#it doesn't have to be good just functional and tbh 90% of that is just measuring things correctly

[david-watts]

my wardrobe is now purple and not covered in weird grimy spots from the past sixty years of existence as a wardrobe so give it an hour or two and I'll have my clothes in it. then I might take a picture because !!! it purple

[palmettoshenanigans]

Aftg is really a Shakespearean tragedy. I’m learning about Titus right now and just.. Nora really checked all the boxes for a Shakespearean tragedy

Hello Anon Bestie, I've returned from war with my essay as promised! Okay, quick and dirty Betty Crocker Box recipe for a Shakespearean Tragedy (nuance and academic rigor not included):

A person with a flaw that can get em killed - spoiler: it gets em killed. (Tragic Hero + Hamartia)

Ghosts, witches, gods, oh my! (Supernatural Elements)

Good deeds go unnoticed and bad deeds go unpunished and everyone dies, hero included (Tragic Waste + Lack of Poetic Justice)

Look Anon Bestie, I took pages of notes, and I was almost going to talk about how everyone's Hamartia (Ambition, Devotion/Loyalty, Power, etc) were just functions of Love where Exy was the conduit everyone had in common. I even almost talked about the importance of how everyone's Deep Wounds had their origins in Parents (sins of the father, parental neglect and attachment, parents as one's first lesson on love). And THEN I almost talked about how neither villains nor heroes are born, they're made and the personal decision to remake one's self in the aftermath of the forge that shaped you-

But fuck all that honestly. All I care about here is the classic Tragic Hero and Tragic Waste hooplah. "The hero dies in the end" and all that.

I know what you're probably thinking, "But Tragic Waste doesn't apply to AFTG because the Tragic Hero doesn't die in the end! Neil is alive and so are all the Foxes!" I get it, I do, but here's my take. The Tragic Hero isn't Neil.

It's Nathaniel.

Which immediately brings me to my opinion on how AFTG manages to have a Supernatural Element as well. "But AFTG takes place in the real world!" stop interrupting me- listen- Neil isn't fucking real. He is not a real boy. Pinocchio in his wood state is more real than Neil is. Andrew knew Neil wasn't real from the fucking jump and was on that boy like white on rice. Nathaniel knew Neil wasn't real - how many times did he try to hold back his home grown Smart Mouth A La Attitude Problem for the sake of his store bought Meek and Mild disposition? AKA how many times did he suppress his Material because it would ruin the integrity of his Form? From page one our Tragic Hero was Nathaniel Wesninski trying to survive blah blah blah pretend to be Neil blah blah blah leave Nathaniel buried in Baltimore with his father yadda yadda roll credits- Throughout the entire first three books Neil Josten starts basically obtaining Life and haunting the narrative. He was a painting that triggered the uncanny valley, he was a statue that seemed like it was gonna reach out and touch you, he was a mask that accidentally welded itself to your face like that one movie from the mid-90s. Nathaniel is trying to beat this fake-boy back with a stick while also keeping his name but it doesn't fucking work that way. Neil wanted friends. Neil wanted Exy. Neil wanted a home. Neil wanted to stay. Nathaniel? He could have had friends and a home and Exy in another life. But Mary rewrote history and said "Put on these masks. Hide, Nathaniel. These masks will help keep you safe." And it was working tbh. But then one of them came to life. And our Tragic Hero died to make room for him.

Whoops.

There's nothing fancy about my arguement here, only that AFTG really does fulfill the Shakespearean Tragedy format, Supernatural Elements and Hero Dies and all. Anyway, here's a couple excerpts from my notes that didn't make the cut in my final essay: "The tragedy? All the villans are dead. Drake, Riko, Nathan, etc. But the ghost will forever haunt the house (flashbacks, nightmares, triggers, scars) and those who remain inheret the ruins they didn't raze (Ichiro, Exy)." "The hero dies and the villain dies but both good and evil still prevail so catharsis is bittersweet and yet that's what makes it the most realistic."

[avaritia-ffxiv]

Making slow progress with this mess. Currently dumping DT allied society exp into DRG until that hits 100, Viper's getting the EW society until it reaches 90, then that starts going to Picto. WAR I'm taking into lvling roulette; DRK into msq and SCH into alliance when I'm not using those for tomes. Currently sitting on one tails I'll return after weekly reset 'cause I'm capped on tomes this week but I have a line there, whiiiiiich considering I'll probs have DRG to 100 by then or really close, idk what to use that exp for. SGE I'm basically ignoring even though it's the shield healer I know how to play, 'cause I definitely played Sage too much in EW and now I'm just. So fed up with it.

I gotta gear RDM 'cause currently it only has the boots from the new alliance raid and the rest of its gear is completely outdated so I can't really use it. Level 100 content I've been doing as GNB or AST 'cause turns out that my ex-RPR main ass sucks at playing RPR at 100 and my poor performance brings me no joy. Only really use it in maps at this point. Really gotta properly learn GNB's rotation tho.

And my adventurer plate still misleadingly has RPR set as the permanent displayed job, but it's for in character purposes okay. Just because I lost my skill with RPR doesn't mean Gia canonically stopped being one. I might main AST now, but he's extra not an AST ICly.

I was saying tho that Pictomancer actually kinda suits him, as a concept? Not its in-game aesthetic, but assuming the caster could use their imagination however instead of just for the cutesy look, he very well could pull it off. He already likes drawing and is pretty good at it anyways and sure has a functioning imagination.

But he'd make pictomancy look bleak as fuck. Which is kinda hilarious tbh. Boy's an angstfest on the inside, can't be helped.

[ofoceansandtombsanew]

Aishify: Weeb Perfumery Review

This review was a long time coming but I'm happy to get this out. If you're a fan of perfume and all things anime and manga, then I can't recommend Aishify enough.

Aishify is a two-person, black-owned business that specializes in creating perfumes based on anime and manhwa. From mainstream hype trains like Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man to 90's classics like Yu Yu Hakusho and Sailor Moon. These individuals will do their best to craft scents based on the character or trope of choice. They have even begun crafting personalized scents as well!

As mentioned before I have ordered three times from this business and I'll be leaving my thoughts of these perfumes down below.

Thus far, I've ordered scents based on characters from JJK, Fruits Basket, Howl's Moving Castle, JJBA, Fairy Tail, YYH and One Piece. They all last a sturdy amount of time before you need to reapply and I will say, a little goes a long way!

Jujutsu Kaisen

Infinite Void ;D: bright green apple, violet leaves and amber with dark undercurrents of freesia for a fragrance that can go on forever

Honestly you can call this scent 'He Smells Rich' because that's exactly what it smells like. Luxurious, you're making it rain money, like it smells more expensive than it actually is. This is honestly one of my favorite perfumes, if I'm being honest. I doubt I have to even say who this scent is based on but yes, it's Gojou Satoru.

You would wear this to an interview for a store that sells luxury goods like pearls or diamonds. You can try going band for band with Gojou and you'd definitely lose. It has green apple in it too but thankfully doesn't give 'dish soap'.

Instead it gives a slight playful kick reminiscent of the character. It smells so high brand that it kinda gives off a lonely vibe to it because you almost don't wanna add anything else to it. Which also fits the character when you think about it. Like the saying goes 'it's lonely at the top', and Gojou's a pretty lonely character.

Demon Dog: a mellow blend of plum, ginger and caramel with undercurrents of chocolate and lightly singed rose petals

The Megumi scent! Really good, dark chocolate scent but not too overwhelming. It smells very romantic and soft, not too hard on the nose. You can definitely smells the dark chocolate but it's not an overwhelming sweet. It's one of those 90 to 100% dark chocolate bars where there's barely if any sweet taste.

I'd wear this for a date night. Hell I'd wear this just because I to think I look good in the underwear I have on. Very fitting for Megumi as a character!

Overtime: a very functional and elegant blend of aloe vera, roasted spearmint and cherry blossoms with undercurrents of eucalyptus and violet leaves

Very good scent for going to an interview. Very crisp and well put together, just like the character Nanami it is based on. Perfume is for everybody but I think this is a good scent for anyone who, for lack of a better word, thinks perfume isn't really for men. Tbh both this scent and the Gojou scent, smell very gender neutral. If you really want to play into gender norms, a man in the office could wear either or and not have to worry about judgement from their peers

Not that they should anyway, that's not on them it's on their bum ass colleagues. But if that IS something you worry about, Overtime is a good scent for you to wear.

Fruits Basket

Just Call Him Daddy: fresh mint, black cherries and a touch of tobacco

One of my absolute favorites, the scent based on Shigure Sohma who is one of my favorite characters. Probably THE favorite.

Shigure smells like putting on your man's clothes because he's on a business trip and you miss him so you put on his hoodie because it smells most like him. And you know how Shigure usually wears traditional clothes around the house and stuff so it kinda gives 'cozy but sexy'? This smells cozy but sexy. I've worn this scent to sleep.

The black cherries gives it that sexy allure with the mint giving it a small little 'hey!' that matches the mischievous aspect of the character. I was skeptical of the tobacco being mentioned but not gonna lie it somehow gives the scent a 'lingering on the clothes' smell I was mentioning with the putting on your bf's clothes thing. I got the 10 ml twistie for my first ever purchase but I'll definitely being buying the 30 ml spray bottle next time, I even got one for Mom2.

Just Call Her Bestie: green apple, lilies and jasmine

My absolute favorite character in all of Fruits Basket, my first ever manga, Tohru Honda. So clearly I had to grab her. I think once this scent mellows out after the initial application, it becomes enjoyable. But the batch I got definitely leaned a bit too heavy into the green apple scent.

Other than that, it's definitely bright and cheery just like Tohru herself. The lilies and jasmine adds to the elegance of the scent. My only nitpick honestly is that Tohru's signature color in the series is pink, so I think a pink perfume would have better represented the character. But other than that, I look forward to buying the Kyo and Yuki perfumes.

Howl's Moving Castle

Howl's Moving Me: a mercurial yet alluring blend of pink champagne, roasted rose petals, cherrywood, vanilla bean and dragon fruit with the tiniest of hints of peppermint leaves

Magic in a bottle.

Howl's scent distinctly smells like what I imagined sophie was breathing in when he showed up and whisked her up into the sky. Magical, unexpected and charming. Something you'd definitely wanna wear for a date that's on the more exciting side like going to an amusement mark. Definitely not something for a boring date.

Or you know that scene from legally blonde where Elle gave over her resume and it was pink and scented? Her resume would smell like this for sure. It's nice, it's fun, it's a lot but it somehow doesn't overdo it

Jojo's Bizzare Adventure

Joestar Bizarre: a quirky mix of pomegranate, cranberry and cool spearmint leaves

I couldn't decide which Joestar perfume to get first so I said 'fuck it, let's get something to represent them all!' And this is another magical scent, it's very creative and everything blends together well. It's like a star tickling your nose, for lack of a description.

Because of that, I say it definitely encompasses the Joestar line whether it's pre or post part 6.

Lil Bomber: an airy, light mix of bergamot, hydrangea, jasmine and star fruit

It was a very hard toss up to see what other scent to get to kick off buying the JJBA perfumes, but since I was in the middle of being in my feelings about Narancia again, I got his scent. It's really good!

My only nitpick, and this isn't about the quality of the perfume because the quality is good, is that the perfumers used some sort of orange blossom scent for this one? Arancia means orange and Narancia's favorite drink, ironically enough, is orange juice. So I think that would have better represented the character, but other than that I really have no complaints.

Fairy Tail

She Loves Gray: a watery, elegant blend of water lilies, poppies and jasmine

I enjoy this perfume a lot. It's very elegant and like the Gojou scent, smells a lot more expensive than it actually is. It's something that will definitely get you compliments, I think. Mom1 is fond of it!

It makes me think of dipping your toes in a pond with lotuses. I haven't watched FT in years but Juvia was my favorite character, so I decided to grab this for the sake of nostalgia and I don't regret my puchase.

Yu Yu Hakusho

Spirit Gun: a familiar blend of of birch, roasted vanilla bean and a touch frankincense

If you know me, then you'll know YYH was my absolute first anime back when I was 7 years old so I had to cop all the available YYH scents. I love, love love this scent. The most apparent note from it is the the vanilla bean but thanks to the birch and frankincense, it isn't overwhelmingly sweet. At the risk of sounding like Thanos, it's perfectly balanced.

And to be honest, Spirit Gun is probably my favorite of the YYH line. I'm hoping they add more characters.

Spirit Sword: a calming, comforting blend of cucumber, bergamot, lilac and sandalwood

This smells very cute and I like it. It's got a hent of sweetness thanks to the lilac that feels very Kuwabara in the fact he's a total teddy bear underneath the tough guy act. I'd wear this more during late spring, when summer is around the corner and it's starting to get warmer

Other than that, there's not much to say. This is very well put together and represents the character very well!

Dragon of the Darkness Flame: a fiery, spicy blend of mahogany, cherry wood, cinnamon and toasted peony petals

Heavenly, divine, best descriptions to use I don't care if it's ironic because Hiei is a demon. This smells so good, this is what Hiei smells like talk to a wall. Wearing this around the neck? 11/10. It smells dark but not overwhelmingly dark if that makes sense and it quietly creeps up on you

I honestly don't wear this enough, but I'm about to start wearing this when I sleep. Or I'm wearing this tomorrow when I go out to the movies. Some of these scents they really knock it out of the park for making something really embodies the character it is based on.

Rose Whip: a romantic, elegant blend of rose petals, roasted English ivy, with a hint of orange blossom

This smells like something you would wear to afternoon tea. This really does smell exactly like how I think Kurama would. It's a floral scent but the ivy really balances it all together so it doesn't smell needlessly sweet. You sound like you might have gone through a flower shop rather than rolling around in pollen.

I think this is a great first time scent if you want something that isn't too sweet and you're new to wearing perfume.

One Piece

Fire Fist Ace: a spicy, fiery blend of cinnamon, black currant, pink pepper, pineapple and cranberry

My husband, the man of One Piece himself and a scent I wear often. I really don't want to sound corny but this really is a sugar and spice kind of smell. The berries will definitely be the first thing that catches your nose but then immediately underneath you get that kick of spice that compliments it really well, especially when applied on the skin and not just sniffing the bottle

This is a scent that lasts particularly long, so reapplication doesn't need to be frequent and it honestly smells it's best after it tapers off a bit and the spicier scents can come through. Considering who this scent was made for, it works very well. I enjoy wearing this pretty often being an Ace simp myself.

Flame Emperor Sabo: a mellow, slightly tangy mix of sandalwood, tangelo, leather and balsam

Like the Juvia and Gojou scents, this smells rather expensive. Honestly a steal and very fitting for the dapper character it's based on. Sabo is always well-dressed and he's pretty charming to boot when he isn't Dragon Clawing people to death.

I'd say this is very workplace appropriate too, so if you like wearing perfumes to work but you don't want to wear something too overwhelming this is the scent you go for.

Pirate King Luffy: an adventurous blend of roasted almonds, honeysuckle, peach and sequoia wood; it's bouyant and carefree like the infamous captain of the Thousand Sunny!

I'm planning on getting all the Straw Hat perfumes in order of their joining the crew so of course I had to start with Luffy! This scent is lovely, I'm actually wearing it while I write this review.

Buoyant and carefree really is the best description for this scent. It smells lightweight, a little woody. It's not a sweet scent which I think works for a character like Luffy. It's fun but practical, like something you'd want to have on when you're spending a day with some friends!

Pirate Hunter Zoro: a fresh, clean yet slightly woodsy scent of cherrywood, sandalwood and aloe vera with an undernote of plum and amaryllis petals to warm it up

Next up on the list is our boy Zoro! It definitely has a smell reminiscent of 'lost in a forest' and if you know anything about the character, you know that is very fitting off rip. It definitely have a very fresh and clean smell to it as well. Also ironic considering the character jfdsnfkjsdnfkjn let me stop sorry Zoro hoes, your man is awesome

The perfume is also pretty reminiscent of the shade of green Zoro's hair is, so that's very fun!

And that summarizes all of my thoughts concerning the perfumes I've bought thus far, I'm definitely planning on buying more. And should you check and see a character you'd like a perfume based on isn't available, just send in an email! Ada and Uche are constantly looking over customer responses and what people want more of.

I honestly have very few complaints and the ones I do have are more like minor nitpicks. I hope to see this brand grow more and more and hopefully this review contributes to that. There's something here for everybody from a scent called Truck-kun to recently added Apothecary Diaries perfumes. I haven't personally yet, but I recommend checking out their BNHA scents because the Bakugou scents was one of the first ones they made and the reason they even created their company to begin with! Fun little fact about them <3

There's a lot more I wanna buy and I hope some of y'all decide to get a scent too!

I'm personally keeping my fingers crossed for an Orihime perfume to drop from their Bleach collection.

[courtofmatchups]

ooo could i possibly get an obey me matchup? :) i’m an aries, entp, bi, she/they pronouns

i’m about 5’8 with shoulder length hair that’s relatively straight. i like to wear crop tops and high waisted stuff, my fashion taste is pretty androgynous overall and is kind of an 80s/90s vibe. i almost never wear makeup or do my hair. and i’m always bumping into things so i have several bruises at any given time

i make comics and i’m a grad student TA. i have a caffeine addiction and the sense of humor of a 12 year old boy. i’m known for my ability to remain calm and optimistic, and also for being relatively quiet but when i do speak it’s always something out of pocket. i’m not shy i just don’t got shit to say. i love to help people and also make them laugh and/or cry with my art

hobbies/interests/likes: gossiping, funny movies, making playlists, singing/karaoke, acting, writing screenplays and songs, drawing/animating, traveling, going on walks/hikes, sending cursed images in the groupchat, and every animal in the world except dogs and spiders. love any excuse to wear some sort of costume or goofy outfit

dislikes: i hateeee cooking it’s so boring. also hate being dirty i can’t function when i feel gross. not a fan of loud music or weed/cig smell either so i don’t go to parties/clubs often. i have massive sensory issues when it comes to bad smells. i dislike routine too i love change and challenging norms. i couldn’t be with someone who gets secondhand embarrassment easily cuz i’ll be weird in public and not care. in fact i’d hope that my partner would join me

my red flags are i’m terrified of aging and being undesirable and there is not a single body part that i haven’t been insecure about at some point. i’m stubborn and i’m a complainer i love kvetching about random shit. i am rather skittish and look scared/confused all the time like a wild rabbit. i don’t bring much to the table tbh but i can make you laugh i am always eager to try new things and my heart is true. i imagine i’d be pretty low maintenance in a relationship, as long as u are nice to me and don’t cheat on me we’re good

It seems to me you have captured the heart of...

The Scummy Second-Born,

Mammon!

:0

Someone who is chaotic as he is?? And smart as hell?? He's already interested. And as he learns more about you, that interest soon spirals into infatuation. But Mammon, being the tsundere he is, will try to deny these feelings, and ultimately fail. You're just *that* charming

Your sense of humour is what stands out to him the most. It's a little juvenile, but that's what he likes (Lucifer, prepare yourself for some bad joke induced migraines). And your calm and optimistic nature is something he can get behind. And when you say something completely unhinged, it might take him aback at first, but it'll grow on him

A lot of his interests line up with yours, like karaoke and movies, so you can expect him to take you to karaoke palours and to movie theatres. If it ever gets to crowded or too noisy, he'll get you someplace calmer and quieter as soon as possible. He'll notice it pretty quickly, as he's pretty observant, especially when it comes to you (in a wholesome way that doesn't make you feel like you're being viewed under a microscope, that is)

Whenever the two of you are apart, you can expect him to send you lots of cursed images to you also. Of course, you cannot forget about the unhinged yet wholesome texts you send to each other

You draw comics? Mammon LOVES that about you too, so please, draw a silly little comic about your misadventures. He's not gonna sell them though. You made those comics especially for him. As money-hungry as he is, those comics hold a special place in his heart.

He can understand your distaste for being dirty (he lives with Asmo after all), so he'll send you care packages with cute little soaps, shampoos, and different body lotions

You don't have to worry about Mammon ever cheating on you, as he's clingy as hell

If you ever overwork yourself from a caffeine-induced high (being a grad student TA is no walk in the park), he's gonna drag you to sleep. Please do not resist

In a nutshell, your relationship would look like this:

[dearhopps]

— introducing judy, nick, fru fru and finnick in my au

^_^ judy!!

> she/her | 19 | enfj

is on her junior year of college

studies "criminal law" with nick

used to roommate with fru fru

has been living with nick for a 6 months

has been dating nick since her sophomore year (a little over a year and a half)

yeah she's an extrovert, but can't seem to order at a restaurant without messing up her order

she's a perfectionist, so she tends to try to right every of her wrong doings

very very very obsessed with "criminal minds"

had her enemies to lovers arc with nick

is good at cooking

met nick in their first "introduction to criminal justice" lesson. she was pretty excited to be paired up with nick to do a project together, but that went out the window when they spent 90% of the time being stubborn and bickering

besties with fru fru, weird friendship (?) with finnick

can't function without nick

cries to anything disney/pixar releases

has a light academia/soft aesthetic and uses lots of pastels

doesn't take much time to make friends

overall, very loved, friendly and kind! has an amazing group of friends she wouldn't trade for anything in the world:>

;> nick!!

> he/him | 20 | entp

is on his senior year of college

studies "criminal law" with judy

used to roommate with finnick

has been living with judy for 6 months

has been dating judy since his junior year (a little over a year and a half)

yeah he's an thinker, he literally can't go five minutes without getting distracted in class

was voted "most likely to ask for a pencil and never give it back" in the yearbook

the amount of knowledge he hides inside that brain is pretty scary

puts up a front for everyone, but is a sucker for judy's morning kisses

finnick's 4lifer, fru fru's buddy

no rlly, him and fru have a lot more in common than it looks like

blueberry enthusiast. that's it

skater (?) boy aesthetic

daily fit is just jeans and a long sleeve/hoodie

has matching film cameras with judy

realized he was in love with judy when she got sick and no one was there to take care of her. i guess yk how the trope goes

overall, sly dude that isn't scared to admit he has a soft spot for all his friends;>

ᰔ fru fru!!

> she/her | 19 | esfp

is on her junior year of college

studies "media studies"

used to roommate with judy

has been living by herself for 6 months and is neighbors with finnick, judy and nick

she went through a lot of roommate options but decided to stay with judy bc of how much they had in common

met nick and finnick through judy

works at a boutique a few blocks away from college

very. very famous on instagram

usually walks to classes with finnick

knowns as the junior's sweetheart

generous. too generous actually. can't go a week without gifting her friends things to show her love and appreciation

the mood maker of the friend group

refuses to refer to finnick as anything that isn't annoying, "idiot" and "mf"

but she's the one spends more time with finnick (other than nick ofc)

even if finnick is 10x more quiet than her, she enjoy his presence regardless

there isn't anyone she isn't already friends with tbh

a very lovely soul. she's happy when her friends are having a good time and enjoying themselves. that's all that matters to her <3

;< finnick!!

> he/him | 20 | istp

is on his senior year of college

studies "dance technique"

used to roommate with nick

has been living by himself for 6 months and is neighbors with fru, judy and nick

lives off of instant ramen and coffee

was the leader of a street dancing crew in his hometown before moving to college

met nick at a crowd in one of his performances during campus orientation

i mean it when i say that he doesn't wear anything other than a pair of jeans and a big hoodie

secretly very sentimental

as opposed to fru who was very emotional when judy moved in with nick, he was thankful nick was gonna go somewhere else to make his mess in

he's the only introvert in their friend group. that's enough to say he probably spits 2 or 3 sentences out at every hang out

tired of the being the third wheel

he won't admit it to anyone, but he worries abt fru the most out of the friend group

his conversations with judy don't last anything longer than 3 minute before he wants to run back to nick

a sucker for hand holding

the groups designated driver

as cold/quiet as his personality is, he loves his friends and their company, and wouldn't ask to have any other lifestyle:>

[bigskydreaming]

You're asked to choose one and only one or DC's future stops existing immediately. your choices:

1. Jason Todd the anti-hero who seldom works with only a couple of the bats he doesn't hate, for example Dick and Cass VS. Jason Todd who came back with healed body but broken spirit, folded back into the Gotham gang and learns to be part of the society again.

2. Tim Drake who makes all of his mistakes as canon but realizes he's been wrong and apologizes to people VS. Tim Drake back in his first iteration, a cute little brother character who is a reader insert and a fun teenager.

3. JayKyle VS DickKyle.

4. Jason Todd with a sword VS. Damian Wayne with a sword.

5. Chris Kent VS. Jon kent.

Okay but which DC future? Its omniversal future? Its hypertime future? Its multiversal future? Its Elseworlds future? Its dark multiverse future? Mwahahaha your threat is useless because the sheer wtf of DC's continuities, timelines and conflicting declarations of what to even call their multiomnihyperverse makes it impossible to target simply A future! DC's overly unnecessarily complicated nature renders it functionally immortal and impossible to ever truly destroy, take that Darkseid.

I mean. But anyway. Whatevs:

1) I honestly do prefer the idea of Jason someday fully reuniting/reintigrating into the Batfam as a whole, because fuck it, the found family I'm here for is the one where they actually act like a family....I just think it takes actual work to get to that point and I get irey when people are like we're here! We found it! And its like meanwhile, abusive dynamics still abound. Mmm. No thank you. But even though I've been on a huge Jason and Dick and Cass kick for like, forever, I do still aim for him having a dynamic of his own with the rest of the family.

Like the thing is, I hate playing the favorites card in families, and I think the emphasis on so and so being Bruce's favorite child or so and so being this kid's favorite sibling, etc, like it really does feel like to the detriment of the whole family, because once you start validating the idea of favorites, ESPECIALLY in a found family that is CONTINUOUSLY growing....I think you're kinda shooting yourself in the foot because you're kinda creating a situation where either no future new additions to the family can EVER be Bruce or one of the kids' 'favorite' or else you're innately positing that said fave status is conditional and even a current fave of Bruce or a sibling can be bumped down the ladder by the addition of a later arrival....

Which is LITERALLY the entire essence of the eternal conflict between Dick and Damian and Tim fans. Its not even that Damian is Dick's favorite, allegedly, its that prior to Damian's very EXISTENCE, fans felt comfortable declaring Tim unilaterally to be Dick's 'favorite'.....and then all it took was the addition of a single family member who had specific NEEDS in regards to Dick's attention and focus, largely because of his age and needing a legal guardian while Tim was old enough to literally jet set around the world on his own.....and like, everything went up in flames in large corners of fandom.

So I'm just like, death to the fave family member myth, its just incredibly counter productive to the idea of found family as a whole especially when it usually only exists to prop up a preferred character as better than others via the proof of see, these other characters say he's their fave or whatever...but also like, its not even necessary?

Because the thing is, you can have Jason reintegrated into the whole family overall, and still prioritize your personal narrative FOCUS on characters you like more than others, like say Dick and Cass.....because of course its natural for even people in the same family to have entirely different DYNAMICS with different family members....and these dynamics don't have to come with a ranking system in order to prioritize which ones you just focus on more in a story. Because its not necessarily that Dick has to be Jason's fave brother, y'know, just for Jason to prefer spending time with Dick simply because he's more comfortable with him due to knowing him longer or being more secure in the idea that Dick doesn't judge him based on their greater shared history.

This doesn't mean that Jason doesn't care for his other siblings, that he can't have strong dynamics with them as well, its just about finding a reason for why these two specifically might be in a story without the others that doesn't demand putting a definitive ranking on which one Jason considers his FAVE. Just like Damian doesn't have to be Dick's FAVE just for them to have the super close canon relationship they have, even relative to the other siblings, because there's everything needed in canon already to establish that the mere fact of Dick essentially RAISING Damian for a year, and being the first one in the family to really take a chance on Damian, like, this lends itself naturally to them maybe more naturally gravitating towards each other than other siblings due to comfort level and familiarity, etc, but it doesn't have to be like....oh but yeah, I just like Damian more than you, Tim, y'know?

So my answer on this one is a total cop out of both, both is good. Jason totally reintegrated back into the family, but with dynamics that still lend themselves fairly easily towards story lineups where its just him running missions with Dick or Duke or any other one or two specific family members even if for no other reason than they gel together best in the field, y'know?

2) Hmm. I honestly really do love and miss 90s Tim Drake and just....don't see him in a lot of what I read these days. I'm like no, why did he have to go, he was doing so well! BUT I'm also on a big accountability kick, and like, I'm so steeped in fics where Dick GROVELS for forgiveness for every little slight he's ever done real or imagined, with every character but Tim in particular, so its like.....I'm not gonna lie, I really have a preference these days for seeing stuff where its literally anyone actually owning up to shit they've done to Dick and apologizing or groveling or making it to HIM, like, completely unconditionally. In the same manner we usually see Dick apologizing, glossing over any reasons he might have had for doing what he did or feeling the way he did, and saying oh it doesn't matter, putting the entirety of his focus on what HE did and why it was wrong no matter what and he's sorry.....that's what I would kill to see from more fics, just in reverse.

Because so often even in the all too rare fics where we DO see other characters apologizing to Dick for shit, its watered down with Dick volunteering that oh he messed up too, it was a two way street, and its like no! This is Pettiness Hours! I want the unconditional apologies! Give me the groveling! From anyone, I don't care at this point, lol, just show me characters actually PUTTING IN THE WORK to make it up to Dick for harm they've caused him, even if completely unintentionally or via neglecting his feelings or considering the repercussions their actions or words would have on him. Aaaaaaand, frankly, Tim's a good place to start there, because of how one sided all the takes on their conflicts have been for so many years. I mean, if people need a place to start, Batman and Robin Eternal gets enough praise it can't be pretended that people in fandom don't know that story exists, so how about some stories where Tim says he's fucking sorry for punching Dick in issue #4 or #5 of that one, and it was uncalled for and he was clearly just looking for an excuse to unleash some more of his resentment and upset for the Spyral/Forever Evil stuff, and family deciding that its totally okay to punch Dick whenever they're mad at him and need to work off some aggression so they can then finally forgive him (for now) is a trend that needs to die in a fire post-haste? I mean just as an example.

But the thing that kills me about fanfic trends is like....the sameness of so much of it. There's SO much room for variety and diverse takes, and like....I don't actually hate Tim! I'm just cranky because of the imbalanced nature of most content out there for literal years at this point. Push the pendulum BACK in the other direction, create some balance by showing the flip side of things.....and that leaves a lot more room for me and others of like minds to then be more amenable to - and even interested in - other stories that don't scratch this particular itch, but don't need to, because other stories are doing the scratching by then, y'know?

And THEN like, at that point, I would be ALL FOR more stories that are just callbacks to classic 90s Tim who I adore, with his skateboarding and his EARNESTNESS and his go-get-em spirit and also the gumption. All the gumption. I like that Tim. I do miss that Tim. But like, for the moment, like, I want accountable Tim because I am tiiiiiiiired of groveling Dick and tbh at this point its not enough for me to just see people move past putting Dick in that position and just have mutually respective and doting brothers Dick and Tim having adventures together......nah, first I want some reciprocation. Ngl. Gimme the apologies for actual mistakes actually made.

3) DickKyle. Easy question, c'mon, you gotta know that. LOL. ;)

But yeah, I've been shipping these two off their like, two shared pages from way back in the Obsidian Age story years before Jason even returned, let alone was in Countdown together with Kyle, so like, its no contest. I don't mind JayKyle, I certainly prefer it to JayRoy tbh, but there's not a ton of appeal in it for me, particularly in how its usually depicted, because like....the entire basis of JayKyle is that they DO have stories together and spent a whole year worth of weekly issues traveling the multiverse together in Countdown.....but there's like, practically no trace of their actual dynamics from that series or any specifics of literally any issue from that entire comic in most fics I’ve read, so its like.....idk, it tends to come across as more generic, not in the sense that it cant still be interesting, but more in the sense that it feels like just someone paired with Jason just because history between them EXISTS without any interest in exploring what that history actually IS....and at that point, its like, well there's no reason TO prioritize that ship over DickKyle for me personally, when like, I have a shit ton of headcanon reasons for why those two in a pairing specifically. *Shrugs* My logic. Its not for everyone, but it works for me.

4) Jason with a sword or Damian with a sword? I don't understand the question. Both. Both is good. All the characters should have swords. Swords are awesome.

5) Chris Kent vs Jon Kent - oof. I adore Jon, I really do. I love his dynamic with Damian, I love a lot of their specific stories, the parallels between them as friends and Bruce and Clark as friends....its all very bien. But I gotta give this one to Chris, because I'm always gonna have a soft spot for him because I'm a sucker for all abused kid heroes, and I just miss that funky little dude so much. There's so many stories we didn't get with him and were just ripe for the picking, but nooooo, DC's like lol you can't have nice things, here we just rebooted the entire multiverse and now Clark and Lois never adopted the son of Clark's worst Kryptonian rival and raised him with tender love and care awww does that make you sad, were you invested in him, WELL TOO BAD, HE'S GONE NOW AND BASICALLY NEVER EXISTED, NOW GIVE US YOUR MONEY ANYWAY MWAHAHAHAHAH.

Yeah. I'm still not over that. Probably will never be tbh, so I with great grudge-bearing do affirm that I'm gonna go with Chris on this one and like, he is a Priority for me and I'm still very keen on the idea of him and Duke being besties for random reasons that might not make sense to anyone but me, but eh, whatever.

[ithil-din]

elves: "excuse the quenya." nice, concise, refers to the old language ban. a good turn of phrase.

men: "pardon my elvish." you think the majority of men remember the difference between quenya and sindarin by the end of the third age? no. i barely remember the difference between quenya and sindarin and i have the dictionaries bookmarked on my computer. what they do remember is that elves are weird bug-eating peeps who live in trees, and it's maybe best to just stay away from them.

hobbits: "pardon my french." do you really think hobbits give a fuck that france doesn't exist? there are christmas trees in the hobbit. 90% of the shire has no functioning government, yet it's still about the only place in middle earth that has its shit together. hobbits don't give a shit about your "logic," and neither should you tbh.

dwarves: bold of you to assume a dwarf would apologize for saying fuck.

ok but does the phrase “pardon my french” have an equivalent in middle earth? are people just like “excuse the quenya but FUCK OFF”