#seriously i watched both shows recently and i genuinely don't

[noonionsplease]

I don't know who brings le the most second-hand embarrassment : Michael Scott or Marinette Dupain-Cheng

[cookingmamatwo-dinnerwithfriends]

chocolate frog terrarium || theodore nott x reader

a/n: WARNING: ur a HUFFLEPUFF GIRL and now you have made-up siblings lol the chocolate frog thing was something i thought of a while ago and i think it’s funny. and i played hogwarts legacy so i have to reference it <3

to say that theodore was nervous about the date was an understatement. he was overwrought and maybe even querulous (thank you thesaurus.com). he didn't know what to wear and he was worried that his hair looked stupid. eventually he decided he looked as good as he was going to and left to meet (y/n) in the bell tower courtyard.

when he made it outside he saw her waiting by the fountain. she was conjuring three little yellow canaries, a spell they had recently learned in mcgonagall's class. when she saw him walking towards her she waved her wand and all of the birds disappeared.

"theo, you made it!" she walked towards him, grinning widely.

"you didn't think i'd show?" he pretends to be offended. "i see you've mastered the avis charm?" he watches as a few yellow feathers fall to the ground at her feet.

"truly i was worried you and malfoy were having me on..." she trailed off before quickly pivoting to a brighter topic. "are you ready to go?"

"yeah let's get going," he offers his arm and she takes it, looping hers through his.

they make small talk as they walk across the rickety bridge and all the way to hogsmeade, talking about everything from potions class to what they think harry potter will manage to do before this year is up. they also make a brief pitstop at the puffskein den on the way to the village ("they're so cute, let's just look at them for a second!").

"where do you want to go first?" theo asked as the both of them entered the wizard village.

"honeyduke's," (y/n) answered immediately.

"that was quick," theo teased her, but still led them to the candy store.

as they walk around together theo watches as she examines almost everything in the store.

"what's your favorite thing in here?" she asks him while still perusing the shelves.

he thinks for a minute before answering, "probably...every-flavor beans."

"are you a sociopath or something?" she asked with mock-seriousness. "i can't eat those. ever since i got a dragon dung flavored bean." she shivered at the memory.

he laughed loudly, "i've never got one like that...what's your favorite?"

she picks up a chocolate frog and holds it up to theo, suddenly laughing lightly at something.

"you know i come from a muggle family, right?" she asked, tilting her head at him. he nodded, so she continued. "i bought one of these for my brother one time, and when it jumped out he thought it was a real frog, so he set up a little habitat for it and kept it as a pet."

"how long did it stick around?" theo asked, genuinely curious as he had never left a chocolate frog open and uneaten for longer than five minutes.

"a day, then it melted under the heat lamp," she chuckled, putting the chocolate frog back. "i wish you could have seen his face when he found his brand new pet frog melted in his tank."

"i've always wondered how muggles would react to all of these different candies," theo said, imagining the scene of a boy finding his new pet as a melted chocolate blob.

"don't get me started on my sister," she rolled her eyes before continuing, "she tries to talk to the cards. she has a crush on her gilderoy lockhart card."

"so you've exposed your muggle family to the wizarding world as well?" he asked.

"yes," she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "i think it would be rather selfish to keep all of this to myself."

"did your parents freak out when they found out?"

"oh yes, my mom nearly lost it when i made a worm grow to, like, double its size."

"i would too, that sounds vile," he scrunched his nose up at the thought of a fat fucking earthworm.

(y/n) grabs two chocolate frogs and a box of fizzing whizbees before going to the counter to pay. before she could even get her coin purse open, theo had already given the cashier enough money to cover it.

“you didn’t have to do that,” she frowned.

“i wanted to impress you,” he shrugged.

she rolled her eyes before offering him one of the frogs. they both opened them, caught them, and began eating them.

“what card did you get?” she asked, peering over his shoulder to see.

“fig,” he said unenthusiastically. “i have like eight of him already. who did you get?”

“ooh! i got mcgonagall! i don’t have her yet!” she said excitedly, pocketing the card. “i don’t have fig though….”

she side-eyed him in hopes that he would hand over the card. which he did. he didn’t need a ninth eleazar fig.

they started their walk back to the castle shortly after this. shyly brushing hands until theo made the move to fully hold her hand. he walked her down to the hufflepuff common room where he found himself sad to part ways.

“i had a really nice time today theo…” (y/n) said shyly, looking down at her feet. “we should do this again sometime.”

“yeah definitely! i had a great time too,” he smiled down at her softly.

he was wracking his brain, trying to think of something NORMAL to say, when she stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.

“goodnight theo,” she smiled softly and went into her common room.

he smiled as he turned around to walk to the dungeons. when he made it to his dorm, malfoy and mattheo (yep he’s here IM SORRY) were waiting for him.

“how’d it go mate?” mattheo asked, smirking at theo.

“it was really great,” theo answered earnestly, too giddy to say something cool and nonchalant.

“that’s just adorable,” malfoy cooed at him.

“shut up…” theo rubbed the back of neck, before plotting with the boys on how to ask (y/n) out again.

[thelov3lybookworm]

I literally just sent a cassian request but this one popped in my head for Lucien. Lucien falling in love with a smokehound breeder from the autumn court. Introduced to each other by eris when he’s going to pick out yet another smokehound for his kennels. The litter that was just born has the smallest tiniest runt that lucien takes pity on and he keeps visiting the breeder to make sure it’s ok and he gets the dog AND the girl in the end bc OF COURSE he does. He deserves the world. 🥹

Better place-

Summary: Lucien wants to go out, Y/n knows a better place.

•○●⛦●○•

A/n: i thought this would be longer, but it turned out like a drabble 🫠im so sorry 😭

•○🌑○•

Y/n smiled softly, her heart doing weird little backflips in her chest when Eris's brother grinned, his mismatched stare fixed on the little puppy, Berald, jumping around, chasing its own tail.

The male laughed when the puppy ran headfirst into his legs, bending to scratch behind the hound's ears.

He seemed so genuinely happy, Y/n considered telling him to take the pup home.

Y/n had first met Lucien two months ago, who had tagged along with the high lord of autumn when he came to get the strongest pup in the recent litter.

Eris, now high lord, had started adopting the strongest hound that was born every month, wanting to add more and more hounds to his army of canines now that his father was dead.

Lucien had apparently started visiting autumn court more frequently, having begun to rebuild a relationship with his very misunderstood brother. Eris, taking up any excuse for spending time with, arguably, his favourite brother, had decided it best to show Lucien the smokehound breeder he got his hounds from.

And now, Lucien had been visiting more recently, having taken a liking to the smallest pup in the litter. Also because he worried so much about the tiny thing.

Y/n had only had seen and cared for such weak pup maybe once or twice before, so when Berald was born, it was a surprise.

"He looks healthier than he did last week." Lucien mumbled, glancing up at Y/n with glittering eyes.

She smiled at him, wondering what the weird feeling that spread through her chest was, goosebumps rising under the sleeves of her dress under his intense stare. "Yes, he's been getting better."

Lucien grabbed the little pup from the ground, holding his wiggling body close to his chest as he stroked the top of Berald's head.

"Um... hey Y/n, can I have a word with you?"

Y/n blinked at the sudden seriousness in his voice. "Uh- yeah sure. What is it?"

His chest expanded with a deep breath, and Y/n could see the resolve hardening in his eyes.

"Have you tried the new restaurant that opened up a week ago down the street?"

Y/n stared at him for a moment. "Yes. I tried it the day after it opened."

Lucien visibly deflated, his eyes falling to Berald, who stared up at the redhead. Suddenly, his head jerked up, and with a lazy grin, he leaned close.

"Will you come with me to that restaurant? I've been wanting to go, but I don't want to go alone."

Y/n was dumbfounded, both at the invitation and his proximity and she was sure he could see her burning up.

"Yeah... yeah sure. But I know a better place-" Y/n smacked a hand over her lips, her eyes widening at her own boldness.

His grin widened. "Great. I will pick you up after sunset."

"Okay..."

Y/n could do nothing but watch and blush as he reached out, grabbing her hand gently and placing his lips on her knuckles, a mischievous gleam in his eye.

Then he straightened, turning to drop Berald back to the ground before walking away.

Y/n stared at his retreating back, then turned to stare at Berald, as if the pup could give her the answers she sought.

The only answer she got was that she was not going alone on the date tonight. Berald needed to come too.

•○🌑○•

General Taglist: @bubybubsters @eos-princess @nightless @harrystylesfan2686 @cassie6392 @kennedy-brooke @tele86 @miluiel1 @hnyclover @minnieoo @sidrapotter @piceous21 @mybestfriendmademe @saltedcoffeescotch

Lucien Vanserra Taglist: @mirandasidefics @fell-in-luvs

[13eyond13]

What headcannons do you have on B during his career (for a lack of a better word) as a serial killer? To me, he's like one of the funniest characters but also the most pathetic in the most poetic try-hard way. Why do you think he's such a try-hard? He's coping but what is he coping from?

OMG B!!! Haven't thought about my favourite stupid son B enough lately, so thank you for this ask....

So he's a try-hard because he is probably VERY INSECURE, to be blunt. He probably has very little sense of self-worth or a concrete sense of identity outside of trying to one-up L, and he takes that to the extreme in a highly comical way. He's also no doubt traumatized from his insane childhood as a shinigami hybrid who watched many people (including both his parents) die while knowing they were going to die / was also raised very weirdly and abusively/experimentally at Wammy's and made to feel like he was only worth something if he could be as smart and talented as the legendary L. In his mind he decided that creating his own destiny would be better and rebelled against that expectation by being like, "why be the next L when instead I could DEFEAT L by creating a brilliant crime that he can't possibly solve?"

ANYWAY there's a reason he is the most creepypasta villain / emo boi / dark academia darling of the fandom, and that highly melodramatic backstory is a huge part of it - which I DO love dearly in its own mid 2000s way, even though I also sometimes sigh at it because of the extra villainous cartoony edge it adds to L's backstory, and don't always want to take it very seriously as part of L's characterization in the manga plot...

So on my most recent re-read of the LABB novel, I feel I was a bit struck by just how... Not Good B's impression of L actually is? And this was kind of hilarious to me to think about. I feel like when I was younger and really into shipping LxB I read it just as "clearly B has a massive crush on L and is doing his best to imitate him perfectly because he hero worships him and sincerely wants to be him so bad!" HOWEVER this time around I remember thinking something along the lines of "wow, this feels almost like B just googled how to cosplay L and then lazily threw something together 5 minutes before crawling under the bed", hahaha. So he either just kinda sucks at imitating L (and maybe so, but he also managed to trick the families of the victims into letting him investigate the crime scenes, so he's probably not THAT bad at acting when he wants to be?) or maybe he's intentionally trying to make a mockery of L. It is ALSO FASCINATING from a psychological POV to imagine he's just being a troll about it all and trying to make fun of L with how he behaves! Like! Was he intentionally mocking L with his impression of him to somebody who would never even get the stupid joke in the first place? If that's the case, it's excruciatingly cringy to me that nobody even gets his joke the entire time, hahaha.... poor Naomi suffered more than Jesus at some points during that investigation, I swear...

B trying to do a scathing impression of L to somebody who has never even met him before:

ANYWAYS. I think that whatever the case, he PROBABLY hoped/expected L himself was going to show up to the crime scene to confront him, at any rate. And so therefore he probably initially dressed up as L not to genuinely pass to anybody as L, but maybe expecting to do some ominous dark mirror/ arch-nemesis big reveal shit to L?? Perhaps once he realized that Naomi was the only one coming / was working for L he just changed gears a bit and decided he'd just lead her through the clues as best he could while trying out this cosplay of the guy that he wants to offend most, but this is in my mind pretty much how it must have gone.

One of my fave headcanons about him is that he re-read that crossword puzzle he made / that the police threw out without solving SO MANY times while he was sweating off his makeup under the bed, as well... that's why he had to show it to Naomi as soon as he got out... he was like "I PUT A LOT OF WORK INTO THIS DAMMIT, and SOMEBODY is going to appreciate it" hahahaha. Ohhh, B....

[indieyuugure]

Hi! Let me start off by saying that I absolutely adore your ROTP series. This is also one of the very few Rottmnt/2012 crossovers in existance that does justice to both verses and doesn't put a biases on any. I love this comic.

Now that aside, I need to get something off my chest. I wouldn't have gone on Anon but experience has taught me that opposing opinions will make the followers of a blog insult and harass you so I tend to err on the side of caution. You see, I Love Love Love TMNT. And I love 2012 series, it's something I relate to so much and grew up with. It's my most favorite version of TMNT.

But the thing is, ever since the Rise movie got released, I've been seeing nothing but slander against the 2012 series and it breaks my heart every time I come across it. It has escalated to an unfair point that I've seen even 2012 fans who love it just as much begin hating aspects of it. I mean, don't get me wrong, it does have its flaws but it's unfair how highlighted those select few flaws are to the point of extremely biased comparisons and blame games and general 2012 slander which half the time doesn't even comply with canon. Moreover, literally every TMNT has its flaws just the same.

And recently, I've been seeing an increase in posts on your blog that have 2012 slander undercurrents or simply blatant frustrations with it. I love the comic but keep seeing this hatred still is just... it hurts ya know. Like really actually hurts.

So if possible, can you plz tag such posts with something I can filter out? (And let us know what that tag will be?) You don't have to but I really really love your art and comics, it's just the 2012 slander again that hurts me and I don't want to see it anymore. I've been seeing it everywhere.

Again, plz don't take this the wrong way, it's just something that's been hurting me and I had to get it off my chest. And find a solution to it that doesn't involve blocking or unfollowing because I genuinely do love this fancomic

Thank you for your feedback!!💕 (seriously feedback is extremely appreciated to me!)

I sorry my posts came off as 2012 slander, I really never meant it like that. I will admit I do critique media pretty aggressively, but I never mean it in a hateful way. TMNT 2012 is one of my absolute favorite shows and I love everything about! It’s the weird quirky stuff about it that while yes, I will criticize, I still love. It wouldn’t be the same without it. Just like the weather, I will complain about it, but I don’t want it to actually change.

I will try to be more conscious of how my posts are perceived, I really never wanted there to be a bias on my blog. I love all of TMNT for all it presents, and I don’t want to ever be slanderous!

Thank you again for your kind nudge! I’m very thankful to have people like you who’ll tell me if I’m making a mistake! I truly do love TMNT 2012. I can’t fix what I’ve said, but now that I know, I can be sure to be more careful to not sound biased going forward.

Again, I’m very sorry it came off that way, I didn’t mean to be so harsh. I never want to harm a series’s reputation, especially one that I love so much!

You are truly appreciated!💕

I know this won’t fix the things I’ve said, but I’ll say 3 of my top favorite things about 2012:

I love the way they depicted characters! They do an amazing job using indirect characterization that makes the characters feel so real. The characters don’t have to tell you things about themselves, you learn about them from the way the interact with each other, the way they solve problems, the things they like and dislike, and even what they’re doing in the background! It really feels like you’re there getting to know these fun people and go on adventures with them! Truly amazing!

I love the way the turtles look! Seriously I think they look so cool, and at the same time cute. They’re visual designs inspired me so much in my art and I will watch hours on end of them because they’re just so freaking cool!

I love the way their stories are told! The episodes are so well paced that it never feels boring to watch an episode! Believe it or not, I have never once wondered how many minutes are left on an episode. It’s so good at sucking you in and addicting you, that while I was watching it for the first time, I was straight up binging it and would be forced to put it down by my parents. Several times I would stop to eat something and have that weird “wait, who am I? What is my life?” Thing you get from a really good story. The stories and arc pacing are so good that Indie TMNT, my original series is using massive inspiration from 2012.

Once again, I am truly sorry for coming off as slanderous. Thank you for being so brave and telling me what many people were probably thinking. I want to do better. Thank you! :]

[sporesgalaxy]

Hey I've seen you got into one piece.

I've also recently gotten into one piece, I find it really cool.

I've seen you also talking about the show both to praise it and in a critical way.

Sorry to ask unprompted and this isn't to spark anything just a genuine question: what do you think about usopp's design?

I love the character but his design has always felt.... Bad and uncomfortable to put it mildly. Mostly the lips.

Am I being stupid? Idk you or maybe some of your followers can answer me/there can be a (civil obviously) discussion.

If you don't respond could you say that you won't be responding to the usopp ask so I know to never ask things like this? If you want. You don't have to do anything

Yeah, the lips on Usopp's design resemble an anti-black caricature. I do hate that.

I can't say I know or understand if the context of drawing lips that way is the same in Japan as it is here in America*. In America, there is a generations-long precedent of stylizing lips that way for antiblack racist caricatures. This put me off of One Piece for many many years.

I started reading just before the live action show dropped. I wanted to know why so many Americans could overlook something as off-putting as the Usopp's caricature-esque lips.

I fully expected a dime-a-dozen case study in audience willingness to dismiss antiblackness when there are enough other appealing aspects to distract from it.

What I learned was this: One Piece is very long. One Piece has made openly anti-racist arguments on more than one occasion, especially in some recent parts of the story**. One Piece has played into racist tropes on more than one occasion, especially earlier in the story.

The philosophy One Piece is built around is that everyone deserves equal human rights and autonomy, and that everyone is capable of helping to make that a reality. That philosophy is fundamentally against antiblack racism. That absolutely does NOT mean that One Piece or Oda are incapable of antiblack racism.

But I think One Piece's philosophy makes it a story worth discussing!!! A story worth reading and thinking about and using to reflect on yourself!!!!

I think that Usopp is irreplaceable as an aspirational figure for people with a desire to make a positive impact on the world who struggle with fear and anxiety, and I'm glad he was written. I still fucking wish they would stop drawing his lips like that though, yeah.

*The more Japanese animation I've watched over time, the more I see nonblack characters with lips stylized that way. That's what makes me question if there's some separate origin to it, maybe not based in bigoted caricature?? But I have no idea.

**Recent parts of One Piece have also started discussing DNA as a source for superpowers. If Oda fucks this up and makes it eugenicist I'm going to kill him. I have hope that it won't happen, because of all of the non-biological family representation in One Piece, but if it does, seriously, I'm gonna flip my shit...

[midnight-rice]

@lildoodlecat answering this on my sideblog so as not to confuse the tales fans on my main 😅

--

aaaaaa i'm being invited to go off about a random fixation???? thank youuuuu that's so sweet ;_;

OK SO i feel like I should preface by saying I'm probably not the prototypical fan of this show? I watched it more recently when I was older so my nostalgia isn't based off of childhood memories, I just found a really fun show during a kind of depressing time of my life (2020 lol need I say more?). Also a lot of the fans seem into the shipping scene which is fine i guess but i think they're all sleeping on the potential of the adorkable found family of superpowered teenagers who all live together unsupervised and don't even know each other's real names (seriously they're in costume 24/7 and call each other their work names 😂).

I'll guess I'll start this pitch by listing my favorite things about the show in descending order… which means starting with the animation of all things 😅 There are so many well-animated movies and shows out there but I have yet to encounter one so visually appealing to me personally than Teen Titans (2003). I'm a cartoonist at heart, I generally love exaggerated facial expressions for comedic purposes but Teen Titans really hits for me because it's deliberately styled after anime, with familiar visual language like the red blush lines of embarrassment or the large sweatdrop of anxiety. IIRC Teen Titans was produced by Warner Bros, aired on Cartoon Network, and largely outsourced the animation to Korea, but the homage to Japan is so strong that not only is there a variant of the opening theme performed in Japanese but also the one (1) movie they made is set in Tokyo.

But on top of the silliness of the visual gags the rest of the show is also super well animated, especially the fight scenes!!! Sure some sequences are a little stiff but you can tell that's because they were saving the budget for something like a 360 rotation of the entire group mid-battle (something that seriously impresses me in 2D animation) or a hand-to-hand death match that was almost certainly mo-capped of professional martial artists. Robin in particular is my favorite to watch because he is canonically skilled as an acrobat AND a martial artist and the animators Understood That!! The squash and stretch! The swipes! The smears! I'm swooning 😍 He is a skrunkly rubber band and I love him. (also random side note but i love how much their team's strategies involve yeeting each other at the enemy 😂 like "there is a problem, i'm gonna solve it by throwing my friends at it. i'm sure it's fine BeastBoy will probably turn into an elephant by the time he gets there and not go splat against the monster literally made of concrete")

Moving on from the gorgeous and creatively choreographed fight scenes, I'll try to capture the overall vibes I love about it the most. I'm someone who's always down for a story that's character-driven, balanced between comedy and angst, and above all is genuine and true to itself. In other words, I really respect the tone and way a show handles itself, and Teen Titans (2003) really delivers here. Some episodes are the wackiest nonsense you can imagine (every season has one episode I dub the "pink elephant episode" because its whole purpose is to flex the East coast animation influences in purely abstract sequences often accompanied by music). Some episodes are alarmingly dark and edgy (as an angst and whump lover, my favorite episode is S3 ep31 Haunted in which Robin has a mental breakdown and violent delusions so intense they're worried he's going to go into cardiac arrest… in a kid's show 😅) But what matters most is that both types of episodes are presented with as much gusto and geniuine effort as it is possible to cram into a 23 minute runtime.

They don't hold back with the visuals (so many unique POVs and I love the sponge-like texture in the backgrounds), or the acting (all of the voice actors are top-notch though I can't unhear Lloyd Irving as Robin 😅), or even the score (seriously this time around I was marveling at how well the music accents the emotions of the scene as well as the content, like supervillain Billy Numerous having a repeating banjo motif to represent his duplication powers and Southern US origins). I actually think the worst part of the show is the content itself 😅 this is where it becomes clear it's a kid's show, through cliched tropes, ham-fisted morals, and predictable dialogue, but as someone who's still obsessed with Tales of Graces you can probably guess that cliches aren't something that bother me too much, not when they're being performed with whole-pussy effort 😂

When I first watched the show I watched every episode (all 5 seasons, the movie, and even the lost episode) and made a list of ones that I felt like I enjoyed the most. That's what I've been using to guide my current rewatch, because there are episodes that are a little too childish or moralized or weird to me. If you want me to forward you the list I'd be happy to, but I will admit my selection is very biased toward my own tastes that you might not agree with, and that even my least favorite episodes still have decent entertainment value… with the exception of season 5 😅 idk if this is a controversial opinion in the fandom but I do not care for the last season of Teen Titans at all, you can skip it. I don't know the exact details but there were clearly some developmental and probably networking issues at this point in the series' life, and it shows in the drastic drop in quality (especially in the animation, going from glorious sakuga to powerpoint slides hurts my soul 😭). The content also suffers a bit, going from 4 seasons purely focused on the main 5 with some side characters along the way, to expanding those side characters into the main focus which, although I like them, means that none of the characters feel quite as developed since the focus is spread across too many.

Anyway I guess that's the gist of my pitch 😁 thanks for lending me a platform from which to yell from, I have no idea why I fell back into this fixation rn but it's twice as satisfying when I get to talk about it with a willing audience 💜 thanks Jay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[irkendogma]

i know they're pretty lacking in tak aside from some ship segments, but do you have any favorite issues of the invader zim comics? call me basic but i adore the zimvoid arc especially

man i feel bad about like every anon i've gotten recently because i'm certain i keep coming off as an absolute hater (which may not even be inaccurate but i DO have love in my heart as well) but i honestly don't like the comics that much. i feel like both my grievances and my favorite issues/moments can be summed up by things from a conversation i had a little while back

like, obviously this is not exclusive to the comics - the show itself very much leans on the nonsense comedy angle because it is, in fact, a comedy aired on nickelodeon aimed at children. i'm not about to complain that a 2001 kids cartoon doesn't take itself seriously because i would be insane to expect it to. the problem is, when the comics were released, florpus hadn't even come out yet - the primary audience for them was no longer the "kids" element of the original demographic but the "watched in 2001" element

these comics EXIST to be fanservice - what fuckin 8-year-old is going to a comic shop or browsing online to buy the marketed revival of a show they don't recognize? - but they're written more like meaningless, substanceless comedy than even the original show ever was. there was a fucking wealth of material the original show never got to touch on prior to cancellation, and barely any of it is ever adapted, to say nothing of the entire original cast besides zim and dib playing bit parts to unrelated nonsensical comics characters IF they even appear at all - the fact that many fan favorites, my own included, receive a cameo at the end of a single special issue and nothing else across the comics' like fucking 50-issue run continues to bother me

and rest assured, the comics themselves are at least a little cognizant of this, because they will take every fucking opportunity they have to lampoon and create strawmen out of fans asking for more or even just...making fan content in general. remember mopiness of doom? chammy wamboo is here to make sure you feel stupid about interpreting anything that happened in that script as zim and dib having any form of fondness for each other, and she's going to spend an entire fucking issue doing it (with a very halfhearted attempt by the narrative to go "maybe she has a point about friendship?" that ends up undermined by other instances of the comic doing the exact same thing as this issue). think that the comics themselves aren't as good as the original show? virooz is a fat, sweaty, conventionally ugly manchild of a stereotypical strawman here to puppet around zim's body in dramatic poses that never fail to be drawn as stupid and unfitting in his belief that zim "fell off" from his earlier days. sure, occasionally there are grains of truth or genuinely funny things from them, but overall the whole thing feels incredibly meanspirited and more interested in bashing fans for being invested than rewarding that investment of time, energy, and sentiment into the material

even zimvoid...i WANT to like zimvoid. conceptually, i really like zimvoid. but the comics are deathly fucking allergic to allowing any stakes or sincerity to persist across the plot and it makes a lot of fascinating elements with a painfully compelling antagonist hit like a wet piece of tissue paper slapping on a brick wall, any impact stuff like zib's confession that he lied and winning over zim ultimately didn't earn him anything is soundly undermined by the fact that zim fixes the problem instantaneously with a spontaneous time travel loophole that even the story itself repeatedly lampshades makes no fucking sense whatsoever

maybe i'm just not the target audience for the comics, honestly, but in a fanbase that for nearly 20 years has consisted mainly of adults suspending their disbelief to more seriously adapt the story and melodramatic teenagers doing the same with less self-awareness, i don't know who is the target audience

[mitochondriaandbunnies]

Miami Vice S1E14: Golden Triangle, Part 1

A rash of violence against sex workers raises Castillo's suspicions.

And we learn that Castillo is... I don't know? A martial arts wizard?? We'll later learn he is also a fucking samurai, but this is really the first "let's give Castillo depth" episode, and they really fucking go for it

An absolutely useless bit of trivia: some of the opening credits in this episode are in the wrong font.

This is not the Miami Vice font. It switches back to the Miami Vice font like two names later.

Love Castillo downing a cafecito from what is absolutely not a heat-safe plastic glass, and Rico and Sonny following him as he walks away like he's a beautiful girl in a bikini

Also love that Crockett's "nerd" disguise involves going over dot matrix printouts by hand by the pool. A normal vacation activity. Love less that he is just blatantly doing an entrapment.

When Sonny and Rico take Candy in, we cut to a currently-in-progress conversation in which she asks Sonny, "well, am I right or what?" Then pauses, while neither Sonny or Rico look her in the eye, but they both smile in the most hollow and awkward way possible, and then Candy nods and says, "Yeah, I'm right." I really want to know what she thinks she's right about that both Sonny and Rico basically are like 'please stop talking' about.

Candy is great-- she's very savvy about the police (and rightly does not trust them), very intense, and has no issues telling Sonny off.

Rico finds all of this hilarious.

The drug dealer who wants a safety deposit box is John Snyder, who will always be "extremely annoying Joey in the Mafia Wars arc of Wiseguy" to me, except that recently Dan and I watched an episode of Star Trek in which he was a eugenicist from the eugenicist planet. Man sure plays some roles. He's also apparently a long-time anime voice actor??

Sonny complains about the system being broken and Tubbs kind of sighs and says "the system. Want a cold one?" #1 reason Tubbs isn't as broken by the end of the show is that he comes in from day one knowing that Everything Sucks Forever, while Crockett takes it personally every single time

Alligator Nail Filing

Alligator

Nail

Filing

"We're getting too good at playing bad guys" sure is the understatement of the whole series

It's not actually clear until around the 3/4 mark that this is the first Castillo Episode, but he makes a wonderful little suspicious face when Sonny starts telling him about Szarbo-- he knows something is amiss.

There's an exchange with the cop who has been working part time as a pimp where Sonny no-true-Scotsmans him-- he states that the man isn't a "real" cop for what he's done. I think Sonny still genuinely believes this at this point in the series. He will not by the end.

Castillo finds out that one of the dead people is Thai and just absolutely flips out and is like I NEED TO SEE THE CORPSE. I get what the actual intention here is-- that Castillo has put together enough things about the case based on similarities to things that happened during his own years in Thailand-- but we don't know that yet as an audience, so it just kind of seems like Castillo is totally paranoid and thinks any deceased person of Thai descent MUST be involved in crime, which is not a good look.

I adore the sequence in which it is implied Tubbs and Castillo go to like eight Thai restaurants together, partially because I appreciate when they work together, and partially because I love seeing restaurants from bygone days.

To the tune of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

Awkward dinner naked waiter

Awkward dinner naked waiter

Awkward dinner naked waiter

Marty n' Rico having supper

It is awkward!

(but seriously why does that waiter not have a shirt)

And we learn, finally, that Castillo is a master of every martial art, as he gets in a wild action movie fist fight with the naked waiter in the parking lot. It's stupid and fantastic in equal measures, and we'll learn even more about Castillo's exciting fisticuffs adventures next time.

[chim-chim1310]

Honestly, tae has always been a distant third when it comes to streams. Most of his fans are the definition of visual stans and he is the main person that kpoppies token stan and they don't stream for their actual favs. His most recent ost debuted with 1.7 million streams, so they doubled that for his solo debut.

Jungkook and taehyung are mostly token stanned by other kpop stans. But here's the thing, those kpop stans might watch their fancams or whatever but i dont think they go out of their way to stream or buy for tae and jk's music. Those people usually don't care about the music.

We all know why jk is doing good on charts. I'm not gonna talk about it again and again.

But well.... Taehyung didn't get the things that company gave jk. And the promotion mhj might be going with for tae is not working either. Not yet at least. So tae only has his stans left. Those who token stan him don't support his music. And the funny thing is that his own fans mostly stan him for visuals and don't really care about his music. I even saw a tweet from one of his stan talking about how they should do a project on weverse to tell taehyung to go for promotions that will make him do better on charts.

Like as if tae doesn't know what he's doing. He's not a rookie. His two songs till now are just not good. That's it. I think it's not most people's taste. And seeing that tweet just showed that his fans don't care about music and are just obsessed with charts because otherwise how will they prove that tae is the most popular?

So i think it's better to have a strong, dedicated fanbase who actually cares about your music, works hard with streaming and buying, and cares about the artist's artistry. Like pjms. I know pjms have some rotten eggs too but almost all of them genuinely love jimin and not the y/n type, they care about jimin's music and respect his artistry. I'm glad that pjms are growing more and more. Jimin needs a strong and established fanbase.

Also I saw some anons in other pjm blogs talking about how they feel bad for tae and I was like "dude why?" Why are they feeling bad. First of all it's their fault that the promotion that they were going for is not working for tae like how it works for newjeans. And seriously I can't bring myself to pity him when we have seen the way Face got treated, it was jimin who actually got sabotaged and it's worse because jimin's music was actually good.

Taehyung is not being sabotaged at all, it's just that his two songs till now are boring af. Nobody is talking about it because there's literally nothing to talk about. The mv is not some art masterpiece. The lyrics are basic, the song sounds underwhelming. So people are just not talking about it. Both songs didn't create any hype for his upcoming album.

And I'm sorry but tae stans were the ones who are always actively hating on jimin, they didn't feel bad when jimin got sabotaged (yeah actual sabotage) so i can't bring myself to give two fucks about tae nor do i feel bad for him. I don't. There's nothing to feel bad about. He's not been done wrong, he's not sabotaged, why should I feel bad? I've never cared about tae and I'm not gonna do it now. Some pjms are too soft hearted I swear to God.

[kenobster]

can you explain the appeal of these ship polls to me?

genuinely asking bc i really don’t get why they happen so often or why people take them seriously. it feels like all they do is breed conflict.

what makes everyone feel so strongly about the winners, especially if it doesn’t actually represent the true popularity of the ship? (not that popularity matters bc if it’s fun then it’s fun and everyone is entitled to their feelings and opinions)

not mad or trying to be mean, i genuinely want to understand bc im bad with social cues and at reading people. what is it about them that you like? <3

so like this is actually super funny to me lol because everything you just described has been EXACTLY how I feel about sports (especially regarding American football fans in the United States). I've actually joked a couple times already about how (thanks to this poll) I finally understand what the big deal about the Superbowl is. In fact, over the last week, I've felt a kinship with overworked cashiers who use their fifteen-minute breaks to check the score throughout the day. Every time one of the previous polls taken an unexpected swerve, please picture me jumping up and down and hollering at my computer like I'm some middle-aged white dad yelling at some referee. 😆

My state has two college football teams, both with avid fanbases, and people get SO up-in-arms about it. Even after finding out I have no interest in sports, people have threatened to commit bodily harm against me if they ever catch me wearing merch of the wrong side's team. To be honest, I'm with you — I've always found that kind of attitude to be super aggressive and needlessly rude. Unfortunately.... 😖(insert my walk of shame lol) I have recently acquired an understanding of the psychology behind it....

In other words, I think your confusion is very similar to my confusion about sports. Sports fans, especially in my state, always seem like they would really consider it a dealbreaker if I wear the wrong merch or that they would really punch me in the face if I show support for the wrong team (which does happen to people at some sports games, but I think it's a minority of sports fans who would ever do that). Most of the time, if you get upset by jokes like that, the other person will drop the act and reassure you. But sports fans will never admit they're kidding. 🙄

Anyway, with that context, I think you first must untangle the phrase "people take [shipping polls] so seriously." The truth is that we're not taking it seriously, but, like sports fans, our humor and social cues are probably difficult to read. Especially for someone not "in on the joke," we might look like we're all upset and riled up. We might say things that sound serious and aggressive. But inwardly, we're actually all laughing about it. None of us really care about the results, we're just here to have a good time playfully arguing our sides.

You're probably still wondering why anyone would find enjoyment out of this, so I think it will help if you re-contextualize it into a framework more familiar... Why do people enjoy roller coasters when the purpose of a roller coaster is to trigger your body into a fight-flight response? Why do people watch horror movies or go into haunted houses when the purpose of them is to scare the shit out of people? Why do people enjoy watching or listening to true crime drama when the stories showcase the most barbaric and cruel forms of human nature? Why do people read AITA threads on Reddit, even though they often depict the wildest examples of abuse/toxicity/etc. in human relationships?

It's because all of those examples allow a person to experience stress/terror/anger/etc. in a way that is safe. Roller coasters don't actually kill you. Horror movies have a pause button. Scary things in haunted houses are the work of prop designers and actors. True crime media and AITA threads involve stories that are happening to other people, not you. Similarly, in shipping polls, I think people enjoy having a safe way to channel their feelings about fandom rivalries in a way that is mostly harmless.

Whatever the reason for our enjoyment, however, I think once you realize that none of us actually care about the results, everything else starts to click into place. But here's some answers to your other questions:

Why do we care about the results when they're never accurate? Because we never cared about the results in the first place, hahaha. We care about what's funny. We care about what makes for the juiciest drama. (I mean, think of how funny it was when that final bracket on the Best Star Wars Character poll resulted in victory for Sebulba instead of Obi-Wan! Lmao!) In short, accuracy is boring. Bribing, cheating, and begging in order to skew results is hilarious.

Why are we so mean and hostile to each other? Because we're not actually being mean and hostile to each other.* We're teasing each other. The same way as two best friends might tease each other (example from one friend to another that I literally saw this morning: "oh my god you are SUCH a nerd 😂"). That kind of teasing doesn't work if somebody cares about the subject matter (for example, that joke would NOT be okay if the aforementioned "nerd" had ANY negative feelings about that word). But in the right circumstances, this kind of teasing can feel REALLY good, REALLY fun, and even increase feelings of security within the friendship! In shipping polls, people are probably just exhibiting the communal version of this.**

Why do people care so much about the winners? I don't actually know the answer to this because this is my first time ever enjoying a ship poll, and we haven't gotten there yet. 😅Someone feel free to pitch in.

Why do they happen so often? Probably clout. Beyond that, in order to make a poll, someone has to genuinely be curious about the results. They can theorize, but they can't know what the outcome will be. Not only that, they have to remember that tumblr polls are all fun and games (or else, imagine how incredibly infuriating it would be to see people trolling). People who want accurate results don't use tumblr polls for a reason; they use official surveys instead. In this shipping poll, OP wrote a rule for each round that the results weren't meant to be taken seriously. So I think they enjoy it for the same reasons as we do. That kind of thrill can be addicting lol, and I can see why people would want to recreate it again and again.

In closing, it's been fun, but I don't think another poll like this will similarly compel me. This has just been a one-time thing that I was able to enjoy because of certain circumstances that overlapped with my interests and sense of humor. In truth, I get just as annoyed at the frequency of these polls, and I will likely need a lifelong cooldown after this one concludes. Frankly, if I'd remembered that the final round would be for a week instead of a day, I might have.... well, I might have made different decisions to say the least, lmao.

[*] This is not inclusive of antis. There is no reason to shit on one ship exclusively when there are 5+ other ships in the running. There is especially no reason to threaten the other side with an "electric chair with a built-in guillotine" if they win. That's not fun and games. That's just fucked up.

[**] Because it's a communal version and not a close friendship, it's definitely hard to gauge people's feelings about whether they're okay with being teased. A comment, to one person, might sound like teasing, but, to another, might come across as hurtful and mean. Only intimate friends can really tell the difference (and even they make mistakes). This is definitely unfortunate, but it's kind of a consequence of human behavior in general — not something specific to these kinds of polls imo.

[sunflowerandstrawberryspice]

Who is showing this "kids show" to their child

(Warning sort of spoilers ahead for Lego Monkie Kid and Ninjago)

I'm here back at it again with another hyper fixation and once again it is a lego show made for children, though honestly I hesitate to say that because seriously who is showing their little child things like Ninjago and LMK (Lego Monkie Kid you should totally watch it if you haven't already).

Now me and my mother have discussed this in detail with her argument being "Well they're kids so they don't gully grasp what's going on, maybe?" and number 1) kids are WAY more perceptive than we give them credit for and 2) EVEN A CHILD WOULD BE SCARED SHITLESS WATCHING SOME OF THIS

Like Ninjago actively ahs sacrificial rituals, genocide and other concepts that are pretty morbid if you think about them too hard, and even visually Ninjago has managed to create some creatures that child me would not want to be having nightmares about! Like come on the end of season five would have ruined me! (Actually that's probably not true since I liked scary stuff even as a kid, but my friend who actually did watch the show as a young boy said that the season 3 ending fucked him up a little)

Now that's not even mentioning LMK, which OH BOY! So I have to watch it on this literal children's app because finding places to watch LMK in the US is really hard, but this app labels it as and I quote: For Boys ages 6-9. 1) I am neither a boy nor ages 6-9 I am a girl and well into my teens funnily enough and 2) WHO THE FUCK IS LETTING THEIR 6-9 YEARO OLD WATCH THIS SHIT? LIKE SEASON 2 AND ONWARD WOULD BE STRAIGH UP TRAUMATIC!

Like that's barely two and I still think it's enough to ask who the hell is showing their children LMK cause like REALLY? Like genuinely actually who is showing their child (and this is an incomplete list): Murder, PTSD (Sandy's flash backs), just Macaque in general (because while I adore him now young me would have been like HELL TO THE NO), Lady Bone demon in general cause lord she was able to give me chills, the mayor who probably isn't actually the mayor, THE SEASON FOUR INK MONSTERS ARE FUCKING NIGHMARE FUEL!

Like seriously these show can get creepy as hell and there are multiple cannon deaths (obviously for Ninjago that doesn't stick very long but nonetheless) and honestly I want to meet a child who genuinely watched LMK at the suggested age cause like I guarantee unless they're a little adrenaline and fear junkie like I was they're not doing to hot rn lol.

Anyway sorry I haven't been posting much recently, currently I'm having some pretty severe pain in both of my hands so doing pretty much any drawing is really hard a physically taxing + the sickly Victorian child curse took hold again and I'm once again violently ill and now I won't get to see one of my best friends who's going out of country :(

I should hopefully at least be getting SOME (maybe one or two) pieces out for pride (since I am in fact a homoromantic) but idk how much I can promise due to my hands and current status as Sickly Victorian Child, but on the bright side I'm out of school T-T. Thanks for reading!

[livelaughlego]

Lance has unexpectedly passed. We suspect he may have eaten a toxic plant when he escaped a couple times recently, as he had been vomiting nonstop and was very lethargic and hiding.

My mom also keeps her lily outside. If you know, you know.

All of the vets were closed, even the ER (only 12hr) so I decided to take him the next day. He did not make it to the next day. Around three am I heard him yowl loudly and I knew that was the end. I stayed by his side and so did Leo and Bella while he passed in my arms.

When I saw his hiding behavior and how he slowly moved from room to room, constantly accompanied by his brother, not responding to catnip and barely to pets, I think I knew. But I wanted to believe. To hope. He was still young, after all. But by the time a cat shows symptoms, it is often too late.

This has devastated me and I genuinely don't know if I can keep going without him. He was like a child to me. When I held him, my wails of grief rivaled any sound he could make. I have never made a sound like when I saw him lying there before, nor did I think I was even capable of it. I've never even heard such a sound, except for videos of people in warzones holding their lost children. I have lost several relatives, pets, and friends, but I have never felt such a feeling. It's like I'm a ghost, drifting from room to room. I'm watching from the outside and often find myself staring at one spot for no reason whenever I'm reminded of him. I sleep with his collar nearby, and feel the phantom pressure of a cat on me. My limbs are always numb and my chest aches. My body isn't my own. I can't go into public yet, because I'll only burst into tears the moment his face crosses my mind.

He was buried yesterday morning. This blog will stay up in memory of him. I may post old pictures occasionally.

(most TWs mentioned in tags are right below cut. seriously, do not click if you don't want to read about my mental illness and grief.)

This is his last picture alive and well, taken a few weeks ago. (He loved feet and shoes)

And this is his last photo ever, before we buried him.

It's like he's sleeping. That's what I've told myself since he passed. He's just sleeping.

He was so soft. He was so warm. He was my baby, my son.

He was at the top of my list of reasons to live. I had picked three reasons. Now there are only two, both of which are substantially weaker.

I have people to care for Leo and Bella, and my affairs are pretty much in order. I will not kill myself (don't get your panties in a twist 🙄), but if I die from grief then I will die at peace, my final declaration of love. The ultimate proof that I loved him so much, that I physically could not exist without his love. I pray for death to take me as I sleep, for God to take me how he did Enoch. For this pain and void in my heart to be gone forever. For me to join him in eternal slumber.

We'll just be sleeping. But we won't be alone. We'll have each other.

We're just sleeping.

I love you.

[maxemilianverstappen]

no pls the "angry little man incapable of love or emotion who needs a sunshine to show him how to love" portrayal always just gives me the ick. and idk where it comes from either? i don't even really get into maxiel as far as fic reading anymore because quite a few of their writers do that and it's just? max smiles and laughs when daniel is joking around with him too, even returns the energy/keeps the joke going somtimes, u people act like he's a brooding petulant child who snaps over everything. even lando. their past streams - that interview after their podium this year - max is ALWAYS cracking jokes with and being just as sarcastic as lando is when they're together!! we don't really have a ton of lestappen recent, non-racing moments to go off of, but even throughout this season, max seemed genuinely disappointed that ferrari didn't give charles the strategy/support to fight him for the championship? i don't really ship them (nor do i know anyone who does), but i'm always drawn to yuki and max in those combined rbr/at PR/challenge things because he's also pretty smiley and jokey with yuki as well? idk i could go on with other examples as well but max! verstappen! cares! about! people! and! has! emotions! a lot of media may villainize him and portray him as a dick, but if you actually look at his interactions with other drivers, it's pretty apparent that's not reality lmao.

All this.

The fucking media did an absolutely excellent job of making him look like a merciless and loveless robot. Anyone who actually doesn't follow his interviews or watches the team content or focuses on the way how his close circle of friends and people talk about him are simply swallowing up this disgustingly fake and damaging persona like some starved man.

People say they hate toxic stuff, but 90% of the fandom is obsessed with this toxic media presentation and further using it to either to push their own agenda/angle or just use it in their fan creations because it is both very easy and also creates the desired dramatic effect to become popular on social media (for whatever it is worth).

I seriously can't take anyone painting him like this as a fan no matter how many fics they might have written with him in it as the protag (since we are talking about fanfiction) because they themselves are just being tools to further cement this deliberate villanization/dehumanization of him. They are also the reason why this characterization has become so popular. People see it garners reaction, so they produce more of it. It is also a very easy trope to build conflict upon, so...

I am also a fan of stories where the character finds their happiness again/gets out of depression (or learns to battle it better)/turns into a better self of themselves not only because he finds this sunshine person that miraculously cures them out of whatever the fuck they had, but because they grow as a character, (re)discovers themselves, and genuinely starts to stand on their own feet, not using the sunshine person as their emotional clutch as so many fics love to do.

Dunno why we are romanticising and elevating dependency that takes its roots from brokenness due to past abuse&oppression and using the other character as the sole reason/bane of this damaged character's existence as the highest form of love where the said character magically knows and understands the damaged person. Always.

[katieskarlette]

Between Wrathion and Sabellian... who has your vote? 👀

I've been asked this several times, and been thinking about it. I think part of why it's hard for me to decide is because I think there are some great stories to be told either way.

If Sabellian becomes Aspect, Wrathion would have to find a new purpose in life, or do freelance Earth Warding, so to speak. He'd be free to choose his own path in a way he has never been, which might be a blessing in disguise. Or Sabellian could turn out to be a bad guy and Wrathion would have to lead a coup. Or Sabellian could turn down the position because he realizes that Wrathion is what the flight needs for a fresh start, untouched by corruption. Lots of potential there.

If Wrathion becomes the Aspect, it could be a glorious culmination of all his efforts, a sort of "and he lived happily ever after" destiny...or it could turn into a disaster because he's immature, brash and impulsive. Or it could start out bumpy but we could watch/help him grow into the role. Or Sabellian could lead a coup against him. Or Wrathion could turn down the position because he eventually realizes his own shortcomings and recognizes Sabellian's superior experience. Tons of potential there, too.

Or...Ebyssian could show up and try to make Sabellian and Wrathion stop fighting about it, and everyone is like, "Wow, now there's a level-headed dragon who can smooth over conflicts, is uncorrupted, and has leadership experience. Let's pick him instead." I know a lot of people have suggested this with varying degrees of seriousness, but I actually wouldn't mind if it became canon. It wouldn't mean Wrathion and Sabellian would have to go away and not be in the story anymore; if anything it would free them from obligations and let them get up to different shenanigans.

That's from a writing/storytelling viewpoint.

If I was a black dragon myself, I'd either have been hiding somewhere on Azeroth, trying to evade Blacktalon assassins since Cataclysm, or I'd be arriving with Sabellian from Outland now. In that case, I'd be more inclined to vote for the devil dragon I knew.

If I was deciding as a mortal (i.e. non-dragon) character in Azeroth watching this all unfold, I'd be more apt to side with the guy I've worked alongside for years. I watched him geek out over mogu and mantid artifacts in Pandaria. I accompanied him through the August Celestials' challenges and heard the genuine fear and despair in his voice when he spoke of his apocalyptic visions of the Legion's return. I read the logbook detailing how he saved some of Admiral Taylor's troops from death cultists in the Spires of Arak. I saw him risk life and limb to take down N'Zoth. Yes, he's made mistakes, but so do we all. He means well and he's not afraid to throw himself into the action in pursuit of his goals.

As for game mechanics and purely personal sentiment, of course I'll side with, and do quests for, my precious son on my main character. That doesn't mean the first alt I get to 70 will, though...

Most of all, I love both characters and their stories, and don't like to see fans bashing one to support the other. They both have flaws and strengths, and (barring Old Gods turning puppet masters again) I think they both would be fine Aspects.

I also don't want to set my heart on a particular outcome because that's just setting myself up for disappointment. Even if Blizzard's storytelling seems to be improving with this expansion, their recent track record has made me wary. I love the black dragonflight story so far, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it continues to be awesome, but if it takes a nosedive I won't be utterly shocked. Best to keep my expectations low.

So, uh...short answer? Wrathion.

[jiinjiinjarra]

BTS // Magazines // CanCam // August 2019 issue // 2019 // Pt.3

Scan Cr. takejun20522_ // Translation Cr. jinmajitenshi & kookceptional // Source: 1 & 2

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

-JIN-

The Worldwide Handsome eldest member who possess gentle calmness and inner strength

In little moments of our daily lives, (we) show consideration to each other. This contributes to what makes us BTS.

🐹: I’m the eldest of the team, and rather than being concerned about age hierarchy, i’m more of the type that prefers to meet people halfway. I wasn't very conscious of (age hierarchy) in the past, but recently I've started to think something along the lines of the "culture of treating people differently just because they are older or younger isn't good", and this type of relationship (based on age hierarchy) might seem insipid. A part of what makes us BTS is that it's not just me, but everyone in BTS who thinks like that. It can be felt from the little things in our daily lives that we show consideration to each other for everything. If (any of us) thought that "(Any of) the members would dislike this", then the other members would say "It would be better to stop (doing that)" before it happens. Other than that, charms of our members that only I know of... That is probably something that ARMY would know better than me. I don't watch our members that closely (laughs). Ah, RM's interview in the U.S. is interesting if you pay attention to it. His English is fluent, reliably answering questions, and (he) gives (us) the chance to reply with a few words instead of difficult English sentences. In RM's case, he excels in language study like that, for the other members, they dance well, sing very well too... I think that to be reliable and hardworking for each of our specialty is our team's forte and the cool side of each member.

Q. Any small happiness recently?

🐹: I'm into the drama called Walking Dead recently. There's a character that I didn't really like, and when I thought that (the character) looked like (they) will die, a zombie did (them) in (laughs).

Q. What kind of imagery comes to mind when you close your eyes now?

🐹: (When I close my eyes) I see zombies (laughs). (They) appear even if I close my eyes * for a long time. / *can also mean 'ignore'

Q. Something cute about the members?

🐹: Their genuine excitement when they meet their favourite celebrities at the BBMAs.

Q. A favourite part of a choreography in a BTS song?

🐹: When we bang on the table in Dionysus.

Q. How do you refresh yourself nowadays?

🐹: Zombies (bursting in laughter). I've only been talking about zombies today, but is that okay??

-JUNGKOOK-

Singing, dancing, perfect at everything. The "golden maknae" that never stops evolving.

Personally, I wish I had one particular skill that I was especially gifted at

🐰: In our new single "Lights" that's being released this time, there's a phrase in the lyrics saying "No one is perfect", and I love this part so much. It makes me think that I don't have to be perfect, and it feels kind of comforting. Many people compliment me "You can do both dancing and singing well, you're perfect!" but that's not the case at all. I wish I had a particular skill that I especially was gifted at. Trying to find it, I've involved myself in many activities, but right now, I just want to narrow down what's necessary for me, and work hard to make it my own. So with this going on, I get to feel relieved that I don't need to be perfect when I listen to the song. Oh, I don't have a skill I'm especially talented at, but I do have something I'm bad at. Using my brain! This is the one thing I seriously can't do (laugh). Since we're on the topic of new songs, Boy With Luv is also a really great song. After all, within BTS' songs, the choreography is a little bit easy. That makes me happy (laugh). Standing on the stage continuously, it does get difficult to sustain my stamina. completely. Near the end of our concerts, it seems like I'm unconsciously wringing out my stamina forcefully. I sometimes can't move from my muscle pains on the following day. So, my number one priority now is not injuring myself. I do want to get better at maintaining myself though, including building up my body… Oh, the part of my body I'm most confident in? Ah.. (embarrassed smile). Um, I wonder where. I don't know myself. I'll work hard to build a better body!

Q. You're in the middle of your world tour, but do you have any honest thoughts?

🐰: There's a song called "Mikrokosmos" in our album, but it feels like we're looking at it in real life. It's really moving, and it warms my heart. I cherish it thinking how much of a happy time it is.

Q. What kind of a scenery comes to mind when you close your eyes?

🐰: A lot of things come up, but they're not clear. Something is vaguely there…as if I can see it, but I can't (laugh).

Q. Anything that makes you think the members are. adorable?

🐰: Jimin. I can feel how much he loves the stage from the bottom of his heart, and I feel like we really connect in that way.

Q. What ways of refreshing yourself are you currently into?

🐰: I went to Ariana Grande's concert recently, and enjoyed it a lot. It stimulated me as a singer, and it was nice that I was able to enjoy the music from my heart.

Q. What kind of qualities does a person you admire have?

🐰: Someone who I have a lot to learn from, and can connect with me. And someone who is cool!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~