#its not much. like absolutely not really intended to be a relationship or friendship that particularly interests the audience

[morgynamber]

so maybe the fact that i draw them all the time has completely rotted my head but nahyuta and simon are so narratively similar to one another that the relationship (in any different scenario) just makes a lot of comical sense to me. they're in very similar stages of their life, went through very similar experiences of being puppeted to protect someone who's innocent, and immediately match each other's negative energy within 2 minutes of being in the same courtroom. they are on equal levels of status within the prosecutors office and intelligent and persecutory and condescending and pretentious and would either get along like a house on fire or kill each other within minutes and that wildly entertains me

[hard-core-super-star]

A request for hailee x reader. Reader is Hailees' main backup dancer. There are edits of the two over the years, fans speculate that the two are together due to the tension between them in said edits and videos.

one step forward, three steps back [H.Steinfeld]

pairing: hailee steinfeld x reader

summary: when hailee tries to convince you to ride the publicity wave and appear in her new music video, you’re forced to accept the truth of your feelings for her.

warnings: the weirdest mix of angst and fluff you've ever seen; stubborn idiots arguing instead of being honest; quite possibly the most dialogue i've ever written for one fic; one mention of the JA stunt because i am still bitter about it

wordcount: 1.6k

a/n: rubix stop mentioning sunkissing in everything challenge. don't mind me, just trying to manifest hailee's music back to life...pun absolutely intended. [ever write a song so gay you have to go into hiding as soon as it comes out? i'm sure taylor swift knows the feeling all too well] anywho, i got a little carried away with this one and it shows. hope you enjoy <3

* * * * * * *

If someone had told you your entire life would be flipped on its head just from a few short video edits and a trending hashtag you would have called them mad. Unfortunately, Emily Dickinson had a point when she said,“Much madness is divinest sense.”

The ‘madness’ in this case was the sheer amount of people who had started spreading the before-mentioned videos around and the ‘sense’ being your incredibly obvious feelings for the person who was essentially your boss. It’s a bit of an oversimplification, and the biggest reason you have not to tell Hailee the truth, but the point still stands.

You still have no idea how things got blown so out of proportion since the speculation around you two has been swirling around since day one. Clearly, not having any new music projects to focus on has driven her fans into madness.

It would be fine…if you and Hailee were still on speaking terms.

Are you being dramatic? Maybe a little but your friendship or relationship or whatever the hell it was that you two had going on at some point isn’t what it used to be. The blame isn’t entirely on her but your own bitterness about the situation tends to cloud your judgment sometimes…okay, most of the time.

Right now is a perfect example of it.

You’ve been staring at your phone for what feels like hours, mentally debating if you should give in and reply to Hailee’s text. You really, really, don’t want to but what other choice do you have? It’s not like you can ignore her forever, you’ve already promised her you’ll join her on her next tour, whenever it finally happens.

You decide to suck it up and agree to meet her for coffee. The last thing you need is to be seen hanging out with her right now but you’re sure it’s all part of the plan. A plan that probably didn’t come from the singer herself, but rather from the group of people who act like they want the best for her but are really just trying to sell her image like it’s a product.

Because who cares about morals and dignity as long as you get streams on your music, right?

You shove your bitter thoughts out of your mind for now and focus on getting ready to see Hailee again.

The hours simultaneously feel like seconds and eternity and before you know it, you’re sitting at a semi-secluded table in a random coffee shop with your knee bouncing up and down like there are ants crawling up your pants. No amount of breathing exercises or grounding techniques can stop your heart from hammering in your chest from the mere thought of the brunette.

You’re not sure what she wants from you, you just have a bad feeling about it. Although maybe that’s your broken heart talking, you can’t be sure.

You notice her the second she walks in and you do an awful job at pretending you’re looking at something on your phone instead of her. You act like you can’t see the smile on her face from this distance just like she acts like she can’t see you. Both of you look ridiculous but neither of you mind.

She finally joins you after another eternity of waiting and despite all the questions that are swirling around in your brain, you force yourself to wait for her to go first.

“I need your help with something.”

After months of not talking to each other, that’s what she leads with. You would complain about her lack of greeting but you’re grateful she’s getting right to the point so you can wrap this up and go back to avoiding your feelings. “That’s a bold start.”

She rolls her eyes, more out of habit than anything else. “It’s been five seconds, are we going to fight already?”

“I guess that depends on what you want me to do,” you reply.

“I want you in the SunKissing music video. We finally got the green light for it and it’s the perfect way to take advantage of all the buzz around the two of us.”

You can’t help but wonder if she’s joking. The ‘buzz’ around you two is just people speculating and piecing together the history Hailee has spent so long ignoring and rewriting. History that’s filled with arguments. bitter kisses, unspoken confessions and stolen glances.

You force the memories out of your mind. Along with the weird ache you feel every time you focus on Hailee’s eyes.

“Me dancing in the background of your music video isn’t going to be a trending topic, Hailee.”

She shrugs. “It will be if we kiss.”

“You’re joking,” you say, unable to hide the way her words take you by surprise.

“I’m serious.”

“You’re choosing now to come out? You think this will make everyone forget about your little stunt with the QB?”

Your mention of the New York stunt hits her hard and if you’re being honest, that’s exactly why you brought it up. You’re not interested in turning your private life into Hailee’s next big scandal. Even if it means pissing her off until she changes her mind.

The way she clenches her jaw is all you need to know you’re not going to like her next words. “It’s not a coming out. It’s an acting project.”

“You’re never going to change are you?” You ask, not sure whether to be impressed or disappointed by her idea.

“Come on, y/n.” She leans forward and places her hand on top of yours. You half-expect a camera flash to accompany the action but you seem to be safe for now. “You know you’re the only person I trust with this.”

Her words would be cute if you hadn’t fallen for them already. Multiple times. It’s always been the same way with her. She gives you a few months of her attention, makes you believe your unspoken affections aren’t one-sided, just to rip it away from you the second you think you’ve made progress.

“You’re the last person in this room who should be talking about trust.”

“Oh my God!” She leans back, her hand slipping away from you and taking any hope of avoiding an argument with it. “When are you going to let that go?”

You’re not even sure what she thinks you’re upset about this time. The list is so long, she could be referencing anything and be completely right. And yet somehow, you’re the one who’s in the wrong for still being upset.

“When you apologize for being a piece of shit,” you say as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. Which it is. To you, anyway.

The brunette across from you clearly doesn’t feel the same. “That’s unfair.”

“Leading someone on is unfair, Hailee.”

“You are so stubborn. How the hell did I ever sleep with you?”

You can’t tell if she’s joking or not but either way, you don’t want to hear another word from her.

“I’m leaving,” you say as you rise to your feet, ignoring your half-finished drink and the flash of regret that passes through those brown eyes you can’t help but love.

“Shit, shit, y/n, wait!”

“I already did wait or did you forget about that too?”

You don’t give her a chance to answer instead choosing to ignore her rushed apology and walking away like you should have done when this whole conversation started.

You make it about six feet away from the entrance when you hear Hailee’s voice calling after you. “Will you do it if I tell you it was my idea?”

It’s a desperate attempt for your attention and yet you fall for it all the same. Everything inside of you is telling you to leave but you can’t. Not when you’re this close to getting her to be honest with both herself and you.

“If it’s the truth,” you respond with your back still facing her.

“It is.” The scent of her perfume overwhelms you as her hands grip your waist. You fight back the urge to move away from her and allow her to turn you around to look at her. “I told my label it would be good publicity but honestly…I just really miss you.”

You can’t stop yourself from laughing. The sound comes out softer than you thought possible. “You couldn’t call like a normal person?”

“We’re not normal people, y/n,” she says, the ghost of a smile lingering on her lips. “You know that better than anyone. You know me better than anyone.”

“Do I?”

She takes a step closer to you and you hate the way your eyes instantly drop down to her lips. It’s an instinct that no amount of time away from her can rewrite. “Let me prove it to you. Please.”

“You’re not going to fix this with a few kisses, Hailee.”

There’s an unspoken promise in her eyes. One that says she’ll kiss you as many times as she has to until she proves you wrong. And you have no doubt that she will.

Her hands move up from your waist to cup your cheeks. Her movements are slow and careful almost as if she’s waiting for you to change your mind.

In a way, you do because whatever remaining doubt you had about your feelings for the brunette fades away in an instant. You push away all your hesitation and close the gap between your lips.

It’s the sweetest kiss you’ve ever shared. It’s full of almost inaudible sighs, gentle touches, and the overwhelming truth of your desires. Mainly, the desire to keep going.

“One chance,” you whisper as you pull away. “I’ll help you with the music video. I’ll let you in again. Don’t make me regret it.”

“Promise.”

You’re about to tell her not to make promises she can’t keep but she kisses you again before you get the chance to.

[considermygenderminecrafted]

hmmmm. Debating makin this post but sure. Fuck it.

context: Sunny felt really hurt over how Phil introduced her to Talullah and some folks are interpreting is as Phil were cruel or that he's tryna be like more fucked up after purgetory

Disclaimer: Sunny is a kid and has every fuckin right to feel how she feels, and interpret things how she does, and it would be great if they talked and figured shit out. Disclaimer over.

Post: Ngl fellas, introducin someone with some banter about a topic you don't see em as insecure about is just kinda summit you Fuckin Do in north england. YUP EVEN WITH THE LITTLENS. My Mam and Dad did it with me nd my sister as a kid, my parents close friends would to it with us, my friends rents do it with them, my mates do with to me, I do it with them. It's like, kinda a thing that just happens,,, It's part of the culture. especially if the person you're introducing them too is nervous, cause its an ice breaker. Like "hey the person you're scared of is a person like you, look they can handle a bit of banter, its all fine we're friends here" type vibes!

Usually, you preface or end it with a compliment to show you're genuine feelings, and usually you don't do it with someone when it's your first meeting with em, but you'll take the piss out of someone you like to show that you like them yknow? Especially if you've like done other shit to establish yous appreciate that thing you're making fun of em about (like qPhil givin Sunny another pretty crown cause she likes gifts and pretty things and feeling like a princess).

You'd also go for something that you don't acutally feel negateiely about, obviously. Phil doesn't give a shit that she and tubbo steal, thats just a like thing that happens sometimes that you can roll your eyes at but whatever kids gonna nick shit /affectionate. It's not a fuckin insult coming from a place to shame or correct, it's intended to be banter, yknow?

Like, its a show that you like the person and know summit about the person and also believe they can handle a bit of banter at their expense. ESPECIALLY if you've seen em take the piss out of you, someone else, or themselves, cause then it's like "oh word you like to play with this dynamic, okay"

And like, does it suck when you misjudge? Absolutely. Does it suck when someone chooses the wrong topic and gets at summit you're genuinely insecure about? Yes. I've had convos with mine being like 'hey can you not use this topic when you're doin banter' and thats like, really fair to do. There are also like more casual ways to tell em to knock it off like, turning it back on them, or lampshadin it etc which are like, accepted way to tell someone to back down a bit, because it's just like. A thing you do here!

Like qPhil takes the piss out of everyone he loves, chayanne and talullah get it all the time, tubbo (the godparents of his kids) gets it SO much, so does fit, so does Etoiles, like its truly is like, just a fuckin, part of friendships.

TO REITERATE. SUNNY HAS EVERY FUCKIN RIGHT TO FEEL THE WAY SHE DOES! SHE IS A KID, SHE'S NOT FROM THE SAME CULTURAL BACKGROUN, SHE DOESN'T KNOW PHIL THAT WELL NOR PHIL AND TUBBOS RELATIONSHIP!!

Did qPhil put his foot in it? Yes. Do they need to have a natter and settle things? Yes.

But it would be fuckin Lovely if we didnae start up "Phil is actually being a bad person and purpose and cc!Phil is making the choice for his character to be bad" when it's just like, a cultural difference from him being northern again

[ladyazurith]

About Me

I very much enjoy discussing, theorizing, and dissecting Twisted Wonderland characters and the lore around them. So if you want to talk to me about them I am more than happy too.

I will say my favorite characters are Cater, Vil, Riddle, Azul, and Floyd

The next tier would be Idia, Jade, Leona, Rook, Lilia, Jamil, Silver, and Malleus.

I feel mostly indifferent to the first years, I don't dislike them so much as they don't interest me as much as some of the others, Ruggie and Kalim also fall into this category.

Of the staff, Crewel is my absolute favorite, and I otherwise like to bully the crowman.

Shipping wise, my top ships are:

Vil/Cater is definitely my number one, I can't even lie, my Ao3 account tells the truth.

Floyd/Riddle is a close second, they're a comfort ship for me, and remind me of me and my husband (I would be Riddle in this dynamic)

Then followed by Idia/Azul, Leo/Mal, Kalim/Silver, Rook/Trey, and some form of Jack/Deuce/Epel, either them as separate couples or poly. I can't really choose which one I like best.

Ships that I do not like/will not write/talk about much unless it's why I don't think they would work are: Kalim/Jamil, Leo/Vil, Trey/Cater

Also no student/teacher or really any adult/minor ships, incest ships, or ones with a huge power imbalance.

Platonically, I love Vil & Rook's relationship. And really just Pomefiore as a family.

Also Cater & Idia, Cater & Malleus, Cater & Riddle, Cater & Rook, Cater & Jamil, Leona & Cater, and Lilia & Cater

Azul & Riddle is also one I love. (Riddle & Ace is also fun)

Silver & Sebek

Personally, I identify a lot with Cater and Riddle for various reasons. That I won't get into here, not because I'm not willing to talk about it, but because it would be an entire large post of its own.

I mostly interact with the fandom through fanfiction. I have written way too many stories to list them all here but some highlights are:

Enchanted: Lilia adopts Cater as a child and raises him in Briar Valley.

The Broken Mirrors series: Overblot victims travel through broken mirrors to an alternate reality. So far our victims are Azul, Vil, Riddle, and Malleus. Though I intend to write one about each victim by the end of it.

The Queen's Court: Cater interns with the Queen of Briar Valley teaching her about the internet and social media. Ends up getting adopted.

True Colors: Crewel takes Vil and Cater to fashion week during the end of their 2nd year, where they end up bonding once Vil coaxes the real Cater out from behind his mask.

Otherwise, a link directly to my Author page can be found here: Azurith I have over a 100 twist fics I've written. And have no real intention of stopping anytime soon.

I also have made (5) music videos so far:

Under Your Scars- Vil/Cater

Stand Out- Cater Diamond (LMC inspired)

All Eyes On Me- Vil's Overblot

Killer Queen- Vil & Riddle

Once Upon A December- Lilia & Silver

The Violence - Twisted Wonderland in general

I'll probably make more eventually but it's definitely a "when the mood strikes me" kind of thing.

Overall, don't be afraid to chat, like I said I'm usually happy to discuss just about anything Twist related, and do plan on posting my various HCs for my favorite characters, etc.

So far that's been:

Vil/Cater relationship HC's

Vil HC's

Rook Thoughts and HC's

Lilia & Cater's Friendship

Cater Diamond Analysis

I will add to this list as it grows! Thank you.

[etherealfishyfeelings]

Synastry Notes: Ascendant 1

These are essentially just my personal experiences with certain synastry aspects. Basically a rant lol.

Venus Conjunct Ascendant: honestly, I have a big love/hate relationship with this aspect as I have Venus square Ascendant as the tightest aspect in my own natal chart so when I'm the Venus person I become so envious and enchanted by the Ascendant person that it's almost suffocating. The more I look at them the less I want to be myself but I am also incredibly attracted to them in an almost poetic way. It really highlights my sense of disharmony with my own Ascendant and so usually being around the Ascendant person is quite uncomfortable regardless of the depth of my attraction to them. I usually love getting to know more about them past their Ascendant though, and regardless of what's underneath, my sense of enchantment with them doesn't really tend to fade at all over time. On the other hand, when I'm the Ascendant person, the Venus person usually doesn't make a lot of sense to me as their style of relating(aka venus) is directly clashing with my own style of relating to others. I think it only becomes more awkward when the Venus person almost seems perplexed by the switch ups that I tend to do in social situations(that I really do not want highlighted because I already feel horribly socially inadequate as it is lol) and so generally what starts out as a very enthusiastic friendship eventually turns into a lot of mixed signals and just a lot of the Venus person having absolutely no idea what to expect from me most of the time. I also tend to become a little wary of them due to how much they tend to highlight my social awkwardness and lack of consistency. (My Venus is in the 10th in Cap, directly conjunct my MC and directly squaring my Aries AC)

Mars in the 7th house/Mars opposite AC: this placement tends to end up being a little insane in my case due to my natal Venus square Ascendant so this placement usually means that their Mars is squaring my Venus too and honestly it's just too much. I tend to attract A LOT of Libra mars men(like most of the men that have chased me like their lives depended on it had their Mars in Libra, well, as much as Libra tends to chase) and initially its always fairly sweet but within the first couple of conversations it usually gets really ugly. Lots of jealousy and very sexually suggestive, impatient too and the longer we remained in contact without any romantic contact the more frustrated they seem to get and the more aggressive(not in a really bad sort of way) their hints tended to get. And because its Libra they're never really direct with it, mostly creating lots of very obviously intended scenarios that would allow me to take the lead but my Cap Venus needs a lot of time before I'll be willing to do that but my Aries AC suggests that I'm more of an impulsive go getter so they seem to expect me to be more forward than I actually am around romance. They seem very perplexed and frustrated that when it comes to romance and sex I'm very picky and take a really long time to warm up to the idea of being with someone even in a friendship sense. However, when I'm the Mars person(I have Mars in Pisces) I generally tend to be pretty attracted to the Ascendant person in a very pleasant way. I usually find them very beautiful and have a very strong urge to seek out their company. I also find that I tend to think of them as being quite talented, but I feel that might also be due to their AC trining my Venus.

[omgpoindexter]

more nurseydex fics!!!

i’ve been doing my duty properly and reading some different nurseydex fics on ao3 lately 🫡 i tried to find some that are more recent, however i inevitably found some that are older but slipped through the cracks for me.

here are some of the ones i came across that you need to read! i might make this a thing again if anyone is interested, im sure y’all have been much more on the ball with reading nurseydex fics than i have over the years but i do love reccing <3

suddenly this summer it’s clear by @dessertwaffles

The summer before senior year, Nursey and Dex become closer than ever.

Or, Nursey and Dex's developing relationship, as told through their text messages.

i was absolutely grinning the entire way through this. it’s a texting fic, with images rather than plain text (so clever!) but their personalities are so strong and their interactions are just perfect! and you know i love a texting fic

getting used to letting go by @jennybeantime

Dex was supposed to have a fancy job in some city upon graduation, but his plans changed once his uncle died and left the family home in Maine to him. Without immediate obligations of their own, Nursey, Chowder and Farmer follow Dex up there to help him clear it out and clean it up.

this fic is BEAUTIFUL. if you haven’t read it then please do yourself a favour and do it now. it captures certain feelings and emotions so effortlessly and i felt like i was in a little maine bubble living this story with them. i can’t believe i missed this one before, please please read!!

got the feeling you’re the right thing after all by @bisexualnursey

Two and a half years after he breaks up with Dex to go to grad school across the country, Nursey runs into him again when he visits New York for the holidays. What starts as them just rekindling their friendship quickly turns into a whole other thing: a 100% no-strings-attached friends with benefits arrangement while they’re in the same city.

Which is totally chill because Nursey is definitely over Dex. He swears. He’s going back to California soon anyway.

i seriously CANNOT BELIEVE i never read this before but i think i was in my inactive era when this was posted. it’s just so perfect!!! all the feelings and interactions with not only dex and nursey but all the other characters, friends and family, they all felt so real and i loved them so much. i’ll be rereading this a LOT! you should too!!

here i am (leaving you clues) by @averteddeyes

Will loves Nursey. Nursey loves Will. Will isn’t really quite sure how to deal with it.

(Alternatively: Will learns acceptance through poetry, hesitant communication, and brightly colored sticky notes.)

this is really gorgeously written. angst warning, because ouch!!! also poetry as a love language, like a really good selection of poetry, i really enjoyed it and how it weaves into the story. and the bittydex friendship is so important to me!!!

volta by @plusoultres

volta (n.) a turning point or point of change in a poem, most commonly a sonnet.

Or, five times a poem doesn’t reach its intended recipient, and one time it does; five drafts, and one work completed; five turning points, and one ending.

the second fic was inspired by this one, and thank goodness it was because this one totally slipped through the cracks and i’m so glad i read it. their banter is just brilliant and i love the variation in medium, and the poetry is beautiful! i could quote lines from this but im not going to. just. read it

things got weird (when we made out) by @andtimestoodstill

Nursey is being stupid about this. He knows he’s being stupid.

super fun and really cute, i love it when these two are just being idiots. great inclusion of the other teammates too. read it for this line alone: “[You’re doing] That thing where you forget to look like you hate Dex and just stare at him like some Victorian lady who just saw a hot dude for the first time.” because it made me laugh out loud

things that go bump in the night by @smashthatlikebitty

The first time it happens, Dex rolls over and flings so many obscenities in Nursey’s direction that even his Grandmother would have to sit down — and she cursed so much at Dex’s cousin’s wedding that the whole family has been banned from that church ever since.

Nursey just stills in the dark, one shoe off. A languid, infuriating presence. “Chill, man.”

essentially all the times nursey’s clumsy ass wakes dex up in the night. oh how i love pretending these two roomied their way into a relationship! this is so cute, smiled all the way through

some things take two people to build by @cricketnationrise

“You are the single most dramatic person I have ever met,” Dex mutters, trying valiantly to hide his grin.

Or, 5 times Dex wishes their relationship was real +1 time he doesn't have to

this was so fun, yet again i love them being idiots!!! these two in new york city is so important to me. and i for one would LOVE to read the work party 5+1 fic. just saying

[neolxzr]

Literally a genuine question no ill intent

What do you like about Aira? As much as people are absolutely adamant Akira is projecting (I really don't think he is (I'm not saying Akira is innocent) I just think he's trying to address the prejudiced thoughts the average Japanese person will have on the Ainu) Aira's weird comments and behaviour to Hiiro have been there since day one. And I also think Aira being the one who says all this is because he's supposed to reflect the fans and the average Japanese fan probably isn't that educated on the Ainu + there can be a good few racist enstars fans...

I'm not trying to sound heated about this I'm just coming from a genuine place, what appeal is there in Aira?

Also, as much as the Aira fans are talking about blaming Akira, I feel like there should absolutely be a focus on Hiiro right now considering that comment was... yknow said to him. I just think we should actually be talking about the Amagis considering that comment was intended to discuss the Amagis and their culture and the discrimination they go through.

i had someone ask me a similar question once but not in the context of all thats happening currently so you can read that here if youre inclined

buuuut what made me like aira so much in the first place was honestly that his concept as a character is really funny. i made a post a long while back that went into the funny meta jokes that you could make using aira as a character before i really knew much about enstars at all. having a character in your idol series that loves idols and canonically reads fanfic about them is just a funny concept in general. and as i continued to read more he continued to be funny and annoying and endearing (his little mini interaction with midori comes to mind immediately. there is something wrong with him)

also i tend to gravitate towards characters that give me like. little sibling energy. i love having a favorite little guy to dote on

but afterwards what really drew me to him was the main story!! thermometry specifically comes to mind (ouuugh,,,,). his feature scout stories are also great and so is feather touch! i wont like. go into detail really cause my blog is covered in me talking about aira already

his dynamic with hiiro is one of my favorites too, especially in mainstory. their dynamic isnt JUST aira says shitty things to hiiro and thats it. their relationship develops really far to the point where aira admits that he needs hiiro as much as hiiro needs him. they're young and inexperienced and kind of codependent as they're trying to keep themselves from going under in a sort of cutthroat industry. i think thats really neat. their relationship is really sweet to me and aira is a great tsundere type of character. he regularly is shown to actually like hiiro a lot as mean as he can be to him sometimes i.e. here. and you know the whole holding hands thing (which they also fucked up in the climax story but Whatever)

theres also this. which i think about regularly. the hiiai shipping fuel is vast

and additionally i think aira has some really great relationships with other characters too, alkaloid especially. feather touch develops his relationship with tatsumi a lot and its one of my favorite aira moments. i couldnt find my screenshots for this one but basically aira gives tatsumi his unlocked phone (something VERY important to aira since hes a little screenager) and it shows tatsumi just how much aira trusts him and he realizes how important aira is as a friend to him. being someone with a history like him aira's friendship is sort of new to him and it helps them both grow

he loves his friends so so much and he’s had a positive impact on all of alkaloid. he is its heart after all

but in any case i'm not going to like, defend myself for liking aira. i am aware that the shitty stuff has been there from the start but i've said something similar in the past that was like. aira isn't real and he cannot take accountability for what he says. he's a character written by real people who doesn't have any control over how he acts. so i guess that's why when i think the writers write something i dont think he would do or say in my own personal aira opinion i can sort of brush it off as just bad writing.

and not in the sense that i dont recognize that enstars sucks, because it does. enstars can be terribly racist sometimes and not just when concerning aira, and thats important to talk about (i.e. the orient cards, the king of thieves cards, etc). but at the end of the day the most important thing to recognize is the people and company behind the game as well as the real people who play the game and are affected by it. and not like, the specific characters in the game. cause they didn't actually do anything or feel anything you know

[karlachismylife]

Halsin for the character game ask please lovie <3

A person of a fine taste here ^^

If anyone else is interested, I'll be glad to talk about someone else from COD and BG3. The game itself is here if someone wants to reblog!

So, Halsin, the bear man himself!

favorite thing about them

His unwavering connection and loyalty to the ways of nature. It's something that has always been important to me, and yes, I probably am romanticizing living as primally as possible big time since I am an absolutely city gorilla, but well, what can you do? Following the balance of nature, striving not to disrupt its ways, accepting life, death, love as parts of it - as something separate from morals, yet still staying on a good path; this is obviously something Halsin was not only born into, but nurtured in himself as a druid, and honestly, wish he taught me too.

least favorite thing about them

I do feel like Halsin sometimes tends to bee too stubborn/unwilling to consider something outside of his beliefs (Minthara would be one of the most striking examples). Yes, on one hand, he is probably able to see things more nuanced, because nature doesn't outright define good and evil, but sometimes he gets blinded by what he considers right in his own system of values. Which is not something you would expect from an elf of his age and wisdom, but hey, flaws are good for a character. Still, he is kinda stuck in his path and very much convinced it's the only way, which is always frustrating.

favorite line

I actually really like the overexaggerated way he speaks, you know, Halsin talk with all the constant references to nature and druid stuff. It's cute. The winner line is, however, "I like ducks". For someone who is constantly aware of the Oak Father, the reponsibility, the duties, the deeper connections of everything intertwined this is so simple. It might be one of the most straightforward lines he has, and it's precious.

Under all that regalia, wisdom and years of experience he's just a man who likes duck.

brOTP

Halsin x Shadowheart. The way they roast each other yet still are undeniably fond of each other without it spilling too much over the friendship boundaries (even when in polyamorous relationship/sex with them) is just heartwarming. Also the whole plot stuff, you know. They actually do have a nuanced dynamic an isn't this what we need in a brOTP?

OTP

The companions polycule :D But also Halsin x Astarion as a separate dynamic. And Halsin x Ghost because I will never shut up about it. Sure, polyamory is what's the most natural to him and it's a comforting thing for me to think about, but there's obviously the whole sexual trauma they all went through and have very different ways of coping (or not coping). I actually think if Halsin was willing, he would also benefit from watching someone much less nature-driven go through it. But mostly of course it's him with his already resolved past and blatant sex-positivity guiding some traumatized men back to having power over their own bodies. Halsin + body worship + anyone = the best ship dynamic.

nOTP

None at all. Not only do I, as I said, reject the whole concept of nOTPs, I also can't imagine Halsin finding himself in a toxic relationship, and that would be my only "no". He just won't be there, lol. So yeah, Halsin love for everyone!

random headcanon

He struggles to climb trees not only as a bear, but as a human too. He can, of course, but if he can just take advantage of his height and avoid it, he will. He's just too big and is used to completely different types of movement. Makes it hard to hunt for honey sometimes tho :(

unpopular opinion

This one's hard as always, too, because I don't know what's a popular opinion... maybe this one: he doesn't have a breeding kink. Not because he does not enjoy it (very much does), but it's just not a kink, it's what nature intended. Just a normal Thursday (nature did not intend for Thursdays to exist btw) afternoon to him, nothing special.

song i associate with them

Actually, a recent release by Faun, "Tamlin and the Fairy Queen". Sure, it's not exactly about Halsin's situation, but there certainly are parallels. And also love.

favorite picture of them

I actually really really like this moment. Despite everything, we don't often see Halsin be just... calm. Peaceful. Nothing bad about him always being caring or laid back or witty or battle-ready, but there is something special about the serenity of him soothing his anxiety about his date with his connection to nature. He is constantly taking on a pretty leading/providing role, it's easy to forget that he needs to be provided for too, like any living being.

I love Halsin very much and it's absolutely my daddy issues showing, fucking sue me (my dad is kinda hippie-adjacent, do you understand how bad it is). But also give me any shapeshifer/werewolf and they probably will be my favourite.

Jokes aside, he is a special character, thank you for asking about him <33

[gatalentan]

who’s more whipped: melissa or barbara

ok so purely speaking from my own interpretation (and i WELCOME discussion, please!) is that while I do think they are both whipped in their own ways, my immediate instinct is to say obviously melissa is the most whipped, purely because we've seen it in action on screen, in the text, undeniable where she gets scolded and immediately folds, like the little yappy dog she is, multiple times:

if we're talking fanon over canon my answer is probably still her, because she's absolutely like, VISIBLY, on-screen besotted and delighted by basically everything barbara does...

...and that if shes still like this after 20-whatever years of friendship it means that it probably follows them into the relationship, right? i think at the slightest wink, this woman folds like a wet paper towel. turns to actual melted butter. fuckin' marshmallow. like, fully ruined. blushing and twirling her hair and squirming and shit. barb smiles and she's like well that's it for me, i'm done, i'm cooked, bye! invade france? sure, let me grab my bag. worships the ground she walks on. thinks she's literally perfect. can look past just about every conceivable flaw because she's so happy just to be near her.

but... and here's me drilling down probably further than you intended but its me so i can't help myself...

in a more canon-adjacent reading of there being more to their deal than what we see, my interpretation is that she's so whipped in-text due to being extremely hyperaware of the fact that if she pursued her attraction to barbara it would put barb into an unteneble situation because of gerald, and thus, like, doing whatever she has to do to not have barbara push her away because she knows the risk. barbara has the most to lose, sure, but that means she also holds the most cards.

melissa has some turbo insecurity/self esteem issues that she masks really hard with humour (👈this part isn't fanon, this is how LAW interprets/plays her, see: this podcast in the part where she's discussing Readathon). because of this I can't imagine her any other way than like constantly trying not to overstep that line, and doing whatever she has to do to stay in barbara's good graces and not lose her in her life because she's like, the One Good Thing she has. whipped as a defence mechanism. it's easy to replace someone when you're already married to the replacement, you know? so she has to make herself seem irreplaceable to barbara.

i think the fact that the only other person she felt she could talk to about starting the relationship with gary was fuckin' joe I think speaks to the fact she most likely has very, very few people in her circle - we hear about her family members but their dynamic seems pretty dysfunctional and arms-length, so the fact barbara has kept her in her life so long to her is like, world-altering shit. I think even in an AU where they got together... the fear of her leaving would always be in the back of her mind because of Joe. So she would basically move heaven and earth for her and whatever she says goes because she feels so lucky to have her, at least for right now, as long as she'll let her. She'll do whatever it takes. "I ain't killin' for any of you. Except Barbara."

Do I also think Barbara is whipped though? Yes. I think that's most evident in the way she's starting to take on more of Melissa's unsavoury characteristics to both make sure they can stay working together but also stay in her good graces (see: Delisha Sloss, see: being the one to suggest scamming the parents into coming to AVA Fest) even though it feels deeply unnatural.

You also see it in how, when her insecurities bubble up, she immediately is comforted by Melissa's words and takes them to heart instead of dismissing them (see: like fine wine, see: aging with dignity) and the tension she's held ALL DAY visibly unwinds near instantly.

If I look at her from a fanon context, this woman would literally be risking SO MUCH because of her attraction/love for this woman, her husband, her children, her church, literally upending her entire life, everything she's ever known, to risk being with Melissa. Just keeping her around is a huge risk because of the temptation, but she DOES keep her around. It's so fun to imagine the beginning stages of their friendship when they were much younger because of all this too, because they're so different, they have so many vastly different morals, (melissa has a rap sheet ffs!!) that it's like, even getting to KNOW her was a risk to barbara's moral character and image... but she did it anyway, over and over again, for twenty-whatever years, because she just finds Melissa that fucking delightful and charming and wonderful that she can't help herself. She's trained herself to look the other way as much as she can because the other parts of her are so worth it to her. She makes her laugh every day and she smiles when she sees her come in the room and she can't go one fucking lunch period without her sharing her table without having a Menty B. That's some fucking whippage.

[eliotquillon]

part of me does wonder if jace and alec would still be parabatai if TMI was a series that came out now/wasn’t the first shadowhuntersverse series that CC wrote. like undeniably the pendulum has swung back and forth a lot over years as to how significant of a thing being parabatai Is - in its original form it was just another unique piece of shadowhunter culture used to cement worldbuilding/character dynamics (eg it’s used as shorthand between luke and valentine to show just how close they were) and then with TID it became a really significant dimension of will and jem’s relationship and continued to be built up with emma/julian in TDA - and while jace and alec’s friendship was developed (and . lets be real. slightly retconned) to reflect this in later books they are still very much the odd ones out of the parabatai pairs. like they are significantly less close in the TMI era than any of the other main parabatai sets.

and while i do think a lot of that is because a) again, the parabatai concept was still in its beta phase when TMI was written and b) alec is having a hard fucking time grappling with his sexuality/crush on jace during city of bones and the months leading up to it, i also think it’s really telling that, for all that red scrolls of magic did a lot of retconning for the inter-CoG/CoFA period and is way more in line with later books in terms of its character dynamics (despite being set mid TMI era), it very much preserved the key detail of isabelle being the person who alec confides in about everything. it makes a point of reminding us that she was the only person alec felt 100% safe in telling about his sexuality and that there are still things he’d rather tell her than tell jace. which absolutely does Not fit with what we see between will&jem or even clary&simon (who i personally don’t think should have become parabatai for thematic reasons but are nevertheless textbook examples of what the parabatai bond has evolved to become in canon). and while i’m very glad trsom upheld that facet of alec and isabelle’s relationship (especially bc isabelle didn’t get to be alec’s suggenes in qoaad, which came out only 4 months before trsom) i think it is surprising that it DID when it highlights what is a pretty big absence in alec&jace’s relationship as parabatai when compared to other matched sets.

like again back in the original late game TMI era of 2013/2014 when will&jem were still implied to be a weird one-off with how close they were this was totally fine. the midnight heir short story from the bane chronicles even alluded to a more strained jace&alec type parabatai dynamic between james and matthew with james going off the rails and getting into fights with matty. i truly do not believe that jace and alec were intended to be this weird dangling thread; it’s just bad luck for them that CC had years to work on TLH in private and retcon james and matthew’s characters/friendship to end up working in a way that fit the developed version of parabatai by the time they were actually main characters. but as it stands TMI era jace and alec feel like such exceptions to the parabatai rule now. idk! this was a very long rambly post and ultimately i can’t see them as parabatai to anyone else (much as i would selfishly love for it to have been alec and isabelle, they would helicopter-parent each other into fucking oblivion if they got a rune-assisted push even further into codependency; they would be terrible parabatai to each other) but it is interesting to think about what would change about them and their relationship if CC were writing CoB today.

[mswyrr]

bridgerton 2x01

Just started Kate & Anthony's season! Assorted comments below.

1 - Kanthony

What a fun start they're off too! Great chemistry and sparks with this Rivals to Lovers pair.

I feel for Anthony and his severe (!) Eldest Brother Syndrome, but oh gosh. When he spouted some of that nonsense about finding a lady with "child-bearing hips and half a brain" I wanted to kick him lol I am so eager to watch him absolutely come apart with love of Kate.

Their first meeting is perfect. We learn quickly, within about 2 scenes here and later, that Kate is an expert with horses and doesn't back down from a challenge, not from Anthony or Lady Danbury - her back and forth with both of them really establishes (along with her careful planning, research, and care for her little sister) that she will make a magnificent Vicountess

"does your maid know you're riding astride?"

-Anthony, you are not EVERYONE'S older brother

-Anthony.... does the thought of her.... astride... perhaps intrigue you hmmmmm????

There's something interesting about the way that, at the party, both Kate & Pen observe and listen from the edges, the duality of being not considered but keeping your ears open for insight? unexpected/feminine power moves 🤔

Kate likes to keep her secrets!! it's a way to keep control AND YET she feels drawn to Anthony enough to confront him directly about the shit he was just talking. it's a real risk, given his power and money. As much as he is already struck with her, SHE is struck with him too, to take that risk.

"your character is as deficient as your horsemanship. i bid you goodnight" LMFAO his face!!! it's clear the actors were having a wonderful time. love it!

I think it's great that Kate is telling herself she's trying to protect Edwina from him, but actually.... they're both already so struck by each other there's all kinds of delicious subconscious motives at play imo!

2 - Women's relationships

-kate's own Eldest Daughter syndrome oh honey 🫂

-kate & lady danbury's conversation & pen & eloise's conversation are so good? there's intimacy and stakes between the women that i really like. despite the society emphasis on m/f marriage and the ways it rankles and is part of patriarchy, the "marriage mart" is really a women run world in many ways.

-pen's family of women is SO NASTY which makes a good contrast - this thing being run by women doesn't mean it's good or nice.

-somebody let the queen and lady danbury have Old Ladies Yuri i beg of you

-it's.... kind of crazy how shippable Pen and Eloise are. though i am totally aware it is intended to be a platonic friendship and i think it's interesting on that level as well! the way Pen wants her column as Lady W to please Eloise, even to the point of revising it to suit Eloise's tastes... I'm really looking forward to seeing how their besties relationship came apart. The drama! oh it's gonna hurt (rubs hands together)

3- MISC notes

-diamonds weren't the highest valued gem at the time. that was a product of later debeers advertising (late 19th cent). the "diamond of the first water" slang is from Georgette Heyer in the 1920s lolllll Regency Romance is a Fantasy AU and always has been, which is why the way this show has adapted the books to create its own unique Fantasy AU is perfectly in keeping with the Regency Romance vibe!

-I love how relevant Pen's journey is to the plot and themes overall - how you can see the places (in her experience of family and society) her sharp edges come from, but also... her business savvy, her wit, and her decency (demanding a wage increase for the boys who sell her column!). ALSO even with her mother trying to dress her dowdy she still is such a cutie pie <3

[misscrawfords]

I've been listening to Pride and Prejudice again this week in the car - I've got as far as Mrs. Gardiner's letter - and oh, my heart! So many thoughts and feelings. (Pls ask me about P&P, please.) Anyway, one thing I've been reflecting on is how the plot is almost too neat. It's fairytale-like in that there's really no way it could have happened IRL - what are the odds that Elizabeth's best friend marries Darcy's aunt's clergyman and they all happen to be in Kent together? What are the odds that Elizabeth goes to Derbyshire and visits his estate at exactly the time he arrives back? etc. etc. In real life, none of this could have happened. P&P is as tightly plotted and sparse in its extraneous details in the same way that Emma is and Emma is possibly the tightest plotted novel ever written.

But it got me thinking about P&P "variations" as the published fanfic is called and how unlikely so much of it is. People really want to make Austen's characters do things they absolutely never would. There is zero chance that Elizabeth would accept Mr. Collins. There is less than zero chance that Mr. Darcy would compromise her and force her to marry him. (Mr Darcy? The guy who thinks staring uncomfortably at a woman across the room is flirting? As if!) These so-called variations might end up with interesting plots but are fundamentally flawed because the characters who would act in these ways are absolutely not the characters Austen wrote.

So I was wondering where you could successfully have a variation. It would have to be a scenario in which circumstances change but not characters. So here are a few I think could work (and almost certainly have been written):

Bingley meets Jane in London. Despite Darcy and Caroline's best efforts, it's not inconceivable that they might bump into each other. London's big but not that big. It's as plausible as the meeting at Pemberley. I can't imagine Bingley could be persuaded against Jane when she's actually in front of him, looking sad and ill because she missed him so much. But what of his relationship with Darcy? Surely strained at this point. And what of Darcy's relationship with Elizabeth now that they'd be thrown together much more much earlier on and in a way that ensures continuous acquaintance. What happens with Lydia? Unlikely she'd ever go to Brighton. Jane's marriage changes the Bennets' circumstances entirely. Everything is changed here but it's an intriguing AU and not implausible.

Elizabeth and the Gardiners go to the Lakes. I mean... it's only authorial dabbling that means they don't in the first place. The Pemberley sequence never happens. Big repercussions for the development of Darcy's character, Elizabeth's feelings and Lydia's reputation. How do you get them all back together? Uncertain. Another more minor but potentially interesting change in this area would be the Gardiners always intending to go to Derbyshire. The journey is brought up at Rosings. Darcy pre-proposal invites Elizabeth and her relations to Pemberley. It gives him an opportunity to be nicer earlier but how does Elizabeth receive it? What happens at the proposal consequently? What happens to the offered invitation post-refusal? Becomes even more awkward in Derbyshire.

Georgiana accompanies Darcy and the Bingleys to Netherfield. Not the AU I'd be most interested in because I think Wickham would nope out of there the second he knows Georgiana is in town because there's no way Darcy wouldn't act if his sister's wellbeing was on the line, so that whole plot would be knocked on the head. However, the possibility of a friendship being struck up between Elizabeth and Georgiana at Netherfield while Jane is ill is a cute one. (Though I think without an interest in Darcy himself, Elizabeth would take time to warm up to Georgiana - lbr the Bennet who would instantly become her big sister is Jane.)

Lydia never lets slip about Darcy being at her wedding. Not a very interesting AU because Elizabeth would find out somehow and Bingley and Darcy would return to Netherfield anyway and she's in love with him even without knowing about Lydia so....

Can you think of any more AU possibilities like this that don't involve the characters acting OOC to set up the premise?

[stardustizuku]

Woah I absolutely love you analyses on MLB. What do you think of the female friendship in MLB?

This took way longer than originally planned.

Here’s the thing

I don’t think that MLB was that bad in season 1. And arguably, season 2 still has some leg to stand on.

And that carries on to friendships.

You see, we can break down friendships in this type of show into four.

1.- The vague friend group

This is one we see in most stories that DO NOT focus on team dynamics or getting to know a bunch of superheroes. Sakura Card Captor, for example, has the best one of these. They’re not meant to take center stage, but more like provide a sense of unity and calmness around the craziness that’s going on.

And while I cite CardCaptor, Creamy Mami also has it. And Sailor Moon has it in the very first season. Tokyo Mew Mew has two characters that fall here too.

This is where I say most of the characters in MLB fall to. If things had stayed here, I do not see a problem. The lack of depth isn’t a bug but a feature. While we can connect with them, their purpose, narrative wise, is to create fun scenarios and plot outside of the others superheroes.

But as things progressed they tried to make this sort of already bland group of characters into a cohesive united team. And it was never going to happen. Maybe if they had competent writers it could have worked, but it’s still unlikely a competent writer would have tried this.

The way you introduce characters is extremely important in the way that they’re perceived by an audience. If they entered the scene as a Vague Friend Group, it would be so hard for them to change into anything else. This is also why redemption arcs are so hard. It’s forcing your audience to accept a sudden change in the status quo. If that’s what you’re trying to do - it works. But if you’re doing it just to sell more toys…well it falls flat on their face. Not to mention, the classroom is not exactly filled with particularly interesting or cohesive characters. Their attitudes, relationships towards each other and Marinette change drastically from episode to episode. The only noteworthy rships are often time m/f, and the only f/f friendship we have that’s any sort of consistent or interesting is Juleka and Rose…who are dating.

I’m not gonna be the first to shit on a wlw couple specially when it’s probably the most interesting thing in this series - but it’s kinda weird how the only type of decent rship that the writers can do are ROMANTIC ones. Friendship seems like a fucking joke to these people.

Also they’re a LOT. Working with dynamics between characters is super hard, and the less characters you have to juggle with, you’re able to create better and closer relationships with each other. Having such a HUGE classroom be the center of superhero dynamic is plain lunacy. Unless this is the focus, and was intended as such since day 1, there was no way this was gonna work or be a natural transition from the 1:1 chat ladybug dynamic.

They work as a vague group of friends, but utterly fail as anything more. Both because of its size and lack of cohesion, or depth.

2.- The Friend (?)

This one is the civilian friend. The one who supports the heroine but never truly knows the identity of their friend. They’re there to provide support before the rest of the cast comes into the picture.

This is the Molly in Sailor Moon and Hitomi from Madoka.

They’re not really meant to be besties with the MC, even if they are so in name. It’s more of an extension of the aforementioned vague friend group. They mostly provide plot beats with a slightly more personal stake since this is someone the heroine has spent so much more time with.

THIS is where Ayla from Season 1 falls, and why I did not think she was too bad of a friend. She’s here really for providing comforting words when Marinette is down and a fun side story that doesn’t feel too disconnected from the main story.

However. The reason why these two worked was, precisely, because the focus of the show was the LoveSquare and Chat and Ladybug’s dynamic.

Sakura can have a relatively bland side friends (although they’re all fairly entertaining) because the main focus of the story ISNT them. It’s her Card Journey and interpersonal relationships with Tomoyo, Syaoran and Yukito.

Likewise, Molly is allowed to be a not so great friend, because Usagi has other friends.

If you want these characters to be the bulk of your interpersonal rships, you have to adapt them. Kaito St. Tail had only one friend, who actually falls with the Civilian. However, she plays a huge part of her story by being the one to send her on the missions. While her biggest rship was with Astro Jr, Seira provided a huge amount of emotional support and was given enough dramatic weight to be able to earn herself a recognizable spot. In any promo art that features the characters, she appears! Because she’s important!

But what they tried to do was expand upon these characters in a…less than ideal way.

First of all they tried to shift Alya from Friend (?), to Friend (tm)…

3.- The Friend (tm)

A Friend (tm) is the best friend. The gal pal. The one who is always there and even if it’s not outright stated - we know they’re the first one the MC will turn to if something happens.

Think Winx Club and who’s Bloom’s Best friend? Stella. Shugo Chara, who’s Amu’s friend? Either Nadeshiko or Rima (depending the season). They are part of the friend super hero group so the MC Can whole heartedly confide in them. Any problem that arises is one they instantly tell their best friend and they’re the mature one who help them get through.

And Ayla is not this.

Even as she transformed into superhero she did not know Marinette’s identity, so all emotional support she could have provided in that front was essentially flushed down the toilet. If at the very beginning, Ayla had been made aware of it, there wouldn’t have been an issue. After all, it would have cemented her as someone Marinette places a lot of trust into, perhaps even more than Chat, either bcs she was there when he wasn’t or only the fact she knows the “real” her.

Anyways, since that did NOT happen, Ayla failed as a Best Friend (tm), narratively speaking. If they had let it die there, it would have been awkward but not terrible.

But then in season 4 Marinette confesses she’s is Ladybug.

At this point, there’s no real connection with Ayla. Chat is someone who deserves to know her identity more, and someone who’s supported her for far longer in many more forms. It just doesn’t make sense for her to confess.

Except, of course, trying to shoehorn the Best Friend (tm) too late into the series.

This is all entirely from a narrative perspective, and does not begin to touch the fact that Ayla isn’t exactly the /best/ of friends.

Someone who trust Lila rather than her friend she’s known all year, someone who jeopardizes her best friend’s identity over her fucking boyfriend, who in her darkest hours isn’t there for Marinette, and that breeched her friends privacy to satiate her own curiosity over her secrets.

She has no leg to stand on to be the Best Friend (tm).

4.- Rival Friendship

Yeah this was sort of what I talked abt in the big Magical Girl Essay. This is actually, what I would argue, the most important friend character there can be in a magical girl setting. Not only does it serve as playful banter but as a contrast to the main character’s ideals and temper.

I tend to include any character that has a rivalrous rship with the MC, be it the villain or a fellow superhero. They don’t have to be the best of friends or be on super friendly terms, the only condition is that when one is in trouble the other jumps in to help.

Again, Utau from Shugo Chara, Rei from Sailor Moon, Mint from Tokyo Mew Mew, Fate from Lyrical Nanoha, Meimei from Sakura, Rue from Princess Tutu, they’re all good examples.

They bring balance. In some cases the MC already has a vanilla friend who’ll cheer them up by giving sweet advice. The Friendly Rival serves to knock some sense into our MC and give harsh but necessary advice.

This absolutely should have been Chloe, and it’s a role that I do believe is necessary in this show.

The way characters treat Marinette is…weird. In non-Lila episodes, in their eyes, Marinette can never do something wrong. Every decision she makes is the best she could have taken, it’s always correct. Only when Lila comes into the picture is she the one in the wrong to them - but not by the narrative. The narrative is always on her side, even when she’s done stuff wrong. Truly, Lila only serves as emotional torture porn, which is its own Can of worms we’re not touching today.

This is strange because even in Sakura (the most wholesome Can do no wrong MC) has moments where she has to apologize, or is in the wrong. When she fights with Kero, for example, it’s very much portrayed as an unreasoned response from both parties. And while Kero is being portrayed by the narrative as the one blowing it out of proportion, in the end it’s Sakura who makes a compromise by gifting him new “room”.

Marinette does not have this which makes it very annoying that she keeps getting away with things that are creepy or straight up wrong. The narrative is never willing to portray anything she does as anything other than ideal or silly. This is where someone who doesn’t coddle her, but rightfully calls out her actions from a place of love and care SHOULD come into play.

When Usagi doesn’t want to study, Amy happily tells her she’ll help, but Rei is the one telling her angrily that she has to. When Usagi is about to give up, it’s always Rei that yells at her to snap out of it.

Chloe should absolutely be this character. Someone who will tell her she’s wrong, especially in situations or arguments where Chat Noir can’t be the voice of reason - aka who she loves or her secret identity.

The fact that no such character exists is already making the story too saccharine sweet towards her. Even Sakura had Mei Mei, when Syaoran or Kero couldn’t be the ones to tell her to snap out of it (And also, Yue was particularly cold towards her but we’re focusing on girls rn shhh)

But because they ruined Chloe’s character we don’t have this.

And I do believe it has to do with the sexism of Thomas. Unable to picture friendship between girls as anything but unconditional kindness. I’m sorry but I’ve had extremely complex and fun friendship where we are both kinda mean towards each other. In fact, saccharine sweet friendships are the weird ones in my culture. It doesn’t help that the shows tends to portray the world in good or bad, depending on a singular action. You’re either a good girl or a mean girl. Any complexities are thrown out the window (although he’s more than willing to make adult men complex characters with good and bad in them so, yay, sexism!)

They tried briefly with Kagami too…but they fumbled it and it never gave anything. She was a love rival, they were friends, Adrien and her got together, they broke up, Marinette tried to help her and then…I think she joined a cult? I’m not sure I’m not up to date with the series. But it gave us so little of their actual friendship that it almost slipped my mind this was what they were trying to do.

That leads me to the most atrocious example of female friendship.

5.- The Devoted Lesbian

This trope didn’t have a place in Ladybug. None at all.

So, everyone knows the devoted lesbian. It’s the extremely queer coded friend that’s willing to do anything for the MC. Tomoyo from Sakura, Homura from Puella, to a degree Nanoha from Lyrical Nanoha, to a lesser degree Seiya from Sailor Moon Stars.

It serves a purpose to highlight the goodness of a MC, kind and nice to the point people fall in love with them. Sakura is the best example, but the devotion Homura has for Madoka also serves to highlight her status a goddess. In Nanoha, Nanoha’s obsession comes from the belief that Fate is a good person and deserves a better futures. And in Sailor Mook Stars Seiya offers an alternative to the loyal and devoted Usagi who’s still waiting for Mamoru. (I have to say maybe Utena has this too OBVIOUSLY but tbh I haven’t seen it yet so)

This is often a queer story. Even if Sakura and Usagi have heterosexual romances - Sakura isn’t straight and neither is Usagi. The stories play with gender and sexuality, and it’s ultimately about the relationships people have that deviate from the perceived normality.

Yeah, Ladybug has neither.

And they’re trying to introduce Zoe as this. Which is. Weird. Again, she’s supposed to substitute the Rival Friendship Characters, why on Earth is she a devoted Lesbian?

The reason why I call her this, is because inside the narrative she very much is - even if the writers are sooooo bad at writing women that it doesn’t come across as one to the audience.

If we still assume that Ayla is supposed to be the Best Friend (tm), and she still falls for Lila’s tricks - only someone who’s utterly devoted and believes wholeheartedly and unconditionally in Marinette can see through those lies. It’s something as crazy as fighting off Akumatization.

You can either see this as the writers trying to make Zoe the new Best Friend (tm)…but that’s somehow worse. It’s changing dynamics that have been here for close to 5 seasons. And AGAIN because of the weird way the writers see female friendship…I do believe it’s coming off as the devoted lesbian trope rather than the Best Friend (tm). Especially with how what’s little left of the fandom, are all obsessed with shipping Zoe and Marinette. This does not happen with the Best Friend (tm). It almost never does. Because competent writers make it clear that they’re just friends. You don’t ship Madoka with Sayaka or Mami (well you can but it’s not the majority) you ship her with Homura. And you don’t ship (I do but shhh) Usagi with Makoto or Mina, you ship her with Seiya.

Zoe is the Devoted Lesbian right now. The show absolutely does not need her. In fact I would say, it perishes what little hope there was for girl friendships in this series. It again hammers home that the only friends you can have are those who coddle you, adore you, or think you can do no wrong. And anyone who disagrees with you, even a little, is a terrible horrible monster (Lila), has the potential to be one (Kagami) or evil incarnate (Chloe)

I love girl friendships to death, and I’m always down for a good wlw story. But these characters are neither complex enough to have friendships with each other in a way that feels genuine, nor do the authors know how the hell girl friends work. Much less queer ones.

They should have never given center stage to them, not only bcs that wasn’t the focus of CHAT NOIR AND LABYBUG but also bcs they have no idea how to write compelling friendships.

To be honest, if they had been good enough to make this premise work, that’s to say the Chat Ladybug dynamic, there’s a high chance they could have created compelling friendships too.

Like, if they couldn’t pull of a romantic m/f rship with an entire fandom backing them and hyping them up? They could have NEVER pulled off anything. Period. It’s like failing Middle School Maths and trying to solve College level Calculus homework. The problem isn’t the equation, it’s that’s you’re bad it. And even if it were the equation, no one can tell because you filled the goddamn notebook with scribbles.

[maineshewrote]

I-just-started-s4e4-thoughts:

I can see how Oliver's least offensive robe has had its effect on Mabel's nightclothes style.

I just love the character/relationship development we get to witness, going from Oliver wondering if they have reached a point in their friendship when they can turn up at each others' place in nightclothes to the trio casually starting every other day by recapping their case while still in their nightclothes.

And just as we are told, literally, by the victim that she was not the intended victim (see: Tap in), the investigation is sent in a whole new direction, and lo and behold—we have use for a second murder board. I'm not complaining, let's not minimize Sazz's part in this case.

A moment of appreciation for the score that is always evolving and utterly beautiful and still very much tied to the original tunes of the show.

I feel like the rare blood type is going to be significant at some point. This is the second time I've taken notice of that, and they don't usually do that unless it's important. Sort of feels as wooden as that lighthouse, if you get my drift. If this is about Sazz refusing (or being unable, more likely) to be a blood donor and someone getting revenge on her for someone else dying because of that, it's either going to be heart-breaking or lame or I'm just rambling.

Oh! But how did they find out they had the same blood type? How about a nice traumatic bonding moment flashback when one of them had to save the other by being a blood donor? Now I'm really getting carried away. The fanfiction opportunities are piling.

Ugh, Oliver's obsession with stalking Loretta was bound to happen but it's so bad, please stop. They're obviously head over heels in love, this is just gonna make them unnecessarily fall out. About that menacing arm, I would love it if it turned out to be Dickie, but the man's chin didn't really look like him in the Instagram picture.

It's interesting that the picture they used for Loretta's Instagram is not a picture of her but of Meryl. That is, Meryl's there with her own hair, not her Loretta wig. (Evidence: much shorter hair, no bangs) Did you know Loretta's is the same wig she wore in A Series of Unfortunate Events (where I thought the hair was awesome)?

Why are Howard's sweaters getting progressively worse? I didn't think it could get much worse from the absolutely faceless yellow thing we saw last episode, but this duck is unfurling.

And where's Jonathan? Howard's saying he hates being alone, so what's his boyfriend doing? Is he perhaps going to work like normal working adults, unlike Howard?

Mabel being the guys' keeper in public, while the guys are utterly oblivious to making themselves appear as ridiculous as possible, love it.

BEN! The way I screamed. That is bloody lovely! Of course it's a double but this is so sweet, it's like meeting an old friend again, even though through most of season 3 I didn't even like Ben. (And I mean most of the times I watched that season. I think I only really liked him the last couple of times around.)

The amount of times the trio has had to witness Ben rise from the dead is staggering. Let's make it a running theme, every season a brief Ben come-back. Can I hear a wahoo?

Peak comedy in Oliver's momentary expression of consideration when Glen said that you can't come back from the dead, knowing full well that's just what Ben did.

The irony. Ben being given rat poison and his double seeing rats.

I LOVE that Howard is auditioning with the lines from Oliver's stage dream sequence. Canonically makes no sense (although Oliver could've used the lines in the podcast) but such a pleasure to watch.

New era for the penthouse spotted. Still unsure which decor I liked best, but it's not this one.

Melon is giving people-pleasing Hollywood Cinda Canning. She should meet the real deal.

This unfulfilling relationship that Sazz was trying to get out of better be with Jan. My boy Charles has had to deal with way too much undeserved guilt this season.

The escalation of the horror-movie-like Paradise dream to the absolutely soul-crushing tragic drama of Charles's heavy conscience was both genius and gut-wrenching. There was so much emotional nuance in that little scene, especially in Sazz's light manner of reply, in the meaningful way she portrayed not only Sazz's stubbornly positive attitude towards life but also the heartbreaking tendency in many good people to bottle up their vulnerability behind a positive mask, even and especially when people who love them unintentionally hurt them. I was deeply touched by this scene. All the while my heart is constantly aching for Charles who really doesn't deserve all this guilt. Yes, we have been led to believe he was pretty egoistic and distant in his glory days, but we have to remember that these negative qualities that we've been told about have been exaggerated due to Charles's own insecurity about himself.

No comment on the Oh Hells, nicely wrapped up for now.

It's actually so sweet of Charles to do the funeral, but there was always a chance it was going to be some big unusual stunt.

Well, look how the turntables. Paul Rudd knocking Charles out this time around.

Incredible how Irish Ben Glenroy in a bar fight could move me to tears.

Save me, heart-warming flashback scene.

I said save me, not break my heart all over again!

Sazz saying, "Let's keep this under our hat," because they basically share the same Brazzos hat. But why do these two Brazzoses' police badges have different numbers?

This show just keeps on giving. Aphrodite is back!

Okay, bit dramatic for someone named after a fruit. Not to pour cold water over this entirely unconvincing threat, but Melon's probably just going to laugh this off and have a silly explanation for being there. No clue here, people, let's move on.

But did you notice the music? Seriously more exciting than Melon pointing a gun was the theme playing during her threat, which was the same one that played when the trio found Ben falling in through the elevator ceiling (You Gotta Be F'n Kidding Me). What a lovely last nod to Ben's memory!

Sweet move on the production's part for only mentioning special guest star Paul Rudd at the end of the episode, otherwise the surprise would have been ruined.

[jetwhenitsmidnight]

Flowers for Dead Girls by Abigail Collins

Release date: 9 April 2024

Genre: young adult magical realism

If you like:

Neurodivergent rep (synesthesia, sensory issues, implied OCD)

WLW and MLM solidarity 🤝

Pan representation

Coming of age

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Synopsis

Seventeen-year-old Astra Vaughn isn’t exactly living her best life, with no friends, an absentee father, and a mom everyone thinks is crazy. Plus, she can talk to ghosts.

Astra inherited her mom’s gift, but sometimes it feels more like a curse. Especially when she meets sweet, cheerful, and absolutely gorgeous Isla. She’s just the right kind of girl to bring Astra out of her shell—and maybe more. The only problem? She’s dead.

When Isla enlists Astra’s help with her so-called bucket list, Astra intends to do just enough to help her move on to the afterlife. She doesn’t plan on getting close to her, and she definitely doesn’t plan on falling in love. By the time the list is finished, Astra realizes that her gift might not be such a bad thing after all.

But Isla has secrets of her own. And when the truth behind her death is discovered, even Astra’s love might not be enough to convince her to stay.

Content warnings

Death, slight gore

Medical content, hospitalisation

Chronic illness

Homophobia/bullying

Review

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC! 💐👻

This was such a cute read!!

I loved Astra's character arc, as she learns to be more open and daring. I related to her a lot, with how she's an introvert and struggles to make friends.

When she meets Isla, typical ghost hijinks ensue, i.e. Isla bothering her and Astra begrudgingly going along with what Isla wants. I really appreciated how their relationship progressed so organically, growing from grudging acquaintances to best friends to perhaps something more? 👀

I loved how Astra's and Isla's arcs are intertwined, with Isla helping Astra to come out of her shell and explore new things. I was worried that the story would be just Isla helping Astra, as some romances can be a bit one-sided in that regard, but Astra also helps Isla with [SPOILERS]. I also appreciated that Astra and Isla have to make their hard decisions by themselves.

I wished we could have gotten a dual POV with Isla's perspective. I feel like lot of her character arc happened off page, and we only see parts of what Isla deals with from Astra's perspective. I understand that this is deliberate, to keep things hidden from the reader, but I would trade all the mystery just to know what is going on in Isla's head.

Some other things I want to mention:

Astra has synesthesia (perceives colours as physical sensations) and seems to have OCD or autism but its not made completely clear (counts things and has to do things in certain orders, also has sensory issues, but its stated that the sensory issues are a side effect of being around ghosts so idk)

I loved Astra and Oliver's friendship so much, but damn, Oliver was third-wheeling hard

Astra and her mom worked it out by the end, but lowkey if I were in Astra's shoes I would be a little resentful

[the-multiple-prism]

yeah no problem, i can try to be more specific. what are some things that are different for you because of your avpd/being aplatonic? can you have avpd and still like the concept of “friends” or some sort of community around you? is aplatonic just “i dont want friends, i dont like making friends” or can it be something different like “im extremely selective with my friends” or “i want friends but im too scared of rejection/being made fun of/etc so i dont bother making friends at all” i hope this helps!

- the anon asking about avpd

hi sorry for taking so long to respond to this anon we've been having a time mentally eughghj. anyways yapping below the cut. -ramlethal

avpd alone not taking into account aplatonicism and such, yes you can in fact like the concept of friends and community while having avpd. it is actually pretty likely that you do if you have avpd, the name of the disorder leads to many misconceptions really. people usually assume avoidant means as in not liking people or being averse or antisocial, when in reality it just refers to the main defense mechanism of avpd. which is. avoidance of even potentially uncomfortable social situations, avoidance of relationships unless the pwavpd is absolutely certain they will be liked and not mocked or shamed or embarassed, etc. avoidance to literally everything pretty much. it doesn't necessarily mean you don't like people or dislike the concept of company. avpd is just characterized by hypersensitivty to social situations, criticism whether constructive or not or perceived or literal, and therefore avoidance of anything that could potentially result in it, like social situations and etc. avpd is also pretty much always present with a belief that you are inherently inept (usually socially), "different", "weird", "odd", etc. in our personal experience we've found that we are more comfortable in social scenarios in which there are multiple other people/a group other than us so it's likely we won't be focused on as much because we usually just slip into a corner literal or metaphorical and go quiet and usually panic if we're ever involved in the social interaction. BUT avpd can be comorbid with other personality disorders that might impact how you feel about social scenarios combined with avpd, particularly szpd (schizoid personality disorder) & stpd (schizotypal personality disorder) bc they're all schizotaxic disorders among other reasons. and also npd is a common comorbidity because they use the same core defense mechanisms and beliefs. tldr; no avpd does not Inherently, Alone, mean that you have any particular dislike of people & company in general, but it is often comorbid with other personality disorders that do affect this like npd, szpd, and stpd.

as for the aplatonicism, we cannot speak for non-disordered aplatonics as our aplatonicism very much has to do with the fact that we are profoundly personality disordered so take this with a grain of salt and also generally because we do not speak for aplatonic people as a whole entire group. /lh. we are platonic/friendship averse and repulsed for the most part, we can enjoy talking to other people but its mostly because of our other personality disorder symptoms that make us very much eager for attention and validation. in our case we only interact with other people outside of our partner system to gain things like validation and other goodies that come from the occasional social interaction and such. any social interaction we have is never intended to become friendships and we are genuinely repulsed and disgusted by the idea of it, though we are fine with acquaintances and "mutuals". we do not experience any specific or particular urge to interact with specific people outside of the examples i stated and a few others i probably forgot to mention. thats our personal experience with it

it is also good to note that aplatonicism is a lot of the time associated with VARIOUS MANY OThER NEURODIVERGENCIES and things like trauma though it doesnt have to be. it can mean anything from just simply a person who considers themselves aspec for their neurodivergency and how it impacts their platonic relationships and the attraction to them, or it can just mean "yeah i just. don't feel anything for friends lol". the aplatonic experience is very vast. but we have heard other things. other aplatonic people we've heard have said that they are indifferent to platonic relationships and such and still have them but they just appear differently than an alloplatonics would, or being a complete loner as a result of aplatonicism and not feeling any urge to connect or connection to people and being averse to other people for whatever personal reasons that might be, and then we've also seen very loving aplatonics who are still very positive about platonic relationships OR who instead very strongly feel romantic, sexual, or a tertiary attraction "in place" of their platonic attraction.

aplatonicism tldr: aplatonic is a VERY VAST term used to describe a VAST WIDE ARRAY OF EXPERIENCES that are typically neurodivergent, disordered, traumagenic, etc. if you feel it fits you, use the term.

here's some resources we have for all of these

general apl stuff: definition on lgbtqia wiki, aplatonic masterpost, aplatonicism 101 on AUREA, this one is more a general aspec terms post but it's still cool

community, experience oriented apl stuff: r/aplatonic, our-aplatonic-experience, mlp-friendship-isnt-magic, aplatonicism (blog)

medical avpd stuff: avpd on wikipedia, all about avpd on psychcentral, avpd criteria, avpd criteria 2, avpd on healthcentral

community, experience oriented avpd stuff: avoidantrecovery's avpd tag, avpdvoidspace, avpd diagnostic checklist made by a tumblr user based on the dsm5 criteria, millon's avpd subtypes in more simplified language, rewritten avpd criteria by someone with avpd (HEED THE DISCLAIMERS)

*REMEMBER TO ALWAYS DO YOUR RESEARCH WHEN SELF DIAGNOSING AND TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT POTENTIAL DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSES THAT MAY MIMIC THIS DISORDER AS THERE ARE MANY. WE CANNOT DIAGNOSE YOU WE ARE NOT A PROFESSIONAL. WE ARE JUST A MENTALLY ILL SYSTEM OF HIKIKOMORIS WHO HAVE LIVED WITH AVPD ALL OF OUR LIFE