#he really is just kind of an afterthought to everyone lol

[metalandmagi]

Eiji really just summarized all of Migi and Dali in one line.

[valkyrieandstrangeridingaragorn]

I am really getting annoyed with people said "loki is just narcissistic person, strange is just arrogant doctor, Wanda is just selfish crazy", okey they are lie that more than that but somehow everyone forgetting that they have trauma and pain(not justify bad actions but still) and they keep insist that they need getting more punishment.

Then we have stark, yeah we know him and if someone say he is just arrogant selfish billionaire other standard will say he ore than that and they said stark didn't deserve punishment what he did , really?

I am have to say I have one fanfic not Wanda friendly but I take theme in MOM because how I hate Wanda in MOM (thanks Waldron make me hate Wanda) from all her on screen MOM is in my hate list.

Also you can see how many Wanda, loki and strange got punishment in fanfic rather than stark, they justify his actions.

They never cared to humanize Stark's victims. We just had that woman in CW who was written horribly and to make matters worse, Stark was framed sympathetically in that scene. Go figure! And of course that scene is followed by him claiming the entire team has to be """held accountable""" (not just him, the team) and when some of them push back he's shown to be the rational one. What a joke.

With that kind of absolute narrative protection, is it any wonder so many people claim he feeling bad for 0.2 seconds is enough?

Whereas with Wanda we know the names of the people she hurt, we heard them speak and explain how much pain they were in. (I always laugh every time I see someone claim WandaVision was on Wanda's side.. lol no).

In Loki's case, his whole past and characterization were retconned and simplified by Waldron and Feige, and those around him were framed in a positive light while he was shown as an evil character who will always have to be paying for his mistakes. Odin, Thor, Sylvie, Mobius... none of them are held accountable so the difference in framing is even clearer.

And with Stephen, he's so unlucky that he got his own movie taken from him and once again his story was simplified for some reason I do not understand. His pain, sacrifices, his story are an afterthought in MoM and ironically enough, he was written miles better in NWH than in his own film. And of course, we got other characters telling him he's evil, he's selfish, he's a villain, bla bla.

In short: he's defined (negatively) by others. Just like Loki. Ever see them defining or defending themselves? Nah. If they defend themselves they're "arrogant" and "narcissistic" 🙄

So I'm not surprised those three are treated like crap by the fandom while Stark is praised to the heavens and back.

Stephen, Wanda and Loki are not perfect. But the thing is... they don't need to be. In fact, they shouldn't be. That's what makes them so interesting, it's what sets them apart from the clear-cut heroes. What we should be getting about them is the why they're not perfect + the circumstances behind their actions and beliefs, those are crucial when it comes to morally grey characters. Otherwise we just end up with "they did x so they're y" bullshit writing.

[maoam]

I noticed a lot of SNS who dislike ss and tolerate nh (sometimes even ship it too) mistake Naruto social and polite nature as romantic feelings for Hinata. They compare it to the way Sasuke acts with Sakura and tell themselves "Well Naruto acts nicer so he probably loves her".

Oh definitely. If you don't dislike Hinata NH is definitely easier to stomach than SS. SS is so much more aggressive in the negativity. NH isn't good for Naruto either, but it's not as in your face as SS.

When they met at the training ground, it was purely accidental. Naruto didn't go out of his way to look for her. After all that Hyuga drama, Naruto beating Neji up for her and saying he kinda likes people like her, he just kinda forgets about her lol. He doesn't even bother to look for her and chat about whatever went down. He beat up whoever was mean to someone he saw as needing for help, and that was enough for him.

When they meet again, he's like "oh hey it's Hinata" while she faints again when seeing him... this dynamic is very unbalanced. Her whole being revolves around Naruto, to the point she passes out at the mere sight of him, while to Naruto she's barely an afterthought.

Some NH called this an underrated NH moment and I let out a laugh. This? Most mundane average friendly interaction between two teammates. There's nothing here indicating any kind of attraction from Naruto. But NH are NH... Anyway these two moments, her fainting and her saying she won't let Naruto down are the only two moments in part 2 before her dramatic confession. Yet there are people genuinely believing Naruto had romantic feelings for her during Pain arc.

Again, to Naruto it's enough to know Hinata didn't die, he doesn't need to go look for her, he's very occupied with Sasuke. It also shows Kishimoto doesn't really care about their relationship.

And then this moment that I mentioned earlier. In all of these moment it's so very obvious Naruto has nothing against Hinata unlike Sasuke who is genuinely frustrated and annoyed by Sakura's tactless, dishonest and self centered behaviour. But it's also very obvious Naruto also isn't attracted to Hinata. Naruto wants to see the good in everyone, and Hinata isn't as aggressive about her selfish intentions. So their interactions are more normal than Sasuke and Sakura's.

(Ignore the disrespect towards Neji) It's in character for Naruto to be thankful to someone who tries to support him. NH pretend this is solely about Hinata when Naruto mentions other people as well, but regardless people have pointed out Naruto looks like he's being held at gunpoint. I think Kishi was struggling when drawing this moment. However, Naruto forgets about her again... she's just not interesting enough for him.

Pretty much this.

[hopecomesbacktolife]

thinking about how in the phantom of the opera (the musical, not the book; it’s been… 10+? maybe even 15+? years since I’ve read it so I don’t still remember all the finer points of character nuances in the book lol) during the all I ask of you reprise, the phantom sings

“I gave you my music / made your song take wing / and now, how you’ve repaid me, denied me and betrayed me / he was bound to love you / when he heard you sing”

and specifically those last two parts— “he was bound to love you when he heard you sing” is so interesting to me like. sure he gets incredibly obsessive and weird TM about both of them as a couple / as an entity later on in the show, but during this part, he’s kind of positing Raoul as an afterthought, almost. he was bound to love you; it was inevitable, almost, everyone loves Christine’s singing; it’s the fact that Christine loves (or even just likes, at this point) Raoul back, that she reciprocates that feeling, that enrages the phantom.

I find this so fascinating because the whole plot is such a fantastic gothic story and a cursory glance might make you think Christine is written as the maiden archetype, almost helpless in the love triangle mess aspect of the plot. But I think it’s fascinating that the phantom here acknowledges that not only did Christine choose Raoul, and what’s more, choose him over the phantom, that is the part he finds as a betrayal. It’s not Raoul’s love that’s his issue; it’s that Christine wanted it, and gave it in return.

idk, it just… acknowledges her agency and autonomy in one succinct line really well, and kind of adds so much more depth to the whole second act’s drama than if she was just.. passively along for the ride? She chose Raoul, and she chose not to choose Erik.

obviously I’m not arguing that the phantom is like this great feminist revolutionary narrative or anything lol— that is kind of irrelevant, tbh, looking at the story within the context of it being a gothic novel (and for the show, a gothic novel source turned musical) and doesn’t fit well into the puzzle prices of that genre to utilize our modern ethics as an analytical tool. I’m just thinking of how fascinating it is that the controlling, obsessive, possessive, friendless, and egotistical self-loathing character of the phantom/Erik still acknowledges that it’s Christine’s choices which create the changes upon which the plot hinges. idk it’s just Cool TM :)

I also am writing this in between work stuff on a crazy busy work day so any misspeaks/misrememberings or errors are due to that lol

also aw man now I wanna go reread phantom again too :((

[woso-dreamzzz]

Injured has me in a chokehold. Has us ALL in a chokehold. ty <3 Want to apologize for how long this got… sorry

Trying to sympathize with Olga and Alexia but it's a little hard to because it seems like they've never spoken about Bambi’s presence and what that meant when Olga first got into a relationship with Alexia.

In each instance Alexia seems to see Bambi as an afterthought—and she’s normalized it to the point where she can’t help but just blurt stuff out and push Bambi to the side. It’s selfish and very traumatizing to Bambi :( why didn't they have a conversation about whether or not Olga was ready to form a relationship with not only Alexia, but Bambi too?

Had they not considered trying to co-parent Bambi first before deciding to have Jaume? It goes both ways for Alexia and Olga and the miscommunication is not just concerning for Bambi, but Jaume too. The whole bit about “I love Jaume bc he’s mine but mostly bc he’s your’s too” is so disconcerting because ??? all along Bambi’s been here and she’s Alexia’s. Was Bambi always going to be that bastard child Olga couldn’t fully love just because she wasn’t something Olga (nor Alexia, kinda) really wanted?

This is a little irrational but what if Olga decides that Jaume is actually her’s the way she’s internalized that Bambi’s Alexia’s? I feel like it’s so wrong to assume possession of a child when you get into a relationship with someone who has children already. It’s not to say Olga needs to want Bambi as much as Jenni does immediately… but I feel like it would’ve been much less painful to have considered forming a relationship with Alexia AND Bambi. What are your thoughts?

ig I just really like how complex and thought-evoking everything is! Olga didn’t try with Bambi because she didn’t want to be rejected by Alexia. Alexia didn’t try to get Olga and Bambi to interact more because she thought Olga didn’t want to. The true villain here is miscommunication and clearly the two need to be more frank about where they’re heading because this seems like slippery slope into a bad marriage and …really bad parenting. Alexia’s already overcompensating with Jaume and I doubt that’s any good too.

It’s kind of easy to align with Alba and Jenni considering the Putellas-Rios household so far has done nothing but harm poor Bambi. I do appreciate seeing their views and the grovelling Alexia doing… but team Jenni! She’s at an advantage where she can prioritize Bambi and always consider what’s best for the child. Not only that, but she truly wants Bambi and is being so mature and respectful towards Alexia about it (sorry lol… I currently cannot fathom how Alexia could possibly get us to the reconciliation outcome. Enjoying the attempts though.) Kids should never have to go through parents who don’t completely, wholeheartedly want them. It creates resentment in both the kid… and a little bit in the parent. Bambi is definitely the definition of forced to grow up and she shouldn’t have to.

Honestly all I wanted to ask was where you currently align in terms of reconciliation or not. It’d be cool to see a little bit more of your thought process with regard to Bambi and what you think is best for her. Sorry about the long msg!

ps. lowkey was like “you got eggsma?” at Bambi the entire time

Don't apologise. I love these kinds of long messages.

It is such a complex situation because Alexia and Olga both have different ideas and thought processes and they never even realised until this was all going on.

Bambi was always a little bit self-sufficient, it was just how she was but this whole situation is maturing her much too quickly.

Of course, I'm way more informed than you guys about where this is all going/how reconciliation could be achieved. Right now, it looks pretty grim but Alexia did put in some effort (even if she did muck up the ending). Everyone can see that she's trying whether or not it's successful.

The next part is definitely going to be a bit rough for Bambi and Jenni though but somehow a bit healing in some parts. It's very easy to put Alexia and Olga as villains in Bambi's story but Jenni isn't perfect either and the next part is definitely going to be a bit of a warning about how small things can freak out a traumatised child even if you have the best intentions

[destinyc1020]

Okayyyy....So, I FINALLY got around to watching this "Don't Worry Darling" movie a few nights ago lol. Everyone kept saying how HORRIBLE the film was, and how bad Harry's acting was in it lol, so I'm sorry, but my curiosity just got the better of me and I HAD to watch it and see for myself. 😅

My Thoughts:

The Good:

I LOVE films that have a little bit of mystery like this...I love trying to figure out and guess what's really going on in a film, so this one was right up my alley.

Right off the bat, I kind of already suspected that what I was seeing was not what was real. I even questioned if they were really in that time period right off the bat. Like, something just seemed waaay too "perfect" about that little town. Immediately, I found myself thinking:

"This film reminds me of 'The Stepford Wives' and the 'Surrogates' movies". If any of you have seen either of those films, then you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

Can I just say? I love Florence as an actress. Everything I've seen her in so far has been great acting by her. She does an American accent fairly convincingly well too... I didn't pick up on any "slip-ups" like I usually do when most foreigners fake American accents for films lol. 😅 I can't wait to see her in "Dune: Part 2"!

Also...LOVED seeing Chris Pine as a villain in this! And can I just say?? He was ZADDY! LOL 🤣 Something about him in this film was doing things to me lol.

Oh...and I LOVE LOVE LOVED the costumes, and that house! I love styles and fashion from the 1950s and 1960s. Everyone just always looked so classy and put together. People really took pride in how they looked back then lol. I loved vintage styles honestly. 😊

That home was to die for too...loved the architecture.

The Bad:

Honestly, the main gripe I had with this film was that there were just SO many plot holes! 🥴 It was annoying! Like, the movie teases you and teases you, and you're hanging on along for the ride, and then.... It just.... LEAVES you HANGING with sooo many UNanswered questions at the end! 😤

What was up with the airplane crashing in the distance that Florence's character saw?? 🥴

What was up with the mini little earthquakes that everyone was just used to? Was it trains? Was it leakage from the "real life"?

Why did Olivia's character know what was up from the get-go? Who told her? How did she find out? Did she ALWAYS know?

Why does banging your head against the glass cause you to get out of the VR realm?

How did Harry's character get his wife to be able to undergo the VR life? Was he drugging her? Were ALL of these husbands drugging their wives? Were some of these dudes just choosing random women to be their VR wives?? Like, what on earth?

When did Chris Pine's wife know that he was a fraud?? Like, was she always suspecting? OR did that ONE phone convo that she over heard do something to her?

Who were the men in red jackets? Were they all under VR simulation as well?

Why does killing you in the VIRTUAL WORLD kill you in the REAL WORLD, when everything that's going on is just FAKE anyway?? 🥴 That was the BIGGEST mystery to me lol. Didn't make sense AT all.

You almost felt like you watched the entire movie for no good reason when none of these questions were answered lol. I can see why so many people didn't like this movie.

OVERALL:

Overall, I didn't HATE the movie. The movie actually started off very promising in fact! I actually didn't even mind Harry's acting? I mean, he's not really an "actor", so for a singer trying to act, I actually didn't think he did THAT bad y'all lol. 😄 And as Olivia's film debut (is this her first directorial film?) it actually wasn't THAT bad.

I just hated all of the plot holes!

I also felt like actress Kiki Layne was SEVERELY UNDERused in this movie. I would have liked to have seen how she was before she became suspicious. I was actually interested in her storyline as well, but they kind of treated her character as an afterthought.

Anyway...I think people overexaggerated though how much they hated this movie. It wasn't that bad honestly. It was just something fun to watch on a Friday night while eating my dinner lol.

But boy did this movie have plot holes galore! 🤣 It didn't have to end so abruptly either.

Too bad this movie had so much drama going on with the cast lol 😆 It didn't get such a great press tour due to all the drama going on lol. 👀

[fashionablylala]

Fashion Week isn't for the Weak!

What's twice a year and has a bob? That's right, it's fashion week y'all! It's the most hectic time of year for anyone in the fashion industry. From designers, influencers, celebrities, and even people like myself, journalists! This season highlights the fall/winter collections from some of the biggest names in the world, and introduces a few newcomers. Take a stroll down the runway with me as I break down the most memorable moments surrounding Black talent!

First off we have New York, home of Timberland boots and of course my favourite music genre, hip hop. Usually I really love NYFW because some of my favourite designer showcase there, but honestly this season bored me.

Thom Browne had celebrities like Janet Jackson, Queen Latifah, Alton Mason etc dressed head to toe in their brand for the FW24 show.

Along with some gorgeous campaign images all shot by Black photography duo AB+DM (Ahmad Barber and Donté Maurice). I love it when Black creatives are given the opportunity to thrive in their skills on a big platform; their photography is immaculate. Each celebrity was well put together, the styling was perfection.

I very recently learned that Luar was founded by Raul Lopez, a Brooklyn based designer originally from the Dominican Republic. The collection wasn't really my vibe so I'll just be quiet on that subject lol. No shade. In other news, we saw Beyoncé attending his show in support of her nephew Juelz, who debuted on the runway modelling for the brand. Miss Renaissance wore a full silver outfit (of course lol) by Gaurav Gupta. I hated the way it was styled personally, especially with the Luar bag. The handbag felt forced and probably was to some degree, as she was sitting front row as an invited guest that meant she had to wear something from the brand. Her team could have done a better job pairing the accessory with another outfit or choosing a different bag altogether. Also I'm very much over the cowboy hat, but I know she's currently promoting her new country music so I wasn't surprised. I wouldn't call Beyoncé a fashion girlie, but considering she's the biggest star in the world I hope that her glam squad would do a better job. Fix it Jesus.

Beyoncé wearing Gaurav Gupta Couture and Luar bag

LaQuan Smith is probably my most anticipated designer from NYFW, but this season I didn't even see his collection on my feed. I had to search for it, which is unusual for me as it's usually posted all over my timeline with everyone gagging and hyperventilating. I then realised why it was barely posted when I finally saw his collection, because it left me feeling uninspired. It wasn't innovative or exciting, just kind of regular and something that's been done before. This is a fabulous gay Black man who usually CLEARS every time, but this season left me confused. Where was the innovation? Where was the hoochie mama flavour? What was the extra razzle dazzle? It was barely there. It felt like an lazy afterthought and I'm even sad to say that about one of my favourite Black designers. If I compare FW24 to his previous collections you will see exactly what I mean. For example the FW22 collection was opulent, sexy, and vibrant. LaQuan is a true innovator who doesn't follow trends, because he sets them hunny! So I'm not sure what happened this season, but I blame Elon Musk. Somehow it's always his fault, don't question me lmao. I just know that my fav can produce better designs, but I won't let this low key mid collection put me off. I guess we all have bad days right? It wasn't ugly by any means, it just kept the hoochie mama flavour and unusual designs to a minimum. And my beloved friend and fashion partner in crime, keeps telling me that it's now a dying theme to make room for quiet luxury, which had me heartbroken. On a nicer note, the music on the runway however was GREAT! I loved that he used “The Player's Club” snippet as the intro, it's such a classic movie and a staple in Black culture. I would listen to that entire mix daily! It was a beautiful blend of Curtis Mayfield, Baby Tate, Nicki Minaj, Sadé, Missy Elliott and more. Plus with a piano performance by Babyface, who sang Two Occasions by The Deele. That was a very nice touch! I'm gonna need LaQuan to put it on Spotify asap so I can pop my puss 😜

LaQuan Smith FW24

LaQuan Smith FW23

While I was sad that I couldn't get an invite to see my favourite London based designers showcase their talent, I was quickly relieved when I saw what went down the runway. I would have sold my left arm to be at some LFW shows this season, but my disappointment followed from NYFW as I felt unimpressed by the usual showstoppers. Despite that, I quickly felt better once I spotted UK grime legend Skepta at the Burberry show wearing a BLOODY GORGEOUS fur teal coat by the brand. Every time I see that man at fashion week or on a red carpet he looks extremely good. I don't think he gets enough credit for his drip and we need to change that.

Anna Wintour and Skepta at the Burberry show

As I previously mentioned we also occasionally see newcomers during fashion week, and that brings me to introduce Tolu Coker. She's a British Nigerian designer who graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2017, and hasn't taken her foot off the accelerator since! Tolu first showcased her FW19 collection at London fashion week, and she's worked with the likes of Stefflon Don, Burna Boy, Adwoa Aboah and more amazing names.

Her collections are always nothing short of fabulous and full of life. Tolu even had a collab with UGG for the footwear of her FW24 collection, which was definitely a BIG FLEX lol. Making it to Vogue Runway is already a great achievement, but to have a popular loved brand like UGG supporting your collection is very cool. UGG has also been known to collab with Telfar, another incredible Black owned brand. And I'm starting to see a pattern here and I love that for us 🥰

MFW

As we move into Milan, the first collection that comes to mind is Diesel. They had all the Black folks walking hunny! It was like a family reunion lol. We saw names like Alton Mason to Leomie Anderson and so many more! And of course everyone was killing it because that's what we do! 💅🏾 The clothes were fun but still practical, which is expected from Diesel. Leomie had on a gorgeous pink and orange number that was oozing with IT GWORL ENERGY. It was overall a great show. I'm a sucker for a fur coat especially if it's an usual colour, and Diesel was nothing short of that. Besides the weird music announcement thingy lol I have no notes.

Gucci finally produced something I liked after years of mediocre BS designs, but I'm still not buying clothing from a racist brand. I think a lot of people have forgotten why the household name was being boycotted some years ago, so here's a quick reminder…

Y'all can still give them your coins if you want to but I'm not a damn EEDIAT fool. You only need to insult me once. Thank you. Next.

It's now time for Paris! Some of you might know the city for their wonderful pastries, but I know it for some of the most popular fashion houses in the world! Supermodel Anok Yai, didn't walk for Mugler despite her recently being chosen as the face for the brand, and I definitely missed her presence! 😭 However our favourite curvy models Precious Lee and Paloma Elsesser did. I wasn't too excited by the outfits they were wearing, it felt like they gave them the safe options. I see this happening far too often with plus size models and it's frankly getting extremely tiring. It's rare to have bigger bodies on the runway at all, but if we do they're completely covered up. Plus size models are barely visible, we only get 1 or maybe 2 if we're lucky on the runway at a time, because yay tokenism! 🥲

Model and gamer, Paris HK said it perfectly. Bigger bodies deserve so much better. I say this at least 10 times a year smh.

Moving onto better news, my other fav Balmain, was brilliant… but I'm never surprised by that. Olivier Rousteing has been the creative director since 2011, and he's a Black French designer who always knows how to bring life back into the runway. His recent custom looks haven't been giving the same energy and I'm not sure why, but his collections are never a disappointment! He puts his foot in that sh** EVERY TIME! His FW24 show was gorgeous, however he could have came a little harder! His core ideas were based on heritage and his hometown, Bordeaux. His take was elegant and giving grown woman, which makes sense because some designs were inspired by his mother's wardrobe too. We saw lots of different ways he incorporated fruits and shells into perfect pieces of walking art. A few designs felt a tad bit unfinished, and I wasn't a fan of him pairing slouchy Chino style trousers with the corsets. However for the most part Olivier absolutely delivered. I liked his bags too which usually go under the radar. There was so much to enjoy with this collection. Olivier is a brilliant designer, and I always look forward to what he brings to fashion week because he rarely ever disappoints!

Watch the FW24 show here via YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/live/chUl7Gdr41E?si=qpHNziXA66_cOHhr

Off-White also has a Black creative director by the name of Ibrahim Kamara, who is also the Editor-in-Chief of Dazed. I completely loved his collection! Butterflies, pastels, fur, dice, lime green… and everything that makes me happy 😊 it had a New York edge to it and felt like an obvious nod to hip-hop and overall Black culture. It was a nice combination of basketball bags and the matching sneakers, and not to mention the hoochie mama designs, which y'all know that I love! His collection was giving “girly but keep it gangster” and that's definitely a bit of me. At first Ibrahim seemed like he lacked the confidence to really go for it when he debuted his very first collection for Off-White SS23. For those that don't know, he took over as CD when the incredibly talented, Virgil Abloh suddenly passed away in November 2021. Tbh I wasn't moved by Ib’s first collection but since then he's found his footing bit by bit. This season I definitely enjoyed the menswear a lot more than the womenswear unfortunately, which is crazy because the potential was totally there but it seemed like Kamara wanted to keep the girls more edgy. Models like Chanel Iman and Jourdan Dunn were spotted walking in the show, of course they came to f**k sh** up as per usual!

Off-White FW24

My girlfriend in my head aka Precious Lee, walked for the show wearing a trench coat that completely covered her up 🙃 yet again, why do designers always hire plus size models and cover them in excessive amounts of fabric? It's childish, like grow up! I wanna see her titties bouncing like a basketball on a court. Stop playing with me. It's always the same stupidness and as a plus size baddie myself, it truly jars me. The same thing happened last fw season and it needs to stop.

I want to see girls like Precious Lee wearing sexy bodycon dresses or figure hugging clothes that show off her shape, because that's more realistic. That's how I look when I'm wearing my favourite clothes and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. All bodies deserve to be seen regardless of their proportions. Have you seen her body?!?! Why hire someone as delicious as Precious if they're just gonna drape loads of pointless material to hide her magnificent curves??? Don't piss me off.

Precious Lee for Off-White FW24

Precious Lee for Off-White FW23

On a happier note, Halle Bailey and Willow Smith were spotted in front row. It was a nice moment that everyone seemed excited for, including me! I hope we can see a duo from them one day, because not only do they compliment eachother visually but musically that would be an iconic link up.

So fashion week this season was a bit chaotic as always, but in some ways quite impressive. I must always ask though, when will the day come when we see a Black woman occupying the role of creative director of a huge fashion house??? We've seen Pharrell takeover at Louis Vuitton for menswear and several other Black men are in that chair for Balmain, Off-White etc …so when will Black women get the opportunity? Moschino is one of my favourite brands of all time, but their recent decision to hire another white man has left a bad taste in my mouth. They've never had a Black CD and haven't had a female one in over 20 years! I think it's time for a change. Where's Gabriella KJ at? 👀 Or even the CEO of Black owned luxury fashion brand, Hanifa? It's 2024 and Black women are the ones who are buying fashion items THE MOST, but are leading in the big fashion roles THE LEAST. It burns me to my core y'all. It's hard to love fashion whilst witnessing this sh** to be completely honest with you. The only thing that keeps me smiling is seeing people like Tolu Coker being praised, and seeing more Black models on the runway. A win is still a win! So I will take those wins and skip all the way to the very last topic…

Here is my best and the worst of FW24!

BEST:

Susan Liang

Chen Peng

Balmain

Schiaparelli

Richard Quinn

Wiederhoeft

Harris Reed

Diesel

Tolu Coker

Stella McCartney

WORST:

Alexander McQueen

Moschino

Vivienne Westwood

Balenciaga

Louis Vuitton

Miu Miu

Loewe

Blumarine

Well I hope I was able to teach you something about fashion week that you never knew, or maybe you just enjoyed having a little kiki with me 😊 Whichever it was, I wish you all a beautiful start to Spring! And I hope you have your pastel outfits ready, because being afraid of colour is silly. Life is too short to only wear Black, and if it feels like I'm talking to you then I probably am... Fight me 🥰🥰🥰 Plus everybody knows that baby pink looks pretty on darker skin 😉

xoxo LaLa

[chromotps]

The thing about Ace/Sabo is that the ship is less about them being brothers but more like them sharing a childhood friendship? That had the potential of becoming something more in the future. Except it didn’t, for obvious reasons. And yeah not everyone’s a fan of that, but people also like the raised by wolves/son of a noble dynamic they had as children. While I agree Sabo does kind of feel like he was stuck to Ace&Luffy as an afterthought, with a piece of chewed-out gum — his existence doesn’t… I don’t know, feel out of place? I also enjoy how kinda tragic his character is, and how he carries that tragedy with him? In the form of Ace’s devil fruit (Sabo also canonically hallucinates and there was an instance where he admitted to hearing Ace’s voice, during his fight with Burgess? so yeah, not everyone’s cup of tea again but I’m a huge fan of hurt/comfort so having a character go through a psychotic depressive episode because of the insane guilt he feels? Just, yeah. Plus there’s something really poetic about him literally eating Ace’s DF and still considering it „Ace’s powers” etc) and the way I see Sabo/Lu is through Ace/Lu (and partially Ace/Sabo) anyway. Because Sabo is trying to fill out the role of an older brother/friend for Luffy that he’s well aware is impossible to fill — because nothing ever will be the same for Luffy. Nothing or no one could even come close to making it up for Ace’s loss to Luffy, and Sabo knows he’s kind of a cheap copy of that (figuratively and literally lmfao, as I know people have been calling him low-budget Ace), but still he tries to? And the fact that Luffy is technically his only remaining family (or at least someone he willingly considers family). And I kind of see it as a parallel to how Ace’s approach to Luffy changed after Sabo’s „death”? Because Sabo was the „kinder” brother, the nicer one, the smarter one, it was usually him who took Luffy’s side whenever Ace was annoyed with him? And the one who explicitly asked Ace to look after Luffy — which then was one of the direct reasons why Ace changed the way he treated Luffy, forced him to be more patient/learn to love and eventually led to Ace willingly becoming the „older brother” figure for Luffy. I’m in no way trying to convince you to like Sabo, don’t get me wrong!! I’m just trying to show an example how Ace/Sabo isn’t necessarily brotherly either (like, I don’t know, Sabo/Luffy seems to be?). And it’s just that while I’m first and foremost a huge Ace/Lu enjoyer I also think Sabo did have a significant impact on their relationship both before and after Ace’s death.

((!! sorry i took a while to reply! i made that post before work on Friday and then got slammed until just now fdghjgk)

the odd thing is, I mostly agree!! I think I had to vent bc i saw ppl (a few specific sabo fans haha) on twitter acting like luffy would feel nothing toward ace but be obsessed with sabo. and, lol, no. but what YOU said makes total sense. like, yes, Ace + Sabo definitely has a different, more involved feeling to me than Ace & Luffy. I've had some ships in the past that fit the raised by wolves/runaway noble trope... the charm of the noble feeling like "this is the only person I feel like I can really be myself around" and the wild one thinking "i like spending time with this noble—they're tougher/kinder/funnier than i gave them credit for" AND/OR "society has always rejected me, but this 'cultured' person accepting me heals that pain a little bit"—all of those things are really charming.

Maybe if we'd seen more about how ace and sabo became friends, or if there were more emphasis on sabo's acceptance being what helped ace's anger (instead of, just from how i saw things, it being mostly luffy's unconditional warmth toward ace that did it?) then I'd personally be more feral about that dynamic, haha. But it's like you said, I guess it all depends on what we each connect with. I dont find tragedy alone compelling... I'm depressed enough already as it is LMAO!! if I think too hard about how viscerally sad Sabo only remembering Ace after he'd died is, my brain just shuts down. But I've got really good friends who would EAT THAT UP. Like, yeah, it is beautifully poetic... hahaha now i'm laughing thinking about my friends who were really into Hamlet and Romeo & Juliet finding out about Sabo & Ace and being obsessed, ahaha (they're not so into One Piece tho, only jjk... at least, for now!! 😈)

it's hard to put into words, but there's something about Sabo being a revolutionary vs. ace and luffy being pirates, that kind of explains why my brain sees A+L as very very very different than A&S or L&S. But like, that's just my brain and how my heart likes to focus on characters with really codependent relationships/dreams/themes, hahaha...

[powerpuffobsession]

I finally mustered up courage and read Kodomo no jikan in 2024. I guess it wasn't as bad as it could be - no s*x with small children involved (given how often anime can't resist pondering to p*dos, I should be thankful nothing THAT extreme happened). This manga is really a product of a different culture and a different time (remember when p*do jokes were considered funny on the internet?)

To tell the truth, I actually like how there's a manga bold enough to ask such a risky question: "hey, adults, what's really so bad about children being interested in lewd stuff?". Nothing like that will ever happen again, I call it. Not that it's a huge loss for humanity anyway, lol, but art should question reality and make you think, that's what it exists for

Time to sum it up, the good and the bad:

The bad:

- come on, it is abundantly clear the author made this manga primarily as an excuse to make jokes about elementary school children being lewd. All the physcological drama and "growing up" themes was clearly an afterthought, a sudden inspiration. And I don't really find it pleasant when child knickers and asses are pointed at me every chance the author gets. The first time we see Kokonoe, it's her huge fat ass depicted all over the frame. How delightful /sarc. Fine, I guess it might be just a way of showing how when you're a kid, panties and naked bodies are just a hilarious thing to joke about instead of something scandalous. And for a non-p**ophilic adult reader, a naked kid is just a naked kid. But I just know there are p*dos who did get turned on by all that suggestive content the manga provides, and it makes me uncomfortable

- no, really, some of the fanservice scenes have no real purpose and make no sense, like sick Rin wanting to suck on her friend's breasts - what 10 year old ever does that? Or a love hotel that allows 11-12 year old girls in - wtf? A 10 year old sucks on a cow's teat and nobody stops her - good luck treating whatever disease she caught while doing that... A woman who forgets to wear a bra, has her nipples visible and hits a clueless man like it's his fault - I really hate this sexist anime trope, when a guy is always seen at fault for an uncomfortable scene he and the girl end up in

- Kuro x Rin and Aoki x Houin should have been the endhame. Like, the author specifically first stated that Aoki saw Rin as a daughter and cared about her only as a child to protect.... and then that idea was ruined to please the l*licons... It would make a lot more sense if after her experience with Reiji Rin finally realised that being in a relationship with a much older person is unhealthy at her age, and then Kuro took the chance to confess and finally get Rin to become her girlfriend with Aoki and Houin supporting them. But no, KnJ just had to end on a weird ephebophilic note where a 30 year old has s*x with a 16 year old, who he knew since she was 9... Leaving Kuro's love arc essentially meaningless. She doesn't even get a girlfriend in the high school. What a waste.. and she's my favorite character

- Aoki is too much of a pushover, he compliantly takes beating from everyone, and it gets annoying. "Waaah a scary 9 year old girl kicks me for no reason! Should I sent her to a shrink, talk to her parents or get her expelled like any teacher should do with unhinged children? Nah, i'm just gonna cover like a pussy" (it looks especially pityful in anime...)

- i'm not sure Rin won't have a change of mind when she grows a little more after officially starting to date Aoki. They should have waited until she entered university and planned her life out. Sure, Rin IS unnervingly mature for her age, but a 16 year old is a 16 year old nonetheless, and in the modern world, such young girl shouldnt fully depend on a grown man, no matter how kind he seems or how much he did for her. It's dangerous

- 9-12 year olds do not behave like Rin. Mimi and Kuro I can understand, Mimi is just your average kid, and Kuro gives off more realistic vibes of a kid who knows dirty stuff (because she still expresses herself childishly enough). Rin, however... feels more like a 20 year old in the body of a child. It worked as a joke in the first chapters which were more based on exaggeration as a comedy, but then the story dives deeper into realism, and that's where Rin's unbelievable maturity and skills of elaborate manipulation start looking really ridiculous

- I hate how Aoki falls in love with Rin despite her harassing him since the beginning of manga. That's some major romantization of stokholm syndrome

Good:

- the 2000s vibes. I like old stuff, it's like a time machine. And this manga gives me pleasant nostalgic feeling about my own elementary school days (yes, we did dirty jokes too back then, kids really aren't as innocent as most think)

- the artstyle. The characters are drawn so neatly and dynamically that it's a pleasure to simply look through the frames and observe the visuals

- Aoki tried being a decent person as hard as anime genre allows a male character to. Until Rin entered 6 grade, Aoki was more focused on helping her, finding Rin's lewd behavior ridiculous or embarrassing. He only fell in love with Rin's personality and only when she started maturing from a juvenile brat into an older person... so at least Aoki is not into little kids (or else manga would have ended more tragically earlier on - i'm still getting traumatic flashbacks from when a boy I know recommended me to read tsukimisou no akari back in 6th grade... do not search that up)

- Reji got his karma in the form of Rin absolutely hating him by the end of the manga. Serves you right, you creepy f*ck, no trauma is an excuse for grooming als guiltripping your younger cousin who trusts you. As problematic Aoki's relationship with Rin is, at least he didn't groom Rin. She chose him herself, that's why she'll be happier with Aoki (there's no better choice for her anyway, those two seem to be soulmates)

- If you think deeper into Rin's story, it's about what lack of a dependent parental figure can do to a person - the neglected, uncultured kid will start seeking affection in strangers and using strange ways of coping with loneliness. Rin for example chose s*xual jokes and toxic positivity as a coping mechanism as well as going after a random older man. Watching that unfold is pretty heartbreaking when you're a mature reader. Surely, Rin needed professional psychological help, especially considering her psychotic episodes ("giving in to the darkess"). The anime toned that issue down a bit, in the manga Rin is more of a sociopath who is very okay with hurting others at such a young age. But since in 2000s common knowledge about mental health was restricted, at least Rin had Aoki to help her somewhat sort her troubles out and get rid of her toxic relative's influence. Good for her...

- the themes of growing up and changing are done very thoughtfully and moved me to tears at some points, ngl. It's always interesting to see a character go through a lot and become a slightly different person by the end of the story, and that's exactly what happens here. The graduation scene really accentuates how much has happened during the 4 years we spend with these character's story-wise

- the songs for 1st and 2nd anime seasons ROCK (especially the second one, Guilty future, can't stop listening to it). I wonder what songs for 5th and 6nd grade would have sounded like, probably would have been bangers too...

- every front-line character gets their development and conflict. EVERY single one, even the teachers. I love when every character serves a purpose. And for a manga that started out solely for the sake of fanservise, it somehow is good at utilizing every part of the story in a meaningful way that leads to something

????:

- girls changing outfits EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER, with no outfit ever showing up twice. The wardrobes where these three keep all those clothes must be the size of Tokyo... (including Mimi, whose mother is supposed to not be spending too much on her, idk)

I give this manga 9/10, for exceeding my expectations, lovely artstyle, complicated storyline/characters, and early 2000s school vibe. Definitely needed less l*li fanservice...

[itsaliveblog]

Masters of the Air

Okay watching it again to process and I have solidified some feelings. this show is a disaster lol

I should be happier! They made a show about MY PLANE. The B-17 is The Plane of All Time period! But this is somehow worse than not making the show at all because now they're not gonna make another one!! I've been robbed of an HBO miniseries with actual story and characters!!

The number one problem is that they didn't know what the story was. They started with Crosby's memoir and then randomly tacked things on to cover for stuff outside the scope of his experience, but they did it so clumsily that they shouldn't have bothered. Either make it the Crosby story, or use it to make an entirely new story, not this awful homunculus.

I understand that telling the story of the B-17 is tough. It's not a single unit traveling through europe linearly (BoB) or a treatise on the chaos of the war in Iraq (GK), or even the psychological trauma of the war in the pacific (the...pacific).

It's inherently nonlinear. The characters change because the planes, units, and stories change too often. It was a meat grinder and making it through the whole thing isn't the real story. So you gotta pick some other structure. What's the throughline? The goddamn planes. (I say this with full awareness of flying fortress simp number 1 but I mean come on what else is there.)

So what's the story of the plane?

The massive war effort to make them

The training of children to fly them

The insanity of flying missions over and over

Their incredible ability to limp home.

That framework gives us excellent inroads for the characters you'd want, too. Crosby is cute, but obviously you wanted some underwear model pilots, fine. Stop pretending like Crosby is narrating. You didn't make it his story. You want to include women and the Tuskegee airmen? Good! We can do that, and we can do it without turning them into tokenized afterthoughts!! I promise!!

Now you're reading this and going, well, technically didn't they sorta do most of that? And to that I say, I'm sorry, do not kid yourself. I like playing with dolls as much as the next fangirl, and MotA gave us some very nice dolls, but the story was nonexistant. I didn't know Crosby was the narrator until halfway through the second episode because he was introduced as some rando in the corner right before fifteen other dudes!!!

So here's what we do:

Episode 1: Okay yeah, we'll make it showy. Coming into Greenland was beautiful, but I vote we just jump into a campaign. Start knowing just one crew, then do some radio chatter—everyone's gotta have some kind of distinct feature to tell them apart because they're all white guys in masks and hats okay!? Then one crew is endangered and we learn more about them as they try to limp home. A solid run with a good hit, then just enough of a fuckup to land with "holy shit war is hell." Emphasis on flying fortress. Lots of injured dudes, but the plane makes it back.

Episode 2: We go back to the beginning. Pilot training. The basics of what makes the fortress great: intersecting fields of fire. They rely on the understanding of this principle without ever really explaining it. There are six guns on these things: two waist gunners, tail gunner, top gunner, nose gunner, and ball turret. And they can cover a whole squadron if and only if they form up correctly. So you need to understand that the formation isn't just to look parade pretty, it's vital. You need to know that leaving a fort behind not only fucks that fort, it also fucks the rest of you. And having whole elements not show up is a megaton caliber fuckup.

Which flows naturally into: These things have ten guys in the plane—the aforementioned 6 gunner positions, two pilots, bombadier, and. That's a LOT of dudes. Every time a plane goes down you gotta know that viscerally.

So you pick up where ep. 1 ends, with the Buckies crews coming in already haggard vets, and Rosie's crew meeting up with them (introing Rosie in ep 4 is criminal). Establish a limited set of characters early, reinforce them, stick with them.

Episode 3: We're gonna tie in the letters theme more tightly overall, and here's a good way to pad Croz's memoir: This episode starts with an explanation of the signatures inside the planes put there by the ATA/WAC gals who ferried them across the atlantic. We're gonna have an airman's sister back home who builds planes. We're gonna have WASP and donut dollies and nurses hanging out talking to each other and they're not going to be tokenized! Literally Helen was just there for a blip to be a sad lady! Boo! Obviously at least one implied lesbian. One of my fav scenes is all the gals in the fields near the air base. Like, yeah! Women were there doing shit! Can we talk about this??

Episode 4: Some of the middle stuff can stay, big missions, bad missions, but we intro the fighters here. Ideally P-44 or something, and then whip out the P-51 like damn dude, hell yeah. Also obviously Tuskegee guys go here. But you gotta let them be in the context of the other fighters imo. When they show up they don't get the respect they deserve because A) they're not connected to the crews we met so we care less, and B) we have never seen fighters before them, and only see it a bit even then, and not protecting bombers. so. Anyway, cut the episodes down to 8 (or fewer!) and use the budget here.

Episodes 5-7: Fill in the middle stuff here, but now we have more connection to Rosie, and the tuskegee guys. There's more trauma built up to the flak house scenes. By the way, flak house episode is a great time to showcase the ground crew more thoroughly. Then, I'm sorry we gotta keep the stalag tight. Cutting back and forth is too much. You get two episodes in the stalag, first episode is only the back half or third of another story, then a full episode. Imo cut in D-Day here so it's less of a bummer. And obvs you gotta put in more dday lol. Frame it in letters again, I get that it's expensive, but as with the fighters, trim the fat and spend some money here. It's Dday for godsake.

Episode 8: It ain't over yet. The human cost goes here. The blitz, the concentration camps, the food drops. War is hell, even when it's over. Imo 9 is an awkward episode because it spends so long on the action and so long on the epilogue that the epilogue feels eternal. Like if the episode was the epilogue, that'd work, at least for me. Anyway, hammer home the idea that they're dropping life instead of bombs. Maybe more air travel for the wounded now that they are the masters of the air, like, the reward for all the suffering. Plus you gotta show a fucking wedding, come on lol.

Obviously it's more than the above, and should be interwoven, but if we at least have a singular focus for each episode (I mean obviously the tightest BoB episode is Roe in Bastogne), then characters will feel less like afterthoughts.

[bahamutgames]

AFTERTHOUGHTS - ROUNDUP ROUND 3

April + May 2023

NON Nintendo Switch Online Edition!!

Alright kind of a slow day today but I have a BUNCH I still would like to get done. So I'm taking a small break by writing some thoughts on some games I beat recently. I haven't been doing a TON of gaming this month cause I've been busy doing work or getting screwed over and in my down time I've been going out a lot, hanging out with friends, and not playing too much. I am currently chipping through my next RPG and I'm ALMOST done with it. As well as random small itch games I've been playing and tweeting about on my twitter. But hopefully when I break through this current RPG and finish up some work I can play more stuff more regularly soon.

Pizza Tower (January 26, 2023) - PC

So, something you may not know about me is that I am actually a HUGE Wario Land fan. Like, a MASSIVE Wario Land fan. I've played them all, and I also played and adored Wario World and Master of Disguise even though they're not exactly the same. But yeah I fucking love Wario. And lately I've been really really excited with the wave of Wario Land-likes we're receiving! This and Anton Blast (which looks SO amazing I seriously cannot wait.)

I wasn't able to pick this game up right away but thankfully I had a friend buy it for me which means the absolute WORLD to me for real. And I gotta say, I had a great time with it! It feels awesome to play, gameplay feels wonderful and additions to the formula like combos and parrying is SUPER cool! And of course traditional Wario Land fare like form changes and the general moveset feels great and while I generally am not crazy about beating levels as quick as possible I feel like the moveset is really good for speedrunning in a way that makes it feel nice to speedrun even for someone like me who isn't into it much.

Of course the sprites are so cute, I love the art style. The characters are cute, I appreciate there being multiple playable characters too that was also a great addition. Enemies are cute, the levels look great and colorful. Bosses are all very cool looking and REALLY fun to fight for the most part. The soundtrack is great, I loved the story. I loved the format and the context behind finding stuff like toppins and paying for boss doors. It's all very cool and feels like a wonderful return for Wario Land.

It's small but I also appreciate Peppino himself for being an old middle aged man with body hair as the cool protagonist who gets shit done and like has a huge hero moment at the end where he saves everyone. I ADORE Warioware but a big issue I had with it is that it kinda removes Wario's coolness factor and his strikingly heroic moments from Land and just makes him... yknow... a greedy fat guy and that's IT. So it's nice to see a fat character being more than that again.

It's been a bit since I played it so I don't remember a ton of my complaints. Off the top of my head the biggest issue I had was that the boss fights are WAY too long. They last forever, you have to do them twice. And then they end on a minigame where if you fail you have to do the whole fight over. It's so annoying and makes each one a total chore where otherwise they'd be REALLY cool. Also I know they're not meant to be scary but I did not care for the screamers in that one level at all. They did not do it for me lol. Lastly, this might be a weird way to start this post. But I know this game had a racist enemy design in it. If it's what I think it is, it's a stereotype of indigenous cultures which has been removed from the game from my understanding. But still. This sucks. It's something we see in indie games WAY too often. Too many indie games feature enemies like this. And I know a lot of old AAA games had this too. But it's not okay. And it's something that really really baffles me that indie devs STILL think it's okay to have enemies like this. Stop it.

Aside from that, great entry in the Wario-Land like genre. Was a blast to play (an Anton Blast aha) while also adding a ton of original stuff to make it stand out. I hope to see more and I hope its popularity leads to even MORE Wario Land type games and more games with cute scribbly art styles.

The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog (March 31, 2023) - PC

A much smaller april fools game that also took me a bit to play. But DAMN am I happy I did. This game was a TON of fun! You never see fake games made for April Fools that are like... yknow... actual games you can play! And this was such a cute and fun little game I really shocked by how much of a good time I had with it!

Usually I'm not super into point and click stuff but man this game was SO cute it didn't bug me at all. Fantastic writing, tons of Sonic characters who aren't written to be jokes (I love seeing this becoming a trend again), fantastic and silly references to the whole series (THERE WAS A FUCKING SONIC RIVALS REFERENCE!! THAT'S SO COOL!!!!!) The art is FANTASTIC, the music is nice, I was really surprised at how good and fun the story was? Like towards the end it becomes a real story with real stakes and a pretty moving ending which was SUPER cool to see! Also it had actual gameplay scenes with real timing and platforming? Which was SO surprising but totally welcome!

I really don't have much negative to say? It was free and it's a small april fools joke that ended up being really cool! I loved the outfits for each character (rouge is so hot) AND it introduced a new super cute and hot Sonic Milf! So I say, it's pretty fucking amazing, actually!

Rocket Knight Adventures (August 5th, 1993) - Sega Genesis

This was a game I didn't really have any intentions of playing, but a friend of mine has been asking me for a bit now to check it out. And after playing Ristar and realizing I've been missing out on a TON of Genesis games my whole life, and a total rando telling me I NEED to play this game. I just snapped, I couldn't not. How could I ignore it after all this praise? So here I am! After finally playing Rocket Knight Adventures!

And my verdict? Yeah it's pretty cool! I like the world it takes place in, I like the character designs (Rocket in particular is VERY cute), I like the sprites and music. This is all around just a pretty dang fun game! I liked the gimmick of being able to charge up your jetpack and dash around. And I feel like it does honestly make pretty good use of it unlike Ristar and Pulseman which I talked about before. My only real complaint is that I think the final bosses kinda suck and are a bit of a chore. But I am a sucker for like, edgy rivals who use the same powers as you.

I will probably check out the sequels when I get the chance, though I've heard they're not SUPER great. I would love a new entry eventually that really goes hard into the rocket stuff and maybe has even more shmup levels cause of course I loved those aha.

Super Mario Advance 2: Super Mario World (December 14, 2001) - Gameboy Advance

And last but not least for now, Super Mario Advance 2! If you know anything about me, you know that Super Mario World is one of my all time favorite games! I ADORE the SNES original as in addition to just being a great game, it's actually the first game I've ever played (or at least have memories of playing). And despite the fact the first time I beat Mario 2 & 3 was with the GBA remakes, I had never tried the remake of Super Mario World on GBA until now! But I gotta say, yeah these are great ports!

Super Mario World is just great on its own so of course it's a good game. I still love the sprites, they're washed out here because of the lack of backlight way back when it came out. But I think the new color scheme is nice and still works. I LOVE the music still and it sounds really nice in the GBA soundfont. And there's a lot of really good changes here too! Stuff like a serious playable Luigi, a more serious exit tracker, and having the Dragon Coins function more like Star Coins in NSMB are all GREAT changes that should have been there from the start. But even stuff like additional cutscenes, voice clips (which I LOVE), small sprite fixes on Peach and Yoshi, and the cute fun way enemies roll away with funny sprite rotations when Yoshi spits them out are ultimately not needed but are great changes!

I sort of rushed through this playthrough but I mean, it's Super Mario World, so I wouldn't be surprised if I end up playing more of it and play more levels that I didn't give a shot soon! This is a great port and I still continue to LOVE the Mario Advance games so much! I'll probably have to play it more to see but if I ever get around to 100% completing it I could see this potentially being the ideal way to play Super Mario World which is CRAZY to think about! Good port!

[euphoricsunflowers]

PLEASE WRITE ABOUT THE COWORKER WONWOO😭😭😭😭😭

literally just needed one person to tell me they wanted it lmao

based off of this. text messages are bolded. content warning for unsafe bondage, not specifically afab!reader but kinda fem, hickeys, slight possessiveness lol, making out, mentions of taking sexy pictures but it doesn’t actually happen, also ahem: Don’t Fuck Your Coworkers <3 pls <33

you: are you busy right now?

your text message startled him out of his focus on his work. if he’s being honest he’s got so much work to do that he’s overwhelmed. he needs to tell you yes.

wonwoo: no

wonwoo: why

he hopes being short in his messages will maybe make you telepathically understand that he really can’t right now even if he would love to. it doesn’t. he sits for a moment, head in his hands when he reads your reply.

you: you know where to meet me

unfortunately, he does. this arrangement has been going on for a couple months now. he’s decently sure no one has noticed because you’ve only done it a handful of times and you’re really good at acting outside of your precious oasis: the janitor’s closet. what a perfect place for inter-office romance.

except he’s assuming the romance side of this is one-sided. not in some tragic, sad way, but he just assumes you like using him for whatever kind of stress relief this is. he doesn’t mind.

wonwoo gets up, making his way towards the bathroom. it’s only once he’s completely out of sight from everyone that he makes a sharper right turn into the janitor’s closet that is so conveniently placed for your impromptu meetings. he’s pulled in somewhat forcefully, but because this is not the first time you’ve done this, it doesn’t surprise him anymore.

your lips find his instantly, immediately titling your head to deepen it as soon as possible. you’re still holding his wrist from when you pulled him in, but your other hand rests simply on his shoulder. his hands grip your waist as you make out.

you pull at his tie to loosen it and eventually remove it entirely, still keeping him distracted with your kisses and the close proximity. he’s getting dizzy; you’re just getting started.

you pull away from the kiss, one hand still holding his wrist while your other hand wraps his tie around it. you take his other hand and tie his wrists together loosely with his tie. only finally do you look up at him, meeting his intense gaze, “is this okay?”

his breaths are more shallow than he’d like to admit, “yeah, you’re fine. do whatever you want.”

“mmm can i give you hickeys? let the whole office know someone’s got you?” even if your arrangement didn’t have a lot of romance in it, it was hard to not feel possessive of someone so perfect like him.

he plays absentmindedly with the buttons on your blouse because it’s all he can do with his hands tied, “you know i’ll just cover it up. i’ll get really into wearing turtlenecks for a while or something. i’m creative,” he smiles charmingly.

okay then, you give in. you pull his tie up so his hands are above his head, held up with your hand pinning his wrists to the wall. you kiss his neck with vigor, touching all over his chest, his waist, feeling up everything under the thick material of his suit as his hands rest uselessly in front of him. you move to unbutton his shirt as you go back to his lips, making out and grinding on each other for what feels like a mini eternity.

it feels like paradise, except he’s not sure if paradise includes worrying about cumming in his expensive pants.

your fingers run through his hair, nails dragging at just the right places to make him shiver. he wonders if it’s your intention to make him look like a sex-crazy wreck or if that’s just an afterthought of your stress relieving methods. maybe you don’t even think about it at all, which is almost hotter.

“hey, i just remembered i’ve got a meeting in like 15,” you say suddenly, pulling away while fixing the button on your shirt. it takes him a second to come down from the daze he was in. you smile when you get a good look at him, “maybe go fix yourself up in the bathroom.”

only then does he realize you were wearing red lipstick. good god.

you help him undo the knot of his tie, “wish i could take a picture of you so i can never forget how pretty you look right now,” you say, untying his wrists, leaving a delicate kiss on his hand. it’s far too sappy a moment for what you mean by ‘pretty’ because he looks like he just had wild sex. and you barely did anything to him.

[shima-draws]

Shima, your Bottled Soul AU scene where Izuku sees Shouto for the first time reignited my love for BNHA. How you described them awwwwww. I can't, it's so cute. Imagine Izuku immediately bursting into tears at how beautiful Shouto is. And then the whole I Have Eyes revelation just being an afterthought because look at this person in front of me. I can't help but imagine how CLINGY Shouto would be afterwards. Shouto protected Izuku 24/7, that would not go away immediately. I'm imagining Izuku talking to Class 1-A for the first time in person and Shouto just glaring at whoever was talking to him or snatching him from conversations when they go on too long. Oof, the first time Izuku goes back to hero work would be a NIGHTMARE with protective Shouto being worried at every moment.

Aaaaaa ty!! So glad to hear it <3

Izuku definitely cries, a LOT, even by the time Shouto is allowed to see him (bc Inko and Toshi have first dibs). Shouto cries too and it’s just a very very emotional scene 🥺

I mentioned before that as Izuku’s recovering Shouto sneaks out of the dorms to see him at night—he deadass scales the side of the hospital with his ice to crawl into Izuku’s window. All of the doctors and nurses know he’s there but at this point they KNOW they can’t stop him so they just pretend that they don’t notice LMAO. And Aizawa’s beyond caring too bc he knows generally Shouto’s a good student, so he can let him off the hook for breaking the rules this one time. Granted Shouto and Izuku have been together practically 24/7 for a year so naturally they both have separation anxiety, both of them get really antsy if they’re apart for too long so yes they’re super clingy with each other :’) And everyone’s like. You know what that’s valid.

The first time Izuku meets Class 1-A in person is after he get released from the hospital and they surprise him with a “Congrats on getting your body back and getting discharged after over a year of being kind of comatose” party LOL but yeah it’s super sweet and emotional and everyone is SO thrilled to see Izuku in one piece. Shouto absolutely hovers the entire time and rarely leaves Izuku’s side, which everyone teases him for

It’s definitely a long while before Izuku’s allowed back on the hero scene—and it’s complicated bc not everyone knows about his identity as Deku. Of course Shouto likely finds out at some point when Izuku was still in the bottle so he’s aware—so he’s very reluctant to let Izuku go back to heroing, and he’s not the only one. But all of them know how goddamn stubborn he is and that even if they try to stop him he’ll just go anyway without supervision and actually get himself killed this time. So Izuku’s eventually allowed to start going around as Deku again…with Toshi’s very very watchful eye on him and Shouto texting him every 10 minutes to make sure he’s still alive lmao

[spurgie-cousin]

ok Sister Wives girlies here are some of my thoughts on the new season so far, let me hear yours (it turns out I had more than I thought):

the conversation that made up most of the first episode was so exhausting and sad. To hear Christine layout this laundry list of things that have been breaking her heart for over a decade just for him to straight up shoot her down at every turn and tell her they didn't even happen was rough. It feels like the sum of their entire relationship (or at least what I know about it) with Christine trying to be as honest as possible about the way he's making her feel and him responding by telling her she either has no idea what she's talking about or straight up lying.........I think anyone who's had a close relationship with a gaslighter probably felt some PTSD watching that convo lol.

Kind of along the same lines but it just really gets me that Kody, a man who can have as many relationships in this life as he wants, can look at Christine, a woman who has only had one (and would ideally stay that way in fundie Mormon land) and tell her that she has all of the love and support she needs.

I'm tired of hearing Robyn whine about everyone having the wrong idea about their relationship like I'm just fuckin over it. Just acknowledge the fact that true or no, you're relationship looks very different than any of his other romantic relationships and stop trying to justify it by placing blame on everyone else, like by saying everything would be a-ok if all of the other wives just followed the COVID rules as well as you (which we all know isn't true, Meri spent like 4 months literally by herself following the rules and Kody didn't give a flying shit).

I get Kody's concerns about Truely moving away, but Christine is her only parent for all intents and purposes. I just don't think he has the right to feel as indignant as he does.

Christine and Ysabel being so close to Maddie and Caleb made me tear up 😭 hearing that Ysabel was going to live with them in part to spend time with a functional, loving married couple really gave me a little twinge in my chest.

I'm also very tired of Kody complaining that his kids have 'turned against him' jesus christ!!!!! You all but abandoned them for years, you threatened to stop seeing them over them not breaking up with partners or moving out of their homes, you treated their mothers like afterthoughts, it's amazing that they're willing to talk to you at all tbh. I would be on a big hiatus from communicating with my dad if he blamed our falling out on me not leaving my girlfriend??? or moving out of my home when I was there for financial reasons (and am very young) like we would not be talking at all. They're right.

Kody is using COVID as an excuse to not have to be fully present for his whole family and you can't convince me otherwise. You don't respond to your kids not feeling cared for with anger and arrogance, it doesn't work like you just don't get to tell all these people you've hurt that you didn't hurt them!!!!!!!!!! At this point your family is failing, it's time to either choose them or your own made-up COVID precautions.

Kody says about Ysabel moving in with Maddie and Caleb, "I really thought she'd stay here in Flagstaff" ???? why is this bitch so convinced everyone wants to be in Flagstaff????? He's also said many times it's the "most likely place the kids will move back to" why????????? they're not from there, the family has only been there for a few years and most of their community is in Vegas and Utah. I really think Kody has brain rot or something when it comes to the Flagstaff thing.

[alj4890]

Uh hey there hope you having a good day/night! So recently trf just ended and when we were asked to ship Olivia to someone, there were no choice for Drake if we weren't married to him. As a dralivia stan I felt sad tbh lol so I hope you can make maybe just a short fic if we had Drake as a choice to pair with Olivia and they got to dance together. I hope you can see this ask and make it anytime I don't want it to be quickly made so yeah! Thanks!

Hey Nonny! Thank you and I hope your day/night is going well too. And YES, that freaking ending of TRF was just 😑 Not gonna lie, I wish the final book was us trying to help the not chosen LI's and Olivia find true love. I mean, I guess finding Liam's unknown sister was cool and all, but meh. Taking down a secret society basically ruling the world was so anticlimatic to me. Anyway, I was beyond disappointed that all Olivia got for romance was Amalas. It was almost like an afterthought or something. Smh 😡 Olivia deserved better. So, without further ado, let's give her the one she should have gotten.

@krsnlove @sirbeepsalot @lodberg ​ @mynameiskaylabella @museofbooks @elbenmond @annekebbphotography @gibbles82 @twinkleallnight @thehonorarybeaumont

Masterlist

A Maze of Emotions

(Olivia x Drake) in a Choices: The Royal Finale fanfic.

The Royal Palace, Cordonia...

Another ball to celebrate yet another victory.

After everything that had occurred, shouldn't one feel elated? Shouldn't the smiles and conversations of the most recent battle be enough? Where was the satisfaction of triumphing once more over one's enemies? Where was the relief that no one was hurt? Where was the need to raise one's glass with everyone else?

Olivia honestly couldn't answer any of those questions. She didn't feel triumphant. She didn't feel the need to brag about her one fight. She didn't feel like raising her glass with a smug satisfied smile on her lips.

Perhaps it's because I was left in the dark for the most part.

Riley told her it had been for her own safety.

Since when did Olivia Nevarkis ever need anyone to keep her safe? Hadn't she been not only protecting herself but also those of her friends for years now? She'd even stepped up numerous times to guard the little princess.

She knew she would have to let it go. Summoning all her willpower, she attempted to focus on the celebration. Yet, memories plagued her.

Has it really been five years since I entered a ballroom to try and win Liam?

More than that, Olivia realized. More like six years. All those years revolved around one thing: Liam.

So much time had been wrapped up in making certain he got everything he deserved. She didn't regret it. She simply wondered when her life would be given a chance to actually begin.

"Hey!"

Olivia merely smirked in lieu of greeting.

Riley rolled her eyes playfully over that response. "What are you doing over here by yourself?"

"Simply enjoying your ball." Olivia took a long sip from a glass of bourbon she had ordered.

Champagne wasn't strong enough for the mood she was currently in.

What kind of mood is it? I'm not angry. I'm not exactly sad. I'm not too happy either. It is some mixture of the three with a dash of frustration.

"You know," Riley continued, unaware of her friend's troubled thoughts, "you've done so much for me and Liam." She waved out toward the twirling couples. "You've done so much for Cordonia. Don't you think you deserve to put yourself first for a change?"

Olivia blinked in surprise. "I should do what?"

"Have some fun." Riley explained. "And not the kind of fun you claim you have beating up bad guys." She chuckled over Olivia wrinkling her nose in response. "I mean do something the opposite of violent."

"Since you seem to be overflowing with opinions," Olivia grumbled, "care to actually give an example or two of what you're talking about?"

"Well," Riley hedged, "how about finding your own happily ever after?"

Olivia felt the old need to scoff at a ridiculously sappy turn of phrase.

Happily Ever After? It's such a cliché. A cliché that only works for a select few. People like Liam and Riley achieve that, not someone like me.

And yet, maybe that was what was missing.

She had secretly loved Liam for most of her life. She never gave anyone a second glance while he was the center of her universe. Then his engagement tour opened her eyes to the fact that Liam could never be hers. He had been made for Riley.

And let's not forget the fact that she unknowingly had been married to a terrorist the entire time. At least that was handled easily with a quick annulment and Anton's execution.

And just when she was ready to try her hand at seeing what life could possibly offer, the whole heir debacle began. Years passed and Olivia was left in the same spot she was when this fairy tale began.

She was alone.

She knew she had friends, true friends this time, yet it wasn't enough anymore.

"Do you," Olivia grimaced, "never mind."

"Do I what?" Riley asked.

"What, and this is a huge if," Olivia's eyes narrowed in warning, "and if you tell anyone this, I will be forced to cut you off from calling me your friend."

Riley was nearly dancing in giddy anticipation.

"What do you think about me possibly finding someone?" She hated that her voice shook uttering that stupid question.

"Finding them to?" Riley prompted.

Olivia glared at her. "To date."

"I've been waiting for this moment forever!" Riley squeezed her in a swift hug.

"This either means you support this or are planning on taking over." Olivia mumbled.

"Both!" Riley turned about, taking in her crowded ballroom. "So, what's your type?"

"Type?" Olivia scanned the room. "I've never really thought about it before."

Riley noticed a couple of people looking their way.

Actually, they were looking at Olivia.

"You've been spending a lot of time with Amalas over the years." Riley pointed out when she noticed the smile on the Spy Queen's face as she peeked over at the duchess.

"It's just been in search of information for you and Liam." Olivia explained.

"Anything else possibly discovered?" Riley nudged her. "Any feelings by chance?"

"I admire her abilities to uncover hidden secrets, but nothing else."

Riley nodded in understanding while focusing on the only person she once thought would be perfect for the surly with a tender heart duchess.

"What about," she knew she was taking a chance saying the name aloud but decided to risk the consequences, "Drake?"

"Drake?" Olivia sputtered. "As in Walker?!" She burst into laughter. "What a joke. You almost had me there."

"I'm serious!" Riley insisted. "You both have so much in common! Look at what you've both overcome through the years. You even get along now!" She tilted her head while studying one of her best friends. "He isn't too hard on the eyes either."

"I can't believe this is what you offer me the one time I confess to something like this." Olivia snapped. "Enjoy your ball. I need some air."

She swept off in an elegant twirl of skirt to find a place to drink in peace.

****************

"Dammit Riley!" Olivia grumbled on her way to the hedge maze. "Drake Walker? There are billions of people in this world and you suggest I give HIM a chance?!"

She turned here and there without much thought to where she was going. Her mind whirled with thoughts of Drake and their complicated past along with a need to get as far away from this blasted ball as she could.

She knew her hatred towards him had lessened over the years. She'd even begun to admire his dedication to Liam and Riley. He didn't have to do anything. He didn't possess a title or lands that he needed to protect. He simply stepped in danger's path each time someone he cared for was threatened.

As much as it ate at her, she more than admired that personality quirk of his.

But could I actually be with him? Like that?

Olivia stopped beside the ancient wishing well. She took another healthy gulp of her drink while gazing down within the dark depths. Starlight was reflected along with her shadowed face.

"Figures." Olivia whispered. "The one time I consider my future, I end up in the spot Queen Eleanor told me would help me find my heart's wish."

She missed Liam's mother more than she missed her own. There had been something about that compassionate lady that made her wish she was here to give her counsel in this matter. How in the world was Olivia supposed to know what she needed in a possible mate? She'd not seen anyone have a romance that looked appealing, at least to her.

Riley and Liam were the ultimate, romantic fairy tale. Penelope and Zeke were simply too icky sweet and weird with their dogs and all. Couples like Hana's parents seemed driven by ambition.

None of that seemed remotely like Olivia. She didn't see the need to gain anything else. She had her duchy, her people, and the respect of her monarchs and country. And she guessed she could add her friends to the list.

She didn't think she could do a relationship filled with endless romance and sweet nothing's. She'd want to throw up if she had to endure that day in day out.

She wouldn't mind some affection and a compliment or two.

Olivia buried her face in her hands. This is ridiculous! She should be able to put into words what she wanted from a significant other.

"I don't know what to do!" She gripped the edge of the wishing well. Knowing she was too old to do this, she closed her eyes and spoke her wish into the opening.

"I need a sign. Not just some mystical piece of mumbo jumbo, but a clear direct sign showing me who I need." Her nose wrinkled. "I don't need them, but I wouldn't mind finding them just the same. Soon. So...do whatever it is you do and give it to me."

She folded her arms and waited.

"Please." She added, just in case.

And waited.

And waited.

"I'm worse than a child." She swiped up her glass and downed the last of her bourbon. "Depending on some inanimate object to give me direction in my life."

She stomped away from wretched thing. Arguing silently with herself, she took the turns needed to escape the hedged labyrinth. She was determined to thrust all of these thoughts from her mind, go home to Lythikos, and be the duchess everyone expected. Cold. Capable. Calculated.

And alone.

"Oof!"

Olivia stumbled back from the body she had collided with. This area closer to the palace was better lighted, allowing her to see the one she had plowed into.

"Geez, what's the hurry?" Drake asked.

Damn Riley! I bet she sent him out here to find me!

"What are you doing out here, Walker?" She griped.

"Escaping." He admitted. "There's only so much mingling I can do before I'm tempted to slit my wrist."

Olivia's irritation lessened. A reluctant smile curved her lips. She too detested small talk at all these events they were forced to attend.

"You need a tougher persona to be able to stand around with no one bothering you."

He snorted. "Tougher? My jumping in front of a bullet didn't take care of that?"

"You were too nice to everyone after that." Olivia explained. "If you had grunted and glared more then, people would avoid you now."

"Damn. I knew I shouldn't have tried to act like Liam." He muttered.

"It isn't worth it."

"You're right."

"I always am." She boasted.

"No, you're not." He argued.

"When have I been wrong?" She placed a hand on her hip.

"You got a tent?" He asked.

"A what?"

"A tent," Drake smirked at her, "because we will be here for days listing all the times you've been wrong."

Olivia coughed to cover her laughter.

I love sparring with him.

His smirk turned to a genuine grin when he noticed her doing so.

"Want to avoid small talk a little longer?"

She nodded.

"Well then, come on." He walked forward into the maze.

"Where are we going?" She quickened her pace to catch up to him. "I've already been to the well."

"The well?" He muttered. "No wonder you've been gone so long."

Olivia cocked an eyebrow at him. "So long? Was someone looking for me?"

"No, I..." He trailed off. "I noticed."

"Noticed what?"

He rolled his eyes. "I noticed you leaving. When time passed and you didn't return, I came out here to," he rubbed the back of his neck, "to check on you."

"Check on me?" She slowed her steps the closer they came to a small fountain nestled in a dead end. "Why would I need checking up on?"

"You looked," he hesitated then shrugged, "I don't know how to explain it." He huffed an irritated breath when he noticed her folded arms and narrowed eyes. "Something seemed wrong."

"What could possibly be wrong?" Olivia taunted. "You lot leave without me on some dangerous mission that I am only told at the very last second!" She turned away from him when she noticed a flash of pity in his eyes.

I refuse to let Drake Walker feel sorry for me.

"I don't know why I'm surprised." She snapped before he could explain. "You have never had a problem excluding me."

"What?" His head jerked up. His dark brown eyes bore into her green. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"That for as long as I can remember, you tried to keep me out of your life!" She placed her balled up fists on her hips while her words struck like a whip. "You didn't want me around Liam or Maxwell or anyone!"

It was as if she couldn't stop this need to unload every wrong upon his head.

"Then you try and keep me from helping Riley through that Tariq scandal." She shook her head. "It took fighting Anton and his pitiful excuse of an army before you finally quit trying to run me off."

Drake's cheeks had darkened. Whether they had because of his guilt or anger, she couldn't tell.

"You know why I did what I did as an adult." His voice held a hint of righteous anger. "After all the insults toward me and Savannah, did you think I wanted you anywhere near me?"

Olivia wanted to dismiss that. She knew deep down that she should apologize for that time in their lives. But apologizing to Drake Walker...it was asking too much.

"I guess I was wrong when we were kids." He grumbled, hating that the past kept cropping up between them. "I think I was a little jealous of you."

Olivia's head snapped up. "Jealous? Jealous of me? Over what?!"

"Liam and Maxwell always wanted you to play with us because," he shifted to sit down on the fountain's edge, "because you had the better imagination for all our pretend adventures and battles." He snorted softly. "And you wielded that wooden sword of yours better than most adults."

Olivia simply stared at him.

He actually admits he's wrong! What do I do now?

The beginning of a waltz drifted over to where they were.

"Dance with me."

Drake looked up at her in disbelief. "Do what now?"

"Dance with me." She repeated, holding her hand out.

"You're not going to stab me in the back or anything that causes my blood to spill out, are you?" He asked, getting to his feet.

"Yes, Drake. I decided to eliminate people who get on my nerves by hanging out in the maze with little lighting. All I need is a song I can dance to and then I strike when they twirl me."

He chuckled while taking her hand. "Sounds like a plan you'd make."

Olivia moved into his arms. "Just shut up and dance."

The two waltzed about without any words.

Olivia eventually lifted her eyes to his face. They traced over his high cheekbones, the nick along his jawline from shaving earlier, ending upon his eyes.

I suppose he does have a rugged charm that could be appealing.

She'd never noticed how thick his eyelashes were. How his hair falling over his forehead gave him a slight boyish appearance, softening the hard edges. She'd never noticed a lot of things about him.

When had he become a good dancer?

And why had it taken years to see the kind of man he had become?

Olivia stopped abruptly. Drake nearly knocked her down with the next dance step.

"Liv?" His brow furrowed in concern. "What is it?" He raised his hands to her shoulders. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Maybe she had. Or, maybe the fog had finally lifted to show her what could be.

Drake's brow smoothed somewhat as he gazed down at her face lit by the fairy lights. When she wasn't being difficult, he had a chance to take in how beautiful she really was.

"You know," she said, "now that Liam and Riley have defeated all their enemies," she swallowed nervously, "the rest of us can go back to how life used to be."

"Used to be?" Drake shook his head. "I don't think life will ever be what it once was."

"You don't?"

"We've been through a lot, Liv." He continued. "It's changed us. All of us." A sheepish smile curved his lips. "I think all those changes are our new normal."

"And what do we do about the past?" Olivia wondered if she could truly move on from it.

"Leave it behind us." He told her.

The past had been her one steady companion. Memories of her parents. Slights and insults she had both given and received. The constant distrust of anyone being remotely kind to her. Would she finally be given a chance to leave all of it where it belonged?

"I'm thinking about leaving tomorrow." Drake announced.

"You are?" Olivia felt her heart sink.

So much for Riley's suggestion.

"I, um, I bought a house." He admitted. "I figure now that Brooks and Liam have everything under control, I can see what happens...for me."

"I see." Olivia murmured.

"I don't suppose you would, um," Drake softly cursed, "hell. Would you like to go with me to see it?"

"Your house? You want me to see your home?"

"Surprisingly, I do." He admitted.

Olivia glanced back toward the direction where the wishing well was hidden. Could this be the sign she had asked for? She had stressed that she wanted it to be clear.

"I would like you to see it." Drake added.

Olivia turned back toward him. Her lips were slightly parted in surprise.

"You would?"

"I just said I would." He grumbled. "I don't know how much clearer I can be about it."

And there it was: The sign she needed to know who might give her that happily ever after tailor made for herself.

"I'd like that." Olivia responded.

Drake seemed to relax once he saw she meant it. Taking her hand again, he suggested they head back inside to make plans.

The two took the path that led them out of the maze and into the beginning of their new future.

[tieriastar]

This was a surprising find. It gives a pretty accurate summary of every EreSasha interaction from the manga. They definitely were rarely seen talking to each other but it's true that Eren often seemed surprised by Sasha's actions. I shipped them for the longest time because they were my favorite characters in the series and despite their lack of a relationship on screen I headcanoned that something could be going on between them behind the scenes. Of course, that headcanon was destroyed by canon.

The only part I disagreed with is Eren doing it all for the sake of his friends, thus still cared about Sasha. He only really cared about Mikasa, Armin and Historia. Everyone else was an afterthought at the end. Like 'I gotta make sure my two best friends and the queen is safe. Oh and if Levi and the others survive that would be cool too... I guess.'

I also appreciate that this article included Gabi being called the EreSasha "love child". I mean, I hate Gabi obviously but I am glad that people recognize that Gabi is basically a carbon copy mixture of Eren and Sasha because many people are in denial about that, especially about Gabi resembling/paralleling Sasha. I don't know why. Maybe not believing this helps certain people believe the lie that Gabi did nothing wrong and that she's a truly unique and well developed character when she's really just a combination of two popular and well established characters. Honestly, she wouldn't be that bad if there was more of a point to Gabi being that way. Like what was the point? Was Gabi killing Sasha just some kind of crappy reference to the German folklore of the doppelganger? Or was it a scrappy troupe? Also, was Gabi being similar to Eren just Isayama's way to trolling the fans into thinking Gabi would be the new hero? Because all that crap about Sasha's death serving as some teaching moment to Gabi/pivotal moment to progress the story doesn't cut it because after Gabi "changes" she doesn't play a big role in the series. Just serves in the same tactical role that Sasha always had in battle. Also, the storyline of a Eldian soldier that painfully learns the truth was already told through Gabi's older cousin Reiner and in a much better way.

Yeah well anyways, maybe I'll check out the EreSasha tag in AO3 and I find it hilarious that most Tumblr posts with that tag are mine lol.