#honestly i think a lot of the ways people on tiktok use ff as content is kinda....iffy

[rollercoasterwords]

feel like i shouldn't have to say this but if ur gonna copy and paste quotes from my fanfic as ur tiktok content the very least u could do is give me credit for my own writing 😐

[farrowkeene]

is the zodiac academy really worth it? because I want something new to read but there are so many mixed reviews 👀

the tldr for this is yes as long as you know what you’re getting into. but there’s nothing i love more than explaining my own thoughts so i will also gladly elaborate despite no one asking

the reason i picked up this series was that i wanted something to read that would keep my attention for awhile, plus i was specifically looking for something with a large fandom following so there was actually content and this series has a lot of tiktoks, fanart, memes etc etc. so in that sense it has paid off as expected. i also didn’t have super high expectations which i think made my reading experience more reasonable. plus, i think that right before the last book releases is the prime time to read any long series - you get the excitement of a release without having to wait to long on cliffhangers multiple times and never have to reread

i have rated the books decently so far (pretty much a 3.5 for all of them which on my scale equates to being “fine”) and i saw someone on reddit (who would have thought i’d ever find myself on za reddit?!) ask why someone else kept reading the series if they rated it so low and the best explanation i saw was that it’s kind of like the twilight series - technically, the books aren’t written very well but i enjoy reading them because they’re entertaining. there’s a lot of typos (which tbh i think is kind of elitist when people complain about), weird inconsistencies in terms of british v american spellings/phrases (i didn’t think they were supposed to have british accents but the characters will sometimes use a british turn of phrase and confuse me because the girls that are supposed to be from chicago do it too - but the authors are british i believe so it makes sense), very basic and irrelevant plotlines (i’m literally just here for the romance, which has honestly gone downhill overtime lol), and so on. but i didn’t come into this fantasy romance series, literally called “zodiac academy” ffs, expecting any level of high literature. i’m just here for some mindless entertainment and so far it has been the perfect series to give me a laugh when i’m stressed over classes

i would say the biggest issue people have with the series is that it’s a bully romance…..which is strange because it could not be any more advertised as such. like, that’s how it’s marketed, there are content warnings at the beginning of each book, fantasy romance is often pretty dark, etc. so if you’re not someone who likes that but reads it anyway and then criticizes it for containing the thing it was advertised as….i can’t help you there lol.

however i’m actually going to contradict this a little to say that i think “bully romance” is somewhat of a misnomer in this situation. i don’t blame people or the authors for labeling it this way since it does take place in a school setting but i really think that’s the only thing that even qualifies it as such? i see the conflict as much more being a political rivalry so while it’s definitely enemies to lovers, i wouldn’t categorize it as “bullying” in the same sense i’ve never seen anyone call tfota a bully romance despite cardan also terrorizing jude when they were at school together. the conflict is solely politically driven and the people involved have mutual animosity. the “bullies” only have the edge because they have more magical knowledge but the twins that are getting bullied never lie down and take it and are actually even more powerful than them. if they truly are bullies, they’re pretty bad at it lol.

all this is to say, i usually hate bully romance novels but i really don’t mind it here at all. i think it’s a combination of the fact that the reason for their cruelty isn’t some bs “i’m depressed” “my parents hit me so i’ll hit you” “you’re so attractive that it makes me mad” etc and is actually literally only coming from a place of political strife, which is also known the whole time. like it’s never some secret that ends up getting revealed as for why the bullies act the way they do - it’s always known and they all even manage to get along / laugh together a lot because they get along as people despite their opposing statuses in life. i also think that because it isn’t your average standalone or duology bullying, but instead a whole series, the antagonists have a lot more time to change and grow in both the eyes of the reader and the twins

there’s also a teacher student romance with an age gap of 8 (i think?) years which if anyone knows me, knows is soooo not my cup of tea. but for some reason i like it here 🤭 i just think they’re really cute. but also when pll was airing i was a diehard ezria and now i can only look back at that time and cringe so i can only hope hindsight will be kind to me in this situation too

people also give it a lot of slack for being repetitive which i don’t really have a problem with. like i said, the fantasy/political elements are just plain bad anyway so i’m only here for the romance and interpersonal drama but even when i’m reading something play out that we’ve already seen i’m never like “ugh this again” i’m like “yessss omg this again” and pulling out some popcorn knowing it’s just good drama lol. i think the people who have this critique must not be reality tv fans who have to watch the same episodes week after week and the same seasons with production’s perfect unoriginally crafted drama every year lol

the last thing i’ll say i like about this is just that i think the series is funny and it has a good friend group! even when they’re against each other the characters have great connections and banter and plenty of scenes spent in each other’s orbit without all the negativity so it’s all leading towards a very nicely crafted found family plot that is chef’s kiss. they are a messy group of friends and like half of them have slept together and the other half has tried to but THEYRE MY MESSY GROUP OF FRIENDS!

[messiisgodibeliveinhim]

Just Another Rant

Okay, so why do NCTzens have a hate boner for Taeyong??? It's so f*cking weird, it doesn't make sense.

Taeyong has been under NCTzens' microscope since his debut. Everything he does is dissected and twisted into something its not. No other member of NCT or any group (except maybe Jennie from Blackpink) is treated this way by the group's fans. NCTzens want Taeyong to be the villain so bad, that they're willing to stoop as low as dehumanizing, body shaming and wishing d3ath on him. NCTzens dislike him, some even hate him and they're not very subtle about it.

Now, I'm not saying all NCTzens are TY antis. I have moots on Twitter who dont stan him, but are incredibly respectful towards him and acknowledge his talents and hardwork. If you're one of them, then this rant is not about you. But i will say this, if it isnt all NCTzens who anti Taeyong, it's most of them.

It started with Lines and Screentime distribution for NCT songs and mvs. Now, i agree that Taeyong used to get a little more lines and screentime than the others at first. But instead of calling out SM, most of you targeted Taeyong saying he deliberately stole the said lines and screentime from his members so that he'd get to shine more..... Really???

Next, when he was announced as a member of SuperM, NCTzens were clearly upset it wasn't Johhny or Jaehyun. Do you wanna know why??? No, they didnt talk about talent. Instead, they wanted Jaehyun/Johhny instead of Taeyong because SuperM is a group targeted at the western audience and Jn & Jh knew to speak English better than TY..... Okay.

And it keeps getting worse.

-NCTzens saying that TY goes into the recording studio to record his solo songs, by LOCKING OUT the rest of NCT, so that they wont get to record their solo stuff.

-That TY is SM's Golden Boy cuz he 'gETs a LoT of SoLO pRoMos anD cENter TiMe', completely refusing to understand what 'SOLO PROMO' means or see how overworked and mistreated he is by his own company.

-When TyongFs praise TY about anything, NCTzens always, ALWAYS insert their faves in the post. Like, go make your own post maybe???

/Trigger Content

-NCTzens saying that TY dances like he has a sq*irrel in his pants, raps like d*g, looks like a skeleton etc etc. And these are just mild stuff i mentioned here. NCTzens are so much worse when it comes to body shaming and dehumanizing him. And when we call them out for it, thay have the audacity to say that its a JOKE and we're STUPID for not having 'A Sense of Humor'....

/End of Trigger Content

-NCTzens saying that TY's main dancer/main rapper/main visual/leader/center positions should go to their faves cuz their fave 'iS So mUcH beTTeR aT TheSe pOsiTIOns'. Yeah.... sure..... NCTzens rarely talk about the positions other members have , but are really obsessed with Taeyong's.

-NCTzens still denying that Taeyong is NCT's leader and that he's really good at it. Just yesterday, a Wayzennie (also a TY anti) started spewing sh*t about Taeyong's leadership. And their arguement??? That they have 'lEAdeRsHiP eXpEriEncE iN UnI, WoRk aND ouTsIDe wOrK' and that makes them an expert about leading a 23 member global kpop group, who had a rough start what with their controversial 'unlimited' concept and experimental songs. Sure, Jan.

(Also, the thing where some Wayzennies are still not accepting that TY is the leader of whole of NCT, cuz Kun is WayV's leader..... Seriously, though its not that hard to understand. Kun IS and WILL remain the leader of WayV, a 7 member group. That's a fact. But when the subunits (127, Dream and WayV) come together for projects (ex: NCT 2018 and NCT 2020), Taeyong becomes the overall leader. But since these Wayzennies are still on their WayV not being part of NCT agenda, they're simply ignore this. Go figure.)

- Oh, but when some other member in NCT messes up, it suddenly becomes Taeyong's responsibility cuz 'HE'S THE LEADER'. Funny, how NCTzens change narratives quickly. Also, weird how, according to NCTzens, NCT members suddenly can't think for themselves even though they're grown adults and need Taeyong to take the blame for them. Haha.....

-Also, NCTzens guilt tripping TyongFs from canceling NCT Beyond Live tickets when they got to know that he was injured and wont be participating in the concert a little too late, cuz "Taeyong, as a leader, would be sooo upseeet that his group wont be getting TyongFs' money and he'd feel sooo guiltyyy that y'all are getting refunds of your OWN money that YOU CHOSE to spent and its not my business at all. But damn, y'all are sooo selfish!!!!"

-NCTzens posting about how overjoyed they are that TY is injured cuz that means their faves get to shine..... "Look how MY FAVE killed TY's part" "MY FAVE ate Taeyong up" "Should've put MY FAVE in the OG line up instead of Taeyong" "MY FAVE made TY's part as his own" "Thank god, MY FAVE got to show off his talents, now that Taeyong isnt here". God, if i were one of the Neos whose fans say sh*t like this, it would've felt like a slap to my face. Honestly, tell me, do y'all really think so low of your faves? Do you really think they cant shine even with TY being on stage? They absolutely can, but you're focus is not on them, is it? Way to embarrass yourself.

-NCTzens blaming Taeyong for NCT's slow rise to fame because of the false rumors/allegations pinned on him by nasty people. They say Taeyong was the sole reason for NCT not being liked by many, not because of their confusing/complicated concept or the music. Yeah, you heard me. NCTzens are not above victim blaming and pointing fingers, cuz they are not ready to accept the fact that Taeyong was the one who carried the group on his back all the way.

-And how they can't stand the fact that TY gets praised by proffesionals or non-fans or locals. A dance analyzer analyzed 127's Kick It and at the end stated that Taeyong was the best dancer in 127. And what did NCTzens do. They bullied the analyzer to the point that they deleted the video, just cuz their fave was not named the best. A reactor reacts to Taeyong's Long Flight and the comments on the videos are along the lines of 'Hey, MY FAVE'S also has a solo song too. You should definitely react to that' or when they're tryna be subtle (but not really), they go 'Taeyong is soo good but you should also check out MY FAVE'S blah blah blah'

Hell, even when TyongFs say 'Taeyong is very so creative, by coming up with BDLI Jungle Gym concept and the MAW chandelier thing. He's literally an Idea Bank', and NCTzens go 'All the Neos are idea banks' in the same post.

When TyongFs say 'Taeyong is the really so handsome. NCT's main visual', they go 'All the Neos are main visuals'

Lmao, just 3 days ago, someone commented 'Taeyong is cute' under a tiktok video and an NCTzen just couldn't help but fume about it and went 'All Neos are cute'🙄

Like seriously, this is sooo annoying. Make your own goddamn post about the rest of NCT, ffs! Why do you to insert anyone else in a Taeyong tweet? Literally, can't let Taeyong have a moment for himself.

-Recently, Taeyong released 2 solo demo tracks on SoundCloud- Dark Clouds and Dark Clouds Remix (check it out here: https://soundcloud.com/eh_ovo_taeyong). And NCTzens being NCTzens started those who never even promoted Kun's SoundCloud before started promoting it under every TY tweet on the same day. Now, i don't have a problem with them promoting Kun's SC. But they could've done it any other day or made their own tweet about it. But doing it under every TY promo tweet and on the very same day? Really??? And some of them had the audacity to say that TY was getting free clout from Kun cuz Kun followed him on SC.....😑😑😑

-NCTzens have this weird belief that TY is getting solo promos and is being pushed by SM. What on earth are they talking about? Taeyong being center, main rapper and main dancer of the group is not solo promo. Him being in SuperM is not solo promo. Him opening Instagram and SoundCloud is not solo promo, but self promo- which means HE'S promoting himself, not SM. Solo promo is usually provided to the artist by the company in the form of photoshoots, accepting brand deals, releasing the artist's solo music etc and SM isnt doing sh*t for Taeyong. All they're doing is overworking him and milking him for money. That's it. And i want NCTzens to understand that.

And the list goes on and on and on. This weird hate boner NCTzens have for Taeyong is so bizarre to me. All Taeyong does is sing, rap, dance, talk cutely, take care of his fishes and play games with Baekhyun. And this somehow gets NCTzens mad. They constantly discredit him, try to make him seem less than what he actually is, insert everyone else when someone is talking just about him, make him seem like a villain by twisting his words or actions and making it into a big deal.... *sigh* Its so unbelievable how low NCTzens can stoop. And it gets tiring real quick.

N E Ways, this is everything i wanted to rant about and damn, this turned out to be too lengthy. Now, if you havent followed Taeyong on his Instagram, please do @eh_evo_nct. Stream Long Flight, his one and only solo station. And please look forward to BaekhyunxTaeyong collab on Taeyong's SoundCloud.

Ciao!