#not in a way where its obvious and he has a terribly low self esteem

[shoheiakagi]

Okay, second question for the Band AU! I don't know if idols work the same way as mainstream music, where there's a lot of crossover between singers and television/movies, but how would the guys and your lovely girls deal with being scouted for the big screen? Who would want to give acting a try, who wouldn't? And what would the couples do if they found themselves cast as each other's onscreen lover (Because ofc that adds fuel to the fire for gossip).

I know that there’s a lot of kpop idols who go into acting, but not too sure about jpop idols. And im not 100% sure about this, but I remember reading that theres this stigma amongst actors about idols going into acting; that they hate when idols pursue acting cause the idols booked the role due to their popularity and not cause of any acting talent lol

i’m so sorry cause i ended up going on a different tangent with this ask and focus on dewa/miyako, so i hope you don’t mind!

Out of the girls, Miyako is the only one to pursue acting. Despite not being the most popular member, she is still well known for her beauty, which fits the quintessential Japanese beauty standards: petite frame, pale skin, long dark hair, long eyelashes, and high-bridged nose. It wasn’t that hard for her to land the lead role in a romcom, starring against a male pop idol who also recently joined the acting scene (okay idk why but akiyama came straight to my mind lol). The casting alone for this movie makes a lot of noise, as the main leads look extremely elegant and gives off major royalty vibes, which gains the attention of the general public. A lot of interviews and press tours get more people to fall in love with the chemistry between miyako and akiyama (which takes more effort from miyako’s end since akiyama can be pretty stiff). But unlike her idol career, she has more difficulty fitting in at first due to the stigma some of her costars have against her for being an idol.

Idk why, but i don’t really see any of the guys pursuing acting tbh. At most, i can see chitose landing some role in some adult comedy that doesn’t perform that well, which has him running back to the group and not want anything to do with acting ever again. The other guys probably got second hand embarrassment and don’t want to go through what chitose had to. When they first heard about miyako landing a role in a new movie, they couldn’t help but feel pity cause the poor girl might have to go through the same idol curse that chitose went through. but when they see the massive media coverage and support she’s getting, some of them can’t help but feel envious. here comes this girl group who’s catching up to their fame and popularity despite not being around for that long and definitely not working as hard as them, and now each members are getting their own individual gigs as solo acts?? while miyako may be the only one to pursue acting out of her group, she’s certainly not the only one who’s making a name for herself outside of the group. and the guys can’t help but feel jealous about that. as much as they love their group, at the end of the day, they’re different guys with different interests. it’d be nice to be known more outside of their fanbase, without having to be lumped in with 5 other guys. its funny how the girls, despite having a lot of restrictions put on to them by their company, still have the freedom to pursue things outside of the their group and make a name for themselves. whereas the guys have all the artistic freedom a musician can ask for, but seem to lack an identity of their own.

Dewa is annoyed. Its bad enough that he sees miyako’s face plastered all over japan with the rest of her dimwitted group. Now seeing her face being plastered all over the country with that guy with toothpick from s4? She likes that type of guy? The type with a stick up his ass? (talk about the pot calling the kettle black). But theres something off this time. With how strict her company is, he’s not used to seeing her having full blown conversations with other male celebrities, so imagine his surprise when he catches interviews where she keeps laughing at every little thing akiyama says, resting a manicured hand on his shoulder. or how she would bat her eyelashes at him while asking him a question, and how she would look intrigued as she hangs onto every word that comes out of his mouth. nothing about their interaction seems right to dewa, and in a way he’s relieved that is all an act to promote their new movie (at least thats what he tells himself and chitose when the latter tries to taunt him). But seeing miyako gain more success and fame as an actress, make more friends/connections within the industry, and create an identity for herself outside of her group is bothering dewa a lot more than it should be. in a way, it feels like she’s constantly rising and leaving him behind. and if acting doesn’t work out for her? no problem, she can always fall back onto her idol persona. and if performing is no longer fun? perfect, she can go back and take over her family’s business like she was supposed to. but what about him? if the group decides to split and go their own way, what will happen to dewa masaomi?

[alicent-vi-britannia]

Nina and Shirley are two sides of the same coin and I'm going to show you

To begin with, both girls have in common that they are Britannians, friends of Lelouch and, above all, they are innocent citizens who find themselves in the crossfire of a rebellion against their mother country. In a certain way, they play the role of the civilians involved in a conflict of this type and, in unison, the two give totally opposite answers to the same problem.

Both lose an important being in their lives because of Zero. Shirley loses her father and Nina loses the girl she loves (that's emotional dependency, really; just this isn't the post to delve into that). As a result, Shirley and Nina go through a mental breakdown and it leads them to make morally questionable decisions with destructive consequences for themselves and their environment. I mean, they both choose to get revenge by killing Zero.

Shirley is about to do so when the golden opportunity falls at her feet, but she hesitates as soon as she discovers the identity of her father's killer. Villetta arrives, Shirley shoots her after seeing that she intended to arrest Lelouch and her guilt upsets her. Are you seriously doubting Shirley's mental state because of the trauma? She was in an obvious catatonic state by the time Lelouch located her next to Mao and already in R2 she threatened to kill herself because she couldn't handle the stress and shock.

From Nina I have to prove her terrible mental health. She threatens to blow up Ashford Academy to avenge her late love and later joined Schneizel's research team in order to fulfill her revenge, which is to develop a weapon of mass destruction.

The difference between the two is that Shirley reconsiders and abandons her revenge because she is incapable of hurting someone she loves. In the end, love prevails over the rancor that lives in her heart, allowing her to forgive Lelouch for his crime. Nina, on the other hand, allows herself to be consumed by the hatred that has poisoned her heart and the poison has clouded her mind, preventing her from seeing the long-term effect of her actions. 

I think this is the case because Nina had problems from before that Shirley didn’t (insecurities, low self-esteem, maybe some past traumatic experience that she never got over). Hence, Shirley was able to pull herself together while Nina plunged deeper and deeper into darkness until she reached what I like to call, in my own narrative theory, "The Pinnacle of Destruction" (yes, that moment when Suzaku massacres the Tokyo Settlement with the F.L.E.I.J.A.).

That is precisely the point of divergence between the two. Nina has a revenge arc and revenge is usually treated in fiction as a process of self-destruction, which is the obvious case with Nina: she doesn't just degenerate as a scientist in the sense that she invests her great intelligence for selfish and warlike ends. , but also degenerates as a friend (behaving disgustingly with people who held her in high esteem) and, by extension, as a human. But she's not really like that. Lelouch says that she is a good person in R2 episode 24 (watch it if you don't believe me). Shirley doesn't lick her wounds like Nina. Her process is regenerative. That is, to let go of the pain and heal the internal wounds caused by the rebellion.

We could say that Nina represents hate and revenge, while Shirley symbolizes love and forgiveness.

To mention one case where this is evident: think of Suzaku's arrival at Ashford Academy. Nina has embraced the hatred that Britannia instills in its citizens towards the colonists and, therefore, she avoids Suzaku at all costs (as if he were a virus), but Shirley rejects that hatred. In fact, if it weren't for Rivalz, she would have been the first student at Ashford Academy to welcome Suzaku (she corrected herself by being the first to thank him for helping Lelouch).

In the long run, love and forgiveness are the two values that win out because even after Shirley dies, Nina is willing to forgive Lelouch (which she doesn't quite do, but at least she doesn't shut down completely) and she resents the friends she treated badly in the past and that she loves deep down. This is the only way that Nina decides to face her xenophobia and heal (as the secondary material shows us).

Anyway, I would like you to appreciate both answers equally. Don't take Shirley for a fool or naive or Nina for a lunatic or hateful. Individually these arcs are well written. Simultaneously they complement each other perfectly since it allows us to evaluate the opposite scenarios without the need for us to let our imagination run wild. It's one of those things where you're like, "Wow! What a great narrative!" But maybe I'm asking too much of you.

Have you noticed this parallel before? Did I convince you that they are two sides of the same coin?

PS: I just realized that Shirley is an ESFJ and Nina is an INTP. They are opposite MBTI Types, that is, same cognitive functions ordered in reverse (like Lelouch and Kallen, who are INTJ and ESFP, and Suzaku and Lloyd, who are ISFJ and ENTP). Coincidence?

[somebody-909]

Stalkyoo - Black and White Formal Romantic Subtext Analysis

The beginning of I Love Yoo up until the Black and White Formal shows the development of Shin-Ae and Yeong-gi's relationship from strangers to reluctant acquaintances and eventually to friends.

Their relationship's development up until the present comic, in my opinion, reaches a peak during the formal arc, where we see both the completed development of their friendship (neither are reluctant) but we also see the fast emergence of new possible romantic feelings. The arc is pivotal in defining and developing their relationship and we continue to see its effects afterwards. So, in order to better understand the two characters' relationship, let's take a look at the key moments in the arc that explore their friendship and romantic tension.

Ep. 49 | Makeup - A Friendly Face and Romantic Tension

Shin-Ae is forced to attend the black and white formal to take care of her father. She is in an incredibly difficult position, with college exams the next day, her father ill, and now having to deal with this incredibly unfamiliar situation and this horrible dress.

When she sees Yeong-gi however, it’s great to see a comforting and familiar presence. We get a chance to see their friendship in this uncomfortable setting when Yeong-gi shows concern for Shin-Ae.

That is not all, however. The makeup panel (which was removed by Quimchee later on, but is included in the mid-season recap), introduces us to the first instance of genuine romantic tension between the two in the arc (and the whole comic up until here, really).

The two are very close together and look at each other softly. Shin-Ae seems to be blushing, as well. This moment is intimate and romantically tense.

This first scene does a great job at introducing the two major dynamics in their relationship that are explored in this arc: their established friendship and new romantic tension. These dynamics lead up to what occurs on the hospital balcony.

Ep. 49-51 | Hands - Distance and Desires

When Yeong-gi gets up to get Shin-Ae food, she reaches for him and grabs onto his sleeve. This panel introduces Shin-Ae's desire to stick with Yeong-gi throughout the night. We understand how comforting she finds it to be near him.

She extends her hand — showing how she is now also "reaching" for him and his companionship.

In Ep. 50, when Yeong-gi is scolded by his father and leaves to wait outside for Alyssa, Shin-Ae notices he seems down from across the floor. And for the first time, she tries to reach him. Up until now, she has been wary of Yeong-gi and his intentions, but now we see that their relationship has truly progressed to real friends. Shin-ae genuinely cares for Yeong-gi. But before she can reach him, she is interrupted by Sang-chul.

In the next episode, we see Yeong-gi respond to her call, reflecting what Shin-Ae did in Ep. 49, and extending his hand back towards her. Both characters' reciprocal desire to connect with each other is shown through their hands.

This scene, where they reach for each other but don't connect, introduces the arc's recurrent motif/theme of DISTANCE. Shin-ae and Yeong-gi want to connect, as they care for each other and find comfort in one another, but because of the circumstances at the party they are torn apart repeatedly.

And despite (literally and figuratively) reaching for each other, neither their hands nor their good intentions (like Shin-ae’s desire to be there for Yeong-gi) actually do reach each other. This repeats a few times in the arc, causing significant tension; due to the obstacles of the events around them, they can’t reach each other despite how much they may want to. As such, readers also feel relief whenever the two characters do manage to get together.

Ep. 55 | The Dance - A Kousuke and Yeong-gi Parallel

Kousuke, while having good intentions, struggles to understand what Shin-Ae wants, and instead goes for what makes sense to him. Yeong-gi, on the other hand, consistently shows an understanding of what would truly help Shin-Ae.

It is certainly true that Kousuke’s method was pragmatic. If the problem is that Shin-Ae feels humiliated and that he is embarrassed by her, what better way to show that he isn’t than by dancing with her in front of everyone? It’s a well-meant gesture that would show that he cares more for her than what others think and regardless of what they think. However, although his intentions were sweet, the outcomes were less so.

Shin-Ae DOES NOT want to dance. A scene that may have been beautiful, is tainted by Shin-Ae's true feelings of discomfort.

The truth is, Shin-Ae doesn’t want to go back in front of them. She doesn’t want to prove something to them. She doesn’t want to dance. But she feels like she has to. She can’t say no. The dance is actually… sad to see. She doesn’t want to be there.

But as she dances and feels terrible, Yeong-gi shows up. She is immediately excited and put at ease but is also worried about him since she hasn't seen him since he left to go outside.

But then Yeong-gi acts a goof. He understands that Shin-Ae doesn’t want to be there, but she has to. Because he understands the feeling of putting on a performance, despite being miserable… he immediately recognizes Shin-Ae's going through that too. So being the lovely friend he is, Yeong-gi goofs around. What better way to make Shin-Ae feel less tense in this too formal environment by reminding her of a friendly presence and doing something hilariously inappropriate? And of course, he knows how to help alleviate some of her discomfort, because they’re friends, after all, right? Yeong-gi shows a deep level of empathy for Shin-Ae.

The scene also develops a contrast between Kousuke and Yeong-gi — and the differences in how they affect Shin-Ae — that is paralleled many times later in the series.

Yeong-gi is the one who gets Shin-Ae to smile. He's the one who turns this scene from something uncomfortable to wholesome. And yet, he's not the one dancing with her. He stays to the side, in the shadows of the crowd, with distance between him and Shin-Ae, and with his head down. It fits his overarching character arc — staying hidden and away, and unable to chase for what he wants because of a quiet sense of shame and low self-worth.

The significance of him not interrupting and staying off to the side is purposefully emphasized in Ep. 57, when Kousuke says:

"I'm surprised you didn't interrupt my dance with Ms. Yoo."

Yeong-gi doesn't respond and simply looks away and slightly frowns. This emphasizes that there is a reason Yeong-gi stays away, and it's likely because his low self-esteem issues cause him to think, "Who am I to interfere?"

Overall, this dance panel achieves a similar effect to the earlier scene when their hands reach for each other, adding to the tension caused by distance — it feels like Shin-Ae and Yeong-gi should be together, but because of the circumstances, they can’t. They are reaching for each other, emotionally, but just can’t close the gap.

Ep. 55 | “We’re (just) friends... right?” - More Romantic Build-up

Although Yeong-gi knew exactly how to cheer up Shin-Ae, what he didn’t expect was her laugh… or rather the way he feels when she does.

Look at Yeong-gi’s expression — his eyes are widened. He has a look of awe and he seems shocked. He felt something unexpected. Maybe his heart skipped a beat... Could it be possible…?

He also has a resigned smile after, choosing to look at their dance from afar.

After the dance, Yeong-gi asks Shin-Ae to confirm their friendship.

But the panel and his tense smile seems… eerie. Faked. Like Yeong-gi might not be asking this question for obvious reasons. Even Shin-Ae notes that he seems uneasy, with a confused look and a nervous sweat drop.

We’ve already seen their completely established friendship. But as soon the two explicitly acknowledge this out-loud, we seem to have something new to deal with. Why does Yeong-gi suddenly want confirmation of their friendship, and in a manner that seems quite… sad? Why does his smile seem faked? We can look just a few panels prior to have a better understanding of what’s occurring internally for Yeong-gi.

Yeong-gi's shocked expression and widened eyes are similar to other moments of romantic tension, namely the hospital balcony scene and the earphones scene (albeit in a more muted manner). This is the second moment in this arc after the makeup scene that adds to the romantic tension leading up to the hospital balcony scene.

I believe Yeong-gi seems sad when he asks, “We’re friends right?” because when Shin-Ae laughs, he subconsciously feels the pangs of possible budding romantic feelings (it isn’t quite there yet, it is slight, but he is feeling something new) and he immediately subconsciously tries to deny those feelings by having Shin-Ae assert their friendship.

He feels dissonance between two facts:

“Shin-Ae is my friend”

“I felt something when she laughed”

This dissonance is uncomfortable, so he seeks to deny what is implied by the second part (that he may feel more for her). Additionally, we understand Yeong-gi struggles with self-worth. With the added pressure of those around him, as well as Shin-ae who has consistently accused him of being too pushy and a player, it is no struggle to understand why he immediately tries to avoid this feeling at even the first slightest hint of it.

But by looking for an affirmation of friendship to refute what he felt when she laughed, he unwittingly makes a link between what he felt to something beyond friendship.

Ep. 57-8 | The Bar - Brief Respite and a Kousuke/Yeong-gi Parallel

Due to the aforementioned tension, moments like the bar where Yeong-gi and Shin-ae are able to interact and joke around (about boobs in this case) feel incredibly refreshing — everything else is uncomfortable, but being with each other is comforting.

Once the others join them, we also get another slight Kousuke and Yeong-gi parallel. When Alyssa mentions Yeong-gi could dance with Shin-Ae, Yeong-gi refuses, likely due to pressure from Kousuke to be faithful to Alyssa. (We don’t quite know what he would’ve said otherwise). Shin-Ae responds to him refusing the dance, thinking:

“It would’ve been awkward anyways like my dance with Kousuke.”

The phrase "it would've been [negative adjective] anyways" usually implies a sense of settling for an outcome and sometimes slight displeasure.

I will admit that is hard to firmly state she’s disappointed that he said no. But the phase most certainly implies that she would’ve gone along with it if he said yes. (If this is hard to understand, Shin-Ae doesn’t think something like, “Good. I didn’t want to dance anyways.”) Her thought is relatively indifferent, especially in contrast to Kousuke whom she explicitly didn’t want to dance with.

Ep. 61 | Yeong-gi Takes a Stand - Relationship-driven Growth

When Yeong-gi learns that Shin-Ae is in trouble, but is yelled at by his father for his behaviour and not being with Alyssa, he is absolutely terrified at first (poor boy).

Randulph: "What are you doing? Fooling around again? It hasn't even been that long since I last reprimanded you!"

*Yeong-gi flinches*

Randulph: "How many times am I going to have to scold you tonight??? How hard is that head of of yours that nothing I say gets through to you! And Alyssa isn't even with you!"

Yeong-gi: *meekly* "Well — my friend was —"

Randulph: "I'm not through talking!

*Yeong-gi flinches*

Randulph continues scolding him, then says, "Forget about your friends."

To which Yeong-gi replies, "No... Castigate me, humiliate me. Do that all you want after I've ensured her safety!"

Upon thinking about the possible danger Shin-Ae is in, we see him, for the first time, advocate for himself and stand up to his father. Yeong-gi's concern for Shin-Ae allows him to stand up to the man who terrifies him. Shin-Ae takes easy precedent over the politics of his family and it shows how far their relationship has come and how it drives Yeong-gi's growth.

Ep. 62-3 | Sang-chul — Anger on behalf of Shin-Ae & a Shin-Ae and Alyssa Comparison

When Yeong-gi sees Sang-chul with Shin-Ae's jacket, he confronts him.

Sang-chul: "Back off bro. I don't want to start any trouble here."

Yeong-gi: "Too late for it now, innit? You asked for trouble as soon as you tried to take advantage of Shin-Ae."

Yeong-gi gets personally angry on behalf of Shin-Ae. It's another example that emphasizes their friendship.

We also see a contrast developed between Shin-Ae and Alyssa by Sang-chul:

"What is this Shin-Ae person to you anyway? You didn't react this way when I mentioned kissing your girlfriend... Where is she anyway? I still need my selfie and my kiss since you're fine with it."

Sang-chul assumes Yeong-gi must be romantically and sexually involved with Shin-Ae partly because he's a disgusting, sexist dirtbag, but also because, frankly, Yeong-gi seems to just generally like Shin-Ae more than his actual girlfriend.

I also want to draw attention to the fact that Sang-chul has mentioned kissing Alyssa three times: once before when they first met, and twice now. All three times, Yeong-gi didn't react.

In Ep. 63, Yeong-gi begins to move away from Sang-chul to get to Shin-Ae.

Sang-chul: "Heh. That's right. Wuss. Go run to your b*tch."

*Yeong-gi stops*

Sang-chul: "I'll go keep Alyssa company while you're at it! I still haven't gotten my kiss! Should be easy. She must be dumb as hell if she's dating you."

*Yeong-gi turns around, glares at him, kisses him, then punches him* "There's your damn kiss, you gobshite!"

Yeong-gi: "Don't you dare call Shin-Ae a b*tch ever again. And stay away from Alyssa."

Why is it, that now, he suddenly becomes agitated after already ignoring three taunts by Sang-chul to kiss Alyssa? Especially when he was in the middle of getting to Shin-Ae? I'm going to argue that Yeong-gi actually decides to punch him as soon as he first stops after Sang-chul insults Shin-Ae. Additionally, after the punch, Yeong-gi's first demand is to never insult Shin-Ae again, placing emphasis on this. It is also said more forcefully then the second: "Don't you dare... ever again" vs "And stay away". Alyssa is added almost like an afterthought.

There is a purposeful comparison here between the way Yeong-gi treats the disrespect towards the two women. Yeong-gi immediately gets angry enough to get violent when Sang-chul insults Shin-Ae, but barely responds at first when he calls Alyssa dumb and threatens to kiss her. He cares more for Shin-Ae than he does for his romantic partner, Alyssa.

Naturally, since the comparison is between his girlfriend and Shin-Ae, it also paints his feelings for Shin-Ae in a romantic light.

Ep. 63 | Yeong-gi Saves Shin-Ae

When Shin-Ae falls in the pool, it is Yeong-gi who saves her. Kousuke does not. This is another narrative parallel meant to contrast the two's relation to Shin-Ae. They both fall into the pool (parallel) but Yeong-gi, not Kousuke, saves Shin-Ae (contrast).

The episode also focuses almost solely on Yeong-gi's response to Shin-Ae's injury. He is absolutely terrified and feels terrible guilt, thinking he did this to her. But he is the one who saved her. He is the one shown to panic, yell for her, and scream for help. (We can also get into the authorial choice to focus on Yeong-gi's reaction and not Kousuke's... At the very least, it emphasizes that this moment is especially significant for Shin-Ae and Yeong-gi.)

Conclusions

The black and white formal arc serves as a climax for development between Shin-Ae and Yeong-gi — we see how in the face of adversity, the two value each other deeply as friends, and are given romantically tense moments.

There are also multiple narrative parallels, where Kousuke and Yeong-gi are put in similar situations, but the way they impact Shin-Ae are contrasted. Despite having multiple moments with Kousuke, Yeong-gi is who impacts her positively and who she wants to spend time with. This is continued in the hospital finale, when despite literally “reaching” Kousuke (he is with her and holds her hands), it is only after chasing Yeong-gi and being with him that she finds cathartic emotional support and finally cries. (Although these parallels jab at YooTip, I want to focus more on how it emphasizes that Shin-Ae and Yeong-gi's bond is beyond that she has with another person she has known for the same amount of time. It shows the difference between the more basic-level bond she has with Kousuke, vs. her bond with Yeong-gi that is surprisingly strong for people who have only known each other for a few weeks.)

Overall, this arc builds a base for when Yeong-gi first feels true romantic feelings for Shin-Ae: when she holds onto him and cries on the hospital balcony (you can see that analysis here). In this scene at the end of this arc, the two who so desperately tried to connect during the gala, finally do (although their hands still do not touch).

[magnus-the-maqnificent]

Let's Analyze - Alec in CoFA

So, I’ve been seeing plenty of discourse on two of my mutual’s blogs about this topic… so I thought I’d sit down and write another analysis post about my beloved Alec Lightwood cause people are still giving him shit for a book that came out ten years ago 🤦‍♀️

This is gonna be in two parts, and I'm putting both under the cut:

PART 1 - ALEC’S INSECURITIES 

So, the first part - how Alec’s insecurities drove him to saying stupid things in CoFA

A quick disclaimer - I’m NOT blaming Alec alone for his and Magnus’s break up. What happened was pretty complicated, and the blame cannot be put on one person alone. 

That said, let’s start with Magnus and Alec’s early ‘official’ relationship, in trsom.

These scenes are taken from only the first part of the book, but I’m pretty sure they’re more than enough to get a sense of Alec’s insecurities and all the chinks in their relationship. Throughout the entirety of trsom, we see more bits and pieces of Alec’s insecurities about Magnus’s sexuality, and his past and all the people he might have known - and that’s okay! Insecurities happen, cause brains are stupid like that.

But all of Alec’s insecurities could’ve been laid to rest with a simple conversation. But the conversation never happens. Magnus tends to deflect and change the topic every single time his past is brought up. I understand Magnus’s reasons for hiding his past, of course, but it doesn’t help his relationship with Alec. Magnus hiding a good chunk of his past will inevitably lead to Alec questioning himself - why is he so secretive? Why is he not telling me anything? Does he not trust me? ...and so on.

And when Alec is already feeling insecure in this relationship, this happens - (sorry about the terrible cropping btw)

And then later, while Magnus is talking to Camille,

Now… when people are insecure about something, they get irked at the smallest of things. I’m saying this as an insecure person myself. So now, you've got Alec, who's insecure as fuck, and his vacation with the person he loves got cut short by his ex who refuses to talk to anyone but him, and when they get there, his lover and his lover's ex seem to have obvious chemistry, he gets hit with the reality that his lover has dated several, probably even hundreds of people before him; and he has to leave them alone in a room so they can talk, and then he hears the ex basically just list all his shortcomings - i.e, his mortality, his appearance is compared to some random dead guy (sorry, Will) whom your lover had a crush on, which is just weird, and when you've had enough and open the door, it's to see your lover and his ex, standing close as fuck, and he's! touching! her! face! and! looking! into! her! eyes!

*takes a sip of water* yeahhhh... Alec was straight up having a bad day.

And at this point, a) Alec is still in his first relationship. He didn't get to navigate romance when he was younger, and while there's nothing wrong with that, there weren't exactly cutesy presentations titled 'how to keep your relationships healthy' floating around the internet. Heck, he didn’t know the internet. He didn't know that he had to communicate with Magnus, and it doesn't help that boy avoids conversations about feelings like the plague. And b) at this point, Alec would be facing several negative emotions - insecurity, obviously. Hurt. Helplessness, because of his mortality. Fear, that he might not live up to Magnus’s past lovers. Jealousy at seeing Magnus and Camille so close.

Negative emotions like these often tend to show up as anger or sorrow... and in Alec’s case, that would be anger. Which leads us to THIS- (🙈)

*sighs in second-hand embarrassment*

*drinks more water*

*this is gonna be so hard aksjakak*

So. Alec dealt with his insecurities... by being a mean, mean bitch to Magnus :/

Let's break this scene down, slowly, bit by bit.

First, Alec cuts into a conversation between Magnus and Jordan, when Magnus mentions Woolsey Scott, followed the rest of that particular page. To Alec, he's just a figure from Magnus’s past, and a possible lover, though in Alec’s defense Woolsey Scott WAS Magnus’s lover. This is the first instance that we see in which Alec lashes out at Magnus. It seems like he's trying to make a point to Magnus - "I don't know anything about your past, and so I don't know who you've had romances with, but I want to know." Except he makes his point in the worst way possible and ends up slutshaming Magnus.

The "What's true?" line, in response to Jordan saying "so it's true what they say about warlocks, then?" is pretty obvious. Alec is clearly not liking the idea that this random werewolf might know about warlocks, and in particular, his Warlock boyfriend.

Next... ooh boy... Alec basically snaps and in the next few paragraphs accuses Magnus of wanting to flirt with others which... is not a good look on ya honey 😕. These lines are the ones that get him accused of being biphobic... but is he really? I'm gonna talk about that in part 2.

So, in the first paragraph, where Alec makes the comments about Jordan, I find his choice of words pretty... interesting, seeing as 'messy-haired', 'broad-shouldered' and 'chiseled-good-looks' are all used to describe Alec in the series. Not sure if its relevant, but definitely interesting.

And in the next one, where Alec says, "or there are plenty of pretty girls here, since apparently your taste goes both ways. Is there anything you aren't into?" The 'apparently' makes me curious. In rsom, Alec mentions that he's only recently heard of the term bisexual, and there's plenty of time between rsom and cofa, so Alec should be absolutely sure of atleast the basic meaning of bisexuality. But I'm pretty sure it's just inconsistency on cc's part, since if rsom didn't exist, this book would be the first time Alec learns about Magnus’s bisexuality. (Which is obvious when you look at the scene after Magnus reveals that Camille is his girlfriend.) And as for the second sentence, I feel like it's a fallback to earlier in the book when Magnus says (I'm just gonna write the dialogue from memory), "I've dated men, women, warlocks, faeries, vampires, werewolves and even a djinn or two." Here, Alec is angry, and he takes the knowledge that Magnus has dated a variety of people and once again, lashes out.

Looking at all of it together, Alec’s insecurities are definitely a factor in all of this. We know Alec has pretty low self esteem in tmi, and he keeps having irrational thoughts about someone else grabbing Magnus’s attention, like in the trsom scene I've posted above. And he ends up taking out his insecurities on Magnus.

Was it wrong of Alec to say all those things to Magnus? Yes, absolutely. But looking back through all his scenes in cofa, it's easy to see how he could've fallen into the pit trap of emotions.

And before anyone says "but it wasn't addressed in the later books", it was, in CoLS. I’ve hit the image limit, so I'm just gonna type it out -

"[Magnus] said it would be better if he didn’t come. Apparently him and the Seelie Queen have some kind of history."

Isabelle raised her eyebrows.

"Not that kind of history," Alec said irritably. "Some kind of feud. Though," he added, half under his breath, "the way he got around before me, I wouldn't be surprised."

"Alec!" Isabelle dropped back to talk to her brother....

So, there. Alec makes yet another slutshaming comment, Isabelle overhears and is clearly not happy about it, and it's clearly implied that she talks to Alec about it. And Alec doesn't make any more slutshaming comments since then. Boy now knows what he did was wrong, and makes sure not to repeat it again.

Although, I do wish we had more than this. I wish we had more of Magnus and Alec talking about this argument, heck, even about all their arguments and the reasons they broke up, but you can't get everything you want, apparently :(

And now onto the next part...

PART 2 - IS ALEC BIPHOBIC?

The short answer, uh, no, not really.

The long answer.... would be complicated.

So, back in the day, when this discourse was at an all time high, I remember reading a bisexual person's essay about this topic, and they said that this comment from Alec - "or there are plenty of pretty girls here, since apparently your taste goes both ways. Is there anything you aren't into?" - would be a biphobic microagression.

According to Google, a microagression is "a statement, action, or incident regarded as an instance of indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group such as a racial or ethnic minority".

And in Alec's case, IF his words were biphobic, they were completely unintentional. They were microagressive. Which is... still bad, of course, but it's more complicated than that.

If you look back on Alec's supposedly biphobic statements, they're more about Magnus’s hypersexuality and promiscuity than anything else. Yes, even the line i mentioned like two paragraphs ago. At first glance it may seem like a direct attack on Magnus’s sexuality, but think over the explanation I gave for the line and it will make sense. And a lot of people know that the whole 'bi people fuck around a lot and are cheaters' thing is a stereotype.

Now, it may seem like I'm going off topic here, but bear with me. I couple of days ago, I watched this video by chance. (Tw for the aids crisis and lots of biphobia, not from the narrator, if you wanna watch the video). Basically, back in the 1980s, bisexual men were scapegoated for spreading aids to the straight community and were vilified by popular media as being promiscuous scepters who would cheat on their wives with gay men and then give aids to their wives. (Yikes 😬). And since bisexuality was practically unheard of before all this (several bisexual activists have stated that all this shit, though unfortunate, pulled bisexuality out of the closet), it's safe to assume that this is how those stereotypes came to be - through 1980s propaganda.

But living with this propaganda is... a very limiting experience. The people who leaned and unlearned and fought against this propaganda are mostly US Americans who grew up with it, either the actual propaganda itself or passed down by their parents. But like I said, it's a very limiting experience. US is but one country out of many, and even for those living in the USA there's a chance that they grew up in a very hush-hush environment. People who grew up hearing all these stereotypes will see it as biphobia, while people who didn't - like Alec, and me, and several other people will not. A lot of people grow up with absolutely no knowledge of the queer community, and chances are that they'll be incredibly confused when a stereotype is pointed out to them, and they often get no more explanation than 'this is a harmful stereotype'. Queer experiences aren't the same for everyone, and while I respect the people who see this as biphobia, they should recognize that there are many people who won't see it that way.

I have seen bisexual people say that Alec's words were biphobic, and I've also seen bisexual people say that they weren't. Thus, there is no clear consensus about whether or not Alec was being biphobic. And like I said earlier, Alec grew up far, far away from mundane anti-queer bigotry. He was essentially a clean slate when it came to knowledge of eer microagressions of any kind, because microagressions and stereotypes are often incredibly specific, don't have anything to do with a person's race/sexuality/gender, etc. and will make zero sense unless you know the history behind them. To Magnus, who lived through the anti-bisexual scapegoating, the words would've definitely stung, but Alec didn't even know the implications he would be making with this words! Of course, the impact is greater than intention, and I imagine Magnus would sit Alec down one day and talk about all this history with him.

And idk if I can even blame cc cause the history of bisexual men is RARELY ever talked about, atleast on the internet.

Also, this scene in cofa is the only instance where he can be interpreted to be biphobic. Nowhere else in all of tmi, and even tec, do we see Alec express hatred or disgust or microagression towards bisexual people. If this was seen in a repeating pattern from Alec, one could argue that he's biphobic... but he isn't. Some might point to some of his internal thoughts in trsom to argue otherwise, but I believe that actions are superior than thoughts.

There's also the thing about unlearning prejudices, but in Alec's case there was hardly anything to be unlearned. The only prejudices he did pick up on were against himself, through vague homophobic comments from Robert.

P.S if you've read this far, I am legally entitled to compensation for thinking of cofa Alec for 48 hours. Put your favorite Alec moments in my askbox cause I wanna focus on his good side now. 😎

But yeah, the main thing here is that Alec has grown from his mistakes, apologized, and hasn't repeated this behavior at all.

And lastly, I just wanted to add - I don't think all this was unintentional on the author's part. She's grown up with the us American queer community, and has mentioned that she has bisexual friends, who have no doubt faced prejudices because of these stereotypes. I think she was trying to condemn making such statements, but a lot of people don't read between the lines and end up misinterpreting it and make both the character and her to be biphobic.

So... TLDR; was what Alec said biphobic? Maybe. It depends on who you're talking to. Is Alec, as a person, biphobic? Nope. Not at all. 😌

[seita]

— bnha abc's: hitoshi shinsou [angst edition].

well, finally the angst! i have no idea what character i’ll do next but we shall see...

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ɴsғᴡ ᴇᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ | ғʟᴜғғ ᴇᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ

⤑ 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧! | 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬  

A- Accident, Would they blame themselves if you died in an accident?

∴ unless he was the reason you were involved then no. ∴ he wouldn’t search for correlation to himself in the event of an accident. ∴ he’s not looking to throw a pity party for himself. ∴ you were the one who was dead, after all.

B- Break up, How would they deal with one?

∴ it depends on the relationship. ∴ if it was long term, a few years together then he’s pretty broken up about it ∴ and will probably take a while to get himself back on the market ∴ but a relationship that’s only been a handful of months ∴ he figures it’s best to just move on from it.

C-Crying, Are they much of a crier?

∴ no not at all, really. ∴ sure, he feels sad but tears never fall from his eyes. ∴ however, if there is something traumatic that happens. ∴ he may shed a few tears into his pillow as he goes to sleep.

D-Death, How do they deal with any death?

∴ pretty well, actually ∴ he finds a way to cope so he can move on as quickly as possible ∴ that’s not to say he doesn’t mourn or just erase their memory ∴ he just moves to work past being broken up about it ∴ he doesn’t want to go through his days with the heavy weight of a death on his mind ∴ the type of guy to visit graves and leave flowers for his loved ones once a month.

E-Emotion, What’s the emotion they tend to push away the most?

∴ anger. ∴ he doesn’t like to be angry and he doesn’t like to show anyone his anger ∴ that’s not always possible so he’ll remove himself from situations that make him angry �� he’ll go somewhere private where he can let his anger out without prying eyes. ∴ he feels like shit after losing his temper so he’ll apologize or you’ll have to console him and let him know it’s okay to be angry ∴ he’s human and bottling it up isn’t healthy ∴ he agrees but...tbh nothing changes.

F-Frustrated, How much would it take to push them off the edge?

∴ it truly depends. ∴ day-to-day, he doesn’t really get ticked off or upset easily ∴ he’s pretty patient tbh ∴ but in an event where he worked hard for something ∴ or he really, really had a drive to do something (like get into the hero course) ∴ and he fails to do it ∴ he is pretty easily set off. ∴ but he pushes past and works 10x harder than before until he accomplishes his goal. ∴ he’s a driven man.

G-Great Pain, What is the most painful thing they have witnessed?

∴ when he became a pro, the first time he failed to defeat a villain ∴ and many civilians perished as a result ∴ it’s something that absolutely haunts him. ∴ he had nightmares for weeks afterwards ∴ he fully went to a therapist ∴ like he was fucked up over it ∴ to this day, if he’s reminded of it he will literally get so anxious and depressed, even though he’s seen lots of casualties since then ∴ it was just that first failure that fucks him up.

H-Humiliation, How could they be humiliated?

∴ being cheated on. ∴ the idea that he wasn’t good enough, to the point his lover had to find someone else. ∴ that really damages his sense of self worth and self esteem which is already a bit low to begin with. ∴ he’d feel like there was something wrong with him and now everyone knew he was defective.

I-Injured, How do they handle themselves when injured?

∴ very calm and collected. ∴ he figures there’s no real reason to lose his head over it. ∴ panicking will only make the situation worse. ∴ if it’s a bad injury, he’ll seek help as fast as he can. ∴ if its a superficial wound he’ll probably handle it himself.

J-Jittery, Which part of their past makes them flinch or even worked up?

∴ his childhood. ∴ he was the target for teasing and bullying due to his quirk. ∴ so if anything reminds him of those times, he gets really down ∴ he doesn’t like spiral into depression or anything ∴ but he’ll feel anxious and self conscious until the moment passes

K-Kill, Would they kill for revenge?

∴ no, never. ∴ he’s worked so hard to become a pro hero that he wouldn’t want to jeopardize it by some sort of misconduct as that. ∴ also, he has been accused of having potential to become a villain ∴ and he doesn’t want to give anyone ammunition for that.

L- Loss, What was their greatest loss?

∴ he hasn’t actually experienced much loss in terms of losing anyone to death. ∴ when he was a child, he had a friend before his quirk manifested ∴ and accidentally used it on them, unsure of how to control it ∴ and it scared the other boy so bad he stopped being friends with him ∴ that hurt shinsou pretty badly. ∴ he also probably lost a pet dog, which was traumatic because of how  much he depended on the furry animal for comfort

M- Mistakes, How much do they want to fix the mistakes of their past?

∴ shinsou isn’t the type of person who will do things that have the potential for regret ∴ he thinks his decisions over thoroughly and runs through all options before choosing the most logical one ∴ of course, he fucks up sometimes but ∴ he stands by his decisions, confident that he did the best possible thing he could have. ∴ being a pro hero doesn’t allow for him to regret things -- if he stops to mourn every civilian loss, for example, he would only be run into the ground. ∴ that doesn’t help anyone.

N-Need, How would they react if you needed emergency surgery?

∴ calm and collected ∴ especially if you’re scared ∴ then he’s going to make sure he’s a pillar for you to lean on ∴ that’s not to say on the inside he isn’t losing his mind ∴ bc he def is ∴ he just finds it counterproductive to stress you out while you’re already scared of the surgery ∴ it would get neither of you anywhere good ∴ once you’re in surgery, he’d be anxious as he waited. ∴ he’s check the time and refuse to leave the hospital until the doctor announces you’re safe.

O-Outrage, What makes them angry?

∴ betrayal. ∴ shinsou, when he trusts, he trusts hard. ∴ he puts his faith into them and expects them to stand by his side ∴ so if, for example, you used an insecurity of his against him in an argument. ∴ or cheated on him. ∴ or spilled a secret he told you in confidence ∴ he will be pissed. depending on how bad it was, he’s liable to break up with you. ∴ naturally, once his trust is broken, however, it’s near impossible to fix ∴ so good luck getting your relationship back to how it used to be lol

P-Pressure, What stresses them out to the breaking point?

∴ training ∴ he works hard to better himself to become the best hero possible ∴ but it stresses him out that he’s not improving fast enough, he’s not doing enough, he’s falling behind others ∴ he’s really hard on himself and his drive only makes the thought of failure terrifying to him. ∴ he doesn’t want to fuck up and lose his chance at his dream.

Q- Qualify, What part of themselves do they see as dangerous?

∴ his quirk, naturally. ∴ it’s a pretty dangerous quirk but ∴ truthfully, everyone’s quirk is dangerous in some way. ∴ it’s just that he’s always been trated as if his quirk was the worst possible outcome he could have been born with. ∴ so he feels like his quirk is the Most Dangerous.

R-Rock, What weighs them down?

∴ the idea that his quirk, very well could be a villains quirk. ∴ he worries that he might abuse it by accident and fuck everything up ∴ his quirk is different from combat quirks or rescue quirks ∴ he can control people. he can lock them into their own minds and force their bodies to do anything he wants without having to lift a finger. and there’s nothing they can do it about it. ∴ that scares him. ∴ it’s such a powerful quirk ∴ and it’d be so easy to abuse it ∴ he worries about his own morality at times, due to all the times he’s been called a villain ∴ it makes him doubt himself even though he knows himself better than that.

S-Sorrow, Would they feel empty after your death?

∴ very much so. ∴ shinsou is the type who gives himself completely to relationships ∴ whether it’s platonic or romantic, he puts 100% in. ∴ so to lose someone he had cared for so completely ∴ leaves him with a devastating emptiness ∴ he’s not going to know how to fill the gap your presence left behind for a long time.

T-Time, What if they had a limited time to live?

∴ he wouldn’t panic ∴ he’d spend the time doing everything he needed to do ∴ like see his mother, hang out with his friends, eat his favorite food, spend a night with you ∴ he’d be determined to make sure he wouldn’t regret wasting the time he had left ∴ so he does everything he feels is necessary for having the happiest time that he has left.

U-Urge, How badly do they get the urge to see you after separating?

∴ on a day to day basis, not much ∴ he’s very good at occupying his mind and thinking logically about whether it makes sense to see you or not. ∴ most of the time it’s not. ∴ he’s not the type to go crawling back to his ex unless it’s something he needs to fix with you. ∴ but at night, when he cant sleep ∴ his mind will automatically wander to you ∴ thinking about how it felt when just a few days, weeks, months ago you were curled up beside him in bed.

V-Vent, How do they get rid of feelings they find unnecessary?

∴ he’s actually really damn good at communication ∴ he is so good at just talking things through ∴ it helps him sort his thoughts and it keeps him calm, rather than getting worked up and upset ∴ he prefers to have healthy ways to release his negative emotions

W-Wild card, A random angst headcannon.

∴ when the bullying over his quirk got worse the older he got ∴ as people started to look at him like he was going to harm them ∴ he got frustrated, angry even ∴ he went off on his mom -- blaming her for giving him such a shitty, terrible quirk ∴ he said some extremely hurtful things in his anger ∴ and the picture of his mom’s hurt face over his words drives him insane ∴ to this day, he still feels like he’s trying to make it up to her. ∴ truthfully, it’s been forgiven and forgotten for a long time but ∴ he doesn’t believe he deserves that just yet.

X- X-ray, What makes them transparent? How obvious can they get around something they hate?

∴ you really will not know when this guy hates you ∴ he seems to have mostly just, cold indifference to majority of people ∴ so him hating you; being ignored or treated coldly ∴ will literally not even make you feel hated ∴ it just seems like his default ∴ he’s pretty open about his opinions though ∴ so if you talk about something and ask what he thinks of it ∴ if he hates it, like a movie, he’ll just come right out and say it tbh ∴ so he’s like 50/50 transparent.

Y-Yearning, Do old memories make them yearn for your touch?

∴ yes. ∴ shinsou is the type of guy to look through his phone at old texts and pictures ∴ when he lies in bed at night, he thinks of his fondest memories ∴ he won’t actively seek you out if it’s not logical -- like if you’re an ex. ∴ but if you’re available for him, he’ll seek you out with a deep craving for you. ∴ he wants to make more memories while he can.

Z-Zest, Add your own letters!

[Parents Headcanon] ∴ when he was a baby, his father left him and his mom ∴ that left his mom to take care of a baby all on her own ∴ she was a young mom too, had him pretty early in life; about 18 or so. ∴ so she struggled really badly ∴ he regrets all the trouble he gave her when he was naive to the struggles of parenthood ∴ once he got older and realized how much his mom did for him ∴ he began to work hard around the house so she could relax when she got home from work, cooked dinner, and never asked for anything he didn’t absolutely need ∴ he absolutely adores his mom ∴ and the idea of ever being without her terrifies him.

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© all content belongs to seita 2020. do not modify or repost.

[a-day-in-the-afterlife]

The 14th Department (AFTERL!FE) Meets the Demon Brothers and Undateables (Obey Me!)

Lucifer

Noah heard he has a dog.  He is staying far away from the pretentious eldest. 

Oldest big brother?  You better believe Youssef finds a kindred spirit, even if they differ wildly in personalities.  

Louis lives for the almost regal aesthetic Lucifer has got going on.  Lucifer, in turn, lives for the day Louis will stop talking.

Quincy finds this whole trip preposterous (“What the heck is the Devildom?  What happened to the Underworld?”) and does not like Lucifer’s condescending attitude (it conflicts with his own!).  

Ethan doesn’t like Lucifer—proud and arrogant people with no reason to be so are not to be respected.  Lucifer despises Ethan for the same reason.

Day!  Will!  Not!  Go!  Near!  Lucifer!  He’s so scary!  But Cerberus is his best friend now (Nine-Nine who?).

Nine and Theo together find out that the eldest demon is into classical music and spend hours discussing early compositions with him.

Ell cannot be around this demon!  He is a fallen angel!  He tries to be nice (and because Ell is kind, so is Lucifer, even if the sickly sweetness of the angel drives him up the wall), but every good wish is punctuated with a sneeze.

Lucifer is so overworked, so by way of his calm disposition and love for meditation, Jamie helps him find ways to relax.

The eldest demon’s general demeanor astonishes June.  How manly he is!

Likewise, Sian can’t go near Lucifer without feeling nervous.  The man drips dominating energy!

Verine can’t understand the eldest’s love for classical music.  Rock is infinitely better.

Mammon

Um, Mori and him are best friends.  They together cause trouble in the House of Lamentation and in the 14th Department with their many get-rich-quick schemes.

Gaudy and expensive taste?  Sign Louis up.

Ethan says ‘no’ to the demon’s general pomposity (it reeks of low self-esteem) and by God, doesn’t he own anything that depicts an iota of class?

Mammon is one speedy demon—how can Kirr not appreciate his fleetfootedness when it would bring him so much use whilst hunting?  Apart from that, Kirr has no respect for that reprehensible thief, for the very idea of stealing brings back terrible memories.

Always belittled by their peers, Day and Mammon find a kindred spirit in each other, and Day is always reminded of his past life when he sees all the gold that Mammon professes to possess possesses. 

Kati bit him twelve times because no dumb tsundere was going to steal his (cough Aitachi’s) spot as cutest in the Department!

Licht is eclipsed by Mammon’s demon form because how is he able to pull off wearing so little clothing so well?  He must take notes.  When he learns that Mammon is a model, too, he goes berserk with delight.

Cyrille finds the secondborn exceedingly stupid, although he begrudgingly gives him credit for being pretty decent at math.

Sian spots a fellow tsundere and runs away, because oh my God, it’s so obvious that Mammon likes this MC person!

Leviathan

Games?  Social awkwardness?  Extreme interest in things that no one else seems to care for?  Cyrille has found his soulmate!

Aitachi and Kirr cringe at how Leviathan spends his leisure time, but are intrigued because they have never seen such methods of gaming and media consumption before.

Leviathan is forever at Quincy’s mercy, for the fellow demon has no qualms of absolutely crushing Levi’s already non-existent self-esteem. 

Even though he loathes to admit it, Sian really likes the rhythm games Leviathan plays, and the thousands of idol posters in his room make him strangely nostalgic of his past life.

June wonders how Levi can go so long without feeling the overwhelming need to burst into a sprint now and again.

Theo almost kills the thirdborn because how is his room filled with so many Demonrito and Hell Mountain Dew containers?  What filth!

Speaking of filth, Licht finds some of Levi’s dating sims and oh my darling, some of them are quite … lewd.

Ghilley and Leviathan together construct an elaborate Lego model of a castle from the anime My Sister Is A Fairy Princess, And Her Suitor Is Secretly An Ogre From a Land Far Away And Wants to Eat Us All, And It’s Up to Me to Save My Sister’s Kingdom.

Ethan can’t even walk past Leviathan’s room without a disapproving “tut.”  Has the demon no discipline, despite being rumored to be the Grand Admiral of Hell’s Navy?

Kati spends all day poking at the cute monster and waifu figurines situated in Levi’s bedroom.  He thinks Azuki-tan is cute, but not as cute as him, and anyone who says otherwise will get bitten!

Aitachi likes to rifle through Leviathan’s anime sword replica collection and giggle because in combat, they would be of no more use than a toothpick.

Satan 

Finally!  Someone with sense! thinks Ethan.  Boy, do these two get along, right down to their educated and proper mannerisms to their mutual hatred of Lucifer.

Verine can’t go near Satan without coughing violently because the forthborn always has some manner of cat hair on him, no matter how diligently he preens.

Cats are infinitely better than dogs, so Noah sticks close to Satan.

Cyrille thought he had found a friend in Satan, who always has his nose in a book, but it turns out, Satan is more philosophically-and-intellectually-versed, while Cyrille is more scientific.

Nine likes Satan, for he is as calm as himself.  Strangely enough, they both seem to have hidden wrathful feelings and bond over this.

Kitties! :D is all Day can think when he sees the fourthborn.

Youssef enjoys Satan’s company, too, for they both are anthropological in nature—always watching, but never interfering until there is a need.

Blond and princelike are the two of them, but Louis is sorely disappointed when Satan’s royal appearance is merely a façade of darker emotions to come, where Louis enjoys life in its every aspect.  “How disappointing art thou, Satan!”  Louis throws rose petals in distress.

Kirr and Aitachi try to hunt one of Satan’s cats, thinking it was some kind of Devildom’s finest prey.  Satan does not forgive them for the attempt.

Theo sneezes the moment he enters Satan’s room.  Although everything is in its place and not truly messy by any means, he refuses to let the stacks and stacks of books sit idly by when they are begging to be put in shelves!

Quincy and Satan each add to their respective repertoire of curses in their time together.  It does not bode well for anyone in the House of Lamentation or 14th Department.

Asmodeus

They are … essentially the same person, so you can bet your ass that Licht and Asmo absolutely live for each other’s company.  They literally spend hours modeling clothes together, discussing fashion, gossiping about their romantic exploits, and praising their overall appearance.  

Louis joins in too, although he mostly stays for the latter, and the three vanquish away many nights complimenting their own and the others’ looks.

Sometimes Asmo likes to sew patches and sequins onto his clothes and mend them to his own design, and Aitachi, who likes to sew, learns many different ways of stitching from the fifthborn, although he hates the fact that Asmo, like Licht, never shuts up about what an “adorable and cute warrior” he is!

Asmo has to know Kirr’s hair care routine, which Kirr gives in one, succinct sentence: “I wash it.  Sometimes.”

Nine has to constantly flee Asmodeus’ presence because it is in his nature to compliment the Soul Reaper on how absolutely beautiful he looks.

Kati expects makeovers, all of which should emphasize his cuteness, every other day.

Don’t ask how long Mori spent calculating how much money Asmo spends on beauty products, because he wept at the end of it.

Verine refuses to step a foot into Asmodeus’ room because do you know how much his sinuses are going to bother him when he spends even a second into a room so deeply entrenched in the fragrance of flowers and perfume?

Ghilley is used to a personality so akin to his roommate, Licht, so he has no qualms in dealing with Asmo and quite likes the gossip he is quietly able to distill from the fifthborn.

Beelzebub

Brothers in their flaming orange hair, June gloms onto Beel with astounding loyalty (Theo refuses to admit jealousy, but ...), especially when he hears of his dedication to his twin.

Cyrille has to interrogate Beel on the structural integrity of his wings in his demon form because there is no way that such a flimsy apparatus could lift a demon of Beel’s stature even an inch into the air!  Also, how much does Beel exercise if he expects to gain muscle and burn off the infinite calories that he consumes?  It is a scientific mystery.

Day likes snacks, Beel likes snacks!  Everything is right in the world (even if the demon accidentally mistook Day’s hair for a mint ice cream cone).

Jamie is constantly offering fresh fruits and vegetables to the sixthborn, but even though he eats them willingly, Beel much prefers foods that will actually fill him up for a short amount of time.

Again, Ethan is appalled by the lack of discipline Beelzebub shows.  The demon is simply a slave to his appetite and deserves nothing less than scorn.

Theo cannot decide if he likes or hates the fact that Beel leaves a trail of crumbs wherever he goes.  On one hand, he gets to clean, but on the other hand, it’s so messy ... 

Even though he has many misgivings of fallen angels, even Ell cannot help but like Beel!  As long as he is fed, the demon is very sweet and kind.  

Noah likes Beel, too.  Something about his easygoing and generally cheerful personality pleases him to no end. 

Beel tried to eat Kati’s hair, thinking it was a yummy bun.  Sadly, he got bit more times than Mammon.

Youssef is a good cook and is thereby followed by Beel wherever he goes.  The kind Soul Reaper doesn’t mind, though.

Belphegor

Noah likes how Belphie takes things easily and calmly, although it probably wouldn’t hurt for him to get more exercise.

Belphegor is even more of a conundrum to June than Leviathan was.  He decides that next time he goes to the Devildom, he’s going to bring an extra pair of running shoes because the demon most certainly was wanting of physical exertion! 

Kirr is absolutely astonished at the unguarded and completely lax way Belphie sprawls out in the House of Lamentation, sleeping.  If he was an enemy tribesman, he would have no trouble in taking the demon down as he slept.

“This kind of laziness is not fit for a warrior at all!” cries Aitachi any time he seems Belphie dozing off.

Jamie likes Belphegor’s way of thinking.  Sometimes, sitting under an apple tree in the sweltering summer heat after a hard day of work just causes one to be overcome with the desire to take a nap. 

Youssef tries to brew Belphie a cup of espresso, but the caffeine just doesn’t seem to have an effect on the Avatar of Sloth. 

Although he is slightly disheartened by the fact that his quiet footsteps seem to have no effect on the seventhborn, as he is always asleep, Ghilley revels in the prospect of drawing unsavory graffiti on the demon’s face when he slumbers.

Day sometimes tries to rouse Belphie, and Belphie, in turn, tries to kill Day.

Like his observations on his twin, Cyrille cannot fathom how the demon could sleep so much.  How could one body need so much rest?

Simeon

Ell loves him.  How can he not?  He is the perfect angel!  He is also very curious as to how the Celestial Realm of Obey Me!’s world works compared to the one in AFTERL!FE.

His whole aesthetic mesmerizes Louis.  There’s something so tranquil but regal about it.  

Licht wants to know where he can get an exact copy of Simeon’s outfit because darling, it's gorgeous.

Youssef probably spends more time around Simeon than he should, but his calm demeanor is so refreshing compared to the chaos in the 14th Department and the House of Lamentation. 

Kirr and Aitachi together lament with Simeon on the struggles of working with technology.  Why is it so difficult?

Something about the angel’s holy air makes Mori very much not inclined to ask him how much the gold clasp on his cape is worth.

Quincy hates the “pretentious” and “stuck up” angel and bickers with him almost as much as he bickers with Ell.  Simeon never responds to his goading, although ... he does get a bit prickly when Quincy criticizes Luke or the Celestial Realm too harshly.

Encouraged by the prospect that he can actually breathe in the (fresh-smelling) presence of Simeon, Verine enjoys his company, but is perpetually annoyed by the fact that the angel seems to pity him for his condition.

Ethan can’t hate Simeon, either.  He is the sole honorable character he can find in the entire Devildom, even though he has to admit that it seems that the angel is hiding something.

Day really likes Simeon!  He’s so nice and is always ready to play with him.

As a man of science, Cyrille scoffs at Simeon (and Luke’s) unfaltering belief in religion. 

Luke

Kati bites him on sight.  Luke just seems irritating and how dare he think himself cuter than him!

Aitachi sympathizes with Luke, for they both lament on not being taken seriously because of their age.  

Luke reminds him a bit too much of a chihuahua for Noah to be too fond of him, but the little angel means well, so Noah suffers his incessant barking out of (Kind)ness.

Day is a human puppy ... and Luke is an angel chihuahua.  They get along great, although Luke makes it his most important goal to Christianize Day, who seems to believe in other things!

Quincy wonders when Luke will stop talking and is constantly entertaining thoughts of hastening the day when he will.  Likewise, Luke wishes the “horrible demon” would go away forever.

As a fellow angel, Ell finds Luke to be great fun.  It’s strange though, Luke seems to always be expressing the opposite of what he’s feeling in typical tsundere fashion, but he never sneezes.

Sian finds Luke to be of the utmost annoyance.  He’s so short (heh) and yappy and annoying!  

Kirr wonders if the little angel will make a good hunting dog, but after he realizes that Luke has a lot of trouble keeping his mouth closed, he thinks  better of it.

His dealings with Day cause Nine to be an excellent caretaker of Luke when Simeon is away.  You just have to deal with exuberant personalities like his carefully, is all.

Ghilley and Licht give Luke “five stars” in terms of cuteness.  The young angel does not approve!

Theo stays far away from Luke.  Children are walking crumb-and-stain-factories and he is not going to get dirty.

Solomon

Quincy and Solomon exchange many spell incantations and curses and keep the rest of the Soul Reapers, angels, and demons in an uproar with their constant shenanigans. 

When he notices that Solomon has many fortune-telling artifacts in his room, Kati rifles through them all (without permission), much to the sorcerer’s amusement, especially when Kati discovers many supposedly unpleasant things about his future.

Although Quincy and Solomon are the true troublemaking duo in terms of pranks (Satan helps, sometimes), Day and Solomon are almost equal in measure, although much of Day’s rogurey is an accident, and he never means to cause any harm!

Licht is instantly enamored by Solomon’s cape—what style!  You can see the entire Milky Way embroidered on it (Cyrille instantly assures him that that is not actually the case)!

Ghilley can’t help but wonder why anyone thinks Solomon is shady.  He seems to be a pretty upstanding, if chaotic, guy?

Youssef admires the humanity of Solomon.  In a land of angels and demons and even Soul Reapers, it’s good to have someone so normal.

Unlike Ghilley, Ethan definitely notices that something shady is afoot when Solomon is around.  Because of this, he tails the sorcerer wherever he goes, for he’d rather not a ruckus be caused.

Sian has many questions for Solomon on the status of idols in the Human World since he left it.  What are the newest trends?  The most popular groups?  The most admired dance moves?  He wants to know it all.

Barbatos

Cyrille finds the whole time-travel aspect of Barbatos’ powers intriguing and derails the butler from his duties for hours in attempts to understand the nuances of this overpowering concept.

Ethan privately thinks that he looked much better in a butler suit than the demon.  What is even going on with the front of his outfit?  A diligent and uncomplaining demon is Barbatos, and Ethan has to respect him for that, even if he is a position so beneath his own.

He’s so scary! D: thinks Day, even though Barbatos is nothing but kind to him.

Kirr likes the fine fare that Barbatos cooks, although he laments not being able to win “the mind game” against the butler, who he spends many hours staring coolly at.

Theo and Barbatos spend many an evening chatting about the best way to maintain the most perfect state of cleanliness.

The strong smell of detergent follows Barbatos sometimes, and Verine can never bring himself too close to the demon.  However, he has to begrudgingly admit that if it weren’t for the overwhelming stench of chemicals, he would be breathing in a suffocating cloud of dust particles, so he has to thank the butler for that.

Jamie gives Barbatos many good recipes for fruit pies and Youssef can’t wait to try all the (possibly) delicious recipes that Barbatos recites to him.  

Ghilley, unfortunately, finds it very difficult to sneak up on the butler, for Barbatos has seen all Ghilley’s attempts to scare him in all the timelines he has observed. 

Diavolo

This bumbling idiot is the ruler of the Devildom? thinks Ethan with great distaste.  However dignified Diavolo might be, Ethan cannot see past the blindingly cheerful mask he puts on and finds it most undignified.

A fellow royal!  How is Louis supposed to resist striking a long-winded conversation?  Diavolo entertains Louis’ pompous and overbearing self and they find each other most delightful.

Licht positively drools over Diavolo’s demon form outfit.  Just how he is pulling off that much style?

Quincy finds much enjoyment in disrespecting the Prince of the Devildom to no end and is always disappointed when Diavolo responds to his insults with a tolerating smile.

The Prince of Demons and the son of the Demon Lord are titles that are essentially the bane of Ell’s existence, but he manages to be most respectful toward him, even though he is shaking in his shoes and wondering when all their interactions will come to and end.

Day lived like a king in his past life and is not even remotely fazed by the enormous amount of finery found in the Demon Lord’s Castle.  He is, however, enamored with the Little D’s, who, when not insulting him, are great fun!

Diavolo’s lifestyle of luxury is basically Mori’s dream, so he takes every opportunity to make notes of the expensive furniture and ancient pieces.

Noah and Youssef like how down-to-Earth Diavolo is, despite his high position.  They feel as if he has something to hide, but for the most part, he is a jolly fellow and they enjoy his company.

[desiraypark]

Much Needed Assistance (5)

“The Day Off” Previous (“Scrambled Brain”) Entire Work Content: Okay, guys. I probably should have warned you four posts ago (I didn’t initially plan to make this series), but this “relationship” does not become “nice” or “soft”. Mind games are coming into play now. For the safety of anyone who continues to read this, or who merely scrolls by, this series will become triggering, if not already. I will spoil this series’ plot after the “Keep Reading” break. Angst; Kylo Ren showing more of his true self; Manipulation; self-blame; good day ruined From this point forward: Mental abuse TW | Emotional abuse TW | Intimidation TW | Humiliation TW | Word Count: 1,857

SPOILING THE PLOT (If it isn’t obvious by now): Kylo Ren is trying to turn Reader to the Dark Side--or rather, make her view her work with the Final Order as more than “just a job”, or a way to make money. Kylo Ren wants to produce heirs... ...but Kylo Ren is opting to be disingenuous about all of this.

The mattress dipped. There was no cuddling or spooning at the end of it all—but you felt the warmth disappear when his body did. Kylo was about to start his day with exercise, meaning it would soon be time for you to get up and start your own day. You watched him walk into the main room and grab last night’s abandoned garments. He returned to the room and tossed your clothing on the bed.    “I’ll only want black coffee for breakfast,” he said putting his robe on. You lifted your body, grabbed the nightgown, and pulled it over your cool skin. “Just coffee? No smoothie?” He walked out the bedroom. “Just coffee means just coffee.” You swallowed and placed your feet on the cold floor, letting the nightgown fall to your calves, then you put your underwear on. Whoooosh!—ran the shower water. Kylo said nothing more, even as you walked past the bathroom and looked in his face before he stepped into the shower and drew the curtain.

“Our security on planet Devaron have captured remaining Resistance members and allies,” General Pryde announced. “They’ve held them for questioning, but they aren’t budging. Should we give them the okay?”    Pryde called the morning meeting very early—giving you no time to indulge in a shower to think about the night before. You sat in your usual place, behind Kylo Ren, jotting down notes from the meeting. But your thighs were on fire. Sitting still you focus only on the pain—but moving was a bitch. You shifted in your seat, causing a squeak to echo throughout the room. No one paid attention, however. “No. Tell them to keep a close eye on them. I will pay them a visit myself. We should—” Squeak. The Supreme Leader paused. You grimaced and clutched your pencil. “We should send a message out to all the bases, telling them to keep watch of their planets. Keep an eye on their bases, their ports, their cantinas—any place that holds space for meetings.” “Yes, Supreme Leader,” General Pryde said. You straightened your spine to give your lower back a stretch. “Captain Undilla, we shall make plans to visit Devaron and the rest of the Col—” Squeak, went the chair, as you rested your spine. Kylo slowly turned around at his waist, and you swallowed. “Y/N, do you need medical attention?” All eyes fell on you, and your chest burned.    “No, Supreme Leader,” you answered meekly. “Do you require a sedative?” he pushed. Your eyes narrowed and you drew in a deep breath. “No, Sir,” you responded with a sardonic tone. The mask lingered on your face, as did the curious—and fearful—eyes behind him. You broke the stare and looked down at your notepad. In your peripheral, you saw him face his personnel. “We shall make plans to visit Devaron and the rest of the Colonies, at your earliest convenience, Captain Undilla,” he continued. “I could be available right after the Troopers’ training, Supreme Leader,” she responded. “Very well.” You flipped over to the previous page of your notepad, where you’d written the day’s agenda. Training for new Stormtroopers usually ended at noon, but there was an appointment to meet with droid engineers at 11:45. Ren had been irritable all morning—giving deadpan responses to most of your questions. He’d deemed this appointment one of importance when he scheduled it, but now you needed to gauge its current status. Last week, you wouldn’t have had any problem breaking through the Final Order chatter to remind Ren of the appointment, but now, anxiety shrouded you. Now, he seemed likely to Force slam you onto the floor for opening your mouth. “What is it that you need to say, Y/N?” he cut across General Firestone. The room fell silent. “I didn’t say anything, Sir,” you answered foolishly. You knew good and well he could sense your tension. This time, he didn’t bother turning to face you--he just talked over his shoulder. “You are fretting over something important, Y/N. Will you call me a liar by saying that you’re not?” Eyes fell on you again. Frankly, the officers staring at you humiliated you more than Ren being a dick. You cleared your throat. “You have an appointment with the droid department at 11:45, Sir.” “Common sense says that this meeting with Captain Undilla now takes priority. Do you possess common sense?” Your heart began to pound. Surges of heat shot across your limbs and pooled in your joints. What had you done, other than what he wanted? Had you not pleased him? As an assistant and a lover? Where was this aggression coming from? “I will reschedule with the droid department, Sir.” “That wasn’t what I asked. Do…you possess…common sense?” he asked. “I possess common sense. Supreme Leader.” His jaw lingered over his arm for a few seconds, then he turned back around. Tears welled in your eyes, and the Supreme Leader continued with the conference. When it was over, you gathered your notepad and followed Ren out of the room in silence. Suddenly, he stopped in the middle of the hallway and turned—causing you to pump imaginary brakes on your heels. “Take the rest of the day off,” he demanded. He snatched your notebook from your hands, and before you could question him, he turned around and continued down the hallway.

You retreated to your room and caught up on a couple of hours of sleep. Sleep…what was that? You hadn’t had a good nap or any good sleep since you became that man’s personal assistant. Later, with aching thighs, you traveled the ship without any goal: you watched Stormtroopers train and engineers work on starships. You even got to enjoy a big meal from the mess hall—with dessert! Even as an administrative secretary, you never got to have a hefty lunch. You fiddled around in your room some more before you met up with your old friends in the secretarial pool. “Well, if it isn’t the “esteemed Y/N”—personal assistant to the almighty Supreme Leader!” Mars joked. Everyone got a chuckle out of it. Him and Tima were shutting down their systems, as Violet and Xiyon were booting theirs up. Mars and Violet were the daytime and nighttime archivists, respectively. They filed every important photo, video, and document that the various departments of Final Order base sent their way for safe keeping. Tima and Xiyon were the daytime and nighttime secretaries of correspondence—sending all kinds of messages throughout the galaxy on behalf of the Final Order’s members—both high and low ranking. Then, there was Perra—the nighttime administrative secretary, whom you shared a desk with. “Is there still no administrative secretary for the first shift?” you asked. “Nope,” Tima responded. “Unfortunately, me and Mars have been doing such a good job of holding down the office, they probably won’t bother hiring someone else.” Tima and Mars gathered their things and walked over to cover you in quick hugs. “How’s the throne room?” Perra asked, smacking on her gum. “I’ve never stepped foot in there,” you responded. “And I don’t think he has, either.” “Seriously?” Mars asked. “I thought he’d be hot glued to that thing.” “Ha!” Tima chimed in. The three of you walked out of the office. “Have a good night, girls!” you waved at the remaining workers. They waved and blew you kisses goodbye, and you marched down the hallway with your friends. “I can’t believe he let you off your leash. What are you doing with us regular people?” Tima asked. You rolled your eyes at her comment. “Believe it or not, he gave me the day off,” you said. As your pace increased with excitement, pain seared across your thighs. You winced at the sensation. “I actually don’t believe it. Be honest with us. Did you kill him?” Mars asked. You let out a hearty laugh. “Shh!” Tima said. “You know that man listens…” Mars covered his mouth. “Oh, yeah. Tima told me he nearly yanked you away from your sour ropes and honey buns.” You all marched through the hallways and out the doors to the residential area of campus. Tima and Mars washed up, changed into “leisure” uniforms, and you sat with them in the courtyard to catch up on work, work, work. You didn’t dare let them see that your lower body was screaming for a bath, because then, you had to tell them why you were in pain. And you were a terrible liar. They asked you about everything from the Supreme Leader’s helmet to his robes, and even asked what kind of hair products he used. You mostly laughed off their silly questions but fed them a few crumbs to keep them from probing into his…night activities. Just before the sun set, the three of you dashed back to the mess hall for dinner, then you took them to your quarters. You missed your old lodging arrangement. Sure, you were at the heart of the operation—but you’d gone from sharing an apartment with Tima, to living in a windowless room with a bathroom you could barely turn around in. Most of the low-level Final Order workers shared apartments with two, three, sometimes even four people. No children lived on the base, so there was no use for houses. High-level workers—the doctors and nurses; engineers; the captains, generals, and lieutenants who met with Kylo Ren three times a day—they were the only ones who typically had apartments to their selves. But you’d made a little home out of your room—cute little plants sat on just about every surface. Crystals and stones dotted various areas of the room. Your favorite decorations, however, were the mementos from back home—the plate from your first (and only) speeder bike; the gold necklace your father gave you. The evening had gone splendidly—you laughing and conversing with your friends. Just as they got up to leave, you heard the quiet beeps at your door. You froze, when the helmeted figure walked into your room. “Where have you been?” Tima and Mars jumped up—Tima from your bed and Mars from your floor. They stood straight, and frozen. But you just stared where his eyes might have been, confused. “I’ve been all over the base, Sir. Were you looking for me?” “Of course, I was looking for you. Did you forget that you have a job?” “Sir, you—” “Leave us…” he growled to Tima and Mars. They jumped and glanced at you. You frowned and nodded. “Get out!” Ren repeated. They jumped again and skipped out of the room. He stood yards away from you. Still. Silent. You couldn’t even hear him breathing. Your blast door closed behind him. You swallowed your shaking fear. “Sir, you gave me the day off,” you reminded him. “I gave you the day off,” he said. Your stomach started to do backflips. Just what had you gotten yourself into? “I apologize, Sir.” More silence. His squeezing fists caught your attention, and your heart began to pound. Then, thump…thump…thump…he ascended on you in painfully slow motion, and he did not stop. His intimidating figure towered over you. That horrific helmet—that mask—brought tears to your eyes.

[unproduciblesmackdown]

let's see those Prime Numbers for the ask meme

2) favorite albums?

well i was Ready for kesha’s album Warrior to come out in iiii think it was the end of 2012 or early 2013?? i snuck out to that tour in dc that summer also. totally solid album and it was fun to have something so fun during a totally Not Fun period lol. i was also pretty into owl city at the exact same time lmao, that’s Blatantly for when you’re depressed lol...and i also eventually saw that guy on tour when a new album came out in 2015, and that was fun too, and was Enjoying Myself a factor in the tipping point of “ah jeez i gots 2 get outta here” that i had in the next month? maybe! and uhhh i listened a lot to the phoenix te amo album. that one wasnt tied to anything at all but i have heard it So much. super short and also rock solid and relistenable. and then here we are and the bmc obcr is a gift to the world b/c a) it exists and b) Cuz It All Slaps and c) it’s so fun to either sing or dance along, or cry along if it’s the agtikbi reprise and d) lgw... and e) all the eternal, well-mixed wroland vocals

3) favorite memes?

oh god lmao idk......real earlier 10s stuff was the I Say Hey he-man meme, and the “that really rustles my jimmies” meme which was real underrated......there’s been plenty of Memes where i’ve been like “this one is funny to me Every Time” but of course now looking back on it it’s like. what’s a meme??? Vine

(skipping 5 & 11 cuz that’s the Entirety of someone else’s ask and i don’t wanna just have to scrap theirs completely and i’ll get to it next!!)

11) favorite fanarts?

you know what, there’s continuously been a ton of amazing fanart where i’m like, i’m so glad i’m seeing this, & this is Artistic Fuel, and marge simpson anime has really been just this Standout Experience lmao like......idk for as Inspiring as it is, there’s only a couple things i’ve drawn that are Directly inspired, but i just flip for it all the time and like, it’s supremely expressive and like, comics that aren’t chronological but more like a Collage Of a Moment / Concept which i think is super cool and also i love when stuff reminds me that it doesn’t have to look ~super cleaned up~ to look great.

13) favorite people you know?

oh god this one really got out of control lol i started like, talking about everyone ever from this past decade. so for Convenience i’m interpreting this as “people *i* know, but they don’t know me” so that i can cheat and say will roland, voted person of the year 2019. by extension, essential supporting crew who helped us reach this point, like john simpkins or joe iconis. leave it at that!! it’s 5am and you know i’m not lying. who knew where going “wow, This guy” in late 2018 would have so much Value.

17) a fandom you wish more people were in/you had more people to talk to about?

oof hmm.......amnesia tdd didn’t really have a “fandom” even though it obviously got a lot of attention, it’dve been fun if it had though lol. it’s tricky to answer this one cuz i always prefer like, smaller fandoms and/or finding the Niche or some other way of just like, interacting with a small corner of things, so i’m never like wow god damn wish i’d been absolutely in the thick of it with this thing. i’ve been in Corners n Niches and it’s been fine by me, really

19) a fandom that you had the best time in?

HMM lol.........marble hornets sure was fun but like, a lot of that was just the content itself and not necessarily The Fan Experience, tho i sure got a lot out of it in a ton of ways. i mean tbh that’s true of each thing i’ve really Gotten Into majorly, i go hard af and then walk out the other side with these #connections or #experiences like whoa where’d these come from lol!! but really like, overall, i’m probably having the best time right now. the “fandom” is basically just our agenda lmao but like i said i’m always having the best time when it’s a pretty niche deal, And the sheer variety of Contents n Characters to draw from here is super nice, and the fact that it’s like, oh yeah and i’m finally recognizing this should’ve-been-obvious entire Passionne i’ve had since always, and that’s great too, and like, also just having the Variety Of Live / Current Unfoldings that go down.....like, everyone havin fun with the Joe Iconis Xmas Xtrav was entirely great. and just the Engagement level is basically the best, cuz like there’s the times where maybe i’ll get a zillion notes and that’s definitely fun in its own way but i always enjoy just the way smaller amount of ppl who are Particularly Enthusiastic, and like, there’s times where like, maybe i’m *technically* in this larger circle of ppl but like, totally more of like a Tangent or peripheral to that circle or whatever lol........this feels like a really solid balance of like, being sorta in this orbit of people in a chill way, but also definitely the direct interactions Existing, which is always important lol but hasn’t always been a constant throughout my Fandom Experiences at all

23) who were you at the beginning of this decade?

2009-2010 was a real distinct year lol i was in my second year of college in the middle of my teens, when i’d hardly really been getting to Explore My Interests Freely up to that point and still wasn’t, but all of a sudden it’s like goddamn i have to figure out my major???? and i’m like, obviously in the middle of only just now Really getting to figure out my identity in this deeper and more genuine way, thanks to being lucky enough to Live On Campus and be away from home like, 2/3 of the year, but i was just like, oh god i’m in Stress Hell now all the time cuz like. i’m trying to figure out my whole thing and what my ~Career~ should be and i just have no idea but am like, trying super hard all the time lol it was not successful and i was just really stressed about it all the time. i was def quieter back then.....pretty lonely at the time, i did not get into mh and gain the presence of any Online Friends until late 2010, and i hadn’t yet been sort of accepted by a small faction of theatre people via my roommate’s connections.....i wasn’t at all Out yet, and was def In Progress of figuring it all out.....i didn’t have nearly the Self-Esteem i have now lmao, it was Not a great time and in a lot of ways ‘09-’10 was the start of a downturn into Worse Than Usual Times, though in Other ways it was definitely an upturn lol like. the latter related to stuff that was important to me / who i am, the former tied to the situations i was in and the godawful morale that resulted

29) a time when the worst case scenario happened but you pulled through?

well by the end of 2012 i had my Wrath Parent deluxe mad at me big time, AND i was stuck at home all of thee time with that (not at all hours but. every day.) it was terrible!!! tf was going on in 2013, cuz that shit was definitely like, a gross blur of a lot of indistinct misery. and then, relatedly, when it was so shitty in 2015 that i was like fantastic, i am so officially sick of this i’m outta here. i revisited some Misery Posts from that period lately for someone stranger on twitter’s project or something, and boy i was having a bad time Summer Of ‘15 lol, things not getting better at home And a job that was so shitty that it was like..................bye. lol. and then i spent a year living out of a minivan. which was real lucky in ways b/c like. infinitely better than if i had not had that minivan. and when that broke down i was also then lucky enough to have this friend who was relatively nearby who’d also been willing to just like, set me up to Not have to ask the lgbt center where that trans-friendly forest zone a couple cities over was. nothing as dramatic as it could’ve been, fortunately

31) a time you were scared?

hmmm when leaving The Parents Home overnight, that was intimidating. bit of completely jumping into the unknown there, and also like, when you spend your lifetime assuming that Someone’s Arbitrary Wrath will be uponst you always, it’s hard to shake that sense of dread and doom, like ah jeez i am really potentially bringing hell on myself here........and like i mentioned with Start Of The Decade, there was just a ton of fear there all the time lol, trying to figure out virtually overnight The Whole Of Who I Am And What I Want when i’d only just even gotten to start......also i wanna say i maybe came out in 2011?? and i sort of also felt obligated to come out to my parents also (plus i think i was giving them like, one last chance to surprise me and be decent and kind of Grow Up themselves even tho i was the like, 16 y.o.) which yknow, kids you do not have to come out to anyone at all. someone was talking the other day abt how they didn’t think lgbtq “discourse” had evolved as much as you’d hope over the past decade, but idk about that, it's only a little bit of a wildly complex topic, and for starters Online Trans “Discourse” of a decade back was wayyyyyy in a vastly different place than it is now, leaps and strides really. so the way to ~really~ do it was presented kind of more rigidly i think. anyways i did it via email and was incredibly stressed to even open the reply a couple days later lol......which ended up being really weird and vague, and then there was a phone call where no one brought it up, and the only result was increased ire and resentment :( ........and then there was still like, cops encounters! near or not-as-bad-as-they-could’ve-been vehicular collisions! but tbh generally my reaction to the latter was underwhelming, except for one particular time when i was a passenger and also tense af for the rest of the ride. that’s it for Immediate fear really lol......oh wait one time i was at this decent sized Convention Panel Event and when i’m nervous i can Only talk more (it’s possible!!) and i snuck into line for the q&a and Right when i got to the mic (intimidating) they were like oop we’re low on time, lightning round!! :’] that was obviously more just a crapton of l’anxiete

37) a fashion that fell out of style that you wish would make a resurgence?

were Gladiator sandals this decade? the strappy deals that like, went up the ankles / calves? that was in fashion for a year or two and i’m into it. i like sandals and that kind of drama

41) something you learned a lot that not a lot of other people might know about?

i don’t know that i learned way a lot of anything that’s real in-depth knowledge and niche lore.........i have learned Nothing

43) an important relationship (of any kind) you had?

i had???? lmao well either way let’s say current relationships count and like, pretty much everyone in my Sphere i value a lot! i never like, have or have had a ~close~ ring of ppl around me lol like i thought it was lucky if i talked to someone Every Day (and not at all the Usual thing) and now it’s more likely that i talk to two people every day and maybe that sounds sarcastic but it’s not at all lol. i know my social stats aren’t impressive but i so appreciate what i get to enjoy and have. and other Connections might be way more like, we are friendly acquaintances, we talk on rare occasions, we haven’t talked at all in ages, we talk but only to trade cute pics of cats, Etc etc, but i seriously do appreciate all of everyone who’s cool who i get to interact with in any way and like, be in each other’s spheres and Not just like, absolutely on nobody’s radar. also obviously soph you are here in that list in case i wasn’t implying it good enough lol it is 5am and god knows deciphering what i say at any time can be its own challenge.....ur Epic Highs and Lows of bmc 3.0 is so good lmao

[monkey-network]

Good Stuff ~ Seven of the Season: MLP Season 8 Part I

WARNING: Do not offer me a popsicle; I’m not much a fan of them anymore. I don’t know why, really. Thank you, take care out there, and enjoy.

Since it’s on hiatus until....August, it seems (confusingly lame), wanted to look back on this current season so far since it legitimately has been almost 8 years and I’m still watching this show. Not that that’s a bad thing, but unlike Adventure Time or Archer, it doesn’t feel like it’s aged all that majorly. And really, I wanna commemorate that. Due note part 2 will be for the entire season; to kinda ease my options in the end. So here be the Top 7 BEST Episodes of the first arc of season. Seven, because it’s lucky, baby. Here we go…

7. Grannies Gone Wild

Don’t look up ‘Grannies Gone Wild’ on Google Images. Not even safesearch is safe from the bizarre shit you might find. As for the safe for work version, it feels like a ‘standard’ episode, where Rainbow’s trying to keep the apple grannies safe from hurting themselves while trying to get on a rollercoaster on its last day. Though what makes this funny is that while you could think that Rainbow Dash is at fault for biting off more than she chew, it’s really Applejack’s fault for being such an enabling overprotective mook. Seriously, everybody agrees in the episode that it’s Applejack’s fault. What makes it even funnier and put this on the list are the grannies themselves, since they remind me a lot of my grandparents (may they rest) and have no time for Rainbow’s shit throughout. While it’s low on the list for its conventionality, I still enjoyed it for what it was. Especially since this joke will forever be associated with it

6. Marks For Effort

Preferentially, hating on the character Cozy Glow like I’m Alex Jones for how suspicious she acted kept me going for this episode. As such, it’s surprising to say that this was a great episode for the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Even when they don’t achieve much in the end, they have an honest goal in mind and it didn’t feel far fetched, and they band well together in teaching the Wooby friendship. Unlike their other episode this season, it never felt like they had to get in each other’s way to achieve something together. It felt like they were earning their endgame, which made it bizarre that Cozy would just sabotage her test to help them out. I mean honestly what purpose did that stand beside giving Starlight a chance to--Oooooh ho ho. DHX, you clever bastards, you wanted to make me feel for Starlight having little to her name now as the school counselor. Mmmmmhmmm, not falling for it. In any case, stopped for the Cozy Glow hatin’, seriously I’m gonna stone that wooby, stayed for the quality time with the CMC. As for you, Starlight, come back when you’re a main character.

5. The Mean Six

This was honestly a surprising episode based on how nothing and everything happened in the span of 22 minutes. Chrysalis returned, offering the most charmingly hammy performance to date. And while her plan to get the elements of harmony fails tremendously, and never really started to be honest, it was fascinating to see that she could’ve been indirectly responsible for breaking apart the mane six. If the show didn’t have to fall under the status quo, this would’ve actually been a clever way of presenting a fallout arc for the characters while Chrysalis is unaware of this, thinking she still needs to plot their downfall. The mean six, or Negagangers, were utilized much better here than when Discord tried this in season 2. And somehow I actually felt for Starlight getting the short end of the stick (maybe that was because she wasn’t the one who brought everyone together in the end, but who knows). The only downside is that, if you’ve seen this show plenty of times, you know what’s gonna happen and it lacks the specialty. Though it does make up for its reasonable message, the Archer-esque way the characters play off each other, and that ending scene where the Negagangers having their faces melted is the 2nd most metal thing this show has done. And no, I’m not gonna show that, for I’d like more dreams than nightmares.

4. The Break Up Breakdown

This at first felt like a conventional Valentine’s day episode (in May) with it all just amounting to misunderstandings.... made even crazier when it involves Big Mac accidentally giving a child his romantic gift, eavesdropping on his lover, said lover getting dirty, and Discord taking Big Mac and a child dragon to a swinger’s club, all to get back to LARPing. And honestly, that is what elevated this episode, crazy shit happens and it’s not so much Discord’s fault, though he is essentially what makes this episode work so well with the fact that he cares for none of this yet is on top in the end (phrasing). Plus my heart did skip a beat when Big Mac and Sugar Belle reconciled in the end, giving me memories of the good rom coms of yore like Moonstruck and Muriel’s Wedding, except without the ABBA. And again, Discord nonchalant attitude toward everyone else’s lovestruck ideals of Valentines with his newfound obsession with D&D kept this entertaining and worth coming back. 

3. The Maud Couple

As it is unfortunate that Maud’s new boyfriend will forever be named Mud Fuckstick, Fuckstick is honestly the best character in this episode and just makes this episode so entertaining; especially on the grounds that he does little to nothing else to jumpstart the plot beyond being around and being methodical with his wordplay. The fact that Pinkie is legitimately fuming at Fuckstick potentially taking her sister away is ironically hilarious. Episode would’ve been higher up if not for that one scene of Pinkie screaming her head off for 4 seconds. I don’t mind Pinkie spazzing out, but those 4 seconds was a screeching convulsion, like christ. Plus, I realized something: Pinkie can be really selfish and mostly cares about the idea of caring for others’ feelings and use the self esteem she gets as a coping mechanism for her own depression. Really, that hits pretty close to home in some aspects because you want people to be happy because that makes you happy, but when some crucial sacrifices are required from you, it can be really hard to swallow that you probably won’t be happy about it the whole time, and putting up with it will feel like as terrible an uphill battle as the thought of not doing anything.................................heheheh, Bazonger!

2. Fake it ‘Til You Make It

Honestly, this episode is great solely because Fluttershy is great in this. It’s a titch bias since Fluttyshy’s been one of my favs since the beginning, but this episode showcases my love for her in a way. The fact that she had to put up and bullshit her way through customers’ wants and complaints were relatable enough, but seeing her actual warp her personality through her many changes to the point where she actually comes off as threatening was....somewhat moving for this show. She essentially became an antagonist for a few moments and it never felt like her change was sorely out of the blue. Her other personalities were funny (unsurprisingly ‘Gothishy’ came out as my favorite), her raccoon fam were a valuable addition to the character dynamic, and while Rarity is generally at fault for making Fluttershy go through all that in a short matter of time, her resolve in the end was direct and empathetic as well. Also it gets point for Fluttershy saying ‘Woke’, snowflake cutie mark goth pony, and having a pretty solid message in the end.

Honorable mentions: Non Compete Clause, School Daze (Part 2)

1. Horse Play (Phrasing)

I’ll be real, I shouldn’t think this episode is great. Generally because the main character isn’t great in this. Twilight is so stubborn in this, it felt out of character. The answer was obvious, they remind us over and over again, but Twilight continuously ignored all that because of her apparent bottomless admiration for Princess Celestia? This far in the show? It is unforgivable, and annoying no doubt. It felt like she was purposefully sabotaging her own ideas after already acknowledging that Princess Celestia has performance issues, not to mention her friends trying and failing to get the stage upright. After basically being friends with Celestia for this long, it shouldn’t have been that fucking hard to be honest with her, and not treating her as if she doesn’t have a flawless bone in her body! So basically Twilight was the least favorite part of this episode and she really bogged it down a notch. But how is this #1? It’s fun. Celestia was having fun, we get to see her be ecstatic, quirky, LIVELY again for more than a few seconds. The cast was fun, reminding me of other episodes where everyone was together trying their best to not screw up too badly (see Saddle Row Review). Spike was on his sass A game. And the final act when Celestia took over made for the best ending of this season; her helping Fluttershy build confidence was a definite highlight of this series as a whole. Even the leaked version of this episode with it having no music and stock sound effects was the most fun I had with this season. It was fun. Can’t say much more.

This season didn’t so much offer its best in my eyes. The seven of this first part of the season were the seven only good ones, with the remaining ranging from boring to just pathetic. However, I will say that after this long, I say they can still pull off some wonderful episodes, on the initial and look back, so I’m certainly not counting them out just yet. And with that, I’m Roy Macintosh, and that’s all I got.

[nakedfullmonty-fr]

i want to draw but my eyes feel like someone put acid in them so!! heres a post about personal fashion styles instead!!

Niet - Usually she wears things that give good leg freedom so she can be ready to throw down for her Clan at all times. Personally though, she loves dresses, but even after she becomes Queen and can afford whatever she likes, she usually keeps them simple.

Yastrebok - Has to accommodate for his injuries and the fact that his arm is deformed and can’t move, so can’t wear things with sleeves or the like. Usually wears something akin to a Samoan lavalava (commmon in Water), or a lot of long draped fabrics, kinda like how ancient Romans look like they rolled through a bunch of blankets (common in Light).

Temahae - As a child, she often wears the sort of silly clothing that only children can really get away with (see her goofy jester type hat). Likes star patterns. She dresses like a child would, which doesn’t fit her monotone personality. As an adult, she dresses a little more standardly but seems to flit around different fashion styles. Usually favours black and green.

Magpie - Since she spends a lot of time underground, she wears clothing suitable for someone who spends a lot of time mining. Having been rejected from Wind culture, she doesn’t favour its fashion styles. Unlike most dragons, her thin, bug-like wings remain in her gijinka form, so she can only wear backless shirts. Often wears a Pareu type garment, which is common in Water. She wears orange a lot, probably because Lockheed probably said it looked nice on her.

Lockheed - Grew up in a temple and probably wore plain white robes her whole childhood, so her fashion sense is as terrible as her social skills. She used to wear black often, but since coming to Ogygia she now wears a lot of bright colours and busy patterns - It looks ugly, but she likes it, and reasons that as a Hero, she should be easily identifiable to those in need.

Bermuda - Ran away from home to join a pirate ship at the age of like 12 and probably hasn’t worn a shirt since. He changed his traditional eyepatch for a simple cloth bandana because he was worried he might intimidate children.

Euros - As the Queen’s assistant, escort and translator, he usually dresses in clothing befitting a member of a royal court. Niet keeps trying to get him to branch out and have at least one casual outfit, but even Niet has a hard time getting him to do things he doesn’t want to do.

Ricin - Wears plain and simple clothing, often unbefitting of a Princess. She has an attractive body type, but prefers to keep herself covered and does as much as she can to not draw attention to herself. Pinks and purples and peaches are common colours for her. She has nicer clothing and ballgowns for when her status calls for it, but it’s obvious she’s uncomfortable wearing most of them.

Ahkoolah - A Jock/Goth mix. Usually wears black, combat appropriate clothes. Also wears a lot of long flowing coats and things with hoods. Mostly, she just looks like an emo Assassins Creed character.

Europa - As a dancer, she tries to take pride in her appearance. Since her troupe has some high-class contacts, it’s expected of her to look good, so she probably follows fashion trends even though she doesn’t really care for them. That said, on her own time she probably likes to just wear a big jacket and her boyfriends pants.

Io - Most commonly she wears her armour as much as possible, because she’s convinced that the extra weight trains her frail body even when she’s not actively training. On the rare occassion she’s out of armour, she’s very goth. All black, big boots, skulls, chains, the whole thing.

Ganymede - His social isolation and agoraphobia mean that he doesn’t get out often enough to go shopping for himself, and he doesn’t have the self esteem to even attempt to dress any particular way. Usually, he wears plain Tiu (traditional Water garment).

Saburou - As a Maren, he dislikes clothes, but he wears them to fit in with dragon culture. Doesn’t clothe his top half, and for the bottom half it’s usually something like skintight shorts with a long fabric tied on his waist (seen here). Wears jewellery sometimes. He was often oogled and fetishised in his past, so he knows his appearance has appeal to others, and chooses to try and flaunt this to hide his terrible low self-esteem.

Vrinde - ??????????????? Honestly I have no fucking idea I dont think he really gives a shit he’s covered in gunpowder 24/7 anyways

Iru - Bright colours, big pants. However, when acting as “Iruka” or up in Ogygia on the surface, as a Deep-Sea Water dragon their skin and body are very sensitive to sunlight, so they wear all-black coverings. Their coverings are pretty mis-matched though.

Othira - Like Iru, she has to cover her face and skin to protect herself, but she has more fashion sense with her coverings. Kinda gothic and lacey, with those big Victorian era dresses. She has a fur coat she likes to wear when travelling, but Ogygia’s usually too hot to wear it. When she’s away from the sun and can dress how she pleases, her clothing is surprisingly boring in comparison.

Leiptrvarthr - A Shade monster, so he doesn’t wear clothes. However, sometimes he wears a blanket of sorts across his back, so that his student Ganymede can sit or stand atop him and travel without Ganymede’s paladin blood hurting him.

Cenna - Likes short shorts, but otherwise is quite modest. Originally a simple farmers daughter from a small village, she doesn’t wear elaborate clothing and sticks to simple, practical stuff. However, since coming to Ogygia, she’s started experimenting with trying to find a personal style. Likes cute things.

Aneikenon - Wears black, but because he’s scared people will notice blood on him from his curse, not because he likes it. As a Prince, he owns nice clothes, but since he gets out of bed so rarely he doesn’t wear them. Since he’s so cold, when he wears clothes he wears lots of layers. Wears a lot of traditional Ice clothing made from elk or caribou fur, since it’s effective at keeping him warm.

Galure - Whatever the Dragon equivalent of Louis Vuitton is. Wears all the nice clothes Aneikenon won’t. Likes furs, big ones. And boots, heeled ones, at least knee high. Doesn’t have the memories to know why it might be bad if people know about his curse, so wears light colours, especially white and blue.

Dantalion - Doesn’t really know or care about fashion. He’s from Plague, where you wear whatever you can find, and if not everyone’s chill about nudity. He changes his fashion to blend in with the culture of wherever he goes, or sticks to things that are good for sneaking around and hiding. He has few material objects that belong to him, but one of his prized possessions is a winter coat that Aneikenon made for him from scratch. Even when he’s not working, it seems that there’s a little goth in him that means he favours black clothes. He also wears more leather than your average person, but he’s gay so it’s fine.

Bitya - Finest lingerie collection in Ogygia, so she hangs out in that a lot at “home” - She owns a brothel and is a crime lord, so it’s not like anyone can tell her not to. Outside, her outfits aren’t usually extrvagant for someone of her nature, but she often spices her looks up with one of her many long coats. Usually wears colours in the black/white/cream/brown/gold range.

Zylhana - She works a lot, so she’s usually in some kind of uniform. In her home life, since she has plants growing into the sides of her thighs, her clothing has to accommodate that - Most of her pants and dresses have slit sides. Wears a lot of plain white, sometimes mixed with black. Her clothes are always simple, but she’s naturally beautiful so it looks good regardless.

Lis-Mirolu - Most often seen in her military uniform coat, since she works long shifts and is rarely off duty (mostly by choice). That said, out of uniform she’s a pretty snappy dresser (kinda like that hot office worker type vibe), and is one of the few people out there whole can make a turtleneck sweater look good.

Thulani - As a deity, his appearance depends on how people who believe in him depict him, and so his clothing is also decided in this way. However, he lost a lot of his power, and now he works in a hospital and just wears one of those long doctors coats. He also wears a facemask, and nobodies quite sure if it’s just a surgeon thing or if there’s something funky going on behind it. Nobodies ever seen. Nobody knows a fucking thing about Thulani like he’s some sort of cryptid and not the local medic.

Locket - Ever since he invented long-range communication and got famous for it, he’s becoming more and more of an obnoxious celebrity, and his fashion sense seems to have changed to match that.

[j-hyvn]

Reaction to a One Direction Member Falling for You. . .

@lianakeithkim I just discovered your blog and I love it!💕 Can you do a BTS reaction when a One Direction member (including Zayn Malik) fell in love with there gf? ( I swear I think of the most random things sometimes😂)

Reaction to a One Direction Member Falling for You. . .

A/N fair warning this is terrible -- I know N O T H I N G about 1D,, ,,,,,, sooooo,, yeh

Namjoon. . .

Namjoon has a lot of respect for other artists, and so he would try his hardest not to let this get to him. Though even so, you're his girl, and not matter who it is that has the hots for his girl, he's going to feel threatened. Though using his logic Namjoon would be able to keep his cool most of time, telling himself things like "Malik is in another country, this isn't as threatening as it would be if he were to be in Korea..." things along these lines. Though dont get me wrong, Namjoon is going to question what you think of said members music, style and lyrics. Then he's going to compare himself to your answers, you'll need to reassure Namjoon and boost up his confidence with better compliments than you gave to the One Direction member, and the complements are going to need to be more complex than the ones given to 1D.

Jin. . .

Totally cool about it. Might even seem somewhat oblivious about it, but that's really just cause he doesn't care all that much about Zane's feelings towards you. What's he going to do? Send a letter across the world to you? Jin isn't threatened or worried about it, might even find it cute. Jin is low-key a savage. He'll ask what you think, but mainly just out of curiosity, as he hasn't really talked about your views on 1D before, and now he's genuinely curious, but that's it.

Yoongi. . .

Couldn't give a flying cow. Malik who? Bitch, he's busy writing lyrics and doesn't have time to deal with a love struck softie who's not even in the same country as him. Yoongi might casually ask you your thoughts on the matter if you bring it up with him, but if you don't start the conversation Yoongi wont give it much thought -- probably even forget its an "issue" in two days. If you're not bothered, threatened or uncomfortable about it -- Yoongi wont waste his time on it.

J-Hope. . .

Genuinely shocked.... About a lot of things concerning this issue. 1. That you caught the eyes of a celebrity in America.. J-Hope knows your stunning and a ray of golden sunshine himself, but he never thought anyone he would fall for would catch the attention of a huge artist in America. 2. That another guy would have the audacity to openly like another mans girl, 3. That its a member from 1D. J-Hope is just thrown for a loop and doesn't even know where to begin to try and fix this. He might occasionally turn to you randomly and be like, "Did this really happen?" Just to be sure that he's understanding correctly the situation. He has 100% trust in you and will even be flattered that another huge celebrity likes his girl. His only issue is actually grasping the situation, as he never imagined himself to be in such a situation.

Jimin. . .

Similarly to J-Hope, Jimin is surprised that the both of you are having some sort of crossing paths with a celebrity in America. Jimin would want to talk to you seriously about it though. He wants to understand your feelings towards the celebrity before you tell others. Then going from there, if you don't harbor any feelings and want to turn down the 1D member, Jimin wants to help you do it in a way that wouldn't offend the 1D member. As Jimin is very respectful to others and wouldn't want to cause drama that might in the end hurt you. All Jimin would really be worried about is you being in the media in a way that might gain you negative attention, and Jimin would want to do everything in his power to protect you from that.

Taehyung. . .

For some reason the first thing he'd do is congratulate you with a goofy smile. Like, it wouldn't dawn on him that another man jas the hots for you. But then, like, three days later he would realize the situation and then get low-key jealous, but like, he wouldn't even realize he's jealous. But he would end up asking you things like, "Did that sound better than Malik?" Or "Hey, do you like my hair like this?" Trying to catch your attention even though he already has your attention and Malik doesn't. It would be painfully obvious to you and everyone else that he's jealous except himself. Eventually you would just say something like, "I can't believe Malik likes me, but I have you, so that's too bad for him." To tell him tothat you're not interested in anyone else but him because you're getting sick of his jealous antics. And that would be all Taehyung needs to hear to reassure him and turn him back into the not jealous goofball he usually is.

Jungkook. . .

His self-esteem plummets and his jealousy sky rockets. He's in a bad mood for days, snappy at you and everyone else. He stays at practices late, barely eats, suddenly going to the gym 3 times a day rather than 2. Doesn't want to talk about the problem though, so when you try to talk to him you'd need to be calm, reasonable and understanding. He's young and still new to dating and in the end he's really only scared of losing you.

PLEASE IGNORE THE MAJESTIC STATELY JIMIN AND FOCUS ON THE ANGRY JUNGKOOK IN THE BACKGROUND

[graylit]

𝚙𝚕𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚢 𝚍𝚎𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚕 & 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 : 𝚙𝚜𝚢𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚞𝚖𝚊, 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚍 𝚊𝚋𝚞𝚜𝚎/𝚊𝚋𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚗𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝/𝚗𝚎𝚐𝚕𝚎𝚌𝚝, 𝚊𝚗𝚡𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚢, 𝚍𝚎𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚜, 𝚘𝚋𝚜𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚞𝚕𝚜𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚛, 𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚎𝚌𝚝.    NOT  FOR  REBLOG !!!! ( unless you’re aloy )

REY  IS  NOT  OKAY, lets kick this clusterfuck of emotional content off with that! She is a ball of anxiety, depression, and low self esteem all wrapped up in spiky armor. She’s basically a lil hedgehog curled up in a ball protecting her soft tummy, which is how she’s lived most of her life until the events of TFA. This doesn’t make her WEAK in any way shape or form. In fact, it’s the pillar of strength that keeps her pressing onward. She is vulnerable and tender underneath the spikes she built to survive a world where softness doesn’t survive or exist.

We’re gonna start with the obvious here  ABANDONMENT  and work our way up down this painful laundry list. Now, many adopted children that are in loving and wonderful homes are still liable to feelings of abandonment or low self-esteem (  this varies from person to people ofc. the adoptees I have known over the years are an even split down the middle  )  ‘why wouldn’t my parents want me? am I not good enough? did I do something wrong? ect’ These are children placed in healthy environments with people that love and want them and those dreadful creeping feelings still exist. Now imagine quite literally WATCHING your parents on a hot and dead planet with a stranger, zooming off into space never to be seen again! If you can garner such lifelong & potentially damaging feelings in a place thats wonderful, imagine knowing and remembering their departure.

That is so goddamn WOUNDING and traumatic that she has no other choice but to bury that pain. It’s a survival instinct. It’s the mind and body protecting you from something too terrible for a child her age to cope with. So she goes on autopilot and clings to the hope of SOMEDAY because she has no other choice.  Trauma like that erases memories, especially in children as young as Rey. 

ANXIETY?  Heaps of it. Constantly. About nearly everything whether she is able to express if or not. There’s a chance she’ll miss her fam if she’s away from Jakku? Panic attack. There’s a chance her AT-AT might be ransacked by thieves in her absence? Panic Attack. You’re headed off somewhere without her? Panic attack. It might be mild at the start, but years down the road now that she’s away from the child labor camp daycare it will hit her full force. Finn will say he has to go off planet, he has to go SOMEWHERE alone and he promises he’ll be back. Her stomach would give a sick and ugly jolt but he had never lied to her before so she bites her tongue and waits. She HATES herself for the relief she feels at his swift return, how weak it makes her feel against a feeling she has no control over. Anyone she has ever grown close to is subject to these feelings, this fear. With Han being murdered right before her eyes she’s utterly shattered and can’t help but expect her loved ones to disappear.

Lets talk about that good ol soul crushing  DEPRESSION !! When the excitement dies down, when you’re heart stops pounding and you’re still for some unforeseen amount of time, it sets in like a weight. When there’s nothing let to be anxious about and the stillness takes ahold. Whether she was laying awake in her AT-AT on Jakku or curled up in her bed on D’Qar / Ahch-To / The Falcon, it is so heavy it nearly crushes her. The moments she doesn’t spend every second fighting to survive are foreign and agonizing. Being surrounded by wonderful friends and adoptive family is fantastic, sure. But depression doesn’t give a fuck how great things are going. It eats and eats at you until you cease to exist. She’s whittled away during the night, reborn every morning, ready to expend all of her energy on work so she can forget.

SELF ESTEEM? where do we download that? reiterating the abandonment issues ‘my own parents didn’t want me, why would anyone else? what did i do wrong? what if i do it again and people leave me?’ an endless stream of consciousness that makes her ache. Rey doesn’t wallow though, not for long and certainly not where anyone can see her. That’s where those lil hedgehog spikes come in handy. She doesn’t need anyone! She’s spelt well over a decade by herself, she doesn’t need to let anyone in. But God she wants to. She’s so tired of being hurt and left behind. She WANTS to be chosen for once, so much so that the girl wary of all physical contact throws her arms around the boy that came to rescue her. Does she deserve it? Is she worth all that trouble? She doesn’t know but she thanks her lucky stars someone things she is.

Last but not least that good ol OCD ‘cause if you think she stopped scratching lil tallies into places or counting down the days you are WRONG. When a habit that important and kept so devotedly, it doesn’t just go away. None of her little ‘quirks’ do and she will go into a full blown panic if they are not completed. Rey missing a tally? She’ll lose track of the days that go by in her head, she’ll lose track of her family, she’ll miss them! That feeling would have been double on Jakku, especially if she was trapped somewhere or away for an unspecified amount of time.

Every single ill that has befallen her, every abhorrent thing she has suffered and quickly swept away in order to survive will come back sevenfold down the line. The body keeps score and boy has she racked up a SIGNIFICANT number. This shit does not go away with a hug and a new life. This will follow her until her dying day, which if left untreated by a mental health expert, could be sooner rather than later. If you honest to God think that Rey would okay in any capacity with whoever left her, that a normal relationship would ensue in the near future, than you have no concept of mental health or trauma or this character in general. 

On the subject of  PARENTAGE & LUKE SKYWALKER since that is still a terribly unfortunate theory ; I cannot think of a faster way to send either of them dark side. Not only does it destroy any integrity Luke had, but it would send Rey SPRINTING in the opposite direction. There is no reason good enough to abandon your child to a life of starvation and hard labor and deep down Rey knows this. There are hints that her parents are dark siders, people that lived and possibly worked on Jakku for the Empire which would make sense given its history. That being the case she’s much more likely to stay were she is, not fleeing to a middle ground or to the opposite side which would happen if the former came true. Her outlook would be tainted because why would a HERO, a GOOD MAN leave her to suffer alone? No matter her lineage, the relationship with her birth parents is FRACTURED. No matter how much she wants them, they have sewn seeds of mistrust in her heart that will take DECADES to undo. With her new family in the resistance, in FINN, she doesn’t need anyone else. The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.  She’s found her family in friends and that is far more profound than any blood relatives.

[serenavangstuff]

Juniper Publishers-Gerontological Communication

Letter to Editor

The communication is an essential element of life, we could say that to communicate is to live, is a cross-disciplinary subject and what is called Social Communication can never be divorced from any task involving promotive activities or development plans, it is a matter that is not exclusive to journalists or communicators, and should be an essential part of professional training in general. Communicate is to express, to say, to call, to summon, to inform, to imply to agree, to lead, to advise, to influence, to draw attention to something, to discover with the weapon of language, observation, reflection and analysis. And there are many ways of communicating, different languages spoken, written, mimic, the language used must be the one that is adapted to each human situation or condition and the language is impregnated with the cultural or subcultural legacy, prejudices, myths, beliefs and often influenced by passions or hatred.

The societies evolve but many prejudices, taboos, are maintained and are necessary to implement public policies that fight these obstacles of cultural development that is united to the great problem of the discrimination, an age group as important as the older adult, in spite of many efforts still occupy a secondary place in our society, despite its real importance and going against the reality of its great contribution to the nation, and that only a minority are what the language of discrimination calls "old people” in the sense of dependency.

What we think and what we feel will be what our words express and only the one who is convinced of what he says can really influence others, you can not convince anyone if you are not convinced, so you communicate correctly, so too by the need for a process of reflection, and there is a language that is adapted to the reality of the older adult and social attitude, the image of the older adult is slowly changing, is generating a new respect and that new vision, real elderly person, banished by necessity and with basic terms such as old or old, is in some way creating a new reality and that brings us a new language, a new, fairer view of reality.

That is why people who work with older adults should lead and be promoters of a new concept of aging and their words be accompanied by actions and inspire them to know, reflect and love.

Respect is not only not to insult, it is to treat them as older adults who are, as important people, even if they are really vulnerable or with dementia, to express themselves with the elderly with the greatest dignity and consideration. We will analyze the importance of this language, of this great and deserved respect and the image of the older adult today.

The aging process begins well before the age of 60, but it is true that at older age, more discrimination exists and although people over the age of 35 are already discriminated against at work, the perception is that they are "old” a lot later, that vision of what is called old age, considers essentially certain visible physical changes where at that age they are usually more emotional, obviously a superficial vision that scorns the older adult in itself, for its aspect of "old”, without considering other variables, in which people they reach a creative, intellectual or artistic development after the barrier estimated above the age of 60, and which are based on a culture that exalts youth, seeing in such old age only decay and end of life.

The aging process is for everyone, but the most obvious discrimination is the older adult, the statistics themselves deny the false perception that the older adult is a decadent, dependent or weak subject. In recent years, there has been an increase in the social participation of the elderly, with various activities that show us learning new things, using modern technological tools, capable of changing their view of things and this new view justifies the fact that let us leave aside the terms of another "reality”, of a great persistent myth. Lamentable the role of large mass media that continue to emit images of a weak older person, and shows us as a second class citizen, just as someone who needs help, the typical "old man” of the news.

Claro also show us phenomenal "elders" who are seen as oddities to amuse the public. In our country and safe in many brother countries, almost all journalists refuse to call people aged 60, without leaving the associated language, to a different reality, a language contaminated with a deprecated vision of the reality of the elderly. In a way, in all professions there are vices and what we name here, is stubbornness, a kind of rebellion before what they seem to consider "official language" or tax, for my part there is no official language but correct and this can be varied or to qualify. And in all this that the older adult thinks, in our country they do not like to be called old or old, little by little, self-image evolves, as the new image of the older adult grows. But there is also the low self-esteem of the marginalized, of the despised who will always be low and can accept almost any word that contains contempt, so we have much to do to make the elderly adults more empowered.

Now the terrible manipulation of commercial television offers "what people like," supposedly no one likes "old", except to be pitied or laughed at, commercial media underestimate citizens, induce and manipulate the " taste of people". State institutions and civil organizations carry out various activities promoting older adults and aging, such as educational events, forums, workshops, commemorative events, workshops, and work meetings, but the question is the effectiveness of these activities can have, as far as the idea of promoting, is to influence citizenship to improve the image of the elderly and reduce levels of discrimination and poor attitudes towards older adults, where there are various types of violence, almost "Institutionalized" The most notorious defects are at the origin of many promoter activities that is the lack of conviction and therefore of mere compliance, many events and groups of activities are made for a small group of representatives or professionals, in an effort to avoid costs, when it is necessary to reach more people and what is also serious, the little importance they give to the diffusion of such events, diffusion before and after realized.

In that sense, promoter activities are absolutely ineffective and serve only as a signal that officials and organizers work and they add compliance bonuses. There are working meetings with interesting speeches, but to which they do not follow conclusions for the taking of concrete actions, and they become a simple exhibition of knowledge or sterile competences as long as an action is not collected from it. It is necessary to create an interinstitutional network that is taken seriously not to make mere exhibitionism of intellectualism or party, but to draw conclusions and actionable plans of action and this requires commitment and perhaps a quota of sacrifice, are promoted and they celebrate laws but they neglect the preventive factor of education and the possibility of an articulate permanent campaign that can really raise awareness and influence.

Promotion without diffusion, is wasting resources and talents, and achieves only inefficiency, which only serves to the applause of the audience and then pure oblivion, and we must remember that the public is no longer informed as before and the internet media are fundamental to the creation of the permanent campaign, it is not enough to work, you have to prove that you work. If we want to advance faster in the promotion of the elderly, positive aging and gerontological culture, it is necessary not neglect, assertive language, ie honest, direct and clear, as well as respectful and appropriate, say what you think and feel , to impact consciences and to break up perhaps a cold sterile academicism.

Always with the development of societies is accompanied by a certain inertia, which slows down and extinguishes enthusiasm, assertive language is the language of leadership, intelligent and emotional at the same time and therefore is our weapon against the coldness of sterile academicism. Knowing how to express something correctly and passionately at the same time should be the gerontological promoter's leading weapon, to influence, to convince, using what is usually called emotional intelligence. The true commitment is rational and emotional at the same time, it allows to analyze the receiver of the message, convince, does not impose or threat, so if one has a gerontological vision and real commitment this is his language, and also leaves aside inadequate or outdated terms, to name the people and express new respect for a new vision of aging.

And the misuse of an inadequate gerontological language, in front of the elderly and the community is a gravitating error in the gerontological promoter, together with bad humor and authoritarian gestures, the lack of commitment generates many errors that bring by logic bad results. The Gerontological Promoter must consider as a priority, the crucial issue, the dissemination of promotional activities, promote is to make public the work done for the good of the community and we must know with what means of dissemination we can count. We all know that the commercial media almost totally ignore the older adult theme and gerontology and it is very difficult to access them, when we achieve something of such means is merely occasional, not systematic and do not think that we should blow the bells to fly, and think because I got a note once, it will always be.

We must think about the means that are truly within our reach and that can always be with us, we must keep in mind that preferences and orientations are changing towards the digital world and that technology with its variety of devices puts the internet closer to the people, both because of it and the cheapening of the network costs and the large amount of public that navigates and above all enters the social networks. The traditional media are behind in gerontological information and the internet media generate great alternatives, latelevision, radio can provide programs but the internet generates alternative media, information systems and gerontological information networks, which exceed by hundreds the commercial offer of traditional media.

The idea is for the promoter to maintain contact with the commercial media if possible, but it is time to take the initiative and use the means that are truly available to the citizen and create their spaces in the network, pages, blogs, groups, with a permanent work communicator and linker, join with other pages, groups and blogs, promoters must have public profiles that allow them to go acquiring many friends, followers and contacts, join larger networks and support the small, publishing is always fundamental, choose the publications well according to the objectives drawn, and have the public they wish to have. It is good to have several social networks that are linked to each other, all this will result in an increasing positioning of the institution for which you work, it is not enough to work, you have to prove that you work.

Older people are constantly increasing in the internet and social networks and in a few years will multiply because of the large number of people over 50 who remain online, social networks as spaces of communication between people, have evolved into communities in network, in constant interaction. The social networks allow a tremendous interaction, and a repercussion of the news, comcomientes, shared and the so- called "rebounds", the systematic use of networks to publish news and capture networks tends to increase, while prejudices against social networks lose floor. They are places where we see news, we learn, we entertain and at the same time we communicate, that combination that is not possible in other means, strengthens the great change in progress, the move of the public to the internet media.

The gerontological promoter must polish and revise his communicational tools, his use of the appropriate language, the expression that generates confidence and the ideas must be exposed with clarity and conviction, so that the proposals in favor of the older adult, are accepted, before, by the elderly themselves. Never think of imposing an idea, however brilliant that we believe it to be, we must listen to others and perhaps this idea will develop better and be more successful and viable. It is necessary to achieve consensus and adequately substantiate. Once consensus has been reached, seek a broad participation of others in the implementation, generate a joyful commitment and this will be a success.

When it comes to organizing an event that is commemorative, festive or educational, keep in mind always, that being such an event a promoter activity, it needs an adequate diffusion. Dissemination is a fundamental element for the success of an event and should be an integral part of the plan of this activity, with what means will be counted, since the gerontological promoter should contribute to improving the image of the elderly, influencing people and both must always have a public profile, a communicating attitude and open to information. It is important to establish communication alliances in social networks, with other institutions and gerontological projects that go in a similar way, the type, style or quality of what you publish will form your audience, unite, interact, connect are actions that do not have loses, the big favors the small and the small to the big, to relate is to grow, isolation is the worst, of work, where little is published, or almost nothing will be no public and the lack of publications will lead to failure the project.

If a gerontological institution has few activities, it is obliged to share interesting information so as not to discourage readers from related themes and interesting for the elderly or their family and professional environment. We have to work seriously the means at our disposal, we review statistics, we must set goals and always have adequate and favorable institutional relationships. Avoid linking with institutions or people with questions, which affect the institutional image and observe transparency in the promotion, be truthful and persevering in dissemination. It is possible to say that the communicating attitude is the opposite of covering up, and must therefore generate confidence, the truth can not be harmful, only the lie is, we are always ready to publish and relate well and with optimism, seriousness and work will be achieved. Objectives of adequately promoting the older adult and the gerontological culture.

There are many who consider that anonymity should be helped and without publicity, many argue in this argument to opt for an anti-communication option that often serves to cover up the lack of work and bad practices. Society, the elderly, need to know, with whom it can count and also have the right to demand transparency from the institutions and this goes also to private organizations. Transparency implies the need to inform about the activities that are carried out, and the sources of financing, it is necessary to know with which people leaders must be visible, the objectives and mission of such institutions must be known and their activities should be consistent with what they propose.

Anyone who speaks in favor of older adults and claims to have a supportive organization on their behalf is bound to have a public profile and a communicating attitude. We need institutions that are positioned, manifest their work and their objectives by the means at our disposal, that make known its name and its leaders. We talked about the proper use of internet media, the fact of having a website or a blog, or both, of having spaces in the main social networks like facebook, twitter, Google +, LinkedIn and Pinterest, a YouTube channel. It is very important that the institution and even those who lead appear in the public light and make themselves known. It is clear that there are also those who make themselves known in a biased way, they advertise focusing on a single place concealing, so it is necessary that there is an attitude of transparency showing their work their sources of financing and resource management, institutions are needed trustworthy with honest leaders.

To read more articles in Journal of Gerontology & Geriatric Medicine

Please Click on: https://juniperpublishers.com/oajggm/index.php

For more Open Access Journals in Juniper Publishers

Click on: https://juniperpublishers.com/journals.php

[rposervices]

The everyday device in your home killing hundreds around the globe

Perhaps because the Apple iPhone was only released in 2007, a lot of us have not yet grasped the full deleterious effects of ‘the device’, and the many similar not-so-smartphones the now clunky-seeming original spawned. Countless numbers of people have been killed by their smartphones already, and we’re not talking about the tin-foil-hat brigade’s concerns about the effects of 5G, wi-fi and phone signals in general on our brains. The most obvious example is all the people who are killed on our roads, not just because they were the ones stupidly looking at their phones while driving – Australians now believe it is the main reason for our rising road toll, with 32% of drivers admitting to reading text messages while driving, according to the Community Attitudes to Road Safety 2013 Survey Report – but because they ambled, zombie-like, into traffic while posting on Instagram. The number of pedestrians killed on US roads has risen by a staggering 51% since 2009. In 2017, pedestrian fatalities in Australia jumped by 20% in a year, with police blaming the stupidity of smartphones. If you haven’t noticed the number of people who try to cross roads while ignoring the approach of big heavy vehicles in favour of their tiny screens, it’s probably because you’ve been looking at your phone. The RACQ would like to see new laws to fine people who cross the road while staring at a device. “We think that sort of offence is on its way. There’s no doubt about it,” spokesman Paul Turner said. “Stand at an intersection in the CBD for half an hour and you’ll see five or 10 people just being saved or stopping themselves from walking out into traffic because they were looking down at their phone. When you tap them on the shoulder and they look up it’s as though they’ve been in some sort of daze because they are so engrossed in their phone.” No doubt you’re congratulating yourself for not being like that yourself but, be honest, what is your relationship with your phone like? And even if it’s not getting you run over, how much harm is it doing you?

Dopamine and cortisol

Have you, for example, felt what’s known as ‘phantom vibrations’ from your phone? That sensation where your body is sure it’s detected a new message buzz, but you check and there’s nothing there? That strange and concerning sensation is caused by the state of hyper-vigilance you’ve no doubt found yourself in from time to time, when stressful/vital information is pouring into this now essential-for-life device, which is rarely more than a metre away from you. The fact is, we are, as a species, becoming addicted to both the dopamine hits of satisfaction that our smartphones give us hundreds of times a day, while being simultaneously assaulted by the dangerous levels of cortisol they send coursing through our bodies. That combination is affecting everything from the way we sleep to our attention span, our memory, our self-esteem, decision-making skills and our physical health. You’re probably aware that many apps, and phones themselves, are designed to be habit forming. Those Likes on Facebook and Instagram are designed to trigger happy chemicals in our brains, much the way poker machines do, and thus to make us want to keep checking them, endlessly.

No less an authority than Google noted in a report that: “Mobile devices loaded with social media, email and news apps” create “a constant sense of obligation, generating unintended personal stress”. According to a study by a tracking app called Moment, the average American spends four hours a day staring at their phone. Unfortunately, not all the information our screens give us is positive, and when we’re getting, instead, irate emails from colleagues, for example, or other bad news, our bodies release cortisol, our fight-or-flight hormone. Cortisol is designed to prime your body to react to physical threats – such as bears, or bullies – and it changes your body physically, upping your heart rate, frizzing your adrenaline and spiking your blood sugar. Unfortunately, your body also responds with cortisol when you’re being stressed emotionally. And smartphones can provide you with these moments, wherever you are, multiple times per hour. “Your cortisol levels are elevated when your phone is in sight or nearby, or when you hear it or even think you hear it,” says David Greenfield, the founder of the Center for Internet and Technology Addiction. “It’s a stress response, and it feels unpleasant, and the body’s natural response is to want to check the phone to make the stress go away.” Checking the phone, of course, can just provide more bad news and thus you can get into a cycle that leaves you with chronically high levels of cortisol. And this can lead to all kinds of health issues, including heart attacks, dementia, diabetes and depression. Dr Robert Lustig, author of The Hacking of The American Mind recently told The New York Times that “every chronic disease we know of is exacerbated by stress, and our phones are absolutely contributing to this”. As bad as smartphones are for you, of course, you’ve only had it running your life for the past dozen years. Just think of what it’s doing to your children, and the entirety of the coming generations. Anyone over the age of 10 is already unable to imagine a world without smartphones, and as they grow into adolescence, they are likely to be gifted one of these dangerous yet vital devices by their own parents. This is “like giving them cocaine or heroin”, according to David Gillespie, the author of Teen Brain – Why Screens Are Making Your Teenager Depressed, Anxious And Prone to Lifelong Addictive Illnesses – And How to Stop it Now.

Teens, addiction and anxiety caused by smartphones

Gillespie’s book is full of shocking insights, and data, which make perfect sense of the behaviour many young teens exhibit today, particularly if you’re brave or foolhardy enough to attempt to take a device off one. He points out that in puberty, as the prefrontal cortex expands, the human body turns off a system called GABA (Gamma aminobutyric acid), a kind of “general purpose braking system that stops us from becoming addicted to things”. This is why the teen years are a terrible time to start drinking or smoking, or even having sex, and Gillespie points out that society has realised this, and had huge successes in those areas. “Between 2007 and now, the rates of teenage pregnancy, and alcohol and cigarette use by teens all dropped – they’re all about half of what they were, it’s a huge achievement and I don’t know why we’re not talking more about it,” he says. “The rates of anxiety and depression for teenagers should also be halving but, instead, the rates of those things in teens have actually doubled over the same period. “That tells us immediately that something is replacing those addictions. And what has replaced it is also addictive, as it has driven up mental illness in this life stage.” The reason, according to Gillespie, is that we are now giving every adolescent “devices that can run simulations of addictive behaviour, all the time”. As he points out, software for smartphones and apps are designed to be addictive, to have the same “mesmeric effect” that poker machines have on those who are susceptible, only across a wider swathe of society. “There are millions of companies competing to be one of those five apps on your home screen that you click a hundred or a thousand times a day, and they want to find a way to get people to press that button by giving them a hit of dopamine every time they press it,” he says.

Teens are super susceptible, of course, but boys and girls are targeted in different ways. Young women, Gillespie’s research reveals, are rewarded by the drug oxytocin when “they are in a group of girls, and that group approves of them, they feel liked, and that gives them oxytocin, which is more powerful in girls than in boys”. “A teenage girl is as sensitive as she will ever be to this and that’s why the creation of ‘approval porn’ has been so successful,” Gillespie adds. “Until now, we’ve never been able to replicate this approval hit of having real people like you, but simulating that is what social media software does. All of the Facebooks, the Instagrams, they’re all high-speed simulators of social approval, and girls, really, really respond to that.” Boys, however, are gripped by what Gillespie calls ‘danger porn’, because men are stimulated by risk and danger. “Which is why gambling is so popular; it’s that chance of losing, and the relief of surviving something that’s rewarding for boys – it’s also why they love roller-coasters,” he says. “And a simulation of that is online gaming on your phone; the first-person shooter like Fortnite, those games are all designed around the concept of danger porn. It’s about survival and the relief of survival.” Throw in the social aspect of being able to chat to your peers while playing, and the mobility of phone-based games, and you’ve got serious addiction on your hands. As Gillespie says, these devices were designed from day one, by Steve Jobs and company, to be “beautiful, easy to use and hard to give up”. And, knowing how addictive they would become, Jobs famously declared that he wouldn’t let his own children near them. “The Jobs thing came out by accident in an interview, he was asked how long he let his kids play with iPads and so on and he wasn’t expecting it and just blurted out that he wouldn’t let his children have them – what’s that saying? Don’t get high on your own supply,” Gillespie laughs. “But that’s become the trend in Silicon Valley these days, the executives instruct their nannies not to let their kids anywhere near these devices. “And the research shows that rich people are less likely to give their devices to kids, because they can afford to pay humans to interact with their children instead. They consider it a low-class thing to give your children a screen.” Regardless of what health effects you believe 5G networks might have in the coming years, it’s clear that the devices we’re already using, already addicted to, in fact, have had an enormous effect on society, and mortality, and they’ve only been around for little more than a decade. The device may yet prove to be a more potent example of humanity shooting itself in the foot than even the gun. Read the full article

[paosiopao]

Blog entry: July 16, 2018

Monday 03:07am

"Why aren’t you reacting normally to death?

Why you're not feeling it like everyone else is?"

I was asked this question multiple times already and last night with Tatay and thought is would make a good blog.

I think it's because I'm one of those people who seems to feel almost nothing after the death of someone close it can be easy to worry that I'm aren’t behaving as I'm supposed to, or I'm aren’t dealing with it, or that I'm ‘cold’ – the word used to describe by many people who asked me this question.

I’ve written quite a bit before on why I shouldn’t set certain expectations of what I'm experience looks and feels like and not to feel guilty about any of the way I am feeling, but I’d like to touch specifically upon this particular feeling – this numbness. It’s not denial or disbelief – there is almost a quiet acceptance in it. And it’s not that I necessarily feel fine about it….it’s more that I aren’t really feeling anything.

And at this time one of people’s biggest worries for me is

a) that I'm aren’t behaving as I should and

b) that maybe I'm aren’t dealing with what has happened.

So let’s talk about that…

What should I be feeling?

I won’t write a lot here. What I will reiterate though is that anything I'm feeling or not feeling is fine. I don’t care what you’ve read, heard, or been told – there are no rules, no required process or pattern that I must follow. What I feel is what I feel. Try not to judge and decide what I should be feeling or what would be a better or more appropriate way to feel.

So why do I feel numb?

According to my GP. One of the symptoms of unprocessed grief and one of the common symptoms or reactions to trauma is emotional numbing. Often after experiencing or witnessing something tragic we become emotionally numb as a way of protecting our conscious mind from the pain of that raw experience. This emotional numbing is often closely linked with denial, becoming armored, and cutting off parts of ourselves or parts of our feelings so that we don’t have to experience the depth of the pain. It’s emotionally satisfying, and satisfying to our egos, and our self-esteem to think that we are so tough that witnessing pain, experiencing pain, and causing pain don’t affect us.

It is mental separation or barrier between me and my trauma. It's a natural defence mechanism of the mind that we seem to have in common with a number of other species. Its evolutionary purpose (i.e.,the "survival advantage" it confers) is to let us keep going when a catastrophic injury we've sustained, be it physical or emotional, would defeat us if we fully experienced it in the moment. It happens to soldiers in combat, it happens to accident victims, it happens to people who have been profoundly betrayed by abuse, abandonment, or deception, and it happens when we suddenly lose the people most dear to us to death.

It doesn't happen in every case, but it happens often enough to be well within the bounds of "normal."

The first thing to know is…don’t worry that I'm aren’t dealing with this. My mind is working on it. If you worry that i'm aren’t grieving or ‘letting it out’ – there is probably another outlet that i'm doing, even if not a big or obvious one. I might be getting angry or upset about other, seemingly unrelated things instead. I will be letting it out – maybe just in little ways. My numbness is often just a bit of a bubble protecting me from trying to get my head around too much too soon. And though I don’t want to stay in this bubble too long, for now it can be incredibly useful. If it wasn’t helping me out right now I wouldn’t be doing it.

So in answer to “why aren’t I reacting normally to this death” the answer is……I am. I'm just doing it in a different way and in a way that suits me far better for now.

05:34pm

Tita Mabu invited us to Palms Country Club

Ibang level of stress ang dulot nitong si Migs eh. Depressed din ko ngayon please wag niya na dagdagan stress ko ngayon nahihirapan ako to act calm when he’s around (potek) I don’t want him to feel bad because I can totally see na he’s a sad person. I don’t know I just know it or may because having mental illness or any mental disorder for that matter makes you see the world in a different way. I notice things that normal people can’t. Like the emptiness in their eyes, the way they smile doesn’t reach their eyes, the anxiousness the feel when they interact in front of others. Just the little things that most people would look over but I notice. Because they’re just like me.

Kaya here I am pinag-mumukha ko sarili kong busy para di niya ako kausapin kasi I don’t want him to feel bad but I’m bad at it coz damn I’m pretty obvious that I don’t want to talk to him (maygawd) I even asked Kenzo to call me every 15mins so I can escape.

06:02pm

Lol ngayon ko lang nakita yung text message ni Tatay. Kausapin ko daw si Migs!! (Mukha ba kaming close tay!!)

Buti na lang ngayon ko lang nakita kundi magkaka-panic attacks ako!

09:34pm

I actually like Tita Mabu.

I feel like she’s like me. Yung tipong ang super powers niya is pagiging observant. I don’t know she also noticed na malungkot si Migs. Now I feel bad kasi I know how it feels like to suffer.

Also biglang na-shift ang kwento about my mental health. I told them I was doing better, I told them I was doing great and for a moment I almost believed myself. That all it takes is one beautiful smile to hide my injured soul, how I’m slowly fading away falling apart right in front of their eyes, how they will never notice how broken I really am.

I guess, there comes a point where talking about it doesn't make you feel better anymore. You just live with your mouth closed and your walls up and your heart hidden. I don’t really want to talk about it. Now that I’m certain na I’m beyond help. Wala na akong magagawa about it…tanggap ko na...

Tanggap ko na that this darkness will be an inevitable part of me.

But at the same time I also feel bad because I can feel that they’re genuinely do care for me. So many people have told me that I need to open up but not a single person understands that every time I pry apart my rib cage, releasing all my butterflies that have been hiding there for years. 

I’m too afraid that every person I let in..in my life, something bad always happens and I end up miserable again. It’s like you’re constantly getting your hopes up, only to be disappointed every single damn time, to the point where you just learn to never get your hopes up again for anything. I am so used to the disappointment and sadness, so that’s what I become used to and afraid to be anything but that because it’s a terrible feeling to feel so good, only to sink back so low. So I stay that way, so I won’t have to go through the pain all over again. 

[hawk-in-a-jazzy-hat]

Dual Anime Review: Flip Flappers, Magical Girl Raising Project, and the Post-Madoka Magical Girl

The Magical Girl Raising Project is a popular social network game allowing people all over Japan to create their own magical girl heroes, fight monsters and collect points and items. But what most people don’t know is the game’s secret; if you’re lucky enough to be chosen by the admins, you can actually become a real magical girl, complete with enhanced physical abilities and extraordinary magical powers. So it is for Snow White, who takes it upon herself to be a force for good, while getting to know the many other magical girls throughout her city, some of whom are friendlier than others. All’s well and good, until the game’s mascot, Fav-pon, suddenly announces that he’s cutting the number of magical girls down by half...

Meanwhile, in a different show...

Cocona is a middle-school girl with good grades but low self-esteem or ambition. While she struggles to figure out what to do with her life, the eccentric wild-child Papika literally flies into her life and whisks her off to a wondrous and magical dimension known as Pure Illusion. Cocona soon meets the people behind Papika’s journeys, the mysterious organisation FlipFlap, who wants the two of them to travel throughout Pure Illusion and gather the Amorphous fragments said to be able to grant wishes. As they encounter ever more dangerous worlds and even more dangerous organisations, Cocona ends up finding out more about herself, and her own wishes, desires and past, than she could ever imagine...

So, I’m gonna do something different. On the surface, these are two very different shows with very different styles and approaches, and for the longest time I was debating on how best to tackle them. But honestly, despite how different they are they are both magical girl shows. And while there are massive differences between them, both of their approaches can both be tracked back to a single show which, for better or for worse, has completely reshaped this genre for the foreseeable future.

That would be the 2011 show, and my personal favourite, Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

There have been loads of magical girl shows throughout the years, some of which have made their way over to our kid’s TV channels, and some which are lying on the back half of obscurity. Pani Poni Dash, Cardcaptor Sakura, Magical Knight Rayearth, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, and of course, the many many incarnations of Sailor Moon. The main premise is often similar; an average Joe schoolgirl comes across a magical power and becomes a superhero, fighting for justice and looking pretty at the same time. She often gathers a series of friends with their own powers who support her and follow their own storylines, and the stories tend to focus on the power of friendship, positive attitudes and actions, and just generally being a nice person. Yeah, it sounds corny, but honestly as kids’ shows go they range from harmless to actually quite exciting; I remember really enjoying Cardcaptors back in the day (despite the questionable dubbing) and frankly the stories told could be just as epic or intense as your normal superhero show. The magical girl genre was no stranger to dark stuff, or complex stuff, as can be seen with Princess Tutu or Revolutionary Girl Utena. It is, after all, a genre like any other, and you can do what you like with it.

But then came along Madoka Magica, and suddenly, to the anime-creating masses, magical girls could suddenly be a new and unexplored territory.

Madoka Magica took the genre and flipped it on its head. Whimsical fantasy gave way to brutal reality, the power of friendship gave way to the flaws of human nature, and the bright, pastel worlds suddenly seemed far more dangerous and foreboding than they’d ever been before. Whether you like the show or not, there’s no doubt that it did for magical girls what Evangelion did for super robot shows. Madoka Magica has become an icon, and ever since, magical girl shows have and will be judged by that standard, whether unfairly or intentionally.

There’ve been a few definite attempts to cash in on Madoka’s popularity in the ensuing years. Day Break Illusion was one of the first, coming out in the summer of 2013 to the raucous sound of people not caring. Whereas Madoka was subtle in its approach, Day Break Illusion was a blatant attempt to be ‘dark and edgy’ just because Madoka did it. Of course, as I’ll explain later, that doesn’t necessarily make it a bad show. No, it’s the bad cliche characters, terrible plot twists, lack of focus, contemptible fanservice, 2deep4you attitude and general messy aesthetic that makes it a bad show. But I digress.

There have been other notable ‘post-Madoka’ works throughout the years as well, including Wixoss and Yuki Yuna is a Hero, both of which I’ve heard mixed things about but sadly have not seen yet. I daresay there have been others as well that have slipped under the radar. But the point is, magical girls have not gone anywhere, as is evident from the two shows that came out last season. But even though Madoka is over five years old now, its influence isn’t going anywhere either.

In some ways, this is utterly obvious, as can be seen with the first of these shows, Magical Girl Raising Project. Now, this is actually an adaptation of a light novel that was published in 2012, only a year after the release of Madoka. I can’t and won’t say whether the novel itself was directly inspired by the show; there may have been enough time but I daresay the idea was there before Madoka came out. What I can say though is that even if the novel is definitely not inspired, the anime certainly is.

Let’s take a break and mention the production, as I usually do at the beginning. The studio behind this is Lerche, probably most famous for Assassination Classroom and DanganRonpa the Animation. The look of the show pretty closely follows that formula; it’s...decent. Characters are always on model, but often look a little stilted and wooden. The animation is good but nothing spectacular. The direction is very by the books and straightforward, but at the very least it’s not bad. Just unambitious. The music is the same; the pieces do the jobs they’re supposed to, and are never particularly standout or particularly distracting. It’s weird how mundane the production feels considering how dark and brutal the subject matter gets, and honestly I think that works against the show; it’s one thing to pretend the show is all happy-clappy and jolly and then hit the Sudden Dark Turn button, but if the show’s already kinda muted and, let’s face it, bland, the brutal twists don’t hit as hard.

And yes, this show is brutal. Whereas Madoka is sort of ambiguous until the infamous episode 3 (and even then, is nowhere near as dark as some people like to make out) MagiPro gives you only one episode of Shiny Happy Funtimes before it hits you with dark twist after dark twist after dark twist. The fights are brutal and bloody, the characters are pushed to their limits, and just when you think it can’t get any more messed up, you get proven wrong the very next episode. This show is utterly vicious.

Normally, this would put me right off. Vicious and brutal for the sake of vicious and brutal can very easily come off as tasteless and offensive if done even vaguely right (see: Elfen Lied), and utterly laughable if done wrong (see: Mirai Nikki). I was ready to go into this show and tear it a new one; I had virtually no expectations. But the funny thing is...it works. As much as the production is bland,  the actual story itself has a heck of a lot of thought put into it. About four episodes in, I found myself really enjoying it, and wondering where it was going to go next. I was interested. I was excited. It was trash, but it was lovingly crafted trash, and such trash demands my attention.

There are a couple of reasons. Part of that is the characters, although not because any of them were particularly deep or complex or anything. They were just fun. Some very unique designs, and all of them had unique personalities, stories and interactions. It certainly helped that, although Koyuki was supposedly the main girl, the show actually gave sufficient screentime to...pretty much everyone now I think about it. The balance is just right, with the slightly more troubled characters staying around for longer and ‘leaving’ just at the right time. It wasn’t perfect (I’ll get into that in a minute) but it was far better handled than, say, Mirai Nikki, where half of the ‘contestants’ had barely any screentime, character, or both. And there were 16 magical girls (plus Fav-pon) mingling around here, and only 12 episodes to do it all in. I’ll admit, that’s impressive.

That’s the other thing though; the pacing was absolutely spot-on. Right from the get-go, the stakes were there, and you got to see what everyone was up to. It’s hard to describe how essential good pacing is to storytelling, but MagiPro is the show to bring up as evidence for why. Even at its trashiest, the handling of the story itself was really rather masterful. And that’s the other thing; the show was very self-aware. Not in the way that it was constantly turning to the camera and making 4th wall jokes, but rather that the tropes that usually come up in these things kinda did...but then got twisted around at the last second. If I were to give you all of the characters at the beginning of the show and ask you to guess what happened, chances are you’d make a few wrong guesses. As I said, the characters themselves aren’t particularly complex, but the way they’re used feels fresh and new. For the most part.

It’s easy to see the influence from Madoka Magica here, but does it actually work as a successor? In many ways, it gets a lot of things right. It takes the Dark Magical Girl tone and plays around with it, making a show that is actually entertaining, which is always a good start. And of course, it’s far darker and more brutal than Madoka ever was. So is this really the second coming? Eeeh....no. Not really.

For a start, MagiPro has problems. And when MagiPro shows its problems, it really goes downhill. Whereas most of the characters are handled well, one or two really miss the mark. There’s a character called Top Speed who, while a fun character in her own right, has one of the most predictable and hammered-in ‘stories’ I’ve ever seen. They try, lord knows they do, but it’s really difficult to feel any sort of emotional attachment when all she’s doing is spouting clumsy foreshadowing. And where she gets a bit too much, there are a few girls who really don’t get enough, especially with all the build-up some of them get. There’s an attempt there, and most of them get backstories or context (albeit often quite clumsily), but there gets to be a point when they really don’t have much reason to be there.

And that’s the biggest problem with MagiPro; for all of its clever writing and excellent plotting...it really doesn’t have a point. The story just starts, people die...and then it kind of stops. At a stopping point, yes, but it almost feels like a prologue. Maybe they’re waiting on a second season, I don’t know, but as it stands it definitely feels unfinished.

But you could say the same thing about Madoka Magica if you look at it objectively; that has quite an open end as well. But the thing is, the characters are rounded off. The themes reach a natural conclusion. MagiPro doesn’t really have any themes; it’s just pointless violence for the sake of pointless violence. It’s easy to see the influence from Madoka, and the good plotting from Madoka, but unlike that MagiPro just doesn’t really have anything to say. It’s like a bloody fireworks display; pretty and impressive at times, but nothing really substantial.

Despite what many people may think, Madoka Magica is not a great show just because ZOMG DARK SUBVERSION. That’s certainly an aspect it has, but it’s not what makes it special. It has a story to tell and a moral to show and characters and a world to explore while doing so. The problem with most so-called ‘ripoffs’, no matter how good they are, is that they fail to actually understand what makes the original so iconic in the first place. It’s just an attempt to cash in on the popularity, without the effort needed to actually understand them. It’s not just an anime thing either; look at the DC vs Marvel thing going on right now. The MCU, for all its problematic elements, has a definite direction, character arcs and subtle elements and foreshadowing to make everything feel that much more real. The DC cinematic universe is just trying to slam together as many things as they can, get the big events and the big villains and...it doesn’t work. Even if the film itself has good elements (Suicide Squad) it doesn’t feel natural, or real, or integrated in the way that it really should in the bigger picture.

Basically, Magical Girl Raising Project feels like the anime version of Suicide Squad; a decent flick with great elements that ultimately misses the mark on what it’s actually trying to be. And that’s almost a shame, because there’s obviously a lot of effort going in.

So that’s the obvious Madoka ripoff, but what about the other show? On the surface, Flip Flappers seems like something completely different and new. But I promise, the influence is still there; just implemented a little differently.

So how is Flip Flappers’ production? Well, the studio behind it is the relative newcomers 3Hz, who haven’t really got a lot on their backlog; I think the only major thing they’ve done is Dimension W from early 2016. That being said, it’s clear they pulled out all the stops with this show because it looks absolutely phenomenal. I’ve always preferred the rougher, sketchier animation style to the real smooth polished stuff that tends to come out nowadays; Flip Flappers kind of has the aesthetic of a studio Trigger show, but without the off-model characters and clear budget cuts, making it a feast for the eyes alone. Even the real-world stuff is pretty, with very unique and wide-eyed character designs, and once we actually get into Pure Illusion? Ooh boy...every world looks different and every one is a fireworks display of colour and sakuga, and the occasional batpoop insanity. If you want to get a taste of the show at its best looking, watch the third episode. Just the third one is fine; the backgrounds, locations, characters, and especially the fight scenes are glorious to behold. The music is also unique...ish. It definitely has a style all of its own but I’m struggling to think of any tracks that really stood out to me. I will say that there are one or two that I swear sound like something from Spyro: A Hero’s Tail, but that’s just me. The opening’s pretty, and the ending is just adorable, with a little bit of a sinister edge in the fairytale setting. Flip Flappers has a look and a sound all its own, so when it sneaks the slightly darker tones in (say, a living brain in a robot, or a creepy as all heck goop witch), you don’t quite realise the Madoka influences are there, but they are.

Because behind the bright colours and the whimsical adventures is actually quite a mature story, and one that might well have gone over a lot of people’s heads. The amount of fanservice (some of which is admittedly unnecessary, although also quite creatively symbolic), sexual themes and the interactions between the two mains might suggest this is nothing but crass yuri-baiting, but honestly there’s more to it than that. This isn’t just a fantasy adventure; it’s a coming-of-age story. It’s the development of a young relationship through the eyes of an adolescent, and how the worlds of children, adults and those inbetween collide. It’s really quite clever and I should really rewatch it to see if I can pick out some of the symbolism in the background. Certainly there are some great bits of direction and allusions to optical illusions (hehe) that are well-handled and, again, give the show its own style.

I’ve been talking about Madoka but the far clearer comparison to make is with a Kunihiko Ikuhara show, with the bizarre locations, character development done through symbolism and action rather than exposition and dialogue, and the general otherworldly, almost fairytale-esque nature. Also, lesbians. You can argue yuri-baiting all you want, but just like in those shows, the symbolism and intent is definitely on a gay relationship. It doesn’t have to be explicit like in Yuri!! On Ice to be effective or heartfelt, and the characters do not need to kiss in order to make the relationship ‘proper’. Yes, I’m looking at you Tumblr.

Is the show perfect though? Weeeeell...no. Apparently the head writer left halfway through and somebody else took up the reins, and it shows. The writing never gets bad but it suddenly leaves behind the clever symbolism and relationship building and instead focuses on a deep conspiracy plot that honestly comes out of nowhere. Ideas which were built up in the first half are kind of sidelined for a lot of really confusing backstory and some scenes which are just blatantly ripped from Evangelion, and as much as they try to tie everything together, there are big gaps in the final story. What is the deal of the other amorphous child, and the twins? We never really find out. What are Hidaka and Sayuri’s stories? We never really find out, although you could make a solid case that episode 8 delves into Hidaka’s mindset through Bu-chan. That’s not to say it’s ‘bad’, but all the build-up and subtlety from the first half is just sort of forgotten. Thankfully the series does eventually get back to its roots and the main focus it should be on; the world according to Cocona, and her relationships (familial, platonic and romantic). There’s a character I’ve neglected to mention called Yayaka, who honestly has a brilliant arc from beginning to end, and may even be more interesting than Cocona. Even when the show’s writing does lose track, the solid base is still there.

In many ways Flip-Flappers is the antithesis to Magical Girl Raising Project; it’s a visually ambitious production with a lot of great ideas and some marvellous character study, let down somewhat in the end by some lacklustre plotting and pacing. And yet both shows are good. Really good, in fact, despite the flaws. And definitely a product of the post-Madoka anime world.

See, while MagiPro is a clear spiritual descendent of Madoka, I’d argue that Flip-Flappers has been influenced even more. Because as I said, the entire point of Madoka is never that it was dark. The point of Madoka was to take a magical girl, and explore the humanity behind her. It does for magical girls what things like The Dark Knight and Iron Man did for superhero movies, or Evangelion did for mecha shows. Magical girl shows prior could be complex, and could be dark, and could be undoubtedly human. But Madoka Magica took that concept and showed it to the world, and frankly, Flip-Flappers is far more its child than MagiPro is in that regard. Flip-Flappers is a show so in tune with human nature and human relationships that it kinda sorta works to its detriment, although not enough to stop it from being a great show.

But of course, this is all just conjecture on my part. What I can say though is that, despite being remarkably different, both of these shows are really very good and you should watch them. If you’re a person who prefers solid storytelling, shocking twists and thrilling entertainment, Magical Girl Raising Project is the show for you. If, however, you prefer ideas to stories, and would rather explore a character than see them in a fight to the death, or you just want to marvel at the fantastic worlds, then you’ll probably prefer Flip-Flappers. I definitely fall into the latter category myself.

Still, whichever you prefer, it’s reassuring to know that magical girls aren’t going anywhere soon. As proven with superheroes, they are not just kids stuff, or lazy shows with simple characters and lessons on friendship. They never have been. They have the potential to be something great, and in a community changed by a show about a shy, pink-haired girl in a big nasty world, we’re certainly going to see a lot more of that greatness coming soon.

I’ll say it here so I’ve got it in writing; I love magical girls. They are incredible heroes. They are inherently human. And they are utterly magnificent.

My scores:

Magical Girl Raising Project: 7/10

Flip-Flappers: 8/10