#I dunno if these are my absolute faves but they’re ones I like

[breeyn]

An essay rebutting the “bad writing” claims of s2 ofmd. Spoilers herein.

I’ll preface this with saying you’re obviously allowed to like and dislike whatever you want. I am in no way opposing that. And your reasons are your reasons. Have at. (Also - this is a collection of observations from the past few days, I’m not calling anyone out)

I AM going to rebut the idea that season two was poorly written and lost the spirit of what the show is about.

My favourite movie of all time is Empire Strikes Back. It’s been my favourite movie since I was four. I’m pretty sure it’s a fave of David Jenkins, too. He and Taika have made absolutely no attempt to hide their love of all things 80’s - Prince, the Princess Bride, Kate Bush, Star Wars, etc.

I have ancient video tapes (that I can’t play because who has a vcr) where Lucas is interviewed by Leonard Maltin? Malkin? I dunno. Who cares. Maltin asks him about the Star Wars (original trilogy) story arc. Lucas says “in act I, you introduce all the characters. In act II, you put them in a situation they can’t get out of, and in act III, they get out of it.”

That’s how it works. This is how stories and literary structures work.

Of course you’re not satisfied with season two. You’re not supposed to be.

The arguments I have read on why s2 loses the spirit of s1 is because no one heals. No one learns anything. No one moves forward properly. The person who makes the biggest move towards healing dies. The two main characters end the show doing the exact fucking thing they had promised themselves and each other they wouldn’t do. Our romantic lead still doesn’t understand his value or make any headway on addressing his tragic flaw. It makes no goddamn sense.

My gremlins in weird: it’s not supposed to. In Act 2, EVERYONE LOSES. This is how it goes.

I’ve read a lot of people saying “but this felt like a series finale, not a season finale.” We all know that outside politics play a part here, the strikes make everything precarious. I remember the last writers strike. It destroyed tv for fifteen years. Anyone remember Pushing Daisies? Some of y’all have never had your fave show cancelled with zero resolution for the characters and it shows.

Daddy J did us a kindness. He softened the blow of a tough season. After the brutal cliffhanger of s1, he gave us a little softness and hope. All those things you’re mad aren’t resolved? It’s because THE STORY ISN’T OVER.

No one on earth thinks “stuff all your trauma into a box and ignore it” is good advice. A way to actually live. This show did not have enough screen time to throw out dialogue for no reason. There was foreshadowing in s1 for s2, and there is foreshadowing for s3 in s2. This is a well-crafted story by very smart people who care very much for these characters. There is zero chance Frenchie explained the box in his head for no reason. The reason people have not resolved their trauma and growth is because they haven’t done it *yet*.

And friends - it’s not thinly veiled. They straight up fucking tell us what they’re doing.

Luke Skywalker spends the first two movies fucking up and desperately trying to prove himself and just generally being an idiot. Sound familiar? He ignores the lessons he is supposed to be learning to go off and do what he feels like doing, and loses fucking badly. At the end of Empire, Han is gone, Luke and Leia wave goodbye to the Falcon that has Lando and Chewy - the rest of their crew - aboard. Everyone has lost everything they care about. Vader is undefeated. Yoda is pissed. Nothing is resolved.

You see where I’m going?

If you think I’m stretching this too far, welp, when Ed tells Stede he loves him - the climax of the finale - Stede quotes Han fucking Solo. Like - *it’s right there*. The story structure. The reason everything is unresolved.

So yeah. They wave goodbye to their ship because they have wounds to heal (like Luke’s hand). The people aboard the ship have things to find. Ed and Stede have *not* learned their lesson about whims and how not to be like Anne and Mary. It’s not stupid that they’re doing the same thing, and it’s not pointless that we were shown Anne and Mary. It’s all relevant.

The resolution comes in Act 3. None of these people are done. The story is far, far from over. And just in case the studios want to be dicks about it, David Jenkins was lovely enough to not repeat my enduring heartbreak over Pushing Daisies.

Thank you, @davidjenks 🖤

[cryptiqish]

some quick thoughts on nerdy prudes must die

first off - this is 100% a return to form for starkid for me. tgwdlm was like. lighting in a bottle but i really, really am not a fan of black friday - so i dipped after that, and never really looked into nightmare time etc. as i'm not super into the hatchetfield eldritch lore stuff - honestly, i figured i was aging out of it. THAT SAID. holy shit. npmd is brilliant

every single goddamn song is a banger. every one. it's so rare for me to like everything at least to a little bit, but when i can interchange my entire top 5 you know it's brilliant. high school is killing me, nerdy prudes must die, dirty girl, hatchet town...all top tier starkid in general. up there w tgwdlm

angela giarratana and will branner steal this entire show. absolutely insane stuff from both of them. will in particular...oh man. it's his show and you just KNOW it

oh shit!!! oh fuck!!!! i didnt think thered be a skele'uhn here... im so fucking scared of skele'uhnz!!!

it's FUNNY

i <3 the weird anime nerd kid. rip king

jon's vocals and just. general range in this is amazing to see from tgwdlm

 i will say i wish this maintained the more straight slasher vibe of the first act all the way through but that’s just personal preference since i'm less into the overarching eldritch lore stuff as mentioned. with that in mind though, i didn't find the lords in black stuff as jarring as i thought i would (and the summoning's a banger) - so it works narratively. i think at the end of the day i prefer my standalone shows - not everything needs to be an extended universe - so i was pleasantly surprised at how relatively well this could function as its own thing.

following that - i think this is the closest starkid's gotten to like, off-broadway quality - with plot modifications i could 100% see it making the jump. the production quality - of both the musical itself and the proshot, is amazing - everything pops, it's incredibly polished and just looks brilliant (again, such a step up from BF.)

shoutout to the costume design in particular. top tier work again. ghost max looked crazy good.

for something that in actuality didn't get a lot of focus...can’t stop thinking about how the whole max jagerman grace chastity dynamic is like the absolute HARDEST thing to randomly come out of starkid. the implicit themes had absolutely no right to go that hard!!!! it’s a silly horror comedy!

devout repressed christian and a boy that thinks he’s god. and then she deals with the first sign of sexual attraction to him by killing him??

and then his ghost comes back for vengeance, viewing it as divine justice - and then she ends the musical enacting her own vengeful divine justice?? straight up with modified reprise of his song?? they’re one and the same?? the prayer motif???

“will you pray for me / when i’m gone / or is this the eternal dark without a dawn” and “who will pray for you / when your body’s gone” is like the rawest motif of all time and it’s in the same musical that has an ten minute long barbecue joke sequence unrelated to the plot

nothing sexier than the motif of killing god and god killing you, in general. i do think i loved this one because it played with a lot of my fave tropes and themes of horror - high school slasher, archetypes, coming back wrong, religion, all that

"the big game" kept cracking me up it's so dumb and yet

anyway this whole thing just felt like we've unlocked...i dunno, a new level of starkid?? i was blown away and i'm sure for those more invested in hatchetfield beyond tgwdlm it hit even more, but it's left me so excited to see what's next from them for the first time in years.

[louisisalarrie]

Hii... Hope you're well:)

So i was wondering about louis' fanbase. From what i've seen a lot of them, even if they believe freddie is his kid, don't seem to care that much about his sexuality no? Like in harry's fanbase most girls want him to be straight and believe he is. However i haven't seen this happen a lot in case of solo louies.

heya!!! hmmmm I would have to disagree with this one, I think. also this turned into a bit of a welcome to the show moment. so, anon, welcome to the show!

believing F is Louis’ kid is an acknowledgement of his sexuality being anchored, somewhat, towards women. Some may believe he is bisexual/fluid and accept that, but there are a lot of louies who are straight up just against the idea, and some that are pretty neutral. Their main argument is that he does have a kid, which means bbg did its job, and proved to be effective with a new, and expanding, audience that didn’t see him grow throughout 1d.

I’m not in any way suggesting that I strictly for a fact know that Louis isn’t bi or doesn’t have an interest in women, because that’s not been disclosed. However, I would lean towards the fact that he is only interested in men, due to the things I’ve heard, his obvious contrast of behaviour when around them, the amount of and degree of stunts including the party boy louis push, and his mannerisms compared to when he’s around women. So, not only do I believe he doesn’t have a kid, but also that he’s not interested in women.

And I do think there are neutral solo louies who are just like “yeah he could be queer, but that’s none of my business”, but there have been a lot of louies who actively attack people even entertaining the thought. Also, it’s more the idea that he’s ever been with Harry, that they reject. Which is bizarre, like, you believe he may be interested in men, but god forbid it’s Harry?? They pair him with absolutely anyone but him. I’ve had them in my inbox, it’s chaos hahaha.

And same goes for solo harries. There’s this toxicity around the idea of larry, but a lot of them seem to be fine/neutral with the idea of Harry being queer. Though, he again, could never be with louis. It’s truly just… baffling, but also, a lot of these folks didn’t watch them through their journey, a lot of them even refuse to acknowledge 1d because it’s still “not cool” to love a boyband. I’ve seen some absolute gross shit said about both louis and Harry’s time in 1d, but these people don’t care. They’re focused on their fave solo career.

Anyway, this also relates to the very stark contrast in Harry and louis’ images right now. Seeing louis smoke, both pot and cigarettes, and drink, in comparison to Harry who we never really see that side of, is a divide between “wholesome and healthy”, and “laddy and rock and roll”. It’s dark tracksuits and singlets, and it’s bright colours and more feminine/non traditional outfits. It’s louis not talking a hell of a lot on stage to show his personality more, and Harry blocking out parts of his show just for crowd interaction. It’s Harry waving rainbow flags and louis not doing that. It’s louis “having a kid” and not being super active in his life, and Harry not having that extra weight on his shoulders. People seem to take louis’ image at face value a fair bit, and solo harries use that against him. So I’d say it’s a little bit more of the opposite of what you’ve said above.

I dunno, at the end of the day, we’re not gonna see the truth of these fans and how they react, until there is a coming out, in my opinion. Some people will turn against them, some will just be like “ok cool”, and some will rejoice. It’ll all come out in the wash.

Louis being stunt free, apart from bbg, for a while, has been good though. Once they drop that from his career, it’s a slow seeding. It’s the last thing they need to do before a CO. and if they drop bbg, get the boys (Harry particularly) back involved in louis’ life to “support” him through such a wild time, it’ll just be growing to a CO from there. Particularly now that Harry’s publicly single now. It’s the last step, and they can do it positively for louis, and in turn, positively for Harry, and combine the fandoms a little more which will HOPEFULLY stop so much aggression between us and the solos.

Anyway sorry this kind of evolved into something else but thanks for the inbox, anon! <3

[cowardlybean]

your ask button is so tiny it’s so funny

anywho ask game mob psycho fucking all the questions. all of them. i didn’t even read it just answer them all i wanna know

This is gonna be a long ass post :3

the character everyone gets wrong: Tome is a speculative biology enjoyer. thats it thats the post! I also feel like Teruki is more violent than people portray him

a compelling argument for why your fave would never top or bottom: I’mmmm not answering this (cannot decide a fav and most characters are minors lmaooo)

screenshot or description of the worst take you've seen on tumblr : the worst take ever is shipping Reigen and Mob. Gross! Die.

what was the last straw that made you finally block that annoying person?: I haven’t been here long enough to have any annoying people

worst discord server and why: not in any

which ship fans are the most annoying?: if you ship rei//mob. DIE!

what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how how the fandom acts about them?: i already hated Mogami (not from a narrative standpoint, i LOVE the Mogami arc its gutwrenching) but aBoT fic made me hate him even more. KILL HIM!!!

common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about: Tome is aroace i don’t make the rules (is projecting) but in all seriousness I Really prefer Mob being aroace because his relationship with Tsubomi really reflects my aromantic experience of making up a crush because that’s what I assume it’s supposed to be

worst part of canon: i love the entire show. sooo. i mean i guess its hard for me to watch Reigen on the psychic tv show bc of secondhand embarrassment kicking my ASS

worst part of fanon: sexualizing middle schoolers

number of fandom-related words you've filtered: idk but they’re all gross ships

the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them: not unpopular in the “people hate her” sense but Tome needs more attention, shes so autism and i love her role in the Reigen manga

worst blorboficiation: I haven’t been here long but I haven’t seen a lot of Dimple character study content, usually he's just there because he's always there

that one thing you see in fics all the time: autistic Mob and trans Reigen (positive)

that one thing you see in fanart all the time: older Mob being taller than Reigen which I think is silly <3

you can't understand why so many people like this thing (characterization, trope, headcanon, etc): idk how popular it is but mob sympathizing with Mogami just. is not my thing

there should be more of this type of fic/art: Reigen in mogamiland, its so interesting to me

it's absolutely criminal that the fandom has been sleeping on...: BROCCOLI ARC BODY HORROR!!!!!!!!!!! Honestly its fucking terrifying already when Mobs friends slowly convert to Dimple-ism but can you imagine. The roots creeping beneath. :3 AND ALSO Reigen having a fear of being on live tv is underrated 

you're mad/ashamed/horrified you actually kind of like...: not genuinely ashamed but my guilty pleasure is bashing Reigen over the head with angst

part of canon you found tedious or boring: cant think of any

part of canon you think is overhyped: also cant think of any rn

your favorite part of canon that everyone else ignores: the fact that spirits have the power to brainwash without possessing people?? like Dimples two cults are. terrifying!! bc Mob couldn’t sense a spirit changing their minds bc Dimple was chilling in the broccoli

ship you've unwillingly come around to: not genuinely upset about it but I was so surprised I ended up liking yoshieku (Dimple x security guard) the bond between an evil spirit and the man he randomly possessed is incredible

topic that brings up the most rancid discourse: dunno any

common fandom complaint that you're sick of hearing: also dunno any

[axeylotl]

E and U for the fandom asks

E - Have you added anything cracky/hilarious to your fandom? If so, what?

wayyy back in my Ninjago hyperfix, back when I had a totally different blog, me and like 2 other randos came up with scruffshipping. it was rex dangervest, Ronin (Ninjago), and clutch powers (I think that's his name?)

U - Three favorite characters from three different fandoms, and why they’re your favorites.

escargoon from KRBAY was my absolute fave during my kirby hyperfix. dunno why

pinkie pie will always have an extra special place in my heart since Incredibly Hyperactive ADHD Elementary Schooler Charlie saw herself so much in her

Lord Theodore Blackwood, one of my absolute fav SCPs

[cowboykeery]

For the "least favorite" ask game: Episode of Stranger Things? Fanon ST headcanon (and)or theory? Comment people make about Steve? Trope in fanfic? Beauty trend? Accessory? Color?

ooo so many, thank you!

Episode of Stranger Things?: i want you to know that i forgot this was a least fave list and wrote out this really long explanation about my favorite episode then had to delete it ASDFSHDHAJ but i think we can all agree it’s the lost sister. not because i didn’t dislike the story or the characters i loved it, but it was just so ill placed in the season that it took away from what was happening in hawkins. it sucks we never fucking hear of kali again because i liked that storyline

Fanon ST headcanon (and)or theory?

idk maybe that el is actually hoppers daughter that had cancer cuz like it just doesn’t add up at all. while i understand a point ppl have that the hospital where she was being treated where we see hopper crying on the stairs looks EXACTLY like hawkins lab but like you can put that up to it was the first season so they were budgeting themselves and just reused that set for that small scene. idk if ppl still believe in it but that’s one that i remember that bothered me cuz its just absolutely not true

fanon uhhh don’t kill me but steve and robin being “platonic soulmates” i just think that’s too strong of a label to put on them?? they’re besties at most but i wouldn’t call them soulmates and yes i know soulmates can be friendships, love interests, family etc. but i just don’t see that for them in canon the bond is not that intense in my eyes, they’re just best friends idk how else to explain it. love them !!!!!! just don’t see the platonic soulmates thing

Comment people make about Steve?

i guess maybe that he’s unintelligent? sure in comparison to dustin, nancy, robin and the others he seems that way but he’s just an average guy who’s strengths aren’t science or literature

Trope in fanfic?

i dunno whenever reader ends up suddenly being pregnant it’s like ok you’re done bye

Beauty trend?

nothing- let ppl do what makes them feel pretty

Accessory?

i don’t think about them enough to have a least favorite one lmao

Color?

dark turquoise??? i don’t know but that’s a color i have never and will never wear. its not that it’s ugly or anything i just dont own anything with it and wouldnt if it was an option

ask my least favorite _____

[sarah-dipitous]

Hellsite Nostalgia Tour 2023 Day 105

Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid/Turn Left

“Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid”

Plot Description: The dead are rising from their graves and happily reuniting with their families in Bobby’s hometown

Would I Survive the First Five Minutes??: 1) I thought they said the dead were HAPPILY reuniting. But 2) I don’t think I’ve pissed off anyone who’s died enough for them to KILL me. But also I’m not answering the door in a storm like that if I don’t know someone’s on the way

That is some very convenient narration from the nature documentary

Well, they’re not calling you a TRUTHER. Mmm, but okay. Just solidifies my hypothesis that I wouldn’t die in the first five minutes: I’ve also never killed anyone

These are, in fact, the correct faves to make when you get caught impersonating a government official because you had the sheriff of Bobby’s home town call him

Oh shit…Bobby didn’t tell them what the fuck’s going on because his wife is back from the dead too

So DEATH Death is on his way

I am…extremely sympathetic to Bobby’s dilemma (and I am EXTREMELY glad I didn’t watch this last week). But yeah, if it were John and the boys had found out he came back from the dead, Bobby would be telling them the same thing they’re telling him now.

Well, one good thing about Sam getting attacked by that old woman is that we know you don’t have to do anything special to kill them

Bobby, come on.

Look…the level of planning Dean’s doing to go kill Bobby’s wife is exactly the level that Cas did to get Famine’s ring yesterday. Surface level to the extreme

Oh Jody…now I see why you’re pro-zombie. Oh no…oh you poor woman. To get your son back and then lose both your son and your husband in the same night due to your son coming back. I can’t even imagine. Jody, I’m so sorry

Oof, Karen knows it’s over, but Bobby (predictably) can’t do it. He can’t kill her again

Aw come on…I wanna know the messagggggge

Oh Bobby. He did it. He had to, but that doesn’t make it hurt less

WHY ARE THEY SO FOCUSED ON KILLING BOBBY AND/OR DEAN? Unless Bobby is somehow responsible for their deaths too?? Maybe??? I dunno. Are we gonna get closure on that?

This must be so hard to do a second time.

Oh…this whoooooole thing was a hit on Bobby’s life.

“Been On My Mind…”: Nope. 9

“Turn Left”

Plot Description: Donna's entire world collapses, but there's no sign of the Doctor. Instead, she finds help from a mysterious blonde woman - a traveler from a parallel universe

(First things first, HBO Max spelled traveler wrong in their plot description...just needed to get that out of the way)

I'm not ready at all for this episode. I feel like I JUST. GOT. Donna. (The episode just about every day all last week didn't help, but I still want to complain)

*blinks slowly* they were going to pay her HOW MUCH a year? to be a secretary? 20k a year? adjusted for inflation and converted to USD, no. No absolutely not. Well, I suppose if you had multiple wage earners in the house, sure. Anyway...

Normalize making what turn out to be life altering decisions out of spite. I love that for you, Donna.

You can take the companion away from the TARDIS but you can't take the instinct to run toward danger away from the companion

There's so much I've forgotten (fitting) about these episodes because I rarely went back to these in particular. They're so painful. So, yeah, I forgot the Doctor straight up dies.

Rose came all the way across universes just to find out the Doctor died.

Way to go, Mama Noble, making Donna take the job where she's just gonna get laid off because half of he employer's contracts are on the other side of London and they can't cross the Thames.

YES, DONNA!!! GO OUT LOUD AND TOXIC!! This is cathartic for me.

Watching this in 2023 is...something, for sure. Wilf's (rightly) going on about how there's solid proof of alien life, and how it's coming to Earth, and it's not friendly. All the while, Donna and her mom are (also correctly) still having to deal with the minutia of daily life. (Adore that Donna stole Beatrice's label stapler.)

I don't like that Donna and Rose don't get along here. Darkest timeline.

WILF IN HIS TWO PAIRS OF CHRISTMAS ANTLERSSSSSSS <3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

Oh...oh, shit. Girl..."is that like a sequel?" TO TITANIC??

"America is in crisis" bitch, you are telling me. OKAY HANG ON NOW. I was on board with you when you said that the country I live in is in crisis, but I will always draw the line at the fatphobic comments about Americans...

GODDDDD this episode is depressing. Like. I've seen this episode of Supernatural, that one sucked, too. I don't like watching all the things our protagonists accomplished, all the people they saved....be....not that. (I'm tired. It's nearly 11pm because I was dreading watching this)

Oh god...this family Donna and her family have been living with. Fuck. FUCK. The Donna I know wouldn't be this oblivious to what's actually happening around her. The knowing looks exchanged between the patriarch of that family and Wilf...it's heartbreaking

I hate Donna's mom so much. How dare she.

Oh,...that's what Rose meant when she told Donna she was going to die. She's going to cause the accident that forces...herself to turn left

The Doctor's reaction to hearing Bad Wolf once more...

[bambisplaypenn]

It’s alright!! Both sound fun :D we can always do friends to lovers but maybe everyone thinks they’re already together because of how they act with each other? So we can still have the lingering touches and the confession !! And I also don’t mind the college setting, it’s one of my faves too. I can have him be on the college volleyball team so just let me know how you want to know him like as their manager, in a class, through friends outside, dorms, apartment complexes, work, etc!

Oohhh a tríp! I hope you have fun! Hope you can enjoy yourself and rest well. I’m good myself! Just had class and just off to do hw and do some pre-lab stuff cries </3. But it’s okie!

- atsumu mod

i beg… from work. i dunno i just have the cutest thought of tsumu visiting me at work all the time and just.. hnnng.. ))))): but absolutely, i love the idea of everyone thinking it’s already official!!

thank you, baby!! im super excited for the trip!!! its only 3 days but im ready for it!! ew homework.. i hope class wasn’t too stressful bub)): please make sure you’re not overworking yourself and taking care of yourself too

[surveysandthings]

3.

do you feel the need to be popular? I did when I was younger. And then I got it and it’s not as great as it seems.

why do you like taking surveys? They’re relaxing and I enjoy typing!

to what store would you like a $50 giftcard? Target or TJ Maxx.

what is a good present for you birthdays? I like experiences!

what month baby are you? January. Worst birthday month!

what do you think about squidward on spongebob? Wuh??

at what hour do you begin to feel tired? Depends on the day.

do you think a lot? Constantlyyy. It fuckin sucks.

are you religious? do you like religion? I was kinda forced to be as a kid but I’m not and am very staunchly anti-religion now.

what is the last thing you ate? Chipssss.

what are you looking forward to? Nothing at the moment.

are you an optimistic, pessimist or realist? Pessimist, for sure.

how do you like to wear your hair? I like the look of it being down with air wrapped curls most but it’s most comfortable when its up in a bun.

do you watch a lot of youtube on a regular basis? I never watch YouTube anymore!

what is a rule or boundary you have for yourself, that you have followed? I don’t google symptoms! I spiral really bad and it’s not worth it.

what is something you love to do on the weekend? Sleep in, build puzzles, watch movies, spend time cooking fun food we typically don’t have time or energy to make during the week.

do you 'hate mondays'? Yesss.

have you ever played battleship? Obviously.

do you wear skulls on your clothes? When I was like 13, sure.

do you like red lipstick? Yes! It’s my fave.

what do you need to do tomorrow? Nothing really! Our weekend is pretty free. 

what candy do you want right now? Can’t say I want any candy rn.

do you always have the tv on? Not always!

do you get paranoid while vacuuming the house alone? No? Should I?

do you ever feel bitter about the 'way things are'? For sure, especially when it comes to the way my family is.

do you like to record yourself? No, it’s awkward.

do you like the color hot pink? I do!

do you like watching wrestling? Absolutely fucking not.

where do you fit in? No where, really.

what kind of class would you like to take? I would love to take a cooking class! It sounds really fun.

are you prescribed any kind of meds? Nope.

are you tired or sleepy right now? Nope!

do you like cookie dough? how much cookie dough do you eat when you have a roll? I loved cookie dough when I was a kid but it’s not very good anymore. I also don’t think I've ever made cookies from a roll of dough. We make homemade dough.

are you an often starbucks goer? what do you order at starbucks when you do go? Oh hell yeah. White mocha frappuccino with brown sugar syrup or a strawberry açaí refresher with lemonade!

would you rather a giftcard to starbucks or olive garden? Starbucks. Olive Garden is genuinely gross, I don’t know why its so popular. I could make pasta quicker and for way cheaper at home + it would actually taste better.

what kind of cookie do you want right now? Chocolate chip would be pretty nice.

what kind of people do you respect? Ones who don’t ‘demand respect’, when they really mean obedience.

how is silence golden? I dunno??

is your hair dry? Yup!

what shampoo do you have in your tub? Redken and Pureology.

what color is your shower curtain? or is it glass/plastic? It’s glass!

do you like to draw with pen or pencil? Pen!

do you like to draw on lined paper or does it bother you? I hate drawing on lined paper.

spiral notebook or composition? Spiral!

have you ever had a macaroon? Yeah, they’re not my fave.

are you stuck in the past? I don’t think so. I live in the future most often.

do you find yourself saying 'that's stupid' in your mind? Yeh.

do you like to talk a lot? I do!

what would you like to do with really close friends? lol what close friends?

would you ever consider taking a yoga class? Wouldn’t be my idea of a good time, no.

do you play second life or have you ever? I’ve never played it!

what do you think about the sims games? I loooove Sims. Wish they had better developers tho.

do you have mercy on others? Depends.

are you evil? are you good? are you neutral? I’d say I'm pretty good.

do you prefer normal dreams or lucid ones? None of my dreams are ever normal.

tell me about the worst sun burn you've ever had? I’ve only ever had one sunburn and it wasn’t that bad.

do you think it's normal for girls to have hair around their butthole? It grows there so yeah, it’s normal.

do you feel embarrassed a lot? Not really.

do you like to get wasted? I hate drinking.

are you interested in drugs? No.

do you feel smarter or dumber than you were 1 yr ago? Smarter, actually.

are you always trying to improve yourself, or you don't pay attention? I’m always trying to improve myself and its exhausting.

what is life to you? I just want my little family to be happy and healthy.

what is the most important thing in life, quick answer? Happiness.

what magazines are you subscribed to? what do you do with them? None. This isn’t 1994.

what do you like about the sunday paper? Again, this isn’t the 90���s, bro.

do you read your horoscopes religiously? Not religiously but I read mine whenever I come across one.

do you feel your zodiac describes you well? For sureeeee. I'm such a Capricorn.

are you nails painted? if so what? Yup! It’s a red by OPI but I don’t remember the name of it.

is black lipstick your favorite? I don’t mind it but it’s definitely not my fave!

do you like combat boots? They're not my favorite but again, don’t mind em.

do you wear glasses? Yup!

would you ever get back with one of your x's? I don’t have any!

do you sometimes feel dissatisfied with your love life? Nah, my relationship with my husband is the one thing that I never question. 

do you like mac more than pc? Yesss. I would never go back to a PC.

are you friends with your neighbors? We’re friendly but I wouldn’t say we’re friends! 

are you super generous? Not really!

do you feed the strays in your neighborhood? We don’t really have strays, just outdoor kitties in the summer and I always make friends with them and bring them food/treats!

would you rather live in a apt, house, or mansion? A house preferably!

do you think old houses are creepy? Nooo, I love them!

have you won any trophies/ribbons? which are you most proud of if any? Maybe in school? But I don’t remember them so obviously they weren’t very important.

do you like living somewhere with four seasons? Yes!

what is your favorite season? least favorite season? why? I like late spring/early summer because everything feels fresh and new and it’s warm but not hot. I hate winter because the sun goes down at 4pm and it’s scary to drive in.

do you like to answer surveys explaining yourself, or being really quick? I like the more thought provoking ones that require longer answers.

are you afraid of being sucked into quick sand? I’ve never come across it so it’s not really on my list of top fears.

do you think it's ok to be selfish? I think we should be selfish about more things.

do you type home row or with two fingers? Home row.

are you bad at basic math? Absolutely. I don’t think I could do long division anymore if you paid me.

do you wear a watch? No, they make my wrists look weird.

do you like the smell of cig smoke? No.

do you like smoking weed? I tried it once and it was not a good experience.

do you read poetry? I genuinely hate poetry.

do you have a celeb crush? Not that I can think of off the top of my head!

do you feel connected to any certain celeb in some weird way? No.

do you listen to music a lot? A normal amount, I think!

what is a website you cannot live without? I could live without them all.

do you like to donate money to charity? I don’t donate to charities. I don’t trust that they’re putting their money towards what they say they are. I prefer to support real people with whatever extra money I have.

have you ever cheated on your bf/gf/wife/husband? No and I wouldn’t ever.

what kind of outdoor activities do you like? Picnics or hammocks in the park!

would you rather date at a school football game or theatre play? ...what?

what kind of role would you play as in a play? I wouldn’t.

in a movie would you be the villain, hero or main person? I’m the main character for sure.

if you could get anything in your trick or treat bag, what would it be? Money or Reese’s.

do you like thunderstorms? I love them!

do you like to drive a car? It makes me anxious.

what car do you want? what color? I genuinely don't care about what kind of car I drive.

are you a speed racer or more cautious? are you too cautious? I’m a grandma driver, always have been and always will be.

do you stop at the stop sign or skim it a little? Full stop.

favorite gel pen? Papermate Ink Joys are the bestttt.

is the world going to end in december? do you know anyone that really thinks this? Was this written in 2012??

do you like to fish? Never been but I don’t like fish and it seems quite barbaric.

would you ever be a butcher? Not if I had any choice.

do you mind chipped nail polish or does it look trashy? I don’t care what other people do with their nails but on me, when my polish starts chipping, I take it off. It feels messy to me.

what is your desktop background? A collage I made of us.

do you ever say something is your favorite then you lose favoritism 4 it? I don’t really ever announce favoritism on anything. 

did you play mash as a kid? do you even know what that is? In like the 6th grade.

is it ok for an adult to have a kiddy toothbrush? Why would I care about what another adult puts in their mouth??

do you like glitter? It’s pretty but a bitch to get rid of.

play doh or clay? Slime?

do you journal? This is a form of journalling, right?

what is something you do pretty much every day? Snuggle my bbs!

give me some good advice to live by. ...I need life advice, I shouldn't be giving it.

your name is? Oop.

what was your fav. time in your life? why? When I first met my husband. It was fun to be young and in love.

do you type in all caps, lowercase only or normal usually? I type the proper way.

do you feel you change everyday or are you stagnant? I like a good mix of routine with some spontaneity.

do you go to 'haunted' houses for october? what would you like to see in one of the houses? I’ve never been to one.

what are you being this yr for halloween? what about next year? I didn’t do anything this year and have no leads for next!

[thespinalfluid]

Album Covers Tag Game

rules: pick your 9 favourite album covers from your music library

tagged by: @runtowardssomething

Girls Go Wild — LP

By and By — Caamp

Suncity — Khalid

Wrong Side — Noah Gundersen / SISTERS

Melodrama — Lorde

Rainforest — Noname

Believe — The Ghost of Paul Revere

Joy in the Wild Unknown — Ripe

Through the Deep, Dark Valley — The Oh Hellos

tagging: @most-dangerous-dingo @little-werewolf-tori @athenianmidsummer

[drshebloggo]

Who's your favorite character in a league of their own? Any hopes or dreams for them next season?

Oh this is a trick question because my favorite character is ALL OF THEM. If I'm choosing upper echelon, we're talking Greta, Clance, Max, Carson... which in itself is maybe a compliment to the writing team, because those four are also the most like main characters? I think it’s so easy on an ensemble to pick faves from the wings, and on a show like this the cast is a whole BUFFET of lovable, well-developed favorites. But those two co-leads and their other halves are rendered so lovingly and perfectly that they get full favorite status for me.

As for next season... there are 24 paragraphs of pondering under this cut. Enjoy?

I find myself playing a game of “what I would do” if I were on the writing team for the show, so I’ll go that route!

The first big question is: where do you pick up, given that S1 ends on SUCH a cliffhanger? I think it’s too unearned to skip ahead unless you use flashbacks and maybe too clunky to pick up RIGHT on the patio where we left Carson and Charlie. If it were me, I’d go flashbacks. I think I’d devote S2E1 to seeing what everyone has been up to in the off season, which lends itself well to skipping around in time/place and doesn’t make it seem like Carson is suddenly on an episode of Lost. But by the end of S2E1, you’ve gotta have the season starting, because it’s the whole point and will bring everyone together again. It’s time for everyone to be back with their teams again.

So what’s everybody been doing? I don’t think I have specific ideas outside Carson and Greta... those two I would have NOT communicate at all during the off-season, where they’re in their own identity storylines. Carson, I would have her wander wherever her playing wages would take her; Greta, she’s in NYC the whole time - each living a lifestyle more akin to the one the other had previously lived. Carson running, Greta staying still. Greta is probably thriving professionally in her job, but it’s probably in sales and she’s probably turning in the performance of a lifetime as a straight woman. I imagine that she invents a husband at war so that she can wear a ring and get clients and coworkers off her back, and I’d like to imagine that she takes great scathing delight in making up the most ridiculous Soldier Guy for her to be imaginary-married to, just absolutely LACERATING everything she hates about 1940s mainstream culture with this invented man she supposedly adores. 

Carson, I dunno. As for the Charlie of it all, it seems pretty obvious that they would be going their separate ways, however painful it’s going to be. Carson seemed to be on the way to spending the off-season without Charlie anyways, but now the truth of her affair (with a woman) is going to blow up any control she might have had over the situation, so it’s gonna be rough. I think Carson spends the off-season/S2E1 almost in exile, and we wonder if her sadness over Charlie might have overshadowed the thrill of liberation that her sojourning was supposed to bring her. But maybe we get some clarification on that before she returns to the league. Maybe she tracks down a Red Wright’s All-Stars schedule and travels to see Max pitch. We get a Max/Carson reunion, a reminder of the importance of The Five, and as Carson sees Max happy we get a glimmer of a reminder of what she’s doing all this for: she’s walking closer and closer to her true self. Let me watch Carson in front of a sunset and smile for the first time since the season ended, happy in this moment on her own embracing a newfound freedom!!

As for Max, that’s another huge question about the structure of S2! Can the Max/Carson connection continue to bridge the two narrative threads they’re leading? I would try to do it in small ways, but not bend over backwards to make it happen. I think the writers should trust that Max can carry half this show without a narrative tether to the Peaches. I’m not sure what that a S2 story arc would entail for Max. She made SUCH leaps in S1, and the arc ended so cleanly and satisfyingly for her at the end of the season. Where to go in S2, and telling different stories of baseball-on-the-road than S1? I’d like to see her relationship with Esther expanded a little more, so that Esther can get brought up to the status of a more developed character. What’s the dynamic with the teammates? Does Max struggle with playing for entertainment over competition? What racism does the team encounter as it barnstorms against white teams? All possibilities to explore.

One thing that seems clear about the larger story for Max is that she’s headed for the Negro Leagues. But it’s not quite time yet, I would think. Toni Stone didn’t join the Negro Leagues until 1946. There wasn’t as much opportunity for women in the Negro Leagues until the MLB integrated, which started in ‘47 with Jackie Robinson and didn’t gain traction right away. In ‘44, most of the Negro Leagues teams were on the east coast and midwest, and the West Coast Negro League wasn’t founded until 1946. (Fun fact! The West Coast Negro Leagues team was founded by Jesse Owens and Abe Saperstein, a Jewish basketball coach who also founded the Harlem Globetrotters. Saperstein was also a Negro Leagues scout for the manager of the Cleveland Indians looking to integrate the American League in 1947. Book rec for baseball history nerds: check out “Our Team” by Luke Epplin, which tells the story of the 1948 Cleveland team that won the World Series with former Negro League players Larry Doby and Satchel Paige. Doby was the second Black major leaguer after Jackie Robinson - and entered the majors overnight from the Negro Leagues, unlike Robinson, who went through a year of the minor leagues to prepare and adjust for the onslaught of racist abuse at the higher level.)

Anyways, I’d love to witness conversations about the plan to integrate the MLB, and shining a light on the tension between wanting equality for Black ballplayers, and the reality that the Negro Leagues would ultimately suffer for losing those players to the MLB. I wanna see Effa Manley fighting like hell to keep the Negro Leagues lucrative! It seems like an easy choice for a show about women in baseball, and Black women in baseball specifically. (Effa Manley co-owned the Newark Eagles with her husband from the mid-30s until 1948.) But I’m not sure that would be happening yet, so I’ll put that away for S3/S4. And maybe they’d shy away from direct portrayals of real people, since they didn’t really do that in S1.

In any case, one thing that is very cool about this time period in baseball, though, is that leagues are everywhere. A lot of Negro Leagues players actually played in Mexican and Cuban leagues, so it would be awesome if the show could weave some of those threads together and show more of the baseball community that existed (and maybe even bring in Lupe and Esti story points). Satchel Paige had a barnstorming team that was wildly popular, so maybe that’s something for Max to encounter before we get to ‘46. Who knows! There’s tons of historical material to uncover and get inspiration from, and I don’t even know most of it.

Of course, the historical reference aspect gives us some idea of what to expect for S2′s larger themes for the Peaches and AAGPBL. The league added two teams for the 1944 season, and publicity and media attention went up. Will Graham has already talked about their plans for S2 to show conflict surrounding the players living more in the public eye. It seems like Charm School will be back (because it was) and will involve elements of media literacy and public speaking that maybe weren’t as present in S1. In S1, the media only cared about Dove. But with the success of the league, it seems like players are going to be in the media. 

Naturally, it would seem that every queer character on the team is going to have to reckon with this, perhaps Greta and Carson most of all. Greta’s probably going to go on more dates with men, and Carson is going to have to Deal With It. I don’t think it would be a comfy season for Greta, because she’s in a long-term relationship for the first time ever (which I don’t expect she’s gonna handle super steadily) and she’s going to have extra public scrutiny on her image that she already curates SO much. Maybe Soldier Husband Overseas becomes useful for her during the season, who knows. But I imagine Greta will be A Little Too Good at media, and Carson will not be (at least at first), and it’s gonna cause conflict. And they’re not going to be able to go out on any dates. Greta’s not gonna want to be seen in public with Carson if there is the slightest threat of cameras around. 

Hopefully, though, the tension of living a queer life in a public world will not retread too many themes from S1. Maybe it will give a chance for Jess or Lupe or Jo to step into more screentime... without having their entire S2 arcs being about negotiating their identity for public consumption. 

Of course, there’s always the possibility that Peaches will be traded. It seems unavoidable, no, with two new expansion teams? Who will go to new teams, who will stay on the Peaches? Will they give story arcs or conflict to any new Peaches? It’s hard to imagine new characters getting a spotlight given that this is an ensemble with plenty of story to go around with the mainstays, but who knows. And who knows what conflict they’ll get from trades? At the same time, at what point does it become more beneficial to keep a core group of characters together because 50% of the show is built on the back of their team chemistry? It’s a hard call.

I’d say that if they want to emphasize the expansion of Milwaukee and Minneapolis (which ultimately fold after one season because of fractured management and lack of support in such big cities, so this is the only time to tell that story) then you’ve gotta put a POV Peach on one of them. Greta’s an obvious candidate because of the media angle - it would be pretty in-character if her shrewd eye easily identifies all the ways in which the branding/marketing of these teams is going to fail. Basically, as it happened, the teams in smaller markets got more publicity because they had less competition in the papers. It makes sense that the league would have tried to put their bombshell-iest player on a new team, only to have it backfire when the media there doesn’t care. Meanwhile, Carson and her complete inability to not ramble through a press question is struggling with laser-focus celebrity attention back in Rockford.

But also do the writers DARE put Carson and Greta on different teams, when so much of their season 1 arc is them choosing to be together? I think they might, tbh. Because now their choice to be together isn’t the conflict; it’s new conflict that makes that choice even harder and they have to stick with it. (But S2 definitely ends with Greta and Carson going off together in the off-season. They’ll end the season stronger, and have the chance to be together-together after that. In my version of this anyways, haha.) I just think if Greta and Carson stay on the Peaches and are subject to intense media scrutiny, it would recycle a lot of the conflict with them from last year. If they’re not in the same city, it lowers the stakes a bit and is less of a concern.

Another interesting question is the possibility that Carson will NOT be a coach, and how that affects her playing. She’d almost certainly butt heads with a new coach. But again, how do you make that a new story, considering what they did with Dove in S1 and how he was Very Much Not The Point. I don’t think this audience is going to care an iota about a male coach going in, so why bother? It’s an interesting dilemma. Maybe Carson stays a coach, which helps fuel the flames of media attention on her as a result. I do think it also makes sense to keep Carson in Rockford, maybe because it increases the possibility of Max-crossover for her. But who knows.

Anyways. Trading works best if you keep Peach clusters, so you can at least build on relationships the audience is already invested in. But which clusters do you pick? There are so many ways to slice it! I think the easiest choice is to keep Greta and Jo on different teams while they continue changing independently. The next thing that comes to mind is considering how to maneuver the queer characters so that they don’t all get isolated, but also so that their storylines aren’t solely about dealing with the threat of being outed. Both ends of that spectrum are depressing!

If it’s me, I’d send Jess with Greta: 1) Jess will hate the big city and Greta will love it and they will squabble; 2) Jess will find the queer spaces and coax Greta back into them (where Greta will make an amazing wingwoman); and 3) if they’re roommates, it gives Carson and Greta a little bit of protected privacy when the Peaches come to town. Also, with the expansion teams getting less media coverage than the original teams, Jess and Greta might have a little more breathing room with their vulnerability as queer players. (Aside: let’s say Jess and Greta go to the Milwaukee expansion. That team is called the Chicks, and the idea of Greta and Jess playing for the Chicks is hilarious. Greta will make one million jokes.)

I really love Lupe and Carson’s dynamic, in that it is SO hard-fought, and part of that journey was realizing that they have so much more in common than they thought. But again, you don’t really want any retread on stories from S1, and I think Lupe needs a S2 storyline independently. I’d love for Lupe to go to another team, maybe Racine, on her own where she can be a leader - AND, maybe there’s a new player who is a phenomenal hitter that makes them a huge threat, which delights Lupe to no end. She stirs up some friendly rivalry with the Peaches and Blue Sox; she and Jo WILL shit talk Carson. (I also want Lupe to make up with the Comets player from the bar. Give Lupe a serious relationship!! I think she is a secret romantic but stubborn about showing it.)

That leaves Esti, Maybelle, and Shirley. I think you keep Esti and Shirley with Carson, because a) I want Carson to learn Spanish to be able to communicate with Esti without Lupe, and b) Shirley will continue to stress Carson the hell out. Or maybe she won’t! I want to see how their dynamic has changed, and how Shirley has changed, after her growth last season. Maybelle, let’s send to Jo because they love each other so much. Reunion!! (But honestly, can we just keep all the Peaches together forever? That’s the dream.)

The only challenge with doling out the original Peaches is how to handle championships. Will this show ever tell a faithful ‘we won a championship’ sports arc? Maybe not, and I think that’s okay. This is not a sports show; this is a character show in the framework of sports. And sports shows have four options: Emotional victory, points victory, emotional defeat, points defeat. The best endings are gonna mix and match those. I don’t think they’re gonna go for emotional defeat outright. Maybe there’s one emotional victory, one points victory, and then the show transcends the need for focus on the winner of a championship, particularly if there aren’t enough focus characters on the team that wins.

As for non-baseball storylines, it seems very likely that Carson’s mom will make an appearance, because she’ll probably see Carson’s name in the paper somehow and show up at a game. I suspect the writers already know what Carson’s mom’s deal was, because the way she was referenced S1 was so specific yet nebulous, I think the writers had to have sketched out SOMETHING. There’s a lot there to work with, in that Carson’s mom was not willing to stay in her role as a housewife and chose some other dream instead. Her version of baseball. It fits her right in with every other character on this show. But what exactly was it?

Whatever it is, it’s gonna surge mixed feelings for Carson, and it makes you wonder if her father and sister have some culpability in Carson’s mom never staying in touch after she left. This seems ripe for a “I wrote you letters” situation where Carson’s dad or sister intercepted them and never told Carson, but who knows. Or perhaps the story that her mom “ran away” is a lie, and she was cast out and shunned... like Uncle Bert. So who knows, maybe Carson’s mom is queer too (shout out to @karatam​ for connecting THOSE dots!!). This show seems pretty unfazed about inviting more queer friends to the ensemble; Carson’s mom would just need to be distinct from Bert, Vi, and the other queer elders we’ve already met.

Regardless, I do think ultimately the goal for Carson’s character is to not be afraid of becoming her mom, which either involves therapy (a 1940s unlikelihood) or a more positive self-identification with her mom. She already hinted at the latter in her argument with Charlie when he says she’s got the same thing her mom has that made her run away. Carson says she doesn’t have as little respect for her anymore, because at least she wasn’t pretending. We’ve gotta go there fully this season, no?

Then there are the Rockford residents - the Chapmans, Clance, Bert and Gracie. We’re guaranteed Clance and Toni time, since Clance is pregnant and Toni is stepping in to support her. It’s gonna be a hard time for Clance with Max AND Guy gone, but I’m hoping we get some good scenes with Toni, and something else for Clance that isn’t just the pregnancy. I’d love to see her send her comics in to The Defender and have them published. I don’t think they would publish them under her name, which would piss her off at first, but the MINUTE Cecil comes bursting through her door raving about the newest comic in paper, she would be SO smug. I also love the idea of Clance having a kind of secret identity, like the superheroes she was writing about. And I definitely want Max to read The Defender every day for its comic, as a way of feeling close to Clance.

I’m also hoping Bert AT LEAST makes an appearance or two. I’d love for him and Toni to work through their issues more and ultimately repair their relationship, but I don’t know how feasible that is. Maybe Gracie takes Clance under her wing too, when she realizes why Clance has quit, and that gives Clance the opportunity to meet Bertie and grow more open-minded. I absolutely need Clance to accept Max for who she is whenever she finds out that she’s queer. I don’t think the show would deny the audience that, but it’s also suggested that Clance might just need a little adjustment time. Maybe Bert can help Clance get there and Clance has time to process without Max so that Max can experience her full acceptance when they do eventually talk about it.

Okay.

Whew.

How does one wrap up a brainspill of this length? Regardless of anything, I trust these writers. And more than anything, I just want more time with these characters, together with each other as much as possible. So I HOPE they get a season 2, and I’ll be along for whatever ride they take us on. Let these scamps all play baseball again!!!

[obstinaterixatrix]

It's super cool to hear you talk about romance manga! If you don't mind me asking- what are your favorites and why? (also, if you haven't read it, try You Got me,Senpai. It's like.... WEIRDLY GOOD.)

I got a tag for m/m recs and f/f recs and m/f recs but I dunno about favorites bc it tends to change depending on my mood and what I’ve read lately. also there’s a bunch of what I’d consider my favorite that I wouldn’t necessarily rec to others. well I’ll rehash a couple of them. the rec posts have the caveats and warnings and if it doesn’t have a rec post you’re on your own I don’t feel like writing it all out. Also I’m including webtoons.

A couple m/m faves:

My Bias Is Showing—it seems pretty standard at first glance but the charming art and the charm points of each respective character makes it really stand out. I absolutely love how you need a chart to track everyone’s respective understanding of the situation and how nobody actually has any idea what’s going on. I love how the character that could easily fall into stereotypes of the “weaker” role is very solidly just some guy and is very active in terms of both expression of desire and trajectory of the relationship. I love that siyeol is simultaneously cunning + manipulative and also the biggest idiot alive who essentially tricks himself into falling in love with just some guy because of the dog-blooded drama that only exists in his head. I love the scene where Siyeol bursts into tears and Aejoon just wraps him in a curtain burrito and walks away.

The Honest Life of a Game Studio—I really like how it ends up being this genre mashup of slice of life office romance and… well, I guess quick transmigration kind of? you get to see the characters interact in both extremely normal office settings and also extremely high stakes life or death scenarios. I also like just how detailed the video game studio segments are, like wow the artist definitely gives the impression of having either direct experience or observation of the office side of things. Also the main characters are essentially THE most Just Some Guy energy possible. Like they have their quirks, and Nobu is a big name in the video game world, but it’s kind of in the same way of ‘oh, shu takimi exists.’ he’s not as out there as, say, uchikoshi or kojima. and Anan is just a mega-fan who works in the industry. it’s a good contrast of ‘extremely normal’ and also ‘these guys are now trapped in time prison’

a couple of f/f faves:

Hana to Hoshi—this series stays in my heart. I’ve mostly moved away from high school romance because I like reading stories about characters in my age bracket (but preferably older) but these are my forever gals. I think it’s kind rare to find f/f with my preferred dynamic of ‘stoic weirdo’ and ‘kinda desperate dumbass’ especially with the fun chaotic energy I’m drawn to and this matches it exactly. also has MULTIPLE layers of one-sided familiarity which I absolutely LOVE. you get TWO WHOLE INSTANCES of the whole ‘oh… who are you?’ which is really funny. I also really like hanai’s character arc in terms of being burnt out on what she used to love and rediscovering that joy again, especially since for the most part it happens independently of hoshino.

After the Curtain Call—this series turns me stupid I turn into those awful rec post writers that only lists tropes and archetypes because a lot of them appeal to me. there’s an OFFICE LADY there’s an ACTRESS they’re ADULTS. Jaeyi is sooo cool and Soyung is sooo charming. they’re also very Just Some Guys energy. I also like how they tend to be on completely different pages about their relationship but somehow it never comes up and just works out??? lol??? like I’m sure it’s frustrating to some but I think it’s hysterical that jaeyi is like ‘man I gotta get a role so soyoung doesn’t dump me for being a loser’ and soyoung is like ‘I Am Going To Support Jaein And Her Career No Matter What’ like girls. somehow this is working.

A couple of m/f faves

For Better or for Worse—dylan is sooo charming dylan is soooooo charming I love her. also I really like the barriers to this relationship because it’s nothing that can be explained or resolved easily. on cedric’s side, he’s like ‘oh, she’s still hung up over her ex-fiance and considers him the love of her life…’ and on dylan’s end it’s ‘I know the story and the character you’re supposed to end up with and I care about you and her and I know I’m a placeholder so I can’t get too comfortable and I have to prepare myself to send them off with no hard feelings’ and I *really* like how the trajectory isn’t about the heroine being Actually The Worst Blah Blah Blah but with how the narrative seems to be going and what little I’ve read on spoiler threads it’s more of ‘well different things happened and people have different relationships now so of course they’ll respond differently, people aren’t going to Snap Into Place.’ equipotentiality yknow

I’m the villainous daughter and I’ve decided to keep the last boss as a pet—I actually have no idea if I got the title right I have five minutes anyway I love this one aileen gets to actually have villainous traits without being framed as needing to develop out of them, she’s ambitious and cunning and that’s her strength! also it’s fun seeing claude get yanked around by her whims and guile. There’s also an interesting conflict of villainess transmigrating and having the perspective of ‘this is my life that I’m living in this world’ and the protagonist having the perspective of ‘this world was made for me’

[wikiangela-fanfics]

Fictober22 - 10. It's my name on the line.

Fandom: marvel

Ship: Bucky x Sam

Summary: Sam and Bucky want to come out with their relationship to the public, but Bucky's worried about Sam's image.

Words: 713

Ao3

Note: Idk, this one is really not my fave, this prompt fought me a bit lol but here it is, tho I don't think I articulated everything the way I wanted to haha

***

“You’re sure about it?” Bucky asks once again, and Sam rolls his eyes. They’ve been having this conversation for days, ever since Sam mentioned that he was ready for them to be out to the public as a couple. Of course that doesn’t mean he absolutely needs them to be out right away, he just said that he’s ready, but doesn’t want to pressure Bucky into anything. Bucky was initially on board, though, beaming as soon as he heard Sam say it. Then, the doubts and worries began.

“I am. But like I said, if you’re not ready, that’s fine, we can wait, we can even never say anything.” Sam shrugs, sitting down on the couch, as Bucky follows him from the kitchen and takes a seat next to him. Sam would like to share how happy and in love he is, but he’d be perfectly happy just being with Bucky in secret, if that’s what it takes. As long as they’re together.

“It’s not that, you know I’d love to- I dunno, hold your hand in public.” Bucky says, as it still blows his mind that it’s allowed and mostly accepted now – that it’s not criminalized, like it was when he was growing up. That people in same-sex relationships don’t generally have to sneak around and hide and keep it a secret at all cost. Bucky’s not big on PDA, but even just such a seemingly small thing as being able to hold hands as they’re walking down the street is huge and important. “I’m just worried about you.”

“Bucky.” Sam sighs, taking his hand and intertwining their fingers. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

“I just don’t want to hurt you or your reputation. I know it’s accepted now and all, but people still can be hateful. You know that better than anyone, you haven’t been Cap for long and there’s so many people saying-” he pauses and takes a calming breath. He always gets worked up about anything that might hurt Sam, be it physically or emotionally. The reception of Sam as Cap has been widely warm and welcoming, but unfortunately there are still people who really don’t like it. But he’s a public figure now, whether he likes it or not, and he willingly signed up for it. Yeah, it sucks sometimes, but he’s focused on doing good and helping people. And he knows all the risks of coming out on top of all that, and he’s willing to take it anyway.

“I know what I’m getting into, baby.” he says softly.

“But it’s not only that.” Bucky shakes his head. “I’m- I was the Winter Soldier. You know what people think of me. They already aren’t happy that I work with you. And Captain America dating me? You’ll get double the hate.” he sounds guilty, and Sam hates that. 

“Listen to me.” Sam squeezes his hand and waits until Bucky looks him in the eyes before continuing. “It’s my name on the line. So, I’m the one deciding what’s best for me, okay? They can say whatever they want, but I don’t care and I don’t wanna care what a bunch of bigots might think of me. We know the truth. You’re not the Winter Soldier anymore, and it’s about time people stopped looking at you like that. Even if it hurts my image, it can help yours- and I know you don’t care, and I’m not saying that’s the reason to do it. But I don’t care about mine, either. I love you and I want to tell the whole world how happy you make me.” he smiles, which Bucky returns. “But again, we can take our time, it’s all up to you.”

“If you’re one thousand percent sure, then- then I guess I’m in.” his smile widens. “I love you, too, and I-” he blushes. “It’s gonna sound stupid but I really want to be able to just hold your hand in public.”

“It’s not stupid at all.” Sam leans in and leaves a short kiss on Bucky’s lips. “So, we’re doing this?”

“Yeah.” Bucky nods. “Yeah, let’s do it.” he grins, which makes Sam’s heart skip a beat. He loves Bucky so much, and he can’t wait to be able to publicly call him his man. 

[mishervellous]

fic recs? ☺️

Oh my gosh anon, what a wonderful question! I dunno if you have something specific in mind, but I’ll start with my current WIP obsessions (these are all Explicit! Pleaaase beware of that!!) (also I’ve noticed these are all AUs lmao so AU Bonanza I guess!):

Old Rules For New Side Pieces by Shamelessquestions: absolutely in love with this fic! The characterization of those two is on point and then some, the storytelling and storylines are incredibly attention-grabbing and immersive, and it’s also absolutely hilarious. Their Mickey is my favorite Mickey ever. For sure my favorite work in progress at the moment, but it’ll probably rank top 5 fics I’ve ever read once it’s done. A certified banger!

The Ghosts of You and Me by AllThatMatters: ZOMBAES!! This fic is absolutely beautiful. Gotta warn you, it’s angst a-plenty but if you like The Pain™️ then this is the one for you—and you’re gonna LOVE the hurt/comfort. The build-ups, the writing style, the characters’ portrayal are all [chef’s kiss]. Also a perfect mix of angsty fluff/fluffy angst.

Miles Between Us by statichearts: and finally, the Historical AU to end all Historical AUs. I don’t know how to describe how much I love this fic, but I’ll try: incredible characterizations (they write my favorite Ian of all time and their Mickey is>>>>), beautiful world building, amazing plotlines. It really takes you there, and beautifully so. The slowest and sweetest of burns too, so if you’re a pining kinda anon this one won’t disappoint.

Now onto some of my fave fics of all time (again, these are all Explicit and AUs. I see a pattern, do you?)

Restoration by pink_ink: BOY OH BOY. Probably top 3 fave AU ever. Both Ian and Mickey are amazingly written, the plot is catchy and intriguing, the angst and hurt/comfort and fluff and smut it’s all AAAHH. I can’t describe it! You gotta read it to really get it. Can’t recommend it enough.

Lost in Translation by Shamelessquestions: Yes, they’re my favorite author and I will keep linking their works so don’t @ me. It’s just......at the risk of sounding repetitive: best Mickey ever. This one’s a short and sweet but absolute gem of a fic, with the cutest plot ever and lots of love and fluff and sexy smeghsy times. I love it!

Teenagers Scare The Living Shit Out Of Me by Mellow_Yellow: this one has my fave prologue ever—random fact but the more you know. Now what do you get when you combine a murder mystery + a (virtual) page-turner writing style + greaaat characters’ development + angsty angst (I love angst if you couldn’t tell) = this absolute treasure of a fic. That MCR song will never be the same after reading this.

The Halfway House by MintSauce: I mean, a classic. Fluffy (as fluffy as canon-like earlier Gallavich can be but you know, you love to see it) feelings for Ian and Mickey growing up together in a children’s home. The thing I love the most about this is the universe the author was able to build after the original fic was over—so I’d absolutely recommend checking out the entire Halfway House collection ‘cause you will fall in love with their Ian and Mickey guaranteed.

Corey & Parker by Violet_Jones: now. Listen. This is a Porn Star AU (happy pride). The smut in this fic fundamentally changed me as a person *not clickbait*. It’s a 12/10, the whole thing—but if you like well written smut this is the ultimate came-in-for-the-smut-stayed-for-the-plot-and-the-smut fic.

Sexual Harassment in the Workplace by Shamelessquestions: yes this is a Shamelessquestions stan account and I will not apologize for it. Another amazing AU with beautiful characterizations, show-stopping plot-lines and delicious Miss Understandings. At this point anon just go to the author’s profile, close your eyes, pick a random fic and you’ll never be disappointed. You’re welcome.

Hope you like ‘em my sweet anon (I know I love them 🥺🥺)!

Also, sorry for not tagging the authors on here but I either couldn’t find their Tumblr or I’m too much of a capital S Shy capital B Bitch to tag them—but go check out their profiles/other works too please! Give them some well-deserved love. I adore them all so much!

[sanstropfremir]

pls do talk more about b*s and their current image (censoring because if you don’t have great things to say i don’t want you to be attacked by their crazy stans :))

i always bring this up when i talk about them but it’s really :( that they are the way they are now. like i was a fan because of their hyyh era and their songs about the troubled youth. and of course they can’t stay in that image forever (because we all grow up and it would just be v fake if they tried to continue it given their status and wealth now.) it’s just disappointing that they went down the ‘safe, disney image’ and are releasing generic mainstream pop songs people will forget after a couple listens. i’m no longer a fan of them now but yuh.

also not to mention how they essentially made kpop boring for me now lol i wish companies had fun with their music selections instead of aiming for whatever b*s has. like we will never get a group like orange caramel again (i know wjsn chocome’s concept was similar but it just didn’t feel the same. you talked about it before and i wholeheartedly agree with ur points.)

thank you for the consideration of censoring the name but honestly i'm not that worried about it. i do however find the increasingly creative ways people censor it to be extremely hilarious so keep it up if you would like.

i addressed most of the first part of your ask in the second part of my response here, this is now the third installment in a series, somehow. (the first part is here).

not to level this at you in specific anon, because i know a lot of people share this sentiment of kpop being 'boring' now, and while there is an element of this that is influenced by bts, and although it is true we aren't getting the same level of wild that produced orange caramel, there is actually interesting and kinda weird stuff happening in kpop; it's just not by the groups that are getting the most attention. dreamcatcher has been out here doing horror rock since their debut in 2017. onf has put out two excellent summer pop tracks with fun and stupid genre mvs. i love this recent ghost9 track. i'm obsessed with the instrumental in the chorus of bdc's moon walker. just b debuted last month with a strange bang yongguk track and a very 2013 feeling mv. here's another weird and fun boy group debut, blitzers. a.c.e have put out favourite boys, the fave boyz remix, down, and higher as their last four releases which all have the most coherent and well designed concepts in the last year. and while i'm at it i might as well include take me higher and undercover. oneus put out a mad max themed performance video randomly for no reason like three weeks ago. the rest of the industry were cowards for not following up on to be or not to be with a shakespeare comeback wave. rip onlyoneof but they gave us a whole three week comeback of dick grabs. hanya brought my attention to this weird as shit debut track from a group that has now totally disappeared. knk's sunset exists. we moved on way too fast from the mv because taeyang was being cunty on music shows but sf9's teardrop has probably some of the most interesting shots in a kpop mv in the last several years. and we definitely moved on too fast from my favourite just some guy and goofy movie character woodz's feel like.

i think it's pretty fatalistic to view bts as having singlehandedly made the industry boring because honestly......i don't think they have. if you want to talk about the downturn to plainclothes styling....well that's shinee's fault. and the general trend to less dramatic fashion and visual tastes is not exclusive to the kpop industry, it's been a whole cultural trend. the mid to late 2010s were the rise of 'normcore' and we haven't burst the bubble yet. bts is just reflecting trends happening in the wider world, and in particular the western one. for the most viewed kpop mv of 2020 dynamite did....what exactly? it didn't really spawn any significant copycats in terms of sound or aesthetics, with the exception of maybe superm's we do if you look at it a bit sideways. although this is one of bts' better styled mvs, 70s retro did not make any resurgence in kpop styling, EXCEPT in magazine and fashion shoots, which it was already doing in the west. taemin's criminal was significantly more influential; i can think of at least three different male soloist mvs that borrowed heavily from it. honestly i think stylists and groups are trying to steer as clear as possible of whatever aesthetics bts uses, lest they accidentally doom themselves to a (perceived) slighted fanbase. plus, there's been a pretty sizable resurgence in contemporary hanbok styling, so even though there is a lot more outward attention going to things like international promotions for other groups and whatever the hell sm keeps trying to do with nct, i think a fair amount of companies are interested in maintaining the koreanness of kpop while facilitating broader global access.

and honestly, bigger acts have also put out interesting things in the last year. we did all see taemin's back to back release roster for ngda right? criminal? idea???? advice???????? fuck, chocolate was barely a year ago. whatever your opinions on yunho are, thank u is fucking brilliant mv. sunmi's tail. lie to me and tell me the mv for you can't sit with us isn't fun as fuck. i dunno what the hell the new nct127 song is gonna be like but the teaser photos and mood sampler are weird as hell and i'm absolutely interested. he's only kpop adjacent at the moment but jackson's 100 ways and lmly are really sharply produced low budget mvs with clean and interesting visuals. maniac shot to the top of my most listened immediately after it dropped because lia kim AND those slick horns in the instrumental???? ten's paint me naked was not at all what i was expecting but it's still fun as hell and has a pretty unique aesthetic.

the tldr of this whole three parter is this: bts has always been reactionary to wider cultural trends and that's been how they've made it this far. yes their influence on the industry looms very large because of the predominence of them on the scene, but it's mostly in the perception of kpop rather than in the artistry of it.

i don't think any company is going to be able to achieve what bts and hybe have, which i think is fine. they're the scale tipped too far. hopefully by now most companies have probably noticed that they don't need to cater to the western market so hard, and that it's probably not a good idea to offer their artists up on the racist chopping block of the western pop scene. you can market to an international fanbase without trying to gun for a grammy or for billboard or whatever. creating interesting art should be at the fore, not numbers goals. but we're just gonna have to wait and see what happens in the next year or so.

[15-dogs]

I’ve been thinking about the james/lily/snape trope but with harry/female reader/draco so i was wondering if you could do this and make harry x reader end up together? would love to see how you write this, you’re one of my faves <3

overdue |h.p.|

pairing: harry potter x fem!reader

summary: everyone knows that harry potter fancies you and you don’t feel the same. it only takes one bet, one date, to change things. your childhood best friend, draco, feels otherwise. (slight au-- war isn’t happening during 7th year)

warnings: extremely light swearing

guide: (Y/N) = your name, (Y/L/N) = your last name

word count: 2940

a/n: I am such a sucker for jily so I was so excited to try this out!! I hope I did it justice lmk what you think!!

That boy was going to make you scream. Harry Potter sat on his broom, hovering above your spot in the stand, the Snitch dangling inches in front of him.

“Are you mad, Potter?!” you shouted. 

All eyes in the stadium were on you two. There wasn’t a single person in Hogwarts who didn’t know about Harry and yours...relationship, if you’d even call it that. Harry had fallen for you the second he saw you. Love at first sight, he’d always say. You thought otherwise and so did your best friend Draco.

Draco and you were childhood best friends. Shockingly, the Malfoys were somewhat okay with you, a muggleborn, being friends with Draco. They were okay with it for a while, at least. Over the past few years the Malfoys stopped inviting you over. Draco assured you it was nothing personal but, with the social climate, you knew that it was. Draco was just trying not to hurt your feelings.

“Mad for you, love!” Harry teased. You were about to yank your hair out, that’s how irritated he made you.

Hermione stifled a laugh beside you and you threw her a glare. A smirk tugged at her lips as she shrugged, avoiding your stare.

“What do you want, Potter?” you groaned. “We have to win this game, you know that!”

“That I do, love. Did you do something different with your hair? It looks brilliant.”

You chanced a glance over his shoulder, spotting the Ravenclaw Seeker gaining on Harry; he must’ve noticed that Harry got distracted. “Potter,” you warned, “please, I’ll do anything! Catch the damn Snitch!”

“Anything?” He raised his brows at you, a particularly handsome grin adorning his face. You shook off the feeling that he gave you, assuring yourself that he was a git who had a schoolboy crush and nothing more.

“Yes, anything! Merlin, come on, Potter!”

The Ravenclaw Seeker was nearly by Harry’s side. Harry noticed you staring and looked behind him, spotting the boy. Harry turned back around and offered the one thing that you definitely, absolutely, should never have agreed to, “Go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?”

“Yes! Now catch it!”

Just as the Ravenclaw Seeker rounded on him, Harry reached out and grabbed the Snitch effortlessly. The crowd roared around you loud enough for them not to hear what Harry said, only you.

“It’s a date!” Harry threw a wink at you before descending.

Your face paled― you couldn’t believe it. You agreed to go on a date with the Harry Potter. The boy who had been madly in love with you since he saw you.

You should be mad, or at least a little upset, but you weren’t. That’s bad, right?

―

You stood with Draco in the Great Hall, awaiting Harry’s presence. Draco refused to leave your side until he showed up so that he could make sure that “Potter has good intentions”. You appreciated his concern but you weren’t children anymore. Even as children, Draco never needed to protect you. In fact, you did the protecting more often. He’d never admit it, though.

Harry trotted into the Great Hall, Hermione and Ron trailing behind him. When he approached you, he had a sheepish grin on his face.

“Potter,” Draco spat.

“Malfoy, if you’ll excuse us, I need to, er, speak with (Y/N).”

You frowned. What was there to talk about?

Draco threw a hesitant look at you, receiving a small nod. He took hesitant steps away to join his other friends, stealing small glances at you.

“What’s wrong, Potter? You look like you have a foot in the grave,” you commented.

He fidgeted in his spot; Harry Potter was nervous. He fisted his hands into his pants pockets, avoiding your gaze. “I may have gotten into a bit of trouble― not a lot, just something small― so my Hogsmeade privileges have been...revoked for the time being.”

You felt a pit form in your stomach. Your eyes widened at the sensation, you weren’t supposed to be disappointed that the date was canceled. You quickly regained composure, donning a tight lipped smile.

“Shame. I suppose the date is-”

“I was hoping we could spend the day here,” he hurriedly added. He searched your eyes for a response. Upon getting nothing, he continued, “That is, if that’s something you’d like.”

You cleared your throat. “Is Harry Potter seriously backing out of a deal?”

Your teasing seemed to ease his anxieties as his shoulders relaxed, releasing all former tension. “I am civil, love. I’m not going to force you into this.”

Your heart blossomed with warmth. You could feel your cheeks heat up but hoped it wasn’t noticeable. You fought a smile as you nodded your head. “Yeah, let’s spend the day here.”

Harry, clearly surprised that his offer worked, blinked in shock. You chuckled, rolling your eyes as you tugged him along.

The two of you ended up spending most of your time in the Gryffindor common room, excluding the occasional trips down to the kitchens. You hated to admit it but Harry was actually kind of fun to be around. You know, when he wasn’t so inflated with his own ego.

You laid against the armrest of the couch, Harry opposite you, as he threw pieces of popcorn at you, intending on making them into your mouth.

“I thought you were supposed to have expert hand-eye coordination,” you teased as you brushed loads of stray popcorn off your body.

“I’m a Seeker, not a Chaser. And here I was thinking that you were my biggest fan.” Harry held a hand over his heart in mock hurt, evoking a melodic giggle from you. His demeanor faltered at the sound. You furrowed your brow at him to which he donned his smirk again.

“So,” you began, sitting up, “have any plans for next year?”

“I dunno.” Harry shrugged. “I know I want to become an Auror, but that’s about it. Not much of a plan.”

You noticed the way that Harry caved in on himself, almost as if he were embarrassed by his answer. You nudged his thigh with your foot and his eyes snapped up to yours.

“Plans are binding. They’re not always effective, just binding.”

Harry flashed a genuine smile at you that had your traitorous heart fluttering. “Thanks.”

“Sure.”

“And you?”

You chewed your lip in thought. “I’m not entirely sure. I know I want to help people but there are hundreds of ways to do that. Right now, I simply want to focus on the next year.”

“You want to be Head Girl, don’t you?”

You raised a brow at him. “How did you know that?”

“Word travels.” His lips twitched upwards and you playfully kicked him from your spot. “Right, okay, sorry!” he laughed.

“You’re so odd, Potter. Truly.” Your heart began to speed up, hammering in your chest. You looked at the ground before meeting Harry’s piercing green eyes. “Why me?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Why me? You could fancy anyone, why me?”

His brow knit together. Then a dumb smile stretched on his face. “Because I knew that, from the second I saw you, that there was no one else I’d rather spend my life with.”

Your heart leapt into your throat and a fleet of butterflies occupied your stomach. You shifted awkwardly in your seat, attempting to crack a joke to ease the tension.

However, all you managed to mutter was, “That’s obsessive.”

“No, I’d call that dedication.”

―

Over the rest of your 6th year, you and Harry grew close. You thought that he had given up on his crush as you two became friends, and good ones at that. You spent time with his friends quite often and they seemed to become your friends as well. You’d never thought that you’d see the day when you became friends with Harry Potter, nor did you think you’d see the day that you might, barely, have a tiny, indescribable crush on him.

Hermione and Ron would tease you about it endlessly until you noticed. It started with late night studying with Harry in the common room, opting to partner up with him in Defense, and attending Quidditch just to see him play. Every time those two would tease you about fancying him, you would immediately deny it. Admitting that you did almost felt like defeat.

It wasn’t until the beginning of your 7th year that you knew you were over your head.

You ran up to Harry at Kings Cross, holding your Head Girl letter in your hand. When he saw you, his whole face lit up and his arms opened wide. You ran into a hug, jumping up and down with excitement.

“I got it!” you cried. “Head Girl, I got it!”

Harry pulled away, his smile faltering. You cocked your head in confusion. “That’s great,” he said with feigned joy.

“What’s the matter?”

“I, er, got Head Boy. I was going to resign, anyway-”

“No!”

As soon as those words left your mouth, you knew that you were screwed. What would have possessed you to want Harry Potter, the boy who tortured you with his annoying little crush for years, to spend his final year with you? You knew what it was and you were just thankful that Hermione or Ron weren’t around to see that interaction.

“No?”

“Don’t resign, you deserve the position, Harry.”

His cheeks turned pink as his lips curled into a smile, making your heart melt. “Thanks, I’ll do it then.”

“Brilliant.”

“(Y/N)!” a familiar voice called out. You turned your head to spot Draco coming towards you, his lips pressed together in a firm line. “Potter.”

“Malfoy.”

You could almost see the tension between the two boys. You backed away from Harry, nodding at him politely. “I’ll see you on the train, Harry.”

Harry’s eyes darted between you and Draco before he complied, heading into the train. As soon as he stepped away, Draco rounded on you.

“Don’t tell me you fancy him, now.” His voice had tones of anger and disappointment, both of which shocked you.

“Why are you saying that?”

“Because I know you, (Y/N). I’ve told you too many times now that Potter doesn’t care about you. He only cares about himself.”

Draco reached out to grab your arm but you jerked away. “Come off it, Draco. If I didn’t know any better I’d say that my friendship with him makes you jealous.”

Draco sputtered, attempting to form a coherent answer. You instantly felt guilty for what you said, frowning. You reached out to hold Draco’s cold hand and you almost swore that you saw him blush.

“We’re always going to be friends, Draco. No one person can change that but us.”

Draco removed his hand from yours, nodding. “I know.”

And something in his voice told you exactly that.

―

It was about halfway through the year when things started to go wrong. You were taking a stroll along campus when you saw four people in a heated argument. Your brow knit together and you made your way towards the group, speeding up when you recognized all parties involved.

“Hey,” you called out, “hey! What’s going on?”

“Expelliarmus!” Harry shouted, sending Draco’s wand flying.

“Harry, stop it!”

Harry’s eyes snapped up to yours, immediate guilt behind them. Draco scrambled to get his wand, shooting a spell at Harry that you fortunately blocked him from. Harry raised his wand and threw another spell at Draco, knocking him against the tree behind him.

“Draco!”

You ran to his side, attempting to help him up. He pulled his arm away from you multiple times but couldn’t stand up on his own. You tried to help him one more time but he glared at you and spat, “Don’t touch me, mudblood!”

Tears pricked your eyes. Your heart pounded in your ears. No, no. This wasn’t real. You clenched your eyes shut, the tears streaming down your cheeks. When you opened them, you were met with Draco’s somewhat apologetic stare, but as you locked eyes with him, he regained his cruel demeanor. You shook your head, standing up and running off, feeling entirely numb.

You were right, what you had said at the start of the year.

―

From that day on, you ignored Harry to the best of your ability. That, however, didn’t stop every single student in Hogwarts to gossip. Rather, it was quite the propellant. Everywhere you walked a trail of whispers would follow.

After a particularly tough day of rumors, you collapsed in the emptied common room, sobbing silently into your sweater. It was late enough that everyone had gone to bed, and if they hadn’t, they’d be out past curfew so at least you had an excuse to dismiss them quickly if need be.

Then, in life’s most inopportune way, things went wrong again.

“(Y/N)?” Hermione asked as she entered. You hurriedly dried your tears, hoping that it wasn’t obvious that you were crying.

“You should be in bed.” You refused to meet Hermione’s eyes, even as she joined you on the couch.

“I just had rounds. What are you doing up?”

“Nothing,” you mumbled dismally.

Hermione fished around in her robes to pull out a clean tissue. “This doesn’t feel like nothing.”

Reluctantly, you took the tissue and finally looked up at Hermione. She stared at you with great concern which only had you crying again. She held you, rubbing her arms soothingly up and down your back.

“Rumors suck,” you cried into Hermione’s shoulder.

She pulled you away for a minute and whispered, “So do men.”

You nodded, a chuckle escaping your lips. You blew your nose with the tissue and relaxed into the couch.

“What really happened?”

Hermione shook her head. “Do you really want to hear it from me?”

“Time avoiding Harry is time well spent, Hermione.”

“Truer words have never been spoken.”

For someone you’ve only been close with for about a year, Hermione sure was good at cheering you up.

“Draco and Harry got into an argument because...Draco said some, er, choice words about you and your blood status. Harry got mad and then you showed up.”

“Oh.” 

Harry was defending you. It wasn’t necessarily unexpected but you never thought that that situation would arise in the first place. The more your mind ran over the scenario, the more you realized why Harry did what he did: he cared about you. Like, really and truly cared about you. It wasn’t just that schoolboy crush that motivated him, he cared about what people said about you because you were friends.

At some point, Hermione escorted you up to your dorm. You didn’t sleep that night, your head hurt far too much because you knew what you had to do, and there was no waiting, no postponing, it had to happen tomorrow.

―

“Potter!” you shouted as you walked down to the Quidditch pitch. You waved to the team as they dispersed from their respective locker rooms. “Harry!”

“In here!”

You walked over to the locker room, your eyes widening at the sight of shirtless Harry. You couldn’t peel your eyes off of his toned body. Your mouth went dry and all intelligible thoughts fled your body.

“Hey, (Y/L/N),” he began. He ducked a little to look into your eyes. “Are you okay?”

You hummed, nodding fervently. Harry let out an awkward laugh as he threw a shirt on.

“Listen, I want to talk to you about-”

“I know what happened,” you cut in. He raised his brow at you. “And I want to thank you. I...I just knew that it was only a matter of time before something happened between Draco and I. Things have been downhill with him since I met you, and then when he realized I fancy you he got-”

“You fancy me?” Harry ran a hand through his hair in disbelief, his voice pitched up an octave.

You felt your stomach drop out. Your breathing sped up and you focused on anything but Harry in the room. It took a minute of silence for you to finally look at him― you were in shock that he hadn’t said any snarky comments yet.

“Yes.” Your voice was no more than a whisper.

“I don’t...I don’t...really?” he stammered.

“Unfortunately, yes.”

Harry’s jaw dropped. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, deciding on what to say. He took careful steps towards you, waiting for you to bolt. But you didn’t, you were right where you wanted to be.

“Can I, um, kiss you?”

You grabbed his face, smashing your lips against his in a long overdue kiss. That time, you didn’t ignore how good it felt. Kissing Harry made you feel energized in a way you couldn’t explain, it dredged up feelings that you didn’t know you could feel.

You pulled away from him a moment later, placing little pecks against his slightly chapped lips. You cracked a smile at Harry’s blatant shock.

“Really?” you teased. “No joke, no terrible pick up line? Are you okay?”

“In all honesty, love, I didn’t think that this would ever actually happen.”

“Someone had to humble you.”

“And you did an excellent job of that.”

As you stared into Harry’s eyes, you felt a comfort that you didn’t know you could feel; it was like placing the last piece in a puzzle, everything was fitting together. At an earlier point in your life, you would’ve been absolutely distraught that you fit together with Harry. But now? Now, you were happier than you could ever possibly imagine and you intended to keep it that way.