#i just recently caught up and HOOOO BOY...

[inanimateinsanitywiki]

Hi! I hope this isn't a strange thing to ask but could you tell me more about ii-critical? I'm writing a research paper on the ii community and I wanna gain more insight to what that part of the fandom was all about.

My main questions are: Why did it exist? Why were you apart of it? What were the posts like? What was the biggest drama? Hell, what platform was it even on??

I wasn't that deep in the OSC when it was up and running (only really got into the community in ~2018) so a lot of community context from that era is lost on me. If you have any other object show oldhead insight for ii you wanna share, please do! I find fandom fascinating and would love to here more stories.

hoooo boy...... cracks knuckles. i went over it a little bit in a previous post but i'll try and give more info this time

(also this should go without saying but please don't try and seek out anyone mentioned or involved its been like 6-7 years since all this happened. also most of us were mentally unstable teenagers hence the. everything)

ii-critical originated as a tumblr blog created by someone named mira (i have no idea if they still go by mira or what their pronouns are now. i'm just gonna stick to they/them for convenience) as a way for them to discuss their criticisms towards the show's writing. the blog was created in mid-to-late 2017, during a time period where "(media) critical" was becoming a common tag. the trend was started by "su critical", a tag created by steven universe fans to discuss the show's faults in response to the show being in a rut of making some VERY dubious decisions (i believe it was started around bismuth's introduction, which was heavily criticized at the time for MANY reasons). the "critical" tags were often created for fandoms who tended to be hostile towards criticism of the media they were based around. the inanimate insanity fandom didn't really have that issue, thankfully. and so, the blog "ii-critical" was born.

at the beginning, the posts were about mira going through an episode beat by beat, and pointing out things they both liked and disliked about it. occasionally, there were posts analyzing a specific character. i'm kind of speeding through the "what were the posts like" section because that is by far the LEAST interesting part of the ii-critical mythos

i found the blog very shortly after its creation. it caught me at a good time, because i was at a point where i was becoming disillusioned with the show (episode 11 was the most recent episode at this point, and i really disliked it due to it being at the peak of ii's melodrama era. the show just felt miserable to watch. s2e11 sucking butt is still an opinion i stand by today Lolzor). mira and i started talking and i was brought on as the blog's other moderator, and i wrote my own analysis posts.

the blog was decently successful and didn't actually get that much hate. most people agreed with our criticisms and were, like, normal about the concept of a thing they liked being flawed. at some point we had a decent amount of followers and made the ill-fated decision to create a discord server for the blog. for added context: at the time of the server's creation, mira was 13, and i was 14. we were NOT old enough to be running a public discord server that at least 50+ people ended up joining.

the server had a lot of problems, mainly in regards to the channels. since we were both at the age where you are hormonal and stupid, we decided to make the nsfw channel accessible to everyone, and didn't even ask for people to include their ages in their intros. a concerning amount of people assumed that mira and i were both adults, or at least older teens until we said otherwise. we also had a blacklist and vent channel, which, word of advice, you should NOT have in a public server. shit gets out of hand SO fast. i vividly remember there being at least one guy who posted in the vent channel on a near-daily basis about pretty serious stuff. trust me when i say that people shared some HORRIFIC information in there. also, we had an emoji that was just a drawing of donut from bfdi with his whole cock and balls hanging out because we thought it was funny. i'm pretty sure there wasn't a "please don't post the donut balls emoji in non-nsfw channels" rule anywhere either.

i could go into more detail about various happenings, but that delves too deeply into interpersonal drama that frankly has no business being shared publicly. one of the most concerning things that happened, however, was this one guy who would come in vc, barely say anything, and fuck around with his gun the whole time. and yes, you could hear it. eventually we got reports of him being predatory towards a younger member of the server, and he was banned. i think that was the first thing that made mira and i go, "oh, we might've fucked up". there was also another incident where somebody was leaking information from inside the server (yet another reason why the vent channel was a HORRIBLE idea), and we banned a bunch of inactive people until eventually realizing somebody had stolen the username and pfp of a real user and impersonated them to stay in the server. this whole ordeal lasted like, two weeks. and again!! we were just BARELY no longer preteens at this point!! and we still thought, yeah, we can handle this. we're super capable. at one point we hired two other moderators (one of whom was 14-15, and the other was an actual adult for once. having an adult moderator led to us FINALLY locking the nsfw channel off to minors, since we had somebody who could moderate it for us), but this was towards the end so most of the damage had already been done

i was removed as a moderator on the blog after a large amount of interpersonal nonsense that, again, i'm not going to get into. it was mainly just because i was spending too much time in the server instead of posting on the blog like i was supposed to. a couple weeks later, i was suddenly banned from the server and mira had blocked me on everything. again, interpersonal nonsense and both of us being mentally unstable, not anyone's business. we reconciled a few months after and both apologized for being dumbasses, so we at least ended things on better terms.

another notable thing is that sometimes, crew members would pop in and out of the server, and they were surprisingly chill about the blog's existence. it was mainly justin and sam from what i remember, and resulted in this legendary image:

i don't remember this bit, but at some point taylor may have responded to one of our posts and was Not Nice about it? again, i don't remember this, take it with a grain of salt. but knowing his history with getting into shit with fans for no reason and how it got to the point where it was cited as a reason he was removed from the team, yeah that tracks

talking about ii-critical is strange, because i don't know where to draw the line between "infamous blog from the early days of the tumblr osc", "stupid pointless infighting between teenagers", and "genuinely horrible decisions and moderation that caused real damage". i'm trying to stick to just the first one and giving info about the last one when necessary. i'm aware a lot of this is gonna paint my past self in a VERY unflattering light, but that's who i was and what i did when i was 14 and i just have to accept that.

ii-critical was just a facet of the tumblr osc circa 2017. a lot of what happened can be traced back to larger issues with the fandom, especially when it came to restrictions on nsfw content. remember, this is pre-tumblr porn ban. i knew an ALARMING amount of people who had nsfw blogs, and even posted nsfw art while they were minors. i don't wanna seem like i'm making excuses for fucking up when it came to moderation and keeping our members safe, but it's important to know that the blog and server were very much a product of a specific point in tumblr history. we saw minors casually posting nsfw on a regular basis and thought, "yeah, it should be fine to have the nsfw channel open to everyone, right?" and like i said, we didn't originally require ages upon introduction. people didn't realize how badly we'd fucked up until the damage had already been done.

i could go on about the dozens of other ways i fucked up, but that would start to dive into the interpersonal side of things. i think i covered everything that actually mattered. i don't plan on talking about ii-critical to this extent again any time soon. everyone who both ran and was part of the blog and server have moved on, i don't wanna keep dragging people back to what's probably a very unpleasant period of their lives.

that said, if prompted, i will talk about the 2012-2014 deviantart era + "dark ages" of the osc AT LENGTH if prompted. i swear i have wisdom beyond the shitty blog i ran with my friends as a teenager. you dont even know about the Ball OC Discourse

[nothinggathers]

Fic tag game!

Tagged by @sweeteatercat

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

110

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

783,677

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I do one fandom at a time and it's D:BH right now

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

My Heart Knows You (Miraculous Ladybug)

The Rest Of Our Lives Will Do (FFXV)

Supernatural (FFXV)

Candyfloss (FFXV)

Beginnings (FFXV)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to. Sometimes things are going on, but so long as I'm in a good place and I have time and the ADHD doesn't get me, I will respond.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Angstiest is kinda hard to quantify. I write a lot of angst. Would you consider the break up to try and keep each other safe (Sacrifice, FFXV) angstier than major character death (Five Times Gladio Carried Ignies, FFXV) (Close To Me Always, D:BH), or is rape by deception (A Night To Remember, FFXV) (Night of the Soul, D:BH) worse?

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I have multiple examples of this too but I'm gonna say Pendulum (D:BH) because it's the hardest won for the characters.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Aahahahahaha, I have one particularly persistent troll that targets anyone that doesn't do Hankcon 'right' (Connor has to be a virgin) and dares to mention Reed900. I included a Reed1700 chapter in one fic just for them.

9. Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Hoooo boy. Yes. Usually M/M, although I have more recently written some M/F. It's usually very graphic, occasionally kinky.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

My dude. Bro. I am the Multifandom Crossover AU queen. Both Getting Home and Pendulum feature characters from D:BH, Bleach, Kingdom Hearts, and some OCs and is set in the same universe as Booty Call, and the universe in which One Night and Yours is set is the same universe as I Promise You One Day and also features characters from Kingdom Hearts and Bleach.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I am aware of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I've had someone request to translate Getting Home into Russian, which I agreed to on the proviso that I would be the one posting the translation with credit to the translator, because I'm not comfortable having my work posted by others even if it's in another language. I have yet to receive any translation to post, however. I don't like the idea that for whatever reason I may have for wanting or needing to take my fics down (something I am generally against), I would not have the ability to actually do that.

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Yes, but we never completed it and my writing partner got cold feet and we agreed to pull it.

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

Currently Hankcon, previously Gladnis.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I have one unfinished Miraculous Ladybug fic that I'm definitely never going back to.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Apparently scene transitions? A lot of people struggle with them and I don't. My biggest strength used to be dialogue, but I think other areas have caught up these days. I'm also told I write kisses really well.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Passive voice and punctuation. My hand kinda inserts commas anywhere my brain pauses for breath, which results in weird comma splices, and I go through my work and rip all the passive voice I can out before I post.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

More than a few words is getting fucking checked by a native speaker.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

The very first? I don't remember the fandom but I remember the fic name. It was on FFN and called As The World Falls Down, and it got yanked in the songfic purge waaaay back when. The first fandom I was active in is The Fandom That Shall Not Be Named (except to say it is not Harry Potter, it is, in fact, much more embarrassing than that).

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

I'm gonna say Ghosts in the Machines (D:BH) right now, because I had a blast reworking the canon and trying to make it less dumb. And clowning on Elijah Kamski. That bit's important too.

I'm not gonna tag people because I don't know who has and hasn't been tagged at this point, but if you are following me, I would love to know your answers to this.

[hometown-haunting-sos]

I Moved Back to my Hometown to Take Care of my Sick Mom… and I Think I Encountered a Ghost.

I (M24) recently moved back in with my mom (F57) to care for her full time. She has small cell lung cancer. Doctors said we were lucky they caught it early, so treatment could start immediately. That doesn’t mean they can cure her or anything. It just means that what would normally be six months of needles, tests, hospital visits, and the suffocating dread of imminent doom will be sixteen months of needles, tests, hospital visits, and the suffocating dread of imminent doom. Lucky.

So anyways, my mom’s choking to death on her own blood and lung tissue, and nursing homes are expensive. That’s where I come in. The prodigal son. The one who escaped, who made it out. The bright eyed and bushy tailed little boy with stars in his eyes and a dream in his heart that struck out to go to school in the big city… and immediately crashed and burned after graduation. (A degree in journalism sounded way cooler before I had to actually rely on it for anything substantial)

But I didn’t quit. No. I didn’t go back. I could never. See, the minute I set foot in New York, I promised myself that there was NO looking back. My home was in the city now, and that little podunk meth town that I grew up in would stay in the rear view. And I kept that promise. For better or for worse, not once did I EVER consider going back. Until my mom got sick.

All of a sudden, staying in the city was no longer an option. I had to go back. I had to abandon the life I had only just started and run back to the one that I left. Even though I knew it wasn’t the case, I couldn’t help but feel like I was walking back with my tail between my legs. I felt like a failure.

But it’s fine, ‘cause I have a bunk bed now. Or, again. I have a bunk bed again. The room I sleep in now is just my childhood bedroom, plus a couple boxes of junk and a family of opossums I’m pretty sure. Oh, and a ghost. I almost forgot about the ghost.

So this all started the first night I arrived. It was, like, 2 A.M. when I pulled off the I-81 into Coeburg. I was starving, and the last thing I wanted to do was deal with my mother on an empty stomach. So I pulled into the only place in this town that’s open past 9 P.M., the Yellow Submarine 24 hour diner.

Walking into the charming old building, I was immediately thrown into a world of deja vu. Bittersweet nostalgia washed over my body in thick waves. My ears were greeted by the familiar sound of the Beatles’ song “Yesterday” rattling the speakers of the ancient jukebox in the far corner of the dining area, and my nose was filled with the greasy aroma of Carol Rigby’s signature 24-hour fries. I’d forgotten how much I missed the taste of those crispy cholesterol bombs. The diner looked almost identical to when I last saw it, save for the piece of plywood covering one of the windows on the diner’s back wall. The cracked, neon yellow pleather barstools and baby blue cushioned booths all sat, empty, exactly as I remembered them. The yellow and white checkerboard tile floor and stainless steel tabletops seemed like a photograph taken straight from my memory, but faded, slightly, over time. Everything was just like it should’ve been, save for one thing. One person was missing.

In spite of the stress and chaos that plagued me in my everyday life, in that moment, that instant when my foot crossed into the Yellow Submarine, my mind was taken back to a simpler, less depressing time. Suddenly, everything was alright.

Overwhelmed by nostalgia, I let my instincts take over, and made my way to the bar. I hopped up onto my stool, the second one from the right, and rested my elbows on the countertop, hunching forward and letting all the stress of the real world roll right off my shoulders.

“Hoooo-leee shit,�� a familiar chain smoker’s rasp, that could only belong to old Carol Rigby, came from within the kitchen, “If it ain’t Mister Big City!”

I looked up from the countertop, where I’d been observing my baggy eyed reflection, and greeted the old battleax in an apron with a smile, “Miss Rigby! God, it’s been ages.”

“You can say that again. Welcome back, kid. It’s good to see ya down in our neck of the woods after all this time.”

There was a split second of uncomfortable silence when Carol’s gaze landed on the empty stool next to me, then made its way back to meet mine. Her eyes were soft, and filled with a sort of hesitant pity. I could tell she was debating whether or not she wanted to say something.

Before she could make up her mind, though, a softer voice emerged from the back room, “I thought I smelled something funky.”

A young woman, about my age, walked out next to Carol. Her arms were crossed and her head was tilted sideways. A smirk and cocked eyebrow added an air of sarcasm to her next words.

“Thought the raccoons had come back around. I was fixing to get the broom from the back.”

I remembered her now. She looked so different from how I remembered her, so much more mature. The creases in the corners of her eyes and lines between her eyebrows were new. They looked so out of place on the face of someone so young. They were signs of stress, doubtless caused by the weight of adult responsibility and loss.

“It’s gonna take a lot more than a broom to beat away this city rat, Val” piped up Carol. She laughed at her own joke, her deep guffaw sounded like a velociraptor from Jurassic Park with the black lung.

“I missed that humor of yours, Miss Rigby. Glad you’ve still got it.”

“You’re a grown man now, honey. It’s Carol. Now, what’ll you be having?”

“Lemme guess,” interjected Val, a mischievous, knowing look in her eyes, “your usual?”

“And that is?” I implored.

“Cheeseburger. Hold the mayo and mustard, extra pickles, cooked just long enough to get charred on the outside, but so the inside is still pink.”

“And?”

“Double side of fries.”

I was floored, “Damn. Didn’t realize I was that predictable.”

“I always remember the regulars,” Val said with a proud grin and her chin held high.

“I’m hardly a regular. It’s been six years, V.”

“Time doesn’t move the same round here, hun,” Carol assured me, resting a wrinkly hand on my forearm, “as long as you’re right here with us, you might as well have never left.”

I enjoyed my meal, and the company that came with it. While I ate, Val and I caught up. We talked about what we’d done after graduation, what lockdown was like in our respective communities, what it was like being an adult, how different things are, how different we are.

In many ways, everything in Coeburg was exactly as it was in my memory, but in one, very important way, nothing was the same. After I left the diner, and navigated the narrow, winding roads that lead me back to my childhood home, my nostalgia began to fade away. The temporary rose tinted fog that had filled my mind had cleared, allowing me to, once again, see the town for the place that it was. The place that drove me away so long ago. The place that I thought I had, finally, managed to escape.

The front door of my mother’s house was wide open, and the only thing that sat between her and the outside world was an old, dented screen door. I reached out my hand to grab the handle, and slowly pulled it open. The hinges screeched aggressively, cutting through the silence of the sleepy neighborhood like a greasy chainsaw through jell-o. Suddenly, I became very aware of the fact that it was four o’clock in the morning.

I did my best to creep in the house as quietly as I could, praying that the door hadn’t completely blown my cover.

“Boy, where the fuck have you been?” My mother’s raspy voice, emerging from the darkness, nearly made me jump out of my skin, “Last message you sent me said you just pulled off I-81, and I know for fucking certain it don’t take no two hours to get here off the interstate.”

“Good to see you, too, Ma.”

“That wasn’t an answer.”

“I was hungry,” I rolled my eyes and dropped my backpack on the floor next to me, “So I stopped at the Yellow Submarine. I saw Carol and Val there, and we lost track of time catching up.”

“And you didn’t get me anything?”

“I didn’t know you’d be up. You’re supposed to be getting rest, right? Isn’t that what Doctor Phillips said?”

“I didn’t know I was too good for a to-go box,” my mother continued, “I can reheat things, y’know. Just ‘cause you’re a big city boy now don’t mean we’re in the stone ages back here. Father Michaels gave me an airfryer for Christmas last year, and I’ll tell ya what, it changed my life.”

I nodded my head toward my mother and started to make my way down the hall to my room, “Alright, Mom, goodnight. I’ll talk to you tomorrow morning.”

“You’re gonna have to sleep on the top bunk, by the way. I’m using the bottom for storage.”

I sighed and rested my forehead on my bedroom door, taking a moment to beg all in the world that’s holy to put me out of my misery quickly. After taking an appropriate amount of time to be dramatic, I turned the handle, and swung my door open.

It was too late, or, early at this point, to take time to wax nostalgic and reminisce about the good old days. Instead, I kicked off my shoes and climbed up into the top bunk, plopping myself down on top of the blankets, still wearing my clothes. There was no time for comfort. Just sleep. And that was what I planned to do.

But I was interrupted. Because of course I was.

Just as my eyelids, heavy with the stress of a long day’s travel, began to shut, and my body, stiff and sore from ten hours on the road, began to fall limp, and my mind, so full of pain and nostalgia and trudged up memories, began to shut itself off, something happened.

My arm hair stood on end and the skin all around my body prickled up. My heart skipped a beat and my breathing got faster. I felt someone. A presence I couldn’t deny.

Before I had the chance to think, my body shot into an upright position, and immediately, I locked eyes with it. Him. I think it was a him. I can’t quite describe it in a way that 100% makes sense. There wasn’t a ball of light or a floating sheet. It didn’t look like a person, either, because it really didn’t look like anything at all. It looked like… nothing.

When I say I saw him, I really mean I saw nothing in the shape of something. But with no shape at all. The shape of this thing— this ghost. It has to be a ghost— can only he described as the uncanny, jarring absence of a person where a person should be. Like a gap in my perception of reality. Like my eyes wouldn’t see— or maybe my brain wouldn’t process— what every other part of me knew was right in front of me. I wanted to reach out to it. To understand it. To ask it, or him, a question. I could tell it wanted to talk to me, too. I felt it. I felt the absence getting closer like an arm reaching out to me, trying to take hold. Trying to communicate.

Before I could process anything— before I could cower away or reach back— I woke up.

The sun was up, its burning rays shining down through the curtainless window onto my body, which was now drenched in a cold sweat. I was disoriented. Just a moment before, I’d sat, face to face, with a presence that I was— and am— absolutely certain came from a world beyond our own. But in the blink of an eye, I was back in my bedroom.

I didn’t know what to do, so I started writing. And now I’m here, with my story, asking you all if you can tell me something— anything— about what I saw last night. It had to be a ghost, right? I saw a spirit in my home, and I don’t know how to move forward from that, or if moving forward is even an option.

[atlasguided]

DO YOU LOVE TAKASHI SHIROGANE?

   well, god dammit, me too. my name is nikki!

   i am a RETURNING member of the fandom && i’m looking to interact with new blogs and new people. my blog is currently under some serious construction, but i am so excited to get things up and running again.

if you’re interested, give this post a like or a reblog if your heart so desires && i’ll swing you a message.  ♡

[libraford]

The short version: We had a serial thief at the flower shop. She’s retired recently and I think that due to Covid she really means it this time. 

The long version? hoooo boy, here we go.

This story, and others, are viewable on Tablo

There are rules and there are rules.

In dealing with shoplifting in retail, there are rules on how one engages with a thief. The handbook, if there were one, would consist of a single word. 

Don't. 

Don't pursue, don't interrogate, don't accuse. Let them take the merchandise, let them get away. Let them return the Cricut machine for an equivalent amount on a gift card to be exchanged once again for drugs. 

Let them. 

There is no handbook on how to handle Flower Thieves. Prior to working in a flower shop, I never thought that this was a problem. 

Life is surprising. 

 I'm sure some of you have figured that out by now. 

The Flower Thief is notorious, and she has a system. There are days when you simply know that she's going to be in. 

"Break the heads off the flowers before you throw them away," Grandpa will say. "She's going to be here tonight, I think." 

And sure enough, she would be. At 6:45, a quarter til we close- the Thief would announce her arrival. Loudly. 

"Heeeeey, baaaaaaby!" 

The very first time I encountered the Flower Thief, she came in through the back door. 

"Oh Hiiiii, Darlin'- ain't seen your face around here: you must be NEW! I'm Wren, you know- like the bird? Well, Kyle and I have an agreement that I come and work for y'all sometimes. You should take out this trash, it stinks to high heaven. Anyways, nice talkin' to ya, see ya later." 

I may only be a little bit psychic, but I've spent enough time around liars to know insincerity when I see it. Kyle, at the time, was the manager of our store and I have it on record that he's tried to throw her out of the building once or twice. 

While I was taking out the trash, her pile of purchase became so tall it towered over her. I watched Clark massively undercharge her for the sake of getting her to go away. 

She has a pattern.

She comes in during the design classes because she knows that when there's twenty people in the store, there's not enough people to watch her and make sure she's not stealing. "There's a class today," she asks as if it's not literally every Tuesday. "Don't worry I know you all wanna get out of here on time." 

The Flower Thief announces her presence in a grand way and then makes her way to the back to grab a trash bag or an empty box and then proceeds to bury any spare parts she finds in the cooler in the trash bag, hiding them under the things that she's actually buying. 

After that, she checks the garbage cans for things we might have thrown away that will last another three days and stuffs them underneath her other ill-gotten goods. 

Just when you think she's finished, she'll go through her pile of flowers and say: "You know what? I don't need this eucalyptus." And she'll go back into the cooler with it, stuff it in her purse, and walk back to the register. 

And when she's all done being sneaky, she asks one of us to come ring her out. 

This is the part that no one wants to do. Because ringing out the Flower Thief means haggling with the Flower Thief. 

"Oh baaby, you know I don't pay those prices." 

"Oh baaaby, I only pay $19 for roses." 

"Oh baaaaaaaaaby, those carnations were on special." 

She'll talk you down to under $100 with a sob story: 

"Oh baaaaby, you know I'm donating this spray to the family. It's for that woman you know- you know the one. She got herself murdered a couple nights ago? Two children and she was pregnant too! Pregnant! Can you believe it? Who murders someone with child? What's the world coming to? So I need a good discount to make sure we treat this family right because they got a looooong road ahead of them." 

"Oh baaaaaaby, you know this one's for that car crash over on Cleveland Avenue? I hear he was taking care of his dying father himself, so it's such a shame for him to go first like that." 

"Oh baaaaaaaaaaaaaaby, this is for that little boy that shot himself, isn't that sad?" 

Thank you, Sister Mary Loquacious. 

And you nod because you don't want to come off as an uncaring sociopath. And while you're nodding and adjusting the price for her sad, sad consequence and mulling over how good she is for donating to these people in their time of need, she steals some greens from the trash can and sticks them in her bag. 

She hands you crisp $100 bills. You check them and she makes jokes about how she printed them this morning. They're legit. Counterfeiting isn't why she went to prison. 

What she went to prison for was drug trafficking. 

"Do you need some help," you ask, trying to be a good citizen. 

"Oh no, I got it," she insists. "I'll make it in two trips. I'm stronger than I look!" 

And don't you dare get caught looking to see what she put in the bag or she will give you one hell of a lecture. 

By the time all of this has passed, the class will be over and there will two minutes left in the work day. She's spent thirty-seven minutes in the store. Your register is unbalanced because now you don't have enough small bills to balance it and only have one $100 bill to get you through tomorrow. 

And that's why there are rules. 

On occasion, a new person will break the rules not knowing that there's rules. One such occasion was when Clair decided to be helpful. 

"You know what? I don't need this eucalyptus," Wren said. 

"Oh! I'll put it back for you," Clair suggested. And before Wren could protest, it was out of Wren's hands and nowhere near her purse. 

It was mentioned to Sage, who only worked for us one summer, that Wren had failed to pay for something and she immediately chased her out into the street. 

Wren drives very fast. 

If you cross her too many times, she'll make sure you never forget it. One day, she stomped her way in through the front door, angry. 

"You ain't treated me better than a damn THIEF," screamed the Flower Thief. 

Grandpa, who was helping Blue make a wedding bouquet at the time, departed from the desk. "Beg pardon?"

"A thief! You been treating me like a thief ever since they made you manager and I'm sick of it! I see you bringing in your henchmen, following me in the cooler, chasing me down the street. Treat me with some damn respect." 

Words were exchanged. They were not kind. We thought we'd seen the end of her. 

But she was back one week later, doing the same damn thing. 

So now there are rules. 

If you make something and there's an excess of flowers left over from the pack, you have to make something out of the leftovers or she'll pick through them and stuff them in her bag. 

If you cannot make something out of them, you must throw them out. 

If you throw them out, you must break the heads off first. 

The trash cans must be emptied every night before 5:00. 

We do not keep trash bags in plain sight. 

Break down all empty boxes, or she will use them in place of trash bags. 

Do not leave any food or drink where she can find it. 

Do not leave any half-used rolls of floral tape where she can find it. 

Do not let her know anything about you- lest she use it against you. 

If you speak of a Thief, you summon a Thief- speak quietly, and never her name or you invite trouble. 

The basic rules one makes when dealing with pests. Or fairy-folk.

There are rules and there are rules and there are rules. 

If you want to keep a pest away, you make these sorts of rules. But if you want to get rid of a pest indefinitely, you have to remove their food source. And Wren's food source was her discount. 

You start exercising your right to say 'no' to a customer in small ways. 

She saw a bunch of carnations in the trash and said: 

"Oh baby, these are still good! I'll take them off your hands for you!" 

"They've been sitting without water for hours." 

"They're still good!" 

"They were out in the sun." 

"Oh baby, I've been working with flowers for 40 years and I know that these will still be fine for a couple of days!" She picks a bunch of them out of the trash and shoves it in my face. "See, it's still stiff- it's still good!" 

"Okay," I said. And before I could stop myself: "Full price."

Her eyes just about popped out of her skull. If it were just a little bit colder, I would have been able to see steam coming out of her ears. 

We stared at each other for about a minute, waiting for the other to flinch. She took the bunch away from my face and threw them back into the trash. While she was in the cooler, I took the liberty of snapping the heads off of them and burying them further into the garbage. 

And so began a war between the flower shop and the Flower Thief.

She came in: every single night. And each night, she got me. 

Again.

"Oh no, baby! These carns are supposed to be 39 cents a stem. I can bring up the email." 

"Sure." She brings up the email. "I see that they are 39 cents but... this was for Saturday." 

"Yea, and I bought those carns on Saturday and you charged me full price!" 

"Saturday." 

"Yeah." 

"You didn't buy these on Saturday. You bought them Friday." 

"Well I didn't know that they'd be on sale, so I need them for that price because I didn't know they'd be on sale." 

"The sales are one-day only. I can't adjust a sale from Friday to reflect Saturday's sale... on Sunday." 

She made a noise that reminds me somewhat of a cement mixer. 

 And again.

"I got a bad banner last time, can you print me a new one?" She shows me the banner in question. It's white. The 't' and the 'h' in 'mother' ran together. 

"Sure." 

"Okay, I need it to say 'Beloved Mother' and I want it in pink." 

"Sure." 

I print it. I ring her up $5. 

"Oh baaaaaaby, no, that one should be free." 

"Grandpa said- banners start at $5." 

"Oh, but you sold me a bad one last time." 

"We haven't sold you a banner in three weeks. How long have y'all had that body sitting in your cooler?" 

She grumbled, and paid. 

 And again. 

"I swear you been workin' every night this week! You must be tired," she said, nerves plain in her voice. "When do you get a day off?" 

"When the work is done." 

"That ain't what I'm askin'. When's your next day off, baby?"

"I stop working when the work is done, Wren." 

She narrows her eyes, which is a fun change from them bugging out of her skull like a fruit fly. "You don't ever get any days off?" 

"When the work stops, I rest."

 And again. 

"I'll be in and out, I know y'all want to get out of here on time," she said- announcing her presence to the entire class. She piled her stuff across the register counter and Grandpa began ringing her up. 

"Oh baby..." 

"No. We're doing away with the discounts." 

There are twenty people in the workshop for the class and Grandpa doesn't want to make a scene. She pulls her into the back, and I choose to make my instructions louder to mask the sound of them yelling. 

"So you're going to take your hypericum berries and you're going to cut the stem to about ten inches-" 

"How can you do this to me?" 

"And you're going to slowly fill the vase with these berries to kind of set the shape of the arrangement." 

"After all these years and this is how you treat me?" 

"Fun fact- you might know hypericum berries as their more common name: St John's Wort! St. John's Wort has been used as a medication for depression prior to modern medicine." You see- I, too, have taken notes from the Chattering Order.

"You can't do this to me," Wren said, stamping her feet like a toddler.

"But I wouldn't recommend eating them. However, they do smell somewhat like baked brown sugar." 

Stamp, stamp, stamp. 

Wren threw herself into the cooler and began putting a bulk of her flowers back. 

"This is robbery," I heard her say to Grandpa at the register. 

"Is it now?" 

 And again. 

She came in and immediately reached for a half-empty box of oasis bricks (the green sponge material that we use to hold flowers.) She said few words to me, few at all. She talked to Carrie about how she was going out to the country for awhile, to take care of her nephew's property. She needed to stock up. And oh- don't worry about it, she knows what she's doing. She's part of The Family.

She is in no manner of speaking, a member of The Family that owns this shop. Not even a third cousin. 

I saw her beeline for a rose I'd set in the trash. I picked it up, opened my mouth, and bit the head off of it. She stood in the middle of the workshop, absolutely stunned. 

Rose petals have the vague texture of arugula, by the way. Slightly sweeter, though. Tough to swallow in one go. 

She ran back into the cooler and didn't talk to me. 

I began taking down numbers. 

27 bricks of oasis. One pack of roses. Ten calla lilies. 1/2 pack of assorted greens. 

I punched the numbers in to the register. As if sensing something was amiss, she emerged from the cooler. 

"$54? What do I have that's $54?" 

"The oasis. They're $2 each." 

"Oh no baaaaaby, they're $1." 

"I can text Grandpa and ask her." 

"... that won't be necessary. Why are you charging me $22.50 for roses? You know my prices by now!" 

"22.50 is the price for a pack of roses." 

"22.50 is everybody prices." 

"Welcome to 'everybody.'" 

"I ain't paid a price increase in 7 years!" 

"The price of milk went up, Wren. So does everything else." 

She was seeing red, I knew it. There's a vein in her forehead that pops out when she's angry and it's the same shape as the river that runs through my home town. She sized me up, as if wondering if she could take me. 

I'm 256 pounds of 4H beef, and I have a knife. Try me. 

"I'm gonna call Kyle on this." 

"Do it." A lifetime of retail has made me immune to 'I'd like to speak to the manager.' 

She grumbled and put things back. Carrie offered to watch her, I held up my hand. 

"Can you do something for me  on these carns? They're the last pack in there and they're lookin' kinda ratty." 

"9.50." 

"9.50's the regular price." 

"Regular price is $14." 

"No it ain't." 

"Is today. You're taking our last pack and we need those for funerals." 

She put them back. 

She gave me a credit card. It seemed fake, but it ran. Every time I see here, she's got a different card. Did she print this one this morning, too? At least she stopped trying to sell me on Bitcoin. As you can see, it made her incredibly wealthy. 

She gathered her things and left. "Guess I'm getting the rest of my flowers from KROGER!" 

There are things you want to say. Like... I hope they enjoy your company just as much as we do. Or: Haven't graced them with your presence in awhile, huh? But at the time, it was better just to watch her leave with her minuscule bunch of flowers. I get a choice in where I loan my voice. 

Not here. 

Is it over? Nah. She'll be back for another round. But one day she'll finally retire in the way that she's always threatened to. And then? Then it can be as over as it ever will be. 

It is shocking to come from a history of retail, where you're not allowed to even hint at the idea of a customer being wrong, where you have to override every single price change to get the scores up, where you have to just let them steal your things and pull the wool over your eyes... 

... to flat-out telling someone 'no.' 

"No." 

It's such a great word. 

There are rules and there are rules. 

And there are thieves that the rules are made for. 

And there are words like 'no.' 

And all those things are magic in very human ways. 

[yeah-mani]

The Effect of the OFA Memories on Deku

The One For All mechanics in My Hero Academia have always interested me. The anime recently revealed that the quirk carries memories--Deku can see the memories of previous holders. Manga readers have known for a while now that it isn’t just memories... Deku can communicate with (a shade of) the last holders. The fact that All Might isn’t there seems natural at first, but it’s a little weird when you think about it. It makes it seem as though there is something spiritual going on... he’s still alive in the present, so Deku can’t meet him in spirit. Right? It’s unclear at the moment.

This mechanic reminds a lot of people of Avatar. The past spirits of the Avatar have a connection to, and are able to communicate with the current Avatar even after death. It’s not a new comparison.

(spoilers for MHA and AoT mangas below)

I would like to point instead to parallels this mechanic has with Attack On Titan. The comparisons might be a little unclear for those who only watch the anime, but anyone who is caught up with the manga will know just how different Eren became after gaining the memories of the previous Attack Titans. Unlike with the Avatar or what we’ve seen of OFA, Eren has no control over whether or not to access memories. He just has them all now--as if they were his own memories, and always have been. The effect that so many lifetimes of war and bloodshed have had on his mental health are... not good. 

Suppose it were similar for Deku? That’s 8 lifetimes of memories he has access to. It would be so interesting to explore the effects they would have not only on his mental health, but on his morals. Especially considering that many of the previous holders died gruesome deaths, not to mention that the original holder most likely has at least some lingering fraternal feelings for his brother. And let’s not even get into the fact that Deku might have some of All For One’s memories, too, hoooo boy.

[gaylorisburstingforth]

Where r the Gaylor receipts??? I m thrilled

You want the Gaylor receipts? Hoooo boy there are many. I first fell down Gaylor rabbit hole when I saw that she brought Hayley Kiyoko (aka “Lesbian Jesus”) as a guest on her Reputation show at Foxborough. First, Hayley is a pretty niche artist, meaning that she is not too big outside of the LGBTQ community. So for Taylor to claim that she is “obsessed” with Hayley’s songs, and to bring her as a guest is BIG. 

But here are some masterposts to get you started. These posts pretty much list some of the many gay things that Taylor has done - and this is only in the Reputation era, mind you. There are blogs such as jennyboom21 who have tea about Taylor’s past relationships with women (you can use the search bar to find stuff). 

Anyways, here are some masterposts from Karlitakloss (honestly, a Godsend). If the links don’t work, cuz Tumblr is stupid, you can always search “masterpost” on this user’s page to find them. 

https://karlitakloss.tumblr.com/post/181672456099/reputation-era-masterpost-tour-edition-part-i 

https://karlitakloss.tumblr.com/post/181539089459/link-part-i-part-ii-part-iii-part-iv-part 

The website below can also be found on Karlitakloss’ page. It’s KaylorEvidence (.) com, and you can find masterposts about Taylor’s two biggest and most recent relationships. Dianna Agron is thought to have dated Taylor before the Red Era, while Karlie Kloss came about pre-1989. 

https://kaylorevidence.com/ 

You can also go to @kaylorrepdetective to look at all the (gay) song analyses. Here are some that I can already think off the top of my head:

From King of my heart: “and ALL THE BOYS and their expensive cars, the range rovers and jaguars never took me quite where you do” - she doesn’t say “the other boys,” or “all those boys.” She says “ALL THE BOYS.” As. in. all. boys. 

Dress: “I don’t want you like a best friend.” - It is well-known public knowledge and Karlie Kloss was Taylor’s BFF. Just check out the vogue video on youtube: Taylor and Karlie Take a Friendship Test (it used to be titled, “The Best Best Friends Test,” but they changed it recently, maybe due to the Dress rumors???)

Gorgeous: The official Gorgeous lyric video on YT has the word “Gorgeous” in bright pink, while all the other lyrics are black and white. First of all, the word “Gorgeous,” is commonly attributed to females, as well as the color pink. 

Don’t Blame Me: In the “Making of” videos, Taylor says that she wants this song to have a religious feeling. According to fans who went to secret sessions, Taylor described this song as “this song is about a relationship that is frowned upon by the religious community.” Hm… Also, the song contains lines like “I would fall from grace just to touch your face.” Let me ask you…would she talk this way about a male? What is so scandalous about a relationship with a male?

Dancing with our hands tied: also a song about secret love, widely thought to be about “Kissgate” (Google it, trust me). Basically, it was a night at a 1975 concert where Taylor and Karlie were dancing up on each other, being touchy, and even caught (possibly) kissing on camera. 

Watch videos of the Victoria Secret Fashion Show 2013 and 2014 - look at the way Taylor and Karlie interact with each other

Honestly, this is just the tip of the iceberg to get you started. There is sosososososo much more than this.  You can keep up to date with what’s going on in Kaylor/Gaylor land by going to Taytaysbeard’s blog. She (and others) have insider sources that have proven themselves trustworthy, and can attest to Taylor being with Karlie Kloss. You can search her blog for more info. 

Obviously, none of this can be proven until Taylor actually comes out. But the amount of evidence and “coincidences” is definitely too much. If you have any questions or need clarification, feel free to ask :)

[becauseiameverywhere-blog]

Cœur Brisé

Pairing: Seulgi X Jimin Type: One shot Genre: Angst Word Count: 6,605 Summary: This is where Seulgi’s happiness slipped out of her arms. (Real summary is on the following lines ;) )

P a i n

"우리 헤어지자 (Let's break up.)"

One sentence three words.

You left me alone.

You, who made me laugh, smile, proud is now leaving me.

And I...

and I...

           was left alone, all alone.

All alone to mend my heart.

All alone to suffer.

All alone to see you happy.

All alone to cry.

All alone.

I can still remember it, we met at han river at midnight of July 15 it was during our promotion of 'Red Flavor', I happily went to you, happily hugged you, telling you how much I missed you. I was happily telling you what happened during our fan signing event, telling you what Sooyoungie and Yerim did to me and played a prank to me again, I was telling you this fan who came in wearing a cute dress. I was telling you that another fan gave me a cute teddy bear and it reminded me of you.

Until those words slipped through your beautiful lips.

I really do not know if I heard it right, so I asked you again. You took a deep breath and looked at me in the eye, "미안해. 우리 헤어지자 (I'm sorry. Let's break up.)"

I just stood there, thinking what you meant, looking at you I thought you were just kidding so I laughed it off, but you were so serious that you were not even laughing.

"Why? Did I talk too much? O-or did my breath stink? Or do you hate me talking about my fans?" I was now looking at you with all seriousness. "Seulgi, hajima." I still did not listen to you and still insisted on talking about my flaws, "I-is it about me? Did I perhaps bored you? Or, or, did, did you find some-" I was frantic and my breathe was already heavy, I was already teary eyed, then you shouted at me. "Hajimalago Seulgi!" I immediately stopped, shocked, my tears suddenly poured out of my eyes, "Why!? Why are you breaking up with me!? Give me a reason!" I waited for your answer, but nothing came out of your beautiful lips, "Tell me! Don't just tell me let's break up! Why!?" With our argument getting heating up, you took a deep breath agitated and irritated already, "Do you want to know? Do you really want to know?" you looked at me intensely, "나는 너를 더 이상 사랑하지 않아  (I don't love you anymore.)" As soon as you said those words my heart which has been aching so badly, felt like it was breaking into pieces.

"You are lying! You!" I pointed at him while still crying, "Stop lying to me!" I started punching your chest, desperately wishing and hoping that you are lying, "Stop lying Jimin! Stop lying!" You just stood still while receiving my punches with your head down, "Jimin, why? Please... Don't do this to me." I don't care if I look like a mess already, I don't care if I look like a crazy person, I don't care a damn thing anymore!   

You caught my hands and looked at me in the eye, "Geumanhae Seulgi, we are through! How many times should I tell you! Let's stop this." You let go of my hands and turned away, I hugged you preventing you to go, "Jimin... Please... Hajima... Please... Let's fix this." I was clinging to you, clingin to you as if I am going to die letting you walk away, away from my life. But you still broke free from my hug, as you walked away from me,it felt as if you took my heart in my chest then you literally crushed it with your hands. Without any strength left, I just sat and cried while watching you walk away from me, every step, breaking my heart, wishing that this was just a nightmare. Wishing that everything was just a joke. Because right now it feels like the world is throwing a prank to me.

I heard a shuffling beside me for a while I thought you came back to me, telling me that it is just a prank, that you were just joking, that you were testing me. But no, it was the Red velvet members who came for me at that time, they hugged me, they were trying to comfort me. Our manager even went there, instead of getting angry at me, she pat me on the back telling me 'Gwaenchana, let it all out'.

While we are on our way back to the dorm, everything that you told me replayed in my head, "미안해. 나는 너를 더 이상 사랑하지 않아. 우리 헤어지자 (I'm sorry. I don't love you anymore.  Let's break up.)", that made me realize no matter how pretty a person's lips is, a cruel word or sentence could be created out of it. Tears uncontrollably pouring out of my eyes, lips trembling preventing for a sound to come out, mind bothered by unexpected shock, and heart, slowly but surely breaking into pieces. 

No matter how many hardships we faced, the time will always come for us when we need to break up. No matter how many years we've been, no matter how many times we stayed quiet during the times when our fans suspected us of dating, no matter how many memories we have built together, no matter how many time we spent together. No matter how much we loved each other...

In the end, we would still break.

Through all of those promises, all of those secret glances and touches we shared, you still gave up on us.

When in fact, you were the one who told me you will never ever leave me.

I feel so empty without you.

I feel like a person dancing on my own.

I feel like a bird, who's wings were cut.

I feel like an empty doll.

I feel like a toy thrown away by its owner.

I feel like nothing.

When we entered the dorm no one asked me what happened, they just hugged me, they tried so hard to make me smile and laugh. But I just can't, I left them in the living room then went to my room, since Wendy is my roommate she followed me. She tried to coax me to tell her what happened, that they were surprised when you called her and told her that I was in han river alone. They asked you why but you ended the call.

I cried once again, the freshness of the wound, the pain, and the memory, it all flashed back to me.

"He said we should break up. H-he told me that, h-he doesn't l-love me anymore." More tears escaped my eyes as those words rang inside my head. "Wendy," I looked at her and she hugged me, "he said he doesn't love me anymore. I tried so hard... I tried to tell me that... that it was just a lie... I was waiting for him to tell me that it was just a joke..." I kept on crying, "Hush. Let it all out Seulgi." Wendy kept on patting my back until I unknowingly fell asleep, while in Wendy's arms.

Wendy

While Seulgi-bear was telling me what that Park Jimin told her, Joy, Irene and Yeri were actually listening, it hurts to see that our bear is crying not because of laughing but because of that punk! 

After all of those promises he made to us, "I promise! I won't hurt Seulgi." Tch, words words words.

Aigoo.

That Park Jimin hurting our bear!

When I settled Seulgi on her bed I noticed that she was still crying and was murmuring that punk's name. Sigh, no matter how much you got hurt you still talk about him in your dreams. That punk must be taught a lesson!

When I looked at them their eyes were also burning with anger, oh boy, if looks could kill and thoughts could kill, that punk would be dead. When we went back to the living room we were discussing on what to do with Seulgi's broken heart, and about the punk.

Yeri was calling somebody, hoooo it must be her "friend" in a certain group, a certain group called BTS.

I shook my head, oh dear, another person who is possibly whipped.

I am going to plead and pray that Yerimie will not end up broken hearted like Seulgi.

"Bou!?" I almost jumped out of the sofa when Yeri shouted and looked so angry while staring at her phone. She looked so irritated and angry, "Wae? What happened Yeri?" Irene-unnie asked her, she then let us take a look on the article.

[HOT!] Netizens Speculate Jimin(BTS) and Jeongyeon(Twice) are Dating!

     Love and Hate relationship which can be seen from these two members of a known idol group are now being seen by Netizens as a cover up to confuse people that they are not dating when in fact, they are! With the recent videos that resurfaced in a known site, Naver, showing how they react to each other. It has been the most searched term and has become a hot topic among netizens. Some of them are even telling that they are dating while some are telling them that they broke up in bad terms that is why that is happening. For you guys to judge it on your own you can watch the video below:

(Y'all need to use your imagination in here hhohohohohooh I meant no harm to those who loves Twice, but this is a needed way for me to make this story more ya' know. SO DO NOT GO AND SPREAD THE WORD THAT I DRAGGED JEONGYEON'S NAME FOR NO APPARENT REASON. Nope nope nope. As an avid Seulmin fan I am discouraged by it, that is why my inspiration got more fired up because of that issue. But I am still a Seulmin shipper ^^)

I read the comments. I mean, I should not believe in anything but watching the video made me uncomfortable, the way he looked at Seul, that was the way he was looking at Jeongyeon of Twice.

[+201,-23] ****ws

           kkkkk. I knew it. They are dating.

[+123,-38] ***aw

           Pfft. Delulu, they ain't dating, or maybe they are ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[+20,0] *****hsaj

        Shipping it! ♥‿♥

[+55,-2] *******bass

        Woah woah woah! I never knew this! Let me see more!

[+238,-22] ***sd

          Lol, everyone keeps on pushing this through. But they do look so cute together though.

[+3,0] i***kjd

       o(╥﹏╥)o

[+321,-81] ******waer

           Why am I shipping this? Hmmmmmmmm. But damn, I still ship any idols to anyone who looks cute together. Btw, I ship red velvet with bts and now this arrived I am having doubts.

[+123,-23] ****kjdh

           Lol, other shippers are gonna die after looking at this! They really do have a chemistry!

[+231,-67] ****e

          (●´ω｀●) Fanfic! Fanfic!

Sigh, all of them are also sure that there is something going on between them.

"But if Seulgi knows about this..." Irene-unnie started, "It would break her more."

We all looked at each other thinking for other solutions to solve this, "We cannot let her see this, Wendy-unnie make sure that Seulgi-unnie will not read anything regarding this issue, we should confirm this first to the person itself or from a member from BTS." Joy said while reading the article again, I think she is searching for more articles connected to it. "Okay, then Yerim-ah, since you are close to Jungkook why don't you ask him? He might know someting about it." Irene-unnie suggested to Yeri.

"But, unnie," Yeri hesitated for a bit but nonetheless agreed, "I'll try." While Yeri is trying to contact Jungkook I went back to the room and checked on Seulgi who's sleeping.

"Unnie," Yeri immediately caught our attention, so I went back to the living room, she was looking grim while holding her phone. This is not a good sign. Our heart already sunked before we could hear it from Yeri. "Jungkook said that Jimin-oppa opened up to them and said that he..." she sighed deeply, "He said that he doesn't feel anything for Seulgi-unnie and that his feelings were directed to Jeongyeon. I just don't know how people's feelings could change that fast."

"Did he really just confirm everything? I mean." Joy was already fuming.

I heard the door just close, when I looked back I saw the door of our room opened.

Oh no.

This is bad.

I immediately stood up and went to the room.

"Seulgi-ah." I called out for Seulgi just to see that she is not in the room.

"Unnie! Seulgi heard our conversation!" I shouted and tried to contact Seulgi through her phone, "What?" Yeri also went to the room and saw that it was empty. Ottoke! Ottoke! Seulgi!

I heard her phone ring in the room and saw that she left it on the table.

"We need to find her! She left her phone!"

Seulgi-ah, where did you go?

Seulgi

I woke up and saw that Wendy is not here, I heard their voices in the living room when I was on the door I heard Yeri, "Jungkook said that Jimin-oppa opened up to them and said that he..." she sighed deeply, "He said that he doesn't feel anything for Seulgi-unnie and that his feelings were directed to Jeongyeon. I just don't know how people's feelings could change that fast."

What?

Jimin and Jeongyeon?

Ahh, that must be it. That's right I don't deserve him anymore. He is unfit to be with me. That's right he is suited for a top girl group. I laughed silently, mocking myself.

This must be a joke.

I got my wallet and wore a white hoodie and a mask.

I need to be alone.

I want to be alone.

This is just a joke, right?

I went out of the dorm quietly and ran. Ran away as far as I could, not minding the people I am bumping.

Not minding the rain.

This is not a movie or a drama, but why? Why is this happening to me? I became an idol like our dream together.

Jimin. We became a known idol. This is our dream together. But why?

Did you really love me? 

Ah that's right. You don't love me anymore.

I kept on running not knowing where my feet will take me.

I just realized that I am in front of their company.

I just laughed, "Hah, what kind of sick joke am I playing?" Why am I even here? He won't be here, he won't look for me, he doesn't care about me anymore.

I took a taxi going back to my hometown.

I don't care how much I spend.

I just need to see them, my parents and oppa.

Because right now, I don't even want to continue being an idol.

I don't even know anymore.

When I reached my destination I saw that the door was locked, that's right Seulgi, they are still sleeping, before I could turn around and go to another place the door opened and saw mother.

"Aigoo! Seulgi-ah! You surprised me! What are you doing there! Come inside." Mother hugged me and without any warning my tears started to flow. 

"Hm? Wae? Why is our princess crying? Did something happen? Huh?" 

"Eomma..." I just kept on crying and crying while being on her arms. 

I just kept repeating her name. Eomma just comforted me, it feels like she knows already but she kept quiet about it and just comforted me. "I really don't know anymore..." I started while crying, "Why? Did something happen?" Eomma just dried my tears with her hands and looked at me with concern, "Hng... I just want to stay here and quit everything." Eomma just kept on wiping my tears away, "Aigoo~ Our princess, everything in life is not all about being happy, we grow up by experiencing pain, rejection and mistakes. Eomma might not know everything what is happening to you but, our princess, fought so hard to become an idol, to shine and share your talents to everybody. Don't let a heart break destroy you Seulgi." I was still crying, "How did you know about that eomma?" She looked at me and smiled, "I know everything Seulgi, even if you don't tell me anything I know. You won't cry this hard even if you got scolded or made mistakes during your performance." My tears completely wiped away by eomma, "Show him! Show him that you are strong, show him that he just made you stronger and braver! You are our princess. You did not become an idol just to be left behind, you became an idol to show them that you are you and they must accept you. I'll call your other members and tell them that you will be spending the night here."

That's right, eomma is correct. I must be strong.

I must show him that I am strong. That I am fine even if he left me.

I'll be fine.

The next day I was fetched by the members and they scolded me for making them worry about me. I just went along with their teasings and tried to be happy. Trying to be happy, faking a smile pretending to be okay is hard. They knew how much I am hurting right now but the members still showered me with love. A month passes and I tried to remove his existence to my life. I flushed all of our memories together down the drain, I deleted our picture together, I threw away all of the things he gave me. I will be meeting him once again to end our relationship properly. At first, Irene-unnie was against this idea, but I made sure that they can trust me with this one. No matter how much they hate Jimin they cannot do anything since I kept on stopping them fron doing anything against him. They were even commenting negative things to Jimin as an anonymous person in a article regarding him. I stopped them and scolded them, telling them that they are not kids anymore and they should stop doing those things. Joy tried to rebel by being noisy but I just laughed at her, telling her to stop it and I'll tell her to Sungjae, with a pouting face and defying glare she said "Psh. Threatening me with Sungjae-oppa." and left the room while throwing a tantrum.

The doorbell clanged and I looked at who entered he hasn't arrived yet. The designated meeting time was 11AM but it has already been 30 minutes past the time, this coffee shop is not really relatively known and it is in a secluded place, this is where we usually meet and have a date, this place became a special spot for us, a happy memory, where I will be drawing him and he will just be sitting there looking at me.

"Hmmmmmm. Oppa." I looked at him while drawing his lips, he looked at me intensely, "Wae?" I was laughing at him and blushing at the same time, waaaaaahhhhhhh looking at his lips look so cute.

He looked surprised when I was laughing at him then he captured my face with his hands and played with my cheeks, "Oppa! I am trying to draw you! Hajimaaaa." He just kept on playing with my cheeks and gave a peck on my lips that I stopped laughing and started to blush heavily.

"Aigoo~ Yepo-da. You look so stunning while blushing." Jimin kept on complimenting me as I blushed harder, "Yah, don't distract me."

"Arasseo, arasseo. Just make sure I am really handsome in your drawing." You said while raising both of your arms.

I was laughing at the memory when Jimin sat on the chair opposite to mine.

"What do you want to talk about? I don't have time so make it quick." You asked with coldness in your voice, since I never got used to this voice of yours pain started to creep again on my chest. I snapped out and came back to the reality.

I hastily took out the box in my bag and slid it in front of you. "I just want to return these things to you. Thank you for everything, if you want to order something you can order it and put it on my tab. Then I'll go now." While I am packing up my things you looked at it and opened it. "Ah, you don't need to return these things to me, you can just throw it away." You slid the box back, "If you just want to see me you have to stop it Seulgi. I am already-" "Seeing someone else and I really love her." I continued and sighed. "I just wanted to return it to you, I have no other ulterior motives about it, and I already agreed that both of us should break up."

You looked surprised, "How did you know about me loving a different person?" I looked at you with my best poker face, "I just heard it." My mask was now falling apart as you came closer at me and I smelled a different perfume on you, a girl's perfume. Ahh, that's why he was late, he must have been all cuddly to her. She must be waiting outside. Before my mask falls of I stood up and went outside of the shop, then I got a glimpse of her waiting for you, she bowed to me then I also bowed to her out of courtesy and respect. I briskly went to my manager's car, "Oppa, let's go, I am done with my business here."

My tears still rolled down, and held my chest.

What a joke, stupid, stupid heart. Still beating for him. Still yearning for him. Haven't you had enough? He already broke you! Stop being a stupid heart!

That was the last thing that I had that made me remember you, the ring and necklace that you gave me, is the sign of me giving up.

"Don't ever remove this ring, Seulgi." I asked you while looking at you sliding the ring in my finger.

"Why?"

"This will the sign of us being a couple, so never ever remove it."

"I won't. I endured so much just to be with you so do you think I'll break up with you that easily? I'm not an easily girl, you know that Chimchim." I told you as I was looking at the ring adoringly.

"That's right, I also did not endure all of your jealousy and temper just to break up with you easily." You teasingly told me and as a retort I just glared at you and smiled at you while hugging you, "I really love you Chimchim."

"I love you too, my Seulgi-bear."

And yet, you easily broke up with me and I just accepted it. Because I already felt as if you don't love me anymore, those late night talks we spent together never happened anymore the last time we had a comeback before "Red Flavor", you never updated yourself personally with my schedules, you never bothered me anymore, you never gave the signs to me anymore. It was as if you are already bored with me, if I knew that the time you will be asking me out again would be the last time and would be the first time you will breaking my heart. 

In every award shows that I see you I always avoided looking at you. I avoided looking sad while you are trying to show a love-hate relationship with your current girl.

I am fine.

I'll be fine.

This is nothing.

But when I saw you looking at her during their performance I turned away immediately.

Ahh. Stupid heart.

When I went to the coffee shop we found together I saw both of you enjoy yourselves, both of you laughing being clingy, sweet, and more in love, when you turned your head to my direction I immediately hid, when I peeked again you kissed her, before I could cry again I went out of the shop and have decided that I'll never return here anymore.  The other members were trying to distract me and I kept on thinking about them, I tried to remove you in my brain. I spent every free time I've got in the practice room. Dancing and singing, improving my skills in everything just to get you out of my system. I became workaholic, I always spend my time in the practice room even when I got home from the studio I would always be doing something, I would draw, watch the TV, read a book, watch a movie. I went out with the members whenever we had time. I went to karaoke alone to sing out my bleeding heart.

Even after all of those efforts I did. Every time I close my eyes it would always wonder back to you.

But just hearing your name, your voice, seeing your face, seeing your smiling face, makes me stuck to you.

It made me hate it. Made me hate you.

Why?

I have been doing my best to remove you out of my system but why?

Why am I still suffering? 

I already gave you up. I already deleted all of our memories together. But why? Why is my heart still searching for you?

It has been a year since we broke up. 

It has been a year and your group's popularity rose up.

It has been a year and you are still with her.

It has been a year and I am still hurting.

If I could give an award to myself it would be Best in Being Stupid, and my speech would be "Unfortunately, this award has been given to me since I still can't get over my first love and first heart break. I still update myself with his schedule. And yes, I am still hung up on him. That is why I thank you for giving this award to me for throwing it on my face that I still love the person who left me."

Hearing your name does not really hurt me that much anymore. 

I improved myself, since most of the time you are in U.S. because you are now the top idol group in the world, I haven't been able to see you face.

We became busy because of "Bad Boy" and that reminded me of you but I still kept you hidden away from my mind and heart.

But I forgot, the world is unfair to me.

December 20, it was already past midnight when I finished my own schedule, manager oppa was driving, I am on my phone listening to a music. When our car was suddenly hit by a truck.

It happened so fast that I did not know what to do, all I can remember is shouting before I hit my head so hard that I lost consciousness. 

It was too quiet, too quiet on my own liking. 

It was too cold.

It was too dark.

"-gi!" Somebody's calling for my name, "Seulgi!" 

I want to speak but there's no voice coming out. I tried moving my hands but to no avail I can't. I'm scared. What is going to happen to me? Will I be alright? I can not feel anything. I can not do anything. It is too dark and cold.

Wendy

"Is Seulgi back already?" Irene-unnie asked, she just came back from another schedule.

"Not yet unnie." 

"Really? That's odd. She should be here already since my schedule is finished an hour after hers."

That's right, Seulgi should have been already here. She sent me a message that she is already going back an hour ago. 

Then Irene-unnie's phone rang. "Hello? Yes oppa?" Then she froze and looked so stricken with fear, "Wh-which hospital? I-is she okay? Unnie!" She snatched her padded jacket and then she grabbed my hands and ran going out of the apartment while she is on the phone. "Unnie, we will be going there right now!" Irene-unnie who is usually strong was crying in front of me. As we rode the taxi we went to a hospital and Irene-unnie told me everything. We were nervous and scared of Seulgi, as we arrived the hospital we immediately looked for our manager unnie.

"Unnie! How's Seulgi? Did the doctor say anything?" Irene-unnie who is usually collected is now panicking. 

We were in front of the emergency room, while waiting for the doctor to save Seulgi, Seulgi's parents arrived. We were all praying that she would be safe.

Then the doctor went out of the emergency room.

"How is my daughter doctor?" Seulgi's Mom was crying while asking the doctor, "We saved her on time," he paused as if there is a contradicting words waiting to be spilled, "However, apparently she received too much pressure within her skull that caused a damage to her nerves, unfortunately it was her optic nerve that has been damaged." All of us was nervous we did not understand what he was talking about, "W-what do you mean?" Seulgi's mom inquired quietly hoping that it was not a serious damage, the doctor took a deep breath "Ma'am, Seulgi-ssi's eye sight has been permanently damaged." We were at loss on what to say, "That can't be! Doctor! Please tell me there isa cure to that right?" Seulgi's mom was crying, "She cannot be blind!" We stopped her on jolding the doctor as she collapsed and kept on crying, all of us started to cry knowing what this means. "I'm very sorry Mrs. Kang." The doctor said and went ahead.

While watching over Seulgi in a private room, all of us are distraught by the accident. Even our manager oppa was injured but not greatly like Seulgi.

Joy and Yeri also went here to check on her but immediately left because there too many people here already. Since, Seulgi's parents are here we have also decided to go back to the dorm.

"I never thought that it would happen suddenly. And, the reporters knew about it so fast." Irene-unnie said while we are in the living room, since there were reporters waiting outside the vicinity we went out of the hospital through their other exit.

"Really, reporters knew about it like they are just there watching." When we turned on the TV the whole channels are already broadcasting about Seulgi's accident.

"SMent, haven't given yet a statement, but I really don't know how Seulgi would take this. This would be a great loss in our group." Irene-unnie said.

We returned to our own room and showered a bit and rested, so that later we will be visiting Seulgi.

After sleeping for 5 hours the four of us went back to the hospital and just checked on Seulgi, we arrived at a good timing since Seulgi's parents should rest so we have decided to stay and keep on watching Seulgi's condition. She is not yet conscious so seeing her in this state makes our heart sink but we need to be strong for Seulgi. There was a knock on the door so Joy opened the door, "What are you guys doing here?" Joy said in a serious tone, so we looked at the person who Joy is talking to. "We are here to visit Seulgi-ssi." It was V, Jimin, Jungkook, Namjoon and Suga, they are all wearing a cap and a mask to hide their face. "Does your leader and entertainment know you are here?" Joy continued on interrogating them, sigh, sometimes she acts like a scary step-mom. All of them kept quiet and did not answer Joy's question, Irene-unnie decided to intervene before people would recognize them, "Sigh, it's fine Sooyoungie. Let them in." Since Irene-unnie is our leader and older Joy had no other choice bur to let them in. But before they could breath lightly Irene-unnie scolded them, "We are all friends here, yes, but then, if you are going to visit our Seulgi," ohhh, emphasizing our, yep, unnie is still angry to Jimin-ssi. "You need to ask for a permission from your company and manager. Your group, no, in fact, all of you are a big star, so coming here without taking any precautions can make your whole fandom get angry and can cause a dispute between our fans, you should think before coming here. Its not that I am prohibiting you from visiting our Seulgi, but just make sure you are all taking a precaution." After unnie said those words they seem guilty for not talking to their company, "We are sorry for the sudden intrusion, Irene-ssi, next time we will make sure to contact our director so that it could not be messy. Oh, and our manager actually knows about this." Suga said, and handed a flower and fruits for Seulgi, "We actually wanted to check on Seulgi, since she also became close to us." V immediately said. While Jimin is just staring at Seulgi looking grim. 

Irene-unnie took the flower and fruits for Seulgi and settled it on the table, since the room is quite large it was enough for us. It was actually a awkward situation. We are all quiet and the only one who is talking is Yerim and Jungkook. But they do not really talk that loud, Irene unnie went near me and whispered, "They should not know about Seulgi's blindness." I just agreed, because if they knew they would be coming here everyday and it could cause a ruckus if their fans knew about it, and we were instructed by our manager unnie not to tell it to anyone before SM gives a statement. While, V was staring at Seulgi and looked sad the same with Jimin. Namjoon's phone rang and when he answered it, it was time they go. "Let's go. They are already looking for us." Namjoon said to the other boys, Namjoon looked at us and they bowed, "Thank you for letting us visit Seulgi, we will be going now." Namjoon said that and they took off.

"Sigh. Friends or not it was still an awkward atmosphere." Yeri said when they went out already.

"I know right." Joy second emotioned with Yeri.

"I was actually surprised that he came with them." Irene-unnie said, when Seulgi and Jimin broke up it was never the same anymore. The atmosphere before was light and cheerful but it has now taken a grim and sour mood everytime our group collides. It was as if the thing that connected our group together with BTS was the relationship of Seulgi and Jimin. "But right now, I think we should let go of that beef for now, for Seulgi." I just said and they agreed with a silence.

While scrolling on my phone SMent already gave their statement, it said that:

Hello, this is SM Entertainment giving a statement regarding the accident of Seulgi, member of Red Velvet, and her manager.

We will be assuring you that Seulgi is now of in the safe side and is now currently resting, she will also be taking a rest due to the injury she  received due to the accident with her manager, onve she has been discharged from the hospita. We are also confirming that we will be filing charges to the truvk driver who was also involved and cause of the accident our artist suffered from. As a rightful human being it is unjust and untimely for us not to take any actions since it has been a serious car accident.

We will be updating you regarding our artist's health once she has been diagnosed and given a treatment in the hospital.

Once again, this is SM Entertainment. We will be updating you in regard to this issue, thank you.

So they did not disclose the information that Seulgi is now permanently blind.

Seulgi

I can smell the scent of medicine, am I in the hospital? I tried moving my hands and opening my eyes. I succeeded in moving my hands  is there on my eye? I can not open it. "Seulgi?" I heard my mom's voice, and I felt somebody touch my hands as well, "Eomma? W-where am I? Why can't I open my eyes?" "Wait here our Princess we will be calling the doctor." I felt the hand let go of me and I heard a shuffling of a door being opened. A minute passed and I felt somebody remove a cloth on my head and eye. "Seulgi-ssi, can you try opening your eyes?" The doctor told me, when I opened my eyes I was distraught. "D-doctor? I can't see anything." Panick was already creeping up my spine. "Seulgi-ah, please do not get angry or lose hope, okay?" "Why mom? I-is there something wrong?" A lot of things are now running in my head, worst case scenarios passed in my head before I get to hear what the doctor would tell me. "Seulgi-ssi, since the accident you received a head injury that caused your optic nerve to be damaged, in simpler term, it resulted in your blindness." I could hear him saying those things but nothing could get through my mind after telling me that I am blind. "I, uhm, it is temporarily right...?" Was all I could say, when there is no answer given it got through me. Ahh. I am blind for the rest of my life.

With no words coming out of my mouth I just stayed quiet not telling them what to say. I internally swallowed all of the information given to me. The doctor was suggesting things on how can I get used to it but I did not listen to him, everything was a blur.

Weeks have passed but I still cannot digest everything. My blindness have been already spilled by SM to the media, and right now my future turned into a different way, I was dreaming just last month on how I can improve my dancing and singing skills, last month I was dreaming of going around the world with Joy, Irene-unnie, Wendy and Yerimie. But now... Everything seems so bleak, what can I do? Just accept the reality that I will not be able to perform anymore with them.

I already packed my things to be shipped back to my hometown, and after this we will be meeting our fans, this will be the last and final stage in my life. The last day I can spend with them and the last day that I can be a Red Velvet member. 

As we arrived the venue I can hear the fans' scream and cheers.

I sang BTOB's Beautiful Pain as it talked about breaking up. I listened to this song everytime, and this time I am singing this for the fans, everybody cried. I also cried as I reached the last note. Everything flashed to me. Every moment that happened flashed back to me, the moment I met him, I debut in Red Velvet, we performed, we were loved by our sunbaenim in SM, we were cheered on by our fans when there were bad things that is being thrown at us, when we broke up, when the only that made me happy and stand up again are my fans and members. But right now everything has to stop.

I guess I got very unlucky because I did something bad in my past. I took a deep breath and gave my speech.

Everything that I did was a blur. I don't know but why is it always me who is punished?

Everything that happened is painful to be remembered.

Everything was falling apart ever since.

Everything even me was a failure.

The end.

I don't know I just ended it there. Sorry for the bad story line.

[the-nysh]

Who are your favourite manga/anime protagonists of all time and why?

Of…of ALL TIME!? *mind goes blank* Whew, that’s a difficult + huge pool to choose from, but ‘protagonists’ actually narrows it down, as not all my fav characters are the protags either. Usually I go for the Vegeta + Raphael archetypes instead, cause their character arcs (growth that’s often emotion-based) are more interesting/appealing to me. Protags in general are often nice and likeable by default (in the sense that if I didn’t like them, I wouldn’t force myself to continue the story where they’re the main focus), but they’re also often portrayed with average traits to make them most relatable to the target demographic. Many of them are similarly structured this way with comparable traits/behaviors, so I tend to prefer the ones who can still stand out (in their own unique way) from the rest in general. I also tend to prefer those who aren’t ‘chosen ones’ or who don’t have special hereditary gifts. Instead I prefer them being special through the merits of their own character and the choices they make. So with that criteria said, some names definitely came to mind.

Nausicaa: probably the one I most looked up to and was inspired by as a kid. She did everything I liked and thought was cool, from her free flying/piloting abilities, exploring nature on her own, running her own lab, easily befriending animals, and often finding interesting/different solutions to things that her people wouldn’t conceive of (often in a pacifist way). She could still lead and take charge & responsibility of things as a princess, but still believed in freely doing what she wants (and could still be girly about it too). However, the defining scene that most stuck with me all these years, was her reaction upon finding her father assassinated. The one where she wordlessly gaped in horror and flew into a blind rage (even Teto, her critter, sensed it and got scared), and murdered every assailant in the room with a blunt weapon. Before she picks up the nearest sword and her uncle stops her with his own body, accidentally harming him in the process, and shocking her to her senses, where she then becomes so petrified and guilty at what she’s done that she passes out. She confessed she became that afraid of herself when her emotions and anger ran out of control. And I thought, wow that’s powerful, especially unprecedented and rare for a female (mostly pacifist!) character to suddenly do as well, because that was the strength of her heart, her love for her family, that shone and drove her with the instinct to react so brutally that way. It always made me take pause and ponder, that if I witnessed anything like that happen to my own family or those I cared about, just what form would my anger manifest in response? It’s chilling and ugly to think about, because I’d never want that to happen, but I honestly don’t know if I could hold back either. So I could understand her fear. It’s quite humbling. It’s always this scene I remember and gauge in comparison to when I see other characters strongly react with that same righteous anger/instinctual drive to protect who they care about. And it’s always a fav when I see that happen.

Edward Elric: oh he’s definitely a keeper. Probably one of the most well-rounded and human I’ve seen, with the full spectrum of emotion, badass feats, and quirky + dorky character traits of his own too. A standard I feel, when it comes to well-written and memorable shonen protags. Probably one of my first legit anime crushes obsessions back in the day (even way before Brotherhood existed). I got all the merch, shirts, wall scrolls and everything (got a bunch of craft models for Nausicaa too for that matter). I remember back when my sister asked me who my fav character of the series was, and I answered him without hesitation, but she said ‘oh that’s boring’ just because he’s the protag, (://) so preferring him is apparently expected I guess, oh well. I didn’t go back on my answer then, and I don’t think I could ever go back on it now either. I still faithfully wear an old chibi keychain of him on my bag. My fav scene is probably that really touching moment when he convinced Winry not to kill with a gun, because her hands were better for healing, including how she created and continually fixes/heals his arm & leg. :’) Just ahhh, keeper. 

Guts: hoooo boy. The one and only. The most badass determinator around, continually struggling against all the absolute shit dealt to his life. Just ugh, it’s amazing he hasn’t keeled over yet, after surviving through so much literal hell. His life is just eternal suffering and tragedy, and he’s accepted going down that path. He almost submits to the despair sometimes, but he’s strong. Strong to keep going and not give in no matter how bad it gets. Because he has a mission he absolutely must see through and commit to the end. It’s both painful and awesome to watch him, and I honestly have no idea how he can win (vs Griffith) on his own eventually, but I can only hope he survives to achieve some form of happiness someday, because damn, it’s been so unfair to him. Please just give him a break. I’ll be in that long haul of a ride just to see how he’s doing.  

For more recent protags (and I wish I could choose more girls), ONE is definitely onto something though with his massively relatable yet genuinely hard-working characters, where even if they’re strong in ways, they’re also very humble, and their own merits shine through even stronger. Saitama probably fits my fav protag criteria, along with being an interesting commentary on what happens once you reach the peak of your craft. Is it really worth all the hard work and effort if there’s no one else to share it with? Most interesting food for thought. However, I’m still waiting for him to do something more…where he becomes a bit less passive (and oblivious) to things happening around him, and a bit more engaged and emotionally receptive. For example, if he’s physically invulnerable, then that leaves his mental/emotional vulnerability as a possible target. If it ever comes to that, and he can feel something that makes him react, reflect, and feel alive again, then that’ll be something worth waiting for. He’d really enter my all-time favs that way.

Another recent one who’s caught my eye is Senku (Dr. Stone). Sometimes you’d think he’d be a scheming sneaky bastard (mad scientist) but he’s actually a very standup and compassionate guy. Trustworthy, persistent, and dependable. He’s quirky, he’s unique, and he’s not your typical shonen protag. (He’s also immune to all advances; not interested in the slightest cause his priorities are much stronger.) And I like that. It’s like if Hiruma (es21) got the chance to be the protag, but more down to earth and less threatening/imposing. So far the story’s still pretty new but he’s already pretty memorable. Just gotta see now how his persistence and faith in science will change and save the post-apocalyptic world.

[kumakunkreates]

ngl,i’m usually pretty mellow with being a ‘fangirl’. I like to bounce between series, music, anything. I’ve never been able to hold a concrete fixation on something. Paranatural seems to be the exception to the rule. I’ve been reading this since 2012, and it’s honest to god just been a joy to read! I took a break to let pages build up, and recently caught up and well....here’s the result! (Expect more pics cause hoooo boy)

[twigstarpikachutroll22]

So, one of my internet sisters/friends around three years ago, who I knew from a fandom site I will not name, used to pull some characters (canon characters and OCs) from a couple of other franchises into the sagas of her OCs for the franchise the fandom site we were on was mainly about, and there were a couple of crack ships to be had there. Namely, for a little while she has Poppy from Trolls dating Buster Moon from Sing, and Branch from Trolls dating Ash also from Sing. She did have them break up at some point and broppy get together by the way. It was all kind of weird and kind of OOC, but she was, like, ten at the time, okay?

And I only realized recently looking back on it...

Branch is supposed to be somewhere in his mid-twenties...and Ash is established to be a teenager...

So...yeah...ewwwwww...

My next thought was that HOOOO boy is it a good thing she wasn’t posting this stuff on Tumblr, because people would’ve caught onto that age gap and started sounding the pedophilia alarms and pointing all their guns at her in two seconds flat.

Now, normally, I’m all for this response to ships with a gross age gap like that. But that’s when the people making content for those ships are AWARE of the age gap and legitimately believe there is nothing wrong with it and would argue back if you told them there was. This girl was not that type of person. She was a ten-year-old noob just having fun messing around with no idea what she was doing, resulting in some things that nowadays she finds embarrassing. She probably wasn’t even thinking about the age gap and didn’t even realize there was anything problematic about this ship, she just thought “hey, these two characters have really similar personalities, ha ha wouldn’t it be fun to slap them together.” She might’ve been reasonably receptive if people tried to explain there was a problem.

And I’m not sure tumblr would’ve considered the possibility of that before automatically assuming she was a garbage person who thought pedophilia was okay and attacking her on sight.

Just something to think about.

[ohh-youknow-blog]

Commentary on Bones S01E01 -- Pilot

I’ve recently rewatched the series Bones. Used to watch it every week on TV back then. But then, life got in the way. Now, I’ve decided to rewatch everything. Note that as it is my commentary while watching the show (literally paused the video to type down my commentary), there will be spoilers. of the current episode, and maybe of future episodes. Just included as a comparison.

Total no. of minutes: 42:18 (I’ve included this because my copy may or may not be the same length as yours. If this is different, then the time markers below won’t make much sense to you)

00:11 omg Angela's hair hahaha.

01:45 Brennan saying "Boo!" seems so out of character (OOC). she's funnier and more sarcastic too in this episode.

02:17 stage left, enters Booth *swoons*

02:38 ahh the first "Don't call me Bones".

03:16 in the car, I realised that Bones sat with her leg up. and Booth didnt give Angela a ride??"

03:22 ahh the first appearance of Booth's boyish smirk

04:20 ohhh Booth is not wearing a Cocky belt buckle. Normal tie. ugly actually. why the hell is there a button on the middle of the damn tie ??

04:20 "...Scully & Mulder" and ahh the first "I don't know what that means". 

05:03 and the 2nd time. "Squints". and Booth licks his lips a lot. I wonder if this a Booth's habit or Boreanaz's.

just wanna say that everyone looks soo young and fresh-faced in this episode.

08:21 Dr Goodman: What's the rule, Mr Addy? Zac: You only converse with PHDs ..... Dr Goodman: Go. polish. a bone, Mr Addy.

09:11 OMG Hodgins' hair hahaha

10:27 Ah I love the part where Brennan reassembles the bones and there's music playing in the background. It's a shame she doesn't do this much anymore.

11:52 As Brennan walked back home from the Jeffersonian after reassembling the bones, I think at this point, she probably hasn't showered for 2 day haha

12:29 Booth: "No, she's amazing *swoon*. If the only way I can get her back on my side is to bring her out in the field, I'm willing." Yeah, we know why you want her back on your side, Booth. You wanna kiiiisssss heeerrr again.

12:56 Ho damn boy, she's got nice titties. (no I'm not a pervert. I'm a woman.)

13:43 Ahh the first "I hate psychology"

16:40 Booth: .... If I line all my ducks in a row..." Bones: ... I can be a duck! ahhh the significance of this chase. also, she called him a bastard.

19:26 Bones: Those people deserve the truth. Booth: ... They deserve the kindness of a lie. I love this line.

21:06 Bones swinging on a gate in Jeffersonian is unlike her too.

22:00 Bones: When she was being murdered, she fought back. Hard! Even though she was so depressed that she could hardly get up in the morning. She did not welcome death. I love this line too.

Booth's voice seems of a higher pitch, right?

I love repeating "diatomaceous earth" every time someone says it.

29:07 Brennan's parents disappeared when she was 15.

29:35 Shooting range scene. 

30:30 Booth saying his infamous "scientists don't solve murders. cops do" for the first time.

30:48 Ok this is definitely where I start shipping. I don't think I've ever stood that close to anyone while talking. Not even with my significant other.

31:18 HOOOO DAMN Booth shot the shooting range thingy's eye. Twice!

32:38 I love it every time Booth calls her Temprance. He only doest that very rarely.

37:00 Yes!!! Shoot the mf.

39:00 Bones, looking a little sexy with that cleavage at a funeral, isnt it. Bones look very goth with her hair and makeup agaisnt her pale skin.

41:40 Bones pushed Booth on the shoulder while they walked down the road. Wow I've watched this episode a few times and I think this is the first time I caught this.

Final thoughts: amazing pilot. definitely “hooked” material. amazing plot, amazing script, amazing acting. Although, I don’t like that Brennan has dark circles in her eyes but probably cos she’s tired from her Guatemala trip. Lovd her outfit though. Also, since this is the pilot, it’s the clincher episode to attract networks. So, it is normal -- almost expected -- for characters and plots to change a little. That’s why Pilot Brennan seemed a little OOC. Booth, setting her up at the airport and bringing her along to the case was the best decision you’ve ever made. and Brennan, chasing him, wanting to be a duck, and attempting to blackmail him was the best decision you’ve ever made. Also, after their actual first case, I find it hard to believe that this was the next one. Where’s the chemistry? The tension?

TLDR of the Case: Cleo Eller is an intern with Senator Bethlehem. Her boyfriend Ken is the senator's assistant. When Ken finds out that Cleo is pregnant, he killed her. Not out of jealousy or passion. He did it to save his job because the scandal would affect everyone's career badly.