#also I don't understand half of what I'm doing bcs no one explained anything (I guess that's the point?)

[mint-ty]

in need of a miracle pill from feeling like a waste of space 💊

[nereidprinc3ss]

okay i know this is kind of a specific request but can you do something with professor Spence and uni reader where they get into a spat and argue bc she did something stupid and he gets mad and she’s like “noooo pls don’t be mad i hate when you’re mad at me I’m sorry🥺” bc she literally cannot function knowing she let him down (me with everybody) but he’s like super stubborn and goes all closed up and quiet so that he doesn’t like blow up on her until she finally says like “pls talk to me” and he’s all pissed and like “hell na bitch u crazy!🗣️‼️” but then later he’s like “it’s ok i love u but neva do that shit again ho” then they make up and it’s good again 🎀 ok i explained that so poorly (and comedically if i may) but i hope u get it and pls make it SO DRAMATIC bc I live for drama! like she steals test answers or something or does something that could like get her kicked out of school OR him lose his job 🤔 sigh … idk I’m leaving now. Also i LOOPOOOCE ORRKGOOVI love your fics. Luv em

hey girl (gender neutral) this made me laugh bc genuinely sometimes i write spencer so ooc that is what he sounds like. and i'm not sorry! anyway this is potentially a vyvanse fueled nightmare but i wrote it and i'm posting it MY BLOG MY RULES BITCHESSSS!!!! but genuinely read the content warning LMAO this one got a lil kick to it

warnings/tags: ANGST, HURT/COMFORT, fem!reader, spencer and r get into a for real argument like they're mean to each other, spencer is a lil toxic but its resolved, emotionally neglects reader just for a teeensy second but then he's really nice and sweet again, discussion of his past addic+ion, gets fluffy because i'm not EVIL, gets suggestive at the end bc i am secretly evil.......

a/n: i don't know whats happening. this confuses me just as much as it confuses you. its 3 am in the morning. im gonna post nice happy things soon. Gootbye

“I cannot believe you right now. I don’t even—I don’t even know what to say.” 

“Spencer, you don’t have to say anything. It has nothing to do with you, and I’m not looking for your approval.” 

He looks up from where he’d been rubbing his temples, like you’re a headache, eyebrows raised and lips parted in indignant disbelief. 

“Oh! You’re not looking for my approval? Well thank god for that, because if you were one of my students I would recommend expulsion to the board.” 

“Are you fucking kidding me? I just said I don’t care about your opinion on this, much less your hypothetical opinion from some alternate universe where you have any authority over my education whatsoever.” 

“You distributed an answer key to half of your class! Objectively this is the kind of thing that gets people expelled. I don’t understand how someone so smart could do something so fucking stupid.” 

The words bite more than you were prepared for—but what hurts even more is how much he seems to mean them. In arguments past you’d both said things you didn’t mean, and then would immediately melt into I’m so sorry’s and the fight would resolve itself. Spencer’s clenched jaw and inability to make eye contact with you do not lend themselves to tender apologies. They cannot be attributed to miscommunication. 

You take a step closer to where he’s bracing himself against the countertop, arms crossed defensively in front of your chest. 

“Spencer, I’m sorry. I didn’t think it was such a big deal. People cheat in college all the time.” 

Still no reply. His head shakes so minutely you wonder if you’re imagining it. Panic wells in your chest. 

“Please talk to me. I really hate when you ice me out. I’m sorry, okay? Just... please say something.” 

Finally, his eyes slide to you. They lack the fiery anger of moments ago but there’s not much softness there either. His normally warm gaze now feels too abrasive, too cold and sharp on your bare skin. You're exposed, much too soft for that grating look, and it feels like he can see everything that’s wrong with you. 

“Believe me when I tell you this. I am doing us both a favor by not speaking to you right now.” 

And then he’s leaving the kitchen—nothing but a breeze against your cheek and the sound of a door slamming to prove he was ever there. 

The apartment is silent. You stand in the middle of the kitchen, unsure of what to do next. Spencer very, very rarely gets angry at you to the point of neglect, and you know he’s doing his best with what was modelled for him as a child and his tendency to feel things so deeply it’s nearly disabling; but that doesn’t make it hurt much less. It doesn’t make you feel less abandoned or alone.  

You’re sad, and you’re still pissed, and maybe you’re in just a bit of shock as you robotically move back to your nest of blankets on the couch and resume your schoolwork. What else is there to do? Unless Spencer is right—unless you really are about to get expelled after getting the answer key for an upcoming test from a friend, who then gave it to another friend, and so on. But is that really your fault?  

It’s a struggle to stay focused as your mind keeps drifting back to Spencer in the other room, those cruel words and that cold steely look in his eye that isn’t supposed to ever be aimed at you. It’s not a secret that side of him exists, but it doesn’t belong in this apartment. It’s not something he needs to use against you. He’s supposed to be on your side. But instead, he’d said you should be expelled and essentially called you stupid. And now you’re doing homework for a class at a school you may not even be a student of come Monday. 

---------------------------------------------------

The sound of the office door opening forty-five minutes later spikes your blood pressure and simultaneously makes your heart flutter, because no matter how mad at him you might be, Spencer is still Spencer.  

He comes to stand behind the couch quietly, but you don’t acknowledge him. Maybe your typing gets a bit more aggressive, but aside from that you flat out reject his presence. 

“Can we talk?” 

You let him sweat for a minute as you finish your paragraph. 

“I don’t know, Spencer. Can we? Or are you not done with your temper tantrum?” 

“That is... well deserved,” he sighs, rounding the couch and tapping the bottom of your foot, signaling that he wants you to move your legs. You despise how automatically you comply, pulling your knees to your chest to avoid touching him as he sits next to you. There’s a long moment of silence, in which you resume typing. Spencer scoffs, leaning in slightly to peer at your screen. “Are you doing homework right now? I’m a complete asshole to you and you just... do your homework?"

“What the fuck else was I supposed to do?” you almost-yell, slamming your laptop shut and blinking away potential tears. “The only person I wanted to talk to called me stupid and fucking left!” 

The tears realize their potential once you admit the blunt truth. 

Spencer carefully moves your laptop and pulls you into his arms—and you just let him. There’s not much fight left in you. There wasn’t a lot to begin with. 

“I am so sorry, angel. You’re right, I shouldn’t have done that. I shouldn’t have yelled, I shouldn’t have said what I said, I shouldn’t have walked away. I overreacted.” 

“Yeah, you really did,” you cry, allowing him to run his hand over your hair. “Why did you do that? Why were you so fucking mean?” 

His voice shakes slightly as he responds, betraying his own anxieties, and a new, unwelcome sense of trepidation slithers through your veins. 

“I was wondering that, too. Even as I was saying it, I knew—I knew it wasn’t what I wanted to be saying. And then I was in the other room and I wanted to be out here, and I couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t. But I think I was just scared. Which—I know, doesn’t really make sense, but... I think about when Ethan dropped out of the academy, and ended up doing heroin in New Orleans for three years, and I think about when I almost left the BAU because I was so convinced I’d never get clean that I didn’t even want to anymore, and—and the idea of you losing your education and your direction like that terrified me, probably unreasonably, and I took it out on you. And I’m sorry.” 

“But I’m not like you or Ethan. You don’t have to worry about that. Even if I... even I do get in some sort of disciplinary trouble. That’s a road you don’t have to worry about me going down, ever.” 

He fixes some unseen wrinkle on your shirt.  

“Yeah, but, remember... I used to not be like me or Ethan either. Do you think twelve-year-old Spencer would have ever even considered that of the infinite realities and universes which exist, he was living in one where someday he’d be shooting up in the bathroom at work?” 

“Mm-mm,” you hum, shaking your head and burying your face in Spencer’s shoulder. The sound is more of a plea for him to be less descriptive than an answer to his rhetorical question. It’s still much easier for him to talk about that part of his life than it is for you to have to actually imagine it. You didn’t know him then, but you’ve seen pictures, and you know Spencer now, and it’s... it’s just too much. Too sad. 

“Okay,” he agrees soothingly, still playing with your hair. “I digress. My point is that literally anything is possible, and while it’s not necessarily likely, I more than anyone know that anxiety even over the most improbable of things is never completely unfounded.”  

You sniffle in response, too emotionally and physically exhausted to contribute much to the conversation by this point. Thankfully, Spencer can talk for two. An idiosyncrasy which you love and comes in handy every once in a while. He can play his own devil’s advocate; in this case, you. 

“But that doesn’t mean I get to take it out on you. Ever. I truly, truly, sincerely apologize for that. I never want to hurt you.” 

You let the apology sink into your skin like a salve, soothing every abrasion those earlier words had left in their violent wake. 

After a few minutes, you find the energy to ask a question that might best remain unanswered. 

“Are you still mad at me?” 

He’s quiet for a beat, seemingly contemplative as his fingers trace abstract patterns in a language all his own on your arm. 

“I’m not thrilled. But you were right earlier. It’s not my place to be mad at you for something like that.” 

“Mm... it’s a little bit your place. You’re an actual professor.” 

He chuckles. 

“At an entirely different university.” 

“Thank god,” you laugh. “You and me at the same school would be such an HR clusterfuck.”

While it’s almost a serious matter, the smile in his voice is evident. 

“Yeah... I, uh... try not to think about it.” 

“Okay, but seriously. In your professional opinion. Am I fucked? Like, do I need to prepare an appeal and character witnesses or whatever?” 

Spencer sighs. 

“It was incredibly reckless and irresponsible. You should be ready for disciplinary pushback from the schoolboard if you get caught. That being said... because over sixty of you got a hold of the answer key, I doubt anyone is getting expelled, and even if they did, it would likely only be the TA and the student he gave the key to. It’s my tentative, professional opinion that you’ll probably be fine.” 

You relax slightly, allowing a tension you didn’t realize was there to shed like an old skin. 

“I’m not gonna cheat again,” you promise on an exhale. It’s simply too much risk for too little reward.

Spencer’s response is quiet, and comes much faster than you’d expected. 

“Oh, I know you aren’t. Because if you do, you’re going to have to worry about disciplinary action from me. And I’m not nearly as nice as the dean of your school, darling girl.” 

But something about the way he says it—a thinly veiled threat/promise contrasted by a sweet kiss to your forehead—doesn’t exactly make academic honesty look all that exciting.

[cursedvida]

It's really crazy to me to see the hate Mae gets, like I was reading some reviews and I can understand not liking a character but as soon as they start with the name calling their opinion is invalid to me because they have no reason to be calling her a bitch, among other things, like it just reeks of mysogyny, (it's like they just want an excuse to call women names) and seeing it coming from other girls makes it worse like..

"Oh the girl was such a bitch why did she do that 🙄" ..is it really that hard to think for a moment about the circumstances in which mae was raised?? Do they need it spell it out for them?? Like, c'mon guys do you really think that the people trapped in a bunker for generations have anything nice to teach/say about the apes?? Wes Ball please give us Mae's backstory in the sequel!! Your audience needs it bc they are out there calling Mae the real villain and saying Proximus was right 💀 (when he was literally everything Caesar hated in an ape)

Look, I'm usually a polite person when expressing my opinions, but I'm fed up with the hate towards Mae, basically because the arguments people give seem incredibly basic to me, typical of people with little to no understanding. Sometimes I doubt if these people have watched the same movie as me or maybe they have some sort of cognitive dissonance, but seriously, I find them ridiculous. Either that, or they are basically the typical comments from misogynistic guys or women with internalized misogyny who can't stand morally gray and questionable female characters.

And well, having said that, I'm going to present my doctoral thesis on this topic:

One of the things I've seen the most is people saying that Mae is evil, the true villain, or an ungrateful traitor to Noa. This argument seems quite incomprehensible to me because, even though we don't have much data about her, I believe there's something very important that explains why she acts as she does: the Proximus apes killed the people in her group, including her mother. I mean: her damn mother. If we add to that the UNDERSTANDING (I mean, you have to be very short-minded not to assume something so obvious) that she has been raised in an environment where they've probably told her all her life that the apes are the reason for all the evils of humanity and the main reason why humans live in shitty conditions, I think anyone with half a brain has enough information to understand why she does what she does.

Yes, Noa is a good guy, but he's not helping her. Noa and Mae have a common goal and decide to ally themselves momentarily to achieve that goal, which is to reach Proximus. As much as they've formed a bond throughout the story, it's not yet strong enough for Mae to set aside what she has worked for so hard. Mae not only bears the weight of humanity on her shoulders but also emotionally carries the idea that she, as the sole survivor of her group, must complete the mission at all costs. Are those who criticize her telling me that if they truly thought that with certain actions they could not only save their species but also honor their loved ones who have been killed infront their eyes, they wouldn't do them? And that they wouldn't do them for someone they've just met, no matter how much they like them? That's just not realistic, it makes no sense. We would all do the same as Mae in her situation. I mean, I have no doubts.

Another thing I love is when they say she's the "true villain" as if it weren't clear enough that she feels bad every time since she forms a bond with Raka and Noa when she does something that she knows may harm them. She feels pain for Raka's death and clearly, you can also see the conflict and remorse when she detonates the bomb. It's not something she enjoys doing, but she HAS to do it. In the final scene, even though she's carrying a gun, you can also clearly see her in conflict with herself. Clearly, she doesn't want to kill him. Clearly, she has nothing against Noa, and this is evident when she finally accepts the necklace and they even shake hands. You can't tell me that's the attitude of a villain, narratively it's not presented as such, and seeing it that way is to have understood nothing.

Mae is a complex character whose life is based on survival, she's no different from the characters we're used to loving and idolizing in other post-apocalyptic series, the difference here for me is that she's human and humans have to be bad by default and also that she's a woman. Because female characters always have to be the support, the romantic interest, or the unconditional friends of heroic male characters, and Mae is none of that. Mae is a character with her own story and ambitions that go beyond Noa's plot. Mae has her own plot, and it seems that's something that bothers people a lot.

I'm sorry, but the hate towards Mae seems very similar to the one people had for Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones, which basically stemmed from people being misogynistic and hating complex and imperfect female characters, combined with how much they hate seeing protagonist characters with such human and real characteristics that they can't bear the idea of seeing themselves reflected in them.

But hey, for Sansa Stark, I would have killed, and now for Mae too. Mae haters basically DNI

[destinysbounty]

I understand why Garmadon is usually considered the main villain of Ninjago as a series. Like, I get that on a meta level. It's not an altogether inaccurate assessment of his character. But it's still kinda funny bc this man is only an antagonist for like half of his screentime. Observe:

Pilots - Villain. Kidnaps Nya, deliberately orchestrates Samukai's death, overall acts like a spooky demon man, etc.

Season 1 - I mean he's kind of a general nuisance, sure, but aside from stealing the Golden Weapons he doesn't do anything objectively evil here? Not only does he help them save Lloyd, but he also defeats the Great Devourer. If we're being purely technical from a narrative standpoint, he's an ally in this season.

Season 2 - Back to being a villain again, but gets redeemed/restored at the very end.

Seasons 3-5 - Good guy! A mentor figure for the ninja, in fact! Just an all around good dad and funny guy.

Seasons 8-9 - Villain. Oh my god is he a villain. I don't even have to explain this one. Pilots-era spooky demon vibes except it's dialed up to like 200.

Season 10 - Once again a reluctant ally for the ninja, as he helps them stop the Oni invasion, but he's also a dick about it. Season 1 vibes but this time directly solely at Lloyd.

Season 15 - Morally gray antihero type. not very good at being a good person, and is even worse at being a good father, but he's trying his best.

Dragons Rising - Honestly idk if he's even alive. Fingers crossed, I guess?

Like sure, yeah, I'm not gonna raise a fuss about it when someone says Garmadon is the main villain of the show. Technically speaking, they're not entirely wrong. But it's very silly to me because Garmadon is only a villain sometimes. Sometimes he's a bad guy trying to take over the world, sometimes he's a loving father, and other times he's just a morally gray asshole minding his own business. And y'know what, I respect that about him.

[vivi-in-the-sky-with-diamonds]

My Heart Went Boom (or how The Beatles would react to an s/o who loves their heartbeat)

(Image source is I honestly don't know, I found it on Pinterest- if you know the source, lemme know and I'll add it c: )

This is my first attempt at writing something for all four Beatles (I usually just write Paul ;A;) so please bear with me (and let me know if I've messed up someone's personality) c: also this was written by me specifically for me so it's incredibly niche and I'm honestly only posting in case someone else wants it lol (I'm sorry if it's super weird)

John:

John is a little shit

Anyway

He knows about your habit but refuses to tell you he knows, instead opting to aggravate the shit out of you in the most loving way possible

Most days, he'd come home, out of breath from outrunning fans and reporters, but still with a cheeky smile about his face

"Oh, my little birdie, my heart is beating so fast! Come listen?~"

You'd turn bright red bc how the fuck does he know about that

The day would pass with no other mention of it until you're lying in bed together

"You know I love you, Y/N" he says it almost like an apology

"I know, Johnny"

Paul:

Paul noticed you had a habit of lying on top of him, particularly on days when you were sad

It wasn't until he realized you also tapped his arm in a particular rhythm that he realized exactly what you were doing

After that, he'd make a note to always ask if you were okay or needed anything and to take some deep breaths to slow down his heart rate

Sometimes, if he senses that you're upset but you're not lying on top of him, he'll say, "Come listen to my heart?" (You never felt the need to verbally confess to him, as you had an unspoken understanding)

One time, his mouth got ahead of his brain, and out came, "Come listen, my heart?"

And thus, a new nickname was born

At some point, "my heart" becomes "mon coeur"

Sometimes, he'll ask completely in French and it makes your own heart flutter

George:

With George, it began as morbid curiosity

After all, he's such a skinny thing, if you look closely enough at any of his pulse points, you can see the rhythm

At some point, it turned into a comfort thing, knowing his heart beats only for you, even if it does sound like a bird fluttering half the time

One day, you're lying on the couch, watching the telly, head on his chest

"Are ye listenin' to my heart, Y/N?"

You blush at first, caught completely off-guard, but manage to say, "Yes"

He asks why and you explain

He's silent at first, not knowing what to think, but then his mouth turns up in a smile and his chest puffs with pride

It makes him feel strong knowing you feel comfort in him

Ringo:

You'd had the habit of listening to Ringo for a while, even before you started dating

You'd relish in the moments where you'd simply have a "friend cuddle", as the two of you called them, as you'd press your ear gently above his heart, hoping he wouldn't notice the ever-so delicate touch on his chest

After he'd gotten tonsillitis, though, your habit increased

He was oblivious, thinking you just wanted to hug or cuddle, but for you, it was almost like you needed to hear him to make sure he was alive and well

Sometimes, you'd find yourself pressed against him in the middle of the night, the spaces between beats agonizingly slow (even if it was an average 75 bpm)

At some point, he finally catches on. "Y/N, you know I'm alright now, right?"

You sigh. "I know, Ritchie, it's just-"

He'd cut you off by holding you tight and whispering reassurances in your ear

[petruchio]

sorry, this is SUCH a specific ass question (and SO not a criticism of your work i love it!!!) but why do you think both Annie and Finnick would have volunteered? I know 4 is a career district, but I thought that it wasn't until graduating the academy that the tribute-to-be would volunteer - which in turn added to the careers' lethality in general. surely, if someone from the academy volunteered every year, the fear of being actually chosen in the reaping would be way less effective? I had always assumed that the academy was less an established and open school but more under the (official) radar but still known 'workshop' - and that there might not have been a 'graduate' willing to go every year. I think its a really interesting angle to go with that at 14, Finnick put himself in the arena so to speak, rather than an unlucky child who made the best out of a bad situation of being reaped because of his looks and could then never escape fully etc and then Annie?? who seemed frightened in the arena to begin with? hiding not hunting? did she bite off more than she could chew?? when did the game become too real?? what happened if two graduates wanted to volunteer at the same time?? much to chew on, it's not that deep, sorry, but I just love having a wee discussion xoxo

nooo it's an AMAZING question and also like, i love nothing more than talking about the INSANE thoughts i have about thg as well as the EVEN MORE INSANE thoughts i have while writing my fanfics so i am SO HAPPY to discuss!!!

so the reason i think they both volunteered is honestly bc i think like... it makes it even more interesting?? so obviously i have reasons for doing what i did in the fanfic and i also just have some general thoughts about 4 as a career district so i'll try to answer my general thinking first and then explain why i did what i did in my story

so -- generally i just think 4 being a career district is SUPER interesting given the winners that we have being finnick, annie, and mags. because katniss tells us in the first book that 1, 2, and 4 are the career districts but i think it's clear from the jump that 4 is kind of the dark horse in that lineup -- because even in book 1, she focuses WAY more on the tributes from 1 and 2 as the "careers" that she's the most intimidated by and the most threatening to her -- we don't really get all that much about district 4 in book 1 at all, so it kind of piques your interest -- because if 4 is *as much* of a career district as 1 and 2, why don't we get anything about those tributes like we do on the level of marvel/glimmer/cato/clove?? we DON'T!

and then ofc we get book 2 and the first person from 4 we meet is finnick, and at first he SEEMS like he's just another capitol pet -- but the more we get to know him, the more we realize he ISN'T, he's actually probably one of the biggest rebels we have in the entire series. in a way, he's kind of the centerpiece to the whole thing (and he shows up at like, basically the exact midpoint of the series) (i'm thinking, just for example, of the fact that finnick and annie parallel katniss and peeta in so many ways, the way that finnick ends the story by dying but his child lives on meaning the story ends with a child from a fatherless home just as it began, the way finnick is the one to point out katniss' genuine love for peeta, the way finnick is the one that creates "real or not real" by suggesting that it's "what annie does," -- i could go on. but he's genuinely one of the most central characters of the whole series and his introduction sets in motion basically the entire back half of the narrative)

so that's all to say that, i DO think 4 is a career district (bc the text establishes it) but i also think we're sort of meant to understand that it's DIFFERENT -- but it’s up to you in what way you imagine it to be different beyond what we're told in the text (basically that bc their industry is fishing/procuring food, they just have a natural tendency to be like, well fed and fit, which means training for the games is probably a pretty easy thing to do, and they can all swim/handle weapons (similarly to how we see johanna being able to wield an axe -- the industry of the district has a large effect on its people))

SO. kind of how i imagine it in my head, is that while 4 *is* a career district, the idea of winning being an honor is a bit different than it would be in 1 or 2. so when i was brainstorming, basically my thought is like, let's say they do have some kind of training academy (i agree with you that it would probably be less formal than what i wrote it to be, but that's just what i did for that story haha) but my thinking was what if it was kind of like ... a last chance kind of place? as in, it's not a competitive honor like it would be in 1 or 2, but like, if, for example, you're poor or an orphan or your parents need to get rid of you, they send you "away" to train for the games as a way of kind of controlling you. kind of like an extension of the tesserae system that we see enacted in all the districts. because four has enough resources (food-wise) that people probably aren't signing up for tesserae in the same way they would be in twelve, the sort of proxy for it that i imagine would be training for the games. if you win, you get money and glory. if you don't, well, you were probably going to die or have a terrible life anyway, so what's the loss?

because yeah, it IS weird that finnick won at fourteen and annie won despite being "mad" if they have some sort of formal training. but what if the reason they were pushed to volunteer is because they were the best of whatever crop of people that four had that year? (is this making any sense??) like, they were the best because although four might have "careers" they aren't really there because they WANT the glory of winning, but because they have no other choice than to try? (and also on the topic of annie not really fighting -- we actually don't really know that. we only know that she runs off "after" the partner gets beheaded, but we don't know when that was in the games. i kind of imagine it was like, halfway through or something, so she could've been holding it together/fighting fine for the first half but that moment was what tipped her over the edge. just some food for thought.)

so for the purposes of my story, i tried to figure out backstories of both finnick and annie that would've tracked for them being kind of "sent away" to school -- i was kind of thinking of the trope of being sent away to boarding school or some kind of military school that you see often in teen shows -- so in the story i wrote, finnick is this sort of "naughty" kid that gets by on charm and looks and his parents, in their attempt to keep him out of trouble, send him to train for the games as a way to kind of whip him into shape. and then my backstory for annie was that her mother died and her father didn't really want her around, so she put herself into the school as a way to get out of a bad situation. so for both of them, it was a *choice* -- but it wasn't really THEIR choice, it was more like, this was their best option in a world where they had pretty terrible options available to them. so that's how i landed where i did for the fic.

anyway all of that is just like, purely from my head!! i don't think there's much textual evidence to support any reading any which way, but it was one of my impulses when writing the story to try to find a way to fit all of their backstories together in a way that aligned with the very few lines we do get in the books about them -- so i was like, how do i make them career volunteers but ALSO make them make sense as the characters we meet in catching fire and mockingjay? and that was what i endeavored to do!!

[6okuto]

NIA OMFG SO ABT THE DATING APP POST U MADE (replies could not handle the novel I am about to impose on you)

the way I am so in love with iwa but he’s the epitome of not my irl type 😭 gym bros and their bland responses to hinge prompts scare me and I feel that he would have the exact profile you were talking abt. his redeeming quality would be like. a dog.

SAME WITH ATSUMU AND IT PAINS ME. PHYSICALLY PAINS ME BC THAT IS MY HUSBAND.

Bokuto would be the exception to the gym bro thing bc he is also a himbo and it shows (in the best way possible) and no one can resist that.

half of hq would not be my type irl and the other half that would be?? I’d be too scared to try to match cause they’re. gorgeous??????? Hello???

HOWEVER Akashi’s profile would totally be like cafe date vibes, libraries and very just. CALMING AND NICE AND I’D DO THE SAME AS YOU. The only thing is I think his prompt responses (I’m on hinge so this is the only dating app format ik) wouldn’t really give you tooooo much to work with but it’s ok no one can be perfect.

I think kuroo’s would be like super bf material tho. Like the kind of profile that you’re certain gets a lot of interaction and makes you wonder if he’s even active on the app anymore LOL. also gives good responses, he’s just slightly dorky but it’s so endearing and it adds to the appeal of his profile.

I think suna’s would be super chill with like humorous undertones and I’d probably end up trying to match with him bc of that. he gives gooddddd responses that are genuinely fun and non repetitive. he’s also not dry if you end up matching.

yk what no I’m giving atsumu a chance here. his prompt responses are. interesting to say the least. dry. he comes across a bit cocky. but his pictures don’t if that makes sense??? like he comes off as a genuinely sweet guy in his photos and videos. maybe I’m just too soft for him and I’m projecting, this is embarrassing.

I wanna add something abt oikawa but I genuinely cannot think of anything other than his photos would be insanely aesthetic and pretty. responses need a bit of work and his opening lines come off a bit strong but. it’s okay. he’s perfect and can do no wrong imo 🤷🏻‍♀️

ANYWAY SORRY I JUST GOT EXCITED AND WANTED TO SHARE. YOU SHOULD TOTALLY DO THE SMAU, I WOULD EAT THAT UP!!!!!

HAIII REV!! EXACTLY. exactly. i'm sorry but not even a dog is enough for me i'm like Omg little dog and then don't match I'm sorry hajime.. Bokuto... my cutie pie naoooo 😭😭 i'd like to hope he'd answer the prompts cutely/in a funny way but i still wouldn't think we'd match well and skip him... BUT!!!! I think if they replied to one of my prompts i'd reply...?! < girl who Never Ever matches first Ever. like there's a photo where their smile looks very cutesie and i'm like Why not!

Akaashi. 🙂teehee. my favoritism i'm sorry everybody. he doesn't really have photos of himself so he has to ask friends for some and there's like one photo that's dimly lit where he's smiling with fluffy hair that would make my jaw drop and tears form in my eyes i'd want him so bad. one of his prompt answers would be like. a joke about how tired he is with all the work he has. something kind of basic But i love him so it's ok. for me specifically i mention my dislike for HTTYD 3 and i think he'd reply and be like wait you're so right can u explain more or something like that and I would Start Crying tears Of Joy PLEAASELEAASE PLEAPSAPPSLEPLEPA

omg kuroo. i understand. i actually first had the idea he looks kind of dorky (/affectionate) but he has a couple good photos and a meme and it's like Oh he's so real for that. also he's totaallyyy somebody who does an audio prompt 😭 it's something fawking stupid /Affectionate and i'd show my irls and we'd be like wait he's kinda cute while we laugh BJSHFBJSD there's also a group photo somewhere on there ! and maybe a video where you can hear him cackling! silly guy...

suna would have a stupid ass block text meme somewhere on his profile LOLLL there's a photo where he's in his room in the dark but i can also imagine he has one with good lighting outside that's one of the few he has... he Would be funny! he's all lowercase until u say something that gets him to laugh and he goes LMFAOOOOO WAIT and it's like Yes I got a good grade in Hinge. BFJSHBJSB

ATSUMU! totally has a pic where he's showing off his muscles or spiking But also wait he looks kind of cute and dorky in this other photo and also his prompt responses are funny this is crazy? I UNDERSTAND!!! maybe it could be like... he's not someone you'd swipe on initially but he sees Your profile and tries to switch it up to cater to you before replying to one of your prompts LOL. and maybe there's a pic of him helping samu make onigiri or just... something kind of domestic that makes u go oh alright he's nice?!

HMM OIKAWA.... also a volleyball pic somewhere. maybe with a medal or trophy of his LOL. but he can take good selfies Unfortunately smhhh /j so you're like aw fuck... i think i'd be like oh you're out of my league or Not my type but if that kind of guy replies to one of your prompts...Would you not be a little curious to see how that convo goes. he's good looking enough that he could just like people's first pic and move on but You're special and Funny and he's Curious okay!!!

THANK U!!! HTANKYEWWW I LOVE THINKING AND TALKING AND SHARING AND HEARING IDEAS IT'S SO FUNSIES NEVER APOLOGIZE 2 ME! i have So many smau series ideas bouncing around in my head i've never tried but if i ever do this one...U will b the first 2 know.

[fagnumopus]

Highlights of my bisalp surgery yesterday:

Pre-op nurse measured my height and I immediately groaned when she said 158cm, "I thought I was at 160cm!!" and she replied with "You're still taller than me!! I'm 4'11" and ¾".... with my crocs" and she lifts up her foot to show a pair of HEELED CROCS making me LOSE IT

Surgeon assistant asked about my allergies and when I said "just dust" he said "don't worry, we're not gonna administer that"

I was laid down on the surgery table and finally took off my glasses and said, "I don't think I need to see anything anymore, thanks guys" and the surgeon replied with an AGHAST, "but you still need to see me!!!" making me laugh my ass off

The anesthesiologist leaned over my head and introduced himself, super sweet and polite, and I said, "oh, so you're the one who's gonna send me to the Shadow Realm", prompting like half a dozen nurses and the surgeon to snort under their breath or straight up laugh

Surgeon assistant asked me what surgery I was getting, and I said, "A laparoscopic salpindectomy. Basically, I'm getting spayed", he looked at me very tiredly but I made some random nurse laugh so it was worth it

Anesthesia girl accidentally used she/her pronouns for me and a chorus of like 3 people corrected her with "he!!!" and she leaned over my prone body like I was a table, laughing to herself in embarrassment and apologizing profusely, and I just laughed and said "omg no it's ok girl"

Same anesthesia girl put the gas mask on me, and I said, "oh hell yeah, take me out", making the whole OR team laugh

Nurse told me to take deep breaths. I took some deep breaths and sloooowly felt my body going numb but still was very much awake, she asked very confused, "is... is that the deepest you can breathe?" and I just replied, "oh damn ok" and breathed in DEEP and went, "oh yeah it's happening. My body feels funky. Goodnight" immediately before conking the fuck out

When I woke up the post-op care nurse asked me how I was feeling, and I was fully honest, "Feels like the worst high from really cheap weed" and she laughed LOUD and had to compose herself bc we were in the recovery room lmao

Another post-op nurse gave me some crackers and 3 boxes of apple juice, which I drank fully, and she said I was "a really good drinker!!! Such a good drinker!" like 3 times, with the tone of someone who's genuinely impressed, so I chose to take it as a compliment (OR nurses of Tumblr please let me know why she was so impressed with my hydration skills)

3rd post-op nurse asked me if I liked the underwear they gave me and I said, "girl yes these are so comfy" and she whispered conspiratorially to me, "do you want some extra ones? I'll sneak some extra ones in the bag for you" and I nodded profusely

In summary, it was a lovely experience and everyone was so sweet and kind. No one even ASKED why I was getting a bisalp, they just wanted me to be safe and comfortable... I'm super lucky to have had such a lovely team. I also requested the pre-op nurses to NOT tell me my weight, and mentioned I cannot confirm it because I don't know; they were super understanding and explained very kindly and apologetically they would still need to weigh me to know how much meds to give me (which I was aware of, not an issue), and then the nurse weighing me helped me waddle backwards to the scale and when I was about to turn just to readjust before getting off the scale, she said, "don't look don't look, hold on!!!" because she was still resetting it 😭❤️ they all asked me about my job, my life, where I'm from, etc, kept me engaged and talking at all times, from the moment I was called from the waiting room. I practically didn't even have the time to be anxious, they were all cracking jokes and checking in on how I felt... it was so nice. Bless that team fr. I wouldn't have had my sterilization any other way 💕

[bluewinnerangel]

can you give me a rundown of liam gallagher aiw? i don’t have time to watch it now but i’m curious to know like a general idea of what it’s like if you believe it’ll be similar to aotv!

Wooo I'm still going strong I ain't dead yet, no live fast die young man, even tho i did that too, i did live half of my life already but also the rest is a nice rest to look at too, yeah i have had a second wind going solo but i had to find myself first tho! I was in a band! And then that stopped! And I was in a low! It sucked a lot! It took a lil while but then I found my feet again! Im a family man. Big heart. Also you don't understand what I'm saying bc I'm using analogies that only make sense to me and like I don't really explain anything but then my sentence ends with "yaknowwhaimean" every time anyway. [Liam walk] Also I don't party as much anymore lol were only getting older amirite but I still drink and smoke and do drugs, just not as much as I used to! Tour is going well my fans are great. [Coughing] Anyway there was a bit of beef lol but hey it is what it is. Singing is my one true passion. Hey idk how these songs are so great lol they just happen watch me sing em. Oh look at my family home where I grew up, I'm a common people, great stuff. [Hugging old family member] I write music too it goes pretty smoothly! [Coughing] Anyway I'm a family man here's my family saying a lot of nice stuff about me. Not the one from the band im not in anymore tho. [Childhood videos] Anyway tour is nice I'm in my tour bus rn lemme just highlight Amsterdam specifically also and then I'll go on stage it's great. [Hugging young family member] Ive made some mistakes (doesnt explain them). Sometimes I lose my voice which sucks but then it's back again I just need to take care of myself just a little bit tho. I'm a family man. I don't use substances but still do uknowwhatimean haha. [liam walk]. Anyway I used to be in a band once now I'm not anymore but like wow my fans tho. It's cool to see the young generation have my newer songs mean to them what the band's I used to be in meant for the previous. Ya know wha a mean? Charlie film me while I run.

[bisamwilson]

If you feel up to explaining, could I please ask why you ship Tech and Phee?

The flirting and interactions between them seemed so out-of-character for Tech, and like Disney is trying to force a romance just because there always needs to be a romance in a Disney show/film. It also feels as if Disney chose Tech to be the one to have a potential romance because :

1.) The 'awkwardness' of flirting is amusing or considered 'cute' to viewers as if it's 'funny/cute' to watch someone who doesn't understand social cues or needs time to adjust to interactions be thrown for a loop or react in a different way than what is socially expected thus Disney can have more chances to add this 'lightheartedness/humour' when it's really not,

2.) They are trying to follow the same line that they do in most of their films with the one person the team who is considered the 'nerd/geek' to 'get the girl' instead of actually giving any character(s) who would be a better match for the 'girl' thus continuing their line of overused tropes that more so appeal to the masses of heterosexual neurotypical viewers.

I don't mean this as hate or anything, I'm just trying to figure out how those who ship it, see it. I seek to understand, not judge or cause discourse. And have added my opinion one the matter to simply give my viewpoint. I'm not attempting to change or alter your views, just to hear another's perspective on it, if you're willing to give it.

Thank you for reading this and I'm sorry if it bothers you. If it does, feel free to ignore this entirely.

this does actually really bother me, and i wasn’t gonna answer, but i went to sleep annoyed about it last night and woke up annoyed about it still

mostly this bothers me bc it was entirely unsolicited. like if this had been phrased maybe as a “what’s the thing that you like most about tech and phee together?” or “what made you start to ship tech and phee” i’d probably be less annoyed, but, even though you claim to not be trying to change anyone’s mind here and to only understand, this ask is basically you coming to my inbox and saying “this makes no sense. here’s why it doesn't make sense (and why i actually think it’s at least lightly problematic in my point #1, but i’m gonna continue writing as if that doesn't count as causing discourse) and now i want you to defend your position of shipping two entirely fictional characters who have a legitimately canon romance subplot going”

do you see why that would bother me?

like if you don’t like tech and phee together, and don’t like that i like tech and phee together, that’s fine. block the tag (i think i’ve settled on using techphee as their tag for now) or just unfollow me, but like. don’t come into what is basically my house and very passive aggressively ask that i explain and defend the decor i’ve chosen to decorate it with

i don’t really agree with your points either. i don’t necessarily think there’s anything wrong with adding romance to shows, because people generally like seeing it and it’s a thing a lot of people experience. i thought it was kind of nice here, actually, because i wasn’t expecting it. as far as i remember, the only clone we’ve really seen with a partner is Cut, who was pretty explicitly shown to have a lot of different values than the other clones due to the fact that he deserted from the GAR, and his arc was a lot about the morality of the clones not being given a choice as to who they are, if they can love, if they can do something and live a life outside of the war they were bred for. the war is over now, it makes sense that the clones might start to find partners or people to maybe want to half settle down with, and it’s a good way to reestablish that the clones that have defected from the empire—while in danger bc of their status as traitors—have a greater sense of their own agency and different priorities than they did before the clone wars ended. they have the freedom to maybe try and live a life now, and for a lot of people, there’s a good chance that might constitute having a partner. romance for a clone is a rather revolutionary idea in universe. it’s not something they would have been allowed before

as for tech specifically, i don’t necessarily think it’s out of character for him to start develop some amount of feelings for someone who has been interested in him from the start, who has a decently wide wealth of knowledge given all the artifacts she knows so much about (and what cultures they come from!), and who has a great backstory of being a caring pirate who goes on these adventures at least in part to give items of little monetary value back to the people they have great sentimental value for after they’ve had to become refugees. she also obviously cares about the bad batch, given she brought them all to her hidden slice of paradise despite the fact she knows they’re all very much wanted people who could very easily bring real trouble given the empire is after them, and she obviously likes listening to tech talk and likes his personality when even his brothers have made fun of the way he tends to ramble (like in the bad batch/ rescuing echo arc of the clone wars). and tech doesn’t seem to mind the attention, given the small smiles he sends her way literally the entire pabu episode, even waiting back a bit to talk to her when she went to drop the artifact off when the rest of the batch had moved forward. at the very least, he seems intrigued by her (as he should be!!!! she’s cool and interesting as hell!!!!)

their interactions are rather soft and sweet, i think. phee’s flirting, sure, and she’s been pretty obvious about it from the get go, but she’s not bulldozing past any boundaries here. their interactions in this episode, especially, made it seem like they’re just in some beginning stages, but they genuinely seem to be pretty comfortable in each other’s company, given the two of them stuck together while making rounds, or their interactions at shep’s dinner table. it’s soft, it’s sweet, it’s slow, but tech’s small smiles whenever she flirts with him are showing that he does understand these particular social cues when she flirts with him, and he’s reciprocating to a degree. perhaps their first interactions aside, i don’t think tech really was ever unaware that she was flirting, it was more just surprise she was flirting with him

which brings me to your #2 point. if there was gonna be a romance subplot (which, again, i wasn’t expecting, just due to the nature of the stories of the clones), i 100% didn’t think it was going to be with tech. there are a decent amount of tech girlies, sure, and some fans find him attractive, but i absolutely would have expected that subplot to go to hunter for lots of reasons, including that he’s the most conventionally attractive and classically handsome of the bad batch with the long hair and the tall dark and handsome thing going, he’s generally the leader of the batch and the leader is usually the one that gets the girl, and he’s the most generally accepted “dad” figure to omega (while the others are more much older brother/uncle types) which means a romance subplot would have also given omega another parental figure which is a very common trope (single dad meets perfect step mom kind of thing). i’ve seen others express this same opinion since the episode aired (surprise at tech getting to have the romance rather than hunter). i also don’t know who you think of the batch is the “better match” for phee, bc i don’t think any of them would match better than tech. both of them are very passionate people with an obvious thirst for knowledge. wrecker’s great, but i don’t see a match there at all, and i don’t think hunter’s personality lends itself to a romance with phee specifically, because they don't really seem to have any common interests there and phee doesn't seem interested in being a parental figure to omega but more of a cool aunt type, even if i think his personality would lend itself to a romance if that was something he personally wanted.

tldr: i like the romance subplot here specifically bc it is more than just a typical thrown in thing like it would be for every other show because this show is about clones in a post clone war galaxy, i think tech and phee are actually fairly well matched, and i don’t really appreciate someone coming into my ask box to tell me that the (canon!!!) ship i found cute is bad and out of character, actually, under the guise of wanting to understand my viewpoint

[crimeronan]

How do you feel Hunter would react to Luz's inner circle expanding post Raine-Reveal. On one hand Luz is far safer with three of the strongest witches on the isles looking out for her, on the other (in his eyes) he is significantly less useful than three coven heads and may feel his position is threatened.

(about princess/empress luz AU)

man this has me thinking SO MUCH. i've been pondering this for about a half hour while napping

i do think that hunter's biggest feeling - particularly at the beginning - would just be Relief. it's SUCH a relief to have other people who know the truth, and it's a relief to be able to talk to anybody else about his worries when he's worried about luz, and it's a relief to know that if luz manifests a latent curse then hunter has people he can call for help.

but AFTER that. hoo boy

okay so. my main thought is. the thing about luz being crazier than hunter in this AU is, like. like.... that's worked REALLY WELL for them so far. inasmuch as very anxious codependence can.

and the Reason it's worked so well for them is because luz's flavor of crazy enables hunter to mask his own worries/insecurities/fears/insanity.

luz gets scared that she's dragging hunter down by being so anxious and clingy and neurotic and needy. she doesn't necessarily need him to DO anything for her, but she gets anxious when he's not nearby.

i started drafting more of the mindscape oneshot - again, no promises i'll complete it - but there's a moment where darius says in amazement to inner!luz, "you don't even remember he's alive when you can't see him, do you?"

and that's. a whole vibe. like luz knows LOGICALLY that hunter is alive and well when she can't see him, but she has Not yet processed the grief terror pain etc that she went thru. so she is still on edge all the time

this works out well for hunter because he really likes being around luz, and he likes feeling useful, and also 98% of his identity is wrapped up in being useful to luz. like the two of them are making it work as well as they can, and they're Incredibly sweet, but like. it takes a special flavor of mental illness to not only enjoy being in hunter's position but to also Legitimately Want That More Than Anything.

canon hunter's abandonment issues are visible from Space. his relationship with belos is different in this AU, so there's less of the constant "i'm gonna replace you :)" terrorism. but this AU's hunter has absolutely taken all of canon hunter's loyalty and need for approval and desire to be Good & directed it more toward luz.

hunter has already spent a good chunk of time prior to belos's death being So So So Fucking Anxious And Upset over luz abandoning him. but he's mostly rationalized and explained those feelings with (admittedly very rational) worries ABOUT her. like, he's scared that luz is hurt, that means it's not weird to have panic attacks over the concept of her leaving him!!

all of this background is to say.... i don't think that hunter would feel that he's being fully replaced or that he's obsolete. (if AMITY was a factor he almost certainly would, but that's a whole separate post.)

BUT.

i think that he would be Terrified of luz deciding that she doesn't need him anymore.

bc he is just as anxious about her being near him as she is about him being near her. he just doesn't usually have to express that.

and Also i think that he would not understand this feeling at all. or where it comes from. or what he wants. or how to fix it.

at best i think he'd be like "oh, i am possessive and toxic for no reason. this is my curse as a man probably. or something. better repress THAT as much as possible"

as for how this would manifest externally.... i think it depends on the circumstances. i feel like luz would be able to clock that something's wrong before anything really wild or terrible happened.

but i'm REALLY enjoying the thought of like. borderline eclipse lake hunter vibes. except slightly more put-together. hunter is like wow.... it's so cool how luz is talking to people who aren't me and making plans with people who aren't me and getting everything she could ever want from people who aren't me and she's going to forget about me and then my life will be over and i'll have to dig my own grave :) time to overcompensate wildly by trying to be More Useful Than Usual :)

DON'T GET ME WRONG THO i really don't think it would last super long. luz (or darius or raine) would be like hey. hey. hunter. hey hunter. hey, hunter?

what the fuck are you doing.

and the whole thing would unravel pretty quick.

but wow the boy Sure Is Neurotic. for the whole, like, ten minutes before it unravels.

[moldybonessmell]

SVSSS danmei novel review post

So I had a winter break and finished reading SVSSS and here are some of my thoughts about it.

DISCLAIMER: this as an analysis post and if you might get upset over criticism of the novel, please stop reading. My intend is definitely NOT to send hate but do a review.

Disclaimer number 2: I'm a danmei fan and have read mdzs, tgcf and 2ha so I have some point of reference for comparison

Starting up with the things I LOVED about the novel:

The idea is popular, but the author made it have an interesting twist (ridiculing the genre of something you wright right at the moment is a gigachad move fr fr)

The plot is interesting and entertaining, the novel is easy to read and follow

There is a good part of humour that I enjoyed (the whole Tianlang-jun bit lol)

Characters are well-written in general (even tho I raise an eyebrow at some of them)

I absolutely adore MoShang couple. Them being a tsundere and a gremlin is very fun and I liked the extras showing the development of their relationship. The whole bit where MBJ openly says hitting a person is the way he sees flirting and SQH being oblivious that his own ideas of courting made MBJ convinced he's flirted with too is hilarious. SQH not only creating himself his perfect man but also pulling him for sure makes him a god in their world lol

Another unofficial couple I grew to like is LiuShen aka LQG and SQQ. Ngl I was oblivious to the chemistry they have - "They are such good friends!" as historians would say LOL. But after spending some time in the fandom I think I adore them a lot (esp after finishing this one extra where it's obvious LQG is convinced they are soulmates and is gay af lmao)

Now, on the other side, criticising the novel.

My problem is that the novel seems way too short?? The whole plot is to fill plot-holes but the novel itself seems to have a plenty of them:

We don't know anything about the System, why it works, who created it and for which purpose?

The fact that Binghe doesn't even know SQQ is not his real shizun?? I really expected some confrontation in the end and stuff but bro just lies to his husband till the rest of their lifes now ig?? I was really looking forward to see this and LBH thinking he's betrayed again but we never got it, not even in extras. We got a little hint when SQQ couldn't explain LBH how he knows so much about what will happen, but this seemed to just be sweeped under a rug in the end.

The novel is too short, there are so many interesting plot-lines to explore and possible scenes to write but extras only explore already existing dynamics and seem to be cut-outs / behind-the-scene stuff the author probably just decided to not put in. Half the time I was sitting there and thinking about the fact that someone definitely wrote a fanfic about this or that fact

I've read other mxtx novels and tgcf, for example, felt complete to the point I didn't even read extras, as it felt like the story is whole and finished.

Another problem I have with the novel is that some very important info about characters is still hidden in extras, for example:

The fact that LBH acts like this with SQQ because SQH himself got him the idea?? I really thought bro is a cry-baby LOL (call me SQQ bc of how delusuional I am). The way SQH not only pulled his dream man but helped the story progress with LBH pulling HIS dream man is AWESOME and I wish it was in the main novel part.

Another extra-hidden part I wish wasn't hidden, is the fact that SQH was always thinking about og Shen Yuan and that's why they end up actually being friends, it feels like an important bond was kinda lost in the finished novel.

All in all, I enjoyed reading SVSSS but understand why it's not as popular as mdzs or tgcf. This is everything I got at the moment, thank you for reading!

If you have any thoughts or can explain some of the confusions I mentioned, you're welcomed to do so in comments!

Just please be polite, thank you!

P.S. I firstly wrote this post to drafts right after reading the novel and edited it after finishing extras and ngl some of my thoughts have changed.

[aeide-thea]

overthinking things as per uʒ but:

[a transcript is under the cut, for anyone who prefers that format. <3]

aeide-thea sent a post "love sports love when people write about them in a normal fashion"

aeide-thea: lol i AM insane but the more i contemplate this post the more it irritates me actually

elucubrare: what aspect of it?

aeide-thea: like i have no particular stance on the success of this lyricism but as a general position i feel like. yes actually anything can come under the besotted lens of a prose stylist and get elevated thereby. cowardly and boring to laugh at writers not being 'normal' when in fact the elevation of the everyday into the ecstatic is one of the highest and best uses of language. like YES defamiliarize that shit. YES hallow it.

elucubrare: yeah ok, i'm with you!

elucubrare: i also have a half-articulated thought about Not Liking Sports and dismissing them as a tribal marker on the internet & so this description of a player like someone on tumblr would talk about idk. a supernatural man feels like it's unpleasantly transgressive

aeide-thea: yes i think you're onto something! like there's definitely a way in which a certain kind of (maybe especially modern, maybe especially on tumblr) writer feels like there's Their People and then there's Sports People and never the twain shall meet, and like, it's not that i don't recognize the incongruity myself but i also think the joke IS fundamentally based on the idea that anyone who loves a sport is a dumb redneck which like. IS instinctively how i feel about football but there are enough sports i do love that i can check that impulse in myself and recognize my own arbitrary bias

aeide-thea: like admittedly i haven't *read* eg roger angell's baseball writing but i feel like there used to be more room for the idea that an american writer could write about an american pastime (which like. problems of their own there but.) without it being like. writing is for nerds and sports are for jocks!! no—i'm tempted to say 'miscegenation' but i think that's probably an offensively reductive metaphor. however i do sort of feel like it's on the same spectrum of tribalism however far apart??

elucubrare: yeah i agree!

elucubrare: i think when i think about mid-century sports writing that i've been aware of, it's less overtly lyrical or flowery than this, but it *does* take its subject seriously or metaphorically the way this does

aeide-thea: no exactly. and like. idk if you've read that famous DFW piece on federer but like. would be very curious to see if OP would make fun of that the same way or if the fact that it like. has lit cred would stop them

aeide-thea: like dgmw i know i've done a lot of objecting lately to like. people pointing out Amusing Incongruities (see also: 'blorbo' in the NYT) and i know i sound like a humorless idiot but the thing is, it's not that i don't get where these posts are coming from! i just think the fundamental 'humor' of them is predicated on false dichotomies

elucubrare: yeah for sure!

elucubrare: i think here i think the snippet *is* a bit much but i would think that no matter what the subject was

aeide-thea: oh i super don't disagree!! but i also think like. it's tricky to evaluate the success of a snippet stripped of all buildup and ALSO i don't actually think the post was taking issue with the craftsmanship (where i'd probably have agreed with them/you!), but rather just laughing at the fundamental *attitude* regardless of execution?

elucubrare: yeah, i agree!

elucubrare: i think also this is a place where ur crusade against "normal about" comes into play b/c it really does sneer generally but say nothing except "this is not how *i* would have approached this"

aeide-thea: god no exactly. like fundamentally ALL you're ever conveying with 'normal' is like. 'i don't have to actually explain or justify myself bc Everyone (Who Matters) Already Understands so really this is just a general sneer to amuse and bond us, the preexisting in-group'

aeide-thea: like. articulate! your! objections!!! you might find in the process of having to explain yourself that you don't actually agree with yourself! learning and personal growth might happen (god forbid)!

aeide-thea: (also unrelatedly how do u feel abt having portions of our sportswriting convo reproduced 4 public perusal. 'pls no' is totes ok, i can always make my own post if i care that much i'm just feeling lazy lol)

elucubrare: (Go for it!!)

[waywardsalt]

Hey, thanks for the response on the post where I asked about what people dislike ab totk! I genuinely appreciate it a lot, and you summarized most of my thoughts about this beautifully!

Here's something you might find interesting: something about this game's pacing REALLY bothered me from the start, and I think I know what it is. Totk, despite being an open world game that you can pour a ton of time into, feels short. It's a really weird feeling, and I think it can be explained in that Nintendo is trying to use the linear storytelling format for a nonlinear game, which is also why the ability to see the tears in a random order was disorienting, and why the stories from the ancient sages felt so repetitive.

The gameplay is long, but the story isn't! If you compare it to Skyward Sword, for example! In sksw, you go through each of the areas once, and then again with some changes, and then again with more. There's several clear acts, and even if the game is super super linear and recieves criticism for that, it works really well in that context. Additionally, the characters more than make up for the linearity of the story. Totk tries to take that same format, but doesn't seem to understand that this format is for a linear story. It only has a very brief story, and the story to gameplay ratio is so dragged out that unless you get invested in the world, it all starts to feel really stupid and pointless. Unfortunately, totk fails at getting us invested, too.

I really hope this made ANY sense at all, ty again for the input!! I love the responses I'm getting on that post djbdjsndns :D

Hi, you're welcome for my uh... totk rant, I guess? I covered a lot of stuff in it but I wouldn't say I covered everything bc there is... a lot abt that game that rubs me the wrong way in one way or another.

totk is definitely an odd case, it being an open world game that does try to adhere to linear game rules, you’re right- and i’d say the story is severely kneecapped by that attempt on the game’s part to have its cake and eat it too. it tries to mix what botw brought to the table with what was done in the past, but because botw is vastly different in what it does than past zelda games, the result is a messily paced, poorly-told, gameplay-focused with piss-easy mandatory puzzle segments result, failing to capture the advantages of linear games and instead making those specific parts considerably weaker.

people give linear games shit for… honestly, im not totally sure, as someone who really enjoys linear games. they allow for a good focus on story and character, mostly because you can have a set pace and passing of time and order of events. totk tries to implement linear style elements into a game where you can do anything out of order, so in the end the story is surprisingly brief but slow paced because you have to travel so far for everything and they have to account for you doing everything in any order, hence... repeating the same fucking information as a reward for four of the dungeons (which, i don't care how you feel about this game, is an awful fucking choice i mean holy SHIT), and is probably why the interactions with the new sages include very brief character arcs or something, they wanted to include some kind of linear character stories but it all just got stuffed in between a bunch of mini-main quests.

the fact that effectively half of the main story happens ages in the past and is communicated through brief cutscenes that can easily be encountered out of order, too, is kind of a pitiful way to tell the story. they're all basically glorified exposition dumps since nothing about them will change, they're all events that have already happened and have nothing to do with the player except hyping them up i guess.

the dungeons themselves are awkwardly transposed from a more linear game style with them relying on a specific skill to some degree, but they just fall so flat compared to past linear zelda dungeons. in botw the divine beasts honestly worked because the mechanic of manipulating the beasts themselves and the activating of switches fit perfectly with the setup of the dungeons being huge machines, while there isn't as good of a story example as to why totk's dungeons have the same switch mechanic. botw's divine beasts work pretty well in an open world setting. totk's just fall to pieces in an open with setting, even discounting how ascend could just snap them in half entirely. you just... can't have the same kind of dungeons as past zelda games in an open world format. once you take out the array of specific-use progressively-earned items, you're just left with this tiny little gmod ass toolbox to do what felt like baby's first loz-style dungeon. go to the clearly marked waypoint, do one (1) simple puzzle, get reward.

i miss mini bosses, rooms with puzzles that had to be solved to unlock a door or a doorkey, and even the experience of wandering around just trying to figure out what to do next. honestly, the first half of the lightning temple was the best part of all of the dungeons put together, and then we're back to 'go to four different rooms to do four different easy puzzles'. linear games have genuine advantages over open world games, and open world games have their own advantages. in the story segments, totk just ignores the advantages inherent to it's game's basic style in favor of trying and failing to emulate the advantages of a very different game style.

totk is so paradoxically unable to tear itself away from the series' past while at the same time disregarding series staples and even big parts of its own goddamn prequel.

in my experience with the game, as far as i can remember, i believe i went around and opened all of the towers, did some shrines and the depths, got the master sword, did the main quests with some side quests, then sped through getting all of the memories in order, then did the final boss. in between all of that, i managed to get all of the armor, do every single shrine, and open the entirety of the depths. i did not give a single damn about the story by the end. for me, with my playstyle, everything was just... spread out over such a long period of time so there was barely any urgency at all, i experienced the memories all in quick succession while already knowing the big twist (which. btw. i didnt care about. i wasnt really endeared to zelda and link's lack of visual interest during cutscenes just brought up the question of if he doesnt care why should i), and since this game's story is more linear, it just felt so disjointed and strange and... not important.

with botw it makes pretty good sense why link may take ages, why you could get the memories however you want, all of that. zelda is keeping things with ganon on pause for you. all of the big stuff happened in the past. you are here in the present, in the ruins of the past, a blank slate come to eventually complete the mission that you had failed, at the same time discovering this new world and becoming re-acquainted to it with this strange second chance you've been given. totk doesn't have this excuse. at least in past zelda games, you did things in a specific order, so when you wanted to fuck around, it was usually something related to or based on your progress. if you want to fuck around in oot what you can do is based on where you are in the game and even then it all ends up wrapping back around to bolstering link for the end. getting hearts, better items... like every side quest in every other loz game did. in totk you can do a sidequest for like. one flower. and what does that even do for you. it doesn't have the excuse of the honestly pretty well crafted setup and world state of botw.

i really don't know what happened during the development of totk, and i can't imagine it was the smoothest thing in the world, esp considering the pandemic hitting in the middle of it. but just... it just feels like it failed in so many regards and was just... so disappointing, and yet people are heralding it as the best zelda game and- this is not what i want a zelda game to be! i want a zelda game to have those wonderful puzzle-filled dungeons with well-written main characters and music that fits the setting and feels supported by the game's events and a unique setting with unique little nooks and crannies and good pacing and act structure and like. some kind of heart to it. not just another big open-world game created to be the big open world game where you can do this one amazing specific cool thing that TOTALLY is worth the $70 or whatever else it may be priced around the world.

idk. to me what makes zelda games zelda games is the linear storytelling and those complex dungeons and specific method of progression, and botw's new open-world emulation of the sense that loz 1 gave does not and probably will not ever be able to mix with that linear style unless you have massive in game game style shifts to allow for it. either return to the old format or just commit to the series becoming Triple A Open World Game Series Number 34

[most-annoying-sponsorship]

Submitted propaganda under the cut

Wren - 1

fuckin okay i get Save The Planet is noble or whatever but do you understand i'm MAYBE tired of being told to change Everything abt how I live when everything i could ever do is a drop in the ocean compared to corporations and i dont want to micromanage my entire life for the sake of the planet and its ALWAYS the leftist youtubers shilling it as The Best Most Selfless Thing you can do. like. dude. i am tired. i dont get paid enough to have the energy to care.

RAID shadow legends - 22

I caved and downloaded the app, played three levels and holy shit it’s so boring

I don't think I need to explain myself here.

Every Youtuber has been sponsored by them at some point and they are infuriating

It’s everywhere and it’s a shitty game that feels like the kind of low quality shit you’d see in a mobile add, because that’s exactly what it is

I have not seen a single sponsorship that makes this game sound like anything but a waste of time. Plus, their sponsorships are always sooooo long lol. At least a full minute, sometimes two.

the sponsorships and ads are everywhere yet ive never actually seen anyone outside of the ads enjoying it or even talking about it

They say the exact same thing every time so much that it's become a memorized phrase used as a meme

the art is mid, but not only that, but none of the characteers were designed by someone truly unhinged and horny. giving out that many free summons just makes them look like a scam, like those scammy crap gacha games with promo codes that have one digit repeated (example: 1111, 777, 888, and so on). there's nothing you can do there that other games haven't done better, and there's no overlying premise that draws in fans of stories (talk all the crap you like about food fantasy, at least the lore was fucking WILD). raid shadow legends is like fruit gushers in that it's massively mediocre and wildly overhyped. sure, you *COULD* inflict it upon yourself without hurting too badly, but why would you want to?

You KNOW why

Infamous

gaming.

Annoying, constant, bs, dumb, pay to play, badgering, I hate them. My friend ended up spending over a hundred dollars on this game bc their advertising occasionally works, and when it does, that's not great!

You KNOW WHY.

They don't pay the fucking people they ask to talk about them half the time. Also the game is ugly.

scammy as hell wtf is that game

Do I even need to explain? It's not a helpful product, it's just a dumb mobile game no one needs in their lives.

It’s bad

Everyone’s heard of it. Nobody likes it.

[eldritch-nightmare]

I honestly don’t k ow anything about dbd so colour me surprised when I found out ghostface is in there??? Is it like a game where the mc gets transported to a hell like dimension and do a bunch of trails conducted by people like ghsotfsce to survive?

Also k have my accounting exam today and I’m super nervous. It’s the highest course in my study field that has the highest failure/ dropout rate, which now I understand

omg im wishing you luck on your exam!!

but yeah i mean... technically?? that's definitely one way to describe it. and i'll try my best to explain what it is because it overtakes my every waking thought these days.

so like. there is this thing right. she's known as the entity. she's essentially the main antagonist of the whole game, and she drags people into something known as the fog, a place that no one has been able to escape. once you're in the fog, you're not leaving.

so you have one group of people known as survivors. this includes original characters like meg, yunjin, sable, dwight, etc etc. and then licensed characters such as leon kennedy, nick cage, alan wake, ellen ripley, etc etc.

then you have the second group, the killers. this includes original killers like the trickster, skull merchant, the trapper, the artist, etc etec. and then licensed characters like michael myers, pinhead, demogorgon, amanda young, and so on. then there's ghostface. he's only half-licensed, so he's not from any of this movies, he's only canon to dbd. his name is danny.

the lore of this game is not something i'm an expert at. i only know the lore for like... 5 characters. but the gist is that you get dragged into the fog (or willingly enter, if you're quirky like sable) and are forever stuck there, cursed to either continuously get killed over and over again or cursed to continuously murder over and over again.

each trial is a 1v4. one killer, four survivors. the survivors have to repair generators to power up the exit gates in order to escape, and the killer has to hunt them down and sacrifice them to the entity by hooking them 3 times. 2, if you bring a mori or if they get left on hook until their second hook state.

and each survivor and killer comes with their own set of perks, like little skills essentially, that you can use to help yourself out in trials. like uhhh...

some examples being the perks i put on my survivors: adrenaline, a meg perk, instantly heals you a health state and gives you a haste boost once gates are powered. background player, a renato perk, that gives you a massive speed boost when the killer picks up a downed survivor. unbreakable, a bill perk, that lets you pick yourself up if you've been downed. and soul guard, a cheryl perk, that grants you endurance for a period of time once you've been healed from a downed state.

and then some killer perks: no way out, a trickster perk, that calls the entity to block exit gates when someone tries opening them. the time depends on how many survivors you hooked that match. rancor, a spirit perk, that lets you immediately down and mori your obsession once gates are powered no matter how many times you've hooked them. nurse's calling, a nurse perk, that lets you see the aura of survivors healing within a certain range. blood warden, a nightmare perk, that blocks off the exit for 60 seconds after hooking a survivor once either gate has been opened.

i don't think i'm doing the best job at explaining the game tbh. the best way to learn about it is to either watch someone play it or play it yourself, bc that's how i learned. and i'm still new to the game man, 4 months, 420 hours.

it's an online game, so there's always bound to be toxic people on both sides, but it's also a really fun game and like.

there have been moments in this game, lil interactions w other survivors and killers, that have genuinely made my day.

there's also outfits!! for the killers and survivors!! some of them aren't good, but some of them are. really just depends on your taste in fashion, i guess. and lil charms that you can put on your survivors, and on your hooks.

sorry for the long and messy explanation i will take literally any chance given to me to talk about this game :thumbs up: