#I generally try to keep a positive tone and attitude on this blog because the world has too much negativity

[ettawritesnstudies]

Not to be emo on main but I saw Twenty One Pilots at their hometown show on Sunday and it was such an incredible experience

Tumblr won't let me upload my videos because they're too large but I've been a fan of this band since 2017 and I love all their older music too. I expected them to play Clancy through and then maybe do a couple other hits but I was so surprised and excited when they covered something from every album and both of my favorite songs. (Holding Onto You and Migraine). When Josh showed up as the torchbearer it was in the section next to ours so we had a great view of him.

And the whole thing was recorded for a live concert album! So the camera views were broadcast for the seated people on the big screens and we got to see all the up close details too! I had the time of my life belting along to the songs and I still know nearly all the lyrics. I'm so excited to rewatch the recording when it comes out and hear how the audience mics picked up our voices. There was something so cathartic about hearing a whole auditorium scream lines like "I'm trying to sleep, but I can't when you all have Guns for Hands, DONT TAKE IT TAKE IT TAKE IT!!!" and "Hey, kid, get out of the road!" And because it was a Sunday night and we wouldn't get home until after 1am with alarms set for work at 6:30... "WAKE UP YOU NEED TO MAKE MONEY." There was even a part where we sang the rap part of Ride without a cue.

It was great.

My fiancé didn't know the band at all except for a couple radio hits before the show and I apologized profusely for the Cringe™ before dragging him along to this but everyone was so nice and friendly and Tyler and Josh really know how to put on a great show. The stages were so amazing and the transitions between each part of the setlist was flawless. The crew was working so hard to keep the band safe and coordinated and all the effects looked awesome. Eric had a great time and said this was one of his favorite concerts of mine he's been to. He likes the rock/metal type songs most like heavydirtysoul but I'll have to pull up the lyrics to show him more.

This was my first TøP show I've ever seen and I'm really happy I went. I was debating about buying tickets at first but I'm really really really glad I did. This band has meant a lot to me over the years and gotten me through a lot of tough spots. I'm doing so much better now than I was at 16. While my life isn't perfect and the world is scarier now than it was back then, at 23, I can genuinely say I can envision a future that I look forward to every day.

Stay alive.

[creature-wizard]

Some things associated with New Age that aren't inherently bad

Since this blog can get kinda heavy sometimes, and because there's some people out there who think that anything remotely adjacent to New Age is evil and must be banished forever, I figured I'd write something on elements it includes that aren't necessarily bad.

Its general concept of God and divinity

New Age beliefs typically posit that God, or Source, effectively split itself into many different souls in order to have different kinds of experiences. There's nothing wrong with this model of divinity in itself, since it doesn't by itself imply anything hateful or suggest any kind of action that might lead to harm. Where it gets messed up is when people start claiming that if you're suffering, it's because you deliberately chose to have this kind of experience before you incarnated. That's just victim blaming, and it's wrong.

Energy healing

Energy healing on its own is a harmless practice, and many people do report feeling better for doing it. Dismissing energy healing as inherently bad in itself would be like dismissing prayer for recovery as inherently bad. It's really not. The problem is always when people start believing they should only rely on energy healing or prayer, or fall into the belief that pharmaceutical medicine is sinful or an evil conspiracy.

Listening to relaxing tones

No, those "healing frequencies" probably won't cure any serious ailments. But that doesn't mean they can't make you feel more relaxed or help you focus. You don't have to subscribe to any specific belief system to listen to these audios.

Glossolalia

The New Age practice of speaking in light languages is a form of glossolalia, which basically involves relaxing and speaking whatever sounds immediately come to you. Doing it can be cathartic and relaxing, and you don't need to subscribe to any specific belief system to do it.

Tarot reading

Reading tarot cards doesn't require subscribing to any specific spiritual belief system. Nor do you even need to be spiritual at all; you can read tarot cards with the perspective that what you're doing is prompting your own mind to consider things from new angles.

Meditation

Meditation is known to have beneficial effects, and doing it doesn't require subscribing to any particular belief system. Yes, it's a problem when somebody subscribes meditation as a cure-all, or use it as a form of spiritual bypassing, but that's a problem with the teacher, not the practice itself.

Eating more plant foods

Provided you don't have any allergies or intolerances, eating more fruits, vegetables, nuts, and the like usually isn't a bad idea. The problem with New Age is when it effectively moralizes food by decreeing certain foods "high vibrational" or "low vibrational," or when it's pushing conspiracy theories about modern processed food items being intentionally poisoned to block our psychic abilities or keep us dependent on the healthcare system. And obviously, it's appallingly ableist to tell someone that they could cure a chronic illness by switching to an all-natural vegan diet or something.

Belief in aliens

It's a big universe, and it's not unreasonable to think we're not alone in it, and that maybe there's beings who are observing us. The problem is when belief in aliens becomes part of a conspiratorial worldview that scapegoats certain groups of people for the world's problems, displaces real history, and misuses other people's traditions and beliefs.

Belief that things can and will get better

To paraphrase Terry Pratchett's words in The Hogfather, we sometimes need to believe in things that aren't true (such as justice and mercy) so they can become true. Believing that things can change makes people feel like their efforts are worth something. Meanwhile, when everyone's got a doomer attitude nothing will change for the better because nobody will even try.

One problem with New Age's optimism in specific is that they tend to believe that things getting better is contingent on converting a large number of people to New Age spirituality, which includes getting them to accept a large number of conspiratorial beliefs that target and harm vulnerable minorities, and/or distort and erase the actual spiritual beliefs of people from different cultures (many of whom are marginalized minorities and/or have been severely harmed by colonialism already).

Another problem is when you get the whole 5D ascension thing going on. 5D ascension is basically the New Age version of the Rapture, and just like the Rapture, it's always said to be right around the corner, but it never materializes. (If you'd like examples, here are predictions for 2012 and 2015.) Very concerningly, New Agers often list a number of physical and mental health symptoms as "ascension symptoms." They were claiming this as far back as the 2010s, when December 31, 2012 was supposed to be the big day. (Here's an example.)

Basically, hope and belief that things can get better is important - but it's also important not to hang our hopes (and medical decisions) on supernatural predictions that have already failed multiple times.

Wanting to promote compassion and understanding between people

This is a great thing to want! The problem with New Age isn't that they want to spread peace and harmony, but rather the way they want to do it without really listening to the people they supposedly want to help. You can't, for example, genuinely fight colonialism if you're engaging in cultural appropriation and misrepresenting their spiritual traditions - you're an active part of the problem. Promoting compassion and understanding begins with you shutting up, listening, and learning without imposing your own preconceptions or reacting from your ego. You're not doing this if you're looking for mythology to project aliens onto, or dismissing anything you don't want to hear as a conspiracy.

And here's some critical thinking tips before you go

When you're evaluating any belief system or practice, it's always important to remember that belief and practice are not the same thing. Most of the time the practices are harmless in and of themselves; the actual danger comes from the conspiratorial and morally polarized worldviews many practitioners also subscribe to. Nobody's ever died from putting rose quartz in their room or getting a reiki session. They have died from refusing evidence-based medical care because someone convinced them that the health care industry is a scam and will also separate them from Source.

When it comes to beliefs themselves, ask yourself what kind of narratives they're upholding. If they basically promote the same kind of conspiratorial narratives used by Nazis, witch hunters, or far right Christians to justify their hatred and violence, that's a pretty strong sign that this belief is bullshit. But of course, there's a pretty stark difference between believing that aliens could be out there, and believing blood-drinking reptiles have invaded the Earth.

[panda-state-panoptic]

This is just some more commentary on how I use statetalia. I agree with a lot of fans who feel like (when it comes to the character of America specifically) a lot of the US gets left out with just one dude portraying everyone.

For me I’m super invested in exploring that through statetalia lol, and I really really encourage other people to do that too. Because 1) it doesn’t just have to be US states I feel like anything that falls under a city state could be seen as statetalia. 2) you could even make something like region-talia, which is something I’ve considered with the different regions of the US. Plus there’s already a lot of people who make city ocs. (I’ve also considered personifying different government services lol) 3) the more you learn the more you really appreciate the different subcultures and groups that make up a country, arguably more than you could with one character.

Also, generally keep a respectful tone with this sort of thing. You don’t need to get insanely detailed on the history of the US to make an interesting state oc or AU. Yes there is lots of cool and interesting history to use for content, but there’s also stuff (like literal genocide) that you just don’t need to show through a mostly silly concept like this (holy shit I do not want to see any CSA ocs referenced through my blog or posts. I get that it could be an interesting way to portray how families were turned against each other, or if you portray it as a manipulative or generally evil person, but just leave it for the textbooks. Also get the AmeMex kids trope out of here) I’m not saying only stick to happy and uncomplicated things but be reasonable and talk to people or touch some grass before posting something that could be controversial

Also a lot of people who follow US statetalia seem to forget or leave out the non-states that could be included like the territories or micronations or DC (but again pleaaaase do your research and be aware of cultural impacts and the history behind those places so you don’t end up making something offensive and looking like a fool)

Hetalia in general gets iffy when you get into the details of places and history, so it’s a fine line sometimes between shallow archetypes and going into detail on something that would be better not elaborated on through personification. The rule of thumb I go by is generally trying to highlight the positive or overlooked aspects of different places and subcultures and giving those things a way to be represented.

I kind of hate it when people make state ocs only to give them the most lackluster and stereotypical qualities that you think of when you think of that state (aka making Alabama a dumb redneck or making Idaho only about potatoes). But it’s okay to have some trial and error in making a character, especially one that’s representing an inherently complex topic. Try not to stay stuck in a mindset of how a character should be, yes it’s fiction, but you’re also portrayed real people and places so it’s not going to be super straightforward and is probably going to change

Anyway, I think I’m starting to ramble lol but basically yes people should definitely find a way to explore different subcultures and aspects of a country, especially if they feel like it was left out of the canon content. Just make sure to do it with a respectful attitude overall and be willing to learn and change your perspective

should there be personifications for ethic groups living in countries? assuming that country personifications are the majority ethnicity. e.g. china/wang yao being han chinese.

though im torn between creating ethnic group personifications or headcanoning the countries as mixed with all the ethnicities in their country. hetalia fandom, i wanna know your thoughts about this!

[rainileo]

heyy!! i love ur blog so much! could i request joshua (seventeen) x sub/bottom reader smut with some degradation and humiliation? you can go wild with everything else 🥰

yes.

my get out of jail free card (m)

joshua x (female reader)

warnings: dom josh, humiliation, degradation, spitting, spanking, cream pie, unprotected sex, pet names, doggy style, “dudes being dudes🙄” lmao, mentions of drinking and marijuana.

lmk if i miss anything (not proof read)

a/n: this turned out to be longer than i thought sorry lmao i got carried away

5:33 pm

———————————————————

josh always thought you were naturally sexy, you always being able to make him shift in his seat uncomfortably when he watches you do daily tasks, or just anything in general (you were just that sexy). sometimes you liked to use that information to your advantage by either dressing up in something a little more revealing for fun and walking around the apartment to tease him, or maybe buying a sexy lingerie to surprise him spontaneously.

but before it was different.

josh used to despise you. you thought it was ironic, because he was all over you now, but back then, he couldn’t even look at you without getting uncomfortable. you were polar opposites and you were on the more rebellious end.

josh used to like to finish his homework early, he liked to stay in on a friday night with his small group of friends and play bored games (pun intended).

he refused to partake in the consumption and use of narcotics and alcohol, and couldn’t stand the idea of premarital sex. and then he fell in love with you, your personality and your body, practically leaving the idea of premarital sex behind and risking the idea of ending up in a forever hell all for you and his temptations. and now, you had the advantage of surprising and teasing him in this flimsy set to get him to bang the shit out if your just for the sake of it.

you now reside in your shared bedroom, checking yourself out in the head to toe mirror, clad in the set you mentioned before. you think you’re cute, and you pose to see all angles. you giggle tp yourself as you bubble with excitement, preparing to surprise josh.

you turn around, looking at yourself one more time before struting out of the room towards where your boyfriend is seated in the living room. you enter the warm room and you see him spread out of the couch that sits in the middle of the room, phone in his hand and a random show playing in the background.

“babe.” you gently call from behind him to get his attention on your figure.

“yeah.” he lazily replies, not moving his original position and keeping his eyes trained on his phone, probably texting a member or looking through social media.

you roll your eyes in irritation and attempt to complete your mission as you try again, “josh~.” you say singsongingly, and he exhales and replies again,

“what.” he says a little bit more seriously, probably getting annoyed that your bothering him while he’s busy on his phone, or because you won’t go in front of him to actually get his attention.

“joshua.” you say sternly, trying to get his attention still, and succeeding when he angrily turns around saying, “what y/n-,” angrily and he stops mid sentence, gulping, looking at you from head to toe, examining the material that sits on your body.

“oh, holy shit.” he swears and you giggle, teasingly walking towards him, swaying your hips slightly. “you shouldn’t use that tone with me like that.” you say as he completely turns his torso towards you, as his attention is completely on you now. “sorry babe, i didn’t mean to sound mean like that.” he apologizes and reaches his closer hand out to you and caresses your ass. you couldn’t tell if his hand on your ass was just a sexual gesture, if he just wanted his hand on you just for the sake of it, or if he was using his touch to apologize to you; you couldn’t tell, so you roll your eyes again over the fact that he’s completely changed his attitude now that you stand infront of him, half naked.

he blinks at you for a second and you smirk at him, and he begins speaking again, “please accept my apology baby.” he says sweetly, also lightly squeezing your ass while looking at you with the cutest eyes you can’t resist.

“ok,” you trail off and swing your hair from one side of your shoulder to the other, barely listening to his response. “but on one condition, i’ll accept your apology.” you say, pulling his hand off your backside as his face contorts in confusion due to the sentence you had just put out. “what is it?” he asks, getting out of his spot, rounding the couch to you so he can directly stand in front of you.

“you have to fuck the absolute shit out of me.” you reply, watching as his face drops in of disbelief; those words went straight to his sick to be honest.

how did he manage to snatch up a girl like you?, he thinks to himself and you shift in your spot, biting your lip, smiling and looking up at him. his eyes visibly get darker and bhs bites his lip, instinctively moving closer to you.

“go to the bedroom now.” he instructs for you to do and you follow his orders as you turn around in the direction of the room, walking away teasingly, swaying your hips again. he slaps your ass and shamelessly watches your ass as you walk away.

a lot of his band mates also used to tease him about the way he would respectfully look away from you when you were naked or changing and etcetera. they later explained to him that it’s ok to check her if you guys are dating, (if she allows it that is). he later completely understood it after years of avoiding your body and now you’re like his personal playboy magazine.

——————————————————

you had finally made your way to your shared room, comfortably positioning yourself on your bed, waiting for him to come into the room.

your heart began to pound a little when you watch him walk through the doo. he runs his hands through his hair as he continues his stride over to you. “it’s almost like using a get out of jail free card whenever you do this.” he says coming to a stop in front of the bottom edge of the bed to stare at where you’re seated on the middle of the bed.

you giggle at his joke as you shift towards him on your knees, coming up in front of him and reaching your hands out to the bottom of his shirt and playing with it to get him a little riled up.

“yeah? and why is that?” your curiosity causes a smile to break out on his face. “i don’t even have to try to get into your pants.” he answers truthfully, leaning into you to kiss you roughly.

the kiss is demanding and causes you to fight for dominance between the two of you. he obviously wins when he shoves his tongue into your mouth and you comply, allowing him to explore your mouth.

he suddenly pulls away and begins, “babe.” he now sternly looks in your eyes with only lust. it immediately grabs your attention and you clench around nothing, feeling yourself pulse in excitement. “yes?” you say biting your lip and looking back at him. you try to hold a smile back as he grips your hips and pulls your entire body right against his. “what do you want?” he asks, his tone now darker as he moves his hands down to your ass and strokes slightly. “you.” you sigh out, wrapping your arms around his neck,

“well i would hope that you would want me.” he jokes, pinching your ass and you laugh at his joke for a second and press yourself even closer to him, now feeling his friend completely hard down against your thigh.

“seriously babe, what do you want, my fingers? my mouth?” he asks again, stroking your hips and legs. you smile to yourself as you speak out, “i want you to eat me out, and then i want you to fuck the shit out of me.” you say as you reach down to palm him and he grunts, gripping your backside tightly.

“yeah, i can do that.” he breathlessly says, grabbing your thighs to wrap your legs around his hips so he can move you two more easily on the bed.

once he situates you at the pile of pillows at the the top of the bed, you begin to make out again. the both of you are fighting for dominance again and it’s messy, spit begins to dribble between your mouths on your chin. you moan into his mouth and he grips your thighs to place it over his shoulders to position himself comfortably against you. he moves his left hand beside your head for balance while wrapping his right around your neck, lightly asphyxiating you. he shoves his tongue into your mouth again and you moan against him as he also starts to grind against your core. “josh.” you both let go of the kiss and a string of saliva stays between the two of you as you part. “what?” he asks as you grip the arm that is wrapped around your neck with both of your hands.

he’s in awe when he looks down to see the full sight of his hand wrapped around your neck as your smaller hands grip his large, veiny arm for leverage.

you look at him with pleading eyes, the friction of him grinding against you not being enough to stimulate your core. “please.” he breathes out at the sound of your voice, it now changing into a lighter tone due to your submissive position now.

he laughs at your sudden weakness and pushes on. “y/n, you have to use your words.” he says, stopping the movements against your hips, ceasing all pleasure now. your eyes begin to tear up as anger boils in your chest. you know he knows what you want, but he won’t give in, he likes to tease you and break you until your confidence has completely vanished.

“please go down there.” you attempt to speak out, voice hoarse due to his grip around your neck. “what’s down there baby? you tell me.” he continues as he leans down to your ear. “m-my pussy.” you say, voice just above a whisper, too ashamed to say it out loud. “you can be louder than that, come on slut.” the nickname goes straight to your center as he pressures you and you give in, “my pussy,” you respond louder. he laughs at you again and you close your eyes to avoid his gaze, cheeks hearing in embarrassment.

he thinks it’s entertaining how bold you were a few moments ago, you now falling into sub space as you impatiently wait for him to pleasure you.

“yeah? and what do you want me to do to your pussy again?” he continues to push on, now right into your ear. you feel his heavy breath against your skin and you tingle all over.

“i...” you exhale, squeezing your eyes shut as he begins to place light kisses against your sweet spot on your neck. “i want you to eat me out.” you finish, a tear falling down your face in anticipation. his chest pushes off of your as he lifts himself off if you to look into your eyes deeply.

“that’s pathetic.” he spits out, hand still on your neck, occasionally squeezing it still. you frown and open your eyes to see what he’s doing and when you do, hes just staring.

“are you gonna take it like a good girl?” he questions, moving his left hand from it original position to stroke your side. he inches closer to your boob and when he reaches them, he lets go of his grip around his neck and completely leans back on his knees. he pushes the material of the bra over your boobs to let them fall out of it confines.

your boobs sit out in the open air and your nipples begin to harden under the slightly cool air. he brings both his hands to your chest and begins massaging them, pulling your nipples occasionally. you moan at his ministrations and he tenses in his pants in anticipation for you.

he reaches around your body, impressively undoing the bra and it easily falls off your chest and he throws it to the side of the bed. he leans back in again and admires your body. he continues with your underwear and pulls them down your legs and throws them across the room somewhere. he gives short kisses down your torso towards your center, leaving deep purple marks in his wake.

———————————————————

your back arches as he hits the specific spot inside you while he is knuckle deep with his fingers moving strategically inside you. your moans are so beautiful to him as he eats you out strategically. youre roughly gripping at his hair out of pleasure, face contorting from the pleasure he offers you.

“fuck josh.” you spit out, throwing your head back against the pillows and smirks at your reactions and begins sucking on your clit again, trying to bring you to your edge. “does it feel good?” he questions, letting go of your bundle of nerves and you exhale a breath you didn’t know you were holding. you nod furiously, too caught up in the pleasure to properly respond. he chuckles at your answer and continues with his ministrations.

his fingers keep their same pace as his mouth alternates between liking, biting, sucking, and the odd time, spitting. “fucking slut.” he says, creating a glob of spit in his mouth as he backs away from your core, still fingering you. he spits the glob on you and you sit up to lean on your elbows to get a better view of him deliciously eating you out.

“you like it when i eat you like this, finger fucking your tight pussy open, right?” he questions and your face contorts out of pleasure when he hits the spot again.

“fuck-, yes, it feels so good, i love it.” you quickly reply as you continue to watch him with your mouth falling open slowly. he hums as he begins to suck around you again, feeling the pleasure build up inside you. “i’m close.” you breathlessly let out to tell him before it’s too late. he continues and your legs shake as you get closer to your edge. “are you?” you nod and your eyes begin to roll back into your head. he looks up at you and feels like he’ll almost cum in his pants just by the way you look alone.

your elbows give in and you end up with your back flat on the mattress with josh laughing between your legs, which added to the sensations which also made the coil snap and caused you to begin arching your back in the air. you moan out and grip his hair tighter and tighter, biting your lip and slumping on the mattress, heart pounding as your orgasm washes over you.

“look at you, such a cum slut, right princess?” he ask, moving up from between your legs. you open your mouth to respond but soon close it not trusting what sound could come out of your mouth. he grips your arms that lay lifelessly on your side and he pulls you up and flips you on your stomach. everything happens so fast and you have to think about it after you were manhandled by him.

“ass up babe.” he demands and you listen, quickly getting into the position. he grabs your arms again and pinning them behind your back. your head was planted onto the sheets so you try to move your head down so you can get a good look at the man behind you. when you successfully shift your head, he immediately makes eye contact with you. he gives you a side smile in response to the way you look at him desperately, still biting your lips to hold in your needy moans.

“josh please.” you whine lightly, trying to entice him to place his member inside of you, or even just taking his clothes off in the first place would be just as good. he leans down to your face again and roughly grips your hair in his hand and pulls your head to make you look at him directly. you moan out at his sudden roughness and he begins, “what do you want me to do, slut?” he questions, slightly gripping your hair rougher to make you pay attention. “i want you to pound my pussy.” you sob, a shaky hand going to his hand in your hair.

he finally gives in when he lets go of your hair and begins stripping himself. he grabs the bottom of his shirt and pulls it over his head; you watch him intently, tears beginning to fall down your face again slightly, your body overwhelmed from the aftershocks of your orgasm. he throws the shirt somewhere in the room and then begins unbuttoning the pants. you close your eyes as he pulls his pants down.

another tear slips from your eyes as you squeeze them closed, also simultaneously squeezing your thighs together to get friction on your core to ease the pulse.

when he’s done taking his pants off, he toses them on the floor and watches you desperately rub your legs together.

“fucking slut, can’t even wait for me to touch you again.” he comments, placing his wet tip to your dripping pussy and rubbing it through the folds. you moan out and grip the sheets, waiting for him to put it in.

“please put it in josh.” you whine out, red eyes opening and looking at him straight in the eyes again, and when you guys make eye contact, he grabs your hair and turns your head on your chin and arches your back further with a hand on your lower back as well.

with the hand on the lower back, he grabs his dick again and pushes it into you perfectly. his dick slides in and be immediately begins pounding into you from behind. he lets go of your hair and comfortably positions himself to get a better grip for fucking you rougher.

he continues to roughly fuck you with the same hard pace, which makes you moan out loudly. “f-fuck please.” your voice comes out in a bizarre pattern with the noise of his hips slapping against you and you listen to it and enjoy his breathless pants behind you as well.

“please what babe?” he breathlessly asks, spanking you roughly and you moan out in response to the action and he rubs the area soothingly to ease your pain slightly. “please make me cum again.” you weakly answer, eyes fluttering shut when you feel his tip brush against the spot.

he scoffs in disbelief, “one orgasm wasn’t enough?” you internally groan, just wanting him to make you cum. you decide to move your hand down to your core to try and rub yourself to release. he notices that and grips your arm tightly and pulls it out from underneath you. he roughly spanks you and you yelp, free hand living to your side to grip the sheets.

“i didn't fucking say you could touch yourself.” he grunts out, pace quickening slightly. you moan out, mouth dropping open as you furrow your brows. you move your head onto it’s side again to situate yourself in a better position. his pace is relentless, causing the wind to be knocked out if your lungs now.

“josh~.” you whine at him breathlessly, the force of his thrust pushing you up the best.

he takes his free and and wraps it around your stomach to find your core and begins to roughly rub your spot perfectly, causing you to arch further into the bed. he groans out at your reaction and continues his movements, bringing you to your edge quickly.

his hands are both occupied, one roughly rubbing your core and the other that managed to travel back up to your hair again. his hand grips your hair even more tighter, making you yelp and squeeze your eyes shut.

you clench tightly around him in response to the pleasure you’re both feeling as you feel your end approaching as you let go of your grip around him, walls fluttering after your legs shake and quiver around his hand.

you begin to give out when your head falls to the side on the bed again and feel the coil in your gut snap and your orgasm washes over you. you let out a long loud moan, then slumping into the mattress, letting him fuck you like a toy so he can reach his high.

“you got what you wanted slut.” he says as he removes his hand from your center and begins another pace to bring himself to the edge. you keep your eyes closed as he uses you, letting him do whatever he wants.

“fuck yes” he expresses one last time, his hips stuttering against you, letting out a deep groan and cumming deep inside of you.

he lets go of your hair and whatever else he was gripping and leans over you and slumps. he relaxes his heavy body above you and both stay like that for a few minutes to catch your breaths.

“you ok?” he questions, pulling himself out of you and watching his cum drop out of you. you sigh and he pushes himself up off of above you so you can move freely from your uncomfortable position. you move your hands to beside your head and push yourself up and turn yourself to sit face to face to him. “i’m good.” you smile at him and he smiles back, leaning in and placing his hand on your neck, giving you a sloppy but sweet kiss.

“did you enjoy it?” he lets go of the kiss and asks sweetly, his dominant gone and replaced with his usual soft demeanor.

“yea i did, thank you for that.” you say, climbing into his arms and straddling him lap again and he gladly lets you sit comfortably on him.

“no, thank you babe, i kinda needed that.” he replies, kissing you again and placing his hands on your hips again. you smile against his lips and you pull away for a second to speak again. “how about a shower?” you ask and he smiles at though of a nice warm shower featuring your naked body at the moment. “yeah let’s have a shower.” he retorts and kisses you again.

[pa-panda-heroes]

Ahhh I love your blog! May I ask for hc’s of the league figuring out that the female reader is very flexible and into yoga?(●’◡’●)

thank you very much!! I love seeing you in my notifications btw ( ◠‿◠ ) it means a lot to see you there.

LoV figuring out female reader is very flexible and into yoga!

Tomura:

Tomura would honestly find out accidentally. It would take either one of the other members telling him accidentally or his walking in on you while you’re in action.

He’s quite impressed at your balance and flexibility and admires it. He has to wonder if you put in a lot of time and effort to become so flexible.

If you try hard enough, you can convince him to join you and learn yoga himself, but he has to watch you a few times and see what it’s about before he decides to or not.

He’ll just sit and gawk silently, mostly in awe because woah, that looks uncomfortable and you’re so flexible. Throw a downward-facing dog his way and you’ll catch him moving his head to the side as if to track yours.

Tomura may look lanky and scrawny, but he’s pretty flexible himself, and he’s stronger than he looks. So anything really basic won’t be very troubling for him!

But his balance is... not great. You have to do more supervising than instructing when teaching him anything that involves balance. He’s just a tad clumsy!

He will frequently tell you that being so flexible and nimble can be useful in a fight, but at some point he’ll probably admit he loves it because it gives him a good opportunity to acceptably gawk in awe at your talent and focus - and commitment.

Tomura won’t be super quick to master the poses, you notice, and that may or may not be because he gets undivided, one-on-one attention from you!

Mr. Compress:

Mr. will absolutely appreciate yoga as an art. It’s good for physical and (supposedly) mental health, not to mention it requires a lot of practice, effort, and patience. Naturally he admires you for being into it!

You don’t have to offer to teach him - he’ll outright ask. It never hurts, right? It’s possible to teach an old dog new tricks! Especially when that old dog has such a great teacher!

Whenever he sees you in a particularly stretching pose or just how flexible you are, his instincts kick in and he has to look away for a moment because how is that not painful?

You’ll catch him researching and practicing poses that are too advanced for him or are generally difficult because he just has a curious mind and wants to do more.

His favourite thing about yoga is that it’s something you can enjoy in various ways together! Warm-ups, trying new poses, it doesn’t matter what you do, as long as he gets to marvel over your abilities.

He’s the most likely to push himself to improve, not to show off or in a rival-ish way of catching up to you, but just because he enjoys it so much.

Mr.’s balance is more than impressive, but if you compliment him on it, he’ll be a little more modest than you’d think and he’ll find a way to send a compliment your way instead.

If you manage to use that nimbleness and flexibility in combat, he’s going to gush with pride and stop for a moment and point at you like “that’s my y/n, that’s my y/n! Look at her go, the lithe little thing! Isn’t she incredible?”

Twice:

Much like Mr., Twice is going to have that super proud attitude towards your abilities and will want to show you off to essentially everyone he meets. Inside of the League and out. All the time.

“Y/n, do the thing! Please!” he’ll say, holding his hands together with an imploring tone. He’s referring to a move that you can do to show off your flexibility.

Convincing him to join you will take a lot of effort, but considering it’s you, it will work and soon enough he’ll have his own mat (before you can even tell him to get one) and will be rearing to go.

He might not love the whole ordeal at first, but considering it is challenging for one’s physique and it’s more relaxing than slugging a hammer at a tire, he’ll learn to appreciate it.

Twice stays fit, we know this by looking at his costume - so he’s not going to totally shy from it. He can build muscle other ways and obtain flexibility this way.

He’s honestly enamored with how you move while you’re practicing (or in general honestly), so you’ll catch him staring a lot. It’s just relaxing to watch the slow and fluid movements.

Not great at yoga. Sitting still for periods of time and patience don’t really mix well with Twice.

Expect him to ask for your measurements so that he can make a clone of you to practice even when you’re busy!

Himiko:

Why didn’t you tell her sooner??? Omg y/n! Himiko loves yoga and she’s really good at it!

She’s like a kid in a candy shop when she finds out you’re into yoga and super flexibile - so is she! She learned it for combat, but still, that’s means girl bonding time!

Himiko is super flexible herself, so she’s totally going to try to compare your flexibility with hers to gage and see if one or possibly both of you can help each other improve.

And she’s 100% going to suck you in to doing it with her. She gets rather bored and lonely while she practices alone, so now that she has a yoga buddy? She’s so happy she vibrates in place!

She will literally want to buy matching or complimenting mats, yoga outfits, and even drink containers because it makes her so happy to be able to bond with you like this.

It’s probably not how you’re supposed to do it, but she likes to hum while she’s in pose. It helps her relax and sit still.

Sometimes it mindless humming to whatever she thinks sounds pretty, and sometimes it’s actual songs that she enjoys.

Give her the role of teacher and ask her to teach you a pose, and she’s totally up to the task. She’s actually a great teacher (and handsy if you’re comfortable with that). Give her the role of student and she learns really quickly.

Dabi:

He’s probably the only member for whom yoga is a no-go. He can’t help it. Stretching skin too much stretches his staples, and that’s a recipe for a literally bloody disaster.

He’d probably be willing to dabble with something that doesn’t involve stretching or balance, but it takes a whole load of convincing and demonstration on your part. He’s just really uneasy about it.

Dabi’s more than happy to watch, though, whether his dirty mind is kicking in or if he just wants to marvel at your talent and focus.

He can participate in that he can be on standby in the rare case you lose your balance, so that he can catch you and prevent you from falling on the floor if need be.

Prepare for stares and innuendos. Sometimes. Okay, maybe all the time. He’ll tease you constantly for your flexibility and what he “could do with it.” Sometimes he teases you just to tease you about it.

Prepare for every gift you get from him after he finds out to be yoga pants. Tight ones. And low-cut tops - bonus if the tops are baggy.

He will admire your abilities and he’s not afraid to tell you that. Dabi’s impressed with your progress and skill and you’re going to know it. He’ll even brag about to the others when you’re not around.

The more he sees you do yoga, the more he sort of wishes he could join you. You look so focused yet so at peace. He would like to experience that.

Spinner:

Not entirely sure how yoga works. He knows of it and all, but he’s never tried or went out of his way to learn about it.

So is he curious? Yes! Does he think it’s neat? Sure! Is he willing to try? Eeh..

Show him what you can do with your learnings from yoga, though, and he’s interested! He’s rather impressed by what the experience is given you, and he wants to see if he can benefit from it, too.

He’s in a bit of a rush, though, trying poses that are too advanced for him and sometimes hurting himself. You have to make sure he goes at a proper pace.

But he’s a quick learner, so that helps with his rush to catch up to you. You still have to keep him on a tight leash, though!

Spinner is the type to show you off anyway, but he’s really going to show you off for being into yoga. You’re doing what you can to take care of yourself, and he’s proud of that.

Literally won’t practice without you. You’re his second pair of eyes that makes sure he’s in the proper position, because he’s still a beginner. Plus it’s just not as fun without you.

His balance isn’t the best, so he’ll constantly ask you to help him improve because who better to ask? You’ve got it down pat! He knows you’re a great teacher.

[engekihaikyuu]

Hyper Projection Engeki Haikyuu

Stage Natalie - Interview Translation with the new Karasuno generation!  Fly High everyone!

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Full interview translation and more photos under the Read More! Please do not repost my translations.

Q1. Please write a tagline for your character.

Daigo Kotarou: He jumps a lot.  -The Ultimate Man of Positivity- Akana Ryuunosuke: The model of a volleyball maniac.  A genius setter that controls the court with perfection. Yamamoto Ryousuke: Karasuno’s one and only, lazy heartthrob.  ~Lately, volleyball’s gotten fun~ Oribe Yoshinari: “I won’t let anyone call me a coward anymore, I’m going to save my team in this pinch situation!”  Once he has the jump floater serve as a weapon, the one he shows of in the Aoba Johsai match, I thought that Yamaguchi was so manly and so dependable so I want to use that line for his tagline.  

Q2. Who is your rival? Please explain why.

Daigo Kotarou: The Hinata Shouyou from the manga.  The reason: His positive personality, his never-give-up attitude, the strength to put in the work necessary to improve, he’s someone I respect as a person, and a presence I want to surpass.   Akana Ryuunosuke: Everyone else in my generation.  Even though we’re the same age, there are people who can give others hope and I think they’re amazing.  They might be athletes or actors, there are so many different types of people, but they’re all my rivals.   Yamamoto Ryousuke: Our director, Worry Kinoshita-san.  I’m working hard every day to make a play that goes above and beyond what Worry-san wants or expects of us.  When he says that something’s funny or interesting, I get excited. Oribe Yoshinari: As Yamaguchi, Kinoshita is a pinch server too, so he’s my rival there.  But because of that, we encourage and motivate each other.  For me personally, everyone is my rival and my friend.  

Q3. When it comes to Engeki Haikyuu, what’s something you want to challenge yourself to do?  

Daigo Kotarou: I want to be able to incorporate all of Hinata’s good points, like his positivity, into my daily life and not just on-stage.   Akana Ryuunosuke: Bungee jumping or sky-diving. So that I can “fly high.” Yamamoto Ryousuke: Overseas performances!!  Haikyuu is popular overseas too, so I want to go overseas.  I think the reactions will be different compared to Japan, and that’s a challenge I’d love to take on.  

WE’D LOVE IT TOO

Oribe Yoshinari: I want to try going on a trip with all of the Karasuno members.  And then we can all challenge ourselves in different ways and grow even more unified and close.  It’s not just because I want to go on a trip or anything, okay!!!!! (laughs)

Q1. Please write a tagline for your character.

Kanegae Kou: With his special attack, Enter the Dragon, captain of the first squad, with a mind of STEEL, who’s sometimes nice. Kitazawa Yuuma: He loves everyone!!  A man among men!!  Nishinoya Yuu!!  Someone that any man would look up to!!  That’s Nishinoya Yuu!!!  With an excellent sense of humor!!  On top of that, a volleyball genius!!  He can easily switch on and off and many many people can’t help but feel his charm!!  Karasuno’s leading actor is ME!!! Nakatani Yuushin: With short bangs, a refreshing and serious boy.   Osada Sean: I have no confidence and I’m really pessimistic, but I’m a passionate kouhai that’s loved by all.  

This entire section is just a lot... from all four of them.

Q2. Who is your rival? Please explain why.

Kanegae Kou: Everyone on the cast.  We have such a great cast with so many great individual personalities.  Simply put, everyone has their own charm that just can’t be compared, and we all motivate each other, help each other improve, and I want us all to push forward toward the actual performances.   Kitazawa Yuuma: Nishinoya Yuu.  He’s so manly and so bright and strong, I look up to him a lot.  I don’t have that level of manliness or fighting spirit, or that mental strength.  In order to present all of that, I’m going to borrow Noya-ssan's passion and apply them to myself.  As a man, I want to grow and improve!!   Nakatani Yuushin: Myself.  I’m trying to stay mindful so that the character I play can be even more charming within the play.  For the Ennoshita that already exists in Haikyuu, in order to make him even more wonderful, I have to face myself, I have to face my character, and go to war within myself.  I want people to love Ennoshita more and want to get to know him more because of how I play him.   Osada Sean: My biggest rival is probably myself.  Because this is a show that’s always seeking new ideas, my task is to constantly do better than myself.  I have to not shut myself away in a shell, I have to struggle with myself while exploring for solutions and these days have been very fun.  I want to keep challenging myself from here on out.  

Q3. When it comes to Engeki Haikyuu, what’s something you want to challenge yourself to do?

Kanegae Kou: In my life as an actor, I’ve never played a character like Tanaka Ryuunosuke before, so the role in and of itself is the one major challenge for me.  It’s so fun playing him, and I’m excited every day because of rehearsals.  As we work on the show, I want to keep having fun like this right up until we start touring.   Kitazawa Yuuma: I want the Japanese flag to fly into the world again.  I want the scale of this show to get bigger and bigger.  I want to raise it up with everyone else in our Gekidan Haikyuu family, and I want to be friends with them forever and ever.   Nakatani Yuushin: As the tour goes on, I want to try things I’ve never experienced before.  Since I’m personally very keen on trying new things, I think the tone of our new Karasuno genearation will come through too.  Also I’m very excited to tour in places I’ve never been before. Osada Sean: Since my character, Kinoshita, has been limited to the manga up to this point, there’s not a lot of information about him, and my biggest challenge is figuring out how to create my interpretation of him.  From now on, Kinoshita will be getting more and more encouragements from his teammates and accumulating experience in matches, so I’m looking forward to seeing how he’ll fly.

Q1. Please write a tagline for your character.

Higano Shou: With his huge, expansive heart, he makes the ground on which Karasuno stands. Their reliable captain, Sawamura Daichi.   Ichinose Ryuu: He’s always looking after those around him, Karasuno’s refreshing leader.   Fukuda Yuuya: A man who’s given up once but has since gained immeasurable strength and will.  As the Ace, he’ll inspire his team and rise up again.  

Q2. Who or what is your rival? Please explain why.

Higano Shou: Personally, my rival is myself.  I always want to do better and better and go further and further than I did yesterday.   Ichinose Ryuu: Kitazawa Yuuma.  In this group, he’s the only one that’s the same age as me.  Twenty-two.  He’s such a good guy to his core that I can’t hate him!  He’s always doing something funny or interesting, and I feel like I can’t lose to him.  I feel like he probably said something cool like, “my rival is myself,” or something like that.   Fukuda Yuuya: Azumane Asahi-san.  He’s going to be someone I coexist with from now on, but also someone I have to tackle head-on.  I want to take all of Asahi-san's strengths and weaknesses, the parts that we have in common and don’t, and absorb them all into myself as I face him.  

Q3. When it comes to Engeki Haikyuu, what’s something you want to challenge yourself to do?

Higano Shou: I would like to take this world that Worry-san has made and give everything a new and fresh feeling, not sparing even a single second to present on-stage!   Ichinose Ryuu: I want to be proactive about talking to all sorts of people!!  I’m shy and really not good with first-meetings, so I want to do my best and not hesitate so much this time.  If I want to become friends, it’ll be faster if I can at least start there!   Fukuda Yuuya: I want to be able to take everyone to a place where they can all go about their day as they like.  I want to know about everyone’s hobbies and interests, and share in them if possible.  I would love for a day like that to become possible.  

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Translated by @nimbus-cloud Please do not repost my translations

If you appreciate the work I do for this blog and want to support my translation efforts, please consider donating a ko-fi!  (x)

If you’d like to read the original interview, you can find it here: (x)

[shenlongshao]

Aerith & Jam: The Eastern Appeal of Two Similar Women

February has came so fast! I thought it would be fun to a post to celebrate the upcoming birthdays of my two, all-time favorite characters; Jam Kuradoberi from Guilty Gear and Aerith Gainsborough from Final Fantasy 7. I'll be explaining in detail the surprising amount of similarities between them, why these characters are widely loved in Eastern more than Western audiences, etc. I hope you enjoy reading!^_^ Let's begin by looking at Aerith's and Jam's design!

WHAT JAM AND AERITH HAVE IN COMMON ====================================

Besides having light brown hair, Jam and Aerith share the color scheme of red and pink. These two colors perfectly represent Jam's and Aerith's personalities along with their outlook on life.

The Color Red (https://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-red.html):

The color red is a warm and positive color associated with our most physical needs and our will to survive. Red is energizing. It excites the emotions and motivates us to take action. It signifies a pioneering spirit and leadership qualities, promoting ambition and determination. It is also strong-willed and can give confidence to those who are shy or lacking in will power. Being the color of physical movement, the color red awakens our physical life force. It is the color of sexuality and can stimulate deeper and more intimate passions in us, such as love and sex on the positive side or revenge and anger on the negative.

The Color Pink (https://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-pink.html):

The color pink represents compassion, nurturing and love. It relates to unconditional love and understanding, and the giving and receiving of nurturing. A combination of red and white, pink contains the need for action of red, helping it to achieve the potential for success and insight offered by white. It is the passion and power of red softened with the purity, openness and completeness of white. The deeper the pink, the more passion and energy it exhibits. Pink is feminine and romantic, affectionate and intimate, thoughtful and caring. It tones down the physical passion of red replacing it with a gentle loving energy.

Pink is intuitive and insightful, showing tenderness and kindness with its empathy and sensitivity. In color psychology, pink is a sign of hope. It is a positive color inspiring warm and comforting feelings, a sense that everything will be okay. 

An interesting part about Jam's earlier concept art is she didn't always have hazel brown eyes....

(Note: Image cropped to save space. Originally posted from https://gear-project.tumblr.com/ )

She has green eyes! Specifically, the same shade as Aerith's~.

Jam and Aerith's birthdays are only a day apart from each other. Aerith's birthday is February 7th while Jam's birthday is February 8th, making them both Aquarius. This further proves both Jam and Aerith are givers, since the symbolism of the Aquarius is a picture showing water being poured heavily from a container(The Water Bearer), giving life, wisdom, etc. to everyone. Aquarius women are typically known to be Independent, eccentric, humanitarian, and free-spirited. This is true for both Aerith and Jam, but let's examine a little deeper on what it says about an Aquarius.

Aquarius Personality (https://labyrinthos.co/blogs/astrology-horoscope-zodiac-signs/the-zodiac-sign-aquarius-symbol-personality-strengths-weaknesses):

One of the most obvious traits of those born under the Aquarius zodiac sign is that they are kind, friendly and generous, though later you may find that they are quite guarded and may choose to keep some emotional distance. Alongside this, they are quite subversive and rebellious - filled with many quirks that make them memorable characters of the zodiac.

Despite their friendly nature, they have a reputation for being outsiders - ones that cooly observe society, while sometimes also feeling detached from the systems that run it. Although they can be quite aloof, they are also deeply concerned with humanitarian causes. Aquarians tend to care very much for the welfare of others and society as a whole. This means as humanitarians, you can usually see them fighting power structures and campaigning against oppression.

With their eccentric nature, Aquarians find connections with others to be very easy to make, and will not find it difficult to meet up with friends or family members that they have not seen or heard from in a long time. Having a real zest for life, Aquarians tend to have a lot of energy and have a great curiosity for new experiences. Being very sociable, they can drift towards groups when working and in their social lives rather than having one or two friends. They like to experience new things, and will always be the first to try something novel.

Aquarians are one of the most friendly and entertaining signs of the zodiac, and thus they can be  fun to spend time with. Their eccentric and empathetic nature leads them to be great advice givers, always happy and excited to help those in need as well as to have a listening ear. They make great friends, and work hard so that more introverted signs can come out of their shells. Their curiosity with the world and energy mean that they are always willing to accompany friends into new adventures, and are always up for the next exciting experience. They are also generous givers, so if you are ever in need, an Aquarian will not hesitate to share whatever they have with you.

When it comes to love and relationships, Aquarians can be great partners - as long as they feel they are not trapped. Because they expect and need their own freedom and privacy, they are also just as giving of that freedom to their partners. They are rarely ever the type to get jealous or nag you repeatedly about something, rather choosing to give you your own time. Because they crave stimulation, they seem sometimes to be drawn to what is mysterious in love and relationships - looking to solve the riddle. Once they do commit however, they tend to be very loyal, the more empathetic and vulnerable side of their characters being open to you.

In love, they desire intellectual stimulation and friendship above all - and in partners they search for those that are not just lovers, but best friends too. A relationship with someone born under the Aquarius zodiac sign can be filled with surprises; their love of life means that yours too will be fun, exciting, and unusual.

Both Jam and Aerith are the same height( 163cm = 5 FT. 4in).

Both Jam and Aerith grew up in harsh, less fortunate environments. Jam lives on the poorer side of China with daily struggles of maintaining a place to live and achieving her dream of being a chef. If you watch GG Revelator 2 of May's Instant Kill, one of Jam's lines is "The lights are off again?" GG Revelator also reveals Jam has experienced tragedy according to Bedman's Instant Kill where Jam says "A black umbrella...? What are you doing here?" In China, a black umbrella symbolizes someone close to you has died.  Meaning Jam did lose someone important to her, it's just hasn't been stated who(my personal guess is a family member).

Aerith also experienced tragedy of losing her parents at a young age. Her father was shot for refusing to give his wife Ifalna(Aerith's mom) and her to Dr.Hojo, so he got shot by Dr.Hojo's henchmen. Ifalna died from her fatal injury and left to be raised by her adopted mother Elmyra. Aerith grew up in The Slums(Sector 5) of Midgar, where criminal activity and danger is common. Aerith and Jam had no help from outsiders or had millions of friends, all they have is themselves to rely on. Yet despite the harshness of their experiences, they maintain a optimistic outlook and happy attitude along being very street-wise.

Although Jam is a martial artist and Aerith is a magic user, there's some similarities with their abilities. They were both even targeted for it by corrupted organizations. Aerith was targeted by Shinra because she's one of the few remaining Cetra, and Jam was targeted by the P.W.A.B(Post-War Administration Bureau) in GGX2 because of her borderline inhuman gift in Ki. I'll show you by providing information on both.

About Cetra(https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Cetra):

The migrations of the Cetra were a Planet-reverent pursuit of the fabled Promised Land conducted by traveling and cultivating life. The Cetra could commune with the Planet, an ability regular humans lost once they gave up their close relationship with the Planet in favor of leisure and convenience. The Cetra could guide the flow of the Planet's spiritual energy, this being the means by which they cultivated life on the Planet's surface. According to legends, Ancients could use magic without Materia, and had an advanced magical civilization.

About Ki(https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps2/562111-guilty-gear-x2/faqs/21874):

Q. What is magic? What is ki? A. Magic is a source of incredible energy that began to be studied seriously by humans in the 21st century. There are five elements of magic: fire, lightning, water, wind, and ki. The first four are now well understood and can be amplified and controlled, but the use of ki remains unknown. Ki has its origins in the Orient. Testament is known to control some sort of magic, and the wielders of Jinki can also control magic to some extent. Axl too, for some reason, has been observed to use something similar to magic of the fire element. As for ki, some fighting masters of the Orient, such as Jam Kuradoberi, can use it; Kliff Undersn was the first non-Asian to be able to use ki, and now Chipp Zanuff has mastered its use as well.<

Here's another source about Ki in Guilty Gear(https://guilty-gear.fandom.com/wiki/Ki)

Ki is the Japanese on'yomi formatting of the Chinese character Qi/Chi (気 or 氣, pronounced as "chee"), and is one of the five elemental categories of magic. It is the oldest among all magical elements and is also considered the foundation of all magic. It has the ability to amplify the strength and effects of the other four magics. It is also the least understood among scholars of Magical Theory of Science.

In real-life, qi/ki is considered by Asian philosophy to be a type of life force or energy flow that literally often pertains to the atmosphere around oneself.

Jam may not be a special race, but notice how both her and Aerith's abilities relate to magic and spirit energy. This means their gifts symbolize life and spirituality.

Both Jam and Aerith have sadly suffered some "lost in translation" of their personalities. I've already mentioned how the English translation of the older Guilty Gear games had taken away alot of Jam's sweetness and empathy to being replaced with being rude and edgy to be "interesting" to Westerners. You can find my character analysis of Jam here(https://culinaryphoenix.tumblr.com/post/151953570662/character-analysis-of-jam-kuradoberi). Thankfully, the later games like Revelator fixed this. With Aerith, while not as extreme as with Jam, the English translation of Final Fantasy 7 took away some of her sweetness to focus more on her spunky side for the same reason; cause it's more "interesting" to Westerners. I'll show you a comparison of Aerith's dialogue when her and Cloud meet again with Reno and some Shinra henchmen arriving there.

English Version ---------------

Aerith: "Don't fight here! You'll ruin the flowers!"

Japanese Version ----------------

Aerith: "Please, no fighting here! You'll ruin the flowers!"

Cloud and Aerith quickly retreat to the back section of the church by going up the stairs. The platform is broken in half with Cloud jumping first then tells Aerith to follow. She immediately shakes her head in refusal. Let's compare the dialogue again.

English Version --------------

Cloud: *nods* "Alright, I'll hold them off."

Aerith: "Right. Make sure they don't get through!"

Japanese Version -----------------

Cloud: *Nods* "You'll be alright. I'll catch you."

Aerith: "Alright. Please make sure you catch me."

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGt8ua68xAM

The original context of the scene is totally different from the English version. Not only you see how while Aerith is spunky, she's also very polite. It also reveals her shaking her head was because she was scared of falling. Unlike the English version where it gives the impression she simply refused to jump and be like "I'm not listening to you! Go fight those henchmen!" Lol. Jam and Aerith can easily take care of themselves and have great emotional strength, especially from their experiences. At the same time, they're still people that show moments of being vulnerable and having a great need to be cared for, protected, etc. Which leads to the next part what they have in common; the traits of their love interests.

Aerith is in love with Cloud and Jam is in love with Ky. It's interesting how both Ky and Cloud are handsome men with blonde hair, radiant blue eyes, has blue as their main color, both are skilled swordsman and extremely strong, and both were in the military at a young age(Cloud in SOLDIER and Ky in Sacred Order of Holy Knights). They even have the same blood type(Both Cloud and Ky's blood type are AB)! Both men willingly take on the weight of the world upon their shoulders because they know others, especially their friends and loved ones are depending on them. They're protective over those they care for and go out of their way to make sure they're safe, cared for, etc. This is extremely important and special to Aerith and Jam because it's something they both want and need in their lives. Remember both these women's upbringing and how it's usually them having to be strong and do everything on their own, but now they meet these men are willing to do the same for them out of genuine care. This is the main reason why the two women are so in love with the two men. Let's look at the evidence starting with Aerith.

Note: Final Fantasy 7: DISMANTLED is an official Japanese book that tells the events through each character's personal monologue.

Aerith's Monologue in the Shinra building(https://www.finalfantasyforums.net/threads/vii-dismantled-book.43606/page-2) Aerith: *being excited now* Aerith: Cloud, you came! When I got to the Shinra Building I was handed over to a man called Hojo, I couldn’t help thinking that I won’t be able to escape anymore. I don’t know why but that man gave me the shivers. The way he looked at me was like measuring a piece of experimental specimen…. In short, he wanted a hybrid from Red XIII and….oh forget it, I don’t want to talk about it. Anyway, Professor Hojo is absolutely a weirdo! Although Red told me that “the acting was to throw Hojo off guard”, but he seemed quite serious at that moment. He does look like a savage beast, however, he is more human than most of mankind. Like what he tried to convey, we should cherish this Planet. It’s just…I can also feel the excessive strain— he seems to push himself too hard. And Cloud really is a hero! To Tifa, and to me as well, he’ll come wherever we’re in a pinch! Well, as for the one-date payment, I think I should make it two! Aerith gleefully enjoys and comments on how Cloud is a knight-in-shining armor to both her and Tifa. This increases her attraction and deepen her feelings for Cloud. This is also proof that Aerith knows the real him very early because notice how she says "Cloud really is a hero!" She knows this trait is truly part of Cloud and not something he's just pretending to be or copying from Zack. This leaves a strong impression on her because when her, Cloud, and the others finally are about to leave Midgar, Aerith admits it's her first time leaving. Cloud asks if she's worried, which at first she claims it's only a little then later admits she's worried alot. Instead of saying, "I'll be alright, though. I've dealt with worse." Aerith says... "But I have my bodyguard, right?" There's also the part when Barrett mentions of needing to assign an official leader for the team, Aerith automatically says "It should be Cloud." Once again, Aerith knows and sees Cloud's qualities not only as a person, but also a leader. She has so much faith in him and continues to do so throughout the game. She feels safe, deeply cared for, and happy with Cloud. With how much time they spent together(in-game time wise, it's likely a few months with all the traveling, etc.), Aerith realizes Cloud is the one for her. Next, is looking at the evidence with Jam. In the 3rd path of Jam's story in Guilty Gear X2, she later finally finds the one responsible behind the attack at her restaurant; Robo-Ky. Below is the dialogue from the original translation. Jam's Story Path 3(https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps2/562111-guilty-gear-x2/faqs/20666) Jam: You hiding over there... I see you! Robo Ky: Gigigi... you found me. Jam: Did you come to get beat up again? Robo Ky: Target's battle power has been analyzed. Robo Ky: Group attack... Robo Ky: ...would be most effective. Jam: Aiya! How many of them are there?! Jam: They're coming from all sides! (vs. Robo Ky) (vs. Robo Ky) (vs. Robo Ky) Robo Ky: Gigigi... Jam: Th-there's no end to them! Even though the gameplay shows needing to fight the Robo-Kys only three times, it's conveying Jam has been fighting an army of them for countless hours on her own. She's in great danger cause she's eventually going to get worn out and more Robo-Kys keep blocking her way. But then... Robo Ky: Gigigi... Give it up! Robo Ky: Everyone present! Robo Ky: Present! Robo Ky: Present! Jam: There's all of these?!Ky: That's it! Jam: A new one?! Ky: You're mistaken. I've come to save you. Jam: You're... from that time... Ky: I'm sorry I came late. Ky: Please leave these to me. Jam: Okay! Just like with Aerith, this leaves a very strong impression on Jam for many reasons. She didn't expect any help, especially from the man she thought she would never see again. She's exposed to how Ky's the type of person to go out of his way to save her and other people. She spends time with him for a while and getting to know just how caring, responsible, and noble is. This causes the result of her attraction and feelings for him deepens. She has her heart set on Ky.  Both Jam and Aerith are highly perceptive and give great wisdom than people think, which their detractors quickly label them being "insensitive" cause they totally miss the context. With Jam, I already gave an example with Haeyun in Revelator from my character analysis I linked to earlier. She also gave provided the same to Jack-O, whom spurred her to realize her purpose and place in the world. With Aerith, the notion of her being "insensitive" has even been stated as fact according to Final Fantasy 7 Wikia and some fans think this is her character flaw. Aerith's Personality from FF7 Wikia(https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Aerith_Gainsborough) Though she means well, Aerith can be insensitive to other people's problems, like when Barret is troubled in the Gold Saucer. I'll post and highlight the parts people are focused on. Aerith: "Hey, Barret! Cheer up!" Barret: "I'm not in a cheery mood. Just leave me alone." Aerith: "Really? That's too bad." *goes to Cloud and says* "Let's go" To get the full context, there's a video below that leads up to the group arriving at the Gold Saucer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JS9JfjixzAI&list=PL85002125B482FF1B&index=34 Around 1:43 of the video, notice Aerith is the first one to ask what happened followed by Cloud. When Barret tells the group how his hometown isn't what it used to be. Aerith says, "But how could those people say such awful things?" with her hands on her hips in disgust. She definitely didn't like how the townspeople treated Barret. After he explained what happened and why he says it's all his fault, Aerith gives sympathetic silence. Red XIII does the same, Cloud is disgusted of what Shinra did to Barret's home and people, and Tifa tries to console Barret saying it wasn't his fault. But Yuffie says... Yuffie: "I'm not sympathizing with Barret! He shouldn't have trusted Shinra." Even though Yuffie has a point of he shouldn't have trusted Shinra, Barret didn't know at the time. She just plainly ignore how the townspeople and Barret's wife died along with the town itself burned to almost nothingness. So she's basically like, "Welp, that's what you get for being a dummy!" This is the very definition of being insensitive and not caring about people's problems. It's interesting how people ignore this yet claim Aerith is the wicked witch of the west all because she tells Barret to "cheer up" and "Really? That's too bad." lol. Below is the full context of the scene, which I'm using a better translation and not the given English one. Aerith: "Wow! Let's have fun!"  *Feels excited then turns to look at Barret from a distance* "I know it's not the right time to do this, but..." "Hey, Barret, cheer up!" Barret: "I'm not in a cheery mood. Just leave me alone."   Aerith: "Really? That's too bad." Tifa: *Whispers* "Aerith, doesn't that seem a little inconsiderate...?" Aerith: *Whispers back* "When situations like this happens, it's best not to push the issue too much." Tifa: *Whispers* "Really?" Aerith: *whispers* "Mm hmm~" *Aerith goes over to Barret again* Aerith: "We're gonna go play..." Barret: *blows up* "THEN PLAY! Mess around *curses*! Don't forget we're after Sephiroth!" *Angrily jumps inside Wonder Square* Aerith: "Oh, he's mad..." Tifa: "He'll be fine. He seems to be doing a little better now." Aerith's intention was to try to get Barret's mind off of his emotional pain by being playful and lighthearted. After seeing his reaction, Aerith decides to give him some space, though she did later wanted to let him know she and the others were going to enjoy the sights of the Gold Saucer. What Aerith explained to Tifa is some people just need time to sort out their problems on their own instead of forcing the person to. In the end, it started to work cause Barret started to jump in one of the attractions instead of standing alone and being silent. She has also given wisdom and compassion to Cloud many times when he would doubt or blame himself. WHY AERITH AND JAM ARE SO POPULAR IN THE EAST MORE THAN WEST ============================================================ There will always be fans who dislike these characters regardless, and there are Western fans who do like them(like myself). With Aerith, you could easily say it's because she's the main female character and vital to the plot of FF7. But with Jam, she's sadly just a supporting character cause in Guilty Gear, May and Millia Rage are the main female characters. Yet, she's so popular in Japan there was an anime called Genshiken where a character cosplayed as her.

The main reason both women are very beloved in the East both have traits of a leading lady. Their hardworking, determination, and free-spirit towards their goals and dreams make them admirable. Their outward display of emotions and not afraid to be express their romantic interest towards the men they love(devotion is a highly good trait in the East). Their femininity and how their strength is how they deal with life's trials and tribulations rather than strictly about their superpowers, etc. Both of their experiences are relatable to many along with their optimistic nature and playfulness, even their flaws makes them endearing and humane. I would call this type of leading lady "The Cheerful Optimist". Tifa and Dizzy also have traits of a leading lady, which the type I would call "The Strong, yet Gentle" type(going into detail about this would require another post, but wanted to give them an honorable mention~).

This also explain why I love these characters so much, especially how they easily disprove the notion that female characters can only be amazing if they completely abandon their femininity, viciously degrade men to "put them in their place", be Mary-Sues(meaning absolutely perfect with no humane and notable flaws), etc. I think people underestimate how much emotional strength it takes to remain positive and being inspirational to others when life and people have treated them horribly. It's a shame that instead of seeing the depth of these characters, it's easier for people to just label them as "weak, insensitive jerks, etc." But thankfully, me and other fans who do take the time to understand Aerith and Jam know how they are.

Happy early birthday to both Aerith Gainsborough and Jam Kuradoberi~

[theangrypokemaniac]

There's a sneering attitude that the dub is inherently inferior solely for being a dub, and when I say 'dub' I mean the American one. No one attacks the South American interpretation, funnily enough, or the variety that exist globally.

Why not if foreign languages are so abhorrent?  Do you think it's kewl to hate America?

That's so original you know.

If the moan centres on the dub changing certain things, well that's a pointless stance, because it's impossible to do otherwise.

What's accepted in one country is not always permitted elsewhere, so either you make those alterations or it's never shown. I'd prefer seeing a slightly toned down version rather than have it never reach the West at all.

This is without considering the technical obstacles that a direct translation brings. The words do have to fit the mouth movements, and if they don't, truncation must follow.

America and Japan are different; the population of the former are not going to comprehend the references to the latter's history and culture, which necessitates some divergence from the original to give it mass appeal.

Anime is a branch of entertainment. It has to attract the public's good will to stay in business. If impenetrable, it'll fail, with all the resulting unemployment and finacial losses that brings.

Those in charge of dubbing understandably think they're on safer ground promoting familiarity rather than the strange, but that's not to say Pokémon was stripped of its identity. On the contrary, it was like nothing I'd ever encountered before.

I may have watched Western cartoons then, but the idea of doing so now is silly. I won't give time to any modern animation unless it's Japanese. Growing up on the dub has not produced an ephemeral fan less serious or 'true'.

The 4Kids dub had wit, humour, deep emotion, suggestive comments and flights of fancy. The voices fitted the characters well.

Unlike the current one, where everyone sounds on the verge of vomiting, but then they're clearly working with substandard material on a miserly budget. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear after all.

Dubs can be bad, but the very state of being a dub doesn't confer worthlessness automatically. Considering the work gone into them, attempting to gain your favour, it seems rude not to appreciate the time and energy spent in production.

Knowing a little about history, sub-only fanatics remind me of the kind of folk who opposed an English Bible, because it was too good for the oiks to read the word of God.

Of course it was alright for them, rich enough to be taught Latin, but not so much the ordinary man.

It amuses me how dozens dismiss the dub, but see no hypocrisy in using its evidence to further their ship or anti-ship arguments, so it can't be that revolting.

It's also bizarre that so many hold sacred the sub of a series currently in a frenzy to shed every aspect of its anime and Japanese origins, leaving a vague, rootless ghost, supposedly making it easier to slip down the gullet of the masses.

Pokémon I've seen referred to as a 'gateway drug', as in the anime that introduced a generation to the entire concept. This means the dub. You would not have got enough kids in the late Nineties to read a screen rather than watch it, and even today most would lose interest rapidly.

Where would you be without that dub? Unless you're Japanese, your first experience of Pokémon will have been a dub, and if not the American, the one where you live, which was only made because there was the funds available.

You may have then progressed to watching the sub, but only because that dub stirred love in your soul.

Where would the franchise be without that dub? You think Pokémon would've grown to be a world-wide obsession raking in billions by itself? No, it'd still be a solely Japanese phenomena, and most likely never lasted this long.

Its decades of supremacy rests on the quality of that dub. It sold games and merchandise to kids by the ton, giving an incentive to keep the series going. If you're not a fan from the first wave, then your favourite era would have never existed had it not been financially attractive carrying on.

The team who wrote the first film actually preferred the dub, moved to tears by its emotive use of music, therefore they aren't so precious as the fans.

Where would anime be without that dub? Pokémon brought it to the West. A handful slipped through previously, but made minor impression.

To those who would dismiss Pokémon entirely in favour of more 'worthy' output such as Studio Ghibli, I would say that Pokémon, first the games, then the programme they inspired, must have an integral quality to have caught on in Japan, which isn't exactly short on similar concepts.

To have gained popularity in a crowded market, and so fervently a dub became an option, can only have come about because it held a certain magic.

It was the dub that smashed a hole in the cultural barrier, setting free the tidal wave to engulf the world. In Pokémon's trail followed Digimon, Cardcaptors, Monster Rancher, Yu-Gi-Oh! et cetera.

Without Pokémon, I doubt they'd have been translated, and definitely never broadcast on mainstream television. That came about as channels desperately hunted down anything Japanese to serve as the next craze.

I really appreciated the effort made by 4Kids in converting every aspect of the series to suit American tastes, including changing text on signs, letters and books into English. I assumed this was standard practice until I watched others.

I could never be as involved in them as I was Pokémon because of that block. It was like being denied access to the deeper waters, fenced into the shallows, and implied a rushed dub, with little care shown but to chase the same crowd and money.

If personified, the dub 'n' sub wouldn't be one human being, but rather identical twins: the same to a casual observer, but easy to tell apart by the more attentive.

It's like the games: Red and Blue are versions of a single adventure, but not totally one. Take the dub and the sub the same way. They are parallel dimensions running on separate rails, and beyond reconciliation, and that's before we consider that, sub and dub alike, each generation has only a faint relation to its predecessor, working on its own whims.

Everyone has a favourite, or can like both, and there's nothing wrong in that, but so many are proud of the fact they hate the dub, as if it conveys a revered status of supremacy.

When Disney films are shown abroad, they too are translated, and I'm sure references and jokes are redesigned to make sense to the locals. It's no use selling yourself as a comedy then being surprised when the audience refuses to laugh, having no idea what you mean.

If people prefer that one, for being what introduced them to Disney as a whole, or as a fond memory of childhood, then so what?

I don't mind if their view of a character is minutely at odds with mine, having seen the original, because what they think is canon to their version, so can't be wrong.

I don't go round declaring every Disney dub to be pathetic by its nature, that viewers of them are of a lesser breed of fan for preferring their own tongue, even though more of the world's population understand English than they do Japanese.

If you enjoy one tailored to your country there's no crime in it, just as I like one at least comprehensible to mine. It's not even my culture, but I pick it up mostly.

The choice must be made on which to follow, and this blog runs on dub canon, as that has a claim on my heart. Just because I don't acknowledge what takes place in the sub doesn't mean I'm unaware of it, but it has no bearing on what I write.

The idea that the dub alters things willy-nilly without rhyme nor reason is also mistaken. Often it does it because the original does not make sense.

In the sub, I know Nanny and Pop-Pop are just a couple of old duffers taken at random and dropped in to a castle, supposedly as James's far away nannies.

Oh yeah, that's a cushy position. You doing a lot of child care from miles off?

Mind you, it used to describe 'em as 'caretakers' on Bulbapædia, as if Nan serves as housekeeper whilst Pop tends to the garden.

That's right. Ma and Pa finally got some work out of this pair of freeloaders.

They're not related, remember? No, no, absolutely not, no way. Of course their style reflects that. They just gave Pop a 'tache, thick eyebrows and a bigger nose, and Nan got a bun and lines in her hair, but there's certainly no connection. Oh no. Such a thing is ridiculous.

They're NOT family. No. Yet Hoenn James still panics they might learn he's joined Team Rocket, spending the whole episode trying to hide the truth.

Why? Who are servants to criticise the son of their employers? Why should their opinion be of any consequence to Hoenn James, especially when his parents, fiancée and butler are cognizant of reality?

Children of aristocrats are usually brought up by governesses, thus develop a stronger attachment to these figures rather than their parents, but that isn't the case here.

James lived with Ma and Pa, not the codgers minding the castle. He would have very little contact with distant employees compared to those who waited on him daily, so why seek out their approval?

Hoenn James apparently was permitted visits to Nan 'n' Pop, which is strange considering they're not relatives. Why them and not any other house-stters?

That's right, Ma and Pa sent their son to one of their properties without them, entrusting him to the care of two shrivelled pensioners of his size that he barely knew, and who could keel over at any minute. There are no other servants present. Apparently Nan and Pop clean an entire castle by themselves.

Oh, and they run a makeshift Pokémon sanctuary, but since it's not their home it has to be done with Ma and Pa's blessing, who also have to pay for it, but they're eevul aren't they?

The idea that somehow Nanny and Pop-Pop have not cottoned on to James's occupation by now is risible.

Servants gossip about their masters. I bet the entire household of his home know, and so in turn does the county. That Nan and Pop remain oblivious proves how isolated they are, for no one's thought to inform them.

When it came to dubbing it, they were made his grandparents, removing all the above nonsense. Of course he visits his nan and granddad, it's their gaff and their money funding the place, and it is likely his mother or father would keep James's job a secret, for fear the shock would finish 'em off.

It should do really. If they're not bothered by it that's a sign of where his rapscallion ways were inherited.

They aren't facially akin to Ma and Pa, but display the same additions, so if staff it's bloody lazy, as if nannies have to resemble your parents, but inventing a blood link excuses the slothful characterisation.

Every reference I've seen on Tumblr relating to the coffin-dodgers calls them Nanny and Pop-Pop. Apparently the dub decision is met with universal approval. It does have redeeming aspects then.

Now the sub writers, rather than ignore this development, took to it too. They aren't exactly bursting with ideas these days and are probably grateful for the lifelines offered.

Remembering James had parents, they forced a likeness between them and Nanny and Pop-Pop. How else do you explain the inexplicable ageing, even when Sinnoh Ma and Sinnoh Pa are younger than Ma and Pa?

I've also known for years that the sub has this woman as Jessie's foster mother, not Ma Jess, but that's stupid.

I can grasp the idea that Jessie and Ma might have endured extreme deprivation, considering that's what Team Rocket has brought to Jessie anyway, and that they may have lived at the bottom of Mew's mountain prior to Ma's death.

What I find difficult to take in is that social services (or as they're known where I live, the S.S.), however notoriously awful they are, would give a child to a mad bitch in a shack with no running water.

Come on, they have to at least pretend to be concerned for Jessie's welfare.

As Jessie is very young, bereavement can't have befallen her in the distant past, so how can she be happy this soon after becoming an orphan? How could the grieving period be a cherished memory?

If that woman's creaming off the money, why hasn't she fixed the place up by now? Where do the payments go, sniffing glue?

Then there's the depiction. If this is just some daft bint never to be mentioned again, why do they conceal her face? Who cares what she looks like when she's unimportant?

Here's another figure from Jessie's past. She isn't disguised, and why not when she too briefly appears and is then forgotten?

Who was she?

The only sort of characters they tended to hide were other members of Team Rocket:

During the early scenes featuring Giovanni, he was enveloped in shadow, adding both intrigue and a sense of menace.

Madame Boss also got this treatment, even though there was probably no intention to ever feature her in the anime. What's the use in keeping an appearance a mystery if it'll remain masked?

With that pattern, it implies this woman is in the same category, like Ma Jess.

When it came to animation, it definitely was intended to be a foster mother. Not her real one. No.

What did they do?

They gave her Jessie's skin tone and purple hair hanging down her back!

You know, like Ma Jess?

Any colour would've done. Any at all, and being anime I do mean any colour, but no. The choice was made to give her the looks of the exact person she's not meant to be!

Is it that surprising the dub simplified things?

I don't mind if you like the dub, sub, both, or any from around the world, but I'm tired of the smug condescension, as if we all agree the sub is the only one that counts, and that dub fans are grunting troglodytes, or not 'proper' aficionados.

None of us would be here were it not for the dub. Pokémon would not be here. I think it deserves some respect for how much of a difference it made, to my life and to yours.

[popatochisssp]

How are the boys with memes? Like who keeps up with the freshest memes, who has no clue what they are, and who (heaven forbid) uses Facebook mom memes?

I should be embarrassed by how ready to answer this ask I am. Well anyway, here goes! XD

Meme Fluent: Sans (Undertale), Papyrus (Undertale), Rus (Swapfell Papyrus), Papy (Horrortale Papyrus)

Can At Least Ask Where The Bathroom Is In Meme: Paps (Underswap Papyrus), Jasper (Underfell Sans), Slate (Horrortale Sans)

Meme-blivious: Sky (Underswap Sans), Pyre (Underfell Papyrus), Mal (Swapfell Sans)

And now specifics, because I have those, because I am way too prepared for this and have thought this out in detail with their Top Two favorite genres of meme because I am a meme-loving fuck, myself:

Sans (Undertale): Of course he’s hip to the meme scene. No explanation necessary there, except for the types of memes he’s into. Minions memes? Minions memes. He is a troll and a garbage sort of person, so he both ironically and unironically loves Minions. The cornier and more played out the meme, the more he loves it and shares it with all his family and friends to the point that they start to hate him. He exits way too many text conversations with the gif of Stuart walking to the pool in the little red speedo and everyone is very sick of it. But another thing genuinely loves is those funny product reviews people do of stuff: When somebody leaves a long review on a useless or silly product, that is his jam. His longest running favorite is literally everything posted about sugar-free gummy bears, but whether the review is sarcastic or overly dramatic in tone, he gets a good, long chuckle out of the stuff these people come up with and is at any moment a few hours away from trying his hand at the medium himself.

Papyrus (Undertale): More meme-savvy than you’d expect, but he doesn’t sleep much and most of the stuff he likes to do out of the house have ‘reasonable business hours,’ whatever that means, so the witching hours are his internet time! He’s a blogger at heart, though, and his favorites are WarriorMale and shitty-car-mods-daily– the former because he deeply resonates with the fighting-positive spirit of it, and the latter because they are so wrong and he has so much to say about all those incredible cars!

Sky (Underswap Sans): Doesn’t have much spare time to spend on the internet, so he is almost meme-illiterate, and the ones he does know are usually pretty old. He loves fun and positivity, so any of those image edits about loving and supporting your friends get a smile out of him, and doggo memes crack him the fuck up, every time. Heck, they do him the real big laughter! Bamboozled again!

Paps (Underswap Papyrus): He’s online a decent amount, but definitely not enough to understand every single meme he sees. He gets the gist of the really popular ones and has a tendency to hold onto his favorites a little longer than their shelf-life, but who decides a meme is dead, anyway? He loves The Onion headlines as reaction images, and he never fails to chuckle at a good, old fashioned Cask of Amontillado meme. In fact, he has a whole store of them printed out just to look at later. He keeps them down in the basement, would you like to see them?

Jasper (Underfell Sans): Similar to Paps, he spends some time on the internet, but not that much–he generally figures he has better shit to do, but it’s fun for unwinding a little every now and then. He is The Worst with his memeing, though, because his favorites are engineering fails and uncomfortable images. Mailboxes built in the middle of a driveway and ramps with railings through the middle are hilariously stupid to him, but he also gets a very mean-spirited chuckle out of sending people things like horses with dog-mouths, or a hunk of meat decorated to look like a donut, stuff that’ll make just about anyone go, “Hmm, don’t like that.” If looking at it fills you with discomfort and possibly even anger, he will locate it and send it to you at two in the morning.

Pyre (Underfell Papyrus): Is not even really sure what a meme is. Has way better shit to do in real life, or at least believes that he does, to be online very much at all! That said, he does have a small collection of gifs from all the reality shows and things with Real Housewives in them to use as reaction images because one thing he can really appreciate is the kind of petty, cattiness those ladies get up to and he likes to co-opt it when someone’s giving him attitude over text. Another thing he likes, though he has no idea that it was ever a meme or even meme-adjacent, is the Troubled Birds images– he actually has the physical book, he got it as a gift from Jasper and he’d never admit it but it is genuinely a treasured possession of his. HE IS LOOKING FOR TROUBLE AND IF HE CANNOT FIND IT, HE WILL CREATE IT!

Mal (Swapfell Sans): Actually the worst about memes because he knows what they are, but…well, there’s no other way to put it, he’s the Facebook mom memer, it’s him. He adores wine-mom memes especially, as a wine-drinker himself, but he’s also a huge fan of those ecards with sassy, bitchy messages on them. “I need to stop asking people ‘how stupid can you be?’ They’re taking it as a challenge!” That’s the kind of thing that gets a laugh from him and he always sends it to his brother who just sighs every time he sees one at this point.

Rus (Swapfell Papyrus): Now Rus spends a lot of time on the internet and it shows because probably his favorite sort of meme is what everybody keeps calling a resurgence in dadaist absurdism. Deep-fried images that don’t seem to make any sense, memes with at least twelve layers of meme-history that you need a Level 50 understanding of the internet to get, he loves those, which especially frustrates his brother because he doesn’t understand what Rus is laughing at??? WHAT IS FUNNY ABOUT THIS THING!!! …So naturally, the most confusing and weird ones are Rus’ favorites to send along to make his bro all pissy and confused, revenge for the daily stream of Mom Memes he gets from him. But more for himself, Rus is also subscribed to several channels and blogs that do stim or satisfying videos. They’re calming and…well, satisfying to him, and he likes to watch those whenever he’s stressed out. Frosting ones are probably his favorites, if pressed he might admit he thinks they’re even more satisfying than eating what the frosting’s going onto.

Slate (Horrortale Sans): He’s on the internet plenty! There’s just no guarantee that whatever the latest in meme culture is will stick in his skull from day to day, so he’s not always as up-to-date as he could be. Still, he has a couple of big favorites in the meme trends, and the biggest one is vine compilations! He loves those, vines are short and he doesn’t have the longest short-term memory, but seven seconds is very doable for him. There’s also a lot of repeated vines across compilations, so by virtue of seeing it over and over again, he tends to remember more vines than he forgets, which is awesome! He loves referencing a vine and getting a chuckle of understanding out of someone, it’s been awhile since he’s been able to be on the inside of an inside joke! Another trend he likes is the rating/reviews of stuff, like emojis or animals. The glib tone and nonsensical criteria as to what makes an ideal XYZ is just really funny to him, and since those things usually also come in big, compiled posts, each individual review is short enough to read and move onto the next instead of getting so in-depth into a text-wall that he starts to forget where he started.

Papy (Horrortale Papyrus): Also doesn’t sleep much and spends a lot of his night on the internet! His personal taste in memery is a little mish-mosh though, because his big favorites are the translated Russian cat memes and any blog he can find that posts weird thrift store finds. The cat memes should require no explanation, but as for the thrift store stuff…If ever there exists a picture of an odd and/or utterly bizarre thing that makes you wonder how and why it ever came to exist, he’s both thrilled and delighted by it. He loves quirky and unique stuff and thrift stores are full of it! Seeing all the strange things people stumble upon makes him want to start doing some thrifting in real life to make finds of his own, but he also just loves to see what other people have discovered. He sends the most bafflingly odd ones to his brother… who usually responds with the Look What I Bought vine and the text, “its you.”

[rksomiin-blog]

*.☽ .* 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧' 𝐬𝐨 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜

.

( disclaimer !! i’m still working around learning what’s canon & what’s not, so i didn’t put the artist's names to be on the safe side !! if they’re canon, they’re canon !! if they’re not, you can assume they were made by some other npc group !! and if they’re planned to be used in the future just….replace it with another song you can conjure up in your imagination!! <3 )

                                                                   - - -

“can they see me? am i on? is the camera on?”

curious eyes, dyed a silver that makes her seem less than human, peer at the camera in curiosity as she checks for any errors. the twenty-two year old is dressed in more seductive dance attire than usual, a choker surrounding her neck, as the silk of her cocktail dress hug her waist. despite her safety short’s and awareness of her outfit choice, somin just knew someone would comment on her outfit of choice. it didn’t seem like onlookers were being too understanding of her, either. being in the middle of a grimy train station, she was certainly getting some odd looks, but by the confidence she was exuding it was hard to tell if she knew eyes were on her.

“alright. hello, everybody!” the woman greets, as she waves to the camera. she watches as people rush into what would be her instagram’s first live blog, posted on her story for a small following to see. with luck, this would be what would set her a little above the popularity she’d had as of yet. truthfully, she couldn’t be bothered to produce a full, edited video for youtube, so decided it’d be best to just do a broadcast of her own.

it’s unknown what the dancer is doing in such an odd setting for a video, the sound of passing faces and halting trains diminishing her voice to just barely above a whisper, although she was projecting to the best of her ability. “you know, i’ve seen a trend going around lately - this or that, type of thing?” as she tends to do, her hands idly toy around with the ring she always wore on her left index finger. “anyways, i figured it wouldn’t hurt to try that today. so...today we’ll be playing a little game called my followers choose my dance routine! it’s similar to the trends i’ve sure you seen, but with a bit of a twist - i must dance, and it has to be in public. it’s up to you how i perform!”

somin was willing to sacrifice her pride for the sake of the challenge, it wasn’t like much of her confidence would be compromised, after all. she was sure of herself, and knew that end of the day she could perform well, so as long as she was getting some notoriety she didn’t mind embarrassing herself a little.

“let’s start with something a little easy, yeah?” she asks, to get the ball rolling.  “okay, min-mins,” she calls, the nickname she’d given her followers months prior as if she had a true fanbase. sure, she’d gathered a small following over the dance videos she’d appeared in enough to become known, but nothing quite as significant to already have a fandom name. but - this was jeon somin. “here’s your choices - likey, or…. russian roulette! it’s up to you guys, what should i do?” instead of the typical voting system she’d seen, she stays on the live, using her visual cues to decide which was winning. both songs were outside her typical comfort zone, as of late she’d preferred dancing to american songs, particularly those that allowed her to perform hip hop styles she’d begun to fallen in love with. although the latter was her favorite, her phone floods with requests to perform likey.

standing up from the crouching position she’s been in, somin pulls out her phone she used at the dance studio to play songs and such without having to leave her main one around. as the viewers look on, she backs up, though there’s not much space in the bustling train station. after pressing play, the familiar intro comes on and it’s like somin transforms. cuteness was always a charm she’d had when she was young, but had somehow lost as she’d matured and favored a sexier image. however, she’d realized over the past few months she needed to be more versatile if she truly wanted to be signed anywhere, so had been getting back into softer dances. with a grin on her face, her movements light and bouncy, she signals a heart to the screen.

“렌다 me likey!” she sings rather bubbly, though she’s sure not to take herself too seriously. her singing’s definitely not up-to-par with her other skills yet, and the last thing she wants is for her chance to be recognized discarded because of a sour note. following the familiar motions, people cross her, some smiling and joining in momentarily while most others, such as the older generations, look on with both utter confusion. “but that’s not all!” she says to the camera as she continues dancing. while it’s partially for fun, she hopes her technique does show through, the product of years upon years of dancing under numerous studios. “let’s make this a little more fun! it’s up to you all to decide - should i try continuing with my eyes closed, or scream the lyrics, in front of all these people?” she asks, gesturing to the crowd behind her. a sort of observation rink forms, a few feet from her as they look on curiously. with dancing, though, somin was in her own world. no one, even those staring her down right beside her, could sway her from what she was doing.

after tallying the votes, she clasps her hands together, getting a rather unanimous answer. “screaming it is!” she announces, and though she’s not one to get flustered she feels her palms sweating in slight anticipation. “alright, let’s do this.” clearing her throat, she cups her hands over her mouth, as to call attention to herself by amplifying the noise. “did you hear me, hongdae university station? i said, 렌다 me likey!” like that, she begins yelling the lyrics to the best of her ability, trying as hard as she can to keep her voice stable as she runs through the dance motions.

“BB크림 파-파-파,

립스틱을 맘-맘-마,

카메라에 담아볼까, 예쁘게!

이거 보면 웃어줘,

그리고 꼭 눌러줘,

저 밑에 앙증맞고 새빨간... heart heart!”

just as the girl approaches the bridge a second time, she huffs in exhaustion, her body deflating as she stops the song. all around her, people are looking on in utter confusion, and she’s even summoned a guard to look at her angrily. but what’s better than an audience, right? the comment section is on fire, laughing emojis and further request flowing throughout the chat.

trying her best to hide her exhaustion, which was extremely difficult considering the extremity of her task, somin presents the next two options. “alright, alright. next two - lullaby, or the 7th sense?” two entirely different options, ones that get the comments in a heated debate. while some wish to see her charisma and sharp choreography in the first, the others hope to get a glimpse of her attitude and stage presence with the second. the woman sees some comments questioning her options, asking why she hadn’t chose a male song. “why, am i not able to dance to a boy group’s song, too?” she asks, her tone rather polite and teasing, while her anger flares inside her - the true, emotionally-leading somin threatening to spill out. “let’s see about that.” finally, deciding to break up the debate on her own, she decides on the 7th sense and puts herself in a starting position.

this dance is taken a little more seriously, truly showing the extent of her abilities. able to control herself, she locks her body into the desired movements.

“감싸주지 나를, hate is on me-” she decides to sing along, glaring at the camera as she sends an indirect message to the user who had questioned her abilities. was she being too menacing? it seemed the look had gone over as alluring, rather than rude, and hearts and emojis showing shock cover her phone screen. rolling with it, she decides to give the dance a sexier vibe, allowing it to appear more feminine than the original had. her movements are as sharp, but hidden between them are enchanting looks and slow, almost taunting movements. as she decides to pop as the beat of the song drops, she catches a rather angry older woman walk past her with a look dripping in disgust, cursing the teenagers of this generation. “somin-unnie, you look so cool?” she reads, letting out a laugh as she approaches the bridge, looking over to her phone. “thanks, iloveconvextodeath24!” she replies, finding it hard not to chuckle at the cheesy username. my group’s name will be on someone’s username too, someday, she promises herself, though the dream seems anywhere but close.

“now, like last time, it’s time to switch it up. would you rather me add aegyo, or try the rap?” either provided her with an incentive that’d be valuable to her - showing off her duality, or putting one of her developing skills on display. finally, after a brief moment of indecisiveness, the growing viewers decide on the rap - and just in time. just as she hears the familiar part approaching, she readies herself, putting the dance on pause as she steadies her body.

“uh, 여전히 어딘가로,

이름 모를 지역에, 난 이름 모를 hall 로,

몇 밤을 자도 편치 않은 어딘가 에서도,

결국 대부분 내,

시간을 보내는 explorer…”

by now she’s just getting curious looks, the crowd seeming to adjust to her odd behavior. to be fair, it wasn’t all-too-rare of a sight in hongdae, seeing that much of her time on the street meant passing my busking teens and hopeful trainees showcasing their talents. somin was no outlier.

“uh, and that’s a long ass ride!” she finishes, bursting into a fit of laughs as she collapses onto the ground, covering her legs to prevent her dress from riding too high up. the satisfaction of successfully finishing the rap without stumbling too bad was genuine, and she let out a cheer of victory at the accomplishment. the live had been going fairly well, and though she had a few slip-ups both her and the viewers seemed to enjoy themselves.

it was getting fairly late, however, and somin knows she’d better wrap it up soon if she wanted any chance at ending things before it got too dark out. “okay! mission two, complete. this one’s the last one, min-mins, so don’t disappoint me!” a thumbs up of encouragement is given before she finally speaks again, urging the remaining onlookers to share their opinion. “ko ko bop, or….” before she can say the last choice, a man’s enthusiastic voice can be heard in the back, and only when she looks behind her does she identify them as one of the people in the station who’d grown interested in the randomly timed performance.

“latata!” he calls out excitedly, no doubt a fan of the song by his tone. somin can only grin, and with a shrug she turns to the viewers. “well? you heard it here, what’ll it be, then? ko ko bop, or this lovely gentleman’s suggestion, latata?” turning, she puts on one of the smiles she’d rehearsed to use in situations like this,  a romantic undertone as her hands twirl around to wave. whether it be for their genuine preference or keeping the man in mind, latata wins by a landslide. for the final time, she rises to her feet, setting the song up.

“let’s kill it!” she hadn’t been truly prepared to perform the song, but somin was glad she did. months ago, she’d picked the choreography up from a dance workshop. her lack of practice afterward was evident, and there are some parts in which she blanks on the upcoming move or had to rush to her next position, but tries her best nevertheless to save herself by way of charisma and improvisation. the song itself was perfect for her aura, the playfulness and sexiness she had inherited working together to produce an entertaining performance. just for kicks, she turns to the man who was looking on with excitement, mouthing the words “everyday, every night, latata,” before popping back into the powerful chorus. by her confidence, someone would swear she was someone of influence, though her skills didn’t yet match those of an idol.

“last challenge!” she calls, not stopping to check the comments this time around. “your call - should implement ballerina moves, or do everything at 2x speed?” for once, she’s surprised by the result, expecting the second to win due to its popularity on variety shows. however, ever since she’d mentioned her background in dance she’d by asked by some to post a video displaying what she could do, therefore over sixty percent of the comments favored the ballet. “so i guess you prefer somin the ballerina over me tripping over my own feet! okay, then, let’s do this.”

to be completely honest, somin was incredibly scared. she hadn’t practiced ballet in quite a while, let alone go on pointe. she decided to keep it rather simple, using a routine she’d learned when she was younger and somehow modifying it to resemble the rhythm of latata. échappé, pas de chat, and trying her hardest to finish the song by nailing a grand jeté. perhaps she’d been too ambitious, for the second she tries to land it she stumbles until crashing onto her feet. ouch. she’s using every name in the book, cursing herself for being so careless. was it the lack of training beforehand? or the dress? by now, it was basically a shirt, the shorts underneath protecting her from any potential exposure. nevertheless, she felt vulnerable enough as it is, as some concerned peers rushed over to ask if she was okay. breathe, somin. there’s no way you’re going to look phased by a stupid fall on camera. “i’m fine, i’m fine.” shooing them off, the dancer adjusts her appearance before flashing a smile of assurance to the flurry of worried comments. “i’m fine, i promise, everyone. but i think that’s my cue to stop.” while it is followed by a laugh, somin knows she’s reached her true limits, and perhaps had exceeded them in her attempts to impress everyone.

“so, i think that’ll be it for now! thanks for following my journey of dancing in public!” while she knows she’s not a true professional yet, and shouldn’t take it so seriously, there’s a visible tinge of disappointment as the girl deflates right before the viewer’s eyes.”anyways, this has been my followers choose my dance routine! i hope you’ve all had fun, and let me know if you’d like to see more of these youtube-style type of lives!”

and like that - with an air kiss, and a wave - she’s gone. the tapping of a button and the black screen marks the end of the live, as somin let’s out the biggest exhale she’s held in during her entire life.

[pass-the-bechdel]

Dollhouse s01e01 ‘Ghost’

Does it pass the Bechdel Test?

Yes, three times.

How many female characters (with names and lines) are there?

Six (40% of cast).

How many male characters (with names and lines) are there?

Nine.

Positive Content Rating:

Two. TW: child sexual abuse, and I don’t consider it well-handled by the narrative. It should not be there. 

General Episode Quality:

A very strange way to begin a show (mostly for the above reason).

MORE INFO (and potential spoilers) UNDER THE CUT:

Passing the Bechdel:

Adelle and Caroline pass as the episode begins. Dr Saunders gives Echo a check-up. Echo and Sierra pass out in the field.

Female characters:

Adelle DeWitt.

Caroline Farrell.

Echo.

Davina Crestejo.

Claire Saunders.

Sierra.

Male characters:

Matt Cargill.

Boyd Langton.

Topher Brink.

Gabriel Crestejo.

Laurence Dominic.

Paul Ballard.

Mr Sunshine.

Anton Lubov.

James Shepherd.

OTHER NOTES:

Some sources may try to tell you to watch the unaired pilot episode ‘Echo’ first, but you really, really should not do that. It exists completely outside the continuity of the rest of the series, half of the content is immediately retconned, and the other half is recycled and used throughout the first five episodes of the series instead. Also, it’s a really, really bad pilot episode, I am zero percent shocked that they were sent back to the drawing board. It tries to do way too much at once, laying out a huge amount of story in way too little time, and consequently it comes off over-stuffed and amateurish. The first five episodes of the series-proper are far, far less central-plot-heavy, and while that is unfortunate in that none of them are very strong or particularly compelling, the more relaxed, drawn-out process of establishing and developing the mythology of the series is infinitely preferable to the jumbled, noisy, everything-at-once nature of the shitty unaired pilot. 

We could argue variously about whether or not to count the different imprints as actual characters, and it would be a very meta argument if we did, but for the purposes of this blog the doll characters will only be listed as differentiated individuals a) as their original personalities, b) as long-term imprints who exist significantly enough within the narrative that they form their own lives/memories/connections that aren’t just programmed experiences, and c) as their doll designations, the names of which I will continue to use for both their blank-slate and their temporary imprints. That’s just how it’s gonna be.

Reed Diamond is here, and that’s, y’know, everything. Reed Diamond is love, Reed Diamond is life. 

Ballard’s introductory scene has him being instructed by his FBI bosses to stop 1) harassing politicians and public figures 2) committing crimes, and 3) interfering in other investigations, specifically the ongoing efforts to shut down a major human trafficking pipeline. His bosses also emphasise that he should dial back on these things on account of the fact that he has no actual evidence to support the ‘need’ for any of those actions, and, um. He should listen to his bosses, actually. The scene is designed to demonstrate to us that Ballard is professionally isolated and a bit of a maverick, that he has absolutely no intention of backing down in his investigation, but also that he’s on to something and that he’s gonna have to keep pursuing it despite the obstruction of the higher-ups and the rich and powerful Dollhouse-using people they protect. Thing is though, what he’s doing is absolutely rubbish FBI work. I mean, it sounds rather a bit like he should be fired (being an FBI agent does not entitle him to commit criminal offenses. That’s not how being FBI works). He might satisfy his own curiosity about things during the commission of his various felonies, but he can’t legally obtain evidence that will hold up in court, and therefore he’s actively jeopardising his own investigation through his ‘maverick’ methods. And if he also genuinely jeopardised the human trafficking case because he’s on his own righteous crusade? That’s not ok. It’s not for him to prioritise his own investigation (for which he presently has no evidence) over the very real threat posed to those trafficked victims. I’m not getting ‘dogged maverick investigator’ from this intro, I’m getting ‘reckless self-important asshole’. I don’t think that’s the intended interpretation, but it’s what the text has presented. Also, it’s a fucking huge cliche.

First episode in, and the plot hinges on the inclusion of child sexual abuse. Not in a small way, either; Echo makes various direct references to being assaulted as a child, which is confronting and difficult to listen to, and an unnecessary, perverse detail to include. Particularly for the first episode of the series, this is a bizarre decision, and this content is way too heavy for the attitude and tone of the rest of the story (which is not exactly light and frivolous itself, but it’s not up to the task of grounding a discussion of child rape). It’s also a wildly convenient turn of events that this particular abuser just-so-happens to show up, and that kind of lazy coincidental storytelling is the last thing you want when you’re invoking something of this traumatic magnitude.

To make matters worse, while the narrative dwells on the actual abuse, it really kinda glosses over the confrontation with the rapist and the idea of any kind of catharsis, in saving Davina, knowing that the rapist is dead now and can never hurt anyone again, etc. The focus makes it feel as though Joss Whedon just really wanted to do a story about child rape, and the idea of telling that story in a way that is sensitive to real-life survivors or that places the focus on their survival or literally anything other than using this excuse to have someone describing childhood assault didn’t really occur to him. I feel like the potential for this to be upsetting and/or offensive to real-life survivors is pretty high.

The child rapist hits Echo in the face. This will be an extremely common occurrence.

Let’s be real: the sexual abuse aspect of this story did not need to be there. It didn’t. I initially wrote a whole paragraph about how easily you could tell this story with the actual kidnapping as the central trauma, and no child abuse necessary to make the plot unfold exactly as it does, but that’s a moot point: the point is that a very poorly-explored rape-trauma was used as the centre-piece of this episode, and it’s utterly unnecessary, extremely odd for the beginning of a series which is not about child sexual abuse, but also, it’s directly in keeping with the fact that Joss Whedon is a rape-fetishising misogynist who uses his ill-gotten reputation as a ‘feminist’ to get away with writing egregious abuse of women and then claiming that it’s ok because his abused female characters are #StrongWomen. We’re gonna talk about that a lot as this show unfolds.

The truth is, this was the first of Whedon’s shows I ever saw, and the first time I watched it? I loved it. This was in 2010, and my discernment skills had yet to be honed, and the fact that this was my first adventure into the Whedonverse is important because I wasn’t able to judge Dollhouse by comparison to Whedon’s other work like I can now, so his obsession with rape and with chronic abuse of women was not clear to me then as it is now I’ve seen a whole lot of his travesties. But it wasn’t just that I was less critical of the content back then; I also loved the show because it’s honestly a fantastic premise, and the majority of the cast is incredible, and there are some truly inspired episodes in amidst the rot. I have rewatched the series several times since my first viewing (though not for a few years, until now), and independent of my growing revulsion for Whedon’s misogyny, I’ve gotta say: this isn’t a show that improves on review. This is a show with flaws, loads of them, and some of them are cataclysmically large. Once you’ve seen it all before a couple of times, you really start to see the cracks (and cracks in the cracks), and it’s incredibly frustrating to realise how much they squandered what could have been a truly great series exploring some wonderful cerebral concepts in an original and compelling way. As I said, it has been years since I watched this last, and so I’m interested to see how I feel about it now. I don’t anticipate it being very good; I think I’ll be angry most of the time, and these posts will be dripping with it. But I also expect that there will be some good in the mix, and some of what once made me adore this show will remain intact. At the very least, I figure I’ll always have something to say. Probably not nice things, most of the time. We’ll see.

[fiorashreehan]

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[ushijimawakaflockaflame-blog]

This request might be a bit weird so it's okay if you don't feel comfortable with it. How would Oikawa, Sugawara, Kuroo, Asahi and Ushijima react when their partner confesses they have an eating disorder?

mori: it’s not weird at all! i appreciate that you requested this!

warning: eating disorder

asahi

Out of the five, he’d probably be the most surprised and wouldn’t know how to react, so please bear with his expressions!! He has a hard time handling things like this, but just know he means well

He’d feel really sad that he hadn’t known earlier - not because you didn’t tell him, but he should have noticed the signs whenever you two when out to eat

He loves you very much and doesn’t want you to go through this alone, so he’ll be with you every step of the way and would want you to overcome this, no matter how long it takes

He knows it’s going to be a long, hard recovery, and sometimes he’ll get a little overwhelmed, but just show him you appreciate all the work he does and he’ll feel reenergized and his love for you only grows

Asahi is the type that needs lots of reassurance, so you need to tell him that you’re getting better and that he has contributed to your growth, even if it’s small. He wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if he hasn’t seen any progress

Tries to cook you meals instead of going out to buy food, that way you both know what ingredients are going into your bodies. He pinterests recipes and everything! He started a food blog

kuroo

Kuroo would be more shocked, if anything, mostly because he’s not sure what the appropriate reaction is

He wants you to know that you can be comfortable telling him anything and everything. At first, he’s a little upset he didn’t know sooner, but he understands that this is a very sensitive subject, and in the end is happy that you trust him with it

He’s a nerd at heart, so he’ll do a lot of research on the disorder and will be by your side as you recover. He’ll look up all the foods and supplements that’ll help you overcome this

He makes you these, like, smoothies or juices with all the nutrients you need in a single drink. It doesn’t taste good…. like, at all, but he assures you that it’ll help. He honestly could have made it taste better, but thinks your face is cute when you scrunch your nose

When times get hard, he’ll tone it down a little bit and will rest with you until you feel better. He’ll hold you in your arms and you’ll just relax on the couch/bed the entire day without worrying about anything. He loves planting little kisses on your head and tracing shapes on your skin

He’ll take the steps to overcome it with you, and will eat anything you’ll eat, no matter how plain or gross it is. Although he’ll treat himself to a burger or two, with your permission - not that he needs your permission, but he only thinks it’s polite to ask lol

oikawa

Would be one of the more understanding ones because he knows how important or influential the perception of the “perfect” body is

Would definitely look at the brighter side of things when it comes to this subject. He knows this is a sensitive subject for you so he tries to keep a positive attitude

Honestly feels much closer to you because you told him. He thinks trust is the most important aspect of a relationship, and despite how long you two have been dating, he’s just happy you told him

Will try to take you out on dates that aren’t food-centric, like museums or a park. As long as you’re smiling because of him, that’s all that matters

Oikawa is a smart man, so he’ll try to research some things about it, too, but he’ll get frustrated easily when the answers aren’t as easy as they seem. He hates seeing you caught up in something toxic like this, and honestly gets mad at himself on all the restaurant dates he’s taken you to. But this relationship is a two-way street, so you need to comfort and reassure him that his efforts aren’t going unnoticed

His touches are a little lighter and gentler than before. It’s not that he thinks your fragile or anything, it’s his way of telling you that you’re still so beautiful to him. Gives you a lot more forehead kisses

sugawara

Would, at first, do things like comfort you and smother you a bit more because that’s all he knows - his “mom” instincts kick in and all he knows what to do is to comfort

It takes him a bit to understand that that’s not all you want, or rather what you need. You might have to educate him a little bit about what you’re going through, and you might feel frustrated, but understand that he’s trying his best!

Like Oikawa, he wants to look on the brighter side of things and is your biggest support system. He knows that recovery/overcoming this takes a lot of time an patience, and he’s with you every step of the way

There are times when you want to fall back into your old habits, but Sugawara’s stubbornness helps with this aspect in the most respectful way possible. Rather than being brash about this situation as he would be when the team’s misbehaving, he says things more like, “you’re stronger than this”

Truly loves you with all his heart and until you’re ok without his help, he will be attentive to you 24/7

Tells you how beautiful you are to him every night before you fall asleep

ushijima

The calmest to react out of the five because, well, 1) he doesn’t really react much anyways and 2) he doesn’t want you to think that he thinks any different of you

Please bear with this boy as he’ll ask you a lot of questions - he’ll want to know why because he thinks the road to recovery starts at the reason. He also just genuinely wants to understand what you’re going through in general

He’ll do a lotttt of reading. Like, a lot. Like he’ll send you every article or book he comes across and takes lots of notes. He’ll probably ask his teachers, too

You know he’s not a very affectionate or emotional man, but once he understands what you’re going through, you see him change. He shows you in little ways how he loves you with small touches and light kisses and when he sees progress, you see him smile a lot more. He can’t help but smile when he sees you happier

To him, you are the light - you are the one that shows him what hope and love mean, in your own way, because he never knew what it felt like. Even after you told him about what you’re going through, he wants you to know that he never thought your light had dimmed. He’ll remind you that you glow brighter ever day

Much like the other boys, reassurance is his way of knowing that he isn’t being a burden or that he isn’t being too mean with his bluntness. Just be honest with him if you need your space or if you need more hugs and kisses, because honestly this boy needs to be guided a little bit lol

[scripturehomosexuality]

Homophobia On The March: Reaction To A Recent British Survey

This year’s anniversary post made this timely point - as this blog and others try to tear down modern sexual philosophy, other outlets try to prop it up. In this post, I will show you a good example of this: a pseudoscientific study that reeks of homophobic mania.

In October 2017, the University of Winchester published a paper entitled “Privileging the Bromance: A Critical Appraisal of Romantic and Bromantic Relationships”. 30 British undergraduate students were evaluated for this study. According to the Telegraph in London, the researchers analyzed the closeness of their same-sex friendships, and compared them with that of opposite-sex relationships.

They found that, allegedly for the first time, men were getting closer to other men. “Intense male friendships have grown more acceptable in recent decades as attitudes towards homosexuality changed, meaning men no longer fear showing affection towards each other”, the Telegraph said.

As prime examples, the study described actions it found shocking. Of the 30 men surveyed, it found that 29 had cuddled with another male friend. Even more startling, many slept in the same bed with another man. ““We hug when we meet, and we sleep in the same bed when we have sleepovers,” one man named Aaron said. “Everyone knows it, and nobody is bothered by it because they do it as well.”

This was not a positive development. In fact, the researchers said they were alarmed by this.

“These heterosexual millennial men cherish their close male friends, so much so that they may even provide a challenge to the orthodoxy of traditional heterosexual relationships,” said one researcher. “Because heterosexual sex is now achievable without the need for romantic commitment, the bromance could increasingly become recognized as a genuine lifestyle relationship, whereby two heterosexual men can live together and experience all the benefits of a traditional heterosexual relationship.”

As such, according to the analysts, bromances pose a grave threat to male-female relationships. “Young heterosexual men are now able to confide in each other and develop and maintain deep emotional friendships based on intimacy and and the expression of once-taboo emotional sentimentality”, the survey said, to the point that the men “told their male friends secrets which they felt unable to share with their girlfriends.” As a result, men might eschew relationships with women altogether.

Thus, the researchers felt obliged to tell women of this threat. “There are however significant and worrying results here for women”, they ominously noted. They did not offer a solution. However, they encouraged people to view these relationships as “threatening long term relationships with women.”

Okay, where do I start with this?

First of all, in doing their analysis, the “scientists” displayed a breathtaking ignorance of history and human nature.

They said that closeness between men is historically unprecedented, and is emerging now because of changing attitudes toward “homosexuality”. In truth, men have been intimate with men for much longer, and it has nothing to do with “homosexuality”.

A recent example are actions depicted in the 1986 film “Top Gun”. Much of the male-male interaction in the film has tagged “gay” today. Take a look at the clip below to see which ones.

Just so you know, certain clips come from the 1994 film “Sleep with Me”. In context, that whole speech by Quentin Tarantino on “Top Gun” was meant for laughs. It wasn’t intended to be taken seriously, as it is today.

I also don’t think that “Top Gun” should be considered a “gay” film. This is because the word has contradictory meanings that don’t need to be brought in. It also shows a closeness that “normal” male friendships should have. But I digress.

As you could see, the male-male interaction had a sort of playfulness that’s unknown today, at least in the United States. Yet, in the 1980s it was far from “gay”. The film merely portrayed what was normal for male-male friendships at the time, in which real intimacy was still allowed. Clearly, closeness between men is not new.

Male friendships in the 19th century further disproves that assertion. Many photographs of male friends exist from that period. They show an intimacy that raises eyebrows in this allegedly progressive age. Take a look at some of these photographs:

I ask you, do they look like they aren’t intimate? Do they look like they aren’t close?

The example of Ancient Greece blows the idea away completely. In that society, male-male intimacy was openly practiced and discussed. They had no qualms about being close to each other. The gymnasium played a key role in sustaining the institutionalized homoeroticism of that society, as did the Olympics. They would laugh hardest at the idea that male-male closeness is a recent aberration. The truth is men have been intimate with each other since the beginning of time. The only aberration was anal sex, which historically was an extremely uncommon practice.

To drive the point home, note this quote from South African writer Siya Khumalo: “...looking into ancient history I discovered that men have had a more difficult time keeping their hands off each other sexually than they have had keeping their hands off women.”

As a matter of fact, within the Western world (especially inside the United States), men have never been farther apart. Modern sexual philosophy has made male friendships fraught with tension. Men within them must constantly wonder if their actions are “gay”, which prevents them from getting even closer. As such, they usually don’t consider getting physical with each other, even if they have the desire to do so. That would be too “gay”.

Men of past centuries had no problem with that. If they wanted to involve a sexual component in their friendships, they went ahead and did it. This was because “sodomy” mainly referred to anal sex, and excluded non-penetrative activities. Furthermore, anything outside of anal wasn’t considered “sex” anyway, because “sex” was defined by penetration. If men wanted to give each other pleasure, nothing could be said about it as long as anal was excluded, even if the contact was deeply erotic.

As a side note, the researchers should have noted that homosexuality is defined differently around the world. In the Western world (excluding the United States), a “homosexual” identity is only merited if

a person is primarily attracted to their own gender

or if they imitate the opposite gender in their mannerisms.

In the larger Western world, the word does not refer to general same-sex intimacy. This would help explain why British “straight” men felt free to cuddle each other, sleep together, etc. In the United States, where modern sexual philosophy is strongest, those behaviors are mostly unimaginable.

Getting back to our analysis, the study also reinforces a rule of modern sexual philosophy - that heteroeroticism and homoeroticism are diametrically opposing forces, and cannot be enjoyed simultaneously. Note the tone assumed in the study. Because men were experiencing some level of intimacy with men - which we’ve already established isn’t new - relationships with women are supposedly under attack. Apparently, these men are incapable of appreciating intimacy with both genders at the same time. It can be one or the other, but not both.

Furthermore, by asserting the supposed “orthodoxy of...heterosexual relationships,” the study reinforces subtly enforces another rule: heteroeroticism is virtuous and normal, while homoeroticism is dishonorable and abnormal.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. Most men are capable of attraction to both genders. If most men have that capacity, is it abnormal? Does it threaten anything?

Plus, men have thoroughly enjoyed both attractions for millennia. The Man2Man Alliance said it best (link NSFW): “it's not an either/or proposition -- wife and kids vs your need for bonding with another Man...you can have both. And Men traditionally have.” That was definitely the case in Ancient Greece. In that society, a young Greek guy could enjoy a "roll in the hay" with his same sex friend, yet be actively looking for a wife. A man could be married and have children, yet have friendships with other men that could be very erotic in nature.

As such, this idea in circulation - that homoeroticism and heteroeroticism are incompatible - is extremely new.

This leads to another issue with the study: what really threatens male-female relationships. The paper blames increasing male-male intimacy. However, the matter is much more complicated, and involves factors the researchers cannot or will not say.

It is true that for heteroeroticism, having sex outside marriage has never been easier. Interestingly, the study never explored the factors behind that phenomenon. As this blog recently showed, that has been caused by the growth of neoliberalism, and its creation of a “free market society”. In such a society, sex becomes a business transaction between buyers and sellers, and not a bonding agent between equal humans. In such a transaction, the parties involved are mainly looking out for their own interest, with the interest of others being a small nuisance. Thus, sex simply becomes a reflex for instant gratification, without necessarily seeking to give equal pleasure to one’s partner.

This creates the perfect atmosphere for a “hookup culture” to develop, as it now exists in the “gay” and “straight” worlds. Hookup apps like Tinder, Grindr and Pure merely grease its gears. Thus, when sex is done in a business mindset, there’s little opportunity for real love to develop.

For male-female relationships, the relationship between heteroeroticism and homoeroticism further decreases the chances. Remember what was said before - heteroeroticism is virtuous and normal, while homoeroticism is dishonorable and abnormal. A male-female relationship is the only conduit that allows “socially respectable orgasms”, as Siya Khumalo put it. All others are contemptible. As a result of these conditions, finding sexual relief becomes a higher priority than finding love. Thus, opposite-sex relationships may devolve into valves for sexual relief, existing mainly for easy gratification.

That’s not all though. Because only heteroeroticism is respectable, men are expected to fulfill all their intimate needs through their women. Opposite-sex relationships become Swiss Army knifes of intimacy. This is a recipe for disaster, as writer Stephanie Coontz pointed out in the New York Times. She says that “it has only been in the last century that Americans have put all their emotional eggs in the basket of coupled love.” However, because of that, “we have also neglected our other relationships, placing too many burdens on a fragile institution and making social life poorer in the process.” Thus, she makes this blunt statement - “In some cases we even cause the breakdown [of male-female relationships] by loading the relationship with too many expectations.”

Actually, it’s been found that satisfaction of same-sex desires improves the quality of male-female relationships. The Man2Man Alliance has found that out consistently. As Alliance founder Bill Weintraub reports, “many of the Men who visit this site are married and have a male lover -- or Frot buddy...and what they report is that having that male companion strengthens their marriage...because it makes them happier as Men, and better able therefore to make their wives happy.” Ms. Coontz makes the same point in her article, when she notes that “Victorian novels and diaries were as passionate about brother-sister relationships and same-sex friendships as about marital ties.” On that note, she says that to improve opposite-sex relationships, “we need to restructure both work and social life so we can reach out and build ties with others, including people who are single or divorced.”

In other words, the supposed growth of bromances don’t threaten opposite-sex relationships. That merely shifts the blame. Instead, the threats come from phenomena supported by our society - the neoliberalization of sex, and the escalating stigmatization of same-sex intimacy, among other things.

In fact, the “bromance” itself is a product of that stigmatization. A few decades ago, “bromances” would have simply been called friendships. “Bromances” exist only because intimacy between men isn’t considered normal, especially for modern male friendships. Thus, a new category had to be invented for friendship containing “abnormal” closeness.

Plus, those friendships of old often had an erotic component, or the possibility of it. Modern “bromances” exclude that, at least in theory.

We now arrive at the most alarming aspect of this study. The researchers aren’t satisfied with keeping their anxiety to themselves. Instead, they tell girlfriends and wives that they should be just as worried. They say that close friendships between men threaten their own relationships with guys, which is a utterly false charge. They accuse “bromances” of increasingly destabilizing opposite-sex relationships, which is also a lie. They encourage women to view male friendships with total suspicion, lest those men dispose them for their buddies. In their paranoia, some women might actively sabotage those friendships, in the hopes of saving prized relationships from danger. They don’t realize that in the process, they’re likely putting those relationships at even greater risk of fracture.

In effect, the study mobilizes women to become local enforcers of modern sexual philosophy. It makes women the most powerful weapon to maintain sexual orthodoxy. If their men stray from convention, the women are encouraged to impose punishment by breaking up with them. I’m not denying that those women have legitimate concerns; the anal centric “gay” sex model guarantees STD infection. However, such blind enforcement refuses to recognize safer modes of intimacy, and denies the fact that men need male company too.

Meanwhile, quotes within the article show other things are straining opposite-sex relationships. For example, note this quote from a survey subject named “Harvey”: “Well, for example, Tim knows I love listening to Taylor Swift and Beyonce, but I keep that quiet because she would judge me. I feel like I have to be more manly around her.”

Clearly, his bromance isn’t why “Harvey” feels distant toward his girlfriend. She is enforcing an unrealistic standard of masculinity on her boyfriend. Thus, “Harvey” feels compelled to hide his true affinities, fearing that she might lose respect for him based on his likes.

In a real study, those researchers would have analyzed the implications of that. Instead, those remarks are twisted into statements on dangers purportedly posed by bromances. This is why this blog calls the study pseudoscientific. It has an agenda to promote. It contains a conclusion looking for evidence, not evidence logically leading to a conclusion.

This leads me to two worrying implications of this study. Firstly, the study is trying to impose the full power of modern sexual philosophy on the entire Western world. Unlike inside the United States, men in the larger Western world enjoy more latitude in expected “normal” behavior. If the study was taken seriously, that freedom would reduce significantly.

Fortunately, the comments in the Telegraph article were overwhelmingly negative. Thus, European men might end up rejecting this fraudulent study anyway.

Secondly, this study tries to give modern sexual philosophy scientific respectability. For the most part, the philosophy was mainly a social phenomenon. Scientific proofs of it usually made conclusions with healthy skepticism. This is the first study in memory that asserts its conclusions so forcefully, especially on such flimsy grounds. It leaves no wiggle room for healthy questioning, which is normal in science.

This is arguably more alarming. This means certain authorities are determined to make modern sexual philosophy survive and thrive. It proves my previous point - as this blog and others try to tear down modern sexual philosophy, other outlets try equally hard to prop it up, at all costs.

I should note that I discovered this study while reading another article. This study was cited in the essay “The American Left: RIP”, written by economist Paul Craig Roberts. Mr. Roberts likewise lamented this development as further splintering of the United States population.

Usually, I find Mr. Roberts’ articles interesting and intriguing. In this instance, and in the friendliest way possible, I must disagree with him here. To be clear, I do agree that opposite-sex relationships in the United States are in crisis, and that this development deserves attention. I also agree that radical feminism and political correctness are exacerbating the problem.

However, this crisis has virtually nothing to do with “bromances”. They are merely naturally intimate friendships by another name. These were considered “normal” many years ago, and the term would include past friendships of Mr. Roberts. They would generate themselves irrespective of developments with opposite-sex relationships. Emotional commitments to male friends don’t threaten those to female companions. Instead, they are threatened by neoliberalism and, paradoxically, the stigmatization of homoeroticism that birthed the idea of the “bromance”.

Indeed, it would be a big mistake to consider “bromances” part of the problem. Tyrants fear men bonding more than most other things. Note this quote from the Greek philosopher Athenaeus: “Hieronymus the Aristotelian says that love with boys was fashionable because several tyrannies had been overturned by young men in their prime, joined together as comrades in mutual sympathy.” While in a severely diminished state, that male intimacy somewhat survives in the “bromance”. Targeting them would lead to further splintering of the populace, and increased weakening of people power, which would help no one.

In conclusion, I hope readers of this post have learned a lot. I hope they see the determination of certain parties to propagate modern sexual philosophy.

Most of all, its existence depends on your silence and ignorance. It can exist in your life only with your permission.

Thus, I urge you to read further on this site, to explore another way to think about same-sex activity. I urge you to read “The ‘Straight’-’Gay’ Dichotomy: How It Works”, to fully understand how that system functions. I also urge any who read this to go to “For Straight People (though not exclusively)”, which will point to philosophies and forms of same-sex behavior that don’t hinge on demonstratively false concepts. Also read the page “History of the Concept of Homosexuality”, to see how this concept evolved into its modern day meaning. Don’t be afraid of talking about what you learn to others, because that’s the only way progress will be made.

With all the support it has, modern sexual philosophy is still a pile of lies. It can only take so much scrutiny. With your help, that philosophy will collapse sooner than later, and we’ll all be better for it.

[cjostrander]

The Offspring: Ignition

Hello everyone! Today’s anniversary review is going to be one that i’ve been interested in doing for a good bit this year. It is the second album by offspring (released and up on my anniversary sheet this year) and features them in their earlier raw sound. It is a goodie in my opinion that i personally always liked better than Smash but i said the same thing about Megadeth’s Countdown to Extinction and that is one of that band’s highest scoring albums on my blog. Let’s get this album started and see where it goes.

Session: We start off with some humorous cursing before the guitars and drums enter with a very raw punk tone. Dexter’s vocals are pretty echoed and gradually grow with a decent show of catchiness for the listener to ease into. The bass has a moderate presence in the background and will help to limit some spaciness on the song. The casual verses however do provide a fair level of emptiness that the listener will find hard not to notice. The fast pacing of the guitars is however a plus and will make this opener position itself as a warm up track before the album really gets under way. 6/10

We Are One: The drums start off with a decent showing of moodiness before the guitars enter to soak it up with some rather soothing melodies. The bass gives it a nice rhythm an the guitars gradually grow with energy so that the listener can be eased into it much better than the last song did. The chorus is relatively catchy due to the balanced use of reserved vocal melodies. The lyrics are decent but the focal point will likely be the pacing of the instrumentals that really get you into this one. I could see this as being a nice and easygoing piece to see live before they toss in something a bit more intense.The relaxing jam nature of this one is also going to successfully position this song as the ideal song for the listener to acclimate to so that they get a proper idea of this album’s base sound. 8.5/10

Kick Him When He’s Down (single): Now this album really didn’t get much promotion due to it being on a small punk label (Epitaph); which i believe was just starting out at the time as well. This is technically the only single on the album and will give you a showing into their more aggressive side that was prominent on their debut album (The Offspring which i reviewed if you are curious). The drums start off with a nice and catchy dance pattern that once combined with the rhythmic guitars will do very well at energizing the listener. It will be a decent warm up piece to work out to or even dance out to as well. The vocals are very catchy and the lyrics contain a nice degree of substance to them as well. The instrumentals do well to space things out effectively and will help to ensure that this stands out as a stronger track on the album for single status. The live potential is easily there and I can already get a good feeling that if they performed this album as a whole; it would be a very nice setlist to watch. 9/10

Take It Like a Man: The guitars enter with a decent pace of energy and the drums stir up a good level of grit for the bass to rumble off of. The vocals are pretty consistent and will provide the listener with a good level of fluidity to balance out the rawness of this song. These perks will help to boost its appeal to a more mainstream audience while avoiding the risk of not fitting into its punk community well enough. Instrumentally it is going to appear a bit consistent to the last couple tracks but the energy is still firmly there; so adrenaline fueling perks are going to still ring true. 8/10

Get It Right: The guitars begin with a slightly more gloomy atmosphere before returning to a more raw and cheery atmosphere. The vocals are solid and will deliver some decent lyrics for the listener to enjoy. The backing harmonies during the chorus help to add a little extra texture into the song and showcase one of their signature traits to the listener. It does contain a pretty good flow and doesn’t appear as predictable as the last song but at the same time; doesn’t change things up enough to throw the listener off guard. 8.5/10

Dirty Magic: Now this song was eventually re-recorded for Their Days Go By album (latest one yet and anniversary album i did at beginning of year). It begins with a nicely gloomy guitar echo and melody. It gives off a little bit of a middle eastern flair that they would build up more on future hits. The change up will help to keep the listener guessing a bit and remain interested as they finish up the first half of the album. The vocals are very smooth and melodic; which showcases perfectly during the chorus. This chorus has a subtle sense of urgency to it without losing its melody or appearing to try too hard. The lyrics won’t stick out heavily due to the attention grabbing tone of the instrumentals; but the general tone of his voice is plenty to make this song come off as a well rounded piece. Definitely not a bad pick to re-record for their later album since it reintroduces newer fans to their original pre-fame work and shows its overlooked potential as a single for this album. Definitely the most easy going track to get into during a first listen. 9/10

Hypodermic: The drums change things up with a quicker pattern and the guitars establish a much rawer rhythm for the listener to encounter. The vocals appear a little more shaky due to their lighter support but they gradually prop themselves up as the chorus slowly approaches. It still remains in a rhythm focused structure so if you were wanting something a bit more ambitious then this is probably going to be one of the few songs you may wish to skip. 7/10

Burn It Up: The guitars begin with a nice back and forth approach with the bass which establishes a pretty catchy balance of gritty rhythm and quick vocals. The vocals are actually surprisingly catchy due to their slightly comical pacing and carefree attitude. The lyrics as a result appear to be rather strong and will do a great job of entertaining the listener while the instrumentals continue to ensure that this song stands out as a nice surprise to come across at this point in the album. I’m definitely enjoying the pacing for this album because it doesn’t feel rushed or sluggish so the timing flow seems to be a very nice highlight for it to appreciate. 9/10

No Hero: The guitars start off a hair lower with a slightly acoustic nature before the drums and bass arrive to spice it up further. The vocals are a bit low and take their time in warming up before delivering a more urgent tone into the mix. The lyrics have a fairly decent level of substance to them that will attract a nice degree of attention from the listener. The instrumentals will be decent enough to keep it flowing well with smart transition breaks so that the song doesn’t become too comfortable for its own good. Overall not a bad track and it sets you up well for the next track to come. 8.5/10

L.A.P.D.: Now this song is a favorite of mine due to its aggressive sense of rebellion and general catchiness. The bass warms up with a decent melody before the guitars and drums join to gradually infuse it with a high degree of tension. Dexter really outdoes himself on this one with a high degree of catchy vocals and substance fueled lyrics. The lyrics really are a highlight on this song that really thrives due to its topics and vocal life from Dexter. The guitars keep it firmly thriving with the drums and the chorus will stick out as a very solid component that would be perfect for a live showing. The guitar solo is a nice transition point to stretch things out before the band continues to jam along for a bit. I would suggest giving this one a good listen if you are only browsing because this is going to be short and very sweet gem to convince you to further listen to the album as a whole. 9/10

Nothing From Something: The guitars start a bit lower with the bass delivering loud rumbles in between everything. Dexter takes on a more balanced vocal approach similar to the earlier portion of the album. It will seek to balance things out as the album approaches it’s final track and as a result may come off as a lighter substance filled track than expected. Still not a bad track but easily not one of the memorable pieces with the exception of that nice instrumental towards the end to stretch things out warmly. 7.5/10

Forever and a Day: This finale track begins rather quickly with some fast and nicely tense guitars and drums. The drums have a nicely metallic texture to them and the guitars do well to fill the song with a strong energy. The vocals are pushed into the background and as a result will appear low and smother at times. The backing hums during the chorus do help to give them a boost a bit but instrumentals are likely going to be the highlight for this song as it begins to wind down and close the album on a pretty fulfilling note. 8/10

Overall album rating: 8.2/10

Hmm.. i was expecting a little higher of a score but nonetheless this album has stuck rather nicely in their mix and is likely to be the album i recommend when you ask for what their early sound was like assuming you already heard of Ixnay on the Hombre. At 25 years old; it is a good on to get off of the list and hopefully you guys enjoy it. So far the anniversary list is clearing up rather nicely but there is still a not of options to scratch off of the list. The promo sheet in the other hand is stacking up a bit due to the number of new releases coming out this month. Because of this; i may be tempted to scratch off a few of them as the next few months venture on. As always; we shall see and hopefully you enjoy what i have in store for you next time. Good day and make sure to check out my older reviews if you like what you see because they cover a wide range of artists and may expose you to something new to check out.

*Reviewer’s Pick*

[hoodie-at-the-bar]

dust yourself off and try again

It had been a few months since Skylar and I had our 3rd date, the one that differed so much from the first two. I was at home eating dinner and on the dating apps, cleaning my inbox when I came across Skylar again. I was curious enough to reach out, and see if I was just being weird, passing on someone delightful, or if my gut was right and there just wasn’t much chemistry.

He replied in the same tone as he usually does: happy, quick and natural.

I was surprised and relieved that he brought up the elephant in the room: what the hell happened?

This is the part I was slightly confused about. When I told Skylar I assumed we both just weren’t that into it, he corrected me saying he really liked me. But then he just assumed I didn’t feel the same and stopped trying. Then he says there is no mystery with him, and I just have to ask. So was I supposed to ask him if he liked me? At the time I was on the fence, so why would I ask? We generally tend to ask a person whether or not they are interested in us if and only if we are, otherwise, why does it matter? I’ve never asked a guy if he had feelings for me if I didn’t - can you imagine??

Me: So I was wondering where you’re at, do you like me?

Him: Yes, I’m pretty into you.

Me: Cool.

Him: Well, how about you? Do you feel the same?

Me: Oh me? No no, I was just curious. Figured you’d only be an open book fi I asked, so I had to ask… but why did I ask? Um… can we go back to the blog now I feel like an ass…

So then I thought maybe he never told me he liked me, or asked how I felt, because he didn’t want to get hurt. I confessed that his lack of effort made me think maybe he wasn’t into me - and that’s when he said he didn’t believe me, not for one second. Seriously? The guy never asked me out again! But I’m supposed to know that he liked me anyway? Lazy.

Skylar brushed it off saying he didn’t want to dwell on the past. When people say that, it doesn’t sit too well with me. Mainly because it comes off as dismissive, and forfeiting problem solving. How can we prevent a miscommunication in the future if we don’t talk about what went wrong in the past? But since Skylar and I weren’t serious or involved, I didn’t care too much at the time. He jumped right into being witty and light, so I mirrored his tone.

I decided to take the reins on being explicit and practice communication, so I said let’s be up front with each other moving forward. I appreciated he obliged and said he’d do the same. Usually the person who is more interested pushes things forward - momentum. I’ve done it several times (with Matt, McSteamy, or MIchael) and will continue to ask them out, because I was the one who was more interested. If I’m not, or even on the fence, I defer to their efforts. I used to think this was common knowledge, but Skylar was a smart guy but didn’t seem to read the same pamphlet I did. So now I don’t know if it’s common practice to … put effort into seeing someone you like. No - I still hold my ground!

We continued the quick banter

And just like that - we had our 4th date planned, or rather, our second “first date.”

Skylar met me at the Backdoor, right behind Roxy’s. It was a great late night bar, the last place I met with Tinder Tanner the year before. Same hair, same smile, the same style - it was nice to see him. We quickly started talking about our different adventures in our respective Canadian cities. After we caught up, the conversation started slowing down. He had to step out to talk to his mom who wasn’t doing well, so that gave us about another 15-20 minutes of a topic.

Then we ran out of stuff to talk about as we didn’t have much else in common. We called our respective Lyfts after a couple hours and hugged goodbye. I couldn’t remember who picked up the bill that time.

The next day I wanted to check in on how his mom was doing.

Moderate convo and he seemed appreciative. He didn’t push the communication forward, but three days later he came right out and asked:

I appreciated Skylar asking me outright. I wasn’t sure, and still on the fence. Our fourth date was better than our third, but not as great as our first two. I wanted to get over myself and give it a shot, so thought I’d be proactive. I said let’s hang out again, and gave him an activity and date. But as you can see, Skylar never followed through - which again according to my internal pamphlet, is only okay if he isn’t interested, but then why ask?

The first go around he came off as being really into me, but didn’t ask me out because he thought I didn’t reciprocate. He said he would be honest about how he’s feeling, yet he never said if he was or wasn’t into hanging out again, just that he would check his costume… to never come back to me for the rest of 2018. He was the one that brought up how I felt, so why bother? Since I was on the fence I didn’t mind, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find it annoying that he claimed to be into it, but showed little effort to keep said momentum going. It now comes off as fake, or bad communication - neither qualities which are on my list of things I want in a partner. 

Partner, but friends could be different. I was open to being friends with Skylar. That’s why several months later, I reached out to him to see if he wanted to come to a show. I had an extra ticket, and no date.

His quick witted humor was still there

Well well well, Skylar chose to call out the time gap, but not that I was the last one to ask him out. Peculiar this boy be.

This was the last we spoke, though we are friends on Facebook. He’s a cool guy, but not sure how he would incorporate into my life. He had great stories and a positive attitude, but I didn’t know what else we could ever talk about.

-October 22, 2018

Date # w/4 HNG Skylar Suitors in 2018 YTD: 26 Dates in 2018 YTD: 32