#and there was one major thing that happened that I think I way overanalyzed

[sri-rachaa]

im horrible at social situations omg

alternative title: raes overthinking hours

[purple8cat]

So if you've seen Niki's relationship chart that came out earlier this month (I think, might've been earlier??) you would've seen that most of his relationships only have one arrow. The only ones that don't are his relationships with the rest of Crazy:B, Mayoi, and Nazuna. But Tetora, Ritsu, Ibara, Midori and Adonis all only have one. And I think it's because Niki isn't very good at making friends, or at least making close ones because of his upbringing. I have three main reasons for this.

One is that Niki's parents left him to his own devices at a young age, either at fourteen or before that. It's not clear yet how often Niki's parents visit, but either way the kid was still left alone. It's also not clear on what Niki's relationship with his parents is, but I do think there the root of his self-esteem issues, or at least when it comes to him believing he's a burden to others. This is based off of something that fourteen-year-old Niki thinks in Hot Limit (in the monologue episodes) : "I don't want to be a burden like my dad was". I really wanna emphasize the "my dad was" part. This implies that his dad has either done something or said something that I think made Niki think this and that he internalized and projected onto himself. I would even say he's been doing it for a long time since Niki's self-esteem issues are so ingrained into his brain.

Another major reason I think Niki isn't very good at forming close bonds is that I don't think he had many friends in middle school. In the monologue episodes in Hot Limit, when Niki talks to Rinne for the first time, he says that other kids had called him weird because of how much he talks about food and cooking. He says it didn't bother him in primary school, but did in middle school, which means that it's been happening for a long time. Now I'm not saying Niki didn't have any friends, he does say he has some, but I don't think it's that many and because of him keeping everything to himself I doubt he was that close to them. Not to mention he probably spent a lot of time looking for food so he didn't starve to death because of his condition. Niki also didn't go to high school, which took away a lot of chances for Niki to make friends or practice social skills.

One last reason is because of his dad's scandal. Niki's dad was (presumably) accused of being a cannibal, and when one person is seen as bad the rest of the family tends to be seen that way as well. It's clear this has effected Niki, as another thing he says to Rinne when he first meets him is that for a little while him and his family couldn't eat because they couldn't pay for food after his dad lost his cooking show. But it's especially effected him socially because at the end of Hot Limit, when he's joining the cooking competition, he wears a mask and calls himself "Cinnamon's representative" because he's afraid to be recognized as a Shiina. He even says that everyone's probably forgotten about his dad already, but he's so used to hiding who his dad is that he really doesn't know how to stop. So even if no one recognizes him, he's still afraid they will.

Or I'm just overanalyzing Niki's chart because he's my favorite character.

TL;DR : I think the reason Niki's relationship chart doesn't have much on it is because he doesn't know how to make friends due to his upbringing. Including his parents leaving the country, his classmates thinking he's weird, and the rumors revolving around his dad.

[idontwanttospoiltheparty]

why do people take paul’s grief for john as something romantic? like people like to overanalyze his quotes about his death and i’m not denying he expressed and said some weird things but like let’s be honest, this isn’t something unique to paul. many people have a hard time expressing themselves after someone close to them has died and that can last years, it’s just that for the majority of us, there isn’t a microphone or tape recorder taking down every thought you had on the matter and publishing it. You aren’t being asked about it like it’s just another everyday question about your life. especially considering these two never had a chance to truly work out their differences, like obviously you’re going to have mixed emotions, your relationship was being pitted against each other by media for years. you have people pretending they know more about your friendship than the actual two people who were in the room together. like i can’t imagine that happening to me and my best friend, heck im sure that would drive me crazy. that’s why i appreciate your views. you understand nuance.

:(

Yeah.

I also think… Like yes I do think sometimes Paul goes over the top with the way he talks about John.

But then I remember how Paul accidentally said something terrible the day he found out and was viciously raked over the coals for it. And I remember he'd by that point already lived with the guilt of "saying the wrong thing after someone died suddenly" since he was fourteen, and here he had done the same thing again.

And I also think about the fact that, before I became a fan, I did have a vague notion of the Beatles as people and… I was 100% one of those people who assumed Lennon-McCartney was a cold and opportunistic business-relationship, not a real friendship. That was the narrative instilled in my brain before I'd even given any of this any thought! And that's the very thing Paul struggled to dismantle for decades, and maybe finally sort of managed with Get Back/Now and Then!* And I remember how he lives with the pain of feeling he didn't make his love for John known enough during John's lifetime, and suspect some of this might be a kind of atonement.

And yeah, everything you mentioned. These things are hard for everyone to go through, but not everyone gets recorded every step of the rocky way.

*We can talk about the specific accuracy of this new over-simplified "JohnandPaul Were Simply Besties :)" story – but the general public is never gonna settle for a nuanced narrative, and it's natural this is the one Paul prefers.

[buddiebeginz]

When I go back and forth over what may or may not be happening in next week's ep I keep coming back to this 👇

Not to mention them putting Buck and Eddie together in practically every scene they've been in thus far in season 7. Them using Ryan and Oliver for 98% of the promo stuff and interviews. Plus allowing them to actually talk about Buddie repeatedly.

Putting a Buddie centric story in the 100th ep and naming it after a love song.

Having Buck be out right jealous over Eddie spending time with another guy.

Having some kind of make up scene with the two of them in Buck's kitchen with romantic mood lighting and Eddie touching Buck's waist.

Having two people who worked on significant Buddie eps work on the 100th ep: Chad Lowe who also directed 3x03 ("there's no one I trust with my son more") and Andrew Meyers one of the the same writers who did 4x13 (the shooting) he also wrote on 5x06 (when Buddie were kidnapped) and 5x02 (which gave us a lot of Buddie scenes especially their heart to heart about Ana) and 5x13 (with Eddie's breakdown)

This all has to mean something right?

I know we all overthink and overanalyze everything because we really want Buddie to happen but I can't see how this isn't leading to canon Buddie eventually. It just feels like it would be a really stupid move on the part of abc knowing how beloved Buddie is (and Ryan and Oliver have made it clear in multiple interviews everyone knows how big the fanbase is) for them to tease us this much only for it to be something where they just reconfirm their friendship and no forward momentum not even with Buck's sexuality or anything. Like why waste a 100th ep (something most shows will never see now) on something like that if that's all this ep is?

Plus if abc wants the show to go on for a good few more seasons and I believe they do (else they wouldn't have put money into the show and canceled their other first responder show) they're going to have to shake things up a little. Most people under a certain age aren't even watching regular tv now so if abc wants to pull in new viewers they're going to have to give them a reason to tune it. I know Buddie could do that. Honestly I think so many people will lose their shit (in the best way) if Buddie becomes canon. Like we love them and want to see it happen but I've seen lots of people talk about them who don't even watch. Even just this season there have been multiple Buddie centric articles from major sites especially some that are more geared towards lgbtq news.

Given everything that's gone on around and since season 7 has started it does feel like abc is more on board with the idea of Buddie than Fox probably was. And like I said I do think they're aware of how dedicated our fanbase is but they also obviously have to keep their general audience in mind when making decisions too. This is part of why I think they're moving Buddie forward in steps.

This gives Buddie's story a chance to play out slowly and organically with the added bonus of drawing out the drama in a will they/won't they kind of thing. It also allows the ga to get used to the changes and allows abc and Tim etc to see how people are responding as things move forward. I think what happens with Buddie in season 8 is somewhat dependent on how people respond to the changes they're making now. Which is why I'm hoping people don't flip out next week if they don't see exactly what they want in that episode. We have to be patient and see where the rest of the season is going. I also think the more we can give abc positive interactions on their social media regarding Buddie the better.

[stygianheart]

its a shame your fics dont have more art theyre so good like if I could draw well id probably turn them into picture books. do you wish you had art?

but besides the point I actually have questions and I wanna ask em.

first up, who’s the back up? luffys mentioned the backup a few times and I cant help but wonder who it is. if thats a major spoiler than you dont have to answer but considering your love for this one guy i kinda think its sabo or the rev army. either that or like traffy. it would be funny if it was sabo though because of koby’s brief jealousy of how luffy was talking about him.

this might be just me as an aot fan overanalyzing everything but I feel like that devil fruit in the beginning was something important and so was the auction in broad daylight.

also ive seen a lot of fics where kobys favorite food is buttered potatoes but i think yours is the first where his favorite food is downright plain butter. the guys a psychopath for that. like why would you do that. where did you even get the idea.

I also have some other questions! unfortunately uh revolving around the second favorite ship brymeppo…

does helhippo realize he likes bryan or no? also i really came into the fic thinking I wasnt gonna give a crap about him but somehow you made me like him a lot so kudos to you. his relationship with bryan is so rivals to lovers coded and thats one of my favorite tropes. I really do hope helhippo lives up to his promise and takes bryan to the symphony. I know that wont happen in tsats but if you could make a one shot of helhippo and bryan going out on small dates that would be amazing 🙏 for us rymeppo shippers #rymeppo shippers unite oh and as much as i wanna see bryan take revenge on elijah for all the things the guys done to him i also wanna see helmeppo smash the guys face in. please. kill elijah. I hate him.

omg sorry that this is so long but I still have some more questions!

kobylu wise, who do you think fell first? koby or luffy? its obvious that luffy likes Koby but why hasn’t he said anything? does he understand how he feels? and after this is all said and done how are they going to stay in contact? it’s not like koby can just talk to luffy whenever he wants since hes a marine and luffys the pirate king.

anyway thats all! I hope i was able to help your creativity in some way :)

I mean, yeah, art would be cool. But when it comes to engagement with my fics, the most I hope for is for someone to simply read it. Besides, it’s self indulgent! I’m just writing the stuff for me and sharing it along the way.

Anyway, questions. *pulls out glasses*

The back up? Well, it’s not Traffy, that much I can say. Considering we (last I checked) don’t know if Trafalgar is alive or not, I just decided to…y’know, leave him out.

Greetings, fellow AoT fan, you are NOT mistaken! I kinda like hiding little things in the fic—not EVERYTHING has a purpose like AoT, but a lot of things are put there for a reason. I like being sneaky like that.

And yes. Koby’s a psycho. He eats straight up butter—and said it tastes better when dipped in sugar. I got this weird headcanon from my bestie who also happens to eat butter sticks. I once saw him dip it in sugar and was so disgusted by it, and he was just like “it’s good for you. Besides, it’s ✨tasty✨” like sir no. What on earth. That’s weird. You do you, but please, not in front of me. Besides the point—for some reason I decided to implement that onto Koby. I have a habit of weirdifying characters.

As for the RyMeppo question… I seriously never expected people to love this ship so much wtf. In Chapter 5, Helmeppo is completely unaware of his very obvious crush on (B)Ryan. He thinks he hates Ryan, when it’s obvious it’s more than that. As of Chapter 10, however, the moron is 10000% aware of how he feels. He and Ryan’s relationship is really fun to write with the constant bickering/flirting. I never intended them to be a romantic relationship, but alas, that’s where it headed.

And the KobyLu questions! Yay! Koby definitely fell first and he fell hard—don’t think anyone could fall harder if they tried. As for Luff: he knows how he feels about Koby. Buddy went to Sanji’s school of flirting and failed the classes spectacularly yet tried showing off his grades to Koby. He’s made it very clear how he feels—Koby, unfortunately, is just too damn dense. Luffy could yell “I LOVE YOU” to Koby and he would probably think Luffy meant platonically. He gets his density from me, of course, I’m the exact same way.

I hope I answered your questions well! Thanks for the ask, it actually did help a bit.)))

[jfkonfucius]

Opinions on confucius x harriet?

Mixed bag in what it's probably intended to be, but a pretty interesting dynamic of a not-quite-healthy relationship if I rotate it in my head enough!

In source it comes across as if the two were paired as a "well, since these are the two characters left to put into a love situation... Might as well!", I don't mind it much though, it's supposed to be a simple teenage drama parody, so it fits

When I overanalyze it in a way it's probably not intended though, I can see two people who crave love and are desperate for it, to the point of falling for the first person available

Harriet got a crush on JFK after a fake kiss (and immediately lost it after a second one), and she started dating Confucius immediately after it was revealed that he was a catfish. That can't be healthy!

Confucius has had 0 irl friends and relationships for majority of his life (or at least that's what I gather), and is so insecure about himself that he resorted to using a fake identity to interact with his crush

I do think Confucius has had a crush on Harriet for a bit, as hints of it go as back as the third episode, where he's putting his hand on her shoulder

(Yes I know Cleo's hand is on JFK's shoulder so that might not mean anything . But in Confucius case it was animated so it means more to me...)

And when they finally start dating their first thought is to announce it with a party ! whar !

Later on the inevitable happens though and Confucius' nightmare comes true, he gets dumped by Harriet in the most rushed and sudden way possible because they have contrasting goals and Confucius isn't what she wants him to be

Confucius is shown to be clearly in much more distress than Harriet is during the episode

(Charming)

When at the end of the ep Harriet realizes that it wasn't a good idea (erm, I think it was a good idea...), she asks if they could get back together, and to my surprise, Confucius, despite having been so distressed over the breakup, initially has the emotional maturity to step back

[...]

Buuuut then he fell back into it after realizing that the memory wipe might save the relationship

And we don't know how that is going to go for that was the last episode of the series!

Going by the assumption that S2 and S3 have the same intro, I can sense they hint at some drrrrrrama

I'm intrigued to see where they're gonna bring this, especially considering that the show acknowledges that the relationship isn't healthy

I hope they sort it out communication style!

But Hey, if things don't work out, remember, there's plenty of fish in the sea!

(Ok well this part is kind of a joke... Making everyone gay would be too easy of a fix wouldn't it?)

[xalygatorx]

just an a/n from ao3 about fic comments and messages on death in pink

I’m a little surprised this needs to be said, but I’ve also not discouraged it before now, so some of that’s on me—picking apart a chapter I’ve posted (criticizing it, overanalyzing it, projecting on it, whatever) except to like maybe note a line you liked or something is not conducive to the enthusiasm and joy it takes to continue and ultimately finish what’s essentially a serialized WIP.

Additionally hopping into my Tumblr DMs and getting overfamiliar with me is also a source of discomfort. Asking a question is fine if you don’t want to use an actual “ask” for that, I get it and it’s cool, but anything past that is more than I signed up for. Getting those critiques via DM is, believe it or not, also not great and is somehow more uncomfortable than the AO3 comments described above.

Maybe you think you’re helping. Like fair enough. But it’s not helpful. Please don’t do either. It freaks me out to a degree and adds pressure to something I am doing for fun and posting for fun. 

It’d be different re: the picking apart of actual pull quotes if this were a finished work fully posted but it’s not. Usually when I’ve posted a new chapter, I’ve been working on it up until literal seconds before it shows up in your inbox/bookmarks. Getting those sorts of comments or DMs within minutes of that sort of work is a fucking atrocity to my motivation and mental health because it’s the equivalent of getting the half-digested, chewed-up version of something I spent hours on spat back at me.

The answer isn’t continuing to do as I’ve done and tolerate and maybe unintentionally encourage it by responding and trying to nudge the conversation in a kinder direction (unfortunately). It’s not my job. :’)

I’m a sensitive person, it’s true, but I’m also published and no stranger to criticism…on a finished project that I’ve flung into the ether and have no immediate need to look at ever again if I don’t want to. I’m coming back to this every day, sometimes twice a day, and in the last couple of chapters’ worth of time, I’ve started to dread it. I’ll stop if I keep dreading it, so instead I’m writing a very uncomfortable A/N for the next chapter that I will now have to force myself through drafting. Or I’ll post this by itself. No idea.

I was going to just hide activity from users that this is happening with so only I had to deal with any fallout and didn’t create discomfort for the people causing me discomfort, but knowing what I’m like I’d find a way to read those sorts of things anyway. Honestly, I don’t even know who those comments are for—if they’re for me and meant to dissect what is essentially my ongoing draft in real-time, that’s kind of fucked; and if they’re meant to start a discussion with other readers, that’s cool and all but they come to my inbox and I read every single one.

No one’s called out. No one’s in trouble. Anything prior to this getting posted is off the board. That said, we can chill out and be lighthearted about the things we say from this point or the block button will become my new best friend bc I do want to keep writing this and I don’t have the emotional energy to afford space to people who make me uncomfortable. Especially after I've made my discomfort this (gestures vaguely) abundantly clear.

Anyway. This doesn't apply to the majority of people who have commented, so I also want to acknowledge and appreciate that amidst my boundary barf.

[mrs-gauche]

While I know it’s generally bad for leaks to happen (unless they are intentionally encouraged by the developer, and yes this seems to be a thing, as Mark Darrah himself even mentioned in the past), and there’s no real point in overanalyzing something that is pre-Alpha footage from over a year ago (!!)... I’m just glad it didn’t contain some major spoilers story wise, because I wouldn’t know how to avoid them until whenever this game actually releases. 😂 I’d like to know as little as possible about the story and the characters going into it.......

........That being said.. I’m a hypocrite, I couldn’t resist and took a tiny little peek 😂(and if you don’t wanna know anything until there’s something official, I completely understand, just don’t read any further now!), so all I want to say is

HOLY SHIT GUYS This seems legit and we are probably looking at the very first glimpse of REAL (pre-Alpha) DA4 gameplay footage after EIGHT flippin years, which means this game is REAL, it’s actually happening, it’s a real game that’s playable and everything and ahhhh!!! Weisshaupt?? Davrin?? A dragon?? Darkspawn?? Purple stuff??? DID YOU SEE THAT HAIR ANIMATION THOUGH??

Ahem. Okay, so with the first wave of euphoria out of the way now, how are we feeling about THIS

Hmmmmm 👀👀👀

HMMMMM

OHHHHHHH

Seems like the spirit of Joplin lives on after all?? 👀👀👀

I’ve already seen plenty of people speculating and while we should take everything with a grain of salt here of course, there was a comment on a reddit post by another (supposed) playtester that confirmed “Rook” to be indeed the protagonist’s name/title! 👀 And while this could be of course just a placeholder name for whatever it’ll actually end up being, there could be a lot to derive from this!

- As people have pointed out, “Rook” does sound a lot like a code/spy name, much like Charter, Butler, Farrier or any of Leliana’s spies

- Rook being also a type of crow, fitting in perfectly with the bird themed names like Hawke

- In slang, it’s ALSO another word for “swindler” or “deceiver”, which also reminds me a lot of how there was a Lord of Fortune in Tevinter Nights who used the name “Hollix” as part of their disguise during a mission (which btw was actually the name of Dorian’s mother’s pet nug lol)

So all of this considered, and assuming that the leaked footage might have been part of the very beginning of the game (and how the leaker seemed to suggest that Grey Warden is just one of multiple factions you can choose from!), can I just say that my speculation about how DA4 might start off with an infiltration mission of one of four factions (Grey Warden/Antivan Crow/”Veil Jumper”/Tevinter.. something), while playing as a “spy” (/Lord of Fortune?? 👀) under the alias “Rook”, might actually turn out to be true after all??? (°ロ°)

I mean.. it could just end up being a simple “choose your class/faction” at the start and that’s it 😂, but either way, if we get something resembling different “origin stories”, like depending on which faction you choose, the game starts off with a different mission (similar to what Cyberpunk did?), I think that would be an awesome concept! (Not setting any expectations here though! 😌 The game might start off at Weisshaupt no matter which faction you choose!)

But back to topic, the rook being of course also a piece in a game of chess, which was depicted on the cover of Mark Darrah’s red “Joplin” book first seen in 2016!

Which in turn also of course immediately takes us back to the amazing mind chess game between Solas and Iron Bull, referencing a real game that happened in 1851 known as “The Immortal Game”. While people have been taking Solas sacrificing most of his pieces as well as his queen (Flemythal) only to then strike the final blow and win by moving the bishop (mage) as foreshadowing and also a perfect respresentation of how both Solas and Iron Bull think and strategize, what’s interesting to note, is that it’s the turn in which Bull takes Solas’ rook that ultimately seals Solas’ win in the end. 

Now, this could mean absolutely nothing of course, but with this new information from the leaks, maybe there’s more to it than we think. 👀

Then there’s also the link to Solas’ final Tower tarot card of course...

Other than that, I just think it’ll be really cool to have a chess themed aesthetic for DA4 following the tarot card theme of DAI! Or just the idea of having a “game of minds” like the Immortal Game rather than just relying on “brute force” with an antagonist like Solas, that requires a certain level of strategic thinking and consideration from us in how we act/make decisions to outwit him, would make a lot of sense to me!

(Or we might as well reference that one Simpsons episode with the “human chess board” and cover both brute force AND strategic thinking lmaoo)

Or, even better, let us do something like the flippin “logic chess” mechanic from that glorious Ace Attorney spin off game lmaooo

Let’s bombard Solas with some hard hitting arguments. lmao

I will say though that, if “Rook” does actually end up being the title/name of our next protagonist, I’m once again very curious how the hell they’re gonna make this work in the localized versions, if they do attempt to translate the name literally. Let us pray that they’ll just stick to English for this one, or else the multiple meanings of the term will be completely lost in translation. lol Can’t wait to play as flippin “Turm” in German or “Tour” in French. 😂

[sexybabystevie]

okay this is the last post about this that i'm making for some time, and i'm only making this one because i left for a while and had time to gather my thoughts.

i think all swifties - or at least the majority - are coming from a good place right now, but a lot of these responses are just... not appropriate. i understand that people care for her, so do i, and whether or not this is 100% confirmed or not, i think there's a genre of posts right now that aren't helping anyone.

people are worried about her, i understand, and some people are going back and watching performances and looking at recent photos and i don't think what you're doing is good honestly. for the people doing this or for taylor. this woman has had so many issues with media in the past, and i understand wanting to be there for her and caring about her, but making posts like "i knew she looked so sad at X award show!!" and "omg the crying while she was singing champagne problems on tour!!" is really, really not helping.

not only is this complete speculation - which is unnecessary, by the way. again i understand caring about her but maybe this needs to be done at a distance instead of overanalyzing everything because you're verging close to becoming one of those people who bullied her years ago.

it's also pretty insensitive because she can mourn joe and her's relationship while also feeling happy on tour, she can feel multiple things at once. just because of this, doesn't mean that tour is anything less to her or that she doesn't enjoy being with us, because i think that's absolutely not true and when we make posts like this, it's almost like putting words in her mouth and it makes me feel gross. not only because we're putting thoughts and feelings into her mouth but also because she can do things without it tying back to joe or the relationship!! there's an implied level of misogyny here that i already predicted would happen here, and again.

i understand caring about her, i understand that she cared about joe a lot, but she is TAYLOR SWIFT. not just joe alwyn's (ex) girlfriend. she has worth outside of her relationships and i just don't want this kind of posting to become the new norm because it's giving me weird flashbacks to grosser times.

[corvidcrossbow]

hihi ! i just read your intruders fic and it was so good, do you have any tips on how to write Daryl properly?

Hiii!!! For one, thank you 😭🫶🫶 You're so sweet (this is a little lengthy, the nerd got out)

As for writing Daryl; one of my favoritest things is media analysis, especially in regards to the structuring and development of characters: so when watching shows/movies/etc., I try to pay a lot of attention to major and minor details in the plot and a character's mannerism, actions, dialogue, etc. since I not only find it fun, but I think it really helps in giving and understanding the depth of characters writing (yes there's a lot of reading into things too much & overanalyzing, but in this house we assume everything happened for a reason and was meticulously planned ‼️) (except for when we ignore canon because sometimes writers don't know what they're doing) (*cough*, Leah)

It's pretty straightforward; it helps in learning how a character behaves, reacts and would handle certain situations (since you're essentially studying how they do it). I generally get to a point where I know a character well enough that I can see something and just be like "oh yeah they would/wouldn't like that" or "*this* is how they'd do that" (still I am guilty of indecisiveness in headcanons 😔🤞)

But beside all that, turning to other people's interpretations is also really helpful! Norman Reedus himself is obviously a good resource; listening to and reading the extra things he's said about Daryl in interviews and stuff (and what other cast/crew say too) Then of course other fan content (fanfics and headcanons are a key ones. I also end up on old reddit comment threads pretty often with people discussing episodes) I'm on his Fandom page all the time (occasionally the Survival Instinct/Onslaught specific one too, but take that one with a bigger grain of salt cause there's always gonna be inconsistencies)

I also used to be a really big role player so pretending to embody Daryl or put yourself in his shoes might also be useful(?) (I think I do this subconsciously 🗿), and I find Daryl to be very relatable so that inherently aids

I think Daryl in particular can be a more challenging character to feel like you've written "properly" (in a way that feels in character) because of how complex certain parts of his personality are (like most characters or people with years worth of trauma), and the way he handles things is very dependent on his relationship to the those involved, what it is, what period of his life it's in (like how he's much harsher and hot-headed in the early seasons, but shuts down a lot in mid seasons, but towards the last ones we get to see more of who he actually is; so his behavior is gonna vary a lot depending on context)

But don't let feeling ooc hang you up! The more you write for Daryl (or any other character), the more you'll understand him, and subsequently the better you get. No matter how long I've loved a character or how well I feel I understand them, I'll still always be having sort of realizations or developments in my thoughts

OH THIS IS A BIG THING; imagine him as a real person, blissfully ignore the word "fictional" – this helps me connect to him way more and on a deeper level because I'm viewing him as someone that genuinely exists and has experienced these things (am I little out of touch with reality?... maybe)

His thoughts, emotions, inner monologue, how all these things had an impact on his development in childhood and adulthood, etc. Eliminating the idea of him being fictional might help you see him as a fully rounded person rather than bits of writing and acting we watch and read.

Think about how real world events & circumstances would've affected him (I view him as being born in 1975, so raised post-Vietnam war, lower income in a conservative area, redneck and white trash, War on drugs, 9/11, etc.) (Some of these aren't that important in writing him, but they might help in formulating ideas about who he is/ again, understanding him) – that idea in general is important though; theorize about how certain events/ scenarios (big world things or more mundane ones) would affect him/ how he'd react to them — all this wraps into the first things I said; about analyzing his character.

Okay maybe I'm rambling now, but overall just go for it and have fun with it! As I said, the more you do it, the faster it'll come to you, and the more solid idea of Daryl you'll formulate. Everyone has different interpretations of things and I love to see how others view characters compared to my own!

[heinzpilsner]

Okay, I'm back, and this is another part of 'Overanalyzing beach Maiko' series! ... Which means we'll try and focus on overanalyzing beach Maiko goddamit as opposed to all the other tempting beach psychological stuff. Yay.

Anyway, today we're going to find out who of the pair actually screwed up the most. Isn't it exciting?

(Spoiler: the answer can be a bit unexpected.)

So, in the last part, Mai broke up with Zuko, and now they're about to meet again in the company of Azula and Ty Lee after... some time (somewhat between twenty minutes and a couple of hours, really).

The pair had an opportunity to calm down and reflect on what happened (and in Mai's case, probably to hear the other girls' opinions), so I'm sure they are different people now!

They both have analyzed their wrong attitudes and relationship mistakes, and now they are wiser, and stronger, and fre...

Zuko: "Where is your new boyfriend?"

Zuko: "My life hasn't been that easy either, Mai." Mai: "Whatever!"

...Nevermind.

But let's not get ahead of events here.

The scene begins with the royal siblings approaching the girls. Zuko walks past Mai with sad expression on his face while she is glaring at his back. Then she looks away with resentment. But then...

Mai: "Hey."

Well, it was very... minimalistic. But it's good to know that Mai reevaluated at least some things here!

...Which ones exactly is an important question though. What if among them was the belief that nice butt is not a reason enough to stay with a guy who can innocently ask you one evening whether you prayed tonight or not?

Okay, okay, I know.

This butt joke was not very minimalistic.

Seriously though, if we leave alone the fact that Zuko is not exactly in the best state for romancing anyone due to him being a cringe-worthy disaster his major inner crisis...

And the fact that Mai clearly should try and find for herself some sources of endorphins which wouldn't depend on how far from a mental breakdown or a high treason her trainwreck of a prince currently is...

And the fact that this whole relationship wasn't such a great idea from the point of compatibility in the first place...

Who of the pair should've made a first move towards reconciliation in the perfect scenario?

Yep, that's a really important question here

I mean, at first it seemed obvious to me that it must be Zuko - since he was acting like an idiot and screwed up the loudest, but...

When I actually tried to analyze the situation through this paradigm, something in the picture didn't really add up. This pesky elusive something kept breaking the general logic, and I couldn't quite put my finger on it for quite some time, you know.

But I think I finally managed to figure out what it was about.

Mai's reluctant little "hey" is the key here, actually.

(It will be a long way, but I hope it will worth it)

Let's look at the totality of facts:

For the whole day, Mai's behavior indicated she doesn't value Zuko all that much.

On this background, he showed her all his ugly sides and gave her not just one, but several good reasons for a break-up.

Just now, he walked past her without stopping to apologize for his words or behavior.

She is clearly still angry at him.

And after all this, Mai, an egocentrical girl with perhaps a bit too much pride, still initiates contact with Zuko.

Doesn't it seem at least a little bit weird to you? It sure does to me.

And, in my opinion, it most likely means one thing...

It was really freaking cold on that beach at night.

... Okay, okay, sorry.

Azula was also a firebender, bad hypothesis.

It means that as soon as Mai got the opportunity to look at her life without Zuko, she suddenly felt that she needs him much more than she thought previously. Like, much more. So much, in fact, that even her pride, resentment and common sense couldn't really beat it.

And yet, she was treating him like a gum that stuck to her shoe. She wasn't grateful for that he gave her nearly enough and took his affection for granted.

So, you wanna know how badly Mai screwed up exactly?

Take the intensity of all cringe-worthy shit Zuko demonstrated today, add to it a little 'hey' multiplied by Mai's pride - and that will be your answer.

Math is so fun.

I always was bad at it though.

I doubt though that Mai herself realized even half of it - otherwise she wouldn't look that angry. I suspect it was mostly her need in itself that made her forget how to be "smart and proud" for once and make a first move.

Except that she probably rationalized it as "Since I'm feeling very generous tonight, I'll give this idiot another chance."

And she is still hoping for Zuko's apologies, so she could graciously forgive him and accept him back.

...Pfffft.

Good luck with this one.

Even though Zuko chilled out quite a bit since the party, until he sees the central belief on which his whole course of actions was based as misconception, he can't apologize for his behavior.

Well, technically he can, but...

"Hello, Mai, Zuko's here. Of course, you treated me like dirt and tried to freaking cheat on me on top after I fed you all the stuff you wanted and almost broke my brain by trying to find at least something about your negativistic ass to compliment... but I a little bit overreacted here. Calling you a big blah was a bit too much, I guess. You're only a small blah. So, yep. It's all I wanted to say. Take care here."

The thing is, Mai didn't really make it clear that she's loyal to Zuko when he doubted it. She only yelled at him for "blowing up over every little thing" without addressing the topic of jealousy directly, and then everything just gone to shit.

And as far as Zuko's knowledge goes, Mai could call her cheating "a little thing". So how exactly he's supposed to understand his mistake if Mai refuses to talk to him properly?

"He could simply use his brain", I can hear someone thinking loudly. Well, it doesn't really seem to be an option at the moment, does it?

You can thank the writer for this.

Mai here is smart though, and smart girls don't explain themselves to their stupid boyfriends even when it actively harms their relationship, apparently.

Fortunately for Mai though, this stupid boy is also lonely as heck. And despite Zuko's "Where is your new boyfriend?" line (which indicates he still resents Mai for her "infidelity" and probably has been imagining in all vivid details how she and Ruon-Jian feed each other fruit tarts since he left the party), he all but runs to her in response to a slightest hint he is still wanted.

Damn, I clearly need to think of some new Mai-related stuff to crack bad jokes about, don't I?

Zuko: "Are you cold?"

So... You're a good caring boy here, Zuko, there's no question about it. But... goddamit.

Is it physically possible to be more love-starved? You could take a leaf out of Mai's book about how to be proud, you know.

I mean, the hell are you doing getting all cozy with her? She just broke up with you! Oficially! After she supposedly tried to cheat on you! Yes, you were an idiot for believing so, but you don't know it yet (otherwise you'd be ashamed of your previous stupidity and wouldn't accuse her again like this).

Even if your reaction was... unnecessary scandalous that's one way to put it, cheating attempt is still a serious transgression (just like breaking up with a partner is a serious act). You can forgive her if you like, but you can't just 'are you cold' it off! You're supposed to talk about it, goddamit!

Perhaps if Zuko just waited a little bit longer instead of moving towards her, Mai would actually overcome her pride and explain the situation to him.

But when his relationship needed it most, Zuko's self-respect vanished. Again.

And now Mai knows that she can whistle at any moment and he'll run to her no matter what (not as fast as she'd prefer, admittedly, but they can work on it). Yep, that's exactly the message you need to give a girl who supposedly looks at other guys and believes it's okay to use you as a free service.

(No.)

How do you think you ended up in such a situation with her in the first place, boy? Give this girl an inch and she'll take a mile!

Ugh, whatever. I guess it doesn't make much sense to expect such an awareness from a lonely 16-year-old in his first relationship.

Naturally, getting in response to her huge gracious 'hey' just a pathetic show of care and forgiveness (as opposed to expected tearful repentance), Mai pushes Zuko away again, and thus concludes this segment of beach Maiko interactions. Yay.

The next dialogue of the pair centers around Mai's personality and demeanor, so I guess this is what we'll talk about next time. And... Mai fans, I warn you: it's not gonna be pleasant~ (when it ever was with me though, lol?)

Thanks for your attention!

(By the way, all you've just read could be  total bullshit, because the topic is quite complex and that in fact was my third attempt to analyze the situation, muhahaha! Take it or leave it.)

I ignore all notifications.

P. S.: I just realized something. Why it's zutara but Maiko for me? It's kinda contr-intuitive given my preferences, I suppose.  But I just feel like this. Maybe it's about difference between something familiar and alien. I'm not gonna change anything anyway - it would be too stressful for my autistic brain right now, lol.

R.I.P., Akira Toriyama.

[joshuaalbert]

hopping into the discourse months late and without remembering what if any consensus was reached back in july or whatever, but my opinions on the benny russell thing are like. i think it was probably genuinely well intentioned, and was probably proposed by someone who honestly liked and was impacted by far beyond the stars, but given that paramount in general loves to not acknowledge ds9 (to the point where it's literally not in the “we have all of star trek streaming now” promos), that does make it feel more..idk tokenistic? i suspect the intent was honestly a simple “hey i really loved that ds9 episode and found it really meaningful so i want to put in a tribute to it,” especially since the snw episode it’s featured in is centered around a black father, and black fatherhood was such a major aspect of sisko’s overall character, but it does suffer from proximity to the way ds9 and sisko and avery brooks have so consistently been fucked over in paramount and modern trek’s approach to past installments. especially with this was mostly being talked about before the lower decks episode aired, it’s the kind of thing where a similarly placed tribute to a tng episode would have probably avoided hyperscrutinization because that show is talked about so broadly and there are plenty of other things to analyze, whereas if it’s the one scrap you get, it’s hard to fault fans for overanalyzing it proportional to the intent. if ds9 was treated better in general, i think it would’ve been far easier to take it as just a well-meaning callback to an episode a lot of people loved, but at the same time I can’t fault anyone for feeling like it plays into that pattern of only using it for a cheap reference.

(i also separately think there’s something interesting about easter eggs in the streaming age being kind of a different entity than in the live tv era, and to a degree still trying to find a place in a franchise like star trek. tng s1 had an easter egg featuring all the names of cast members as their first name, last initial, and then the last name of a fictional family, but i don’t think they were trying to imply that, say, “jonathan f raymond” or “wil w lachance raymond” were real people in universe or anything like that, because the viewers almost 100% would not have seen that at the time. that screen went up so fast that if i had not a) been watching it on netflix with the ability to pause and b) been well trained by other shows to stop and read text, i never would’ve had any idea, so it would’ve pretty much been entirely a fun little thing for the cast and crew and maybe like the .1% of viewers that somehow managed to notice it. modern shows created for streaming services, especially ones that heavily feature aspects like social media, have begun to expect that a certain percentage of viewers are going to, for example, pause to read a character’s computer screen, so i think there’s been a parallel shift among audiences to regard small details like that as canon, since they are more deliberately placed for the viewer.

that creates some ambiguity for a show like snw that’s being made in the modern era for streaming services but that still draws heavily from the paradigms of its predecessors that were made when live tv was still the predominant method of consumption. all this to say i doubt that the implication was to make benny russell canonically a real person in the star trek universe, because i think they were working off the older perception of “this is just a fun thing for the people who happen to see it,” but it can come across that way in what’s more or less an act of translation to audiences who are used to shows made for streaming services under an entirely different set of assumptions for how their show will be watched)

[crystalconfusions]

man im pretty sick of being the way i am. something in me is not functional, and maybe something has never functioned. ever since i went through some shit in high school i have had major trust issues and paranoia, its like theres a wall between me and other people. i know intellectually that everyone is not out to get me, but idk why i just cant form close friendships like i used to. and i cant share even basic info about myself a lot of the time even though i know its fine to do so. i always think people secretly hate me, and i overanalyze everything other people do even if its normal shit.

i want to fall in love and have a relationship, but idk if im capable of it. even before all this shit happened i never was that interested in romance or sex, maybe bc i was on lexapro lol but idk. maybe im asexual and/or aromantic but no offense i kinda dont want to be. i want to have romance, i want to have sex, ive just never met a person who i would do any of that with. or at least im not willing to be 'vulnerable' and even attempt to flirt with ppl let alone date or have sex with them. and im fucking 23 years old, its kinda pathetic.

i just dont want to be alone, but i feel like i cant trust other people. even though i try to make friends, i am still the outsider looking in, and people forget about me. usually i enjoy life, and i'm generally pretty upbeat, but idk my paranoia has been acting up recently and i cant get past the thought that everyone i know secretly hates me. its compounded by the fact that i live in japan, and im probably fucking up tons of language things and basic social interactions here just bc im a foreigner and dont know how to do normal shit. every interaction is just like a scripted play that i am acting a part in and repeatedly fucking it up.

i think i need therapy, but no one does that shit here lol.

[phosphorus-noodles]

1, 6, 7, 8, 16, 22, 24, 28, 46, 49, 68? (if that's too many u can leave some out yesyes)

WAHH that's so many,, /pos

1 - Do you daydream a lot before you write, or go for it as soon as the ideas strike?

I usually get struck with a Vision and hurry and write down the outline of the thing I want to write with bits and pieces sprinkled in, and then I flesh it out with daydreams over time, so... both?

6 - What’s the last line you wrote?

Already did this one, but here's s'more context before it:

“Aw, don’t be like that, this will be fun! Besides, I promise it’s safe.”

“Promise, huh?” Joel’s tone is skeptical, but he’s smiling just as wide.

“I promise!”

7 - Post a snippet from a wip.

“Yeah yeah yeah, whatever, my maths assignment isn’t as important as time with my favorite person in the multiverse,” Oli says. “Besides, it’s due next week! I have pleeenty of time.”

“Favorite person in the multiverse?” Joel snorts a small laugh and shoulders his bag. “That’s sappier than fresh azalea honey.”

“Aww, but you liked it!” Oli says, lightly poking Joel’s cheek with his finger. “You’re all pink!”

(I just think this part is cute <3)

8 - Post an out-of-context spoiler from a wip.

Ohh... hmm that's tricky... probably. it was bound to happen sooner or later, right?

16 - Do you write by hand, on your phone, or on your laptop?

I usually record my Visions on my phone in a note and then transfer it to a google doc on my computer, but I write on my phone sometimes when I'm out and about too

22 - Do you title your fics before, during, or after the writing process?  How do you come up with titles?

It depends? Usually after, but my current wip I had the idea for a title and based the story around it kinda. All the titles in my current 'era' of writing have come from my au playlist ^^

24 - How do you choose whose POV to write in?

OHH I was thinking about this earlier... usually it's whatever character will lead to the better "reveal" if that makes sense?? Like in my last fic it was Joel, because Oli knew something he didn't, and it would be more interesting to read about piecing events together from clues Joel picked up rather than just knowing what happened automatically from it being Oli's pov. There's gotta be built up, y'know?

28 - What area of writing do you want to improve in?

Gosh... probably descriptions? And more natural word variations... I usually edit the same sentence over and over to make sure the structure and words are different from existing sentences, so I can fake it just by overanalyzing, but it'd be nice to come easier ahjfsdfh

46 - If you could only write one type of AU for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Hmm... probably soulmates, it's all I've written so far tbf /lh

49 - What fic of yours would you say is the best introduction to you as a writer?

Probably this one bc it's the only one right now that I don't have major problems with HAH

68 - Are there any fics that influenced you to write the way you do?

YOU!!! YOUR FICS, AERIE!!!

Every time I go to write about the Boys I go back and reread the snippets you wrote bc I love how you write them so so much and I Need to absorb your writing style right now !!! /silly

(Ask game!)

[spithyuck]

relationship guidelines | na jaemin

synopsis: Even if you didn't want to admit it, the two of you would do anything to protect each other. Despite constant attempts to make Jaemin jealous, you still loved him, even if you think he doesn't love you back. genre: fluff, angst, borderline smut.., childhood friends to lovers, mutual pining warnings: language, violence episode: two

Family, friends, lovers… in every relationship, there are guidelines that must be kept, and boundaries that must not be crossed. But what sort of relationship do you and Jaemin have? 

Surely, you must be easy for him. It must be simple for him to play with you as if you were nothing. But you were going to change his nonchalant attitude. You were going to make him regret it. 

In a word, your plan was to seduce him. The two of you had already crossed a boundary in your relationship, so you were going to clarify your relationship. Simple, right?

Step one: give compliments. You walked up to Jaemin’s desk, sitting on the open area beside his schoolwork. He didn’t look up, still focused on studying. 

“Jaemin,” You mumbled. He didn’t have headphones in, you could see such, and he continued writing. “You look nicer than usual today.” Jaemin stopped writing for a moment, “What if someone sees you and falls head over heels for you?”

His appearance, so sloppy, yet so endearing. Glasses that made his eyes disappear, dark circles that look like they go all the way down to the chin, and hair styled so haphazardly.

“What are you talking about?” Jaemin said, resuming to his studying. You slid off the desk, facing him. He looked up at you for an answer. There was no explanation to be given.

“You’re making fun of me, aren’t you?” He added without emotion, looking back down to the paper. 

“What? What do you mean making fun of you? Why do you think that? You’re even good at overanalyzing things.” You scratched the back of your neck. 

For a few seconds, silence, until he looked up at you and muttered, “Sarcasm?”

 …This isn’t what you wanted. 

Step two: say something meaningful. “Hey, Y/N,” Jaemin said. You turned to face him, and there he stood, in all his glory, that look still on his face. 

“My mom asked if you wanted to eat dinner with us tonight. We’re having curry,” He cracked his fingers, a popping sound being produced. “Curry,” You muttered. “You idiot,” 

“You idiot who only thinks about curry,”

“The truth is, I want to be together with y—“ You began to sit up from your chair. Jaemin interrupted your words, and your action, by covering your face with his hand to stop you from standing up. “Stop,” He said.

“Now, what were you trying to say?” The boy added, removing his hand from your face. “Nevermind,” You huffed, setting your head down on your desk. 

And the final, step three: outright temptation.

Sitting on Jaemin’s desk, you flipped a majority of your hair to one side, leaving one side of your neck open. Beginning to fiddle with the tie on your uniform, you asked “Do you… know what our next class is?”

This time, Jaemin looked up at you with needy eyes, only managing to stutter out a small ‘what?’.

“Our next class…” You slightly bit your lip, looking back down at him with a mirrored look. 

About twenty seconds passed of a heated stare-down between you and him before he quickly closed his book and stood up, placing your hands back on your lap as he re-tied the tie you had been playing around with. “Music,” he muttered. Before you could mumble a ‘what’, he interrupted, “Our next class. You wanted to know, right?” Jaemin remained stoic, putting his backpack on and grabbing the book, walking out and leaving you there, utterly speechless.

Now you were at home, watching the drama that you and Jaemin watched when he offered to kiss you. The thing about that kiss, it wasn’t just a peck on the lips kiss, it was a kiss-kiss; one where you could feel and savor his lips on yours, where you could think so long about what’d happen after the kiss. But what happened after the kiss was the least of what you’d expected. He had went back to watching the drama as if nothing had happened. 

It was like he wanted you to fall for him. He wanted you to think about him, and he was successful. So very successful that it hurt. 

You knew your thoughts were wrong. You wanted to kiss him again, kiss him so hard, so bad that your lips would be swollen and plump. 

He’d tilt your head slightly, his warm lips making their way down your jaw to your neck leaving a trail of marks behind. Your fingers entwined in his hair, gently pulling on it. His hands wandered along your body, from the curve of your back to the inside of your thigh, where he would run his fingers towards the warmth of your center—

To anyone reading your thoughts, an easy assumption could be made:

Na Jaemin is not your friend.

[beepboop358]

I do have to ask, and I'm not sure if a lot of you are aware of this, but Netflix has been developing a very large amount of content surrounding gay male love stories. Especially those that are white gay male love stories. Some of them could be considered "groundbreaking" as you like to call it, perhaps. Though in 2022? It would actually be a bit more "groundbreaking" if we got a mainstream story that didn't focus on the white perspective that audiences are so used to seeing now.

Hear me out before you get mad, the majority of Bylers already ignore and disregard Robin's existence on the show and she's the one who's getting the requited love storyline that you've been waiting for. On top of all of that, she's also still white. Still palatable enough to mainstream (majority white) audiences that just because of her whiteness, she gets less backlash that would've existed in a worse way if she had been nonwhite.

I just want to know why everything that's good or progressive about the show is dependent on if Byler is canon or not, because I feel like you guys ignore a lot or just choose to ignore other aspects of the show just because a theory you made based on whether a shoelace was untied or not didn't happen. No one is forcing you to overanalyze everything on a show you already claim is derivative. If it's so unoriginal and lackluster and you already expect what's going to happen, why continue to watch and theorize and accuse the writers of harmful things just because you didn't get your way?

"because I didn't get my way"...

Wow. that reeks of homophobia.

Sorry you don't think queerbaiting is harmful to the lgbtq+ community.