#I am curious what other fans think of this perspective

[booklovingturtle]

I love this take,

but I think that I always just interpreted his “slacker” facade is more of an exaggeration of his personal convictions. Roy doesn’t do his work and/or get behind on paperwork because he doesn’t care but more because he would much rather do literally any other part of his job than sitting at a desk doing what I assume he perceives to be “busy work”

Roy is a dedicated, hard-working man otherwise he wouldn’t be as skilled of an alchemist as he is. He also wouldn’t be able to overthrow the government or function as an effective leader (both for the unit and the country later on) if he wasn’t all of those things, so yeah, his slacker personality is definitely a façade (and I wish more writers approached his character from that lens) but I also think that it is an exaggeration of how he can sometimes prioritize his personal aspirations over the day-to-day tasks of his job.

I could be wrong in my interpretation, but from my perspective, it always seems like the problem wasn’t that he didn’t care, but he cares a lot more about other things, so Riza doesn’t babysitting him (even though that is the facade that they put on for the sake of public) instead she helps him manage his focus on what still needs to be done as a part of their traditional roles.

This is one of those things that shows how Royai balances each other out in way that a healthy (work/platonic/romantic) partnership has the potential to. I think my interpretation of them presents Roy as seeing the forest and Riza more the trees.

Hope that makes sense

every time i see fic where mustang procrastinates on paperwork and riza has to scold/nag/threaten him into doing it i have to click away immediately. like, either tag your 03 works correctly, or watch brotherhood/the manga again. mustang’s procrastination is very clearly shown to be a facade. hawkeye being his babysitter is very clearly shown to be a facade. in fact i want to point out this brilliant moment in episode 31, after the team is reassigned and riza comes to his office to pick up some books. they banter about their very macabre secret promise like dweebs, and then riza opens the door before turning to tease roy about his paperwork. even at this point, they’re keeping up the facade for the benefit of anyone else listening.

[grubus]

Hi! do you have any svsss fic recs? I really like syonr and I'm curious about what you like to read!

*rubs hands together*

Alright alright. Now some of these are probably already well known, but still!!

I make no secret of this, but as Prim is my favorite author and very cool friend, I will HAPPILY recommend these first;

Masochism is probably THE qijiu fic of all time, absolutely adore it. It's set in their disciple era, with YQY just grabbing at whatever scraps he can even as SQQ tries to push the boundaries and see what will make him BREAK. So, so good. Happy ending!

Tarnished Gold is my favorite original Binghe fic, and I hope more people give it a chance. I think the summary scare some but it's GREAT! I love it! Binghe's thought process, the way someone perceives SY as GYX from an outside perspective, and omg LPM is such a great character in it...

of course I recommend basically everything Prim writes.

(Shen Yuan Voice) It's not gay if- by Nachtofthedead is porn. Just straight up modern time BingYuan porn. It is filthy and great and *thumbs up* love it. Bingge decides to play along with SY's delulu thoughts on gayness and everyone are happy.

The Many Trials and Tribulations of Ming Fan by The Feels Whale (miscellea) is great and I think often overlooked. A oneshot from MF's point of view on how to handle SQQ's wife beam, deeply funny to me. They also wrote-

Dust and Broken Grains , which is basically "Binghe discovers early that Crying Works" and it becomes a fix-it fic. but there's more to it than that!!! Love it a lot.

Celestial Afterglow by elanor_pam is just. So good. SO GOOD. It's hilarious, it uses the System in a way few fics ever does and it has me cackling every time I read it.

What Is Seen by CaveteDracones is a fix-it with a side of whump fic, where SQQ's trial at HHP goes VERY differently. Truth serum! Torture! System Reveal! Yay!

Dual Cultivate or Date by acernor is THE BingLiuShen fic out there. Adore it. I'm sure many have already appreciated it, but it doesn't hurt to remind others that it exists!

A Child Once by Tossawary is a very, very good BingQiu and MoShang fic, and I honestly love not only BingQiu being forced to play parents, but also the MobeiBing friendship? Great, amazing. All the relationships in this is great, and I know most have heard of Tossawary but if you haven't given this specific fic a chance you SHOULD.

easy fix by airplanelanding (TheCourtSorcerer) is a smutty cumplane oneshot, where they are friends with benefits (approved by their husbands) for whenever said husbands are unavailable for Dual Cultivation Cure. This fic just really captures the snark and is also *chefs kiss*

with the tail of the snake by tciddaemina is a very, very good monsterfucker!SQQ fic where Binghe became a dragon in the abyss. I LOVE IT. It's a WIP, but *clenches fist* it's just so good. Soft and gooey and so HHHH yes good. I would probably put all their svsss fics in here but I am running out of time!!

.... but I have enough time to recommend my other favorite fic from them, which isn't even svsss! And is how I found them to begin with!

come all ye mighty is a Solo Leveling fic! It's Igris/Jinwoo, from Igris' pov, and I love the world building in it. As they say in the author's notes, it's a little bit of an au since it doesn't follow the original plot of the comic, but I reread this so, so often. 10/10, if you like solo leveling at all please give it a go I BEG OF YOU.

[elysiansparadise]

Hey Elysian! I want to congratulate your completion of your Rising series; I've enjoyed all of the post. Just wanted to ask your opinion of all the rising signs. It doesn't have to be super detailed or long (although you can if you want), just your thoughts/opinions on all of them.

Excited to see your next plan!

Thank you so much love! I have many plans regarding future posts, including analysis of the risings of the composite chart! I would love to give my opinions regarding the risings. 🩷

I have already talked about Taurus and Sagittarius risings, so I will mention the rest!💞

─────────────✧──────────────

🤍Starting with Aries rising… I have great admiration for them, for me they are the faithful representation of resilience. I think that being ruled by Mars helps them have this strength to face everything that life has to give them. Many of them hide their pain and may be more stoic than they are given credit for. They fiercely protect those they love and never allow themselves to be trampled on by anyone. The ones I've met usually fall into the sexy category and are incredibly attractive [and they know it]. I think it is difficult for many of them to feel safe and free to be emotionally open, but within them there is a very giving heart and someone very attentive to the comfort and well-being of those they love.

🤍Gemini risings are a breath of fresh air for me. It is very interesting to have the chance to talk to them and spend time with them. They can be very perfectionists deep down behind their chill appearance. Curious and knowledgeable people who get bored when things become too monotonous, and they have that ability to turn the most mundane into something fun. They are people who adapt very easily to what life brings them and I admire the intelligence and common sense with which they move throughout life. Those I have met tend to have the ability to see a situation from different perspectives and I find that respectable. And they are incredibly charismatic!! I swear, whether they are extroverts or not, they have the ability to be funny, witty and very good at communicating.

🤍I feel very drawn and caring towards Cancer rising, that's for sure. I get along very well with them and I have enormous love for them. My best friend has this and I love her. They are very calm and observant people, and there is something about them that commands a lot of respect even if they do not intimidate others, rather it is the way in which they carry themselves. In my eyes they are responsible and very dedicated to everything they keep in their hearts, whether it be projects, people or hobbies. They are incredibly reserved with their emotions and are very intelligent when it comes to understanding themselves and others. They are very empathic and understanding and truly, very trustworthy, your secrets are safe with them.

🤍As I described in the rising series, I see Leo risings as people with a huge heart. They can be very giving with the people they love and very loving once they trust you. Intense and very passionate, both their emotions and their personality. They work very hard for what they want and are very dedicated people when they see that something is worth it. I am fascinated by how good life looks next to them, I feel that they seek to contribute positive things to the lives of those around them and I find that honorable. Attractive and charming. The authenticity of these people is something to applaud, they will never pretend to be something they are not, that's a fact.

🤍My loves Virgo rising, I love them. I'm a fan. I like them. They are my crush. Okay, but seriously, they are truly admirable people, very hard on themselves and with tendencies to overthink, but they have so many good qualities that I could do a whole page simping mentioning them. Intelligent and modest about it, they constantly expand their knowledge and when they know about a topic they speak with confidence about it. Blunt and very honest, they will tell you what they think without feeling the need to walk on glass. They are very accepting people who will never judge others for their differences and can often feel curious about people who are different from them. They are very logical when it comes to solving problems, which I consider very appropriate for maintaining a good relationship and atmosphere.

─────────────✧──────────────

🤍Libra rising people won't settle for less, never. They are people who highly value their time and energy and do not use it on just anyone. Of great emotional intensity, they do not mess with the feelings of others and do not let others mess with theirs. They are very ambitious people and can place very high expectations on themselves. A mixture of intelligence, cunning and intuition. They are excellent friends and can be very giving. They are very passionate people who constantly work on themselves and their relationships, they put a lot of energy into those they love. They are incredibly seductive and there is something very alluring about them. They like to share what they know and learn a lot from others.

🤍Many people I appreciate have Scorpio rising and I have a genuine appreciation for them. I love how mature they can be, great listeners, patient and very logical, there are so many things to admire about them. Many of them tend to have a great reputation when it comes to things related to passions or hobbies that they have and they take all of this very seriously, constantly seeking to improve and perfect their skills. Many of them may experience many hardships throughout their lives and it is admirable that they never victimize themselves in this regard, they live their grief and work hard to move forward. They are people who know how to love very beautifully and are also very devoted.

🤍Those with Capricorn rising learned to be stable for themselves and the people around them, it is difficult for them to rely on others but they will do their best to help and be there for those they love. They are caring and protective in a more discreet way. Many of them are often highly admired and respected in the fields in which they work. Many of them can be playful at heart and jovial as they get older. They can connect very well with people older than them and as they grow they can easily be mentors to younger ones. They give this appearance of being in control of their lives, of staying strong no matter what life throws at them. Many of them prefer deep conversations and getting to know the people they interact with in their entirety.

🤍Something that I will always admire about Aquarius rising is the guts they have to say what they think and be themselves without fear of what others say. They tend to be either very loved or very controversial and I find that duality very interesting. Contrary to what others say, they can be very stable when it comes to the bonds they form and I have experienced it firsthand. They can be very supportive and helpful people with those who are close to them, and they can also be deep down very sensitive to the suffering of others. They tend to stand out and attract attention without seeking it and many people can talk a lot about them. I have noticed that many of them tend to be very selective with whom they open up. They may think a lot about the future and worry about it.

🤍I haven't had the pleasure of meeting many Pisces risings, but the few people I know with this placement are very charming and have a very nice personality. I feel that these people try to be very understanding of other people because they would like someone to be that way with them, they are the true example of treating others how you want to be treated. Their intuition is truly strong and their creativity is a whole world that I consider worth exploring. They are not superficial and always seek to dive deep. They have very strong opinions and it is not easy to change their minds. And there is something about them, perhaps their aura or attitude, that gives you a lot of comfort and calm, often making random people talk to them about their lives even if they just met them. I have a friend with this placement and she's literally my safe place.

[fiddleyoumust]

Let’s talk about queerness and High School Frenemy. There’s a large portion of BL fandom that refuses to engage with the show, and while that rubs me the wrong way, I do understand it. If you only wish to consume queer media, it’s easy to dismiss HSF since it is not explicitly queer. It’s also a show that on a surface level, looks like classic queerbaiting. And before I get a bunch of HSF fans in the tags or comments, I am a huge fan of this show. It is possibly the best thing I’ve watched all year. But on a surface level, it is doing the literal definition of queerbaiting even if I personally do not think it is. 

As a person who is OLD and came of age in the 90s, I do want to talk about this show from a queer perspective. I grew up in a time when queer characters were not abundant. If they did show up in media, it was newsworthy. These characters were always support characters and seldom had love interests or explored what it was like to be queer. None of them looked like me or made me feel seen or represented. Heteronormativity was the standard, as it is today, but back then, a queer kid seldom encountered anything that made them question that heteronormativity. 

HSF, and Shin and Saint specifically, resonate with me more than most queer media I’ve consumed, and I’ve consumed a lot. The intense, obsessive love that Shin and Saint have for each other under the guise of friendship IS my story. For me, it was a wild girl named Jennifer, who I was attached to the hip with from 6th grade until our early twenties. I loved her. I was obsessed with her. I was probably in love with her, but it never occurred to me until years after we’d stopped speaking that what I felt for her was more than friendship. The heteronormative brainworms are real, and they infected me until my late 20s when I suddenly had a revelation about myself. 

Hindsight is 20/20. Suddenly, my obsession with Charlize Theron in Two Days In The Valley, Helen Hunt in Twister (1996), and Kate Winslet in Titanic made so much sense. My relationship with Jennifer was also at the forefront of my mind. Ah, I thought. That’s what that was.

HSF is a show about friendship, a show about community, a show about the ways adults fail their children, a show about class and poverty. It is also a show about unrealized queerness. The director, Fon, told that story purposefully through music, lighting, and dialogue, she told a story about two boys who can’t live without each other, but don’t have the knowledge, the vocabulary, or the self-awareness to understand what they are to each other.

In every choice Fon made, she dangled queerness without explicitly naming it. I would call it queerbaiting in any other media,  but for me, she made one other choice that I believe is purposeful and elevates this show into the queer category for me. She completely stripped the show of heteronormativity. There are no couples. None. We never see Chatjen’s parents. Any parents we do see are single - Ken’s father, Shin’s mother, Saint’s father, Cable’s mother.

In any other media, the male and female homeroom teachers with clashing teaching styles would  be an enemies-to-lovers side plot. Here, they grow into supportive co-workers and friends who become better versions of themselves to help the children in their class. In any other media, there would be talk of crushes among the teenagers. Here, we see them grapple with the pressures of academia, abusive or absentee parents, bullying, drugs, and the hopelessness of poverty. In fact, the only mention of sexuality or romance at all comes from Eve, a girl who befriends Airy, a girl from their rival school, and confesses that she had a crush on her when she was younger. Nothing comes of this revelation, even though we see Airy become curious and seek out Eve’s company prior to this revelation, and we see how pleased Airy is about Eve’s confession. But this is a show about unrealized queerness and even Eve and Airy, two girls who understand what they are feeling for one another, still can’t bring themselves to name it.

The lack of heterosexuality creates a void that is filled by Shin and Saint’s relationship. It’s purposeful, and Director Fon uses other friendships in the show to highlight the ways Shin and Saint are not the same. Knot, Nate, and Ken are extremely close friends. They, too, have a “no one left behind” friendship pact. They fight for each other and get hurt for each other and very obviously love each other. Chatjen and Shin’s friendship is also very deep. Chatjen considers Shin his best friend. He hero worships him a bit and sees him as his protector and savior. Yet, anyone watching can understand the ways the producers use music, lighting, costuming, and dialogue to elevate Shin and Saint’s relationship above all the other ones. 

High School Frenemy is queer. Shin and Saint are purposefully queer coded in a world devoid of heterosexuality. You are seeing what you are supposed to see, and it's a hill I’ll die on. If you were on the fence about this show, I can not recommend it enough. It’s great and will leave you feeling warm and happy and loved. If you only consume explicitly queer media, I still encourage you to watch it. Sometimes, our queerness eludes us. Sometimes it’s hidden under other words like “friendship” because we haven’t learned the right words for it yet. I enjoyed watching a show that reminded me of my youth and gave me a glimpse of the girl I used to be. She was still queer even if she didn't know it yet.

[deadinthelake]

Bro what happened in the nevercord?? I am not a part of it but still curious

EDIT: please look at @thelesbomancer ‘s post/reblog, and @gothwineaunts ‘s post about this situation!

please defer to your own judgment when it comes to this, and don’t use my post as the end all be all! Those two posts have much more information on all of this! This post was made as this all unfolded and might be out of date (also turning off reblogs because i’m not an authority on this )

i'm gonna be careful not to name any names here because I don't want to start a hate train and I'm looking at all of this as neutral as possible and also please please please don't think of this like a call-out post or anything, it's not! I still think you can be a fan of rnf and support their work, this is just why I'm chosing to take a break from doing so!

Content Warning below for mentions of explicit content being sent to minors ( by a server member, not RnF, THANK GOD )

i don't have all the details but basically, someone was banned for sending heavy nsfw/pornographic images to minors, and then was unbanned later on because of two reasons

one: the children the images were sent too were banned from nevercord for varying reasons ( closest explanation I remember is about these kids doing witchhunts, whatever that means )

two: the evidence was apparently "unreliable" and heavily censored.

Also, the minors themselves didn't report this information, an adult did with screenshots, censoring the users of the kids.

The offending person claimed that they never knew the ages of the people talking to them and thought they were all adults, even though at least two victims from my knowledge have come forward and said the person did, in fact know their ages. The only age I've heard for sure was 12 years old.

My problem with the situation arised was when Red, the writer of Nevermore, posted a lengthy explanation that was pretty poorly worded. She used phrases about the situation, such as "egged on" or "cried wolf" about being sent this sexual content, saying it was the job of minors to stay safe on the internet. I was raising my eyebrow at that point, because the whole thing sounded rather victim-blamey.

Red then said that the evidence was faulty and suspicious for being heavily censored ( i don't know the full extent of the censoring ), and because of the fact it came from one person, an adult who was friends with some of the people who had been banned, implied reporting that behavior was all some sort of tatic to get one person they didn't like banned.

When a ton of people were (understandably, in my opinion) very upset by this response, including the victims, and other neutral parties, Red got very upset and started lashing out. I understand It had to be a stressful situation, having tons of people talking at you at once, but she started saying rather guilt tripping things, such as "I'm a horrible person then" "everything I do is actually for evil purposes", stuff along those lines. Admittedly, the situation was pretty upsetting to me, so once Red started saying those things I left. I might return to Nevermore one day, if there's signs of change and the like. I still deeply enjoy the comic, and the community! I don't think RnF are horrible people, I just think they worded this very poorly, and then continued to lash out when it didn't go as excepted lmao I'll grab some of the screenshots I took, and ask if my friends have any to add! If anyone else has anything to add about the situation, please do so in the notes or reblogs! I'm just saying my perspective here, and why I chose to leave! There might have been things I missed! screenshots below!

anyways, those are all the screenshots i have on haha, again for the millionth time I dont want this to become a massive big drama

[nightghoul381]

Ellis Twilight ~ Chapter 9-His Side Story "Unconsciously Crawling Out”

Disclaimer for route warnings | Masterlist

*** Side note*** This is the side story for Chapter 9 but the content of it is his perspective of Chapter 8!!

Additional Content Warnings: None

This a fan translation so it is definitely not 100% accurate. I do not own anything related to Ikemen Villains. Support Cybird by buying their amazing stories!

Kate: “I’m glad the lost child found their home.”

Ellis: “Yeah. It was easier to find when he stopped crying and described its features.”

Kate: “That was all thanks to your excellent comfort, Ellis.”

Kate: “Oh, I need to tell the police officer that I just called out that the child got home safely… I’ll be right back.”

While on ‘patrol’ with Kate, she called out to me and quickly ran to the street corner.

(Kate’s footwork is so light at times like these.)

Before I could say I was going too, I saw her running off.

Suddenly, a bracelet displayed at the front of an accessory shop caught my eye.

(…That would look good on Kate.)

Recently, it had become common for me to give gifts to Kate.

I don’t think I’ve fully grasped Kate’s tastes, as she seemed both happy and confused every time.

(Would you like it?... What would you think.)

What do you like, what do you dislike, what makes you happy and sad?

In order to make someone happy, you have to take a good look at things like that.

I was at a loss, but when I imagined Kate wearing it, it somehow felt right.

So, I bought the bracelet before Kate returned.

(I want to see it soon.)

Thinking like that,

I want to know what Kate likes in order to make her happy.

--That should be it.

Kate: “Ahh! It feels so good…!”

Kate looked very happy as she lay relaxing on the picnic blanket.

I feel even better watching her next to me.

(Kate likes a nice picnic.)

One more way to make Kate happy is recorded in my memory.

(Tell me more, Kate.)

Ellis: “…So, do you feel happier now than when you’re ‘taking a nap on your bed in the sun on vacation’?”

Kate: “…Delicious scones are waiting for me, and unlike in my bedroom, the breeze feels nice.”

Kate: “And I can talk to you like this now, Ellis… I guess I am happier.”

Ellis: “Hmm… I see.”

Ellis: “Kate, are you happier spending time with someone than resting alone?”

Kate: “Huh…?”

Kate: “Yeah, I like talking to others, so…”

Ellis: “Who are you the happiest to talk to?”

Kate: “Happiest…?”

Ellis: “Yes. Is there someone special you really like?”

Kate seemed to be feeling comfortable just a moment ago but now she looked back at me as if she was nervous.

(…I guess I shouldn’t have asked it now.)

(I was curious. But, why?)

Because Kate said she was ‘happier now that she can talk to me’.

(I wonder what it would be like for her if it was someone else…)

Kate: “Well… I don’t think there’s any one in particular that I would think is the best…”

Ellis: “Got it… Let me know if you can find the best.”

Kate: “…Why?”

Kate looked at me nervously, as if searching for something.

Ellis: “I want to work with you so you can be happy.”

Kate: “Um…What do you mean by work with me?”

Ellis: “I’ll make sure you spend time with the person you love the most… or something like that.”

Ellis: “I’m sure you’ll be happier that way, right?”

Kate fell silent for a moment, as though at a loss for words, and then

Suddenly, her whole body relaxed and she looked somewhat exhausted.

(…That)

(I wonder what she was thinking… just a little.)

(She seems disappointed…?)

I felt like the slightly nervous look in her eyes from earlier may have been filled with anticipation.

(If so--)

Kate: “I’m happy, but you can’t also take care of my love life.”

Kate: “But, if I find someone I like, I’ll let you know.”

Wanting to confirm her true feelings, I put my hand on the blanket on the other side of Kate.

(Show me properly.)

Kate: “…Uh, Ellis…?”

Ellis: “…Kate, do you like me?”

Kate was dazed for a moment, and then her face turned bright red in panick.

Kate: “So, why ask that all of a sudden?”

Ellis: “Just now, for some reason, you seemed… lonely.”

Ellis: “That’s why I thought you were attracted to me.”

When I honestly said what I thought,

Kate shook her head.

Ellis: “You’re not? I see… That’s a shame.”

Kate: “…A shame?”

Ellis: “If you liked me, we could be lovers.”

Ellis: “I thought that I could make you even happier that way.”

Kate: “…Ellis, do you like me that way?”

Ellis: “Yeah, I like you.”

Kate: “But just a moment ago, you said you would help me if I found someone I liked…?”

Ellis: “That’s not a lie either. I mean… You want the person you love to be happy, right?”

Kate: “What do you like about me? We’ve only known each other a few days.”

(Kate seems to be concerned about some strange things.)

I don’t believe it would take any time to fall in love with someone as wonderful as Kate.

Ellis: “I think it’s great that you’re such a hard worker.”

Ellis: “It’s also cute how you can’t resist eating something delicious.”

Ellis: “There’s also the way you try to patrol for victims you’ve never seen before.”

Ellis: “You’re so kind, like how you remember my favorite foods and take me to naps like this.”

Ellis: “Yesterday… instead of being scared, you were concerned about me.”

Ellis: “…Do you need more explanation?”

Kate: “N-No, I don’t…”

Kate’s eyes widened and her face grew red all the way to her ears, and she looked away for a while as if thinking about it.

Then, slowly, she looked at me again.

Kate: “…So, what if I also liked you, Ellis?”

Kate: “What would you do if I said ‘I’d be happier if we didn’t become lovers’?”

Ellis: “Does that mean… that it’s better the way it is now?”

Kate: “…yeah.”

(I--)

Deep inside my chest, a pitch-black box with a tight lid is making a rumbling noise.

I mustn’t see what’s inside.

‘What I want for myself’ is the last thing I need to make the person in front of me happy.

Ellis: “…As long as you’re happy, I don’t care what kind of relationship we have.”

(That is the answer I should give.)

(If not--)

I’ll probably make you unhappy.

Kate: “In that case… I’d rather stay as is.”

Kate smiled as if she were troubled and murmured softly like a breeze.

The look on her face was so lonely… and the rumbling sound resounded deep inside my chest.

Kate: “It’s not just about making the other person happy.”

Kate: “Ellis, I think it would be better for you to become lovers with someone you want to have by your side forever.”

Ellis: “I…by my side forever?”

Kate: “Yes, exactly.”

“…No.”

“I don’t like this… please stay by my side forever.”

For a moment, I felt like I was being swallowed up by a dark memory that suddenly came up…

Kate: “Ellis, are you okay?”

Ellis: “…..Oh.”            

I was pulled back my Kate’s voice.

Ellis: “Uh, yeah…Sorry, I’m okay.”

(I can’t let myself believe I’m going to be in love with someone I want to be by my side forever.)

(That’s the worst thing to do, Kate.)

I whisper this in my heart and distract myself.

If I didn’t do that, the lid that had taken so much effort to close tightly, would come loose.

Ellis: “Kate, let’s have some scones, shall we?”

Kate: “Ah, that’s right! After we eat lunch and rest for a while, we have to go on patrol again.”

Kate: “Wow, that’s a beautiful ‘wolf’s mouth’. Victor is really good at making scones.”

Kate split a scone in half along the crack.

Then she handed it to me, filled with a generous amount of cranberry jam.

Ellis: “Thank you.... Ah, that’s right. Kate.”

As her bare wrist peeked out from the sleeve of her blouse, I suddenly remembered the bracelet.

Kate: “Yeah?”

Ellis: “I found this while on patrol earlier. I wanted to give it to you.”

The thorn and rose details glint in the sunlight shining through the trees.

(Yeah… It really suits you. So cute.)

Kate: “Aw…. It’s so cute. Thank you.”

Kate seemed to like it too, and after looking at it with a smile,

For some reason, her cheeks turned a little red.

(…I wonder why?)

Kate: “It looks like it matches your accessories too, doesn’t it Ellis?”

Ellis: “That… is true.”

When I look down at my body, I see that the shape of the brooch on my collar and the chain hanging from my belt both,

They feel somewhat similar to that bracelet.

Ellis: “I thought it would look good on you, so I bought it.”

(What…)

(…It seems like I want Kate to wear the same thing.)

I couldn’t take my eyes off of it, wrapped around Kate’s wrist, and my heart became noisy again.

(Is this gift…for me?)

Kate: “Ah, thank you. I’ll cherish it.”

Ellis: “…….”

(Kate is smiling happily…)

(In that case, it’s fine.)

I smiled back at her as she cleared away my momentary anxiety.

Ellis: “…Yeah, do that.”

I gently put the lid back on my noisy heart.

Next Chapter

[nalyra-dreaming]

Reading the S2 reviews (so beware spoilers ahead!). Wanted to get your take (and others’ if people have thoughts!), citing The Wrap’s review:

“Daniel might be the most radically different character from book to screen. He’s older, more pessimistic and utterly allergic to the allure of vampire life. Only now he is able to confront the deep-seated scars left behind after his night with Louis (although book fans might be disappointed to know that the show doesn’t tease out more of the romance he has with Armand in the books. Theirs is strictly an adversarial relationship in the series.)”

Other reviews confirm that S02E05/the episode about Daniel’s past is not romantic at all, rather a horror episode. Which I’m sure will be good (some describe it as the best episode), but I can’t help being a bit disappointed that they don’t seem to be doing DM - or at least not in this season at all. I think the reviews only cover episodes 1-6, but this reviewer seems so very sure… (also they seem to know the books so I’m guessing the episode won’t be too similar to the book either. Meaning it won’t end with “the chase” or will it?). So is there a real risk that no DM will play out?. The greatest hint of DM in my view was Zaman’s podcast appearance where he stated that Armand is curious about Daniel and that there is a history there. But this could just be referring to their horror-filled encounter in episode five. So I don’t know, I’m a little sad - was pretty excited for some f*cked up memory stuff (there is just something so compelling with the idea of discovering that there is a whole side of your life that you’ve lost - that this person you don’t know is someone you loved etc.). I wanted to see what it would do to Daniel and Armand respectively, and I wanted their dynamic to be as interesting as possible. Remember reading speculation that Daniel will remember more in the finale - maybe a romantic aspect but I think it was just pure speculation, no hints or comments from the cast/writers backing this up.

What do you think? Grateful to hear your thoughts! Also, I’m still psyched about this season of course, looking forward to the Armand/Louis romance, the Theatre! Hayles performance is supposedly going to be amazing, and I’m looking forward to more of Daniel’s snark obviously! It feels unreal that the season is around the corner!

It is!!! And I am also sooooo hyped, it's unreal *laughs*

Okay, so... first of all, it's always a thing of perspective with reviews. For example, there's this as well, after episode 1:

Now... that is no review, granted.

But it's perception. I... do not think that all of the "Devil's Minion" will be spelled out in the first episodes (nor do I think we will get all of it this season!). In fact, I think the horror that "he loved this monster" is part of the horror of it all, this realization. And that will very likely be in the last episodes, in whichever way.

So. With that in mind - btw, which review did confirm it's ep5? (I only saw that focused comment I think?) - I did not expect Devil's Minion to be "happy". In fact, I think it might have stalking, cages, attacks, and the beginning of the chase - and that chase does NOT start out as cute.

Daniel just gets used to it, over time. And then Armand falls in love.

Season 2 is going to be significantly darker. I bet it's also going to be a lot campier, if the comments to this hold true, with dark humor. But they're leaning fully into the horror aspects of this vampire world now, and the beginning of the Devil's Minion is exactly that - horrific.

The above review matches with what Jacob said about Louis and Daniel forming alliances... and I bet that alliance is indeed needed to drag the whole story out.

And when that whole story is out - that will lead to repercussions.

THAT in turn goes for Louis just as much as it goes for Daniel... because this second interview has just as much to do with him.

So... I would wait until you can see it with your own eyes?! :)

I mean... AMC's promotion(and pairing of the actors) speaks a very loud language? And Assad said he had chemistry read with "Daniel"... for reasons.

But it won't all be revealed in the screeners. I bet the last two episodes will pack a punch.

Maybe even literally. 😜

[absolutebl]

Given the wide range of BL you've consumed and analyzed. I am curious at your perspective when comparing BLs made/written by men and those that were written by women, in a different direction, comparing BLs directed by men in comparison to women.

If you could have the time and give your perspective in this two sources of BL , that would be great.

Hum, I'm not sure how to answer this. Except in a kind of avoidance way because I question the premise.

I think, in general, in most of the film industry, the original writing has very little to do with the final result, because so many new voices and povs are imposed on it the moment it begins to be adapted. After a BL leaves its author (predominantly female) it goes to script, a writers room, and eventually into the hands of director and team. All those people are different genders (predominantly male). And all of them have a significant impact on the end result.

Sometimes the author has unprecedented influence (mame for example) but that's pretty unusual.

Statistically speaking, the origin IP (whether novel or graphic) is most likely written by a female and the resulting BL most likely directed by a male.

There are always exceptions, of course.

Even putting aside all the other people, mostly script writers, in between the two primaries (which I just don't think you can) it would be statistically challenging to draw any commonalities amongst female directors (since there are so few) or amongst male writers (for the same reason). In other words, we have many many examples of really only 1 of the 4 possible combinations, and all those examples are muddied by the nature of the filming process (not to mention the nature of gender).

In other words, it would be challenging for me to say things are generally preferable in any one version of the pairings.

I have liked BLs written and directed by women, written by a woman directed by a man, written by a man directed by a woman, or written and directed by men (although those last two I would struggle to name any BLs).

However, I have also liked and then disliked BLs from the same general team and combination of genders behind the creatives.

For me, at least, there doesn't seem to be a reliable team or a reliable writer or a reliable director whose BL product I will reliably love.

I would hesitate to place a predictor on my BL taste (or anyone else's) based on the gender of any part of the team behind a BL. That seems..... weird. Especially when queers and 3rd gender etc are involved (and we have always been involved in artistic spaces for as long as humans have existed, I suspect).

But then I feel that way about most entertainment, from music to books to plays to comedy to fashion. I can be a fan of a director's style but not like some of their shows, just as I can be a fan of an actor's performance but not the character they're playing, or a fan of a pair's chemistry but not in those roles, and so forth.

I think what youth and influencers and the internet age has forgotten is that it's okay to admire a creative individual and not slavishly adore everything that they produce. (For fuck's sake though, don't tell them that, you absolute troll.)

Creatives and creative teams also have their own taste, and that may conflict with yours. Especially with newer IP where you might want the same old same old and they need to evolved. Consumers of entertainment are remarkably resistant to creativity, innovation, and change (so oxymoronic) .

It's okay, maybe you'll like their next BL, song, book, painting, performance......

I have no idea how I got here but:

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

I do have some stuff on a queer lens here:

[waitmyturtles]

Hello Turtle,

What do you think of the Sky-Nani phenomenon? People seem to be crazy about them ^^ Do you think it's because they aren't officially a pair (even though that could be discussed since they are doing events and fan meeting together)?

Thanks

Hi Non! I'm sorry I missed this over the holidays.

There's a lot of theories out on the internet explaining the popularity of SkyNani. I didn't watch High School Frenemy, so allow me to first surmise (and hope) that these two just acted really well together.

I've thought about the SkyNani pairing a couple of times recently in the course of thinking about the present and future of the Thai Series Y genre (here and here). The western QL scholar, Dr. Thomas Baudinette, surmised in a tweet (.... that I am having trouble finding, forgive me, when I find it, I'll link it here) that SkyNani were popular particularly in Thailand because of the "authenticity" of their fan service -- their being realistic bros, as opposed to unrealistic pseudo-boyfriends. (My guess is that Baudinette gleans this information from Thai forums such as Pantip, but that's only a guess.)

In the two links I included above, I myself surmise that the SkyNani pairing is popular particularly among ultra-conservative and conservative Asian markets that still consume QLs or queer-coded media, as a means of fans being able to consume media that is not having an in-your-face conversation about queerness and queer themes. I propose that this is intentional on the part of GMMTV wanting and needing to serve markets (such as China, Malaysia, and Indonesia) that do not allow for in-person fan meets of consecrated queer-coded BL pairs, and have only welcomed solo fan meets from GMMTV artists.

(I don't know if other studios have bucked that trend. I see that ZeeNuNew have done fan meets in Hong Kong, but I'm not sure if other huge ships, like DaouOffroad and so on, have been able to conduct fan meets in mainland China.)

Being part-Malaysian, I want to note that Malaysia outright bans homosexuality, and the promotion of certain QL/BL artists in Malaysia and Indonesia never include public mentions of their QL series.

Yet, these are big markets for QL's growth, especially given the economic power of these fans to buy merchandise, streaming subscriptions, and concert tickets. So I surmise that GMMTV diversifying its pairings to include "bro-ships" is, for them, a good business decision.

It's concerned me, and other QL devotees here on Tumblr, that this trend could lead to a watering-down of queer themes in major QL productions. At the same time, I personally think that this won't be a universal trend -- because shows need to differentiate themselves from each other, and try out different queer themes and perspectives so as to set themselves apart from others in the wider market. At least, I'm hoping that's the case, and only time will tell.

Finally, some other rumors about SkyNani's popularity are that they're filling the "just friends" shoes of the OhmNanon ship that busted last year. This explanation doesn't quite fit for me, considering the very in-your-face queer conversations that Bad Buddy had. But I think it's interesting that the SkyNani promotional materials lean so heavily into the "friend" terminology that Bad Buddy created, and that GMMTV likely wanted to continue pursuing.

To be honest: I'm kind of curious about High School Frenemy, considering that I loved Fon Kanittha's work in 10 Years Ticket. But I am so behind on shows that it would take a lot for me to make time for HSF. However, I'm likely going to add it (without watching it) on the Old GMMTV Challenge list as a harbinger of the style of ships that GMMTV is playing around with in Series Y's second decade of existence.

[orionsangel86]

I was once again flicking through the Sandman comics and thinking about the changes made to the show (as I am pretty much always doing) and something that struck me as interesting is why they chose to swap out Tales in the Sand for Men of Good Fortune.

In the comics, The Sound of Her Wings is the last story in Preludes and Nocturns. Dream’s meeting with his sister Death closes out the first of the overarching storylines within the Sandman saga, and it ends with Dream finding some measure of peace after speaking with her, and finding joy in hearing the sound of wings.

This can be interpreted as the first bit of real foreshadowing of Dream’s desire to die. Anyone who has read the Kindly Ones knows how important The Sound Of Her Wings is as it is called back to heavily at the end.

In the comics, the next issue can be seen as a one off, but is included in The Doll’s House book. This issue is Tales in the Sand - the tragic love story of Dream and Nada.

Right after Tales in the Sand, we get to the Doll’s House, which begins the exact same way that episode 6 of The Sandman Netflix show ends - with Desire calling on Despair to begin their scheming over the existance of the vortex.

I found it very interesting how the show swapped out Tales in the Sand for Men of Good Fortune - a story which in the comics comes much later within The Doll’s House storyline.

On the one hand, it makes sense to move Men of Good Fortune outside of the Doll’s House story for pacing reasons. But by putting it where they did they have drastically changed the tone of the story in a few ways.

1. It changes the end of The Sound of Her Wings. Show!Dream doesn’t leave his sister to sit and find peace in the thought of death, instead he does the opposite, he immediately goes and seeks out the one person he knows who is quite literally the antithesis of death - someone who finds joy in living. It still ends the Preludes and Nocturns story with Dream finding some manner of peace and happiness, but not in the sound of wings. Instead, it’s in the reunion with his friend who loves life so much he refuses to die.

2. It takes the place of the only love story we are given for Dream at that point in the comics. The Sandman comics have a tendency to avoid revealling too much information about Dream too soon and up until this point in the comics, all we know about his love life is that he condemned a lover to hell 10,000 years ago, based on a very brief conversation in A Hope In Hell. Tales in the Sand is the expansion of that brief conversation, giving us at least one perspective of how the tragedy played out.

I am really curious about why they decided to leave it out of the show completely. Partly I think its because it isn’t exactly a flattering look at Dream as a character. Probably didn’t seem like good business sense to the people who wanted The Sandman to perform well to basically destroy your main characters likeability half way through the first season (imagine all the Twitter puriteens and anti types who would get on their high horses attacking Sandman fans and Neil Gaiman alike for daring to like a main character who comes across a little bit rapey in this particular story - among other horrific character flaws).

Also, Tales in the Sand generally fits better with the Season of Mists story arc overall, and I think we will get a much kinder and more forgiving version of this story in the show.

So instead of being introduced to the first of Dream’s lovers, we are introduced to Hob Gadling. Make of that what you will.

3. It makes the immediate cut to Desire at the start of The Doll’s House story all the more eyebrow raising. Part of the reason why I think Desire’s scenes follow on from Tales in the Sand is because Desire had a lot to do with Dream’s bad behaviour in that story, and what ultimately happened is partly their fault. It is brought up both in comic and show when Desire tells Despair that “Nada was a mistake” but in the show, this comment remains a mystery, whereas in the comic, it goes some way into explaining the horrific story we have just read.

In the show, instead it makes for absolutely beautiful subtext as they cut to Desire’s realm and the song Desire as Desire says “Attend sweet Sibling” whilst we have just watched Dream reunite with Hob and smile the first real smile he has had all season so far. For a split second on my first watch I legit thought Desire was talking to Dream at that point and encouraging him to hook up with Hob. It was a very confusing few seconds!

At the end of the day, I think the change to the order of these stories was a very good idea, even without the added level of shipping fodder it gives us Dreamling shippers. In changing the end to The Sound of Her Wings in the show, it removes the foreshadowing of Dream’s desire to die, which I’ll be honest, so far I can’t see at all in the show version of the story. Instead, we get a Dream who is happy for the first time after reuniting with his friend - who apparently waited an additional 33 years for him and built/refurbished a pub in that time.

I have a bazzillion more thoughts on the changes from comic to show on the Men of Good Fortune issue in particular, but that’s for another post. I just had to get my thoughts down as the more I read and re-read the comics, the more I feel like the show is considering a different direction, a more hopeful happy direction. But I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

[yuseirra]

Although I literally live in the country of the idol culture, I've never really been into idols or been a fan. I respect them and their hard work; it's just that I've never been particularly interested in the field. I actually still don't know how many members BTS has—I'm that unaware! There are a few idol songs I've heard, but only the really iconic and famous ones, and even then, I doubt I know much about them. I've never been the kind of person to keep up with current trends. I bet 90% of the world's population knows more about K-pop than I do. However, singing one of their songs at a protest got me curious about some of their performances.

Being a fan of an idol and loving them... that must be something pretty special. I can understand it to a degree but I've never really been a "fan" of a real person in that way—not just idols, but celebrities in general. After all, they’re real people, right? There are some people I hold fond feelings for, but I don’t know them well enough to speak about them. I've never been that into a real person(other than friends) They must have so much going on in their lives, don’t they? So a mind of an idol fan - It feels like a mindset worth studying from a psychological perspective. It doesn't actually seem like it's identical to plain idolizing someone, could be for some but the experience must be different for everyone?

I usually tend to find salvation through books and stories, finding that through real, existing people... Well, being able to become someone's star and meaning seems like a pretty beautiful thing in theory, as long as people are happy about it and love gets across both sides, it doesn't seem like it'd hurt.. Most fans are lovely.

Did onk handle this subject well? I'm actually unsure after the finale. It certainly didn't really pull off the lives of actors in much depth...as for idols, it did bring me to think about the nature of the industry and the internal sufferings and complications it could bring to someone but I really do wish they illustrated the dynamic between fans and their idols in a more.. I don't know... Less pessimistic way I guess?; The ending felt SO pessimistic to me. I didn't really like it. Whereas it left a pretty bitter taste suggesting that you have to lie to be one(I mean, that does have a point. But Ai was the better liar in my opinion) it didn't provide so much of an insightful criticism either. Yeah, I'm being a bit bitter on this. It's rare for me to express distaste about something to this extent but I really didn't like it. Maybe I'm disappointed because I thought it'd be good. I am.. Honestly really disappointed towards the piece. It was unnecessarily cruel to its characters and readers and I'm having a hard time understanding why there was a need for it to be that way. If it was executed well, I could have liked it. But I don't think it was.

In the end, I always come back to this same conclusion though: people must be working really hard whatever and wherever they are. In every field. No one job is superior over another, it's nice having been reminded about what struggles and efforts they'd have put in. Everyone's doing their best where they're at huh! That's pretty amazing!

[mybutterflykindred]

Hi!!! I am not really a Boruto fan but i do consume some of its content because of Shikadai and ShikaTema in general and let me tell you, you got me HOOKED with your sunan Shikadai!! I don't know, it feels so mmmmmh mature i think that's the word i would use to describe it? Very political, but also very down to Earth and most of all, it makes sense! I really like the fact and you are able to see it happen in canon because, let's be real, that's a real thing that would happen between nations and politics, so i love that "realness" flavour.

The retconning of the canon verse is very well done, it makes sense that shikadai is not the same as the one we are used to: he may be the same kid, but he had a completely different life and has different skills and personality traits based on his different upbringing. Love that you highlight the fact that he doesn't particularly like the other kids - i feel like he would be a more stern kid, or at least more mature with his head on his shoulders, and the konoha gang, at least at the beginning of the series, feels very carefree and childish, compared to him. And HOW DELICIOUS his whole deal with Shikamaru is: it looks like he cares about him but has built a wall between them. Can you elaborate more on that? I feel like their relationship is tentative, especially now that Shikadai is growing up and slowly becoming a man - they are on friendly terms but they don't usually joke around each other cause otherwise things get awkward. Actually, how DOES Shikamaru act around him? you mentioned that Shikadai thinks he's awkward and underwhelming, so i assume that's how he acts around him. Is it because he feels guilty about the divorce - and he knows shikadai blames him for it too, and that just feeds his guilt more - and doesn't feel like it would be fair to act all buddy-buddy with him? I am veeery curious!!

Sorry for the long rant, i clearly have a lot of time to spare thinking about this au ahah I am building a world in my head as we're speaking. Thank you for your time and have a nice evening!!

@pinkpabli Thank you for this note *tears*!! That is one of my gripes about the main timeline which is how they glossed over the significance of Temari choosing to stay in Konoha. Gaara Hiden hints at this, but more from Gaara’s perspective and his own dealings with the administration. 

Yes! In canon, he loves playing games (cards, video games with his friends). In AU, he’s much more reserved. He still likes playing games, but because he has few good friends, he’s not excited about them. There is little gaming culture in Sunagakure, as they train very young. So he doesn’t get the point of hanging out at the card shop all day or sitting around the burger restaurant with Boruto and Inojin. In AU, he’s much more like to play Shogi or some board game, which he can strategize maneuvers over by himself.

Shinki doesn’t get the point of playing games for “fun,” so he’s not a great opponent. But he also rivals Shikadai in his actual battle planning strategy, albeit being too rigid in his thinking. 

The Konoha kids get on his nerves the most when he visits LOL. Chocho is loud and proud. Inojin is witty and snappy. Not his vibe AT ALL. The sad part is that there is a gap missing in the Inoshikacho triage, and Chocho and Inojin feel this, too. But they still try to befriend Shikadai whenever he visits. 

He doesn’t get Boruto’s easygoing nature. They’re both sons (and grandsons) of Kage. But Shikadai takes this role very seriously and tries not to embarrass his mother. Boruto does not gaf and goes wild. Shikadai could never get away with the same shenanigans with his mother and uncles around.

But underneath his irritation, he secretly admires what they have. For example, Chocho’s family is able to live with each other, even though her parents are from different villages. So he wonders why it couldn’t be that way for his parents. Why is his family the one that couldn’t manage to live together in the end? He takes this hard.

Shikamaru has definitely allowed a wall to build between them; he wants to connect with his son, but is afraid that doing so will expose Shikadai to the truth. 

Shikamaru’s biggest regret with his own father is that he didn’t appreciate all the great things about him while he was living. Like how much he adored Yoshino, and his deep appreciation for the women in his life. Or his natural charisma as a leader and strategist. This is something Shikamaru struggles with since he has the strategy, but comes off abrasive when communicating it. 

So when Shikadai criticizes him for his cluttered office, or his poor smoking habits–Shikamaru takes this on the chin. He doesn’t deserve praise from his son. He didn’t earn it. 

Shikamaru is awkward because he once tried to have “the talk” with Shikadai, but like—he does not know what to say. He is stuttering, and clunky with words, and generally fails. Then Shikadai’s like, “Yeah, I already know all this.” His uncle Kankuro is much better at navigating these discussions. So Shikamaru never brings it up again.

Also Shikadai hates that Shikamaru has an on-and-off relationship with Shiho. “Why don’t you just marry her? And if not, leave her alone.” Because his dad’s inability to commit to a girlfriend proves that he won’t fight for anything.

Shikamaru definitely feels guilty for allowing his family to be separated. What Shikadai doesn’t know is that Shikamaru proposed the divorce to give them a “clean” split and help Shikadai acclimate better to his new life. Temari was originally against this (because she always thought she’d return to Konoha eventually). But she agrees, knowing that Shikamaru has a point. 

But she doesn’t know that Shikamaru secretly pleaded with the Council to allow Gaara to continue caring for Shinki as the Kazekage. He figures that if he makes a strong case, they will allow their lives to continue as normal. He fails at this. 

It becomes clear that the Council’s goal is also to punish Temari and Shikamaru. Because they never were supposed to have a happy ending. Because it is embarrassing that their eldest daughter married an ordinary shinobi from the same village that drove the Fourth Kazekage to desperately conspire with Orochimaru. Shikamaru knows this. So in order to keep anyone else from getting hurt by this, he initiates the divorce. 

So Shikamaru harbors this guilt, and he can’t bring himself to joke when he’s keeping that secret from both Temari and Shikadai.

I’ll definitely draw more stuff for this AU, I’m so glad people take to it! I love the idea of a separated but still *kinda* functional family.

[elias-rights]

chiming in for the last point of this post https://www.tumblr.com/elias-rights/776670976189579264/im-a-tma-loverhater-and-huuuge-fan-of-your-blog

as a brown trans guy who uses a cane, i initially encountered fandom interpretation of jon as such and went “oh cool, like me!!!!” particularly since he’s also canonically ace, which i am as well. but that kind of fell off once i started noticing how those headcanoned traits (brown, trans, disabled) are frequently tied to his infantilization and inability to make (the correct) decisions for himself, especially as contrasted to the fandom interpretation of martin as the (white, abled, (predominantly) cis) savior who must act as jon’s moral compass and protect him from himself, reflecting the tropes of ‘moral white person vs instinct-driven brown person’ and ‘logical cis man vs delusional “girl” (trans man)’ and ‘abled savior vs floundering cripple’

in combination with the fact that i already pretty strongly identified with jon before entering fandom spaces because of his asexuality and the s2 arc (i also have paranoid psychosis, and while i’m not 100% on-board with how the show played it (i can go into more detail on this if you’d like, but i won’t right now), i did find that arc relatable), the fandom’s broad interpretation of him as very similar to me in other aspects without stopping to consider what other tropes would appear through those headcanons (tropes reflecting very real bigotry, discrimination, and hate crimes that i have experienced) really really hurt and is honestly one of the big reasons that i don’t interact with the fandom very much. all in all though, i don’t think it’s inherently bad to headcanon jon as brown or trans or disabled/a cane user or even all three at once, but when contrasted to other headcanons and mapped on to the canon dynamics and interactions, it was enough to make me concerned about how very little consideration much of the fandom gives their headcanons and the biases brought to/shown through them

sorry if this is just super rambley lol, i hope my point comes across

-🩶

(on anon because i don’t want fandom drama tracking me down, especially not this kind of stuff)

Don't worry; I think you expressed your point well, and I'm thankful to have your perspective (as well as anyone else who wants to chime in). I'd also like to add that besides the traits you mentioned, Jon is also frequently headcanoned to be autistic, a trait that leads to infantilisation as well :/

(If you ever want to talk about your issues with his paranoia arc and don't feel comfortable making a post, feel free to drop by my inbox again; I'm curious to hear your viewpoint.)

[kaybeearts]

Is playing ObeyMe! or NB even worth it anymore?

I randomly started playing OM during COVID (2021 or 2022, can't remember). Important thing to note that I was always a F2P player, so that's the perspective I'm writing in.

I actually enjoyed the humor, characters, art, gameplay, and overall aesthetic. (Minus the icky parts about Lilith/MC's backstory, but let's pretend it doesn't exist.) It was this fun little game, but I eventually grew busy over the years and slowly stopped playing it.

I gained some renewed interest and came back to it late last year, and I even downloaded NB for the heck of it to see what it's all about.

I then saw an announcement from Solmare saying that they weren't going to create new updates and events for either game starting January 2025. That did shock me a bit, especially regarding NB since it was a much newer game. However, I didn't think it would affect my gaming experience that much. I was wrong.

What I enjoyed about all the story events was that it gave me the opportunity to earn items (glowsticks, energy drinks, presents, etc) as prizes instead of buying them with Devil points. Over the years, I really stocked up on all these items just from playing the events, and I was also able to save up a ton of DP and energy points. (Since I could also win those as prizes)

With the announcement, I just assumed that Solmare would recycle and re-release old events maybe twice a month. I didn't realize that when they said they'd "re-release events" they were referring to Nightmare events and not the actual story events.

If you want to access old story events, you need a LD ticket or pay with DP. Well, what happens if you used up all your LD tickets and DP? You can slowly build up DP if you're a F2P player, but as far as I've seen, there's no way to gain LD tickets without purchasing them. Absolute bogus.

I've also been having more and more issues with the ridiculous level spikes. Even before the announcement, it was impossible to level the cards up naturally, so I ended up using Grimm (which eats up quickly the higher the level) to level them up. That's pretty much the same issue I've had with leveling in NB.

Speaking of NB; I don't know about you, but I personally wasn't keen on the whole Rhythm game aspect of NB. I understand the devs wanted to make NB a totally different game (otherwise it'd just be a direct copy and paste of OM) but I'm just not a fan of rhythm games. The levels (aside from the Extreme ones) are not that difficult, but I just find them annoying. But that's more of a personal complaint because I just don't like rhythm games to begin with.

I liked OM because its gameplay seem very casual and a bit mindless. I'm not using that as an insult; I just prefer games that unwind me or calm me down. Not games that give me anxiety.

You're telling me I have to work on my reflex and hand-eye coordination skills just for a damn phone game? Come on.

OM was definitely not the best or even the most interesting game I've ever played, but it was fun. I could actually enjoy it as a F2P player, but that was before the announcement. These days, I am struggling to find enjoyment from the games.

As a side note, I'm really curious what happened with Solmare, internally, that caused them to come to this decision. I've read other posts online talking about how they're just money hungry these days, which seems to match up. They claim they're working on something new with the OM characters/story, which is fine, but then why stop creating updates for the og games? At least create more updates for NB; that game was only out for like a year before they decided to make that announcement, lmao.

[nonbinarylesbianherb]

“I don’t actually count 2x08 as character assassination for alicent”

What makes you say that? No hate, just curious because I know a lot of Rhaenicents who openly started hating the ship after Episode 8 specifically because of what the writers did to Alicent’s character.

np! look, I understand it felt like such a big character change (especially if you've read the book, which hotd is obviously meant to be based on) and again I do think they could've handled it significantly better than they did- I've seen great points from both sides (sides of saying it didn't make sense vs it did make sense) and my personal conclusion is I think I understand what they were attempting to portray, but that they didn't do a good job of it.

Don't get me wrong now, I'm still upset with it! but I still think there's hope for her character and that it hasn't been completely destroyed.

Imo, I think it could've made more sense for alicent to beg for the lives of aegon and helaena (and their daughter) saying she'll take them all away and that rhaenyra can just say aegon died of his wounds, or burn a body beyond recognition and show that to the small folk - but pretty much that there'll be no threat against her position because people will think he's dead (and he'll be far away.) And I think the 'sacrifice' could've been aemond. I mean alicent knows aemond is on his own path of destruction, and would refuse to leave with them if she asked, she also knows he's dangerous and untrustworthy. The 'sacrifice' could be that she's letting aemond go, knowing she can't save him from himself but she's saving her two other children.

I do heavily agree that her giving aegon up (whilst it wasn't necessarily 'serving him up happily' to rhaenyra as I've seen people describe - because it was clear this was still a difficult decision and she wasn't gleeful about it in any way) didn't make sense. Especially because how she stayed by aegon day and night during his injuries, and now that he's become more lucid they haven't even had a single conversation, their last conversation being an argument of sorts. So it was upsetting to see, and again I think her 'giving up' anyone would've made sense with aemond more and her doing it to save her children/grandchild.

And yes! this is what I mean when i say you can't treat alicent like this as a character and then push rhaenicent, because that's not how rhaenicent works and you're ruining rhaenicent just as much, so I completely understand why many rhaenicent fans were upset (myself included! again I am upset, maybe I'm just silly and hopeful and want to look at the good side or try to see from their perspective of what they were trying to do with her but we'll just have to see in s3)

we will see what happens, hopefully they take a different approach in s3 tho

[chevelleneech]

A little while ago, I posted about how although I am not owed an answer, I often sort of wonder what the motivations may have been for Jimin and Jungkook enlisting together. I can’t remember the replies I got, and they don’t matter now, but seeing their interactions in Are You Sure? I feel like I kind of slightly got an answer.

Once again, the actual status of their relationship is not what I wonder about. It’s the connection. I’m curious as to what they view each other as, and what about their bond led to them deciding they either weren’t able to or didn’t want to spend over a year apart, like they were going to do with their other very close friends.

The slight answer coming the show, is, “They don’t like being apart.”

Whether you think they’re dating or just friends, we can’t deny how things present from an outside perspective. They said in the car, they hadn’t seen much of each other and didn’t talk on the phone as much as they would have liked. The show was then choosing to rectify that, which they did and had fun doing. As a result of the show, they chose to go on even more trips together. Then in the middle of their second trip, they sent in applications to try and ensure they could enlist together.

No one is doing all of this for a paycheck. JM and JK are very popular soloists within the group, so it is fair to say fans may be more likely to watch their content, but then as a unit is not at all beloved. So while the show could be catering to Jikookers and trying to capitalize off of Vminkook and the hostility among shipping fans… that’s a waste of time. A travel documentary with any of the maknae line would have done well. A travel documentary pitched as a vminkook special would have done even better. Marketing a show centered around the two members nearly the whole fandom refuses to acknowledge are incredibly close, is bad business.

So imo, it makes the reality of AYS being scripted and fan service, less likely. On top of that, Jimin and Jungkook enlisted together. Their company has no say over that, and unless they paid them some pretty millions to do it, there is no other explanation other than, they wanted to.

Therefore, because the most reasonable thought process is that Jimin and Jungkook chose to travel together to reconnect, and chose to enlist using the buddy system, becahse they wanted to be around each other. Which is an easy conclusion to come to without the show, but I think the show just made it more clear that there isn’t (or so it doesn’t appear to be) any additional reasoning. They just wanted to be together, and I think that’s sweet.