#and judging by the popularity of these jokes I'm sure I'm not the only one

[llycaons]

complaining about something dumb. suicide tw

it's not that I think suicide jokes are appropriate to make with strangers or with people who are sensitive to them (obviously) and the reminder to tone them down in the tags is a good one but the little 'uwu they're never okay to make ironically...you'll feel better' is so gd aggravating to me. like I'm sorry but you're a stranger and I'm a grown adult you don't get to finger-wag about the jokes I make about MYSELF. how do YOU know I'll feel better? you don't know me or the relationship I have to this topic! 'I promise' but you don't KNOW 😭 what if I like suicide jokes and they make me happy. what then. what if joking about fictional characters killing themselves is fun for me. truly who is it hurting as long as I'm being respectful of others

personally its like. swearing. the catharsis is so valuable to ME I have to check myself constantly out of respect for other ppl and I know for a fact if I made as many jokes as I wanted to THAT'S what would make me feel better but if I never do idk I'd feel smothered since it's such an extreme thing to say something it's all that I can say to express myself. yeah as someone who's not suicidal ik I'm not the target audience for this but its such a pet peeve let me ventttt. 'I promise' oh my god shut up

[gyeomsweetgyeom]

⋆⭒˚.⋆ are you two a couple? ⋆⭒˚.⋆

(cw: f!reader, profanity)

Going to one of the most popular universities in the country meant that a lot of people were always around. There were concerts that happened on a regular basis, families that came for tours, and of course influencers from Tiktok that were there for content. There were the guys that didn't talk, pledges that bothered girls in their dorms, idiots who screamed in the library as a joke. They were beyond annoying and you avoided them like the plague.

After being at this school for just short of four years, you grew to learn exactly which groups and individuals to avoid. The people who had shifty eyes and a super dark twinkle in their eye with their phone in hand.

Somehow, some way, you missed this one. You and fratboy!Jaehyun were walking hand in hand out of the on campus cafe, with your respective drinks on your way to the library.

"Excuse me, are you two a couple?" You heard someone ask.

"Just keep walking," you whispered to Jaehyun after you notice the camera pointed at the two of you, but there was a tug on your hand as your boyfriend slowed his steps.

Jaehyun came to a stop, nodding at the guy, "yeah... why?"

"Would you mind telling us the story of how you first met?" The guy asks calmly with a smile.

Jaehyun seemingly loves the question since his face nearly splits in half with a bright smile, "hell yeah! We met in the library a few years ago She and I shared one of our general ed classes and I asked her to help me study me in a class I was basically failing."

You interrupt, "don't lie, Jae. He asked me to help him study because he thought it was a sure way to get in my pants."

"And my charm didn't work out like I expected it too so I had to bribe her with free party entry connections to my smart frat brothers," he playfully rolls his eyes, wrapping an arm around your shoulders, "I was a shit study partner and I didn't have the best intentions, but she started to grow on me. I started to really like her and even though I was a total idiot she started developing feelings for me too."

The guy smiles softly, "what's your favorite thing about each other?"

"Jaehyun has completely opened up my world. I used to focus on school and graduating with just a few friends, but since meeting him I feel like a new person. Well, like my true self. He makes it so easy for me to come out of my shell without any fear or anxiety about judgement. He makes me feel beautiful when I don't think I look it, I can be silly with him, and he never judges me. He's exactly what I needed," you explain, your cheeks heating with the attention on you.

Of course you'd felt this way for a while. You'd known that Jaehyun was your other half, the piece you'd always been missing, but you never talked about it. You hoped that he knew how much you loved him and how much you appreciated him. Whether he knew in the way you held each other, the affections you shared, when you told him you loved him— you just wanted him to know.

Jaehyun squeezes your arm, smiling as he looks down at you and leans in to press a kiss to your forehead, "she makes me a better person. No, sorry, I am a better person because of her. I'm so much more ambitious and focused on my future because I always want to be the best version of myself, not only for me, but also for her. Every single one of my relationships has grown stronger because she's shown me how to be a better listener, more open minded, more considerate. She has come into my world, turned it upside down, and transformed me into a person who I thought would never exist. She's shown me how to love and— sorry, I just love her. And I love who I've become because of her."

You find your eyes watering and you hide your face from the camera by burying your face in Jaehyun's chest. You whine softly, "you can't make me cry on camera!"

"What are you most excited for in the future?"

You can feel Jaehyun's hand running up and down your arm reassuringly as he answers the final question, "I'm excited to start our lives together. I'm excited to graduate, to move in together, to propose!"

Your head perks up, "I'm making him wait a few years to propose! I'm excited for all the same things though. I'm not in a rush, but I can't wait to enter the real adult world with him... and some day be his wife."

"Amazing," the interviewer smiles, "and your names?"

"She's my Sweetheart and I'm her baby," Jaehyun smiles brightly, reaching his fist out to fist bump the interviewer.

The video ends with a slowed clip of you and Jaehyun continuing to walk toward the library while he leans down to press a kiss to your forehead as your eyes fall shut and a sweet smile takes over your features.

a/n: this will be a one part post for fratboy!Jaehyun only :)

[https-rizzo]

'*•.¸♡Gwi-nam Hcs♡¸.•*'

Summery(not really): Basically you and Gwi-nam and your troubles because you're an idiot! GN-Reader btw

Warnings: Swearing, probs ooc Gwi-nam, but nothing really tbh its mello you'll be fine I promise.

Authors Note: First ever writing (on computer), the writing is more of my notes app than proper </3, and this is lowkey my take of how I think Gwi-nam acts and stuff so take that how you like😛

Word count: Main-701, Special-104

Pre-Dating/lowkey plotting get it girlie

You've seen Gwi-nam around school before (granted it's mostly the hallways) but you didn't think much of him besides thinking he's attractive.

You probably arn't the most popular in the class, and the odds of having a class with Gwi-nam are slim. So what's the best option to meet and soon date the bullies gopher? LUNCH.

Ok so you were a dumbass and sat down at the wrong table, which led to the infamous group of bullies to look at you with a "wtf, who are you? Go away" type face.

You and you're balls of STEEL glace their way and then start eating you're food. Completely not giving a two shits about what is going on around you.

Now what most likely happened after that is that big-headed bitch Myeong-hawn probably tried to say something but you just blocked him out, and that caught the attention of a certain you know who. Luckyyy.

Idk who confessed first, idk if y'all were even friends for awhile, but anyways y'all got together so it's ok!

Dating (early relationship)

Oh it's rocky asf. Y'all do NOT act like a couple at all, it's more of a friends who kiss type shit. You guys kinda just slapped a label on it and called it good.

But lets be real here, Gwi-nam wouldn't just go around accepting just anyone's confession or he wouldn't go around asking out just anyone either. You mean something to him.

You guys definitely hang out a lot more though.

He comes over to your house a lot more than you go over to his. I see Gwi-nam not letting anyone really come to his house (even though he probably has good parents but they are always away).

When you guys hang out at your house y'all will watch movies but y'all ARE NOT cuddling. He's going to wrap his arm around you for all of 30 seconds before removing it to get more comfortable. So you would have to be the one to initiate shit like hand-holding.

Don't read it wrong. He's not scared, only distant as he doesn't fully believe in your relationship. Yet.

On that topic he definitely doesn't trust you around other guys (or girls if you swing that way too). You guys get into arguments on it as every time he sees you talking with someone he drives the person away. But even if you try to talk it out with him, he's stubborn asf. So have some patience because I'm sure you can gain his trust. After all that's what relationships are built on.

Dating (fully committed)

WOO you have like most of his trust, and you trust him! This is great news!

As you guys now fully trust each other with only little doubts here and there. You guys get a little frisky. NOT all the way frisky but you're like 2.5/5ths there. You know?

You guys HELLA make out.

No joke like its actually insane.

You guys like go days/weeks somehow constantly touching each other and then out of nowhere Gwi-nam just doesn't want to touch you at all. (Touching is not in a weird way btw)

He refuses to hold your hand, wrap and arm around your waist or shoulders, or even rest his arm on your head to piss you off. You've brought it up to him before but all he tells you is to not worry about it.

You think "Oh, he probably just needs some space." You also think (know) he doesn't tell you when things are bothering him so you try to pry it out of him.

Because you are a yapper who tells everything to someone you're close with. Meanwhile he will tell you somethings but other things he keep to himself instead of replying on you.

A day or two later you end up getting your way by reassuring Gwi-nam he can tell you anything and you won't judge him for it as you just want to help him!

That doesn't make him budge btw. But you're a sweetheart and you grab his face and pamper it with kisses. Which he acts disgusted about but he just smirks and says "You just have to get your way don't you?"

SPECIAL (Valentines day because that's when I'm posting this💕)

Don't expect something fancy or high end

And DON'T think he doesn't love you just because it's not a shit ton of things

I fear hes still in high school with no job..

But DO expect him to get you you're favorite chocolate and another one of you're favorite sweet treats.

Also expect a single classic red rose.

You're friends would think he's a broke bitch who doesn't deserve you, but you love him an the effort he's trying to put in to show he loves you.

Under that cold padlock that wraps around his heart is space reserved especially for you.

End Note: OK IS THIS A BANGER OR WHAT😝😝😝😝 Ok if it was bad just tell me straight up. I am also looking for improvements so anything you want me to work on just tell me (probs won't but maybe, lol jk, or not).

[aviiarie]

⊱ ۫ ׅ ✧ FAMILY (OF SORTS). platonic fatui harbingers & reader !

synopsis. the fatui harbingers have a soft spot for arlecchino's child. contents. PLATONIC. headcanons. fluff. parent!arlecchino. house of the hearth!reader. all of the harbingers are reader's weird aunts and uncles. gn!reader, they/them pronouns used. 1.5k words. notes. another repost, with some small parts rewritten! i don't know why this was my most popular post on my old blog, i don't really care for it, but it's a part of the collection so i'm reposting it anyway :')

All of the harbingers knew about Arlecchino’s child; the one that appeared in Fatui Headquarters stuck to her side, eyes cast to the floor. They all saw the way that Arlecchino had held a soft grip on their shoulder, guiding them through the halls with the gentle touch of a parent from the gentle hands of a monster.

The Knave always swore she didn’t play favourites, but from an outside view it was clear that they held a special place separate from the rest. They were permitted to sit in on meetings, following her like a shadow. Some of the Harbingers guessed that she had picked them to be her successor; that their frequent shadowing was training them to take over once she was gone. Others joked about Arlecchino’s apparent soft side taking over. Whatever the reason, time moved forward, and the Fatui saw more and more of them.

All of them varied in their opinions of them—some indifferent, some fond—but the Harbingers all cared for them in their own ways.

-----

Columbina simply adores them. To her they are something like a little dog: so small and cute, so tiny and fragile! Admittedly, her idea of ‘tiny’ is rather skewed—applying to anyone she deems weaker than her (notably, this label also gets given to Capitano and Tartaglia, despite their larger size and physical strength. The Damselette is truly an enigma.)

Whenever Arlecchino allows her to watch over them, she is delighted. She has a penchant for pet names, so ‘angel’, ‘my sweet’, and ‘lovely’ are all more commonly used than their name. Sometimes there’s a ‘baby’ or ‘bub’ if she’s feeling particularly affectionate, but no matter the name, it is always dripping with sweetness. She’ll sing to them too, to calm them down or get them to sleep. Her voice is gentle, laced with as much love as she would show her own child.

Some Fatui believe Columbina is a woman formed from hollow sweetness; that behind the lazy smile and soft voice, lies a callous and unfeeling heart, but her insistence on singing them to sleep comes from a place of genuine affection.

When they have to return home, she’ll kiss their cheeks and sweep them into a hug, making them promise to visit her soon.

-----

The fact that Arlecchino would tear out his throat with her bare hands if he dared to look at them the wrong way is the only thing stopping Dottore from roping [Name] into one of his experiments. Even then, he can’t help but investigate them a bit. Nothing extreme—please put the knife down, Knave—just some simple trials to see how they work. A quick strength assessment, a test of their reflexes, enough to judge the effectiveness of the House of the Hearth’s training.

Despite his assertion that he won’t harm them, Dottore tends to be the one Arlecchino trusts least around her child. His unwillingness to get on her bad side doesn’t stop her from insisting Columbina or herself accompany them whenever they visit his lab.

-----

Tartaglia loves them. The days he gets to see his siblings are few and far between, so he’s always eager to play the older brother for them, and for any other House of the Heath kids that stop by. In fact, whenever any of the children visit, he makes sure to buy them plenty of sugary treats and candies before quickly sending them back to their Father.

(Arlecchino was not happy the first time this happened. It didn’t stop him from doing it every time after that, though.)

He was the first to convince them to call him Uncle, a feat that he bragged about to the rest of the Harbingers. This small incident would inadvertently lead to a petty competition to see who their favourite is, an event that would quickly spiral out of control with bribery and promises coming from all sides.

-----

Sandrone is very particular with who she allows in her workshop. When the rare guest was allowed inside, they had to follow three simple rules: do not touch anything, do not move unless I tell you to, and do not talk to me while I work. When [Name] first stumbled into the room, she was prepared to discourteously shoo them out the way she did whenever Tartaglia poked his head in to see what she was working on. But after some extensive begging, she relented and sat them down in a corner to watch her work. 

Even if she is far less fond of them as some of the other Harbingers, she still audibly squeaked the first time she was called Aunt Sandrone. This was covered up with a cough, but nothing could stop the warmth blooming in her chest. It was the first time a living creature had addressed her with such a familial title; some of her synthetic creations had a habit of calling her Mother, but this was a living, breathing person.

After they started calling her that, she quietly told them they were free to visit when she was working—provided they did not interfere with anything. 

-----

As much as he denies it, Scaramouche has a big soft spot for kids. He’ll swear up and down that he doesn’t care for them at all, but he treats them noticeably gentler than he treats any other member of the Fatui. Arlecchino once caught them huddled against him, using his wide-brimmed hat to shelter from the rain. She never let him forget that moment—the fearsome Balladeer, who notoriously never let anyone close enough to touch him, allowing her child to use him as an umbrella.

They remind him a little too much of the young boy he once considered his family. Whenever he spends time with them, there is something inside that both urges him to protect them in the way he couldn’t protect that child, and warns keep them at arm’s length before they betray him too. But his endearment towards them prevailed, and he begrudgingly allowed them a place in his heart.

Unlike Columbina’s affectionate pet names, the only nicknames Scaramouche gives them are ‘kid’ and ‘brat’, depending on his mood. On good days, they might even get called by their name, though it is a rarity. He cares for them, truly. In his own, strange way.

-----

Capitano is the best at giving advice out of all the harbingers. He is much more down to earth than Columbina and Dottore, and far less cynical than Scaramouche and Sandrone. He’ll let them ramble about their frustrations freely before offering gentle suggestions on what they should do to help. Even if they aren’t looking for a solution, he’s patient enough to hear out their thoughts, however jumbled and incoherent they may be.

He also likes teaching them skills he deems important for a young person to know. These include cooking—Tartaglia is not allowed to join them in these lessons after he almost burnt down the kitchen trying to ‘help’—as well as sewing and mending clothes.  

-----

Pantalone never would describe himself as parental. He never cared too much for kids; he hadn’t enough patience to deal with constantly crying babies or needy toddlers. Arlecchino’s child was thankfully far above that age, so they were less unbearable to deal with.

He was quite happy to spoil them with extravagant gifts and treats to win their favour, but the most effective way he does so is simply spending time with them. Trips to luxurious restaurants for lunch, allowing them to shadow him while he works. He also likes to give them advice—completely unasked for—about life, and relationships. Unlike Capitano however, his advice is of a much less helpful; he has a habit of advocating for blackmail and other shady practices for solving problems.

In exchange for a box of the most expensive pastries in Teyvat, he got them to call him their favourite uncle in front of Tartaglia. The miniscule dent in his funds was worth the look of betrayal on the younger Harbinger’s face.

-----

Signora easily took the longest to warm up to them. When she first met them, it was easy enough to label them as Arlecchino’s brat and move them from her mind. But they kept appearing, in and around the headquarters. At first they were always glued to the Knave’s side, but eventually Signora began to see them wandering alone through the halls. She took note of them—not out of any attachment, only out of self-preservation knowing that if Arlecchino found out her child landed themself into trouble while she was close by, it would be her funeral soon.

The sense of obligation faltered when she started to grow fond of them. They were irritatingly innocent, a rarity within the Fatui. Something about the spark in their eyes reminded her of when she was young—when she still had warmth in her heart and blood in her veins. For the first time in centuries, her frozen heart began to thaw with care towards another person, and begrudgingly, she began to accept that they were not as unpleasant as she once believed.

© aviiarie 2024. do not copy, repost, translate or use my work to train ai.

[nabi-unveiled]

There are fabulous things happening in ep 1 of Heesu in Class 2.

For the record, other than seeing a few people saying it was good on my dash, I knew nothing going into this one. I generally avoid trailers and only rarely know a show is starting before it does. I'm a "see it on my app, click it, decide if I vibe" type of person.

#1 - It took me less than 1.5 minutes to start vibing.

We start with Hee Su running to confess while wearing a fabulous shirt with a sun on it.

Then the intro came in hard with all kinds of science symbols including planets, a telescope and a full out phase diagram of the moon. My nerdy heart which is currently writing video scripts related to astronomy is in my happy place. Plus, they're using the science symbols POETICALLY. I'm going to swoon.

#2 - The "universe" dialogue isn't a one off.

Our boy Hee Su is apparently really into astronomy. Even if he says he mainly likes Chan Young, he's trying to start an astronomy club. Problem is - teach has a life outside of school.

I hate to say it Hee Su, but I agree with teach here. Expecting him to work from 10pm - midnight when he's not equally passionate about astronomy is a bit much.

But the cooler thing to me is that Hee Su KEEPS referencing the universe. We have an absolutely lovely poetic opening speech about the universe.

Hee Su uses it to discuss how the casual remarks from Chan Young impact him.

He uses it at the end when he decides to confess. Sure, there may be a universe where he didn't confess. And there may be a universe where he was rejected. But what if there's a universe where he's accepted. What if it's this one?

#3 - A lot of the dialogue spirals and builds

Throughout the episode, there are so many places where dialogue is building and spiraling. It's layering in so many themes and setting up the narrative so nicely that my brain is literally pinging with happiness.

We have a thread about the real value of "confessions" with multiple perspectives on that.

We have a thread about the right way to "approach" the person you care about and build a relationship.

We have a thread about the unintentional things people do that can hurt others.

We have MULTIPLE pieces of dialogue that are already being used multiple times by different characters in the episode. And the callbacks are so seamlessly integrated that it works to build both meaning and narrative tension. That's a skill.

#4 - Hee Su is a dating "guru" who has never dated, but he's actually good at it.

The fact that it seems like he's mainly learned from watching television and listening to his sisters' stories is perfection. I respect that so much.

I also love this sibling relationship SO much.

#5 - What makes a "true" friend is already being explored.

See this girl? I love her. This is a fledgling friendship. But the energy is already flowing both ways. Unlike the users in his life, she learned Hee Su's name BEFORE approaching him. They're bonding over Usain Bolt and unrequited love. She's giving HIM advice even if he was supposed to be mentoring her.

See this boy? I hate him. He's the "perfect" friend. The object of Hee Su's affection. I'm probably projecting and judging him prematurely. But for this episode, I'm getting coward + popular jerk + manipulator vibes. I'll need to remind myself that he's a teenager. He might grow on me.

See this boy behind Hee Su? I'm trying to decide whether I should feel bad for him. He's obviously the brunt of his friends' jokes including Hee Su's. But there is friendly affection between the three of them, and he gives it back to them too.

#6 - I'm adopting our "Mystery" suitor.

Hee Su may be the title character, but Seung Won is who I'm adopting. Bias is in play. I've seen him before in a different show, and I LOVED his acting in it. I skipped through most of that tedious show just to get to his scenes.

But beyond the fact that he pays attention to Hee Su,

Hee Su's family is the warmth and noise in his quiet, lonely world.

#7 - There's FOOD symbolism.

We have carrot juice being given by pretty much everyone to Hee Su representing all kinds of feelings. Even if I agree with our Friend on the Fringe that it wouldn't be my choice of my drink.

And we have shared family snacks & meals

with the occasional sibling shenanigans.

I loved the ramen scene so much.

Do I have time and the energy for Episode 2 tonight? I don't know, but I just might try.

[wannaeatramyeon]

Adventures of YOUR part time job in the Lookismverse

G/N. You work the graveyard shift in a convenience store. You meet bizarre characters on different nights. Part 1 | Part 2

The customers can usually be separated into 3 categories.

Drunks, students, and weirdos.

Unfortunately for you, lately the weirdos have turned into regulars. But fortunately the weirdos aren't so weird.

The one that made it a habit to check in on you, with the scars and the cheesy wink wasn't so bad. Jack, was it? You can't remember and it's been too long for you to ask. You awkwardly address him as 'you' and avoid any situation where you need to use his name.

He likes to ask how you are, tell a few jokes. Spirit undeterred even when you look at him with a blank face because bless his soul, he's not funny at all but at least he tries and he's a lot less weird than first impression.

He hangs around at odd times, then again you do only work at odd times. Telling you stories about this and that. Something about Big Deal, something about a guy called Sinu and something about another guy called Samuel.

It's difficult to keep track. It's like he wants to talk but he's cryptic and god, it's 4am who can blame you if your eyes are glazing over.

John, or is it Jerry, is waffling again. He seems to always be talking about Samuel. Who he apparently misses and wonders where it's gone wrong and hang on, he's never been explicit but you just had to know.

When he takes a breath to munch on a cookie, you ask, "Hold on, is Samuel your ex?"

Wait no his name is Jason, definitely Jason- freezes mid-chew, "Why would you say that? He's my friend!"

Joshua sprays crumbs all over you but you note how he doesn't say no.

(You think you see this Samuel one early morning. You’re pretty sure you’ve seen him before and man, he really looks like shit.

Looks like the breakup is getting to him too.

Poor Samuel and Poor Jim.)

.

.

But sometimes weirdos are just weirdos. 

It's ok. It comes with the territory so long as they're not in the habit of hurling abuse or whatever, you can deal with it.

In recent memory, there's only been two people that you have had to almost chase out with a broomstick.

You should have known they would be weirdos when one of them walks in in surprisingly teeny tiny purple camo shorts. Not that you're a pearl clutcher, but you're worried that one wrong move and he could be dangling out.

Besides. Purple. Camo. Shorts. Those words should never follow one after the other, and you repress a shudder at this guy's hideous dress sense when he comes up to you.

You thought the other one was alright, at least there's no hideous purple camo shorts in sight and his hair is nice (huh, this style must be popular, you’ve seen a lot of guys with this hair)-

But then he opens his mouth and asks for snakes and you think it's karma for judging camo-guy for his appearance when his friend is equally odd.

"We usually keep the snakes next to the ramen," you deadpan and the two men actually go to seek out the supposed snake (meat or pet purposes?) only to return moments later, empty-handed and looking confused.

"I think the snake is all sold out," Non-camo guy says as camo-guy glances around as if you might have hidden your snake stock elsewhere.

They must have thought you were stupid as you stood there opening and closing your mouth like a fish (or maybe a snake, do snake do these things), because come on, how are you even supposed to formulate a response to that?

Then you look at their eyes and also notice them looking snakey and surmise it must be some weird fetish thing. Pretending to be snakes and eating snakes and having pet snakes.

You want no part of this and tell them to get out.

.

.

"I'm Baek Hangyeol," a new face says, pointing to his ID badge pinned to the white coat. 

"Doctor Baek Hangyeol." He stresses Doctor and Hangyeol and you wonder if he is waiting for a round of applause.

You don't say anything but you do notice he looks like a teenager and what idiot would let a teenager operate on them. (Drunk, student, weirdo. He could be all three.) Doctor Baek Hangyeol must be bluffing.

You decide not to call him on his bullshit. 

"Cool," is all you respond with because you don't want another complaint for being too mouthy. You are half tempted to tell him you're not a doctor, that you just work here but that seemed kinda redundant so you keep your mouth shut.

"Do you believe in true beauty?" he asks when you finish bagging up his goods (a plain water with added minerals, a bottle of multivitamins and a protein shake) and you think what sort of question is that.

You give a halfhearted shrug and say "Sure" and he hands his business card over.

"If you're ever considering it," he tells you with a wild smile. After he has left you look down at the lettering, eyes zeroing in on ‘Plastic Surgery’.

Excuse me?! What is he trying to say?

You thought he was a weirdo but now he has firmly shifted over to asshole. You regret not telling him to go fuck himself while you had the chance. The complaint would 100% be worth it. Zero regrets.

On your break, you burn the card and feel a small sense of satisfaction.

.

.

A tall blonde guy with a creepy vibe (hold on, have you seen him before, he seems familiar. Then again, creepy blonde guys seem to be quite common around here-) walks in with the most billowing coat you have ever seen.

The entrance is kinda cool but the actual coat is kinda tragic with the cheesy red lettering and you wonder if you can pull it off any better than him.

You're still wondering about his coat when he's paying you, and hang on you have definitely seen him before because he says arigatou and hands over yen and you tell him no. Won only.

The idea of the coat, which has evolved into you fantasising about having a full blown cape, quickly loses its charm however, when the blonde gets caught in the automatic doors and you have to wrestle them open to free him.

Afterwards, you ask if he's ok, if he is harmed and can’t resist asking if the coat is ok too. You really don't want a lawsuit on your watch especially when the malfunctioning doors are not your fault.

Your kindness is repaid by him telling you he's not interested (what the fuck) and that his heart will not stray (again, what the fuck).

.

.

You accidentally eavesdrop on a couple of students lamenting about missing out on school work. You didn’t mean to eavesdrop ok, the aisles are tight and cramped, it’s a small space. 

You peek over, and the one with big ears (seriously, they are huge) is telling the one with his back to you (goodness, his back is huge too) that school is important and he’s got notes the other one can use. 

It’s sweet, you think. School is important and it’s good they recognise that. Nice of them to help each other out too.

When they both come to pay (holy shit, that’s a fuckton of chocolate milk), you’re surprised to find Big Ear’s friend, Big Back, looks anywhere between late 20s and early 40s but it’s never too late to catch up on education, you suppose.

You spend the rest of your shift feeling motivated.

.

.

“Going camping?” you ask the guy with the sandy blonde hair, chuckling nervously and ringing his items through. 

Either he’s going camping or he’s gonna kill and hide a dead body in the forest.

He’s pretty stoic, only giving you a curt nod. You can’t help but probe him a bit more. You’ve got a feeling that if or when the dead body turns up, you want to at least clear your conscience that you’ve tried your best so you make some more idle small talk.

You mention how you haven’t been camping for ages, not since you nearly burned your tent down and singed your hair after you tried to cook some marshmallows over a fire that turned out to be more of a raging bonfire (and might have awoken your pyromaniac streak, but you keep that to yourself).

The blonde guy actually pipes up and says “Master Taesoo would never do that.” 

You almost apologise out of principle due to how earnest he sounds, then he mentions something about how good this Master Taesoo is at catching and cooking snake and you wonder what the fuck is up with people and the snake obsession.

Either way, it doesn’t sound like someone is getting murdered. Only a snake (poor snake) so at least you can sleep easy later that day.

.

.

“Oh hi DG,” you say, “Sorry about your cryptocurrency falling through. Diegocoin was it?”

He blinks at you a few times in surprise and heavens above. What’s that saying, fool me once, shame on me; fool me twice, shame on you? This guy has fooled you exactly no times with his shitty disguises and his effort has substantially dwindled too. 

He has only put his hood up and you did think you might get mugged at one point-

It’s an empty store, for crying out loud. Who comes into an empty store in the asscrack of night with their hood up, not wanting to draw attention to themselves.

Then you notice the pink hair and shifty glance and duh.

“Is it the-?” he asks, putting his hood down and signalling to his hair.

“Yeah, it’s the-” you signal to your own head of hair. “Dude you really need to dye it if you’re going for subtle.” You pause, consider something, “Hold on.”

You walk over to the beauty aisle and grab the black hair dye.

“On the house,” you tell DG because this guy really has no self awareness.

.

.

“What do you mean no?”

“No." Your boyfriend peers down at you, arms crossed and at the end of his patience with you.

You open your mouth to argue- 

“No. You know nothing about Taekwondo. How can you work here?”

You look around helplessly at the studio. He’s not exactly wrong but you’re sick of dealing with the weirdos and the snakes and the creepy blondes. “But your dad-”

“I don’t care what that stupid old man says,”

“Taehoon!” Hansu scolds from the other side of the room, and Hansu's class of toddlers all whirl their head around to stare.

“I can learn?” you offer and Taehoon raises one skeptical brow.

“So you’re going to be a student?” You nod enthusiastically, “And we’re going to pay you for that?”

Oh. Damn. 

He’s got you there.

[melminli]

teachers pet - by melanie martinez

pairing: young coriolanus snow x fem. reader

summery - if i'm so special, why am i secret?

word count: 2k+

contains: student coryo (academy is basically a uni), teacher reader, age gap (coryo is in his early twenties while the reader is somewhere in her thirties), teacher x student relationships, dark themes, cheating (reader is married), mommy issues, manipulating, blackmailing

The life of a nerd didn't look as bad as it was portrayed in movies or books. However, it must be said that Coriolanus Snow had neither the stereotypical look nor behavior of a nerd, which may have been the reason why he was hardly treated like one. He had only the best, the good grades of a model student, the popularity of a popular student, and the good looks of a young man his age.

Cute girls queued up to get a chance with him since he seemed like a dream. In a world full of boys, he was a gentleman, a young man with a secure future. Some of his classmates would joke that he would be the future president of Panem, although they always had a slightly confident undertone while saying that. To be honest, no one would be surprised if he would be someday.

"Come on, Coriolanus! Let's go for a drink, you're never coming with us!" Complained the voice of some side character. "I'm sure you have a good chance with most of the girls in the bar - or boys. Whatever you like, I don't judge." He joked, and Clemensia hit him on the shoulder with her fist to warn him to take it down a notch.

She spoke in his place. "Leave him be. He's not into that sort of thing. I'm sure he'd rather spend his time doing more productive things." A slight grin stretched across her features. "Maybe you should try that sometime. Perhaps then you wouldn't fail half the subjects."

Festus interrupted the conversation as he walked past the group. "Come on, Clemmie. Leave the poor guy alone. We're students. It's normal to go partying every now and then." His eyes looked somewhat defiantly at Coriolanus. "You only live once. There's no need to waste it."

Alcoholics and drug addicts use the same excuse, stupid idiot. Coriolanus had enough of this whole interaction. It was time to wrap it up. "Of course, and everyone is free to live this life the way they want." He said with a falsely charming smile when he finally got a chance to speak. "I'm afraid I don't have much time either, I'm already in demand elsewhere."

Unfortunately for him, Arachne couldn't hold her tongue and had to carry on the conversation. "And so late on a Wednesday, too? Don't tell me our teacher's pet is in trouble. Has Mrs. Lola finally realized that you're just trying to get better grades with your flirting, and she doesn't actually have a chance with the pretty boy?" She joked as she mentioned the older woman who was getting closer to retirement with each passing year.

But her comment didn't make the intended person bitter, but Festus, who had to grit his teeth in annoyance. "Can't believe that shit works. I complimented her the other day, and she gave me a look like she was cursing me and the rest of my bloodline." He sighed. "I don't even want kids."

Coriolanus was getting impatient. If at least Sejanus was here, he could cover for him enough to leave, but no, they didn't share every damn course there was. He couldn't believe that this bothered him somehow. "No. Actually, I have asked to speak with Mrs. Rosey regarding her assigned homework." He announced, mentioning your name.

His pretty literature teacher. The only woman he wanted.

The eyes of the person who had started the whole thing in the first place lit up briefly. Coriolanus didn't bother to remember his name. "Oh, she's that one young teacher, isn't she?" He asked. The title wasn't really that hard to get since most of the teachers at the academy were dinosaurs. "She's pretty hot, I regret dropping literature man, but at the end of the day it's just an unnecessary course that requires extra work."

Okay, now Coriolanus was not only annoyed but also angry and had to stop himself from looking too passionate. "Right, see you tomorrow." He quickly said goodbye and paid no further attention to what the others were saying as he made his way to the teachers' lounge. He quickly fixed his tie and hair before knocking on the door. Fortunately, he didn't meet anyone else in the corridors who wasted his time unnecessarily. His patience was getting thin, and he didn't think he had enough of it to make him exchange more false smiles and words.

"Come in..." He heard your muffled voice call through the door before he slowly opened it, and his eyes immediately turned to your table. You, too, looked up from the papers in front of you and met his figure as you turned your chair to the side. "Mr. Snow, you said you had a question about the assignment I gave you."

There was a step between you two, but your voice still felt close. Maybe it was because you two were the only ones in the room since it was pretty late. Now that Coriolanus was looking down at your figure, you looked quite exhausted and seemed barely able to keep your eyes open. Judging by your desk, you were in the middle of correcting last week's quiz, but he doubted that was the only thing you were working on. Your usually well-groomed appearance was a little more disheveled. There were strands of hair peeking out from various places, and the first few buttons of your shirt were undone. "You never called me." Was all he said as he watched you avoid his gaze.

Your tongue licked over your dry lips as you searched for the right words. "I don't think that has anything to do with the assignment." You replied. Maybe my mistake was, hoping he had a question in the first place. "I'm not going to talk about other matters, I'm busy." You tried to explain to him.

Coriolanus laughed in disbelief. He placed his coat and bag on the chair next to him before leaning back against your table. "Oh, please. I can understand you wanting to keep our special time a secret, but don't try to deny it." He spat out, placing his hand on the papers to stop you from continuing to work on it. "Do you regret the things we shared, huh? Don't lie to me."

You met his gaze after you sighed. "Look, Mr. Snow. I'm sure you'll understand me when I tell you that you should rather concentrate on your studies, don't you think?"

His jaw tightened further as you continued to skillfully evade his questions. As if you didn't care at all, as if you didn't care about him. He was fully aware that what he was getting into was something short-term, but he still wouldn't allow you to throw him away as easily as trash. "Oh, so it's Mr. Snow now? What happened to Coryo."

You stood up so you could speak to him at eye level. Coriolanus has always been a bit more clingy with you. You expected no less, and yet it didn't make this whole procedure any less difficult. "Look, I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression, but I'm married, and you know that." You tried to work through the situation. You grabbed his arms to comfort him with your touch. "There are so many young girls out there who want you. I'm so much older than you, and I'm also your teacher. From the beginning, this was something that wouldn't last."

He shook his head. "I don't care about them. It's you I want, please. Only you." He begged, and this time, he was the one who grabbed your arms to stop you from leaving, from leaving him. Coriolanus could see in your eyes how his desperation couldn't convince you, and he wished it would. Not only because he wanted to, but also so that he wouldn't have to resort to other methods, but you left him no other choice. "It would be a scandal if the whole thing came out, don't you think?"

You just sighed tiredly when he didn't let you go. "Sweetie..."

He softened a little at the pet name, but that didn't stop him. "No, you can't just use me until you're satisfied and then dispose of me. I will tell everyone and you know that as a teacher you will be in a position where people will accuse you of taking advantage of me." He explained as he pushed you between him and the desk while he watched the look of irritation on your face. His one hand came up to gently stroke your cheek, but his true intentions were visible through the strong grip on your arm. "And of course, you can try to tell the truth or try to defend yourself, but you know who they're more likely to believe."

He hadn't only pushed your body in a corner anymore. "So what? We're going to keep doing this until you're satisfied and let me go." You asked, seeing no long-lasting result.

That was your mistake. It hadn't been long since you'd been married, so Coriolanus was aware that you hadn't changed your surname. He liked that about you. He liked the sound of Rosey, and he too wanted to hold you like a little pretty rose in his grasp. "Yes. Except I won't let you go. Ever." he said with a slightly dreamy look.

You dared to disagree. "Mr. Snow - " you began, but changed your tone when you saw him grimace angrily and tighten his grip on your arm. " - Coryo, look. You're a smart boy, and yes, I enjoyed our time together, but it's not right that - "

" - I love you, and if it's wrong, then I don't want to be right. Why can't you understand that already? I know I'm young, but I'm not naive, so don't talk to me like I am." He spat out in annoyance and finally reached the end of his patience. His eyes glanced briefly next to you at the table where the sheets of paper were now messely scattered around. It seemed you were in the process of correcting his. how convenient. his hand grabbed it and held it in front of you. "Let's play a little game. If I pass this quiz, you'll give me something I want."

Your eyes didn't move from his. You knew you had to play along whether you wanted to or not, and you didn't seem to get far with values and morals. You doubted you would do it at all with him. "And what do you want?" You asked him simply.

He leaned closer to you. "A kiss."

You met his eyes and took the paper from his hand without even glancing at it. "You passed." You confirmed and pulled him into a soft kiss.

This is how he liked you. When you touched him tenderly like now and stroked his hair lovingly. Coriolanus only felt like this with you. Do you think he wouldn't have tried to get away from you? He did, first with several girls who just wanted him to give and give and he hated that they just took from him and thought it was enough if they just stood pretty next to him or leaned back and spread their legs. Hated them, and so he tried women who were older than him and then women who had the same color eyes as you, some who smiled like you and then some whose voice was similar to yours. He liked those the most because with them, he could just close his eyes and imagine it was you.

Then he finally got tired of just imagining it, and once he had a taste of what might be, there was no going back to his old ways.

"I love you." He finally said as you ended the kiss and he leaned his forehead against yours while his hands wrapped around yours. "Don't ever think about leaving me again and don't make me out to be crazy for wanting you."

What am I supposed to do with you, little snowflake, now that you don't melt away? "All right, Coryo, I won't." You just replied and saw no point in arguing with him anymore. You knew him well enough to know how possessive and dominant he could get. However, you liked him more when he was dependent on you and sought your approval. "But be good and a little nicer to me, will you?" You said and squeezed his hands. "Because if I wanted some stupid man who was full of himself, I'd go to my husband."

He nodded quickly, giving in easily now that it was clear that he had you. "Of course, anything you want. I'll do anything you want." He spoke and took your hand in his up to place a kiss on it. "All you have to do is ask for it."

Coriolanus would take care of your useless husband. You wouldn't need him when you were going to marry him soon.

[starcurtain]

Your post about Alhaitham, Aranara lore, and the issue of fandoms confusing canon with social media promotion was so good!

I have some questions. I only entered the fandom a year ago, and I still haven't caught up on all the events I missed (though I am caught up on archon quests and most character quests). If you have time, could you please share any other examples you have of people popularizing a headcanon and pretending like it's canon?

I have a theory of one. I've noticed a lot of fics portraying Kaeya, Rosaria, and Venti are all drinking buddies at Angel's Share. And as much as I love the idea, I'm not sure I can find a canon source for this. I made a post asking about this once, and the only thing anyone gave me was that cutscene towards the end of the first Windblume. But that only shows Kaeya and Rosaria drinking together; Venti isn't there. Am I right that the three of them being drinking buddies is just fanon?

Thank you!!

I admittedly started playing Genshin a little later than some, so I missed out on many of the original Mondstadt events. Although I've tried to catch up on them via cutscenes and summaries, there are some nuances I'm surely missing, so it's a bit harder for me to judge based on earlier stuff. However, it seems fairly unlikely that Venti and Kaeya are actually good drinking buddies, for a couple reasons:

Even when they are in the same bar, they don't even speak directly to each other, let alone drink together. During Jean's birthday event, both Venti and Kaeya come to Jean's party at the Angel's Share, but once the alcohol starts flowing, Venti sits at the bar with Diluc, while Kaeya goes off to drink in the corner by himself.

Presumably, if they were actual drinking buddies, they would have sat together.

There's also the fact that Kaeya and Venti's relationship seems to be somewhat catty, especially earlier in Genshin's story.

In the 1.4 Windblume event, Paimon literally says that Venti and Kaeya's conversation has devolved into a "coercion contest" where they're both trying to get the better of each other. It's not aggressive and it's largely played for jokes, but it's also not Genshin's typical "I'll do anything for you because you're my friend" level of niceness.

Even way back in the 1.4 Windblume, there are some lines, especially from Kaeya, that are very loaded (and Venti gets his own digs in too lol):

I, for one, think it's pretty much impossible that Kaeya hasn't known Venti's identity all along; Kaeya's entire early character hinges around just knowing way the hell more than anyone else in Mondstadt (with little explanation for how, in some cases). With that in mind, Kaeya--a Khaenri'ahn--asking Venti--an archon--if he's willing to take Kaeya on as a student is a pretty heavy statement.

This scene leads into the one where Kaeya (supposedly) writes a poem in hilichurlian that could be read as a threat toward Venti. There's some debate whether that is actually true and whether Kaeya intended it that way, but the ambiguity still suggests Kaeya knows Venti's true identity and is, at the very least, testing the waters and pushing the envelop to see how far Barbatos will tolerate an "enemy" in his territory.

Even all the way to Kaeya's hangout, Venti and Kaeya's interactions are definitely sarcastic and a bit (humorously) snide, with Kaeya unsubtly using the fact that he knows Venti's secret identity to manipulate Venti into helping with the choir project. (Venti gets his digs here too though, reminding Kaeya about the hate poem he so "kindly" wrote back in 1.4 lol!)

Kaeya even goes out of his way to bring Diona to the song-writing efforts, specifically to trigger Venti's cat allergy and force Venti into having to deal with song lyrics about hating alcohol. 😂

So, up until at least this hangout, I'd say that Kaeya really didn't have too great of a relationship with Venti. He wasn't directly antagonistic to him or anything, but they definitely didn't come across as close friends, and there were enough blatant hints to suggest that Kaeya doesn't view himself as a follower of Mondstadt's archon.

It seems likely (to me at least) that Kaeya would have inherited a natural standoffishness toward archons in general alongside his father's huge expectations that Kaeya serve as Khaenri'ah's hope, a blend of "I'm supposed to hate you because I know what you did to my country" and "I'm uncomfortable that you know my true identity; you might take action against me like the archons took action against Khaenri'ahns in the past." I don't think Kaeya ever actually personally hated Venti, but there is a tension between himself and Venti that isn't necessarily present in Kaeya's other connections (Albedo, Klee, Jean, Lisa, etc.) throughout Mondstadt.

On Venti's side, I think that people forget that Venti is incredibly sensitive to the feelings of the people of Mondstadt and does literally everything in his power to ensure that his people live joyous, free, and happy lives. He clearly knows of Kaeya's background--and probably even his situation with still lingering connections to Khaenri'ah and the Abyss--so I find it extremely unlikely that Venti would have asserted himself in Kaeya's space and tried to force a friendship with someone who would have good reason to distrust archons. I think he would have respected Kaeya's need for distance and avoided trying to get too close.

However, being the incredible sweetheart that he is (the best archon of them all, FIGHT ME), Venti ends this branch of Kaeya's hangout with a truly heartwarming message:

This is Venti literally telling Kaeya "I know you're not a believer, and I know you're struggling with your loyalties between Khaenri'ah and Mondstadt. I know you're still not really sure what your destiny is and into what darkness it might lead you--but at the end of your journey, I will be here to welcome you home."

Venti tells Kaeya that Kaeya is a son of Mondstadt and that the Anemo Archon loves and will protect him just as he loves and protects every one of his true people.

So no, I don't think we have any reliable evidence in game that Kaeya and Venti are actually drinking buddies up to this point in the story--however, I think it's possible we could see this change in the future! Kaeya just needs to know (and accept!) that he is loved!

...As for other instances of fanon replacing canon, this post is already long enough, so I'll save them for another day. Someone ask me about what I think of the fanon surrounding Kaeya and Diluc's situation or something, I guess! 😆

[plusvanity]

Do you have any analysis/opinions on Fenriz?

Generally speaking, everybody loves Fenriz because he is a humble, funny guy and has a picture with a cat in his arms. This is kind of all you need for good PR nowadays, but jokes aside, I see Fenriz as sitting on fences and picking sides (between Øystein and Varg) whenever the circumstances suit his image better. He is a bit of an opportunist from what I see.

He talked greatly about Øystein, calling him the 'anchor' of the Black Metal movement, which is indeed true. He had the chance to go to a Mayhem rehearsal session from what I remember, and he was very impressed about it. So much so that his band Darkthrone sounded like a washed-out version of Mayhem in the early 90s. I don't judge that. He was young, and he found himself in what Øystein and Pelle initiated, so this shows how devoted he actually was to this genre. Øystein was a mentor for many, including Fenriz, of course. He lived very close to Helvete, so he was quite lucky to interact with his friend and mentor so much, but after Øystein's death, it seems like things got in a different direction.

I think he must have been the 'easily impressed' type because I cannot find another way to explain how he started taking Varg's side. And of course, Varg took advantage of that aspect and talked nicely about Fenriz in interviews and on his personal blog where he called everyone from the early scene a 'rat', everyone expect Fenriz. Why? I assume that Fenriz spoiled Varg in compliments in a lot of their early interactions. After all, Vikernes stated that only him and Fenriz were 'preserving' the Norwegian culture by writing lyrics in their mother tongue and it was only Fenriz who got him and his political views.

Narcissists do that a lot. They will protect their source of narcissistic supply by talking nicely and praising you, but it's expected for you to do the same and take their side whenever a finger is pointed at them. Not all narcissists do that, but Varg surely did. This type of behaviour is self-implied, it doesn't need a conversation, and this is what they do even now. 'I will put you in a good light, but I expect the same'. You see, relationships and friendships with a narcissist (Varg) are all transactional. A lot of 'payback' is silently expected.

There was a time in which he was very vocal about praising Burzum and Varg, like they would be in some kind of brotherhood. He ranted about him in interviews, talked about how great of a musician he is and how they live in Tolkien's fantasy world etc, etc.

The first reason for wanting so much to associate himself with Vikernes is admiration.

The second reason, and this one tends to be less noticeable for some people, is marketing. Burzum exploded in notoriety after Varg got in jail for murder and the so-called 'satanists' were more feared than ever. It is obvious that if you want to 'get a taste' of fame and maximize your band profit, you will (one way or another) associate yourself with the most popular and controversial individual at the time.

Fenriz, like many others, tries to remain relevant in a scene that is dying out, unfortunately. His strategy is different than others, but the outcome is the same.

I'm not saying he is a bad person, that you should hate him or anything like this. I just present things as I see them.

I don't think that he is just as underhanded and shady as Varg, but I'm not a big fan of him either.

Anyway, this is my take in him.

[georgegraphys]

I was actually quite positive about the officialgr63's social media management game (or probably because I didn't pay much attention) up until apparently the trajectory went from George Russell-oriented meme post to admin-specific meme post that it is an absolute out of character moment for George. There... It becomes slightly odd for me personally.

I respect the passionate admin but I think the admin should also remember the main focus of the account. I'm not saying that you must be serious 24/7 and memes aren't welcomed but the problem is these memes are started getting too much? Why too much? Because a) why always memes? b) the meme context is starting to not be about George Russell, it's a complete out of character moment and I feel like it could lead to (another) case of misrepresentation of George's image in fans' eyes. I'm not saying public, i'm saying FANS because fans can also fall into the same hole as the F1 public does with all those "george russell meme king" things

And I also feel like, judging by the post and trends done and posted by the account, the admin is too focused on the scope of F1 tiktok/tiktok trends in general with those GR memes content. Other than those contents are OOC, those are too tiktok-ish??? I'm not saying tiktok trends are bad, they're fine but this account represents fans from different platforms so it would be very nice to make it a bit more diverse and more in general because the demographic of George fans are not 100 people who love and UNDERSTAND those stereotypical tiktok inside trends/jokes/etc. There are fans who don't do that and they might not share the same experience others do. I feel like the admin caters one side of the party too much when they could've made the fan experience more in general and universal for everyone because not everyone shares the same page about those specific things. And I apologize to my fullest if this might not sit with everyone, but I don't think it's wise to name drop certain public figures/celebrities names. You kinda have to be neutral as an admin except George comes out and says he loves artist A/B/C himself of course.

There is honestly a lot that you can do with social media. Yes this is the off-season but I think there are alternatives to the contents being pushed out right now. Wallpaper wednesdays, throwback thursdays, fan fridays are just one of those things. Those are not outdated, there are still many official accounts who do those. I understand that posting specific/new unseen pictures obviously must be done with the approval of George's management so we can't ask too much on the BTS part but there are lots of different ways I promise. All roads lead to Rome when it comes to creativity and social media management and engaging with the fans. You don't always have to follow specific jokes or trends all the time, you could create one, create a tradition or new stuff. "drop your favorite GR63 stats!" "drop your __ moments" "GR of the month" "fanarts of the week!" and many many more.

I understand that admin might view these types of tiktok popular content as a way for them to gain more attention to the officialgr63 account but there are honestly lots of different things that are a) generally better b) a relatable experience for all groups of fans not just towards a specific niche. The broadcast channel is honestly a good step in which it can bond the 63s over but some of these things need to be fixed and reconsidered. Because it's not only about building and reaching new fans, it's also about making sure the platform represents George to and for everyone in general, balancing things out, retaining the fans and engagement by engaging, and lastly the admin should be a third person or invisible when it comes to managing the account so they don't a) take the focus or b) create certain bias. The focus shall always be George Russell. There's a reason it's officialGR63.

also on another note? you should not block fans/delete comments for criticizing something. you are managing a SOCIAL platform and if you "limit" fans over criticism, then the literal function of a "SOCIAL platform" falls apart. Deleting comments and blocking people is not cRiSis mANagEmENt. You're starting a CRISIS. And there is no harm over some feedback from the literal audience you are targeting, it's actually a moment of growth because it shows that the audience are doing what they do, ENGAGING.

[sciderman]

Sci what's your opinion on Cablepool? What's holding them back, why can't they just bite the bullet and go for it? In your comics it seems like Nate's all in, so what's the problem?

short answer: it's complicated

as much as wade would like it to be so very uncomplicated

[x]

bad communication on both sides, me thinks.

i think the main thing for me that's the most important thing that makes wade and peter work where nate and wade fail is the balance of power! i think in wade's relationships as a whole there's often an unfair power dynamic because - not only does wade often feel unworthy, he's often in relationships with characters that literally overpower him. shiklah, ness and nate are all crazy freaky powerful, and even carmelita was domineering over wade.

historically, wade's always with very dominating partners who kind of want to control him. even nate - with all his best intentions - wanting to change wade for the better. i think it's why peter's breech of wade's trust during the break-up stung so much. he's tired of being constantly policed and judged and controlled in his relationships.

the theme of control is so prominent in the cable & deadpool series. it's everywhere. even in the costuming. the harness? the choker? y

LOOOOOAAAAADED.

(it's why when the popular demand for the choker to return won out, i had to give peter one too. for me the choker will always be loaded with metaphor. and the balance of power between wade and peter is so, so important to me.)

i've joked a little about how in most of 9319 wade's relationships prior to peter, he kind of exclusively bottomed. peter's the first male relationship where wade's been on top at all (save for bob. but there was no penetracíoné in that arrangement.) so this is all new territory for wade. he's never been in a relationship like this one before, where it's a mutual give-and-receive, and peter is just as emotionally vulnerable as he is.

in fact - you're more often to see peter wearing his choker than wade, because more often than not wade's in the position of power - power that's only granted to him by withholding his emotions, and peter often feels powerless with wade because of it.

wade's coming to terms with that - how much power he actually holds over peter. i think it kind of takes him aback constantly, because he's so used to being the fragile party in his previous relationships, and it's made him all the more guarded.

(it's also why he expects something sinister. peter's hiding something. there's no way this boy is actually this soft and well-intentioned. surely peter's somehow still holding the cards.)

fact is, neither of them are holding the cards. they've dropped the cards all over the floor and neither of them want to pick them up and they're both going to cry about it.

sorry - i got sidetracked. ough. cable. right. that's what we're here about.

the theme of power and control is so, so at the forefront of the cable and deadpool series. it's kind of always a see-saw of wade trying to navigate morally complex situations and nathan constantly interfering to sway him this way or that - and you're left questioning whether wade's really learning anything, or if nate just tricked him again.

the fact is, nathan wants to play saviour for wade. wants to save him. nathan has a god complex, and oftentimes messing with wade's free will in attempts to teach him a moral lesson.

nate wants to be wade's saviour, but wade doesn't need a saviour. wade needs to save himself.

in the end-up with the cable & deadpool series there is a resolution for wade, and it proves that wade did grow beyond just seeking nate's approval. (which he does, tirelessly.)

in the end-up, nathan's gone. and wade still steps up, in nate's stead. he doesn't need nate to be there anymore, holding his hand.

i think it's something the series could've done better - i think nate's kind of a jerk who's redeemed by self-sacrifice and i'm not about that. so while 616 wade's all sentimental about it in canon - 9319 wade is not so sweet about it at all.

9319 wade differs from 616 in that he stays salty. he doesn't learn a lesson. he stays needy and selfish and mad - mostly sad. i think i like that in characterisations of wade - that actually, he's not a hero. and he doesn't have to be. he's selfish. we all are. we don't have to save the world. sometimes it's enough to just survive it. i think that's what wade embodies, to me.

i don't think - practically - nate could've been everything wade wanted from him (what with all his gargantuan responsibilities and self-sacrificial tendencies etc. etc.) and wade, realistically, can't match nate's hopes for him either. he relapses practically every time nate leaves him, and his progress resets constantly because he's consistently hit with brick wall after brick wall of overpowered messiah bullshit that makes him feel inept and undeserving.

wade might want so very badly to be deserving of nate's love and approval, but the heroic stuff isn't built into his fibre. it's just not.

i can't stress it enough. wade does not want to be a hero. he just wants to suck and fuck and retire to the bahamas with the man of his dreams. he's a simple man.

the only reason he even tries playing hero is for the promise of love.

he does not want to have to prove himself over and over and over again to be worthy.

for god's fucking SAKE can't a guy just suck and fuck and retire to the bahamas with his loving boyfriend without having to fucking save the world every week! what the fuck! what is wrong with this fucking economy!!

in that way - nate just can't give wade the companionship he needs. nate has way too many responsibilties weighing on his massive shoulder pads. nate is always going to be making sacrifices. it's in his nature. but wade - wade's constantly losing what he loves, non-voluntarily. he's sick of the sacrifice. he doesn't want to lose anymore.

for once, wade just wants his fucking happily ever after.

[britt-kageryuu]

The result of a funny thought after watching a video. I don't know what I'm talking about in this, the idea was just funny.

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

April was slightly annoyed, but still excited as she enters the building in front of her which pushing a rolling cart with a carrier on top.

The building was hosting a Cat Show.

Mikey had heard about it and wanted to enter Sunny, but couldn't get the day off, too many people wanted that day off already. The others had similar schedule problems, and/or they had streaming obligations on top of that.

So he begged April to go in his place. So here she was,entering a cat show as a favor for her Little Brother, who now owes her a Gourmet Lunch Bento everyday for 2 weeks.

She approached the checkin area to ask what she needs to do.

"Name, Breed, and category?" Asked the Receptionist.

April for a second almost said her own name, but caught herself, "This is Sunny, she's a Short Hair, and the category House Cat. She's my brothers cat, but he couldn't get the time off since he just learned about Cat Shows recently." April relays as she fills out the necessary papers, and whatnot.

"Okay, here's your number, just keep your ears and eyes out for when your group is called for judging." The Receptionist says while handing April a couple packets of information, and points toward the room where people were setting up their waiting area.

April gets to her table, and sets up the little popup tent with a letter tray, cat bed, and some small toys. All while giving Sunny pets, treats, and making sure her bandana/collar was on properly. It had one of the 2 or 3 tracking devices in it, you can never be too careful.

The day goes on with April talking with others there, all showing off their cats, showing videos or pictures of said cats, and talking about how things work.

Sunny is fairly popular among, getting lots of compliments, and requests for pictures. Some asking about the lovely feline.

And April would tell them, "My Brother found her after she somehow got into the car in a closed garage. We took her to the vet, clean bill of health, but she had no chip. And after not finding any missing cat posters, or getting responses for our Found Cat. So We kept Sunny and the rest is history. My Little Bro believes it was the cat distribution system choosing us."

Things of course got a bit tense when it was time to bring the cats up for one of the multiple rounds of judging. Some people were more dramatic, and claiming bribery when their Precious Kitty didn't get any ribbons.

April just tried to keep her cool, and be glad that Cass and CJ were to busy to join her, though sadly Sunita was at a family event so had to opt out of this event.

"Is it always like watching one of those kids pageant shows? Or am I just 'Lucky' to witness this drama?" She asked one of her table neighbors while sending an update to Mikey about how things are going.

"Well, it's not always this dramatic, but it happens pretty often. Why did you ask if you were 'Lucky'?" One of them who had a Maincoon.

April sighs with a flat look, "I was known for my weird Luck in school. Once had the sprinkler above me go off, and it was the only one to go off."

Her table neighbors were trying to tell if she was joking or not, but gave her the benefit of the doubt.

Once the next few rounds were done, and the final Judgment. Sunny now proudly had a ribbon, but let's not elaborate on which color or place it was for. They were all proud of Sunny anyway.

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

Masterpost

I was recommended a video of someone going to a Cat Show for the first time, and remembered that they existed. Then thought 'Any Mikey with a cat would want to enter them in one, but then remember the turtle thing... then ask April for Help'.

But I don't know how Cat Shows work, so I just kinda worked off the video I watched, and some of the comments under it.

[chattercap]

MindMindMind Postmortem - Exploring Social Anxiety (with a hot British ghost)

Hello everyone, it's Chattercap!

I'm honestly flabbergasted and incredibly touched that so many people have not only given MindMindMind a try, but also left such kind thoughts and comments! (The game has been out for just over a month and has received well over half the plays and ratings of my most popular game, which has been out for almost a YEAR at this point…)

I first came up with the idea for the game last year, when I was working my 2023 Otome Jam project, Karamu! I was chatting with my friend lenlen (who is a wonderful dev who makes games that are even more heartfelt than MMM, please give them a try!) when I came up with the idea of "what if anxiety…was a yandere?" (I mostly proposed this because len is not the biggest fan of yans, haha!) It was mainly a joke, but the more I thought about it the more I liked the concept.

At first when I thought about anxiety, I thought I would make him a very creepy, scary person. Maybe someone like Sadako from the Ring: someone who just tries to terrify you for no reason. But then I reconsidered the concept. After all, we don’t feel anxiety for no reason, do we? Anxiety isn’t just out to make our lives harder. In fact, it derives from gut instincts that are supposed to help our survival: fear about fitting in, fear about the future, etc. So I came up with Geist: a well-dressed, well-intentioned, over-protective man that ruins your life with his presence. He’s cruel, but he “means well”—after all, if he’s not a little mean, you won’t really understand, will you?

As a definitive answer for “what is Geist?” Geist is, of course, at least partially a metaphor for anxiety. However, he’s also meant to reflect an abusive relationship, one where the abuser isolates you and makes you dependent on them. He’s somewhat based on toxic friendships that I’ve had in the past with people who casually put me down and encouraged my isolating behavior (maybe because it made them feel better about themselves, or maybe because they wanted to make sure that I always had time for them, and no one else).

However, if you do want a “not strictly metaphorical answer,” here’s the canon one: Geist was a child who attended your middle school many years ago. At the time, he was socially awkward and ostracized from his peers, and he died at an early age. Since then, he haunted the school, not quite able to overcome his regrets of never experiencing real friendship—and when he saw you, he recognized a kindred spirit. He grew attached to you and started haunting you, offering you “advice” based on his own experiences. He’s convinced that being alone is better for you (and he’s afraid that you’ll no longer need him).

As for Kalei, I really did want him to be the perfect guy to get the MC’s anxious butt out of their shell. He’s chill and outgoing; he never judges you or takes things too seriously. He’s rabidly nerdy about the exact same things that you’re nerdy about. But at the same time, he has anxieties of his own. He grew up on the islands, and college is the first time he’s ever spent a long time away from home. He quickly found a close friend group at university, but he doesn’t quite click with them, not completely. He worries about how he acts sometimes, and he doesn’t want to come across as overbearing. I think that when you’re anxious, it’s easy to focus on yourself: you’re the weirdest one in the room, everyone is looking at you because of how strange you are. But everyone gets nervous, even outgoing guys like Kalei. Everyone struggles sometimes. (You’re not alone, even if it feels like it, haha!)

MindMindMind is a little different from what I usually put out, partially because it's so mired in my own experience. It’s obviously not a 1:1, and the protagonist differs from myself in some fairly significant ways, but a lot of the thoughts and insecurities presented are thoughts that I’ve had in the past. It was a little strange, delving into my “old self” like this. In some ways, it was like standing in the mind of a stranger, but in other ways, it felt like I hadn’t changed at all. Writing Kalei’s ending was quite cathartic—that’s what I wish would happen. I wish that anxiety was a guy, standing in front of me, so that I could tell him to leave me the hell alone. But it’s not, and the process of overcoming anxiety isn’t that clean. Some days are good, and some days are bad. Some days you can see how far you’ve come, and some days it feels like you’ve been standing in place for months. But…it gets better. And it’s going to be all right.

I’ve got quite a few projects lined up this year! I’ll admit that my games are pretty varied in terms of genre and concept, but they’ve all got my “flair” to them, so I hope they’re enjoyable nonetheless! My next project is Actala: The Hero’s Shadow, a big fantasy/mystery romance game set in a magical world rife with political strife. After that, I’ve got 3-5 projects lined up for the rest of 2024 (fingers crossed that I can get most of them done). I have two yandere projects, Hanasu - the last part of the Karamu trilogy about a girl’s clingy ex-boyfriend, and an unnamed fantasy themed game featuring…a female LI this time! Get ready for some toxic yuri shenanigans! The project that is most similar(?) to MindMindMind is planned for winter! It’s a contemporary drama that also deals with issues of mental health (and particularly with suicidal ideation); it’ll center around themes of mortality. It’s a ways off so I’m not quite ready to formally announce it, but if you’re interested in seeing updates (about this or any of my other projects), I post most of my major announcements on here and Twitter. I also post frequently on my Patreon with sketches, writing snippets, sneak peeks, high resolution art, and weekly devlogs.

Thank you again to everyone who supported this project - the beta testers, the VAs who collaborated with me, my game dev friends, and, of course, the players. I hope to see you again for another project!

Chattercap

[silent-raven13]

You guys!

Pav rushes to his friends with crazy news: Oh my Brahman, did you guys saw Peter Parker?

Gwen looks at Miles and Hobie: Peter B. Parker from Earth 616B

Pav: No, um.. Peter Parker umm he likes to call himself, Petie from Earth 2010

Miles: Ohhh, hmm. Yeah, I saw him bringing a cute baby girl. -Hobie slouching on his partner while listening-

Gwen nodded: Ohh that one. You know when you say Peter Parker... it's kinda hard to know which one when -they are surrounded by a lot of varieties of Peter Parker-

Pav: Right! My bad! Should've been clearer- Anyway, turns out that Peter's kid actually came from Peter.

His fiends: ....

Gwen: Pav, it takes-

Pav: No, I mean- Petie is from the Omegaverse! He's an Omega! That''s his baby! -Gwen's and Miles' eyes widen-

Hobie arched his eyebrows: What? What the bloody hell is an Omega? And what universe is that?

Miles stammering: Well- you see- it's when...

Gwen place a hand on Miles' back: I got this. I'm sort of a pro on this stuff. -she went over to lean against Hobie being casual- Ya see, the Omegaverse is... -she told him everything-

Hobie: WHAT IN THE HELL? You joking, aren't you Gwendy? -his eyes widen in shock.-

Miles shook his head: Nope, it's true. I didn't think it was a real universe...

Gwen: I mean, we're here. Anything is possible!

Pav nodded: Right, I reacted the same thing when Gwen told me!

Hobie looks at Miles: How did you know this?

Miles pressed his lips being shy: Well... you know I love my anime and shows... and Me and Ganke likes to make comics. Sometimes I read fan fiction and... omega verse is a popular genre.

Gwen laughs: I read it too! You know when you want to male pregnancy in the story. it's the best ways to write it in.

Hobie saw Miles being bashful: That's insane? A man getting pregnant? So this Peter pushes out a kid?

Pav nodded: Turns out his MJ is an Alpha! So, she actually had some sort of penis and sticks it into Petie, right? -he turns to Gwen because that part still confuses him-

Gwen: Depending on their world Omegaverse. Some female Alpha's clit grows into a penis when it's heat season and stick it into an Omega and boom! Pregnancy!

Hobie: That's-that's... -he was too in shock-

Miles: The ones I read never mention women being Alphas mostly Betas.

Gwen: You know fangirls always write for the men. -she sighs- I'm curious too. Should we ask Petie?

Pav: I don't think so. He's pretty sensitive. He had to go to Miguel to inform some sort of harassment report, because one Spiderman touched his swollen chest.

Miles: That's so messed up. I should go check on him. I'm sure he must feel very upset. Come, Hobie. -Hobie can't complain nor judge-

Petie aka Peter Parker from Earth 2010 in Miguel's office having to sit on a chair while feeding his pup.

Petie: Thanks again, Miguel. I- um... appreciate it.

Miguel busy on the platform: It's fine, Parker. I will informed the Spiderman that harassed you. You can request absent if you want.

Petie: No, I'm okay. Just trying to get use to being Spiderman after nine months plus the three months of taking care of my pup. -he coos at his little girl who busy drinking his milk-

Miguel saw the omega being a bit nervous coming to their headquarters seeing how many Spiderpeople judge him. He only brought the omega onto their cause because he's such a good spiderman. Shame, how people are quick to judge. As Spiderfolks they should know better.

Normally, Miguel would walk around the Omega trying to make him feel safe, or at least calm down. The large Spiderman had a special spray that contains an Alpha scent that helps relax Petie.

Petie slight chuckle: I didn't expect people to give me looks when i hold May. I thought it would be normal... -his voice sad and weak-

Miguel place a hand on the Spiderman's shoulder: No es tu culpa. You are doing what is normal in your world. You have a beautiful pup. -his red eyes looking at the little baby-

Petie smiles widely: Thank you, Miggy. -teary eye- means a lot.

Miguel: Puedes quedarte aquí todo lo que quieras! You can stay here all you want.

Little May mumbles being finished with her meal. Petie smiles: Thanks, looks like she's done.

Then the main front door slightly open with Gwen's head peaking in: Um... Mr. O'Hara? Can we come in?

Miguel looks up: What is it, Stacy?

Miles peaks in: Um... we heard what happen to Petie. We want to check if he's okay!

Pav peaks in as well: We brought lunch for him!

Hobie sticks his head too while carrying Miles: And water!

Miles: Aye! Hobie put me down! -his boyfriend ignores him-

Petie smiles: It's fine, Miguel.

Miguel: Very well. Okay, come on in. -since when his place is for hang outs? Then again, he didn't think this place was a safe space-

The young Spiderheroes happily walk in, well Hobie carries Miles. They saw Petie, Peter Parker; who has sandy brunette hair color, and green eyes. He's face more fuller than the Peter, they knew, and much more softer, but that's what happens when you're an Omega.

Pav: We wanted to check if you were okay! I saw the Spiderman was making jokes when you walked away. Kinda messed up. I wish I was there early...

Gwen handed Petie the take out box: We got you burgers and fries...

Petie: Thanks, kiddos. I'm glad there's some good Spiderfolks around here. It's been hard since Omegas are always being treated differently. I mean, Alpha Peter parker from Earth 2010B get all the praise.

Pav: There's an Alpha Peter? -his mouth dropped in shock-

Miguel grunts: There's many of them on and about in these headquarters. They come in different times to avoid using their pheromones on each other.

Petie laughs: And that you don't fight with him. Alpha Peter tends to challenge Mig a lot of the time.

Hobie grins: I like the sound of that.

Miles playfully slap his partner: Hobie!

Hobie: What? It's good for someone to challenge leadership.

Miguel: Alpha Peter is chaotic and ruthless. Having him as a leader would be a great mistake, Brown! -his voice serious and annoyed-

Miles: If he's as bad... then Alpha Miguel might be worst, huh?

Miguel: I dunno. I never bothered to look for him for the same reason. he's out there somewhere. -like hell he would bring that one into their headquarters-

Petie: It's not good having so many Alphas around. -He cover his chest with special Omega shirt for breastfeeding- Time to burp May. -His daughter had a Amber wavy hair color than Mayday.-

Pav gasps: Looks at her little booties! Oh my gosh! Those toes are so tiny! Ahh -He giggles at the baby's size- She's so cute!

May whines trying to sleep but her dad softly pats her back as she let out a small burp: There. There, pup. I got you. -he saw Miles- Aren't you an Omega?

Miles looks around then pointed at himself: Me?

Petie: Your not?

Miles: Wait, why me?

Gwen and Pav softly giggling. Miguel arched his eyebrows being nosy in the conversation instead of working.

Miles: No, I'm not. Why?

Petie: I thought he was your Alpha... I've seen you two and Hobie, right? -Hobie nodded at his name- Is always protecting you. It's very Alpha... and you always smell sweet, too. I figure you were an Omega.

Miles' mouth dropped: Is it cause I were my mango Shea Butter!

Gwen laughs: See told ya, you would be an Omega!

Hobie: Me an Alpha. huh? -he likes that idea- I can get you pregnant!

Miles' face felt so warm: You can't be serious!

Hobie: Come on, luv. Me and you with a litter!

Petie laughs: See Alpha material.

Pav laughs: I can totally picture that!

Miguel: Aye, no pregnancy talk. It's bad enough we had three Peter Parkers already impregnating their MJs at sixteen! Coño wear a damn condom!

Gwen: Hey, we are 18 years old, Miguel! -she puff her chest out being offended- If Miles want kids now... let him!

Miles scoffs: Excuse me! I didn't say anything. Hobie, put me down! -his boyfriend carrying him-

Hobie: No, never letting my Omega go! -his new petname-

Petie only laughs: Sorry, Miles. I thought it you two were part of the Omegaverse.

Miguel shook his head: These fucking kids. -he went over to help Petie with May. So the omega can eat his lunch in peace. Miguel holds the pup being careful- Hey, you guys keep it down. May needs to sleep!

Pav: And you're being an Alpha too, huh!

Miguel grunts as he gently rubs the small pup's back: Shh, she's sleeping.

Gwen giggles: Miguel is always to the rescue with kids. Hey, Miles maybe you can have him babysit yours.

Miles pouts: Not funny. -Hobie kisses his cheek.-

Hobie: My Omega! -kisses-

(Part 2)

[gaemms-chamois]

random unorganized darknights trio + paprika musings bc sometimes i'm hit with like a pang of Brief Worry that i'm completely misinterpreted blabla that usually doesn't last too long bc i then go back to my state of I'm Just Vibing but ig at some point i just gotta let it out publicly once and be done with it lol

this is messily written Please Understand this isn't meant to be a grand thought piece

fuuuck ok well this is like very specifically abt the w, ines & paprika part now

like don't get me wrong on this. i joke abt wines moms and stuff but i dont genuinely mean it in the way of wahh wow littol family for reals kinda deal?

less on wines 'adopting' paprika, moreso paprika imprinting on them like a duckling after she was saved by them. paprika adopted them lmao. i cannot possibly interpret either w or ines as Maternal in such a way.

it's moreso that i think it's nice that this little sarkaz merc became part of the story, a girl who all her life since she was infected at a young age, was presented with becoming a mercenary being basically the only option for her.

and then, as annoying as w can be, being shown that she does have different options.

i just think it's sweet that paprika, judging by her voicelines, clearly looks up to w and ines. which is just amplified by the fact that w and ines are notoriously not the most popular people on rhodes lol. and she calls w annoying but still keeps knitting stuff and wanting to gift food to her. like if she often seeks out w and ines to tell them how well she did on something, when they are on the ship, etc. that'd at least indicate that those two humor her.

ALSO IT'S UNOFFICIAL BUT SHOUTOUT TO THAT LITTLE CHUZENJI ART WITH PAPRIKA AND W, INES & TOTTER WEARING KNITTED HATS SO CUTE

OKAY WOO DARKNIGHTS MERCENARY TRIO AND STUFF

cool yeah obviously i fucking love them. i'm not very good at words though and i tend to keep my more elaborate thoughts to just discussions between friends who know how i tick djsfhdfs

just the other day i was smiling to myself during a walk bc holy shit all three are actually playable now and that's not just wishful thinking anymore. anyway chapter 13 also happened and more stuff with the trio happened and Cool Lots of things Happening and my brain is full

they're so found family to me, like in an utterly unconventional way. i mean c'mon with how they act sometimes like- ykno. but like have y'all seen the new furniture set and descriptions that came with hoederer's release it made me go insanse.

but i think especially in ines' case it just kinda highlights that best. considering ines' arts can figure people out (putting that in rather vague terms), it truly means something when someone with her capabilities and temperament has people she chooses to stick by and actually trust. even if she pretends she doesn't by verbally denying it.

like waugh Okay they have a lot to unpack and shit but with them being reunited (take that, W file that said W needs companionship but her friends aren't around anymore) and having a COMPARATIVELY more ""relaxed"" life than before (that one Hoederer file where he just has rather regular days on rhodes), it's just nice to imagine they can finally have something better and figure stuff out. as complicated as the three of them are.

with that said i think it's a given that i despise a nuclear family treatment of the three (aka mom ines, dad hoederer, daughter w).

for one with me being highly doubtful w was a kid/teen at the start of darknights (young? sure, but not that young), which just seems like such a...widespread belief that i really do not get? arknights always put a LOT of emphasis on when a character's story was about them being a kid, 0 of that with w. like something about her expression and big cloak just gave people some different impression, even though she literally keeps looking the same aside from a change of clothes. only instance of w being called a kid during that time i can think of is that one boiler worker in her files but that seems way more like any typical old guy calling anyone on the younger side a kid. hell, even hoederer was called young in darknights, like in a sarkaz's lifespan i can believe that.

and also...hoederer had somewhat of a mentor-like role for w, but if anyone tries to tell me ines ever acted maternal towards w i will chew through your walls. read through darknights memoir and actually pay attention to ines, both w AND ines were pettyass women and they made that so very clear. cannot fathom how anyone can see ines as having been motherly towards w

seriously just feels like a case of Well there is man and there is woman....and this other character so clearly these are mom, dad and kid.

that's not even me being biased towards w/ines, just how i objectively see it. hell, i even ENJOY ines/hoederer, but my enjoyment of it is limited bc for some reason ppl like to make it weird by shoving w in as some daughter. i promise it's completely possible to like ines/hoederer without trying to fit in w as a kid figure

anyways yeah like cool i like these characters I Guess. Look at them

[whiskeyswifty]

saw a tweet that said the last time a Taylor 'song' won a Grammy was in 2013 for Safe and Sound 😭 do you think it's because of her subsequent choice of singles or something else?

lmaoooo that's funny when you say it that way. I think it's a mix of two things. One, her famously terrible choice in singles, which has been a loving fandom-wide joke since forever. obviously its not just her choosing songs in a vacuum. i'm sure there are group conversations with analysts and marketing teams to help figure out what might pop and ultimately, it's always a guessing game. sometimes you get anti-hero and sometimes you get ME! when cruel summer is sitting right there. i don't believe she puts out a song if she thinks its bad, very rarely does an artist put out work they believe or know is bad. so if she loves all of her songs, it's gotta be difficult to pick the one that is not only the objective best, but also have enough distance from work that is artistically personal to judge each song from the perspective of the public. it's not a failing, just a really difficult thing to do and even teams of dozens of record label execs don't get it right all the time. people are fickle, music is even more fickle.

and perhaps the most fickle is the grammys voting body. predictable in backwards ways, yeah of course, any voting body comprised mostly of washed up middle aged men always will be, but still subject to the winds blowing in whatever direction music blows that year. in that respect, I think the other thing that is at play here is just bad luck. Even when she does get it right, with Blank Space, she just happened to be up against juggernaut songs that are more sonically of the moment in the eyes of the voters. Uptown Funk is not a better or worse song than blank space, it just hit much harder with the world and for record of the year, often times it's a popularity contest. Losing song of the year to Ed Sheeran's song is totally understandable. That's what some critics call "the ballad category" and blank space is a pop smash. woefully mistakenly submitted there and probably never had a chance. Again for cardigan at the 2021 grammys, "I Can't Breathe" was about an incredibly important and urgent topic that had been the center of public conversation at that time and so of course her run-of-the-mill song about breakups was going to lose to that. but there is no better example than anti-hero, which lost to Miley Cyrus' Flowers. Whatever it was in the water that year, or whatever vote splitting happened, they felt that Flowers was the song they wanted to award. anti-hero is one of her best and most airtight singles ever, and was a huge song in general culture, but it just didn't happen for her that year despite that. (in SOTY, What was I made for by Billie won which, again, The Ballad Category but also was a juggernaut song so that's obvious why she lost here). and this is even more true in the genre categories where things can be even more unpredictable and overall, bigger names tend to do worse in the genre categories on average. so she has even less of a shot there.

ultimately i think it's just a crapshoot, like any voting based competition is of all stripes. there is strategy you can attempt to employ, but voting is based on personal whims of a diverse body of people and that is almost impossible to strategically manipulate. and the number of nominees has doubled over the years so it's an even wider playing field and her odds have been slashed. if you think about it, it makes more sense she hasn't won. In order to win, she would need to have the perfect combo of having objectively good taste in her own singles that lines up with public taste the same year that the academy feels like that single is the type of single they want to award six to eight months later. that's like trying to hit a bullseye the size of a pin while blindfolded.

(not to mention that this awards body ALSO has famously bad taste, willfully ignorant and bigoted taste. This is the same voting body who's head of their organization say a few years ago that few women were nominated because "women need to step up" (and only after he said THAT was he fired lol) and also quite infamously it took over 20 years to give beyonce aoty. we are not dealing with the best and brightest of the music industry to say the very least.)