#and the fact that I can't interact with people showcasing the real me it's just kinda sad

[boyapologist]

sweetheart please love me too long my heart’s too strong love me too long sweetheart please let me hold on to these old songs I’ve loved too long

[saladmix]

can we discuss totmnt? we get a bit more insight into them as characters which is great! i like that donnie & mikey got a bunch more moments to shine! also! leo saying hes nothing without his brothers, raph's insecurities being touched on with the whole "your bros are in danger because *you* couldn't protect them and aren't strong enough" DUDE its the best. i like how this show added some aspects of their rise versions in that way & i enjoy it bc i liked how they were represented there. leo being anxious & insecure as his role of leader, raph's tough/aggressive veneer bc he feels like its his job to be the protector. + those little chunks of info we got from their character descriptions where they say raph is sensitive and "wants someone to talk to." more realistic & less one note for them!

ugh YES! we sure can it's all I want to talk about anyway I sit at my little corporate job answering my little corporate emails but inside I am like DO YOU PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES.

Anyway, that's embarrassing! Thoughts below the cut so I don't clog up a dash with spoilers and rambles <3

I'm going to address these in (as Jenny Nicholson says) an internet-friendly numbered list! And also adding that these are just my opinions, as I am but a nobody on a rock floating through space.

Also these thoughts are SO HALF BAKED this is like stream of consciousness if you ask me what I said here I may not remember I'm just living a turtle life.

Leo saying he's nothing without his brothers ugh you are so right that was such good content! This strikes me as such a core Leo trait, maybe not shared across iterations in 100% the same way but I really do see that sentiment under the surface frequently. I found it so charming that in Leo's little re-telling of what happened with Bishop and the ambush, he basically made all of his brother's seem like these useless side fools, bolstering up his own role (even lying and saying he was the one to check out the hologram), but then we quickly see that he doesn't at all feel that way. In fact he feels the opposite, and it just felt like such a young growing teen thing to do, try to make yourself the hero. It's also my personal interpretation of why specifically this version of Leo wants to be a leader so badly! He's not the muscle, he's not the brains, he's not the charm. So what is he? He has to find a way to make himself feel important when he feels like maybe he has no other stand out qualities to contribute. But I also happen to think it's the right role for him! He shows his bravery again and again, and his ability to put together a plan, when other people are in need. He can't seem to muster that same courage for himself yet, that's part of his growth, but for the people he loves he comes out in front. I think TotTMNT did a great job with that aspect. <3

Raph! Raphael! What a lad! I really latched onto Raph in this iteration more than I have in previous ones, I really enjoy how he's written. I've always found Raph's anger across iterations to actually really make sense. Of course he's angry, he's a mutant turtle living in the sewers with no real sense of place in this world and no way to interact directly with it! And Rise Raph, while not displaying that direct explosive rage that Raph is known for, kind of showcases it in the stress and responsibility he feels for his family. Anyway, all this is to say we get both of those aspects here in this version along with the flavoring of what appears to me as some real teenage excitement for a little bit of chaos. And that scene was extremely telling I super agree with you!! I mean Raph sees all of his brothers as little shaking chihuahuas, particularly Leo which was VERY charming to me. He definitely sees himself as the protector, but even more, honestly, I think they do to. I mean Leo basically assumes Raph can handle four mechazoids on his own, he's got a lot of faith in his brother's ability to be that brick wall for them. And even though Leo is still the oldest, I do feel like they brought some Rise Raph energy to his character with how responsible he feels. Typically we see Leo as the character who is two seconds away from blowing his top off with all he takes on, but I see that a lot in Raph here too.

Donnie's interpretation of the ambush actually made me so so sad. Like it was basically how he thinks his family views him, as the one who has to save the day but gets no respect of it and doesn't have the tools to do it. He thinks they view him as this megamind that should be able to handle it because what else is he good for? All the others had flashback sequences that kind of center them as a hero, and while Donnie's did have him the last one standing, it didn't have that same kind of vibe. And in all the brother's flashbacks, we see that while they do see him as this dorky nerd, it's never said with any anger or annoyance. I'd call it more of a silly little fondness. But I think this insecurity is an important aspect of Donnie's character that we see in a lot of iterations. The big change here is that Donnie really does feel like just a kid. He's not out here ready to build high tech weaponry or distill medication. He's just a kid who is into coding! He's still learning! And I really enjoyed that. And in that second arc, we get another taste of how level-headed Donnie can be in a crisis situation, which for me tied back to how in the Mutant Mayhem movie, Leo kept looking to Donnie for help and answers. Leo is a frazzled lil man, and Donnie seems to be his source of stability. So it really did break my heart that this poor sassy and sweet boy thinks his family doesn't value him. It's a different flavor from Raph's and Leo's, both of whom have insecurities but they're mostly internal reflections. Donnie seems to feel that coming from the outside, and has twisted that into his own self-image.

Mikey is such a fun character like what a scene-stealer he's so funny in every part of this show, his VA is K I L L I N G it I find his voice acting so charming as Mikey and it brings such life to the character. But I really love how this version of Mikey is so dynamic. Mikey has always, always been a really dynamic character but I think it was a little more hidden, if you know what I mean. Rise Mikey flipped a big script and I like how this version really feels like a true combo from the rise version of Mikey to the traditional core Mikey energy, if that makes sense. I LOVE....this Mikey. He might be my favorite Mikey ever and I am a huge Mikey fan I am probably the only 2007 Mikey Super Fan out here in the world. Anyway, I love how his episodes had him forcibly shaken out of his comfort zone as lil bro. In the first arc he's suddenly in charge of a whole new mutant and Useless Man of the Year Rod. In the second arc he's got to save a whole store of people and a cat! It's A LOT of responsibility for this lil child! And he does a great job! All while expressing the whole time that he doesn't really know what he's doing, and he's afraid he's going to mess it up. It reminds me a lot of how other version of Mikey were often thought of as the weak spots by their respective families (intentionally or not). It was always Mikey the goof. TotTMNT Mikey is a HUGE goof but he's also got this energy to him that PROVES how I always felt about Mikey: I CHOOSE to be a goof, but I can and will step up if I need to! And it makes sense that he looks up to his big brother, that Leo is the one he tries to emulate in times of stress. When the going gets tough, Mikey has to get going, and Leo is his framework for how to do that.

boy was this a ramble and a half. I just had a lot of thoughts. Was any of this coherent? Jury is still out. Thank you so much for sending this in!! And listening to me ramble. I really agree that this show did a good job of bringing in a lot of different traits from different iterations it's so much fun and leads to really dynamic versions!

[voidpunkanathema]

if not already asked, leon for the character ask :) basic but opinions vary!

(Also asked by @shinekittenace)

Why I like them: I fully expected this guy with his John Cena-esque go getter attitude and aggressively marketable ace to annoy the shit out of me, but the truth is is that hating Leon is like hating a puppy. You just can't. He's just a nice fuckin dude that wants to keep everyone safe even though he's just one man. There's also the fact that he's essentially a grown up ex-protagonist which the game delves into a little with his complicated emotions surrounding losing the title he's had since he was eleven by the end of the game and the fandom's done some FASCINATING psychological deep dives with. 

Why I don’t: I feel like GameFreak failed a bit with show don't tell with him. Some of the ways GameFreak try to make him seem really intelligent and capable are...a little on the nose to say the least. Like for instance him estimating how much Hop has grown during his introduction scene COULD be taken as a hint they don't get to see each other often but nah I really do suspect they wanted the kiddies to be like WOW THIS GUY IS SO SMART HE CAN DO MATH lol. I do kiiiind of suspect the fandom put more effort into analyzing the guy and the kind of havoc being a massive celebrity since the age of 11 can wreak on your personal life than GameFreak ever did but that's very much not a bad thing IMHO. I'm not one of those IF IT'S NOT STRICT CONFIRMED CANON IT'S OF THE DEVIL people (and honestly rather detest them) 

Favorite episode (scene if movie): I...don't think the Anime showcased the better sides of his personality well (he loses the protective streak and just kind of comes off like a self-absorbed manchild that everyone loves because he can defy basic Pokemon battle logic in the same way Ash can. He's a protagonist But Annoying This Time) so I'm not terribly interested in seeing more. 

Favorite season/movie: See above. 

Favorite line: Tbh I don't have one particular standout one immediately coming to mind and I'm feeling too lazy to go through his quotes page rn. His catchphrase IS fun to meme about I will say. 

Favorite outfit: He absolutely kills everything that's not the Sponsorship Cape tbh. The guy has GOOD fashion sense despite the memes, corporate was just holding him back. 

OTP: Raihan/Piers/Leon for reasons I already went into in the Raihan response lol (the vibes between him and Rai are interesting and pretty damn hard to deny but Piers is holding up 90% of my mental health on his bony little shoulders rn and also I wanna see him and Leon interact more) I'd also love he and Sonia to work thier shit out, they are cute as FUCK together in Pokespe 

Brotp: The platonic Raileon enjoyer strikes again. Id also certainly take he and Piers being bros too. Also he and Nemona would be absolutely insufferable together and I'd love to see it someday lol 

Head Canon: One thing that was inspired the anime and a certain infamous wall punching scene is that through no real fault of his own he and Raihan's relationship was actually dangerously close to fraying for a bit. He WANTS to be a good and supportive friend to his favorite person but he's gotten fame and empty adoration pretty much handed to him for long enough that he can't REALLY understand what's going on in Raihan's head, the immense pressure he's putting himself under and the frankly unhealthy behaviors he's starting to develop. It's gonna take the pressure of the championship being gone for Leon to stop being the impossible standard Raihan's harming himself with and start being an uncomplicated source of companionship again. On a brighter note he's a good enough guy that once he becomes Chairman he's gonna prove he deserves that position by taking steps to reverse Rose's power consolidation to make sure no one person can cause that much trouble for the nation of Galar again. He'll prove his worthiness to rule by NOT being a total corporate dictator. 

Unpopular opinion: I've bitched about finding him annoying in the anime enough so instead I'll say I actually don't mind how involved he was in the game plot, it's honestly kind of weird other adults HAVEN'T been like "why are we letting random ten year olds go into very dangerous situations unaccompanied" before if you think about it

A wish: The same as the others, I'd love to see him again IF he's not miserable or acting like an ass. 

An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen: Don't get lost in spacetime my neurodivergent king you've been through enough 🤞🤞🤞

5 words to best describe them: The tragedy of Superman, Pokemonned. 

My nickname for them: Lee suffices.

[yakuzabrainrotlive]

Did some real plot progression! Finished Tanimura's section ^^

The first and only thing I wanna say above the read more is F U C K that boat chase sequence. That was TERRIBLE. Had to switch to easy difficulty. I don't usually get motion sick, but that shit made me queasy. Controls were weird too. Or at least I thought they were.

Maybe I just suck - wouldn't be surprised. You see, I suck at those types of tasks in these games in general - the car/helicopter/truck shooting chase sequences in previous installments also had me tearing my hair out.

Corruption??? In law enforcement??? NO WAYYYY *pretends to be shocked* . Nah but fr. Wish I could say I'm surprised.

Okay I really wanna see how this was pulled off. I'm VERY curious. But also I feel SO bad for Saejima. He lost 25 YEARS of his life to murders he didn't actually commit. Obviously he would have done some time for attempting the whole thing, but I doubt it would have been anywhere close to that long.

IT'S ALL STARTING TO COME TOGETHER. I've been waiting for this!! Can't wait to see all the boys working towards solving this mess. I was worried for a second that this would be kind of like Y0 and they'd always be so close to each other but never cross paths.

I'm happy I actually managed to get this part right in my first impressions-based character analysis. Maybe it was obvious, I don't know. Always fun to see what I get right or wrong. Gosh, Akiyama is such an intriguing character. So, SO rich, yet still so kind.

Also I'm sorry but I still don't buy this Akiyama-Falling-For-Yasuko thing. Like sure!! I've heard love can be quite unpredictable and some people fall fast. Hell, maybe Akiyama is that type of person. But... I feel like they barely interacted in my opinion. I remember there was the whole "looks like my ex whom I still miss" thing and I guess that's... valid? But gahhh. I just don't feel this one.

In fact, if there's one thing I don't like about the games too much this far, it's how these "romances" are handled. It often feels like they either:

A) come out of nowhere (current example and Kiryu and Yumi imo) OR

B) they're there for a very small amount of time and then they're kind of... pushed aside and not explored (Kiryu & Kaoru).

Only exceptions I can come up with are... OBVIOUSLY Majima and Makoto and, while it wasn't a romance, I also liked the thing with Reina and Nishiki in Kiwami. Yes, despite how that one ended. Dunno know if that's a hot take or not.

Looking back, there were some visible flags for this that I probably should've picked up on. But to be honest, I don't tend to pick up on things on first playthroughs in general, AND it had been a while since I played Akiyama's part. This one was a surprise.

I liked this warehouse scene a lot in general. Sugiuchi's power play of "What are you gonna do? Shoot me? Japanese police don't shoot!" was rad and it really showcased how much of a veteran he is in terms of knowing how the police operate.

Also enjoyed the display of Tanimura's almost tunnel vision-type of determination for finding the truth. Consequences be damned; this man will shoot and fight if it keeps Sugiuchi there and gets him closer to his goal.

Sugiuchi being an undercover Yakuza member came out of left field for me. Gosh, I kind of wanna see more of this guy's life and how he operated back in the day. His backstory was cool enough to fit a protagonist character in my opinion.

Uh-

Huh. Okay. Umm... lemme just... Process.

I can kinda sorta see it. Maybe. Still, a very risky plan. This relied on:

-all the men actually getting knocked out from the bullets (especially those that didn't hit their heads) after they were hit and not waking up right after

-Saejima not noticing the relatively significant lack of blood from the bullet wounds and on the floor at any point

-Saejima not checking for signs of life on Ueno Yoshiharu after the shot like a proper assassin would

-AND, glaringly, two yakuza not noticing the bullets not being proper bullets while inspecting them before the hit.

Clearly it worked, but... gosh. So many risks. Also can I just say... Munakata is SCARY sharp. I know he's trained to notice discrepancies in crime scenes, but the way he utterly DISMANTLED Sugiuchi's report was kind of terrifying.

The amount of sloppiness on Katsuragi's part makes me wonder if it was all purposeful, though. It was almost like he knew Munakata was sus and would wanna contact him.

NAHHH NO WAY😭😭 There was only one gunshot, though!!!! Someone survived, it has to be true!! (delusional) 🥺

[hezuart]

Heya! Just wanna say I can't wait for more about your au and also what is your favourite L. Game from concept art to design?

Hi! <3 L Game? as in Little Nightmares?

I'll go least fav to fav 3. Very Little Nightmares. Tiny mobile app screen where you tap to control. The screen cannot recognize my meaty fingers's input!!!!! UGH I'm just annoyed with the controls. The story was fine I suppose but felt like it lacked something. Lacked some oomph. Lacked true moments of horror. Not made by the original developers. Was the first LN game to introduce the fact that there are other children out there with scary supernatural powers. This LN game was a side story for the explanation behind the hanging man from LN 1. (At least... kind of.... the hanging man is a weird situation thanks to the comics...) It's an odd Six cop-out. We're led to believe this character we are playing is Six, only to reveal at the end she's a whole different character and then just... immediately killing her off. We can't even figure out who she is as a person. We don't really have any interactions with other characters enough to solidify her personality. I did adore the hidden easter eggs in the game. Nome with a bow was cute. I was curious about the other enemies and their circumstances, like why the butler is handcuffed. Where the girl's mother was. How so many kids end up at the Nest. Really only lead to more questions than answers.

2. LN1 is really good. Heavy Ghibli inspiration. A great introduction to a dark world, a unique dollhouse camera angle perspective style. A slight rocking to the screen to indicate you're on a boat. The amazing lighting. The finale; Six walking off sucking out souls of the guests that chased her to eat her, when she's now eating them. Perfect revenge power trip. Knowing she no longer has to physically consume things anymore. The nome she killed, but all the nomes she hugged still coming over to watch her leave (?) great scenes... The DLC introduced tough water mechanics that glitched out the physics engine but still were interesting enough for the DLC character. Showcasing a true addition to the Maw to peak the interest of viewers. The horrific and terribly sad ending and plot twist that took everyone by shock. Despite its glitches and perspective-deaths, its still overall a solid game. 1. LN2. I'll admit LN 1 is more put together than the second game. The sequel (or prequel rather) seemed messy in development, like they weren't sure where to really go with it. They had a lot of rough concepts and a lot of it seemed to get scrapped mid-production. Seems like they even intended for heavy DLC exploration with other children too. With how it turned out, its a pretty decent game. But knowing the scrapped DLC content and alt. directions the story was gonna take, it feels like a bit of a confused narrative. We got confirmation that the children really do turn into grotesque adults. That there are other children with creepy powers. We know of Shadow Six's origins. We know why people flee to the Maw or other places away from the mainland. The concepts are frankly more fascinating than the finished story, (children plugged into tvs, Mono feeding Six or Six feeding Mono, giant ???? meat baby???? you can't top THAT) tho the finished story is probably cleaner than the latter. Six dropping Mono at the end was so shocking to everyone and after thinking hard about it, I can't find any real logistical or emotional reason for her to do so. I think it was just genuinely a forced in betrayal for shock value. And hey, it certainly was shock value. Despite this game ending in completion, or really, a loop... and despite it being a PREQUEL... I can't help but feel like this game ends on a cliffhanger to me. Like there's more to the story. There's stuff untold about this universe. So LN 2 and LN1 are really close in favoritism. LN2 had the most fascinating concept art ...without Ghibli Bath Houses to take inspiration from like in LN1, so they really took it in risky directions. But I still acknowledge LN1 is more solid of the two. I think I just enjoy the LN2 mechanics a bit more. I like working together with Six, though frankly I was really disappointed learning that LN2 was in fact, not a multiplayer game. That Six gets separated from Mono several times throughout. I have plenty more to say about these games but this is probably the simplest assessment to give right now!

[kanansdume]

[Image ID: Tags reading "#love that you can tell this was written pre-ahsoka live action because of one line#tho tbh the ahsoka show was weak af#i honestly didn't like the choice to make sabine force sensitive and even more didn't like her training to be a jedi#her training with lightsaber under ahsoka worked just not as a jedi for me#but yes to the whole post love sabine and her arc in rebels its so beautiful" /End ID.]

The timestamps will tell you this was written pre-Ahsoka show, too, it was in fact posted almost a YEAR before, in July of 2022 when we were blissfully unaware of how badly that show was going to butcher poor Sabine.

Also, NONE of the above analysis applies to Ahsoka!Sabine, it ONLY applies to Rebels!Sabine. She's closer to a Sith in personality than she is a Jedi, and the clearly intentional parallels between Ahsoka!Sabine and Anakin don't help that at all. Ahsoka!Sabine isn't a leader, she's a 30-year-old bratty teenager who's willing to throw away an entire galaxy to save one person and never takes responsibility for that. Ahsoka!Sabine would never be able to earn the Darksaber the Jedi way anymore because she's never willing to acknowledge her own fears and overcome them, instead she just gets told that her selfish choices don't matter and that she'll be supported no matter what she does and who she hurts. Ahsoka!Sabine could certainly earn the Darksaber back the Mandalorian way, but that would just lead to her either being as ineffectual as Din Djarin or as tyrannical as Darth Maul. In order to be a real successor to Tarre Viszla, she MUST be able to earn it the Jedi way and the Ahsoka version of Sabine just... can't.

The Ahsoka version of Sabine has no connection to her people anymore. She doesn't ever act like a Jedi. She never takes the things we know she learned in Rebels from Kanan and Hera and uses them to help her people who lost their home and are in diaspora. She's apparently just lying around on Lothal claiming that she's looking after it for Ezra's sake, but she isn't even doing anything for those people either and can't be bothered to show up when her mural of the Ghost Crew is being honored. She doesn't do ANYTHING except feel sorry for herself.

She doesn't showcase the mercy and patience and compassion that she learned from Kanan and Hera in Rebels. Nothing in her interactions with Shin Hati show any mercy or compassion for Shin's situation or motivations. There's no patience in her choice to give the map to Baylan so she can find Ezra faster (as opposed to trusting that they might be able to find another way to Ezra that doesn't automatically give Thrawn a chance to come back, too) that showcases any patience at all.

Despite the fact that Sabine's connection to Mandalore is basically nonexistent in this show and they turned her into a Force sensitive character for no good reason, she acts a lot more like her rash, selfish Mandalorian compatriots than she ever does a true Jedi. And I'll never forgive the Ahsoka show for character assassinating Sabine this way.

I know Tarre Viszla was an actual Jedi who happened to be born on Mandalore, but if there IS a true successor to him, it isn’t Grogu. It’s not Din. It’s not Bo-Katan.

It’s Sabine.

The Mandalorian who learns how to act like a Jedi.

The Mandalorian who loves her people, but takes what she’s learned from Kanan and Hera and connects it to her heritage to help her people progress.

The Mandalorian who picks up that Dark Saber and doesn’t just wield it physically, she EARNS it.

Because Jedi get lightsabers only AFTER they’ve earned their kyber crystals. They don’t just get handed a lightsaber because they beat someone else in combat. Kyber crystals put you through tests in order to earn them, they’re semi-sentient. And the same should hold true for the Dark Saber. It’s just a normal kyber crystal, it’s going to act similarly.

And while there obviously IS a physical aspect to it that appears to have sort-of been imbued in it over the generations it’s been with the Mandalorians, it still has the spiritual and emotional aspect from it being a JEDI’S lightsaber first. And Tarre Viszla would’ve had to go through the same spiritual and emotional trial before earning his kyber crystal as any other Jedi.

Pretty much every other person we see wielding it only passes on of those tests, the physical. They beat someone in combat and get to wield the Dark Saber. But to truly make it YOURS, you have to pass BOTH.

Sabine actually passes the spiritual one first. Because she doesn’t win the saber in combat, she just picks it up from Maul’s lair and takes it. But as she trains with it, she has to listen to Kanan and she has to go through a trial that feels VERY familiar. The last time we saw something similar happen, it was when Ezra was learning to connect to animals and he couldn’t do it until he admitted to his fears. Sabine can’t truly wield the Dark Saber until she admits to her own, to her fears and insecurities regarding her past with the Empire and her family. And once she does, she’s earned the kyber crystal. She can wield the blade by the Jedi half of the test.

But it’s not until she gets to Mandalore and actually faces her family and fights Gar Saxon for it that she passes the Mandalorian half of the test, the physical. And even then, once she does, she chooses mercy and refuses to kill Gar Saxon when given the chance.

She chooses mercy because Kanan taught her to be merciful, because she’s incorporating Jedi values into Mandalorian traditions.

Tarre Viszla was born Mandalorian and raised as a Jedi. Sabine Wren was born a Mandalorian and raised by a Jedi. She may not be Force sensitive, but her connection and relationship with Kanan means she is the ONLY PERSON that we have seen since Tarre Viszla to have actually earned the Dark Saber’s kyber crystal the Jedi way and wielded it the Jedi way, with mercy and in the interest of the greater good rather than personal gain.

No matter who Sabine chooses to hand that blade off to, no matter who ends up ruling Mandalore through it, Sabine Wren is its truest owner and the true successor to Tarre Viszla.

[ursafootprints]

What draws you to the starker pairing? I was browsing the tag the other day and encountered drama about others thinking it’s romanticizing a wholesome father/son relationship… I’ve never seen it that way but maybe it’s my fatherless eyes that skew it. LOL! I know pairings don’t have to be canon to be enjoyed so I’m curious what you like about starker and what made that switch flip for you.

Oooh, so many reasons! (To… the point that I'm putting up a read-more because it got very long, haha.)

Some of them only minimally have to do with Tony and Peter themselves-- I enjoy age-gap ships and mentor-mentee ships in general, so that was already a built-in appeal.

For age-gap ships, there's a special kind of Spicy that comes from "forbidden love" narratives where the "forbidden" part is actually warranted-- it's not just based on societal prejudices like forbidden love based around homophobia/racism/classism; there are some pretty legitimate reasons why major age gaps tend to be a bad idea! Characters being put in a situation where they've found someone that they love deeply, but acting on those feelings means potentially alienating their other loved ones over very real concerns (instead of just bigotry or w/e), but they want/love each other so much they can't resist going for it anyway even though they understand it's a bad idea? Delicious, feed it to me slowly like grapes.

For the mentor-mentee thing, I really love the process of relationships changing from one category into another category, where the boundaries of the relationship blur and shift and the characters have to grapple with what it feels like to suddenly redefine their view of the other person/their relationship/their interactions. I love this even for platonic relationships (any scene where a teacher/mentor realizes that they're actually on equal footing with their student/mentee, or even being surpassed by them, is chef's kiss) but especially for romantic ones! And obvs that pairs super well with the age-gap thing, since the shift from viewing the younger partner as "a kid I have to protect/keep an eye on/put up with/mentor/whatever" to "someone I could have an adult relationship with" goes right along with that and is the perfect set-up for my favorite ship seasoning: g u i l t.

(I also enjoy incest ships for all of these reasons, so the fact that Tony and Peter's relationship in canon can be read as a kinda-sorta parental surrogate thing is not actually a neutral factor for me, lmao.)

So Starker is partially just a perfect platform for themes that I'm already inherently attracted to, but then you add in the specifics of their actual dynamic/characters and mmmm.

Peter being a superhuman/superhero and what that does to their dynamic when Peter's already grown up too fast in so many ways? (And what the fact that Peter is actually at an utter physical advantage compared to Tony does to the Vibes, whether you're using it to balance out the emotional power imbalance in softer Starker or showcasing just how strong that emotional imbalance is when Tony doesn't need to actually be "stronger" than Peter to take advantage of him in dark Starker?)

The parallels in their experiences (orphans, superheroes) and personalities (sass, scientific genius, being huge fuckin' goofballs despite the scientific genius, guilt/responsibility complexes a mile wide)? The way that affects Tony, seeing this person so much like himself but without all of the parts that he uses to keep people from getting too close? The way it allows them to understand each other so deeply, and to have to go easier on themselves, when they can see their own habits reflected back at them in the person they love?

The fact that Tony literally canonically invented time travel to get Peter (and Peter specifically) back, and died to do it?!?!??!?!

Well, fuck! You've got the recipe for a ship that I'm still actively writing for over a year after first getting into it, I guess.

(Though this is also why I'm generally not into no-powers and other full-canon-replacement AUs for Starker-- every facet of their canon dynamic makes the ship even better for me, so mundane AUs or same-age AUs or outright villain/SIM Tony etc. etc. rub off some of the polish from what I like about them! I do genuinely love that Starker fandom has so many different flavors of Starker to sample, though, even if a lot of those flavors aren't ones that I'm gonna try.)

tl;dr: it's a good ship brent.

Thank you for the ask 💖💖💖

[nightswithkookmin]

Hi Goldy ! I hope you’re doing well

The sheeps are screaming victory again after the v-live and lurking on Jikook blogs bc Jungkook touched Taehyung’s tummy and according to them they were flirting (which if that’s considered flirting I’ve flirted with all my friends but that’s beside the point) and twitter is in shambles again sooo there’s that BUT JIMIN POSTED for D-4 my baby is unbothered like he should be. Anyways I hope you have a great day and I can’t wait for you to do your iconic rants on here we miss you <3

Really I'm trying to protect my energy these days so no rants from me I'm afraid.

Trying to manifest a new phone with bigger memory space so i can download tumblr again. Prolly Vlive and weverse too. You know me and my other ex been hanging lately. Visited bitch twice with my favorite bag. On my third visit sis showed me a new bag, I thought it was cute and rather expensive but very on brand for her. Then she goes no, no, it's for you. I bought it for you.

Suddenly reminded me of why we broke up in the first place.

You know she one time, years ago, changed my entire wardrobe and stuffed my closet with clothes she thought would look better on me? My wigs was the last straw. DO NOT TOUCH A BLACK GIRL'S WIG.

And no she's not upgrading me, no. She just wants me to be her and look exactly like her. EXACTLY LIKE HER.

She said she's changed but really I disagree. She never wear the same shit twice but honey if I paid for it with my hard earned money i will wear it every day everywhere flip it inside out if I must.

What's the point of being with me if you are ashamed of me and my lifestyle or standard of living? I'm not a character in a game you play dress up with. I'm not barbie

And it's slippery slope. Today it's my clothes and accessories, tomorrow it'd be my weight, my height, suddenly i can't even walk around with my little belly pouch- WHERE DOES IT END!

And where I live queer people come in short supply unfortunately. We keep recycling.

But yes back to Jikook.

Really I enjoy the gift. Wish i could say gifting is her love language but it's not. If i dressed the way she wanted and looked the way she wanted then she wouldn't gift me nothing no more. She just likes to fix things and when it's fixed she'd discard them. Really bizarre this one. I mean there's a reason I'm the one she's attracted to💀

Our lifestyle's are polar opposites.

Right. Jikook.

Tuktukkers are happy. Their ship is sailing. Good for them.

Tae and Jk are in a good place. I think if you are Army you should be happy for them and their relationship. This is not about shipping. This is about two members of a boyband finally repairing their bond and reputation after years of running it through the muds.

Whether the breakdown of their relationship was a figment of our imagination or a real incident and concern, they did nothing to dispel those negative assumptions. They as a matter of fact actively contributed to narrative. They gave it life, feed into it, nurrtured it, sustained it and perpetuated it themselves. Their Soop conversation didn't help the matter and their post Soop interactions and the things they'd say really didn't help.

"That's how rumors are made"

We used to be so close- and now?

Things feel awkward between us.

It's because he became so reserved.

You wouldn't speak informally, you had walls, you wouldn't let me get too close,

I didn't want to fight with you so i had those walls

Jungkook and I never fought- because yall weren't too close huh. Especially as you and Jimin claim fighting and asserting yourselves with each other is what has made you so intimate with eachother.

Tae, if you need to talk to anyone feel free to talk to the others- and you?? Can he talk to you when he needs a shoulder to cry on?

We love to showcase our bond- yet showed us nothing. Gave us nothing for years.

There seemed to be a cognitive dissonance somewhere right? Where their actions didn't match their words and spoken values.

So I want to know exactly what Tuktukkers think is happening with Jikook. What are they gloating about? The disintegration of Jikook's friendship? That two members of a boyband they claim they look suddenly out of nowhere aren't fucking with eachother? How sadistic is that?!

And the Jokers who are leaving Jikook because they think Jikook aren't vibing as they used to can suck my dick. If Jikook are falling apart then you should be worried for them because if Jikook are falling apart BTS are falling apart.

I keep saying if Jikook is real, then out of all the pairs in bts they are the ones most expected to leave their drama at home and not let their relationship ruin the group. It's a prerequisite for any intimate relationship that thrives in a group setting. It is why most groups bar members from fucking eachother. One nasty breakup and the whole group is going down with them.

It is why Jimin will go out of his way to interact with Jungkook on camera one's it's rolling. Like Jin says they are professionals they make the others look like rookies.

So no. If Jikook are broken up this isn't it. Unless they tryna make it obvious something is off with them. If they broke up you mere mortals couldn't tell jack shit. Especially if it involves Park Jimin the one member who holds the ot7 kumbaya torch, care's about his reputation and public image, is emotionally intelligent- Nawwwwwwww! Jimin is not Tae or Jungkook. He won't threaten to stab you in the neck with poison needles, tell you to get out of your imagination, or let the fans know the members be vetoing his decisions and preferences.

If you couldn't tell the times vmin were not talking what makes you think you'd be able to tell when Jikook are broken up?

At least when we were speculating on the state of Tuktuk's relationship it was from a place of genuine concern. There was something fundamentally off between them that went against the OT7 kumbaya agenda. The fact they came out to address it themselves says a lot. We wasn't spreading fake rumors about them. We wasn't.

And I fail to think of Jikook as daft.

It would be foolish of them to repeat the same mistakes Tuktuk made as a ship. The very mistake that lead them to Soop. To now go out of their way to correct the negative impression they both have left on the minds of fans. They are doing the most but really some fans aren't buying it. Just as some think vmin soulmate is a lie- Jin called them out no? When Tae said Jimin was his best friend Jin quickly snapped 'then stop fighting'

If he hadn't I would. That man is a real one.

If Jikook are in a bad place then the members and the company will do what they can to help them fix their relationship. Between you and I I don't think Jikook need any such intervention.

If Tae can ask JM to help him fix his friendship with Jungkook, Jimim can ask Tae to help him fix his relationship with Kook.

Whatever those two are dealing with is their personal issue. They both look happy on their own. Even if they are broken up, their basic relationship as friends and members of bts is still there and we should see that.

Like i always say, if Jikook breakup they will always revert back to being friends for their group sake and because there's just so much love and history between them.

If the breakup is fresh then yea, it will take some time for them to adjust and to become friendly. Once they get there however you couldn't tell them apart.

Jikook have a unique dynamic. I hate when people see them through the lens of other ships.

People are simply amused because Jikook aren't behaving in a way they predicted they would. Which i think is exactly why they aren't behaving that way.

Tuktukkers been clutching their pearls dreading the day jikook starts jikooking- as they should. They were very much terrified the moment they heard bts were going solo on IG. It's cause they know what Jikook are capable of. Just as we know what Tae Kook are capable of so nothing they do comes as a surprise.

Tae has been invested in repairing his relationship with Kook since Soop. The company has been equally invested in their dynamic. They go out of their way to pair them- was it chuseok? They drew that art thingy, two vlives had JM not sabotaged one💀

Well make that 3 if you count the recent live.

But as JM says, Jikook is a team. They are a trademarked and copyrighted you are me I am you.

I think it is great JM is taking a step back to let all this unfold. It's not a competition.

But i do wanna see vminkook thrown together in a room again. So far we had them at a concert, vlive. I wan more.

James Corden said he felt they all seemed closer than before. Yet trio's always bring out the duos.

In jinminkook, minkook is always loud

In hopeminkook, hopekook almost louder

MinNamjin, it's a tie. No outstanding duos.

In Vminkook it should be vmin but usually it's not😴

I've always been a strong advocate against JM's tendencies to over express himself for personal reasons. I lowkey enjoy how him merely stepping back is throwing everyone for a loop including his haters. But I also don't want them to feel they've won. Know what Imean?

Please ignore Tuktukkers.

Tae kook were grinding against eachother at concerts but Jungkook just went camping in JMs bedroom til morning.

I am a supporter. Whatever Jikook does I support it. Except for Kook's fantasia side swoop and Jimin incredible hulk body aesthetics.

You know how I said Jimin really shouldn't get bulky cos then now he has to go on crazy diets to tone down??? Look at Kook saying he going on diet to lose weight for the concert😐

If Jimin is on any such diet he should keep it to himself. I DO NOT WANNA KNOW

Jikook are fine. I'm not worried about them. They have to remain friends and civil else no one in BTS will be allowed to fuck much less date. Tuktukkers are so dumb. If Jikook fail no ship is gonna be real.

GOLDY

[shrimparsonist]

OK BUT THE SECOND PART OF EPISODE 8 JGSRJAYEAJFSJTDSJFSJGSJFSJTSJGDJGG SO MUCH. JUST. JOY :D

Imma just put some thoughts under the cut so no one gets spoilered to death :D

Nickel saying that Clover's luck killed everyone is probably not wrong but. Why so rude about it :c I feel so bad for Clover.

ALSO MORE YIN YANG SCREENTIME. YEEEEESSSSSS! I was really excited to see what they'd do with that body swap and they did not disappoint! I love how much closer they're getting I just love them so much more every episode it's unbelievable -w-

THE WHOLE SCENE WITH TESTUBE AND BOWBOT. WHY DO OBJECTS MAKE ME FEEL SO MUCH. I simply love how Testube explained it all, it feels like her and Fan are like some sort of weird parents to Bowbot it's so wonderfully interesting ｡:ﾟ(;´∩`;)ﾟ:｡

Also Testube really just thought she was doing 100% well and there's no "AHAHAHA FOR SCIENCE" feel to why she did that and it's so great. Is she going to help Bowbot figure herself out now? I hope she makes her a new body because that'd be quite cool I think :0

DON'T GET ME STARTED ON WHEN MEPHONE WALKED IN AND DIDN'T EVEN ASK ANYTHING JUST ACCEPTED THAT BOWBOT DIDN'T WANT TO GO BACK ON AND COVERED FOR HER. I know Mephone 4 is often interpreted as a soulless host who doesn't care about the contestants and I love how this interaction just. Completely eradicates that. Mephone 4 has no right to be such a great character it's too much ಥ‿ಥ

(BRIDGE THE CARD GAME. Oh dear. Mephone 4 is really just a silly little guy sometimes)

The scene with ballpoint pen was so great too??? It's true! Mephone 4 shouldn't be so worrisome of what other people think and it's great how that is showcased all the time. Obviously with Cobs but also the photo in episode 4 (I think??)

"You can't do this forever." I'm going to have dreams of this sentence because of for much I've been turning it over and I'm barely joking. WONDERFUL PARALLEL TO HOW HE'D JUST SAID THEY'D BE ABLE TO RUN II FOREVER, but ALSO I really want to know if BP meant anything more than that? I know ii3 isn't meant to be taken as seriously because it's just a jump back to the light-heartedness of earlier ii, but, not only is this proving to be untrue during the actual series (not that it's AS dramatic as ii2 but it has its MOMENTS.), what is ii3 is somehow Mephone's way of ESCAPING the ii2 drama?

Obviously ii2 was starting to get quite heated for Mephone, what with all the meeple backstories popping back up, so what if THAT'S the real reason he started ii3? Not for "the challenge of making 2 seasons at the same time" but rather to get away from all that ii2 stuff?

"You can't do this forever." What if BP noticed that Mephone has deserted ii2, or heck, is onto something, and is telling him he can't run from it forever? Eventually he'll have to come back for the last 2 ii2 episodes remaining... What will have happened to ii3 by then?

Also the fact Goo was excited to be on TV is weird considering this is a REALITY TV SHOW. This could be more proof that ii3 is just Mephone's way of avoiding ii2, but hey, that's just a theory, an OBJECT SHOW THEORY.

On another note, Clover's elimination was spectacular. I was terrified of having to see a character get eliminated, but the reason why they eliminated Clover being for nothing but her own mental health? I love that :')

And Clover giving Nickel and the team luck is such a sweet way for her to leave. Nickel not wanting her to "curse" everyone else is so in character I loved that. Him faceplant crying was great. Clover knows how to make a great exit 10/10 would eliminate again.

And nevermind the fact that I'm wondering how Clover sharing that luck is going to affect the contestants. I think it'd be hilarious if Nickel was just super lucky from now on. As a treat.

BOW CAMEO (｡♡‿♡｡)(｡♡‿♡｡)(｡♡‿♡｡)(｡♡‿♡｡)(｡♡‿♡｡)(｡♡‿♡｡)(｡♡‿♡｡)(｡♡‿♡｡)(｡♡‿♡｡)(｡♡‿♡｡)(｡♡‿♡｡)(｡♡‿♡｡)(｡♡‿♡｡)(｡♡‿♡｡)(｡♡‿♡｡)(｡♡‿♡｡)

Aaaaaaand I loved the memoriam photo at the end. They did edit Nickel in!! :D

[antianakin]

Working with the Republic is a GOOD thing because it grants them the ability to help people that couldn't be done if they were independent. The Republic is an institution that is actually constantly showcased in Lucas Canon as a GOOD thing. Look at actual canon and tell me what other good options you even see for governments. Within Lucas canon, the options are the Republic, crime organizations like the Hutts, the Separatists (who are run by a Sith and the Corporate Alliance and constantly commit atrocities against innocent people), and the neutral planets who end up getting completely cut off from trade as a result. So pray tell, what is the alternative for the Jedi to aligning themselves with the best option out there for helping the people of the galaxy? How was this somehow the BAD option.

And I should've said this in my last reblog, but you can't use Legends bullshit to make your arguments, sorry. Legends isn't canon and just doesn't count. Legends often gets to go off and do its own thing, regardless of what the original themes and stories about the Jedi were intended to be, so it's pretty easy to find Jedi critical and anti Jedi stories if you choose to stray from high canon. I don't deny that. But those stories aren't the REAL story, they aren't the story Lucas had intended to tell, so bringing them up is just kind-of pointless and meaningless.

With that out of the way, there's a thousand different metas about Galidraan and why the Jedi aren't actually at fault for that at all (or why Jango and the Mandos, who shot FIRST in that interaction and escalated it to something violent rather than attempting to be calm and rational about anything, are equally to blame for what happened), but as I haven't personally read it myself and am relying mostly on other people's metas and the screenshots of the panels I've seen, I'm not going to discuss it much. However, it is Legends, and therefore bullshit.

I don't even know who Kalee is, so I'm going to assume it's Legends, and therefore bullshit.

The Jedi ARE investigating the clones all throughout the war. In fact, the Jedi are the FIRST people to investigate the clones. I'm not sure what you think Obi-Wan, a Jedi Knight, literally going to Kamino and reporting on what he found, is supposed to be other than investigating. The Jedi are the ONLY PEOPLE we ever see investigating the clones at any point in high canon, too. There's no indication the Senators are doing anything to investigate them, no indication the Separatists give a shit, no indication that Satine or the other neutral planets give a shit. The ONLY PEOPLE WHO CARE ENOUGH TO INVESTIGATE AT ALL are the Jedi. It seems in MASSIVELY bad faith to claim that the ONLY people to investigate this at all and who have been forced into fighting a galactic civil war immediately after discovering the clones in the first place are at fault for not finding answers SOON ENOUGH. Just because we don't see them find any sort of clue until season six of TCW doesn't mean they weren't investigating prior to that either, it literally does just mean this is the first lead they've been able to find at all and they IMMEDIATELY follow up on it by sending people to speak to Palpatine and sending a team to speak to the Pykes. There's no indication that this is the first time they've looked for clues, just the first time they've found one, so I'm not accepting this as a flaw, either. What horrible monsters, they took two years to find a clue in a case that's been cold for over a decade and who no one is helping them with while they're actively fighting a galactic civil war. Obviously this is an indicator of them being terrible people who don't care about the clones.

The Jedi don't know Dooku is a Sith. The canonicity of this depends on whether you count TCW as high canon or not (some people ONLY count the films, others count the films and TCW, so it's a little up to debate, but I tend to be willing to count TCW as high canon), but the whole arc where they go and investigate Sifo Dyas on the Pyke planet is very clear that the Jedi DON'T know Dooku is a Sith until this mission where they are able to connect him to the name Darth Tyrannus and Dooku basically confirms that he's a Sith verbally. Prior to this, they obviously are aware Dooku is fallen, that he's now dark, but there is in fact a difference between a dark/fallen Force user and a Sith. Just like there is a difference between Force users who are light and a Jedi. Not every good Force user is a Jedi, and not every bad Force user is a Sith. Also, I don't know what good you think that telling anybody that Dooku was a Sith would do to change anything. The people of the Republic already believe him to be evil just for being a Separatist, and the people in the Separatist government show themselves to be willfully blind to anything negative about Dooku at all. Mina Bonteri's TEENAGE SON tries to tell them that Dooku assassinated his mother and they refuse to believe him. Padme tries to convince Mina that Dooku is bad news and Mina refuses to hear her, despite the fact that they're friends and seem to respect each other. So the people who need to hear that Dooku is bad aren't actually going to listen and the people who WILL listen already know Dooku is bad, so knowing he's a Sith changes nothing.

None of these are mistakes the Jedi actually made or they are from low enough canon that they don't count anyway (and one of them is questionable as a mistake the Jedi made to begin with).

The Jedi did everything right and lost anyway, trying to argue anything else is missing the point of the story.

I never, ever say the Jedi were flawed, and here's why.

It's not because I don't think people can BE flawed, or that I don't think GOOD people can be flawed, of course they can. Even people who are genuinely doing good things and making good choices and trying their best to be selfless and kind and compassionate can make mistakes and have a bad day.

But there's really only two reasons I see anybody bring up "the Jedi were flawed."

The first is from Jedi fans who are trying to stave off the Stanakins and the anti Jedi crowd by adding that in as a disclaimer. "OF COURSE the Jedi are flawed, but it doesn't mean they aren't good people!" It's a meaningless statement because the side saying it doesn't even really believe it to be true and the side they're saying it TO thinks the Jedi being flawed means they all deserved to die. This is the kind of statement that leads to people deciding that individual Jedi are okay but their culture needs to be completely reformed in order to allow people like Anakin to just do whatever they want whenever they want and then they can all live.

The second is from people who DON'T really like the Jedi much and will insist that "the Jedi are flawed" is part of the whole point of the narrative of Star Wars, especially the prequels. This is the kind of statement that leads to people like Leslye Headland INSISTING that George Lucas intended for the story of the Jedi to be one of failure and criticism and casting the Jedi as "the evil institution" in her interpretation of Star Wars. This is what leads to stories like the Ahsoka show insisting that the Jedi were elitist bastards whose arrogance led to their own genocide. These people usually try to claim they like the Jedi, but they'll still cast the Jedi as the bad guys in the story instead of, say, Anakin. These are the people who genuinely have no idea what attachment is and don't care to learn. These people believe that, at best, the Jedi THOUGHT they were doing good, but that they had completely lost their way and were truly not that much better than the Sith anymore and their destruction was necessary to create balance in the galaxy.

I have no desire to appease people who don't like my interpretation of Star Wars, and I don't think that "the Jedi were flawed" was ever the point of Lucas's story and I genuinely think it takes a lot AWAY from his story to say that it does. So while I am perfectly happy to admit that people in general, even overall GOOD and kind and selfless people, are always flawed and can make mistakes, I will never, ever say that the Jedi were flawed. The Jedi lost, yes, but not due to their own flaws. They lost because of EVERYONE ELSE'S flaws, so what does it MATTER if the Jedi were flawed or not? If you truly believe the Jedi were good people who did everything right and simply lost due to other people's selfish choices, then what does it add to the story to insist the Jedi were flawed? How does it change anything, for the better or otherwise? The Jedi were right IS the point of the story, so insisting they were flawed actually takes away from that by distracting from how the Jedi were RIGHT, and it's people choosing not to listen to them or trust them or act like them that brings about the downfall of an entire galaxy.

The Jedi weren't flawed. The Jedi were RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING and that is the hill I will die on.

[risingsouls]

🦎 //If you were to rewrite Bulma, how would you write her?

Momo Talks About Shit So She Doesn't Fall Asleep At Work || Open!

[There's a big question. I can't say I have a whole lot of like...detailed ideas because every time I think about Bulma I both get sad and angry, but I'll give a few more general things i would try to do to make her feel...less like garbage.

So first things first: how she is portrayed in Super would be immediately wadded up and thrown in the trash. I cannot think of a moment that she's on screen in Super that I enjoyed seeing her, what she had to say, or what she did. They even ruined future Bulma's five minutes before they killed her off by making her be like "oh how I wish I could see Vegeta again!" when she would have EVEN LESS of a relationship with that version of Vegeta than present Bulma would with hers by the time he died in either timeline. But that's another conversation. Point is, Super ruined Bulma, so I would not be using that for any inspiration in writing her.

However, to start, that's not to say I hate that she has negative qualities. In fact, I would keep many of them intact because they make sense and actually make her character interesting (or could have if they knew how to write women and balance shit rather than do everything for the lulz or objectification of her). It fits Bulma's character to be vain, bratty, flirty, and spoiled considering her lifestyle. I honestly don't mind any of that and would include it in my portrayal. But here's the kicker: these wouldn't overshadow everything else. This wouldn't be all she is because I feel DragonBall and Z prove that she is so much more than that and did actually grow up.

Thing is...Bulma has shown that she can be kind. She can give a shit about other people. And not in this flippant, "Ugh whatever, I'll just throw some money at you and be done with it." Or, worse, "I'll just abuse the dragonballs to get what I want or grant your minor little wish." And I'm not saying she's a saint by any means. I can see her being charitable to a degree but it's definitely not at the forefront of her mind. I think she absolutely has enough of a degree of decency to help her friends where she can and when they need it. It would be a DIFFICULT balance, but i would definitely want to showcase that she can be thoughtful and isn't just the literal stereotype of a rich heiress and/or the 1%. It would still be THERE but, before Super, it felt...more nuanced in subtle ways? Basically, I don't want to be able to EASILY draw parallels between Bulma and Frieza like I can do now.

I would also ABSOLUTELY put more emphasis on her genius in more than just being a sort of convenient plot device who JUST HAPPENS to have the right answer or gadget right away with no real reason for it other than "We want her to be relevant!!!!" sort of vibes. Like this was SUCH a BIG opportunity to give Bulma relevance in a meaningful way and they just...didn't take it? Z could have done better with it too if I'm honest but yeh. It's one of those things they overshadow a lot and it kills me. Also I would actually make her show a shred of like...actually being smart once in a while. We get glimpses but then I feel like it gets slapped to the ground in favor of her, usually, negative and obnoxious traits.

My version of Bulma would also not be married to Vegeta. Not just because i don't like the ship, don't think it was developed, and is absolutely toxic on both sides, but also just because...fuck I'm sorry but I think Bulma would have a shred more decency and self respect than to marry the guy that not only treated her like a servant and like shit every time they interacted, but who also had a hand in killing her boyfriend and a bunch of her friends. I honestly see them having her marry and fall in love with Vegeta as a HUGE disservice to her character because it just makes her look callous, ready to marry thr first (depressed) man she can trap ot get her claws into, and lacking any shred of self respect. And I can contend she does have some issues with her own confidence once in a while when it comes to relationships (see how she treats Yamcha when he's done literally nothing wrong, for instance), but good grief. Like at best they would have some kind of agreement that Vegeta could stay there in exchange for him "being there" for Trunks and her being able to call him her husband to save face since, as she's pretty well known, she would probably face a lot of shit for having a kid out of wedlock and all that sexist shit. But tbh? I don't think I would even really go with that. Bulma being a single mom, even if only temporarily, is dope af and just fine. Plus, her whole premise to begin with was that she wanted to find a boyfriend. I think she does want the traditional marriage, love, and family life, but my Bulma would not be so desperate for it that she would settle for someone who pays her and Trunks so little mind, has killed her friends and continually threatened them, and has treated her like shit since day one. It's just so damn silly and gross and just showcases that the writers really just...struggle with a woman that doesn't in some way fit the housewife mold.

Anyway. Those are a few things I know for sure I would try to do. In a nutshell, I just want her to be halfway likeable. To actually BE the "boss bitch" people try to refer to her as now when,especially super's portrayal, does not begin to embody that for me. I think Bulma had a lot of potential and they just said, "nah she's just going to be sexy, annoying, and a plot convenience once in a while." ]

[donnerpartyofone]

The weirdest thing about Twitter to me is that it basically has like business hours. If you want people to see anything you post, it really has to be around the time that most of your followers are at work. Typically, things you post over the weekend, or later at night, just disappear into the void. It kind of makes sense because it's so exposed, anything you interact with in any way could be instantly surfaced as a recommendation to anyone you're even remotely connected with, and it also keeps a running list of your "interests" based on your activity--and those "interests" lists are fucking bizarre, they're just a word salad of random parts of tweets you interacted with, so it's very likely to be full of words that were not the reason you liked the tweet, and topics you actually hate and were criticizing at the time. (Cue that Mitchell & Webb clip about how hate-watching counts exactly the same as everything else in TV ratings) So Twitter has a real foucaultian quality that makes some sense out of the fact that people seem to mainly use it when they're at work, to showcase their most socially acceptable side. (I mean even trolling some wrong-thinker is considered activism by many people these days, a lot of Twitter's characteristic hostility is performed for public approval) As a tumblr native (can't believe I said it), it's totally alien to think of social media as anything BUT a permanent twilight you plunge into, not limited to but especially during like the hour of the wolf, were everyone is there to be maximally depraved and pathetic and generally let it all hang out. You can say to yourself rationally, "I gotta wait until late morning Monday to post this great tweet I thought of," but the idea of saying that same thing about posting content to Tumblr only after normal people are up and being productive, is hilariously insane.

[consciouschunkofmoss]

okay so you and ray are the only two i'm sure won't crucify me for this but also you're really good with words so i chose you haha (don't tell ray)

anyway--

So. JK Rowling, huh? Fuck her. Fuck her so much oh my fucking gods I despise her. And the idea of supporting her work by like buying her shit and all that makes me want to throw up.

But like...

I feel fucking horrible about this, but I still enjoy Harry Potter. And it makes me sick knowing how fucked the creator is, and the fact that I still want to consume her content but I also fucking hate getting told what I can and can't enjoy

i don't know if I'm feeling like this just because my automatic response to "don't do it" is to wanna do it even more--or if it's just that I'm genuinely upset that the content I enjoy is getting gatekept.

Yes, it's for a good reason because, again, fuck Rowling she is sick and twisted but it makes me want to cry to think that I also have to give up a series that makes me so happy. One of the only goddamn things that kept me sane through the pandemic, and you just--just want me to burn it? Because the author is shit?

fuck that.

should i feel like a terrible person for all this? :/

hey, im sorry if this came to be a little bit delayed, but i really had to put some braincells on this to actually try and convey things without actually losing my point. and its really not because of you or the situation, im just generally bad at coming up with complex answers on the spot.

so, we start with parts

jkr is a terrible person who has made her (negative) visions over transgender people very very clear, and we both can agree on that. which is great, because now we have a starting point at what may lead to the core matter of this subject

the phrase "seperate the author from the work" is very extremely overused in her case, and i do understand why you would feel compelled to use from such a thing given that you are fundamentally involved with the content shared amongst many others who similarly cater to it, and has in a way a very deep bond with it. but, in a case like this, we were constantly shown that through her very work, the author has damaged others and used from such fame to bring her personal opinions to light and therefore showcase it to an even greater audience (making it so that the damage made would be far from just a small percentage, creating fans and followers that were already religiously dedicated to her even more invested, and as we both know, more agressive towards those who disagree).

so, in a situation as this, the more involved the author is with their work and the followers of the same, the worse (and greater) it is for the damage they cause (in return becoming one of a type that is hardly forgotten or able to be minimized by other opposing parties), which ends up making it impossible to separate them both.

by consuming the content made by this creator - be it by watching, reading, or even talking and sharing your thoughts over such narratives with others on the internet or in real life - you innevitably create the propagation of an already linked and fair share of not only the content itself, but the creator as well - which is the source of the very negative situation in this specific case. you cannot possibly separate them, therefore you cannot contribute to this situation positively in whatever way possible whilst still consuming and partaking in any social interactions that mention or that has such a work as its main or even secondary topic.

in my opinion, it really doesnt come close to gatekeeping, just the warning of what actually does happen when you only partially or momentarily advocate for something, choosing to follow through with a half-completed path and making yourself think that this is the only possible way you could carry on without damaging your personal ways of living (not deconstructing the emotional bonds, not having to let go of what you held dear to you for so long, or even the warm feelings that something that good - that is now seem and been proven to be completely rotten on the inside - has bought to you in times of need and hurting). it is scary, painful and on top of it all completely agonizing to come to terms to such a matter.

but, to think that people would give up the security and well-being of others, and continue on propagating the voice of someone who has clearly done such horrible things, just so they can continue on living comfortably in a world where nothing was actually wrong and your mind is still yours because of this very thing; its still a pretty unsettling thing to see, right ?

its as if, by only rotting on its insides, as long as the apple remains pretty-looking, plump and jovial on the surface, nothing is really wrong with it - but, as we have seen here, its all a lie.

and im not saying you are one of these people mentioned, please trust me on the fact that i would never make such a statement, but what i do dare to state is that by saying that someone still wants to consume something that has proven to give such power to this creator - whether it has an inherent fault to the matter or not, as, well, it is a simple piece of fiction after all, the only power that it holds is given by the people who consume it and carry on telling its diverse stories - there really is significance in analyzing well what you would come to do in a situation like this.

fiction on itself may not have power, as i previously said, but the power that it gains through our very own dids can become quite dangerous when taken and used agaisnt others. and dont you think that it would innevitably come to harm many, many people when that much influence comes to be wielded by someone like jrk ?

you enjoying this piece of media, coming to love every bit of it with all your heart has to offer, there really is nothing wrong with that (i had this experience before, and although it didnt come to be on such a higher level of importance as this current one, it still made me have to choose between the very same things as you find yourself having to choose right now). caring for something that has bought to you the very own concept of control over your own senses and find something to entertain yourself with can be amazing, but by the moment you choose this feeling of comfort over hundreds of peoples' needs, in my honest opinion, there really is the need re-evaluate what that content really has bought upon, more than just the positive aspects that it has your very own self.

i really hope you get to understand that, even if the creator is not their own work, they both take roots from each other, and cant be easily separated by ignoring one and praising the other in silent ecstasy, while broadcasting to the world something that will always be inherently linked to the other, no matter how much you try and make it the one part you dislike a concept to never came to exist in your eyes.

watching or reading about hp, and talking about it with your friends and the others willing to listen is also considered the contributing to a better envisionment of its creator because it is a part of the author, and it is being used by them as a tool of oppresion against others. to share about the work is to also share about the creator, and if this very person is harming others, then you are indeed contributing to their acts - whether you do so knowingly or not.

unfortunately, you have to let some things go by, just like those terrible people who we meet and desperately want to keep close - we love them after all, how could we ever come to have enough of them -, they have still hurt us and will never cease to do that with many others to come - including those who we personally know. keeping them around will only add to what fuels them to keep on being this way.

letting go is the only way you can actually make things better on your side and in general. as much as it hurts, as much you may grieve afterwards, if it comes to hurt hundreds upon hundreds of people, there must be a reason to why they need to be abandoned and silenced; so the core will stop from getting the attention and fuel they so dearly crave, and stop from continuing this horrid cycle because now, there is no one left to listen or even care.

[silver-wield]

I’m sorry in advance. This is a long rant. I think the main reason I can't accept this "SOLDIER!Cloud loves A” thing is because I've always felt that the whole love triangle nonsense was introduced solely to make the players invested in A. Let's face it, the biggest reason people were devastated when she died is because they were invested in her potential romance with Cloud. It was the easiest and cheapest way to make sure the devs achieved their goal. (1/5)

But in their desperation to reach that goal at any cost, the devs ended up damaging other things along the way. Having Tifa in the background until A was out of the picture was such a dumb move. It’s obvious they didn’t want any other character to outshine her. Creating this illusion of Cloud loving A served no purpose in the story. And Aerith herself didn’t bond with anyone save for Cloud. These among many other things. To me, all that wavering thing was so unnecessary to the narrative. (2/5)

Things felt rushed, and A was put on a pedestal and shoved in the players’ faces along with the potential romance with her. It was clear to me that the devs just wanted people to like her so that they’d be devastated when she died. But I guess you can’t ask for too much of games/stories back in 1997. I’m sorry, but I just can’t accept people saying that SOLDIER!Cloud loved A. They hadn’t known each other that long, and 95% of the time, they had other things on their plate than romance. (3/5)

It’s not like they were dating or getting to know each other during the brief time they spent together. Also, I don’t mean to offend anyone, but saying the LTD is now ending because A is stepping out and pushing Cloud onto Tifa sounds so insulting. Like Tifa can’t win unless her competition steps out and hands her the man on a silver platter. This time around, I feel that the devs are trying to do things properly. A is finally taking the time to bond with other characters, especially Tifa. (4/5)

Her world doesn’t revolve around Cloud only anymore. Tifa is not in the background anymore, so now people can get to know her and get attached to her even early on. The romance with Tifa isn’t something that feels like it’s come out of the left field about 2/3 of the way in. There might’ve been hints but they were too subtle. Among many other improvements. Whatever the devs do, I just hope they give us the best version possible of the story this time around. Thanks for listening to my rant.(5/5)

Death to the LTD 1

Death to the LTD 2 (dialogue evolution)

Death to the LTD 3 (soldier Cloud’s acceptance)

Cloud’s hyper vigilance

That would be because the concept absolutely was introduced to make the players more invested in Aerith, so her death had a harder hit when it happened. It was a new thing back in 97 to have a love triangle and pretty much everybody was starting to do it. There’s tons of movies, tv series and books out during that time that showcase the trope.

And having 2 heroines, Aerith and Tifa, and having the hero waver between them, at the time that was something new. ~Kitase,  FFVII 10th Anniversary Ultimania pg. 11

I think everyone forgets the difference in technology between FF6 and FF7, not just graphically, but narratively, too. Back then, everything was new and everyone was still trying to find their feet and figure out evolving technology. I mean, it’s still evolving now, but those building blocks that form the base are still the same. Just because there’s now millions of polygons involved doesn’t take away the fact they’re still polygons. 

FF7 was Square’s first foray into using more sophisticated methods of game development and that impacted how the story came across. In previous games, the optional content or hidden story arcs that had to be found to be appreciated made the game more fun. The player had to wander around more and talk to everyone to get the full picture and since it worked before, they thought it’d work again. That people would replay and swap party members around to trigger the other scenes and gather the rest of the puzzle pieces for the fuller picture.

But, they forgot they were trying to make everyone love one specific character, which meant the best way to do that was to keep her in the party over everyone else. Which meant people cared less about the others until the point she leaves the party for good. And by that point, when these people replay they just want to spend even more time with her, so they still miss the other dialogues and scenes with other characters that build their storyline alongside this other character they’ve pressed everyone to care about.

And that’s how the LTD got started because they chose not to play the game fully and only focus on one character, they didn’t see the entire picture. And the guides out at the time didn’t help much on that side of things because they didn’t give narrative canon party suggestions so that players got the most out of the story in each location. 

Soldier Cloud loved Aerith?

Really? When they’ve been saying for years that soldier Cloud didn’t even exist or that we said he was really Zack and that’s why he’s into Aerith? It’s funny how the moment the devs confirm that real Cloud emerged to embrace Tifa they decided they could claim the dominant persona for their own, even though they also said that it was soldier Cloud who complimented Tifa, despite real Cloud not being the dominant persona. We even see visible evidence of the two aspects at war with each other in the honeybee inn scene before Cloud dances. That eye movement back and forth and expression of “fine, for Tifa” is an internal argument with the two aspects that soldier Cloud isn’t aware enough of to realise that’s what it is. If we take Soldier Cloud as the only personality then there’s no way he’d do that because it’s not cool, and soldier Cloud is always cool. He’s being made to dance because of real Cloud’s desire to rescue Tifa. 

Aerith steps out...

Yeah, I wouldn’t phrase it like that, but the overall sentiment is that Aerith is refusing to do what happened in OG.

More importantly, though, and the thing I focused on in my death to the LTD, is Cloud’s behaviour and reaction and feelings. Because he’s soldier Cloud. Real Cloud isn’t part of the LTD because he already chose Tifa. Soldier Cloud is the focus of the LTD because he’s the one who misinterpreted real Cloud’s feelings and focused them on the wrong girl. This time, we see clear evidence throughout all of his interactions that he is also choosing Tifa.

In the train tunnel, while it’s real Cloud’s motivation to protect Tifa, Soldier Cloud is the one who carries out the roll. Then, it’s Soldier Cloud who kisses her cheek, the same as it’s Soldier Cloud who calls her beautiful. Because he’s the one flirting. Real Cloud’s desire is the motivator for him to do it, but it’s Soldier Cloud doing the thing.  Same with every single flirty interaction. Real Cloud’s emergence is only confirmed by the devs twice in the game and both times relate to Tifa. Real Cloud’s hand twitches with the urge to comfort her and then real Cloud hugs her. 

Everything else is only motivated by his love and desire for her, which means everything else is Soldier Cloud acting on those feelings.

The single moment of wavering from him is literally within the LTD nod scene in the train graveyard when Aerith grabs his arm. He doesn’t react when she does it, stays silent, leans away. He’s not showing her a preference. Then, he looks at and agrees with Tifa, which is showing a clear bias towards her. 

Then right before Tifa grabs Cloud’s arm, his eyes start to shift towards Aerith. This is the reference to OG Cloud wavering, but then before he can even look at Aerith, he spots Tifa’s hands in his peripheral vision, gasps, then looks at and smiles at her. 

That’s the result of Cloud’s wavering. He chose Tifa. After that, there’s zero LTD scenes and in fact, there’s a humorous shot of Tifa looking towards the camera after Cloud leaps on her to save her from the falling train carriage and Aerith thanks him for saving both of them. He didn’t save both of them. Didn’t even try. 

I don’t think there’s gonna be anything to worry about going forward because one thing Nojima learned from letting things be “open for interpretation” is that his work gets butchered. 

Since FF7, other FF titles he’s worked on -

FF8: Squall and Rinoa kiss.

FF10: Yuna and Tidus kiss.

FFCC: Aerith and Zack hug

FF13: Snow and Serah kiss and get engaged.

FF15 (when it was originally vs): Noctis and Luna kiss.

If anyone learned their lesson from this LTD mess, it’s Nojima, but he’s been restricted when it comes to 7 by the suits - which is one of the hidden graffiti meta messages in the train tunnel that refers to why Cloti was never made more explicit. 

“They tell you to go with the flow so they can keep the status quo.”

Since this is the last of the FF7 compilation the suits have relaxed the reins on the LTD, so that Nojima can write the story as he sees fit, which I would guess is down to the fact they did sales projections and figured out that FF7 would be massively successful and has in fact also boosted sales of PS4 consoles because people specifically bought the console to play FF7R. With the new mysteries and twists to keep fans talking about the game until the next installment is out, they don’t need to hold onto this outdated LTD concept that everyone hates and isn’t anything the company wants to associate with because of how toxic and nasty it is. They’re a Japanese company having to hear these so called fans talking about how Tifa is a “typical Asian girl” or whatever tf they call her. It’s disgusting. Square yeeted the guys behind Genesis because of the controversy around them, so to have fans like this associated with one of their most popular and iconic titles? Yeah, that ain’t happening. 

[larryisromance]

Episode 7 and 8

I was disappointed that the kiss was not real, and to be honest that kiss was too good to be true in their case, right?

Also, I was really nervous that Kan saw them together? Thank God, it didn't cause more drama. Instead, it helped Kan realise that he's in fact very protective of Thua, and the fact that he asked Aye to take care of Thua, even if it meant that Kan couldn't be with Thua?? That's true love right there, people. Kan is a gem.

Akk is finally showing some development, he's trying to see how Ayan perceives the world and that was portrayed beautifully. The pacing of the story is a slow one for some, but for me it is a nice and realistic one. Because in the real world, it takes time and patience to get to know someone, or even be interested in someone's life. And that is showcased nicely here.

Also, I kind of had a feeling that Aye would follow Akk home, and then that almost kiss. Ahhhh.

Why, oh why Akk would you stop him? Why are you running away from your feelings? I totally get where you're coming from Akk, but maybe you could give in? Just a little? He's been helping you and keeping your secret without anything in return, hasn't he? But I know you're doing this to protect yourself, and I fully support you even though my akkayan heart aches during these episodes.

I can relate to Akk on so many levels, not the hardened prefect one, but how he doesn't want Ayan to tear down his carefully crafted wall, how he's protecting his heart, how he doesn't want to end up being hurt, should be give in to those unknown feelings.

ALSO, KANTHUA KISSED??! AND I WAS SO HAPPY FOR THEM BUT THEN POOR THUA IS LEFT HANGING BY THE CONFUSED KAN AND THAT MAKES ME FRUSTRATED! I know Kan has the right to figure out what his feelings exactly are for Thua, but i can't help but feel sad for Thua because he was the one who was kissed and left hanging.

But the sweet smile on Man's face when he finally kissed Thua is just 🫠

Episode 9

This was the episode where Akk responded to Ayan in a very positive way. Akk was genuinely concerned about him.

Akk was laughing so genuinely, it pained and warmed my heart at the same time. Ahh, they're killing it with their chemistry, and I am absolutely in love with the character development of this show. Akk going from stone cold to being playful with Ayan is just *chef's kiss*.

As always, I loved the interaction between KanThua as they are the sweetest couple to exist.

Thua knows that Kan is the Bruce Wayne who's been messaging him, and I think Kan knows that Thua knows, but they are both tiptoeing around this and secretly giddy about the situation.

And Kan finally confronts his feelings for Thua, and as always Ayan, the free therapist of the group, is the one who is making him realise the extent of his feelings.

Ayan—“I think that's love.”

Kan— *unsure expression turning into a shy smile and maybe even a relieved one, because he can finally, finally admit it*

His face when he realises that yes, he is in love.

Episode 10

Oooh, we have some serious scenes at the beginning of the episode.

Also the new teacher (let's pretend I didn't forget her name and move on), Sani defended the three students and is seriously asking for trouble on herself. That was brave of her.

All the students gathered and chanted against all the injustices is such an important event in the series. We saw how it went from those three students protesting to how almost everyone coming together to chant.

Strength in unity.

Now even though Chadok managed to disperse them, it will be much harder for the school to keep them from protesting now.

This show is depicting the real scenarios of people protesting, and how other people only join in after some major occurence/event. Although, the reason for their protest and thus the story's plot is really stretching on and on, I still feel the essence (or the moral? Reality?) of the show is commendable. It made the show boring and repetitive but, ahh at least it has a plot. Not me sideeyeing PayuRain's story in Love In The Air

Anyways, back to the series, KanThua's sweet, comforting, caring moments.

Kan, you're a fool if you think Thua doesn't know it's you who has been texting him oh so mysteriously. It's like they both know that it's not even a secret, but still Kan is keeping it covered up with a transparent wrap? It's endearing as well as frustrating at the same time. Ah, I love this so much.

The way Kan looks at Thua with so much concern and love in his eyes?! He always has been like this but now I feel he is really adjusting to his feelings. You would be blind not to notice, and right now, Kan is being way too obvious about it too!.

I am here for the loving and longing looks, ahhhhhhhhh.

Also the gentle coaxing by Ayan was so cutee!!! Finally, Akk agreed to his "faen". Good times. Finally he got to know about Dika, too.

Thank gay, it was not a cringe fest and was actually "aww" worthy.

Also, “You're my wife.” from Akk was so cute! Aside from the fact that this 'wife' thing is getting old and cringey, I enjoy when Akk does something to show his feelings for Ayan. Their flirting chemistry though 🥵🥵

On a serious note, Thua is joining the protest and finally raising his voice against the school's injustice. I love this character development, honestly. I can relate to Thua in ways I couldn't even begin to explain.

Ayan is the sweetest person and the way he cares for Akk is just so heart-touching...

Oh and I can totally relate to Akk feeling the pressure, especially from your teachers but this was too much.

[There should have been a trigger warning at the beginning of the episode.]

° The Eclipse°

Episode Walkthrough

Yes, I started another BL series, because apparently that's what I do in my free time, now.

Episode 1

Another high school BL, but with a supernatural/mystery plot? Count me in! FirstKhao looking fine in this episode. The shorts are too much, but since they are portraying high school characters I guess that's what we'll have to bear?

Kan and Thua are gonna be a great second pair! I can already picture Kan adoring Thua because he's so cute and adorable, my chest hurts.

The mystery 'curse' is something I'm finding funny idek why. I know it's probably gonna be some teacher or even a prefect who is behind all this. It's a hoax, that I can already tell.

Episode 2

Ayan is so wonderful in this episode. Also, he sees beyond the tough exterior of Akk. I hope Akk shows more human feelings though. He's too much of a goody two shoes right now.

Akk is a virgin and the smile on Ayan's face when he gets to know this!!

I love the interaction with the dog, this shows that Akk is actually a kind hearted boy, who is trying to be a perfect-rule-following-Prefect Club President.

They are so cute in this episode, I'm loving the interactions and they really do have an amazing chemistry till now. Even though, the plot is a bit heavy, I'm not finding this a hard watch. I'm craving more soft moments 🥺.

Episode 3

Ayan keeps teasing Akk, and it's so wholesome! Poor Akk, he's not even realising it yet, but you can already see that he is getting affected by the dashing Ayan. Akk is definitely stronger than Ayan, but that boy will have him wrapped around his finger pretty soon 😂.

Ayan giving Thua the needed courage is what I needed from this episode. He knows that Thua doesn't support all these forced upon rules, but he doesn't say or do anything about it. And he's trying to make Thua to let out all the pent up emotions he has. I'm hopeful they'll become great friends.

Kan admitted being worried about Thua!! Also he was jealous, but he didn't dare say that out loud 😂

I feel Ayan's pain. His uncle's death had something to do with how the school treated rule breakers and he's trying his best to find out what happened. Or change it? We'll know more in the further episodes.

The rebel group is getting more courageous, lying down in front of the student welfare department. That was definitely Ayan's idea, wasn't it?

Ayan teasing Akk has me sighing in content. You can see how it affects Akk and messes with his heart strings..

The flirting at Ayan's home? Oh Akk, I wonder how long can you resist this boy?

Episode 4

This was so satisfying as Kan is clearly jealous. And I'm loving it.

Judo, I love it. This was AkksGayPanic™.

Ahh, I was waiting for the 'accidental kiss' that always happens in Thai BLs. 😂 I love that they just awkwardly brushed the whole thing off and didn't even talk about it. Ignorance is bliss. The tension between them is palpable, now.

I hope to see KanThua together in the next episode, because that boy is too precious to be suffering this much. :(

Episode 5

Kan is a precious yet clueless bean. He is trying so hard to make Thua feel comfortable, and wanting him to be happy, but he is himself scared of being judged. That is a valid fear and I can't help but empathize with Kan.

Thua is such a sweetheart, he realises that Kan is affected by others' opinion and he spares Kan of having to leave his hand, and instead he leaves Khan's hand himself.

Thua has so many pent up emotions, he is bottling them up, and I'm afraid all of these will overflow soon. That Bruce Wayne account is Kan, for sure.

The trio of 'The World Remembers' group is so awesome. They keep on fighting despite getting so much hate, and being ridiculed yet they didn't give up on their rights. They represent the true spirit of fighting for your rights. I like this so much.

Ah, and I knew that Akk wouldn't delete the picture. He's so smitten by Ayan, I hope I'll be getting that pining soon!

Episode 6

Akk, dear, although I knew it was most probably you who is making up this curse thing, still I'm disappointed in you. Ayan is totally justified in not trusting you blindly now. I hope you do better from now on.

Kan and Thua are making me feel many emotions right now. It's clear that Kan likes Thua as in more than a friend. Even Wat sees it. I just hope Kan realises it soon.

Ayan and Akk spending almost an entire day together, and the cute moments of them just staring at each other, pulling each other ahhh. Their locker moment. My heart is satisfied. But I feel sad that Ayan and Akk are still at odds with each other, Akk still not knowing that Ayan's uncle is dead. Ayan's recurring nightmares are heartbreaking. AND FINALLY, THE KISS WAS SO GOOD. THE TIMING WAS KIND IF PERFECT. AND IT WAS SO GOOD. YES, THAT'S THE KISS OF PURE FEELINGS, SO SOFT. AHHHH.

The fact that Akk held Ayan even after kissing him, and not freaking out! Ahh, love it.

(Tumblr isn't allowing me more gifs so I'll reblog this with the other episodes later. Not my gif, last gif's credit to @heretherebedork ❤️. Sorry for reposting this gif, I couldn't find the kiss anywhere else. )