#cause like ppl just want to enjoy things but that can't happen.

[soup-is-here]

Mouthwashing Spoilers

TW: Addiction and Self Harm

I wanna go on about Swansea's final monologue but it's hard to put into words, but I'm gonna try anyways cause it's a short, but strong story about autonomy again. This post ended up significantly longer than I wanted though

It's the autonomy to choose the "less healthy" option because it's appealing to you. It's the moral assignment to normality and stability. An alcoholic is an alcoholic by choice, technically, but do they owe us otherwise? Is it morally reprehensible to enjoy taking LSD at a party? Should we see someone as less than because they relax with a xanax instead of a hot shower? It's not healthy. We know that. We've seen anti-drug ad after ad after ad. But is that the part that's morally wrong, in and of itself? Does enjoying the drugs and chaos make Swansea a worse person?

Like him talking about his entire life and ending it by saying between the "stable" "normal" life and him waking up every morning with a new hangover, he preferred the latter. People always talk about getting clean and fixing their lives and Swansea did it! He did the thing "good men" do! A wife and kids and a trade job and sobriety! He was doing it! He was finally "worth" something!

And he hated it! I mean I don't know if he actually hated/despised it, but he misses his previous life. He misses drugs and partying and living like you might not wake up the next day. He said the thing that changed him was seeing himself dead in a ditch under the bright beam of a streetlight. Now he's looking down the barrel of a gun. And as he looks down it, he looks back. That was his preference. It felt good to be like that. And he wouldn't be here if he stayed there

We always have a narrative about drugs or gambling or sleeping around where a person suddenly realizes that they aren't "doing anything" with their life and becomes stable and it's always played like addiction is a false pleasure. Swansea got to the stability people said would be the real pleasure of life and that just wasn't true for him. One bad paycheck could've been the difference between his stable life and falling apart anyways. His lifestyle was going to kill him someday apparently, yet he's staring down the barrel of a gun at his steady trade job to feed his wife and kids.

I don't know quite how to word it but Swansea is the poster child for rehabilitation. There's this weight to him saying his alcoholic period was the best time of his life. Like it just hits at that pang that makes people wear DARE shirts while smoking weed and post those videos of smoking 100 cigarettes at once. Anti-vaping ads tell you about the damage they do to your body but everyone knows that already. Everyone knows "this is what your brain looks like on drugs." I smoke medical marijuana and it isn't good for my lungs but it's good for my pain. Doing drugs isn't good for me and I know that and that's sorta the point sometimes.

I don't know it's just this weird pang where I know what Swansea means, just not to nearly the same extent. I don't have an addiction so I don't think I could fully understand it. Maybe a better thing I could relate it to for myself is self harm. It's not healthy sure, but who do I owe health? Myself? Other people? And what is healthy? Is it feeling better now? Is it resisting now and feeling worse for it until it stops? What if the coping skills I learn make it worse? What if they make it better? Do I want it to get better? Does Swansea want to get better? What would better feel like to either of us?

Who knows until you try. Swansea got a collared shirt, a mortgage, and a credit card. He got a job and a wife and kids. He got sober. He got healthier, depending on your definition.

But did he feel better? He's looking down a barrel of a gun and he has to decide if he feels better. It doesn't seem like he regrets his new life. He says he wants his kids to be better than him. He wants good things to happen for them. He saw himself as one bad slip away from falling again. I don't think he felt better though. I think he got healthier. He likely would've ended up in the ditch he dreamt about, but we don't know that. We also don't know if that's what he'd prefer. But, we do know he got healthier, depending on your definition.

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

Hi sex witch! This is kinda a scary ask to send but you’ve always seemed kind to other people asking scary questions so I feel brave enough to ask. So I’m a person with what I would say a fairly healthy and positive attitude abt sex- big fan of jacking off when the mood strikes and I’ve had a few partners. However, something that is really upsetting and scary to me are sex dreams because a lot of times I have dreams abt having sex with ppl I shouldn’t be having sex with and DONT WANT to be having sex with- notably, my father and my brother. I have strange dreams normally- anxiety related usually- but I HATE waking up from these dreams, I feel so sick and ashamed. I’m not even generally attracted to men, and these dreams make me feel like I need to second guess my identity. Additionally, my father is dead so I wake up feeling like my brain has disrespected his memory.

I’m trying to get a therapist for other unrelated reasons but a) my insurance is terrible and I’m having trouble finding someone in network and b) I would be so scared to say these things to a therapist - what if I’m secretly much more mentally ill than I knew, what if they hospitalize me, what if they put me on a sex offender registry?

Beyond “go to therapy” is there any advice you can offer me? It’s really very distressing and I’m really sick of it.

hi anon,

let's take a BIG DEEP BREATH before we start, okay?

so, first and foremost let me just say this, because it's important: nobody is going to hospitalize you or put you on a registry for something happening in your dreams. your dreams are not necessarily a reflection of anything you want or would enjoy in real life; your dreams are a pile of goo your brain spits out while its sifting information around trying to make a bunch of pieces fit together. unfortunately, I worry that you amount of stress and anxiety you feel about these dreams may be keeping them so front and center in your mind that makes them keep coming up over and over when you're asleep, creating a vicious cycle.

listen, I can't tell you how to change or feel better about your dreams. but I can tell you that people having sexual dreams that are in no way indicative of their actual desires is INCREDIBLY COMMON. none of those people are a danger to themselves or anyone else because of something their subconscious does that's entirely beyond their control, and that includes you.

having said that, it's totally understandable that you find these dreams disturbing and upsetting. for the time being, while you're managing them on your own, try to get yourself to a calm place while you're getting ready for bed - whatever works for you, whether it's mindfulness, melatonin, exercise, tea, warm bath and candles, taking time away from your phone, etc - and preparing space to be gentle with yourself and get into a good headspace when you wake up by making an extra nice breakfast, taking a long shower, going for a long walk, or anything else that will help you get out of your head and take care of yourself in the aftermath of an upsetting dream.

and if you do manage to find a reliable therapist soon, which I hope you do, I would strongly encourage you to bring this up with them if the problem is still persisting by then. anything causing you anxiety and distress is something that is worth talking over with a therapist, especially since leaving one stress factor unaddressed can also hold you back from resolving others - it's hard to focus on anything when restful sleep is off the table. once you've established a good rapport with a therapist, some conversations around this could be super helpful for you.

wishing you the best with finding some peace of mind xoxo

[thoughtsonkm]

Hot spring buddies

It was a perfect balance of a fun episode but with a lot of domesticity and quirks and all around softness. Their day to day life when they finally found some free time is truly so peaceful and harmonious. They're just attuned to each other. Mischievousness and teasing is always present, they just can't get enough of having fun together.

Where?! Who?! You been where?! With who?!

JK was like: "Excuse me? You went with MY friends? Not ME? What am I chopped liver? 7 years ago you say? OK FINE

GODDAMMIT it's criminal to not do a original song together! It's criminal to not do an album together! Criminal offense! Judge lock em' up!

And Jimin lulling Jungkook to sleep..ah that angel voice 🥹

~

"This is our last moment of relaxation" - JK 😭 😭 (I know everything going on was looming on their minds obviously but their hunger to enjoy and live to the fullest until the last minute makes me emo)

~

NAH the damn haircut 😂 The way he has perfected the boba ball cut. The juxtaposition of his face/hair with his body is so funyyyy.

*Going to the hair stylist* JK: so.. I did a thing Stylist: fuck, okay let me think, I CAN FIX THIS

~

He brought his cards cause he wanted to play only with Jimin since CT. Why do they have to be so adorable about these little supposedly insignificant details 😭

~

Look at us. Look how far we've come. Who would've thought?

Okay testosterone calm down, OR DON'T (This was low-key hilarious af tho tbh)

I saw ppl hyperventilating because they were suddenly showing too much (Jimin I'm looking at you) but more than that I think it's nice that they were so relaxed and in their own world, so much so, that they didn't really think much about their every movement.

But also they need to stop with the moaning and grouting every 2 sec tho. Like I get it but? cmon

~

Sorry but I live for the little funny details like Jungkook drenching the sea urchin in soy sauce and then putting it in vegetable soup to salvage it.

~

As if you can deny this face anything??

Cause you know there's AYS stash but there's a personal stash too obviously.

Oh twin beds? Let us start our lights foreplay

Jungkook's semi romantic struggles continue. Feed yo man Jimin pls!

The whole ski part of the episode looked so fun. I'm sure they had a blast. This is officially the best activity they've tried during this series.

It was so adorable them continuously falling and getting up. Even the crew kept on falling. The snow must've been so thick.

Snow angel

~

What in the meta shit is happening next week? I'm not ready to see them react to themselves. In the last episode to the first two episodes? Oh they're out for blood. And I know they're not gonna show what we want to see (ASS SLAP) but still those 5 minutes should be fun.

I wish sapporo would last forever. Weeks passed by so quickly. Why is it only one episode left? And then we're never seeing them again until next year (at least we have hobis discharge and the bts eps)

[skribbyposts]

HELLO AGAIN!!1111!!!! based off of @bidisastersanji's post about Sanji not being able to sit like a normal person (its cause hes a homo). i kind of took the hc and ran w it but thats okay hee hee

Also from Law's pov bc i love him so much and i wanted to try!! hope yall enjoy!!!!!!!!&!%@^#&^(!*#^$W yeah

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Law prides himself on being a very observant person.

It seems he wasn't looking hard enough when he made the mistakes that led him here, sulking under an umbrella on the deck of Luffy's ship.

After Dressrosa, Law was never supposed to see his crew again. That plan was thrown out the window by a certain straw-hatted pirate, and now he's hitching a ride to Zou with this absolute circus that is Luffy's crew.

It's been a week since Law came aboard, and the more he looks, things get weirder and weirder. Specifically, their chef.

The first time they met, the man was well-mannered, minus his attitude towards women and cigarette habit. However, Law finds him ever more strange after every interaction they have on the Sunny.

------

The first time Law notices something off is when he happens on Sanji in the galley. He understands being awake in the wee hours of the night, but not like this.

Law finds the man still fully dressed in his three-piece at three in the morning, sitting - no, crouching - on his chair and poring over a cookbook. His cigarette dangles loosely from his mouth as he mutters something unintelligible to himself and brings his knees together to rest his chin on top of them.

What the fuck, Law thinks, and as if the chef heard his internal monologue, a blonde head whips around to face him standing at the door.

Sanji's wide-eyed, slightly disheveled face stares back at him, and his neck is uncomfortably craned so he can look directly at Law. The pair look at each other awkwardly, and after a moment of silence he just...closes the door.

This is not Law's ship. It is none of his business, and he will go back to the men's quarters to sleep.

-----

This keeps happening the longer Law stays on Luffy's ship, and every day he notices how rarely the Sunny's resident cook takes a break. In addition to that, he also can't help but notice exactly how Sanji chooses to rest.

Whether he's chatting with Robin in the library the lawn or napping with the swordsman on the lawn, it's always with one leg up on the seat, both slung over the back of a chair, or contorted into a position that shouldn't be humanly possible.

Law finds it mildly concerning, but no one else on the crew seems to mind when Sanji stops bustling for half a second and decides to perch himself somewhere (not unlike a gargoyle, Law thinks), so he leaves it alone.

---

Once, he spots the chef sleeping on deck with Zoro, but... upside down. As in, the swordsman is leaning on the mast and Sanji is resting his feet on Zoro's shoulders while his back is on the ground. It looks extremely uncomfortable. He also spots Zoro crack open his eye to peer down at the man, before closing it with a very resigned expression on his face and a light dusting of pink on his cheeks.

Again, this is not his ship and Law most certainly does not want to open that can of worms right now. He leaves the two in peace and hopes they figure it out by themselves.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ik its not the best but this has been in my drafts for like a week and if i dont post it now im gonna forget about it for like three months so... you guys can have it yeah !! i didn't proofread this either so please lmk if there are mistakes

ANYWAYS Spawned a brand new hc that bc Sanji was locked up for like 5 years he had to teach himself stuff and develops the muscle memory for it wrong and just self-corrects in front of other ppl after learning the right way to do it. i might explore that in a longer fic at a later date, we'll see.

ALSO!!!! by popular demand(read: one person) im gonna start posting on my ao3 soon. you can find it here and all my zosan ficlets will be compiled into a series soon! watch out for that yall

[reverieaa]

in a dilemma and was wondering if u could help me out with this.

a few weeks ago, i decided to give myself completely to imagination. i called my imagination "my world" and experienced everything i wanted to there. it was probably the happiest i've been in my life. i always felt calm, euphoric feelings. i suddenly didn't feel the need to change the 3D, bc i was experiencing my desires within.

then a few days later i realized that nothing had changed in the 3D - well i guess i started paying more attention to the 3D, so i spiraled.

so then i tried something new. i decided to try embodiment. for example, if i wanted to cancel class, i'd become the version of me who's class was cancelled. it was kind of like becoming a different character? a character who's class had been cancelled. i wouldn't hold this state for too long but i'd come back to it, and this gave me a lot of results in the 3D. however, my attention was 100% on the 3D for this one, so i felt a lot of anxiety. the past came back to haunt me and i'd worry about the future.

now, i'm so confused. when i was in my imagination, i did everything "right," but got no results. with the character method, i barely tried, still focused and worried about the 3D, but got results.

my dilemma is that i hate the 2nd method, but i was able to get what i want with it. i loveee the first method, but... my 3D life stayed the same with it. i'm torn and i don't know what to do.

It's because you changed self, anon.

You became aware of that ver of yourself whose class was canceled and by becoming aware of it being true/accepting that it is so it became so.

When I say live in the world of imagination, I mean don't box yourself in one category of just mind and body, flesh and outer circumstances like struggles and time. It is kot a process itself but I will tell you how it happened.

You wanted your class canceled (had a desire) > decided you have it now by becoming aware that ver of you exists/accepeted it > that caused you to naturally enter that state of consciousness because in your world it already happened.

When we do these things on our own, we view it as a chore, and it becomes exhausting to keep going, causing us to spiral and put ourselves down. We question " how do i change a state" and try to do so without understanding we don't need to go through every little thing to change, but all we need to simoy do is acknowledge that ver of ourselves in imagination and give in to it fully. To me 4D and 3D are one, sepreating them sometimes gives ppl the idea that they're imagination is delusions and daydreams therefore they can't enjoy it.

All we have to worry about is being who we want to be within our world of imagination, not the object itself, but the state consciousness of being the one who has it

[lowkeyrobin]

Hey! So if you're writing ghostbusters things right now (apologies if you arent, my Tumblr is acting up and it's not letting me see some of the fonts its just squares 😑) anyway I would love to request a podcast x reader of you're up for that because the dude does not get enough love 😔😔

I was thinking like the reader was childhood friends (mayyybeee first crushes?) but the reader moved to NYC and is now a regular at rays occult and now meets the reader again? What do we think?

Anyway hope you write this and have a GREAT day/night 😊

it's okay!! my requests r open as long as my mailbox is available haha, can't rlly stop ppl from requesting if it's still up so yeah dw ; but yeah of course! this actually sounds rlly fun to write lol ; have a good day/night to you too! ; thanks for requesting, hope you enjoy :) ; also since we don't know much about podcast I kinda made some stuff up, I've watched both afterlife and frozen empire at least 3 times each so... hopefully I gathered all the canon podcast lore idk ; also reqs back open! gonna post the rest of the queue then work on anything yall send

PODCAST ; i think we're alone now

summary ; a little childhood best friends/first crushes reunite at rays occult books

warnings ; language

disclaimers ; we don't know a whole lot about podcast so I made some a lot stuff up lol ; also I'm just using Logan's name as podcasts legal name bc idk what else to call him + I just use actor names to fill in names in other movies/shows

track ; i think we're alone now ; tiffany

word count ; 1k

masterlist

Your first crush was silly and dumb, being on your at-the-time best friend, Logan, or Podcast, as he was now mostly known. He always had a fascination for film and commentary, no wonder he had his own podcast.

You'd recently moved to New York, surprisingly, where Podcast also lived these days. You reconnected over social media and found out you'd be living near each other again like the good old days, and decided to meet up once you got comfortable in the new environment. And that's what had happened. You now await his arrival at Ray's Occult Books, where you skim through the bookshelves, reading each spine to see if any title jumped out at you.

The bell above the door jingles, causing you to look up to see who it is again. Him, thankfully.

He scans the store, looking for you. Ray nods his head toward you, leading him right to you.

He smiles as he approaches, stuffing his phone in his jorts pocket. "Hey"

"Hey," you reply, a soft smile pulling on the corners of your lips.

"Uh, how are you?" He asks, clearly struggling to make conversation.

"Good, I like your outfit," you reply, pointing out his colorful collared shirt. Even now, it reflected his curious and extroverted personality.

He glances down at his shirt, having forgotten what he was even wearing, "Oh, thanks! Uh, do you wanna go walk around or something?" He asks, glancing over at Ray, staring you two down at the counter.

"Sure"

You end up strolling around the city, catching up and talking about life until you retrieve to the basement of Ray's Occult Books, where Podcast was currently living for the summer. He already told you how he was supposed to be at summer camp and how he'd been consecutively lying to his mom. You already knew that was pretty in character for him. He wasn't great at fitting in and would've rather stayed with people he knew and his other actual friend, Phoebe.

You let some of the mini marshmallow pufts climb all over you, using you like a giant stool. A few use your arms as little slides. Logan takes a picture, framing your goofy smile while another mini puft jumps off your head and onto your shoulder.

A few slide down your left arm back onto the desk, then use your right hand as an elevator to go again. As you hoist a little group back up to your shoulder, Logan is now recording on his phone, laughing behind the camera.

"They're so cute," You happy-pout, looking at him for a moment.

Oh, how he wanted to pull the Uno reverse card on you with that, but he couldn't. He thought about it far too long, then backed out because he was too scared, but told himself it was just to late.

You look around his room, two of the little pufts sitting on your head like Remy in Ratatouille. You note all the posters and little trinkets and things around the room, making a weak assumption that he just liked collecting little random things.

You notice the orange lava lamp sitting on his bedside table, turned on, and providing an orange glow throughout that corner of the room. It shines off the side of Logan's face, creating an omniscient kind of glow that you can't look away from.

Denying you still had a crush on him would just make this even worse.

He looks back at you after saving the video to his photos and putting it in his Friends and Shenanigans folders, catching you quickly looking away. He raises an eyebrow, seeing your slightly jittery movements as you use your hand as an elevator for the mini pufts again. They don't keep it a secret though, 'oo'ing and 'ah'ing and bouncing on your shoulders and head.

You can feel your face flushing, attempting to hide it by not looking back at him.

The mini pufts land back on the desk, skattering behind the array of glass jars. You look back at him, seeing he's already looking at you. He's close, closer than you remembered, you felt closer to him, really.

You look down at the mini pufts at your feet, wondering if you'd zoned out as they slid you across the floor. You look back up at Logan, giving you that same soft look you were giving him.

Look, what a funny, simple word. There was no other word for that almost hypnotizing gaze shared between the two of you. There was so much tension. So much so that it was killing the mini pufts. They wanted to shove you into each other to just kiss already.

"I think we're alone now," He quietly speaks, glancing down at the desk where the mini pufts had flee'd from.

The beating of your hearts was the only sound as you pressed your hands against his jawline, his hands slinking down to your waist. You press your lips to his for a moment, then again and again before properly pulling away.

He opens his eyes, a grin painting his face. He pecks your lips once more before he knows you'll say that you have to leave.

"I have to go, I think my mom's waiting outside"

"Okay"

He watches as you stumble up the basement stairs, your face flushed. A smile still tugs at his lips, cheeks a light shade of pink.

The mini pufts come out from hiding and cheer him on, then flick the lights off to reveal colorful LED lights and a disco ball. He sighs with a pout, unable to hide the joy behind it.

"Okay, okay, party's over. We have an episode to record"

[starliights-shining]

Bayverse hotrod w gn human reader who literally melts if he ever flirts w them in french???

The entire movie I just wanted- no NEEDED for him to call me either mademoiselle or monsieur whilst he flirt w me cause damn I'd honestly be so flustered to even say a coherent sentence

OMG OMG OMG, WE ARE ALIKE FR FR. I am a big big BIG bayverse!HotRod lover, i simple love all Hot Rod's but him, you are right my friend! French is jsut sooo, you can't go wrong with flirting with it. Anyways, Here is you request. Enjoy :)

Pairing: Bayverse!HotRod x GN!Human

Warning: french(I know you some ppl dont like the french), fluff,

The bot leaned into the window your desk sat in front of, perfectly situated so he could keep you company why you worked. Your fingers caught typing on your laptop, the seven tabs keeping you from talking with your dearly beloved french bot. You peeked up over the laptop, watching as his optics scanned the room for the 500th time over the years, you glanced back down at your screen but looking back up to see him now staring at you. 

“You know not a single one of these pieces are as beautiful as you, mademoiselle/monsieur.” 

You looked away, you had no words, all of a sudden the air felt hot. Your collared shirt was starting to get tight around your neck, your hands were starting to get sweaty, and the tab you were looking at wasn’t making any sense. You got up and turned the fan towards you, standing in front of it. Maybe it was just summer air, especially being in Europe, in an old ass castle, that doesn’t even have good ac. 

“Quoi, fondant comme du chocolat, ma chérie.” 

“What, melting like chocolate, My darling.” 

The room was getting hotter, how on fucking earth was it doing that, your hand came up to the first few buttons on your shirt, Undoing them and then moving down to grab the fabric in a pinch and pulling away and then back again, in a attempt to cool your skin. Why did he decide today is the day, he knows exactly what he's doing after all. He made the connection, you melting to french and flirting. Sometimes he could be so evil.

His optics scanned you from the window, watching you do everything in your power to cool down, from fanning yourself with a magazine, to standing in front of the fan to also holding a fresh out of the fridge water bottle to the back of your neck. Even in the middle of a heat wave summer, and sweating your own personal pool, you still looked gorgeous to him. 

You turned to go back to our desk, sitting down and pressing a few buttons to light it up. You couldn’t tell if you were hot because of the 98 degree weather or if you really were melting because of him, but either way you didn’t care. He was flirting with you, arm perched on the bottom window, leaned in and resting his helm back. 

“Alright, Hot Rod, Tell me what happened again.” 

Sitting up in your chair and looking through your tabs, You wanted him to continue the story, you know the one about the lady who hit him with a polo mallet. He lifted his head and nodded. 

“Yes, Yes, I still forget you weren’t there.” 

You nodded, typing on your computer. His story was detailed, pointing out exact moments he thought you’d enjoy. At some point he was so into this story he was waving his hands around in a frenzy explaining it. His jokes were funny, funny enough to stop you from typing and move a hand to facepalm while laughing. Your laugh, he loved it, If he could he would make you laugh all the time just to hear it. When you looked up from laughing you could see his optics staring at you, almost like a puppy and you had his treats, his treats being your laugh, your existence, your everything. 

“Do that again, it’s quite cute, Mademoiselle/Monsieur.” 

You melted, hands stopped typing as you got up from your desk. It’s getting hot again, extremely hot, too hot. You decided you’d do the only thing you know how, kiss him to shut up. You might die if he keeps that up, and you weren’t trying to do that. You walked over to him, placing your hand on his elbow. He watched intently before moving, the hand on his elbow lifted when you saw he was attempting to move. Fixing his posture before gently grabbing your hand with his servo and bringing it up to his lips for a kiss. 

“I’ll tone it down Mademoiselle/Monsieur, can’t have you melting just yet.” 

[legallybrunettedotcom]

i want to know everything omg! what are your favorite characters on gossip girl? who do you hate the most? and what your opinion about this show in general. 💓

I really need to do a rewatch, I probably forgot a lot of plot points, but... Blair was always my favourite, my number one girl. I didn't like Serena, I think I just didn't like Blake Lively, and I hate to be that person that's like oh she always had bad vibes, I knew it from the start, but idk I just never got the hype around her and her acting was so bad. I think I end up disliking a lot of characters on any tv show just bc I hate the actor's acting choices, like why are you doing that face? that was so unneccessary lmao. I think I also maybe projected onto Blair a bit, like someone who is always trying their best, putting in 110% and someone else just swooping in and winning with zero effort, but... let's not unpack that here. Them together are obviously one of the best frenemies put on screen and I suppose both the tension and love that can exist in female friendships was portrayed really well imo so I don't really want to point fingers at either of them as like the root cause of the friendship problems, like one of them being the shitty friend and other the martyr. Like sometimes you are a shitty friend and sometimes your friend is the cunt, that's not the end of the world. I can see the same thing happening now that there's been a sort of SATC renaissance if i can call it that (even though SATC is a show that is consistently popular, like I don't think it has ever fallen off and then had some sort of resurgence but ygwim) where ppl are aggressively hating Carrie, like she was the devil. Plus I find it difficult to look at fiction through real life eyes, like asking why would this person do this? well they did it bc this is a show and we need an inciting incident to move the plot forward yk?

Blair and Chuck were made for each other, I loved their dynamic. With that said, Chuck is obviously not a good guy. I think at the time, as a kid, some things flew over my head, but looking back he is scary and creepy and you'd feel unsafe in his presence. I suppose he was entertaining, like you got this 15, 16 year old kid talking about stock exchange and dressing like Hugh Hefner, it kinda is funny. Even though I was rooting for Chair (was that their ship name I can't remember) endgame, I did actually enjoy Blair and Dan together, I think it was a cute moment and they worked well together. I don't think their relationship was for shock value, they actually had kind of a proper enemies to friends to lovers arc. I liked Dan, but also looking back... kind of a creep as well, his obsession with Serena was weird and the reveal of him as GG was disappointing. I gotta admit I never watched the show with anticipation of GG being revealed, I personally was like ok if it happens, happens, if it doesn't, fine. I never was interested in looking for clues on who GG might be. I think the show would've been fine ending without that reveal tbh. Definitely one of the more underwhelming and disappointing show finales out there.

I loved Jenny, I loved Juliet, I think she was the best antagonist. I kinda didn't care about Nate that much. I loved that the show delved into the life and drama of the parents as well, sometimes more entertaining than teenage lives. Honestly, can't say I hated anyone, which... funny considering I opened this with a politer version of calling Serena a bitch lmao. But despite GG being looked at as a silly teen show, I think all these characters were pretty complex and no one was really entirely good or entirely bad. I think what carried that show was great costumes, great set design and charismatic actors. I actually read some of the books and yk they're fine, can't remember much of the details, but I think actors made it much more than it is on paper, which also I feel is a sign of times. Like not to lump these actors with actual movie stars of the past, but we can definitely see an actor is not a star anymore, they're a product. The show had a lot of plot holes, but... idk I can't say I'm intense abt plot holes unless it's truly insanely dumb and demeans the audience.

I don't know if you've checked out the reboot, I watched like first half of first season and it wasn't good. They tried to fix a lot of problems of the original, especially in matters of diversity and class consciousness, but the problem with a lot of "socially conscious" media nowadays is that their writing ends up consisting of slogans instead of yk actually good writing and dialogue. The original was quite scandalous for its time, like I've seen ppl say their parents wouldn't let them watch it. It was like SATC for teenagers. The reboot didn't have that edge, but I also don't think this is a uniquely GG problem, I think it's just the times. Television doesn't connect us anymore. Which I know is ironic saying this on Tumblr, on a fandom site, in an era where there are so many streaming platforms producing many many many tv shows and programmes and it all being actually more profitable than films, BUT you can't tell me our relationship to TV is the same as it was 20, 30, 40 etc years ago, or even just 10 years ago.

But yeah, all in all, I love the show, I love the fashion, I love the bitchiness and I think it came at the right moment in my life. If you want to share your own opinions feel free to do so, my inbox is always open. Like I said, haven't seen it in a long time, so my memory isn't super fresh, but I think I'm due for a rewatch. <3

[mysteriouslybluepirate]

hi bestie saw ur post and im kinda curious about this since it's something not a lot of ppl are talking about next to ed's arc and izzy's death and all— what do you think about how they handled stede in the finale? I felt like a lot of the "incompetent wannabe pirate" jokes undermined his progress this season and also him deciding to stay at the inn with ed felt odd as he expressed he wanted to be a pirate and sail the sea. just wondering what other people think about that

[Oct 31, 2023]

Before we get into it, you are allowed to enjoy this show! My past (and next few) responses WILL be negative, but you aren't wrong for agreeing or disagreeing with most posts. Thanks to all the people who have already sent in messages! I can't wait to respond!!

I am an Izzy fan first and foremost, but how a show handles it's protagonist says a LOT about how it handles it' characters overall!

TLDR for this post: In any character-centric media, explore your characters as characters first. Develop your plot around them and their arcs. Don't treat an ensemble cast as faceless props for the story you're trying to tell. Stede's arc is weird because Stede is shoved in places where it feels like he doesn't fit anymore.

Creating a narrative focused on central character conflicts can work. This is how S1 was written. Stede and his actions directly lead to revealing truths of the world that push the plot forward. This worked because I'd argue the strongest part of OFMD overall is its characters. S2 misses out on this strongest aspect by only referencing its characters when it needs something from them.

S1 We went from Stede killing a guy-> The Act of Grace. S2 Stede tells a guy he shouldn't be an idiot and leave behind a calling card -> burning down the Republic of Pirates and killing Izzy. S2 doesn't feel as tied to Stede's arc of growing into a pirate. But Stede isn't the only person this has fucked over.

Each crew member has their role established from S1, we fans know how they work as a family. But in S2 most of the cast can be swapped out interchangeably unless its something that features this side character NICHE (Wee John in drag being good with fabrics, Roach being a cook).

Sadly, by focusing on the larger Zheng vs. Military arc, a story our characters BARELY caused, the audience misses out on potential character development. Instead of our characters facing the consequences of their actions, our favorite side characters are used as faceless narrative tools. This is largely why the crew was abandoned this season unless they had a romantic side plot. Seeing The Revenge sail off in episode 8, it feels like we barely care about them at all anymore.

As seen from @the-buttspie 's comment, even Stede's arc isn't left out of the firing range. His characterization in episode 8 is constantly thrown back and forth between 'Captain doing his best' and 'Village idiot' if the scene needs it.

Analyzing WHY I started to dislike Stede post episode 4 is FASCINATING, and I feel that digging all the way back to the beginning is a smart way to look at his character growth this season.

FRAMING: Stede's early story get's fucked over pacing-wise because his storyline happens side by side to that of Ed/Izzy.

Any dramatic moment is cut short to show just how much the other crew is NOT about to die. Every time I watch S2 with a new person, for episodes 1-3, they'll comment on how much they don't care about Stede's plot. Which is not a thing you'd want for your protagonist in a season of TV that's only 8 episodes long.

Stede goes through a really strong arc from S1 to the start of S2. For the first three episodes of S2, he puts the needs of his crew before the needs of himself. Literally making sure his crew is safe before going down to see Ed's corpse. I genuinely enjoyed how Stede stepped up for his family. How he doesn't blame the Revenge crew for killing Ed, realizing that yes. Ed is the love of his life and also a man who has seriously hurt so many people.

Eps 4-5: From that we see him trying to talk it through with Ed. While both of them aren't telling the whole truth, it's a good start! We're midway through the season, so we should expect things to get fleshed out more soon.

Until Stede decides 'I'm going to bring a man that tortured my family for 80+ days onboard less than 24 hours after my crew voted him off' Yes. Stede loves Ed to a stupid extent, but this starts the trend for Stede to be dangerously selfish this season using his power as captain to overwrite the want of his crew, a habit of his that partially gets Izzy killed.

I really enjoyed Stede in episode 5, and for me, this felt most like the Stede we recognize growing into a real Captain with hints of who he was. I think it says a lot that Stede still misses his layers and silks. That he craves the softness he used to have in the form of that cursed jacket. But as soon as Izzy is like 'you idiot, please listen to them, they will mutiny' Stede gives it up!!!! He's grown. He's listening to Izzy, he's talking with his crew! This episode did the one thing I wish the season did more of, show the reunited crew just living their lives.

This is where Stede stands out, it lets him be a bit more of a leader to the crew. Let him find his groove again. I loved it!!

Now: Killing Ned Low.

Stede choosing to kill Ned Low is the first time Stede killing someone counts. Yes, he burned down the ship French ship. But this is the first time the audience is supposed to care. I think this moment WAS in character and a really important moment for Stede. He chose this. This wasn't up to crew vote, Ned insulted Ed so fuck him, he deserves to die. Ned walks the plank, also referencing historical Bonnet's tendency to do the same thing.

This is where both Ed and Stede make an in-character mistake, having their first time after the rush of 'oh shit, I'm still alive, and I'm hurting and you're here too'. They don't regret their first time, clearly, they both enjoyed it, but both of them can't ignore what fueled it. Stede has had 3 episodes to re-establish himself with his crew, and now has very little time for the rest of the season with them to show off his growth. That's why, after the party, we don't feel like this show is showing off a family anymore. Even when reunited, they barely feel like a united front.

But from this point on, I personally feel that Stede should have toned down the humor a bit and act like he did in episode 3. Well, I'm getting a bit ahead of myself so-

Episode 7: Stede enjoys being popular, following in Ed's footsteps. He holds his ground against Ed, and overall this feels like a natural progression of his arc from episode 5. He knows what he wants in life and Ed not communicating is genuinely frustrating for him. Him being heartbroken and trying to fight Zheng like she's Izzy is one of the few callbacks I feel that works. As it compares a Stede who was supported by his crew, to this Stede who feels totally alone. I loved Stede this episode, only to be disappointed by-

Episode 8:

Where Ed is allowed to have his silly moments in private, I feel that Stede fluctuates between silly and serious WAY too much for us to take him seriously. Stede's response to Ed telling him he loved him being 'I know' also felt off to me.

"You're not a dick, life's a dick" This line is frustrating to me as it's Stede's response to Ed apologizing. Genuinely apologizing for his actions in the previous episode. This could have been a moment for us to feel like Stede and Ed were a united front but Stede's constant joking and not taking shit semi-seriously. Yes. He feels more comfortable around his family which is amazing.

But I can't help but point out how Stede chooses to go along with a plan the rest of the crew doesn't like. What NARRATIVE purpose was there for Stede trying to sell the captain? He has money, clearly. With the loot they still have, and a future alliance with Zheng.

Stede fucks up. His choice a plan that gets Izzy killed. The writers sacrificed Stede being a competent Captain who cares about his crew into what is described as a 'suicide mission' to push Izzy into his rushed death. A disservice to both characters.

ONTO:

Stede abandons piracy

I'm not shocked they did this, not after the other flubs of the episode, but I hate that it wasn't a conversation held between Ed and Stede.

They could cut the stupid joke about Ed being bad at fishing at the beginning and have these two idiots talking about their issues. Maybe establish that, yeah, piracy is a lot, and they deserve to settle down and get to know each other. Even if they return to the sea, this frames it as Ed finally finding peace and Stede getting pulled along, going against his character growth this season.

I'm surprised that they're setting this up now and not at the end of Season 3. Hell, I used to think S3 would be focused on Ed and Stede avoiding/faking their historical deaths. Given all the bullshit they'll have to clean up to wrap up all the loose ends established this season- S3 will be VERY Ed/Stede focused, I think the crew will still be inserted in without care or arc. Characters like Jim and Oluwande will be prioritized as they are in a relationship before our nonromantic characters like Wee John and Frenchie.

Stede and Ed's relationship, the driving force of the plot, still falls flat because after everything it still feels like puppy love. They've spent at most two months in person together, and two weeks in a serious relationship. I don't really feel convinced that they actually love each other. Ed still doesn't know that Stede was kidnapped at the end of S1, or why he struggles to talk about his feelings. Ed still hasn't talked about why he feels he needs to leave piracy, or his issues feeling like he doesn't belong anywhere in life. Their habit of running away the MOMENT things get hard just makes me not care about them.

I blame the size of the Izzy fandom on the fact that if you don't buy into the leads, there's almost nothing left here to sink your teeth into. The moment the show seems like they'll talk about it they hard pivot.

I hope S3ep1 happens after a LONG time jump. I want these fuckers to be snippy like two people snowed into a cabin for months. Sick of each other and bitching back and forth like no tomorrow. S3 is about genuinely breaking down their walls. Until then, I'll stick with Izzy, the Canyon, and his depressing version of this reality.

[mattdillon]

it’s kind of a shock to me dal/pony’s never been a big ship in the fandom (tho rn i can understand why ppl are not quick to ship charas who frequently refer to e/o as brothers — musical) when they’re both well-defined as indiv charas and share lots of moments together on paper and on screen (many of which worth mulling over) and can fit into the tropes many ppl clearly enjoy in their ships! (for instance making pony love drawing curly or steve…)

there are a couple of things that prevents it from being a big ship:

a lot of people are young, it's their first fandom, and they get scared off by the age gap. when you're older or at least have more fandom experience, it's not as big of a deal. a lot of younger people currently treat it like it's like a ten year old and a twenty-five year old which is just not correct. and a lot of newer people are really puritan brained in a way that is a bit disturbing. there was a little bit of dalpony on ff.net but ff.net is very hard to navigate and almost all of those fics were varying levels of ooc. (and i ate it up anyway)

i want to be nice but there's really no nice way to put it: a lot of jally shippers are extremely possessive over their ship and over dallas. jally is treated as the de facto ship of the fandom and dalpony isn't like tim/dallas or johnny/pony — pony is instantly pegged as direct competition to johnny and it makes a lot of jally people angry. i think what makes them angriest is that it de-centers johnny from dallas' narrative in their eyes and it subverts the line they always cite from the novel that is very jally. they tend to act very entitled over jally being the "default" ship and a lot of them get loud and aggressive over the existence of dalpony in general so that's stopped a lot of people. (there's also the fact that a lot of jally fans are johnny fans more than they are dallas fans so a lot of them perceive dallas as a prize for johnny rather than his own separate human being)

a lot of people in fandom, again bc it's first fandom and there's a young skewage, can't write in character for shit to be blunt. so a lot of ships where it involves a developed character shipped with an undeveloped or totally non-present character appeals to them cause they can just self insert or because they can just write whatever and not be held up to the same standards. you can do almost anything with curly and not have to check back to canon at all about him cause curly doesn't ever appear until that was then, this is now and he's not significant. most of purly is "dalpony with training wheels" for me with how it's written and more than one dalpony person has said to me they used to be into purly and switched or became a multishipper.

the musical and the proliferation of "they're brothers! you can't ship them!" that's going through fandom right now is stifling a lot of shipping. i've seen the musical via a bootleg, it's the most out of character version of canon and it's the most de-queered version of canon to come up. people, as a consequence, are buying hard into "platonic only!" versions of canon to the point that there wasn't even a surge of jally after the musical. if jally can't even make it, dalpony won't. (and they had a nugget of dalpony in there)

some other things is that people tend to move on from this fandom within months of each other or they're here for a long time but stick into one lane or there's lots of breaks between. so there's not a whole lot of consistency in presence, either. i think i'm the only dalpony who's been here the longest with the most influence (i hate dallyboy as a name so i picked dalpony and here we are using it!) and the most fanworks vs. people who've simply drifted away, been bullied out of shipping it (happens often, unfortunately, even though i try to support as many people as i can while maintaining boundaries), or go to other pastures. (though i will say some major shipfics haven't been going on as long or consistently as say fits even for other ships. i think the last major jally fic that was completed was 2019.)

[generouskittentidalwave]

Milo Murphy's law, holy shit

HOLY CHEESE N CRACKERS, I HATE SOCIETY BECAUSE OF YOU PEOPLE

LISTEN, LISTEN, SIT DOWN AND *LISTEN*

I was watching a popular video on YouTube about Milo Murphy's Law, now despite the people in the comments having a collective trauma boner they can't get rid of, yes I said what I said and you'll know why, everyone OUTSIDE of that confined space actually agrees it's a funny, happy, underrated show.

BUT OML YOU PPL IN NEED TO GET A GRIP CAUSE HOL-Y SHIT YOU PPL NEED *THERAPY*

Because in that comment section everyone was complaining that "Oh Milo doesn't care about the stuff going on around him" and "It would be so much better if he was constantly filled with anxiety" or "I always wanted him to break down and cry about the things going on around him" or "he should feel guilty about the things going on around him and have a breakdown"

No, NO, STFU, RESPECTFULLY MIND YOU, BUT STFU, THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS AND I'M TIRED OF IT

Milo cares, he clearly does as in every episode he's helping everyone after mistakes get made because of the jinx out of his own kindness, even going out of his way to do his best to avoid stuff. He's just happy and positive and nonchalant about the outrageous comedic calamity that follows him wherever he goes not because he doesn't care but because he's dealt with it since birth, he stays optimistic and prepared as that's all you can really do. Being upset constantly, although justified, would not help or fix anything. If you made him constantly sad, guilty, and depressed constantly over the things he can't control (mind you he has gotten upset because of it before, multiple times) then that would ruin the whole message of the show and of Milo's character that Dan tried to display. Which is that things are gonna happen sometimes that are out of your control, but what matters is making the most of it and enjoying the things in life as they come. As even when they are bad, that doesn't take away the good that can happen. It's okay to get upset over things out of your control, but sometimes the only thing you can do is make the most of what you have and find enjoyment through the daily life of chaos.

But NOOO ppl would rather have this literal happy optimistic child in a hilariously chaotic and shitty situation be constantly depressed, on edge, anxiety ridden and guilty because if we can't be happy in that situation then they can't be either, and in the words of Milo Murphy "Does that sound like more fun to you?"

SO yeah, if you are trying to make something dark and depressing to be more relatable then take a good, HARD, look at yourself and revaluate. This child should NOT be upset because nothing that happens around him IS HIS FAULT. It's, let me repeat, literally OUT OF HIS CONTROL. And yet he STILLS helps everyone around him constantly DESPITE THAT.

We gotta stop getting upset at realistically positive characters in shitty situations and immediately getting upset that they have an optimistic outlook where we wouldn't. That's not to say don't take every situation not-seriously when it's needed (Which they have taken serious situations seriously and respectfully mind you), but for the love of god people need to stop self projecting. We all have our own traumas, and it can be validating seeing someone in your same shoes, but that doesn't mean every happy character needs to be as upset as we are.

Maybe, just maybe, they can serve as a happy reminder that, no matter what comes your way, sometimes there can be good found in even the craziest and shitty situations. That maybe, just maybe, we all need a bit of fun and happiness and optimisim in our lives because bad things are always going to happen that's out of your control. But what matters is focusing on the good in our lives.

Also before you say "WeLl It Was SaId Milo Wouldn't WaNT a CuRe foR MurPhy'S laW-" No, Milo's best friend assumed he wouldn't want that, that's not saying he wants to keep it because he likes it and will let ppl suffer because of that, but it was literally stated, and displayed in many other shows that use Murphy's law in a literal sense, that the "cure" for Murphy's law is literally passing it on elsewhere or onto someone else, and that was literally stated in the show too later on. Milo wouldn't want that and Melissa knows it. She also knows if there was a cure, they would've found it already, which means there is a reason why they still have this curse. Murphy's law is who he is, and him having it keeps it from affecting someone else, even if it causes problems he tries to see the good in having it around.

(And P.S., before you say "BuT tHe PaF Crossover MaDe ThIngS-", NOPE GET THAT, ALTHOUGH UNDERSTANDABLE OPINION, OUTTA HERE. It's a Dan run show, he's gonna do crossovers, he's gonna connect the two together and Doof being brought back as the fun uncle in the house with a platypus friend is amazing. You don't have to like it, but you gotta accept that others do.)

So, people, as a society, DO BETTER

[yutaholic]

Thank you for even making that post because I honestly feel like I’m going to explode!! Championing every issue is EXHAUSTING. I have such empathy fatigue. Bombardment of “rules”, behavioral guidelines, services, companies, networks + food brands & PEOPLE to boycott ALL THE TIME. Fandom is space many of us come to unplug from reality…it’s certainly my hyperfixation & ppl be like “well then get another one because you shouldn’t support–” IT DOESN’T WORK LIKE THAT. Fuck. I can’t take it anymore. Calls to action being in EVERY single place have weakened my mental state even more than it was before which was already on “pending disability” level of severe & now I’m just. burned t-absolute-f out….at everything!! I can literally FEEL myself unraveling. Kpop stans & their toxic activism can go to hell. They’re so worried about making sure to condemn others for “not doing enough” or being bad people, that they don’t even realize their actions are making them into bad people. This shit takes a toll on mental health, there is science behind this, it is real and what happens to human beings when inundated with constant terrible news, and it’s not just being ~too privileged to care~ but these performative mfs have no concept of blacklisting anymore and just want to assume the absolute worst about someone, call them names & wish harm on folks who are at the end of their ropes! It’s maddening! So even if compassion fatigue isn’t why you didn’t go out of your way to Denounce and Drag™️ him (bc you totally have the right to simply not want to do that on a fanfic blog!) I’m just glad someone else stated that this is supposed to be an ESCAPE. fuck.

Baby, burnout will fuck you up. Don't do that to yourself. Take the time you need and recoup. Life is a constant war and you can afford to lose a battle here and there to focus on your own health and well-being. Getting yourself back into a good place mentally will be a huge win. We both know the ppl obsessed with performative activism aren't doing anything from a place of compassion. The real ones are out there making change, not sending people death threats online from the comfort and safety of their mommy's basement.

When I posted the pic of NCT Dream and Big Time Rush, I wrote in the tags how BTR was something my sister and I loved and bonded over. We watched the show even though it was obviously a kids show and we were both adults. It was just something that gave us joy. My sister passed away years ago and anything BTR-related will make me teary because I think about how much we laughed together over it.

So the first thing I get are messages over how problematic BTR is, that I should delete the post or I'm pro-genocide if I don't dislike them. Ngl that made me so upset because I got a bunch of faceless people trying to taint some precious memories of me and my sister. If they came at me trying to educate me on things I didn't know that would be different, but it's straight to judgment and hatred toward me over something I posted that was totally innocent.

Meanwhile I get criticized for posting about a kpop group instead of reblogging every call to action post. I donate my money to these causes, but I don't post about it because I don't need my ass kissed for doing what I know to be right. I am 1000% sure the anons in my inbox that try to police me have never given a dime to anything, but are policing people's blogs for not reblogging posts or talking about it more.

I feel bad that I haven't been very active on here this year so I try to come on when I have some free time to interact with you guys. I make a silly post about Doyoung and get anons tearing into me for it like I'm his social media manager. Okay so because the world is going to shit we aren't allowed to enjoy anything?? Can't make jokes about anything. Can't show support for anything. Just wrong on every fucking count.

Believe me I am so goddamn aware of how lucky I am that I can sit here and say I'm very privileged that I live comfortably in the life I have. I know what's going on in the world and I do my part to help where I can, but I also have to keep functioning. I don't want every minute of my life to be seeped in anger, I did that for a long time and it not only eats away at you, it makes you ineffective in actually changing the things making you angry in the first place.

This was just supposed to be a blog where I posted my stories. One of the few places I could go and not constantly be reminded of how fucked up the world is. I've always said that people who told me reading a fic of mine made their day a little better or helped them escape for a bit were always my favorite. That was what I came here for and I loved being able to share the tiniest moments of peace and quiet with others through stories with guaranteed happy endings.

I'm frustrated because I have 4 drafts ready to go next year. I got the story posts done and made all the headers. But I don't want to post them. I have no problem admitting I'm selfish and spiteful. Even though I can turn off anon, I can't block these miserable people and I don't want them reading my stuff. They don't get to consume my content and then tell me to off myself right after.

A massive fuck you to those of you that ruined this blog for me.

[natashasbitxh]

I have to say it. I started my Shayne journey this week and honestly not mad at all. I just u know, love to see sometimes how Shayne will be looking at chance like he's trying to understand something in him, that he doesn't even realize. Always when chance isn't looking obviously, the other part to me is how gentle the interactions are, sometimes I feel like Shayne is afraid of Chance in a good way I think. Then when they laugh at the same joke, it's rare but curious. I sense like they could be really good friends, but there's something that doesn't let them be close in that way. Maybe they're not trying to be friends, maybe they will always see the other as someone dar away even though they actually have a lot of things to relate. The new video with the fanfic really highlights for me that strange aura around them, like a wall they're too afraid to be friendly, Shayne seemed nervous and I don't understand why, nothing bad really happens and he doesn't like the eye contact too much hahahaha. Those two are a funny little duo, like they would be the kind of friendship that act like they have a secret and wouldn't tell anybody and inside jokes. So I'm saying this to you now, thank you for sharing your love for this duo, they deserve more, even if it's only shipping, it works for me, I don't mind. Another thing is, I would love to see more banter between them in the next videos hahahaha. Chance did a great job in the fanfic, he really is a theater kid. I wonder if he sense Shayne nervousness sometimes or not. Please share you thoughts on them too!!! I would totally read just an essay of them, explaining why you like this dynamic if you ever wanted to write it

Well first off, welcome to shaynse nation! Was gonna say that I hope ur enjoying ur journey but it seems u r!

(Putting more under the cut because this got rlly long!)

Adding on, I also find that Chanse does the same with Shayne! Both of them watch eachother and seem to REALLY be listening. I think Shayne wants to impress Chanse, not always but often he'll make a joke and look over to Chanse for his reaction.

And I understand what u mean sm! I could deffo feel some nervousness from Shayne, once again I've seen other ppl say it but it is so introvert x extrovert!

and honestly even without shipping, I think their dynamic and friendship is so fun and entertaining! They really are so funny together!

I honestly tried to go back and see what video made me think of shaynse, but I honestly can't remember at all!

Honestly, I think I like this ship just cause its so interesting and like you said, gentle? There's this sort of softness that I always associate with shaynse, and even any angst I imagine to be the same if that makes sense. I've said it before, but they really do give me the vibes of evermore (by Taylor Swift), Cigarettes After Sex, Lana Del Rey and maybe even Mitski. Also just throwing this in but I've noticed he's started to give Shayne the "Angela..." treatment, "Shayne..." and I think that shows a development in at least friendship. Like taking out any romance, I think you really can notice how they've gotten closer in videos and have great chemistry. I've also noticed in videos recently that they mirror each other a lot or even finish each other's sentences to an extent and I think that's rlly sweet! I've mentioned this before but Chanse often twirls his hair whilst he's listening or talking to Shayne, just an observation! I've noticed he does this kinda thing (not saying it's just limited to Shayne) where he responds to Shayne with this far off look in his eyes as he twirls his hair. Honestly that may very well not be a shaynse moment and is probably Chanse just zoning out, and quite frankly he's so real for that I relate to that so hard. And I'm sorry but my shipping self...the way Chanse looks at Shayne makes me insane sometimes!! Even when neither of them are talking!! And then when Shayne is talking, the eye contact from Chanse is so FIERCE. I've said before that the formula is that Chanse gazes at Shayne and Shayne cries at Chanse's jokes...and honestly now both things apply to both of them! Shayne also very much gives the vibe that he's nervous to compliment Chanse to his face but absolutely gushes abt him to other ppl (this thought coming from Shayne bringing up Chanse AS MUCH AS HE CAN).

Sorry, this became sooo unorganised but I kinda just jotted down all my shaynse feelings/ideas! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, I found it so fun to read and so fun to reply!! Don't be afraid to do it again! (And that goes to everybody!)

Shaynse is a niche ship and I get that not everybody is gonna like it, but I do rlly appreciate shaynse nation and smoshblr in general!

[tododeku-or-bust]

been thinking about your posts and list and everything and..... like ok ik i dont like fandom whatsoever but i presumed it was more coz im awkward and all that shit that comes w but. i realize the sensation of just. not fitting in whatsoever... i never shared my race nor felt comfortable sharing my race online and in fandom. and i have seen some vitriolic shit but sat there and let it happen - and i think thats the most haunting thing. i just let it be said, cuz the second i do, im gonna be at somebodys ire. now im trying not be like that anymore and call out bullshit when i see it, but the fact that it was basically me being a whole bystander to fandom racism online just so i would not be at the ire of antiblackness. im just. ok. this is not asking you to absolve me hope it dont come off that way, this is more something i know i learn from. but this shit is still lingering to this day, and fandom shouldnt have been the thing that did THAT! how did fandom, a community of people, make me so isolating!!! i have no interest in community, and im only just unlearning that maybe i DO want community!!! and i didnt accept the fact i was half black til last fucking year!!!!!!!!!!!!! sometimes i wonder how much happier and comfortable in my own skin if i didnt try to act all nice and quiet for ppl who dont give a shit abt reconsidering why fandom is so void of black ppl

Well first, I'm sorry that it took you so long to overcome your internalized antiblackness, but I'm happy and proud that you were able to look within and start that process for yourself. Many people can't admit they hate themselves. Because you're right, you would have been a lot happier in your own skin if you weren't pressuring both yourself and receiving pressure from the world to hate your Blackness.

And it isn't safe to fight antiblackness. Black fans know what comes with the experience and may try to protect themselves by never mentioning it, having to swallow the indignity or not ever participate at all. People deem discussing race as a threat, it's "not fun" and it's "causing infighting". It can isolate you; ruin an entire potential presence bc you broke the status quo.

It's why most nonblack fans choose to be bystanders, and therefore... Are choosing antiblack racism. That fear of stepping in is at least something nonblack people have the option of having; I have to face it! That's the life I have to live, is knowing that this sort of hatred exists for me, and the only way I can "not deal with it" is by lowering my head and accepting that I'm less than. That's the only "easy" way out.

But I choose my humanity along with the difficulty. And I'm glad you're starting to recognize that- you are worth fighting for, your humanity is worth fighting for! No need to be nice and quiet for people to enjoy your suffering- fuck em lmao. If EYE don't get peace, YEW don't get peace!

As for community, yeah you're probably not gonna find it in fandom, least not unconditional. That's been a hard lesson for me to swallow, too. It hurt, bc you walk in expecting to have community with people who like the same stuff you do!! But, unfortunately they're bringing their real world biases with them. Anyway, some of us are doing what we can to make it so, but... Tis a long battle. You keep working on yourself though!

[daemon-in-my-head]

1 and 7 for the new asks 😊

Thank you those are the spiciest ones lmfao. Answering my latest abomination.

1. Your hottest Durgetash take. The kinda heat Gortash had to endure in HoH. (But be respectful about it fellas, this means everyone)

I mean this in the nicest, most respectful way possible, but: the durge story line in game is absolute and utter trash I'm so sorry. The absolute lack of reactions from ur companions, the fact that there's no consequences from them except Wyll and the 2 guys you met literally 5 minutes ago, the sudden shift of tone in Act 3 when Durge remembers who they r and immediately goes 'I'm daddy's lil princess and yall can smd'. It's just infuriating atp. Like I love Durge and I do appreciate the vagueness cuz it allows for a lot of topics to be brought up but none of them r really tackled by a game thats praised for handling trauma in a tactful manner. They're made to be the laughing stock and comedic relief and honestly it's just distasteful when you recall that a lot of ppl with certain types of trauma or addiction issues can so greatly relate to them. There was a lot of dark shit they could've expressed with that origin. And they did. But it was cannibalism and necrophilia for the sake of sensationalism and slapstick comedy.

As for Gort it's the remote work I've talked about b4 lmao. They rly just banished the most powerful political leader of the Gate from the Gate and made him work remotely from a shabby fortress outside of the city he's ruling. I know why they did it, I can understand it, but it's still hilarious and probs a hot take cuz like yk that man wouldn't reside there if it wasn't for the scrapping of the upper city.

7. Would Orins premature death have impacted them and their dynamic? How? Why? Why not?

Okay, so first up, there's smth ya need to know to understand this. Elli had a sister, and even if they weren't blood related he considered his foster family to be his, well, family and loved them. And that man, at least pre tadpole, is pretty much aware of what happened when the urge awakened and how he's the very thing he couldn't protect his treasured people from, despite that being his greatest desire.

So in other words, he's 10000% projecting the sister he's killed onto Orin. He's lenient with her and protective over her. To him, she's the sister he could and will save. She's the last bit of family and treasured people he has left. So if anything were to happen to her, he'd snap. Because that man is utterly traumatised and he simply wouldn't be able to deal with another loss like that, but he's also the type to run away so he'd just become the perfect pretty puppet Bhaal would've always wanted and simply cease to exist as a person, wholly devoting himself to the plan just so he can escape this dreadful hell he's forced to live in ASAP. Which, in turn, would also destroy everything Gortash enjoyed about him. Elli would remove himself to the best of his ability and simply become someone following orders without thinking, smth Gortash enjoys in everyone but his equal, which would cause him to withdraw as well. They'd just kinda get miserable by themselves again, completely terminating whatever was before. Cuz Gort can't see Elli breaking to such a degree thx of his own issues and him being a permanent reminder that Gort himself isn't safe even after everything, and Elli simply has 0 capacity for any sort of attachments left. 'If he's gonna lose them anyway, might as well not forge them in the first place' kinda mindset.

Now, if Gortash somehow had his hands in that, and Elli would find out however... Well, Elli considers death to be a mercy, so Gort would probably live to see his age turn three digits, all while he suffers from the Bhaalspawn's wrath. Seeing all he's ever built crumble and fall for no other reason than the elfs spite and desire to destroy the one who took his sister. Like that man would grind Gort down to the point where Gort would even consider his time in HoH a walk in the park, all while Elli ruins himself as well cuz arguably the second he loses someone else he'd absolutely discard any attachments to life and staying alive too. His motivation to obey Bhaal was the promise of control and protection, and without someone left to protect, he'd have no reason left to make sure Bhaals plans don't go up in flames.

If he hadn't lost his memories Orin would still be alive nd thriving simply cuz Elli couldn't kill her and would instead either protect her or die for her sake, no doubt abt that.

[slytherinshua]

i'm bored so send in some fic requests with prompts <3

back to main pinned

rules

only 1-2 prompts per ask, these fics are going to be short drabbles, not full fics unless the brainrot is too strong skdjks so expect the wc to be around +-500 words

please only send in requests for the boyz, nct wish, tws, zerobaseone, boynextdoor, xdinary heroes, txt, onf, mcnd, lucy, nflying, or hwang minhyun cause those are the ppl i feel like writing for rn skdjsk im sorry </3 (heavy on tbz i rly wanna write more fics for them!!!)

if you request for a group that is not listed im just gonna delete the ask im sorry :(

i might reject some requests if i've already written a fic with the same prompt, it's hard to think of different fic ideas and include the same prompts so i'm sorry if i can't do your request </3

ill only be writing/accepting prompt requests for the next week so enjoy until then!!

prompt list under the cut!! (it's not very organized and i just got random prompts on tumblr and from my past prompt events!) i will cross out prompts that i’ve already written fics with!!

"I'm not leaving you. Ever."

"We're not just dating, we're married."

 "Just breathe with me, okay?" "Okay."

 "Can I kiss you?"

"Five more minutes please, I don't wanna leave you."

"I realized why I couldn't stand you; I can't stop loving you and it's making me crazy."

"Get some rest, you work too hard."

 "You deserve the world."

 "Your hair is soft."

“You're safe here with me."

"It's you. It's always going to be you."

 "You're not like them. You're better, you always have been and you always will be."

 "How about we face it together?"

"Whatever happens; I'll be here."

"Why?" "Because I love you."

"I just don't want you getting hurt."

"I have something to do!" "Blow them off and stay here with me all day."

"Oh, so you're jealous?" "I'm not jealous!"

"Dance with me?"

"You're my home."

"When I'm with you, everything else goes away."

"I can't stay away from you, I tried but I can't."

"Wanna get drunk together?"

"Is this a date?"

"Are those my clothes?"

"You're worth the wait."

"Eyes up here, idiot."

 "I'm yours. I'll always be yours."

"Time will take care of it."

"Are you hurt?!"

"We'll fix things. We always do."

"One more kiss."

“I’d never turn down a kiss from you.”

“Where’s my goodnight kiss?”

“You can’t scare me like that, okay?”

“Let me help you.”

“Does it hurt?”

“It’s okay. I’m here.”

“Don’t listen to that voice inside your head, listen to mine.”

"I'm sorry. I'll never be good enough for you."

"I cheated on you."

"I think this ― us ― was a mistake."

"Please don't go."

"I'm too scared to die, not yet, please."

"I love you, and that's why I'm letting you go."

"Oh my god.. You love somebody else."

"It probably doesn't mean anything to you, but I love you."

"I can be there when you need me!" "But I did, and you weren't." 

"Leave."

"I can't forgive you."

"Don't make me choose."

"I don't have a choice."

 "Why does this sound like goodbye?" "Because it is."

"You said forever."

 "How long have you been lying to me?"

"Did you ever love me?"

 "Why do you keep me a secret? Why are we hiding?"

 "Are you embarrassed of me?"

"One last time. Please."

"Are you afraid of me?"

"Was I not enough for you?"

"You don't get to call me that anymore."

 "Is that all I mean to you?"

"It's better this way."

 "I get it. You can leave. It's what they all do anyway."

"You're just like the others."

 "You don't mean that." "I do."

"But why would you do it to me?"

"So this is the end?"

"After everything, this is all you can come up with?"