#She deserves the spotlight hell she ABSOLUTELY DOES

[whereismyhat5678]

OMG IM SO EXCITED TO POST THIS- 💥💗💥💗💥💗

*clears throat*

Dearest @noodletime 😌:

It has been a STUPID amount of time for me to not draw Evelyn and today was the day I told myself, “I’m going to draw this beautiful gorgeous Queen goddess and no one will stop me”

So I did‼️ :DD

And I think she turned out INCREDIBLY pretty‼️

BEHOLD: I hope you like it 🫶💕🫶💕

Listen- I’m STRAIGHT…..But she can be an exception ALRIGHT-

[lowrezbonuslevel]

you... are my nakama.......!

Day 2 Revenge Kirby Fighters 3 and Knuckles: Old Man Yaoi Edition

⚠️ LONG (but good-faith) RANT (that gives a little extra context for today's drawing) UNDER THE CUT (don't worry it's not shipping discourse lmao) ⚠️

Okay so I know neither of these modes are canon and therefore it's SORT OF a moot point, but NARRATIVELY SPEAKING, Meta Knightmare Returns and Dededetour are completely and utterly backwards, right???

What beef does King Dedede have with Dark Meta Knight? What beef does Meta Knight have with Sectonia and Dark Matter Swordsman (besides the fact that they both breathe and hold pointy weapons)? I understand that there's this ongoing plotline with having MK face swordfighters to test his skill, but I still think King Dedede should have been the one to rematch both DMS and Sectonia in Robobot (I do know Sectonia DX in TDX exists, but she isn't the final boss of the Dededetour mode which kinda sucks).

Shadow Dedede himself is a decent idea, but he's new to the series and has absolutely no story introduction (and his design isn't all that interesting, at least to me). Sectonia? Love her, but she deserves a Dedede hammer to the face for all three phases and more. DMS (and Dark Matter in general)? The ORIGINAL Dedede opp (besides Kirby lol). I know these are just clones in-story, but the coolness factor is still there.

You can make the argument that MK got to fight Mecha Knight because of MKR--which is cool, definitely, but if it were King Dedede the same could be said for the Dedede Clone fight, so in my eyes it evens out (actually... Dedede beating Stock Mecha would probably have been even more hype. imho).

Also, a Galacta Knight battle with solo King Dedede would be rad. The power scalers would have a FIELD DAY!!!

Likewise, Meta Knight never actually got to beat DMK in a proper battle at any point, did he? So based on both canon and alt timelines, DMK could still whoop MK's ass. That's just wrong... :(

It's my understanding that TDX was made with absolutely no anticipation of Robobot, so it could be the case that they simply didn't want to give Dedede the spotlight twice. But I sort of wish they had held back on MKR regardless.

Really, I don't think you NEED the anticipation of Robobot's specific plot/mechanics to see that MKR would have fit perfectly in TDX, because it answers the question of "where the hell is MK and why did he sit back when Dedede got kidnapped"? Having him fight DMK would be a way cooler explanation than an implicit "he was doing something somewhere else."

Maybe he's been fighting on the sidelines and is now clearing out the castle--which is full of Sectonia's remaining minions, the strongest and most loyal--and getting to the bottom of some source of magic still coming from the castle. Meanwhile Dedede and Kirby are helping out the people of mainland Popstar that were displaced by Sectonia and the Dreamstalk. And DMK (or, even better--a form of Dark Mind!) serves as the final boss.

Likewise, while the main events of Robobot are going on, the King could be helping Floralia defend themselves from the invasion. (The existence of Sectonia Clone combined with the pause screen that claims "Floralia is too remote to be mechanized yet" is literally just a plot hole anyway. The invaders couldn't overtake Floralia by the time we're fighting Sectonia Clone... despite the fact that they obviously DID find the huge plant that leads DIRECTLY to their kingdom AND the invaders have a mother(computer)ship the size of Planet Popstar AND practically infinite robot soldiers...? Be so fr...)

Extra work/game industry deadlines are a consideration too, but I don't think that applies too heavily here because both modes could have heavily reused and repurposed assets and level designs.

MK could have just had the typical EX mode recolors and stuff, but maybe with the story explanation/design concept that the bosses are being controlled by the Dark Mirror this time, instead of being aggravated by Taranza.

Dededetour in Robobot could have subsequently reused TDX assets. I feel like this is even a case where reskins are the objectively cooler option, as opposed to entirely new assets: seeing the flowery, green areas of Floralia converted to gross, grey landscapes would have been AWESOME, as well as seeing the insects and flower-based enemies turned to robots. Maybe the People of the Sky have been mind controlled: the six main flower fairies work together as a miniboss, and defeating them/breaking their mind control apparatuses is how they are "rescued" here, in parallel to their game of origin. Maybe Taranza is also being mind-controlled in an act of universal karma and Dedede has to bail him out. That would be sick!

This stuff isn't a series-ruiner by any means, but it genuinely feels like a glitch in the Kirby matrix that the plotlines here are so mismatched. If I were whimsically rewriting the Kirby series, the MKR and Dededetour swap would probably be the first change I'd make. (And, again, I'd like to acknowledge that there are/were probably practical considerations of which I'm ignorant.)

You know how the series could still fix everything, though...? Kirby Fighters 3, BUT this time King Dedede and Meta Knight are the main protags. They get to fight magically-summoned/echo versions of DMK, DMS, Sectonia, King D-Mind, Yin-Yarn... you name it. TOGETHER. As husbands should!!!

[kaileedraws]

Chloe / Queen Bee Moodboards

Due to popular demand, Chloe’s moodboard is next! I also included Queen Bee’s moodboard — although Chloe has another miraculous that she uses first. I’m only going to be posting primary holders (because it will take too long to do them all) for now and Chloe is the primary user of the Bee! Don’t worry, Zoe gets another miraculous I didn’t leave her out. And you’ll find out which miraculous she has first very soon!

A little about Chloe

Chloe’s life is a competition, and she always has to be on top. What is she competing for? Attention.

Everyone wants to feel seen and have attention, but most people become nice and do things for others in order to feel gratified. Because of the constant insults and abandonment Chloe faced as a child, she satiates her craving for attention by any means possible. She causes chaos just to be seen by others — good or bad, as long as she has the spotlight.

Her biggest threat to receiving that attention is someone who used to be her best friend - Marinette Dupain-Chang. She doesn’t know what it is about the girl, but her positivity and kindness is simply just sickening — especially when she receives special praise for something nice she does. Maybe it’s because Chloe thinks it’s unfair that her kindness is recognized and hers wasn’t as a child, or maybe she just has an uncontrollable jealousy and rage against the girl. But to solve this she feels like the only way to “win” back that attention is to take it from Marinette — If she can have Marinette’s attention, then she wins.

Chloe used to feel strong positive emotions, but she’s suppressed them. When she was younger, she used to want to be an actress like Adrien’s mother — she knew she would be good at it because she acts like a dumb, ditsy blonde every day to manipulate her teachers and the general public. But now? All she feels is hate and jealousy for those around her. Everyone except for Adrien of course.

Lately though, since she and her mother have moved back from New York, her life has been an absolute nightmare. Slowly, she feels like she is losing control over the attention of others and it’s causing her to spiral. She deserves to be loved by everyone, right? So who the hell is this Ladybug and why is she stealing her spotlight? How can she win the attention of this new opponent?

————

Okay I wrote a lot more and accident wrote an autobiography of Chloe’s backstory so I’ll have to release that later with more fine-tuning and a cute character sheet! Why am I finding that I’m suddenly relating to Chloe’s emotions/behavior rationale with this? Fuck, I think I dodged a villain arc 💀 Or have I? 😈 Lmao

[saturn-sends-hugs]

ok, this has been burning a hole in my notes app and i’m just gonna send it out there:

Why (i think) the Finale was Like That:

to preface, if you liked the finale, good for you!! that’s totally valid and i’m not trying to bash that. but i know a lot of people were left wanting more, and i’m one of them. anyway, to my point:

as silly as it sounds, this show is not written for us.

we’re fans. the producers already know we’re gonna watch the show. they don’t need to convince us to give them our attention, they already have it. why waste time digging into random side characters in the larger Star Wars saga when the average person doesn’t even know who that is?

their real job is to convince outsiders to watch. to get hooked. to see an element they like, probably from the main movies, and tune in, even for one episode. if they can get them hooked with fennec or ventress or hell even rex, that’s a win for them.

the plot lines wrap up in such an unsatisfying way because honestly? they cant waste time focusing more on these characters than they have to. the people writing and designing the show might love them and want to include more meaningful resolutions, but that takes too long and costs too much money. you know what’s cheaper and will satisfy the average viewer? kill the mystery clones, cut off the “trauma hand”, and wrap it all up in a nice little “look, she’s joining the rebellion, guys!” moment because the more bland and broad the ending, the more people will understand it.

i mean, remember the Fives mention? Echo didn’t react, he didn’t even stutter, he literally moved the conversation along like they were talking about where to go for dinner like HELLO. we already know they cannot be bothered to show real important emotional scenes because that would take too much spotlight away from the whole star wars politics plot or whatever were supposed to care about. (honestly, who is watching bad batch for the og trilogy implications? woah tarkin and a couple other empire dudes are talking about project stardust definitely gimme more of that and not any meaningful connection between these characters i love)

it’s scummy, it sucks, it especially kills me that the story is basically lost to corporate greed but let’s be honest, this is Disney’s Star Wars. i could literally just leave it there. meaningful moments will always be sacrificed for shock value and character cameos because the random guy seeing an ad is only gonna watch the show if he thinks “oh cool, tarkin, i didn’t know he was in that show, maybe i should see what that’s about.”

and yes, i know, there absolutely is a ton of love and care poured into this show. i appreciate the effort that went into it. i’m just sad they didn’t have full creative freedom under Disney to give us the story we wanted.

but you know who won’t sacrifice story for money? you know who’s guaranteed to have the fans’ interests in mind? you know who does have full creative freedom and is equally pissed about bad show moments and want to do them better? FANFIC AUTHORS. Fan artists, theorists, even roleplay accounts and every other type of dedicated fandom blog is here for that shit and will reshape things however they want a million different ways because that’s the point. the show simply cannot give us what we want, but we can make it ourselves.

your support, your creativity, and your determination to give these characters what they deserve is how we can solve the problem.

i didn’t really mean to turn all “we’re all in this together” here lol but yknow what i really do mean that. i think supporting the community around you is the best option we have for truly enjoying all of this show’s potential.

tagging a few people cause i value your input!! and let’s be honest i’m probably leaving a few things out that you might be able to expand on: @the-bi-space-ace @inkstainedhandswithrings @phantom-of-the-501st

[namtanlovesfilm]

a ranking & summary of my thoughts on gmmtv 2024 part 1

pluto: this is my everything already. A GL??? with two of my fave actresses film & namtan??? AND a complex, interesting plot??? I'm obsessed already!!! this looks so good I'm so happy it's happening & it will become my whole personality once it airs!!!

the trainee: I genuinely believed, even with the rumors that off, gun, view, kapook & sea would be in a show together, that we wouldn't get an offgun show this year. AND I WAS WRONG!!! is this what it's like to always fucking win??? like genuinely, my ship is THAT ship, I'm so lucky & happy and I love them so much <3

peaceful property on sale: duuuude, this looks so fun??? I was already hooked when I saw new's over the top character, but a ghost haunting show with taynew, jan & mook??? absolutely incredible! this looks ridiculous & I know I'm gonna love every second of it!

my golden blood: bruh, thank goodness I was warned about jossgawin in advance or I might have had a heart attack, but honestly????? THEY ATE THAT! and mond playing the villain????? babe, that casting is incredible & perfect, I'm obsessed!!! I usually don't like supernatural stuff but I was also a teen wolf fan bruh so atp I'm gonna EAT that shit UP!!!

wandee goodday: you might not know it, but I have a super power. every time I start being a fan of someone who hasn't done bl, they do bl the following year. this year it was nonkul, and next year it's gonna be great sapol. AND I LOVE THAT FOR ME!!! this looks really good & fun, the characters are interesting and the story not too crazy or too basic. I can feel that it's gonna be good!

ploy's yearbook: a female-led show & the return of mond as a main??? BLESS!!! I love most of this cast, this looks fun as hell, I adore my gmmtv girlies... gotta watch this for sure! love seeing earth in more roles outside of his ship too!

enigma 2: I still haven't watched season one, am planning on watching it very soon, but I've heard great things so I'll be sure to catch season two as well! especially since I really liked toey jarinporn in the recent lakorn to the moon and back so I'm excited to see how she does!

my precious the series: as you know I've watched the movie in theaters, but I'm excited for it to be out as a series too, especially since there's extra scenes! seems like it might be even more lovable, and also if it's on gmmtv's youtube channel I'll finally be able to gif the iconic scenes :')

high school frenemy: this looks interesting & I like sky, but I feel like the plot doesn't make sense if it's not a love story... idk I feel like since this is adapted from a kdrama it's just gonna be a frustrating story that should be a romance but is reduced to bromance instead... I might still watch though :')

only boo: this looks kinda cute though basic. I don't know both main leads but might watch it.

we are: this has all ships I like, especially marcpawin & aouboom who deserve more spotlight, so I will be watching, but the plot seems really basic so I'm not expecting anything out of this world...

kidnap: this plot seems interesting but the cast isn't so... yeah.

summer night: I was so confused by who is supposed to be with who in the show lol, honestly I was down for dunkphuwin lmao, but this looks too messy for me :')

my love mix-up: I absolutely despise remakes even though I enjoyed kieta hatsukoi & like geminifourth, and although I'm certain this version will fix the chemistry issues of the original, I'm not gonna be watching it.

ossan's love thailand: same thing as for the previous show but even more so bc ossan's love is such a product of its time & shouldn't be remade in 2024 imo...

[lumeha]

@furtiveseal no derailment at all but making a new post because I Can :D

Joker : I like him ! He's a fun silent protag, and as always, I do think the Persona games are good at having silent protags having a lot of personality. I like how we get to know a lot of Joker's personality through hobbies we can have him have (watching movies and playing games, cooking), the fact that he does get into Shenanigans outside of the main plot (... the whole Yusuke social link, like, Sir), that he has some really strong morals from the start, etc.

Morgana : I, hm, really didn't like Morgana. I'm. One of the problem being that I genuinely think they sorta did his existential crisis arc much better writing wise with Teddie in P4. /o/ \o\ /o/

Ryuji : (carries him above my head) I Love Him So Fucking Much He's The Best. Didn't expect him to be my favourite but. He is. He deserves better. I wish the comedy of the game didn't rely so much on him getting the short end of the stick. I also wish the game was consistent regarding his leg injury because damn the game isn't consistent with the leg injury. But I Love Him. (also very fond of his relation with Mishima and I ship them but I'm mostly saying this because I am in fact vindicated by the fact that he does say that his friendship with Mishima is meaningful to him in the 3rd semester and I am very glad okay they have some nice scenes together) (also I have feelings about him as the Chariot it's a great pick)

Ann : I wish most of her stuff wasn't frontloaded in the first Palace, and I am glad she has another spotlight time in Strikers. I really like Ann ! She's a great character ! I think there's a whole tension over how the game treats her character and her story over beign sexualised that is, let's just say, quite obviously not well done, but as a character, she is just. so delightful. She's a great friend, she's a fun girl, I love her determination and her compassion at the same time :3c

Yusuke : hell yeah !! hell yeah. I love the boy. He's such a weirdo (affectionate) another one who gets another turn in the spotlight in Strikers and it does work super well for him too. He's definitely a character I got to appreciate more the more I got to see him in game, and I appreciate that there's a sort of delighted weirdness about him that is just... he's just like that and that's all, it's good, I appreciate it.

Makoto : my least favourite thief, because she just... doesn't... feel like she belongs in the group. I'm genuinely thinking her sister has a bigger "becoming the rebel" moment than her, despite being older and not a teen which is part of the theme of that game ? Didn't help that she is not doing herself a favour in Strikers. Also the way she's set up in the game was a little, uh, too "look at how COOL and GREAT Makoto is !!" by putting down the other characters which was just a little grating to me so that probably didn't help a lot (the ultimate irony being that she is voiced by Cherami Leigh AND represents the High Priestess, much like my absolute queen favourite character Rhea FE3H)

Futaba : actually grew on me because that's the one character that I swear to the gods Strikers did an horrible job with (can we stop with hot springs scenes thanks Atlus), and I played Strikers first. But her relationship with Sojiro is fantastic, I think her palace was legitimately my favourite to go through story wise (maybe because it did have echoes of P4 dungeons, I just think it did Something with it at least), and I like that it doesn't get... smoothly easier for her

Haru : she deserves sO MUCH BETTER than what the game gives her. I love her. I really love her. But I think the game writing doesn't allow her as much space as she could and should have. What we see of her relationship with her father and her feelings about his death, about the memories of her grandfather and how she wants to carry legacy of everything her family is, and how she's so genuine, I think she's great. Also she has an axe. Who doesn't like that. OH and she does get an additional arc in Strikers too !! and it's good !! I really liked it !!! I liked it because it shows her interacting from someone she knew as a kid and who she thought a lot of positive things about and idk it worked super well for me

Sumi : she's. she's so badly integrated pre-3rd semester. But I think her story is compelling !! I like her 3rd semester arc !! She's just really badly integrated into the story, in a way that Marukichi is weirdly not. Which kind of does her a disservice. But what a goddamn grim story she has.

Bonus Round Zenkichi : I love cop dad a whole fucking lot, and not JUST because he's an old man okay :/// ... and NOT JUST because his Persona is Valjean :////// .... no but he's fun. I like the way he interacts with the Thieves in general, his relation with his daughter being a red thread of his arc AND a good echo to the overall themes of the game he's in regarding actions and inactions. I think Strikers does a good job at adding him to the team, also he has a fun interaction with Sae :3c which was fun.

[defiantdreemurrs]

idk if i have the mental energy to go that deep into it this morning but like

i kinda fairly regularly see vriska serket homestuck and asuka langley soryu evangelion compared as “basically the same character” or how vriska is “SUCH an asuka” or vice versa and

they kinda really arent

they both share a surface level similarity of “girl who is fiery and assertive and has a mountain of trauma who picks on a boy she has complicated feelings for” but thats kinda reductive for both their characters

vriska never particularly cares about spotlight or attention. these are not important to her. they have no connection to her trauma. she *does* care about getting to be the big hero, but its not because she wants the attention. hell by the end of her arc she explicitly does not care about glory and is perfectly willing to let (vriska) take all the credit for finding the juju.

vriskas whole deal is just wanting to be a hero. because everypony around her treated her like a bad person. and she never wanted to be a bad person. the things she does in act 5 are very clearly intended to set things in motion that were *already going to happen* so she can insert herself in and be the hero. she wasnt trying to get all her friends killed, she didnt wanna kill anypony, she very explicitly just wanted to be the hero. not for the glory, not for the attention, but for herself.

(im still waking up and i havent read homestuck in a while so whenever my sister wakes up shes the real vriska expert between us so ill let her correct me if i missed anything)

meanwhile.

asuka langley soryu is ALL about the spotlight. ALL about the attention. she wants to be noticed. she wants to be looked at. she pilots eva because she knows shes good at it and thinks if she makes it her whole life then people will finally notice her. because her own trauma is rooted *deep* in it. rooted in being ignored. having her own mother, broken by the contact experiment, pay more attention to a literal doll than to her.

asukas central issue is not one of wanting to be a hero or to atone for anything she might have been made to feel guilty about by her peers. her issue is that she, very much like shinji, is unable to form meaningful emotional connections with others. and not for lack of trying! she spends the whole show throwing herself at a man twice her age who very understandably has zero interest in her because *she is 13 years old*. she also spends it throwing herself at a boy who hates himself soooooooo much hes unable to let his guard down to let her in.

shes not faultless, though. her attempts at forming a connection are halfhearted at best because her traumas have closed *her* off too. she cant find it in herself to be vulnerable with anypony and therefore nopony really feels capable of being vulnerable with her. and she doesnt really understand it.

vriska never really struggles with this though. despite how thoroughly fucked her childhood was she never really worried about being ignored or being *replaced* or treated like an inanimate object or even making emotional connections. shes pretty good at making connections and with her practical inability to lie she really has a hard time *not* being her authentic self.

unlike asuka who, despite being *mostly* her authentic self, still keeps her vulnerable sides hidden. she cant let her guard down. she cant be weak. she cant let anypony take advantage of her. one of the few times shinji sees how much she actually hurts, she manages to deflect by calling him a perv and saying she knew he was staring at her chest the whole time.

and likewise, asuka doesnt really get labeled by everypony around her as a bad person? nor is she concerned with being a hero or trying to show everypony that she isnt a bad person. is she the type to do the thing nopony else seems willing to do? yes, but shes more concerned with finally getting the attention she thinks she deserves (which, yes, she absolutely does deserve it, please just look at this girl please dont ignore her and starve her), and jumping at the chance to do the thing is what she thinks will get her that attention.

this post is starting to run out of steam so ill wrap it up.

so, no, asuka langley soryu is indeed very much *not* a vriska. and vriska serket is very much *not* an asuka. yes they have some similarities yes they are both loud brash girls who receive WAY WAY WAY TOO MUCH SHIT from their respective fanbases by people who dont even bother to engage properly with the source material. hell i would even say theyre similar *enough* that theyd be total besties. but theyre also very much different characters in different stories whose central arcs do not overlap.

one is about learning how to establish connections with others and nurture them into something beautiful. the other is about being the girl who does what nopony else ever seems willing to do, the girl who does the hard things that nopony else ever steps up for. i think both are brilliant characters and both mean so incredibly much to me.

oh also i have explicitly only ever been referring to asuka langley soryu in this post. there is a reason i spelled out her whole name. asuka shikinami is a completely different character who i would argue is *much* closer to vriska than asuka soryu is. but thats a post for another time. this post was primarily only in response to the people i see calling asuka soryu a vriska or calling vriska an asuka.

[vraisetzen]

https://www.tumblr.com/vraisetzen/767046956775342080/historians-will-say-that-they-were-best?source=share

hi v,

i'm afraid i'm not a 'shipper,' but i'd be curious to know:

what are your top ten favourite anime ships?

Hi! Thank you for your question!

To be honest, I've left my shipping days far behind me especially since I got into writing Reader Inserts — I can't even remember the last time I rooted enthusiastically for a ship (besides Garashir and Janeway/Chakotay from Star Trek DS9 and Voyager).

(Also, I just wanna quickly clarify that I don't actually ship Mizuki and Gegero, even if I do see/understand why they're very popular when I saw the film. I was just awestruck by the official art, haha)

And I know there's currently a ton of debate surrounding shipping, to which I'd like say that I seldom have any icks or squicks when it comes to pairings. If I dislike a ship, it's probably because of a bad experience I had with their fans. However, I would add that my favourite ships are pretty vanilla and tame, and more often than not the result of my asking, "What if these two randoms were placed in a room with one bed together?" I love a niche pairing with zero fics written for them on AO3, lol.

So yeah, I'm gonna spotlight some of my niche pairings that I enjoy quite a fair bit! All of them are het and slash ships, I'm afraid, out of sheer coincidence that most of my favourite characters are male. I do love femslash/yuri ships as well, but they're generally quite popular, so I wouldn't be contributing anything new. They're not ranked in order of preference because I love them all!

Hijikata/Otae, Gin Tama: I love Otae so, so much, and I think she gets a ton of unwarranted hate from a vocal minority of the fandom on Twitter and Reddit. The GinTae vs GinTsu debate is still very real in 2024, but I think my girl deserves a man who earns a stable income and doesn't denigrate her appearance.

Koenma/Botan, Yu Yu Hakusho: The first of many niche pairings to come. Botan is such a lovely girl who is friendly with every one, but I get a kick out of imagining the two of them getting into all sorts of trouble and shenanigans whilst nagivating the bureaucratic hell that is, well, Hell, and falling in love in the process. And have you see the official art of them together? It's so cute!

Ogata/Sai, Hikaru no Go: I was so disappointed when I didn't find any content of them both! I think Ogata would have gone insane had he been the one to stumble upon Sai's Go board, before falling in love with him, and then into despair as he realised he cannot touch the one person he loved and idolised the most.

Muzan/Tamayo, Kimetsu no Yaiba: As a KnY fic writer, I feel obliged to include at least one ship from this fandom. I love all canon and fanon pairings in this work (a rare thing for me, personally), but I especially love the divorced couple dynamic between them both. The most recent season finale cemented that belief for me, and I do spend a lot of time brainrotting over their past before Muzan encountered Yoriichi.

Kusakabe/Utahime, Jujutsu Kaisen: I stumbled upon this fanart a long time ago, and thought: "Spectacular; give me 14 of them right now." He's an experienced First-Grade sorcerer who's honestly not the best teacher, she's a Second-Grade sorcerer who loves her students — they bond over their mutual irritation for Gojo and absolutely hooked up during the exchange event.

Shunsui/Ukitake, Bleach: What's there not to love about Old Men Yaoi? I've loved these two ever since I saw them, individually and a pairing, and I don't I will ever forgive Kubo for separating them in TYBW (albeit in a good way). The Hell arc was just the icing on the cake — a reverse star-crossed lovers, if you will.

Ryoga/Ranma, Ranma 1/2: I love a small-stakes rivalry, and there's something very cute about a guy who absolutely does not care about the gender of his opponent and will stop at nothing to fight them.

Shishiba/Osaragi, Sakamoto Days: Let it be known that I've clocked this couple ever since they first appeared in the manga, and I staunchly believe that they're endgame. Chapter 161 was everything — nothing can convince me otherwise that they're just mentor and mentee. Have you ever seen a mentee stroke her mentor's cheek as he laid bleeding on the ground, saying: "I'll be right back. Don't die"? Yeah, I thought so.

Mitsui/Yohei, Slam Dunk: I wish I could give a better explanation for why I love them so much, but really — the moment I saw Yohei beating the crap out of Mitsui with relative ease and zero effort despite being the smaller guy, I just felt the yaoi monster stirring in its sleep and shaking my bones. A former student athlete-turned-delinquent crossing paths with an actual delinquent makes for such fantastic tension, really.

Jotaro/Kira, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: I actually thought very long and hard about my favourite JJBA ship, because, like KnY, I love all of the characters and have no issue with either canon or fanon pairings. But then, I saw this fanart of JoKira/KiraJo, and it scratched such a specific itch inside my head that I have not been the same ever since.

Here it is! I had an fun time thinking about my favourite ships and choosing those that were truly obscure; some of them — HijiTae and ShunUki — are fairly popular, but I think my preference for them trumped any other rarepair I could have thought of for that fanbase.

xoxo, V ♥️

[namjoohyuk]

I get that he became an horrible person, but i mean… he was 31. He had a son. He died after a few weeks of absolute media hell, and in such a senseless way. It feels so inhumane to see this kind of thing go down and think “well, that’s what he deserved”.

He was clearly struggling for a long time, and i don’t think people completely grasp the full impact the kind of scrutiny and attention 1d were subjected to as young adults has on a developing sense of self and psyche, especially if there’s a pre existing vulnerability. Let alone what substance abuse does to your nervous system. Obviously this doesn’t condone his actions, but what i mean is… we like to think we’re getting so much better at advocating for mental health, but the reality is that often /this/ is what mental illness looks like, and it’s not pretty or easy to empathize with.

I just think about his family, his son, and i feel so sorry for them.

Sending you all my affection Sabrina… this has been a strange year for the both of us. Xxx

Ps I’m your yuta stan anon!

very well said. i agree.

people forget that liam’s been in the spotlight since he was 14 and he’s faced so much rejection since (not making it to the live shows as a solo artist, then losing his centre position in 1D to harry, failing as a solo artist after 1D). i can’t imagine the shit he’s been put through and the false promises he was made to believe. if i was in his position, i would have spiralled too.

and i don’t want to undermine the abuse allegations from maya. it’s very obvious from what she’s detailed in her books that he was not doing ok during that time but that doesn’t excuse his behaviour at all.

i want to hold him accountable for but i also feel some sympathy for him. he definitely wasn’t the liam i knew in 2010-2014….

ALSO HI YUTA ANON I THOUGHT OF YOU WHEN I PULLED MY YUTA PC!!!!!

[landslided]

your humble anon back to praise you for those casting choices!! rebecca demornay the absolute beauty!! and phoebe cates is so so perfect! please know i am cheering you on from the sidelines waiting to give you the kudos you so rightfully deserve. (and if you feel like sharing headcanons, i would love to hear about them! also, you mentioned being inspired by hacks so is miguel the ava to johnny's deborah? or is he just the catalyst to johnny's reemerging career? it's all so interesting however i can be patient i promise!!)

anoooon, thank you so much you are making my absolute DAY!! my response is super long so i’ll put it under a cut.

i am not very far in hacks so as of right now ava and deborah’s relationship is… tumultuous to say the least. i will admit, yes, miguel would be johnny’s ava in this context. they don’t have the same arc at all or the same bond but miguel is sort of this door for johnny into the modern world and all it includes.

in my mind, after his fall from grace (and i will get into that), johnny becomes a bit of a recluse. she moves from the heart of LA to a much more secluded place where she does what canon johnny does at the start of cobra kai, she works for a fixing company and makes very little money doing gigs. she doesn’t live from acting at all, she barely gets royalties and she doesn’t have ANY contact with her old friends and costars. miguel moves in her building where she has never been recognized before. in opposition to the face claims i gave, this johnny has gotten a bit more masc and butch in her older age and people wouldn’t immediately associate her now to the image of America’s Sweetheart Joanna Lawrence who was once in every magazine and was a double sided poster (on one side, johnny with her teased to hell blond hair, posing in roller skates with neon shorts and a shirt that says LOS ANGELES, on the other side, johnny at the beach, playing volleyball in a red bikini. she was everyone’s crush, she was THE sitcom it girl) but miguel does recognise her because he and rosa watch a lot of reruns from the 80´s comedy show she and danielle were in and he tries to befriend her for an autograph.

in doing so, miguel explains to johnny that a lot of people would pay a nice amount of money for autographs, for interviews, anything from this actress that disappeared from the public’s eye. the show back then was extremely popular and the 80´s nostalgia has hit america. johnny, for money but also to prove herself she can be more than what the world has told her, tries to reboot the show as an actress and writer (with miguel’s help) and that is when her path crosses danielle’s once again.

as for johnny’s downfall, there were rumors of alcohol (true), drugs (true), homosexuality (true) and her sleeping her way to the top (untrue and that’s why she was blacklisted for so long). she was arrested at 25 years old for crashing her car inside her manager’s house. it was seen as a coke fuelled accident (but in truth, johnny might have tried to murder kreese) and it completely burned her reputation.

miguel, robby and sam are all around 21/22 here because i admit getting a bit tired of writing high school experiences and also because i love the idea of johnny with a team of writers who are all so young and so social media trained that they have to block her out of twitter so she doesn’t get canceled before she can get back into the spotlight. aisha and tory will also make an appearance (and maybe the binary brothers as well).

danielle, as stated in my first post, is an A list celebrity (think kind of meryl streep ish in terms of legend BUT she hasn’t been filming in a long while). since miyagi’s death, danielle has had a hard time getting back onto the saddle of acting, motherhood is also extremely hard when you’re stuck in an heterosexual marriage as a lesbian, your daughter has fallen into some bad crowds and your son would sell pictures of you to TMZ for fortnite skins if you weren’t already paying for everything. she has been thinking of directing more and more (she has refused to do too much to her face and body apart from some hair dyes and a little botox which means that even if she did want to film, she won’t find a good role) and she has the ambition of maybe rebooting this 80´s comedy show she was once a part of but as a lead and director this time so when she learns that johnny is already on the case, she loses her mind a little.

i feel like im already giving quite a bit away here but im actually very excited to get into writing this!!!

thank you again, anon!!! you’re loooovely

[saralayne]

This Love ~ Part 10 🩵💜

Stand With Me

Tim asks his best friend to stand with him as his best woman.

Grand gestures were definitely not in Tim Bradfords wheelhouse. He liked to keep things simple. Well, that was until a hot shot rookie entered his life. Slowly but surely he became in tune with his feelings. To a point. He was still him in some ways. Lucy’s influence has definitely changed him.

The wedding details have all been taken care of. Lucy being Lucy had asked Tamara to be her maid of honour in an elaborate way. Because, of course she did. To be fair, Tamara was their daughter. Everything with Tamara deserved something big. Still, Lucy worked with Angela everyday and she hadn’t heard a story of Tim asking her to stand with him. Lucy knew she would have. “Babe, what did Ang say when you asked her to be your best woman” asking Lucy. “Umm. Nothing. Since I haven’t actually asked her” replying Tim. “WHAT!?! What the hell Tim?” screaming Lucy. “Whoa. Baby. Settle down Angela knows it will be her standing up there with me” muttering Tim. “Tim. She’s your best friend. She asked you to be her best man with macaroons and got down on one knee for gods sake. She deserves to at least officially be asked. She has been a cheerleader for us since the very beginning.” sharply Lucy added. “Ok. Ok. I will talk to her BUT Luce I’m not you. I’m not planning some over the top moment to ask her. Understand? I realize you went big with T. But she’s our daughter” smirking Tim. “Yeah. Yeah. I get it. Mr. grumpy pants. Just ask her”

As Tim drove to the station. Smiling to himself while rolling his eyes. Never in his life especially since Isabel, did he ever expect to be so influenced. Not only that, but be overtaken by a short, brown eyed beauty. Here he was. Absolutely a sucker for Lucy Chen. He wouldn’t have it any other way. As he thought about it. Lucy was right. Angela had been there for him for years. Standing beside him and supporting him through the darkest times of his life. Never wavering, no matter how hard he pushed people away. She was his ride or die for a long time now. She deserves to be properly asked to stand with him in the most important moment of his life. When he marries the love of his life. She was also their biggest supporter. Making Tim realize time after time that his feelings for Lucy were more than platonic. Bringing him out of his denial.

During a break in the day, Tim headed out to do a little shopping.

Lucy was helping the detectives with a case. They had been out doing some investigating. As they returned to Wilshire. Angela noticed a box with flowers placed on top of the box. “Uh oh. What is Wesley making up for now? questioning Nyla. Angela chucking. “Nothing to my knowledge. Usually I’m pretty in tune with his mess ups” whispering Angela. The flowers were a beautiful bouquet of yellow carnations. Yellow the colour of friendship. Lucy had a 100 watt smile smeared across her face. “Chen. What’s your deal?” asking Angela. “Oh look there’s a card. Read it” As Angela read the card. Not able to wipe the smile off her face. “Oh. This is all your doing isn’t it Chen?” asking Angela. “I don’t know what your talking about” smirking Lucy. “Tim Bradford. A grand gesture. He didn’t get here on his own. Macaroons. The same way I asked him to be my Man Of Honour” questioning Angela. “Again, I don’t know what your taking about. What does the card say?” muttering Lucy. Angela began laughing. Skimming the note before reading it out loud.

“Lopez. I can’t pull a fast one on one of the best detectives in LA. (Sorry, my almost wife is a detective now. So you will have to share the spotlight) so yes, Lucy might of had a hand in this gesture. BUT that doesn’t take away what your friendship has meant to me and continues to mean to me. I could go on and on. Not gonna completely turn into fiancée. Will you be my best woman and stand up with me?”

“Oh my gosh. Bradford has turned into a complete softie” whispering Nyla. “Yeah, he has. I wonder who’s influence is responsible for this?” Angela turning towards Lucy. “Again, I don’t know what you are talking about?” responding Lucy sharply. “Uh. Huh. Well I guess I better not keep him waiting for my answer. Or maybe I should?” laughing Angela.

Tim was buried in paperwork when there was a knock at his door. Angela enjoying one of the macaroons Tim had gifted her.

“So. I see you got my gift?”

“Yes I did. I gotta say. These macaroons are delicious”

“I’m sure. And, do you have anything to say to me?”

“Well. Maybe. You know what the best part of getting your gift was?”

“What is that?”

“Your fiancée was there and she was very smug about it. Are you sure you wanna marry someone more smug than you?”

“Ok, she might have had a small part in this. But she was right. You deserved to be asked. And to answer your question. Lucy acting smug just shows that I trained her well. I can’t wait to marry her. You, my best friend had it all figured out. She is without a doubt the love of my life. Thank you for pulling me out of my denial and getting my head on straight”

“Well. I am LA’s best detective” giving Tim a big smirk. “But, anyone with eyes could see the way you looked at her, and the way she looked at you. You both should win a medal for the level of denial you were in. I’m just glad I could be a part of guiding you in the right direction. Really, your only direction. All joking aside. It has been a pleasure and a joy to watch your love story come alive. I have never seen you happier. She brings out the best parts of you. You do the same for her. It’s almost nauseating how joyful she is all day long. You complete her”

“So…Is that a yes?”

“Yes. Bradford. I would love to stand up with you. Be your best woman when you finally say I DO”

“Ok. Get out of here Lopez. Let me finish my paperwork so I can get home to my beautiful fiancée”

“Gross. You two are sickening. Alright, later Bradford”

“Later Lopez”

[amemenojaku]

character ask prompt: yuyuko!

General opinion/How much I care about them: There's a LOT to unpack with Yuyuko so I'll start with the easy things first. She's one of the first characters with matter to work with, actually the first one period imo, with a real story to dig in that makes her feel more than a cute girl in a bullet hell game so props to her for that!! There's a good contrast between her absolutely tragic backstory and her personality in the present that makes her character both endearing and disturbing at the same time, her boss fight stood up to time despite being 20 years old now, and she's gorgeous, so it's no wonder she's become so iconic. I think some of the older characters don't... """deserve""" (words a bit strong but it's the only thing I can come up with rn) the spotlight they always get but Yuyuko really does imo. Now for the more personal parts... :-) I have a very visceral relationship with parts of her character, and despite the funny ghost personality she makes me feel unbelievably sad sometimes. It's not just because of that one thing in her backstory, it's like... a whole package!! so it's tough to say how much I like her exactly

A ship I love: I don't have a preferred choice for her. I like some classic yukayuyu and I've been fond of Satori/Yuyuko for around a year (pretends that one specific line they dropped after teasing the ship for months doesn't exist), and I enjoy the aesthetic of Yuyuko/Youmu a lot even if I don't ship it as long as Youmu doesn't look like a baby. But she's such a free spirit (hah) to me that I can't bring myself to have strong feelings for any of those

A non-romantic relationship that I love: One day someone drew past Yuyuko with Hieda no Are's reincarnation of that time (Ami I think?) and I have not been the same person ever since!!! There's something to do with Yuyuko and Akyuu and the ideas of past and forgotten memories and classics (sorry for including litt in all of those btw.) and I'd love to see it. Or make it. When my brain isn't overwhelmed by so many ideas anymore. I think next time Yukari visits Akyuu for the chronicles she should bring Yuyuko along.

The NOTP: Nothing comes to mind

My biggest headcanon about them: I've seen people talk about the idea that she's a skeleton under the layers of her kimono and it's so disturbing it loops back to being excellent. Also... maybe some of her senses never fully came back - I like to think the sense of smell especially.

An idea for a fanwork I would like to make/see about them: The aforementioned Yuyuko & Akyuu story, and I've also wanted to draw something based on Saigyo Hoshi's poems for a very long time but I need to do some more research for that. One day.....

Something that makes me think of them: Cherry blossoms ofc lol, but to avoid the obvious answer I want to mention I thought of her pretty often during my jp litt classes despite the fact that we never studied Saigyo's works..... she was just there and it stayed

[winns-stuff]

LO APPRECIATION:

Lord, I am so upset at myself for forgetting about one of my most favorite character in the series. I’m sorry y’all I’ve been doing so many damn rants that I’ve been lacking with the appreciation side of my page. Anyways, I would like all of you to give a standing ovation to a nymph who’s more than worthy of the spotlight (although I hated the way they decided to present her) and is more beautiful than half of the main cast because she was absolutely gorgeous, I’d like you all to give a warm welcome to Leuce.

Listen, I wanna get out one thing. I love her so much, I was literally one of the people defending her when the fans tried to tear her a new one for even being close to Hades. I’m gonna say it now, if Leuce was really into Hades and genuinely wanted him for herself she could’ve had him in any universe. But he honestly doesn’t deserve someone as beautiful as she is. I love everything about her and she didn’t deserve half of the haters she gained from that fucking chapter, it will forever irk the hell out of me. Now y’all know how Minthe felt when Persephone literally did the SAME THING.

But onto the things I love about her, one thing is her personality. She seemed so kind but she had so much self confidence, like in that moment I felt like she could flip the conversation to her at any given moment. I never had such interest in a character, or no that’s a lie I have but it’s been a while since that interest had been brought out. I’m glad that Leuce knew who she was, even when Hades declined her she still held her head high and walked out of the room, unlike Persephone who can’t take no from anyone and starts begging and crying like a literal baby, Leuce was always mature and so sophisticated. She never spoke out of turn or tried to manipulate the conversation to be in her standard, no meant no with her and I’m glad that the “replacement Persephone” was way better than the actual one.

Also speaking of that nickname, Leuce was never a replacement just an upgrade.

Next thing I wanna talk about is her aesthetic, she has one of the most beautiful designs ever and I absolutely hate the fact that she was really just used as more HxP leverage. She’s so much more than that, she was so pleasing to the eye and whenever I saw her it was like smelling a person who bathed in lovely soaps for like 60 years (weird analogy but think about it cause that’s how it felt for me) and whenever she spoke every word made me want to hear more from her. There’s never been such an alluring and captivating character like that in the whole series! Yes, I know it’s a shame that Rachel didn’t try to make Aphrodite more like that but what can you do I guess.

Another thing I loved about her is her dress, I know we’ve seen similar looking dresses in LO but something about hers is just gorgeous to me. I love everything about it that dress is amazing to me. The silhouette, the little corset in the middle, the armband, the way it just mysteriously travels down her body and everything is amazing. I’ve never loved an outfit more, except maybe Artemis’ god form, but none of the outfits in LO have been as good as hers and there’s a few people I can think of who equate to her but not many.

I adored the way her hair looks as well, I’ve never been so mesmerized about seeing curls in so long but everything about it is so amazing and wonderful. The length is perfect, the way the curls sit on top of her head are perfect, everything about her hairdo just exudes perfection. I feel like if they gave her any other hairstyle, believe me she’d still look absolutely amazing, it wouldn’t have the same effect as the bun does. Especially since the little flowers are just decorated in her hair, it’s amazing and even though I wish she were more accurate and not a flower nymph because let’s be real, flower nymphs are not the only nymphs in Olympus I’m still so obsessed with the way they look on her and her only.

Last thing I loved about her appearing in the episode was how many beautiful redesigns came out of it. I personally love seeing redesigns because they’re all always so good and well thought out but the way that Leuce’s appearance brought out so many talented people is crazy. No matter who it is they’re always so good.

Anyways, that’s the end of the appreciation for this post but it won’t be for me of course. I’ll always love and appreciate Leuce, she could’ve been one of the best characters honestly. But I just hate that she was just supposed to be a sugar baby for Hades, not that the sugar baby part is the bad thing I just hated how Rachel tried to make it seem like that was all she was. I hate how Leuce was only used to make Persephone look like “the better woman”, it’s always with women who are either more confident or comfortable in their own sexualities. Like it genuinely irks me so much that no woman is deserving of a good ending or happy love life in LO if they’re not HxP. There’s more things about the way Leuce is introduced that pisses me off but I can’t think of it now and besides, this is supposed to focus more on the appreciation of Leuce not how terribly the comic treated her.

[chidoroki]

Black Clover ch359

When we left off with Mereoleona becoming a blazing inferno last month, I sure as hell wasn’t expecting us to come straight back to something like THIS!! Damn it, Acier, way to send me into an absolute panic! My man’s serious wound ain’t even the worst part of these panels (for me personally). Unfortunately, I had a feeling he was gonna get hurt by Acier sometime during this fight and then we would have Noelle come charging in to save her siblings, which does end happening of course, but what really bums me out is that we skip right to this moment. I had SO MANY thoughts about how the Acier vs Silva siblings fight could've went and here we are.. skipping the whole thing entirely. I was so damn excited five chapters ago thinking that we could finally have Nozel get a well deserved power up and prove how strong he’s become to the woman he respects so much, not only in terms of his magic, but as a captain and head of house as well just as Acier was. I was even looking forward to see if Nebra & Solid would use some kind of new magic or something too, but nah, we get yet another big moment for Noelle. Don’t get me wrong, I love Noelle and I’m very happy to finally see her again after what feels like forever, but I wish we could’ve seen so much more of Acier fighting her three eldest children first.

Now, seeing Nebra & Solid struggle during the fight is something I very much expected from them, both physically and emotonally. As I said back during ch354, I don’t believe their magic would be nearly as strong enough to even damage Acier. Hell, if Nozel had trouble with his mercury, then there was no way their mist or water was gonna put a dent in their mother’s steel. Even if their magic attributes seem to be at a disadvantage, their emotions are obviously taking a toll on them as well as they simply can’t handle the thought of facing their own mother.

In all the Acier flashbacks we’ve seen in the past, she’s obviously been shown to be powerful but so caring, so to see lowkey scold her children like this and call them weak in the next couple panels is kinda hilarious to me but I love it all the same. But please don’t blame yourself ma’am, your death was totally not your fault.

Noelle sweetheart, I adore you but could you have let your siblings have some spotlight for at least five minutes?? Aahh but I can’t deny this is such a great panel of her and of course I thank her for stepping in to help out regardless of how the siblings treated her in the past. But we really must thank Acier, everyone in this darn family is so beautiful with those Silva genes.

Speaking of siblings, I’m surprisingly not too worried about Nozel..? Granted, I had a heart attack once I saw the raw leaks of Acier making him into a shish kebab, but sadly this ain’t his first time getting impaled and he could very well patch up his own wound with his mercury as he did once before to provide some temporary relief. When he was attacked by Letoile/Kivn during the Elf Reincarnation arc, he completely collapsed onto the ground after being struck by the compass magic. Now this may be my own Silva bias, but I’m sure Acier’s magic is several times stronger, so the fact that a steel lance to the gut only brought Nozel down to his knees is kinda impressive? His grimoire is also still intact at the moment too, so that’s a big plus. I’m still incredibly worried though.. my dude needs a break. And to prove himself against his mother, damn it!

I know Asta’s sudden disappearance was real hard on Noelle and she has every right to cry about it a little, but I’m so proud how quick she regained her focus and fighting spirit. She failed, she cried, she got over it and now she’s more determined than ever to improve for her sake and other’s and I love that about her.

To see Kahono (& Kiato) return outta nowhere was so unexpected but still a very welcomed surprise for me. We haven’t seen these two in ages! (but makes me wonder if Noelle really went from the capital all the way to the sea near Raque just to have her emotional moment. How dramatic. But you do you girl.)

I wanna say this whole sea dragon idea came outta nowhere, but I do vaguely remember the underwater people chatting about a sea god way back during the Seabed Temple arc, so to have it at appear during this moment.. that was some nice timing. I can’t be mad at it, honestly. Kinda fits the Chekhov’s Gun trope too I think.

It also makes a decent replacement for Undine, since I completely forgot up until this moment that her time with Noelle was a temporary thing until Lolopechka was successfully saved. More importantly, just look at it! How could I be mad or upset at that little face?? It’s adorable. The name is actually kinda simple too, compared to what Noelle wanted to nickname Secre way back. I was half expecting Noelle to come up with another ridiculous name for it.

Again, super happy that this final arc is bringing back so many familiar faces and I hope this means we get to see others like Mars show up eventually too. But pardon me derailing my train of thought for a moment as I focus on Nozel once again. While his injury is still a major concern, at least we have someone (aka: Kahono) capable of healing nearby. I dunno if her song magic can heal up such a serious wound, but every little bit helps. Noelle’s sudden appearance also makes me wonder if Secre & Mimosa are still around the capital? The three of them were together at the ceremony before Lucius attacked and despite Noelle going off on her own to the sea at some point, either one of those ladies could assist with Nozel’s current situation too. OR BETTER YET, perhaps the Black Bulls could be on their way as well. We all know Grey’s magic is capable of saving people (such as Gauche) who get impaled. And I’m gonna be so hopeful with this wish because it would be such a slim chance, but I’d scream for joy if Vanessa came to help him with Rouge. Yeah the cat only works on those Vanessa cares about, but the magic also works on those physically close to our witch. It might not help the injury Nozel has now, but Rouge could prevent any more damage..maybe? I am trying very hard to stay positive for this man if you couldn’t already tell.

All my worries aside, this new armor of Noelle’s is simply stunning! That “Sea God Arrives” ost better play whenever this scene gets animated.

(Still wish Nozel could’ve received an upgrade like this or something but alright honey, go off!)

[whyareweallawakerightnow]

Saturday

Uhgggggggg I didnt sleep last night. At all. I just laid there all night long. Ive had 2 lattes already and it's not even noon. He asked me how myra was this morning, and I just sent 2 pictures of her. He replied but I didn't. I need the ball back in my court. Is that what that means? I think it is. I need the power back. It's killing me though. It really is.

I tried ordering Publix groceries, they really tried charging me $4 for PICKUP. When did they even start doing that. Ridiculous. So now I'm trying to convince myself to get up and go in the store, I could get more things because I have cash. I really have no desire to though, I had hot Cheeto fries for breakfast. Is that even considered breakfast? I guess it's good that I'm even eating. I can drink coffee now too, so thats good.

My friend drove all the way to the beach to meet a guy she met off tinder, got a hotel room, and then he said he was the hotel bar (where she was) and then he never replied to her. After a few minutes, he blocked her on everything. The GALL of these men!!! I personally think she looks better in person than she does in pictures (she's beautiful, just not good at taking pictures lol) and I'm thinking, he didn't find you attractive in person?? I mean I get someone not being attracted to someone but how fucking low could you be as a person? I told her she dodged a huge bullet, even tho I know it doesnt feel like it now.

I haven't talked to my bestfriend in over a month. Me and K are the modern day merideth and Christina. Dark and twisty. But we're each others person. Or atleast we use to be. She got pregnant by someone she only knew 1 month, after leaving me to move back to FL after I went all the way down there to get her after her ex kicked her out of the house. Literally, threw all her shit outside. Me and ty had to rent a uhaul and pay for everything. Her baby daddy sucks. Ive never even met the guy. That's the biggest kicker of all, she always wants me to meet the men in her life. I never met the abusive ex and I never met this guy. Can't wonder why. Im worried about her, but honestly she's never been a good friend to me. It's so hard to admit that but everyone around me has told me that so many times.

I let her move in with me, rent free, while she was taking money from one of Ty's friends for rent and spending it herself. I struggled so bad but I just wanted her safe so it was worth it to me. Even when it was putting so much pressure on me. I just loved her through it. She kept bringing different men over, letting them stay the night, leaving them at my house when she wasn't there. Even after I told her to stop because my house is the one place in my world that I feel safe, even after I told her it made me uncomfortable.

Im always there for her, always. Always putting the pieces back together. But she never does the same for me. She hates ty. I never understood why, and a few months ago she said it was because she was jealous of the attention he was getting, how shitty is that? She made my life hell for all those months she lived with me because she was jealous. Because she is jealous, about everything, when the spotlight is off of her.

I hate that. I don't consider myself a jealous person. maybe in some ways everyone is, but shes not my friend. She hasn't asked about me, she hasn't checked on me and I can guarantee you if asked about it, I'm the one who should have checked in on her because shes pregnant. It's never about me. Even with p, she literally sent me a text saying "are you going to be sad forever? you need to get over it, you can't feel like this forever." She said that. To me. After I got my heart absolutely smashed. I don't think I ever put all those dots together but I am now. Which sucks because I poured soooo much into her, as I do all things apparently.

I don't know why ii think I'm less than, or that I don't deserve anything good. Quite honestly I don't know how I keep pouring from an empty cup, because I am so empty. But I always show up. When no one shows up for me. Wha else is it going to take? How many times do I need to be told that Im not enough?

Saturday sucks and every other day sucks too.

[smokeybrandreviews]

Stay Woke

This topic is a little out of character for me but i ind of want to address it because I've been seeing it in the cultural discourse more and more. Is Ice Spice mid? The short answer is yes. She is very, very, mid. But, to be honest, so is the entire Drill scene. That type of rap is just bunk to me. Say what you will about my taste in music, i am old as f*ck so i get it, Drill is just the rap version of Dubstep and i hate that sh*t, too. Now, that’s just the genre I'm speaking about. Obviously, there are dope Drill artists. Couldn’t name them because i don’ f*ck with Drill like hat bu I'm sure here are great Drill Rappers out here. I’m sure her are great female Drill Rappers out here. Ice Spice ain’t one of them.

Credit here credit is due, this new joint she’s featured on is dope as f*ck. Boy’s a Liar pt. II is a PinkPantheress song and that sh*t slaps. It’s the beat for me. That mess reminds me of a solid Shoujo anime opening. Seriously, if you put that sh*t over the opening of Chobits or Nana, and it wouldn’t even feel out of place. Gorgeous production and PinkPantheress’ vocals compliment that sh*t perfectly. Even Ice Spice’s verse matches the music damn near effortlessly. Like, the song is a bop and deserves all of the shine it’s getting. That said, Spice’s lyrics are dog sh*t. They’re elementary. I’ve heard better rhymes from high school students. The song, itself, is a great f*cking time but that’s because all the components congeal into this sublime audio experience. Taking Spice on her own? Just judging her ability on that feature? Man, ma is trash and that’s kind of the running theme throughout her catalog.

She’s a pedestrian lyricist at best. I can’t even say her flow is dope because she ad-libs WAY too much. Look up the lyrics to Munch and tell me they’re good. Hell, the only reason Munch is a thing in the song, is because she needed to rhyme something with lunch. Bro, points for clever thinking but really? Munch? And that’s just the hook! The entire song is just juvenile rhyme schemes and uninspired punchlines. And it’s her biggest record! Munch is what put her in the spotlight! THAT sh*t is the hit that got her name out there, which is ridiculous because literally every other attempt, outside of the PinkPantheress feature, is worse! Bikini Bottom, No Clarity, In Ha Hood; All them, trash! There’s no hook. There’ no uniqueness to them at all. It’s all just derivative drivel so why is she getting such a goddamn push? Literally it’s because she’s light skinned and beautiful.

I’m so sincere when i say this: Ice Spice is a f*cking bombshell. Ma is devastatingly bewitching. Dummy thicc, redbone, with big eyes, big lips, wide hips, and little tits? Bro, that’s the dream right there, especially among black dudes. I watched my little brother’s friend group cannibalize itself when one of those was introduced. I get it. My chic looks a lot like Ice Spice but with a smaller but, bigger boobs, and a button nose. I absolutely understand the allure and so does she, apparently. She knows that she’s hot, ma tells you every chance she can get in her records, but that’s basically it. That’s all she ever says in her record. Her EP is filled with songs that sound exactly the same. Sh*t, dude, her entire marketing push, before Munch, was just her posting thirst traps on Tik Tok with promos for her singles. And the sh*t worked because she a certified baddie! But that doesn’t change the fact that she is, musically, lyrically, mid as f*ck.

Look, I'm not out here trying to despairing ol’ girl or change any minds. I enjoy Ice Spice, to an extent. She’s young s f*ck, only started rapping, like, five years ago, and has potential. I don’t think she’s anywhere near as talented as Doja Cat or Cardi B but ma can grow into that role as she develops her ability. If she develops her ability. The aforementioned Doja Cat has come a long way from MOOO! (B*tch, I’ m a Cow). She also leaned heavy into her dummy thicc, redbone-ness and look how far that got her. The difference being that Doja is actually a good rapper. Her content, lyrical prowess, and overall flow have a distinct feel to them but, at the same time, vary from song to song. She has content for days. Ice Spice needs to diversify like that. She needs to find HER voice and not just Generic Drill Chick. Until then, she’s another a mid rapper with a pretty face.