#like. potentially she's trying to do something different rather than trying and failing at the thing i want/expect her to be doing

[aeide-thea]

okay my other brief bookblogging thought (not the thing i mentioned taking tentative Political Issue with earlier, that one needs its own post and also acquired a sidecar complaint) is that i'm not convinced katherine addison knows how to structure a novel on, like, a macro arc level. like to a certain extent all the meandering and unrelated mini-episodes add verisimilitude but how she's timed the overall tightening-and-then-release of tension just feels—off to me. on the other hand i don't remember having this feeling so much with the goblin emperor? but the thara celehar books have both struck me this way.

[call-me-strega]

How to Become a Step-Dad in 5 Easy Steps: part 1

Jason meets Single Dad Danny who is taking care of a de-aged Dani while trying to get his degree at Gotham U. Both of them fall hard, hijinks and shenanigans ensue, simping on both sides.

Edit: background info/lore found here

Edit: part 2 now found here

~~~~

Step 1: Meet an attractive single parent

As a Crime Lord/vigilante Red Hood had multiple safe houses that he used in and out of the mask. Some were for each exclusive identity to prevent anyone from linking them together and others used for both. Currently, Jason was walking out of his 2nd favorite safe house and the mostly permanent residence of “civilian and non-profit worker: Jason Todd” with a plate of cookies and a pan full of lasagna for his new neighbors that moved in two doors down. He may have been a street rat but he’d be damned if Alfred and Talia hadn’t taught him hospitality (it was a fact of life that grandparents and Asian people would try to feed their guests like their honor depended on it). Plus it was a great way to do some reconnaissance on whether or not these new neighbors could potentially pose an issue. The apartment complex was on the border of Crime Alley and Burnley meaning the people who lived there weren’t doing too hot money-wise but were at least able to avoid the worst of Crime Alley. Jason was just planning to go over introduce himself, hand over the homemade food, and head off to a different safe house to get his gear and patrol. However, he was not expecting to see his new neighbor standing outside struggling to open his own door, a six-year-old on his hip, arguing with someone over the phone. The young man had a lean build and appeared to be no older than 20, give or take a year or two. He had black bangs that cast a shadow on his face making his eye-bags appear even darker and startling blue eyes clouded with anger and resentment, likely towards whoever was on the phone. He was so occupied with his conversation he didn’t seem to notice that someone else had stepped into the hallway. He was wearing dark blue jeans and a loose white shirt with a NASA logo on it that slightly hung off his shoulder. He also wore a black hoodie with a white hood and neon green accents that seemed to be subject to his sister(?)’s death grip. Despite his disheveled state, there was something about his new neighbor that drew him in. His aura washed over Jason like a cool breeze on a hot day making it hard for Jason to look away. He would have continued assessing the man if he hadn’t made eye contact with the identical blue eyes of the young girl perched on his hip, who looked at him with a curious sparkle in her eyes. He discreetly turned back around to lock his own door, trying to eavesdrop on the conversation the elder (brother?) seemed to be having. It could provide some info on these new neighbors.

“-shut up Vlad! I’m not moving into your rich guy penthouse! I wouldn’t be taking any of your shady money if I didn’t need child support for Ellie!”

Huh. So her dad/guardian then?

“ Of course I have to do this Vald! What’s the other option, sending her back to a Frootloop like you?! … I’m not going to abandon Ellie for something that wasn’t her choice. She didn’t ask to be created Vlad that’s why she gets a chance.”

Okay so setting aside the rather concerning parts New Neighbor Guy™️ was definitely that child’s parent. Seems fairly rational as well.

“How do I know you’d be a terrible guardian? Plenty of reasons, do you want the list chronologically or alphabetized! You violated me, who you said you wanted to adopt despite me having two living parents, you created Ellie and several other failed attempts without my knowledge, you hid her from me, you tried to teach her to hate me before we even met, you named her Danielle after me instead of giving her her own identity, the list goes on and on Vlad! Do you want me to continue because that’s just the stuff that involves Ellie— I was 14, you middle-aged vampire look-alike! Of course I wasn’t jumping at the chance to become a teen dad! I was a freshman in high school! Besides you know what my parents are like, lab safety regulations were more like a healthy suggestion to them. I was in no position to be taking care of a child!”

Rage flashed in Jason’s eyes as he tightened his grip on his glass Tupperware pan full of lasagna. This conversation was not painting a pretty picture about his neighbor’s situation. He took a deep breath trying to calm himself before belatedly realizing his neighbor had gotten real quiet. He turned around, catching the tail end of his neighbor’s conversation as he finally succeeded in opening the door.

“Whatever Vlad, just keep paying your child support and for Ancients’ sake please stop trying to date my mom. …. Yeah, yeah screw you too Count Chocula.”

The neighbor set his daughter down, likely so she could enter the apartment, and slipped his phone from between his head and shoulder into his hand to hang up on that Vlad guy. Now seemed like as good a time as any to approach. Jason walked up the the young man and coughed trying to get his attention. The young man met Jason’s eyes with a somewhat surprised look. As if he wasn’t unaware of Jason’s presence but hadn’t expected him to talk to him. Jason decided he should start speaking now before things got too awkward.

“Uh- Hi, I’m Jason. I live a few doors down in 357,” he said glancing at the 353 on his neighbors’ door before he continued. “I heard you moving in a few days ago and thought I’d swing by with some food to welcome you to the building.” He stuck out his hand for the other to shake.

“Hi I’m Danny, Danny Nightingale,” he said taking Jason’s hand and ‘Wow his hands are cold’, “ and this little munchkin here is Ellie!” Danny and Ellie flashed him matching smiles like twin suns making Jason's heart melt. He returned their smiles before extending the food to Danny.

“ I don’t know if you’ve had time to get groceries yet but here’s some homemade lasagna if you need a quick meal while you’re getting settled,” he then crouched down to Ellie’s level and stage-whispered in her ear conspiratorially “ and there are some chocolate chip cookies on that plate too.”

Ellie giggled out a thank and threw her arms around Jason’s neck, giving him a quick hug before letting go and dashing into the apartment. Jason watched her go, stunned but feeling warm and fuzzy inside. He turned his attention back to Danny, who shook his head and huffed amusedly. They made eye contact as Jason rose and realized he was a head taller than the guy. He felt the heat expanding in his chest and crawling up his neck, curling behind his ears. He decided now that Ellie had gone in it would be a good time to talk to Danny about what he overheard.

“ So it really wasn’t my intention to do so but I overheard some of that conversation you were having over the phone earlier,” he watched Danny’s smile drop a bit as he winced. Jason awkwardly brought up his hand to scratch the back of his neck and continued.

“ Look I don’t wanna insert myself into your situation but if you ever need help I’m just a few doors down. And if that guy gets pushy or stops sending his child support I can help you find a couple of avenues you can take. Plus, although we’re technically outside Red Hood’s territory I’m sure he wouldn’t mind extending protection over you like he does for the other Crime Alley folk if ya really need it.”

Danny’s face smoothed out looking a bit flushed and appreciative as he went on. He gave Jason a small smile and replied, “ Thank you for the offer. I really do appreciate it. Might just take ya up on it at some point. As for Red Hood? I think I’ll avoid needing the protection of a crime boss vigilante if I can help it. Don’t worry too much about Vlad though. I’ve got him handled currently and he’ll behave if he knows what’s good for him!” Danny smiled threateningly towards the end of his reassurance. (‘His canines are peaking out that’s so cute’)

Jason chuckled with Danny as their eyes locked once more. They stayed lost in each others’ eyes for what seemed like hours before they heard a thump followed by a small “oof” coming from inside the apartment. Danny turned to the door and called out to Ellie,

“Ellie, what was that? Are you okay”

“I’m fine! My shirt just fell!”

“That sounded heavier than a shirt?”

“I was in it!”

Danny sighed, shaking his head before turning to Jason once more.

“Thank you again for the food, any chance you’d like to come in and have something to drink?”

“Thanks for the offer but I’ll have to decline. I need to start heading out for work.”

“Well then, I shouldn’t keep you. I’d hate to make you late for work.” He waved goodbye as Jason nodded his head and started walking down the hall.

His neighbors seemed entirely harmless he decided as he walked away. ‘The kid was cute’ he thought to himself. A smaller voice from the back of his head that sounded vaguely like the Pits chimed in ‘Her dad was even cuter.’

~~~~~ Please let me know what you guys think and if you want to see more of this. I thrive on feedback so feel free to leave any notes or comments!

[genderkoolaid]

So I read this interesting post from the MensLib subreddit, about how men's issues are always blamed on men themselves and never on society. The post itself as well as the comments are a very good read in digging in to antimasculism & the ways in which feminism has failed to critically examine men's suffering under the patriarchy. For example (all bolding by me):

Here again, the problems predominantly affecting women are addressed by changing society, while those predominantly affecting men are addressed by changing men (or by telling men to change themselves). The difference is not that one approach is right and the other wrong; they are both 'right' in the sense that they highlight genuine issues, but the approach to men's problems is more superficial. When dealing with men's problems, we focus on the immediate cause, which is usually the men's failure to cope with mental strain ("he should have gone to therapy", "he should have learned to open up more"); in contrast, when dealing with women's problems, we focus on "the cause of the cause", and try to remove the systemic social issues causing the mental strain, rather than telling the victims what they should have done to better cope with it.

I think this is a great point, and something we really need to tackle. OP also goes on to talk about self-repression, comparing girls avoiding sexual harassment and boys avoiding bullying:

Boys (and men) are notorious for repressing their emotions. They have a good reason: in boys' peer groups, a failure to control your emotions is almost as shameful as a failure to control your bladder; it is a sign of weakness, and any sign of weakness makes you a target for bullying and ridicule. So boys learn to wear a permanent mask of aloof toughness to avoid inadvertently revealing any sign of weakness or uncontrolled emotion, and many keep this habit into adulthood. It is generally well recognized that suppressing emotions is unhealthy in the long run, but it seems to me that the commonly proposed antidote is misguided: boys (or men) are told to "just open up more and be vulnerable" or to "learn how to cry", as if their reluctance to show emotions were some kind of irrational emotion-phobia, rather than a perfectly reasonable, perhaps even necessary, defense against the ridicule, contempt and loss of respect that society inflicts upon those who can't keep their emotions in check in the proper "manly" way.

It's something we don't really question in mainstream feminism. Women's issues have a societal root, and men's issues are issues that men put on themselves, and therefore men just need to fix it themselves and change.

And while yes, we all have a responsibility to unlearn harmful societal teachings, just saying "men need to fix their shit" doesn't help anyone. I've been annoyed for a while at how people will react to men suffering under the patriarchy with "UGH they need to go to therapy", as if

Needing therapy is a sign of failure or a bad thing, and someone not going to therapy when they need to is them being an asshole on purpose and not potentially a sign of them not feeling safe enough to go to therapy, feeling too ashamed, not having enough money or time, etc.

Individual men getting individual therapy will solve the societal problems of forcing boys and men to repress their emotions and view themselves as only valuable if they can perform manual labor and have a lot of sex with women. It's a problem that is only perpetuated by men themselves and if they just stopped doing that, then the problem would disappear.

No self-respecting feminist would ever react to a woman obviously suffering from the patriarchy with "ugh, she needs to go to therapy and fix herself." Yes, therapy would be helpful most likely, but that's not going to actually fix the underlying cause of her issues. So why do we, as feminists, think that "men just need to fix themselves" is an okay response to societal suffering under the patriarchy?

Who does this help? Who benefits from us ignoring these issues? Why do we assume that men's experiences under the patriarchy are so one-dimensional and that we have no responsibility for unlearning our societal biases around men and masculinity?

Someone in the comments also added this quote from the "perpetually relevant" I Am A Transwoman. I Am In The Closet. I Am Not Coming Out essay by Jen Coates:

Have you noticed, when a product is marketed in an unnecessarily gendered way, that the blame shifts depending on the gender? That a pink pen made “for women” is (and this is, of course, true) the work of idiotic cynical marketing people trying insultingly to pander to what they imagine women want? But when they make yogurt “for men” it is suddenly about how hilarious and fragile masculinity is — how men can’t eat yogurt unless their poor widdle bwains can be sure it doesn’t make them gay? #MasculinitySoFragile is aimed, with smug malice, at men—not marketers.

And then another commenter left this (and referenced bell hooks' work on men!!):

"Do you agree that we tend to approach women's problems as systemic issues, and men's problems as personal issues?" Yes, and there's even a name for this: Hyperagency. Individual men are assumed to be immune to systemic pressures because the people at the top of the hierarchies generating those pressures are also men. "And if you do agree with that, do you think this difference in approach is justified, or do you rather think it is a case of an unfair bias?" It's pretty clearly not rooted in reality. The idea that billions of ordinary men aren't beholden to the social constructs under which they were raised is just plain silly. I'd blame the empathy gap, but honestly I feel like it's more than that. Patriarchy hyper-individualizes every struggle a man faces as a way to shield itself from critique and gaslight ordinary men. The motivations there are readily apparent. However, we see the same blind spot appear even in more academic Feminist spaces (taking for granted that "Feminist" spaces on social media are hardly representative of the cutting edge of Feminist thought). bell hooks once postulated that some Feminist women are deeply afraid of acknowledging how little they understand about men, let alone taking the steps to broach that gap.

Another person explained hyperagency by saying "Every single individual man is a hyper agent who is just expected to bootstrap his way out of the patriarchy through sheer force of will."

[girlgroupshots]

The Producer - PART TWO

pairing: arin x male reader/oc rating: M for Mature word count: 2685 summary: You learn more about your potential job while also having a run in with someone in need. 

As you stood before your uncle's building you couldn't help but feel a sense of deja vu.

Just yesterday you had been standing in this very position but with much less information than you currently held. Ironically, you felt more confused now then when you knew nothing. The day you had spent with your Uncle did nothing to help you make a decision. If anything it only confirmed that he was a terrific salesman. And then there was the night you had spent with Jessica. You assumed it meant nothing but that was one hell of a way to get to know each other. The end result of all of this was that you had gotten little to no sleep after you made it back to your motel room. You briefly contemplated merely catching the train back home but fortunately, or unfortunately, your conscious wouldn't let you do it.

So here you were, running on fumes but punctiual nonetheless.

On cue you saw Jessica walking up to the doors from inside. She seemed just as you had saw her yesterday, well, early yesterday. The Jessica you witnessed in the afterhours was an entirely different beast.

"I almost didn't think you'd be on time" she greeted with a teasing smile.

"What can I say, you left a good impression. Besides something tells me you are a fan of punctuality."

"It doesn't hurt."

At first you had thought that Uncle Min and Jessica merely had a good repitoire but you were quickly realising that she could make conversation with anyone. A good talent to have if one was in the people management business. She walked into the building and you followed closely on her heels. Clearly she had a plan set for what was going to happen today and you were merely along for the ride.

"The girls should be on their way," Jessica spoke over her shoulder as we made our way towards the elevator, "We have a pretty wide range from our oldest trainee to the youngest but for the most part they're relatively close."

You merely gave a nod, absorbing the information that she was giving me.

"Before they get here I want to give you a brief rundown. Just enough so you know a little bit about them; I wouldn't want to scare you off before you even accept the job."

You laughed lightly at her words as we entered the elevator, "Don't worry, I'm too impressed to be scared so far. Honestly though, it seems like you're on top of everything, I'm still not sure if I'm even needed."

Jessica looked over at me for a moment as if trying to judge whether I was being sarcastic or not before letting out a small scoff, "Well, I appreciate you saying that. However, like I told you last night there’s a difference between the two positions. We've been at it for four years now and still haven't fully lifted off the ground. I think a new perspective could be just what we need."

She was simply being honest but I couldn't help thinking it was another reminder of the potential pressure you’d be under and how bad it would be if you failed to be the new ingridient that the company needed.

The elevator doors opened with a ding and you followed Jessica the short distance to her office, noting that it was across from where your Uncle had said yours would was. Or rather, where yours would be if you started working there. You took a seat, noting the small pile of folders she had on her desk.

"So how many trainees do you guys have exactly?" you questioned as she sat across from you.

"Fifteen."

"Fifteen?!" you tried to leave the incredulous tone out of your voice, "And the plan is to debut all of them?"

"Well, technically that would be up to you. That’s another reason why we need your perspective. If it were up to me I’d debut all of them in some form or another. When you're in a small company like ours everyone grows pretty close and attached. Especially when you've been through the trenches together."

You could sense the sentinmentality in her words. You were finally beginning to understand why she didn’t want to be in that position. They needed someone with a more objective look at things to make any changes that were needed. Even if that including cutting some of the trainees. That said, the thought of being the guy who comes in and starts cutting loose ends didn't make you feel great either. You decided to move forward rather than dwell on that thought.

"Of course, that's only natural. So you wanted to brief me on them right?"

"Just briefly,," Jessica nodded, seemingly eager to change the subject as well, "I'll start with the youngest."

"Noona!"

Before Jessica could begin, a voice rang out in the hallway. You looked over your shoulder then back to Jessica who simply let out a tired sigh.

"Noona, are you up here – " the owner of the voice stopped short when he entered the doorway and saw the two of you sitting there. It was hard to miss how his demeanor switched from carefree to embarrassed. "Er, uh, Ms. Jung."

“What is it Jinyoung?”

“When the other girls start arriving should I send them to practice room?”

"Yes, please. Thank you, Jinyoung" Jessica forced a smile on her lips, "By the way, this is potentially your future boss. He might be working with us in the near future."

The man's gaze looked back to you before promptly bowing in greeting. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir. I look forward to working with you in the future."

Honestly, it was hard to bite back an amused expression. The whole situation was unfamiliar. You were used to being the one politely bowing to the higher ups in the company. Now here you were in the reverse situation and the man couldn't be that much younger than yourself Still, it'd be rude to simply laugh so you managed to nod my head in response.

"Likewise."

“If that’s all, I have to go over some things with our guest, Jinyoung."

“Right. Of course.” The man gave a curt nod before scurring on his way.

When you turned back to Jessica you could tell she was already reading what was going through your mind.

"Don't give me that look. He's a member of the staff and he's a good kid."

"Oh, I'm sure he is...Noona."

"Don't you start."

You were unable to hold back the amusement this time and despite her annoyed words you could see the hint of a smile on Jessica's lips. For all the teasing you could do though, you didn't doubt her words. After all, she did say they had a family-like vibe in the company. But that didn't mean you were going to let her live it down anytime soon.

“Alright, let’s get started,” Jessica said, pivoting the conversation.

At those words your amusement faded, feeling a sudden sense of anxiety in your gut. One might go as far as to call it nausea. It was all suddenly becoming very real. This wasn’t drinks at the bar or your Uncle casually telling you his grand designs. This was holding the future of strangers you had never met in your hands. One thought ran through your mind: Oh fuck.

Suddenly feeling nauses you needed to get out of there. "Before we begin I need to use the bathroom."

"Alright,” there was only a slight hint of annoyance in her voice, “it's right down the hall."

You quickly learned that you and Jessica had vastly different ideas of what right down the hall meant. Especially as right around the corner soon turned into you wandering the building. At least your nauseous feeling had subsided somewhat if nothing else. When you spotted a young woman you quickly approached her in hopes of gettimg some kind of direction.

"Hi, do you work here?"

Stupid question. This wasn't the grocery store. If she was in the building then she must work there. From looking at her she clearly looked like she could be another one of Jessica's interns. What you failed to miss among the startled expression was the flush that crept up her neck and colored her cheeks, or the way her thighs fidgeted together anxiously.

"O-oh, um, y-yes. Yes…" she fumbled out.

You assumed it was just a reaction suddenly having a stranger appear in front of her. "Great, can you show me where the bathroom is?"

"It's right down the hall," she pointed.

"Believe it or not that's thw second time I've been told that," you rubbed the back of your head. "Do you mind taking me there?"

The girl was silent for a moment, biting her bottom lip as she looked away from you. You raised your eyebrow in curiosity, wondering what was going on.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" she blurted out. "It's this way!"

The dark-haired girl abruptly turned on her heels and began to lead you to your destination. You silently followed, your mind drifting to everything Jessica had told you thus far. Soon you'd learn about the girls and then you'd have to make a definitive choice on whether you wanted to take on this project or not. Jessica clearly seemed to think she was capable onconvincing you. But you told yourself it'd take more than good sex to change your mind.

"Here we are," the girl's voice broke your thoughts.

"Thanks."

You intended to walk past her and then likely never see the girl again only to have her suddenly grab your shirt. Her breathing was heavy as she clutched at the fabric. For the first time you noticed the red flush to her cheeks. Did she have a fever?! Was she going to pass out? How was this happening on your first day already? You gripped her elbow to help her keep her balance, concern etched across her features.

“Hey, are you okay?” you asked

She looked up at her, wavy hair framing her pristine features. When she opened her mouth the sound you heard was not the response you were expecting. The sound she made was a moan. It was high-pitched and needy and undeniably a moan of pleasure. You looked bewildered for a moment, briefly wondering just what the hell was happening as the girl pressed her body close to yours. It was only then you noticed her nipples poking against the cotton fabric of her shirt.

“Can you touch me?”

“What?!”

In response, the dark-haired beauty let go of your shirt to grip one of your hands and moved it to her breast. You were able to palm it easily, feeling the stiffened nub beneath your hand. At the contact she let out another moan. For as confused as you were to have this girl begging for your touch and writhing against you, you couldn’t deny the natural reaction your body was having. Your cock was beginning to stir beneath your slacks and becoming painfully obvious. Especially when you were this close.

“I just need…” she trailed off, pressing her body against yours.

She found purchase on your knee, rubbing herself against it as if she was riding your cock. If it weren’t for your utter confusion at what was happening you might have pinned her against the wall and had your way with her. As it stood you didn’t even know her name. Settling for being her tool for getting off was going to have to be enough for now. Still, that didn’t mean you had to be a passive participant. You angled you thigh better, fitting it between her thighs and pressing more fully against her crotch.

“Are you getting off on this? Rubbing yourself up against a stranger at work?” you taunted her.

“Nngh ~ ” She swallowed another moan, panting heavily as she pressed herself harder against you.

“I bet that friction feels good doesn’t it? Did you soak through your panties already?”

“Mmm ~ “

She buried her face into your chest, a muffled approval confirming from her in response as she nodded her head. Despite her seeming embarrassment, her actions were no less desperate. She gripped your shirt tighter, leveraging herself against you as she continued to hump your thigh, a certain desperation in her movements. You weren’t exactly sure what had come over her. Hell, you didn’t know what had come over you! But the angelic whimper that fell from her lips was enough to not make you question it any further for now.

“Are you going to cum?” you teased, pinching her perky nipples. “Are you going to cum for me?”

“Mmphf!!”

When her orgasm finally hit, it was a silent orgasm. She bit her bottom lip, stuffing her face into your chest as her body shook. Somehow she made an inherently sexual act seem precious. When it was over you retracted your hand from her breast, holding her elbow until she wasable to stand straight. The snap back to reality was almost instant. Her face flushed a crimson red as she stepped back.

“I– I’m so sorry,” she blurted out.

Before you could even ask her name she was quickly gone from sight. Leaving you with a rather uncomfortable erection.

“...What the hell just happened?”

By the time you made it back to Jessica she had a tired expression on her face.

“Did you get lost?”

“You could say that.”

She gave you a curious look but didn’t say press the issue further. “Well, sit down. You took so long we have to go through this quickly. I’ll start with the youngest.“

Jessica began giving you a brief summary of each trainee from their name to their core strengths. It was informative and and for the first time in two days it felt like this was an actual job. She had clearly put in a lot of work but you’d get a better feel for the girls once you met them in person. After all, they all sounded great on paper but anyone could make a resume sound good on paper.

“Wait,” you suddenly snapped out of your thoughts. “Who is that?”

Jessica looked at the current file. “Yewon?”

“Yewon…She’s a trainee here?”

“Yes? She joined us shortly after we started auditions so she’s been with us a few years now.”

The lump in your throat grew larger as you stared at the picture on file. There was no denying it: that was the same face of the girl who had been riding your thigh some thirty minutes ago.

“Oh…”

Meanwhile…

Yewon stumbled into the practice room, closing the door behind her. She was panting and out of breath, her cheeks flushed with color. Partially because she was out of breath from practically sprinting away from the stranger and partially because of the toy that was still going off inside of her. Immediately she was accosted by one of her fellow trainees. Specifically a blonde named Yunjin.

“Oh my god!” Yunjin exclaimed, a smile of disbelief on her features. “Unnie, you actually did it.”

“Turn it off already!” she whined in response.

Ignorant to her fellow trainee’s despair, Yunjin pressed on, “Did you have an orgasm?”

“Yunjin, please!”

“Alright, alright!”

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this...” 

The blonde quickly reached into the pocket of her sweatpants, pulling out her phone to open the app that was currently causing the older girl torture. Meanwhile, a dark-haired, well-endowed trainee was getting everyone elses attention at the far end of the practice room.

“Everyone! If you missed the announcement, we are meeting the new CEO today,” Eunbi said to the girls gathered before her. “Let’s leave a good impression, alright?”

“I heard Jinyoung say he hasn’t accepted the offer yet,” another girl chimed in. When she looked up and realized she was getting a death stare from Eunbi she shrugged defensively. “What? I’m just saying what I heard.”

“Thank you, Jiwon, but either way we should do our best. Let’s make sure nothing goes wrong.”

After all, what could possibly go wrong.

authors note: part two done! part three is the last part of the ‘prologue’ of sorts and then it will start to be more episodic chapter updates. i finished this chapter a while ago so i thought i’d finally release it. i’m currently taking a break from writing but i hope you’re all doing well! i also might be moving things to a new blog as this is a side-blog which limits my ability to follow and such but tbd.

[jasaginae0]

I just got done playing Dead Plate, here are my thoughts and analysis:

It's so interesting how Rody and Vincent perfectly parallel each other, though Vincent's way of mirroring Rody is shown with metaphors and symbolism.

Rody tries again and again to try to win back Manon, he loves her to death more than anything. He job hops in order to get money to impress her, he waits by the phone hoping she'll answer his calls he even has to hear from VINCENT that Manon has ended their relationship when his love for Manon blinded him of their breakup.

But Vincent's parallel to Rody is shown metaphorically, look at his cooking:

He scribbles out reviews from critics that are less than perfect, when Rody reveals he has been letting Vincent's meals for him collect dust in his fridge he looks as if Rody just spit in his face and he is constantly changing the menu.

Vincent said he lost his taste as a child. The dude literally considers his favorite food to be a lemon. A god damn lemon. He has been shown to become VERY upset over mistakes, big or small in his kitchen (Unless it's Rody).

I'm convinced cooking is a metaphor for trying to impress people and feel accomplished but failing every time. I think Vincent comes from a not very good household, and it's manifesting in his adulthood. Vincent has a passion for cooking and food, I believe this had been the case ever since childhood, but when he saw his families apathy towards it, he grew desperate to impress them. To show them that he could do something GREAT with his talent, he works and works to improve, finding any dish that would wow people, yet nothing.

He starts cooking to impress people, he no longer does it for himself, it's too feel accomplished. This goes on until cooking isn't even considered a hobby of Vincent's, he's doing it for others rather than himself. It gets to point he barely enjoys cooking and food in general, so losing his taste is symbolism for Vincent losing out to his hobby to impress others.

He says after losing his taste, he is desperate for a dish. Everything tasted the damn same. It drove him crazy. He wanted something different if we connected that with Vincent trying to impress Rody with his dish, we can also connect that to the theory that Vincent was in love with Rody. If he did like him, I don't think Vincent saw him as an actual potential lover, he saw Rody as another chance to impress the people he couldn't, could Rody remind him of someone that Vincent was desperate to impress? And seeing Rody, he saw a second chance to be a big shot, to prove others wrong and to finally be accomplished?

Vincent literally agrees to date Manon despite being a gay man, just to cook her and feed her to Rody in hopes that he'll love it. Vincent knew Rody LOVES Manon, as long as she's involved he will love whatever it is, so Vincent sees Manon as his key to his goal and kills her. But that doesn't work, and he dies.

They both mirror each other in such interesting ways, I love it.

Rody probably learned his lesson and eventually moved on from Manon, but Vincent didn't see what was the problem, that there was no unique dish that he needed he just needed to rediscover his passion and stop using food to seek validation, yet he died chasing a goal that would never happen.

In conclusion, Dead Plate's theme is trying to impress people and seek validation that we lose ourselves and don't even think about what we want. At times, it may even end us.

[butterflydm]

Kinda jumping off a discussion I was having with @markantonys and @sixth-light the other day, I am really feeling excited about potentially bringing in most/all of the rest of our endgame love interests next season because I think they'll pretty much all benefit with the jump from book to screen.

(contains some book spoilers through Knife of Dreams)

I really enjoy a lot of the choices that the show has made so far, and I think they've done a lot of good set-up for the romances as well. To start with the characters who are locked in already, I really loved that Rand's three love interests all got to spend some extended time with (at least) one of his friends in season 2. Elayne being close with Egwene and Nynaeve is book canon, of course, but I like that the show essentially did that with Aviendha & Min too -- Perrin and Aviendha were so funny together, Mat and Min were also funny but had some great depth and angst. We got to see all three of them shine as individual characters before we got into any romance elements.

Especially with Min, I really loved the choice for them to take Min's self-reported past struggles with her ability and make it a current thing for her. It gives Min an active emotional storyline that is about herself and not centered around Rand, which is a big plus for me.

For next season, it's fairly well confirmed that we're getting Faile, and I think the show is set up to do really well with her:

a. the fact that we're not getting Perrin's internal narration will do so much to combat the 'constantly possessive and jealous' vibe that she often has in the books, because she frequently does not act on it but is just feeling something and if Perrin didn't basically have telepathy, no one would know.

b. Perrin's previous marriage provides a good reason for his relationship with Faile to be much more of a slow burn than it was in the books, and also provide background on why he'll be over-protective of her without falling into Jordan's "Women Are Precious Frail Flowers" trap (which Jordan did realize was a flaw in his writing -- we see him trying to interrogate it over the course of the series. But sometimes he would fall into the trap anyway).

c. And Faile and Perrin's relationship being more of a slow-burn would also make Berelain be a less ridiculous character (if they choose to still have her & her pursuit of Perrin). I'm also fond of the (from reddit!) speculation that maybe Berelain will be Graendal in disguise, which would have the potential of working really well to bring Graendal in sooner and give Perrin a proper Forsaken nemesis.

We are likely to get Gawyn, and if he's our main PoV for split in the White Tower, rather than it being Min (who is going to be in the Tanchico storyline with Mat, if that leak from a couple of weeks ago is true), then the audience will be more inclined towards being sympathetic towards him. We're also not likely to have the huge slow-down in pacing that happened in the second half of the book series, so it won't feel like Gawyn is just marching in place for forever. He's definitely one of the characters who suffers the most from how slowly the plot moves in The Slog.

Less likely but still very possible (especially if the leak about Mat is true) is that we may meet Tuon next season, and the show has done so much to make Mat & Tuon more plausible as a romance, even before we get into anything like character development.

Partly in the difference in Mat's background, in his relationship with his parents, and also in the way his dynamics with characters like Liandrin and Ishamael were played out.

Plus the set-up for what the show is doing with damane & sul'dam is promising in terms of Tuon because the show has established that the sul'dam are very weak channelers (as opposed to being learners), which means that Tuon actively beginning to channel wouldn't be plot-breaking in terms of her capabilities and would just affect her on a narrative level, which makes that feel like a much more likely path for them to choose to go with her and which opens up some avenues for some genuine character growth from her, which would be an exciting change from the books.

And, on a more subjective note, I feel like Jordan really fell down on the writing of Mat and Tuon, especially in CoT & KoD, so basically anyone else taking them over is probably going to be an improvement for me.

The show also really established a strong personality for Mat off the bat, which is something that Jordan was pretty inconsistent about. 'Mat' doesn't really gel as an individual character until the third book when he gets a PoV; and then he changes in several ways between the end of Winter's Heart and the start of Crossroads of Twilight (which is only a week later); I think that 'Crossroads' Mat could have been plausible (if depressing) as a character if Jordan had actually worked up to him over the course of CoT & KoD rather than him abruptly becoming this New Slavery-Neutral "both sides are valid" Mat in-between books (in WH he has an actual ethical & visceral objection to slavery, while in CoT & KoD, he only seems to object to the idea of being personally enslaved and views it neutrally if other people are enslaved). But I've talked about all that before, lol, so I will just say that it feels like the show already knows who they want Mat to be and has taken a pretty bold stand on the subject (re: being a Hero of the Horn), so I don't think we'll see them dumping his brains and empathy overboard between seasons.

So, yeah, I know s3 is still filming, but I am already anticipating it so much!

[manofthepipis]

Hoooiii!!!! Do you have any deltarune hc? Like for the Fun Gang, Addison’s, Chaos Duo? Just wondering 🙃

For me, Jevil has a soft spot for kids (ex, Lancer)

aaaa i have so many, though not much for the fun gang as we approach more dr chapters, but i've mainly thrown headcanons onto the darkners here

for the addisons, i feel like all of them are night owls/never getting much sleep. They work a lot, but the transition to castle town has given them a bit of a break. Spamton, out of all of them, never/barely sleeps, being kept up by his own plan-making and next attempt at getting his sales to skyrocket, though always to fail. This only got worse in his post-big-shot years where constant attempts on the mansion kept him endlessly busy. He doesn't rest, and so he'll work himself until he crashes.

jevil is the opposite, at least to me! i'd like to imagine his time in the card kingdom (prior to his imprisonment) he would sleep often, since the joker card isn't used in many games (if at all). He'd sleep in the scarlet forest mainly, where i headcanon he got approached by the same being that helped spamton out. Seam set him up a little hammock near the ceiling so that he could sleep while they worked on mage-type stuff. Post-imprisonment, it was entertaining himself with solo-led games, perfecting his fighting patterns, and sleeping a lot. It would be kind of cool if, in contrast to spamton meeting their shared benefactor over the phone, jevil met him in a dream, until waking up and finding the dream was real.

Though i do like that headcanon that jevil has a soft spot for kids, i feel it's incredibly rare nowadays as he doesn't care much for anything anymore, rather than pure fun and chaos (he did try to kill three of them after all, and not out of desperation like spamton had but just because of the game). Like, his mind has cracked since his imprisonment, but he sees the potential for others to see past their own imprisonment and stir up some trouble for the nature of things. I feel he'd really like Susie especially, and Noelle for her ability to disrupt the narrative (like her objecting the player's snowgrave command at first). Though i do like the idea prior-imprisonment him trying to play games with Lancer, and Seam joining in. Though Jevil does not care for rouxls whatsoever and pities his existence above anyone else's. Something about being tied to "Rules" just doesn't sit well with him.

I definitely side on jevil knowing about the roaring, and the knight, but telling us would spoil the fun of the player finding out before the real fun has began. On the other hand, spamton desperately wants to tell Kris, to help them get an upper hand on us controlling them, but can't. I feel he's been conditioned in his time being puppeted to short out mentally whenever bringing such a topic up as seen in-game.

speaking of jevil, i headcanon he took a liking to spamton immediately, seeing how different he was from the other addisons and wanted to see what route his fate would start to go down as they both discovered more and more about what was really going on in their universe. Spamton was too focused on everything else to bother to care what jevil was or what his purpose was, but Jevil would return home to excitedly tell Seam everything about the puppeted salesman from the digital world.

onto darkners from the digital world, i feel like swatch took the brunt of the work preventing spamton from getting too close to neo, so when they physically couldn't take his wacky antics anymore, they reached out to Tasque manager, who helped them set up all the traps in the basement. She's dealt with spamton a handful of times, and one time had him captured so Swatch could try and talk to him and make one final attempt to reason with him, but he was too far gone at that point, deadset on neo.

that's all i got so far! just a few that have been swirling around in my brain for awhile lol, ! it keeps this 2+ year time without a new chapter just a little more fun :D

[ryuichirou]

Replies

A couple of asks related to our twst x danganronpa post from yesterday, and a couple of random ones.

Anonymous asked:

I’ve been fooling around with Danganronpa in Twisted Wonderland and seeing what houses they’d be put into. I got Miu Iruma in Ingnihyde (She pulls her top down lower so her assets are on full display), Nagito Komaeda in Scarabia (He drives everyone nuts), Sakura Ogami in Savannaclaw (Kind of like the den mother to everyone), Korekiyo Shinguji in Diasomnia (Creeps people out.)

(aggressively googling the names because it’s been quite a while and I barely remember anyone other than Komaeda, Hinata or Junko) OHHHH MIU WE LOVE THAT BITCH- She would be perfect for Ignihyde, but the Igni-boys wouldn’t survive her. Only the Shrouds would survive because Idia never leaves his room and Ortho would miraculously (but not really surprisingly) get along with her lol

I would watch Nagito Komaeda in Scarabia just to see the anguish in Jamil’s eyes when he’s around, Sakura in Savannaclaw is a given and I agree!

Can’t say much about Kirekiyo, but wherever he’d be, he’ll definitely creep people out…

Anonymous asked:

Kiyotaka Ishimaru is in Heartslabyul, that’s kind of a given. I also put both Gundham Tanaka and Sonia Nevermind in Diasomnia.

Kiyotaka Ishimaru is on his way to make Heartslabyul even more annoying oh my god, it’s perfect.

Also agreed about Diasomnia, especially about Sonia. Sonia Diasomnia!!!! Diasonia!! She would fit so perfectly, and the uniform would look really good on her. Soda would be so confused about her being picked for this freaky dorm…

Anonymous asked:

I just read your post about danganronpa AU, and the way you described Azul's section low-key reminded me about byakuya togami. Basically, Azul is the byakuya in the danganronpa AU :'D And funnily enough, Epel's character would fit perfectly with Chihiro's! The only difference is that Epel is not crossdressing but people keep mistaking him as a girl. But both of them want to be and seen as strong! Coincidence? :P

Imagine all the juicy Angst potential! What if both Jade/Floyd somehow managed to die and Azul's having a mental breakdown because of this. Both of his "business partners" ahem "friends" since childhood died and now he's all alone once more. Even better what if Azul's about to be executed and the Tweels try to rescue him or prevent him from dying only for them to get injured/die during the process from none other than Azul himself and then he realises what he did and Boom mental breakdown. Basically how Ursula accidentally killed her eels Flotsam and Jetsam with the trident.

Also, imagine instead of a robotic bear Monokuma, it's actually a robotic cat, Grim. Basically, Grim is the Monokuma in this AU.

Oh god MonoGrim 😭 The worst! The worst tanuki!! (I love it)

It’s interesting that you connect Azul and Byakuya, it honestly didn’t even occur to me. I guess it’s because Byakuya kept his shit together rather well, and Azul would definitely be going through some stuff and get his maniacal giggle moments regularly. But there are similarities in a way that both are smart and would be helpful when willing to help. I don’t remember much about Byakuya, to be honest.

Epel and Chihiro really do share some similarities, huh! These two would definitely have something to talk about lol Chihiro is like “what if Epel, but Ignihyde”.

Angts, drama and trauma are the best part of danganronpa, and the potential is honestly impressive lol If something happened to the Tweels, it would affect Azul, especially if he is the one who caused it, although it’s difficult for me to picture the circumstances (I know you said about the execution and stuff)… But I really do like the reference to the Ursula’s eels’ tragic fate.

Anonymous asked:

Hi, first of all I want to preface this by thanking you for all the effort you put into this blog. I've only been here for a couple of months but it's always a pleasure to send asks here, because they never fail to be received with enthusiasm, whether I'm sharing headcanons or asking questions about your AUs. It's amazing to see how dedicated you are, not only with your art, but also engaging so consistently with all of us. What I'm trying to say is that I'm glad I could find such passionate and welcoming people, and that you don't have to feel sorry about skipping some asks. The fact that you spend time reading them all is impressive on its own.

Also, may I have a moment to gush over the post you made about the top/bottom debate? Because, my god yes! I've been thinking about Jamil's "femininity" for a long time! He isn't portrayed as cute (like Epel) or girly (like Lilia), nor does he consciously present himself in any way as androginous (like Vil may do). On the contrary, he is pretty much a regular guy in both appearance and attitude. And yet there is some kind of allure to him that can be both masculine and feminine at any given moment. Unbelievable how down bad I am for this guy, considering how hard I fought against liking him when I got into twst. These are a lot of words just to say that Jamil is very gender, and that I think he is the word エロい personified.

Anon!! It means a lot to hear that, thank you so much for your words of support and for your asks. I am so happy you’re having fun reading these replies and send more questions. It truly means a lot, and the fact that you understand my circumstances means even more. Thank you for understanding.

It still amazes me that people have read that post, it ended up being so stupidly self-indulgent LOL I’m happy you liked it!

YESSS you get it! Jamil really is just a regular guy, but the allure he has is just very natural, it’s like he isn’t even aware of for the most part (but he’s still very comfortable in his own skin and controls his body movements very easily, if that makes sense). I guess there is something snake-like in this nature of his, and honestly it’s very charming. エロい is quite a nice way to describe him….

Anonymous asked:

I wonder how Ortho feel about Ruggie being with Idia. Also, I can tell that Idia wouldn't want Ruggie to be in Styx not because for obvious reason but will likely try to steal any rare items.

I don’t know if there is any character that Ortho would disapprove of as a partner for Idia, he’s a very supportive little bean! You know, aside of his possible moments of jealousy. Unless Ruggie and Ortho have a beef that I am unaware about… but in general, I think Ortho would find Ruggie interesting and want to learn more about him.

Oh come on, Ruggie isn’t the one to bite a feeding hand! If given an opportunity to receive juicy salary on a regular basis instead of stealing expensive rare stuff and definitely getting caught because there are cameras everywhere in Styx, Ruggie would definitely pick the first option. But I guess Idia doesn’t necessarily trust Ruggie this much lol

Anonymous asked:

Fem Lilia seems like the type to sneak up on someone and then grab their boobs from behind. She would do this as a way to mess with people and she has probably done it on half of the fem cast of NRC

What do you mean “half”…

She’s such a… prankstress. This type of stuff fits her surprisingly well. Calm down, grandma 😭

[animehouse-moe]

GUND-ARM: A Ray Of Hope

So, definitely a lot going on with the episode, but I've got to start off with the little promotional video they did for the new company. Incredibly cute and actually impressive how well they animated it. The tine of green around Aerial from the green screen. The slight desync between Aerial and Suletta. The off-key singing, the background noise from animals. There's a lot of effort put into making the quality of the video seem low, which is pretty impressive in a way.

A quick interlude before the meat of the episode however, featuring Suletta and her mother. I do feel really bad for Suletta, because she just wants to feel safe and loved, rather than discerning the truth from her mother's words.

But unfortunately Prospera and Suletta are on different wavelengths, as is evident in Prospera's comment about people attacking Gundams.

There really is something that feels sinister to Prospera's words. She's taking Suletta's passion and desire for love from her mother and twisting it to the benefit of her plot, which is hard to experience when viewers get to see it as that rather than how Suletta is processing it.

As a side note I feel like that's something they've done really well. Typically it can be hard to understand things from the perspective of a character when you see them as something else entirely, but I feel like GWitch has done a really solid job with that, though I can't quite put my finger on why.

Anyways, the real content of the episode starts as Shaddiq begins his attempt to schmooze the girls to get in on GUND-ARM, and overall I think it's a compelling piece to the story that works. Sure, it's already happened twice in different capacities, but Miorine is Delling's daughter, and Suletta has the best and potentially only "accepted" Gundam currently. It's a gold mine that everyone wants a piece of.

What I find interesting though is he's the first with agency out of all the contenders. He goes against his adoptive father's ideals and provides a fresh angle in the contention of Gundams in this world.

And I mean, it both fits his character and works. He's been passive the entire time we've known him as character, letting everyone else do the heavy lifting. And at the same time, trying to seize Aeriel through direct means has proven to fail countless times, so Shaddiq is certainly finding himself on the right track.

I do enjoy this final scene with Shaddiq though, as once more he allows others to do the work for him. He has an interesting emotion lingering on his face though. It's a bit hard to put into words, but to me it feels almost like rumination. He's definitely deep in thought because he doesn't move the cup anywhere, and casting his eyes downward make it feel like a more negative thought process. He talked about a prior business affair with Miorine when they were younger, so it could be that he's lamenting over what could have been since she denied his involvement. Regardless, it's a nice touch, and presents an interesting tidbit, all the girls have strongly isolated personalities. The smug "you get what you deserve", the empathetic "I feel bad for her", the enthuastic "don't worry we'll cheer her up!", and the cold and calculated business personality.

The other bit from this episode was the politics of the Earth house. I really, really enjoy the different perspectives and worldviews that this small little group possess. They've all been exposed to varying influences and challenges, so they all come out with different opinions and ideas. Yeah, they definitely have overlap, but at the same time, an Earthian that doesn't want to stand out and is somewhat placative to Spacians is in direct opposition to another Earthian on the same issue. It's not a black and white image made by these characters, nor is it really even that gray. There's lots of approaches and understandings that sell the politics and ideals of the world incredibly well. Given how some series handle the concepts of racism/xenophobia/etc, The Witch From Mercury really is proving to provide a great measuring stick for other storytellers.

I just really love it as an emotional piece to the story. It shows how prejudice and war has fractured communities and peoples, without getting into traumatizing or terrible actions to prove it. It's a rare case of words speaking just as loud as actions, and I think it works great for kids that are trying to lead a normal life at school. They're not trying to delve deep into painful memories, but rather make the most of the present and provide change.

All that said, I'm really curious to see where this next episode takes us. There's potential for Prospera and Bel to play more active roles since they're under Suletta and Miorine now, but that all depends on the outcome from the changes Shaddiq made now.

[strqyr]

Me just chewing on the Summer working with Salem theory. Just... As someone else pointed out Summer is the only stepmother we've seen in the entire show about fairytales. And very specifically Yang has both abandonment issues and the family absolutely imploded when Summer died or "died". Bonus that's messed up points: Raven at least occasionally visits as a raven. I'm all for this theory because oh it makes sense and it finally puts the spotlight on the family implosion.

More on the whole Summer Rose possibly joining Salem makes the whole STRQ situation stupidly complex - Yang and Ruby nearly ended up Grimm chow because went looking for Raven. Qrow saved them - but given Raven's semblance she possibly could have also. Or what I'm saying is that I'm considering the option that Raven's reintroduction to the narrative is her bailing out RWBY after they come across Summer working for Salem. Because Raven is extremely set up for high powered evac from nowhere.

my mind always goes back to red like roses part ii bc with every new revelation that make the picture just a little bit more clearer, the more relevant it becomes. i made a sacrifice but forced a bigger sacrifice on you is often read as "summer took a risk going against salem and died trying to end this war once and for all, and thus the weight of being the simple, more honest soul fell on ruby" but reading it in the light of summer working with salem, and it becomes "summer made a sacrifice by essentially faking her own death and never making any contact with her family, perhaps hoping that one day she could return to them when it's all over, but in doing so forced ruby, the little girl with silver eyes, her own daughter, into the spotlight" which i find 100x more interesting characterwise.

and god is the reveal going to have an impact on the whole family; the comparisons between summer and raven are apt bc so far, they could have not been spoken more differently about, but the more the curtains get peeled back, the more similar they become (not the same, never the same, but i do think summer and raven are more similar to each other than even they themselves may think). and it's so interesting bc we know how the family was affected after summer's alleged death (at least from yang's perspective) but nothing after raven left other than they all eventually moved on and what tai said about it doing a number on their family (which rings odd when the focus has been more on how they were handling things post-summer's 'death' rather than raven's departure).

the bridging of the gap between heroes and monsters is already well on its way; a world is a lot more complex than a simple black-and-white morality might suggest, being a hero and doing good doesn't equal never failing, people you trust or don't trust can both be right about one thing and wrong about another, everything that ruby is going through mirrors plenty of villains, it's just a matter of perspective, etc; finding out that summer, the best of the heroes the world has to offer, is working with salem is definitely going to speed things up even further.

i'm not willing to try and predict when raven is going to come back properly (i.e. excluding potential summer flashbacks) bc, well. she's kind of unpredictable. like, her first appearance was 'foreshadowed' by yang talking about her family to blake, but that was as much about summer as it was about raven, and what it left us with was "yang is searching for her mom", not "her mom is going to drop in out of nowhere to save yang."

like the setup is there, the warrior in the woods made it clear—"next time you enter the woods, you're on your own." -> "i knew you'd still come to my rescue." is not being subtle—but it could also do with summer potentially going to ask for raven's help during her final mission that took a turn, and. ya know. "promises are like birds; they taste great, but always escape." or something like that. idk.

i jinxed myself not so long ago by saying that i don't think any of my long running, serious theories are going to get proven or debunked this volume and now i've been told to buckle up and the strq brainworms are having a unannounced party that has kept going way past into the quiet hours.

like. ten years of waiting and i might actually get all of team strq in the same episode this saturday? trying to keep my expectations in check but also i might just cry.

[emblazons]

I'm the last anon. I forgot to point something.

Do you think Henry stating that Brenner wasn't a monster but just an ordinary man seeking for special things in other people can make El realize Mike isn't her savior but just an ordinary boy who admire others for what make them different?

Not trying to say Mike and Brenner are the same, but they do have been paralleling/contrasting each other. Mike is a good person and has good intentions, but his insistence in seeing El as superior is not good for her nor to their relationship.

!!! okay I finally got a chance to answer this—and yes, I absolutely think those two ideas are meant to be connected for her (though I'm not sure she's parsed them out yet). Its one of the first thoughts I had watching part ii as a little-deeper than GA way back in July of 2022, so...its not even my ongoing analysis brain that brought it up (though its definitely expanded since then lol). Let me see if I can explain.

forewarning: this is really long and probably the most brutal anti-mlvn post I've ever written. It is not intended to be cruel to Mike in the slightest, but. In order to talk through the narrative, I must address what is going on in El's mind, and tbh...it's not all that pleasant in anyone's direction but Max's & maybe Hopper's at this point.

The entirety of S4, El is repeatedly presented with people attempting to challenge her oversimplified and depressed sense of self and others, given that, in the time since she's lost Hopper, her first home, her friends and her powers, she's been desperately trying (and failing) to sort through her place in the world.

Please note that the depression part is absolutely critical...because it's how Vecna can so easily influence her thinking, both via what she sees in NINA memories and during his monologue to her in Piggyback scenes.

We see her do it with Mike:

We see her do it with Brenner:

And we see her do with with Henry/Vecna:

—and as she goes along learning from each, we watch her come in contact with more nuanced (potential) self-concepts each time.

With Mike, she gets a fellow 14 year old with no framework for powers trying to navigate El's complex existential crisis he's spent several months unaware of and has no equivalent context for—which is why he pulls on her being a "superhero" so much. Its how he understands her, and what has been most obvious to him over the years; she's saved him, saved Will, and saved Hawkins in just the few years he's known her, and that (in his very nerd-oriented mind) is something worth celebrating and being excited about, even in people who don't have superpowers.

For him, El is not a "tool" necessarily...but the oversimple "superhero" side of her certainly overshadows the rest for him. Its why they struggle so hard in a "normal" romantic relationship—interpersonal closeness and emotional intimacy isn't what their bond is built on, though they do care for and want to protect one another.

With Brenner, she gets a more mature (and yet still power-focused) person who is familiar with her powers and past enough to give more nuanced insight, but who is also 1) abusive, manipulative and selfish and 2) has never looked at El, Henry or the other numbers as human beings, but rather tools to accomplish goals. Even so, Brenner is an adult, and therefore understands that El cannot move forward understanding herself so simply because his own actions require complex jumps and justification to make sense to himself—

—and also because, as anyone who has see themselves change over time knows, we do not keep the same oversimple self-concept of ourselves as we age, make mistakes, and grow. Brenner sees the girl with powers, and knows what she's capable of...just like he (and Owens, honestly) knows that she is not truly evil or monstrous despite having great destructive capability. The "monster" in him though is very human-oriented...which is why El so often finds herself associating Mike's insecurities within Brenner's manipulation.

Disclaimer: that last sounded bad for Mike, but: he is literally 14, and not trying to manipulate or abuse El in any way, shape, or form. Mike Wheeler is really just insecure kid who makes mistakes thrust into an extremely unusual situation, trying to do his best with the knowledge he has. Even so...immature and under-informed people often do things that mirror mature people with legitimately cruel intentions—one is just an adult aware & intentional about the tactic, where the other is a boy who isn't.

With Henry/Vecna though, El finds an true equal, but as a foil—the actual "monster" to her "superhero," though we spend the entire season realizing that even Henry cannot be parsed down to something so remedial or one-note as "monster" either.

Henry is someone who is almost exactly like El, down her powers and being abused/manipulated by Brenner—though she's made different choices, which is the radical difference between the two of them (and one I think will be core for her to learn as we move into S5).

While Henry and El are in fact quite identical in many ways, its the choice El made to say "no" to Henry when he asked her to join her + her resistance of his desire to overpower others (which he himself notes)—on top of her desire to protect others' lives and autonomy in a way he does not that makes her good!different, rather than the bad!different Henry is.

Even so...the similarities of experience and struggle they've had at Brenner's hands make what he says resonate with Eleven—because, as we all know, some of the best villains are the ones whose concept has clear mirroring within the protagonist, only a shade off (think Killmonger and Black Panther).

Its pretty clear then, why this long lead up through Mike, Brenner and Henry presenting her with increasingly complex concepts of self & humanity would make her reflect on Mike (+ their relationship).

From the beginning, Mike' finding El and taking her in first fits him (for better or worse) squarely into the "males whose presence in my life has been formative" corner—which is why we get Mike/Hopper, Hopper/Brenner and Mike/Brenner comparisons/parallels throughout course of the show this paragraph deserves a whole post on its own, but I'm trying to stay on track here lmfao.

Its also why this line in particular (and, finally, to your point) serves as a brutal reminder that El and Mike are incompatible—not because Mike himself is doing anything to harm El, but because Mike, like Brenner for her and Henry, 1) focuses on her powers and 2) has no framework for understanding her feeling different the way she wants (and needs) to be understood.

Given that El has already confronted Papa (and left him to die for what he's done to her) and she believes Hopper is already dead—

the only person left (truly guilty or not) in the line of people who 1) were integral to forming El's understanding the world; 2) tried to tell her how she should use her powers; 3) put up resistance to her autonomy; 4) lied to her and 5) could not understand her in her difference...is Mike Wheeler—

—who she already disappointed with, who is entirely unaware any of this shit is happening within her, and who is also being encouraged by an only slightly less unaware (and in love) Will Byers to "be the heart" and lead the party like he would a campaign.

...these are also the circumstances we get this supposedly "romantic monologue" in...and where we see him reference (and remind El) not only the moment he took her in (aka ended up in one of the inadvertent authority positions she's currently rebelling against), but also the fact that he thinks she's a "superhero," (which she doesn't believe about herself after Henry's monologue).

It's no wonder then, why she seemed uncomfortable af with all he said during the entire monologue...or why she ignored him the rest of the season (except, we learn, to say to Mike that Brenner—someone she can't stand, and who she's now spent a solid chunk of this season internally associating him with—was right).

Basically: the fact that a deeply conflicted and depressed El found kinship with a manipulative Henry (while simultaneously feeling rage at Brenner...and Mike by PTSD association) means that the displeasure she feels at Brenner and everything is gonna come out at another figure who has mirrored the things she is rebelling against—her very unaware boyfriend, Mike.

Hopper isn't there to balance as a "positive" adult male perception for her either...which leaves Mike in the wildly unfair position of being the "last man standing" for the parallel sadness & rage El feels about being different, much like Henry.

That is why Vecna saying that Brenner was an "ordinary, mediocre man" now has an immediate association with Mike in El's mind...one that is just another nail in the coffin of their romance, and that she will have to pull out of her perception if they're going to heal even on a friend level from the disaster this season has created in S5.

—I will say that the presence of Max as contrast through all of these moments is critical, as Max is the one person who has asked her who she is and what she wants, as well as who parallels El signs of internal conundrum about how she sees herself (that El overhears when she enters the void). Max is also the one who reminds El of the autonomy and positive human identity that El so wants for herself.

Hopper coming back and reclaiming the spot as a positive (actual) father figure that El has been projecting onto Mike in his absence is critical as well, considering his presence (and knowledge of Mike) will likely temper the brutality El is directs at Mike in her weakest moments of the season too). But...that is a whole other post, and I've already written (another) novel.

[thecameronchronicles]

3

TW: Threesome. Smut. Language.  

SUMMARY: Drew and Rudy set their sights on you, convincing you to consider their unique and unorthodox proposition. 

WORD COUNT: 2700

*Requested*

It had been three hours since the tears first began to cascade down your cheeks from yet another relationship having failed from a lack of communication having made you feel unlovable and emotional. The thing was, you loved everything about being in a relationship. The romance, the connection, the intimacy… But oh, the intimacy was always the same. The first bond of skin-to-skin is always a rush as you learned of one another’s kinks and limitations, the latter of which was a miniscule margin for you, but the heat of this excitement fading as quickly as it had begun. It seemed that the positions were always the same and the ambitions of your lover always became lackluster. And yet, you believed something was wrong with you as the remainder of the relationship was perfect. Good guys with kind hearts and even softer touches. But this was the problem. You needed excitement. You needed something different. You just simply needed more…

And they’d heard you complain for the umpteenth time for another failed relationship. But it wasn’t this that sparked this upcoming idea in their mind. This would come from the conversation they’d overhear between you and Madison as you sat at the bar. 

“I feel like there’s something wrong with me….They are good guys…but just…”

“Boring?” She filled in the blank for you as you shrugged, stirring your cocktail you couldn’t even think of touching as you were too emotional to enjoy any potential buzz it could grant you. 

“What if I’m just not able to BE satisfied. I mean they try and I just lose focus or if I do finish, I want more like right after…it’s just…so frustrating. What if I’m missing out on the guy that’s best for me by being this…greedy-”

“You don’t EVER apologize for the things you want…You just haven’t found what works for you yet…Just take your time and have fun until you learn what that is…” This is what drove Drew to nude Rudy, a short conversation exchanged between them until they finally turned to face you. 

“You doing alright?” Drew asked, leaning on the bar as Rudy rounded to your other side, compassion and care written across both of their faces, along with that slight mischief in their gazes that you had ignored unintentionally due to the feeling in the pit of your stomach. 

“Yeah, I think I just need to get home and take a long bath and-”

“Dance with me? Before you go?” Drew offered, extending his hand as the gentleman he always portrayed himself to be. 

Having been acquaintances for some time following your small role on the latest season of Outer Banks, you agreed, as he led you to the floor. Rather quickly, you found him to be rather bold with his motions, a more seductive style than what you would see surrounding you. And yet the mere touch of his hands in this way had been just the aid you needed from your recent heartache. 

The rhythm of his tall frame enveloping you was enough to almost temporarily lose focus of your reality, as if you were on the fringes of asking him for more-damning away the fact you were in public as this was simply forgotten. But this would then be added by the secondary hands of Rudy sandwiching between them both. 

Although you knew you were a glutton for punishment to accept them in unison, it had been the first time in which you felt that spark of arousal unique all its own-the spark that you knew would be met with consumption if you allowed it. But the sudden placement of Drew’s lips to your neck and Rudy’s to your fingers, pulling them playfully between his teeth, had made you relinquish any sense of reservation you may have had up until now. This was that excitement you needed, that change-that acceptance without guilt. And they didn’t only offer it on a silver platter, but with such shamelessness that you were breathless and willing to follow them into any depths they offered. 

“How does this feel, sweetheart?” Rudy questioned as he now kissed up your arm and onto your neck and Drew continued to dance with you. 

“W-wrong…” You confessed as they both smirked, sharing a look with one another, before nodding. 

“The best things always do.” Drew scoffed before licking his lips. 

“Do you want this? With both of us?” Your eyes flashed between them, analyzing this offer before swallowing hard. The idea of just one of them had made your head spin-but both?! Your knees buckled before any further touch was offered and you were already feeling that tight band within your stomach teased with what could be. So before you were able to reject the idea, you nodded. 

Rudy led you through the crowd as Drew paid out everyone’s tabs and met you outside. In his absence, you would be led to a car as your hesitation showed through for the first time. 

“Second thoughts?” He inquired as you bit your bottom lip. 

“There’s no judgment here, okay? If you don’t want this, we can just take you home…But if you want us…we’ll do anything you want…anything to make you feel good…” Drew now joined you. 

“But we expect that in return…to have you as we want…”

“But of course, at any point, if it’s too much, there’s always a word we can decide on now for it if it gets to be too much.” And to this, you’d feel irreversibly confident. 

“I don’t need a word…” And to this, you moved to Rudy, teasing his lips, and doing the same to Drew, before sliding into the passenger side of the car. 

For just a moment, the flush of embarrassment and disbelief rushed to your cheeks as you couldn’t believe this was happening. And of all people, the two kindest and most unexpected of all to have instigated something like this. This is what made it that much more exciting-just HOW unexpecting it was. 

“Do you want a drink or something?” Drew asked as he shut the door to his apartment, a minimalist's space decorated with books and a few cinematic posters of favored shows, but nothing that told anybody much more about him. But it didn’t matter. The only thing you could focus on had been what they promised behind that mischief in their eyes. 

“Or something…” You responded coquettishly back as both boys disposed of their jackets after following your lead, watching you drape yours over the couch and move into the bedroom. They would look at each other with excitement and anticipation before following suit. 

“We need to set some rules here before anything becomes blurred-” Drew spoke as Rudy nodded. 

“This is about trust and communication. So if there is anything you don’t like or don’t want, you need to let us know. No matter when. Okay?”

You nodded. 

“And what about you?”

“Well as much as I love Drew, I don’t want him, sweetheart…this is about us sharing you-” His words chilled you down to your nerves in the best way, like a masseuse finding that perfect knot and quelling it with their trained fingers and with this thought came the more lustful visions of their fingers gluttonous to you. Two of everything JUST for you. 

“Noted…” You began, your fingers trying for the zipper of your dress as you were stopped by Rudy. 

“The only thing you have to worry about is feeling good…”

“And we promise you will…”

“Then what are you waiting for?” You asked upon stepping out of your dress, revealing your strapless bra and matching panties that made them both take a moment to observe you. 

You certainly weren't’ the first girl in which they’d seen, but you were the first to come to them with such acceptance in your fearlessness. And just as their presence affected you with intimidation but also excitement, your shamelessness had done the same to them. 

Rudy was the first to initiate, taking his hands to your hips as Drew took a seat on the chair at the edge of the bed, pulling it from beside the wall to watch you. Your fingers began at his shirt, pulling apart the buttons before you looked over your shoulder, feeling Rudy’s hands direct you back to him. 

“When my hands are on you, you look at me, sweetheart. At least until I say, okay?” You nodded, basking in this domineering guidance, before his lips collided to yours. Sweet whiskey and the faintest taste of marijuana would become embedded in your mind as being his taste as he led you to the bed. 

“We’ll start you out slow, okay?” He looked to Drew, who was leaning forward with his elbows to his knees as he took in your body, licking his lips for what he was savoring from afar until he could act on it. Meanwhile, you were adored completely and devoutly by Rudy. Wherever his hands had already touched, his lips were quick to follow, until you found him teasing that clothed throb of your clit with his nose. 

“My God, you are already so wet…” You nodded. 

“Poor girl needs to be taken care of…” Drew added.

You nodded, reaching your hands towards Drew as you were laid on the bed. While Rudy kissed the seam of your thighs, inching closer to your sex but only ever teasing, you familiarized yourself with Drew’s kiss, a bit different as he tasted faintly of cigarettes from a habit he wouldn’t quit for reasons all his own. But between your collective vices, it was enough to differentiate the boys from each other, as you bit his lip once feeling Rudy pull apart your panties just enough to access your sex. 

“So sweet…Dripping just for us…” This is what made this interaction THAT much more erotic. It wasn’t just a single lover claiming dominance in ‘me’ or ‘I’, it was ‘us’ and ‘we’ and it was what you realized you had been missing until now. 

“Please…” You whimpered as Rudy seemed to read your mind, taking his finger inside of you before then leading it to your lips. 

“Not fair that I’m the only one tasting you…” He left your slick on your mouth for Drew, his hand now collecting your jaw in fervor as he savored your taste as Rudy was between your legs at full force. His tongue was vicious to your clit as Drew continued to captivate your mouth, never a time in which they both weren’t touching you from this moment on. Even if it would be a graze, their hands didn’t leave your frame. 

“I’m gonna come!” You whined as Drew smiled against your confession while Rudy’s hands lifted to one of your breasts and Drew’s led to the other-sharing you in every extent. 

“Come for him, baby…Reward him with you…He’s worked so hard.” Drew almost patronized as Rudy seemed unphased in anything but his devotion to your buckling against him. As your hands ran through his hair, tugging on him, you would be unleashed against his mouth, his tongue quick to clean up this mess, before he would stand back on the edge of the bed. 

“She’s ready for us…” 

“We’ll start slow…okay? But I can’t promise after that…” Drew reminded Rudy as he nodded, pulling the rest of his clothes off before you were angled in such a way where you were reachable for both men. 

“I’ll take you here…” Rudy explained. 

“And you’ll take me here…” Drew directed, now removing only his belt. 

You nodded. “But I’ll make you come next time, okay, sweetheart?” Drew added as you bobbed your head in agreement. 

“God, she’s so good…”

“Wait until you feel her…” Rudy expelled a deep exhale as you felt him move between your folds, his thick cock welcomed with a gluttonous need between your inner walls as Drew was suddenly at a rest against your lips. 

“Suck on it baby, it’s all for you…yeah?” He was forced to take an angle on the bed due to his height difference, but positioned himself in such a way that all you had to do was round your hands to the backs of his thighs for stability as he controlled the rest of the motions. 

“Oh fuck-” He breathed over you, his hands playing with each of your nipples as Rudy quickened his speed. 

“So tight, holy shit-”

“Fuck-” You muttered against Drew’s cock as Rudy continued his pistoning motions. But there came a discomfort in your angle. And so you would reach for them both until you moved onto all fours, looking back to Rudy for consent as he returned inside of you, and looking up at Drew to return him within your mouth. Both men cursed as you took them both so perfectly, Drew’s hands eventually taking charge of your hips, assisting in the thrusts as Rudy nodded and hissed beneath the feeling. 

“So good-”

“And all ours.”

Drew took hold of your hair, tightening it to stop your sucking motions for only a moment. 

“That’s our stipulation here, sweetheart. If we have you…that means WE have you. Nobody else…” You winced to the pressure continued by Rudy, his fingers now at your clit. 

“Can you say it so I know you understand?”

“Nobody else.”

“Good…Now will you let Rudy come?”

“God, yes!” You turned back to face him, the strain of a compressed orgasm worn over his face, as you dug your nails into his thighs, but found him to pull out as Drew took you closer to him. 

“He’s gonna watch us for a bit, okay? Then he’ll come wherever you want…” You nodded as Drew pulled you over him in a straddle as Rudy sat on the base of the bed, slowly stroking his angered cock, red and wearing your slick for lubrication. 

“You’re so good for us, aren’t you? Taking us both so well-”

“Drew!” He scoffed as he looked over to Rudy who was struggling to keep himself at bay. 

“We’re torturing the ‘Rudster’ over there…”

“Fuck you, man…she’s so tight-”

“I know, I’m balls deep right now…”

“Slow down…” You addressed Rudy, watching him obey before you then motioned him to join you on the bed. 

“I want you to come in my hand…And I want you to come inside me…”

“You sure?” Drew questioned as you nodded. 

“I need it…” You whimpered. 

“And how do YOU want to come?” 

“With you inside me…” You led Rudy’s fingers to your clit, “And you touching me…” 

“We’re on it…” They both smiled mischievously as Rudy pressed at your back, lips softly on your shoulder and Drew would motion you into him, that connection of your bodies having added to the weight of the release. 

Never before had you felt a culimlation such as this, the penetration and the rubbing, the close proximity of two sets of hands, two heavy breaths, two voices, two chests-everything brought you to a release you weren’t quite prepared for. 

“You close baby?” Drew asked into your cheek as you nodded. 

“Fuck, I know I am…” Rudy groaned. 

“Just a bit more, sweetheart, I’m almost there…” You nodded before he continued, “Gonna lay you down, need a better angle…” You nodded, taking Rudy just as you’d had Drew earlier, teasing his cock with your breath on its edge, but pumping him with your hand, licking his tip, as Drew took full advantage of your parted legs. 

“I’m gonna-You’re gonna make me come, sweetheart…”

“Come-both of you!”

“Only if you come for us, baby…” Rudy growled. 

“Yeah, come for us…let us know we did well for you…” Drew added. 

“I’m-”

“Yeah?” Rudy teased. 

“Fuck!” Your body convulsed, yoru pussy clenching Drew as Rudy would expel into your hand, your mouth quick to lick the remaining excess as Drew would do the same between your legs. 

And for the first time, with the heavy breathing of a moment quelled well, the pulsation of your high dying down between your thighs, and the mutual satisfaction of your lovers falling at your sides, you were truly and fully spent. 

“Better than I thought…” Rudy explained aloud as Drew nodded, both men pulling you to kiss you after the other. 

“You’re ours now, sweetheart…”

Taglist:@hopebaker @iovdrew @penny4yourthoughts @magnificantmermaid @pickingviolets @lovedetlost @trikigirl271 @my-baexht-ls @slut4starkey @slvtherinseeker @obxiskewl @obxxrxfes @bluesongbird @slut-era @ailee-celeste @rafesbae @pankhoeforlife

[nhaneh]

You ever thought about why these generative "AI" models have such a propensity towards plagiarism?

Obviously there's one half of it that's basically just down to that it's what a lot of their users are explicitly using them for - they want something that explicitly looks, or sounds, or otherwise appears at least superficially to be in the style of another thing. But there's also an underlying problem at the heart of these models that's basically about understanding - or specifically, the lack of thereof.

When you ask a person to mimic someone or something, they tend to go about doing that by trying to figure out what it is about that particular person or style that's noteworthy, how those things are achieved, and then how they themselves might approximate that given the tools and expertise available to them. You try to identify a pattern, or a series of patterns, and then figure out how to replicate those patterns within your own skillset.

The problem with generative "AI" is that it only does the first half.

See, the thing with stuff like Large Language Models and similar is that they're basically patterned on a rather simplified model of how human learning works - you have a kind of simulated neural network that processes data and builds internal models of how various elements relate or interconnect to each other not all that dissimilar from how our own brains do. The big, huge, really important difference is that the models we build incorporate this nebulous little concept called meaning.

I've made this example before but, consider my cat. My cat is, in my estimation, likely of fairly regular levels of feline intelligence - meaning she has but a single braincell that is sometimes capable of unbelievable acts of apparent intellect and at all other times is only slightly smarter than a fence post. But, the important thing for this example: my cat knows what a door is.

Consider that for a moment: my cat can not only visually recognise a common group of sometimes quite disparate objects as all being roughly The Same Thing™, but, more importantly, she knows that if an object looks like a door, it can probably be opened. There is probably something on the other side. She might be able to either open the door, or enlist a human to open the door for her.

And again, "AI" only does the first half: you can train them to recognise doors, and quite easily at that, but they don't infer any kind of meaning from it - they can match images of doors to a statistical model, but they can't do anything with that model other than looking for things that match it. There's no introspective model to consider what it means for a match to be a match, no thinking about the context in which matches are found and what it might mean to find a match in an unexpected place or situation... and I mean, thank fuck for that because none of these corporations are at all capable of even a fraction of the amount of responsibility necessary to be allowed access to the on-off switch of a potentially sapient emergent entity.

But basically, this is why they indulge in so much obvious plagiarism: without the ability to comprehend meaning, no detail is more important than the other, the presence of a black pixel in the top left corner can be just as important a detail as what a finger tends to look like - they don't generate things based on an understanding of what is asked of them, they generate based on what is statistically associated with the prompts they're given, no matter what those associations are or what they're like. It's why "text" in "AI" art looks the way it does: it's a statistical representation of what lettering looks like by something that lacks the ability to comprehend meaning - it replicates the shapes and forms, the flows and designs, but fails to recognise any of the symbols as individual objects with distinct meaning.

It's basically what learning without understanding looks like - the ability to find patterns without the ability to infer meaning from those patterns. It's finding faces in the clouds without ever knowing what a face is.

And of course, at the end of the day, the problem with generative "AI" is not actually generative "AI" at all - it's that a bunch of rich assholes with way too much money and power in society think they can, and should, just replace the rest of us with mindless automatons.

[kiefbowl]

Finally another person that hates HIMYM as much as I do. There isn't a show that I hate more tbh, like there are shows I dislike, but that damn show is something else. Just like you I hate what they did to Robin(and she's the only character I kind of liked; I liked Ted when he wasn't trying to be like Barney and when he would actually call Barney out, which sadly wasn't too often)...and I hate how more often than not the show treated Barney's treatment of women as a joke, or rather the show rarely called him out, and i especially hate the way they ended his character arc, I was like "oh now he'll see women as humans" *eye roll*-- I hate that trope so damn much. The show had potential, and the premise was interesting, it's just that the show was filled with the worst tropes and some of the worst characters on today's tv(or ever, really). I just cannot for the life of me understand its popuplarity.

Also, oh my god yes, I totally agree with you on that final season. What the hell were the writers thinking?!

>"I liked Ted when he wasn't trying to be like Barney and when he would actually call Barney out, which sadly wasn't too often"

one of the most unaware things the show does is pretend Barney is a foil to Ted when Ted and Barney are extremely similar in their views of women. The difference is that Barney is always on, and it's always a goofy heightened reality, while Ted will be written fairly straight wrt wanting to sleep with women.

>"I hate that trope so damn much."

a baby daughter fixed me is definitely one of the worst tropes and also is sooooo fucking lazy. they didn't build a story around Barney in which him having a baby girl in the 11th hour would feel cathartic, that's why it feels so cheap. If he had conflicted feelings about his life and about fatherhood at all, it would still be a lazy and misogynistic choice, but it would at least follow some story logic. it's like a big ass trifecta of shit: Robin and Ted endgame, mother dead, Barney has a fucking baby.

Writing that reminds me that they have Robin "fail" both of her love interests by not being able to have children since children are obviously the one true ultimate goal in this story. A child fixes Barney, and Robin wouldn't have ever been able to do that for him. Truly ridiculous. But anyway I haven't gotten that far yet.

>"I just cannot for the life of me understand its popuplarity"

I have thoughts on this, looking back on old subreddits I think a lot of people hand waved unpleasant parts of HIMYM because they wanted to believe the set-up they were seeing was intentional. Most of it was not as intentional as believed and it ended up being poorly done for the actual planned ending. Case in point: the internal life of Robin is clearly not something the writers cared about. But because the story is focused on who she loves and wants to be in a relationship with, fans thought 'well the internal life of Robin is being treated seriously, so I will read into the subtext'. I think this also comes off because Cobie cares about Robin's internal life. I don't think the writers ultimately know why Robin loves Barney, but I think Cobie knows. I wonder if the writers ever really cared what the actors believed was true about their characters. There needs to be some give and take on this even if writers ultimately gets to decide how the story plays out.

Additionally, I think the five leads are very charming and elevate a lot of material, they all have exceptional physical comedy chops. People liked the characters when they were good, tried to close their eyes when they were bad, and hoped the good parts were leading somewhere satisfying.

[utilitycaster]

Imogen’s powers are interesting to consider in the context of the story, but a lot of the real world analogies people try to make with them are absolutely horrible. Imogen’s powers aren’t a good metaphor for queerness/chronic illness/mental health issues, because they aren’t dangerous invasive powers that can kill people that are inherently tied to an evil source. The comparisons don’t work and have some really bad implications.

(As of 8:14 AM EDT today, April 15th: not answering new questions for this meme that come in but answering the ones already in my inbox - this is the last one btw)

Mostly agreed; see below for the nuanced answer.

For what it's worth: the argument in favor of Imogen's treatment in Gelvaan being a metaphor for queerness that I've seen failed imo because it ignored her powers, rather than incorporated them. It focused on the surface level "woman goes back to her small rural southern-coded town after spending time away having left in the company of another woman, and is ostracized on her return and receives a complicated response from her father" while refusing to engage with the pretty significant details of "woman did sorcery so hard on two people she wasn't sure if she'd killed them; father has seen both his wife and daughter develop incredible and dangerous psychic powers and leave him and still defends them which has further ostracized him within his small town." Like, the problem was not that it equated queerness with her powers; it equated queerness with "people in a small town not liking you because you're different" without exploring that Imogen is, in fact, different because she can murder people with lightning and know all their secrets and whether or not she's attracted to women is completely irrelevant to that.

With that said. My personal mental health stuff is not something that fits well into Imogen's narrative, and I'm physically able-bodied and don't have anything chronic of significance, but I have seen people who do and who have found Imogen or other characters with powers that are potentially harmful to others, like Chetney, to be meaningful. Again, my issue with the queerness metaphor is that it centered on how people see her in a very specific location where she did commit a significant act of violence, and not what Imogen herself experiences. Like, I think comparing Imogen's own experiences as someone who has to carefully avoid triggers (keeping up her mental walls), who gets occasional headaches or sleep disturbances as a result of her powers, and who sometimes struggles to reconcile what she knows to be true via her psychic powers with what people are saying (and as a result both has difficulty interacting with others and is often snappish) is a valid comparison.

To sum it up, it sort of goes back to the X-Men post I have somewhere in the archives. Imogen's own experience with her powers as a metaphor for chronic or mental illness? Totally valid. How other people perceive Imogen as a result of her powers, which are in fact harmful or invasive to them? not a good metaphor for homophobia, ableism, or social stigmas. Like, I think it's fair to say that the X-Men can feel things about their own powers that are relatable to people who are mentally or chronically ill, but it is also valid if the population is like "yeah actually I think we should have some system of registration over 'guy who can laser beam me to death with his eyes', actually, and I would prefer not to hang out with him." The metaphor needs to be quite specific to be handled sensitively.

[matchmadeinsevenhells]

different anon, but I love ComW, so definitely ready to plague you with questions:

- was Maegor’s unwilling hunt Rhaena, and did it involve her trying to kill him like in canon?

- was it a spur of the moment decision for Aemond when Luke walked in or is this something he’d been planning for a while? It definitely seemed like Luke could have easily been killed when Vhagar killed Arrax, so not sure how much thought went into it.

- Would Aemond actually realise the potential fallout or did he just not care?

- Is there any significance to the legitimacy of the ceremony (Valyrian-tradition wise - obviously there’s a lot else that might be queried about it from a Westeros point of view) to the fact that Luke didn’t say the words? Or is Aemond right when he says that his win is all that matters?

- Who hunted who out of Corlys and Rhaenys?

- You’ve already answered about Luke’s mother, stepdad and brother, but how would his Velaryon relatives react?

- Exactly how much stress is Alicent under rn?

(Again talking about my my dead dove Lucemond marriage hunt fic, cut off my wings (and lock me up) )

Adhsjdhshsjsjsj I’m so excited to get even more love for my fic!! ComW is really close to my heart (will you believe it’s my first mostly-explicit dead dove/nc,,,) so 🥺🥹😭 thank you!!

You’re dead right about Maegor and Rhaena 😬 she eventually had Dreamfyre surrender when the “escape by being faster” plan failed, because her dragon wasn’t a match against Balerion. Then she immediately tried to shank Maegor. (I think he also did hunts with his other Black Brides, but if only one party has a dragon it’s mostly. Uh. A very terrifying experience for the person on foot and like, a chill fun afternoon activity for the dragonrider…)

Aemond has definitely been obsessed with SOME sort of revenge on Luke for a looooong time (which lol is canon). At first those thoughts included mostly maiming and murder, but then he stumbled across an old Valyrian tome/read a lot about Maegor—and well, he got some Ideas (tm) that grew over the years. I’d say he wasn’t truly decided yet/picky, as long as he got his revenge in the end, but the Storm’s End situation—no one of their families there—was too perfect to NOT do it the marriage hunt way. (And as he said, Luke being alive but utterly miserable and humiliated is better revenge in his mind than “just” killing him.) and yes, killing another dragon without killing the rider is rather difficult, but what helped in this situation was that they were already pretty close to the ground, Luke having directed Arrax lower earlier, and also that Vhagar was so much bigger than Arrax. Though yeah Aemond was having the Time Of His Life and probably would’ve been fine with it if that had killed Luke, too.

And no, once he got into it Aemond didn’t stop to consider any potential fallout.

Technically, a hunt is supposed to conclude with the Valyrian/Targaryen ceremony that Rhaenyra and Daemon used in canon to wed each other, BUT since there were no witnesses to the actual hunt anyway and it is extremely obvious that Aemond did in fact win (and consummate), it’s still hard to question the legitimacy. The Blacks are going to do that anyway, of course, but yeah.

… I decided that Rhaenys hunted Corlys because she was the one with a dragon—but Corlys got to take a ship. He got a headstart too, and it was probably mostly hide and seek and/or they previously agreed on location that had to be reached within a certain timeframe? It was close, in the end, close enough to satisfy both their prides.

Speaking of, Rhaenys and Corlys are absolutely PISSED at Aemond, too. Having-to-keep-Rhaenys-from-getting-on-Meleys-to-challenge-Aemond-pissed. Corlys shares the sentiment but he’s trying to advocate for just wiping the floor with all the Green forces in the field.

Alicent has ALL The Stress rn. All of it. Her favourite son just did something that’s really difficult to reconcile with her own faith, also has a potentially devastating impact on the public opinion the Greens are kinda basing Aegon’s claim on, and probably made sure the Blacks are even less likely to consider terms as they would’ve been if Luke had simply been killed. They can’t even use Luke as a proper hostage because Aemond is now firmly in camp “only I may torment my pretty little wife”…. Alicent is working triple overtime to SOMEHOW try to keep a grip on public opinion. Meanwhile Aegon is throwing feasts at which everyone has to treat Luke as they would a “normal wife” to a Targaryen Prince. RIP.