#i am not a fan of being inconvenienced

[niieve]

i fucking hate beta editor jfc

[tuiyla]

I was reading the reasoning behind why you chose Quinn as Catherine Parr for your Glee Presents: Six the Musical gifset and you said she has a brand of white feminism. Why do you think so? 🤔

Oh man that's kind of a big topic that definitely deserves more of an answer than I'm able to give right now, but if I save this ask for later I'll just end up never getting to it. So I hope you don't mind me giving a sort of half-answer with the potential of further elaboration in the future.

To be fair, in my mind I conflate Quinn's brand of pop feminism with more specifically white feminism a lot. But what I mean is that Six's well-intentioned but ultimately kind of flat message conveyed in Parr's song reminded me of how Quinn gets "woke" after getting pregnant. You know, the "boys objectify us all the time" and "women earn less than men" sort of thing. And to be clear, those are correct statements. The Glee guys objectify the girls all the time. The show does too, in fact. And women do statistically earn less for the same work. But these are the sort of "water is wet" generic statements that teen shows attempting some sort of feminism would say in 2010 without actually exploring patriarchal issues in any sort of depth.

The way I see it, Quinn became Glee's spokesperson for feminist phrases that often aimed to do one of two things. A) genuinely try to highlight an issue or B) poke fun at pop feminism and use the rich white girl who always ends up centering her life around men to do it. The problem with A), like in The Power of Madonna, is that Glee doesn't even get close to saying anything useful about issues it highlights and solves sexism with the boys singing What It Feels Like For a Girl. Okay? Now, that isn't on Quinn, but when she's so often the mouthpiece for meaningless buzzwords and generic statements of the kind of #girlbossery that 2010 took seriously but we make fun of now, it's hard not to associate it with her. And in the case of B), such as her wild Gloria Steinem spiel in I Do, well it just feels disingenuous for a number of reasons, and this is the part we probs don't have the capacity to get into today.

But what I'm trying to say is that Quinn was given so many of these #girlbossery lines and, when I rewatched season 1, I realized just how many of them also reeked of what we'd now recognize as white feminism. And far be from me to downplay Quinn's trauma and struggles, but she just ain't the girl for intersectionality with her WASPy background and distinctly feminism 101 approach to things. Maybe this is more of a vibe I get from her, and to be clear I blame the writers entirely, but I've talked to others who got this same vibe from her statements. I think any sort of feminism Glee attempts is also white feminism, though, so again I'm not blaming Queen Bee Quinn the ch. It's just the vibe that she'd point out the wage gap, something that doesn't actually affect them in high school, but ignore racist made at the expense of Santinacedes. I also get the vibes that, in-universe, even her feminism 101 only comes post-pregnancy when she experiences just some of the discrimination women like Mercedes have always faced. I mean, I love Quinncedes do not get me wrong. And this whole post feels like I'm dragging Quinn when I'm not lol. But they explicitly make the parallel of being black and pregnant in Quinncedes scenes and it's like, girl.

It's a Man's Man's Man's World, basically. Watch that performance. That's what I mean. And like I say it's sort of intentional on the writer's part but it's also sort of just how Glee operates when it comes to gender dynamics and (the lack of) intersectionality.

[lauralot89]

Unapologetic Assholes and the Fans Who Love Them

(It's me, I'm the fans, it's me.)

Every child has a character they want to be when they're growing up. Whether it's because they love the character itself (Han Solo is the greatest) or because they want to be part of the character's world (who doesn't want to be a mermaid?), there's always some fictional person a kid would swap lives with in a heartbeat.

For me as a child, that character was Veruca Salt.

Now, Veruca Salt is a spoiled brat. She is THE spoiled brat. She has no redeeming qualities and if I ever met her in real life I wouldn't last five minutes without punching her in the teeth.

But I'd have given anything to be her.

Growing up autistic is growing up being wrong. You talk wrong, you laugh wrong, you interact with your peers wrong. You play wrong. Your interests are wrong and so is the way you talk about them. The things that upset you are irrational and insignificant and wrong. The bullying that other kids do to you isn't really bullying, you're just reacting wrong.

Everything about you and how you experience the world is wrong, and you need to get over it.

I couldn't even breathe without an adult jumping down my throat for how I did it, and I was undiagnosed, so I had no idea that there were others like me and I wasn't just some aberrant freak alone in the world.

But then there was Veruca Salt.

Veruca was never wrong. Even when she clearly was. Even when Veruca demanded the impossible, those around her bent over backwards to achieve it and fell over themselves apologizing when they couldn't. Veruca never apologized. Veruca always got what she wanted. She was like a cruel and angry god who only met her fate because she crossed paths with another god who was even more powerful.

And in the Oompa Loompas' song after she fell down the garbage chute, they didn't even blame her for her horrible behavior, by far the worst of any child in the factory. Even when she lost, she won.

I would have given anything to be Veruca, even if only for a day. To express myself without fear and without regard for everyone I was inconveniencing by being abnormal. The rush of that power would have easily carried me for the rest of my life.

And then I grew up, and there was Carla Rutten.

Carla is not only the greatest character in @itswalky's magnum opus, Dumbing of Age, she is also arguably the greatest character in the history of fiction.

Carla is a student at Indiana University. She's transgender and asexual, and in the hands of lesser writers this might lead to temptation to portray her as perfectly kind and moral and inoffensive, lest she be viewed as a negative stereotype.

Instead, Carla is loud, demanding, self-obsessed, and perfect in every way.

Carla refuses to reign herself in, even if it brings further bigotry and anger her way. She won't hold herself to a different standard than any other jackass.

And in the end, even if you hate her, even if you want her wiped from the face of the earth, that's still acknowledging her. And she's still won.

As an asexual ginger Hoosier I cannot even begin to express what Carla means to me and how thankful I am for her existence. There aren't words for how great it is that a character like this exists and is just allowed to be. Allowed to be as flawed and rude and funny and spoiled as anybody else.

More ladies need to be unrepentant self-absorbed jerks. It's a beautiful thing.

[keepyourpantsongohan]

Ayesha Liveblogs Sasaki and Miyano S1

I am watching this entirely because I was recommended a YouTube compilation on this show and I watched a few seconds of it before I decided to see for myself what's up. The little I saw gave me Haruhi and Tamaki energy

"As that senpai strode forward, I admired him in secret." Alright, I'll bite, where is this going?

"Dial it back several notches. Or I'll have this made into slash art." INSANE threat, Miyano, please continue

What's with all these little manga fans calling other people normies?

Recommending things to people with fifteen disclaimers is so relatable. Me about Bridgerton LMAO

"Despite all the hard stuff the protagonist went through, he resolved himself in a really cool way and moved through his burdens. I really liked that story." I've only had Sasaki for 4 minutes but I love him already for his review of this Gay Detective Manga

On one hand, I do appreciate how obvious Sasaki is about his feelings (the nickname, the physical affection, the dropping off cookies to class), but I'm right with you Miyano, in your position (being gay in high school) I would probably refuse to interrogate it any further on the off chance I am incorrect

"I saw you, you know. Chatting away happily with the boy on the basketball team from class 1-A, with the refreshing, lovely smile." So caught was I in the fact this show is called Sasaki and Miyano that I didn't consider for a second Miyano might like some other guy (Hirano)

I do love the interesting little dynamic they're setting up between Sasaki, Miyano and Hirano

"But he's a guy. He has such a cute face though. I feel kinda anxious." Oh Sasaki, you're in it now

The chronology of these scenes is a little confusing, it only becomes clear midway through the scene if it's the past or the present

"Everything is too much." JKGKJHG the implication that Sasaki is like, ready to die aftering getting beat up (moderately inconvenienced). The Sasuke of it all. Also, me too, baby

"You're so cute, Mya-chan. Wanna go out?" Oh, so he's been OBVIOUS obvious

"You try standing in front of a BL shelf with another guy! You'll just end up fodder for everyone's conversations!" "You sure about that?" "Yes, I am." "Then I'll stand at a different shelf." There's something so sweet about this. Something something understanding and boundary-respecting

"If there's someone I like, I want to know them." Giggling and kicking my feet over everything Sasaki says

"He's gonna be misinterpreted." Oh, I think he's gonna be correctly interpreted, Miyano

HAHAHAHA background conversation of "When [Miyano] blushes, could you mistake him for a girl?" "What? No way! He's a dude." "Yeah, I wouldn't either." Implying one of Miyano's classmates also thinks he's cute LOL he is a menace to heterosexuality

Not Sasaki challenging Miyano to Gay Chicken via Pocky and immediately forfeiting cause he was embarrassed hahahaha

Why is it MEN's Pocky?? Which I've just googled and is a real thing??? For what lmao!!

Why do they keep cutting away to the cat, is it a metaphor for something

I appreciate the homie straight up just being like "Are you dating?" without any teasing, just wondering about their situation

"Sasaki-senpai is a good person. Remember when I got beat-up before summer break?" OHHHHH I see how it loops back into the friend group

"Those two have gotten pretty close. I guess I should take that as a good thing." I thiiink Hirano likes Miyano but his vibes are a little hard to read so it could easily be Sasaki or neither. In any case, I do like his Minato hair

"Thirty-six. Who the hell went first?" Awwww poor Sasaki, experiencing his first bout of jealousy after hearing about all the chocolates Miyano got from his classmates.

"In that case, Mya-chan, ya wanna find out [whether I'm a clumsy kisser]?" Sasaki said: I will not pass up an opportunity to ask Miyano to kiss

Miyano said: I will simply not read into this, I pretend it was a joke

Miyano also said: So caught was I in how Sasaki embarrasses me in public every two seconds with the sincerity of his feelings that I forgot for a second he's also cool

Of the two girlfriends that have been mentioned so far, both Sasaki's friend and Miyano's friend have girlfriends who seem to be fujosh*s and let me tell you, I don't think this show is ever in danger of passing the Bechdel test

Awwwww, Miyano broke Sasaki by giving him a White Day present

"What do I do? My heart won't stop." "Good. You'd be dead if it did." "It's pounding." "You out of shape or something?" Hirano's patent refusal to romanticize life makes me happy

I also like Hirano's hair being black, what can I say, I love a switch-up. Also I just like black hair

"Do you let your roommate touch [your hair]?" "Yeah, he's the one who told me it's damaged." Miyano said: Oh my god they were roommates

"He might be treating you as BL material like my girlfriend, you know." [Turns to Miyano] "Are you?" "Huh? Come to think of it, I've never done that with you." "That's news to me. Give him the same treatment." Not Hirano complaining that Sasaki ISN'T being objectified for BL purposes LMAOOOOO

Also Sasaki extremely willing to abandon his friend Ogasawara in his hour of need for his crush jkjhgkjhg. Not the best move, but understandable

Every time there is a line of uncaptioned, silent dialogue, I always assume it's that they're saying "I love you" (shout-out that one JJK scene LOL):

"If senpai only saw me as a kohai, would he, in that quiet tone, here on the train, (when I wasn't even awake!) say that?" "I like you." Oh I love the immediate reveal, we appreciate a romance that doesn't beat around the bush

KJHKJGHKJH none of their classmates overhearing or caring about how they're discussing if Hirano would top or bottom. My god, this school

Also also also. I've been thinking this for a while, in part because I truly think too many people are TOO possessed of topping and bottoming as personality traits, does no one in these shows believe in versing LMAO?

Setting all that aside, it is very sweet how flustered they keep getting whenever they're close

"I like girls, not guys." I've been wondering about this as well. In Miyano's little brain, these things (liking gay manga and projecting BL onto his classmates) are two things that have nothing to do with his orientation. And while that can be true. YOU GAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY*

*As a general term, I'm not saying he can't like women LOL

You know, I'm so glad I knew I was bi before I started watching so many gay shows because that could cause some confusion for sure

Miyano imagining himself literally on top of Sasaki: Which could mean nothing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Did I just miss it earlier or did they wait until ep 4 to give Tashiro (blond friend who asked if Sasaki and Miyano were dating) and Kuresawa (nice but stoic friend who got beat up and loves his girlfriend) names

"I read every manga she's got. But I found one about a... slime? And a delinquent. And now I have no idea what to do anymore. I can't understand what she wants." I love Ogasawara actually. The act of reading every BL manga to understand his girlfriend is a love language for sure

"You don't do that because he's your boyfriend?" "You're mistaken! We're not in a relationship." Everyone at this school thinks has Miyano and Sasaki clocked but Miyano LOL

"I thought you also liked guys." Ogasawara no. 1 wingman for Sasaki:

"Not that it matters anyway. And it ain't my business." Also very true. I love everything about this interaction, Ogasawara

"In middle school, I had a crush on a girl. So I know I don't." I see your confusion, Miyano. Google bisexuality and circle back. If that doesn't work, try comphet

"I like you, Miyano. What I said in the summer, I'm not taking that back." "Um, I, uh..." I can wait... You don't have to answer right away. I'd be happy if you gave it some thought." This is slowly becoming my favourite trope

I don't know what the hell kind of cheerleading uniform Hirano's outfit is supposed to be, but I dig it:

"What if a Committee Member is violating the dress code?" "Like who?" "A certain blond individual." "Oh, me." I think Hirano might actually be my favourite character. I love the contradiction of him being a delinquent on the Discipline Committee

This show has been so delightful so far, I beg of you not to make it weird with this school nap

It was borderline, but it seems like we narrowly escaped

"Wait 'confessed?' Should you be telling me?" said Hirano, before immediately tossing his phone at Sasaki with Miyano pre-dialed and proving why he was a good person to tell

Also. Also. WHAT YEAR IS IT LMAO. The flip phone kjhgkjhg

"I like you a lot. for more than your face. That's all. See ya. And take care." "Sasaki, go let Miyano punch you. Actually, can I just punch you?" Hirano ACTUAL NO. 1 Wingman for Miyano

"Is it serious?" "Yeah." "You know what? Nope. Forget all of this. This is creeping me out!" ["Just don't do anything careless.] "Same." ["I won't.] The serious discussion of feelings followed by the disgruntled dialogue and sincere exchange in the subtext.... WAH 😭😭😭 I love Hirano and Sasaki

"Some scenes can make you feel embarassed." This conversation about BL anime feels a little self-referential, but okay

Do we think the sucker worked for Sasaki because he probably has them while studying and had that whole sense memory thing going on? Or was it just the encouragement of his crush giving him a birthday present? Or was it, in fact, Hirano's study cards? Probably the last one

"Take Miyano. Even with his cute face, he's a guy." Tashiro has to tell Miyano he's cute like once a day, at least

"I just mean people are more than their looks." "So you were saying my girlfriend likes me for my looks and for who I am. Thanks, Tashiro." "That's some self-confidence you've got, Kuresawa." I also do appreciate Kuresawa's level of delusional self-confidence

You truly have to wonder what Miyano's friends think is going on if not an intricate flirting ritual. Do they just patently ignore Miyano's claims?

"Do you happen to like guys?" "I don't think so. Why?" We'll unpack this conversation and trope at another time Sasaki, but let's focus on the 'WHY?' WHY DO YOU THINK HE'S ASKING? YOU CONFESSED TO HIM, A GUY!

"Thinking about all of this, BL gets more and more confusing.... And when you said you liked my face... Though my face is feminine, I'm a guy so.... And I might be taller than you in the future!" Sasaki trying not to giggle as Miyano stream of consciousness processes his feelings aloud <3

"And when I'm 50, I may look totally different than I do now..." I love that Miyano, after one (1) confession, in high school, is like WILL YOU STILL LOVE ME WHEN I'M 50?

"Senpai, I want to consider it a little longer!" Awww, he got there!

"You might grow taller than me one day, and your face might change completely. But I think I'll still like you, Mya-chan. So take as long as you need to answer." They are SOOOOO SWEET

"Our cultural day festival will have a cross-dressing competition." I feel like we're moving past this too quickly. Admittedly, I've seen this trope several times before, but usually it's a play where they're cast in a cross-dressing role. It's not the sole purpose. Is cross-dressing a standard cultural activity for high school festivals? If not, why did you just say that like it's supposed to be?

"The Cultural Festival Committee revealed their tastes when they wrested permission to hold it from the Student Council." Ahh, so it was not standard, it is a preference of this school LOL

"I'm down. I bet my girlfriend would love [me cross-dressing]." Kuresawa unmatched security and affection. We love

Wjkhkjh the Chairman seems like a total menace to his Committee members, I do enjoy that

"I wanna see the person I like." [Miyano runs into the staff room yelling about the room key] [Sasaki laughing in the background] Sasaki said: New flirting dynamic unlocked

Gjkhkjhk Makimura not seeing Miyano for two full years and immedately objectifying him for art reasons. At least he gets some romantic closure about her

"It's not about gender. I don't want to be rough with someone I like." Ohhhh Sasaki

New Sasaki lore unlocked: He is the son of bakers

I really am curious about the girlfriend in the hospital storyline with Kuresawa. Is it leading anywhere

The way I thought for a second Miyano might be worried about Sasaki buying the manga because it would disrupt the borrowing dynamic they've created but he was actually so excited that Sasaki shared his interest and was outwardly engaging with it!!

"Hirano, aren't they a little too close?" "I-I don't know. Don't ask me," said Hirano, though he did know, in fact, and was actively involved

"Well, fudanshi, is it?" JKHKJGHG the way Ogasawara (Jiro) just calls Miyano fudanshi while seeking advice and he responds to it

[Jiro, seriously] "I don't move on a woman I have no intention of marrying." "I think that's the kind of thing she likes about you." [Jiro, upset] "That I'll let her wear the pants?" PLS he is so silly

"I cross-dressed and Tashiro mistook me for a girl. But our love story failed to take off." HAHAHAHA this is the funniest way to phrase what happened

Sasaki asking Miyano to put his bangs down bc it makes him nervous. Sweet boy

I actually do appreciate that they followed through on giving Miyano a less overtly feminine outfit to begin with

"Chairman, what do you think it means to like someone?" Oh, Miyano, you are SO in it

"You looked like a girl, but the difference wasn't as big as with Kuresawa." "Thanks. Complicated thanks." Adding 'Complicated Thanks' to my vocab immediately

"I wouldn't like it if a guy took pics of my girlfriend, so scratch that." Lmaooooo so that settles it, they are patently ignoring Miyano's claims this is platonic (also this is truly the most drastic their height difference has ever looked):

"You'll just let your classmates pressure you?" I can't tell where exactly Sasaki's upset is coming from, and perhaps neither can he

"I'm gonna say something inconsiderate. If I asked you not to compete, would you drop out?" Because he's hot, or because he's reluctant, or because of a third secret thing like Sasaki having to re-evaluate the circumstances of his attraction?

I appreciate how even when Miyano has said nothing about his situation, Kuresawa is still trying to help him via manga store visit

"I made the decision to compete myself. So I want to follow through with it." "Okay. Good luck. I'm happy you told me how you feel." Ohhhhh this

"If possible, would you like to see the festival together?" Hee hee, good for Miyano

"Arranging a date?" "We're not going out, but I guess it's a date." Not Hirano politely eavesdropping on this whole exchange

I fucking love the concept of a Hooligan Cafe, and Hirano as Chief Hooligan, 10 bajillion/10zo

I am going to ignore Chairman Hanzawa's self-fortune and focus instead on his helpful advice to Miyano about building confidence

"He had ten more minutes though." "It's just ten minutes." Hirano letting Sasaki off early for his lunch date <3 That's my hooligan, no. 1 wingman

"Can you support Miyano appearing in a cross-dressing competition like this?" "How much do you know?" "He hasn't told me anything. I got a distinct impression, though." HAHAHA I love this exchange. Sasaki said: Who told you we're almost dating? To which Kuresawa said: I have eyes

"Well, that makes sense. I never did hide it." LOL Sasaki, u right

The 'what about when I'm 50' belatedly hitting Sasaki HEE HEE

Colour me cliche, I do fucking love a fireworks trope

"Could you... wait just a little longer for my answer? It feels irresponsible to give it right now." Believe it or not, Miyano, this is also kind of an answer

"I wanted him to hug me then. I wanted to take care of him. Do I like him the same way he likes me?" Yeah Miyano, you do, catch up!

Holding hands with him during the fireworks while blushing and leaning into him is ALSO also kind of an answer, but I do appreciate your sense of romantic responsibility, Miyano

"Even though I don't know, I want to tell him I like him... Why is that?" Welcome to your first love, Miyano

[Text overlay] 'Delinquent, motherly, blond, Discipline Committee, handsome, Vice-chairman, strong fighter, trusted by teachers, etc.' "He packs together a lot of tropes." HAHAHAH that's also part of why I like Hirano, Miyano

I like that Sasaki makes Miyano forget his anxieties about other people perceiving their date

"If these feelings aren't the real deal, what is?" It took Miyano two full dates and ten full episodes, but he got there!

Oh thank GOD Hanzawa has a gay brother with whom he has a complicated relationship, when he started whispering "niisan" I got nervous about the direction it was taking

"I thought he was finally dating Sasaki-senpai." Tashiro said: I refuse to engage in allusions, when is the hard launch?

I love that Hanzawa's older brother came out and his little brother was immediately like ditto. I will not lie though, in my life I do appreciate my brother for repping the future grandkid issue

STOOOP MIYANO HAS BEEN CHANGING HIS BAG OVER FOR ALL THESE EPISODES BECAUSE OF SASAKI? AHHHH I love them!!!!

Also the way that Sasaki was just about to kiss Miyano in the hallway after school and Miyano's immediate reaction was 'Well, alright!' They have no sense of self-control LOL:

"You still don't have each other's number?" Hirano said, ENOUGH, HOMOSEXUALS

"And people will ask things they'd never ask an opposite-sex couple. I guess they can't help but focus on it, even if it's irrelevant to the discussion." THANK YOU MASATO HANZAWA

"Sasaki, you forgot stuff at school. Get your butt back here." [...] "What did he leave here?" "I lied. this way, he'll run into Miyano." Hirano for World's Least Enthusiastic Matchmaker HAHAHA

Sasaki weaving a tale about how he is a horror to society for trying to kiss his almost-boyfriend while Miyano is thinking about how much he loves Sasaki

"I like you, Sasaki-senpai!" GOOD FOR THEM!!!!!!!!

[Sasaki, immediately crying] "Sorry. No, I mean, you can think about it some more. No rush." BABY

"I feel like words aren't enough to get this across. But he won't know if I don't tell him." YEAHHHHHHH MIYANOOOO

I get so distracted by enjoying the show that liveblogging becomes an afterthought, but just now, Miyano had a very good and clear confession

I do, as always, love a park bench romance:

"Sasaki-senpai, I like you! Be my boyfriend." Miyano said: There will be no ambiguity in this return confession!!!

The little callback to 'Wanna go out' and the crouched kiss and the exchange of numbers!! <3 Worth the wait

"We're dating." "Oh... That's great... Dammit. Look I'm not great that at this." "I know." Hehe it is only right that No. 1 Wingman Hirano is looped in right away

"Um, well... We started going out." "What? Really. So I was right." "Yeah, yeah." HAHAHA lmao @ Kuresawa deciding Tashiro gets to know

Double LMAO @ Ogasawara being the only one unaware of what they are all pleased about

"You're not going out with Miyano, right?" Again the chronology of this OVA is a little confusing. I know the ep title is A Tiny Episode Before He Realized His Feelings, but they talked about this at the festival. So this is post-festival but pre-confession?

This keychain search has me wondering beyond the romantic, how much Miyano lets manga run his thought processes

[Jiro, ominously] "Did ya lose something?" [Miyano, startled] "You scared me." [Sasaki, even more ominously] "Ogasawara. Don't scare Mya-chan." This is what happens when you date a delinquent LOL

"Animals love him. I knew Ogasawara-senpai was a good person." HAHAHAHA the kittens getting interested in Ogasawara's bell in his bag and Miyano reading this as a Disney Princess-like affinity for wildlife. Romanticize your friends:

Are we finally about to meet Hirano's little background boyfriend? I can't wait

"I bet he remembered something he had to do. I'm sure he'll text us." Oh, I take Sasaki's sweatdrop as confirmation this is situationship-related

OHHHHHHHHH it's Kagi, the guy who Hirano offered to get a drink on festival day

"But I saw you and I couldn't help but grab you." "Are you a dog chasing a ball or something?" "Want me to be your pet?" GOOD LORD, I NO LONGER BLAME MIYANO FOR THINKING SOMETHING IS GOING ON BETWEEN HIRANO AND KAGI, IT IS ENITRELY MERITED

"I want to stay here with you a little longer." Kagi said: I gotta take up the mantle of Obviously Pining Guy since Sasaki's feelings are now requited

They waited until the very last episode to start putting Hirano in romantic situations. Also worth the wait:

"You see, the Student Council President sometimes secretly feeds the cats. Thanks to that, several cats have settled here at the school." I didn't expect for them to actually have an explanation for the cat cutaways, but there you go

I love this episode dedicated to getting to know the Discipline Committee more

Bonus: Sasaki and Miyano (Graduation Film)

I will not lie I did like skim-read the whole Hirano to Kagiura manga before this film so I am not as surprised by the roommate dynamic as I was one (1) episode ago

"Earrings... I can't get up if you don't put them in." Still, stroking your roommate's ear IS a bold choice first thing in the morning

I won't lie, I would ALSO fall in love with Hirano if he woke me up every morning and ate the veggies I didn't like and helped me in school and gave me cookies he'd personally made

"The walls have fundashi ears." Bold way to bring Miyano back into this story, but okay

"If I get married, I hope it's to someone frank like you, Kagi-kun." What a thing to say to your roommate, Hirano!

I won't lie, I am 100% sold on the roommate romance, I both love the trope and I can't believe they described their ideal partners as each other:

Gjgkjgljglj @ Miyano giving his boyfriend a Good Luck Gay Manga for his college entrance exams

HAHAHAHAH Tashiro looking for Miyano and Kuresawa to give him relationship guidance and them just both responding that they do with their boyfriend/girlfriend, "The Normal Stuff."

"Hirano keeps saying, 'Passing isn't the finish line.' He's kept up his studies the whole time. It's really cool." I love Sasaki and Hirano's dynamic as always

"If it's long, I can run my fingers through it, which is fun... But if it's short, I can see your face better, which makes me happy." Miyano is still shocked when Sasaki flirts even though they are literally dating

"Until I pass my exams, I won't touch him more than this." [Tiktok audio voice] It's like a reward

Sasaki having a smart phone while Miyano has a flip phone truly does make me confused about the era. Is it now, where we've circled back to some flip phones being popular? Or is it 2010, when some people had smart phones, and some had flip phones, and both were normal?

Take a shot every time someone in this anime gets sick from overstudying LMAO

"Do you want some... affection?" [Both pause and blush] "Yeah." Awwww Miyano asking but both them immediately getting embarrassed. Also are they doing a mask kiss? That's sweet!

Oh, they did do a masked kiss! We love a follow-through

"I've heard that some boys give girls chocolates [for Valentine's Day] these days. How nice! Make some for me sometime too, okay?" "A-Actually, the person I want to give them to is a guy." Are we coming out to mum right now, Miyano?

"Mom, I really like being around this senpai, and I want to keep being with him. I-I like-like him." "Lovely. It's wonderful to like someone. I know, 'cause I like your dad." AWWWW this is a really lovely response, good job Mama Miyano

"I'll get good enough to make your sweets by myself next year." [Sasaki, internally] "Next year?" The way Miyano is always thinking about his future with Sasaki, without even being aware of it

The way that Miyano is smiling and thinking about the people in his life not caring that he's dating a man <3 We love shows devoid of homophobia

Now that we're about halfway through the ep, it is funny that they dedicated the first ten minutes to Hirano and Kagiura and then the next twenty to Miyano and Sasaki because you'd think if they were going to involve both it would be more alternating scenes

"Are you dating him for real?" "That's none of your business, Ogasawara." HAHAHA Sasaki said: We're not THAT close, Jiro

"Which role are you? Nope! Never mind, I don't actually want to hear stuff like that about a friend." "And I don't want to tell you." Hanzawa foreshadowed Sasaki being asked this question, though I did not anticipate it coming from Ogasawara

They really are making some bold choices, both anatomically and in the kissing in the third year classroom

"I'm fine with either. Whatever Miyano wants." Realistic discussion of sexual interests? In anime? Shocking!!

"How could I do that at school?" That was also my question, Miyano!

"You've got it wrong. We're dating." You know, I like that they're establishing this, but the translations in this show are so indirect. What Sasaki says is "kōhai ja nai," which is specifically the strong refusal of the term kōhai, which I feel like they could subtitle as, "He's not my kōhai." But they translate it back without using that word, instead as, "You've got it wrong," I guess to avoid repetition? I don't know that much Japanese, but I've noticed a lot of translations like that with this show, how they drop a number of nouns in the subtitles to interpet more broadly. I talk about captioning in every show ever, but this is the first time there was a noticeable difference in subtitles from Japanese for me. Weird!

Also, I made the no homophobia call too early I guess LOL

"The thing is, I can't be too pushy with my sister. In middle school, I injured her." "Did you two fight?" "Not really... but I pushed her over and she got hurt. It left a scar. That's when I understood that I was bigger than other kids." Having a sibling much bigger than you really do be that way, eventually it becomes dangerous

"Senpai, your sister is important to you, huh?" "Eh... medium-important." HAHAH this is such a brother answer to give

"For me to respond with 'why?'... It's because you like each other. I'm very sorry." "It's all right. People change how they think about things over time." Sasaki's sister said: I went for a walk, I can accept gay couples now

"You're a cool guy, Miyano-kun. I think I might get why Shumei fell for you." Both Sasaki and Big Sister's Boyfriend coming to interrupt because of this compliment is very funny:

"Shumei-san." "Why is that the part you remember?" "Maybe I'll call you Yoshikazu." "You could." I will never tire of the first name to last name transition in media, it is my favourite

Hirano grabbing Sasaki by the back of the neck like he's a misbehaving cat when he looks at his boyfriend during the graduation rehearsal is so cute

"Would you be the jealous type, Miyano?" Everything Hanzawa says is foreshadowing

"Drop it! It's got nothing to do with you." Hirano said: DO NOT gossip about why Sasaki would sprint after his favourite second-year to explain the (fake) lipstick mark on his cheek, and the other Third Years said: That's fair, not my business!

"How can my heart be so small?" said Miyano, as if jealousy were not a normal human emotion to feel, especially at 17

"If you're going to gush to me about him, be careful what you say. My girlfriend will find out." "Have a long and happy relationship." HAHA the friend group designating them as Relationship Status Official

Hirano said: I know we haven't talked about my situationship with my roommate for forty minutes, but I promise, it's still going on

Hkjhkhkjh Sasaki offering Miyano his school blazer for "when he gets taller." I don't think he will, but the faith is nice!

Awwwwwww Miyano copying Sasaki's embarrassed gesture of laying his face down!! <3 <3 <3

The flashbacks to their different moments across the school are getting me. I am just a sentimental bitch at heart

HAHAHA THE DUCK AND COVER KISS WHILE KURESAWA LOOKS ON FROM BELOW LIKE: 👁👄👁

This was a lovely show, highly recommend, very sweet and likeable cast, relatively unembarrassing given the initial premise, friends to lovers, mutual pining, not a single person at their all-boys school giving them a hard time for their relationship, good friendships, beautiful animation, no real complaints on my part

[redstringraven]

TMNT’s 40th anniversary ask game ~ May I ask for number 22) , 26) and 35) ? Lots of love <3

TuT!!!! THANK u, cherry. loves of love to you, too 💜✨

(please excuse that this ask is visually a bit more of a mess. i wrote too much again for tumblr to be chill with my usual formatting. why am i like this.)

TMNT's 40th anniversary ask game!

22.) what is your favorite kind of pizza?

terrible news, everyone: i'm a pro-pineapple bitch. you may block and unfollow me now; i forgive you for being incorrect (/lh). i tend to be pescatarian if i can help it (i'm flexible due to money, and also i hate inconveniencing others especially if i'm a guest), so i prefer pizza without meats. i'm happy to eat any kind of veggie combination with the exception of banana peppers. never liked those for some reason. i also really like mushroom and eggs as pizza toppings. i'm kind of just an egg fiend in general; i love the taste of a well-made egg.

26.) what is one of your favorite pieces of TMNT fan art?

these things keep asking for one, but i'm gonna continue responding with however many i feel like. because it's not my dad. the scarf, by @hamsterandturtlesoup weakness is a sickness and a virtue, by @tatortart various candid illustrations by richard chen vis dev by kellan jett

35.) which character relationships are your favorite to write/draw?

...since we're both OC people, i'm gonna take this as an opportunity to gush about canon and OC relationships: two of my favorite brotps. because they're character relationships i adore writing with all my heart and soul.

mikey, gwyn & ash i mentioned previously that @plantdonutwrites (jenn) writes for mikey in our RPs, so i consulted her for mikey's perspective on this brot3. i will paraphrase her answer in this paragraph:

"all his life, mikey's been used to only having his bros as company; they're family in a way that puts the rest of us to shame. but as they grew older they met all sorts of people, some became an extension of that family. raph has casey or maybe angel when he wants to dip for a bit. don has leatherhead or the professor (bree, too), and leo has usagi even if he's not 'as regular' (and min-ji, too). his brothers have their separate circles of friends, but, against all odds, mikey doesn't seem to have that (at least not until cassia shoved her foot in the loneliness door). then he bonded with gwyn and ash... but then they left. he realized that it wasn't just that they didn't treat him like 'the annoying brother who tags along' but because they'd actually become friends, and they were friends who didn't humor him. they liked the comics he talked about, they love klunk, and they're interested in his art and ideas. it meant a lot to him to have that--to know what it was like--and when they weren't around, he really felt the difference. in an odd way they helped him become a more empathetic person, too."

it's harder to answer in ash's perspective because she has a lot less agency than gwyn and, because gwyn's paranoid/won't let ash out of her own hands much less her line of sight, ash doesn't get a lot of one-on-one time with mikey. she's interacted with him a LOT more than she's interacted with most people--which absofuckinglutely means something--but since she does consider herself 'dead' and is at peace with the possibility she'll be a literal shapeshifting weapon for the rest of her sentience, i think a lot of his meaning to her (right now) is very rooted in what he means for gwyn. THAT being said.

mikey is gwyn's first real friend. like. ever. in all the time she's been alive. very much in the same way that the brothers only had each other for most of their lives, gwyn only ever had ash. her community considered her a parasite and an omen, so she was essentially outcast. gwyn grew up feeling she wasn't wanted, had to earn any love she received, and when ash died and became trapped in the weapon, all that transpired and followed afterward re-enforced that. i haven't talked about darach a lot--deliberately--but know that he's a masterful manipulator in more ways than one. if ch'rell was brute force and intimidation, darach is more like the pot you put a frog in and slowly turn up the heat. you don't realize you're being boiled alive until it's too late. thanks to his influence, gwyn's been tricked, back-stabbed, cornered, and watched people suffer 'because of her' countless times. when i said she was paranoid, i wasn't really being hyperbolic. she has SEVERE trust issues. ...then came mikey. someone who, unknowingly, had already given them a taste of his character.

gwyn and ash had heard of mikey's rematch with kluh during their travels--that the match was made mortal, that mikey had not only won but had spared kluh's life when he had every reason not to. darach wouldn't approach someone like him, they figured. and as time passed, mikey continued to not just be open and kind with them, but again and again he's emphasized to gwyn that they just... CARE. to quote him "we don't keep you guys around for any benefits other than being able to know you". which, in so many ways, is unheard of for gwyn. she still struggles to believe him sometimes, but she trusts him. mikey is her first and best friend, he's someone she admires, and he's proven time and time again that ash isn't the only person capable of loving her, and that she's worthy of that love by just being herself. i had to spend a lot of this answer on exposition because OC, but... i earnestly can't emphasize enough how much mikey's come to mean to gwyn. he asked her not to leave again without them, and she promised she wouldn't. that promise to him has kept her from running away and isolating. even though she's terrified--for herself, for ash, for them--she trusts him. writing them makes me so happy. it's been such a delight to see their relationship evolve and the influences they've had on each other and their worldviews. i love this brot3 so goshdang much.

min-ji & raph min-ji belongs to jenn and, oh my god, i love her relationship with raph so, SO much. when we rp, jenn's obviously writing for min, and i write for raph.

again! consulted jenn! her answer paraphrased below:

"raph's pretty much the first assertive person in her life that had her back early on? her home life is complex; her family DOES love her but sometimes that love can veer controlling and toxic (responsibilities/obligations). raph was a type of personality she'd never been around before, and he cared about her well-being in a way that was unconditional. hanging out with him more helped her become more assertive and in touch with parts of herself she was forced to suppress to be more palatable to her family. she's found that being angry about something that happened to her, or something that was said to her, doesn't make her bad or a burden. raph doesn't expect her to shy away from her flaws or nuances. he lets her be a person."

as for raph's end, it's kind of hard to put into words. but i love that min-ji has become one of the very few people he will allow himself moments of vulnerability around. like. instead of it just happening, he makes the choice to let a wall or six down. they've created a mutual safe space between each other.

i think this has cultivated from a lot of things. min was much more timid when they met--raph even made a bit of a point, initially, to not interact with her so much because she was skittish and on-edge thanks to surrounding events. but through the events of our writing, he's watched her grow in self-confidence, be more open, and allow herself to 'take up' more space. she's also survived two major threats to her life, now, both of which have scarred her physically and emotionally, yet she persists and continues to extend kindness to people who, in his opinion, don't deserve it. but that's HER business (while he makes his feelings known, he stays out of it unless she signals him otherwise). she may not be a fighter in a literal sense, but he sees her as an equal. like, he's still protective of her in dangerous situations since she's not trained to fight--obviously--but... i dunno, i guess it's more like "i've been through shit; you've been through shit; if i say things look bad right now, you won't like it but you also won't give up". he doesn't feel a pull to coddle her if things are looking grim, i guess is what i'm trying to say?; he'll shoot straight with her because he knows she IS a fighter. even if she doesn't fight. does THAT make sense?

like i said, it's hard to put into words. but i think it's a combination of min-ji's emotional strength and kindness as a person, as well as the fact she's not an immediate family member, that make it easier for him to let those barriers down around her and have severely needed moments of vulnerability where he doesn't dismiss pain or fear or anything else he might be feeling. he knows min would never lash out at him, physically, emotionally, or however else. min-ji is kind, and she's strong, and she's safe. he trusts her, values and respects her judgment and input. much in the same way his presence lets her feel like a person, she's extended that grace to him. just in a different way. i love getting to write interactions between them. there's always something warm and comforting in their exchanges, light-hearted or more melancholic. it's nice. the love is very much there.

[docholligay]

I do think there are a handful of missteps in the show, admittedly, and one of them is that Claudia loses a lot of her resonance. I know, if I get murdered by the fandom over one thing, it will be this. I know she's a huge fan favorite. I don't even dislike her!

But aging her up compromised the tragedy of her situation, and honestly, made it a bit ridiculous. I know all of the extra-universe reasons she had to be aged up, but that doesn't change the question of what Claudia is doing in the story as she is presented.

We're asked to swallow this idea of being their daughter, of them using her to repair a marriage. The story of Interview With the Vampire is, in many ways, the story of both losing a child, and the tragedy of hanging onto a child. Claudia's tragedy is that she is frozen in amber. She can never grow up. She can never change. She is locked in that childish moment, seen as a child by her parents forever, and this is her great tragedy.

All of this becomes much harder to swallow about a fourteen year old, specifically given the time period in which she's turned. It's not that fourteen year olds were regularly running around by themselves, but in an edge neighborhood, in New Orleans, in the early 1900s, it's hardly out of the question. People would not have thought of her as a 'little girl'. So as soon as we enter into this, it's already become unserious. Her ruthless killing is not belied by a cupid-like look, because she is too old to look cupid-like. The way Louis and Lestat think of her is entirely out of their position and time.

I will admit to a piece of bias: I think Claudia is as close as Anne Rice ever comes to actually doing something really compelling with the narrative. In any of the Vampire Chronicles books. I think this tragedy of a child who did survive, a child who, unlike her own, will live forever, and the way she works through that as its own tragedy worse than death, and how CLAUDIA. HAS. TO DIE. Because that's what happened, and that's how it must happen, is probably the greatest literary stroke in any of the novels. So it pains me to see it essentially wiped away by child labor laws (The children yearn for the mines).

We have to deal with it, then, in these half measures. She's a child who can do nothing, she runs around on college campuses by herself, she will never be taken seriously and everyone sees her as a child, Madeline being attracted to her is no way unsettling or odd, etc. They try to make a big deal of her being a teenager forever, and always prone to irrational emotions, but she's written as one of the most reasonable people of season two. We are shackled to the Claudia of the books who cannot live with the Claudia of the show. Her character doesn't stand up to much scrutiny, we lose both its tragedy and its monstrousness and we are left with a pretty cool lady vampire in her own right, but someone who fails to deliver on the promise of Claudia's tragedy.

This isn't really her fault, but it becomes even more ridiculous with the actress switch in season two, who looks even OLDER than the original actress. I know that even Kirsten Dunst was too old, and where the fuck are you going to find a twelve year old like Kirsten Dunst again, who looked younger than she was and could act like a forty year old woman? But I do mourn the loss of a Claudia who was a tragic child, for a Claudia who is...inconvenienced. I would have preferred the ol Olsen Twins trick, having twins play a singular role so she could be actually a child, but we can't have everything.

(I will say a change with Claudia I HATED initially, that I came around to really liking, was having Lestat turn her after Louis' begging, and not having had Louis drain her in a moment of weakness. I love that moment in the books, and was SO disappointed that he just...saved her. Saint fucking Louis. But I came around to it, and I am so glad I waited for season two. I think they did a great job in the sketching of it.)

THIS IS THE ONE I'LL GET HATEMAIL ABOUT

[mwebber]

29 30 38 for martian :3

ooh these r fun! haven't lingered on Real Martian for a bit.. going to set these in the rbr era!

29. Who is more likely to jump in an elevator? Who freaks out?

mark jumps first, lightly, because he thinks it would get seb looking at him with an alarmed, deer-in-headlights kinda look, and his face is endlessly funny when his eyes go wide. seb would get over it quickly, though, and one-up mark by jumping higher, and landing harder. and mark, because he's a competitive little shit, would do the same--except, he's bigger, and heavier, and he actually breaks the elevator. they manage to contact the hotel easily enough. seb, with no small amount of amusement, and mark, with a little bit of embarrassment for inconveniencing someone (obviously not for LOSING against seb, he didn't lose against seb, they weren't even competing for anything). the hotel says eta for help is about half an hour while they wait for the mechanic to arrive. maybe it's the confined space of the elevator, the buzzing of the fan above, but they both feel inclined to fill the silence. seb sits on the floor, and mark sits next to him, and they have a conversation about things going on in their lives, places they've hiked, bike routes they've tried, and it's-- nice. it's nice, to talk to seb as a human being, stripped down to their natural selves without all the pretense of their race weekend environment.

30. Your OTP gets to pick out each other's outfits; what is each wearing?

trying to think of a situation where they'd do that. i think it'd be if they were already fucking and familiar with one another, or at least in each other's spheres enough? mark would probably dress seb one of two ways, depending on how intimate they are... the first, if they're not fucking: in a skirt or dress, for kicks, and also because deep down, he's curious. seb looks pretty, though, and mark proceeds to have a sexuality crisis wherein seb is like, i like wearing this, but i'm not a girl. and mark is like, don't you think i know that. seb wouldn't do that, but he'd absolutely make mark do something ridiculous, like wear his red bull shirt and pants backwards and strut out in front of the cameras, or something. the second, if they are fucking: mark dresses seb in his favourite hoodie, and just his favourite hoodie. it's oversized on seb's smaller frame, but he's adorable, almost swaddled in the fabric, with the sleeves covering his hands. it's nice and warm, too, when mark slides his hands underneath to hold seb's waist and gently thumb circles onto soft skin. seb, for his part, would probably tell mark to wear something comfortable because he can't be arsed to do something like this, or else he'd choose a nice dress in mark's size and force him to confront Gender. i am making him confront gender regardless

38. Who is more sexually experimental? Who's more vanilla?

the obvious answer would be that seb's more experimental and mark's more vanilla, so i'm gonna play devil's advocate here. seb likes it when sex matters. he loves the intimacy of it, the way he can be vulnerable with someone, and come back more sure of himself and his partner's affections. it's validation and security, in a way. plus, missionary is hot, especially when feelings are involved, whether he's fucking or being fucked. that's not to say he doesn't like it rough or doesn't like toys, but he's not going to go out of his way to make things super spicy in the bedroom if they're already special enough :) mark's open to the kinkier side, mostly because he thinks seb would look really great in different positions, with different toys. but a smaller, deeper part of him knows it's because he thinks switching it up will mean seb doesn't get bored of him. he's older, not as spry as he used to be--he thinks he needs to keep seb coming back for more. little does he know that as long as he keeps making love to seb and treating him like the only person in the world when they're in bed, seb will melt in his arms every single time.

ask me about martian / nobody asks you questions!

[hiding-in-the-vault]

I would like to apply as another minion, I am very easy to manipulate and I would be one of your greatest yes-man.

I can fix whatever you need, cook scrambled eggs and intimidate people with my raccoon like tendencies >:) <— very evil

I am also french and while this may seem like a bad thing, you would be praised for giving a french person a job and your diversity quota would go up.

There is an ever-growing need for minions and henchmen as the corporation expands. Easy to manipulate is indeed a valuable trait in this field!

Also I would argue being french is a positive in this case! All things considered, I have seen your people do great work in inconveniencing popular figures as of late. I'm a big fan, gotta say.

Also I had crêpes last weekend and they were very good. So that's also something to consider.

[itsukismoon]

Onsen Village overflowing with Love - Moon route chapter 3 (Cyrus)

Emma: (…..Ngh)

Emma: (…What is it. The wind feels good—)

Emma: This is…?

Cyrus: Don’t get up too fast.

Emma: !

As soon as I tried to get up, a large hand gently held my shoulder.

Cyrus: Sleep a bit more.

Emma: Cyrus-san…

Cyrus was sitting next to me, blowing air with a fan.

Then finally I realised I was lying on a futon.

Emma: …I lost consciousness at the hot spring, didn’t I.

Cyrus: That’s right.

Cyrus: After you said “I should get up soon”, I heard a big splash in the water and you wouldn’t answer me.

Cyrus: Since I was worried, I took a peek, and found you unconscious next to the rock.

Emma: So you carried me to your room. I’m sorry for inconveniencing you—

Emma: Wait, huh? I was wearing a bathing suit…

Cyrus: I let the female employees handle that. I swear it on my honour as a knight.

Emma: Y-yes!

After I cut him off, Cyrus regained his composure and straightened his back.

Cyrus: ….Still, it’s true that I touched your bare skin when carrying you out of the bath.

Cyrus: Though it was an emergency, I did something unbecoming.

Emma: No! I was saved thanks to you. I’m really thankful.

Cyrus: Yeah….

Emma: (But, he’s right. He didn’t see me naked, but he still touched me.)

Emma/Cyrus, blushing: ……

Emma: Uhm… could I get some water?

Cyrus: Y-yes, sure.

I slowly got up, sitting next to Cyrus, and received a glass of water.

drinks

Emma: Mh… it’s good.

Cyrus: ….I see.

Cyrus: Even tough I said I wouldn’t cause you further problems, I failed right away.

Emma: ? I think I’m the one here causing trouble…

Emma: The stairs then the hot spring, I’m always asking for your help.

Cyrus: No. Considering your stamina, we should have gone to another hot spring.

Cyrus: But, I was happy that you proposed this one for me… it was my fault for pushing ahead with it.

Cyrus: I’m sorry, Emma.

Emma: Cyrus-san…

Emma: However, I’m feeling much better now.

I put my hand over the sorry-looking Cyrus’ one.

Emma: See? The hot flashes are now gone and I’m back to normal.

Cyrus: …It seems so.

Emma: (Though it is different than what I first imagined when I decided to come here.)

Emma: Were you able to gather your thoughts?

Cyrus: ……Yes.

Cyrus raised his head, and our eyes ended up being closer than I thought.

He reached out with his big hand and gently touched my hair—

Emma: Uh… Cyrus-san?

Cyrus: I thought that telling you would only cause you trouble but… I now recognise it was only an excuse.

Cyrus: Because it became more difficult to distance myself from you due to the fear of change.

Emma: Eh….

Emma: (What does that….?)

Cyrus’ expression seemed relieved now that he got rid of that weight off his shoulders.

Cyrus: ….

The gaze he directed at me was also different than usual; it had a certain sweetness to it.

I felt the heat come back once more to my cheeks.

Cyrus: At the same time, I was also happy to know more about you.

Cyrus: When you were scared, when you were embarrassed… I wanted you to show me more of your true self.

Cyrus: From now on, I want to be the first one to see those sides of you.

Cyrus: If possible, I’d like you to rely on me more, but… in order to do that, I myself must become stronger than I am now.

Emma: W-wait a moment, please.

Emma: What would you do if I ended up misunderstanding you after saying such a thing…?

Cyrus: I don’t mind if you do.

Emma: !?

Emma: (He says he doesn’t care if I misunderstand him…)

I desperately thought about the meaning of the words he told me so matter-of-factly, but I could only find one answer.

Cyrus: Today, I’m only saying things that are unlike me.

Cyrus: …I guess this means that I’m at ease.

Muttering to himself, he narrowed his eyes.

Emma: …I’m really glad, seeing you like this.

Emma: (If you’re like this, it means you really let your guard down.)

If I understood the meaning of his words correctly, then I felt the same way about him—

I looked straight into his eyes, feeling as if those jet-black orbs were sucking me right in.

Cyrus: chuckles ….

As if his soft chuckle was a signal, the distance between us shrank more and more.

As I listened to my loud heartbeat, I closed my eyes—

full version:

[gtzgoblin]

Was due to see Blink-182 tomorrow and was so, so excited for it. I've been a fan since I was like 13 so am naturally disappointed that it's not happening tomorrow night. But you know what? Family is more important. I'm kinda horrified by the comments on the news articles with people being awful about how inconvenienced they are when Travis Barker is about to have a baby, and we don't know the circumstances of this at all. Do people just not know how scary having a baby is? So much could go wrong for mam and baby and I would have been petrified if my husband hadn't been there when I had my kid. Like, I know you've been inconvenienced but try and have a bit of empathy my dudes. Just coz they're famous doesn't mean they're not people and some things are more important than your evening/experience. Which will be rearranged (and trust me, getting to places/babysitters etc is a nightmare for me too, I don't get to just rock along to somewhere with no other responsibilities!)

Hope everything's okay for them 💜

[cresvalkyrie]

haiii hope you dont mind me coming in here to talk about my favorite desolation sisters again,, i am thinking thoughts about them and they desire to escape. help

mostly thinking about the falling out that they have when sara finds out iseult joined the foxes.... like? it'd be jarring to them to find out that their own sister is seemingly working against them. they feel like everything they're doing was being undermined. like shes on the same team that has a bounty on them. they're a lot less than impressed at least...

....until they find out why she did it. then the rage turns onto themself,,, they were just inconveniencing her again by letting her worry about them that much. they were just a burden to her. again. one of the only people they value more than their own life. do you get me?? the way the blame shifts. so fast. and how iseult likely knew that it would end up like this if sara ever found out? and still did it because she just cares that much about her little sibling?? hello????? girl why are you such a caring sweetheart my god i love her. she's been in my mind rent free pls tell her to pay rent i am starving. she doesnt have to though. live laugh love iseult i am her biggest fan ever

askjhsadh im very normal about those two. (<- liar)

Omg hi??? You have no idea how happy this ask made me asjhsdkjhsdkjhsd

...ahem, anyway! Onto the question at hand!

(This got a lot longer than expected lmao so Imma just put everything down in a readmore)

It's kinda funny, because Iseult is not the first of my OCs to have this fierce loyalty streak. In fact, most if not all of them have this trait, though currently the top (or perhaps the worst?) contenders are tied between Iseult and Hauyne (who joined Bladestar as a mole and saboteur for similar reasons). They've all got this mentality of "As long as you're alive and safe, you can hate me all you want".

Of course, this raises a bunch of other consequences (in this case, Sara's crippling guilt because of how they felt Iseult's loyalty and devotion towards them is completely undeserved), but like they all say: "love is blind". And in this case, Iseult's love has blinded her towards the inner demons her beloved sibling is forced to grapple with her entire life.

She doesn't understand why Sara keeps pushing her away (at least, from her perspective), telling her that they don't need her protection and worry about herself more when they are clearly beset by enemies and threats that are as (if not even more) powerful as they are from all directions.

She doesn't understand that Sara feels the constant, insatiable and almost certainly irrational need to prove their worth, to not feel like a burden to their friends, to silence the voices whispering dark thoughts in her head. And her protection is only making the inner conflict worse, whether she realises it or not.

She doesn't see (or maybe even care) how her actions may appear to Sara and their friends/allies. She knows its morally dubious, there's no doubt about that, but then again... she's done a lot of questionable things in the past to survive. For her and her sibling's sake. So what's one more to her growing list of sins? At the very least, by metaphorically dirtying her hands, she can keep Sara's clean. And that's all that matters to her.

In the end... all she sees is her beloved baby sibling is in danger through mostly no fault of their own, and she - as the older sister - needs to protect and keep them safe. They're the only family she's got left, after all, and there is nothing in the world which is more precious than family. But in doing so, she inadvertently neglects the only family she has left.

Which is perhaps the most tragic and ironic part about it all.

[fullwets]

i don’t think daniel fans see it as a conspiracy— just that the car is objectively much better this year than it was when he was driving for them lol. it just sucks to mclaren thrive bc they hate mclaren

you're absolutely right that they hate mclaren and that the car is just objectively better this year, especially the past few races, but. BUT. there were also self-proclaimed daniel fans in both 2021 and 2022 that were absolutely convinced mclaren was inconveniencing daniel deliberately, holding him back from achieving his potential, favoring lando, giving daniel bad strategies and a slower car, that they were giving up on him prematurely, that mclaren were idk psychologically abusing him or something, there were a lot of buzzwords thrown around. all of which was like 98% unfounded and the remaining 2% can mostly be accounted for by lando just plain being faster than him in the MCL35/M, so. lol. there were definitely SOME fans who thought it was a conspiracy. and i am not so big of a person that i'm not now going to be very pleased that the car has improved even more after they've left the team, so now they don't get to enjoy regular podium finishes <3 and i Do

[dyketennant]

i do think being inconvenienced or missing out on things as a fan is worth it but i am also worried certain networks-i-will-not-name will use this time to drop new shows/seasons when actors & writers can't promote, only to cancel them with the excuse "nobody watched bc strike :("

[nezoriy]

a view from my window at around 3am

kyiv, 2022. the moon is the brightest source of light bc half an hour ago the electricity was cut off.

and it’s planned cut-off which is cool! now after almost 2 weeks i can make plans again. but these plans also revolve around having electricity and any kind of connection 6-12 hours a day (after 23th nov strike we went without electricity and mobile connection for two days) and you can’t imagine how i hate this

i want y’all to remember that even when the ukrainians you might be following are posting gifs and fan arts of their otps, they are not okay. none of us are.

with my electricity thing I’m honestly just mildly inconvenienced and still i almost am unable to work and i’m depressed af

you’re being tired of our war? yeah dude so are we. trust me on that.

idk where im going with this. i’m drunk and sad. i just want y’all to remember that we are people and our personal stories matter. we fucking matter. we’re not a statistic of victims. we are people writing your fics discussing with you our otps and drawing arts. even here in kyiv where we are most safe and privileged we’re not leading a normal life. and probably will not for years to come.

also yeah. i shoot and wrote this on monday but i couldn’t post this thing then bc the internet was down together with electricity and tuesday i spent in a 15-hours-long depressive nap

support ukraine and donate if you can idk honestly i’m just sadly rambling here

[onlyswan]

Hey Art, how's you doing? I hope you're doing a little better than before, sending you hugs❤🫂!!

I wanted to write about your latest drabble since a few days but i just couldn't find the time for it, you see I wanted to pin point the lines and paragraphs I loved so i took my time with it, hehe!!

So the entire drabble made me sob like a baby and i felt like both Kook and OC could use a hug,poor babies😭but i especially couldn't stop my tears and had to practically take a moment when I read these two paragraphs, firstly this-

"your weak knees give in to the pull of gravity, heedless of nasty bruises as you cover your mouth to restrain your afflicted sobbing, nails scratching the porcelain as your lone hand insists on holding you up. sometimes love is not a warm comforting embrace. sometimes love is teeth. sometimes love is biting and perversely holding on. were you not worth fighting for? this time around, can he sacrifice something else instead of you? does that make you sound selfish? what if you don’t care that it does? and you wonder if it’s alright for two people to be in a relationship despite having different ideas of what loving means. you wonder if you’ve truly changed his mind."

Like I don't know if I can say enough about how beautifully angsty this was. Like my genuine curiosity is about how do you come up with a line that goes, "SOMETIMES LOVE IS TEETH"?? LIKE? HOW? It's beyond me. Literally. That just made me feel heartbroken without even being in a relationship 😭?? And that's what art is right? Being able to feel emotions the writer wants for you to feel, even though you haven't gone through it, ever. And so i would really like to give you pats on the back, because you nailed it, you do so every time, but this one just would always remain one of those drabbles I'll come back to read again and again even though it'll hurt my heart because I would want to feel these emotions again.Also the OC thinking whether it's a selfish thing to ask for being put first is so relatable? Like, I know that feeling, that feeling of thinking whether I'm being selfish when asking for being chosen over everyone and everything else.

And then secondly this paragraph-

he wants to be inconvenienced by you. he wants to make impulsively confrontational phone calls he will overthink before bed. he wants you to wake him up in the middle of the night clawing for snuggles. he wants you to jump on his back when you’re exhausted of walking. he wants to charm the owner of your favorite restaurant into cooking one more meal before closing because you always ask him to make a quick stop when he visits you. he wants his life to be influenced by yours in every possible way, two different colors mixed in a palette to create a new one that matches the sky.

Just how amazingly parallel these two paragraphs are, I can't even put into words how beautiful they complete each other, and they are just words?? THE POWER. OC's thoughts, overthinking,all just answered in his mind is just so painfully accurate. Like the fact that he just answered all the questions of OC's in his thoughts is just exemplary, exemplary of his love. I think most of the time in life we don't know what the other person is thinking, what are they going through unless we tell them, but even through all that if we are in love we subconsciously just know what the other person wants. And that's exactly what Kook portrayed here, or I shall better say, you did it😭😭 I WANTED TO HUG SOMEONE AND CRY WHEN I READ, "HE WANTS HIS LIFE TO HE INFLUENCED BY YOURS IN EVERY POSSIBLE WAY, TWO DIFFERENT COLORS MIXED IN A PALETTE TO CREATE A NEW ONE THAT MATCHES THE SKY". I'm a fan, Art. Literally. Thank you for writing this<3 and listening to my absolute non sense of a rant.

hello my love sending you hugs right back 🫂🤍 i am definitely feeling better!! how about you?

seeing someone feel strongly about my writing literally makes me the happiest ever are you kidding 🥹🥹🥹 i can listen to you all day !!!!

And that's what art is right? Being able to feel emotions the writer wants for you to feel, even though you haven't gone through it, ever.

oh my god i love you so much 🥲 this means the absolute world to me seriously i can’t say this enough but THANK YOU THANK YOU

when i tell you guys i was genuinely crying too while writing this sceneshdjdhfjg and it still makes me emotional. feeling that low is the absolute worst 😭 so this paragraph also stands out to me in a visceral way </3 thank you for loving it!!! 😭

AND THIS ANALYZATION TOO AHHHSKDJFJKD IT HITS SO HARD i had to read it multiple times bcs… why are you making me cry i lovelovelove your brain and heart for this </3 i’m gonna be here all day if i don’t stop myself from rambling excitedly about this lol but i think i said it with the last line :( they just match and make sense together even though they’re different in many ways 🫂 (you can hug me and cry!!!) thank you so much for reading. i truly appreciate you for making the time to do so and sending me this lovely message. you’re the sweetest :* mwah mwah!

[kaetchup]

rei sakuma idol story 1

rei's first idol story, and my first real post on tumblr! i know that this one's already localized on engstars, so this one's mostly just ripped from engstars with some minor changes for readability.

♪ obligatory disclaimer! none of this is mine, i'm just sharing it for my love of our idol boys. all content belongs to happy elements ♪

rei: ... ♪

Oh? Well, well, if it isn't our young lady Producer. What could have possibly brought you here? This dormitory should be out of bounds to a lady like you.

A broken taboo in this world induced either divine retribution or direful curses. You may have already invited the devil after you! Kekeke ♪

Yet now is not the time for pleasant vampire chats.

You seem most troubled. Very well, I, Rei Sakuma, shall lend a hand.

I'm always indebted to you, young lady, so allow me to return the favor. Truth be told, demons are much more genuine and earnest than humans.

Hm? Is it inappropriate if I call you "young lady"?

Because the intimacy between producers and idols will leave a negative impression on fans?

Hmm, you are correct. I have yet to fully comprehend the appropriate distance humans keep between each other...

I have, for ages hitherto, considered myself a longer, a beast inhabiting the dark.

But people around me, including you, warmly recieved me as one of your kind...

This is why I can finally breathe fresh air and wear a smile.

Words cannot express my gatefulness. I would do anything for you.

As age has deprived me of all joy except giving allowances to children ♪

Kekeke. It was wrong of me to treat you as a child.

I admit that it is one flaw of mine to treat those around me liek young children.

It proved nowhere near unpleasant back at Yumenosaki Academy.

But now that I have become a part of society...

Suddenly I find myself surrounded by older adults.

Thus I should exercise care and treat everyone as equals.

My sincere gratitude for reminding me, Producer. Please don't hesitate to point out my inadequacies.

... There, there. Don't give me that look, will you? I didn't keep you my audience for nothing.

I have arranged everything on my phone while talking.

As much as I don't like machines, they sure are convenient... What concerns me, on the other hand, is that such comfort brought by out advanced civilization might eventually lead to the degeneration of humanity.

Yet this is in a way evolution as well. Adaptation knows no discrimination.

Change is much more desirable and valuable than stasis.

Kekeke, I see... My investigation has enlightened me on what happened.

The right person fares better than the internet in a time like this.

There was an idol drunk at a banquet who kept whining about not being able to walk...

And you had no choice but to accompany him back to the dorms in a taxi.

I believe such work is more manager than producer...

Could it be that you are too used to undertaking everything by yourself?

It will help if you recognize such a demand as peculiar. However reluctant I am to find fault with anyone for the past...

Idols are no saints. Things might have gone wrong under such circumstances.

How could you possibly tell he was not planning something unforgivable under the pretense of intoxication?

Though you are free to believe that an idol would not do anything that will upset their fans...

Unfortunately, not all people are well-intended. Never had a single second passed without accidents or incidents.

Do take more care of yourself. I would turn over in my grave if something happened to you.

I would most certainly live with indelible regrets until my last breath.

Is it your intention to leave me an eternal scar?

Kekeke. That was a bit harsh of me... You were the one frightened and thus hurt.

I shouldn't utter anything judgemental like that.

You are a smart child, and I am sure that you have learned your lesson with a fright.

Hmm. I will take care of this certain problematic idol.

Even if he meant no harm, even if he inconvenienced you inadvertently... I can't sit by and watch.

I will discipline him. My standing in the industry enables me to do so to whomever he might be.

Well, I hope you are wiser but not sadder after today, and that you get back to work as usual.

Forget about the annoyances... but make sure that they don't happen again.

Pinky promise, then... ♪

Hmm, good girl. I will walk you outside. There is no need to act as though you were a thief about to break a window.

I have cleared our surroundings, so no one would see us.

This way, young lady. I will take you to safety... ♪

...

... See? You should pay attention to what I'm saying. You cannot possibly read my mind-

What if I, like the devil, were to harm you?

If you let your guard down like this, there is no promise that I wouldn't sink my teeth into you from behind...

As someone who nearly paid for your kindness, you really should be more suspicious of others.

Well, I presume this is your virtue. How sad it would be if we should start to suspect everybody...

Innocence is never a sin.

But do please remember this much- we idols love you, and we are concerned about you.

I, not as a colleague, but as an individual human being, pray for your happiness.

For our sake, please take care of yourself.

Very well. Let's end such heavy talk if you have kept my words in mind.

Return to where you belong. I will escort you as long as you wish.

Now then, Producer... Enjoy your walk with the vampire on this beautiful, serene night ♪