#im really loving the narrative that we are building together...

[popfizzles]

how did Tumbler end up having a crush on Sloth, how does he feel about it and did Rummer have a reaction for it

What??

[variousqueerthings]

heterosexuals really want to see lenny and midge get together

queers understand that it's all about susie and midge

[orcelito]

ok so like. between Sentido and In the Next Life, the kudos discrepancy is obvious (it being a tristamp vs trimax fic)

but honestly, the engagement with In the Next Life is honestly rly encouraging. a 10.8% comments to kudos percentage for Sentido vs 30.8% for ITNL

it was a lil discouraging at first how few kudos it got bc i just got off the high of super fast growing Sentido. but like, when you think about it it makes a lot of sense. the general tristamp fic with a simple setup & effective character exploration using a structure i havent seen otherwise.

vs heavy heavy HEAVY trimax spoilers fic. like this fic is made For Me to cope with reading trimax. but for ppl who dont read as fast as me or havent started it after watching tristamp. if they care about spoilers, this is not what theyre gonna be reading

so it makes sense! and im no longer disappointed, especially considering how sweet all my commenters have been.

im just gonna keep goin at it. im writing this for Me, and either it'll get more attention or it wont. it's enough for the people who are here now to continue this journey with me.

[arytha]

not catching up on the dash just caught up with joelle and rory's blogs 👍 im tired and eating prosciutto with a fork bc i have no easy way to wash my hands rn

[heartofbusan]

Best laid plans of stomach bugs and men.

The chemistry is the point.

Some people underestimate the effort and toll it takes on ones body and schedule to fly 14 hours to visit another person. 14 hours to spend 72 hours together means commitment. It means bro's before ho's and I am frankly HERE FOR IT.

The discourse I am seeing is extremely telling of how fickle people are about their support for jikook. People watch too much scripted reality tv 🙄 bcs they really expected this relationship, this reunion if you will, to play out in multiple angle close ups and medium shots and several wide angle shots with dramatic zooms and heavily directed post-moment recaps with dramatic silences or eye rolls to play up the drama? The lack of moments, the MUNDANITY if you will IS THE POINT. They are so real to me, so life like, so domestic goals!

Being quiet with each other. No uncomfortable silences, but comfortable togetherness.

That's what leads to horny bed fighting, which in my eyes could lead to more if not for the cameras 👀 just me?

When they said unscripted, this is what they meant. When they said unplanned, this is what they referred to. Not directed, not scripted, not fanservice 🙄 to fit a planned narrative. This is how their relationship plays out. I'd go so far as to call it a documentary instead of a reality series. While documentaries have tons of genres within itself, this genre is one where there's a broad range of planned activities, but where the narrative is constructed in post production: editing. Id know, since im an editor. This tells me that they counted on the natural chemistry between 'JeonJi' (SO CUTE) to 'lead the way' instead of a multitude of directed interactions that they (the producers) would have needed to tick a dramatic narrative box.

So what does that lead to? In my professional opinion as a director/editor the first two episodes lacked a dramatic arc. There was little directing going on to force one

the chemistry is the point

The flirting, the lulls in conversation, them being together, seeing them have fun, and reconnecting is the point. Instead of what they're doing or what they're talking about. The episodes, therefore, are kinda boring in the sense of entertainment, but wildly exiting in the sense of what we get to see play out. And it's incredibly nuanced. And nuance often flies over people's heads..again, the crowd that expects to be held by the hand when it comes to drama: reality tv.

It's a huge risk to take as a production. Let's not underestimate that! 'Are You Sure' was so unscripted that they didn’t even have a title until halfway into the second or third day. Again: they were banking on JeonJi to build upon their chaos to lead to a narrative and a title, etc. That is so telling to me. That them being together is the raison d'etre of this show. Jimin 'sacrificing' his time to fly to the US, Jeonkook making space in his busy schedule time to spend time unwinding, JeonJi making good on their need to finally spend time together after the booked and busy year they've had.

Jimin enjoying the hell out of Jungkook having fun.

Because that is who Jimin has always been: his adventurous spirit takes him places because he loves exploring and being in tue moment. He'll willingly travel to have those moments. Jungkook on the other hand doesn’t. He dislikes leaving the comfort of his surroundings because he doesn’t see the pot of gold that being adventurous brings him while he's comfortable in his home. I relate 😩 so much. Just planning trips alone makes me enter a comatose state, so I'd rather not go than sacrifice my rest to plan an adventure. I don't even know I'll get anything out of. That is, until Im actually on that planned trip and having the time of my life! They've always been like that. Jimin had to be the incentive to get Jungkook out on that trip. Take.him.by the hand if you will 😭😭

And then there's the stomach bug. YOU DAMMNED CURSED THING. It threw a HUGE wrench into their plans, and if anyone doesn’t take that into consideration, then you haven't had a stomachbug EVER while still having to face up to your commitments. Park Jimin will NEVER back down from his commitments, his promises *pinky promises* are sacred to him, and this bug took away the catalyst of this duo. Jungkook suddenly had to be the extrovert of the two, and boy, does he struggle in that role. He was to me his usuall baby elf self. So adorable and cute with his nose focused on food and Jimin’s care. But my man loves to rely on Jimin to lead the way in shenanigans and to make any moment entertaining, and you could just tell Jimin wasn't in his feels enough to overcome his lack of energy. Poor baby. Really, he's the best of us because I would have straight up refused to be filmed in that moment. A whole night of diarrhea and still showing up to film the next day?! NO MA'M NOT ME.

If you've read up to this point, I commend you. It was just supposed to be a short rant, but it became an entire essay because I can not with the overly reactionary nature some people show. Drawing entire conclusions based on two hour long episodes. I know, I might be contradicting myself here but extenuating circumstances and all. Jimin wasn’t on his game, and Jungkook was also recovering. When a show is banking on the chemistry between two people to shoulder the brunt of this show and said people are extremely sick, well then what can I tell you?

We need to sit back and enjoy the fact that we are getting such access to them, so unfiltered. Jikook enjoying each other, come rain or shine, in sickness and in health, whatever the mood brings, because that to me is more valuable than DRAMA or NARRATIVE. We'll probably get a bit more of that once they're going to Jeju, and they're both hopefully healthy. We're even getting a new element for them to play off of: Tete shows up! Like a jack in the box, and Jungkook seems to not be having it, lmao...see..unscripted and natural. I love that for them!

Idols are people first, and we need to celebrate that, not demand more.

[mixupmycota]

we have reached the point i look forward to the most every new bioware release where my engine activates and i begin pouring over the narrative design as if it is a whalefall and im a hungry, hungry deep sea worm

there is always intentionality in the design, bioware has been pushing towards writing People as well as Characters as companions for like. the life of the studio. this isn't a formal gamedev classification it's just how i've been theorizing about their design process since i was a kid wanting to grow up to work for them.

i think veilguard has some of the best People writing they've ever done.

the distinction i am making here is that People writing allows for a lot more apparent inconsistencies, for a lot of depth and subtlety and it expects a lot from your audience. It benefits from analysis of interpersonal dynamics and from evaluating the actions of characters like you would a real person and using that to inform the roleplay.

It's something that the art form really lends itself too! The arc a given character has can be different between playthroughs, but they all come from the same person. Branching paths are potentiality, windows into how people react under different conditions.

Character writing can seem too - or sometimes actually - suffer when the focus is on trying to present companions as more independent, realized people, because there will be moments of stilted delivery or seemingly out of character reactions that rely on looking for context beyond the limits of the scene or the themes of the character arc. When writing People is done well it ensures there's always more to think about and is a huge reason for the enduring love for companions across games and time!! and i think that's so cool, actually.

if you just analyze companions through literary lenses, things will be missed, because they won't always play to type. if you just analyze them through focusing on their interpersonal relationships, things will be missed, because there will be thematic throughlines and subtext that has also been woven into their writing. the two pronged approach is so, so rewarding.

i think a lot about the reactions i am seeing to lucanis and neve's banter and the hate for that and the hate i've learned (i somehow missed it at the time) people had for isabela and fenris's interactions along the same line. a common point of contention is not liking how the characters "behave differently with each other than with rook/hawke."

I find that fascinating because that's the point, they're written to be people. Do you interact the same way with everyone you know?

The differences between Rook and Lucanis and Neve inform their dynamics with each other! Neve and Lucanis have a lot of mannerisms in common, they each have deep social attachments to their communities in a way the other characters do not, and both of them have trust issues. It is incredibly natural that they have a much different dynamic with each other, and that they can develop a friendship or more in the aftermath of choices that affect both of them very personally, and that influence how they see Rook.

They're written as people, as well as characters.

This is evident in Lucanis's romance as well, which leaves a lot to the player to put together. While it's fair that some feel his romance is "empty" along a character writing line, when you approach it from an interpersonal analysis standpoint, grounded in considering the realities of the events of the game and historical context and how they would affect a real person in that position: the fact that a romance even happens is breathtaking, and really elevates the events.

the game is really going to benefit from repeat playthroughs, from building a deeper understanding of each of the *people* in rook's team, and how they respond to different events under pressure and when they get a break from it, and i'm so, so excited to dig around in it for ages

[mellarkably]

ur so right abt the way that scene between ben and devi was shot because every single moment when we see devi making out with someone (or about to have s*x) is so driven by her “horny side” only, for paxton and des she just wanted to have s*x and get over with it and with ethan she just was on her horny and active rush which is good but the ben/devi scene, yes it was framed with a sense of urgency between them but also so much care and love. the lighting, the touches, the hands, smiling at each other and just everything about it was beautiful.

and call me crazy but i am happy the show didn’t do the typical “devi only has s*x with ben” narrative because i was about sure they wouldn’t have her have s*x with ethan and they did and was surprised because most shows don’t do that. ben and devi lost their virginity together and that’s already special but they didn’t have devi pondering around waiting for ben. she got to experience a little bit of fun and discover her preferences and be comfortable with it (and maybe ben did so too with margot) and then they get to make love to each other and know what it means and the differences in that and now they can start a relationship when there’s some level of experience and they can just explore what they both want.

some shows tend to do the opposite for “romanticism” so i am glad they did not.

OH ANON HOW I LOVE YOU FOR THIS BECAUSE CAN. WE. TALK ABOUT IT!

i already predicted a while ago that the show would have ben and devi make love again but this time it would be much more natural and easy for them:

i agree with you. i think it was important to show benvi's first time as being awkward, and having it pale in comparison to her next time with ethan, who is far more experienced. it allowed devi to have fun (and im assuming its almost certain ben also had sex with margot) while embodying the whole, fun time NOT a long time thing. im sure they both learned a lot about their preferences like you said during those respective relationships.

but going back to what i loved most about 410's sex redo - how it was the ONLY sex scene in the show that wasn't shot like a high school steamy fling type of deal.

of course, there's that big damn kiss that's been building up for four years with more steam needed to be released than pati's rice cooker, BUT, the lighting. the song, the actors' natural chemistry. the tone itself already feels so much more serious than any other romantic scene in the show.

i honestly thought it would end here, so imagine my surprise when they continued - and i think this second part is what sets it apart from all the other intimate scenes in the show.

henna shot. i fucking died. ive talked enough about this on twitter and im sure other people are talking about this but it is just so symbolic for devi as an individual, her relationship with her culture and how she doesn't have to separate that from her romantic endeavours because she is desirable as she is! s1 devi would faint! she absolutely would!

and now this shot, which is what the tags you're referring to were about, has me still going cuckoo bananas like. pulling away to smile at each other. they're literally in fucking love. this is love. this is not the show trying to gain an audience using steamy scenes, or devi being horny - not that there is anything wrong with that either - but she is so visibly content and comfortable and happy and you can see it in her smile. both of their smiles in fact.

that small moment is what makes this scene for me.

anyway sorry for the huge rant. if you couldn't tell already i really love this scene! it was very well done.

[drivestraight]

i know ur not the biggest fan of telling readers of ur fics how things should be interpreted, but in anatomy of a joke endgame landoscar feels incredibly tangible and believable to me, in the same way maxcar is in eat them alive. i credit that to ur absolutely incredible contextualization and characterization (ur flashbacks go craaaazy!!!) that allow us to read between the lines. im so curious abt how u feel about endgame norstappen. i adore them together soooo much, but to me their dynamic feels incredibly unbalanced at times (the quote abt the wolf loving the lamb-it-does-not-eat…. eeuuugh that is THEM). i have to know ur thoughts, is there a world where established relationship norstappen exists for u and what does it look like? what’s the turning point for them (lando finally seriously challenging max for wdc, even possibly beating him??)? does racing need to become a thing of the past or significantly less important (like one driver retiring) for it to happen??? or are they forever burdened with the narrative of a messy and complicated fwb/situationship for the rest of their lives????

ahh !! i wouldn't say i'm opposed to telling people how things would be interpreted, because i do think you guys of course can read things however you want - once i post something it's like, the reins are in the readers' hands

THAT BEING SAID LMAO i do write. for the most part. with intention. but it doesn't have to be one Clear Cut Definite reading, sometimes i have multiple interpretations in my head and like how they coexist/like the tension it creates. BUT IN ANY CASE. here's a lot of my. Thoughts. and Responses. I may or may not answer your actual questions. (I don't really)

to me, yeah, definitely, in anatomy of a joke, even though landoscar don't have any closure, and it feels like lando's "chosen" max in a way, the way things build up, it definitely feels like it's going toward landoscar. in that - max doesn't actually really have any real stakes in what's happening - he really did mean it when he said he'd give lando to oscar but. at the same time there's that possessiveness, that whole casual, he's mine but, if you want him so bad, just have him. max's whole side of it i kind of like to keep as opaque and, between the lines, indefinite, as possible - the fic is via oscar's POV, and while we get glimpses of how lando feels about oscar (panicking after they've spept together) and about max (specifically, the whole, it's just good fun, that's all it ever is), max is really just - oscar feels frustrated by it. and while i do have my own thoughts about how max was feeling in it, wrote it with that in mind, i don't feel super strongly about explaining it in any case.

and in maxcar - they become life partners fr... don't think this one needs so much explaining.

glad to hear that you like the flashbacks !! and that the characterization/how i contextualize things makes the whole, between the lines thing to become coherent. that's something i've actively been trying to work at in my writing - getting away from heavy handed introspection, and try to see how much i can legibly/interestingly/smoothly/efficiently leave unsaid and between the lines and what hints/etc. i have to give in order to help the reader to get there/what foreshadowing, in a way, can make gut punch feel more impactful, etc., so i'm glad that it worked out in this fic :)

endgame norstappen is difficult for me mostly because i do like thinking about them as a sort of transient thing. not transient as in their friendship but it's like, yeah, it's imbalanced. max will always be the cool young karting champion who signed an f1 contract when he was 16 and lando will always be the tiny kid shooting up the karting ranks. but it's also - they would play video games together, they ride on planes together, they'd go on holidays together, they stick together at clubs and have the same european DJ friends, they get along, they like each other. but there is an imbalance, not, in, like, how much they like each other but just in the nature of who they are, i think. they're just very different, but they have so many of the same hobbies and they like and respect each other so much that they make it work.

so i guess.. in a way... the problem is that i just don't really see established relationship norstappen/haven't figured it out in a way that interests me. the power of the current norstappen dynamic to me is that max is a world champion and lando isn't - but max knows that lando will be one day, and at the same time is the thing stopping lando from getting it. it's that sort of friction where as soon as things change on track things really will have to change in their dynamic.

the other appeal of norstappen to me is like. their F1 narratives are just so separate from each other. which is why i feel like as a ship they've flown very under the radar until this year, minus their like, partyboys moments of the past/some of their podiums from last year. like, they've been paddock friends very openly every since lando joined the scene, but they've never really been part of each other's F1 narrative until this year. so it's like. i guess. this is the turning point. this year is what will define their dynamic going forward. and we'll have to see how things go from here before i can actually formulate some coherent answer.

anyway... apologies for the complete non-answer

[kenjiyabuki]

so here are some thoughts about DMD Friendship the Reality while we are nearing the end

yeah yeah its not that deep but actually no one caring/talking about a show makes me want to write a LONG ASS POST bc i cant get gratification from going through the tags and reading opinions lmaoooooo so HERE damn okkk i will make the content i want to see in the world i guess dont mind me......😞

im not even the biggest Domundi fan but i was intrigued by the premise of this show. i mean it's a basically fake dating show (like one of their challenge rewards was getting to sleep in a suite together as if they are there to date for real) and the end prize isnt just an acting opportunity as it comes w the big decision of choosing a looooooong time acting partner. so i wanted to see how they would do it. BOC did a similar thing w The Hidden Character which i dropped halfway in bc it was too long and i found the challenges to be irrelevant to the ending goal. this show is the opposite of that and thats why ive been enjoying it.

it is edited to be concise (only 5 eps) and honestly, is quite tranquil. all the challenges were about things they will be required to do in the future as DMD actors/idols and stakes aren't even that high. You could always guess who would win before they even started (((like of course broody model guys won the photoshoot challenge and guy w two series under his belt won the acting one, DUH))) but it was still enjoyable to watch. show's goal isn't to generate tension and competitiveness. it is more of a workshop/chemistry building camp and also a way to introduce the new generation and get the fans warm up/attached to them.

as i spent time in bl fandom sphere, i've come to realize introducing a new gen is tricky. i thought everyone would be ecstatic to see new blood and a lil bit of mix and match but BL fans are reaaaaaaaaaaally attached to their faves and generally see newcomers as threats who will take opportunities from their already neglected (!) precious babies (e.g. just couple weeks ago FortPeat fans were protesting the new lesbian side couple in the upcoming show for stealing screen time from their faves, which is a joke in itself). this kind of show is genius way to get people to warm up to idea of new faces. at the end of the the day, these fans' weakness is two beautiful boys indulging in sweet moments they can be delulu over and considering how ships were already born from the first episode, DMD FTR succeeded in their goal.

LETS TALK ABOUT THE BOYS :-) *this starts playing*

I had to make this during first ep bc they are all dark haired boys w similar builds so I kept confusing them lmaoooooo (Tle not pictured as he joined later)

i will firstly talk about the fan favorite possible "couples";

KengNamping, the quiet visual couple and yes I love em!!!! they were kinda the only "conflict" in this very conflict free competition.

is Keng the CALMEST person I've ever seen? Latte is laid back too but Keng is just seems zen. sometimes (in the face of conflict) he just seemed hard to read but mostly he has such a calming presence. honestly, he should open an ASMR channel if this acting gig doesn't work out.

Namping also comes off very warm and graceful. him being "wow I'm finally in the winner suite" to Keng after finally getting chosen in ep4 made me laugh like DAMN he really was offended by what happened in ep1 and kept letting it slip. Idc, you are so right my prince and don't ever let Keng forget what he did to you...

when it comes to the possibility of them as a couple: i am kinda here for it while also not knowing if i actually believe in their "moments" in the show? Namping definitely set his sights on him from the beginning but Keng seemed nonchalant about it. Keng finally choosing Namping after his win, their sweet moment on the bed etc. seemed to me like classic reality show moment prompted by production to fit a certain narrative WHILE ThomasKong's pseudo-date-night chats seemed very real and spontaneous.

they do visually have chemistry, i'm not gonna act like i wasn't blushing when Keng trying to flirt during dinner or Namping softly touching a sleepy Keng's chin in the bed etc. Or even in ep2, when Namping tries to confront Keng about his pick but they are too timid and just unable to talk about it openly!!! arrghhh it's a hard to watch moment but still, made them more intriguing because they had such a tension between them. it would be a shame if it wasn't explored more. that tension can be channeled into an angsty series, just saying...

So, they def have a long way to go in their bond and arent comfortable like LatteFirst or ThomasKong but still, they are a strong contender and I would be glad to see them as a couple in a show. Namping already got my attention in the acting challenge and wonders can be achieved w a lil bit of workshop. they got the juice already!!!

Now, lets talk about ThomasKong.............

me watching Thomas relentlessly chatting Kong up since THE FIRST EPISODE

so I knew LatteFirst are set be a side couple in upcoming Love Upon a Time but i was confused to see why everyone on Twitter was already going cuckoo over these two random boys until i saw them interacting... Wow, like Thomas really came here w one mission: get Kong and leave.

because Thomas is such a flirt like DAMNNN😳😳😳😳he needs to be jailed for carrying lethal amounts of charm... IT MUST BE SAID: I love his fits w those thin glasses, he should've been wearing those in those office BLs he was in because he has been serving "office siren". Tiktok girlies eat your heart out.

while Kong isn't the best at acting or singing (he is the best KengNamping shipper tho and i LOVE a fudanshi BL actor), he definitely would win Mr. Congeniality if they were giving that title. he naturally and effortlessly has great on screen charisma. he is a certified cutie and the only one who can get real full belly laughs from Thomas!!!

i think what they managed in the acting challenge is the testament to their palpable chemistry. acting wise they weren't perfect (naturally, their uneven acting experience levels were apparent) but they were the only one who managed to tonal shift in their scenes. it's because they were the only ones who played into the romantic subtext of the scene. they also held eye contact for the longest (because they are comfortable w each other and not shy!!!), which elevated their chemistry and made me AND the judges giggle and roll our hair and kick our feet and shit!!!!!!!!!!!!

they are obviously the most likely to win the show and they deserve it too. no matter the result of the show, i want see them carrying a series as mains because they can and should. i also believe DMD won't fumble their bag, so i am not worried about it.

to conclude, I will quote Zee,

then we come to LatteFirst, the kinda established couple: in the ep5 preview, we see First trying to choose between Latte and the newcomer Tle, which seemed random to me and could be a production touch to create conflict in this very smooth sailing show.

i loved seeing Latte being nonchalant about the possibility of First choosing someone else, what a laid back guy. like Mio in THC, every BL reality show needs a half asleep and occasionally funny dude.

now i am thinking; what if First chose Tle, would he also replace Latte in LUAT bc DMD doesn't really fuck w mixing matching their couples. i honestly don't know where did all that come from but i feel like the result wont be too shocking, First and Latte are already really close and comfortable and got The Chemistry. need i remind of Latte punching the air a la Judd Nelson at the end of The Breakfast Club when it was announced they both chose each other for the dinner date? and their sweet and comfortable banter on that said date??? let's put our pens to work and write a friends to lovers rom-com for the boys based on that material please...

i dont think they are likely to win but might be strong contender. i just want to see them as a side couple in LUAT (hopefully this year!!!!) so they can develop themselves and their bond a little bit more before getting to a main couple level. their sweet friendship shouldn't go to waste!!! (is it obvious i am more drawn to BL couples who are besties in real life?)

damn this post is about to be a novella so i will make it short about Gems, TeeTee and Tle, i hope Gems won't be too upset about getting slighted again 😥 like i said, stakes aren't high on this show and results are always obvious: these guys are going back home empty handed, we all know it. they are all charismatic and VERYYY talented but i just felt like none of them really focused on "getting a partner" part of the show, not just the main challenges. even TeeTee who was picked by Thomas and Keng seemed kinda uninterested about partnering up. but you cant really force chemistry and i am sure they will get many more opportunities in the future. they already started their fanbase!!! i cant stand to see Gems so upset, i hope he wont be too sad.

these are my opinions. maybe the ending will do a whole 180 and idk, GemsKeng or TleKong or some other random couple will win, who knows???? cant wait to watch the new overly airbrush filtered, Cheewin directed DMD show up to like 5 episodes and then get bored and drop it and follow the rest from gifs!!! good luck to the boys <3

[aihoshiino]

I'm actually so glad you talked about the timeline issue in this chapter because now I've been wondering ever since reading the chapter, what did truly happen between kamiai???

At this point since they are still together even during the murder suicide...doesn't that mean Ai already has her twins? And that Hikaru had already gone to the hospital prior with Ryosuke? Did Hikaru accept the kids then? How did he even meet a deranged the fan Ryosuke, and why? When and how did Ai reveal her pregnancy, what was his reaction...my head hurts 😭😭

Also, the cut 162 with Ai's rejection already happened...so when are we ever seeing the "I can't love you" scene anymore...

Other than that, im glad we're finally getting a father-daughter talk (that we will never know the details of, like the dvd lol)

Kinda funny when we think that...Aqua got his mother's point of view (the dvd) and Ruby is getting her father...the parallels intensifies

EVERY TIME I THINK I'M FINALLY FIGURING IT OUT, SOME HORSEPISS LIKE THIS HAPPENS... AKASAKA YOU'RE GOING TO BE THE DEATH OF MEEEEEEEEEEEEE

My only hope at this point is that we're going to see some of these scenes in proper flashback from Kamiki or maybe even Ai herself via us FINALLY FINDING OUT WHAT'S ON THOSE DVDS AKASAKA I'LL KILL YOU and they didn't want to spend time building up versions of events that were going to hold on a second. Literally was midsentence about to justify that by saying 'they didn't want to portray these events then go jk it was fake' only to remember they literally already did that with the KamiAi romance scenes turning out to be shit Yoriko made up. So I quite licherally do not even know anymore. i am Giving Up !!

on a more positive note tho..... god I am SO fascinated by the arc's continued paralleling of the twins to the 'opposite' parent, so to speak and I'm tentatively hopeful that the RBHK meeting means that this is something intentional. At the very least, I think it's undeniable that in the ways AQRB are paralleling the HKAI relationship, Aqua is the one in Ai's role, as the savior that Hikaru/Ruby is relying on. 143 makes this pretty explicit with Ruby describing Gorou as her 'oshi' and thus placing Aqua on the pedestal that Ai had been forced to occupy.

It's honestly kind of... refreshing! Because of Kamiki's so transparently telegraphed similarities to Aqua and Ruby's narrative role in the story as the one following Ai's footsteps, it's a really clever subversion of expectations to have them kind of swap around like that. It's also a cool parallel to Tokyo Blade, where Akane and Kana were each unintentionally paralleling the others' role as opposed to their own.

[emily-prentits]

thoughts on the greys s19 finales? s19 kinda underwhelmed me (marina is cute but the baby thing bores me to no end which in turns makes them as a ship dull to me sacrilege i know lol but it’s the truth) and i never got super into yasuda/helm but im kinda loving the possibility of yasuda/jules? idk what’s going on there but the chemistry>>>

ohh boy. so i have a lot of thoughts on the finales LOL. it got really really long and it only aired yesterday so spoilers are under the cut for those that haven't seen!

grey's:

sooo. i hated it. as a writer, as a viewer, i fucking hated it. honestly, i should have come into the fandom earlier because this season being my first to watch live sucked ASS and was more losing than winning. narratively speaking, the vast majority of the writing choices made ZERO sense. not winston/monica (AFTER ALL THE MONMELIA BUILD UP??), not julesmika (sorry, i love them, but they make no narrative sense. unless they're trying for a mertina type relationship which im not sure i entirely like either), and not whatever bullshit was going on with catherine. i know she has played big bad boss lady in the past but honestly this season the writing for her was very... flat? one dimensional? it was almost like she could ONLY be the antagonist and she wasn't allowed to have any other role in this season. i don't think we saw her outside of the hospital at all in the whole 10 episodes. while i DO understand they had to make some necessary cuts because of the shortened length of the season... was it really worth keeping catherine fox in this season if they were going to ruin her?? because i do NOT think so. and what was UP with her firing half the hospital in one episode??? fuck that??

to be completely honest lol, i'm tired of this show and the way they hate their gays. helmika breakup, no monmelia ANYTHING -- making monica hook up with winston after zero build up?? if you want to write a bisexual character this is NOT the way to do it -- schmitt leaving next season, trying to build up the julesmika relationship when midori is leaving in the next season?? i admit they're cute, but there's no way the relationship is sustainable. and it makes me so sad.

and... oh my god don't get me started on mernick. to preface everything i say about them: i think they're cute! genuinely i do! i don't hate them at all, which makes it so much harder when i have to say that they make no sense together long term. meredith is very clearly not as in love with him as he is with her (he said he wanted to marry her, walked out, and she had. zero reaction. to any of it. if anything she kind of treats him like a child?😭) and she only really fights for him when it looks like he's going to leave. she'll only fight for her stability if there's a real threat of losing it. in a way, i suppose it's not surprising. they mirror merder but only in all the bad ways, the way that merder was starry eyed intern x dreamy neurosurgeon turns into the way that mernick is essentially idol x fan. there's no way either of those relationships could have lasted in the long run -- BECAUSE of their foundations. and it makes me so sad bc why is meredith doing the same fucking things after 20 SEASONS. she of ALL the characters deserves to have some character development after all this time.

station 19:

loved it. cried so many times. the episode ended and i walked around feeling so empty. i will admit i have only seen marina spoilers and have not watched any of the seasons until season 7, so my view might be a bit skewed. cried with the marina family (maya's development from season 1 to season 7? 🥹), cried when travis went with vic (someone finally choosing to put first the Put Everyone Else First Person??? hello tears). the flashes forward and back were so interesting, definitely kept me engaged. i was so scared tho when they kept showing the burning gear when andy was missing 😭 i was like they BETTER NOT have killed her. and then all was well <3 more or less.

overall for station 19, i think they really did the best they possibly could have with how many episodes they were given to wrap up the series if it doesn't end up getting picked up. i liked it a lot more than grey's, for sure :)

[fortheloveofexy]

(allow me to just gush for a second i promise i actually have a couple of questions !!) i randomly stumbled across into the deep after seeing some art on pinterest that was inspired by the fic. i initially thought it wasn’t really my thing, but when i saw how committed you were to it and all the research you’d put into it, i was persuaded to give it a chance and OHHHH MY GOD IT IS NOW EVERYTHING TO ME, THANK YOU 😭😭 IM COMPLETELY IN LOVE WITH THIS WORLD YOU’VE MANAGED TO BUILD

anyway my question is, while writing, did you ever consider having the ending of into the deep be instead that neil (somehow) becomes a mer so that him and andrew can be together? do you think you would ever write an AU/one-shot or something where that happens?

aaand another thing, sorry! i’m really looking forward to seeing this PDF of all your writing notes someday but in the meantime can you tell us anything more about how andrew was able to become human? is it just something that all mers are able to do, or can it only happen once a mer has found a human mate and has chosen to spend a life with them properly?

Thank you for the lovely ask!! I'm so happy you enjoyed the fic despite your initial reservations 🥰 I loved crafting this story and building this world so much, so it makes me really happy to know others love it too!

Regarding your questions - from pretty early on in the fic's development, I knew Andrew would become human in the end. There was a point where I had briefly considered turning Neil into a mer instead, but by the time I had ironed out the plot and established the themes the fic would be exploring, it made much more sense for the narrative if Andrew gave up his tail.

That said, it is very fun to consider the alternative ending we might have had, and I haven't ruled out the possibility of a one shot exploring that particular "what if?"

As for how Andrew was able to transform and the mechanics of that - I intentionally left this vague in the fic itself because I decided it was more fun for the reader to wonder about it (adds to the sense of magic, you know!).

Theoretically, any mer is capable of such a transformation if the right conditions are met. They have to be in love with a human, willing to abandon their ties to the sea (their home, their pod, all of it) and the human must reciprocate their feelings.

In Andrew's case, this meant releasing his family from the deal they made and letting them go to live their own lives. It also meant allowing himself to want it as well, which as we know is something our boy struggles with doing. He gets there in the end, though, and it all works out alright :)

[falloutnewnobody]

Im back and come bearing Chris Haversam who, upon the first time playing through game got so sad that i couldnt have him as a companion. Like fr I just wanna get him therapy and give him a hug. Like literally my boy got bullied for like building machines more that learning how to shoot guns and got bullied for it and like… he really is such a sweet guy why cant he be buddies with the followers. Hes so goob-coded and sopping wet i just want him to be happy

Also wild implications for the boomers since he was from the same vault as them. Like, did we potentially meet someone that bullied him? How does he feel about Mother Pearl and the other boomers that werent his tormentors? Did he leave before the mass exodus to nellis or did he leave earlier? Aaaaaah so many questions!

Chris Haversham was done dirty by the narrative and stand by that. I actually love the ieda of him maybe hopefully someday joining the followers. at least he gets to be besties with Manny Vargas in Novac in his good ending (even tho manny vargas was cannonically kind of a shitty friend from what we see in game but shh its fine its fine there living the dream together) but like he's so pathetic he deserves the whole world. he really did just spend his whole life being lied to, tormented, and kicked around like that's so sad.

i never knew about or maybe just forgot about the whole him coming from the same vault as the Boomers thing but DAMN does that make him like so much more pathetic and tragic. He's such a sickly sopping wet mess of a man. I want to wrap him up in a blanket and give him a hug and some hot soup.

[stormyoceans]

can i rant here a little bit? i hope you don't mind! okay so... i'm a big yinwar fan and have been since love mechanics (it was not a perfect show we know that but their chemistry was top tier), the partners in crime trailer was amazing tbh can't tell you how many times i've rewatched it it's just so good! and they did that just for a concert like good for them!!! so i was soooo excited about j&j! and i enjoyed the first episodes so much, it's a good show, it has social commentary it has good acting it has war wanarat it has slowburn (i looove a good slowburn) but at some point they... lost me? and i'm so sad about it lol because i love them! but like the last three episodes i found boring i was fast forwarding some scenes even, the pacing was weird, some decisions i didn't understand, the conflicts didn't hook me up at all, the tension they have been building up completely flattened for me, the kiss felt so anticlimactic 😭 i hate this, i guess i wanted to know your opinion maybe i need to give it some time or something idk idk i enjoyed sooooo much the first half of the show that's why i'm sad

hello, anon!!!!

first of all, please remember that if you need to rant about a show or even life in general, my ask box is always open and i will always gladly listen, so i don’t mind at all!!!!

about jack & joker…….oh boy. okay. i feel like someone is gonna snipe me out of the fandom by the end of this, but let’s talk about it. i want to preface this by saying that i appreciate this show a whole lot and that yinwar will always have my undying admiration and support for being able to put together a series like this without a company to back them up: they dared to do a unique plot without knowing how well it was going to be received, which is a risk that big consolidated companies are still too afraid to take ([coughs] GMMTV [coughs]), and they’re doing so while also serving great social commentary, complex characters, interesting dynamics, incredible acting, insane chemistry, and an actual slow burn

all this being said, i try my best to be objective and honest in my opinions, and while the show has all the elements that i love and that would normally make me go crazy, it’s unfortunately not working as much for me, and that’s because i agree that the show has MAJOR narrative and pacing issues. you actually nailed one of the main problems down, which is that the tension that was steadily building in the first few episodes, both plot-wise and relationship-wise, all of a sudden completely flattened out. and don’t get me wrong, it’s perfectly fine to include moments where the pace is slowed down to add new information or character motivation, because while they do temporarily slow down the momentum of the story, they also help to make the later tension that much greater and more gripping, but after episodes 5 and 6 – after the group steals aran’s mother’s necklace back from rosé, after jack forgives joke, after aran gets disowned by his father and moves in with tattoo – the tension has had trouble picking up again

even if they included new conflicts – grandma getting sick, jack becoming boss’ adopted son and being forced to court rosé, the four horsemen – the narrative has started to crumble around the edges, because suddenly it has lost sight of the characters that it used to build tension up until that moment, and instead of releasing that tension, it just leaves you with all these loose threads that don’t really get tied up: how did tattoo and aran get closer? did aran’s father beat up any bodyguard in place of aran or was it always hope? is hope still recovering? is jack going to find out about what save did? how close jack and save even were? how did they meet? how did hope and save meet? i still have no idea who nang is for rosé and the boss and idk if i’ve missed something or ??????

and like im sure some of these questions will get an answer in the last three episodes, but the focus has shifted so much that whatever tension was built over them is now gone. i personally think they were able to raise it back up a little in episode 9 thanks to the heist and the group being back together (which is why i enjoyed it way more than the previous two), but the narrative feels very clunky to me. as for the kiss itself, i actually liked it, but i understand how the entire confession scene might feel a bit anticlimactic, and again i think it’s because all the tension they built up between jack and joke basically disappeared once jack forgave him. yes, the divorce era in episode 7 and 8 hurt, but by then the viewers already knew that the two of them had feelings for each other, and the entire thing with rosé was never really a threat to their relationship, so you’re just waiting for them to confess. they could have made the tension rise again by making them do that in the heat of the moment (while arguing, after one of them got hurt, etc.), but i guess they wanted that to be a small moment of peaceful joy for them, so i appreciate it

this got so incredibly long so im shutting up now, but the point is. i very much feel the same way as you, anon, and believe me when i say im also incredibly sad that im not going crazy over the show like i wished to. it’s still probably gonna make it into my top 10 BLs of the year for a couple of different reasons, but yeah, for what is worth, you’re not alone

let’s hope the last three episodes can up the stakes and tie up all the loose ends somewhat nicely!!!!

[lifesver]

𝘒𝘕𝘖𝘞𝘐𝘕𝘎  𝘠𝘖𝘜𝘙  𝘗𝘈𝘙𝘛𝘕𝘌𝘙  𝘞𝘌𝘓𝘓  𝘊𝘈𝘕  𝘗𝘖𝘛𝘌𝘕𝘛𝘐𝘈𝘓𝘓𝘠  𝘔𝘈𝘒𝘌  𝘞𝘙𝘐𝘛𝘐𝘕𝘎  𝘛𝘖𝘎𝘌𝘛𝘏𝘌𝘙  𝘈  𝘓𝘖𝘛  𝘌𝘈𝘚𝘐𝘌𝘙.

NAME :  kels

PRONOUNS :  she/they/he

PREFERENCE  OF  COMMUNICATION : ims on here are fine, im kind of bad at discord until i know people better, but i prefer to talk to my pals on discord obvi

NAME  OF  MUSE(S) : leland mckinney, tommy jarvis, jake park are most recent. but we were also out here for a long while w richie tozier and five hargreeves.

EXPERIENCE  /  HOW  LONG  (  MONTHS  /  YEARS? ) : oh god uh........... it really goes back to something like 2013? like i started in oc rp groups on and off mostly, i think i didn't get into actual tumblr rpc until maybe 2018? and w leland well we have been out here since last may agjsdk

BEST  EXPERIENCE : honestly like... as much as i sometimes still get embarrassed trying to explain [scare chord] Tumblr Roleplay to people outside of this particular circle, it's been such a large part of my enjoyment online for years and years. i've met some really close friends here, i've done some of my best writing here. and a lot of it is just the ability to bounce off my friends and their huge brain ideas. collaborative writing, to me, is just so much more fun than doing it alone. i really like taking one character and getting just way too deep into who they are, i like learning and picking things up from the variety of other writers on here. improving my writing from reading what my super talented friends do... and in particular this last year has been probably??? one of my most positive rpc experiences in a long while. having people jump into the tcsm rpc, making new friends, and putting together just completely off the shits wild aus and whatever. idk! my creative brain loves to go stupid mode in the paint. and besties we have written some good fucking horror narrative on this stupid website.

and also i'm cringe and i'm free (:

RP  PET  PEEVES  /  DEALBREAKERS :  i'm kind of just chilling like i really am very much non-confrontational in this space because it's... for fun. it's just imaginary internet collaborative writing hobby. mainly i just don't need passive aggression of any kind. i believe that you kind of get back what you put in on this kind of space, so make it comfortable for yourself, be kind to others, and understanding as often as you can be. if people aren't hurting anyone, let them vibe in their own space. not everyone has endless time anymore for rp, so don't make it weird or take it personally when people take time to get back to you about plots, or if they never get time. soft and hardblock as you need to to make your space chill for You it's just never that deep

MUSE  PREFERENCES  FLUFF,   ANGST  OR  SMUT : we like a bit of everything in this house (except anything remotely usfw goes to usfw shadow realm blog). like be serious i am always in the horror rpc for the angst and suffering and exploration of trauma but that needs to be balanced out by fluff and gentle vibes. [loudly into the megaphone] its about LOVE and HORROR-

PLOTS  OR  MEMES :  i like both! i think it's easiest to get things rolling with just whatever memes thrown my way and vice versa. i love plotting stuff out, but sometimes that takes a bit of existing in each others rpc space for a while. so i can be sort of slow w building dynamics, but i do like to!

LONG  OR  SHORT  REPLIES : i don't mind either, it's kind of refreshing to switch between the two, more rapid fire stuff is nice esp to start with, though i am known to be insane in the reply lengths for some prompts once stuff is plotted out.

BEST TIME TO WRITE :  i'm a morning person it's very cringe

ARE  YOU  LIKE  YOUR  MUSE(S) : idk if much really? but i do bring a sort of idiot jock(joth) energy to the function at times. i def project on him on the emotions side i think. and truly whoever i write at a given time reflects a bit on me bc hyperfixation go brrr

TAGGED  BY  :   did steal this from tsari thank u legend TAGGING  :  hands u it

[soapy2]

Questions/Things I want to see in Fionna and Cake Season 2:

Is farmworld Finn still alive?? I’m still confused as to how/why the hell jay and destiny got to fionna world and left their siblings right after Finn’s speculated death.

What is the time core?? It was brought up once and never mentioned again but I think it could make for an interesting narrative via time shenanigans or something

Prismo/orbo/scarab’s boss. Could definitely play a major role but then again I’m kind of getting tired of the “strict multiversal authority” antagonist trope.

More ice queen. I’m fully aware that the ice queen we see in fionna world is likely not an alternate simon(despite having a similar color palette) and might have a different backstory than his, but I think she could be more relevant than she is made out to be and could have quite a bit of potential as a supporting character

More heartfelt moments with Marcy and Simon. I mean, her halfway senile adoptive dad went missing for a week(im assuming) and then comes back unexplained? I’m sure she’s used to weird things happening to him by now but I still think she must have been worried and I want see them have a genuine talk or even just a simple embrace

Possible gumlee/bubbline wedding? Please they mean the world to me

What was that huntress wizard-esque bear they fought earlier. Did Finn accidentally kill his girlfriend or a possible relative of hers???

Gumlee conflict. I miss the angst that made up most of bubblines development and I feel like they got together way too soon. I’m sure disagreements/misunderstandings are bound to happen but ofc I want them to make it up afterwards cause they ultimately love each other and are meant to be together in every universe

What’s up with Prismo glitching?

I want to see another sequence animated in a different style like with winter king and Casper and nova. I enjoyed very much!!!

Another intro(s)? Pretty please I want to collect them like cool gems

Anyways regardless of what happens i am very much looking forward to whatever’s next for this show! I love how this world is always expanding and there’s so much to build from! The fun really never ends!!