#And genuinely there is no other interpretation that makes sense with the “bad bad boy” line

[not-the-coffee-machine4]

Brian May: I’m gonna write a song about what sounds like a sexual experience. I am then going to throw everybody off by gendering this other person as a “bad, bad, boy.” I am then going to explicitly say I’m scared of liking it. Surely this will raise zero questions

Fans: uh hi yeah what did you mean by that

Brian for the past 33 years: y’all hear smthn?

[liberifatalis]

I don’t know how long this was in my inbox for, I’m assuming it’s been here for like 3 years so I’m SO sorry anon lol. I’ve been going through writers block for like years at this point and I still struggle with it. 

BUT recently I’ve gotten back intowriting kinda, and since I’ve been writing a Sephiroth fic I thought I’d finally start writing headcanons again. The FF7 writing community outside of in-game ships is dry as fuck right now, especially the headcanon/reader-insert side of fandom, so hopefully you’ll enjoy this if you’re still out there anon! I apologise again TTTT

This is a mix of SFW and NSFW headcanons as it’s been a while since I’ve posted any headcanons, and my view on Sephiroth has sort of changed since the last time I posted headcanons for him, so it might be different to my previous interpretations. But I have included more spicy headcanons, so hopefully you'll enjoy!

I would like to add that while these are my own interpretations of Sephiroth, I have also been influenced by many other interpretations/headcanons of him as well! Most of these aren’t adding anything original at all, and I’d say a lot of blogs on here say about the same kind of thing in regards to him. So if anyone disagrees, that’s okay! This is all interpretation and I’m just mainly having fun.

SFW and non-SFW below All headcanons are of CrisisCore!Sephiroth

DISCLAIMER: long post below, lots of text.

SFW

I know he’s like…technically half alien, and that’s a big reason as to why he’s always felt and kind of behaved differently, but to me, he’s very very neurodivergent coded. I don’t want to use a specific label, but he’s absolutely neurodivergent to me. He’s always felt like an outcast, he stands out, he holds himself differently, he’s aloof, stoic, doesn’t really know how to say things without coming off as intense and kinda intimidating. He barely socialises with anyone other than his friends because he doesn’t really know how to. He never seeks out friendship with anyone, and he became friends with Genesis and Angeal originally because of proximity. I’m not saying the friendship wasn’t genuine, it was and he cared for them, but he’ll never be the first to initiate a friendship or anything like that – the fact that Genesis and Angeal were in SOLDIER, therefore in proximity to Sephiroth, is what sparked the friendship. He would have never been like “hey bro, let’s be buddies”. It was more like, he had to see these people regularly, so he had no choice but to socialise with them, and then he ended up finding out that they weren’t too bad and he enjoyed their company, and friendship and a deeper bond formed after that. 

He struggles to relate to people, but grows very attached to people he can relate to. Whether that’s being an orphan, being an outcast, shared hobbies,  ANYTHING. If he can find anything to relate to someone, something you can share, it sparks his interest (platonically) and will make him feel slightlyyyy more at ease around you and want to get to know you more.

A lot of people headcanon him with anxiety or PTSD, and I completely agree. He’s very neurotic. But I think that’s quite obvious if you consider his past and how he was raised. No one could come out of that completely mentally healthy and sane. He’s prone to insomnia, night terrors, panic attacks, but it’s never shown to anyone but him. In canon, we can see that he’s almost always composed and professional, and he is constantly putting in effort to maintain that demeanor. 

Has no identity outside of SOLDIER/Shinra. Him being neurodivergent also makes him struggle a lot more with this, so he’s kind of internalised being a SOLDIER and it completely defines him. Poor boy is lost.

He likes people (platonically and/or romantically) that can “keep up with him.” Zack, Genesis and Angeal were his only friends, and it makes sense. They can, at least somewhat, keep up with him. He likes a slight challenge (physically and mentally), someone that can keep his brain moving. I think he’d be amused by someone who was a bit hot-headed or blunt, as well.

Very dry sense of humour, as we see in canon. A lot of the time people can’t tell he’s joking unless they’re close with him. 

Very very intelligent and academic. Loves to read. Lil nerd. Will read encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauruses, history books, articles, textbooks, science books, anything non-fiction. Not only does it calm his brain and his neuroticism, but he is genuinely interested in anything where he can gain knowledge. Knowledge is power, and he needs to feel powerful. He is a fast reader too, able to finish an average 500 page book in under 6 hours.

Only listens to classical music. Literally does not understand anything else. There can’t be any vocals, just instruments. 

Horrible at expressing himself honestly and genuinely, and spontaneously. Everything is carefully thought out and spoken bluntly, as if he’s reading from a textbook. He will literally stand there silently, eyes narrowed in deep thought, for a minute if he needs that time to think of a reply, because he’s not one to fumble over words. If he’s with someone (a friend or partner) who will give him the space and patience to speak openly and awkwardly, it will still take him time to be completely vulnerable. A partner who is open and vulnerable and doesn’t shy away from being a little awkward with their feelings will involuntarily demonstrate vulnerability for him, and give him an opportunity to try it for himself, and he’ll kind of learn from them.

^^^ Adding on to this point, there are so many scenes in my rough drafts of Flood & Flame where Sephiroth and reader are literally standing there staring at each other like this gif, and mulling over what they should say LMAO. A lot of these scenes made the cut, too. Just two neurodivergent folk falling in love, nothing else to see here!

Takes ages for him to get comfortable with someone and trust them. The process is easier if, as mentioned before, he can relate to you in any way, if you’re open with him first, or if you’re in proximity. Eg, if you work in Shinra or SOLDIER, you mention your mum died, you say you like swords, you mention you like combat, etc etc. It can be something so small, but because he’s neurodivergent and has felt alone his whole life, he’ll latch on to it and that will be the starting point of the friendship/relationship developing. He needs an opportunity to get  closer to you, or else it will be difficult and near impossible.

He needs to feel in control or else he’ll spiral. I don’t mean in a toxic way, as in “you’re my friend/partner so you can never look at anyone and can’t have friends and blah blah blah”, I mean it as in he needs to constantly upkeep his professional demeanour and look like he has his shit together, even if he hasn’t slept for two days and has barely eaten and has been having panic attacks. He will slip, sometimes, maybe being a bit more snarky or moody than usual, or saying/revealing something he didn’t mean to, but ultimately he has control over every facet of his being. This makes him a very intentional person, too. He means everything he says, and sticks to his word. 

He loves routine, it keeps him grounded. But this means that he dislikes change and has a hard time dealing with it. It can be as little as Shinra changing the ingredients to his shampoo and conditioner, or to what happened to Genesis and Angeal in Crisis Core – change on any scale is overwhelming to Sephiroth.

Definitely not a love at first sight kind of guy. Even if you’re like, strikingly beautiful, everyone just is when he first meets them. You’re just a person (and this isn’t in a condescending way lol) like everyone else. He could only develop romantic feelings and love for someone after getting to know them. Then he starts to see you as beautiful and so much more. It’s really sweet.

If he ever developed feelings for anyone, he wouldn’t even know he was developing feelings for a good chunk of it lol. He’d think he was just fascinated by them. Eventually he’d realise, oh shit, do I…love this person? He’d start catching on once he starts thinking of them more often and seeking out their company, and eventually when he had the impulsive urge to kiss them, he’d realise he was in too deep.

Touch starved and also kind of touch repulsed. He’s a contradiction sometimes, and it confuses him.  He’s more touch starved than he is touch repulsed, but when you haven’t had ANY physical affection all your life, and all you know is war and death and being tested on, you of course are going to go into a bit of a shock if anyone touches you. He’s used to combat, to having his guard up and being skeptical. So if you happen to brush your shoulder accidentally against his, or your hand accidentally touches his, it sends a wave of electricity throughout his entire body, almost burning him on the inside. He wants to reach out, but he stops himself. Unsure why he wants to, why he likes it, and Sephiroth not knowing something means not having the upper hand and not having control, and that makes him disgusted and disappointed in himself. 

Physical affection (platonic, romantic, sexual) will take time. He needs to let his guard down to accept it and embrace it. If he trusts you, it will be easier, but still tedious. Once he gets there, even just by a little bit, you’ll see him start to initiate affection, and then once he is fully comfortable being with you, he is obsessed with it. He is always wanting to be in your presence, just like a cat. Even if you’re not doing anything, just being able to see you and be near you is enough and what he needs; this is partly to do with wanting to know you’re safe and worrying that something is going to happen, that something is going to change and he’ll lose everything. Like I said, he needs to be in control, and if he’s around, he can stop something from going wrong.

He comes to love physical affection, it is so so calming to him and comforting. Loves to hold you and smother you. Loves to smell your hair or the soap you used in the shower, he just loves the presence and feeling of you. Eventually he is very clingy and touchy with physical affection, and it’s one way he shows his complete love and devotion. Is a big fan of cuddling (he never calls it that though) and holding your hands–kissing your knuckles and the back of your hand, lightly caressing and dragging his fingers over all the lines and landscape of your hands. Also really loves resting his forehead against yours.

Due to his upbringing and the way he is, love is all-consuming for him. He loves to the point of obsession and even possibly madness. It takes over him. He would happily let it consume him like a wildfire. He would kill for it. I don’t mean this is an inherently toxic way either, BUT this can become very destructive, and if he happens to be so very unlucky and ends up with a person who doesn’t have good intentions, then it could definitely be a bad thing and end up destructive. Now, in the fanfic/fiction side of things, this is obviously very compelling and fascinating to read, and a love like what I described is quite romantic if it’s in a genuine, passionate and non-toxic way. But I just wanted to add that disclaimer that it can become quite the opposite of romantic and be destructive if it’s not a relationship that is trying to be healthy and trying to grow. I don’t mean it in the way that Sephiroth will become abusive, I just mean that he is obsessive naturally, and that can turn out to be a positive or a negative, depending on the situation. He can be a flame that is burnt out, or a flame that burns others. 

MORE SFW + non-SFW

He’s a virgin. I said this before and I stand by it. Has never kissed anyone, has never been touched–the man hasn’t even been hugged, damn it! 

I do think, realistically, if I wanted to be 100000% accurate, I’d consider him asexual and aromantic, especially after Crisis Core timeline, and if you wanted to see him as some narcissistic, entitled, eldritch-horror sort of villain, which he very much is tbh. BUT he is half-human (to me), and I don’t think it’s far-fetched at all to believe he has urges like everyone else. So, for me, I see it the same way as I do with how he’d fall in love with someone. I don’t think he could ever be sexually/physically attracted to someone unless he was close with them and trusted them. Once he develops feelings for you, then he’d start to immediately be sexually attracted to you. Before all that, you were just another person, you just are–your body is a body, it is functioning, it just is. But then, when he has feelings for you (and as I mentioned before, he doesn’t even understand until much later that he has feelings for you), suddenly your body…it takes his breath away. Your shoulders. Your chest. Your everything; it paralyses him, almost. You are a walking goddess/god to him, so beautiful and bright he is transfixed and can’t look anywhere but at you. Your face looks like it was sculpted by an artist that was gifted with magic from the Cetra. A rare beauty, one that he cannot put into words as it is a beauty so special and intricate that no human words can do any justice. When you look up at him, smile at him, he loses sense of time and place, nothing else exists outside of the small moment you are sharing, and he only sees you. The man is a poet at heart.

Since he is a virgin, and is so damn enthralled by you, he doesn’t really know how to act lol. He looks confident and like he’s in control, but he’s not, especially the first time you do anything. The first time you kiss, you’ll have to lean in first, or give him a sign you’re wanting him to kiss you. Honestly, you’ll probably have to tell him it’s okay to kiss you. It’s just a soft, chaste kiss at first. He’s never done this, remember. But like everything, he’s highly skilled and intelligent, and kissing is natural, so once he’s confident again it doesn’t take him long to get the hang of things. 

He has many kinds of kisses. Soft ones that last long without breaking away, reminders that he’s there and he isn’t going anywhere. Other kisses that are quick, multiple long pecks, that are to tell you you’re beautiful and he’s thinking of you and he’s grateful. Then there are the passionate ones, the ones where he throws in every desire and intense feeling he can’t ever comprehend or describe, where he’s losing himself in you–kissing you as if it’s all he knows, changing the rhythm and speed because he’s in the moment. It’s as if he can’t get any closer to you/can’t get enough. Sephiroth’s passionate kisses are exactly how he is–intense, skillful, intentional, and overwhelming. He kisses with the same skill and intent he uses to wield Masamune. 

Sexually repressed boy. Sex is extremely vulnerable, and he doesn’t understand or know how to express his sexuality. At first he’s afraid he’s going to hurt you. 

The first time he has sex, he is in awe and is so curious. He focuses more on you, ignoring himself, wanting to know every contour of your body. His hands are all over, eyes focused on you, trying to gauge every reaction so he can store it in his memory. He always cares more about your pleasure than his own, and he is genuinely turned on when you are. He is slow and gentle, taking his time, and he needs your instructions to figure out what to do. 

Once he is familiar with your body, and his own, he’s literally insatiable. He needs you, every day. And since he’s SOLDIER and not completely human, the man has stamina. Jesus christ. He could go for multiple rounds and he’s good to go even after he came. He knows he’s built differently though, like a fucking tank, and unless you’re into overstimulation, he’s perfectly happy with whatever you want. 

I think a relationship with Sephiroth, that eventually includes sex, will include a lot of exploration for you both. But especially with Sephiroth. He’s never been this vulnerable and open before, never really understood his sexuality and urges and was kind of disgusted in them. But I think he’d discover a lot about himself, and it surprises him just how much desire he really has.

Sex with Sephiroth is not just fucking. It can’t be. He couldn’t have sex with someone he didn’t trust and have strong feelings for. Sex is an act of love, an act of devotion and adoration, an opportunity to tell you without words just how much he’d do for you and how deeply he loves you. Just like when he kisses you, it’s like he can’t get close enough, and even though you’re pressed against each other he still needs to be closer. 

He really loves the feeling of your bare chest against his. It almost makes him primal. 

I think he’d be really into edging, and he’d have a praise kink. He’d want to be worshiped but would also be worshiping you. It would be two people literally feeding each other’s egos lmao. I also think, considering how much control and power he does truly have, he’d also be happy to relinquish it from time to time, and enjoy a partner who’s a bit domineering and bossy, and one that takes control. So if you want to push him down on the bed, ravish him and boss him around, and ride him till the sun sets, he’ll be more than delighted. 

Loves giving head. Yes, everyone likes receiving it, but when he gives head, it’s like he’ll never be able to do it again. He goes down on you as if it’s his last day on the planet. Absolutely devours you like Shinra has ordered him to. His tongue and jaw never get tired, by the way. 

Not very loud but he does get more vocal the more you have sex. Grunts a lot and has a very deep, guttural moan. 

He’s very attuned to the senses. Sound, smell, and touch turn him on so much, and have a significant effect on him. The sound of your voice can send him into a frenzied state, and even if it’s the middle of the day and he happens to smell your perfume or scent on his sheets or his clothes, he starts to go crazy. 

More often than not he has to tie up his hair every time you have sex or he goes down on you. It always gets in the way, and you do NOT want to find a long strand of his hair in between anywhere. 

I can’t decide on whether he has super sperm due to Jenova’s genes or if he’s infertile. Like it’s either one or the other to me and I feel like both make sense, but still can’t quite decide on one. He’d either be the type to have sperm so strong that even birth control couldn’t stop them, or he’d be infertile and no scientific method whatsoever could help. Who knows honestly.

[changbinsboobs]

Who's the most believer Christian church boy in skz🙏

Sooo i was unsure if i should read on whos most religious or whos specifically most cristian but i chose the second one and maybe someday ill t a broader reading about their religious views in general.

Chan - PoP, 4oS

I think he's pretty educated on christianity, maybe he had bible study or something when he was older. Don't see him caring much about it tho, i don't think christianity has stuck to him more than just basic info and i don't think he's active in any way other than every once and a while reading something about it if the occasion arises(?)

Lee Know - 4oC

Doesn't seem to agree with Christianity. There's a lot that doesn't make sense to him. I think he's brought up christian tho, like all the members i think.

Changbin - 9oC

I would say he's pretty christian, or should i rather say i think his family is rather christian and i think God comes up often in his conversations with his family and even friends. I don't see him specifically being really religious and an active christian but i think someone in his family might be an avid believer and i think he finds that really wholesome and has had a positive view of God in his upbringing and his life until now. I don't see him going to church or anything aside from keeping his mom or dad or aunt or whoever it is, company like once in a blue moon. In short, i don't think he himself is an avid believer but someone close to him is and he sees beauty in that and holds christianity in kind regards because he loves his relative. Thats that. He also values belief and the higher power! I think he has genuine belief and respect for that - which isn't bound strictly to christianity tho i think he finds value in that regardless of religion.

Hyunjin - 5oP, 7oW

I don't think he believes in God. I think he has been left dissapointed a few times and doesn't hold Christianity specifically in high regards. I think he would be pretty reserved around people like that and i think Christianity alltogether might be something slightly triggering for him?

Han - The Chariot

He seem really devoted actually. Idk how to interpret that energy and i don't wanna offend anyone cuz ya'll are such snowflakes but i get the vibe that he's pretty unstable? Ugh idk how to explain it but u sure have met people who are really desperate and in a mentally unstable space and then suddenly someone knocks on their door and to them it seems like a sign or whatever and because they're vulnerable they let themselves get brainwashed. Im not saying all that happened to him - i just wrote a scenario to kind of explain the vibe that im feeling. There is a sudden(feels fairly new), very intense devotion and practice being strictly followed and a certain anxiety accompanying it and i sense a pushing, forceful energy from him, as well as instability and a need for some. Which might be the reason for his sudden turn? Also i don't want to make any rash assumptions but just letting you know cults in korea are a thing...👀

Felix - 8oW

Very active and strong in his belief, doesn't even need any explaining, honestly his card didn't even surprise me.

Seungmin - 2oP

I would say he's pretty neutral. There's not much to say, he views himself as a Christian, he doesn't get much involved tho, he just does regular duties (idk what exactly but i guess getting married in a church or paying church tax or whatever) but not going to church every Sunday and reading the bible and praying before eating and stuff like that. He's just on the middle.

I.N - 7oS, Death

I think he either is very strict because he has church/god anxiety, or he HATES Christianity and has had very bad experience with it.

I swear if one of y'all complains im switching the anon feature off and blocking ur ass😀

[whomst-art-thou-whomst-whomst]

My Five Headcanons for Beyond Evil (because I apparently just enjoy 🎶 pain and suffering 🎶)

1.) It’s almost five years before Dongsik can go visit Jeongje in the mental institution on his own. He’s learned what the limits of his mercy are, and so for those first five years he brings people with him when he goes. It’s usually just him and Jihwa, so it’s not bad; they sit together in an atrium open to visitors and talk for a while about what’s new in Manyang while Jeongje sketches. During one particularly bad day, Juwon’s lingering insecurity and guilt complex makes him confront Dongsik over whether his own offers to come along to these visits have been rejected because it would be Dongsik sitting with two reminders of Yuyeon’s death: the son of the man who ran over his sister, and the other man who ran over his sister. Dongsik explains (gently) that his worry is over triggers of a different kind. Because back when they were still flirting with (investigating) each other, he’d called in a few favors to figure out certain sealed parts of Juwon’s family history. During visiting hours, the atrium is full of institutionalized women who are about his mother’s age, as well as their visiting families.

2.) Kwon Hyuk is a survivor. Ambition requires adaptability. He bounces back from setbacks and disappointments (like his mentor/father figure), and he cuts people out of his life if they threaten his progress forward (see: previous). Rich people are tools that can be used or discarded along the way, except for one (1) poor little rich boy with a bad attitude who nevertheless starts calling him hyung one day when he’s fourteen. So while it doesn’t make sense for his career to continue a relationship with a demoted officer who abandons ambition and voluntarily (???) gives up one bad job in a small town for a worse job in a smaller town, deep down Kwon Hyuk knows that he’s hanging on to Han Juwon (hyung’s rules, nonnegotiable, die mad about it Juwonnie).

3.) The first time Juwon laughs—like, fully and genuinely laughs—in front of Dongsik is when they’re at the Chief’s lake-house one evening in early spring. They’ve had a couple of drinks and Dongsik is trying to show a cringing Juwon his interpretation of a Stray Kids dance choreo out at the edge of the water when he accidentally trips over his own fishing line. He stumbles for a few steps then star-fishes into the muddiest part of the water half way through the chorus, but the water’s shallow so he surfaces fast like a playful dog, shaking his hair out cheerfully. He’s just opening his mouth to claim it’s all part of the dance routine when he hears a soft sound from behind him. Juwon has waded into the water with a hand extended to help him up, and he’s laughing, and Dongsik finds himself at a rare loss for words. Juwon’s face is lit up, eyes scrunched and shining, with one arm pressed over his mouth, like he’s used to muffling the sound. So naturally, when Dongsik accepts the outstretched hand and pulls himself up, his next move is to gently tug Juwon’s other arm away from his face so he can get the full view. He has a mental picture of each person he loves, here and gone alike, and for the rest of his life the picture of Juwon that exists in his mind’s eye is of this moment, Juwon standing in front of him calf-deep in muddy water and laughing breathlessly, enveloped in the golden hour haze of the sun setting behind him.

4.) Jihoon accidentally becomes the mayor of Manyang.

5.) Once Han Gihwan finally dies, his life insurance payout is sent to Juwon, who goes wandering in the reeds for a few hours. Dongsik sits in his car on a hill nearby, giving space but making sure Juwon doesn’t ever fully disappear from his sight, and answering Juwon’s phone to field calls on his behalf. Juwon eventually comes back to the car and tells Dongsik that he’s going to use the money as a foundation for a women’s shelter. Dongsik approves, and names the shelter Balsam Flower Home.

[pinksmonkey]

The Ultimate Byler Evidence/Analysis List (Part 2)

If you missed part 1, here it is: Part 1

100. They Are In Love

101. Songs Associated With Mike And Will

102. We've Seen This Plot Too Many Times

103. Byler Isn't Far-Fetched

104. Byler Endgame Makes So Much Sense

105. Pocketgate

106. Hosegate

107. Love This Detail

108. Phallic Imagery In Season 4

109. I Didn't Notice The Queercoding

110. So Unserious

111. It's Supposed To Be About Love

112. How You Doing?

113. Mike Is Not Into Girls

114. Mike And Lucas Parallel

115. Not Love At First Sight

116. Mike Is Protective Of Will

117. To Illustrate How Weird This Shot Is

118. Yeah, Imagine

119. Still Dizzy

120. The Biggest Byler Proof For Me

121. These Scenes Happened Less Than 5 Minutes Apart

122. Mike Is More Attentive To Will Than Any Other Character

123. Oh, Love At First Sight

124. They Said I Love You

125. Byler And Heartstopper Parallels

126. I've Been Chasing After Some Other Kid

127. Jancy And Byler

128. Mike Feels Like He's Not Worthy In His Relationship

129. Why So Many People Complain About Mike's Character

130. That Boy Is In Love

131. Mike's Attention To Will And El

132. Mike's Self Acceptance

133. Mike's Playlist Is 10x Gayer Than Will's

134. No Homo Though

135. This Masterpiece

136. Mike's Guilt

137. El's Superhero Identity

138. It's Time To Switch Things Up

139. Why Byler If No Byler?

140. Mike's Playlist In A Bisexual Interpretation

141. Will's Playlist Analysis

142. Mike's Love Drives The Story

143. Will Deserves Love

144. From Anti-Byler To Pro-Byler

145. Mike And Locker Rooms/Bathrooms

146. Genuine Question About The Cabin Scene

147. Mike Literally Blinded Himself

148. It's Not Even Subtle

149. The Best Thing I've Ever Done

150. Will Deserves Better?

151. Will's Feelings For Mike Are Crucial To The Plot

152. Will's Love Is Beautiful

153. It's A Pattern

154. Mike Is Deliberately Queercoded

155. We're Friends

156. The Writers And Their Sense Of Humor

157. They Still Don't Understand Personal Space

158. There's No Point To The California Storyline If Not Byler

159. Let's Start A New Party, You And Me

160. Mike's Insecurities

161. They Told Us Exactly What's Going On With Mike

162. Find Someone Who Looks At You Like This

163. Heartstopper Parallel

164. Lettergate, Younger Mike To Older Mike

165. Everyone Is Disappointed

166. I've Been So Lost Without You

167. Mike's Gayest Scene

168. Reactions To Hugs And Kisses

169. No Platonic Explanation

170. They Have To Be Joking

171. Lighting Analysis

172. Hidden Expressions

173. The Papa Script

174. Refuting Anti-Byler Points

175. El Likes The Idea Of A Boyfriend

176. Are We Watching The Same Show?

177. I'm Not The Only One In Love With My Best Friend

178. Mike Is So Hopeless

179. Will You Be Like My Brother?

180. Bedroom Decor

181. Will Doesn't Want "Better"

182. Best Friends

183. The Truth About Hosegate and Lover's Lake

185. The Culture of Bylerism

184. Talking About Fictional Teens and Sexuality

186. Mike's Sexuality Is Tied To The Narrative

187. Not Production Errors

188. Good Writing And Bad Writing

189. Shared Shoes And More

190. Smalltown Boy Coded

191. Trying To Act Normal

192. It's Called Foreshadowing

193. More To Their Relationship Than Friendship

194. Refuse To Believe This Was Unintentional

195. There Has To Be An Important Reason

196. Byler Rain Fight Vs Mileven Breakup

197. The Eyewitness And Dawson's Creek Parallels, Too Gay To Be Straight

And unfortunately Tumblr will only let me add 100 links per post, so when I've posted part 3 of this list, I'll link it here: Part 3

[alexdswfan]

Hi, Alex (is it okay to call you Alex?). So, I'm sure you saw all my comments back and forth on your meta post. I had the opportunity of trying to understand the other person's view better, and I saw you edited your post in regards to my own reblog and someone else's, to contradict their perspective. I think you may have misunderstood part of it, though.

"[W]anting to learn how to get better at something is not trying to be manipulative" and "It makes sense they would be interested in Levi's strength without any ulterior motive, which I personally don't even see what it could be" suggest you're thinking of something else, but I believe what they're trying to say is that Hange is interested in Levi's skill, and in an attempt to get him and his friends to reveal it, acts in a friendly way (and bribes Isabel). The "ulterior motive" is the curiosity itself, even though it's made plain. I think from their perspective, Hange is basically sweet talking them so they have a higher chance of getting their information.

I'm not in agreement, so I'm not here picking a bone, but just because I try to promote polite debate and all that fun stuff, I thought you may want to know in case you want to correct the wording of your edit in order to properly convey their argument.

Hi @starshower1215!

Yes, absolutely, you can call me Alex! I genuinely appreciate all that back and forth, it does add to the conversation. I’ve just been a bit surprised by the interpretation Hange could be manipulative with Levi in that scene since it’s really the first time I’ve heard that take about this scene (of course, there’s always a first for everything and I'm not here pretending I know every single argument in the fandom, but nonetheless, it still took me by surprise).

I personally don’t see curiosity as something to state that Hange tried to be manipulative with Levi, nor Hange actually tried to bribe Isabel. I’m sorry if I’m being a little passionate about this lolol, but I respectfully disagree with the idea Hange could even try to be manipulative with Levi and his friends in this scene. I understand Hange can be manipulative and we’ve seen them be manipulative in the story towards other characters, however I don’t see how that supports how Hange was manipulative towards Levi as Hange has never been manipulative with him in particular throughout the story (and I stand by that). The fact that Hange wanted to learn from them all isn’t bad per se.

I appreciate you trying to be polite in the debate, and I might word that section of that edit a bit differently, but with all due respect, I completely disagree with the idea that Hange could be manipulative with Levi and his friends in that scene, and I wanted to include my own thoughts on this debate I’ve honestly never seen until now to be completely honest with you. As I stated in my latest comment, Levi and Hange’s relationship is not built on manipulation, so I don’t see why we would see it in their very first meeting. For me, this interpretation doesn’t really make sense in my humble opinion, and I’ve already stated why. To imply that Hange would be like the guy with glasses from Bad Boy, who actually used his “kindness” to manipulate Levi, is really an insult to Hange’s character (and I want to be clear that I agree with you that Levi might’ve thought Hange was like him at first, but obviously they were not as Levi got to learn Hange better over the years).

I genuinely appreciate your reblog though, but as I said, for me, in order to see Hange manipulate Levi in their first meeting, I need to see a reason why they would do it, and I genuinely can’t see any. And I don’t really consider Hange’s curiosity as this ulterior motive to manipulate Levi. That being said, I will change my wording (I’m sorry if it felt a bit direct though), but my thoughts on this debate remain the same. I think we can absolutely agree to disagree though, so I’ll leave it at that. But the main argument of my post, which is that Hange tried to befriend Levi, Furlan and Isabel genuinely regardless of what they might’ve thought of it at the very beginning, still stands. I don’t think I misinterpreted Hange’s actions at all in my post. But again, we can agree to disagree. I think this is the best action we can take in this particular situation.

But yeah, thanks for the ask and thanks for your input on the scene as well!

[showtoonzfan]

i would like to say that ozzie COULD have been better as i do love his character but MAN did they fucking butcher him in the new episode

he is the embodiment of lust, making him the WEAKEST sin is well a sin and also since he’s apart of the seven deadly SINS he should be ya’ know POWERFUL because in that episode he just feels like some rich guy akin to every other rich guy in this show, he should be a guy that the whole cast are afraid of(and honestly the same thing happened to bee where she’s a deadly sin and NO ONE is acting like she of any importances)

how i would fix him personally is well not make him soft uwu boy i do like the fact he cares about fizz but well he’s powerful we should FEEL how powerful he is make some imps or succbi be cowering near him, fizz not sprouting jokes and blowing a BLOW HORN in his ear give us the feeling that he’s not to be mess with, and the stolas and ozzie team up honestly should be studied on how to kill a character, they shouldn’t made ozzie just be the same hight as stolas and i mean that IN EVERYWAY POSSIBLE because stolas seems to be scared of him thats good but ozzie ya’ know is chill about everything i mean stolas didn’t cause anything but him being chill is very stupid. thats my take of everything about ozzie and honestly im curious on what your take of fixing him is

So I’m not against Ozzie being nice and soft to Fizz, but him in general being the nicest sin and a cool “chill” dude does bother me. Again, these characters are supposed to be the rulers of Hell and I refuse to believe they’re just nice, it’s how I felt for Beezlebub. Same for Leviathan since Viv confirmed she wants him to be a chill surfer dude and so far the only sin she plans to be an asshole is Mammon. In Ozzie’s case, it’s also weird seeing him say how “lust shouldn’t be forceful” when I feel like the writers are confusing love and lust again. He’s also called the “deadly SIN” for a reason, he’s normally supposed to represent the sin itself, how sinners let lust consume them, in a bad way.

For Viv’s interpretation, I genuinely have no idea. Despite being called the “sins”, I feel like the seven sins in this show aren’t connected to the sinners at all, since they’re all in the Pride Ring and Lucifer was the one confirmed to be ruling over them, so we’re only left to believe that the sins tend to the hellborns. We know that Ozzie rules the Succubi’s, I guess you could say those are the types of demons for his ring, but I thought that the whole reason he gave the succubi’s crystals in the first place was to let them tempt those on earth….and yet he’s saying “lust” shouldn’t be forceful. See how it kinda doesn’t make much sense for his character? Then again there’s not a lot we know about Ozzie, outside of Viv describing him as chill and nice. For his job, all he seems to do is handle the sex objects that hellborns use. I’m not against the idea of him being an inventor/tinkerer either, these are interesting concepts, I just feel like not much is done with them. There’s still tons of empty gaps for this character, even after the new episode we still barley know him, so it’s kinda hard to say on what I think would “fix” him.

All I can say is just make him more threatening and intimating, which is funny because Stolas CLEARY was intimidated by Ozzie in S1E7, but Oops really makes you wonder what he was afraid of in the first place, especially if you’re going to paint him as the “weakest sin”. What if…as a better contrast to Blitz and Stolas, what if Ozzie was nice to Fizz, but mean and threatening to everyone else? His workers, other demons, basically a guy you don’t want to mess with, a person who takes his business seriously (whatever that would be lol). And while Fizz loves him, he questions their relationship and if he should be getting involved with a sin. There’s a lot you can do, I’m just kinda tired of characters in Helluva being “just good” and “just bad”. It’s very black and white and this is Hell.

[yaksha-lover]

Hi! Maybe strange question but you seem to have a good grasp on the boys’ personalities. I’ve been reading a lot of the yanderification of the TWST boys and started wondering which ones (if any) would be most likely to have what could be labeled “yandere” tendencies. Just seems like a fun train of thought to chase.

Do you have any thoughts on this? (Also sorry for the word salad.)

In my opinion, I think it’s pretty easy to twist most of their personalities to fit a yandere type, but as for who’s yandere characterizations are closest to their canon counterparts, I would say:

Malleus, I think is the obvious one. Although clearly I don’t think he’d be yandere in canon, it makes sense for him to have some clingy tendencies in a relationship, and an obsession with his romantic interest. It’s the whole ‘you’re the only person in the world who matters to me’ type trope, because of the social rejection and isolation he’s faced.

People usually take it two ways here, either a) very possessive and jealous or b) very protective. I tend to lean towards the second interpretation (although I love to explore the first one, the second is more canon to me). More ‘I would burn cities to protect you, move heaven and earth to make you happy’ than ‘I want to keep you locked up here all to myself, you belong to me.’ So yes, a yandere Malleus may kidnap you, but only to keep you ‘safe.’ He’s also not as emotionally immature as I think he’s sometimes characterized as (although I’m probably also guilty of this). He’s not really the type to force someone to love him, imo, because he wants it to be genuine (his insecurity stems from an inability to be accepted so forcing it wouldn’t truly fulfill that desire to be loved and validated).

Rook, I think also makes sense, but it’s hard to say because most of the time a lot of his characterization is just played for jokes. Like the whole ‘he’s a stalker, he knows a lot about everyone, others get unnerved by him, etc.’ It’s meant to be funny, but if we take it seriously then we could probably jump to some interesting conclusions about Rook. Also, combined with that ghost bride line about him ‘never letting his beloved go’ -

He seems the type to get fixated on some object of beauty, and I could see that developing into a yandere-like obsession. Maybe if he finally finds the one thing - or person - who he thinks is the true pinnacle of art and beauty, what he’s been searching for all along. Initial stalking to learn more about his interest, some uncomfortable attempts at closeness because he knows everything about them and they know nothing about him. Divided between showing his beloved off to the world and keeping them all nice and pretty for his own enjoyment - the only one who can truly appreciate their beauty. Also, once he’s felt the experience of love, I doubt he’d ever want to live without it. Maybe that’s the ‘true’ beauty of life to him, even.

Jamil is just so apathetic that if he ever did fall for someone, I can’t see him ever giving them up if he can help it. Also, we’ve seen in canon that Jamil isn’t above doing mildly bad things for self-serving interests (think masquerade with ruggie, manipulating the oblivious students).

He just wants something nice and soft for himself. Is that so much to ask for, after all he’s been through? Jamil is never allowed to have anything, nothing that Kalim doesn’t. It’s no wonder he’d cling to the only sweet thing he can get his hands on, something just for him. Even if you’re frustrated with him, even if you get tired of him, he isn’t so willing to just let you go. He deserves something nice like you, and you’ll be happy with him, even if you might need a ‘charming’ reminder of it sometimes.

Lastly, Jade and Floyd are popular yanderes to write for a reason. They both already have so much inexplicably unhinged energy even compared to the rest of the cast (other than maybe Rook). Jade seems so cold and apathetic, while putting on a mask of care. Floyd doesn’t really care to do so, wearing his many moods on his sleeve. But they’re still two sides of the same coin; they’re used to getting whatever they want, often by questionable means.

They also seem like they would be pretty possessive, even if it comes out in different ways. Jade and Floyd may be good at sharing with each other, but they’ve never been good at sharing with anyone else. Floyd will show you (and whoever thinks it’s okay to encroach on his partner) how upset he is by this particular development. I doubt you’d want to keep it up when he threatens your friends that get a little too close. Jade is different; the same annoyance and possessiveness still burns him, but he has a little more patience than Floyd. He isn’t willing to start any fights. Jade prefers not to get his hands dirty, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have other tactics to scare away anyone who tries to flirt with you.

[rebellum]

Something I genuinely don't understand is the idea that trans people who were afab weren't socialized as girls because they're trans, and trans people who were amab weren't socialized as boys because they were trans.

Like, socialization refers to the process of gendered enculturation, wherein individuals are told "this is the correct way to act because you are [a boy][a girl]" and corrected and told "to be a real/proper [gender] you have to do this"

Enculturation in general refers to how people are raised into a specific culture, to expect and to follow those norms. Eg as a kid, I was taught that to use the bathroom we sit on the toilet seat and wipe with toilet paper after. In other cultures, kids at that age are taught to squat and to rinse with water with the left hand.

Gender enculturation refers to how people are taught to "do" gender, and the beliefs around gender. It doesn't have to be directly said to them. For example, I was raised as a girl, and my parents were feminists. I was totally allowed to not wear dresses as a kid if I didn't want to. But when I was a little kid, dresses were bought for me for formal occasions. As I got older that involved people assuming I would wear dresses for formal occasions. I saw this in the world around me, in media, in my classroom, etc: girls wear dresses. Boys don't, not because I was told "boys don't wear dresses", but because I happened to never see boys wearing dresses.

The process also of course involves being directly told that you can/can't do something, or that someone of a gender can/can't do something. Eg a boy on a playground tries to play with his sister and her littlest pet shops, and the kids around him (boys AND girls) tell him he can't do that, he's not supposed to do that, because he's a boy.

Gendered behaviours are attempted to be corrected in children through social pressure and verbal or physical violence. Eg, if a boy is interpreted to have feminine mannerisms, the kids and adults around him will tell him to "stop acting like a girl" or will beat him up for "being a fag", actions which further illustrate the following multiple points: 1) you are a boy 2) you are being a boy in the wrong way and failing at masculinity 3) you aren't a girl 4) being a girl is something you DONT want to be 5) being a "fag" (a man with feminine traits, like being attracted to other men) is bad, if you act like this you are a fag or are like a fag, and you deserve to have this happen to you for being the wrong kind of male (one who is feminine)

And, when it comes to perisex* kids, internal sense of gender doesn't actually influence your socialization. It doesn't matter if you're a trans girl or if you're a gay boy or if you're a straight boy who has feminine mannerisms, they are all the same thing: someone who is male who isn't behaving or looking like a male is supposed to.

*this whole process gets complicated when it comes to intersex kids whose status is known by others, because then there isn't a definitive gender that they're actually "supposed" to be. They're often punished for fundamentally failing to conform to sex, rather than failing to conform to the gender they were assigned at birth. It becomes less "you aren't a proper boy/girl" and more "what even ARE you? You're not a proper human if you aren't a boy or girl"

So I genuinely don't understand where people are coming from when they say that trans people were socialized as the gender they really are (eg, a trans man was socialises as a trans boy), or weren't socialized as their assigned gender. That doesn't make sense to me, there's something in that argument that hasn't been explained to me or that I'm failing to properly understand.

[sorryimananti-romantic]

i read your reblog last night right before bed and i really shouldn't have because i couldn't fall asleep because of how damn giddy it had me like skjkdjjd kicking my feet with the biggest dorkiest smile on my face like this is MY WIFE FRFR we're 🤞😤🔐

i can't believe light was inspired by the absolute bread crumbs that i threw into your ask box like i had to go back and read what you could have even taken from that lmao 💀💀 what's crazy is that i remember being 🤏 so close to adding light to my favorite ateez songs (mostly bc of that yunho fancam iykyk) but yes, seonghwa is just soso made for angel fiction, it's woven in his dna.

speaking of light!seonghwa, your explanations do make much more sense now concerning his romance arc and the dynamic with reader. i'm also very prone to bad-boy-blindness so 😔😔 i can fix him frfr (reader is a scientist after all). and omg the sequel ideas, i think it'd be time to bring that betrayal arc to life. reader.. cleans up the angel with dr. choi's help and then he rids of them and all otherworldly messes they left behind once and for all. & goes public about his (and reader's) research under a heroic preface. 😈 and since the angel ended seonghwa's business by then. they can fight it out in heaven or hell, wherever they end up. everyone's happy ever after?

it's like the answer was there all along. if everything/everyone has evil and good inside of them of course there isn't one or the other to find balance with each other. only out-doing each other's evilness/goodness. 😮‍💨

you can use me anytime to yap your brains out. i love love love hearing about the behind the scenes, the process and (original) train of thought and how different our interpretations can turn out to be. i'd read it over and over again, like enrichment that gives the story more life. 🥰

still can't believe light was for me. like. huh? me? 👉👈 i caused this? and you did all the amazing work. 😭 this is one of the sweetest things anyone's ever done and you being so shy to mention it until the very end!! like skjsdfjkn i was already rolling around in bed and you had to put the cherry on top and break me ���🫨 is there another step after marriage because?? pls don't say divorce lmao

YOU'RE A GIFT! MOST PRECIOUS! ALL THE LOVE FOR YOU! MWAH MWAH 💖🫦 (tell me these essays we write aren't the modern way of handwritten loveletters)

○ chron 🃏

omgg stop that's exactly what happened with me when i read your reblog I SPENT AN HOUR ON IT A SOLID HOUR i did it for my wife frr 🤞😤🔐 and then i kept thinking about it and ugh readers like you make writing so worth it :'))

omg yes bruh bc i had no idea what to write next, and ever since your dazzling light reblog it got me thinking if i could write more angel fics and then you sent your preferred tropes and genres in the ask and i um cooked sth up with what i had hehe (seonghwa was the member of choice bc i hadn't written him in a while, and the title just fit so well even tho it was mostly unintentional lmao) and omg yes light is such a sweet song and yunho fancam hehe i think i know what you're talking about

bad-boy blindness is so real, me as the writer had it and then i had a few days off from writing in between and that's when clarity hit me-- that seonghwa is supposed to be the villain, the baddest. he gets no redemption, and that is his tragedy. and omg not you going strong with the betrayal arc AHAHAHA i mean... greed is a real thing. reader had it. dr. choi def has it too. he's capable of doing that heuheuheue. i don't think we could ever get a happy ever after in this fic tho 😭 we did it with hala hala we couldn't do the same thing here :')

aw that's literally so sweet of you. i mean it when i say, readers like you are genuinely what makes this site worth it and what makes me want to write and post. and honestly, talking about the process of writing a certain fic or the different interpretations of it etc makes me the happiest! it's my fav thing and i always look forward to talking about it in the reblogs, comments or anywhere (and i'm glad readers are able to pick them details or ask about it-- and you def do every time it's the best thing ever :')) thank you!)

YES. light was for you. i honestly should have tagged you (i'll tag you next time i promise) but i have to credit you for the trigger that brought this fic to life- the dazzling light reblog (which got me thinking about angels) and then the tropes/genres (which got me thinking what if seonghwa angel and angel bad) LMAO yes that was my thought process. and i'm very shy even tho i may not seem like it lmao

OMG did i break you AHAHAHAHA next step after marriage is definitely divorce (i'm about to say sth 18+ i have to stop myself but just read that rolling around in bed putting the cherry on top and breaking you line in a diff context-)

NO YOU ARE THE GIFT YOU ARE SO SOOO PRECIOUS AND THANK YOU FOR BEING YOU LOVE 💖💖 HOPE YOU HAVE A LOVELY WEEK!

[isagi-fan-page]

HOLY SHIT THERE'S AN ISAGI FANPAGE??

..sorry lol. anyway, im a big big isagi fan, so i was wondering: what are (in your opinion) the best/worst takes or characterizations you've seen about our beloved striker isagi yoichi?

YES THERE IS AN ISAGI FAN PAGE!!! I love making fan pages <3 I have many

Uh quick note tho: most of the characterization of him I've seen has been via fanfics so I'm not 100% sure about how Tumblr views him, so when I say "the fandom" I mean the fandom I've seen from tag searching ao3

From what I've seen there's 3-4 main ways the fandom takes him and thats: 1 uwu soccer boi twying his best, 2 RAHHH SEX GOD, 3 [insert love interest] omg I live for you never leave meeee, 4 shy boy whos good at shit. Which isn't that bad tbh, other fandoms wouldn't even get close to his character, so while I kinda tear at those interpretations they aren't so far from the mark.

1 I think is mostly from anime onlys because at the start of the anime he's kinda like that and people tend to run w/ their first grasp on a character, also his low self esteem and repetitive losses throughout the season can very easily feed into that. However in the manga as the series carries on he gets more and more skills, he gets more egotistical and confident in his own abilities. So seeing this version annoys me because if anyone in this series is gonna be like that it's Igaguri I mean

Look at him, but even then that'd be a stretch.

2 is just frustrating to see everywhere like calm down

3 stems from wanting to ship characters but not knowing how to write individual ships, so the writer defaults back to a cookie cutter dynamic and sorta fits the characters. It happens in every fandom, with every ship. At least once. It's like rule 34 but the porn is optional.

Ah but it doesn't fit Isagi because he's more than capable of leaving people behind if that's what's best for him, it wouldn't be personal for example him and Bachira play against each other all the time and they play to win but they're both still close after the game. He's able to detach emotions from leaving someone behind which is why when they show up again later he's genuinely happy for them, he still likes them. So for Isagi to be like "nOoOooooo I neeeeeeeeeeedddd youuuuuu" it doesn't make sense. And in regards to the 3v3 game against Rin. He was upset about Bachira being taken I think if Bachira had chosen to be on a different team he wouldn't have been so pissed.

4 is just episode 1 and 2. He outgrows his "shyness" immediately, but it is the closest to canon imo. Because Isagi isn't shy per say but he is aware of his limitations (most of the time) which means he does change his plans to accommodate that, not exactly shy but I can see how one could read it that way.

As a bonus I don't mind the chatfics but I'd like if they gave them text accents. I think Isagi is a no punctuation but uses capitalization For Emphasis kinda guy.

Sorry if I didn't answer this how you wanted but I love yapping about characterization.

I was gonna say how I'd personally characterize Isagi but this is already several paragraphs longer than I'd planned so. another day.

[tamlinrose]

My Personal Analysis of Aziraphale’s OFFICAL Playlist: A Journey

I have MANY opinions and interpretations of his playlist so bear with me. This playlist takes us through Aziraphale processing his feelings for Crowley in the context of his relationship with heaven and earth, and he ABSOLUTELY comes to a decision by the end of the playlist. I’ve already listened to this playlist like five times so here we go: (Crowleys May come later and I love his songs deeply but Aziraphales is the one who is really going on a journey with his music that we haven’t had a ton of insight into whereas I’m pretty sure everyone within a 100mile radius of Crowley knows he listens to Hozier and why lol)

What a Wonderful World

This song starts us off with insight into Aziraphales feelings about Earth. That makes sense, as he is the principality here and takes genuine joy in creation, the birds, music, food, and sensual pleasures. I think this was an intentional first song as it shows us Aziraphales core of love and intentions to fulfill his job as protector of earth, not just because of his duty as a principality but because it aligns with what he believes his purpose is as an Angel. The song ALSO speaks to his ability to feel love around him

“I see friends shaking hands/ saying’ how do you do? They’re really saying, I love you”

we know that Aziraphale can feel waves of love, and we also know a certain friend he has who probably gives off waves of love while having completely innocuous conversation. It’s pretty clear from the song that Aziraphale is aware of their bond being more than the words they’re saying to eachother, while also considering it just one of his reasons why this is a “wonderful world” I’d say this song is Pre-Armageddon’s during the “arrangement”

Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien

Oh boy, oh BOY this song. Translated, the main chorus is

“no I regret nothing/ not the good things that have happened/ Nor the bad, it’s all the same to me/ Because my Life, my joy/ today, it begins with you!”

I consider this a just barely post-Armageddon’t song. Aziraphale took stock of all he has to lose: his position in heaven (as tenuous as it was), his earthly comforts, possibly his life and makes a choice to save the world with Crowley for the sake of their relationship, which is a symbol for him of all that’s good in the world. After he’s made this choice and become a traitor to Heaven, he’s not sorry, he rejoices in his choice! Because choosing Crowley is choosing his moral values of protecting love on Earth, and he doesn’t regret relinquishing heaven, which doesn’t believe in that. This song is him celebrating choosing Crowley and the World

Earth Angel (Will you be Mine)

Now that Armageddon’t is out of the way, Aziraphale can actually process his feelings lol. Okay this is SUPER gay of me but because he associates Crowley with the World I think Aziraphale considers Crowley his Angel on Earth. Other than this song being a sappy af love song to Crowley, I also think it points out that although Aziraphale knows they have something more going on, he’s still hesitant to assume Crowleys feelings, and they are still not speaking openly about their connection. The song states

“I Hope And I pray/ that someday/ I’ll be the vision of your happiness”

I think this almost speaks to Aziraphale not seeing his affections as noticed or reciprocated quite yet, in my professional opinion because no one ever chose him in heaven so he can’t fathom it and has a bit of blinders on to the extent of Crowleys care for him.

Because of this I do NOT think they’re starting season 2 with openly acknowledged love. They’re still yearning hardcore

Fly Me to the Moon

More yearning post Armageddon’t lol, If I had a nickel for every time Crowley asked Aziraphale to run away with him to the stars and Aziraphale rejected him I’d have like, what, 20 cents? 25? Nevertheless Aziraphale is swept off his feet emotionally by the offers, although he’d never consider leaving Earth behind, because it’s the crux of his passion. Crowley does not understand his rejection wasn’t a RejectionTM just a notice that if they’re going to fall in love it should be in a place with tea and cakes and books, thank you very much.

“And let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars/ In other words/ Hold my hand”

Feelings

Yeah oh boy, I think this is after a big fight that they’ve been alluding to in the promos for season 2. Whatever it was about, this non-breakup breakup comes with some serious emotions for Aziraphale. Whether or not this comes before or after they’ve had any progress on admitting their feelings (I gotta sick feeling that the first acknowledgement they’re something more from one of them with no good resolution or chance for reciprocation will come out DURING the fight, which will really give them both something to chew on). This song is really just a classic break up song, but don’t lose hope! This is temporary.

“Feelings, like I’ve never lost you/ and feelings like I’ll never have you/ again in my life”

Angel Eyes

Wow, okay so this is definitely the anger/jealousy but still yearning post non-breakup breakup song. This song has more than the me quote that really pulls me, the entire narrative is being jealous and wanting to warn the “new girl” not to get to entranced by a man because he’s not what he seems, while still clearly being head over heels in love yourself. A key phrase:

“Look into his Angel eyes/ you’ll think you’re in paradise/ and one day you’ll find out he wears a disguise/ don’t look too deep in those Angel eyes”

In my professional opinion this song is a secret salty ode to Crowleys beautiful eyes, however the other lyrics make me think Crowley did something Aziraphale sees as a betrayal. Did he sell out Jim, join temporary truce with some demons to do it? Is that why Aziraphales lowkey jealous? Only July 21st can tell. Either way Aziraphale is PISSED (and still in love)

Feeling Good

Oh, OH Aziraphales feeling GOOD. They’ve made up in a BIG way (I would educated guess THIS is precisely the point in season 2 where if there was a kiss, we’d GET one)

Let’s just let the song say it:

“You know how I feel”

This song also emphasizes several earthly delights, birds flying high, sun in the sky, fish in the sea, blossom on a tree. Aziraphale is FINALLY experiencing the full combination of his love for Crowley and Earth in one, and it’s GOOD baby

Also:

“And this Old World/ Is a new world/ And a bold world/ For me”

Does this imply Aziraphale initiated???? I sure hope so

I Will Follow You Into the Dark

Okay shut up shut UP I love this song and it is so them it was already on my PERSONAL ineffable husbands playlist. Just listen to the lyrics:

The chorus:

“If Heaven and hell decide/ that they both are satisfied/ illuminate the no’s on their vacancy signs/ if there’s no one beside you when your soul embarks/ then I’ll follow you into the dark”

Classic hurt/comfort fic territory. They’re finally together. All is acknowledged. Aziraphale is ready to make action and leap for Crowley. My guess? This is the big confrontation with Heaven and Hell this season, I’d say like we got A Crowley mourning Aziraphales discorporation last season, we’re in for a real doozy of a role reversal this one. I’m ready to cry, out of happiness and hurt

“She told me “son/ fear is the heart of love”/ so I never went back”

Oh, we’re getting into it now. Aziraphale sees and RENOUNCES the love he was taught in heaven, and replaces it with his own love. While he’s been gearing up for this all season, I think this is the moment he gives heaven a piece of his mind (not just Crowley in an Aziraphale suit)

“The Time for sleep is now/ but it’s nothing to cry about/ cause we’ll hold eachother soon”

Oh boy, again, I get the horrible scent of a mutually sacrificial action. I smell choosing some perceived sad and horrible (but not so horrible with eachothe) outcome, I smell my angry screams at @neil-gaiman in the climax of season 2

Spread a Little Happiness

The resolution of the perceived sad and horrible outcome. The PR team knows we’re out here psychoanalyzing this playlist, so this song is purposefully vague. It’s basically “we won’t say anything in particular but try to be optimistic” I see an unexpected MiracleTM consequence of the self sacrifice in the last song that turns the entire scene around, this is our last hurrah, the final moments of the final episode of season 2:

“Even when the darkest clouds are in the sky/ you mustn’t sigh and you mustn’t cry/ spread a little happiness as you go by/ please try”

There will be an unexpected twist, I’m hoping this means they’re saved/ restated in their bodies/ whatever bad thing just happened is undone, or maybe there isn’t and there’s a silver lining:

“I’ve got a creed for every need/ so easy that it must succeed/ I’ll set it down for you to read/ so please, take heed”

Do you sense God? I sense God. Not to say Aziraphale and Crowley are God’s favorite children, but maybe they are, maybe they are.

Finally, remember this playlist spells “INEFFABLE” something’s happening between Aziraphale and Crowley, and it’s already written out in the stars, we just haven’t seen it yet. But Aziraphale certainly is going to learn where his feelings stand with Crowley

[shysublimecoffee]

This represents my personal perspective on the matter, so please don't interpret it as a factual statement. It's an opinion, and there may be exceptions if you explore thoroughly. However, I find the otome isekai genre quite monotonous. The recurring theme of recycling concepts, reusing character designs with a prevalent "same face syndrome," and the prevalence of protagonists resembling each other, particularly the Duke of the North archetype with that clichéd Idol haircut, contribute to a sense of staleness. The majority of flawless female leads with 99% being blonde, with a few exceptions, adds to the predictability.

For me, the transmigration or reincarnation concept caught my attention around 2018, starting with works like "Who Made Me a Princess" and the infamous "They Say I Was Born a King's Daughter," even though I admit my taste was not the best back then.

The idea of taking over someone's body and living their life fascinated me. What made it unique was the perspective shift, allowing us to see many previously despised villains from other stories in a new light, experiencing the narrative from their point of view.

But, this is when it started getting old real quick. My god, how many fucking times am I going to see a good heroine turned evil and the villainous be taking the leftover men from the heroine side and forming a harem. The villainous unfortunately can't be nuanced because all these stories do is just make shit black and white. Our MC can't be held accountable for what they did but sob hard enough and we get an ally to ride behind her.

You know what's incredibly frustrating? These Korean women from the 21st century keep transmigrating into these villainous roles, and it's just downright irritating. They either come off as overly naive or stick to the tired narrative of being an office worker who suddenly becomes wealthy and tramples over others. It lacks uniqueness, and seriously, what do we really know about the female lead (FL) beyond the prologue? Who is she? What's her home life like? Does she want to return? These are questions I want answers to, but we're not given the chance because the focus remains on the villainous character. Even that aspect isn't executed well; they end up softening her character and making her more compliant than she was in the original story just to avoid a bad ending. I'm more intrigued by understanding the backstory of the actual original villainous character.

The male lead (ML) seriously disappoints. I get it, this genre revolves around romance, but let's get real for a moment—do we genuinely care about this so-called "romance"? What truly matters is the chemistry between characters that makes us feel, cry, and get infuriated, and that's what a story should evoke. Worse than a bad boy ML is a downright boring male lead. Whether it's the Duke of the North or any other generic character, they all feel like mere props catering to the female lead, and that's painfully dull.

I couldn't care less because these MLs exist solely to assist her in everything, whether it's for revenge, to play the savior, or to be the healer. Nothing feels genuine; there's no emotional investment in the romance for me. I'm not overjoyed by the idea of them being together. Many readers seem more fixated on their aesthetics and how well he serves her, but let's be honest—their designs are unimaginative, resembling countless other MLs and MCs. Frankly, I wish more effort were put into creating distinct and captivating characters.

No matter how much one might criticize the toxicity of old-school Shojou romances and the portrayal of male leads, I absolutely loved it. Sure, the romance might not be ideal, but that's precisely what makes it fun and enjoyable to read. The characters have their quirks and distinct personalities, creating their own unique dynamics that add to the charm of the story unlike the former.

Transmigration/Reincarnation is so barley touched in a genre surrounding that very concept. It's like they dip into a puddle but don't expand on the horrors or intrigue of anything really and they be explaining everything from the prologue instead of letting us breathe. We don't settle or sit with the characters and writers are far more interested in miscommunication. It's why I like manga because you get beautiful scenes of just peace or character introspection than you would in colored format.

If there's one story that truly captivated me and made me fall in love with this particular brand of Otome Isekai, it's "A Stepmother's Märchen." It may not be a masterpiece, but the deliberate and slow-paced narrative, reminiscent of a novel, along with the meticulous attention to depicting a semi-realistic high society, drew me in. The story offers complex and conflicted characters, and the stunning art, which interestingly mirrors European illustration outside of the main cast, adds to its appeal. Of course, it's not without its flaws, but the beauty of the narrative has made it stand out to me even years later. It's not a one-note copy it did it own thing that I wish OI did more.

Kill the Villanous,

Death is the ending the villanous

I appreciate how these stories took the isekai concept and added their unique twists. It's refreshing, and I wish more writers would follow suit. While I understand that Otome Isekai is primarily about wish fulfillment, I also crave narratives that offer more than just that. A well-crafted story with thoughtful character development would be a welcome addition to the genre because it sticks out to me more. I don't remember OI titles but for me to remember those is because the concept were different from the usual OH no I woke up in the villain body.

[scientia-rex]

Hey saw your post about weight loss and I'm a big fan and it makes total sense. Just curious how being overweight affects pregnancy. I feel like because I'm overweight I'm going to have a high risk pregnancy. Not pregnant at all right now but it's been on my mind lately

Oh boy. Weight in pregnancy is a WHOLE other topic, and not in my wheelhouse--I haven't delivered a baby in over two years now. (They love to show up at 3am and I love sleeping.) The short answer is that if you gain more than the recommended amount of weight during pregnancy, baby is also likely to be bigger, and that's a problem because your pelvis is not capable of expanding, so you run a higher risk of shoulder dystocia, which is where the baby actually jams in the pelvis on the way out, which is typically fatal to the baby within 5 minutes if we can't get them out because they can't breathe and their umbilical blood supply is cut off so the oxygen is not available. There is also a higher risk for gestational diabetes, aka high blood sugars in pregnancy, which also raises the risk of a larger baby. HOWEVER, a lot of this raises questions current research doesn't really answer--are fatter people at more risk in pregnancy because they're fat, or are they fat because they're high-risk? And a lot of people who deliver babies, whether they're OBs or family medicine or midwives or, God help us, lay midwives, will go full-on raging fatphobia, which makes it difficult to parse out genuinely helpful advice from terrible bullshit. Obstetrics in general is the least evidence-based medical field, because no one wants to be the asshole who ran a study that somehow hurt babies, so instead we just fumble around blindly in the dark a lot of the time going "well this SHOULD work" and hoping. Also, racism! Huge thing in obstetrics. Black women have 4 times the risk of dying in pregnancy/childbirth as white women, and of course racism and fatphobia dovetail, where fat Black women get treated particularly badly by the medical establishment.

Long story short, the best way to prepare for possible pregnancy is to take the best possible care of YOU--that means exercise and eating lots of veggies, not because that will make you thin, but because it improves your blood vessel and heart health, your bone health, your stash of nutrients that baby will raid during development, your muscle strength, and so on. And take the time BEFORE you want to get pregnant to find a doctor who delivers babies (whether that's an OB/GYN or a family doctor) who treats you like a human being.

And, controversially, I do think it's best to have a doctor for most pregnancies. Not because midwives can't provide excellent care, but because obstetrics is all about the situations where something goes wrong, and we are very bad at predicting who will have something go wrong. The worst delivery I was ever in looked fine on paper. First-time mom, dilated fine, pushing went great, no problems on the fetal heart monitor, baby descended just fine. Then baby crowned, got shoulder dystocia, my attending had to take over for me and do the maneuvers to free the baby, baby comes out and has to go straight to resuscitation, and I look back over at mom to realize more blood is coming out of her vagina than should immediately after delivery, by A LOT, and we almost had to call a massive tranfusion protocol for her. She hemorrhaged 2 liters of blood in minutes. Then she developed post-partum preeclampsia, which can be fatal if you don't have medical management right there. We had to put her on a magnesium drip to prevent seizures. That was the worst delivery I ever did, and I'm counting the 17-year-old primipara (first-time mom) I worked with while a med student, who delivered in the back-ass of nowhere, spoke Spanish only with an attending doctor who spoke English only in a hospital that didn't bother with interpreters until active labor, and needed forceps, a technique fewer and fewer doctors even practice. No epidural. Forceps without an epidural is, no joke, something that scares me to the point where I simply would not do an unblocked birth.

One of the major causes of maternal death is hemorrhage. If you have an IV in someone's arm pouring in fluid, you can survive with as little as about 1/7th of your original blood. Red blood cells can do a LOT of heavy lifting. And that buys you time for someone to get up to Labor & Delivery from the first floor with the on-hand packed red blood cells that then go into the IV and save your life. Blood transfusions are life-saving, and they are life-saving every single day in the US.

And hemorrhage risk goes up with subsequent babies. Someone giving birth for the first time is at higher risk for a lot of things, but someone giving birth for the 5th time who figures they're OK with a home birth because their other births went fine can bleed out in minutes.

I don't like or trust the medical establishment, and I think OB care has a LONG way to go in the US, because we create PTSD in about 11% of people who give birth. Maternal PTSD is far more prevalent in the US than combat PTSD. I would still have a medical doctor be my obstetrical care provider, because I don't want to die like that.

[tubbytarchia]

i don't think i understand your point about the shipping thing? (genuine question, open to discussion) like cause i find that having distinction between different kinds of relationships is helpful in both fandom spaces and irl boundaries. theres a difference between platonic (friends, family, even professional) and non-platonic (romantic and sexual) relationships. and having a word to refer to the non-platonic fandom stuff is useful, plus it's the way it's always been in my experience. putting the platonic stuff over on the same side as the non-platonic confuses me? if im misunderstanding, i would love for you to explain more. (hopefully this comes off as genuinely confused and wanting to discuss! and if you didn't wanna explain more that's ok, thanks for your time either way)

You're fine anon no worries!

Shipping to me is just that - shipping. It's a middle ground for any relationship you like. If you want to specify your ships further, you can do so, but now that "shipping" just means romantic by default, I feel like there is no middle ground and suddenly I'm forced to pick a side between romantic and platonic strictly when I almost never think of that in the creation process. I just feel like I'm handicapping my art and people's ability to interpret it by having to choose when I don't view it as either or

For me personally, I have never seen fandoms handle shipping the way traffic does, and maybe I'm just biased then in that regard but it's been bothering from the start. For me, it's very difficult to distinguish platonic and romantic. And that distinction is different for everyone. I have many times seen art of characters kissing and it being proclaimed platonic, whereas someone else would label anything of that sort strictly romantic

Most times when I draw art, I get afraid of tagging it as "shipping" because then people will think it's romantic, but in my mind it makes sense because I'm still drawing a relationship I like, even if I don't think of it or am unsure as to whether or not it's romantic. To me it's just my ship. People can absolutely specify stuff as this or that if they want to! Because I've never had to think of that before, it stresses me out a lot that so much emphasis is put on strictly outlining what sense your art was drawn in, to the point that other people start labelling my art FOR me when my thoughts are "it's just my two blorbos..." and that's it. In the end, I've resorted to tagging most of my ship art as "trafficshipping" anyway just because then, people who might interpret it as romantic, and not want to see it, do not see it, even if I didn't draw with romantic shipping in mind. It's a precaution I guess

I'm not opposed to the idea of having certain terms to help filter stuff, I'm just bothered that "shipping" is entirely interpreted as romantic foremost. And if it's NOT romantic then you either don't use that tag or you make it very explicit that it's not romantic. That's where it bothers me cause I don't think of that when I draw. I view some of my ships as romantic but labelling the others as strictly this or that stresses me out. Shipping in my experience in previous fandoms, again, just means "relationship". It's not just "romantic relationship". Like I really like Doc and Jimmy with a bit of a father/son dynamic but if I tag it as shipping then people are gonna think I want them to kiss or something. If I tag Bad Boys as shipping, people will think I want them to fuck or something. If I tag my toxic FH takes as shipping, people will get upset because "clearly you don't ship them" etc. But I'm also someone who half of the time feels uncomfortable tagging individual characters in my ship art (especially when CCs have expressed to keep the shipping art out of main tags). I still want my art to be seen - I'd happily just tag it with the appropriate ship and maybe duo names if there are any, but then sometimes that doesn't even exist. And then there's a whole other conversation of, say, "team rancher" is platonic and "solidaritek" is romantic. To me they're just ranchers so I'd tag both but to some people they're very different tags, and then, again, I get stressed out because I've made it harder for people to filter art, when I don't even know if anyone wants my art filtered or not. It depends on their perception

Furthermore, about the CCs saying "keep shipping out of the main tags" - that then becomes another issue of what counts as shipping? Because I also have seen people who very evidently ship something romantically, but claim "it's not shipping!" so that then it becomes fine for that stuff to be posted outside of the shipping corner and not breaking any boundaries. I swear to you, it's not just my interpretation, it's very clearly romantic shipping for these people who I'm thinking of. And again, that distinction between platonic("not shipping") and romantic ("shipping") differs for people. Eg platonic art of characters kissing. And then it gets maintagged because it's platonic for the person who drew it, but might not be for others I could not care less how people interpret my ship art. I would prefer if they didn't label it as if it were fact, but interpretation is like, the whole beauty of art. I have no idea if this art I made is romantic or platonic, especially to a specific viewer who distinguishes those two things differently, but I'm happy for them to interpret it as they want! There is no middle term between romantic and platonic, which is where I feel like my ships usually lie, and "shipping" as a term is thought of as romantic. Anytime I talk about or draw ship stuff without proclaiming that it's platonic, people will probably just assume it's romantic, so... What do I do, y'know? Sorry for the wordy response haha I feel like it's a bit hard to explain my stance but I tried my best. It's ultimately not that big of a deal, I feel like most people are fine with this kind of system, I just have an incredibly hard time with it and am someone who gets really paranoid over me or my creations being taken as some specific thing rather than the viewer's freely formed interpretation

[jack-kellys]

west end question: i obviously love my brooklyn girls and would die for them all, but is it bad that it’s taken away the sprace dynamic for me? like i’m still 100% on board with a nowhere near canon ship and it shouldn’t affect me they’ve decided to have spot be a girl, but it lowkey has? and i feel kinda guilty about it? idk i love my proshot boys. but i am 100% here for all the uk newsies cast they are amazing and so talented and it’s definitely my favourite production by far!! idk if i’m making sense

ok part of me feels a litle baited actually because like. i feel like... im vocal abt mlm musical sprace not being a big vibe for me in the first place. so im a funny person to ask if you were looking for relief lmao. anyway here's my thesis below.

wait also if ur a white newsie fan a read-thru+rb of this would be much appreciated thank youuu (also yall have been eating up my character analyses anyway sooooo!)

TL;DR THESIS: if you're feeling genuinely let down that your ship did not see the light of day and a black girlsie spot conlon got to instead, then yes, you should reevaluate that.

followers, if you've been with me long enough, you know that i have quite strong opinions about how this show gets treated when it comes to interpretations and fandom/fanon. mostly, this is because i literally work in theater, and it's extremely backwards in my brain personally when shows get treated more like a movie or tv show than a performance piece.

im also one of the only ppl in this fandom that ever seems to dare speak on race (not the damn character smh). and anon, buddy, kiddo, this does have to do with race, gender, and sexuality.

firstly, what i think needs to be understood about newsies, is that it is theater, which means it is meant to be mutable. there is no one way. there should never be one way. it does not exist. secondly, theater does not exist in a fandom vacuum. its live every night, conceptually. theater is a live performance art.

interpretations change- it's the nature of theater. so i think asks like these really do illuminate the difference between fans of the show's content or fans of... i guess the show's culture's content.

this is a culture content ask.

one thing i really, truly, deeply need you all to understand: from an objective, script- and staging-based perspective, proshot sprace does not exist. they do not speak. they barely see each other. race does not even volunteer to go to brooklyn. the ship originates from the 1992 movie, where they do actually interact, which is why the ship has prevailed through the 90s to today. they're from the movie, not the musical.

of course, this doesn't bash the ship- it has history, and naturally fans want to create new history when they get a new source material (the musical). it's true for like every newsie ship lowkey (but also not lowkey because all the manhattan newsies do interact and sprace literally does not but thats a different post!!), which is something i do admire about the fandom- we do a lot of our own legwork here, we invent relationships and backgrounds from one-liners that could be given to tbh any frickin newsie. i respect the 30 years we have invented ships.

however.

when a huge, publicized, consistently sold out production comes along with spot conlon as not only a woman, but a woman of color (specifically black rn!) as the leader of the most feared group on stage, there becomes something much more important than a "sprace dynamic", which does not canonically exist in the musical anyway bro. you can't miss something that isn't there imo. often the story and casting within a story comes first, and goddamn if this isn't one of those times. lillie-pearl's spot brings bravado, swagger, confidence, and intimidation that is literally....fine maybe i'm being personal but it is slash gen incredible to see in technically a period piece! a black woman in leadership with that kind of assuredness! in such a popular musical! how is that not– automatically surpassing an often obsessed-over (yes i am. hinting at something here, straight girl fans) mlm ship?

and while i'm on the topic of the over-obsessiveness of mlm musical sprace, let me talk about uksies sprace. because what's also wack abt this ask is that sprace is not a hopeless case in this production- it literally has about as much 'evidence' as the proshot imo!!!!!

i got to hop over to 2nd row brooklyn seating for act 2 so i saw once and for all really close up, right. there's a moment when race is upstage letting the newsies in/down from the stairs. spot comes down and she does, in fact, share a look with him. race gives spot a nod and she keeps moving.

and like im gonna see the show again (every day i am counting my mf blessings fr), so if i'm wrong or they don't do it every time i'll correct myself, but that's what i saw with my own dang eyes on saturday. they do acknowledge each other in uksies.

and since they do, i really like. i have to ask. what is bothersome/unpopular abt uksies sprace, other than oh idk.... its not white/white mlm with a twink/manly bf trope? why can't race still love who spot is as a character, this strong and fearless ruler of brooklyn, in uksies? because tbh josh's racer...nahhhh because. this is such a side note now but they'd be so good together oh jesus am i gonna ship uk sprace. and it's not like they're 'taking away' from a queer ship because a) you can headcanon spot as a queer girl and race being trans is consistently popular and b) newsies has ten billion gayass ships bro we've been eatin for literal decades.

anon, i'm sure you didn't mean harm by this ask. i'm sure, honestly, that a lot of fans are feeling the same way as you and weren't quite sure how to put it in words. but, i'm also not surprised you sent an ask like this on anonymous specifically.

should you feel guilty about it? i don't think guilt is the right word. but i believe you should think more about how newsies is not.....static. it does not exist in one form, and it never will. if you're feeling genuinely let down that your ship did not see the light of day and a black girlsie spot conlon got to instead, then yes, you should reevaluate that. in theater, you should always question why something impacted you the way it did- a major point of theater is to discuss and think about it when you leave! i know this because ive spent three years literally studying it, to back up my thesis credentials.

thank you for reading this, newsies fandom. i do honestly say all this with love, and i hope it made u think !! ♥️