#and i don’t mean in any Type Of Way. it’s truly so passive

[plumberrypudding]

i wish i believed in an afterlife. i wish i believed i’ll see my first dog again. i could take so much comfort in that.

[astroidology]

Astro notes.

random astrology things I’ve noticed.

don’t try to start an argument with a virgo mars!!!! these individuals never really care enough to argue UNLESS you’re saying something that they know it’s wrong. they won’t let you get away with it. they will explain you in detail why you’re wrong in a passive aggressive way. making you feel really dumb lol they love being right

mercury in pisces. most find it hard to express through words to say exactly how they feel so instead they do it through music, songs,, art, sketches, some hand-made gifts. any kind of act of love. and they love those kind of things too. they find it more meaningful.

leo risings usually have a good sense of style. they want to look nice, wear nice clothes, nice jewelry. they tend to be super shy and quiet too, they have a hard time opening up to people. which is weird bc they have alot of charisma and people usually gravitate towards them, mostly because they’re fun to be around. but sometimes they care too much about what people think of them and that can stop them from being themselves.

moon in capricorn are so hard on themselves. whenever I think of this placement, it reminds me of that knot on your throat when you’re trying so hard not to cry. just holding back the tears. that’s them. all the time. and it’s not just tears they’re holding back, it’s also the words they never say when they’re really upset, completely avoiding any kind of interaction. or the good news they don’t ever share because they’re too afraid it’ll go away. or just anything that they keep to themselves bc they don’t want to bother anyone else. They’re also really intuitive!!! I feel like Capricorn is not known to be intuitive like that but it’s the fact that they can read people very well, they see right through people and they’re always ready for what’s going to come next. this placement can definitely make someone much quieter than usual, no matter the sun sign.

libra risings are extremely social and likable!!! this people love the attention and you definitely notice them from afar. they’re so good at fitting in. they have such grace to them, which is such a Libra thing but having this sign as your rising, it’s the way you come across to other people. They really try to stay out of drama and usually the ones to be cool with everything and everyone. they adapt very easily to their environment which can be good or bad. very easily influenced. they also like aesthetics a lot. visuals mean a lot to them. they want to make sure they look good at all times and they’re big on words meaning they like compliments a lottt!!! they look better with neutral and pastel colors. physically they tend to have longer faces and a fuller bottom lip from what I noticed, usually leaner body type. even if they’re not super fit, they have a good body distribution.

gemini risings just like any other air sign, also love to interact with people (sometimes) but they tend to be more reserved. they only open up once they comfortable then they don’t ever stop talking lol they’re super bubbly and curious. and can often be super observant. you can kinda know they don’t like you if they don’t talk you a lot lol because they truly loveee to talk. it’s a little difficult to spot them right away because they tend to blend in with other people but once they open up, you can see the their Gemini coming out. they tend to have small facial features, they can even be shorter in height. and there’s a more reserved look to them, kinda like virgo. but unlike virgo risings, gemini risings look somewhat more approachable and relaxed.

mars in pisces easily catches feelings because they won’t ever stop thinking about that one person. Most of the time they don’t even know the person that well but it’s just how they feel. And they tend to have a very sweet approach to love, lots of emotions, kinda like not being able to fck around with other people once they’re in love. They also feel like they have to vocalize it to get over it. They can’t really move on easily, no matter how fucked up the situation is.

mercury in any fire sign (leo/aries/sagittarius) are always having to tell people it’s just a jokeeee lol they tend to be very direct and their type of humor is usually so stupid, it sounds like their making fun of everyone but it’s also usually their love language. they love when people match their energy, they feel free to say anything and they lovee ittt!! another thing is If they don’t fck with you, they won’t even bother to talk to you, they might even talk sht about you or make little comments like that, they need to make it lol

moon in pisces struggles a lot to open up. it’s such a weird thing because they wear their heart in their sleeve so everyone knows they’re not doing well, people notice there’s something off, you can even see it in their face and eyes, but a moon in pisces will never be able to fully talk about it. it’s almost like talking about it makes it real and they don’t want any negative feelings. We all know they live in their own dream world, where it’s safe and peaceful and happy. and it’s all good until reality hits. And they hate it. they want to crawl back in bed, fall asleep for days. listen to some loud music and just close their eyes. They need to shut their minds off so it’s very common for them to develop escape mechanisms. can be really bad habits that make them feel so good. they really need to keep their mind clear and out of any negativity because everything they think about too much becomes real. a lot of popular music artists atm have this placement and you can kinda see how well they blend in with whatever is going on. you can see their genuine interests and opinions in their songs and performances.

moon in the 5th house ppl are creative!!! whatever their hobby is, they make sure it’s done right and they’re usually so good at it. their delivery it’s amazing. they express how they feel in such a dramatic way.

venus in aquarius is an interesting placement. it reminds me a lot of venus in virgo and I do think they have a lot of things in common but I still think venus in aquarius is more complex than that. They need reassurance in any way possible because it makes them feel safe but they are too afraid to committing to someone and having to emotionally depend on someone. And it’s not that they’re disloyal, if anything they’re one of the most loyal placements. they love imperfections, they love the real and raw. they understand there’s more to people and they accept people. but they’re afraid of it. they don’t think someone will be able to love their imperfections, so as soon as they start feeling too much, they take a couple steps back. they suddenly need some space. or at least that’s what they think they need. they don’t like to detach but they do it when they feel unsafe or unloved. and it’s always something that they can’t even understand themselves.

[ohnococo]

What about..the type of S/O the jjk guys would be attracted to/ fall for/work well with? For gojo & sukuna. I always think they would need someone with strength and feistyness ..but my barin doesn't go further than that. Headcanons?

Sorry that's such an incoherent request/babble

Dw this made perfect sense! My response became kind of a ramble on its own, but this was fun to think about as I do actually think there are some similarities in some of the things these two would like in a partner…

And a quick disclaimer that these are just my HCs! I’m big on selfships and with the thousands of universes we can create with these characters, there is always one where you can be their perfect person. These are just my thoughts on how I HC them!

Under a cut for length/rambling!

The Type of Person Gojo & Sukuna Would Be Attracted To

Gojo likes someone who is patient, and kind.

✧ He doesn’t always think of how he’ll come across, so his partner needs to understand that he’s not trying to be insensitive with certain comments.

✧ He likes someone who will call him out on his shit at the same time. If he’s said the wrong thing, tell him. Point blank. Someone who is passive or or communicates by pouting will likely lead to sour feelings because he just isn’t one to pry feelings out if you aren’t ready to share them, he’ll ask once and leave you to it. Let your thoughts be known and he’ll address it. It’s not that he’s ever trying to hurt you, and he is willing to at least try to correct his behaviour if it’s brought up to him. Whether that progress is quick enough is up to you.

✧ It seems like a dichotomy, but he’s clingy and at the same time wants a partner that isn’t clingy to the same degree as he is. It’s important to him that they don’t mind that physical touch, but he also likes a partner that has their own inner (and outer) life separate from him.

✧ Have your own hobbies, your own interests, your own friends. It makes your relationship feel richer for him knowing that you can have your own time but also come back as one whenever you feel like it.

✧ At the same time if you’re going to do something you have to actively tell him it’s just you and your friends, or an errand you’re running on your own because he WILL assume he’s invited.

Before I get into Sukuna I want to note some similarities I HC between them.

✧ Both of these men are used to starry-eyed stares, obsessive or fan-ish behaviours. Or in Sukuna’s case, outright devotion. What that treatment, and those acts, would mean to any other man doesn’t extend to these two. Cake doesn’t taste quite so sweet when it’s all you’ve been served.

✧ It’s why realism appeals to them. A partner with flaws, a partner who can love them wholly without viewing them only as some barely touchable deity, a partner who treats them as an equal in some capacity.

✧ A relationship is a back and forth, the assumption that it will be one-sided isn’t appealing. It’s boring for them. In Sukuna’s case especially, that kind of fawning cheapens his accomplishments, which were not won just by existing.

✧ In Gojo’s case, the messiness and discord of normal human relationships feel truly special to him in comparison to placing him on a pedestal he never had a choice in taking his place upon.

✧ The type of partner Sukuna likes is just as likely to get themselves killed by him as they are to pique his interest, so when he opens himself up to something with you, know that you are special.

✧ He wants someone who can stand on their own two feet. Someone self-assured and independent. A constant need for reassurance is off putting to him. He will reinforce his love in his own ways, and will do it often, but he doesn’t like to feel he has to do something out of obligation.

✧ With all that in mind, once he’s smitten he’s essentially a giant cat who wants to be draped across you whenever he feels like it - so physical touch is important to him too.

✧ Likewise a quiet sense of companionship works well for him. Doing separate things in the same room, quietly observing each other at your respective hobbies. That quality time is another way he shows his love.

✧ He’s fairly flexible and happy with a quiet partner or a talkative partner. Comfortable silences suit him just as much as watching you excitedly chat about things.

[tea-with-evan-and-me]

“You wonder what qualities of Evan they were drawn to because what they’re doing doesn’t really align with how he presents himself and he would probably find it distressing.”

I’ve always wondered this. Like Evan is a very laidback and kind person, why are so many truly mean and rotten people drawn to him? I kind of wonder though if his “passive” nature, idk if that’s the best word to use I guess just laidbackness, is part of why they feel so comfortable doing what they do. I think it’s kind of obvious that they don’t view Evan as a real person, considering the way they speak about him and the way they treat people he cares about, and Evan is not the type of person who is going to hop on social media to call them out or anything. So I think those things make them feel like they can go to the extremes that they do.

i actually do think some of the behavior is influenced by the way that people characterize evan, because he does seem to be a person who struggles with low self-esteem and has had relationships where his passive nature appeared to be taken advantage of. “fans” have used this to paint evan as a perpetual victim and mentally regressed man, and therefore he needs them to log onto social media and villainize any woman he is associated with as they’re using poor baby evan for his fame and money 🥴 i don’t even think they always believe in it, but it’s an angle they can use to justify their pathetic behavior.

[wordlesslyjenneh]

Some thoughts on mind control

After reading @bettycrockersspoon latest chapter of the anthology, Devil’s Road (which you should go read right now!) it got me really thinking of the different types of mind control and manipulation we see in FFIV, and how their effectiveness reflects the type of person each victim is.

End game spoilers for Final Fantasy IV:

Starting with Kain, the first mind control reveal. Tellah’s use of Meteor temporarily weakens Golbez and interrupts his link to Kain, which suggests it’s a spell that Golbez maintains, at least passively if not actively. Although Kain admits he had at least autonomy while under Golbez’s control, it’s not defined how or how much.

When Cecil tells Kain that it wasn’t his fault because Kain was under Golbez’s spell, Kain tells Cecil, “But... a part of me inside was awake and yet... I just stood by and watched.” (GBA version) and then to Rosa, “Not all of what I did was because of Golbez's spell. I just wanted to keep you...to keep you by my side.” (DS version).

I believe Kain was tempted into his mind control by promises of finally defeating Cecil and proving to Rosa that Kain is the superior choice. He tells her, “…you'll see soon enough that I am superior to Cecil.” (Gba) and “I am more than Cecil will ever be. You'll see that soon enough.” and seems to think this will actually work.

Kain’s second round of mind control is less subtle; Golbez is actively pulling strings and directly controlling Kain, despite Kain’s attempt to resist. However, is he still tempted by what Golbez has to offer? If Kain brings Golbez the last Crystal, what more could Golbez dangle as bait? It’s interesting to ponder.

Now Yang, our second victim of mind influence. Did Yang truly have amnesia from the shipwreck and was convinced by Baron/Golbez to join? In the Baron Inn, Yang and other guards are being rowdy, and the villagers complain about their behavior, so much so that the innkeeper gives you a free night for taking care of them. That doesn’t seem like Yang’s character at all.

Yang claims he “remembers little” after Leviathan’s attack but my theory is that he has chosen not to remember. I think Golbez influenced his amnesia in a way that made Yang vulnerable to suggestion; it is easy to do something awful if someone with authority is telling you to do it. (See the Milgram Experiment for a real-life example).

Remembering his actions while working for Baron forces Yang to realize he is a man capable of darkness. I don’t think Golbez had any meaningful “control” over Yang in the same way he did Kain, but Yang wants to forget: losing all the monks to monsters at Mount Hobbs; the siege of Fabul and the horror of facing both Baron soldiers and monsters; and not being able to save Rydia from Leviathan. These are all Yang’s failures, and they must weigh heavily on him. Enough to embrace amnesia? Perhaps.

Finally, Golbez, who inspired all this rambling. What version of influence did Zemus have over Golbez? In the DS version during Golbez’s flashback, we see Zemus offering Theodor what he wants – to be rid of baby Cecil, who had just killed his beloved mother. Made vulnerable by his grief, Zemus encourages Theodor’s hatred of Cecil while belittling Theodor, and then gives him permission to abandon his brother. It bears some similarities to how Kain is controlled/influenced, having some control but being unable to stop themselves from doing the terrible acts.

However, Golbez does not seem to remember who he is, as Yang. FuSoYa commands Golbez, “You have to look deep inside yourself!  You have to realize who you really are!” (GBA) and then casts a spell. Does the spell make Golbez remember what he had forgotten, or did it interrupt Zemus’ influence enough for Golbez to remember on his own? The difference matters.

If the spell only brought back Golbez’s memories, that means Golbez interrupted/started resisting Zemus’ control once he remembered. Golbez continues to hear Zemus in his mind but chooses to ignore it as he and FuSoYa venture to Zemus’ prison at the core.

If the spell interrupts Zemus’ control, then Zemus was actively blocking memories and Golbez now remembers who he is because of that interruption. I think this is less likely because I don’t think FuSoYa has that kind of power to stop one of Zemus’ spells.

The descent into the core is dangerous, especially for those susceptible to darkness. When you first enter the Lunar Subterrane, Kain’s thought bubbles wonder, “This wave of hate—does it emanate from Zemus?” Edge also seems to sense something from Zemus (which could be a post in of itself!) but the others do not feel it.

How would have Golbez experienced the Lunar Subterrane? Would Zemus’ influence have been more intense because of Golbez’s inner darkness and how enmeshed Golbez and Zemus were? Did Golbez fight every step of the way to keep himself from falling under Zemus’ control again? I think so.

Ultimately, I think it’s a combination of both the desire to forget and Zemus’ corrupting influence encouraging him to hate that turned Theodor into Golbez. As a half Lunarian, Golbez is both more powerful than the average human, but also far more vulnerable to Zemus. Golbez chooses to hate and forget because it is easier than facing the truth of his childhood trauma: sometimes bad things just happen and there’s no one to blame.

All of this is to say I really want to give Golbez a big hug because I think he especially needs it. Again, go read BCS’ Devil’s Road! I read it in the morning and spent all day thinking about it, hence this ridiculous essay.

Thoughts? I’d love to hear them!

[dearweirdme]

I think some people are overstepping their boundaries a little or a lot, tbh. Taehyung and Jimin were the ones who referred to themselves as soulmates so it's nobody else's place to speak over them on that matter. They know their relationship better than any of us and we don't know what time they spend together or how they interact behind closed doors. We always say that just because we don't see Taekook interactions doesn't mean they're not happening so why are people switching up on that now and acting like what we see or don't see on the screen encapsulates and defines their entire relationship? Like, don't be hypocritical.

I think some of the implications are really treading close to calling them both liars and fake and peddling BS to the fans because if it is just a narrative, then they're heavily complicit in pushing it so it's putting them and their integrity in the line of fire and do we really think that's fair to them just because all they did was hang out in public together?

And now people are in the asks speaking for Tae, talking about how he was disappointed that it wasn't JK like they personally know him or his feelings on the matter even when Taehyung said or gave no implication that he was unhappy or disappointed that Jimin was there.

I'm gonna be blunt and say that some of these comments are coming off as bitter, shipper bullshit with people trying to put words in Tae's mouth when what they really mean is that THEY are the ones disappointed that they didn't get their Taekook fix. It's disappointing really because I thought most of us had moved past that level of entitlement and realised that the members aren't obligated to adjust or forgo their other relationships with each other outside of Taekook in order to suit us.

Taehyung and Jimin have made it perfectly clear how much they think of each other, how much they love each and how important their relationship is to them and they've made it perfectly clear to me that their relationship is 100% platonic so why are Taekookers in the threads acting threatened and bitter?

Yes, people do play the maknae line off against each other and their interactions and relationships are weaponised by haters and shippers but why should that lead to people questioning things that Tae and Jimin have specifically said themselves with words out of their own mouths and that the other members have pointedly AND passively reinforced?

I don't know if it's because people automatically romanticise the word 'soulmate' and have no idea what kind of relationship it really refers to but the 'everyone is lying about Vmin's friendship and we know themselves better than them' narrative is kinda nuts since it implicates them directly in the lie. There's no shady BigHit tricks to blame for that one since it's come directly from the horse's mouth.

Imagine seeing vmin together, being happy together, and still managing to find a problem with it.

Lame.

Hi anon!

To me it looks like there’s different reasons people have for talking the way they do about this. To some it is indeed just to get a Taekook fix. I have seen people very invested in Taekook as a ship, but not so much in BTS as a band. Some are even very deep in the more ‘crazy’ type of narratives, it almost feels as though they are trying to fight a battle here. And while the intentions are probably not bad (they truly think Tae and Jk have to be rescued) it’s not based on reality imo. To those people seeing Jimin there and Jk just having left for a schedule, it looks like Jk is purposefully sent away and Jimin is the point they place some of their anger on.

I don’t personally follow accounts that push narratives that are really out there, but on occasion I get sent stuff from for instance that Taennieisaflop account (apparently they changed their name) and it’s truly so harmful what they do there. They have many followers (hopefully a lot who just follow for the drama and don’t actually buy what is said) who go along with what they say. It actually undermines the members at times.

I do also think that the word ‘soulmate’ carries different connotations for different cultures. In mine for instance, it’s used very much to describe a romantic bond. You’d actually have to clarify that it’s not romantic in nature or people will just assume. But I do think to all actual BTS fans it’s very clear that Tae and Jimin are very much platonic.

[no-walkietalkies]

riri makes stupid connections between zero day and Harris and Klebold; the first installment

something i’ve thought about is when rachel and cal are in the graveyard, filming talking to each other. rachel says something along the lines of “when it’s you and me, i feel like i’m with cal. but whenever andre’s around you become like andre #2.” and cal says something along the lines of “how do you know andre isn’t actually becoming cal #2?” its all joking, but it sort of reminds me of some of the dialogue (at least, very early dialogue) about Klebold and Harris.

in the early days in the aftermath and even as the massacre was happening, a lot people were shocked over Klebold’s involvement, but weren’t surprised Harris was and made sense of if one of them was involved, the other had to have been too. people perceived Harris as mean and angry and thus it made sense to them that he’d commit the massacre- however, while yes some people remember Klebold as being rude or angry, the general consensus around him seemed to be that he was just kind of a passive guy. if that is true or not is up to each individual, but he wasn’t an active nuisance most of the time to majority of people. (obviously, the guy was still an asshole. there’s still a thread of people he was awful to, and i don’t say this to excuse or make Klebold seem more innocent. i just bring this up to show that most people didn’t really see him as a threat, even if there was people he was a dick to.) people thought that Klebold must’ve “followed” Harris into doing it, thus the whole “Dylan was a follower” narrative bullshit. they thought Klebold had to have had someone to follow into committing the massacre, and was laid back and passive enough that Harris somehow roped him into this twisted scheme. obviously this is all bullshit and if you read even just their journals you’ll know it is (cough cough dave cullen..) but essentially people thought that Klebold was following or became different under Harris’ guidance.

however, in the basement tapes, Klebold rants on and on about his life long hidden anger and how everyone in his life made him who he is / added to it. now, don’t get me wrong, i’m not here to spread that stupid bullshit that Eric/Dylan followed the other into committing the massacre. they both clearly wanted to do it and it’s stupid to claim one was a follower when they both went through with it at the end of the day. (and also journal evidence literally contradicts this) however, ironically enough, i believe Devon Adams [friend of Klebold and Zack Heckler and later went on to date Zack] said something about how Harris was actually the one to copy Klebold and it made him “so mad.” Applying to Blackjack Pizza, getting a Rammstein car sticker, getting a black trench coat, all that jazz.

what the hell does any of this have to do with zero day? obviously, cal and andre are loosely based off of Klebold and Harris. they aren’t direct one to ones of course (for legal reasons and in story reasons, such as cal having younger siblings when Klebold only had an older brother, Byron, and andre being jewish when Harris wasn’t. Klebold did have jewish heritage though.) but i just this it’s interesting how it’s brought up that essentially, when around andre, cal becomes like someone else to rachel. someone more like who andre is taken to be- mean and aggressive. but to cal, it’s more that he can be more of who he “really is” around andre, aka not needing to be the nice and shyly passive kid people take him for and instead be the type of kid who would plan and execute zero day. and if anything, sometimes andre takes after cal more in certain ways.

if you replace cal and andre with their counterparts/the people they were based on, Klebold and Harris, within that paragraph, it seems pretty similar to the descriptions of how they were perceived and how they actually behaved sometimes in the 2nd and 3rd paragraphs. does this mean anything? probably not, but i truly do think it’s incredibly interesting how well the director molded cal and andre after Klebold and Harris, even if sometimes unintentionally with something like this. this is probably awfully worded but i hope i got my point across lolz

[oraclekleo]

BHS Tarot Reading - Yunho (Ateez) [Sub]

BHS Game stands for Blindfold - Handcuff - Spank and it’s a more spicy variant of the Kiss - Marry - Kill game. This passive version of the BHS Tarot Game describes idols’ reactions to them being on the receiving and giving side of these activities. This is the receiving end part, where Sana is in a submissive role. The giving part will be posted as another post. Depending on your preferences, you can read only the parts you personally feel drawn to or you can read it all out of curiosity. This version describes the situation from the idol’s perspective but can include some details about you, if the cards indicate it.

Disclaimer:

All celebrity readings have purely entertainment nature

I don’t know any of the celebrities personally

Don’t base life decisions purely on tarot readings

I can never guarantee any of what’s said in the reading

Feedback: Feedback is very important for content creators and for me it’s even more important. Please, let me know whether the tarot readings resonate. If there’s anything you dislike or find off about my readings (like wording, topics, focus), just tell me. I don’t want you to write 1000-word feedback, very simple comments will do for me to stay motivated. I don’t know why I have to keep repeating this but this is something I do for you, guys, and when I don’t feel motivated to do tarot readings, I have many other things to do. The more motivation I get, the more readings you will get to read. The logic is very simple but it’s two sided.

Reading Info:

Rating: VERY 18+

Reading Type: Single - Couple

Requested: Yes - No

Requester: /

Deck(s): Erotic Fantasy Tarot, Tarot of Sexual Magic, Tarot of Casanova

Spread: BHS - sub part

Questions:

Blindfolded by you

Handcuffed by you

Spanked by you

Receives oral from you

Celebrity Info:

Full Name: Jeong Yun Ho

Stage Name: Yunho

Group: ATEEZ

DOB: 23.03.1999

Blood Type: A

MBTI: ENFJ

Sun Sign: Aries

Chinese Sign: Earth Rabbit

Life Path Number: 9

Masterpost: Ateez

Yunho (Ateez) - Sub

Blindfolded by you (King of Cups, Knight of Wands, XX Judgement - Erotic Fantasy Tarot): Yunho might not be the kinkiest man at first sight but he’s indeed a mature person and it also comes with curiosity about the more sensual pleasures in life. He’s likely to quickly agree to be blindfolded by you as a part of your sex games. He expresses his full trust in you this way. It’s not just a kinky play, it means much more to him, this levels your relationship up. He’s not likely to feel shy or hesitant and encourage you to proceed as you wish. Even blindfolded he’s likely to declare sweet praises to you, making sure you yourself have no doubts and feel safe to express all your desires with him. He’s likely to become even more passionate than usual with a blindfold on as his sense of touch gets more sensitive. You find it easier to turn him on, when usually he keeps his cool for a long time. Being at your mercy sparks lust in him, he’s likely to feel both vulnerable and excited. And while usually Yunho can truly last long with you, being blindfolded makes him more prone for a quick release. You might better count on that.

Handcuffed by you (XXI The World, 6 of Wands, I The Magician - Tarot of Sexual Magic): Two major arcana cards! Looks like someone truly loves to be shackled to bed here. And that someone is Yunho. He might even be the one to pitch the idea of being tied or chained up by you, firstly as a joke but if you don’t react terrified he will make a serious request. There’s something irresistibly charming about Yunho being tied up and at your mercy, especially for him. He might truly crave the feeling of hopelessness mixed with burning desire and lust. Being completely exposed to you, making himself utterly available for any of your fantasies. He might like you to get a little rougher with him, he might also encourage you to be resourceful and use whatever you see around you. So you might end up tying his hands with his belt or with your shawl. Younho is also likely to encourage you to use toys on him and give him as much of a loving torture as you possibly can, making his entire world shake. He’s likely to freely express his feelings be it in words or unarticulated noises, both loud so make sure you don’t wake your entire neighbourhood up.

Spanked by you (3 of Wands, 10 of Pentacles, V The Hierophant - Tarot of Casanova): When it comes to spanking, Yunho might be on the more traditional side, meaning he might insist on it to be a punishment. An enjoyable one but a punishment for misbehaviour all the same. He’s more likely to appreciate you using your hand than any whip or flogger but it’s really up to you. Yunho is likely to willingly take the punishment, kneeling in front of you and awaiting your strike in silence. He’s likely to encourage you to put force in it, it is a punishment after all. Despite that, Yunho will feel so turned on if you boss him and recite his sins to him while giving him a good spank. He needs to hear what he did ‘wrong’ and he’s likely to plead guilty and let plenty of apologies stream out of his mouth in between moans and whimpers. I can see Yunho is big on after care here, so make sure to have some water for him and soothing cream ready.

Receives oral from you (8 of Wands, 0 The Fool, King of Swords): Ahm! King of Swords in the oral part? It just screams Freud. Looks like a quickie here for Yunho as he’s not likely to hold himself well-composed for long. Once you go down on him, all blood leaves his brain and he’s ready to jump off the cliff. You take Yunho in your mouth and unless his hands are tied somewhere, he will guide your head to deepthroat him, fist your hair and growl with delight instantly. You might need considerable strength to slow him down as Yunho’s hips will instinctively set up the speed, making you gag on him. If you’re not exactly a fan of having your throat bruised, you might start with a hand job and only give him that final suck tipping him over the edge.

Do you feel uncomfortable reblogging my content and you don't have the funds to support me financially through ko-fi? You can still show you appreciate my works and Czech and Slovakian shelter dogs. Click on the link bellow and the button. It's free! You can click every day! Your clicks will transform into Brit dog food every month and go to doggies in need.

CLICK AND FEED SHELTER DOGS

Have good karma and you will meet your Special Person!

Thank you for reading!

Hit the Like 💖

Comment! 💬

Reblog! 🔁

Follow for more! 💌

Any Feedback is Welcomed ✅

Consider supporting me on ko-fi 💖

Check out my k-pop and astrology themed activity book for adults - HERE! 📘

[destinyc1020]

I have a confession for this Sunday and I’m stating right now that I’m aware I’m gonna get backlash. Im a dark skinned black woman and though I’m fan of Zendaya I’m quite passive when I see comments that attack her or her brand or I don’t defend her online or on social places as much as I would do as a dark skinned actress. I think this opinion was sparked from the Spice and Erica Mena situation and Pinkydoll controversy.

Im aware this is very problematic to admit and honestly feel. I’m here for the backlash lol. I’m in my late teens and I’ve really learned about colorism especially in the entertainment and I know that Z has acknowledged her light skinned privilege and goes for roles meant for white women. I support her but not as much as I do darker skinned actresses. I obviously want to change this way of thinking because I love Z and I’m aware this is really on me than her but, I really want to see a dark skin black girl win. Just one.

One who is under the age of 30 and over 18 being considered a desirable love interest who isn’t no shade in the demographic of Viola and Angela. One especially that isn’t ratchet as Sexyy Red and Sukiana(I love them as artists but love the message they leave out of black girls isn’t ideal). It pains me that the last it girl was Lupita and before ppl say what about Keke, first Keke is brown and second I love her but her personal life is a lil messy for me.

Again, I want to reiterate that this is a confession that might get me jumped and I’m prepared for it lol. I just find it sad that as black girls when don’t have our The Summer I turned Pretty or actress who is a Florence Pugh equivalent meaning that she’s everywhere lol. I’m also aware that Z truly has broken so many boundaries, no other light skin black actress has won a Emmy not once but twice in history. I’m aware of her limitations in that industry. I find it crazy that Challengers is her first leading role backed by a big studio at the age of 27 when her yt peers have been offered roles from as young as 16 maybe. The black actresses previous to her usually get their first leading roles in their early 30s or if your Viola 50s. It’s triumphant actually.

Now that I’m typing this all out, I’m aware I’m more angry at entertainment industry than Z as an individual. She didn’t ask to be the token black girl of Hollywood. I realise that it’s a competitive industry, no one can predict anyones career arch one could have in that industry. I’m sorry for this long winded confession but I really love blog and as a black woman I find comfort on how open you are to opinions that aren’t your own and are still so respectful. That’s my confession and I hope you have a nice Sunday!!!!!

Hey Anon!

Awww....first of all, let me give you a hug... 🥰

Don't worry, you are in a Safe Space here on "Confession Sunday". That means, I won't judge, and no Anons should be jumping down your throat as long as you're respectful, honest, and are genuine in your feelings.

Anyway... Whew! Where do I begin? I feel like you spoke a word with your post. I actually feel like your ask was worded very well? I think you got your point across, and you even came to the realization of where your REAL frustration lies: And that's with the Entertainment Industry itself.

I can't tell you how many times Anon I have felt the same exact way. Like you, my disappointment isn't really with Zendaya or any other biracial/fair-skinned actresses out here. My disappointment and frustration lies with the racist and colorist society in which we live in, and hence also the racist and colorist ET industry that exists. 😔

First off, I don't enjoy seeing ANYBODY getting hate for things they cannot control, especially if they seem like a decent person, and the hate seems undeserved. I really don't enjoy seeing that. So, whether it's Zendaya, or someone else in the industry, I just think that a lot of hate is uncalled for, so I don't really care for it, no matter who the individual is.

I think it's a shame too how Hollywood seems to have regressed in some manner when it comes to "black women" representation for the 18 - 30 age group. 😔 When you look at older films and TV shows, it almost seems like there was far more young unambiguously black female representation onscreen maybe in films and TV 20 some years ago than there is today in 2023. 🥴

I love Zendaya (as you all know) and I LOVE seeing the success that she's having. 🥰 But every once in a while, it would be nice seeing some other young actresses who look more like me (brown-skinned) getting some shine, and getting the same level of success and "household name" status that Z or Florence get.

Like you, I've grown up with Keke and root for her.... 🥰 But yea, it's just kind of sad how her promising career in film kind of fizzled out a little bit. She's still successful (imo), but let's just say, she's not getting the LARGE, blockbuster roles or love interest roles that Zendaya gets, and that's because Z represents (like you said) the more "acceptable" form of a "black girl" these days. It's just sad that this is what society has turned into. 🥴 Black women are not one monolith. We don't all look alike. We come in various shapes, sizes, skin tones, hues, etc.

I've also rooted for actress Aja Naomi King. She's another one who I think is pretty talented, and used to be on a hit TV show (HTGAWM), but then, after that it was like...... NOTHING. 👀 At 38 years old, she might be a bit older than the age range you had in mind, but you get my drift.

It does make you wonder sometimes.... Like, I know there are so many talented, young, beautiful, darker-skinned actresses out here just trying to make it in Hollywood. Why aren't we given a chance? Why are we continuously passed up?

I keep rooting for many of my darker-skinned sisters in Hollywood, cuz I know it can't be easy. If it hasn't been easy for Zendaya, then you KNOW it hasn't been easy for women darker than her.

I root for Keke, I root for Lupita, I root for Aja, Janelle Monae, Ajiona Alexus, Halle Bailey, Nicole Beharie, Kiki Layne, Letitia Wright, Teyonah Parris, etc. The list goes on and on.

Hollywood (and society) would love to make you think that there aren't any talented, BEAUTIFUL, young darker-skinned black actresses out here that are desirable, but that is simply NOT true.

There are some BEAUTIFUL darker-skinned ladies in Hollywood, but you're right... It's rare we become a household name.... Where is our "To All The Boys I've Loved Before" movies? Why aren't we considered when it comes to romantic films or playing the love interest?

I think we all know the answers to those questions. 😒

But don't feel like you have to "hate" on another actress like Zendaya simply because society/the industry caters more towards black women with her look. Don't dislike her, dislike the racist and colorist society that we live in! People literally CANNOT help who they were born to, nor how they look. I don't think anyone should be shamed or hated on for something they literally CANNOT even control, which is their skin color. It's just foolish to me.

Anyway Anon, I just want to say that I see you... I hear you... and I totally get what you're saying. 🥰❤️

[funkymbtifiction]

What is the best way, as an ESFJ 6, to get along with a 9? I really like 9s a lot, but communication with them can be hard.

I have been close friends with several 9s (by coincidence, all are feelers with Fi) and there have been things in our relationship that have bugged them. For instance, some of them view me as needy or not having good enough boundaries. But they don’t mention it, or not directly. In the meantime, without me knowing, things will be building inside of them. Even when I try to talk things out with them, they won’t necessarily give me the complete picture of what they feel. Then something will happen (something that triggers them) and suddenly, all of their frustration will come out, and they’ll just cut me off entirely. All good people, but it’s very hard to work out stuff.

You cannot change other people, only yourself. Which means if this is a pattern with the 9s in your life, there’s something you are doing to “trigger” it. So now comes some hard questions. How healthy are you, as a 6? Are you anxious and reactive? Do you read negativity and accusations into situations where none exists? Are you defensive and fearful? Are you always thinking in terms of the worst possible scenario and throwing cold water on things? Are you anxiously attached in the sense that you can’t leave people “alone” (bombarding them with text messages if you don’t hear back immediately?). As a 6 myself, I know what we can be like when we’re lacking in self-confidence within our friendships.

What does self-confidence within a relationship look like for a 6?

Being able to wait for a response, even if it’s slow, without testing them, e-mailing them, texting them, and “being needy.” Why? Because we tell ourselves “nothing is wrong if they don’t answer me. They are a 9 who is overwhelmed by life and has to ‘get away’ in order to be truly themselves.’ They are a 9 who thinks about me, but doesn’t reach out. Their silence means nothing bad.” DO NOT pester them, reread your texts to look for what you said that maybe upset them, and anticipate that they are angry with you and try to diffuse it. Allow yourself to remember that as friends, you don’t need constant access to them, and as 9s, they need space and separation due to feeling overwhelmed.

9s are very sensitive and easily absorb whatever is happening around them; they hate being made to “feel” things -- things that upset them, anger them, etc. It’s hard for them to be up-front and they process things slowly. So, if you have a lot of conflict with 9s, it may be because as a 6, you are “too reactive.”

What does dialing back reactivity look like for a 6?

Catching yourself escalating and reminding yourself that this is not a huge deal, that this person is not questioning your decision or judgment, that raising your voice won’t fix the problem, that this is not the end of the world, etc. Learning to control reactivity means recognizing it as it’s happening and taking control over it, instead of allowing it to control you. As a reactive type, you WANT your friends to agree with you that THIS IS A PROBLEM, or THIS IS UPSETTING, but 9s are unruffled, calm, unaffected. From their perspective, any attempt to get them to escalate is exhausting and irritating. They won’t escalate with you; they will only escalate if they have a problem or they have reactive fixes.

Lastly, as 6s, we tend to project “people are mad at me” onto people even if it’s not the case, and then we treat them as if they are mad at us, and that can make them actually mad at us. Don’t assume your 9 is mad unless it’s obvious (with passive-aggression or directly being told off). I have noticed, with myself, if I am talking to someone and get anxious that I may have said the wrong thing, I hurry to add to it, change the subject, or deflect rather than let it land. It’s a “look over here and not at that” approach, but... I need to stop doing it. Let the comment land, do not deflect away from it, and then see if they are upset or not. Most of the time, they aren’t. But we think “wow, too much” and try to take away their right to be annoyed if we were rude without unending to be rude. Be calmer, take things slower. As a head type and an extrovert, you also think/talk way faster than your 9 introverted friends. Don’t overwhelm them as much, let things “sit.” Give them time to react instead of demanding an instant response.

Okay, enough about you and now about them. 9s have problems being up front about their feelings and that makes them passive-aggressive to the hilt. They think directly confronting you is going to escalate into a fight, so they will deny anything is wrong and then let you have it later, once the rage builds up. This is incredibly frustrating for people who want to get it all out on the table and deal with it on the spot (EFJs). But there’s no real way to cope with it, other than to know that’s how their anger works and batten down the proverbial hatches. Some 9s are more mature than others, as well. Cutting you off for no reason, and without an explanation or allowing you to explain yourself as long-term friends, isn’t an adult way to handle a relationship problem. But all the 9 is thinking about is “how can I reintroduce peace to my life? By getting rid of this person who is disrupting my peace!” In truth, the problem is often because they refuse to admit to their role in an argument or problem and thus, contribute to the disruption of their peace by being avoidant, neglectful, absent, or checking out emotionally. It takes two to have a conflict.

I’m extremely direct and prefer the same in others so that I know where we stand. If we ever get back to our friendship, they might put up strong walls to protect themselves or attribute our relationship problems to my behavior without seeing where their passivity or lack of communication might have contributed to the problem. (Though to be clear, I have definitely contributed to the problem too.)

9s have a hard time, because admitting to them contributing to a problem makes them feel bad about themselves, upset, etc., and their goal in life is to feel good about themselves and unaffected by the world. Their inertia is not laziness so much as a spiritual resistance to spiritual growth -- admitting that they contribute to the discomfort that arises in their life, and that they cause problems for not only themselves but other people. As I said, that’s a truth they must find, and something they need to want to change moving forward. You can’t fix it.

In particular, what’s the best way to communicate with an ISFP 9 who is experiencing anger? I get really shocked at how someone so placid and nonjudgmental can suddenly be saying the most cutting things to me. And I get that sense that because this is authentic to them and how they feel, they don’t really see how their words are hurtful.

Leave them alone. I know that’s hard for an EFJ, because you want to clear the air and talk it through and reach a consensus, but IFPs can’t be rushed in terms of processing their feelings, and when stuff happens, they go into low Te blunt mode. They don’t see their words as hurtful when they are upset, because their feelings are the only thing on their mind. Give them space, and try to remember that it’s probably not personal so much as an expression of their inner pain. And later, if you really felt hurt by their words, gently address it with them. Find a time when the anger has subsided and say, “You said this and it hurt my feelings. I know you were upset that day. Did you really mean it?” Give them a chance to apologize, but do it in as non-confrontational a way as you can.

One more q: How as a 6 (and J) do I become more comfortable with ISFPs who frequently change course suddenly? I told my ISFP friend that being with him is like being on a roller coaster, and I tried to explain to him how I get really nervous at the lack of stability and predictability. At the same time, I want to learn how to handle this person’s sudden changes in mood and in life direction (an extreme example, but for instance: religious one day, an atheist the next day) that have me completely taken aback at times.

Go half and half. Meaning, you agree to meet in the middle. Sometimes you plan what you’re going to do together, and sometimes you agree to just show up and go somewhere with him. Over time, you will find it’s fun to be spontaneous, and he will learn to accommodate your need to plan a little bit ahead. As for their sudden shifts -- just recognize “oh, this is normal for him” and to be honest, don’t take anything too seriously in the knowledge that tomorrow it might change. I know that’s not stable and that you want stability, but some people are just going to be impulsive, spontaneous, and changeable -- so we have to learn to go along with it as 6s and just smile and nod, lol.

[nat20marketing]

Welcome back to this week’s Nat 20 Marketing!

We are reaching the final stretch of this blog. It has been quite an exciting journey throughout, for I have learned a lot more about IMC itself through in-person lectures and activities, as well as outstanding real-life examples.

One thing I noticed during this whole journey is the frequent creative brainstorming processes that happen behind the scenes. As a creative person I’ve always been since childhood, I have absolutely enjoyed the opportunities this path has led me to so far.

This brings me to this week’s topic on traditional media for marketing and advertising.

Before we get into the juicy part of this blog post, let’s talk about what traditional marketing is.

We are so used to digital marketing these days on our smartphones, tablets, and computers that it is very easy to overlook traditional marketing channels like the television, newspapers and magazines, billboards and advertisements printed on vehicles, expos, and conventions, etc.

The reality is that there is likely never a point in time we can completely abandon and move on from traditional marketing means, because we are humans, and we are social creatures. We go out for school, work, social activities, and many things else. They may seem insignificant in our busy lives, but they are still information our brains gather passively as we move along with whatever we may be doing. Just like digital advertisements, it takes a few times before our brains can fully register and retain the content in our minds. When we are surrounded by the same advertisements over and over, it is more likely that we will recall the brands in the future when we need any goods and services from those lines of business.

In the past, I have always thought that traditional marketing is relatively boring because, in my perception, this type of marketing is just advertisements on printed media. I will admit that I don’t read a lot of newspapers or magazines myself, and I have so easily dismissed the advertisements around me as I go on with my day because I am simply so used to seeing them all over the place. What I do not notice is that my subconscious has been silently soaking up all this information like a sponge every day. The constant and regular exposure to these advertisements, as I revisit them when I commute back and forth, functions the same way as we view the same advertisements on social media repeatedly in intervals.

On top of these passive advertisements placed around us, there are still other meaningful methods to get the brand’s products out into the market.

For most DND enthusiasts, anime, movies, and video games are easily the common go-to entertainment aside from tabletop games. I’d like to talk about video games in particular this time. There are many conventions and in-person events across the world yearly that showcase upcoming games developed by both indie teams and AAA companies. Some games offer a free demo if you visit their booths, and you can decide whether you want to buy the games when they officially launch in the future. These playtests are also used as a critical source of instant feedback from a large pool of players of different ages, genders, and preferences. Developers can easily collect data and modify their games to better fit the expectations of their potential players, who are going to be their customers. If the team decides to listen to and adopt the feedback provided by the players, it can build positive relationships with the players. This is beneficial in the long run and creates strong brand loyalty.

Now that we’ve covered the gist of what traditional marketing is, I want to go over how we can get creative with them using a couple of examples I learned about last week.

Let's start mashing traditional marketing with the future!

The first example would be the KitKat billboards that give you a massage when you lean your back onto them. I would have never thought of this idea. It is truly out of the box and brings technology into these plain advertisement billboards you can so easily find at bus stops and train stations. While I cannot say how the massage experience really feels because of the unconventional limitations to these massage devices that were installed inside the billboard, it is most certainly the uniqueness of the experience that would leave people a long-lasting impression. People would remember that KitKat once did this campaign, and I think it aligns well with the value the chocolate tries to deliver. It is a snack we would eat when we want to relax for a bit. It is a convenient snack we can have on-the-go.

The second example would be Canadian Tire’s marketing campaign on their pet products. It is extremely creative and smart for the team to focus their attention on the pets instead of only on the pet owners. The team created these scented promotional devices to attract dogs when they are on their walks with their owners. These devices are also tailored to attract them visually, in colors that they can easily discern, as it is commonly known that dogs are born with colorblindness. Much more is done throughout the campaign to bring more dogs (and their human friends) to shop at Canadian Tire. With this example, it is so difficult not to realize that sometimes we don’t always have to market our products to the ones who are paying, but also to the users. Be it your children or your fur companions, it is proven time and time again that marketing campaigns creatively designed are far better than generic advertisements.

That being said, these campaigns are often far more costly. It is truly an investment that takes time, effort, and money. Sometimes, it may even be a risky one, and may not even be well-received!

Before we end this week’s post, I’d like to try out this handy dandy poll function on Tumblr! We’ll be back at Nat 20 Marketing next week with the topic of “The Power of Personalization”.

[cannoli-reader]

My notes watching Wheel of Time: Season 1, episode 4

Posted on readandfindout.com on 11/27/2021

1:10 – Says Ghealdan. Looks like a Logain flashback. Or at least it had better be a Logain flashback since there is absolutely no other reason to set more of this show in Ghealdan, given the enormous amount of material they don’t have time to cover.

1:49 - Interestingly the flows of the Power wielded by a man are white tinged with black. Not sure if the difference is the taint or saidin.

2:42 - “What does a crown mean to the Dragon Reborn?” This is kind of good, because it’s a lesson Rand did not learn until late in the series. Not that he was hungry for crowns or misused the one he did take, but although he’s probably doing so out of arrogance, Logain is articulating something about the job that Rand (and especially Moiraine) did not get. Rand was not born to govern but to lead and to inspire.

2:59 - The Spanish-type accents and Muslim-looking helms and armor give Ghealdan a sort of Andalusian character, which is a nice sort of world-building thing, even if better reserved for Taraborn or Tear. I am also uncertain about the king’s realization that Logain truly believes he is the Dragon Reborn. Logain almost certainly knew he was not born on Dragonmount. I’m also reserving judgement on the voices until we find out more about them.

5:05 - I think I like him healing and recruiting the king. There is a bit of an issue with the fandom swooning over Logain early on and being predisposed to think the best of him, when he’s actually kind of a jealous dick when it comes to Rand and a war-criminal and terrorist who started a conflict over a title he had no right to. But he did try to cause as little harm as possible.

8:15 - Your healing is crap, Kerene. Nynaeve would have done way better. On the other hand, good job on staying alive 20 years longer than you did in the books.

8:55 - “Only Alanna, Liandrin and (Kerene) are strong enough to shield (Logain).” OK, show, you had better be careful with ANY other Aes Sedai names you use for this party. If any of them are canonically stronger than Alanna, who is the weakest of that trio, I believe, some friends of mine will have words. Pretty sure Liandrin is a tick below Moiraine who is the top tier of active living sisters before Egwene is fake-raised or Cadsuane comes out of retirement.

Although, come to think of it, since Cadsuane had hunted down Logain, why’d she fuck off leaving the party short of strength? Even though her given strength is controversial, the fact that she is almost as strong as Egwene and Elayne would probably put her around 9 or 10 and Kerene is 11, I’m pretty sure.

9:03 - Alanna has enough of a likability problem given her future crime against Rand that we don’t need her being passive-aggressive.

9:27 - Porcelain doll, my ass. Is that tangle on the side of her head supposed to be Liandrin’s trademark multiple honey-colored braids?

9:41 - Proclaiming oneself the Dragon Reborn is apparently a symptom of delusional madness. In the books it’s always referenced as ambition or power-hunger, in keeping with the theme of everyone having agendas and motivations. There isn’t even any real mention of false Dragons going mad, at least not the famous ones, since it seems like it would be an impediment to the kind of efforts that make them notorious, like gathering large followings and effectively fighting back against the Tower and armies sent against them.

I also miss Liandrin’s SS dominatrix accent.

10:08 - I kind of feel like Moiraine would not be volunteering for these side projects when she’s lost track of her charges.

10:19 - I will defer to the Power experts in our community, but I think what they are describing with the shields works. I have always thought that the description of a shielded man we get from Rand’s PoV does not fit the description of a link, especially with each shielding sister individually tying hers off. It is also mentioned that when holding a shield, you are supposed to use all your strength, according to law or custom, which is not actually possible, or up to the individuals, in a link. So I’ll give them this one.

But I’m watching you, show!

11:09 - The relative strengths, as pertains to shielded and shield-holders, I am less sure of.

11:40 - I am assuming the reference to Siuan’s enmity toward Moiraine is for public consumption only.

11:58 - Why would an axe-man be going through the same kata or progression of forms as a swordsman. Especially one with two axes, to one sword. And the axes are much shorter, and double-edged.

12:05 - Lan would not badmouth a woman to another person. Even obliquely.

13:01 - This scene is good establishing Moiraine and Lan as being reticent and stand-offish from their colleagues, alluding to the male channeler pogrom and the slipping of the Amyrlin’s authority as well as demonstrating the dynamics of typical Warder-sister relationships. Kerene’s acting, I think, saves some of her dialogue from verging on GoT-esque clunkiness.

14:22 - “If either of us feels like we should go, we go.” Who are you and what have you done with Egwene? Setting aside interpretations of her character, this is in direct contrast to how her relationship with Perrin played out during their journey together, with both Elyas and the Tinkers.

14:46 - “…if you’re bandits, you’re not very good ones.” This is stupid formulaic TV writing, intended to be iconoclastic or deconstructive or something, but it just makes people look stupid. You become a bandit because you’re broke and have no other recourse for income or survival. Also, there is a thing as a shill or spy, who acts as the inside man. This is the second or third appearance of the Tinkers and a very good set-up line for them to finally articulate the Way of the Leaf! Perrin asks “how do you know we’re not bandits?”, and a Tinker says something about accepting whatever comes and offering hospitality to everyone in need, even a pack of hungry Ogier when your supplies are tapped, because leaves.

15:15 - They’re really trying to get the Tinker wagons right, with the garish colors, but it’s just not coming through in the dingy lighting.

16:10 - Rand is suspicious of Thom, while Mat, who is carrying the Shadar Logoth dagger, reasonably points out that Thom saved their lives, and makes a joke when Rand implies maybe it was a ploy.

16:25 - When Mat first said “…the five of us. You, me, Perrin, Egwene. Who else?” the natural impulse of a book reader is to say “Forget about Nynaeve?” but of course, Mat would not know she is any more significant than Daise Congar or the villager he stole jewelry from, because as far as they know she’s dead. Because of a pointless and unnecessary change from the showrunners that watered down her characterization.

16:30 - Ohhh. And cut to Logain. Tell me why we’re entertaining this delusion? Setting aside the choice to make it a mystery which of the Emond’s Field crew is the DR, why would a WoTnovice who has ever watched another movie or show think Logain is the legit Dragon?

17:15 - Is Alanna working around to calling Siuan a bitch?

Seriously, though, what do we get by the dog story? It doesn't establish their relationship - it could be affection, good-natured teasing or subtle mockery & belittlement.

18:34 - Interestingly in the books, the strength Logain manifested had sisters believing he was considerably weaker than he really was, with Verin claiming he lacked the strength to use the Choedan Kal. OTOH, she also seemed to think it required a maximum level sister, like Moiraine, Elaida or Siuan to handle it. The only other two named sisters Rand has met at that point (Leane and Liandrin), were only slightly below that level, and did not make it into Verin’s list, even though she was nearby for his encounters with both.

19:12 - Alanna sounds like a fan who thinks of the Ajahs as specializations, rather than sororities. Greens are not combat specialists and the Reds are not responsible for gentling men. In fact, the Amyrlin by law does all the gentling and she has not been Red in 1000 years. Greens and Reds simply believe that the purpose of Aes Sedai is to protect people from enemy channelers and prioritize different threats. The main Greens we see in the series are a scholar, the best living male channeler hunter and a politician. The most effective combatants are a Blue and a Yellow. The first Green we see in combat action doesn’t perform notably better than her Brown companion. Saying the Greens are better at combat or the Reds are responsible for gentling is like saying Michigan natives are all industrial workers and better at it than Texans. All Aes Sedai do all sorts of stuff. They gravitate toward Ajahs based on personality and inclinations, not skillsets.

19:50 - If you like braids, why don’t you wear some, like your book character, Liandrin?

19:52 - No, it’s not Nin-Ayv, it’s Ny-neev, which Robert Jordan implied was a pet peeve of his at a book signing my brother attended.

20:25 - Liandrin lets a non-sister talk smack to her. Totally in character.

21:30 - Handling a bow incompetently is not an indicator of lack of resolve - or intent - to kill!

21:59 - More “TV writers attempt to demonstrate competence” tropes. AHA! There were other archers behind them all along! Never mind that as this scene is blocked, it was absolutely impossible for the woman and boy to get into position that fast, let alone without making any noise as they are both standing on a pile of leaves. Even the stipulated intent to show Rand catching flies with honey has him do so by belittling the other person’s shooting and offering a faulty logical proposition supposedly proving his lack of hostile intent.

22:13 - Liandrin, or any Aes Sedai, would not gossip about a sister to an outsider! Ever. The only possible rationale would be if she’s aware of Nynaeve’s strength or potential and wants to get her on her side, but setting aside the Tower’s canonical disdain for any channeler not raised to sisterhood, that would make her a wilder, which Liandrin hates like they have a Y chromosome.

22:35 - Lan addresses an Aes Sedai in public without the honorific Sedai, which so far we have seen the show lean toward excessive use of, rather than insufficient. Kerene uses it when speaking to her warder while alone. Lan would not fail to do so unless he was married to Nynaeve and Liandrin was clearly snubbing her in some way, rather than being way nicer to her than any book Aes Sedai would. Lan is the one who told off Perrin’s assumption about Red sisters, that they are fighting the Dark One in their own way. This sort of thing makes it stick out more that he helped Rand for his audience with the Amyrlin.

23:18 - Lan’s assertion that they can better look for the missing TR folk from Tar Valon only makes sense if they are taking GoT’s approach of aggressive indifference to geography. It looks more like a weak rationalization of a plot divergence to introduce the Aes Sedai in general.

23:56 - FINALLY. Four scenes of Tinkers before we so much as hear about the Way of the Leaf. For the Tuathan it’s like being a eunuch on Game of Thrones – they tell people about it every chance they get.

24:30 - Aram’s underlying dissatisfaction with the Way is rather on the nose. It was done more subtly in dialogue ITB where Perrin showed up his posturing of moral superiority.

24:55 - Ila’s pointed remark about the axe is similarly heavy-handed, especially with her jumping right to “axe” as his weapon of choice. Also, Perrin doesn’t have the axe, which represents his conflict with personal violence. I also feel that conflict might have been better served without that nonsense of his accidentally killing his wife. SHE’S the one who surprised an armed man, after all.

25:08 - And in the books, Perrin’s beard symbolizes his maturation. tDR was a coming of age story for Mat, Egwene & Perrin, where they each learned an aspect of maturity. In the next book, he is growing a beard and begins a leadership arc, where before he was always in the company of a “grown-up” type character, like Moiraine, Elyas or Ingtar or doing very poorly.

And this caravan is moving south or southwest.

26:08 - Not sure how I feel about the dagger making him puke up blood, or that the blood is tainted, but I suppose it’s going to be easier, going forward, than trying to make him look visibly wan and scrawny.

27:25 - That’s an OK way to introduce Birgitte as a legendary hero, although an explanation that it’s more than a doll’s name will hopefully be forthcoming.

28:30 - “He’s not an idiot” says no one who know Mat. That being said, while the channeling diagnosis is pretty quick on Thom’s part, that’s kind of par for the course with this show’s pacing so far. It could be a halfway decent way of illustrating how paranoid people in this world are about men channeling. I wonder if a WoT novice is going to agree or go right to the dagger he picked up in a city where he was told not to touch anything. The black stuff in his puke looked a little like Logain’s channeling.

29:25 - No one would know about the malaise that afflicts women, because the Tower is no more keen to advertise weakness or fallibility than any sensible power-seeking group. You can use the exposition excuse, but considering one of the three storylines is currently following a group of Aes Sedai, it would be more appropriate to have one of them drop a mention that both men and women fear losing their ability to channel. Especially when a major subject in that plotline is holding a man shielded and taking him in for gentling.

30:33 - Is there some massive gleeman conspiracy? Are the gleemen subtly manipulating the powerful while passing as harmless? First of all “there is nothing as dangerous as a man who knows the past” is script-writer bullshit they think makes them sound clever, and nerd-pandering to the conceit that liking to read is a superpower. If you actually want to be witty, people who don't know the past are way more dangerous. Secondly, knowledge of the past is not remotely relevant to the topic of their discussion. Male channelers are very much a right-now problem.

31:01 - Male warders cuddling! Now there’s not going to be any complaints about Rand’s love life! All the junior feminists whining about the lack of Aiel polyandry have been silenced!

31:19 - Do they even realize they have all the warders laughing at Lan being tracked by a guuurl? Nynaeve’s tracking comes up in the books as something that earns her respect, it’s not something she thrusts forward into a discussion teasing Lan. But as I have said, Clever TV Dialogue TM consists of belittling people and tearing them down. All humor and fun must be at someone’s expense.

31:38 - What exactly is Green Oriental Sister doing with the group, since we have not seen her taking a shift with Logain, nor does she look like she’s going to anytime soon?

32:00 - ITB Formulaic salute from Warder to Aes Sedai “Honor to serve, Aes Sedai.” WoTshow Warder “We don’t (serve Aes Seda).”

32:46 - Apparently Owein has been replaced by Maksim in Alanna’s group of warders.

33:10 - Yay. Polyarmory fan service. Just what WoT is really all about.

33:36 - If neither Moiraine or Alanna is shielding Logain, who is?

33:57 - Ahh. They’re hanging around to check if Logain is the actual DR. And Lan pointing out that’s kind of stupid from a Watsonian sense doesn’t make this guessing game any less so from a Doylist one.

35:02 - I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt that Lan’s just making a joke and they aren’t trying to say that a warder bond feeds back on the Aes Sedai. It’s unique to a female-female bond, which was the whole point.

35:56 - So 50% of the Tinkers’ distinctive belief system is just a superstition or fairy tale? What is their point then, if they are not seeking the Song? Why are they wandering around with Ila and Raen? This sounds like more post-modern scoffing at fantasy elements, which is very weird, because a lot of the fandom took the idea of the Song seriously at face value, no matter how often the more perspicacious of us tried to clarify that it was an example of the power of belief and legends, even when they are misunderstood and garbled over time! The fact that the Tinkers are wrong about the Song does not change the importance of that belief to a central thematic concept to the whole story! Having Aram sneer at the idea and Egwene offer a Hallmark-worthy comeback is the show trying to be clever and superior at the expense of servicing the story!

36:36 - Taika Waititi is really going to town on them bongos. Like a chimpanzee. That’s the way you do it.

37:00 - I have zero faith that the ensuing conversation will produce anything particularly relevant to the plot or Perrin’s characterization.

37:19 - I suppose it’s good that Perrin’s powers of observation are being revealed, but “don’t look peaceful” should reference their actions, not be an assumption that they are somehow falling short of the Tinkers’ Way based on their appearance! Especially since absolutely nothing about non-resisting pacifism suggests you will never acquire scars, which are done by OTHER violent people!

38:03 - This conversation is dumb and pointless. Watching Perrin be instructed on the novel concept of principles mattering more than results adds nothing to the story. This is junior high philosophy!

38:31 - Aaand we’re excising Aram’s mother. Who never appeared on screen, so it’s not like we’re sparing the casting budget, but whose death was his catalyst for abandoning the Way of the Leaf.

39:12 - Ila would not refer to taking up the spear to seek revenge as an act requiring courage.

39:26 - Perrin sees no difference in actions and desires. Ila, who, it has been established, did not act against her principles and Way, is guilty of acting in a manner that “does not sound like the Way of the Leaf.” I said this discussion was junior high philosophy, but by 3rd grade we had already learned the difference between having sinful desires and acting upon them! I guess junior high is still way above Perrin’s competency level.

39:33 - This makes no sense! Perrin chides Ila for desires that go against her principles, and she responds by rationalizing her principles as fulfilling those desires! They are not actually responding to what the other person is saying, not in any coherent or congruent manner.

40:04 - I should like this better, given how closely it tracks with my recent theory where I argued that adhering to principles even at great personal cost makes the world a better place to be reborn into. But for this character, why not go with Ila’s ITB answer that violence harms the soul of the one who commits it? This is the 21st century, and we have been fighting a war for all but 8 months of it. PTSD is a household term. This should not be hard to get across.

40:16 - Robert Jordan, criticized more often for excess verbiage than any other fault, did not find it necessary to have a single on-page conversation between Egwene and Aram, not least because adolescent interactions are insipid and banal. There is no way this second on-screen conversation is going to add anything more than Ila’s & Perrin’s did (and ITB, it was Egwene who had long conversations with Ila).

40:51 - Okay, are Rand and Egwene broken up or not? Either way, I’m rooting for her to move on and have some fun with Aram. Like do SOMETHING to establish her actual characterization, please?

41:02 - Tuatha’an rumspringa?! Are. You. Fucking. Kidding. Me?!

41:10 - “Some farm, some set sail”. Chubby nerd film major who’s probably never done manual labor in his life thinks those are jobs you can just pick up at 20, after growing up wandering around in wagons, or that you can join a collective enterprise as a distinctively-clad member of a despised and mistrusted group of cosmopolites. And what does this detail have to do with the subject of Egwene’s missing boyfriend? Or girlfriend, because this is the kind of show that would make a point of not making assumptions.

41:46 - WHAT did we gain from either of those conversations? How does Tinker Rumspringa expand our knowledge and understanding of anything? And why are they all from Murandy? What does Ila’s sorrow at the death of her daughter add to her character? The real contention against the Way of the Leaf is the question of addressing the need for revenge, but of preventing evil. That IS the first thing Perrin brought up after hearing about it ITB. And it has even less to do with his experience on screen, where the signal act of violence in his life has been the friendly fire death of his wife. In which case, there is a real conflict, because taking up arms in defense of himself, his home and his family led directly to Laila’s death. You can DO something with this. That’s why I was intrigued in the first episode. But they seem to have forgotten that datum, since nothing Perrin says is informed by that singular experience of violence.

42:20 - There are a hundred fan-fiction writers right this moment hard at work composing luridly elaborate descriptions of ass-piracy all pretentiously titled some variation of “When the Candle Went Out”

42:50 - The scary thing Ba’alzamon does in their dreams is talk to them! Not jump scares or acting like a monster! How is this supposed to get them on Team Shadow?

43:08 - Well, shit. Dagger-possession escalated rapidly.

43:49 - That scene was so quick, you barely notice the Myrddraal disappearing into and out of the shadows. We’re so used to this genre being shot in darkness, that it seems like it just backed out of sight and ran down the stairs. Also the implication is that Thom’s knife knocked it back. There should have been some indication that it would have hit, but the shadow-thing moved the Fade out of the way.

45:13 - Doll-shots are the most pretentiously trite thing ever.

That was crap. We have one conversation with Thom that is not entirely exposition, barely get to know him, he never meets the rest of the Fellowship and likewise, are barely told anything about the Myrddraal or its powers and abilities. We have no lines indicating that a Warder and Aes Sedai failed to bring down the one that attacked the village, no real demonstration of the threat it poses. I noted in my analysis of the trailer that the sandworm mouth might work to convey its wrongness and inhumanity, but going with that, rather than attempt to convey its shadow affinity or unnatural strength and speed, or mentioning how it paralyzes you with terror or controls the Trollocs by fear … that just undermines the peril Thom faced. The show has given us no reason to suppose this thing is any more formidable than Narg, who at least had size and power going for it. We have not seen it kill a single person on this show! Thom kicks it across the room! How tough can it really be, catching daggers or not?

So why are we supposed to assume that Thom died, or the boys were right to run, rather than try to fight and improve his odds? Thom has not even been there to see that the Shadow is hunting them and that they need protection. If Rand is to be taken seriously with his noting that he could have killed Dana to ingratiate himself with them, well, the same goes for an off-screen fight with the Myrddraal.

You might not even realize that the Myrddraal killed the Grinwells, rather than Mat, driven by the dagger.

But this is why they changed Else from a flirtatious young woman, which demonstrated Rand’s attractiveness and incompetence with regard to the opposite sex, as well as the way ta’veren change people’s lives, to a too-cute-for-this-world child. Who dies tragically, of course. Though if the names were mentioned, I don’t recall. I got that from the subtitles & X-Ray feature.

I have also just now realized that it was not blood, it was Mashadar-like manifestations. Which is not a bad way to indicate the actual source of his odd behavior, but hard to notice with the dark lighting every time we’ve seen it.

45:26 - If holding Logain is as difficult at Kerene said earlier, and as Liandrin is claiming now, as the crux of her argument to gentle him, why is Liandrin doing it alone?

45:34 - The Three Oaths have nothing to do with why they have not gentled Logain. It was established in a prior scene in this very episode that it’s orders and Tower policy. The Three Oaths apply to all sisters, including the Amyrlin, so if gentling violates the Oath to not use the Power as a weapon, how do they gentle him at all, without a procedure that entails both lethal danger and considerable sophistry?

45:47 - Nice sentiment, Kerene. I’ll let that one stand. But ITB

46:00 - I like the assumption that most Reds would follow the law, and that this is Liandrin’s personal animus, not a characteristic of her much-slandered Ajah.

46:50 - Yay. More invented rituals. /sarcasm How did Lan get to be one of the most rabidly loved and admired characters in the series, when Jordan was too stupid to have him doing any of this crap?

FWIW, ITB, Lan does not believe Malkier shall rise again. He intended, before being bonded, to commit suicide by Blight to prevent any Malkieri from getting killed uselessly trying to bring it back.

47:31 - I’m pausing to look up the Old Tongue dictionary for this. “Dead People Blood Must Pass Through World and Our Memories Will Of Tied to Your heart.” Flipping pages back and forth is hard with a Kindle Paperwhite. (Dear Amazon; Please don’t sue Ben. Thanks)

47:49 - That was some pretty precise recitation for someone who does not know the Old Tongue. Speaking as someone who prays in a dead language, that’s not how it works, unless you read it a lot, too.

48:40 - “We shall go into the land, so our children can always hold us and will never be alone.” I guess context is critical in the Old Tongue. Maybe when that’s the closest approximation you can get with the extant Old Tongue dictionary, drop the unnecessary dialogue, hmm?

50:55 - I’ll give Alanna that one under the Three Oaths. She just dropped the arrows. Not her fault the soldiers ran under them. She dropped them forcefully to quickly get them out of the way, that's all.

52:10 - I’m glad Nynaeve is not using a weapon in all this, but now I’m afraid this is going to turn into her big moment of revelation by channeling to destroy the army when everything appears lost.

52:28 - Ugh. Now it’s Moiraine stepping up to Logain. Like a Boss. Yay. Snap. Snap.

52:41 - Did she sabotage the shield?!?

53:30 - This is like in GoT, where they had Tyrion in the first season toss off a line that basically summed up Jon Snow’s plot arc and character development for books 2 & 3. Except Logain is here stating as a given the lesson that Rand takes the whole series to learn and the realization of which pulls him back from the brink of his self-destructive despair. Assuming the series even gets that far, aren’t observant fans going to miss the significance of that, when Rand starts repeating Logain’s delusions?

I’m not sure how I feel about the voice of the Dragons thing as a set-up for LTT’s voice.

53:40 - This is sort-of in character for Moiraine to miss the philosophical point by nitpicking semantics, as she did with Perrin in Book 3. But it also feels like the “we know all metaphysical belief is dumb, aren’t we so clever?” writing that pervaded the latter seasons of Game of Thrones. What even are prophecies and the point of the Dragon or ta'veren if "the Wheel doesn't want anything"?

I feel compelled now to start searching through promotional material fr this show, because I'm pretty sure there's been something that quoted Moiraine saying "The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills." As she often does ITB, especially to cover her own ignorance or mistakes.

54:19 - Moiraine’s comparison of Logain’s strength as “a pinprick of candlelight against the sun” compared to the Dragon Reborn is interesting considering he’s “one step below Rand” according to the Companion.

54:56 - Okaaaay, show clearly does not get how shields work. They don’t trap the Power in with you, they keep it AWAY from you.

57:00 - And because Kerene’s warder stuck his axes through the shield, Logain was able to grab them and break them? What even is this?

57:32 - Logain making those saidin wings just like he did before Healing the King of Ghealdn sort of undercuts the peril here. You’re halfway waiting for him to do it again and sway everyone back to his side. That probably does not seem as ridiculous to WoT Novices as it does to book readers.

Anyway, I say this because the obvious thing to do here is have Nynaeve Heal people as her big moment of channeling revelation.

57:59 - I like that we saw her Healing Liandrin, so it’s not a thing that she was driven to Heal Lan out of Twoo Wuv.

58:12 - Just because men can sense women channeling does not mean they are aware of their strength, or in any position to compare one’s power to “a raging sun”. And again, let’s remember that Logain is canonically stronger than Nynaeve, whose full potential (unreached late in the series) is short of even the second step for women, let alone men. All Logain should notice is that she Healed some people. Only two we can tell for certain on screen.

58:30 - For the record, “nature itself” is A. never anthropomorphized in the books and B. does, in fact, wish Logain to channel since it gave him the inherent ability. The taint is Unnatural and the work of the Dark One.

59:02 - And Logain’s gentled, so that’s that.

Interestingly, the writer of this episode is credited as Dave Hill, whose sole other credited work is Game of Thrones. He is listed as “assistant: David Benioff & DB Weiss, LA” in seasons 2 through 4, staff writer in season 5, story editor in season 6 and is credited with writing one episode in each of the last four seasons. You know, the shit ones? What a shocker. So if you're trying to make a new fantasy TV show, based on a series of doorstopper novels, why would you hire a guy who fetched coffee at the Hollywood office ("LA" suggests he was not on the set in Ireland or Malta or wherever) during the good part of the show, and saw it go into a downturn when he was promoted to writer. And incidentally, started writing around the time the show stopped writing off of existing books.

And regarding Thom, how about that run? Thom showed up at the very beginning ITB, he was the voice of the author in describing the changing of history and fact into different stories, on more than one occasion. He was an intermediate character between the ignorant hicks and Moiraine & Lan, who are operating at the preternatural level. While they exposited the paranormal levels of the story, Thom guided the kids into the wider world at a more human level. While Moiraine's One Power lectures and Lan's weapons instruction didn't come into play until much further down the road, Thom helped give Rand and Mat skills to help them survive in the immediate, relatable crisis of being lost and alone with no resources. He got them passage on the ship, and a roof over their head in Caemlyn and gave them the means to earn their way there. And he threw himself in front of a monster to save them. There's only the bare bones of that here. Nothing was done to establish any real rapport between him and the boys. He's the one to finger Mat as a potential channeler and tells Rand they have to keep him clear of the Aes Sedai. That barely fits with his actions and intentions ITB, where, like any sensible person he is resigned to the fact that you can't do anything in that case. When he thinks Rand is cleared of suspicion in channeling he says not to tell him which of Mat or Perrin it was. He mostly wants to protect the boys from getting chewed up and spat out by White Tower machinations. Protecting a male channeler from gentling is basically a lost cause, a fact which is only obscured from WoT Novices by a lack of clarity about the details of channeling.

Now it's starting to look like Logain is a bigger part of this section of the story than Thom. Logain was pure background and setup in "The Eye of the World" through "The Shadow Rising." He was basically a McGuffin for Siuan and Nynaeve to act upon in the next two books. And Thom actually interacted with the main characters and influenced Rand significantly in the first two books. He served as sidekick and mentor to various characters throughout the series and he's Moiraine's love interest, for crap's sake!

Except, you know what? There's a significant portion of the newer fandom on social media, especially the half-assed feminist posturing sort, who worships Moiraine and thinks Thom is unworthy of her and/or ships her hard with Siuan. And all too many of the changes or additions to the show seem to be the sort targeted exactly at that segment of the peanut gallery. The possibility that the Dragon can be, and has been, a woman, the shallow LGBTQ nods, forefronting Moiraine, swapping Raen for Ila as leader of the Tinkers - it's all the sort of thing they're panting for, as well as the chance to posture and virtue-signal their embrace of the non-white cast.

The problem is not which fans they are trying to appease, but that they are coming at this with the attitude of trying to "fix" the story, and trying to 'update' it. How often has that ever panned out? The successful genre adaptations tend to have in common fidelity to the source material. "Lord of the Rings" was almost religiously so and "The Hobbit" took a great many more liberties and was much more poorly received. "Game of Thrones" is generally considered to have worked when it was faithful to the books and not when it struck out on its own. It's worth noting that the 5th season is much more reviled than the subsequent 6th or even 7th, even though they were still more or less covering established book material in the 5th. But in that season, they felt more at liberty than previously to deviate and repackage the story. They swapped out characters and moved carelessly from one plot-point to the next with little care for keeping the storyline coherent and the progression logically or fitting in with the established setting.

And those are problems I am seeing the beginning of on this show. Thom's arc feels like they're just hitting line items on a checklist. Thom shows up, we establish the Owyn backstory (actually, that might explain renaming Alanna's warder), and having him disappear fighting rearguard against a Myrddraal. Check and check. When we bring him back, we'll just have Rand be happy to see him and that's all we need to do. They look like they're doing the same thing with the plot in general. Trolloc attack, check. Shadar Logoth, check. Tinkers, check. What about Elyas? Eh, just have some wolves show up here and there.

There's hints they seem to be missing the significance of a lot of elements in the story, like Perrin's conflict with the wolves or what Shadar Logoth represents as a cautionary fable. Or the mechanics of channeling. Nothing is more promising to the prospects of an adaptation than making up a new magic system on the fly. And of course, the whole central premise of perspective as it relates to knowledge, of which there has not been the slightest sign.

My brother, a book fan, sat down with his wife who doesn't read fantasy, to watch the show, and she gave up because she has no idea what's going on and has no attachment to the story. She did not, needless to say, have that problem with Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings.

[waynes-multiverse]

I can't tell you how giddy I was to read this masterpiece. My hands are literally shaking as I'm typing this 😂

EEEEEEK!

Nickleback’s “How You Remind Me” was blaring.

Thanks for getting that early-2000s lump of coal stuck in my head, dude 🤣

(btw this is literally the first gif that came up when I typed in Nickelback. That should tell us something lmao 😂)

And, oh yeah, you still didn’t know about that last part. 

WHAT?! Omg please let Joey be the one to clumsily tell her 😂

doe brown eyes and a too-bright smile.

Honestly the best way to describe Joey lol

“Hey. Good to see ya…not with my girlfriend,” he quipped with a smile.

There he is! My first love and crush 😍 Have I told you that my very first fanfic at thirteen was written about this man? 😆

Jen’s eyes were on him, even while she hugged you.

Oh God, Jen! Could you be any more awkward about it? 🙈

He was still sorry that he hurt her, but he wasn’t sorry for choosing you.

Swoon! 😍😍😍

Maybe it would give you a chance to mend this weird rift of distance that had seemed to come between you and Jen in recent weeks.

Bah, Zep! I'm dying here 🙈🙈🙈 The cringe, the awkwardness, the secrecy!

“Sorry,” she waved a dismissive hand. “Just remembered something. Like the fact that I really like vodka. I mean, it’s clear, almost tasteless, so it’s almost like drinking water, you know?”

Bless her 😂 Technically, it is Russian water, right? 🤪

“Don’t worry, you’re all safe. This is Jameson,” she said.

You nailed Jen there. She'd defnitely come back with a retort like this 🤣

“By all means, check away,” she said.

Gah, Jen, stop it with the pettiness! He didn't pick you. Get over it, girl 🙈 (The cringe is truly why I love teen dramas so much lol)

Sorry you’re a leper. That’s rough buddy.

He really did say it like that 😂 And why Pacey went out of his way to call him out on it is such an odd thing anyway. Who does that? You sweep shit like that under the rug

Are we having fun yet? he thought dryly.

The second one who's petty. Maybe he and Jen are a good match after all... 🙄

“You’re looking at me like an inmate who got loose in the psych ward.”

True. I snorted 😂😂😂

“Hey,” he said, in a softer voice. He looked down at you with softer eyes too.

Their little moment after their fight had me legit in tears 😭 Again, you're making me like him and I really didn't want to lol

Gus took the first turn, and got creative with it—giving Joey a nice lick on the cheek.

Omg, Zep, thank you for bringing that disGUSting memory back 😝🤣🤢

Instead of the light peck that he was aiming for, she surprised him by taking his face in her hands and giving him a kiss deep enough to make him taste the burn of whiskey.

WHAT?!?!!?

SHE DID NOT!!!!!

NUH-UH!

I'm shooketh!

The balls on this girl! Whiskey-induced balls but still... WOW

Joey finally dropped her hands from her face (she’d been watching the scene through the cracks in her fingers).

My sweet Josephine 🥰 That soothed some of my shock

“Go ahead,” you said. Your tone was a challenge, as were your crossed arms, and the tight expression on your face.

I love how your readers always have that passive-aggressive fire, Zep 😅❤️‍🔥

He plied you softly at first. His lips dragged against yours in a slow, lingering kiss. Then he angled his head away from the circle, away from prying eyes as he brushed his tongue across your lower lip, seeking entrance. You inhaled deeply, and you couldn’t help but let him in.

Damn... Seriously, stop making me fall for this man 👀🔥

or hurt her more by pursuing another one of her friends

Dear Lord 😂😂😂 He's just going through the whole group, isn't he? Watch out, Joey lol (Although Pacey might punch him again then)

“You’re my one exception,” he said.

Aww 😭❤️

This was wonderful, Zep! Funny, dramatic, sweet! 🥹 (Stefon-worthy) You're really making me love this guy (and do a rewatch of DC lmao) 🫶💚

One Exception

Pairing: CJ Braxton x F. Reader

Summary: Joey has invited you to a party at Pacey’s apartment, and CJ has agreed to go, despite the contentious history between him and your new friends. He doesn’t want to be the reason you miss out on a good thing, but it also means he’ll have to hide his apprehension (and his alcoholism).  

AN: Here’s the sequel to Good Morning! This story takes place in 6.14 of the show, with a little twist.

Word Count: 4K

Tags/Warnings: Mature themes, but it doesn’t really warrant an 18+ rating. Angst, alcoholism, hurt/comfort, jealousy, fluff, tinge of spice, and implied smut.

“Nice television,” CJ remarked, noting the giant monstrosity in the middle of this very loud apartment.

“See? Told you it’d be low-key,” you said.

More like high and off-key, CJ thought wryly.

Nickleback’s “How You Remind Me” was blaring. People you and CJ recognized from school were crowded in the living room around the TV, as well as milling around the kitchen with beers and solo cups, and it was pretty much a wall of sound that already grated on CJ’s ears. Pacey had to be in here somewhere too.

You squeezed CJ’s hand and gave him a sympathetic smile.

“You okay?” you asked.

He gave you a smile to hide his nerves. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

He was no stranger to parties. He just didn’t often find himself going to parties where the host had once introduced his face to a brick wall.

Before he truly got to know you, CJ had a one-time unintentional fling with your (former) dorm roommate, Audrey. She’d been spiraling out of control in an alcohol-fueled depression. He’d seen a kindred spirit in her and tried to help her. He just hadn’t known that she was still sort of in a relationship with Pacey, who had a mean right hook when he wanted to.

And then there was Jen, Audrey and Joey’s best friend. CJ felt the worst for hurting her along the way, unable to reciprocate her feelings…

And, oh yeah, you still didn’t know about that last part. 

CJ silently stewed in all of this when you led him by the hand to find your friend and current dormmate, Joey.

“Hey! Glad you could make it,” she said with her wide, doe brown eyes and a too-bright smile.

You gave her a quirking look when you hugged her in greeting. She smelled like vodka and orange juice, but you’d never known Joey to go too hard in the paint with her liquor.

She gave your companion a little wave. “Hey, CJ!”

“Hey,” he nodded with a smile.

“You guys want something to drink?” she asked, gesturing to the row of liquor bottles and various chasers behind her on the kitchen counter. You internally paused for a moment, glancing at your boyfriend, but you turned back to Joey with a smile.

“Yeah, Diet Coke would be great,” you said.

CJ gave you a curious look, but he asked for the same. Joey bobbed her head before she went to pour the drinks into some plastic cups.

CJ leaned in near your ear. “Sweetheart, you’re allowed to drink. You know I’ve been to parties before.”

In fact, you and CJ had met at a club party. One where Audrey had been led up to some guy’s room while she was drunk, and CJ had all but broken down the door to get her out for you and Jen.

“I know, I just don’t feel like doing alcohol tonight,” you told him.

It wasn’t exactly a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either. You just didn’t want to risk making CJ even more uncomfortable than he likely already was, being near Pacey. You’d asked Joey to talk to him for you—a plea for him to not try and kill your boyfriend.

And there your esteemed host was, coming over now.

“Heyyyy, good thinking,” said Pacey. He went over to Joey’s side when she turned to hand you and CJ your drinks. He grabbed another cup to pour one for himself. 

“Hey, man,” CJ greeted politely. His hands were in his pockets, trying to mask his stiffness.

Pacey hesitated, taking note of CJ, but the beat of tension broke between the two men when Pacey graciously stuck out a hand.

“Hey. Good to see ya…not with my girlfriend,” he quipped with a smile.

CJ’s was a bit more strained, but he gave a wry chuckle along with his handshake. Joey elbowed Pacey in the ribs.

“Ah, what?” he protested. She gave him a firm look, pursing her lips. Then she turned to you and CJ with a smile.

“Hey, you guys have any whiskey?” Jen cut in, as she sidled up to Joey. “I’m not so much in a beer mood, but whiskey I could do. Maybe it’s the burn I’m craving—”

She stopped short when she saw you and CJ. Her smile thinned.

“Oh! Hey, there,” she said.

CJ offered her nod, but his insides tightened. He watched you brighten and give Jen a hug that the other woman couldn’t easily reciprocate. Jen’s eyes were on him, even while she hugged you.

You and Joey then broke off to catch up for a bit (CJ encouraged you to it), while Pacey went back to watching a football game on the mega-sized TV with Jack. CJ was about to join them when Jen’s voice stopped him.

“You guys look good together,” she said. She had a glass of whiskey in her hand and a small smile on her face. Her blonde hair was shorter now, cut just below her ears. Her black halter-style dress suited her.

But she wasn’t you.

CJ smiled more genuinely. “Thanks.”

Jen was a good person. He was still sorry that he hurt her, but he wasn’t sorry for choosing you.

You were happy to see CJ hanging out with his friend David, along with Jack and Pacey and some other guys from school. Meanwhile, you had the chance to catch up with Joey and Jen.

Maybe it would give you a chance to mend this weird rift of distance that had seemed to come between you and Jen in recent weeks.

You didn’t know where it came from, but you genuinely admired Jen as a person. She was smart, and she always spoke her mind and stuck to her principles. That was something you wish you had more of in yourself.

Now, she was a bit quiet while sipping her whiskey. Joey made up for it, with a kind of giggle-snort you'd never heard come out of her mouth before. You raised a brow, despite your smile.

"Yes, Josephine?" you teased.

"Sorry," she waved a dismissive hand. "Just remembered something. Like the fact that I really like vodka. I mean, it's clear, almost tasteless, so it's almost like drinking water, you know?"

You and Jen shared an amused look.

"Sure, that's what it's like," you said.

Joey's eyes went wide then. She leaned in close to you, leaning on your shoulder.

"Oh. Don't drink champagne though," she said, while eyeing Jen. She "whispered" loud enough to be heard over the music, and also hurt your left ear. "She once killed a girl with champagne."

Jen's mouth fell open incredulously. Your eyes went as wide as Joey's. This was some serious “girl time.”

"Wait, what?" you said.

Jen looked at her empty glass. "Well, would you look at that? Right on time."

She escaped to the kitchen to refill her tumbler, but you and Joey followed her; you out of morbid curiosity, and Joey because she too wanted more vodka than orange juice in her plastic cup.

Jen gave you a smirk as she filled up her glass.

"Don't worry, you're all safe. This is Jameson," she said.

You emitted some nervous laughter and leaned on the kitchen counter, trying to figure out where the joke was here. How the hell do you kill a girl with champagne?

“So are you sure you don’t want an actual drink?” Jen asked, gesturing at your soda.

“Oh, no. I’m fine,” you held up a dismissive hand.

“You sure?” Pacey said, coming up from behind your little group to find a beer. “I got your boyfriend a vodka soda. I can get you one too.”

Your eyes widened, though you tried to hide your alarm, smoothing your hands down your jeans.

“What?” you asked.

Pacey paused. He’d caught the surprise flitting across your face. “What?”

“Um…” Your hesitation came from trying to process information in record time. You looked over and saw CJ with David. Your boyfriend was indeed holding a different cup.

You returned your attention to Pacey. His brows were raised. Joey looked confused as well, while Jen was sipping at her own drink, in a way that hinted that she already knew what you were about to say.

“CJ doesn’t drink,” you explained.

Pacey brows popped higher. “Ah. He’s 21 though, right?”

“Yes, but he’s a recovering alcoholic,” you said with a sigh. You didn’t want to have to say that, telling CJ's business, but you didn’t know how else to explain why you were slightly freaking out.

“Oh…uh, sorry about that,” Pacey said.

“No, it’s not your fault. Don’t worry about it,” you said.

Pacey gave a wan smile and returned to the group around the TV, CJ included. You sighed and turned back to Jen and Joey.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know either,” Joey said.

“Nothing to be sorry about,” you said, shaking your said. “I’ll just check on him, if you guys don’t mind—”

Jen’s glass hit the counter, and she poured herself another whiskey on the rocks.

“By all means, check away,” she said.

“Hey, sorry man. I didn’t know,” Pacey had said to him, with a look on his face that also said:

Sorry you’re a leper. That’s rough buddy.

CJ found himself withdrawing from the rest of the guys, even as the smell of vodka wafted from the solo cup in his hand. He glanced down at it with a short sigh, but he didn’t drink it, even though his hand itched to raise the cup to his lips.

You startled him a little when your hand curled around his arm.

“Hey,” you greeted in a whisper.

“Hey,” he smiled back at you. But the worried look on your face made his smile fall.

“Wanna hang out for a bit?” you asked, nodding at a quieter looking corner of the living room.

CJ waved at David with the hand that held his cup, and he followed you over to the far side of the couch. You sat on its edge, arms crossed, while he found a seat on the sill of a large window.

You pointedly glanced at his cup. “Have you been drinking?”

CJ’s lips pursed. He took in your stance: arms crossed, shoulders tense, lips pursed, eyes deeply concerned and wary.

Are we having fun yet? he thought dryly.

“See, I’d be more inclined to answer that question if you hadn’t lured me over here under false pretenses,” he remarked. Though he did set the cup down beside him on the windowsill.

“What false pretenses?” you asked, your brows furrowing.

“You don’t want to be with me. You want to check up on me,” he pointed out. “You’re looking at me like an inmate who got loose in the psych ward.”

You frowned then. “That’s not true. I’m just wondering why you would take an alcoholic beverage from Pacey.”

“Your friend offered me a drink. It seemed rude to say no, so…” CJ glanced down at his hands in his lap. Your head tilted in concern.

“CJ…” you sighed. “Why the hell would you ruin your sobriety over something like that?”

“I don’t expect you to understand,” he replied flatly.

“Oh really?” you said. Your lips pursed in irritation.

“I just didn’t want to get into it with a stranger,” CJ said, throwing up a hand. “But thanks for telling him that I don’t drink. Now he’s apologizing to me like I’m dying or something.”

A sharper sigh fell from your lips. “I told you we didn’t have to come here. I didn’t want to make you feel pressured to—”

“Again, you know this isn’t my first house party,” he said.

“Yeah, I know it’s not. So why? Why did this happen tonight?” you asked. “For as long as I’ve known you, you’ve been so disciplined with yourself. You have a set of rules, and you follow them.”

“Yeah, well, did it ever occur to you that maybe I realized that I was too strict on myself?” he said. “That maybe we wouldn’t even be together if I didn’t bend those rules?”

Your mouth fell open incredulously, a bit of anger sparking your blood. He knew he shouldn't have said that. It just kind of flew out of his mouth, immediately sparking his guilt.

“Okay,” you snipped. “Well, maybe you shouldn’t be bending those rules at all if this is where it leads.”

CJ's lips pursed. “What, because I’ve been sitting here, spending the last hour debating whether or not to take a drink?”

He gestured at the cup beside him. 

Your eyes blinked wider, with even more surprise, and a heavy dose of confusion.

“Wait, what? Are you telling me that you haven’t been drinking tonight?” you asked.

“Is that going to magically change all the conclusions you just jumped to?” CJ retorted.

You closed your eyes with a sharp, exasperated sigh. When you opened them again, you frowned at him.

“Uh, yeah!” you exclaimed. "Of course it does, CJ!"

“Well, it doesn’t work that way,” he said. “Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it. Fine. Just like I’ve been trying to find some normalcy with you here. But apparently you find that wildly insulting.”

He was getting wildly defensive right now. You sort of saw where he was coming from, but it was still frustrating. You held a hand to your chest as your heart raced with the force of your relief.

“Look, I’m sorry for assuming. I’m just…I was worried about you,” you said honestly. “I knew coming here might be stressful for you—”

“I can handle stress,” CJ said. “What I can’t handle is you looking at me like I’m a powder keg waiting to explode.”

You raised up placating hands as you glared at him.

“Fine,” you said. “Sorry for being concerned about my boyfriend. I’ll try to curb that behavior in the future.”

At that, CJ’s frustration and anger simmered down, swiftly followed by more guilt.

You got up and blinked quickly, like you were fighting tears as you shook your head. You aimed to get by him, but he got off the windowsill and went for your hand. There was no drunk excuse for his behavior now.

No, this one was all him.

“Hey,” he said, in a softer voice. He looked down at you with softer eyes too. He could see now that you didn’t mean to make him feel less than, like you had to watch him so he wouldn’t mess up in front of your friends. No, you were just genuinely worried about his wellbeing. 

You looked up at him warily. He held your hand more securely in his.

“Okay, I’m sorry. I am,” he said, when he noted your raised brow. “I’m really grateful that you care about me. That you’re concerned about me. But I’ve been dealing with this for a long time. I don’t want you to feel like you can’t be yourself either, even when we’re out here in the wild.”

A small smile twitched at your lips. You held his hand back.

“Out in the wild, huh?” you quirked a brow. CJ smiled back and brushed your cheek with his thumb.

“I just need you to trust me a little more,” he said.

You nodded, smiling when his forehead gently rested against yours. The ends of his hair tickled between your brows.

“Okay, I’m sorry too,” you said. “Next time I won’t be so quick on the draw.”

You leaned up for a kiss. CJ met you there, sweetly at first. Then he tilted his head and deepened the angle of his lips moving against yours.

“Ooh save that for later,” Joey said, loudly from behind you.

It made you jolt in CJ’s arms. You turned your head and met your friend with a wide-eyed look of confusion. She held an empty wine bottle in her hand and waggled mischievous brows.

“Come on, let’s play.”

You really couldn’t believe that Joey was making you all play Spin the Bottle. For you, it was the stuff of awkward middle school horror stories of the highest form. She’d roped in you and CJ, Jen, Jack, Pacey and their roommate Emma, and Gus, a gross looking guy who was apparently her "fiancé" of some sort. 

Gus took the first turn, and got creative with it—giving Joey a nice lick on the cheek.

That’s what you get for making us play this dumbass game, you thought as you laughed.

Joey ended up giving Jack a sweet kiss, followed by him and Emma sharing a little lip-lock, and even Emma and Jen giggling as they came together for a peck.

But when it was Jen’s turn, the wine bottle spun, and spun…and landed on CJ. A chorus of “ooohs” came from the others.

You felt yourself bristle internally. It’s just a game, you reminded yourself. Just a stupid, stupid game.

You patted CJ’s knee and tried to school your face into amusement.

“You’re up, babe,” you said.

He looked a bit uncomfortable when he met your eyes, and then Jen’s. She wore a smile, though she was a little absent in the eyes. She’d been pounding hard liquor pretty much all night.

“All right, CJ. Let’s get this over with,” she teased.

He let out a subtle breath through his nose, but he uncurled his arm from around you so that he could lean over to meet Jen across the circle. Instead of the light peck that he was aiming for, she surprised him by taking his face in her hands and giving him a kiss deep enough to make him taste the burn of whiskey.

He parted from her with a flinch. His eyes blinked wide. A quick glance around the circle told him he wasn’t the only one who was surprised, but you were the only one he cared about. He settled back next to you and felt guilty for your muted disbelief, even though he wasn’t the real perpetrator here.

CJ frowned hard at Jen. She just smiled and crossed her arms around her legs, head bobbing to the tune of the alt rock music playing.

“Damn, Jen,” Pacey said, laughing uncomfortably. “That’s some dedication to the game.”

You were still shocked into stillness. You knew Jen was a bit deep into the bottle, but was she really drunk enough to try and make out with your boyfriend in front of you?

Joey finally dropped her hands from her face (she’d been watching the scene through the cracks in her fingers). She gave you an apologetic look. She was very effing drunk as well, you knew, but not make out with your boyfriend in front of you—drunk.

You finally looked over at CJ, not knowing who you should be more irritated with: Jen for sticking her tongue down his throat, or CJ for letting her.

“It’s your turn, bro,” Gus said. Not that he cared about whoever CJ landed on. He just wanted the chance to kiss another one of the girls. Preferably Emma.

CJ shook his head. “I don’t think I—”

“Go ahead,” you said. Your tone was a challenge, as were your crossed arms, and the tight expression on your face. “It’s just a game, right?”

That last part, you aimed at Jen. She finally had enough self-awareness to avert her drunken gaze. Your teeth were grinding.

Though you had to pause when you realized where CJ’s spun bottle had landed: right on you.

“Aw, well that’s good,” Joey said, with a nervous laugh that broke some of the tension in this little circle.

CJ let out a subtle breath of relief himself. But this was a whole new challenge as he met your steely gaze. He tried to give you a smile.

Your eyes fell. So with a small sigh, he gently took your chin between his fingers and tilted your face up to him, just before he leaned in to kiss you.

He plied you softly at first. His lips dragged against yours in a slow, lingering kiss. Then he angled his head away from the circle, away from prying eyes as he brushed his tongue across your lower lip, seeking entrance. You inhaled deeply, and you couldn’t help but let him in.

You uncrossed your arms and found his cheek with your hand. Your fingers soon delved into his hair, nails lightly scraping the back of his neck. He barely restrained a shudder.

“Ah, okay then,” Pacey muttered.

When you parted from CJ, your heart was racing, and there was a fire in your belly that you could see reflected in his eyes.

“I’m a little thirsty, you wanna…” he trailed. You nodded and let him help you off the ground where you all had been sitting.

CJ’s arm once again wrapped around your waist, and he led you into the first bedroom he could find. The door shut against the blaring music, the sounds of laughter and stories and dumb middle school games.

Until all that was left was you and CJ, and the sounds of quick breaths, clothes hitting the floor, and skin against skin.

“I’m sorry about earlier. With the game,” CJ later said. “Jen took me by surprise.”

Much later, where you were tangled up in his arms and the sheets, both of you mostly naked and tucked under the covers. You felt bad that you didn’t even know whose bedroom this was.

Jack’s maybe? You could only hope so. That would probably be the least awkward situation if you two were caught in here.

But at CJ’s question, your blissful mood of moments before was wiped away. Your face dropped into a frown. You turned in his arms so that you could see his face, resting your head on his arm.

“Yeah, what the hell was that with Jen?” you asked.

CJ soothed a hand up and down your arm. He knew it was time for him to come clean with you, even though he knew it might make you look at him differently. He could only hope that it wouldn’t.

“Before you and I started talking, dating—well, you know what happened with me and Audrey,” he said, expelling a breath of regret. “Before then, Jen had feelings for me.”

Your eyes widened. By now you could’ve guessed that Jen wanted your boyfriend, but you had no idea it had started way back then. CJ looked you in the eyes.

“I just didn’t feel the same way,” he said. “Then Audrey and I happened, just the one night. But Jen…I know I hurt her, and I felt terrible. I still feel bad about that, because I never meant to hurt her. I just thought Audrey and I had a connection.”

“And then Pacey,” you supplied, realizing where this story was headed. A fight between Pacey and CJ. Audrey left for rehab in California. And Jen was left to nurse her wounded pride and hurt feelings…especially when you and CJ began for real.

You closed your eyes on a sigh. This explained why she’d been so frigid to you lately.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” CJ said. “I didn’t want to come between you guys, or hurt her more by pursuing another one of her friends…I just couldn’t help falling for you.”

At that admission, you softened. You caressed CJ’s cheek, and you brought him down to you for a kiss. Again, it was slow and unhurried, yet no less passionate.

Your lips parted from his first, so you could meet his eyes.

“I’ll talk to Jen,” you said. “But…I’m glad I fell for you too.”

You and CJ shared a quiet moment then, each of you processing, hands intertwined. It had you thinking about everything he said tonight, even before the game. 

“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it. Fine,” he’d said. “Just like I’ve been trying to find some normalcy with you here. But apparently you find that wildly insulting.”

You sighed and squeezed his hand. It was comfortably trapped between his bare chest and yours.

“Just for the record, you don’t have to be ‘normal’ for me, or be what you think I want around my friends. Just be you,” you said, meeting his green-eyed gaze. “I do trust you, CJ. I trust that you want to be with me, and that you have a handle on yourself.”

CJ smiled ruefully. He ran his thumb across the back of your hand.

“You were right though. The truth is I did get a little nervous tonight,” he said. “Being here, seeing Pacey…it brought up all that drama again. I took that vodka soda from him, and I was thinking about drinking it.”

“But you didn’t,” you said firmly. “Because you’re strong. Stronger than anyone I know.”

CJ looked down at your hand joined with his, at your face, set with honesty and vehemence. You seemed to believe every word of what you were saying. That alone made him feel strong.

“Thanks,” he said with a smile.

It hadn’t been all that long, but he knew this felt right. It always felt right with you.

You smiled back at him and leaned up for a sweeter kiss.  

“Thank you for bending your own rules for me,” you teased.

CJ chuckled. He stroked your cheek and pressed another kiss to your forehead.

“You’re my one exception,” he said.   

AN: As frustrated as CJ made me at times, somehow he weasels his way back into my heart. 😂💗 If you enjoyed this, let me know!

Ko-Fi Me ☕

CJ Braxton Masterlist

Main Masterlist

CJ Tag List:

@kazsrm67 @letheatheodore @agothwithheavysetmakeup @jacklesbrainworms @foxyjwls007

@wincastifer @ades106 @iamsapphine @roseblue373 @brianochka

@branj19 @hazel-eye-coffee-shop-girl-blog @globetrotter28 @charmed-asylum @waywardxwords 

@deanwinchestersgirl87 @this-is-me19 @rachiem4-blog @sweettimelady @leigh70

@clinicallydepresso @emily-winchester @xiphoidbones @skoveu @nyotamalfoy

@kmc1989 @jackles010378 @jessjad @pieandmonsters @deans-spinster-witch

@idiotdyslexic @heartlessdelusions @chriszgirl92 @peytongoose @hobby27

@waynes-multiverse @lovelyunjinn @twinkleinadiamondsky

[englishedventures26]

College Journey: Capture every moment of struggle with a smile 

Posted by: Kaila Mae Carandang

Listening to: Start Over by Gaho

What’s up, university peeps! Welcome to my online journal, where I’ll let you join my roller coaster ride and adventures as a college student. This will be an exciting and life-changing experience. Make sure to embrace yourself, hold tighter, and enjoy every moment!

In my everyday life, I spend six to nine hours a day attending my subject courses and each class occurs in different ways. There are ordinary classes where I need to listen for three hours straight and accomplish tasks afterward. This is usually my kind of typical college day when I go to the campus, listen to the discussion, eat my lunch, talk with friends, go home late, and back to the cycle. It was like I’m a passive student and listener at the same time because my brain can’t absorb the overflowing information. Plus, my back aches a lot from sitting on my chair for almost two hundred hours. There are also classes where I need to actively participate because the professor is abruptly calling names to answer his/her question as a form of recitation. This is the kind of class that I hate the most because my heart was like a horse racing in the arena and my mind was like a volcano attempting to erupt any minute of the time. It gets worse when I didn’t know the answer that’s why I usually experience the so-called “worst day” or whatsoever. Apart from that, there are classes where I need to do reporting on the assigned topic, demo teaching, and take quizzes every week as well as the examination period. Discussing a lesson in front of my classmates makes me scared and worried. Taking long tests and examinations makes me anxious and stressed. Then, there are plenty of paper works piled up and scheduled performance tasks. So, my bucket is always full, and I don’t want to ask for more.

Maybe you are now asking why I said those things, right? My answer is simply because that’s how my life progresses in this phase of my journey. But, did you also wonder how I’m able to keep up and hang tight? If yes, sit tight and scream with me!

I’m still surviving my college years because I face every moment with a smile on my face. I enter the classroom with positivity because I want to spread good vibes with my peers and all the people I interact with. I want to show that it is important to smile all the time despite the struggles and hardships I encounter. I also want my fellows to realize the power of smiles in reducing stress and eliminating negative thoughts. I once thought that smiling is a great way to hide pain and sadness, but a smile is not a mask because it is a weapon to strongly fight every single obstacle we’ll go through. Aside from my smile, I’m truly grateful to have a wonderful support system that makes my journey bearable and memorable at the same time.

As I end this blog, I realized that taking different types of classes was like seating in different parts of the roller coaster. Ordinary days are the times that I’m at the back, and those classes with recitation feel like I’m in the middle of the ride. Obviously, I’m seating at the front during the examination period and demo teaching because of the intensity of the moment but riding at the head of the roller coaster also gives a wonderful view of the world around us. This means that even though it is terrifying to be on the front wheels, I’m excited to see where these tracks lead me as I’m in the middle of the college journey. Oops! Before you take off at our destination, I’m the type of student who captures every moment of struggle with a smile on her face. Are you like me? Hope to see you smile and ride the coaster with me again!

[crystalelemental]

Unit Teambuilding - Variety Mallow

I am someone prone to pettiness.  We know this.  Remember Victor?  I remember Victor.  And while I generally have tried to be more fair, sometimes there is a line.  Shiinotic is that line.  I’m sorry, I hate this thing.  Morelull was such a cute mushroom design, and it evolves into this gross alien mushroom with a diaper.  And it’s a variety scout of all things.  I’m not a big fan of Mallow either so this whole sync pair just rubs me entirely the wrong way.  Everything about this bothers me.

Okay, I’m done complaining.  Moving on.

General Overview Mallow is a Grass-type support who focuses on special attack and crit.  +4 special attack, +2 crit, +1 accuracy.  It’s fine, but 1MP means not capping crit unless 3/5, don’t you love that in a support?  Moreover, no way to cap special attack.  X Sp Def All gives bulk, and Shielded on grid makes it mixed bulk.  Giga Drain is survival, and her gimmick is recovering HP when hitting a paralyzed opponent, which she sets up with Stun Spore.  She also debuffs attack when she hits a paralyzed foe with a healing move, and can debuff special attack too from her grid.  So to sum up, she’s a paralysis unit with good personal healing, that can debuff both offenses, and rapid-fire buff specially offensive sync pairs.

You ready for the windfall?

Champion Stadium isn’t happening.  Unless you’re on-type, Vampire Tanks don’t work.  Her debuffs only work with paralysis, which removes the ability to work with other status options, unlike V!Agatha who could use any status.  Nothing spreads, so no AoE para or debuffing.  A 3-bar move on a slow support is not good, and her solutions for gauge are not placed well, so they rarely come in.  Grid heavily demands Team Sharp Entry for her to cap crit if literally nothing else, and it sharply cuts into her energy reserves.  Her self-healing is going to be only okay, dependent on her damage and the passive recovery of hitting a paralyzed opponent, the latter condition of which slows down her rotations.  Her team healing is locked only to Synchro Healing, a decent skill for supporting DPS units, but otherwise hogs sync for herself.  While her Gauntlet utility is fairly high, combining strong self-healing, debuffing of both offenses, and boosting both defenses for survival, Mallow is fairly slow acting at the role.

I feel like V!Mallow is going to be decent for people who care a lot about Gauntlet streaks, but broadly not as useful.  Very similar to Kiawe, she feels like a pair that has broad, far-reaching utility, but functionally is only better than stuff you likely have for a handful of niche situations.

EX and Move Level? Support, so EX encouraged.  Support, so 3/5 required to do much of anything frankly.  Mallow’s basic skills are...okay, but not exceptional.  You lose full buffing of crit and team healing with 3/5, but you retain the pretty significant buff from her trainer move.

Team 1: V!Mallow, Erika, Blaine/Tech Ninetales I am trying, admittedly very hard, to make something stupid work.  V!Mallow quickly caps out offenses, more or less, and supplements Erika’s defensive bulk, while debuffing offenses of the foe when paralyzed.  Given that Erika’s sync condition is paralysis, this is a decent match, just add some Sun.  I’m probably aiming too low for Erika to succeed with, but let’s all just pretend a moment shall we?

Team 2: V!Mallow, Clair, Lucas/Winona Another that’s probably aiming way too low, but Clair actually gets most of what she wants from Mallow’s single trainer move.  Mallow even paralyzes, which is one of Clair’s big multipliers.  You can add in Dragon Zone, or if you’re aiming a bit cheaper, Winona for Rain.

Team 3: V!Mallow, Lance, Lucian Alternatively, V!Mallow can support 3/5 Lance pretty well, thanks to the specific buff combination she provides.  She patches up accuracy, saving an expensive node, and his Ramp Up 2/Critical Eye can cover what’s missing.  It does nothing for his sync, but Hyper Beam DPS is never a truly bad call.  Lucian has to be mentioned at least once.  As a guy who buffs team speed while debuffing special defense, he’s ideal to partner with Mallow, who sustains in part off her absorption effect, and is otherwise painfully slow.

Team 4: V!Mallow, P!Serena, Anni N The last thing I’ll mention is Mallow’s debuffs.  Mercifully, they are consistent, pending the foe is paralyzed.  Palentine’s Serena offers speed for the team, and an AoE paralysis, while the debuffs and fast-acting setup is great for Anni N.

Final Thoughts Just like with Kiawe, Variety Mallow feels like an odd niche pair that exists to fill in for very specific picks.  Clair is the notable one.  Fixing accuracy, buffing needed sp atk/crit in one move, and applying paralysis solves for a lot. V!Mallow is legitimately the next best thing after SS Kris.  Presumably, base Erika also appreciates her, and the +1 accuracy with near full buff support makes her a surprise partner to Lance.

But that’s kinda it.  Niche utility does not a worthwhile limited pair make.  It’s a notable step above Kiawe.  But we are like three days from datamine.  Save your gems.  Whatever’s coming next month is going to be anniversary bait, there is absolutely no way they can’t outdo this.

[ranhaitanisgf]

hey i love your headcanon abt mikey & draken having a big-chested s/o😋 can you do the same one with mitsuya & the kawata twins?🤩

mitsuya takashi, nahoya kawata [smiley] & souta kawata [angry] with a big-chested s/o: headcanons

[𖤐] hey hey anon! thank you so much for requesting, and i'm super glad you liked those headcanons! i tried my best with these cause i don't really have like...a big or small chest, so i hope these were realistic LMAO enjoy!

--> part one with mikey and draken

❧ masterlist

--

mitsuya takashi:

✂︎ i don’t really think that he minds either way if his s/o has a big chest, as in it’s not really something that he uses as a factor to determine how much you mean to him, so if you have a big chest, mitsuya doesn’t really care, but in the nicest way possible.

✂︎ but because he knows how people are when it comes to how certain bodies look, he’s always going to be a bit more protective with you if he ever sees anybody staring when the two of you are out. he’ll definitely take his jacket off and put it on you because while he doesn’t see any problem with what you’re wearing, he knows that it can be uncomfortable to have random people staring at you.

✂︎ he’ll definitely get slightly flustered if he ever hugs you and realizes you’re not wearing a bra, but he’s not going to say anything, and if you ask about why his ears are red, he’ll brush it off as nothing and change the subject suspiciously quickly.

✂︎ he’s never realized how expensive bras actually are, and when you tell him, he’s pretty shocked by it, since it’s something that’s seen as “taboo” if you’re not wearing one, so why would they be so expensive? he truly is confused, and sometimes if you say that you’re going out shopping for a new bra, he’ll just put a 5000 yen note in your hand and let you go without really telling you why.

✂︎ if you ever tell him to just lay his head on your chest when the two of you are cuddling, he’s going to be a bit nervous because he doesn’t want to make you uncomfortable, but he’ll eventually give in because he’s so tired from everything he’s done today and he just wants to sleep, (surprisingly it’s better than an actual pillow LMAO).

✂︎ definitely the type to ask his mom what he should do if you’re having back pain and will listen to all her advice, and might even take notes for future reference. after this, you best believe that if you’re ever having back pain, mitsuya is over here offering a cold/hot pack for your back, and maybe even massage it, (and he’ll definitely have snacks as well).

✂︎ mitsuya is always going to make sure that if you’re ever taking public transit, that you’re promising to only go on the women-only section* because he knows that public transit is always sketchy, especially with somebody such as yourself. he’ll always opt for trying his best to pick you up from wherever you are and give you a ride, but he knows that sometimes it’s not always possible, so he’ll usually as for you to call him and keep him on the line while you’re on the train just in case anything happens.

✂︎ if you ever see a shirt you like while you guys are out shopping but there’s not enough chest room, mitsuya will buy it and make alterations to it to surprise you a few weeks later with it. you shouldn’t have to limit the clothing you want just because some of it doesn’t have what you need, so he’ll do his best to make sure that you’re wearing what you want to.

nahoya kawata [smiley]:

✂︎ honestly, he has a little more shame than mikey, but not much. definitely one to “unintentionally” have his head in your chest whenever the two of you hug, although he’ll swear it was an accident after the fact and give some half-assed apology while grinning.

✂︎ if he ever sees anybody staring at you whenever you guys are out, the smile on his face will just increase tenfold as he offers to go talk to the “nice guys” over there, and you might need to hold him back from sending someone to the damn hospital.

✂︎ honestly, just the extremely “passive” aggressive type in general, so he’s naturally going to be very protective of you and will literally start cussing out and possibly beating up anybody who catcalls you, especially whenever the two of you are on a date because you’re very clearly taken, and he doesn’t take lightly to grown men catcalling his s/o.

✂︎ everytime one of these instances happen, he’ll apologize to you about the way that others acted, (even though it isn’t his fault). he gets extremely annoyed whenever it happens and feels like he should apologize for it, because there was no way in hell you deserved to get basically harassed everytime you go out in public.

✂︎ doesn’t really know a whole lot about the cons of having a big chest because he never really had a reason to need to know, so you’re going to need to teach him a few things for him to understand, (he doesn’t understand it at all, but he’ll pretend like he does and probably ask his mom later LMAO).

✂︎ probably thinks that you wear a bra 24/7 because it helps to support, so when he hugs you and you’re not wearing one, he’ll get a bit confused and will step back, (literally) and think for a second, and you’re going to have to ask him what’s wrong a couple times for him to randomly blurt out his question, (he’s still a bit blushy though because of the hug).

✂︎ he really likes it when the two of you are on the couch watching a movie, and his head is resting back on your chest while your hands are playing with his hair, (no like literally, he loves it).

✂︎ confused as to why you’re complaining about having back pain, and will deadass ask you if you’re aging early or something. when you explain it’s because of your chest, he literally does not understand how that’s even supposed to work, but he’ll take your word for it and will make you some food and hand you some pain killers, telling you to chill out for the rest of the day.

souta kawata [angry]:

✂︎ people always think that this boy could not give two shits about anything and is super tough, and while he’s really good at fighting, he’s pretty much the exact opposite when it comes to being in a relationship, especially with an s/o who had a big chest.

✂︎ whenever he takes you out for rides on his bike when he’s picking you up from somewhere or taking you on a date, he’ll be blushing the entire time because he can feel your chest on his back, (especially if it’s hot out and he’s not wearing his jacket). if you ever ask why he’s so red, he’ll never actually admit to getting flustered because of it, so it’ll forever be a mystery to you.

✂︎ whenever you’re out with him, there’s not going to be a lot of guys staring because they can see the expression on angry’s face, and they do not want to fuck with somebody who looks at them like that, (angry might be purposefully making his face a bit more...expressive than usual and will stare down these creeps).

✂︎ if you’re ever asking him if he doesn’t want you to wear something because of your chest, he’ll just stare at you, completely confused for a while until you explain what it is you’re trying to say. he’s honestly befuddled on why you would ask him if you could wear something; you should just be wearing whatever you want, right?

✂︎ if you guys are ever hugging and you unintentionally pull him into your chest, he’s going to be so flustered, and will only be thinking about that interaction for at least the next hour, and everytime he thinks about it, he’ll start blushing, (smiley is definitely going to tease him about it; he found out because smiley was blushing and he asked him what was wrong, and he just blurted it out).

✂︎ he’s always willing to lend you his jacket if you can feel uncomfortable stares on you, and might go “get something from the vending machine”. after he mysteriously disappears for fifteen minutes, he comes back with two drinks and his hands looking a bit red, however, you noticed that the people looking at you had disappeared. wonder where they went?

✂︎ he knows that even though it isn’t fair to you, that he really shouldn’t let you be by yourself, especially in the middle of tokyo where there's all sorts of creeps lurking around, and so, he’s always going to be next to you or trailing closely behind whenever you guys go out, and if he ever has to leave you alone for whatever reason, he’s simply not going to, and is going to take you everywhere with him.

✂︎ if you ever take him bra shopping, he’s just going to be looking down the entire time, not making eye contact with anybody. an employee might ask him if he’s alright, and he’ll just softly mumble yes as he tries not to look at anybody. he doesn’t want people he came in here to be a creep; he’s just here to help you look for bras, but he can’t even do that without blushing, and he might actually pass out if you show him.

--

*in asian countries, sexual harassment on public transit is very common for females, so as a countermeasure, there are certain places on the platform and cars on the train that are only for females.

might change my theme to lavender purple idk though