#hey me too!

[jlf23tumble]

Oh I love that you responded! I was just enjoying a glass of wine and blathering into the ether. I found you because I wanted to understand the tragedy that was 1D Day without having watch seven hours of blasphemy and Google led me to your recaps! Honesty they are A GEM. I've read all your recaps now (except the XF ones) and yes, please bring them back!

The content I originally encountered was on TikTok which was completely edited and set to music (and sometimes very, very weird) but interesting enough to send me to find real answers. I'm an old, old millennial so we had LexusNexus and not Wikipedia, and were taught to question everything and honestly the proof is so much more interesting than the manipulated data. I think that the most compelling evidence is some of the stuff people gloss over, like the aforementioned lip-licking (it's definitely more obvious when giffed but does exist in video) because it went on for years and also why would you do this (like are most straight boys into subtle homoerotic flirting?), also how agitated they could make each other while miming sex acts (all the boys made sex jokes at each other but ONLY H and L got turned on by them), the touches they didn't mean to have caught on camera (the infamous arm caress, but also Louis rubbing Harry's arm with his finger while exiting a bus, and some serious waist squeezing, back/neck rubbing). And their very couple-y way of communicating without speaking, and all the fond, especially Harry's moony heart eyes in the early days (but also all the way into 2015). Also some very curious jealousy and possessiveness. The tweets and sexual innuendos and touchiness during interviews doesn't interest me, it feels very teenage boy humor and for fan service. But the behavior of the other three boys was very, very suspicious.  

I'm obsessed with all the drama and inconsistencies. Like why didn't Louis deny the rumors when given the chance on 1D Day or the Four Hangout (it's telling that all the denials he did in those days were in pre-taped interviews or on Twitter and not live - I have theories about the difference once 1D ended/Freddie was born). Also this video of Louis asking Liam to interfere when Harry was singing to him during a concert. (I have no straight explanation for this. If Larry wasn't real and it was all an act, why couldn't Louis get Harry to stop on his own?)

I could go on and on (again, sorry!) and I definitely have some favorite interviews (the 2012 RTE Late Late Show episode is a goldmine) and more thoughts! If you decide to recap, I have some suggestions. Going to work through some of your fic recommendations now that I'm so invested. 

THIS ORIGIN STORY, thanks, Google! Check out those XF recaps, that was some fun shit, then come yell at me here or in the DMs, I need moreeeeeeeeeeee! I would love any/all suggestions for recaps, tbh, happy to do the 2012 Late Late Show ep if you want it, even now, because a) any of those old interviews are fun, and b) the full piece ALWAYS reveals so much more than what's giffed.

[malenjoyer]

WE'RE SO BACK

[egophiliac]

don't think I'm not still obsessing over 7-12

[akanemnon]

Yeah, that checks out.

FIRST - PREVIOUS - NEXT

MASTERPOST (for the full series / FAQ / reference sheets)

[lesbiansandco]

@eldragon-x thought u would appreciate this

Just got diagnosed with this

[cj-the-random-artist]

Ok hear me out: Narilamb but they're both aroace and in a qpr.

I've been rolling around in my head for like a long long time this idea that Narinder and Lambert could both be aroace and (after like. A couple of centuries or so) end up in this like very comfortable very close relationship that neither of them define as anything specific other than calling it a "companionship". But on the other hand most of the cult thinks that they're dating in secret or something despite the fact that both of them have said they don't take lovers, because they are clearly very tight but maybe not super openly so, so maybe the cultists thing they're being secretive and hiding something or something like that. Idk but my aroace brain loves thinking about extremely close (mostly) platonic relationships and for some reason my brain decided hmm. I'm going to take this and throw it at Narilamb and see how I like it.

So then I decided to make a ridiculous joke comic about Narinder asking Lambert's hand in marriage specifically because he wants to get out of paying taxes. Because like, I know that spouse followers do actually still have to pay taxes in the actual game but. Hey Narinder and Lambert have presumably never married so they probably don't know that...? Honestly the only reason I made this was because the concept tickled me and I spent too much time on this for no one to see it, so. This comic and all it's absolute ridiculousness be upon ye.

While there's a tiny part of me that's been thinking about making this into an AU (which I'd probably call something like the "Strictly Platonic AU" or something), I know for a fact that I would blatantly not do anything legitimate with it so. It's an unofficial AU I guess?? But. Anyways. I thought this would be funny. Enjoy my ramblings and I hope you enjoy this thing that I spent. Actual time on. Lol

[blondie-drawings]

holding space for whatever the hell this is /pt1/pt2/pt3/pt4

[inkskinned]

we were sitting on the floor and i was cutting out tiny pictures to make a collage for a friend's birthday. you were on your phone and you laughed about something, and i was still in love with you then, so i asked what had you giggling.

"sorry. i was just..." you took a moment and went back to texting. "i was telling someone about how you're afraid of the dark."

i'm afraid of the dark because something bad happened. "oh." i felt a little slinky of shame crawl down my throat.

you glanced up, and maybe it showed on my face, because you rolled your eyes and held the phone to the side casually so i could see the group chat. "what? was it a secret?"

i looked down to the scissors in my hand. "i just..." no, it's not a secret. it just felt like something private, something serious. saying why would you tell someone that just feels like an accusation. it's unfair. i honestly am not even ashamed of it, it's just a fact about my person that i don't usually share.

what a strange experience. is this a human thing or a generational thing? for our grandparents: did they need to worry about how quickly someone can just... share your personal information? again, i didn't even really have a true objection. what could i say? i want any person in my life to feel they can be honest with their friends. it's not like i said don't tell anyone this.

i cut out another letter to complete the rainbow happy birthday, started hunting for the exclamation mark. i heard you sigh dramatically.

"don't make a big deal about this," you said.

this entire conversation was a pattern for us, and this was when we got to my least favorite part of the pattern. i would get my feelings hurt in some oblique not-technically-terrible way, and then it would be making a big deal about something. you'd get frustrated for me for being soft, but i was born soft. you knew i was soft when you pierced me. it's one of the things that made controlling me so easy.

"i'm not," i felt my voice crack. the question came without my wanting. "why are you guys talking about me?" and why are you saying that thing? why not like - i'm telling them how you're generous and kind and pretty.

you let out this low, tragic groan. "oh my god." you tossed the phone away from your body. "there, see? i just won't talk to them if you don't like it."

the rest of the hour went the way it always went, between us: i said i don't actually mind if you talk to your friends but -, you found a way to call my minor expression of discomfort "being dramatic." you got upset that i had been offended. i ended up apologizing, even though i hadn't actually done anything.

afterwards, you picked up the phone again. after texting for a little bit, you snorted. "okay," you said, "but it is kind of funny you're afraid of the dark. i mean, when you think about it."

[hurlyburlytopsyturvy]

when you get engulfed by a space-time anomaly and it forces you into therapy for the greater good

[reichurine]

"but you won't be there, damn gambler."

👊after 'rota fortunae'

[jlf23tumble]

I was so fucking horrified by the takes about phoebe today.. honestly though it made it clear to me that as much as all these ppl think they’re progressive angels doing the lord’s work (by outing ppl), they have never learned or internalized the most basic aspects of feminism. and i knew this but it’s just so much clearer to me how all those other shitty takes have happened in this fandom. :( feelin sad about it!!!

Thankfully, none of that horseshit crossed my dash, but I'm not surprised at all that there were some garbage takes about it. When the bigger fish in a fandom spend a significant chunk of their time casually shitting on women for the stupidest reasons, everyone's fair game (well, not everyone everyone, lmao)

[sadmages]

In my mind palace my tav and Astarion are playing the exact same game of 5D chess and they don't realize it yet

[egophiliac]

YOU MANIFESTED THE TWEEL CARDS CONGRATS

YOU'RE WELCOME EVERYBODY!

seriously though I was probably like. 60-80% thinking we'd get at least one tweel for chapter 10. but I was NOT expecting it so soon! both of 'em! in August! a shame we're not getting a Coral Sea event after all...but I guess I can be resigned to that and ALSO excited for getting shiny sparkly glowing(!!!!) mertwins along with Azul fighting his inner demons and going right for the eyes! AHHHH I CAN'T WAIT

(also heeeey I recognize that rowboat... 👀)

[linoyes]

bonus worm time

[lucabyte]

On autonomy, and what it means to be Obliged to Help.

Bonus:

[chiricat]

me eat you whole