#i really don't take the time to appreciate my efforts enough tbh

[vampirae]

Astrology observations

Capricorn Venus isn't so materialistic, into hypergamy or well-known/respected people. There's more depth to this placement; they look for a long-term relationship or bond, so they're not gonna invest their time, energy, money and love for something frivolous as popularity or a nice income, surely they wouldn't mind an ambitious person or someone that wants more than a simple life, but they look firstly for a safe place, someone that won't let the down, and understands them.

Fire rising with a watery planet (like Moon, Neptune or Pluto) in 1st house or heavily aspected by the aforementioned planets tend to be mistaken for a water sign or rising. Their fiery nature is watered down but if you look closely and patiently you'll notice that fierness, vitality and chaotic positive energy that only fire signs could have.

Planets in 2nd house or Taurus could be accused of being lazy, and honestly they're okay with it, it's your problem not theirs, they just enjoy doing stuff in their own natural pace, unless they have fire placements or abundant fiery houses. They'll take this more as a criticism, and honestly it will get on their nerves, and they would light up that fire and start doing projects one after another, just to show you, that you shouldn't underestimate them.

Honestly, fire placements tend to be really emotional, but not in a watery placements way, but more when you touch their ego, personality or life visions. It's also the only placements (except Scorpio and Capricorn) that could use their rage/annoyance to their advantage, it gives them an extra boost of motivation and energy.

Cardinal moons are the easier to deal with. Like you could persuade them more easily, also they're more open to new perspectives, unless they hate you obviously, then you can't do anything.

Like fixed moons are so so so stubborn about their emotions and beliefs, that it's useless to talk to them. Let's say they're in a toxic relationship, no matter how much you try to convince them to leave their partner, they'll find an excuse for every toxic trait their partner have, it's like talking to a wall.

Same situation but mutable moons, oh Jesus, try to understand what they're thinking, and if they understood your point of view, until they're sure they can manage the situation, they'll stick with it even if, they may realize you're right.

Cardinal moons on the other side, are way more realistic and pragmatic, if you give them evidence and a well thought explanation, they'll start crying like little bitches, but will listen to you and start to think about it, planning what to do, or just looking at the pro and cons. Somehow they're the least delusional moons, even if all this realism hurts them.

Scorpio placements, honestly I don't understand why all this placements are so sexualised, tbh they only Scorpio placement worth it, it's Scorpio mars (hot bitches by default). I've noticed that usually Scorpio placements are so overbearing and borderline toxic. I mean they're a ride or die, tend to very loyal and sincere, gives amazing insights and advices but in love, oh Jesus, too much drama, paranoia, jealousy etc. The only placement I feel safe with it's Scorpio mars, they're just too focused chasing their goals and give all they have to their partner, my golden boy/girl in an ocean of issues.

Talking about Capricorn placements, I low-key hate when people think they're marriage material or extremely loyal, like it's enough to be in their hearts to have the best version of them and the undying love. Sure, they look like the least person to hurt you, but they can be worse and more insincere that a stereotyped Gemini or Libra. Usually they're taken for granted, and people use them a lot, without appreciating them or their efforts, with time, their resentment grows, to a point where they will continue acting as usual, but behind your back, they'll chase pleasures and happiness. Practical example: they could have another partner or just a liaison that would fill their emptiness, or hide their real income, and use the rest for enjoying or buying stuff, or just going out with other ppl, it may be also friends, yet say they had some extra work to do. I've noticed that Capricorn placements ends up with controlling people (family, lovers, friends), so they learned to act well and do stuff in secrecy.

Also, Capricorn placements tend to have few things that sparks joy in them, it's always about responsibility, goals, self mastering, chasing career or social status, whatever they do it's never enough, few are the lucky ones that have a healthy emotional support or enough ego to chase what they really want or love.

To sum up, a Saturnian heart it's like a flower, if you take care of it one day it will become like an Hayao Miyazaki's garden, if you do the bare minimum you'll end up with a lawn full of weeds. They have a lot to offer, really they can be so selfless but to the right people. *I think even some 10th house placements could relate to it*

[apopcornkernel]

some thoughts on jason, post-reread of teen titans #29

the curious thing is that geoff johns writes jason wanting to be remembered, memorialized with the other dead titans—he throws tim into donna's statue, yells, where's MY statue? so i wonder—have i been wrong all this time? would he have actually appreciated bruce's horrific glass case?

another thing. if jason, according to this issue, knows that batman didn't arbitrarily "replace" him, so to speak, then why did he go to all that effort to beat tim up? ... in the comic he says smth about tim being nowhere near good enough to be robin/to measure up to jason's robin... perhaps he was lying to himself and Did feel resentment for the replacement despite his statements to the contrary. and jason notably keeps children away from his gig but perhaps he reasoned with himself that tim was trained by batman ans he could take it. perhaps he just wanted to have an excuse to vent his frustration and anger and grief onto the boy even if he knew it was wrong, even if it went against his moral code. or perhaps (see panel) he was even pulling a leslie and hoped the beatdown would also decommission tim and get him out of the vigilante lifestyle? EDITED TO ADD: im feeling more of the first explanation tbh. i talked about it with a friend and its really so easy to forget how young jason is. i think he was genuinely just very upset and deliberately took it out on tim despite knowing it wasn't exactly tim's fault. hey maybe some selfish part of him wanted bruce to never move on. maybe some part of him recognizes tim as a driving factor for it and resents tim ror that. girl idk. i don't even want to say that this comic is ooc or not because revived jason media is all so wildly varying in characterization so once again this is a reminder that i am simply Working Within The Confines Of The Text

of course, it could always be mischaracterization/shaky writing of character motivation. but i think there's merit in looking at complicated comics and examining the messy dynamics, especially since this issue has been more or less accepted as unmissable canon.

speaking of complicated comics, i actually also have thoughts on dick and jason's dynamic based on how they were written in nightwing: brothers in blood. remind me to crosspost from my private twt acc!

one last thing: i actually love that jason is aware of bruce's "spiral into darkness" and STILL continues to enact his plan. it's the whole false equivalence of "bruce kills the joker == bruce loves me", "bruce doesn't kill the joker == bruce doesn't love me", or at least not enough. he's refusing to accept bruce's grief as penance. jason has already named his price, and he will not recant it. he will accept nothing less than the death of the joker 😋😋😋

[avianyuh]

Yoon Jeonghan as a boyfriend

-

word count; 679

idk if it's because I've been watching a lot of svt content lately

(btw stream god of music)

but Jeonghan has been getting my attention lately so I thought this would be a fun write

first of all he's RUTHLESS

like you're not safe

he'd put you in your place if you said something dumb or tried to leave the house looking all weird

but you know, it's out of love

I think he's also a huge softie, which is shown in his friendships with the members

speaking of the members...

if you didn't get along with the members then...

bye bitch

I think he'd introduce you to Seungcheol and Joshua first

#95z

but for multiple reasons

#1; jeongcheol obvi. they're really close and I think Cheol's approval means a lot to him when it comes to letting someone in

#2; Jeonghan and Shua have known each other for a veryyyyy long time. I think those two were close to each other before anyone else because they had joined the company at the same time

So I think Jeonghan would really appreciate Joshua get to know you

#3; Seungcheol is great with vibe checks lol. Jeonghan probably wants a second opinion

#4;Jeonghan would probably just want you to be closer with Coups and Shua tbh (early on)

but he really wants you to get along with alllll of the members

they mean the world to him and he'd really make the effort to get all of you acquainted and friendly

I'm not saying you have to be besties with the boys (especially cuz there's 12 of them not including han)

but like, if one of the members is at home and doing nothing and you and Jeonghan are going out for the night

Jeonghan would invite his members along unless it was a really special date

it would mean a lot to Jeonghan if you were cool about that kind of stuff because he cares for you but he also really cares for his members

ANYWAYS

he's kind of a homebody

so you spend a lot of time inside

probably build Lego sets together

and when he goes on tour you take care of his pet rock

yes...that's a real thing he has, his name is Doljjong and he likes warm bathes

no seriously

Jeonghan is probably the best thing in your life if you're dating him

I think he'd be protective over you

He'd also probably enjoy taking care of you

making sure you're eating enough and checking in as frequently as he can if he's away

though he teases you a lot, I think he'd tell you he loves you alllll the time

like; "Jeonghan can you pass the remote" "Sure, I love you" "🤦🏻‍♀️"

you pretend you're sick of it but you love it and he knows that

he's very open with carats so if he really found the love of his life, he'd come clean and just show you off

I don't think he'd get caught I think he'd make you come on one of his lives or he'd mention you or something

but like I said, he's very protective and I think he might refrain from showing you off just in case it puts you in harm's way

he worries a lot about you

but it just shows how considerate he is

should I add some shexyyy shtufff???

ummmmmm

okay maybe a little bit

gentle in bed

like the type to brush the hair out of your face

heavy eye contact

I think he'd get shy to be honest

makes sure that NO ONE is around

kisses you everywhere

definitely into praising

just LOVES YOU

he shows it during sex and after

remember how I said he teases you?

I actually don't think he'd tease you during sex

I think he never wants to get his signals crossed

he wants you to know that he loves you

okay end of that

in conclusion; he's a dream man

loves you so so so much

loves being home with you and just being himself around you

he'd also be a great father

like...look at how he interacts with the younger members. he loves them so much and takes such good care of them

definitely think it's a testament to how he'd be as a parent

but even in your relationship, he's very caring with you and just such A BABE

-

enjoy some pics of Jeonghan❤️

{A/N; idk maybe I'll make a svt as dad's series lol. okay, anyways, stream svt god of music. vote for super for SOTY cuz it deserves it and send well wishes to Cheol and Mingyu. might do s.coups next cuz I've been missing him lately😢}

[creatingblackcharacters]

Thank you so much for the amazing resources and explanations you provide. Not only do they make it much easier and faster to look into care and hairstyles for coily hair outside of what im familiar with as an art resource(first time ive really seen twists f.ex), it also means there's no need to ask questions to my black or mixed friends that they've definitely heard enough of from other people.

Also, running this blog must be pretty damn draining. I really hope you're not burning yourself out while doing this and that you have a good day.

Black

And tbh, I'm glad to hear you say that, because that's a personal reason as to why I do this. Part of the exhaustion and the deep frustration with having these conversations with white people and other people of color is that it feels as though the onus is on us; that if you offend and dehumanize us, well, "no one ever taught me/you should have been nicer about it". It makes sense that many Black people would rather go "just don't depict/talk to me at all"- and I fully understand and respect why they don't want to bother. Even your friends would appreciate if y'all came in with a little more effort.

Anyway, I found myself and my friends having these conversations far more often than I'd like, and seeing absolutely zero change in the creative environment. So I figured- I got a big mouth, passion, and an applicable skill set. Okay! Let's take away the excuse (however invalid). By providing this resource, there's now a whole ass Black stranger openly willing to start all these conversations with you. If you choose not to take advantage of the free advice, that's your own decision to stay ignorant. I'm only going to point you to water.

So yeah it can be exhausting lol but I made a choice. And I like to think that it's making a difference. One more person who knows something new is (prayerfully) one less offensive piece of work for my peers to see.

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

Hi, I think this maybe constitutes a Wales Question! So, I'm English originally, currently in my third year at Aber university, and its reputation for "that place you go to study and then never ever leave" is looking like it's holding true. I've been living with two very good friends of mine who are extremely Welsh for nearly 2 years now, and in that time I've been slowly picking up bits of Welsh culture and language (it started with me not wanting to mess up trying to pronounce the biology building name and looking like an idiot, but I got very interested from there, and plan on taking a class after I graduate).

I'm serious about wanting to live here, I've fallen in love with the town and the country ever since my knowledge of it evolved from "dragons and sheep and funny long names on road signs" that I thought as a kid, and I've genuinely enjoyed being brought into the fold and joining in stuff with my friends, But. my friends are very adamant that this means I can Be Welsh, and I'm not sure how to take it. On one hand, of course I would like to be, but I'm not sure how much I can claim that confidently- I didn't grow up here, have barely lived here for that long, and there's still a lot I don't get so I'm worried about making it weird. On the other, I think adamantly declaring myself English instead and turning them down is very very easy to take the wrong way!

As the most vocally Welsh person I am aware of on tumblr, I am humbly requesting your take on this... would it be considered unreasonable for foreigners to claim Welshness, with enough effort put in to learning ofc? It would be very nice and appreciated to get a second opinion :)

Diolch yn fawr iawn!

Okay so obviously I am slapping on a HUGE caveat here that I am No One, I am just another stranger at the shouting match who sometimes has some thoughts about things I see and the ability to amusingly compare things to other things. What follows are the lukewarm takes of Just Some Person, and not to be taken as gospel in any way.

But also lol you did ask and I love giving opinions, I do, so let's gooooo

So first up, I do think you're slipping into the fallacy here of playing the Boxes Game with something that doesn't fit neatly into boxes, as indeed nothing about humans and people and humans being people actually does. The thing about national/cultural identity is that they aren't precise, immutable data points. 'Culture' is already quite a loose and ethereal beast - you're basically drawing a circle around a bunch of things and going "Everything in here is X Culture!", and you'll be largely right doing that; but, the edge of the circle isn't, in reality, a hard border. It's a gradient. The circle will overlap with other circles, too. And sometimes even the things in the centre of the circle turn out to be absent half the time, and it's all a bit messy. Really, it's a bell curve, and you're just looking to see what turns up most frequently, with the understanding that you only get the big picture from all the data points together.

Nationality is even fuzzier, tbh. It's a highly personal thing. I'm very Welsh - my Welshness, though, looks different even from other Welsh people in Swansea, and certainly from a Welsh person living in Caernarfon. There are definitely unifying elements; but ultimately, it's something you kind of carve out for yourself, both consciously and unconsciously.

And I bring that up because part of your question is, "At what point do I cross the line into the circle? How long do I have to wait and how much do I have to do before Welshness happens? When do I get to claim the label?"

And there's no answer to that. Not for anyone. This is an identity issue, not a hard scientific concept. Kind of reminds me of a lot of questioning folks in the queer community, in fact. Humans like boxes and labels because they're comforting, but ultimately, we fit in them about as well as angry cats.

With that said, though, it's certainly true that there is a profound and observable difference between a naturalised citizen and a long-term tourist, which I think is the root of your fears here. A Brit who likes holidaying to Spain and decides to go and live there but doesn't learn Spanish, doesn't integrate with the local community, doesn't respectfully partake of any local customs (especially if they condescendingly view the local customs as quirky or quaint, or worse, look down on them), who learns nothing of the history of the area or wider country... that Brit could live there for 40 years, could even go the whole hog and get Spanish citizenship. But they are nothing more than a long-term tourist. Part of claiming culture and nationality is that it's not a spectator sport.

But by contrast, if that Brit were to learn Spanish and use it in everyday life (even if they sometimes fell back on English, or used a funky mix like Spanglish sometimes); if they learned all the history, INCLUDING and MOST ESPECIALLY all the pressure points that mean a Brit in particular cannot do X thing or make X joke; if they integrate with the local community, helping neighbours and coming to community events; if they respectfully take part in local customs, and only add elements of their own culture after learning about the customs properly so they know which bits are important and which can be amended...

Well, that's a totally different matter, isn't it?

It sounds like you're in the latter camp. It's particularly encouraging that your Welsh friends are already adopting you, in the broody chicken fashion of Welsh Mams Everywhere, because it suggests that while you may be English, you aren't English TM (you know the type). So, that's a good start, and it certainly puts you on the path to Naturalised Citizen.

So at that point, I suppose it becomes a matter of personal comfort. You're certainly right that it's still, relatively speaking, quite a new facet of your identity that you've only just started exploring and developing. Learning Welsh, when you get round to it (check with the university by the way, Aber is very keen on helping students learn and can get you cheaper/free courses), will push you several miles down that road, because that's a big effort expenditure AND it will put you in touch with the second of Wales' two dominant cultures.

But ultimately, the label you use has to be down to what you feel fits best, and what you're comfortable with. If you aren't comfortable with 'Welsh' yet, then that's completely fine - it's not for you at the minute. Put it on a back burner. Maybe use 'British' for now? In place of 'English', which is more specific. Maybe you can say you're "from England originally", or that you were born there but live here now; both of those are accurate, but also give the statement of intent. They make it clear that, as an adult, Wales is 'home'. This is where you're choosing.

In any case... croeso i'r clwb! And a thousand thanks for learning the language, and even just for the effort you've put in so far. Even just learning the pronunciation puts you miles above most English people, in spite of it being such a basic thing to do. It's more appreciated than you can know.

Also sorry this got long lol

[cryptids]

I think it's been about like 3-4 years now since I resolved to try and leave a comment on every fic I enjoy enough to read all the way through to the end, and I do pretty much all of them (the few exceptions are always when I'm reading before bed and accidentally fall asleep then forget to do it lmao) So uhhh.... for no particular reason, here are some things I've learned over time? This is just me personally though so ymmv of course.

It becomes a lot easier to think of what to say after you've been doing it for a while. At first I used to really struggle with what to write and putting stuff into words?? But is easy for me now.

The commenting itself also becomes a habit after some time and stops feeling like something that takes significant extra effort. It's just second nature now and really does feel easier.

I only get a response from the authors on maybe like.... 1/5th?? Of the comments I leave. It can be disheartening at first (especially when it's a really long or heartfelt comment that took you ages to write) bc it feels like the writer isn't seeing it and you're just posting into the void lmao. My only advice is just to try not to let it discourage you... I know a lot of writers don't reply bc they're shy or aren't sure what to say, or they intend to and forget, or they just haven't checked that account in years. Tbh I just figured there's no way to know if my comment will be seen, but it's worth leaving them anyway bc the times they are appreciated always makes up for it like tenfold.

If you can't think of much to say or don't have the energy, simple stuff like "I loved this" or even just some heart emojis still seem to be appreciated in my experience.

Please don't feel too embarassed to leave comments on super old fics!! I've commented on some fics from 10+ years ago, and gotten delighted responses from their authors who were super happy to know people still enjoyed them.

Please don't feel embarassed to be the first commenter on a fic either. This could just be bc I'm always in rarepair hell but I can't even tell you how many fics I'm the singular comment under, even ones that have a lot of kudos and bookmarks. I promise its not weird to be the only person in a comment section, and yours might encourage others.

Making an account makes things quicker and easier than having to put your info in for anon comments each time. I have an empty ao3 account I use only for commenting and bookmarking, I recommend that for anyone else like me who is not a writer themselves.

I'm not bothering with "don't comment rude or entitled things" type of points or "how to write/structure a comment" bc there's already a lot of posts like that from fic writers, this is just some things from the pov of a regular commenter that I learned through my experience.

I think my final thing worth saying is that if you have any anxiety issues with feeling self conscious like I do, you might worry a lot that you're "being annoying" by leaving comments (especially if you end up leaving multiple by commenting on different chapters). But I've expressed this worry to a number of writers over the years and all of them have told me that its actually the opposite to annoying and they love it. So please let their words reassure you as well gsjshdjs

[yanderederee]

Anon Askbox Responses:

anon1:

losing motivation is the worst, but I just wanna say that it will come back eventually just try and not force it otherwise you'll feel like shit and that will make it worse. BUT IT WILL COME BACK and I'm excited to see your new works too since I love all your other ones :) but take your time and don't stress about others, focus on yourself and it's understandable to suddenly feel the need to get others to be proud of your work too but even if there's a small amount of people trust me those are the main people that LOVE your work. luv you <3

anon2:

Hi! I saw your poll and, I think you should write what you want to write. There are readers for a lot of different genres and scenarios. Personally, I like reading works that authors enjoyed writing, even if it's not what I usually read or even apart of the fandom, because I know that a human thought this up and put genuine effort into it. That alone makes any work worth reading. I myself am also in the situation of making my characters/scenarios too "edgy," but I think people should write something that they'll look back at and be glad they got out their brain. And tbh, I'll eat up whatever you cook because I enjoy your writing and I am starving for TKR content.

anon3:

i"d like to read everything ypu write, no matter confession or WIPs everything will be interesting, so you can post WIPs if you want (sorry tuat i wrote it here, i have some problems eith tumbler and i can etote under posts)

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯✦

First and foremost, THANK YOU! I appreciate everyone’s encouragement and support … I worry about spamming, and this decided to dedicate a response in this manner!:) even if these may be the same anon, I’m all the more grateful for your dedication thus far…

Honestly, as silly as it may sound… this little bit of interaction and support had really picked up my confidence some, and helped me in writing an entire Confession prompt…!

I will be posting it soon..! However, true to my previous Poll Post, I would like to revisit the older installments of my Baji x Tutor!Reader series, so that they may be more uniform!

Please look forward to it! I may reblog them, if the changes made and significant enough!

Again, thank you all very much once again! I hope to keep this motivation going for even one more work to see the light of day!:)

special thank you to the following blogs for their consistent support!:

@finleyfox , @imunknown894 , @keisukibaji , @goddessofwaifus , @w0lfeyc4t (I try remembering blogs I see regularly check on my page, but I am not always very observant…)

[konigsblog]

Do you have any tips or tricks to making it on this app? I see you get tons of asks and I admire your work so much, just curious what your take is on gaining traction in here! Much love!

tbh, i kinda just starting gaining traction randomly, i'm not exactly sure what caused it, but here's the stuff i do whilst writing.. and thank you!!! i really appreciate that you are admire my work since i put effort and time into it :)));

1. include detail, a lot of it.

2. explain smell, taste, feel, see, hear. (example; it tastes horrible. bitter, cold, sour..)

3. read over your work, maybe twice. you'll find typos and words to replace.

4. personally, i use emoticons, mainly ‘:(’ because that's how i either coo at something, or describe how it's unfair, upsetting, ect. (not necessary, just something that i started doing which may be a cause?)

5. use paragraphs. i can't stress this enough, i don't read things that aren't sectioned, i literally cannot for the life of me. it's a whole blur and difficult to read..

6. actually make the character sound correct. könig isn't a subby, whiney boy.. describe the characters better, please make a character analysis before in your note app.

7. open your requests, people have amazing ideas and it'll help you gain traction if you're posting stuff people actually want to read.

8. use punctuation (okay, maybe not too much, i use too many commas personally..) and always make sure the definition is correct before you write it, otherwise it'll make zero sense to whoever's reading it.

9. look around, what are people liking? what post's get a lot of likes, what post's don't get attraction or notes? if your post gets barely any likes, it's because people don't want to read that.. (don't copy otherwise you'll probably be forced to deactivate because of hate.. and it's just pointless 👐)

10. i personally like posting drabbles and blurbs, shorter length posts are easier to read in comparison to full fics. (easy to read, easier to enjoy it personally)

- so what i'm trying to say is; if your post doesn't get a lot of likes and it's a full fic you worked on, maybe change up your writing style, length, ect.

[ofmermaidstories]

About blocked anon. In general i agree with merms. Howevre. Ok im a silent reaer too for the most part. Tried a sideblog, but i get sidetracked and end up not using it. If the writer has an ao3 i try to leave a comment there but i have more trouble reblogging and interacting on tumblr fro some reason. I have been blocked too for not reblogging fics! But honestly I don't feel particularly bad about it cause I feel like I can't really blame a writer for blocking ppl who don't support their fics.

Like, it's not about talking to the writer, it's about reblogging their fics and show appreciation to the work they put in them and posting them for others. If that's important to that particular writer and they don't feel good with ppl who just lurk (like me) then it's their right to deal with it however they see fit.

I still look at their blog thoughthey just don't show on my dash. If anon wants to put the work and reblog and comment fics on a side blog if they don't want to do so on their main, and ask the writer to unblock them i'm sure they will (unless there's a different reason, like maybe the writer saw soemthign on anon's blog and was like "hmm don't like that". Can't do anything about that.)

You’re allowed to disagree with me, Anon, LOL, I promise don’t mind it—a difference of opinion (on inane things, and I would consider anything that happens on tumblr dot com short of harassment to be inane) is good! Healthy. 😌 Mix things up a bit. But—okay, let’s talk about the reblog debate.

I just don’t vibe with it, LOL. I don’t vibe with sniping people for being lurkers. 💅🏽✨ I don’t respect it, actually, if we’re going to get serious—yes, people can (and should!) curate their followings as they need to. If someone decides to deny you access to their online space then, no, you can’t do anything about it. I just also happen to think it’s one of the more stupid reasons you can block someone lmfao.

I know that the general (touted) thought process behind blocking lurkers is generally a parroted, “it’s about supporting writers”. And to be honest, I would respect the push more if people just admitted they wanted more comments LMAO. Because!!! I think that’s perfectly fine!!! It’s okay to be like, “hey I worked hard on this, and I would like to see a big fat number of notes or to have people in my inbox”. We are real people—real people taking the time and effort to create fun things for free, and it can be bitterly disappointing to have that met with silence or entitlement.

The solution to that though isn’t blocking people for being silent readers. Because that’s turning around and doing to them exactly want we don’t want done to us, as writers—it reduces them from being living human beings to numbers who are measured by how they can best serve (or “support”) you.

I can hear the “Merms this isn’t this serious, we just want more people to reblog fics” already but tbh… it is. I think it is because it lets the worst of us get away with treating each other really, really appallingly. You are absolutely allowed to deny someone access to your online space. But if you’re denying them that access and also making them feel bad (“you haven’t reblogged enough fics/you haven’t liked enough of my posts to fill the weekly quota/you’re not doing enough for me to be allowed to see this content I provide online publicly and for free”) then idk… sounds like ur the problem to me.

And look, I don’t say that easily. Tumblr has always been a site where mass hysteria breeds like mould; it tends to happen when online spaces become our Third Place for socialising. We don’t have the normal, social safety-rails that like, actual real-world Places like work or school have for us—we’re unleashed here in our downtime and feel protected by the anonymity of a screen. By the fact that we can’t see each other’s faces when we say things like, “you don’t do enough for me” to random strangers. I don’t like that! So I don’t police it on my own blog. 🫡

Fandom is one of the precious few spaces we have where anything goes. You can create whatever you want, however you want, and it’s all done purely for the love of it. It’s indulgent and silly and fun. So to come into this space and then directly make demands of the other people in it (“reblog x number of fics or else you’re not a real member of the community”) goes against the spirit of why we’re all in this shared space in the first place.

We can absolutely have a conversation about how to support each other—writers and readers—without fear mongering about lurkers being why “omg the community is dying”. I think the community is falling into a lull because people get obsessed with new things; a new show or game. New technology, like ChatGPT for instance, which gives maybe otherwise passive readers a chance to create their own fiction or pocket boyfriend, instantly. Maybe it’s even a generational thing—a change in how people socialise. We are in constant contact with each other, with constant availability—controlling what little we can, what we spend our energy on or how we engage with things in our third space is sometimes only control we have. I’m sure we could even dig digger about like, the consumerist behaviour and entitlements so many of us subconciously take on now—wanting instant updates or reading completed fics only or taking it for granted that we’ll be given an entire season to binge in one go.

I appreciate that writers want to push back against the audience entitlement that can come with creating readily available smut about popular characters. And yeah, reblogging does help showcase art and writing! But it can’t be demanded. It just can’t. Just how no-one has the right to demand you write how they want you to, or upload when they want you to, you don’t have a right to dictate how engage with your work (beyond not being dicks to it!!!!!! underscore!!!!!!).

Should we try and support each other, even through a small act like a reblog? Yes!!! It’s so so so good!!! Despite the essay I’ve just written, I am all for support being shown in whatever small way it can be!!!! But—there’s no entry fee, to being in a fandom. Not for lurkers, not for active readers, not for writers and not for artists. Demanding a fee like that just pushes people away and feeds them into traps like ChatGPT, which, while I understand and emphasise with it’s popularity (especially for younger readers), I will never support it. It’s using it’s current popularity as free training and when it’s learnt enough it will be monetised, but only after it’s stolen so much from all of us. And this is why we should protect the freedom of things like fanfic, and why we should say no to trying to turn each other into numbers or updates—we’re already products that are being sold, in so many other aspects of our lives. We desperately need spaces where we are free to be unhinged about little kissy stories and the characters they’re attached to.

I’m sorry Anon, I know you were just offering a counterpoint to blocked anon lmao, and I didn’t mean to unleash—but I am actually incredibly passionate about this topic, and the broader implications for the community a debate like this brings.

[books-are-my-life-stuff]

hiii! tysm for your kind tags on my post-canon lemon post (i keep re-reading them) <333 i really wanted to draw from canon and not make stuff up so your tags mean a lot! tbh i have so many ideas for lemon, including her relationship with the boys (she'd be besties with finn and surprisingly lance too! she goes to the farmer's market with dot. and mash would confess to her but she wouldn't get the hint lol) i'll making more posts as we speak haha and ty for all your lemon posts/sets, they always make my day! do you have any ideas for lemon?

I love your post-canon Lemon headcanons so much, thank you for sharing your ideas as well! I like how your ideas are very connected to what little information we have about her in the canon, so it all makes sense!

This ask has gotten a little long so under read more!

I like the idea of how the tables are turned (after Mash does not get a hint about Lemon's feelings in the original series, eventually the situation is flipped over and Lemon is too serious in doing her job when Mash confesses so now she ends up not getting the hint!), it's very satisfying! I want to know more about your ideas about her relationship with the boys! I'm sure it's gonna be fun to read!

It's not a problem! I like Lemon as well and I have fun making simple gifsets of her, and I'm happy to find someone who likes her as well! I love all of your pastel-colored gifsets too, they're all pretty and I adore all of them! I always love pastel-colored gifs, I often find them in bigger fandoms but they're a rarity in small fandoms like this, so your gifsets make me so happy! Thank you so much!

I do have some ideas about Lemon! Though I don't feel really confident sharing them until I feel it's "polished" enough if that makes sense, because I'm afraid of making her out of character hahah. It's just how I am! I wrote a fic of her, but it's from Finn's perspective and it's just how much I want them to be friends and how I imagine their friendship would be! It's here if you're interested!

Other than that, my other idea about her is that the final battle changed her. After the battle against the Innocent Zero, Lemon realized that she couldn't do much when Mash really needed her help. Deep inside, she was frustrated that as her future wife, she wasn't able to directly protect him on the battlefield as his heart was taken away. Her possessive nature was increasing, but that was merely a facade to hide her internal frustrations and how much she blamed herself for her helplessness in the final fight. She spends so many sleepless nights crying over it.

So, she hones her magic secretly, she asks Kaldo's help for his guidance because she knows from Finn that his magic has been greatly improved after his training with Kaldo, so from that she secretly trains with Kaldo as well. So much to the point of overworking herself and that's when Mash finds out. When Lemon collapses and Mash carries her to the infirmary, Lemon apologizes for making him worry, explains what happened, and says that as a future wife, she wants to be on his side and helps him whenever he needs it and becomes the first person he can rely on. After that, she properly confesses her feelings to him instead of forcing it like how she always did. Mash, who still doesn't understand romantic feelings, appreciates Lemon's great effort for his sake, but he is worried about Lemon who works too hard to the point of falling ill. So, in exchange, Mash will take care of her as much as he can until she feels well again. Unfortunately, the best that Mash can do is to remind Lemon to eat and drink her meds at the right time and offer cream puffs, but Lemon appreciates the gesture.

I also have a MashLemon idea, separate from the above: I think the reason why Lemon is very bold at expressing her feelings is because she knows damn well that her feelings won’t possibly be reciprocated. The person she loves is a kindhearted, physically strong young man with no thoughts head empty only cream puffs. There’s no way he would know things such as love and marriage, nor would he care about it. Especially after she visited his house, which just reinforces her assumption. That’s why she can be extremely bold with her feelings and advances because she knows he won’t answer her feelings. Even if deep in her heart she wants him to see her as more than just a friend, she knows it will never be possible.

This is why when he DOES respond to her advance, she gets extremely flustered and confused about what to do. Of course, as soon as he shows even the slightest hint of that, she would immediately punch him in the face just like in S1EP8 to deny that. She did that because she knew Mash wouldn’t lift a hand to stop her even though he could. This is why when he DOES hold her fist as she attempts to punch him in the face with little effort, and says: "You’re right, Lemon. We should get married.", Lemon is left speechless with her face now dyed in red due to embarrassment. She cannot reach out to her wand to cast a spell. Besides, knowing him, he would break free anyway, it’s pointless. When Mash gets a hold of both of her hands, his yellow eyes staring right at her as if he really means what he says--he’s bad at lying anyway--when he does reply to her feelings... Well, needless to say, Lemon doesn’t expect this outcome, and she’s running out of tricks.

There's also another idea of Dot properly confessing to Lemon and putting a resolution to his unanswered feelings, and what Lemon actually feels for him, but it's not polished enough so I can't say much.

But, yeah, I guess that's it! When I have ideas that I feel are "polished" enough I often immediately turn them into fanfics, but right now I'm in the "writer's block" phase after writing lots of them lately so I can't write much at the moment, and can only put some scrambled ideas.

It's really fun talking about Lemon with you!

[lqfiles]

heyy uhm thjs is my first time sending these kind of things and i js wanted to say that i really really reallyyyyy love stg, i've been reading it since chapter 10ish? but started following at about 20ish (srry abt that) and ik it doesn't mean much coming from an anonymous person but it makes me very happy (and PROUD) to see how many people are reading it now and how many asks you get :) overall im js immensely proud of you and your work

again ik it does not mean much coming from an anon but still you have no idea how great my days get when i get notis from your acc replying to questions or anons (cause i've figured it usually mean that you'll upload another chapter) ANYWAYS i've been struggling a LOT these few months, and one of the only things I seriously look up to is stg, so again, thank you SO so much :(

you don't even have to reply to this or anything (bc tbh i wouldn't know what to say either lol) but i would appreciate it if you could at least read it and know just how much power your ideas and writing actually have <3

also not sure if 50 was the last chapter (?) i was planning on writing smth like this when the smau ended BUT ITS WHATEVER RLLY !! anyways i will never be able to thank u enough for taking your time in this and genuinely putting effort and feelings on it, you are amazing !!

also im from Chile so idk if i made any mistakes while typing this… whatever i'll make sure to support you through each and every work of yours from now on ! take care <333

(god this was a little long IM SORRY again you don't have to reply to this i js hope u read it and know just how capable and dedicated you are and how happy you can make other people iwnsnsks <3)

anon you actually made me tear up wthh :(( LONG ANSWER INCOMING……

i think this is the best thing i could’ve been told and hear, and the fact that it’s anonymous doesn’t change how much your words mean to me trust me. i honestly wasn’t sure how commited i’d be to this smau since i never have managed to finish a slow burn ideas because of the lack of creativity. but i think the fact that you still kept up from such an early chapter (when i remember pointing out that i’m really just writing this without a full plot yet multiple times) is endearing and don’t worry, i don’t take it to heart that you didn’t follow me immediately loll, for all you knew this could’ve been the shittiest piece of writing and then you’d have to just unfollow lmaooo. also i think it’s cute that those who have kept up from early on until now have witnessed with me the growth of this series and the support on it 😭 i remember when 70 notes in day alone excited me and would get giddy by getting a SINGLE ask hsjdjdjd and now i’ve had chapters with 400 notes and get 10+ asks ??? i didn’t even really dwell on it that you guys who have been ogs too have seen the growth too :(( i think it’s quite funny, because last year, i rarely got any asks and barely checked on this account except for posting some drabbles here and there, and didn’t even speak to any mutuals, i remember i told myself i’d keep this a writing blog only without interacting much at all but ever since stg i’m surprised by the amount of mutuals i’ve made and how many people are really perceiving my account AND how interactive i’ve been even tho i’d usually log out immediately after posting something lmaoo! it’s cute and i appreciate you for sticking around and being proud of me !!! it honestly catches me off guard when some of you say that stg is the highlight of your day or how much you love it or how it has inspired you to start writing yourself, because i can’t comprehend myself being influential like that at ALL 😭😭 but at the same time it warms my heart every time because it makes me feel useful…? i like seeing people happy and feel inspired by something i did so seeing people be so happy of a mere chapter really does make me smile :) i’m sorry to hear that life is hard on you, but again it means a lot to me knowing stg DOES affect your day positively (can’t believe we’ll be reaching the end tho..)

this wasn’t the last chapter, i got two more and then some bonus chapters so i hope you’ll enjoy them and my future work as well anon <33 i’ll continue to pour my effort and feelings into my writing love you and thank you for making time to write this !!!

[taegularities]

Rid, this maybe a small rant so bear w me pls >:(

I was having a conversation with my roommate in college yesterday about books and reading in general. She is picky when it comes to reading, mostly inclining towards romance and sub genres within the umbrella. While I believe that reading anything is a good practice, she is radical in her opinion. In the sense that she believes books which are officially published in a hardcover are credible enough to be called books or novels for the matter. Recently i revealed to her that I’ve been reading fan fiction for 3 years now and her reaction was… quirky? She thinks that fanfiction writers are still amateurs in writing, have no experience with editors and they only write as a hobby so they don’t put in as much effort as a novel writer would, so their stories are dumb when compared to novelists and best selling authors. I argued that fan fiction is not something to be looked down upon cause some people have put out excellent things to read and they do work hard on their plots and characters. Even if they are not accustomed to working with publishers and all but that doesn’t work as an authentic judgement that fanfic writers can’t be placed as the same level of some authors. Just putting out a book in hardcover doesn’t equate quality of a story, it only means you had access with some publishing house. The argument kinda took a sour turn cause she was unwilling to take in my pov so I asked her if you think fanfic writers suck then tell me which stories you have read in your entire lifetime which you consider masterpieces then i might recommend you some stories from my end to change your perspective. She texted me sometime ago and most of her list includes Colleen Hoover 😐 it kinda made me realize that in fact we as readers must have a fanfic phase in life otherwise we would place authors like CoHo with incredibly poor taste in writing on the pedestal and look down on underrated talents in the field of literature. I still can’t comprehend what does CoHo write in her books that attracts mass attention from people cause all she does is glorify toxic relationships and normalize it with her weak happy endings. I’ve read around 3 books from her and lemme tell you some of the bts fics on ao3 & tumblr deserved way better audience than she does. In my opinion, the only reasons books like these blow up is due to people who have a first time experience in reading and don’t really take much interest in reading, it’s disgraceful to way better writers who are overlooked cause they don’t suit the usual trend due to certain criteria they don’t fit in, the criteria being easy choice of vocabulary, some aesthetic corny words, incredible smut and bland character development. Maybe the lack of quality romance novels in bookstores has me caving into fanfics because I feel in some measures I’d rather spend a week completing works of a fanfic writer with amazing plots for free over spending dollars and wasting time on books I end up disliking because of their stuff characters having absolutely no growth or a potential plot going to waste.

rant anytime, love <3

oof, i don't know much about colleen hoover, so i can't judge.. but honestly, any kind of creative work should be appreciated. like, i used to be young adult girly myself, and got into writing like that, so i feel like none of us should drag down someone's effort (not talking about you, just in general!!). and like, as a fanfic author myself i do feel a bit bleh about your friend saying we are amateurs bc we don't work with publishers lol :') i've actually thought about this before. editors have so much work to do, like they need to perfect a story, right? i know it's different for us, but most beta readers i know do the same.. literally sit down and spend hours reading a fic to help a writer improve it (shoutout to you ily @missgeniality). tbh, i'd say agree to disagree with your friend and enjoy whatever you enjoy!! sometimes it's hard to explain a pov to someone. but tysm for standing up for fanfic authors, like i'm so happy you cherish them the way you do <3

[quinloki]

Idk why Marco and Jinbe specifically are my favorite. Tbh they both show up so late in the manga but I don't even remember who my favorites were before them. I just saw them and it was an immediate latching on, my brain just went YUP THEMS THE ONE. (At least for Jinbe, with Marco it didn't happen until Marineford.) But where do I even begin. I'm head over heels for those men. I would bear their children if they wanted (and I don't want kids so much that I got sterilized, but if I weren't and they were real and asked- yes, anything for you, absolutely.)

Marco is just. Ugh, so cool, the moment he transformed I knew it was over (I am weak for animal-shifter characters or chars with animal traits.) But beyond the coolest zoan fruit ever he's just so loyal and fun and sweet. I think about Marco frequently. I don't generally use this phrase because it's a bit after my time, but I could consider him a comfort character. When I cook I think of Sanji standing by encouraging me. When I do difficult mental health stuff or taking care of myself I think of Marco. I know he would care so much it hurt. I just feel it. If I need reassurance falling asleep, bam, I just picture him with me. And things are better because someone I think is amazing cares.

Currently have a Marco/Reader longfic planned. The Google doc for it is 18k words of just notes/scene ideas. It's the longest doc of all my planned longfics. Speaking of which, I really need to read Birds of a Feather.

As for Jinbe... he's so genuinely kind and honest. I love his laugh. I love how badass he is. I love knowing how strong he is but knowing he would be SO gentle. He's a pillar in the communities he's in. He knows when he's made mistakes and apologizes sincerely (i.e. Arlong). He's determined and headstrong in a good way. I love how he shows that pride can be a beautiful, just thing.

Also I love how god dang BIG he is and I love his pointy teeth and big mouth and cute round nose. I'm terrified of whale sharks IRL (the thought of being in the water with anything big scares me but especially things with huge mouths like whales, like, just a picture of a basking shark feeding gives me the creeps) but I know Jinbe would take me swimming and introduce me to one all gently and show me there's nothing to be afraid of even as I have a death grip on his hand.

Marco is not Jinbe big but he's still stupidly tall compared to me and that makes me kinda swoon. I love my big faves. I love how happy thinking about them makes me.

I need to finish plotting a Jinbe fic. Shameful I've never put out any solo works with wither fave in them. Idk why!!! Brain weird.

Thanks for listening to my rambles!!

(Also, speaking of poly stuff, Ace keeps creeping into the Marco fic wanting to be included and at this point I'm starting to cave in...)

\o/ I love everything about this. I had to read it twice because my "I just woke up for the day" brain wasn't picking it all up the first time.

I will, without shame, say, yes, you should read Birds of a Feather. I'm quite proud of how it's turning out and it might become my personal favorite at this rate.

I've noticed that it can actually be harder to write about your faves. I think there's a paralysis in there of wanting to get it PERFECT, because your feelings for them are so strong that anything less than PERFECT isn't good enough. But, we don't love them cause they're perfect, and thus perfection isn't a requirement - it's never a requirement, it's a trap, honestly.

Getting words and lines on paper is all that's needed. The intent will be there, the skill will follow, but the EFFORT, that's the important part. The effort to just type or draw or whatever. That attempt, that time, that result - no matter how it turns out, that's the important part. That's the love.

To try and fail is more a sign of appreciation and love than to stay still waiting perfection.

BUT I HAVE DIGRESSED A BIT.

If Ace wants to be included, I wouldn't stop him. /nod nod/. More than that though, when you start posting these, tag me, or DM me or send an ask with a link.

I look forward to reading them ^_^

[plasmasimagination]

Hi I’m hoping that your match up’s are still open, but if there’s to many idc if you can’t get to mine 😭 if it’s alright can I get a match up for HSR and/or Genshin I don’t mind either

I’m an INFP and I’m a quiet individual practically around everyone that I meet. I try to make conversations as best as I can, and I tend to put my attention on everything and everyone that’s around (I get distracted so easily unless I’m focused really hard on something that I love). It takes me a while to open up to someone to the extent where I can be more talkative and silly with them. I’m pretty creative with a lot of things and like to share my ideas with people who have similar interests. The only thing is that I tend to be quiet about a lot of things especially when it bothers me so I just remain silent until the time is brought up (it ranges from 2 weeks to 2 years tbh cause I have this underlying fear of making people upset with me)

The things that I like to do is drawing, writing, playing video games and talking to friends. I know a lot of things about marine biology so I tend to ramble a lot about sea creatures and tell random facts about them. I also love music and like to share playlist with close friends. My love language is quality time, gifts and physical touch. Honestly I don’t really care if that person I’m with is doing something else or nothing at all, just being with them is fine enough for me.

I’m not to picky but as long as they listen to whatever I talk about I’m fine with whatever.

Hopefully this was good enough to put AA—

Hellooou darling

You didn't mention if you want male or females, so I just gave you a male from genshin and female from hsr

.

.

.

CHILDE

Your creativeness, would fit well with Childe's appreciation different forms of expression.

He'd find joy in hearing you talk/ show him about something you wrote / drew

The fact that you have the habit on focusing intensely on things a lot is also similar to childe when he's in battle, so he understands the devotion and often attempts to help you out in certain things

Childes nature between being stubborn and going headfirst into fights to being calmer and talkative , mirrors your shy and then chatty nature with close friends

Much like your efforts to make conversations, Childe similiary adapts to different situations and engages with those around him!

HIMEKO

Himeko is calm and collected

Himeko appreciates your quiet and calm attitude, she thinks that quiet people have a certain kind of charm to them

She's also very proud of you when you do make conversations with people, after all she wants nothing but pure happiness for you

She finds your hobbies quite interesting, and asks you about them a lot, asks to read your writings or see your art.

Himeko usually encourages you to tell people whenever something's bothering you and not bottle it up

Just as she encourages you to talk to her, she freaking loves talking to you

Himeko meets your love languages, some atleast, hers are quality time and physical touch, but she's also a fan of words of affirmations and gift giving

She prefers to spend a lot time with you, just sitting in each others embrace or simply enjoying sitting in the same room

And don't be surprised if you receive a few gifts here and there :}

[holocene-sims]

12, 15 and 17 for storytelling simblr asks. 🫶

hello hello!! thank you so much for the ask, i really appreciate it ❤️

12. do you actually play the game or do you just use it as a storytelling medium?

yes and no. i'll play my story sims (or tangentially related sims) in sims 4, but otherwise, no, i don't do gameplay in sims 4 because it's kind of boring to me. also no, i'm not really one of those people who slams sims 4 for being the worst sims game, it's more that i've made it less fun by choosing to tell a story through it. the time and energy i invest in and connections i make with my story sims is obviously gonna be way more fun than playing a generic gameplay household

sims 3 is my ~fun~ game though! and tbh i don't even post my screenies from sims 3 because as soon as i do, the pressure to make pretty posts overrides the fun of the gameplay

15. what have been the highlights of creating your story?

the highlight really has just been letting all my years of work creating this universe come into fruition. these characters have existed for SO long in my head and in the game, but i didn't have a reason to congeal it all into a narrative until i got the idea to frame the whole universe and its characters into this very neat and compact story of one man processing and healing from the absolute BULLSHIT that life has thrown his way

also, this is pretty much the first time i've ever committed to making a beginning to end linear story, so i'm proud of that aspect of making this story come to life! i've been writing for years but it's always been nonlinear drabbles. getting to try a different (and more proper) way of storytelling is super fun

17. what about the process do you hate?

taking pictures! i am NOT a visual person at all. i am a pure writer, through and through, and i genuinely think that is my best skill and something i'm talented at, but taking the pictures to go with the script SUCKS. i just don't have a natural grasp for lighting and angles and editing. whenever i try to spruce it up, it looks like a toddler did it lmfao. i'm almost jealous of the people who have gorgeous renders and reshade presets, but i'm not in the end because i realize people have different skillsets and it's fine for my pictures to be just tolerable enough

i also really hate using poses, hence why 99.9% of my pics are ~interpretive~ because i don't have the patience to stage a character doing something. i lose my sanity every time, so i will continue to refuse to stage unless i'm making romance scenes. those are the only scenes in my story that actually deserve the effort imo

[mermaidsirennikita]

What are your thoughts on the Phantom of the Opera movie?

Uhhhh they're complicated. I just rewatched it for the first time in many years (introducing it to my youngest sibling who was born three years!!! after it came out!!!) and idk. I definitely don't think it's a super solid movie, but I also think it got shit on in a way that I find extremely dated--it's too campy! It's too gaudy! It's too over the top! Like, I'm sorry, have you even vaguely heard of the musical? Even the original source material. This is the story of a middle-aged virgin who groomed an opera singer into loving him while he desperately tries to get up the courage to hold her hand. Also murder.

If anything, I think it could have been more over the top. I enjoy the visuals of the movie (the golden opera music, the wintry scenes, the Sissi dress) but honestly? I'd love to see what the fuck Baz would do with the source material. Phantom should've, imo, gotten something bombastic and bigger and more impassioned, like Moulin Rouge.

I think that Schumacher's directing issues were like, less about the *look* and more about some of the direction I think he gave the actors, a general staticness at points--I think The Point of No Return is one of the better parts of the movie, but when you compare it to how some stage productions have done it, it just doesn't go hard enough. He should've been groping her more.

Buuuut lol he couldn't have, because Emmy Rossum was underage. This is where I go to another issue, which is casting. Now, to be clear, I love Emmy Rossum, and I don't think the general flatness of her performance entirely unintentional or really her fault. She was a baby here, but I don't think the script had a very good handle on how to take Christine from the stage to the movies, and flattened her out a lot more. I do think about what Anne Hathaway, who auditioned for the role as well and is 4 years older than Emmy, who would've been able to embody the burgeoning sexuality in Christine a little more explicitly, would've done with it.

Patrick Wilson is another actor I like and he did well as Raoul, but I think there was again an issue with translating the character--Raoul is not a super popular guy, but I like him, and I actually appreciate his efforts being bigger in this movie, but! I do feel like it felt at times like the script was overly aware of Raoul not having a lot to do. And it's like... if you're padding out a character for the movie... you pad out Christine lol........... not her boyfriend................ Christine is heroine..................

And Gerard Butler... Generally, I'm not a fan, but he does have a couple movies where I think he does a good job. I love P.S. I Love You. That's the best I've ever seen him in anything. I also enjoy 300, for very different reasons. I get why the impulse was to cast a guy who was seen as "sexy" at the time, and I don't think that's a bad impulse. But like, aside from the acting, which I think could've been like... again, hornier, but that's not really his fault, but also just more volatile and vulnerable and weird............ like I'm not suggesting Adam Driver for this role lol, but I'm saying whoever tries this again should really be giving the kind of performance that actors like Adam Driver and Andrew Garfield give, is what I'm saying... Aside from all THAT lol--Butler obviously didn't have the singing chops. And I don't even think his singing was as bad as I remembered, though he does totally shout some lines and his "soar" hurts me. He's just not where he needs to be in that kind of role. He can't put the type of subtleties of emotion in his voice that he should, and tbh, very few actors who haven't done bIG musical work on the stage could, I think? It's a refined skill.

Also, Erik's makeup sucked. Like, it's very funny and adds something to watching this with others, because my sibling did go "where is it?" when he's unmasked and looks in the mirror after Music of the Night. But it's not what it should be, lol.

So yeah. I think it didn't go far enough and it didn't serve its actors well enough, and there were casting issues aside from that, but I like the camp and the extent to which it went gaudy, the gaudiness, and I have a fun time watching it. Especially when I'm drunk or stoned or both.