#this also took a while because i've bitched about how many people don't do a good job writing asra

[thisaccountisagainstmywill]

BG3 Characters Safest Driver Headcanons

I've been thinking about that poll from months ago way too much, so I've pulled this from my drafts. In this essay, I will explain why Boo is the best driver. Astarion: Terrible. Absolutely terrible driver. He is doing his makeup with the visor down, looking at the mirror more than the road. Suspend your disbelief, he's driving in this universe. He can use mirrors. ♥ You have to grab the steering wheel, regularly. Without warning, the man twists around to find his purse in the back seat because he wants a different eyeliner than what he grabbed. You are on aux duty. He hates everything you've picked. 2/10, he lawyered his way into that license Gale: You would think he would be safe, but then you remember that Gale didn't pay attention in boring classes. And how hard could driving really be?? The man knows how to drive perfectly textbook. He also thinks he knows how to do it better than everyone else. He does not adapt well to poor drivers. The roads are full of poor drivers. He is yeling "Zipper!" at the merging traffic. You spend five minutes in the parking lot so he can find just the right song for the trip.

6/10, you will probably not die Halsin: The man drives slow, I'm sorry. He's fuel efficient as you can get with the windows down. He pulls over and stops traffic for ducks crossing the road, no matter what the current road conditions are. He stops to show you the new tree the neighbor got. He is a Yellowstone Park tourist. He wants to show you the world, one traffic-stopping mid-road parking job at a time. There is no music, we are listening to nature today. 4/10, you will be rear-ended with him and not the way most people want Jaheira: I stand by what I said last time: Jaheira reminds me of so many older women I know. She drives like she wants someone to start shit with her. She's so conditioned by having 5 kids fighting in the backseat at all times that every time she's behind the wheel she's having Vietnam-level flashbacks. Her blood is pumping in her ears. There is no road, there is only the red of her vision. She won't start the road rage incident directly, but by god, she will end it. (You tried to ask about music, but the look she gave you when asked killed the question.) 5/10, you make it to your destination intact. But at what cost? Your pants are a different color at the end of the trip than they were at the beginning. Karlach: Karlach is talking with her hands while she drives. She's fiddling with the radio constantly. You've blown four red lights. Three of them were the same red light because she took a wrong turn. She will not use GPS, she's got the vibe of where she's going. She was trying to show you something on her phone at the same time. It cannot wait. It was so good you have to see it right now. The tunes are so loud she hasn't heard the sirens behind her. 4/10, the tunes almost make up for it Lae'zel: You are helping her check her mirror distance before you get in the car. You are buckled in before the car even starts. You are not allowed to touch the light in the car if it is dark out. She was taught that it's illegal to have on at night and she takes that shit seriously. You are on blindspot-watching duty at all times. You're not allowed to have music on the in car, it is a distraction. 7/10, we are efficient, but we are miserable Minsc: Minsc cannot drive. Minsc was meant to drive today, but Minsc got into the wrong seat. We are all relieved. Jaheira trained him wrong on purpose and will kill you if you correct him. 0/10, don't even try. He will survive the accident, you will not. Minthara: Minthara, light of my life. She is gremlin cackling and riding bumpers the whole time. People are pulling off constantly to get away from her. You are white-knuckling in the passenger seat and are too afraid to let go of the bitch-bar. You pray her airbags are up to date because your life has not stopped flashing before your eyes since you got onto the road. We are exclusively listening to The Flight of the Valkyries. 7/10, it is shockingly efficient when no one else is on the road anymore

Shadowheart: I have been in many a 'Shadowhearts' car. The car is more of a problem than she is. She drives the type of car that makes people go, "You live like this?" She drives a manual. She was not trained to drive a manual. Almost every single dash light is on, the ones that aren't had their bulbs die out years ago. We don't know how old that trash is, but it lives here now. She has one of those cassette players that has to hook into your phone to come out the speakers. Good luck finding the right adaptor in the mess. 4/10, girl get your shit together Wyll: Wyll is the best driver, hands down...when he is alone. Like all things in his life, his greatest flaw is being too polite. He turns his whole fucking head to look at you when you talk because that is the polite thing to do. The road is secondary to how important your conversation and companionship are to him. And you can't not talk him! He's asking you genuine questions about your day because he's interested. You get to listen to whatever you want and he's totally down for it even if it's not normally his thing. He'll find something he likes about it. Alone: 100/10, he somehow makes everyone better drivers by just being on the road With you: 5/10, Wyll, please, look at the road. ;_;

Boo: My eyes are closed. It's better this way. We made it there in record time. I don't know how it happened. I don't need to know how it happened. ?/10, it's best if you don't think about it

[cacodaemonia]

I've had this in my drafts for months, and I just saw a post complaining about fan artists (while having the nerve to start out with, "I love fan artists so much but...") who draw characters this way or don't draw them that way, so I figured it was about time to share this.

You know that unwritten rule in fandom that says you shouldn't demand that fic writers cater to your tastes? "Don't like, don't read"? Here's a reminder that the same goes for fanart.

Sometimes, I see complaints that fan artists don't draw character A exactly how they look in canon/in a particular slice of canon/according to someone's specific headcanons. Sometimes, I see complaints that character A is being depicted, say, without enough body hair, or with the wrong body type, or as a different age than they appear in canon.

If you find yourself getting upset with fan artists over things like this, I hope you'll take a moment to:

mind your own business

consider how fucking hard art is

I think a lot of people who haven't spent time in the art trenches have absolutely no clue how difficult it can be to draw a human, period—let alone human features you haven't already practiced a million times.

This can be especially true for artists who don't have a lot of drawing experience. When I was a kid, I mostly drew women, so learning to draw more typically masculine features was a challenge, and it took me many years to even get okay at it. It takes a lot of practice to figure out how to draw a variety of facial structures, body types, hair styles, ages, etc.

For a example, I have never known an artist who doesn't think drawing children is a bitch and a half, and wrinkle placement can mean the difference between drawing something that looks like an elderly human versus a shriveled apple.

Simply drawing body hair can be very time consuming. You also have to understand hair growth patterns and direction and take into account if the person's body hair is very curly or more straight, etc. If I just want to do a really quick sketch, maybe I don't feel like spending 10-20 minutes adding body hair. Maybe some people don't like body hair so they don't want to draw it. Maybe some people have carpal tunnel syndrome or medial epicondylitis and the extremely repetitive motion of adding body hair to characters is physically painful. You don't know. And it's not your place to tell them they're wrong.

Fanart, just like fanfiction, is about drawing the things we like—NOT catering to what other people want or think we should be making.

So feel free to talk about how much you love it when fan artists draw characters in ways you like! But don't be a jerk by demanding people draw what you want, and don't put down those who don't cater to you. You can have all the personal preferences you want in fanart, but it's rude and entitled to force those preferences on others fans or act like you're a better person because of your tastes in the appearances of fictional characters.

[atinystraynstay]

Cupid's Arrow - Choi San

Synopsis: You refused to spend another Valentine's Day alone. You have tried online dating, having friends set you up on spontaneous dates, and even made efforts to flirt in public. This year, you were settling for something a bit different - speed-dating.

Pairing: non-idol!Choi San x fem. reader

Genre: strangers to lovers, trying to find love in a major city

Warning: mentions alcohol consumption, slight vulgar language, suggestive sexual activity

Word Count: 3.8k

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"This is.. West 4th-Washington Square. Please stand clear of the opening doors."

Your heart was racing, your body practically trembling as you stared forward. Was this actually going to happen?

Ding

Quickly but carefully, you pushed yourself out of the opening of the subway. You didn't want to get trampled by the crowds of people trying to get in. You've learned better to just move as quickly as possible if you want to make it to your destination on time.

You also learned how easily frustrated people get when they are behind someone who either doesn't know where they are going or is just walking slowly.

Last year, you took the leap of faith and moved to New York City. Like many others, you dreamed of moving to this extravagant place to make a name for yourself. You daydreamed of walking the busy streets and having a cute tiny apartment with a skyline view. You sacrificed that latter wish for an in-unit washer and dryer - a real jackpot find!

While you certainly have made friends in the city, you often find yourself frustrated with the dating department. You have been on several first dates, a few that turned into second and third dates. One or two turned into potential relationships.

Yet, it would quickly fizzle out.

At first, you thought that it was something with you. You tried changing how you approach first dates, how you dress for them - anything that you thought you could be doing wrong was thought over meticulously.

"The problem isn't you," your roommate vowed. Your racing mind was settled by the NYC Dating Queen herself. She has been through the wringer with guys throughout the whole city. "You're in your 20s in New York City," she laughed. "Most guys are thinking with their dick first then their brain. Ever notice how many guys are reaching back out, begging for another chance?"

You slowly nodded your head. "Yeah, which is so annoying because by the time they think straight, I've already moved on."

Maybe you were a bit old-fashioned when it came to love. No, you weren't in the market to settle down quite yet. You wanted to meet someone and take things slow, go on dates, and be exclusive before making that big of a commitment. Getting the conversation out of the dating apps was the first milestone you wanted to achieve.

"Good! Don't give them any type of satisfaction. All of these guys are dates from Tinder?" "Yep," you announced, making sure to pop the 'p' before taking a sip out of your wine glass. "So you're also getting the mix of tourist guys who are just horny and wanting to fuck while visiting the city."

You groaned at the realization, your head leaning back against the arm of the couch. How was she always right about this kind of stuff?

"You deserve to meet your prince charming in another way. Clearly, dating apps are not cutting it." "And going up to a guy at the bar scares me," you confessed before fixing your posture.

The two of you were sitting on the couch. It was a snowy night in the city which caused many of your evening plans to get canceled. The two of you were nestled on the couch, watching a movement on HBO Max with a chilled bottle of red wine. Your other roommate managed to escape the apartment to go on a date tonight. Lucky bitch.

"You know how our lovely roommate is out on a date?"

You nodded again as you looked over, an eyebrow raised. Wherew as this going?

"She only got together with him once she deleted the dating apps and tried something different." And the look on your other roommate's face told you she had something planned for you.

That was how you find your way navigating through the busy streets of Manhattan. You had no idea that speed-dating was so popular, or that it could be successful. Your roommate's current relationship gave you hope that meeting someone this authentically could be the solution to your problems.

Tonight, speed-dating was taking place at a bar in Greenwich Village. You've honestly been trying to come grab brunch here as you were drawn to the aesthetics shown off on social media.

It did bring a smile to your face to see the white-painted door surrounded by vines. Three brick steps led up to the front door. It was like a little escape room all the steel and concrete of the city.

Even though you were ecstatic to be going to this new place, it didn't help your nerves. You were the type of person who loved getting to know someone for sure, but something was intimidating about going on multiple "first dates." You had to put on a good impression for more than an hour.

“Hi, you also hear for the speed dating?” A voice called out from beside you.

You looked over to see the most gorgeous man. He was tall, dressed in a black button up which peaked from the grey winter coat he was wearing. His hair was sleeked back with a few strands framing his forehead. He also wore this soft smile which made your knees weak. He was definitely going to be hot commodity tonight.

You nodded slightly, offering also a gentle smile. “How could you tell?” “Let’s just say I’m hoping to get to know you better tonight,” he said, winking.

It took everything in you not to let your jaw drop. You never met someone who spoke so coolly. He was the total package.

“Come on, let’s get you out of the cold. You’re practically shivering.”

Maybe it was from the chilly evening hair. Or maybe it was your nerves overriding your system. Either way, you were not going to disclose the truth. Not when this gentleman had his hand placed on your lower back to help you inside.

“Already trying to win me over?” You asked teasingly. “How could you tell?” He asked, matching your tone from earlier.

The two of you shared soft laughter as you crossed the threshold into the cocktail bar. There were tables lined up with white linen, a candle in the middle, and a short bouquet of flowers. Frank Sinatra was playing overheard, both screaming New York and romance. The mystery man stood slightly behind you, his hand leaving your back which you already missed.

“Hi! Sorry, we are closed for a private event,” the hostess said. “Oh no, sorry! We are both here for the speed-dating event,” you explained.

The hostess blush lightly from her mistake before nodding her head. “My apologizes, I assumed you two were already a couple since you walked in together. Can I get your name, please?”

You couldn’t help but feel your heart flutter at the insinuation. Sure, you guys happened to cross paths with the handsome stranger. Possibilities were endless though!

“Y/f/n y/l/name” “Great! All checked in. Here is your number ticket that indicates your table. And here is two drink tickets for the evening.”

You nodded, saying a quick “thank you.” You took the tickets before putting your phone in your purse. It bought you enough time to overhear the stranger behind you and gain some pieces of his identity.

“And your name, sir?” “Choi San.”

You smiled to yourself once you got his name. Choi San.

Not wanting to linger anymore, you began making your way to the long row of tables. Each table had a heart laminated and taped to the table. They were numbered 1-16. Glancing down at your ticket, you saw you were placed at number 7, your own lucky number.

More people were beginning to file into the establishment. However, you were trying your best not to scope out too much. You wanted to go into this open-minded, wanting to take in the experience while remaining open to the potential of finding a new connection. It didn’t help that your mind was already infiltrated with a man named Choi San.

“Looks like I’ll have to wait a little bit to get to know you, pretty girl,” San said.

He winked at you as he passed by your table, heading towards Table 8. Looks like you’ll be ending your night on a high note if he would be your last encounter of the night. You watched him for a moment. He sat on the opposite side of you, giving an indicator that the men will either be transitioning or the females will.

Feeling your eyes on him, he looked over at you too quickly for your liking. It didn’t give you enough of a chance to glance away. Your cheeks were also a key indicator what you had been up to, which weren’t really concealed despite the dimmed lighting. He chuckled lightly underneath his breath before he got to work at shrugging off his jacket.

You couldn’t pull your eyes away when his jacket off did in fact confirm the black button up he was wearing. What kept your attention was the way his fingers got to work unbuttoning the top 2, revealing his golden chest underneath. You wanted to be respectful, but you couldn’t help but slightly gawk at the man adjacent from you.

“Keep your eyes on me, angel. I’ll be coming for you.”

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"Welcome ladies and gentleman to our fifth annual Cupid's Speeding Dating! Here is how it's going to go. Men are going to move to the left, switching the seat to chat with a new woman. You will have five minutes to make your best first impression."

Your eyes shifted over towards San, seeing that he would be moving further away from you at first. However, that just means you get to be the last person he talks to tonight.

"You know, there are a lot of things I can do in 5 minutes." You were interrupted by your internal thoughts by the man across from you. Your nose scrunched up as you understand quickly what he was suggesting.

"Please do not exchange numbers or socials until the next of the event. We want to make sure you are investing more into your conversations."

The guy across from you smirked again, winking. Ugh! Does this guy really think he has a chance?

You leaned back into the seat, wanting to create distance from you and your first date of the evening. You weren't much of a person to fixate on appearances. I mean, the guy was quite attractive. Yet, the moment he opened his mouth, all possible attraction flew out the door. It honestly just made you yearn more for San.

Noticing movement out of his peripheral, San glanced over. He flashed you a smile before going to pay attention to his current date. Sure, he knew he was most excited to talk to you, but he also didn't want to be rude. He just couldn't help but glance over to make sure you were okay.

"You can begin!" The host said excitedly.

Soon, the cocktail bar was filled with chatter. You decided to take a sip of water to ease your nerves, but also try to come up with a conversation to have with this guy. You were forced to be sat at the same time for the next five minutes anyways.

"So, what's your favorite position?"

This might possibly be the longest five minutes of your life.

Luckily, the guy talked more about himself which helped time run out. He was leaning across the table, as if he was trying to look down the top of your dress which caused you to only lean back into the wooden back of the chair. You also were silently thankful when the waitress brought over your first drink of the evening.

Beep beep beep. Beep beep beep.

"Okay, gentleman, please move one to your left."

The guy across from you let out a groan before pushing himself up. "I'll catch you after tonight," the guy said, winking. "Maybe we can go home together. Or slip into the bathroom for a little fun." You didn't even catch his name nor did you want to.

"It was nice chatting with you," San said next to you. "Good luck this evening!" There is an example of a gentleman.

As he got up to head to the next table, he smiled once more at the girl he was first chatting to. He also took a moment to glance at you, smiling a bit brighter. You felt as if you were going to melt in your seat. You just had to wait 14 more rounds before you got to be alone with San.

The second quickly blended itself until the 10th round. Sure, you loved chatting with the guys, and you could see yourself potentially going on a real first date with one or two. However, the whole time, you kept glancing over at San.

It would cause a twitch in your heart when he laughed at another girl's joke. The further he separated from you, the less you noticed his eyes finding yours. The reality that he could be more interested in someone else was beginning to set in. He could very much land at your table, being the last date of the night, and be exhausted. He could already have his heart set on another which caused you to sigh softly.

"I see you have eyes for someone already."

Looking up, you were greeted by a wide smile. The gentleman in front of you took a seat in front of you, running his hands through his hair to push back his hair. He was wearing an all-black outfit - dress pants that had a white, thin strip running up the side; a black v-neck that showed the silver chain around his neck, and a slightly oversized black sport coat.

"Sorry," you laughed lightly, blushing a bit. You didn't want to give off the wrong impression, especially when this gentleman seemed kind.

"No need to be sorry. Should introduced myself since it sees that you're gawking at my best friend," he said proudly. "My name is Wooyoung, and you are?"

You raised an eyebrow, feeling a bit intrigued. "Y/n." You took a sip out of your cocktail before setting it down on the counter. "You are friends with San?" "Oh, I see you two are on a first-name basis now. When is the wedding?"

Your cheeks got hotter as you took another sip out of your drink, which caused the young man to laugh. "Don't worry, I've seen him checking you out as well." "Stop, you're just saying that," you laughed. "We only met literally 30 minutes ago. There is no way that he is checking me out and I haven't noticed."

Leaning back into his chair, a smug grin curled onto his lips. He had one hand on the table, and the other resting on the back of the chair.

"You have no reason to trust me since I'm a complete stranger. However, I know my best friend. And I can tell you right now that if you look to my right side, you would be able to see San. And I bet he's fuming that his best friend is chatting up the girl he's been eyeing all evening."

You raised an eyebrow at this man's analysis. He looked at you challengingly, egging you on to look over to his right.

Unable to resist, you looked over. Your eyes widened as you noticed San was glancing from his date over to your table. His fists were clenched slightly while he did his best to maintain his composure in front of the woman he was chatting to. Yet, it was as if steam was about to shoot out of his ears.

"See?" Wooyoung said triumphantly. "You've got San wrapped around your pretty little finger, y/n."

Seeing San make eye contact with you, his eyes widened before he quickly looked away. You couldn't help but smile a bit brighter, your confidence starting to rise again. Maybe Wooyoung was right after all.

Beep beep beep. Beep beep beep.

"I'll definitely be seeing you around, y/n. Have a good rest of your evening," Wooyoung announced. He pushed himself up from his seat, about to move to the next table.

One thing you learned about Wooyoung in your short encounter was that he was filled with evil schemes and plots. For example, calling out how you and San kept looking at each other as if nobody could notice. You learned that while San was his best friend, he also liked getting a rise out of him.

Before you could say anything back to him, Wooyoung moved closer to you. He leaned down to press a firm kiss to your cheek, one everyone at the speed-dating event could see. Your eyes widened at his action. What was he thinking?!

People seemed to notice which caused cheers from the guys in attendance while the other women gasped. "Please keep it moving, Romeo," the event host announced. "You'll have enough time to show affection later."

"You'll thank me later," he whispered to you before moving to the seat at the next table.

You felt a bit guilty for not remembering the four guys. They seemed very friendly, having personalities that made it easy to talk to. You guys couldn't describe what on Earth was even said, not when your mind was counting down until you finally got to talk to San.

"You're a great listener, y/n. Too early to ask for your number?" "The host said no exchanging until after."

You looked over to see San standing up straight. You didn't think he did so maliciously, but it was obvious he was annoyed by the guy still sitting down. The guy you just talked to glanced over at you before putting his hands up in surrender and getting up.

Just as quick as the guy stood up, San slid into the seat. He moved the chair in so he could lean slightly over the table. "Do you like knowing your a hot commodity, angel?" He asked softly, a drastic change from how he just spoke.

"I have no idea what you are referring to," you said innocently.

San's hand moved to rest close to yours, his fingertips ghosting over your own. It sent electric shocks throughout your body just be being in close proximity.

"So you don't want to admit that my best friend had you giggling? You couldn't have thought that Wooyoung was seriously that funny. He gets all his best jokes from me!"

You could see San was getting a bit worked up. His chest was puffed up, wanting to present himself as a better option against whoever stood in his way, even if it was his best friend. Little did San know he had no true competition when you've had your eyes on him all evening.

"Actually, I found it adorable how jealous you get. Wooyoung merely pointed out this fact," you said, smirking.

You noticed then San's shoulders slump over a bit. His cheeks were flushed as he stared at you for a moment before looking towards the end of the row where Wooyoung was. Wooyoung, who was watching you two this whole time and offered a wave over to you two.

Sensing that San was getting a bit flustered, you moved your hand to rest on his. This caused his attention to move back to you, a smile curling onto his lips. He glanced down at your hands, eyes flickering to yours. You were not sure what he was looking for, but it became clear once he slipped his fingers in between yours.

And he looks for consent before doing anything? What a jackpot.

"I'll have to admit though. I was also getting jealous. I didn't like seeing you laugh with other girls when it should've been me," you confessed. Sure, you were just as embarrassed owning up to your faults, but you also hoped an ounce of your truth made San feel better.

It seemed to do the trick as his body relaxed. His thumb gently caresses the side of your index finger. You noticed his eyes were not leaving yours whatsoever, unlike before when his eyes would wonder around.

"Well, darlin', we don't need to wait anymore. You've got me all to yourself."

You and San spent the next hour or so chatting. You talked about your childhood, how you both ended up in New York City, and all your favorite things. Every time you talked, San looked at you as if you were made out of gems. He just adored listening to you, finally being sat at the same table with you.

San has always wanted to come to the United States. At first, it was to practice his English. However, he quickly realized that he wanted to learn more about people. He was currently researching graduate programs to study Sociology.

So not only is he kind and physically attractive, but he also was outgoing and intelligent. He was just checking every one of your boxes!

But he also was falling hard for you. He was impressed with how you took a leap into moving to New York City by himself. He was lucky to have Wooyoung whoo made the whole transition easier, so he couldn't imagine taking on the city solo. He admired your courage.

He also wouldn't vocalize it quite yet but he almost felt as if you two were destined to be in the same city.

The two of you didn't even notice that the other participants had left. The guys you had talked to tried staying around to grab your number, fuming at how San seemed to have snatched all your attention. Being the great friend Wooyoung is, he ushered them out so you and San could be uninterrupted.

It was as if Wooyoung was your own Cupid, doing everything in his power to make sure the love connection worked.

"I'm sorry, love birds, but we need to close up for the night."

San and you looked around, not realizing that all the tables had been cleaned and cleared after the event. The room was silent except for the noise of movement in the kitchen.

Looking back at you, he bit his lip. The clogs were stirring in his mind as if he was trying to figure out what to do next. Of course, you two would leave the cocktail bar, but then what? He looked as if he was afraid to say goodbye, and so were you.

"Why don't we walk around the Village? I'm sure we could find a late-night diner that isn't too crowded." "That sounds perfect."

San helped you out of the table before lifting yup your winter coat. He held it out for you, assisting you in slipping your arms through the sleeves. You turned slightly to press a kiss to his cheek, which made San light up like a little kid on Christmas day.

He quickly slipped on his own jacket before going to rest his hand back on your lower back. He nodded his head, both apologizing for overstaying but thanking the host for putting together the event.

She smiled understandingly as she witnessed San escort you back outside. His free hand pushes the front door open for you.

Maybe love did exist in New York City after all.

[mt-oe]

I’ve just been highly obsessed over modern Mizu. So I’m just asking for that, modern Mizu meets reader at uni or something like that! I love LOVE your writing!! 💖💖

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

Hey dear!

Thank you so much for the request! I hope you don't mind if I add a bit more to this <3 I've been wanting to write modern au Mizu hcs and your request really granted me the opportunity to do so.

Also, I'm so sorry for being so slow on the requests. I've been so eepy lately for some reason and I can't fight against it, like I tried but failed so many times ;; I am a slave to my own body

Anyways, I hope you enjoy! Mwa mwa :*

warning/s: not proofread, she/her for mizu, implied afab reader, game reference (league of legends)

general headcanons

✦ This woman would either overload or underload her units like crazy. She'd either be busy with her academics and work 6 days a week, even sending a letter to the admin so she can go past the mandated maximum amount of units in one semester or doing absolutely nothing while the rest of her friends are going apeshit on their finals. There's no in between.

She would plan it like an absolute psychopath too. Nothing special foreseeably happening in the next semester? She's going above and beyond. A convention she wants to go to on September? Signing up for the bare minimum amount of allowed units just for one event.

Her friends are either concerned for her and losing contact for a whole semester, or are pissed off that she's playing some kind of gacha game on her phone while they're losing their minds on their finals.

✦ Would be the type to be so pissed off by slow walkers in the hallway. The hatred she has for people who walk so fucking slow in the hallway is unbridled. Though she's not the type to pick fights, she'd be the type to sigh loudly, making you feel her anger, before overtaking and wouldn't be afraid to bump against the person if needed. Her hatred goes deep enough to the point where she even remembers people JUST because they walk slow.

✦ The type of friend who would walk to everything. Sure she has her motorbike, but if she can walk to it, you bet she's going to walk. She even knows different shortcuts to different buildings on campus.

"This looks like a good place," Akemi tells them, showing her phone. For once, their vacant hours finally aligned and they've been trying to find a good place to eat since the lunch hall food was getting repetitive and they could feel their taste buds dulling over time. Akemi, being the 'what do you guys want to eat?' friend, and the other three, being the 'I don't know' or the 'I'm fine with whatever' friends, is left to search for a new place.

They took a look at the place and shrugged in agreement, making her roll her eyes at their lack of opinion. "Okay but how are we going to go there?" Taigen asks. Mizu takes Akemi's phone and looks up the map to the place. The distance itself was enough to tell a person that they should take the bus. Hell, it was on the other side of town almost.

"We can walk. It's not that far," she says, closing the map and handing Akemi her phone back. They trusted Mizu. It couldn't be that bad.

Right?

By the time they arrived at the restaurant, they were already sweating, ready to give up, tired out of their wits. The food wasn't even worth it anymore.

"It's not that far" my ass.

Even Taigen, her fellow gym rat and workout buddy, was fucking exhausted. And this bitch (affectionately), has the audacity to stand there, crossing her arms with the most unamused expression on her face as if it was their fault for being so exhausted. If she tells you its walking distance, it is NOT within walking distance.

✦ She's a jack-of-all trades type of person, but she'd have the fattest fucking talent crush on anyone who can express themselves through art. The talents and skills she gathered were purely out of necessity. Fixing and modifying bikes was the only thing she was truly passionate about but it's hard to be expressive through repairing motorbikes, right?

She has always been so amazed by stories of painters, sculptors, singers, and writers who have deep backstories and can reflect it through their art. She would be the type to read the whole description in art museums just because she's so amazed by them.

Deep inside her, she wished she could do that too. To express herself through a medium. Like what do you mean you wrote this poem because you're sad your cat died? Or what do you mean you took this professional-looking picture just because you had the best picnic date with your friends? How can someone write a song about casual sapphic sex? She can't even vocalize her feelings, how much more in art? Whenever she sees someone writing their English essay so well or drawing randomly, she'd secretly be so interested.

✦ Mizu would have social media accounts but would use it bare minimum. She'd be that type of classmate that you're not sure if it's really her because she doesn't have a profile picture you can check or if she does, it's like a picture of an item instead of her face.

Her friends would be so happy whenever Mizu posts an IG story even if it's just a picture of where they were eating or even if their face is barely in the picture.

"Aww you posted us!" and they're like little ants with how small they were in the picture.

Or

"Do you want to eat at that place again?" and she'd be like 'what? why?' but they'd know she actually enjoyed the food because she bothered posting a picture of the place.

Deep inside her, Mizu wants to keep up with whatever trends her friends are into but she's very lowkey about it. The tough love friend who secretly really enjoys being friends, y'know? She'd search about it and try to figure it out. Everyone's surprised by her internet knowledge since she always acts like she wouldn't give a shit whatever new trend is on.

✦ This sounds so corny and stereotypical, but Taigen and her would be those gym rats who solve everything by working out. It didn't matter if it was a weekday, a weekend, a holiday, or whatever weather condition was going on outside, they are going.

They failed a test? Gym. Hungover? Gym. Too much homework? Gym.

When Megan Thee Stallion said she'll go to the gym two times a day, they go three. When she said the results are resulting? The body is bodying? These two are taking it seriously.

Taigen would focus on biceps, chest, and lats, cutting down on fat so his body would look more lean. He'd hate leg day but would do it anyway just to balance out his physique.

Meanwhile, Mizu would have a 'sleeper-type' build and her routine would be more well-rounded and would even include calisthenics on her free time. They'd try to beat each other's PR but it really ain't a competition when Mizu is always winning.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

how did you two meet?

Stupid shitty project.

Stupid fucking publisher gatekeeping the fucking article.

Stupid bitch ass school wifi keeps disconnecting.

Mizu resisted the urge to slam her laptop shut as her device disconnected from the wifi for the nth time. She was stuck in the library trying to finish her midterm project for building design system and holy shit was she frustrated.

She needed to create a specific building design that was supposed to be environmentally friendly, using what was considered as 'green materials' and had minimally destructive designs. It wouldn't be so bad if this fucking publisher just had to put a price on the article she needed. Wasn't education supposed to be free or whatever?

Her friends tried to help her, telling her to use the library computers, but none of them were working or free at the moment. That leaves her to use her laptop in the library. Usually, that wouldn't be a problem but due to the recent rains, the school wifi has been pretty shitty.

After a few more tries, she decided that this wasn't worth the frustration and trouble, and decided to collect her things to get ready to leave. Just as she was about to zip up her bag, a tap on the shoulder stopped her. She turned around to look at who was trying to get her attention, ready to tell them off. But upon turning around, her heart skipped a beat.

There you stood.

In your oh-so fancy sweatpants and college logo hoodie (whose logo wasn't even the university's). Your hair was ruffled and messy, eyes tired and more exhausted than her's. Understandably so though. It was hell week and everyone was tired, but somehow, your tired looked so pretty.

Her eyes continued to stare at you. Like the world stopped moving and it was just you and her in the room.

"Umm...there's a free computer over there if you still need it," you said shyly but in a straightforward manner. A small tired smile on your lips, trying to appear as friendly as possible. Mizu snapped out of her trance and nodded, slinging her bag over her shoulder to move to the said computer.

Maybe she'll stay for a bit. To finish her midterm project.

Definitely not for the pretty lady.

No, of course not.

Upon sitting down, she couldn't help but sneak glances at you, looking back down at the screen when you looked in her direction. She felt stupid, like a lovestruck fool. Borderline, like a child getting their first actual crush.

In her mind, she was already planning how to approach you without making it awkward. Maybe she'll try to strike up a conversation? But how? Hmmm..

It definitely took a while, being distracted and all, but she was finally able to finish her report. Taking a deep breath, she prepared herself mentally to talk to you. She stood up and stretched after logging herself out, pretending to look around the room but in reality she was looking for you.

Much to her dismay, you were no where to be found. A small "fuck" left her lips as she sighed, picking her bag up. The universe must hate her. Giving her an opportunity to see the most beautiful person she's ever seen only for them to leave early? Fuck.

Her thoughts continued to plague her for the rest of the day, even until the next morning. It sounded so silly and so stupid for her to be this bothered, but she really just couldn't forget you. She sighed once again as she stared at the lecture hall walls, face hidden against her palms.

"Excuse me. Do you have an extra pencil?" a voice asked as she felt a tap on her shoulder. Looking up grouchily, her eyes widened immediately.

It was you.

And this time, she wasn't going to let this opportunity pass.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

but what now? (girlfriend headcanons)

✦ Mizu would absolutely remember EVERYTHING about you. Your birthday, MBTI score, favorites, dislikes, and even the silliest things such as what makes you sneeze.

She has a second brain for these, an internal SSD in her brain just for you. You won't even have to remind her about anything, because she already planned it out before you remember.

It's especially great for errands since you don't have to give her a list, she already has a list in her brain. Sometimes, you'd think she forgot because she's so quiet about it but she always finds a way to prove you wrong. If she says she forgot something about you, it's a lie. She never forgets, especially when it comes to her girlfriend.

✦ Would pretend to not understand or know how to do something just so you could teach or show her. Mizu definitely has a lot of skill up her sleeves, but whenever you asked if she knew something that she knew you were good at, she'd pretend not to.

"So I just click like this?" she asked you through the call, clicking on a minion. You had enthusiastically called her, asking if she wanted to learn how to play League of Legends. Unknown to you, your girlfriend already knew how to play and was quite good at it (that's a lie, she's beyond good).

She couldn't help but smile slightly as she watched you nod enthusiastically. The thought of you being so eager to spend time with her was heart-warming. She even made a dummy account just to make her beginner act look believable. "Yeah, you just need to keep this up. So should we queue together?" you asked, sounding really excited.

Mizu chuckled and nodded. "Don't get mad at me, okay?" she joked lightly, accepting your invite. "I won't. I'll be the ADC so you can play support until you get the hang of it, okay?" you said, checking which ADR champions you had cool skins of. Your girlfriend let out a small laugh at your enthusiasm, signaling you to start the queue.

The game went really well. Extremely well.

To your surprise, Mizu was quite a good support. Never accidentally stealing your CS, always being there during a clash, skill shots always hitting, knowing who to focus on. "It's because you're good at teaching people," she said.

But really, you wonder how she knew which items to build when you never even taught her.

✦ Would do the most random or the smallest things for you. She's not good at expressing her feelings so she makes up for it through acts of service and gift giving. Mizu tries her best to be as loving as she can without overwhelming you.

Can you even remember the last time you tied your own shoelaces? You can't. Can you?

Sometimes, you'll be surprised to arrive home with the fridge already stocked even though you had told her that you'll do the groceries on your next day off. The only response you'll get is a shake of her head and a random thing you mentioned you wanted to buy.

Sometimes, she's a bit silly though. Putting in the effort to remove her jacket to shield you from the rain even though you had an umbrella, removing the buckle of your helmet so she'd be the one to put it on you, gifting you random goofy greeting cards.

It's both endearing and a bit funny.

✦ Secretly loves it when you put makeup on her or if you let her do your makeup. Her amazement and fascination skyrockets whenever she watched you put make up on. It was a line of femininity that she was never taught to cross. She'd watch you with deep interest, observing how carefully you did it, how purposeful each step you did was.

"So why do you put it on?" she asks. You hum in thought before shrugging. "It just...makes me feel pretty."

What do you mean it makes you feel pretty?

You were already pretty.

You can't help but laugh at her and her curiosity. "It just does. It feels therapeutic to put on and I like how I look after, it's like expressing myself or something. Like painting but on your face," you explained to her, making her raise an eyebrow.

"But what if you don't like the way it looks?" she asked, picking up your eyeshadow palette and swatching a color on her hand curiously. "I can always take it off," you answered, blending the blush on your cheeks.

She stayed silent for a moment, continuing to swatch the colors on her hand. Her mind still couldn't wrap around the fact that this could make you feel better. Its just color and chemicals, and it washes off too.

Your eyes scanned her face before a soft laugh left your lips. "Here. Want to try?" you offered. Your girlfriend looked a bit hesitant but she wanted to understand.

Was this really fun?

After a few minutes, some struggles and squirming, you finally finished putting some make up on her. You tried your best to make it look as natural and as light as possible, knowing that she wouldn't appreciate the texture of heavy makeup immediately.

Blue eyes scanned over her own face on the mirror. She didn't say anything, but the slight twitch of her lips and the shine in her eyes spoke thousands.

"I want to do it on you too," she said quietly. "At least one thing. Let me try to do it for you."

You heart melted at her excitement. How could you refuse her when she finally finds something she likes? You handed her your eyeliner and sat down. "Here, follow my instructions.."

Mizu actually ended up liking it. Although she enjoyed putting it on you more, she still enjoyed it nonetheless. The amount of practice she put in made you wonder if she was actually better than you now. Somehow, she felt a bit of relief and a bit happy that she finally found something she could do that was considered as 'artistic'.

What started off as a simple "let me try" ended up being part of your routine. This woman never stopped practicing different eyeliner looks and now she just sits on your bed, waiting for you to finish your routine so she can put it on you. Sometimes she'd do a more creative graphic liner look, but on days you had to go to uni or work, she'd do the usual. She could probably do it with her eyes closed.

And the results?

SHARP.

Capital S H A R P.

[valley-of-headcanons]

Could you write some headcanons for Sebastian comforting his spouse who has anxiety and depression stemming from a less-than-stellar upbringing? I tend to need assurance people aren't mad at me and I avoid conflict cuz it tends to make me cry. Got to wondering how he'd handle all that lol.

rest your head, love || sebastian x farmer oneshot

after getting into an argument with haley, anxiety courses through your veins. but, sebastian is always here to help you through it <3

warnings: reader fights with haley (sorry haley lovers 🙏), hints towards abusive parenting but nothing outright described. nothing too dark, simply a comfort fic :)

requested by: anon! hi, i'm so sorry this took so long to come out! another one requested before my unannounced hiatus 💀 anyway! i love this request, this is probably one of my favorite things to write about, i love comfort fics 🙏 thank you so so so much for the request! also changing this into a fic because i believe the format would be easier :)

Stepping through the doors of your home, the expression on your face showed that you're absolutely defeated. Your demeanor was clouded by anxiety, and Sebastian could tell. As he rose from his computer and walked closer to you, he wore a worried expression. “Love, are you doing okay ...?”

You softly shook your head, sitting down on the bed and staring off into space. “I-I ... I got into an argument- ... with Haley. And ... I just feel like I ca- can't really breathe, y'know ...?” you stuttered out, putting your shaking palms against your face.

Sebastian sat down beside you and rested a hand on your back, rubbing circles with his thumb. “You can't take anything Haley says seriously, she's just insecure. She's just a bitch,” he mumbled to you, although it didn't seem to help. He knew that this was deeper than Haley, it was something much deeper.

Kissing your temple, Sebastian softly took your hands in his. “Hey, I want you to listen to my voice. Exit your mind, it's too dark of a place to be in right now. Would you like to sit in my lap?” he asked in the softest voice he could, offering his comfort.

As you crawled into his lap and wrapped your legs around his waist, you felt his arms caress your back. Tears started flowing from your eyes and you buried yourself in the crook of his neck. “I-I just hate arguing, and she said- she said so many things that I-I've heard too many times before and- I thought that I got away from it all! I'm just so- ... I'm upset and I can't help it ...”

Sebastian removed his hands from your back and cupped your face, wiping the gentle tears from your cheeks. “It's okay. You are away from it, I promise. Nothing's gonna hurt you here, not even Haley. You're none of the things Haley said, not a single one of them, do you hear me?”

You gave a silent nod, leaning into his hand. “... not even when she said I was annoying? Or boring? Or- ... anything?” you said, attempting to take deep breaths between your shuddered exhales.

“Yes, dear. You're none of those things. You're not annoying, why else would I even be here? You're not boring, you actually interest me more than any of the people in the town. You actually have a personality, you don't seem as 2D as everyone else ... you're everything to me, so please don't think stupid things like that. The people who say stupid things like that just don't get it. Now relax, let me take your mind off of it for a little while,” Sebastian said in a stern yet comforting tone. He held you tight to his chest, rubbing your back while he rocked softly.

He knew all about your past. He knew the horrendous things that you've witnessed, you've heard, you've felt. He was hellbent on mending that part of you, even if it meant a small bit at a time. He'd stay up all night with you if you needed, but you had fallen asleep in his lap soon after you felt safe enough to. He laid back on the bed, pulling you close and wrapping the cover around you both. He could finish his work tomorrow, nothing could beat these soft moments with you.

Pressing another soft kiss to your temple, he whispered to you. “Goodnight love, rest your pretty head,” he muttered, before closing his own eyes. He slept soundly next to you, holding you close the entire night. Nothing could beat this.

[nxathyx]

if your requests are still opened, your recent work reminded me of my behavior ; keeping silent, when I'm hungry I wouldn't say or do anything about it, generally a s/o that won't say anything if they need something, from day to day life but it's not because of shyness it's just that I'm too lazy to speak up about anything that bothers me particularly

also with Ranpo, Chuuya and Dazai if you mind that many, just Ranpo and Chuuya is okay but a lot of people like Dazai so ;v;

Ranpo, Dazai and Chuuya with a s/o who doesn't speak up about basic necessities

Gn! Reader x Chuuya Nakahara, Gn! Reader x Dazai Osamu, Gn! Reader x Ranpo Edogawa

Tw: these are all probably ooc, Ranpo and Dazai being smug asf, slight anger issues on Chuuyas part

This is like the worst thing I've wrote so far but I hope you still enjoy it💀

Ranpo Edogawa

°so Ranpo is smart as hell as we all know, however I don't think he takes care of his own needs himself and relies on people a lot. I mean he literally didn't know how to buy a train ticket

°I feel like he'd know you need something but wouldn't be bothered to do it Not because he doesn't love you or care about you he would probably ask Yosano or Fukuzawa to do it for him

°I think ranpo would call his s/o stupid or an idiot sometimes. I don't know why😭

° however when it comes to food I think he'd just randomly offer you candy or shove it in your mouth

For example:

You and your boyfriend were currently in the armed detective agency. He was sitting in his office chair, legs kicked over the desk, with a bag of potato chips and biscuits (or cookies idfk). He took one before placing it near your mouth, for you to eat.

"What are you doing..?" You asked a bit confused by his behaviour.

"you're hungry but you're to lazy to even say it. You might be even lazier than me" He retorted with a snicker

"i just don't feel like talking" you responded slightly unamused. He took the cookie away from your mouth, eating it as you just looked at him confused

"what? You weren't eating it"

"that doesn't mean I didn't want it.."

Dazai Osamu

° another one who probably knows what you need

° Dazai also doesn't really take care of his basic needs however I actually think he would take care of yours if he actually loves you, mainly cause he's afraid you'll leave and find someone who will take care of you better than he does (you didn't hear it from me)

°don't expect too much from him though, he can cook if you need food but I doubt he'll do it but he will keep you company while you do it 😭

°I feel like he reminds you a lot that youre terrible at keeping things to yourself (no he's just a bitch you're fine<3)

Chuuya Nakahara

°someone who actually takes care of himself and cares for his health. shocker

°however unlike the other two, he'd get upset that you don't communicate your needs with him

°he finds communication in a relationship to be very important so he'd want to know everything you need

°after you explain that you just can't be bothered with it he'll think that's a stupid reason but he will try to be understanding

°I think he'd take you out for dinner dates more often, text you to actually do things that are important for your health

"we're going out."

"What? why?"

"stop asking questions and let's go"

°like okay? 🤨

[that-one-xachster]

Megumi x Childhood Bestie!Reader Hcs

I've seen too many of these and needed to write a few heh ive actually never written hcs before so this is my first time 😅 kinda a slow burn?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

so first of all you were tsumiki's bestie because I haven't seen a hc like that yet (PLEASE I NEEDA SEE ONE OF THESE-)

and we'll also make fushi's mom besties with your mom

so now you two are besties since you were in diapers

and you were a very grabby baby and Fushiguro's hair is as wild as carpaccios from mashle-

(sorry not sorry)

so you'd just grab at his hair and pull it all the time which would annoy the hell out of him

which would then somehow end up in you two fighting

AS BABIES

and then your mother's would have to calm you down

and after the whole toji and mother fushiguro went bye bye your mom took in megumi and tsumiki

so now timeskip you're both 6 years old and just walking together from who knows where

and if you thought you grew out of these grabby tendencies no you're either grabbing his hair or his sleeve

yes it still annoys the hell out of him but you do it for shits and giggles

and then on this fine day you just happen to run into the gojo satoru

LMAO MY AUTOCORRECT ALMOST CAPITALIZED HIS NAME

anyway this guy is making his ever so iconic face like 'bro reminds me of his dad-'

anyway gojo doesn't know who you are so you're just standing there awkwardly behind megumi while you're now gripping his backpack

and you're just glaring at gojo for no reason at all for sure just thinking 'who the hell is this weird ahh man with hair like he's in his 70s tryna kidnap megumi 🤨🤨'

and ofc megumi pulls the 'what about my sister' card

and after the whole negotiation with megumi he turns to you and is like 'you can come along too ig'

and ofc you watch megumi so you pull the 'what about my parents' card

gojo's like 😀

anyway you somehow end up going to school with megumi and tsumiki and first day kindergarten no surprise you guys are the new kids

everyone I mean EVERYONE loves tsumiki ofc

a partial reason is because of you and megumi glaring at the people who you think are looking at her a lil funny

like sir ma'am CHILD how dare you

anyway you have a pretty peaceful elementary school

you do pick fights with megumi though

...and a whole lotta other people

you stopped in middle school but looks like megumi picked it up instead because yk he beat up a hefty amount of people

you stanned him for that

also hyping him up from the back

"YEAHH MEGUMI BEAT THEIR ASS"

"shut up."

"no."

".."

"anyway YOU GO MEGUMI BEAT EM UP-"

"sHUT-"

so that was pretty eventful but tsumiki did not approve which caused you to sulk next to megumi

but then yk she went to the cliff and shit went down real fast

tsumiki got cursed, you entered your depressed angsty teenager era, and megumi became emo. more so than he was before

"oh my god its worse than they thought- they made him EMO-"

^ thats megumi now but we all like pretty emo bois so

wItH tHeIr bLaCk hAiR aNd gReEn oRbS-

too bad megumi has blue eyes

>>>>>>

see this is why asians don't have blue eyes we'd be too powerful

anyway back to this you two finish middle school all swandy dandy but a lil depressed

oh and I don't think I mentioned you two got into a fight bc of tsumiki's sickness

like-

megumi: you're closer to tsumiki bc you two are girls why didn't you stop her from pulling random crap whatever she did to make her sick

you: BITCH you blaming ME? you wanna go?

yeah basically you two got into a stupid argument but oh well its fine bc gojo forced you two to talk again and yay you're talking again

and now first year into jujutsu tech you and megumi are the only students so you're still poking and grabbing him all the time

you did it less in middle school

I think we know why

like you're in the car going to a mission- his hairs being tugged

got off the car and walking his sleeve being tugged

everthing

literally everthing

my bros grown immune to it though so he doesn't really mind

he kinda likes it now but will never admit it

so let's say before you got ranked up and all your arm almost got blown off by a curse

needless to say tsumiki's accident really hit him hard so this hit him harder and when I say he got angry he got ANGRY ASF DUDE

like he freakin obliterated the damn curse

he also made it pretty painful

if you even can

and let his demon dogs casually eat it up

and you're just there like 👏👁️👄👁️

"it's not that deep bro-"

"yes it is"

gojo was very proud though

and now you're with him stalking itadori and you're like

woah

*1 braincell working*

itadori = fast

fast = speed

I am speed

ITADORI = LIGHTNING MCQUEEN

kachow

and when you finally confront your stalkee with megumi and itadori's like

"uh I'm mourning rn"

you're just

"thats great and all dude I totally feel you but you're gonna be mourning even more if we don't get our asses to your school"

you did not want to host multiple funerals

so you all speed ran to his school

and whoopsie doosies you're with megumi and itadori makes an entrance like the main character he is

and when my bro eats that finger

and gojo pops up

he throws the kikufuku at megumi

but its okay hope you have a good day imma send you bout 850-

LMAO SORRY

you steal the kikufuku from megumi and eat one as if its popcorn

well you're watching gojo and sukuna fight rn

and you accidentally admit out loud that sukuna's hot

and then megumi low-key side eyes you

BUT THEN HE STARTS FULL ON GLARING AT SUKUNA

bc how dare he some random goofy ahh old mf misongnyistic tatooed dude just steal your attention so casually

he's full on disgusted when he's face to face with sukuna

yes you notice this

you're like

"ooh did somebody get a crush on a thousand year old curse-"

"wtf no get some help"

its the opposite lmao but you don't know that

so then itadori turns back to normal gojo goes boop and he goes to sleep

and now you're here sitting next to megumi, eating Gojo's kikufuku and having the time of your life

holy this is so long imma do a part 2

fun fact my autocorrect always changes sukuna into skunk 🦨

smelly sukuna

[apollocabinrep]

PJO PRIDE HEADCANONS PT 2

• Castor was pansexual while Pollux is on the aro spec (demiromantic). Whenever Castor had a crush, Pollux would insist his twin could do better, or that they were "okay."

• Holly and Laurel compete in everything and if they ever end up crushing on the same person, it will also be a competition. Whoever can give them the best flowers, best date, etc. Essentially who can win the person's heart.

• If they crush on different people, the competition changes to who took their partner out on a better date.

• Nyssa is sapphic or unlabeled, probably just content with her work though she can point out a cute girl when she sees one.

• Chris Rodriguez is a bisexual, ambiamorous icon. (Ambiamorous is having more than 1 partner only if the person you're dating is okay with it. You don't mind not having more than one partner.)

• ^ Chris, Beckendorf, Silena, & Clarisse were definitely a polycule and when Silena and Beckendorf died, Chris & Clarisse got a tattoo with all 4 of their initials inside of a heart on their chests. (Clarisse won't ever say anything about it or admit to it.)

• Everyone thinks that because Butch is an Iris kid, he has to be LGBTQ+, but in reality he is just their biggest ally. He thinks the LGBTQ+ campers are extremely brave and admires them.

• But there's also trans Butch which I've started to like a lot

• Most campers think Connor is bisexual, but he's actually demi. He just likes to confuse them even more because he only hangs up the MLM flag.

• Connor tried to ask Malcolm out through a prank, because that's how Travis asked Katie out and it worked for them.

• Travis and Katie are Bi4Bi

• Clovis isn't labeled, so many (young) campers just think he's hetero. He's not awake long enough to care.

Warning: Leeluke below, don't like, don't look 👍

• Lee was the one to ask Luke out after 3 months of them flirting

• Luke fell first, but Lee fell harder

• Lee was pansexual, Luke was bisexual

• Luke always had his arm wrapped around Lee's waist or shoulder because Lee had so many people crushing on him due to his nurturing nature.

• Luke's betrayal was like a punch to the gut to Lee because the boy didn't leave anything for him. Not a note, goodbye, nothing.

• Lee saw Luke one final time before his death in BotL. It was right before SoM.

• For the first time in years, Lee had gone home for the school year, and Luke showed up outside his school. Lee punched him in the face before hugging him. It was an entire show for the courtyard. They spent the day enjoying each other's company. At the end of it, Luke told him everything he planned on doing, and said when Kronos rose, he'd come back for Lee.

• When Luke entered Elysium, Lee refused to talk to him at all. So many of his younger siblings had entered and he was rightfully upset.

• It took them 8 months before they could even be in the same room, but Luke had changed for the better and if it wasn't doing things to Lee's unbeating heart.

• Lee fell first this time, or maybe he had never really stopped falling, and asked Luke out, asked for a second chance for them.

• Turns out, second chances are worth it sometimes. Michael's jaw dropped when he saw and ranted endlessly, but Lee was happy that Luke had changed in the end.

• "Ain't no way I DIED and you're out here FORGIVING HIM!!!" - Michael Yew

• "I LEFT MY BOYFRIEND, LEE!!!"

• "And you can wait for him, Michael."

• "Bitch."

[retroellie]

NSFW Alphabet with Daryl Dixon

Summary: NSFW Alphabet with Daryl Dixon :)

A/N: Hey y'all! sorry for just like dying but I've been not wanting to write. I've been wanting to write for Daryl for a hot minute and don't worry I'm still Ellies whore ofc :). I just have grown an obsession for crusty musty Daryl Dixon <3. I'm still writing for Ellie; I've actually been working on some Fics for her but i just needed a break from mommy Ellie :( But enjoy!

Warnings: NSFW, Knife play, mentions of pegging, BDSM, blood, normal TWD stuff

Word count: 3.2K

A= Aftercare (What they're like after sex)

Daryl is so caring afterwards. Daryl likes to put this tough guy persona on around others, but you really see him for what he is, a big teddy bear. So after sex, when your out of breath and fucked out, he will clean you up so gently. He will get a rag and clean his mess up while giving you soft kisses on your face, probably mumbling something like " Come back to me love..." because you are still a little high in the clouds. I just know this mf is so soft afterwards, i know from experience :).

B=body part (Their favorite body part of theirs and also their partners)

Where do I start with this one... Well daryl worships the ground you walk on so him choosing his favorite part of you is like asking him to choose between his children. He really likes your hands, you keep them as soft as you can and he likes that. Plus he finds you using them in any way, sexual or not, just so hot. Your boobs are a close second (Daryl is a boob guy, i said what i said) He likes soft things and your boobs are soft and squishy, he likes playing with them.

He doesn't really have a  favorite part of himself, he's an insecure man. What more can I say? However he likes his arms, just because you say you like them so now, he's a big fan of them. Whatever turns you on fastest he's cool with.

C=cum (Anything to do with cum)

Daryl is super careful of where he cums, he'll cum on your stomach, tits, ass basically anywhere that isn't in you. He doesn't want to get you pregnant and there's not many ways to prevent it in the apocalypse, so his pull-out game is strong. He would like to have kids with you someday but as of right now he's okay with cumming on you, he thinks you look pretty that way anyways.

However there are times he finds condoms while on runs and bitch... he uses them up in like one day. He loves that he can cum deep inside you and not have to worry about you getting knocked up, because if he could cum inside you every time, he would in a heartbeat.

D=dirty secret

this is in fact a dirty secret, literally. He likes when you are dirty, like all bloodied up and there's literal brains in your hair. It just gets him going he can't control himself. He also likes seeing you kill people, no walkers, literal people (bad people obviously). Just seeing you take someone's life, seeing what you can do to a person when you're mad enough.  It also puts him in a more submissive mindset for some reason, like he wants you on top of him yelling degrading things towards him.

One time you had killed someone, probably one of the whisperes and he got so worked up, he begged you to fuck him right than and there. You gladly did, you took him and fucked him right in front of the boyd you had just killed. That's also a secret, he likes to be the submissive one.

E=experience (How experienced are they? do they know what they're doing?)

I don't see Daryl being that experienced tbh. I mean he knows what he's doing yeah, he knows where everything is and he definitely knows how to get a girl screaming but he's not had many people. He's probably hooked up with some junkies and hookers merle hung out with but he never really had what you guys have yk? So everytime you guys would fuck he would secretly be taking notes in his head, watching what every little move did to you.

F=Favorite position

He loves anything that involves y’all close, like super close. He loves missionary for that reason but his all time favorite is you riding him. He loves how he can just sit back and watch you take what you need, he’ll sit up so his face is shoved between your tits and he’ll just suck and lick till there’s no tomorrow.

He needs to feel close to you especially in such a vulnerable act, anything could happen in a single moment so him feeling close to you makes that fear melt away for a moment. However he does like it from the back sometimes, especially when he’s really mad at you for doing something stupid. He bent you over and smacked your ass while pounding into you, leaving bruises and fingerprints in your skin. He’ll sometimes choke you if he’s mad enough but he will always ask if he can hurt you in such ways.

G= Goofy (Are they serious at the moment or are they humorous?)

Daryl is a very goofy guy when you get to know him, like I said he has this big badass persona on all the time. He really lets his guard down around you and you’ve come to like it. So in bed he will definitely be a little goofball, he’ll have you giggling in seconds if he feels like it. Of course he likes to be more serious when trying to get you to cum, like ‘okay that was funny but we need to get back to make your squirm’ yk? But goofy Daryl is my favorite Daryl <3

H= Hair (How groomed are they down there?)

It’s literally the apocalypse so he doesn’t do anything down there. He barely showers half the time so take it or leave it… but however he will try to clean up down there when he gets to the commonwealth but you end up not liking it so he stops it. Something about him being all untamed is a turn on for you so his shaving made you feel strange.

He also doesn’t care about your grooming habits. I mean he’s eaten uncooked squirrel, dog and even worms so you being hairy or “smelly” doesn’t bother him one bit, he’ll still eat you out nice and right :)

I=Intimacy

Daryl lacks in the intimacy aspect of the relationship, he has a very hard time showing his love for you. Him wanting to be close to you all the time during sex is one of the many ways he attempts to show how much he loves you. You will never see Daryl Dixon making a nice candle lit dinner and than fucking you slow on the table after…no. Instead you’ll get dragged out into the forest, fed cooked fish and than fucked on a bunch of rocks and sticks. But that’s honestly good enough for you because that’s Daryl’s candle lit dinner.

J= Jack off (Masturbation headcanons)

Okay well Daryl is old, he feels like a teenager again when he has to masturbate so he just doesn’t. If he gets hard and you're not there, he just takes a cold shower because masturbating just feels wrong to him. However further into your relationship he finds himself sometimes rubbing one out but only when you're gone for a bit, other than that he lets you do all that.

K= Kinks

I feel like Daryl has a lot of kinks that haven’t really come out till you, he’s used to it being vanilla. So like he just fucks to cum and than that’s that. When you told him some of your kinks and how y’all can spice up the bedroom…. Bitch- he did not hold back. He really likes bondage, like a lot more than he thought he did. You were the first to bring bondage up and he was effy about it but once you started that he couldn’t stop. He always has rope or duck tape on him just in case.

He also likes using pain towards you in the bedroom, like slapping, choking, hitting of any kind. He will always ask for consent ofc and if you're not wanting to be too rough at the moment he won’t but he likes seeing the red marks it leaves behind and how you still adore him even when he’s choking you with his cock while slapping your face. He also really likes knife play or really anything that involves blood. He likes to make cuts on you and then lick them up, watching you wince as the sting from the wound hits you. The high of all the pain he gives you just gets him going but he’s also a little whore for taking care of you after.

L= Location (favorite place to do it)

He really likes to do it outside, especially out in the forest. I mean he basically lives out in the forest so y’all do it a lot out there. He does really like bending you over a tree and fuck you until you can’t stand, he loves seeing the little marks the tree leaves into your skin (that also adds on to the pain kink he got going in).  There’s also a chance y’all will get caught but someone or something which just makes the experience so much better. He actually prefers it when a walker shows up, it’s weird to say but to him that means he got you loud enough that a walker 2 miles away could hear your moans.

I have a feeling that one time your moans attracted a walker and while fucking you, thrusting into your so deep, Daryl pulled out his crossbow and shot the walker down… than just went back to fucking your brains out. He felt so hot in that moment but honestly you were too high on an orgasm to notice but you let him have his moment.

M= Motivation (What turns them on?)

Like I said when you kill walkers or people in front of him>>> he just can’t control himself I swear. He definitely likes when you wear his vest around him, when you hunt with him, when you tease him in public, when you wear low cut shirts… the list goes on and on. Anything you do will have him going but he’s learned to hide it, but you have gotten his walls broken down enough to know exactly what you do to him so you tease him even harder. He’s an old man… not a lot of old men get to have such a young, hot girlfriend like you so he takes full advantage of that.

N= NO (Something they wouldn't do/ turn offs)

He doesn't like being called daddy… I know I know, YALL are probably screaming at me rn. I just don’t think he likes it, he’s a father damn near (Judith and rj) and being called daddy just makes him feel gross. He also doesn’t like age play, he’s old and you're young so the role play is a little too realistic and it makes him feel creepy. Other than that everything is pretty much on the table, as long as you both consent to it and it doesn’t hurt y’all too much… he’s down.

O= Oral (Giving or receiving, skill etc.)

Don’t make this man choose plzzzz…. He loves both so much, he loves just fucking your mouth and watching you choke on it, one of this favorite things. However!! I think he likes giving better, he loves your pussy like mf he could go down on you for hours. There’s been times when he's had a bad or long day so he comes home, pulls your pants down and eats you out until you're shaking. He just loves pleasuring you more than anything, if he can get you to cum 4 times before he cums his first time?? It’s a good fucking day for him.

P= pace (are they fast or rough? slow or sensual?)

He’s so rough, maybe not exactly fast but he’s in you deep. Daryl can not be soft for the life of him, even when he tries he still ends up being too rough but good for him that he found someone who likes it rough :) It was a match made in hell!!! He loves to grab onto your waist as he pounds into you so he can literally be as deep as he possibly can and sometimes it gets so rough it’ll make your eyes cross. Basically by the end of it you’ll be worn out and definitely bruised

Q= Quickie (Their opinions on quickies)

He’s not the biggest fan of them, like he likes them when he’s busy or tired from hunting but he really likes long drawn out sessions. He just doesn’t like feeling rushed and quickies make him feel rushed, he just feels like his orgasm isn’t as good when y’all are doing a quickie. Like I said he likes to take is time with you, he likes to fuck you for hours at a time and he likes to bruise you up a bit.

When y’all are forced to do quickies he’s super rough and fast with them, like this man is animalistic when you guys are rushing to reach your highs. He’ll bend you over a table, not even bother with underwear so he just pulls them to the side, he’ll grab onto your hips and pound into you over and over until he’s cumming. He’ll even choke you, like a literal face turning bright red. He's choking you so hard and he’ll definitely bite you here and there. Again it’s all consensual and he doesnt hurt you too bad, it just helps him get off when he’s rushing.

R= Risk (Are they okay with experimenting? do they take risks?)

Daryl loves to experiment, I’m going to go a little deep into this for a minute. So he grew up kinda being exactly like Merle because he thought that’s how men were supposed to be. He was so much like Merle when y’all got together, like even down to the sex. He was selfish and greedy, he also had his ways out in front of him. Then he changed into himself slowly and that’s why he’s so into experimenting now, like he doesn’t really know what he wants so experimenting is super important to him now. As for risks?? He’s all for risks but they have to be safe, when they cross the line of “we are going to die” than it’s no longer fun, it’s just fucking terrifying. It’s the apocalypse so risks mean danger so he's effy on them.

S= Stamina (How many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

He's an old man, you gotta give him breaks but he can go for a good 2 or 3 rounds but they typically last a bit. When you first got together he came super fast and it frustrated him, he would also cum and then leave because he was so embarrassed about it. Now he can last long but there’s times when he does cum fast but you were able to convince him there’s nothing wrong with it, if anything you were flattered because the pussy was too good :). But no Daryl is no sex machine but he will do anything for you, even if that meant 6 rounds all in one hour.

T= Toys (do they have toys and who do they use them on?)

So it is the apocalypse so toys aren’t a necessity but he does like toys :). He really likes handcuffs and vibrators, he  uses them on you but sometimes you manage to get him in the handcuffs or hold the vibrator up to his cock to watch him squirm. He definitely sneaks you dildos on runs because he knows you miss him and you get needy, so you have a few dildos to choose from when you get horny at night. One time you even managed to use the dildo on Daryl… so yes you did peg Daryl and yes he did honestly love it. Like I said, he’s a little experimenter and he wanted to try it before he said he didn’t like it.

U= Unfair (how much do they tease?)

He’s not the biggest tease however he loves to be teased. Daryl sometimes makes sexual jokes towards you or slaps your ass when on runs but he’s not too big of a teaser. However, when you tease him, it ignites a huge fire in him. He gets so needy and so upset that he’ll pull you into an empty room to fuck you or even flat-out finger you at the dinner table. Sometimes it’s just a big turn on that you think you’re actually getting to him, and you think your tough shit while acting all innocent when sitting on his lap in front of Rick. He just finds it so hot especially when he gets to rail you after

V= Volume (How loud are they?)

Daryl is not loud at all, he grunts and groans but he doesn’t really moan or scream. He’s grown in the habit of being quiet because of the walkers so he stays quiet but there is sometimes you will have him beg for you which is a power trip for you. He’ll beg you to ride him or beg for you to let him eat your cunt but other than that mf is silent, only basking in your sweet moans.

W- Wild card (Random headcanons)

Okay so I have had this debate on if Daryl is a top or a bottom but I’ve come to the conclusion that he’s a switch. He loves to dominate you but he loves it more when you do the dominating. He likes to just be used for a bit and allow you to hurt him or pleasure him in any way you’d like. He sometimes feels forced into being the dominant one just because he’s this big bad ass in everyone’s eyes but you see right through him. You will literally have him on his knees eating your pussy out as you yell such mean things out to him, one time you even had him crying he was feeling so good. I’m telling you, after you win this man’s trust, he will allow you to see every part of him.

X= X-ray (What's going on in their pants)

Again I never know what to put in these because mf… it’s a penis?!? Like I feel like he’s a little above average but honestly it’s all about how it’s used yk?!? It doesn’t really matter

Y= Yearning (How high is their sex drive)

His sex drive is pretty normal, before he met you it was actually pretty low tbh. Now that he met you he’s always wanting to be inside of you, I think it’s mainly because he’s so scared of you leaving him so he’s just always inside of you making sure you either can’t leave him or you just won’t want to leave him. Honestly if you are turned on most likely he will be too, it’s all about you to him.

Z= ZZZ (How quick do they fall asleep after?)

He usually doesn’t fall asleep too quickly after, he’ll stay up for hours after even if you're asleep. He’ll just lay in bed silently so as to not wake you, but he likes watching your chest heave up and down in your sleep anyways.

[saveugoodmadam]

everyone meet my oc!!! his name is dr arthur buchanan and he is 35 years old, he's one of jekyll's oldest friends and kiiind of went to university with him but more on that later. he is a voice of common sense in the society (so much so that he appears as such in jekyll's mind). his job title is basically that he studies stuff that transforms, so like werewolves and vampires etc.

more info under the cut! I'm also probably going to do a separate post going through everything in the background because there's a lot of details back there! also this took me like four days in total lmaoooo

arthur's scar is from seal hunters while he was in his seal form. people tend to kind of assume it was from a werewolf or vampire he was working with but no. humans.

his hair is quite long because culturally selkies only cut their hair before returning to the sea, so how long his hair is indicates how long it's been since he's last been home.

I mentioned him kind of going to uni with jekyll- basically, if you look on the wall behind him, he's got a diploma from the hidden university, which is a university for magical or folklorish people. it operates out of several places (kind of like the open university) and one of those places just so happened to be a hidden door in jekyll and lanyon's university library.

he would be trans by human standards but selkies don't really have a concept of gender, only child-bearer or non-child-bearer so it's not a big deal to him. plus also once you're on land you have to pick a human name for yourself anyway- arthur named himself after the hero of the storybook that a much younger jekyll was reading when they first met.

similarly, his accent is kind of weird and hard to place because of the many people he learned to speak from, including jekyll, his teachers, townsfolk, lanyon, the club he founded for lanyon's exes and the lodgers.

he's also accidentally married to sinnett because of the seal pelt rule. they haven't really addressed this but they have something unlabellable going on between them and arthur goes absolutely batshit ballistic at frankenstein for the 'le sommeil de la mort' incident. imagine how batshit henry got and then imagine how batshit he would have been if it had been lanyon and not sinnett and you have the basic idea.

he also knew about jekyll and hyde before most other people because it was such an obvious textbook case of people dealing with a first experience of metamorphosis from both of them but he's been sworn to secrecy on the matter. they usually come to him to bitch about each other and get drunk.

this is all the lore I've thought of so far but if you want to drop me an ask about him please do 🥺🥺🥺 please. please. let me infodump to you.

[thegreymoon]

The Story of Minglan

Bitch, you just tried to strangle your daughter. What maternal instinct?

And the only reason you took your son when you abandoned her was because you thought you could get more money for him.

***

OH MY GOOOOODDDDDDDDDDDD 🤬🤬

THIS REPULSIVE PETTY PIECE OF SHIT WASTE OF AIR!!

Seriously, I despise him more than Manniang!

My guy, quit while you're ahead! You lost the girl because you were spineless. Get over it and stop embarrassing yourself! 🤬🤬

***

LMAO, what else is he supposed to do?

Let's say it's been four or five years since Manniang ran off. This child was two at most at the time. He would be six or seven now. What are you talking about? That is still a whole baby!

I love (and by love, I mean hate) how disposable children are in this society unless they are sons anchoring their mother's position in their respective households.

***

Oh, shut the fuck up, you bitter, pathetic loser.

***

Drag him, Tingye!

I am so sick and tired of his bullshit.

***

NOOOO, BUT DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND, HE IS THE MAIN CHARACTER OF THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE!

OF COURSE, MINGLAN WAS SUPPOSED TO WAIT UNTIL RETIREMENT FOR HIM TO GET HIS SHIT TOGETHER AND SUFFER ALL KINDS OF INDIGNITIES IN THE MEANTIME!

HOW DARE SHE NOT BUILD A SHRINE TO HIS ESTEEMED PERSON AND PUT HER ENTIRE LIFE ON HOLD SO THAT HE CAN FEEL IMPORTANT?

With all that said, this actor is beyond fantastic, I can see why people are obsessed with him. I hope to watch him in a more sympathetic role next time.

***

LMAO, look at the pot calling the kettle black 🤣🤣

I cannot with this loser of a man.

***

If he had not been born rich, he would have been the founding father of the incel movement, blaming every man with even a semblance of a spine on his inability to fuck.

***

Oh, sure, it was for the government 🙄🙄

Your jealousy is palpable. You can't even convince yourself.

***

LMAO, what the fuck.

This is a dead child you're talking about! Your child! And you are mad you cannot get money and status because of him?

***

She's right, though, she did make the biggest fool out of him.

***

Good for you for slapping her, Minglan!

I've been waiting for someone to do it for ages now.

In fact, so many people in this drama deserve slapping. It's about time you got started on that.

***

Aww, he found his dead baby 😢

***

Wait, that's all?

THAT'S ALL??

WE DO NOT EVEN GET A BEHEADING 😭😭

Not only does her sorry ass not get punished in any way, he will continue to provide for her for the rest of her life. Sure, she will not be living in a manor in luxury as his wife, but she will have a roof over he head and food to eat, plus he will have to employ people in the middle of nowhere to make sure she doesn't go causing trouble again.

She should be in prison instead. Or in some hard labour colony, which I'm sure there are plenty of in Song Dynasty China. OR BEHEADED!!

And what about his maternal Bai relatives? Do they at least get arrested/exiled/beheaded? They have been REPEATEDLY trying to kill him for YEARS!

I am very disappointed with this resolution.

***

Well, I am glad this is over.

Honestly, as far as I am concerned, this whole Manniang subplot has been a huge blight on this otherwise excellent show and a black stain on Gu Tingye as a character. Big thanks to @ruizhi for filling me in on the details from the novel so that I can understand the writing decisions here better. Obviously, I realise that I am in the minority for disliking these decisions (and Gu Tingye as a character) because from what I have seen, he is a firm favourite among the people who watched this drama and everyone is on board with this sanitised version of his character arc.

I have to be honest, if they had kept his harem from the novel, I probably would not have touched this with a ten-foot pole, because I freely admit that I watch c-dramas for the pretty people and idealised romance. I also know that this would have made Gu Tingye more realistic and thus harder to project on, which is ironic because my complaints here are the lack of realism and easy ways out since they decided to include his other women in the drama too. Harem stories depress and infuriate me and I do not watch them unless there are very compelling reasons for me to pick them up, so out of a couple of hundred dramas on my to-watch list, this one would probably not have made it to the top if it had been closer to the source material.

Even as it is, all this is precisely why I put off watching Minglan for the longest time. I knew it had polygamy at its core and this made me disinclined to start it, even though it was warmly recommended by many people in whose good taste I trust. I eventually only started watching because a c-drama friend of mine told me that there is no harem here and that Minglan and Tingye were monogamous and ride-or-die for each other, so Manniang showing up early on was an extremely nasty surprise.

With that said, now that I am here already and very invested in this story, I've long since come to terms with the fact that romance is not the main focus of this show and adjusted my expectations. I am really enjoying it for what it is, which is a family drama focused on women's struggle and suffering in this hell system that they must learn to navigate or die destitute, which is why I am especially irked by this cheap trickery they are employing to make Gu Tingye's and Minglan's relationship more "clean" than it actually is. You cannot have it both ways. Either these characters are realistic people of their time or they are not. Either you are sticking to the book version of them in the adaptation or you are not. But these cake-eating writers (as in wanting their cake and eating it too) definitely tried to get away with both and ended up with huge inconsistencies in their story that irritated me enough to sit down and write this entire screed.

Like I said in my comments on my previous Minglan post, this is the exact thing that made TTEOTM unwatchable for me and landed it on the list of the worst dramas I ever subjected myself to, despite my unceasing obsession with Luo Yunxi. Obviously, I am feeling this on a lesser level with Gu Tingye, because overall, the writing of Minglan committed fewer crimes than TTEOM and remains solid on all other fronts, so I am still invested in the story overall, him as a character and him and Minglan as a couple, but the writers here are just as much cake eaters as the writers on TTEOTM. They looked at this bad boy who worked for a story in another medium precisely because he was morally compromised in some way, wanted that for themselves, but then could not or would not follow through, either because they feared they would alienate a big portion of their audience, or because the Chinese censorship board wouldn't let them get away with it. Then they did this ridiculous thing where they tried going, "Yeah, he's bad, but he's not really! He was set up! It was a misunderstanding!" And ended up blowing a giant hole in their whole story.

If they didn't want to explore Gu Tingye as a man of his time making the same selfish decisions as other men of that time, then they should not have had him acting like one. They should have had a logical and consistent reason why he didn't keep mistresses and concubines (such as, idk, seeing his mother suffer or something) and not introduce Manniang in the first place. What was the point of her in the plotline if we were not going to see him and Minglan make the hard decisions, either to treat his illegitimate offspring as lower-class citizens so that her biological kids could be afforded all the privileges of their rank (which would obviously not sit right with the modern audience), or go with the modern moral code that the show wants them to have and deny Minglan's bio kids by treating all the children equally (which could have been done legally if Minglan was to adopt them, but of course, she was never going to do that)? If you never intended to go there, then why bring in Manniang and her kids in the first place?

In my opinion, if they wanted Gu Tingye untarnished in this way and his love with Minglan unburdened with the baggage of other women and stepkids, they should never have kept Manniang in the adaptation. Once they brought her in, there was no stuffing that genie back into the bottle. The shadow of book!Tingye has been around since the adult actors took over and it is not even the non-monogamy that is an issue for me now, but the character inconsistency and the extremely cheap sleight of hand that they pulled in an attempt to smooth it over.

Here is the thing. Every time I start on a story, be it a book, movie, drama, or whatever, there is a certain premise that it promises to fulfil, which comes with the expectations and limitations of the genre. I adjust my standards accordingly, so if I sit down to watch a fluffy romcom with a young, naive intern falling in love with the son of CEO, then I will judge it on how funny it is and whether the main couple is hot enough and has enough chemistry to keep me invested till the end. I am not going to be particularly worried about the power imbalance and the IRL implications of such a setup, my main concern will be if the main couple look like they are having good enough sex and if I can shoehorn my own escapist fantasy into that dynamic. However, if I start a show that deals with misogyny, patriarchy and sexual harassment of women in the workplace, then you cannot dump the privileged son of the CEO into a relationship with the main heroine and expect me to root for it, unless he is right there beside her, taking his father to court for abuse of power and dismantling the system from within. This is, IMO, what this drama failed to do with Gu Tingye. You cannot promise me a Xiao Qi and deliver a Sheng Hong with the serial numbers filed off.

Based on what I've heard and read about the original novel, book!Tingye is not that much better than Sheng Hong. He had multiple women and illegitimate children that he was playing favourites with based on their birth and rank. He sabotaged his older son and indirectly caused his death so that Minglan's children would not have competition. His daughter by Manniang was just as traumatised as Minglan. He had concubines, who were also technically wives with no way out of a hell marriage, whom he then discarded when it was convenient for him. The only reason this marriage was a victory for Minglan is that she was now the favoured wife with the highest rank, thus her circumstances in life dramatically improved. I understand why they didn't want to portray this to a wider audience, and that doing so would have seriously dented Feng Shaofeng's reputation as a heartthrob in the c-ent industry, but then they shouldn't have opened that can of worms to begin with.

I feel like they should have cut the Manniang storyline completely if they weren't going to do it properly, or, idk, had her go off the deep end much earlier and kill her kids off before he got with Minglan. That could have been used as a catalyst for his change, having him go, "That's it! No more mistresses and concubines for me!" Then we could have seen the rest of it play out as it did (minus Manniang) with a REASON, with his family pressuring him to take in a wife and concubines, him saying no, then falling in love with Minglan and moving on from there naturally and giving us a clean, idealised romance that is not typical for their time.

However, once they brought in Manniang but did not bring in all the nasty stuff implied with him having a kept woman and illegitimate children, they shot themselves in the foot because now Gu Tingye's character was in conflict with the story's internal logic. We have seen how this world functions, we have seen how concubines and the children of concubines are treated. Naturally, once they introduced Manniang and her kids (but especially her son), we were expecting to see exactly what happened in the novel, because this is the premise of the story and the laws by which the world it is set in is governed. The fact that this didn't happen did not make me sigh in relief and think of Gu Tingye as a good guy, it made me question why the story never went there. The cowardly shortcuts out of this predicament and the cheap trickery the writers used to avoid it made me feel like the story was "lying" to me, which is maybe a ridiculous word to use because this whole thing is fiction and therefore a lie. But I could no longer suspend my disbelief, immerse myself in the narrative and root for these characters. Suddenly, they felt fake.

Also, I feel downright insulted by these writing choices.

"Yeah, Gu Tingye had another woman but that's OK because she was actually evil so she doesn't count and he was right to abandon her and have his true romance with Minglan! 😀"

"Yeah, he had a son that he would have had to have been grossly unfair to or not have Minglan's kids get the full extent of their privilege of rank, but that's OK, because the kid just conveniently died! 😀"

"Yeah, his daughter should be traumatised in a hundred different ways from having such a biological mother and dealing with the inferiority complex from growing up right next to Minglan's legitimate children and knowing that in the eyes of society and her own father, she is lesser than them, but don't worry, that's OK, because we are making her suuuuuuuper well adjusted! 😀"

"Yeah, if Chang'er had lived, the audience would have been forced to confront the fact that Gu Tingye was very much a man of his time and that Minglan was also no benevolent saint and that they would have treated children that are not biologically hers as second-class citizens, just like Sheng Hong and Wang Ruofu did in the Sheng household! But that's OK, we'll just kill his illegitimate firstborn son so that you don't have to think about that! 😀"

As a character, Gu Tingye feels so disingenuous because of these shortcuts the writers took to scapegoat Manniang and absolve him of the consequences of being just like the other men in this drama. Would he have been an idealised c-drama hero that girls could pin their fantasies on if they had kept his novel characterisation? Absolutely not. They made him more attractive and palatable to a wider, modern, likely younger-leaning audience at the cost of the story's internal logic, plot coherency and character consistency, and that, for me, is a much bigger writing crime than him having a harem and treating his illegitimate children as lesser-than.

Again, this is an adaptation and nobody put a gun to their heads and forced them to include Manniang. If they had wanted Gu Tingye untarnished and idealised, they should have handled her differently. They cannot have it both ways.

With that said, I realise that I am in the minority here because most viewers were obviously very happy to let this slide (just like they were with TTEOTM). Again, most viewers will not agree with me on Gu Tingye because he is obviously a favourite ML for many, but for me personally, the overall drama loses lots of points on him, especially because of Manniang.

In any case, there are still more than twenty episodes left here for me, so onwards and forward to better plot points and character arcs! 😅

[hurtspideyparker]

Hi, if it’s not too much trouble could you please share some songs you think are Peter Parker coded? No pressure of course, thank you

HOW DID U KNOW I MADE A PETER PARKER PLAYLIST LITERALLY THIS WEEK?

I'll give out the link, it's based on MCU Peter and is vaguely chronological. Heavy on the angst soz. Also I don't have a super broad or unique music taste but I tried my best !

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0IeIl3Kj7L1hFoyyTIR21P?si=PkQ3NKseS0eL-sVyUFI5qA

Some specific thoughts on each song and how they relate to Peter if interested:

Boys Will Be Bugs by Cavetown - civil war Peter. just a crazy little guy, absolutely bonkers baby boy kicking super soldier ass.

all-american bitch by Olivia Rodrigo - homecoming Peter expected to be this tidy neighborhood hero for Tony but he's young and stupid and eager for action.

tolerate it by Taylor Swift - Homecoming Tony and Peter. Peter idolizing Tony and doing everything he can to prove himself and catch his mentor's attention, while Tony barely pays attention to him. "You're so much older and wiser and I, wait by the door like I'm just a kid" "I made you my temple, my mural my sky, now I'm begging for footnotes in the story of your life".

Reflections by The Neighborhood - same theme as tolerate it. "tried to put it out for you to get, could've should've but you never did" - Peter trying to warn Tony about what's going on but Tony not listening. Bonus "I see my reflection in your eyes" (I just wanted to be like you!).

Rose-Colored Boy by Paramore - Peter being this young optimistic hero, slowly losing that spark.

clementine by Halsey - general childish, stubborn Peter attitude. "I don't need anyone! I don't need anyone! I just need everyone and then some."

brutal by Olivia Rodrigo - Peter trying his best and losing so much of his normal teenage life to be the hero everyone demands, but he's never good enough.

All These Things That I've Done by The Killers - Peter coming to terms with the chaos and danger he causes others, begging for a mentor or a helping hand because he's in way over his head. "yeah you know you gotta help me out, oh don't you put me on the back burner" is so Tony coded in Homecoming. "I've got soul but I'm not a soldier" Peter has heart but he's only a hero by chance, he didn't ask for the fight.

this is me trying by Taylor Swift - Far From Home Peter reliving all his mistakes and thinking of the people he's nearly gotten killed, Fury berating him, telling Happy how he messed up. Him thinking about Tony a lot, and how he's failing to be the next Iron Man.

Gold Rush by Taylor Swift - this just makes me think about how enamouring and beautiful Peter is.

Social Cues by Cage The Elephant - Far From Home Peter. Literally that scene where Peter gets overwhelmed by the reporters, pressured and frazzled by the expectations of being the new biggest hero. Shy little guy in his Iron Spider suit.

Idle Worship by Paramore - Fury and so many others expecting the world of Peter when he's still just a kid who's expertise is stopping bike thiefs and helping elders cross the street. They set him so high on this pedestal that when he falls the impact will be so much harder.

The Kids Are All Dying by FINNEAS - Everyone turning against Peter because of Mysterio's lies. Peter frustrated they're so focused on him, just a kid who's trying to do good, that they're blind to the real problems. Everyone is so gullible and maybe Peter is second guessing being a hero considering how angry everyone is at him for it.

Figure 8 by Paramore - "all for your sake, became the very thing that I hate, I lost my way" this song is Peter's frustration at Mysterio and shield in general, how they took him and forced him to be someone he wasn't and how it backfired "I was only being kind but you mistook me for weak" Peter is far more trusting and forgiving than most, but once he's mad... his true strength shows.

Would've, Could've, Should've by Taylor Swift - Peter regretting trusting Beck. "If I was a child did it matter, if you got to wash your hands" Beck doesn't care that Peter is an innocent kid in this, only cares about his goal and hatred for Tony. "but lord you made me feel important, and then you tried to erase us" Beck made him feel seen and special in a time where no one else was (Peter had low self esteem and was easy to manipulate).

Why by Derivakat - another Beck and Peter angst theme (Mysterio is my fave villain sorry lol) "look at what you've done, is this what you call glory? do you still believe you're the hero of your story?" Beck has caused so much suffering just because of his grudge against a dead man. "you act like a judge enforcing your personal grudge. am I to pay for this war you've raised?" Beck admits that Peter is an innocent chest pawn in all this, and still Peter ends up losing the most.

Daylight by Taylor Swift - Peter and MJ anthem 🥺 finally seeing the great thing that has been right in front of him all along. Also- "I wounded the good and I trusted the wicked" hurting his friends because he trusted Mysterio. "Clearing the air I breathed in the smoke" Peter clearing his name from what Beck did to protect his friends, but he ended up poisoning himself (No Way Home ending).

because i liked a boy by Sabrina Carpenter - all because Peter trusted Beck he nearly destroyed the planet and then he lost everyone he loves. "now I'm a homewrecker I'm a slut, I got death threats filling up semi trucks. tell who I am, guess I don't have a choice. All because I liked a boy" change homewrecker and slut into menace and murderer and it's just like what the media is saying, sending Spider-Man constant hate and telling him who he is, and all is happening because Peter trusted Beck and gave him the power of EDITH.

What I'm Becoming by Cage The Elephant - Peter and May :(. "I'm so sorry honey, for what I'm becoming. Everything you wanted, seems so far from me. never meant to hurt you no, never meant to make you cry" May wanted Peter to be selfless and kind, to vouch for second chances even for criminals and villains. Now Peter is the one trying to take Green Goblin's life because he got May killed, and deep down he knows May would be disappointed.

my tears ricochet by Taylor Swift - No Way Home final battle and saying goodbyes. "you wear the same jewels that I gave you as you bury me... cause when I'd fight you used to tell me I was brave, and if I'm dead to you why are you at the wake. cursing my name, wishing I stayed, look at how my tears ricochet" MJ still wearing the necklace after forgetting. Desperate and making Peter promise he'll get her to remember, sharing tears. They're all haunted by someone they used to know. "I can go anywhere I want, anywhere I want just not home" is of course Peter being a free man but at the cost of losing everything he called home.

R.I.P. 2 My Youth by The Neighborhood - basically Peter losing all of his mentor's and support system, leaving school and getting a place of his own - the end to his youth. He steps fully into his role as Spider-Man and with it Peter Parker, the sweet naive kid he was, has died.

Making the Bed by Olivia Rodrigo - "push away all the people who know me the best, but it's me who's been making the bed". Even though it was Peter's decision to erase his name and protect the people he cared about, he hates going back to that dingey apartment all alone each day. "another thing I ruined, I used to do for fun" is about how bittersweet being Spidey is now.

Cigarette Daydreams by Cage The Elephant - "cigarette daydream, you were only seventeen. So sweet with a mean streak" this song's vibes are sweet boy beaten down, still trying to remain gentle in the face of violence :( Peter looking for reasons to remain good while everything crumbles around him.

Your Best American Girl by Mitski - "you have so much to do, but I have nothing head of me" Peter to his friends. He knew being Spider-Man he'd never have a normal life, so he decided to let them go instead of dragging them down with him. "you're the one, you're all I ever wanted I think I'll regret this" is Peter in that coffee shop making the final decision to leave them.

Happy Now? by FINNEAS - Peter's journey as Spider-Man, a post No Way Home Peter reminiscing about his career. I love the line "always such an anxious child, never wild, always worrying". Makes me think about homecoming Peter and how he was giving up all his clubs and time with his friends to be a superhero just because he felt a responsibility (civil war Peter telling Tony why he does this speech).

The Plan (Fuck Jobs) by The Front Bottoms - sardonic Peter, bitter and sarcastic post No Way Home. Him vs. the daily bugle, a broke and mentally unstable young adult. Comic Peter vibes.

Ya'burnee by Halsey - Peter thinking about MJ and how badly he wants to confess to her again who he is and why he loves her. They had so little time to be a couple together, immediately sweeped into a media circus and having their lives endangered time and time again. This song is just a Peter Parker open heart surgery.

I miss you, I'm sorry by Gracie Abrams - bittersweet anthem to Peter MJ and Ned ending their friendship. "nothing happened in the way I wanted... I don't want go think I'll make it worse, everything I know brings me back to us" :(

Matilda by Harry Styles - "you talk of the pain like it's all alright, but I know that you feel like a piece of you's dead inside" Peter is such an optimist. He left that coffee shop with a smile for his friends getting into MIT, but he doesn't allow himself to feel grief for that life he was supposed to have too. I think he deserves to feel his sadness and understand it wasn't his fault, that nothing is wrong with him. "you don't have to be sorry for leaving and growing up/for doing it on your own" I hope he doesn't regret his choices, and that things will get better for him.

[fox-from-fairytale]

Some of my personal considerations regarding Lilly in The Final Season.

⚠️ Warning: this is a long post ⚠️

Before going on I want to say that, while it's obvious that the teams working on the series must have changed for every season (or even in the middle of them), I have absolutely no idea if there are some people that were there for Season 1 as well as The Final Season. Each game feels different from the previous, and so I'm going to treat the writer teams accordingly.

While replaying these four games I was torn about Lilly's return. I did miss her through the other seasons, and I actually couldn't wait to see her again, even if I was aware already that the way she was written in the last one wasn't... the best, to say the least. This annoys me a lot because, as we see with what they have done with Clementine, AJ, their relationship and the new characters, Lilly's poor writing then clearly isn't due to the writers being incompetent, since they aren't.

Now I've completed the whole series, and while I do prefer the concept of The Final Season to Season 2 and The New Frontier (this is simply because of personal preference, of course; I do like all four games), it's also the one that disappoint me the most, and mostly because of what they have done with Lilly.

Long story short: not only I believe that the writers didn't understand Lilly's character, but that they didn't even try to.

First of all, I think they made her come back not because there is more to tell about her character (and there is more to tell about her; her arc didn't feel finished when she leaves/is abandoned in Season 1, and for what they have done with her, it remains incomplete), but because they needed someone who is still alive from The Season With Lee, so that they could make as many references as possible. I know that Christa was the other option for filling that role, and I don't know if they stated why they decided to go with Lilly in the end, but I wouldn't be surprised if they based their choice just on how much Lilly is (unrightfully) hated among the players and considered "crazy" by them; people can't deny that they must have easily put her in the antagonist's role since players already think she's one.

Honestly, what I hate isn't even the fact that she's the antagonist of this season (even if it does annoy me that this is the way they made her return, and maybe I'm "okay" with it simply because I'm used to her being treated like one). What these games have always shown with all their characters, Clementine especially, is that while this apocalyptic world can bring the best out of people, it can also (and more often) bring out the worst. Because of this, every single character of this game is morally grey, but while the male characters are often praised and in some cases their actions are even justified, what happens with the female characters is the opposite, Lilly included.

The players love to pretend that Lilly is some sort of "crazy evil bitch", but she isn't. In Season 1 she is a tough and strict leader of the motor inn's group, and she doesn't take any bullshit lightly, but why should she? They're in a deathly situation, and even a small mistake can cost their life. She's also the only one who took the responsibility to distribute food, but just because she doesn't want more mouths to feed it doesn't mean she'd survive at the expense of other people: she doesn't like that Kenny/and Lee uses a girl screaming in pain to keep the walkers at bay, and she doesn't want to take the stranger's supplies. Moreover, just because her father says or do something, it doesn't automatically mean that she is on his side, like she explains far from Larry. Speaking of which, regardless if her relationship with her father is idyllic or awful, losing him in such a brutal way, and when she firmly believes she can actually save his life, can traumatise anyone. She is left with nothing, the only family she had is gone, and then she loses the only other thing she is trying to defend so desperately, and again because of someone within her own group. I'm not saying that killing Carley/attempting to kill Ben was a good thing to do, but you can't seriously consider her an "evil bitch" solely for a single action, which she has done as a result of a mental breakdown. From her point of view she has been betrayed two times from the same people she actively tried to help doing one of the most stressful tasks, and none of these same persons seems to care about what happened both times.

After that she's abandoned/leaves the group, and apparently she remains alone for years, until she finds the Delta. It shouldn't be too unbelievable for Lilly to be willing to do anything to defend her home, especially considering what happened the first time and what she must go through before joining the Delta; a solitary life in that type of world can make anyone become ruthless, and again, we see it with Clementine especially, and apparently her new community is at risk because of a group "worse than hers". However, while Clementine does have a "turning point" from this path (killing Helen at the ranch), Lilly clearly doesn't.

So it's not exactly what she does, but the way she behaves while doing it that I don't like. They wrote Lilly too over the top: certain lines she can say are even childish, while her actions in the third episode are vicious. That's not her anymore.

My problem with the way she was written doesn't start immediately. In Suffer The Children (second episode) there are moments where it feels like the Lilly from Season 1 is there. We don't have much time with her though, just a few phrases about the past and then we run to move the plot forward. I don't think she was well written here either, considering what she says about Lee with whom she could have had a good relationship and even possibly cared only about him and Clementine by the third episode (as stated by other characters), it's simply better than the other episode.

The first time I've played Suffer The Children I was hopeful for the way they could have handled things with Lilly in the next ones though, only to be disappointed. Based on the interactions in this one (remembering her or not/taking her hand or not/telling her we were family once or whatever the other two options says) I expected two paths: one where she becomes fully the antagonist of the season and a "redemption arc". This seemed to me what Telltale was going for, and maybe it was the original intention, and because of what happened to the studio it's already a miracle if they completed the game at all, but this doesn’t make me feel any less disappointed in the final result to be honest.

Broken Toys (third episode) is the one I have most issues with. Not only there isn't a single moment where she resembles the Lilly from the first season, but here she doesn't even remind me of the Lilly from the previous episode. They switched her character with a cartoonish type of villain basically; if she seems to have depth and layers it's because she's supposed to be a character that already has depth and layers, not because the writers of this season gave them to her, nor because they were able to use what the writers of Season 1 created.

With this episode the writers fully embraced the distorted version of Lilly players created, the "monster" who is "crazy since the beginning" that killed Carley/Doug simply because things didn't go the way she wanted. They removed from her every bit of humanity she had, and catered to the crowd that claims she's evil. The way she talks about Minerva and Sophie specifically, and how pleased she looks when Minerva reveals that she killed her own sister, is something that actually makes me hate the writers; they turned Lilly from someone who do what she does solely for her community's survival to this manipulative bastard who takes pleasure into others' suffering. Honestly? What they did it's vile; turning her into that and making her treat kids like that was vile.

If you spare Lilly you can have a miserable little conversation that gives nothing to the player. Her whole presence in this game, in the end, gives us nothing: we learn nothing more about her (other than the fact that it's confirmed that Larry was an abusive father, and they've done it in the worst way possible, making it sound like the stupidest thing), and her being in this season only ruins her character.

I wish they didn't ruin Lilly. I wish they actually cared about her character. In a possible redemption arc scenario she could have helped Clementine, who could have been her "turning point", making her realise what she was doing, what she was becoming.

With this I'm not saying I wish they created a flawless version of her, but that they maintained her flaws instead of creating more and more until she became someone else entirely, going from morally grey to a villain, even. Also, like they made sure you could have a good relationship with Kenny in Season 2 (where regardless of everything you do and say they force the characters to be in good terms), they could have given us the same possibility with Lilly in the last season (where regardless of everything you do and say they force the characters to despise each other).

I wanted Lilly's return not only because, along with Clem, she's my favourite, but also because she has much more to give. Instead they took such a complex character just to strip her of all her humanity and depth so that they could have a flat villain everyone already hate.

[deeptrashwitch]

Interview with Profesor Moore (2018)

*Charles is sat behind his desk, waiting for the interviewer to start, trying to get into his "public" persona. Soon the director calls "action!" and everything starts*

Interviewer: Welcome to our segment, today we're here with the renowned internacionalist and professor of Mercy University, Charles Moore *looks at Charles* thank you for accepting this interview, Professor

Charles: It's fine, I'm glad to be here, sweetheart *smiles*

Interviewer: Your books are certanly a thing every respected internacionalist should read, don't you think? Even people outside your field use them as examples

Charles: I'm...proud of it, indeed, I've sacrificed a lot to write them

Interviewer: And today is the 27th anniversary of your book "Red vs Stripes: An identity conflict", isn't it?

Charles: Yes it is, almost thirty years since I first wrote the manuscript in, what in that time was, West Berlin *sighs* how quick the time passes, it feels like that time was just yesterday

Interviewer: Such a long time! There's something you especially remember during your time on West Berlin?

Charles: Many things, mostly how difficult it was to get some trustful and real information. That, of course, without putting the danger of being called an spy by the other side

Interviewer: Then how did you write the book with such corrrect data?

Charles: I met through the years some people that helped me, it was risky, obviously

Interviewer: Friends?

Charles: Most of them no, we were just colleagues and nothing more. We clashed for so many things that it was impossible to get along, we barely tolerated each other *chuckles* I clashed a lot with a man that was...his own kind of person, short-tempered I must say, but capable in a different way than me

Interviewer: He sounds like a rival

Charles: Rival? Oh dear, no *laughs* we hated each other, its just that after so many years I've thought about that days and kinda respect him a bit more

Interviewer: There was someone that you consider a friend?

Charles: Maybe two people, but I'm not sure

Interviewer: How come?

Charles: There was this girl, intelligent, brave and sly, which was very important during those years *smiles slightly* we didn't get along completely, mostly because of me. I was quite the bitter asshole during that time

Interviewer: I can't imagine you like that *giggles*

Charles: Yeah well, there was another man with who I got along pretty well. Quiet, cold maybe, also really intelligent, distrustful of every person around him...like he should've been. Ironically, he was the closest one whom I could call a friend

Interviewer: Maybe can we know their name?

Charles: Unfortunately no, that should stay as a mystery

Interviewer: Oh, what a shame

Charles: It is a ashame, we lost contact after I came back to the US. But the memories are ones I hold dearly

Interviewer: That's adorable, professor

*After the interview*

Park: What a liar you are, Moore *from the door* you? Holding memories dearly? What a joke

Charles: *sighs* Park, what the fuck do you want? I told you all those years ago that I have no shit to do with you or people like you. Are you fucking deaf?

Park: Just wanted to make sure that you didn't say anything you shouldn't *scoffs* but with all the shit you spew, I have nothing to worry about. You fucking hypocrite

Charles: *looking how Park walked away* ...Unlike you, I still a human, maybe a bastard, but human. Goddamned emotionless bitch

*Charles opens a hidden drawer on his desk, where his old notebook, a bullet cap and a picture awaited. He took the picture, smiling slightly when he saw and remembered that time. It was a time when he was fighting with Koa (@islandtarochips OC) while Mason stopped the Captain, as Aleks (@alypink OC) tried to stop him and Bell/Vasili (@welldonekhushi OC) was just watching everything from the background with a smile...and was Hudson who took the photo*

Charles: ...I should've smacked Nakiu with the chair *scoffs with a side smile*

[trickerys-domain]

Y'all ready for my hilariously candid unpopular UMK ranking!

Obligatory preferace that I'm just an opinionated bitch. This selection is overall really strong and I'm very much excited for the live show. I think a lot of these songs will make or break during the live. I also think there is an odd disparity in the obvious budget and set quiality for the 7 music videos. Almost like they had a different line-up and some songs were last minute replacements.

I also did not factor in whether a song would do well in eurovision at all because frankly rn I do not care.

This ranking will also probably change so like who cares, I'm ready to enjoy a great liveshow full of people who give a shit about their art.

Ok, here we go!

7. Vox Populi - Mikael Gabriel

The general sound of this one is fun and easy. Good filler or backgroud music. Like if it came on in shuffle I probably wouldn't skip it. However, the lyrics are like really bad. Especially in context of the seeming general opinion of this man I am seeing. Also, this man is strategically pandering and a. Its not working, b. No on seems to have noticed. The use of Matti and that obviously käärijä influenced face in the music video smacked me on first watch. He is capitalizing and I'm very curious to see what he does with the live. Not excited, just curious.

6. Dancing with Demons - Cyan Kicks

I liked Hurricane better. There its been said. I do enjoy listening to this but I forget about it a lot. It also took me until basically now to kinda remember what it sounds like. Meanwhile I can still think of the Hurricane chorus 2 years later having not listened to it since UMK 2022. I do think Cyan Kicks has a really good fun sound, I just don't vibe with this song all that much.

Also, this bears no weight on my opinion of either song. But I need to call out the hypocrisy I've been seeing online. I've seen so many people comment that they don't like the amount of autotune Sexmane uses in Mania and then go on to say how much Dancing with Demons showcases Susanna's voice. Like...... there is so much autotune on Dancing with Demons. It will not sound like that live. And that's fine, its clearly an artistic choice that fits with their musical style, like Sexmane. But pls just sit with that for a bit before complaining about the, frankly much less, autotune in a rap song. Tangent rant over.

5. Kuori Moi - Sini Sabotage

This is where my ranking will probably swap a lot. This song is really catchy and I ingeneral like this type of music. I call it chill sex. This is also a very fun unserious song and video played straight, and I appreciate that. I am worried about something with vocals this chill live. They're good vocals, but very intentionally monotone and if the staging isn't engaging it might fall flat. This song is mostly at 5th place because I dont have anything bad to say about it, but it doesn't stand out quite as much as some of the others. I adored her interview tho.

4. Paskana - Sara Siipola

This is a great power ballad while still being upbeat. It doesn't drag. The vocals are great. The music video is great even while being very simple. The lyrics and message are really really good too. This song gets stuck in my head a lot and I think it is, on a technical level, the stongest song this year. I really hope the staging supports the song but with how raw and peeled back the vibe of the song is it will be difficult to make staging that is engaging without being distracting.

3. No Rules! - Windows95Man

Pure unashamed 90s nostalgia schlock. This is very much the type of trashy eurodance I enjoy, so home run for me. I think the staging will be very fun, but maybe too much. Or it will be organized chaos like Portion Boys last year. Speaking of, this is definitely this years silly fan fave that will be well received but probably not win, a la Portion Boys and Teflon Brothers. For being trashy eurodance, I do think it is construced very well. It flows and it actually written well, its bad on purpose and it is successful. Is it the most original or masterful, no. It is very enjoyable and fun and low pressure, yes.

2. MANIA - Sexmane

This one gets stuck in my head the most. Good beat, good flow. I really like the sound of the chorus, including the auto tune. The lyrics hold more than I think comes across initially and you can tell Sexmane really connects with this song the way his voice delivers even in the studio version. This is the song that I'm most excited to see live because I wanna know what kind of staging he pulls out. Side note: I think it's really funny that the brother called Sexmane is less sexual musically than the one just called Isaac.

1. Glow - Jesse Markin

This is just a really phenomenally written and positive song. It is really nice to have some good classic rap at a competition like UMK. The flow is impeccable with his rapping too. There's a lot of American artists who can't write that well in english. The message of this song is really uplifting without feeling hollow because it recognizes you gotta actually work at being in a good place. Jessie is someone who knows exactly who he is as an artist and person and that translates into the song. Also Alpaca!

I think the the songs that have the biggest chance of winning are Paskana, Dancing with Demons, and No Rules!

But truly I have no clue how this will go. This is a very evenly matched line-up both in quality and fan reception. The live perfomances will 100% decide the outcome.

[le-panda-chocovore]

Can I ask your top 10 fav fics ever (from any fandom, if you don't mind)?

Also, just curious, is there a story behind your name "le-panda-chocovore "?

Oh I think I can actually answer that without rambling too much !! (<- took an entire week to answer the ask and select the fics, and I commented on each one of them lol) It won't be a Top in order of preference tho, there's no actual classment, it's just the ones I loved the most.

The Way I Behaved - EraserMic (MHA)

This fanfic gave me the inspiration to write my greatest work (still unfinished to this day) and literally changed so many things about me. It also made me discover a whole genre of music that I've never listened to before and with which I am entirely in love now. Prepare to cry tho, because this is deeply heartbreaking. It's a Villain Mic AU where Aizawa was never a teacher. And it is good.

What if Percy did become a God - Percy Jackson and the Olympians (based on the books !!! do not read if you just watched the show !!!)

The title says everything. This is not a happy story, you will cry, I promise. It's short, like a 1k word OS, it's really poetic, it's deep, it's beautiful, and also, it's painful. Humans were never meant to be gods, not even Percy. It's written like a poem, I read it so many times and it hurt me every time.

Demon and Angel Professors - Ineffable Spouses (Good Omens)

Not a fanfiction but a serie of short works about Crowley and Aziraphale and the people around them. A teachers AU very nice to read with many Original Characters (the students) who are all captivating and appreciable. The story is extremely queer-positive and neurodivergent inclusive and physical handicap representative, honestly, you want to read it. There's everything inside it. If you have chronic pain or if you're a closeted queer or even a curious ally who wants to understand their peers, this is what you need. The love is so pure it's overwhelming.

Honor and Vengeance on the High Sea - Zuko (ATLA)

Tbh this deserves to be published, it's a novel itself (I haven't finished it yet). The author reappropriated the Avatar universe to write something completely new. It's an AU where Zuko becomes a Pirate after his banishment and fights against the Fire Nation Navy, and eventually joins the Avatar's team. There's a whole work around internalized homophobia, the discovery of the self, acceptance, injustice, family trauma and everything. Original Characters are cool too. Chapters are long and very, very complete, you can see the author has historical and cultural knowledge.

Strength, the meaning of - Asano Gakuhou (Assassination Classroom)

I can't believe a fanfic about this total asshole made it to my top 10, but it is beautifully written. The progressive mental breakdown of a man who used to stand proud above everyone, the slow fall down to hell without even realizing it. There's also his son's POV here, which is equally beautifully written. I really hate the man and I don't like the fact that the end of AssClass completely disregard the consequences of what happened on the character's mental state, and reading how even him wasn't okay at all is very pleasant to read. That's karma my bitch.

Je suis assis - BokuAka (Haikyuu)

Yeah it's in french and on wattpad. It has been a while since I read it but I still remember the principal. It's a OS anyway so it's not very long (we didn't do that 20k words OS on Wattpad, this madness is only popular on AO3 lol). Since I'm sensitive to everything that is around handicap, it touched me. It ended up being cute and warm. Honestly I was more thinking of another BokuAka fanfiction but I couldn't remember the name nor found it online so I put this one.

25 - Riren (SnK)

Yeah yeah I know, pedo ship etc, but I was 14 and this is a High School AU where they're both 16 so, it's okay I guess. Yes the name of the fanfic is twenty-five. It's in french, it's on wattpad, and there's Eren's POV too. I don't know how I'm supposed to describe it... I think you have to read it, it's not actually strange or weird but, it's a whole experience.

Here there be dragons - Centennial Husbands (the Sandman)

This is the exact definition of love. What is love to me ? This fanfiction. Engagement, devotion, caring, this is it, this fanfic has the meaning of all these words. I had a hard time reading it because I hate ultra-long OS (I need CHAPTERS, give me a BREAK) but it was soooo enjoyable, and I was crying the whole time 'cause it's so pure and beautiful.

Palm to Palm - KaRen (Assassination Classroom)

Yes I am a part of the extremely tiny fandom that ships Karma and Ren (I do ship Karma with multiple people throughout the manga lmao) but only in THIS specific context. And this is beautifully written, I can't stop re-reading it. Also, the name of the ship makes me laugh. Karma and Ren relationship after losing Gakushuu -the boy they both love above everything else- is peak romance.

Le goût du chocolat - L x Light (Death Note)

I honestly don't remember a thing about this fanfiction except a single sentence, but I do know that I totally fell in love with it. It was one of my fave fanfic when I was full active on Wattpad, and I even archived it because I didn't want to lose it. I should read it again now that I found it again.

Alright that's 10 !!! Finally !!

Oh it was so fun to fall back into all the things I read before ! But it was harder than I expected because, well, I only have AO3 for 3 years and I've been on Wattpad for 7 years, but I started reading fanfiction even before that, I just didn't have any account back then. So, I kinda forgot about some of the things I read more than 4 years ago, and I couldn't find the gems I discovered when I was 12. Most of the books that made out to this list are my recent lectures, it's a bit biased I guess.

Anyway, thank you for the ask ! It was fun to analyze all my bookmarks and everything !