#is an underrated part of one of the things ppl like about youtube

[sergle]

hiii sergle do you have any thoughts on the 2nd try try guys thing? curious to hear your opinion!!

i'm so glad you asked bc i love giving my opinion..... first things first, this is REALLY FUCKING FUNNY, the way that Watcher fumbled the bag so badly when they made their announcement probably gave the tryguys a lot of data to work with. obviously everyone is comparing the two things, but in this instance, I actually think the streaming service thing makes more sense, and is done in a better way, with less guilt tripping and more like, Hype. so the most relevant thing, nothing about the youtube channel is going to change, no previously free content is going to be paywalled, new videos are going to keep airing. so somebody who missed the news or isn't inch rested isn't going to have a different experience at all. new shows are going to be on there, but also they're Already On There. like, a lot of episodes. stuff is going to be released earlier on there, uncensored videos, new people showing up (tryguys already has a lot of Talent), and live ticketed events that they normally charge for are gonna be included in the subscription. so like, this sounds justifiable as a thing that you'd Pay For. Watcher was going to put their whole back catalog behind a paywall, they only had a couple of shows plus One New Steven Food Show that was gonna go on their streaming thing, and they were going to stop posting to youtube except for the first episode from each new season of a thing. and the Watcher one was still priced a dollar higher. and they have a very small cast of talent. also, it was a Streaming Service, but it was still something you could only watch in a browser, not on a TV or anything. so it was just a website. the one that tryguys have is actually an app you can have on your tv. like on a roku or whatever. so I think that's another point in its favor. you can't launch a "streaming service" that you can't even watch on your tv.

overall, I think it tracks, they've been a business for a lot longer and they've started a bunch of new shows to go on there, the announcement video wasn't Whiny and Guilt Trippy, it seems like they put more thought into this. also I got a free trial to poke around, which, I do like that that's an option. timing could have been better, some people are being pussies about it in a major way, which is to be expected, and I am basically ambivalent to it, I don't plan on paying, but it seems like it's had a lot more thought put into it, and it could actually be sustainable as a platform running alongside their youtube channel. done correctly, it could be their Mythical Society. if it flops, they aren't alienating their youtube audience.

[smol-grey-tea]

For the ask game thingie: top 5 fictional characters? From any media, or if that is too broad, you can choose a specific piece of media!! :)

First of all thank you for sending ask 😎 second of all, you have been warned, this post is incredibly long and infodumpy.

I was going to include other media but as I started I just got more and more invested in Nameless

If you don't know who these characters are or where they're from I'll take this post to strongly recommend checking out the otome visual novel Nameless the One Thing You Must Recall, made by a collaboration between dating sim company Cheritz and ball joint doll company Crobi Doll. You can play the demo(?) or buy the full game on Steam or watch a variety of play throughs available on YouTube but since this post is about the characters instead of the game I will stick to just that- this is my main blog and therefore spam blog but it is first and foremost a Nameless blog ;)

This is long so I'll put it under the cut ^^

Up first of all is him, the one, the only, the man, the myth, the legend, the hero of the hour: Red from Nameless the One Thing You Must Recall :) could anyone have possibly predicted this? /s

He is the character ever, I will not apologise. He is the perfect man. He is everything I am and aspire to be. Number one himbo and most precious being in existence. My bpd bestie and husband, til death do us part.

I cannot possibly relate to him or his struggles anymore than I already do, he is so fucking unbelievably underrated in what little fandom this game has, he deserves so much more. He literally just does his best and never does anything wrong and the very little he does do wrong he sincerely apologises for and never does again ❤

He is the knight in shining armor who tries constantly to achieve an impossible goal because he believes himself worthless otherwise and slowly comes to realise that all he needs to do is stay right by Eri's side to be enough because, in her words "you are great as you are right now", a quote I will never forget

Coming up next-

It's her. The her of the game ever. It's Eri.

She is the main character, she is literally me.

I think her character especially is such a good protagonist for a game like Nameless cuz I also appreciate just how fleshed out she is, with her relationships - to her grandpa, her parents, Nameless (the character), her friends and the dolls - especially with how she holds every single one of them so dear to her.

Nameless' such strong themes of abandonment and grief are shown in her character really well cuz for some of the dolls their reactions to their own abandonment can be sort of abnormal or extreme (ex. Tei, Nameless), but I think Eri's reaction is so so human and childish (in a good way) cuz it's almost like she never grows up because of it. Her parents work overseas so her grandfather looked after her until he passed away and she began to just live on her own in his apartment. Her parents very rarely ever visited and she struggled to make friends so she only has 2, so as she grew and learned how to live on her own she developed a hobby of collecting ball joint dolls from the company Crobi Doll which makes dolls with souls so they feel alive.

She deals with the abandonment of her parents and the loss of her grandfather by escaping reality with playing with her dolls and dressing them up but I think another way she copes with it of note is how she doesn't ask for help when she needs it cuz she doesn't wanna bother people. It's never explicitly stated in the game in comparison to how the doll's issues are so explicit but you can definitely infer that how she learned not to ask for her parents to give attention to her cuz she didn't wanna bother them bled into her future interactions with ppl and not asking for help when it's needed. The wording of that feels incoherent but I hope the point gets across??

Anyway I love her so much, I hope you can tell 😅

In third place I have selected the Ice Prince, Lance :)

He's pretty funny. Lol.

Ok but I really really love how good of an introduction he is to the game. There isn't a set order to play all of the routes in but the recommended order is: Lance -> Yeonho -> Yuri -> Tei -> Red -> Nameless. With the themes of not only grief and abandonment but the empathy/connection to inanimate objects, his route really really compliments those themes well, especially in the chapter in which he and Eri search for her lost phone and especially his rain scene.

His route as a whole is quite sweet, his growth is very cute and the end to the festival scene is absolutely hucking filarious. Ooh and I love his relationship with Red and how they compliment each other so well but are in constant competition at the same time. I feel like they would be the stars of a romcom or something, I would love to see some kind of dlc or spinoff which solely focuses on them trying to tolerate being roommates with each other 😂😂

In fourth place I am choosing Mr Yuri :3

I think out of all the other characters he's slightly misplaced? I've played the game over multiple times and his route still confuses me a bit since I'm not really sure what struggles his character arch is supposed to be a comments of. He's a bit of a difficult character to read and he can even come off as quite unlikeable because of his flirty and carefree attitude but despite all of the confusion I really can't help but love him and his route - I can do nothing but find it incredibly sweet and cute :)

Out of the whole game my favourite scene is the one pictured above, his rain scene. I love how different it is to Lance and Yeonho's rain scenes because theirs revolved around Eri rushing to find them in the rain and comfort them thru whatever they were dealing with, but Yuri's rain scene involves Eri rushing to save him from the rain only to find that he is warm and dry and calmly playing the piano whilst Eri is the one who needs comforting after being in the cold and storm.

He's very flirtatious and boasts about how much women love him and he loves them in return but Eri learns that he's actually quite an empty person who only gives back as much love as he is given from others. He lacks the understanding of sincerity because he is so used to giving love only to be polite and so is overwhelmed upon realising his sincere feelings for Eri.

I suppose on further inspection he's more like a person who surrounds themself with fake and shallow love to feel whole whilst lacking any deep true connections and understanding of other people? He understands love through flattery and money instead of the intimacy of personal connection.

Because of this I think that the title of Red's opposite is less fitting of Lance as it is Yuri to be honest. Lance is too similar to Red to be his true opposite, they're only opposite on the outside. Red is someone who doesn't particularly understand empty love like that, he is someone who only understand sincerity, whose character is defined by his unabashed and unapologetic empathy.

Also I love him cuz he's funny. For a competition on the funniest Nameless character he is up there. Seriously.

In last place it's kind of tie between Soi and Shinbi.

^ edit by @welcome-to-banjul - will reblog original post after uploading this one

It's a little bit cheating to put 2 characters into the 5th spot but okkkk they don't count as 2 different people, they are a package deal ok??? 😂😂😂

Both Soi and Shinbi so cute just look at their designs alone!! They are amazing :)

They compliment each other so well and are so supportive of Eri it's adorable. I especially love their interactions at the end of Lance's route when Eri finally gets the courage to share with them her passion for dolls and to her surprise they react so well and accept her wholeheartedly and even seem to show an interest in it themselves :)

They're both really nice palette cleansers from the insanity and depression of the boys' routes as the majority of their scenes are very lighthearted and wholesome as well as hilarious especially around exam time. Soi's over the top dramatic reactions blend really well with Shinbi's cool and calm attitude. Did you know Shinbi's name can translate to mystery? Quite fitting for her :)

One thing though that I don't like about them is that I wished they played a bit more of a role in the story and although they do serve more purpose in Red and Tei's routes I wish their roles were more positive than conflicting. Plus I wish that Shinbi played more of a role too. And!!! They were done so dirty when Yujin of all people was given a dlc but for Soi and Shinbi??? Nothing!!! Come on!!! >:(

And. You cannot convince me that they aren't in some kind of relationship. Romantic, platonic or what, I don't know, but I do know for sure that those two share everything with each other and I have a relationship more intimate than a married couple.

Thank you so much for sending the ask!! ^^ I really appreciate it and I hope you enjoyed the word vomit 😅 I shall end this with a poll

[stewyhosseini-bf]

3, 7, & 12

3. favorite rarepair

Interesting one! I don't know that I have one of those? I enjoy willashiv posting but other than that I'm not sure... not really a rarepair at all but on tumblr it could be considered that: I actually really enjoy Kendall/Naomi.. I think they have a really interesting thing going on and I LOVE the self-recognition through the other thing happening w them and the way she's very clearly a narrative mirror and kind of the implications of that .. also i love that she genuinely really cares about him. plus i just like their scenes together! maybe doesn't answer the question at all but...

7. season 4 predictions? (/is it futile to even guess?)

this is interesting obviously bc we know some stuff from what people have gathered from the shooting. but okay some of my thoughts:

stewy is gonna be approached by the siblings and I think (hope) there's gonna be a double-agent kind of situation going on where he acts as their informant from the inside while obv still acting as if on Logan's side (as he really doesn't have a choice abt the latter part). maybe that's just wishful thinking, though

i've been THINKING about whose queer friend that we know has been cast is gonna come to Willa & Connor's wedding. My bet is, for some reason, on Willa or Kendall. Idk. This is based on nothing but vibes, either way can't wait for that to come up

I have some more spoiler-y thoughts that I think are pretty plausible based on what we've seen (and i think most ppl know about but anyway) and I don't wanna put here in case someone doesn't wanna know.. idk! honestly never know what jesse armstrong could even possibly come up with

12. favorite succ fanfiction/fanart/fanvid/uquiz?

this one's really hard to answer because no way can i just pick one, i'll just give you a collection. everything in my #art tag is so fucking cool. this shiv drunk walk home edit fucks really hard. the editing on this tame impala succ edit is so good, and it's pretty underrated imo. HAVE to mention cousin greg babooshka edit that changed my life in that it made me start watching the show a year ago. Lorde kenstewy edit my beloved <3 Succession relay edit, edit of ALL TIME. this tomshiv failmarriage edit means. so much to me. ken ideal husband edit <3 no he would not make the ideal husband, no i don't care <3 also this tomshiv marina edit !!! very good! THEE super rich kids roy siblings edit of all time. OHH Also good time to mention one of my youtube faves, the shiv everything I wanted edit. so good!! this one is incredibly, truly incredible as well. lastly of course THEE last kenstewmas edit.

[aster-pkmn-irl-real]

Listen I adore your yugioh stuff frfr. Like. It genuinely is a comfort show from my childhood. I may have to think a bit when you refer to characters by the Japanese names because I grew up with the dub so context clues are my friend lmao but. It is lowkey making me want to rewatch the show because I stopped when the shark barian reveal and suddenly shark is Nasch or however it’s spelled again because tiny child me got SO MAD that they made shark evil that I? Rage quit the show? At least that’s as far as I can remember so I can only assume. Though there’s a chance that it might not have all been out in English yet so I could’ve stopped because nothing else was available? I’m not sure, it was like a decade ago. But. I love yugioh and I specifically love zexal, I never super got into any of the other series besides og duel monsters and even then I’m pretty sure I only watched like maybe a third of it spread out across the whole thing? Like. I remember the whole Pegasus tournament thing, then I remember uhhhh digital world..? There were capsule monsters. And then uh the seal of orichalchum arc I remember really vividly, and then like the “they’re all in Egypt in the past now” bit. And that’s all. I know Marik exists but I literally don’t know where he comes into play

But zexal? Zexal is my heart my love. I had an oc i larped as on the playground and when playing outside because I was an only child with no neighbors, and this oc could travel to different worlds (of shows and games I liked) and thte two biggest were the Pokémon anime and then yugioh zexal. She was besties with everyone in her backstory but had amnesia and hd changed too much for anyone to recognize her as she slowly regained her memory. Standard 10 year old’s oc type stuff. My favorite parts to act through were like, the world duel carnival for sure, and then uhhhhhh I had fun with the barian stuff but I don’t remember any specific episodes I liked playing. I loved to scooter down the culdesac and pretend I was on the dueling roller coaster though

I AM SO SORRY I AM JUST RAMBLING IN YOUR INBOX ABOUT YUGIOH.

… I might rewatch zexal I’m gonna be totally real.

OKAY FIRST OF ALL ANON NEVER APOLOGIZE FOR RAMBLING ABOUT YUGIOH TO ME BRO I FUCKING LOVE YUGIOH PLEASE RAMBLE ABOUT IT TO ME

godd ur so real for loving zexal though, its genuinely so underrated. ppl like shitting on zexal and citing yuma as a reason to do that and its like tell me you dont remember being thirteen without telling me

also SO REAL FOR LOVING WDC. as an arclight fan wdc was amazing and like idk what it is abt being ten years old and having ocs that can travel between universes but like literally same? i used to do like an email rp with my one friend who liked pokemon and didn't mind ygo and im like having so much fun with this honestly and ik little me would've been so excited about pkmn irl and the ryoga blog.

also zexal was dubbed in full and almost all the episodes are on the ygo youtube channel, though unfortunately not all of them, but it does have most of them. i grew up watching the sub only cause they didn't have all the episodes on netflix so yk lol

[sm0kebreaks]

28 29 30

28. Any art events you have participated in the past (like zines)

i never see zines in time b4 the apps are closed!!! so i usually dont get the chance.... but also im not very good at following through LOL. ummm i helped a friend run a pokemon art contest thing once! i... didnt participate in it myself but i was one of the mods and designed a trainer that ran it and everything that was pretty cool. i also did get to participate in a south park zine once! the ppl in charge of that were nice enough to actually reach out to me to be a part of it so i didnt even have to worry about the app. but other than that im not much for events i dont keep track of time or projects other than personal ones very well

29. Media you love, but doesn't inspire you artistically

to be fair i feel like i enjoy most media a normal amount and not as much in a fandomy whcih means not a lot actually inspires me to draw. i LOVE Friends which im sure some of u guys have noticed (tho i guess sometimes that does inspire art bc ive deffo just fully redrawn scenes from the show but like w tma characters) i love my various youtube men and im a huge fan of horror movies (especially found footage its by far my favorite genre and sometimes i like to just sit and sift thru some real shitty ones to find gold lol) im kind of all over the place. oh and i love a lot of adult cartoons ummmmm none that i currently keep up with bc i hate uhhhhh watching media thats still like... updatingi guess???? but ive been like CRAVING rewatching metalocalypse lately

30. What piece of yours do you think is underrated

this questions embarrassing bc as much as i love attention its also humiliating to talk abt the things i think should have more attention!!! ummmm not so much a piece but um as a whole my childhood au is really being slept on. not that i post much for it often but everything i have for it i love soooo so dearly and bc i havent made the plot of it super clear i dont think many ppl really get into it but i just think its so cool and the story isnt fully fleshed out but every time i get more and mroe thoughts for it it feels more like its own beast and like i could really go somewhere with it!!! for something like SPECIFIC? i think THIS messy comic was totally slept on i thought it was such a cool scene drawn out even without context i mean come on jmart in their lil ruined prom clothes and daisy taking mike down.... jon losing a shoe.... i really like it idk

[hhhongseok]

PENTAGON: First Impressions VS Now! 

   since it's ptg's 3rd anniversary, and i've been an uni for over a year now, i thought it would be a fun idea to compare my first thoughts about all the members to how i think of them now! i got the idea from i got7 inspirits on youtube, so check them out if you're interested!

OT10

then:

I first heard "gorilla" back when it released, but since i avoided stanning rookies at the time- i decided to give it some time before stanning. flash foward to august 2018 where my interest is piqued again. at that time last year, i had thought that they were pretty cute but having literally only heard gorilla and then shine, i was caught off guard by their sound change. It wasn't bad per say- just different. overall, i knew pentagon would be a group that i'd like- but more along the lines of a casual thing. 

now:

y'all already know how whipped i am for these idiots!!! their music and videos and even choreos are my style completely, especially their cute concepts!! we love dancing infants! and also, they're all such throughly good people which makes me so happy. this isn't a casual stan thing in the slightest, and it's funny to think I ever believed it would be. 

Hui: 

then:

when i saw him in shine, i thought he was a d o r k. i think it was the way they styled his hair, but i was just very convinced that he was pretty lame lmao. after that though, i saw how cute he was and he became my bias for a while. i remember thinking at one point that he seemed like an exasperated dad?? i didn't really have any basis for it but that observation was there nonetheless. 

now:

exasperated dad? more like hyper 3 year old. hes literally one of the loudest and most energetic. what was i on. but i think hes the most precious and clingiest little toddler now!! i was right about the dork thing though, but its super cute how goofy and lame he is. also!! talent for days!! his dancing, singing (his falsetto is !!), composing is all incredible. the most important thing though? a godly leader. he's so caring and kind and full of love for his members it hurts me. we don't really see a serious leader hui, but thats okay because i think it means he tries to keep uni and ptg in good spirits by showing them cheerfulness. and that's amazing to me.

Jinho: 

then:

my most notable thought about jinho in shine was "how is he that small". i remember thinking it was cute how he pushed the giant one too, lmao. i didn't think much else of him beyond that, other than noticing how adorable he can be. 

now:

ok yeah, jinho is cute and tiny and whatever- but now i Understand the power that he holds. how he looks with his hair pushed back for example. or how about that bruno mars cover he did with hui. (hhhhnngg). also?? he's not even That small. the ones that make him look itty bitty are Literally just giants. but aside from his appearance, jinho is probably my favorite vocalist like!! i appreciate him s o much. (listen to his cover of gethsemane and last night of october for clear skin) of course jinho is also very cute though!! so i was right about that at least! he just also has many other great sides to him that i worry are overlooked!

Hongseok: 

then:

i didn't,,,notice him. at ALL. like i just glossed over his existence completely when i first saw shine. and even after that- it took me a minute to pay him any mind. when i did finally notice him though, i noticed his smile. i remember i was watching videos with my girlfriend and i pointed him out to her! that was mostly because i felt bad for not really having any strong opinion on him though oops. anyways i ended up just thinking he was a mom. and i was really impressed by his english and strength.

now:

real talk, it pained me to write all of that out!! bc now?? omg hong is my everything- but thats kind of obvious. anyways!! hes so  f u nn y !!! its absolutely a stupid kind of funny and hes definitely annoying but i adore it. also the mom thing is only kind of true. he has the capacity to be maternal and take care of them, but he's way more likely to make fun of literally every single member. he's more like an older brother that never leaves his siblings alone and thinks he's funnier than he is. and we hate him for it. anyways, his voice is So underrated im. angery. he has such a beautiful voice, just in general, and on top of that- his singing is lovely. like yes, more hong solo please. 

Hyojong: 

then:

i definitely took note of him immediately! his voice is very distinctive, and he stands out a lot in shine. which is really saying something. i thought he was really talented for sure! and i almost felt he was too cool for me to be looking at. i kind of got the vibe he'd be pretty icy i guess? 

now:

he's not intimidating at all. like not even a little bit. bc he's not taking himself as seriously as i thought he was lmao. also hes so   l o u d . and a plant man. but i think the best thing about edawn is his unpredictability! i never really know what to expect from him and i like that. 

Shinwon:

then:

i thought he was HOT. i already thought he was handsome in the 0.3 seconds of screentime he got in shine. but a friend of mine showed me clips of him from that couples game video and. o o f. i really couldn't get over how pretty he was. it didn't help that this was the same video where him and kino were doing that dance. personality wise, i don't remember much standing out to me. other than how easily scared he is.

now:

shinwon is soooo embarrassing. i wouldn't say hes completely shameless about it though, but he's shameless to the point of actually doing the stupid shit so im. still enraged about it. he legitimately makes me physically look away sometimes when im watching a video and he's being weird. theyre all my kids, and i love them. but he's the child im ashamed of lmao. moving on, hes a real cutie pie. that fact that he gets so scared so easily is both really funny and super endearing. but he's just a playful baby and im honestly glad that hes has so much fun.

Changgu:

then:

i noticed him less than hongseok. like i dont think i had a single notable first impression of him. 

now:

past dess was one entire Doofus huh. like changgu is a whole ass blessing to this planet and you mean to tell me that she overlooked him??!! anyways, though, he has an elephant heart for sure. such a genuinely empathetic and truly kind person!! he never fails to warm my heart with his sincerity and i love that about him. he's also part of the idiot squad though, with how he goes along with hong's antics. we hate that. and all his impressions + dumb faces. speaking of faces though,,, his acting?? i love it!! he's really talented, like when i watch pretty pretty i kind of forget that changgu is even playing a role. and his d a n c i n g!! underrated dance king! underrated king in general, how about that. 

Yanan:

then:

my first bias in ptg!!! i fell in love with him instantly! i loved how tall he is, and the white hair and his  i c o n i c "my baby"!! like i was whipped from the gate. i remember liking his duality back then too!!

now:

ok so, since he was bias immediately, i noticed more about him than anyone else. which means i have less to write oops. but thats okay because at least i had a bit of taste back then. but, yanan is hilarious. he's so clever and funny and you can tell how effortless it is. most iconic ptg sayings are something from yanan and thats just amazing. the big thing i notice now that i didn't really before, though, is that fact that his duality is so shocking because he's literally just as unpredictable as hyojong. its impossible to really tell what hes going to do next, and i think it catches people off guard more with yanan because even that aspect of him is unexpected. 

Yuto:

then:

i thought he was kinda scary!! idk he seemed so cold and i couldn't really relate to that so i didn't grow very attached to him. 

now:

he's so pure!!! hes said that he has a hard time expressing his feelings but i don't really see it? because he always seems so happy to be around ptg and having fun with them even if he isn't usually the one playing around!! he loves them so much tbh and its the sweetest thing :( everything about yuto is so sweet, because he cares a lot about the people around him and doesn't want anyone to get hurt- even if its fake or a joke. and like, he's really hardworking too!! ptg have said multiple times that he works the hardest, and that really is saying something imo! and like, you can just see it even without being told that. whether its his workout journey pentory or the fact that he's literally been learning guitar. also!! omg the lyrics he writes?? heartwarming, romantic and life changing!! seasons and cosmo made me a different person. but yeah, he's such an amazing, warm person and i cant believe i found him scary. 

Kino:

then:

i thought he was the main vocal. like no joke, he was so charismatic and flaunting so  much in shine that i was like "ah yes. the main vocalist" hhhggg. i remember thinking he was pretty though, and that his stage name was super cute. but i wasn't very interested in learning about him, despite how he really caught my eye. for some reason, though, i eventually got the thought that he was really pure.

now:

main vocal hdzfhh kino relax you're confusing ppl. of course he has an amazing voice and it always sounds incredible but!! what amuses me is the way he sings always sounds kinda like he's trying to be sexy and?? its so funny in ballads and stuff imo. but yeah, that "sensual"?? singing is what threw me off back then. buf more importantly, i just wanna mention the pure thing- because its a confusing situation. on one hand, kino has a heart of gold that not only adores uni but is also accepting. as well as how he's constantly bringing light into the world with his words and truly bright outlook. but on the other hand he's a demon that dances like That and is so dangerous when he wants to be!! so!! what's it gonna be kino, make up your mind :( anyways, listen to knnovations. esp bad timing and 224.12!!

Wooseok:

then:

i loved him instantly. he looked like an overgrown 10 year old in my eyes and that's just. precious. i thought he was pretty funny too!! 

now:

if i took off my hong glasses for long enough, id be able to say that i think he's the funniest in ptg. because he's so hilarious in my eyes like? he makes me do an ugly wheeze laugh, and a lot of my favorite ptg moments involve him in some way lmao. but he is actually a baby, so i was onto something there with the overgrown 10 y/o thing. despite being really funny though, i do think he tends to be quiet more often than like hui or shinwon and he hardly ever smiles, unless he's like laughing and thats makes me think that he's kind of awkward?? not in like a bad way, but i just kind of see that i guess. but!! something that i think is passed over a lot with woo is the fact that he usually has a hand in composing, and also that he writes his raps?? like that's so cool, we love that!! 

ok! so that was my lame little essay lmao. i hoped you liked if you read it all! im just glad to say that i really appreciate pentagon as a whole, and how much joy they bring into my life nowadays!! i feel like ive found a place to call my own with uni and with pentagon :)

[smileykeijser]

Why r ppl sleepin on skam nl? Last time i checked it has only like 20k views. The tea is that noah is out here ending hypermasculine bs and liv is comin for our wigs too hard and ppl cant handle. Isa is the cutest bean and if ppl dont support the show we will be Deprived i tell u. damn it all if the snakey snake of netherlands doesnt get his season bc of the show's shit marketing team then i will riot. Ok im done yelling lol what do u personally most want out of seasons 2 and 3 of this remake?

Before I answer your questions, it is highly underrated, and part of it is due to the marketing team for last season, but they are putting more money into promotion this season, I’ve seen Instagram and Youtube ads that they’ve used to promote within the Netherlands, which is a step up and hopefully will help our views steadily increase.

As for what I want out of seasons 2 and 3, here we go.

Season 2: I’ve talked a lot about things that I want to see during this season so I won’t go that deeply into this. First and foremost, I want the toxic elements of season 2 of the og to not appear in NL, which we’ve already seen start to happen, if only in minor ways with the text he sent Liv. I want the date to come about naturally, even if that means having to wait a little longer, because I cannot see Noah using blackmail to get Liv to go out with him, and it would really turn me off if he did. In broader ways, I really want to see Liv and Noah being tender with each other, because while they are at each other’s throats, I believe when they get together, they’ll be able to have tender, quiet moments together, whether it’s painting each others nails or both creating art, or reading together. I’d also like lots of tender touches, both sexual and not.This feels all over the place because there’s too much to say here, but the last and final thing I really want, is for Noah not to fucking run off to London. There’s no reason for him too. What I would like to see, since the season is going to be ending in June, I’d be so happy for the two of them to go travelling together around Europe during the summer. We obviously won’t get any content from it, but I’d like it to be mentioned somehow, or referenced when we get Lucas’ season (because we will get Lucas’ season.)

Season 3: I haven’t delved too deep into what I want out of season 3 yet, because I’m afraid that we won’t get it and I’ll be more invested than I already am, but I do have a few things. We will get an Even of colour, I can’t see Skam NL going any other way, but I would love to have a dark skinned Even, I think that would be a great way to go (and would keep the awful fans away). One big thing I want out of season 3 is for the Lucas and Isa relationship to not disappear. They showed in season 1 that they are crazy close, and even after their problems, they were extremely good friends and I would hate to see that relationship neglected in season 3. In addition to that, I’d really love a coming out moment between Lucas and Isa, alongside the one with Kes. I know that Isa already knows, but can you imagine them going out for cake and him telling her he’s gay, and Isa just stands up and hugs him tightly and we see Lucas’ eyes tear up a little? Sign me up. In general for season 3 I’d like them to continue on with their theme of changing the plot slightly, but creating a different mood for his season. If they could change up the metaphors and symbols like skamit and skam france did that would be wonderful. Lastly, if they could channel Jongens that would be amazing. Obviously if their first kiss is going to be in the fall they won’t be able to recreate the Jongens kiss, but I would love it if they could.

(this got super long and still I didn’t get out all that I wanted to say, I have too many thoughts!)

[whyshanti]

twenty nineteen. periodt.

i genuinely felt the need to write this because i was bored i have not written anything in a really long time. but mostly because there’s only a few who might read this and not care afterwards. it sucks to not be able to do something that i used to enjoy for quite a while. but here i am!

a lot of thoughts to unburden and a lot of unspoken feelings to unpack. let’s get to it, bih.

1. this year felt like it was dragging on. i wanted it to end asap.

so this year, i actually had A LOT of time. where did it go? 

to: movies, series, anime, music, watching youtube videos, breakdowns, feeling stuck & paralyzed,  academics, reading articles about pop culture & mainstream shit, going out with friends, chatting random ppl at night bc i thought i could trust them (and some of them, i can), and etc.

but on a more serious note, i really was more into the world of media, of both mainstream and indie worlds. i still can’t believe i got through this semester when i have been doing these things unrelated to uni. some ppl are also baffled by this activity log that i have. 

point is: i felt like a walking zombie. probably looked like one as well. there is this routine that i have to do and i got really sick of myself. i didn’t have the motivation to strive more. i was always either sleeping (at least for the first half of the year) or watching. it all feels lifeless. the latter part of the year, my body clock was wrecked. i did not like the weather during daytime. at all. i slept during the day when i did not have classes then i was awake at night. but i try to get as much sleep as i can because my health is declining. i think.

also this year felt like it had 3 sequels. unnecessary, boring, full-of-jump-scares type of sequels. fuck.

2. feeling anxious and chill at the same time.

the only thing that made me feel chill at the latter part of the year is the fact that this shit... like all these shitty things we’ve been doing... will pass anyway. 

i don’t know if it’s because of the new system that was implemented but it definitely feels like the stress levels were high only during exam weeks. for real. i am grateful to have THAT kind of “stress privilege (??)” but i also wish i was stressing over something that gives me LIFE. i know i’m studying for something that will actually help me provide something for myself and for my family but my soul (oh crap here’s where things get cheesy) screams i should do something else. 

my friend always tells me to chill but i couldn’t because there’s always that nagging thought that i have to do something productive everyday. i think it stems from past disappointments, failed expectations from ppl close to me, and just basically feeling like a failure. i’m a frantic mess who somehow has the time to do unnecessary things. wish the energy was put into finishing acads on time or earlier, but here we are. think they meant that i should be chill with mysef. to be kind to myself. to not panic and breathe.

another thing is that there’s a load of information shoved in my head that really paralyzes me to act on something.

3. leaving behind the things i’ve outgrown.

it’s so funny how i’ve met few new people this year who i already treasure only to have quite a number of people to walk out of my life.

it’s not really surprising to me. i think we all wanted it to happen anyway. i’m just happy that things kind of subtly fell apart for things to make more sense. the feeling is kind of like how a misplaced puzzle piece is put into its rightful place. finally, i don’t have to force myself and i think the feelings are mutual. anyway, this year was a revelation in itself despite how dragging the pacing felt. love how the gunk went out and i see now what i’ve been blind to. chuck the deuce! definitely a thank u, next moment.

4. meeting new people, unexpected unions.

i definitely did not expect to form connections and be reunited with some of my old friends this year. also witnessed deepened friendships. 

there’s always this thing where i put my energy on a high level when i’m meeting new people just to seem decent and happy then slowly revealing how tired, sad, and boring i can be. then there’s that fear of losing people’s interest in me or people not becoming excited to talk to me about... anything really. never thought i’d have this fear of losing certain people in my life. i want to detach myself from that and from people themselves too (in a healthy way ofc). 

i’ve never ever felt like i could lose people in an instant. there’s that thing where i worry if i’m too much or i’m lacking for people. so i appreciate people who let me know if i’m crossing the line or if i’m doing something that completely annoys them because i really want to be part of people’s lives, meaningfully and genuinely. a good one. i don’t want to half-ass my relationships with other people and i seek loving relationships that thrive and inspire where it doesn’t only get good at the start but is continually progressing even when we don’t see each other often. it’s fascinating how as we get older, we see how relationships are not as simple as we think they are but really are simple at the same time. we have different goals, we are at different stages in our lives, we are facing shit that nobody else seems to understand and things that don’t seem to end, and we can only hope that our mere presence and emotionally available hearts will listen to whatever the other person has to unburden. 

to somehow let them know that they don’t need permission to rest and to do things that they are afraid of pursuing. 

4a. discovering new artists.

AURORA: the most underrated artist for sure. watched every interview/video/set because she is that bitch. her SONGS, man. i swear. she is that ethereal fairy from the forest. her fucking voice just draws me in. she deserved a better role in frozen 2 tho. she needs to be a lead in a musical animated movie. idc idc i said what i said.

beabadoobee: fucking rockstar, reviving the 90s grunge music and looks.

Billie Eilish: a badass. hate how she still stans bieber tho. 

5. daydreaming of a new life.

you don’t know how many times i’ve been dreaming to have a big house. 

it’s time. we really need a new house. i’m not, as what the kids say, vibing with this old house anymore. this is what i wish to leave behind as soon as possible. how do i even get the MONEY to afford it? i’m just hoping for a miracle to happen, you know. i really wish my family gets to be in a better home soon.

i think if u know me, u might have caught me spacing out a few times. 

idk why this always happens. it’s so rude to the person speaking to me but my mind literally drifts off to another planet. it’s not that they’re boring. i just can’t help it. i feel like shit thinking about how many times it has happened to me. 

sometimes, i dream of being this whole new different person. 

someone who is better than who i am. someone who is good at something and is passionate about the things she does. there are a lot of things i am interested in doing but i don’t have the courage to actually do it. idk why i always turn into a statue when i think of things that i wanna do.

6. God.

it’s been a long time. i have lost contact with You but You are always there to patch things up for me. every effin’ time. i cry everytime.

it must be because i was raised in a christian setting. that’s why i always think it’s You who’s working behind the scenes. but still i am grateful.

saved me from certain people.

saved me this semester.

saved me from pulling worthless all-nighters.

provided me financially esp when i thought i had nothing.

prevented a severe acid reflux situation.

gave me new friends.

did literally so many things that saved me from bad situations and people in general like WHO DOES THAT??

7. a life without a plan.

this is literally what i wanted to happen. not carelessly but like where i don’t have to worry about what to do next. just let things be and go with the flow. the first half of this year, i really did not think things through as i normally would and i let plans fall just to enjoy what was in front of me. be at ease and be present during that time. and i did. it was a peaceful, cheery time tbh.

8. every day i wanted to start over just to get over a lot of things.

9. i missed a lot of ppl.

10. i wanted to be held. not by a certain someone. not romantically. but by anyone close to me. *plays i’m with you by avril lavigne*

sometimes we all just need a long hug. that’s all. and it’d be nice to hear more stories from people. :)

11. not everybody will reciprocate the same energy that i send out to them and it’s okay.

this bummed me out. felt like an effin’ loser but i’ve learned that people have businesses to do. life doesn’t always happen the way we want it to.

12. this the final year of college. just finish it already, dumbass. 

13. why can’t i just be kathryn bernardo or AURORA for like a month or a year? i promise i will not ruin their careers lmao.

14. i want to make major changes in my stupid life but money is an issue.

15. the stars are below the sky now.

the state of the environment is the same as of our minds. polluted and overloaded with gibberish to the point that we get scared of doing one thing at a time and where we also don’t throw away the unnecessary baggage/s. 

we’re so intent on doing things all at the same time. finishing everything in one sitting. being productive became an addiction and it scared me how i was becoming affected by this. there’s this constant thought that we collectively share which is to do something by every day and it only adds up to people’s anxiety and depression. social media definitely made us aware of mental illnesses/disorders but then it became a trend. people self-diagnose themselves and end up with the wrong treatment. some people use it as a tool to get followers and... ugh it’s all a mess. i hope people get the right treatment/s AND/or professional help because if they don’t, they’ll lose themselves. i mean... just look at the sky. there’s literally no sign of a star now if u live in the city. we’ve lost sight of what should guide us. we are unconsciously following a false light thru our devices. 

i’m not good at analogies or at explaining things as u can tell. but moving on...

this hyper self-awareness that i have gained from social media has its advantages but is also distracting me from living my best life. i didn’t realize that i was making my own christmas lights inside my seemingly dark mind when really... it’s just clouded by all this information that’s coming in fast and has affected who i am and certain areas of my life. i’ve almost forgotten this and i’ve come to believe again that there’s always an ever-present light and it will take time to get used to its brightness once my mind gets clearer by the day. hopefully, it will.

anyway, CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL AND WE NEED TO SAVE EARTH. 

16. men are trash. 

17. the people who i should avoid always looks odd or unpleasant and has bad energy. i know shit when i sense one. 

18. i’m not happy with my life and with who i am but i’ll work with what i’ve got.

life gives u a mirror and shits on your face. sheesh.

for some reason, i can’t forget what my adviser told me during my 4th year of high school. she told me “it seems like you’re a person full of regrets” and every time i have a cryfest, i think of that. idk why. (never underestimate the power of a few words, folks). you know how like in flow charts, u encounter decision points? the diamond shapes? i think i always decide no and end up with the worst consequence and then there’s no more starting over. 

i don’t think i understand flow charts well. ugh. 

i can’t come up with a cool transition to me having insecurities so let’s say i did!

some people’s beauty, inspiring. but others just make you feel like shit.

i really want to explore my feminine side more because i was more masculine when i was younger. i’m not gentle, i’m a bit aggressive. and it just doesn’t fit with who i want to be. idk why. and also, it’s fun (!!!). you get a taste of what it’s like and it’s so EMPOWERING at least for the short experience that i had. but can make me feel very conscious of my entire being and i just end up wearing cartoony disguises. ironic but BABY STEPS. when i think about it, there’s really no black or white answer whether this or that is feminine or masculine.  

self-love is not a 5-step process. 

it is continuous improvement of oneself to the point where you don’t give a fuck about what they say. i really envy the ones who are comfortable in their own skin, who are totally embracing their flaws. they just bloom. some people just look like them. like it’s SO THEM. unmistakably them. and i think if everyone had that, we would not have standards anymore.

oh, to live in a time where individuality is encouraged but is also discouraged when not lived up to its standards. hurray.

19. this year was the year of mindless decisions. periodt.

20. hoping that the new year, 2020, will be the year of CLARITY where i know who i really am, embracing it, and where i will not be taking anymore of anyone’s bullshit. where i know where i stand in my relationships with other people and vice versa. there will be intentional but meaningful endings that will pave the way for blossoming beginnings. 

let’s hope it unfolds the way it should be. for the better.

bonus: nobody knows what the fuck they’re doing. everyone’s just going with the flow. be yourself.

note: this is a compilation of thoughts, informally. thank u.

[themeltedheadaches]

ALL THE ASKS DO IT unless ur too busy #collegelife love u ❤❤❤❤

LOVE U BOO never too busy for u (also using this to procrastinate on my french composition so)

1: when you have cereal, do you have more milk than cereal or more cereal than milk?

i eat my cereal………………….dry…………..

2: do you like the feeling of cold air on your cheeks on a wintery day?

YES that’s literally my life now. i love it but also my nose was running today all the way to get coffee in downtown. i was in THREE LAYERS it is not even DECEMBER

3: what random objects do you use to bookmark your books?

answered! :)

4: how do you take your coffee/tea?

if i’m going to be a bitch and just get plain coffee, i’m gonna get it black bc otherwise i’ll just have a white mocha or a cappuccino or something (the ppl at the campus coffeeshop know who i am. they know my order. “one sin-ful latte coming up!” thank u for fueling my Addition.) i take my tea with milk and sugar if it’s black tea ((earl gray)) or with honey if it’s green tea. if it’s white tea i’ll sometimes have it with sugar, and if it’s something like peppermint or lavender or chamomile i’ll just have it plain. IM A PICKY BITCH

5: are you self-conscious of your smile?

i used to be! but now i like it. 

6: do you keep plants?

YES pls pray for them

7: do you name your plants?

answered! :)

8: what artistic medium do you use to express your feelings?

poetry! i like to watercolor too, actually, though i left them at home :(

9: do you like singing/humming to yourself?

YES i miss my car bc that’s when i would have Prime Time to sing and hum to myself or along to whatever song i live for at the moment. (i’m into a musical rn and i can’t yell the lyrics out i’m so ANnoyed Always)

10: do you sleep on your back, side, or stomach?

answered!

11: what’s an inner joke you have with your friends?

i have fucking countless at home……. at college there are quite a few too! as in: “hypothetically, vodka?,” “fuckinG,,,WHAT,” “[blow twice] [slurp sound] [tongue click] noice.,” “SHPEAKERSH OHN!,” “over there! like, over there? over there. over there?,” “just going to go kick some nutria,” and of course, the classic, “same, but jewish.” 

12: what’s your favorite planet?

URANUS actually tho it’s uranus. i had to do my planet project on it in the 4th grade and i gave my brother AND mother silent treatment for two days bc they laughed at its name. i’m very protective

13: what’s something that made you smile today?

i saw my favorite puppy on campus again today!! he’s grown so much!! also my poetry professor’s wife had a successful surgery! #GoMeredith 

14: if you were to live with your best friend in an old flat in a big city, what would it look like?

SO MESSY………………….listen. @michelle i’ve seen ur room, and i would just accept that that is how we live now and it’s fine. it would also be aesthetic as fuck tho tbh. full of yarn and animal fur. and books. and junk food #RIFP

15: go google a weird space fact and tell us what it is!

if saturn’s rings were a meter long, they would be 10000 times thinner than a razorblade! what the fuckkkkkkkkkkk

16: what’s your favorite pasta dish?

UHHHHH fucking;;;;;;;;what how am i supposed to #represent my italian fmaily with this DISGUSTING question,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, jk i fuckig love risotto, just ur basic bitch peas and cheese risotto and i’ll cry. also?? gnocchi!! holy shiiiiiiiit. 

17: what color do you really want to dye your hair?

my hair has such good color i’d actually rather shave it all off than dye it :/

18: tell us about something dumb/funny you did that has since gone down in history between you and your friends and is always brought up.

HHHHHHHH yesterday. LITERALLY yesterday. there was a french club meeting that served cheese and bread! so i took my Good Friend WIliam (who is not in french, unlike me), and we walk into the room, and i say “helLO!” bc that’s good manners, when you’re going to just get food and leave, and it’s dead silent. i get food and leave. william has told everyone in our entire hall twice.

19: do you keep a journal? what do you write/draw/ in it?

answered!

20: what’s your favorite eye color?

i’m so biased……….but……..brown………..

21: talk about your favorite bag, the one that’s been to hell and back with you and that you love to pieces.

my brown leather one! it’s actually super fake leather and i got it from target!! but it’s cute and small and somehow fits everything i need to put in it, including 3 beers and my wallet and 2 phones last weekend. i’ve had for 4 years now 

22: are you a morning person?

yes! i like waking up early actually 

23: what’s your favorite thing to do on lazy days where you have 0 obligations?

go on youtube and waste time, or walk around campus/downtown with friends, or shop!

24: is there someone out there you would trust with every single one of your secrets?

yes

25: what’s the weirdest place you’ve ever broken into?

my cousin’s RV

26: what are the shoes you’ve had for forever and wear with every single outfit?

my brown leather boots! wow there’s a trend here lmao. actually i’ve had two pairs of these bc my first was falling apart?? i used them first in a cosplay……in the 7th grade………..(i was matt from death note and to this day i’m STILL not fucking ashamed, i had the wig and goggles and everything.) i love them and wear them all the time, they’re so comfy and warm and stylish and i feel like a hacker badass everytime i wear them. still to this day.

27: what’s your favorite bubblegum flavor?

bubblegum gives me hives i do Not enjoy it :(

28: sunrise or sunset?

sunset!

29: what’s something really cute that one of your friends does and is totally endearing?

one of my friends down the hall will call things/ppl “cute as pie” completely genuinely!! i love her!!

30: think of it: have you ever been truly scared?

oh yeah

31: what is your opinion of socks? do you like wearing weird socks? do you sleep with socks? do you confine yourself to white sock hell? really, just talk about socks.

i fucking love them thanks end of story. wearing them makes me feel cozy and put together and also atm my dorm floor is Disgusting. i sleep with them when it’s cold and my feet are dry! i have so many fun socks it’s great. i love them. socks are highly underrated.

32: tell us a story of something that happened to you after 3AM when you were with friends.

my friend and i were driving around evERYWHRE basically, we went from pasadena/san marino to like. hollywood all the way to beverly hills and back and it was wonderful, we stopped 3 times to chase stray cats, take shitty pictures, go to iHop, and almost died several times bc hE SNAPS AND DRIVES at NIGHT on LA FREEWAYS

33: what’s your fave pastry?

croissants, followed by scones, followed by coffeecake 

34: tell us about the stuffed animal you kept as a kid. what is it called? what does it look like? do you still keep it?

bunny the stuffed bunny! she’s pretty large, like as long as my torso! she’s white fabric with colored fluffy bits and very floppy, loose ears. she has green button eyes that i had my grandma sew on bc otherwise she actually scared me a bit when i was a kid, but i loved her anyway bc my great-grandmother sewed her for me in the first place. bunny still lives on my bed at home! 

35: do you like stationary and pretty pens and so on? do you use them often?

YES! i ddon’t use them very often though bc i feel like i should save them for something. rip me

36: which band’s sound would fit your mood right now?

stromae hands down

37: do you like keeping your room messy or clean?

clean….i’m so lazy tho

38: tell us about your pet peeves!

sudden loud noises, being startled, being touched physically when i don’t expect it, someone making assumptions about me, being dismissed, being told what i want or what i’m going to do, borrowing something of mine w/o telling me, being interrupted 

39: what color do you wear the most?

HONESTLY black bc i’m an emo bitch

40: think of a piece of jewelry you own: what’s it’s story? does it have any meaning to you?

one i’ve been wearing a lot is the fork ring i got from the portland saturday market! it’s literally the tines of a vintage fork separated from the part you hold, sanded down so it’s round, and looped into a ring shape. i fidget with it a lot and it reminds me of my mom and step-dad, bc i got it when i was with them. i wear it mostly everyday tbh

41: what’s the last book you remember really, really loving?

new american best friend by olivia gatwood in general, or thick as thieves by megan whalen turner when i re-read it out loud to my mom on the ride up to college

42: do you have a favorite coffee shop? describe it!

yeeeeeeS i have several! the bistro, which is on campus: it’s so comfortable, it has couches everywhere and board games and so many books and zines and the walls are half chalkboard so there’s always art or snark everywhere. the music is super eclectic (it was lorde yesterday, today when i went in it was old-school 90s rap), plus it’s student run so the coffee and pastries and food are SO GOOD. the archive, which is downtown, is really boujee as fuck but it’s SO COOL. it’s so fucking aesthetic, with brown leather stools and uncomfortable booths and vintage books and stuff everywhere. for half the day, it’s a coffeeshop, and after 7, it becomes a bar. then back home, of course, coffee bean and tea leaf is the classic

43: who was the last person you gazed at the stars with?

half my hall when we went star tripping at the start of the year!

44: when was the last time you remember feeling completely serene and at peace with everything?

honestly the last time it was genuine was probably around…….january? i was in so much emotional pain and grief, but i was surrounded by family who loved me and were in that same pain and were so happy i was with them to help and be there with them. i wasn’t serene per say, or at peace, but there was this equilibrium….

45: do you trust your instincts a lot?

yes!

46: tell us the worst pun you can think of.

my RA told me this one this morning: did you hear about the explosion in the cheese factory in france this morning? de-brie everywhere! 

47: what food do you think should be banned from the universe?

tomatoes 

48: what was your biggest fear as a kid? is it the same today?

spiders, YES

49: do you like buying CDs and records? what was the last one you bought?

i do…………………….. it was the soundtrack to romeo et juliette (2010)

50: what’s an odd thing you collect?

everything; stickers, pressed flowers, rocks, receipts 

51: think of a person. what song do you associate with them?

the easiest one is when i think of my roommate, davey the dog’s barking cover of “do the hustle”

52: what are your favorite memes of the year so far?

ew

53: have you ever watched the rocky horror picture show? heathers? beetlejuice? pulp fiction? what do you think of them?

no, yes, no, no, it was okay

54: who’s the last person you saw with a true look of sadness on their face?

ME, BITCH

55: what’s the most dramatic thing you’ve ever done to prove a point?

chugged an an entire pitcher of water to prove i could, three times

56: what are some things you find endearing in people?

genuineness! vulnerability! eye contact! fidgeting!

57: go listen to bohemian rhapsody. how did it make you feel? did you dramatically reenact the lyrics?

made me feel PUMPED, and of course i did

58: who’s the wine mom and who’s the vodka aunt in your group of friends? why?

i am both

59: what’s your favorite myth?

uHHHHHHHHHH i love the myth of beowulf actually bc i had to do a project on it once, i have a soft spot for it, i love all myths tho wtf

60: do you like poetry? what are some of your faves?

YES,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, recently some of my favorites are the entirety of a montage of a dream deferred by langston hughes, “totem sonnets” by sherman alexie, “on earth we’re briefly gorgeous” by ocean vuong, “one art” by elizabeth bishop

61: what’s the stupidest gift you’ve ever given? the stupidest one you’ve ever received?

stupid gifts are nonexistent :/

62: do you drink juice in the morning? which kind?

noooo

63: are you fussy about your books and music? do you keep them meticulously organized or kinda leave them be?

yes lmao…….i kinda leave them be but i don’t like it if i let someone borrow them and they trash them uGH

64: what color is the sky where you are right now?

Pitch Black

65: is there anyone you haven’t seen in a long time who you’d love to hang out with?

YES

66: what would your ideal flower crown look like?

morning glories, lavender, baby’s breath!

67: how do gloomy days where the sky is dark and the world is misty make you feel?

very good, thankfully, bc i am in oregon

68: what’s winter like where you live?

in LA, it’s cold and sweet and late and breathless and i adore it

69: what are your favorite board games?

jenga, clue, ??

70: have you ever used a ouija board?

NONONONONO

71: what’s your favorite kind of tea?

peppermint for mornings, earl gray for evenings!

72: are you a person who needs to note everything down or else you’ll forget it?

yes, sadly

73: what are some of your worst habits?

biting the skin around my fingers, bouncing my knees incessantly, procrastinating on my french compositions……

74: describe a good friend of yours without using their name or gendered pronouns.

well there’s this amazing person who i met in freshman year german…….;)

75: tell us about your pets!

i WISH

76: is there anything you should be doing right now but aren’t?

yes :(

77: pink or yellow lemonade?

pink of course

78: are you in the minion hateclub or fanclub?

i am the true hateclub: i don’t react. do not give them power. they Feed off of your Hatred

79: what’s one of the cutest things someone has ever done for you?

get me flowers, surprise me with chocolate, come up to me and compliment me on my writing, etc!!

80: what color are your bedroom walls? did you choose that color? if so, why?

at home my walls are a soft orangey-peach, which is picked bc i love it. here, my walls are very very white, which i did not pick, but am neutral towards.

81: describe one of your friend’s eyes using the most abstract imagery you can think of.

circuit-board chips busted open

82: are/were you good in school?

ehhhhhhh

83: what’s some of your favorite album art?

MELODRAMA

84: are you planning on getting tattoos? which ones?

yes! a minimalistic double-delight rose for my great-grandmother, “love ya!” in my grandpa’s handwriting, maybe a nutshell with a crown over it (for the “king of infinite space” bit in hamllet), possibly “soyez réaliste, demandez l’impossible!” (be realistic, demand the impossible!) from the french student revolution in the 60s

85: do you read comics? what are your faves?

somewhat, def hawkeye or the young avengers bc i’m basic :/

86: do you like concept albums? which ones?

the only one i’ve rlly ever listened to is fucking danger days, so i worship them obviously

87: what are some movies you think everyone should watch at least once in their lives?

i think ppl should make their own agendas :/ however, i have deeply loved secondhand lions, up, moonlight, the grand budapest hotel, and other basic bitch things

88: are there any artistic movements you particularly enjoy?

impressionism!! aaaaaaa!!! also just shove me in front of abstract art and i’ll fall for it!!! 

89: are you close to your parents?

so so so so close to my mom and step-dad, on okay terms with my dad

90: talk about your one of you favorite cities.

listen to me. I LOVE SEATTLE. art! fish market! weird side streets! mean street art! bitchy coffee!! neon everywhere!! a big fuckin needle in the sky!

91: where do you plan on traveling this year?

ITALY THIS SUMMER IM SO EXCITED i’m gonna meet all my mom’s friends from her semester abroad that she’s kept, i’m gonna see what she saw when she was my age, i’m gonna see where my dad’s family is from maybe if we go south???, i’m gonna see all the places and things she used to tell me about to get me to dream big and want to see the world and experience what’s out there!! aaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

92: are you a person who drowns their pasta in cheese or a person who barely sprinkles a pinch?

depends on the pasta

93: what’s the hairstyle you wear the most?

down bc i’m fucking lazy and also inept when it comes to doing things with hair

94: who was the last person you know to have a birthday?

my friend across the hall from me, who is now 19 years of bitchiness!

95: what are your plans for this weekend?

stay in, study, maybe go to a kickback tho

96: do you install your computer updates really quickly or do you procrastinate on them a lot?

lol i put them off until my computer ceases to function altogether 

97: myer briggs type, zodiac sign, and hogwarts house?

zodiac obviously

98: when’s the last time you went hiking? did you enjoy it?

fucking…….summer?? i did!

99: list some songs that resonate to your soul whenever you hear them.

“feelings” by hayley kiyoko, “vacation town” by the front bottoms, “february” by beach bunny, “hard feelings/loveless” by lorde, “moon river” by henri mancini, “let me in” by flor, “a million miles away” by the plimsoles, “girls like me” by bonnie hayes, “love my way” by the psychedelic furs, the entire legend of zelda soundtrack, “place, je passe” from the mozart l’opera rock soundtrack, etc etc

[puclpodcast]

Pokemon Draft League Discussion with OldManTup

Pokemon Draft Discussion with OldManTup

To listen to the full interview check out the link below.

  Clod9: Today I’m interviewing OldManTup about his experiences in Draft League. How Many draft leagues have you been in?

OldManTup: I started off in the GBA, I did a few stints in the PPL D2, I was in the NSTL, another i can’t remember, the NPA so at least 5.

  C9: Which out of those was your favorite draft league?

Tup: The one i can’t remember i had a really good team. It was relatively broken and under appreciated. I really liked my run the NPA the Season I was there. A lot of really good people play in that league and I made my first playoff run.

  C9: What do you think is essential to a good draft? Something you would always want to plan to have on your team?

Tup: When people ask me what people should look for in their draft the first thing i tell them is to establish what your particular playstyle is going to be in the draft. It doesn’t matter if you have the 6 most broken mons the league you draft in, if they don’t fit a playstyle that you are effective utilizing you are not going to be successful. You might win some matches , but all in all you are not going to enjoy the way you play and you are not going to have the success you should despite how good you draft. Someone from the league (PDL) asked my that question and they showed me a draft plan. I was like, “This is the team that you presented, this is how that team is going to play. Is that your playstyle”. That was something they hadn’t thought about. That is something that happened to me the first times I drafted and I struggled. I struggled hard. I was drafting good mons as opposed to drafting mons I’m familiar with or that fit a playstyle that I am comfortable with. To finish off this question with a story. If I were to sit down and make a draft plan. I like bulky mons. I like having switch ins to everything. Mons like Hippowdon, mons like Zygarde 50% (Which is banned in PDL). Mons like that. Mons that can take a hit and sustain themselves. Those are the cores of my team. As well as pivot mons so volt switch and u-turn. Those are the things i look for when building a team. So you need to make a list. These are the thing I need on a team to be successful. Then pick what you think is most important to you. For me If I see Zygarde 50% in a league, granted I’ve only gotten it twice, but it’s a mon I know is successful and I can run with. Another mon I like to draft first round is Excadrill. It has fantastic typing, underappreciated bulk with its hit points. Even without sand support it can fit on most teams.

  C9: You have a really interesting take on what is essential for a good draft. A lot of the times you hear you need a couple things that can set up rocks or mons that can get rid of hazards. Which makes you pick specific mons versus what you are saying which is to pick to your playstyle.

Tup: Now for a lot of people that is high on their priority with. It is just my specific playstyle. I don’t 100% need SR on one of my top value mons in order to be successful in the way i play. I don’t draft mons that are weak to SR so hazard removal isn’t high on my list. If the people drafting are use to OU then that is going to be higher up on their list of thing than someone who just plays to the beat of their own drum.

  C9: What’s your worst habit you have when preparing for a draft?

Tup: My worst habit when trying to prepare for a draft, is leaning to hard on the people who are helping me with my draft. (Front Office). A lot of the times when I’ve drafted not to my playstyle, I’ve leaned too hard on the recommendation of the people who drafted good mons for my team and not good mons for me. A good example, is the GBA D-league S2, when M&J TV was debuting in draft format. He was paired up with MegaMogwai (Who was a coach at the time). Mogwai drafted him a beast of a team. But it wasn’t a team M&J TV could play with so he struggled. It depends on what you plan on going into the league to do. Are you going to have fun, hang out with friends, or are you going to be more competitive. I try to balance them both but the competitiveness usually ends up a little higher. That’s why you have to draft a team that you enjoy because you are going to have to enjoy it whether you win or lose. You don’t want to sit there with a team, shaking your head asking yourself, “Why did I draft all these pokemon” A lot people can fall into the trap of, “Oh this is really good. A lot of top draft competitors take it so I’ll be successful with it.”

  C9: What would be your Round 1 Pick 1 if you couldn’t pick Zygarde 50%?

Tup: It depends on the league that I’m in. A lot of the leagues that I’m still affiliated with, I’ve been with for so long that I’m familiar with the draft tendencies of the coaches I’m playing with, That I know when i can let something that in one league i have to pick in Round 1, I can let slide a few rounds. In the GBA particularly one that comes to mind is, my favorite mega to draft in Ultra Sun Ultra Moon, is M-Beedrill and that never ever gets picked.

  C9: Why do you like M-Beedrill so much?

Tup: M-Beedrill has like 130-150 attack plus adaptability. So you have Adaptability U-Turn and that does so much damage. My last match in the UUTC was against J3di DJ. I had M-Beedrill out and he had Galvantula. Granted I was Adamant M-Beedrill but it clean one shot it. I just wanted switch priority. I think it’s underrated. It doesn’t have the best coverage and has maybe 3 sets but its so good. Especially in draft. There are not a lot of things on every team that are common counters to what M-Beedrill brings to the table. Most teams have 1-2 things that stand in the way of M-Beedrill setting up and just crapping all over a team. This isn’t the case for OU since Lando or Celesteela Counter it.

  C9:  I know you were a part of the NPA which is a 24 person draft. The PDL is the same with a 24 person draft with is very different between the standard 16 team draft. What are the main differences you’ve realized between the 24 person draft and the 16 person draft?

Tup: The things I’ve noticed; The more people you have in a draft the sooner you want to pick your low tier value mons. Usually they stack the upper tiers and the lower tiers (T4, T5) are just filled with the leftover stuff and nobody has anything. There are 3-4  good mons, Don’t get wrong there are good mons, but the crem dela crem stuff that you want that can fit into a team you might have to take Rounds 3,4,5 as opposed to letting it fall to your 7,8,9 pick. Other than that you don’t plan heavily when you have a draft of that many people, cause if you over plan, you are redrawing your draft plan 3-5 times in a single round.  

  C9: Where do you want to be placed in a draft/ Where do you think is most optimal ?

Tup: Optimal is either the wheel picks, First or last, or relatively close to that because generally you are getting relatively close picks. It’s forever between you next picks but you have guaranteed a pair of mons that you can pair together, that give you an optimal synergy for your team. I’ve noticed that when I’ve been there, it’s easier to build a more synergetic team. Opposed to when you are in the middle of the draft, and I’ve been there and I hate it, it’s like you get to pick 1 mon and you have to hope that something that pairs well with that mon is available 16 – 30 picks later. You find a lot more parody in a league with more people, because no one ends up with a really broken team because they got good picks in the draft.

  C9: Is there any pokemon that you’ve hated going up against or causes annoyance?

Tup: It usually is something i like to play with. Gliscor is what first comes to mind, cause if you have a competent opponent it will just ruin your day, unless you happen to knock it’s toxic orb off or burn it when it switches in the first time. It gets healing through that. Sustainability through roost. It’s 4x weak to ice but if the guy has a good draft it is just one of the mons that doesn’t have to be terribly bulky cause it has enough speed and power and can just rain on your parade.

  C9: The first thing that comes to my mind is Mamoswine because I find between the ground and ice moves most teams don’t have a good switch into it but onto a different topic, What advice do you have for people that are on a losing streak, especially if you start off behind.

Tup: I actually have a lot of experience on this topic because I am the all time losingest coach in the GBA. The first season I only had 1 win and i won a crit. One of the last seasons i was win less. I never made playoffs in the GBA and I think the best I’ve done is an even win loss record. But i mean, Keep your head up. Learn from your mistakes. All i can say is watch your replay. Figure out where you went wrong and try to not make that mistake again. There are some matches that you are not going to win based off your teams match up vs another team. There was a team in the UUTC, one week where i was looking and the guys team and I thought, “Unless the guy plays (t)rubbish I’m not going to win.” It wasn’t that i didn’t have confidence in myself it was just the 10 he had vs the 10 i had , I just didn’t have an answer for certain mons. Keep your head up and push on through. Understand that nobody is perfect and nobody wins all their games in these formats. Make it learning experience and try to come back better the next week.

  C9: Who do you think is the best player  for someone new to watch to learn about draft league format and it’s strategies?

Tup: There are a couple of people that come to mind. First is Pokeaim, if you don’t know him or heard of him your head is under a rock cause i think he is the most popular and successful person when it comes to what we do on the youtube. Another is PokeMEN aka John. He just became PG so you can watch it with your kids. He is very good about explaining what is going on in his matches. El Scizor from the GBA, if you can get through his thick German accent, he is very good, especially with his team builders. He usually has very detailed descriptions and shows his evs on screen. He almost always goes through explaining why things are the way they are. Gym Leader Geo is one of my favorite people I’ve ever played draft format with. He always plays so unique it’s someone you can watch to get a better understanding of how to put unique techs into your team that will help you beat things. (Check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVZvUG-ic34 from the GBA Season 5. It’s one of the best cases of using a unique set to beat a team)

  C9: What is a mon you think is underrated in draft league format?

Tup: The first one that comes to mind, because it is one of my favorites to use is Miltank. Miltank is almost always nestled in T4,T5 and it is SO good. It plays the cleric role, it sets rocks, it has 100 base speed and it’s a tank! IT can set up, it has thick fat and sap sipper. You are stacking resistances on top of your self. Ice and fire are usually two of the biggest weaknesses you have worry about synergy wise and having a Pokemon in your back pocket that can resist both of those and is only weak to fighting which is super easy to overcome in draft league. I love it. I can sit in there for day and heal up, or curse set up, and even body slam to spread around that yellow magic (Paralysis). Another mon, is Mismagius. That thing needs a team around it. It doesn’t work on every team. It has 105 speed, and insane special bulky which is overlooked. It has just enough special attack to be useful, and can calm mind or nasty plot up. I think it’s undervalued and when put in the right team in an attacking role it can just drop bombs.

  C9: Besides the GBA Season 9 are you in any other leagues and will you be uploading more draft content to your youTube?

Tup: Not currently. The only other league im active in is the NPA and I don’t think they are coming back until Gen 8. While I’m in the GBA and NPA I try not to do too many other things since they are large platforms and it takes a lot more time to provide the content that that platform requires.

  C9: As a parent, and a Pokemon fan, have you brought the world of Pokemon onto your children’s lives and do they enjoy it?

Tup: My older daughter does more than my younger daughter. My older daughter is a spitting image of me when it comes to things in nerd culture go. We all go out and do Pokemon GOing together, we always try and do the community days. For those that don’t know my children are soon to be 13 and 8. My oldest daughter plays the game, not competitive, just enjoying the game the way it should be enjoyed.

  C9: Do you ever show them your video and get their feedback?

Tup: My oldest daughter is subscribed to my channel and watches them but not so much. She isn’t huge into competitive battling. It’s more like, “Dad you have this pokemon on your team and it’s cute,you should have used that one” Which makes perfect sense.

  Now for the lightning Round!

  C9: What is your favorite region?

Tup: Kanto

  C9: If you had to pick: Attack or Special Attack?

Tup: Physical Attack

  C9: What is your battle style:  Stall/Hyper Offense/Bulky Offense/Balance?

Tup: Balance with a dash of switch initiative

  C9: Do you prefer Speed or Trick Room?

Tup: Speed

  C9: What is your favorite Weather; Hail/Sand/Rain or Sun?

Tup: Sand

  C9: Electric/Misty/Grassy or Psychic Terrain?

Tup: None, They all suck and I hate them with a passion.

  C9: Favorite status to inflict: Sleep/Freeze/Paralysis/Burn or Poison?

Tup: Yellow magic all day every day!

  C9: What is your favorite draft league story?

Tup: IT was in the GBA and it was only my favorite because it was successful. I was playing against Foofoo who was a coach in the GBA at the time. He had a crobat and it was his last mon. I bluffed the entire match that I was scarf heracross and it wasn’t. I had 3 left and he had 1. He was just convinced that he was getting a stone edge to the face and i clicked Earthquake. He was faster than me and went for roost. So he grounded himself and I went for Earthquake. I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much until I watched it. He live records so i got to see his live reaction when he uploaded his video. I’m not good at bluffing i’ll be 100% transparent with that and it worked and he was just aghast that he was faster than me.

  C9: Thank you very much for joining us this week and pick your brain on draft league.

Tup: No problem, I just want to let all the PUCL Draft League competitors to know I wish you all luck in the upcoming season. Hopefully if the stars aline I’ll be joining you in the next season and we will get to play each other. IF you have any questions, not that I’m a super expert or anything I’ve just been around the block, hit me up. My DMs are always open. Some of you already have, but feel free if you need. Don’t ever be afraid to reach out and ask for help.

  To listen to the full interview see the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6JFSyBSrr0&feature=youtu.be

from Pokemon Draft League Discussion with OldManTup