#this is a joke post if it wasn't clear. my actual feelings and opinions about Magic: the Gathering are both very boring and poorly informed

[cheetour]

played magic: the gathering for the first time today and i'm fucking raging. the only other tcg i played was keyforge. keyforge fucks. in keyforge you're an ancient god alien with a spaceship and an army collecting magic amber in space AND you get a randomly generated name. the gameplay is irrelevant here, im talking purely about the kid-brain part of the game design which is what you're supposed to be pretending when you play the cards.

well in magic you're just wizards. that's it. you're wizards having a bitch fight. this is not enough to satiate me. I thought we would be attending THE GATHERING, the millenial magical talent show of the multiverse. I thought maybe it stood for Magic Amazing Great Inchanted Card: The Gathering. I thought perhaps that we would be creating real magic, which is found in the gathering of several friends to play cards with, because friendship is magic.

well it turns out that Wizards of the Coast wanted to call their card game "magic" and their legal team were like, "you cannot copyright a game that is just call 'magic'. stick something on the end" and they stuck "the gathering" on it. sick of it. here is the overaching universe I have decided that every game of m:tg takes place in:

every possible version of a story, real or fictional, is ruled by a single god. those gods are all young parents. you are their children at daycare. this is your playground. its make believe but it happens for real because you are god babies. thank you for coming to my ted talk

[neverendingford]

.

[atopfourthwall]

Tbh you lament what people say about you and bemoan "harrassment and bullying". Yet you told RLM to "eat a bag of dicks" unprompted. You said Oneyplays "Are assholes, fuck them!". You'll constantly lecture your own fans, angrily yelling at them for asking when new Power Rangers are out, or for giving you simple, solid advice like below. You say youve calmed down in reviews yet still yell at the comic creators over minor stuff. The comments you complain about getting seem tame in comparison.

Okay, first of all I did not tell RLM to "eat a big of dicks" unprompted. What I said was "Eat a dick, jackass" while talking about the Plinkett Reviews in regards to how parts of them have not aged well, in particular the line that I felt was a bit racist - "Black people don't like Star Wars" (to be clear - I don't think anyone at RLM is racist [AFAIK]. The remark itself feels like it is, though, but that's also emblematic of edgier, wince-inducing internet humor from the time - we're all guilty of awful jokes like this to some degree, myself included). Now I ended up removing this line from the Star Wars Prequel reviews compilation because I realized it was needlessly inflammatory towards them and some perceived it as me attempting to star a beef with them… when of course I don't want to start a beef with ANYONE, much less someone much, MUCH more popular than me.

And no, I did not say Oneyplays "Are assholes, fuck them" (unless I said this on Twitter a long while ago). I'm assuming this is in reference to a part of the Fallout: New Vegas streams. Someone in the superchats asked a question relating to them and my other guests didn't know who they are. I proceeded to spend all of 40 seconds calmly explaining (though admittedly with a bit of light irritation) "They're other streamers, one of whom apparently does a GREAT impression of me. They're also responsible for popularizing calling me Lightbringer, soooo… screw 'em." That was it. But apparently "screw 'em" was TOO MUCH for a lot of people, because I got flooded with hate from that - videos made about how I was "TRIGGERED!" and "HAD A MELTDOWN!" Because that was one of the first public times I ever talked about how I wasn't okay with the nickname. We'll circle back around to this in a minute.

"You'll constantly lecture your own fans, angrily yelling at them for asking when new Power Rangers are out-" Aaand right there you prove that you don't actually watch my stuff. You're just repeating the same garbage from people who ALSO don't watch my stuff, but assume I have not changed at all, that I am the same person forever whose opinions don't change, whose attitude doesn't change, never gets better, etc.

Because I haven't been angry at people asking when the next History of Power Rangers is out in ALMOST TEN YEARS.

And the reason I know that number in particular is because I started my Patreon in 2014. The question annoyed me so much because I didn't have an answer for them and it seemed like they didn't care about anything else I did. But then I started my Patreon and one of the Milestone goals was actual release dates for HOPR. And thus since then I've been able to answer when new ones are coming out.

You want to know how NOT angry I am about the question I am now? I put it on t-shirts.

You can buy them at https://atop-the-fourth-wall.creator-spring.com/listing/when-is-hopr?product=2 and https://atop-the-fourth-wall.creator-spring.com/listing/when-is-hopr-03?product=2 (I was going to post pictures of them but Tumblr keeps breaking when I try). There's a third one, but I don't think I put that one back up because it was intended for Shark Robot where colors are limited and it didn't do very well.

But this is a thing that's brought up by people who hate me - my irritation at the question as if it was still something that bothered me because, again, they cannot conceive that maybe I've changed. No, I am cringe forever and there is nothing I can say or do that will satisfy them.

But no, I "lecture people constantly" evidently. People say I'm obsessed about this topic, about the bullying, that I just talk about it soooo much and I can't move on from it and it haunts my every waking moment and that such "simple, solid advice" like "Be okay with being bullied" is met with unreasonable hostility and my mind fixated on it constantly.

Unless of course you actually look at what I post, what I reblog, what I tweet about and then you discover "Oh, he actually only talks about it when people bring it up to him. He only made that thread because he said the harassment is starting to rise up again and that was days and days ago and hasn't said anything about it since. In fact, on this very Tumblr he's only bringing it up again because somebody ELSE is bringing it up, allowing him a chance to further break down why asshole behavior is still asshole behavior.

So let's bring this back to the "screw 'em" thing. You'll notice that in none of these longer rambling statements I've made have I brought them up. Sure, in that 40 seconds during the stream I did… but that was in the middle of the first wave of it where it really WAS affecting me psychologically hard… and I have not talked about them on stream since then. I don't talk about them in these threads. I don't tell my fans to harass them. I don't make up some nickname for them or mock them or do anything other than maybe some frustration at them during the thread a few years ago (and I am explicitly telling my fans not do so - if you want to be an asshole to them, you can fuck off from my fans). Because I don't WANT to talk about them. They can do whatever the hell they want on their streams. They can call me Lightbringer there, make weird memes about me. It's THEIR space to do with as they please.

The problem is entirely that their fans come to MY space to be assholes. To repeat those memes, to bully me and call me the name. Some do it innocently, thinking I'm okay with it (which, again - is who that thread was directed towards)… but there are others who are being assholes about it. And I'm going to call them assholes about it and block them. And I'm still not going to talk about Oney because I don't want to - they're not the ones who are spamming Lightbringer in my chat or comments or trying to find some way of sneaking it into the comments past my comment filters to try to get a gotcha on me. Hell, I've gotten some people who have said they discovered me and love my stuff now BECAUSE Oney talked about me.

And I'd really like to know which recent review you saw where I was specifically attacking creators in the manner you seem to think I did. Because being angry at a plot point or a narrative decision is not the same thing as attacking a creator. I'll freely tell you about the ones I HAVE specifically called out for shittiness - the racist, the homophobic, the sexual harassers, the transphobic, the one that spread misinformation, or just the greedy assholes. But just looking at the list of the last 50+ episodes I've done that maybe… once or twice? And even despite ALL those horrible things, I STILL tell my fans to leave them alone - to not start fights with them, to not send my videos to them, etc. Because I don't want my fans to be bullies, either.

I will end this with one final thing: "The comments you complain about getting seem tame in comparison." Yeah, well, that's because you're you and I'm me. Something that seems innocuous to one person may be deeply triggering for someone else. Something that seems like an innocent joke might actually be really fucking with someone mentally, as it was for me. And that's why I've tried to tell people "Hey, please don't do that." Maybe I do it aggressively. But sometimes that's the only way people will listen. If people are still doing it even after I've expressed how much it harms me - telling me that I should just "get over it" or "let them do it and respond with a laugh" even though I keep saying it DOES affect me, then those people are assholes and I don't see why I should give them the time of day.

Hopefully this lengthy response (I really am a windbag) helps people understand or it clears up some bullshit. And if it's still not good enough for you, then nothing less than complete capitulation to being called Lightbringer is the only thing that will satisfy you… well, fuck off.

[ladyluscinia]

Izzy, Bottles, and Apologies

Izzy's arc in S2 has been a wild ride.

The S1 Izzy enjoyers are feeling vindicated as hell, many people are fully revising their opinion of him, and the people still hating him have a new criticism or off the wall theory daily. David Jenkins LOVES Izzy and is having the time of his life trying to make sure everyone else does too. They had Con O'Neill sing in drag!

And naturally I have thoughts.

This is gonna be a two part post, I think. First, as much as people are celebrating Izzy having realized his arc and come into his own - from the singing to the apparent BlackBonnet shipping - there are some threads they could pull on that might reveal more arc to come. And I am really hoping they pull them, so I'm gonna tell you why you should too!

And second, I have some minor points I dislike and concerns that this might be the end of the arc. Which would be disappointing but I think I get why, so I'm gonna discuss that too.

To start...

---

"How are you handling all this so well?"

Here's the thing about S2 Izzy - while I need to be clear his behavior is not OOC or inconsistent with S1, it is happening rather fast. I'm pretty sure that has a lot to do with out of universe reasons I'll get into later, but in-universe it stands out. Now, he's hardly the only one operating on an accelerated schedule - the timeline for this season is an insanely fast not-even-two-weeks - but Izzy's defining struggle in S1 was fear of change. That was the cause of his friction with Edward, and what made him an antagonist in the first place.

In S2 he's gone through a lot of trauma, yes, but that fear is noticeably less present than I would expect.

Izzy in 2x06 has been cleaned up from his sobbing mess phase for just over 48 hours and he faces Edward with a joke, and then that night sings a moving French serenade to the crew. The next morning he's teasing them about finally hooking up and spends the day offering both Stede and Edward relationship advice.

He's a newly realized man... shedding repression and embracing who he could be. Accepting his breakup with Edward and trying to openly support the relationship that's better for him.

It's fun!

It's also, potentially, a bit of a flag. Maybe not a red one, not yet, but... pink-ish? A bit orange?

Let's look a little closer at those frayed edges.

---

"Well, you see, I have a system..."

There's an exchange from right at the start of the Pilot episode that has echoed through the entire series so far:

"Bottle it up?" -> "No, Frenchie! No, that's the worst thing you could do!"

Not talking to other people, not addressing your traumas... that's the kind of shit that just builds and builds inside you. When the cork eventually pops, the resulting damage can be a lot. Look at the finale of S1, where all of Stede's bottled up guilt and insecurities laid waste to his relationship with Edward, and then inadvertently became the first domino in the Kraken.

S2 is quick to bring this scene back into the forefront. The first time we see the Breakup Boat crew talking in 2x01, Frenchie reveals that "Bottle it up?" wasn't just a random comment he made, but a philosophy of his:

"Ah - well, you see, I have a system for dealing with all the terrible things I've seen. There's a box, in my mind, and I put the things in the box, I lock the box, and then I don't open it again. Works like a charm."

Apparently, Frenchie is the only one it actually seems to be working for.

Now, the show has been drawing some interesting lines between Frenchie and Izzy. From both serving as Blackbeard's First Mate to being frequently shown as a duo - tormenting Navy guys together on Sunday's raid, Frenchie holding Izzy's hand, Frenchie leaning on Izzy's leg in the cell, Frenchie behind him raising the flag in 2x05 - it's fitting that Izzy echoes Frenchie's preferred coping method. First he frames the non-acknowledgement of harm from Edward as just... part of piracy. He's a pirate, so he's fine with it.

And then we get Izzy's little whittled shark reveal and the conversation with Lucius about his leg:

"I don't know what you're talking about. Shark did this... dangling my legs over the side of the ship. Served me right, too."

Lucius calls him out on the unhealthy behavior, and Izzy concedes his point:

"O-kay, that seems healthy. Using a bit of fiction to help cover up your trauma." -> "Yeah, well... not moving on is worse. Twatty."

And to give him credit, he's right in his advice to Lucius. Filling his sketchbook with pages and pages of Blackbeard trauma is Lucius's form of bottling it up - thinking in endless recursive circles about his tumble off the ship and everything that followed. We already know chasing revenge instead of living is bad - Jim and Spanish Jackie established it last season, and Pete just echoed them. When Izzy advises Lucius to move on, that's what Lucius does.

But what Izzy is doing with the shark? That's not the same thing at all. He's lost a leg, grazed a bullet off his own head, and was snarling drunken accusations at himself in the mirror... he's not moving on from that. He's bottling it up with a nice dose of self-blame.

Cutting the legs off the unicorn for not doing it's job right and saying "served me right" about his fictional shark? There's a real dark knot of emotions there.

(Recall, too, that Edward deflected his hurt from Stede's abandonment into a "fictional character" during his chats with Lucius, and that delayed the explosion but couldn't stop it.)

So... Izzy's definitely coping with trauma in a way the show does not advise and often circles back to. Can we see any signs in 2x06 and 2x07?

---

The Weight of Things Unsaid

At the very start of 2x06, Izzy gets the thing he spent all of 2x05 mentally bracing himself to never hear - an apology from Edward for his leg. He walks up to initiate conversation and begins talking like nothing has changed. Edward is back in his leathers. Appropriate, given that his penance onesie was nothing genuine, just "how long do I have to wear this fucking thing for?" And Izzy is ready for them not to address the obvious hurt, to just smooth over a few jabs and go back to normal... but even Edward's mumbled little "Sorry about your leg" is so significant and difficult he flees as soon as he gets it out, leaving Izzy to sit, incredulous, with the acknowledgement.

It's still almost definitely not enough.

There was so much between them in 2x01 - 2x03. The writers literally did BlackHands love confessions on both sides. An apology from Edward Teach - a man who historically does not apologize - is a huge first step but still only the first step. The real things unsaid are so much bigger than a leg.

We get something else, too... Edward commenting on Izzy's drinking.

"Jesus. Really putting that away, aren't ya?"

Izzy has had booze a lot this season. He lost a leg and pain meds aren't really an option, so not surprising, but notable. Edward, advocating for substance abuse to deal with bad feelings, calls him a lightweight in 2x01. When they are found with the dead seabird in 2x03, Izzy takes a pointed drink from his bottle, and then 2x04 he spends the entire episode completely plastered. He seemingly sobered up for 2x05 - probably to focus on sword training and his whittling project - but now the bottle is back again before Izzy disappears for several hours.

And a little liquid courage might explain his going all in for the Calypso's Birthday performance.

I do appreciate that the performance on it's face is something completely unexpected for Izzy, but when thinking about it... it does make sense.

We already know music and performance were available on Blackbeard's ship even before Stede. Edward learned to play shanties on the piano somewhere, and singing is a common and encouraged part of sailing culture. Izzy's choice of song to perform is something a lot more emotional, but this is probably not his first performance for a crew.

Makeup, too, is in fashion for men and women at this time, and OFMD has shown it as such before. Izzy has never worn fashion makeup, or tried to be beautiful, but the concept wouldn't be alien to him. Wee John's description of a dramatic party look might even have intrigued him specifically because Izzy has actually done "looks" before - of the terrifying "theatre of fear" kind. The Kraken did have his whole crew in makeup for their raids. Taking the opportunity to embody something a bit more vulnerable and try to bring joy to this crew that took care of him is meaningful as fuck.

And it's still a drag performance!

It's a good pair of moments - before and after Ned. Proof that all this isn't just coping method - that's not what I'm arguing here - and even if Izzy's still bottling up a lot of feelings he's not doing the same full pressure bomb thing as he did in S1. There's been growth!

(This is why the flags are only pink-ish / orange-ish right now.)

Episode 2x07 though... I'm not so sure he's doing good as much as pretending it's all good.

Showing up to make his joke in the morning is a fun moment. I especially enjoy Edward's little "fuck off" with no bite to it 🤣🤣🤣 Reminder they do live together on a ship, so this is likely not even close to the first morning-after that Izzy has gotten front row seats to. But, at least to me, there's also a very performative feeling about it. Izzy being very Look how normal I can be about you fucking your boyfriend, Ed - and Edward picks up on it too. That's why he turns to Stede and whispers "He's jealous" as Izzy walks away.

Izzy continues to make jokes and give advice through the day to our main couple, but he's... subdued. I think his fake chill also disguises that he and Edward aren't on the same page about what they discuss at the docks, hence his poor advice to "listen to it" when the "it" in question is Edward's immediate desire to run away from Stede and become a fisherman. They are talking again, but haven't resumed communicating.

I also think it's relevant that Izzy goes to try and support Stede after Edward dumps him, because we're still waiting for Stede to stop bottling things up. He doesn't talk about Badminton or feelings of inadequacy or even the babiest little olive branch to Edward about "hey my dad kinda sucked too." Edward's two exes are sitting in the bar corner together, thinking about all the shit they won't talk to him about until it kills all three of them. Exciting!

The pressure is building. It has to circle back to Stede in S3. I'm hoping at the same time, it circles back to Izzy, too.

Hoping we get to explore some of his anxiety, and his internalizing negative self-image and blame. At the moment, I think Izzy might have less gotten over his anxieties and more just let go of the wheel of his life entirely, and fortunately had people around to steer him in okay directions. It would be really interesting to explore that more.

(Even if I have some concerns they may not.)

---

Subtle as a Cannonball to the Face

Izzy's character arc was always going to be a long journey - not because he was somehow morally worse than everyone else, or required particularly painstaking growth, or even because there was going to be some great need to "hold him accountable" for S1. No, it was going to be a long journey from an antagonist start for the same reason I mentioned earlier: Izzy's core struggle is fear of change.

OFMD opens with two protagonists recklessly pursuing change in ways that harm themselves, their relationships, and others, and a primary onscreen antagonist resisting change in a way that harms himself, his relationships, and others. There's no easy morality here - they all fuck up. And they all require the entire show to actually figure out the correct balance of change and growth and facing the past.

"I think the three of them are on an arc together that's pretty inseparable." - David Jenkins (Source, 9 Oct 2023)

So... why is there a chance that everything I've mentioned above is going absolutely nowhere and Izzy's arc has been wrapped up with a bow in S2?

Well.

It's late March 2022, the fandom's age is still only countable in weeks, I personally haven't even watched the pilot yet, had only even heard of the show 3 days before... and one of David Jenkins first post-finale statements is telling people to pay attention to Izzy's POV and his and Edward's love story on rewatches (Source, 25 Mar 2022), and then soon after comparing Stede to a homewrecker in Edward and Izzy's toxic marriage (Source, 15 Apr 2022). Lots of links because this stuff was available to the fandom from the start.

By the first half of May 2022 (while poor Mr. Jenkins is still anxiously trying to get his series renewed for S2, since the confirmation won't come until June 1) the takes on Izzy have soured a lot. It's not a "homophobic gay" joke anymore. Now it's "Izzy is the embodiment of colonialism who enforces a racist and homophobic ideal of Blackbeard on Edward" and "pretending Izzy could be canonically gay is homophobic" and "Izzy bought Edward as a slave from the British". Harassing anons have already started on tumblr. No first hand experience with Twitter but I've heard horror stories. These takes are spreading like wildfire through the fandom, with a heavy backing of white fans accepting and spreading anything that sounds vaguely racially-conscious as something they just missed in their privilege and need to listen to POC about. Or listen to other white fans that say they've been listening to POC.

The anchor hoist in 1x09 (that was a complete directing coincidence, as the crew confirmed in late May) is being taken as incontrovertible proof that Izzy is a violent racist, and the relatively small Izzy fandom pushing back against any of these reads is being likened to toxic fangirls declaring Kylo Ren a poor widdle victim because they think violent white guys are so hot their brains fall out. This is happening loudly and in the public forums of social media.

Can you imagine being David Jenkins right then?

This is one of your favorite little guys, who you wrote a silly little homoerotic pirate jealousy arc for. He's kinda cringefail and tends to be a dick, but you cast a guy who you think embodies him with so much sympathy and genuine emotion. You're so excited to explore his direct relationship to the main couple of your series even more. Unfortunately, you and a lot of the cast and crew are also engaging maybe a bit too much in fandom spaces, which very few of you have much familiarity with navigating as creators. AND there's still renewal stress!

If I were him, I too would consider that perhaps my intended Izzy arc was a bit too nuanced and drawn out, and maybe I needed to clear up some misconceptions as soon as I got the opportunity.

Enter S2.

MAX reduced the budget for the season significantly and it shows - particularly in the whole thing having to squeeze into 8 episodes - and I wouldn't be surprised at all if worries over a S3 renewal / S3 budget impacted S2 writing as well. Character arcs got pinched, goals had to be prioritized... and from the looks of the season, "make sure everyone knows Izzy is not a homophobic villain tormenting Edward as fast as possible" came out as a big goal.

I mean they open with a dream sequence that literally mocks the idea of a heroic Stede rescuing Edward from the dastardly Izzy. It's not subtle.

And the lack of subtlety is kind of what's concerning me.

Izzy's arc is (I think) leaving enough threads that they can extend it into S3 with the reveal he's not actually fine and done developing, but they also seem to want his S2 arc to end in a place where maybe he is. Lots of giant signs pointing to him and saying "Look! Everyone likes him!" or "Look! He's also gay!" at the expense of some of his cringefail or dickish charm. My guy had anxiety he dealt with poorly in S1, and I do think they are trying to frontload or adjust the arc so he's basically (or at least seemingly) over that before the next hiatus.

The best way I've seen it described is that the show no longer trusts the audience to pick up what they are putting down, and so they feel the need to really hammer it in. Not necessarily OOC, but definitely de-emphasizing any of his rough edges that were originally just written to not be any worse than the other characters.

This is why Izzy gets shot by Edward in the very first episode for a bunch of complicated reasons that are really good character work and not super hard to discern, but then later they have Izzy point out to Stede why he got shot twice. It's all very "look into the camera and say the themes", because to some degree they are afraid everyone is going to get easily convinced Edward shot him for calling him a namby-pamby that one time.

It makes me worried they are too afraid of misinterpretation to commit to the arc they originally conceived of, even with the finish line in sight in S3.

And, again, I get it, Mr. Jenkins. In October 2022 he made a funny quip and a boner joke on a tweet about Edward's blanket fort and the hordes descended to scream victoriously about how he was cutting down the Izzy stans for their racist infantilization crimes of thinking Izzy would *checks notes* help hold up a blanket. It's a very reasonable conclusion that this fandom cannot read and needs to be spoonfed Izzy's arc.

It just sucks that a toxic section of fandom's misinterpretations appear to have undercut a strong - and, honestly, not that complicated - character arc so much that S2's BlackBonnet arc can be about fuck ups and backsliding, but Izzy needs at least the illusion of having no flaws left come hiatus time.

[charles-leclerc-official]

random lore questions i would love to get clarification on, did charles actually get mattia fired/replaced by fred? also was lestappen gate actually real? like was there actually serious talks by redbull to try and get charles?

Oooh yes! Okay there is a lot here.

Did Charles actually get Mattia Binotto fired?

In my opinion yes. Now did Charles go to Ferrari and say "I want that man gone" No. However Binotto was fired for two reasons in my opinion. 1. incompetence in his management style at Ferrari 2. To keep Charles happy.

After Silverstone 22 supposedly Binotto had to fly to Monaco to talk to Charles to calm him down. Charles was PISSED with how that race was handled(rightly so, Binotto should pay for my therapy for making me watch that, it was harrowing)

I think that was the nail in the coffin as far as Binotto was concerned. He was fucking things up with their superior driver, and anyone with eyes could see it.

Ferrari is a brand that takes it's image very seriously. Under Binotto the team became a joke. Charles is a crucial part of the F1 Ferrari brand, the Tifosi worship him, Ferrari wasn't in a position to lose Charles.

So Charles isn't happy under Binotto's management, might walk away after his contract is up. Binotto is replaceable. Bye bye Binotto.

I am sure Charles probably made his feelings on the matter very clear to upper management at Ferrari.

I do not think Charles would have extended his Ferrari contract under Binotto's management. Ferrari had to promise a LOT of priority to keep him I think. And rightly so. The way he's made himself the face of Ferrari is very wise in terms of his negotiating power.

Was lestappen gate actually real?

Yes and no.

Yes I do think that Red Bull probably reached out to Charles(he's a top driver, his contract was going to be up at the same time as Checo's, it's a no brainer)

I think Charles played into it to negotiate better with Ferrari. (After seeing the contract renewal and Fred excessively hyping Charles up it's pretty clear Charles got what he wanted)

I think Red Bull was serious about wanting Charles, and Charles wanted to keep the option open in case Ferrari negotiations didn't go his way perfectly. After Binotto I am sure he was way more demanding about what he wanted from the team in terms of his career and pay.

I don't think Charles was as serious about Red Bull as many believed, but he's smart and not at least entertaining the idea, especially while renegotiating his contract would be stupid.

Charles is actually very smart when it comes to his career. He's all giggles and dimples for the cameras, but he's always coming out with what he wants with these things. He's made it very imperative to keep him happy at Ferrari.

Red Bull was very serious about it, and Charles was serious about getting the princess treatment at Ferrari. Fred showed him the five year plan, made it clear that Charles is going to inform the development of the car, paid him an unreal amount of money, and got him Lewis Hamilton. I think that Ferrari's future looks very promising under Fred, and clearly Charles agrees.

Obviously the fact that Max and Charles are friendly played into this. I am sure the fact that they are both competitive and get along well was very appealing to Red Bull when thinking about a driver line up.

Red Bull overdid it because they probably went "we are on the we love Charles arc in the press" and unfortunately for them Max is insane and just was like okay I can just hype Charles that's my job? BET and just did more of what he usually does but made it WORSE. And we love that for him.

I think the part that wasn't real was Charles being about to go to Red Bull, I am pretty sure Ferrari would have had to really fuck up to lose him in terms of their development. I don't think we were as close to lestappen teammates as we thought.

But everything was real I guess. Like Max cannot pretend to save his life so that's all authentic. And Red Bull did post about Charles and Max so much, like the Christmas tree?! And it was about Charles' contract. What wasn't real was the likelihood of Charles actually going to Red Bull. That was a slim chance at best. Charles played to his advantage on both sides and I think he got what he wanted.

Lestappengate was a case of contract shenanigans that led to a lot of entertainment.

So yes lestappen gate was real, but was Charles halfway out the door over to Red Bull during? No

[my-beloved-lakes]

I just now noticed the dirty/scolding look Sophie gives Breanna when Breanna asked if Eliot was off to kill someone in The Fractured Job. It was very subtle, but if you watch carefully it's there.

While I did think it was funny, her question also bugged me a little, even though I know she was joking, cuz it felt a little insensitive considering all the guilt Eliot feels about his past. But now that I think about it it actually kinda makes sense that she wouldn't understand how insensitive it could be. Like yes, she knows Eliot and she's known him for a long time. But she knows a different side of him than everyone else. She knew him as the cool, badass uncle who her older brother always brought to family gatherings and Christmas and stuff. She probably knows little snippets of Eliot's past but not enough to fully realize that her joke might be a little insensitive. (She would never intentionally be insensitive about it!) Eliot probably never let her see the guilt ridden side of himself because she's like his little kid niece.

Her joke didn't really seem to bother Eliot that much, but Sophie immediately shut it down and I love that. Because Sophie knows just how much guilt Eliot feels and she knows it's something that's caused him a lot of pain. And like Hardison said, they trust her to make sure they're okay. So even if Breanna's joke didn't actually bother Eliot, Sophie still felt like she needed to let Breanna know to back off a bit. And then Breanna did back off.

Idk what point I'm trying to make here but I thought it was an interesting little detail.

Edit: just in case it wasn't clear, (I should have made this more clear to begin with.) This is not a hate post about Breanna or even a criticism really! The way I see it, Breanna didn't know and had no way of knowing what she said would be insensitive because Eliot didn't let her know. That's what I was trying to get at. Eliot has been doing a very good job of shielding her from his past and she knows a different side of him than the others. I don't want negative things about Breanna said on this post (or any of my posts for that matter.) Of course everyone is entitled to their opinions but please don't put that sort of thing on my posts. If you have something negative to say about Breanna go make your own post please and thank you.

[kalims]

⊹ SPEAK NOW | malleus draconia

premise. malleus has been planning something for a while now, first he decided quality was foremost. wouldn't you appreciate the things he love about you? well that failed. now he just has to settle with quality, the most grandest suprise of a confession just for you.

it's just a battle of will if his impatience clouds over the voices that won't even let him profess to you!

content. gender neutral reader, fluff, crack

wc. 4.2k words, I know it's a hassle to read long posts but give me a chance :')

note. thank you to paru who generously commissioned me again! <3 i hope you enjoy it and everyone else as well <3

written a total of 8k+ words for mal in the span of two works now whew wow

not even malleus' future coronation would hold the amount of planning as this.

"my, I'm very impressed." sat upon a velvet chair lilia chuckles with a clear look of amusement present on his face. "I did not expect you to learn how to create a powerpoint presentation." 

he watches malleus' lips curve into a small smile—no doubt feeling a sense of accomplishment by the former's words. he was always like this wasn't he? looking for praise when he was a child. fufu.. lilia muses, but his boy is all grown up now. malleus is no longer a child despite lilia having to say something about it.

no longer a child as in now a grown man attempting to get his 'approval' of his apparent chosen beloved.

when malleus stretched out an invitation to him for a serious talk (well. malleus didn't mention the serious part but the look on his face, is something lilia can easily discern.) he didn't think much of it. perhaps the boy just wanted to open up about something.

he's not sure if malleus already sensed his presence but lilia is sure that even though he's getting pretty old blending in with the shadows is a skill he hasn't slacked off upon.

lilia chose not to announce his presence and step out instead, who knows? maybe malleus will finally emit that startled face he's been looking for. though he seems used to the sight of lilia popping out of nowhere.. in everywhere to the point that it just doesn't bother him as much.

unsurprisingly malleus didn't bat an eye and just ushered him to sit down and that he did.

lilia merely watches in amused silence when malleus attempts to open the laptop, failing to click the right button for a few times before the black screen brightens up in light. before he knew it he could spot the microsoft powerpoint icon below the bar.

being curious was an understatement.

though he's certainly proud that the device; valid enough to call frail did not break under malleus' power. or, maybe he should just be proud that the boy did not lose his cool.

by the time lilia finished pondering about it, malleus had finally figured out how to fullscreen it. "are you ready?" politely questioned by the horned man, at least he still attained the manners taught by lilia.

the latter flashes him a fanged grin. "whenever you are."

the first screen is just an introduction. it looked familiar and lilia is fairly sure malleus just looked up a tutorial and copy-pasted it. 'why you should be my lover.' it read, and he already knew that this isn't meant for him. but meant to get his opinion.

not for me but for you. he muses. how adorable!

'1.) I am very influential. I will be king soon and I will get you whatever you ask.' true but he should get your opinion on that, whether you care about his status or not.

'2.) you told me you like my horns, so I shall banish everyone else who has it if it could deter you from loving me.' ah. that one is a bit extreme.. lilia has no doubts that the boy will actually do it.

malleus' face though, shifts into something serious when he spots the second slide. yep, he's not joking.

'3.) I find you very endearing and would like to wed you as soon as possible.' eh.. this one showcases his clear love for you but since humans and fae have varied degrees of love it might be a little too fast for you.

'4.) ramshackle has its charms but my castle is a much more comfortable living condition. if you'd be mine it will all be yours' romantic.

'5.) I will be with you forever. if there is ever a time when the world is against you, it will be us against it together. rest assured, you will not be alone because I will face it with you'

"how swe—oh." lilia blinks when malleus accidentally exits and with his keen eyes, was able to spot the amount of slides there are. goodness me. there are over a hundred. lilia chuckles.

lilia loves malleus. very much so, that boy is practically his son that he raised with his sweat and tears. there are no lengths he's not willing to cross for his beloved family but wow.. for once lilia is speechless once he realizes.

a bit much.. isn't it? though not mentioned, malleus took his sweet time going over each slide and pausing to further elaborate on the contents of the smile. and if there really are over a 100 slides it isn't gonna finish anytime soon.

plus cater invited lilia for another night out. isn't that nice? he can't simply bail on his.. young friend like that.

"I can see how much you see the prefect dear." lilia starts, watching malleus' face soften into something genuine. "if you want my honest opinion. a human will not receive much love in the valley." he says simply.

just like that his face crumbles into something heartbroken. like the truth was just slapped to his face and left there. lilia's heart clenches at the look so he continues, "but my opinion as your caretaker, love knows no bounds. if you truly love them then you should do so freely." 

just like that malleus looks up at him, peering and all. looking hopeful.

slowly but surely the light that had drained from his face gradually came back and lilia is taken back to the past once he compares his current expression to one when he was a kid receiving his first gift that's something other than an object made entirely out of riches.

a gift so priceless.

malleus smiles, the one where his eyes would crinkle and obscure his vision, and his pointy ears would twitch in joy. if he had a tail it would certainly be wagging right now. "thank you. shall I deliver it to them now?"

"you mean to send, honey?"

he blinks. "ah, yes."

_

in an equally concerning and interesting way. lately, sebek has been... more lenient? which is strange to a degree because he would never let you get away without scolding your ear off for literally referring to malleus as 'tsunotaro'. 

well. he did pause to give you a look but you get the point! the sebek does not only spare a look when it comes to the expense of malleus.

ace chatters away beside you, once again attempting to start an argument against deuce who's very intent on being a pacifist for some reason.

and grim? well. grim's probably robbing someone's lunch right now.

for once all you four have collectively set your eyes on something. you narrow your eyes. "he's acting weird." your hand flicks to a certain green-haired male while the other three nod in agreement.

"why don't we ask him right now?" ace suggests with a cheeky smile. before deuce could object and clamp his mouth shut he was already shouting; "sebek! why are you acting weird?"

said boy immediately hears. fae heritage you suppose. you can tell from the furrow of his brows but for an odd reason, you’re not sure of yourself his face shifts into something.. proud? sebek looks at the student he was conversing with before walking over.

and with a triumphant grin he says; “malleus-sama has finally taken notice of my devotion!” you raise your brows and share a look with the other three cause, seriously? that man can’t notice sebek if it meant his life.

though you can't deny the rush of curiosity flowing into your head. sure, it seemed wholly impossible and weird overall but it didn’t mean that you wouldn’t wanna find out.

it seemed like deuce wanted to know as well. “uh.. how exactly?”

“ha! are you planning to do the same?” huffed sebek.

deuce looked like a mixture of offended and concerned. “let’s go with that?”

“well, lilia-sama sent me a presentation and said it was from the master. It was about appreciating my one-of-a-kind existence!”

you look flabbergasted. “oh… wow, i didn’t know malleus was so caring about his.. subjects.”

sebek nods in agreement. to think about it, at the mention of lilia and the message in the same sentence flashes a series of memories back into your mind. earlier this day, didn't lilia send a heads up? something about malleus and.. message.

but that's just crazy right? there's no way it would be connected to this. you nod your head at sebek slowly, "good for you dude." his face scrunches up at your casual nickname but in favor of your genuine comment, he'll let it slide.

blinking, you ask; "where is malleus anyways?" at your question sebek's back straightens as he stands up straight and sort of, glowers at you.

a part of sebek knows that the most logical action to do right now was, of course, to withdraw that kind of information from you cause really, who are you? in comparison to the young master, not even the most noblest of nobles are being told his locations.

for a security measure sebek approves of.

but sebek has witnessed and watched malleus' glory himself. next to you, it's as though you’re blind to it which is immensely insulting—but, as he's on his way to run his mouth off at you he sees something in the young master's eyes.

something new and warm.

maybe that's what he needs. someone who will be blind to the glory accompanying him and just see the person behind it. that must be it! malleus feels like a person behind your eyes.

though most do not think so, you're good for him. and even as much as sebek would rather strangle himself to admit it, it's true.

so he makes up his mind and just tells you, sparing the other three (who are very interested in the conversation apparently.) a glance before leaning towards you so they won't hear. "I heard the young master was visiting the botanical garden."

huh. that's new.

before you could open your mouth to ask why he just shoves the face of his palm to your face. "and do not even think about sharing this to anyone!" he shouts. alerting everyone that you do have something to say.

seriously?

sebek just marches away, most probably going to haul silver out of his peaceful nap.

"what did he say?" asked ace.

you make a blank face. for the sake of your dignity, and probably his own you'll keep the promise sebek bestowed upon you. "absolutely nothing."

you ignore ace's grumbles and complaints, out of anticipation you suppose. there's nothing juicier than whatever he witnessed and since sebek practically announced it he wants to know whatever he told you.

again. you give the other two a farewell before walking off without another word to ace.

clearly, there's something freaky going on inside the garden. you wince, picking your leg out of an awfully strong grip of a plant that's very much alive. well, you knew they weren't dead but they didn't always try to just rip off your limbs.

also, it was literally raining in here, how is it raining?! the sun was literally out like a second ago before you entered.

if that wasn't supernatural then you don't know what is.

which makes you curious. whose ass would professor crewel and crowley alike hand back to them? something as strange as this wouldn't pass without notice.

you flinch. also, does no one see the lightning flashing from outside?!

okay so you know that malleus would definitely survive under this weather but your real question is; where the hell is he anyways? from the amount of time you crossed through the botanical garden gave you a vague understanding of the layout.

but that didn't mean you'd really enjoy spending a good amount of time wandering in search of a green man.

with horns.

he's pretty tall..

you blank. "malleus?" you try.

surprisingly unsurprising the man literally materializes next to you in the form of.. some kind of sparkle. and he displays a cool attitude even at the sight of you frowning at him out of confusion, probably also recovering from the jumpscare.

"oh.. you actually came." you deadpan. was it that easy all along?

a smile plays on his lips. "you called."

"is someone bothering you, child of man?" he asked seriously. stepping forward and you notice that he hesitates in taking your arms and checking them over but instead lets them hover over it uselessly.

you raise your brows but make no move to point him out. "uh.. no? but something is bothering me though."

maybe saying that was a mistake cause you suspect that malleus' fondness for you (if not too big of an assumption) surpasses all kinds of basic logic sometimes.

by sometimes you mean.. a long of times.

in a flash his concerned look shifts into something hilariously serious. "hm? there are.. what is it then? a cursed artifact?" your brows furrow and in a way you actually don't know what to say.

"what." you deadpan. "no?"

"perhaps lilia's guitar with electricity is bothering you?" tried again by malleus.

uh oh. now you gotta deny that one or else he'll actually destroy that and lilia is gonna be really cold when he does that. "heavens no!"

now he just looks confused. "what is it then? tell me. I will rid it for you."

you sweatdrop. "no I mean.. I heard you were supposed to be giving me a message or something from lilia. but you weren't anywhere so I asked where you were." you explained. gesturing wildly as malleus listens intently. 

finally, after a good solid 10 seconds of silence, a look of understanding washes over his face and you exhale a sigh of relief. "ah. that is correct."

"so where is it?"

"please, give me a second."

right in front of your eyes he just flat-out disappeared in the same particles he appeared with. so you just stand there awkwardly in silence, only realizing that the very stormy weather had disappeared and faded into something normal.

you shrug. weird things are normal here you guess.

before then malleus had already returned with a.. chest of.. crystals and he looks oddly bashful and shy when he just holds it out to you. (also proud? but you get the point!) "uh." you start, unsure.

"what's this?" you gesture to the bundle that would cost you a whole literal mansion to get.

he smiles at you. "I realized that perhaps the message from the electronic device would not match up the meaning I'd like to convey so I figured I'd do this instead." also you didn't even reply to him. of course you wouldn't! he'd feel insulted too if that's all he'd do to express his love and gratitude. 

malleus takes advantage of your confusion and carefully places the box in your arms. you nearly fall over from the weight cause what the hell are these things made of?

expensive minerals you suppose.

"these are traditional gifts in briar valley." he explained. but like, what? you mean over a thousand gems and whatnot in a box is a gift? all of a sudden you feel bad gifting him a rock as a joke because you didn't have anything on you.

I should really step up. you think grimly.

malleus seems to be thinking. "and.. a gift for cour—"

"malleus." seethed an eerily cold voice. both of you just freeze and malleus shuts up completely. is he actually looking tense and scared?!

you look at lilia with wide eyes, unblinking in fear that if you do blink he's just gonna teleport right at your face and next thing you know everything's black.

although malleus definitely looks less horrified than you, he looks way too scared for you to think that way. 

hesitantly, malleus replies quietly. "lilia." he places his arms behind his back like he's speaking to a war general or something but that's impossible haha..

"care to explain why my instrument suddenly caught on fire after it got struck by electricity?" lilia raises a brow. casting you a kind glance for a second before returning his sharp look at malleus.

the latter tips his head in shame and you feel like you should not be witnessing this.

but wait. malleus actually did that? you thought he was literally joking.

you did not see malleus after that.

to word it better he was not allowed to see you.

lilia had said, and you quote. 'he simply won't learn if I don't punish him' with a shrug so casual that you doubted if it was the same malleus he grounded that you were thinking about. 

the 'top 10 in ranking in terms of power' kind of malleus you were thinking.

if malleus actually listened to lilia then you doubt that he doesn't have some kind of comparable power.

while for some time you did think that lilia sent malleus to solitary confinement, unlikely but with him apparently not having met with anyone it's definitely possible.

well that theory was quickly thrown out the window when you find a letter right at the mat of your front door. signed in an eccentric manner by; m.d which could only belong to one person.

long story short, he wanted to meet you at the school cafeteria which was strange in itself cause you're almost sure that the students avoid malleus like the plague and if he's there surely it'd be wiped out right now.

which.. you're not exactly opposed to if it meant not having a huge line to the menu!

though you suppose the environment had made you used to it.

when you come close the doors magically open, and they were not given the privilege to close seeing as they still sensed you near.

well the reason why you won't let the doors just close is for the very fact that the tables of the cafeteria are absolutely gone. replaced with many eccentric tables filled with food, and drinks alike.

also, there's a literal disco ball so something was definitely going on. was there some kind of secret prom that no one told you about? if so then you're about to bolt out knowing full well you're in your regular uniform.

many people who you presume as students are all littered across the room with varying fancy degrees of clothing. either devouring the tables or just dancing.

overall it was very fancy and clearly you aren't even meant to be here.

you pause a little longer to take in the surroundings in hopes of satisfying your curiosity. unfortunately, all you had was a party you accidentally trespassed on (again. not your fault, no one told you!) so you just turned on your heel, and the doors literally shut in your face.

"???" you blink.

"apologies but if I let you leave malleus will be more upset." giggled a familiar voice, far less colder than you remember from your previous meeting. you snap your head to lilia who looks like he's resolved whatever with malleus.

you furrow your brows. "wait, this is his doing?" you cross your arms over your chest. unlike this very colorful room, in comparison to appealing dark malleus it was completely a contrast. a weird one.

lilia nods with a cheeky smile. he knows more than he tells you. "yes."

"but why exactly?"

"hm. you really don't know? shall I tell you?" he places a finger over his chin and looks up. "I shouldn't!"

is he really doing this right now?

at your frowning face lilia chuckles away. "I'm merely jesting, dear. you see malleus hasn't gotten time to properly convey his message to you."

well, that is true. you blank. even a few days ago since the adeuce duo was always following you around it was only in due time that their tongues would betray them when malleus asked to talk to you alone.

"you didn't even send the message that you said he had for me." you narrow your eyes at lilia who pauses. "oh, did I?"

"yes, you did."

he shrugs. "well that was an accident."

"like the time at the botanical garden?"

this time he looks more sheepish at your constant picking but quickly laughs it off. lilia appears behind you and guides you down the main area with a push. for such a small body he's doing it quite easily, no?

not that you'd ever say that out loud.

"I shouldn't keep my boy's special guest, off you go." he whisks you away to the crowd and pushes you there.

next thing you know you're face to face with a very happy malleus who obviously perks up at your presence and waves a finger.

suddenly there's some kind of big light shining down at you, in response you raise an arm over your eyes and think; what in the hell is going on?! why is everything going so fast?

you could hear everyone silence out and feel the embarrassment grow tenfold. why did you even come here again? "my child of man." malleus starts and by the volume of his voice you can tell that he's using a microphone. 

you freeze up. "what." you reply slowly.

"before I've met you my world was encased in grey and white."

is he like proposing or something?

"everyone was afraid of me, even those deemed as strong. so it made me wonder, why you? a powerless, ordinary human were not?" way to hurt a 'powerless, ordinary human's' feelings malleus

"perhaps I am a fool but I realized the reason why everything was so colorless. when I stared into your eyes for the first time I realized that everything was warm—colorful. the rest isn't my world, because it's—"

you were about to think that you were equally flattered and embarrassed but before he could finish his little speech the mic just gets straight up cut off. 

everyone looks behind malleus and you want to bolt out when you realize that those three are your friends. you facepalm. "oh for the love of.."

malleus reaches out to you. "wait—"

"hmph. I should have known this would have attracted trouble." vil.

"child of man?"

"how improper! draconia was speaking.. when I get my hands on them it's off with their head!" riddle.

"I apologize for the inconvenience i—"

"if you'd like them to have a suitable punishment I know just the thing." azul.

"stop speaking right now." seethed malleus.

"everyone keep talking." said leona smoothly. 

"oh my.. this will end in disaster." lilia.

"ace I told you to not go here!"

"shut up deuce!"

"you—"

a myriad of voices all start bypassing each other and it's honestly hard to hear who's speaking save from a few familiar voices.

you glance at everyone with a mixture of concern and irritation before your gaze lands over malleus, then down his hand which held a microphone who was long broken before.

somehow lightning strikes inside the cafeteria, just centimeters away from the trio who huddled together and shook in a group hug.

"ENOUGH." everyone does just that.

"as I was saying, you are my world (name) and I'd very much like it if I can be yours." malleus says quickly, looking away shyly before smiling at you like he didn’t just snap.

everyone's jaw drops, including yours but that's not the only thing that did because well. you did too! figuratively and literally. 

if the silence wasn't already prominent before then it certainly is because everyone just watched you on the floor after the thump, clearly unconscious and comically steaming from the ears.

then it's just a very panicky-chaotic scenario, a lot of screaming that just made more people start screaming too.

in a flash, malleus is hovering over your body. simultaneously looking you over for possible injuries that might have caused this and about to stare down anyone that actually dared to come in closer.

except lilia it seems.

the last person that tried to approach was grim and he got the searing glare from malleus.

malleus softens his look once he spares a glance at you and quickly leans over to lilia. "what's happened? have they been poisoned? cursed?"

lilia chuckles. "not at all. I'm afraid your confession had not only given everyone a shock but them as well."

"so I've done this?" malleus looks immensely saddened. lilia explains once again like he's done it over a hundred times. "it's not your fault my dear."

"you bring them to the infirmary, stay by their side. I'm sure they will be happy to see you there one they wake up." lilia said, malleus already being one step ahead and sliding you in his arms.

he's dreamt of doing this but definitely not this way!

"meanwhile I will deal with this mess of a party." lilia shakes his head. "go now."

an hour later you wake up disoriented and so confused as to why malleus is so suddenly affectionate with you. the bigger question is, why is everyone staring at you?!

"so you'll help me right, azul?"

the former laughs nervously at you and tips his hat in an apologetic motion. "I'm afraid I can't.. someone like me surely is not worth your time." he continues laughing, sneaking a gaze behind you and dipping it quickly once he sees the flash of green.

you just stare at him confused. why won't anyone talk with you normally?

note. OMG I just realized the title i picked is literally perfect!! if you know the song then you'll know the line 'horrified looks from everyone in the room' IT MATCHES RIGHT HELP

commision me!

[ailendolin]

was wondering what your thoughts are on the prank alison played on thomas? Cuz on one hand, yeah, it was wayyyyy more harsh than any of the pranks played on the others and was the only one that was deliberately designed to strike him where it hurts especially since she knows about his history with isabelle

but on the other hand, i think she just likes everyone else more than thomas? and who can blame her when he's been disrespecting her boundaries for years. Kitty can be needy but its different with a younger sister type character who just wants affection vs thomas who has been hitting on her for years even though she's very clearly happily married

im not sure where i stand on this

Thank you for this ask, anon! I've actually been meaning to make a post about the prank in 5x01 so this is the perfect excuse to finally get around to writing it.

But before I do that, I just want to stress that my opinion is just that - an opinion. I've been getting quite a few Thomas asks recently and while I do appreciate that very much because I love to talk about him, my interpretation of his character is just one of many and it's perfectly fine if you or anyone else sees things differently. My take on him doesn't hold more weight than any other.

With that being said, here are my thoughts on the prank and Thomas's vs. Kitty's behaviour - long post incoming:

I'm probably in the minority here but I found Alison’s prank on Thomas downright cruel, especially when you compare it to her other pranks. It wasn't some harmless fun - that prank was designed to hurt him, and I think that crosses a line. Because Thomas, for all his annoying habits, for all his ridiculous love declarations and inability to take a hint, has always backed down when Alison told him to. He hasn't stopped altogether (which technically speaking is partly Alison's own fault because of the, "I could kiss you," line and not just his for lack of trying) but whenever she gets fed up with him, he actually listens and shuts up - which I think is something people often tend to overlook.

Also, Thomas's 'love' for Alison is a theoretical thing: something for him to fixate on that is safe because he knows nothing will ever come of it. It's why we only ever see him 'fall in love' with living women who are, by nature, out of his reach. Thomas doesn't really want to be with them. It's why he downright panics when Alison seems to return his feelings in 5x01. He likes the idea of taking a walk with her in the gardens and holding her hand; the thought of kissing her under the mistletoe - the romantic ideal of it. But 5x01 makes it quite clear that he never expected it to become real, and that he isn't as keen on physical intimacy as he sometimes pretends either. I don't think he's ready for the vulnerability that comes with loving someone and being loved in return, and him dying alone and unloved plays a huge role in that. Because that's how he ghosts too. And I don't mean that in a romantic way. Thomas isn't particularly close to any of the other ghosts, not like Julian and Robin are, or Fanny and the Captain. He doesn't have a best friend because he's always the butt of the joke and no one takes him seriously or even pretends to like him. Is it really a surprise he clings to a love that is safe because it only exists in his mind?

That doesn't change anything for Alison, of course. But I'll go so far as to say she never even tried to understand him. The way she treated him when he came to her to talk about his death showed that. If she'd been as gentle and understanding and patient with him as she was with the Captain during the therapy session and actually listened and talked to him, the whole 'love' thing could have probably been resolved early on. But as was mentioned here, there are moments when she even encourages his behaviour and seems to miss his attention. That's sending very mixed signal to someone who is desperate for love, and makes her prank even more cruel. Given the circumstances, it's obviously understandable that out of her ghostly family she likes him the least as you mentioned (I think her listing him as a con for staying at Button House is pretty much proof of that) but it just feels like she's never really made an effort when it comes to him and just like the ghosts, never gave him the chance to open up. Instead, she uses his deepest pain against him with her prank, once again not taking the hurt he felt over his death seriously, and that's just not right.

On the matter of Kitty: it's interesting that you use the phrase "disrespecting boundaries" for Thomas and the word "needy" for Kitty because I'd actually say it's the other way around. People always regard Thomas's behaviour as creepy because his love for Alison is (seemingly) of a romantic nature whereas Kitty's love is regarded as sisterly and thus deemed acceptable and even sweet. But I've actually gone through every episode of series 1 once to note down all the times the ghosts cross lines with Alison and you know what? It's Kitty who does it most severely (along with Mary). The most Thomas does is phase through Alison's bedroom wall once without being invited in and looking through the bathroom door while Alison is showering (where the others are present so this was clearly part of the plan to haunt her for which Thomas, predictably, volunteered). Kitty, however? She's in Alison's bed twice and watches her and Mike sleep another time. I don't know about you but I'd rather have someone walk into my bedroom once than wake up with a stranger in my bed or in my room.

But maybe that's just me. So let's take a look at Kitty's 'sisterly' behaviour. The biggest difference between her and Thomas is that Kitty doesn't back down on her own. If it were up to her, Alison's life would revolve her. She doesn't accept that Alison has other friends (the tantrum at the party Alison and Mike threw) or god forbid another sister. She is very vocally against Lucy from the start and only stops when Alison calls her out on it (which parallels 4x02 when Alison told Thomas to stop - though in that case Alison is merely fed up whereas she is actually hurt by Kitty's behaviour). Kitty demands and expects Alison's attention in a way Thomas never has. He's always been content to love her from afar whereas Kitty inserts herself into Alison's life as best as she can and throws a tantrum when she doesn't get her way and often manages to guilt-trip Alison into giving in (the phone call at the party).

Kitty's obsessive behaviour got tuned down in later series but it was there and it was not cute. I found it very off-putting, to be honest, and I never understood why people thought it was cute. Obviously, these are just my personal thoughts and feelings on the matter. I know a lot of people will disagree with me on this (cue anon hate in 3, 2, 1...) because they love the idea of Kitty as this young, sweet, naive girl. But I think if you're calling Thomas out for his behaviour (which you should because as much as I love him, he shouldn't romance a married woman, no matter the reasons), you shouldn't ignore Kitty's actions just because her love for Alison is platonic rather than romantic. That doesn't make what she does okay.

[bzhitstruth]

Mystical musical moment

On October 10, YBO released a video vlog on Weibo, where DD walks through Paris at night. The BGM that was used in the video is Franz Gordon “Theme for Autumn”, this music was played in the Thai BL drama “Cupid’s Last Wish”, in particular, in the episode where the two main characters were talking in a cave - episode 8, approximately 13:30.

This in itself is very wonderful that DD used such music, but the main intrigue lies elsewhere.

Everything that is written here is my invention, fake, nonsense. I'm kidding.🤡

As we all know, GG used the music of JVKE Golden Hour in his vlog about Paris and Rome, which he posted on Weibo in March. In the part of the vlog where this song is played, there is an episode where GG waves his arms in front of the Eiffel Tower.

One of the Chinese turtles came up with the idea to put Golden Hour on DD's video (here is the Weibo post). An amazing thing was discovered - DD’s hand wave perfectly coincided with the same moment of music as GG’s. In addition, several more frame changes coincided with changes in musical phrases. And the most interesting thing is that DD’s vlog (before the final screensaver with the logo) lasts exactly as long as the first verse of the song. Listen for yourself:

Golden Hour suits the DD's vlog no worse than the original version, and in my opinion, even better. It feels like this video was made specifically for this song, but then published with different music.

Later, another wonderful thing became clear - it turns out that GG used the second verse of the song in his vlog, because after the main theme he has a final melody. And it turns out that in their two vlogs the song was heard in full. You can watch the combined parts of the DD's and GG's video here.

I'm not very good at musical analysis, I don't know if this is a real coincidence or if it was intended that way from the beginning, but it shocked me. It is at a certain moment that both hand waves coincide, can this be accidental? In DD's original video, this hand wave is not very clear; someone even joked that DD was catching a taxi to go to the hotel. But when combined with Golden Hour, it takes on meaning and mood. And the length of the video is equal to the length of the verse!

This is very subjective, but that doesn't make it any less intriguing. I would actually be very surprised if this wasn't intentional.

💚❤️.

[spicedfink]

Someone posted their opinion on tophabe and I'm not going to @ them since people are apparently being weird but it did make me want to voice my tophabe take because tbh it made me feel insecure and like I needed to explain myself because they were right and so real for what they said.

My thing with (s2) episode 8 is first off I can only process parts of it at a time because that episode made me uncomfortable Second is there is one major factors I take in when thinking about tophabe and a few minor factors: The biggest thing is Joan the canon end game love interest as far as we have been shown tried to point blank kill everybody which is objectively worse. As for minor factors I'll use bullet points: - Cleo also manipulates Abe not to that degree but for longer - All the cast are kind of bad people but the show only framed Topher's actions as bad which I found weird when I really thought about it then they said Harriet was a theater kid and I stopped caring about what the writing was meant to convey - Him giving good advice first in s2e8 reminds me of how I used to give a friend of mine bad advice as a joke when they kept ignoring my real advice and for some reason they took my joke advice seriously. - Topher wasn't in the classroom with Abe so he didn't know the teacher had been hitting on him so it feels like he's just making shit up on the spot - I don't see how Topher would have seen this working. Like it shows him being right there when it starts but like how? I know it's just because the plot said so but the actual "go sleep with this gross person" seems more like a "oh Abe would never actually do that" line of thought - like it reads more as "if I can get Abe insecure he won't ask Joan out" then "Abe will defiantly go for this" (still shitty but less) - It's a cartoon and their actions are exaggerated - s2e8 was such a horribly done episode all around that I can't do anything other than cherry pick it - poor mental health is hardly an excuse but man do I believe his therapist isn't doing him any favors (which is why I have his change therapist in my fanfics) - The fact they're still shitty high schoolers meaning they all have the most room for growth and I'm projecting my own journey of because and actual good person and figuring out my sexuality onto him (obviously wasn't his level of shitty but I said dumb shit and did weird emotionally charged things thanks to how I was raised and poor mental health) - Episode 1 of season 2 Topher got the t-rex arms so I attached myself to his character right then and there ("he's autistic just like me") - I like happy things. The show gave a character who they made clear was suppose to be disliked and bullied for being horrible and didn't show him do anything actually that bad until episode 8 out of 10. And before that ranges from normal weird teenager things he'd logically grow out of, trying too hard to be socially accepted and being mentally ill??? Like no. No I'm personally not going to think this character is a horrible person incapable of growth... And this is why my serious non one sided tophabe headcanons are all for when they are older because I really think Topher would, you know grow up and regret his past actions. Also since I see Topher as queer: internalized homophobia and the such are a bitch (speaking from experience)

I don't actually have a good reason for why Abe would like Topher back past I just think it'd be fun. If Abe gets with Joan and is friends with Cleo I think he should still be friends with Topher though

[mdhwrites]

Not sure if you've talked about him already, but what's your opinion on Matt Tholomule as a character? I feel like he's one of the very few (if not the only) characters who wasn't reduced to a softie after redemption like Amity/Lilith/Hunter

So 1. Shockingly enough, I never have and I'll get into probably why in a moment. 2. I can't be certain in my analysis here as I have only seen clips of For the Future and I'm not going to dig for his parts for this blog so I haven't seen all that he becomes but I have an idea. That idea also says that... Yeah, you're not wrong actually. Arguably, Lilith is soft enough and treated enough like a joke in S1 that TECHNICALLY her personality is intact post redemption. However, even if you argue that, she still seems like a parody of who she used to be.

Which... is actually kind of true Matt too. Why it works better here is that rather than make fun of a character's trauma and disregard their background, Matt was always a bit of a joke and his final form is actually steeped in who he was. We were never supposed to take him that seriously which is... a mixed bag for him. I'm going to say a lot of nice things at least conceptually about where he ends up but I want to make something clear: I barely think of Matt normally. I will entirely forget he was in the show because he is extremely forgettable. The situation he's in and his plight are always far more interesting than "Kind of bad at being a jerk/bully" which is his primary personality for two of his three main appearances. He's just not got a strong enough personality for two seasons to leave much of an impression and for a supporting cast's supporting member, you need to make a bigger splash than he ever did to be remembered.

But then we get S3 where we get just that. The boy, from my understanding, turns himself into a god damn comic book character and its glorious. And... It actually makes sense. Matt always had an ego and a desire for attention but he was missing two things to get to the point he's at now. The first was a better morale compass so that he could be a good guy and that part we get to see. The other is a proper community and support around him so he wasn't always looking over his shoulder. I... don't know how much that part is true to For the Future but the clips I've seen imply that he's at least not being disregarded or constantly have to prove himself anymore. He's just another member of the resistance which is a HELL of a lot better than he's had before.

This leads to all that bubbling confidence coming out into a glorious mess that absolutely fits how some teens try to act 'mature' by acting confidant. By celebrating things like stubble and proclaiming to the mirror "I AM A MAN NOW!" Buuut it also seems like the show was kind enough to not make him purely the butt of jokes like this but actually allow him to show that he's a good guy nowadays. He still prioritizes things like Amity's safety and what not after all. Again, I don't know how accurately but what I've seen theoretically shows me that yeah, For the Future did do something right.

Hell, as a moment of positivity: In a vacuum, the main thing I truly don't approve of in For the Future conceptually is Kikimora. There is no reason to have her back, let alone not beat her there. But if this was a pair of episodes in a full 20 episode season, they could have potentially been a highlight of the season. There's a lot of good character stuff conceptually here and it's utilizing the fact that the side characters can be fun in TOH, even if many of them have been turned more into like the twins where they're pretty bland now that they're purely good as well. But... That's in a vacuum where this didn't end up being a filler episode in a three episode season where so many critical elements are just left hollow while we spend time with characters who haven't mattered for an entire season. *sigh*

Still, I'm happy for Matt fans that their character got such a good ending.

======+++++======

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[originalgenshinscenarios]

Monthly special: Variable Barricade crossover!

I joked that I'd finish it on Miko's birthday- to actually finish it on her birthday lol. Anyways this isn't exactly proofread because I honestly just wanted to post it already. I get that's it's messy and all over the place but that's how things are when I try to make a short chapter out of something that should've been multiple chapters where I go into more detail with the issues, but if I did that we would never have this thing finished ever.

If you want to join the taglist just send an ask or dm me!

Reader here is female and has established background.

Cw: Age gap (Reader is 18 and the ladies are ages 20-24)

|First Chapter|

<= Previous chapter

You're slowly starting to understand Miko, she started to become your place of comfort even with your routine. Now she had helped you see things you were too stubborn to notice.

But what will you do about it?

Miko's part one: chapter 2- Like a bird in a cage.

Another weekend has made its round as you slowly get used to everyone being around. Although you still don't enjoy this situation, at least you don't feel scared as much anymore. You feel more like you have 4 obnoxious roommates rather than having 4 women competing for your heart.

"Y/N, can you come here please?" Miko asked as she patted the place right next to her on the couch as soon as you went downstairs. She didn't even look up from her book and she already knew that it was you who's here which is quite impressive. Perhaps it was just luck, or perhaps you were the only one who hasn't left your room yet. Regardless you were curious what could she want from you.

"What is it Miko?" you ask as you approached her, you didn't sit down though as you could only spare a moment for her.

"I was just wondering if you'd like to go out today, I found a nice store for us to go to. It sells quite adorable accessories so I figured it'd be to your liking" she smiled "They certainly piqued my interest, so I wouldn't want you missing out on it" she didn't look like she was teasing you.

"Pardon my intrusion miss Miko, while I do think it's a lovely offer, don't you think that such items aren't suitable for a L/N heir?" before you got a chance to respond, Thoma joined in the conversation. It seems like he knew what store she had in mind. But you aren't really surprised by his reaction, it's not the first time he has controlled your wardrobe. So far his judgment was right, so you never really complained about it. However, Miko had a different opinion on it.

"And Why is that? It's just something she can have in private. I'm not saying that she has to do serious business wearing these accessories" her mood shifted too, her smile changed into a more judgemental look as she spoke to your butler.

"I don't think you understand, being an heir it's something you can take a break from" as true as it was, you honestly just wanted to leave this conversation.

"It's okay Miko. I don't think there's anything I'd like to wear anyways, but thanks for the offer" you decided to cut the argument short. It definitely wasn't going anywhere and frankly you wouldn't want to see it going any further.

It's not like you had the time to go today anyways, because you and Ayaka had plans.

-

When you came back home you went to Miko's room for your usual "fluffy therapy". It was a little different this time, because it was clear that she was still annoyed if not furious.

"Are you still thinking about what happened in the morning..?" you decided to be direct, you saw no point in changing the topic for it to gradually change into what you truly wanted to discuss.

"Not really. It's… something else entirely actually. Although I'd be lying if I said that Thoma didn't upset me" she sighed "But it doesn't matter. After all now I get you all to myself" she winks, her good spirits quickly coming back to her "I actually did get you a little something" she took out a small bird keychain. It was… adorable.

"Thank you but-"

"No need to thank me or refuse the gift. I don't expect you to attach it to anything" she stopped you before you had the chance to bring up what Thoma had said.

"Then why bother giving me this..?" you're happy that you don't need to turn it down but, at the same time what were you supposed to do with it?

"Y/N, not every item is going to serve its destined purpose set by the producer. Besides, I just wanted you to have a little something that would remind you of me. So as long as you don't throw it away, I'm fine with whatever you do with it" she explained, putting her hand on your shoulder.

"Oh… Thank you, I'll be sure to take care of it" you felt a little speechless by what she had said. The first sentence was definitely not just about the keychain, you know it's her way of nudging you in the right direction. But, it's not something you're willing to agree to. You are a responsible young woman, therefore you're not interested in such idealistic talk of a perfect world.

"I believe keeping it out of Thoma's sight is a perfect way to do just that" she laughed "Or not, I think it'd be funny to start hearing how bad of an influence I have on you"

"Those aren't exactly Thoma's ideals you know, he's just following orders for the most part" it's important for you to clear it up before anything. You don't want her to get any weird ideas, after all even if he sometimes acts against you in the end he's your ally. You could always count on him, so you're aware that he does everything in your best interest… but the situation with suitors is that one exception where you're still mad about him keeping it secret.

"If that's what you want to believe, I won't push my opinion on it any further" she was definitely disappointed by your defense "Let's not talk about it, we got a little distracted and now it's time to resume what you came here for originally, okay?" you nod, as you don't want to continue it either. Now it was your time to relax.

Still, there was one feeling of doubt playing around with your heart, and you didn't even know what you were doubting to begin with. In the end you allowed yourself to forget it, but you have the feeling that if you continue your relationship with Miko you will eventually find your answer.

-

You ended up not attaching the keychain to anything, but you do have it with yourself and occasionally glance at it for a moment. You're not even sure why. But it is rather adorable, so it'd be a shame to just let it gather dust in your room.

"Destined purpose huh..?" you mutter to yourself. It was clear that Miko was talking more about you than this little bird… but why do you care? Just because she got some way of getting close to you, it's not like it makes her understand you completely. Her gesture is nice, but in no way she can dictate what to think. You're happy with how things are, sure sometimes you get upset over how things are but you're strong. You're a L/N and you take pride in that.

"Greetings Y/N" Ayaka walked up to you. You almost forgot that you were at school… Regardless she looked at the object of your previous attention "That's quite an adorable keychain, where did you get it?"

"It's a gift" you didn't want to lie. But now you are bound to have a talk about your progress.

"Oh! Is it from one of the suitors? From who exactly?" she smiles "It's very nice of her, don't you agree?"

"It's from Miko. And well, I'm not sure if she did it for me, or if she wanted to upset Thoma instead" honestly you thought about the second opinion just now. It made sense.

"But Thoma isn't the type to get upset so easily. Especially over things like that" you knew she'd bring it up.

"You tell me, it's just that the two had an argument that morning about what I'm allowed to wear. With how Miko is, he probably thought she'd buy me something too cute to tease me" you pause for a moment "Besides, she doesn't know Thoma in a way either of us do. So she probably thought that her ignoring his advice would be her winning"

"So I'm guessing you haven't explained the situation?"

"I did, but just so she doesn't get any weird ideas. It's not my responsibility to make sure the suitors get along with Thoma" if anything it's in their favor to do that on their own.

"I guess you're right" she looked a bit troubled "I'm surprised Thoma even stood up to her. I remember how he talked to me about her when it was all starting" given how easily Thoma gets along with everyone you were quite surprised to hear it. Ayaka had no reason to lie though, so you didn't question her mention.

"Look at me, I was scared of them too but I'm slowly getting used to it"

"That's good to hear, but I still think there might be something more to it…" she trailed off for a second "But uhm… don't mind me! I was just thinking out loud, I wouldn't want you to feel paranoid for no reason"

"You can't just say stuff like that and expect me to not think about it!" you immediately started to think what could she even mean.

"Sorry Y/N but really, it's just a random thought I had. You don't have anything to worry about really!" she looked panicked a little as she realized her poor choice of words.

"You're not making this any better Ayaka…" you sigh. You know she's trying but that seed of doubt made it's way to you, and it won't be something you could get rid of easily. Especially since Ayaka does have her suspicions and she admits to them.

"I know…" she looked down "But it wasn't anything serious. I just wondered why Miko and Thoma have that pointless war going on" she tried to clear it up, but it was too late for you to not overthink it. She must've had something more specific on her mind and shortened it for a reason.

-

Next day, Ayaka's words kept haunting you. Just what did she mean? What did she want to say? Even if it was just her imagination, she should just tell you her "theory" because now you're overthinking it. What could Miko have against Thoma, or the other way around? Why does it matter? What are they hiding from you? These never ending questions are really driving you insane. To get your answers though you can't just be straightforward about it. You need a plan to get just the information you need. Which won't be easy. Miko definitely would know your intentions before you even speak… same with Thoma now that you think about it. You really had no way to go about it.

As you were slowly giving up, you heard Miko's voice. She was talking to someone over the phone and seems to not have noticed you "Oh please, you don't need to go that far now" her voice sounded troubled and it caused you to worry "You'll do what!? I had no idea you'd be this desperate" she sighed as she continued to listen "Alright, I get it. Just give me some time. I promise everything will be done on time" before she hangs up you leave the area. You wouldn't want her to know that you were eavesdropping. Still, her conversation concerned you. What if she was being threatened? It sounded like that. Even if she seemed calm it's still Miko, she probably put on a brave face. You need to help her… but she probably won't be willing to talk.

-

You couldn't get this out of your head so you decided to talk with the rest. Maybe they would be able to help.

"Have you talked to Miko first? Maybe you misunderstood the situation" Ningguang was the first one to point it out.

"I'm not sure if she'd tell me the truth" you answer.

"Makes sense, a lot of people tend to avoid asking for help in situations like these" Yelan nods "But Miko isn't like other people, I'm sure that even if she's being threatened she has some sort of a plan" she adds.

"Yeah I agree, she'll probably end up playing the person who threatened her" Eula said with an annoyed tone.

"I can definitely see it too" Ningguang now seemed less concerned as she laughed lightly "Whoever chose her to pick on is probably regretting it now" with that the atmosphere of the conversation switched… and you didn't like that.

"Do you think she might be acting dumb? Or is she straight up just insufferable?" Yelan asked, clearly holding back a chuckle.

"My bet is that she's a mix of both and acts accordingly to what the other side says" Eula rolled her eyes.

As they continued to talk like that you could feel the anger in you growing…

|"How dare you say things like that!?" (Romance)|

"Just why do you think this is something you can joke about!?" the look on your face was mixed with disappointment and fury "Miko might be in danger and all you can think of is how SHE'S inconvenient to THEM?" the room fell silent "Come on, tell me. Why do you think that this is okay?" you look at them with your arms crossed.

The actual reason for them being quiet though… wasn't your shaming "I see that you're concerned about me. That's really sweet but… why?"

|"That's not the point…" (Reason)|

"Look, I'm pretty sure that she can handle herself. But I still would like us to talk to her about it" you sigh at how they think this is appropriate time to joke "She sounded like she wasn't in the biggest trouble but I'd still prefer to make sure"

"Then why make such a gathering instead of talking to me directly hm..?"

-----

You turn to see Miko smirking "Go on, I'm listening"

As caught off guard as you were, you had to speak the truth "I overheard your conversation on the phone"

"And what about it? I was just speaking to one of the former writers I used to help. I can hardly see how that could be worrisome" she shrugged "Unless you took that completely out of context. Then I must say you have quite the imagination to make it out into something like that"

You were glad that she was alright… but it almost sounded like she was mocking you. It made you regret worrying for her "I see, in that case I apologize for the misunderstanding" you say gracefully but on the inside you felt extremely embarrassed. You turned and left the scene. Nobody followed after you, which you appreciated.

What is it with you making things into such a mess? What's the deal with this constant overthinking? First was that "war" and now this. This whole suitor situation is making you even more paranoid with each day and now you can see it.

"Y/N?" it definitely wasn't Thoma's voice "I know I'm not supposed to be here, but I was worried because of how you left" you could clearly hear Miko from the other side of the doors.

|If you picked romance options the most|

You have no idea what to do. You don't want to let her in, so you just peek your head out "You have nothing to worry about"

"Oh really? Then care to explain why you act like we're back at square one?" she sighed "You still don't understand your own feelings, do you?"

"Because you're the expert, aren't you?" your sarcastic tone was sharp, but she remained unphased.

"I don't claim as such, but it's not hard to tell that you're lost" she didn't attempt to enter your room. But from the look on her face it looked more like she wanted you to come out instead.

She doesn't ask that of you, and yet you still chose to do just that "Listen, I appreciate that you care enough to continue reaching out" you pause for a moment as you want to once again arrange your words in your mind before you speak "But I want to be the one to explain my feelings to me. I don't need any directions, and I most certainly don't want you to treat me like I'm here to amuse you with my somewhat naive behavior"

"I understand, thank you for telling me" her smile was somewhat sinister… "I suppose that means I don't have anything else to say to you. See you later then" she leaves without your answer once again.

|If you picked reason options the most|

You're done with her for today. It's not that you're really mad at her… but more in need of a break. You remain quiet, wanting to see if she'll respect your boundary.

From the other side you couldn't hear any more sounds other than faint footsteps getting quieter with each second. She must've left so now you got to calm down at your own peace. It was nice of her to worry, and even better that she gave you the space you needed.

-----

In the end, whatever you do you can't understand her intentions. She probably thinks of it as a game, and yet you find yourself hoping that you're wrong in thinking so. She managed to get herself close to you, but it doesn't mean that you trust her. As sweet as her gestures are, you could only see it as tricks. Then again, anything your suitors do could be considered as such.

So all you can do now is to keep your eyes open.

-- TAGLIST:

@audre-falrose @frozengenderfluid @watamehorns @bebeluvvv @fandangotales @yumi-genshin-writer

[ae-neon]

I have so many unpopular opinions!

I don't believe you necessarily have to be a terrible person to get blocked. I blocked an anti-Feysand (my people) just because she hated Nesta too and kept posting anti/critical posts of her.

Tamlin is literally not that bad. Anything he's done, the faves have done it more and done it worse, laughed about it over wine, never apologized for it, and patted themselves on the back for it.

Feyre being locked in a literal mansion where her every need was met to protect her is so unserious to me. Like honestly, I get where SJM was going with it, and I get all the other stuff, but THAT I roll my eyes at. The girl spent half her life (or three years, depending on which piece of canon you prefer) putting herself in danger just to scrape by with no one saving or protecting her. She spent the last three months going through horrifically dangerous and traumatic shit with no one to save or protect her. The idea that someone she loves says "don't go into danger, stay here in the lap of luxury not worrying about anything for a few months while I make sure our court is safe" gave her claustrophobic PTSD but almost getting trapped when stealing the Book of Breathings didn't? Recreating UtM in the Hewn City didn't? The Weaver's Cottage didn't? As someone who used to be homeless and starved on more than one occasion, I'd personally take temporary imprisonment in a mansion where I knew my next meal was guaranteed and people were there who cared about me anything else (and can we all realize that it very much was temporary? Tamlin was worried about things that he was ACTIVELY trying to take care of so he and Feyre DIDN'T have to worry about anymore).

Even GOOD people on this side of the fandom go too far with all the abuse talk. I've seen maybe four blogs telling people to dial it back. There is no way to make a supernatural fantasy story not "abusive" by our standards. We talk about it too much. Certain things (SA, grooming & manipulation, all of ACOSF), yes! All of the deep explorations of Calanmai and SA? Dial it back!

I have so many more but this is getting too long. I just really feel like I'm the only one with sense my line of thinking in this fandom (that was a joke if it wasn't clear).

Hello anon

I actually agree with wanting to pull off the abuse label on certain situations. I'm tired of moral grandstanding to justify why I like who I like Vs who I don't like.

It's fine to point out when doing critical analysis but why are we alwaaaays analysing. I don't want to sound anti intellectual but while it is that deep, we don't always have to engage at that level.

Maybe I just don't like Rhys not cause he's clearly an abusive manipulator but cause he's boring? He's just incompetent and I find that unattractive? Maybe I don't care that Cassian needs therapy, I just don't like his aesthetic? Frankly I think that should be reason enough.

Feyre locked away in the mansion is so real. It's not like she was torn away from her preferred property like Nesta. Like you're in your own house, just for the day, until he comes back and you can tell him to fuck off.

And of course nothing else in the next weeks where she was manipulated into humiliating or life-threatening situations would also trigger her PTSD. It's subjective. As subjective as SJM decides to make it.

According to SJM herself, her faves trauma is just not that deep. It disappears in weeks. It only ever comes up to remind the readers not to pick anyone else's side in an argument where SJM is losing against her own characters.

[aitprotag]

u/FineEyes posted in r/relationship_advice: Is my sister too shy with her crush?

I (20F) had a discussion with my best friend "Charlene" (27F) about my older sister "Jean" (22F). Jean has a crush on a new neighbor of ours, "Ben" (22M), and it's pretty clear that he likes her, too. I was talking to Charlene the other day about how Jean doesn't show her emotions much, so nobody outside our family was likely to figure out how much of a crush she really had. We live in a REALLY gossipy little town, where everybody is up in everybody else's business all the time, and if anybody got the idea that Jean liked Ben, EVERYONE would be talking about it.

But Charlene disagreed with me. She said people can't fall in love with someone unless that person encourages them and shows that THEY'RE interested, too. She said that if Jean likes Ben, she should show MORE affection than she feels, not less. Otherwise Ben will never get past the phase of having a crush on her.

I argued that if a woman has a crush on a man and doesn't try to hide it, he's going to eventually figure it out, but Charlene said that Ben and Jean always meet in public and in larger groups, and don't have a lot of time to talk. So Jean should "make the most of every minute she has" and even exaggerate her feelings until he asks her out. (Our country is old-fashioned, and it's considered a big social no-no for a woman to ask a man out.) Charlene said that after Ben asks her out, THEN Jean can have all the time she wants to actually fall in love with him for real.

I was kind of indignant, and I said that if Jean were a gold-digger or something, and just wanted to have a boyfriend in order to have a boyfriend, maybe she'd do that, but she wasn't plotting anything and her feelings were real. She doesn't want to TRAP him into asking her out, because she doesn't know him well enough yet to know if he's really a good guy, or even how much she really likes him.

And THEN Charlene said that even when people get married, it's better not to know too much about your partner's faults (??!!). Because nobody's perfect, and every marriage is going to have its rough points, and even when two people think they're great for each other, it doesn't always work out. So having a happy marriage is completely a matter of chance, and it's better not to know how annoying your spouse is before you marry them!

I mean, Charlene was obviously joking. We like to call our favorite couch in the living room "the snark corner" for a reason! And I don't think it's a big deal in this case, since it's clear that Jean and Ben are MADE for each other, and as long as no busybodies start getting involved, I think they're going to end up together pretty soon. But as a philosophical question: What do you think of Charlene's argument? I want to know r/relationship_advice's opinion. If you have a crush on somebody (especially if you're a woman), should you exaggerate it when you're around them so they'll ask you out instead of picking somebody else? Or play it cool and take your time to get to know them?

[rattyshipss]

New currently unnamed dreamt up f/o headcanons and playlist:

He's my boss at some new job it wasn't very clear what the job was in the dream so I'm still working that out

Mf conspired with someone I know to help me pay for my years at the position because it was somehow something I had to pay for and a job at the same time, still working that out too

But I might still keep that because in my dream he was so genuinly excited to tell me that when him and the person I knew were dealing with "technical issues" they were really working on getting everything paid for for me for at least a bunch of my years there, it was really heartwarming and I remember but being like "O-oh" and trying to figure out what to say and all of my coworkers laughing at my stutter (Not in a rude way just laughing at how shocked I was)

It would DEFANITELY be a looong mutual pining situation especially with out situation

He was super respectful too like he didn't try to make a move or anything and kept it professional but still cared about me a lot and was really rooting for me/genuinly happy for me and to help me

He'd absolutely be the most protective boss (/Secret admirer) ever after learning about the situation at my old job

Nobody's gonna be able to do shit

Once we do start dating I'm not gonna be able to tell him the name of one of my old coworkers who was involved in the situation and if I ever let it slip he'd immediately store it in his mind forever

If I ever mention anything even slightly worrying about someone like in that situation mf would perk up and immediately be on guard I wouldn't be able to let anything slide past him

That's probably for the best tho

He'd be so fucking annoyed if I kept anything worrying from him too

I can just imagine his annoyed ass face like a mix of this "👀🧐🤨😠🙃"

If we ever got found out for our relationship at work (It would be hell especially since he's my boss holy fuck) he'd defend the hell out of me going off about how good of a worker and person I am and no matter how much they wouldn't believe it he'd make sure they heard him when he said the relationship was real and it wasn't for any of the wrong reasons and that it was worth it

The money aspect in the begining would fuck everything over

Mf would get the absolute most slammed during all of it I feel bad for him

I feel like there would be a hate train on him for AWHILE after that that would hopefully eventually die down at least a bit

After awhile I'd be constantly joking about it too I'd make so many cracks about him he'd be sick of me

For a lack of better words I feel like we'd be the cool couple, like just close and comfortable with eachother and matching eachothers energy being stupid together, also mf looks DAMN GOOD in his loner emo look

He'd 1000% be the type to be completely obsessed with his s/o and worship the ground they walk on

He'd absolutely immediately take in and coparent my rats with me

Pre relationship and post relationship he'd always make sure I ate lunch at work and had an actual lunch mf wouldn't accept fucking crackers

I WANNA GET A PUPPY WITH HIM

His favorite Taylor Swift song is Maroon I feel it in my bones

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Playlist:

+ Prison for life (Unreleased) Olivia Rodrigo and Fantasize (Unreleased) Ariana Grande (There will probably be much more added to this overtime)

I'm very excited about these so reblogs and opinions are very appreciated but obviously not required!💖

[twistedtrashposts]

Um, hi there! So I've read your post about Grim's Overblot and I've read your quote: "Twisted Wonderland is not an otome, and should not be one. The game wouldn’t be nearly as fun and complex if it was." Now, to start off, I'm a huge fan of Twisted Wonderland like you. I love the characters, backgrounds, storylines, the whole shebang. And I just had this itchy feeling, this nagging feeling that it somehow should be an otome game.

Now, this is just my opinion, but I feel that even with some female characters as the main characters, the game would still be fun and complex. The female MC would go along their way finding a way back home, dealing with Overblots, making friends, forming connections. Of course, some little crushes would pop up here and there. A little sweet romance along the way doesn't hurt, does it? After all, the boys do need some love after everything they went though.

It does sound silly and naive, but I firmly believe that love is a powerful force that could touch even the hardest of hearts. Of course, there are some problems that even love can't heal, but knowing that they have a loved one looking out for them, with enough confidence, the boys can conquer their problems by themselves.

Overall, I humbly respect your opinion of it not being an otome game. Each to their own. Great post, by the way! Thanks a bunch!

Hey hey! So, I wanna make it clear that no offense is taken at all, and this is just a spark of friendly debate. After all, this is a shitpost blog, what's the point of feelings actually being hurt?

As an asexual and questioning aromantic (Happy Pride y'all, lmao) I really value platonic love being put in stories. Even more so when it's actually valued as highly as romantic or family love. And I think Twisted Wonderland actually makes me feel like it is, especially with ADeuce and Grim.

Does that stop me from making jokes about the boys being down bad for the MC, of course not, and I wouldn't be upset if a crush existed. I just feel really happy to see a platonic relationship valued so highly.

There is the point of a female specific MC that would really exclude a large portion of their fanbase, so I'm glad they went the route of making Yuu gender neutral, but an otome could still have done that. Hell, just look at Obey Me.

But also in general, otome games don't put as much effort into their characters when they stand on their own, because they're meant to be love interests. They never are "complete" without the MC, and that's what I meant by the game not being as complex if it was one. Otome games usually have their LI's issues fixed, or at least starting to be fixed, using the power of love trope.

That works for them, great! And there's nothing wrong with folks who enjoy that. There are a handful of otome games I actually enjoy, myself. I just don't think Twisted Wonderland would have been one of them.

But, like you said, to each their own. Your opinion is entirely valid, and it's fine to have been disappointed that it wasn't! That's why we have fanfiction, yeah?