#i have so many random af and delightful interactions

[afantasyoffiction]

reblogging because i cannot believe ‘i work in customer service specifically hospo and therefore tourists are the funniest, most infuriating, most irritatingly necessary and most entertainingly foolish ppl on the planet’

oh and also i LOVE being a tourist. great fun. i take so many pics.

but if one more person comes up to me and asks me to google the weather for them. or tells me its raining like i give a damn that your forgot a raincoat for your outdoors trip…

[fadebolt]

Soooo uhhhh, I'm about to go on vacation in two days. Don't worry, I'll still be doing the room analysis posts, and I will still probably post an AF attack or two, I'm mostly just bringing it up cus.... nostalgia. (Yes, I'm about to reminisce on my times in the RW community - I've been trying to keep these kinds of rambly posts to a minimum, but this felt like a pretty good time to go off about this)

Because the first time I discovered Rain World was two years ago, when I was also about to go on vacation very soon, and Htwo's video about the AI of the game caught my eye.

I was like "Wait, really? This looks like one of those old retro games, how the hell can it have a more complex AI, than some of the newer big games that are doing real fancy things with them?", so I just had to investigate, and something about the visuals, and the creatures, and the things described in the video.... it really mesmerized me, and I just had to learn more.

Which I did during vacation, checking out some spoiler free reviews and recommendation videos (as well as official stuff, including the DP scug previews, which sounded real interesting, even from a newcomer's perspective), as well as tons of fanart.

Of course, I did spoil myself a bunch in the process, but it all completely lacked context, so it didn't really mean much. I especially liked a guy called something along the lines of 'FlameFlower' (I'm sort of blanking on it, sry), as they had a real neat art style, and a lot of their comic pages were made traditionally, which impressed me a lot. It was nice and sweet and cute, and I liked the humanoid robot villain who I assumed to be the artist's personal interpretation of what the higher intelligence in this world might be like (yeah, I assumed the concept of an iterator was exclusive to that comic which is real silly, but still xd).

Anyways, I was eager to try out this difficult game filled with weird creatures, where you'll need to be patient and clever, but also skilled and quick witted, which I immediately did, after I traveled home.

I also quickly joined the Discord server, mostly just to view more art, but to my delight, there were a bunch of channels specifically for newbies on their first playthroughs, where I hung out a bunch.

Afterwards, I've mostly just been playing for the next couple months, having a blast while also struggling a little here and there, especially when I got to try Hunter.

I wasn't really doing anything with the community, outside of maybe chiming into a discussion or two. I had ideas, but I sorta lacked motivation. Sharing stuff in Discord gallery chats is not overly fun, as there's rarely any interaction (outside of a few random reacts - a lot of which comes from people that press reacts on literally everything), and the way Discord works makes it very difficult not to start comparing yourself to the other stuff you see, and it really demotivated me, especially cus my skills were waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay worse back then (which is fair, I barely did art before my RW days, but still, good lord do I hate my older stuff xd).

I also just didn't particularly enjoy the vibes of the server too much. Lurking around the chats and looking at the things other people were doing was fun, but I never felt like it would be worth it to try and be a part of that.

Then you know, the new year rolled around, Downpour came out, the game got traction, and everything was getting crazy.

I was still mostly inactive, until my very first art month came up, and I had some fun with it (my skills still being absolutely horrendous, but at least I still had fun :3).

But then something caught my eye - a certain artist doing 'bombs', drawings where the Slugcat designs of many different artists were present. Yeap - I'm talkin' about Pansear!

I was digging around, and I found out that you can get featured by sending a DM, so I gathered the courage to send over a Saint, which was honestly extremely nerve-wracking. Yet the conversation was really pleasant. She actually complimented my design, which felt incredible, and was extremely appreciative of me congratulating her for getting featured in Akupara's Virtual Art Month Museum.

I know that this might sound like a basic everyday thing for most, but for a person with my levels of social anxiety? This was an enormous leap, one that I'm very grateful to have made.

Afterwards, things have finally started happening. I noticed that Pan and her buddies made a new server where they started hosting voice acting sessions for all the comics in their Shipping Container server. So I leaped on the chance to join in, the moment the invites were reopened again, since I always enjoyed imitating the voices of characters, and the idea of me doing the characters myself sounded incredible, especially when they're from a game I love so much.

And from that point onward, I stopped chatting in, or even looking at the overpopulated 'Main World' server entirely, and all my interactions with the community came from that small new server.

Then last year's vacation arrived, where.... nothing really happened, tbh. I was forced to miss out on the Helm fandub, but I had some fun doing colorless Artificer and Rivulet (aka, the first art pieces I ever posted onto Tumblr) on the beach.

But a few days after I returned, I noticed that North was actually starting a new video series, where she would animate Inv's dating sim, and she was looking for VAs on Tumblr, so I grabbed the opportunity, and made an account, so I could upload my auditions.

Yup, the Thanks Andrew dating sim is the reason why this account exists.

Neat, ain't it?

And initially, I didn't really know what to do with this thing, so I was just reblogging, and uploading art, as well as voiceovers, until...

The shipping polls arrived. And thus, my series of daily poll ramblings have begun. Ramblings that have been happening for almost a year now.

And then... I just sort of, kept doing the things I was doing, y'know. I finally got my wish, to be a part of a community I adore, even if just a minor one.

The vacations weirdly represent huge moments for me, as I found out and fell in love with the game during one, while my Tumblr was created immediately after the one that followed.

It's weird to look back on these last two years, and just how much has changed. Despite the downers that the community has had as of late, this was still a really pleasant journey, getting to have fun with others, and make them happy, while they also make me happy in return.

And I suppose this year's vacation can sort of represent my Artfight being created? That was also a pretty enjoyable experience, though it doesn't quite carry the same weight.

I dunno, not every year needs to be a special one. Though the last two have undoubtedly been that way! :D

[lover-of-trash-and-people]

netflix shadow and bone s1 e5 pt3: peak darklina

the first kiss scene Alina is so beautiful Her little smile as she picks up his kefta after he hears him call out for Ivan to get it like ooh I'm gonna play a little trick on Alek Her making him smile with a joke that's not even funny The tentativeness of it all, them tiptoeing around each other, testing the boundaries Him being taken aback by her offering to help him put on his kefta but still wanting her to and immediately resorting to business voice asking questions about official sun summoner stuff And putting on his serious business face him trying to explain away the gloves by calling them a safeguard, not a sign of him not trusting her abilities the face he makes after saying spectacle either depicting his distaste for the showiness of the event or depicting his embarrassment at how he phrased the sentence, like what the fuck did I just say (more likely the first one) Her quickly turning around and walking away after the eye contact makes her realise how close they are and him pulling a puzzled look as she does so Just. Just how adorable the energy is. Both of them making jokes to diffuse the tension, her gripping the table to maybe steady or calm herself, the looks they give to each other as if engaged in a delicate dance; god-like Him straight up just blinking and looking down and gulping as she says 'we can offer Grisha and Ravkans hope' (could be multiple things he's thinking at this point, and all of them interest me) 'That means a lot to me, Alina.' *her turning to look at his face* 'You mean a lot...' *her immediately lowering her gaze and tracing where her mal scar used to be lmao* 'to everyone' *her raising her gaze to him again* The music swelling as she walks up to him, her barely grazing her fingers against his collar, his eyes looking across hers as if in disbelief, her looking at his lips, and then her closing the gap between them. Him being a little stiff, indubitably from being shocked, and yet giving into it almost instinctively as if he can't help it. The violin coming in powerfully yet softly to emphasize the tenderness of it all. This thing has been made with so much love and I can't contain myself about it. Him opening his eyes half a second after Alina, almost as if waking up from a dream and then, following a relaxing of his facial muscles as he clearly regains his composure, immediately looking inscrutable. Her doubting herself, not losing eye contact as he stands up from the desk, but her sudden fear, regret, and embarrassment clear on her face. Her sides of her lips slowly rising giving way his own self mirroring her and breaking into smile and composing himself and breaking into smile again before saying 'Not many people surprise me, Miss Starkov'. Her now fully breaking out into a smile, her face a picture of unguarded joy, she looks down only to have his gaze follow her face. Both of them giddy in the other's presence and the audience can feel it. It feels like he is leaning in for another one when the sound of the door opening makes them spring apart, regaining their composures and standing at a respectable distance from each other. Her poorly suppressing a smile, him looking at her visibly, her mimicking him with a glance out of her periphery, causing her to give in to her smile completely. Him looking visibly distracted as he attempts to pay attention to whoever came into the room. the Jesper of it all Jesper the mega idiot not being able to control his face from doing a thing as he realises the person who caught him where he wasn't supposed to be is the same person he was making sexy eyes at before and yet regaining his composure in record time The poor stable hand actually being interested in Jesper and being adorable with Jesper just being like charm itself Can you believe looking at Jesper Llewellyn Fahey in the flesh and having him make sexy eyes at you and then forgetting about it? Because I simply cannot. The line about light role play? Felt a little not right. GO OFF STABLE HAND WHO PUSHED JESPER AGAINST A WALL AND KISSED HIM, HE LITERALLY SAID IM POPPING OFF AND

THEN HE DID Zoya Zoya saying fuck off to the random racist comment made by one of the guests, but she was racist to Alina herself? (I mean South Asian-East Asian hate is not uncommon so idk) David omg the cutie pie adjusting his hair at the fete HEARTRENDER FUCKING HUSBANDS Fedyor insisting on Ivan eating the sweet and Ivan's solemn head shake like no babe im on a diet and Fedyor being like heart eyes please eat the sweet my love and then Fedyor holding Ivan's face to make him nibble off a corner and Ivan's face splitting into a reluctant grin Kaz the actor Seeing Kaz the actor instead of Kaz the master of trickery and plans is an interesting thing Kanej being Kanej cute banter interaction, would recommend, 10/10 hints at Arken being sus The look Kaz gives Arken when Arken leaves, I really should have known, I was simply being a clown Darkling and the dumb royalty We love the Darkling suppressing his anger at these otkazat'sya rulers dissing the grisha and the little palace Alina's entrance The soft hum that we hear when Alina enters but we don't see her face Alina's adorable peeking The Darkling's expression changing despite being done af with these mfers and instantaneously on catching a glimpse of Alina, she really has that power huh He really made it look like his pupils dilated and who knows maybe they did Him trying to call her out for not following protocol but him melting and saying 'you look lovely, by the way' Her saying 'you look like you needed saving' I can't breathe you're so cool ballroom at the little palace I must confess I expected the ballroom of the winter fete to be bigger

GENYADAVID looking at each other and pretending not to look at each other, my fucking heart Kanej being Kanej Kaz implying they're gonna try to trick the people into thinking that the fake sun summoner is real and Inej being done with his shit Alina's demonstration HER NAME IS ALINA STARKOV yes mfer The way people back away as he steps, god the power of this man Inej looking at Kaz omfg Okay him clapping the darkness into the room was cool af I love the shadow summoning effects so fucking much The first bit of light that Alina summons lighting up the gold parts of her black kefta, absolute perfection Alina just enjoying her power and then looking to Alek, his lips parting when she does Aw Fedyor looking at Ivan in a I told you she could do it way Genya and Fedyor exchanging glances as Alina besties THE CROWD SAYING SANKTA ALINA INEJ SAYING SANKTA ALINA WITH HALF A TEAR IN HER EYE DAMN THIS IS POWERFUL Jesper and Dima IMMEDIATELY TRANSITIONING TO JESPER SAYING 'SAINTS' AS A NAKED STABLE BOY GETS OFF OF HIM AGAHSJSJSJKS I CAN'T IM CACKLING AT THE AUDACITY OF THIS SHOW HOW ARE THEY SO PERFECT (his name's dima btw) Poor fucking Dima getting frightening orders from his superior as his hookup sneaks out with horses that are definitely not his Arken the little shit Ah Arken why'd you have to go and do this I was actually amused by you before the malyen factor omg Mal's here and someone saw him getting here apparat and faith? The apparat literally jumping out of the palace walls at Alina lol man I do love the religion angle of this universe and it would have been so fucking cool if it were explored a bit better ew apparat that grab was very violent mal/darkling interaction the darkling's reaction at his recognition of mal was so funny ah yes my arch nemesis, the other angle of this teen immortal love triangle how utterly delightful someone explain the darkling's 'are you alright' to mal, is it because Alina was worried sick, is it mind games, is it curiosity, what is it Im still don't know how to feel with them attaching a literal symbol to the sun summoner, to Alina's dreams and to the stag itself 'not until I see Alina' THE LOYAL HIMBO ENERGY IN THIS ONE ISTFG I have never known nose acting until I saw Ben Barnes, he uses his nose in his acting and it is absolutely wonderful; case in point, the 'i beg your pardon' to mal with the rage making his voice shake okay but why is every mal darkling interaction like, everything the prompt answer our baby mal gives and the satisfaction it brings to his face, fucking amazing the darkling being literally struck by this, his mouth literally agape, king this is a 20 year old lmao Baghra! OMG WE GOT A GLIMPSE OF BAGHRA'S FIRE YES Genya supremacy Genya beating Arken up let's fucking go Marie's plot influence and Racism? Yellowface? again? hmm bardugo (then again, I have no authority over this, I'm south asian) Ive already talked about how I'm interested in knowing if and how changing Marie's time and place of death going to influence the plot much because in the books it caused a chain reaction doing a lot of stuff Alina, my love Alina just, laughing with other Grisha, feeling at home, ah be still my treacherous heart Mal's confrontation scene with Alina that was in the books being retconned to Mal calling out to her body double, hmm, probably to make Mal more likeable, I don't have any feelings about this particularly Nadia and Fedyor Okay the both of them, smiling and walking, hand in hand, cute mlm wlw solidarity moment that I missed during the first watch Kanej interacting with Alina Why is Alina literally so adorable The music picking up as the Inferni catches sight of the 'limping man' (what? it was funny when he said it) Blue Irises Alina's face showing a certain sense of calm when Alek shows up Alina's face after the Darkling says 'for you' and presents her with blue irises is something like gasp okay you've got game sexy shadow man mal fite time omg I thought she was taking mal to talk to Baghra or smth not to kill him 🤡 aren't oprichnikis like

otkazat'sya or am I missing smth? Because Baghra's spy is obvs a fabrikator THE DESK SCENE omg the scene hath arriveth the fact that Alina can't stop smiling gods, the flirting 'I don't recall this, being part of the schedule' him turning back and saying 'it isn't' her hiding her face through the cover of smelling the flowers and just how coy she acts, like the literal eyelid batting Ma'am how embarrassing for you to have feelings rn these two are my absolute favs of all time the camera moving as they move from their spots on which they had to stand on to get the shot of their shadows almost kissing her nodding and smiling at him saying 'she'll probably be alright' like okay I'm ready for smooches kiss me already and him going 'don't you think' trying to savour this moment IM SORRY BUT THE FUCKING SCORE AT THE MOMENT THEIR LIPS MEET YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND I CANNOT COPE the way his hand is so big that he can almost hold her entire face in it the way she grips the back of his head I'm sorry I feel so disrespectful saying this but the sounds they make+I think that's a um titty grab or maybe it's just a holding someone and the placement was um unintended but I doubt it because everything in this fucking show is so intentional+ the lift up onto the desk+ the faces they make+ um god I'm going to hell for this but when they sort of grind into each other (I understand this is acting and they're just good at their job) but god does all of this make my heart race and also makes me happy I guess LITERAL GIGGLES I can't I'm soft 🥺🥺🥺 his little head shake at the knock on the door when he goes in for one last kiss before she gets off the desk and her eyes going all oy you, go get the door, I'm not going anywhere don't make whoever it is wait is so adorable and domestic her just standing there mouth agape to herself when he walks away HIM STILL FLUSHED AND BLUSHING AND HIS HAPPINESS CLEAR AS DAY ON HIS FACE WHEN HE OPENS THE DOOR his gaze flits to her when Ivan says Alina was the target 'I'll be waiting' love, I physically can't anymore Little cheek hold and walk away Her little smile to herself nearly fading before he jumps back in again to her surprise and to ours to hold her face with both his hands and kiss her one last time, and yes, he does kiss like he's being drafted for the war in the morning Her little mouth open and close and then her little smile to herself after he leaves I refuse to watch the rest of the episode right now because no let me steep in the darklina bliss

[mistchievous]

🍀 *blows one your way*

CRYS!! I'M NOT CONFUSED THIS TIME! 😂

You’re my: third most chaotic mutual. Wear that tag with pride!

How I met you: On Tumblr where you wormed your way into my soul via chaos. 😂

Why I follow you: Because you kept making me laugh and interacting with you was just so much fun! Which means we're friends now and you're stuck with me. Sorry not sorry!

Your blog is: a mix of chaos and pain.

Your URL is: legit af because it's about Eddie and therefore gets an automatic win. 😌

Your icon is: ONE OF THE BEST YOU COULD POSSIBLY HAVE. DEMI-EDDIE IS THE BEST EDDIE, AND NO ONE CAN CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE.

A random fact I know about you: You're absolutely obsessed with T. Swift. 😂😭

General opinion: You're hilarious, hun. You make me and so many other smile just by being yourself. You're a LITERAL delight. I hope you know that. I adore you, and I'm so glad to know you. <3

A random thought I have: You're very impatient. 😂😂😂 *looks at DM*

[blodreina-noumou]

I had fun with 6x02. It was angsty “why can’t our kids just get along” fun, but still fun!

The Big Things I’d be down to discuss:

1 - We got tiny little crumbs about Alpha/Sanctum itself, the people who live there, and how/why they’ve lived on this moon for the past century or so. The backstory with the very obvious Bellarke stand-in (that had to either be the best or worst little nod ever for shippers), including the sudden and unexpectedly violent death of Sanctum Clarke (I know she has a name I just forgot), shows us that the people of this world have been dealing with the eclipse psychosis for a long time, which definitely explains the kids’ books and general “this is a thing that happens sometimes” attitude of the people we’ve met. The mother, father, and daughter of that group are the Lightbournes (no idea how to spell that yet), who are seemingly worshiped in this world. How did that happen, when Daddy Lightbourne went nuts and murdered his wife and daughter? Jumping to the present, one of the lines between the older hijacker woman and her dying daughter - “the bodies, you have to make sure -” “I’ll take care of it” - definitely makes me think that there’s something about death/corpses on this planet that we don’t know yet. (Which makes me think of poor Shaw, quickly buried in that grave by that random field.) Both women seemed very concerned with recovering the bodies of their husbands, beyond the usual “respecting our dead” worries. And finally, that ending. The little girl, Rose, seemed to be dressed a bit more “royally” for lack of a better word, than the other children. Maybe it was just a design choice to make her stand out - if she’s got a name, she’s gonna be important. She had those “wise young leader” vibes though. The most interesting thing - her asking Clarke if they’re there to “take them home” and Clarke responding “isn’t this your home?” Sanctum believes they’re going to be rescued, I think we can safely guess that this is a big part of what makes them culty. So what are they going to do now that they know a rescue is impossible, because Earth is dead? Why do they still want to go home - to reconnect with a world an indeterminate number of lightyears away, where none of them were born? Why? Is it something about Sanctum that makes them long to return - something more than just the Eclipse Psychosis?

2. My favorite interactions were between Murphy and Clarke. I think something significant happened between them when Murphy finds Clarke holding that knife to her own throat. I think Murphy has a moment of realizing, “oh, maybe Clarke hasn’t let go of her baggage, maybe she carries more guilt and self-loathing than she shows us.” He gentles a lot as he talks her down, tells her that the radio she’s hearing all of those terrible things from isn’t even on. I do think they have a better understanding of each other now, and will probably snipe at each other less. Probably. Maybe. I appreciated Murphy telling Clarke that her taking some responsibility for being “the bad guy” was “a good start.” I do think Clarke needs to make serious strides towards apologizing properly, and she came closer than she had before to doing that in the argument she and Murphy had while they were locked up in the school. She was passive aggressive, but I think part of that is her frustration that anyone would think she doesn’t regret the things she’s done. She’s lost so many people who are important to her, and, given what Delusion!Abby said, Clarke also clearly blames herself for all of it. I think part of why she can’t apologize to anyone is because it’s hard for her to live with herself without justifying the why of those lives lost. She has to remember what she did it for, who she did it for, or she’ll lose it completely and surrender to her darkest, self-destructive impulses. This episode helped me with Clarke a bit, I’ll admit it. I hope this isn’t the only thing we’ll get, but I’m not holding my breath.

3. The different reactions everyone has to the psychosis is worth a hundred metas and at least twenty crack posts. I wanted to make a “tag yourself” meme about what everyone does (Echo “nopes” herself right out; Emori flips and attacks her “it’s complicated” lover; Bellamy becomes an Angry Rage Dad; Jackson and Miller try to protect each other to death; Clarke just hates herself (I don’t even have a good joke for it, it was honestly pretty sad); and Murphy would just be “????”; a bonus would be Octavia, who managed to behave as if she was under the Eclipse Psychosis, but it turns out our girl is just Losing It For Real Now, No But Like For REAL For Real - but I’m not good at the image-making thing, so anyone who sees this is free to steal the idea and adapt it to their own interpretations (just lmk ‘cause I wanna see it)!

4. Was Murphy affected? By the time Emori, Jackson, Miller, and Echo are all down for the count, Murphy becomes the voice of reason for Clarke and Bellamy. He has to protect himself, and them, from themselves and each other, and he does so in a very level-headed way. He isn’t shaking off the delusions like Clarke does when Murphy and Bellamy are fighting. He isn’t raging and ranting like Bellamy is. His craziest moments come from believing that he’s the only sane one left. Yet he shoots at Bellamy and Clarke, and clearly seems paranoid that they’re out to get him at certain moments. So what gives? Which parts were potentially Eclipse Psychosis, and which parts were just Murphy? I’m inclined to believe his needling of Clarke is 100% Him - given how he stomps off from their little fireside chat in 6x01 (that smile was sarcastic af y’all, not him really being like “you win”, he was pissed), I don’t think he’s able to hold himself back from speaking his mind to Clarke about her decisions, once they’re both tied up and stuck in the same room together. So when he shoots at Clarke and Bellamy, do we think he’s trying to protect them from themselves, or does he genuinely want to hurt them? So much to analyze. 

5. Speaking of Octavia, I am both elated and devastated to see that Niylah is pretty much her only friend right now - it makes my Niytavia heart happy, but it’s rough to see Octavia struggling so much, and being so alone in it. It’s clear Niylah is so scared for Octavia, and might be the only one who really sees how much she’s hurting. She’s the only one who recognizes that Octavia is egging everyone on, trying to get them to fight her, probably even kill her. Octavia is lashing out so much right now, and it’s definitely not a good look. I think it’s the only thing that makes sense for her character right now. She lost everything - all of the honor and respect and (yes) power she had, all of the hope she had for finding redemption in Eden, all of her closest friends and supporters (with the exception of Niylah - also, side note, I hope we see Indra and Gaia soon), and her brother. She’s never been good at actually reflecting on her mistakes. Now that she feels she has pretty much nothing to lose, of course she’s going to lash out and act like an angry kid throwing a tantrum, baiting people into punishing her. She wanted to die in that gorge - she believes she deserves it. Now, in her own words, “none of it makes sense”. I don’t know how much darker and angrier she’ll have to go before she finally confronts Blodreina, and all of the reasons she had to become her. She has to accept what she did, and forgive herself, before anyone else will.

6. What will the fallout from the Bellamy/Murphy fight be? Everyone was throwing out some sharp barbs, but Bellamy’s comment about Murphy being a court jester, and how that was “barely” better than useless was a low blow. It’s also a long way from the premiere last year, with Bellamy pinning Murphy and refuses to let him up until Murphy says he isn’t worthless. Will they brush by it as Eclipse Angst, or is this indicative of bigger problems between Murphy and Bellamy down the line this season? Bellamy definitely wakes up looking hella guilty about how close he came to killing both Clarke and Murphy. Does he really feel that way about Murphy, does he see him as an equivalent threat compared to Clarke? Why, and how?? Not to beat a dead horse, but Clarke has been pretty traitorous lately and has been much more dangerous to trust than Murphy has, for Bellamy for sure. Clarke’s own self-destructive thoughts seemed to be the genuine truth, what she believed about herself. Who’s to say we can’t assume Bellamy was being equally genuine about Murphy?

7. What’s going on with Murphy at the end there? Before he went into the water, he was mostly okay. After he comes out and passes out for a while, he’s suddenly near-death, with crazy black shit visibly running through his veins? I’ll admit I’m a little scared for him! I’m sure he’ll probably be fine, but the source is what unsettles me - the biggest difference between the three of them by that ...pond? puddle?... is that Murphy went under and inhaled a lot of water. Is even the water toxic when the eclipse is going on? That’s going to mean that the Sanctum people, who clearly have some safe place to go to during the eclipses, will have a lot of power over the safety of everyone on the planet, even more than we originally suspected. So our traumatized heroes are going to have to adapt and assimilate to this new society, and we really have no idea what that’s going to look like yet. We’ve already gotten some hints that it’s weird and culty though, and culty things have never boded well for our characters. Has it been mentioned how often these eclipses are? I don’t think so. We know they last two days, but not how often they happen. We also don’t know much else about the dangers in the world, and what life is like for other parts of the moon’s surface.

8. The parallels between Clarke and Octavia so far this season are delightful and frustrating. They both have so much in common, and it’s interesting to see the different and similar ways they’re reacting to the terrible things they were forced (and chose, at times) to do as young, inexperienced leaders. They both don’t think they deserve to be alive. They both have tried to hurt or kill themselves because of that. What frustrates me a bit about 6x02 is that it feels like a reversal from the way we saw Octavia at the end of 5x13. Octavia seemed ready to accept responsibility in that gorge “Wonkru is dead. I broke it.” and Clarke seemed more willing to stand by her convictions as a Mama Bear. Now Clarke is slowly starting to accept some accountability, and Octavia is calling out everyone for their “sins”. But I think on some level, they’re both motivated by the same self-destructive self-loathing. Both Clarke and Octavia attempted to sacrifice themselves (Clarke at the end of s4, Octavia at the end of s5) for the sake of their people, and also in an attempt to make up for how fall they’d each fallen from their own moral centers - they both wanted redemption and absolution for the terrible things they’d do to other people for the sake of survival. Both of them were robbed of this opportunity when they survived their attempts at martyrdom, yet their attempts do save the people they love. They’re both pretty much in the same place at the beginning of s6 - on the edges of their groups (although Clarke has been treated far more warmly by ReconKru than Octavia has been on the Eligius ship), feeling alone except for one special girl (Madi and Niylah respectively, although also Bellamy was being pretty nice to Clarke before the Psychosis thing happened), and they both have so much blood on their hands. Both have lashed out to an extent, but both have also directed their anger and guilt inward, and against themselves physically. I don’t know what the intention is behind these parallels yet - both women need a lot of peace and time to heal from what they’ve been through. Will they both actually be allowed that, on this show? I doubt it. That scares me, because as much as I complain about Clarke, I’ve never wanted a tragic ending for her. But if it comes down to a choice, I think y’all know what my bias would be. And right now, Octavia looks more likely to meet that dark end than Clarke.

This is long enough, so that’s it for now! Let me know your own thoughts!!

[unproduciblesmackdown]

just some more random assorted thoughts on love, simon: take 2 (thats me watching it a second time)

i have so little & god help me if i dont deserve to make however many texts posts abt this film b/c of it being something i enjoy

v fun to watch it again, everything was extra delightful

you know what delighted me the first time and this second time also was when simon gets out of calc and starts running down the hall to the bathroom and you get the whole multiscene sequence of him and blue sending a bunch of emails. the musical cues...are too good....augh

i was finally paying attention and the tall dude with glasses being called suraj, they only say it like half a dozen times but i’m bad at these things. he doesn’t actually have any dialogue does he, its too good

speaking of dialogue the girl who plays abby is cute and a lot of fun and her delivery is especially amazing in the scene when simon tells her he’s gay. like she tells all her thoughts in her face and just shows the character really well and the way she says “(m)yeah?” before he tells her lmao...and lighting up when she realizes he’s not going to tell her he likes her and is also coming out to her.......its really good that scene is lovely

i love the cut in the rehearsal where the person comes in early and the drama teacher just goes I Will Kill You.

okay finally paid enough attention to catch bram’s name dropped only abt two dozen times, phew. it killed me the first time around and this time too the way he does the goofy smile after asking simon for some fries. nice Retrospectively Revealing editing too to cut to him right after a scene of simon emailing blue. the actor is adorbs also and i was paying more attention to his and simon’s interactions obviously and going Augh and i like how it sort of is clearer how he was probably having an especial gay crisis the night of the party b/c of enjoying hanging out with simon so much lol...How Sweet. lovin it

also this is just an aside but was simons mom the same actress who was the mom in tfios? i dont remember but that was my first question but now im questioning it. there’s only one mom in YA movies. also all the white brunette movie guys from Anything blur together but im like i feel like i’ve never seen nick robinson in anything else, which is likely b/c i never see shit. i like his face a bunch though. like, hey, are you not straight irl either

i also really enjoy the bit w the vice principle like, trying to give simon that Unplug lecture lol....and simon’s just like, yeah, word, totally....and that bit where he just sort of goes off on this one sided conversation to tell simon he’s people too. its good

i like all the detail of just the lil ways ppl hang out and mess around and pull lil goofs. feels real. like, ppl were too okay with being awake in the morning, and a little too engaged w life in general for it to seem THAT realistique, but all the way people smiled at each other didnt feel like it was like...now is when they should smile to show they’re friends, or anything. it just looked like friends smiling at friends, and the faces ppl pull when they’re messing around. idk it was good what am i talking abt who knows

like just being able to take in the smaller parts while already knowing the plot and everything was good. i really enjoy when a little bit of extra time was spent on interactions that werent the most important bit of the scene / didnt advance the plot directly

forget all this analysis the ending was as sweet as ever. charm my socks off again. it was a delight all over. like, god. i love gay and cute and just really nice. like bram is great lmao i wasn’t disappointed it was him either. my gosh. well. anyways what can i say! i feel like i was absorbing everything more; i have to try so hard to focus the first time i see something b/c my head always goes off on tangents but i didnt wanna miss the plot, right? or any part of it. and this time i didnt have to worry about that. like i was still focusing but it was easier to like, be chill abt it lol

martin is bold af honestly like dude. cannae believe you have the nerve to ONLY put simon up for one more go around. like, i get that thats the most dramatic number, but come on. the only reason nobody killed you was coz he’s a bit too much of a nerd. like, simon is the cool jock next to that guy. i can’t believe it. i was saying i expected simon to get to like punch him in the throat but he did get to say the film’s one Fuck at him. i forget how many fucks each rating gets, or what this one was rated. fuck off dude......

what am i talking about anymore. i like that they did the little Welcome To High School montage that every movie about a highschooler has to have lmao......honestly every actor in this was a delight. jeez. the whole thing has me just like. all the little details. i love it. im still thinking abt how good it is having simon grab at his phone lighting up while the music thats been backing the whole montage swells back up

what can i say. gay im gay....what a god damn delight im glad ive managed to see this film finally aughh

[princess-of-the-worlds]

Steve Rogers and the No Good, Very Bad Promposal

For @debwalsh who donated to @fandomtrumpshate and asked for high school!stucky + fake-dating.

Shout out to @marleymortis for being an awesome beta and cheerleader.

ao3 link: here

word count: 1749

warnings: none

summary: “I’m not fake-dating you just so that you can settle a bet with Natasha,” Steve retorts in exasperation, throwing his hands into the air. “What did she even promise you in return?”

“What? No!” Steve cries when he hears Bucky’s latest hare-brained scheme. “Why in the world? Just no! Why?”

“Stevie,” Bucky pleads. With his hair tousled from its gelled style, his oversized sweatshirt, and jutting bottom lip, he looks overly adorable, and Steve is finding it harder and harder to refuse his best friend.

“I’m not fake-dating you just so that you can settle a bet with Natasha,” Steve retorts in exasperation, throwing his hands into the air. “What did she even promise you in return?”

“Her Corvette,” Bucky whispers excitedly, leaning forward in the warm atmosphere of Steve’s bedroom. “Besides, it’s not like you’re fake-dating me entirely. I’m just fake-asking you to Prom.”

Steve’s eyes narrow. “And what were her terms for the bet? Her exact words?”

“‘Nothing you do will ever be able to shock or surprise me, James, but I will give you a week nonetheless. If you succeed, you can drive my Corvette anywhere you want for a month,’” Bucky mimics with just the slightest hint of a Russian accent. His Natasha impression is nearly perfect enough that she could be in the room with them.

Steve shivers.

“This?” he asks incredulously. “This is how you want to shock her? Why?”

Bucky fixes him with a stare like this should all be obvious to Steve. “Because it is random af. She’d never see it coming.”

Steve definitely hadn’t seen it coming.

“So,” Bucky prompts, “will you do it? Will you fake-go to Prom with me?”

Steve considers it for a moment, mulling over the decision.

A, he’s been hopelessly in love with his best friend since freshmen year and will never get another chance to hear Bucky ask “Will you go to Prom with me?”

B, Bucky’s plan has a chance of going horribly awry like most of their plans do, and someone will end up hurt, and it will probably be Steve.

“Fine,” Steve says finally, wondering why the hell he’s agreeing to this. “But you better bring me flowers when you propose. No roses. And chocolate. This better be the most real, fake Promposal anyone at SHIELD High has ever seen, James Barnes!”

Bucky beams.

“You’ll never be able to tell him, James.”

“Don’t doubt me too much, Nat. Have I ever failed you before?”

“Maybe you have. Maybe you have not. But my point is, James, that when it comes to Steve, your judgement is always a bit skewed. You always freeze.”

“Hey! I never freeze!”

“Hmm. I’ll make you this bet, James. Ask Steve to Prom like you’ve been dreaming about since junior year, and my Corvette will be yours for the month. Else, I will give Rebecca a very detailed sex ed lesson in front of you the next time I come over for dinner.”

“It’s going down today,” Bucky whispers to Steve as they pass in the hallway on their way to their individual second periods.

“Where?” Steve calls after him. “When? How? Why do you have to be so vague, Buck?”

But Bucky’s already disappeared past the mass of students swarming their lockers, and a frustrated and bewildered Steve slips into AP Art History a minute late.

Third and fourth period come and go, and it is finally lunch, so Steve heads to his locker, but when he turns the lock to his combo and opens it, there’s an explosion of gold confetti in his face.

“What the f-?” Steve bats confetti away from his eyes and spits some out of his mouth. “Gross,” he sighs.

“Steven Grant Rogers,” Bucky begins dramatically from behind Steve, his tone giddy and gleeful.

“Oh, no,” Steve says, turning around to find Bucky standing there and clutching a bouquet of peonies.

At least he listened, Steve thinks subconsciously. Instead, he scowls at his best friend.

“Stevie,” Bucky repeats. “When I first saw you punching the ever-living daylights out of Gilmore Hodge on the playground in pre-school, I thought you were the cutest little punk I’d ever seen.”

“Really, Buck?” Steve asks dryly. “We were six. All you wanted to know was where I’d found my Captain America action figure.”

Bucky smiles rapturously. “We’d always known that I was a catch,” he states, preening slightly, “and it only took twelve years for your ugly mug to catch up.”

“Asshole,” Steve shoots back, bristling with irritation. “Arrogant bastard.”

Still, some part of him, despite knowing how much Bucky is sugarcoating this entire exchange, can’t help but sigh and tremble at every word that comes from his best friend’s mouth.

Someone nearby snickers, and Steve realizes a small crowd has formed around them. Visible at the edge, with her hair a bright beacon, is Natasha, watching this interaction with vigilant eyes. Behind her is a heavy-eyed Clint and, of course, Tony, who conveniently has his phone out to film this.

“Turns out we make a dynamic duo,” Bucky continues, and Steve’s attention snaps back to him. “With my looks and brains and athletic ability and your…ability to hold a pencil.”

“This is the worst Promposal ever,” Steve says loudly, and someone boos.

At Steve or at Bucky? The world will never know.

Bucky isn’t deterred, of course. “We make such great best friends,” he states, “but we’d make a more extraordinary couple.”

“Not with your vanity, we won’t,” Steve grumbles in response.

“Will you,” and here Bucky’s words become almost sincere as his eyes soften and his jaw slackens, “go to Prom with me, punk?”

The part of Steve that was cooing at this proposal and that has been hopelessly gone on Bucky since, like, forever takes hold of Steve’s brain.

“I will, jerk,” Steve replies softly. “I’m with you until the end of the line, remember? Doesn’t matter how.”

Bucky’s grip becomes lax, and the peonies plummet to the floor, Steve watching them fall in confusion. Then Bucky rushes forward with lips parted, closing the short distance between them in a matter of seconds.

Soft, warm lips cover Steve’s, and then they’re kissing, but Steve has to reach down and pinch the skin of his wrist. Because he’s dreaming, right? There’s no way he’s actually kissing Bucky Barnes, his best friend and impossible crush.

The crowd around them cheers, and Steve swears he hears Tony yell, “Get it, Barnes!”

Bucky, who has wrapped an arm around Steve’s waist as he cranes his neck downwards, reaches his free hand up and flips Tony the bird.

When they part, the crowd, which has thinned down to mostly their friends, applauds again.

“What was that?” Steve murmurs into Bucky’s ear. Over his shoulder, he catches a glimpse of Natasha, whose jaw has dropped slightly, and he feels satisfaction.

It is damn near impossible to surprise Natasha Romanova, and they have done it.

“Til the end of the line,” Bucky reminds him, clearing his throat with a rough cough. “I had to sell it so that Natasha would buy it.”

“How much more do we have to keep selling it?” Steve asks, rolling his eyes.

“Looks like you’re going to Prom with me,” Bucky says, eyes wide and bluer than the ocean, “or I’ll never get to drive that Corvette.” He pauses awkwardly. “By the way, the chocolate’s in your locker. I had too many things to hold. Make sure you take it out and take it home, or it’ll melt in there.”

On Prom night, Steve and Bucky dress in matching black tuxes, although Steve’s bowtie is navy while Bucky’s is red.

They rent a limo with the rest of their friends, having already refused Tony’s continuous offers that they can just borrow one of his dad’s. Natasha keeps an observant eye on them the entire time.

Tony does bring the alcohol though, and by the time they reach the venue, Steve is tipsy and pink-cheeked, clutching Bucky’s hand tightly.

Although the effects of the alcohol wear off both boys more than an hour later, they can’t seem to keep their hands off each other or lips too far apart as the night draws to an end.

And to Steve’s immense delight, Bucky giddily tells him, “I rented us a hotel room,” as they are ushered off the dance floor by a straight-faced parent chaperone.

“Stevie,” Bucky begins guiltily a week before graduation. “I have something to tell you.”

Steve glances up from his book and rolls over on his bed to face his best friend. “Yeah, Buck?”

“Remember my bet with Natasha?” Bucky states.

Steve sighs. “Honestly, Buck. If you dented the Corvette, I am the worst person to ask. Try Tony; he might actually be able to help you. Natasha won’t spare you if she finds out.”

There is slight amusement in Bucky’s voice, but it’s mostly overshadowed by anxiety. “The bet wasn’t that I do my best to surprise her,” he announces suddenly. “Natasha dared me that I wouldn’t be able to ask you to Prom.”

There is an awkward beat of silence. “And why would she do that?” Steve asks calmly, raising an expectant eyebrow.

“Because she knew that I had a major crush on you,” Bucky blurts out. “Which I have had. A crush, I mean. For like what feels like forever.”

Steve stares at Bucky, who seemingly cowers under the blond’s gaze.

Then Steve bursts into hysterical laughter.

“What?” Bucky asks in bewilderment.

Clutching his side, Steve straightens but collapses back onto his bed in a fit of silent laughter. Finally, he reigns himself in and wheezes breathlessly. “I’m sorry,” he says. “Did you really think I didn’t know?”

“How?”

“Natasha told me,” Steve states with a growing smile. “If it counts, I’ve had a crush on you since freshmen year.”

“So, this entire time,” Bucky begins in disbelief.

“We’ve actually been dating while you thought we were fake-dating,” Steve confirms and bursts back into laughter.

Bucky scowls. “You little punk. You could have told me. Saved me some pining.”

“To be fair,” Steve comments, stretching out against his bed spread, “Natasha was going to tell you soon. She said she was tired of your whining, jerk!”

“I…I…”

It’s fun to watch Bucky fluster. At least until he gives up.

“I’m gonna get revenge for that,” he declares dramatically. “On everyone, especially Natasha.” He sticks his arms out. “But, since you’re the most convenient, looks like you are my first victim.”

With that, he leaps onto the bed and tickles and kisses a giggling Steve until both of them are bone-tired and cuddling.