#but i am a wille apologist

[m4ndysk4nkovich]

you know what? i feel like i’ve already said the most controversial takes i have about debbie, so why not say this: half of y’all didn’t even hate debbie until you saw other people hating her and i can guarantee that. it didn’t even cross my mind that anybody could hate her until i saw the shit people were posting on reddit and tiktok. i wholeheartedly believe that a lot of people like and relate to her more than they’d care to admit, because at this point i feel like debbie haters all use the same clips and same takes over and over again, like they’re all just copying each other. if i could go back in time to when i started watching shameless, i’d advise myself to stay out of the fandom until i finished it because when you watch it and ignore other people’s opinions, you get a new perspective.

[roosterlasagne]

Upon rewatching s1ep10 I'm kind of on Will's side. And I mean kind of because I don't think it's wrong for the village to fight for themselves and I don't think the deaths of the people lie on Arthur either.

But, I don't think it's a smart choice for Arthur, who came to help Merlin, to instantly become the leader just because he is the prince. He should definitely provide his wisdom on fighting if the villagers choose to fight but I don't think it's his place to instantly rally a bunch of farmers to pick up swords and fight skilled warriors in a matter of a few days.

The smart thing to do for the village itself would be to flee and for Arthur & co to scout and see what Kanen is up to.

But with the situation they are in during the episode I think Merlin could have silently followed Kanen and dealt with the issue that way, or tried. Because him and Will both know that Merlin could deal with Kanen's group solely with his magic. And Merlin is scared of Arthur finding out about his magic. With him sneaking to find Kanen Arthur would be none the wiser

[sillsif]

i can never say i want kit dead bc he’s the only mf making the show interesting rn

[massiveladycat]

i will never get over people laughing at octavian's death personally,,, he was SHOT INTO THE AIR!!! thats so painful. all the burns and the impact, plus being flung from a cannon and probably slamming into gaia (literal earth goddess) plus festus (gigantic metal dragon, i bet that HURT) and leo (pretty sure leo was burning)

he was a kid and he was annoying to some people and he was usually antagonized but he didnt deserve to die OR go out in that way. the gods are a thousand times worse than octavian, and apollo told him that he'd be a savior of new rome, but people still justify them. not to mind there are much worse people in the PJO universe (gabe, LUKE)

octavian ily they could never make me hate you EVER. idc what you say he could have been redeemed. did he do bad things? yes. but he was so deeply influenced and the day meeting with leo and the others, in which i remind you octavian literally was watching new rome get blown up (no wonder he was livid, his home was on FIRE).

like come on. octavian is a complex character and people aren't willing to admit that he could've been better and he was just a literal teenager in the sake of hating him because everyone else/pjo characters hate him.

he is such a tragic character imo because he grew up in new rome and all he wanted to do was protect it (and he was highly ambitious and aiming for praetor, i won't deny the fact that he was selfish but that is a quality that can be REDEEMED) and sure the way he went about it was messed up but most of his actions (except killing that one centurion) were justifiable

btw im not saying octavian's like an angel or anything im pretty sure i remember him "killing" a 5th cohort centurion once but then she was revived which . . . what was the point of that?? was it just to like make us hate him more?? huh??? and then was it even ever talked about again?? also yeah he blackmailed hazel thats not good also judging from the wikipedia it only said frank suspected octavian because.. he didn't have his spear?? what?? reminder that there is proof that a lot of pjo characters are unreliable narrators and for all we know octavian could've screwed up somehow and left his spear somewhere (just saying i'd do that too ngl)

also "I am the savior of Rome! I was promised!" i didnt know why but that quote DESTROYED me but now i know that it was because he genuinely believed he was doing the best for new rome and he'd finally have someone's praise and they'd praise him like they praised percy and reyna. pretty sure his mental state was not very good in that scene either and nico and will just let him shoot himself out of an onager on accident. also are we just going to gloss over the fact apollo told him that and encouraged him he was doing the right thing?? of COURSE octavian trusted apollo on that and believed it was the truth; apollo was his ancestor and someone he worshipped as an augur and trusted in for omens and prophecies and allat

yeah. octavian's an asshole. but he was a kid and he couldve been redeemed. then again i am a huge octavian apologist and im not saying you have to have the same opinions as i do also i will not be responding to any asks in my inbox im 2 tired to deal with that!! anyways dont go and insult people or me if you think the opposite thats fine !! i was just bored and found this in my drafts so whats the harm of posting it because im not going to get sent threats over this right,,, right??????

[goldenwitherphoenix13]

You actually make a great point. And I think I can make a tangent out of this.

Friendly reminder, this is discussing characters and not the content creators. I love the characters and the story they portray. I just wanna talk about how crule the characters themselves are.

The other emperors are all gonna be against him for his villain arc, right? Even others on their villain arcs are against him because while Jimmy is on the evil side, he still has the law to his side. They want Jimmy to stop being corrupt and evil because hes not gonna be as fun to mess with since he now poses a true threat instead of being a weak joke, even though they wanted this in the first place.

Remember when Sausage said "if this doesnt start his villain arc i dont know what will." When Joel made the statue? Because I do. They asked for it. Jimmy not only gave them what they wanted, he weaved it to help himself not caring for what others tell him. Pix says he can't take down the pranks like the wall because "it's artwork of the god's." But Jimmy doesn't care anymore.

Yet when everyone fights back, 1 of 2 things will happen.

1: They realise 'oh shoot, we've messed up and mentally broken the sheriff' and peacefully make it better.

2: They don't realise it, continue calling the sheriff corrupt, and defeat him in a way that forces him back into a position of taking hit after hit and being that joke they love.

Something else I noticed, as a bonus, Jimmy was a toy, but just not physically. He isn't a living doll or stuffed plushy or anything like that. He's everyone else's outlet. They make fun of him, pull him about, wind him up and break him. Like how we squeeze plush toys to relieve stress and make them feel what we want. We break them in angry spats and arguments, we tear and crack them, and if toys were sentient, I think they would have a right to be angry at us ruining them. The emperors are all playing with the sheiffs mental health, playing jump rope with it. They ruin his mental heath for their enjoyment. And the sheriff no longer wanted to feel like that. He no longer wanted to be treated as a joke, a weakling, a toy. He wanted to feel human and powerful.

But the others? They want their toy back. They want someone to be the weakest and play with their mental stability, even if they dont realise that they are actually playing with it. They think its just fun between friends, but the sheriff doesn't see it that way.

Jimmy taking down the bigger pranks and taking his anger out on objects is less evil and more just actual techniques of dealing with pent up anger. Jimmy stealing the anvils, things that are replacable, is a petty thing that can be fixed. Or COULD of been fixed if Lizzie wasnt so impatient and didn't decide to blow up the sheriff and all his gear plus the 150+ anvils he had. Let's not forget, she's the one who destroyed the anvils. Jimmy didn't intend to do that. And what he stole, while annoying to make, was both replacable and retrievable. False has an iron farm after all. She can easily help everyone get new anvils.

But if we wanna take things to the extreme, the others trying to stop Jimmy's villain arc, are stopping Jimmy from getting help. If he's essentially on a self help arc, then others stopping him is them saying " no you can not have that."

At this point, almost half of the emperors are villains or bad guys in their own way. I mean, just look at some of these emperors.

Fwhip is a gaslighting and manipulative goblin,

Joel is an arrogant and prideful god with little care for humanity, even if seeing the hermits did teach him better and he's kinda redeemed now,

Joey is a greedy, judging and lustful pirate,

Scott is a sly and theiving adventurer,

Jimmy isn't just on a villain arc. He's on the darker path with a vengeful and angry drive to take back control of his life and stop the excessive jokes at his expence. Villainous emperors already disrespected him, he expected it and it mentally damaged him before, but he was ok because he felt that there were people he could confide in. Gem, Katherine, False, Pix, Scott, they all cared enough to not betray him to his face. But when someone like Gem suddenly betrayed him, someone who is supposed to be kind and pasifistic, then he knows that no one is with him. He's got no one to confide in. If no one will help him, then he will help himself. He will do what he can to help himself, even if it's a bit evil. Others who try to stop him without offering an alternative are just accidentally saying that he doesn't deserve help. That he should suck it up and take it on the chin.

But is that any healthier than getting rid of something that had been mentally destroying him and his spirit, taking his frustration out on statues and making others feel his frustration? He needs a better outlet, that's for sure, but the others really aren't giving him that outlet.

Sorry if that got off topic too much.

Long story short, the sheriff is being denied therapy and healthy coping mechanisms and when he tries something that isn't exactly healthy but is working and isn’t hurting himself or others, he's put down by the other characters and it's cruel. He's a broken villain, and he's not gonna get better until the others stop and look at him.

Jimmy's 'villain arc' is just his self help and mental health arc

Like- he's getting rid of everything that has been used against him ( Joel's statue, the walls, ext) and is beginning to be more open about himself (I mean this is the physical way and as an ace I am laughing)

But also he's taking away triggers that hurts him (the anvils, Joel.... More to add ig)

Who cares if he's being a little illegal and corrupt and wants the world to end, that's just his little way of getting back on track .. .

(obviously this is /lh or /j)

[bengiyo]

The Knowing: Being Queer in BL

I’ve been talking about The Knowing a lot lately with @lurkingshan @waitmyturtles @ginnymoonbeam and @shortpplfedup and so I felt it was time to gather all those thoughts into one place.

I define The Knowing as “growing up and suffering with the knowledge that you are queer (specifically that you are not like other kids) and understanding that you must keep that knowledge to yourself.”

Part of what initially drew me to BL was how often many of these shows took place in what @absolutebl calls “The Bubble” where cultural and structural homophobia is less prevalent or nonexistent. Many of these stories are about guys learning something about themselves for the first time when it comes to being attracted to other men. However, I always find myself drawn to the characters that clearly Knew who they were a long time ago. What’s interesting about these characters is that many of them carry an intense sadness and loneliness that plagues them and their relationships.

I am in my mid-30s. I’ve had to unlearn a lot of language over the decades. When I first realized I was different from other kids I was eight years old. I was a lot like Chiron in Moonlight (2016) asking the question, “What’s a faggot?” I wish I’d had someone like Juan around to say, “A faggot is a word used to make gay people feel bad.” To which Chiron asked, “Am I a faggot?” and Juan quickly corrected. “Nah. You can be gay, but you ain’t gotta let nobody call you no faggot.” I know it’s hard for some of you to read slurs written out so plainly, but I grew up with them being part of the day-to-day language used by kids around me. If you instinctively recoiled at me typing the word four times, imagine experiencing that constantly for your entire adolescence while also fearing the consequences of being discovered by your peers. That’s what I survived. That’s what some of these boys survived.

Before I learned other words, I thought I was weird or broken. I knew I was drawn to boys before I even hit puberty, but I didn’t have language for existing on the ace-spectrum until I joined Tumblr in the early 2010s. Before that I just thought there was something wrong with me. When we see a character in BL who has clearly been gay for a long time, I find myself examining the environment around them to see if they suffered The Knowing.

The worst part of The Knowing is for the boys who can pass as straight if they try hard enough. I always talk about how I think femmes are stronger than those of us (like me) who can pass. They face the public scrutiny of being queer and the danger of that constantly. People like me often go unnoticed unless we’re amongst our peers or explicitly tell people who we are.

I’m writing this post as a love letter to the boys who suffered the Knowing. Sometimes these characters get a bad reputation in fandom for being boring or sad sacks, but they are the characters I love the most. I’d like to talk about some of my favorite boys who Knew. Unsurprisingly, the exact kind of melancholy Japan is willing to play with means they have strong presence on this list.

Korn (Until We Meet Again)

Korn is the character who began my discussion about this in a conversation with @wen-kexing-apologist about Kao’s acting. I pointed out that the saddest thing about Korn in Until We Meet Again is that he knew what he was going to do the entire time. The tragedy of UWMA is that Korn loved Intouch and let him in, and unfortunately learned that Intouch’s love couldn’t fix the horrors that plagued him. You can see it in Kao’s eyes for the entire show whenever we see the In and Korn flashbacks. He suffers under the weight of masculine expectation and crumbles.

The Entire Cast of What Did You Eat Yesterday?

WDYEY is all about characters who Knew. Kenji and Wataru may have been unable to pass and have chosen to accept who they are, but we know Wataru suffered for it because of his feelings about family. Shiro hid who he was for a very long time, and still hides it from most people. His trauma from The Knowing regularly threatens his relationship with Kenji. Kohinata also clearly knew who he was the entire time, and works diligently for the life he’s built for himself. So much of this show is about being gay in a world that does not value us.

Book, Christina, and Yok (Make It Right)

Book is actively victimized because of The Knowing. He left his previous school and doesn’t live with his family because he was outed by a past boyfriend, and is disowned after revenge porn of him is posted.

Both Chrstina and Yok are femme and cannot pass. Unlike many of the boys in this show figuring out who they are, they are trying to survive without losing themselves.

Li Ming (Moonlight Chicken)

Li Ming has a gay uncle and still suffers The Knowing. He is hiding his attraction from everyone until he develops feelings for Heart.

Itou Akira (Life: Love on the Line)

We experienced the entire arc of this man’s life and how much The Knowing crushed him. This is probably the most The Knowing character on the list.

Oumi Mitsuru (Eternal Yesterday)

Oumi has such a frank expression of The Knowing and how much it hurts that he likes Koichi but feels like he can’t express it.

Takahashi Satoru (Koisenu Futari)

The man literally blogs about The Knowing, and it’s how Sakuko began to understand herself. He has a questionnaire prepared to help you figure out how long you’ve Known.

Ren (Tokyo in April Is…)

I wrote multiple posts about Ren and his experience with The Knowing. So much of what goes wrong for them is because Ren couldn’t believe that Kazuma could like him, too, and he knowingly faced the consequences of being discovered to save Kazuma’s life.

Pete (Love by Chance)

Pete knows who he is and can’t change it. Trump uses this against him. Pete doesn’t want Ae to be gay like him and suffer with the realities of being a Known Gay. Pete has one of the first coming out scenes in BL that I really enjoyed.

Cairo (Gameboys)

Cairo was clearly struggling with Knowing, and his close friend took his coming out from him. Cairo is a brat, but goddamn do I appreciate some of his angst.

See-eiw (My Only 12%)

He watched The Love of Siam (2007) and had a complete emotional breakdown as he was finally able to name his feelings for Cake. Top-tier expression of The Knowing.

Shin (3 Will Be Free)

I mean, we don’t have to look much further than his entire sad existence and being pushed into sex with a prostitute in the first episode. Also there’s, “It wasn’t that you didn’t like boys. You just didn’t like me.” Shin is the only boy in BL-adjacent media to suffer a specific version of The Knowing: being rejected and discarded by your own people in a homophobic way so they could stay closeted.

Phupha (A Tale of Thousand Stars)

Phupha’s entire romantic angst is built around The Knowing and what others seeing him for who he is will do for him.

Pran (Bad Buddy)

Though Bad Buddy exists in The Bubble, Pran has one of the most painful versions of The Knowing I’ve ever experienced because his is wrapped up in family angst and an unrequited crush.

Lee Wan (Our Dating Sim)

Lee Wan suffered The Knowing and broke things with his best friend after confessing. The Knowing destroyed his ability to see a version of his life where he and Shin Kitae overcame the upcoming challenges together and so he takes that choice from Kitae. Crushing.

Ueda Minoru (Our Dining Table)

Minoru is so familiar with The Knowing that he preemptively breaks up with Yutaka after kissing him.

Kiyoi (My Beautiful Man)

The reveal that Kiyoi already knew who he was and noticed Hira the entire time? Beautiful. One of the best reveals in J-BL history.

Minato (Minato’s Laundromat)

This man is one of the sadder examples of The Knowing because he’s in a place where he understands who he is now, but the internalized homophobia cripples almost all of his romantic and closer relationships.

Han Baram (Sing My Crush)

This boy is suffering so much from The Knowing that his love confession song is literally titled “Letter of Apology.”

Oh-aew (I Told Sunset About You)

He Knew. “Are you proud of me?”

Noh Shinwoo and Shin Daon (Light On Me)

Noh Shinwoo clearly suffered The Knowing and was discovered. His bullies still plague him on the streets when they see him. Shin Daon was not surprised by his attraction to Woo Taekyung; he struggled with his parents expectations.

Nagisa (His: I Didn’t Mean to Fall in Love)

Nagisa definitely Knew who he was and was probably going to stay quiet about it until Shun showed up in his life. What upsets me so much about Nagisa is that he is the one who leaves Shun later in the movie after pulling queerness out of Shun.

The Secret Crush on You Quartet

All four of them get a spot on this list for The Knowing. Toh, Kaojao, and Daisy clearly suffered The Knowing, and Som has clearly taken care of them for a long time.

Rocky and Judah (Quaranthings)

I love that these two explore The Knowing from a class perspective. Judah is wealthier and eventually comes out, but Rocky is poor and struggles with it a lot longer.

Han Tae Joo and Kang Gook (Where Your Eyes Linger)

The Knowing, bodyguard edition. The yearning between the two of these is palpable. It hurts that they can’t even talk to each other about it.

Mafuyu (Given)

He Knew and lost his boyfriend to The Knowing.

Kim Dong Hee (Unintentional Love Story)

He won’t acknowledge Go Ho Tae’s feelings because he feels a sense of loyalty to Ho Tae’s mom for taking care of him after his parents disowned him over the gay thing. Huge case of The Knowing.

Edit: New Additions October 7, 2023.

Nekoyashiki Mamoru (Kabe-Koji Nekoyashiki-kun Desires to be Recognized)

He describes a textbook case of the Knowing and finding community at the convention.

Zo (Hidden Agenda)

He definitely Knew, and got messed over by his friends badly for it.

Yuuki (Me, My Husband, and My Husband's Boyfriend)

We almost lost Yuuki to the Knowing.

All of the Eclipse Gays

Literally all of them. The entire show is about how fascism turns queer people into agents working against their own community.

Joe (The Warp Effect)

He clearly Knew before his encounter with Army, and he also suffered for being outed.

[gyattoru]

POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR THE “IN THE SHADOW OF THE STUDY” QUEST IN HOGWARTS LEGACY BELOW 👇

I have no idea if anyone has ever wrote this before, if they have they’re probably a Sebastian Sallow apologist (like I am, I’m not sorry lol).

Just after I played this quest yesterday I was thinking about Ominis’ quote just before the Crucio scene, how he says one has to mean it for any of the Unforgivables to work, and I’ve seen people saying Sebastian wanted to hurt the MC, how he’s a sadist, etc.

Sebastian is definitely not a sadist, but I’m not gonna say he’s not a natural defiant, especially if it means he’ll get what he want, and in this moment, right before having to decide what they’re going to have to do to get through the door, when he realizes they’ll end up like Noctua if they don’t use the curse, he’s willing to do anything to get them out.

The curse doesn’t work because Sebastian wants to hurt the MC, it works because he knows he has to hurt them to open the door. He’s willing to hurt one of his to save all of his, the MC, Ominis, possibly Anne and himself.

I don’t think Sebastian fully considers us his friend (maybe just enough?), but he did what he thought would save us, his best friend, him and his twin, even if it meant casting an Unforgivable Curse. I don’t see him as evil or a villain, he’s 15/16 years old, he’ll do reckless things if he thinks it’s the right thing to do.

Anyways that’s it, remembering this is all my opinion and you absolutely don’t have to agree with me, but I thought I might share. Don’t stop edging your gyatts and be safe guys 🎀

[igniferrus]

God. So I've been thinking about BBC's Arthur Pendragon. I work a job heavy on the manual labour and light on the mental labour, so I have a lot of Free Brain Space.

But I started off wondering why there are so many fics about Arthur learning how much Merlin does for him, and so few of the reverse. Because there is no way that Merlin isn't in trouble 89.2% of the time, in some way or another. We see Arthur protect Merlin after his dumbass confession to Uther, and also bodily haul him out of the throne room for safety reasons. No body else could get away with stealing the Prince's food, or disappear or days and keep his job!! And Arthur doesn'teven know they're bound by destiny, he just really likes Merlin! He's just some guy Arthur found and chased around a market.

And then I remembered that so many people forget that Arthur Pendragon is fundamentally A Good Man. I know the show refused to give him permanent character development, but even his base character is a good guy! The most assholish thing we see him do is in the first episode, throwing things at the servants. And then, compared to the rest of the series, that feels very out of character!

Yes, Arthur uses Merlin as a training dummy, but I'm sure that's just to get him to quit. And it's only shown early in the first season. Arthur is consistently shown as caring for his people (refusing to enforce Catrina's tax increase, willing to die to fix his unicorn mistake), more fair about magic users despite only seeing it used for evil (saving Mordred and the woman who gave him the Horn of Cathbhadh. He even tries to give Kara an out, for Mordred!), and cares deeply for those around him! He loves Gwen. He loves Morgana. He loves Merlin. He loves his knights. He even loves Uther!

It's not his fault that the people around him refuse to allow him to make his own choices. Gauis, Uther, and Merlin all lie about his mother. Merlin and Morgana don't tell him about their magic. Morgana doesn't see him as any other than an extension of Uther, despite knowing him for years.I t's so easy to judge him as an outsider with all the facts, but we should remember that Arthur's is intentionally left out of the loop and judge him from that perspective. He does the best he can, with what he knows!

Merlin, despite being repeatedly told that he and Arthur are in this together, and need each other, does not tell Arthur anything! Arthur is not allowed to make an informed choice and he shouldn't be punished for that. Even when Merlin finally comes clean, Arthur doesn't rage! He's hurt and upset that his "only friend", the "only one [he] can trust" have been lying to his face for a decade, which, understandable, but he chooses Merlin anyway! He wants to be held by Merlin at the end, thanks him, and asks him to stay they same after Arthur's death!! Because he still cares for Merlin!

Arthur Pendragon's character development is stymied at every turn by the show and its writers, but even then they couldn't stop him from being a good man!!

This was more rambling and less coherent than I wanted, but it's been hot out lately and my brain is cooked.

Anyway, I am first and foremost an Arthur Pendragon apologist.

[lurkingshan]

Favorite Kiss Game

Rules: create a poll with five of your all time favorite onscreen kisses, setting any standard for qualification you choose. Then tag more friends to join in!

Tagged by @he-is-lightning-in-a-bottle. For my poll, I am going with bl kisses that marked a major transition in a romance arc, because for me, the best kisses are the ones that have real meaning to the characters and their emotional journeys. To narrow the pool and eliminate some heavy hitters, I am excluding first kisses here and focusing on important kisses that came later in a relationship.

TharnType: Type Reaches out for Tharn

For all that this show is remembered for all the high heat sexy sex, this simple chaste kiss is the most important one in the story. It's the first moment of casual affection between them and the first time Type reaches for Tharn without trying to fight what he wants.

Bad Buddy: All In at the Beach

This beach trip is the moment Pran and Pat decided they were all in on fighting for this relationship, even if it meant a lifetime of half truths and hiding. Their kiss on the beach sealed it and led to their first time.

History 3: Make Our Days Count: Engaged

This proposal was so wild and so fast, but it made perfect sense for this couple. Bo Xiang needed to show that he was serious and Zhi Gang needed to feel secure. The way Zhi Gang cried while they kissed said it all.

Lovely Writer: No More Hiding

This is the moment when everything for Nubsib and Gene is finally out in the open with both the public and their families: who they are, how they feel about each other, and what they are willing to fight for. It was cathartic to see them kiss in the street in front of their childhood homes in full view of their families.

The Eighth Sense: It's Not the End of the Story

Oh, and I'm afraid that's just the way the world works

It ain't funny, it ain't pretty, it ain't sweet

Oh, and I'm afraid that's just the way the world works

But I think that it could work for you and me

Just wait and see

It's not the end of the story

Brb gotta go rewatch T8S.

Come play if you want: @incandescentflower @my-rose-tinted-glasses @callipigio @negrowhat @slayerkitty

And: @doublel27 @pharawee @mysterygrl20 @wen-kexing-apologist @williamrikers

Plus: @hyeoni-comb @troubled-mind @gillianthecat @shortpplfedup @shannankle

[thoreau-up]

Ya know,

I am such a Julia-apologist.

She could do so many wrong things and i’d still be like “girl, i understand”

Like, yeah everyone else seems to be calm about the fact that they’re dead and Kamille was super into dying to be a part of the circus, but Julia didn’t want to have her status quo upended like that. I highly doubt she wanted to be crushed. She was ok with the way her life was going. She died and in panic signed into a contract she couldn’t really understand because she didn’t know the target or the circus’s circumstances yet. Then she meets Sahed (a hot guy) and feels something in her life for the first time (probably). Then the hot guy suggests they murder the target together. She follows through with that attempted murder and it doesn’t work.

I am so willing to give her no deadline to get over all that trauma, like, that’s a lot of crazy shit happening in 4 months.

Even though she’s been keeping her head down for two months and being babysat by Tonny (said murder target) there’s no way she’s unpacked everything yet. She can’t really be logical or make the “right” decision under these circumstances. Hence, i’ll continue to forgive her LOL

[peachyfnaf]

Hello chatters. currently 8:30 in the morning, and I've been seeing a lot of Sun love going around (based btw) which reminded me that even though I don't yap about him nearly as much as I do Nexus, Sun was also given such a short end of the stick when it came to this arc.

I don't care for Monty, but I do love Puppet, but the way they both pressured Sun into choosing what to do with Nexus (New Moon at the time)??? that shit is so fucked. and yeah, because I am who I am (a Nexus apologist lol), I was mad and hurt when Sun was unable to tell them to not kill him. but unfortunately that tracks for him.

Sun's trauma response is, most of the time, to freeze. he's done it before when confronted by past Eclipse's, Bloodmoon's- if you're willing to use other dimensions as examples, Servant Sun quite literally froze and surrendered with his hands in the air out of fear when Old Moon first met him.

So, he did it again. he was put in a terrifying situation, and he froze. which led to Nexus freezing in space too amiright ahahahahhhhh

So, shit was already fucked for him at this point. because not only did he lose a close family friend (Solar), tried to help the other 3 through their grief and prioritizing their feelings over his own because he was- objectively- the least close with Solar, lose his brother to madness (which we now know there was like 10x more to that then just 'grief' makin' him act as he did. y'know. glares at Dark Sun and NSP), could basically do NOTHING as Earth was kidnapped by Ruin/Bloodmoon, and Nexus was blasted into space by Puppet.

And even though that was the end of that main arc, dude CONTINUED TO BE HANDED L'S AFTERWARDS. Old Moon being brought back by Monty (Monty.. >:[) without Sun even being asked about it first, Sun not being given the chance to properly heal from/mourn Nexus because O.M was now there, he filled his role, and O.M does not like Nexus. (chatters, I'm gonna warn you, ever since he came back, I've been an Old Moon hater. do not like that guy.) anD THEN EVERYTHING WITH DAZZLE/EVELYN??? july 16th of this year was like a very high peak in what's, to me, a very low-on-the-chart arc, but THAT DOESN'T MEAN SUN WAS OKAY DURING IT JFCCC. the TRAUMA he was reliving during that time HURTED

And even where he is now- he got his magic back, yuippee yayyy!!!

Because of it it seems like he's now intrinsically intertwined with NSP, and multiple people want to use him as a goddamn radar to find Wither Shards now. one of those people literally being The Creator, yaknow, like the stories Biggest Bad???

And another, "oooh, yaknow, that happeneddd, ahahahahhh.." was The Creator psychologically torturing him in one of the darkest SAMS eps' to date because of it.

AND. And, finally, the most recent episode that was Yapped to me about that well. 1, just made me hate O.M more, and 2, made me want to just wrap Sun in a blanket in front of a fireplace. The "Invaded By CRINGY FNAF in Vrchat" one. the way O.M spoke to Sun in that ep, the use of the gravely K.C voice that O.M only uses when making threats, I- I'll fuckin-

LEAVE THAT LITTLE GUY ALONE. I HOPE WHEN YOU AND NEXUS INEVITABLY FIGHT YOU GET CLOCKED IN THE JAW FOR THAT ONE. GOOD LORD.

...I've been typing this for like 50 minutes, apparently I had a lot more to say when it came to Sun than I first thought DGAIEPHDWGWLAH

Canon. canon, please, let Sun do something. let him be the one to free Nexus from NSP corruption, because of how much he's been shown to be resilient to it. let Sun be the one to stop The Creator's next big scheme instead of Moon. let him do things as important as all the others instead of just cleaning. the pieces for him to do so are right there. now put them in place.

[ethowo-indeed]

etho was once again quite active in the chat of bdubs' latest stream, being the nr1 bdubs fan that he is, and i once again felt the need to compile as many chat messages that i could spot from him, being the ethogirl that i am.

context: etho finding out that bdubs gave away speedy supreme

context: etho being a scar apologist i guess. (in reality doc was flying over bdubs' base with a flying machine, holding a live-shulker. & doc was panicing about bdubs flying too close to the machine/shulker)

context: etho plugging his favourite piece of bdubs merch! go get yourself a pink hoodie that was specifically made for etho <3

context: etho's comeback to bdubs saying he's a horse whisperer, while he also just mentioned the mod he uses to see a horse's speed + that there was a vanilla way to measure the speed of a horse, used by etho, if u were willing to take the time to ride each horse through a million cobwebs.

context: horse rated trash/14 speed by etho xD

context: according to etho, bdubs' height is fake and does not exist. (i don't know how that would work, but etho is never wrong so)

context: bdubs put on the pink hoodie, which was a very exciting moment for etho.

context: bdubs saying that... he was tall where it mattered? in his heart? which resulted in this comeback from etho. (etho is referencing an old vlog bdubs did where he talked about putting lifts in his shoes)

context: bdubs said that part of the reason for the lifts was so that he wouldn't look small next to his wife when she wore high heels. etho did not relent.

context: hermits were telling jokes in the hermitcraft chat and etho wanted to participate.

BONUS:

context: bdubs' mods on their way to "take etho out back" as was requested by bdubs after the height jokes.

[oristian]

✨️Let's spread some love and appreciation!✨️

If you got this, it means someone loves your blog! ❤️

Tag 5 mutuals and say what you like about them; their art, fanfiction, positivity, sense of humor... Whatever it is that you find amazing about them!

@freyjas-musings I love chatting with you! I appreciate how willing you are to be a comfort to someone, and that is so rare to find on the internet! Your commissions are always so amazing and I am so happy to call you my friend 🤍

@amandapearls You were one of the very first people I spoke to in the fandom and you have been someone I can come to ever since! I so enjoy our conversations and I am very fortunate that you answered my dm that one day, my friend. I also adore your commissions and I am VERY much looking forward to your Lucien Week pieces.

@acourtdelaluna You are someone I can trust and I love talking theories with you! I enjoy all that you have shared with me and I feel so much more acclimated into the fandom because of you, friend. Your commissions were the first I found when I first joined the fandom and really inspired me to start making my own!

@ladydeatharcheron The best Nesta Archeron defender that you will find in this fandom. You are someone that I can go to about anything and everything and I know that you will listen and will never judge—you’re such a gentle soul. Also! Everyone go and read her Nezriel fanfiction! Every chapter updates makes me giggle and kick my feet 🙈

@sanzy4 My first friend in the ACOTAR fandom. You are someone that I will always cherish. You’re such a bright person and you always make everyone so much happier just by being in your presence. Your commissions always eat and the aesthetic is always so gorgeous! Thank you for being my friend 🤍

Guys this was SO HARD to just pick five because there are SO MANY more that I love. I will tag some below (not all, because I truly am so bad at remembering usernames, but know that I love you all)—

@norabraveseeker @gwynrieldefenseatty @azrielsfavoriteshadow @bookishdidi @candybrigon @goghwilde @hellowitchlingg @korepio @kingdom-of-nestas-flames @kataraavatara @l1ghts1nger @readerinhidingx @silversaviorr @trashforazriel @theshadowsingersraven @venusin-aries @starlightjasminsblog @works-of-heart @yennas-stuff @yazthebookish @toolsofmyenemy @separatist-apologist @edreavie @sserrafeim @starsreminisce @lostinthemidnightsky @luciensdefenseattorney @chrisfiction87 @lady-embers @azrielsdefenseattorney @melphss @eluciensversion @rache1auren @lplusl

[rbvcdeluxe]

the reason of why i like sam sweetly as a character is because he is TERRIBLE. he’s one of my favs and i won’t even try to make him better, he’s and asshole, he’s terrible, i fuckin lov him for that.

he’s a married cop who’s cheating on his wife with a girl in her early twenties, he’s willing to use his power as a cop for his own good. and if i see someone trying to say “no, he isn’t a bad person hes jus-“ WROONG. INCORRECT. HE HAS DONE EVERY WRONG AND I LOVE HIM. don’t try to excuse his actions, i lov him like that

Im not a sam sweetly apologist but you know what i am? his defense lawyer. and i’m just there to see him being an asshole but at the end i want him getting sentenced anyway. thank yeew

[theidiotwhowritesthings]

Howdy, so I don't know if you have seen The Last of Us, but if you have, you know the scene where Joel saves Ellie from the hospital and he just ploughs through everyone and its like wow -///-

I just think it would be a really cool like drabble if this was a Din x reader fic? Only if you wanted to write it though!! Also I'm so happy that I'm on your taglist for inevitable because I jump to read it every time that I see that I've been tagged, it has me in a chokehold and the way that you write the reader is so damn good.

Your writing is something that brings comfort to me every week, and the way you interact and talk to your followers is so sweet. I love coming back from a stressful day to sit down somewhere comfortable to enjoy your work.

Anyways thanks for reading this ramble of an ask and I hope that you're doing well :)

[a/n]: combining some stuff here! this is for the anon who asked for this scene AND for @cockscombkingdom who asked for a fic in Din's POV where he takes care of reader and keeps her safe. I started with the plan to make this very sweet and fluffy and I'm not gonna lie a little darkness seeped into it. my bad.

also in case it isn't abundantly clear i am a joel miller apologist thx

Din Djarin x Female!Reader

Warnings: Violence, death, injuries, mild dark!din (if you squint and/or have a problem with murder)

Word Count: 1,440

Summary: You were selfless. You gave and you gave and you gave. The universe planned to only take more, but Din Djarin would be damned if he let it.

LOOK FOR THE LIGHT

.

"you'd just come after her." -Joel Miller (TLOU)

.

Din was worried about you. He was always worried about you because you were always on his mind. It couldn’t be helped. Somebody had to because it seemed like you were perpetually too worried about everyone else. Din admired that about you. He always had. You went out of your way to help anyone and everyone who approached. You had a heart that was always willing to give, and it left you too little to use for yourself.

When the two of you first began traveling together, he noticed that about you. Sometimes you’d get so preoccupied watching Grogu you’d forget to eat. Peli had once put you to work, organizing her tools as part of the payment to fix the Razor Crest, and you had been so focused on getting the work done well that you had taken no breaks and ended up dehydrated and weak under Tatooine’s hot suns. It’s why the mission he was delivering you to made such simple sense to him. You were special, is what you told him. Din knew you were special, felt it, but it was for very different reasons. According to you, there was something in your blood, some type of cell, that could cure a lot of people of some terrible, terrible disease spreading through a world in the Outer Rim.

Din tried to keep his distance from you. Tried to not get attached. But you were so selfless, that it naturally brought out his protective side. He couldn't help but care for you, but caring for you as a responsibility had quickly turned to loving you along the way. Din didn’t know a lot about love. Didn’t have much experience with it, lust was easier to grasp, and that left him confused most of the time. Din had no idea how to express what he felt for you, how to explain it in words, so he did the only thing he could do. Din took care of you. Kept you safe when he stopped to pick up quarries, made sure you remembered to eat and drink water, reminded you to go to bed and when you would eventually forget anyways he’d carry you there himself. Din didn't know what love was supposed to feel like, but what he did know was that being without you made his heart physically ache and protecting you brought him happiness. 

Maybe that’s all he needed to know.

‘It’ll be okay.’ You had promised him with a smile that made your features glow. ‘Shouldn’t take long.’

That had been hours ago. Din delivered you to the medical facility as he had been hired, but when you hadn’t come back out he sought after you. It’s why he now sat in a small room, Imperials flanking the door, as he simmered in disdain. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.

“Mandalorian.” A man stepped into the room. A doctor from the looks of it with thin, round rimmed glasses. The name ‘Pershing’ pinned to his lapel. Din stayed silent. “I was under the impression that you had been paid. Was there an issue?”

“No.” Din replied. “Where is she?”

Dr. Pershing paused and shook his head as if confused. Din tilted his head a bit, an obvious threat in body language, and the doctor was smart enough to realize this. He nervously cleared his throat. “She is being prepared for her operation.” Din narrowed his eyes in confusion. You told him they’d just need your blood. “There is no reason for you to stay.”

“I promised her a ride back.”

There was a tense silence that filled the room at his words. Din watched the doctor squirm where he stood and he needed no further clarification. He shoved up from the table, prepared for a fight, when the Imperials leveled their own weapons at him before he could reach his blaster.

Dr. Pershing held his hands up in a placating manner. “She will be a hero. After we drain her of all her blood, we can make a cure. There’s a 65% chance this will work and save the people of this world.” Din was fuming under his armor. Drain your blood? They were going to kill you. They were going to kill you for something that only had a 65% chance of even working. “She will not be in pain! She’s been put under! She will not feel a thing, and we did not scare her with the news.” Din staggered back as if he had been physically hit. Was this man saying… Dr. Pershing confirmed Din’s thoughts. “We did not tell her this would kill her. We spared her that misery. She went under anesthesia peacefully.”

The words echoed in Din’s head loudly. As if a bomb had gone off right beside him and left him deaf and blind. He walked on autopilot as the Imperials escorted him through the building toward the exit. They were going to kill you. They were going to kill you for a shot in the dark cure. Din was literally paces to the door when his boots stilled. The Imperials shoved him, tried to get him to move, threatened to shoot him, and then Din snapped.

With the practiced precision of a bounty hunter and Mandalorian who spent most of his life in a fight, Din spun and cut down the Imperials in one swift movement. The darksaber glowed angry in his hands, casting threatening shadows down the hall. Never before had the sword worked so well for him, but as Din marched through the facility it was practically an extension of himself. Blaster fire pinged off his beskar and he did not hesitate. If a person stepped into his path he eliminated them. Cold. Ruthless. A predator. Din stalked the medical facility searching for you, and he left a wake of death and destruction in his path.

When he finally caught sight of you, through a window into some kind of clean room. Din felt his heart flutter in his chest. The first twinge of emotion since starting this rampage. It was a reminder of why he was doing this. A reminder that his actions were necessary.

Din stormed into the room, his eyes not leaving your unconscious form as you laid on a table in a hospital gown. The staff in the room panicked in a flurry, and one of them⏤ maybe the doctor maybe a nurse, Din didn’t even register who the kriff it was⏤ rushed him in a poor attempt to stop this onslaught. Din cut them down without blinking. Without taking his eyes off of you. The second you were in his arms, Din felt marginally settled. He wasn’t going to lose you, couldn’t lose you. Din had sworn to himself that he’d take care of you, it was all he knew how to do, and he wasn’t going to stop for the sake of anyone.

Not even the sake of a world.

As Din carried you out of the building it occurred to him that he may be dooming an entire population of people. This world’s chances of survival were dropping from 65% to 0%. He knew that he should care. He knew that this information should bother him. That it should make his steps more hesitant and make his chest ache in indecision, but it didn’t. His choice had never been more clear to him. It was either this world or you. Din was choosing you. He’d always choose you.

When back on the ship, Din had only carried you a few steps when gasping could be heard. He turned around to see Dr. Pershing at the end of the ramp holding a blaster at him. The man was breathing hard, face red, as if he had sprinted all the way here to stop this from happening. Din had to admire his dedication. The man believed in this cause so much he was willing to go head to head with a Mandalorian who had just single handedly cleared out a medical facility. 

“I can’t let you do this.” Dr. Pershing snapped. “You’re dooming this world if you take her!”

A blaster fired. Dr. Pershing stumbled back, a hole in his chest, and Din held his blaster firm in his hand. Your legs draped over that arm had hidden his weapon well. A strangled gasp left the man’s lips and he collapsed into a motionless pile. Din shook his head, responding to a dead man’s words, “I don’t care.”

Din would protect you under any and all circumstances.

 Was that love?

[bengiyo]

I can say with confidence that our collective favorite show, between you and me, is What Did You Eat Yesterday?, the GOAT BL, and an exemplary example of a slice of life drama. What are your other favorite slice of life dramas, BLs and non-BLs?

Thank you for this ask. I have been trying to stay out of a bunch of discussions about this, but it seems that people feel really strongly about how people talk about a mid-tier BL produced by the largest producer of BL content in the world, currently sold as a premium product exclusively on a Chinese streaming platform, and currently receiving almost universal acclaim from its viewership on this platform. So, since I am possibly the only person who has posted publicly how much this show doesn’t work for me, I will continue with my task and clear up some confusion I’m having with the discourse.

We Are…Struggling With Definitions

Thankfully, @lurkingshan provided a good framework to discuss what slice-of-life even means. While I am willing to accept that a strong episodic structure is not inherently required for a good slice-of-life drama, the bite-sized nature of an episode lends itself to enabling clear stories about the complexities of mundane human existence. It’s a very popular genre, especially in anime. As I said in an earlier post, this is a mature genre with a long tradition.

Most of my favorite approaches to slice-of-life are from Japan. When America does slice-of-life, you get it more as sitcoms than thoughtful dramas about everyday life. One of my favorites would probably be Midnight Diner. As Shan defined before, a good slice-of-life drama could go on forever, and in so many ways Midnight Diner has. 

I’m actually currently watching Three Star Bar in Nishi Ogikubo because Machida Keita and Fujiwara Kisetsu are in it.

We Are…Already Familiar With Slice of Life QL

We’ve actually had a few QL projects cover the slice-of-life feeling before.

You and I are both big fans of What Did You Eat Yesterday?, a show I loved so much we had to do a whole podcast episode about it.

On the lesbian side of the equation, we have the lovely She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat.

We also had Naked Dining, which I had some mixed feelings about.

There's the gay dads drama from Taiwan in Papa & Daddy.

For people who seem to struggle with non-Thai productions, there’s also Ingredients with everyone’s favorite singer Jeff Satur.

Besides, I argue firmly that Tadaima, Okaeri is the only true slice-of-life BL airing right now. It’s the married gay dads show we’ve been asking forever to get, and it’s even in the omegaverse!

We Are…Possibly Suffering From Recency Bias

It’s surprising for me how hard everyone has fallen for this show, considering the long history of reactions to New Siwaj’s work. He’s been in the genre for over a decade.

I am intimately familiar with this man’s work, and have been a Make It Right Apologist for years. I’ve been with this man since I got into the genre. This isn’t even his first attempt at 16 episodes about boys in college.

Everyone else watched My Engineer at the time, but I watched EN of Love and was not surprised when Love Mechanics got its own full series afterwards. I’ve been with this man working through gay angst in Make it Right, examining intergenerational queer trauma in Until We Meet Again,  fumbling through Between Us, trying for something in Dear Doctor I’m Coming For Soul, hustling in Even Sun, still crying with him over Love of Siam (2007) in My Only 12%, and squandering everyone’s time in Absolute Zero. 

It’s kinda baffling to me that I’m catching strays over not liking New Siwaj works in 2024. It feels weird that the show I’m getting heat over not liking is the least-queer thing I think he’s ever made. I don’t know what that says about current BL tastes. I will say this plainly every time: Queer Truth is Non-Negotiable For Me In a Genre About Boys Kissing Each Other. If that statement bothers you, please swerve on.

We Are…Not the Only Examples of Queer Fun

While we’re here, I wanna talk about how there really is a whole gay world outside of BL. I feel very strongly that Western viewers are extremely rude and often racist when it comes to their disdain of BL. However, there is all kinds of fun to be had in queer cinema if you can handle projects made more than a few years ago. 

If you want silly fun, you can always go to TLA Releasing. They funded an entire gay parody of the American Pie franchise. They’re great for the types who want to see pretty people smile at each other and have sexy times. 

If you’re in the mood for something a bit more serious and heartfelt, you can dip by Strand Releasing. They have one of the best coming-of-age queer films I’ve ever seen. They also picked up a really melancholy Japanese film called Egoist. 

My favorite studio, who shows up repeatedly on my BL Syllabus is Wolfe Releasing. They have my all-time favorite Big Eden (2000), and many others. 

My point is that there is a huge world of queer media out there well beyond the latest mid-tier BL from GMMTV designed to keep the boys working. We also don’t need to argue that some of their shows are more queer than they actually are, especially when Cooking Crush is right there.

Thanks for the ask!