#but at the same time: i really am fine in the most ultimate sense of the word

[catkin-morgs-kookaburralover]

still thinking about that one time one of my friends' mother told me that at my age she would have killed herself except for the people who would have had to find her (and that she was glad she didn't). when she was telling me about how sometimes you do or don't do things for other people, not for yourself (this was as a response to my needing sutures for self harm that one time, in fact). and I. it should bother me, I know it should. but a non-zero part of me simply goes 'it would be fine if i did xyz and then told medical professionals so that it wouldn't be normal people finding me'. I don't care. I've freaking thrown up blood and not cared and kept going (clearly, I was fine, and that's only been like once... I think).

I think studying to become a nurse, especially the mental health subject, has desensitised me to a potentially dangerous degree. hm don't like that.

[ultopias]

What do you think of those who say sherliam is meaningless, proofless and purely platonic? Those that Says shippers are delusional lol

short answer, i don't

long answer,

i think people are free to interpret the characters' dynamics and relationships however they want. it's totally fine for them to not ship sherliam, but in that same way they should be fine with people shipping sherliam. i don't go around saying people who ship, for example, johnlock are delusional. how is that my business? do whatever you want! ship sherlock and william with whoever you want! i don't care! good for you! 😭

i don't rlly wanna get defensive bc i genuinely don't care about people who don't ship them, but sherliam is still the official pairing. even if their relationship is(...was) officially described as rivalry, they're still a pair and they get paired on stuffs like official illustrations, merchs etc whether you like it or not

well i'm a sherliam shipper myself so i am a bit biased lol. i feel like it's a bit hard to say they're "proofless" when they were intended to be pairs from the start and their relationship progress was integrated into the story itself

for example there are multiple instances--multiple? two instances where they're described as being "destined," which are this jump sq manga dojo post or the volume 17 synopsis (the jump sq post is an interview thing with the authors where miyoshi sensei also explained how she came up with sherliam's character designs etc, it's pretty interesting so i recommend you read it! it's in japanese, so download the pics and use machine translator to read it)

they probably weren't being straightforward about it, but assuming these implied they're soulmates: are they platonic or romantic soulmates? i don't know! how do YOU want to interpret it?

obviously they never said "hey these two are dating!" in the story so in theory sherliam aren't really 'canon,' but this is where us fans come in to make analysis/theories, fanarts, fanfics, etc! that's what makes it fun, the fact that people can come up with different interpretations! if something from the source material can only have one meaning it'd be so boring!!

fandom activities are supposed to be a hobby, something that you do for fun. if it stresses you out or makes you upset because of, say, a ship you think doesn't make sense, maybe take a step back and see where you went wrong. if you have time to call other people delusional because of a ship they like, what about using that time to talk about ships that YOU like instead?

sorry i think i'm getting all over the place 😂 but ultimately what i wanted to say is, you DON'T HAVE to talk to/about people you don't like about topics you don't care. you can ignore them and even pretend they don't exist, it's fine i promise. we're talking about fictional men, it's not that serious ≡_(ゝヽε:)ﾉ

curate your timeline, block/mute people, be pickier with who you interact with, and most of all, don't forget to have fun!

i'm so bad with writing in a structured way but i hope you're satisfied(??) with my answer o(〃’▽’〃)o

[dangakkisland]

Welcome everyone to my Dog-aronpa show!! Where I start with DR2 instead of DR1 because I simply do not have the list ready for that one game! And Techinical issues are all in and can't draw the line up at the moment (it will be done)

I want to show off my enormous dog knowledge for no reason at all!

Hajime Hinata is a...Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever (long ass name) or at least looks like one..In fact, he is just a very mixed dog that happened to look like the Red Duck dog and has a similar personality to one which is alert and can very well get mental issues easily if left behind for too long, they only howl (on average) when they are on a hunt however dogs don't hunt nowadays and since this is a snow dog and I can't own one I cant test it out.

Chiaki Nanami is a....Clumber Spaniel

They are low energy, they have rosy features. You yourself can read more about it, I am not an expert on them but as far as I have seem very Chiaki to me

Teruteru Hanamura is a...Griffon Bruxellois

These dogs have long beards for some reason I love them for that, they don't really realize their doggy size much like other toy breeds (My children are the same) this is a bit important you know (chapter 1). They are sociable at a certain point, but they lose their temper very easily when teased

Byakuya or the Ultimate impostor is a...Saluki

The most expensive and harshest dog to train, they like soft objects and very picky..For impostor themselves, I think they should just shapeshift in this universe. I can't even begin;

Mahiru Koizumi is...English Cocker Spaniel

They are very easy to train dogs, they like birds (hunt them) when I see birds I remember of photos, they are usually very happy dogs but they do get anxious and aggressive if you aren't be present for long due to depression on being left alone, any dog breed can have that even if they are labeled as a friendly breed, like most beings on this planet they are shaped with their life. So Mahiru is a Cocker Spaniel

Peko pekoyama is a...Akita

Which felt most obvious, they are reserved and mostly guarding dogs, my family (Mom-side) owned an Akita she was very overly protective. That's mostly it I don't remember much.

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu is a...Shiba Inu ...Mix with some small breed

I wanted to make them both Japanese breeds..You know the Yakuza it made sense in my head, but I couldn't find one with a slight yellowish coat and small like really small, you will get what I mean later. They are stubborn and strong-willed I have heard they are more a cat than a dog, and I truly believe they are staring at my soul...Maybe because they are more related to wolves than other dog breeds like Pugs That's just a theory I have heard though, I choose to not believe it because of its facial structure which isn't really harsh and this coat isn't related to most wolves.

Mikan Tsumiki is a... Saint Bernard! (Also known as my dream dog)

They are medical assistants sometimes, they are gentle giants they just don't kill you because they are too ❤ but Mikan killed so that's a loss..It would be despairing to see a dog like this kill so I believe I made the right choice

Ibuki Mioda is...A siberian Husky

Sh...I know the snow dog but they howl a lot, its fine for her to be that breed they are absolutely pathetic..I mean that with so much love. She got expelled from her band because she howled the wrong tune, always, all the time, on purpose even.

Hiyoko Saionji is a...Afghan Hound

Why she isn't small- Shut up she literally has a growth spurt that's the whole point: making her bigger than Fuyuhiko!! They aren't very affectionate but they are very loyal!! they are also very stylish dogs (the hears match her ponytails, she can even tie up them later but you would have to see if it is fine for a dog like this since it could cause ear infections)

THE OVERLORD OF ICE GUNDHAM TANAKA IS....ANNN ALASKAN MAMUTE BECAUSE HE IS THE OVERLORD OF ICE I KNOW WE HAVE TWO HUSKY TYPES HERE BUT I DO NOT CARE!!! THEY ARE STRONGWILLED!! THEY ARE ALSO FRIENDLY!! (I EXPECT THAT FROM ONE DOG THAT TAKES CARE OF HAMSTERS)

they also sometimes have heterochromia but you have to breed them a certain way and since he is the ultimate breeder may as well he be breed a way he looks the closest to canon.

Nekomaru Nidai is an Boxer

They have been reported of being easily having heart issues, they are guard dogs and reported a slight aggression but its expected of guarding breeds, if trained to be at home they are very friendly like Nekomaru its supposed to be they are honest and loyal, they are very bright would to the family who adopted it and they can be actually very clingy at home, wary on the streets. The dogs have to be kept always on a line between vet and affection and introducing them to other dogs would be ideal, Nekomaru would be a very sociable Boxer so I believe his owners treated him well and were aware of these facts

Nagito Komaeda is a...Borzoi

And everyone saw this coming, these things should NOT be that tall I swear if a child can mount on it Why is it a dog and why I am so obsessed over it like any other dog, they normally don't go for the typical dog training since they get bored very easily of it, they are very active and like fields..They CAN be very stubborn but are sweethearts depending on your method of training and getting close to it, Nagito can be stubborn too like in chapter 4 and when he refuses to cooperate when the trial could be faster if he put the stuff on the table, but I love him anyway just like Borzois he is confusing they are confusing together.

Sonia nevermind is a... Corgi

Do you see why I was so worried about Fuyuhiko? She is shorter than him in this alternative universe, and I HAD to pic a corgi for her since the royal family of the United Kingdom as far as I have heard owns Tons of those and I simply had to. Unlike other dogs on this list Corgis arent shy at all!

Kazuichi Soda is a ...Jack Russell

I had to pick this one since they are very lovable but will be absolutely sad if it isn't reciprocated, in a dog festival I saw one old man that refused to play with a Jack Russell and the dog was just hiding from his owner because he got rejected by a stranger, its not a universal experience (and dog festivals have been extinct since quarantine in here) so Kazuichi soda is a Jack Russell probably shorter than Fuyuhiko too, Jack Russel markings also make me need less ways to figure out how he dyed his hair, its just his markings he can cover the black parts with a hat

Akane Owari is a...Dachshund

Pomodoro why you picked a small breed? Akane owari jumps high and is agile. I SAY WITH EXPERIENCE TO NOT JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER THEY ARE SO ACTIVE ITS INSANE, my cousin owns one and since she doesn't take care of it I have to play with it and boy this dog takes a while to get tired and it FIGHTS you when you try to leave and there was once I said ''oh time for lunch I will leave'' and he jumped so high I am 1,70-1,75 ish and the dog just bit my nose I wasn't even crouching I was actually pretty much standing and my nose hurt for the whole day, the breed refuses commands for the most time and they DO bite furniture they are indeed very hungry

That's it I actually erased some thoughts because they went on and on I have this problem :(

[cherrybomb107]

Okay guys, I actually managed to have a civil discussion with someone on Arcane twt who disagreed with me! Everybody cheer😭😂🤭

But fr tho, I admit that I did quote twt that person in bad faith. A friend of mine made a joke about how Caitlyn wouldn’t have missed(iykyk) and this person’s response rubbed me the wrong way. Think something to the effect of “violence is never okay. Shame on you for joking about this.” So, I saw his response to my friend’s tweet and decided to ask him who he thought the “true villain” of Arcane was. I had a feeling what his answer would be.

He said Silco was the main antagonist (fair enough) but then, ofc, he started talking about how, ultimately, “both sides” were at fault for all that’s happening in the show. Now I know that one’s opinions on the media they consume aren’t necessarily a 1 to 1 with their real life politics, but for the sake of the argument, I’ll ask: what’s this obsession that we, as a collective, have with making things more complicated than they should be?

A lot of times, situations really are messy and complicated. But in this instance, I don’t think that’s the case. I don’t think the situation between Piltover and Zaun is complicated at all. I see an oppressor (Piltover) being responsible for the centuries long disenfranchisement of the oppressed (Zaun). Then here comes Jinx, who has been victimized by Piltover for her entire life, becoming radicalized against them, and being violent towards them.

The idea that “violence is bad; full stop” is very dangerous. Violence against an entire group being conflated with violence on an individual level is not good. For example, let’s talk about stealing for a second. Is a poor, starving person stealing from a store that upcharges on necessities “wrong”? In my opinion, no. Is a corporation stealing wages(which is actually the most common form of theft) “wrong”? Absolutely! Now, if you wanna be technical, both examples are “in the wrong”. However, let’s be real here: one of these things is a hell of a whole lot more “wrong” than the other.

But to bring it back to Arcane, why is this idea that “the situation is so complicated, there are no good sides” so popular? There absolutely are! Violence against an oppressor is not a bad thing! I, a marginalized individual, am not anywhere close to being “just as bad” as the mfers responsible for my oppression!!! Why do so many of us feel that way? That doesn’t even make any sense! Stop feeling bad for people who don’t give nary a fuck, nor a shit, nor a good goddamn about you AT BEST! And at worst? They will GLEEFULLY partake in destroying your community!!!

I know the show is ultimately centrist asf(and therein lies the problem) but still!

Anyways, I say all that to say, it’s fine to disagree with people, cause I was able to have a nice discussion with this person, despite vehemently disagreeing with them. But like, I really wanna know WHY these people think the way they do. How could the situation between Piltover and Zaun be thought of as anything but chickens coming home to roost? If you’ve been paying even the slightest little bit of attention to the world we’re living in, and everything that’s going on rn, how could you not apply those same principles to the show?

[bogkeep]

grousing about ai art stuff

every time i open twitter (my mistake) there's a new thread on how to spot ai art or ai photos by finding all the mistakes in it, and like obviously this is useful and it's good to watch out because they kEEP SHOWING UP EVERYWHERE AHHH HELL WORLD HELL WORLD, but it's also a little depressing that we're training ourselves to nitpick all kinds of details within a piece of art.

like even before the artifically generated image boom randos on twitter would reply to fully finished illustrations with the most asinine unsolicited advice possible. art's gonna be flawed sometimes! i'll draw someone in a weird pose because of vibes! i'll wing a hand! i don't fucking know what a house actually looks like!!! like yes of course the way a human artist creates flawed art is different from the way an algorithm doesn't actually know what anything looks like because it has no mind. it doesn't know shit. so it's not that it's UNRELIABLE but it's like. it's like... i've been telling myself and others every time i'm struggling to make something look Just Right that actually nobody i going to be staring as hard at my art as i am while making it. if i don't point it out people aren't likely to notice unless they are going through it with a fine toothed comb BUT NOW WE ARE DOING THAT APPARENTLY. WHICH IS ANYONE'S PEROGATIVE AND FAIR ENOUGH! PEOPLE CAN LOOK AT MY ART HOWEVER THEY WANT IT'S FINE

but it's ALSO so depressing to consider having to analyse every single piece of art you come across like that my goddddddd i just wanna enjoy it!! i wanna enjoy art!!!! i mean the main reason i finally stopped going on twitter regularly was during the NFT boom and i got so tired of having to vet every single artist i came across to make sure i wasnt retweeting nft stuff. like that really ruined my previously enjoyable experience of LOOKING AT NICE ART ON MY FEED WITHOUT PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE.

god another thing that happened during the dark nft times was how certain art styles tended to be nfts. and i don't mean the ugly apes and stuff, like of course there's those, but there were a lot of artists who sold their souls to crypto and there was just a certain Vibe to a lot of those styles. like i got a sixth sense for it, i would see a piece of art by an unknown artists and when i checked - yep, that was a crypto guy now. and you know what!!!! i hated that!!!! i hate that it ruined entire art styles for me!! AND NOW ARTIFICIALLY GENERATED IMAGES ARE DOING THE SAME!!!!! like what tends to tip me off is less because i spotted some wonky hand or a weird flap but because the style is a popular one for the ai bros to imitate. you know what i mean right!!!!!! it's kind of how the ai photos look a bit too clean and crisp and smooth in an unsettling way. it just pings the brain a bit.

ULTIMATELY the absolute main method i have for filtering away ai images isn't so much looking for mistakes, but by checking sources. it's the same way i check that i'm not reblogging from reposting accounts Because That's A Thing I Care About Too - if there's no description or the description seems off and i don't recognise the OP, i check the original post/blog to see what's up. if the image gives me a weird vibe, i check where it comes from and who posted it. oftentimes the comments on posts with ai images will point it out - they're not always accurate and there's definitely been times where people are a little too trigger happy to accuse art of being AI... but it can be a good lead or confirm suspicions. on one hand, i don't want to do detective work while im having chill scrolling time, but on the other hand - i already had this habit for other reasons, so it's less disruptive to me than the alternative. it also helps that it's very rare for ai shit to turn up in my tumblr feed. i don't want to keep looking over my shoulder!!

(also for anyone who wants a little bit of optimism in the middle of all this, here's an episode of Better Offline podcast that outlines how it's very unlikely for generative ai to actually get much better. here's the part two also.)

[absolutebl]

This week in BL - I am all over the place, But Laws of Attraction is Phenomenal af

July 2023 Wk 2

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying most.

Ongoing Series - Thai

Laws of Attraction (Thai Sat iQIYI) 1 of 8 - Icky picked it up but it’s not airing for me until Sundays so I held this post specifically to watch and talk about this show. Stars the pair from To Sir With Love with the same production team. IT’S SO GOOD Y’ALL. A morally corrupted trickster lawyer with a tragic past, sad eyes, and a beautiful smile that he uses like a weapon. Meets paladin martial arts instructor from other side of the tracks (who is out, at least to his baby sister). Corrupt police. Spoiled rich kid evil. Ambitious politician. Tragic death. Terrible subs.* This show is very like Manner of Death but so far it is a much better/tighter story. It’s NOT BL but it is fucking phenomenal. And you shoudl watch it. Not wait to binge it. WATCH IT. On a global scale this might be the best thing currently airing featuring gay romantic leads. Its really fucking good. It’s Lawless Lawyer but more complex character motivation and gay af. Fuck yes please and thank you. FINALLY. Triggers for violence, beatings, death & torture depicted on screen. Like MoD they are not holding back.  (* A lot of the familial names they are using are not gendered in Thai but translated as such, like “nephew”. This one is gonna go down a lot easier if you know some Thai.)

Step By Step (Tues WeTV & Gaga) ep 12fin - 2 years pass and no one’s hairstyle changes? Srs. Them meeting again = hella AWKWARD. Both still pining & hurt. NO SINGING. The reconciliation scene was great. I enjoyed that on the “do over relationship” they went with phi/pom (instead of the super formal khuns). So cute and so much more relaxed. Also lots of neck kisses! Charming final ep. It’s only flaw being they dropped the side couple, but I wasn’t really into them anyway. Ultimately? This is what Boss & Babe should have been and could we please have Up lead out another BL? I miss him and he only gets prettier. Full review below.

La Pluie (Sat iQIYI) ep 12fin - I adore the tiny little baby GL thread that we almost got. And I wish we had had more of it throughout the show. The side couple turned out to be good too. Emotional crying kisses are my favorite. Sunshine netted himself an earnest serious romantic boy, we likey. As for the main couple? Well... Tai’s search story arc was dull and dragging in a final ep and it felt bloated and slow as a result. It was a good confession reunion with Tai figuring all of his shit out, not surprising but fine. Kind of a a weak final ep. Full review below. 

Hidden Agenda (Thai Sun GMMTV YouTube) ep 1 of 12 - JoonDunk are back and we have all seen this a million times before, but Thailand never executed a successful formula it didn’t want to repeat a million times over, drunk bathroom and everything. Welcome (back) to Thai BL (and back and back and back). Basically they just added glasses, a new 1-shared-brain-cell friendship group, and different uni departments. Ah GMMTV, forever trying to recreate the magic of 2gether. But also I’m enjoying it. I’m a simple person. (Hi Jamie! Still in college since 2018 I see.) Anyone else notice that Chinese phrase that they did not translate for us? Mmm hum. Cute. Still... NO SINGING. 

Low Frequency (Sat iQIYI) ep 2 of 8 - Thames is in coma and getting slagged off on the socials. It’s moving a bit slowly but the premise is interesting despite the poor quality of the execution. 

Dinosaur Love (Sun iQIYI) ep 3 of 8 eps - Major trigger for self harm depicted on screen in part 2/4. I skipped it. Then there is assault and verbal abuse. I told you Ultimate Troop is NOT to be trusted. 

Be Mine Super Star (Mon Viki) ep 2 of 12 - Look, I don’t really mind this show but I also don’t like second hand embarrassment and I sense a metric butt ton incoming.

Be My Favorite (Fri YouTube) ep 8 of 12 - I was not best pleased with this episode. Ya’ll round the tumblr-sphere seem to be enjoying it but I have officially hit the wall on Kawi. There is not enough booze for me to cope with his shizz. I may be alone in this. But gotta say how I feel... Unlike him. Trash watch here.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Tokyo in April is... AKA Shigatsu no Tokyo wa (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 5 of 8 - Poor Ren, he feels compelled to take on the burden of protecting everyone from sexual assault because he blames himself. And he can’t even talk to his boyfriend about it. Oh fuck me the pair of shoes at the door. And neck kisses? TOO MUCH. Argh. Japan. Why must you hurt so good? 

Stay By My Side (Taiwan Fri Gaga) 3 of 10 eps - It’s a very cute show. All the tropes and archetypes with no fuss or attempts to be clever, just executing them (sometimes over and over again). Even hiccoughs as a result of flirting! I haven’t seen that one in ages. The show feels old fashioned as a result. Nostalgic. I’m good with that. 

Tie The Not (Pinoy YouTube) ep 6 of 8 - Sad boys still sad now drunk. (Noooooo shoes on bed! Argh.) Finally kisses! Also good ones for a large portion of this ep. Plus hair pulling. And verse rep! And after sex convo. Then side dishes have a whole proper gay ax covo about top/bottom. Everyone say thank you Philippines! get down with your queer selves! 

Stupid Genius (Vietnam Fri YouTube) ep 6fin - I believe this was the final episode. It was cute. This is a standard sort of semi-crappy VBL high school drama. Enjoyable in its floppy friendliness, weirdly like a queer after school special promoting education. Dead fish kisses but fine for what it is. 7/10 

Minato's Laundromat Season 2 AKA Minato Shouji Coin Laundry Season 2 (Japan Thu Gaga) 2 of 12 eps - Activate cohabitation trope. They okay bfs. Minato not as frustrating this week, but still frustrating for me and Shin. Next week = cute outfits and dumb miscommunication yay!

Vian the series (Vietnam YouTube ) ep 11 of 12 - again it didn’t show up on my dash in time for this. I’ll pop it into next week. 

It’s airing but ...

House of Stars (Thai Mon iQIYI) 12 eps - I bounced at ep 3. Will binge if told it is worth it at end.

Stay (Pinoy YouTube) 7 eps - It’s mostly English & set in LA (shudder) so I’m not bothering.

Stay With Me ... NO I WILL NOT! And you can’t make me.

Ended This Week

Step By Step Series Review  

This was Thailand’s answer to The New Employee, and everything I loved about that show I loved about this one. This was an office romance between stern boss and sweet subordinate that felt more authentic to an office environment than previous Thai BLs of this ilk. And that authenticity added tension to the narrative and character development (how novel). Now that might be because it has western source material, or it might be because it is actually kind of old-fashioned (it’s been years since I worked as an office grunt). I also really enjoyed the brothers’ relationship, and kinda wished they hadn’t attempted (and failed) to give said brother his own side BL. That one flaw made it a 9/10 for me. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

La Pluie Series Review

This BL takes to task the fated mates trope and what it means to have love chained intimately to predestination. It’s about how faith in destiny before choice diminishes the authenticity of emotion, relationships, and connection. This is a high concept to examine through the lens of a BL. By activating + examining the soulmates trope this show is challenging a foundation of romance: the idea that there is one person meant to be your one romantic partner all your life. This means that we, as viewers, spend much of the show worried about it having a happy ending, and that’s the source of both its brilliance and tension: would the narrative have the strength to truly challenge its own romantic core? But, ultimately, all this elevated complexity was executed in a somewhat shaky manner with the narrative derailing into some serious pacing issues and characters manipulated by miscommunication. However, with good chemistry and decent acting all around, plus some excellent high heat and representation of consent and a few other rare tropes, this one has to (like it’s sibling show My Ride) earn a 9/10. I enjoyed it even as it made me think, so despite its flaws: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Starting:  

7/19 Wedding Plan (Thai Wed YouTube & iQIYI)  - It's Mame and she's coming for our GL. She's such a misogynist IMAGINE what we will get with a GL side dish? It's going to be absolute carnage. To crane your neck as you drive by the car wreck or not? That is the question. Me? I'm wallowing in the guts. Trying to decide to trash watch or not... 

7/20 Jun & Jun (Korea Thu Viki) - From 2022 I CAN’T FUCKING WAIT! So excited for this one. 

2023 forthcoming BL master post (see comments, some are inaccurate, NOT KEPT UPDATED)

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

FYI roselle juice is made from hibiscus (a flower) so technically neither a tea nor a juice. (Hidden Agenda)

Tie the Not = all the verse rep this ep. I love this for them. 

The giggling was SO DAMN CUTE (Step by Step, na?) 

We all guessed it but it was still fun. (Stupid Genius) Also miracles of miracles, two actors who actually look like they could be brothers play brothers. 

First time I’ve seen faen translated as significant other. (Laws of Attraction)

THE PAIN! (Tokyo) 

(Last week.)

[flippinpancakes64]

Requesting Rules!

Hello!

So as I am getting more requests I figured I should put a couple guidelines of what I do/don't do

I will try to keep it brief but no promises

Also this can change at any time so please check!

My requests are CLOSED

Please be patient while I catch up 🩷

Characters I can write for:

Edward Cullen

Alice Cullen

Esme Cullen

Rosalie Cullen/Hale

Jasper Cullen/Hale

Emmett Cullen

Bella Swan

Carlisle Cullen

The Phantom of the Opera/Erik Destler

Marc Spector

Steven Grant

Jake Lockley

Scenarios I will not write for:

18+ scenes (I'm bad at them sorry)

Excessively Graphic Violence of any kind

Anything romantic involving blood relations

Anything romantic involving children (I am looking at you Jacob and Renesmee)

Excessive drug/alcohol use (a little is fine but I won't write about someone being addicted to like black tar heroin or smthn)

Toxic relationships

DDLG or other forms of age regression

Angst no comfort (sorry I like being happy)

Something excessively weird? I don't know if that makes sense. For example, I'm not gonna sit here and write a story about Emmett Cullen with a reader who shits rubber ducks, sorry <3

Additional Notes:

I am like, really bad at writing narrative scenes. I might try it in the future but I feel like it always comes out awkward. So for the most part please try to stick to a headcanon format. Like something that I could answer with the bulletpoints i have been using

I am a college student and I also have a job so please bear with me <3 I also might shut down requests if they get too piled up so please check that first line under the cut to see if my requests are open before trying to request

I am very sensitive with a tiny fragile baby ego. If you don't like my stories please just block me or keep scrolling

I am here for fun! I decided to start writing specifically for Twilight because I couldn't find anything new anywhere. This isn't like my life's passion or my ultimate dream. So don't feel pressured into liking or reblogging or requesting anything. But it is still very appreciated if you do!

The characters I listed above are obviously not all of the characters I know. Those are just the first ones that came to mind. If you have a character you want me to write about but aren't sure if I know who they are, send me a request or a message! Like I said above, I started writing because I couldn't find anything. If you're in the same boat and just want to see if I could help you out, don't be afraid to ask!

Please make your requests detailed. The last thing I want is to write a whole story and have it not be what you wanted. You don't need to keep it brief, use all the characters in the text box if you want!

[tsumuus]

here for the 555 event!! congrats ^^

i’d like to rq a romantic matchup!! i’ve watched hq a lot so i’m way more familiar w the charas, but if you think there’s a better mha chara, i’ve recently gotten into it and so i’d really love that too! i’m a straight female so i’d like the matchup to be male please :))

my good friends would call me super bubbly and super energetic. i’m often told that i light up a room, and i’m super positive and optimistic. i am a d1 yapper and the ultimate thought daughter lmao. it does, however, take a little while for me to get comfortable and really let my personality come out with new people. i’m a bit quieter with people i don’t know. (trust you js gotta let my personality defrost) while i love people and spending time with my loved ones, i do need time alone to recharge. my mbti is infp. i can spend lots of time with my close friends when we can just sit together and cuddle and not talk, but i find it difficult to spend lots of time with people who have to be doing something all the time. i’m SUPER empathetic and a big crier. it takes NOTHING to make me cry. hopecore tiktok? sobbing. old people eating alone? crying. my friends sharing their traumatic experiences? bawling. a children’s movie? wailing. someone talking about animals? weeping. someone telling me how much they love me? howling. when my parents talk abt my immigrant grandparents’ upbringing? dying on the floor. i have the most tender heart ever and i feel things very deeply. however, i would not say that i let my emotions control me. when faced with upsetting situations, i have never once lost my temper or yelled at someone. my family is full of hotheads, and i’m really the only one able to stay calm and coolheaded. anger kind of scares me because of my family and so i really like people who are like me in the sense that they can be patient and understanding and talk things out instead of yelling. sometimes, i can get kind of avoidant and pretend like the problem doesn’t exist (due to my confrontation-avoidance) in addition to being unable to describe what i’m feeling in words when i’m worked up and also bc i’m scared of how they’ll react. i get annoyed with people who aren’t self-aware or aren’t able to pick up context clues. i get intense cuteness aggression and i love ppl who are smushes. sometimes i’ll just see one of my friends sitting there and i have to just run up to them and give them a fat hug and scream abt how much i love them and how cute they are and how they make me wanna sob bc i love them sm and they’re so FREAKIG CUTE.

due to family situations, i am kind of attention-starved and so when someone pays attention to me i am locked in with them for LIFE. i’m super loving and super affectionate and i have no issue showing it in private. however, in public, i’m not the hugest pda fan. if we’re watching a movie with friends, a head on the shoulder or a hand on the thigh is fine, but i just feel awk when people around me are like super pda lovey-dovey. it just icks me. i have no problem being suuuuper affectionate with my friends in public, but it’s different with bfs. i’d say my love languages are physical touch and quality time, but i will honestly soak up any love anyone gives me. i’m definitely kind of clingy, and i would get kind of insecure if they couldn’t love me with the same sort of passion. i have a lot of love to give, and i’m able to receive a lot of love in turn!!

i’d say my interests are pretty basic lol. i’m a big sabrina carpenter/ariana grande fan, i really like sweet drinks, im super girly and i like anything pink, i love romcoms, i play volleyball, im a big sephora enthusiast, i’ve rewatched gossip girl and clueless and mean girls many times, but i’m also big on children’s shows. sofia the first, liv and maddie, my little pony, ever after high, descendants, phineas and ferb, etc. i’m TERRIFIED of anything remotely horror or scary (one time i watched paddington 2 and i had nightmares for weeks) and so i think i like the comfort they give me knowing nothing REALLY scary can happen in them. (i’m still scared sometimes) i’m not really scared about getting run over by a car or getting kidnapped or anything real that has almost happened multiple times, but i am very scared that the evil princess ivy will come and cast a spell on me.

wow this was a lot of info sorry. (can you tell i’m a yapper) thank you sm in advance and congrats on 555!

your perfect match is…

₊✩‧₊˚ keiji akaashi ! ˚₊✩‧₊

₊✩‧₊˚ runner ups: osamu miya and eijiro kirishima ˚₊✩‧₊

✧₊⁺ akaashi’s calm and composed demeanor would provide the perfect balance to your bubbly and energetic personality

✧₊⁺ he’s someone who thrives in environments where he can observe and be thoughtful

✧₊⁺ which would allow him to appreciate your enthusiasm without being overwhelmed by it

✧₊⁺ since you mentioned being avoidant in confrontational situations

✧₊⁺ akaashi's patient and understanding nature would be a comforting presence

✧₊⁺ he’s known for his emotional intelligence and communication skills

✧₊⁺ which means he’d handle your emotions with care, always taking the time to talk things out rather than reacting impulsively

✧₊⁺ akaashi isn’t the type to raise his voice or get frustrated

✧₊⁺ he’s calm, composed, and would understand your need to avoid conflict while gently encouraging you to open up.

✧₊⁺ akaashi would appreciate your empathy and tender heart, always paying attention to your emotional cues

✧₊⁺ he’d be that person who notices when you’re on the verge of tears and subtly offers comfort without making you feel overwhelmed

✧₊⁺ his intuitive understanding of people would make him the perfect partner for someone who feels deeply, offering quiet support when you’re moved by something emotional, and he wouldn’t shy away from giving you all the attention you crave in meaningful, subtle ways

✧₊⁺ akaashi would find your affectionate outbursts both endearing and amusing

✧₊⁺ he might not be as open, but he’d secretly love your sudden hugs and declarations of love

✧₊⁺ probably offering you a small, amused smile or a gentle pat on the head in return

✧₊⁺ he’d let you express your affection fully without feeling awkward, knowing it’s your way of showing love

✧₊⁺ your preference for subtle PDA would align well with Akaashi's own more reserved nature

✧₊⁺ he wouldn’t feel the need for grand public displays of affection but would enjoy the quiet, private moments

✧₊⁺ like holding hands under the table or resting your head on his shoulder

✧₊⁺ in private, he’d return your affectionate, clingy nature, appreciating the warmth and comfort that comes with your love

✧₊⁺ your love for comfort shows and avoidance of anything remotely scary would also be something akaashi could relate to

✧₊⁺ he’s someone who appreciates calm, low-stress environments

✧₊⁺ given your love for quality time

✧₊⁺ akaashi would excel in creating meaningful moments with you

✧₊⁺ with your tendency to be super affectionate and sometimes clingy

✧₊⁺ akaashi’s emotional stability would provide a solid foundation

✧₊⁺ he’s not someone who would feel overwhelmed by your love

✧₊⁺ instead, he’d welcome it and offer reassurance, making you feel secure in your relationship

✧₊⁺ his calm approach would ease any insecurity, as he’d show through his actions and words that he’s there for you wholeheartedly

a/n holy yap😭 idk i just love akaashi so much <3

₊✩‧₊˚ 555 follower event ! ˚₊✩‧₊

main masterlist

[kyngsley01]

plsplspls go into more detail about your silly little au, i need them for my brainrot(only if you want to ofc ^^!)

*Cracks knuckles* Buckle tf up bc this au has been rotting my tofu brain for several days now <3

SO. Personality switch au? Or alignment switch au? Not sure what to call it. But all we know is that Scarab is yellow and almost nice now and Prismo is well… Nightmo.

Nightmo loves messing around and twisting the wishes of his visitors in the worst ways possible. Nobody likes this freak, but it’s hard to not develop a sick sense of humor when you can’t even use the time cube-provided tv because of how bright the screen is! Dude’s just sitting up in here all by himself in the dark most of the time.

Scarab (or Goldie, which I’m going to call him sometimes to differentiate between him and OG!Scarab) is a god auditor… if you can really even call him that. The guy majorly sucks at his job, often failing to catch his quarry because he’s weak to sob stories. The guy ultimately wants to do good by both the multiverse but also all beings who reside in them, which is really hard when you’re supposed to be an unfeeling space cop. Orbo’s on his ass about his failed missions all the time, which leads him to picking up Nightmo’s bounty (the guy really needs a breakthrough, okay ;-;?)

So anyways, Nobody has been able to catch and contain the rogue wish master, bc, like, he can simply poof you away into some god awful forbidden corner of the multiverse, always making sure to snatch the offender’s crystal beforehand so they’re stuck. Worse, if he finds you interesting enough, he’d toy with his hunters-turned-captives until he’d get bored and resort to the same measure mentioned previously. Goldie knows that he’s got like. No chance against this guy, so what does he do?

He makes a wish. Simply surrender himself to the vessel to be turned into the Citadel. Simple enough right?

Nightmo, obviously, seriously misconstrues Goldie’s wish.

“Oh~? Which ‘vessel’ am I supposed to surrender myself to, bug?”

“W-what? Obviously the one in my hand! What other vessel is there?”

Needless to say Nightmo’s been itching to get out there in the multiverse, but he wouldn’t be able to do much squished into that pitiful egg, but that pretty, /shiny/ body of Goldie’s? Oh, that would do just fine~

Wish granted! Goldie’s stuck with the worst mind-roomate ever until he can physically bring himself back to headquarters to turn the wish master in for his heinous crimes! Which, with Nightmo at the steering wheel, was not going to happen anytime soon. Loopholes are so fun to exploit~!

Shenanigans ensue 💕

[yutasbimil]

Off-trail

gryffindor!beomgyu x fem!hufflepuff!reader ft. slytherin!jaemin | txt ft. nct dream ff. ✦ (4/8) [series fic] !!! also posted on my ao3 acc! { here } tags: angst, hurt/comfort cw: friendship/love, bestie-lovers energy, frenemies vibe, friends to lovers, lots of bantering, tutoring, teasing, crushes, confessions, jealousy, tension, slow burn, unrequited love, love triangle, hurt-comfort, eventual smut lol, break up, eventual happy ending, FLUFF!!! ! not that comfy w/ 2nd POV, but hope 3rd POV is good for y'all ♡ word count: 2.1k

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 | part 8

do not repost © yutasbimil (2024)

As much as Beomgyu and Yumi had been exchanging snarky and witty bantering for most of their friendship, never had he had someone to match him intellectually at the same level. Of course, it’s different with the imbeciles and how they throw mindless crap as boys (I’m looking at you, Yeonjun).

With Yumi, it always felt different. They walk at the same pace, and he feels they resonate on the same wavelength. He confirms she reciprocates the amused eye rolls she throws despite being sharp with her words at him. But she’s also soft on the edges. Deep in her heart, she’s a big softie, like a darn Hufflepuff she is.

Even how nice and radiating she can be to know when and how to say the right thing at the right instances.

As simple as it is, it's as if he had been charmed by her smile since the beginning when they had crossed paths one fine day in a Charms joint class between the Puffs and Lions.

From how gradually she grew up with him from being this shy girl to a more, clever partner for their duo. It has been an interesting process to be part of her development. Though, for Beomgyu, she will always be the soft and shy girl he came to love.

Or is it that I haven't matured yet to be at the same pace as her?

Is it wrong to think this way as if I do not accept the changes in Yumi? But that’s not it…

He grows uncertain of himself.

But all Beomgyu knows is that he doesn't want to lose Yumi, he really, really likes her.

“How about start by being nice to her?” Taehyun states the obvious, but it added a form of restitute with his Ravenclaw charm, that you can’t blatantly deny that the others may be bypassing the dumb basics.

Yeonjun nods along. Obviously still preoccupied with the meal in front of him while observing the group at the table.

It’s as if they had gathered and combined the same brain cell to work their gears.

Like, no shit, Sherlock.

Beomgyu had to hold back an eye roll at the common sense. As if he didn’t already think of that, and what in Merlin’s realm are they thinking I am doing?

“But I am nice to her,” he says with emphasis, as Beomgyu knows he definitely needs it.

Just by the looks of Kai and company at his declaration, they say otherwise.

“Yeah, if you consider being nice to her as ‘pranks and giggles’.” Soobin almost sneers.

Yeonjun on the other hand, full-on sneers.

“Even the tantamount teasing of getting on her nerves.” Yeonjun picks apart the food on his plate with his fork.

“Yeah, that's a way to make someone mark in your mind 24/7,” Kai says that with a soft blow. He can’t help but let out that teasing despite flipping over his Potions book.

“And the endless bantering...” Soobin rolls his eyes, he can’t even begin how much he gets sandwiched between the two as they get on… and on, and on… And to think that this is coming from him, Choi Soobin, the ultimate yapper who can withstand any bantering.

Taehyun could only wince.

“No wonder she still sees you being that 2nd-year doofus,” Taehyun says with disbelief, shaking head.

“Those methods won't make her want to kiss you, man.” Soobin prompts, blunt as ever. But he was really getting sick of the two, the childish displays just translated to two people just eager to make out or something. Aish.

Even on how graphic Beomgyu can be at times with telling Soobin about his mushy feelings, (Man, why do I have to be the one to take it?!), just EWW! YUCK! Man, stop being sappy and just get on it, will ya?!

As if frozen in place while they collectively stare at each other as the usual boisterous Choi Beomgyu is now quiet in their presence. He’s down bad.

Man….

The shock factor just added to how ridiculous this is.

Yeonjun belts out an insult in disgust. “Pabo, Beomgyu!”

The Gryffindor could only take the blow of his friend’s smack on his shoulder. Beomgyu knows to himself that what he's doing is the bare minimum at its finest.

So how does he get Yumi to see him differently?

He could've done this way before Jaemin had his shots, dammit. It's bad enough he's comparing himself to the point of ruminating. He dug himself into this hole.

Beomgyu got out of his trance as he felt the soft hands of Yumi on his. He almost melts at her gaze. "Got your Potions homework figured out already, Beomi?"

The open book was a great cover up at him mindlessly staring down in regret.

"Why, you need help with yours?" he asks.

The others roll their eyes. Things would not progress if they kept it like this, how it usually does. How can they change her perspective of him as best friends if they keep it this way?

Taehyun suggests getting them alone together, with a glance, Kai and the others quickly catch on. Even Yeonjun surprisingly nudging him in the right direction, even if it meant nudging them literally closer to one another.

A tinge of pink on Beomgyu's ears as both their shoulders bumped, Yumi just met eyes with him in surprise.

Aish, is he some kid with a crush to act this way or something?

Yeah...

Dang it.

“We can take this to someplace more quieter, these guys are obnoxious as fuck.” Beomgyu casually rolls his eyes at them.

“Y-yah!” Soobin with a mouthful, attempts to retort. But before he has the opportunity, Beomgyu scurries away by getting Yumi's hand and drags her somewhere.

-

“Honestly I don't know, I already got my dress in mind, hopefully it matches the tie with my partner, whoever... argh— sorry, this is corny to even plan out advance up to that point.” Yumi covers her face, frantically lining up the papers laid out. Maybe because of how the conversation died down on the homework, her attention got riled up on the shift of atmosphere as they wrapped it up.

“So easy to say, you're excited?” Beomgyu smirks, teasingly bumping his shoulder with hers.

Yumi is blushing, maybe because this is like another Yule Ball, version 2.0 that the students had come up with? It’s fairly a big event other than Quidditch finals, maybe as to why it got her so wrapped up about it? No use rationalizing it.

“Heck, I don't even know who I'm going with...”

So that was the big issue for her huh?

“Hopefully I can ease that up?” he perks. Ahhh... a flurry of wariness bubbled in Beogmyu's stomach.

Silence... it rang almost hovering over them for too long. It didn’t help with them almost centimeters away from touching each other’s fingers... Beomgyu takes a deep breath, opposite to Yumi who barely had the thought of breathing whatsoever.

Beomgyu breaks the silence.

“Did anyone ask you out already? How about that Slytherin?”

Man, why did I have to go there...

“Jaemin, yeah... he did ask me.” Yumi sheepishly plays with her fingers, her lap is threatened to be damp any second now of how her nervous sweats are seeping into her hands. Breathe…

Beomgyu observes her. “You're going with him?”

“Not quite sure...”

“Hmmm?” He hums letting it stay on his lips for a moment longer. “Why so?”

Yumi shrugs.

Almost passive, she diverts the topic. “How about you? Someone asked you to go with them as your date, Beomi?”

“Nah... turned them down.” He’s quick to dismiss it, as nothing interests him but the one beside him. Does she know?

“So, you are still Mr. Popular huh?”

Seeing her attempts to lighten the atmosphere, Beomgyu laughs softly. But the dreading feet stomping his chest is still not quite simmering down.

“Actually…”

He starts venting, different from their usual banter, although this is not a rare instance between the two.

Of course, he kept the vital details in check.

Mostly it's how worried Beogmyu is all this time, especially the Year End Party date. Like doing every means to not let anyone else take Yumi. Most especially keeping an eye on Jaemin.

But it all went down the drain.

Because he wants everything but for them to go together, especially as they promised and Beomgyu already planned this years ahead.

Like what else is he here for? Obviously, he has intentions… And he's not quite sure if Yumi is well aware of this, and how she's just letting him in in her life further.

“Huh? What do you take me for, Beomi? And didn't we promise to go together at any special events ever since?”

Like it’s obvious they’re a package, it wouldn’t be Lee Yumi if not with Choi Beomgyu. The Badger and the Lion.

Beomgyu blinks in disbelief.

“Y-yeah, yeah. Right.”

She had no choice but to blurt out some of the heaviness she had been feeling in her chest. Her hunches. Yumi had her brows knitted together at him.

“Pabo-yah. You're acting really weird lately… like ever since Jaemin showed up.” She had to chuckle at what she was saying right now. “Are you jealous or something?”

That pushed a trigger somehow, it came off as a joke, but Yumi was taken aback at his seriousness.

When silence rang between them, she broke the moment.

“Beomgyu…? I'm not gonna leave you that easily.” She leans close to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “We're best friends, right?”

A sigh almost tears the same rift between them with the silence he was giving her.

“Sometimes, I wish we weren't…”

Yumi stared at him blankly, her heart sank as she wallowed over his words… “What do you mean?”

“I know I have always been blatant about this, how much I like you. For years… since.”

His eyes are as direct as his words to her. But she remained jaded.

“Yeah, I like you too, we're best of fri—"

“No, don't say it.” He cuts her off, holding himself back further. Beomgyu just sighs, his shoulders slumping as prominent on the shift of his mood since those lines are drawn. “I know… But I guess you don't know enough.”

“Beomgyu…”

Loss for words, still not quite comprehending any of this.

Beomgyu leans in, and Yumi shudders as he closes the proximity between them.

She shut her eyes at the blow… expecting entirely different that might break her, or something that might set her off differently. His words… or his lips— She's quite bewildered at herself as well really.

She only felt this with Jaemin, so how is it now… No, I’m with Beomgyu right now, don’t think of him…

Feeling nothing of sorts at her prediction… Yumi opened her eyes as he felt Beomgyu by her ear.

“I just… don't wanna lose you.” That's all that he's able to muster out but it encapsulates the feelings in his chest. “You're special to me, you know that right, Yumi?”

Beomgyu is quite obvious already with Yumi, but she's not taking it seriously.

“You gave a fright there, I like you very much as to why I keep you close. And dumbass, I told you I won't be going anywhere.” She pulled him close to an embrace, most likely to conceal the traces of worry on her face. But the loud thumping on her chest cannot hide her heart's pleas.

This does not address the fact that she’s setting aside some of her fears, as deep down, the least that she wants is to lose her best friend in the whole wide world.

Beomgyu is who she's most comfortable with.

But things have been taking a shift lately, and it's scaring her quite frankly.

“I don't know… it's just, it's always had been us. It's weird, odd… that if I suddenly went with someone else...” Yumi is fumbling over her words and Beomgyu can't help but let her be. To think that was her worry all this time. It really made him torn.

Between growing up and letting her be…

“That's your choice though, I can't stop you,” Beomgyu says, he looks at her with his distant eyes. “Do you want to go out with him instead?”

“Can I really?”

That slight glimmer in her eyes… He had to tear himself away from that black hole effect of hers. Also to hide his dampening eyes.

“Psh… Who am I your parent? I have no means to control you, Yumi.”

Yumi beamed widely, and Beomgyu swore it ultimately tore a canyon in between them despite hugging closely like this, but… if it meant to see her smile brightly like that.

Even if it weren't because of me…

Idiot Beomgyu indeed.

※ my masterlist | #enjeiwrites ※

[lurkingshan]

Be My Favorite and Accepting the Things We Cannot Change

Several weeks back, @shortpplfedup posited that Be My Favorite’s core theme really comes down to the Serenity Prayer:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,  The courage to change the things I cannot accept,  And the wisdom to know the difference

Having now seen the finale and the full arc of the show, I have to declare her the most correct of clowns, because she nailed it. This finale was all about Pisaeng’s journey to accepting that he can’t control the outcome of Kawi’s illness in the future, and that ultimately, he doesn’t want to change the beautiful life they’ve had together on the off chance it might make a difference. 

I love the way this played out in the new temporary present (I am going to miss finding awkward ways to accurately describe what timeline we are in). When Pisaeng travels back in time to the night before they went to the amusement park, Kawi clocks it immediately, but waits for Pisaeng to fess up that he had time traveled back from the future, and why. Once everything is out in the open, we see a sense of calm come over Kawi as he begins gently guiding Pisaeng to what he has already learned: they can’t control it, and the best thing they can do is commit to enjoying the life they have together here and now. And so Kawi and Pisaeng put a pin in it and have a great day together at the amusement park, reveling in each other’s company and committing to the joy of being in each others’ presence. At the end of the day, Pisaeng admits that even though he’s scared, he wouldn’t want to change anything about their life together or risk losing what they have for the off chance that it could lead to a better outcome, and he goes back home to the uncertain future so he and his future Kawi can face it together, hand in hand. 

I absolutely loved the melancholy undertone to these first three parts of the episode and the poignancy of this message. While Pisaeng struggled, Kawi’s character growth was on full display as he settled into the wisdom he has earned over many timelines and failed attempts to control things he now knows he cannot change. Once he was the one on the outside of the time travel dilemma, he reached full clarity on how futile it all was, and how little would be accomplished by attempting to engineer a different trajectory that might save his life at the expense of his relationship with Pisaeng. And he has achieved a measure of peace and reached a level of confidence and comfort with Pisaeng that enabled him to guide his partner to the same conclusion. It was lovely to see, and felt very well earned. The themes in this section of the episode were so strong that they actually had me thinking they might go there and not give Kawi an explicit recovery and happily ever after. But they quickly changed tack once Pisaeng traveled back to the future in the final part of the episode.

Now, here is the part where I admit that I would have preferred a more nuanced final act rather than Kawi suddenly waking up fine and everything being peaceful from there. There was an opportunity here for a more thematically resonant ending, and the show chose to steer away from it to give us a standard joyful bl epilogue. An ending where Kawi does not fully recover or where his fate is left more open-ended would have really made the poignancy of their choice to stop trying to change things land more firmly. Something more in the mode of Bad Buddy’s somewhat happy ending with a bittersweet edge would have also felt right. That said, this is a bl drama and I can’t really be surprised that it stuck with genre conventions. It was a lovely ending for Kawi and Pisaeng and it was very nice to see them happy together after all the turmoil.

So where did I land on this show overall? I really liked it, and given that I came in with such low expectations, the fact that it ended up being a show I consistently looked forward to week after week is no small thing. This drama gave me a lot to think about and inspired such wonderful discussions with friends, not to mention more clown theories than I could ever hope to track. It also gave me the opportunity to see both Gawin and Krist in a new light—I was really impressed with both of them in this drama and I hope to see Gawin especially continuing to get lead roles. 

I don’t think this drama was perfect, however. At the time episode 10 aired I had some issues with the resolutions it put forward for the main timeline, and those criticisms stand. I wish it had done more with all the meaty stuff it set up with queer politics, Pisaeng’s mom’s hypocrisy in positioning herself as a queer ally while forcing her own son into the closet, and Max’s role as a queer activist who was her fan. There was so much story potential there, but it seems the show just had other priorities. And I’m still not entirely sure what the point of the Not/Kwan subplot was, given that they didn’t really do anything with it in the final arc of the show. I guess I will just settle for thanking the universe that Pear was marrying a very nice looking man who was not Not (lol) in the finale and be grateful they didn’t subject me to a redemption arc for that mean little man.

As always, it has been an honor clowning with you all, and I’m pleased that we’re ending Be My Favorite on such a good note. Shouts to @waitmyturtles @bengiyo, @thegalwhorants, @twig-tea and @rocketturtle4 for talking through a lot of my reactions to this show with me. On to the next! 

[grandmother-goblin]

Some thoughts about Astarion and romantic relationships because why the hell not!

As always, these are my opinions! My experiences color my interpretation just like your experiences color yours! Not here to fight, just here to talk about a character I like because I’m a huge geek.

1. After all he did whilst under the influence of Cazador, I strongly believe that he doesn’t really want sex or romance without a genuine connection with the other person.

2. This is why the potential scene with the drow twins makes me feel a little bad for him. I think if Astarion agrees to it, it’s mostly for Tav’s sake and not because he really wants to. But he does want to make Tav happy. And I think Tav, in that case, is a bit selfish for asking that of him.

3. Or! If Astarion agrees to the thing with the drow twins, it might just be because he doesn’t know how to say no or he’s falling back into old habits.

3. Or! Lastly, maybe he does genuinely want to try it! And then he gets there and is like “oh…. Oh no… Well, I’m committed now.” While I can see this being possible, I find it a little difficult to wrap my head around why he would want to try it in the first place. Because he’s essentially just using his body for people again. One of those people is Tav, who he cares about, but he doesn’t know the drow from the gnome two blocks down. (This is probably just a me thing. I’m sure him wanting to try would make total sense to some people and that’s valid! My little pea brain doesn’t totally get it though lol)

5. All that being said, I think Astarion is perfectly capable of being in a healthy polyamorous relationship in certain scenarios! But it would depend a lot on his current mental state, where he is in terms of healing from his trauma, and how secure he feels in his relationship. I’ll use Halsin as an example because that’s a possibility in game.

6. Case 1: Astarion and Tav are in a secure relationship and Tav wants to hook up with Halsin (just sex). Astarion, I think, would be okay with that provided that he feels confident/secure in his relationship with Tav. Far be it from him to keep Tav from a good time! No pressure for his involvement beside his permission.

7. Case 2: Astarion and Tav are in a secure relationship and both of them are emotionally close with Halsin. I think Astarion would be totally chill with polyamory in this case. Him and Tav want the same thing and he doesn’t have to worry about Halsin stealing Tav away.

8. Case 3: Astarion and Tav are in a secure relationship, and Tav wants a threesome with him and Halsin. Unless Astarion is already close with Halsin, I feel like he would be less okay with this. It would be similar to (2) on the list where Astarion is mostly just trying to make Tav happy.

9. Last headcanon and one that I know not everyone will agree with: Astarion is a possessive bastard.

10. Astarion went so long without having anything to call his own, not even his own body, so I think that when he’s in a relationship that Tav is his. He can share Tav if he wants to, but at the end of the day he has to know that he is Tav’s first choice.

11. This is where polyamory would probably get messy with him. I think that he would need to be Tav’s favorite. If Tav seemed to be liking their partner just as much as they liked Astarion, I think Astarion would get really jealous and insecure really fast.

12. My personal favorite scenario for Astarion is a monogamous relationship (this is not everyone’s favorite scenario! That is okay! I’m not fighting you!) The reason why this is my favorite because I think this is ultimately what Astarion would feel most comfortable with. It leaves less room for doubt, insecurity, jealousy, etc (I am fully aware these pop up in monogamous relationships as well. I am not exalting monogamous relationships here. I personally just think that would be the most comfortable situation for this particular character. Your opinions may differ and that’s fine!)

I can probably talk about this more, but that’s all I’m gonna say for now! Again, absolutely not judging or calling out anyone who thinks differently. You do you! I’m just throwing thoughts around like confetti because why not?

[pjsk-headcanons]

ok welcome to today's ted talk (i am procrastinating on doing my schoolwork bc brother eughhh i am not reading a book from 1500 or smth /jk i will eventually. just let me have this for now) today's ted talk is.... what teams and drivers in f1 pjsk characters would like bc f1 and pjsk is arguably what is maintaining me sane and idk why not. if you disagree uhhh thats fine idc lol this is purely based off of vibes and cardinal directions WxS - rui: as i have mentioned in my first hc he likes a) ferrari b) red bull c) mclaren, bc every f1 fan ik is at least A BIT of a ferrari fan even if they like only one team (*cough* that fan may be me *cough* *cough*), so rui is a ferrari fan and a red bull fan, probably because he likes the crazy shit on red bull's channel (look at this for example: https://youtube.com/shorts/uf9PQT0OgUY?si=yA8NM97AJHeyf0HH). maybe he likes the drink as well, now drivers! his favorite driver is lando, bc i think he will like his streaming content (perhaps his personality and his willingness to talk abt mental health and i am not kidding, search it up!!) (i'd like to note that rui is most definitely a very avid f1 fan) - tsukasa, emu and nene: they all like ferrari and red bull, they're not avid fans but they understand what happens in the sport (mainly because of rui) and as i think they wouldn't be as big fans as rui, so they probably just follow rui's opinions LOL im sorry if it's basic, but it's imo :3 L/N - ichika: she's a casual f1 fan, so she probably likes ferrari bc it's popular and she doesnt know how much depression it causes to be a tifosi. (ps: i am not a tifosi) her favorite driver is lando yet again, because she decided to learn a bit more abt the f1 drivers and found out he can play multiple instruments, so that sparked an interest in her and yeah - saki: she probably doesn't even care but she likes to listen to ichika and shiho talk abt the races. im sorry if it sounds like saki slander, i just dont think she would really like f1 😭😭 pls forgive me saki fans - honami: the ultimate of ultimate of f1 casual fans. that's it, maybe she would like alex but that's it - shiho: the less casual f1 fan out of l/n, she likes red bull and max verstappen. arguably she doesnt even care abt the f1 teams, but she likes max for how he is(me too shiho. it's actually sad to think i didnt like him </3) extra hc: ichika and shiho most definitely talk abt f1 whenever they have time to! VBS - akito: he likes whatever team is fighting an's favorite team. if she likes red bull, he likes mclaren, etc, etc. point is, he likes what an doesnt bc he has some beef with an (i promise you it's not idk levels of genuine hate it's like uhhh i forgot the word im not sure if this is clear!!) - an: uhhh i accidently explained her in akito's part - kohane: weirdly, super into f1. she's not the "i watch f1 for the drivers!" fan, she's the "i watch f1 for the sport!" fan (<- i feel like i have to clarify that) and although that may not make sense, she roots for all the teams and drivers. (even lance.) so tbh if you asked her "kohane whats your favorite f1 team and f1 driver?" she would say "idk i just like the sport i dont really care abt who's winning" - toya: he seems like he would like f1 but he doesnt know a shit abt f1(the creative juices are almost gone now afksahsjkdgbhdg) N25 - mafuyu: i feel like she heard abt f1 at school and ended up liking instead of the sport, the aerodynamics stuff. very specific ik - kanade: she would get distracted by the f1 sounds so she wouldn't even know what's happening and somehow compose a music based off the sounds of an f1 car/f1 related - mizuki: she heard abt f1 one day from rui and ever since she talks with rui abt f1 stuff (other than the in canon stuff)!! her favorite team is whoever is cooking at the moment (she doesnt want to suffer over like. omg bad strategies and bad car) and her favorite driver is lewis (1. his fashion style 2. how good he is) - ena: tbqh the same thing as an's

MMJ - my creative juices have almost completely dried. but tbh, i dont think they would have time for f1 bc they do so much shit yknow, ik they like have managers and everything but id argue they're dedicated to what they do and they'd prefer to do other stuff than learn abt f1 stuff. im so sorry mmj fans i promise ill make a better headcanon than this one day 😭😭

oops how did it get this long? anyways, thank you for joining my ted talk! hope everyone is ok :D - papaya anon

.

[mdhwrites]

Going back through TOH's episodes, it strikes me how boring they are. Part of the problem seems to be how criminally unfunny the show is, generally speaking. I can count how many times I've laughed on one hand. In fact I can list them:

There was the "It's been my dream since I was a boy" guy pushing kids off cliffs (Moving Hassle), Luz's "He'll be fine" after throwing Hunter overboard - and then his subsequent re-entry (Hunting Palismen) - and lastly Luz tumbling offscreen in front of Amity after a spider crawls on her face (Grom). That's 3 scenes, 4 jokes if we're being charitable. And sure, maybe my sense of humour is just incompatible with TOH's and I'm being harsh.

But I can't deny that I just feel like there's no rewatch value in TOH? Like it's just... the jokes are so bad to the point it's not fun, it's not entertaining, it's a slog, I see no value in retreading the same ground. And I am a SERIAL rewatcher! This is coming from someone who spends maybe 85% of their time experiencing the same stories! I love seeing well-done media all over again, because even if I know what's going to happen or what they will say, a well-structured joke or a skillfully delivered line is still gonna engage me.

I can't even recommend the show to anyone because I HAVE in the past... and what ends up happening is they watch the first couple episodes, get bored, go "I recognize that you like this, but it's not my thing" and drop it. And I CAN'T BLAME THAT! Because that's how I reacted too when I got into the show! I only stuck with it because it seemed like it was going really interesting places. And it tried to, I think, and failed.

I'm also a very fandom-heavy person so TOH's boring episodes have made it increasingly harder for me to stay within it. Because I'm not rewatching anything, I can see myself in real time as I forget more and more of the plotlines, and even a lot of the characters. It's just... kind of disappointing. It's like I just had a gradual fizzling out of interest. I don't even hate the show, which might be better in some ways - instead I just can't muster enough shits to feel any type of way towards it.

I rambled a bit but I guess my ultimate ask here was: what are your thoughts on whether or not TOH manages to entertain new/old viewers?

So I like S1. I think the characters are what carry it and that they are at their most interesting, EASILY, in S1.

The vast majority of S1, in terms of concepts and executions for plots, is OKAY AT BEST.

This actually just comes down to a simple tonal decision of TOH and also just the fact that a boring world with boring magic creates little to do with bog standard plots and TOH actually has a LOT of bog standard plotting. It is a pretty classic story structurally and takes genuinely very few risks in the structure... Which is okay in theory.

There is nothing wrong with not reinventing the wheel and TOH talks a big game about subverting tropes but no. As a fantasy fan, I can tell you this is EXCEPTIONALLY normal. Like... Insultingly from how much it talks a big game. Especially because if you're going to do classic, you have three options: Shoot the moon, lean into the unique elements of your concept or do it VERY. VERY. WELL.

And remember: They did a body swap episode and it is one of the most hated episodes of the entire show. That's not a good sign.

But this touches on the second problem I brought up: This is a boring world with boring magic. Because TOH's fantasy world is so basic, has little magic and little flair with its magic, it inherently limits what it can do. Now, it doesn't have to be this way but the show made it this way with how little we see of it, how limited it is (like how plant magic is 99% vines), and how often it just blatantly makes one to one comparisons between it and our world with effectively NOTHING altered like how the covens are just jobs, right down to them being introduced through a job fair and a boring one at that.

So when we look at a classic episode concept like the body swap episode, the three plots are... Easily replicated elsewhere. One person gets in trouble in the swap's job because they don't know what they're doing (with the most unique twist of this actually landing them in prison), a classic animal plot where they're taken in by a place that seems cozy and then isn't with literally no changes, and finally... Teenager pisses off bullies and agrees to jump DEAD MAN'S GORGE! But instead of skateboards and people really building it up, its rat beasts.

None of these plots are actually bad, they're go tos for a reason, but... No one is bringing anything special to this. Luz is entirely ignored so her character may as well not matter, Eda is doing NOTHING to add to her plot and King... King is fun for about two minutes leading the bullies and otherwise is just any other character in this situation. It's not bad, I personally enjoy parts of the episode... But it's nothing special. From the second the thing that X character is going to do is revealed, you can guess every step of the plot and they don't even really throw in good jokes in the process. A couple jokes but nothing memorable because everything is weirdly subdued compared to how other shows would be, even in an episode that is definitely trying to be more over the top.

And this runs into the inherent tonal issue of TOH: It doesn't want to be an adventure comedy. Those are genres that are commonly really over the top. They hear jump the shark and go "How about a shark jumping ten other sharks in order to finish making a can of tuna for their fire giant overlord?" And the face of this fact, in that the genres it pitches itself as for the first two episodes!

TOH flatly refuses to be silly and over the top. It's characters are very... 'realistic'. I don't mean real, just that they're meant to feel more mature by being more in control. They don't let them interrupt each other for a joke, they don't let a character be potentially OOC for a one off gag like Hop Pop screaming "EAT THE RICH!" or Sprig asking "Have you ever killed a a man, Hop Pop," and I can only think of one time Luz got mad for the sake of a joke and honestly, yelling about the Rusty Smidge barely comes across as a joke because of how genuine the anger feels after a point. Otherwise, stuff that would normally get exaggerated frustration or the like to at least let you laugh at the reaction just... doesn't get one, like how Luz yells about Luzura being killed off but then... Just walks off and is passive aggressive mostly instead of even exasperated. For a drama or romance, this is not a bad approach but for even just an adventure kid's show... It's not great to put it mildly because people meet odd situations with weird levels of nonchalance. Not quite irony poisoned levels but getting there.

It's why TOH is mostly remembered for the romance and drama episodes. Not only do they allow some of the romance scenes to actually include melodrama, they also just fit how the characters act better. It's why Amity has some of the biggest emotions of the series and why Lumity have such great lines between each other because they're actually willing to lean into the sort of genre fiction that they're doing. This is also why S2 works better than S1 because a lot of the pretense of being a comedy adventure gets dropped but like... There's still plenty of boring in S2 with stuff like how Elsewhere Elsewhen takes time travel and includes a couple jokes at the beginning and then is just... horribly bland and barely qualifies as an adventure.

This lack of allowing people to be emotional and jokey also leads to the reliance on comic relief characters. People like Gus, King or Hooty, or S2 Lilith, who the characters can mock in someway, including the writers. Characters who can be the punchline even if it means a lot of people come off a lot meaner than they should, i.e. Luz absolutely rejecting Hooty for the vast majority of the series despite supposedly liking the weird and rejected. That also means that most of the time they're not on screen, either the scene starts getting pretty dry or you have a character suddenly warp to be comic relief, like how Eda gets in some S2 episodes like Elsewhere Elsewhen or Eclipse Lake where suddenly she's MUCH more of a joke than she normally is and also REALLY bad at it too and seeming potentially brain dead for it. Thanks to Them even does this to Amity even though she is probably the last person in the cast to make sense as a sudden clutz.

All of this stuff makes it so that if you go in wanting a kid's show, a fantasy show, ANYTHING that is pitched in the first episode... S1 is going to be just okay to you. I enjoyed it... But I also fell off when I first watched it. I thought the characters were good but none of it stuck with me as actually memorable and I watched until I think Adventure in the Elements. I never was never compelled to come back until Lumity animations (literally THE Little Miss Perfect animatic that is nowadays probably hard to find actually) made me go "I remember this show being neat." And Lumity was what kept me, not because I was generally laughing or calling these episodes something special. In fact, that sense of unsatisfaction is probably why I watched through it faster than Amphibia. No one episode of TOH is really great to watch on its own because... It's just kind of boring, or like half of it is boring because the B plots across the board are SO BLAND. S1 or 2 for that matter since Lumity starts getting boring B plots like with the archives or finding out the author of Azura. Both concepts btw that could have been really interesting setups and instead... If you're not into blushing Amity, get FUUUUUCKED.

That's without getting into REPETITION. Repetition kills comedy so King having one joke for S1 and also taking up like half of the B plots for the first ten episodes means you are going to be in agony eventually anytime someone talks to him because you know where it's going and you have DEFINITELY heard this joke before. And you know, he also gets three repetitive B plots which just hurts the joke even more, even as they try to make twists on it, and hurts the feeling that the show is doing... Anything..

It's just not good. Which is probably why once the characters and the 'subversive/unique' elements of the show both weakened, more and more people left because... Why would you keep watching this then? Those elements are what made up for boring plots with boring execution in a world that didn't allow for more interesting storytelling because it had few ideas and expanded on NONE OF THEM. So of course people pitch it using the elements that say "this isn't like other kids shows/fantasy shows" because if you pitch it to people who like those... They'll just be disappointed eventually and bored quickly. Like i think a lot of people did to be quite honest.

And a lack of creativity, and a lack of genre understanding, isn't something time could have ever fixed.

======+++++======

The short version of proving this point btw is going "Compare Bumi's introductory episode, which is a character giving three trials to prove another's worth, versus when the Bat Queen challenges Luz. One is exceptionally funny, interesting and has genuinely interesting twists while the other is... There. So very there. Painfully just... there. Not even bad, just... There.

Also, yes, comedy is extremely subjective which is why I tried to talk more about how a lot of these premises are boring because that can be a bit more objective.

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past.

I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead.

If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[farfromdaylight]

OH I AM SORRY somehow i completely did not see that you had already answered some of these lmao. anyway have some more: 9, 16, 20, 21

NO NO i got a bunch at the same time and answered them together, you just happened to double up! not ur fault at all. THANK U FOR SENDING MORE, i shall tl;dr below!

9: worst part of canon

god i could answer this for so many series, i am always full of salt about Bad Canon.

can i say "most of zero time dilemma?" i know this isn't final fantasy but oh my god, what the fuck was uchikoshi smoking on this one. i thought it was okay but not great when i played through it the first time. when @shepherdtostars played through the series she streamed VLR and ZTD for me and man, ZTD does not fucking hold up lol. like all three games have their low points (especially in gameplay/mechanics/traversal but i'm solely speaking about story here). ZTD's conclusion to the series is fucking stupid at best.

to be slightly more on topic, i have not thought dirge of cerberus was good since i was a teenager with no taste and no understanding of Decent Storytelling and Characterization. (and even then i could recognize some shit was garbage, lmao.)

16: you can't understand why so many people like this thing (characterization, trope, headcanon, etc)

my gut answer for this is zenos, lmao. i think @anneapocalypse summed up a lot of it in her similar response (i'm on mobile rn or i'd link). i think zenos is fine in stormblood itself and his ultimate ending at the close of 4.0 is fantastically done, ties together the narrative themes, etc.

i don't feel that way about endwalker. i don't think it's earned. i struggle with it to the point that i am going to replay stormblood (i haven't replayed it since 2020) and really dig into how i feel about it for my wol's story, then extrapolate from there for an ending that makes sense for endwalker. like i'm genuinely stuck on my 80% complete endwalker fic due to The Zenos Problem.

here's the thing, i don't hate his character trope? ennui is fine for a villain motivation and it ties into the themes of uncaring imperalism that stormblood puts forward. by contrast, i really disliked how zenos carried forward after that in the story. fandaniel didn't work for me. EW zenos didn't work for me. i have no desire to replay endwalker but i've reread and rewatched the scenes enough that i don't think it'll ever really work for me.

which is fine. i know i'm supposed to be choosing violence in this meme but it's fine that This Specific Storyline didn't click. there's a lot else i like instead.

20: part of canon you found tedious or boring

FF14 is too easy an answer for this. I love the game but it has some dead boring story and gameplay structure for MSQ. i have nothing against the character (i thought she was fine) but "speak with wuk lamat" illustrates the problem perfectly no matter how you feel about her. you need variance in the actual gameplay of telling your story, or it becomes too obvious to the player.

it works fine in visual novels and in many ways FF14 is very similar to that medium, but... it's not. it's a RPG. FF14 can't really do much of interest with this kind of thing due to the nature of its setup. i don't expect the kind of genuine exploration and discovery you get in other RPGs from it because it's linear by design. but please hide the bones of the structure so i can focus on enjoying the game.

21: part of canon you think is overhyped

final fantasy vii rebirth dev. square enix

lmao.

i really wish i'd liked it. in so many ways i should have liked it. it clearly, CLEARLY worked for many people. but it didn't work for me. remake was solidly middle of the road, but rebirth? good god, what is nojima smoking these days. why is aerith singing. why is zack here. what the fuck is that ending.

sigh.

[overflowchute]

very funny to be reading this manga after i lost my fucking mind over the last few weeks and somehow found myself reading about historical cannibalism a while back

cannibalism is a common taboo but not as common as you might think. in particular in any society where people have felt it was just to kill one another for various reasons, the extension to consumption of the dead even outside of times of necessity was not that much farther from it

if you think about it from a distance, this actually makes quite a lot of sense as something ppl would do in a naturalistic context. if you kill another animal it is generally considered proper to at least eat it, in the animal world it is the most efficient use of resources.

the stereotypical "cannibal group" that westerners blew into a huge proportion to dehumanize others is interesting b/c cannibalism was indeed smth ppl did - but the context is interesting. you often saw it accompany groups that fought wars and killed each other constantly anyway

and indeed, when people were asked about this sort of thing they would often say "what, are we supposed to leave the body to rot pointlessly on the ground after i've killed him?" lol

i think it does speak to a specific western worldview to be essentialist abt "humans dont do that"

it is really a nasty topic to read about though, because there's an element i earnestly hadn't really known about, which is that there have been some slave-holding societies in history where ppl really would just. like. murder their slaves for meat at special occasions. it's attested at least

the thing here is... once again... it comes across as so bizarrely exaggerated a situation that it couldn't feel true to the modern viewer. but at the same time, if you really think about it, that happens because we have certain beliefs regarding human value that aren't temporally universal

there are people now who believe other types of people are unlike them to such a degree that they feel no guilt about murdering them, or condemning them to die, for blithe, stupid, personal reasons. society is full of such things...

and slave-holding as a system is more or less about saying that a human being is property and their life is totally under an individual's jurisdiction. humans even now routinely kill livestock simply bc they like their taste

i think one can make logical arguments based on intelligence and capacity for feeling, but ultimately the difference isn't quite as big as people like to imagine it is... and it is easy to forget how much all societies are fine with killing in the right scenarios

anyway, i just find taboos interesting. my opinion on meat eating is that you should at least not lie to yourself about it. when racists make a big fuss abt ppl eating animals that upset them to see die in other countries im like "do you know how smart pigs are?"

im not vegetarian but i probably could be some day, i dunno. for now i just accept knowing what i know and that i am not a perfect person. but i do value examining the truth of this world and my personal degrees of complicity, especially if the system is too large for me to change through my action. ho ho ho!