#it's amazing how i think i don't have many thoughts on something (i.e. why i like brujay)

[cetaceans-pls]

Jaybru for the ask game! Also extra question if you’re okay with it: post marriage head canons considering the Knead It fic?

hi anon! i truly was expecting people to ask some outta-left-field relationships but instead i get to talk about jaybru twice (heh heh heh)

Ship It

What made you ship it?

you can blame @setsailslash for it, they requested a charity commission for gen bruce and jason, which got me into batfam and got me looking at jason, and then their luscious body of work (kuro49 on ao3) and me digging through the dc kinkmeme (i love kinkmemes SO much) pushed me towards writing any which way and that was game over..... i fell into the (bat)hole and i can't get out :')

2. What are your favorite things about the ship?

one of the things i really like about them is just how aggressively, flagrantly different they are!! rich vs. poor, old vs. young, bruce who keeps having people die on him vs. jason as the one who actually dies, to kill or not to kill.... it's a struggle to imagine anything that they would agree on, which makes it even better if one of the few things they do (agree on) is that they want to deeply deeply care for each other 🥲🥲🥲

3. Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

i don't know enough about what's popular for the ship to say 🧐 uhmmm i'm only interested in post-pit jaybru, because i like them to have a more equal power dynamic bc this means they can whale on each other with the full force of their violence (and care) in a more equitable manner??? does that count???

re: post marriage head canons for an insistent knead

the fic itself is a secret sequel to a quarterly review, in case you haven't read that one!

as for after they get married.... i imagine they're still mostly the same! they don't move in together, bc they're both large predators that need some measure of space, but bruce absolutely stops manwhoring about and starts wearing a ring. when he gets asked about it he'll say he got married [true] and then talk at length about his mystery man [rampant and increasingly bizarre lies]

they want it to be honest but they want it to be secret, so they probably got their marriage registered in like ecuador or something, bruce with a fake b-name jason with his own, so when an interviewer asks bruce just winks and goes i'm legally married [somewhere? somewhere warm??] and then he'll just lie about every other aspect, talks about how his husband's much older than he is, they're never seen together bc his (elderly) man has mobility issues [segue into improving accessibility in gotham], they're very happy together, so happy together in fact that on their wedding night [it must've been spring! unless it was summer!] in a fit of exuberance his partner snapped his hip like a wishbone in bed.... he's rich [richer than bruce is, unless stocks have ??? deflated??? who's to say maybe he's richer again now haha] and handsome and bruce is just lying lying lying with gleeful abandon until a reporter asks uhm but are u happy though? do u love him though?

and bruce goes all melty and embarrassing and goes yes, then he leans over so he gets closer to the mic and looks straight into the camera and says i hope he knows i love him almost more than anything 🥺 and the interviewer goes almost? and bruce grins and says i have kids no one can be my favourite so everyone is second best 🥰

jump cut to jason w a coffee mug that says world's [added on in sharpee] 2nd best husband going baby i'll show u the type of loving that'll snap the hip of an older lover :)))) wow i got carried away but yes basically after they get married they're still mostly the same except in all the ways they get worse (affectionate)

[impactedfates]

Love In Different Shapes - Various HSR Girls x GN! Reader

★ Summary: Your lover loves to show that they love you, however some of their methods to do so, aren't something you'd expect - i.e HSR Girls and their love languages (but it's not your typical love language)

☆ Characters Included (Separate): Jingliu, Topaz, Serval, Qingque, Asta, Tingyun, Kafka

★ Genre/Trope: Romantic + Crack (?)

☆ Warnings: None

★ Extra: Just had random thoughts about HSR characters love language and decided to write about what theirs is in my opinion - just not your typical ones. // Not proof read - we die like Himeko // There's a HSR Boy version as well! Right here.

Y'know those cats who come to your doorstep and drop a dead bird in front of your door? That's her...but it's an actual person.

As Jingliu is well...dead herself (I think) and I believe currently in the Shackling Prison which probably means very small times where she can see you if she can convince Jing Yuan, the fastest gift she can give you...is well...y e a h.

If you do ask her to stop, she will...not getting rid of people, just bringing you the bleeding results. She'd probably steal something from them as I doubt many people would want business from a criminal/dead person.

She writes notes and gives you gifts...but she gets Numby to send them to you.

It's not that Topaz is shy about giving you gifts, she's more then happy to give you a kiss on the lips if she wants too, but for some reason. To her, if Numby is the one giving the gifts and letters from her to you. She thinks it's more affectionate.

You don't know why, neither does Numby. But you both find it cute, even so. Getting the little daily visits from number with a letter in it's mouth and the page having a small bite mark from where Numby was nomming on, it's sweet of her. As much as this was of showing affection is strange to you.

Serval.

WARNING, DO NOT DATE SERVAL IF YOU RATHER BE UNKNOWN/j

But honestly. Serval gives the vibe to call you up on stage during one of her songs, you have an automatic V.I.P ticket and there's a seat/area dedicated to you, that you are the only one allowed in.

She writes love songs with you in it as well and will announce it during her concerts.

Serval: "THIS ONE GOES TO MY PERFECT, AMAZING AND CARING PARTNER. MY WORLD, MY LIGHT, MY EVERYTHING NI-"

Someone in the crowd: "GET ON WITH IT"

(Dw, she won't do this if you're uncomfortable...she'll still write songs about you though)

Lazing with you. Qingque shows her love by being lazy around you. Y'know how some animals show that they trust you be like being more near you? (Or something like that)

That's her, having a boss(?) like Fu Xuan who scolds her for slacking and others also doing the some. Her lazing around you is her way of showing she trusts you. It doesn't even matter if you'll tattle. She will laze around you or even WITH you.

Asta loves giving you gifts!...Like an entire planet-

Her love language is gift giving, but none of her gifts are small. There big in terms of how much it costs her, but it probably won't even make a DENT in her income. Avoid saying what you want, because she will buy it for you, even if it means buying thousands upon thousands.

You may need a special room to put all the gifts she buys you...which she also bought...

Point is, her love language is gift giving...extreme version.

Ever sob when you find out you don't have enough money for something? Tingyuns got you covered! Every single thing that you need shall be handed to you on a silver platter...in terms of coupons and discounts-

She probably has thousands of coupons saved up that she'll give you, and you always get discounts from her store for just being her lover. Every anniversary she gets you a gift you really want, she's sweet like that...but expect a book full of coupons from shops you frequent.

Coat.

.

.

.

.

.

Anyways, Kafka loves buying and getting coats as we know. And we also know she buys you a bunch of coats and styles you in all of them. (Separately, don't worry)

She can come home from a mission and have 3 bags full of coats for you to try on.

YOU can come back from a mission and she'll still have bags full of coats.

Your closet is so full of the article of clothing she oh so loves to buy all because she thinks it'll look cute on you...she probably lets you wear some of hers as well if you get far enough in the relationship.

Hehehe. I spent a good bit rambling with my friend about certain HSR characters "unusual" love language and decided to write one! It's not proof read as most of the time, my rambles aren't proof read. But as always, if I messed some spelling or grammar up. Inform me and I'll fix it :D

[bluginkgo]

Episode 7 Teaser is out and it gave me too many crack theories

Well, after finally getting my head wrapped around the entire teaser- which took literal hours to process how amazing it all looked- I think I finally found the ability to put it into words.

Spoilers, duh and uh lots of words, so sorry

This'll be somewhat frame by frame crack down as well as crack theories that came to me while spending time looking at the red images too long that gave me a headache - anyways

As many have mentioned this before, V's corpse is gone, and only a sentinel's tail remains on the ground to the right. Although I wish to believe that V made it out alive, that hope is quickly dwindling. Although there is a small possibility that V somehow won the fight (perhaps with outside help such as J) and dragged herself away (based off of the splatter on the ground) I more so think that she turned into an eldritch V. That or perhaps has been mauled by the sentinels, and the body was dragged off. Although, I can not wait for Liam to prove me wrong about this theory (I hope he proves me wrong, cause I miss V ;w;)

The ground looking hall seems to be where the gang will enter right after exiting the elevator. Alongside this, it seems that the moment with N is also here (based on the background). Now, as for the look that N gives. It goes from worried and slightly scared to harsh concern (in my opinion, feel free to take that thought and yeet it as far as you wish ^_^). Something made him worry in a way that also slightly flared his anger. Two theories:

He saw something ahead of them, and this is the more likely possibility, because that tunnel gives way to the cave that N seems to have been dragged into from the teaser from November.

2. Uzi might have said something that made him more concerned. There is a figure that moves behind N, but it is very hard to see as to who it is- my guess it's Tessa, making Uzi the only candidate to possibly to walk in front of them.

Then we get to see this hole.

Possibility (also a bit wacky and highly unlikely): The entity will finally be revealed, that is, the center of the absolute solver. Something I noticed with the design of the absolute solver is that we get to see its limbs, but never the main body. It is always hiding somewhere, be it in the ceiling or the walls. Of course, there are also the eldritch forms we saw of Cyn, but in my opinion, it feels more like another limb. Now, with J's huge form, I'm a little more inclined to believe that's what it looks like as the main body. Holo spooky snake crab like.

Not to be dramatic, but... Core collapse, which made me chuckle. Because despite all hell breaking loose in these last couple episodes, Murder Drones still manages to sneak in tiny jokes like this. Oh, and I can't forget the dog too! XD

Something I still cannot grasp my head around is what is going on with the environment around the cathedral?? It's raining, but it's in a cave- ok can be sorta explained that it acts like a stalactite... but then what is going on with the vortex around the building? My current theory: uhhh... robo-satan, that is all.

A lot of scenes with humans and in a clear view (i.e. not like a video tape). This might suggest a flashback as many have already mentioned it. However, who, how, and why is there a flashback? Well, there is one crack theory I came up with. This is what Uzi is seeing. She is an absolute solver host, and it has been seen on multiple occasions that absolute solver has a hivemind, so it can easily show its hosts whatever memories its previous hosts had.

These next scenes I believe to be in the progression as shown.

@/haastera (don't want to bother them with a tag) also pointed this out, that these scenes may be back to back, based off of the lamp that is off to Uzi's left. However, what the heck would cause Uzi to snap like she did in ep4?

Uzi saw something in the tape that made her upset, the possibility of N killing Nori. Cons in that theory: N killed Nori post core collapse, and there would not be any evidence of it.

The tape had something that was similar to zombie drones tape that was marked "Don't show this to drones, they will not like it." Something in the tape may have forced boot the solver string in Uzi, and she was powerless to stop it. Cons: @bloodywolfwings mentioned to me that the reflection in Uzi's visor seems to be a door instead of a screen. So there's also the 50% chance that these two scenes are not even related.

MA'AM YOU PUT THAT SWORD AWAY, UZI HAS IT BAD ENOUGH MA'AM- in all seriousness, this is a 50/50 shot once again. Maybe Tessa is attempting to get rid of Uzi while N is gone. The opposite end of that is Tessa is attempting to help Uzi, perhaps an enemy that Uzi did not sense behind her.

These two scenes are related, I believe- the claw is hard to see behind the cross, but it is there, and not to mention that Dr. Chambers is wearing a camera on his head. However, there's more to it after I stared at it for a while. The absolute solver claw appears to be burning and glitching, this is only seen with DDs and solver drones when they are exposed to the sun. Perhaps the humans were slowly getting better at controlling the absolute solver, with some sort of power equivalent to the sun. But in the end, their efforts were useless, seeing as Nori still destroyed everything there.

We have seen these two scenes already, so not much to dissect here. Just NUzi being NUzi :3 while all hell breaks loose

This scene had me so confused at first.

I could not figure out what was going on with the cars. Cars are outside, our gang is in a cathedral, what happened- That's it. This is outside. And as many have already mentioned this, there are drones in the background so far identified as Lizzy and perhaps Thad. (I say perhaps Thad because my dumb brain won't let go of the idea that the drone on the left is Khan. Look, my brain said 'I think I see a mustache' and now I can't unsee it.) Either way, this is outside and the gravity has decided to take a break (as RedMage put it in the nuzi discord server). It seems that the gang will do something, or something drastic will happen (perhaps a second core collapse) that will cause the gravity of copper-9 to become unstable. So maybe the episode will end with the possibility that copper-9 is about to collapse like Earth did, as the gang tries to stop that event from happening.

Ahem, allow me a second of: FERAL N FERAL N FERAL N FERAL N- ok, I'm done for now. As many have pointed out, this may be the moment that N killed Nori, and Uzi might have to relive through that experience as the absolute solver shows Uzi everything that has happened up until now. His smile is not the one we've seen up until now when he's in his murder drone mode, but more of a smirk. Another theory I came up with is that when Uzi becomes possessed by the absolute solver, perhaps by default, N does too. Uzi is now N's admin, and if the admin is corrupted, there is nothing to keep N's solver string in his ai from fully corrupting him. However, there's a hole here.

The X on the visor generally means that there is a string in the drone's core is faulty and not functioning. This is because when the solver string attempts to take possession of the DDs, the admin program switches it to false and gives the faulty os string sign on the visors. That has to mean the admin program is still up and running, which pushes the theory of this scene being a flashback of N killing Nori, more likely.

Uzi's eye has burst, it seems, just like Yeva's. So now the question is, why does it do that? Doll also covered her eye, perhaps to conceal the damage that is already there. Theory: this happens because the solver inside of the drones is constantly attempting to get out of the host. It has been seen that it does destroy the bodies from ep5. And it seems that the red goop is what Uzi's attempting to hold back on her eye. It might be oil, but what makes me believe otherwise is the fact that it doesn't look liquid-like enough. Granted, that scene is literally 1 second, so the movement that may be there is really hard to grasp.

Doll HAS MADE A RETURN! And she's fighting someone with knives is what it seems like. Thoughts on who it might be? Literally, anyone in the gang, there is not much to go off of here. But to dissect it further, it could be like this:

Uzi- because she teamed up with Tessa and a DD, and it seems like Doll and the gang have separate goals, which upsets Doll and causes the fight.

N- another DD that had caused a lot of pain and suffering for WD when they first arrived to copper-9. So why not get rid of him as well while she's at it.

Tessa- the main character that seems to be very suspicious about every action. We know very little about her, and even more so what happened to her post gala massacre. Perhaps Tessa discloses the idea of killing every drone that is on the list of the drones experimented on. This will include Yeva and, therefore, Doll.

Now as for THIS.

That is a drone, for certain, now as to who it is, is really hard to guess. There is clearly a helmet on the drone, so it kinda narrows it down. Routes:

This is part of a flashback:

Nori or Yeva- one of the stronger solver drones that needed a better way of controlling/containing them. Backed up by the balconies/cat walks that are on the corners of the screen.

Some other poor drones- An even crazier idea of mine would be that the people were, in fact, worshipping the absolute solver. This is what happens to the heretics. Either that, or this was some sick way of worshipping the solver.

This is real-life time: Doll is the number 1 candidate, how she got to be like this, though... there are some possibilities.

Doll's solver form is taking control/form.

Uzi and Doll had a fight (consciously or not, solver might have forced a fight), with this being the outcome.

It's late for me. The amount of crack theories that have been bouncing around in my head is unreal. More than half of them are probably most likely wrong. Once again, take all of my theories and yeet them into the stratosphere if you wish ^_^ These will be mostly here just to come back to and see how wrong I was about everything.

[therand0mwriter]

Cobalt-Awake

MHA Males x hero!female!reader

[Unedited]

[(h/t) = hair type, i.e. curly, wavy, straight, ect.]

*Y/N's POV*

Yup. I definitely couldn't sleep. It was almost midnight at this point and I was no where near tired. Too many thoughts were running through my mind to even think about sleep.

'Hopefully that wizard looking dude figures out how to get me home.'

'If not, then how am I going to get home?'

'Will I be able to get home?'

'Of course I will! I'll figure something out! I always do!'

'But... what if I don't this time?'

'Alright, I need some air.' I finally thought. I slipped on a dark blue hoodie over my dark blue t-shirt, courtesy of Aizawa.

I opened the window in my room and stuck my head out. I deeply inhaled the crisp, fresh air and it instantly relaxed me. I made my way out the window and started crawling up the wall, my feet and hands bare. My legs were covered with thick, gray sweatpants so the cold air didn't bother me, thankfully.

Once I made it to the rooftop I looked around. Not seeing anyone, I made myself comfortable and laid down, staring at the, mostly, clear sky. The moon was full and bright, the stars sparkled around it, it was a truly beautiful and serene sight. It was tranquil...

Until I sensed something coming up to my right. I jumped up and readied my web shooters, prepared to fight. Frost and ice gradually made its way over the edge, then I saw white and red hair. Todoroki had popped his head above the edge, making only his face visible, "Ah, you are up here."

I relaxed my body and sighed in relief, "It's only you." Todoroki had climbed his way over the edge and made his way over to me. "How did you know I was up here?" I questioned, sitting back down. Todoroki sat down next to me and showed me his phone that was flashing an alert, "Sensei installed sensors on your door and window." I rolled my eyes, "Of course he did."

"Couldn't sleep?" Todoroki inquired. "Nope," I answered, laying back down. Todoroki looked at me for a moment before laying down too. It was silent as we both stared at the moon and stars, wind gently blowing through our hair.

"What are you thinking about?" Todoroki softly spoke, trying not to disturb the peace. I hummed before answering, "Home." Todoroki didn't respond at first but when he did, he turned his head to face me, and I turned my head to make eye contact, "You'll get home. A solution will arise and you'll be able to go home. My advice is to enjoy your time here while you can, before you have to leave and we don't see you again."

My eyes widened. Todoroki's words, his soft hair blowing in the wind and his gray and blue eyes that glowed under the moonlight made my heart rate speed up. 'What the hell was that?'

But nevertheless, I smiled at him, "Thank you, Shoto. That helped put my mind at ease." He seemed to blush and looked back up to the sky, "Of course..." He mumbled. We were quiet again, just staring at the night sky together.

Then a question popped in my mind, "Whats the plan for tomorrow? Am I going with you guys to your school?" Todoroki hummed, "I believe so. Aizawa might have put normal clothes in your room so we can get you a uniform tomorrow." I chuckled, looking back to the sky, "Alright."

Me and Todoroki laid in silence once again, still staring at the night sky. It was almost a pattern now, we would be quiet for a few minutes then the other would ask a question. Because Todoroki asked me a question a few minutes later, "Aren't you cold?" I shrugged, "A little bit."

Todoroki sat up and made his way over to me some more. I sat up at his movement as he cupped his hands together. I watched him curiously until a flame erupted in his hands. My eyes widened, "Wow... that's amazing, how handy!" I chuckled and gave the boy in front of me a thankful smile.

*Todoroki's POV*

Her wide eyes that were filled with amazement...

Her simple compliment...

Her light and airy laugh...

Her soft smile...

Why is my heart beating so fast?

*Y/N's POV*

Todoroki didn't say anything, he just hummed and nodded. A particularly strong gust of wind blew out his small flame, making us both shiver. "We should probably head inside now," I said, gesturing to the edge of the building. Todoroki nodded and stood up, offering me his hand.

"What a gentleman," I teased as I took his hand. He softly rolled his eyes, making me laugh, as he helped me stand. After I was up, his warm hand let go of mine and I noticed something strange... I missed it? I shook my head, ridding me of that thought.

"I guess we just go down the way we came up?" Todoroki said in more of a questioning tone. I sat on the edge of the building, staring at the white and red haired boy, giving him an innocent smile. Todoroki could tell something was up, he raised his eyebrow in question and opened his mouth to speak. But before he could make a sound, I leaned all the way back and fell off the edge, disappearing.

"Y/N!" Todoroki rushed to the edge of the building, hand outstretched, about to jump off after me. He froze once he saw me standing on the side of the building, unharmed. "What?" I chuckled, "Forgot I can stick to walls?" The boy heaved a sigh of relief and I laughed, "Aw, were you worried about me, Shoto?" I cooed, drinking in Todoroki's blush.

He scoffed before jumping off the edge of the building, the right side of his body sticking to the side and leaving a trail of ice as he slid down to meet me. Once he was caught up, I continued to make my way down towards my room window, walking as if I was walking on the floor normally. I could feel Todoroki's gaze on me, "Take a picture, it'll last longer."

But what caught me off guard was the fact that he actually did. Once I saw the flash I flung my head towards his direction, just to see him staring at his phone. "Yup, this one is a keeper." He nonchalantly stated. "Shoto! Delete that!" I yelled, an embarrassed blush making its way onto my cheeks.

"No." He simply said.

"Please, Shoto! Just delete it!" I desperately begged, making my way towards him.

"Nope." He said again, slipping his phone into his pocket as he backed away from me.

"C'mon, just delete it! Why do you need it anyways?"

"A few reasons."

"'A few reasons'? What are those?"

"Well, the main ones are: when we get you a phone, I'll have a contact photo with you. The second one is when you leave, how will I remember what you look like?"

I paused at his last sentence, not expecting such a sentimental reason. I heaved a sigh then softly smiled, "Well, for your first reason, I would prefer you to take a better picture of me. Maybe a picture of us together. And for your second reason, if I'm able to find a way back home, I'll most likely be able to find a way to come back." Todoroki paused, taking in my words, "You really think so?" I gave him a reassuring smile, "Yes."

...

'Huh?'

Todoroki was... smiling. It was small and gentle as it reached his eyes... and it made him even more handsome than before. My heart was racing again... The soft glow of the moonlight enhancing his features didn't help at all...

"Take a picture, it'll last longer." He repeated my words back to me, smile still on his face as he quickly climbed through his window. I was frozen in place, 'What the hell just happened?'

Once I shook myself out of my daze, I looked towards Todoroki's window to see him softly smiling at me still, "Goodnight, Y/N." I rolled my eyes at him but nonetheless smiled, "Goodnight, Shoto."

I climbed through my own window and shut it, locking it afterwards. I took off my hoodie and threw it onto a chair, crawling into bed. I made myself comfortable and thought back to mine and Todoroki's interaction. I smiled and chuckled to myself. 'What a tease.'

*Todoroki's POV*

I shut my window and locked it, then made my way to my bed. I was still smiling to myself as I got under the covers, getting comfortable. I pulled out my phone and pulled up the picture I took of Y/N. It was a candid photo, but that's what makes it more beautiful in my opinion.

It was an awkward angle since she was standing on the wall, but it looked like she was gazing off into the distance with her pools of (e/c) eyes, her shiny, (h/t) (h/c) hair perfectly framing her face, a gentle smile gracing her (thin/plump) lips... and to top it off, the moonlight made her absolutely angelic.

'Yup... this one is definitely a keeper.'

[charles-leclerc-official]

I get you about the DTS Singapore episode, but I also want to share some other thoughts: I'm sure to some degree they will bias it towards Carlos doing an 'amazing' job because he ended up winning and for non-f1 fans who don't know the drivers well I guess it works for the drama to show someone winning in between Max's domination.

However, in the last season DTS actually did really well to show behind the scenes bits of RB talking about how Ferrari were fucking over Charles and how Charles should be the priority, and in the Silverstone episode they made a point of showing that Charles got screwed over and Ted saying 'What a day for Ferrari, but they won with the wrong car.'

I think the DTS producers do care about and support Charles. And the producers have said that they look for certain drivers to be the 'face' of the show. Mainly they mean having someone charismatic and funny like Daniel was, for marketing purposes, but of course thinking of the storyline and the drama of the show, it makes more sense to focus more on the drivers who will have a good arc, i.e. might win a championship one day. I definitely think they are following Charles more for that, because they can see he has more 'potential' for interesting content for the show than other drivers.

Like remember Netflix supposedly filming Charles ice climbing last January? We might see that clip in this upcoming season. They definitely seem to care a bit more about Charles. I expect there will be some clips showing the positives to Charles' year.

You are absolutely right. I do agree that if it's a Ferrari based episode then there is a lot more room for nuance(it will still hurt me personally)

Given the fact it's been clear the Ferrari are making Charles the future I'm sure you're right that DTS want to follow him as the main thread for the Ferrari narrative.

However I see so many people misinterpret that race from a Ferrari, RB, Merc and even a Mclaren perspective. There were so many fuck ups, and weird stars aligning. My worry is that any nuance will be sacrificed to make it more dramatic for the newer fans that the show is bringing in. Especially since that was such a big complaint about this last year, that the sport got "boring" (which I completely disagree, if watching Max make F1 history is boring then we are all truly lost as a sport) So I can easily see them make it a mid season episode to give the idea that Red Bull struggled more than they did? I don't trust DTS not to pull something like that.

I would also be okay with an episode focusing on the behind the scenes at Red Bull and more info about why that race was the odd one out, where they struggled etc. Like give me Christian and the team frustrated and Max's feedback about what's off about this race.

But given that the large narrative is going to be Red Bull domination and Max's insane season, I fear they may fall into the trap of overplaying the only non-RB win.

It has the potential to be a great episode because it's actually a VERY interesting race from an analytical standpoint, but I just see people run the wrong direction with it all the time.

I am hoping that we are going to see them laying the groundwork for Charles and building towards the next steps for Ferrari this season.

I will say as much as I am dreading Singapore, I am jumping up and down for Vegas because I know they are going to talk about it and hype Charles up(overtake of the year, and one of the most positively reviewed races as far as fans being excited about the actual racing)

[afilins]

Ultimate Ongoing Rofan Favorites in No Particular Order

((ongoing as in unfinished. some of these are on hiatus etc))

These are titles I've enjoyed from start to finish with no inhibitions and the ones I without fail always find myself looking forward to. People who are into rofan manhwa probably already know all of these, but I still wanted to put them in one place (:

1. A Stepmother's Märchen

What is there even to say anymore. Absolutely incredible story that does so much justice to all its themes and characters and that is drawn PHENOMENALLY. If you somehow still haven't read it PLEASE do. You won't regret it. Personally I think it doesn't get better than Stepmother's Märchen in this genre.

2. I Stan the Prince

This story brings me the most joy. I would say out of all of these I Stan the Prince has the best romance, i.e. dynamic between the two leads. I can't get enough of them and watching their relationship grow so tenderly is wonderful. Catch me giggling and kicking my feet alongside Angela, the protagonist, who by the way is incredibly lovable, it's impossible not to be fond of her. The art is another thing entirely - it's so obvious how loved this story is by how alive and full of endearing little details every single panel is. It just makes me feel warm inside.

3. A Wicked Tale of Cinderella's Stepmom

Best mom award goes to Mildred, my favorite rofan protagonist. She's in her forties, she's a dignified and wise noble lady, she was fully and seriously prepared to kill a man for hurting one of her daughters. I like the male lead but I'm also bitterly jealous of him because that should've been me. This is a story about women being awesome, and not in a superficial way!

4. Catherine’s Key to a Happy Life

I can't fully articulate why, but this series makes me think about Howl's Moving Castle. None of the characters are particularly similar, but something about the atmosphere makes me enchanted in the same way. I think Catherine could be a Ghibli protagonist.

Mysterious and lovely with an intriguing storyline. Chezare is one of the most charming male leads I've seen.

5. I Raised My Fiancé with Money

This one is new, but I can already tell it's most likely going to continue being very good. I don't have too much to say. The art is lovely and so is the very endearing male lead whose journey of overcoming his insecurity and low self-esteem is the center of the story right now. This manhwa's fashion game is on another level - Ilya never fails to look immaculate, and her throwing her seemingly neverending money around never gets old.

6. The Perks of Being an S-Class Heroine

Rofan with action! It can be silly and funny at one moment and thrilling at the other. The next season is looking to be amazing, taking everything that the series' been building up and realising it, and the story is already very fun and engaging. The "tower-regressor-S-class hunter" genre of manhwa has been little by little meshing with rofan lately and I think this is the peak of how well that can be done.

7. Loveless Heroine

Thai manga!!! Now THIS is what I call a historical romance. Loveless Heroine interacts with its setting constantly and is very thoughtful about the way it represents the time period it's set in. There are also some queer themes which I absolutely love! This story feels mature and grounded, and I can't get enough of it.

8. Surviving as a Maid

This series has such a soft, melancholic feeling to it. At times it's empty, a little sordid, but it's also full of beautiful moments that you remember for a long time after reading. There's a lot of longing for many different things and I would say quite a bit of grief. Ash is a very unique and relatable protagonist with her own fears, flaws and dreams, and I like how both big and small her life is. Surviving as a Maid also feels very grounded, but in a different way from Loveless Heroine.

[floralcrematorium]

11, 12, 13, 40

Thanks for the ask! Adding a cut to this post because I go OFF and unhinged when it comes to #13 (it's about music)

11. What book gets you daydreaming about Hetalia?

I will be real with you, I haven't picked up a real physical book since before I got back into Hetalia. I really need to dig into my complete collection of Poe stories, but I think that would really do it for me. I'm a hoe for Poe (sorry. SORRY.)

The last book I actually read was Caitlin Doughty's memoir Smoke Gets In Your Eyes: And Other Lessons From The Crematory. That was back in March, though. Same week I bought my Poe and Bram stoker collections.

12. What film gets you daydreaming about Hetalia?

I uh. Do not watch many movies. Been wanting to rewatch some Ghibli movies recently, specifically The Tale of the Princess Kaguya. An amazing movie, truly. I do think The Secret Life of Arietty could be applicable for a Hetalia AU,,,,

13. What song gets you daydreaming about Hetalia?

Okay, NOW you've done it. I am a very music oriented person (even though I listen to music wrong (i.e. I rarely pay attention to the lyrics and focus entirely on how it sounds as a Whole)). Prepare for me to just. Go OFF. I'm that dweeb who was posting all of the character playlists a while back (I need to finish them, I promised I'd post Denmark's and then never did). You can find all of the playlists I've done through my masterpost! The links take you to Spotify, but I have Youtube alternatives and will tag this post with my music tag. Here's a quick link: Link

Been prepping a fic for Heta Horror Week using Mitski's Brand New City. I'm not sure if I should actually release it though because it deals with some Sensitive Topics that I'm using in the narrative to work out some,,, unresolved trauma. I'm looking for someone who might be willing to read this and give me some feedback on whether I should post it or not, so if you want some very dark and heavy NA Bros/FACE fam content I guess?? DM me mid October or something? Cough ANYWAY

Life is Beautiful by Sixx:A.M. and Blackbird by Alter Bridge to me are The Ultimate songs for Prussia

Demolition Lovers by My Chemical Romance is the most romantic song to me, ever, and I will NOT elaborate

Diet Soda Society by The Maine is The LietPol song to me. I can't really explain why

Maps by Maroon 5 has Hetalia AMV potential (I have thought this since the day the song came out in 2014)

24 by Jem is THE HetaOni song to me. I wanna write a Hetaoni fic or make art for it SO BAD because?????? I used to be able to write Italy's monologue from the Pianodream version on my middle school agenda over and over. I was,,,, unhealthily obsessed with HetaOni

The Horror and the Wild by The Amazing Devil reminds me so much of Norway and I couldn't tell you why. Most of that album does.

Fall Out Boy is SO Alfred coded and I. I will never back down on that

Help Is On The Way by The Rise Against is also America coded for me

I will stop myself with the music now

40. Fun fact about yourself?

I have a Princess Diana shrine in my bedroom. It was a joke because of a hyperfixation I had on her specifically and my friends and I were like "hey what if we made a Diana shrine" because I made a Princess Diana furby for my storyboarding class,,,, so now I have a really fucked up Princess Diana shrine that is so. so so so bad. I'm staring at it right now as I type this. I don't know what to do with the shrine. I can't just????? Get rid of it? But also keeping it is. AGH

Hetalia Asks

[witch-hazels-musings]

Hey there Hazel! I've found myself in a bit of a..predicament. Recently, I decided to revisit the new account of a writer whose old account I'm currently following only to realize that I had been blocked on their new account. Confused by this, I sent them a message pointing it out and apologizing in case I did something to upset them (i.e spam liking since they are one of the few authors I've come across to not exactly be fond of that, and I've been guilty of such in the past) but then I realized I had only interacted with their new account once, which made me even more bewildered. So I decided to ask what another author may have thought about this and they said that it may have been because I have a "blank blog" and that I shouldn't reach out to anyone to ask why I've been blocked (keeping in mind, I never did ask why. Just apologized.) because it can make someone uncomfortable and they "don't owe me an explanation for protecting their own space" which I completely understand. It is never EVER my intention to make anyone uncomfortable.

I had not the faintest clue that a blank blog can be seen as..offensive somehow? In reality, I had been building the courage to start reblogging and even possibly writing one day, but I've been moving at my own pace since I'm a generally nervous person in almost everything I do. Just recently I've been quite proud of myself for being able to send in asks/messages without being as nervous as the first time (I was an nervous wreck that time) but now because of this situation, I feel like I've moved 10 steps back. I've been overthinking this for almost the entire day and it's honestly extremely overwhelming since on one hand "wow, I can be blocked for a blank blog?" And the other "wow, now I've upset 2 of my favorite writers".

This has been weighing so heavy on my mind that truly, I feel quite deterred from interacting with anyone because of it but I want to keep trying since one day, I would like people to read my stories and I wouldn't want reblogs or anything in return, just to know that people are content with my writing. You are the only person that I've thought about reaching out to since you're so understanding and give amazing feedback and I hope to be as mature as you one day(once I get past my anxiousness).

TLDR: In case of anyone being in the same boat as me, do you have any advice on publicly writing and handling the anxiety that comes with putting out that first piece? I'm deeply sorry for the ramble and hope I was as clear and concise as possible. (And as you can see this whole thing was exhausting to the point that I'm not bothering with any anonymity)

This got a little long so read more below the cut! (Also I'm on mobile so I'm not gonna italics below... because ...work)

I can't imagine the confusion of returning to check out an author you love only to find out they've blocked you. Especially if you aren't sure what happened to cause the block.

So you've asked a question here, but your comments are of a different issue so I wanna answer both

There are so many reasons why a blog might block another. I've seen all sorts of rules posted, so I want to explain some perspectives as to why. --

Don't spam like :: some people get overwhelmed by notifications, others believe it'll lead them to being shadowbanned (this isn't true, idk why people think that), lastly - and in my opinion the most important - likes do nothing for creators. They are nice, but they don't help creators get their work seen

I know you said your working up the courage to reblog and interact, so think about your blog as a little scrapbook that you want to save and look at later. That's what Tumblr is.

Creators need your reblogs or their posts die. That's it, that's how Tumblr works.

Ageless and blank blogs :: these are more comfort level for creators. They are different person to person. Ageless is scary for adult vs minor interactions, and blank blogs are often bots (spam accounts) - so some blogs block all of them

My advice is make your blog your home before you go out into the world..it's your safe space, your happy place, so make it how you want!

DNI/BYF :: DNI (do not interact), BYF (before you follow) are great things to check out when first encountering a blog. It'll outline the rules of the author and it's possible you did something on that list that they didn't like (it can be hard to know, so check for those before interacting)

These are just a few reasons why, and I know it doesn't tell you what happened but maybe it'll bring a little background.

I'll also say that while people are allowed to set their rules, of course, still I'm sorry you were treated the way you were when figuring out why. No wonder your nervous to interact with people. Some of the interactions I've seen are ... Kinda not nice.

You're always welcome here to practice and grow more comfortable! I'm happy to help and encourage you!!

As for your second question, honestly, you just have to go for it!! If you've written something and you love it, you have to rip off the band-aid and post it.

See how it goes and learn from everything around you. I made plenty of mistakes when I first started so ask if you get lost, be open to feedback if you've made an error, and stick to your values ♥️♥️

Check out my pinned post on my blog for some writing blog 101 guides if you want more info!! And reach out if you need something.

Here's another thing, if those blogs are not going to give you a chance, there are others that will and who want you to succeed. Shrine bright firekeeper, you got this 🔥🔥

[tuiyla]

speaking of Quinn and religion, one thing that's always baffled me is that I do think S1 wants to set up the black comedy of the "Queen of the Chastity Ball" getting knocked up, and it's supposed to be a whole commentary on celibacy, religious hypocrisy, etc. But I've never fully understood why they didn't truly lean into that? Because what the rest of Quinn's arc through S3 shows us is that honestly she's NOT a hypocrite about this. She believed in waiting. She was sincere in her faith. Her big slip-up was super dubious and a one time thing. For how much we've been told we were meant to hate Quinn in S1, I wonder why RIB didn't have her sleeping with the entire football team except Finn, having her play the nice girl around her parents then being knowingly cynical about using her religion as a disguise. It would still even work to contrast her with Santana, one being unapologetically sexual, the other hanging onto her pristine rep while doing the exact same things privately. It would've been such an easy way to make sure the audience sees her as the villain and tbh, might have better fit the dark humor of S1. That they didn't go that path is more proof to me that RM was ALWAYS writing Quinn as an empathetic character, even if he wasn't aware of it.

Alright alright, not gonna put off answering this because it's an amazing topic I wanna keep discussing or as long as y'all have thoughts.

Completely agree, they never lean into it. Not nearly as much as this ostensibly satire show should have. I often think about that, the deliberate irony of framing Quinn as ultra-religious and having her be the president of a damn Celibacy Club just to have her get knocked up. After having sex once, too. A better show would have a) leaned in and b) examined how society treats those who cross the madonna-whore threshold. Even in terms of the cheerleading stereotypes that the Unholy Trinity all check, it's ultimately Quinn who gets portrayed as a whore because she's the one with "evidence" that she's had sex. Brittana are much, much more promiscuous, yeah, but there's something about teen pregnancy as the ultimate symbol of sexual transgression. But, like you say, Quinn wasn't actually a hypocrite about all this.

I think she was also scarred from the pregnancy emotionally, understandably, but the only times she uses her sexuality after this in high school are when she's clearly unhinged. I.e. trying to make another baby with Puck. She wants to take things slow with Sam, completely understands Joe's perspective, and I for one seriously doubt Fuinn ever actually had sex. All that happened with Beth's conception was Puck taking advantage of her. But Glee season 1 just,,, does not get this. They so badly want Quinn to be this hypocritical bitch who cheats on her boyfriend and gets knocked up and isn't all that virginal after all. But even if we didn't see the actual scene, and oh boy do we, that narrative would still be dubious. Simply put, Quinn isn't the character Glee thinks they're writing.

I've said this so many times in so many ways but the bottom line remains the same. The writers did not know what kind of character they were writing. And there's a lot to be said about how RM reacted to that, goddammit I still haven't talked about that Rolling Stone interview, but at the end of the day we just have these facts within the show itself. And this is how I try to explain my frustrations with season 1 to people. Later seasons Quinn is a whole convo, too, but s1 always feels particularly insidious to me.

In terms of how you would have written it, yeah I think that would have worked better with what they were trying to do. There's still the contrast to Brittana so a chance for Quinn's redemption, but this villanizing would at least make more sense. She really would be a hypocrite and not just... a victim. But no, instead they wrote the story of a clear victim. I don't give a fuck if she happens to be rude to Finn and lie to him, yeah that's messed up but the dude is also actively cheating on her, so. Lest we feel too bad for him. It just sucks so much that RM was so, so unaware of the Quinn he was writing. Makes season 1 in particular incredibly frustrating to me, I can't believe there are people out there who consider this to be her best season. Why do you hate her so much?

[theirloveisgross]

June 2021, when I'd been in the fandom for barely 2 months, I wrote this post on Facebook to a lot of my irl. It has more to do with casting in movies, but it was triggered by talk around My Policeman. Thought I'd put it here now too.

"I just want to put this out there about something that's been bothering me for a couple of years now.

I've always felt that the discourse of "casting queer actors for queers roles" invalidates SO many experiences. Of course, I love seeing openly queer people representing queer people in media! Hell yeah, give me that representation! Flaunt it! Be proud! YES!

But now... for the sake of my argument, I'll use Call Me by Your Name and Timothée Chalamet's outstanding representation of Elio Perlman, a young queer man. He gave us one of the best performances of the decade, which was recognized by multiple awards organizations, and if you haven't watched this film, what are you doing with your life? ANYHOW! Shortly after, people and the media started speculating about his sexuality and there was even that one time when he was on Ellen's show and she said something along the lines "because you're straight, right?" and kept going with the question or whatever, and Timmy just sat there, in one of his first big TV appearances, nodding. NOW, he might be straight, sure, but my thing is... WHY DO WE ASSUME SOMEONE'S STRAIGHT UNTIL THEY'VE SAID OTHERWISE? Why is heterosexuality the default sexuality? How regressive is that? Can we stop?!

What about actors that are "still in the closet"? Or actors that don't have the need to tell the whole wide world that they're queer just to feel like they deserve to represent queer characters? What about actors that have been purposefully closeted by the industry they're in and have had a straight image pushed onto them for years?

Okay, Jules, what happened? Why all of this now? Well, today, David Dawson, an English actor who's currently working on a gay film called "My Policeman" alongside Emma Corrin and Harry Styles, sent in a video to a Pride event where he mentions that "he's so proud" to be part of the LGBTQ+ community. I was a little confused about people freaking out and congratulating him for coming out, because I thought he was already publicly out. This was my impression when I did a bit of research on him when the cast was announced. Well, apparently not, but I'm proud of my brain for not assuming he was straight, ha! I don't follow his career that closely but apparently people were giving him shit for being a straight man playing a gay role, etc. So there you have it! Like him, so many others! You know who else is getting shit for the same reason? Harry Styles. "Another straight man in a gay role!" Uhm, you are not paying attention AT ALL if you think Harry isn't queer, sweetie, I'm sorry. But that's another LONG story I won't get into.

At the end of the day, I want to see movies and series that have queer characters portrayed by amazing actors, and I don't need them to be "out" for me to be like "oh, yes, I'll believe their performance now". That's not how it works. Let's stop invalidating people's experiences because of societal rules of how things are supposed to go down. Some people might be made to feel less-than because they can't/won't/don't want to be screaming their sexuality in order to be valid.

Oh, and I'm also here for queer actors playing non-queer roles because that is the beauty of ACTING! Maybe we should advocate for more queer voices behind the camera, don't you think?

I always say I hope I'm alive to see the day when no one has the need to "come out", and people can be who they want to be. The day when there's no more "default sexuality", i.e. straight. Just you, being human. Period.

Rant over. Listen to #OnlyTheBrave.

HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!"

[phxntomhives-98]

Father I don't want this marriage - review

I just felt the need to share some thoughts after reading the side stories. It contains spoilers of the main story and the side stories too.

Note, this is very much my own opinion and I don't think I am correct nor I am trying to change your mind.

Do I reccomend it? Yes, if you like romance it is nice. I was mainly here for the angst tho and I am mostly satisfied, not in the way I expected but satisfied. Read it on tappytoon if you can, or just buy some chapter to support the author.

Manhwa or novel? I only read the manhwa, so that one. But some said the novel is amazing so you can have a try.

Opinions:

First, I have to say it. Even if it is annoying. The sex scene were absolutely unnecessary. I am picky when it comes to sex in the stories, for me it should be either present since the beginning (i.e. for smut stories or if it is a topic of the serie that has its own focus, maybe due to trauma or as a way to be more free of the character) or it should mean something. As example: the two characters that are finally reunited, the two that longed for each other for so long and are finally together again, them fighting the urge but being unable to for whatever reason etc. Not the "oh damn, how do I make this longer? let's just add sex". And in neither cases (Max and Jeuvi + the parents) it made sense. Plus it was the first time and they magically did everything right but details. Especially for Legis and Amelia. If they are still going to consume before the wedding, make it after Legis came back from the war. When there are so many feelings unsorted and there is still the relief that they are both there and alive and it just happens. Not them casually sharing the bed and Amelia being horny (which still it is very much valid and all, BUT FOR THE STORY THAT VERSION WOULD HAVE MADE MORE SENSE)

Second pet peeve of the serie: listen I love the slowburn. So I loved that everything took forver. BUT WHY THE FUCK IS THE LAST ARC SO SHORT. Legis died, not died, and went full health in like 3 episodes!!?? WHERE IS THE PAIN? THE SUFFERING? ME WONDERING FOR WEEKS IF THEY ARE GOING TO BE FINE OR NOT?

Pet peeves done, you may leave in peace.

Now I shall go with what I liked eheh

Listen, I would kill for a whole story centred on Legis and Amelia. The angst, the unrequired (as if) love, the drama, the war, the witch hunting, the absolute devotion these two share. Everything is perfect. I could cry and write an essay about them for hours. And they are just so perfect.

Jeuvi, I love her ok. She had a wonderful character development and I am proud of her.

Max, my little kitty lol, every single interaction with Legis is hilarious. I love when he is a red flag for everyone but the FL.

Mikhail as a villain was honestly nice to me, like he just went full psyco mode with tunnel vision and I think it fits him. He did is job in the story so congrats to him. The emperor and Fanfil on the other hand felt a little on the weak side, but probably because the ending was so rushed.

The twins left me with honestly no impression, I almost forgot they were there more than once in the side stories.

I sobbed during the wedding ngl, when Jeuvi pulled the "remember at the beginning, when I didn't want you?" I had to take a moment because I saw all the story flashing in front of my eyes.

It's sad to tell them goodbye but now it truly is finished... Bye everyone, it was a nice journey, hope you have a good life.

[theconstitutionisgayculture]

I've always thought there's something a bit culty about some people's attitudes towards vaccines. Vaccines in general are an amazing technology that indubitably saved many lives, but there's some nuance to that, which basically boils down to, "Like most scientific discoveries, they require rigorous testing and sometimes unexpected conditions led to something being improved that shouldn't have been." For example, a handful of years ago, I believe 2017, the flu vaccine consistently made flu worse for people who were vaccinated, at least on my college campus. I was not vaccinated, but I did contract the flu and it nearly killed me. I don't want to know what would have happened if I had been. (Take this example with a grain of salt: I've never gotten the flu vaccine because I regard it as gambling with extra steps and no reward.)

I'm absolutely not anti-vaccine! Like I said it's a great technology and does save lives. I'm up on everything except flu and Covid. But what I mean by the culty attitude surrounding it is this: when I was 14 my pediatrician tried to trick me into taking a vaccine -- I don't recall which one -- for some STD. I refused it on account of not being sexually active (I was 14, and she herself admitted that it was pointless if I wasn't having sex), but she tried to give it to me anyway, telling me it was something else, and I guess thinking I wasn't looking at the labels on the syringes? I can't figure out why she was so intent on getting that vaccine in me, aside from a general pervasive believe that more vaccines is better, regardless of whether or not you're actually going to use those antibodies. And the pushback I received for not getting the flu vaccine was always insane, nevermind that I've contracted the flu exactly once in my life, indicating that I probably don't generally need it. (Periodic unfriendly reminder that no vaccine prevents you from carrying a disease, so it's ridiculous to try to pull the 'protecting others' card on this, not that people weren't trying even years ago.)

Anyway my point is, way back in 2020 when a vaccine started to be discussed, I thought "Oh, great," because I could see that peoples' already cultlike obsession with vaccines was going to be fanned by all the fear surrounding Covid, and erupt into something really ugly, just like how religious cults convince their members to stay by showing them only the ugly parts of the outside world and using fear to convince them that this is better. And it's even worse than I thought. Any criticism of the Covid shot, no matter how mild (I.E. "I think it should have been subject to more rigorous testing.") is met with vicious mockery at best, just like when someone trapped in a cult realizes that one of the teachings is based in bigotry or something. It's really scary to me, too, because what I didn't realize was that the leaders of this particular cult are entrenched in the government, which means that you can't just leave like you can with a cult.

You're right and you should say it. I think people are way too easily persuaded to be scared. Plus, there is a huge difference between something like a flu shot and, say, the polio vaccine. The polio vaccine eliminates polio. The flu shot has a chance of keeping you from getting sick for one year. But people hear "vaccine" and think "oh they're all the same thing". Even when they should know better, like with covid, because the people pushing it aren't even pretending it was a one and done solution. It was always "well we might need boosters". They even left a spot open for a third shot on the earliest vaccine cards. The real insidiousness though, is the aggressive suppression of information regarding anything potentially negative about the covid vaccines. And not just because they're hiding potentially life saving information, but because this is going to destroy trust in the medical industry for decades. People are going to always wonder if their doctor is actually trying to help them, or if they're just upholding the narrative.

And speaking of doctors, fuck your doctor, holy shit. I'm pretty sure tricking someone into getting a medical treatment is illegal. And even if it isn't, it's unethical as hell. I hope you found a new doctor after that. If you haven't, find one.

[mxvladdy]

That Diavolo angst was perfect. The best, most high quality cheese at the end. Domestic fluff galore. Decadence straight from the source of your hands.

Could we get some Diavolo fluff with an MC who ran away from home(of lamentation) that wants to spend the night at the castle because the brothers were being dismissive [in tsundere and sibling fun-poking ways] but it just kept reminding MC of their abusive home life in the most innocuous ways

i.e. Satan mocking the books they like for being "too whimsical/fanciful". Asmo making a few too many degrading comments on their skin/hair care or lack thereof (like, tell me the RIGHT way to do it then!  If I'm such a fuck up on my own). Mammon and Belphie.... being Mammon and Belphie.  Levi gate keeping them from devildom equivalent interests because they're "not a real fan if they don't [x]"

A/N: Awww you spoil me with compliments ~^.^~! I hope this is to your liking!

It was late and Diavolo was exhausted. Diavolo looks down at his over inundated schedule, black and red ink covering the pages, barely any of the original white pages could be seen now.  Squinting he chuckles at the elegant handwriting of his butler. He had quite literally penciled in two hours for sleep. A sweet gesture for the evening. It was unfortunate he had wasted half of that time going over in his last meeting of the night. 

The meeting was supposed to be just a brief update on the expansion of the kingdom out west. New trading routes with the colonies and lands not yet in his domain. But, as usual, the evening turned to his exchange program and he always had time to talk about his pet project, even if his schedule didn’t. Each of the brothers was adamant that the program was going well. Better than they had hoped in fact, they all warmed up to you much to his delight, even saying they were treating you like you were part of the family.

That should have been his first clue. He knew the brothers and how they acted with family. Perhaps it was because he was exhausted that the comment went over his head, perhaps it was his own ego telling him everything was going great. He brushed aside the remarks to conclude the meeting and get to his rooms without a second thought. Diavolo practically vibrating with excitement at the hot bath waiting for him. Maybe he could nab some chocolate from Barbatos’s secret stash too. With those sweet thoughts filling his head and his eyes buried in his agenda he overlooks you standing by his door. He skids to a stop only after almost knocking you off your feet with his massive bulk. “My apologies, I did not see you there.” He steadies you looking you over for any injuries. “Do you need something?” He forces an energetic smile onto his face to hide his exhaustion and slight irritation at yet another snag in his evening.

He watches you shuffle in place for a moment, eyes downcast. “Sorry-sorry, it’s silly, but could I stay with you for a bit? I don’t want to be at the house.” Your voice warbles, hands coming up to wipe at fresh tears. Diavolo’s hearts sink, his previous exhaustion taking a backseat to you.  

He beckons you into his room without a second thought. “What’s wrong? What happened?” You shake your head rubbing harder at your face, your skin getting more and more agitated. He purrs deep in his chest pulling you close on instinct to comfort you and for you to stop agitating your skin. You bury your face in his uniform.

“It’s stupid really, I don’t know why I’m upset.” You laugh. The weak sound getting caught on a wet hiccup. “I just can’t handle the teasing right now.” Anger begins to brew in his gut, the brothers, you were obviously talking about them. Had he been to lose with his leash? Did they lie to him?

He leads you to his favorite chair by the window and crouches next to you. “Explain, please? If I need to correct this I will.” He listens, letting you vent and get your frustration out. He never had siblings nor any real family to relate your experiences with like you did, but he understood the mounting weight of words. There was only so much one could take before even the strongest shoulders crumble. “I’m sorry they hurt you.” He reaches to squeeze your knee in reassurance. “I could have Barbatos explain the matter to them, if you allow it.”

You sniff and give him a watery smile. “Thank you but I have to express this myself- I just needed some time away from them.” You cover his large hand with both of yours and squeeze back. “Thanks for listening.” Diavolo rumbles warmly, eyes locking with your warm hands.

“Anytime mi giglio,” He leans back onto his heels. “If I’m honest, their little jabs are utter baseless garbage.”

“Yeah?” You chuckle wiping your nose with his gifted handkerchief. “You don’t think I’m some boring sentimental human?” He shakes his head letting out a dismissive snort. You are beautiful and if Asmo was too blinded by his own standards and routines then it was his loss. He loves the character and different textures of your body. He loves your permanent laugh lines and the way your skin by your eyes crinkle when you smile. The way your nose scrunches when you are happy just makes him glow when in your presence.

Even the tiny scars and marks on your skin told stories that his body never could be able to do. He envied the way human lives could be seen through their bodies, the stories their bodies tell with or without them knowing was amazing. Demons, with their smooth lines, tight hard skin, and hidden agendas couldn’t do that. The idea of “gate-keeping” as you called it was a completely new contempt to him, and sounded ridiculous too. It was counterintuitive to his whole program. If you enjoyed the programs and culture then why were the brothers chastising you over it? He makes a mental note to find time off to take you to enjoy some of the sights of his Devildom without the brother's judgment.

“No. You- you,” He waves his free hand in the air trying to find words that won’t embarrass him. “You are fascinating and so unashamed of your interests. The life you live is unlike any demon or fallen angel could ever comprehend. If they tease you on such trivial things then that speaks to a fault in their character, not yours.” He lets them hang in the air between you, not wanting the meaning to be lost in useless banter.

The silence between you was comfortable and Diavolo basked in it. Normally silence was always tense around him, everyone always waiting for a decree or punishment. Right now though there is none of that. “Wise words, where did you get them?” You move away to pat at your blotchy face, trying to wipe away the tear stains.

Diavolo huffs at the loss of your soft touch. “Little D.” He jokes, voice deadpan. You laugh turning to face him. “There we are!” He cracks a small grin already feeling your mood relax. Leaning in close he wipes away a stray tear. “Feeling a bit better?  Perhaps we can-” Your phone buzzes from your discarded bag making you jump apart. You rush over digging through the bag to grab the blasted device looking at the rapid-fire amount of texts and calls all come in at once. “The brothers?” Diavolo sighs cursing their interruption. He can see the long streams of text bubbles scroll by in the reflection of your damp eyes.

“Yeah.” You look up from your screen. “They are wondering where I am.” Diavolo grimaces not even trying to hide his feelings. You glance back at the phone with little interest, then shrug powering it off. “I think I can let them stew in it for a bit, don’t you? Mind if I crash here for the night?” The Devil perks up, gold eyes following the trajectory of your phone as you toss it. The decorative case disappearing into the cushions.

“I couldn’t agree more.” He claps his hands together in excitement. “Come! Read me one of the stories Satan found jejune. I think I have a few Devildom children's stories on a shelf somewhere to share too!” Diavolo gets up already deciding which room you will stay in for the evening. Perhaps if he plays his cards right you could stay the weekend.

[the-paris-of-people]

Hi. This is really not a question but more of a rant. A really really long one. I apologize in advance. I honestly care waaaaayyyy too much about this show than I should. Clearly too bored🙈.

After reading people's comments on this show and the ships, there are so many things that irk me and I thought I'd share even if I might get crap for it. So here goes:

1. "Ben only wants Devi when she is with Paxton." I.e. it's about Paxton. Lol people are funny. As though Ben thinks he can compete with Paxton on a social level. He's not stupid, he knows full well he can't. It's about Devi and in part her obsession with Paxton. People don't like thinking about things from Ben's perspective because they just don't like him. He's the one that finds out Devi is cheating, she runs after Paxton at the party ( now granted before she runs out, she's intensely staring at Ben and then realises Paxton is leaving but Ben's not gonna remember that) and she was busy chumming it up with Paxton in episode 3 in front of Ben with absolute disregard for him. So his natural defence is to guard himself and have his walls go up. It is a valid response. He burries his pain (exactly what Samberg said). And does not let his guard down around her romantically until episode 10 when Paxton literally rejects her at school. At the school dance, sparks are flying between those 2. Is Paxton around at the time...Uhm no (I'll get into the whole Aneesa thing). In his mind Paxton is out of the picture and it's like he can almost trust her again. And then when Paxton shows up with Devi, he basically feels like a fool for ever thinking that he was ever something more than 2nd best or sometimes anything at all ( especially considering Devi still wants Paxton after Devi and Paxton's last public interaction that Ben witnessed- I mean he does not get to see the shit behind closed doors). But then when Eleanor spills the tea, that look on his face is disbelief, yes a little bit of jealousy but overwhelmingly heartbreak. He is essentially watching the chance he never knew he had go away. Now you could argue that he should have known that she wanted him back but she broke his trust and does not explicitly say, " I want you back". Ben's not trying to get burnt again based on some assumption/hunch. He has been wrong before.

2. "How dare Ben be upset that Devi is with Paxton when he is with Aneesa". Fair point. Just like how dare Devi be upset and lose her shit over Ben and Aneesa. But yet it still happend. Devi gets 5 episodes allowing her to be upset and Ben can't even have one moment when a firkken bomb gets dropped on him.

Aneesa and Ben should have never date. Everyone knows that. He was never over Devi. He just pushed those feelings down to make him believe he was over her. I obviously don't agree with this. Aneesa doesn't deserve that. Ben needs to go to therapy. He needs an outlet. He is similar to Devi in that he doesn't want to process what happened and would rather move on and react. However, his reactions are far less impulsive/severe as Devi's. Him dating Aneesa is unfortunately a reaction. He didn't give himself time to really process how he feels. People say he dated Aneesa solely to spite Devi which is not true. Is there an element of " you never wanted me but someone else does"... absolutely but Aneesa is also very kind to Ben, they get along really well and she puts him first. Technically what's not to like. I mean if it was just to spite Devi, could he have not tried to hustle his way back in with Shira?? Problem is that dumb dumb didn't work through his Devi feelings and let's just be honest, the same spark and chemistry he has with Devi, is missing with Aneesa. It often feels forced, especially in regards to the pace of the relationship. I so wished Aneesa remained friends with Ben. That's what he needed...not another relationship.

3. "Aneesa is so amazing, she doesn't deserve to get hurt." I agree. She absolutely doesn't deserve to get hurt just like Ben and Paxton didn't deserve that crap Devi pulled. I think Aneesa is a great addition and I like that Devi has someone within her community to connect to. I'm South Asian myself and I genuinely value this aspect of my own life. I mean she is pretty great, kind and the anorexia rumour Devi unintentionally started was pretty heartbreaking. That scene where she talks to Devi at the relay about it, is so sad (especially coz we as viewers know Devi messed up). Now that being said is Aneesa also low key shady? YES. And it's not because she dated her friend's ex. It's because she started dating him knowing that Devi started the rumour about her because she was jealous about Ben and her. How does she think Devi would go from being so jealous that she starts a rumour, to the next week becoming their biggest "Stan". Come on girl. But there was no way Devi could say no after the crap she pulled with Aneesa. Ben did ask her out so if there is blame, he absolutely gets it too but he didn't know why Devi started that rumour (based on his surprised AF face when Eleanor spills the tea). Which leads me to my next question. Why didn't Aneesa tell him? Aneesa said Ben was supporting her through the rumour. She probably told him Devi started the rumour but didn't tell him why? That is odd? Clearly if Ben had known, he may changed his perspective on Devi actually wanting him instead of ignoring his feelings.

Lastly Aneesa knows there are unresolved feelings between Devi and Ben. This is evident from that dance scene. She literally runs to cut in their pretty intense conversation. Like why you running girl? I didn't think much of it at first but coupled with another moment, it makes a lot of sense. When Ben agrees to dance with Aneesa, he looks back at Devi and lingers and Aneesa picks up on this and pulls him away. It's a blink and you will miss it moment but it is there.

Now all of this doesn't mean she needs to get hurt but they probably need to break up. Ben needs to be single for a while and work through how he feels about Devi, Aneesa and most importantly himself. Whilst I don't particularly enjoy their relationship, you never get to see it from either of their perspectives. Maybe that could change things but honestly I just prefer Ben and Devi.

Also can everyone stop acting like Ben is dating Devi's best friend. Being brown doesn't make you automatically best friends and Ben and Devi met Aneesa the same week. People are acting like he is dating Eleanor.

4. "Devi chose Paxton". Please! The only thought through decision that girl made in regards to these 2 boys is when she chose herself and decided not to be Paxton's little secret. I mean in episode 1 and 2 she can't decide so she dates both. In episode 3, she interacts with Paxton because of the whole tutoring thing. He says they don't makes sense. While she seems a bit sad she doesn't seem too upset like she is season 1 and she isn't looking for any opportunity to spend time with him (unlike season 1). Episode 4,5,6,7 and 8 she is losing her mind over Ben. Half way through 8 she knows she has no choice but to let him go. But even after that she doesn't pursue Paxton. He does that at the end of episode 9 when in all honesty she hasn't really thought about him in a while. Then of course Paxton does what he does and she finally choose herself, issuing an ultimatum essentially. Paxton does eventually show up...but it's a choice by default. She just yo-yo's between them. She also needs to be single, deal with her loss, love herself and think about what she wants.

5. "Devi loves Paxton". Sure bud. Does have Devi have feeling for Paxton? Duh! But is it love. Nope. People like to confuse infatuation for love. She has been infatuated with this boy this the 3rd (she knew squat about him). When her dad died, she turns that infatuation into an obsession. It like becomes a full time hobby in season 1. She ruins relationships over it. In season 2 you can argue there is more depth to it and Paxton does grow in Season 2. But somehow she is still fixated on the fact that it's Paxton Hall-Yoshida. I mean she smells him (totally normal), Mc Enroe's comment at the relay was, "did this hunk of beef just say he likes spending time with her", when she breaks up him she says , "you are very good at kissing" not possibly any of his other good qualities. And at the end she says , "I guess I'm Paxton Hall Yoshida's girlfriend now". This boy is so far up a pedestal that if he fell of it, he'd break something. Now granted if he fell of it in Season 1, he'd be dead. So progress I guess...

Maybe the relationship will change in Season 3 and she genuinely falls in love with him. I mean Id be sad but obviously a real possibility. But also that relationship needs to move on from being just the "Paxton project" which it was basically all of season 2. Maybe actually talk about her every once in a while.

Also people who find the ending so amazing because he shows up...bare minimum bro. I understand his perspective, how does it look to go back with someone who cheated on you. Fair point 💯. However she didn't start this shit up again. He did. He liked her so much that he had to make out with her In the middle of the night out of the blue but not enough to respect her publically. That's some BS right there. If he started it, he should have thought it through instead of guilt tripping her. But he is a teenager and ALL of them make incredibly stupid decisions (we all have). Devi messed up big time too and she apologized. The same compassion must extend to him but in no way is it a grand gesture, it's the bare minimum...like her apologies

6. "Paxton forgave Devi forgave Devi so quickly whilst Ben didn't and was so mean". He did forgive her pretty quickly. Good for him. However let's not act like circumstance didn't carve the way for that. They were pushed together because of the whole tutoring thing and he knows that they have to see each other all the time. So logically just makes sense to keep the peace. But still mature oh his part. Also he wasn't as emotionally invested as Ben. Did he have feelings? Yes. However, based on his inner monologue (Gigi Hadid) his ego took more of a hit because how could Devi, the "weirdest girl" he ever liked two time him with Ben Gross. Did his feelings deepen by the end? Yes. But at the start...it isn't that deep.

Also it's great and all that he "forgave" her so quickly but he sure did like bringing it up a lot. Like at the relay guilting her, upset at the end of 6 because he failed...I mean wtf girl you owe me- I don't really care what else is going on in your life, again in episode 8 in the car and finally we all know the mess that is episode 10.

In regards to Ben. His anger is justified for reasons stated in point 1. In fact his reaction seems more real because he is deeply hurt by Devi. Do I like some of his reaction (i.e. nose piercing-will discuss this further) ...nope but she only sincerely apologises to him in episode 8 vs 3 for Paxton. He accepts it. People acting like they would be so calm and chill about being cheated on. And yes he did cheat on Shira. He tries to kiss Devi at party twice but apologises that day and the following week. He doesn't try anything with Devi the whole of episode 10 until she kisses him. He acknowledges that it was wrong and immediately breaks up with Shira. Although cheating is not something we should condone can we actually acknowledge that Shira was the worst and doesn't even remember Ben's name. Compare that to Devi's premeditated cheating. Her Eleanor are literally laughing at how amazing they are for pulling it off and Devi didn't care about either of their feelings cause she was going to be India. Sorry but that is far worse. She also thinks she can bullshit her apology with Ben. He isn't here for that...which is fine! He kept trying his level best to avoid her but even that she wouldn't let him do.

7. "Ben is Horrible". Has Ben done some shitty things. Absolutely. People complain that he has never apologised for anything. Fair enough. He needs to apologize for the UN comment and the psychosomatic comment. It was incredibly hurtful. However, no one does call him out of it. Now you could argue he should just do it. Please... have you watched these particular set of teenagers? None of them apologise without being called out on it first(except maybe Fabiola). And you only get called out my your support system ... which Ben does not have. He practically looks like he raised himself. He doesn't have parents to put him back in line or a sister to call him out on his shit. Devi has her mom, cousin, grandmum , Elanor, Fabiola and her therapist. Does she ever listen to them the first time? Nope. And her first time apologies are such messes. She only gets it right the 2nd or 3rd time. All of them have some form of support but not really him. And it is heartbreaking. It's why I genuinely believe he needs to go to therapy. He needs an outlet to express everything he feels. He also needs to be held accountable for those comments and understand the root of it (ok let's be honest Devi even in their rivalry was probably the most constant person in his life, and fighting with her meant she stayed close by- it's a subconscious thing). He should apologize to her and also find better ways to communicate what he is feeling. The nose ring thing was manipulative. I agree. He should apologize. But I'm not gonna lie, it doesn't piss me off as much because I think it's pretty messed that it took that for her to realise how much she hurt him. Also tbh if you were willing to alter your body on a 2 minute thought out dare, you wanted to do it anyway. But again not a healthy way to emote on Ben's part. The David thing doesn't upset me because he knows how to pronounce her actual name. It's not like he doesn't know how and doesn't bother to try. It was part of their rivalry to irritate her. I honestly find it quite endearing as part of their friendship and think Devi does. I may be wrong and she may not like it and in that case he needs to stop and apologize.

I am not upset by him coming over to her house and calling her out about Aneesa. She deserved it. Also if she was that uncomfortable she could have taken him outside to talk like she did with Paxton. She is clearly comfortable enough to have him in the house. And her therapist agrees with Ben. If he hadn't, she wouldnt have known that Aneesa was leaving. Her mom took away her phone. And even then her first attempt at an apology was soooooo bad. And I don't think Ben did it solely to get Aneesa to stay so he could date her. This is Ben, he was willing to do long distance with Devi from India, I think he could have done the same with Aneesa from like the same town 🙄

I genuinely like Ben because he is a good kid. He makes mistakes like they all do. His personality is hilarious to watch but also his and Devi's relationship is so special. Me liking Ben and Devi has nothing to do with what Paxton has or has not done. I just like the dynamic between the two. They obviously care deeply for each other. Their conversations are hilarious. I love their banter. I love how comfortable they are with each and am sometimes surprised by the depth of their conversations. But also they have amazing chemistry. All the jealous looks and angst are between these two idiots pining for each other. I think she does have chemistry with Paxton but it's more because he is PHY, school Adonis. I mean let's be honest, he'd probably have chemistry with Fabiola solely cause he is PHY. The two nerds just match each other and it's so funny how often they are in sync. It's honestly adorable. They just get each other. That bathroom scene was the sweetest thing and also proves he's not this terrible person. She only comes out of the stall because of his support. He is genuinely hurt for her when technically it should have been a great moment for him.

I do believe the two have to be single for a bit before admitting their feelings for one another and moving forward. That's why my main thing for season 3 is that he absolutely cannot interfere in her relationship with Paxton. He needs to give her the space to figure that. Do I think there will be moments between them... absolutely but no cheating please. Everyone needs to move on from that. If they do it...I honestly think il be done with the show.

Anyways sorry for the really long ramble. If you made it to the end thanks for your patience 😌

Thank you for this beautiful masterpiece, I pretty much agree with everything and need to put it out there for the world to see

[fonulyn]

So my partner is amazing and let's me ramble about RE to them whenever I want to, and even sat down to watch Vendetta with me when I bought it, so the other day I was like explaining Leon and Chris' characters (bc my partner knows how much I love them both lmao so of course that's what I was talking about), and we have both come to the conclusion that Leon is a bisexual disaster, and Chris is a homosexual. The running joke is that Leon is also just generally a whore, out there living his best life, and Chris is the kind of gay guy who no one expects to be gay bc of stereotypes and his habit of never really talking about himself, but he also was never really in the closet about it, so he's surprised whenever people are surprised to learn that he's gay lolol but in all seriousness Leon is not only bisexual, but he's the type to fall in love easily despite all of his background and trauma related to betrayal, so his heart is almost continually broken, either bc he's betrayed or he loses whoever it is he's found himself in love with (and sometimes both i.e. Krauser, and Ada at the end of RE2), either through death or just leaving bc he knows he can't stay/can't be with whomever. As for Chris, maybe I'm reading into it wrong, but despite all of the like, romantic connotations they try to put into some of his games (which I don't. Really see? Like there was some in the first game with Jill but I just cannot see them together like that, neither seem interested in one another like that. And of course, Jessica, who I can't stand, and who Chris is supposedly totally oblivious to? Like she thinks he didn't notice her flirting in RE revelations, and Parker is like "is it that, or is he maybe interested in someone else?" And the assumption there is that he means Jill, but again, I don't see it? Even in that game! But that line of Parker's always makes me think "yeah, he's more than just interested in someone else, he's playing for a whole nother team entirely!" lmao. And I haven't seen much for 5 but I'm sure it's there between Chris and Sheva, and then for 6 from what I understand there really is hardly any talk of Chris in regards to any women at all? 8 has nothing, as well, and the DLC for 7 is just another "Chris loses his entire team in horrific fashion yet again" side plot, so nothing there either), he never seems interested. He's always focused on the task at hand, not letting emotions get in his way, and like, some could argue that that's why he doesn't show interest or why Capcom doesn't create more romantic lore around him, but if they really wanted to Make Sure he was straight and Make Sure everyone playing these games knew that, I imagine there would be some one line little hints in the games of him talking about how he can't let himself get distracted, or in his line of work there are no happy endings or what have you, but. There's none of that. Bc he isn't forcing himself not to be interested, he isn't purposefully focusing on saving the day so he doesn't have to get hurt knowing he can never have whichever high potential for a dope ass protag female character who's constantly sacrificing herself to save him bc what better purpose could they serve, right Capcom?, he's just. There, doing his job and trying to save whoever he can, not getting distracted in anyway whatsoever by any of the women in his life, romantically at least. He still cares way too much, but it never comes off as romantic to me in pretty much any way. Also the note he leaves in his STARS locker in RE2remake, Claire being like "this doesn't sound like Chris at all!" Is funny to me bc like, I don't really remember so correct me if I'm wrong, but she doesn't elaborate on WHY that note doesn't sound like Chris lmao is it bc he's respectful to women at all times and doesn't ever objectify them, probably hates when other people do? Or is it bc he would never be interested in women in this way ANYWAYS, the man is so gay, he must have left this note so that Claire would know something is Up, bc her brother is Such a homosexual.

Anyways sorry, I just wanted to ramble/get your opinion on this. Over-analysing RE is actually really fun lmao

haha not gonna lie, I opened your ask in the car on the grocery store parking lot and tried to read it on my phone, and gave up squinting at the small screen halfway through :'D now that I'm back at my laptop though, lol, all good :'D

first of all I'm happy you have someone to ramble to even though they aren't into the thing themselves! :D I regularly rant about RE fandom things to my brother haha and he listens patiently although he isn't in the fandom at all, he's only played the games and that's it. but he still listens to my shippy rambles lol.

as for your thoughts? makes sense to me tbh. I definitely headcanon Leon as a bisexual disaster most of the time, because it does seem fitting. maybe it's partly because I think he's absolutely breathtakingly stunning and it'd be a shame to deny anyone that, so, naturally he wouldn't care about such trivial things as gender, pfth, love is love.

also Leon falling in love easily? absolutely. too damn easily. c'mon this is a man who gets attached to anyone who shows him even the tiniest amount of basic kindness in the matter of minutes. he canonically forms attachments with Claire, Ada, Krauser, Helena, Buddy and JD (JD 😭)... whoever else am I forgetting? but this is the guy who meets someone and would die for them five seconds later. so. it tracks.

and you know what, I can 100% see Chris being only into men. because like. I don't see the romance there either when he's interacting with the women in his life? okay, sure, I could imagine something there between him and Jill if pressed seeing the way he so single-mindedly wants to save her and then holds her in the scene after they get that thing off her chest. maybe. but even there it doesn't really feel super romantic to me, personally.

in the first game with Jill there's not... a lot of romance I don't think? sure she falls asleep against his shoulder in the evac helicopter but i mean, i've fallen asleep against a friend like that? not an indication of romance? they're clearly important to each other! i am not trying to diminish their importance to one another at all! they'd die for each other and they'd do anything it takes to protect each other and i do think their relationship is compelling but... i don't really see anything inherently romantic in it.

and Jessica, yeah, Chris is 100% oblivious to her advances. it is implied in the game that he's into Jill instead but other than that there's again zero actual romantic interaction between Chris and Jill. I was actually talking about this with my brother, who said the same, like there were so many chances in Revelations to put something romantic in there between Chris and Jill but there just. isn't? anything? except for Parker's comment. which is why it felt so damn out of place? (and like my brother would've wanted to ship Chris and Jill, he was kinda bummed about this i feel :'D) so interpreting it to mean he's not interested in women at all would actually make more sense lmao.

as for RE5, I've played it twice (with my brother lmao do we see a theme here) and honestly I don't remember anything in the game that would've insinuated anything more than solid partnership between Chris and Sheva?? if someone who's more familiar with the game wants to correct me on this, then please! but at least off the bat I can not remember anything so I think they actually didn't try to even hint at romance for them?

and in RE6 Chris is way too focused on killing "Ada" to have any thoughts about anything else :'D so no. no mentions in there regarding him and any women. at all. not even hints of Jill which is so incredibly weird (and stupid tbh) bc she was made to be so important to him in RE5 and then doesn't even get a mention in RE6? (/shakes fist damn you capcom! the characters exist outside the games they're in!)

I think that's pretty much the main difference between Chris and Leon tbh. Chris sees the job at hand, and he knows it'll help, he knows it'll save people and it'll make the world safer and he's so single-mindedly focused on the job that he sees nothing else. while Leon sees people, for the better or for worse, and he is willing to take detours if it helps even one person in the meantime. like in RE6, Leon willingly ignores the task at hand to go help just about anyone. Chris doesn't want to pause even when pressed bc he has an end goal in mind.

and bear in mind, I am not trying to say this somehow makes Leon better or Chris better or anything. they're both doing this to help. they both have their heart in the right place. they both care. but they're just so different! their personalities, and their way of dealing with things is different! I feel Chris is really target oriented and wants to get the job done. while Leon's easily distracted from it, because of all the damn feelings :'D

but yeah. i love them both, and i think it's really damn fascinating how they're both the good guys, the heroes of the franchise, but they both take to things so differently.

i don't know if any of this makes sense, I think i rambled too :'D but hey-o, it was fun lmao.

and hey no need to apologize at all!! always feel free to shoot me a message if you wanna chat!

[bitterballofsunshine]

An exorbitant ask but what are your top three favourite cricket ships, why do you like them and what book/song could you relate that ship to? (I mainly want to know a song and book (or books *makes puppy eyes*) so that I can listen to it/read it while imagining that it's that ship. Also, the book(s) can help me come up with headcons for the ships.)

#1

· Ship – Cookerson (Jimmy/Cooky)

· Why I like it – OTP!!! I mainly like it cause Jim and Cooky are my all-time favourites, so them as a couple, WOW! Also, for me, Cookerson just makes sense! Like, whenever I think of them as a married couple, I can always see how they’d find ways to make everything work, even in horrible times. (Which I know is farfetched but come on!)

· Book(s) – o Always You by Kristie Moseley – This is the classic long-term-friends to lovers, rocky rode trope. And although it may seem angsty halfway through, it gets better. It fits Cookerson so well cause in the book, the characters get off on the bad foot (Jimmy called Cooky a ‘cunt’ the first time they met), but after some time, they create a good friendship. Plus, both the characters in the book are super sassy. o Blurred Lines by Lauren Layne – This is mainly an erotic approach and both of them have a horrible past they’re trying to run away from but the dynamic, still fits. And the two characters always find comfort in each other which feels like something Cookerson would do after a loss. Also, I can see how many parts of the story could balance out with their cricketing lives, i.e. trying to uphold professionalism, keeping their relationship a secret from their teammates, etc. o The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater – This is set in a semi-fantasy world. The main plot is nothing related to the dynamic of Cookerson but the romance couldn’t be more fitting! You wouldn’t get major Cookerson vibes from this the way you would from the previous two books since the main theme is ‘adventure’ not ‘romance’, but the small vibes you do get are amazing. ***WARNING- this contains some violent scenes.***

· Song – Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley – It’s just so them. ‘Like a river flows Surely to the see Darling, so it goes Some things are meant to be Take my hand Take my whole life too For I can't help falling in love with you’

#2

· Ship – J2 (Joe/Jos)

· Why I like it – The pinnacle of fluff! Also, they just have so much in common! Also, (again this is farfetched) I think they have an understanding of each other that they don't have with anyone else. Plus, I love the idea of them practically dating subconsciously but not accepting it until some serious shit goes down.

· Book(s) – o Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli & Aisha Seed – This is a slow burn, ‘strangers to lovers’ thing but it’s comedic and there are super supportive, meddlesome friends on both sides. This is so slow burn that it’s almost as if it’s not even moving. Denial of feelings is high in this and needless to say, they both think that the other doesn’t reciprocate. o Dear Emmie Blue by Lia Louis­ – This is such a fluffy fairytale! It hits you in the feels from the very beginning and I just can’t help but melt every time I remember it! The only unreasoned part would be that the two characters are from two countries. But as for fluff, it is on wholesale! Some characteristics don’t entirely coincide with Joe and Jos but as a whole, it’s really good! o Black Ice by Anne Stuart – This is a spy book. I wouldn’t recommend reading it for the action bits cause, even though they are very well written, it’s more about the emotions rather than fights. I love it a lot cause there are so many characters who can be fitted as the rest of the team. Also, during at least 50% of the fights, the two characters pretend to be unimpressed by the other but inside, they’re like ‘How the hell did he pull that off?!”

· Song – Say You Won’t Let Go by James Arthur – I never thought of it as a song for J2 but @she-is-j-obsessed has influenced me forever. ‘When you looked over your shoulder For a minute, I forget that I'm older I wanna dance with you right now Oh, and you look as beautiful as ever And I swear that everyday you'll get better You make me feel this way somehow’

#3

· Ship – Clanderson (Jimmy/Pup)

(Honestly, I'm surprised I found a picture of them smiling.)

· Why I like it – Now, this may not be so famous but oh boy, do I love enemies to lovers! This ship gets me a lot cause it has the unexpected reunion spin to it; Pup played in the Lancashire League in 2002, so when leaving, he’d think that he wouldn’t meet Jimmy again but in 2004, well, what do you know! So, it’s obviously super complicated, which I like. And once they actually become lovers after being enemies, the domestic nature would be so adorable!

· Book(s) – o Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston – This story is actually wrapped around a gay couple and is so damn cute! But why I think this fits is that firstly, the two guys in the book are from two countries, and secondly, it’s major enemies to lovers! Also, they keep their relationship a secret cause everyone thinks that they are ‘enemies’. I mean, it can’t get more Clanderson than that. And both of the guys have immense egos and short tempers! Come to think of it, this can just be an AU. o Vicious by L. J. Shen – This has some deep dark feels so it’s not the breezy type like the previous one. I think this book would match more with what I pictured Clanderson to be like during 2004 to 2015. Like, they think they hate each other but subconsciously, it’s just that they’re in love but are too afraid to risk so much for something so uncertain. And one person is trying desperately to let it all go when the other is moving deeper into the relationship which adds a bucket load of angst. (It comes as a series called ‘Sinners of Saint’. You don’t have to read the other books to understand this cause they’re interconnected standalones. But even the other books in the series have vague Clanderson vibes. They’re all angsty with happy endings.) o The Cruel Prince by Holly Black – The Cruel Prince is set in a fantasy world that’s kind of like a mix of the Medieval Era and the future. This doesn’t focus on a lot of other characters apart from the main two so no real meddling. But the characteristics fit cause we have one character (who I like to think as Jimmy) who’s so full of it due to status and wealth but feels empathetic for the people suffering around him and still tries to help…while having an ego. And the other character (Pup) is more down to earth and logical but doesn’t really allow himself to feel empathetic cause he has a ‘mission’. o The Sweetest Oblivion by Danielle Lori – Major angst. Like so many tears! But it’s all worth it. The main plot is pretty gruesome so obviously there’s foremost hate between them. Not all characteristics pan out flawlessly cause there’s random kindness and public insecurities. But everything else is perfect! There are friends on only one person’s side (cause the other is orphaned and running from the horrendous past blah, blah, blah) but those friends are eventually the ones who help them to get their shit together. ***WARNING – Only read it if you can afford to cry for at least a week.***

· Song – Skinny Love by Bon Iver – It’s a sad song, I know. But it just reminded me of Clanderson the first time I heard it so ever since then, it’s my official song for them. I can see how this captures Pup’s thoughts the day after he retires. ‘And now all your love is wasted And then who the hell was I? And I'm breaking at the breaches And at the end of all your lines Who will love you? Who will fight? Who will fall far behind?’