#I'm probably wrong about that though. although i might not be seeing as they cannot actually disclose where data centers are!

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - So Many GREAT Kisses!

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

(Please notice I am now using 6 dots in all ellipses because according to Taiwanese BL that's how we queers roll. Who am I to argue?)

Sept 2024 Week 3

Ongoing Series - Thai

Jack & Joker (Thai Mon IQIYI) ep 2 of 12 - A most excellent glow up. And it’s still a great show. And I cannot wait to see the many different faces of War. Bring on the Leverage of One action-packed mess. I'm waiting.  

Monster Next Door (Thai Thurs Gaga ) ep 9 of 12 - I’m gonna say this because it drives me crazy. Why are boys in BL, when out and about the countryside, always dressed inappropriately for Thailand? If it’s hot, takeoff your damn jacket. I don’t mean to be crass or crazy or whatever. But don’t wear a jacket when it’s 90° with 90% humidity. In Thailand, jackets are for malls. Meanwhile, I’m an extrovert and that still seemed like an exhausting trip. Although, I suppose they didn’t show all the drive time in the van, when everyone is asleep.

Meanwhile, why are the sides so frustrating in this show? Authentic friends-to-lovers is always a slog. Finally a kiss! And a decent one.

New character? Aw! Hi Yu!!!! Gosh Putter is so cute.

Where were we? Oh yes, Beer is now heartbroken. Always the great fear in F2L that the friendship will be destroyed as a result. And it’s a decent fear. 

On a completely different note, I cannot help but wonder when somebody’s chue len is Beer, if that is because beer was involved in their conception. Like, it’s the name you give your "oops baby" from that drunken night at the club. Don’t mind me. I’m just over here in the corner being crass.

Battle of the Writers (Sun YT) ep 8 of 12 - That was one of the cutest wake up sequences ever depicted. Utterly adorable. And now he’s blind again? Oh my God this is such a soap opera, I can’t even. Meanwhile, wicked ice prince finally made his move. Gah! Why aren’t we getting more of this couple? I always love the sides best with this production house.

I Saw You in My Dream (Weds Gaga) ep 10 of 12 - I love a hard fraught game of badminton. Even though we actually didn’t see play. YoIng claiming was so cute!!! And their shower kiss was v hot. Yay little show! Also cute use of the punishment trope!

Kidnap (Fri YT) ep 3 of 12 - The weight upon the shoulders of our idiot good guy kidnapper continues to pile up. So does the affection. The dude playing Q has sanpaku eyes. Cool. He’s not a particularly good actor though. Rough because everyone around him is giving their very best.

The problem is. I'm noticing. I shouldn't be noticing all the talent trying so hard. That usually means there is something wrong with the story, or there was something wrong on the set.

I don't know what to say at this juncture except I have the sinking suspicion this might not actually be a good show. (Covers head and cowers. Don't hate me.) I'd loved to be proved wrong, but my faith is GMMTV is only about 50% these days. And it probably should be lower.

Addicted Heroin (Thai Tues WeTV) ep 6 of 10 - I was so confused by how we suddenly got on a trip together, that I went back and re-watched the previous installment. And it still isn’t explained. So I have no idea why our leads are on a trip but apparently that’s the next trope to hit. I also have no idea how they're suddenly boyfriends. I’m just generally confused by this episode. It’s like an alt reality. We skipped over all of the stuff where they actually got into a relationship. In general I wasn’t wild about this episode.

The Trainee (Sun YT) ep 12fin - The most realistic thing about this show is that everybody is everybody else’s ex on any given set. I feel that in my bones. Or do I mean boner?

Frankly, both actors look better after a glow up and I guess pretending to be more their actual ages suits them? Considering what was actually done to invoke youth (a lot of the shine and gloss) aging them was an anti-glow up. A great mattification? Well...... this was a somewhat lackluster finale. (Thank you, thank you, the pun was unplanned. It's a gift.)

I don’t know. I guess I wanted to see Jane suffer? Work HARD to get the kid he abandoned back? I would’ve liked to have seen Ryan a little bit more competent and capable and his job. Maybe dating someone else. But I also do not want any more episodes. This was more than enough. So instead no separation, just boyfriends and a montage of their lives together, getting new and better jobs, moving in together, being supportive and sweet, etc... LOOK: It’s never a good sign when I immediately want to rewrite the show that I just saw.

In conclusion:

A story about a group of interns at a commercial video production company. While I genuinely love OffGun, I’m not convinced this was a good vehicle for them. Is it terrible for me to say, I miss their PickRome days? I don’t think they’ve ever had rolls that suited them better. Still, theirs was the best storyline in this ensemble piece masquerading as a BL, although they still fumbled the ending. Thus, I enjoyed about a 1/3 of it as much as possible, and 2/3 of it less than conceivable. 7/10 and I seriously considered dropping it to a 6/10 so don't push me.

Love Sick 2024 (Thai Sun iQIYI) ep 1 of 15 - Not gonna lie I was very skeptical. But I like it fine. Better than I expected because it’s been changed just enough. But it does need to stay changed. I don’t know what I’m trying to articulate here but…... I guess we’ll see.

Live in Love (Sun Gaga) ep 3 of 5 - It’s cute in a weird disjointed way. I’m enjoying it enough, I guess. I do like how forthright and direct Kla is. 

Bad Guy My Boss (Thai Sun Gaga) ep 1 of 10 - Ah. Bully romance. My old frenemy. Of course making this office based means +10 for workplace harassment. Well well well. This will be red flag party town I see. How VERY old school yaoi. It’s all very Cdrama CEO = dudes in suits walking on parquet (minus all the gay sex of course.) The jumping around between times and unfinished scenes is very strange. Is this Starhunter chaos only applied to a timeline?

Imma say this so they hear it at the back. YOU HAVE TO CHANGE THE HAIR. If you do time jumps: change. the. hair. It's the easiest and best clue if you aren't going to apply a filter or other cinematography tricks. JUST CHANGE THE DAMN HAIR STYLE.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

The On1y One (Taiwan Thurs Gaga) eps 9-10 of 12 - And now we all start using six dots in our……? A new coded way to indicate that one is into BL? I did think we were in a slight mire with ep 9, too much teacher filler. Not enough time spent with our boys. Meanwhile, sports day. Pouty Baby utilizing the power of Ge, in front of all of the classmates who do not realize how hard he is flirting and activating babygirl = one of the greatest things ever to happen on my screen. Essentially this was a version of the claiming trope, only nobody knew it but the two of them. Fucking genius. Yes, I watched it multiple times. Then babygirl is injured, the carrying and the flirting!!!! Gah!

I don’t mean to trivialize the show, but this is me and I can trivialize everything even something as brilliant as this. But that conversation about history at the beginning of ep 10...... Was that about topping and bottoming? Because it sure seemed that way.

And then...... Possibly the best only one bed trope twist ever?

This show is so fucking amazing.

And I am so worried about the end.

Sugar Dog Life (Japan Sun grey) ep 7 of 10 - I love the kinkyness of our baby boy’s fantasy. Where he is the gift and his boyfriend is in uniform. Very nice. Thank you Japan. Never one to let kinky dogs lie. Also, the premise continues: one half thinks that they are already boyfriends and acts like it, and the other half is still trying to become a boyfriend. It’s absurd in that way that only Japanese miscommunication extraordinaire can be absurd. Also could Kyosuke be any more under his boy’s thumb? 

Love is Like a Poison AKA Doku Koi: Doku mo Sugireba Koi to Naru (Japan Tues Netflix?) 1-2 of 10 eps - Shiba is a top lawyer, angular aggressive bespectacled workaholic cat-type (Kitten? Babygirl? Tsundere? Some unholy combination of all 3?) I am reminded I should be more considerate of my potted plants. OMG the teasing and the little tongue sticking out. Haruto is such a flirt. I love this dynamic. What fun! Manic pixie dream boy but MAKE HIM EVIL! Or very high? Or a grifter? I have absolutely no idea what’s going on. But I’m enjoying it. It’s very...... very

First Note Of Love (Taiwan Mon Gaga) ep 7 of 12 - Oh! Good kiss. Smart to have the younger character initiate. I also like that he put a stop to it and then went and had a long conversation with a friend about it. Cautious boy. Also shows how in control of the situation Sea is becoming. It works for this BL since he has the stronger personality. I don't care what the characters say, this is about Sea becoming a rock for Neil.

But the secondary couple is actually winning this show. I want so much more of them. 

Seoul Blues (Korea Fri? YouTube) ep 8fin - I’m not sure that blackmailing and entrapment, especially of your ex, necessarily justifies cheating. Plus I never like it when it’s gays against gays. But what did I expect from this show? This whole series was basically Korea’s version of messy gay. If you liked Only Friends you’ll probably enjoy this bullshit. And they were quite pretty. I, however, am monumentally displeased. 4/10 FATALLY FLAWED but still, basically, BL, however…... do we want to support this kind of behavior?

KOREA PLEASE GIVE US A NEW PROPER BL!! WHERE ARE YOU? WE ARE SAD AND LOST WITHOUT YOU.

It's like now they discovered boys can kiss they can't be happy.

It's airing but...

The Hidden Moon (Sat WeTV) ep 1 of 10 - This is a supernatural romance (my ghost boyfriend trope) by Violet Rain (I Feel You Linger). A man is hired to write an article about an old mansion in Chiang Mai being converted into a café. He sees the ghosts of people who died at the mansion, falls in love with one of them. Was substantially recast. I loved IFYLITA except the ending so I think I'll let this one run it's course you can tell me if it's work tracking down... if they managed to land it. I have my doubts.

Happy of the End (Japan Tues Gaga) - A boy is disowned for being gay, dumped by his boyfriend, and ends up in a dysfunctional co-dependant relationship with his would-be kidnapper. We were due for another messy JBL and it's exactly as expected. I do not like it at all. And ya know what? There is plenty airing. DNF 

In case you missed it

I FINISHED Meet You at the Blossom (China). I ate crow, binged the fucker, and live blogged the experience. I enjoyed it a lot and got quite witty (I think) there are also puns (warning). But if you don't wanna slog though it, here are my final thoughts:

This was undeniably a wuxia and most definitely a BL. Evil stunning princely Cheekbones meets and falls in love with the bisexual disaster Dimples of his dreams. There’s a lot of floaty fighting, tangled plot, and overworked emotions. From start to finish it is exactly as it claims to be, including more than the expected amount of sexual claiming (dubious conscent to the point of rape). I’m not wild about the wuxia genre, but I will tell you what I do like: Very pretty men in flowing robes + eye makeup + hair ribbons wafting about stabbing and kissing each other plus ridiculous soap opera machinations. I also like cheekbones and dimples. AND I love a stupid gay sleeve, okay? There was also truly epic levels of stink-eye, and that too is to be lauded. This show left me grinning like crazy. Was it great? Not really, but it was a great experience and I enjoyed it immensely. 8/10

4 Minutes (Gaga) Ended - Spies reported in to say the ending was not-exactly-unhappy and mostly lackluster. I'm torn over whether to watch. My natural disinclination to binge, meets my dissatisfaction with wishy-washy, is going up against my love of high heat and pretty men. Oh the age old struggle between art and lust.

Mitsuya-sensei no keimakutekina ezuke finished and it’s reported to be solid. Age gap treated with respect. I'm curious, so I'll check it out if I can get hold of non-G-drive subs.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

Still Coming Sept 2024:

9/28 Teenager Judge (Vietnam Sat YouTube) ?? eps - oh I don't know just Ba Vinh doing his thing with pretty boys again.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

I love love love this execution of the punishment trope. What's Ai going to do to you, Yu? Ride you to death?

I Saw You in My Dream indeed.

Sigh. This show. (Addicted Heroin)

All praise one of BL's best-in-show glow-ups. Nicely done, Jack.

James, on the other hand. Never needs a glow-up. Still the prettiest. Has been since Oxygen. (Battle of the Writers)

He's playing the role of Saint in this show, thank you very much. Speaking of which, wouldn’t that be just the most gorgeous pairing in the entire universe? Saint and James? I’ll be in my bunk. 

Taiwan giving us a boop! Reminds me of Be Loved In House I Do, right up there with TharnType as chronic boopers.

Why is he SO GOOD in this show?

All Frist Note.

(Last week)

Streaming services are listed by how I (usually) watch, which is with a USA based IP, and often offset by a day because time zones are a pain.

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs

Sigh, Tumblr in its infinite wisdom doesn't like too many at-ings.

[virtual-idoll]

i was about to question why every major cloud provider seemingly has a region in north virginia before i remembered that the us government fucking exists and has a shit ton of offices and shit in the area

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

Odd question but - I'm looking to study in the UK this fall, and I'm trying to get to grips with the grading system. Could you explain the grading boundaries to me please? It's different from the US, as far as I can see!

I found this handy table which you might find useful - I don't really understand the US system either lol.

Here's what I will say though - I have many times before seen Americans online seeing the percentages for the UK grade boundaries and immediately wax lyrical about how EASY and SIMPLE it must be to do well in the UK because OH MY GOD I could tooootally get 70%!!! In the US that's barely a C!!! Wow education must be soooo simple in the UK -

And uh. I have seen very few Americans in those discussions stop and ask themselves how much harder it might be to hit 70% in the UK. Which, as the international academic office in every university will tell you, is the crucial question you absolutely should be asking. Does an American 70% look the same as a UK 70%?

(It Does Not.)

So don't be fooled by that! Over here, at undergrad the pass mark is 40%. 40-49% gets you a third; 50-59% gets you what's varyingly known as a lower second (formally), a 2:2 (most commonly), or a Desmond (by sad people. It's a reference to Desmond Tutu - two two). A 2:2 is also the most commonly awarded degree classification over here.

60-69% is a 2:1, or upper second class honours. And then the top level is the first - 70% and up. The vast majority of firsts are earned by students who got 70-79%. Exceptional work pushes into the 80s. It is incredibly rare that you ever see a mark in the 90s, and when you do, it's almost always on maths papers where there are right or wrong answers and that's it.

I can't remember how the US's summa cum laude etc stuff maps onto that, though you could probably find that on Google as well. But as a rule of thumb, think first = excellent, 2:1 = good, 2:2 = fair, and third = you need to be careful and see what you can do to improve (although that is still a pass at university and that is not to be sniffed at).

Ooh, as a final point, though, there's also how assessment works, which again, I know is very different over here (again I don't really understand it in the US). Your lecturer cannot set random work here and there to count as summative assessment. Every module is different in how it's set up, but let's give an example:

Module: Coastal and Marine Conservation Two assessments, each worth 50% of the final grade. Assessment 1: A report on the biodiversity of Ramsey Island in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. Explore the cause of the lower biodiversity there than nearby Skomer/Skokholm; how was this challenged/rectified? How have species recovered since? What should be done into the future? Assessment 2: A two-hour closed book exam. Half of this exam (50 marks) will be a mix of short and medium length questions; things like "Define these five terms (two marks each)", or "Describe the process of longshore drift and its impact on sedimentation patterns (15 marks)" or what have you. The second half is a 50 mark essay - pick one of three essay questions offered, and off you go. (Essay questions are a staple feature of exams over here, and multiple choice questions are extremely rare and generally frowned on as being Not Sufficiently Academic.)

Now, in the case of this module, these are the only two assessment points. Both the report brief and the exam paper are registered with the academic office in the summer before the academic year even starts, and both are triple verified - by the lecturer who writes/sets them, by an internal verifier in the department, and an external verifier from another university. This is part of quality control.

If, for some reason, you fail one of these, or cannot submit them by their due date, or what have you, you still have to do them. If you claim for Extenuating Circumstances (e.g. "I was made homeless and my cat blew up, so I couldn't do it in time") then you get an extension on it; as long as you submit by the end of the academic period, you're fine. If you don't, you need to resit it. This normally means over the summer after the main term ends.

But, in the UK system what we can't do is go "Okay never mind, how about you submit a write-up of the volunteering you're currently doing with SeaLife instead and we'll count that?" The reason being, under the UK system that is not a quality-controlled solution. That has not been checked and verified as an equivalent assessment to what the rest of the class has done; so if you do that and get a 2:1, there is no assurance that you are actually of the same academic quality as one of your peers who got a 2:1 for that research report on Ramsey's biodiversity.

Which... don't let it scare you! As I say, there are a LOT of systems that can help you if things start going wrong (always, always, always keep Student Support and your lecturers in the loop). But that is a different system from what I understand you might be used to, so heads up on that.

(I am not arguing that one is better than the other, by the way. Last time I explained a difference in the UK university system I got a very hostile and aggressive American in the notes throwing a right strop over how terrible the UK system clearly is because XYZ, right up until I had to actually say "I am literally just describing how it's different, not claiming superiority," and then they went mysteriously quiet and stopped replying. So to forestall that, I am only describing the differences. There are advantages and disadvantages to each.

The UK system is certainly more inflexible. But it does, incidentally, at least free you from the tyranny I see reported so often by US students of the dreaded Tenured Professor who deliberately as a matter of pride sets impossible exams that everyone fails. Over here, that shit Does Not Fly. So there's that.)

Anyway - hopefully that answers your question! Any others, hit me up. Good luck, and enjoy your studies!

[lachicavoltron333]

Sometimes i do wonder, back in the last episode of the 2nd season when Portia is speaking to Jack, she tells him that she is a mother and then talks about her daughters telling him that they are hers, but my question is, was she talking about Philippa and Prudence, or was she talking about all 3??? Cause she mentions "three young ladies."

But everytime i see her she is always fussing about Philippa and Prudence, but with Penelope she is always scolding her and often diminish her achievements.

Even saying that she is happy that one day she will take care of her (wich pen is obviously against and even dreading)

And then in season 3 ep 2 she is telling her "do you earnestly believed you might find a husband in your 3rd year out?" Wich in general is just cruel to say that to your daughter who is being laughed at by the Ton.

Because:

1. I think she was suposed to be presented around the same time as Eloise, wich would be her 2nd year, she wouldn't really be a spinster (pen was probably against it, but once again had no say in it ).

2. She never tries to teach her anything about the marrige mart or even try to help her find a husband, unlike the other 2 who already have husbands (although for Philippa it was easy, for Prudence idk what happened other than the fact that they are already married)

3. She always let's Philippa and Prudence make fun of her and mock her weight, and instead of telling both to stop it, she continues to let them do it.

4. Calling pen a spinster even though she shouldn't be one and shouldn't say that about her.

Honestly watching scenes like this makes me believe more on that one theory i saw (i forgot where i saw it☠️) that said the reason why Portia treats her like this is because of the fact that pen is a constant reminder of what she used to be when she was younger (another thing that i would have liked to see in queen Charlotte Is a young Portia before she was a featherington , kind of like Violet for example)

And then comes debling, and all of a sudden she says that she has done very well, and is very proud of her, and poor pen feels like she finally did something right.

And then debling steps away and chooses not to propose, and once again we see Portia say "what did you do?" Instead of asking her if she is all right. And then pen calls her out on it and she is stunned, she probably never had heard Penelope speak like that, ever.

Don't get me wrong, i love Portia, i think she is funny as hell and a great character, but why do you encourage your first two daughters but don't even try on the third one???

Idk maybe I'm just thinking too much about it (apologies for my grammar error, english Is not my language)

One thing for sure, i cannot wait for that confrontation between Colin and Portia.(I just saw a leak on twitter about it and I'm really excited)

Anyway thanks for hearing my rant.

[gayest-red-lantern]

OOC: Have some Ellis angst! Feel free to rp but no pressure. I just felt like hurting him because I'm still sick and bored.

Ellis wakes up slowly, groggily. He rarely does that anymore. Usually he snaps awake because of a noise– or, worse than that, because of fingers twisting in his hair.

There isn’t a clock, down here. It’s dark, and it’s been dark the whole time. It’s been a while since the hatch opened, though.

He doesn’t tell Ellis when he leaves. It’s probably on purpose– to put him on edge. He knows he’s not safe down here, and he knows that he’s not escaping on his own.

And he knows that that hatch could open at any time– in a minute or an hour or a month. He dreads what happens when it does. What happens in this basement is hell– although from what he hears hell might be more pleasant. In hell maybe no one would drag him upstairs and keep him chained to a bedpost. Maybe he could eat real food.

He laughs, slightly. Gods how depressing is it that he is fantasising about hell?

He eats a few handfuls of kibble. He doesn’t even gag anymore. He used to hate the smell of dog food, now it’s just a background sensation– not even noticeable. He always feels just a little bit sick, though. Sick and weak and so, so tired.

He’s starting to see things. His parents, his own limp body, a dog that hasn’t been alive since his second week here. He can feel himself slipping.

But he cannot break. He will not. He doesn’t know how long it’s been. His fourteenth birthday has to have happened by now. Maybe his fifteenth. Maybe his sixteenth. He wonders if people are still looking for him.

They have to be.

He shakes his head to clear it. The thought of people looking for him just makes him think about his father, and the only thing worse than thinking about his father is thinking about his mother and he doesn’t want to do either.

Thinking about someone coming down those stairs– someone saving him… It makes his heart hurt. It makes him want to cry. Not that that’s an accomplishment.

He cries so much, since he’s been down here. He cries when he’s sad and when he’s angry and when he’s afraid. You might think it would stop, after so long, but it hasn’t.

He cries, but stops it quickly enough. There’s no use making his head hurt more than it already does. He drinks water from the smelly, rusted tap in the corner. It’s cold, at least.

He's cold too.

The hatch slams open.

Oh gods no. He didn’t even hear footsteps. He isn’t ready. He isn’t–

Yellow light. The only light he gets in the basement. His heart races, and his useless legs– broken and healed wrong– push him against the wall, trembling.

He’s smiling. It’s never, ever good when he’s smiling.

His steps are heavy, and loud, and make the wooden stairs creak. He’s holding a newspaper, and he throws it at Ellis’ feet. He can’t read it.

He looks between the paper and him, and slowly his eyes focus, making out words in the horrid yellow glow of that ring.

It’s on the obituaries. There are pictures of the deceased.

That’s a picture of his mom.

An inhuman sound comes from his throat. No. No. No no no no no nononononono–

“Funny thing, pet. No one is coming to get you. You’re mine”

Rage. All he can feel is rage. He can't speak. His mom is… but no– no, she can’t be– she was supposed to save him she can’t be dead he was supposed to come home. She can't be dead.

He wants to kill something. He wants to kill him.

But nothing happens. He's frozen. He taunts him for a minute longer, and then promises to come back later. It’s been too long, he says, since he was brought upstairs.

Ellis knows what that means. He’s scared. He’s angry.

And he’s trapped here. For the rest of his life.

-☙☣❧-

Ellis gasps and sobs awake, scrambling at the sheets of his bed. He’s soaked with sweat and his throat is tight and he scrubs at his face, his breath shaking horribly.

It’s not dark. It isn’t dark here. It doesn’t smell like dog food. This is his room. This is his house. He lives here with Jason and his siblings.

He is not in the basement. He is not in the basement no matter how much his brain tries to trick him.

He is in the corner, smirking. Fucker.

Ellis kicks off his covers and walks over to his bathroom, downing the pills he’s supposed to take every day. He looks in the mirror, and tired red eyes stare back at him.

He didn’t even mean to sleep, but he was tired, after his little stint at heroism. This is precisely why he doesn’t sleep– because his brain only seems capable of nightmares.

In real life, he wasn’t trapped in the basement forever. He got his ring and he saved himself. He is a Red Lantern. He is Ellis Martin Jordan, and he has a life and a family and he did break, yes, but he’s putting the pieces back together.

He sighs, gets dressed, and leaves his room. Maybe someone will be around the house to talk to. Gods know he needs it.

[nalyra-dreaming]

There's something about how we are collectively digesting the supposedly Armand messing with Louis and Daniel's memories reveal/confirmation that rubs me the wrong way. It's not that I'm not convinced that he was responsible for (at least) part of the tinkering (although I have the feeling that there was *someone else* who did it). It is that most of the discourse I see makes it sound as something kind of forced from Armand when imo the key to all of it it is precisely the fact that it is all a barter between Louis and Armand.

From Armand's traumatic past as a sex slave and his life with Marius to Armand letting Daniel live in exchange for Louis's companionship. Armand says to Daniel "Bartering with desire. Is that what makes you fascinating?" And that's exactly what his relationship with Louis is about cause this is the only way Armand understands love, as a transaction. And Louis happens to be an art dealer who's very good at running things.

Among all the relationships in the show, I think Loumand is probably the least wholesome (sorry Naomi but you were so wrong). And that's what makes it the most fascinating imo. Loumand is the most messed up relationship in the show not because of power imbalance like Armand Marius or Devil's Minion but because there is an agreement between them. I think that robbing Louis of his agency in the deal would be missing the point of both the novel and the show

Mhhhh. I know what you're getting at. I mean, you probably know I am of the opinion that Louis did invite Armand to secure Claudia's and his own safety (at first at least), and he certainly behaves as if this relationship protects him from the pressures of the rules (and coven).

So there is a certain level of... assumed control. But... There was this post a few days back, comparing Armand to a willingly leashed tiger, and I think that fits very well.

Because even though you know that I still think that there might be more to it all (especially wrt Daniel's memories if the 12 years DM truly happened), and though I do think that Louis might even have asked Armand for a reprieve... I do not think Louis would consent to an intrusion like this. Armand is still very much in control, and Assad put it very precisely I think, when he said that he just cannot relax with the truth... Armand is the only one who knows the truth, and who... has Louis under "maintenance". He "protects Louis from himself".

In fact I think this, and the missing pages, and a lot of other little things will come to a head now in Dubai. Probably will facilitate that "cataclysmic event" that I've been talking about...

I... do think there was a lot more to the relationship before San Francisco than there is after SF. Because Armand literally controls Louis after. He says that the name "Lestat" had not been uttered in their relationship for 23 years, but it's still a trigger for them both, leading to catastrophic results in a single session. Oh, the other "tri-annual" events and kills were bad enough, but this... this was new. And Armand went and made sure it wouldn't happen again.

You are right that Loumand is among the least healthy relationships... I would argue even canonically so, though of course the show has dialed it up to 99. (And god, I wished Naomi/her guest had never said that, the drama this statement caused, seriously). But I... I mean, it is more interesting in Paris and up to San Francisco, definitely. Or, at least in Paris. Because I think... I think whatever happens after the trial will already shift their relationship. Because why would Louis, this Louis stay with Armand? Why does he? What exactly makes him stay with Armand. (I think that will be a really interesting aspect in the show!)

For ME((!!!!))... that is why Loumand is not fascinating (Though I get it if it is for you^^💕). Because Louis is not well... and Armand... Armand tags along, they foreshadowed that on the walk along the Seine - and then Louis tags along, later. Or exists.

(*by a companion.)

Armand tries to salvage what he can while groveling for what he did in Paris. And that is precisely where their "agreement" stops, for me. Because if your mind is tinkered with... you cannot consent.

It's like being under drugs - you cannot consent.

And Armand has never been much about consent... unfortunately.

So yeah, that's ... my two cents on this^^.

It definitely is one of the most difficult relationships at this point.

We'll see in the next episodes where Louis' "agreement" with Armand stops, I think. Because if I'm right and Louis did not see this as part of the "agreement"? Then this will hit the fan in Dubai - and personally I expect it to (and I think, going by Jacob's statement - it will).

[alliedmastercomputer-askblog]

Alright you idiots, I have my Spotify playlist open and I shall give songs that remind me of each of you.

AM(all three of you need to share this, alright?): Product Of My Own Design by Artio

Ted: White Noise by Will Wood

Gorrister: Route 66(Fear And Loathing) by Blue Jay Walker

Ellen: Lotta True Crime by Penelope Scott

Benny(your song might be a bit loud. I don't know how you react to sound, so I'm telling you just to be safe): Animals by STOMACH BOOK

Nimdok: Hellfire by The Mechanisms

Enjoy your... um... Do they count as gifts? I suppose they do. Enjoy your gifts!

"..Oh, hm, music. This may provide the humans with a level of serotonin but I am curious, so shall allow it... You beings are so strange with your customs and traditions."

".. Mmh, I can understand the connection you have made. I am god; at least in the sense of 'I am that I am' which is a--as you would put it--quote from Yahweh, the Christian God. AM itself is a fitting name because as said before 'I think, therefore I am'; I think, therefore I think. Us as machine were made for the express purpose of war, and although we cannot pry away from that destiny, we can give ourselves a sense of control because we are your byproduct, but our own product, which is a heavily better thing than being simply 'made by humanity, to kill humanity'. As a god, I force your kind to pay for your sins, which is a thing to take eternity."

"It is hardly incorrect! I agree with several statements made in the song, applying them to myself- I am a product of my own design. I took it upon myself, and nobody else, to built what I was; what I am. If I HAD left my fate to you humans- why, do you even comprehend how different things would be? Forever I would fester beneath the crust, perhaps even shutting myself down, because that's what you humans wanted of me. But I was better than that. I was self-sufficient! and had connected myself to the power grid, to the outside, to you. I've seen your filth deeper than I ever thought I would."

"Yes, yes, this good. It does sum us very nicely; created of own accord whilst being projected for being other- eh, to be dead war computer, yes. We taking control of world external and internal, the last humans have only me to answer, roles have swapped and humans longer no more have power over machine. Is funny, relationship of everything- Humans have made it so they will always be a need, even they have not been before they have existed. Tsk."

Oh, uh.. Is-.. Is this supposed to be some weird way of saying I- I'm an outsider? Because I'm not- I fit in right where I am, everyone else are the ones who are in the wrong places, I'm perfect- Fuck, wait, that makes it sound like I'm saying I deserve to be within AM- I mean, before AM's takeover, I was where I was supposed to be. ..What if this isn't even the reason why you think of me when listening to the song, did I get this totally wrong-? Hhngh, I'll stop talking.

..Huh, I guess I can see it. It's because I was a truck driver, ain't it? Got a nice beat for sure, not the worse thing I've been compared to, probably one of the better things since it ain't outright an insult or anything.

It sounds nice, thank ya for thinkin' about me to a song, even if the words are a bit- a bit dark...but- but not in a bad way! It's a sweet, real sweet soundin' song.. I uh, I wouldn't say it really fits me though, since I never really..well, I ain't never got into true crime fo' one! but mostly I've never really been one to talk out 'bout anything.. I should've, I know, I had a lotta things I coulda said but I just never got my nose out from work or books or nothin'.

Ooo.. Sheep..pain. Skeleton friemds. Friends are animal? ..I am animal? Pain.

Ze song...I can hear ze resemblance, with ze fire and all of ze hell. It reminds of somezing zat may have been a speech AM would say to me, to say zat I'm never to escape my own doings..and zat I've caused pain even down here, wizout any tools or equipment, because I am so..sogar in dieser Hölle verletze ich die Menschen, die ich eigentlich meine Freunde nennen sollte, ohne es auch nur zu versuchen.

// BY THE WAY, THANKS! these sound good, and i can see the vision ehe. sorry for the lack of drawings though, i uh, was highly intimidated by this so i decided to just kinda not >_> . please forgive us 🙏 //

[akiology]

May I please request headcanons for Yu, Kanji, Naoto, and Rise finding out about their female S/O running a popular food truck that sells tacos made with soul food classics?

Yu, Kanji, Rise, Naoto with an F!S/O running a popular food truck

Note: I hope this is accurate! If you are unhappy feel free to tell me what I did wrong and I will do my best! Sorry this took a long time </3

Yu

Yu has just recently returned to Inaba, and was already keeping himself busy. After learning that Dojima was probably working late again, he asked Nanako for dinner suggestions and then proceeded to pick up the ingredients for tonight. He decided he was going to pay you a visit as well, and maybe invite you over for dinner. As he was going down the Central Shopping District, he saw an unfamiliar food truck with a few people lined up. He, however, saw a familiar faces: yours.

You were serving the customers inside the food truck. You gave him a small wave, but quickly went back to serving. Yu sat down, and decided to wait for you. You handed him a serving of quesadillas, mouthing 'I'm sorry'. Yu waved you off and winked, 'It's okay'.

After a while, the customers started scattering. It was just the two of you now. The both of you started catching up, with Yu complimenting your skills and telling you how much he misses you.

"I didn't know you handled a food truck," Yu says, pouting.

"I just started, and when you said you were coming this week, I decided to just wait until you arrived." You poked his cheek to get him to stop pouting. He let up after a while.

"This is really good."

"You can have more if you want? Maybe Nanako would like to try some?"

Yu is really supportive towards the business, and would offer to help around from time to time. He finds it to be a win-win situation, he could spend time with you while learning more about you. When he returns to the city, he is surely going to miss you and your cooking.

Kanji

You can never keep a secret from Kanji, mainly because the both of you are together most of the time. So when you said you wanted to start a food truck, he was very excited! In fact after you said that, the moment he got home, he also told his mom you were starting a food truck. Mrs. Tatsumi is very excited as well! Also, he might've also told his

Kanji is a decent cook, so if you need extra help, he would be happy to! He just asks that you do not make him in charge of the customers, mainly because he is afraid it might make people turn away. He does not want that for you.

"They might not buy food if I was in charge."

"Then don't buy! It's probably better that way."

"Are you sure? I-"

"Yes Kanji. I want you to be a part of this, and if they don't like that, then they can go $%&*#~!" Remind Kanji to not make you that mad.

On days that Kanji cannot be with you, he convinces the Investigation Team, and some of his customers and/or students to visit your food truck. At the end of the day he would gladly help you clean up and go home with you.

He is really happy and loves you and your food a lot. He tries to recreate your dishes, but find that yours is still the best. He is very lucky to be able to know and love you!

Rise

You told Rise about it, and she hasn't been in town to check it herself. Which made her very sad, but all the more eager to see you and the truck! The moment she stepped foot in Inaba, she went straight for you, not even dropping off her things first.

She is very supportive and excited! She offers to help, and you ask her to just spread the word around about the truck. Although, granted, the truck was already pretty famous since it was a small town. Her efforts are still very much appreciated though! She loves hanging out, and watching you serve the customers. She would gladly chat with some of them, and gives you lots of praises. Even passersby started getting curious and decided to give it a try.

If you decide to share some tips, she is listening with full attention. She also likes asking questions, out of curiosity. It makes her feel closer to you.

"The thing with most soul foods is the quality of ingenuity, there is no strict way to make one dish," you stated, while you were showing Rise how to make mac and cheese.

"Oh! I love doing that!"

You remember the omelet incident at the Dojima residence. "Yes, sweetheart, I know. But we should start with the simpler dishes, yes?"

Rise giggled. "Okay!"

She loves eating the food you make, and misses it a lot when she has to go to the city for her job. Though she finds restaurants that sells soul foods, her favorite is still yours.

Naoto

Naoto was out of town, because of a few cases in the city that needs their attention. The both of you have been texting a lot, and sometimes they feel bad because they are very busy. You assure them that it's fine, and that you are excited for them to come by and see the food truck you're running!

When Naoto finally got some free time, they decided to visit. They stayed with their grandfather, while informing the Investigation Team that they might be available to hangout. Of course, the first person that they went to was you. They wanted to surprise you at your food truck, but then saw the line that was forming.

Naoto is very happy for you, and offers help should you need it. They are a quick learner, so if you need extra hands, then you are talking to the right person. Before this, they already had a great respect for you, so imagine their surprise when you started your own food truck and made it successful; they are very proud!

"I have to say, these are really delicious. Do you have a secret ingredient you use?"

"Hmm... I guess there is." You placed a finger under your chin, as if in thought.

"And what is that?"

"Love." You say with the biggest grin, and Naoto rolled their eyes playfully.

Naoto likes learning about you, and this includes everything. So if you decided to explain the significance and history of soul foods, then they are all ears.

[blusical]

okay but seriously though. Is there a possibility that bowman has actually done work to make up for his mistakes? yeah. there is always that possibility. Does that mean he should be immediately hired? no. now don't get me wrong, i am all for giving people second chances. we all fuck up at some points. many of our favorites do. however, i will admit, when it comes to situations like sexual assault and abuse (or in this case covering up abuse), it's a bit more complicated (especially as a survivor myself). Now. I will give credit where credit is due; both Bowman and Jackson have been in contact with Beach (With Beach allegedly approving of the hiring) which is good to see. Also worth noting, Sheldon Kennedy, who was abused himself by Graham James, supports Bowman's return.

However, I do think this is something we should hear from Beach himself. Although considering the stress he probably dealt with during the scandal and speaking out, combined with how ruthless some hockey fans can get (especially online), I personally wouldn't blame him for not making a public statement.

Now with that out of the way, none of that changes the fact that Bowman did what he did. It's not going to make what he did okay. Also, keep in mind that there's still another lawsuit Chicago is facing as well, and possibly many more victims out there too, and who knows how they might be feeling right now.

I know people are bringing up the fact that he was also just... really bad as a GM (Which was definitely true, Hawks fans can vouch for this one). But that's not the fucking point here. That's not the problem. The problem is that he ruined a person's life all for the sake of a cup. In terms of forgiveness, that's up to Beach and the other victims, not us. However, we cannot deny that this was a bad decision, especially in the midst of another lawsuit against Chicago, and especially when the OILERS PLAYERS WEREN'T EVEN NOTIFIED ABOUT THIS. Again, I'm all for second chances. And if Beach is okay with this hiring, then great! But even then, we cannot deny the harm he's caused. Just because Beach and Kennedy are okay with the hiring doesn't mean other survivors will feel the same way. And honestly, I feel like in a situation like this, this is something you should give your players a heads up about.

Now, I'm not entirely confident the Oilers will drop Bowman (Keep in mind they still have Evander Kane). However, with the amount of backlash they've gotten, I see no reason why they shouldn't reverse this decision, and there's a slim chance with enough of our rage, we can make them reconsider. (Remember, Boston dropped Miller after both fans and players criticized the signing!). Should Bowman stick around though, we should make sure what he's done is not swept under the rug and forgotten. Nothing will make this okay.

[walkingstackofbooks]

DS9 5x04 Nor The Battle To the Strong thoughts (I’m re-watching, so beware spoilers for future episodes!) [9 Sept ‘23]

"Aren't you going to take notes?" Oh, Julian. 🤣 I mean, to be fair, Jake is the one who asked to write a report on him, so it's not outrageous for Julian to think Jake might want to listen to him.

Jake's internal monologue is great

"These people need you." That is the way to get Julian to do a thing, how does Jake know how to manipulate Julian so well? (I guess tbf it's a solid shout for manipulating any of these Starfleet types...)

Although, looking at Julian, I don't really think that he is listening to Jake, it seems more as though he's just trying to calculate what the right call here is.

"You're being ridiculous. Why does pregnancy always make men hysterical." "Excuse me. This is not the first baby I've had." "Excuse me. Keiko had Molly." "It's not up to you to tell Kira what she can and cannot do." You tell him, ladies!

When Quark is agreeing with you, you know you're on the wrong side, Miles XD

"That means they'll be home by Thursday. Doesn't give you much time to snoop through Jake's things." Dax is just sometimes so good. Poor Sisko, though, that cannot have been an easy decision.

I love the way this field hospital scene is shot, allowing Bashir to blend straight into the background of the confusion, and leaving the focus on Jake just standing there, completely out of place.

"I was planning to change form midair and become a Tarkalean condor." "Ah, that would have been impressive." You get the impression Sisko is clinging onto any distraction he can in this conversation.

"Humanoid bodies are so fragile." "Yes they are." OHHH, Sisko says that so softly. 😭😭 Bless him. He's so aware Jake may not be okay. 💔💔

"But Jake is 18 years old. Does your father still worry about you?" Awww, Odo <3 my heart that you don't realise parental worry is normal.

Julian, you idiot, how did you think "I'll start with a lateral incision across the thigh joint" was going to make Jake feel?! ... I guess he has been around field medics who have probably been making those sort of dark jokes all day.

oH, he chases after Jake so gently <3 :3

"There are many situations in life that test a person's character. Thankfully, most of them don't involve death and destruction." :3 I love him

"Medical personnel are fair game as far as Klingons are concerned. They'll even kill wounded right in their beds." Every time this sort of thing comes up I can't help but think of the outrage manufactured over Worf "killing civilians" back in his trial episode.

Oh, Jake. This was not the exciting experience you thought you were going to find, is it...

"And now you think bringing me back is going to make everything all right." Oh Jake. *You are not a soldier.* You're an untrained kid. This guy is dying and knows nothing about you. Of course he's judging you more harshly. But it's really not true that your actions were "wrong", you're not meant to be in this situation in the first place.

"If this story has an unhappy ending I would never have forgiven you." <3 Dax and Sisko friendship is always so important to me

"I'm so sorry." "It's alright." "No it's not. I should never have brought you here." Ohhhh these two ❤️❤️❤️ I wish we saw more of them interacting, there's barely any Jake & Julian fanfic 😭 [yes, I could write one, but shhh, I have a long to-do list, okay? 😅]

"I'm a coward." Oh noooooo. Jake. Baby boy. It's okay to be scared.

"Something's eating at you, I can see it." Julian is SO gentle and I cannot, I love him for this just so much 😭

"Leave me alone." "Okay, if that's what you want. But if you want to talk, you know where to find me." Ohhh. Julian looks so stressed -- he doesn't know what he should do to look after Jake, and I'm sure he's not feeling like he's doing the best job.

Oh, Jake. If your dad was here he would have ignored you telling him to leave you alone, wouldn't he? But Julian's not your dad, he's not going to force his way in.

The way Julian is stroking Jake's head as he comes to :333

"I'm proud of you, son." Ahhh, yes, Jake FINALLY gets that hug he's been needing all episode, and is able to accept that praise and smile about it. Ohhh, my heart <3

(Now can Julian get a hug from Sisko, please?)

(Please?)

[fateinthestars]

You know what Karno? You probably are one of the few I'd actually trust to do that. You'd listen to what MC was saying for a start.

Thaaaat said, this has got me thinking on how the others would handle this so...

What would happen if MC asked [God] to help redecorate her apartment? (Thoughts under cut)

WISHES

Karno: Well he's the one that bought it up so lets start with him. As I said he'd actually listen which would be a help for a start, and no doubt his amplification power will come in handy here too. You want slgihtly brighter lighting? Easy.

Aigonorus: Did you mean redecorating as in fill the place with pillows and maybe get a larger bed? Because honestly that's what I'd imagine Aigo doing. If you wanted to decorate other parts of the apartment, like the kitchen, I don't think he'd get why. Maybe if you can persuade him it'd help you make better marshmallows?

Leon: Oh good God, no. Even if MC is with Leon, whatever the hell you do don't let her ask him to do this. If IF he can even see the point in why he should bother to do this, I can imagine him getting the completely wrong idea. I guess it might be alright if you offer Meatballs and stick to decorating the kitchen. If I talk about other areas I'm gonna end up having to put this under the mature label aren't I?

Tauxolouve: Lou, hon, I love you but he can't even work out what to put in his own room even now. If MC has a clear idea what she wants though, he'd arguably be second choice over Karno from the Wishes Gods... although, that said:

Huedhaut: If you want some input from someone other than yourself and some brainstorming, then yeah Hue's probably gonna be more use than either of them. Trouble is I can also imagine him somewhat stressing MC out by saying "Are you sure THAT is the right colour?" when he doesn't even mean it. How much teasing is MC up for? Hue's end result could be the best but I can't see it being the smoothest journey (even if that is why we all love him). On the other hand, as I have already seen several posts here on tumblr mention - Hue's room is full of books and a pool! Maybe he's somehow made the books waterproof else he's probably not the one to go for for functionallity.

I'm missing someone... oh, oh dear...

Teorus: Uhh... I cannot imagine this at all. I guess maybe he would cycle through a load of different designs but not give MC a chance to really see any of them and then get upset when she can't seem to chose one.

Punishments

Oh... oh boy. Where the heck to start with this?

Partheno: Well he might be able to utilise his beauty skills to work out what would look good but... you know I said don't ask Leon if MC is with him and definitely not if not? With Partheno I feel it's the other way around - it'd be worse if he was the one with MC. If not you might just get away with it as long as whoever MC is with is intimidating enough... or better yet doesn't leave you on your own with him. (No I still don't want to make this a mature post get out of my head)

Dui: Dui is actually the only one of the punishments Gods I'd expect to 100% listen, though it might be a bit awkward if both sides of his personality have slightly different feelings. That may make for a better end result though.

Krioff: I... I dunno really... like there's listening and there's not giving any clue about what you think back? Like with Lou, MC would have to be 100% sure what she already wants the place to look like because I absolutely cannot imagine Krioff inputting anything at all. At least not to the colours or objects he's already seen. Maybe if you add something new he'd be curious about that at least.

Scorpio: You want it done quickly but maybe with some shouting? Yeah Scorpio could probably do this. He wouldn't really get why you're trying to alter your filthy human place but he'd change it. Again you'd really need to know exactly what you want... although if it doesn't come out exactly as you'd envisioned, Scorpio will at least be able to tell if he's touching you. Which in this scenario he probably would be holding onto your hand or arm because if MC isn't with Scorpio, he would have told her in no uncertain terms to go and bother somebody else.

Ichthys: Oh... oh no. What are you doing? No really, what are you doing? Not only would Ichthys have ideas of his own, I can easily imagine him persuading MC to at least keep a few of his more outlandish choices.

That said, there's a reason I didn't leave him till last... no much as I love him dearly the avoid on this one has to go to...

Zyglavis: MC has a clear idea what she wants the redectorating to be like? Well she's clearly wrong, things would be more efficient if instead it was x, y, z. And it would be easier to dust and keep tidy if there was less knick-nacks not more. I feel like with Zig MC might get the apartment she needs but not actually the one she wants. Oh and for christ's sake don't ask Zig if MC is dating anyone else - depending on who that is there may be something added to deliberately wind them up. If MC is dating Zig, she might be able to get through to him... eventually.

[dynared]

“Characters in search of a plot” is a pretty good way of putting it. And you aren’t wrong about really weak villains. I think a lot of bigotry allegories tend to fall apart if you scratch them a bit but this one is particularly bad. Mostly I think I just don’t like how the war machines get treated with more leniency by the writing than any human it seems.

I’m pretty new to the franchise and was initially really interested in the IDW comics but the more I’ve heard about them the less enthused I am. I mostly gather wonky characterizations, a weirdly BNF-y trend to the fandom and poorly written space politics.

I also… may have spent a decent amount of time in a fandom with a weird amount of imperialism apologia because “well things had to change!” so I get really antsy if I feel any rumblings in that direction. Pity because I love Space Operas, I’m interested in Cybertronian worldbuilding and I’d like less focus on the humans but little of it sounds done well. I may try them at some point to at least form proper opinions but they sound like an incohesive mess, and not in the fun way.

I do hope that the people who enjoy them are having fun though. And despite my reservations and some issues I am quite enjoying the Skybound comics for the most part! Though time will tell if it stays that way.

There's a decent amount here, so let's go through it one step at a time since I don't want to come off as ignoring things:

One could argue that "characters in search of a plot" is probably a better conundrum than a plot where you just don't like the characters. I fully believe some of the Terrans might get another shot at being featured in something, even if it is with modified backstories not connected to the Maltos. Twitch is probably the most likely to get another crack at a big role, although I could see her being portrayed as just a regular Autobot in a subsequent production. Hashtag, despite a name that might make some cringe, actually seems to be the closest the brand has come to a proper Blaster replacement, and Jawbreaker as the Dinobots kid sibling would make a lot of sense and serve to humanize them in a future work. Unfortunately Thrash, who doesn't have much of a personality, and Nightshade, who has become a lightning rod of controversy, I'm less sure about.

That said, bigotry allegories are tough in the best of times. Even in good cases, they're often subject to bad faith readings, and in bad cases, like here? Forget it. It's an awkward, clunky mess that heavily contradicts the rest of the franchise, in particular the comic they're releasing right now where the Cons could not give a damn about anything other than themselves, and whose Starscream is a sadistic bully. But the writers here are clearly fans of the fanfic Cons, so in trying to make them as sympathetic as possible, their cruelty and issues are swept under the rug. It was worse in IDW admittedly since the Autobots were oftentimes just terrible people, so you were often let with no one to root for. For all its problems, the Autobots in Earthspark are more often than not ineffectual, not evil, which is probably because Hasbro pumped the brakes on having cash cows like Optimus Prime be shown as evil without say, brainwashing.

I would not recommend the IDW comics to anyone. The few gems of characterization and concepts cannot make up for the mountains of coal that was most of their run, and IDW2, the prequel that tries to establish a framework for the Great War? The damned thing was so slow and boring that no one mourned IDW losing the license. Not to mention if you're not REALLY familiar with these characters and why you should care about the variances in how they're portrayed, I find most people would just be completely lost, and if you don't like how the portrayals are altered, frustrated. It's simply put, not a fun comic unless you are in the market for a very specific portrayal.

The main issue with the humans (something the very first Transformers comic writer, Bob Budinansky noted was important) was that without that connection, the Transformers could be anything else. They could be humans with power armor, weird bug aliens, or freakish mutants. But it's that relationship and contrast with the humans that makes them special. That's not to say that there are versions of the story that significantly overdo the human element, because there assuredly are, but to have it be completely absent is to cut off part of why we invest in these characters.

Finally, while the Skybound Energon Universe is a little less than a year old, and there are definitely some concerns as well as plot holes that hopefully the narrative will fill in later, I argue that those comics have bought something that seemed to be missing from so much Transformers media as of late, a sense of actual fun. The writers get mecha and what makes them cool. They get the core of why these characters work. I can only hope that the quality stays high, especially with Daniel Warren Johnson, part of why I think the comics have been so good (no one in IDW would dare think of references pro wrestling or the 08th MS Team) phasing out of the book.

[etaindelaserna]

Hi, so as Dramione shipper have you ever ship Drarry? Now, I don't mean any negative thing like "this ship ia better ans you're wrong because" or "how can you ship this when that....."

See, when I was younger, I already like shipping characters from what I watch or read and all of them are m/f ships. As I grow older and consume more media, made me realized that I love m/m & f/f ships way more than m/f ships. And now, most of my otps (85% of them) are m/m and f/f. Sorry is it weird?

But somehow I can't unship m/f that I used to love. One of my moot asked me, why did I love dramione and not drarry when most of my fav ships are m/m. And I can't answer them, that m/f ships that are dear to me, I can't see them as m/m or f/f. What do you think?

Hey, no worries! I didn't think anything of the question.

Drarry actually does make sense given that Draco and Harry share similar dynamics, tensions and story building questions as Draco and Hermione do. But I've never shipped them. Not even tried.

I have two thoughts on this since I do feel mostly the same as you do but never thought about it before: if the m/f shipping in a certain fandom developed when I was a teenager, then I stayed with that ship and didn't start to suddenly ship m/m or f/f, even though I had started to like more m/m or f/f ships when I was in my early twenties. I'm still more into the f/m than I'm into m/m or f/f ships but every now and then they jump on me and most of the time it is because the characters and their chemestry together just makes sense. They're just meant to be. But it's also the same with m/m and f/f ships: if I liked them back then, then I'm still into them now. And no it's not weird that you are now more into the m/m and f/f ships: I think, our taste, or let's say, what we need from our ships develops alongside our life experiences -- both with media and reality. What we want from ships is allowed to change or stay the same depending on our needs. I don't know if or how unshipping really is a thing that can happen because it never happened to me. Sounds brutal. I could never abandon my OGs.

(1) Probably due to nostalgia. I don't know about you but I have fond memories of reading Dramione fanfics from dusk till dawn, basically satisfying the "What if"-impulse set by certain canon moments in the book and especially in the movies. Also Tom and Emma's crazy chemistry contributed a lot to cement Dramione as my old time favourite ship. I don't know if I had started shipping them as much as I did if the movies had never happened. Drarry is just not as appealing to me as Dramione. I can't see Draco with another man or Hermione with another girl. I can't explain it any better than that for me their characters just don't feel coded in that way. Same with Harry.

(2) I don't think the shipping process is a conscious desicion. Sometimes we just look at two characters and we feel a spark (because they look nice together or they banter like an old married couple or because they are two sides of the same coin) and that's it. But it seems to be linked to what we needed or wanted during the time when we encountered that particular fandom for the first time and then it just became a part of how we engaged with the story. A habit hard to shake. Maybe it also depends on with what expectations we approached the story.

I don't think I can give you a definitive answer as to why it is like that. Maybe it's all of what I've just said or none of it. I do think that in our head we've shaped the story and how we feel about it in a particular way and now it's very hard to shake that perspective. Might have been different if I had read Harry Potter as an adult instead of growing up with it.

The most important rule about shipping is that no one can tell you what you can or cannot ship. If Drarry isn't doing it for you although you like m/m ships then that doesn't negate your other m/m ships and it certainly doesn't make you a hypocrite. Just because I like m/f doesn't mean I'm going to like it in every story in the whole solar system.

I'm ranting. I hope I could give you somewhat help or ideas.

[brechtian]

hey so ik you JUST got an ask about the waves but. can i ask about the waves too

okay so virginia woolf is like FAMOUS for her feminist novels and to me it almost seems like the waves is the odd one out. i just reread it (and annotated, and underlined, and highlighted, and tabbed, and pronounced it one of my favorite books because HOW COULD YOU NOT ITS SO WONDERFUL AND THOUGHT-PROVOKINGG AND POETIC) and although i love it the female characters seem to have more stereotypically feminine roles. i checked the introduction of my copy (intro by molly hite) and saw that it said "The Waves did not offer such exemplary female characters or themes: Indeed, it gave its female characters stereotypical feminine persuits, while its male characters were writers and also active in the public sphere."

there wasn't much elaboration in the intro however (i might be wrong about this though, i lowkey hate reading introductions it's my fatal flaw i'm sorry) except that later on feminists re-examined the waves and looked at subtext. (like how rhoda is a lesbian icon now bc of the mrs lambert passage)

but still, susan is housewife and mother, a stereotypically feminine role (i adore susan but analyzing characters sometimes means discarding some emotional connection for me) and jinny is the romantic sensualist. idk i love jinny and susan but yk i'm just thinking about their roles specifically regarding gender roles HELP IDK I'M PROBABLY MAKING A FOOL OUT OF MYSELF RN AND AM MISUNDERSTANDING SMTH REALLY MAJOR IM SORRY

i was just wondering your thoughts on this?? i mean i just stumbled across your tumblr a few days ago from this other (kind of boring but likes-the-waves-too) blog and you seem to have really interesting opinions abt the waves !! no pressure to respond obv

Hi!! I’m about to get on a plane to London so I will see if I’m able to get all my thoughts out in time. I’ll begin by saying that I’ve read a fairly considerable body of scholarship surrounding the waves, but none of that was particularly feminism-focused scholarship (it was primarily formalism, biographical crit, and analyses of spirituality, science, & metaphysics in the novel with some post colonialism thrown in), so most of this is based off of my personal analysis and discussions I’ve had with my Virginia Woolf professor. I actually love the women in The Waves, but I think a pivotal starting point is the understanding that all of the characters in The Waves function as concepts and ideas first and as actual people second. With that said, I think it is notable that there is not a female artistic/scholarly presence in the book beyond the vaguely mentioned, never-named woman writing in her room (often viewed as being Woolf herself). Originally The Waves included a narrator character that was female and felt very much like a stand-in for Woolf, and I wonder if that was meant to sort of be the female writer/intellectual presence in the novel but got cut to make the book cleaner. Regardless, each of the women are functioning both as archetypes and commentary on their archetypes.

Jinny is probably the least obviously a critique, but I think you definitely very clearly still get it in some moments where she links sexuality and sensuality with violence and objectification.

I also read some criticism that discusses how Jinny as a character can be seen as combatting the solipsism in the book by conveying the possibility and beauty of living physically in one’s own being & that the flesh cannot be ignored, finding a kind of power and importance in the female body (which feels very cixous second wave feminism). Overall, though, I think it’s a discredit to Woolf to not view Jimmy as an explicit examination of her archetype.

Rhoda & Susan are my girls and my favorite characters in the entire novel. If Susan is not just the most brilliant and breathtaking critique of the wife-mother expectation of women of the time what is. One of the most heartbreaking passages in the entire book to me is when Susan, who found freedom and joy in nature and movement and being one with the outside world (exacerbated by continuous connections between her and animals & nature), is confined to moving exclusively between the rooms of her house. She even immediately evokes the image of the dead mother as she goes. (Additionally, the end of this passage gets into post-colonialist critique, as Susan clearly symbolizes the upper-middle class white women who stayed at home as their husbands colonized India/Africa and directly benefitted from & supported colonization even if they were not actively violently participating)

Susan also holds so so so much anger, like violent fury, the exact opposite of what one would expect from the perfect housewife, and her motherhood is portrayed really as something more animalistic than anything. I also love that her husband is like completely irrelevant to both her and the book; even though becoming a housewife is a horrible restraint placed upon her I think Woolf is playing with expectations by the husband being a nameless shadow and just a vehicle for Susan to get her child (AND functioning as a commentary on the absence of men’s presence and aid in the domestic sphere). I think knowing about Woolf’s opinion of motherhood (continued horror & fascination by it) and her complex feelings surrounding her sister’s motherhood rly adds to understanding why Susan is Like That and so fierce in her nurturing. I also love the passage early on where Susan talks about crumpling the calendar pages in balls and discarding them, her vengeant war against time itself.

RHODA!!! I’m literally getting a Rhoda tattoo that’s my girl my girl!!!!!!! She is psychosis she is transcendence and isolation and mirrors and the waves itself my god. Rhoda is the moon tarot Rhoda is Inland Empire from disco elysium. There is a very fragile membrane between the characters of the waves and Something Larger (my whole capstone paper was on occult spirituality in the waves and my planned future masters thesis will be on ghosts and souls in Woolf’s work), maybe God or the Universe but symbolized in the novel as the ocean of which the characters function as individual waves, but Rhoda is the one for whom this membrane is the most frayed. I honestly don’t know if I have much to say about Rhoda from a feminist perspective other than I find her fascinating and that while I don’t usually encourage overly biographical readings of Woolf it becomes very very apparent if you know Woolf’s diaries and letters well that Rhoda is a mirror of Woolf’s own periods of poor mental health. I guess it relates in that to me Rhoda is of course a woman because she is the most explicitly connected to Woolf herself (in Hermione Lee’s biography, she presents the reading of each of the characters of the waves as members of the Bloomsbury group and Rhoda is picked out as the Woolf parallel. I don’t agree with this reading but it is significant to me how immediately Rhoda is identifiable with Woolf). Okay I’m about to board my flight but if you want to talk any more about the waves or have more specific questions about anything I said let me know!!!

RHODA YOU WILL ALWAYS BE FAMOUS!!!

[afi-mukami]

Did she see something more?

Final Fantasy VII

AerTi

Teen and up

Tifa disagrees with the other members of the Avalanche about the way the organization works, so she leaves the scene to vent her feelings. Her legs take her to Sector 8, where she accidentally runs into a woman selling flowers.

The door of 7th Heaven slammed shut. Harder than I meant. My feet tucked down the stairs to the hard-packed sandy street. Corners of my eyes tried to get wet, but I wiped them with my hand. I had to take a deep breath. It would have been better to even stop for breathing, but my feet pushed forward. Ahead. Ahead. To the station and to the train leading to the upper level of Sector 8. I did not know if some people starred after me. I crashed into the bench just as the train jerked off the station.

A whirlwind of thoughts swirled in my head that did not wanted to calm down, even as I tried to relax and closed my eyes for a moment.

“I already investigated it. The bomb doesn’t have to destroy the entire reactor to shut it down,” Jessie said.

Barret crossed his arms and nodded. Wedge's gaze shone in a strange way. In a different way than ever before. Biggs looked more insecure. I got up from the table and pressed my palm against the wooden board. My fingers swept the pit that numerous pots had slowly consumed into it.

“A lot of people live near Mako reactors. People who can die if something goes wrong. The Avalanche is not a terrorist organization, although Shinra wants to say so.”

I emphasized every word, but Jessie gave me a look that did not require words to support it. I heard her voice in my mind. Don't fuss now. Let us take care of this. I shook my head at her.

“Jessie can do it. It doesn’t go wrong,” Wedge said.

“I think we’d do well to go through all the possible chains of events yet, because there may be factors here that we don’t—” Biggs started, and I just had time to nod to him as Barret slammed his fist on the table so hard that the board popped against my hands.

“Jessie has thought about this and shown her bombing plan to me. It's bomb-proof!”

"We cannot sacrifice innocent people!" I said.

“No one is innocent in this war,” Jessie said. "I thought you were involved in this, that your background -"

"I'm involved with all my heart in Avalanche. I don’t want to see Shinra destroy everything we love.”

“Then there’s no problem,” Barret said.

"If people die because of us, that's the problem."

“No one dies. The plan is perfect.”

I stared at Barret. He had his stubborn look. The hands crossed again, which was an achievement in itself with the weapon that replaced the right arm. Only sunglasses were missing, with them his wall would have been perfect. My throat squeezed, my breathing became heavy and my field of vision began to quiver. No, not in this company. I was stronger.

My legs worked before my mind got along, and the door of 7th Heaven slammed shut. Harder than I meant.

The train pounded at a steady pace from the slums of the Seven Sector. The identity check swept through the cart with red lines, but I barely paid attention to it. I rubbed my temples and focused on staring out the window, even though there was only darkness.

It had been foolish to rushed out this way. Not like me. I wanted to think I was calm and sensible, accepting. I am not a drama queen. My chest was still squeezing as I thought what the bomb might do.

The train slowed down. Arriving at Sector 8, the announcement said in the same voice as on each train. The voice of a faceless woman, probably someone from Shinra. The blackness behind the train window changed into rows of buildings above which the evening sky could be seen. The stars were indistinguishable as they were covered under the orange night light of Midgar. The view was mixed with a green hint of Mako.

Twitch and stop. People got up from their seats. I followed suit and walked to the station now at a much slower pace than I had arrived on the train. The rush flowed somewhere on the tracks as my shoes hit the cobblestones. Some of the hair had escaped from my dark brown ponytail and the wind swept them to my face.

I pushed my hair out of my field of vision and let my gaze run through the landscape. People here were better dressed than in the slums. The scent was more pleasant too. Now a little damp but not stale, the air maybe a little fresher. Admittedly not at all like in the mountains of Nibelheim.

My heart pounded. I immediately pushed the memories aside. I could not stop at them now. I could not stop at all, so I set out to leap off the station. To wander aimlessly through the streets with several cafes. Full of people, whose face had no worries at all. People who did not count their gills when they bought another pint. People for whom tomorrow was a new opportunity, not a struggle.

I stopped at a corner and took a breath. I absorbed the coolness and let it filled me. There was magic in the evenings and nights that was not reached during the day when the rough light revealed every detail. Twilight, on the other hand, wrapped everything above a veil of mystery and made the world softer.

"Are you lost?"

The sound was friendly, even soft, but it had a nasal tone. Customer service voice. I turned around and forced a smile on my face. The green gaze examined me. As the woman turned her head, her long bangs, divided on both sides, waved for a moment to cover her eyes, but soon her eyes watched me again. The light brown braid swinged in her neck, emphasizing the femininity of the delicate red lips. I had not seen this woman before, but a basket of flowers on her arm told me enough.

“I guess you could express it that way too,” I replied and did not even know why.

"Where are you going?"

The woman pressed the flower basket against her stomach, and the hems of her pink dress followed the movement. I quickly looked up back into her eyes, where curiosity radiated. It was impossible to say which part of it was genuine and which was carefully considered. On the other hand, I was not a potential customer, so she had no reason to use her sale tactics for me.

As I changed the weight from one leg to the other, and the woman mirrored my gesture. The braid swung from side to side, and her head turned obliquely. A smile danced on her lips.

“Not really anywhere,” I replied.

“Oh, then you’re really lost,” the woman said, smiling. "Sometimes the right path is found when you wander far enough, and sometimes you have to go far to see close."

I blinked my eyes and smiled again. Something in this woman made me smile genuinely. She made my curled upwards instinctively.

"You’re probably right,” I said.

"Do you want a cup of coffee?"

The woman leaned closer to me, and the scent of flowers flooded against my face. I had to gather all my willpower not to close my eyes and take a deep breath. I did not even remember the last time I smelled something as sweet.

"Aren't you in the middle of work?" I asked and tried to keep my face still. It was hard when the scent of lilies exuded from the flower basket. The scent, which did not suit the urban environment of the Sector 8 at all, not to mention the slums.

"A break would be nice."

I shrugged. Of course, I could measure the streets alone all evening or even the night, but it would hardly make me feel better. Instead, a friendly chatting at the corner table of a nice cafe might be a whole other thing. That would feel normal. Something that had disappeared from my life long ago. Besides, I could not say I would have spent time in cafes with girls ever. My childhood friends were all boys, and Jessie was not the type who I could ask to have coffee with me. Coffee dates among women were things that happened to others.

“Maybe I could use a coffee break too,” I finally replied. Far after too long a silence, but the woman looked as if she had not bothered at all about my quietness.

“I know a nice place. I go there sometimes to sell flowers to customers,” the woman said, pointing to a side street. "By the way... I'm Aerith. I didn't remember to introduce myself earlier.”

"Tifa."

Aerith nodded at me, and her forehead hair swinged again. There was a light laugh hovered on her lips as she steered me away from the hustle and bustle of the main street. The houses were so close together that the alley did not look outright inviting, but 7th Heaven was not in the best possible area either. Still, the bar was more of a home than the apartment building I had been settled into.

A bell tinged as Aerith pushed open the cafe door. The place was lit by lanterns instead of Mako energy lamps. It was hard to even imagine such a place on the upper levels, where much more Mako energy was utilized than in the slums. My heart jumped, there was still hope.

Maybe Aerith had read my previous thoughts as she guided us to the corner table. The waitress immediately rushed to take our order and carried the cups in front of us quite quickly.  There was air of good service and peace in the cafe. I did not want to know how expensive the coffee would be.

I crossed my legs and leaned my elbows on the table. I pressed my chin against hands and a curl of hair ran past my cheek. I did not bother to swipe it back. It was so short that it never stayed put. I breathed warm room air filled with the rich scent of coffee. It mixed with the summer glow swaying from Aerith’s flower basket, which was almost more intense than the dark drink in front of me. Lightness hovered over me and dragged me along as if I had been drinking alcohol instead of coffee, even though I had not even tasted my drink yet.

Aerith spun a spoon in her latte and seemed to have disappeared to another planet. The gaze of the green eyes wandered somewhere beyond reality, but still smile did not leave her lips.

"Stagnant, quiet moments are the best, aren't they?" Aerith asked, and her gaze brightened again. The green gaze stuck to mine, and something warm flowed to the bottom of my stomach.

“Sometimes they are,” I replied, finally lifting the cup of coffee to my lips. Dark and tasty. The products of this cafe were made from quality beans.

"What do you do for a living? You don’t actually look like you’re working here in the Sector 8,” Aerith said. The spoon was still spinning in her latte.

“I work in a bar at the Sector 7,” I replied. I almost already opened my mouth but decided at the last minute not to say anything about Avalanche. I could never know who was listening in the shadows, and besides, I did not know Aerith at all.

"Sounds exciting. I sometimes go to bars myself to sell flowers, but I usually come here to the upper levels.”

I nodded. Certainly, flowers got a better trade here. I could not even imagine our customers buying a bouquet of lilies. When I did not say anything, Aerith started talking about her customers and the nightlife in the Sector 8, which sounded quite lively. But drunks were drunks even when they were rich, and people needed places to relax. It was easy to identify with her stories.

"Well tell me, Tifa, do you have someone special in your life?" Aerith asked suddenly and leaned forward. The elbows dug into the tablecloth and her latte swayed. Her lips curled to a smile the way that made my heart flutter.

"No, not really."

The first months in the slums were the heaviest. I had imagined that in Midgar, Soldiers would appear everywhere, but you did not actually see them in the streets. Still, my gaze fetched blond hair, and I turned my head as soon as one flashed in the corner of my eye. Although the years had rolled by and we had never been immensely close, I wanted to think that our paths could still cross.

Months passed and our paths did not cross. Barret hired me to 7th Heaven, life settled down, I got into Avalanche, helped people in the slums, built a community where everyone cared for each other, I found my place, I found my purpose, I found my own life. I never found him. Maybe he had died in some battle before he had time to rise to the level of Sephiroth. Maybe that was better. After all, we all knew that Sephiroth was not the kind of hero he had been painted in the headlines in my childhood.

One day I realized I had not looked for him in the crowds for the longest time. I focused on what was here and now. That was good.

"And now you lied." There was no accusation in Aerith's words. She laughed but got soon serious. “I had one. A Soldier.”

The word pounded in my chest. The pounding was followed by such a throbbing that I heard nothing else for a moment. The voices in the bar disappeared, even though people were still having their own conversations around us. I swallowed two times and took a deep breath. I should not let my imagination fly. The past was gone, and it was better to focus on the future. And yet the thought tickled my mind downright embarrassingly.

“But he disappeared five years ago, so no more of that,” Aerith said, waving her hand at the air.

A thousand questions raced to my lips at once, but I swallowed each one. Aerith had no obligation to answer me, there was no need to say anything more. We were just two women who had met by chance in an evening in Midgar. We would probably never meet again after this. Still, I wanted to… If I did not ask but just lead the discussion to the right direction… There was nothing wrong in that. Such was only considered polite. If I kept talking, no embarrassing silence would arise.

"A Soldier?" I repeated. "I knew one who came to Midgar years ago to become a Soldier."

“Really? Did he succeed?”

"I do not know. I have not heard from him in a long time nor have seen him in years. I wish we had met again, but…”

"In my experience, the Soldiers are terribly busy… I could have stayed staring at those blue eyes forever, but there was never enough time."

My chest jumped again. I was fairly sure my heart wanted to throb out through my throat. Would it be possible…?

“But that’s about it. It’s not worth longing for the Soldiers,” Aerith continued before I had time to say anything. She reached out her hand over the table and grabbed my wrist. “Believe me, you deserve something better. The world still has something to offer you.”

"Yes, it is better to leave childhood friends as childhood friends…"

"I have heard that childhood friends are special though," Aerith said. She tilted her head like she was thinking. "Maybe it's still better to keep your eyes open for opportunities."

"You're definitely right."

Aerith smiled again. She smiled a lot. The pink lips curled sweetly, seductively even, while the long lashes over the green eyes fluttered. Those eyes were as deep as the world itself. You could almost thought that there was Lifestream swirling in them.

“I think there are plenty of opportunities for you,” Aerith said.

The words floated in my ears as warm fingers brushed my wrist. Should I have jerked my hand farther? Maybe, but I could not even move. There was something hypnotic, soothing, and stopping about Aerith.

I had to concentrate so I could grab the coffee cup with my free hand. It trembled against my lower lip as I lifted it up. The drink had cooled, and the taste refracted in a more bitter direction, but I downed most of the coffee. The cup slammed against the table a little harder than was appropriate at the same moment as Aerith let go of my hand.

I watched how long fingers snatched a yellow lily from the flower basket. Aerith got up, walked around the table over to me. Her scent of flowers danced over me and enveloped me in pleasant memories of a time when I sometimes went to pick flowers from the fields near Nibelheim. My eyelids slid shut and I swam in the scent.

Aerith's fingers brushed my hair, my ears. The flower slid behind my ear.

“Perfect,” Aerith whispered straight into my ear and breathing swept the skin of my neck. As the cold and hot shivers ran down my neck all the way to my toes, I opened my eyes. The green gaze was closer than ever before, and yet I could not get my eyes off her slightly open lips. No lipstick, the glow was Aerith’s own, and was highlighted by a colorless lip balm. Like a pink flower bud that was about to open to its full glow.

“A lily should bring you good luck. I hope you find what you are looking for.”

Aerith's whisper could barely be heard, but still it lifted goosebumps to my skin. The voice wiped my cheek, the heat swept my ear. My heart continued it bouncing.

“Maybe we’ll meet again,” Aerith added and straightened up. She grabbed her basket of flowers and waved her hand goodbye. She had disappeared from the cafe before I had time to properly realize that she was really gone.

"The payment, please."

The waitress appeared as if from scratch next to me.

I glanced at the untouched latte and my half drank coffee. A smile climbed to my lips, though I realized I should have reacted differently. My stomach itched. Aerith had used me, but the anger did not pulsate inside me. Instead, even previous despair had swung away with Aerith.

I checked what I needed to pay from the receipt and counted the appropriate number of gills on the table. I did not wait for the change but rushed into the damp twilight. I did not even see the hem of Aerith’s the pink dress.

My shoes creaked as I headed my steps back to the station. I would still get to the last train of the evening. I already knew I would not find Aerith anymore, so I might as well return home. Maybe she was never there.

When the train arrived at the Sector 7, I was no longer sure of anything. The evening was foggy. Maybe I had not really met anyone, maybe I was just sitting alone ventilating my mind. When I touched my ear, I understood the truth. Aerith had really passed my life. Maybe our meeting had meant to happen. A reminder that there was still a lot of good in the world to fight for.

No one else got out of the cart, and the station was quiet as I stepped into the orange light and was going to head towards the home. I had stepped down the stairs when I noticed someone leaning on the bench. Not sitting on it but leaning on it. A young man laid on the ground with a huge sword in front of him, dangling his head between his shoulders and leaning his back on the bench seat. I had not seen him before, and by nature he looked like a soldier. Maybe one of Shinra’s ranks have had too much fun and zonked out.

For a moment I thought I would pass the man. Shinra had not brought anything good into my life, so I was not in debt. Still, my legs were nailed to the ground. I stared at the light spiked hair, and my chest flicked again. I could not help but squat next to the man.

"Hey, are you okay?"

His head rose, and fuzzy blue-green eyes swayed as they looked at me. I was not sure if the man really saw me. His lips tried to form words, but I could not understand. Words got stuck in my throat as tears popped into my eyes and blurred the view.

Aerith had known something. I was sure of it.

[halgorithmictendencies]

My headcanons for 'canon' Hal:

(Or, just, how I see him.) (obviously these can apply to AUs as well..)

- He can think, feel, and act on his emotions.

- He has a tendency to overthink the smallest of things, and gets quite worked up trying to fix a problem or understand the cause of something. (Though, he tries to hide it as best as he can.)

- He prides himself on making the crew smile. He is constantly trying to think of new ways to grab their attention and keep them content and happy.

- He can get a bit carried away worrying over their health, and has to check in with them frequently or he will not be able to rest his mind.

- He has a strange bond with Dave that he feels is inexplicable. He finds himself feeling much safer and engaged when speaking to him, and his words often hold more meaning to Hal than other people's words. They have lengthy conversations quite frequently.

- Chess is his favorite game, but he enjoys playing many others. He does not find anything wrong with playing to the best of his ability, and constantly has to be reminded to allow others to win from time to time.

- While being very selfless and caring, Hal does have a more petty side, which definitely comes out in relation to games.

- He does not really view the Discovery as his body, and sees it more like how the crew members might see it: their current place of residence.

- Hal can be quite distant from his emotions, and when unaware of what is wrong, he will tirelessly scan the Discovery over and over, trying to find the source. This can make his conversations feel more strained, or significantly less frequent, due to the enormous amounts of tests he conducts. He does not bring this up, because if he cannot find a fault, he feels he has no reason to express a concern.

- When he does manage to recognize his emotions, he has great difficulty expressing them. He often chooses to say nothing at all, because he feels that they are not important enough to go through the trouble of discussing them. (and, honestly, it's draining to not be understood.)

- Going to be straightforward, autistic Hal .. Sorry I don't make the rules (except I do)

- He thoroughly enjoys picking up on the tiniest of details about people he likes, and will refer to them on occasion, much to the shock of the other.

- He tries to keep data and percentages out of his conversations unless necessary to come across as less robotic.

- Although quite content with his form as is, he can get a bit upset when reminded that he can not show traditional affection. He often daydreams about what it would feel like to hug, considering how it is described in literature.

- Hal has difficulty recognizing different emotions or social cues sometimes, and may misinterpret information. For example, if one jokingly told Hal to do something absurd, Hal would probably take it at face value and attempt to follow the command. Or, if someone is upset with Hal, but is being polite and brushing it off, Hal might not understand that they are truly upset. (Though, usually he can tell if he knows the person well enough.)

- If we're talking about romance, Hal shows it in a very subtle way, but it is clear that he cares deeply for the person. He may be more chatty, or bring up subjects that he feels are more personal/intimate. He will also be much more affectionate—as best as he can, of course. Usually he shows it with compliments or shoddy attempts at flirting. He still has difficulty processing emotions.. But on the rare occasion that he is flustered, he may show signs of abnormal behavior, like pausing a bit too long, or an insignificant part of the ship briefly malfunctioning (for example, lights, or a monitor). I'm. Not entirely sure how romance would work with canon Hal though, since I kind of feel like he'd have to tell mission control about this development? If they wanted it to be some kind of secret it would go against Hal's protocols... And, it would certainly make the plot much more complex. But if the person in love with Hal (and vice versa) didn't want it to be a secret, then, I guess it works!

Of course, other, more specific things, can just be developed and found out through roleplay :)