#which eventually evolves into a totally romantic way

[meownotgood]

reader waking up from a nightmare where aki dies and it's like a reoccurring thing, so when aki notices, he tries everything in his power to make sure she falls asleep and comforts her in any way that he can :,0

this is so sweet.... I had a thought about this before, because one of my headcanons is that aki has nightmares quite frequently because of his job as a devil hunter. so if you were to have regular nightmares, aki could really sympathize with that, and the both of you could help each other to sleep well.

the both of you would discuss your dreams every morning when you wake up... reassuring each other that they were just dreams, and it's okay, because you have each other. aki would promise you that he isn't going anywhere, while rubbing your back and holding you close, muttering softly into your ear, his voice smooth and comforting, it's okay, I'm right here. don't worry about anything, shh shh. don't cry. you would build the habit of always sleeping together because when you sleep holding one another, neither of you have as many bad dreams...

[writingraven]

Writing Tips

Basic Plots

basic ≠ bad

many of these can & will overlap — that’s okay! it only adds more depth and tension to your story

stories should have: a main plot — the central idea, includes initial trigger and primary obstacles, subplots — branch from the main plot; less important but do affect the events of the story, and parallel plots — occur away from the reader’s view but affect the main plot

✶

⤷ adventure

⤑ protagonist sets on a journey through a new world usually filled with constant danger and action; they will endure an evolvement of their understanding of reality

⤷ ascension

⤑ protagonist undergoes successive changes as a result of events; shows the character rising to be a better person or in a higher position

⤷ descension

⤑ protagonist undergoes successive changes as a result of events; shows the character falling to be a worse person or in a lower position

⤷ discovery

⤑ protagonist discovers something important and hidden about themselves or their surroundings

⤷ escape

⤑ protagonist is held against their will and tries to get out

⤷ forbidden love

⤑ protagonist(s) develop romantic feelings for someone they cannot be with due to external factors; may or may not overcome these obstacles

⤷ love

⤑ protagonist(s) develop romantic feelings for someone, overcoming any obstacles that may stand in their way of being together

⤷ maturation

⤑ protagonist evolves from a state of innocence into a state of wisdom; usually refers to childhood into adulthood

⤷ metamorphosis

⤑ protagonist physically evolves into another form; represents their inner changes

⤷ overcoming the monster

⤑ protagonist sets out to defeat the antagonist; will usually be against the odds to win, but the protagonist overcomes these obstacles to eventually be victorious; the monster can be anything really — actual beast, villain, system, circumstance, etc.

⤷ pursuit

⤑ one character chases the other (protagonist pursuing the antagonist or vise versa)

⤷ quest

⤑ protagonist searches for ~something~ which takes them on a journey of wonderment, temptation, and obstacles in order to accomplish their goal; this something can be anything, but it must be profound enough for them to take the risks

⤷ rags to riches

⤑ a generally insignificant person (often maltreated and dejected) undergoes amelioration to become extraordinary; usually through a hidden talent or secret of some sort

⤷ rebirth

⤑ the protagonist is a generally unlikable character who eventually redeems themselves through the course of the story

⤷ rescue

⤑ protagonist searches for someone or something the antagonist has taken; usually the antagonist places obstacles the protagonist must overcome

⤷ revenge

⤑ protagonist retaliates against antagonist

⤷ riddle

⤑ protagonist searches for the hidden meaning of something ambiguous

⤷ rivalry

⤑ protagonist competes against someone who shares their goal; usually these characters will have similar ability levels

⤷ sacrifice

⤑ protagonist tests their limits in order to achieve their goal, losing cherished items, people, or morals along the way

⤷ temptation

⤑ protagonist is persuaded to do something against their moral code

⤷ tradegy

⤑ the protagonist’s downfall is a cause for celebration; typically they will have a fatal character flaw that is ultimately their undoing

⤷ transformation

⤑ protagonist evolves from one character state to another as a result of events

⤷ underdog

⤑ protagonist has a disadvantage and is faced with overwhelming odds while trying to accomplish their goal

⤷ wretched excess

⤑ protagonist pushes the limits of acceptable behavior either due to mental unbalance or being trapped by circumstances; results in declination of stability and total loss of control

[asherlockstudy]

Hey! I am fascinated by your randl theories and i find your analyses quite creative and inspiring to read. But do you really think them having a romantic/sexual relationship is all that plausible? i have a hard time believing that if that were the case, assuming that they wanted to keep it secret until very recently, they would put themselves through the psychological, mythomaniac ordeal of talking so much about their personal lives on ear biscuits, (1)

Hello! Thank you for your kind words 🩷 You make many valid points and ask me to discuss a lot of things but I will try my best. Obviously I am discussing my personal understanding of the situation here - it doesn't mean that it's certainly the case. But I believe it. And if someone gets mad at me, well, sorry (not really)? I believe it. No point in pretending.

Regarding the first two parts of your ask; Do I think them really having a relationship is plausible? Yes. Completely. More rather than not. I see your points and what confuses you about the way this means they handle the situation and basically torture themselves in the process by creating a chaotic mayhem of lies, deception, pretense and steps back and forth. Here’s the thing - although there is a big plan, their approach is not all that well conceived and realised as you would expect. Rhett and Link do not seem to be totally on the same page regarding how they ideally wished to deal with this, which creates miscommunication between them and consequently inconsistency in what we receive from them as viewers. Still, I wouldn't question their homophrosyne one bit when it comes to the mythos they have built around themselves. Don't forget that they hid for ages their religious and Campus Crusade past and only talked about it 4 years ago for the first time. Before that, only those few following them since their NC days knew about it. They have also started coming clean about other stuff in the meantime like their origin story and how close they truly were during some elementary and middle school years. Those of course pale in comparison to what is at stake now, however it gives you an understanding of the slow process with which they try in sync to reveal the truth - most of it, eventually. But it also makes evident that all those years prior to this, they were very skilled at saying vulnerable stuff without ever disclosing the most sensitive parts. This is not all that hard for them because they typically hide from the viewers the stuff they also hide from their close people. All that they say in Ear Biscuits about their lives are not lies, they just withhold large chunks of truth. Did anyone ever even suspect Lily was going to undergo a very risky surgery before Link revealed it much later after its success? No. Link likes to be an open book but both he and Rhett are good at controlling and regulating what the other says, when they sense some derailment coming. And even Link can shut it when he really wants. Most of the time, if he lets something slip is because he does not care if it slips. Or perhaps he secretly kinda wants it to slip. On the other hand, even though Rhett has much more restrain, he also has the most genuine accidents because in his case most of them are real accidents.

What is their current relationship and how it evolved, how it works with other people?

(Under the cut in hopes we will avoid any potential stroke out there)

IMO they are currently in a full blown relationship which is known only to certain people and a few others have figured it out on their own. I will give you a timeline I believe to be probable. My reasoning is in short based on watching non-stop since 2016;

As they go to California and start GMM, they get closer again (they had grown a little more distant for their standards during early years of marriage and working, they have said this) and spend a lot of time everyday together and in close proximity, all while they start questioning religion more seriously as they flee the shadow of their close people's influence in NC. They are very stunted and uncomfortable and have knee jerk reactions everytime there's a moment between them but the tension is there and is palpable. After the newsical kiss in late 2013, Link finally decides to abandon religion fully and pursue Rhett by pretending he needs something casual because he's curious. In truth he always wanted something serious from the get-go but he pretends because he knows Rhett is into sex so much and by the tension between them he calculates Rhett will have trouble refusing. Rhett falls for it (it's just more sex to help a confused friend, right? Win - win - peak clowning by Rhett there) and they attempt to start a "friends with benefits" situationship. It doesn't work out all that well sexually in the beginning (awkwardness, inhibitions, maybe solidified ideas of what it means to be a dominant male and what to be submissive that they have trouble getting rid of and how this will inform their general dynamics etc), however that new situation despite all its issues rejuvenates and warms them up to each other, you can see it in all the buzzing cuteness of 2014-2015. By late 2015, they have gotten the hang of this and they also reach some mutual understanding that this is more serious than they thought, however it should remain a secret arrangement.

After they get more and more sexually compatible (Rhett learns to be more attentive and Link less vanilla), they figure out how to maintain their relationship in secret and they also make some drastic yet positive changes in their appearance (mostly Link), they then enter their sex crazed phase, which is around 2016-2018 for Rhett and 2017-2019 for Link, and is evident even in GMM. However, in the middle of this period, Rhett gets scared that they are spiralling out of control and puts a halt to their affair for the "greater good", meaning their families and their career. Although he doesn't want this, Link agrees to it and tries harder to stay away from Rhett because he also suffers from a lot of guilt while Rhett has more trouble succeeding in this despite being the one who came up with this decision. They come up with a series of very weird rules in order to stay away from each other but they often fail all the same. At some point in 2018 - early 2019, Rhett stops trying and returns fully to his affair with Link and perhaps also makes a transformative arrangement in his marriage (maybe opening it up). This on-and-off secretive guilt ridden situation going for years however (which also affects their friendship) wears Link out. Link at times tries to push Rhett sexually to his limits, because he knows this is the key to make him obsessed with him and at other times comes clean about his feelings and warns Rhett that if this keeps going like this, he will have to end all of it for good once and for all. Kinda a carrot and stick approach. Initially, Rhett tried to ignore Link's complaints and warnings, neither did he open up about how he felt despite Link’s pleas but instead preferred to unload his burden in creative projects (i.e TLCOBC and the October sketches way in the beginning). At some point he gets the wake up call, he finally talks to Link and they agree to begin the process of coming out and being properly together. Rhett does not truly want this but he's afraid of losing Link and also destroying their careers for good. The plan about a very gradual coming out is Rhett's idea - he agrees to it for Link’s sake but he asks to be the one in control to try to minimize the consequences and Link complies to this so that he won’t lose him. They release TLCOBC in late 2019, they return to the hometown for a series of videos, they release the Lost Years and the first spiritual deconstructions in early 2020. They buy the Creative House at the same time. Covid stops them right in their tracks, right at the moment they were getting enthusiastic momentum. Link withdraws to his family, full of guilt, to help Christy who is very affected by the pandemic, while Rhett realises all the more that he needs Link and climbs the walls in his absence.

In 2021 they set their plan in motion and release Hazel as the first of a series of videos that would eventually lead where we know and that were inspired by the October sketches and Buddy System, but this time they were supposed to have darker undertones just like their truth does and like TLCOBC. Hazel (which is a great project materielized strangely in tik tok shorts) flops big time and breaks their heart, especially Rhett's. They lose faith in the plan while they also start the GME project, which attempts to train viewers into seeing them in questionable situations. In 2022, there is maybe a backpedalling and second thoughts (mostly from Rhett) and they are at a loss of what to do next. Link's patience has grown very thin which causes strain between them sometimes. Link doubts Rhett’s earnestness to this day and he also doubts Rhett can give up on his wife or women in general. By late 2022, they decide to keep going with the videos, even if they don't get the reception they hope for. In 2023 they resume their effort which indeed doesn't have the results they hoped for but this time they push through. By late 2023, they decide making one video every once in a while does not help the viewers pick up on the clues and decide to wait and make a full project like a series that will connect all the dots (and I assume "be the final step") and for which they know they will be losing rather than gaining money. By things they have said, I believe they have set a deadline of coming out by late 2024 right after the series or right at the beginning of 2025. In the meantime, they plan the live GMM tour for the summer and I think there is some intention there as well. We'll see.

What do wives / families know? That's the toughest part. I now think Jessie knows more than Christy because I doubt Christy would take this so stoically. But perhaps they have reached an agreement with their wives to go on exactly like nothing happens especially in front of the relatives and friends until the last moment. Or they truly don’t know. The kids probably don't know much, maybe Lily does. The parents might have taken a hint, especially Link's, but Rhett's are also naturally suspicious and maybe have picked up on it as well. Or he talked to them. Some friends and coworkers know as they have to be in it for the plan. But who knows and who doesn’t is really the most perplexing part in this whole ordeal.

Why do they try to come out with cryptic messages? Their plan was to start really cryptic and progressively become bolder and bolder as they would get encouraging cues by the viewers, except they are not getting such cues at all. This causes them frustration towards us which they have openly expressed. The reason they have chosen the slowest, most torturous approach in the history of coming outs is because they are very aware of all that is at stake. Their families, their careers, their fortunes, the wellbeing of the about 100 employees working in Mythical. They can't just show up one day and be like "Sike! We've been a couple for ages haha". They will get canceled and demonized, they will be crucified by Christians and by fans thinking highly of them as role models and good family men and loving husbands. And some will simply turn their backs on them because they will feel so betrayed. It's going to be a considerable scandal in youtube and American celebrity circles, you know, even with the slow approach. Imagine if they did it abruptly. The shock and uproar. They try to condition the viewers to accept it, to expect it as much as possible. And another reason is that, to put it simply, they are very scared. They still have knee-jerk reactions, these are engraved into their subconscious. It feels safer to them to think they make baby steps towards their goal. Rhett especially is very afraid (he might get rejected and disowned by his family) but even Link hesitates too. And some part of it is the celebrity exhibitionism you said. I think Rhett and Link are consumed by their own love story, they think it makes for a great dramatic story, Rhett searches higher meaning in it. I believe they earnestly think highly of it and to be honest it is not at all a conventional love story, is it? I don’t blame them for this, if this is the case. But I believe the ultimate reason is fear and postponing the dreadful day.

[bandicoot88]

Good Omens 2 ending was perfect, actually, and I'm gonna talk why, cos I got a lot to say.

Naturally, massive spoilers ahead!

The finale ended in a way that makes total sense to me. I hear y'all being like "this isn't canon, no, let them be happy, I hate this!" *proceeds to write a fix-it fanfic that's all fluff and kittens*, but just... listen to me for a moment.

Don't get me wrong, keep writing alternative endings for that temporary fix, but in terms of canon, I believe what Neil wrote is better than anything else that's gonna get create, more or less. Remember, it's important characters stay in-character.

Sure, I sobbed at 5am with a broken mind, heart, and hated everything in the moment, but letting it digest... it actually works very well. People want their "happiliy ever after", and I do too, eventually. But that time isn't now.

Also, side note, to anyone who sent Neil hate mail because of said ending, fuck you. Don't be a sensitive little shit and just accept that stories don't always have to be happy to still be good.

Here we have a 6000+ year relationship/friendship of two non-humans that don't know how to act around each other. THEY DON'T TALK, as Nina said. For them to suddenly get the talking bit down correctly was never going to happen. Which makes the ending so much worse. A quick kick up the backside from 2 people isn't the sudden fix-it to everything. They continued to STILL not talk, not taking even a single day to communicate, think of a plan, anything! I.e "Good luck", "Then there's nothing more to say." The Metatron told Aziraphale to take all the time he needed, and yet Az was gone within 15 mins. Crowley could've said something more, but instead chose to kiss Aziraphale.

Which while it was long overdue, I think it was still too fast. Aziraphale realized his love for Crowley in 1941, according to Michael, which is VERY late to the game, and in the 60s, he said Crowley moved too fast for him. I assume this is still the case, as the 60s wasn't that long ago in angel/demon years. The kiss probably frightened him, because we know what Aziraphale is like, has always BEEN like. He's cautious and jittery and incredibly soft. He's the emodiment of a kitten, and you need to treat him as such.

Had Crowely taken his time with Aziraphale instead, things might've been different. The outcome also might've remained the same, but there would at least be some communication, and probably much less heartbreak. In that moment, Crowley could've really poured his heart out into words, but he didn't. Even during the confession, he ended rather nonchalantly with a "you and me, what do you say?" This is after hearing Aziraphale's news. It's hardly romantic, and gives the same vibe as "let's shack up".

He should be using every ounce of his power to get Aziraphale to stay, but he doesn't. He says his piece, begins to walk off, rubs the non-relationship in Aziraphale's face, kisses him, and then leaves. All this sets up pefectly for a s3 to sort their shit out. I like that it wasn't just a fluffy arc where everything's suddenly perfect, because where would s3 go then? It would be less fun.

I like the angst. I want to enjoy a good show with conflict and difficulty and confusion and anger and whatever else. I want to watch this angel and demon evolve and go through it and realize and learn and love.

What happened at the end of s2; it was ineffable.

[dracononite]

What's your journey with queerness been like?

Been sitting on this question for a bit cause there's a lot to the answer. In short, being queer and trans has probably been the biggest joy of my life, and has been very freeing and allowed me to embrace my identity and love myself and others in a colorful, authentic and fulfilling way.

but here's a longer answer about the journey:

I didn't start figuring out my gender and orientation until I was going on 17, since I was raised in the south with very little sex education or inclusion outside of "wear condoms". I wasn't exposed to the idea of LGBTQ+ identities outside of gay or lesbian until (drumroll....) Tumblr! once I came across the term "nonbinary" that's when it all kinda clicked, at least for my gender. I played around with labels, tried on neutrois for a bit, but pretty quickly came to be totally comfortable with just- nonbinary. I'm just me! (I used the term "transmasc" along with nonbinary for a long while, but within the past year have accepted that I'm generally GNC and enjoy both masculine and feminine presentation in addition to androgynous, so have dropped the "masc" label.)

sexual & romantic orientation has been another journey entirely. I've questioned my orientation repeatedly ever since I found myself, as an at-the-time girl, in an online relationship with also an at-the-time girl. like I knew it was inherently LGBT but it didn't feel like I was lesbian, and this was before I learned any other terms or figured out I was nonbinary, so in my head I was like "??? this is fine, right?" (it was, even if we didn't work out in the end,) and I'd had a boyfriend in high school too, so I didn't think I was homosexual.

once I started learning more about LGBTQ+ labels, I think the first thing I thought I was, was asexual. which, is fine, I was an anxious, dysphoric teen and didn't have any real experience. I eventually moved on to demi/pan, which I stuck with for a while, cause I'd finally become more confident in myself as a person and my relations with others (thanks, college!).

and sometime last year I think, I dropped demi/pan and have just gone with "queer" and, more recently, "sapphic." My relationship with gender and romance is pretty ambiguous but I'm so happy to say that I'm totally comfortable with who I am and the relationship I'm in, and enjoy and celebrate being LGBTQ+! I've never thought that I would find a forever-label for my orientation, and I accept that it will continue to change and evolve with me throughout my life cause well, I'm still questioning pieces of it right now.

I like to be my absolute authentic self with my friends, family and loved ones, and I'm lucky to have a supportive family in my mom and brother - even if my environment growing up wasn't always safe and there were people who doubted or belittled me. I never felt like I had to hide anything from my mom and brother, which probably helped a lot in allowing myself to figure out my identity and beliefs at a pretty young age all things considered. I've never been one to repress who I am, and I never will be.

I've never really felt that announcing any changes in my labels to my online audience is important for me specifically, but I like it to be known that I'm queer and trans. cause if sharing my journey or perspective online helps anyone else figure things out or feel accepted, included, and proud to be LGBTQ+, then I'm happy to do so on occasion.

Thanks for the question!

[kajaono]

While talking about Ilsa in the newest MI movie I heard the argument multiple times: „authors are not obligated to write for their audience. Stop complaining.“ if you really think like that you have a really romanized view of Hollywood and being an author in general. Being an author is a job. Of course authors have creative freedom but they can also not do everything they want. Do you think RTD brought Rose Tyler back at the end of season 4 because he wanted to?! No because the studio told him to do it.

I guess what people actually want to say is: „a movie doesn’t have to please the audience.“ which is a HUGE difference compared with the statement above.

The point is: I do not expect a movie to please all my wishes. If it happens that is amazing but if it doesn’t happen, I am also cool with it. That’s the risk of being a fan.

BUT: an author still writes for his audience, in one way or another. Because every genre has a specific audience, and every establish franchise has a specific audience that an author has to please somehow. An author can not suddenly write a idk romantic comedy for his action audience.

Look at Loki. Marvel always wanted to get rid of him, again and again and again. They tried it one last time with Infinity War. But fans were so upset they had to bring him back once again and now he even has his own show

Or this tiny dog from Scooby doo. the audience hated him so much that the network had to get rid of him pretty quick.

The audience has a certain influence on what is presented on screen and imo that is good. If we wouldn’t Hollywood and storytelling would never change and evolve. If you publish a story you will always have audience feedback and if you are writing for a big studio you have really strict regulations. And the studios pay really close attention to Fan wishes, because that’s how they make money eventually

Does it feel like a cheat code? Definitely but sometimes you have to use companies greet to establish a certain influence.

But why is that relevant you might ask? First at all, I totally get that some people are totally okay with not having influence all, and that’s okay. But if we would never raise our voice gays would still be buried, women would still be replaceable sex object, people of color would be still villanized and men wouldn’t be allowed to show vulnerablity.

I like the certain influence we have and sometimes I have no problem to use it. Not to influence the course of a story but to spread awareness how we treat certain groups of society. If you like that or not is a completely different discussion imo.

So CMQ killing of Ilsa and insisting that she is dead for real is such a weird movie. Idk if it is was his choice or if the studio came up to him and asked him to write a new female character, that could eventually replace Ethan as the lead of MI. Whatever it was I think they underestimated the fan reactions when they decided to kill off Ilsa. Because when you look at the recent promotion for MI7 Ilsa is suddenly everywhere. I am going bold for a moment and would say they heard us. At least the marketing department.

And I am pleased. Write what you want CMQ but please free us if the boring trope of replaceable women in action movies. And I will keep on being loud about that. No matter what some people might say about that.

[reversemoon255]

Digimon Ghost Game

Ghost Game is a departure from typical Digimon in many ways, most of which I’d say are positive. It retains the higher quality we saw in Adventure:, while taking a very different approach to storytelling, themes, and even its Digimon, though we’ll dissect that as we go. It may be my favorite season we’ve gotten, finally dethroning Tamers after so many years, but both are so different it’s hard to choose which I like more. Perhaps I’ll be able to come to a definitive answer by the time I’ve finished.

The Good: The main focus of this show was its character dynamics, so let’s jump into that first. Our main characters are Hiro and Gammamon. A little older, and with a distinct lack of goggles, Hiro feels a lot more grounded than our typical heroic protagonists, much more likely to following rules and dispense lessons to Gammamon. That’s not to say he isn't heroic, as he’s just as likely to rush in and help someone as Taichi or Masaru, he’s just not as in your face about it as his predecessors. Gammamon, though childish, seems to have those protagonist characteristics Hiro lacks. Most of what Gammamon deals with throughout the series is wrestling with the concept of death, either the early death of Bokomon or his or others mortality later in the show. Their relationship is self-described as that of brothers, and it definitely shows through with little things like going on little trips together, helping Gammamon brush his teeth, etc. A very wholesome, different take on your standard Digimon protagonist.

The second Tamer to join the main cast was Ruil and her partner Angoramon. Ruli was the most energetic, and the most danger prone of the team. She never felt like a damsel in distress, but she would frequently get over her head in her enthusiasm. She was also the most frequently happy and sociable, and was probably my favorite character because of it. Angoramon was a nice contrast, being far more stoic and cautious in comparison. Their relationship was probably the most interesting of the three; Angoramon acted primarily as Ruli’s guardian, offering advice, jumping in to save her when she’s in trouble. But they also had a bit of a romantic twinge, probably most obvious during the episode Angoramon evolved into Lamortmon.

And our final pair was Kiyoshiro and Jellymon. Kiyo was definitely a bit different than most Digimon characters. He was a hyper-intelligent, hacker character we’ve seen a few times with the likes of Izumi or Touma, but compared to most Tamers, he’s a total coward. He has his courageous moments, his times to shine, but his first reaction whenever something seems spooky is to turn tail and run. Jellymon doesn’t contrast Kiyo in the same way Angoramon contrasts Ruli, but is still a very different personality. She’s a get-rich-quick business tycoon that constantly gets Kiyo and sometimes everyone else wrapped up in some goofy shenanigans. Kiyo and Jellymon are the first pair of main characters to be a human male and female Digimon, and their relationship is… Romantic. Like, Jellymon literally refers to Kiyo as “Darling,” even if Kiyo doesn’t necessarily reciprocate in the same way.

There are also a lot of other recurring characters, with Clockmon, Mummymon, Airdramon, Ryudamon/Ginryumon, and Espimon being the most prevalent. Clockmon started out as our first antagonist, but after being saved by our heroes made a hard face turn and became a roaming hero himself. Mummymon was their go-to whenever they had a medical situation or one involving Digimon anatomy. Airdramon and Ginryumon were both there to help the team get from location to location quickly. And Espimon ended up acting as Hiro’s second Digimon, eventually gaining the ability to evolve.

The Digimon designs this season were also fantastic. Gammamon is unique among protagonists as he isn't one of the primary colors (red, blue, yellow), but he has three branching evolutions with different specifications that borrowed from some of those colors, as well as making Dark Evolution, a concept played with maybe once per season, a main mechanic. When we get to Canoweissmon we start merging the elements of all of Gammamon’s evolutions, with Regulusmon being a dark mirror of that design. Siriusmon pulls from a lot of UltiMegas of the past (semi-humanoid dragonoid), and even though we didn’t see him, Arcturusmon is a similar dark mirror.

It’s prevalent to mention that this season, more than any other, plays up that a Digimon’s personality changes depending on how it evolves. Again, Gammamon is a great example; BetelGammamon is a somewhat more adult version of Gammamon, KausGammamon is a bit more heroic, WezenGammamon is somewhat primal or simpler, GulusGammamon is sadistic, Canoweissmon and Siriusmon are even more adult than BetelGammamon, and Regulusmon is a more savage version of GulusGammamon. SymbaAngoramon and TeslaJellymon both feels like more mature versions of their previous evolutions, Lamortmon is a very bestial version of Angoramon’s protective instincts, Diarbbitmon is a stereotypical swordsman (something Angoramon was always interested in), Thetismon is distinctly more motherly and feminine, and Amphimon is very brave and heroic. It should also be mentioned that Lamortmon, Diarbbitmon, Thetismon, and Amphimon’s personalities reflect the situation they first evolved under. It's a very interesting attention to detail.

It would be important to also mention Ghost Game’s storytelling. Unlike other seasons, Ghost Game chooses to forgo an ongoing narrative. There is no real end goal, though it does give you several things to look forward to as the show progresses, with GulusGammamon being the major recurrence, though there are other recurring characters and minor story bits as well. Up until the finale arc, it also has no multi-parters. This allows every episode to be its own, compact ghost story that’s easy to jump into out of context.

Also, it was a children’s horror series which is both weird and very fun. While I was never afraid for our main characters, there were some serious stakes in this show. People died O_O Like, a lot of people. It was also animated beautifully, being at a consistently higher level than even its predecessor, Adventure:.

The Bad: That being said, because of the specific nature of how Ghost Game tells its story, it sometimes feels like there’s a lack of serious character development. Apart from specifically Gammamon, the main characters don’t feel like they go through that much overall development throughout the course of the series. Everyone does go through moments, but they don’t feel like they permanently impact the characters in a meaningful way.

And as I’m writing this after the show’s ending, the finale does feel rushed, which as it’s the most recent thing I’ve seen of the series, does sour it for me a bit. It felt like it was intended to be two episodes, with a lot of dialogue and resolutions feeling very quickly dealt with. Promotions, as well, made it seem like there would be more to it. Apart from several designs, like Arcturusmon, not making it to the show, things like in the Vital Bracelet BE, which played out scenarios from the show, there was a final chunk omitted featuring Arcturusmon and Proximamon that made it feel like the show was stopped short of where it wanted to end, which is especially weird considering it was 67 episodes.

Adding to this are a few small character details we get hints about but are never answered, like the scar on Hiro’s ear of Kiyo’s bandaged hand. There’s always a chance we might get answers to these in the form of a movie or sequel season some time in the future, but that’s a serious if and when scenario.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable season, and one I can see myself revisiting again in the future. I feel like it was a bit too different from Tamers to definitively put one over the other, but a large string of fantastic episodes and beautiful animation definitely help this one tie for my number one season of the show. The next known project we have is the Adventure 02 movie, so I look forward to sharing my thoughts with you on that when it releases.

[yakuzacanons]

Your writing is so good and very very chewable!!

If it's okie, could I request some Yoshitaka fluff? Maybe he's got a playful artist who enjoys play wrestling with him

Ahhh the first request for our sweet Mine! Also, thank you, I really appreciate your kind words. All the tasty content below da cut as always hehe.

Out of all the boys, Mine seems like the type of guy to end up with a significant other who is just the total opposite of him. Mine's very independent, to a fault sometimes, and he's very logical. It's actually shocking to so many people that his romantic partner is someone more invested in creativity and is generally more positive and fun.

If you think about it though, it actually makes a lot of sense. Mine is a big art lover and admires a lot of creative people, probably because he doesn't have a knack for making art himself. That's probably how the two of you met, maybe at an art gallery and you both struck up a conversation about the work there which eventually evolved into something more.

Truthfully, you both bring a balance into each other's lives that neither of you knew you needed. One of the things Mine loves most about you is that you bring out a side of him that he didn't know existed. He's also down to totally financially support any of your artistic endeavors so you can focus on your artwork fulltime.

He loves admiring any creative project you work on. It's not uncommon for him to come home from a long day to find you so lost in thought on a project that you didn't even hear him come in. He'll bend down to give you a kiss on the cheek, taking off his suit jacket and loosening his tie as he asks what you're working on.

He is the best person to ask for constructive criticism. His logical personality makes him truthful but not harsh and his appreciation for art makes him a great person to bounce ideas off of. Secretly, he's super honored that you'd ask what he thinks about your work, as he's the kind of boyfriend to think that everything you do is pretty amazing.

If you ever gift him a piece of artwork, he will actually cry a little. Something so heartfelt from the person he cares about the most means the world to him. He genuinely feels so lucky to have you.

Mine can be prone to bouts of pessimism. Call it stress from his work or just general depression from thoughts of his rough childhood, he can get down sometimes. You always find a way to cheer him up though.

He'll come home from work one day, particularly drained from an especially stressful and long day. Instead of his usual greeting, he'll just kick off his shoes haphazardly and flop onto the bed with a groan. You immediately take notice and walk over to the bed to check in on him.

When you ask how his day is, he just grumbles something into his pillow in reply. You'll try to gently nudge him out of his tired stupor by asking if he ate yet, only to get another mumbled and jumbled reply from him, still face down in the bed.

You realize trying to talk to him is futile so you do what you do best: cheer him up. Before he know it, he's getting play tackled in bed. Mine is actually a bit ticklish, though he'd never tell anyone, but you figured that out quite a bit ago and you use it to shock him out of his facepalm onto the bed.

He'll sit up, immediately letting out a yelp before giggling uncontrollably while saying something like "Wait dear, no stop that, ah don't do that!" still laughing all the way. You'll tease him, saying "Ah, I gotcha!" the both of you smiling. Eventually, he'll get you back by play wrestling you, evolving into a pillow fight before you both tap out, exhausted but happy.

He'll pant tiredly as he puts the pillows back in place as you get up off the bed. Suddenly, he'll grasp your hand. When you turn to him, he'll surprise you with a kiss before quietly saying "Thank you. I really needed that."

[inkykeiji]

clari!! hi!! i was wondering, would bmb have taken a different path if tomura didn’t go through an episode? i wonder abt how different reader and dabi’s dynamic would be if that were the case! would they still be romantically involved? would the three of them engage in a relationship eventually?

hi hi!! c:

ah, yes! it would’ve totally taken a different path, because literally so much of the story & plot itself hinges on tomura’s building breakdown—as it continues to build, it also continues to move the narrative forward, and affords dabi and reader both more chances to be together and alone, but also brings them closer together in an emotional way, since someone they mutually care about is going through such a rough time and they’re unsure how to handle it (so tangled!). additionally, while the first threats tomura receives are real in the sense that they actually happened and actually exist, the threats that follow are all hallucinations in his head. if he wasn’t sick, then those hallucinations wouldn’t have happened, and dabi would’ve probably been taken off of his glorified babysitting post (or had his duties significantly reduced much earlier in the story), which in turn would have impacted the speed at which dabi + reader’s relationship intensifies and evolves since they wouldn’t be spending nearly as much time together.

without tomura’s hallucinations and overestimation of the threat, there isn’t much of a reason for dabi and reader to be spending much time together. in this case, tomura would’ve mostly let the threats go when their line of investigation ends up leading to nowhere—he is still protective of his baby and he gets paranoid easily, so dabi would still have some babysitting/bodyguard duties, but nowhere near anything within the fic itself, so again, dabi and readers relationship would evolve and grow at a much slower pace.

however!!! with that being said + under these hypothetical circumstances, it is very possible that the police would’ve sent more ‘threats’ had tomura not exacerbated the situation entirely on his own accord, in which case then dabi + reader would’ve spent just as much time together as tomura worked tirelessly at figuring out what the hell was going on, just without the added stress and pressure of his illness. in this case, their dynamic would’ve stayed largely unchanged and they most likely would’ve all ended up in a poly relationship at the end—dabi might’ve even been recruited to help tomura fully figure this out instead of ill tomura trying to do it all on his own because he trusts no one and is extremely paranoid, thus making him incredibly overprotective (even more so than usual) of his baby and requiring dabi be within arms reach of her at all times, even including when they’re locked away in the safety of the penthouse. if this had happened and tomura hadn’t been so sick and instead was willing to recruit dabi to help him work through it all (at least any time reader was at home and safe in the penthouse), then dabi and tomura’s relationship would’ve blossomed and bloomed as well, and they would’ve fostered a closeness that was different, deeper, and more substantial than the type of closeness they had fostered in their younger adult years, before reader had entered the picture.

there are many things that i need to edit, flesh out, add, fix, and revise within the story before i’m ready to novelize and publish it, so it’s entirely possible that you may see some of these elements within the novel version when it is finally released (*/ω＼*)

thank you for your question anon bb!! <33

[cactusradical]

how would you balance being in an opposite sex relationship as a woman with being a radfem..i feel like it’s conflicting :/

This is definitely a complex and controversial topic. I’ll do my best to explain what I think.

As a starting point, we need to consider the relationship between beliefs and behaviour. It’s very common not to act in perfect accordance with what we consider to be our values. In my opinion, this is because to act on our values, those values have to be so deeply integrated into our psyche so as to make acting against them feel physically impossible. They basically have to be emotional, rather than simply intellectual. People will have many beliefs, but those beliefs are often not deeply integrated enough to actually guide their behaviour in the face of competing demands. So, for example, I might vaguely believe that it’s wrong to kill animals for food, but I still eat meat because at the end of the day my sensory enjoyment overrides that belief. To be a successful vegetarian, I would have to make animal ethics a central, emotive, part of my approach to life, to the point where considerations like sensory enjoyment become irrelevant in the face of my convictions.

Applying this to the present context, to be the ‘ideal’ radfem you’ll have gotten to the point where your feminism isn’t simply an intellectual stance but a deeply held set of beliefs about your own worth as a human being. If you’re there, I think it would be very hard to maintain a relationship with the vast majority of men, because even if you’re with a man who treats you relatively well, he is most likely misogynistic in some ways. As such, I think the eventual choice for most straight radfems would (and should) be to stay single and focus on strengthening our bonds with other women. Indeed, I think it would be very hard to maintain even non-romantic relationships with men at this point.

But the problem is that getting to the point where all misogyny is completely unacceptable in your bones takes an enormous amount of effort for most women. Obviously every woman has a different threshold for mistreatment, but most are willing to tolerate some level of misogyny, because we are so used to being marginalised in so many subtle ways that it takes years to really build an automatic disgust response to a lot of everyday misogyny. Without that disgust response, it becomes very difficult to leave or refrain from a relationship with a man, because you don’t have the emotional impulse to leave in the face of misogyny.

Being a radfem to me is not a destination but a journey. My understanding evolves, and my values evolve and strengthen alongside that understanding. I think it’s ridiculous to expect women to leave loving relationships with men when they haven’t yet been able to fully integrate their feminism into their core set of values. I personally have experienced trying to do this, and I went back because the love I felt outweighed my intellectual values. Instead, I think it’s our job to commit to the journey radical feminism provides, and to help each other along that journey. This means critically engaging with feminist rhetoric as frequently and broadly as possible. This means discussing and calling out misogyny in relationships around us. This means creating an environment in which being single is shown to be a normal, positive thing for women. Being with a man is not, in my view, the feminist choice, but that doesn’t mean that women in relationships with men cannot take other feminist actions or improve their personal situation even while dating. Meeting the criteria for the label of ‘radfem’ matters a lot less than your direction of travel and the sum total of your actions in the world.

[cartoonyappreciation]

Depression hour rant lol.

Cupioromantism really is a pain in the ass. And my heart. Like. Here I am. I have evolved my understanding of myself from straight to pansexual to asexual and then greyromantic and then aromantic.

Ya know what’s stupid. I’ve always loved the ideas and tropes of soulmates. Because maybe there was still a chance that I’d be able to experience this apparently beautiful, borderline religious, experience of love and romance if I just found the right person. But nah. I just don’t have the capacity for sexual or romantic attraction.

And the thing is… 95% of the time, I’m great with it. Absolutely no desire for a relationship anyway. Fucking ace and aro pride all the way. Literally the idea of relationships and stuff associated with it doesn’t even cross my mind. But they other 5%. I’m lonely as hell and wishing to the world that I could be “normal”.

Then there’s the concept of sexuality and romantic attraction being fluid. Which i totally believe is valid. But the idea that I could eventually experience some fluid change allowing me to experience romantic attraction hurts to have hope in. Do I really want to keep putting myself out there time after time hoping for the small chance that something might finally click? Nah. Not really. It just makes me feel like shit bc there are plenty amazing people out there and I can’t appreciate them in the way that they want or deserve.

I’m hoping to get more involved with the ace community in-person when school starts back up. Maybe that’ll help.

[skgenvs3000w23]

Unit 07- Nature Interpretation in Music

Music in nature can be found everywhere! Gray et al., 2001 provide two great examples through the use of bird and whale calls. While these are two very different noises, they are still great examples of how factors in nature can be considered music to our ears! Another example of music in nature that I personally love as a reptile/amphibian fanatic is frog croaking. Frog croaking while enjoyable to listen to by itself, brings me a sense of excitement as it reminds me of the little parts of the ecosystem that work together. This initial song of theirs reminds me that even though you can’t usually see them at first, they’re often close by and just hiding in tall grass or weeds.

Gray et al., 2001 mentioned that humpback whales in the same breeding area sing the same songs which evolve year to year, but that whales in different oceans sing totally different songs. After reading this, I began to reflect on the music in nature that reminds me of the summers I spent outdoors as a child, cicadas buzzing. When hearing a clip of this noise I’m immediately transported back to playing in the hydrofields near my childhood home with my friends. To me, the sound of cicadas buzzing is the sound of my childhood summers, but the comment about the whales from different areas singing different songs made me reflect on the experiences of others. While some individuals may also resonate with the buzzing of cicadas, others might consider the sound of a river flowing or loons calling as their most prominent musical tie to their childhood summers.

While I struggled a bit more to attempt to answer the prompt of where nature is in music, I eventually thought of one of my favourite verses in one of my favourite songs. The chorus in the song “Everywhere, Everything by Noah Kahan” relates to nature in a way and I think that’s one of the reasons that I appreciate it.

He sings:

Everywhere, everything

I wanna love you ‘til we’re food for the worms to eat

‘Til our fingers decompose

Keep my hand in yours

At first when hearing these lines, I was left thinking about how sweet and romantic they were but after thinking about the ‘nature in music’ side of it I can appreciate it even more for a different reason. Noah Kahan often sings about nature within his songs, does anyone else listen to him and what is your favourite line that references nature?

Gray, P. M., Krause, B., Atema, J., Payne, R., Krumhansl, C., & Baptista, L. (2001). The Music of Nature and the Nature of Music. Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science), 291(5501), 52–54. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.10.1126/SCIENCE.1056960

[paintedwithwords]

I have always been a fan of criminal minds, call it professional bias or whatever. I was so excited for the show to be back, but my expectations are not being met at the moment. The unsub seems interesting enough, but I’m puzzled by the fact that he’s a sadist (he enjoyes hearing the screams of his victims and conjures some pretty painful and long ways to kill them) and he manages to never ever let out any control issue with his own family. I mean, he lost his job, his assholish neighbour insults his masculinity and his response is to look for money from a wanna-be serial killer and procede to not have sex with his wife, while sex would be the fastest, easier way to assert his control without fearing consequences. Sex is one impulse he can satisfy that comes close to the pleasure of killing, and if he’s not having sex with his wife, and he is not killing either, how does he stay “sane”? He supposedly gave up on the serial killer life-style when he got married (it is hard to balance killing and changing diapers), but he’s so young (around 35 I suppose?) His older daughter is in high school so she must be at least 15, which means he stopped killing when he was around 20 years old, how did he manage to control his impulses at such young age enough that he 1) has never been caught 2) has killed enough to make a “manual about safe killing”  3) managed to make killing kits for aspiring killers and leave them around the country. There was a trauma at the base of it all or it’s just sociopathic tendencies? These are the questions I want aswers to.

And the team’s arc...it’s like Linda Barnes all over again. I’m not holding my breath over it. The team will be dispmantled just to be eventually put back together probably in the next season.

Penelope was basically living her best life (and proceded to vomit and spit on her work experience like they had kidnapped her and she was suffering from Stockholm syndrom the whole time) until she’s been dragged back into something she absolutely did not want to do, and the way they remind us constantly about how bad she doesn’ want to be there makes me feel like I’m personally victimizing her just by wanting there with the team, which makes her presence not really enjoyable.

After years of romantically “mistreating her” suddendly she’s decided after one dinner date that she’d rather throw away a chance at love with Luke supposedly because he worked in BAU still? Because I can’t imagine any other reason, after her esthatic expression at him asking her out. He still has a soft spot for her, and in theory is nice to have someone kind of pining after her, but in reality it feels like they’re doing it just for the sake of doing it and it doesn’t make much sense.

JJ... well, she’s totally okay, and totally badass, but every time I see her face I think of that stupid, idiotic, nonsensical scene where she confesses her love for Reid and I feel like I’m constantly having PTSD. Still, I tried to appreciate her arc, until they dropped the bomb during episode 4. If they kill Will off so that she’s free to be with Reid (in a relationship that was never romantic until they decided they needed a twist, when actually they had all along a relationship that was naturally evolving as romantic but never let become so just because it was between an overweight woman and a black man) I’m going to be sick, and just stop watching. I can’t accept this kind of cop out and wanna-be-romantic bull###t from this show.

I’m okay with Tara’s romance, but I would have preferred they didn’t give her such a masculine look, expecially during episode one, because I find that a bit of a clichè, but whatever.

I love Rossi, with all my heart, but the manpain was unbearable. It’s true that they never bothered to flesh out marginal characters that much, but krystal was a good character and I loved to see Rossi finally find stability and marry his final wife. They didn’t even bother to give her a few sendout scenes, it was all rage and unshaved face. It felt so basic I couldn’t share in on his pain.

Emily and Luke don’t seem to have a personal life outside of work. Luke supposedly never stopped thinking about Penelope (the pandemic might have been a hamper on his love life but... really? I mean, a woman drops you after one dinner and you never look around yourself again? Or maybe he did but no one ever misured up? But to what if he never got the change to know her in a romantic manner?) He should have someone waiting home for him (he is the kind of guy that wants stability, we’ve seen that with Lisa), or the mention of a one night stand. Not even a mention of Roxanne. So he can’t keep a dog nevermind a woman?

WTH happened to Andrew? Why does a woman in a position of power always have to renounce love and relatioships? I have to hear a teenager speak to me about equality but then the show falls into the overused clichè of the woman in a position of power being ALONE.

I’m just disappointed, okay?

[atomicfilm]

INTJ pairings

I'll make this into a fun short "put you in my pocket and take you `to my mom's Thanksgiving party" version too.

I'm not an INTJ, but I do converse with them (and by them, I mean maybe 3 total and 1 regularly) and I've been asked to talk about my thoughts on this, so for tonight only, I'm giving myself a really cool sash that says I'm an authority on the subject. I also think as an INTP I run into somewhat similar issues with certain types.

* means I like this pairing.

Typically, the INTJ's golden pair is the ENFP. I think that works for some people, but is probably a kind of short-lasting passionate fling rather than the ideal pairing. ENFPs are great people, they're lots of fun to be around, they care a great deal. They bring out the INTJ's soft side, which they may hate but they secretly quite admire. But ultimately, ENFPs can be flaky. They see something new and exciting and they move on. Novelty is the greatest motivator in a lot of ENFPs. New friends, new places, new things to do. And while the INTJ may deeply admire that and may find it quite exciting, it's not going to last forever. Eventually, the INTJ will become tired of playing games and want to settle into their ideal lifestyle pursuing their carefully strategized goals and the ENFP will become bored. The INTJ I speak to and I have the same issue, which is that ENFPs by nature are manipulative. It can be used for the good of inspiring people and bringing them together, but it can also become quite selfish and unstable. This leads to the ENFP saying things like "You try to apply logic to everything" or "you don't really respect me" or something like that when in reality, if someone loves an INTJ they'll love that they apply logic to everything and they'll love their snarky edges.

INFPs. I have not heard a lot of feedback about them as I think INTJs tend to be drawn more to extraverts. But as someone who spends quite a lot of time with INFPs, I would imagine that a lot of INTJs who can't make it work with ENFPs can also not make it work with INFPs. Once again, INFPs are great at engaging our minds but they are terrible at accepting that we live by rationality. INTJs use Fi a little bit, so to some extent they'll have similar engagements with their emotional side, but INFPs live by thinking "what can I do to nurture myself" and INTJs live more by "how can I best mold the world to fit my vision of efficiency". You'll see the commonality of Fi at the worst point possible when the INTJ is breaking down. INFPs kind of never stop using Fi and as someone who is thinking-dominant, that is almost impossible for communication. Ultimately, they'll eventually hit a point where their love languages and ways of interactions may be so disparate that they feel neglected.

ENTPs **. This is a golden pair that I can kind of get behind. The INxJs I know are obsessed with ENTPs and tend to think they're quite attractive. They're not only gregarious (when they're not arguing) but they're also quite intellectually stimulating and since they have opposite functions from the INTJ, there is still quite a bit of difference to make it fun. There shouldn't be too many emotional issues, aside from the fact that both these types tend to bottle up their emotions and resent vulnerabilities. The ENTP will probably be the more caring of the two in a conventional sense, but I would think both would have similar love languages of caring both through action and thought. ENTPs also tend to not be quite as flaky as a lot of xNxPs are, but, I would rate both of these types as highly likely to ghost. My best advice is that if you want to be around ENTPs, pick one who can be honest about their real values and whose values align with yours. If they make a lot of bigoted jokes, take that at face value, no matter how "ironic" it is. ENTPs can be a little fake in the sense that they will blend in just enough and hide behind so-called irony to be friends with a lot of different people.

INTPs. I don't really see it. I think INTPs are lovely as an INTP who likes other INTPs. Likewise, I enjoy a good conversation and friendship with an INTJ. But I find it not only difficult to tolerate relationships but also being told what to do. I make every decision in a relationship as a compromise and I think that would eventually quite interfere with the INTJ's ambitions because I wouldn't back down on mine...at least, not without resentment. So perhaps an INTJ and INTP with similar life goals could work out romantically, but personally, I view them as platonic and the one time I liked an INTJ it ended beyond poorly. I don't bring out their softness and they don't bring out mine. We're more like buddies who complain about other people when we do the entire group project by ourselves. Of course, romantic preference is a preference.

ENTJs. When has it ever worked out for someone to date their sister-type? Name one time! If someone names one time I'll update this. I think an ENTJ and an INTJ would be quite an argumentative couple even if they were on the same side about everything. Then again, INTJs do admire extraversion and it is always nice to be around people you don't have to explain yourself to every sentence.

INFJs ****. Oh, I like this pairing. I have not heard much about it, but I think it would be really cute. INTJs are complete badasses. They're very "I'm going to take over the world and you're just going to have to deal with it. And if you say no I will secretly cry". INFJs are very "I'm going to do everything in my power to heal everyone and the world and I am probably crying because I saw a baby bunny". INFJs are The Best! They have the softness of ENFPs but they're logical and they use Ni like INTJs but have Fe, which means they are thinking about harmony 24/7 and not that Fi-version of harmony. That genuine "I will make sure everyone is cared for at no social benefit to me" kind of harmony. They do socialize with a lot of people, but INTJs sometimes like to be social and party, they just aren't typically regarded that way. Do Fe and Fi mix that well? Maybe not. But as an Fe user who is quite fond of INFJs, I think they could potentially be a very cute power couple with the INTJ and there would be fewer issues with communication than other types as Ni-doms (but this also might be boring at the same time).

ENFJs. Similar to INFJs. They might work together a little less simply because of the change in function positions.

ESFPs *. Do I know for sure that this is a good pairing? No! But gosh, do I like it. INTJs become ESFP-like when they're sad. So, you know, maybe the ESFP will draw out the worst version of the INTJ and that could really suck. But this is the perfect little theatre kid dates total nerd trope and I like that. ESFPs have the social circle that the INTJ desires and the INTJ has the "got their shit together" vibes that ESFPs, despite being quite talented and successful, may lack. They both have skills one another can benefit strongly from, but it may come at the cost of a lot of arguments. Not sure. But I think this is actually my personal favorite since they have near-opposite strengths but a common reason to respect one another.

ISFPs: Pft. Idk. This is not the same as ESFPs. ISFPs are lovely but they sort of fill the same niche that INFPs do. Perfect for an INTP like me, but I don't think INTJs are looking for the quiet, artsy, weirdo so much because they already often fill that niche to some extent, even if it's more technical. I've noticed that INxJs really want to be around people who are the life of the party and very socially dominant (and ISFPs can fulfill that role, but there are other types who win via extraversion). The ISFP will likewise appreciate a little practicality, but I've noticed they're more likely to gravitate towards other xxFPs. Probably a better friendship and as a relationship would take more effort.

ESTPs: I think this one comes with its own difficulties and will work less than ENTP/ESFP pairings. This is because while they can have the same charisma that ENTP and ESFPs have, they can also have that same fakeness as a defense mechanism. Both will value action but the ESTP will probably drain out the INTJ more than ENTPs will (who are more ambiverts) and more than ESFPs too. With ESFPs, there's a good amount of the right kind of opposites. INTJs are action-driven, but they're strategic and take a while. ESFPs are action-driven, but they're more spontaneous. And ultimately, that leads to a lot of arguments about how to get things done. Whereas, the ESFP and ENTP might give the INTJ complete room to "manage", the ESTP seems less likely to do so.

ISTPs: This would be so stale. INTJs tend to show big emotions (to their own despise) when they're upset and ISTPs love to ghost at any sign of emotion. They would dip so fast. Top-tier friendship on an intellectual level but never particularly deep and unlikely, albeit not impossible to evolve into a relationship. Same issues as with INTPs, there's going to be a lot of admiration and probably not a lot of emotional attachment. I have witnessed an INTJ have a crush on an ISTP but that ISTP had a crush on me so that tells you how that went. Messy business. 

ESTJ: Yeah, I guess. I don't like ESTJs as a general concept but I suppose INTJs aren't necessarily as opposed to capitalism and tradition. Sounds dry. Next.

ISTJ *: This is probably a really solid pairing for the INTJ. Very marriage material, have the same job, raise cool kids. But I think that sounds boring. So if you want the "perfect life", this is probably a good type for you but I couldn't do that. You would probably only have minor arguments and the INTJ would have to learn to trust that ISTJs are incredibly good at reading situations while the ISTJ would have to learn to love that the INTJ is more fantasy-oriented than they are. Odd, right? Ultimately, you have two people who can be very commitment-oriented, who care for people the same way, who want to fix society, who analyze everything. You just have two generally different ways of doing that, where the ISTJ is probably actually better at being in society and the INTJ wants to change it in more drastic ways (although, for moral reasons they both want to change it).

ISFJ: I don't imagine it working particularly well. I honestly can barely imagine it at all. An ISFJ is my best friend and he is THE MOST gentle buddy. You cannot make fun of him even playfully and keep the friendship. Probably a deal-breaker for a lot of INTJs as they tend to love a good tease. My ISFJ has dated an INTJ before and while they’re still friends, it was a bad experience to witness all around. INTJs are very competitive and ISFJs are very open with their affection so that ran into issues but also, the ISFJ is not as likely to stand up for itself in a way that INTJs easily respect, which is to say, when they do it it will be something like “hey, you hurt my feelings” and if you’re the kind of person to  respond “then you’re too sensitive” you’ve got a whole ass toxic relationship on your hands. 

ESFJ: I think this could work a little better than the ISFJ pairing and a little worse than with the ESFP. Of course, there are general grounds for arguing over emotion vs. logic, but both types can have quite a good bit of talent and practicality coexisting. ESFJs tend to be a little better with criticisms (although they are still sensitive and should be treated very gently too) and they're more likely to want to accomplish goals that the INTJ finds easier to respect. For a lot of ISFJs, their goals are sweet and simple like raising a family, working as a computer scientist. The ESFJ might be a little more oriented towards large goals similar to that of the ESFP, which is more of the category that INTJs tend to fall into. However, the INTJ is going to have to accept that ESFJs love a LOT which means throwing a LOT of parties, probably the most out of any type and its probably going to lead to some burnouts. 

Overall, INTJs are great but need to learn to practice kindness and put their natural tendency for intellectual superiority aside. They shouldn't be with anyone that doesn't want to accomplish things they can respect. They shouldn't be with people who want them to compromise too much (they probably won't). They should be with people who bring out their nurturing capabilities and who they want to do things for, but not people that they see as incapable of taking care of themselves. They may prefer more social people and admire people who can network while being direct and genuine. Based on these criteria, INFJs and ENTPs are my highest recommendations while ESFPs (my favorite) and ISTJs also make the list for various reasons.

BUT, that being said, RELATIONSHIPS (including friendships) ARE A SKILL. They are most successful when someone becomes good at learning respect and compromise that doesn't cause resentment, regardless of type. All individuals will have different specific interests as well as red flags. And if you need me to tell you if your relationship works, it probably doesn't and you can DM me.

[seriouslysnape]

HIii! I was wondering if you could write something Fred (6th/7th year) x Gryffindor Reader (i know u dont usually write him) maybe something where reader and fred are best friends and shes in love with him but she thinks he dosent like her that way with a fuffy ending? maybe some angst not too much tho thank youuu <3 if you dont want to write fred (😭) you can write it for lupin (6th/7th year)

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His Favorite Girl

Fred Weasley x Gryffindor! Reader

Warnings: Language.

Word Count: 3,430

“Woah. Guess I had more to drink than I thought.”

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The Gryffindor common room. An ever changing space for all Gryffindor students to unwind, study, or party, depending on the occasion. The common room was always crowded from wall to wall after a Quidditch match, especially when Gryffindor reigned victorious. The players all filed in, bursting with good energy and an itch to celebrate their win. Oliver Wood exploded inside first with an unmistakably beaming smile spreading across his face.

The Gryffindor students who hadn’t been able to make it to watch the match automatically knew that they had won based on Oliver’s visible jubilant mood. You were one of the unfortunate ones that hadn’t been able to make it, but you knew that the team would bring the party to you. The Weasley twins came bopping in next, George carrying a very happy Harry Potter on his shoulders. Harry leapt off of George’s shoulders before the tall twin could knock him into the top of the doorframe.

Your sights automatically set on the other Weasley twin. Fred was beaming with delight at their impressive win. Fred was damn proud to be a Gryffindor, and beating the brakes off of Slytherin was one of his favorite pastimes. He couldn’t be any happier at this moment. It warmed your heart to see him so joyful and full of glee.

You raked over his tall, slender yet muscular frame. His signature red hair was damp with sweat and parts of his face were caked with dirt.

Fred caught your stare, his smile never leaving his face as he gave you a friendly wink. You closed the Potions book in your lap, getting up from the sofa with a silent hope that your thumping heartbeat wasn’t obvious to anyone.

It was a hard thing to do. Keeping your ever growing crush and admiration for Fred Weasley under wraps was becoming more and more difficult as time went on. The seemingly simple solution (as all of your friends had told you) to do would be to “just tell him” how you felt. But it was MUCH easier said than done.

There were so many things that could possibly go wrong if you were to confess your feelings to Fred. You would be running the risk of ruining a beautiful friendship that had done nothing but blossom over the last seven years if he didn’t share that same admiration. You didn’t want to lose your best friend just because your heart felt differently than his.

At the same time, you wanted to tell him every scrap and ounce of how your soul felt lost without him. There had been a few times over the years where you had an opportunity to lay your heart out on the line for him. Each time you had this heavy feeling in your chest letting you know you needed to make a move.

You built up the courage each time, but were interrupted by George or another one of your friends before you could bite the bullet. You knew it wasn’t healthy to keep this holed away in yourself. Your love would only grow more. The more days that passed, the more you began to wonder how different your life would be if you never told him. Not to mention that graduation was only a few months away, and there was always the risk of losing contact with him when you went separate ways.

That is, IF you were to go separate ways.

On the other side of the coin, there was always a chance that Fred possibly did harbor the same admiration for you. That would totally change things in the long run. The idea of starting a romantic relationship, possibly getting married, and having a family was nothing short of perfect.

But you had to get to that point first.

Everyone rallied around Harry, shaking him excitedly and singing their praises to him for his incredible Snitch catch. Suddenly, blaring and thunderous chatter filled the common room as more exhilarated students piled in. Within the hour, a sea of Gryffindors occupied the room, complete with blasting music and an ungodly amount of alcohol.

Oliver had gathered a crowd of first years in one corner of the common room as he retold every solitary second of the match from his point of view, starting from the very beginning. The wide eyed first year wizards and witches were on the edge of their seats as they listened to his story, some of them beginning to wonder if they had what it took to be great Quidditch players.

On the other side of the room, you were settled once again on the sofa with Alicia Spinnet and Katie Bell, who were seated in the arm chairs across from you. They were exhausted from playing all day, but that didn’t stop them from engaging in some girl talk.

Alicia and Katie were your dearest friends, and they were the only ones who knew about your crush on Fred. A crush that had quite honestly evolved into something much more. They were always keeping an ear out to see if Fred said anything remotely leading them to believe that he might like you back. As surprising as it was, Fred never really outwardly spoke about his romantic side.

Speaking of, Fred and George were in another corner of the room with Harry and Ron, doing God only knows what. Fred was considerably tipsy, but nothing even close to plastered. You had seen Fred drunk before, and needless to say, it was a hysterical sight.

“So, [Y/N],” Alicia spoke up, her dark skin looking extra glowy from the fire roaring in the fireplace; “Fred was awfully excited to come back to tell you that we won.”

Katie perked up, her head lifting from where it had been leaning on the back of the chair.

“Yeah! The first thing that he told George was that he couldn’t wait to tell you the news. Although, I guess Oliver kind of told everyone before Fred had the chance.”

“Really? He said that?” You asked, sitting up a little straighter.

Alicia nodded vigorously, gripping Katie’s forearm with elation. Alicia and Katie had never tried to set the two of you up, mainly because you had begged them not to. That didn’t stop them from trying to be the ultimate wingwomen. They believed that you and Fred would be a stellar couple. They were convinced you were made for one another.

They both feared that you’d never make an attempt to make it happen.

“He sure did. I heard him myself.” Katie replied.

Alicia glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one was listening before leaning forward closer to you. Her voice was quiet, loud enough so only you and Katie could hear as she spoke.

“Graduation is coming up quickly. You’ve got to tell him.” She advised.

You sighed heavily. If you had a galleon for every time one of them had told you that, you’d be a wealthy woman. They just didn’t seem to get that it just isn’t that easy. You wouldn’t deny that proclaiming your deepest secret to someone didn’t scare you. It was terrifying to offer your heart and soul to someone, even when you knew that they might get broken as a result. You didn’t want to live with a broken heart.

But you didn’t want to live always asking yourself “what if”.

Before you could respond, a figure plopped themself next to you, his familiar scent sending flutters all through you. Fred basically snuggled up next to you, wrapping his arm around your shoulder. Despite the fact that you weren’t dating, Fred was comfortable enough with you to get extremely close, which didn’t help your situation at all.

Alicia and Katie held down their snickers and giggles at how you were clearly flustered. You tried not to wriggle too much under Fred’s hold, and draw any attention to yourself. He was your best friend, and you knew how to play it cool when he was around.

“Hi, [Y/N].” Fred slurred loudly over the noise.

You laughed softly at the smell of Firewhiskey that was radiating off of him. You weren’t much of a drinker, but you’d have a drink with Fred from time to time.

“Hey, Fred. Congratulations on the match.” You complimented.

Fred grinned proudly, looking down at your slumped body. His eyes were beginning to glaze over from the alcohol, but he looked as sober as ever. He had a certain look in his eyes that you couldn’t identify.

“Thanks. Those bloody Slytherins got what they deserved.” He stated.

“Oliver seems over the moon with how it went.” You remarked, smiling as you looked behind you to see Oliver now standing on a table as he continued telling his thrilling tale.

When you turned back to Fred, you couldn’t help but notice how Fred hadn’t taken his eyes off of you. The butterflies in your belly were going totally bananas now. His gaze did eventually shift to the Potions book that was placed next to your feet, and he let out a guttural sound. He reached for it, noting that it had obviously been put to good use in the last several hours.

“Have you been studying?” He questioned, holding the book in his hand.

You sheepishly nodded, aimlessly reaching for the textbook. An offended look crossed Fred’s face as he held the book far out of your reach. Damn his long arms.

“I have a test on Monday. Advanced Potions is kicking my ass this year and I’ve just barely been getting by so I have to study extra time.” You expressed, laughing at your fruitless attempt to get the book back.

His sharp jaw fell open a tad and he stretched back even further to ensure you didn’t get the book back for now.

“You’re kidding me. I missed my favorite girl at the match because she was stuck in the common room studying for a TEST?” He acquired, not even aware of the weight behind his choice of words.

You felt your smile fade into more of a bashful expression. Your body slinked back into the cushions, forgetting all about the book. His words rang in your word.

Favorite girl.

Fred Weasley’s favorite girl.

Alicia and Katie were both wide eyed and jaw dropped at what he had just said. They were looking back and forth between the two of you like they were at an intense tennis match.

Fred was so aloof and oblivious to the fact that he had literally just melted your heart with a single sentence. You spent so much time with Fred that you just didn’t understand how he couldn’t see it.

Fred knew you backwards and forwards. He could see straight through you when you were lying or when you were sad, but claiming you were fine. He always remembered your favorite treats from Honeydukes and how you liked hot Butterbeer on cold winter nights. It made him happy to hear you talk about your favorite Muggle novels or tell him about something funny that happened in McGonagall’s class. He knew you better than anyone.

But why couldn’t he see the way you were yearning for him?

“You missed me?” You asked, shrinking even further into the cushions.

Fred looked at you as if that were the dumbest question he had ever been graced with. He lowered his arm at your sudden demeanor change, gently putting the book in your hand. Alicia and Katie leaned in carefully, eager to see where this conversation was going. Much to their disappointment, Fred didn’t get a chance to answer due to another member joining you on the couch.

George landed less gracefully than Fred had, basically landing on top of you and smothering you. Your shrieks were muffled in George’s Quidditch robes, Fred wrestling his brother off of you.

“Hey! George, get off of her.” He grunted, heaving his brother’s very limp body off of you.

Alicia threw her hands up in defeat at the interruption, Katie falling back into her chair. So close, yet so far. You gasped for air as George fell on the open seat next to Fred. George was way further gone than Fred. He was barely even able to keep his eyes open, let alone get any real, complete thought across.

“Nice timing, George.” Katie said sarcastically.

You gave her a menacing look, not wanting her to bring it up. George snorted, and his sentence came out more as one incoherent word.

“Did I interrupt something important?” He heavily slurred between hiccups.

You rolled your eyes. Leave it to George to ruin this for you. You were discouraged that your chance had been shot down once again, but it wasn’t George’s fault. You were just glad to see your friends in such high spirits. Soon enough, the rest of the party goers had crowded towards the center of the room where you were. The party raged on well into the night, a complete celebration with dancing, singing, and more drinking.

As easily as the party could’ve carried on and on, eventually the famed players’ exhaustion caught up with them and they all slowly dwindled down and sauntered off to their respective dorm rooms. You hugged Alicia and Katie goodnight, knowing they’d be passed out in their beds by the time you got up to your dorm room.

You spoke to Harry and Ron for a bit, giving Harry a friendly kiss on the top of his head for his winning catch. His pasty white cheeks went red as he and Ron retreated to their room in a fit of blushy giggles. That left just you and the twins in the common room that was now completely trashed. Empty cups and half spilled bottles of alcohol were scattered about, people even leaving behind some of their school stuff to be recollected in the morning.

George was a mumbling, intoxicated mess. He was close to falling asleep, and Fred wanted to get him to bed before he was completely unable to stand up. You’d be up for a while cleaning up the common room. You always hated leaving a room knowing it was messy, so you didn’t mind picking up after everyone. Fred knew you’d stay behind to clean up, but he didn’t want you to have to do it alone. He draped his babbling twin over his shoulders, grimacing at how George was usually heavier when he was drunk.

“I’m going to run George upstairs and then I’ll be back to lend you a hand.” He smiled, ignoring the things that George was trying to say to him.

“You don’t have to. I can handle it.” You said, tossing a handful of cups away.

“I know you can. I just don’t want you to be lonely is all.” He said, turning on his heel and marching up the boys’ dormitory stairs with George.

You felt a warm flush course through you at his words once more. You weren’t sure why you were extra sensitive to him tonight. Sure enough, Fred returned a few minutes later, almost stumbling into the wall at the bottom of the stairs. You both laughed as he gave a witty comment.

“Woah. Guess I had more to drink than I thought.” He said, walking into the room once he steadied himself.

“Is George okay?” You asked, accepting the pile of empty bottles that Fred placed into your trash bag.

You usually hand cleaned for the first few minutes, but would eventually grow bored and cast a spell from your wand to finish the work. It was seldom that the common room was this quiet, so you liked to bask in the silence for a little after there was a party.

Fred scoffed with a nod.

“Oh, yeah. He’ll be fine. Nasty hangover in the morning, but there’s a potion for that.”

As usual, the two of you were tired of cleaning, so you waved your wand with a quick cleaning charm. You both watched in amazement as the trash and everything else whisked around the room into trash bins, leaving the room spotless. You put your wand in your back pocket with a satisfied hum. Usually, this would be the time where you went to bed, but you were getting that familiar heavy feeling in your chest.

It immediately dawned on you that you had a perfect chance here. No one was around, and no one would be around for more than enough time.

“You want to sit and chat for a bit?” Fred questioned, noticing your dazed look; “You seem like you’ve got something on your mind.”

The fireplace was still occupied with a cozy warm fire, which was very inviting. You nodded, following Fred to the same couch you had been on earlier. The common room was beyond peaceful now, your head almost lulling onto Fred’s shoulder in relaxation.

Oddly enough, you weren’t freaked out now. In all the past times you had tried to do this, you were a jittery mess and could barely get a word out without stuttering. You felt so at ease now, as if this was something you did often. You hadn’t even had a drop of alcohol tonight, so you couldn’t blame it on that.

“So what’s up?” Fred questioned after you didn’t initiate a conversation.

He had unknowingly opened a door that you knew you had to take. It was now or never.

“I’m just thinking about some things.” You admitted.

Fred’s curiosity was sparked now. He was always interested and willing to hear what was going on in your mind.

“What kind of things?” He pressed on.

Your sights were set on the flames in front of you, causing you to miss the way that Fred was looking at you with such fondness and care. He was cherishing every passing second of this moment.

“You and me.” You confessed.

Fred was filling with anticipation, not sure where you were going with this. He raised a brow.

“What about us?” He replied.

You took a breath.

“Fred, what did you mean when you said I was your favorite girl?” You queried.

Fred looked into your eyes that were peering up at him in a puppy-like way. He noticed that you were expecting an answer. Fred, as confident as ever, responded with a voice like butter, his accent a little thicker.

“Because you’re my favorite person in the world.” He revealed.

Your heart caught in your throat and your breathing hitched. So far so good.

“I am?” You asked to confirm

Fred’s arm that was around you pulled you in closer. You were being flooded with such a sense of intimacy that it was overwhelming. Your nose was level with his chin, and you were so close to his face that you swore you could hear the blood flowing through his face. Fred knew what was happening now, and he was ecstatic about it. He had wanted you all along, but never knew how’d you’d react. The last thing he ever wanted to do was scare you off.

He thought about all the times he had seen you upset, and how it hurt him when you were pained with something. He always wished for nothing but happiness for you. He didn’t want to ruin things because of how he felt.

But now he was sure that you’d be here to stay.

“Absolutely you are. You’re all I ever think about.” He whispered, stroking your face with the side of his thumb that was wrapped around you.

This didn’t feel real, but felt all too real at the same time.

“Why are you whispering?” You smiled softly, whispering back to him.

He smirked, and whispered again.

“Because I want you to know how much I love you.”

A cannon of confetti seemingly exploded all throughout your body. Shock, desire, lust, love, want, everything went through you all at once. This wasn’t at all how you had imagined this happening, but you were happy that it did. It was very fitting for the two of you.

“Kiss me.” You whispered once more.

He lowered his head and his lips caught yours in a feverish way. All the pent up feelings from the last 6 years all loaded themselves into the kiss. It was a huge weight off of your shoulders.

“I love you,” You professed once Fred pulled away; “You don’t know how long I’ve waited to tell you that.”

Fred chuckled lightly, responding before kissing you again.

“I think I have a pretty good idea.”

[aziraphales-library]

i guess this is more of a lost fic but recommendations are fine too! i’m looking for a specific fic (one shot probably, don’t think it was rated higher than m) where crowley and aziraphale get drunk and start cuddling and crowley kisses aziraphale, who gets very serious and tells crowley “sober up” and crowley thinks he’s in trouble and then they clear it all up. i feel like it could even have been book!omens? but i will take any drunken cuddling/kissing/hookups misunderstanding recs!

I’m not sure on your lost fic (hopefully our followers can help with that?), but I do have some cuddly misunderstanding getting together fics for you!...

so hold me, lover, like you used to by 5ftjewishcactus (T)

Living for 6,000 years on Earth, facing some of the difficult or frustration or scary parts of life hasn't always been easy for Crowley and Aziraphale. A few times, they found comfort with each other and curled together to watch the events of the world around them unfold. They become closer until eventually, they can seek out the comfort on purpose.

Or five times throughout history that Crowley and Aziraphale cuddled together out of need and one time they cuddled together out of want.

Sunflowers by KannaOphelia (M)

Aziraphale sent a silent prayer of gratitude that Crowley was sound asleep and far away. He sighed and headed into his backroom.

Crowley unfolded himself from the couch like an unwinding slinky. "Was wondering when you'd get back. Occurred to me we haven't done the Seven Dials for a bit and I fancy—ngk." His breath abruptly ran out as Aziraphale clutched him to his chest. "Ah. Er. Hi?"

----

In which Aziraphale thinks it's safe to carry out a sex-pollen temptation as long as he modifies the pollen to only bring out existing tender feelings.

How To Get A [Demon/Angel] In One Easy Step by die_traumerei (G)

It is a little-known fact that the courting habits of angels and demons are really quite different. This is little-known because neither angels nor demons particularly make a habit of courting. It's slightly more common amongst demons, actually, but that just means that you really don't want to know the details. Of course, angels and demons never court one another. With one exception.

It’s Getting Hard, This Holding Back by ZehWulf (T)

6,000-odd years is a long time to evolve a romantic relationship, but as a near-immortal being, Crowley had patience. True, they had lost momentum right around reaching the Speaking Looks and Meaningful Gestures stage, but at the time Crowley had been more or less content to let things idle.

Now, he was determined to shift things back into gear, and that gear was Explicitly Romantic Physical Expressions of Affection.

I Want to Break Free by elliehase (T)

The first day of the rest of their lives, huh? Crowley follows his everyday routine, enjoying a perfect Sunday morning after they prevented Armageddon. Everything is totally fine and then the angel’s attacking him. Well, at least that's what it feels like when someone is wrapping his arms around you from behind, right? Crowley realizes it should totally freak him out, but strangely enough it doesn’t...

This is my entry for the write-this-in-your-style contest @usedtobehmc using picture 1 and 2. (Yep, two... I got carried away in the middle of the writing process. In a good way!) Don't worry, despite the description no demons or angels were harmed in this story ;) Romance is heavily implied, but no one is ever talking about it. Misunderstandings ahead!

The Night Before the Rest of Their Lives by AnonymousDandelion (T)

“Who was it you lost?" Aziraphale says softly. “When I was… ah, when I was looking for a body. You said you lost someone. Your best friend.” Crowley stares. Whatever the expression on his face, it is evidently sufficiently outraged that it makes Aziraphale take half a step backwards. “Crowley…” “You. Bleeding. Idiot,” Crowley grits out. "That was you."

~ ~ ~

The obligatory night-after-Armageddon't. Featuring emotions, expression of emotions, misunderstandings, resolving of misunderstandings, long-overdue words of affirmation, comfort, communication, cuddling, sprinklings of banter, and the interpretation of a prophecy.

- Mod D