended up seeing me before me and Sonic could figure it out." He cracked a small smile and looked over at Tails. "It worked out though." The fox smiled back. Knuckles opened his mouth to ask something else but Fleet rose a hand. "Sonic didn't want to say anything because people haven't exactly taken kindly to my existence in the past." He frowned deeply.

"If it makes you feel better." Tails jumped in. "Only me and Shadow know, and Shadow only knows because he could tell that Fleet was there. Sort of."

Knuckles hummed as he watched Fleet. It was clear the hedgehog was still nervous. “Alright. Fine.” He sighed and held out his hands. “At least I know now.”

Fleet blinked. Knuckles crossed his arms. “That’s it?” Fleet looked dumbfounded.

“Were you expecting something else?” Knuckles tilted his head.

“Well… I mean…” Fleet seemed to be struggling to get his words straight. “It was just a whole thing with Shadow and… I don’t know, it's almost always been a big deal…” Suddenly his head whipped to the right to glare at empty space. “Stop laughing! You’d be acting the same way in my position!” Based on his eyes narrowing further Knuckles was willing to bet the laughing had only gotten harder. Fleet turned back to Knuckles, his arms now crossed and ears flat against his head.

“Well so long as you don’t pose a threat to the Master Emerald I’m fine to trust you for now.” Knuckles nodded, and Fleet perked up a little bit.

“I see.” Fleet cleared his throat. “Well uh. Good I guess. Yeah…” He tapped his claws together nervously. “Good… talk.” With that he was gone and Sonic was there on the ground, still laughing.

Fleet collapsed wordlessly against Knuckles. The echidna didn’t even flinch. “What happened?” Knuckles eventually asked once Fleet had settled himself. Fleet didn’t really have the emotional energy to even try and describe the day he’d just had. All he knew is he wanted to calm down and hang out with his partner. Not that he even knew how he’d managed that. Ever since he’d revealed himself to Knuckles the two had gotten closer, and things had just… evolved from there. It helped that him and Sonic were able to be separate finally. That had been a pain while they’d tested different things. He’d had far too many close calls than he was comfortable with… both for himself and others.

Knuckles hummed and put an arm around Fleet. It was nice, not needing to articulate his feelings just yet, but still getting the comfort he’d been seeking out. The two stayed there for a while, Fleet wasn’t really trying to keep track of the time. Which was still odd to him. Before sitting still this long would have been torture, but now he was content to just stay at Knuckles’ side.

“Something with the emeralds?” Knuckles spoke up again, keeping his gaze aimed forward. 

With a sigh Fleet extracted himself from the comfortable position and balanced his head on his hands. “Yeah.” He pinned his ears down. It was still fresh and he didn’t really want to talk about it, but keeping it to himself might only make things worse. “Tails was messing with one, I wasn’t really paying attention to what he was doing. Then out of nowhere… boom!” He waved a hand aggressively. “I couldn’t think straight. Made a mess of Tails’ lab and… and…” He sucked in a sharp breath. “And hurt people.”

There was a moment of silence and then a hand on his shoulder, he tried to shy away from the touch but it was firm. “I get why you came here then.” Knuckles didn’t look sympathetic, but Fleet much preferred that. He didn’t want to be pitied. “You know that if something goes wrong here, I could probably use the Master Emerald to help.”

“S’part of it I guess.” Fleet admitted. Of course that was a pretty natural conclusion to make. “I think just being around you helps too.” He added, much quieter. Knuckles just slowly pulled him closer, giving him plenty of time to pull away if he wanted. Fleet didn’t fight him. Hopefully some quiet time spent here would help clear his mind.

“Where is he!?” Knuckles shouted as he approached an injured looking Sonic.

The blue hedgehog grimaced as he pushed himself to his feet. “He’s up ahead. Shadow is keeping him busy for now.” He went to rub the back of his head but winced. “Not sure how long he’ll last though… Fleet was exposed to a lot of chaos energy…”

Knuckles grit his teeth. As much as he wanted to rush in there right now and help Fleet he needed more information. “What happened?”

“Was fighting Eggman, I used the emeralds. Fleet was there too but I thought it would be fine. He was trying to stay out of the fight.” There was clear regret on Sonic’s face. “Somehow he managed to pick up on it. He’s been extra sensitive to it lately.” He shook his head. “We have no idea why.”

Well that wasn’t a lot to work with, but Knuckles would have to make due. “I’ll see what I can do.” He grunted, just seeing the grateful look that Sonic gave him as he ran off. True to Sonic’s word Fleet was just ahead. The golden hedgehog had a hand gripped around Shadow’s throat and a crazed look in his eyes. Around them were the ruins of what must have been one of Eggman’s bases. Knuckles would be willing to bet destroying the structure had at least distracted Fleet long enough for him to get here. Thankfully he'd already been off of Angel Island when he’d been contacted. “Hey!” He shouted and one of Fleet’s ears swung towards him. “Put him down.” Knuckles growled.

Fleet turned to look at him. An excited smile crept across his face, one that was still disturbing. “Knuckles.” He sounded genuinely happy to see him, but yet he still held Shadow aloft. “So nice to see you here.” He closed his eyes briefly as he exposed his teeth with his smile.

It was definitely disturbing to see such pleasant expressions aimed at him while Fleet still gripped tightly at Shadow’s throat. Said black hedgehog was still struggling. “Put. Him. Down.” Knuckles narrowed his eyes, keeping his tone firm.

Fleet’s pleasant expression faded as he frowned, ears drooping. “Awe, but I was having fun. A few more minutes can’t hurt right?”

“Now, Fleet.” Knuckles took a step forward. He knew he didn’t stand much of a chance in a fight, but he also knew he was one of the people least likely to be attacked. Of course that list consisted of Sonic and Tails too, but he tried to ignore how injured Sonic had looked when he saw him.

The golden hedgehog pouted but did drop Shadow. The other hedgehog fell to the ground gasping for air. Knuckles cautiously approached as Fleet floated down to the ground. Fleet’s grin still looked feral, but at least he didn’t seem inclined to attack Knuckles. For now. Though of course Knuckles didn’t come unprepared. As much as it would be nice if his presence alone could calm Fleet down he knew that wouldn’t work. Tails had sounded rather frantic in his distress call after all.

Before Fleet could move away Knuckles threw his arms around him. Something in between a hug and a grapple. Thankfully Fleet went rigid as he no doubt tried to figure out what was going on. In those precious few moments Knuckles called upon the power of the Master Emerald to neutralize the excess chaos energy in Fleet’s body. He could feel when it started to work as the golden hedgehog collapsed more and more heavily against him. If there was another way Knuckles would much prefer to use it, Fleet always looked so tired and out of it after. Though he also knew that Fleet would much prefer that to hurting anyone else.

Finally Fleet slumped against Knuckles completely, his breathing evening out as he fell asleep. Knuckles mentally sighed in relief, though he did wish he was able to get here sooner. A glance over at where Shadow had been revealed the hedgehog had left at some point, probably to tend to whatever injuries he had. No doubt Sonic would check up on his rival later. Speaking of the blue hedgehog, Knuckles watched him carefully approach. He was limping slightly, but was doing his best to hide it. What he didn’t hide was the relief on his face when he spotted Fleet in Knuckles’ arms.

“I assume everything’s good now?” Sonic was still looking at Fleet, some sort of expression Knuckles couldn’t place on his face now.

“For now. You should go rest. I’ll take care of him.” Knuckles adjusted Fleet so he was holding him more comfortably.

Sonic opened his mouth to say something but closed it. Perhaps thinking better of whatever he was about to say. "I'll leave him to you." He shuffled his feet and winced. "Just let me know how he's doing once he wakes up ok?" Knuckles simply nodded before going off to collect the Master Emerald from where he'd left it.

Fleet woke with a start, but didn’t try to move. He was utterly exhausted, a feeling he knew well. Though he wished it wasn’t so familiar. Just as he suspected he spotted the Master Emerald after a moment of visually searching for it, so that also meant…”Good to see you up.” Knuckles was sitting down next to him, close but not touching. “How are you feeling?”

“About how you’d expect…” Fleet curled in on himself, not quite making a proper ball. “I feel like I could sleep for a whole year…”

“I’m sorry.” Knuckles, as he always did after something like this happened, sounded genuinely apologetic.

“I know.” Fleet reached his hand out blindly, Knuckles thankfully took it. “And I keep telling you it’s ok.”

“Doesn’t mean I won’t feel bad about it.” Knuckles huffed. “Even with your permission.”

Fleet felt like he could continue this conversation, but nothing new would be said. They’d had this same back and forth so many times. Honestly Fleet hated to think about how common of a conversation this was becoming. He hated that it was brought on because of his inability to control himself around chaos energy. "Fine." Was all Fleet could manage. He was tired anyway. The two stayed in silence for a while. It was comfortable, like it usually was between them. "Thank you." Fleet's voice was soft even to his own ears.

Knuckles pulled Fleet closer. "I just wish I could stop it from happening."

"You do your best." Fleet squeezed his hand.

There was more silence and Fleet figured it would be safe to slip back into sleep now. What he wasn't expecting though was for Knuckles to press his muzzle to Fleet's head, careful to avoid pricking himself. Fleet's exhaustion riddled mind barely registered it as a kiss. A sort of tentative one, but one all the same. As he drifted off the sleep he couldn't help but realize that was the first time that had ever happened.

[mobumi]

So yeah, here's what I predict will happen next episode: Shindo will trick Arajin into releasing Senya from his body after revealing what Senya's true motivations are (after he tried everything to change the subject) much like how Jafar was able to steal the lamp from Aladdin. Shindo will hold Senya captive in the same bullet that shot into Arajin's head during the premiere. Matakara, completely possessed by Ichiya, will dispose of Ken and take over Minato Kai, then challenge Siguma's leader to incite a gang war. That will be enough to lure Arajin out (since he still only cares about Mahoro) so that we get their battle because everyone believes that Arajin has stopped a gang war before and he can do it again, and it's going to be a brutal one-sided fight that will cause the rest of the cast to turn on Arajin when they all discover that he's been using a genie for that power he displayed back there, not just Matakara. After all, their behavior throughout this series showed how both of them are so ill-suited to become genies because they are neither "strong" nor "pure" to fit that criteria.

Also, believe me. Shindo will clearly take advantage of the fight between Arajin and Matakara as they let out every single frustration they've had towards each other, and steal Ichiya for himself so he can be the top dog once more with both genie bullets in his possession, only for this to completely take over him when he tries to shoot both bullets into his body, turning him into a Honki monstrosity. It feels like everything's falling into place, especially after I know what Jafar did in Aladdin when he stole the lamp. Hell, he even did the whole disguise thing when he slips a paper into Arajin's pocket to meet him another time, revealing then how Senya only wants to control him, perhaps so that he can selfishly fight Ichiya again.

Sorry, I'm late replying to this! It's actually an interesting theory even if with the recent episode we saw how everything turned out. But you have analysed the situation pretty well and the characters' motivations. Well, except Shindo who only seems to want Ichiya defeated.

I'm curious to see after ep 10 what is going to happen. We know that Arajin and Matakara will fight at some point and through them Senya and Ichiya could fight, or Arajin might stop Matakara before it's too late. I mean, there are different paths the story could take, I'm really looking forward to it!

[great-raven-parade]

What’s your opinion of Strange Frequencies? I’ve seen a lot of hate for it because of how it portrayed certain characters and the nisse.

I mean, I'm heavily biased but I actually think Strange Frequencies is the best episode in Season 3.

Firstly, like many creatures in Hilda, the nisse don't think exactly like humans. Sharing is an alien concept to them, and borrowing things is very different from stealing. A borrowed item is one ultimately meant to be returned, and if it's returned, everything is fine! Remember that nisse have an affinity for unused spaces and items- taking something that isn't being used at the moment generally doesn't cause an issue. In fact, it's what leads nisse to habitually clean, store, and recover unused and misplaced items! The actual issue at the start of Strange Frequencies is that nisse are accusing each other of 'stealing' over the fact that terms to return items haven't been communicated. Communication, especially with each other, isn't something nisse excel at on their own. So, after Hilda and friends do the work in communicating and setting it up, the lending library concept works so well that they don't even need to moderate it. The nisse value system is such that 'No one owns these items. You can borrow them, just put them back in this specific location when you're done' just clicks. I've also seen complains that Tontu in particular is being uncharacteristically bratty in this episode. I'd argue he's extremely in-character (and that nisse are allowed to be bratty sometimes. As a treat). Remember that the radio he's bickering with Hilda over is one that Hilda likely hasn't used much since she stopped listening to Victoria's original radio show after the events of The Storm. They both know it's Hilda's old radio, but Tontu has probably always been able to borrow it whenever he wants to without issue, and it's only in Strange Frequencies that she starts to become bothered about 'sharing' it. One thing I really love about Tontu's character is that he complains about other nisse, and then acts... Exactly like the other nisse. And other nisse do the same. And that's quirky and fun, and never portrayed by the show as a bad thing- Not even in this episode. Once again, nisse (or elves or what have you) don't think like humans, and that's something to be accepted rather than changed! And of course, on top of it all, Tontu is just not great at showing emotion or reading it from others- He's struggled with that since meeting Hilda all the way back in season 1. He cares about Hilda more than a radio show, of course he does, but doesn't fully understand that Hilda is upset about losing Anders again, rather than who gets to use the radio right now. Hilda and Frida's flaws are also in conflict again in this episode, similarly to their fight in The Ghost (Notice how the montage shows Frida looking sadly at a picture of her, Hilda, and David when nothing they did or said in the scene before should have remotely made her doubt she'd see her friends tomorrow). Hilda is determined and resilient, but that same trait can make her obsessive in the wrong situations. She has difficulty letting things go when she doesn't feel they've been truly resolved. Meanwhile, Frida is organized and ambitious, but has difficulty putting her own point of view aside to see someone else's. So, Frida struggles dealing with the nisse (who can only be met where they're at), and Hilda is too focused on Anders to help Frida realize they need a different approach. Of course, Hilda and Frida communicate with each other and make up before coming close to the point of their s1 fight, but I do think the echoes of it are there. Frida and David don't leave Hilda because they don't care she's upset about her dad- But I think Frida may be feeling some awfully familiar frustrations to the Ghost situation and that's why she needs to take some time away. I also think it says a lot about how the two of them have grown as friends that this situation goes so much differently than the fight in Season 1! And while it's clear it was a difficult time to have to walk away, it does lead to everyone having time to think and come back together with clearer heads the next morning.

So yeah. Overall I think Strange Frequencies actually does a great job with the nisse and their blue and orange morality! It also does a good job with the main cast's characterizations- It's just focused on a situation where some of their best qualities play as flaws, which is different from what we see in most other episodes, but not totally unprecedented.

[theheightofdishonor]

That page of hinata looking back at a Kageyama that gave him the first toss ever before falling out of fever and exhaustion. Your tags were interesting could u pls break it down?? Is it a full circle of view from the top narrative or Kageyama being the first setter to give him a toss so a silent thank you?

Ngl I write so much about haikyuu and tumblr's search is so bad that I wasn't able to pinpoint the post you're talking about but i'm pretty sure it's about these panel from ch 364 during the kamomedai match. (if it's not, feel free to send another ask and i'll do my best to reply)

In a way it is a full circle moment, both for their partnership but also for Karasuno and where the two of them stand within the team? Hmm, i'l try to explain this.

So the panel on the left is the first time Kageyama's ever set for Hinata, back in ch 4 when they're practicing for the 3 on 3 match. And at the time, Kageyama was refusing to set for Hinata because well, Hinata sucks and Kageyama won't set for people who are unnecessary to win. But they're still together, practicing recieves at like 5:30 in the morning because they don't really have a choice but to work together and then this happens

And Kageyama- who has been frustrated this entire time because no one else around him understand, who struggles with being the only one who is always going for every ball with the same desperate desire- is inexplicably moved by this, by Hinata putting in this much effort and hurting himself for a ball that ultimately doesn't matter much at the end of a long practice when he's getting tossed to by a guy who doesn't even respect him. So finally, after like 3 chapters of refusing to set for Hinata, Kageyama finally does. And it's significant that he's doing it here when when Hinata's exhausted and just completed a decent receive and for once, not actually asking for or expecting a set (it's a bit of a challenge too: i'm finally giving you this but when you're in a terrible condition, do you still want it?; it's a bit of a plea: won't you show me again? that you'll try for volleyball, that you won't give up no matter how tired, no matter how hard?)

Back to the present moment, it's in some ways the same thing but upgraded, a measure of how far they've come that Hinata can make an excellent receive and Kageyama looks at him and says, nope not enough come here now and finish it, won't you? and Hinata does!! Because he will always rise to the occasion, always drag himself back up if it means he can spike and all of these are facts that are firmly entrenched in both of them now

Back then Kageyama could barely dare to hope that someone would ever be able to match him and now he knows Hinata will and look at the way he fucking revels in the knowledge of all that.

But there is something else that's changed too. Namely that it's not just the two of them anymore.

It's not just Hinata now that can rise to Kageyama's expectations, it's all of Karasuno. It would be soo easy for any of them to not jump at the end of the 6th set of the day after back to back matches but they do. All of them jump, all of them are here now, caring just as much about volleyball and putting in just as much effort and the team as a whole is in sync, they're all united in this desire and it's a measure of how far they've all come together too.

And with the look at the end,

I think it's one part that they just completed something really cool and with each other so they're like reveling in the moment together but also one part that Kageyama sees Hinata fall and he realizes what's happening before everyone else does because he already suspected Hinata's sick and because he's got this uncanny knack for reading Hinata.

I think that covered everything about my thoughts on that panel. I hope this was what you were looking for, if it's not , feel free to send another ask clarifying like I said before. Also this ask gave me a much appreciated excuse to reread the Komamedai ask so thanks for that, anon.

[thisismeracing]

If they're going to give everyone that is racing a penalty so they have to stay on the positions they started in we might as well call it a parade! I'm all in for penalties when the occasional calls for it especially for causing collisions that HURTS other drivers! But they've been giving them out freely lately and it gets even more frustrating when one gets a penalty and the other gets a pass (not towards any specific driver) for doing the same thing!! The FIA simply just don't don't have anymore credibility and everyone sees that they are reaching so they won't loose respect and control over every situation, only they don't realize that already happened!

they lost control and respect when:

- They banded/changed the rules around to try and give an bad explanation to their mistakes and wrong doings and I'm not only talking about the 2021 fiasco

- When they constantly hunted down (and still is) a driver for wearing a fucking 1 cm nose piercing as if was the same as wearing a watch, or for preceding to do so even after a doctor letter that said he couldn't get it removed for medical reasons. As if they didn't have bigger issues to worry about, as if this was of maximum importance, when we all know it isn't, this is a sport where people can lose their lives for so many factors that won't ever include a less than 1cm piece of metal! Maybe they could use this time to certify if all the teams were all good and inside the rules about things that compromise other safety! Perhaps checking the cost breach of some teams?!? See where that money is going?? I pretty sure you can spend that much on food services?!

The fact that they were surprised when he showed up this year with another piercing on, both sides of his nose made me laugh so hard!!

- When they fell short on punishments for big brakes of rules?? Rules that insure everyone gets a fair chance of have similar cars that are competitive with each other? That do not include someone's cultural references? You know things that actually keeps the sport from turning a shitshow that only cares for money?

- When they disregarded the amount of time off, and limits to their healths, and added sprints for no reason (bc they are boring as fuck) and more races to the calendar, to make perhaps more money? I mean why else would you compromise them by pushing them harder? and this goes for the Mechanics too, since F1 dos not let them have to teams that alternate each other so they can have some rest? Can you imagine how much they work? They get there days before the race weekends, they get there earlier and leave way later than the rest! Are they well paid? Do they agree to it when signing a contract? Yes and that's exactly why rules exist! Otherwise people that need more money become manipulated to extremes for money/opportunities, every one could use a little more of it, even if impacts them badly! Especially now that F1's dilema is "You can always be replaced", "if you won't do it, i'll find someone who will" but not in a search better professionals (lets be real they are already so pre selected), but because that makes them trapped between what they need vs what a human can take. Physically, mentally, emotionally. This is coming from someone who grew up with a professional & high position mechanic dad.

- When they know that SPA is a very dangerous circuit mostly due to the rain. That we all know can't really be changed at anyone's desires. So instead of being responsible and making a hard decision that will likely piss off a lot of people, they waste everyone's time and money by having to cut races short, delay the races for hours, not be able to provide a sense of security and on top of that it just makes everything less entertaining (which is not something they want). All of this on top of the fact of the extreme safety issues. For what? They might as well remove the Belgium Gran Prix from the calendar till further notice, because there is nothing you can do to change the factors. I am pretty sure that more than half of everyone involved wouldn't complain about replacing it for now with a circuit that makes more sense logistically. There's so many unsatisfied with how the last couple SPA races have gone. All that because they refuse to go against the big boys with the money, in a situation that needs and outside intervention from the people that are there to do exactly that!

- When they didn't intervene, regulate or limited teams from disrespecting, disregarding and mistreating their drivers and other crew members. I think putting aside our favorites for a second we can all agree that: The way that Haas departed from Mick was wrong the way Gunther Stainer treated and talked about him even after he left was so disrespectful and uncalled for.

The way McLaren handled Daniel's departure from the team was also disrespectful, unnecessary, mean to a point it almost (to me definitely) humiliating, and it angered everyone, because he's very sweet and no one has EVER complained about him or said he was hard to work with. Zack Brown should of been replaced for being unable to professionally handle something that didn't have to go this way, he should have been held responsible for risking their drivers mental health, for putting all the blame from a bad result on him as if he was the only (or for many wrongly) reason for all their problems which is insane because not even his teammate was doing that much better. That is not what a team's for. You win together, you lose together. Besides everything it was SO disloyal of them, he broke a lot of disbelief that was being held against them, and it's not like he hasn't a good driver bc out of last year's grid he was part of the only few drivers who had actually won a grand prix before. And even IF that was the case, they had held it with decency, it just felt like the whole process was being handled by a child.

I felt really bad for Oscar, because this just made the start of his career badly. This was not his doing. He is a driver looking to get a chance. He's a good driver too. And this shouldn't make him a bad person.

For DeVries it just felt gut recking. This guy is a championship winner, he was waiting his time and opportunity to get a seat. FOR YEARS. Was also a reserve driver (why have him as a reserve if you'd never have him as a driver given the chance?), Last year he had the chance to race for the first in F1, he had to replace a driver that couldn't race that day. You know what he did? He got in that fucking car that honestly wasn't the best and hadn't reach the points the whole year, guess what? Not only got to the finishing line after a beautiful race with brilliant overtakes, he got that damn car into the points!!! Everyone was so impressed, why would keep him as reserve for so long? And he created an opportunity for himself that day. He earned that seat and everyone knows it. Than this guys starts his rookie year, in a new car, again a car that isn't able to compete for the top, is going okay, because no one expects a rookie to get in the top 10 every race of his first season, very few world champs did. All I can say is that they didn't even give him the rest of his first year! They actually didn't give him a chance at all! And again the way it was handle behind his back, from one race to the next was ??? And again no hate to Danny Ric for taking that chance.

Why haven't they been mediating all of this? Are you kidding me? How is all of this allowed? They wouldn't think twice if the drivers were the ones being deceiving. This took a toll on their health and career for no reason other than the fact they could. There's nothing wrong with ending contracts if things aren't working out. But this? And I would like to add that NONE of these drivers were caught saying anything about their situations negatively, they had the right to, the right to defend themselves and to give that disrespect back, but didn't.

I'm pretty sure you guys could add way more to this list. And the fact is that even the teams/people that are benefiting from it are satisfied with they're decisions, and that says a lot. Looking past who we cheer for, every single one of them can list a bunch of decisions that made no sense. This has gone way past favoritism, at this point no one can keep up with the hell they are doing. This sport needs to organize itself, bc this behavior is so self destructive. Every sport need and deserve an independent trustworthy serious organized and professional organization to make sure everything runs fairly, smoothly, safely with basic logic and respect, we know that right now the FIA ain't it.

-🎀

again sorry for the long messages but I think I'm at my limit as someone who has grown up experiencing Formula 1, as someone who is really interested in this sport, and that cares about the rules, just as much I care for the engineering that goes in it, just as much as care watching every single race, knowing that not much exiting and new things are going to happened, or that drivers that I really like don't really have the chance to win!

You were on point with everything in that ask, nonny!

I was getting ready to mention the "catering budget" when you did lol

As someone who experienced something similar with a different sport (hockey), it's frustrating, and, honestly, it just proves what Lewis said about money ruling it all. It's infuriating seeing how they go around blaming pilots for shitty cars or unhealthy workplace conditions (aka danny and mick situation), and it's just as infuriating seeing that some people agree with and think that this is how it should go.

At this point, I would say that they probably need to get the decision board replaced because clearly it's not working as it should, and its obvious that what's in the paper won't always happen in real life, but at least part of it has to, and we're not seeing it happen. I can sympathize with your frustration and agree that F1 has lost a bit of its magic (my dad told me just the same the last two races he saw me watching, he didn't even ask who was leading because it was obvious, and he didn't even mention all the other problematic stuff going around).

[cobraonthecob]

i'm just. going to sneeze out some thoughts regarding junior drivers being arrogant enough to publicly like tweets regarding lance. the tl;dr is that everyone should get off of lance's back for being a pay driver and that every single celebrity should reduce the time they spend on social media interacting with fans and fan content, because as we have just seen with bianca, it turns into a very, very ugly situation and a reputation set on fire and thrown away

drugovich makes sense since he is aston martin's reserve driver would be called up to drive for the team should anything happen to fernando or lance. this is not to excuse him, and he should not be taking out his frustration on any driver (if i'm going to be spicy, maybe turn your ire to the driver who retired a few years ago and then came back), especially when said driver is in the same team as him and technically higher in rank. if anything, if he really wants to play his cards right, then he should wait until fernando finally retires, get the seat, and try to prove why he thinks he's better than lance (and then he makes rookie mistakes and the fans turn on him. that's just how it all goes for most rookies. do really well in feeder series and f1 throws lemons at you. george russell was a victim of this, as was mick. yes, horrendous cars, but fans are quick in changing their opinions on young drivers)

bianca however, makes no sense on why she would be frustrated about lance's presence in f1 unless there was a valid point to make about how financially inaccessible this sport is becoming (which none of the tweets from what i heard, did not talk about and only insulted lance). if we are to ignore everything else for a minute and put it in a vacuum, then bianca's frustration at lance having a seat at aston martin makes zero sense. bianca is currently in an f4 equivalent series and a midfield driver who should be focusing on becoming a better driver and a contender for top three, not liking tweets talking shit about a driver in a series way above her and in a team she is not backed by. like, let's say bianca does well next year, gets into an f4 series, does well there, rinse, repeat, and rise to the top, 2027 rolls around, she would be up against whether or not lando or oscar are still with mclaren or if they've moved to other teams or left f1 (let's just assume both of them are still there). she, as a rookie, would be going up against the talents of two drivers who have been with mclaren since 2019 and 2023, respectively. her concern should not be to a driver who is in a completely different team, but to proving that she is a capable driver

now back to actual context, there is no excuse for either drugovich or bianca liking anti lance tweets. that is extremely disrespectful from both of them, and i hope that this situation becomes a lesson to all junior drivers that the fans' eyes are on you and you have to distance yourself from the fandom. if aston martin or the fia really had a problem with lance, they can deal with it on their own.

[chim-chim1310]

Won't even be surprised if jk is one of the reasons why the group won't last longer anymore. It's impossible for the group to never discuss all that's happening now especially since they've been proud of being organic for a long time. I refuse to believe that RM will be fine with all that's happening because for me he's the most woke among them. Jimin and Yoongi are too but they're probably softer to jk, though they're not pushovers. I just won't believe that the other members will be fine with being treated like they matter less than the maknae. That'll build resentment over time and it won't be good either way. Now it dawns on me that when hobi said that jk does not listen, it's probably coming more from years of frustration. Jk thinks he's invincible right now but he's in for a rude awakening because not everyone loses their morals

I would literally pay to know members real thought about all this.

There's no way anyone is okay with this. All bts member together struggled to get bts to where they are right now. All bts members worked hard equally. But only one member is getting the prince treatment and the others are getting pushed behind. There's no way anyone is okay with this.

I wouldn't include yoongi because I think yoongi is the second fav of the group and hybe likes to put him on a pedestal.

But others. I refused to believe that they're okay with being wronged like that.

I would really like to know their real thoughts and not just the same manufactured answers forcing the ot7 agenda.

It's clear hybe is trying to make jk bigger than jimin and bigger than bts. Somehow their main competitor seems to be jimin. Maybe because jimin is the only one who can reach on the top purely on his own talent.

But yeah. After all this dirty business if hybe succeeded in establishing jk as a proper soloist then it will be like a 'jungkook and 6 friends' situation in the group. And no one with dignity would tolerate that. Bts are not a rookie group that they would tolerate something like that. I'm pretty sure they'll leave the group and become a soloist if something like this ever happens.

Also even before this I never believed that they would come together as ot7 after the military. Mainly because they will change a lot in 2years. Most probably they all would want different things from their life and it would be difficult for them to manage together as a group. I think members would want different things .....

Tae : I think tae is not even that passionate about music. Yeah he has made some good music but most of his songs sound the same. And he seems to be more into becoming a socialite than doing the actual idol things. Idk I never felt his passion for that. I think after the military he'll most probably pursue acting.

Jin : I think Jin doesn't want to be an idol anymore. I just got this feeling he seems done with the idol thing. I think he'll either go for a normal life or maybe just a singer and NOT a proper idol like situation where he'll dance and all.

Rm, yoongi will for sure pursue music but solo.

Jimin will for sure go the proper idol route. I see his passion in it.

Jungkook...... Well..... Our established western artist lol. Idk if what hybe is doing will help him in the long run but idk. I think hybe is investing hard in jk so he'll obviously go for that route.

I know they said that they would come together but even before I hardly believed that and now too I'm sure that they wouldn't. It would be a miracle if they will.

[gerudospiriit]

[Alright. I finished the game a good bit ago, and I’ve been sitting on this thought for a really long time (i.e. almost when I started the game when it came out). So. If you want to read my brain go brrrrrrr about Nabooru and the Zelda series in general, keep going. Otherwise, scroll on. Nothing to see here.]

[I don't know if it's been apparent, but, outside of really enjoying Tears of the Kingdom on the surface and being super glad they improved by leaps and bounds from Breath of the Wild...it also made me super uncomfortable. I've made mentions of my hang ups with how inconsistent the story is when it insists on seemingly making historical references to past games while also erasing said games a few times. But that's...not really where the discomfort comes in. Like sure. I want consistency. I want the threads of history they sprinkle in to connect at least in some viable and valuable way. I'm an English major for fuck's sake. But, the deep down crux of it is more specific.

I've feared this since the first cutscene, and more prominently when I learned more about the new sages that fought with Rauru, and it only felt more and more true as I played through the game: Tears of the Kingdom has either replaced/deleted Nabooru or changed her. Ocarina of Time and basically every other game and that history became obsolete because...they can't happen. If the Imprisoning War is set at Hyrule's founding, and Ganondorf was sealed away all the way until Zelda and Link release him in TotK, we can't have OoT. We can't have TP. We can't have WW. And, if we don't have OoT, we don't have Nabooru.

Unless, with all the similarities to scenes and whatnot from OoT, this whole Imprisoning War is meant to replace the events of Ocarina of Time (and therefore every other game, essentially), which brings me to the second option: the Sage of Lightning from the Imprisoning Era IS Nabooru. Which is very possible because, judging by the cutscenes, AT LEAST this sage, if not all of the Gerudo, turned on Ganondorf for some reason (which may be him attacking their settlements for some reason??? That's an issue for another post re: The problems I have with Ganondorf in TotK, re:re: the mountain of reasons I hate Demise and his silly little curse). Just like Nabooru did in OoT.

Even going by the second less drastic read of what's going on there, it's still...uncomfortable. It means I have to pretty drastically change Nabooru's story to line up with this new telling of OoT (if that's what this is and I really see no way around it outside of what I'll mention later). And I'll be frank: it hurts. It hurts as a long time Zelda fan who ADORED the story it was trying to tell and who has adored this character for so long only to be left with these feelings about it all. It's frustrating to see the devs do so well and so poorly with the last like...three games when it comes to consistency of even the remotest kind when it comes to lore and story. Instead, like plenty of other games, movies, etc., Nintendo seems more concerned with the shiniest new gimmick within a game and cashing in on nostalgia than actually respecting Zelda's story. AGAIN. Tears of the Kingdom was a lot of fun and a top notch game. A HUGE improvement on Breath of the Wild. And if they had just...given the attention to the details of the story and lore to make it more cohesive and not like a big "we're literally retconning everything" which arguable kinda started with SS lbr), this game would have been perfect to me.

But to get off my bitterness a little and discuss moving forward with Nabooru and some just random thoughts about like...what to do? If anything? I might be jumping the gun, and I may not even make anything set in any kind of stone YET in case DLC gives us more to work with BUT. Here are my thoughts.

As much as it irks me because the devs are wishy washy and won't come out and just admit that, since SS, they've basically wanted to obliterate everything established and start anew with new lore, legends, histories of Hyrule, etc. and therefore keep making some serious links back to the old games they've imploded with their new lore without any real connection or explanation, the first option is to treat SS, BotW, and TotK as basically their own separate entity/AU. With so much changing from the lore and motivations to the religion and removal of the Triforce and other pieces of the story, essentially, it is just next to impossible to REALLY fit these together with OoT and pretty much the rest of the series in a cohesive, workable way.

Which means I would probably have to play two versions of Nabooru: one who follows the events from OoT onward, and another that follows the events of the Imprisoning War as the Sage of Lightning (and I still don't even know if it's HER aklsjdflkjaf) and everything else that entails.

The other option is to figure out a way to just...piece this monstrosity together like some poor, Frankensteinian beast and/or just ignore every ounce of logic and just ¯\_(ツ)_/¯, go with the flow, and wing the fuck out of interactions to bs something together for her. Whether that's playing the timeline card because fuck how many more did Zelda create anyway with her time traveling or something else? I'm not sure yet.

And I may be jumping the gun. Maybe we'll get so very lucky and DLC will explain everything for us and we can understand wtf is going on here. But for now, I guess stay tuned for more existential crises ft. Nabooru? Ahahha...]

[sootonthecarpet]

Hey feel free to ignore but uh. You seem like a guy who has sex? And I was wondering if you had any good resources abt safe sex etc esp from a trans friendly angle? I recently started dating my bf and it's both of our first relationships ever (in our mid 20s lol) so we want to eventually Do It but we're taking our time and trying to be safe about it and I kinda feel like I don't even fully know what I don't know??? They also seem to have more just baseline knowledge abt this stuff than me and I don't want to seem like I'm not taking things seriously or something :/

(Also if I can complain for like 5 seconds it's super frustrating how all the info online seems to be that condoms should be everywhere and super easy to find but I literally haven't seen any since my high school library was giving them out half a decade ago!!!! Like I've been trying gas stations corner stores etc and I just don't see them idk if I'm just missing them or looking in the wrong place or what 😡😭 /rant over)

hey, congrats! it's really cool that you and your bf are getting to figure this stuff out together! i don't think you happening to know less to start off with would make you look frivolous, not your fault it's hard to find good honest useful sex ed info right now, and you seem like you're being totally thoughtful about this! going slow and doing research is good, imo it's a good idea to be upfront with your bf about feeling like they know more than you--it can be really weird to feel less aware than ur partner about like Anything, and talking it out so you know what their expectations towards you are can help a lot, plus sometimes you find out they've been feeling the same way. I am always saying to talk about it to em though.

I know a decent chunk about safe sex but it's been gathered up piecemeal rather than from like, specific, recommendable resources, so I can give pointers in theory (guess you can ask me specific questions if you have any? if I can't answer I can always look em up) but it's harder to point you along to a proper source of info. i must have read Primed at some point, and it goes around posts on here a lot, but I don't really remember firsthand how useful or comprehensive it was, beyond being a resource booklet aimed at male couples involving at least one trans guy. I'm sure there are a lot of other guides at this point, too! but I'm not really sure how to find em, off the top of my head. I feel like I learned a surprising amount about partnered sex and safe sex practices from reading sex toy review blogs (thoughtful longform stuff in the vein of heyepiphora).

this is kinda silly but it helped me back in the day; wikipedia has a lot of articles on sex acts (and different kinds of contraceptives and barriers, source links here can get you to VERY useful info on em!!!) and I feel like they may help you wrap your head around stuff you may not have much context on. like even just the 'sex positions' article is like, a decent starter place--it uses heteronormative language intermittently and VERY cisnormative language throughout + has a fair amount of chaff, but it's also a remarkably comprehensive list of all kinds of configurations for penetrative and non-penetrative sex, & even describes how simpler acts like frottage and mutual masturbation can work (which often gets skipped over 😭). it's kinda crap if you have to juggle like, physical disabilities or the ways that fatness can change how two people's bodies interact, and includes a lot of obscure, back-hurty-lookin penetrative sex positions that get disproportionate use in porn, but it can definitely be a good jumping off point for poking around online for more info, or introduce you to new concepts/bolster your faith in your interest in something you were thinking about but weren't sure was A Thing People Actually Do In Bed.

also akxlaldf listen about half the condoms I've used in my Life came from a huge amount of free ones I accumulated in one summer like nine years ago (volunteered at an LGBT center and would take one or two home from the free bin every day, plus got a big bag of freebies at a transmarch) like ??? I do see em in stores in my area, but they can be so weirdly annoying to find when you're actually looking for em. if you can online order, most sex toy sites (like shebop or goodvibes or whatever the fuck) will also sell condoms in singles and multipacks (& usually a lot more kinds than you'd find in a store, which can make it nice if you're specifically needing to find unlubricated, flavored, bigger ones, latex free, etc).

but yeah feel free to message if you have specific questions, I wish I could provide better info off the bat 😆 also some extremely miscellaneous stuff that's like, entry level but still worth repeating: it's helpful and common to like, pop a pillow under your hips to improve your angle (wedge pillows are your friend if you happen to have one around) or grab a footstool to even out heights if you're doing something standing up, stuff like that. you can nab a cushion or kneepads if anyone's gonna be kneeling on a hard surface too. a longer strap-on can be helpful when figuring out positioning, so you don't need to get your pelvises as close together to make it work. talk stuff over ahead of time if you can, both to get more familiar with what you and your partners' wants are and to help sketch out some approximate boundaries ahead of time. sex toys are a great convenience, but get 'body safe' materials if you can; silicone, metal, glass, and most hard plastic toys can all be sterilized; PVC rubber, 'jelly' toys and ones made out of what's often called cyberskin or sexflesh or stuff like that (TPE, thermoplastic elastomer) can't, and some may let off harmful chemicals like phthalates (or just plain disconcerting oils and aromas) as the plastic breaks down. (if you're goin for it anyway? PVC holds up ok but is a bit stiff, TPE feels luxurious but rips SOOO easy, and I've never bothered with jelly.)

there's never any shame in finding certain sex acts, or just certain elements of intimacy, overwhelming or stressful! your like process of developing a sexual awareness and skill set doesn't have to follow any set pattern, and you and your bf are always allowed to make concessions to be sure your n their own boundaries and needs are met (I get overwhelmed easily on a sensory level, and I had a long term relationship where I wore gloves almost every time I fingered my partner bc the mix of textures was a lot for me at the time, regardless of how we swapped fluids regularly).

you probably heard this one before a whole bunch, but i legally can't let u go without saying that peeing after sex as soon as you're ready to get up is a VERY good idea, regardless of your anatomy--it flushes out your urethra, which helps reduce your risk of getting a urinary tract infection (which isn't rly about if the sex was protected or not--it's just easy for bacteria from other places on your own body to be introduced to your urethra during sex, regardless of ur partner's saliva/fluids.) no shame if it doesn't work, I got a uti from jackin it once, stuff happens! which brings me to my conclusion, which is that u gotta always keep in mind how weird and awkward and funny sex is and that it's normal and good for it to be all those things. excited for u! wishing u well.

[ravenadottir]

Heyyy , first things first, I MISSED YOU. This is my first time asking a question in , since I am a new fan of ur work ( i think I found ourt about ur work a month back?) Ever since I have been reading ur works and AH u are so amazing ! Ever imagines/ question u do makes me blush so much because make it look SO realistic.KUDOS on that :D,ok Ques- How would each LI from season 2 react to their GF ( mc's) death? would anyone move on ? PS ILY<3 and please update : too much to calculate, no pressure

aw, thank you so much! it means a lot to hear that 💚

but damn, that ask took a turn lol

How would each LI from season 2 react to their GF's death? would anyone move on ?

see, abolut moving on, i think all of them would eventually move on and date other people, so i'm focusing on what they would do right after.

this time i'm dividing by how they would deal with it:

bobby, gary. being alone after tasting what life could've been it's probably the worst part of it, because both had issues with relationships before her. bobby couldn't trust anyone, gary was never given a chance. coming with terms with it it's probably the worst and longest part of their process, making them angrier than they've ever been. it's a mix of frustration and sadness that make them do everything on auto-pilot for a long time.

lucas, marisol. it took them everything to trust someone and start a relationship, to let go of their own hold ups and she was the person that trusted them enough to wait for that to happen. not everyone would have that patience and they know that. lucas would be devastated for a really long time, and bitter about losing her. suffice to say it would change him as a person, enough he would stay away from most things he likes. marisol doesn't know what to do when it happens. for the first time in her life she doesn't have the answers and will needs lots of support from her friends.

carl, kassam. both would dive deep in their respective work and try not to talk about it, not letting themselves ever going there because it hurts so much. while carl can't even go in the bedroom they shared, kassam can't even stay in the place they lived with each other. he'll use any excuse to travel and play because he would be so angry about losing her.

henrik, ibrahim. more than anyone they need support of their families and friends when it happens. ibrahim would need people around him all the time, especially when going home. noah wouldn't leave the house until rahim was ready to go back to his life. henrik would travel everywhere he could, in his car, with very few things. isolating himself somewhere hidden would definitely be the best for him.

elisa, lottie. they would try to work on their respective fields but end up realizing they need time to process. elisa would pretend she's ok but one day she catches herself crying over something very small. same goes for lottie. they want to put a brave face on but it doesn't last long and they have to admit they need more time, and help for that matter, whether from family or friends. i can also see them going off on someone online if that person criticized mc in any way, to the point of not even thinking before writing back.

hannah, noah. they would write. a lot. as a way of coping. it's the only way they would be able to accept it, i know because that's what i did. writing about grief is the only thing that would make them get up from bed, and even then it would take a while for them to actually realize that.

priya. anger and relunctance to let go because she avoided telling mc how she felt for so long, she might feel guilty about the time wasted that could've been shared together. priya is the type of person that isolates herself from the world somewhere far. it's not easy to just go back to your life and process what happened on top of that. she knows that, and she's gone on the first opportunity she gets.

[onstoryladders]

If Gram is in love with Black and just wants to try something with Eugene because he has lost hope in Black, I'd be very disappointed. Because I think that makes Gram someone who doesn't care about emotions. If Black and Gram's feelings are mutual, I feel sorry for Black the most. Imagine you are in a coma and your twin brother takes your place, but your loved one never noticed. On top of that, he wants to be with your ex-girlfriend. While I really wanted Gram and Black to be together, I'm disappointed with Gram's current attitude. So I would love to see Black with someone else if GramBlack isn't going to happen. What would Black be like when he's in love?

Hi, anon! Oof, alright – this is something I really wanted to talk about, so thank you for giving me the chance to do so. I've seen so much Gram slander and it breaks my heart 🥺 and I'm not saying it's totally unwarranted, but like-- he's not an evil bastard, y'know? Unless next episode confirms my worst fears and ruins everything lol

First of all, about Gram not noticing: I think we watched two different shows, anon 😆 Gram noticed it all too well. Just like Sean got closer to “Black” because he's attracted to this new version of him, Gram found himself getting frustrated and confused. If he'd known about a twin, I'm sure he would've connected the dots in a second.

The whole situation is just too crazy, no one would ever think oh, my best friend must have a secret twin who replaced him in the gang, it's such a crazy theory.

And also: I think people forget that while Black was in a coma, White was messing with his life and relationships like there was no tomorrow. He called up his ex girlfriend and then rejected her, got distant from his friends and closer to Sean... and of course Gram thought Black had simply changed, and didn't understand why.

From Gram's point of view, Black is the traitor.

Imagine your best friend suddenly taking their distance. They don't hang out with you but with someone they've never liked. They stop telling you shit. They start acting like an asshole to your common friend. They don't give you explanations when you try to talk about it. Wouldn't you feel confused and betrayed? Because I would 🥲

I don't think Gram is someone who doesn't care about other people's feelings. He's shown time and time again that he does care. He puts his own emotions aside when he asks Black to get back with Eugene, and all he gets is total indifference, a coldness he had probably never been met with.

As for Gram and Eugene, he didn't make a move on her until Black stated he didn't care anymore (if we don't consider the kiss, but they were both drunk and sad, and people fuck up sometimes) and I still don't think it was because he liked her.

This doesn't mean that he's pursuing her just to get over his feelings for Black. I don't think the situation is this simple, this-- shallow. But of course I can't say much about this before we actually get to see what's going on – although I did talk a little about my theories here.

Anyway, if Gram/Black isn't endgame Black won't get together with anyone, methinks. The only other option would be Eugene but they broke up and it wouldn't make sense if they undid that.

As for you last question, you have no idea how curious I am about it 😭 I need to know!

[cult-of-artemis-and-athena]

What the fuck is "femininity", anyway? Pt. 2

I was watching a video a few months ago about Evangelical Christians complaining about what they perceived as androgyny - women wearing pants and not having long hair, men not going fishing or wearing beards - and then said something to the effect of "These people are straying from God's design!"

I suppose the Bible does have some parts that can be construed as saying that women should have long hair, men should have short hair, and they should both look different and do different things. However, wearing certain clothes or hairstyles, or doing the majority of tasks don't have a biological component. If men were naturally, biologically, by-God supposed to have short hair, it should grow to be an inch long and stop, right? I've seen some Christians rebut the "only men can wear pants" argument on the basis that the stereotypical Christian man wouldn't like, nor properly fit into a pair of women's pants. I would take that a step further, because I think it's hilarious, and say that if women wearing pants were a 100%, by-God biological impossibility, they would have one leg, or be like nagas or mermaids and it would be physically impossible to make pants for them.

Another example: musical instruments are assigned gender stereotypes for some fucking reason. A friend from middle school said she wanted to play the trumpet, but was given a clarinet because it was a "feminine" instrument. Conversely, I've seen boys who started school band on a flute or clarinet either switch instruments, or quit band altogether. Perhaps small hands make it easier to play the piccolo, and it's less annoying for a strong person to carry around a tuba, upright bass, or bari sax, but there's no reason for the player's genitals to enter the equation. During the 18th century, the acceptability of an instrument for women was based on whether the player had to spread their legs to play it. Pianos, violins/violas, and flutes were allowed, but a cello was indecent. I'm not sure, then, how harps became stereotyped as "feminine instruments" when they're both gigantic and require the player to straddle them...but here I am trying to make sense of nonsense again...

Finally - and this is the big one - there is the downright schizophrenic relationship some male communities have with female attractiveness and things women do, or have done to them, to change how they look in pictures and videos.

I feel I must preface the rest of this point with something: "men" and "women" are not hive minds, and it's important to not strawman half the population based on a conglomeration of the worst representatives you have experienced. If you go outside, in real life, and think about the couples you see, it becomes very obvious that the majority of men you will see are attracted to women who aren't skinny blondes with big boobs/asses and the majority of women you see are attracted to men who aren't 6-/7-figure earners. People who seem to express that they are totally alone and perpetually shit-on by a world of "Chads" and "Staceys" feels like the same type of mindset school kids have, where they obsess over not being included by the popular kids while they're befriended and included just fine by kids they actually have more in common with. It's not a healthy mindset to have, but excusable in school kids because kids are immature by nature and they mostly grow out of it; however, to be an adult and still think like this is a good sign to get help.

I'm talking primarily about the incel community and perhaps some of the groups that this mentality spills into.

A post was going around several years ago and I think the photos were taken from a clickbait which was taken from a makeup artist's portfolio. The MUA might actually have been Goar Avetisyan (https://www.goaronline.com/courses) but the before and after pictures resembled the ones on the link above -- one with absolutely no makeup or hair styling, and then the other with full glam, special occasion makeup and styled hair, a wig, extensions, etc. The way it was presented was "LOOK! HERE'S PROOF W*MEN AREN'T ACTUALLY HOT! WAKE UP SHEEPLE! THEY'RE LYING TO YOU! ILLUMINATI EXPOSED!!!!"

I can see why they're mad, because the dishonesty surrounding makeup, but especially photoshop, plastic surgery, posing, and airbrushing can get toxic. I'm old enough to remember the old-fashioned mindset where women were supposed to hide their "beauty secrets". Don't apply makeup in public, keep your roots touched up so nobody knows they're dyed, and if you have any treatments or surgery always deny having them. Wear your makeup to bed, then wake up early and fix it before your guy sees you.

I couldn't imagine how awful I would feel if I had Instagram or TikTok when I was growing up. I had enough moments of feeling frustrated because I didn't naturally look how other people looked, and I didn't realize that people in TV and movies were wearing makeup, that magazine ads were photoshopped, etc. Just being an extremely average-looking human being with no concept of basic grooming, comparing myself to other kids at school was hard enough without the rapist-run media adding another layer of bullshit.

When I realized the layers of lies, it was like...how long have I been wasting my time and money on this totally made-up problem? How much did I actually improve my life and happiness chasing it? Or, did it actually make me more miserable? How much could I have accomplished if I put the same amount of angst into a different pursuit -- instead of fixing my face, I could have been fixing my art...When it comes to pursuing an unattainable ideal, there is no end to the horror.

So, I suppose, when a group of men (...boys, whatever) realize that "hot women" are a spook, and the the ethereal creature they've been told by society to put on a pedestal is actually not far removed from them, and it shits and farts, it seems very reasonable to feel angry and like you've been taken for a ride by "the system". It can be easy to blame women for this, and hate them. And it's probably easy to get stuck here.

Instead of being perpetually angry, they have to mourn the death of this ethereal spook-woman, and move on with an acceptance of reality as it is. Women, too, have to kill and mourn the spook-woman as part of self-acceptance.

One positive evolution of the makeup fandom is that while the makeup has gotten more intense and elaborate, makeup tutorials have demystified makeup. When tutorials started to become popular, there was a lot of "Excuse my eye-circles, excuse my pimple, excuse my skin, excuse my hair, excuse my lighting, excuse my room, excuse my, excuse my, excuse, excuse, excexcexcexCEXEXEXEXEXEX- *boom*" and thankfully someone eventually came along ($10 says it was a drag queen) and said, "SHUT THE FUCK UP, NOBODY CARES," and eventually the makeup fandom became okay with letting a bare face be a bare face. You wear the makeup, you don't wear the makeup. It doesn't matter. It's just a hobby.

To refer back to my original point, the confusion of makeup (something culturally feminine) with biological femininity has really fucked up both men and women. Everyone is better off extracting the two from one another, and it seems like many people are in the process of doing that. It helps women hate themselves less, and it helps men humanize women and have better relationships.

However, the image of the spook-woman, "10/10 model" is so ingrained in some parts of the culture, as the apex of the vertex of femininity, that despite complaints about how makeup is a lie, discarding that in favor of just a healthy, bare-faced woman feels like embracing post-modernity and a slippery slope to embracing ugliness as beauty. I think the lack of exaggerated femininity that spook-woman makeup provides feels threatening because the woman's face looks more masculine in a purely relative sense. The exaggerated femininity of the spook-woman, as it is for the Evangelical Christians who follow strict gender roles, provides additional separation between the sexes which serves to reassure men who are A) preoccupied with their level of masculinity and B) hyper-aware of their standing toward the bottom of this hierarchy of masculinity. I think the entire hierarchy benefits from them being placated by more separation from women, because if the bottom whatever percent of men are too dissatisfied with their standing, they may start punching upwards or wanting to attack the hierarchy itself. The men at the top don't want that because of the benefits they receive for being at the top.

MGTOW and the incel movement really kicked off after Gamergate, and intensified with subsequent "waves" of feminism. The discontent men direct their frustration at women, but they also direct their frustration at the men not troubled by what women do. There's suddenly a lot of interest in whether you're an alpha, a beta, a gamma, omega, a sigma, a ligma male, etc. and which one is the better type of male to be. There's a lot of hatred for "Chads" and I see a lot of jealousy directed toward men who are married and have families, usually in the form of "She's just gonna divorce you, take half your shit, and then manipulate your kids to hate you. You'll see...you'll realize you should have spent your whole life banging whores."

This all seems like the result of the ol' spending money we don't have to buy things we don't need to impress people we don't like. This is undoubtedly the idealist in me, men and women would be better off to cut each other some slack. We could see one another as fellow tragic, flawed individuals instead of fleshlights and ATMs, escape the Matrix and spit in the faces of our rapist, media elite overlords.

[theconstellarium]

Just saw a post talking about how this particular system's friends & family see their headmates as other people they've never met before they came out as a system--

I didn't want to co-opt the post so I'm making my own, though I do feel the original post is related (hence why I mentioned it). We've been having the opposite problem with one of the two irl friends we're out to. She kinda just treats us like we're all the exact same person & though she said initially that it was no big deal & she was completely fine with it when we first told her we were plural, she seems to never acknowledge it. It's awkward & we have no clue how to even interact with her anymore.

Like Noe inteacted with her for the very first time (just via text) recently & there was an acknowledgement of like "nice to meet you" bc he said it first but it was kinda weird how she just talked to him like he was one of us girls that she feels she's pretty close to.

On top of that she often just talks "at" us & is mostly silent or changes the subject when we bring up any of our own stuff. It's happened with stuff unrelated to plurality but it tends to make us especially worry with that subject, like that she's not comfortable with us talking about it regardless of what she initially said. She's read a ton of stuff about our sysmates that we used to present as "fiction" (though it's not & she knows that now), & it feels sometimes like she liked seeing us as "characters" better than as real individual people.

She has been ridiculously supportive of other stuff/in general in the past & is also a coworker (who in fact got us the job we have now) so to say we're hesitant to drop her is an understatement. (Also as stated earlier she's one of only 2 irl friends who we can really be "out" with as a system).

Idk just rambling here. I don't think this is actually uncommon at all for systems as I think I've seen others talk about this before but it's pretty frustrating. 😑

🎶 Brooke

[juneviews]

2,7,18 for the drama asks

2. pairing you want to see

since I already answered this with my main ship everyone knows me for (at least I hope so lol), let me give you some others even though I have like 50 crackships I'm waiting to see happen. firstly but most importantly, any two gmmtv actresses together. I mean it, ANY of them would look so fucking cute together I'd die. but anyways that's just me advancing my gl agenda at every occasion I get (as I should!) then, I've been talking about offjoss for years bc I just want off with a taller guy & also the biconicness would simply be utter perfection. I rest my case. and then the most random crackship I've never shared before would be drake & khaotung. why? firstly they've been friends for years & khaotung's character was in love with drake's in my tee. secondly, frank is going to the military soon poor bb & while I adore them I think khaotung would be the perfect choice for drake to have a project with. thirdly........ I don't love khaopodd together, sorry :/// like they're cute & I really like the both of them but tonhon chonlathee was such a flop I can't be fully convinced. also morksun from dbk are superior I said what I said. anyways, I want drake & khaotung, I think they'd be so fucking cute together!!!

7. if you could change the ending of a drama, which one would it be?

ooooh, that's like the perfect question for me bc I easily get disappointed by endings lol.

what the duck: I would make popoat end up together bc the last ep of final call is literally the saddest thing I've ever watched

daughters: I would remove all the random killings for shock value that completely ruined what could've been one of my favorite thai dramas EVER

the shipper: I would obviously change the bury your gays trope present in the show to give everyone a true happy ending

3 will be free: I'd change ter's death bc it's definitely one of the scenes that made me cry the most in a thai drama & mae deserved love & happiness instead of turning into the killer she never wanted to become

18. drama you regret watching

reply 1997: not my type of shows at all & since I forced myself to finish it it truly felt like torture to me

what the duck finall call: ruined my favorite ship at the time (((:

so much in love: legitimately the worst show I've ever seen

together with me the next chapter: ipytm before its time lmao, how to ruin a beloved ship with an unecessary sequel

ugly duckling pity girl: extremely bad & makes my bae off jumpol a fucking attempted r*pist

make it live on the beach: why did I watch that in 2021?? don't ask me, I was in the mood for a boring & incredibly useless sequel no one asked for apparently

given: watched this bc one of my anons talked to me about it & was pretty let down by it tbh... the acting is over the top for no reason, the chemistry barely there & absolutely nothing happens in this show. it's sad bc the message behind it was actually pretty beautiful

the shipper: long, frustrating & added nothing to my life

turn left turn right: long, frustrating & added nothing to my life

kiss me again: long, frustrating & added nothing to my life

hotel stars: long, frustrating & added nothing to my life

blacklist: long, frustrating & added nothing to my life

xxx

participate in the drama ask game :)