#he’s always either Big Fan or Big Mad put him with someone he has 0 emotions about

[ziracona]

Telltale Batman was right. Catwoman and Two-Face is an incredibly underutilized dynamic. In this essay I

[hopelesshawks]

Hey hey pspspsps if ur down to write some genshin headcanons👀👀 I’d loveee to see some modern au Tohma, Xiao, Kaeya, Childe, Zhongli and Diluc headcanons 👀👀 like college age mayhaps 👀👀

Ohhh ok BUCKLE UP KIDS it’s Genshin modern college au headcanons here we go!

Warnings for alcohol mention and very brief mention of recreational drug use

I feel like I should disclaimer that I’m in a coed frat and went to a small to mid size technical school that’s pretty nerdy so my experience with frats is probably very different and not nearly as gross as the like general US State School experience can be

Tohma

Smooth talker, big man on campus 100%

Probably joined a frat literally the minute he could for the connections and so he could meet even more people

Dude has been throwing ragers since like the first month of his freshman year, you don’t know how he knows so many goddamn people on campus he just does

Seems like a player and hopeless flirt but is actually such a dorky little himbo when you get to know him

If you need any kind of recommendation on anything he’s your guy. From the best spots to nap on campus to the best restaurants within walking distance.

In a relationship he’s super open about his affection and probably is into PDA. It’s not a possessive thing, he’s just so in awe he gets to have you that he wants to enjoy every second of it so why miss out on a hug or kiss from you just because there’s a few people around

Xiao

The first several times you interacted you were probably forced too. Like you were partners on a group assignment so he had to deal with you for a little bit and eventually warmed up

Has a reputation among the rest of your class for how standoffish he is so when he started hanging out with you a few of the other people from your year legit were just like “h o w” and you can’t even give them a proper answer tbh because even you don’t know

Is probably some kind of writing/English/history major

Not only is willing to fight anyone who tries to imply his degree isn’t as useful as a STEM one, but actually has gotten in multiple, some of which almost came down to an actual physical fight before you dragged him away

Definitely pouted about you pulling him away but will yell at you if you call it pouting

In a relationship there is almost no PDA. He might hold your hand and if someone makes him jealous enough he may pull you a little closer and/or put himself between the two of you but for the most part he feels like his relationship is no one else’s goddamn business and he has no interest in giving people a show

Kaeya

The biggest little shit as always

Also joined a frat but is mostly in it for the free booze and he says the brotherhood but you’re pretty sure he just likes the way the other members hang on his every word when he speaks

Doesn’t believe in the cult-like level of loyalty some frats expect and so will 1000% report any of his fellow brothers who try to be shady/scummy/gross. No one would dare get mad at him for it so it’s actually helped the frat stay a healthy environment, 10/10 could trust the guys there with your drinks

Honestly at this point the frat is pretty much just Kaeya’s Followers(tm) and by his senior year the juniors get worried about it because “uhhh who becomes Kaeya when Kaeya graduates” and when they try to ask Kaeya this question he just winks and gives an answer that is entirely unhelpful and sounds like it’s at least 80% bullshit

Never seems to go to class and yet somehow always has amazing grades

In a relationship acts very flirty and is constantly teasing you in public, but stops short of anything above mild pda and in private gets really soft and sweet he’ll deny it if you try to point this out in front of others though

Childe

Is in the literal douchiest frat on campus fuck the Fatui like you’re constantly trying to get him to de-brother but he’s got a misplaced loyalty to them that keeps him in the organization

First time you met him you wanted to punch him in the face but he also quickly becomes the only thing stopping you from failing out of a class the two of you share and over the course of that time he manages to win you over at least a little bit

It’s all fun and games until someone pisses him off. He’s another one that you have to try and drag away from physical altercations on a semi-regular basis

Once he notices that you care enough to try and drag him away or worry about him if he’s injured in a fight, he starts picking more of them just to see your reaction

Even if y’all’s relationship is entirely platonic he flirts with you. He thinks it’s funny when he can manage to fluster you so he tries to make a game out of it even if he doesn’t actually mean any of the things he’s saying

If you guys are in a relationship he definitely packs on the PDA, partially to fluster you, partially because he’s possessive and he doesn’t like the way some of his frat brothers look at you sometimes so he wants everyone to be totally clear on who exactly you belong to

Zhongli

Still rich, still never has any fucking money on him. The number of times you’ve had to cover for this man because he’s forgotten his wallet in his dorm or straight up lost it is honestly ridiculous at this point but you can’t even be mad at it because he invites you to his family’s beach house and shit to compensate

He’s the kind of rich where his family has had money forever so he genuinely doesn’t even realize that some things aren’t normal experiences like not everyone grew up with a butler and all designer clothes, etc.

Definitely an Econ major because his parents want him to take over the family corporation but on the low has 0 intentions of doing so and actually intends to create his own start up after graduation and do something he wants to do without having to answer to anyone

He’s so pretty and for what? Mans is oblivious as fuck. Literally half the people on campus that are into dudes have a crush on him but he has no idea and if you try to point it out to him he’ll wave you off

In a relationship he’s either taking you to the shitty Mexican restaurant on campus that’s open until like 3am on weekends or five star restaurants, no in between. You’re either eating like royalty because he knows you deserve it, or eating like broke college kids because he wants the ✨experience✨

He gives me gentlemanly PDA vibes, like he’s not gonna makeout with you in the quad but he’ll kiss your hand or your cheek, hold you close to him, and otherwise make it clear that he’s very much happily in love with you

Diluc

Not only is this man not in a frat, he probably actively campaigns against their existence and isn’t quiet about hating them

Always goes to class and thus always has amazing grades

Won’t get into physical fights the way Childe and Xiao do even though he could hold his own in one if he wanted to, but regularly gets into debates with people and is not afraid to drag you into the middle of it even if it has nothing to do with you

Doesn’t drink which frequently means him playing caretaker/mom friend when y’all go to parties together and while he might complain about it he secretly loves that you trust him to take care of you if you get sloppy drunk/high/crossed

Flusters easily but good at hiding it. If you flirt with this man in public his expression won’t change while he’s telling you to stop fucking around but his face will be going as red as his hair

In a relationship he’s not a fan of PDA but is a fan of you, so while he probably keeps the affection to a minimum while you’re out and about he still is maintaining some sort of physical contact with you most of the time or at the very least is keeping you close

[bullshittierlists]

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR DANGANRONPA V3 (and probably the other games, too, just to be safe)

So, just as a heads up, I made this list a few months ago, I think in the middle of chapter 4. I was going to update it, but I realized that any feelings I had were just made stronger and the list was still relatively accurate. Here are my thoughts:

I see no god up here other than me

Kirumi Tojo - As you may know about me, I can typically tell who my favorite characters are going to be before I indulge myself in a series. This has especially rung true throughout Danganronpa, I was able to correctly guess Taka and Gundham as my respective favorites before actually seeing them in action. Let me tell you that Kirumi surprised me. I originally guessed K1-B0 as my favorite and while he’s still up there, he is nowhere near Kirumi. I realized she was my favorite the moment chapter 2 ended. Not only were her execution and plan wonderful and brilliantly done, her last-ditch plea to convince everyone to let her live sold her for me. Not only did this plea make sense, it almost worked and I kinda wish it would’ve. Her motive was almost completely selfless and she worked damn hard to escape. Her execution was the only time I cried during this game because I wanted so badly for her to escape, but I knew that all of her efforts were futile. I know her biggest criticism is that her plan from hiding Ryoma’s body was completely unnecessary, but I like to believe she was just nervous and overthought the whole thing. I mean, this had to go perfectly in order for her to save her country, of course she’s going to add a few too many steps.

Miu Iruma - Okay, I know this is going to sound fake, but I actually really love the dichotomy of her character. The way that she acts so self-righteous but is actually quite self-conscious really stood out to me. Of course she’s funny and hot, too, but I feel it’s important to really appreciate the way her character was written. It amazes me that she was written to be the least likable character in the entire series and still ended up being one of my favorites.

You’re the best

K1-B0 - Yes, I type out his name every time. As I already mentioned, he was my original guess for favorite character, but it obviously didn’t work out that way. He stayed in his position of first for a while, but I always knew it wasn’t meant to last, I just didn’t know which character would take his place. Even besides my doubts, I still love K1-B0, I just wish more could’ve been done with him in the earlier chapters. There are several opportunities for him to be a really funny character and have good interactions with Kokichi and Miu, but he just comes off as annoying. I feel like he only really started to be utilized after Miu died with Monotaro and I really enjoyed their dynamic, I just wish we could’ve had some of this side of K1-B0 before this point.

Kokichi Oma - This spot probably isn’t as subjective as I’d like it to be. Every time Kokichi was on screen, I would get visibly annoyed, but I knew I was in for a treat figuring out his deeper intents behind what he’s saying. The only reason I really like Kokichi at all is because he’s fun to analyze. It gets boring to analyze Nagito because his motivation is pretty much just a mix of “hope” and “he’s crazy.” Kokichi’s character trait of lying makes it so fun to individually analyze each of his lines to figure out whether he’s telling the truth and why or why not. Other than that, I guess he has some funny dialogue with Miu sometimes.

Gonta Gokuhara - I really don’t know. I know this is way too early to be unsure about characters, but I just know I couldn’t put him any lower, but I also couldn’t put him any higher. He’s just such a sweetheart, but that’s about where the substance ends. I adored every time he was on my screen, but everything that would’ve been fun to analyze about him just leads back to Kokichi. I still really enjoy his presence, though. I’d like a big Gonta hug.

Kaede Akamatsu - I’ll just say it, I think she would’ve made for a better protagonist. I’ll talk about this later, but Shuichi’s character development doesn’t really feel like it goes anywhere and the twist doesn’t feel worth it because of that. I think the twist should still have been incorporated, but with the roles reversed. Either way, we got what we got, and what we got was tears from Clair de Lune. But seriously, she really is a great pianist. I’ve been trying to learn the piece for ages and it’s still too complicated for me. I mean, it’s in 9/8 for God’s sake. Good for her, regardless.

Tenko Chabashira - Tenko’s a weird case. I didn’t actually care for her that much until quite literally a few lines before she died. Fun fact: I spoiled this entire series for myself before I ended up playing it and I’m still mad at myself. This meant that I was just waiting for all of the deaths to happen, especially Tenko’s. I was fully aware that every line could be her last during the seance, but I wasn’t aware that she would pull on my heart strings before she went. When she tells Himiko that she’ll do the seance in her place so she can talk to Angie, I literally almost started crying. Before this, Tenko was just kind of annoying, but not too bad, but this moment really solidified her spot for me. She really just wanted to help Himiko and I wish she had chosen a better target for her affections.

Hey, I think you’re pretty cool, I like you a lot

Shuichi Saihara - Time to elaborate on what I said for Kaede. I actually really enjoyed Shuichi’s character development throughout the first three chapters. Before coming to Hope’s Peak, he was afraid to hurt people with his detective skills. Kaede notices this and helps him through it, passing the reins to Kaito once she passes. Shuichi convicts Kaede and later Kirumi, much to everyone’s detriment, but they’re all okay with it (Nobody was really super sad about Korekiyo to begin with, lol). Then, starting in chapter 4, everyone just kinda flips on him. Shuichi + the rest of the gang - Kokichi all believe that Gonta is innocent and Shuichi tries to prove this. Instead of supporting him, everyone (especially Kaito) tries to... stop him??? from proving it??? They’re all just in agreement that it wasn’t Gonta, but don’t want to proceed with the investigation to figure out who it was instead. It’s really frustrating and made my overall experience much less enjoyable. This is bumped up a few notches in chapter 5 with Maki. I understand that she was part of the whole case, but that doesn’t make it any less annoying that she won’t let me prove Kaito was the victim. It just feels like the character development was all for nothing and every student feels like a human obstacle (except K1-B0, of course). Still relatable and emo, though.

Rantaro Amami - I would make the joke everyone expects, but I’m on my laptop and I don’t know how to get to the emoji keyboard.

Ryoma Hoshi - I genuinely don’t have anything to say about Ryoma. He’s my halfway point because I don’t have anything particularly for him and I don’t have anything particularly against him, either. Go off, funky little cat man.

Kaito Momota - He got on my nerves in chapter 4, but he was a genuinely sweet character that I really enjoyed talking to. Any time he would talk about the stars, I would swoon because he’s just such a natural romantic. Not really my type, though. Very average.

Monophanie - Legally you can’t ask me why the monokubs are where they are. She’s voiced by Natalie Hoover (Sonia) and I guess that’s my only reasoning.

Monotaro - I really just liked his interactions with K1-B0 in chapter 4. Other than that, I greatly disliked his and Monophanie’s presence in Gonta’s execution. 0/10 worst use for monokubs.

Monodam - A nice, non-distracting addition to Korekiyo’s execution. But he had so much potential and just threw it all away. Apparently I’m a basketball dad from a high school movie now.

I remember you

Angie Yonaga - Many times, I’ve found myself asking who I ship from the series and this love triangle comes to mind. Of Angie, Himiko, and Tenko... I only really like Tenko. I don’t hate Angie’s cult stuff as much as everyone else seems to, but she didn’t have nearly enough of a presence for me to latch onto outside of the cult stuff, which was funny, I will admit.

Maki Harukawa - I was so excited the whole game for her to get cool. I knew she was going to get cool, I just didn’t know when or how. But then, it was chapter 5 already and she hadn’t gotten cool in my eyes yet. I was really meh on her by that chapter anyway, but her being annoying really knocked her down a few pegs. She got a couple extra points for surprising me during the case, but not enough to bump her up any spots.

Himiko Yumeno - I was rooting for her to be crushed under the rock at the end. She was fine before chapter 3, but then they tried to develop her with the Akane treatment and it didn’t work for me at all. She just got on my nerves during the third trial and continued to contribute nothing throughout the rest of the game. During chapter 5 and 6, it’s like the writers just completely forgot that she was there. This would’ve been fine if they weren’t the last couple of chapters and she was one of about 6 people left alive. She had a role to play and didn’t play it in the slightest. The most she was utilized after chapter 3 was as Miu’s replacement post-chapter 5. Someone needed to fill the dirty jokes quota and I guess Himiko was chosen. #GiveTenkoABetterLoveInterest2021

Monosuke - The only thing I remember him doing throughout the entire game was distract me from Kirumi’s exectuion. Not a fan.

You are the worst. Literal scum. Leave this planet and never return

Korekiyo Shinguji - Okay, listen. He’s not that bad. His design is actually one of the best, in my opinion and I love his dedication to his craft. However, he just creeps me out whenever he’s on screen and I’d prefer not to be around him. It’s not even the sister thing, I honestly think that’s funny and a nice change of pace, but his overall demeanor is creepy. Not to mention he’s played by Todd Haberkorn and he’s been in one too many roles recently. Hopefully I’ll get over it, but as for now, that loses him points.

Tsumugi Shirogane - I know, not exactly an unpopular opinion. She’s just annoying and downright pisses me off a lot of the time with her “plain” shtick. I already knew she was going to be the mastermind, so most of the game was just me waiting for her to reveal it. I swear, I almost couldn’t take it every time she said something like, “What if there isn’t a mastermind?” “What?? There’s a mastermind????” Just stfu Tsumugi. You all are lucky I don’t have the energy to talk about 3-6 right now.

Monokid - Hate the tongue sprite, that’s literally the only reason he’s down here. He’s also kind of annoying, but made the best addition to an execution out of all of the monokubs. His death was one of the few things that surprised me in this game and it was a welcome twist. I was sick of him by this point, but was still incredibly shocked when he was pushed into the execution. Then, his severed head rolls out to all of the students looking on in shock at Kaede’s death. Masterful. Still hate the tongue sprite.

There we go. Definitely my least favorite cast out of the whole series, but it’s still fun to love on and hate on a lot of the characters, as per usual. There are just a few too many in the middle tier (metaphorically speaking) that are either uninteresting or just don’t get their time to shine. Maybe they’ll eventually grow on me more, but I doubt it.

[trans-clown-catgirl]

Sooo, someone on Rewritten Belial wanted to know what I see wrong with mid fight masses. Boy, boy oh boy, where do I fucking start

ANIMATION

My god. My god the animation. The problem for the most part isn't the animation itself (except for the title screen, fuck that, it looks so weirdly floppy and stiff), it's the fact the animations aren't aligned properly. Take one good look at Sarv's sprites in the first 2 songs. Look how often her position shifts. There's seemingly no ground whatsoever for her, her feet get positioned up and down seemingly at random with the notes and it's REALLY frustrating. It isn't even bc of exaggerated poses, Week 4 shows that exaggerated poses can work while still making sense with where the floor is. Sarvente continues to be an offender in that regard with the fact the telephone animation looks EXTREMELY choppy and lacks a lot of inbetween frames, not to mention how stiff it feels.

Ruv is a lesser offender, the only thing that bothers me is how his feet curve down on his idle stance, because, again, That's Not How The Ground Works.

Selever. Dear god. His idle animation is so fucked. He goes 3 steps to the left by standing still. And this is purely an XML issue btw, bc there's a gif in the files with the animation in its raw state and it looks just fine

ART

THE BACKGROUNDS, DON'T GET ME STARTED. They're completely fucking lineless. That's NOT what you do with FNF. In FNF, lineless stuff is the environment, a car, the sun, a house, individual objects that are supposed to be in front or behind of one another are lined, always, and the mod NEVER does this, making everything blend in super hard.

Then there's a problem all the sprites share. They are by no means in FNF's style. FNF's art style consists of a lot of thick lines, big shapes, and a generally very street-like style. MFM does none of that. The lines are thin (with sarvente having completely lineless elements, which you should NEVER do for fnf character sprites unless it's pure black) and look very out of place when put next to every other character. Ruv is, again, the lesser offender, although he's definitely still one.

THE CHARTING

Hell. Hell. HELL. SO MANY NOTES THAT AREN'T EVEN IN THE SONG ITSELF, SUCH AN ABSURD OVERUSE OF TRIPLES AND DOUBLES, because god forbid the player actually has fun doing patterns for fast songs, right?! Gospel is safe in this regard, meanwhile Zavodila. Why. Zavodila could have been perfectly fun and difficult without them. Why did you do this. They're not inherently wrong, you just need to implement them really well and chief this ain't it. Jacks and multis aren't to be abused, ever. Patterns are best, always.

THE MUSIC

Subjectivity zone has been entered. Worship, Parish and Gospel are very subjective and down to taste, personally I ended up only liking Gospel out of the three even if I insist it should be a metal song bc demons are just like that.

Now Zavodila I have an objective complaint about, AND IT'S THE BEST SONG IN THE MOD. This isn't too much about the song on its own, but as an FNF song. Listen to it. Listen to it and tell me Ruv's voice sounds like a voice at all. No. It's just hard bass without a smidge of voice on it. If it was a voice with a filter on it that made it kinda sound like hard bass, fine, Whitty is good for that reason, it's a voice with a filter that makes it sound SIMILAR to an instrument. But when it's JUST an instrument, you've gone overboard. Idk what Selever's song is called but it has the exact same issue.

THE WRITING

ULTIMATE SUBJECTIVITY ZONE ENTERED. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.

The writing is very lackluster. Everything just kinda happens for the sake of it, there's no background motivator or thing that got BF and GF there against their own will, it just kinda. Happens. And the reveal for Sarv's demon form is VERY lackluster, she just goes "lemme show u a secret actually" and transforms for no reason other than an excuse for a harder song. And to be blatant hornybait btw, I saw the namefiles, this demon form was designed with pure libido and no brain processes. Either way; everything just kinda happens for no reason here. It's not good. It's. Very, very bad.

And then you get into the background lore and it all gets so goddamn confusing because Dokki literally dug up OCs from when she was a kid and tried to bullshit up some backstory for them and it all crashed horribly. Every little fact is thrown in just because, like. She's lucifer but also didn't want to become lucifer and did so on accident?? How? It's never elaborated on? And WHY would she help God, who she hates, to bring people to heaven, what kinda consequence is there to not doing it, why is she being told to do this, and yet she's apparently NOT an actual nun and is just wearing a costume. What the hell is going on there. It's a mess. And Ruv. What's going on with Ruv I actually don't know I just know apparently he has dead nerves that make him unable to smile (which btw THAT'S NOT HOW NERVES WORK THEY'RE SPREAD ACROSS THE BODY AND ARE VERY, VERY LONG, THEY'RE NOT DIRECTLY CONDENSED INTO ANY SPOT AND THEN THEY JUST STOP THEY'RE INTERCONNECTED) and that he "kills for a sense of justice and ends up becoming an antagonist because of it"?? It's all so confusing and it makes 0 sense. They should have been remade from the ground up instead of having been picked up and thrown a buncha shit onto. You don't pick up a rotten piece of meat, slap a buncha sauces on top of it and make it taste good. It's still old, rotten meat, and you should just get fresh meat instead. Same type, new start. Remake, don't rehash.

CONCLUSION

In my sincere opinion? This mod had a TON of potential. You could have done a lot more under more capable hands. On every single end. Writing, charting, art, music to a lesser degree, if it had been done by more capable and experienced people it could have been one of the best mods. But then it wasn't. And it got popular anyways. This. This all is why I'm reclaiming it. Because I see what could have been. How much you could have done with this mod. And I wanted to take a shot at the writing end of things, because that's what I'm most capable of, even if it isn't much. That's why I made Rewritten Belial. And why I hope I did a good job of making something worthwhile with these characters.

ALSO THE DEVS ARE SO ENTITLED HOOOOLY SHIT YOU LITERALLY CANNOT POST RECHARTS ON GAMEBANANA ANYMORE WITHOUT GETTING BANNED BC THEY GET MAD WHEN PEOPLE FIX THEIR HORRIBLE CHARTS. THEY NEVER, EVER ENCOURAGE FAN CONTENT THAT ISN'T SUCKING UP TO THEM AND JUST COPYPASTING WHAT'S ALREADY THERE WITH 0 MODIFICATIONS. MIKEGENO UR THE ONLY DECENT PERSON HERE BLESS YOU

[oveliagirlhaditright]

So in your case, are you put off from Sor iku because of the ship wars? And would you have been more open KH multishipping had it not been for that? Or, is Sor iku simply a ship you wouldn't have thought of had the fans not brought it up?

At this point in my life, I feel like an alternate version of me right now could have been shipping S*oRiku some, if the fandom hadn’t ruined it for me.

Though that’s not entirely true. I just feel like this ship would never completely gel with me. And even in said alternate universe, I would still be shipping S*oKai more as my true OTP.

But my issues with S*oRiku are this:

1. While S*ora’s a good enough person to not let what R*iku did to him--in trying to kill him, and all--really bother him or hold it against him... I just personally headcanon that his subconscious mind might cause him to have nightmares about it. Like, his conscious mind is okay with it... but his subconscious mind isn’t. And as an aside, one of the reasons I ship S*oKai--and think it’s good--is because K*airi’s the only person in S*ora’s close circle of friends who has never betrayed him. Some of you may think I’m wrong on this one... and that S*ora’s forgiven R*iku so much, that even his subconscious doesn’t hold onto any of those old feelings. But IDK. Even while forgiving N*aminé, yes, S*ora still told her in that moment he wasn't happy with her messing with his memories. 

2. The goddamn power imbalance drives me bananas, and I don’t think it would be healthy. This was, of course, at its worst in K*HI. But it was improved upon after that... when they both realized they were jealous of each other and wanted to be like each other, and then took a healthy step forward in becoming moreso friends again than rivals (perhaps the friends they once were). So you may be asking, “Why don’t you ship them then, Shanna?” Because D*DD had to bring it back! With R*iku now being a Master over S*ora... and seeing as how N*omura always wants Sora to be a “normal boy”, I don’t see that changing. In K*HIII, R*iku--among everyone else but K*airi--kept teasing him about not being a Master... and while it was all in good fun, you can tell that it really hurt S*ora and shattered his confidence a lot. Maybe not so much the teasing, as the event itself... but still. Maybe not tease your dear friend over a sore spot of theirs every second of every day, guys?

3. I’ve just realized R*iku’s entire redemption arc--which is a huge reason as to why people ship S*oRiku--bothers me and makes little sense, imo. Like, the big takeaway from K*HI, is that R*iku was wrong to side with M*aleficent, kidnap Princesses, want to sacrifice P*inocchio to save K*airi and kill S*ora if he got in his way of saving K*airi... And yet the story’s way of R*iku making up for what he did to S*ora, is to essentially kill more people but for him this time: R*oxas and X*ion. And I know there’s a whole narrative about how our heroes were told N*obodies weren’t supposed to exist/really didn’t exist/were doomed to fade away or back into their original selves, anyway, and R*iku felt he had no choice. But it still bothers me. To me, it gives the unintentional narrative that it’s not okay to kill people for K*airi’s sake, but it is for S*ora’s. It also doesn’t help that, for the most part, R*iku doesn’t see what he did in the D*ays timeline as bad at all--or that he should apologize for it (and he’s yet to): at least not like D*iZ and N*aminé do.

And as a 3.5 of this list... I feel like R*iku became too obsessed with S*ora in his desire to help him/make amends with him, and it really isn’t (or at least wasn’t) healthy. Especially since he didn’t seem to take care of himself at all during that time. Though to be fair... some could maybe argue the same when it comes to S*ora’s obsession with K*airi, and how that’s now gotten him killed twice now... and they may not be wrong. So see? I’m trying to be objective and fair here.

4. And this is a big one for me... I kind of don’t care about S*ora or R*iku without K*airi, so this is probably a big reason as to why I could never really ship them... but explains why I can ship S*oRi*Kai some. All of D*ream D*rop Distance, I got no ship feels like many others would or did, or whatever. No. I just wanted to punch both of them in the face the whole time, for abandoning Kairi. I was so mad! I was like, “How dare you leave your other best friend behind, for no good reason (since you thought there was no danger and she can even somewhat fight now), when you know how much your doing so hurt her last time and you maybe even just made promises against that ever happening again?! Yet here you are! And how dare you take the raft without he?r! And R*iku, what the fuck are you saying, that it was T*erra who made you want to see other worlds when in K*HI you said it was Kairi?! You know what?! Dishonor on all of you! Dishonor on you, dishonor on Sora, dishonor on your cow!” Yeah.

5. This is kind of a minor one... but a lot of people ship S*oRiku in a “and S*ora saves R*iku from his darkness” kind of way. And I’m just- I’m getting sick of this trope in any piece of media anywhere. Because it’s not someone else’s job to save you from your demons. It’s your own. Seriously. Stop trying to put that on so many people/characters. It isn’t fair to them... especially when an act of love so strong as that can often times destroy the giver. Not that I really think it would S*ora--or that this entirely applies to S*oRiku--but I’m just kind of done with the trope as a whole. And a lot of people ship S*oRiku because it’s kind of a light and darkness pairing, and find S*oKai boring because it’s light and light... but tbh? In real life, if given the choice, most people would choose to be with a light person and not be weighed down with a dark one. Because again: it’s not their job to save someone, and expecting that from them really isn’t fair.

6. And I guess this is moreso why I don’t like them in fanon, as opposed to why I don’t like them in canon: I hate how most S*oRiku fanworks that I’ve seen of them, strip away any masculinity that S*ora has--but I’ve also seen their argument, that we S*oKais can make him too masculine. And I could maybe agree with that--and just want him to be a damsel in distress for R*iku to save. I think people who have made posts--about how certain S*oRiku fans need to check themselves... because they hate K*airi, for apparently “always needing to be saved by S*ora”... but then dream of S*ora always being saved by R*iku--aren’t wrong.

And as for if I would have seen any S*oRiku at all in the games without S*oRiku shippers telling me it was there... in the original trilogy (K*HI, C*oM, and K*HII), I don’t see it at all. I know most S*oRiku shippers started seeing it in II... but I don’t. At all). I don’t even really see it in D*ays and B*bS. If anything, I started seeing it in C*oded and D*DD (but at first, I didn’t really see it in C*oded, either; it just seemed long strong/sweet friendship stuff to me--and maybe still don’t as much there as I see it in D*DD--so D*DD’s really the only one I see it in). 0*2 doesn’t have it, in my opinion. And even though people try to argue that K*HIII has it... I think if any S*oRiku fan is being honest with themselves... they can tell that the bromance was toned down in that one, at least compared to recent games, probably because this was when N*omura was first getting news that people shipped S*oRiku... while he was making this game that he wanted to go full S*oKai in. Yeah.

So, to answer your question, at least in this reality... I can never really ship S*oRiku: for the fandom, for things I dislike about it, and the fact that S*oKai will always be my favorite (though I can ship S*oRi*Kai, just not as much as the former). But in an alternate universe where the fandom wasn’t awful... I would probably be shipping it a little; I may have been big enough/strong enough to set the tropes I dislike about it to the side and give them a chance, but I still wouldn’t ship it like I do S*oKai... and I’d get mad at any time K*airi was left out and I felt S*ora and R*iku were being bad friends to her.

[polandspringz]

I’m sure you probably got asked this many times but what’s your rank of the brothers from most fav to least fav? Least fav doesn’t mean dislike but still a ranking :0 from your fics I get that Mammon might me in that top hehe

I don’t think I’ve actually been asked this before? But, either way, I have been waiting for someone to ask me about this! Although I’ve given my MC’s relationships on another post, (and a tiktok where I ranked the battle themes) I haven’t actually given my own personal ranking, so here we go!

1. Mammon- You knew this, he knew this. He’s our first, and I’m weak for characters that are the “bad boy, tsundere” type I guess. The devs and the writing team did an excellent job in creating his character because I opened the game a Lucifer stan and the moment Mammon softened I became a simp, lol. I also am a big fan of Osomatsu-san, so Mammon is very much the equivalent to Karamatsu, which is part of why I like him.

2. Belphegor- I know he’s a very controversial character to like, and I haven’t even finished chapter 16 yet, so how can he be my favorite? I ended up starting the game in the middle of an event, so while my MC was going around being like “Who is the seventh brother?” I meanwhile was talking him up in the side story (plus, I got spoiled by a crack guide on Youtube and then for fic research spoiled the time travel events for myself). I will say my opinion of him is somewhat changing as I witness him be more cruel and manipulative, but I honestly feel bad for this brother who was isolated for months from his family and was left to boil with the rage and hatred thinking it was because Lucifer hated him, but not knowing it was because Lucifer was trying to protect him. (That was one part that didn’t get spoiled for me, so when Diavolo walked in and did the “protect you from me” my jaw dropped) I’m also just slightly biased because I like reading fics of characters cuddling and when you have someone who is literally always sleeping, you can find a LOT of that.

3. Satan- The reason he’s number three is just because I am very drawn to the “academic” type of character. Overall, his bookish aesthetic I just really like, and his casual design I find very attractive. (I’m a fashion major so I’m very interested in what characters wear. Menswear, and in particular Ivy League style, I have a big appreciation for, so sweaters and such are big plus!) Also his character design looks a lot like Usui Takami from Maid-Sama, and my previous dating sim crush, Jiwoo from Dandelion. In terms of his character though, I admire his efforts to be his own person, and try and overcome his anger. I’m someone with some bad anger myself, so I connect to him a lot in his efforts to improve and control it.

4. Lucifer- Okay, so I really dislike a lot of aspects of Lucifer’s character, but I love how dedicated he is to his family and I feel so deeply for how he wants to completely bear the burden for the Celestial War on his own. It seems somewhat cliche to have a character that is full of pride be the most self-sacrificial, but I love that it was done in the way that he is secretly super humble and loves his family so much but because of that pride being a barrier, he can never express it. He’s obviously one of the most fleshed out characters in the game, but the devs did an excellent job making me feel for him and so I want to comfort him the most.

5. Levi- I was iffy about Levi until I saw a bunch of fan art of him by a certain artist (cough, cough, I don’t want to tag them and bother them but, cough cough, pon-ee) Although I find him a bit annoying with his Woahhhh and his self deprecating personality traits, I’ve learned to see the potential in him and would love to just, give him a hug or something? I’m sorry but my logic for liking him is honestly that he’s a weeb like me and we would probably bond really well over discussing shows and cosplay. (Also COOL TAIL) in all seriousness though, because of how I interpret each character in how I write them, when I was writing fics like “Cause You Don’t Really Wanna Go”, Levi’s scenes and feelings were very inspired by how a lot of people portray the younger Osomatsu brothers reacting to Karamatsu having depression and low self-esteem on behalf of their words and actions. What really drew me to his character was just the potential of him, and really all of the characters who beat each other up like siblings do, deep down having a very strong connection that they don’t ever want to be damaged, but then having that realization that they might have been the one to do it. Levi already has enough self-esteem issues, so I don’t want to say I like him because he’s such a sad character, but in those moments where he’s not sad and is happily gushing about things he likes and soaking up attention from MC and others, I find him a very attractive character personality wise.

6. Asmo- I feel bad putting Asmo so low because I do like him a lot! As you said, least favorite doesn’t mean dislike. What keeps me more distant from him is that I like him, but not romantically or with my MC. I really enjoyed writing the Solomon scene with him in “I’d Rather Be Dry”. Again, what really brings me closer to these characters is psychoanalyzing them in my own writing. I know there is more to his character than the typical, sexual lust, but because I’ve been playing the game so spaced out I feel like I haven’t absorbed as much as his character as I could have to appreciate it. I’m hoping I get to see more of his character in the future lessons, and his “lust” is taken in different directions besides just “cheerfulness’ and to more anger and protectiveness.

7. Beelzebub- I know a lot of people get mad that many people rank Beelzebub low for the writers making him “only/always hungry”, but that’s not why he’s this low on my ranking. I honestly like how a lot of fans take his character to be that his love/connection to MC distracts from the pain of his constant hunger, because his gluttony isn’t just for food. All of the sins are overindulgence, but it is nice to see them all come to this sort of singularity, away from individual desires, and connect as one because of the influence of one person bringing light into their life and re-establishing their family bonds. But, back to why he’s the last on my ranking, is it shallow to say he’s really just.. not my type? I feel bad because I try to give everyone equal screen time in my writing but I know Beel definitely gets less than my top four. I admire his dedication and care for his family but I just don’t find him that attractive. The emphasis on his athleticism and such I honestly don’t care much for, and he’s just a bit too of a warm/welcoming personality for me? I like seeing him defy Lucifer when he gets angry about Belphegor, but every other time, I just feel he is very complacent and too obedient. I don’t want to call him mindless, because he isn’t at all. I do love him, but like Asmo, it could be that replaying the first 20 lessons again (when I finish them) will make me connect to him more. For now though, I find him lacking in individuality, his character too dependent on Belphegor and Lilith’s story, and in the most shallow way possible, he’s just not my type. Sorry!

You probably weren’t expecting me to go on a tangent trying to justify each one, but this honestly took me like... 2 hours to write up. If the undateables were in here, it would be even longer though! Thank goodness you only asked for the brothers! (Although I would be happy to give my ranking on them too, and then my overall ranking on all the characters too...)

[danwhobrowses]

General Discussion: All Elite Wrestling (AEW) Part 2

This is a part 2 of a recent dump of stuff I’m talking about in regards to AEW, if you want to see my critiques and comments in hindsight about AEW Check it out on part 1 -> Here Part 2 is gonna revolve around the future, immediate and long-term, starting with the upcoming All Out PPV

All Out 2020

Criticisms about the Buy In aside, All Out still looks like a heavily stacked card, which is always a positive. I do worry a little that the Tooth and Nail match’s addition will cut into others’ time so hopefully everyone gets a good amount, but if people criticise some matches for being too short remember that fan demand insisted that the same Swole/Baker match be on the paid card rather than having a lot of time to show it for free. And as much as people criticise AEW’s women, the women’s matches are among the top 5 most anticipated matches on the card, probably only behind the tag title and world title match, isn’t that a great thing? Not to mention that the women’s title match encourages AEW/NWA relations, which really would make wrestling better if wrestlers could be more fluid in their appearances. But anyway, All Out is something I look forward to, so let’s break down some predictions? (if you’re wondering why I’m not just doing this on a podcast or something, my voice is not the dulcet flowing river of articulation my writing would imply to be, I like having time and proofing my words, plus if I talk to much my tongue swells and I stutter, stammer and suck at eye contact) So my thoughts for the full card

Predictions

The Buy In

Casino Battle Royale - Eddie Kingston. While I’d be down for Fénix, Pentagon, Archer or even a new or returning face like PAC to win, I think Kingston is the safe bet. The man talks like liquid and his match with Cody brought a lot of eyes to the product. This will continue and start new hostilities, but don’t expect anyone who has faced Moxley before to win, AEW don’t do title rematches so much.

Private Party vs Dark Order (Silver and Reynolds) - this quickly put-together match is going to Private Party, because Silver and Reynolds are enhancement tag teams still, they can win but they won’t win often. Plus the more Silver loses the more bits he’ll have with Brodie on BTE and those are gold.

Main Card

Tooth and Nail - Britt Baker, I expect the cinematic match to have shenanigans but also protect Baker in the midst of her injury recovery. While Swole has been doing the physical lifting of the feud I think having Britt lose on her return could be the wrong choice in the long run.

Dark Order vs The Nightmare Family - Dark Order, Brodie has elevated the tag team to the point where they are a big faction, and they need the big win for this. Cardona, Sky and the Natural Nightmares can take this loss too, but I’d expect QT or Dustin to take the fall for this. Bonus prediction that Tay Conti will indeed join the Dark Order with Anna Jay, leading to them beating down Brandi and Allie at ringside (setting up a women’s tag feud that’d explain why they were kept on other sides of the Deadly Draw bracket)

The Young Bucks vs Jurassic Express - This one I have Jurassic Express, it may be an upset because the Bucks are still reeling from Hangman’s betrayal, this can also lead to the Bucks being more heelish to accompany a Cleaner Kenny Omega. Keep your eye on Jungle Boy, AEW are still hot on him for good reason, this’ll be a huge scalping for Jurassic Express if they pull it off.

Broken Rules - A tough one, but I’m gonna stick with the Multifarious Matt Hardy. I don’t think he wants to end his career just yet and AEW would be foolish to let him go. Plus technically Sami is 2-0 in this feud, so it won’t hurt Sami too much to win in Hardy’s wheelhouse.

Mimosa Mayhem - Another tough one to put down the middle, I am gonna go with Orange Cassidy though. I think Jericho wants to amend the sloppy finish Cassidy’s win had and this’ll make for good comedy to see Jericho (and maybe Hager) flailing around in Mimosa

Women’s Title - I will be happy with either winning, but my heart says Shida. Mainly because I think Britt is the one who should take it from her, their last match was a banger after all. Rosa won’t look weak though, they may even have Shida challenge for the NWA women’s title down the line.

Tag Titles - FTR. That’s it, that’s all you need to know. Hangman’s head is out of the game and Kenny is becoming the Cleaner, it’s time for this schism to start properly, they’ve held it for about a year as well, it’s time.

World Title (Moxley cannot use Paradigm Shift) - It’s easy to say MJF, he is the home breed future and Moxley has had a long run defeating tougher opponents, but I am thinking that Moxley will retain. This is mainly because the odds are so stacked against him, he’ll eke out a win despite MJF’s trickery. The challenger will look fantastic to prove that he will be champion some day, but not today. Instead I think MJF will be thwarted by miscommunication, and as he hinted at during his tag match with Jurassic Express, will split from Wardlow for his ‘fatal error’. Then we’ll get Moxley vs Kingston which can be just as fantastic.

Looking to the Future So ‘looking to the future’ is not gonna all be direct consequences of All Out, some of it is just stuff I’d like to see happen, not all of it has to and my enjoyment isn’t killed from it, but certain things would make AEW better in my opinion. Business Relations So of course it’d be great to have more working relationships with other brands, AEW is already close to OWE and AAA, getting NWA on board would be a good step to establishing good relationships with ROH as well, maybe even NJPW. On the women’s side it’d be nice if they made more solid ties with Cyberfight - which has DDT Pro, TJPW and NOAH, maybe even Stardom, Sendai Girls, EVE and Ice Ribbon. More relationships would offer wrestlers not working Dynamite or Dark to perhaps represent elsewhere. In this representing it’d be great to see more outside titles being shown, it’s free advertising really. Thunder Rosa will for sure be carrying her NWA Women’s title but wouldn’t it be cool if other brand titles could be carried; Kenny carrying his AAA title with the tag titles, Cardona his Internet title, Lucha Bros their HOG and AAA Tag titles, Big Swole her Phoenix of Rise title, Moxley his NJPW US title (though I expect him to lose to KENTA soon), Rosa’s TJPW International Princess title as well and Yuka Sakazaki’s TJPW Princess of Princess Title. It may be me but seeing these titles does add an air of legitimacy to the competitors, showing how successful they are overseas while promoting other promotions. I’d also like to pitch a ‘Locked Down’ mini show or segment where AEW could show what their international talent is doing, Emi Sakura’s ChocoPro could be a light hearted segment, PAC could do some solid promos and like showing the titles, it’d expose the roster as talented. New Signings Someone just has to do good to have people ask for AEW to sign them, but in some cases it would be cool to sign them up. Of the frequent flyers right now AEW would be mad not to sign Ivelisse and Diamante, and I’ve already expressed my hopes that they sign Will Hobbs, Serpentico, Shawn Dean, Brian Pillman Jr, Kilynn King, Tay Conti, Veda Scott, Nicole Savoy/Lil’ Swole and Pineapple Pete, but it’d also be good business to at least call up Renee Paquette/Good/Young and Mauro Ranallo, even if it is for some guest appearances. Signing the likes of Danhausen, Warhorse, ‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey, Millie McKenzie, Laura Di Matteo, Lana Austin, Jamie Hayter, Chris Brookes, Maki Itoh, Miyu Yamashita, Mirio (if he wants to come back into wrestling) and AR Fox. This being said, this should only ease into the Second Show, where we can expose more of the current roster as well. Speaking of Which. (A Few) New Accolades With a bigger division will require more competition. Not all of them need to be titles but something to be fought for. MJF’s Diamond Ring and Cage’s FTW title can help in that matter, but I think a Trios Accolade would be next in line for AEW. This would open the door for more teams to compete; The Elite, Jurassic Express, Best Friends, SCU, Dark Order, Nightmare Family, Death Triangle etc. would still keep it competitive and open the door for more stories of faction warfare. Since this is only my thoughts I would love to see the tag division be intergender too but I wouldn’t hold my breath on that. If we do move to this though PLEASE use whoever designed the world and tag belt, not the TNT belt. Faction Bolstering AEW are looking at the NJPW formula or big factions going into war or tensions with one another, which is good since it does make for lines to be written in the sand. But I think the factions can just be a little bit bigger in some places, and some are easy to add in already. Conti joins Dark Order for 2 women there, have Ivelisse and Diamante join the Inner Circle so we have full LAX (plus Ivelisse tagged with Sammy in LU), Statlander can pair with Best Friends and renew BTE’s skits of her and Orange Cassidy’s palpable sexual tension, I would also enjoy the thought of TH2 joining with Kip and Penelope just to be a faction of talented arseholes. May be the crass side of me, but I also seem to want Brian Pillman Jr to join the Gunn Club simply so we can have an entrance theme that starts ‘Someone call 911, Pillman’s got a Gunn’, Vickie Guerrero could grow her managing of Nyla to an all women ‘Las Guerreras’ faction maybe with Kilynn King, Shaul Guerrero, Abadon or someone else would be a decent move in my books but an exciting faction I can see clearly is a Moxley faction with Darby Allin and Lance Archer. Imagine having Jake the Snake taking care of all that, oh yes is that the good stuff. Future Feuds We’ll end with talking about some feuds I hope to see down the line too, even if they’re not set up already. I’ve already expressed my want for Kingston vs Moxley but another Kingston feud I see in the making is against PAC, Kingston is the man with the plan but PAC will want his Death Triangle buddies back. Speaking of, Moxley could use some bangers with Fenix and Pentagon, both are megastars. While the tag division is looking like it’ll lead to FTR vs Bucks, I think the bigger money is FTR vs Bucks vs Hangman and Kenny first, with Kenny having the Elite ties and Hangman with the FTR ties the storytelling would be ridiculously immense. This thought almost made me pick Hangman and Kenny to win at All Out...almost. I would expect a lot of title defenses from Mr. Brodie Lee, particularly from Cardona but I’d love it if Jungle Boy was the one to win it from him, and for JB to face Sammy Guevara, of the 4 Young Prospects of AEW I don’t think Sammy and JB have gone 1-on-1, could be wrong but Sammy usually went for Darby and JB to MJF, Fénix vs JB would be excellent also. Luchasaurus is also due his hoss match with the Butcher, as well as further conflict with Cage and Archer Also I’d like Shida vs Conti, both are very martial arts-like in their wrestling especially the latter so it would be a good physical match. But yeah, that’s out of my system for now, we’ve talked some good, some bad and some middle, don’t think it matters to anyone but I’ve said my piece Bring on All Out!

[rqs902]

.

probably unpopular opinion but i feel like “we are blazing” is a r1se promotion scheme and it’s kind of scary 

I’m not surprised that this tencent show is heavily biased towards r1se, but I feel like the fact that r1se keeps winning 3:0 is really discouraging to everyone else involved :( I’m mostly disappointed that they won 3:0 even against rocket girls. I watched Produce Camp and know every member of r1se, and I’m honestly not very familiar with rocket girls. But, I’m still disappointed r1se beat them 3:0. I’m sad because this makes it feel like r1se is never going to lose to anyone on this show and that is disappointing. it’s scary that tencent is literally going to create an image of them being the best group, with zero competition. 

I’ve watched zhou zhennan on 3 shows: the coming one, cyzj, and produce camp, and I respect him and know he’s popular. being the og survival show girl group, I respect rocket girls and I know they are popular as well and I don’t think they deserve to be treated like this by their own company. rocket girls’ stage presence was undeniable on “we are blazing”, and their performance was well executed. it feels like tencent is disrespecting them and their fans by allowing r1se to step all over them, and it’s likely because rocket girls is about to disband (i believe?) and that makes it even more sad, because it feels like tencent is abruptly dropping them without supporting them to shine brightly until the end. these last few performances they have together are precious, and if tencent is going to ruin their final memories as a group, that would make me really sad if I was a rocket girls fan. (at least iqiyi never purposefully tried to make nine percent look bad... it makes me sad to imagine if this had happened to nine percent. if iqiyi let unine win over nine percent in a competition show iqiyi put on, as a nine percent fan, I would be SO MAD.) 

I’m also bothered by the fact that “we are blazing” is really painting a picture that boy groups are superior to all girl groups. 

I appreciate that r1se put in the immense effort to make their own song and stage for this episode, and I admire xia zhiguang immensely for his courage and hard work to practice his extremely difficult part. I’m sure zhou zhennan and zhao lei and everyone involved worked very hard and I don’t discount that at all. when I watched produce camp, xzg, zzn, zl, and many of the other kids who made it into r1se were the kids I was looking out for, some of the kids I supported most. But the fact is that rocket girls is their predecessor, and I am 100% sure rocket girls worked hard too, and 100% sure rocket girls deserved to at least get 1 single point out of the three. despite all of this, tencent made it so r1se destroyed rocket girls. and that makes me sad. 

dont even get me started on blackace.... from day 1 they’ve been taking part in making their own stages, AJ has literally choreographed every dance, and him and other members also take part in making the songs themselves too. But do they get nearly as much camera time or recognition for it as r1se? nope. I knew blackace would be at a disadvantage going into this show, so I’m not surprised at all that they’re not doing as well. youku has failed to promote them and tencent has no reason to help them except to appease pinlin stans, but even tho pinlin was crazy popular compared to all the other trainees on afo, his popularity is marginal in the context of r1se. the fact that they have not even acknowledged any sort of interaction between pinlin, huadi, and liu ye makes it feel like they’re trying to downplay the existence of swin to avoid any sort of boost to blackace’s recognition. tencent has always downplayed liu ye in general, so they have no motivation to bring up swin anyway. (the fact that they didnt even consider liu ye as a contender for a dance soloist for the killing part made me so sad.... but im not surprised. liu ye is an AMAZING dancer but they often forget he exists....) 

anyway, I’m happy for r1se that their management really supports them so much post-debut. produce camp was partly a torture camp for all the trainees involved, but since debut, r1se has been given so so many more opportunities to perform together, film shows together, garner recognition and win awards together, etc. compared to any other chinese survival show boy group. and it’s something I would’ve wished for all survival show debuting groups. but seeing them completely beat out all the competition without fail like this just makes me sad.... r1se deserves recognition, I wholeheartedly agree, but other groups have worked really hard too, and they also deserve some recognition. 

I’m hoping that in the future, rocket girls will be able to get at least one point on r1se. I’m guessing the only reason tencent let snh48 win over r1se this week in the overall percentage is so that rocket girls wouldn’t be dead last / have to perform without yamy, so at least that means tencent hasn’t completely dropped rocket girls yet. apparently they’re willing to drop sis for rocket girls, but that’s not surprising either. 

from the next ep preview, im SO scared they’re gonna paint naicha as some overbearing dictator, without painting the whole picture of his tough love leadership style. his strong leadership is what got his team (tuo xian mu ou) to the final round of ayo and thank goodness for it. he’s not afraid to push his team members to their limits because he knows they can do better, and if tencent tries to make him look bad for it, i will be very disappointed. they already tried to make pinlin look bad this ep, and it made me sad. 

literally tencent doesn’t acknowledge AJ for his efforts to make the choreo (yet again) and focuses the entire blackace segment on making it look like pinlin was uncooperative and refused to follow the rules and failed to do the killing part well. I felt like the main reason why they highlighted long ge being so self-sacrificing towards pinlin and why they highlighted other people acknowledging long ge’s talent was just to make pinlin look bad in contrast. 

I think pinlin did well, and since everyone in blackace understands the backstory as to why and how blackace was formed, it makes sense as to why pinlin would do the killing part for this performance. the show mentions how the killing part is supposed to be representative of someone killing or overcoming their past selves, but completely ignores that this stage was a big step forward for pinlin to do a 30+sec dance solo. it represents a HUGE improvement for him since he started out on Super Idol as a vocalist who couldn’t dance at all and was always struggling to keep up with the rest of the trainees. but "we are blazing” doesn’t give him any credit for his improvement. (but they continually mention how much ycy has improved lol...) Yes, blackace could’ve easily given the dance solo to long ge, AJ, or even huadi, but they chose pinlin. Pinlin was afraid to let them down, he knew his own limits, but he still did it. and he did it to the best of his ability and I think he did well. all the blackace members know that pinlin is the most popular person in the group and the most capable of drawing in fan support through his undeniable stage presence. they trust him and tencent makes it look like he didn’t deserve that trust, as if he should just be grateful that he barely made it through to the next round. 

[nad-zeta]

match-up request?

hi! i hope this finds you in good health and i hope you are having a wonderful day so far! i would like an ikemen sengoku match-up, if that is okay? if not, then i apologise and ignore me, haha… this might get long, i don’t know?

alright, so i am a female gemini with isfp personality. in terms of appearance, i am pretty average — brown hair, brown eyes, average height, so i wouldn’t put much attention into that, haha.

now, in terms of personality… well, it gets kind of tricky. it really depends on who i am with — some people could describe me as a silent, straightforward type who doesn’t say much and acts pretty mature ( which is usually in formal situations or when i am feeling threatened by someone ) while others can describe as total opposite; playful, loud and outspoken ( usually in front of friends and family ).

in any way, most of the time i give off this very confident and ‘i don’t give a damn’ vibe, and as such, many would say i am very chill and don’t bother myself with problems and stress, which is very wrong but that’s the impression i leave. i do tend to behave like that, though, as i am not a fan of opening up to everyone and anyone about my true emotions. that being said, i will probably tease people and behave superior in terms of 'not feeling anything’, as i dislike appearing 'weak’ and giving others the advantage. either that, or i just really have something i’d call 'trust issues’. it’s not that serious though — honestly, i am just really playful, sarcastic, playfully flirty and throwing around dark humour and philosophical tales about conspiracy theories. or i am playfully ( or seriously, if i am riled up ) argumentative and up for debates!

though, i do like openness in relationships! be it platonic or romantic. i am a communicative type, and no matter how passive i might be at times, i always prefer to talk things out or am willing to hear people out. i may not be the best listener and comforter ( awkward person alert ), but i do try to give advice and be there for someone as i feel satisfied with my own existence if i feel useful. one of the ways i weigh my self-worth actually is in being capable of making people smile or laugh, or just feel better. i’d say my love language is a mix of physical touch and giving gifts?

i have many interests, going from medicine to botany, astrology, astronomy, writing, art, photography, languages, spirituality — honestly anything that sparks curiosity within me. though, i am also very likely to procrastinate and leave all those interests on hold. though i like to consider myself open-minded, i am also extremely stubborn. my opinion is right ( i am very well aware that it may not be, but that’s just how stubborn i am 😂 ) and it takes a lot of convincing to make me change my mind ( remember when i said debates? ). though, lately i have been tending not to get so riled up over everything, and will not argue unless it really ticks the nerve.

i am, however, willing to apologise if i feel or notice i was at wrong. my sense of guilt is rather big and if i feel guilty or bad, i will seek to fix it. forgiveness is a big thing for me.

along with stubbornness, i’d say some of my flaws could be that hidden sensitivity and lack of emotion towards people or situations, at times — for i can behave rather coldly. i also have minor mood-swings — i had late night situations where i cried my heart out after laughing at stuff, or when i was pretty cheery at school but then just got quiet. oh, yeah, if i am mad, i will probably be silent and not talk to someone! i am a walking contradictory.

i am very affectionate, though. even if one may never guess, i adore hugs and physical contact and am very likely to annoy someone with either giving attention or seeking attention. honestly, it just takes to become a bit closer to me and i will be silly, affectionate and fluffy.

not going to try to describe any of the ikemen sengoku characters, i don’t want anything to be biased, haha, but i will say that i don’t like people who don’t know what they want and who are not serious about things that require seriousness and maturity. and honestly, that goes in both platonic and romantic waters.

ah, that ended up being long and messy, i wonder if it is even understandable? it’s pretty hard to describe yourself as objectively and as shortly as possible, at least for me…

i hope that this is alright with you? again, i sincerely, really apologise if you aren’t taking these requests at the moment or just aren’t feeling up for these, which i understand completely! i hope you will have a wonderful day or night nevertheless, and i pray you are or soon will be in a good mood and with happy thoughts! stay safe!!

Hi, there love! Thank you so much @viaervi​ for the request! You are always more than welcome to submit a request for anything, lol! <3 I hope you enjoy it! hehe, don’t forget I’m new to writing so it might be shit ^0^

So I match you with............... Masamune

The first interaction the two of you have, you realized Masamune has absolutely no boundaries. He just waltzes into your room while you were writing, looked down at your journal, smiled, and plucked it away from you. You tried to grab the book back because you had your whole life there, art, writing, doodles, and your photos. He was wearing that daring grin of his while holding the book above your head, ever so out of reach. He was definitely taking advantage of your average height, you jumped up and down trying to grab it to but to no avail. Eventually, Masa placed his elbow on your head to keep you from moving and started going through your book. He found a particularly lovely photograph that you had taken a while back. You dabbled in photography, and the photo he now held was one of the first pictures you ever took, so it held a significant amount of sentimental value. He was absolutely amazed at the beauty of it. “did you paint this lass”. “No, obviously not, it’s called a photograph”. You had to explain your whole backstory for the second time with the hopes that he wouldn't think you crazy like Nobunaga and Mitsunari did. Then you proceeded to explain the concept of photography best you could. He just gave you the brightest smile you had ever seen and said he believed you. He then welcomed you to the past, and before you could say another word, he left with the photo. You were shocked. Felt like you were just hit by a hurricane.

You were a pretty quiet person more so cause everything was so unfamiliar, but that seemed to have lasted all but 1-minute cause Masamune would just appear out of nowhere and start pestering you. He would poke your cheek continually until you would say something to him. He knew there was more to you than the quiet straightforward expression you wore. You felt that you could truly let your guard down with him, so you showed him your loud, playful side, which he loved btw. Both of you became instant besties for the resties. Flinging playful jokes and comments at each other. Physical contact wasn’t a problem for any of you, so you guys would playfully nudge each other and occasionally roughhouse a little. Especially if Masamune was being a bit cheeky.

Masa enjoyed the fact that you had so many different freaken hobbies. Every day with you was like an adventure on its own, and you were so knowledgeable about the most random things. One night you were chilling in the garden looking at a super moon when Masamune appeared out of nowhere with his hands covering your eyes “guess who?”. “Could it be a pirate? or captain hook?” He couldn’t help but smile at your strange references. He didn’t understand, just what it was about him that reminded you of a pirate. What a strange little kitten you were. He just chuckled and announced himself. The two of you laid on the grass, looking up at the clear night sky. You told Masamune all about astronomy, and then to his surprise, you told him about astrology. He was so amused by the sheer amount of knowledge you had about this vast universe. He was amazed at the concept of astrology and how it could give you a glimpse of a person’s basic characteristics, preferences, and flaws. You even managed to tell him his star signs and the personality traits that went with it. He was shook, darn that is so accurate. Since then, the two of you made it a kind of inside joke. Like how whenever Nobunaga was super extra and dramatic the two of you would look at each other with a knowing smile and say, “wow Nobunaga is being such a Leo right now” “Classic”, followed by a fit of laughter.

Not only that but Masa also loved hearing his kitten’s conspiracy theories! You had even made up a few about Mitsuhide and what he could be up to when he would sneak out during the day. One day the two of you also placed bet to see whose conspiracy theory of Mitsuhide’s whereabouts was more accurate. The bet was on! The two of you trailed him all afternoon, watching him to figure out what his deal was. Unfortunately, the two of you couldn’t prove any of your theories correct, cause the sneaky snek could sense the two of you following him from a mile away and just lead you around in circles all day. After a while, the two of you lost interest and decided to visit a new teahouse for some tea and dumplings instead.

To your surprise you discovered Masa could actually cook. He insisted on giving you a cooking lesson to repay you for all the random little things you had taught him. He decided the easiest thing to teach you would be, bread. So, both of you started by making a sourdough starter and leaving it to proof while you drank some tea. Then you continued to make the bread dough. When it came to kneading the bread, you were so lost in thought that, when you threw the flour down to flour the workbench, you threw a bit too much a little too hard, and it went *poof* all over your face and body. Masa turned to see how you were coming along when he saw you covered in flour. Cue masa howling in laughter while teasing you about looking like a ghost. Oh, he thinks this is funny does he, let’s see how funny it is when he is covered in flour. You grabbed a handful of flour and playfully flung it at him. Within a few minutes, the kitchen was covered top to toe in flour. Hideyoshi went to the kitchen to get a drink of water at just the wrong moment cause just as the last of the flour was being thrown, it landed straight in his face. The two of you looked at each other for a moment in silence and then bust out laughing once more and started teasing Hideyoshi. Both of you had no regrets when, after a long scolding, you had to clean the kitchen.

The two of you had been besties for quite some time, and Masa was starting to get serious about you. He spent no time confessing his feelings for you. The both of you were a very affectionate, physical couple. You would run up to him when he would come back from the war and give him the tightest hug. He would pick you up, kiss you all over your face, and twirl you around in circles.

Good thing you dabbled in medicine cause after that very war, you discovered that Masa had gotten hurt. You carefully cleaned and redressed his shoulder wound. You were a little mad cause he just shrugged of his injury like it was no big deal. You were also feeling extra sensitive cause on that day, you had crazy mood swings. Everything was so overwhelming that u suddenly just burst out into tears. He felt a sharp pain in his chest from seeing his beloved kitten cry. He held you tight in his arms, whispering reassuring words in your ears. He even threw in a few dark jokes about the war, just to bring that smile back on his face. Darn, your dark sense of humor. And darn Masamune for having hilarious jokes. You couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time. Gosh, you loved this big idiot, and his ability to put a big smile on your face even in the midst of one of your crying fits. This had become a kind of a tradition for whenever he would find you upset or mad.

You and Masa are two chilled peas in a pod. Just having fun, living in the moment, and not stressing about minor things you can’t control. And like I said before, you two are all over each other lol. Masa will have no shame in pulling you in for a quick make-out session right in the middle of the hallway. One-time, Ieyasu caught the two of you exchanging a quick kiss, and man, this boy, was as red as a tomato. You could have sworn he had never seen someone kiss before. Ieyasu dropped his books in shock and just turned around and walked away. Guess who teased the porcupine since that day! Your favorite is, after a long day to just come home and cuddle with Masa. He will just sit there with you in his arms and listen to you vent about everything and anything. The two of you can often be found snuggled up together under a fluffy blankie looking at the stars in the night sky.

Other potential matches……………Ieyasu

I hope you enjoyed! Also, it seems the more of these I write the longer they get ^o^

[ethanlivemere]

Nobody asked, but here’s my opinion on the CATS-trailer

So it’s been about three months since the CATS-trailer came out and somehow I thought NOW would be a good time to express my opinion on it. It’s quite controversial, but have you ever wanted to hear what a long-time hardcore CATS-fan who has been wanting a CATS-movie for years thinks about it? Probably not, but I went and made this very long post anyway.

1)      Cast

Can’t spell ‘cats’ without ‘cast’ and there’s some big names in the list of actors they’ve released. Some are excellent choices, some are more… questionable.

Ian McKellen as Gus: Now this is something that makes me profoundly happy. Sir McKellen honestly seems perfect for the role, I mean, he practically IS Gus the Theatre Cat (maybe a little younger, and less feline). Great choice, looking forward to it. Judi Dench as Old Deuteronomy: Now here’s one of the more questionable ones. I love dame Dench, that isn’t the problem; it’s just that Old D is supposed to be a large, old, deep-voiced male cat, and dame Dench only fits one of those characteristics. Of course, they could very well change Old Deuteronomy to be the matriarch of the tribe rather than the patriarch, and that would probably be fine. I’m more worried about whether Old D’s singing parts (like The Ad-dressing of Cats) would work as well with a higher, female voice. And of course, they would have to do tweaks to the song Old Deuteronomy itself, and ‘Old Deuteronomy’s buried nine husbands’ doesn’t sound that great. Idris Elba as Macavity: Here’s one that I’m very interested in. I think they might give Macavity a larger role in the film, which is a big ‘heck yeah’ for me, and Elba seems like he could portray the Napoleon of Crime like the menacing figure it’s supposed to be very well. I look forward to both the portrayal, and what the writers do with him. Jennifer Hudson as Grizabella: There’s an old saying that goes: “a CATS-performance is only as good as its Grizabella”. Will this one be any good? I don’t know, we’ll have to see. The bits of Memory we have heard so far sound decent, although nothing will ever top Elaine Paige for me (as you will notice further in this post, I’m a bit of a ‘1998 video version’-purist) It should be noted that her design doesn’t look a whole lot like Grizabella, but that’s a different category. As long as she can deliver a Memory that almost makes me cry, then it’s fine. James Corden as Bustopher Jones: I know a lot of people hate Corden, but I personally don’t mind him. He’s okay in my opinion (I have never seen his late night show, so that might be the reason). Whether he’ll be able to pull of BJ’s almost opera-like singing is something we’ll have to wait and see, because I very much doubt he did the singing in One Chance himself. Taylor Swift as Bombalurina: I have no idea how this will turn out. She can certainly sing (something we can’t say for sure about a lot of other cast members) but I have no idea if she’ll make a good Bomba. Rebel Wilson as Jennyanydots: I’ll go ahead and say it: I wasn’t too fond of the Jennyanydots bits in the trailer. They were a bit too slapstick-y for my likes, and Rebel Wilson isn’t exactly known for subtle humor. Once again, we’ll see how it turns out. Jason Derulo as Rum Tum Tugger: Recent CATS-productions have been changing the classic RTT we know and love to some sort of rapper abomination, and many fans (including myself, as you may notice by that wording) don’t like it. It’s unclear which version the movie will be going for: Derulo certainly resembles the rapper version more, but what we saw in the trailer looks like neither, though slightly leaning towards the classic version. Let’s hope we don’t have to hear RTT rap his own song. Ray Winstone as Growltiger: Look, I have never seen or heard of Ray Winstone, but just seeing Growltiger on the cast list fills me with profound happiness, because that’s the one big complaint I have about my beloved 1998 video version: no Growltiger. Hurray for Growltiger’s return!

That’s the main ones I wanted to discuss. Munkustrap seems unimportant in the trailer (we’ll get to that in a bit) so I won’t discuss him. Victoria mainly just has to be a good dancer, and Francesca Hayward seems to be just that, so no further comment (though more on Victoria later).

2)      Character design

Alright, let’s address the elephant in the room: the CGI. Yes, some of the characters make me very uncomfortable. Yes, I hope they change some things before the final product. But what I want to discuss is the designs themselves.

First of all: head shapes. Apart from some exceptions (Grizabella, Old D, Gus) all cats seem to have a human shape of head, and this bothers me. Usually, Cassandra stands out by her head shape, and so do Cori and Tanto, but here they all have that shape. Usually, RTT has a very wide head to go with his mane, but here? This is my biggest problem with RTT in this trailer (ignoring the threat of rapper-Tugger): the combination of his thin head, kind of small mane and completely different colors make him barely recognizable as Tugger. Many cats look very different: Old D, even ignoring the fact that it’s a woman now, has completely different colors. The same goes for Bombalurina. Maybe this is the ‘don’t you dare change anything’-fanboy side of me talking, but in cases where fur color is the only way to recognize a character, this is a big deal. Macavity also looks completely different, although cool. The hat looks be a bit weird on him though. Also Mistoffelees has black patches on his eyes, not sure how I feel about that.

Overall, the awkward CGI and many changes make character design one of the things I’m less happy about, but oh well.

3)      Sets & backgrounds

I think the backgrounds look gorgeous, although some are very obviously CGI (here we are at the CGI again). But there’s one problem: CATS takes place on a junkyard. I know, obviously they would want to expand a little in the film and include more different settings, and I completely agree: I would’ve been disappointed if they hadn’t. The problem is that I haven’t seen a single junkyard in the trailer. We see streets, a theater, a fancy house, a square, a graveyard, a bar… but no junkyard. Some shots may look like they’re on a junkyard, but trust me: they’re either in the theater, graveyard, or the alley at the back of Bustopher’s favorite club. Again, this is basically me going ‘they changed something reeee’, but come on. It’s like if the Les Mis movie was set in Italy. Tom Hooper, do me a favor and include at least ONE scene on a junkyard.

4)      Story

The musical is, much like Les Mis, 100% singing and talking with music accompaniment, and 0% regular dialogue. From the line said by Victoria at the end of the trailer, we know that they won’t do like Les Mis and completely sing the movie, and I’m perfectly fine with that. CATS’ story has always been a bit unclear for a casual patron who doesn’t know the lyrics and deep lore of the musical, so I’m glad they’re putting in some regular dialogue. If anything, it’ll give us a chance to see the Jellicles’ personalities better.

But speaking of Victoria: it seems like she and Mistoffelees will be the main characters in the movie. This is odd, but understandable. CATS doesn’t have a clear main character. You could say it’s Grizabella, but she’s only in a couple of scenes. You could say it’s Munkustrap, although he is regarded more as the narrator than the main character. However, the trailer has a disappointingly small amount of Munk, and his name is very low on the IMDB cast list. The same goes for Skimbleshanks, who I’m not sure if he’s in trailer at all (unless he’s the cat with the pants) and is even lower on the list than Munkustrap, plus there are no trains or train stations in the trailer. Odd.

Anyway, back to Misto and Vic. Normally, Victoria’s only role is performing a couple of amazing ballet routines, but that doesn’t seem to be case here. I personally would’ve picked Jemima over Victoria as a main character, but I guess her design isn’t as easily recognizable as Victoria’s (have I mentioned how many of the cats look pretty much the same in this version?)

Someone who also seems to have a much larger role is Bustopher. Normally he only appears during his own song, but here he seems to be a more general presence. We’ll see how that works out.

Anyway, if Munkustrap is reduced to just being the cat who sings about the Old Gumbie Cat and maybe Old Deuteronomy, I’ll be mad. (AND THEY BETTER NOT REMOVE HIS FIGHT OVER DEMETER WITH MACAVITY OR I’LL BE VERY MAD) Speaking of Demeter, she’s also very absent in the trailer and low on the cast list. Guess they made Bombalurina more prominent because they got a big name to play her.

5)      Background characters (specifically Tumblebrutus)

As I said in the previous bit, it looks like many characters will be reduced to minor characters, so cats who already were background characters in the musical (like my boy Tumblebrutus) will probably have very little time to shine. I guess that’s inevitable, but I hope they at least make an effort to include the various background characters rather than replace them with generic OC’s. Luckily, I already recognized Pouncival in the background of one of the shots, so there’s hope. But if they don’t include my boy, my all-time favorite Jellicle, the best character in CATS, known as Tumblebrutus, then I’ll be even more mad than if they remove the Munk vs. Mac fight. He’s not on the IMDB list (unless he’s one of the ‘ensemble’ characters) but neither is Pounce and I definitely saw him so fingers crossed I can spot Tumbles when I watch this movie.

Conclusion

Am I excited for this movie? Heck yeah! Am I scared this movie might turn out shit? Heck yeah! There’s really no telling how good this will be (a lot depends on whether the final product has better CGI cats), but I think my viewing experience will be a mix of “Oh my god I’ve been waiting so long for a CATS movie oh look I recognize that character this is awesome oh here comes my favorite song I literally know this entire 2 hour musical by heart” and “Oh my god what is this RTT design where is Tumblebrutus why is there no junkyard why did they slightly alter this one lyric why isn’t this EXACTLY like the 1998 video version I love so much when I get home I’m just gonna watch that version again it’s much better anyway”.

Yours sincerely,

Ethan Livemere, certified CATS-expert and Tumblebrutus fanboy

[thesportssoundoff]

“A tremendous title fight, a buncha old dudes and moral dilemmas” UFC 237 preview

Joey

May 8th, 2019

In many ways, UFC 237 is a unique card and yet it is, in many ways, a throwback card. This is the sort of show the UFC tries to pull off when it knows what the main event is and it knows that it needs some serious protection. In the old PPV era, this would be the kind of card where your mileage would vary depending upon how hooked up to a nostalgia drip you are. Nowadays with them getting a guaranteed payout before a PPV even sees the air, this kind of card feels retro. It's got a competent title fight with a bevy of names you'd recognize who fall on the spoiled side of their MMA expiration dates. It's like a Mighty Mouse card (albeit with a far more compelling main event) in a market that still has pings and feels for a show like this. Brazilians want to see their heroes and so the company is trotting out the likes of Anderson Silva, Jose Aldo, Lil Nog, Thiago Alves and a whole host of familiar names and faces potentially for the last time. It's Brazil vs the world (for the most part) with just enough good vibes and fair matchmaking to give the fans potentially one big feel good moment. I just also know that this card is for a very niche audience which you might not be in there.

Fights: 13

Debuts: Viviane Araujo, Carlos QuirLoz, Luana Carolina

Fight Changes/Injury Cancellations: 4 (Wu Yanan OUT, Priscila Cachoeira IN vs Luana Carolina/Jessica Rose Clark OUT, Melissa Gatto IN vs Talita Bernado/Said Nurmagomedov OUT, Carlos Quiroz IN vs Raoni Barcelos/Melissa Gattoo OUT, Viviane Araujo IN vs Talita Bernardo)

Headliners (fighters who have either main evented or co-main evented shows in the UFC): 11 (Anderson Silva, Jose Aldo, Rose Namajunas, Jessica Andrade, Thiago Alves, Francisco Trinaldo, BJ Penn, Clay Guida, Big Nog, Bethe Correia,Priscila Cachoeira )

Fighters On Losing Streaks in the UFC: 2 (BJ Penn, Priscila Cachoeira)

Fighters On Winning Streaks in the UFC: 7 (Jessica Andrade, Rose Namajunas, Alexander Volkanovski, Jose Aldo, Carlos Diego Ferreira, Irene Aldana, Raoni Barcelos)

Main Card Record Since Jan 1st 2017 (in the UFC): 25-11

Rose Namajunas- 3-0 Jessica Andrade- 4-1 Anderson Silva- 1-1 Jared Cannonier- 2-3 Jose Aldo- 2-2 Alexander Volkanovski- 5-0 Thiago Alves- 2-2 Laureano Staropoli- 1-0 Francisco Trinaldo- 2-2 Diego Ferreira- 3-0

Fights By Weight Class (yearly number here):

Lightweight-  3 (30) Women’s Bantamweight- 2 (5) Welterweight- 2 (29) Women’s Strawweight- 1 (12) Women’s Flyweight-  1 (14) Light Heavyweight- 1 (17) Featherweight-  1( 21) Middleweight- 1 (15) Bantamweight- 1 (24)

Heavyweight- (15) Flyweight- (7)

2019’s Records We Keepin’ Track Of:

Debuting Fighters (11-30):  Carlos Quiroz, Melissa Gatto, Luana Carolina

Short Notice Fighters (13-15): Melissa Gatto, Carlos Quiroz, Priscila Cachoeira

Second Fight (30-7): Ryan Spann, Laureano Staropoli, Thiago Moises

Cage Corrosion (Fighters who have not fought within a year of the date of the fight) (10-18): Bethe Correia, Rose Namajunas

Undefeated Fighters (16-22): Melissa Gatto

Fighters with at least four fights in the UFC with 0 wins over competition still in the organization (6-6): BJ Penn

Weight Class Jumpers (Fighters competing outside of the weight class of their last fight even if they’re returning BACK to their “normal weight class”) (14-9): Kurt Holobaugh

Twelve Precarious Ponderings

1- If this show was on traditional PPV, how many buys would it get? Is 125K satisfactory given the conditions?

2- Rose Namajunas vs Jessica Andrade IS in all honesty a compelling title fight. It pits pretty much the division's top finisher (Rose Namajunas) against the division's top pressure fighter (Andrade) with the champion opting to face the champion on HER home turf, creating for a pretty compelling narrative to be told. They have more similarities offensively than people give them credit for; both Rose Namajunas and Andrade do their best work coming forward, pressuring albeit in different ways. They're cardio machines, cutting a pace early and dictating both the range and the tempo of the fight. For Rose, she's long enough and creative enough that its a pick your poison type affair. You can fight her at range, get picked apart from a distance with kicks and her really good straight shots OR you can blitz her, clinch with her and hope you're strong enough to win inside consistently. Andrade offers you no choice but to fight her fight for however long it goes. She cuts a relentless pace, has Mr. X level pursuit and while I think her power shouting vs Karolina was more of a perfect shot, she hits hard enough to break just about anybody. Even against Joanna, she still did her thing (pressure, come forward, blitz like a mad woman) which Joanna having the ability to win behind a tremendous jab and superior footwork. Rose CAN follow Joanna's gameplan of kicks + jab + circling for twenty five minutes, flustering Andrade from a distance but I'm not sure if she can do that while dealing with the pressure of Jessica Andrade for 25 minutes. Even against the likes of Tecia Torres and Joanna, Rose had those lapses in concentration where it felt like she stopped fighting her fight and needed to be reminded by her corner to mentally check back in. You have to be there every single second of an Andrade fight because she is a momentum creature.

3- Given how hard Andrade pressures and how long Rose is, I wonder if takedowns are going to be apart of the gameplan for Namajunas. Andrade's build and her wrestling normally prevent attempts but Rose is the better grappler by far who can probably score a finish in a variety of spots on the ground. Being underneath Andrade's ground and pound is a miserable endeavor BUT she's also reckless enough that limbs and necks get left out there for experienced enough submission artists. Could/Would Rose pull guard?

4- If Max Holloway is going to fight in Anaheim as he's suggested (Late August for those curious),  you have to assume that Volkanovski vs Aldo is a pseudo #1 contender fight. So what happens if Aldo wins? Is that where the UFC blows the dust off of Frankie Edgar?

5- Does anyone truly believe Anderson retires after this fight with Jared Cannonier?

6- Looking at this card on paper with its host of "legends" bound to generate some buzz in Brazil, it's a bummer they couldn't of found a way to get Johnny Walker on the card. Would've been a great rub for him with guys like Aldo and Silva on the show.

7- At some point Francisco Trinaldo is going to buck the conventional wisdom and fight like his age, right?

8- I don't know if it's the fact that they're both elder statesmen who fight younger than they are but look older than their birth certificates claim or the fact that both basically cut their teeth carving up mid tier dudes in their respective divisions but Francisco Trinaldo and Cowboy Oliveira sure seem to have a lot in common. Both are really aggressive somewhat limited guys whose limitations show up when they attempt to make the long march to the top of their division. Both Oliveira and Trinaldo rely on brute force strength with so-so fight IQ but a surprising wealth of ways to be violent if they so choose them. Trinaldo faces Carlos Diego Ferreira who burst onto the scene with the UFC and then just kinda stalled out in no small part due to injuries and one of those supplement suspensions. Carlos is coming into his own based off back to back wins vs top competition and while I don't know if he'll ever be a consistent top 10-15 lightweight, there's light at the end of the tunnel for him. This fight should be insanely violent in spurts.

9- Worth noting that if she beats Bethe Correia, Irene Aldana will be on a three fight winning streak which should put her on the short list for women to potentially challenge Amanda Nunes. Especially since beating Bethe seems to be one of those secret passageways to a title shot.

10- I've never seen a more desperate attempt to milk out a win for a guy than Lil Nog vs Ryan Spann. Even in his faded borderline decrepit form, Lil Nog should have very little issue taking a W here.

11- Thiago Alves vs Laureano Staropoli has some sneaky FOTN potential. Laureano is an all action pressure forward fighter who like most guys out of non-Brazil South America has no idea what he's not supposed to do. As such, anything is on the table and AS such he fights like a guy who has a penchant disregard for his well being. Thiago Alves is no longer the kind of guy who can casually eat up the Staropoli types of the world and his last few fights have basically been him trying to be a sharpshooting counter striker who throws power shots at will. It should be a fun fight at the very least.

12- And I guess we gotta end negatively with BJ Penn. There's no reason for this fight to be happening from a pure actual fighting standpoint. I read someone elsewhere mention how "frail" BJ Penn looks as a fighter and I truly lack an actual better description for it besides that. He looks weathered. He looks old. He looks like a guy who knows how to only do one thing and he can physically no longer do it at any rate of success. Whatever you think of the legacy of BJ Penn or however you feel about his right to compete, it shouldn't be happening anymore and at the very least not at this level. This doesn't even account for the fact that he has so much turmoil in his life and while allegations can sometimes be just that, we've got a whole forrest fire worth of smoke telling us something is wrong. We all just recently read Babalu discuss the problems he's facing currently in his life after a long career of fighting. It should make us all stop and reconsider whether there needs to be such arbitrary lines of when enough is enough and how we can find the bridge for these guys when the time has come. BJ Penn isn't fighting because the UFC thinks he can do it; he's fighting because if not here then somewhere else and because there's always going to be a market for seeing your "heroes" compete. There are BJ Penn fans who watched the third Edgar fight thinking he could pull it off, there are BJ Penn fans who watched thinking he'd turn back the clock vs Dennis Siver. The UFC gave him the SAFEST possible match up in a guy they didn't think would hurt him and it still ended in disaster.

And yet on the same card, we have Anderson Silva who is 44 years old coming ooff of multiple surgeries, a career that includes some truly violent spectacle fights in his earlier days who has been rocked or KO'd in four of his last six fights. He was apart of one of the more violent gym cultures in the history of MMA. His family apparently asks him to retire after every fight, now running on what feels like four years worth of it. So if Penn's gotta go then shouldn't Anderson go? Even if my eyes tell me that he's got more in the tank, we're still comparing two guys who are clearly either firmly out of gas or running on E. Is it the fact that Anderson Silva by all accounts is a well adjusted guy who isn't in trouble? I mean wouldn't that make you more likely to want him to hang it up so he can preserve the way he is? I don't have all of the answers and so much of this is just emotion. All I know is I hope that this card is very much the last of its kind; a farewell to a lot of guys who made a special time in MMA with also a promise to do better by them in the future.

[dragimal]

thoughts on Voltron s7

this is prolly old hat by now, but I still wanna throw my two cents to the wind. this is gonna get very rambly, and I’m gonna derail A LOT to air out other grievances I have w/ the show/fandom. a rant like this has been a long time coming-- the reception to s7 only pushed me to write this now. so beware, I guess. also I’m not rly tryin to Start Shit, so I’m slottin’ this under the cut

I think I should start at the beginning: I didn’t like Voltron for the first 3 seasons.

it was perfectly passable, but not.... exactly the kinda thrilling saga Tumblr made it out to be. all the hype put me under the impression that VLD was a deeply emotional/character-driven story much like ATLA-- I was sorely disappointed to find this wasn’t the case. instead, I found a typical space-mecha plot populated by pretty tropey characters-- certainly not bad, but not all that emotionally gripping either 

I actually grew p bitter over Voltron’s particular brand of popularity-- mainly the comparisons to ATLA, as if VLD was anywhere as deep and clever. I wasn’t mad that it was popular so much as it seemed popular for the wrong reasons

now I’m not saying that enjoying VLD is “childish” or whatever, I’m just saying that comparing VLD to ATLA is p damn insulting, imo. ATLA has a level of depth in plot, worldbuilding, themes, character arcs/interactions, etc. that’s incredibly impressive-- esp for a kid’s show. u just don’t get that depth from VLD-- and honestly, that’s just fine! I know I’m singing ATLA’s praises to the heavens here, but I’m also kinda sick of Tumblr trying to compare every damn thing to ATLA, as if every piece of media HAS to be another ATLA to be worthy of praise (like the whole “Zuko redemption arc” thing has been taken wayyyyy too far when critiquing villains...)

ATLA and VLD aren’t trying to accomplish the same things, so it’s kinda shitty to place those kinda expectations on the creators of VLD when they’re trying to do their own thing? like, I don’t expect Osomatsu-san-- a very stupid show I deeply adore-- to be the next FMA just b/c both shows have a focus on brotherly bonds; they’re clearly two separate things that I can enjoy for different reasons

anyways, to cut that ramble short, VLD just wasn’t my thing when I first started it. I’m not big on mechas, and I typically prefer pointed storylines over ‘adventure-of-the-week’ setups. not that VLD doesn’t have some underlying plot for the first couple seasons, but it takes a while to get past random villain fights and/or adventures every ep and condense it into a continuous plot thread. some ppl like that kinda thing, I just don’t. the reason I continued to watch it-- despite my misgivings-- is b/c I like watching things with friends. my bf has always liked VLD and wanted me to see it, so I enjoyed watching it with our audience of two

I’m glad this setup forced me to continue watching, or else I would have never reached the turning point-- episode 33 (s3): “The Legend Begins”

this was the point at which my feelings switched from “eh” to “oh... OH. OH SHIT.” I’d finally started to get INVESTED. I finally began to develop real attachments to the characters! I was finally eager to learn what happened next; finally perched at the edge of my seat in anticipation! VLD had finally found its footing and solidified its unique voice, and I couldn’t have been more proud!

yet, what did I hear from the fandom as this narrative transition began?

“the show has gone downhill, and it’s only getting worse!″, "[x] characters aren’t developing anymore” and/or “the showrunners HATE [x] character!”, etc. etc.

though I suppose it’s a bit simplistic to say the fandom as a whole thought this way; in reality, just a vocal subset of the fandom thought-- and continues to think-- this way

yes, patient reader, this is one of those conversations. because we really can’t have a proper fandom discussion anymore w/o getting into those topics, can we? god, if only

so I’ll stop beating around the bush: antis fucking hate the new seasons, mainly because:

1) a lot of antis love Lance for some reason? antis don’t like the fact that Lance isn’t, like, the entire damn focus of the show (calls for “black paladin Lance” galore....), so they don’t like the fact that other main characters play significant roles in the show. this has devolved into unfounded critique of Lance’s character development in the last few seasons, when in reality Lance has gotten SIGNIFICANT development from s4 onward (just like most every other character..). he’s gotten more confidant in his abilities and is less defensive of his character, he’s more cooperative w/ his teammates, and he’s learned to (usually) recognize when a situation requires a serious approach rather than nonchalance. like, as someone who doesn’t much like Lance, I think it says something that my feelings have advanced from, “jesus I can’t stand this guy, can he shut up for one goddamn second,” to, “nice, Lance is mostly bearable and sometimes charming, now.” this point bleeds into the next point--

2) a lot of antis LOVE klance-- or the ship Keith/Lance, for any random readers that don’t know the Voltron fandom. klantis-- as these particular antis have been dubbed-- hate ANY semblance of connection either of these characters have w/ other characters, b/c it threatens klance. Keith and Lance both canonically have strong connections to other specific characters (Keith to Shiro, and Lance to Allura), so these ships are the most threatening to klance

now, all stans/shippers have fans that are a bit too defensive, sure. I’m not saying that sheiths (Shiro/Keith shippers) or any other stans/shippers in VLD aren’t ever at fault. but antis always ALWAYS bring an insidious dimension to fandom wank in the form of-- for lack of a better term-- “social justice posturing”

I’m not claiming that discussions abt representation and sj issues in fandom aren’t important, but antis always take these sensitive issues and simply use them as ammo in what are typically giant ship wars. there’s no nuance, no room for different interpretations-- only black/white divisions of what is “valid”/”canon”/”acceptable”, which are then strategically warped in favor of what the antis of that particular fandom favor (which, in the case of VLD, is Lance/klance)

of course, not ALL VLD antis are specifically out to discredit just one ship, as evidenced by the proliferation anti-shaladins (those against shippers of Shiro w/ ANY of the paladins). BUT this is exactly where anti tactics are utilized in full-force, and where this petty ship war further devolves:

antis fucking HATE Shiro.

Shiro poses the biggest threat to klance (at least in terms of fandom, b/c Allura canonically poses a much bigger threat tbh), thus antis have steadily built a “case” against Shiro not only as a bad partner to Keith, but as a bad character in general. the more “reasonable” antis claim things like, “Shiro’s too mentally ‘broken’ to be with anyone!” “Shiro’s too old to be with anyone, he’s practically a grandpa!” and, “Shiro’s too much of a parental/guardian figure to consider any paladins as potential partners,” while more extreme antis have claimed that Shiro literally IS a pedophile, or straight-up dangerous due to his mental hang-ups

there is clearly a lot wrong here both canon-wise (Shiro has shown 0% confirmable attraction to any character in canon; everyone’s actual ages are vague at best, thus there are no exact age gaps to measure, etc.) and in terms of plain ethics (callin a guy w/ ptsd “too broken” fuckin WHAT). but this is what antis have devolved to-- dismissing Shiro’s mutual connections to his fellow paladins at best, then accusing him of straight-up horrific shit at worst. all in the name of protecting a ship. boy howdy.

(*SIDENOTE* I hypothesize that Allura doesn’t get nearly the same level of hate b/c mlm ships are favored in fandom, thus there are more sheith shippers than allurance (Allura/Lance) shippers to oppose klance. she may also be protected by Tumblr’s over-the-top glamorizing of any and every female character, but that’s a rlyyyy weird discussion that’s hard to quickly/accurately dissect, so I’ll just leave that particular hypothesis to the side..)

anyways, patient reader, let us return this tangent back to the original point: the general criticisms directed at s4 and onward. how do antis relate to this?

well, it’s real fuckin convenient that ppl suddenly started recognizing VLD’s writing/plot/etc. flaws when the show wasn’t catering quite AS much to Lance, or Lance/Keith interactions. real fuckin convenient ppl suddenly started criticizing Shiro as a character when said character’s relationship w/ Keith began to gain more focus and development. real fuckin convenient that ppl are finally recognizing that VLD isn’t as great as ATLA, when the last few seasons have gotten PRETTY DAMN CLOSE to ATLA’s level of emotional depth

so I’m bitter abt Voltron again. but rather than being bitter abt VLD being popular for the wrong reasons, I’m bitter that VLD’s flaws are finally being recognized for the wrong fucking reasons

and this is where it gets real fucking dangerous, b/c antis are dangerously persuasive to the general fandom public

since antis use sj language as ammunition for petty-ass shit, they can easily gain the attention of... god, I hate that I have to unironically use this term, but Tumblr “normies”. I literally have no better, simple term to describe somebody on Tumblr who hasn’t watched VLD (or simply hasn’t engaged in the fandom in a significant way), so please just roll w/ me here, for my own sanity. so Tumblr normies-- as those on Tumblr are prone to-- are vigilant in keeping up w/ sj issues across the board. this is good! it’s good to be aware of and critical of the content we consume..... until it’s. not.

I’m not the first to say that Tumblr has a very warped, very dangerous approach to sj activism. much like full-on antis, there is so much black/white thinking, lack of nuance, swift and unforgiving retribution for even slightly differing opinions, etc etc. it’s why so many ppl on Tumblr even ARE antis, b/c it’s rly just the fandom-offshoot of this mentality

but even beyond the most extreme “activists” of tumblr, anti’s sj language is dangerously appealing to even the chill normies-- nobody WANTS to support dangerous relationships or bad representation, after all! so they latch onto that rhetoric too, b/c when normies see antis' (usually unfounded) criticisms thrown around, they don’t know the show/fandom well enough to be able to verify those criticisms. and like, I get the appeal of it-- I’ve def made similar mistakes w/ unfamiliar fandoms as well, b/c I want to support a cause that seems just. it’s p natural to want to align w/ what we perceive as a just cause, esp when convinced by a persuasive speaker

thus, antis have gained a significant following of normies due to the simple fact that Tumblr normies DO care abt sj issues, but they DON’T care enough to research the show themselves to see what’s what

so, let me quickly recap the stage I’ve set for you here:

1) the fandom in general has given Voltron more credit than is due, and has subsequently placed ridiculous expectations on it. this has given Tumblr normies a false impression of VLD and its standards

2) antis are SUPREMELY protective of klance (and Lance in general), and have thrown around WILD accusations at any ships that threaten it, leading to--

3) antis throwing Shiro under the bus time and fucking time again.

4) by abusing sj language/tactics, antis appeal to Tumblr normies’ sense of duty, thus gain their approval in ganging up on whatever antis deem unjust in VLD-- whether it’s actually valid or not

so fuckin forgive me for being a bit skeptical when I heard rumors of “bury your gays” in Voltron from antis/normies, when these same ppl are actively throwing around accusations of pedophilia in the name of goddamn shipping

but I’ll fully admit, I passed judgement on this criticism a bit too quick, considering I hadn’t even seen the new season yet. it’s never good to blindly accept opinions purely on the basis that they bolster ur own assumptions, and I’m not immune to that charming trap (tho thankfully I’m not typically a vocal member fandom, so I was mostly just nodding along w/ my fellow shieths asdfg)

so finally, dear reader, we reach the actual point of this post: after seeing s7 for myself, what even ARE my opinions on it?

well. the handling of Adam and his relationship to Shiro............... wasn’t great. it was pretty fuckin terrible, actually. despite all I’ve said against antis, I agree w/ their general view that Adam’s relationship w/ Shiro (and his subsequent death) was shoddy, underdeveloped, and disrespectful to some degree. I’m personally not sure it’s worth the title of “bury your gays” for several different reasons, but I wouldn’t fault someone for calling it that, b/c there are definitely several other reasons that reinforce that trope. it’s worth discussing, and definitely worth voicing criticisms towards, esp in terms of Dreamworks’ “lgbt rep” advertising before s7′s release (which was absolutely scummy, there’s just no other word for it)

so if I agree w/ antis’ basal complaints in this instance, then why the hell am I even talking abt this? why am I putting so much effort into dissecting the fandom, only to essentially reach the same conclusion as those I fundamentally disagree with?

well, I suppose it’s all abt the framing.

I’m not gonna link the post b/c, again, I Don’t Wanna Start Shit, but most of y’all have prolly seen that one post that breaks down the history of the “bury your gays” trope, and how it was possibly utilized in VLD. it’s a p good argument in that respect-- I think it hits the main points of how/why Adam and his relationship w/ Shiro was just plain Bad

and to the untrained “normie” eye, that’s all it is. however, there is a cryptic framing present that reinforces anti talking points, which only someone involved in the fandom would recognize. 

(*SIDENOTE* I don’t mean to pick on SPECIFICALLY this post, I just think it’s a nice rundown of a few of the main rhetorical tactics used by antis. it’s certainly not a unique post in the fandom, but merely a good example of this brand of posts)

for one, this post forces an emotional distance between Shiro and the paladins. this post INSISTS that Shiro can ONLY be interpreted as a guardian character that can’t relate to the other paladins in any significant way due to age gaps and traumatic experience. THUS, according to antis, Adam was the only person that Shiro could have intimately discussed his problems w/ b/c they’re the same age and have a history. Adam's death removed this potential confidante, thus leaving Shiro to sort out his issues alone

while I agree that it would have been nice to see Shiro chat w/ a new character he has a history with (esp considering we rly haven’t gotten much backstory on Shiro yet), so much of this argument is simply false

I’ve already mentioned the bullshit that is the vague age gaps, but even if we were to take them into account, there ARE characters who are assumedly at or over Shiro’s age: Coran and Allura. and yeah, Coran is prolly not the best choice in terms of real emotional connection, but Allura? she could prolly fuckin relate. Shiro’s had his body and autonomy violently violated by the Galra, to the point that his original body is now destroyed; Allura has had her culture and people violently violated by the Galra, to the point the her original planet/culture is now destroyed. Shiro is/was a leader to the paladins, and takes their collective failures to heart as his personal failures to his team; Allura is a literal princess to her people, and takes their downfall as a personal reflection of her lack of ability to protect them. their situations obviously shouldn’t be 1:1 conflated, but to say they have no points of relation here is fuckin insulting

but since age gaps like this mean JACK SHIT when it comes simply developing emotional connections and mutual respect, we don’t even need to go so far as to match ages! this is evidenced by actual intimate interactions Shiro has had with the paladins!

the first one that comes to mind even involves antis’ favorite-- Lance! episode 45 (s5): “The White Lion” involved a moment where Shiro approached Lance on his own and opened up abt his mental health, saying he, “didn’t feel like himself.” now it could be argued that this was Shiro’s clone-- not Actual Shiro-- approaching Lance for help. tho I firmly believe that are still true parts of Shiro present in his clone, even if he’s not fully there. the clone is still protective of his team (before his mind is COMPLETELY hijacked, of course), and I believe any connections/loyalty/trust Shiro has towards the paladins is still true for the clone (even if this can, once again, be forcibly overridden). this moment is Shiro-- the part of Actual Shiro that’s present in his clone-- approaching a fellow teammate for help. of course, Lance doesn’t know exactly what to do in this situation, but he at least stays w/ Shiro for support

and then of course there are all the great moments Shiro has w/ Keith that antis want to forget abt. moments where Keith has laid down his health and safety for Shiro, moments where Keith has barred his soul to Shiro, moments where Keith has done everything in his power to reach out to a hurt and struggling Shiro.  moments where Keith has made it ABUNDANTLY fucking clear that he’s here to the bitter end, that he’ll NEVER give up on Shiro. it literally doesn’t fucking matter if u interpret these scenes as platonic or romantic, b/c the fact of the matter is that Shiro and Keith care DEEPLY abt each other in some shape or form. disregarding that is forcibly ignorant. also, we've now confirmed that Keith and Shiro do have a HISTORY back at the Garrison together before all this Voltron nonsense started (even if it isn’t necessarily a romantic history), so Keith also has that leg up

the subtle framing of Shiro as STRICTLY a “guardian” character is also a classic anti tactic, as it implies a sort of pseudo-pedophilic undertone to any Shiro/paladin ships, which is just.... gross and dishonest. yes, he’s canonically a leader to the paladins, and oftentimes takes on a guardian-type role, but once again, he also canonically opens up to other paladins on a mutually respectful/intimate level. there’s nothing in canon that would strictly suggest he’s ONLY a guardian figure-- “space dad” is a fandom interpretation in the same way that framing him as Keith’s lover is a fandom interpretation. neither is more or less 'canon', and it's petty to suggest otherwise

another weird point in that post is the insistence that Shiro is a “tragic gay character”, which is just..... not fucking true, first of all. he’s definitely suffered the most out of any main character, I agree, but he’s GETTING THROUGH IT. he’s been pulled through it by the paladins, and he’s learning to use his own strength to pull through as well. he’s so incredibly fuckin strong and it’s a fuckin shame that ppl don’t see how inspirational he is to those that may be struggling emotionally. plus, he's never suffered BECAUSE he's gay, nor has he ever had a damn HINT of queer-coding until Adam was shoehorned in (which is its own separate problem w/ the show, but it's not a "tragic gay" problem)

but beyond all that is an even more subtle insistence that Shiro has always been a beloved character to ALL in the fandom. antis’ underlying implication that, “hey normies, Shiro-- our beloved Space Dad-- has been given the shit end of the stick, and u should be mad abt it too!” 

as if antis haven’t spent the last several years shitting on Shiro at every turn, saying he’s got “scrambled egg brains” b/c of his ptsd, and other horrific shit. the fact that they can turn around to “defend Shiro’s honor” now that he’s *confirmed queer* (and, initially, confirmed less of a threat to klance due to Adam) and STILL be taken seriously is goddamn terrifying 

like I am literally seeing posts like this-- IN 20FUCKIN18-- that normies are taking at face value and reinforcing:

to any normies reading this: SHIRO AND KEITH AREN'T FUCKING RELATED!! racist antis insist that they have to be related b/c they're both Asian and the second half of their last names (Shirogane and Kogane, respectively) are similar. I'm literally so baffled over how this tactic is ever taken seriously, but who fuckin knows I guess. and if antis are trying to make a case for adoptive siblings, Keith canonically met Shiro by at LEAST his early/mid teens-- LONGGGG past the developmental age of youth where he might latch onto another person as a strictly non-romanceable relative, so. No. fandom is free to interpret Keith and Shiro’s relationship as brotherly, but to say that that is the STRICT and true 'canon' interpretation of their relationship is, once again, fuckin petty and dishonest

just. how fuckin DARE antis act like they give a SINGLE goddamn shit abt Shiro’s emotional needs and trauma after pullin this shit. how fuckin DARE antis misuse real sj issues to appeal to the lowest common denominator in normies, looking for fodder to fuel the flames of hate

so, if I may be so bold as to utilize one of antis' many battlecrys: this discussion does not exist in a vacuum. Adam's shoehorned relationship w/ Shiro is shitty and worth criticism, absolutely. but brushing aside the fandom history driving the resulting uproar-- as if ship wars aren't HUGELY influencing this backlash-- is SUPREMELY fuckin ignorant

antis latched onto Adam HARD when he was first announced, despite all the signs he'd be a side character at best, that he was stated clearly to be Shiro's ex, and having no context for his personality. Adam was antis' newest shield to their ship-- somebody to take Shiro's romantic potential away from Keith, thus leaving Keith open to Lance. Adam's death eliminated that shield, leaving antis reeling-- they couldn't just jump right back into hating Shiro after having showered his newly-christened gay ass w/ praise for all of the Tumblr normies to see. so, their anger was tactically redirected towards Adam's development

there is nothing shocking abt any of this tbh. all antis is the same, and they're all bitter assholes that are completely willing to abuse real sj issues for their own goals. plain and simple.

I don't rly have a proper ending for this. I'll just say that I like s7 a helluva lot, and Adam’s shitty development doesn’t rly phase me? not everyone feels that way, which is valid, I just don’t particularly give a shit abt Adam. I have hope for s8-- esp in terms of potential development for Shiro. since Shiro got such heavy focus in s6, it makes sense that he was pushed to the sidelines a bit this season to leave room for the other characters (Keith, Lance, Commander Holt + Earth stuff in general, etc.) to develop and shine. I've heard rumors that Adam did in fact have more development that was cut, which I'm honestly willing to believe b/c the development we got felt cut short, rather than simply planned that sparsely in the first place. my hope is that s8 will return some focus to Shiro, and possibly slot in some of these cut scenes to bolster a better backstory to their relationship? pure speculation tho, and it doesn't rly excuse Adam's treatment in s7, but it's worth considering

before I completely end off here, I just want to go on one last FINAL tangent: I'm so damn disappointed that everyone is sleeping on kexa (Keith/Acxa)??? if anything it poses MUCH more canon threat to BOTH klance and sheith purely b/c it's 'safely hetero' and b/c the show itself has hinted at potential feelings there (“She’s always been sweet on that one with the flippity hair,” and “Oh look Acxa, it’s your favorite paladin~”). like I haven't seen antis OR sheiths even mention this, it's baffling. the fact that it'll prolly be canon is bittersweet for me: bitter b/c DAMN I love sheith, and sweet b/c damn.... I'm rly diggin kexa....

so the moral of this post is: blease appreciate Keith's beautiful goth gf, she deserves love

thank u and goodbye

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #167

“everything he sees is just blue like him, inside and outside.”

Did the house you grew up in have a big yard? It was fairly decent. Have you ever worked over 50 hours in one week? No. What has been the most difficult class you’ve ever taken? Latin. Do you think teenagers should focus more on their education rather than on relationships? Well, yeah. I mean that as in you should pursue knowledge more than love, but it can of course happen and should be taken seriously. What’s your opinion on couples ‘staying together for the kids?’ Awful idea. Your children don't need to grow up on the sidelines of a dead relationship. It can give them such negative expectations. Did any of the classes you took in high school count towards uni credit? No. Do you think being born was a mistake? No. Have you ever been arrested? No. Has a relative ever been arrested? Don't believe so. Do you think the Fountain of Youth exists? No. How about in a parallel dimension? Maybe, idk. Do you believe humans are part of a giant alien experiment? Not necessarily aliens, but I'm *open* to the possibility that we're just a simulation of a future civilization to learn how their ancestors lived, like we're literally Sims. I lean towards that being false, but. There's astonishing evidence for the possibility we're not "real," though regardless, I stand by the "I think, therefore I am" quote, so I really don't care either way. Do you think your blood is sacred? Uh... no? Have you ever been suicidal? Yeah. Was it a passing phase or is it something controlled by medication? It was something corrected with the help of medication, LOTS of therapy, and a closure conversation with Jason. Do you hold any holiday special in your heart? Halloween and Christmas, particularly. Is there a holiday you wish no one celebrated? Which is it? Why do you feel that way? Eh, I don't feel like flipping through the list of holidays right now. What’s your favorite book? Why is that? Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo because it is a masterpiece of the needlessness for war, as well as The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, though by this point I don't even recall most of the story... I just know I adored it. Who is your all-time favorite author? Don't have one. What do you like about them? N/A Who’s your favorite poet? Poe, of course. What’s your all-time favorite band? How about all-time fave singer? I have too many favorite bands. Singers, Freddie Mercury and Brendon Urie. Do you think most mythological creatures exist? No. Have you ever had lice? No. What brand of dish soap do you use? Uhhhh idk, I don't wanna go look lol. Do any of your neighbors have dogs? Idk. Growing up, did you listen to country music? Yup, believe it or not. Have you ever dated someone on the football team? No. Do you like tomatoes? I'm not a fan. I can enjoy fresh ones in a small amount in a sandwich/burger, but that's it. What’s your favorite brand of bottled water? Essentia. Do you have any ceramic animals in your house or outside? No. What brand of makeup do you wear? I don’t wear a specific brand. What type of waffles do you like? (Plain, blueberry etc..) Plain or chocolate chip, depending on mood. Do you brush your tongue? Holy shit brush your tongue, dude. What kind of laugh do you have? It's loud and obnoxious as hell. What kind of cell phone do you have? (ex. flip, slider, or traditional.) Touch screen. Have you ever gotten searched by the cops? No. Have you ever been enrolled in private school? No. Do you know how to grill a steak? No. Would you ever use an online dating service? No, was on one v briefly and it was. Very much not my thing. I felt like I was hunting for a relationship when I'm way more for it just finding you. Do you like Gushers? YES. Do you have a large dog? No, Teddy and Bentley are both medium-sized. If not, are you afraid of them? Not at all. I love big dogs. What is more annoying: A sore throat or a headache? Headaches. Have you ever sent an X-Rated picture to someone? No. Have you ever gone out of state for a concert? No. When is the last time you went on a date? March. ;____; Do your parents know that/if you smoke? I don't. What is your favorite board game from your childhood? I hated shopping, so I haven't a clue how it was Mall Madness lmao. I also loved that carnival Cranium game, whatever it was. Have you ever gotten rid of something you shouldn’t have and then really regretted it later? Yeah, senior prom pics. There were some where I actually looked pretty fuck Do you beat yourself up when you make mistakes? Usually. Have you ever tried anything off the Starbucks secret menu? No. Do you have string lights in your bedroom? No, but I'd like them. What is your favorite flavor of tea? Tea is disgusting. Do you have an inspiration board? I have a Pinterest board of hair colors and styles I like. What is your favorite magnet on your fridge? Never paid attention to the ones we have. Do you like to sit in the grass? No. Are there popsicles in your freezer right now? Yeah, we got 'em for when I got my tongue pierced. Is there a lamp in your bedroom? No. Would you prefer eating jello or pudding? Pudding. After washing your hair, do you put any products in it? No. Have you ever crawled through a vent? No. Last time you rode a bike? Years ago. What is something you used to always do but don’t anymore? Uhhhh. Idk. Well actually, I used to always have soda like multiple times a day, but now I go some days without touching it. What is the last thing you broke and how did you break it? Idr. What is the best thing you have received when trick or treating? Reese's, ha ha. What is the worst thing you have received when trick or treating? I hate(d) tootsie rolls. What word do you hate the absolute most? Probably "the 'n' word" or the derogatory term for gays... idk. How many seasons is your favorite TV show in so far? Eight for That '70s Show, but both FMAs don't have seasons. Do you remember getting sung to when you were little? No. Have you ever felt a temperature below 0? No. When was the last time you had blood drawn? Couple days back for more tests. What color eyes does/did your father have? Brown. What do you daydream most about? The future. What names do you like? Alessandra, Damien, Josephine, Luther, Chloe, Evelyn, Evangeline, Vincent, Victor... At what age do you want to start working or at what age did you start? My first job was when I was about 19, I think. Where’s the best place to eat a romantic dinner? Olive Garden omlllllll. Who was the last person to piss you off? I don't know about pissed. Probably Mom. Has anyone ever told you that they loved you, and you didn’t say it back? Yeah. What’s your favorite hairstyle on the opposite sex? I like scene/emo hair too much fuck Has anyone ever played a prank on you? What happened? Probably. Which parent are you more similar to? Idk. I'm a pretty even mix of them both. Do you have a lot of self-discipline? Eh, depends. Have you ever been to another country’s capital city? No. What are some of your favorite qualities for another person to have? Compassion, kindness, an open mind, considerate, creative, difficult to anger, understanding... What smell reminds you of your childhood? Chlorine, gingerbread, rain in the air... Have you ever dated someone who had a child from a previous relationship? No, and I wouldn't. When was the last time you spoke to the first person you ever kissed?  Second week of February '17. What’s a political issue you have a strong opinion on? Gay rights. Stopping that "oh if (s)he was raped ten years ago, why come out now?" bullshit that's been popular lately. What was the last fruit or vegetable you chopped/sliced up? Romaine lettuce for Kaiju. When you take a nap, do you nap in bed or on the couch? My bed. Have you ever done a Mason jar craft? No, but most of those that I see are so cute. What are you going to be for Halloween this year? Idk if I'm even dressing up. Do you decorate your front door for holidays? Mom puts up a wreath. What are all the costumes you remember wearing for past Halloweens? I literally remember none. Who is your favorite photographer? Check out mothmeister on Instagram. Cool as fuck. Don't know who takes the pictures exactly, but. Jovana Rikalo/thefirebomb on deviantART is also incredible. Were you shy in high school? Not very. Do you wish karma were real, or are you glad that it isn’t? I wish it was. What was your favorite Nick Jr. show? Rugrats. What school subjects are/were you the best at? English and science. What comes naturally to you? Spelling, usually. Bonding with animals. Do you prefer to call life a journey, a battle, a dance, or an adventure? Journey. Do you believe in the power of dreamcatchers or do you just like them as a decoration? They're just pretty decor to me. Who are the cutest babies in your Facebook newsfeed? I have two friends with young babies and neither are cute tbh. One's face looks like a grown man's with elephant ears, while the girl is just like, a month old, and I almost never find babies that young cute. What were your favorite mall stores when you were in high school? HotTopic. What time of day do you normally feel the most awake and alert? A while after I wake up. Have you ever searched for your house on Google Earth? Yeah. How old do you look? I guess my age? Do you like movie nights? Only if it's with someone. What would be number one on your bucket list? Pet a wild (well, habituated) meerkat. How old do you think you’ll be when you make your will? *shrugs* where is the fanciest place you have ever visited? Idk. Do you wear earrings on a normal basis? Ugh, I wish. Two reasons I don't. 1.) My first holes are stretched badly from wearing heavy earrings to much. Put one in the left especially and it almost looks like it's not even attached to my ear. Looks gross. 2.) I'm allergic to silver and like all my earrings are silver. Are your ears pierced more than once, if at all? Yeah. If you wear skirts, are you more likely to wear leggings, or go bare? If I was to wear them, I'd probably wear leggings. Ever stayed up all night on the phone? Jason and I did that (or almost did?) once early in our relationship. If you could move somewhere else, would you? Uh yeah. The one and only reason I won't move too far is because I'm unwilling to leave my psychiatrist; he's one of the biggest reasons I recovered and also gives me free samples of the medicine that saved my damn life, which costs over $1,000. No exaggeration. He knows that's absolutely outrageous. So it's like if I moved somewhere else, would my new psychiatrist do the same? Did the last guy/girl you kissed have any piercings? No. Do you actually love your parents? Yes. Have you ever had a school picture turn out absolutely dreadful? Like, all of them. I look high when I smile. What is the name of the last band you discovered? That I actually got into, Powerwolf. What happened last time you got drunk? Never been drunk, but on the occasion I got the closest, I was more outgoing and giggly. Do you know anyone autistic? I don't believe so. How about someone bipolar? Me. What do you want your job to be when you’re older? A photographer and also an out-on-the-field zoologist. I could bring my camera out with me, combine the two. Have you ever made your parents cry? Mom on sadly multiple occasions, and I could hear that Dad was tearing up when I called him wanting to make up. Do you always lock your door? Not my room door, but the front and back door pretty much always are. If I'm home alone, without a doubt. Have you ever been to Hooters? No. Do you snore in your sleep? No. Do you have a brother? What’s his name? A half-brother, Robert/Bobby. Do you believe in celebrating anniversaries? Year ones, yes. Have you ever driven without a license? I don't have mine yet, but I don't believe I've ever done so without my permit. What was your very first pet like? I'm pretty sure my first personal one was a long-haired guinea pig named Squeak. He was a total sweetie that loved attention and would do one of those high-pitched, four squeaks back at me if I did it lol. What kind of an old person do you think you’ll become? I hope I become a wise, more loving than ever, content person that does all she can for humanity and doesn't isolate like I do so much. I want to be out there with people, making memories and always maintaining a young heart. Which well-known person’s death shocked you the most, if any? Steve Irwin's above anyone else, but Chester Bennington was a close second. What’s the craziest color you’d dye your hair? I seriously want to bleach my hair to snow white and have it fade to a blood-red tip, but that'd probably destroy my hair. What’s the coolest hobby one of your friends has? Hm. I'm not sure. What’s the silliest thing you’ve believed, that turned out to be untrue? LOOK I stg I learned in school that thunder was clouds rubbing against each other and I only learned the truth THIS YEAR. Have you ever pet a cow, a sheep or a pig? A pig. Who’s the last person to make you laugh? GameGrumps. Ever been in a race? No. Favorite brand of color pencils? Crayola, I'm a basic bitch. Do you like the smell of peppermint? Omgggggggg yes. How many pieces did the last puzzle you completed have? Idr, maybe 150? It was at the hospital with my peers. In the end we were missing exactly o n e piece. What is missing from your wardrobe that you need to buy? I want a studded leather jacket pls I've wanted one since high school. When was the last time you witnessed a sunshower? A month back, maybe? Maybe sooner? Who was the last person to kiss your cheek? Mom, I believe. What temperature do you consider “too cold” to be outside? Comfortably, 40 F. Did anything bad happen to you in September? My knees became quite a problem. Had some rough streaks of depression. In your phone’s contacts, who is the first person listed under the letter ‘R’? When did you last see that person? No one under "r." If someone is sticking their nose into your business where it isn’t wanted, how would you deal with that? Would you say something to them? I'd like to think I'd say something. When your last relationship ended, how long was it before you felt ready to think about being with someone else? I realized I wanted to be with Sara while I was with him. It was one of the reasons I broke up with him. Think about your Facebook profile photo. What kind of assumptions do you think a stranger might make about you, from seeing that photograph? Would any of these assumptions be correct? (It's the same picture as here.) I obviously like a darker style, and it'd also be an understandable assumption I'm a bitch by my expression lmao. That one's not true, I hope. If you aren’t an only child, do you wish you were? Noooo. What is your birth order? I'm the middle child between my immediate siblings. What is your eye color? What would you want it to be? Blue/green/gray. I wish they were more sapphire. Do you like Victoria’s Secret, or PINK? I like their bras and undies, super cute, but other products, nah. What color highlighter do you prefer? Pink. What is the wallpaper on your best friends cell phone? Dunno. Do you like using big words when you talk? Don't hate it, but I avoid it when I can with most people. I wanna make sure they understand what I'm saying, no need to make it all fancy. What’s your favorite thing to do in the summer? Stay the fuck inside and wish it was fall. Eh, swimming. Do you like being tickled? NO. Are you loud when you’re having sex? I'd always try to be quiet even when home alone because I was worried about someone coming home and us not hearing or something. But it took effort to keep quiet sometimes, and even then I was a moaner. Are you a very open or private person? Depends on who I'm with and whether it's on or offline, but generally, private. What is your favorite Christmas movie? Jim Carrey's How the Grinch Stole Christmas. What do you get complimented on the most? My hair. When was the last time you were in a public setting and a stranger annoyed you? I'm not sure. Scariest storm you’ve ever had in your town? Um idk. Skill you wish you had? Drawing exactly what I see in my head ugh. How do you feel about raising minimum wage? FUCK-ING DO IT. NC's is $7.25 an hour, and you can't live off that shit. Humor me. What physical ideal do you imagine in a boyfriend/girlfriend/partner? It really doesn't matter to me, but I'd say I'm more quickly attracted to people with a dark style. What type of personality traits do you look for in a boyfriend/girlfriend/partner? Calm, open-minded, friendly, I like a bit more outgoing than me, compassionate, very passionate like myself, artistic, considerate... Any other essential quirks/interests/other you look for in a boyfriend/girlfriend/partner? The only thing I can think of as essential are some common interests to bond over. I don't think I could date someone totally different from me. Or someone heavily religious. Any romantic gestures you really like? Small, simple efforts just for the purpose of showing you care, more than anything. I appreciate the cliche of opening doors. What were you like when you were a kid? Outgoing, talkative as hell, pretty odd, big time creative. What is your definition of cheating? Flirting in a clearly non-joking manner. Have you ever been to a psychiatrist/therapist? Both since the 6th grade. Are looks important in a relationship? For me personally, no, but I don't shame people who feel it's at least a smaller factor for them. Sure, it'd be more difficult to be more sexually attracted to you, but not romantically, which is what I care about. What were you doing right before you started this survey? Another survey. I combine them into longer ones. Ever get mad at something that happened years ago? Rarely, and if ever, briefly. What do you order on your pizza? Jalapenos. I miss meat lovers. What the kind of soda you drink most often? Mountain Dew Voltage. Do you freak out if a bee/wasp flies near you? Wasp, I'm fuckin' outie. I'm uncomfortable with any bee, but won't spaz over most. If Facebook started making you pay, would you still use it? No. If you were dying and had to tell the last person you texted one thing, what would it be? Lmao we actually had a convo about this once, and it'd totally be, "I love you, and I'll see you on the other side." If you could have sex to one song, what song would it be? We playin' "Death of a Bachelor" by P!atD on our wedding night 100% 100% 100% 100%. Are you a forgiving person? Too forgiving. Who is the last person you told you loved them? Sara Jaaaane. <3 Do you have a specific gas station you usually go to? Or do you stop wherever? Mom tends to go to Sheetz or Shell. She gets bad mileage at Sheetz, but it's super close to our house. Do you have a place you go to a lot that you may be considered “a regular” at? The people at New Addiction (tat and piercing parlor I go to) are starting to recognize me lmao. I'll be there tonight again. Think of the last person you kissed, have you ever kissed them on a bed? Yeah. Do you like your girlfriend's/boyfriend's parents? YEAH. Why aren’t you with the person you first fell in love with? He couldn't stand my depression anymore. What’s worse, knowing you still love them, or pretending you hate them? THE FORMER. Do you own any television series box sets? All seasons of Meerkat Manor. What is your favorite band of all time? Ozzy Osbourne. Would you consider getting a tattoo any time soon? I'm getting one T O N I G H T  B O Y S. Do you like candles? Yeah, but I prefer incense. Have you ever been diagnosed with a mental illness? More like seven lmao. And I'm 99% sure I have ADD, but I haven't been officially diagnosed. If you had to choose to have a different accent than the one you have now, what accent would you choose and why? British, 'cuz I love it. Have you ever or do you currently live in a Gated Community? No. Do you know how to use a DSLR camera? Yeah. Do you know anyone who is named after a state? Jason's mom. Miss that woman, she sincerely cared for me. I owe her so much for staying on the phone with me for legit like two hours a couple nights before my attempt. It was dead in the middle of the night, yet she was happy to be there. Have you ever had a “bad trip”? If yes, what happened? N/A. Do you enjoy learning about conspiracy theories? Y E S. Shane Dawson got me so into them omg. If you had a baby boy, what would you name him? Damien Alexander, maybe.

[actiasteeth]

angsty relationship asks: david/ryan

do they have a lot of arguments? if so, over what? so so so many. typically ghosting / lack of communication and “”needing space”””””. later: “pls stop trying to fucking kill me.””

who apologizes first? in what way? is it hard for either of them to apologize? seeing as ryan’s generally the one in the wrong,,,,,, he’s the one who Should be apologizing first. a lot of the time tho, he leaves it up to david or he apologizes w/o Explicitly apologizing b/c he has trouble owning up to being a shithead. ryan just gets softer and more affectionate w him, tries to do sth to make it up to him. a lot of “pls i didn’t mean it”” / “”forget abt it”” / “i love u”””.

which one has more insecurities? over what? david. probably abt whether or not he’s actually done sth wrong to warrant being treated poorly.

who gets more riled up? do they show their anger? nnnnn. it would depend on the context?? both of them are capable of showing their anger, lmao.

how do they hide their pain when they’re upset? do they try to hide their pain? on the rare occasion that ryan is not the one in the wrong he’s verbally v quiet abt being upset. he p much goes silent and gets v tense and untouchy. it takes a while for him to rly find the right words to be like “hey this upset me”” b/c on some lvl he’s always gonna feel like he deserves it.

who tries to make up first? does it work? ryan. he can go from 100 to 0 in the blink of an eye if he’s over it. will try to act like nothing fucking happened. it’s,,,,,,, iffy at best.

would they hate-fuck if they were mad at one another? if they had a falling out? eeeeeh. theoretically ryan could be into this but in practice he closes off when he’s angry so probably not. they’re all abt that make up sex game tho.

do they hold grudges? is it hard for them to let go/forgive each other? david does more so than ryan. once ryan is over sth, once he’s had the time to process it, he’s over it and doesn’t care to revisit it.

is there something big that could potentially tear them apart if it was revealed? no?? i mean there’s a lack of communication sure but they don’t rly keep things from each other??

if something already happened to tear them apart, what would make them come back together? is it even possible? main verse, i think they’re p much doomed. breakup au?? there would need to be a solid exhibition of Growth mostly on ryan’s end—in his stability, in the way he handles situations, in reeling in his vices. david would have to trust him to be better.

what’s their favorite pass time when they’re upset? leaving mean drunk comments abt himself on david’s videos.

who do they confide in when shit hits the fan (besides each other)? ryan always goes to his sister loren if he goes to anyone at all. 70% of the time he’s gonna keep that shit to himself tho.

is it hard for them to talk about their feelings openly with each other? if so, is there any way that can be resolved, even in the slightest? david is more open than ryan is when it comes to Real Shit. whenever ryan is gearing up to vent abt things he just ends up sitting there saying nothing. ryan needs a couple drinks in him before he starts talking tbh.

who grieves more when the other is away? david.

who misses the other more, or really thinks about them more? also david. it’s not that ryan doesn’t think abt him or miss him, he’s just less inclined to let it bother him.

do either of them have a special item (an article of clothing, a necklace, a book) that they use when they miss the other? if so, what is it? what do they do with it (read, wear, look at, smell)? ryan’s absconded w enough of david’s clothes,,,,,, he wears them around the house p much 100% of the time tbh, even when he’s not Highkey missing him.

who cries more? who gets more emotional in general? is this evn up for debate?? david. it’s david.

do either of them have the other’s stuff lying around their house? feel like david would be more inclined to leave shit lying around ryan’s.

how about teasing? do they tease each other while in a fight (whether it be with themselves or just general teasing)? unlikely. they generally take their fights p srsly?? unless it’s like clearly a fake argument then 5000% yes to both.

do either of them have any vices? ryan drinks too much and gets progressively worse as their relationship deteriorates.

what’s the thing they miss most about each other? ryan doesn’t usually miss one thing abt david in particular??? if he’s missing him, he’s missing him as a whole. if anything got to him in time tho, it would probably be the lack of physical touch. as shallow as that sounds, lmao.

what’s their go-to breakup/angst song? for ryan, trouble by cat stevens.

who’s more jealous? neither of them rly. like, sure, they’re falling apart but it’s not like there’s any legitimate fear of unfaithfulness or anything of that sort.

who is the first to forgive? again,,,,,,, not that david is the one who needs forgiveness, lmao. but ryan will convince himself that things are david’s fault evn when he Knows they aren’t; will then proceed to drop it and be all “””i just want us to be ok,, dw abt it”” ?????????? whom’st’ve’d.

what’s the one deal breaker for either of them (lack of communication, fear of commitment, etc)? lack of communication, def. and being “””needy””””””””.

who would take longer to let go? do they ever really “let go”? both of them get an F in letting go (see: the breakup au). never in the 4yrs that they were apart did ryan even Try to move on or let go. like did he date?? sure. but he never went into it w the mindset that it would last and the Smallest things fucked him up on how Wrong everything felt and how Not David everything was and he just,,,,,,,,,, No. also main verse????? david won’t go into the fuckign light and insists on terrorizing ryan instead???? double F in letting go.

which is more afraid of confrontation? neither of them are a fan.

who’s the first to distance themselves (if either)? u kidding?? ryan.

who’s more patient? is it hard to break that patience? david. he put up w so much, pls. that said, ryan likes to think he’s p patient w ghost!david but That is too little too late.

who’s the first to blame themselves? david. ryan will shift blame off himself evry chance he gets even when he Knows damn well he’s in the wrong.

who’s more likely to do something out of spite? both.

who would be the first to say they hate the other? would they mean it? ryan. not to his face but he def told his sister that he hated him not long before david died. he didn’t mean it for a single second. even when he starts being a shitty demon abt things ryan still doesn’t hate him. he clings so hard to this ideal version of david that,,,,,, idk if there will ever come a time where there isn’t this part of him that’s so incredibly deep in love w that version of him.

who worries more? in the grand scheme of things, probably david. but i don’t see either of them as particularly big worriers.

what scent reminds them of the other? firewood. warm sugar syrup. asphalt.

do they have any regrets (regarding the other, or just in general)? ryan regrets taking david for granted. he regrets not actively trying to better himself regardless of always arguing that he was “”Trying””””. he regrets that he couldn’t commit himself to having a proper Talk abt how they could begin to fix things. not spending more time w him. not giving him the love he deserved.

who’s quicker to walk away if a situation gets heated? ryan generally backs off if david starts crying??? but if they’re just having a yelling match and no one is crying,, it just goes down until it doesn’t.

who is more prone to anger? ryan. he’s more irritable at least, so small things can set him off.

who cries more in an argument? do either of them cry? david obvs. ryan cries After the fact when he’s alone but p much nevr in front of david. he Will cry in front of ghost!david tho b/c it’s not like he’s got a choice.

does it take a lot for it to get to the point of yelling? no,,..,,..,….,,,,,

who sleeps on the couch? can either of them sleep without the other? ryan sleeps on the couch but not rly b/c they’ve been fighting. he’s just restless and gets frustrated if he’s lying there for too long trying in vain to sleep. that said they can sleep w/o each other (ryan isn’t exactly the biggest fan of cuddling anyway) but they Do appreciate the idea of waking up together so,, while it’s nice when it happens, it isn’t Necessary.

who’s more likely to protect the other? ryan??? in that if someone is talkin shit or sth he will Pounce both verbally and physically if he’s gotta.

if one of them gets injured, who worries more? i mean ryan’s out here encouraging david to do risky shit, Sure, but he’s like,, halfway joking and if david gets so much as a Scratch u bet ur ass ryan is tending 2 that shit. whenever they’re play fighting or w/e ryan is also rly conscious of letting up if david shows any sign of discomfort. i think ryan is?? generally???? less inclined??? to get injured????? but he will straight up Fight ppl if they push him so idk,, david might have reason to fuss over him but it’s Rare. he was probably a whole five and a half messes after asking david to teach him how to skate tho.

who would be more afraid of the other’s death/harm? LOL. i feel like this wasn’t rly a thing they worried abt Legitimately?? then it Happened and,, rip.

who ends up yelling first? are they always yelling when arguing, or do neither of them yell at all? 50/50 depending on what the argument is abt.

who would be more likely to save who? i wld think both of them wld make efforts to keep each other safe?? can’t speak for ghost!david’s problematic ass.

who stays up at night brooding? ryan’s insomniac ass.

who has more dreams/nightmares about the other? ryan has a lot of both after david dies. if u thought he wasn’t sleeping well Before,, that shit got 100% worse. he hates both but the good dreams especially always choke him tf up.

who comforts who after a bad dream/event? ryan before. now, no one.

do they think about each other a lot? does it affect their performance/schoolwork? in the earlier days of their relationship ryan was so bad at work, especially if they had plans for after he was off. he was constantly checking his phone and sending not-so-sneaky texts. catch him zoning out thinking abt him too. if david ever surprised him at work he always came back late from his break, lmao. he was bad in other ways when shit started going downhill in that he was absent and cold and quick to snap at anyone who breathed in his direction.

if one of them were to come back after a long time, who would come to who? would it go well? would the other person take them back? don’t think either of them would actively seek the other out?? i.e their reconnection would have to come as a coincidence. this goes abt as well as u would expect. both of them are some part willing to take each other back but,,,,, there’s def some hesitation there. ryan doesn’t trust himself to not fuck up all over again and sometimes it’s like he’s watching himself frm the outside. he keeps slipping up and making moves and trying to get david into bed but he always ditches before they have a chance to get Too Deep into feelings. eventually he ends up spilling his guts ofc (“””i’m still so fuckign in love w u u have no fucking idea”””) and they eventually bite the bullet and decide to try again. how well That goes is up for debate.

[yoon-kooks]

Lie- Part 15

Pairing: Jimin x Reader

Genre: Angst / Fluff

Summary: There was a time when you loved him and he hated you. Now you hate him, but does he love you?

Parts: 0 // 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10 // 11 // 12 // 13 // 14 // 15 // 16 // 17 // FINAL

You were in awe, watching the five members of Big Bang perform on stage. Never once in your life had you ever thought about going to a concert, mainly because you never had anyone to go with. But thanks to Jimin, you were finally able to experience the thrill of seeing idols in-person.

And as incredible as it was to see a wild G-Dragon or a shirtless Taeyang, you found yourself glancing every now and then at the boy standing right next to you. You couldn’t tell exactly what it was, but there was something sparkling in the eyes of Jimin as he watched the performances. At the very least, you were glad he was enjoying the concert as much as you were. After all, seeing your favorite idols perform live wasn’t something you could do every day. So you forced yourself to pay more attention to the stage.

During the final song, the arena was showered with confetti. You couldn’t help but turn one last time towards Jimin, the boy who shone brightest under the sparkly confetti even in the presence of Big Bang themselves.

Just before you were about to look back towards the stage, Jimin turned to you with the biggest smile you’d ever seen from him. You were a bit flustered that he had caught you staring, but then he said something that made your heart jump.

“What??” you shouted, trying to be heard over the booming waves of music. You needed to make sure you hadn’t misheard the boy.

He covered a giggle with his small hand and just shook his head, mouthing “nevermind” to you. Surely it was something he had wanted to get off his chest without letting you know.

But you heard him.

-

“OMG I can’t wait!!!” Yoora jumped up and down, wildly flapping a Jimin fan in an attempt to calm herself down. You couldn't blame her. The stage was practically right in front on your face, giving you one of the best views in the arena. “We may have waited in line for twelve hours, but it’ll totally be worth it when I get to see-” she paused as she looked at you and then at her fan, “him…” You were both reminded of the incident that had nearly torn the two of you apart. And although it would take some time before your friendship was completely healed, you were thankful that the two of you were at least back on decent terms.

“I know I’ve said this a thousand times, but I’m really sorry about the thing with Jimin…” You hid your face behind the fan Jungkook had given to you before he left for soundcheck. And for some odd reason, it had Jimin’s meme face with a drawn-on moustache rather than your boyfriend’s face. But that was probably just Jungkook being Jungkook.

Yoora lowered your fan with a gentle hand, “It’s fine, Y/N. Really. Let’s just enjoy the concert together, okay?” She gave you a cute smile until the arena lights dimmed and screams erupted.

Your head shot towards the stage, but no one was there yet. False alarm. You shook your head and laughed at your overly anxious self. You couldn’t help it though. The last concert you had gone to was the one with Jimin. And this time, he would be the one you’d be watching on stage.

Suddenly, the VCR turned on, introducing each member one-by-one. The intensity of the screams even before the boys stepped out on stage was impressive. When the pink haired member appeared on the screen, the screams felt exceptionally loud. And for the first time, it finally sunk it. Jimin, the shy cutie from your childhood, really was one of South Korea’s most popular idols.

“Welcome, first time with Bangtan?” They opened up with Dope and followed with several other hits before pausing for a brief talk with the audience.

Hoseok did a cute dance to show his feelings, Seokjin blew his aggressive kisses, Taehyung did his best aegyo, Sugar ripped his earpiece from his ear and listened to the screams in dramatic fashion, Namjoon thanked everyone for coming and poked his dimples, Jungkook talked about how he couldn’t sleep all night out of excitement, and Jimin called Jungkook out for playing video games all night before giving the crowd an eyesmile and full-body laugh. And then they went back to performing.

Even though Yoora had shown you nearly all of Bangtan’s performance videos, you were still amazed by the sharp choreography, the powerful rap and vocals, and the stage presence as a whole. There were so many things happening all at once and you tried your best to give each member an equal amount of your attention. But naturally, your eyes were drawn to the captivating movements of the pink haired Jimin. You were so close you could see the passion, the focus, the fire, all in his eyes. He danced and sang with so much confidence, and it made you proud to think about how hard he must’ve worked, how badly he desired to perform on stages in front of the world.

As they sang their last song of the night, they walked around different parts of the stage, interacting with fans and putting on fan-made headbands and gifts. Jungkook was spinning around when your Jimin fan caught his eye. He paused mid-spin to draw an invisible moustache on his face before jogging to the other side of the stage.

The next thing you knew, Jimin was walking your direction, looking left and right into the crowd of thousands. Everyone around you was screaming his name, fighting for his attention as you stood there with your fan. You weren’t sure if you wanted him to see you, or if he wanted to see you. But when you really thought about it—about how you had always encouraged him to pursue dance, about the friendship he and you shared, and about the love you had for him—you realized you wanted him to know you’d always support him, even if from afar.

“Jimin!” you called with your tiny voice. The boy froze before he could take another step, his eyes widened. His head shot right in your direction with his eyes scanning all around until they managed to lock with yours. His face brightened. It was the same big smile he had shown you at the Big Bang concert. He saw you.

“It’s time to say goodbye now!” Namjoon spoke as the rest of the members assembled at the center of the stage. The crowd let out a long whine that quickly turned into cheers as each member said their individual farewells.

As the other members spoke, Jimin kept glancing over at your section of the pit. And when it was finally his turn to speak, he looked around at the rest of the crowd too, but somehow his eyes always found their way back to you.

“I love you~” He gave you one last smile before he and the other members exited off the stage. I love you. You had to remind yourself that he was talking to the entire crowd, and not just you.

-

Backstage, you and Yoora sat in one of the small rooms, waiting for Jungkook to wash up. Your friend was practically screaming into your ear, half out of excitement, and half because neither of you could hear anymore.

And because you could barely hear, you were an easy target for your boyfriend to sneak up on.

“Boo!” A pair of hands grabbed your shoulders from behind. You screamed louder than you had during the concert and turned around to make a face at Jungkook. To make it up to you, he brought you into a nice hug, and probably would’ve never let go if he hadn’t spotted Yoora staring right at you. He waved at her shyly as he peeled himself off of you. Yoora only gave you a smirk before leaving to give you and your boyfriend some alone time.

“I’m surprised you actually found me.” You hit Jungkook with your fan.

“Of course! I drew that moustache on Jimin for a reason!” He took the fan and laughed at it, pointing at Jimin’s meme face. “Did he see you too?”

You nodded. “You told him where I was, didn’t you?”

“I had to!” Jungkook held his hands up in defense. “It’s been a while since he last saw you, right?”

“Yeah, it really has,” you sighed. It may have been only a few weeks, but it felt like forever. “Thank you, Kookie.”

“Anytime, Y/N,” he smiled before looking past you. “And speaking of Jimin... Go talk to him before he leaves for tour!” You felt a shove of encouragement push you toward Jimin and Yoora. “I’ll catch up more with you later!” Jungkook shouted, already running away down the hall.

Just as you were about to interrupt Jimin and Yoora’s conversation, you paused and hid behind a shelf at the sound of your name coming out of Jimin’s mouth.

“Thank you for sticking with Y/N,” Jimin said, ruffling the back of his hair. “I was so worried…”

“I mean, I still a little mad… But what you told me the other day makes sense,” Yoora nodded.

“I think as long as Y/N still has you and Jungkook, everything’ll be okay.”

“Just me and Jungkook? What about you?”

“I can’t.” He shook his head and hung it down low. “Our friendship is already beyond repair. I think it’d be best if both of us stopped forcing something that never was.”

Your heart sank. Just because you were dating someone else, it didn’t mean you wanted Jimin completely out of your life. But it sounded like he didn’t feel the same way about you. And you didn’t want to hear any more.

You stepped out from behind the shelf, right into Jimin’s view to let him know you had heard everything. Yoora looked in your direction before quickly excusing herself. Jimin just stood there stunned, unable to look up as you approached him.

“We were forcing something that never was?” you repeated his words. “Am I that big of an idiot for thinking we were friends all this time?”

“Y/N, that’s not what I meant…”

“Then what, Jimin?” you yelled, not waiting for him to answer. “If you really don’t want me in your life, just say it to my face. Don’t make me wait year after year again. And don’t force yourself to stay with me either.”

“It’s not that I don’t want you in my life,” Jimin shook his head. “I just… I’m sorry for everything.” You heard the sorrow, the regret, all in the shakiness of his voice. But what you wanted wasn’t an apology.

“So you’re just going to run away again?” You did your best to hold back tears. “Like when you left Busan?”

A/N: The next part is the part I’ve been dying to write since I first started planning out this fic! So stay tuned~~~

[lovetheangelshadow]

N’Pressions: Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker

So a small bit of fair warning before going forward. I am a casual normie consumer of Star Wars and most of my interaction with the franchise is the nine core films and a handful of the Clone Wars episodes (notably the Tartakovsky run). Also I will being mentioning a few minor spoilers mostly to help with certain issues I have had with the sequel trilogy. Personally the Star Wars franchise has always been just fun popcorn flicks for me and that is honestly mostly what I wanted from the sequel trilogy. Would I have been happy if they tried to take the series forward and tried new things even at risk? Sure. It is one of the reasons why the Digimon anime series has that much value to me. Do I hate Disney not really pushing as much as they were certainly capable of? Not really. In all fairness the sequels have given me mixed feelings. Not exactly a love or hate relationship, but something just above okay. You really gotta do something to make me hate it.

So moving on to the final film of the trilogy. It did feel a bit rushed. Like they were trying to cram so much stuff in to get this thing completed. It was not exactly like say, Endgame or Deathly Hollows where you could split the films in half to get more of a complete story. Even still, it is not the worst rushed final I have seen before. The basic idea is that the First Order has been granted a super powerful fleet by the Emperor that could decimate the resistance and they only have a limited time before they are sent out. Thus the mission is to locate the fleet and strike them before they have a chance to launch. Meanwhile the Emperor is sending Kylo to hunt down Rey and since the two are still Force-linked it becomes a game of cat and mouse between the two. And thank you for actually giving us some more lightsaber fights, sequel trilogy! Seriously, there has been a real lack of it in the first two films. That being said I do kinda feel like the battles between Ray and Kylo were a tad drawn out, but at least we almost saw Rey nearly get her ass kicked to the curb for once.

Okay, I do not necessarily hate Rey. She is not the worst Mary Sue character I have had to tolerate. I think what irks me the most is that she had honest to gods potential of being a really good character on par with Luke. A scavenger who desires above all anything else a sense of belonging, of purpose. Someone who is constantly looking to the past for answers for that feeling but always coming up blank, even when the call keeps telling her to look forward. Her finally finding a family and place among the resistance. But because of her lineage of Palpetine, the dark side keeps coming around to tempt her; to offer her greater purpose than these ragtag team she’s come to care about. Every time she thinks she finally has a family the dark side rips it away from her (Han and Luke) until she falls into despair and loss of control and towards the dark side-but her new family being that single thread of light that will guide her and eventually to the new future. Showing that while the past may be a part of you, it does not define you. Except, we never get that. From the onset she automatically capable of flying the Millennium Falcon, force mind control, etc. We never really see her honestly struggle with the dark side. She rushes into dangerous situations and doesn’t suffer consequences for her recklessness or pride. She doesn’t really lose anything. Sure she occasionally feels doubt and fear but it’s glossed over and isn’t emphasized. Oh and the whole “I am all the Jedi” thing did feel a bit forced for me. Girl, Tony Stark you aint. Plus she should have said her family name was Palpatine showing that she has made peace with her past and is now looking to the future. For all the whole “strong female character thing” and all that-what is hilariously ironic is that it’s the other protagonist MALES that are most interesting. Even from Force Awakens I cared more about Finn, Poe, and Kylo than I ever did for Rey. And they actually had honest genuine arcs and were just overall far more compelling characters to me. Also Kylo is best character in the series, fight me.

So what was my thoughts on the final film itself? Honestly it’s a mixed bag. Like I said, the last film does feel a bit rushed and there are certainly notable plot holes-but it’s not the worst I have seen. It does actually feel like an end. One of the biggest issues I had was the pacing. I feel some of it could be trimmed back a bit-not that it did not serve a purpose or anything but sometimes the wait for the payoff feels…dragging. Also, hey we make these super big sacrifices, aka Chewie’s supposed death and C3P-O’s memory wipe, and boom “hey they okay now”. Like why? You put this big dramatic emphasis on how important these things are and you just flick them off as if they were nothing. I get people were mad how Han and Luke died, but come on! If you’re going to commit to this big dramatic cost-stick with it! Have Chewie’s death by Rey’s force lighting question herself and give her a real reason to be terrified and tempted by the Dark Side. Have C3P-0’s memory wipe be a reminder that there are hard costs in the fight for freedom. Also when did Rey get force healing powers? Was that even an actual thing? Okay I don’t have that much of a gripe about that because it at least pays off where Kylo Ren/Ben is concerned. That is the most hilarious thing about the trilogy, all the pieces were there to really make something and for whatever reason they don’t go full forward with it. I get it, there is this constant push and pull with fandoms and I rarely ever want anything to do with them because I know how toxic they can get (looking at YOU Ninjago fandom). But much like the Force, there has to be a balance. I think some minor fan input would have helped here and yes I know fandom reactions and the way Disney has been handling things has not been looking for either side and social media has not helped things.

That is not to say that the film doesn’t have its awesome moments as well in particular the final half of the movie-where Finn and Poe are planning the final assault on the Sith Fleet. Like Poe does from this hotshot flier who does reckless maneuvers to actually thinking and using strategy. Or Finn who once only wanted to run away from the First Order is now using his knowledge of them to work out a viable plan of attack like using the horse things instead of speeders because he knows they can disable them. Or the huge appearance of various ships all around the galaxy coming in to the fight. The Kylo vs Rey fights are pretty interesting as well-using the idea they are fighting each other but are physically in two places and the cinematography takes advantage of that-switching between the two environments and their strikes affecting the surroundings. Also the conclusion of Kylo’s arc was pretty satisfying and his death, in a way, felt a bit more impactful than Vader’s because we do actually see him struggle between the two sides thought the trilogy as opposed to Vader that in retrospect kinda felt more like a last minute heel turn to me. Plus the symbolism between the Skywalker and Palpetine aka Light Side and Dark Sides were a real nice touch such as Luke’s X Wing and Vader’s tie fighter landing together (Kylo’s star fighter’s design still kicks ass though). Oh and Palpetine really chews the scenery out and it is glorious. That being said, despite my hang ups I still enjoyed myself and thank gods it was not Digimon Tri. I’m Noctina Noir, and I’m one Nox of a Nobody.