#it's just so. it's corny but in the ways all romance fiction has to be because that's how it feels to care for someone!!!

[screamingay]

rewatching gods own country and im struck by first of all by the ways that gheorghe teaches johnny to love and care for others, sometimes by force but often by example, by showing him the ways he could be loved and is already loved. but im also noticing the way the film itself sort of... becomes more beautiful as johnny starts to see the beauty in his world, lingering on the sort of shots that it wouldn't before.

[moonlightsapphic]

Look, I just need you guys to understand how important queer coming-of-age forbidden romances on internationally accessible platforms like Netflix is, especially to youth in countries where homosexuality still hasn't been legally decriminalised or socially accepted.

That was a mouthful, so let me explain. You, a white American adult with a liberal family, may not relate to a fictional anxious teen Swedish prince grappling with strict familial and societal expectations versus his first love. You may not find anything special in a bunch of queer British teens discovering themselves and figuring out complex relationships that are honestly rather simplistic, in retrospect. It might be a little too trite for you. Like, just a little vanilla without any extra drama. Perhaps corny—cringe, even. Too wholesome.

But you know what that is to me, a desi queer young adult? It's representation, in an unlikely place. My country certainly isn't making movies or shows where I see my secret relationship between me and my girlfriend portrayed. I don't see that happening in the next couple of decades, either, sadly. But you know who’s telling our stories? Alice Oseman. Lisa Ambjörn, Lars Beckung and Camilla Holter. Through fictional storylines that might seem kind of boring to you, I am finally able watch my lived experiences play out on screen.

American media has done such a disservice to queer coming-of-age stories. I want to scream this from the rooftops. Y’all, I’m glad to see more out quirky queer side-characters—I can’t get enough of them—but why is it so rarely their story, in sharp focus, about how they found themselves? I want to know how they overcame internalised homophobia. When was the moment they knew? What is the cost they have to pay for being out? For not being out?

And no, I don’t want it to be dramatic. I don’t need to see violence or betrayals or victorious kisses in public, really. I’m happiest with the teenagers behaving like real teenagers. Innocent, vulnerable, nervous. I want it to be heartfelt, and excruciatingly slow, and authentic. I want to see the small wins and the subtle losses. The quiet mental toll of how much you have to give to a queer relationship—especially your first queer relationship—and how hard that can be to separate from your Identity itself.

Give me that "am I gay?" quiz and genuinely crying at 3:00 AM because you're in a rabbit hole about LGBTQ+ rights in a country where you actually don’t want to be gay and you don’t even know if you “count” anyway. Show me that moment where you're going back and forth from forbidding yourself from seeing the one person that sees and understands you and it's to protect your mental and physical well-being but it's driving you insane. Give me ALL THE YOUNG ADULT BI+ AWAKENINGS where one person strolls into your life and changes everything. No, it’s really not the same as most cis-heterosexual insta-love movies out there, even if it looks that way to you. It doesn’t even cut it close.

The happy ending, the acceptance is only what I can dream of, not what I can expect. The wholesomeness is actually radical to me.

No, we’re not past the need for basic star-crossed queer romances. For most countries in the world (including for many white American teenagers!), we need them as much as ever.

[tinyapplejuice]

LARRY DATING HEADCANONS

✧.*

•Larry will honestly be such a clueless guy when it comes to dating. He is a robot who originally works for ONLY THE LAW- meaning he has no idea or has a well-known understanding of romance. You could even say he is basically a baby bird and you need to steer this relationship for the first couple of months or maybe a year or so, guiding him.

•As much as he loves you, he will not put you over his job, maybe over Lawrie but that is very debatable. He loves Starr Park and its rules! He will sacrifice everything even his own brother and his life to keep it safe! It’s probably a no-brainer for him to choose which one is more important. But despite all of that, he holds you very very dear to his heart! He doesn’t hate you or think you’re nothing to him, no it’s quite the opposite! He cares for you a huge ton like the people he also loves; Lawrie and R-T! He adores and loves you so much!!! Though not as much as Starr Park and the rules!

•That additionally means he will absolutely NOT allow you to break the rules even if it’s minor. Every time when it seems like you are about to do something, he will immediately stop you and scold you. One time he tried to let you off but he was just glaring at you, gritting his teeth as his eyes followed you. He ultimately just cringed and denied you from doing it. He just can’t.

•I think that Larry simultaneously uses all types of love language to show how much he cares. Though he especially leans towards physical touch and spending time!

•Larry is someone who likes to be with his lover. I like to imagine ever since he figured out how relationships work, he wants to show them how much he cares about them so he’s physical with his way of showing affection! Sometimes it’s a bit corny like a kiss on the hand as he bows down or can be simple like handholding. But whatever it is, he enjoys it. It’s one of his ways of showing affection!

•Another reason why he’s so attached to his lover is the fact that he doesn’t have any time to spend with them. As a cop, it’s his duty to keep whatever he’s assigned to safe and oh boy, he’s very busy with his work. In Starr Park, there’s always something going wrong meaning he and his brother often have to spend a lot of time to fix and cool things down. Which causes him to spend less time with you and be more clingy. He wants to make it up with you!!!! So whenever he has the time to just be with you even if it’s for a second he cherishes it!

•As I mentioned before, Larry is inexperienced with the concept of love and so often times I would like to think he downloads a source; a movie or a book to get an idea of it. That could also be a part of how he figured out relationships!

•But since he had gathered that information from movies, books, and all of those things. He creates a certain expectation, something that can be somewhat achieved only in fiction because it’s impossible for couples to be lovey-dovey all the time, onto you. That causes way too much pressure as he wants to maintain that perfect couple look. He didn’t mean to do it on purpose, it was on his mindset because he was taught. However if you’re teaching him and building him up to be a better person in relationships, he will change sooner or later.

•Larry is a huge planner guy. He loves to be ahead of himself and be able to know what’s going to happen due to the schedule he has prepared. Yet even with him being excited and prepared for it, at the last minute it gets canceled. There’s something that goes completely wrong at Starr Park and they need Larry to come back and fix it. This is extremely disappointing and sad for Larry who looked forward to it probably a week beforehand.

•So with that in mind, yes, he does remember every single important event. Your birthday? He has it memorized probably even to the exact time you were born if you know it. Your anniversary with him? Got that! He’s prepared to give you the best gifts and celebrate a good day with you! Any holidays you like to spend? Has that inside of his memory so when you come to meet him, he always has something to do with you! He always has a huge special gift prepared for you! It’s usually flowers or things from the gift shop at the theme park. Maybe a romantic date if he has time too?

•Larry is a confident guy, he can make the first moves. He usually does if you’re not the one initiating contact however just in the first few weeks of dating. He would just watch your moves and wait patiently. He wasn’t sure if you would like it and so he would slowly creep his hand onto yours. Something small and something cute so he wouldn’t “scare” you off. Honestly, he was kinda afraid that your feelings for him were nothing.

•Larry doesn’t want to cry in front of his lover. He hates it even though he does it once in a while. Why? One, the oil splatters everywhere and it’s annoying to clean it up as it just smears. He doesn’t want his lover to do extra chores for him. Two, he’s a cop. He isn’t as strong or intimidating as Lawrie but sometimes he feels a bit weak when he shows a vulnerable side. Now he cries for a lot of different reasons; anger, sadness, he’s a robot. He doesn’t understand any of it and so often time it messes with his code, making him more emotional.

•Larry does get angry from time to time with you if you guys ever get in a fight. When he gets angry, it’s usually a shocker since many people perceive him as this happy, silly, optimistic guy. He usually snaps and explodes. He yells and screams before ending up in tears because he feels guilty. He will not hit you, he has great strength and is very cautious about it with you.

•Correlating to it, Larry is also not a violent guy. No, I’m not saying he will never have to use it. He will have to from time to time in Starr Park but he prefers to be docile. After all, it’s Lawrie's job to be the more aggressive one out of the two. So he prefers not to be physical.

•Larry is not afraid to yell out “I LOVE MY PARTNER” out loud.

•Larry isn’t easily flustered, shockers I know. He may seem like it but he actually just usually gives a small smile and laughs it off, thanking you generously for your appreciation. Even so, there are moments where you have him slightly blushing if you just play your cards right.

•Since he is a robot, he can either be the coldest or the hottest thing ever. His body is ice, shivering cold in the winter while it’s burning hot in the summer. The bad thing is that he likes to be with his lover so it gets very uncomfortable because of his body temperature. Sadly, he doesn’t feel how cold or hot it is to know the pain.

•Most of the time he’s smiling but the little face in his hat is not. That’s where you know he’s faking his smile. That face is an indicator of his real emotion. So he may seem all good and happy but inside he’s frustrated and mad.

•Larry tweaks when you give him any sort of affection. Whether it be physical touch, gifts, or any sort of that. He will go haywire, for the first few times he went short-circuiting and ended up overheating but now he has learned to control it.

•His siren, oh boy! If he’s really really happy then it blares up. It’s sweet but it’s actually so so so so dreadfully bad. It’s so loud and bright. It hurts your ears and eyes, it causes people to stare at him weirdly. Overall, the thought of it is nice of him but…

•Anyways! Larry is completely obsessive about you. He thinks about you every time at his job every single day! He’s always gushing to you to Lawrie when he has the chance, acting like a high school girl who had found her true love, giving his brother his thoughts and feelings to you- maybe even sprinkling a gesture for help. And trust me when I say this, Lawrie is far worse with the concept of romance than Larry is. He literally is absolutely so infatuated with you.

•Just like rules, he keeps your boundaries very dear to him. It’s sacred. He always reminds himself it’s like a mini law of Starr Park and if he breaks it accidentally, he will apologize furiously and so so much.

•Larry tries to look to impress his lover and maybe swoon them but it honestly ends up failing so badly and at that point, he just gets incredibly embarrassed for trying. He does that once in a while, you cannot stop him.

•Since he’s a cop, after all, his first instinct is to protect you. So everything that might seem dangerous or threatening to you, without hesitation he will jump in and save you like you were some sort of royal he needed to save. It’s all cute and silly before he jumps one of your friends and tries to arrest them claiming they were going to hurt you.

•That also means he is the literal fun police. No buts, whys, or anything like that, he will stop you if it goes against the rules or if it’s too dangerous. It’s for good intentions but the actions are not in the right place!

•Larry is easily a jealous man. Due to the fact that almost everybody in Starr Park hates him for shoving the rules up to their faces, he worries that you might have the same exact opinion as him. So he’s very clingy and often time gets fussy whenever he feels like your relationship is drifting apart. You have to comfort him that you won’t leave him.

•He would and WILL spend hours rambling about the rules of Starr Park to you. If you do listen and you’re interested in it, he will soar. He will immediately think you are the most important person to exist and he will want to marry you.

•Without a doubt, he’s the most cheesiest man to exist. He loves using corny pick-up lines. (He doesn’t know it’s cringy, he’s trying his best). He thinks he swoons you over with it.

•He will unironically correct you. Since he’s a cop and he corrects people from doing wrong, he would unintentionally point out. Oh, you used the wrong grammar? He will say what you missed. Your posture is not good? Yep, he’ll mention it. It’s not to make you feel bad, no, it’s just how he works.

•Larry is more competitive than his twin, Lawrie, so whenever you guys are doing something that’s some sort of rivalry. He will try hard to get the victory. It’s going to be so tense since he’s probably going to be the only one who takes it seriously. And if he doesn’t, he’s going to be so pouty. He will probably just ignore you for a few minutes because he didn’t get the win.

•Larry is also very clueless about emotions in general. He has much trouble understanding his own so do you really think he’s going to understand yours? No, he wouldn’t. That means he won’t be able to support you when you’re upset even if he has all the information he needs about it. He panics very very much and tries to comfort you.

•Speaking of comforting you. Usually when you’re feeling down, he will try to make you laugh by doing silly poses with his floating head or cracking up funny jokes. But if you really do need a friend to talk to, he will be there. He may just speak words based on facts from the computer but he truly means it when he says he cares and loves about you. He does but he doesn’t really know how to show it.

•Most of the conversations you would be having with this boy is so bland and straightforward. It sounds artificial because it is. He only bases the talk on real facts and doesn’t know anything about trends and such.

•Lawrie would be such a huge third wheel when Larry invites him to hang out with you guys. Larry will be so loving to you and Lawrie just has to watch as his brother clings onto you. It’s a bit awkward for him.

•He will point out random, cute pictures that have two characters and ask you, “Us?”

•Larry probably makes Lawrie act like you a couple of times, commonly used in the first couple of months of dating, so he wouldn’t be nervous to you face to face but it probably would work as well as he thought because Lawrie would just be too unenthusiastic and he didn’t act like you. Plus if he messed up, Lawrie would be super amused and tease him. He still does it from time to time but not as much as he did in the past.

•Larry will do everything in his power to make you feel the prettiest/handsome person ever. He doesn’t want you to be insecure ever despite his lack of confidence. Larry is the type of person to think that his partner is the most dashing person ever and if you ever think otherwise then he will be upset!

•If you’re someone who’s afraid of bugs, Larry would carefully let the bug go and scold them, thinking they understand the human language.

•Larry seems like a guy to be curious about everything so often times if he sees something he doesn’t know. He will come to the number one trustworthy source; you!!!

•He also loves to engage in a conversation! Whether it’ll be talking or listening, he’ll always be somewhat speaking to his love!

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING!!! AND YES I WILL BE DOING LAWRIE DATING HEADCANON!!! HAVE A GOOD DAY!!! ⸂⸂⸜(രᴗര๑)⸝⸃⸃

[creedslove]

"he was my first and i was just another girl"

Is perfect scenario for Pedro boys and reader 🥰

Javier Peña x f!reader

A/N: omg I thought of so many scenarios for this one, but there was only one answer: Javi and we know it 🚬

• Laredo was a small city and everyone knew each other there, even if you didn't know the person per se, you had heard of them, and of course things wouldn't be different when it came to the infamous Javier Peña, the local hero and also hot gossip of the place

• you'd heard too much about him, his adventures in Colombia, the Escobar hunting and of course the most famous story about Javier Peña of all times: his runaway wedding. It was just so amusing as it didn't seem real at all but rather the tales of a fictional character and especially when you saw Javier for the first time, because you certainly didn't expect him to be so handsome

• you sort of expected him to be kind of pathetic, you were not sure why, but perhaps because you'd heard he used to wear tight jeans, colorful shirts, aviators and stuff like that, the image painted in your mind couldn't be further from the truth: yes, he did dress up in that corny way, but he was painfully handsome like you were not expecting

• and flirty too, you didn't expect him to be that flirty, but he was and against all of your judgments, you accepted a drink from him, what was the worst that could happen? He was a sight for sore eyes, his smile was to die for and the way he called you cariño for the first time you felt you were melting

• so a drink at a bar became two, and then it became dinner and then it turned to a salsa dancing date which surprised you because you never knew Javier Peña could dance, but he was quite good at it and it was so tempting and intense when he grabbed you by the hips and clung your bodies closer as you swayed them together

• and after that, it didn't take long for the two of you to crawl into bed together, and not only the bed, but his car, his ranch, the barn, the lake and many other places around the city you were sure that weren't really allowed to be used for that purpose, but it didn't matter

• you couldn't get enough of Javi, he was perfect, too good to be real, and it was too good because he made sure to tell you he didn't do romances or relationships and you were just on board with him, as you also didn't do romances or relationships... You had nothing against it, but it wasn't just your thing

• however, whenever you were around Javi, it sort of seemed that maybe, and just maybe, things could lead somewhere, because it was just so good, it came to a point you did everything with Javi: you went out together, you had ice cream by the main square, you both went to the movies, rode horses, you even helped him out at the ranch here and there

• he liked you, you were pretty, sweet, funny and he enjoyed your company, he just worried that maybe you both were just too connected somehow and when he realized you were starting to become more and more attached to him, he thought it was time to stop things for a while; he didn't want to make you think things were actually something else when they clearly weren't

• so as much as it hurt him, he decided to break things up, it would be better that way, then you could do your own things and move on with your life and he would do the same, no strings attached and no worries about it at all

• you didn't take it very well, you didn't see it coming, always thinking that you two were enjoying the relationship equally, but turns out it wasn't as you expected. However, you accepted it, there was nothing you could do but to accept it and set Javi free, deep down, you knew he wasn't meant to be trapped with only one person, he belonged to everyone

• as you watched him take another girl out exactly the same way he has taken you out several times before, you still felt a pang in your chest, sighing at the realization that was bitter as the truth: he'd been the first one you loved, but to him, you were just another girl

____

[legallybrunettedotcom]

hi! can I ask you for crime movie recommendations, or just a list of your personal favorites? I've been getting super into crime fiction recently (books and movies), and I'm making a watchlist of movies I want to check out next. heist movies, gangster films, thrillers, anything involving criminals is interesting to me, and I'd really love to hear about your faves! have a nice day <3

hiii, Estelle! oh I love a good crime movie! I grew up on gangster and mob movies tbh so there's some obvious choices like the godfather and goodfellas. continuing with Scorsese, I love casino. I think it's somewhat underrated Scorsese, idk i just don't see it mentioned that often, but it's super fun. the departed as well, people talked shit about it, but it's great. then mean streets, serpico, taxi driver, dog day afternoon, heat, collateral, thief, chinatown. pretty much every Tarantino ever, obviously reservoir dogs and pulp fiction, jackie brown is my favourite and the sort of song of the movie is across 110th street from the movie of the same name, so I'd def recommend that one, it's an underrated flick. heist movie-wise, ocean's eleven kind of the king here. then set it off, bound, inside man, widows, the italian job (the original), topkapi and rififi are underrated ones, the asphalt jungle, the friends of eddie coyle, the taking of pelham 123, the thomas crown affair (the remake), dead presidents, out of sight, point break, the driver, hustlers, a fish called wanda is sooo funny. sexy beast is such a great and intense movie.

if you'd enjoy something criminal and psychosexual, I'd recommend two 60s movies the housemaid and who killed teddy bear? the cook, the thief, the wife and her lover is an insane sexy one. blue velvet fits here as well. Guy Ritchie made the same movie like 4 times tbh, but I love snatch and lock, stock and two smoking barrels, I think the man from uncle is also a fun one. Brian De Palma is good at corny and sleazy and I kinda love his scarface. body double is silly but I love a good voyeuristic movie. along those lines you obviously have rear window and peeping tom, and then to continue with Hitchcock, I love rope, psycho, and think dial m for murder is quite overlooked. natural born killers, true romance and the doom generation for something stupid and bloody. mandatory Fincher recs like se7en and zodiac. I love the usual suspects, it has that twist at the end that for me personally works even upon rewatches. another underrated movie is joy house with beautiful Jane Fonda and Alain Delon in his prime. faster pussycat kill kill is just pure fun and sleaze and gorgeous ladies. I love lady snowblood and scorpion with Meiko Kaji but I know you've seen those. tokyo drifter is a stylish one as well. some obvi french new wave recs like breathless and pierrot le fou. I'd say there's nothing quite like the atmospheric the night of the hunter. I love drive too, it's all style and the only substance is blood. uncut gems and good time are quite good too. out of something extra new, I enjoyed love lies bleeding more than I expected. seven psychopaths and in bruges for something cynical and silly. then fargo, no country for old men, the big lebowski. filth and trainspotting for something utterly dirty and disgusting. not to forget Hannibal Lecter, we can't not mention the silence of the lambs and manhunter. also badlands, dirty harry, carlito's way, eastern promises, the third man, the big sleep, double indemnity, gun crazy, bonnie and clyde, foxy brown, american psycho, the talented mr ripley, prisoners. something more along crime drama strange days, fallen angels, the city of the rising sun and made in hong kong.

[charmwasjess]

*distracting distracting distracting*

🍇🍌🍍

Thanks, @purple-ant ! This is such a tasty salad! :D :D I’m sorry it took me forever to reply to this one, the second question required me to look at every scene I’ve ever written and assess the jokes. :’D (Not complaining. You know how enriching this behavior is for me in my enclosure.)

🍇 Is there a particular scene/episode/book/etc that you want to just write a million fics about, over and over? Which one? 

I don’t think there are WORDS for how deeply Yoda: Dark Rendezvous has impacted my writing - not just how I see Dooku or the Jedi for that matter (the book is why I’m so Jedi Order positive, hell yeah “winning the hard way”) - but even just down to the level of writing style. I think there are images/phrases I’m ripping off from that book that I don’t even realize I’m copying because they’re so ingrained in my mind and heart.

🍌 In your opinion, what’s the funniest joke/reference/pun you’ve made in a fic? 

This question was great because at first I was like "I don't have joke-jokes or puns, I have funny scenes" but then I remembered how Sifo-Dyas's corny ass exists. But how about a little joke easter egg reference? I think it was very funny of me to have Matthew Stover’s Revenge of the Sith novelization be Dooku’s beach read in Milk Run. Dooku shook his head vaguely at him in a “what can you even be talking about, you baffling child” way he had sometimes – a way that drove Qui-Gon crazy because he was never asking anything that a normal non-Dooku person would find strange. “A novel.”

“A novel?” Qui-Gon blinked in disbelief. That hadn’t been what he was expecting. “…as in… fiction?”

Dooku turned the holobook to show him the title a little defensively. “I read fiction.”

“Is it good?” Qui-Gon knew he should leave his Master in peace with his book, but Dooku was being interestingly weird. This behavior actually looked like relaxing, which he had never seen him do before.

His Master mulled the question a moment, then summarized the plot. “Dysfunctional family elements repeated across multiple generations. Betrayal. A romance. Somewhat funny.”

“But do you like it?”

“Too soon to say.” He left the “because a nosy Padawan is interrupting me” unspoken, but he didn’t need to say it. Dooku settled deeper into the hammock with a palpable air of closing down the conversation.

🍍 What kind of AUs do you like? Are there any AUs you hate or just generally have beef with? 

I’m a prequels girlie; I like fucking all of them. Make an alternate universe, I beg you, this one seems to end in the tragic death of everyone.

But that's not a very saucy answer, is it? I guess I don't love Modern AUs because I don't really get the point, but I don't really seek them out, so I'm sure there are great ones out there. I think there's also a certain popular kind of "if only Main Blorbo was adopted by the Noble Mandos instead of the Evil Jedi" AU that causeth me to roll mine eyes toward the firmament and cry aloud for the mercy of snake jesus.

[womendeservehumanity]

Being aware of how much men hate us makes it hard for me to have any sort of hope. I'm straight (I think??) and I don't think I want to date men at all which is fine because I never dated anyway, but still I yearn for Intimitacy and romance and I can only get that through fiction. You can't be with a man without chopping off a part of yourself first. I wish I were still unaware of how much they hate us, although I think we all know deep down. We choose not to see it in order to...live. it's a heavy burden. What do you with it?

I have never in my life related to something this hard. This sounds like something I’d write omg 😭 I really do feel for you. As someone who has loved romance and romcoms since as long as they could remember, I always had this picturesque idea of relationships. That they were equal. That it wouldn’t even be a question that a man would see women as people and be capable of loving a woman. I thought they viewed women and relationships with women how I and other women view them.

Throughout middle school I had VERY intense crushes. Like I was obsessed lol. I never really comprehended the concept of misogyny and the very warped way men and boys viewed women and girls. I, again just thought they viewed us the way we viewed them. Void of hatred and objectification.

I’ve had one boyfriend in my life and he gave me hope that there were men that were truly capable of loving a woman. That were free of misogyny as much as a man could be. And I truly do think that he loved me and that he’s a good person (pls don’t crucify me radblr). He definitely wasn’t perfect. I didn’t find my unicorn of a man or anything.

Although I had that experience I still have come to the conclusion that it’s not worth it searching for that man who, in a sea of men that do nothing but make women’s lives worse, is a good person and sees me and other women as people deserving of respect. And it’s definitely not the worth the risk. But I still very much feel you on craving intimacy and romance. And it’s so polarizing to innately desire that with your biggest threat.

It’s something I’m still navigating so I can’t give you the most surefire advice or perspective. Women are taught since so young, to center and prioritize romantic relationships above everything. I’ve seen the result, where so many girls have essentially alienated themselves from anything beyond their boyfriend. Identity, relationships, etc. it’s heartbreaking. So I feel like it especially makes the idea of a life without romance seem hard. But familial and platonic relationships are just as valuable. Romance isn’t the endgame and end all be all. There are so many amazing women out there who will show you so much warmth and love in life. And just because it isn’t romantic doesn’t mean it’s not fulfilling.

And I know this is corny and self explanatory but having a relationship and love for yourself is so important. Especially in a world that thinks you don’t deserve that. You do! I practice mindfulness a lot. It helps with feeling grounded and being able to find inner peace. Sometimes I just see how much this world hates women. How much women are suffering globally. How much men truly hate us. To a capacity I could never comprehend a human being feeling. And that the idea of ever being with a man without knowing all of this and him not being apart of the problem is unrealistic. It’s so overwhelming and frustrating at times that it consumes me. And having that mindfulness is why I can still be happy and enjoy life. Another thing. Invest in your hobbies and interests. Take that time for yourself. I love going to the movie theater (my absolute favorite place on this earth) and just leaving everything behind for a 1-2 hours. You deserve that.

Another thing. I still love me a good romcom/romance movie, romance novel, and ship. And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with indulging in it. Most of the time it’s made by women for women for the immersion of having that type of love and relationship with a man. Because even non-radicalized women have this silent acceptance that those expectations from a man are ridiculous beyond fiction. I remember a tumblr post noting that that’s why so many men hate and mock the romance genre. The idea of women expecting them to love and express love for them is foolish.

And as I’ve come to realize how men are. Even beyond blatant hatred and violence. Their depthless view of women. How they view sex. It’s just made me not really want a relationship. It’s not that I’m not attracted to them anymore and don’t desire romance but I’ve just lost interest in them. Seeing what that relationship would most likely entail on account of women I’ve seen both in real life and online makes that decision much easier. Women deserve so much more than that.

This was so long I’m sorry 😣 but anon if you’re still here I wish nothing but happiness and love in your beautiful life. Your words truly resonated with me. Still kinda wanting that ignorance to men’s hatred and violence. I think back to those times. When I could never even comprehend a man hating women to the degree I see everyday online. And that they saw us how we saw them. As people. But once you make this realization you can never really come back. I’ve tried in the past. And now I know that it’s in the best interest of myself and other women to not ignore that and live in “blissful” (if you could even call it that) ignorance.

[nerdallwritey]

✨ writing interview tag game!!! ✨

Gonna go ahead and thank @busy-baker and @khywren for tagging me :) I'm very late to filling this out, but I wanted to really dedicate some attention to it!

I'm a yapper, I apologize in advance.

When did you start writing?

I started writing when I was in elementary school, I think. I know my fourth grade yearbook said I wanted to be an author when I grew up, and that's only KIND OF changed, I still want to write for a living, but for TV instead of novels (though I'm not opposed to that, should I ever have the right idea for one). I remember going to my friend's house after school all that time and using her mom's laptop to open a blank Word doc and just start writing. We wrote tons of stuff that we never finished, but I'd give ANYTHING to read some of it again, if only for a laugh. The only story I remember was about four teens being stranded on an island - we called it "Castaway." No clue what became of that, but our main characters were always based on ourselves 😂 I didn't start writing fanfiction until 2022 and only started posting this past June!

Are there different themes or genres that you enjoy reading than what you write?

Hmm, that's a good question. I typically stick with what I like - romance, fantasy, silly - but it's fun to throw nonfiction in there every once in a while. Not sure how well I'd do at writing non-fiction without embellishing or getting narrative (even though I like reading those kinds of books as well). But yeah, usually I like to stick with what I know and enjoy most! It's also the best way to learn and improve; by reading a ton within the genre you love to write.

Is there a writer you want to emulate or get compared to often?

I don't......think so? I've always been told by English teachers and professors that I have a very strong voice in my writing, which I always interpreted as being unique. As corny as it sounds, I'm not trying to sound like anyone but myself. At the end of the day, I'm writing for my own enjoyment and am happy you guys found me along the way!

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space?

I don't have a dedicated writing space, but I often find myself writing either on my couch or in bed. Weirdly (or not that weirdly, considering most of us have day jobs) I write the best at night and I have to be alone so that I'm not distracted. Usually I'll find a song and play that on repeat while I'm writing (For Cheeks All Flushed, it was Resolve (Dark) from Fire Emblem Fates, and for Awfully Fond of You it was Climactic Return from Danganronpa 2). The music typically has nothing to do with the vibe of what I'm writing, I just need some sort of constant noise that won't distract me, hence why it's usually video game music with no words.

What's your most effective way to muster up a muse?

That's tough. The first idea I published on tumblr was the result of me making myself laugh when I was trying to fall asleep (If EYE were being propositioned by Astarion, my ass would probably be like "wait, what? Me? ME?! Why?"), but the others I've posted have come from just seeing where my brain takes me as I'm writing, known as the "flying by the seat of your pants" method. I have a pretty good sense of these characters by now so I think I know what they'd be up to at this point. Outside of fanfiction, it's really tough - I'll start with a small idea and then keep sitting on it until it's something I think I can write down. I'm definitely more of a planner when it comes to stuff outside of fics 😅 I guess my short answer is: No idea. It just happens. Someone please help me.

are there any recurring themes in your writing? do they surprise you?

OHHH this is gonna say a lot about me, but something I've noticed in my original scripts and even my first fic is that most of the time, my main character is deeply lonely (I'M FINE GUYS, I'm surrounded by friends and loved ones but I have Some Trauma there). It doesn't really surprise me, considering I know WHY I've felt those things, but it's still like.......yikes. Lol. Also humor. Gotta laugh it off, right? RIGHT?

what is your reason for writing?

To be honest, it's a good outlet for me. I went to school for screenwriting and my goal has always been to make people laugh and bring them joy - It's always been that way. I think if I weren't able to get my thoughts and feelings out on paper every once in a while, I might explode. It's also just fun and I like doing it! Piggybacking off of what Khy said in their post, BG3 has been a HUGE outlet for me creatively. The game is full and beautiful and complex, but there are still gaps that I want to fill in and roads I want to explore. What would happen if the player were given THIS option? How would this character react to THIS situation? It's been a blast and I've never felt this way in a fandom before. It's awesome!

Is there any specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating?

ANY comment makes my day. The fact that you took the time to read and put thoughts together to let me know how you felt about it is HUGE! It's such a good confidence boost (I second guess myself A LOT) and it always lifts my mood no matter where I am. I always love when people agree with my interpretation of Astarion's idiot tendencies 😂

how do you want to be thought about by your readers?

Hopefully as someone approachable. I'm a big dumb dummy and I love to chat/fan girl. If I can be someone to brighten their day with something silly that I wrote, that's all I need :)

what do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

Definitely my banter. I've always been a fan of quick snappy quips and have experience in sketch writing/performing improv, so it comes very easily for me when I need it to. I make myself laugh with it, so it's always really nice to hear that others like it too.

how do you feel about your own writing?

I really started writing as a way of entertaining myself, so the fact that it's able to entertain others is GREAT, but I am very self conscious about it at the same time. I know my interpretation of Astarion is goofier than most, I know I rely heavily on dialogue rather than scene descriptions and inner monologues, and I get very in my head about those things. My stuff has found its proper audience and I'm very grateful for that, but there's always the nagging thought of "this could be better," or "they wouldn't say this," etc etc. That's something I'll likely always struggle with. BUT! I always have fun when I'm writing and hopefully that comes through. I've become less of a perfectionist after posting my first fic, that's for sure.

when you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely for yourself, or a mix of both?

Aside from requests, where I'm trying very hard to make sure I get whatever it is right for the person who requested it, I'm usually writing for myself. I'm definitely writing what I think will be enjoyable, but it's usually what I personally would like to read. That's what I've been taught! Write what you know and write what you want to read! I'm so unbelievably grateful that you guys find it entertaining as well. My fave thing to do is slip inside jokes in for myself/my beta (calling Astarion "ass," turning to someone and saying "did you know those people?" after talking to a group of people you know very well, etc etc).

No pressure tagging: @maladaptive-menace, and @arzen9 (I know you're not a fic writer, but still!) - I think everyone else I know has been tagged 😅

[justheretop0st]

Romance in Demand

Now that the new years were done and gone, a new holiday was in everyone’s sights. A day of forfeiting the fear and hate of the Entity. For some reason, it allowed its meals to participate in the holiday. Whether it would ever understand it’s purpose, no one was to know. But who cared?

Dwight Fairfield

Being here the longest, he wouldn’t know any other love trend other than telling his lover that he loved them. As red or weird as he looked doing it, it was the only way he knew how. He didn’t know about the 5 love languages. So whenever you show him yours, his heart does jump into his throat. It was so unique and lovely. But he still just tells you, “I-I love you!” A huge dorky smile on his face.

Jake Park

Most times he wants to be left alone. Today he just wants to be alone with you. He takes you to his spot. A place where he actually care for the crows that spot the realm. They’ve come to like him. And with you around, they come to like you too. He can generally tell who’s a good person or not by a crows reaction to a person. He had a doubt, but now, he knows. In this solace, as you coo at the crows, he sits and enjoys this peace.

Ace Visconti

He has so many words that even when your eyes roll he comes up with more to say. You know it’s all words and nothing really more. But his actions are what make you believe the love he does feel for you. Though he could tell you on a normal day he loves you, it’s when he holds your hand that you know. So today, when he takes your hand again and you both dance. By the campfire, people can watch and enjoy. But the two of you know the real truth. It’s no show, but it is a show love.

Adam Francis

He’s never been one for the expressive voice of his feelings. He only really enjoyed reading about them. He read everything and studied how it brought out emotion in the people who read them. So he took the time to write out even thing he could think of about you. Sometimes you made him frustrated and sometimes you made him feel inadequate. But the way you two would talk it out made his heart know you were the one. His words were no where near the greats, but that didn’t matter. Not to him.

Jeffery Johansen

He may not have lived the worst life, but it was a tough life. He still chose to find his peace in any medium he could. This world prevented most, so he grew in charcoal. Sometimes he would draw his parents, sometimes his old rescue, most times he drew you. You wouldn’t always notice or even remember, but he made sure to save them all. Even on this day, it was no different. Only he drew you with his rescue, back in the world. Perhaps if things could be different, he could really show you his talents.

Felix Richter

It was almost torture to not have much to read or observe. He felt alone. He didn’t have great social skills to connect with the others, but you didn’t care it seemed. You brought him so far, and he wouldn’t have betray this gift from you. Though he read only historical and architectural books, he spoke with Adam about fictional works. He spoke with Ace to learn more about the words of affection. In the end, he grew to give you everything you might have needed. He spoke rough poetry to you, expressing his love. It did leave him short of breath, but your hands in his made him know he did well.

Jonah Vasquez

He’s no man of words but of proven math and science. This whole holiday was irrationally stupid. But the way your eyes glowed at the thought, well, he wouldn’t shut down that feeling. Trying everything in his ability, he is able to come up with a corny way to showcase his love to you. A simple piece of paper that, when folded correctly, looked like a declaration of love. But expanded was a problem that wasn’t meant to be solved. Seeing you try your hardest though brought a smile to his face.

[bloodmaarked]

storm and fury // jennifer l. armentrout

first published: 2019 read: 19 october 2024 - 22 october 2024 [DNF] pages: 512 format: paperback

genres: fiction; young adult; fantasy; romance (romantasy) favourite character(s): all boring, bland, and tropey least favourite character(s): trinity

rating: none thoughts: 2024 has marked a significant move away from ya fantasy for me, with a lot fewer fantasy books compared to last year and only two (the a song of wraiths and ruin duology), being decidedly ya. all this to say, your basic, run-of-the-mill, trope filled ya fantasy no longer cuts it for me. i know storm and fury has generally favourable reviews on goodreads and storygraph, but when i get instalove and the main character saying "holy crapsicles" in the first 100 pages, and i see the book is topping 500 pages and is only one of three books total, i know it's time for me to tap out. i just need these books to give me something more, because they get very repetitive, very quickly.

if i'm being honest, i feel like i don't see much innovation in the ya fantasy space anymore, aside from books being penned by black and other poc authors, who generally put incredible amounts of effort and heart into their world building, the backstories of their characters, the subversion of tropes, and using fantasy storytelling to highlight real-world issues. the white authors seem to think that they can simply write "bland but special magical white girl has so-called banter with grumpy magical white boy and a dash of blah blah plot line" and call it a day? sorry, i no longer find myself entertained by that! if you want me to read 1,500 pages of your story, please just do better.

to speak a little more specifically on storm and fury, on top of the above lack of uniqueness (at least, from what i gleaned from the first 120 pages), it was written in such a juvenile way. trinity, the main character, is supposedly 18 but her inner dialogue (and, tbh, some of her spoken dialogue), is so corny that i was sure she had to be younger. i'm not really sure who the target audience is, because from the snippets of how the relationship between trinity and zayne, it doesn't seem like this was written for young teens. but trinity sure reads like one. "holy crapsicles" was really the cherry on the cake but trust me, there were a lot more eye roll-inducing lines i could've picked out in the short amount i read.

so yeah. it's a big ol' DNF for storm and fury. it gave exactly what i assumed from blood and ash would give from its description, but i hoped this series might be good. i don't see myself attempting to read anything else by jennifer l. armentrout going forward.

[aspecpplarebeautiful]

This is a vent, but I hope someone else relates so I feel a little less alone.

I feel like because of me being aro it contributes to my inability to imagine a happy and healthy relationship. Yeah, I’m grayro and do experience romantic attraction (rarely), but I still feel very disconnected from romantic love. Every time I fantasize about being in a relationship that’s on a Corny First Love type level, it always ends in despair and heartbreak. It’s like whenever I even think about a happy and healthy relationship some random thing comes out of nowhere and shoots the thought down. When I read romance books (which is also rare), it has to include some sort of heartbreak or either has to end in heartbreak; there’s no happy ending to it. Whenever I consume any media with romance (fictional, I don’t wish heartbreak on real people in genuine relationships), I can only imagine it all ending in heartbreak. There’s so many more examples but I hope you get my point.

I think part of it is mental illness as well. My mental health gets in the way of maintaining relationships and has messed with my ability to imagine healthy relationships. But I know being aro also contributes to it because even during my stable times, I still can only imagine heartbreak when it comes to relationships. I cannot imagine loving someone in such a peaceful way in real life. It only exists in my thoughts but even my thoughts become warped after a while. I’m too disconnected from romantic love to the point that I can only imagine it ending somehow.

Yeah, mental illness could definitely be a factor. One thing that could be a big factor too is how do you feel about romance in general, Anon? If it's something you do really want, then being aro could be creating a barrier, it could also be hard for you to imagine it before you actually experience it. Sometimes it's hard to imagine something is possible before actually experiencing it. But it might be worth taking the time to try and imagine it as possible, even if it's just telling yourself it is possible if you want it.

If you're not interested in a romantic relationship, it could be your aro-ness subconsciously warning you. Or maybe it's the part of romance you find interesting or want to explore more, in which case it's probably not a problem. Breakups are generally interesting, especially to explore through fiction.

I definitely agree though about aro-ness creating a disconnect, I know I personally feel very disconnected from the idea of me and romance. It's just very 'does not compute'. It's definitely interesting.

All the best, Anon!

[ashirisu]

Hi ashirisu, happy Storyteller Saturday.

Have you ever written something that’s been so emotional that you’ve almost (or actually) cried, yelled out loud, or even just felt emotional while writing it?

@aquadestinyswriting Happy STS to you as well! <3

I have, and it's my favorite writing-related story to tell bc it's atrociously corny and also the itty-bitty personal achievement that I'm proudest of.

So I've had this fantasy story rattling around in my head since I was about eleven, though I've only ever actually written a couple of scenes down. I have entire notebooks full of worldbuilding details, though, including a whole marriage tradition based around flower language and crafting flower crowns for the couple to exchange on their wedding day.

I went hard on this, too. I was really into flower language at the time, so I had meanings for all the different real and fictional flowers and which ones were most frequently paired with each other, but I also got uncharacteristically into the history and culture of the thing. I went into how the tradition has changed over time, how it differs based on class and region, what marriages in different seasons are meant to symbolize based on the flowers that are available, which flowers were most commonly associated with brides vs. grooms and why couples may choose to deviate from it, what to do with the crowns after the wedding, etc. etc. It's hands-down the most in-depth worldbuilding I've ever done, all for a story that has maybe seven written scenes, tops.

Out of those handful of scenes, my favorite one involves the engagement and subsequent elopement of the main character and his love interest (pretty much the whole story revolves around their childhood-friends-to-lovers romance arc). It's the dorkiest thing in the world and so far from actually good, but writing it was an act of completely self-indulgent glee and reading it is a joy and a delight every time. It's important to note here that these two are the OCs, the original blorbos from my brain, and no matter how many times I change their names and appearances, a silly scene in which they decide to marry each other and go exchange marriage crowns in a field full of flowers gets me so fuckin giddy that I can't stop grinning for an hour.

But the other big reason that this whole scene means so much to me is that I've had this piece of worldbuilding in my heart and mind for so long that it's practically become synonymous with marriage for me. I'm in love with this idea so much that, when my now-husband proposed and we started planning our wedding, one of the very first things I asked was if we could dedicate part of our extremely small budget toward real flowers so that we could have flower crowns, very timidly explaining where the idea came from and why it was important to me.

He's like, "Obviously we're going to do that??"

I realize, of course, that I'm not the only one to ever have flower crowns at my wedding, but the fact that I did and that the whole reason was based on this silly thing I wrote makes me so happy. Every time I look at those notes or at my wedding photos, I'm reminded that I wrote this romantic little tradition that made its way into my actual real life in at least some small way and I just feel so proud of myself. It's a good feeling.

[taegularities]

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

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

rant anytime, love <3

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

[yesterdanereviews]

400 Days (2015)

Film review #555

Director: Matt Osterman

SYNOPSIS: Four astronauts are chosen to undertake a psychological experiment to survive 400 days on a simulated space journey to another planet, undertaken in an underground bunker. As the crew loses contact with the outside world and the long journey takes its toll, the crew emerge into a changed world, and the distinction between what is a simulation and what isn’t begins to blur...

THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: 400 Days is a 2016 science-fiction film. The plot revolves around four astronauts who are chosen to undertake a simulated mission to another planet for 400 days in an underground bunker. As the mission progresses, they are expected to deal with the psychological challenges and unexpected issues that arise. However, as the mission nears completion, the crew start to feel like something is amiss, and leave the bunker into a completely different world, and the question of what is a simulation and what isn’t becomes increasingly prevalent. The film is a suspense/thriller film, but there is nothing really suspenseful or thrilling about any of it. Firstly, we hardly see any of the 400 day journey, apart from the beginning and a scene about halfway through, so we don’t really get a sense in the change of the character’s psychological state and how they are faring. Even when the characters emerge from the bunker into a strange new world, there’s not much more that’s added to the suspense and mystery. Any actual suspense is completely ruined by any jumpscares being telegraphed a mile off, with the pre-silence before a sting being so completely obvious you’ll know what is coming. Coupled with the cliché dialogue, there’s little to immerse you in the environment that the film creates.

The first thing you’ll notice about the characters is that none of them seem to be the type of people you would expect to be astronauts: their dialogue, on top of being cliché as mentioned, just seems uninterested and almost naïve: they definitely don’t seem to be the type of people you would lock together in a confined space for four hundred days. The acting isn’t bad. but the actors really aren’t given much material to work with. There’s a typical romance subplot that doesn’t really add anything, and the conflict that is generated between the crewmembers is ineffectual, and dissipates fairly quickly.

The film almost completely different during the second act: the crew emerge from the bunker after their 400 days to find that apparently the world has been plunged into darkness because the moon exploded and all the debris fell to earth causing some ecological apocalypse or something. Wandering around in a now b-movie plot, the crew stumble upon a town of survivors who all seem a bit mad, but the film just decides to constantly cast doubts on whether what they are experiencing is real, or just another part of the simulation, or it’s all in the astronauts imagination, which maybe was caused by the injections the medic was giving them under the guise of immunisation boosters? The film just throws more and more questions and points that contradict one another, but does it in such a haphazard way that you can’t really form a coherent opinion on what you think is happening. The whole idea that the moon exploded for some reason and somehow all the moon dust fell to Earth and destroyed everything is pretty farfetched, but a lot of the film feels unbelievable anyway, from the corny dialogue to the seemingly inept characters.

The worst part of the film is most certainly the ending: you probably know what is going to happen, as the crew are congratulated on surviving the simulation apparently, and just before they leave the bunker, the film snaps to black and the credits roll, leaving the question of what actually happened up for interpretation. However, this only works in films if what is up to interpretation is constructed properly, so you can somewhat imagine what has happened based on what you have experienced. This film throws out so much smoke and contradictions that it is almost impossible to imagine what happens next. The different possibilities have to be believable or derived from what the film gives you, but there’s just none of that here. The issue is definitely not the low budget either, it’s definitely a case of overwriting an idea and running away with it. Overall, 400 days is a bit of a mess, and undermines itself as a thriller, and falls short of being credible science-fiction. If you want a space-based psychological film, you can watch Solaris, and if you want a sense of mystery that gives you space to interpret the message, you can watch Inception.

[potteresque-ire]

Commentary ~ Little Red Little Green Episode 18, “Fruits & Found Family”

Link to original post in Chinese, posted 2021/05/23. Link to official English translation.

(Disclaimer / Notes + Commentary under the cut!) (TW: possible eating disorder)

Disclaimer / Notes:

While the posts by Little Red Little Green (LRLG) are among my most favourite candies, I’d like to remind everyone that they are fake rumours, and should be read and enjoyed as such. ie, all CPN below!

The English translation linked above is the only one authorised by the Fake Rumour House; therefore, please treat all content below as a very casual, very *unofficial* convo between fellow turtle friends! ❤️💛💚

With Chinese being a highly region-specific language, my reactions to it is necessarily filtered through my background, which is, admittedly, somewhat removed from Gg’s, Dd’s and LRLG’s. However, it is not uncommon for even c-turtles (and several times, LRLG themselves) to be lost with what they read / heard due to regional differences ~ which reflects the reality of communicating in the Sinosphere. In fact, the regionality of the dialects used by different “characters” in LRLG’s dialogues is among the most critical elements that make these posts so authentic-sounding, and so difficult to replicate. A fun activity of following LRLG is to watch c-turtles patch their regional knowledge together, from local slangs to food choices, to make sense of what’s going on. 

Okay, with that all said *phew* ... onto the commentary! “p. X” refers to the panel number in the official English translation (there are 7 total in the Twitter post). 

p1. “Fairy”

Likely referring to the similarity between Gg’s current role for 玉骨遥 (The Longest Promise) and LWJ. Dd was praising Gg for being “fairy-like”; Chinese “fairies” (仙) have a certain style especially in visual media, similar to ... LWJ’s ~ otherworldly, white robes that billow in the wind, peaceful to the point of distant, scholarly, delicate. In between the lines, Gg likely said he was simply playing LWJ (hence, the ”act another me” in the translation), which Dd protested... and said Gg was simply playing himself. Whether that means DD IS NOT LWJ!!!!! 😡😡😡 or something else, we’ll know what we get to watch the show!

p1-p2. “Heat”

Yes about the Chang’e 嫦娥 reference!! Despite Houyi 后羿 shooting down 9/10 suns and saving the day, his wife is, indeed, more famous (and therefore the star, the more powerful one), because she’s frequently featured in Mid-Autumn festival art, along with her pet rabbit 玉兔 (”Jade Rabbit”),:

(Chang’e with her bunny, traditional Chinese painting. Source.)

Below is Gg’s rendition of Chang’e / Jade Bunny pair ~ Chang’e being the superman in the drawing while Jade Bunny is crouching on the planet!! 

Guess of the missing convo from Gg’s side: Gg had wanted to bring something to Hengdian (where the filming of The Longest Promise was taking place) to cool himself down, and Dd had said it wasn’t necessarily. Hence Dd’s “My bad my bad” and the promise to send that something to Gg.

The loveliest line in this segment for me—and for many c-turtles— is the one about white hair. Turning grey a common, but very old-fashioned way of expressing worry and poor Dd, who hasn’t even turned 24, is claiming he was turning white because he got so worried every time Gg complained about the heat (Aww). 

Turning grey with worry isn’t limited to romantic situations — it may happen to doting parents with wayward children, for example, or to ancient patriots over their crumbling kingdom. However, it’s also one of the more (very!) dramatic ways to communicate tragic love in Chinese fiction before Western influence allows “love”, as a term / word / character, to be used explicitly in writing romance. 

Here’s a little example, a little diversion that may be of interest. Those who are familiar with the Wuxia classic Return of the Condor Heroes 神雕俠侶 by Jin Yong 金庸, whether it’s the book or its numerous visual adaptations, may remember how the hero, Yang Guo 楊過, went white at his temples overnight after his Shifu and lover, Xiao Long Nv (小龍女), didn’t show up at the cliff at the end of his 16-year wait for her.  

Set photo from a TV adaption of Return of the Condor Heroes, 1995. Turtles may find the actress playing the perenially white-wearing, calm-to-the point-of-aloof Xiao Long Nv, Carmen Li 李若彤, familiar ~ she also played Lan Yi in The Untamed. 

The 16-year wait, the invitation to Carmen to play Lan Zhan’s ancestor (when the two shared similarities in aesthetics and personality), were two of the three references from Return of the Condor Heroes I picked up from The Untamed (the last one was more specific—WWX mentioned Yang Guo’s master 獨孤求敗). This tribute is unconfirmed, but MXTX did say before that Jin Yong’s works were her inspiration. I also read a (small) discussion on whether LWJ’s hair carried a few pieces of white in the final episode, or if the lighter strands in it were a trick of the sunlight. (Here’s a screenshot of the approximate place to look!!) 

While I lean towards the latter (the sunlight), turning white with worry, with love, is a tradition in Chinese storytelling. Here’s a little something I’ve noticed too, on this note ~ both in the actual interviews and in these fake rumours, Dd’s word choices, the way he conveys emotions are sometimes surprisingly traditional. It can be because of his background (which would require a study of how Luo Yang people and Koreans talk); it can be because the traditional way of talking allows for fewer words to be said, fewer things to have to be explicitly explained (example: LWJ), but the effect is that Dd has supplied the most romantic lines in LRLG’s posts because of that ~ romantic because it harks back to the rhythm, the themes of old poetry, of ancient stories that, as were true everywhere in the world, were about love. 

Okay, back to the rumour (and hoping Dd won’t look like Bad Wig Yang Guo in a few more summers!) ....

The line after the one about white hair ... the way I understand the original Chinese sentence is “Heat is The Reason”: ie, anything Dd wants Gg to do and Gg disagrees, Gg would use heat as The Reason (R) to not do it. This anything may be eating, for example, which also has a strong possibility as conventional Chinese wisdom says that heat causes people to lose appetite. Dd’s worry would therefore be: Gg refusing to eat because he claims it’s too hot to do so.

“Corny joke” ~ the Chinese for this is, literally, “cold 冷 joke 笑話”, which becomes a pun as the gzry (team members)’s joke was about the (cold) winter and black hair. So... Dd threw a corny joke to combat a corny joke :D .

p3. “Apple”

The first half I also had to rely on c-turtles to help me interpret what it meant! Regional dialects aside, LRLG has captured dls’s very quick wit, the way his ideas freely hop from one concept to the next and this hopping carries traditional + popular cultural references that I know only a fraction of, not being a local after all. 

I’ve read an additional interpretation of this segment: “big fruit” 大果兒 (as in dls: “Those are all big fruits, all big fruits”) is a Northern Chinese, traditional slang for women—dls might have connected that with the previous line in the convo about being Guowang, as explained in the translation, and “big and juicy” + “touch to feel” being suggestive phrases. Then, given the rare usage of the big fruit = women slang, dls expressed surprise that Dd understood what he meant, went on to say he expected Gg to know it (implying Gg could’ve taught Dd the meaning) ... 

Which led to the entertaining part of this segment. Dd was like “You guys (= Gg + dls) talked?” Dls appeared to have thought of the scenario customarily inviting this question (scenario: someone on the verge of catching their spouse cheating) and began playacting that scenario, started to stammer ... as if he had just been got caught trying to chat up someone’s spouse  ~  ”I-I-I....how to say it ...”. Dd caught on dls’s playacting and went along, continued with the “accusation”: “You’re stammering”. Dls then noted that Dd’s accusation was scary and Dd smiled, ending the playact ~ so, ah, readers, never mess with Dd’s spouse!! Dd gets scary!! 

(BTW: ”nijia na kouzi” 你家那口子 was explained in the translation for a reason ~ It’s a warm, friendly term for a dear friend’s spouse. 😊)

p4. Lychees

Lychees. Has everyone tried them? It’s important not to over-eat them though...

In which the “Feeding Gg” saga continues! This segment is one of those that are wonderful for fic writers who wish to capture Gg and Dd in words. Gg, like many brought up in traditional families, has trouble saying “no” outright, which is often considered rude. As such, he resorted to delay tactics, something he had also done with the fried noodles in The Makeup Room BTS. 

In the BTS, his delay tactics had been to argue that Dd hadn’t eaten his box of noodles and therefore, he couldn’t start (~2:35 mark)—as proper manners indeed dictated. In this dialogue, his delay tactics was to say he’d eat the lychees later, that the lychees would make him too full for the proper meal (rice). 

A cute thing about this convo is that rather than pouting and grumbling his only being LWJ’s replacement (as he had hilariously done in the BTS), Dd had, apparently over the last three years, become an expert on countering such delay tactics. He peeled the lychees, which not only removed a major obstacle for eating, but also set a timer as peeled lychees get dry quickly (and Gg, despite being a picky eater, didn’t seem to like to waste food). He said the fruit could make appetiser. He got the help of their team members, who assured Gg that two lychees would be all right.

Gg’s response to the assurance... takes a little time to explain. 

The original Chinese line for “Great, great, you’re so awesome” was 絕了絕了你們絕了。 “絕了”, a popular phrase used by Chinese netizens, was repeated three times.

絕, literally, means the extreme, the absolute, the end. 絕了 means pretty much the same ~ a thing that is 絕了 is standing en pointe at the edge of the cliff that is The Absolute End of a spectrum. It is the Ultimate. It can't be surpassed. It’s unbeatable. 

絕了 is usually used in a positive sense, as in the English translation, with the positive being implied. If I say the LWJ photo above is 絕了, for example, I don’t need to specify that the extreme in 絕 stands on the good end. It’s understood given the audience of this post are mostly turtles (HELLO *waves*). We’re all heart-eyes here. We agree, without saying, that this photo is The Top, The Pinnacle; it can’t be better. 絕了 is higher praise than Excellent; it’s so good that there are no adjectives for it. Its own presence defines How Good It Is. 

But 絕了 doesn’t have to be positive. If my audience is Su She ... he’s likely to take the same “This LWJ photo is 絕了” to mean the Mariana Trench kind of Absolute—the bottom of the bottom, the Unbeatable, Adjective-Defying Worst. 

絕了 allows for that understanding too.

In this scenario, I interpret Gg’s 絕了 as taking the meaning of both extremes (which make it a fantastic phrase choice!): that Gg thought Dd and the team members were being both the Absolute Best (for thinking of Gg, caring for him) AND the Absolute Worst (for going against his wish to not eat!) Gg’s 絕了 also signals defeat; if Dd and his team members were The Absolute ... Whatever, then poor Gg had no choice but to yield to their wishes. I can already imagine his “I can’t believe I lose this way” Look (see: every rock-paper-scissors he lost, which was ... pretty much all of them), mixed with, perhaps, a healthy amount of bunny tooth warning (how dare Dd et al banded up against him)...

Those bunny teeth had to be taken care of, right? And so Dd went on to say lychees being good omen that ensure things would go smoothly for the eater... targeting Gg’s being a, as c-turtles call it, 小迷信 (literally, “Little Superstitious”, a young + adorable + superstitious person). Dd said that to help Gg justify the choice to eat, to make Gg feel better about his defeat. 

(Of note: I had actually never heard of lychees being associated with good luck before, and a quick search online also didn’t yield any result. This could be a relatively rare association Google failed to catch ... or something Dd made up on the fly to make Gg happy.) 

(Lychees have, however, been associated with romance. If Emperor’s Smile 天子笑 was The Love Drink in The Untamed, then what is Concubine’s Smile 妃子笑? Answer: it’s the RL name of a type of lychees, lychees being the fruit very much adored by Yang Yuhuan 楊玉環, the consort of the Emperor Xuanzong (685-762 BCE) of the Tang Dynasty and one of the four most beautiful woman in Chinese history. Since lychees had only been grown in southern China, the emperor had had the fruit couriered, in express mode involving many horses, to the palace up north to please his favourite wife. Lychees had become a symbol of love from that historical tale.)

Did Gg get Dd’s message then, the love and care packaged in those peeled, sweet fruit awaiting his bite? Yes, but not without a little more fight! “Eat eat eat, (I’ll eat) until you go bankrupt” is a literal translation of his final line. Tonally, I can see the following as being an alternative translation: 

“Fine fine fine. I’ll eat, it’s not like I can bankrupt you by eating anyway!”

If it sounded a little sulky, that’s because it did ... a little sulky AND fiery. As expected from our favourite Chongqing Big Pepper 😂😂😂 (Poor Gg).

Dd smiled at that, needless to say. He won!!! He got Gg to eat!! The world shall rejoice!! 

p5. “Showtime”

There’s a show coming up for Dd (the YH concert maybe?), and Gg offered suggestions. 

The sweet point of this segment is about half-way down the conversation, in the piece of paper 📄 Gg gave to Dd (after “This is for you.”). Dd took the paper, noted the many words on it, and started saying 我把我整個靈魂, translated as “I bring my entire soul”.

c-Turtles have, based on these words, hypothesised that Dd was about to read out a quote that Gg had written on the paper, with the list of items Gg thought Dd should take, before Gg stopped him with a call of his name (“WYB”). The quote was included on the translation (”I give you my entire soul...only, a little good, love you.”) I have also talked about the same quote, in more detail, here.

I’m equally stumped on the final line of this segment. (Sorry!!)

p6. “Found Family”

It’s a heartwarming segment. While LRLG had previously noted that the TTXS bros had communicated with Gg, this segment made clear that they care for him like they do for Dd ~ as family.

* dls mailed Gg a lot of fruit for sharing with the film crew. “Family member needs to be impressive” is a rough translation, but this line does defy simple translation because 排面 a highly cultural concept that has much to do with the equally complex, Chinese concept of face (which this article explains... somewhat adequately). The message to take home is that dls cared enough about Gg that he wanted to make sure Gg wouldn’t lose face in front of the film crew; that, by having enough gifts (fruits) for everyone, Gg wouldn’t be viewed as cheap or inadequate or stingy, or whatever adjective that wouldn’t befit his top idol status. Because dls saw Gg as a member of his family. 

* The prescription from hg had been mentioned in a previous LRLG rumour. 方子 is a Chinese medicine prescription, which, unlike Western formulations, is individualised both to the discomfort / ailment and to the “body constitution” of the person who'll take it, the latter deciding the kind of ailments the person is susceptible to, and which ingredients are expected to be more effective. Chinese medicine also places a strong emphasises on long-term conditioning, whether it’s for recovery from a certain condition or for general good health. A good 方子 is therefore a far more complex and personal thing than, say, a scribble of “paracetamol” / “acetaminophen” on a piece of paper. :D

* fg’s gift for Gg (xx) is something for the waist. A brace support, maybe? For example?

My favourite line in this segment is when hg asked what will Gg and Dd do when they reach hg’s age. Given that the last two items (the prescription and xx) were health-related, I interpreted it as hg worrying about Gg and Dd’s health when they grow old... with all the health problems they already have. It’s the kind of thing a worried parent say to their children ~ my mom has said the same thing to me as well. 😢

p6. “The Cat Paw”

Not quite sure what’s happening here ... not sure what the cat paw is. (Sorry!!) But that é in the translation is Dd’s signature laugh (collection here), which is written as 鵝 (”Goose”) in Chinese 😂.

p7. “The Cat Toy”

Dd appeared to be shopping for a cat’s toy (something that can “hook the cat” in the translation, such that the cat can entertain itself and not rely on human companionship as much). Gg had already bought the toy though and sounded quite proud of it, told Dd to return the toy. The implied cat was, of course, Nut (堅果 Jianguo)... which had been repeatedly referred to in LRLG’s posts as Gg’s daughter.

p7. “Cool vs Cute”

Gg is often viewed as cute, and Dd as cool. Did Dd dislike Gg taking cute pictures for public consumption? Were they scheming an exchange of image? :D

And that’s it for this issue! Ooh, this took unexpectedly long ... I apologise for the ridiculous delay between the original post and this commentary! 

(I wrote half of it, then RL struck and I forgot about it.) (I’m hopeless.) (I need a 方子 for poor memory!!)

[haleigh-sloth]

i dont wanna bother you but youre like one of the only ppl that actually understand how bnha is supposed to be read imo. like i think for a lot of ppl it was their first manga or first battle shonen so they expected too much from it but bnha has never been anything "special" yknow? its more of the same and not even that good and full of cliches and thats not bad at all! there are many things abt it to still be enjoyed but ppl love to read it wrong for no reason. anyway thanks for your service 🙏

Oh lord 😭😭😭😭 you’re definitely not a bother (asks are welcome and appreciated in these trying times)

Lol I appreciate this. I know a few people who have a like mind as I do when it comes to this topic so….I know I’m not the only one lolol.

I’ll say that…nobody can tell you how to read stuff or interpret stuff. It’s fiction and it’s there for us to have fun with. “Correct” is a weird way to put it but it’s just more like, you gotta be cynical and realistic. It’s a boring way to be but, it is what it is. Well, really only if you’re analyzing and trying to decide what the author is trying to make you think. Like…there’s what you want for the story, and what the author wants for the story. And the author is telling you, in the text. That’s why analyzing is more cynical and less “fun” for some people (I love it). Because the answer you come to may not be the one you want when trying to decide what’s gonna happen in the story next (the Todofam plot is….the biggest example of this as I’ve seen with many peeps).

Because reality is reality. Canon is canon. And…I agree that this seems to be a lot of peoples’ first go round with shonen.

A cheesy, corny, cliche, absolutely run of the mill shonen.

BNHA is absolutely unique in many ways. The Todoroki plot line is unique. You don’t find those much in these types of mangas. Shigaraki himself is a unique character all on his own, but he’s been in the works and spun around in the author’s mind like a rotisserie chicken since 2007. He’s a work of art in his own, and you can tell the author has the most fun with him just by looking at his chapters and arc. So yeah lol.

But the issues brought up in BNHA aren’t new or unique. The tropes aren’t unique. The atrocious heterosexual romance that is basically guaranteed to be canon in the end isn’t unique or new and it’s not gonna be a “gotcha! You thought this guy and girl would end up together? Wrong! It’ll be these two guys!” *sigh* And it does seem like a lot of people are riding on Horikoshi breaking the chain of awful straight romance writing and making certain ships canon. And like placing their entire opinion and experience on that. And just, guys. Come on. The LOV are great villains but, they’re antagonists. They’re not gonna suddenly put the heroes in their place and the heroes are the “bad guys” in the end. Not happening. Wrong genre. Wrong manga.

Bnha has its strengths and there is a reason so many people follow it. But it’s also so popular because of those typical tropes that it’s following to a T. It’s a formula and it worked. It works on people who are looking for something different, works on people who just want repeats of Naruto over and over again. So here we are lol