#to be clear i am fully joking lmao

[purplespacecats]

me 5 minutes ago: dear lord all y'all need to calm the fuck down about the pirate battle

me now: the fact that pirate battle 2 doesn't include izzy is a hate crime

[b4kuch1n]

Your swsh art always makes me want to replay the game because i love it and its my favorite pokemon game and every time i play another pokemon game i think of it how i miss certain elements from swsh. Then i boot up the game and im once again caught in the 1 hour 40 minutes hand held intro and im like ah- now i remember why i have been playing other pokemon games instead of this one. Happy (late?) birthday!

you don't want to listen to hop? you don't want to hear him teach you about type matchups? you don't wanna let him cheer u on...? 🥺 waa....?

[musical-chick-13]

UGH Why do so many songs I want to sing require a huge amount of charisma to pull off.

[hollisxwrites]

could you write a percy x daughter of dionysus reader? 🧎‍♀️🙏🏼

lay all your love on me

AGED UP percy jackson x daughter of dionysus! reader

word count: 1.1k

warnings: inspired by the "lay all your love on me" scene in momma mia!, just take out the funny background dancers. pretty spicy, not fully on smut, but definitely some heavy making out and innuendos. underwater kissing, mention of underage drinking and the reader being a little bit of a troublemaker, some language, possibly can be seen as slightly angst at the beginning with some little bitty bit of jealously. i really like this one!

summary: the reader is bored on a beach day with her boyfriend, percy, so she decides to tease him a little bit, which ends up with her and her boyfriend making out on the ocean floor LMAO.

Laughter filled the air as my boyfriend, Percy, and I sprawled out on the beach of Camp. It was one of the rare days of peace we had at Camp, a beautiful, glorious, Sunday. Percy looked stunning, as always, the sun warming his freckled face, and the sea making his already perfect hair even curlier. His swim trunks, even though they had unicorns in shark onesies on them, clung to his figure perfectly. I took a sip of my champagne that we had managed to steal out of the cabinet that my dad kept near his desk, and I tried to pry my eyes away from Percy. He was chattering out about something that had happened with the younger campers the day before, watching the waves from his perch against a rock. I wanted to distract him from the mundane talk of camp, so I decided I would mess with the boy a little bit.  

I stood up from where I sat near Percy and pulled off the oversized tee shirt that I had on over my swimsuit. The swimsuit was plum purple, and I knew Percy loved it, he made it abundantly clear every time I wore it. I stood near the water, about ten or eleven feet away from Percy when his conversation finally died down. “You look...beautiful, dear gods.” He choked out, his voice straining a little bit.  

I smiled and adjusted my hair, so it framed my face. “Thank you, darling.” I took another swig out of my champagne flute and turned so my back was to Percy. Soon enough, just as I expected, Percy was beside me. He moved to put his hand on my lower back, but I swatted his hand away. I looked over and saw the little pout on his face, and knew my mission was already succeeding.  

“I noticed you talking to Connor a lot yesterday, what’s that about?” Percy asked, his tone almost a little bitter, even though I could tell by his demeanor that he was joking with me. 

I shrugged. “I lived in the Hermes cabin for a long time, Mr. D never wanted to claim me because he didn’t want to have to punish his own daughter. I used to get into a lot of trouble at Camp.” 

Percy chuckled at this. “Oh, I know. What did Connor want, though? You guys don’t usually talk like that.” 

“Don’t worry about it, Perc.” I looked him in the eye. “He was just asking me if I knew who had stable duties this week, since we both are in trouble with Chiron right now.” 

Percy sighed, letting his eyes wander down my figure, which sent electric shock through my entire body. “Okay, I’m just not used to being so jealous. Any guy I see talk to you feels like a potential threat.” He moved closer to me, our fingers millimeters away from touching. 

“You have no reason to be afraid of other guys. You know I’ve only ever had eyes for you. You have all my love.” I said, comforting the boy. 

He nodded at this. “Sorry, I feel so possessive of you sometimes, you’re just so fucking beautiful, I know any guy would want to have you, but you’re mine.”    

A shiver ran down my spine. “That’s why I love you so much, Perc. That is exactly how I am with you. I don’t want anyone else to even look at you.” 

Percy leaned down a little bit, probably trying to kiss me, and I connected our noses, but never our lips. I moved away, pushing his muscular chest a little, and went to take a sip from the glass still in my hand. He smirked a little bit, finally catching onto the game I was playing with him. I set the glass down in the sand, and walked further into the water, thus further away from Percy. I flipped myself so I was facing him again. “Don’t go wasting your emotion, Perc. Lay all your love on me!”  

He giggled, obviously getting the ABBA reference I was making here. “Okay, miss disco queen.”  

I laughed, getting close enough to kiss him again. This time, just our top lips touch before I pull away and move back to the rock we were leaning against earlier. Perched again on the rock, I looked Percy in the eye. His eyes wandered once again to my figure in the swimsuit, but not in a way that made me uncomfortable, in fact, he made me feel so loved with his gaze. He moved towards me this time, and finally brought us together into a real kiss. My back pressed against the cool surface of the rocks, and I was fully immersed in the kiss. His hands went to my waist, pulling my chest flesh against his, causing my entire body to feel ignited by his touch.  

He separated us, leaving me panting and my knees weak. “Two can play this game, disco queen.” He ran off into the water, diving into the depths of the salty sea. 

“Not fair!” I shouted out after him, still trying to compose myself after the earth-shattering kiss we shared. Sure, as a Dionysus kid, I may have a lot of wit and a lot of charm, but I could not breath underwater like Percy could. Suddenly, I saw a mop of blond curls pop up from the water about half a mile into the distance. “Percy Jackson!” I yelled again. 

I saw, or at least I thought I did, him flipping me off from the distance, and that made the desire in me to catch him even stronger. I hopped in the water and started to paddle my arms, quiet poorly, trying aimlessly to catch up with the boy. I felt a hand grab my calf, and I yelped as I was pulled into the water. I came face to face with Percy. I hated to say it, but he looked even more attractive underwater, if that was even possible. His lips met mine, once again, and due to his touch and manipulation of the water, I could breathe, ish. His hands gripped me, pulling me further down into the dingy water. Being underwater with Percy was always a thrill, especially when we were making out like this, tongues clashing and hands being nowhere and everywhere all at once. When he finally parted from me, both of us were panting like dogs. “Gods, I love you.” 

I giggled, pressing a lingering kiss into his jawline. “I love you, too.”  

He bit his lip as I continued to press kisses into his jaw, his neck, and eventually his collarbones. Maybe it was the champagne going to my head, or maybe it was my handsome boyfriend, but I had never been happier than I was in this moment. My kisses went lower and lower down his abdomen, and I’m sure what you can guess what happened next. 

But, as they say, what happens in the ocean stays in the ocean, or something like that.    

[bi-hop]

my thoughts on rgu ep 5

god, there's... a lot to unpack with this one! holy shit! where do I even get started... I guess just at the beginning like a normal person, but wow-

so we start off with Juri and Mickey fencing, which. I dunno if the show explained them as fencers before, but it makes sense. I like how close the two of them seem to be, even outside of the student council context. there was that whole library scene last episode of course and now this. Juri's insistence that his sword is not for battle seems important... but we'll get to that later, I guess

dear God please stop flashing back to his sister <- this will not stop

Utena being like "oh are y'all having a romantic moment" is so funny to me. the denial... Anthy isn't going to do anything, bro, she's engaged to you?

anyway we're back to Anthy playing the piano for everyone... and we're back to Mickey's backstory

I will say despite the clear importance Mickey places on music and therefore on how his relationship with his sister was destroyed once she quit playing the piano, it's HILARIOUS to me that his tragic backstory is... he convinced his little sister to do a concert with him and then got measles. okay.

^ LMAO HE SAID ALL THAT AND THEN ANTHY'S JUST STIMMING TO THE METRONOME

okay jokes aside it's also obvious to me why Utena is more invested in this story and Mickey's feelings towards Anthy than Anthy is. Anthy is fully devoted to being the Rose Bride and what that entails - devotion to whoever wins her in a duel. Right now, that's Utena. so why would she engage with and acknowledge Mickey's crush right now

"It's ridiculous to make a girl someone's bride because of a duel! I can't forgive a system that deprives someone of their personal freedom!" Finally!!!!!!! We finally get Utena fully articulating her issues with the Utena-sama and engagement spiel beyond the more surface level denials of "I am a girl who must be interested in boys because I am a girl" and "this is just weird" from a few episodes ago

My GF: ... okay so the student council saying that egg shit is just their Team Rocket motto-

MICKEY... You can't just plagiarize Utena's words and alter them to solely be focused on Anthy, that's not how this works-

Also, I know the student council is like... an apocalypse cult or whatever, but could you really disband it just because some random kid said so? Like isn't Mickey 13 or something. where is the head of the school in all this?!?

... WAIT WHAT THAT'S HIS SISTER.

[The camera cuts to me gagging as I am forced to process the implication that Touga pursued Mickey's sister out of... retaliation? An assertion of control over Mickey? To instill a reaction to 'fight for' what he wants and owns, but those things being girls in a more conceptual sense than anything true and real?]

And here we go... Anthy's likes again exist, obviously. She likes animals, she likes playing the piano, she presumably likes being in the greenhouse. But her desires are always secondary to her existence as the Rose Bride. what her fiancé wants matters more. If Utena were to beat her, she'd tolerate it, as we've already seen with Saionji. If Utena were to demand she stop talking to Mickey, she'd probably do so immediately. If Utena were to say she needed to stop playing the piano, she'd do it. And of course Mickey feels so attached and entitled and threatened after the Touga shit that he's like "well, I gotta duel Utena now". UGH!

Everything is Touga's fault- /j

There is clearly something being said as well in the way in which Touga's words are repeated and re-animated, focusing heavily on his exposed chest, but I don't really want to think about the ins and outs of that right now. [The camera zooms in on me shaking my head pensively.]

Utena def feels betrayed after all of that, though. SHE WAS ROCKING WITH YOU!!! SHE WAS ROOTING FOR YOU!

I can't quite word this, but the shadow girls' pirate spiel is clearly relevant. I just can't fully word why right now. I guess the analogy is that Mickey is so beloved for everything - smarts, piano, fencing, student council stuff - but he can't ever possess what he truly wants, which seems to be... I don't know, actually. The shining thing is how he words it, but maybe he's just looking for someone to inspire and support him? And he words it in this idealized way because no one in this fucking school is healthy or normal-

"I think being seated at the piano suited you much more." I AGREE! (And so does Juri... hm...)

Okay, so obviously Mickey loses. Obviously the new duel song is great. But I am continuing to think about how Mickey is both right and wrong here. He's able to intuit that Anthy is not happy over the dueling system, though she'll never let on to that. but he incorrectly assumes that Anthy will support him because 'I'M the one thinking of her best interests', conveniently forgetting that Anthy will always support the person she's engaged to. Who is Utena, not him at the moment. and of course the shock of that makes him lose. Then again though, maybe I'm falling into the trap too like him and assuming she's unhappy... lmao who knows

The reveal that Mickey's sister was actually shit at the piano and he just didn't notice (and neither did the guy who had a crush on her)... something is going on there about idolization! Something! I wish I was like ten percent smarter today, it's slipping through my fingertips

Anyway, good episode, made me sick to my stomach in some parts! Excited for Anthy being put on trial for attempted murder next episode-

[lockandkeycake]

HoTD moots I'm sorry again. This isn't my last pjo rant.

I'm continuing the deep dive into the Did Leo Bully Frank allegations, moving into House of Hades, where things get a bit more murky.

I'm not going to fully recap MoA read my other insane nerdy rant, but basically. Last we left them, Frank had disliked Leo, been antagonistic towards Leo, Leo was nervous around him and teased him a few times, they finally talk and become friends. But, everything is kicking off on a sour note. No one is happy.

Right at the beginning of HoH, we don't actually get much interactions between Leo and Frank until these scenes.

I'd like to note here that Leo's birthday is July 7th. so that's fun. He's not feeling too great about all the ghost talk. I didn't include it, but there's a scene of Hazel talking about Leo being angrier and more serious early on as well. Leo is thinking about loss and death quite a lot in this novel.

Then we get to Frank's pov and Boy Is It Different.

First, I'll also point out Frank remembers the whole his clothes getting sent out and destroyed on Buford but very clearly doesn't characterize it as Leo 'throwing his clothes overboard'. Even in the state Frank is in, he knows Leo didn't purposely destroy his clothes.

But Frank still has issues.

You can note that Frank actually starts off this thought process by essentially complementing Leo, but then Mars and Ares pop in - suddenly, Frank is now saying how Leo constantly teased him.

This is one of those things I think people are going to interpret differently depending on your bias. I have a Leo bias, and having shown that Leo was NOT constantly teasing him in MoA, at least from what is written, I think this is mostly influence from Mars/Ares. Leo does tease, he teases Jason in this book I think more than he does Frank, so I wouldn't ever say Leo doesn't tease people, he absolutely can be a little shit; but the difference is that it's rarely maliciously done on Leo's part. When Leo noticed Frank was embarrassed at the end of the last book, he stopped himself from making comments. We've also seen that Leo is also not great at realizing if his comments are being taken negatively, even if he doesn't mean them in that manner.

However, like I said, Hazel noted Leo's been stressed, not sleeping, and angrier than usual at the beginning of HoH. Leo blames himself for what happened to Annabeth and Percy. Leo is starting to think he'll probably die, and he's horribly lonely. Maybe he has been razzing Frank more offpage, and we just don't see it written. But because we do not see Leo explicitly dig at Frank's weight or looks or intelligence, I am personally still more of the opinion that it's the product of Mars/Ares.

We then get this scene

Frank says Leo had stopped making jokes at his expense here, but again, not trying to beat a dead horse at this point, we've not really seen Leo do that at all this book. Frank now has more confidence and feels more worthwhile in his place on the Argo after his Venice battle- I think Frank is now less insecure and those voices are piping in less. Again, I could be wrong, but this seems very similar to last book. Frank spent the majority of the book being very antagonist, then wonders why on earth Leo would be nervous around him. There's things clouding Frank's judgement that clear up, and suddenly, he's getting on with Leo much better. Shocker.

(that being said Frank does suggest leaving Leo in Croatia just for making a pun not even at his expense, so make of that what you will lmao)

Reaching the Calypso chapters, there's a lot I could get into. I'll eventually do a break down on just them and why I don't love caleo, but I'll save that for another day. Still - Frank is someone Leo actually makes a point of trying to help once he finds out Calypso has fireproof fabric.

Frank is his friend in Leo's mind, someone he wants to save too. Leo is big on trying to save people. I wonder why, definitely didn't come from childhood trauma or watching his mom burn to death or anything. Moving on.

Finally, Leo returns from Ogygia, Frank is said to have patted him so hard on the back it made Leo wince. Clearly he hates him.

But in all seriousness I think the slow progression of Leo and Frank's relationship is one of the better done character developments in HoO. It's slow, it's subtle it culminates in Frank hugging him next book, and Frank using Leo and Jason as inspiration for using up his wood piece.

The big scene to finish off this book are these pages. If Frank hated Leo, if he felt like Leo was only ever mocking him, trying to hurt his feelings, this would not have happened.

Frank trusts Leo.

Leo trusts Frank.

They're not afraid of each other anymore, they're not scared. They mutually trust one another and know they'll have each other's backs.

That is why Leo trusts only Frank and Hazel with his plan in the next book.

[haisuu]

Hey your requests are open right? Can I have Ace, Whit, Levi and David with a gender netrual reader that has an obvious crush on them?

Of course! Thank you for the request!

C.R.U.S.H

Ace; Whit; Levi; David x Reader (Separate)

You/Your pronouns

Summary: It’s clear that you have a total crush on them, but what happens next? Who confesses first? Do they tease you or do they just let it happen?

Ace with a reader who has an obvious crush on them!

This man has no idea what to do-

When you complimented about his achievements, he thought you just liked him, not like liked him.

Like, should he confront you? Ignore it, ignore you? Who knows?

At first, he somewhat distances himself from you.

But then he’ll start talking to you again. Feeling more of a connection.

He TOTALLY then teases you.

“Why are you staring at me so much? Do you like me?” He would say with a smile.

And when you blush because of it, his ego skyrockets. But he can’t tease forever now..

“Well luckily for you, I like you too.”

(i still don’t think I can write him correctly help-)

Whit with a reader who has an obvious crush on them!

Whit’s a similar case to Ace…

Except he notices your crush on him immediately and then teases you right after.

Ranging from cheesy pick-up lines to slight signs of affection.

And he’s always so proud when your face flushes.

But one day, you stop talking to him…

No laughing at his jokes, no “Good morning, Whit!” Every day..and he misses it…

He’s gotten so accustomed to a life with you that he can’t envision one without you.

And so, when he sees you the next time, he pulls you away, and confesses.

“Hey, uh..I’m sorry if I made you feel like my feelings are fake, but I really like you..are you willing to date me?”

(why am I blushing and shi-)

Levi with a reader who has an obvious crush on them!

I fully like to think he’s so dense when it comes to love (isn’t it canon?)

“I’m sure that women like…water..” is literally his line in the VA trailer!

If by some miracle, he does find out about your crush, someone told him. (It was Eden lmao)

And then he’s blushing slightly, but inside…his heart is beating out of his chest.

You..like him? You, the prettiest one here?

(he’s definitely crushing on you without realizing it)

And then a few days later, without realizing it..he pulls you in, kissing you passionately.

“..I...sorry! I just really like you..!”

(I don’t think I portrayed his character correctly help)

David with a reader who has an obvious crush on them!

This is definitely a “You fell first, but they fell harder.” Type of thing.

You, showing tons of admiration and love towards him, and him somewhat returning it with minimal effort.

He suspects you have a crush, but never gets a confirmation.

He really appreciated all the support, but he thought of you only as a friend.

That is..until he starts seeing you hanging out with Whit..

You’re laughing with him..having such a good time…and, are you blushing?

And this feeling arises within his chest. Jealousy? No, no, why would he be jealous? You’re just a friend.

(OMG! David’s an Adrien Agreste kinnie confirmed!)

Unless..what if you’re not just a friend?

Now he realizes just how much you mean to him.

And he needs to confess, fast. If you get together with Whit..He doesn’t know what he’ll do.

You’re alone now, perfect timing, he comes over to you and says;

“Please don’t tell me you’re in love with Whit, Y/n. I love you..more than I thought I could ever love someone. Please accept my feelings!”

Thank you for reading! Always remember to take care of yourself! Bye! (I need to think of a better title for this but I’m too lazy-)

[mamawasatesttube]

So, I'm not a writer, but I am very curious 👀 What do you look for in a fic that features Kon? 👀 What kind of things do you want Kon to do, or experience? 👀 What characteristics of Kon do you absolutely wanna see? 👀 What characteristics of Kon you didn't like but want to see adressed in a fic? 👀 When you're writing, what are three major things about Kon that you MUST INCLUDE NO MATTER WHAT? 👀👀👀 Sorry about the many questions!!!!!

OHHHH this is such a good question okay okay okay. let's see.

what do i look for? primarily, kon having an actual character voice. that's the lowest bar to clear (and yet already takes out... a good chunk of the fics ive seen in the kon character tag 😭😭). he needs to be silly, geeky, deeply kind, earnest, etc. not every fic featuring him will necessarily get into the way he's also existentially lonely and has a Lot of sadness and self-esteem issues (esp after rex leech's roller coaster incident. this has been on my mind today. ough. his self-image never recovered after that one!) but by GOD does he have his issues, so if its a fic going into emotions i want it to do right by his. will def admit thats smth im incredibly picky about.

as for stuff i want him doing? honestly i am here for so much!! i want soft simple character studies. i want action showcasing how fucking powerful ttk can be, especially with a dose of creativity to its use. i want wacky yj space adventures. i want good good whump and hurt/comfort. i want him getting swept off his feet. you could sell me on almost any plot if it's well-written.

re: characteristics... i don't really split them up quite like that, i think! he's a well-rounded character, and that includes both strengths and flaws. ideally, a good fic will include both of these and represent them fairly (like, he's not perfect by any means, and he can do stupid things and struggle with personal issues, but on the other hand very few things tick me off more than portrayals where he's just completely incompetent and dumb as a rock, lmao).

BUT REGARDING MY OWN WRITING. ohhohoohoohooho three things i ALWAYS have to include? a) geek-ass loser (affectionate). i think it is SO endearing and also very humanizing as a quality that he's a trekkie/wendy fan/star wars nerd/etc. b) mixed-race metaphors. they may not be overt depending on the piece but the "child of two worlds that doesn't quite fit into either" thing is Deeply intentional. and c) HES A JUGGERNAUT!!!! i firmly believe adult fully realized kon (a kryptonian, with full kryptonian powers, WITH TTK) is a force of fucking nature. i like this so much and i specifically also always like it when he is at any given moment about 0.4 seconds from freaking the fuck out about how it's Too much strength.

to me, kon is a character made of some very delicious contradictions. he's so painfully human and yet grapples hard with his own personhood and humanity. he's a kryptonian and an alien but he's a child of earth. he's terrified of his own power. he wants nothing more than to protect everyone he loves (and everyone he doesn't love, too). he's always ready to crack a joke or make a silly reference, but he is deeply sad and spent so much of his early life suicidal. he contains multitudes. (and this isn't even getting into my hcs on his gender/sexuality crisis! ksjdhf)

i feel like a gripe i often find myself having when looking for kon fics is that he often gets slotted into the role of "emotional support boyfriend with no personality or role of his own" though, which i guess is why "does he have a distinct character voice?" is my first litmus test for whether i'd want to keep reading or not.

a good kon fic will embrace all his contradictions, i think. (a good fic for any character, really, should show them as well-rounded and three-dimensional.) and i for one love his Problems and Issues, bc man, it's a very fun space to play in! <3

[prongsmydeer]

Ayesha Liveblogs Hidden Agenda S1

I will not lie to you, I am watching this entirely for the fact it stars Tony from the Warp Effect

"I will get back my five minutes. When that time comes, I will let you know." Seems like an extreme overreaction to imply you want some sort of physical favour for missing a few minutes of studio time, but hey, I'm not a musician!

Much like Pat, I also feel like I've walked in the middle of something

LMAO @ the opening theme suggesting there's only one woman in this whole show, but I guess if I want women, I should choose a different genre

"As I've told you guys, I'll deal with the Nita situation my way." You know that post that's like 'I'm bisexual, by which I mean I'm physically terrified of dating men and emotionally terrified of dating women?' That's Zo

"Joke used to date Nita. Maybe he can help you out." Ah, I think we have arrived at the premise

I really want to know what's going on between these two because they are really acting like We Have A History:

Nita talking to a female classmate who is fully offscreen because she's the only woman on this show HAHAHA

"Why did you freak out like that?" said Pok, as if he had not jumped on a man holding a full cup of coffee

Not the debate club of the political science faculty!! This is far too relatable to my university experience LOL (also RUN Nita this is a terrible dating pool)

So far, mostly Joke's role has been to pop up out of nowhere to taunt Zo about being romantically inept, like a particularly Rude Flirtation Ghost

"I'm not sure, [Joke] might have a problem with me." If by 'problem' you mean a semi-hostile leetle crush, Zo, u right

Fellas, is it romantic to lean into ur crush and whisper in their ear that they have no spine?

[Taylor Swift voice] I think I've seen this film before:

I've said this before but: If your friends leave you alone at a bar while ur plastered, get new friends!!!

Awwww Joke taking the 5 minutes to clear up a misunderstanding with Zo is the first sincere thing he's done in this show

SCREAM why did you make one of the romantic leads punch the other? I know he's drunk but COME ON. WHO LIKES SOMEONE WHO PUNCHES THEM IN THE FACE FOR NO REAL REASON

At least he's apologizing right away???? What a bold first ep

Yes, I do know in Bad Buddy (also by GMMTV) they were starting with street brawls, but that's different, it was their faculities fighting, not like one guy doing it unsolicited

LMAO I can't believe the punch was a plot device to give Zo a reason to follow Joke around wanting forgiveness

"If you just leave it as it is, it won't heal quickly." It was ALSO a plot device for intricate rituals for touching the skin of other men

"Who said I don't like you?" "You repeatedly gave me harsh words during our freshman year." Ohhhhh so their history is that tweet with Joke not knowing how to deal with his crush and writing Zo a letter that says, 'get out of my school'

You know, I do enjoy the Share My Drink So We Can Start a Weird Dating Mentorship Pact. It's fun! It's like a blood ritual but for stupid bisexual guys. Or a marriage, take your pick

"I can't eat anything here, right?" Dkljdlkjdd is Zo just a very picky eater? Vietnamese food isn't even like a polar opposite to Thai food in my experience, it's still Southeast Asian cuisine?? Also I have definitely had fresh spring rolls from Thai restaurants LOL

"My peer mentor is the best!" For some reason, I did think Pok was older than Zo at first sight

The more time that Zo and Joke spend in the debate room, the more Zo's personality (a mild pain in the ass) makes sense

HHAHAHAHAH is Zo dream-sequencing about kissing him? I didn't think we'd get here so fast

Oh psych, it's Joke's dream sequence. That tracks, but my god, get it together Joke, this guy punched you like yesterday

"No, let's get something to eat." Joke said: If we stay in this debate room any longer I WILL kiss you, Zo, and then it'll be both of our problems

I like that they haven't done ANYTHING to talk about Nita all day. They're just hanging out hahahaha

"Why would you come [to my gig]? It's not the right place for practice." "You'll see." Colour me intrigued about Zo's plan

Joke alternating between singing scales and practicing debate intros is so me. I am so him

Joke's cousin laughing at him but cheering him on for debate while handing off the key card is the true family representation I need from these shows

Trin is also P'Dim from 2gether and Captain from the Warp Effect so this is really the first role I've seen Guy Sivakorn in that he's not at least a little nefarious

"This is your home turf. Trust me, you can do it, Joke." Awww I like that Zo is teaching debate techniques through a medium he feels more comfortable with, which is music performance

I like that Zo has also made himself designated driver! Always appreciate someone staunchly against drinking and driving

"I told you who my crush was." "You told me voluntarily. I didn't ask," said Joke, like he didn't eavesdrop on Zo in a bus and then accost him to confirm what he heard

"Why would you want to join this club? I don't get it at all." "I'll explain later." Will you Joke? Because every explanation for this situation makes you sound a little crazy. 1) I am helping a guy to date you, Nita, so I need to be in this club to make that work or, more honestly 2) I like a guy in this club, but he wants to date you, so I'm in this club to spend time with him, while hoping that I don't help him enough to date you

A relationship with a hidden agenda is such a broad topic for someone's first debate. Talk about school uniforms, or fracking, or a legitimate social issue. Also also also. Do they not have a structure for this debate? Where are the themes, the motions, the timed speeches. Even if Thai debate is different from the styles I know, there should still be a structure. Why they just rebutting ceaselessly back and forth? All this for a title reference. Which debate nerd signed off on this!!

"To me, a hidden agenda is a secret." You have to decide the definitions at the top of the debate, or else you can't have one!! Writers team, I'm sending you a passionate telegram

It is fun how Joke is always standing like, 6 inches from Zo's face at every opportunity and you can see Zo getting progressively more distracted each time

The English dialogue and PowerPoint caught me off guard:

Honestly, as bananas as this is, I feel like Joke really does have the opportunity to Build-A-Boyfriend here, which does tickle me

Zo every time Joke stands too close: Not now, gay thoughts!

"But if you never try new things, how will you know what suits you?" Like dating men, said Joke, in the subtext

I don't actually like Zo's white jacket, but I appreciate that all of these outings are giving him an opportunity for both new things and confidence-building

"Well, look at him. We might need an exorcism. He must be possessed." Pat absolutely losing it because his friend showed up slightly hotter than he was the day before:

"Your task is to plan a mock date with Nita. I'll be there to fine tune the details." "Wait a minute. So you're telIing me you'd play Nita, and I'd be... dating you." Oh, I love a mock date

Zo crashing his bike because he's too busy making eyes at Joke LMAOOOO

I LOVE the pottery painting date and Zo giggling because he tried to clean paint off Joke's face but he made it worse

If a man tried to order for me on a date, immediate red flag LOL

"Stay true to who you are on your first date." Every bit of advice that Joke gives is genuinely helpful

"Would you like to go on a date with me?" [Joke freezes and then leaves immediately] Truly a congratulations, you played yourself moment

Two dudes, standing in a library, 6 inches apart bc they are bi:

Reading someone your favourite book while sitting together in the library stacks IS emotionally intimate. Good job, Zo!

We interrupt this program to say: Hee hee

Zo, beelining for the bathroom: Something LGBT just happened to meeeeee

It only took Zo three episodes to realize that dating someone might lead to you being attracted to them, good for him!

Debate club members using school activities to trick people into a date really brings back some war flashbacks for me

"The portrayal of women is quite antiquated. If I were in Clytie's place, I wouldn't just wait. If someone doesn't want to be with you, they simply don't. The sun will never look at you. Isn't it better to look for someone who truly values you?" I love Nita

"First is passion. Second is intimacy. And third is commitment." I do enjoy a Romantic Realization montage

Zo said: The best way to deal with my newfound romantic feelings is to run away to Chiang Khan

Joke said: Great! I'll come with you. To which Zo said: That's not what I meant!!! U r not helping the crush crisis

LOL when they subtitled them bowing to the monk with "Vulnerable" did they mean "Venerable"?

I was wondering if Nu was a Thai honourific but upon googling it is a diminutive meaning "mouse" or, contextually somewhat like being someone you just met calling you baby

"When a person is sad, he needs some alone time." "Have you tried being someone else's company? It might be better than being on yotur own." Touché, Joke

I did not expect Jeng and Pok to already be dating. Points for surprise!

Awwwww Pok looks v nervous, is he worried about Zo finding out that he'd dating a man? Don't worry Pok, he's also kinda dating a man, in a very convoluted way

If there's one thing Joke will do, it is button not even HALF of his shirt. Tiddies out always. Respect

"But Pok and I are close. He's my peer mentee. Finding out like this feels off. Am I not trustworthy?" I really did think that Zo was stankfacing Pok for just crashing the date-cation, and not because he was concerned about not having known Pok was gay. Also babygirl, with greatest affection, it really isn't your business why or when someone comes out to you, or doesn't

"I just don't want to make anyone uncomfortable." Awww Zo

"Stop giving each other doe eyes." Zo and Joke have been CAUGHT and CALLED OUT hahaha

I am also Team Glass Floors Are Scary. I feel closer to Joke with every passing minute

Zo laughing while still helping Joke through his fear is my love language:

"The first photo Pok and I took together is in that wallet." Maybe I'm just from the age of digital cameras, but I feel like that is not what would stress me out about losing my wallet LOL

Joke trying to recreate the sunset for Zo. SWEET BOY

"When I look at you, you make people around you happy. They smile, and at ease. You bring a warm and comforting vibe with you." Joke comparing Zo to the sun!!!!! ROMANCE

"Aren't we all the protagonists of our own shows?" How meta

The tinkling of bells while Zo eats grilled rice for no reason. Beautiful sound editing

I love these guys talking to their friends about their concerns, both in Joke pointing out to Jeng that just because Pok is willing to be closeted for now, doesn't means he feels good about it, and Zo establishing that Pok doesn't need to talk about anything before he's ready, but Zo is there to help

"From your perspective, what kind of person am I?" Joke said: Do you like me? Check ☒ yes or ☐ no

"You should let yourself express your feelings sometimes." This is both good advice and a possible romantic segue, Joke can multi-task

"Do you think... if your heart races whenever you're around someone, does that mean you have feelings for that person?" Zo said: Do I like you? Check ☒ yes or ☐ no

Zo said: Actually, never mind, the answer is yes:

I really look forward to Zo trying to explain himself after this

"I wanted to know what you were doing, but you didn't answer me." Based on how this bus ride is going, I feel like they did not have a conversation about the kiss

"I'm sorry. But I think we should keep things the same between us." Zo said: I will NOT be elaborating on our kiss at this time xoxo, goodbye!

Replying, "Mom, I got a lot of snacks?" to "Did you go there alone?" is a MUCH more suspicious answer than saying you went with a friend (who you're kissing and dating and having feelings for, but I digress)

"Should I put water on it?" "No, that'll fill the room with smoke!" GHKJHGKJHGG Joke trying to help with the burning food but not having a clue what to do. Mood

WikiHow Article: What Do When Your Crush and Close Friend That You Kissed and Are Now Avoiding Like the Plague Shows Up in Your Dorm Room Wearing Matching Aprons with Your Mom

"If it's too hot, take it slow. Try these dishes, they aren't spicy." Oh how the food suggestions turntables

"I wasn't exaggerating. I genuinely think you're exceptional." Get you a man who hypes you up like Joke

Fellas, is it gay to hold hands and gaze deeply into your homie's eyes while doing the dishes?

"I don't know how I feel about you. And there's this whole thing with Nita. I don't want to say things that I might regret later. Can you give me a bit of time to figure it out?" COMMUNICATION

Joke karaokeing out his romantic woes. Me too, buddy

"Knowing how you feel might help him make a decision." Joke said: How dare you make an excellent point, Jeng

"When did you realize that you were into Jeng?" Awww, Zo is trying to sort out his feelings

One (1) kiss with Joke cured Zo of all his nervousness around Nita

Joke showing the debate club his goofy side just to make Zo smile

"I'm looking." "Where? You're only looking at my face." Truly these two sitting beside each other in debate club is a big hazard to their focus

"I want to love the toad. Does the toad love me?" Crazy lead-in to telling you have feelings for someone by comparing them to a frog. I am in love with Joke

It makes me happy how much Zo is a true debate nerd

"The topic for today is school uniforms: Pro or con?" I told you it was a classic!

"I felt bad about kissing you, avoiding you, and being the idiot I've been. Despite all that, you still helped me." Zo says: Stop being nice to me or I WILL fall in love with you

UNBELIEVABLE THAT ZO IS STILL ASKING JOKE IF HE (ZO) LIKES HIM (JOKE)

"I like you, Zo. I'll make you see that I really like you. I want to make you see that you like me too. Let me win you over." Roooomance

The most unrealistic thing that's happened in this series thus far is them pretending that this pillow looks at ALL like a sunflower. Could the props department not have at least found some felt and tried their best?

"I'm still in shock," said Zo, about Joke trying to win him over, as if he had not been the one who kissed Joke first bkjgjhgkjhg

"You guys don't seem all that surprised, especially you." Has Pat been pulling some shenanigans this whole time? He was the one who kept saying Zo should ask Joke for help

"What did you do as a kid?" "I stayed home, did homework, and went to tutoring classes." Nerd ❤️

Zo said: You must beat me at ten arcade games to earn emotional honesty on this date

And Joke replied: Let's do it baby, I love winning AND talking about our feelings

"Why are you forcing stuff on Zo? If he doesn't want to eat it, drop it." Honestly this is also how I'd react if someone was trying to make my friend eat food they didn't ask for, Kot. There's a fine line between expanding your horizons and ignoring someone's preferences

"Do you think it's right to pick a fight with Kot like that?" [Zo as the Spice Girls voice] If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends

"You can do what you want, but respect boundaries. As for the food, I know you meant well. You wanted me to try something new. But you need to understand that I don't like it. People don't like things they don't like." I'm glad Zo is establishing boundaries. We love a healthy heart-to-heart

"I know that you're in a bad mood. You're not ready to listen. Take some time to cool down. I believe you'll get what I'm trying to say." I just love the entire vibe of this conversation. The confidence, clarity, empathy, honesty. Go Zo!!!!

Ohhhhh, was Joke never dating Nita at all??? Just protecting her from this weirdo who leaves her haunting sticky notes

"After that, rumours about Nita and me started. I didn't bother clearing them." You know, now that I think about it, Joke never did say he dated Nita LOLLLLL

"You didn't really want Nita." Bold take, Joke, how are you gonna mansplain Zo's feelings

"I had feelings for you." HAHA Zo confessing to Nita in past tense

"Thank you for the feelings you had for me, even if they were just admiration." KJHGKJGH Zo said: Joke was right, I am not in love with you, you are simply the Zendaya of this school

God, this metaphor of Zo being the sun and Joke being a sunflower is getting to me. I LOVE SUNFLOWERS

"I'd be so lost without you," said Zo, after Joke simply handed him a glass of water HAHAHAH

"Just be yourself. Being you is more than enough." STOP THEY'RE SO CUTE!!!!!!!!!!!!! You win this round, drunk punch debate show

Oh I do love their little hand holds. And Zo being the one to reach out:

"Yes, I am [single]. I can give you my Line ID." Jeng, how is Joke, who is not even officially dating Zo yet, better at turning people down than you, who has been with your boyfriend for like a year? Bananas behaviour

This show is capturing the very real sentiment of visiting a man's apartment and going, "Damn, you live like this?"

Zo taking food from Joke's chopsticks instead of getting his own because he wants to flirt. Hee hee

Lmao @ Zo looking surprised at Joke asking him how he feels about him as if that's not the natural progression from Zo saying he doesn't have feelings for Nita

Zo every time things become a little too romantic: I gotta go to the bathroom

It's fun that they have already slept in the same bed without even it being a big thing before but this time is different because they are Romantically Involved

"Why did you choose this place for our date?" Hee hee amusement park date. First official date!!

Joke saying he's not scared of he amusement park when he is in fact, very scared and motion sick, is very funny

I'm surprised it's taken this long to get to an Obviously Sponsored Segment. They lasted seven episodes!:

"I think... I think I like you." Awwwwww so Zo has liked guys before, it's just didn't work out with this guy Puen

Being dumped on a moving merry-go-round by a guy who was leading you on because Puen "just thought it'd be fun" is BRUTAL. No wonder Zo asks Joke if he's serious about them 14 times a day

"Maybe that's why I'm afraid to confess my feelings to anyone." True, this actually does add some context to Zo's interactions with both Nita and Joke

"You're just like my grandma," said Joke, which is both a delightful implication his grandmother also laughs at him for being a scaredy cat and a wild thing to say to your crush

They said: Fear not, if you are missing the kissing, we will offer you some JengPok kisses

Bold choice for them to choose to end this date with an introduction to Joke's grandma, but I suppose she was part of theme of the day

"Why is he wearing your shirt? Did you spend the night together?" Also a bold choice for in front of grandma

"I'll come over tomorrow for round two. I'm not backing down that easy." Zo said: Meet me in the ring, Joke's Grandma, I WILL make you love me

"Your partner has to be a fighter. It wouldn't last otherwise." Grandma said: I bully your future boyfriend as a litmus test for his strength of character. He passed!

"You need to step up your game, Joke. Because I'm kind of fond of this one." HAHAHA Grandma dunking on Joke for them not being together yet

Also, all of Grandma's outfits are INCREDIBLE

I repeat, if there's one thing that Joke will do, it's take his tits out at the first opportunity:

Awwww Zo helping Joke to "recharge his battery" by giving him a tighter hug

Fjkfhkjfhkfjh what's going on with Zo, passing out in his living room and getting nauseous over chicken? I mean, relatable, but what's up. Overworking or is he coming down with something specific?

Update from 1 minute later: Overworking, apparently

It's fun that we've progressed from pottery painting to making your own pottery and then painting it. It's symbolic. Also Zo putting a sunflower on his cup!!

"Honestly, I felt something for you too." Coffee Shop Carthasis ft. Puen the Ex-Situationship, perhaps?

"Are you planning any late-night funny business?" I think this Joke's way of saying, 'Please kiss me again'

Also I love that they just hold hands as they walk around now

"Thank you for coming into my life. Thank you for trying to win me over. No, I should say, thank you for being my boyfriend." AYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

HAHAHA Zo closing the door only to yank him in for a quick make-out and shove him back out again:

I feel like the anonymous breathy phone calls to Joke have to be the same guy who keeps sending Nita haunting sticky notes. He's an equal opportunity harrasser, I guess

Them hanging out in bed just to cuddle. I looooooove

[Pat as Joke] "Darling I, miss you." [Kot as Zo] "I do not want to go to class, Joke. I hate being away from you." Hahahaha Zo's friends pretending not to look at Joke and Zo while they flirt but then immediately reenacting their flirting as soon as Zo sits down. 10/10 friendship

Something I haven't really talked about in the past 8 eps but that has consistently been happening is that every time Zo is thinking very hard he kind of stares into space with his mouth slightly open like :o It is very awkward and endearing

NOT Zo making class friends with Poom the Stalker

Zo play-biting Joke's hands while he has his arm around him is also one of my love languages

Convenient of Poom to send an incredibly threatening message confirming that he was stalking Nita, Zo, and Joke at the exact time he would be at Zo's apartment

I know it's necessary to resolve the storyline but I would like them to get rid of Poom ASAP

Poom smashing their special date mugs >:( He is not only a gross, harassing stalker, but also just a run-of-the-mill douchebag

I'm glad Nita gets to see Poom (James) get his ass beat by Joke and then taken away in a police car

"Until you're ready, I can wait." [Zo immediately kisses him] Zo said: I've thought about it for ten seconds, and it turns out I'm ready now!

"How can a couple have a secret relationship that goes on and on?" Nine episodes in, Pok and Jeng are finally dealing with the festering romantic resentment of Jeng being so closeted he is actively leading on women

"Although you don't plan on dating her, you can't just go around acting like you're single." A really reasonable point, Joke

"I see a knot between your eyes." "You can be a masseuse." Meanwhile, Joke and Zo are in their sappy couple era, good for them:

Not Pat and Joke being caught shenanigan-ing about Zo. Eep!!!

I can understand why Zo is upset. If you found out that the moments that felt organic and meaningful to your relationship (impromptu trip to Chiang Khan, even Zo coming to Joke for help, all ochestrated via secret texts) were actually planned with one of your friends and your partner scheming to get you together, that would really make you take a pause and reevaluate

"You and I still have things to discuss." "Discuss what? Why am I out of the loop?" Kot being the only one who isn't In Trouble with Zo LOL

"How should I be feeling? My best friend pimping me out to you!" That's a rough but fair way to phrase it, Zo

I am also 100% on Zo's side here, he has, at best, been told many lies of omission, and at worst, had his feelings and boundaries disrespected by his loved ones, and he's given Joke so many opportunities to tell him. Joke minimizing is not helping, and it's kind of Zo to not immediately dump his ass

"During the debate tournament, you may get a topic that doesn't align with your beliefs." That's true, it's like 50-50 at any given time LOL

Also: If I were watching these debate interactions you best believe me and the besties are debriefing about the debationships

"Grilled Rice, tell me, what should I do?' Props to Joong for keeping a straight face

Yeah, Pat and Joke, Zo is mad at you for lying, but luring him into a mascot flash mob in his classroom with another lie with fix it

Also I didn't mention it but if for some reason you've gotten this far without seeing the show, Pat fell down the stairs after Zo caught him in the lie, that's why the furthest dog is on crutches:

"Zo is mad because you lied to him. But your apology is another lie? Enough already." THANK YOU KOT

I'm not even sure that at any point Joke has said, "I'm sorry," so my opinion is that he should, in this order, say: 1) I'm sorry for lying to you. It hurt you, I realize that now. It wasn't fair to you. 2) If you can, please tell me more so we can make sure all your concerns are heard. 3) What, if anything, can I do to start rebuilding trust? What do you need from me? Space, access to my messages, an explanation of how me and Pat know each other

"I know you understand me." "I know. I've been so understanding. Even though I'm not fine with it, I try to be." I actually like the B couple conflict much more than the main couple conflict, at least Pok and Jeng both have legitimate sides

"I was blind to how my selfishness hurt you. I need you in my life. I can't live without you. You are my everything. I promise I'll make this right. I will fix this for you. I'm sorry." Now THAT is an apology. 1) Say you're sorry 2) Acknowledge and address the concerns being raised and 3) Change your behaviour!

Jeng coming out to the football club to assure Pok he's serious about them. ❣️

"I was just helping Joke get close to you. When you started dating, I did nothing to influence either of you. But it was wrong to keep it from you, to go behind you back. I was supposed to be a friend you can trust. I'm really sorry, Zo." Pat also knows how to give an apology. 2 down, 1 to go!

"I'm really sorry. I've done you wrong all this time, but I never apologized. You don't have to forgive me for this. But I promise I won't lie to you or hide anything from you again. You may not believe me now, but I'll prove it to you. FINALLYYYYYY JOKE. IT TOOK YOU SO MANY TRIES

Gjkljgkgjlgk Zo gently informing him, 'Yeah stupid, I was waiting!'

"Absolutely no lip contact for a month." HAHAHA. Good for Zo. Also I give them a week

If we count play-kissing, it took them like 50 seconds

I appreciate whoever captioned ep 10, because not only did they caption the dialectical differences or accents from where Zo is from versus Bangkok, they also made sure those captions sit higher on the screen the default English caption height, so you can see both without moving it. GOOD JOB!

"Zo, where are you? Why aren't you here at my house?" Hahaha Zo has earned his place in Joke's Grandma's Favourites (Joke is not included)

"You'll need fuel for an intensive tutoring session tonight." "Maybe ease up a touch?" Can confirm, this is a relatable Asian parent-child dynamic

"By the way, I've got a debate topic in mind for tonight. Childhood trauma from parental conflicts results in troubled adults." Wow, a little on the nose, but true, Mrs. Zo's Mum

None of these guys follow any structure when it comes to debate. Normally, you get a topic, you take a few minutes to prep your arguments, THEN you start arguing. You don't just automatically keep rebutting back and forth. How can Zo be expected to speak to his arguments after like less than 10 seconds of thought? Unreasonable!

"I can play [football] anywhere. It doesn't have to be that club." Maybe Jeng should go to Sarawat and Tine's school, where more than half of any given sports team is at least somewhat gay

Pok crying because he realizes being out makes Jeng's life a lot harder :'(

"One day you'll find that love will make the impossible possible. This too shall pass. It will." I'm glad Zo has a good relationship with his dad

It's a good thing that Zo likes Joke so much, or showing up out of the blue at his house could've gone over a lot more poorly

"Your parents seem chill." Famous last words, Joke, I tell ya

Also, I do appreciate how evident it is that Zo DOES want Joke here

If there's a trope I will never get tired of, it's sneaky hook-ups in your childhood home as adults. In practice, maybe a lil stressful. In fiction, VERY FUN

"Your mom's pretty intense, huh?" [Tonelessly] "Yeah, but I'm used to it." Oh, Zo, I know the voice of childhood trauma when I hear it

The fact that everything with Puen also made Zo's relationship with his mum worse. No wonder he plays things so close to the chest

"I get it completely. Your family and mine are not so different." That explains why Joke spends all of his time at his grandma's and not with his parents

"I've got your back from now on." Sometimes that's all you need. Empathy and back-up

"Happy birthday!" "You knew?" He went to see Zo because it was his birthday!! They are sooooooooooo

Also, Zo said: The kissing embargo does not count on birthdays

Woo for Zo getting debate club presidency for this year!!!

"What did he do that made you hate him?" "He's close with Trin!" Finally the weird tension between Former Debate Club President Wave and Bar Owner Trin is being addressed

"But we're pals! You can't have feelings for me." I know this is supposed to be an emotionally intense conversation but it reads SO funny in English:

Unbelievable!! You're telling me that Wave is made because HE started throwing punches in the dorms and got banned from debate tournament

"He cost me the competition!" "That's on you. You wouldn't have missed out if you hadn't thrown that punch." You tell him, Zo!

"Who said you could smooch my hand?" [Zo does a finger gun] "Took the liberty myself." Bi culture khgkjgh

Joke saying, "Then let's ramp up our international relations, shall we?" as a segue for sex is incredible. This series may not be for everyone, but it is for meeeeeeeeee

Not Joke's family trauma revealed as being left on read in the group chat

I do appreciate at the debate tournament they actually are (finally) following a motion, prep time and speech structure

Also. It's clear whoever wrote this scene has NEVER competed in a debate tournament because they are not talking fast enough or writing anything down

"Can you say in all honesty that your effort here is not a product of hard work?" Not to jump on Nita's argument specifically but this making a point about the individuals you're debating rather than their arguments is ad hominem fallacy and would not score well at a debate tournament. In this essay, I will—

It's SOOOO funny that they made Zo loving the sound of soda tabs a genuine characteristic so they could better integrate sponsors. I miss the Bad Buddy soda sponge bath

YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH POLI SCI DEBATE CLUB!!!

Good for Nita for taking home the Finland prize. Regardless of substance, it was very well-delivered!

[Park, about Nita] "Look at our shining star! So gifted." [Zo nodding, looking at Nita] I think Zo is doing a very good job of not showing how much not getting the Best Speaker/study abroad scholarship has hurt his feelings

"You don't always have to put on a brave face, you know?" said Joke, to which Zo probably thought, 'You don't understand, putting on a brave face is all I have done my whole life, I don't know how to turn it off!'

It's funny that Park is a credited character in the intros but the only memorable dialogue he's had up until Episode 11 is asking Zo to dress up as a frog to surprise Nita

It makes a lot more sense now that I know it's Nita's birthday and they weren't just frog-surprising her for winning best speaker LOL

I do love the nonverbal communication of Joke raising his eyebrows like, 'You okay?' and Zo smiling and fixing his hair like 'No sweat'

"Saijai, Joke isn't here. Shall I call him?" "That's fine. He'll turn up." LMAO no one in this show tells ANYONE that they're coming. Zo's mum didn't when she visited Zo in Bangkok, Zo didn't when he went home, Joke didn't when he visited Zo at home, Joke's family hasn't when they're visiting him. WHY DOES NO ONE THINK THEY SHOULD SAY THEY'RE GONNA VISIT

"You can tell me." [Zo sighs, hesitating.] "Alright, if you're not ready to tell me, wait until you are, okay? Do what makes you feel good." This is good relationship communication

"My mom's never said she's proud of me. Not even once." Oh, Zo. Heartbreaking. Also same maybe? I don't know fhkjfhkjf

I really do think they are both handling this situation as well as possible

"Zo, what brought you here?" said Zo's mum, like his dad wasn't lying in a hospital bed right front of him

"Was it a kidney stone?" "Yes, indeed. But surgery these days is minimally invasive. They just insert a tool. It doesn't hurt much. An ingrown nail hurts even more." First of all. As a person who has had 'miminally invasive surgery' YOUR BODY DOES STILL HURT AFTERWARDS. Secondly, the thing that precipitates the surgery is usually a very painful medical emergency!!!!! That is why you go to the hospital. I haven't had a kidney stone but I know they can cause a ton of pain!!!! Thirdly, it's not YOUR body, Zo's mum, so shut up about it. This is like, incredibly rude dialogue. Villain behaviour. Meet me in the Denny's parking lot LOL

"Buzz the doc if it hurts, okay? Don't think you'll disturb him. Don't just hold it in." At least she is NOW acknowledging Zo's dad could be in pain. But good grief

"Zo, you know your dad was in pain for a long time. But he wouldn't tell me, wouldn't see the doctor." Why are so many dads this way jkhfkhf. But also, why then, were you dunking on him for being worried, Zo's mum!!!

I do actually understand why Zo's mum did not tell him mid-debate that his dad was in surgery. Would've been rough

Joke subtly telling Zo's mum he needs support without betraying Zo's confidence. Love that!

"You did such a great job today. You nailed your speech. I'm so proud of you." Awwwww, good for Zo and his mum

Fjfhjfkhf Joke missing out on his family trying to celebrate him because he's been too busy with his friends and supporting his boyfriend. How many of these problems would've been solved if they'd texted beforehand

"Joke, I need some alone time tonight. Just to process how I feel." We love a boyfriend who expresses his needs

Joke making faces to his BF to say goodbye and then continuing to make faces to himself for no reason is so me. Joke continues his streak of Niche Relatability

I do wish that Joke got to celebrate with his family, he needs family time too!

"Zo, your dad's got sepsis. He's in the ICU." THIS IS WHY I WAS SO MAD WHEN SHE WAS MINIMIZING THE EFFECTS OF SURGERY. THEY ARE SO SERIOUS!

Poor Zo and his mum though, this is the worst feeling

"You can count on me to be here for you in times like these. Remember, I'm your sunshine." Ohhhh I like that they've switched up the metaphor, they are both suns

In all this, I did forget about the random bunny animation voice-over that they started this show with LOL

What class is that voice-over even for? An elective?? It's been going on for months. They never explain!

"This 'under the weather' thing seems to hit you every year on this day." Is Joke's dad the emotional equivalent of Zo's mum, in that he is prone to bringing bone arsenic to his child whenever possible?

Dhkjhgkjghgkj Joke walking around his huge, beautiful house looking for his parents does give Poor Little Rich Boy

Also. They've not put Joke in a super reasonable position in either of these situations. Of course Joke's parents would be busy if they're planning Bachang's (I assume Joke's brother's) graduation, which is time-sensitive, as opposed to a college acceptance, which is often unpredictable and happens months ahead of time. Of course Zo may be a more absent partner if his dad is in the hospital with sepsis. Joke isn't making it their problem or anything, but it is a little bit lacking perspective to be upset that Other People Have Stuff Going On When You Want Them Around

"I think what you're feeling isn't physical, but mental." At least Jeng is here to help Joke talk it out

"Am I one of the things bothering you?" Shockingly emotionally perceptive of Zo's mum

"I feel like all that I've done means nothing." "Zo, you've got it all wrong. I've never set any expectations for you to follow." Zo's mum, you should read a wikipedia article on gaslighting, because you have done it multiple times, on screen

"I'm sorry for making you feel this way." That's a better response

"You're always enough. Winning that scholarship or not, success or failure, you're still you at the end, and you matter. Remember, you're the sun, always shining brightly on your own." "I'm sorry. But I need to be with my parents." It's funny, because Zo and Joke didn't actually do anything romantic in this hospital hallway, but I think this particular argument is the most emotionally intimate thing they could do while his mum was eavesdropping without them knowing kgjhgkjhghgj. Like, they didn't say anything about dating, but it screamed couple

She's gotta know they're dating now, right? She's gotta!

"What's going on between you and Joke?" That didn't take long. Also I love her little smile after she asks

"You might end up pushing Joke away, like you did to me." I take back my love, see u back in the parking lot, Zo's mum

"Something precious... Joke!" I'm glad Zo does see the value in his relationship. Also, now they ARE romancing in the hallway

"It's great... seeing you get your act together, finally." Joke's dad IS the same vibes as Zo's mum. Coming in hot with a backhanded compliment

"I stopped by your apartment and ran into Jeng. He said you might need a friend. So I'm here." Zo said: Uno reverse on the boyfriend drop-in family support visit. No one on this show knows how to use a phone 💖

"You don't need to cover for him. I know he's up to no good." What an insane thing to say to your son's friend upon first meeting him. He is monologuing on Joke's flaws. Joke's dad SUCKS.

"[Joke] may not be the golden boy you pictured, but to me, he's pretty much perfect." Zo said: You have actually chosen the extremely wrong audience, as I am President of the Joke Fan Club, and will reverse monologue on Joke's virtues

Get you a boyfriend who will therapize your dad at the dinner table

Also, do these wider shots suggest Joke has TWO brothers, neither of who have named as his brothers LMAO. This show really only utilizes its cast for drama

Zo and Joke really said to each other: Give me ten seconds, I will fix your relationship with your mean parent:

"If you've ever felt I didn't care for you, you're wrong. I love you just like your brothers." Oh, so they are his brothers!

The most realistic part of this show is all of the parents going, 'Actually, the emotional problems in our relationship are the fault of your own misconceptions.' 10/10, terrible and true parenting. Also Dad revealing it was middle child trauma all along LOL

"I've always been proud of you, son. Without fail, any given time. I'm so happy that you're my kid." Again, refer to what you JUST did moments ago, Joke's dad. But, better, I guess

"I'm sorry I pulled away for a bit. I was lost. I didn't know where to turn or what I wanted." I'm glad that Zo is acknowledging it. These two are all about talking through their feelings

"I love you, Joke." I like that Zo is initiating this 💞 They make lots of effort to balance the support and love

"I've never been shy about us, and I'm no longer scared." I really love Jeng and Pok's relationship arc

Jeng kissing Pok outside the party to show how much he means it and loves him!!

"But let's be honest, it's not the outfit that makes me look this good, it's all in the face." Hahaha Joke has never been lacking in self-confidence but I like how him voicing it shows he's back in a good emotional place

"But, you know, I was in a weird place back then. It's all good now." Me about myself every minute that's not the current one

"And honestly, you totally deserved it." We love a good sport!

Not them fully pausing the montage of their friends achieving their goals (beating video games, passing exams, rejoining football, going to Finland) to resolve the Wave and Trin conflict

"Kiss me, this time with the certainty we have in each other now." Oooh we love a full-circle post-uni kiss in Chiang Khan

"Well, my dream is a lot simpler now. Just being by your side like this, forever." ZOOOOO. STOP THAT'S SO SWEET 🥺💘

Final thoughts on this show: I would say the plot is somewhat meandering because it doesn't feel like it has one particular story to tell until the last few eps, and the use of their cast of characters could've been better, because I felt like people would only pop up to drop in a plot point. BUT I do find the show incredibly endearing!! I love the debate themes, I love how Zo is really focused on school, I love the silly little dating lessons. I think they do a particularly good job of building upon Zo slowly to help you understand who he is and why. I also liked the way they navigated the friends to lovers arc, though I could've done without the initial drunk punch or all the scheming. I don't feel like it added much, and I do think it took away from the relationship. I get that it's called, 'Hidden Agenda' but the mere fact that Joke liked Zo from the start fulfills that. The other part is that they laid some groundwork on why exactly their relationship was so tense in the beginning with flashbacks about the Freshy contest, but didn't really deliver on it beyond Joke appreciating that Zo asked how he felt. It felt like they didn't make much effort to reconcile the tone change or develop Joke's backstory in general. In any case, they had good chemistry, really good communication, a fun secondary couple, some really realistic parent dynamics and I liked it enough that I'm willing to hand-wave away its perceived flaws. A pretty solid mid-tier romance!

[lesbiandanhowell]

Sam (begrudgingly) reacts to: Dan and Phil play Poppy Playtime CHAPTER 2!

I fucking hate horror games and I am have a high anxiety day so this is like awful timing BUT HERE GOES NOTHING.

- Not a fan of the runtime because I don't enjoy horror so the longer the worse for me personally so fuck this actually oops

- Babes I am literally shaking and almost crying 4 minutes in this will not be fun lmao (but also I know my anxiety won't go away without dan and phil content so might as well hope they will be funny and cute enough to make me calm down).

- I hate this I want to cry UPDATE: I literally started crying right after this, about 8 minutes into the game, but it got better afterwards.

- The touch when saying 'we have to be brave' was very personal to me. (Someone give me someone to watch this with and hold me please because I am scared)

- The buttplug jokes being the only thing to make me laugh, thank you Phil. Dan what do you MEAN "tails in" in reference to buttplugs, did you see the unhinged shit we said on tumblr, because oh god please no.

- "What are we going to do now?" "Cry" Phil gets me actually thank you I feel seen.

- The color game is actually calming my anxiety SO much it's hilarious, like it's just logic and following patterns and those things are so calming even when Dan is screaming.

- "For our lesbian audience that has mommy issues this is gonna be a weird episode" YOU DONT SAY DAN YOU DONT SAY

- new lore alert: Phil going to a wrestling party

- Phil lore: he was afraid of the KFC man as a kid

- PINOF MENTION AND CLIP AHAHA, they love doing these references since they uploaded the first react video.

- Dan hiding in his hoodie is adorable, like he just fully went "nope!" and hid haha.

- I think you can see Phil's hand shaking in the whack a mole, like the camera was SO shakey which was either his inability to use a mouse or he was shaking, place your bets.

- Dan playing the mini game after all, Phil is never beating the younger brother stereotype truly.

- When did they film all of these that their heating is still broken?! Makes me think they really did pre-film most of these to have a less stressful time now during december, which good job guys!

- Mommy's voice reminds me of someone else in a tv show but I can't figure out what? Anyone know?

- Their delighted faces at seeing jacksepticeye are adorable, like you could tell they were so happy truly and I love these little easter eggs!

- "Sean you down there?" HOWLING

- They edited so many clips and memes into this (which makes me think they edited it rather than an editor) haha

- Phil just, maybe unconsciously, moving impossibly closer to Dan is a big mood (only I am alone rip).

- Weirdly enough the mini games are the most calming part for me, like there is a clear focus and clear objective of what to do and it's like: here is a problem, solve it and I think that does wonders for me.

- Unsure if I am shaking from anxiety or being cold (also great I have more uni work to do after watching this)

- Yes please sanitize my boobs. What

- I agree Phil, we have gotten a lot of lore (about you)!

- Phil's panicked "geese!" gets me every time because it's so cute.

- "I feel kinda bad" aw ofc you do Phil and ofc you don't Dan, so very in character for both of them honestly.

- "Sometime in 2023, so not much longer" Phil, honey, there are like 20 days left what do you mean?!

This actually wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be, after I had my little cry at the beginning. I was actually quite calm by the end and I think my anxiety actually is less, which I didn't think would happen. The magic of Dan and Phil, see you tomorrow!

[saltyyetbland]

I have just posted my fic that I wrote for the Petals of a Rose fanzine on AO3. You can find it here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/57670000

I have a lot of thoughts about this fic, the zine and the qsmp in general so I'm just going to write it all under the Keep Reading line cause this ramble might be as long as my fic lmao.

When I saw that applications were open for this zine, I initially didn't even consider joining. I liked hideduo but I was definitely out of the fandom by then. I haven't even written anything hideduo specific (I only had like 2 QSMP related fics on AO3 and they were more trauma than romance lmao) so in my head I thought that even if I applied, I wouldn't get selected.

And I guess that mentality ironically is what made me decide to impulse apply during my Marketing class at like 8pm.

And somehow I got accepted.

You can imagine my surprise when I get an email with a discord link saying that I got accepted to be apart of this zine. I joined and then I see a bunch of cool artists and writers that I recognize and my brain immediately goes "oh shit, i should not be here wtf" but thankfully I decided to not be impulsive this time and actually stick with this zine.

And then prompt creation starts and then artists and writer match-ups and then it fully dawned on me that art is going to be created out of my fic. And that was such a complex thought to swallow as I struggled with imposter syndrome yet again (it is what it is lol) and just me trying to grapple with the concept of fan creation as a product of inspiration while being a source of inspiration as well (the fan studies/media nerd in me is jumping out).

And then the sketches and conversations from Kye and Bio started and I was just in awe by their skill and effort that it motivated me to try and write better too.

And then after months of me struggling to write the fic, it was done. I had multiple people look over it including my irl writing group as well as a beta reader (shoutout to skelepen) and I then submitted it to the final submission google form.

There is a clear memory I have in which I am simply working and I just check over at the discord and I see a photo in general chat. It is a snippet of my fic and it is Aynee saying that "damn... this fic got hands" and like 4 other comments from other members of the discord basically saying the same thing. When I tell you that this has almost made me cry at work, I'm not joking cause this was the moment when I truly felt like I contributed enough to the zine.

And now the zine is published and it is 500 pages of pure effort and I feel satisfied with myself but I also feel the looming sense of closure that I know stems from the knowledge that this is the end of my qsmp era.

I've been aware of the qsmp since its inception but I only really got into it during the ice prison event where creators like tubbo, mouse and tina joined. And though i only really lurked in this fandom and occasionally posted, i can still see its effects on me today. I have discovered my ever-growing interest of community building in media and cross-cultural communications and translations. I am currently on a 300+ day streak on Duolingo for Portuguese. I was able to revitalize some of my previous knowledge of French and Korean and actually find joy in learning languages, something that I seriously struggled with when I was younger.

And for that, even though my relationship with the QSMP is now a bit more complicated, I am grateful for it opening my eyes and for allowing me to be a part of it, even in my small amount.

All in all, I am proud that this fic has been created. I am proud of this community that I have been apart of. And even though I am closing this era, it won't be on a bittersweet note like my previous fandoms.

So, thank you.

Thanks to Kye and Bio for creating amazing pieces for my fic, skelepen for beta reading my work, Aynee for creating the zine itself, the POAR discord for being such a cool and fun place and to the larger QSMP community as a whole for being a part of my life.

[mochiwrites]

Life series Grian is cruel because everyone in the life series is cruel. There’s killings and betrayals and thefts. Everyone in the life series is kind, including Grian. There’s jokes and alliances and trades.

ANON YOU ARE OPENING A FLOOD GATE. I AM SO SORRY IN ADVANCE

(also I feel like I should preface that like. I'm not claiming to be c!grian expert and my own interpretation may not even be fully accurate to his character??? aka if anything seems out of character I am Sorry fjgfhgf)

ANYWAYS -- right so when I say the word “cruel” I’m talking about it in an,,,, emotional sense??? like, he doesn't go out of his way to target people and bully them emotionally, I guess??? he isn't cruel with their emotions???? I have no idea if that makes any sense. I'm not gonna go out my way and claim that grian is a "perfect uwu innocent boy" because he's not. no one in the life series is (and that's not even grian's character outside of traffic LMAO). the entire purpose of the game is to be the last man standing, and that means killing. that means betrayal.

but there is a fine line between being cruel to survive and being a villain.

and traffic!grian is not a villain.

traffic!grian is kind, and loyal. he feels guilt for his actions. grian plays to survive, but if you have his loyalty, you have it for the entire game.

I've seen so many people look at grian's actions in the previous session (where he laughs off joel's death and joins up with pearl and bigb) and say that grian was evil for it. but let's actually look at what grian was doing leading up to joel's death, shall we?

he didn't look for other teammates until he was certain that joel wasn't going to survive. they had already lost jimmy, so he knew he was going to be alone. he offered joel an hour. he kept telling joel to take his life so joel could survive just a little longer. he straight up tells pearl and bigb that he has to go check on joel, that he has to say goodbye or else he was going to regret not getting the chance. everything grian did in that final episode was to keep jimmy and joel alive for as long as possible. and when he finally lost joel? there was silence. he stood there and stared. "I didn't even see it." he sounded so remorseful as he said it.

did he laugh off their deaths? yes. but come on people! grian's entire character is downplaying his emotions! he laughs things off and hides his emotions! he gave us, the viewers, plenty of clues to his true feelings! he has to say goodbye to joel or he'll regret it. he makes graves for jimmy and joel. he was more than willing to give them some of his time to keep them alive. he laughs off their deaths but that's just a wall he's putting up between himself and everyone else. when looking at traffic!grian, you can't just look at his words. you need to look at his actions as well.

he makes a joke about keeping joel alive but you need to look deeper than that. you need to look at the "I couldn't do anything more to help him." that's hidden in there. with grian you need to read between the lines!

and if you STILL think that traffic!grian is a villain, don't worry, I have more examples.

let's take a look at the most obvious depiction of grian's tragic character.

third life.

whether you ship them or view them as friends, grian's story with scar is still a tragedy! he spends the entire series following scar around because of his debt, and ends up sticking around after his debt is cleared because he wants to see scar win. he wants to help scar still. he's chaotic and a menace and full of bloodlust, but that doesn't make him a villain. he's playing the game. the same game that everyone else is playing.

look at the final scene of the third life finale. grian wanted to win with scar. he wanted them to win together. they planned to die together. and then the cactus ring happens and grian wins. look me dead in the eyes as grian says "Oh I don't feel so good." before jumping to his death and tell me that grian is a villain. that's one of the cases where grian's guilt is the most clear.

let's also not forget all of the deals he makes in every series? the promises he tries to keep? returning scar's things to him in last life even though he didn't have to? giving skizz a totem? setting an ender porter with him so if skizz needs him he can come help? because he wanted skizz to stay alive for as long as possible?

grian is kind. and he cares about people. neither of these things are the qualities of a villain!

he's playing in a death game, just like everyone else, and he's playing to survive. of course he's going to betray certain people (not his allies though. never his allies), he's going to steal and kill. he's going to laugh as he pulls off a successful kill because yes he may not be a villain but he's chaotic and bloodthirsty just like everyone else.

grian is not cruel because he laughed off jimmy and joel's deaths. he is not evil because he joined pearl and bigb after he lost the bad boys.

this is just a personal frustration but too many people in this fandom are quick to jump on calling grian a villain in the traffic series when every other character is doing the same thing as he is. but yet no one else gets called evil for it??? some people are so quick to make grian out to be an asshole when he's not. can he act like an ass? yes, absolutely. but that doesn't make one. I've seen some absolutely wild characterizations on grian, and some of them are just.... Yikes

some people are so quick to make grian out to be the bad guy that they don't consider the actions that lead up to that moment.

THAT BEING ASIDE.... tldr, grian isn't a villain, he's playing in a death game and the aim is to survive. he's a loyal teammate and is more than willing to fight for his allies. please stop calling him a villain thank you

[carmenized-onions]

reading this chapter was truly an emotional journey for me - i wrote a page of notes while reading that are completely incoherent but i will recount here anyway

firstly, of course chip is a pun girly we have known this forever, but every time she makes a joke i laugh out loud like yes you are so funny

my next focus was him forgetting to turn his location off - i hear the black dog by taylor swift playing in the background. i need this girl and this boy to realise that neither of them hate eachother because this cat and mouse game is getting on my nerves (in the best way no offence to you author)

wondering why i wasn’t invited on the richie carmen road trip - mainly because i want to hear their conversations and secondly because it would be the perfect opportunity for a tag team

as soon as i read the bit about the chance that they would interact being low i thought ,,,, ooo this will be disproved by our favourite author extraordinaire and i was right!

random request but can we have a christmas / holiday themed chapter i just want to see all the presents chip gives out i love her

also enjoying the use of kitchen as a verb when talking about richie being bad at kitchen - it’s giving ken’s job being beach in the barbie movie

thankful that you gave us some sydney/chip moments and some richie/sydney/chip moments plus some marcus later as i don’t know if i could have handled this chapter without seeing my babies having a sliver of joy for at least a couple of lines

i could be completely off base with this but was the reference to cherries when chip talks about carmen doing her prep an intentional callback to her favourite ice cream flavour? i could be majorly reading into it but if im right you are a genius and if im not you are still a genius without even knowing it

the knife tattoo being the hand she focuses on is a metaphor a mother figure english teacher should explain to me, but i am too tired to fully comprehend the meaning of this right now

sorry but who puts their wedding cake in an uber, creds to marcus for saving the day my small boy

i can’t even explain the neil fak moment but it is so fucking classic for him to misread a situation SO SEVERELY, i wish this was an actual scene because i need to physically see the facial expressions

and then we get to uncle lee. i had to put my phone down when carmen said his name, genuinely i let out a singular clap. we have never seen chip like this and i don’t know if we ever will again. this interaction consolidated the chip being a sponsor theory for me as it is so clear that she cannot stand the way people talk about drugs and addiction - especially regarding mikey

a callback to the italians loving their unions, you love to see it

i wrote very minimal notes on the carmy chip interaction at the end of the scene as there is really nothing for me to comment on except for how beautifully you wrote it. it is so peaceful but so angry i don’t know how you manage to do this every time. such a great reveal (despite the theories) as it did feel like a suprise to me still!!!

amazing work once again, i am sorry if this is completely incoherent i dont know how else to say this hahha

I DID GET THIS ASK!! I just took ten years to get to it, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE LOVE!! It's all coherent dw let's fuckin LOCK IN!!!

list format let's fucking go

I remember when I first read this (the pun thing) it really had me kicking my feet because it just sounds like-- Like when a girl will laugh at fucking anything someone she has a crush on says. everyone be honest do you have a crush on tony? I'm moving the keep reading down so everyone legally has to answer.

AND THE LIST RESETS BUT IF I SIMPLY JUST PRESS ENTER ITS LIKE IT NEVER HAPPENED

I'm not a huge taylor girl but I will put it on in the background as I write the rest of this answer lets fuckin goo. These two really needed the under the counter talk we were TIRED

LMAO So many people wanted to come to that road trip-- You all dodged a bullet. Also so did I. because i didn't want to have to figure out how it would've gone. that sounds like so much work and i just wanted to have cute wedding time. sometimes we do time skips because we just want to have cute wedding time and no one admits this

of course it'd be disproved!! and

SHHHHHH you babies always be making requests, I DONT PUT GUNS IN THE FIRST ACT FOR NOTHING YOU KNOW ME!! but SHHHH!!!

he SUCKS at kitchen! Sometimes I use terms as verbs because it seems like how kitchens do things and i want everyone to think i know what it's like to work in service and i'm NOT just googling it and asking my bartending/server/linecook friends how it is. that's definitely NOT what's happening

ive said it a million times, who really cares about this carmen guy in this carmen fic. it's all about literally everyone else.

100% it's a call back! I reference cherries honestly more than i could ever expect. it's the flavour of the series now.

The knife tattoo thing though that was just me and my thing with hands. i have a thing with hands. so canonically tony also has a thing with hands. she just thought he was hot. but also about referencing it twice i did think-- or i guess wrote it-- i just think it's interesting how Carmen put his hand on her mouth and then ran that same hand through his scalp. just think thats interesting. just. thats something huh? or this could mean nothing

YOU'D BE SURPRISED I'VE HEARD HORROR STORIES OF PEOPLE HAVING THEIR CAKES DELIVERED BY UBER THINKING IT'LL BE SAFER THAN GETTING IT THEMSELVES AND THEY EAT SHIT ON THE WAY OVER

I wish so deeply I was a writer or director on the bear and could film this man. MATTY!! MATTY ARE YOU OUT THERE!!? HIRE ME BABY PLEASE?!?!?! I WENT TO SCHOOL FOR IT AND EVERYTHING COME ON!

Putting the phone down I think I've heard is one of the highest honours one can achieve? I've been told. AND A CLAP!? Let's fucking go. I won. I won boys! I can't think of a moment in which we will ever see Chip get this particularly hyphy-- Not to say she won't get mad in the future, but this was a very specific type of mad. genuinely if this wedding wasn't a lovely wedding it would've been so over.

The Union Italians scene was so much longer in the original version in my brain-- But I condensed it upon writing because it didn't really add much. But it was essentially gonna be Tony tired and then while ordering they look at her and go "wait,,, have you taken a break?" :( "no" "WHAT??? KNOW YOUR FUCKING RIGHTS!!!!"

This makes me so happy that I nailed that feeling, I was worried honestly that it was too peaceful? But that peaceful sort of like tempered anger is exactly what I was trying to go for. Like we're trying to problem solve and it's all kind of funny but I am still so mad.

AND ONCE AGAIN I THANK YOU FOR YOUR THOUGHTS I EAT EM FOR BREAKFAST LUNCH AND DINNER LOVE YOU!! I hope you love the next chapter it's a fucking DOOZY that I honestly think is going to throw everyone for a fucking loop. I'm so excited to see immediate reactions as they come through.

[dragontamerno3]

DS9 S2 E20 - Maquis (Part 1) Very solid episode, thoroughly enjoyed it. I was thinking about taking a nap but I don’t think I can sleep after that cliffhanger lmao I do NOT want to like Dukat. I am putting my foot down and dragging my feet at the idea, but man I liked everything about him in this episode. From the way he snuck in and just appeared in Sisko’s quarters like a disappointed parent after a kid stayed out too late. The fact that he seemd genuinely appalled at the idea that Sisko thought he’d hurt Jake (tbf, I agree with Sisko here, but that’s a different thing entirely), to how he led Sisko to the issue without telling him what was up because he knew Sisko would never fully believe a Cardassian telling him that the Federation was starting a war. He toyed with Sisko in a way that ultimately harmless by joking about not being able to help fly the ship only to reveal seconds later that he already knew everything about the Runabouts. The way he stood up against the unknown Cardassian ships, actually pissed that there might be someone out there fighting Federation ships as blatant and public as they were (he didn’t say that but I doubt he’d be as angry if they did so in private), that too made me think he had more sides to him than Big Bad Evil Cardassian Overlord. Hell, he even admitted to having kids leaving him somewhat vulnerable. Fuck this man for making me like him.

I personally love shots/scenes were it all seems everything is fine and dandy before the world is rocked with a shit storm. I like it when we’re kicked into the action rather than when we fall into it so the scene were Kira and Jadzia are kind of joking about dates and general life stuff was chefs kiss to me. 

Also, this is just a side note, the dude who planted the thing on the Cardassian ship looked too much like Reg Barclay that I had to pause and check to see if it was him (later they named him so I didn’t have to) cause I did NOT have Reg joining a terrorist group on my bingo card.

This was another one of those times where I wasn’t sure if he was projecting too hard, if its a case of “Starfleet officers are all a step away from becoming murderhobos”, or if this was me being able to read too deeply into this but Hudson what suspicious from the second he arrived. He was trying WAY too hard to get Sisko to see how much the Federation had “abandoned” the various colonies, he didn’t seem shocked to find out that Samuel caused the destruction of the Bok’Nor (though he did seem surprised at his death), and he was way too level headed when the others wanted to start a fight in the meeting room. Everything about him said “I’m a leader of a militia.” I don’t blame Sisko for not seeing it, though, the man was seeing red just from the idea that all of this was happening and they were using HIS station to do it.  

To be clear, I fully think those that stayed behind in the treaty line (so in Cardassian space) do in fact have a right to defend themselves, but the moves made in this episode were straight up terrorism. They took the fight out of their home and involved people that had no dog in the fight. They endangered an entire station that is home to thousands of people, potentially, with their actions.

With the Vulcan lady I kept expecting her to be revealed as a Romulan as all of this is way more Romulan behavior than Vulcan, but I guess there are exceptions to every rule. I can appreciate the fear/hesitation Quark felt when she started to talk business with him. His morals are thin and often non existent but there are times when it’s clear that he does not want to be doing things and his face was screaming “what have I gotten myself into” after she told him. Kira’s stance is honestly to be expected but I was kind of disappointed at how little faith she has in the Federation after all this time.

And Odo basically wanting a military state for the station also doesn’t surprise me but it made me wonder how he could consider Kira a friend but still want to hold up the same laws that oppressed her people. Throwaway lines and thoughts that don’t entirely mesh with the rest of who they are.

8/10 - can’t wait to see where this goes

[akajustmerry]

Just wanted to say how much I loved your answer about the van lore (I wasn’t the one to ask about it) -because you still mentioned that there are some guidelines and like no, these 2 people were not actually doing it lol

Personally, I’m just… not interested in RL shipping, not just on twd but in general. Ship the characters all you want but the actors playing them… that’s crossing a line *to me*. Yes, it’s weird to have to do those intimate scenes but also, it’s just their job. And to me it’s weird regardless but especially when they have partners and families… That’s just a no for me. I have no idea where you fall on that, I just mention it to acknowledge that I’m kinda pre-disposed, I guess, to find some of the discussions about the van scenes a bit… much. Because they very often go in that direction. And I’m always like, ok but even if it’s true, they are still at work?? And not only at work but that would be one of the biggest no-no there is in their line of work. So it’s a bit weird *to me* to act like they shot a sex scene in the back of that van.

Also I am fully, fully aware that a lot of people are absolutely just joking about it. Hell, the reason we even know is because, they, the actors joked about it so… *I*ve joked about it lol But there is definitely a contingent of people who are very much not joking 😬

oh, thank you <3 glad you appreciated it! I feel basically the same way, with the added special interest of being fascinated by modesty regulations in media lmao, especially tv because it's regulated differently to film. I feel like discussions about stuff like the Van Lore™ wouldn't get so out of pocket if people understood more how productions work, not that I've really seen those convos. I deliberately steer clear cos I know they'll annoy me. even if you think about actors having on set affairs throughout tv and film history they're usually trying to keep that shit quiet, they're not openly joking about it to audiences even when the audience knows. Anyway, I'm rambling but I don't think there's anything wrong with appreciating when actors have chemistry (especially when its even part of how things are marketed), and I don't think there's anything wrong with enjoying behind the scenes stuff about a production. But I do think it's weird how loud the small contingent of people who think it's impossible to have good romantic chemistry on screen without real life fucking going on are so loud. especially when you think of how much evidence there is of actors who are fucking irl having zero chemistry on screen. Like, we all watched Anyone But You 2023, right? Prime example. Anyway, thanks for sharing. Hope you have a lovely day 😁

[fayesdiary]

Alear, Yunaka, and Veyle for the character ask!

I just sent you the same characters lmao same braincell

First impression

Alear: The actual first impression was seeing the leaks and thinking "lol this has to be fake, there's no way this is real".

Then the first trailer released and you can literally see me go "what the fuck is this" in my blog posts. Mainly of course about their design.

Veyle: Really didn't have an impression on her at first beyond "oh she's a cute younger character". Then I saw some footage of Evil Veyle and went "welp, guess she's the twist villain"

Yunaka: Had around the same impression I had with Hortensia: "she looks more like an idol than an FE character". Her personal skill caught my eye though.

Impression now

Alear: I am COMPLETELY mentally ill about them. Best FE protagonist, there is no joke. Just like Engage itself they seem silly and innocent on the surface but there's a LOT of dark shit you can dig up, but at the same time the heart is clear as day!

Even the hair grew on me quite a lot. I can't believe either they turned out to be plot relevant.

Veyle: BABYGIRL. She has also completely rotted my brain because she has also so much you could talk about her! She's the second protagonist pretty much (she's even in the center of some artwork instead of Alear), she is both adorable, tragic and is really strong even if she doesn't realize it and she needs all of the hugs in the world.

Well, all of the three do, but especially her.

Yunaka: Another one that won't let go. She is SO good. I love how unlike most of the cast she's here on her own terms, she is so silly and funny on the surface but you also really feel for her once you learn more about her. But even if her silliness is mainly a facade, it's also a fundamental part of who she is. She says so herself!

And honestly, I just think she does a wonderful job in expressing self-loathing, struggling with making meaningful connections but also desperately craving them and wanting to be a better person and move on from her gruesome past but having no idea how. Which is a trend with a good chunk of the Engage cast, really.

Favorite moment

Alear: Absolutely when they choose to be revived as a Corrupted. It's the culmination of their whole character arc and I've made a whole post about it.

Veyle: When she plays Zephia for a fool by pretending to be her evil self and throwing Sigurd's ring to Alear, damn the consequences for her.

Keep in mind that she only just now found out what was up with her, is likely in complete shock and guilt but she still manages to improvise to help Alear, fully expecting to be her last action as her own person.

This is why I compared her to Sakura, both are adorably sweet little sister who are secretly REALLY strong-willed and are stronger than they realize. Say what you will about how Fire Emblem writes female characters and we all know there is a lot to say, but they're great at writing sweet little sisters with plenty of guts to spare.

Yunaka: ohh, either her support with Citrinne or the one with Alfred, for completely different reasons.

Idea for a story

Alear: Personally I'd love to see Alear becoming a new professor at the Officers Academy with/instead of Byleth. Even if Fòdlan is the last place they should ever be in for... Several reasons.

For a less crack idea, Past Alear recognizing Nel and Rafal due to a headcanon I'll mention later.

Or even just the whole Fell Family assembling and expanding in Askr, really.

Veyle: I mentioned it already to you and some other people in private, but I want to write a story about Veyle trying to rebuild Gradlon! I just think it has a ton of potential as a post-game story :D

Yunaka: Probably either her life with Alear or her journey after the endgame. While happily ignoring her end card.

Unpopular opinion

Alear: honestly just claiming they're the best FE protagonist is already super unpopular.

Veyle: She's more than just the cute little sister and she has a lot more going for her than people give her credit for.

Yunaka: honestly I never read much about her so I wouldn't be able to tell you🤷

Favorite relationship

Alear: Platonically Veyle, and it's the most important one by FAR. Romantically Yunaka!

Veyle: Platonically Alear again, but I don't have any romantic ships for her at the moment.

Yunaka: Alear and Citrinne romantically, Fogado and Alfred platonically!

Favorite headcanon

Alear: the older siblings Past Alear mentions in their death list are Nel and Rafal from the main Elyos. Because the idea of them recognizing the twins makes me wanna SCREAM

Veyle: Alternate take on her evil self, but rather than being born by random draconic impulses (despite degeneration not being a thing for any of the dragons in Engage), it's a personality born out of her intrusive thoughts.

Because it makes so much sense a small part of her resents humanity and Divine Dragons for the abuse she endured just for being a Fell Dragon. And deep down maybe she wants to believe if she was Sombron's perfect little Fell Princess then maybe he'd finally love her.

It's made abundantly clear that Veyle herself would never and that Zephia's magic did almost all of the work, but I find it way more interesting than simple brainwashing or... Random dragon impulses. Helps give some sense as to why Evil Veyle repeatedly insists she's the real one, even if that's not the case.

Yunaka: Nothing bad happens to her ever in the ending and she returns to Elyos and lives a long, happy life. I have experience with ignoring endings from Echoes already, IntSys can eat my butt.