#I would only be able to list like. 3-6 characters total probably. and the first one? that's 100% Light

[ai-the-broccoli]

honestly it's funny how Light is in-universe conventionally attractive in a way that loops back to being an acquired taste in fandom (in comparison to L, that is)

[akkrosu]

Thank you, @recentadultburnout, for tagging me and asking for my nine favorite TV shows! I might have gone a little overboard because I haven’t been tagged a lot before, but please indulge me.

This is going to be limited to QLs, if only because I couldn’t think of a single piece of Western (or straight) media I love and/or remember well enough to be able to put on this list. The ones I have chosen are below, in no particular order.

1. The Untamed

This one belongs here both for being a fantastic story and for being the reason I even discovered any of the other series on this list. My entire “obsessed with Asian queer media” thing started all because a friend once told me, “Let me show you what I’ve been watching recently.” What can I say, drunk Lan Zhan got to me.

2. Moonlight Chicken

One of the most beautiful, thought-provoking and mature series I’ve ever seen, QL or otherwise. P’Aof is a genius and I would have to hide in shame if I didn’t have at least one of his works on this list. He created a narrative of six real people trying to figure out life and how to be happy and there is so much strength in every single one of them.

3. Not Me

With at least three watchthroughs one of my most-watched BLs. I mean, OffGun and the social commentary and political action and the queerness of it all and the characters. Ugh, I love this show. Plus, the music and musical editing were phenomenal.

4. Where Your Eyes Linger

Probably my favorite Korean BL ever? Also the KBL to really get me into KBLs, so it already deserves a medal for that (I was missing out on so much). I’m a sucker for good yearning and forbidden relationships, and this series gave me everything I wanted. And, again, the soundtrack. The instrumental of See U playing as Kang Gook storms Tae Joo’s dad’s house lives rent-free in my mind.

5. HIStory 3: Make Our Days Count

Yes, it’s the other HIStory 3, the one everyone ignores because ‘he went out to buy salt’. Look, don’t judge me, I own up to my love for this series. It’s not the show’s fault all anyone ever remembers is the tragic ending. It’s also such a beautiful story about a total dork falling in love with a lonely nerd and defying all odds to be with him. Plus, the best sibling relationship ever. And (spoiler) said dork dying doesn’t invalidate everything else the series tells us. Yes, it was sad, but I can deal with the sadness. And sometimes, the sadness is as much part of a show as it is of life.

6. The Eclipse

This series haunts me to this day. I was obsessed with it, and I still am. Akk is one of my favorite characters ever written, and First portrayed him beautifully. So did Khaotung with Ayan. The sheer existence of P’Golf baffles my mind to this day. These 12 episodes gave me everything I’ve ever wanted.

7. The Eighth Sense

I take back what I said about Where Your Eyes Linger. This is my favorite KBL. I’m not even sure I can explain why. It’s just so honest. And so, so queer. It made me cry so many times, and the storytelling was magnificent. Plus, it’s one of the few full-length KBLs we have.

8. We Best Love

The cups in my profile picture are the ones Yu Zhenxuan and Pei Shouyi drink out of in the flashbacks of the second season, so... yeah.

This was my very first QL that wasn’t a bromance, and so I’m very biased. I’m almost mad at myself for making this my first one, because sometimes it feels like nothing else could ever live up to it. I admit to having a special love for season 1, even though season 2 seems to be the one people talk about a lot more. It’s just perfect, everything about it. Especially Gao Shide’s mom.

9. My School President

What a phenomenal show. I remember how much I was looking forward to Fridays during the time this was airing, and each week it gave me everything I wanted. Gemini and Fourth are fantastic actors, the friend groups made me cry all the time, it’s one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen, and there are some absolute bangers in there, musically speaking. Gun and Tinn will always have a special place in my heart.

Some honorable mentions because it’s really hard to pin down exactly nine:

Never Let Me Go – I spent a lot of time debating whether to put this or MSP in this list because I love them both equally. And because they aired around the same time, they are sort of irrevocably tied together in my mind.

Big Dragon – I loved this significantly more than I ever expected to, and I can’t be impartial about Yai to this day, because I love him with all my heart. This was such a messy, weird, chaotic show, and yet it somehow gave us such beauty and sappy people in love.

Step by Step – It doesn’t get to be on the list because it hasn’t finished airing yet, and so it could still fuck up, but if it keeps going like this, it is definitely going to become one of my favorites. (Same with Be My Favorite, honestly.)

I don’t know many people around here, and certainly not many I wouldn’t feel awkward tagging, but I’ll just be awkward anyway and kindly ask @ellaspore and @biochemjess if they feel up for it. I wanna know! (No pressure, though.)

[fiftysevenacademics]

True Detective Night Country started off so great then went nowhere fast. The finale was ridiculous, but that's what I had expected by the time it arrived. Below is a list of things that had me literally rolling my eyes or simply perplexed.

1. The science stuff was ludicrous from the get go. From the totally unrealistic depiction of an arctic research station staffed by a permanent crew of scientists year-round who never leave the station, to the notion that extracting ice cores is somehow a herculean task (it's relatively easy), to the fuzzy, garbled DNA mumbo jumbo, to the idea the mine funded this whole thing just to falsify environmental data (which is usually done by just, you know, making it up or presenting it selectively), not a shred of it made sense. It was stupid, half-baked nonsense. It was never fully explained why their DNA stuff was going to "save the world," or why they'd kill someone over it.

2. In S1, the spiral and hanging things, as well as the "time is a flat circle" stuff made sense as the distortion of a traditional rural folk practice by a deranged cult leader but here it made no sense. Why did Clark make those hanging things? What's the significance of the spiral? Why did he say time is a flat circle etc.? Annie spent time with him in that creepy RV. Was she into that, too, or did he do that after she died?

3. The implication that the spiral and "She" are part of the Native women's belief system.. Is this a thing or did they make it up for the show? "She" is probably meant to be Mother Earth, but this whole spiritual/supernatural part of the story felt cheesy and unoriginal to me.

4. I'm still confused about the frozen scientist who screamed when they found him. There was some comment later about amputating both legs of someone and not being able to speak to him yet, and then that whole issue disappeared. At some point, they might have mentioned in passing this person died? But they never explained how that guy was alive in the first place. There was some brief mention of how the scientists were discovering some kind of life extension superpower in this DNA. I thought it might come round to that but in the end there was no more thought given to the guy who was still magically alive and all they said about the DNA was it could "save the world."

4. Fiona Shaw was criminally underutilized. I loved her character and would love to have seen more of her.

5. Who left the tongue? Was it Peter Prior's dad?

6. How did Holden die? A car crash, but what happened? Where was Liz when it happened?

I liked that they built the story around the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women, and that in the end it turned out the women were the answer all along but no one even thought to ask them. It made the point that Native women are only visible to white law enforcement when they are murdered and even then, don't get the justice they deserve.

Great acting performances and it was a real treat to watch the actors interact. But for me, the emotional impact was blunted by the cheesiness and implausibility of other parts.

[mobius-m-mobius]

Fave shows tag game

Rules: List 5 favourite shows (in no particular order) and answer questions accordingly.

Life on Mars

Good Omens

Mad Dogs

Loki

Psych

@loki-is-my-kink-awakening Thank you so much for the tag lovely!! Putting my answers to the questions behind the cut 😊

1. Who is your favourite character in 2?

Oh no not this😅 Don't wanna start off totally indecisive but In all honesty Aziraphale and Crowley are such a package deal I've never been able to decide who I liked more so both it is!

2. Who is your least favourite character in 1?

Probably Frank Morgan since he's meant to give everyone the creeps and totally untrustworthy but if we're talking main cast then Ray because everyone else is just too good ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

3. What's your favourite episode of 4?

Episode two THE beloved my one and only 🥺💖 12/10 would gladly watch Owen and Tom sit around chatting and mirroring the cafeteria vibes either as Lokius or themselves for the rest of my days

4. What is your favourite season of 5?

Gotta be S2!! All the earlier seasons are gold so was very tempted by the latter half of S3 but S2's like a tour de force

5. What's your favourite relationship in 3?

Baxter and Quinn would an obvious one since John and Phil are married in every role and this is no exception but the dynamic between Baxter and Rick is so weirdly fascinating?? They just clash so instantly, usually to great disaster but will never stop themselves or learn from their mistakes, absolutely obsessed tbh

6. Who is your anti relationship in 2?

I don't really have one?? If pressed I wasn't interested in Anathema and Newt being shoved together for no real reason or the implication of ending up with someone because you're told but I don't have any active dislike for them or their pairing

7. How long have you watched 1?

Well I was pretty late to pick the show up and watched for the first time around three years ago, have since rewatched the entire series at least 5 times in full, and various clips more times than I could ever count lol

8. How did you become interested in 3?

Thank my url namesake, lol. Truly the most stunning TV experience start to finish I've had with a flawless all star cast and just criminally underrated show in general!!

9. Who is your favourite actor in 4?

🤣🤣 Feel as if I've walked right into this one and y'all don't even need to hear the answer but that would be Owen Wilson, whose take on Mobius has honestly been life changing for me 💖

10. Which show do you prefer 1, 2 or 5?

Oh man as much as I adore Psych I'm stuck between Life on Mars and Good Omens on this one... Oh this is the worst, okay, I'm going... Life on Mars! When taking the point of how much I love both main pairs out of the picture there are more elements of and characters in LoM I think I enjoy more

11. Which show have you seen more episodes of 1 or 3?

I've watched both fully through multiple times but Life on Mars just edges by with having more episodes so that'll be the one!

12. If you could be anyone from 4, who would you be?

Loki or Ravonna just for sheer proximity of how much time would be spent around Mobius lmao, literally my only primary consideration

13. How would you kill off your favourite character in 5?

Laughing so hard at this because ironically my favorite character in Psych has pondered many scenarios potentially resulting in his own death lmao. If necessary he'd probably prefer a blaze of glory gunfight but I don't think he'd mind being taken out by his favorite land mine going off?? "Sweet music. And then…nothin' but red mist." 😂

14. Would a 3/4 crossover work?

Not necessarily unless you mean would it work in terms of turning me on in ways I've yet to experience in this life because yes, yes, and YES 😳😳

15. Pair two characters in 1 that would make an unlikely, but strangely okay couple.

Idk if it would be the most unlikely but Sam and Chris would've been cute and I always enjoyed how earnestly Chris ended up admiring Sam's approach to the work and who he is as a person

16. Overall, which show has the better cast, 3 or 5?

I mean Mad Dogs is my favorite show of all time in part because of how talented the cast is in balancing their roles and I can't see that changing plus I'd follow those guys anywhere

Tagging @faylights, @too-funky, @safedistancefrombeingsmart, @symphony-in-silver, @colourfulwatson, @bebx, @linz33y, @michaelsheens, @veraynes-blog, @aleerax, @abitofboth, @eyeldritch, @lovingvincent, @seekers-who-are-lovers, @z-aliada, and @alternatively-undesignated as always only if y'all feel like it plus anyone else who wants to join! 💕

[pathfinderunlocked]

Wizard Rabbit - CR4 Wizard

The rabbit and the moon shared secrets until the sun rose, and the moon had to depart. Those secrets were the forbidden knowledge of the cosmos, and also how to make people explode with your thoughts.

Artwork is official art from Rabbit and Steel, by Mino_Dev on Twitter.

Another tiny-sized bunny girl which is actually a rabbit which was subjected to a permanent anthropomorphic animal spell. There are five of these I'm posting in total, all based on the characters from the game Rabbit and Steel.

One of the problems with anthropomorphic animals is that they're still really dumb. So the wizard rabbit would normally need a +4 headband just to be able to cast wizard spells at all, but that's massively over-budget for a CR 4 creature. Instead of that, I've given it a unique magic item that allows it to function as a wizard.

The haunting mists spell is pretty badly written and gives no indication of when or how often the wisdom damage happens. I would rule the wisdom damage as happening just once when the spell is casts, and including the caster in its effects. It's an emergency escape maneuver, made pretty effective by the high stealth of these rabbits.

If it has time to cast offensive spells, the wizard rabbit uses aggressive thundercloud first and then follows this up the next round with twilight knife, which will attack the thundercloud's target each round.

The call the void spell should be considered part of the void wizard school; the official book lists a spell called tapestry's embrace, which doesn't actually exist, as a 3rd-level void spell, and player consensus is that its name was probably changed to "call the void" during editing. But in this case it doesn't actually matter since her only other 3rd-level spell is also a void spell, so she can just prepare that one in her school spell slot instead.

Wizard Rabbit - CR 4

The tiny woman with rabbit features - barely a foot and a half tall - is dressed in a robe, and wearing a pointed hat with holes for her ears. She hops through the grass on bare feet at a quick pace.

XP 1,200 Anthropomorphic animal (rabbit), wizard 5 N Tiny animal Init +5 Senses low-light vision; Perception +5

DEFENSE

AC 21, touch 17, flat-footed 16 (+5 Dex, +4 mage armor, +2 size); +5 vs. firearm and ranged attacks hp 28 (1d8+5d6+6) plus 10 temp hp Fort +3, Ref +6, Will +6; +2 vs. spells and spell-like abilities

OFFENSE

Speed 50 ft. Melee quarterstaff +0 (1d3-4) Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft. Special Attacks reveal weakness

Wizard Spells Prepared (CL 5th; concentration +7)     3rd (2/day)—call the void (DC 15), twilight knife* (attack +4)     2nd (4/day)—aggressive thundercloud (DC 14), bullet shield (already cast), false life (already cast), haunting mists* (DC 14)     1st (5/day)—keen senses*, mage armor (already cast), magic missile (x2), stunning barrier (DC 13)     0th (at will)—acid splash (ranged touch +9), detect magic, read magic, mage hand, spark

Arcane School void (* indicates school spell)

BASE STATISTICS

Without mage armor and bullet shield, the wizard rabbit's statistics are: AC 17, touch 17, flat-footed 12 (no bonus vs. firearm and ranged attacks)

STATISTICS

Str 3, Dex 20, Con 11, Int 8 (14 for spellcasting), Wis 10, Cha 7 Base Atk +2; CMB -4; CMD 11 Feats Iron Will, Run, Scribe Scroll, Toughness Skills Acrobatics +5 (+13 when jumping), Perception +4, Knowledge (arcana) +3, Spellcraft +5, Stealth +17 Languages Common SQ arcane bond (wand) Gear Hare Ornament, spell component pouch, spellbook (prepared spells only), arcane bonded wand (worth 1 gp)

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Arcane Bond (Su) A wizard rabbit has a wand as a bonded object (this wand has no other powers). This bonded object can be used once per day to allow the wizard rabbit to cast any one spell that she has in her spellbook and is capable of casting, even if the spell is not prepared.

Reveal Weakness (Su) As a standard action, twice per day, a wizard rabbit can reveal the weaknesses of a foe within 30 feet. That creature takes a -2 penalty to its AC and on saving throws for 1 round.

[luthien-under-bough]

20 Questions For Fic Writers

Tagged by @girlwithakiwi

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

97! I am scratching and clawing my way toward 100 this year.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

537,646 *probably at least 400k of that is Daemyra

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Almost exclusively House of the Dragon/ASOIAF since HOTD s1 aired and Daemyra consumed my life.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

i got a bad desire (baby i'm on fire) - Daemyra modern AU multi-chapter (WIP)

ain't nobody hurt you like i hurt you  - Daemyra modern AU multi-chapter (complete)

better not touch (i want it too much) - Daemyra modern AU multi-chapter (complete)

...anyone noticing a theme? 👀

I found some hate for you, just for show - Daemyra canon divergence oneshot

do you feel the hunger? - Daemyra canon divergence oneshot

5. Do you respond to comments?

I try to respond to all of them! Sometimes I get behind, but I usually get to them by the time I post a new chapter, at least.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Uhh probably i've looked at clouds from both sides now. Even though only one of the major characters dies, it somehow still feels angstier than the literal necrophilia fic where they both die.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I feel like most of my other fics have a happy ending? Both of the completed multi-chaps I linked above definitely do.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I occasionally get a rude comment, but I have no qualms about being a dick or just deleting/blocking. I have gotten a few tumblr anons that made me roll my eyes, but any hate I get has been firmly a THEM problem and not a ME problem. Haters stay pressed. 💅

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

It's a rare day when I do not write smut. I write all kinds. Since writing in the Daemyra fandom, my list of "hard no's" when it comes to writing has rapidly diminished; it seems like every other day I discover a new kink that makes my brain do a record-scratch. I started writing fic again in 2020, and published baby's first smut shortly thereafter, but it was fairly standard stuff. Now I'm like "well if you aren't literally digesting your lover, is it really romance??!"

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

The only crossover I've written is a House of the Dragon/Naked Attraction crackfic that infected my brain during the depths of binge of the latter show.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Only one that I know of - someone copy/pasted all of do you really feel alive without me into different chapters of their ""fic"".

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

for our blood is restless was translated into Russian here.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No. My writing process is chaotic and inconsistent and I would not inflict that on another writer. I'm also very particular about what I do and do not want to write, as well as my prose, so I don't think co-writing is for me. If we don't like to break the rules of English grammar in the exact same way, I'm afraid we won't be able to get along.

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

I mean, I think it's pretty obvious. 😅 Daemon Targaryen/Rhaenyra Targaryen (House of the Dragon) has only been my OTP for <2 years, but they are already my all time favorite. Prior to that, it was Dramione (Harry Potter), Cullen Rutherford/Female Inquisitor (Dragon Age: Inquisition), and Aloy/Avad (Horizon Zero Dawn).

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Not technically a single WIP, but I always meant to add more stories to my collection of Cullen/Inquisitor Dragon Age fics (most of which I posted during Swoon June 2022). It's possible I'll experience another burst of inspo for that fandom when Dragon Age: Dreadwolf finally comes out, but I'm pretty firmly entrenched in Daemyra for the foreseeable future.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue, characterization, ANGST. I think my smut is pretty hot. Idk I generally like everything about my writing. That's why I keep doing it.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Uhhh anything to do with plotting or planning. We thrive on vibes here. ✌️

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

Beyond the occasional word or phrase in High Valyrian for my HOTD/ASOIAF fics, I cannot be bothered. Italics and a dialogue tag do me just fine.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

This changes semi-regularly, but my current favorite is one that I'm actively writing - a Daemyra early marriage canon divergence (milk teeth). Also because I just re-read this the other night - surrender (a rare non-Daemyra HOTD fic).

No pressure tags: @anamazingangie, @ar-feyniel, @grandlovescheme, @crimson-tulip, @bluegoldrose

[mayalaen]

20 questions for fic writers

@whataboutthefish tagged me - thanks Fishie!!

First, my AO3

How many works do you have on AO3?

191

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

2,150,989

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Supernatural, Stranger Things, Fargo, Stargate, Dickensian, The Blacklist, The X-Files, Angel the Series & Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and I'm probably gonna pick up a few more soon.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

CONventional Psychopathy 'Verse - SPN AU Tumblr Ask Box Requests - SPN 40 ficlet challenge Alpha House 'Verse - SPN AU Resonance 'Verse - SPN canon verse with angel sounds Best Brother Ever - SPN with a technique that has gotten me the most questions from readers saying "does that really work?" Yes it does.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I do, but sometimes it takes me a while to respond because I get weird and shy about it at times. I love comments and read them over again when I need a boost!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I don't usually have angsty endings, but with CH challenge fics I go ahead and do shit I don't normally do - so Inside (SPN) would be the angstiest ending.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Probably Splintered - ST fic where I throw a lot of shit at the guys but they all get a happy ending.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Yup. I delete comments and asks immediately though so readers and followers hopefully never see any of it. I don't play that game.

9. Do you write smut?

SO MUCH. SOOOOO much.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Open Sesame Street Walker has to be the wildest one I've done. It was a challenge fic. A choose your own adventure style thing, and I wanted to make every outcome disturbing. I did it, but at the cost of ruining Sesame Street for myself and others 😂

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yup. CON 'verse is still being sold on a bunch of sites and the "author" is continuing to add more books to the series. I've tried a few times to get them taken down but only succeeded in getting things taken down for a few months. Out of all the fics that could've been stolen, that's the one that's the WORST because I'm also writing it as original fic and have been for years. I've got proof of that, but if retailers fight me on it when I try to publish, it's gonna suck.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes. A few.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I wrote a few years ago but haven't in a while. I'd like to do it again!

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

No way I can answer that. I'm definitely a multshipper at heart, and I can't even decide on favorite characters, let alone a favorite ship!

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Rewritten in the Stars is something I'd love to finish, but I don't know if I'll ever be able to get in the headspace again. It's complicated and rewrites aspects of the characters while sticking closely to canon with a lot of moving parts over a 30-year time frame. The first part of the series feels complete if you read it, but I have 30k written of part 2 and a full outline for part 3.

16. What are your writing strengths?

The thing I get complimented on the most is my worldbuilding. I also think I'm good at natural dialogue - making it sound like actual speech instead of written word.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I have trouble condensing things and it gets wordy 😭

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I've kinda sorta done it with alien language and angel language, a few words here and there of other languages - most of it just English in italics to show that it's not being said in English. I don't think I'd ever try and use an actual language I didn't know for more than a word or two.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Stargate SG1

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

CON 'verse is and probably always will be my favorite. 💜

Tagging from my activity list with no obligation to do it: @actualalligator @medusapelagia @wheels-of-despair @kallisto-k @ltleflrt @peachonified @underwater-ninja-13

If anybody else wants to play, please tag me so I can see your stuff!

[veebs-hates-video-games]

Ok so what if I made a list of things I started at some point in the past like five years or so and haven't finished but am still pretending I'll get back to them eventually? Maybe that would be interesting to literally no one but me, which is good enough.

The Witcher 3 is one of my favorite games ever. I'm like 90 hours into it, have at least twice that left to go, and I haven't touched it in like three years. Like most of the rest of this first section the main problem is that it's on my computer, and being able to sit comfortably in a way that doesn't injure myself while also being able to see the screen isn't going well these days.

Tales of Berseria is also a lot of fun, but it has the computer problem. I need more Magilou because she's such a gremlin.

Final Fantasy 13-2 is definitely my favorite post-12 FF game and might even be the one I've had the most fun with since 6, 7, and 8. Alas, computer.

BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle is a very silly crossover that feels like it shouldn't exist. I keep saying I'll go back and finish the rest of the storylines, but computer and also I just haven't had a strong desire to yet. I did figure out that I can win fights using an old Guitar Hero guitar though, so that was fun.

Berserk and the Band of the Hawk is something I started after finally getting caught up on the manga after years and years, because I tend to like Warriors/Musou games when I'm in the right mood. It's decent but not amazing, which hasn't motivated me to get past the computer issue.

Xenoblade Chronicles X is technically also a computer thing because I was playing it in Cemu. It gets extra bonus points for being hard to see because the text and UI are so small, but also I managed to break my save file like 70 hours in and haven't gotten around to figuring out what's wrong with it yet. Everything seems fine except my character and the camera get loaded in different locations, and I could probably use the memory editor to reset my location and fix it, but it's not worth the trouble until I can see.

Boyfriend Dungeon is great and I already finished the base game right when it came out, and I've been meaning to go back and do the post-launch stuff they added later and still haven't.

Atelier Ryza finally got good like half a dozen hours in after one of the worst-paced intros I've ever seen, and I haven't worked up the fortitude to try playing more past there so far.

A Slug's Dream has some decent puzzles and I was enjoying it enough, but I totally forgot it even existed. Maybe some day.

Xenogears I also keep forgetting because it's in an emulator on my computer and not somewhere I remember to look to see what game I should play. It sort of bypasses the usual computer problem by being ancient and designed for 480i screens so everything is huge. I'll finish it one of these days.

Ok I think that's all the stuff on the computer. There are a couple others that I'm not including because I only made it like an hour into them before getting sidetracked, so I'll just start them over if I ever go back to them.

3DS next? 3DS next.

Fire Emblem Fates is what's currently in there I think. It's taken multiple years, but I've finished Birthright and most of Conquest. Some day I'll finish that one and then maybe do Revelation. Any year now...

Shadows of Valentia might come back around too. I've had enough of a break to at least partly get over how mediocre a lot of the maps are and how annoying certain enemy types are, and I do want to at least try to finish it for the sake of the story, just not while I'm in the middle of pretending to play Fates too.

Shadow Dragon deserves another chance too when I'm in a better frame of mind for it, I just don't know when that'll be.

Radiant Historia is amazing and I really need to get back to it and finish it, and I don't know why my brain keeps not letting me for the past couple years. One of these days it will though, and it'll be great.

Kid Icarus: Uprising is also pretty great, but it's physically painful for me to play. I keep saying I want to try to figure out some way to work around that, but it's been multiple years and I still haven't.

Shovel Knight is one I completely forgot I even have, but it was way better than I expected and I should give it another chance.

Project X Zone is another ridiculous crossover that feels like it shouldn't exist, and it's pretty fun sometimes too, but wow does it really drag sometimes with how long each level is and how many of them there are. I might be able to manage it in smaller chunks though.

Ok Switch gets to be in a separate post or I'm going to run out of tags.

[lasenbyphoenix]

10 Characters I Fell In Love With in 2023

I liked doing this retrospective so I'm bringing it back. I feel like I didn't watch many shows in 2023 but of the shows I did watch there were SO MANY good characters that making this list proved to be difficult to narrow down.

1. Tang Lian, The Blood of Youth.

The Blood of Youth gave us a main trio of an exiled prince, a chaotic monk and a himbo firestarter, but it was Tang Lian the ace shixiong who was the first in the series to make me go oooh he's mine. Was it the purple clothes? The grey streaks in his hair? The romantic awkwardness? The hyper competence with small deadly weaponry? The crisis over following orders vs following his heart? All of the above probably. And I'm very glad the creators of the bonus episode decided to agree with me that HE IS NOT ALLOWED TO DIE otherwise I would have been throwing hands.

2. Sikong Changfeng, The Blood of Youth.

While the main trio are very fun to follow along with, they are also very young and at my age now I find myself gravitating towards appreciating some of the older generation just as much. Sikong Changfeng is one such character, and chosen because he's someone I think I'd like spending time with. He's a practical man among outlandish people, a doting father, and the fact that he'll throw a tantrum in public when one of his fellow city lord's decides to slice their training tower into pieces is a refreshing change from the great and aloof martial experts of his generation. And just look at that cloak!

3. Di Feisheng, Mysterious Lotus Casebook.

I came to MLC for Cheng Yi, and watched with amusement as other tumblr users fell head over heels for the moody antagonist until I got halfway through the show and had to mentally apologise to everyone because y'all had the right idea, omg how do I explain how Di Feisheng endears himself right into your heart and stays there? He's very show-no-weakness especially for someone who gets constantly nerfed - and boy do I like watching a strong man being whumped - he has the aesthetic of a total Boss and a sword named Sword.

He's unapologetic about his ambitions to be The Best Ever, which comes across as a bit shallow until you learn that his entire goal to be strongest ever is to be able to overcome the mind control bug forced onto him by the slave driver who raised/trained/tortured him as a kid and kick the guys ass. Which is the best and most heart breaking reason for a character to do anything and if that doesnt make you love him then the cuteness of the A'Fei amnesia arc certainly will.

4. He Xiaohui, Mysterious Lotus Casebook.

Again the older generation appealing to me, Fang Duobing's mother is absolutely a character you want on your side in a crazy place like this show. Taking in her sister's son as her own, she doesn't hide what she thinks of the jianghu when Fang Doubing runs away from court life, but also happily creates an accupressure torture machine when he needs a prisoner interrogatated. A little haunting can't scare her off from a bargain for her new dayspa empire, and she's barely rattled after being kidnapped. She's just so fun.

5. Yang Wuxie, Heroes.

Clever, loyal and funny are 3 easy ways to win me over. But they also went ahead and wrote a man who said "you're my only friend" and proved it with his every action -

- The way he pauses at the door to plaster a smile on his face before entering the room when Su Mengzhen is sick,

-  "can you take the archers on that side?" "Yes, but I'll die."

- clinging to SMZ's robe and weeping that he can't find him

- being trusted with the final blow, and crying all the while....

I really don't have the words. End me now.😭😩

6. Di Feijing, Heroes.

Again the loyalty of the subordinate is what moves me in this show and I chose Di Feijing for this list because I didn't expect to be moved by him. At first everyone in Six Half Hall seems to be there for their own greed, which is good for them but can be a very flat motivation to watch. It's after the death of Lei Sun that his story unveils itself and his protection of Lei Chun comes to the foreground and you learn that he's a moral person stuck in the middle of corruption and obligation.

I kinda feel like he got shafted by being ordered to stay out of things, because I reckon if given the chance he could have actually sorted a bunch of shit out?? I liked the handful of interactions between Di Feijing and Wang Xiaoshi and wish there could have been more.

7. Lee Rang, Tale of the Nine Tailed & Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938.

Protagonist's little brother with severe abandonment issues and a grudge to match, deadly but secretly a softie? Sign me up. The spurned sibling is by far the most relatable and likeable of the antagonists in season 1, and you get the joy of seeing him turn from the dark side due to the Power of Family, but still cuss and sulk the whole time. They created such a fun sibling dynamic that they had to go back in time for season 2 so that we could have a whole nother season with the two of them bickering and fighting for each other. Also, the looks he had going in season 2 were stellar.

8. Li Wu, Pledge of Allegiance.

I'm predisposed to liking Zhang Yunlong, and Li Wu was both very fun and very angsty to watch as he lied his way into and out of all sorts of trouble.

As Li Wu would tell you, he's just a theif! Selfish, no moral compass to see here..(Rescues kid from being arrested, finds kid a job)(shares his money with his friends in the alley)(helps them flee when he thinks they're in danger because of him)(keeps the knife as a reminder of the death he feels responsible for)(helps the son of the man he killed when he finds him again)(how many times does he save Lu Zheng from himself and all the people gunning for him??)(unravels political conspiracies)(and so much more). Just a theif! Sure thing Jan.

9 & 10. Fox Mulder & Dana Scully, The X Files.

Having only started watching The X Files for the first time in 2023 (and only as a filler show when I was too tired for subtitles,) I now find myself in season 7 of the show, entirely because of these two leads. What can I say about Mulder's non-threatening, hyperfixating, dorky ass and Scully's brainiac does-everything-he-does-only-backwards-and-in-high-heels competency that hasn't already been said? They're just *chefs kiss*

If anyone else wants to do a similar review I'd love to be tagged and see your 2023 blorbos!

[sad-scarred-sassy]

Thank you so much @zenkindoflove for tagging me! I simply love your work so its an honor🥹❤️❤️ you’re lowkey one of the people who inspired me to write and upload my work in this fandom so thank you!!!

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 4👶🏻 I’ve never written anything on ao3 before joining this fandom, and its been great I love the community❤️

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 25.571 🤏🏼

3. What fandoms do you write for? ACOTAR. I might do some Zutara (ATLA) in the future but for now these ACOTAR characters have me on a chokehold.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? I only got 4 but the list goes like this: Wicked Thing (Elucien), The tragedy of Spring (Feylin), Prim and Proper (Elucien), The luck of the draw (Elucien)

5. Do you respond to comments? Yes! I looove comments they make me go like this 🥹 Just the idea of someone reading my writing and taking their time to leave a comment is honestly what fuels me! Writing is very self-gratifying but knowing someone else is enjoying what you wrote is next level.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I still haven’t finished my multichapters, but I will probably say the angstiest one so far was the Feylin one (no wonder) (don’t worry guys I’m still planning a happy ending for that one).

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? I love fluff so honestly all of them will have some type of HEA. The happiest one currently is the one where Elain comes only by rubbing herself on Lucien’s cock so… that one (it made ME happy at least).

8. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? This is actually a new endeavor for me, I am a smut reader for sure, but I was not sure I would be able to write it… till I did and apparently now I can’t stop.

Apparently I like to write very descriptive smut (I’m gonna tell you the sounds, the moans, the exact view of the filthy thing), I found myself surprised of what was coming out of me for my “Mature” fic that now I will have to change to explicit. I try to write sex in a way that makes sense for the characters and also to describe a dynamic through it. Also, I won’t stop until I get flustered by my own writing (i make myself blush ngl)

9. Do you write crossovers? Ive never done it but Ive been recently thinking about maybe making one of ACOTAR/TOG. I’m thinking Nesta and Fenrys, Nesta and Dorian, the possibilities are endless you know?

10. Have you ever had a fic translated? No but that’s so cool

11. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Not yet! But recently @positivelyruined invited me to write a very angsty feylin fic I could not reject (coming soon)

12. What is your all-time favorite ship? Damn, I can’t answer this without feeling like a cheater but since Elucien has been the ship that has made me create art again then I will say them!

13. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? Maybe my old original stories from wattpad (I have one that blew up bc I casted Henry Cavill as the MMC and never finished it sorry guys😭)

14. What are your writing strengths? I think dialogue. It’s where I have the most fun at least and it probably shows!

15. What are your writing weaknesses? I struggle with embellishing the prose, sometimes I need to re-write entire paragraphs because it feels so cutting and dry it’s unbearable.

16. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I could do it sometime! Fun fact: my native language is Spanish, but I find it cringy to write (and read) romance in it.

17. First fandom you wrote for? ACOTAR😌

18. Favorite fic you’ve written? The tragedy of Spring for sure. I think because is the one I have most fleshed out and it just feels natural to me. I love the angst and I love how it is turning out to be🥀

I’m tagging: @positivelyruined @kateprincessofbluewhales @achaotichuman @clockwork-ashes @ataraxiasflame @separatist-apologist

(If you’ve already done this dont worry I just wanted to say ily)

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 21

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 488,773

3. What fandoms do you write for? ACOTAR (active), Crescent City (active), A Song of Ice and Fire (former), The Big Bang Theory (former), Twilight (former - not on AO3), That 70's Show (former - not on AO3).

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?  The Pon Farr Hypothesis (Shenny, The Big Bang Theory), The Sweet Vibrations Discovery (Shenny, The Big Bang Theory), Burn Forever With Me (Elucien, ACOTAR), Summer Heat (Elucien & Erixius, ACOTAR), Our Hearts Still Beat the Same (Elucien, ACOTAR)

5. Do you respond to comments? Yes! I try my best to respond to all comments these days. I like having conversations with my readers!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I don't do angsty endings. I'm demure. I'm mindful.

LOL, but no really, I almost always do some kind of hopeful/HEA kind of ending. But I have written some angsty drabbles. There is a Satharion drabble you can find in my drabble series called Mr. and Mrs. Ketos that is pretty sad for the prompt "to distract".

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Most of them. I'm a fluff girl. I think the happiest of happy is likely Burn Forever With Me because it's basically Elucien accepting the mating bond and going into a frenzy. Which how much happier can you get?

8. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Yes. Loads. At this point, the real question is when do I not write smut? And the answer is, not often.

My smut is very descriptive. I give people the manual. I like to make it immersive. I also have been told my smut is "smut with feelings" or "tender fucking". Which isn't to say it doesn't get raw and dirty. But I always am looking for what is the emotional core of this smut scene. How are they expressing love in this moment, even if it's one character snowballing cum into another's mouth? I also am always looking to make you kick your feet, even in the midst of a sex scene, so whenever I can, I try to show those little moments of tender touches that happen during sex.

9. Do you write crossovers? Yes! Actually I wrote a few crossovers when I was in That 70s Show fandom - notoriously cross overs with slasher films because loads of them had teenagers in the 70s haha. I haven't done one for ACOTAR yet, but I do have an ACOTAR/Crescent City Modern AU I've been thinking of for a while.

10. Have you ever had a fic translated? Not that I know.

11. Have you ever co-written a fic before? YES! Quite a lot. I've co-written with three authors. Two when I was in That 70's show fandom. And I've written two fics with my ACOTAR bff @crazy-ache and we have more plans in the future to keep writing together. I love co-writing. It's a great way to grow as a writer. And the creativity that comes from two brains is BIG.

12. What is your all-time favorite ship? I can't answer that. My OTPs are my children. All my ships I feel longing for, in different ways. I will say, I have been the most prolific with Elucien in terms of frequency of writing in a short amount of time. So clearly they have really touched a big part of me.

13. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I mean all the fics I abandoned when I was younger? Definitely those lol.

14. What are your writing strengths? Dialogue. As seen above, I have written for a lot of sitcom fandoms, and when you write for those fandoms, you get practice with writing with sitcom cadence which really helps with writing pithy dialogue in other genres. I also think I am a very good introspective writer. I think I am best being inside characters' heads. I also do think I am good at smut. I wouldn't write it so much if I didn't think so.

15. What are your writing weaknesses?  SHUTTING THE FUCK UP. No seriously, I do tend to be on the wordy side. It's one of the reasons I get into drabble moods because I do need to learn to be more concise and try to execute a scene without making it 5000 words. I also write very wordy sentences that need to be slashed and slashed.

16. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? Oh, I doubt I'll be able to do that. I only know English.

17. First fandom you wrote for? That 70's Show!

18. Favorite fic you’ve written? Ack! Okay, that is so so hard. I don't even know what I'd say. I guess, if I had to absolutely choose, I would say Summer Heat because I think it is emblematic of all my skills as a writer in one fic. And it's the fic I introduced Alexius - the first OC I ever fully fleshed out and developed, and that will ALWAYS hold a special place in my heart because Alexius has given me so much confidence I never knew I had being a writer. He's really let me know that I can write original content with original characters on my own and shown me how to do it.

~~~~~~

No one tagged me 😭. But I ended up doing this anyways because I've been really wanting to and I decided I'd rather risk being a loser. But, to make sure no one else feels like a loser who wants to do it, I'm tagging everyone I can think of that I don't think I've seen do this. Sorry if you're tagged again and you did this! And if I didn't tag you I'm sorry. Please just be like me and go for it. At least we did it together!

@crazy-ache , @the-darkestminds , @olenvasynyt , @bonecarversbestie , @starsreminisce , @lucienarcheron , @teddyhoneybear , @jules-writes-stories , @avabrynne , @theshadowsingersraven , @tilseptemberends , @ataraxiasflame , @highlordofkrypton , @summerbummin , @sadiegirl2021 , @lovely-vanserra-sunshine , @sad-scarred-sassy , @yaralulu , @fieldofdaisiies , @dawneternal , @secret-third-thing

[idleglowingpixels]

Can't remember if I said this already or not, but I finished the drawing I had made, I'm just nervous about posting it XD Bianca's not really in Ch. 6 outside of the beginning if memory serves me right, so it doesn't exactly fit with the chapter but I might release it with the next update anyway

Incoming ramble, only adding the Keep Reading thing so this long post doesn't clutter my blog as you scroll haha, it's kind of an XXY mini-update but also just a blog update in general

I think my main thing is that initially, I wanted to keep my Tumblr & AO3 separate from my main accounts but my art style would very clearly give me away if you happened to find my main username. But at the same time I also...Don't really care??? Like I'm a very passionate person about the things I make, and while it may be seen as cringe or some stupid shit, without fanfiction, fan art and just fan work in general I would NOT be nearly as good at most of what I do as I am now. Fandom over the years has brought me a LOT of like, unruly mess, but it has also brought me so far along on my creative journey.

In fact, the only reason my username here & on AO3 is different is because I had felt a sense of like shame in it at first ig, especially since I started on AO3 posting XXY at 17 and wanted to be able to abandon the account if I felt the need to. (Don't worry, I no longer feel that need, I wouldn't have made a Tumblr blog for my fics if I did)

But now I'm the furthest into XXY than I ever have been, and Ik the pacing has been relatively slow (we've progressed a grand total of like...3 days within the span of 5 chapters XD) but a lot goes on in the beginning and dynamics are re-established for the characters and the Teen AU thing -- point is, I'm proud of how much work I've put in and with I believe a 22k word count by the time Chapter 7 drops, that's already a lot of work I'm proud of for me.

Also since G3's release last year I've been working on releasing my Monster High AU character designs around this October/November (1 each day for a total of I think 33? Cause Jackson & Holt and Meowlody & Purrsephone were gonna have their designs posted together, I have to double check my list), along with a few one-shots if I ever find time to get around to them, and those designs do NOT take a short amount of time for me to complete so I was gonna be like "idgaf" either way eventually XD

Thing is I like both of my usernames so instead of altering all of my accounts to one or the other, my main will be where I'm more professional and focusing more on developing a portfolio of completed works, whereas here I'll just be a little more unhinged lmao

Might make an alt Instagram to match this account so I can focus my fanfics and art and stuff over to that account XD But idk

Now enough about me and my self-reflections, here's what to expect next month:

Chapter 6 is looking just fine for release on July 7th, I'm feeling pretty good about it (probably because it's Butch's POV haha) and I'm excited for his and Buttercup's dynamic to really be shown off since Chapter 3 didn't have them around each other much. I've got an event to attend tonight and a couple of things to do tomorrow but I should be able to give Chapter 6 the usual final edit on Sunday.

Like I said before, I'll probably share my Bianca & Barbara drawing on the Chapter Update post and I'm hoping I'll have a drawing of our 6 leads by the time Chapter 7 rolls around. I've been very much in an art mood lately so it's been taking up a lot of my time, and I've also felt really rejuvenated by drawing to get back to writing little by little.

Also before you ask, unfortunately I might have an update gap between Chapters 7 & 8, as my writing has been very slow over the last 3 or so months. I do apologize for that, but I hope you understand. The last few months have been a lot on me to say the least, but I love sharing XXY with you all, and I just really enjoy seeing emails from AO3 when I check it pretty much every morning. I'm so happy to have others enjoy my work. That being said, I'll do my best to make the gap as small as possible, and hopefully I'll only have to skip a month or something.

Thanks for reading my rambles, and as always, the link to XXY is in my introduction post.

[sweetlullabyebye]

Decided to make a list of all the k-dramas I've seen (I'll probably forget a few of them) with a note, because why not?

I'M NOT A ROBOT: 4/10. First drama I ever watched, which is why it gets a higher note than 2/10. Never managed to finish it.

PINOCCHIO: 7/10, really liked it on the first watch, impossible to get through afterwards. Main lead was charming until I realised he wasn't that charming.

W: 6/10. I loved the idea and plot and drawings, but I got very lost towards the end. The main couple had potential but then what.

GOBLIN: 5/10. Never was able to finish it. Age gap made me uncomfy. The only reason I pushed through for a while was the side couple.

EXTRAORDINARY YOU: 9/10. Favorite drama, except for the last episode, and the fact that every male character except for Haru and Donghwa was pretty much despicable. I do recommend watching to see the mess the extras are up to (most scenes have the extras being so damn amazing). The main couple was cute.

MY ID IS GANGNAM BEAUTY: 9,5/10, has a very special place in my heart. It had important subjects and finally a female lead that feels more or less realistic. Also nasty misoginistic guys get knocked out or shamed so that's a plus.

LAWLESS LAWYERS: 10/10. Can do no wrong in my mind. It's fun, it has action, it has drama, it's nice -I probably idealize it thanks to it being the first drama I ever finished-.

MY NAME: 10/10. Yes. Exactly. Everything about it is a work of art. Strong subjects but it's handled well, in my opinion, and having a female lead in such an action-filled serie was so fucking good.

STRONG WOMAN DO BONG SOON: 8/10, very fun to watch (even with the dark parts). The main couple is cute, and even if some of the humor makes me go "eh?", most of it is nice.

WEIGHTLIFTING FAIRY: 8/10, way funnier and better than I expected, and I love the friendships in it, very light hearted overall.

OH MY VENUS: 0/10. Trash.

THE LEGEND OF THE BLUE SEA: 6/10, it almost got me screaming out of frustration. It's fun but also CAN SHE PLEASE USE HER BRAINCELLS FOR ONCE?

MY LOVE FROM THE STARS: 8/10, I keep going back to it. Comfort show so I am VERY biased. I do like to deny the last episode existed and live in a comfortable state of denial.

DESCENDANTS OF THE SUN: 6/10. Got stuck halfway, ended up watching the chinese counterpart instead.

LOVERS OF THE RED SKY: 9/10. It looked stunning, the storyline was addicting, I would sell my soul for the main lead.

HEALER: 8/10, better than I expected.

ZOMBIE DETECTIVE: 9,5/10, mindless fun, easy to watch.

RUGAL: 7/10, not bad.

LOVE WITH FLAWS: 3/10. Only watched for some representation. The main couple gave me headaches, I hated everyone except for a total of three characters. Not worth it.

WHEN THE CAMELLIA BLOOMS: 8/10, I don't really get the mystery part but the romance was cute and I really liked the main dude.

ITAEWON CLASS: 8/10, finally some representation! Plot was kind of messy but the women in it were badass and I liked the overall show.

WHERE STARS LAND: 5/10. Meh.

I REMEMBER YOU: 4/10, only watched for the brothers.

LET'S FIGHT GHOST: 8/10, fun to watch, light hearted, overall nice. The main couple was great to see interract and all.

ARE YOU HUMAN: 2/10, the relationship felt creepy.

HOTEL DEL LUNA: 9/10, this drama took my heart and smashed it like a piñata.

ANGEL'S LAST MISSION: LOVE: 6/10, I don't remember much from it, so it was quite forgettable.

THIRTY BUT SEVENTEEN: 8/10. Actually pretty good? The survivor's guilt in it was interesting to see, and I love found families. Some things did make me a bit uncomfortable (since you know... she still feels like she's seventeen).

WHERE YOUR EYES LINGER: 4/10. Not even fun to watch, honestly. Mention of the classic "who's the bottom" and shit like that made me want to disappear from existence.

K2: 7/10. Lots of Snow White references.

COLOR RUSH: 5/10. They had a light hearted (more or less) start and then... it went super angsty all of a sudden? Wtf?

DEVILISH CHARM: 5/10. Forgettable. Lol.

WATCHER: 9/10, interesting characters and plot, kept me captivated the whole time.

UNCONTROLLABLY FOND: 0/10. No.

GRACEFUL FAMILY: 4/10. Yes... but no.

JUST BETWEEN LOVERS: 9,5/10, very sweet, very comfortable in a way? It deals with trauma and family and relationships in such a way, it's pretty much an unforgettable drama for me. Loved it, loved the couple, loved the characters.

SELL YOUR HAUNTED HOUSE: 4/10. I forgot to care after the second episode.

TELL ME WHAT YOU SAW: 8/10, captivating, very much one of the mystery cops series where you know what it's going to be before you watch it, but still keeps you interested.

LIVE ON: 9/10, better than expected, sweet relationship.

THE GIRL WHO SAW SMELLS: 7/10. Never finished it. Plot made me confused and for what.

MY FELLOW CITIZENS: 4/10. Eh.

MEMORIST: 8/10. Once I got into it, it was very fun to watch.

KILL IT: 10/10, all time favorite, I really liked the vibe, the themes, the characters, the twists.

A PIECE OF YOUR MIND: 5/10. Really liked it at first (the main lead is freaking awesome) but then got more and more uncomfortable as it went.

THE TALE OF NODKU: 6/10. I remember it more fondly than it actually was.

HOMETOWN CHA-CHA: 5/10. I don't even know whether I liked it or not.

BEAUTY INSIDE: 7/10, I guess the message is good? I didn't get so attached to the romance, but it was okay to watch. And it introduced me to Lee Da Hee, so that's pretty nice.

EXTRAORDINARY ATTORNEY WOO: 8/10, likeable characters!

VINCENZO: 7/10, some of the moments were very fun to watch and some... meh. Way more brutal than I expected.

100 DAYS MY PRINCE: 4/10. Nearly unwatchable. The showrunners saw "hate at first sight" and ran with it.

SEARCH WWW: 7/10, main couple was so boring I skipped most of their scenes. Only watch for women supporting women and secondary couple.

CHOCOLATE: 3/10. Bo-ring.

EXTRACURRICULAR: 5/10, it felt like a fever dream.

BUSINESS PROPOSAL: 5/10. Not as fun as I was told it'd be. Cliché defying? Yeah right.

STRANGERS FROM HELL: 8/10. I like to forget it exists. I'm still scared of this drama after more than two years.

(There are more k-dramas but

1. I'm tired

2. I don't remember all of them)

[merakiaes]

Hate You, Hate You Not - Armitage Hux

Pairing: General Armitage Hux x reader

Requested: By anon. 

Prompts: #1 & #58 from the fluff-list. 

Warnings/notes: (SHOULD I MAKE A PART 2 WITH MORE ROMANCE IN IT?) This ended up being much longer than I planned so it's most likely very boring and dull😭 Might be a bit, if not a lot, out of character since this is kinda my test-run for Hux and Star Wars in general. Getting the characters mannerisms in might take some practice. Not proofread so I apologize in advance for any mistakes. This is the first time ever that I write for Star Wars and the first time in like 5-6 months that I’m writing in general so I’m a bit rusty. Please reblog and leave comments to keep my motivation going and let me know if you’d like to be added to a Star Wars taglist <3 

Wordcount: 5632

Summary: One of Kylo Ren’s many tantrums results in your room being inhabitable for a night, which in turn results in you having to share a room - and bed - with the person you hate the most. 

Everyone who had ever, at some point in their lives, worked alongside Kylo Ren in his quest to bring the Order to power, knew how much of a hassle and inconvenience his temper, or lack thereof, could be.

Not much was needed for him to lose his cool and it happened on a much too frequent basis than what was considered normal for a man in his early 30s, at least according to you.

Of course, however, you couldn’t actually tell him that, nor could you think it, with the risk of him probing your mind.

So every time he came back from a failed mission and completely obliterated your hard work, you could do nothing but bite your tongue, clear your head and repair the damages like you’d done oh, so many times before.

That’s what you got for being one of the highest-ranked engineers of the Order, you supposed.

But on this day you would’ve, for the first time in your life, very much preferred to repair the damages left behind by your tantrum-prone leader like you always did. Because if that punishment had to be compared to the one you were now facing, you would’ve chosen the former without even a shadow of a doubt.

But, unfortunately, that was not an option this time around, as the room that had fallen victim to the sizzling beam of Kylo Ren’s lightsaber was your bedroom.

Well, not originally, of course, but sparks had flown from the totaled control panels and a piece of supposedly fireproof metal scrap had caught on fire before you and the other engineers reached the room for a damage-control, starting of as a small flame and then proceeding to spread like wildfire as fire did, in ways completely unbeknownst to you as, like already mentioned, the place was supposed to be safe from fires.  

The licking flames had managed to melt through several walls before you got to the scene, and one of those walls was the wall to your bedroom.

It was late when it happened, only fifteen minutes before you were supposed to end your shift, and as you were on the verge of having a mental fucking breakdown, you personally requested an audience with Kylo and were granted permission by him after a very carefully-worded explanation to start early in the morning.

But that only took care of one of your problems, and only temporarily at that. Now you were left with the issue of finding other sleeping accommodations since your room was currently not habitable. You had no choice but to ask for another room and, of course, Hux thought that to be the perfect time to crack a sarcastic joke about throwing you into one of the prisoner cells.

You had never, in all your years of being alive, glared so fiercely at another human being as you did then. And in your moment of anger, you accidentally let your walls down and let your thoughts run freely through your head – your annoyance directed at the General, but also at Kylo Ren, being exposed.

You felt it before you saw it – that little prickle in your head, that little sting of your mind being probed – and only a second later, Kylo Ren turned his masked head in your direction, walked up to you with patronizingly slow steps and spoke:

“I think you’ll find that General Hux’s quarters will suffice for the night, until repairs can be done to your own. He has more than enough space for both of you.”

He turned his head to look at the baffled man standing behind him, all of the attitude he had previously been harboring against you now completely melted away.

“Isn’t that right, General?” Kylo continued asking, giving him the time he needed to regain his composure.

The general in question had never been very good at holding his tongue, not even when receiving orders from superiors, and was quick to protest.

As anyone would’ve been able to guess, that didn’t go very well, and you weren't even gonna try hiding the satisfaction you got from seeing Hux be force-choked against a wall for speaking out of turn.

No matter how good both of you were at hiding your spiteful thoughts toward him, Kylo knew how much the two of you hated him. And more than anything, he knew how much you hated each other.

Kylo had become very predictable to you during the time you had been there and you knew his ways good enough to know that he wouldn’t have wasted petty energy in putting the two most hateful people he knew in the same room if he hadn’t been pushed to do so.

You knew that you weren’t the reason in this scenario, despite the fact that he had probably felt your spite directed towards him, which only left one option; and that option was the bitter, infuriatingly stubborn ginger currently walking by your side.

You glanced at him from the corner of your eye and glared, clenching and unclenching your fists at your sides in the same manner you had been doing ever since Kylo had ruled his decision final and dismissed you for the night.

His eyes remained trained on the metallic corridor that seemed to be stretched out for miles in front of you and your blood boiled at the sight.

You would’ve lost your shit if he’d had the nerve to even consider looking at you after putting you in this situation, but at the same time, you were also on the verge of losing your shit about him having the audacity to ignore you.

You wanted to scream at him like you’d never screamed at anyone before, but you knew that doing that would only fuel the petty grudge Kylo had against the two of you and give him more ways to cause you torment. The only thing you and the general would ever have in common was not wanting that.

But still, what harm could a tiny bit of friendly banter do?

“You just couldn’t help yourself, could you, Armitage?” The question you’d been sucking on for the past few minutes finally slipped out into the air, making your anger known.

“Don’t call me that.”

“My apologies.” You sarcastically shot back with a dry laugh. “You just couldn’t help yourself, could you, general?”

“No, it was awfully tempting.” Was all that he replied, his eyes not once flickering and neither his stone-cold scowl nor fast-paced stride faltering.

Well, you might have absolutely despised each other but in the very least, you never bothered lying to each other. That had to count for something, right? Not that either of you cared.

No more words were exchanged, and that was probably for the best. Engineers and stormtroopers all moved out of your way as the two of you marched through the corridors, side by side, knowing better at this point than to get on your bad sides when you were together and this obviously angry both with each other and in general.

Soon enough, you finally reached the corridor in which Hux’s sleeping quarters were located and once the mechanic doors slid open, you pushed yourself past him into the room before he even got the chance to react.

He fumed behind you as he watched you make yourself at home, dropping your dirty jacket on his perfectly made bed.

“You’ll take the floor, then?” You asked as you turned around, crossing your arms over your chest and shooting him a forced smile.

“Hardly.” He spat, eyes narrowing, and you scoffed, rolling your eyes in return.

“You must be a real hit with the ladies with those manners.”

At that, he stepped further into his room, allowing the sensory-triggered door to shut behind him, successfully shutting the two of you in together.

“I don’t have time for fooling around with women.” He spat out the last word with such malice that you automatically raised an eyebrow.

“Well, that explains it.” You mused, the corner of your lip tugging upwards ever so slightly.

“Explains what, exactly?” His eyes narrowed further, and this time it was his turn to cross his arms.

“That stick you have up your ass.” You wasted no time in shooting back, and before he got a chance to reply, you continued. “I know this might be news to you seeing as you’re, well, you, but gentlemen are supposed to sacrifice their comfort and offer themselves to take the floor when a lady, due to unfortunate circumstances, is forced to stay in their room.”

You sarcastically smiled at him and sank down his bed, something that he, judging by the snarl overtaking his face, didn’t appreciate.

“You, a lady? That will be the day.” He scoffed. “Even calling you a woman is a stretch with your mannerisms.”

You could only roll your eyes.

“Well, I’m not sharing a bed with you.” The glare that had temporarily been exchanged for a teasing smirk returned to your face. “I’d rather share a bed with Millicent.”

As you said that, you picked up a single strand of cat hair from his bed, held it up for further inspection and raised your lip in disgust.

He stared at you dead serious, hands clasped behind his back and eyes burning holes into the side of your face.

“You’re allergic to cats.” He pointed out, making your head whip back around to face him with a glare equally as fierce as the one you were met with.

“Yes, that’s my point.” You deadpanned. “But it would seem that said point just went right over your thick-skulled head.”

“Do you think I am any happier about this than you are?” He scowled, and you stood up, slowly approaching him and coming to a stop right in front of him.

He took a small step back, a move that made your lip tug upward ever so slightly. The fact that he was so obviously not as tough as he wanted people to believe gave you a special kind of satisfaction and he knew it, judging by the way he only turned stiffer after that.

“You should be.” You smiled sweetly at him, keeping your eyes connected to his. “Because you’re sure as hell lucky I haven’t choked the life out of you yet for getting us into this situation in the first place.”

He glared and you glared right back, challenging, no, daring him to fight back. You knew that he wanted to, you could see that he wanted to, but in the end, not even he was that stupid.

So he said nothing, and once you realized you had finally managed to successfully back him into a corner, you backed away from him again and plastered on another forced, overly sweet smile.

“Now, I need to take a shower. I reek of burnt plastic.” You stated flatly and pushed past him, making a beeline for the one extra door in the room that you could only assume was his bathroom.  

You heard the squeak of his shoes rubbing against the floor as he quickly turned around behind you, and then came the determined steps and the proximity of his body closing in on you. However, before he got the chance to object or reach you, you entered his bathroom and slammed the door shut in his face, smiling contently to yourself as you listened to the muffled string of curses that followed.

You didn’t spend any more time thinking about it, though, not wasting any time before doing what you came in there to do.

You got out of your horrid-smelling clothes, released your equally as nasty-smelling hait from its ponytail and stepped into the shower.

If there was one thing you appreciated a little extra about living at the Starkiller Base, it was that everyone used the same scented soap. Because that meant that you wouldn’t have to go around smelling specifically like Hux, but rather just like you always smelled.

Once you finished washing your hair and body, you had to stop and think for a bit.

Your clothes obviously still reeked and needed a proper wash before they could be worn again, and you obviously couldn’t go naked.

After much thought back and forth, you finally settled with your own leggings as they were the one piece of clothing from your previous attire that smelled the least of smoke, and a plain black, long-sleeved undershirt that you found in a pile of Hux’s clean laundry.

Once you vad gotten dressed, braided your hair and re-entered the bedroom accompanied by a stream of steam, you found it to be empty, Hux nowhere in sight.

You couldn’t deny that you wondered where he’d gone off to, but you shook your head free of his face pretty quickly, settling with believing that he just went to take his frustration out on some poor stormtrooper or low-rank intern like he so often did when things didn’t go his way, much like Kylo Ren beat the shit out of any control panel he could get his hands on.

While you awaited his return, you occupied yourself with going around the room and lighting the small night-lamps like you normally did in your own room before going to bed.

That obviously didn’t take long, however, so you were soon enough once again left alone with your boredom and started walking around the room, inspecting all of Hux’s belongings.

You realized pretty quickly that he was not a person to whom inanimate things had much sentimental value, as he definitely didn’t have much to his name aside from the basic interior that all of the sleeping quarters on the base had.

He had a ring on his drawer, a few books in one of his two bookshelves while the other stood empty, a small bed in a corner for his cat, clothes in his wardrobe, and that was pretty much it. He had no pictures of family, no real personal belongings that could signify any kind of emotional value.

But then again, who did in these parts?

“Is that my shirt?”

You jumped when you heard the sudden voice behind you, quickly turning around where you stood twirling the ring you had found in the light of the lamp standing beside you.

Your eyes found his form immediately, shocked meeting stern.

“Why are you wearing my shirt?” He almost instantly repeated himself when not getting a reply the first time, slowly beginning to walk in your direction with his hands clasped behind his back.

You quickly put the ring back down on the dresser and turned towards him, regaining your composure.

“Well, if you hadn’t noticed, my room and everything in it was burnt to a crisp. The smokey smell on my clothes was giving me a headache and kind of would have ruined the purpose of taking a shower so when I just so conveniently noticed a pile of clean clothes, I helped myself.” You shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal, and to you, it wasn’t.

Hux, however, didn’t seem amused in the slightest.

“Yes, you seem to have a habit of thinking you’re entitled to everything you want.” He spat back at you, coming to a stop while there was still a good amount of distance between the two of you.

Any chill you had previously had melted right off and your annoyance quickly returned at the sound of his words.

“Oh, do excuse me. I just thought one headache would be enough.” You retorted and rolled your eyes, before sighing and crossing your arms over your chest. “So, how are we doing this? It’s late and I need to be up early to see to the repairs.”

“I thought that I made myself clear.” Hux was quick to scoff, his glare not faltering for as much as a second. “I’m not giving you my bed.”

Once again, all you could do was roll your eyes. “Well, I guess we’ll just have to suck it up then.” You stated flatly and sat down on the bed, wasting no time in starting to divide the pillows into two piles rather than one.

You took a few seconds to adjust the pillows to suit your needs before looking back up, eyebrow raised at the fact that he had yet to say or do anything.

Your eyes once again met his and you almost laughed out loud at the sight you were faced with, but thankfully managed to control yourself and avoid making the situation even harder than it already was.  

Long story short, Hux had never looked more horrified than he did in that moment.

He basically looked at you like you had killed his cat, and that was putting it lightly.

You took a few seconds to just enjoy watching him squirm and silently scramble to make sense of the situation, but even you knew when enough was enough and raised a questioning eyebrow at him in an attempt to get him moving.

“Well? What’s it going to be?” You asked. “It’s either this or the floor, just like it was for me.”

Hux opened his mouth, hesitated, and then closed it again. He obviously hadn’t been expecting you to actually agree on sharing his bed with him and now that you had, he was left at loss for words as he clearly hadn’t been preparing for anything other than you sleeping on the floor.

But after a good moment of just standing there and looking like an idiot, he finally picked himself back up, squared his shoulders and walked around the bed to the other side with frustrated strides and a snarling lip.

The feigned confidence melted right off, however, when he reached his destination and awkwardly shuffled into bed while simultaneously avoiding your amused and mocking stare, silently grabbing the extra blanket that was folded upon his bedside table.  

Both of you laid down on your backs and a heavy silence fell like a thick blanket over the room. The only sound you could hear for a few moments were each other’s breaths and your own heartbeats. For a moment, only for a microscopical moment, you were actually on your way to admit to yourself that it was kind of nice.

But that thought went flying out the window just as quickly as it had knocked on the door of your mind when Hux broke the silence by beginning to adjust himself to get ready to sleep, and in the process of doing so made the active choice to tug the pillows from right under your head.

The back of your head hit the mattress with a soft thump and you closed your eyes, your lips pulling into a straight, tight line and one, sharp breath being released through your nose as you attempted to keep your cool.

You took a moment to calm down, before you turned your head to his side of the bed where he now laid with his back to you and tugged the pillows back – maybe with a little too much force than necessary.

Hux had quickly rolled over to his other side to take them back and in anger and an eagerness to get to sleep, you exclaimed: “Stop stealing the pillows!”

He met you with a stare cold enough to have anyone else shaking in their boots and spat back. “They’re my pillows.”

You grumbled under your breath and let go of one of the two pillows, letting him pull it back to his side while you held on to the last one.

You stared at each other for a moment, both of you eventually coming to a silent, mutual agreement that you were too tired to fight and therefore he'd let you keep the pillow you were holding on to as if your life depended on it.

He, once again, laid down and turned his back to you, his hands holding on to the pillows under his head while you struggled to get comfortable again, this time with only one pillow.

“Why is your bed so damn hard?” You muttered under your breath as you angrily shoved your elbow into the mattress in an attempt to make it more comfortable – as if that was ever going to help.

“Stop complaining.” He only snapped back.

“How could I when I’m stuck in a bed with you?”

“You could’ve asked for other accommodations when you had the chance.”

“And what, be the next victim of Ren’s lightsaber?” You scoffed. “I’m the one in charge of the repairs that are needed every time he throws a wobbly. I’ve seen the kind of damage that thing can do and I’m not in any hurry to find myself at the receiving end of it.”

You muttered the last part under your breath as you finally managed to get relatively comfortable, plopping back down on your back and folding your hands over your stomach.

“How did you know I’m allergic to cats, anyway?” The question spilled out before you could stop yourself, and before you could even register that it was on the way.

Where did that even come from? Cats weren’t even close to being the subject at hand.

Hux didn’t seem to care much about the random change of subject, however, simply muttering back a reply. “You start sniffling and scratching your arms every time you’re in the same room as me for more than five minutes.”

He was clearly tired. Tired in general or just tired of you, you didn’t really know, but you guessed that it was a mixture of both since that was the case for you.

“Maybe I’m just allergic to you.” You muttered back with a shrug, even though he couldn’t see you, and he scoffed at that.

“Had that been the case I’m fairly certain it would go both ways and, unlike you, I don’t go around oozing snot everywhere I go.”

“I don’t go oozing snot everywhere.” You calmly protested, throwing the back of his head a disapproving glare before turning to lay on your side so that your back was now turned to his.

He didn’t say anything else and neither did you, sleep coming in and catching you completely by surprise and having you knocked out within the next two minutes.

When you woke up early that next morning, Hux was unsurprisingly already gone, Millicent instead laying in his place and looking right at you.

With a disgusted snarl and hesitant movements, you reached over to the other side of the bed and awkwardly patted her head twice, probably very much in the incorrect manner as you had no experience whatsoever with animals.

You got out of bed after that, put on your jacket and shoes, and wasted no time in getting to work once you’d gotten some food into your system, your team joining you in the damage-inflicted area to start on repairs like you’d done so many times before.

Everything was going fine and dandy, just a light-reckon day that started off like any other – if you didn’t count waking up in Hux’s bed with his cat – but a few hours into your workday, the unmistakable sound of Kylo Ren’s heavy steps could be heard echoing through the entire corridor you found yourself working in.

A big share of the Order’s pilots had been either killed or badly hurt a few days prior in an ambush. No one had expected any pilots to be needed for at least a few days but Kylo had gotten a sudden lead on the map that would take him to Luke Skywalker and was now walking around the base recruiting anyone capable of helping him get what he wanted.

Unfortunately for you, you were not only a highly-ranked engineer, but also a pretty decent pilot, and couldn’t say anything in protest when you were whisked away to a ship.

As anyone who wasn’t driven by an unhealthy obsession would have been able to guess, the lead was just too good to be true with a way too simple access.

Just like the last lead, this one fell through when it was revealed to be another ambush. You weren’t completely sure what happened, but over the comms, you had heard something about Leia Organa and some scavenger. 

You didn’t have time to think about retired war heroes though, no matter how much you’d love to pry and the get in on the gossip, as you had to shoot yourself through a big fleet of Resistance starfighter corps, barely getting through with your ship intact.

Your fellow pilots were shot down one by one, only a small amount of you managing to get out of there. And even then, you were met by more starfighter corps just as quickly as you’d gotten away from the last line.

Everything was just a mess after that. You weren’t able to get through to anyone over the comms, only barely being able to make out a “pull back!” before your comm system was blown to pieces along with one of your main engines.

Along with several other ships, you were forced to crash-land on a small planet filled with thick woods and when your ship collided with the ground, your head slammed into the controls, rendering you unconscious for who knows how long.

By the time you came back to it, you were hanging upside down, the only thing preventing you from falling down being the seatbelt keeping you strapped in.

You struggled to get out of there but you managed, and had to take a moment to get your surroundings to stop spinning before moving forward to look for survivors as well as a ship that wasn’t completely beyond salvation.  

You weren’t sure who you’d find, but the person you’d shared a bed with the previous night was definitely the last person you’d expect to have crashed in the same place as you. 

And still, you recognized his ship immediately. After all, you were the one who had personalized it to fit his liking.

Lucky for you, his ship seemed to have gotten a pretty soft landing. As you circled around it, you were able to determine that no major engines had been blown out. Damaged? Definitely. But they looked intact enough to at least be able to put some more distance between you and the Resistance pilots and get you to a safer place. Hopefully, the inside would be as untouched as the outside.

The ramp was lowered to the ground but didn’t look broken, so you wasted no time in jogging inside.

The lights were out completely in the entrance area, and just flickering in the ceiling when you came further in.

The first thing you noticed when you entered the piloting pit was that the pilot was not breathing. How could you tell from that far a distance? Well, let’s just say that something that was not supposed to be stuck in his eye, was stuck in his eye.

Upon further inspection, you noticed another body on the floor. However, this one was very much alive.

You would’ve expected to be met by a desperate “help me”, maybe even some begging and pleading or in the very least a “please”, but instead, even when in the process of bleeding out on the floor, Hux narrowed his eyes at you as you approached him and asked you with ragged breaths:

“Is that my shirt?”

You panted as you dropped to your knees at his side, still pretty shaken up from your own crash. “What? No.” You replied in a breath, and you wasted no time in starting to inspect his injuries.

“Yes, it is.”

“Why would I be wearing your shirt?” You asked simply, struggling to see in the dark as the flickering lights weren’t providing much assistance by means of light.

“That’s my shirt.” He kept insisting, and flinched when your hand made contact with his lower abdomen.

Only then did your eyes register the glimmering piece of metal through your blurred and disoriented vision, sticking out of his side.

You flinched at the sight, not needing any more light than you had to know that it was really bad. 

Your heart suddenly picked up in speed in your chest, and your hands began shaking as they became covered in his blood.

You had never been in the middle of the action before now, you’d always just been surrounded by metal and electricity. The most exciting thing you’d ever experienced was when a new engineer circuited a control panel the wrong way, resulting in it blowing up right by your workplace.

But it wasn’t the action in itself that had your heart about ready to burst through your chest, nor was it the blood in general, but rather the fact that it was his blood covering your hands.

His life was completely dependent on you at this moment and you had absolutely no idea how to behave accordingly.

But if there was something you knew, it was that the last thing you were supposed to do was to show a dying man your panic, so you took a deep breath and tried your hardest to steady your racing heart, going back to the conversation at hand.

“How could you tell the difference, really?” You asked. “All of our shirts look the same. All black, all equally as sufficient when used to stop blood flows.”

As you said that last part, you released another breath and ripped off a big chunk of the lower part of the shirt you were wearing.

A shirt that was, in fact, Hux's.

The man in question let his head fall back against the wall that he was propped against and his eyes squeezed shut when feeling your hands return to his side.

“Do you always wear shirts several sizes too big?” He managed to get out through clenched teeth and you replied without missing a beat.

“There was a mix-up in the laundry room.”

“So it isn’t your shirt?” He continued to be persistent and despite the seriousness of the situation, you couldn’t help but to let a small smile slip.

“Do you want to keep fighting about whether or not this shirt is mine or would you rather maybe, oh, I don’t know, focus on getting the hell out of here?” You asked him lightly and at that, he raised his head to meet your eyes with a distrusting glare.

“Why are you helping me?”

You raised your eyebrow at him, sparing just a second to meet his eyes. “You have a piece of metal stuck in your side, why the hell would I not help you?” You asked and as quickly as you had looked up, you looked back down at your hands to see what you were doing.

“You hate me, and I hate you.” He deadpanned, and you couldn’t deny you felt your heart tug in your chest.

“Who told you I hated you?” You asked, and listened as he let out a dry, struggling laugh.

“You did. On countless occasions.”

He hissed when you accidentally bumped your hand against the piece of metal. You quietly apologized but didn’t stop, knowing you didn’t have much time before the enemy would catch up with you.

“Thinking that I’m entitled to everything I want isn’t the only bad habit I have. I also have a tendency to overexaggerate.” You joked with a smile. “I do find you insufferably infuriating, though.”                                              

Another chuckle left his lips. “Likewise.” He said and dropped his head back against the wall.

You said nothing more, ripping another two pieces off of the shirt, tying them together and wrapping it around his waist like you had the first piece. You tightened this knot significantly more than the first one, though, right above the piece of metal, and just as quickly as he had relaxed, he jerked back forward with a yell.

“I need to stop the bleeding, you need to keep still.” You hurriedly scolded and sternly pushed him back down by his chest.

He muttered bitterly in return, but didn’t protest.

“I bet you’re enjoying this.” He seethed, and you raised an eyebrow, a small smile playing on your lips.

“Whenever I’m feeling down, I just think back to the multiple times I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing you being force-thrown across a room by Ren. Puts a smile on my face every time. But that doesn’t automatically mean I want you to die. So stop wallowing in your internalized self-hatred and put your hand over mine.” You told him, trying your hardest to keep a lighthearted attitude, more so for your own sake than his at this point as you were literally about to pass out.

But he did as told, contributing with the strength he had left when you got to your feet and started pulling him up and into one of the seats that were still intact.

He put a trembling hand over yours and in turn, you put your other one over his and pushed down. He hissed and you gave him a moment to adjust, and when you were sure he was pressing hard enough with his own hand, you slowly removed both of yours and fastened his seatbelt.

“Keep pressure and hold on tight. This is most likely going to be a rough ride.” You warned him, and he slowly looked up at you through a mess of ginger hair.

“It can’t be any worse than the ride here.” He retorted and you nodded, taking that as a “go ahead”.

You wasted no time in getting into the pilot’s seat after pulling the previous pilot out, as well as the thick tree branch on which his head had been impaled, and started up the controls. It took a few tries to get out of the hole the ship hade gotten stuck in when crashing, but soon enough you were up in the sky.

With a bit of dumb luck, you eventually reached your destination and got brought back in to the base by your team of fellow engineers, all ready to repair the wrecked ship.

Hux was immediately taken to the medical bay while you stayed behind to help with the ships, and from two ends of the base, the two of you silently and separately came to realize that maybe, just maybe, you didn’t hate each other as much as you thought, after all.

[khaopybara]

Thank you for tagging me! This is a first, so excuse me while I probably write a bunch of nonsense.

I must say, right, coming in, I already had my favorites, but as we're in episode 6 already, I'm impressed to see that some of the rankings switched.

1 - RAY

I wish I could say this is unexpected, but since fandom became a part of my life back in like 2013, I've noticed that I have an inclination to liking underdogs and misunderstood characters. He has a lot of faults (way too many, and I excuse most of them. I am a Ray Apologist, after all), but he's such a compelling character and he makes you want to root for him to get better and do better and feel better. He's such a layered character and there's quite a bit that I relate to him in different levels, too. I love how he's messy and he knows he's an asshole, but he owns up to his shit. I also think that what caught me off guard with Ray is how communicative he is. Yes, he's a mess, but he asks Sand all the time if he's okay with their arrangement, how he's feeling, if he has any questions for him. He's also loyal, and despite not being a good friend necessarily, he values his relationships (except when he's on a murder spree as we've seen in his attempt to sever the bridges between him and his friends) and cares for them.

(When he tells Top he has been taking great care of HIS Mew, or when he tells Mew that he's okay that he's not the person who can given him (Mew) happiness, I totally believe him. The SA when Mew slept over at his place? I don't think there was a single part of him that believed that would make Mew realize his dormant feelings for him, but an attempt to sort his own shit out).

I could seriously go on and on about how much I hope he gets nice things and stop believing he's a bad luck charm, but I can't articulate that in a way that makes sense so I'll stop. Khaotung's portrayal of him is absolutely stunning and I'm loving every piece of it.

2 - BOSTON

I know, very unpopular opinion because everyone and their mothers wants to strangle this son of a bitch, but listen, he's amazing. He's manipulative, gets what he wants, the way he wants, he's charming and a vicious player. I wouldn't want him as a friend never in my life because he's an instant red flag.

Remember how I said that with Ray, I'm rooting for him to get better and do better? It's the complete opposite with Boston. I hope he gets worse. I hope he does his worst. I don't want him to have a sob background story because some people are just assholes because they can and they'll be because things work out for them that way. I love this man at the same time that I completely despise his existence. I'm also of the opinion that no one else could have played Boston and make me like him as much as I do, if it wasn't Neo playing him (this comes from someone who only watched Neo in The Eclipse, and I didn't like Khan all that much, and Vice Versa). I have this opinion for all of the cast, to be honest. The casting for this show was phenomenal.

3 - SAND

No one is surprised that Sand's high up on the list. Yes, he has showed himself as a bit shady, but so far, it seems like he has the best moral compass out of the seven of them (but honestly that's not a requirement to be high on my list. The alcoholic and addict is my number 1, and the manipulative whore is top 2). Sand is just a dude trying to get by. I think what solidified his spot for me was when he talked about what he wants to do with his life in episode 5. He wants to belong to a group and enjoy the things he likes and be able to support himself to do those things. Who can't relate to that? I want him to get those things! He's caring and attentive, but he's still sarcastic and knows how to throw back. He's not a saint, and he doesn't try to appear as one.

His only fault (besides the crippling insecurity that stops him from being direct with Ray about his feelings that is probably associated with his financial status) is that he doesn't take more people to see his mom. I have no words for Sand's mom besides she's great and gorgeous (scratch all the rest. Sand's is number 3 because I like his mom).

4 - MEW

Not gonna lie, Mew wouldn't be this high on the list if it wasn't for his bad bitch moment at the end of episode 6 and because he warned Top that he was a clingy and possessive bitch back in episode 1. I love how he knows his boundaries, though. And he calls out people for overstepping. He doesn't let others step on him. I don't think he's a bad friend, but he's a friend who doesn't know how to help and deal with the problems of his friend group. He has his own idea of how things should be and applies that to his life, and wants others to do the same (Boston to settle down and Ray not to be Ray), so it's really intriguing to me how someone with such a high opinion of themselves will approach revenge and pay back. I'm excited for Mew's bad bitch era.

5 - NICK

Oh Nick. You're such a darling. Obsessive and law breaking darling. Self-punishing and with low self-esteem darling. You're creepy, hun, and it's not only because you're super invested in having something with the likes of Boston. You're not blind to the red flags, you've seen them and decided you could handle it. Nick is such a driving force for the plot of the first part, if we think about it, since there wouldn't be an exposée if Nick didn't decide that breaking into people's belongings was a good idea. I totally believe what he tells Top about being just as bad as Boston, but he's a diluted version of his bae.

6 - CHEUM

We don't have enough of her for me to speak about Cheum and put her in a higher place, to be honest. I love how enthusiastic she is about her projects and her friends, but she's a bit too dense most of the time. I love my lesbian, and I love that she at least apologized to April and promised not to lie anymore, but her obsession with our boy Top is a bit too much. Now that I think about it, he's hot and smart, and apparently takes good care of her friend, so I can see why she thinks he's an eligible bachelor, but she lost some points for playing down Ray (saying he's too stubborn and that's why he doesn't have a lover, and when they are talking to their teacher. That's why I wasn't surprised when Ray went for her first during The Scene).

7 - TOP

I feel sorry for Top. Yes, he's a cheater, yes, he goes after people in relationships, yes, he thinks he's the best option, yes, he's excessively jealous and possessive, yes, he doesn't communicate well, but throw the first stone if you never met a jock with high self-esteem, I mean. He's very in character. But he's also very boring to me. That's it.

OF Favorites Rankings

I did this once before the series aired, but I thought it’d be fun to rank the core characters in OF in the middle of the series’ run and once more at the end.

I’m gonna tag some of my active OF moots here (and some new OF friends as well!) if any of you want to play too—no pressure at all! And of course, even if you aren’t tagged, please feel free to play along! I’m super curious to see how opinions have changed from the beginning to the middle to the end. :)

@abstractelysium @nihilisticcondensedmilk @just-gm @firstkanaphans @prapaiwife @dreamedofyou @sandrayy @fanfictionroxs @khaopybara @tiedankelstotheocean @thegalwhorants @autisticbokutoenthusiast @itsmelb @way-too-indecisive @k-white @waitmyturtles

1. Sand

Of course it was going to be Sand in first place (get it…First place?)

He might be morally dubious in Ep6, but if anything, that makes him more endearing to me (don't ask me how). If they all play dirty, he can play dirty too. Plus, he's just got the vibe. The t-shirts, the jackets, the boots, the independence. The superior music taste? Mans has it all except for money. Though tbh, the moment that solidified Sand as my favorite was when he ran after Ray at the end of Ep6--he was just dealt a personal attack by Ray in front of everyone, but he doesn't even hesitate to go after him. And that is the marker of a ✨ favorite character ✨

2. Ray

Naturally, both Sand and Ray have taken the top spots (pun intended), and it's because I have a special place in my heart for "woobified" characters (did I use that right @waitmyturtles? 😂)...and Khaotung executes his layers so beautifully. Ray did go in for a nonconsensual kiss (which he later apologized for, but I digress) and he did hash out some pretty brutal insults last episode. Irrespective of his feelings for Sand, it's indisputable that he has used him in some aspect to distract himself from Mew. So for all that, Ray is also morally dubious--but I'll use the term realistic instead.

I just want to give him a hug and tell him that he matters. Because clearly that is something he's heard only a few times in his life. And maybe if he heard it more often, we could avoid situations like the one at the end of Ep6.

3. Nick

I’m having a bit of an inner battle with myself over this one because Nick came out of the gate with some very immoral behavior, and yet I’m still putting him above Mew, because something about him is just so…pitiful. Admittedly, I've been growing more and more frustrated with him as the series goes on and he still fights for Boston's affection when Boston has proven time and time again that he just doesn't care. Boston keeps him on a rope, and in some ways I sympathize with Nick's struggles, because it isn't easy to turn the feelings off once they've already been cemented. But alas. He's digging himself further and further into this hole.

4. Mew

A lot of my gripes with Mew have been in respect to his treatment of Ray, but I go back and forth because I do understand the mental toll it must take on him. Regardless of whether or not he's responsible for helping Ray through his mental issues, as his closest friend, I think it should've been him running after Ray at the end of Ep6. Yeah, Ray said some shitty things about everybody, but Ray has only ever wanted what is best for Mew. And Mew was going to watch him run off and potentially get himself killed, even after Ray admitted what Top had done. Something about that just doesn't sit right with me.

Despite all of this, Mew does appear to be the most level-headed of the group (alongside Sand, though that was put to the test last ep). And the moment he played TopBoston’s sex audio right in Top’s ear? Phenomenal. He nailed that execution. I will laugh when he's on his revenge kick next week.

5. Cheum

Cheum is this low firstly because she doesn't get a lot of screen time, and secondly because she's made some comments that are a little questionable too. I can't remember who said it, but someone pointed out just how often she references how lucky Mew is to be with Top--which is a little strange, looking at him like he's some big prize. Also, not to bring everything back to Ray but...she contributes to the "burden" discussion quite a few times.

I do really enjoy the small snippets we've gotten of her with April. I like that they finally gave their relationship a little bit more context in Ep6. They do seem to have some pretty solid communication (at least compared to the others) so I'm pleased with that.

6. Top

I know a lot of people have felt sorry for Top. And I understand that completely. I struggle to given that he not only cheated but lied about the cheating--and likely would never have admitted to it. For Mew, someone who values communication and honesty so strongly, it's like a punch to the face. I hope Top gets what's coming to him. (Also, stealing Sand's boyfriend? Wtf dude.)

7. Boston

Not much to explain about this one--I can understand why he is some peoples' favorite for the sole reason that he is the one creating all the conflict in the first place. But he's so twisted, manipulative, and careless that I just want Mew to kick him into that pool a hundred times over. I don't expect him to rise from last place by the end, but if he does, it'll be a miracle.

[solarsavoy]

I’m just going to ask you for this now before I forget but for character Tuesday, do you think you can do Maehara this time 👀

Character Tuesday, Maehara!

I actually started this last night and had to go to work so I was going to finish it later, but then my allergies decided to wake me up at 3:30 and I usually post this at 4 so I figured "why not" and finished it up now and I'm only posting it 40 minutes later than my usual time. Definitely some Maehara vibes for you, lol. Enjoy the ask! Thank you, Hailey for sending it.

1 – Favorite color?

Red, because it's flashy. He doesn't always look the best in it, but I totally see him being the type to get a red convertible for the attention.

2 – Hobbies?

Hanging out at the mall trying to pick up ladies.

3 – What are their strengths?

He knows how to compliment a lady. Trust me, not everyone knows how to legitimately do that. Living in the moment, and able to think quickly on his feet because of it.

4 – What are their weaknesses?

Committment. Long-term anything. I imagine he's the type that has to study all night the night before or he'll start to forget things. Unorganized. (Or as I like to call it, a particularly organized mess on purpose.)

5 – Favorite food(s)?

Junk food. Any of it. I can see his body not being able to keep up after his teen years are over and him going on one of those strict diet and exercise routines and then finally in his 30's being one of those dads that sneaks in a bacon cheeseburger in the middle of the night because it "doesn't count if no one's watching". I see you Maehara. 👀

6 – Least favorite food(s)?

Those protein bars and shakes that taste like chalk or are just plain flavorless. Avoids them like the plague.

7 – What would be their dream job?

Talent scout. What better job than to check out attractive and talented people all day?

8 – What is their DND alignment?

Neutral good. He's a good person at heart and has both lawful and chaotic tendencies. He isn't afraid to stand up for what's right, but he's also not afraid to "bend the rules" a bit either. I imagine Isogai had a large part in the lawful side even existing.

9 – What is their hidden talent?

He's double jointed. He probably showed this off a lot to people when he was younger just to get the "gross!" reaction but when he started liking girls and actively going after them, he hid it. Didn't want them thinking he was gross on the first date. 😉

10 – List a personality quirk of this person.

He's a romantic, in a quirky way. Of course he knows how to sweep a girl off her feet, but he also envisions them in sweet scenarios. If a girl wants to sing, he'll imagine he's backstage at her concert with a boquet, or if the girl is into tennis, he imagines going to all her games and when she wins the championship, their eyes meet despite all the chaos surrounding them. He does this in the moment and it's what makes his conversation during dates so flawlessly perfect. In the singer's case, "you have the voice of an angel. I could only wish to give you a flower worthy of your lips." In the case of the tennis player, "your focus on the ball is astounding. I could only hope to catch even a second of that gaze." But he never tells them about his scenarios. They are secret moments and then he forgets them.

11 – List something strange/weird/unexpected about this character that their loved ones probably don’t know about them.

He has something that belonged to the first girl that ever broke his heart. It's the one thing he never forgets. He'll pull it out of its hiding place if he happens to not have a date on certain holidays and then swears he'll never let someone else hurt him like that again. And then he'll sit there and remember why he fell in love with her.

12 – What is their complex? (Sister, inferiority, etc) Explain.

Don Juan complex, which basically means he desires to have many sexual encounters with people. It specifies with a man wanting to be with many women, but I'm sure it still applies if that man is bisexual.

13 – What is their main sin of the seven deadly ones?

Lust times infinity. Just kidding, kinda.

14 – How would they be as a parent?

Okay, so, because I think he eventually becomes bi and that he also feels that gender is irrelevant, especially in love, it depends on the kid. If the kid is soft spoken and shy, ultimate protective dad. Interrogates anyone who dares date them. Makes the date PROVE they will take care of his baby. Age holds no bounds. He'll do this if his kid's 40. If the child is confident or outspoken and sociable, he constantly gives them advice on how to pick up others. Constantly talks them up and shares dating stories. When the kid's younger, he'll talk about all the wonderful things they'll do, such as dating all the pretty people and how he's gonna have trouble beating them off with a stick. I think he'd do this no matter what. He'd be so lost if his kid ended up being asexual. 😆 He'd be like "who the hell'd you inherit that from?" And then constantly asking questions, trying to understand, and failing to do so.

15 – What is their main love language?

Touch. He's always the first to initiate and it always has more thought behind it than others would expect, but the person's reaction would tell him everything he needs to know about them. It would say they were interested, or not, and he can tell from a single touch, a bump, an accidental brush of their fingers. I think it's why he's been so successful, at least enough to get known for dating a lot of people.

16 – How do they act around a crush?

It goes one of two ways depending on how long he's known them. Less than a week, no different than he would picking up any other girl. If it's someone in 3-E or even Isogai, I think he avoids them. He'd be afraid of getting hurt because they already know too much. He'd fumble his words. Everything would come out wrong. Oh, the angst! He'd say something stupid and go run away to the bathroom and cry about it for being so uncharacteristically uncool. And then he'd convince himself it wouldn't work and move on to the next person. 😅 Poor dude.

17 – How do they act when they are in love?

There are two answers for this.

1. The love he thinks he knows.

He's flying over the moon. He's telling everyone about them. He's bragging about them. Millions and millions of pictures are taken. Spends lots of time with them. Gets into trouble with them. And then the honeymoon stage ends and he moves on and the girls call him out on his committment issues.

2. Real love.

He constantly feels sick. His voice gets caught in his throat. He's weak in the knees. He's nervous. He's scared to touch them or hold their hand, but doesn't want to leave. He's a lost puppy hoping the person will take care of him, and he's loyal in return, never wanting to leave. He's at a loss for words, and the words that come are all jumbled up. He's so in love, he's lovesick all the time. He'd be happy just to be in the same room as them, staring at them. It's so intense it's scary, and he never wants it to stop.

18 – How would they react to a confession of love?

"I know. Wanna go on a date? I'm totally free tonight/right now." 😉 (Says this whether or not he's actually free. It's not often when they approach him instead of vice versa.)

19 – How do they show their love/affection?

He's strikes me as a huge cuddler. I also imagine he's good at displays of affection via gifts like flowers and chocolate or last second vacations where they just take the train without a destination in mind and see what happens, but not on anniversaries or anything. It needs to be random.

20 – What is their idea of a good time?

When he is completely lost in the moment. It doesn't matter what he's doing or who he's with, but the moment needs to overtake any other worries or thoughts holding him back. He needs to be engaged and laughing or screaming or making out or whatever the situation calls for. But any time he's lost in the moment is a good time for him. It's all about living life to the fullest in that second, or minute, or hour. Those moments that seem to last forever are his favorite.

21 – Describe their ideal date.

You know, this is actually the question I'm answering last? 😅 I couldn't really come up with anything unique and I feel like I'm a broken record, but his ideal date is one where he finds a way to wisk both him and his date off into the moment. It'd be filled with lots of sporadic decisions that happen to work out. They pick a destination and end up stopping along the way for something better, and some fancy restaurant ends up with a cancelation and they're able to skip the 2 month reservations and get in at the last second. Anything that just... sweeps him away. That's the ideal date.

22 – How do they handle drama?

By adding to it. I fully see Maehara being the center of drama and unknowingly, or even knowingly, adding to it. It's legitimate. I mean, that thing with Kaho and Seo wasn't really his fault, but it was certainly centered around him. And I don't blame him for being hurt by it, but it's not hard to imagine that there's many scenarios that happen that way in his life, allbeit less brutal, but being a promiscuous loverboy doesn't exactly lead a drama free life. 😅

23 – What is their sexual preference/sexuality?

I've lightly mentioned this in passing before, but I fully believe Maehara is a hypersexual bisexual. I see him preferring women mostly, but after some self reflection, I think he'd be open to men too. I also see him being the "man" in all cases though, which is why I think he'd prefer women. I don't think he'd like being the one that's pursued. Being the pursuer isn't necessarily gender specific, but men tend to be the pursuer more often and as flattering as it is, that's the fun part for him. He has to be the pursuer. He has to be the one that brings the flowers, that picks the date, that works hard to impress the person. It's the fun part for him.

As a sidenote, I do think he'd be willing to try out an open relationship with someone. I don't think it'll work long term though. As far as marriage and settling down, he's monogamous, but I don't see him settling any time soon. No, he strikes me as a guy that's gonna try everything and everyone first. 😉

24 – What is their BDSM tag? (Brat, sub, Master, vanilla, etc)

So this one's kind of hard. I see him being on multiple sides for controller/controllee for different things, but I think this is the best way to explain him. He's a Hunter/Master. Put simply, Masters like controlled environments. Maehara isn't one who follows all the rules, which is distinctly not a Master trait, but he does like things certain ways and anything that deviates can be a turn off, which is a Master trait. Maehara wants to be the pursuer. I can see him wanting to be catered to in certain ways, like slaves take care of Masters. However, he wouldn't want the responsibility of controlling/caring for the slave per se. But in all other aspects, he's very Hunter-ish. Hunters live in the moment, follow carnal instincts, care more about the game than the rules of obtaining it. On a scale of 1 to 10 though, 10 being extreme, he's very light. I'd say 1 or 2 in Master and 3 or 4 in Hunter. Remember, this is more in terms of dynamic. I don't think he's very kinky, but he's explorative, so he'd probably have a lot of fun stories to tell before he settled down.

25 – What is their phobia or greatest fear?

It's a minor fear, but I think it goes along with Isogai's really well. He fears the unlived life. Now that I'm thinking of it, maybe Maehara was affected by the death of Isogai's father just as much. They were best friends growing up, so I'm sure he was close to him, and I've described Isogai's father as a person who loved what he did every waking second. In Isogai's father's case, he loved giving his time and money and love to those in need, especially his family. Perhaps Maehara interpreted it as simply loving life, so he grew to live in the moment. You know, I like this idea, so it is now my new headcanon. Maehara lives in the moment because of the effect Isogai's father had on him. 💙

26 – What is their emotional damage?

This is also not too extreme in my opinion, but it hits deep. That girl that broke his heart is something I think hurts him because she's the one that got away. It was his first love, even though it was so young, and it's shaped who he is in many ways. It's why he's afraid of committment. He's afraid of actually loving someone with all his heart, so he keeps it guarded. It's why I chose to go where I did with the loveydovey questions. The moment he realizes he actually likes someone, it's that "shit just got real" moment and he's terrified it'll end. I think this'll be easily overcome as he ages though, but like I said, it hits deep.

27 – How do they handle emotional pain?

Starts drama, like in that situation with Kaho and Seo. I don't blame him, but he is an active part of the drama. Lol. He's not afraid to call someone out on how they hurt him and he's not afraid to do this in front of other people, so yeah, he starts drama, whether or not that was actually his intention.

28 – How do they handle physical pain?

Like a champ! I think he's one of those tough guys that brushes it off unless there's a cute nurse, then he'd totally blow it out of proportion just to keep her around to nurse him back to health. 😆

29 – What would bring them to kill someone?

Another hard one. In some ways, I think he'd find it easy to do. In others, I don't think he's even capable of it. It all comes down to the moment. Does the moment call for it? Is it necessary? For example, if 3-E didn't love Korosensei at the end, I think he'd be perfectly okay killing him. If he were a soldier in war, he'd have no problem following through. If he's not though, then he wouldn't. I hope that makes sense.

30 – How would they react or change after they’ve killed someone?

Maehara strikes me as the type of guy that lives with no regrets, and with the answer to 29, each situation is different and comes with varying consequences. With that said, I think he'd find himself thinking about it at random and just be stuck in that moment for a while, silently watching it happen all over again. So it would haunt him, but he'd let it go, believe it had to happen, and move on. He wouldn't actually move on though. I think he'd find himself stuck in that moment over and over again throughout the rest of his life, but it wouldn't stop him from living, or at least trying to.

If any of this goes against canon, know that I answered these questions without any major research on Maehara. I think he'd be proud of me for going in unprepared. 😆 Anyway, I hope it doesn't stray too far away from anything. Feel free to let me know!

[apple-grass-and-smiles]

While everyone and their mother has commented on the scene from 2x10 where Dani and Malcolm talk about Gerald and his validity as a witness in the case, I have thoughts and decided I wanted to inflict them on you.

Basically, I come down on the side of neither of them really being in the wrong, but if pushed to choose someone who is most correct, it'd be Dani. I'll explain why below in the form of a list.

Some Things to Consider/Know About the Argument:

1. That I'm only calling it an argument for the sake of ease. I think a better term might be 'debate' or 'tense conversation' because while, at least from Bright's side of things, it may have the emotional weight of an argument, it likely wouldn't if a neutral third party saw it happen.

2. Both parties are entering the conversation in good faith. Dani has historically done nothing but be kind and try to be understanding of mental health as far as we've seen. There's no reason to think that anything she said was meant to be malicious. Same can be said of Bright, who is normally very happy to explain mental health issues if people aren't speaking as carefully as they should and has shown respect to Dani/Gil/JT when it came to expertise on police work.

3. Malcolm, bless his heart, is projecting SO HARD. It is a basic truth of Prodigal Son that Bright projects on people, but this is intense, even for him. It's clear from 2x09 that he is struggling not only with how his secrets are keeping him from people, but also how his mental health makes him feel like an outsider. Those emotions are heightened during this episode and then you add in Gerald who is basically Malcolm on the surface (both people who are exceptional experts in their field, who are kept from the life they want and the things they love by mental illness/shame/secrets, but desperately want to connect with the world, despite feeling they can never fit in). Therefore, when Dani talks about Gerald, Bright is assuming she thinks those things of him too and takes them personally even though we have no reason to think she means them that way or knows that that's how Bright is interpreting her words.

An edit after initial posting: I don’t blame Malcolm for projecting. It happens to everyone and he’s dealing with A Lot. However, my view of mental health is that while it limits your agency and choices, it does not relieve you of accountability. Just because Malcolm doesn’t choose the feel a connection to Gerald, doesn’t mean he’s not responsible to try and recognize that and then take a step back and remember that he and Gerald are separate people. It’s not fair that he has to do that, but it’d be equally unfair for him to expect everyone else to automatically compensate for his mental state, especially since he has not communicated to them how deeply he’s connecting with Gerald. It’s not fair or right, but sadly that’s how mental illness works in my eyes.

4. Dani and Malcolm are coming at this argument from two fundamentally different points of view. The biggest issue here is that Malcolm's background is in psychology, which is going to be more focused on health and improving the client's life, while Dani is in a police mindset, which deals with solving the case and helping people by getting the murderer off the street. Both of these views are necessary and they're why Bright is such a valuable addition to the team, but...

5. The conversation is fundamentally about Gerald in a POLICE/COURT CONTEXT. The start of this arguement is JT saying "I think we've got a problem. Let's say Clayton did murder Rosalie, could we even get Gerald to court?" and then Gil follows up with, "And if he did testify, what kind of witness would he be?" The argument stems from them needing to consider if their suspect would end up walking because their witness wouldn't be able to leave the house. Which is definitely something they should be concerned about because part of the job of law enforcement officers is making sure that your case is solid, which means your witnesses need to be as consistent as possible.

6. Context makes it clear that no one is making value judgements on Gerald's character; they're discussing if he'd be an unreliable witness. The first thing here is that being a witness, especially in a case where you'd be testifying as the sole witness of a murder, is a) stressful, b) pushes people out of their comfort zone, and c) a skill. My dad was a police officer for the first 18 years of my life, which meant he spent a lot of time in court and fundamentally, being a witness is something you get practice at. You learn how to answer questions, what lawyers are actually asking you when they say certain things, how far you can/should go in your testimony, all sorts of stuff. Gerald, to our knowledge, has never testified in court, is scared to so much as open his door, and deals with insane amounts of anxiety on a regular day where no one comes to his home. To ask him to leave his house for the first time in 14 years to go and testify at a murder trial where he would likely be brutally investigated by opposing counsel (you could very easily make a case that he's crazy/untrustworthy/unhinged because of his agoraphobia and it'd be hard to get a jury to forget those claims) would be fundamentally cruel. No one on the team, but especially Gil/Dani/JT, is in a position to give Gerald the proper emotional and legal help to make sure that he could hold up under questioning so using him as a witness would likely mean essentially throwing him to the wolves and, by extension, tossing their case. Their job is to catch the killer and if that means going in a different direction and looking for a witness who won't struggle as much in court, that's what they need to do.

7. "Agoraphobia does not make Gerald an unreliable witness." Bright is right when he says this, but Dani is also right when she indicates in the line before that Gerald does not qualify as a reliable witness. How can this be, you may be wondering? Bright is talking about being reliable as in being trustworthy. Dani is using it to mean consistent and able to hold up under pressure. Agoraphobia doesn't mean you can't trust Gerald's information or that he shouldn't be believed. However, it would make it difficult for him to meet Dani's definition of a reliable witness. That's not Gerald's fault or anyone's fault, but it is a reality of the legal system and Dani knows how to work within that system. (Bright likely does too to a certain extent, but as an FBI agent he would have been working on a federal level, while Dani would be used to state-level stuff and those are two VASTLY different arenas. Additionally, it's not entirely clear exactly how Bright's profiling cases worked out in terms of if and when he'd testify, but he mostly likely would have been testifying as an expert witness/leaning on his psychological training more than law enforcement training when he was in court.)

8. Dani calling Gerald 'messed up', 'strange', and 'cursed' is not the most tactful, but certainly not enough of an issue to throw her under the bus. First things first, 'strange' within context of what she's saying is referring to Gerald's situation, not Gerald, so I personally don't see a reason for that being an issue since it is a strange situation. Referring to someone as 'messed up' could definitely not be a great look, but I think it really comes down to personal preference. I wouldn't mind it because I know my mental illness does make me messed up at times so I don’t mind the term, but I also know people who would be hurt by that (granted, it's not exactly one of the worst things you can call someone). Really though, it’s dealer’s choice and if it hurts you, I totally get it; this is just my opinion/POV. Finally, Dani says Gerald is cursed to never leave his house and I could argue for a very long time that she's perfectly fine to say that because both in the context of the conversation and Dani's character as a whole, that comment is her trying to be empathetic and realizing that Gerald is not at fault for how he lives his life. It could be worded better, but she means well and the intention, as long as she's willing to improve her wording if it hurts people, is what matters here. She’s aware that sometimes mental illness feels like a curse and I think that wording makes it clear she doesn’t judge Gerald for his actions.

Final thoughts and TL;DR: I really don't think either party is at fault here. They both have very valid points and pretty clear reasons to think what they do. (Malcolm probably could have used a quick reminder that everyone was talking about Gerald and not him, but that's really it.) If I had to crown a "winner", Dani gets it because the conversation was always about the legal system and she's the most in the right about that issue. Malcolm had great points as well and might have “won” if this wasn’t a conversation specifically happening in the context of police work. She, like everyone, could definitely benefit from learning more about mental health and how to talk about it, but I think she has proven throughout the show that she tries to be as kind and accepting of others as she can. This was a point where she slipped up on wording, but her points were valid.