#or things that would potentially make me more likeable and make me more money

[alaraxia]

mini me banner I made originally with the intention of using it for my ko-fi account, but I realized I don’t have the energy to keep something like that meaningfully updated, so now it’s just a general banner for my socials if I feel like it

[highladyofterrasen7]

Ok nesta and feysand and the pregnancy plot:

The whole point of the pregnancy was for it to advance nesta’s “redemption arc” (you can’t argue with me on this)

Like when nesta told feyre that nyx’s wings would kill her it was so she knew she’d gone too far and (surprise surprise) your actions and hateful words can affect people

Now this wouldn’t’ve worked if feyre knew- aka if Rhys had told her- so maas HAD to write it like this and villainise rhys for nesta to make her look better (like some sort of saviour almost) so that it would kickstart her “changing for the better” the whole thing wouldn’t’ve worked otherwise. So while I recognise rhys wasn’t completely innocent in the secret, it’s still more of a reflection on sjm

Which effectively spilt the fandom in half and- in the eyes of some- “ruined feysand”- and in the eyes of the others- made us hate the book (and sjm) bc of the wasted potential and the way those characters were portrayed

With the final scene in which feyre and Nyx die (like give them a rest) again maas HAD to write it like that to effectively “mend the bridge” between feyre and nesta, without nesta actually being held accountable for her actions (which is not cool because she said some fucked up shit)

I have a theory that Bloomsbury wanted Maas to make more books in such a successful series as a money grab (which is why it was “finished”) and in order to do that maas felt like she needed to make nesta worse so she could make nesta better (probably because she was stuck because like with the end of a series, the loose ends were tied up), but she had no clue how to actually do it (when she could’ve focused more on a relationship and actually thinking about a better plot or… written another feysand book)

Therefore she made something that should have been so joyous for the couple (and fans) into an extremely traumatising and controversial experience

Again I remain adamant that the pregnancy could’ve been an interesting plot for a novella where it actually told Rhys’ pov and what he was thinking and cleared up any misconceptions about the book (and shut up his antis instead of giving them fuel for the fire) and showed them like racing against the clock to save feyre. And have a way to save them without nesta losing her powers. Also for some action they could’ve been trying to find bryaxis.

I still find it really strange she wrote rhys like that, a character she has explicitly mentioned to be one of her favourites, so either she didn’t think about his actions when writing, or just thought we would ignore it (we’re trying)

The redemption arc didn’t even fully work because there are a lot of people who still dislike nesta

The fact is that if maas had’ve thought out the plot and the effect it would have on fans and had a different way of making nesta more likeable, the book would’ve been so much better and not been a lost cause

Feel free to add some more points

[distantlaughter]

Formula BMW engineer in interview: What makes Nico Rosberg tick

By Christian Nimmervoll, originally written 27 June 2015 for motorsport-total.com (x)

Between VIVA and Keke: Peter Sieber worked with Nico Rosberg when he wasn't yet a Formula 1 star and remembers the 2002 season in Formula BMW.

Many people have the wrong impression of Nico Rosberg. He comes across as effeminate, pseudo-intellectual, aloof. But envy is something you have to fight for - and level only looks like arrogance from below (to quote some Facebook wisdom). In fact, the Wiesbaden native, who grew up as the son of Finnish Formula 1 champion Keke Rosberg and a German mother, is a well-bred, smart young man who speaks five languages, happens to be an excellent racer, and earns millions doing it.

What's still missing is the world championship title. With his victory at the Austrian Grand Prix last weekend, Rosberg proved that he shouldn't be written off even when his back is supposedly against the wall - there's life in the old dog yet. And in doing so, he gave himself an early birthday present: Today, June 27, the Mercedes driver turns 30 - and is presumably in the prime of his Formula 1 career.

Reason enough for us to talk to a man who not only knows the superstar Nico Rosberg, but also worked with the up-and-coming driver Nico Rosberg when he first came to Formula BMW from karting - and won it outright, as the very first champion of the then new series in 2002. Peter Sieber was hired as race engineer for the world champion's son - and taught him the basics of racing.

Getting to know about Arno Zensen

Question: "Mr. Sieber, how did you meet Keke and Nico Rosberg?"

Peter Sieber: "That went through Arno Zensen, now head of the Rosberg team in the DTM. Arno used to work for Walter Lechner, and we've known each other ever since. Franz Tost was also involved at the time, who is now the boss of Toro Rosso. At the time, they had a South African race engineer at Team Rosberg in Formula BMW who had to go back home. So they asked me if I would like to be Nico's race engineer."

Question: "Can you still remember the very first time you met Nico?"

Sieber: "I had seen him at tests before, when we hadn't worked together yet. My first impression was of a very likeable and well-mannered young guy. In all my years in motorsport, I've noticed one thing: Drivers who have what it takes, who have the potential to make it to the top, don't say anything loud, don't argue, but are professional even at a young age. That was the case with Nico from the very first moment."

"I was a bit scared with him: father Keke Rosberg, Formula 1 world champion, enough money. There are always these father-son stories when the father wants the career more than the son. But that wasn't the case. In terms of people skills, I learned a lot from Keke, namely from the way he dealt with his own son. Nico was always very interested, especially in technology. That's where he always wanted to know what was going on, everywhere."

Question: "They say that Nico was an intelligent student who, if racing hadn't worked out, would have studied aerodynamics or mechanical engineering. When they worked with him, he was still at school."

Sieber: "That's true. The others always said: 'Sure, that's Rosberg's boy, he can test the most and has the best material'. But in truth that wasn't quite the case, because dear Nico had just graduated from high school. So he skipped some tests, which I then had to drive with Kimmo Liimatainen, now team manager at the Rosberg team in the DTM. Because Nico didn't have time."

"Nico didn't have it easy. When he was good, everyone said, 'Sure, I can do it with these prerequisites. And when he wasn't good, they said: 'He's just Rosberg's son, he doesn't have his dad's talent. But Nico didn't want anything as a gift, he wanted to fight for everything. He worked his ass off to achieve that. I was captivated by him right from the start. I always tried to create the best conditions for him."

Spoiled millionaire's son my ass

Question: "Lewis Hamilton said in the 2014 World Championship battle that Nico has always been a spoiled millionaire's boy, while he himself had to work hard for everything. If I'm interpreting you correctly, you don't agree with that at all?"

Sieber: "No. Keke and Nico's mother, Sina, have a very special attitude; they're not aloof people. When we had stopped working together, and Nico later won his first Formula 3 race, Sina still came up to me afterwards and gave me a hug."

"I say to her, 'Sina, I had nothing to do with that, it was Erich.' Erich Baumgärtner, a friend of mine who was Nico's race engineer in Formula 3. But Sina to me: 'No, Peter, I mean it, because you did the dirty work.' That was a statement for me! The first year is always the most difficult - that's when you have to teach a driver style, technique, work ethic. It wasn't easy, but with Nico it was really fun."

Question: "What does learning style and technique mean? You're hardly going to have ridden in front of Nico like an instructor…"

Sieber: "A young driver makes his first statements at the beginning, and as a race engineer I have to filter out the most important ones right away. Many say eight to ten problems at once, from which I then filter out the main problem. Because when the main problem is solved, the smaller problems usually dissolve as well. Then I see on the data: 'You need to brake earlier, but come out of the curve with more momentum.' Those are the first fundamentals you work on with a young driver."

"A young driver can only tell you about the car if you explain to him beforehand what's important. Nico soaked it all up like a sponge, he fought every second. From home he had the opportunity to race, car, engine, team - others may not be able to afford that. But his driving skills and assertiveness, he fought hard for all of that. Whether it was dry or wet, he was always really good."

Like Father, Like Son

Question: "Nico's former kart team boss Dino Chiesa once said that Nico didn't get a PlayStation game from Keke that he really wanted, and that he also got relatively little pocket money. Which suggests that he felt relatively little of his family's wealth at the time, and was also just a young racer like any other."

Sieber: "I've known Keke for a long time. I can still remember that back then, as a junior driver, he always came to the race track with a trailer and bus. Keke learned to work his way up from the bottom. And he passed that on to Nico for his development."

"I remember the Formula BMW race at the Sachsenring. Officially, testing was banned, but others tested anyway. Our weekend went really poorly. The engineer was not good, the car was not good, the driver was not good. It was a pitch-black weekend, with spins and everything."

"Then Keke arrives, with a cigar in his mouth - and grins at me, who has such a blood pressure you can see my carotid artery: 'Peter, it's going to be all right.' And I: 'Were you in the wrong movie? What I saw was a disaster.' And Keke: 'What I saw is going to be fine.' Because you two are determined to make it together, and it's going to bear fruit.' At first I couldn't do anything with that, but then we improved from race to race."

"At the beginning, it was difficult to work together because I hadn't done all the official tests and first had to get to know the car and Nico. But then we worked our way up and became champions in the end. That season we had a test day at the Nürburgring before the race. I changed the gear ratio then, which is normally done by the mechanic. But there was no time for that because of the rain. And I mistakenly swapped fifth and sixth gear. In other words, where fifth gear should have been, sixth was - and vice versa."

"Nico drove out, came back to the pits very slowly and said with a smile on his face - with a smile, not kind of angry like others would be: 'Master, how do you actually count? One, two, three, four, five, six.' And I said to him: 'But you're doing your school-leaving exams right now, you'll manage that!' So he had to change gears stupidly, skip a gear with the clutch in the sequential gearbox, but he didn't care. The next morning I found a note on the transmission: 'Love from Nico, please put the gears in the right order!' That was Nico. That's the kind of person you live motorsport for."

Criticism always constructive

Question: "Were there also situations in which Nico could get loud?"

Sieber: "No, and that was the nice thing about working with him. If something wasn't okay, it was discussed, but not loudly or in an argument, but positively. He asked questions, contributed good ideas, and the collaboration got better and better. He worked hard for his success."

Question: "Nico already had the sponsor VIVA in 2002, in Formula BMW - and therefore had a lot of media presence earlier than other drivers. Was that an advantage or a disadvantage?"

Sieber: "People were already very attentive: son of Keke Rosberg, VIVA, very well-known among the youth. The hype was sometimes too much."

Question: "Girls, too?"

Sieber: "The girls raved about him anyway. But he didn't care. Nico did his stuff."

Question: "You can't tell me that Nico didn't have a girl at the start now and then…"

Sieber: "No, not at all, really! He wasn't the typical girl hero. Sometimes they are, and then they usually forget that racing should be the most important thing. That wasn't the case with Nico. He was focused and really never had a girl with him. It wasn't until the end of 2002 that I remember there being one - and I think that was his current wife Vivian."

Question: "In 2003, Nico met Lewis Hamilton again in Formula 3. Was it already foreseeable for you back then that this duel would continue into Formula 1?"

Sieber: "In Formula 3, Nico had a different race engineer, but that was a good acquaintance of mine, so I always knew what was going on with him. When we met at the race track, we always chatted. By the way, the contact hasn't completely broken off to this day."

"And yes, for me it was already foreseeable that this could go into Formula 1, because Nico simply has a very special way. He didn't have it as easy as Hamilton claims, as a spoiled boy who gets everything dumped in his lap. Our last race in Formula BMW in 2002 was at Hockenheim. Nico won, both races, in the rain and in the dry. Afterwards, there was the award ceremony for ADAC and BMW. Keke didn't go at all, but his mom, a few mechanics and I did."

Tears at Formula BMW victory ceremony 2002

"Nico had a knitted cap on, I remember it like yesterday. Then they called him up and said they had another 'little' present for him. I wonder what that will be? A Formula 1 test drive at Williams! That's when he really broke down, sat down, put his hands in front of his eyes and cried. He was so happy at that moment because he was so disciplined, he did without so much. That's very difficult for a young lad."

"And: He himself had done it - not because he was Keke Rosberg's son, but because he was the first Formula BMW champion. That's when I realized what racing meant to him. I still remember that day today as if it were yesterday - it has stuck in my heart. He said: 'It was always my dream to drive Formula 1 one day. That's what I've worked for.' That was an honest moment. As honest as Nico is."

Question: "Do you think it sometimes hurt Nico to be reduced to Keke Rosberg's son? Did that get to him?"

Sieber: "I think it was close to him. As I said before, if he was good, then it was the good material, but if not, then he's just Rosberg's son, but not as good as Keke. But Keke always stood behind him and told him: 'Nico, you have the greatest job in the world, you are a racing driver. People are all coming here to see your race. Enjoy it and have fun.'"

"And so he took all the pressure off the kid. That was awesome. That was Keke. People were brutal to Nico sometimes. When all he ever wanted was for them to just respect that he was doing his job, that he was doing everything he could to get into Formula One, and that he had talent. The Rosberg name was very positive for Nico, but on the other hand it didn't make it easy for him either.

Question: "It doesn't sound like Keke interfered much with Nico.

Sieber: "No. He left us alone. If he saw something that the competition was doing, for example, he told me, but without interfering. He would say, 'You can worry about that.' That was it, but then he was gone again."

Always looked up to father Keke

Question: "Nico's former karting team boss Dino Chiesa says that it was always important for Nico to once be as good as or better than Keke. Is that true in your opinion?"

Sieber: "He always looked up to his father, because Keke achieved a lot and was a driving force for Nico. But Nico was self-motivated enough to go this way and achieve something himself. He was looking in the right direction, he fought for it. Nico was an intelligent young man for his age. Of course, he sometimes took his cue from his father."

Question: "Were there ever moments when Nico cried to you about Keke?"

Sieber: "No, never. I admire the way Keke handled his boy. Keke always managed to motivate us all. In a positive sense, he was a gangster! It's okay to write that, I mean it in a positive way. Once he came to see me at the Nürburgring, Formula 1 weekend, and Nico had finished third in Formula BMW on Saturday. The conditions were difficult, race started in the rain, then it dried up."

"Keke comes up to me afterwards and is really happy about third place, but in the same breath says, 'We're not good enough, the others are better!' Inside I was boiling. That's when he lit a spark in me, so that even in the hotel I was still thinking about the car. And then we won on Sunday. Grins Keke: 'Oh, did it work?' Motivating his people, Keke always understood that."

Question: "Mr. Sieber, is there anything else you would like to add?"

Sieber: "Yes, two things. First, my son has a problem with his spine. I told Nico about it once in passing, and he said to me, 'Hey, my physio Daniel, he also had a back operation. I'll put you in touch with him, I'm sure he can recommend a good specialist. And that's what he did. He wouldn't have to do something like that - others don't."

"And another story: For the 2002 championship title, he got the Formula 1 test that Keke and Nico wanted to take me to. Unfortunately, my son was ill and I had to stay at home with a heavy heart. So they sent me a video after the test and talked to me live on the phone during the test. And Nico gave me his helmet, with which he became Formula BMW champion and tested Formula 1 for the first time, as a small consolation. That's just the way Nico is.

Question: "Will you wish him a happy 30th birthday?"

Sieber: "Yes, for sure. I'll think of something! We still see each other from time to time. Last year, for example, he invited me to the German Grand Prix."

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

What was preventing Azul from taking the MC dorm before the MC arrived in this world?(sorry if they did say and I missed it)

I don’t believe it was ever explicitly said why Azul didn’t try to take Ramshackle prior to Yuu and Grim moving in. However, I think we can draw a very reasonable guess as to why he didn’t.

Firstly, Azul’s not the type to use force, especially not as a first resort. He won’t just stroll up to the headmaster to put the squeeze on him to give him all the land and resources he wants. Even if Azul wants something badly, uses less than savory means to obtain his desires, and/or tried to sabotage a deal to go in his favor, he doesn’t give outright unreasonable demands or conditions. He’s not stupid; there’s not way anyone would agree to listen to him or consider his offer if he’s so openly aggressive right off the bat. Keep in mind that at this point, Azul also likely did not have anything to leverage over Crowley, so the headmaster has no reason to do what he demands. It took that first year for Azul to strike up deals and to get students under his thumb, which he would then use to pressure Crowley into granting him permissions for the Mostro Lounge. This takes time and effort to pull off, and Azul’s in it to play the long game.

Speaking of time and effort, I’d wager that’s why Azul never seemed to actively pursue the acquisition of Ramshackle dorm until later. The main story seems to begin with Azul in his second year—and it is during the second year when his ambitions reach their peak in the events of book 3. Before this, Azul was most likely concerned with building his own reputation at NRC (as a freshman), as well as building his business. Most of his efforts were likely going toward making his first and main branch a success. After all, he needs to have a proven track record and, more importantly, the influence (dorm leader seat, Crowley’s backing, etc) and the base capitol (money) to expand to a new location. It’s bad business to expand willy-nilly just because he can.

Also consider that since Azul is the dorm leader of Octavinelle, he just has easier access and control of his own territory rather than making things harder for himself by encroaching on the territory of others (which includes general campus land and buildings, as well as the pocket dimensions of the other sorms). It would look bad on his part, especially seeing as he is a relatively new person in power suddenly picking fights with his seniors and staff; it doesn’t help Azul come off as “likeable”, which is something he tries very hard to be. Reputation is very important to him!! It just so happens to be very inconvenient timing that the land Azul had been after for a second Mostro Lounge is suddenly someone else’s living space 😂 It’s probably safer for Azul to swipe the land of a magicless student that lives in an “unofficial” dorm than to jump through extra administrative and blackmailing efforts to pressure Crowley to make another deal with him (+ potentially fight with other dorm leaders).

On a more meta level, I don’t actually think making a second Mostro Lounge at Ramshackle makes a lot of sense?? If you look at a map of NRC, Ramshackle is located off in a relatively isolated location on campus (which is further exemplified by Malleus explicitly choosing to visit the area on his walks, because he says it is nice and quiet there); I don’t think you’d realistically get a ton of foot traffic at Ramshackle, especially when a cafeteria exists inside of the main school building. To me, Azul wanting Ramshackle for his second location seems more like a plot contrivance to up the stakes for the player if Yuu doesn’t end up fulfilling their end of the bargain.

[saemi-the-writer]

If you're still doing the pairing meme: Tikki/Plagg, Alyanette, Felinette, Adrinino and Lukanino?

Oh wow, that's quite the list. *cracks knuckle* Here I go!!

Tikki/Plagg

Screw canon with "Kwami don't understand love or human's feelings", Tikki and Plagg are the oldest married couple ever around!!! The balance, opposite attracts, fun bickering, sweet nickname Plagg only has for Tikki? They're married, your Honour!

Alya/Marinette

Best friends to lovers is a go!! It's a shame the show is so inconstant with Alya's characterization, but let's forget it for a moment: Alya is the one who openly stood up to Chloé for Marinette when they didn't know one another, Alya keeps rooting for Marinette in everything she does and helps whenever she can, is her confident and keeps giving her pep talk... what's not to love? Sure, Alya isn't perfect, and she's still a teen learning subtility among other things. And I don't think I need to expand on what Marinette does for Alya and everyone else, the poor girl even needs a long vacation! Burn whatever Lila is doing to Alya's brain whenever she appears on screen, Alya is a good friend and potential GF for Marinette!

Felix/Marinette

I am glad Felix was replaced by Adrien, I don't care if the quality of the show dropped or is imitating a roller-coaster ride. I've seen enough "girl is infatuated with a (selfish) boy who's acting like an asshole to her, whilst drooling all over a persona of hers", and I am glad they went for the "classmates-friends-to-lovers" route. Felix isn't "a jerk with a heart of gold", that's fanon Felix, and while some creators have very good AUs for the pairing (some I even follow!), it got tarnished in my eyes by the too many salt fics where Felix comes around to "save Marinette from EvUlanDsTOopiD classmates and Adrien". UGH. I despise how they made Felix an asshole only to try and make me feel sorry for him afterwards, there are two kinds of assholes, and Felix in his first apparitions wasn't in the "likeable" one.

Adrien/Nino

Underrated, underdeveloped, wasted potential, WHY?! They would make a very cute couple!! Also, gimme more of their friendship on screen goddamnit!!!!! They would be so fun to follow, example: Nino is usually being chill and smiling yet he (internally or not) completely freak out when Adrien makes a social faux pas due to his upbringing or casually buys him some expensive stuff "DUDE PLEASE DON'T 😨" "Did I do something wrong?? Are you mad? 😢" "Nonononono I'm not mad but... next time, just follow my lead and keep your money, please??" (still he lets Adrien give him gifts though because it's one of his love languages)

Luka/Nino

Anon, either you've been through my main blog (respect, for it's so chaotic and mostly untagged) or you're a mind-reader because it's a rare pair that I'd love to see more!! I admit that the idea crossed my mind kind of randomly, mostly when I was working on my Miraculous Team AU, but then I couldn't stop thinking about it. With good development, these two could work well! They'd make a fun, cute and chill couple, both music lovers and artists in different fields. Nino could be the shoulder Luka could lean on, he who is so often the one to dry people's tears, the two would support each other in a calm, steady way. Nino's perseverance would inspire Luka, and Luka's hidden sneakiness would come in handy for Nino... so much potential!

[vizzy740]

He was beautiful like that.

Todoroki wasn’t always fine, when they first met, Katsuki had hated him.

Katsuki’d hated his power, even at half his potential, Todoroki was able to easily wipe out the competition, easily surpass Katsuki without giving one fuck about it. Emotionless in the face of his superiority.

Then they failed the provisional license exam, and things changed.

Katsuki dumped his feelings, he opened up, and Todoroki… Todoroki started acting all buddy-buddy. He called Katsuki his friend, not caring what Katsuki had to say on the matter.

It was annoying, but eventually it grew less grating, like Shitty Hair and the idiots.

But unlike them, they didn’t end up in this position.

“Thanks for dinner.” Todoroki, or Shouto, as he should really call him, says as he sits next to him on the couch. He leans against his side, even though it isn’t an armchair, and there’s enough space for him to sit comfortably with a good foot between them.

Katsuki hums in response, “You’re staying over, right?”

Shoto shrugs, “I guess so, I haven’t stayed overnight in a while. Yaoyorozu asked how things were going. I think she thought our fake relationship was going downhill. Though this couch is uncomfortable.”

He turns to look in Katsuki’s eyes. Katsuki returns the gesture, and it goes quiet for a second.

Soon after he’d finally debuted as a pro-hero, after he’d finally hired PR people, an annoying prerequisite to being a high-level public hero, he’d been told his image was too sharp, aggressive and angry, he didn’t appeal to most, he lacked most likeable aspects of his ‘archetype’, he was the bad boy that didn’t go to bars, the playboy that never brought anyone home. It didn’t fit.

‘All your rough exterior and rude personality seems to hide, is that you really really care about your work. You’re like a remake of Endeavor, but more… villain I suppose.” Was something that was said to him once, and restated in different words many other times.

To repair this ‘issue’ they decided to go for the most hair-brained scheme imaginable.

“Is there anyone you’d be comfortable getting into a fake relationship with?” His PR lady had asked him once. “You could just handle it like a normal relationship, not say anything to the public, just bring someone along to certain events, you don’t even have to say you’re dating them, just be… a bit nicer to them than you would be to other people, hang out with them in private, between only you two. At least that, which isn’t a lot.”

Katsuki agreed to it because it meant his advertisement deals would be better, because it turned out most money that heroes make isn’t their actual salaries, but cuts for appearing in commercials.

Fucking stupid.

Around the same time, Shoto complained about getting too many romantic fan letters, a problem for every young, heartthrob hero and basically no one else. Katsuki answered by complaining about his own PR team and their insistence that he get in a relationship, and Shoto replied that he’d do it. 

And now they’re here, a few months later, in Katsuki’s apartment together.

“Could I sleep with you?” Shoto asks.

“Do you know what the fuck you just said?” Katsuki replies back, because even now, two years after UA, Shoto still doesn’t understand some elements of informal language, mostly in more… faux pas contexts but still.

It takes Shoto a second to realize, “Oh, no, I wasn’t saying we should have sex. I was asking if we could share your bed, you said it was a double, right?”

“Yeah.” Katsuki replies. “Sure, you can sleep on it with me.”

“Good.”

They both stand up and walk to Katsuki’s bedroom. Neither of them say anything, and it’s comfortable. Ever since their second year in UA it’s always been comfortable, when it’s just the two of them.

Todoroki comes with him to hero galas and every other press event, to keep up the charade, but it isn’t grating, he stands by his side, he’s someone Katsuki wants to be around, and stays with him as he’s tossed between reporters that go between political to vapid in a second.

“Do you have anything I can wear?” Shoto asks.

“Yeah,” Katsuki replied easily, then told him where he stowed his clothes.

He walks out, probably out to take a shower before sleeping.

Katsuki looks back to the bed. He’s got enough pillows to make a wall between them, but it’s too much effort. He doesn’t care if they get tangled up together in the night. Todoroki won’t say anything about it.

Shoto returned, his wet hair had fallen limply over his face, his left side taking on a darker shade of red, more crimson than usual, contrasting even more with his white hair.

He chose to wear one of Katsuki skull t-shirts and black sweatpants. The clothes didn’t fit as well on him, the former a bit too wide and the latter a bit too short.

They laid down, and fell asleep.

Katsuki opened his eyes to Shoto with his arms around him. He was still asleep, like he usually woke up later in the mornings than Katsuki.

Katsuki tried to move away, but Todoroki tightened his hold. Katsuki sighed. He had the day off today, he could stay in bed and wait for Todoroki to wake up, but if it took too long, he would definitely get him up.

As he laid in his arms, Katsuki felt Todoroki’s breath rise and fall. He looked mostly the same as when he was awake, his face still mostly emotionless. His hair was a bit more tousled, the red and the white mixing together. His limbs were a bit more limp, but not by much.

As he waited for Shoto to finally get up, Katsuki carefully moved a few strands of his hair around, back with their respective color, then he ruffled it up again, it looked better messy.

He was beautiful like that.

-Catcity

[onebluebookworm]

Should You Fight Them? - Jane Austen Romantic Runner-Up Edition

Companion piece to this post. Because I still think I'm funny, even with this horribly outdated meme format.

John Willoughby: Even if you don't take into account the lying, the two-timing, the manipulation, the abandoning of a pregnant teenager, and the fact he's a whiny toddler man who could have solved most of his problems by not being a gold-digging shit, he still seems utterly insufferable to be around. Fuck this little bastard up.

George Wickham: It's honestly hard for me to choose who between him and Willoughby I hate more, but at least Wickham has the smarts to realize when he's fucked up with one Bennett sister and move on to the other. Still a stinky garbage boy who belongs in the toilet. I would say fight him, but let's be real here, Darcy would beat you to it.

William Collins: Yes, we all know he's insufferable and pompous and boorish, but I honestly can't bring myself to hate him all that much. I don't know, maybe it's the BBC miniseries clouding my judgement, but he also has this wet beast (derogatory) vibe about him that makes him kinda pathetic. Don't fight, but you could like...I dunno, maybe trip him?

Henry Crawford: Henry, I wanna root for you, pal. You're a lot like Willoughby, where if you just stop being a philandering little doofus and actual focus on being a good person, you would actually be really fun to be around and potentially even husband material. Don't fight, but definitely shame him over the fact he could be so much better than he is. You're not mad, just disappointed.

Philip Elton: I know he was never in Emma's league to begin with, but I can't not put him on here, simply because he's just the worst. An absolute feeb and a loser. He and Mr. Collins would be friends if either of them were capable of being likeable. Absolutely fight, and maybe take on his wife while you're at it.

Frank Churchill: My dude. My guy. My sweet little meow meow. Please just tell people things. At least let one person into your confidence about this whole "secret engagement with Jane" thing. Please, bro. You're decimating the vibes, bro. Look at your girl, Frank. She's got anxiety, Frank. Fight, if only to knock some sense into his idiot head.

John Thorpe: John wants to be a Willoughy or a Wickham so bad. Just so clever and cunning that he breaks a bunch of hearts before landing himself a wife that will give him all of the money. Unfortunately for him, he's just...not that smart. I'm not saying Willoughby or Wickham are necessarily smart, but they at least get their plans off the ground. John doesn't even get his foot in the door. He figures out Catherine doesn't have any money and panics. You could fight him, but I honestly think this poor dunce has suffered enough.

William Elliot: Remember how I said Frank ruined the vibe? William Elliot does that too, but on purpose. Just an absolutely rancid man. Fight him and show no mercy.

James Benwick: He's just a little guy. A little fella. A little creecher. He doesn't even have any proper dialogue throughout the whole book. You're gonna fight a little creecher who doesn't even say anything? A little birthday boy? You'd fight him?

[starblaster]

i'm just so cynical about the way books, extra especially books published in the "young adult fiction" and even just straightup adult fiction categories, are largely being written to be marketed right now. i feel even more intensely annoyed by the racket that is YA-focused publishing since the books being put out by the industry tend to be commodities or generators of commodity potential; written with the expressed purpose of ginning up a fandom, which will in turn mill more money because fandom consumers are more likely to buy extraneous product associated with a title, like a fandom-franchise.

and, yes, i'm completely aware that the murderbot diaries series is published by tor, and tor is definitely part of the problem, but the fact that the murderbot diaries is very much about commodification, it feels absolutely suited (??) to be published with them. and it’s also not just tor, obviously this is a widespread and long-standing problem in publishing in general, but then (with tor) there are books like sarah rees brennan's in other lands books, a series i did try to read! many times! before giving up due to the sheer lack of coherence and cohesion in the first book alone. it's untethered, the inciting incident and conflict are so difficult to even identify, and the protagonist is not what i would call a likeable character (and btw, unless your protagonist is someone like humbert humbert or patrick bateman, characters whose unlikeability has a purpose within that story to make the reader uncomfortable, i'm sorry but why aren't you writing your protagonists to be so unlikeable?! is this part of the marketing scheme, too? are there meetings in board rooms taking place where editors and marketing agents tell authors to make their characters unlikeable when it really is not warranted? i am genuinely so lost by this trend... and it is a trend! believe me, it is a trend)

anyway my point is that some of these authors, i feel like, would be better off self-publishing. what is tor or any other publisher bringing to some of these works? why are so many publishers giving YA a pass to be like this? because it doesn't feel like they're doing the jobs of a publishing houses, except to market things and take a % of an author's paycheck for it. where is the editing? (english language, at least) YA-category books, by and large, feel more lacking in substance than they did a decade ago. like, are young adults not owed something better than this…? and the solution should not be “well maybe young adults should just read adult fiction” because 🤷🏻 shocker, this is a problem with a good chunk of adult fiction, too. i just… i hate you marketing i hate you marketability i hate you publishing agents i hate you publishing industry grrrrgrrrgr biting biting biting gnashing smashing kill

[naturallyexcessive]

revstar asks: 11, 13, 15! ^_^

what character or scene would you want to see animated?

Aw man, a number of scenes from Arcana Arcadia would absolutely DESTROY me if they were to ever get animated! There's so much potential to really get creative - not to mention soul-crushing - with it and I'd eat it all up, they deserve some borderline movie-level revue visuals.

(honestly i just wanna see aruru revues animated, if only to see how she uses her guns in combat lmao)

how did you get into revue starlight?

I'm a simple person: I was looking for good sapphic rep, found revstar on a list of good options, and had it on my to-see list for a while before finally getting around to watching it, only to have my brain rewired forever and utterly!

what do you like about revue starlight?

oh my god where do i start???

I'm more hard-pressed to find stuff I don't like about the franchise! The premise is so interesting and unique. The writing makes me want to chew drywall (affectionate). The cast of characters are (mostly) all so likeable and nuanced and unapologetically queer and so is the narrative. The setpieces and visuals are so well put together, especially in the movie. The music is STELLAR. Every time I reread or watch aspects of this franchise I discover something new. This franchise got me into theater again, got me into Japanese theater in particular. I've spent way too much damn money on the plushies (this is a good thing). It has Shion Amemiya in it.

funny yuri theater franchise good :)

[ghenry]

Looking back on 2022, and a lot has happened this year for me! Both personally and channel-wise. I figure I reflect a bit on most of this year's videos. So here we go!

Kick-Ass | What It Means To Be a Loser

This was definitely a video style I wasn't used to doing at all, I basically saw it as an exercise in reviewing both a film and a comic. And honestly, this was a huge headache to get done because of the copyright bullshit I had to deal with. Literally rendered it like 8 different times because of that shit. And it wasn't just a money issue, getting hit with copyright and demonetization means it won't show up on people's feeds so it's important to me that each video has the potential to get out there.

The video's point: The movie was missing a huge element that made the comic at least satisfactory for me, and that was the consistent tone of the characters being downtrodden 'losers.' Another way to put it would be human. Our faults, our insecurities, and our flaws are what make us human, so that being part of the characters made them more relatable, thus more likeable. But the movie wiped the main characters of their human characteristics almost completely. I got into detail how that's the case in the video.

I did my best also emphasizing that I wasn't merely saying "movie different from comic, so movie bad." I don't even like the Kick-Ass comic that much, so I felt I was going with a less biased perspective. I even brought up examples where I found the film adaptations of some comics to be huge improvements (Scott Pilgrim will always be the shining example). Regardless, people in the comments still accused me of saying "movie different from comic, so movie bad" which is kind of annoying, but that's my fault for expecting better from typical YT comments.

Still, the video was surprisingly a hit! I'm extremely dumbfounded so many people still seem to give a shit about Kick-Ass. It kind of motivates me to make a new video comparing the sequel comic and movie, but I hate both, so I don't see myself really bothering for a while. Also one other good thing, making a video centered around a comic and/or movie is soooo much easier than a video game in regards to footage. I don't have to sift through hours and hours worth of gameplay to find a specific clip for visual context, I just remember part of the movie/comic and go there lol

No Paradise | No More Heroes 3 Analysis

Now THIS was a fucking nightmare. In a good way, mostly. A 4.5 hour analysis that took every bit of my goddamn being to write, capture, and edit. Recording all of my voice was also done in one session too, but I hope my exhaustion near the end didn't reflect my performance.

I loved talking about NMH3 extensively too. I was also extremely happy to find a lot of nuance and complexity within the madness of this game. With the help of a few friends and long conversations, of course!

The point of the video: Travis is in hell, and is doomed to spend an eternity in this hell he locked himself in all the way back in the original game. Having this in mind adds contextual sense to the previous games as well, which helps with the arguments I provide. Not that I claim to be objectively correct, the reason for this analysis was to get people thinking and talking about the game. I think if I wanted to prove ANYTHING, it's that NMH3 isn't as simple and "senseless" as a lot of people were claiming it was. And it doesn't take a genius to figure that out. Take it from me, an idiot.

I am extremely proud of how the video turned out. It might even be the best one I've done, but that's not to say I can't improve. I need to improve, and I'm trying to get better at this constantly. I picked up a lot of great editing skills while making this, and will pick up more as I go. And while I didn't upload a lot of videos this year . . . do you see how long this one was?! Idunno, I think this counts as like 6 separate uploads 🥸💀

The ONE feature I want to see in future run-gun games

This video I've actually had on my mind for a very long time, I just had to finally hunker down and make it a reality. I simply had a sneaking suspicion that a lot of indie devs might not be aware of an innovate design first seen in games like Alien Soldier or Contra Shattered Soldier, likely because those aren't the universally renown classics. I think I'm at least sort of right.

The point of the video: This is a "for your consideration" piece for indie devs planning to take on the run-n-gun genre with new games. I genuinely think this mechanic can take their future titles to the next level of feel-good gameplay!

Huntdown | Run-N-Gun Revolution

My closer for the year, another run-n-gun video I simply made for myself because I wanted to. Adrian Comeau, writer/community manager for Huntdown's dev team, randomly emailed me with some steam codes, presuming I was interested in trying the game out. And I'm glad he did, as I fell in love with nearly everything about Huntdown! It was also cool to interview Adrian to get further thoughts on the game.

The point of the video: Huntdown rocks and you're a fool if you haven't played it. It also has such a rich world coated in interesting characters. It helps that the game is fun to play and has an assortment of unique, challenging bosses all sprawling with personality.

So get yourself something nice for Christmas. Buy Huntdown on Steam. Or Switch. Or PS4. Or PS5. Or Xbox. It's probably on sale right now 🎅🎄🔫

So that's what I managed to do with my channel. I also did a video on Cuphead, but don't have too much to say as it was a very straightforward video. DLC good, but I'm ready for something new by MDHR.

I know I didn't upload a whole lot, but I'm happy with everything I put out. I feel like I need to take more time on these videos in order to further refine them properly. I have tons of ideas for new videos, and can't wait to make them a reality! But I also want to make sure they're of a standard I find satisfactory, while also raising said standards. I want to get better and better!

I hope all of you have enjoyed what I've been putting out, and are excited to see what else I have in store! Here's to 2023! 🎇🎆🚀

[alsjeblieft-zeg]

112 of 2023

A shorter all-in-one survey! Created by Guia from scyphozoan

PT. 1: BOLDING (Disclaimer: Not all the following statements are necessarily true about me) I don’t drink anything with caffeine I plan to vote in an upcoming election (mandatory here) I have more than two best friends I’ve had more than one serious relationship I started taking surveys before I was 15 years old I love seafood I don’t have any allergy I wear glasses I’m good with money I prefer Android over iOS

PT. 2: CATEGORIES A) Physiological needs What kind of cooking method is your favorite? Is there a specific food you prefer to be cooked a specific way more than others?

I typically cook soups in a pot. Sometimes I use frying pan. Fries and small snaks I prepare in oil fryer. I have no preference, though.

How much sleep do you need to feel well-rested? Do you usually get this? If not, what commonly prevents you from getting this?

At least 6 hours, but preferably 8. Good sleep is essential to my wellbeing because of a neurological disorder. I usually sleep with breaks, but I’m working on it. My main cause is anxiety, so I got antidepressants from my psychiatrist and it should help in a while.

B) Safety needs What’s the longest time you’ve been unemployed and how would your habits/routine change if you were to become unemployed now? If you don’t normally work, what part of your current routine would require the most adjustment if you were to take on a 9-to-5 job tomorrow?

I haven’t been unemployed, but I’ve spent over a year on sick note due to physical disability, just recently came back for two half-days. I’ve never had 9 to 5 job, too. I’m a factory worker. I had to adjust, though; or rather my workplace has to accept that I have to take my medication at 8am, during work hours.

How do you feel about your overall health? What would you say can be improved? Is there anything you’re worried about?

Well, I have epilepsy and as far as I know, it’s incurable, medication only prevents the symptoms. This is my concern because most likely I’ll be doomed to medication for the rest of my life. Except that, one of my hands is disabled and has limited functions. I’ve just learnt to use it to some extent and I was able to come back to work, which makes me happy. Another thing I have is a connective tissue disorder known as Marfan syndrome, it affected mostly my eyes. My vision is really bad.

C) Love and belonging What makes you feel instant connection with new people? Is there a difference between the connection you look for in friends vs. romantic interests?

There’s no difference. I don’t really understand romantic love. I’m married, but he’s my best and closest friend. I feel connection through similar interests or through their attitude, I’m naturally drawn to kind and gentle people.

What would you say is the best thing about your relationship with parents, family or relatives?

That we can always count on each other.

D) Esteem How has your self-esteem changed over the years? Is there a specific thing that you would attribute this change to?

My self-esteem fluctuates, but it’s rather on the low side. I find it hard to believe that I’m likeable, even though I’m being credited as such. It doesn’t really change over years.

When did you become aware of your own social status? How important is it for you to maintain or improve your current social status?

When I started earning my own money, I guess. I could be classified as upper working class, because I’m a blue collar worker, but my job requires qualifications. I’m fine as I am, I don’t need more.

E) Self-actualization What part of you do you want to achieve to its full potential? How do you feel about where you are at on this specific thing?

My disability, definitely. I’ll never be 100% fine anymore, but I want to be able to use this hand on satisfactory level. I feel I’ve achieved a lot on that particular matter, but still, a lot needs to be improved.

What would you say is the biggest barrier between you and reaching your full potential?

My disability. It’s called disability for a reason.

PT. 3: RANDOM 1) What has been the highlight of your week so far?

I pushed my limits at work. I had to use physical force on something and it worked. I think I’m doing really well at work, for someone with physical disability.

2) What food would you love to have right now?

I’m not hungry, thanks.

3) Did you do anything for the first time recently? If so, what is it and what did you think of it?

Does the first time since my incident count? If so, then I pushed the floor plate for the first time in two years and I succeeded.

4) Describe your current mood. Is this a mood that your normally have?

Content, but sleepy. It’s one of my default moods, either this or anxious.

5) How do you feel about cleaning? How often do you clean your house and is there anything about it that you particularly like/dislike?

I’m okay with it. Not that I love it, but what needs to be done, needs to be done. I really dislike decluttering, though. I’m okay with dishes, laundry and vacuum cleaning.

6) How do you usually wear your hair? Do you have a go-to style for specific occasions or activity?

My hair is short, so I just put some hair gel on it. I don’t need to do more.

7) Name someone you had a falling out with.

Can’t recall any specific person.

8) Do you have a favorite part of your usual day? If not, what’s the first thing you usually do after getting out of bed?

Yeah, I love mornings. But the first things I do after waking up are going to the toilet (obviously), and then taking my medication. I do it even before getting dressed.

9) What would you say is your best habit?

Consistency and self-discipline. I’ve never missed a dose of my meds.

10) Who is the last person you interacted with on social media?

Someone who liked my post on Instagram, but I don’t know them in person.

PT. 4: THEMED 1) Game Night: Do you have a favorite party/board/card games?

Truth or Dare, I think. Nothing too extreme.

2) Old School: Do you know anyone who can be described as a “man child”?

Yeah, sadly I do. He doesn’t respect boundaries at all. Thankfully he lives in another country.

3) Office Christmas Party: Have you ever been to company gathering/party that actually turned out fun?

Many times. I quite love these.

4) The Heartbreak Kid: What is the shortest time you’ve been single between two different relationships? If you’ve never been in one, do you know anyone who can’t seem to stay single?

I think three months. I never cheated on my first ex, but I realised I started having feelings for my second ex while I was still in relationship. I realised it after breaking up, though.

5) No Country for Old Men: Do you like suspense in TV shows or movies? Is there a most suspenseful scene that stands out to you?

I don’t like any movies. For TV shows, I mostly like funny ones.

6) The Wolf of Wall Street: Is there any part of the ‘rich and famous lifestyle’ that appeals to you (e.g. drugs, luxury yachts, hanging out with celebrities, etc.)?

No. I love my life as it is, I don’t envy anyone, I value my privacy.

7) The Disaster Artist: What is the worst movie you’ve actually sat through until the end?

I don’t watch movies.

8) Her: Can you imagine actually having a relationship or even a friendship with an AI?

Could be hard, but why not being friends with one?

9) He’s Just Not That Into You: Was there ever a time when you felt more invested in someone than they were with you?

I think so. I had that kinda crush on two guys, but nothing has ever come out of it.

10) Interstellar: Do you like sci-fi? What movie genre do you enjoy the least?

I like sci-fi, but I don’t like movies. Threy are way too long and boring for me.

PT. 5: LISTING A) Your 5 favorite places to visit

Middelkerke

Ghent

the Netherlands

France

my parents’ house

B) Your 5 favorite songs

Lange Frans & Baas B - Ik Wacht Al Zo Lang

Vildhjarta - Shiver

HRFTR - Zealot

Tourist LeMC - We Begrijpen Mekaar

Kraantje Pappie - Pompen

C) Your 5 favorite people in the world

my husband

my sister

my dad

M.

my *celebrity crush*

PT. 6: PICTURE 1) How your penmanship looks like:

2) An outfit you’d wear during winter:

3) The kind of view you’d wish to have from your window:

4) An animal (other than a dog or cat) you find cute:

5) A nice rug or carpet you’d like to have in the house:

[bearpillowmonster]

I know this is nothing new but this grinds my gears when I see this kind of stuff because people say exactly what's on their minds when it comes to this stuff and they're loud about it and yet somehow people still come to their own conclusions anyway.

Pete Docter did an interview on Lightyear, he wasn't director but he was producer and a long time Pixar creative.

But who thought this? You'd have to be completely oblivious or in a bubble to think "Where's Woody and Mr. Potato Head?" what the actual- How in the world would you even put two and two together that this was even connected to Toy story if you thought that? I just can't believe that THIS was the reason you came up with. There's more to that quote though.

No, I think what people wanted was a disconnect and what you gave them was something just haphazard. Maybe you made it, maybe you like it, that's fine, but this is not the reason the majority of people didn't like your movie. It wasn't that it was different. Quite the opposite, it was that it was trying to be like something else. I'm thinking along the lines of Marvel/Star Wars, I mean you hired Chris Evans for one, but I'm not going to hold that against you but that you didn't take your own plot seriously and made 90% of your characters are comic relief because Marvel popularized movies making jokes apparently. The "idea" of a spaceman jumping through hoops to beat his top speed in order to get everyone back home after being trapped on this planet resulting in time travel- Not only that! But Zurg in general, as a villain, has massive potential and I'm not talking about a Darth Vader rip either, I mean look at some of this cool stuff

Random little weird sci-fi stuff. Water (elemental ref) in a vitamin jar. Sandwich in a box. A vending machine with these things, it's like an in between of real sci-fi and a toy, which is EXACTLY what this movie should've been and was where it shined for me but it merely didn't have enough of that to capture that feeling. Look at their knives, someone liked it enough to make a replica

That's because it's not just a knife, it's a laser knife, it's detailed but also simplistic, not like an irl one would be but A TOY, a good toy I might add and it fits my exact description that I was just going over.

But everything else feels so forced by the end of it and we spend the majority of the movie focusing on the wrong stuff, we focus on those comic relief characters like it's a Minions movie.

In fact the idea of unfamiliarity isn't entirely false because we had Buzz Lightyear of Star Command. Sure, that wasn't Pixar and I don't really blame them for not using its material or characters for that sole reason but they couldn't have thrown something- anything in there as a nod to those fans? That show is very different from Toy Story and proved your claim wrong years before you did it. And those characters were extremely more likeable and they were aliens! And they made jokes but not so much that they couldn't be taken seriously! Like actual characters! It wasn't that a Buzz Lightyear spinoff didn't have potential, it was that it was done in bad taste. Money!

[pazodetrasalba]

Eliezer

Dear Caroline:

Well, here's a post of yours that hasn't aged at all. I don't know if you are too busy with the court case to pay attention to anything else, but you must have heard perforce of all the recent ruckus about Chat GPT and AI, and of Eliezer's coming into the limelight through a Time article and a series of podcasts -one of them, with Lex Fridman, another, a TED talk that hasn't been made available yet.

I think I mentioned in a previous instance that I am actually reading HPMOR on the side (it is too big to be the Carolingian book of a month as yet; I am about a quarter through it). I am finding it moderately likeable, but also get the feeling that it's Nerd Bait at its worst: it is the sort of text that would entice young, full-of-themselves, sciency, nerdy and gifted kids/teens that feel they know the answers to everything and are smarter than everybody else (especially the adult world). Which, to be fair, is at least partially true with some of this audience, but that's double the danger, in fact, as I fear it would delude and stoke your arrogance and self-confidence to dangerous levels and make it a bubble ready to be burst in the most self-catastrophic scenarios possible.

Needless to say, Yud seems to be quite smart, but also to show those signs of the 'obsessive-compulsive outcast with delusions of grandeur and a hyperbolic appreciation of his own genius' that would make his book and characters appealing to the previously stated audience. Quirks and gestures aside, his arguments sound moderately reasonable in public, and would feel a tad more so if they weren't so doomerist. This, in fact, seems like a self-defeating strategy: if he really believes our p(doom) is higher than 99%, there really is no rational point in doing anything (including his outreach efforts); if it is much lower, hyping it up seems a terrible strategy for being taken seriously.

One thing I do take issue though, both with him, his book and the implicit argument you make here, even if partly in jest, is your commonly held belief in the undesirability of truth made publicly known except for the 'elect' who can use it wisely. In this I intensely disagree, because as you should know by now, truth-telling is the quasi-religious foundation of my moral inclination towards Deontology, with complete indifference to consequences -definitely a crux of mine with Utilitarianism. And yet I feel there is a paradox here, as much of the ideas of HPMOR, Rationalism and Yudkowsky seem to center on an inflexible pursuit of truth and avoidance of self-delusion (even if the ultimate motivation for this is 'power' instead of 'truth' as an end in itself).

As a side note: I have never had a direct interaction with Yudkowsky, but one of the first times I read him was in a post of his in the EA forum about you. I felt he wasn't been kind or fair enough to you, and among other things, I had this to say: "As Eliezer Yudkowsky mentions Caroline Ellison's blog, I would like to say that I have been reading it of late, and even taking into account the potential deceitfulness of  words and the pictures we build with them, I do not get from both its contents and her general trajectory that she could be a morally bankrupt person. On the contrary, the impression I got is of a true believer, and a good person. This does not preclude the possibility that, under circumstances of a certain naiveté and inexperience in a field as murky as crypto, she might have let herself go along with what she might have perceived as temporary  and 'bad' expedient means. But to believe this person ever intended to purposely and maliciously scam people our of their money or be privy to a fraud is, for me, completely out of the question". I was wrong in the 'privy to fraud' part, but I would still stick to everything else I said.

Quote:

A human mind is a delusion generator, not a window onto truth. The heart of rationality is a single question: 'Do I believe this because it is true, or because I am emotionally attached to believing it?

Eliezer Yudkowsky

[climate-bison]

On Weasley Bashing, why does no one bash the Weasley twins?

So I read a good amount of Harry Potter fanfiction. And like many I’ve noticed certain tropes that are very popular in the fandom, one such being Ron Bashing. This is the trope where writers will completely change Ron Weasley’s characterization from a kind loyal friend to a money and fame hungry, violent bigot who is essentially a poor Draco Malfoy. This is done to remove him from being a possible romantic partner for Hermione Granger, who is usually then paired with Draco or Harry.

It is often paired with Weasley Bashing, which is the bashing of members of the Weasley family. But generally it isn’t all of the family. Molly and Ron are for certain going to be bashed in “Weasley Bashing” fics. Ginny is either in on the whatever evil scheme that Molly (and possibly Dumbledore) has conducted or is a helpless little girl who cries nonstop and acts like a toddler. Percy is also generally bashed, but is less likely to be actually included in evil plans. Arthur isn’t usually bashed, and will sometimes use his patriarchal magical powers to control his wife (which is framed as a positive thing). Bill and Charlie aren’t usually in the story (which isn’t surprising, they aren’t in much of the original books either). 

But here is where I find the trope to get most interesting - the Weasley twins, Fred and George. When you read the original series, Harry finds them to be likeable pranksters with an edge to them. Most of their pranks are harmless and honestly kind of stupid (oh wow you ate a candy and turned into a bird). But they can also be incredibly cruel. Some examples:

1. Ron mentions in the 6th book that they almost forced him to make an unbreakable vow when he “was about 5″. 

2. They transformed his teddy bear into a spider, giving him a lifelong fear of spiders. 

3. They forced Montague into a vanishing cupboard which he became trapped in until he was able to disapparate out. This occurred in April, and by June he hadn’t fully recovered, needing to be spoon fed a blue potion by Madam Pomfrey. This was all over him attempting to take points from them.

4. In Harry’s first year, they booed incoming first year Slytherin students.

5. They tested relatively untested (having only tried the products themselves) on impressionable first year students. This is during their 7th year. This is incredibly dangerous, for example sweets that make you throw up uncontrollable or have a nonstop nosebleed could be potentially deadly if they are not stopped in time.

6. Notably in their shop, they sell Love potions, which are the wizarding equivalent of date r*pe drugs.

I am not trying to say they are evil. But you shouldn’t brush aside these incidents, especially if you are writing Weasley Bashing stories. 

But that’s the thing. The Weasley twins are never bashed in any Weasley Bashing fanfiction. Never. They often help Harry/Hermione or Draco/Hermione take down the evil Ron/rest of the Weasley family. 

Why is it that they receive a pass and Ron doesn’t?

I would say they are arguably far more money hungry than Ron, their desire to own a business and sell products are a huge part of their characterization. As well as the desire for fame, everything related to their business is loud and placing them at the front and center. They want to do the tri-wizard cup for the money and the fame. Ron is shown to want to participate in the cup as well, but his anger to Harry was not mostly from that but rather he felt that Harry had been lying to him.

I am uncertain why they don’t get bashed the same as Ron (as well as Molly and Ginny). Is it because people find the actors who played them attractive? I feel as though it is likely due to them not threatening the Draco/Hermione or Harry/Hermione ship. 

So to me to seems that the lack of twin bashing cements that the trope is used primarily to attack those (Ron, Ginny, Molly) who get in the way of your ship rather than an honest criticism of the characters. It’s also pretty sad that the only way you see Draco or Harry being able to be paired with Hermione is when she has no other options, because Ron’s turned into a demon. 

To conclude, I’m all for fanon ships, changing canon is an important part of a lot of fanfictions. But if you have to drastically change the characterization of the characters involved then you probably should rename them because they are not the same characters anymore, they are OCs. 

[obey-me-apocalypso-official]

Rapid fire Q&A with Apocalypso

Q:how do you spend your money?

Conquest: however i want! Who's gonna stop me anyway???

War: i wouldn't say irresponsibly...! but i definitely spend more than i need. Probably because i go shopping with Conquest. We're both impulse buyers.

Famine: i spend little as possible. Just because i have a lot of it doesn't mean i need to spend bigger amounts. Bare minimum. I tend to get hooked on sales though..

Death: when i need to. I don't really look at price tags. I know i can afford it, so i don't bother. But i don't buy in large amounts because it's a waste more often than not. I try to think about what i'm buying and why. Otherwise my room would be cluttered, like Conquest's and War's.

Q:what's your type?

Conquest: someone who lets themselves be spoiled, but doesn't necessarily leech off me. I've met too many like that! Well. It's not like they did a dent in my account, nor did i care. Still!

War: someone who's willing to communicate and adapt. Whoever they are in the end, it won't last long if they refuse to make compromises. As long as i get along with them, it doesn't matter too much.

Famine: my type........ my type.... ugh.. romance is annoying. What's the point of it? Love is just a chemical to help a specie reproduce. Anyone's welcome to prove me otherwise, though. I don't think i can properly understand something like that without experiencing it. I can tell you what's not my type though. I hate people who can't stand up for themselves. If i'm going to date someone, i better not have to babysit them, too!

Death: someone respectful.. anything else is a dealbreaker. Disrespectful people infuriate me. Not just to me but to others. The only reason i get along with Famine is because he at least respects me. Otherwise, we probably wouldn't ever get along.

Q:what made you want to get into the idol business

Conquest: influencer, actor, celebrity.. i knew i wanted to get into something that would get me love and attention. But, if i went into anything solo, i wouldn't have been able to spend time with my brothers. We've just been reunited and all- it would suck to be separated because i'd have been too busy with work! So i dragged them along. I like everything about being an idol- the money, the adoration, how i can reach out to people, how i can travel and meet and work with all kinds of wonderful people.. it's definitely better than being cooped up in a castle!

War: i dunno, i just followed Conquest with the idea cuz he's the boss. I think i like the strict aspect it forces upon us. We have a lot of restrictions as idols- though, not nearly as much as other idols from what i know. Still, i respect a schedule like that. I hate disorganized messes. It's comforting for my lifestyle to be structured. Dancing is fun. The money is a bonus. I won't lie and say it was to make others happy or something, that was definitely an after thought.

Famine: anything to get out of the dirt hole i lived in. Me and Death were against the idea at first. When i was released, the last thing i wanted to do was hang out with these three. I also just didn't think i was cut out for something like this. I don't think i'm likeable, or peculiarly attractive. Still.. they dragged me into it anyhow. They liked me- apparently i had potential. and i didn't really know how else i could have gotten started outside my realm. So i agreed. I like it, i suppose. It's weird. I'm not especially kind or respectful, and yet our fans like me. I haven't met many of them, they scare me. I've heard too many stories of crazy fans.... i assume they must be pretty depraved to like someone like me though.

Death: nothing about it was appealing to me, originally. But. I can reach a lot of people without actually talking to them. I think that's the best part. Thirteen had talked about the outside realms a lot. I was willing to try out anything once. I enjoy it. Ironically i'm probably the most involved in our career now. Even though he's our lead, Conquest doesn't actually talk with our agents much.

Q: which realm do you like most?

Conquest: devildom is arguably the most fun, for the fact it's unhinged alone! With humans, we aren't allowed to talk about stuff like this. Posing as a human is exhausting..! It's part of our brand to act 'non-human' so we don't have to put that much effort into it, but it's boring and uncomfortable, having to hide. Plus, paparazzi is so annoying..! In devildom, if someone bothers us, we can just intimidate them into leaving us alone! It's liberating! We also aren't allowed to fight up in the angels's territory. Bah. What are they afraid of??

War: i think every realm's special in it's own way. Humans are so interesting to observe, demons are amusing because they all think they're better than each other. Have you seen some of the stories that go on human tv?? It's hilarious~ their laws are kind of bothersome though. I preferred it back then. The angels.. they're a bit boring, but they seem to be doing alright, i'd love to study their way of ruling further.

Famine: i miss my realm. I probably shouldn't, it was objectively terrible conditions to live in, but it's all i knew for years. You can't expect me to adapt to drastic changes that easily. The human realm sickens me, they're a bunch of hypocrites. Devildom isn't much better. The angels's realm is so painfully perfect it makes my hairs stand on end. Nowhere really feels like home for now. I only ever feel safe in my room nowadays.. i hope that will change sometime soon.

Death: i like earth. Humans are interesting. I've become familiar with their remnants but it's a whole thing entirely to see them so alive.. it's peaceful. Enjoyable. I'm become tired of dark realms. It's a breath of fresh air to be there.

Q:as the horsemen of the apocalypse- you'l inevitably have to destroy the world you worked hard to be loved by. Does that effect you in any way right now?

Conquest: why would it?? It's not personal! Besides, i'm sure you'l all find that your demise will be for the greater good~! You don't need to worry, most of you won't be alive to see it, anyhow.

War: whatever happens will happen. Who knows, maybe something will change that future. Our escape wasn't planned, maybe something unplanned will happen that will stop it. We'll just have to wait and see.

Famine: i.. i don't know. That's something that's impossible to answer right now. The plan originally wasn't for it to happen like this. I think i was kept in a wasteland so i would grow bitter of the outside.. it certainly worked. I hate it. And i wish all of it would burn.. but. I think i'll grow to like this place. And that scares me. As of now though?? Bah! I'll have fun watching all of you beg for the sweet release of death~

Death: it's inevitable. It's a waste of time to overthink it. It won't be for a long time, if it reassures anyone out there. We'l surely have grown obsolete by then.

Q:as seals, neutral beings, what's your relationship with angels and demons?

Conquest: our cousins are interesting people for sure~.... hm. I'd say we don't especially get along with neither. The angels don't like our 'violent' and 'sinful' acts. The demons don't like how our purpose is ultimately 'holy'. Can't please everyone can you??

War: angels aren't absolute. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool. When you give something free will, it will ultimately grow apart from it's original path. I've met mean angels and kind demons, in the end, it depends on the individual. Neither parties peculiarly like us, from a political point.

Famine: psh! Who cares what they think of us??! Frankly i couldn't care less, they're not in any place to judge us, and they're not any better! At least we're straightforward about our intentions. Demons and angels are painfully double-sided and backstabby about their tactics.

Death:... they are what they are. I get along with reapers best...

[contradictions-of-iron-and-lace]

So on my old blog, I would occasionally give my unsolicited thoughts and opinions on shows or movies (usually ones that either had a lot of hype or were just straight up bad). I just watched "365 Dni" aka "365 Days" because I had a couple hours to kill so be prepared for mental spewage because it's my blog and I do what I want.

Wait I thought this was a romantic thriller. They're talking about human trafficking. This is already gross.

Michele Morrone is very good looking though and I've been obsessed with his face for the last few weeks.

This whole conversation about these girls getting trafficked is gross.

Yes. Let's be extra pervy during a pervy business meeting and check out the girl on the beach with our binoculars.

Hold up. Why did they get shot?

I don't know what's going on. Freaking Italian mob, man.

This song about being addicted to someone that's playing while people are bleeding out on the ground seems tonally inappropriate.

So far we've seen Italy, San Francisco, and Warsaw. I didn't know we were globetrotting.

And we switched from Italian to Polish to English. Sure.

Yeah. Michele Morrone could get it. Also he survived being shot.

Is that the same girl from the beach? Probably. Why not.

They do a lot of spinning shots and it's making me dizzy.

So far this is a very expensive foreign Lifetime movie.

Yes. Because everyone takes boob shots in the back of their Uber while sober.

Homegirl's boyfriend looks like they picked him out of a burly henchman catalogue.

Yup. Michele Morrone is stupid hot. Even just sitting down he's hot.

Oh good. We've transitioned from potential human trafficking to cocaine.

Well damn. This is fairly explicit for a "mainstream" film.

Cool. I share a name with the female lead.

Still don't know the male lead's name yet.

Everybody in this movie is either stupid hot or stupid ugly. There is no middle ground.

Yes, Michele. Creeping up on this girl on a darkly lit path saying "Are you lost, little girl?" is definitely going to win you all the points.

I don't understand why writers insist on putting powerful women with schlubby dudes. It's tired and cliched and inevitably leads to annoying arguments.

Yes. Let's wander around Sicily at night all alone. That's totally safe.

And my point is proven.

I hope if I ever get kidnapped and holed up in some random ass castle in Sicily my makeup looks as good as Laura's.

So this just turned into a horror movie.

Called it about Laura being the girl on the beach.

Yeah, that's not creepy at all, dude. Let's obsess over a girl we might have hallucinated for five years and then kidnap her and give her a year to fall in love with you. Solid plan.

This is literally making my skin crawl.

Ah yes. "I won't do anything without your permission" he says as he literally grabs and sexually assaults her.

So basically this is trying to be "erotic thriller, Beauty and the Beast style".

Her pulling a gun on him has been the best thing so far.

I'm so confuuuuuused.

That's nothing new though. I live in a state of perpetual confusion.

Why the hell is there a man chained to a rock in this dude's basement.

I have many concerns.

Also his name is Massimo so that's good to know.

Besides the man chained in his basement his house is pretty cool.

Just kidding the man is no longer chained in the basement since he now has a bullet in his head.

I'm only 30 minutes in and this has been a wild ride.

"I'm not a bag of potatoes you can move without my permission!" is very Polish and as somebody who's family is Polish I'm living for it.

I'm going to need him to stop laying hands on her.

Whoever chose the music made some odd choices.

He keeps watching her sleep and it's creepy.

And there he goes grabbing her again.

I do like that she's giving him a lot of attitude and isn't putting up with his shit but you know that's going to change 🙄

Yes. Go spend all his money, honey.

He is disrespectful as hell.

I don't care how hot he is, he's creepy and abusive and I don't like it.

"I am not the monster you think I am." You would be incorrect, my dude.

Like, she went on vacation with her boyfriend and friends, and I can't for the life of me figure out why they aren't looking for her unless they explained it and I missed it.

Pierogi. The most romantic of Polish foods.

"I do business." He's a drug trafficker, honey. Run away. Run far, far away.

Honestly I would turn this off if I wasn't so far in it already.

I feel like I have to see this trainwreck through to the end.

"I would like you to show me how to be gentle for you" would be more appealing if HE LITERALLY HAD NOT KIDNAPPED, ABUSED, AND ASSAULTED HER.

Ew. Did he sneak in her bed while she slept?

One good dinner and now she's all "let's gently touch him in bed and take a shower in front of him" 🙄

Why is this bathroom set up like a communal shower? It's weird.

Although to be fair if he hopped in the shower with me I'd check him out too 🤷

They tied her to the seat in the plane. What the hell.

I'm so uncomfortable.

Ugh. Why. Why is this a thing.

So far this has been creepier than 50 Shades and 50 Shades is creepy as hell.

Hold on. I thought they were at a hotel. Why does he have a giant ass portrait of himself hanging up in his room?

I. Am. Uncomfortable.

Oh man. He has a nice butt.

Don't get distracted by the pretty man, Laura.

Onscreen Laura too.

He asked her to teach him how to be gentle, then handcuffs her to the bed and makes her watch while he hooks up with another woman.

Yup. Doing a great job there, Massimo.

Cool I'm back to being confused.

She can't walk in her heels and I'm dying laughing. Same, girl, same.

"What are you wearing?" "A couple thousand euro of yours." GET HIM.

Now we've entered the Scarface phase of the movie because there was just a copious amount of cocaine snorted.

Where did he pull two guns from??

So I don't know how long she's been with him at this point. I feel like that's something that needs to be clarified.

And she fell off the boat.

Of course she did.

Oh man. Why's he gotta be so cute with his fluffy curls and stubble and tattoos?

Also I'm pretty sure he only owns like two shirts because he's walked around shirtless for most of this movie.

We are now in the part of the movie where we've screamed awful things at each other and now we're going to bone it out.

All over the boat. Like every surface of the boat they have now banged on.

If y'all were dissatisfied with the raunchiness of the 50 Shades series, this is the movie for you because it far surpasses that.

Of course they're going to a ball. They always do in these rich people movies.

Makeover montage because why not.

Oh no. He's hot in a tux.

It always cracks me up in movies when people just automatically know how to ballroom dance like professionals without any training.

Every time I think this movie can't get more cliched, it does.

Why do I do this to myself? Why do I subject myself to bad movies?

I take it back. I know why I did it this time. The reason is 6'2" and looks damn good in a button up shirt.

"I thought you were kidnapped!" She was. You were a good friend for thinking that.

The switching between languages is giving me whiplash. It's very jarring going from Italian to Polish to English to Polish to Italian.

Her friend seeing through her bullshit is giving me life.

Also loving the fact that she's acknowledging she has Stockholm Syndrome. But because it's a movie it won't change anything.

Another makeover montage? So soon?

Also her friend keeps calling Massimo Mozzarella and it's hilarious.

That wig looks like it's about to crawl off her head.

Of course the ex shows up.

Honestly just knee him in the nuts and be done with it.

Why does Massimo think it's okay to break into her apartment and wait in the dark for her?

I don't know who thought using a blue light for her apartment was a good idea but it just looks like they're in a giant tanning booth.

"I don't need 365 days... Because I love you." GIRL NO.

I mean it was inevitable but it's still gross.

Yup. That's normal. Let's marry our kidnapper.

I want to snatch that wig off her head.

"What are your intentions with our daughter?" You don't want to know what his intentions are with your daughter, sir.

I will say that I love all her clothes in this movie.

Also she's pregnant. Calling it right now.

Called it.

Also good to know they've only known each other two months and they're going to get married and have a baby 👀

Her best friend is my favorite character and is the only likeable person in this whole movie.

Plot twist. Shocker.

This is so dramatic.

I will give them credit for the ending because that was unexpected.

In summary, this movie is trash and while the "love" scenes are pretty hot, it's not worth the time or effort that I clearly put into this.