#not much else to say except how hyped i am

[the-sage-libriomancer]

finally started Inuyasha! i haven't seen this series since i was like twelve, so while watching the first episode i kept getting smacked in the face with nostalgia. i literally haven't thought about this show in years. it holds up surprisingly well considering it's from the 90s.

thoughts!

-first off, the animation is super good! i was bracing myself for a lot of still shots and stilted animation since i know the animes of my childhood usually don't hold up well, but honestly it doesn't show its age nearly as much as i expected. i forgot how much i missed Takahashi's style...looking back she was a big influence on my art and i somehow forgot all about it T.T

-the dubbing wasn't that bad either, though i definitely didn't notice all the blatant sound editing when i was a kid lol. characters who are supposed to be cut off mid-sentence will conspicuously pause so the next person can speak, and the way the audio is overlaid onto the animation makes it soooo obvious that it's not the original audio. also, i completely forgot that Kaede says "ye" instead of "you" (which i assume is a translation of her somewhat archaic way of speaking Japanese, but considering that's the only "old-timey language" thing they give her it kinda comes off as a verbal tic lmao).

-holy hell the theme song made me so damn nostalgic—the second it started playing, i immediately felt like i was twelve years old again. literally the only part of the song i remembered was the first line ("I want to CHANGE the WORLD!") and that was IT, that was the only thing that would play in my head when i thought about the show. the ending song and the ad break animation also triggered the nostalgia...i saw that clip of Inuyasha snatching the jewel and the twangy sound cue accompanying it so often that i could've sworn it was burned into my brain.

-the title of this episode is so funny akjdhdjsahdjsadhjas. "The Girl Who Overcame Time...and the Boy Who Was Just Overcome" i hope that's a direct translation bc it's absolutely hilarious.

-at one point Kagome refers to the time period as "the Japanese Middle Ages" and i almost laughed out loud. it's so weird to remember that your average usamerican anime watcher at the time (myself included) wouldn't know what the Edo period was.

-seeing Inuyasha (the character) in action for the first time in decades brought back memories: my twelve y/o self thought he was a PUNK BITCH and she was right lmao. i really love his actor—Richard Ian Cox captures that bratty teenage boy cadence perfectly, and his line delivery is great. i can't wait to see more of him!

-speaking of good dubbing, i really like Kagome's actress! Moneca Stori plays her well, knowing when to give some attitude and when to play it earnest instead. the banter between Kagome and Inuyasha was sooooo much fun and i'm looking forward to seeing them get into some real arguments ashjahsjadhasjdhasj.

in conclusion: i'm really excited to rewatch this series! the first episode absolutely rocks and i have a good feeling about the rest of the show. i can't wait to see Sango! and Miroku! and Shippo! and all the other characters who i have definitely forgotten about!

[luv3rx]

" Patience "

─ LEE TAEYONG X F!READER ♡

─ Taeyong fucks you after getting distracted by you while working on his mini album˚◞♡

─ 1.7k words

─ Smut, dom!Tae, Sub!reader, artist bf!Tae, praises, pet names(Baby and princess), choking, slight rough sex, slight breeding kink?, Unprotected sex.

─ A/n: IM DEFINITELY HAVING THS ALBUM ON REPEAT. ITS LITERALLY SO FIRE. Plus the concept photos literally have me on my knees for this man. Maybe This is just a little drabble. I was writing this at 3-4 am so I was tired asf. this is my first ever smut so please tell me if I did well or better. I enjoy feedback.

Taeyong 🔛🔝

Taeyong was really hyped about his new album. that's all he would talk about. He would constantly show the lyrics he worked on or would let you listen to the beats.

He would take you with him to every concept photoshoot and let you take some pictures of your own. He enjoys when you show support of his passion and excitement. He always tells your support makes him want to work harder and push himself as far as he can.

Of course he does try and make time for you in between. He wouldn't want to ever leave you out. You were the only thing keeping him moving and giving him motivation.

You were his antidote to keep him pushing and you were all the feedback he needed. No one else's opinion mattered except yours. If you liked it he would continue and if you find like it he would instantly scrap it.

He would constantly insist in using your voice for ad-libs but you would always deny and say you wouldn't want to hear your voice in a song when you already hear it enough. He was very upset about it but did didn't want to push you so he just decided to pay someone else to do itm

︶︶︶︶︶︶

“Babyyy! How much longer are you gonna work?! Im bored..” You complained sitting in the lounge chair behind Taeyong in his studio as he was working on another one of his songs for his album.

He was instinctively focused. He hadn't looked away from his computer screen yet. He could hear you whining behind him from one ear being uncovered by the headphones he wore on his head.

“Im almost finished. Just maybe a few more things I have to do. Be patient for me, baby.” He pleaded because your whining was making him want to just quit was doing and go to you but this album was something he had been striving for awhile now. He needed to get it finished, now or never.

“But it feels like we've been in here for hours and I need you..!” you whine even louder stretching yourself out on the lounge chair. You layed your head on the arm of the chair and groaned as he ignored you.

You sit up and watch him glare at you through the glass of the studio mic room. You glare right back him and roll your eyes. You would have been on your phone but he told you to leave it home so you could watch him work and motivate him but that backfired. You sigh heavily and decide to leave. You picked up your shoulder bag and heading towards studio door but the call of your name from Taeyong cause you to turn back around.

“Baby don't leave yet.. I need you.. I can't focus without you..” he implied as he finally removes his focus from the computer and towards you. He fully removed the headphones on his head. He put on his best begging face. He deep down did need you to focus but he also wanted you to just be near him.

“Well your more focused on that stupid computer. i think you need it more than me.. but I guess I'll stay.” You pout and sigh as you walk back over to the lounge chair but Taeyong calls out to you again.

“Dont say that ever and No, don't sit there. C'mere and sit on my lap, since you need me so bad.” He backs his up his chair and pats his lap for to come sit. He was in desperate need to be close to you right now. He was more desperate to be finished and be able to be with you too but he didn't wanna rush. This was an important project for him.

You hesitantly sat on his lap and he instantly wrapped his arms around your waist and held you for a bit. He took in the scent of your perfume and groaned.

“You always smell so good baby. Your making me crave you more.” He whined burying his face in the crook of your neck. His hands held on to your waist as he continued to take in your perfumes scent. He would be lying straight through his teeth if he'd say that this wasn't slightly turning him on.

He was finally able to push away his dirty thoughts and instantly got back to work. You on the other hand was needy for him to touch you and fuck so you decide to tease his a bit. You would slightly just rub yourself against him, to hopefully distract him.

You were slightly shifting on his lap and eyed even his slight movements. Taeyong was clearly unaware of what was going on your head but when you began to rub against he felt his breathe hitch in his throat. His hands stopped moving along his computer. His whole body pretty much came to a halt.

He tried to hold back any lewd sounds that was tempted to slip out. His breathes were shallow as he tried to keep himself focus and ignore any sexual frustration that was getting pent up right now.

“Y/n. Stop and sit still for me. Your driving me crazy right now..” He hissed. Both of his hands instantly went to hold your hips, his nails digging harshly into your hips. He head was hidden in the crook of your neck. You could feel his warm breath against your neck.

“But, Tae.. I need you baby.. really bad..” You whined. Rocking down against him again. His nails dug deeper into your hips as he breathes became more shallow. That's when you felt it. His hardened dick was poking against your covered cunt. He smirked at your sudden mood change when you felt him against you.

“Why so quiet now, baby? You were very vocal about how you wanted me so bad. I'll give you just what you want.” He started kissing your neck and grinding against you. He was mesmerized by the moans and whimpers that left you. It only made him want you more. He was quick to slide his hands up your skirt and rub your inner thigh, he wanted to tease you and make you beg for it.

His hand went higher up your inner thigh just close enough to your cunt. He looked up at you with his lustful gaze. He needed you badly and this was making his just as needy as you. 'Fuck it.' he thought to himself before pushing your panties to the sides and sliding 2 fingers between your folds, collecting your slick. He hummed and sucked your slick in his fingers, groaning.

“I would let you sit on my face but fuckk I'm absolutely do needy to feel that pussy around my cock.” He backs up his chair and makes you stand as he slides down his shorts. His dick immediately springs out from him not wearing boxers. He hissed from the feeling of his dick finally being free from it's containment. He stroked his dick a few times before motioning for you to cmere. He made you hover just above his dick and looked up at you with a big dough eyes.

“Tae please just fuck me..!” You whined slightly sinking down on his dick. You didn't really have to tell him twice. He instantly slammed himself into you. He didn't even give you enough time to adjust as he was instantly fucking in n out of you. He had wrapped his arms around your waist and had his face buried between your chest.

You bounced against him trying to match his utterly fast thrust but failed miserably as he was fucking you like an wolf in heat. He was drowning in your moans, Turning him on more. He was completely ignoring your pleas for him to slow down. He was to lost in his own thoughts and he wasn't gonna stop until your leaking with his cum.

“T-Tae, I'm gonna cum! Don't stop..” You begged. He instantly stopped and pulled out of you. You whined at the feeling of your orgasm being denied and the feeling of being empty.

“What are you-” “Just changing positions, princess.”. He replied after cutting you off. He picked you up and brought you over to the lounge chair and layed you out on your bag with you legs spread. He instantly slipped back into you and started pounding into you once again. He wrapped his hand around you neck while the other held your thigh. He couldn't help but lean down and kiss you harshly. Your lips plump and soft against his.

He pulled away from the kiss and lightly squeezed tighter around your throat. He watched as his dick slipped in n out of your cunt. He smirked when he watched your eyes in the back of your head, clearly fucked out from the way he was destroying your cunt right now. His dick was hitting your cervix repeatedly from this angle.

“C-cum.. I'm gonna cum..!” was all you were able to muster out before you released along his dick. You were completely out of it. Taeyong smirked to himself, proud that he was able to fuck you out of your mind like this. His pace didn't seize just yet. He slipped out of you and quickly slipped himself back in.

You were an total wreck under him from the overstimulation. his pace slightly seized as he felt himself about to cum. He pumped in n out of you a few more times before he felt himself release his seed inside you. He let himself sit inside for a little bit before pulling out quickly and pulling your panties back over to cover your cunt. Even tho it was an amazing sight to watch is seed drip out of you but he wanted your cunt to savor it.

He fixed himself back up and sit on the couch next to you. He knew you were completely out of it and had fallen asleep so he pulled you back into his lap and held you. He wrapped his coat over your shoulders and held you close.

He had completely forgotten about the song he was working on. He was to deep in thought and to focused on you. He didn't want to wake you so he decided to head home later in the morning.

He just sat there and held you. He kissed your cheek before dozing off along with you..

꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱

[fbfh]

curiosity is a wonderful thing - chapter 1

wc: 2k

genre: slice of life, slow burn, best friends to lovers

pairing: slowburn best friend ben! x fem daughter of alice!reader, current audrey x ben

warnings: audrey being a bitch, unnecessary amounts of tea, ben being ben, mildly implied nd reader

summary: after a junior royal council meeting, you hype up your best friend Ben to tell his parents about his plans for his first proclaimation as king.

song recs: main titles 1 2 & 3 - descendants score/david lawrence, cheshire kitten (we're all mad here) - sj tucker

a/n: THE NEW SERIES IS HERE!!!! I am so excited for this, it's been one of my comfort indulgence daydreams for the longest time so I'm really elated to share it with y'all. BIG FAT FANGZ TO CICI FOR BETA READING!!!!!! and fangz to you guys for reading!!!!! I hope you enjoy lol <333 have an optional outfit. as a treat.

tags @dustyinkpages @demirunner @strawberry-cake1 @kiara7777 @yesv01 @magcon7280

Audrey was shocked when Ben had first told her that you and he weren't dating. She knew that you were friends, best friends at that. Everyone in Auradon did. Everyone also knew that what you had between you couldn't possibly be just platonic, not with the way you look at each other, how much time you spend together, or how intimately you speak to each other. It’s like you have your own language.

Everyone in Auradon knows this, with the exception of you and Ben, apparently. Even now, in the middle of a junior royal council meeting, Aziz shares a pitying look with Herkie at the way Audrey holds onto Ben’s arm while he goes over the agenda. Neither of them miss the way her gaze flicks between you two, trying to see if you’re stealing glances. You’re seated at his right hand side, like you usually are, as he goes over the last few items on the agenda for the meeting today and try to pay as much attention as you can. You scribble in your notebook as he does, nibbling at a tea biscuit and trying not to miss any of the important bits. 

“...Facing a longstanding struggle to keep up with the increased demand of the textile industry,” Ben says, skimming through his papers. He glances up, and he knows no one is really paying attention except for you. “Looking to open up a- a more collaborative process of dialog with key workers in the textile industry, and unified front between all the major groups who paved the way to textiles as we know them today, while also compensating for the rise in automation.” 

Across the table, Chad yawns. Lonnie and Melody pass notes between them, at least attempting to be subtle about it. You listen to Ben continue to update everyone on the ongoing current events in Auradon, and your pen drifts away from taking notes as you do, and begins to scribble little shapes in the margins of your well loved notebook. Your other hand moves down under the table, adjusting your pale blue skirt and tugging at the elastic of your black and white striped stockings. Ben’s gaze flicks over to you as you adjust in your seat, tugging at the puffy sleeves of your white blouse a moment later. He can tell you’re starting to get fidgety, which means it’s about time to wrap all this up. Plus, he has a suit fitting in ten minutes that he can’t be late for, or else Lumier will probably char something by accident. 

“Negotiations are still in progress, and of course, we’re looking for any way possible to avoid an embargo. I think that’s the last thing anyone needs…” Ben trails off with a chuckle, only to be met with silence. He looks back at his paper, trying to find his place before the silence gets anymore awkward. Before he can, he hears you let out a puff of air in agreement. 

“That’s quite an understatement.” You smile up at him, catching his eye before you each return to your respective papers. Your Wonderlandian accent is comforting, like a familiar friend in a tough crowd. People have described your accent many ways, most concluding it’s somewhere between british and transatlantic, but you don’t think you have much of an accent at all. Ben says you do, and you trust his judgment on the topic. Audrey maintains a tight smile on her face as Ben gently frees his arm from her to look through his papers in more detail. Once he’s sure he’s not missing anything, he goes through the usual motions of wrapping up a junior council meeting. 

“All party planning committee members are welcome to hang back, the floor is yours,” He says to Audrey, gathering up all his papers with a smile. “Everyone else, thank you for your time as always, and have a good evening.” 

Ben heads to the door as people start to funnel out and make conversation. Audrey waits as the other people on the party planning committee move up the table to sit closer to her, glancing at you as you put your notebook, pens, notes, and teacup back into that teapot shaped bag you always carry. It’s enchanted with Wonderland magic, and it makes her uneasy. She thinks you should just get a tote bag, or backpack, like a normal person. 

“Bunny,” Ben calls from the doorway, getting your attention with the nickname he’s had for you for years. Her train of thought quickly turns away from bags as  you look over, noticing it’s time to go and scurrying over to him. She watches you both talk quietly and head to wherever you’re going next, trying to ignore the quiet, burning jealousy seeping up into her. It’s nothing new, she reminds herself. She knew you two were best friends when she got together with her Bennyboo, so she knew what she was signing herself up for.

“Are we ready?” She asks curtly, turning towards Jane. She refuses to spend another second worrying about you, and instead, she channels all her energy into sifting through streamer sample colors. Whatever you two are doing can’t be as important as this. She’s sure whatever you’re discussing right now during Ben’s suit fitting is just meaningless small talk. Nothing of any importance. 

“I… truly don’t think you could have picked a better, more impactful first proclamation, Ben.” You conclude with a sip of raspberry tea. A wave of relief washes through him as he pulls on the blue suit jacket for Lumier to tailor. 

“You think so? Because, I-I’m only going to get to do this once, and-” 

He’s cut off by you nodding solemnly. 

“What better way to pave the way to the future than mending rifts of the past?” You ask rhetorically. 

“Yes!” Ben exclaims, letting his hands fall to his sides with a smile, a gesture you mirror. “You get it…” 

“Of course.” You smile at him, and it’s quiet for a moment as you take another sip of your tea. “You know your parents will…” You begin, but Ben is already nodding. 

“Oh yeah.” He agrees. “I wrote down everything from the pros column, and ideas for everything in the cons.” 

“Good,” you say, encouragingly. 

“And I have a great mission statement.” He adds, and you can see him getting fired up. You know how much this means to him, how much of his heart he��s putting into helping as many people as possible and being a good king to everyone, even the citizens on the Isle. If you know Ben - and you’re sure you do by now - you know how he can start to overthink things right before a presentation, even an informal one. He’s as prepared as he’ll ever be, and you have his back. He knows this.

“Oh, I meant to ask,” you say breezily as Lumier enters, “how are things going with Audrey?”  

You wiggle your eyebrows at him, sending him a comically scandalous look. He laughs as you wave hello to Lumier, and you think it’s the first time he’s relaxed in the last 30 hours or so. You flip through your journal, selecting a few pictures you took recently of flora in Wonderland, doodling their leaves and stalks on a mostly blank page. He laughs, hanging his head at the unexpected nature of the question, and Lumier pulls out a tape measure to begin the alterations of Ben’s suit. 

“You’re really- we’re really going to go there?” He asks through a smile. You look up at him, nodding. 

“Mhm.” You confirm. He can’t say no to you, he never can. 

“Okay. Uh, yeah things are good. With me and Audrey.” 

“Good,” you smile, looking up from your paper. He wonders what you’re working on, and always looks forward to seeing your little drawings. Even the ones you dislike, he finds beautiful. He tries to think of what else is going on with Audrey. 

“We, uh… we have a date later this week.” 

“Sleeve.” Lumier interjects, moving Ben’s arm.

“Oh, how fun!” You smile. 

“Head.” Lumier turns Ben to look out the large windows. He thinks for another moment, struggling to find anything else Audrey related to talk about as you distract yourself with the expression of a pouting mushroom you’d gotten a good picture of last time you were in Wonderland. Before he can think of anything else his eyes land on the Isle. His mind wanders toward how forgotten everyone out there must feel. You look up at him, following his gaze. 

“I know.” You say softly. You’ve discussed the Isle and its’ residents at great lengths, both finding a greater deal of compassion for them than most people seem to have. 

“How is it possible that you’re going to be crowned king next month?” Comes King Adam’s booming voice as he and Belle enter from the patio doors. 

“Hello, dear,” Belle smiles at you, resting a hand on your shoulder as they pass, approaching Ben, and you smile a greeting back up at her, and begin putting away your notebook. As close as you two are, you can’t expect anyone but the royal family to be in the room during discussions of Ben’s first proclamation. Both you and Ben knew this had to be a conversation between him and his parents, and as much as you both might like it to be, it’s not really something he can do with you by his side. You scurry past him, sending him an encouraging look. 

“You’ll do great.” You say, your voice just low enough for him to hear it. You touch his arm encouragingly until Lumier shoos you away, not wanting anything to jeopardize the way he finally got Ben’s shoulder to lay on that side. Ben locks eyes with you as you leave. It’s only a moment, but those three words, that one little gesture from you have him more ready than ever. He prepares himself with a breath. 

You’ll probably sneak off to Wonderland for a while, like you usually do with any pockets of spare time you find, so you’ll get to update him on the feud going on between the bluebirds and inchworms by the time he’s done. He takes comfort in that, knowing that even in the worst case scenario, even if everything goes horribly wrong, you’ll still have some fascinating Wonderland stories for him, just like you always do. He finds great comfort in the thought as his parents approach, and knows two things; it’s time for him to begin stepping up, and that you have his back all the way. 

You close the heavy wooden door behind you, walking a few feet down the hall so you don’t accidentally eavesdrop. You sit down against the wall to wait for Ben, and your mind drifts to Wonderland, as it so often does. There’s a peace there, something you’ve never been able to find overland. It calls to you, like a sailor’s heart calls to the sea. You wonder if you have time for a quick trip, just a few minutes in paradise, but you know it’s never really just a few minutes. Time works differently in Wonderland than it does in overland, and it’s unpredictable. The last thing you want is not to be here when Ben is done talking to his parents. 

“I’d better not…” you sigh. Being here for Ben is more important right now. He’s your best friend. So you settle into your little spot in the hallway, smoothing out your blue skirt around you. You reach into your teapot shaped bag, pulling out a small white porcelain teacup with little violets on it, and a matching saucer. You think for a moment about what kind of tea you want right now. Hibiscus, you decide, with a touch of honey. You tilt the spout of your bag, letting the perfectly brewed cup of tea fall from the spout. You take a sip, leafing through your homework to see what you can bore yourself with to pass the time. You don’t know how long Ben will be in there, and you don’t care too much. You’re sure he’ll do wonderfully, and that’s really all you care about right now. 

[minkyungseokie]

Toxicity within Formula One

I usually never give my own opinions on anything Formula One related because I’m afraid of getting hate, but I am sick of it, and I will finally want my opinion heard.

For a sport that’s not as popular as any other sport in the world, there is so much toxicity and animosity between fans. Either fans of people on the same team or fans of people on different teams are going at each other for no reason and it mostly happens within Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull. Lately, Mercedes has been infighting more than worrying about anything else.

You’ve got(and I’m not generalizing the fans. I’m calling out all the toxic ones. So, when I say fans, I meant the highly toxic people who be smirch others names and hype up their own favorite)

Russell fans calling Hamilton washed and occasionally saying racist things about him

Hamilton fans discrediting Georgia’s achievements and saying he will never be as good as Hamilton(also the people who are stuck on Abu Dhabi 2021)

Carlos fans making fun of Georges crash and saying the rudest things about Hamilton just because of a decision to not keep Carlos with the occasional racism

Charles fans doing the exact same thing Carlos fans are doing, but on a little bit lighter level because I haven’t really seen Charles fans being as rude to Lewis as Carlos fans

Max fans thinking they are on top of the world and absolutely nothing can touch them and being toxic overall

I don’t really see a lot of Checo fans, but the ones I have seen are always overshadowed by the max fans, but they are still toxic

Alex fans hating on Logan just because he’s not as good as Alex. Pretty much everyone’s fans hating on Logan for being American AB’s being xenophobic

Logan fans are pretty chill, but with what happened yesterday, they aren’t as chill as you think. There is no reason that they should be sending hate, and death threats to Alex because of a decision that was not his.

Fernando fans are pretty chill usually when I look at the comment section of Aston Martin. Unless it comes down to the LGBTQ. The amount of hate towards the LGBTQ under Aston Martin’s post by both Still fans, Alonso fans, and other team’s fans is disgusting.

Stroll fans usually don’t do anything except try to defend their favorite person, but I can assure you that they are not innocent just because you rarely see them being toxic. The whole thing with Bianca proved that, but I’m pretty sure that it was mostly just people who usually don’t like Stroll taking the chance to be misogynistic instead of criticizing her like everyone else was doing

Yuki fans, journalists, and other fans just calling Daniel washed and saying that he should give his seat up to Liam and wishing horrinle thing upon him

Daniel fans infantilizing Yuki, occasionally being racist, making fun of things he cannot control, and just being overall terrible people towards Yuki

And that’s not even all of it because then there’s the fighting of other teams still going on. And the overall hatred of Alpine for some reason.

Now, I can’t say much for the fans of Kick, Alpine, and Haas. I scroll through their comment sections and it’s usually people criticizing the team itself for their crappy cars or crappy pitstop. I don’t follow Haas so I don’t know how their comment section is like.

Of course, there are toxic people within those three teams fandom too, but go to their comment section, it’s mostly wholesome. Still toxic occasionally, but way more wholesome than Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bulls

I didn’t forget about McLaren, but they seem to actually be moderating their comment sections

I’m aware of how toxic Instagram is, but it’s not just on Instagram. It’s on YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, I’m not calling Twitter X.

I know this is probably just going to get me hated on, and I’m probably yapping about nothing, but I feel like people take things way too seriously.

This is a sport. Meant for enjoyment and entertainment. I understand that not everyone is going to get along, and that there’s always going to be toxic people, but some of those same toxic people get upset when people are toxic towards their favorite.

This is probably all sounding like absolute Yapanese right now and I’m sorry if I haven’t properly got my point across. I’ll fix this in the morning when I’m more clear minded, but I wanted to point out just how toxic this fandom is. It’s more toxic than any other fandom I’ve been in except for K-pop

These are screenshots of responses to a comment on RB’s post about Yuki actually being in P7 after Alonso got a penalty. The comment said let’s not hate on Daniel because he will pick it back up. This is only a taste of what I mean.

I can’t even go back to Ferrari to screenshot comments and explain what I mean and I’m not going to Red Bulls page for that either because seeing the comments make me sick. But this is what I mean. And these are the tame ones.

Formula One fans need to realize that these men are not toys. They are not just entertainment. They are human beings with feelings who make mistakes just like everyone else does. They do, say, and act very stupidly, sometimes, but that does not warrant some of the stuff that is said to them. They do not deserve death threats, and hate just for crashing and being afraid for their life or enjoying a win they deserve.

They are not toys. They are human beings. Just like you and me and they deserve respect because they put their lives on the line to do with their love and entertain their fans.

Speaking of fans while I’m at it. Respect the privacy of the drivers. Someone filming George Russell while he’s using the year or not and posting it on TikTok is not okay and should never ever be considered okay

Here are some comments from George’s post where he’s apologizing for crashing and saying that he’s going to try to do better

And don’t even get me started on the Ferrari fans bitching about Carlos leaving. It’s an extreme sport, no one‘s going to stay on their team forever just because they got one win and a couple of podium. I hate to sound toxic, but the way some of those, grown ass men and women are talking about Hamilton as if he’s not the seven time world champion as wild. It’s not Hamilton’s fault that Ferrari thought he would be a better fit.

I sincerely love Ferrari and their drivers, and I wish him the best and it makes me happy to see them win, but it does not make me happy to see the fans thinking that they rule the world, and that no one on the grid is better than Carlos. I love Carlos, but if Hamilton had a better car and Max‘s car didn’t start setting itself on fire, he would not have won.

Again, I hate to say that because it sounds like I’m hating on him, but I’m not. That’s why I like Tumblr better, because the people on TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram, are all… I don’t even even know how to say it without sounding weird. So this is where I’ll end it for now.

And before anyone says anything, I know it’s an extreme sport and people are gonna hate on someone that’s not their favorite driver, but the people I’m talking about are taking it way too far. You shouldn’t hate on anyone just because they aren’t your favorite in general, But I’ve seen a Ferrari fan called Hamilton a monkey because he’s going to be joining the team.

I’ve seen a Daniel fan say only sushi eaters like Yuki. As in, only Japanese people like Yuki, and nobody else.

There’s a difference between expressing your dislike towards something somebody did, and something somebody has said, and being extremely toxic. Some of you might have even been those toxic people if you are, do better, because even just saying something like that on the Internet can make karma come for you.

[fabuloustrash05]

My Top 5 Favorite TMNT 2012 Ships

5) Mikey x Renet

I feel we as a fandom has come to an unanimous agreement that all the canon romances/couples given to us in the 2012 series are bad/toxic/poorly written/inc3st/etc with THEM being the only exception (I'll talk about that ship soon), however I think Renetangelo is the other exception.

They’re certainly not perfect with their first problem being Mikey kinda “cheating” on Renet with Shinigami (they weren’t together or officially dating so it’s not cheating, but it still felt wrong that it was never acknowledged that Mikey was pretty much a skirt chaser, crushing on two girls at once), but I still really love their dynamic and relationship. Mikey and Renet are undoubtedly cute together, just two silly goofballs having a fun time and enjoying the other’s company with the occasional flirting and kiss on the cheek (which btw SO CUTE). Renetangelo is that couple that I feel works great both romantically and platonically. If you told me they’re best friends, I’d believe it, if you told me they’re a couple, I’d also believe it. That's how well they work off each other. I'm okay with them being a couple or just being friends.

Season 5 also practically confirms they’re together on two occasions with Mikey saying him and Renet are in a long distance relationship in the When Worlds Collide special, and Renet hinting during the Halloween arc that she and Mikey have some kind of future together.

Overall, I really like Renetangelo and I love seeing these two together. From Mikey's puppy love expressions when he sees her to their overall personalities clashing so well together. This ship is very underrated and needs more love.

4) Slash x Alopex

Btw this edit was made by @robins-treasure <33

Yes, this is a ship that exist and I take FULL CREDIT FOR THE CREATION OF THIS COUPLE! I AM THE REASON THIS SHIP IS ALIVE AND SAILING! YOU ARE WELCOME!!

Slash x Alopex (or what I like to call them Slaopex) is my rarepair of the 2012 series and I’m so happy that I’m slowly getting more and more people one board with it. It started off as just a random silly idea of mine, like "What if Slash got a gf?" and then I thought "Well, who could I ship him with?" and then my brain went "What if Slash and Alopex got together? That would be funny". I laughed at the idea, but the more I thought of it, the more I started to like it. I began coming up with headcanons and a story of their relationship, and the more I did that, the more I fell in love with this concept and the potential of this couple. So much that it placed 4th in my top 5!

I fell so in love with them I even ended up writing a short fanfic of how I headcanon they would first meet and the beginning of their blooming romance (you can read it HERE). But in short, Slash runs into Alopex during a late night patrol and helps her beat up some crooks who were attacking her. The two get to talking, sharing a tender moment before parting ways, with Alopex now being the only thing on Slash's mind <3

I also reference this ship a few times in my fanfic Courting a Salamandrian. Consider it a continuation of that little oneshot.

3) Leo x Casey

While everyone else was shipping Jonatello, I was shipping Caseynardo! I was never a fan of Jonatello, I don't hate it, just couldn't get on board nor understand the hype around it, but then one day I stumbled across fanart of Leo x Casey and I thought "Huh... these two actually look cute together!" and quickly sunk into the rabbit hole. Looking up every little bit of fanart, fanfics and edits I could find.

Liking this ship this much for it to be ranked 3rd in my Top 5 favorite TMNT 2012 ships says a lot. This ship really grew on me very quickly, so much so that I wrote a fanfiction on them! I wrote a Caseynardo fanfic before writing a Renetangelo one (you can read it HERE), which is funny cause I've been shipping Renetangelo since the show was airing, and I didn't start liking Caseynardo till long after the show ended! That says a lot about how much these boy effected me! LOL

My whole HC for this ship is that they bonding a lot in season 3 at the farmhouse which led to a mutual romantic attraction. Eventually they secretly date without telling anyone but due to the circumstances and problems going on in Leo’s life, he was unable to keep the relationship going. They agree to just be friends, which Casey promising to wait for him. It’s basically the “right person, wrong time” trope. But I like to headcanon that by season 5, Leo and Casey finally get together officially and made their relationship known to everyone else. The only one not surprised was Raphael who knew about those two since day one, cause he was stuck being their third wheel/wingman XD

2) Karai x Shinigami

I will NEVER forgive Nickelodeon for be too cowardly to make this happen. They'd rather ship inc3st and force Shini to be straight than give us our goth kunoichi lesbians. For shame, Nickelodeon... For shame...

Not to mention that one of the writers of the show, Peter Di Cicco, shipped them! Calling them his "OTP" and referring to Shini as "Karai's girlfriend", and even pitching an alternate ending to the series where Splinter and Shredder make up but the only thing they fight over now is who gets to walk Karai down the aisle during her wedding to Shinigami XD

The moment I saw Shinigami, I instantly thought "Oh that's a lesbian and she and Karai are a thing". I really love their dynamic, their friendship and the potential they have in being a cute couple of childhood friends to lovers. You can see how much they care about each other. The fury in Shini's voice when she confronts Super Shredder, "I will destroy you, Monster! For everything you have done to Karai!". Shini is supportive of Karai and is always the one down to start chaos with you. Makes me wish we could've learned more about these two and their history. I like to think they've known each other since they were little, being childhood friends while training and growing up in The Foot Clan.

My personal headcanon is that Shinigami has had a crush on Karai since they were young, like preteens, and is so loyal to her and willing to help Karai not just because she is her best friend but also because she loves her. However, she is scared to tell Karai how she really feels because she's worried she won't reciprocate and it'll ruin their long time friendship. Luckily, Mikey is there for support!

Not to toot my own horn, but I did write a fanfic relating to this concept that you can read HERE

1) Raphael x Mona Lisa

What have I not already said about RaMona? If you follow me then you know full well that these two are my life. I’ve written multiple fanfics based on them on AO3 (LINK HERE) and have done a few analysis posts about them as well here on Tumblr. They have consumed my life. I love them so much!

Overall, I believe they are the healthiest ship the series offered us, and the best one in canon. I know some complain that they were rushed and how they got together too quickly, but in truth I can understand why Raph and Mona got into a relationship as quickly as they did. They are both warriors with the mindset of "I might die tomorrow" so it makes sense they'd be open and honest about their feelings right from the start just in case something happens to either one of them in battle. You only live once, you know? And I like how open Raph is when it comes to his feelings for Mona. From the very start, the moment he realized he liked her, never once did he deny it. Even when his brothers and friends laughed or scolded him, Raph proudly admitted he likes her with no ounce of shame. Mikey even points out that Mona is "bigger, stronger and a better fighter" than Raph and him responding by saying "Exactly! What a woman..." The boy does not care that she will be the pants in their relationship. He loves that she's stronger than him, bigger than him, a better fighter than him. We even see how excited he gets when she suggests training with him someday. Not to mention how we also learn in the show that these two have written love letters to each other during the course of the season 4 space adventures. Their personailties clash so well together. Both being strong willed warriors who put their loved ones first. Both can be stubborn and jump to conclusions quickly. We even see that Mona can have a short temper much like Raph. Both are ready to kick some ass with anyone who talks shit (Raph defending Mona but then Mona defending herself *chef's kiss*)

It's not talked about often among the fandom/shippers, but the fact that Mona is as much in love with Raph as he is with her is what truly makes this ship great. While the other 2012 ships make it unclear (writing wise) if the love interest truly feels the exact same way towards her Turtle she's shipped with, but for Mona her feelings are obvious. She's the one who makes the first move during all of their kisses/nose nuzzles, she's the one to say "I love you" first" and do I have to remind y'all of the push up scene? XD

These two are obsessed with one another. You can tell and see just how in love they are with one another. Even with only appearing in about 4-5 episodes, they truly left a major impact on shipping in this fandom. I feel it has come to a unanimous agreement that this ship is the best (canon) couple this show gave us. I love them, I love their relationship, I love what these two have done for the show and this fandom. They were able to bring back a classic ship from the 87 series and add so much more to them! I hope we get to see more of this couple in future generations. They certainly aren't a perfect couple, they got their flaws too, but overall they are truly the best couple in the 2012 series. <333

[isildur-apologist]

You don’t hate Amazon you hate the Silmarillion: a genuine review of Rings of Power

It’s no secret that overall I liked RoP. I watched it with my roommate who gets very hyped about stuff like that and it made for a really exciting viewing experience, instead of the more bitter perspective I might have taken if I watched it alone. But, I also know there are some real faults with the show, I never thought it was perfect and know it’s not on par with the the LOTR movies and I never expected it to be. But, the fault for that is not on Amazon.

(I want to note that I am not defending Amazon. I hate Amazon. Jeff Bezos can catch this guillotine. I am, however, defending the creative team behind the show, which is how I will refer to them from here on out, I only called it Amazon to grab your attention. )

Here’s my point though, almost every (valid) critique I see of this show isn’t a problem with decisions the creative team made, it’s an inherent problem in any adaptation of the Silmarillion (and associated works but I’m just going to refer to the Silmarillion for brevity’s sake).

The Silmarillion, as full and detailed as it is, is a shit story. The events of the second age do not fit neatly into a clean story structure the way LOTR does because it’s not supposed to. The Silmarillion isn’t a story, it’s a history, and history is never narratively satisfying. Tolkien (Jirt, not talking about Christopher here) didn’t publish the Silmarillion in his lifetime, he only even published LOTR and the hobbit, everything else attributed to him was published after his death. He had no intent of making the other works anything other than a comprehensive history of the world he made for documentation’s sake, never with intent to publish. He didn’t even compile all the writings, Christopher did.

Because if this, the Silmarillion is really hard to adapt for a number of reasons:

1. Elves aren’t good main characters.

Elves aren’t supposed to be relatable characters, they’re aloof and static and inherently non-relatable (There are exceptions but they’re usually not regular elves. Elrond is half elven, Legolas is very young). Humans and hobbits are the relatable characters through which we view the world, because they can have human flaws and conflicts, which makes for a very human story. To make elves the main characters you need to make them interesting characters, and elves aren’t supposed to have human flaws, and so you either stay faithful and they don’t feel relatably human, or you change their to be more human and it feels disingenuous to what we know elves to be like. It’s a lose lose.

2. Middle earth is not supposed to be pretty.

A huge part of LOTR is realizing every place they visit is either the ruins of a past, much larger civilization, or a city that is a fraction of what it used to be (Gondor in lotr is NOTHING compared to what it was in the early 3rd age, or Arnor and definitely not Númenor, Rivendell is a pebble compared to Lindon and Eregion, we only ever see Khazad-dûm as a decrepit tomb instead of the most prosperous mine in all of middle earth is once was). This juxtaposition is integral to the main themes of lotr and is imperative to the story jirt was trying to tell. A story set in the 2nd age cannot have these ruins because IT IS THE RUINS. It cannot “feel like lotr” because it is what will make lotr lotr.

3. Characters (individuals) are of little importance in the Silmarillion.

As important as Elendil and Isildur (and even Anárion) are to the plot of literally the entire 3rd age, we know little about their own narratives. They are names for the people that did these important actions and that’s it. Again, the Silmarillion is a history, it’s not going to say what Elendil and Isildur’s relationship was like in excruciating detail or what Isildur wanted to do with his life before sailing to middle-earth and becoming a king. You have to write these characters a good story if you’re adapting the Silmarillion and sometimes there isn’t space to write a compelling journey in the space Tolkien left. Because they don’t have a character, any character you give them will seem “out of character” to many people.

Basically my point is that before you go and say “well this is weird or I didn’t like this choice” think about what the creative team had to create to make an interesting show out of a story not designed to be told. Sometimes they didn’t make the perfect decision, but if you were tasked with adapting something unadaptable do you think you would do it perfectly?

[wordbunch]

The Hobbit re-read: favorites, thoughts and honorable mentions

thank u to my tumblr besties for encouraging me to rant abt this book for a little while, and brace yourselves for a LOOONG post; aka We're Going On An Adventure!

this quote abt Gandalf: "tales and adventures sprouted up all over the place wherever he went, in the most extraordinary fashion" like. THIS exactly is Gandalf to me ✨✨✨

the whole good-morninged sequence (as if he was selling buttons at the door! can you imagine! By belladonna tooks SON of all people!!!) 😱

"a cake or 2 would do him good after this fright" me too bilbo

"he had a horrible thought that the cakes might run short" me too bilbo 🍰

Gandalf constantly selling Bilbo's skills to the company and just hyping him up and believing in him all the time!!!! most excellent and audacious hobbit!!! 😎

"this was thorin's style... if he had been allowed he would probably have gone like this until he was out of breath" aka he is Dramatic and Important

"bilbo was getting excited and interested again so that he forgot to keep his mouth shut" how many times will i write ME TOO BILBO in this post

"THE EXPLANATION DID NOT SEEM TO EXPLAIN" 💯💯💯

gandalf: i found him in the dungeons of the necromancer; thorin: girl what were YOU doing at the necromancer's??? 🧐🧐🧐 gandalf: finding things out as usual O M G like what else would he be doing there 😚

bilbo constantly wishing he was back home as soon as he left

"off bilbo had to go before he could explain that he could not hoot even once like any kind of owl" yall this book has so many funny moments but like in a very chill humor way

the fact that one of the TROLLS is called WILLIAM 😂😂😂

"i am a good cook myself, and cook better than i cook" okay bilbo rizz 😏🔥

"they had not at all enjoyed lying there listening to the trolls making plans for roasting them" you don't say. i love this deadpan humor SO MUCH jrrt snapped

that whole beautiful iconic description of kind as summer elrond

"their clothes were mended as well as their bruises, their tempers, and their hopes" WHEN will i go to rivendell 😩

"there is nothing like looking if you want to find something" thorin life coach realness 👏🏼👏🏼

thoring gesturing at a miserable desolate land: these tRuLy hOspiTabLe moUnTaiNs 😍

then gandalf lit up his wand. oF coUrSe it wAs gaNdaLf, but they were too busy to ask how he got there. 4ever mood

he thought of himself frying bacon and eggs in his own kitchen ME TOO BIL- 🍳

"Gollum brought up memories of ages and ages and ages before, when he lived with his grandmother in a hole by a bank by a river" this kind of made me cry. it brings unexpected humanity to such an appalling character; kinda makes you want bilbo to spare him eventually

and the fact itself that bilbo felt so bad for him he decided to just leave him be

"you would have laughed (from a safe distance)" LOVE how JRRT puts random little comments addressed to the reader

gandalf just being like ok i gotta go do other things now. good luck besties. ✌🏼😚

beorn: what are you, a traveling circus? and he is actually right 🤪

"you have got to look after all these dwarves for me, gandalf laughed" and i cried

bilbo being like hmm how will i get down from this tree (except by falling)

bilbo's song while killing gigantic spiders "not very good...but you must remember he had to make it up himself in a very awkward moment"

the dwarves starting to respect him and bowing down until they FALL OVER is such a comical image to me

the whole alluring magic of the elvish feast in the forest which disappears when they get closer!! a whole fairytale mr tolkien!!! 😍

thranduil is a greedy b <3 and especially VERY fond of wine 🍷🍷🍷

"i will lock you all in again and you can sit there comfortably and think of a better plan" bilbo badass mode and we love to see it 💋

tolkien being like WELL u can laugh but you wouldn't have done any better if u were him. real.

when they're in dale i love the numerous references to "songs and stories of old" and all of them basically being a living legend and turning their stay in dale into a public holiday and spectacle

thorin is cocky af

/freeze frame/ "you are familiar with thorin's style on important occasions so i will not give you any more of it" its ok jrrt, let him be a drama queen 👑

bilbo when he takes some gold from smaug being like "this will show them!!!1!1" 😠😠

sassy bilbo strikes again with "did you expect me to trot back with the whole hoard of thror on my back? if there's any grumbling to be done i think i might have a say" GO OFF KING 👏🏼

i just rly love him okay, he stole my heart in this book like a real legitimate professional burglar that he is

"i am the clue-finder, the web-cutter, the stinging fly" etc. basically this whole exchange btw bilbo and smaug is pure gold (pun not intended) 🤫

talking birds that eavesdrop. enough said.

the descriptions of the arkenstone which make you actually want to have it too. genius. there could be no two such gems, even in so marvellous a hoard, even in all the world." 💎💎💎

the harps (untouched by the dragon who had a small interest in music).. WHY is this so funny to me

bilbo putting on some elvish DRIP and being like ✨✨ i feel magnificent ✨✨ (but probably look dumb 😩)

"this is the great chamber of thror" ok thorin the tour guide king

BARD MY KING i love one (1) man 🎯

bilbo being absolutely against any wars or battles and just wanting to go home BUT also being a sneaky lil shit who takes the arkenstone to bard and thranduil BUT also still not wanting to leave his dwarf buddies

when he gives them the gem "not without a shudder, not without a glance of longing" AHHH i want it!

ambiguous gandalf returning. always love to see it

"if you don't like my burglar, please don't damage him" 🙄 ffs thorin chill

"you are not making a very splendid figure as king" yes gandalf call him out

defeat seems "very uncomfortable, not to say distressing" to bilbo. we love.

the fact that he was just knocked out cold during the battle so thur we know very little abt what really happened?? jrrt genius writing hack. might use this one 🤔

fili and kili deserved a better sendoff than just mentioning that they died. come on.

thorin's last words and reconciliation w bilbo... PLEASE I WILL CRY until i throw up. "it has been more than any baggins deserves." "no! there is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly west. some courage and some wisdom blended in measure. if more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."

i might still be crying

"tea is at 4 but any of you are welcome at any time" my heart... ❤️😭 Guess he's no longer scared of running out of cake

bilbo gifting thrandy a necklace as an apology for eating and drinking his stuff secretly, king shit 😉

bilbo having the absolute NERVE to say to ELVES "your lullaby would wake a drunken goblin". wig wig

he deadass borrowed a handkercheif from freaking ELROND 😳

bilbo arriving home to being presumed dead and his stuff literally being auctioned off

"it was a long time before he was in fact admitted to being alive again…" and sackville-bagginses having sm beef with that HAHAHA

he lost his reputation but he lived his best life so who's the winner here 😌😌😌

the closing lines "you are a very fine person, mr baggins, and i am very fond of you; but you are only quite a little fellow in a wide world after all" "thank goodness! said bilbo laughing."

like. THIS. literally embodies everything. he is just a little guy. just some smol person. BUT STILL had a say in how BIG things happened. BUT he remains happy to be just a smol simple person.

overall an incredibly fun read and it was way more genuinely FUNNY than i anticipated. bilbo is a whole mood. thorin is a diva. gandalf is there to start shit and hype up bilbo. jrrt with random author's notes throughout the book gives me life.

[amostimprobabledream]

Thoughts on Season 4 so far...

I know, I know, I should probably wait til it's finished, but I finally caught up with everyone else after being weirdly nervous about it.

Just what the hell was going on with the first couple of episodes? Like, episode one felt like it was written by someone with only a passing knowledge of the show. The dialogue felt clunky and it all seemed so rushed. It was a really boring episode. The second one was a bit dull too.

I felt so bad for Hughie when he heard his dad was in hospital and getting choked up over not talking to him and wishing he'd wake up so they could talk about the book his dad was excited about.

Fuck Hughie's mother! (If it really is her...) What a bitch. "Uwu, don't yell at me, son I abandoned for 20 years!"

I'm glad Kimiko seems to have been given more of her own story this season. Karen Fukuhara does such a good job with a character who doesn't talk.

On the flipside, I could not give a flying fuck about Frenchie and some guy he likes. I never care when the show tries to introduce non-Supe love interests. It's like Maeve and her dull girlfriend all over again, except I actually like Frenchie.

Wooow, Butcher has been so neutered this season. It's a real fall from his unchallenged rule In S1 & 2, but I can't say he doesn't deserve it after how horribly he treated his team.

Fuck off, Becca, fuck off Becca, Fuck OFF, Becca. God. Every time I see her I have to press the skip button. (Also it's really funny how she's inexplicably more blonde in Billy's hallucinations. What, did she get highlights in the afterlife?)

I don't care if he's a kid, I'm gonna say it: Ryan is SO boring to watch. He's saved by being important to Homelander and Butcher but god, every scene he's in I'm desperate for it to be over.

Has anybody noticed Homelander was talking to Ryan the exact same way Soldier Boy spoke to him when he called him "ungrateful?" He really is his father's son.

I didn't know what to make of Sage. The fandom was hyping her up to all hell so I was prepared to not be very impressed by her because of how much people were raving about her before she'd even done anything. I'm still confused about what exactly her motives are but her scenes with The Deep are pretty funny. I wonder why she told him about the lobotomy? Because she thinks he's too stupid for it to backfire on her? Hmm.

I know Firecracker is awful but she's so pretty and I love listening to her accent. I can't wait for her and Homelander to interact more.

I...am not loving Starlight's subplot? I get what they're going for, they want her to be this activist who's like a figurehead of La Resistance against Vought, but watching her campaigning and complaining about how she's not Starlight, she's Annie, is not fun to watch. I'm also not a fan of her hair or outfits this season, I think the shorter look suited her face more. (Also, the whole abortion thing came a bit out of nowhere. I feel like that might have been something that deserved a bit more exploration for Starlight, Hughie and their relationship?)

THAT BEING SAID - I do like her dynamic with Firecracker, because I think the writers wrote themselves into a corner with her in Season 3 because she's Starlight! She always has to be morally correct and good in every scenario! I'm glad they're making it clear she isn't this perfect angel - even the scene where Firecracker confronts her, Starlight kind of ducks responsibility by saying she's changed and "my mom taught me to be ruthless". Those aren't really apologies and Starlight only apologising because Firecracker is a threat to her reputation is really interesting - and not dissimilar to the scientists only asking for forgiveness when their monster came back to kill them.

Victoria's relationship with Zoe is confusing. I forgot Zoe existed, actually. I'm not even clear if Zoe is her bio kid or adopted one, because if the former, who's Zoe's dad?

A-Train's redemption wasn't something I was looking forward to, but it's being handled fairly decently, way better than how Maeve did like, one good deed per season and got handed hers on a silver platter. I'm still a bit upset that he's basically been absolved of Robyn's death though.

Homelander. Oh my GOD. He's so unhinged this season and we haven't even gotten to the big finale yet. His facial twitches, the little micro-expressions, his pissy little "ShutthefuckUP!" at The Deep, wow. Antony Starr continues to carry the show on his shoulders.

THE LAB SCEEEENE. Jesus. That was like something out of a horror-thriller, yet I was cheering for him the whole time. Antony Starr deserves ALL the Emmys.

[axailslink]

My Pretty Girl

Stud!Riri Williams x poc FEM reader

Summary: You and Riri are exes. It's a classic tale of the cheerleader and the basketball player except they've already dated and now they're wondering if they should date again. Honestly just something sweet.

Snippet from the fic: “ "Am I too young to say you complete me?" ”

Needing a break from the intoxicating air inside your friends apartment you push past the inebriated and stoned young adults making an escape for the front door. When you push it open you walk until the smoke no longer fills your senses and the smell of cheap alcohol leaves your clothes.

Finally coming to a stop you take a quick glance viewing your surroundings. To your surprise you've walked all the way to the basketball court and even more surprising Riri is there dribbling her basketball up and down said court. Truthfully you hadn't noticed she left the apartment but you definitely understand why it's suffocating inside and it's not the distinct smell of weed in the air, the smoke filling everyone's lungs or the tangy smell of the alcohol on everyone's breath but it's the vibes in there it's too crowded, too loud it's just too much. You find yourself walking up to Riri who's unaware of your presence as she shoots the ball and hits the backboard your laugh echoes in her head causing her to look back. "I know you ain't talking" you smile and shrug "that was one hell of a miss Ri" she chases after the ball before tossing it to you "I bet you can't do better. All you know how to do is sit cute-" you dribble the ball and shoot it as Riri continues to talk smack "might break a nail or something..." You shush her as your ball hits nothing but net and you smile Riri can't help but laugh at herself. "You letting a cheerleader beat you at your own game man? You used to be better at this you know?" Riri grabs the ball and approaches you tucking it underneath her arm "lucky shot." You gasp at the absolute bullshittery Riri is insinuating "yeah you must be high off that win still" Riri sucks her teeth and passes you the ball "check the damm ball man."

Of course you demolish Riri at her own game leaving her to lean on the gate with you beside her holding her ball "okay so maybe you're not so bad" you scoff at Riri "not so bad? Man I kicked your ass. Like always." Riri smiles and nods "yeah you definitely did that but you was real cute with it." You shrug because what does it matter? You beat the basketball team's best player in a one on one while keeping it cute "truth be told I've seen you play better Riri what's on your mind? Just cause we ain't close like we used to be don't mean I'm not here." Riri sighs as she sits down back against the cold gate now "ion really know I ain't been myself ball ain't really no fun no more and classes well... You know how that goes..." You nod "yeah I get you classes can be hell" Riri sighs "not for me I know everything so nothing surprises me with class I could not attend classes for a month and go in and be able to get higher scores on the test than everyone without trying. Basketball ain't fun no more it's just like everything else to me I keep winning." You laugh and bump her legs with yours getting her attention "but you definitely just lost to me. I mean I definitely rocked yo shit a few times and lets not forget I made you fall." Riri shakes her head "nah that had to be in your head. Miss too pretty don't play that good don't go hyping your head up man." The laugh that you sound has Riri smiling wider now "too pretty?" Riri nods "yeah don't act brand new you've always been pretty even the girls you date are pretty don't try to play me." This is where the night finally gets awkward for you because right now is a current reminder that you and Riri were wasted potential a couple of years ago. "Yeah you right about that you always were pretty" Riri smiles and nods "oh trust me I know but it never made sense as to why you dropped me. I was mad as hell." You're silent for a while before sitting up and giving Riri your full attention "I never meant to hurt you but I couldn't juggle it all Ri you can handle anything thrown at you college, ball, and all your little tinkering shit. I couldn't handle you, cheer, work, and school so I had to let something go even if it was the best part of me."

You and Riri just sit in a comfortable silence for a moment nothing sounds from you two but the sounds of your breathing and that's nothing close to a whisper but Riri breaks it with a question "the best part of you?" You nod "absolutely Ri you weren't just a stepping stone in my life to get to the next person you meant and still do mean a lot to me. Your smile makes me smile you literally light up any fucking room you walk into how could you not be the best part of me? I loved you." Riri's smile fades as she speaks now staring past the distance of the court and at the street lights "do you still love me?" You don't hesitate in your answer because you have no reason to "always." Riri grabs your hand and squeezes tightly "I thought you hated me" you sigh before replying"I thought you hated me."

You both just sit in silence for a while with your hands interlocked. You've missed this being able to talk shit with Riri and feel at home even when you're not she's your safe space and always has been. You both take glances at each other but nothing more. "I like to live in the present" you mumble and Riri nods "this is the present" you sigh and glance at her "Riri let go of me" she of course loosens her grip on your hand but doesn't pull away. "I don't think I want to Y/n I still care for you I've learned to be without you but I don't feel the same. As cheesy as this is about to sound will you be my pretty girl again?" You shake your head and smile "you know I can't say no that."

Riri nods "good because I missed you and not just your touch or anything intimate I missed being around you and having someone to care for. Am I too young to say you complete me?" You toss Riri's ball to the side and straddle her lap "no" you look at her face wandering if you only want to be with her now because you're bored you wander if her saying all these things are impacting your actions you wander if you feel pressured but when your lips touch hers all those thoughts go away. All those worries disappear. Riri's hands grab your own and you smile into the kiss that with each second gets heavier and hotter warming your skin but she pulls away before it can become too much for the public eye. "Want a ride home?" You smile slyly after licking your lips "you tryna fuck again already?" Riri laughs and shakes her head "damn girl no it's dark and I heard yo non driving ass wrecked your car." You stand up and pull her up "oh well only if I get to drive" Riri shakes her head as her smile disappears "no one drives Betty you know this." You slip your hand in her gym shorts pocket and fondle around before you feel her familiar set of keys "I'm not just anyone and if I recall Betty loves me." You slap her leg from inside her pocket before taking it out.

"You wreck yo shit and want to drive mine. Classic Y/n"

"what type of girlfriend would I be if I didn't borrow your shit?"

Riri smiles to herself "a shitty one"

[edsanon]

I don’t feel like drawing, so have some platonic Lumi and Alastor headcanons :

They met via Rosie. They had seen each other before, Lumi accidentally helping Alastor taking down on an Overlord, but they officially met via Rosie.

Lumi is terrible at social cues, but they are good at picking up patterns, which is how they can read people, Alastor was no match for that.

Alastor is thankful for that, since Lumi can pick up on people, and Alastor can use that to his advantage to strike deals.

Lumi died in 1917 at 18, while Alastor died in 1933 at 35(ish). They often joke that they could’ve met each other had they lived in the same country, and how they could’ve been around the same age had they died at the same time.

Lumi and Alastor don’t exactly show vulnerability, if at all, so for one of them to show vulnerability, the other will have to show that first. It’s truly a mess.

During the time where Alastor disappeared, Lumi genuinely thought that he had died. They grieved and continued on with their life- until they saw the commercial for the hotel and they recognized him.

Lumi has their little family down in hell : twin sister, younger brother, youngest sister and mother. They do not get along with their mother. Their younger sister and father are in heaven.

Alastor doesn’t really like the twin sister, can barely handle the younger brother. But the youngest sister ? Who is a cannibal ? He adores her ! He doesn’t like children, but Yu is an exception, he secretly spoils her to no end.

Speaking about baby Yu, she resides in cannibal town with Rosie, Lumi visits often.

Alastor believes in discipline that involves hitting children (it’s canon), but he knows better than to hit any of Lumi’s siblings.

Being friends with Lumi made of Alastor a cat person. He hates dogs already, so a friend who is a cat and purrs and smells like happiness and all the best things ever ? Count him in.

Husk dislikes Lumi for this very reason.

Speaking of Husk and Niffty, Lumi likes them, they don’t understand how Husk hates being a cat, they’re apex predators after all, and they like Niffty, and Niffty adores them so much.

Lumi showed her a katana they use when they train with their students, ever since then they became one of Niffty’s favorite person.

Alastor has witnessed how they train their students, they were a samurai after all and he was curious. Let’s just say that watching them gave him new torture ideas with how rough and hard that training looked (He quite felt bad for that one student who had to start over 500 swings because their body wasn’t correctly placed in Lumi’s standards.)

Lumi reads Alastor better than a lot of people, so they know that he loves and craves attention 24/7 among other things. So when the attention is striped away from him (like in episode 5 where Mimzy turned her attention to Lucifer) Lumi is here to give him some attention (“So you used to dance ? Maybe I should accompany you to one of your outings then, I’d like to see that for myself.”)

Which Alastor appreciates immensely.

Lumi has a set of rules they follow to stay on Alastor’s good side.

Alastor was very sour when he learned that Lumi had a partner when they were human. They are the one to always give them the attention he wants and needs, to always praise him in some way, who can understand him like nobody else, he doesn’t want their attention away from him.

In reality when the partner comes along eventually, Alastor has now 2 people hyping him up and giving him attention when he needs it.

And this is Lumi’s partner we’re talking about, when Alastor latches out and tries to make the partner jealous (“I’ve stayed with them for the last 80 years”) instead of being met with anger and jealousy, he is met with patience, gratefulness and understanding. (“I see. Thank you for taking care of them, I am glad they found a friend who cares for them the way you do.”)

Alastor taught Lumi how to cook, and cooks for them sometimes.

And Lumi taught Alastor French. He had a good start, but it could’ve been better.

Lumi speaks 9 languages, and they are native Japanese.

Alastor had to teach himself how to hold chopsticks, and Lumi had to teach themselves how to use a fork.

Whenever Alastor notices that Lumi isn’t doing great (aka they start to melt because when their emotions are too much they become magma and they start to melt), he takes them on a walk in the Bayou side of his room.

Alastor and Lumi fought Adam together, they got severely hurt together and left to lick their wounds together.

Lumi has tagged along on a few radio broadcasts of Alastor, it’s just them sitting next to him, listening and purring quietly.

Alastor loves the sound of their purrs, he wants Husk to make the same sound.

Lumi started to use pet names such as “honey” or “baby” after hanging around Alastor and Rosie as much as they do.

Alastor often calls them “Lumi dear”, and occasionally “Darling” (he found out that the nickname snaps them out when they are panicking or experiencing a flashback of some sort)

Lumi nicknames Alastor “A-kun”

[velvet-vox]

THE Yugo defense post.

I am (hopefully) very confident in saying that there are probably a lot of these types of posts lying around, but since the argument has never been truly put to rest even after the show's finale, I feel like it's truly time for someone to give his own two cents again and take a stand against Yugo's haters, because by Osamodas that child cannot catch a break.

(Also I haven't seen season 4 but I know a couple of things about it, but I will focus mostly on 1 to 3 plus The quest for the six Elatrope Dofus).

So I am going to start this post by talking about my own personal character arc in learning to love Yugo, because oh boy, it was a wild and unexpected journey for me. Now, I, personally, am someone who tends to prefer villains and antagonists over heroes and protagonists. That's not uncommon, plenty of people are like that, no, I don't want a spinoff that turns the villain into the protagonist because that would make them less interesting as now we need to learn almost everything about them in order for the story to keep our attention. Therefore, as you can imagine, Nox was my selling ticket for the show. I got the small, almost non existent hype around him and it got me interested. Season 1 ended, it was a banger, but at the time, all I got to think about was Nox and how much I was grieving him. I didn't really think about anything else regarding the season, all I got was him and his arc. I needed a way to overcome the grief, so eventually, I learned that season 2 also had a pretty good villain, so I said "hey, let's use the possible trauma caused by this new baddie to overcome the trauma caused by the previous one" and started watching season 2. Love love love Qilby. And I am going to bring it back up later, but the season 2 finale is the definitive moment where I became invested with Yugo and got deeply interested in him. Eventually, when I watched The quest for the six Elatrope Dofus, I was just deeply in love with him, rooting for him at every turn, and generally, just cheering the guy.

And then.... there it comes season 3. My Iop. I was already spoiled by the fact that season 3 was disappointing, so I kept my expectations as low as possible, but sweet home Alabama I was not prepared at all, if the season had just been bad I would have called it a day, but no, the season is wasted potential at its finest, so many incredible ideas rushed and fumbled, Oropo would have been my favourite villain in the show had he been written better and preplanned, he feels like the Bradford Buzzard of Wakfu and his Brotherhood is its F.O.W.L.

However, while the writing took a nose dive in season 3, I started to realise something that I didn't notice before: damn, I really care about the main cast. Not just Yugo. All of them. This is something that distinguishes Wakfu from other shows: most of the time, writers focus more on making the protagonists immediately likable and interesting, which makes sense, as they are the cornerstone of most stories, but Wakfu differs in the way it endears us to its cast since I didn't feel like the show made a great effort in investing us to the protagonists in the first two episodes, they introduced their personality, quirks, and characteristics, but they didn't show us their struggles beyond Pin Pin's quabble with Rubilax, and this creates the ripple effect later on in the show where you become surprised in your backwards investment of their journey, because that's not how the story started with and yet you can clearly discern their development quite a lot.

And this brings us to Yugo, whose Wakfu untraditional deuteragonism creates a weird case of main character where, the actual season focuses on Tristepan and his journey, but since Sadlygrove is also his own worst enemy with the exception of Dark Vlad, the actual main villain of the season is a foil for Yugo and develops him into a more mature individual.

Which, finally, brings us to the main reason of hatred from some (fake) fans: the villains. The villains in Wakfu tend to be very complex and compelling, while in contrast, Yugo stays mostly static and simple before being confronted with said opponent; then for specific cases of flandarized vitriol, we have:

- Yugo did not try to talk out Nox from his plan nor did he console him, which led to his demise (Pure evil).

- Yugo willingly locked Qilby in the White Dimension again with full knowledge of the reasons why Qilby did what he did (Jerk).

- Yugo accidentally (but not really) created Oropo which caused insane damage to the world of twelve and created all of the problems of the series up to this point (Meh. Still an absentee abusive father).

- Yugo limited himself to locking up the Necromes to starve for eternity rather than killing all of them (Ok).

And I am going to run through each and every single one of them.

- First: Yugo did not know anything about Nox but he killed off Grougaloragran earlier on and his Time Razor just killed Yugo's friend a couple of minutes before their fight, which led Yugo, a child, to his very first fit of rage and did not esitate or waste time to attack Nox, a dangerous murderer who wanted to steal his hat. But when he finally realised what Nox's plan was, he told the Sadida warriors to back off, but since it was already too late for him, Nox left the battlefield of his own volition and ended his life.

- Second: Qilby was a great bastard. A complicated and caring one, but a jerk nonetheless. And yet, Yugo knew and deeply felt that even he didn't deserve to be in the White Dimension, one of the most cruel and gruesome fates any villain could face, but he had no other choice, because if he didn't do that, Qilby would have destroyed the world. And even then, later on in the series the thing that Yugo hated Qilby the most about was not anything that he did, but rather the punishment that he forced Yugo to inflict on him.

- Third: Oropo is just a freak show of a writing mess that I can't even point out how much Yugo is to blame for his condition, at least Yugo feels bad about the Eliotropes, so there, Yugo feels empathy.

- Fourth: Sorry, didn't watch season 4, but again, I assume it was like a binary choice like season 2, Yugo is definitely more of law enforcer despite his carefree nature, he was destined to become King and he just accepts it, in contrast to Amalia's rebelliousness and lack of a forced incoronation (opposite attract each other).

Amalia's going to die one day, and Yugo's going to live for thousands of years and never abolish or question the monarchy. It's sad, but his existence is pretty sad.

As for people claiming that Yugo's an overpowered Gary Sue, I'm sorry but as long as a character faces struggles in any meaningful way then you can't claim that they just break the narrative.

[minsungchronology]

Hi! First of all, I want to say I really appreciate your videos - they have given us all such a newfound appreciation for minsung 😍

I have seen some theories floating around since the fan meeting about Lee Know and his friend who dressed as Leebit during the whole of the fanmeeting. We all know that Lee Know often jokes that people are his boyfriends (this friend, Han, even Hyunjin) so generally no one takes those comments seriously but some people have started wondering whether they are actually in a relationship and whether this is a soft launch of sorts (it seems the argument is that being in a mascot costume for hours over three days just seems like a lot for just a friend). It also would make sense Han knows him since Han (all things aside) is very close to LK. I’m curious whether you have any general views on this?

I have also always seen LK as the type to like to keep his personal emotions, feelings and life quite private. I have shipped Minsung for a while now but I am curious to hear from you what you think about the fact that they have become much more “obvious”/affectionate lately - do you think that could suggest they’re not actually in a relationship (since both LK and Han seem like the private type to me) or that it’s the company trying to push minsung or do you think something has changed that has made them more open to expressing themselves? I’m loving it personally but it was shy LK (the “do you like me in that way?” comment) that made me start shipping them so I guess I am just not sure what to do with the major escalation in minsung land over the past few months.

Thanks again!

I’ve seen the discourse around the whole friend thing and I have to giggle. I think a lot of fans misunderstood what LK said when talking about his friend. He said that he was the friend that took “boyfriend” photos of him which is a common term that's used to describe how a photo is taken, not that he was the guy who he jokingly called “boyfriend” in the vlog to get a reaction out of Han. Idk if its the same friend though (unless anyone else here knows lmao).

And about them being “open” I think there’s a huge difference between stuff meant to get the audience hyped up (i.e: the teleprompter stuff at the Japan concerts) and them just naturally gravitating towards each other, interacting, or laughing together at something (which is like 90% of the their moments we got during the fanmeet, outside of their duet during the first day, the quick WSB performance, and maybe the sign that Han answered to). Other duos I say were more blatant about things during those three days (For ex. LK and CB playfully fighting over HJ, 2min’s antics on stage, FeIix/LK almost kissing eo on stage, etc.)

I think many fans underestimate how private they actually are together. It’s just that every moment of theirs gets hyped up since they’re a popular duo, even if other duos are much more (open?) about things (i.e: JiIix pretending to kiss eo, CB playfully flirting with HJ all the time). 

The members have said it during the 2022 kids room that they’re generally secretive about their bond and we see that even more in recent times. Remember when they went to France a couple of months back and fans saw each duo spend time together in their spare time? (The Maknaes, HyunIix, LK/Han, Chan/Changbin?) and then a week or so later we literally got a SKZ TaIker of vlogs of EVERY duo except LK/Han. The only thing we got was Han verbally saying that they spent time together. 

And then there’s the 2kids show episode where they were very visibly nervous (during the first half especially), they would downplay their bond like, “I don’t know this guy!” “We don’t pay attention to eo!” “The only time we hang out is when the fans see us!” and LK quickly fumbling over the whole we don’t need to sneak out thing, etc. (before they eventually loosen up a bit and contradict themselves on some things). I think a lot of things from that episode cemented them being private about things. Cause if it was all jokes and sayings to get the fans hyped up I don’t think they would have been nervous at all. They would freely joke about things like FeIix/CB did, for example.

Outside of the stage (where all of the members seem to visibly relax and have fun), they seem very “gatekeepy” about a lot of things they do together, especially in recent times, compared to prior years.

Personal opinion: I also think because other members/duos are very visibly affectionate on camera (some even more than LK/Han) and have been so since forever, that would probably make them feel more comfortable to be so as well.

[that-ari-blogger]

Deadly Simplicity (Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief)

The Percy Jackson series is one of those ubiquitous franchises that almost everyone has at least heard of. The books single handedly sparked a growing interest in mythology and history, with a focus on Ancient Greece. But there is more to them than that, suffice to say, you don’t get to be the first google search result for “Uncle Rick” for nothing.

I have never been one for rewatching or rereading stories I like. I have a ton of books on my shelf that I read once and then never came back to, but having this blog inspired me to start re-experiencing things from a critical lens.

I decided to reread the Percy Jackson books and genuinely wasn’t planning on posting about them until a thought struck me. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is simple by design, and relatable on a level I was not expecting it to be.

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD: (Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief)

First up, a confession.

I got into the franchise in the weirdest way possible. The movie that we all try to forget came out when I was too young to understand why it was so awful, and my childish brain got hyped on the cool magic stuff. So, I read the first book, and then the Heroes of Olympus series that began releasing in the same year and I began to understand exactly how wrong I was.

This story would be unusual, if I hadn’t also done the exact same thing with Avatar: The Last Airbender. I’m sorry, I promise I didn’t do it on purpose. At least that one was a few years later, and my first experience of the true series was genuinely Bitter Work, take a guess at how quickly I worked out the difference in quality.

Anyway, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief feels like a bedtime story, and that’s pretty much what it was. But I would propose that the story also functions as a legend, or a folk tale.

I want to prefix this by saying that I am not a semanticist. The word “legend” has a specific meaning, and my basic knowledge leads me to believe that it fits, but if someone with more understanding argues contrary, they are the authority.

However, I’m not arguing pure definition, I’m arguing more on vibes, which are conveniently more difficult to pin down, and leave me with some wriggle room.

In any case, Percy Jackson is a legend because of how it develops. It’s a simple story told with a purpose, that evolved over time. Like the legends of King Arthur.

The series overall is famous for making writing about heavy subject matter with respect look effortless, but looking at the first in the series, its noticeable how many of the themes that would become central in the later books are absent entirely.

This is a story of empowerment about ADHD and dyslexia, that abruptly gains some family thematic at the very end. It’s got a cool backdrop with magic and a sense of humour, and that’s it. This isn’t trying to be anything more.

Which, for the record, works uncomfortably well. I am not dyslexic, so I can’t speak for that experience, but I was recently diagnosed with ADHD, and with that hindsight, Perseus Jackson came to my house, knocked down my door, and said “I see you.”

In every behaviour, from the inability to focus except in moments when he can’t do anything else, to the struggle with school, to the unrivalled inability to read a room, I have seen in myself a thousand times. But the key here is that these are reframed as empowering with one majour exception that is actually quite funny.

Percy’s ADHD becomes an explicit divine gift that will help save his life time and time again, and his Dyslexia becomes a secret language that only a select few have access to. It doesn’t even ignore the issues of living with the two, it just adds on a few cool magical powers to make them feel special. When you are a kid, or even as an adult, sometimes you need the affirmation.

But I mentioned an exception, and that is the main conflict of the story. The book doesn’t have a main antagonist, and Ares is tagged on at the end as a boss battle. But there is an opponent, the Summer Solstice itself.

Filling the role of villain in a story about a character with ADHD, is the threat of a deadline. And from that perspective, the story about characters getting sidetracked by everything under the sun, before getting their arses into gear the night before becomes half funny, but also empowering. It says, “you can do this, and you will do it your way.”

When I watched the Disney + series, I was originally offput but unable to put my finger on why. But I think it’s the tone. The series feels like it was written from the perspective of an adult looking at the adventure and going “he’s twelve, he’s gonna get killed”, while the first book oscillates between that and “I’m twelve, I’m gonna live forever”.

Case and point, book Percy gets annoyed at his father about twice, and immediately forgives him, while series Percy is well aware of the situation, and reacts to it with that knowledge in mind.

Watch this space for my coverage of Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters for more details on this, because that gets really interesting.

My single biggest bugbear with modern internet discourse is the drawing of similarities between stories as if its some great revelation. Like, congratulations, you’ve discovered tropes, what’s your point?

In this context, the similarities being drawn are between Percy Jackson, Star Wars, and The Galbraith books (Harold Pots and the Spooky Triangle, Harold Pots and the Hole with a Snek in it. You know which books I’m talking about).

I’m not going to argue that there aren’t similarities, but I challenge you to write a story that is made up of entirely new ideas that nobody has ever thought about before.

All stories, for example, feature a young hero and a coming-of-age story. All have a tragic backstory and a wacky mentour. All have an introductory adventure to tie in a hint of worldbuilding, then lead into the greater story for the second act. All feel like they were written to be standalone stories with hints at a future added as an afterthought.

However, the differences between the three are so much more significant. Star Wars is trying to fit into the Hero’s Journey, the definitive writing stereotype, and it did so well at it that anyone trying to compare to the trope now compares with Star Wars.

Harrold Pots and the Life Rock of Live Giving Rockiness is trying to be a Bildungsroman, which is separate from the Hero’s Journey, but does have a fair few similarities. Notably the travel into a symbolic new world of adventure, and the return home as a changed person. But the theming is different, Harrold Pots, for all its many flaws, is a story with a solid theme. With friends, you can accomplish anything.

It also, as a side note, heavily implies the idea that forcing someone to be something they are not (I.e., the protagonist’s relatives trying to convince him that he is not a wizard) is impossible, and I chose to read that as trans affirming because I know Galbraith definitely didn’t mean it that way and I am petty.

To further back up this point, some people in the story aren’t born as witches or wizards (AMAB, assigned muggle at birth), but are accepted regardless. This reading is definitely based on the flimsiest of reasonings possible, but it’s a testament to what can happen when you see patterns in stories that aren’t there or aren’t as significant as the author meant.

Back to Percy Jackson, it baffles me that this gets lumped in with the two aforementioned franchises, because it’s truly awful at sticking to a specific structure. It’s a hero’s journey at parts, and a Bildungsroman by technicality, but it’s its own thing.

Percy learns about the stolen lightning, the title of the story, just before halfway through the book, and then he departs on his quest. I’m genuinely not sure to see the story as five act, four act, or even two act, and I don’t think it matters. That’s part of what I meant about this feeling like a legend, because it has the same meandering structure, it’s a story meant to be told, not marked on a scale.

Which leads me to my point about empowering. This book, by its very structure, backs up the simple theming of the story. You can do it, and you will do it your way.

Final Thoughts

There are so many little details in this book that I could talk about, so I’m going to focus in on two more before I leave.

Dionysus is my boy in the mythology, but in his introduction in this book, he manages to have more teeth than any other god in the series. Sure, Zeus is throwing storms around and being generally big (in a physical sense), but Dionysus comes across as powerful because he shows Percy just what he is capable of. Show don’t tell is a hell of a thing, and the choice to make the threat of “I can drive you insane with barely a thought” by literally getting in Percy’s brain and giving him examples of what Dionysus can do from the perspective of those he’s cursed shows a level of power and raw intimidation factor that nothing in the rest of the series will get close to.

There is one other similarity between this book and Harold Pots and the Oh-My-G-d-Its-Robert-Pattinson, and that is the one thing I dislike about the story. In this book, and only in this book, Riordan has a habit of indicating morality with appearance. Every evil person is ugly, every good person is beautiful. Once you notice it, you can’t unsee it.

But interestingly, this stops in the final few chapters with Luke’s betrayal, which is the series’ main turning point. Well, one of two. And this only works because the book has conditioned you to expect the handsome Luke to be benevolent, so the twist hits hard. It works, but I’m glad Riordan didn’t continue with the trope.

Next time, I will be looking at Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters and exploring just how much this book is the opposite of the one I just covered. So, stick around if that interests you.

[eerna]

I think the big problem witht the fan service in TPT was that it was to throw in your face.Fan service is good when you fell natural but simultaneously you could tell that is fan service.I rolled my eyes at taryn divine punishment it felt like she gave the fans what they wanted since qon(the whole taryn didnt got a punishment was always funny to me they were acting like having locke as a husband wasnt one)

I understand why HB tried to please as much people she could with it since from what i saw even people who enjoyed her other faerie books weren't big fans of TSH.I agree with J and C don't make good mcs anymore thei arcs endet and most of their problems were solved in a good note.

TPT tried to be a lot of things at once:

1.Fan service

2.the conclusion of the story

3.a bridge for her undersea book

4.Romantasy( marketed like this)

And fails at being a good structured story.(for a book marketed like a romantasy the romance was so little and rushed at the end)

From what i saw a lot of people started hating wren after TPT wich i understand in a measure since she was so little and most of her scene were not in a favorable light.(shes still my fav Tsh character and i love her but her arc was practically non-existent)

I enjoyed oak a lot maybe bc im a sucker for his type of character but i think it could have been done more with his character.

I don't know how a undersea book in jurdan pov will be but i dont think it would be a good one since what they will narate especially in the undersea!

Yeah, you laid it out very well. I am NOT above fanservice. I friggin love the stuff. Case in point: the way I was SO INSANELY HYPED for TPT because they promoted it with Madoc household content which are words to my heart. But the issue is when the fanservice overshadows everything else. Case in point: Wren becoming a side character in her own duology so that Oak's main storyline can happen with Jude. I legit can't blame anyone who hates her after TPT because oh my god her writing was SO BAD in that second book. You can't just have your character do the vilest cruelest thing in the world to her love interest and then remove her from page and later say that she was just manipulated and blackmailed into being mean and is ready for love now. Imagine if the everapple scene happened and then Balekin convinced Cardan to give him an oath of allegiance that kept Cardan on Madoc's side for the rest of the plot except for romance scenes and then in the end he and Jude still got together. BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED TO WREN. Well not exactly because she had a POV book first BUT YOU GET WHAT I MEAN.

Even the Oak-Jude storyline was not all it could have been. HB tried to give them a similar dynamic that Madoc and Jude had, where Oak isn't sure if Jude truly loves him and if she would sacrifice him if she suspected he worked against her. But there is no real tension because we KNOW Jude would never do that because like. That's the entire point of TFotA. I think that Oak slowly growing to resent his family was a fantastic concept, but the book barely gave it any screentime before it was solved. It's like HB didn't want to do anything too uncomfortable because this time around she would have to make Jude and Cardan his problematic parental figures, and that goes against every single rule of fanservice. So we get the worst of both worlds: Oak is a messed up kid doing very self destructive things that Jude is responsible for, but we can't explore them or treat them as very bad because that would make Jude look bad, and who wants to read a book about their fave girlboss accidentally ruining her baby brother's life? (Me I do oh my god I was looking forward to it so much I am still heartbroken)

There's still hope that the Undersea book won't be Jurdan POV, and I am manifesting it so much, because you're so right I have 0 confidence that I would like it.

(Marrying Locke was all the punishment Taryn needed fr. Rest in pepperoni loser)

[liauditore]

hi i have returned opinions on secret life so far? (also any idea why bigb’s secret animation was different to everyone else’s?) :D

hi hi i have so many Thoughts that i will definitely miss Something but. lots of things. spoilers for ep1 under the cut obvs.

why is every ship getting crumbs. literally all of them. what is wrong with everyone wtf. (except treebark. treebark girlies stay losing)

new mechanic is insanely hype and i am going a little bit feral over it. i've been wanting a UHC-style season for a long time and this seems a great way to kind of. entertainment-fy it i suppose? cus as much as i wanted straight up UHC i can totally understand why players like joel or skizz or scar would struggle hard in that sort of ruleset and it wouldn't be very fun to watch as a result.

i'm a bit.. tentative about the more acknowledgment of the Lore this time around? On one hand i love it and i think it's incredibly cool but on the other hand i know well that lore can eat a series alive if let out of control. Especially when fans start getting pushy about their theories and disappointed when inevitably things aren't as explained or thoroughly confirmed or straight up forgotten. (<-- fnaf fan. i have seen it. it is horrible)

that being said i have trust in grian specifically to handle it well and not go off the deep end with it cus a good chunk of the viewers don't know/care for the lore and if it becomes a Big Thing then a lot of people are gonna end up feeling alienated and confused.

i LOVED Bigb's episode and i think it's like. the ideal way to incorporate lore into a series like this. the way you can Feel that something is off rather than it being explicitly shown. you can choose to write it off or dig deeper. it's good juice. I've mentioned this before but I'll say it again -- Bigb is easily one of the strongest roleplayers on the entire server and his editing REALLY sells it hard. He really melts into what's happening rather than getting up on a platform and shouting THIS PART IS IMPORTANT. LOOK AT ME. which i really appreciate as a kind-of honorary former theatre kid.

but yeah tl;dr i think lore/fan theories should be left to the fandom mainly otherwise it starts getting weird. that being said i trust the life series ppl and can't wait to see what's going on with this season.

now if i may be unhinged myself. i def agree with the theory that Something is up with Bigb's task and maybe whatever gave it to him is trying to mess with the game.

Bigb and Mumbo specifically I felt were acting.. a little OOC the whole episode? Bigb was very much on purpose i think and i reckon mumbo's just excited to be back lol but its fun to think about

the task system has a lot of potential for. fanfic symbolism fuel. i mentioned this on my spam blog i think but something something about the way the players' tasks almost seem to. mock them? a little bit?

like pearl's being to "earn" people's hearts after she failed to make any connections throughout double life and has been somewhat isolated the whole series. bdubs being known for his efficient and beautiful builds being told to make something ugly and useless. scott being implicitly called a parasite with his history of teaming and latching onto one specific person each season. etc. etc.

the teams this time around are looking interesting and i think it's worth noting how it almost feels like.. the opposite of limlife a bit? with how slow and cautious everyone has to play. it seems like over half the server haven't really even joined up with anyone yet which is intriguing. (im personally praying for a scar/jimmy team up. just cus scott said they wouldn't make it lol)

which is great for me cus i loved limlife but the chaoticness of everything did kind of. make deaths less impactful i think? if i see another sky bridge i might scream

im very. of two minds about the scott and impulse team up. because if you dig through my blog you'll see i have kind of a history of being unhinged about those two and their parallels. but i have the sneaking suspicion that their actual dynamic will be like nothing i had in mind lmao

overall i am very excited but trying to control my expectations

also um MUMBO AND LIZZIE ARE BACK AND GEM IS IN THE SERIES AND MUMBO AND LIZZIE AND THUBS ETHUBS ETHUBS ETHUBS ETHUBS--

[freyadragonlord]

As it seems clear that we’re going to have to wait several months before we get new content in the manga, I am going to cope with some more speculations, so here are the

Reasons why I believe that Sigma is going to be alright:

For start, Sigma is not dead yet. He absorbed too much information from Dostoyevsky and his brain wasn’t able to handle it all, causing him to pass out/go into a coma [we see this happening briefly to Atsushi after he exchanged information with Sigma in the Sky Casino Arc]. Fyodor seemed sure that Sigma will never be able to recover from it and wake up, but if Season 5’s finale made anything clear is that Fyodor underestimates people, and while he may have hyped Sigma up as “exceptional because normal” at first, he had already decided to eliminate him because he wasn’t useful to him anymore, and doesn’t think highly of him at all. But I believe that Sigma’s determination and strenght is truly exceptional, and characters in this manga have survived waaaay more unsurvivable injuries before. Which brings me to the next point,

Asagiri doesn’t like to kill characters in the main manga (that’s saved for the light novels), and it took him more than 110 chapters to kill the first recurrent character(s) [Fyodor and Fukuchi, tho we’re not really sure about Fukuchi are we. He apparently came back as a fairy samurai with horns and lasers]. I really don’t think Asagiri would kill another character in the same arc, especially since Sigma’s death would serve literally no purpose in the narrative, and he’s not close enough to anyone else that his death could be motivational for a life-change or revenge. Other series can have “shock-value deaths” were the point is that life is unfair and the bad guys win sometimes, but that has never really been Bungou Stray Dogs’ MO. Again, that is saved for the light novels.

Sigma is the only person who knows all of Fyodor’s secrets, and if he dies those secrets are lost forever. Now of course there is a slim chance that Fyodor also is miraculously still alive, but personally I don’t think so, his arc felt complete, he accomplished some of his goals [in aiding Fukuchi], failed miserably some of the others [killing Dazai], and he truly was defeated by his own presumption and need for absolute control. And even if he were alive, he wouldn’t ever reveal all his plans, his secrets, his past. That is why we need Sigma alive to warn the ADA and give us the Fyodor-lore we are missing.

Unlike Fyodor’s, Sigma’s arc doesn’t feel complete at all. We don’t know why he was created or by who, and he clearly struggles with his identity and with the desire for a place to just belong. He also risked his life in order to repay Dazai and help the ADA, and for him to die after failing to do so [cause again, if he dies now he cannot share that information] would be completely pointless and cruel.

Related to my last point, there is another character in BSD who had to overcome his struggles with his humanity [or lack thereof], with not knowing why he was created and how, and with the desire to belong and find a family that looks after him just as much as he looks after them: Chuuya. This is only my theory, but honestly Chuuya would be the perfect person to help Sigma with this in the following story arc, he’s already there at the same location as him right now, and it would also be an excellent excuse to animate Stormbringer before they make Season Six.

Dazai promised Sigma he will get him out of there alive. Can Dazai make mistakes? Sure he can! But not that many let’s be real. At the very least he is not going to leave the prison without Sigma, unconscious or not, and that will give Sigma a chance to recover in the time it takes them all to go back to Japan.

Sigma shared a moment with Atsushi in the Sky Casino arc and it would honestly be really fitting and sweet for them to meet again. Just saying. It would be cute.

I think we are about to enter a story arc where the Reality Altering Book is even more relevant. Like, it was very relevant already, but I think the Book is responsible for whatever madness was happening at the end of Season 5? Like Fukuchi’s appearance and powers, and Akutagawa’s High Fantasy-looking clothes, it really looked like someone heavily altered reality again… A person created by the Book would be really fitting and possibly useful right now!

And last but not least, I really love Sigma and I don’t want him to be dead, and I think that’s an extremely compelling reason. It’s the most valid reason.