#this is probably not a very unpopular opinion locally

[rikiluvly]

TWO SIDES TO A BOY

*ੈ ✩ ‧₊˚𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒’𝓈 𝒶𝓁𝓌𝒶𝓎𝓈 𝓉𝓌𝑜 𝓈𝒾𝒹𝑒𝓈 𝒾𝓈𝓃’𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒?

PAIRINGS: spiderman!riki x fem!reader

SYNOPSIS: Spider-Man is the local legend in your city and the one identity that no one can seem to figure out. but one day you and your friend Jungwon decide to do a film documentary about finding out the identity of Spider-Man, If only you had known earlier that it was your high school crush, Nishimura Riki.

GENRE: Spider-Man au, high school au, fluff, lots of crack, first person.

WARNINGS: swearing, inappropriate jokes.

WORD COUNT: 2.3k

*ੈ ✩ ‧ ₊ ˚

If there was one word to describe Spider-Man it would be COCKY. he is this dude who wears a skin-tight latex suit and swings around the city looking for someone to save from possible danger. but while people are out here swooning over the mystery person behind the mask, I'm here swooning over Nishimura Riki.

everything about Riki is perfection. his hair, his lips, his eyes, even his figure for goddamn sake. I thought Jungwon was the maximum height for a guy until my Riki came along.

as soon as Riki joined our school he instantly became best buddies with Jungwon. my friend Jungwon, my only friend Jungwon. so because of that, I had to pull myself together and become friends with Riki too.

It was before school and me and Jungwon were walking into the school gates. we were just talking about whose mom makes the best cookies until we felt a giant breeze come from above us.

the one and only Spider-Man came swooshing through the school here to make his weekly delivery of a girl who faked she was in trouble just to get his attention. Spider-Man placed the girl down in the courtyard as everyone came rushing in to catch a glimpse of the one and only superhero.

"thank you so much Spider-Man!" the girl thanked him. the poor guy.

"your so very welcome lovely lady," he saluted and swung off to wherever he came from. a typical morning if I have to be honest. you looked behind you to watch Spider-Man swing away, but he had already disappeared. not like you cared. he was overhyped anyway.

"where the hell is Riki we have to get to first period," Jungwon grumbled. It's not surprising that he isn't here, he's quite known for being late around school.

"I dunno, don't ask me," Jungwon rolled his eyes as he took a look at his watch. his eyes widened and he clutched onto my wrist a tugged me behind him as he sprinted.

"jeez, why u so desperate to get to class won?" I asked as I got pulled through the hallway. we got a few stares but what's there to expect when I probably looked like a running chicken?

we had finally made it to class but with a few sacrifices. I now smelled like a 15-year-old boy who forgot to put on deodorant and my hair was now frizzed up to the max. Jungwon brought his hands to his knees and breathed like an old man who was at minimum lung capacity.

"okay," he took another deep breath before standing up properly. "let's go," he lifted his bag straps to sit perfectly on his shoulders and strode into class with a beaming, bright smile.

what a weirdo.

*ੈ ✩ ‧ ₊ ˚

it was the middle of literature and me and Jungwon were thinking intensively about what our film documentary should be about. except all of our ideas were stupid.

"what about... 'why The Office UK is better than The Office US?" Jungwon said raising his eyebrows at me. he was right, The Office UK is better than the US one... but I refuse to waste time trying to convince the people in our class to choose what was an unpopular opinion.

"mmm, what abou-" suddenly and very rudely the door to our classroom slammed open. it was my Riki. all of a sudden I don't mind that my eardrums nearly exploded because of the loud noise.

"sorry I'm late miss... I overslept," he said obviously lying, but it's okay I forgive him. he looked over to me and Jungwon and smiled as he made his way over.

"not so fast Nishimura, your late so you're going to have to join another group," the teacher pointed at him. nope. I swear to god If he gets put with Wonhee I will cry. Wonhee is this girl, this girl who tries to act dumb to get guys to like her. I have also heard from a few people about how she has a crush on Riki, oh how I hate this girl.

"mmm, how about with Wonhee and Moka," I did say I would cry but it would’ve been too embarrassing. I watched him as he turned to walk toward the girl who indeed just wants Riki all to herself, she is so selfish.

after that interesting moment, me and Jungwon went back to brainstorming ideas. but my eyes just couldn't turn away from him. he’s so pretty that it hurts to see him talk to other girls, but there is no stopping it really. unless I decided to kill her but that's a bit extreme.

"ok y/n I think I got it now," maybe if I cut my hair he might like me.

"y/n, girl stop ignoring me," or if I changed my make-up routine? nah, I'm pretty enou-

"Y/N STOP STARING AT RIKI!" Jungwon screamed loud enough for the whole class to hear. I looked around only to see many stares, how embarrassing. Wonhee eyed me up and down and I couldn't bare to even look at Riki.

"Jungwon that's enough, everyone back to work," the teacher said.

"I hate you Jungwon, don't do that again or I will tell the whole class you have a crush on Moka!" I blackmailed him, obviously because that's what friends do.

"fine! fine! whatever. okay, can I tell you my idea now?" you shrugged still slightly annoyed. If Riki ever found out I liked him it would be over for me. I may as well just move to New Zealand, they've left that place out of the map a few times right?

"so I was thinking what about we do a documentary on finding out the identity of Spider-Man?" you couldn't lie it was a terribly good idea. you could have good dialogue and maybe you could really become famous for figuring out this mystery. what's the harm?

"okay then, let's do it."

*ੈ ✩ ‧ ₊ ˚

it was lunchtime, my favourite part of the day. yummy food, gossip, and what makes it especially good is the fact that I get to sit close to Riki. It was just me and my one and only at the moment because silly Jungwon wanted to help tutor students.

"so... what did you and Jungwon decide to do for your documentary?" his deep voice spoke from across the table.

"well, we're doing 'figuring out the identity of Spider-Man'," I waved my hands out to show the vision. he didn't seem very impressed, was he mad?

"uhhh, you good Riki?" he seemed to have zoned out for a bit so I waved my hand in front of his face. didn't think I was that boring.

"huh? oh yeah I- I'm fine just eat your food," he nodded his head towards my tray. anything you say, Riki. it got a bit awkward and I really wanted to say something but he looked too lost in his thoughts.

I don't actually know what I did but this is the only time I prayed for the appearance of Jungwon. I can’t believe my friend of 10 years would do this to me.

It was the first day of year 1 and I had just walked into my new classroom. none of the other kids really caught my attention.

until I spotted this lonely boy chewing on the carpet. a bit weird I know but I just went and joined him. but then my mum got mad and his mum got mad and that's how our parents became friends. so really I'm stuck with this carpet-chewing cat the rest of my life.

but... still no sign of Jungwon. you really don't know what to say. you try to think of something that will comfort him in his time of need.

"are you sad because you're actually Spider-Man hahaha," I laughed to myself slowing stopping when I realized I wasn't funny. he didn’t seem impressed as his eyes widened and he said this.

“I actually got to go… sorry y/n,” he got up and dumped his food in the bin. why do I always mess things up?

the rest of school was terrible. apparently Jungwon had left because he had mono. the Jungwon I know has never kissed anyone in his whole life so to me that isn’t very believable.

I was just walking home thinking about what I did to mess up my interaction with Riki, until an adorable kitten came up to me.

the kitten was back and white and looked like it was wearing a suit. how are cats so relaxed? sometimes I wish I was a cat.

well maybe not this time.

the feline suddenly stood up and transformed into a frickin monster? a 9-foot cat was now in my presence and usually I'd be used to seeing weird and strange things around town, but when it's happening to me, it's a different story.

this humongous shit then came charging at me on it’s four paws. I sprinted the other way screaming my lungs off, I was genuinely scared. what if I would never get to sort things out with Riki or I would never see my family again, and whose gonna look after Jungwon?

I turned the corner thinking about how this may be my death. this is the one time I prayed for Spider-Man to save me…

please save me Spider-Man.

*ੈ ✩ ‧ ₊ ˚

“I am not laughing, this shit isn’t funny Jake,” I raised my voice at Jake who was lying in my top bunk.

“I’m sure she was just joking Riki,” he sat up and swung his legs over the ladder.

“whatever, but if she finds out it’s over for me,” I sat down on my wheeley chair and tilted my head back as I spun. if y/n found out it would ruin everything with her.

“I say… ya tell her,” Jake said as he threw a ball at me.

“she’s literally doing her literature documentary on ‘findings out the identity of Spider-Man’, I don’t think that’s a good idea man,” I threw the ball back at him.

why is being the best superhero in the world so tough. If on queue I head some loud as screams coming from below my bedroom window.

I took a look out the window and there was y/n running in front of a giant cat? actually, now that I think about it she was running away from the giant cat.

“shit Jake I think that’s y/n!” I dragged him down from my bed so he can take a look.

“should I save her?” I said scratching my head.

“dude, what kind of question is that!?”

“right, okay!” I stripped off my shirt and pants to slip on the most uncomfortable thing ever. this fucking red suit.

“see ya Jake,” I saluted to him as I fell down my window backwards. I used my webs to grab on to the nearest light posts to try to catch up with y/n.

“you alright ma’am!”

"NO! WHAT DO YOU THINK?!" she was out of breath I could tell. so I used my webs and wrapped them around this fat shit of a cat. I was branched on top of a light post as I pulled the feline so it could stop moving. once the fuck was squirming around I put my index and pinky finger out to wrap the cat fully in webs. easy.

"th- thank you Spider-Man," y/n said as she tried to catch her breath. I jumped off to land right in front of her.

"no problem, you alright?" I'm not going to lie that even though y/n is in a pretty rough state, she still looked really pretty for someone who nearly died.

"yeah, yeah I'm fine... but you sound really familiar Spider-Man," she raised an eyebrow at me. shit. I quickly wrote a note to the police saying: 'big fat cat for you to deal with po po, from Spider-Man' and I placed it on the body of the animal.

"uh- I've gotta go pretty, but make sure not to get into any more trouble!" I shouted as I swung away leaving her standing there confused.

I climbed back up into my room only to see Jake had left. I slipped off my suit and put on some more comfortable clothes just to climb up onto my bed and just lay there. school is shit 98% of the time, the only thing really keeping me there is Jungwon and y/n. being a fucking superhero is also shit; having to save people constantly, being chased down by literal aliens, and the thought of someone finding out it's me.

Jungwon and y/n won't find it out though right? right?

*ੈ ✩ ‧ ₊ ˚

"I NEARLY FUDGING DIED WON!" I screamed at Jungwon through my phone. that was really something I did not expect to happen.

"you really should have been there. oh and what is the real reason you left school? there is no way you got mono."

"mono? now who told you that?"

"Sunoo..." now that I say it out loud, it seems less believable. Sunoo is known around school for spreading gossip and rumors about people.

"right, well it's nothing really... but being saved by Spider-Man, my goodness y/n!"

"I KNOW RIGHT?! and if I'm being honest he sounded pretty familiar, but I just couldn't put a face to the voice." that shit had been bothering me my whole walk home after the incident. who could it have been? I'd ruled out Riki though because I could recognize his voice from a mile away.

"well, tomorrow at school I will bring my camera to film him in the morning. AND BE SAFE! you can't just go off and start dying on me."

"yeah, yeah bye loser." and then I hung up.

maybe Spider-Man isn't so bad after all.

A/N: this took too long and it's only 2k words omg. n e ways Middle Of Nowhere pt 2 soon!

TAGLIST: @heerinnie @microwvdstrawb3rri3s @j-wyoung

[mirkhammett]

champagne coast / kirk

there’s a specific vibe i went for in this, and i don’t know if i manage to express it properly but..those coming of age movie parties with jeff buckley in the soundtrack ^.^ you get me?? this is my first time trying to write something longer than 400 words in a looong while, so pls bare with me and my clusters of infinite mistakes lol

reblogs, likes, comments and asks are all highly appreciated! if this gets some interactions i may do a part 2 with..fun stuff wink wink!! i also apologise for how rushed the ending is, but i gave up lol

summary: you meet a cute guitarist at a party, that’s about it ^.^

word count; 4.2k

warnings; mentions of drugs, smoking (tobacco+marijuana, reader+kirk smoke cigs)

i have not proofread this yet so expect mistakes!!

the summer breeze is discouraging. desolate plants are surviving just barely under the malicious sun, like a record that just keeps on playing; the aftermath of the music, the seconds of muffled silence as the vinyl spins effortlessly, and you know you should just get up and remove the stylus, because the impracticalness of such a simple act of futility, could end up with a damaged record. and no one wants a damaged record.

there’s often a local yearn for the heat, summer always seeming too far away in winter, as the miserable humidity is replaced with a sharp winter, ice flakes cutting like blades, which to some, would be considered worse. and to this sum, the summer breeze may be a blessing.

everything about this place could be deemed as overstimulating. from the immense mass of people, all in garments that would never live to see the day in a public place, with such little material- could these things really be considered as clothes? and judging by the majority of party-goers, your opinion would be considered unpopular.

the concrete is hot to touch- the unsteady porch not doing much to help. it’s slightly better than inside the house, though.

it isn’t too big, it’s just too small. a perfectly adequate residence for someone in their mid 20s to occupy, and it looks it too. the entryway of the house is not only filled with coats and others of the sort, but all 4 of the cream coloured walls are adorned in posters. some are easily known- you recognise one in particular as a promotional poster for a new thrash band, the logo on the corner signifying that whoever owns this, got it fresh from a record store window.

entering though the hallway into the kitchen felt like a treacherous task for you, under the oppressive temperatures. sporting this thin sweater may have not been the right choice, you criticise.

there’s a table in the kitchen. well, the remains of a table. empty beer cans are scattered across, and a half full bowl of punch sits, patiently waiting for its next victim to intoxicate with its high levels of ethanol, and god knows what else. you pondered if fresh orange juice was used, or artificial.

you feel their eyes on you before you see it. and then a hands reaching out to you. skinny, nimble fingers connected to a tanned wrist, paired with a couple dainty, gold, probably fake, bracelets. and that tanned wrist connects to an equally tan body, (of course.)

you look at her quizzically. she’s got flowing hair, brown ribbons of curl that shone with an orange tint under the shitty, dingy lamp illuminating the cramped room. and then you gazed up at her again.

do you know her? does she know you?

staring unblinkingly at her, you realise, is probably very much off putting. it’s hard to take kindness from strangers, well, for most people. it’s even harder to tell if that kindness is genuine. you believe in the idea, quality, or quantity. at least that’s what you tell yourself- and it maybe the whole reason you ended up in this predicament.

she’s got a man on her arm. he’s tall, well, he’s taller than both you, and her. his long, blonde hair is looking a little ratty, and you know she must have thought the same too. you can also tell he’s been trying to grow out a ‘horse-shoe’ moustache, judging by the minor prickles of hair, and the subtle shaping.

he’s looking at you like a guard dog- and his expression is fully straight. you can’t tell if he’s one of those people, that show a hard exterior, but really, is the complete opposite, or, if he is really a dick and is gonna punch you if you stare any longer. choosing a safe option, you glance back at her.

“here,” she nudges you again. oh, she’s got a cup. it’s one of those cheap, red plastic cups you always see in the movies- the frat party ones. her presence is warm. she smiles warmly. is that a thing?

“get yourself a drink.” and then she’s opening up the palm of your hand, and tightening your fingers around the plastic rim.

you hum in surprise. it’s not every day a complete stranger is nice to you. infact, you can only count one specific time where this happened before. the one time that led to you coming to this party, through the kindness of a once mutual, now, you felt comfortable enough to consider, just a friend.

“oh! thank you.” you give the best, closed mouth wide smile you can, though it seems more like a grimace.

she doesn’t care. they’re already gone.

the next room is slightly more interesting than the last, a blue strobe light left in the corner. thought it’s not glowing in multi colours like it should be, instead it’s just illuminating the room, which could be the antithesis of something spacious, in a pale blue hue. it’s reflecting off onto an old, worn leather couch with multiple holes, which you can only assume are from cigarette stubs.

the whole house has some sort of retro style, which you appreciate.

the summer breeze, once discouraging, now borderlining on something sinister. could the sun really have malicious intent? or is the world just hell bent against you?- with your fashion choices not accommodated to the ever changing weather.

you pass a couple of groups- they don’t look older than you, though they don’t look younger. but the bodies on bodies is all too much to handle, when everyone’s body temperature has accumulated into one big cacophony, a spell for disaster.

every thing was getting too much.

the grandfather clock standing proud, ticking in a futile rhythm, back and forth, on and off, a constant reminder of the stench of sweat covered bodies and the metallic aroma of almost empty cans of beer, for the sticky residue left behind, which had escaped out of one too many discarded cans, and seeped into possibly every material in this cramped hole of a living space. the longer this party would go on, the harder it would be to call this room a living space. scrap that, this is an un-liveable space.

the atmosphere was fine. the people were fine. everything was fine minding it’s own, but together, seeming like a recipe for a symphony of destruction.

luckily for you, there was an out.

big wooden doors, with bigger glass panels, providing the only symbol of a once eloquent residence. the whole house was, well, not modern, but in a sense it didn’t carry this vintage-ness; like the decorations of choice did- so it was a nice touch. at least you thought.

and those big wooden doors, led you to your freedom, or in other words, the patio.

upon first examination, the garden was split into two groups. the outdoor couch sitting area, which provided just as many cigarette burns as the excuse of a couch inside, but longer, presenting itself in an ‘L’ shape. and on this couch, sprawled out were a group of people, all comfortable in very, odd? positions. wait, on a different thought, not all.

he was very pretty from a first glance, his chocolate curls fading into something more, like black ribbons of coal, though they shone with a red tinge under the harsh glow from the ongoing sunset.

you never stopped to notice the sunset.

but he looked almost rigid. he seemed reserved. he seemed different. it was like he had purposely tried to squeeze himself down the cracks of the sofa, for it to swallow him whole. but then again, he didn’t seem anxious.

he held a joint between nimble fingers. from a distance, you could make out the red rashes lining them, small bloody scars, in such a recognisable pattern that you just knew all too well, he had to play guitar. often. he was having trouble smoking it, though. intimate breaths of wind cascaded his locks to cover his pretty features, sticking to his chapped lips as he brought up the blunt and examined, close and personal.

you pondered if maybe, just maybe, he was like you too. practically a stranger to this new world before your eyes, lacking the confidence to do anything to change it. sure, you were confident in yourself, there was no reason for you not to be. just, in social situations like this, it would tend to falter.

oh, wait. no, you take it back.

the guard dog from before-hand sits tall beside the curly brunette. he seems to be ranting about something. the nice girls not by his side anymore. you wonder if anything happened between them.

the ratty blonde sported a goofy grin. so you were right. a labrador in disguise. you stole a few more glances, before continuing down your trail.

you didn’t think you’d fit into other group either. this was was more, energetic, a pile of sweaty messes, a cheap speaker blasting heavy metal, with a crispness to the speaker that could never be recreated with a new one, nor the sense of comfort that comes with it. something worn down, worn with love, like a jacket, peeling at the seams. a jacket that’s been well loved by someone, despite its flaws.

it was hard to concentrate on your thoughts and breathe pure air properly with the booming deathly melodie’s of ozzy osbourne blasting, the bass managing to shake a loose rope swing hanging from an old oak tree. you thought it must’ve been a gentle reminder of childhood.

the path continued to trail on, the melancholic rock dying it by a couple slight octaves. then it ended. a large, unsteady fence stood tall, and not very proud. a bench resided, with 2 more oak trees, one on each side, in a way to protect the bench, preserve the wood from heavy sunlight.

the bench wasn’t the most comfortable, but it served for what it could. it was obviously aged down through the years, so really, you couldn’t complain.

the view was pretty. the sun going down, with all these people enjoying themselves, it was a gorgeous sight. though it was funny you still hadn’t wandered into the small minority you knew yet. though you were growing impatient under this blanket of loneliness, itching for something that would burn, something to exhale.

the pocket of your worn jeans were loose- loose enough to know that if something wanted to fall out, by all means it could. and now, after futile attempts to find your lighter, you prayed to anyone that would listen, please say i haven’t lost it.

but alas, the gods still weren’t on your side. maybe it was something in the air, which bubbled up into a fit of internal rage, your three-quarters empty pack providing a strong sense of tobacco, laying lifeless in your rigid lap.

“need a light?”

he walked up awkwardly, intertwining his hands together. his blunt was gone, whether he had finished it himself or passed it on, you didn’t know. he smiled warmly, and if you blinked you would’ve missed it.

and all of a sudden the unbearable heat was back, sending a tinge to yours cheeks, feeling like being trapped inside a car under the scorching sun- but he didn’t look affected by the heat, in his black button up (half un-buttoned), infact, he looked angelic under the hues of reds, purples, and yellows, and whatever else fit into the mix.

he seemed nice; nice enough, to even suggest such an offer to a stranger.

“please.” you mumbled, and he warmly reached his hand out, a battered, black lighter, one of the cheap ones from the convenience stores, clasped loosely. he wiggled his fingers. revealing the lighter to your gaze, he emitted that same, goofy smile, only now revealing his crooked pearls.

he sat down on the bench.

“you don’t know many people here, huh?” he questioned. though his voice wasn’t judgy, nor threatening.

well, it’s great that your efforts to stay on the down low went out the door. it’s even greater to know that people have noticed your outstanding loneliness.

“is it that obvious?”

he stifled a laugh, shrugging slightly, sporting a wide grin. “that’s okay,” he muttered. “you know, i don’t know many either.”

the reality seemed embarrassing, and with anyone else, you would never, on your own life, admit it. but somehow, in this moment, everything was different.

he fixed his posture, resting his hands in his lap, his head turned towards you. you pursed your lips, a small smile gracing. he looked down to your lap, cigarette still in your hand, and signalled for you to raise it.

you quickly caught on, assuming he would just hand you the lighter after you placed the cigarette between your lips. he did not.

instead he leaned in closer, bringing one hand to cover one side of the cigarette, the other to light it up effortlessly. oh, i guess that works too.

you took a puff, the inhale longer than the exhale, the smoke a delicious burn in your lungs. resting the cigarette between 2 nimble fingers, you bit your chapped lip.

“i’m kirk, by the way.”

“hi kirk,” you grinned, and told him your name. he grinned back.

he fiddled with his fingers, cracking his knuckles with expertise. and then he points at your shirt. “i like fleetwood mac, too.”

hanging with kirk wasn’t so bad. actually it wasn’t bad, not at all. somehow minutes turned into shorter minutes, 60 seconds seeming to pass all too quick. and those minutes were quickly consumed by a larger number, a black hole that could be called hours.

the night air had turned chilly, the effects of a bipolar summer very clear. the arrival of goosebumps took place, and so did a great warmth, the crackle of a fire pit, and the smell of fresh wood, the aroma of smoke. legs now touching one another’s as a multitude of different people sat around in criss-cross positions.

but that wasn’t where you found yourself.

sitting in the passenger seat of his run down black 70s capri, a heavy scent of cologne mixed with a faint essence of weed, hanging lowly, stuck into the leather seats. the key clattered as he pushed it into the lock, the engine starting up with a fierce roar.

a conversation about music had somehow led you here, sitting almost shyly in his car, legs folded upon one another. it all started with a singular comment about fleetwood mac, and in a matter of minutes you found yourself immersed in conversation, somehow sitting close together than you had before, the heat of his breath radiating closely as he enthusiastically ranted about led zeppelin IV. and then some more, about who he believed to be his biggest inspiration, jimi hendrix.

oh yeah, you learnt he plays guitar too.

and with a declaration that he was hungry, sported with his reddened eyes, you were off. well, you were never really given the choice. your hand grasped tightly in his, excitedly taken back through the garden, through the shitty cramped living space, (and him accidentally walking into the smaller couch), back through the kitchen with bottles now empty, red plastic cups now scattered, through to the entry way. with that same, sweet thrash poster now hanging on.

and as the car roared up, so did the symphonies of rolling stones, because you can’t always get what you want.

“so the blonde one, he’s your friend?”

the melody of the rolling stones, switching to the doors, a mix-tape he probably burnt himself, disrupted. god bless jim morrison.

he raised a brow, though still looking at the road ahead, answering quizzically. “which blonde one?”

you bit back a smile. “the scary blonde one, with long hair. and the pretty girlfriend.”

this caused kirk to grin, shaking his head slightly to stop his hair from disrupting his view of the darkened roads. the streetlights didn’t go much to help accommodate pedestrians, nor drivers. the headlights of his vintage vehicle were slightly darker than the average, but he seemed used to it.

“ah, james. he’s my bandmate. scary, no, long hair, yes, girlfriend, no. he doesn’t do girlfriends,” he hummed lowly. “he’s one of my bestfriends.” james. you wondered if he was still with the girl you earlier assumed to be his girlfriend.

and then you sat in silence for maybe 30 seconds, maybe a full minute, pondering your next words. he didn’t seem to mind, waiting just slightly impatiently for the red light to turn green and give the get go. he rolled down the window.

“do you do girlfriends?” you asked suddenly. the longer it took for him to form a response, the more you regretted ever asking. maybe that was too forward for a guy you hadn’t even known for a full day. but then you could argue that him taking you out for dinner was even worse.

he was caught off guard, quickly masking his suprise. “i…don’t know,” he spun the wheel with skill as he turned left into a parking lot of a 50s presenting dinner, sporting a glowing red sign, walls painted once white now a light yellow. he stopped the car as he pulled into a parking spot, twisting the keys. the engine abruptly stopped, and so did the music. and then he turned to look at you, with a small smile. “do you do boyfriends?” and that was when you finally made eye contact.

shrugging slightly, you looked from his eyes to your lap, and back up to his eyes again. “i don’t know.”

his grin widened, and you return the gesture.

the gleaming lights of the diner held a stark contrast to the gloomy sky, the current time being in the early hours of the morning very obvious- and in a couple hours you’d start to hear the birds cheep and the sky lighten, and determine it time for bed.

he led you into the diner, holding the door open for you like a gentleman, the little bell on top of the door chiming in recognition of your arrival.

and from there he traveled with experience of the 24-hour diner, to a booth hidden in the corner, though still visible under the cream glare of the flickering lights; almost too visible, you thought, the brightness of the lights already forming a subtle headache in the back of your mind. the two comforts of the booth were separated with a nimble oak wood table, the sturdiness of it which had definitely gone down in its many years of occupying this place.

he grabs two menus before sitting down on one side of the booth, and you follow, sitting down on the other. he hands you one menu, and opens his own.

“i want a milkshake.” he murmurs, his eyes still scanning over the menu. you lean over the table, your menu left unopened, shifting slightly to examine the contents of drinks he was looking at.

“which flavour?” you question, slumping back into your seat.

“dunno,” he puts the menu down, looking up at you. “what flavour do you want?”

his eye contact is almost too much to handle, causing you to look back down at your hands. he doesn’t comment on it, that is if he ever even noticed the slight tint of blush on your cheeks.

“vanilla.” throughout the options of chocolate, strawberry, and banana, there’s a clear winner.

“then that’s what we’ll get.” he smiles, his red hued eyes crinkling at the corners as he grins. you bite the side of your lip, suppressing a grin, sporting a one sided, shy smile as you try to resettle your composure.

you open the menu, trying to distract yourself from the flush on your cheeks and the man sitting infront of you. his curls drop down as he tries to push them out of his face, watching you almost shyly.

“what are you gonna get?” you voice, finally looking up from the menu.

he tucks his black coils behind his ears. “the burger,” and then leans down slightly, his elbows making contact with the table, his eyes still on you. “do you wanna share?”

you nod, grinning widely. “okay, we’ll share.”

the diner lights flicker again, as well as the chime of the door, the slight rush of wind causing an appreciate breeze. there’s an empty coffee cup on the bar side, and an imprint in a red stool.

adorned in a teal coloured uniform, a tired, and pissed, (probably a college student), waitress takes your order. she doesn’t bother to put on a fake persona, and you don’t blame her. infact, you almost feel sorry that her nap in the staff room was cut short, by the puffiness of her eyes. as for kirk, he doesn’t even bat an eye at her as you order politely, his eyes still fixtated on you.

and in mere minutes the food arrives, a vanilla milkshake with a candied red cherry on top already in your grasp. kirk has taken to the task of trying to cut the burger evenly into 2 pieces, through frowns when he’s cut one slice bigger than the other. you take the smaller piece, knowing the effects of weed on your hunger. when he realises this, he pouts. “i’m not that hungry,” you explain, taking your first bite.

he pushes the fries further towards you. they’re in a wooden tray, with a tissue adorned with patterns of red and white squares underneath. you chew throughly before swallowing, setting the burger back down on the plate.

he reaches out for a fry, surprising you when he reaches even further towards you, bringing the fry up to your mouth. you take it, giggling.

while you chew on the fry with one hand, you pick up the milkshake with the other and bring the straw to his mouth, mimicking his previous movements. he smiles widely as he takes down a big gulp, laughing through his closed mouth. “wait, that’s so good.”

“i know!” you exclaim, taking a couple of salty fries from the bunch.

you dip a handful of fries into the milkshake, and he grimaces. “that’s criminal!”

you roll your eyes, giggling. “no it’s not,” you dip another one in. “you just don’t have taste.” he finishes his part of the burger ravenously, and you push the plate with your half eaten burger towards him.

“are you sure?” he questions, looking for any signs of unsureness on your face.

“only if i can have the cherry.” you bargain.

“deal,” he picks the cherry off from the top of the milkshake, wiping the whipped cream off from it with his finger, then bringing his finger to his mouth. he reaches out to give you the cherry. “here you go, m’lady.”

you let out another high pitched laugh, bringing the cherry to your plump lips and nibbling on the stem. the waitress cringes at the sound, leaning her head down in her hands and closing her eyes. you pity her.

kirk finishes the burger quickly, his next mission being reaching out for the fries. you’re not sure if he’s just got the munchies, or if he’s also even eaten today.

and soon enough, you’re flopping back into your seat, empty dishes covering the table. kirk is leaning towards you, smiling softly. you yawn, covering your face with a soft hand.

“you tired?” he murmurs, tilting his head as he smiles sweetly. you make a quiet sound, similar to a hum, and his smile grows. “okay,” he reaches over the table for your hand. “let me take you home.”

and then once again, your back in his passenger seat, the smell of cologne and marijuana now comforting. he puts the key in as softly as he can, and the second the car roars to life he takes it to himself to turn the radio down to the lowest level, looking over at you. you’re slumped in the seat, your head towards the window. he just grins.

the sky isn’t so dark anymore, a greyish dark blue, with a slint orange before sunrise. “i’m gonna need you to give me directions, ‘mkay?” he pulls out of the car park as you respond quietly, giving him the directions.

a few minutes into the ride, you realise he’s going miles below the speed limit, to keep the car steady, and not pull you out of your sleepy state. he’s humming along to the radio, his finger tapping the wheel at every beat.

trees pass in a flash, so do streetlights and benches, sets of three drains, and a couple single drains too.

then time flashes again and he’s pulling up outside your apartment, already outside the passenger door and beating you to open it. he walks you to the doorway of the building, stopping and playing with his hands.

you look up at him, smiling shyly. he does the same. “thank you for tonight, kirk,” you hesitantly open the building door. “do you wanna, maybe, do this again?”

“o-of course. i’d love to.” if you blinked, you would’ve missed the slight flush tinting his cheeks, rushing down into his neck and shoulders. he fumbles in his pocket for a piece of ripped newspaper and a pen, scribbling down his home phone number in messy writing, and if it was anything but numbers you’d have a hard time reading it. “call me, okay?”

“okay.” you grin softly, stepping into the doorway.

he backs up, smiling as he waves you off. “okay.”

and then the door shuts.

[fangsandfeels]

It's probably a very unpopular opinion, but initially, I liked Wulbren when I encountered him in the game. And how couldn't I? The lad greets us with an escape plan up his sleeve and that plan includes breaking the tieflings out! A true blessing for any Tav who never intended to cooperate with the Absolute and got a headache from thinking how they would get out all of the prisoners. What Wulbren did was badass and spoke a lot about his principles and priorities.

Now, a less-then-lukewarm reunion with Barcus was something I expected because nothing could be that easy, and from what we've seen, Philomena too abandoned her girlfriend for The Idea without even bothering to break up with her. So, at that point, I had a reason to suspect that either Wulbren was a dick or he tried to keep Barcus away from whatever he was brewing so he won't get caught in the fallout (he has a propensity for getting himself in trouble, after all).

But come Act 3...

...and Wulbren is presented as an irrational, vengeful prick who refuses to look deeper into the matter. We can follow his vision and blow up the Steel Foundry without looking into it, inadvertently causing more destruction, or going against him.

However, after what I learned thanks to @y-rhywbeth2 here (hope you don't mind me tagging you) is that the reason for Wulbren's innate distaste for Gondians may lie even deeper than "they worked with the tyrant, they must pay".

Wulbren's clan follows Gaerdal Ironhand, the lawful good gnome deity. His followers are militaristic and devoted, committed to protecting the gnome community and dealing with internal and external threats.

The best defense is unswerving vigilance. Serve Gaerdal with absolute dedication and devotion. Defend and protect gnome communities against all invaders both obvious and hidden. Never cease to hone the skills of war, and take the opportunity of relative peace to pass such talents on to gnomes at large.

While Gond isn't mentioned as Gaerdal's adversary, their dogmas contradict each other. Despite being a patron of inventors and craftsmen, Gond is so dedicated to creating inventions ("wonders") and spreading them that he has no concern for safety or consequence. Gond also welcomes all alignments and approves of his followers forcing their way into power, subtly controlling leaders and destroying any opposition, so they could promote their inventions and creations. Accumulation of power and personal wealth is smiled upon.

So, Gaerdal Ironhand is all about caring for the community and taking any measures necessary to protect it - even if such threat comes from fellow gnomes, Gaedral's followers are supposed to undertake the grim duty of being the judges and doing what's necessary. If Wulbren is a dedicated follower of Gaedral, it's understandable why he has so much contempt for the Gondians: they are careless, irresponsible, so obsessed with the "can it be done?" they forget about "should it be done?" - and look at where it got them. Play stupid games, and win stupid prizes.

Of course, he would take any accusations of being too harsh as an insult - especially given that he literally lost his fellow clanspeople to protect the city.

Given all that, I wish there could have been a more complex resolution. Showing Wulbren the door minimizes the fact that he wasn't just obsessed with killing the Gondians, but also was ready to die for his people (he didn't expect anyone to save him and he was planning on saving himself and others). He organized a guerilla movement that was effective enough for Gortash to put him on the Wanted list. If Gondians started working with Gortash of their own volition (I didn't explore the game enough to find any tangible proof or content that debunks this theory), but then found themselves shackled and enslaved, that would add to his bitterness. Being treated as a local madman for fighting the threat everybody else is idiotically blind to tooth and nail affects you. Heavily. Bitterness and spite become part and parcel of your struggle and when someone tries to tell you you're being unreasonable or not kind, you snap at them - what do they know?

Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that Wulbren and Barcus should kiss and make up.

But having the option to point out to Wulbren that Barcus has been actually upholding Ironhand's ideals all this time and went to great lengths to do the right thing; make him finally acknowledge and respect his friend would have been nice.

Also, by admitting that Barcus was right, Wulbren could have seen where he was wrong or unable to see things differently - which would have prompted him to put his trust in Barcus even if he still instinctually wants to oppose and cuss him out for being so naively tolerant.

Because, I think Barcus deserves some recognition from Wulbren - even if they don't remain friends, going simply to colleagues (mostly because Barcus decides he did enough and it's time for him to stop running after Wulbren, especially now that he is safe). And also, because the entire Ironhand clan story needs more polishing, given that its premise in Act 1-2 was so interesting.

[realasslesbian]

Wanted to take a minute to talk about another unpopular woman; Australia’s ‘worst female serial killer’, Kathleen Folbigg. Kathleen is currently halfway through her 40 year prison sentence for the ‘murder’ of her four children. There was no physical evidence that the children were murdered. The only ‘evidence’ was her private diary entries where she expressed frustration as a mother (and later grief for the unexplained deaths of her children, but those later parts were redacted from the sentencing court). In any case, in my opinion as a lawyer, there certainly wasn’t enough evidence to prove anything beyond reasonable doubt, which is the minimum legally required standard in an Australian criminal court.

Essentially what happened was that Kathleen had four children, each of who died inexplicably while they were infants, which was very sad, but also not unheard of, some couples just struggle to have kids. Where this went south for Kathleen was when her (now ex) husband took it upon himself to read her diaries and (perhaps out of the rage of a man whose woman is not producing healthy heirs for him) took those diaries straight to the police and proclaimed his wife had murdered their children. Now, the man had no actual evidence of this. He had a hand full of cherry-picked sentences in a couple of tomes worth of diary entries. But that didn’t matter, because he’s a man, so he didn’t need actual evidence to back up his murder accusations against a woman. 

The media were absolutely delighted to take up this story with lurid headlines about Australia’s Worst Female Serial Killer (especially since she had the whole backstory with being in the foster system most of her life, after her father murdered her mother when she was 18 months old). Before long the entire population of Australia was foaming at the mouth to punish this woman and she was indeed punished. She was convicted of murder in three of four counts, entirely on the basis of circumstancial evidence. No murder confessions. No murder weapon. No forensic reports positively confirming abuse and/or murder. Just some cherry-picked diary entries. That was considered enough to prove murder beyond reasonable doubt and sentence this woman to forty years in prison.

So Kathleen’s spent a couple decades in prison over this, all the while maintaining her innocence. She’s been through several appeals to prove her innocence, each time the judge basically just says ‘lol nah’ and sends her back to jail. We’ve come to the point where the bodies of her children have been exhumed so that they could undergo modern forensic examination and, whaddyaknow, turns out they all have genetic and/or medical conditions that would explain their deaths as infants. 

Unfortunately, I still have little hope for any justice for Kathleen, since the ever-increasing tome of medical evidence proving that she’s innocent has largely fallen on the deaf ears of (male) judges during each of her appeals. Apparently some half-wit doctor at the local morgue stating ‘I can’t find a cause of death so it’s probably murder’ is more convincing than years of medical, forensic and genetic testing on these four kids and the thousands of medical professionals calling for Kathleen Folbigg’s immediate release. At this point I’m not sure what amount of evidence it’s going to take for these men to admit that maybe there is some reasonable doubt to be had.

Anyway, just thought I’d have a lil rant about it, because this case has always pissed me off as a lawyer and as a feminist. Especially because it gets so little coverage in Australia. So yeah.

[public-trans-it-deactivated20240]

I'm already know for being very opinionated and having some Hot Takes, but I still usually keep it in line and fairly reasonable. Typical "Unpopular (but still somewhat safe to voice) Opinion" territory, where I might get some blocks and some scowls, but like, nothing major.

However I'm... gonna be posting an uncharacteristically rancid take this time.

I cannot fucking STAND vibes based design. Its become a trend lately to explain game systems by vibes, and it feels EXACTLY like the tropification of romance novels. A thing so many other people have complained about far more than I have, where so many works of fiction are now just being advertise as "Its a queer little slow burn, found family story that features enemies to lovers" OKAY, BUT WHATS THE FUCKING BOOK ABOUT?

And I feel like over the past 15-20 years, the TTRPG industry has been having the exact same issue. I can go through dozens of listings on itch.io for indie games and not see a single fucking game mechanic mentioned, and its frustrating. "This game is about gathering your friends to turn your local farm into a sustainable commune!" WHAT KIND OF FUCKING DICE DOES THE GAME USE? DOES THE GAME EVEN HAVE A GM?

And like, this isn't just about the feel good warm and fuzzy games. OSR is JUST as fucking guilty in this. "This game is a black metal death crawl through your worst nightmares." IS IT A RETROCLONE? IS IT A RULES LITE D6 SYSTEM? HOW THE FUCK DO I RESOLVE AN ACTION? DO ENEMIES USE STATBLOCKS?

If a video game showed absolutely no gameplay in any of its advertisements, only showing concept trailers and cutscenes and talking about its plot, you would probably shy away and think the game isn't worth playing if it can't even stand on the merits of its own gameplay. So why the fuck are we accepting that as the norm in TTRPGs?

[gemharvest]

Hiii local pico fanboy here to request him for the character thing :))

YES!!! PICO BRAINWORM, ACTIVATE !!!!!!!!!

favorite thing about them: TBHHHH idk. I like his silly maybe. His whimsy. I angst his ass so much but he's such a goober in canon. I want to put him in a hamster ball and watch him run around and I genuinely think he'd enjoy it.

least favorite thing about them: I feel like every time I mention him I run the risk of someone making a weird assumption about me. Pico toxoplasmosis curse: will someone yell at me because my fave, my little scrunkly, my blorbo, originates from the Newgrounds school shooting satire game. The answer is to tell myself not to worry about it and I go "Okay💗 Yay💗" and continue brainrotting.

favorite line: What does this guy even say fuuuuufhfhuhhkkckkk. Guy who mostly thinks about FNF and has barely touched Pico's School stuff. Unfortunately might have to pass on this for now sorry. You can give me a bad grade on being a Pico fan LMAO. /j

brOTP: I'm going to be so fr I am obsessed with the dynamic you can get between him and Nene. I am studying them like bugs. Tho of course Pico & Darnell's friendship is so good. Newgrounds trio you are so fucked up I love you guys.

OTP: Hey guys do any of you know about this niche little thing called the RGB polyshioGFOKMKFGMLKM>. Very obvious answer but yeah. OT3. As of late I've been having so much fun with romantic PicoGF. PicoBF gets a lot of focus and it has from me too, but there's such a fun dynamic you can get from GF and Pico. They can have something fun even if you take a platonic/ QPR angle, tho I said already that I like exploring a romantic dynamic between them.

nOTP: I don't knowwwwwwwww. I don't think I have a nOTP for him. Yes, even considering Cass (huge-ass disclaimer that I do not ship them, but I can't see myself caring if others do). Sorry LOL.

random headcanon: I think if you asked him if he'd jump off a cliff he'd say no, of course not wtf, but then if you asked him if he'd jump off a cliff because Boyfriend did he'd take a suspicious amount of time to answer. Like that one Dan Vs. bit. Idk I'm trying to think of something I haven't mentioned before. Secondary answer that's more of a headcanon is that I really do think this guy would be a non-traditional pet owner. Like snakes/ tarantulas that kinda thing. I think he'd like rats/ other rodents too but the idea of him handling a snake makes me bounce off the walls.

unpopular opinion: The curse I bare is that I barely go to wider fandom spaces I don't know what a popular opinion for him right now would be. Idk I think people sometimes write him to be way tougher than he'd be. Like, OK I'm tired idk how to fully explain it but in my head this guy's a softie once he lets you past his exterior. He's kind at heart even if he has his whole Thing going on and I've seen takes that ignore that/ aren't aware of it, and I feel like that's the surface-level read people might get off of him. Might be able to put this better when I have a rested mind LMAO.

song i associate with them: *cracks my knuckles and opens my playlist for him* Oh I was built for this. Two because I an never content picking just one, my playlist for him would be massive if I remembered to add songs regularly LMAO.

favorite picture of them:

I feel like this is a very funny choice for "favorite image" but it's specifically this bit in his character sheet. "Kind like how cats stretch out look longer" you don't say... Guy who isn't even beating the kitty allegations in his fucking character sheet. My non-funny answer would probably be his game-over sprite for when you lose to one of the spray paint cans:

>> original ask game here; feel free to send more, I don't bite <<

[california-112]

For the ask game:

If you were a character, who would you be and why?

Very unpopular opinions? Share them here!

Have fun:)

Hi, hello! Thanks for the ask!

This is the list they're from, and I'm still (always!) open to more :)

If you were a character, who would you be and why?

Mulder. Next question...

No, I'll elaborate. For my first reason, I'll quote my own post:

"Imagine. Going through your whole life looking like that." Yeah I can imagine going through my whole life looking like Fox Mulder, it's called gender eurphoria

I spelt euphoria wrong waaah

Apart from the looks, though, he seems to have a pretty cool life. UFO hunting, investigating the supernatural, cool apartment, great partner, fun basement office, action and adventure...of course, there are downsides (missing sister, constant brushes with danger, frequently hunted by the government, paperwork, etc.), but overall it looks very interesting.

However, we're also already not dissimilar. I may not be quite as much of a conspiracy nut as he is (though of course I believe in aliens 🛸), and I'm certainly not about to join the FBI even if the 'uniform' does look hella cool, but we apparently both have issues with sleeping, eating, trust, fire, and obsession/hyperfixation (e.g. Grotesque and his whole search for the Truth), at least. [Let me know if you think my assessment of his character (and/or mine?!) is unfair or wrong; I can't remember exactly what's in canon and what appears more in fanon.]

The most random similarity is that both of us have used the sound of a light aircraft to locate something. In Mulder's case, during S01E15 'Lazarus', it's a sound caught on a recording that helps him find Scully. For me, I was hiking with a group a few years ago and we were mildly lost. However, when I heard a light aeroplane doing spin training, I knew that it could only being doing that over certain areas in our locality, and from the map we had I could work out our location more accurately, the result being that we made it home that evening.

I can also blame Mulder for my new sunflower seed addiction! Thanks a bunch.

Of course, if I were actually to turn up in a TXF episode, it would probably be as background character #3 who has a couple of lines being questioned by Scully whilst Mulder waits moodily in the background, but hey. I want to believe.

Very unpopular opinions? Share them here!

Look, this show may be a new love of mine, but yes, I do already have some potentially unpopular opinions. Buckle in...

I'm not a fan of MSR. You said unpopular! I've really enjoyed the early seasons of the show for the friendship between Mulder and Scully, and I see that as just continuing. Yes, they get closer, how could they not? But I dislike the fact that they (apparently) actually get together in the end and it's canon.

I will add the disclaimer that, yes, I am only up to S05E09 at the moment, and I suppose that the storyline could lead very nicely into it. However, at the moment from what I've seen in content on here like gifsets and edits, I don't think I'll like it, and I prefer the vibe of the show as it now is.

This marries up (!) with my dislike of many of later parts of the mytharc that I'm coming to now. It's probably because I personally prefer monster of the week episodes, but especially the S4 mytharc eps were among my least favourites, and some of them were bordering on a struggle to watch.

Which leads into my general dislike of S4, definitely an unpopular opinion according to the poll that happened recently. I won't go on too much as I've said this in some tags before, but I find it hard to believe that S4 is a favourite season. Yes, there are some good eps! Demons is my favourite of the season and among my top episodes of the show so far, and Tempus Fugit/Max was excellent. But there was also The Field Where I Died, Never Again, Memento Mori, Synchrony, Zero Sum...some of my least favourite episodes so far, that I would probably avoid on a rewatch.

Ok, rant over. Thank you for this ask, it was great fun to think about the answers! :D

[supermarine-silvally]

For Yara&Ace:

🦋

💔

Here you go!! tysm for the ask and hope you enjoy!! <3

OC x canon ask game

🦋 How long did it take them to get out of the awkward early relationship stage? Have they gotten more confident around each other? 

I don’t think Ace went through the awkward stage at all lmao as soon as Yara gave him the go-ahead, he was all over her, wanting to constantly be touching her and giving her kisses and being very vocal about his affections. He was thrilled to not have to hold back the depth of his feelings for her anymore. It takes Yara a lot longer to become comfortable with PDA, or to even acknowledge the fact that Ace is her boyfriend now, of all things. She does worry that she’s not affectionate enough and that Ace will eventually get sick of her being what she fears is too cold and distant, but he assures her that he loves her just the way she is, and that he does actually appreciate her not being super clingy. Yara is very much an acts of service type person; she shows Ace she loves him by helping him repair the striker and waiting patiently with a napkin for him to wake up after he has one of his narcoleptic episodes in the middle of a meal (my personal headcanon as to why he wiped his face off with that one lady's skirt in Alabasta was because he was so used to Yara holding a cloth out for him that he just saw something vaguely cloth-shaped in front of him and instinct kicked in lmao). The confidence piece for her comes in when they settle into a rhythm that assures her that she is enough and Ace’s affections towards her never wane, despite her not being as outgoing or friendly or easy to get along with as he is. (She’s such a Dracule it’s not even funny. Literally Mihawk Jr. Antisocial-ass genes.)

💔 Do they have any previous relationship experience from past partners? How does it reflect on how they handle their current one?

Maybe an unpopular fandom opinion here but I personally don’t see Ace being a womanizer. An unintentional heartbreaker, yes, because he’s just so sweet and lovable (and gorgeous) that he probably makes women (and men, and nonbinary folk) swoon over him without even meaning to. That being said, I really don’t think he has much experience at all prior to Yara. Maybe a kiss or a makeout here or there, but considering how fast he travelled through the Grand Line, I don’t see him having partaken in any major relationships-- in the second Ace novel, he laments over not being able to visit the mermaid cafe on Fish-Man Island because he was too busy stuffing his face and then falling asleep in his food and being a dine-and-dash menace at a local restaurant. The main thing on his mind is trying to make himself more (in)famous than his father by beating the Four Emperors. So the way I’ve interpreted things in my personal version of canon, Ace doesn’t have any past partners.

Yara actually sort of has some experience-- or at least more than Ace. She had a summer fling with a mermaid when she was about fifteen, and while it never went further than a kiss, it was her first experience with romantic feelings and the sorrow that came with parting ways, knowing that they couldn’t actually stay together. The relationship and its inevitable end didn’t really impact her too much in the long run because it was very brief, but Yara at least learned a bit about what dating is like. She doesn’t really have much interest in it again until she begins to develop feelings for Ace, but the circumstances feel so different from her sort-of ex-girlfriend that she doesn’t feel the need to draw on the past much, other than to remember what she learned about how to kiss good lol

[anyzstuff]

Rain world spoilers below, yeah

Uhm.. i feel like i have to get this out of my system, and i know it's a pretty unpopular opinion, you're free to disagree with me and i absolutely don't have anything against shippers or FP fans but...

I really... don't like Pebbles. Like, i hate Pebbels. I think he's an asshole. And like, I can explain why, it's not cuz he's just mean to slugcats, I don't really care about that but-

Okay okay, let me get this straight. Pebbels is a very well written character. And i see where he's coming from. The way he's acting is pretty realistic, and that's awesome, but.. I hate his personality. He acts like a teenager, i mean, he IS a teenager, as other Iterators said, but i can't stand just how immature he is sometimes. The way he straight up doesn't listen to Suns, who's not only his friend, but also a way more experienced Iterator, the way he fucks up and then blames EVERYONE. Moon, Suns, but himself. Like- i feel bad for everyone, damn. Everyone in the local group (well except Unparalleled Innocence, i might hate them even more then Pebbles bc of their actions, so that's unrelated) tried their best to be patient with Pebbles and firstly gently tell him that he's not in the right mindset, but he never listens. I hate how even after Moon's "death" he continues to not blame himself, though he KNEW what's happening to Moon, he has working overseers. I hate how he straight up refused to hear the other side, by ignoring/cutting contacts with everyone. It just makes me want to slap him in the face. And like, I could've feel bad for him, if his actions didn't affect everyone else. If he was the only person who got hurt in this situation, and i mean physically. But no. HIS actions hurt Moon A LOT. So Pebbles isn't just an edgy teen, he's an immature and ungrateful fu- and it's not like Pebbles was like that only during (and slightly prior to) the game events, as Suns mentioned, Pebsi was just like that, just not to that extent.

I like the Riv/post Riv Pebbles. It's what i like to see. Him actually taking accountability and finally trying to fix AT LEAST SOMETHING after he finally realised what he did. Even if it's way to late. And though i still feel angry bc Pebbles realised something only after he got closer to the state in which Moon was, it's still better then nothing. I genuinely cried at Saint when I sent Pebbels into the i"ncredible journey to the void:D", again, he's very well written as a character, but I don't know what it is, he specifically just triggers me and makes me furious.

I've heard an argument about his mental state and backstory, and yeah, it's an explanation to why he was acting the way he did, but in my eyes, it's still not a justification. He still did a ton of shitty things and was denying his fault for a ridiculously long time.

And, about the ships. Maybe it's cuz I'm aroace and have a problem with ships most of the time in general, or maybe it's the fact that i see Pebbles as a teen, and other Iterators as more mature and old. But i just can't. Especially with NSH, who, (no hate to NSH×FP shippers) let's be honest, DOESN'T like Pebbles, and didn't even contact with him that much. Mischaracterization of NSH in the fandom is a whole another topic that i may, but probably won't write a post about.

Again, if you disagree with me, it's absolutely okay and I'm happy to hear YOUR opinion on the topic, if you'll want to add something. I just don't like the character and ships for many reasons, but that's my problem, and if you like Pebsi or shipping him with someone (well except Moon obw), embrace it! Draw them! Be vocal about how and why you like them! That's what internet is for, at the end of the day <:]

[bandsanitizer]

GOT7, obviously.

obviously except I really didn’t expect it so there’s a lot of me thinking through the answers in these answers 🤣 thank you for the ask!!

fan or not:

I want to call myself a fan but … lowkey I feel fake if I call myself an ahgase.

how long I’ve been a fan:

about a year? just over a year now? my friend (who kind of got me into kpop) is a huge ahgase. like they’ve been one her top 2 groups (probably her ult until they left jyp) for a long time so it’s been… something I was tentative to approach bc I don’t know how to be a casual stan usually. (hence the above answer)

first song I heard by them:

I actually have no idea? but probably You Calling My Name as my friend and I were discussing similar songs and I do think it sounds a bit like Attention by Charlie Puth… so that’s the first song I have an actual memory of listening to.

first mv I saw:

Eclipse. the funny thing about this not being the first song I listened to is that at a local restaurant, they will play random kpop music videos while other music plays through the speakers.

first bias:

MARK!

current bias and why:

MARK! the easiest and most truthful reason is his nose? apparently if you line up all my biases they have very similar nose bridges lol but beyond that, he’s funny and despite breaking laptops and ac units (?) I think he’s quite genuine and appreciate his vibes (again, outside of the angry part. though I think he’s chiller now lol) ((also he can backflip. that’s cool.)) (((also all my biases are connected to my other biases by some personal fact and it happens mark & sungho share a birthday lol))) AND I love his vocal tone and laugh.

bias wrecker(s):

possibly JayB and Youngjae. not necessarily in that order. and sometimes Yugyeom.

favorite song:

can you guess? lol it’s Poison.

favorite mv:

LAST PIECE! I fuck with this mv. the transition from JayB to Bambam to Mark back to JayB back to Mark back to JayB back to Mark??? ICONIC. I also just love the set design with the art gallery and different sets they used.

favorite era:

Dye probably? my favorite album. my favorite songs. conceptual one of my favorite aesthetics they’ve done from physical album design to outfits.

favorite choreography:

just one? 🥺 (how about jus2? 🤣😭) anyways… this is where I admit that I don’t often pay attention to the full impact of choreo. like I have to watch with the intent of contemplating the choreography to actually have an opinion. that said the opening of You Calling My Name is probably one of my favorite moments they’ve ever done. Not By The Moon was also my first thought and Thursday is super fun. but also Allen from Cravity covering part of Hard Carry definitely made me appreciate it more. but I will go with Lullaby (specifically the MAMA 2018 stage.)

who I think is the best-looking:

Mark. he models for obvious reasons LOL

who I think is the cutest:

Mark Youngjae or Yugyeom or Bambam. unfortunately I think all maknae-line members of all groups suffer from cuteness they cannot escape. but like I would protect Youngjae with my life.

best singer:

Youngjae. Youngjae. Youngjae. I’m a lot more favorable to JayB’s tone/vocal color but you can’t deny the absolute range and fullness Youngjae has.

best dancer:

Yugyeom. with the idea of versatility also in mind.

best rapper:

Jackson is a stronger rapper. lyrically and flow-wise, I would say he’s the strongest rapper in the group. that said, Bambam approaches with a certain coolness that delivers well imo

an unpopular opinion about the group/members (if I have any):

I don’t think I really have any unpopular opinions? although I’m not huge fan of the “la gangster” title for Mark and his vibes or whatever. like I think it’s more prominent from older fandom stuff but yeaaaaaah like his masculity or w/e can be appreciated without hyping up some anger management/expression issues.

send me a kpop group and I’ll answer questions!

[sunshinechildskywalker]

CHALLENGE ANSWER EVERY QUESTION

Hey, friend! Oh boy, buckle up! I'm a writer so prepare for a long ass answer lol. Here we go...

For most controversial character, if we're referencing all of Star Wars, I would say Kylo Ren (this blog focuses on pretty much everything other than the sequel trilogy- in my mind, they don't exist lol). My personal opinion is he's kind of a little bitch lol, but I appreciate the idea that he's sort of a reverse Luke and Vader situation. In L&V's case, it's the son turning the father back from the dark side, and in Ben Solo's case, it's the father (I wished) turning the son from the dark. *Ask me about my Kylo Ren potential rant lol.

My most unpopular opinion I would say is I actually really love Jar Jar Binks lol😅 I see why people dislike him, but I think he's sweet (and quite possibly a Sith Lord🤪)

Tumblr is my fav fandom pocket for sure!

Endor! It's funny, I actually live in a very wooded area irl, so when I would watch ROTJ on summer nights with the windows open and listen to the crickets chirping, it felt like I was really there🥰

I love me some good Luke and Vader father & son hurt/comfort, and anything Skysolo! If anyone reading this writes these kinds of fics, feel free to message me links to your work!

Favorite story element is hands down Luke's character arc and him saving Vader through compassion and forgiveness. I could go on, but then this would be a REALLY long post lol😆

Sure do! I won't link just for sake of it being kind of confusing- some of the songs take some explaining and some are just from my own fics lol, but some tops songs include "Spectrum" by Muzzy, "Isle of Flightless Birds" by Twenty One Pilots, and "illicit affairs" by Taylor Swift (bonus: see my fanvids for some of these here!)

Favorite Star Wars meme is the "and your pal friendpatine"- that one still makes me giggle snort after all these years🤣

Favorite piece of content is and probably always will be Return of the Jedi!

I get a lot of merch from a local comic book store and some from Comic-Con! I have a few Pops, some figurines, and an Ewok backpack, among many other things😁

I relate to Luke the most- I consider myself a compassionate person who leads with my heart, and I tend to be quick to forgive (sometimes to a fault). But hey, maybe I'll save someone from the Dark Side someday😆

My comfort character is 100% Luke. His compassion and willingness to see the good in others inspires me to do the same irl. He's seen me through the good, bad, and ugly in my life, and I don't know where I'd be had I not clung to him. In other words, he's my son😆

Sequel trilogy? Garbage. Absolutely not canon and never will be to me. Basically it boils down to mischaracterization and trying to undo essential parts of the Originals. I've shed actual tears of disappointment and anger over those movies. I'm happy for the people who can enjoy them, but I will never be able to.

I love the Luke & Vader community! I love being a part of something so inclusive, wacky, and fun! I know I can always reach out if I need something fandom-related or just want to pal around with like-minded people. Shoutout to all my L&V fans! A part of the fandom I don't enjoy is the incest between Luke and Vader that somehow seems to creep up in my AO3 from time to time.

A Star Wars blog I hope will follow me is @kaelinaloveslomaris if she ever followed me back or read my work, I would actually shit my pants.

The short version of why I fell in love with Star Wars is Luke's character arc and him saving Vader, and in turn, Vader saving Luke. The long version? Well, I'll post that another time when I'm feeling sappy🤪

Yes! I went to opening night for TLJ (unfortunately lol) and TROS (also unfortunate lol). I was thoroughly disappointed by both, but I also got to see Solo on opening night and that was a blast! I will say, the energy at all three was unmatched, and it was fun to be around other Star Wars super fans irl😁

I sure do write fanfic! My AO3 is here 😁 You will find a lot of L&V hurt/comfort, angst, etc, and a little Skysolo!

I absolutely loved the Obi-Wan series- seeing Obi-Wan duel Vader ("Anakin is gone. I am what remains."😭), everything about little Leia, Reva, Hayden Christensen's return, just EVERYTHING! I especially loved when Obi-Wan told Leia in what ways she was like her parents. I've seen this series at least four times and that part gets me every time😭

Yes!

Thank you SO much if you read through all this chaos- I hope you learned more about me and got a better look into my perspective of everything!

Want to answer these questions yourself? Find the original post here!

[thebreakfastgenie]

trapper for the character ask game??? 👀👀

First impression

I was fundamentally a different person before I watched MASH.... I don't remember.... I think it was like "he's the other one who's not Hawkeye, but I like him,"

Impression now

I love him so much. I feel like I have such a sense of who he is, even though his potential didn't get fully explored in three seasons.

Favorite moment

Well, Trapper picking up Kim and getting lifted out of the minefield on a chopper turned me straight for a sec... but actually, I think it's when he's writing to his daughter in Bulletin Board. Or any time he gets a big moment in the O.R. Or when Hawkeye is going off to the front and he's putting on a brave face and as soon as Hawkeye leaves you can see how worried he is.

Idea for a story

I have a WIP where Trapper believes Hawkeye is dead, ends up working at the same hospital as Charles, and finds out Hawkeye is still alive. The main hook is Trapper and Charles having two very different conversations, but it's growing and evolving into a bit of a study of Trapper readjusting to civilian life.

Unpopular opinion

I don't think this is totally unpopular but there's a lot of Trapper fanon that I just can't get behind. He's not a himbo; he's bad at card games, including solitaire, but he's a thoughtful, intelligent person. He also doesn't have problems with emotions. He's definitely a bit more of a "man" about it than Hawkeye, but the examples people point to of him not being able to express emotions are him concealing his worry for Hawkeye's benefit because he doesn't need that when he's going to the front. He's not as good with words as Hawkeye is, but that doesn't mean he can't or doesn't communicate at all. I absolutely don't buy any read of Trapper and Hawkeye's relationship where Hawkeye is more invested. They're always on the same page.

Also people who think Trapper is emblematic of the misogyny of the early seasons just want to let Hawkeye off the hook; Hawkeye treats women exactly the same way, Trapper's only additional sin is adultery (and Hawkeye sleeps with two married women so he's not cheating but he's still participating in it).

I buy that Trapper doesn't talk about the war much once he gets home, but not that he never thinks about it or compartmentalizes or suppresses the whole thing. He's not going to talk about it to people who don't understand it or if there's nothing to gain by discussing it. Trapper not writing to Hawkeye is never technically confirmed by canon, but I think he probably didn't and also that it's literally fine. It's a weird situation and people are judging it by standards that don't apply.

Favorite relationship

Trapper and Hawkeye is kind of what it's all about....

Favorite headcanon

Based on Dear Dad, Trapper is the one the locals go to when they need help! I like to think he does check-ups and basic medical care regularly just on his own time. I like the idea that he has the best relationship with the local people, even more than Hawkeye.

[staringdownabarrel]

I've just seen the new episode of Star Trek: Discovery, Jinaal.

A lot of this episode was just middle book syndrome. There was nothing particularly offensive about it, but there's not a lot there to comment on in terms of its plot without having seen the rest of the season.

I realise this is going to be a bit of an unpopular opinion on Tumblr, but I think this is a good example of why heavily serialised shows like this should be released a season at a time. There's a lot of things that Netflix does badly, but releasing an entire season at a time is one thing it does right. I feel like if you're going to make a season basically be like a movie in ten parts, then you should let an audience watch it like that instead of forcing them to wait a week for each new episode like it's traditional television.

Captain--sorry, Commander now; he's been demoted--Rayner was interesting in this episode. I think they missed an opportunity to showcase hard cultural differences in preferred command style, though.

This episode leaned hard into a very human binary of either you're a commanding officer who maintains a professional distance from the crew or you present yourself as a captain of the people, and which you go with basically boils down to personal preference. This divide is fine for a human first officer because there are people who do prefer one or the other.

I'm not sure if this would necessarily apply to Rayner, though. He's a Kellerun, and even though he is trying to adapt to being among a mostly human crew, there could be deep-rooted cultural reasons for why he prefers being a hardass with a professional distance from those under his command. This would have been a good opportunity for Discovery to show its crew adapting to some new alien ways. Instead, they've decided to go the route of presenting this as an issue where he's the one who has to further assimilate.

This is obviously meant to be an ongoing character arc for the season, so maybe there's going to be some follow-up where it turns out it's fine for him to be this way. I'm not entirely convinced that's going to happen, but I'm hoping it does. I think this would be a good chance for there to be a slightly alien command style shown in Discovery.

The one thing I think this episode did well was during the scenes where Burnham, Booker, and Bix (temporarily inhabiting Dr. Culber's body) were going through the canyons on Trill. When it was mentioned these canyons were a hunting ground for the local predators, I thought this was going to be a poorly done, filler-y chase sequence where they're running around trying to get the next piece of the map as they avoid the predators.

There was an element of this to it, but I think they were ultimately successful in subverting it to make it so the predators were just protecting their eggs. But the fact that this was the part of the episode where the idea of infinite diversity in infinite combinations was applied makes it even stranger that the episode chose not to apply it when Rayner is concerned. If these predators down in the canyons on Trill can be recognised to be acting in an understandable if slightly alien way, then Rayner should as well.

Yes, I know Rayner is an asshole, but he's going to be my blorbo for the season. I'll probably have more to say about him as the season progresses.

[destinyc1020]

Hi. Destiny! I came with peace 😊 so pls don't be mad at me. I have a little favor to ask. You know, we often say here "c'mon people, stop taking twitter haters/film bros seriously 'cause they are very very loud and toxic minority of the internet". Well, twitter and tumblr Tom stans are NOT the majority of the fandom either (same with Z stans and TZ shippers). Like at all. And those who actively post are an even smaller slice. And those of them who constantly write nasty things? It's like 1% of that slice🤏. So when you and your anons discuss how many of Tom fans did this or that pls🙏 do not exaggerate and be a little bit more specific. Cuz "many of Tom fans did something" and it's pretty much always like 2 blogs and 10 asks here and 4 same noisy accs on twitter (who call themselves his fans but shit on him every week. we all already know their names). And that's it. Looks not so "many" for me😏. The rest of boycotting TCR tweets and making fun of his look tweets or asks (i agree there were plenty of those) were not really from TOM fans but more like from GP, locals and not so friendly Z stans. As always.

That's fair enough Anon. I agree that it's not ALL of Tom's fans who are bashing his choices, or are behaving a certain way. I really shouldn't generalize.

Okay, I'm going to go with some #REALTALK here...so sorry if I offend anyone or step on toes, but I'm always 100% HONEST here on my blog.

***WARNING: Unpopular Opinion Coming Through***

I just find that with Tom's fandom in particular, it just seems like his fans don't trust him for some reason. 🥴 I feel like a lot of his fans infantilize him to a massive degree in fact. He's a 26 year old MAN...he's not some little boy. But I get the overwhelming feeling sometimes that his fans think they know better than he does about what he wants to do, or what he should do. Idk...it's just weird to me. 🥴 Why not just trust him and his decisions? Even if you didn't particularly like a project of his, maybe HE liked it and wanted to work with a particular director/actor or just simply liked the script?? 🤷🏾‍♀️

I'm pretty sure the same thing probably goes on in other actor's fandoms as well, but I can only speak to Tom's fandom since I've been part of his fandom heavily for almost 6 years now. I even compare it to the other male fandoms that I've been apart of in the past, and even currently, and to me it just seems like Tom gets way more pressure from his fans/fandom than some other fandoms out here. That's all. While other fandoms seem to just let their faves just "be" and are CHILL about whatever new project or thing they have going on in their life, I find that Tom (and Zendaya's fandom tbh) freak out over the smallest little things. 😔 Take the LV (possibility) for example. So many fans ready to hate on Z possibly switching from Valentino to LV. Like, we don't even know any details yet, but some already are crying, complaining, or getting "anxious". That is just SO much pressure on these two individuals. Can't y'll just let them BE?? 👀 

Sorry for the vent session, but that's just how I personally feel about the fandom. And maybe you're right, maybe it's just a very SELECT small FEW (a minority) who behave this way. Unfortunately, this "minority" is a very vocal one.....

[cak31ssuperi04]

Also also for the ask game The rest of the hackers + Izuchi n Sagara + Nanase!!

time to run away from ur ask box again just to show up again later

ding dong ditching via askbox real /j

YIPPE! WOO!

Sagara:

favorite thing about them- BEST GIRL???? I'M SO ILL ABOUT HER???? she's so silly......... I think there's something in her casual edginess and how she dresses in frills and likes cake and just how chill she is about it all. Love that she threatens Nanashi 0.3 seconds after meeting him. I like her general demeanor. Or how much she talks herself up in spite of how pathetic she is. She's a fun character and just everything about her appeals to me specifically, I can and will read to deep into her character sheet calling her jaded.

least favorite thing about them- Her saying Sagara was her temp name was the perfect setup for her to eventually reveal a chuuni alias and I'm so bitter that they didn't do that.

favorite line- "Heehee... Then Nanashi, you will have to perform the official pact rite!" (What's the pact rite?) "You must help with this lunchtime cake set that's being sold starting today!" (T-that's the rite?) "I have a quota to meet this month, see..."

brOTP- Nanashi!! Their friendship and interactions are so great to me. I also really like the idea of her befriending Yukinaga. Weirdboy-to-Weirdgirl communication(for both friendships tbh).

OTP- IZUCHI AUGH I M SO OBSESSED WITH THEM. They're very different but hear me out. They have a funny dynamic. Menaces to society and also each other. I do actually think there is potential for them to contrast and complement each other in interesting ways though. I appreciate that their one interaction establishes that she visits him regularly just to mess with him, and how he's probably just used to her atp. I think they could be schemers together.

nOTP- eh.

random headcanon- Her chicken avatar is based on a childhood pet, she starts keeping chickens again sometime in the future. Also timeskip Sagara wears crocs.

unpopular opinion- I've only seen this like twice but I disagree with any portrayal of Izsg that involves her pestering him because she has a crush because I think it's infinitely funnier if she's just Like That(and maybe the local asshole is one of the few peoples she has that's close to an actual friend but it's not a crush. at the moment).

song i associate with them- Egorock

favorite picture of them- From her VA's twitter

Izuchi:

favorite thing about them- Smartass. I love him dearly. Self aggrandizing mad scientist with the brains to back it up, who just does whatever he wants without regard to what other people think and goes about it with a cool and collected(/albeit arrogant) air. How he's not really on either side but just gives the time of day to whatever benefits him/his research, yet is still patient enough to explain things and hear out other perspectives. Who maybe does have a nice side but it's overlayed by 50 layers of conceit.

least favorite thing about them- I want him to face tangible consequence for what he did to the Potetes.

favorite line- "...What is it, whelp? Do you love my greatness? Well, I must apologize... I already adore myself far more than you do.", why is he like this I'm sobbign

brOTP- Nanashi, mad scientist-guinea pig duo ever. I think his relationship with Kirai is interesting too.

OTP- SAGARA. Look I think it's so real of her to be canonically able to knock him on his ass in like 1 minute flat. I have full reason to believe this happens regularly simply because of how easily she does it here, and the only reason it doesn't escalate is because Nanase drags her away. Izuchi is a voice of reason to her out-there way of thinking and general immaturity and Sagara not only doesn't take his shit but is fully capable of smashing through his ego.

nOTP- I can see how Izuchi/Saaya would be interesting but it just isn't for me idk.

random headcanon- Keeps and labels seashell displays. It's some of the only actual decor his room has. Also is a relatively decent cook.

unpopular opinion- The fandom doesn't bully him enough like actually. Look at this guy.

song i associate with them- What The World Needs, this was so hard I have too many.

favorite picture of them-

Kirai:

favorite thing about them- He's such an unapologetic turd but also weirdly competent for a 10 year old. I like how he spends his entire friend event complaining then just gives Nanashi trash as a gift. That's so mean. I feel like he veers more into being just an outright asshole vs Nomare or the twins being kind of clowns about it, but I love that for him honestly.

least favorite thing about them- leave the old man alone bro(who isn't even an old man he's 34 but Kirai's 10 so I see how it'd seem that way to him)

favorite line- "Yeah, yeah. Let's slaughterize 'em all."

brOTP- The hackers but I think Kotora being his babysitter is funny. Sorry for the constant torment dude(it's entertaining.)

OTP- N/A

nOTP- N/A

random headcanon- Makes a fuss about how he's eventually going to get a growth spurt and how That'll Show You All but stays short into adulthood. Never hears the end of it.

unpopular opinion- I feel like Izuchi's personality gets conflated with his sometimes which I get but. You know(will not elaborate(this isn't directed at anything you said in your answer btw just to be clear, you're good)).

song i associate with them- Oh No!

favorite picture of them-

Mikado:

favorite thing about them- Great antagonist. Very good parallels to Nanashi(for obvious reasons), with this being how he would've turned out if he stayed the way he was at the start of the game, down to his ultimate goal being a warped version of Nanashi's initial wish of World Peace. His attempt to start a team only to have them all hate and betray him in contrast to people being weirded out by Nanase before eventually warming up to him for him is neat.

least favorite thing about them- How do you just pretend to be a guy's cousin who he's known all his life and have his family accept that and let him stay with you. Where does Nanase go when he disappears. I can and will draw conjectures but I wish that was elaborated on.

favorite line- "Had it not been "me," there was no way I would have offered you hot cocoa in the dead of summer as if it were a reward." On levels of passive aggression incomprehensible to mere mortals.

brOTP- Nanashi and Misane!

OTP- N/A

nOTP- Nanashi ew

random headcanon- Would try to hold hacker Game Nights to build rapport and cooperation, you can imagine how well that went.

unpopular opinion- Not exactly Mikado himself but never forget that Nanashi is canonically capable of becoming a fucked up guy given the right circumstances. As in "can and will commit so many crimes against humanity" fucked up.

song i associate with them- Technocrat, I probably Do have better songs for him but I just want to raise this in the vein of him trying to pitch the master program to the higher ups and doing it in a really backhanded concerning way(although it gets passed anyways so.)

favorite picture of them-

Kotora:

favorite thing about them- Only Sane Man of the hackers but is so spineless that it doesn't even matter. He gets bullied by a 10 year old, guys. Hge's so tired guys give him a break. I enjoy the potential thread of him being so stressed and tired that he turned to crime despite not usually being that type. I like the moment in his friend event where Rocca breaks a plate(?) and he's more concerned about her safety. Nice fellow.

least favorite thing about them- Who runs the cafe while he's running from the law? Because Rocca is definitely still working there.

favorite line- "Ahaha… I wouldn't say "don't judge a book by its cover," more… "you don't know what a really fatigued guy will do.""

brOTP- The hackers but I like to imagine him and Tobari having regular meetups(tea parties? coffee? Whatever) after the group splinters off to do their own thing. I'd say they could bond over the more mature of the four but I wonder how he'd feel, with him being burnt out(albeit I do think all that trouble would give him a new appreciation for his life, but that doesn't change the fact that the feeling was there) and running a struggling business and her being born rich and choosing to gallivant around because she's a thrillseeker? I think there could be something to explore there.

OTP- N/A

nOTP- N/A

random headcanon- Majored in computer science for a minute in college; Went back to coding when he started feeling stuck in his own life and that's how he managed to have any success with hacking.

unpopular opinion- N/A

song i associate with them- Coffee and Syrup

favorite picture of them- He's kindof pathetic but that's how I like my men

Nomiya:

favorite thing about them- Hell yeah, go funny loud man.

least favorite thing about them- We have Sho Minamoto at home.

favorite line- "Ya better show me somethin' giga-fun next time!!! If you yotta-bore me again, you're packed!! Zipped! DELEEETEEEEEED!!!!!"

brOTP- The hackers but I like to think of him and Kirai being disasters who cause problems on purpose. I bet they fight all the time.

OTP- I don't always go there but I do see the Nomihiyu vision

nOTP- N/A

random headcanon- After the master program gets re-made he gets brought onto the team to help with code maintenance. He creates viruses and Hiyu figures out how to protect the master program from them.

unpopular opinion- N/A

song i associate with them- AC/DC

favorite picture of them-

Nanashi:

favorite thing about them- His arc! How he starts the game constantly trashing on himself and through his efforts to befriend the characters, he learns that everyone's a little messed up. He learns to start loving himself and what sets him apart, and that he deserves to be live and love and have friendship through his relationships, because people care for him. How his arc carries into the next game but not in such a way that they just get rid of his peculiarity.

least favorite thing about them- I feel like it does get toned down from Ch.XXX to 1beat but some of his interactions with Misane post-timeskip... yeesh.

favorite line- His whole speech at the end of the first game makes me feel things.

brOTP- Misane big obvi, they're so precious to me. Can a catgirl and a bunnyboy truly solve crimes together.

OTP- I have a few ships I like with him but nothing I'm entirely committed to.

nOTP- Gosh where do I start. Mikado maybe.

random headcanon- Moves in with the Real Aisakas permanently after the game, mostly I just feel bad about the idea of having him move too far away from his friends.

unpopular opinion- Okay for how much people like to rag on his post-timeskip behavior lbr even some of his comments toward other characters throughout the first game were kind of. weird(derogatory). Also maybe not shipping him with Misane is an unpopular opinion but the fandom seems to have fallen off that boat anyways.

song i associate with them- Saying the 1bit ed might be too obvious so. uh. Be A Friend. Also Self-Inflicted Achromatic for a more angsty(normal end) angle

favorite picture of them-

[arabellaflynn]

I've found a new podcast to binge. It's called "Computer Game Evolution", written, edited, produced and distributed as a one-man show by someone who's opted to go by "Tim". It's a very witty, very thorough exploration of how video games got to be what they are, starting in the pre-history of computers when all your tedious calculations were done by hand, and sometimes by post. His intro trailer mentions that he defended a doctoral thesis having something to do with video games, so my guess is that this is the director's cut audiobook of his dissertation, now with 400% of the snark his advisor made him edit out.

Tim declines to say where he's from. His accent is distinctly East Slavic, although I admit I don't know enough about the languages in that family to distinguish between them from just their traces in his English. He also mentions that as much as he'd love to take donations for the podcast, he can't, as they don't work where he is. All of the donation sites that I know of pay out via electronic escrow services like PayPal, all of which are headquartered in the US. When last I checked, they still go through fine in Ukraine and Belarus, but have been cut off in Russia since sometime last year.

So. Russian, or at least native Russian speaker, currently in Russia. According to the media, I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to shun him on principal now. Eyeing just the Middle Easterners with deep suspicion is so last season.

Listening to the podcast gives nothing to the nation of Russia. He runs no ads, and gets no money for it. A fan is apparently paying the $15 or so for his monthly hosting now -- with a company that's so American that half the testimonials on their About page are from medium to large churches who use them to broadcast services on the internet, I swear I am not making this up.

If he does indeed have a PhD in something related to the game industry then it's almost certain that he got it, if not in the US, then at least somewhere in North America. Virtually all of the formal scholarship on the topic is here, with a minority in Canada. This is bolstered by his fluent English; his pronunciation slants very British, consistent with having learned initially in Europe, but his slang and pop culture references are all American, including a lot of things so old the Zoomers who have picked them up have probably never seen/read/played the thing they came from. He has clearly spent a lot of time reading/writing in both formal and informal English, and living in a place where he needed to use it in daily life.

For the first season that went out in 2021, Tim made no comment of any kind on world events. Since spring 2022, he's signed off with a strangely non-specific exhortation to "support good causes", which I suppose is suggestive in its timing, but might apply just as plausibly to donating to your local animal shelter. He once added that you should help people who have had to leave their homes, and have maybe lost them completely, which could cover a lot of current refugee crises. Signing off for the holidays he suggested you "help people not to freeze to death this winter", which applied to a sadly large swath of Europe at the time. 

Oh, and once he completely ran out of fucks to give and signed off with, "Friends don't let friends do imperialism." Which is both a painfully American reference and a pretty clear indication of his opinion, unless King Charles III has started trying to retake India when I wasn't looking.

A lot of Russian creators, especially those working primarily in English, have fielded criticism for not stating their views more overtly. I expect most of that's from Americans. The reason they dance around things without using the words "Russia", "Ukraine", or "war" is that many of their opinions are now illegal in Russia. They're not afraid of getting canceled, they're afraid of getting arrested. As rubbish as things are getting in America right now, you still don't go to jail for having unpopular views. The worst thing that will happen to you, officially, is that you will be socially ruined and sued into oblivion. Which is definitely not fun, but also not prison. Nobody was arrested for being a shouty Trump-supporting bigot until they tried to break in and murder the Vice President.

Tim has a generally hackish disdain for large, top-heavy organizations that are in the habit of rolling over the little people in their way. He doesn't have a lot of love for the US military but he's not exactly overflowing with praise for the Soviets either. (Apparently it's still okay to criticize the USSR, because Russia is totally not that corrupt and dysfunctional anymore.) Speaking briefly of a programmer from the '80s who has since transitioned, he used only her current name, stating -- and I quote -- "I do not deadname people on this podcast." He's interjected some pretty overtly feminist snark about the proportion of women who were(n't) in the programming industry at the time. He's using his thesis for a podcast instead of a teaching career because the whole process made him willing to gnaw his own foot off to escape the petty bureaucracy of academia. Very little else has intersected with video games enough to come up, but I am inclined to think his viewpoint on the world is closer to what I'd expect from someone who went through a Western grad school than what you would be led to believe from the "official" poll results that are reported for the Russian population.

There are probably a lot more of "them" who are a lot more like "us" than the news would suggest. The news has a vested interest in scaring you. And in making things simple-minded. 

So now I'm left wondering if some guy I've never met, in a country I've never been to, whose government is doing a lot of things I don't like, is okay enough to release the next episode of his podcast. I hope so. You can find the podcast on pretty much every aggregation service (here's the page on Listennotes) and see some photos of the old stuff he covers on his Ko-Fi. Give it a listen. It's good. And it'll remind you that "Russia" -- or whatever batch of foreigners whose government we dislike today -- isn't a hive mind.

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