#then 🪑 couldn't have lasted

[thechairanon]

Okay, this post is gonna be kinda long I think, but I had so many thoughts about this it's not funny. I had two different ideas for my sona, a creepy marionette version and a creature/silly chair version. I decided to keep them both because I just couldn't get rid of my original chair idea.

Marionette version:

-7’10” (why? I just had the funny thought of Hetch needing to crane his neck to see 🪑)

-Made of oak wood

-They have long, tangled hair made from different grasses growing from her skull.

-Her eyes are painted on, her irises are green and glow in the dark.

-Her body/face proportions are off just enough to give Uncanny Valley vibes.

-Their teeth are made of real bone. Bone from where? They'll never tell you...

-She is double jointed, and uses that to her advantage to be creepy af (she WILL crawl towards you on all fours in a dark halfway just to stand up at the last second to say “We’re out of milk”).

-Wears white button-up shirts with sleeves rolled above the elbow joint. Suspenders decorated with random multicolored accessories. I don't know how to describe the rest coherently, but her outfit gives off the vibes of a 1930s paperboy

-She always somehow manages to invent new and uncomfortable ways to sit in a chair. If they aren’t finding new ways to sit, she is either leaning on the back or sitting on the chair backwards

Chair version:

-A regular oak chair

-There is a sticky note with a smiley face on the back

-Still somehow just as eerie as the marionette version

Other general info:

-She thinks carefully about what she’s going to say before she says it

-They think it would be funny to show up to someone’s executions as a chair. Oh, you were expecting big, scary 🪑? Nope! A chair is voting for whether you should live or die

-Can be persuaded against being creepy for a while in return for pet pictures

[liefst]

today: got up late and found it hard to get going. waited for a scheduled telephone call that never came. finally managed to get myself out of the house by the time it was almost dark. went to the furniture store and saw a pretty table lamp that i wanted to buy but i couldn't justify that to myself. did groceries (got fresh lychees for K for when he comes over later this week) and made smalltalk with a nice elderly man who told me he made it a sport to get his groceries by bike. shared a slice of smoked salmon with catman (she got the skin and i the rest). did the dishes and some laundry. feeling cosy at home with the christmas tree and all but kind of "stuck" as i have for the last couple of weeks. looking forward to spending my first new year's eve with K, though🕯🧼🪑

[ratkingdad]

You 👉 know what I’ve always hated 😡💢 about you 👉, Amethar 👑🍬? You 👉 were so damn 👿 lucky 🍀.

I mean 😪, fifth 5️⃣ in line 📉 for the throne 🪑 and the crown 👑 rests 🛏️ on your head 🙆‍♂️. And each of your sisters 👯‍♀️ better 🥇 and more clever 👩‍🏫 than you. It really makes the unfortunate 🍀🚫 minor lord 🤵 of a less ↘️ than wealthy 💵 barony feel… well, a little underwhelming 😑😴.

Oh, I’ll say 📢, your sisters 👯‍♀️ were a little less lucky 🍀. The least 🥉 lucky 🍀 thing that ever happened to Rococoa 🍫 was when she found out 🕵️‍♀️ that I was selling 💰 weapons 🔫⚔️ to the Ceresians 🍞🥯. That… that had to be dealt with ☠️. And I think 🤔 you’ll remember how odd 🤪 it was that she was found riddles with arrows 🏹 so far behind our own lines 〰️. But that’s war 💣, and strange things happen in war 💣🧨 all the time ⏰.

The Ceresians 🥖🍞, I find are very reasonable, very reasonable and you can see 👓🔎some of their tents 🏕️ out here in the field 🌾.

You know, I don't have luck 🍀 so I have to work 💪. I have to work 💪a lot. First, I had to put the little cheese 🧀 boy 🧒🏼 onto the scent of the Duchess 👸 Coldbottle 🍼, and I had to ferry ⛴️ his idiot sailors ⛵️all the way the Sucrosi road 🚗 to that little farmhouse 🏠 - I mean, had to get them there somehow, they couldn't sail ⛵️ there, could they? And they'd be so suspicious 🤨 walking 🚶‍♂️ up the road, and yet - you miraculously ⛪️ survived 🖖, when you should have died 💀. Amethar 👑 🍬 the Unfallen ❤️.

You uncharacteristically 😮 leave a fight 👊 , you jump 🐰 out of the ring 💍 rather than trying to behead that carrot 🥕- and they call the tournament 🏟️, even with all the work 🏋️ that me and Alfredi 🍝 put in to getting those watersteel 💦 daggers 🗡️ into her hands 🙌 . I - I thought 💭 I was going to fail 0️⃣.

And then, and then your friend Manta Ray Jack 🧀 mentioned a girl 👧 , at the banquet 🍱 , 'stashed somewhere in the Dairy 🥛 Islands 🏝️ ', and I thought 💭 , 'That's so interesting 🤔 . Amethar 👑 🍬 and I are best friends 👯‍♂️, war buddies 🤝 as far back as we can remember 🧐. Why 🤨would he never 👎 tell me?' And I got to thinking 🤔 , 'Amethar 👑 🍬 was never quiet 🤐 about his exploits 🏃 as a roving Prince 🫅 of Candia 🍭, so why didn't I hear 👂 about this girl 👧 ?' And I thought 💭 , 'I'd better talk 🎙️with Manta Ray Jack 🧀.'

He didn't wanna 🙊 talk, but a few fingers 👋 and pints 🍻 of blood 🩸 later we remembered your sister's book 📖 . Very useful, your sister 👩 . Very useful indeed - up until a young Belizabeth Brassica 🥦 ordered her run 🏃🏻‍♀️ down in the streets by Vegetanian 🥗 Knights ⚔️ . That - that hurt 😔 , because she had always been very sweet 🍭 to me. Well, after Manta Ray 🧀, I saw 👀 an opportunity. You know, it hurts 🤕 to have all of your plans 📒 fail, but they say that improvisation 🎭 is the better part of planning 📝 , so I was happy 😊 to take advantage 🔝 of that opportunity when 🕰️ it presented itself, Amethar 👑 🍭.

You know what happens to a man 🧍‍♂️ when he dies ☠️ ? He shits 💩 himself. So I'll be happy 😊 to watch 👁️ 👁️ you shit 💩 one last time 🕰️, Amethar 👑 🍭 .

I wonder 🧐 if they'll call ☎️ you 'Amethar 👑 🍭 the Unfallen ❤️ ' after this😤? Here's to a future 🔮 you can't ⛔️ ruin 😡.

[onlyjaeyun]

oh my i was going through your little emojis that were in use and i just remembered that when i was an anon i would use the ♋️🩵. So user reveal that’s me hiii 👋. Still here promise ! Just not much of an anon anymore 😭

Anyways CH 18!!!! AAAASHHHJWJJEKEJENE is what came to mind when i read it. You writing from 12-4am DEDICATION and i aspire. Literally you writing at those hours gave me the motivation to get on my treadmill and do my workout. So thank you for that. I hope your pillow was the coldest most comfortable thing ever that night and forever and that you got enough rest 🥹🥹.

Now speaking about that chapter….

KAKEKEKNEMEMDMDMEI OH MY GOOODNESS 😱😱😱😱😱 literally me the whole time i was with my jaw on the floor clutching my pillow for dear life. The snippet of the fall out. I am seated 🪑 for that. I can’t wait for whenever you decide to drop that.

*sigh* Tsuki my girl fuck CH!Seung. I want her now 😩😩😩. Such a sweet soul and epitome of a girls girl. Love her she a fave love her wish nothing but the best hearts for Tsuki 🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼.

The build up to the them getting down and dirty. Sunghoon sir you are BOLD. Everytime this man spoke my jaw would be an inch closer to the ground. Left me speechless in a good way.

The baby pet name drop 😭😭 like CH!YN better than me would have allowed this man do just about anything no questions asked 😊😊😊. The aftercare round of applause for this man 👏👏👏👏. 📣 WE SCREAMED WE CRIED WE CHEERED📣. This man already running laps around the entirely of SK to get the image of her in his shirt out his mind 🏃💨. Got him sweating, huffing and puffing at the thoughts. Like ain’t not way she giving that back to him. Once they get together he going to purposely leave his shit in her room so she can wear it. When she does and he sees her wearing it he going to be whining, moaning, and groaning at her but in reality he thrives of that shit. Loves to see her wear his clothes. Got him all giggly and what not 🤭🤭🤭

Lastly how can i forgot the kiss. That kiss is going to have both of them spiraling 🌀 i just know it. Like they going to brush it off for a bit but every time they see each other they get like heated at the fact that they want to kiss each other again.

OMG YOU WRE THAT NONIE BABY WHEN I TELL YOU I WAS SO WORRIED BC I THOUGHT YOU DISAPPEARED 🤕🤕🤕 IM SO GLAD YOU DECIDED TO COME BACK OFF ANON FKDNFLFLF SO EXCITING HELLO BABY!🥺💗

thank you so so so so so much for these sweet words baby, they're everything to me like the fact you cuys are so appreciative and supportive really means a lot to me 🥺💗 and honestly i have only recently started writing so fast bc back when i had just started it took me so long but now i just write without overthinking too much, deffo recommend taht since ik a lot of my fellow writers go through the same struggles 😭

im so glad we all love CH!tsuki sm because she's really the cutest and sweetest babe ever and deffo one of my comfort characters in this fic she's SUCH a girls girl and it makes me so happy WE LOVE CH!TSUKI!!!!🥺💗

STOP YOURE SO FUCKING CUTE THANK YOU SM FOR SO MUCH LOVE ON CH.18 YOURE THE BEST THIS MADE ME GIGGLE SM😭😭😭💗 and your brain is so so sexy for the last part because FUCK yeah he would leave his stuff at her place and then get excited to see her in it but she'd pretend like she thought it's one of the other boys' just to see his reaction until he makes sure to fuck her in his clothes and make sure she knows not to fuck with him I LOVE THEM AND YOU SM 🤕🤕💗

ngl i am SO happy you guys loved the kiss as much as i do bc damn i was so sadni couldn't elaborate it further bc you know i would have gone full on romantic mood and had to hold myself back...sOON!!🤕

thank you sm for this baby, glad you decided to reveal yourself i always loved your asks sm 🥺

[helianskies]

hetaween | day 10 | sacrifice 🪑

“You want to see him get better, don’t you?”

“That’s a stupid question,” Antonio replies as Arthur stirs the teabags around and tells himself, maybe be more careful with your wording. “As if I haven’t been doing my best to help him over the past few years. We all want to see him get better. But we’ve been having the same conversation with the doctors for God knows how long...”

Arthur knows. He knows.

[ read fic below or on ao3! ]

event: @hetaween-event-2022

rating: mature ⠀ wordcount: 2.2k

pairing: england/portugal

By the time they had found it, it was already too late. It was already too advanced. Three years ago, they gave him his limited options, they provided the pamphlets, the website, and they showed him the door. His husband, Henrique, has not been the same since. 

There’s a strong history of it in the family, apparently. Even though it’s something not usually seen in young people, it’s… it’s there, and Henrique has to live with it. He’s not unhealthy. He eats the right things, he doesn’t overdo it on the alcohol, he hasn’t touched a cigarette in six years. But it hasn’t mattered, it hasn’t changed anything. In fact, the only thing that has changed is Henrique, who struggles to eat, struggles to sleep, struggles to work, struggles to live.

Arthur hates seeing him like that. He hates seeing him silent, miserable, barely holding on. 

The doctors said there isn’t much they can do. The doctors told Henrique that he would have a few years, but they couldn't guarantee anything. The doctors took away the rest of Henrique’s life—but Arthur, not ready to let go, has finally, finally found a way to help him keep it…

[ ☕️ ]

“You want to see him get better, don’t you?”

“That’s a stupid question,” Antonio replies as Arthur stirs the teabags around and tells himself, maybe be more careful with your wording. “As if I haven’t been doing my best to help him over the past few years. We all want to see him get better. But we’ve been having the same conversation with the doctors for God knows how long…”

Arthur knows. He knows. Just thinking about such things makes him grimace… But, he sets that aside, and continues making the tea. “What if I told you,” he says, “that there is a way to make sure he survives?”

“Then I’d say, why hasn’t anyone told us that before,” comes the other’s response. Arthur gets the milk out of the fridge and pours a generous splosh into each cup. 

He continues: “It’s complicated. We aren’t talking about traditional medicine, as such,” he explains, “but… you know what I do for a living?”

Antonio shifts in his seat. “Something science-y. Stuff that goes right over my head,” he admits with a meek smile. Arthur shares in the light-heartedness of it, and sets down the other’s drink in front of him, receiving a quiet, “Thanks.”

“Well, that science-y stuff I do involves a lot of research and experimentation, right?” the blonde goes on. Antonio nods and begins to drink his tea. “It feels a lot like science fiction, at times, but I’ve been working on something for about a year now, and… it passed the experimentation phase. And it’s… it’s a treatment that would help your brother.”

Even if only for a moment, Antonio perks up. “You think you can help him…?”

The hopefulness he feels is perhaps the first positive energy that has come from Antonio in the last few weeks. While he’s been regarded for most of his life as a ray of sunshine (or something to that effect), he’s in a rough patch; a recent breakup combined with Henrique’s situation and a build-up of stress from work has made him quite a different person. He looks after himself less. He talks to people less. Really, Arthur considers himself lucky that he has agreed to pop over for a cup of tea at all—especially considering that Henrique is currently out.

Still, it’s a hope that Arthur is relying on. He needs it, just as much as Antonio and Henrique need it. It will make the rest of this easier.

“I do,” he states with confidence—real confidence, at that—and he watches as Antonio has another sip of tea. “It might be a bit tricky, but… it can work. I’ve seen it work.”

“Mmmh—” Antonio swallows. “What is it, then? What’s the procedure?”

“Oh, I… It’s not that easy to explain,” he remarks. “Like I said, it sounds more like science fiction than a possibility, but I mean… I could do it right here, in the basement.”

Antonio stares at Arthur across the rim of his cup. “In the basement?” he asks. “I didn’t even know you had a basement.”

“Yeah, we do. It’s, uh, it’s a bit of a mess, but it’s basically like my home office. Just… my home lab,” Arthur loosely explains to him. “The thing is, I haven’t spoken to Henrique about my work. And I… I think he’d need some persuading to let me do anything to help him—you know yourself how stubborn he can be…”

The other hums, slow and low. He seems tired. “You need my help," he realises.

Arthur nods. "I do."

"What do you need?"

"Ah, see, that's… that's a bit complicated too…"

Antonio disagrees. "He's my brother. I'd do any… anything for him."

"…anything?"

"Yeah," he reiterates. "If I could switch places with him, you know I would. All I want is for him to be happy, Arthur… And I… I'd do whatever it took to get him there. You understand how that—" He breaks to stifle a yawn. "—how that feels… more than anyone else, right…?"

The blonde musters up a soft smile and nods again. Oh, he understands. He understands perfectly.

"Arthur…?"

The smile holds. "Yes?"

"Did… What did you…?"

Antonio struggles to his feet. A bad idea, in Arthur's opinion; within seconds, he drops onto the hard kitchen floor, and the blonde tuts. Someone's going to have such a nasty headache from that…

[ 🍷 ]

The front door goes. Henrique has returned. Arthur welcomes him back with a kiss and the promise of a waiting dinner; he's set up the dining room so nicely, with lit candles and their special cutlery, and Henrique asks him, "What's the occasion?"

"Do I need an excuse to do something nice for you?" Arthur responds. He receives a smile, and he can't resist kissing him again—something slower, more tender, as he holds his face and feels wisps of hair. "Sometimes," he says, "maybe I just want to spoil you."

"Well, if that's the case," the other replies, "I won't protest. You always know how to make me happy, mh?"

Arthur agrees. He does. Happier than happy, even. And on that note, he tells Henrique to take a seat and pours him out a small glass of wine (a treat, because it really is a special occasion); Henrique thanks him in turn, and Arthur leaves him only briefly to put dinner on a plate and serve it to him—a meal for his king, his love.

"Oh my gosh, you made a fish pie?" the other remarks, eyes momentarily fixed on the steaming plate,  before he turns to Arthur. Arthur, who swells with pride. "You're getting better and better at cooking alone, I'm… I'm so impressed!"

The blonde's smile stretches on one side. "Maybe taste it first and then flatter me," he says, to which the other tuts and rolls his eyes in that very Henrique way, before they both begin to tuck in.

Henrique is tired. Arthur can see that. He has patches under his eyes, greyish and hollow, and his eyes have started to lose their brilliance. But, he tries not to think about it. Food helps. Arthur will help. Fish pie, with cod and smoked mackerel, creamy mash, fresh vegetables from the garden… It's all for him. Everything is for him, always. And that's the way Arthur likes it.

Dinner goes down very well, both plates left almost perfectly clean by the end. The smile it leaves on the other's face, soft, relaxed, easy, is something that Arthur endeavours to commit to memory, as they settle on the couch together and scroll through endless television channels.

It doesn't take long. It doesn't take long for Henrique to tire enough to yawn. Arthur's fingers gently card through his hair and tease his scalp. He says, "Sleep, if you want to," and Henrique says he might just; Arthur's so damn comfy, he's the perfect thing to fall asleep on, quite frankly.

Arthur doesn't mind. Soon, Henrique will be comfy, too, and it will all be worth it.

[ 🥂 ]

It takes Henrique a moment to recognise the basement, but when he does, he's confused. He rarely sets foot here—it's Arthur's domain, and usually, he isn't allowed beyond the top steps down (not that he's ever been so curious; he's feared falling down, or not having the energy or will to walk himself back up)—and so, his being there makes no sense…

But then he finds that that is not the only thing that doesn't add up.

He can't move his hands. He can't move his legs. He's sitting in a chair, clearly, but… it's like his wrists and ankles have been tied in place so he can't get up. Or… perhaps it isn't like they've been tied, at all; maybe they have been tied. He keeps trying—he wriggles and struggles and pushes through the inexplicable pain in his head, but nothing comes from it. He's stuck. He's… He's…

He stares at himself.

Not down at himself. Not at a reflection of himself in a mirror. 

Henrique stares at himself, a separate body—his own body—sitting slumped in a chair opposite him.

"Henry…?"

He turns his head to the right, where he finds Arthur coming down the last few steps from the main floor of the house. He seems… amazed, a bit wary… he's almost smiling, in a way.

"Arthur," he says, his voice not sounding right—not sounding like him, "w… w-what have you done…?"

Arthur approaches him, rather than responding, his cold hands settling onto Henrique's face and holding it up, as though to get a better look. And then, at last, he replies, "I've saved you."

Henrique blinks, eyes stinging. "What do you mean? I… I don't understand…"

"I've saved you," Arthur repeats. "I've found a way to give you the fresh start you deserve…"

"Fresh…?"

His eyes wander back over to the other chair. His body. The body that looks so much like himself, that he doesn't understand how he can be here, and also over there. That is, not until he feels hands in his hair—hair that is too short, no longer dangling at the back of his neck but short, and— 

"What have you done?!"

Arthur huffs, growing impatient. "I already told you," he says. "You've been living in pain for too long, Hen! You deserve to be happy, you deserve to be healthy!"

"And my brother doesn't?" Henrique protests, frantic. "Doesn't he deserve to be happy?! To be healthy?!"

"He's said himself, a million times, he'd do anything for you! Anything! Even— Even switch places with you!"

Henrique's heart drops (not mine, it's not mine!). He struggles for the words, battling with a part of himself that doesn't want to believe them. But, they trickle out, hushed, nearly whispering as his voice begins to crack under the pressure: "Y-You're sick…"

Arthur's face twists. "I did it for you."

The other shakes his head. "You're sick," he repeats. His body (no, no, no) starts to shake, too. "F-Fix it."

"But—"

"Fix it! P-Put us back, for fuck's sake, Arthur, p-please!"

Arthur, however, refuses. He doesn't say so, but Henrique knows, because Arthur lets him go and steps away from him. He no longer seems like Arthur at all, in fact. Because his Arthur wouldn't do this to him. His Arthur would not want him to suffer like this. His Arthur would not hurt him or his brother…

Arthur walks over to Henrique's body—steps around and behind him (me, please, me!)—and considers the unconscious form.

His Arthur wouldn't do that.

Arthur strokes the hair—the long, lovely hair—as the other starts to stir, head rolling and eyes fighting to stay closed. There's a groan, tired and pained. Arthur shushes the other, tells him to relax, tells him to rest, and his hands reach down to his belt.

His Arthur wouldn't do that. He wouldn't.

Arthur meets Henrique's gaze only briefly. He unbuckles his belt and pulls it from the loops of his trousers, looping the end back through the buckle. All the while, Henrique—Antonio—that's my little brother in there—seems to be waking up, and Henrique—the real Henrique—begs without words for Arthur to stop. But Arthur ignores him.

His Arthur wouldn't do that to him, no, no…

Antonio looks at Henrique. He's confused, dazed. A belt loops around his neck (my… my neck…) and tightens, tightens, tightens. Antonio struggles. Henrique screams. Arthur pulls only tighter, tighter—until the struggling stops, what feels like hours later, and the screaming almost hurts as much as the betrayal.

His Arthur wouldn't. Wouldn't dare. He… He wouldn't…

"I won't lose you," Arthur tells him as he returns to Henrique's side, wiping away the tears that cling to his cheeks. His last piece of life. His last piece of him. "I won't lose you, Hen. I will never let you suffer, I will never let you go…"

No, no… his Arthur wouldn't do that to him. His Arthur wouldn't do that to him…

[the-acid-pear]

Had a nightmare with my mother. I was in what felt like a mixture of my current and my former house, having the layout of the latter but the lightning and modern furniture of the former. I was a having a normal one, I had found some fun shoes that looked like heeled ankle high red boots with a fluffy end that I was gonna post about making some cunt serving santa joke but my mother decided to kidnap a fucking toddler she had beef with for some reason.

Whole dream felt nerve-wracking from that point on because I kept getting very emotional trying to stop this woman from hurting a literal toddler (which I kept calling a baby) while she showed absolutely zero emotion, completely stoic, I was screaming and threatening her with the police and she just looked at me like 😐

When I tried to call the cops at first I accidentally typed 999 btw. It was awkward because she was looking at it too so it was like, y'know.

I remember they put the baby on a chair 🪑 w a plate of... Bushed up bananas and something else so I ran over so I'd feed it and she wouldn't. And it was funny because the room was on the back, where irl my computer was, and I'd swear someone was sitting there, or at least the PC was on. Tried to have dialogue with the baby about bananas (last thing I ate before sleep actually) but I don't remember what he said.

I tried to call 911 fr this time but I couldn't tell her properly what was going on I kinda was just screaming AND I ended up being interrupted because my mother called out saying she'd just ran my two latest sketchbooks under the sink which was what pushed me over the edge, confronting her on the bathroom and even pushing her inside the tub where she, turned into some fancy dark clothed dressed kpop boy and not knowing how else to get back I just turned on the shower (I had an actual fancy bathroom with a porcelain tub and tiles but I still had an electric shower, enforcing the mixture of this house).

Wet sketchbooks in hand I ran outside and again, sat on my front yard with a white plastic table my mother owned and spread the pages under the sun to try get them to dry and be saved. I also tried to get pictures of them while something was still visible. Between my sketchbooks there also was the book Cuentos de Amor, de Locura y de Muerte by Horacio Quiroga (of my favorites) and in one page the letters were straight up gone. Someone was watching me do this, some... Guy, I guess it'd have been a family's friend son (from here). He asked me if the book was good for plays and I showed him the back, calming down because of the confusion, and was like shrugging like yeah and he mildly agreed.

Eventually I ran back inside the house and I saw my older brother on the phone with the cops and what I felt was undescribable. So much so once we locked eyes the scene was gone and now it was a sequence of these two white light bodies moving and merging and floating thru landscapes; mountains and hills, rivers and grasslands, the colors were green and yellow and blue and pastel, I felt genuine peace, a feeling of truly not being alone, a knowledge that someone else was there and I'd rely on them. It felt like our souls were intertwined it felt so beautiful.

Then I don't remember what happened after I came back I think I started dreaming of something else.

[terrainofheartfelt]

why is s3 dair so good??? honestly, what is it about them (both as individual characters and relationship-wise) that makes it so... good, for lack of a better word?

it's the Narrative Foils, babe!

no, but really, this plot had EVERYTHING: there's first the setup that they're both at nyu even though they didn't want to be - it's where the ended up after their respective Yale dreams fell through.

then, there's the role reversal of Blair, who's always used to being on top, sure she was caught up in power struggles at Constance but there people still cared who she was, and now, nobody does. she's just another freshman. and Dan, who was used to a certain invisible kind of existence, is noticed on his very first day for being a Writer - and a good one! and he makes friends who actually like him as a person! it's him with the social capital now, and the first thing he spends it on is to help out Blair. (insane. they are insane. they should kiss.)

🪑 aside, this is also the first time in the show ever that Dan is unattached narratively to Serena. I mean, they're friends and on the verge of being family, but they'd been given real romantic closure in s2, so they start off the college arc truly as just friends, which means for the first time in the show, Dan's romantic arc prospects are openended, which in my unexpert opinion, pours a little extra sauce on his loaded interactions with Blair.

also he and Blair's roommate fuck and Blair sees him shirtless in his post woodchuck todd glow up and idk how a girl doesn't have strong feelings about that ya feel me?

AND (I think Nads has touched on this before?) Constance/St. Jude's was pretty...partitioned, I guess you could say, so with the exception of The Essay Contest, I don't think Blair and Dan were put in the position for any competition, but at a fully coed school? And with their similar interests they were bound to end up in classes together, and I swear it is such a CRIME that we didn't get any classroom hijinks with these ding-dongs. competing for top grades and rankings, fighting over a TA position, checking out all the material in the library on a topic to sabotage the other's research, it could have fed us Damien Darko vibes a season and a half earlier and I am BITTER.

I think ultimately it's how the beginning of college presented a twist on their previously perceived social standings (and understandings of each other), and that the sheer potential of starting over in a new place opened up windows of story that didn't/couldn't exist in the high school ecosystem. was it ultimately underexplored and underutilized? absolutely, but at least we have that s3 dair FWB fic on ao3...

[alottamoney]

Love your page! You seem to be the most honest, down to earth, and logical person I've stumbled across in this fandom. I really love your world view and attitude towards these guys and shipping in general. I wanted to start with this since the rest will be a bit long winded and rambling.

Okay, here goes. I'm fairly new to BTS but not new to life, shipping, and crazy fandoms. But seriously, I'm concerned I've joined a cult and might get crucified for not believing these guys are perfect 👀. I actually really like them because they aren't perfect.

But to my main point...reality TV and BTS. (Do most fans really not know that ITS, Run BTS, and behind the scenes stuff is structured and edited? Or do they just not want to know?) Anyway...ITS season 2.

I personally loved this season of ITS because it felt way less scripted than the first season. However, it was still scripted (in that they still had scheduled activities with members...but not in how they actually interacted with each other). It was sooooo much less structured than the first season (which they actually said themselves), never seemed like they had a straight up script they were reading from (date night), and it didn't seem forced or to intentionally alienate anyone... cough, cough (Tae). I think this allowed the members to show more of their real personalities and relationships. I keep seeing people talk about it being more boring or not having enough of their ship...yeah thats because it's more real life and less fantasy. That's what makes me like it more.

An example of it being scripted...seems like they set it up so that Tae was going to have to beg for food (they pre-recorded him saying he couldn't cook and would be depending on the others) but I don't think they set up to be JK. It was most likely supposed to be Jin, since Tae asked him first. (And Jin just straight up refused to play along with the script the entire season 😂, so he said no.) They edited so much out of that section and added way too many "brothers" to the captions for having JK do it be the original intent.

(But....IMHO the best part of all of that was when Tae was straight up trolling in the next episode. He was like, oh they want me to beg for food, watch this. I really think if he asked JK to cook for him one more time, he might have gotten murdered 🤣.)

I think they (the group + maybe HYBE/BH??) decided that this season would showcase them all being close friends, no fan service (like really shippy fan service not just people hanging out together 🙄), and allowing them to be "more" themselves. After watching all the episodes, I'd say this was the "theme" of the season.

To me...all of them are friendly, professional, and pretty close knit. I quite sincerely agree with you that Taekook dynamics are just...interesting. It seems like they can't quite figure out how to act "normal" so they come across as a bit weird at times. I also don't know any of them personally, so I'm basing this off of scripted TV shows and edited behind the scenes, chaotic vlives, and videos not from HYBE/BH (still questionable but more realistic sources).

I hope they all really did get some rest and relaxation. (While having cameras on them 24/7)

What are your thoughts on this season of ITS?

Yours truly,

A TK Fan

Oh wow, TK fan anon, that's so nice of you. I'm flattered 😭💜😭💜

I recently re-visited a fandom I used to follow and I think everyone is taking the cue from kpop fandoms and becoming more intense even about fictional characters lol I agree though that this is the only fandom where I feel an actual threat.

Do fans not know that TV shows are structured and edited? I think they are more open to the idea this season because as 🪑 anon pointed out there are some things here that they can't reconcile with their existing beliefs. The amount of bargaining that had to be done to convince people that last season was scripted though, "Some of it is scripted but not all of it" is what most people settled on because no one wanted to make it seem like BTS was lying(?) Which is such a bizarre thought process. They could be lying every time they open their mouths but somehow saying that is blasphemous. Why would rich entertainers lie to us?🥴

That's a good observation about Tae and cooking in ITS. Just to be clear though; did you mean the staff would murder Tae or JK would? lol. I don't know what BH planned and I've realized over time that even not having expectations from them can still leave you disappointed so, I try not to overthink or I overthink later when I have more information lol I just uwu over the Taekook and move on (It was hard to reach this point though).

The thing about BTS variety shows is that they aren't very subtle and if the sound effects aren't enough they hit you over the head with whatever it is that they want you to focus on in the captions. It's very clear that they have planned it all out and it is scripted. That's why despite having so much content I don't think anyone can say anything about them with certainty. I feel someone who has no idea who BTS are or someone has never watched the content will have more accurate takes on them because the "propaganda" is strong here. I don't wonder too much about BTS dynamics as a whole, they clearly have something that works for them but if tomorrow one of them says something I don't expect, I also won't be surprised, if that makes sense.

About this season of ITS, I'm glad that nothing I predicted came true and I did like this season more for obvious reasons and also the Schadenfreude of seeing some people trying to explain all the Taekook interactions but again I don't trust BH so there's that lol

I hope you share more of your Taekook observations 💜