#i was mostly content with my appearance - but not HAPPY (if that makes any sense?)

[mysteryman-17]

Hey guys. I'm... still a bit nervous about this admittedly, even after having so much support on other platforms, but. Given some things that have happened the past couple weeks, along with some stuff that I was waiting on falling into place and having me feel rly gud, I figured I might as well let y'all know.

Hi there, I'm Ashley. I'm a girl, and I go by she/her. :)

Also! Probably going to see about getting something made that has a more suitable resolution for being a profile pic a lil later (have hit my bank a bit hard this pay cycle lol,) but in the meantime, ye here's my new PFP! Was made by my lovely gf @kuronatcher (who has also been extremely supportive of me <3)

[metal-mouse]

Because You're Mine

pairing: Ominis Gaunt x f!MC (m/f pairing)

themes: smut. troping tropeily. ye olde patch him up and then bang him.

warnings: 18+. Minors DNI. p in v. unprotected sex. fingering. horrendous pull out game. possessive!Ominis. someone threatens to dose you with a love potion. blood. mentions of violence. everyone is aged up.

summary: 3.9k word count. You are most surprised to see Ominis Gaunt return to you with a broken nose and a black eye from a fight. He's being awfully cryptic about who he got into a fight with, until you've finished healing him and he confesses why he's so upset.

note: Had a dream about this recently and decided to share it as a treat and also sometimes the best way to break through writer's block is to lean on the tropiest of tropes. Come get y'all juice. left MC house as ambiguous - I'm very Slytherin coded my b. i take liberties on what kind of undergarments they wear. Not an ounce of editing to be found.

@anto-pops @localravenclaw look guys i finished it

You didn’t look up from your book as the door to the Room of Requirement groaned open. There were only two people who knew of this room besides you, and as Professor Weasley hadn’t stepped foot in it since your fifth year, that left only one person. 

“Hello Ominis.” You called out your greeting, nearing the end of the page. He didn’t respond, which made you look up. You dropped the book and sat up straight at the sight of him. His cheeks were pink, there was a gash on the bridge of his nose which was steadily dripping blood, and one of his eyes was beginning to swell shut. Worry filled you, as your mind went to all of the worst case scenarios for what could have caused this. You stood up and hurried towards him, urging him to sit down on the sofa you had just been occupying. 

“Hello.” He said finally, in a dejected voice. 

“Are you alright?” You asked, a table appearing next to you with a bowl of water and some cloths. You very gently took his jaw in your hands as you tilted his head up to inspect his wounds. The cut on his nose was deep, and now that you were up close you could see his nose was slightly crooked. His pain was very evident, and his frown likely wasn’t making it any better. 

“I’m wonderful, thank you for asking.” Ominis hissed as you turned his head to get a better look at his eye. You were fairly certain his cheekbone wasn’t broken, which was more than you could say for his poor nose. 

“What happened?” You asked, ignoring his irritated sarcasm. If anything, it only suggested to you that he was fine beyond the wounds on his face and possibly a bruised ego. You weren’t sure if you had the skill to repair his nose. In the last year, you’d taken to spending more time in the hospital wing with Nurse Blainey. You’d assisted her during a detention once, and she had been more than happy to show you some of the healing arts. You knew the spell… perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to try? 

“I got into a fight.” He said, skirting around your question. 

“Well, obviously. I would love some detail, if you’re willing to provide. When Sebastian comes around all beat up like this it makes sense, but you mostly keep your hands to yourself,” You said while taking one of the cloths and gently pressing it to his nose, “hold that. I’m out of wiggenweld, I’m going to brew some.” His hand replaced yours as he held the cloth to staunch the blood dripping from his nose. You looked down at his uniform. His shirt and tie were covered in blood.

“Is detail truly important? I was in a fight, and now I’m here.” Ominis’ voice was muffled from the cloth. You poured some water into the cauldron atop your potions station. He was usually very open with you, content to tell you all of his deepest thoughts. Somewhere deep in your mind you wondered if this fight had somehow been caused by you. He had gone to Hogsmeade today with Sebastian, and Rookwood’s Ashwinders still tried to prey on you. You prepared your Horklump juice and Dittany leaves, waiting for the water in the cauldron to begin bubbling. It was strange that he would keep something like that from you, even if he didn’t want you to worry. 

“It’s clearly bothering you a lot, Ominis.” You said softly. He made an angry noise and didn’t respond. Now that the cauldron was bubbling, you added the ingredients and stirred the correct amount of times. You turned away to let it brew until it was ready, and returned to Ominis’ side. You wordlessly took the cloth from him and pulled it aside. It was drenched in blood, but it had mostly stopped the bleeding coming from both his nostrils and the gash on the bridge of his nose. 

“Ouch!” He hissed as you reached up and gently poked at his nose. 

“Stay still. It’s broken. Does anything else hurt?” You mumbled, climbing into his lap and holding his face steady with one hand. You fumbled for your wand, and he let out a little panicked breath and shook his head a little.

“What are you doing?” He asked, his good eye widening slightly.

“The Wiggenweld can’t straighten a broken nose. Don’t move. Episkey!” You said. He yelped as his nose cracked back into its normal position and the gash healed. You nodded in approval, pleased that the spell had worked. You’d never cast it beyond Nurse Blainey’s watchful eye. 

“There. I bet you can breathe a little better now.” You said, removing yourself from his lap to check on your potion. Ominis took a long, very audible breath. You watched him as he reached up and felt his nose. He looked absolutely miserable. Your lips pressed together in a frown, it was worrying how little information he was willing to divulge. 

“Have you seen Sebastian?” He asked. 

“No, I thought he was with you.” You said, scooping some of your completed wiggenweld potion into a glass. Anxiety briefly pulsed in your chest, worrying that whoever had attacked Ominis had also gotten Sebastian. No. He wouldn’t have come to you unless he knew Sebastian was safe. 

“He never met me. Must be with Violet.” He snorted, sounding absolutely furious with his friend. You tilted your head, making a small sound of agreement. Violet McDowell was Sebastian’s particular flavour this week after you’d forbidden him from asking Poppy Sweeting on a date. You had promised him swift and painful retribution if he had even looked at Poppy without the intent of marrying her and loving her forever. 

“Here. Drink this.” You said, handing Ominis the glass full of wiggenweld. You crouched in front of him, a hand on his knee balancing him as he drank. The bruising around his eye faded, and he sighed with relief as he set down the now empty glass. You stayed crouched before him, your fingers drumming on his knee as a sign that you would love an explanation. 

“You really can’t just let it go?” He asked. 

“I’m sorry, I’m worried. It’s frightening when you get hurt.” You squeezed his knee a little. He let out a little sight, his frown softening.

“No, please don’t apologize. It should be me apologizing, I can see how someone arriving covered in blood would be worrying - especially for you.” He put his hand over yours. You stood then, setting your wand to the side as you settled down beside him. 

“If you really don’t want to tell me what happened, please just tell me if this is going to be a recurring problem.” You said in compromise, taking his hand again. He looked deep in thought, clearly battling with his inner thoughts.

“I heard two sixth-years plotting about how they were going to slip you a love potion.” Ominis said finally. You blinked in surprise. Out of everything that could have come out of his mouth, that had been the one you least expected. 

“A love potion?” You echoed. He nodded, and you admired the rage on his face. He’d fought two boys purely because they wanted to give you a love potion. You fought the smile spreading on your lips. For someone who was awfully composed, he was certainly prone to his jealous moments. 

“Yes. A love potion. They’re lucky I haven’t gone directly to the Headmaster. I should have them both expelled.” He sneered. Your face went hot at the arrogance in his voice. You leaned in, loosening his bloody tie and tossing it to the side.

“You’re covered in blood.” You informed him. He wasn’t really listening to you at all, instead he was caught up in his own rage. You took that opportunity to unbutton his shirt so you could remove it and try to clean the blood off. 

“Foolish, impudent worms. Gryffindors always think they’re entitled to that which is not theirs.” He pulled his arms out of the sleeves when you tugged on his shirt. He may not have been paying attention to you, but you were hanging onto his every word. That which is not theirs? That statement certainly held some heavy implications. You were grateful he’d stepped in of course, love potions were risky and you did prefer to make your own decisions.

 Ominis continued his monologue, describing precisely what he had done to the Gryffindor boys for their crime. You took a clean cloth and dampened it to wipe the blood off his neck and chest. He’d been exceptionally cruel to the boys, and every word he spoke had your heart beating faster. It was becoming difficult to pay attention to your cleaning. He’d taken their threat personally, and had essentially destroyed them for it. Broken their wands, hanging them upside down from a tree, blackened eyes, he had truly done a number on them. Out of your little trio he was widely regarded as the most peaceful, with Sebastian being the most violence-prone and you falling somewhere between the two. He was incredibly protective of you, something you’d discovered even when your friendship had only just begun to bloom. 

His hand closed around your wrist suddenly, and you realized you had stopped moving. You looked at his face, his hair was a mess, his cheeks were still pink, and he held an expression you’d never seen before. You were suddenly desperate to break the silence. His other hand lifted to your cheek, his fingers delicately tracing along your jawline. 

“They can’t have you.” He whispered, his fingers moved down your neck slowly. Your breath hitched at this display of possessive intimacy that you had never seen before. You and Ominis had your fair share of intimate moments, but this? Never anything like this. This was an entirely new side to him. It was something you’d expect of Sebastian, the man who moped over girls he’d barely been involved with for longer than a week, but never Ominis. You didn’t know what to say. When you had first crossed that border between friendship and something more, it had been relatively laid back. You went for walks together, bought each other sweets and butterbeers from Hogsmeade, and spent late nights in each other’s arms in the Room of Requirement or the Undercroft. This change was almost as unexpected as its impact on you. You knew deep down that this should not be making you so aroused.  

“Where has thi–'' You were cut off when Ominis leaned in and kissed you. You dropped the cloth from your hand as he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you onto his lap. You draped one arm behind his neck, and rested the palm of your other on his cheek with your fingers in his hair as you matched his passion. It wasn’t rough, so much as it was claiming. His cold hands pressed against the skin of your back making you gasp and arch against him. He took this opportunity to deepen the kiss, his tongue moving so sinfully your core was steadily aching now. You knew precisely what that tongue was capable of, and you’d grown to anticipate it. Dream about it even. 

His rapidly warming fingers stroked your sides as he brought them under your front and withdrew them from your shirt entirely. As Ominis began to unbutton your shirt, you began to lightly rock your hips to create some friction between you and the bulge in his trousers. He let out a low groan and proceeded to rip your shirt open. Your eyes snapped open as you sat back a little bit in surprise, but he pulled you back against him with a single tug of your shirt. His hands went to your chest, and he let out a dark laugh against your mouth when he felt only skin. You weren’t wearing anything under your shirt. His mouth lowered and he left hot, wet kisses and little nips down your jaw and onto your neck. You couldn’t contain the small moans and gasps that tumbled from your lips. 

Ominis’ tongue ran along your collar, and his hands roamed to your backside where he wrapped his arms around you and lifted you up more. The hand you had in his hair shot to the back of the sofa to brace yourself. You cried out as he bit down on the side of your breast. His tongue delicately swiped out licking the hurt he’d just caused. He held you up with one arm, his other hand running along your backside and between your legs. The fabric of your trousers was disappointingly thick, and you felt far too constrained while wearing them. His hand moved to cup your breast as he swirled his tongue over your sensitive nipple. He stopped suddenly, his hands falling to your waist as he pushed you back slightly. 

“Take off your trousers.” He commanded. The bark in his voice sent a wave of heat to your core. You stood up, fumbling with the buttons before finally pushing them down. He reached out and made a sound of displeasure when his hands ran over your underwear. He hooked his thumbs in the waistline and yanked them down. You stepped out of your trousers and undergarments, and Ominis checked to make sure you’d done precisely what he had wanted. He made no move to remove his trousers. You stared at his bulge desperate to see him undressed. It wasn’t fair that you were now bare in front of him, and he was still half-dressed. 

“I want to taste you.” You pleaded in an attempt to get him to take his trousers off. 

“As reluctant as I am to deny you, don’t you think you’ve taken enough care of me today?” Ominis’ lips twisted into an arrogant smile, as he turned you around and pulled you back. You fell into his lap. One of his arms looped around you pulling you back against his chest. His lips pressed to your neck, leaving kisses and small bites all along the smooth column. He pushed your legs open wide, biting down hard on the flesh of your shoulder. You cried out, your eyes squeezing shut at the pleasurable pain. One hand ran along the inside of your thigh, and the other stayed planted on your belly. 

“Those fools think they could have this. That they could have what is mine.” His breath was hot on your neck. You whined as his hand stroking your thigh got closer and closer to where you wanted it. 

“Please Ominis.” You complained when his fingers brushed next to your wet and aching center but he didn’t touch it. Your lip curled, two could play at this game. You began to rotate your hips slowly, grinding down on the bulge in his pants. Your hands covered his and you moved them to where you wanted them to be. One between your legs on your heat, the other cupping your breast. He huffed out a laugh.

“Eager, aren’t we?” He chided. 

“I thought you wanted to prove I’m yours.” Now this spurred him on. Without warning he curled two fingers inside of you. Your back arched as you let out a gasp and Ominis began to pump his long fingers deep inside of you, ensuring the heel of his palm pressed against your clit while he worked. While his fingers curled against your sweet spot, you shamelessly rutted against his palm to elevate you even higher into ecstasy. 

“Is that better, darling?” He asked, nibbling on the back of your ear. 

“Uh huh.” You moaned, nodding your head. You wished you could kiss him. You wanted to face him and have him buried deep inside of you. You would have turned around if this didn’t feel so fucking good. There was something about him being in complete control and doing what he wanted with you. You weren’t even tied up, yet you felt useless to do anything to pleasure him beyond grinding against his bulge. There was a tantalizing pressure building inside of you, and you knew you weren’t going to last much longer. Ominis seemed to have realized as he pressed further into you and his fingers kept up the exact same pace. Your head fell back against his shoulder, his free hand coming up to wrap around your throat. 

“Right there?” He asked. You nodded against him, unable to form a coherent thought. You writhed against him, pressing his palm hard against your clit. Your eyes squeezed shut as you fell over the edge and bolts of pleasure made your toes curl. You let out a sinful scream that may have been his name. Ominis didn’t stop, letting you ride out your orgasm on his hand until your knees clamped together and he withdrew. You were a panting mess as he gently guided you to lay on your back. You heard the sound of his belt hitting the ground, and you opened your eyes and watched him pull down his trousers. You moaned at the sight of his cock springing free, delightfully pink and large. 

Ominis knelt on the couch between your knees, lowering himself over you. Impatient and greedy, you wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him to press your lips to his. You were hungry for him, your tongue swiping over his bottom lip prompting him to open up for you. You were certain the way he tasted would stay with you for the rest of your life, so damn sweet and addicting. Reaching down, you gently wrapped your hand around his cock and lined it with your entrance. Slowly, Ominis pressed into you with a low moan. You were distracted from your kiss at the feeling of his cock filling you up. He always went slow when he started, knowing it drove you crazy. Once he was sheathed fully inside of you, he stayed completely still aside from the hand that laced in your hair lifting your head again to press a sweet kiss against your lips. 

“I’ve always been yours.” You whispered as his forehead rested against yours. His eyes snapped open at this, his fingers curling so he was pulling your hair. He ground into you, and you choked on a moan. Ominis pulled out nearly all the way and slammed back into you with a husky groan. He hooked his free arm behind your knee, pushing your leg up and out of the way as he settled into a slow and steady rhythm. 

“Of course you have. I fit s-so perfectly, it’s like you were made for me.” The little stammer in his sentence made your heart flutter. You gasped when Ominis rolled his hips forward deepening his thrusts. Your nails scraped across his shoulders as your mind was overtaken by pleasure and thoughts of him. The moans and small praises that came as a steady stream from his mouth paired with his cock hitting every angle inside of you had you on a high you didn’t think possible. 

You arched your back in an attempt to let him deeper inside of you. Despite being connected at your most intimate part, you wanted more. You wanted inside of his heart, inside of his soul. Through your pleasure, you opened your eyes to look upon his face. His eyes were heavy-lidded with pleasure, his mouth hung open and his skin completely flushed, his hair an absolute mess. You loved it. Without warning, Ominis picked up the pace slamming into you without restraint. You dug your fingernails into his shoulders now, forcing him down to kiss you. His arms wrapped around your waist arching your back even further and changing the angle which he fucked into you. Between the feeling of his lips on yours, and his cock inside your already sensitive cunt, you were rapidly tumbling towards another orgasm. When Ominis took one hand from under you and reached down to rub circles on your swollen clit, your head fell back.

“Come.” Ominis ordered, and you didn’t even have it in you to scream this time. Ominis muttered a string of curse words as your walls clenched around him and you rose up to clamp your teeth down on his shoulder. It was almost painful how hard he had made you come, and some primal part of you needed him to share in that feeling. He kept his steady pace, not faltering once as he chased his own pleasure with a great moan. The hand that had been rubbing you clamped around your neck and squeezed. You watched him and saw in his face he was close. You met his thrusts, matching his rhythm. His chest heaved and a light sheen of sweat had formed across his body. In that moment you were certain that it wouldn’t matter if someone gave you a love potion, Ominis was all you’d be able to see. 

“Yours, Ominis.” You whispered, incapable of telling him truly what you were thinking. His fingers dug into you and his grip on your neck tightened. Almost there. You watched in awe as his head dropped and he let out a guttural groan that slightly resembled your name. His cock twitched and his body trembled as he emptied himself inside of you with shallow thrusts. Ominis’ hand let go of your throat, and he collapsed on top of you. Both of you were breathing heavily, and you wrapped your arms around him holding him tight to your chest. You pressed kisses to the top of his head and he let out a wordless groan. After a few moments passed, Ominis slowly pulled out leaving you feeling empty.

“We should have conjured a bed.” He mumbled. You let out a little laugh as one appeared next to the sofa. Ominis rolled over, taking you with him so that you were laying on his chest instead of him atop of you. You knew that you should get up and probably clean yourself off, but with his arms around you and your genuine concern about your ability to stand, you were content to just stay. 

“Maybe you should get into more fights.” You sighed, reveling in the lovely feelings of your afterglow. He laughed, gently rubbing your back.

“If men don’t learn how to behave, I just might.” He said. You could do without him getting injured, but if this was how he reacted when he was jealous or feeling possessive? You could definitely get behind that. 

“I’ll be here when you do.” You sighed, thinking about how you should really restock on your wiggenweld potions. 

“And, for the foreseeable future, I will be tasting your food and drink before you.” Ominis said, making you snort. 

“What am I, the Queen of England? I don’t need a food taster, Ominis, if anything I’ll just start carrying around an antidote to love potions.” You told him.

“You can be my Queen.” He grinned at you.

“You’re not allowed to speak with Sebastian anymore, he’s rubbing off on you.” You sat up a little bit to get a better angle as you looked down at his face. 

“That’s your job, Darling.” 

“My point has been proven.” You smiled widely at the sound of his laughter. When you were with Ominis is when you were happiest. You were safe, comfortable, and content. You were in love, and you were his.

[mintaikk]

Analyzing the Symbrock kiss bcuz I've lost all sense of shame

Thinkin about that scene in 2018 Venom where Venom saved Eddie in the Forest. Imma refer to Venom as she/it in this post because they're agender, I wanna show that more, and I think that they just take on the gender and pronouns of whatever gender their host is. But please note that appearance doesnt always equal gender, and im just reffering to this rn because i like agender Venomm. Anyways!

The way she snuck in using her tentacles to kill the guys one by one. Venom was literally so excited to save her dumbass human. Look at the way it tosses the guy like a ragdoll. Look at her stance. Look at the confidence. Look at the way she looks down at Eddie. Look at the way it licks its lips. The way she's grinning more than usual and says, "Hi, Eddie." Bro is LOVING this.

We all know Venom is actually a really sappy romantic. I KNOW bro was excited for this rescue romance and how happy she was that she got to be the "knight in shining armor."

AND IT WORKED.

Look at Eddie's face when he realized that Venom was coming to save him. Pure happiness. Pure excitement. Pure, "my boyfriend's back and you're gonna get in trouble." Pure, "lmao, yall are FUCKED"

NOT TO MENTION HIS OTHER REACTION

Sadly, I can't put the clip because of tumblers "one video per post" rule. But yall remeber his little, "woahhh," right? Pure awe? Also, the fact that he was clearly into it. He saw Venom eat a guy's head and immediately after is just like "😮👉👈."He was literally just-

And of course, the kiss that made dudebros do mental backflips to explain away.

Venom's still super excited. Look at how happy it is to pick Eddie up! Look at its tongue waving in the air! Also, another thing to note is that this is the first time Venom closes its eyes. In the first two movies, Venom never blinks or closes its eyes at all. But, the first time she closed her eyes was to express emotion when kissing Eddie.

This is as much as I'm going to in the gif show bcuz as much as I love the scene, I also kind of found it gross (I kept imagining the spit everywhere and it looked like Eddie was eating Anne when we saw her and the liquidy noises grossed me out) but still. Look at Venom's face.

I actually think this is the first and only time as of now that we saw Venom look so peaceful. Eddie is Venom's home, and it feels safe with him. It could've bonded with him any other way, but she chose to bond with Eddie by shoving her tongue down his throat because she wanted to. And also, probably to complete the, "we make out under the Moonlight after I rescue you," thing because again, Venom is a giant romantic sap.

Also, she literally wrapped her tentacles around him his neck and shoulders. While you could argue that it was just symbiosis through skin contact, like we've seen before in the movie, I still find it very sweet.

Oh, yeah, Eddie's reaction. Eddie had absolutely no idea that Anne was the host. Even when she appeared, his eyes were closed so he couldn't tell. All he knew was that his not alien bf that he thought was killing him came to his rescue, picked him up, and started French kissing him. And he just went, "yeah okay." Didn't even try to fight back. Didn't pull away from the kiss, in fact, even leaning into it, all while moaning.

Another thing: while the host can communicate with the symbiote, the Symbiote cannot conteol their own body, so all of this was Venom. Anne even admits later in the movie that the kiss was Venom's idea. And in a deleted scene, Anne says that the kiss was "mostly her," but Venom pipes up and yells, "Well actually it was mostly me!" While cut content shouldn't be considered canon, I find it funny that Venom wanted Eddie to know that the kiss was his idea. Yes, his ass is weirdly flirting with Eddie, lol. (He/him cuz at that point, his host was Eddie).

[bonny-kookoo]

I like u couple is so cute!!! Has mc met any of jk's exes? Like maybe even saw them around randomly? How did that go? Really curious how jk became the way he was at the start of their relationship

A/N: Warnings for potentially triggering content. Mentions of suicidal thoughts (VERY brief mention), PTSD.

"Oh, Jungkook?" A voice asks, and he wants to just get swallowed by the ground below. He really doesn't want to deal with her right now or ever- but mostly because he's not sure if he's capable of really dealing with it yet.

If he will ever be able to.

"Oh it is you! My god-" his ex smiles, visibly stunned by his appearance in the store. "-You.. wow. You changed a lot. How are you?" She asks, and and Jungkook can't help but let his tongue run over his piercings. They're new- she's never seen any of the by now two of them. Neither has she ever seen his new tattoos, now all colored and bold, and neither has he ever been this good in shape.

"I'm good." He nods, a bit tense, and she nods, her eyes familiar but also terrifying to him. He's scared of her. Not because she could physically hurt him right now or ever-

But because she hurt him emotionally, and he knows that's something she's probably still capable of, if he lets her.

"Listen.. I know we kind of ended on a bad note, and I'd.. I felt bad ever since." She apologizes, biting her lip, before she pulls out her phone. "Can we maybe talk? I want to at least.. I don't know, explain myself to you. Explain why you.. kind of made me feel like I had to break up, you know?" She says, and he feels his throat clog up as if he's having a panic attack.

He can't bring himself to tell her no. He's never been able to.

"And hey, it probably was good to take a break- I mean look at you!" She giggles almost excitedly. "You look like you finally grew up to be a man!" She laughs, and he's hurting again.

It's always been like that, even back then. Whenever she was happy, he wasn't. It was as if only his misery brought her joy.

"Still quiet though.." she teases, leaning in to catch his gaze as he's looking down. Maybe it's the fact she's older than him. Maybe she's always been intimidating to him. Or maybe he just felt like prey in her claws, her personality leaving him no breathing room. She's confident after all-

Wait. You're confident too. Why are you never making him feel like that?

You're just as bold, just as loud, just as confident. And yet, he never feels so suffocated like he does right now with her. You never make him feel pressured, or caged in, or as if he's cornered.

He feels free with you. He feels at ease. Soft. Alive.

When everything she's ever made him feel was the wish to be dead.

He takes a step back, breathes in, finally finds her gaze. "I don't want to." He says, and it's visible in her entire posture and face that she's taken aback. "And yeah- the breakup.. was good for me. It.. gave me time to heal." He nods to himself, as if he has to hype himself up to keep going.

Her brows lower. Her eyes become serious. He feels his confidence crumble.

"Kookie! I finally found one that fits-" you chirp, stopping for a second, sensing the tension. "Oh." You say.

"Oh." She says at the same time, clearly surprised.

It's now that Jungkook realizes the difference between you and her. You're colorful, vibrant, sparkling like a gemstone, happy and most of all-

Honest. In every word you say, everything you do.

"Awesome. Let's go pay for it and then get something to eat." He tells you, suddenly feeling energized again, as if your presence suddenly put armor on him. You're here. She can't hurt him if you're here.

"I see." She says, chuckles to herself as she looks you up and down. "Interesting choice." She bites. You laugh.

"Could say the same. You sure that top fits?" You giggle, before you take Jungkook's hand, making him grin, dimples showing.

And right there, between cheap jewelry and discount clothing is where he leaves her, his past, and his fears.

Walking out the store.

Together with you.

[r--kt]

Good boy Tobi. Why is he acting this way?

"oh yeah, it was just Zetsu" a-ha, not even close. here I'll talk specifically why Obito resorts to roleplay, and why he is comfortable with the images of Madara and Tobi. (obviously because it's not being himself but let's dig deeper)

contents | responsibility · regrets · a sense of control · conclusions

Vol. 31 CH. 280. Tobi's first appearance.

sure this looks like another defense mechanism that allows Obito to avoid reality, especially when interacting with people. full coverage, imitation of someone else's voice, name change, personality change etc. his clothes literally look like armor, and I'd like to think that hiding and protecting himself "just because it feels right" is exactly the point (no need in armor, he's intangible, so that's a psyche). the very way he completely depersonalizes himself shows that on a subconscious level he is not comfortable being in the conditions he finds himself. this alone may indicate that he is not very happy with his position of a faceless world saviour. and this is his first damn appearance.

Tobi is another manifestation of Obito's escapism, which is the central theme of his story. I have identified three advantages of using Tobi's image for Obito, and all of them will be described below. maybe you'll find some more, feel free to reblog and add your thoughts!

Responsibility

escapism is just stress-relieving. for him, the roleplay was a way to relieve tension from the responsibility that he had imposed on himself. "no one in the whole world can do it except me" must be really exhausting. so what if I just don't be myself for a while? what if I be the one who can make a mistake? it's important to be frivolous and let things go sometimes, otherwise the psyche will be disturbed even more. so, that's the first advantage, that allowed Obito not to go completely crazy.

Regrets

CH. 652

as I said, Obito is not very happy with his position. even though he believes that tsukuyomi plan is correct, this doesn't negate that he is unhappy to fulfill it and suffer the hardships because of it.

during the war, we can see that Obito really regrets that he hadn't live his life the way he could, with his friends and dear ones. he began to ask questions: "could I have a better life?" "who have I become?" "who does my friend see me as?" these feelings burst out only at the culmination, before that they were deeply suppressed, with the help of detachment from reality, which Obito achieved mostly thanks to the image of Tobi. a ridiculous stupid guy who talks nonsense and does not pretend to be any role other than a comic relief. another personality allows Obito to distract himself from the real problems, which he can't reconcile.

CH. 281 idk what an idiot. love him.

in order to avoid all these dangerous thoughts for as long as possible, he came to this escapist behavior. it is not only a convenient tool for manipulation (I'm not really touching on that in this post, though it's important too), but it also distracted him from all his regrets. though, it's funny that he still chose orange and purple colors that probably reminded him of the past.

A Sense of Control

it seems to me that this is the most important reason to pretend to be either an inept, complaisant fool or a legend of the Shinobi world. why these two extremes?

many events in Obito's life showed him that no matter how he acts, he will still be punished, which means he personally has no control over anything. during the exposition, he is late helping the old ladies, but Kakashi condemns him no matter what. during the first turning points, he commits morally correct actions in order to end up first being mutilated and isolated, and then lose the most precious (and only) thing he really had: friendship with Rin and Kakashi. in the end, he does not even have control over his own body until he learns to control the mokuton and gets used to the constantly breaking off or deforming limbs. Madara and Tobi appear as other personalities who are able to achieve control under certain conditions and give Obito the necessary mental stability.

CH. 460

Madara is the epitome of control. the ghost of the Uchiha clan, the fear of which is alive many years after his death. by taking on a character who has more control than Obito did in real life he might feel quite cathartic and empowering, and it offered him a sense of emotional security (the mask helps with it physically, the personality and famous name — mentally).

while Tobi, besides an attempt to make up for lost childhood, is a demonstration of "the lowest standards" so that for once in his life, he did feel that he always met expectations, that more was not required of him. he's incompetent, he messes up, he's irritating, and therefore others don't expect anything else from him. yes, Tobi is judged and punished, but Tobi is not trying to be praised, so his own expectations are not broken.

CH. 359

Madara's personality is convenient because it's dominant, it controls others, inspires them with a certain fear and submission. Tobi's personality is convenient because with its help Obito choose to show fear and submission himself whenever he wants, that is, it does not become an unexpected blow for him. I would add that similar mental mechanisms work in many types of traumatic experience (not talking about his sexual deviations like moderate sadomasochism yet, the man is clearly traumatized).

does it all work? obviously, yes. there's no point in explaining that this whole Madara thing worked perfectly. Tobi, although condemned by Deidara, is at the same time accepted and encouraged by him a bit, simply because it is pointless to expect anything from him. however, this works as long as the fictional personalities do not overlap, as long as others believe in the reality of both.

CH. 396

another interesting topic is that Obito himself began to mix these personalities and demonstrate the falsity of one, which deprived him of the very opportunity to avoid reality (Madara clearly reminds him more of the responsibility on his shoulders than Tobi) and relieve the constantly increasing stress. therefore, starting from the moment when "Madara" shows that "Tobi" was just a cover, Obito loses the advantages of Tobi's image, suppressed regrets gradually surface, stress accumulates, the sense of control disappears for lack of any new personality other than his own (which has problems with control). and all these consequences falls on him during the war.

Conclusions

the reasons for this defense strategy appeared in Obito due to his low self-esteem, which was facilitated by the following. the early death of Obito's parents was most likely at the age when he was too young, and therefore psychologically this loss was fixed as "I was left because something was wrong with me. I can't be loved naturally, I need to deserve it first". because of that there was a constant attempt to be better, to reach the level of a genius opponent, who not only shows with all his appearance that you are not enough, but also constantly pokes you in your own shit like a puppy. and that's not the only situation where you're not that good. there's a lot, actually.

such an environment forms an attitude "to get recognition, I need to try harder than anyone else, because something is wrong with me". subsequently, this attitude is transformed into a new one: "I cannot get recognition in any case, which means I will achieve recognition, respect, attention through pretending and forming other personalities". and that's how Tobi appeared.

I don't even know what to add at the end. it's just great that you can see the depth in Obito, even when he's acting like a moron. here's some admiration for this silly guy

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows 3

Warnings: non/dubcon, clashing personalities, exclusion, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

Characters: moody boy Curtis Everett x bubbly, plus-size reader

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging.

You arrive early with your laptop. The meeting room appears occupied as you wait outside. You don’t knock for fear of interrupting and stand patiently in the hall.

You check your watch, the hot pink casio with the digital face. It’s getting close. You try not to worry too much. The IT tech will no doubt show up and realise what’s going on.

As you begin to build the upcoming meeting as more than it is, the door cracks open and a man pokes his head out. He wear frameless rectangular glasses and his blond hair is spiky and shiny with gel. He smiles as he lets the door fall open.

“Hey, sorry to keep you waiting, you must be our one o’clock,” he says, “I’m Jake.”

You shake his hand and introduce yourself. He welcomes you in as you ponder his words, ‘our’? As you enter, you are faced with the last person you expect. The man’s neutral stare turns to a chagrined scowl as your eyes meet. The very same moody lunch partner from the day before.

“Hi,” you say sheepishly as you sit down and place your laptop on the table.

“Curtis will be doing most of the set up,” Jake explains as he sits beside the other man, “I’m mostly here for moral support.”

“Shut up,” Curtis sneers under his breath.

“Curtis,” you beam brightly; you finally got a name for the face. You give your own happily, enunciating it as if he’s never heard it before.

“Let’s get this done with,” he reaches across the table and takes your laptop. 

You can only watch as he lifts the lid and starts typing. Jake looks over a tablet and offers a few words as Curtis fiddles around with your laptop. He’s met with grumbles and dismissive nods. They seem an odd pair.

“So, how are you liking it?” Jake turns his attention to you, “making any friends?”

“A few I think,” you glance at Curtis as his brows draw together, “pretty big company.”

“Yep, don’t let the corporate sea drown ya,” Jake says, “my tip, stick with the IT nerds, we mostly don’t care what’s going on upstairs. We’re all about the backend.”

The steady clack of keys underlines your small laugh. You’re nervous. You hate meetings and you just want to go back to your desk and pretend you’re reading policies.

“What is this?” Curtis grimaces and turns your computer to you. He points to the clock your installed on the desktop; Hello Kitty’s face with two clock hands ticking.

“It’s cute. It’s a clock! Oh, and the app also has a reminder setting–”

“Can’t have it on a work machine,” he grits.

“It’s fine, Curt. Won’t hurt–”

“This shit is from some Discord troll. Bullshit it can’t hurt,” Curtis insists, “policy; no third-party apps. Everything you need is already installed.”

“Okay,” you twirl your thumbs around each other, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

He looks at you above the laptop and squints, his lip slightly curling. Jake rubs his neck nervously and nudges him. You still your hands and bite into your cheek.

“He’s had a long day. Spilled coffee on himself,” Jake explains.

“Oh,” you round your eyes, looking at the wall evasively.

“We can show you how to use the system clock and reminders. You’d be surprised the features most people don’t know about,” Jake offers.

“Thanks, uh, sounds good.”

Curtis jams his finger on the touchpad harshly. He keeps his snarl aimed at the screen. You watch him, waiting for him to look up. He doesn’t. You don’t blame him, you’ve been a real thorn in his side. But you only meant well.

🌞

After the meeting, you swept up in a whirlwind of overthinking and guilt. You didn’t mean to ruin Curtis’ day. You never meant to be anything but friendly. Somehow, it rarely translates to more than a nuisance.

Still, you don’t like when people are mad at you. You’re not a grudge holder and frankly you don’t understand them. Why hold onto all that bad emotion? You need to to just apologise and let it all smooth over.

You go down to the cafeteria and grab one of the few leftover pastries. A cinnamon bun with icing, yum. You stop and make a coffee before you head back to the floor. You guess on a dark brew, he seems the type.

You wander past Research and Development and through Accounting. You don’t really know where you’re going. The further you get, the more your anxiety mounts. Surely, you can’t get lost in an office building.

You see a man with a headset and send a psst in his direction. He looks up, combing back his greasy hair with his fingers and smiles.

“Uh, hey,” he says.

“Um, is this IT?” You keep your voice down in the curdling silence of the department.

“Sure is. You need a repair?” He winks. Not exactly your taste. You shake your head.

“I’m looking for Curtis,” you say.

The man looks at your handful. He nods, deflating.

“Pretty boy’s over there,” he points towards the corner.

You thank the man and press on in your journey into the villain’s lair. You can only hope your offering is enough. Forgiveness, maybe that’s too much, but an understanding, possibly.

You turn down the last row of desks and see Curtis’ large hand brush over the back of his buzzcut, his rings twinkling in the fluorescent glow. He stretches in his chair, leaning back as he reaches his arms up. His set-up looks almost too small for him.

As you approach, he stands. You don’t expect it. The motion sends his chair back just as you get close and knocks the coffee out of your hand. The cup hits the seat and soaks into the mesh. Your squeak draws the man around in surprise.

“You,” he growls as you gape at him in shock.

“Hi,” you don’t know what to do so you hold out the cinnamon bun, “um, sorry?”

He glares at you. A deadly look that chills you to the bone. His eyes fall to his drenched seat and you cringe. You see the rage pale his face. His hands ball to fists.

“I was just…” you inch closer and set the dessert on the corner of his desk, “apologising but I see now that–”

“Go,” he grits through his teeth.

“I’m sorry, Curtis–”

“I said go,” he sneers as his grey blue eyes slowly move towards you, “before you ruin anything else.”

[lemotmo]

Okay Ali didn't post any of the asks because apparently there were a lot of spirals. I just didn't want anyone to think I intentionally left the asks out but here is her response to the BTS season 7 video. I agree with all of this!

I'm not going to post any of the asks because people are having breakdowns in my box tonight. Most of the breakdowns are lighthearted and fun but the others are angry and mean so I'm not going to post any of them. Here are my thoughts on the video though.

We'll do the fun breakdown first because it was such a fun little video. Yay for an Anirudh sighting! I know it's from last season but I love Ravi so it made me happy to see a good bit of him in that video. Kenny is a treasure and we should all be so lucky to work with and know someone who just genuinely seems like pure joy to be around. Aisha and her spectacular smile. Ryan in those shades, 'hello fine sir' and Oliver with his little hippity hops can come at me with those tongs any day. I adore this cast 💗

Now for the other side, I'm going to first say that there were several cast members we didn't see. We didn't see Jennifer, Angela or Tracie so it's not like everyone was in the video. Secondly, and I am NOT going to be answering any rage asks that result from this part, he's not that kind of cast member. Period. There is no one sitting around combining through videos looking for frames of him to post. I'm not saying that in any kind of derogatory sense. He is a background character. They don't tend to get a lot of BTS focus. They weren't trolling you or him. He just honestly isn't at that level. I understand from all of the asks that he was clearly involved in a scene they used and you feel like he was deliberately cut out but he wasn't. Oliver was goofing off and Oliver was the one they would have always used from that scene. Lastly, we saw him in several BTS videos last season and he was never goofing off. He was either sitting alone or standing and waiting. We never saw him joking around in the BTS videos he appeared in. So I also don't think there's a ton of videos they have of him playing with the cast. Again, not saying that to be mean. We all saw the videos. He wasn't ever goofing off with them. I know people have posted videos of him goofing off on the SWAT set but that's an entirely different environment for him. He's more involved and has been around them more. It makes sense that he would be more demonstrably comfortable there. I understand that people allowed themselves to be talked into very particular expectations this off-season and people are becoming upset now that those expectations appear to have been off., at least so far. None of us have any guarantees about what's coming this season. Regardless of what anyone is telling you, none of us know anything for sure. I promise you no one has insider information. We're all just guessing based on what we've seen so far from last off-season up til now. The show is just under 5 weeks away. You're just going to have to wait. He was never going to be a main and he was never going to be a big focus. I'm sorry you believe you were promised otherwise. Again, I will not be responding to any of your angry posts. They're not helping anything. Allow people to enjoy what we are getting. It's not our fault you're not happy with the content. Try and take care of yourselves. None of this is worth the constant anger. It's a television show.

Thank you very much Nonny!

Okay, I got a ton of asks about that season 7 bts video they posted yesterday. All of them basically talked about the same topic of Lou not being in the video and what that could possibly mean. Some of you wanted to know Ali's opinion on this topic as well. I have, just like Ali, decided to not post every single ask about this topic separately, but to answer them all in one go here.

So, here it is! I agree with Ali on this.

There were a lot of actors we didn't see. We mostly saw the core 4 (Oliver, Ryan, Aisha and Kenny) and Anirudh, because they goof off the most. If you look at this season, we see the same thing. It's mostly the core 4 and some Peter in those bts videos and pictures so far.

I don't think we, as Buddie shippers, should pin all of our expectations on one video either. At the end of the day, none of us know the full details on what season 8 is going to bring us. Ali is right on that one.

But I will say this: from a Buddie point of view, I do think we have seen a ton of very promising signs at this point. The PR involving Ryan is insane at this moment and the upcoming Ryan interviews are definitely making me go: 👀👀👀👀. All of this reminds me so much of the intense Oliver promo we got right before season 7.

So, let's focus on that content and the fun bts the cast and crew are posting almost every two days now. Let's enjoy videos like the one talked about, for what it is: happy bts with the cast we love! Let's keep on speculating and analyzing. I'm sure we'll have lots to talk about once those Ryan interviews drop. 😋

It will keep up the positivity. God knows we need every single scrap of positivity in fandom these days. 😉

IMPORTANT! Please don't repost this ask and/or a link that leads straight to my Tumblr account on Twitter or any other social media. Thank you!

Heads up! For anyone who is giving me the shifty eyes for reposting Ali's updates instead of reblogging. Read this.

Remember, no hate in comments, reblogs or inboxes. Let's keep it civil and respectful. Thank you.

If you are interested in more of Ali’s posts, you can find all of her posts so far under the tag: anonymous blog I love.

[bp-zb1fics]

Something cute with Zhang Hao where the reader became close with one of the boys (Jiwoong maybe?) and he's jealous because poor boy has the biggest crush on reader :( with a cute lil confession? 🥰

A real kiss~

pairing: jealous zhang hao x long time friend reader ft. jiwoong as the cause of drama (jk)

pronouns: none used

genre: canon au, fluff, humour

tw/tags: introvert things, nicknames, jealousy lol, jiwoong giving hands-on acting lessons (maybe a lil too hands-on for hao but he’s just being nice y’all), woong best wingman (yes he can sense the tension), kdrama mention, flashback, kissing, confessions

wc: 1175

summary: maybe hao’s a teeny little bit jelly of how well you get along with jiwoong. 

a/n if any of you saw this earlier than scheduled, it's because tumblr hates me and likes to confuse me constantly~ anyways thanks for the req anon, this was really cute and i enjoyed writing it very much, a little content note: xiào xiào is a nickname used for kids who are like happy or smiley but hao calls mc that bc they make hao happy shdsd ok if any better mandarin speaker would like to correct me or suggest another nickname, just lmk~

check my pinned for more fics!

Zhang Hao likes to think he’s a fairly laid back person.

Or at least, that’s what he likes to think when you’ve been deep in conversation with Jiwoong for the past hour and not spending time with the person who actually invited you over (him).

Okay maybe he isn’t being fair. You’ve also, over the past hour, checked in on him and tried your best to involve him in your conversation. It’s just that Hao is an introvert and today is one of the days where he doesn’t feel like making it a three way conversation. Also they’ve mostly worked it out but he and Jiwoong still have their awkward moments so there’s that too.

“You alright Hào hào?” Well at least he can enjoy the fact you’re using the nickname that only you call him. (Because absolutely no one else is allowed to call him that ever).

“I’m fine, Xiào xiào.”

You had joined Yuehua around the same time, Zhang Hao as an idol trainee while you were preparing to go into acting. To say you were close would be an understatement. You clicked immediately, the other Yuehua trainees would joke that you were Hao’s co-parent with how often you would come over to their dorm with food. 

Hao spent every free day he had off the program with you if both of you weren’t busy. Sometimes you’d even accompany him to visit his subway ads, obviously sporting a mask and hat and keeping it lowkey so as not to draw attention to yourself. While you’ve been an extra or had a line or two for a few drama gigs, you haven’t exactly made your public debut just yet.

It just so happened that you’d be working with Jiwoong on your first minor supporting role in The Good Bad Mother, alongside your actor sunbaenim in Yuehua who had the starring role. The eldest hyung also happened to have quite a bit of experience in acting and you happened to have questions. While your company sunbaenims and teachers were helpful, they were also quite busy and you didn’t want to bother them too much.

“So for kissing scenes-”

Suddenly, Hao’s full attention is on you as you ask his bandmate how one goes about filming such scenes. He’s not dumb. Hao knows once you start getting bigger roles, you might do scenes like that. But dammit, he wants to be your first kiss, not some actor who’s playing your love interest.

“You’ve never been kissed before?”

It’s one of those moments where you’re too tired from the hours and hours of PR training, Hao preparing for Boys Planet and you for the eventual conferences and public appearance you’ll make once you make your acting debut. 

“It’s not that.” You sink into the sofa of the little room you’ve been in for hours, learning how to avoid getting a bad edit on camera. 

“It’s just that none of them really meant anything, you know? It was for fun, for a dare or some shit like that. To figure out whether I liked boys or girls or both. I just don’t think it’s a real kiss, you know?”

“What’s a real kiss then?”

You’re quiet for a bit and Hao’s about to move on with the conversation when you speak again.

“With someone I like. I’d be nice to kiss someone I like. Someone who likes me too.”

I like you, Hao thinks. I’d like to kiss you. 

He could do it. He could offer. But he’s shy and your friendship is only a few months old and he’s going to get shipped off to this Mnet program soon. So instead he says:

“That sounds nice. I’ve never thought of it that way.”

“Maybe because you’re the type to go around kissing everyone, Mr. Campus prince.”

You tease.

“Hey! I wasn’t like that at all.”

Hao protests. You grin mischievously and your conversation devolves back to light, playful back and forth.

But Hao doesn’t forget.

Maybe that’s the day that he decides to try and become the someone you like.

Jiwoong’s hands are on your shoulders. Zhang Hao’s not sure when that happened but he does know that he doesn’t like it.

“So my hands should go here?” You ask, patting Jiwoong's rib cage. He nods, expression completely placid and wholly focused on teaching you how to manoeuvre yourself.

“You can also put it on their waist, the director will be giving you instructions and you can monitor yourself on camera between takes as well.”

You nod thoughtfully, tentatively placing your hands on him. Zhang Hao’s fingers twitch, just a little. Most of the members who had been filtering in and out of the room seemed to have disappeared. It’s just him, you, and Jiwoong.

Which is why you decide to lean in, your face just about a few inches away from the eldest ZB1 member.

“So I just go like this?”

That’s it. Hao’s had enough. He can’t do this. He can’t watch you anymore.

“Xiào xiào?” 

Hao’s careful not to show how happy he is when you pull away from Jiwoong and look at him. His hyung must have sensed it anyway, standing up and saying he’s supposed to meet Seobin soon. You thank him for the help, he says you can text him anytime (Hao’s not sure how to feel about that one) and then he leaves the two of you alone.

“There goes my acting teacher.” You pout a little and Hao can’t help himself.

“You came here to spend time with me, not take lessons from Jiwoong-hyung.” 

“Awww, is Hào hào jealous?”

“I miss you.” He says instead of answering, hugging your side like he usually does.

You hug him back, and in a small voice, you admit.

“I’ve missed you too, Hào hào.”

There shouldn’t be anything special about the moment. You’ve done this before, hugged like this before, said things like this before. But this time, he just-

Hao pulls away, his arms still wrapped around you loosely. It’s just enough so he can see your eyes, looking at him, he can’t read you too well, he swears his heart’s beating so loudly that you can hear it. But you don’t pull away. He leans in.

His lips are soft against yours, you can feel the slightly sticky sensation of the lip balm he uses, taste a little of the tea he was drinking a while ago. It’s warm and nice and it feels perfect.

His arms slide to your waist and your fingers circle around his shoulders, holding onto the fuzzy knit fabric of his cardigan. You can smell the perfumed lotion he uses, pleasantly floral and addicting. He keeps kissing you. You keep kissing back.

Hao only stops when his heart feels like it’s going to give out, catching his breath and looking at you with your flushed cheeks and swollen lips. He can’t help but ask.

“Was that a real kiss?” I like you so, so much.

“I think it was, Hào hào.” I like you too.

[flagellant]

I remember the movie basically making the old point about “and there’s no women CEO’s :c” and it was like, are you kidding me? The planet is dying and your solution is to make sure some of the CEO’s destroying it are girlbosses?

Loved the movie mostly, especially the set design, but it felt like the message was an afterthought because it was the weakest part of the movie.

I've walked past the Barbie branded selfie booth, sat through the reel of old commercials that precede the previews, and watched Margot Robbie learn to cry, and I’m still not sure what “doing the thing and subverting the thing,” which Greta Gerwig claimed as the achievement of Barbie in a recent New York Times Magazine profile, could possibly mean. This was the second Gerwig profile the magazine has run. I wrote the first one, in 2017, which in hindsight appears like a warning shot in a publicity campaign that has cemented Gerwig’s reputation as so charming and pure of heart that any choice (we used to call them compromises) she makes is justified, a priori, by her innocence. This is a strange position for an adult to occupy, especially when the two-hour piece of branded content she is currently promoting hinges on a character who discovers that her own innocence is the false product of a fallen world. But—spoiler alert!—the point of Barbie’s “hero’s journey” is less to reconcile Barbie to death than to reconcile the viewer to culture in the age of IP.

“Doing the thing and subverting the thing”: I haven’t finished working out the details, but I think the rough translation would be Getting rich and not feeling feel bad about it. (Or, for the viewer: Having a good time and not feeling bad about it.) One must labor under a rather reduced sense of the word “subvert” to be impressed with poking loving fun at product misfires such as Midge (the pregnant Barbie), Tanner (the dog who poops), and the Ken with the earring, especially given that the value of all these collectors’ items has, presumably, not decreased since the film opened. Barbie may feature a sassy tween sternly informing Robbie’s Stereotypical Barbie that the tiny-waisted top-heavy billion-dollar business she represents has made girls “feel bad” about themselves, but if anyone uttered the word “anorexia,” I missed it. (There was a reason Todd Haynes told the story of Karen Carpenter’s life and death with Barbies, and it wasn’t because an uncanny piece of molded plastic has the magical power to resolve the contradictions of girlhood and global capitalism.) There’s a bit about Robbie going back into a box in the Mattel boardroom, but Barbies aren’t made in an executive suite; they come from factories in China. On the one hand, it’s weird for a film about a real-world commodity to unfold wholly in the realm of ideas and feelings, but then again, that’s pretty much the definition of branding. Mattel doesn’t care if we buy Barbie dolls—they’re happy to put the word “Barbie” on sunglasses and T-shirts, or license clips from the movie for an ad for Google. OK, here’s my review: When Gerwig first visited Mattel HQ in October 2019, the company’s stock was trading at less than twelve dollars a share. Today the price is $21.40. 

Christine Smallwood, Who Was Barbie?

[minggukieology]

Happy FACE era and happy Jikook days to all!

I promise I'll write a few in depth reflections on the latest Jikook interactions and also will address 편지 in another post but I just wanted to get a few things off my chest so I wanted to post this first. (Sorry, this post will mostly include my reflections and no profound analysis so if you're not interested in my ramblings, you can skip this one)

*inserts these pics to catch your attention lol*

I guess I'll start off by this: I did make the conscious decision to lay off the petiness a few months ago though I can't help but think these few days (even weeks) happened for the sake of all the hateful trolls who have been making rounds even on here revelling in the fact both Jimin and Jungkook were mostly off-grid and Kook spotted having a social life, which somehow automatically discounted any possibility of him keeping in touch with/seeing anyone else for some reason.... but anyways... for the sake of keeping my karma clean let's move on.

Being an ARMY with a special fondness for 3J and Jikook I have to say my life is pretty easy, I just lay back and enjoy as their appearances happen and let things unfold without having to get angry or hateful. Mostly because my love for them doesn't hinge upon a never-ending need for validation for what has been a constant for the past 10+ years. And I hope by communicating and trying to explain more closely to you how especially Jimin and Jungkook interact, trying to help you bridge the language gap, I really hope you feel this sense of calmness as well. There is never anything to question, to fuss or argue about. (Not to stray too much off topic, but rest assured I deeply value and appreciate each and one of your replies and messages, despite the fact I am notoriously bad at replying to them 🫣)

Watching Jimin and Jungkook interact always feels like home, like you have been granted an insight into a familiar scene, with people that are so close they can't help but joke around or poke at each other yet at the same time can't hold back on their appreciation and softness for each other. (If you need a visual representation just take any moment Jimin talks about/with Jungkook and automatically gets all giggly and soft and Jungkook's last live where you could see the little goofball laughing at ex. the teasing scenes but at the same time couldn't hold back his starry eyed expression 🥹)

I have to admit though, I myself got proven wrong when I confidently posted about how they are both missing ARMY based on the Weverse interactions and then proceeded watching Jungkook turn on a live barely interacting with the comments (even remarking on the fact he isn't checking them yet people keep writing lol) just to watch over 1hr of Jimin content and admit to have been staying on top of all his promo releases...To then read Jimin's reply in which he left no room for debate. 국민 정말 미안해ㅠㅠㅠ

So what have we learned over the past few days?

Jimin and Jungkook are fine, in fact better than fine, and not seeing them in public proves absolutely jack sh*t (reverting back to a bit of my pettiness here)

Jungkook was involved with the album more than we could have ever imagined. (can't wait to talk more about 편지, I have to say not many songs have ever touched me as much as this one, for various reasons...)

Jungkook visited Jimin's rehearsal (and was really interested in watching him record for a music show too 🥺) and was also for that reason so confidently announcing that something "amazing beyond words" was coming before the teaser for Set me free pt. 2 dropped

As expected Jimin's latest schedules are recording/company-home-eat-sleep and repeat so he has barely any time left and Jungkook misses him a lot :(

Jungkook is as supportive and admiring of his hyung as ever- his words not mine (still a huge Serendipity stan though 🤭)

And once again highlighting: their communication feels very warm, friendly and familiar, there is no sign of them not knowing about each other or being distant

This was all I just had to write down before my head started spinning, I will be back with more of my nerdy language analysis posts, thanks for reading if you decided to! 😊

[zheiya]

Both Idiots

Glorfindel x F Reader

⚠️Warnings ⚠️: Just pure fluff

She slowly makes her way through the town, taking in everything. The beauty, the sense of peace, the people. It's all so different than where she came from. She can almost feel the magic around her, and she loves it

As she walks, she notices the people. The Elves. All of them look so peaceful and content. It must be a great place to live if the people look this happy.

I noticed the sound of swords clashing it looks like I'm near the training ground. I walked towards the sound that picked my interest.

As she moves closer to the source of the noise, she finds herself in the training grounds. It's an open area, with grass and mud all over the ground. And in the center of it are two Elves sparring, their swords clanking against one another. The elves are fast and graceful as they move, hitting and parrying each other with such speed that it seems impossible for them to even be hit.

As I surveyed the place I noticed the elf that assisted me that day. I watched him observing as I sat on the bench.

As she sits on the bench, she watches the two Elves sparring. One of them is the same elf that helped her earlier that day. He fights with such elegance and grace that it's like watching a dance. There's a softness to his movements, yet a strength behind them. And when he hits, it's with precision and power.

The other Elf is younger, with darker hair and a more reckless style to his fighting. He's fast and strong, but lacks the technique of his opponent. It's an interesting juxtaposition to watch the two fight, both so skilled from two different methods.

I continued to observe their fighting style but mostly looking at the blond elf I've met. Based on his sword fighting skills he has more experience.

The blonds skill is evident in his moves. Every move appears to be calculated, while also being smooth and fluid. He fights with an ease that comes from years of training and experience. There's a grace and a poise to his style that makes him look almost like a dancer when he moves. He avoids every move his opponent puts out, yet still moves with grace and ease.

The brunette is also skilled, but in a different way. His moves are more focused on raw power and speed. He uses his size and strength to overwhelm his opponent, but lacks the finesse of the blonde.

She watches carefully as they continue to spar. Something about this blonde elf draws her attention even more than the moves he performs. There's something about his presence, his manner, that is captivating. He moves like a dancer, yet there's an underlying fierceness and strength behind it.

As she watches them, the blonde elf finishes the fight with a swift and graceful move, easily dodging his opponents blow and striking to end the fight. His face is emotionless but there's a twinkle in his eyes that implies he's proud of himself.

As he turns around to face his opponent and raise his hand in a sign of victory, the blonde elf looks around the room. His eyes meet hers as she watches him. And for a moment, she could've sworn there is a spark in his eyes as well. Maybe he noticed her? Maybe he likes the way she looked when she was watching him spar? There's something there, something different than with anyone else. He slowly walks over to her, a slight smile on his lips.

He approaches her, seeming to glide rather than walk. His every move is smooth and controlled and full of grace. As he reaches her, he nods his head politely.

"Good day, my Lady."

He says with a soft voice, but there's a hint of mischievousness in it.

"Did you enjoy watching me fight?"

She is caught off guard by his forwardness and his teasing. He's flirting with her? No one has ever flirted with her like this before. It's intoxicating.

I smirk behind my hat.

"You're experience...you must have been in a battle more than any experienced fighters I've known."

"More than a few, in fact," he says with a slight smile. "And the way you watched and studied me? I'd say you have a knack for observing. It takes more than most to notice the skills of another." He says with a slight bow, holding her gaze.

"May I ask for your name, my Lady?" His voice is warm, yet there's also something mischievous and teasing about it as well.

He takes her hand, his lips curl into a slight smile. He's definitely attracted to her. There's something there. He pulls her hand towards him and gives it a light kiss.

"Glorfindel at your service, my Lady," he says with a slight bow of the head. "I'd be honoured if I can learn your name as well."

There's something about him that makes her feel like he's special, like they have some kind of connection. Even she doesn't know why, she just knows that she likes him and likes being around him.

I slightly lift my hat as I smiled at him.

"Y/N it is a pleasure to meet you Lord Glorfindel."

He smiles and holds her hand slightly tighter. The connection between them is becoming increasingly clear.

"The pleasure is all mine, my Lady," he says with a slight bow of his head.

"Tell me, what brings you to Rivendell? It's not often we see such a beautiful maiden appear from nowhere in this peaceful place."

I chuckled as I looked around.

"It's one of my list to visit this place. I heard there's quite an ample offer around here and that got my interest."

"Ah, yes, this is a wonderful place to visit," he says, still holding her hand.

"We're known for our craftsmanship. Our jewelry, our craftsmanship and our art is known far beyond the borders of Rivendell."

"I assume you're looking for a gift, my Lady?" He asks with a slight smile.

"I have a friend in the jewelry shop. He specializes in gems. Maybe you'd like to go with me?" He asks politely.

I chuckled as I noticed him still holding my hand. As I flickered my gaze back to him.

"Hmmm...I suppose I don't mind an escort."

He smiles and lowers his head slightly, still holding her hands. She must be attracted to him as well. Their eyes meet once more and something passes between them. He has the sense that there is more to their encounter than would be considered normal.

"Then let's go. I'm sure you'll find something there that will make an impression."

He says as he guides her out of the training grounds. He has a feeling that this might not be the last time they meet.

As they make their way through the town, she takes in its beauty once again. The houses are made of wood and stone, covered with vines hanging from the eaves. The streets are paved with brick, and the trees line both sides of the path. There are small shops scattered throughout the town, and the air smells of wood and flowers. She can't help but feel a sense of tranquility and peace as she walks with Glorfindel.

He leads her through the town, his hand on top of hers, and finally enters a store that is filled with gemstones, jewelry, and other valuables.

I flickered my gaze at the store observing the place. It seems it is taken care of very well, I can see that it has great craftsmanship.

"This store has been in the family for hundreds of years," Glorfindel explains as they enter.

"It's a place where many of our people come to purchase gifts and items for their loved ones. It's beautiful, isn't it?"

He walks her towards the center of the store, which is a case filled with several different types of jewelry and gems.

"I'm sure you'll find something here that will catch your eye," he says kindly.

I flickered my gaze on the aligned jewelry and gems.

"Hmmm...well the jewel I'm looking for is already standing in front of me."

As I smirk while tracing on the jewel I noticed.

Glorfindel's breath hitches as he listens to her. She just called him a jewel? Could it be?

He looks at her with a slight blush. His eyes are warm as he looks at her. There's a connection there. He just knows that there is.

"Why thank you, my Lady," he says, his voice softening. "I'm humbled by your words."

"What were you looking for again?" He asks, changing the subject slightly. The blush on his face can be seen through the soft golden hairs of his cheeks.

I looked at him for a moment and chuckled softly. As I picked up a necklace it has golden and blue accents.

"Hmmm...I suppose I did."

He watches as she picks up a beautiful necklace, golden with blue accents. The light hits the necklace, making it glisten and sparkle. It truly seems fit for a woman of her beauty.

"Is this to your liking, my Lady?" He asks politely.

"It's perfect for you," he adds, his voice carrying a slight catch. Something about this woman has gotten under his skin, and he's not sure what. He only knows that he wants to spend more time with her.

I flickered my gaze as I motioned him to lower his head.

Glorfindel's heart quickens as she motions for him to lower his head. Is she going to do what he thinks she is? He lowers his face slightly, watching her with anticipation. She is standing so close to him, her breath caressing his skin...his mind is reeling. He wants this, but does she?

He waits for her to make her move, his eyes on her lips.

I looked into his eyes with a hint of mischief as I leaned even closer. That I could feel his breath on my face.

"Do you like it?"

Glorfindel's heart is beating rapidly now. He's almost shaking. She's going to kiss him? He wants that so badly. He closes his eyes, waiting for the moment, praying to the gods that she will. His heart is beating even faster as she leans closer and whispers. And then it happens.

Their lips meet, pressing together in a tender kiss. His hands go to her waist and hold her close as he savours the moment. Finally they part, and he opens his eyes to see her smiling at him softly. He leans in again, kissing her again.

But it didn't happen I looked at him closing his eyes as if he was waiting for something. I blink as I slightly shake him.

"Glorfindel?"

Glorfindel opens his eyes, slightly confused. It seemed for a moment that she had kissed him, that it was real. But it's gone now.

"Yes, my Lady?" He asks gently, looking into her eyes. She's so beautiful. And he wants to kiss her again, properly this time. He can feel the connection between them. There's something there, a spark.

She's looking at him, and there's a hint of mischief in her eyes. She must want it, too. He leans in slowly, his lips approaching hers.

"I said do you like the necklace I've put on you."

As I gazed at the necklace I put on his neck the moment I asked him to lower his head was to put the necklace on him. But for some reason he closes his eyes as if anticipating something don't tell he was expecting a kiss?

Glorfindel's heart drops. This was a prank? She just put a necklace on him and he thought... No. No, she didn't.

"Yes," He says in a tight voice. He can't believe himself. He thought...he was so sure. "I uh...I like it."

He's speechless. He had hoped, prayed that it wasn't a prank, that she actually wanted him. And now, she had tricked him. A soft blush spreads across his face as he tries to contain his humiliation. And she looks at him with a mischievous smile on her face.

"You were closing your eyes were you expecting something?"

As I smirk.

His face turns redder. How could she do this to him?

He takes a deep breath.

"I was. But it seems I was mistaken."

He starts to remove the necklace.

"You can have it back. I thought it was a gift, but it's clear that you were only..."

He trails off, unable to finish the sentence. He can't even look at her right now. He's too humiliated, too ashamed that he fell for her little trick.

I feel a pang of pain when he has taken off the necklace. In a panic I pulled his collar and put a kiss on his cheek.

Glorfindel almost jumps out of his skin. He did not expect her to give him a kiss, let alone on his cheek. He stares at her for a few moments, dumbfounded. She just kissed him, and not just anywhere, but on the cheek.

"Why..." He says with a frown. He thinks that it was just a move of desperation, but his heart tells him otherwise.

"Why did you do that?" He asks softly. Is she truly attracted to him after all?

I stiffly turned around as I put on my hand.

"... It's a thank you gift for showing me around."

As I peak through my hat.

"... Goodbye!"

As I hurriedly got out of the store.

Glorfindel just stares after her, his mind racing. Did she just kiss him? Why did she kiss him like that? Was it sarcasm? Or was she serious? It was hard to tell, and at this point he's just confused.

He watches her leave, and when she's far enough away, he sits down on a bench. What was that? He thought they had a connection, but maybe he was wrong. Maybe he imagined everything. And he can't believe he fell for a prank. What a fool he is. He puts his head in his hands and sighs.

Glorfindel sits on the bench for a few moments, trying to make sense of what just happened. He is embarrassed that he thought she actually wanted him, that she was flirting with him. It must have been a prank. But why would she do this? Why would she kiss him like that? He doesn't understand, and it makes him even more upset.

He stands up from the bench, a knot in his stomach. Maybe it's best to leave things the way they are. Maybe he shouldn't pursue her. It's clearly a one-way attraction, and she won't give him further attention.

The next day I was checking out in the clothing store. Picking the best cloth for my new dress I will be making. I was in a tough spot on which one I should choose the lavender satin or the baby blue satin.

Glorfindel is about to walk into a shop, but when he sees Rickylyn inside debating over a satin, he stops for a moment. She might not have meant it yesterday, and he shouldn't have misinterpreted her actions. But still, he can't seem to stop thinking about her.

He enters the shop and walks over to her. She doesn't notice him at first, but once she does, she looks up with a surprised look on her face.

"Hello, my Lady," he says politely. "How may I be of assistance to you?"

I didn't notice it was him as I frowned and grumbled.

"Hmmm....I can't pick between these two colors. The lavender one is good and so is the baby blue satin. I'm going with the theme of a nice morning walk on the ocean."

I assume it was the shop assistant that was talking behind me.

Glorfindel smiles at her dilemma. He wants to help her pick. He wants to keep talking to her. But he shouldn't. Yesterday was evidence of that. Even if he interprets her actions in the wrong way, his feelings are still real. He likes her and wants to spend more time with her. But he needs to stop. He has no chance with her after all.

"Both are beautiful colors," he says with a smile.

"The lavender will make you look more regal and the blue more gentle. Whatever you choose will be perfect for the theme."

I silently murmured.

"Hmm...baby blue reminds me of his eyes..."

Glorfindel freezes. His heart drops in his chest. Did she just... Does she have feelings towards him after all? Did she mean it when she kissed his cheek yesterday?

He feels a spark of hope inside him. His feelings haven't been reciprocated. She must be talking about him.

He takes a deep breath. His expression is gentle and sincere as he speaks once more.

"His? Whose eyes?" He asks gently.

I flinched as I turned around and finally noticed him. I looked at him shocked I thought it was the shop assistant.

"Oh Glorfindel! I thought you were the shop assistant."

Glorfindel smiles, though still anxious about her saying she was reminded of a person's eyes. Was that person him?

"My apologies, my Lady. I wanted to help you pick the right fabric for your dress. Do you mind if I give you some advice as well?"

He looks at the satin she has in front of her. "The baby blue one is perfect for a delicate, gentle look. But the lavender seems to match your personality more. It gives you more of a mysterious vibe. And your eyes could complement it nicely."

I cleared my throat and awkwardly nodded.

"Well yes both have a great color and fit on the theme I'm making. I want something that is a nail to help me choose between the colors."

As I turned around to not show my face and just focused on the clothes I'm holding.

Glorfindel nods. What she asks makes sense, but he is still interested in knowing about the person whose eyes she was reminded of yesterday. He's quite curious now, almost obsessed with it, in fact. But he doesn't want to seem nosy or weird. It was one of the reasons why he tried to forget about Rickylyn in the first place.

"Maybe..."

He pauses.

"Maybe I could be of assistance. Can I try both of the satins on you?" He asks politely.

I flinched as I turned to look at him.

"On me?"

"Yes, my Lady..."

He looks at her with a smile. "You said that you wanted help to decide, right?"

He steps closer and offers his hands.

"Let me try the satins on you, and see which one looks better on you. It's up to you in the end."

He stares at her, waiting for her answer.

I bit my lip as I tucked my hair behind my ear.

"Uh...sure."

As I awkwardly smiled.

Glorfindel's heart is beating rapidly now. This is his chance to be closer to her. He quickly picks up the two different fabrics. He holds the lavender one in one hand, the blue one in the other.

"Please don't be shy," he says gently, taking a step towards her.

He offers the fabrics to her.

"Put one of them up to your face and let me see how it looks on you. Just hold it, and I'll take care of the rest."

I nodded as I held the fabric half of my face only showing my eyes.

Glorfindel looks carefully at her. He is so close to her now. He wants to kiss her so badly. But he has to keep his composure. This is his chance to see which fabric will suit her better. It might not seem like much, but he wants to see her face when he touches it.

He slowly brings the blue colored satin to her face and puts it on the other side. He doesn't look at her, instead focusing on the fabric. But just the feeling of his hand touching her skin, even for a moment, is enough to send shivers down his spine.

"So?"

Glorfindel looks up at her. He's still close to her. In his mind he wants to grab her and hold her in his arms. But he tries to control himself. He has to stay professional.

"Hm...it looks like the lavender one complements your complexion," he says slowly, looking at her face. He can see her now clearly. She's so beautiful. He forces himself to look back at the fabrics.

"Would you like to try it on for a full effect?"

I couldn't help but slowly flutter my eyes at him.

"You think so?...."

As I looked into his eyes.

He looks into her eyes. She's so close. Their faces are almost touching. The urge to kiss her is almost unbearable, but he holds back, not wanting to make her uncomfortable. They're still in the shop after all.

There's a soft blush on his cheeks, and his heart is pounding. He feels the same spark he noticed in her yesterday, in their conversation. Whatever this is, he wants to explore it. But he's not sure if she feels the same way.

"Yes," he says softly.

"The lavender one brings out your eyes beautifully."

I can feel my check slowly bloom with redness. As I flickered my gaze to his lips.

"...Then..."

Her blushing face and the way she's looking at him give him courage. He's still not sure, but he gets the feeling that she wants this.

He leans in slightly. His heart is beating a thousand times a minute. He can't believe he's doing this, but he wants nothing more than to kiss her.

He puts his hands on her cheeks gently, taking her face into his hands. He's about to kiss her. He hopes that she responds in the same way.

I slowly flutter my eyes at him as I softly and shyly hold his clothes for support. When the sound of falling in boxes broke our atmosphere. That made me jump in surprise.

Glorfindel is surprised as well. The noise takes him out of the moment. His face is close to hers, their bodies nearly touching, and this moment seems so perfect. He would love to kiss her right here and now. But it's ruined. They were interrupted. The moment is no longer there.

He reluctantly lets go of her and turns to look at where the sound came from.

"What was that?" He asks with a puzzled look.

I blink as I noticed someone bumping the vendors merchandise outside. Which made that noise.

"Ah... someone bumped the vendor's merchandise..."

Glorfindel nods. The interruption was unfortunate. Maybe it's for the best. He probably shouldn't kiss her after all, even if he wanted to. It's better to be professional.

But the urge is still there. He just wants to feel her lips once more.

"Let's help them," he says with a smile. He takes one of the fabrics and steps closer to where the vendor is. He lifts some of the fallen merchandise and puts it back on the shelf. This is his opportunity to get closer to her and spend more time with her.

I nodded as I helped picking up all the fallen merchandise. After we were done assisting the shop owner who gave us a lot of thanks for free fruits from her shop. He looked at me for a moment and smiled.

"So have you finally made a decision?"

"I'll go with your suggestion owner; I'll buy the lavender please."

As the shop owner nods and picks up the lavender fabric and starts to pack up my purchase. I looked back at him and noticed he wasn't wearing my necklace.

"...The necklace... you don't like them?"

Glorfindel freezes for a moment, taken aback by her mentioning the necklace. He quickly regains his composure.

"Oh, the necklace," he says, as he realizes he still has it in his hand.

"I'm sorry, it's beautiful. I just haven't put it on yet. I was waiting for the right moment."

He puts the necklace on, making sure to lock it in place as soon as possible. It felt wrong not having it on anymore.

"There," he says with a smile, touching the necklace softly. "How does it look?"

I blushed as I only dazedly look at him.

"Handsome..."

"Thank you," Glorfindel says, feeling flattered by her comment.

He looks at her, and that look on her face... She looks like she's not herself.

He steps closer to her.

"My lady. Are you alright?" He asks with a concerned look.

She seems so out of it. Is she just flustered from earlier? It's possible. But he wants to find out what's troubling her. He wants to help her. That's his role as her attendant, and that's also what he wants as a person.

I snapped from my dazed look as I blushed even more. I hope he didn't notice it as I cleared my throat.

"Uh- yes thank you for your assistance and your worries."

As I hurriedly bowed and started to bolt out of the store.

"Lady! You forgot your fabric!"

The shop owner shouts at me and I blushed as I hurriedly entered the shop shamefully then took my fabric. As I bowed at the shop owner and to Glorfindel then bolts away.

Glorfindel watches her leave, more confused than ever. She was acting so strange. Did he say something wrong? Did he move too fast? Was she just embarrassed by the interruption earlier? Or is it something else entirely? He's not sure. He feels lost. She seemed happy and even complimented him yesterday. It seemed like all was going well.

But now, it looks like he might have scared her away or made her uncomfortable in some way. He doesn't know what to feel or what to do. He feels so conflicted.

I silently screamed in my room as I put a pillow on my face.

"You're embarrassing yourself! My ghad?! Who just bolts out of the shop after almost kissing him! Idiot! I should have taken the chance! Arghhh! Why do I always get nervous!!!"

Glorfindel is confused. She must have felt the same way he did, right? Was it just nervousness that made her leave, so she didn't act on her feelings? No... He shouldn't make assumptions. And he definitely shouldn't make another move unless she explicitly tells him she likes him too. He doesn't want to make her uncomfortable.

"Damn it!" He curses to himself.

He decides to give her some time on her own. Maybe she'll think about what happened. Maybe she'll realize she missed an opportunity and decide to initiate something.

I sighed as I slid on my bed.

"Ahhh....I should've kissed him."

Glorfindel's world is crumbling around him, his hopes crushed. She wants him to kiss her! Why didn't he just take the chance? Why is he letting his nerves get the better of him?

Suddenly, a small spark of hope ignites inside of him. She wants him to kiss her. That's why she left so embarrassed. She was waiting for a kiss, but he didn't give it to her. He can still make it happen.

He stands up, determined. He won't let her get away like that, not without getting his kiss first.

The both sighed to themselves never once have passed through their minds. They're both mutually pinning for one another.

Why are these two idiots noticed they're interested in one another? Geez

[bohemian-nights]

this fandom….man, oh, man….they believe anything and everything. it’s actually insufferable. we have less than 2 weeks until season 4 starts filming, i need them to put out the sophie announcement NOW. this is just ridiculous, like this is not marvel. it’s bridgerton. i still believe masali is 100% sophie. these people don’t get she cannot be a gender bent michael, that’s literally incompatible with how they wrote the world of bridgerton. it doesn’t work lol.

Honestly it’s no coincidence that those peddling this crap all have variations of the same MO.

I was not born yesterday. Anybody can come into someone’s inbox (anonymously) and say whatever they please. Anybody can claim they have a source/friend who works in the industry/at Netflix/is a journalist(seriously I’ve never seen this many people who have such friends). Anybody can claim they are a journalist or work at Netflix.

These people have claimed it all yet no one has provided a shred of actual evidence(ex. stills or audio) to back up their claims. Most of their claims don’t make any sense(Benedict is next yet they haven’t casted Sophie and he’s going to have a threesome with a man?) and they constantly contradict each other(sister vs. cousin thing when John is a confirmed only child; Eloise is next, no Benedict is next, no Francesca is next🤦🏽‍♀️).

If you’ve read the books or paid any attention to the show at all those claims straight up make 0 sense. Benedict is supposed to be just floating around fiddling life away right before Sophie comes in. He’s right on target in the show.

Michael’s gender is just as integral to the plot as Sophie’s. Michael becomes the Earl of Kilmartin because he is John’s closet male kin(they are first cousins via their fathers who were twins). He has severe guilt because of that. He is a rake and had quite the reputation because he is a man and men are afforded to do as they please. Fran struggles with her fertility and decides to remarry because she wants children. You change Michael’s gender and you change everything about WHWW.

Not to mention that as the Bridgerton verse stands gay marriage is illegal. Gay people have to live in hiding. Fran and this fanmade character they have come up with cannot have a happy ending.

I see y’all trying to compare your delusions to Benophie, but while they aren’t exactly taking part in society, Sophie was Benedict’s legal wife. They have children and they have a life together where they don’t have to hide their love and their union.

If that isn’t enough think of the money Netflix/the pun locs hers would be losing out on making such a fucking idiotic decision. Selling a gender-bent WLW tragic romance to a mostly straight women audience will not go over well.

Or how about how it would look casting Masali, a dark skinned Black woman, in a role meant for a man.

I’m just going to come out and say it, a large part of this fandoms gullibility is due to the fans inherit anti-Blackness.

Even though this show is a Shondaland production, Shonda herself is a Black woman, and she prides herself on creating content for Black people, they don’t want a Masali to play Sophie Beckett.

That’s where these rumors begin and end. With people not wanting Masali or any other Black woman(cause even if Masali isn’t Sophie not for one moment do I think that Sophie won’t be Black) to be Sophie Beckett.

So with that said, until I see the last two episodes with my own eyes (or by some miracle they let Masali appear with Luke on The View or GMA next week)I refuse to believe the lies of the deluded.

[el-moscorrofio-y-el-mercachifle]

I just finished watching Betty and finding your blog is godsend I love love all your Armando character analysis and all the armetty content, not only that but all the insight you have about the rest of the cast. One of the things I noticed while I was watching was that, Marcela and Armando absolutely don't like each other at ALL, even in recent episodes you can see how Marcela just barely tolerates Armando snsjdjfjjdj.

I find this so funny because certain parts of the fandom consider Betty a homewrecker?? There was never a home to wreck?? I mean all characters are morally grey but if we see Marcela in despair in later episodes I don't think it was out of heartbreak like Armando for Betty. I was wondering what you think about what Marcela felt for Armando and their relationship in general.

Once again I love scrolling through your blog and I also think Armando and Betty were the most logical endgame, they made each other worse they made each other better literally soulmates.

[sorry for the long question, I have these two in the brain]

Awww thank you!!! I'm glad you are enjoying my blog🥰

Oh, no, not the homewreaking thing! Even Armando says it once: "no one can steal me if I don't let myself be stolen". The novela made it so clear that it was a choice that ARMANDO made, and somehow my girlie Betty gets all the blame, as if we all didn't see ARMANDO pursuing her and begging her not to leave him all the time. Sure, Betty should have said NO, it IS morally wrong what she did, but Armando himself says that he wanted to leave Marcela for himself, not for Betty. We all know that, if Armando and Marcela had married, regardless of whether Betty or any other woman had appeared in their lives, they would have ended up divorcing. Some people simply have a super skewed perception and think that just because Armando and Marcela had an active sex life at the beginning of the show and that sometimes you got to see them happy, their relationship was fine. It wasn't, it never was. Armando was always cheating and Marcela was always spying and tracking his moves. There was no love, commitment, sincerity, or selflessness. It was all conditional. There was simply no home to wreak, like you say!

I definitely agree that Marcela and Armando don't like each other at all. They aren't compatible in any sense. They had fights for even the most mudane things, like what to do on a friday night or one of Armando's nightmares.

Marcela was not in love with Armando. She never was, or at the very least, not in any moment that we see her onscreen. Perhaps she was in the past, but from all we've seen, Marcela is mostly in love with the idea of Armando and is constantly angry and frustrated because he isn't what she pictures. She is mostly just obsessed with this idea she has of him. She wants to marry Armando but not really marry him like he is. We've seen she doesn't like his temper, his ego, his treatment of her, his interests, the people he gets along with, etc. I can't think of a single thing they like to do together or have in common except their high sex drive. She doesn't like anything about Armando's personality.

Armando and Marcela unfortunately share a very deep and old relationship, and I'm not talking about their romantic one. They're tied like a family. Margarita and Roberto are, in Marcela's eyes, practically her parents. Marcela herself says that all of the Mendoza and Valencia children were raised like siblings. This creates a very unfortunate dynamic in which no one really understands their place. Marcela and Armando are both like step siblings and also a couple, which, honestly, doesn't seem psychologically right. I can't really say, but I'm willing to bet this has to be bad for a person's development and view on relationships.

On top of that, Margarita says that it was Julio and Susana's dream to see Marcela and Armando marry. Both Margarita and Roberto make it very clear that they also want that relationship. Marcela and Armando are constantly encouraged to ignore all the obvious clues that the relationship is disastrous (like how Margarita tells Marcela she needs to be patient and wait for Armando to calm down and stop cheating, or how Roberto says they would never forgive Armando if he were to cancel the wedding). They are practically being encouraged by their parents (Roberto and Margarita, biological parents for Armando and practically adoptive parents for Marcela) to continue their relationship. In Marcela's case, she is unconsciously trying to fulfill her bio parents' last dream and also her new parents' hopes.

((This is speculation, but I'm also willing to bet that Marcela and Armando probably hesrd a lot of insinuations of them eventually becoming a couple since very young. I can't confirm that, but I wouldn't be surprised of this at all.))

So Marcela basically develops an obsession with having Armando. She doesn't love him, because she doesn't like anything that he is. She just has this idea that has probably been ingrained in her head throughout her life that they belong together, and if she clings to that relationship, it will eventually become as beautiful and amazing as her parents (all 4 of them) thought it would.

Additionally, having Armando is a prize. It's, in her eyes, her deserved prize after such a long time "fighting" for him. For having tolerated his lies and cheating, for getting all of his lovers away. Armando is not a partner for her, he's her reward. She sees herself as a martyr who desrves to earn him.

When the relationship breaks she is in dispair because she genuinely wanted a future with him, but not out of love but rather out of ego and obsession. Out of a desire to say "after all of this I finally won", which is why she is willing to take him back all the time even when it's obvious he can't stand her, there is no trust, and there is no love. They just cling to each other because of all the wrong reasons: ego, conformity, their parents, the business, expectations, etc. But not love. We never saw love.

It's an overall sad situation for both of them, which is why I genuinely pity both of them in this aspect even if they were both, objectively speaking, big POS to each other!

Thank you for this lovely ask! Sorry for the long reponse too😂🥰

[vixendoesstuff]

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

ALRIGHT, SO-

World Tour, where (please excuse my language) shit hits the fan, for real. My notes on this saga is hectic and convoluted, so I'll try to make some sense of it for this post. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the askbox or my DM's, whichever you prefer.

I wanted to do bullet points for this, but maybe most Tumblr users prefer to read long paragraphs than bullet points, since my posts not having bullet points do better? IDK, I've only been on Tumblr for like, a year at best so forgive this soul for her cluelessness lol.

And also, depending on how much I've typed, I might have to split this saga into three parts, 'cause I know y'all don't actually want to read a really long post that took up three scrolls wide lol.

Anyway--let's start this crazy train.

So, the story begins the same way as it is in the movie--opening shot with Cloud Guy giving a quick recap about the first movie, and then the next shot panning towards the Techno Trolls (ay, Branch's tribe, let's go!). Unfortunately, the amount of screentime (or appearance in this case) they got here minimal, since we're focusing on Branch and co.

But anyway, same thing happened, King Trollex hosting the rave, Barb barges in demanding his string and destroyed Techno Reef to get him to comply, same old. Poor guy, honestly, he just wanted to vibe.

Next shot pans to Pop Village, same thing there. Everyone is smiling and singing and dancing (with Techno!Branch joining in, look at that! Since he can't extend his hair like everyone else, he relies on acrobatics and just generally hang onto someone ((mostly Poppy)) whenever they swing on the trees with their hair). Branch tries to confess his love to Poppy, but got friendzoned unintentionally by her (ouch). Then Barb's bat pet thing comes in, and King Peppy's history lesson.

They're not the only ones here in this world. There are other trolls out there; Pop, Hard Rock, Classical, Country, Funk, and Techno.

This is where it gets interesting. At this point in time, Branch has all but accepted that he's possibly the only Troll in the village that looks the way he does. That he's the only one that ever existed in the world. It's why he and Cooper has a sort of closer bond with eachother in this AU : different Troll (tribe, but not that they knew this yet) solidarity. Sure, he was curious once, like how come is egg was in the Troll Tree, why does he look different, ect. But now he's more than content with his current predicament. He has friends now, something to look foward to; he was happy, after so long.

But now with the news that there are other Trolls out there, different from the rest, his past yearning came back to life. And while King Peppy hadn't said it outright, his lack of words all but confirmed Branch's suspicions. That he's not the only one out there. And from what he saw in the scrapbook, he can pinpoint which one of the tribes he supposedly belongs to; Techno.

Then we cut to when Poppy packs up to leave and got caught by Branch. The same argument happens, with the addition of Poppy saying that because there are different Trolls out there, then shouldn't Branch be curious about them? Who knows, maybe there's a tribe that looks exactly like him! Branch refuted by saying that, even if there was a tribe just for him, how would he connect to them? He's been living as a "Pop Troll" his whole life, what connection can he form with these hypothetical Trolls (identity issues go brrr)? What if they found out that he's gone Grey for almost all his life? If the Pop Trolls, who has known him since he was born, didn't react well to his whole Grey-ness; what are the chances his own kind would react badly to the news? Or worse, reject him outright.

Before he could go on, boom! Cooper appears from the shadows and said something like, "That's not how you really think, ain't it Branch?". They were surprised he's there, and then they exchange some more dialouge sort of expressing Branch's concern about not fitting in with his hypothetical tribe out there, and shed some light on Coopers concern as well about wanting to find you who you really, and even if you don't fit in atleast you know the truth now, that sort of stuff. IDK, I'm not great at writing angst, lol.

Anyway, after some convincing from Poppy, Branch relented and decides to accompany her (even if he denies it, he wants to know if his people is out there). Cooper also wants to come along, and while Branch refuses for his own safety, Poppy allows it in the condition that he sticks with them at all times. So, the three sets of to explore the entire Troll Kingdom, to "reunite" all the tribes and make one big party at Queen Barb's World Tour.

Little did they know just what kinds of trouble they'll encounter on their journey.

Woah, plot twist, Cooper actually comes along instead of going on a solo journey this time around! He replaces Biggie in this! What a shocker! Shocked emoji!

Admitedly, while it's funny the first time, Cooper's solo adventure is... I don't wanna be too rude about it, but it's sort of unnecessary in the big run? I mean, not entirely unnecessary, but like, if you remove that and just have him go along with Poppy and co., nothing major would change. He'd still be reunited with his family in Vibe City, except this time he'll have a first time reaction to the history of the Strings and see the truth of it, y'know what I mean?

But anyway, Poppy, Branch and Cooper's gonna explore the world of other genres. I don't think much will change with his inclusion, but the reactions will be far more varied, me thinks. Stay tuned for the next part, 'cause wow did not expect this part of the series to be so convoluted lol.

Also I had wanted to include some scene redraws from the movie with new implemented elements for this AU, but artblock is gripping me tight and college is starting soon, so I won't have much time to draw than I do write. So, yeah, hope y'all don't mind lol. I'll definitely do some artwork for this AU in the future though, believe it!

Until next time!

[daily-linkclick]

What is the theory abt lg being from an alternate timeline? I’ve been seeing a lot of ppl talk about it and idrk where it comes from, and what are your thoughts??(have a nice day!!)

this ask magically appeared in my inbox just today but apparently it was sent weeks ago, holy shit! thank you for waiting op LMFAO

anyways, it's a theory that's been around before season 2, iirc! mostly because we had little to nothing lore wise around their powers, and its just fun thinking about while we waited for anything canon. there were a few things that did hint at lu guang being from an alternative timeline, being that we don't know his age and backstory, and his weird hair color (not a lot of people sporting full white hair, or any unnatural hair color in link click, at least)

those aspects don't necessarily point to him being from an alternate timeline, but they also could be hints towards it! but there's new content that makes this theory potentially canon! it's from this music video played during Bilibili World. it features an alternate mv for vortex, which is interesting because we see lu guang falling first:

in it, there are several shots with cheng xiaoshi wearing completely different outfits, some injured and one seemingly dead? Plus a frame that shows four cxs's merging into one. maybe it's just ooo pretty visuals, but there's a looot of imagery that implies different timelines (shard fractals, reflections, mirror images, etc)

There's also this shot, with lu guang wearing an alternate fit we've never seen - and he's wearing more black in this one?? his s1 fit also featured a dark shirt and pants but his flannel color was more dominant. this leads me to believe that this is lu guang but less experienced (another timeline).

maybe all of this is just non-canon for marketing, they did market lu guang as dead for all of pre-s2 lol, but i like to believe this is them teasing lu guang's past! even if he's the main character, he's someone who's past we know the least of. i'd argue we find out more about side characters than we do about him actually - which makes me (and a lot of other people) think he's from an alternate timeline!

that's the gist; i'll put my own thoughts under a read more so this post won't be insanely long

my own thoughts on the theory is that i think lu guang is from multiple alternate timelines. the frame with multiple cheng xiaoshis, and the one where four merge into one makes me believe lu guang met cheng xiaoshi in his timeline, but cxs either died or had a miserable life. he kept going into different timelines in an attempt to save him / be in a timeline where cheng xiaoshi is actually safe and happy, and finally got to the timeline we see in the show.

though that part requires him having more than just the power to look into what happens in a photo. but there's been proof of lu guang hiding what he knows / has with cheng xiaoshi (re: him hiding the fact emma died, and him hiding the photo that liu tianchen gave him). he's also an incredibly private person. if he hides from his closest friend, who's to say he isn't hiding something from the audience either?

we also don't know how they got their powers. if lu guang originally had the power to dive back into pictures, then it would make sense on how he's able to go to different timelines. also, studio lan clearly emphasizes the fact that the pair are two halves of a whole, and the show is more interesting because of that dynamic.

as an extra: lu guang's doting nature makes a lot of sense too, he just doesn't want to see cheng xiaoshi miserable again! it's a pretty known fact that cheng xiaoshi didn't have any friends (besides qiao ling) before lu guang, and his life insantly got better when they finally were a trio (interesting that it was mainly because of a mysterious person that popped out of nowhere). here's a fun twitter thread by t3mp0s about the trio's dynamic

lastly, i just think it'd be fun if at one point cheng xiaoshi slowly discovers what lu guang did in his past for him. and how hypocritical lu guang would sound after saying "past or future, leave them be" if he never applied that to cheng xiaoshi! either way i still want to see a cxs saving lg arc man... they keep teasing it EVEN IN THE MV

that's it!! i know link click's best quality is the trio going through other people's stories, but i think they're preparing us for the biggest one: lu guang's.

[whitebookposts]

alright so now that we're discussing elder headcanons what are your hcs for ayin :3

OH HEY ANOTHER FEW WEEKS HAVE PASSED BEFORE I ANSWERED THIS. HAHA I live in shame every breathing moment <3

ANYWAY!! AYIN!!! OUR FRIEND!!! THE ULTIMATE DAD\MOM\GRANDMA!!! The one who holds so much pain behind their gentle hands.... one of my favorite elders, right behind Priestess (shhhhh let's ignore the fact she isnt even canon). Let's get right to them!!!!

GENDAQUEEEER I am a firm he\she\they Ayin believer (although it does make writing fics with him a bit tricky lol). idk why, but it makes so much sense, both because I feel like Ayin feels love and appreciation towards all gender expressions, be it feminine or masculine, and because I'm projecting my own gender identity onto em. plus, Ayin was called both a he and a they by tgc, and in one of the game's translations (I don't remember the language, unfortunately), Ayin is called "Prairie grandma" instead of Prairie elder. Overall, I feel like Ayin wouldn't care what pronouns you use for her, he is happy with all (projecting again), and they will wear beautiful dresses and gorgeous suits depending on the mood.

PANSEXULAAAA I don't even have any explanation for this one, I just know it on molecular level.

Youngest child syndrome Headcanon that Ayin is the youngest of three kids, having two older twin brothers. Both because it just… makes sense for him to be the youngest (listen. Half of my headcanons are just vibes.), and because when @grapeless-seeds introduced this headcanon to me (using early beta content where it seemed that some spirit memories were actually memories of the elders, and what we concluded was beta ayin was surrounded by two more spirits that looked a lot like them) I fell in love with it immediately. There are so many funny scenarios that can arise from it, esp if Ayin turns out to be taller than her older brothers. This is also a basis for some of my angst for Ayin too, because out of the other elders, Ayin has the most family still up there in the constellation while she is stuck down there (I'm a "elders are fallen stars who crave to get back home" type of fella)

ARTS & CRAFTS Like to think that Ayin is the type of person to always make some sort of pretty trinkets and stuff, often pairing up with Teth to make them. His favorite type of creation though? Clay pots! All the smaller clay pots you see around her temple are handmade by her :) (even though it does get tricky with their big hands :"D)

Hard of hearing Hard of hearing Ayin headcanon blast! I like to think that the reason they have bells on their temple is so that he can hear their calls better since she would have a hard time hearing them from the village. Originally born from noticing the detail that in his cutscene, Ayin needs to look around before spotting you instead of simply following the sound of our footsteps and the flame. He mostly hears either thanks to a special device created by Teth for him, or through the rumbles of the earth around them. Which leads to-

Is this an avatar reference I forgot to mention this in my Teth headcanon list, but I hc that the elders that appear holding the colored light in the cave of Prophecies can manipulate the respective elements. Even more, they could do so even before they were granted these lights, but it was the lights that allowed them to master the skill. So Ayin, as the holder of Earth, is one of the most powerful elders - she can transform the terrain, make plants grow, lift entire islands into the sky (why do you think their temple is so high up), and even change gravity. If such power fell to any other hands but Ayin's who knows what could have happened? Thankfully, Ayin has a very strong connection and respect for the land, coming from a constellation (the way the stars call their families) of farmers (but that is a whole other can of worms) so you can be sure Ayin can be trusted with it. But if they were to use it aggressively…..

I got my ass kicked, I ain't posting that Both because of Ayin's ability to manipulate earth, AND their sheer size and physical strength, if you somehow manage to get into a physical fight with them, expect your ass to get handed to you on a cute hand made plate. But let's be honest if you somehow manage to get such a calm and gentle person like Ayin to fight you, you deserve everything that comes next.

A single mom who works two jobs...... It's already canon that Flight guide was Ayin's apprentice, but my headcanon extends to Sanctuary guide too, and that for both of them, Ayin was not only a master but a parental figure as well. Even though all the other elders told Ayin that it would be silly to raise ancestor children since the ancestor life span is so much shorter and they will see their kids grow and get old and die before them, Ayin still took on the job because she couldn't let these poor kids have no home, ready to face the pain of their death if just she gets to see them grow old and happy. well… they did die earlier than Ayin…. unfortunately, they also died much, much earlier than they were supposed to and Ayin expected. Oops.

This is the part where we get to the horrors During the height of the darkstone era and the fallout that happened after it, Ayin was caught between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, he longed desperately to get back to the stars and reunite with his family, and that, at the time, was believed to be possibly only through continual darkstone use. On the other, as mentioned earlier, Ayin has a great connection to the land and a great love for creatures and nature. We can even see it in their realm, which is the healthiest, most thriving out of all others. I mean, she has a whole ass sanctuary in the Prairie, so it's clear that the preservation of nature was very important to them. So Ayin was deeply conflicted, wanting to return to the stars but knowing it would be at the expense of the land. This desire to go home was what caused her to go with the continual industrialization at first, and the crushing guilt just made them work harder and harder, running themself thin trying to provide enough light from their realm for the growing demand, because hey, if they work themself to exhaustion, they don't have enough time to dwell if their actions are good! Sleep became their coping mechanism. (Might not be super healthy, but hey! At least it's not DRINKING like in early concept art! I still can't believe they were planning to make Ayin a drunk and that the pots were originally there to contain the drink.)

more horrors Such behavior and Ayin's quiet acceptance of the situation continued up until… it couldn't anymore. Ayin couldn't go on like that anymore, she saw her land and her neighbor's lands fall to ruin, more and more people becoming sick, a war waging taking more and more resources and lives…. and the catalyst for it all was the death of both of her apprentices, who died protecting the very same things she taught them to protect. That was the final straw. And Prairie officially joined the resistance.

Oops, still horrors. So you remember that cut-out beta part of the Aurora concert where we saw the elders on the battlefield during the war, with Ayin with Daleth being on the side of the resistance? Yeah, it's a pretty cool basis for this headcanon, BUT ACTUALLY, this idea came to me so much earlier, IN A DREAM. I am not even joking, I had a dream 3 years ago where Ayin was fighting in the war. Speak of Apollo and his prophetic visions, huh? Do you remember how I mentioned that Ayin would be terrifying to fight against due to her control over earth? Yea, let's just say the giant craters on the battlefield in GW weren't always there.

Doomed middle aged yaoi An extension to the previous point, I'm a Tsadi x Ayin fan, and seeing how Tsadi appeared on the other side of the battle on that one cut out segment... well, do what you will with it.

okay back to normal stuff Ayin is really great at putting children to sleep, even the most energetic ones. there is just something about the softness and warmth of his body and the general calming vibes around her that make young children relax. Was really helpful to Priestess when the little twins were full of energy all too late when she had none.

Grandma instinct Don't say you're hungry next to them. Ayin WILL cook a "all you can eat" buffet for you if you do. No one is going hungry if Ayin can help it. Honestly, I know this hc sounds very joky, but I genuinely love the healthy relationship with food Ayin has. It really helps me to not worry about calories and weight gain. I know Ayin would want me to be well fed and eat tasty food first and foremost. :3

Ayin milk

ANDDD this concludes my list for now! In truth, I have so, so much more headcanons about Ayin, but Im getting tired typing all that, besides, many of them will need a much bigges exposition about my world building and general world headcanons for Sky. Hope you enjoyed reading those!