#legit he's a combo of them in looks and personality

[s3lkieboy]

An observation

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for "forcing" my best friend to break up with his boyfriend?

🧸

I (22 cis m) and my best friend 'A' (21 ftm) have been friends since we were 10 years old and I love him more than anything. He’s genuinely the sweetest, most thoughtful, and funniest person I’ve ever met. He means everything to me and we’ve been there for each other through the hardest times of our lives so far and I plan on staying until the end.

It’s always been us two. Btw, everyone mentioned here uses he/him pronouns exclusively.

A has been with his boyfriend (21 cis m) for about 2 years now, and from what he told me, things were going great. Even if I’m not too fond of his boyfriend. A few days ago, we got pretty drunk at a friend’s housewarming party. A and I live together, and as soon as we got home, he suddenly started rambling about how he wishes his boyfriend cared about him the same way I do.

Legit felt like I was in some dumb romance movie for a moment there. I felt a little uneasy and asked him to elaborate. In short, his boyfriend essentially treats him like a doll instead of a person with real emotions. He feels as though his boyfriend just uses him to get his daily fix of physical affection and sex, that’s it. The only positive thing his boyfriend can say about A is that he’s cute, which boggles my mind. It’s true but there’s so much more to him as a human being.

A is an incredibly talented artist, super kind, super emotionally intelligent, and has a plethora of interests he loves to infodump about. I’m trying my hardest not to make this entire post about how amazing he is. He’s helped multiple friends clean their depression apartments and took them out to get fresh groceries etc. because it’s basic decency to him. He has such a big heart and holds so much love in it for everyone in his life. Being around him is just so easy and makes life worth living.

He’s just an incredible person all around and every single person that has him in their life recognizes that, except his boyfriend. They’ve had issues in the past because they’re not sexually compatible, which led to some miscommunication and made A feel like he was coerced into things he didn’t want to do. He just did them to make his boyfriend happy. He does a lot of things for his boyfriend, actually. He’s constantly buying little gifts, remembering what he likes, and plans cute dates for them to go on. His boyfriend does none of these things.

I want to mention that A has bpd and avpd. He has an intense fear of rejection and will do everything in his power to appease others so they won’t leave him. I always take the time to reassure him that I love him for who he is and not what he can give me. Basically just making sure he feels loved. Keep in mind, his boyfriend is aware of this but he just gets annoyed when A seeks reassurance from him. His behavior has made my blood boil several times in the past already, but I always kept it to myself for A’s sake. If I was vocal about disliking his boyfriend, it probably would’ve caused A a lot of distress and emotional turmoil.

Still, I don’t think this relationship is healthy for A and I know him well enough to know he won’t break it off on his own. It’s just his combo of personality disorders that makes it impossible for him. I told him about my concerns and he agreed, but said he feels bad for his boyfriend since he apparently doesn’t have any friends outside of A. From my POV, it just looks like his boyfriend knows A is out of his league and is grasping at straws to make A stay with him out of pity.

This is where I might be the asshole. I got a little frustrated and raised my voice, which I severely regret. I don’t want to blame it on the alcohol but it definitely had a hand in it. I finally told him about all these grievances I have about his boyfriend, how much I dislike him and how A deserves so much better, etc.. At one point, I essentially gave him an ultimatum. It’s me or his boyfriend. I didn’t really mean it, it was just a heat of the moment thing I spat out. I would never leave him like that.

A started crying and begged me to calm down, at which point I realized how shitty I was being and immediately began apologizing. We hugged, I comforted him, and we spent the rest of the night cuddling and talking about how he could approach the breakup.

Now that I’ve sobered up I feel like absolute shit. I know it’s not my place to tell A what to do with his romantic relationships, even if I’m his best friend. Plus, I want to be 100% honest here and say I might have romantic feelings for A. I think I have for a long time, but I always wrote it off as intense platonic love. So I may be biased in this whole conversation about his boyfriend.

I didn’t say these things because of that. I genuinely think his boyfriend is a huge dick and full of shit, no matter how sweet and loving he pretends to be. It’s all in the way he treats A. He’s one of those guys that paint their nails (nothing wrong with that but you know the kind of guy I’m talking about), pretend to be feminists, and steal their romantic partner’s personality to seem cooler. He even asked A to stop taking testosterone because he didn’t like how hairy A was getting or some shit like that.

He’s pansexual but has only ever dated girls and started dating A before A began medically transitioning. There’s obviously nothing wrong with that and changes nothing about the fact that he’s pansexual, he just pisses me off when he criticizes A for being 'too masculine'. You can have a preference for feminine people but don’t make that shit your partner’s problem when they just want to pass.

I feel like A’s boyfriend just thought A would always stay the smooth, baby-faced twink he was before going on testosterone and now makes him feel guilty for looking like a grown man. Some people don’t know how to appreciate hairy tummies.

Sorry for making this so long but I just want to be as honest and informative as possible to get proper opinions on the issue. A is now dead set on breaking things off because he now knows that I actively despise his boyfriend and he always puts my opinion above everyone else’s.

Was I in the wrong for doing this or am I just protecting my best friend? I’m glad he intends on ending things but I feel a bit like a conniving snake considering everything. It feels like I’m taking advantage of his mental state even if I’m not doing it consciously.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - The Sign is Slaying

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top. Happy new year, BLabies!

Jan 2024 Wk 2

Ongoing Series - Thai

The Sign (Sat YT) ep 8 of 12 - Tharn in Phaya’s too big clothing is the cutest thing in the world.

I gotta to say something about Babe's acting really quickly. I love the way he’s inhabiting the personality of his naga character with reptilian eye and body movements and (I don’t know how to put this) a certain reserved, elegant, slithering- ness. He's very good this new boy of ours. (He come from something physical like dance?)

I adored them doing the walk of shame and being teased.

ALSO I enjoyed the way they handled Tharn’s gender in the past with his costume (the pha chung hang is gender neutral but that green top is a kinda combo m+f) and pronouns et al.

Language corner:

They are using ancient pronouns. I *think* I heard: daow (3rd), khun/jao/tan (2nd), kaa (Ist) - all pronouns in use are gender neutral - to the best of my understanding.

Last Twilight (Fri YT) ep 10 of 12 - Ooo. Day comes out to fam. Also his maa legit took his phone away and said

“I don’t mind you being gay but you can’t date a poor.”

Still, these 2 do kind of make the best secret boyfriends ever.

Also I begin to love Night: “that’s my baby” indeed. You special ain’t ya?

For Him (Thurs iQIYI) ep 7 of 12 -  I’m starting to find this pretty boring at this juncture. Bummer, because for a while I was enjoying it.

Twins the series (Fri GaGa) ep 11 of 12 - The stuff with the spy on the team is super boring. I’m not wild about the side characters either. So most of this episode was a bust for me. I did like First’s ex. 

Pit Babe (Fri iQIYI) ep 9 of 14 - Charlie & Babe = honeymoon phase. Jeff & Kim = forgotten. Pete & Way = riddles wrapped in alphas but actually enigmas. Everyone else = gang bang phase…. Apparently. Trash watch happening here.

Cooking Crush (Sun YT) ep 6 of 12 - Loved that this was a mutual kiss. (Also how comfortable are OffGunn kissing now? Babies!) I’ve moved from indifference to absolute loathing of the side couple tho.

Oddball LIES from the script = the gayest bridge in Bangkok isn’t lit up after 9pm.

Meanwhile, very important kicky kicky feet and Doc is a dork about flirting now that he’s all in. Looks like we get the official boyfriend ep next week.  

You and My Stars YT 2of 2(?) - Couldn’t find it. Not fussed. 

Time the series (Thai Gaga) ep 1 of 10 - Okay so there’s a gang and someone named Chris is killed and his boyfriend, actor Foam, is jumped back in time to save him? NO SINGING. Between Chris’s death and that time-slip there’s some kind of accidental murder, a pink pocket watch, Chris being alive again but also a different person, and a make out scene. Are you also confused? Actually, the real question is: Do we continue watching? Remember we (the collective BLorg) do not trust MFlow. 

My Universe (Sun iQIYI) ep 21 of 24 - The acting has been pretty terrible all along with this series, but this one is the worst. I just can’t. I may tune in for the last installment but this one is a DNF for me. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Although I Love You and You AKA Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka (Japan Gaga) ep 1 of 10 - It’s utterly adorable. Very manga, but so far not grating on my nerves. They so cute! You know I adore a hyung romance. Add a v gay sauna scene and an OUT gay boy and just... YES. All the married breeder regulars being overly invested in their pretty cook’s queer drama queening, it's so good.

AND THEN a confession in the first episode? Japan sure loves to mess with the pacing of plots drops.

Also, how much do I want to eat every single piece  of food in this darn show? 

Sahara-sensei to Toki-kun (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 5 of 8 - Man I wish this were better I enjoyed this more. Sigh. I do LOVE the stepbrother sides. Of course I do. But how can this feature 2 of my favorite relationship types (age gap, stepbrothers) and not be my favorite BL airing? Japan, how do you ALWAYS do this to me? 

VIP Only (Taiwan Fri Gaga) ep 9 of 10 - I don’t know. I just wish this were better. Also shorter.

I really miss KBL right now.

It's done I Need to Catch up

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps - will binge when I have a spare day.

The Servant and the Young Master - from Veitnam so I assume it's on YouTube. I never even noticed. Anyone?

After Sundown - aired on Netflix Thailand. No word on inter release.

It's Airing But...

[INTERNATIONAL] Cherry Magic (Sat YouTube) ep 3 of 12 - yeah Japan put the smack down on our boys. Sadness. You can use a VPN if you like. Read all about it here.

Ossans Love Season 2 (Japan Gaga) - 5 years later, will anything have changed? This is Japan so… probubly not. I won't be watching this. I disliked Season one and actively hated the follow ups. No thank you.

Playboyy (Thurs Gaga) 14 eps - Dear Playboyy, it's not you, it’s me… I hate you. You’re about as deep (and as palatable) as a shot glass of cum. While I'm sure you’re someone’s kink, you're my weakest link. Goodbye. I DNFed this at ep 5. Frankly I'm impressed with myself for getting that far.

Night Dream (Sat YT) 6 eps - It’s a pain to track down and I really didn’t like the first episode so… DNF  

The Whisperer (Sun ????) 10 eps - Thai horror BL that ALSO involves cheating (what joy is mine). I don't think even the perfect single dimple can motivate me to watch. Word is... it's terrible.

7 Days Before Valentine (Weds WeTV) 10 eps - Giving me Luminous Solution vibes. I'm waiting to binge if safe.

Dead Friend Forever (Thai Sat iQIYI) - horror, meh, tell me if it's worth my time?

In Case You Missed it

All my year-end round ups:

TOP 10 BL Trends of 2023

Top 10 BL Secondary Pairs of 2023

2023 BLs Best Trope Execution Awards! TOP 10

BL 2023's Best:

Back Hugs Thailand & Elsewhere

Cute Bits of Domesticity

Boys Feeding Boys

BOOP!

Best Cuddles

Heads in Laps

Touching Head Touches

Thailand Put His Head on Your Shoulder

Put Your Head on My Shoulder (not Thailand)

BEST KISSES (not Thailand)

BEST KISSES FROM THAILAND

All the BLs Announced for 2023 that didn't happen

Next Week Looks Like This

More Coming Jan 2024

Beside You (Thai YouTube)

1/24 Love For Love's Sake (Korea Gaga)- based on the Manhwa ‘Love Supremacy Zone’ by Hwacha. A young man is dropped into a game based off a novel he loves. His mission is to make another player, YeoWoon happy. But then the game starts unfolding completely different from the novel.

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Why are the oversized flappy flappy sleeves so adorable? (The Sign)

Pit Babe

Frankly 2024 is starting on a whimper... mostly from Babe.

(Last week)

[happypotato48]

List of Thai BL dramas i've watched with short opinions about them i guess :P

Thai BLs that i finished:

A Boss and a Babe. It's cute for what it is, i loved the gaming friendships and i'm a sucker for forcebook. 7/10 need more unhinged energy from book.

A Tale of Thousand Stars/Our Skyy 2 : Bad Buddy x A Tale Of Thousand stars. this show reminds me a lot of early to mid 2000s lakorns. it's a beautiful by the book love story, i appreciated that a bl got to take a spin on this kind of quiet thai story. 8/10 loved it but still too vanilla for my taste.

Bake Me Please. Guide Kantapon is the cutest man alive and CAKES! that it, that all i have for this show. 6/10 it's a show that exist.

Be My Favorite. damn fluke gawin is so pretty what was this show about again? :P i'm kidding, i actually really liked this show. i watched it when i had zero knowledge about bl industry, i was oblivious about krist's controversy and i find krist acting to be charming and think kawee is very relatable as a cringe fail human myself. 8.5/10 this show made me want to collected weird thingies.

Cherry Magic (Thailand). oh boy this show. it's was everything to me also the only show so far that i've written extensively on this site. here is my personal feeling about this show. 9.5/10 would kill for taynew.

Cooking Crush. what! the fuc$! look look, i just learned that both offgun are older than me. when i first saw the show i thought they were some rookie actors with how young they looks. watching cute bl is gonna be the death of me. anywho this show is supercute don't have a lot of thought about it though. 7.5/10 cutting half a point cause of no samsee x metha.

Cutie Pie/Naughty Babe. what a fuckin legend of a series. all the characters have zero braincells and somehow all the rich pretty boys are engaged to each other and by arranged marriages nonetheless. wtf is this fanfic version of thailand and where can i get hit by a truck and get isekai to it. 7.5/10 still haven't watch Cutie Pie 2 U, i hope it get dumber.

Enchanté. this show is so dummmb it should've go full camp reverse harem yaoi nonsense but it didn't and ended up being kinda boring. 6.5/10. meh, i'm still a sucker for forcebook.

Last Twilight. UGHHH!! i'm still so mad. this show was going to be THE SHOW for me then ep 11-12 happened i legit mentally check out halfway through ep 12 and i basically blocked the ending from my mind. this show came out at the right place and the right time for me, the first 9 episodes helped me through a very tough time in my life. the story of two people helping each other finding their way out of the dark was very compelling to me. ughh. 5.5/10 (9/10 for ep 1-9) P'Aof why are you like this!!

Laws Of Attraction. yassssssss this show slay(literally :P) the show is a breath of fresh air for me despite how very lakorn of it is. i'm glad that there is a bl that feel this soapy and campy cause like i do love my angsty and innocent school bls but the industry really need show like laws of attraction. jamfilm also were very great in their roles espically film, charn is the most babygirl corrupted cute evil lawyer of all time. 9/10 no note headempty only charn's evil smirks in my mind

La Pluie. now, this is a romance. this show is one of the most romanctic media that i personally have experience. i loved that the show took the cheesy premise of soulmates and work it so well to do both deconstruction and exploration of the trope. i think using rain, thing that isolated people as a narrative tool for love connection is absolutely brilliant. last but not least pat is just the perfect bl love interest, he's an very idealized character but he do feels like an actual person. i want to give a shout out to Pee Peerawich the way he said "มันหนาวอ่ะ" in ep 8 sent me, the raspy voice, the eye twich and combo those with a back cuddle, sir! you just commited a mass murders with that move. 9/10 plz i need season two with my baby boy tien.

Love in Translation. the unhingendness of that first meeting is probably my favorite bl meet cute. look if you don't get into a fistfight with the guy you destined to be with then what is the point of life. this show fake date is very well done it's doesn't feel forced like in a lot of other bls and it make the growing attraction feels very genuine and it pay off in one of the best sex scenes in all of bl, yang is such a freak and i loved him for it. 8/10 the last two episodes did got slightly off the rail for me but i still enjoyed the show.

Moonlight Chicken. one of the most beautiful shows i ever watched. when watching this show i can feels, smells and tastes everything it depicted. from the comfort khao man gai to jim's loneliness, from alan's heartbreak to liming and heart's midnight motorcycle ride. this show gave me all the feels and i still can't completely shake it off. 9.9/10 this show is a healing.

My School President. These boys!!!! i can't, i loved these boys so much, all the boys, YES ALL OF THEM! this show is on the opposite spectrum of Moonlight Chicken for me. while MC give me the good heartaches this show give me unbridled joy it's like heartstopper on cracks. i absolutely adored tinn and gun and the show relentless optimism about thier first love. love is awesome no matter the romantic, familial or platonic kind and i think this show hit the marks with all three. 10/10(i'm super bias but fuck it idc i even liked the singing) this show made me started watching thai bl and it always will have a place in my heart.

My Ride. this show is lacking in intimacy but making up by being all heart. could this show be better if they fleshed out and explore more of tawan and his cheating bf's relationship, maybe but i'm happy for what we got. 8/10 mork and tawan were very cutie patootie, i don't remember much about the het and the side couple were just st ok.

Step by Step. man trisanu is exactly the same height at me and i want everyone to know that is the only reason i started this show🤣 . i feels like this show have a lot to say about stuff but i kinda got lost staring at man trisanu while watching. one thing i really loved is the very fem *ตุ๊ด coworker who got to be a real character not just a jokey sidekick and having a loving relationship with a hottie. 7.5/10 can i get more man trisanu in bl plz.

Triage. asshole doctor stuck in a timeloop for him to find the meaning of life, yes plz give it to me. i loved stories about assholes who need to better themself for love and other junk. tinn and tol are both grumpy bitches and i just loved that the show use the timeloop to soften these nerds. at the end i just want to wrap them in blanket and let's them cuddle each other forever. 8.5/10 the last ep is bit convoluted but i forgave the show for that cute clocktower kiss.

You're My Sky. i started this show for my boy suar and he did not disappointed. the pining and the longing for an older boy who been there for you most you life, chef kiss. this show also very beautiful to look at. 8/10 i'm kinda meh about the side couples, i do think they all got the "good ending" for their stories.

Thai BLs that i didn't finish or gave up and skipped to the ending:

Bad Buddy. Oh boy, am i gonna get murder for this??? sorry but idk why i didn't wholeheartedly love and give this show my undivided attention. i watched this show very weird and out of order, i started with the last ep than just watch other episodes in bit and peice. i think i've seen 70% of this show. plz forgive me this is the first thai bl i tried to get into but can't. maybe i need to give this show another chance and watch it properly. or idk maybe cause the way i watched it, it's ruined for me forever. 6.5/10 i loved the rooftop kiss plz don't kill me.

Dangerous Romance. this show is trash and not the good kind, how this show depicted relationship between a rich asshole and a poor boy feels very gross to me. i fast forward a bunch and gave up after the not just dumb but very cruel breakup. 4/10 it's watchable if you ignore the plot and the chatacters.

Hidden Agenda. wow this is the most nothing show that ever nothing for me. it's a perfected white noise while playing chill video games. i stopped watching after ep 8 cause look like there going to be a dumb break up, i have no desire to revisit this show. 5/10 joongdunk were kinda cutes.

The Miracle of Teddy Bear. this show is too god damn long with too many side plots the one and a half hour per episode killed the momentum for me. i liked the show and do think i want to revisit and finish it one day. 6/10 for now.

Vice Versa. why are they giving jimmysea this show. this show is so boring for me, i gave up in episode 6. 4/10 gmmtv give my babies better shows!!

Thai BLs that i've watched all the sex scenes and have no intention of watching the actual show:

Kinnporsche: heheehehhehehe everyone were so hot, too bad i don't like rich mafia story. mile being a nepobaby also significantly killed the mood for me. 55555/dead bodyguards (idk how many there are but i don't care) the ost are bangers though.

Venus in the Sky and Love in the Air. cringe gay sex for the wins. 69/420.

ok, whoo that was a lot. gonna pin this cause i don't think anyone want to read all that in one sitting. i think i'm gonna make another post for non thai BLs in the near future. thanks for reading my unhinged opinions hope i'm not gonna get moider for it 55555555.

[for-ships-that-never-sail]

Hello friends!!

This is a Polin adjacent personal post. I’m looking for some moral support, advice, etc. if anyone is willing to offer any

See below for more 🙏🏼

- - - - - - -

So, I made myself some thematic Bridgerton Jewelry for funsies in April, and at the behest of some Internet friends, made some more in May

Soon enough, Season 3 Part 1 dropped, and I have since been in that BRIDGERTON BRAINROT™️ that I know we all suffer from

Unfortunately for me, my ADHD/OCPD ass always needs both my brain andddd my hands occupied, so rewatching S3 P1 a billion times somehow led me to create 120 extra Bridgerton themed earrings and 60 extra necklaces 🫢🫠

My husband is a very kind man that has watched S3 P1 with me 3 times already (and slept through more hahahah), anddddd he has let me litter our dining table and our ottoman in front of the tv with my jewelry stuff for weeks now

I promised him I’ll try to just sell some of this jewelry online so that this new brain rot / stimming hobby doesn’t bankrupt us, but I’ve been procrastinating on this soooo fucking hard because I’m scared of Etsy and also quite possibly the post office??? 🥲🙃 I know that’s incredibly stupid, but somehow my neurodivergent brain doesn’t know it’s stupid and she’s also just like aaahhh what if I put this stuff online and people actually buy it??? As if that isn’t the solution I’m looking for

Anyway, I’m just blabbing about my personal incompetence here cause I’d like some moral support or advise or someeeething if anyone cares to offer any 😭😭😫😫😫

My husband told me I’m just overwhelmed cause I have 180 items to post, and that I’ll get there eventually if I try to post at least 10 per day. My OCPD brain thinks that’s nuts (cause of the different theme breakdowns and mix and match sets I’ve made lol). Even so, I set out to post 10 today, and I’ve legit just been doing dumb shit like editing out my living room background from the photos I took, and adding Bridgerton inspo pics to the background and all that jazz, as if I’m some professional at this instead of someone who went batshit crazy stimming between S3 P1 and P2

^That’s an example of my OCPD brain doing too much and why I’m sitting on a massive pile of pretty handmade things instead of posting them for sale 🙃

Please… someone that knows how to deal with this aggravating combo of ADHD and OCPD better than me…. SEND HELP!!???!!

[saharaadesertt]

˖˚˳⊹Blue Lock University: an Uni AU (pt 2)˖˚˳⊹

included: aryu, bachira, barou, hiroi, kunigami, niko, ootoya, yukimiya

note: back at it again thanks to the support of part one (thank you so much!)

all of my HC's are not canon, if there are any overlaps i most likely did not see them :3

aryu

definitely in fashion

makes it known that he is in fashion 😭

dresses for his 9am class looking like he walked straight out of the MET gala

known around campus for his consistent outfits and hair

despises any classes but his major work and complains about it

makes his own clothes and people watches the campus to find someone "glam" enough to model for him

probably makes clothes encrusted in diamonds, super flashy

bachira

takes after his mother and is in art

ngl i feel like bachira can make some pretty good surrealist art, he legit has a monster inside him

works with acrylic paints and watercolor

always has his headphones on playing music around campus

wears the most comfy clothing that can easily be washed or discarded if they are ruined by paint

sometimes does collab pieces with his mom :')

barou

hotel management... it suits him

the cleanest person on earth... roommates want to be with him

has more free time than most so tends to play video games and read novels

also a gym bro/fitness buff

wouldn't be surprised if he was into bodybuilding as well

drinks protein shakes like water and eats healthy asf

most definitely a good cook

loves to have guests over and treat them with hospitality!

hiroi

animation!

wants to work in video games

goes to college out of state because he wants to get away from his parents as evident from his accent

one of the most laid-back students ever

usually attends class with earbuds or headphones in

a natural at tweening and programming

actually pretty good at math if needed as well

the type to sleep in and miss class but preform well when needed

kunigami

idk why but he screams history major?

either that or something in humanities

i think before he was the wild card pick he would've made a great teacher

maybe something in education for him? hmmm

either way he's a good student

always is in class and gets top marks

also another gym rat

probably hangs out at the gym with barou

super knowledgable about his craft and also a trivia buff

niko

again, hear me out

i feel like he would be a good writer

literary arts or creative writing

probably writes super edgy things ngl

a homebody

the type to have a lot of stationary and pens at his desk

i think he's a neat freak but less so than barou

enjoys writing about people he sees people watching

ootoya

another business frat major type of dude

the definition of a player but one day a player girl will break his heart, give him karma, and change his ways

dresses pretty well and looks low effort at the same time

loves going out until 4am

messy asf

the type that never does his dishes

barou would beat his ass

yukimiya

a fellow fashion major, business+advertising minor

probably recruited by ayru for modeling

due to his eye condition, he tends to stay late in the studio in order to complete deadlines

a huge fan of the beanie + long coat + turtleneck combo

super popular among the girls but he doesn't really care because he's all about chasing the BAG

started his own glasses company with cute frames that is doing fairly well

[soupedepates]

TW domestic violence, alcoholism, abuse

It's yet another afternoon at our flat. We the five kids are home, Efrem's just got back from his weekly 4-hour detention. I almost got it by error, we're Irish twins and well, the Lupsowiec, myself included, aren't the most well-behaved kids. And we kinda look alike. Except he is a head taller than me.

Mum doesn't even greet him, she just goes back to the kitchen with Aleksy sucking on her chest.

Well, legit. 'cause Lech has brought dad back home two hours ago and the combo Lech-drunk dad-Efrem is deadly.

"What the fuck were you thinking? You wanna grow into a delinquent?"

Annnnd here we go. Daniel pauses his game to listen what is going on. Efrem throws his backpack on the floor, and gives dad the finger. Lech isn't here to see it, for now. He is finishing his homework. Dad squishes the can in his hand, and suddenly raises from the armchair. Dad staggers toward Efrem. Daniel looks at me, waiting for me to say a thing. Ohhh no, Dan, I won't interfere.

"This is how you treat your father, you little cunt?"

"And you call yourself a father?"

And it begins. It's like, routine by now. Dad grabs Efrem by the collar and pins him against the wall. Dad is tall. Strong. Stout. But Efrem too is tall and strong. He used to be wary of that, because when we were ten it was scary as hell. Now, he doesn't even flinch.

"What, you're gonna choke me like you do when mum gets outside of the kitchen?" he mocks.

He gets slapped. Just hard enough for it to bruise.

"Stop playing the smartass! You're the worst in this household of fucking idiots! At least your brothers all have the intelligence of laying low! Fuck", he shouts before freeing my brother from his hand. "You think you're setting a good example?"

"Dad, stop, Efrem has already..."

"Shut up, the little shit!", he growls at me.

I shouldn't have spoken.

'cause now Efrem is loading his punch. Right in the nose it goes.

"YOU BETTER NOT TALK LIKE THAT TO JON!"

Oh fuck. Now Lech is moving. Welp. I jump from my chair and step in between the two of them before my oldest brother intervenes.

"Stop fighting!" I yell. "The neighbours will call the cops again and CPS will separate us, Efrem! Stop!"

This usually is enough for my brother to instantly go livid. So I can make sure dad is sat again when Lech barges in and pulls Efrem in our room by the hair.

"I'm so sorry dad for Efrem", I say before bringing him the vodka bottle. "He is kinda tired. You know?"

"Can't wait for him to turn eighteen. Or anything, really. Just to get him out of here. Your mother agrees with me", he answers between two long sips. "Just a good-for-nothing. A bad seed."

"Yes, yes, yes, we know..." I don't like that, but better indulge in his ranting. Daniel resumes his game. We just hear shouting and cries from the other room. "Let Lech handle it, okay?"

Dad doesn't answer.

"I can turn on the TV if you want."

"Yes, Jonatan, do it."

He starts to slur on his words. Yeah. Better. I stay by his side until he falls asleep. When the door of our room opens, after Lech shouted insanities in Polish, Efrem goes out. He just leaves our flat, without saying anything. I go after him, immediately.

"Why you following me?"

"Makin' sure you don't get in any more trouble."

"You too believe I am a delinquent and a bad person, huh", he says in a destroyed voice. "They're right, I guess, y'all are right, I..."

"Efrem, I... you know I don't! Aw, come on... You, of all of us, you who are so tough and all, you won't let this get to you, right? You're great, you're like, the only reason dad doesn't strike me or Dan."

"I'm... No, you know what, I don't care."

He cares. He really does care. But that's fine. We'll grab sodas and just chill at the city park. It'll be good. Perhaps he will forget everything about tonight.

[weed-ols]

Reviewing Every UKISS Release: By Unpopular Demand ~ Tick Tack + Forever (For KISS Me) + Forbidden Love

So releases from this point onward until around ~2014/15ish are constant and hectic, so I've had to deviate from my original plan a bit. I think grouping the JP singles + KR digital singles in 3s helps keep things a little less...unwieldy, and less constrained by image limits on posts.

Tick Tack - 1st JP Single | 2011.12.14

This was the PV that got accidentally leaked, right? Like they posted the full version of this instead of the short version, and that's why it was so easy to watch it on YouTube or whatever, and it was super easy to get the full audio because of it lol. I think it only took me a day or two to find a 320kbps download of it. Anyway, another pivotal moment of my tween years.

Tick Tack (Audio) | YouTube Music 5.3M | Spotify 1.11M

God that clock sound is so good

Love the entire vocal line stuffed into the first verse

Vocal troika taking the chorus love that for them

Also love stuffing everyone into the second verse

I like that the parallel with the first and third verses where the former is all the vocalists and the latter is all the rappers

SooHoon + Dongho bridge? An odd combo but very much goated

Honestly super impressed at how much this song is a team effort

Obviously Soohyun, Kevin, and Hoon have the most lines since they do the chorus, but Dongho gets a good amount with his little extra rap, and while AJ, Eli, and Kiseop get a couple lines each

And yeah sure it's a couple of lines, but they are attention-grabbing

Always appreciate a good bookend with the clock returning

Love the dramatic music, love the dramatic lyrics, it's such a good follow-up to NEVERLAND, and an insane first JP release

So lyrically, is this a reluctant breakup song? Like is this a toxic relationship that they're ending even though they're still in love?

That's a new breakup theme for them

10/10 "the perfect Japanese debut for a Kpop group doesn't exi-" wrong

Tick Tack (MV) | Short ver. 3.9M | Official upload 733k

Oh buckle in buckaroos I got a legit copy of this on my laptop AND of every JP MV right up until 2016 babyyy

And I can't remember if it was they learnt the choreo in 3 days (while promoting) or if they both learnt it in 3 days while their choreographer was still working on it

Iconic and lol their positions

Kiseop, AJ, and Eli are just kinda comfortably posing

Soohyun on his knees, Dongho chilling on the floor, and Kevin making modern art with his body lol

Also the dramatic grasping hands

Abandoned Warehouse Set #1 with an amazingly large clock

Abandoned Warehouse Set #2 + group sadboy shot

I love the black/white look with red accents super chic, but is Soohyun the only one without white? I mean fair he is the real MC of UKISS

Not Hoon being the only in a full pose

Ew Kiseop don't touch the dust/ash that's dirty

Oh his hair....it's kinda pompadour-esque. I remember thinking it was super cool back in the day, but it's kinda...tragic now lol

Still looks good though, hard for his face card to ever decline

Love the fanning out of this part, it's super cool on stages for such a simple step

Also these grey suits are gorgeous and it's 2011, so of course it's paired with combat boots

Surprised that this dance has only resulted in one instance of ripped pants

Could be more, but Hoon ripping his pants during their Best Of tour promos is peak comedy

This part is also very cool, very fun to look at

I could've sworn they wore gloves during the dance, but I guess not? They're wearing them for the dramatic solo shots though

Dongho with yet again the bowliest bowlcut to ever bowl

Another personal favourite choreo bit

It's a bit difficult to explain, but the force and purpose Soohyun uses when he slides his hand down Kiseop's back is so cool

The way he pops up kills me every time

These are the worst outfits in the video

I hate the white sleeves so much they make them look juvenile

Like I get black sleeves probably wouldn't have worked with this set since they'd get lost in the dark edges of the frame

But a dark colour would've worked, or heck even no sleeves

On the topic of outfits, not much to say about their hair that hasn't been said already

This was filmed during NEVERLAND promos I think, so their hair is fine

Kevin, Soohyun, and AJ have great hairstyles; Hoon, Eli, and Dongho are fine; Kiseop's pompadour is meh, but I really like his hair when they're in the grey suits

The fluffy hair looks really good on him, much better than the sleek look he wore for NEVERLAND

The dance battle is cute, really helps give everyone a bit more spotlight

This part? Seared into my brain

What's falling down from the ceiling? Ashes? Dust? Snow? Asbestos? We may never know

Anyway, no story, just a banger dance and brooding shots in The Box and some abandoned spaces

Oh and this isn't in the MV, obviously, but remember how Hoon and Kiseop nearly knocked each other out while filming this? I don't remember the exact documentary, but it must have been that one they did during NEVERLAND

They were all so enamoured with the giant clock too lol

10/10 still gives an insane dopamine rush

Coincidence | YouTube Music 113k | Spotify N/A

It's so insane that this banger is just a random b-side for a single?

I'm trying to figure out who dominates this song, and while my initial instinct is to say it's a Kevin song, Eli is also a very constant presence? Soohyun and Hoon also have parts that are more memorable. All I can say is that this is definitely not a Kiseop (RIP) song

Love the first and last choruses are SooVin while the others are HoonVin

Soohyun's little "follow me!" is so cute omg

I really like AJ's rap here he always makes it so interesting

The cute little SooSeop verse

Dongho's rap was also nice, like the little break for AJ and AJ+Eli

The little bridge part with SooHoon and Eli+Dongho is really cool

I like the darker sound of this, very fitting to be Tick Tack's b-side

Not entirely sure what the song is about? I think it's about meeting an ex again, hence all the mentions of coincidences and fate?

The colourless world mentions sure make it sound depressing though

Also looking at the lyrics, I thought the song was a lot more complex than it is? It really is just like 5 choruses, 3 post-choruses, a couple of verses and a bridge

I think the constant switching of singers/rappers help make it sound more complex

9.5/10 super catchy. I can't believe I actually forgot about this song until I got back into this hellscape

0330 -Piano & Chorus ver.- | YouTube Music N/A | Spotify N/A

There's no official upload but the fan upload of it is sitting at 16k

I think they did this in their 2012 tour? Anyway, sounds a lot like the Christmas version which I really like

Love the stripped down sound, really turns it from crying in the club to crying in the tub

What can I say, I'm a sucker for them harmonizing in the background

Vocal troika really shines in sounding like kicked puppies in this version

9.25/10 higher than the original version because I love me some pathetic-sounding men (affectionate)

Forever (For KISS Me) - 1st Digital Single | 2011.12.22

I remember this coming out!!! Got home from school and did the good ol' YT video-mp3 converter to get it on my laptop. I remember distinctly loving it, then also never playing it lol. It's got a special place in my heart now though, like special as in it makes me a bit teary lol.

Forever (For KISS Me) | YouTube Music 419k | Spotify 13k

So if I'm remembering correctly, this is a song they reworked to be fanservice. The original singers were an older NH group, I think, like before Paran

Something Eli and AJ always having to do a spoken word opening in their songs from this time is so funny to me

"Parting was so hard 'cause you are my only passion" I always thought that it was "partying was so hard" which was super funny, but I see now that I was wrong

"Come visit here it's our lovely party mansion" that always gets a chortle from me like I love them, I actually wouldn't mind drinking with them, but I do not wanna party with them they're all insane

I think it's cute they all get whole verses to themselves, really gives them all enough time to shine during encores lol

So after the Dongho and Eli raps come my favourite part of the whole song - the sex kitten vocal trio building up to Soohyun

Kiseop > Hoon > Kevin > Soohyun is sooooo good and I love building from Kiseop's soft voice to Soohyun the Powerhouse

Also once again, validates my belief that what Kevin is to Soohyun vocally, is what Kiseop is to Hoon, and is why the four of them can be matched off with each other in any way and still sound good

Honestly, the song is mostly the vocal line, sans AJ. The rap line is just there to act as hype men

Music is cute, super upbeat and poppy, and the lyrics are equally mushy

7.75/10 not something I'd listen to on my own volition, but it's always fun watching lives of this, and I love how much the vocal line is allowed to shine (read: I love how many lines Kiseop gets)

Forbidden Love - 2nd JP Single | 2012.02.29

I remember obsessively watching the short MV on YouTube because now when I listen to the song, I can still pick out exactly where it ended lol. I also remember really wanting the shirts they wore for the single cover because it was so ~*~cool~*~ and lowkey edgy, which is perfect for a wangsty tween.

Forbidden Love (Audio) | YouTube Music 1.2M | Spotify 571k

Another song, another dance beat, and I'm absolutely not complaining lol

I really like Kevin's opening line, love the "...najitte mitari-i-i" bit

Plenty of gratuitous English, a very important staple for them from this point on

Again, the entire vocal line stuffed into the first verse, yeah AJ's not singing, but he was there

Love how Hoon drags out the "...datta kedo~" part right into Soohyun's line, and the slowdown in Soohyun's line to transition to Kiseop, and AJ's rap picks up the pace again into the chorus, super fun to listen to

Even though I know the start of the chorus is "I, my, me, mine", I always forget the "mine" because it's off-beat

And okay, the first chorus always kills me because of Soohyun

The "subete kakete Egaku ai no sign", is so funny to me because I just think about him doing the ahegao face while singing it during the MC break in their anniversary tour

Like his eyes were completely rolled back and the camera, bless their heart, did a great close up

And he did it like 3 times I love him so much

Back to the song, I really like how the second verse starts with Kiseop, and how Eli bridges the gap between him to Soohyun, and they do the same thing as verse 1, this time going from Soohyun > Hoon > Kiseop

HoonVin second chorus, once again, has me begging for more duets with them, they sound insanely sweet

Vocal troika taking the last chorus is soooo good

SooHoon back-to-back high notes? They were feeding us so good

Love the constant "love, love, love" and "you make me feel this love" in the background

Like it's almost too much with the music, but it oddly works?

The song is basically exactly what the title says - a forbidden relationship that's doomed to end, but they're like "no baby I love youuuu"

There's also an implication of class difference? First verse has what google tells me translates to "this relationship began with me overreaching myself/but I finally feel like I'm equal to you"

Could just be that girl is way out of their league, idk

10/10 I go back and forth between whether I prefer Tick Tack over this, but they're both like pure dopamine being injected in to my brain

Forbidden Love (MV) | Short ver. 604k | Official upload 462k

Once again, I was so obsessed with watching the short MV

Yes I did watch the full version but I mostly watched the official short one because I couldn't afford to materially support them

There's a lot happening in this first scene

First, Kiseop, take your damn shoes off that's dirty, but I'm happy you're like kind of the protagonist for the non-dance non-solo shot parts of this

Second, why is there a life preserver on the bed? Is it supposed to symbolize that this forbidden love is a life saver?

Why are the chairs tipped over? Why is there an Arizona 51 sign? Are the sirens like directly outside the window or what? What exactly is that next to the bed?

Aww the little Kevin solo dance

I like the little circular bit they do while snapping to change formation

Soohyun bodying the hell out of this part

*Kevin voice* "Why are you so passionate during this part of the dance? Is there something you need to tell us?"

Or at least something like that god Teattari Shidai was so funny, and Kevin and Soohyun were constantly catfighting at that time

I think his explanation was about timing the body roll to it but idk he's just really good at it

I like this set by the way, a new version of The Box for them

Is...is that a tree? Why is there a tree growing in your apartment?

Ooh AJ was really hot in this era I think this is when he fully entered my crush category

Is he wearing winged liner? Goated love his eyes

Kiseop and AJ always make this part of the dance look so cool

Oh and the preceding part with the little shuffle into this

They just have that je ne sais quoi chill that makes look natural

Man I just love this dance, there's a bunch of shoulder shimmies and like at least 3 pelvic thrusts

Wait my guy why is mattress bare like that

Okay pause for a moment to talk about these costumes

Love the black-red suit combo, love the red laces on the boots

I'm a huge sucker for epaulettes so obviously AJ has my favourite suit

Love the rhinestoned lapels for Kiseop and Kevin

Like the glittery lapels for Soohyun and Dongho

Eli has epaulettes too, but because they're also black, they're practically invisible until the closeup shots

Hoon's suit is fine, just more subtle with glitter on the outside of his lapels

In terms of hair, Kiseop and AJ are on their A-game, love the fluffier hair for them

Soohyun, Hoon, and Eli all look fine, like those are pretty standard looks for them

Dongho still has his bowlcut, and while I don't hate Kevin's hair, I wish it had more texture to it?

The ironed hair with the sideswept bangs just aren't that great on him, especially not with the single-toned hair

WHY IS SOOHYUN SO GOOD AT THIS WHY IS HE SLIGHTLY CUPPING HIS HAND

Also like this set, very cool

These costumes are okay, the white-red is a nice combo, but the clothes themselves are less snazzy and more understated the other set

Most baffling choice is why Dongho has a belted coat on rather than a blazer

Also not a huge fan of the longer jackets Soohyun, Kiseop, and Kevin have on

It's not the worst, and I think I could like them in a different MV, but it's a bit too...floppy with this dance

Hairs are a downgrade from the first set of costumes, except for AJ whose hair is glorious at this time

Like I'm sorry to bring this up again but look at his winged linerrrr

He actually looks like a cat

Oooh slowmo shot during the dance break

They really love this move we'll be seeing this a lot in their JP dances

Well I mean they already did a variation of it in Shut Up!!

Also love this part it's so cool how Kiseop transitions back to the dance, very reminiscent of when he does this in NEVERLAND

I like how the choreo tones down for the double high notes so everyone's focusing on Hoon and Soohyun

Lowkey wish we got a dance version of this I would love a wide shot of this to see every bit of choreo

There's no shot of them in their casual outfits, but they all looked fine, very standard 2012 male idol fashion

So yeah, not really much of a story to this, lots of solo shots and dancing

9.5/10 I think I'd prefer a whole dance vid for this, and I really didn't like the white costumes, and they never answered why were the sirens going off at the apartment set???

Redial | YouTube Music 13k | Spotify N/A

I completely forgot about this song until recently

I do vaguely remember listening to it before, so I think I had it on my first laptop and for whatever reason either forgot to transfer it to my second one, or couldn't find another download of it

Is that...a synth harpsichord? It sounds like the harpsichord setting on electronic keyboards like I swear that's what the one at school sounded like

SooSeop sharing verses? Goated

I thought this song had a lot more Hoon and Kevin, but I guess not?

Vocal troika are kinda tied for lines, even though I think I remember Kevin's more because he does a title drop in the first chorus

Dongho gets a bulk of the raps, but Eli isn't too far behind, nor is AJ

Kiseop gets what amounts to nearly a whole verse, plus he's sharing with Soohyun so that's cool

Ooh just noticed it's a sex kitten trio leading in from the second half of the first verse to the pre-chorus and chorus

It feels like a weirdly paced song

I don't know if it's all the synth sounds and the heavy beat, or if it's the lengthier raps to a slower beat but it feels both oddly long and short at once, even though it's basically the same length as Forbidden Love

Maybe it's the shorter verses compared to the raps and choruses?

Or how the bridge comes out of the second rap chunk without really changing tempo as it goes to the last verse?

Lyrically, it's pining over an ex, very normal UKISS stuff

7.5/10 I do like it and it is in a lot of my playlists, but something about this song just makes me uneasy lol

I wish I had a fun fact for this little time, but unfortunately everything funny I know from 2012 is from after this. Anyway, crazy that this all happened within a year of 0330 and Hoon and AJ joining. Like they honestly fit in so seamlessly it's like they've always been there.

So yeah, we're fully entering what I guess we can call their 'peak' era in terms of popularity (lol, lmao even) and activities, and also approaching when I started being chronically online and had actively blogged about them on this good ol' hellsite. Yes, I did find all of my reblogs and tags from that time and dear lord, 2012-2014 for tweenies-turning-teens is very psyche-damaging in our current year.

[depressedhatakekakashi]

Kakashi’s Story- Chapter Four (because i am WEAK)

Margo choosing to fight because sue doesn’t want to leave Nanara is so sweet! Also a pot fir armor is just *chefs kiss* beautiful. Love these villagers.

Kakashi… KAKASHI WHY ARE YOU PUTTING YOUR HEADBAND OVER YOUR LEFT EYE!?

‘The release of the chakra to create a wall that huge would come with some serious shaking and a loud roar’ love that Kakashi’s skills keep getting highlighted in such interesting fun ways.

‘This was incredible chakra control’ i’m going to need every person who doubts Kakashi’s chakra control to write a 500 word apology letter right now 😂😂😂

‘A ninja with hair that was silver like a wolf’s shining in the moonlight and a gaze sleepy like a goat’ i just - these comparisons do not much up but i love it so damn much

‘Who’s winning’ said by the biggest shit of the world, taunting his enemy in his own little way before knocking them out

‘Nah, there’s no way it’s just one person. It’s gotta be a combo technique’ oh boy how wrong you are XD i just… i love that it’s clear Kakashi’s skill is so above average that people expect him to be multiple shinobi.

I love that Kakashi, a trained assassine, is just knocking his opponents out. The growth in his character arc is delicious.

I also love that we get some sweet Kakashi and Iruka content.

‘Distracted bu the memory of Iruka’s proud face’ i say this with all of my Kakagai loving heart… SIMP

My beautiful man did a screw up and now he has to fight properly, all because he was distracted thinking about Iruka XD

‘He looked sort of sleepy’ the fact that this is the first thing people thing of when they see Kakashi is so hilarious. Nothing else, just sleepy looking.

Hatake Kakashi, Sixth Hokage, kicking all of the ass with *drumroll* a pot lid

‘It had to be an amazing pot lid that used chakra. That had to be it’ legit grasping at straws because it makes no sense that one man is kicking all of this ass XD

Kakashi lost his pot lid and put his enemy into a genjutsu in mere seconds!? KING

‘Their average ability was on a special jonin level’ not only can he kick ass, but he can determine his enemies skill level so quickly And determine just how hard this fight will be, which is… not hard at all.

‘To Kakashi they were a group of small time punks’ you cocky shit i love you

I love that they keep convincing themselves that there is more than one attacker. They simply cannot fathom the fact that they’re getting wrecked by one man XD

Two! A pot lid and a pot have now been used as weapon’s and destroyed XD

‘His opponent was a monster on an entirely different level’ ya, a Hokage’s level XD

Kakashi catching a Shuriken, chucking it back and then knocking out an opponent he caught in a trap. He’s so friggen quick.

‘The intruder was faster than wind’ the comparisons in Kakashi’s skill are delightful. I am loving every single second of this

I enjoy seeing them get cocking thinking they finally have the upper hand and will take the intruder down, only to have Kakashi kick their asses.

Genjutsu for the win again!

Kakashi wore his headband over his left eye… to make it easier to realize who he is??? The lil shit!

‘He had once been a Konoha shinobi. Until the sixth Hokage had dismissed him.’ Grudge! We have a shinobi with a grudge! *drinks this up greedily*

‘He would expect nothing less from Kakashi than the nerve to make the first love when surrounded by 12 people’ hatake Kakashi, world renowed lil shit and cocking f*** XD

‘Shin Hakubi, hm?’ Kakashi see’s and recognizes the dude immediately. He is the complete opposite to gai in this way (gai never remember faces while kakashi commits them to memory)

‘This was the greatest fortune of his life, going one-on-one with the Hokage when he’s used up his chakra’ do they just… forget he’s highly skilled in Taijutsu too? He goes toe to toe with gai, a taijutsu master, and they just… forget this?

KAKASHI USED GENJUTSU TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE HE STILL HAD THE SHARINGAN!? He didn’t even know who he was facing but he knew without a doubt he could use his title as ‘Kakashi of the Sharingan’ to scare the absolute shit out of his opponents.

‘But he saw my Raijin shuriken and hit them. There’s no way he could pull off a trick like that without the sharingan’ think again b***

‘After learning that he had repeatedly robbed civilians on missions, Kakashi had dismissed him’ good. No thieving trash allowed

Kakashi got the beat the crap out of the POS who hurt that little girl! Go baby!!!

This chapter was so good! There’s the action, the stealth, the intelligence. I love Kakashi so much because i got invested into this universe for the Shinobi and he’s an actual representation of a talebted well rounded shinobi

I love seeing him in his zone. Being a stealthy little shit but also cocky af because he knows he has this. He knows he won’t lose. It’s brilliant!

[transitranger327]

Chapter 2: A Voyage to Mandalore

Summary: Rey, Finn, Poe, and BB-8 visit these mysterious “Mandalorian Jedi”, and learn more about themselves than they bargained for.

Notes: There is Stormpilot content I swear. The fic is mostly trio-centric, but I promise Finn/Poe fans will be getting gay content (it’s me I’m Finn/Poe fans). More notes and a Mando’a glossary at the end.

Twenty-six years after the Ignition

As they dropped out of hyperspace, Rey, Finn, Poe, and BB-8 took in the sights of the planet before them. The surface was partly obscured by large electrical storms, and the rest of the surface were various shades of tan and green. There appeared to be several cities, the dark grey of metal standing out against the lighter surface. Many of the cities had patches of bright green around them, suggesting some form of agriculture. One city on the night side shimmered with the pale yellow of streetlights. From what Poe could remember of Mandalorian history, this was the best the planet had looked in centuries. 

“All right, BB-8, transmit the clearance codes,” said Rey, “we don’t want them shooting down an unidentified vessel right after a war.” BB-8 dutifully broadcasted the codes along with their transponder signature. A high voice spoke from the Falcon’s comms, “Welcome to Mandalore, friends of Jacen Syndulla.” A Mandalorian starfighter approached them. With a slight defensive tone, Rey replied, “He said we were supposed to meet with him or someone from the Way.” The Mandalorian voice responded, “Yes, he told us we should expect you. Please follow the Sundari Beacon to landing zone 327. This is the way.” The fighter returned to a patrol pattern as the Falcon began descending. “Landing beacons?” Finn asked, “Aren’t those synthetic radar, ancient tech?” Poe chuckled a bit, “They’re the only thing that can cut thru ion storms. Most other communications gets caught in the interference.” 

—

As the quartet stepped off the Millennium Falcon’s landing ramp, they were greeted by Jacen Syndulla. He was wearing the exact same flight suit & armor combo he had been wearing the day he dropped into their lives on Ajan Kloss. As he walked them inside a what appeared to be a formerly domed city, he gave them the 10-cred tour. “Sundari isn’t just the political capital of Mandalore, it’s an important cultural center. The lower levels,” he pointed to a grand staircase, “house the Great Forge and the Mines of Mandalore.” “What are you mining?” quizzed Finn. “Well the Mines are no longer active, but thousands of years ago they were the first sources of beskar. Today the Mines are filled with the Living Waters.” Jacen’s enthusiasm for this world was infectious. “The western portion of the city is the Alderaanian quarter, which has the best wine bars in the city and the School of Restorative Agriculture. But we’re headed towards the southern district, where the Temple and Archives live.”

“Why do some of these people wear helmets inside?” Rey was curious about a clearly romantic pair, arm-in-arm wearing helmets. “Ah yes, the Children of the Watch. They walk an older form of the way, where you never remove your helmet while in the company of another. They’re also responsible for guarding and maintaining the Great Forge.” Finn was shocked, remembering his time as a stormtrooper, “you mean they choose to always wear their armor?” “Yes, some wear it as a sign of devotion, some wear it as a comfort, and some wear it as personal expression.” Finn asked, “personal expression?” Jacen then realized he was talking to a former stormtrooper, “Does any of the armor look identical to you? Everything is a choice. And Beskar’gam is incredibly comfortable, it legit feels like a second skin. I’ve slept in it on accident more than once, without feeling sore or stiff the next day. But logistically, yes you can remove it when you eat or freshen up, if alone. That’s why the restaurants all have trays for takeout, and why we don’t have communal refreshers. And since technically the rule is ‘you cannot show your face to another’, some couples choose to sleep in complete darkness instead.” 

—

The Temple that Jacen was guiding the others to was an enormous block of building pressed up against the rim of the former dome. It was vaguely pyramidal structure, with large rooms on the façade. Finn noted that, while the other windows of the building were made of trinitite glass, the rooms they were walking past had transparisteel windows, suggesting their purpose to train. Several library reading rooms occupied the lower floors containing one or two people each, while a large assembly of stained glass lined the fourth floor, which Poe suspected implied a large central sanctuary. The top levels split into multiple towers, but only a few small floors on the central tower peaked over Sundari’s old dome. To Rey, it looked reminiscent of Jedi temples of old, while still blending in with its Mandalorian surroundings. As the five of them entered, they were greeted by a young woman with bright yellow hair and armor to match. “Jaina, you’re on guard duty today?” “Yeah cousin, I told mom I’d rather greet living people out here than catalog dead ones in the stacks with her” “Well you might regret that today specifically, these living people have brought some of the sacred texts for Aunt Shin to read. Can you call your moms and tell them to meet us in the library’s conference room?” “Sure thing.”

As they left the entrance hallway and entered the temple’s narthex, Poe asked what he thought was an obvious question, “Why do you have a teenager on guard duty?” Jacen smiled, “We’re Mandalorian, we’re ready to guard buildings once we’re old enough to fire a blaster. But she’s not really guarding anything, the temple is open to anyone who wants to learn. She’s more a guide and communicator.” As they turned left, Jacen continued the tour. “The large doors we just passed were the entrance to the Sanctum of All. This way is to the Archives. If you had turned left, you’d have found the administrative wing: offices, conference rooms, and dormitories for travelers and Jedi alike.” “So Jedi live here?” asked Rey, thinking about how this compared to the First Temple at Ahch-To. “Yes and no. This isn’t like the old temples. Mandalorians have strong allegiances to our clans, and so many of us live near our families. Some people live here for stretches of time, for both practical and spiritual reasons. Non-members too, usually if they’re studying texts in our library and don’t want to commute.” Finn marveled at the idea of a group of warriors so dedicated to both freedom and knowledge. 

“Here at the archives, we have both a library of texts and a collection of artifacts from across the galaxy.” Poe watched as dozens of pages of his history books jumped out at him as antiquities sitting in display cases, “So is there a particular focus or is this general galactic history?” “We try to have copies of as much knowledge as possible. Holos of every text we can find, physical texts where possible. We want to rival the old Jedi Temple archives in terms of completeness,” Jacen answered, “But we want as much knowledge as possible to be available to the public. There are, of course, some texts that require…special care and attention. But any member of the public is allowed to ask for access.” The implication of Dark Side teachings went unsaid. “And the artifacts?” Finn asked, thinking about some of the artifact destruction he had to do in his past life. “Right, so, the artifacts here are specifically related to Jedi and Mandalorian history.” Jacen continued, clearly having guided people thru the museum before. “If they weren’t Jedi- or Mandalorian-made, they’re either modern replicas or on loan from their owners. Some of the Jedi-made artifacts are replicas too, and we’re currently loaning them out to another museum in the galaxy.” He gestured to a small wooden item with charms hanging off the side, “this was my mother’s Kalikori, showing the Syndulla family history. The Ryloth History museum has a replica, but for special occasions I fly this one out there and give talks about her and my grandfather.” After a beat, he continued “Or they might be Sith artifacts. We’re not quite sure what to do with Sith artifacts, but we have them.”

“Well here you are, the Library conference room,” Jacen said as he opened a door at the end of their 16th hallway. An older woman, with short teal hair and wearing purple armor, was sitting at a conference table opposite the door the rest had entered. “Olarom, fellow Jedi and companions. I see Jacen has enthusiastically explained how the temple works. Please, have a seat. I’m Sabine Wren, Grand Master of Jetii Mando’ayust. My wife, Chief Librarian Shin Hati will be joining us shortly.” “Yes, Jacen was very helpfully explaining all the galactic history I didn’t learn as a child,” Rey answered, realizing that Sabine expected her to be the leader. Jacen slipped out of the room as she continued, “I’m Rey, these are my friends Finn, Poe Dameron, and BB-8.” “Pleased to meet you, Master Wren,” Poe said as he shook Sabine’s…arm? “No, the pleasure’s all mine,” Sabine replied, shaking everyone else’s arms, “I’ve been trying to get you four out here ever since I heard one of you was a Jedi.” Another woman about Sabine’s age, with chin-length white hair, entered the conference room from a previously unnoticed door. “Come in riduur, these are the people Jacen was telling you about.” After a kiss, Sabine continued, “Rey, Finn, Poe, and BB-8.” “Ah yes, the Jedi who learned from both Skywalkers, the former stormtrooper finding himself, the hotshot pilot who’s perhaps a bit wiser after the war, and their trusty astromech.” Shin took a seat and clasped her beloved’s non-writing hand. “I hear you have some ancient books for me to indulge in.”

Poe slipped out, trying to see if he could follow Jacen. He wasn’t needed in the conference room, he wasn’t Jedi material. Not like Finn and Rey were. He knew they had a different connection to each other, and while at first he was jealous of their bond, Finn had reminded him that their bond was different too. The kidnapping-rescuer-to-lover pipeline was real, he laughed to himself. He caught sight of green braids. “Hey Syndulla!” Jacen turned around, “I thought you’d be in the conference room.” 

“Well I’m not really Jedi material. Thought I’d see if we could talk. You know…pilot-to-pilot.”  “Dameron, are you trying to get a tour of the Ghost?”  “…mmmaaayyybee…”  “Alright, come on, I’ll show you. I’ll even throw in a Phantom tour for free!”

The two men laughed as they strolled off to the ship farm.

—

“Yes! The Sacred Texts!” Rey started laying the eight volumes she had brought from the Falcon. “We’ve got both volumes of the Aionomica, the Rammahgon, the Chronicles of Brus-bu, Poetics of a Jedi, and a few others I won’t even try to pronounce.” Shin began browsing the pages of the ancient tomes. “They’re in remarkable condition for being tens of millennia old. All original language too.” BB-8 whistled cheerfully, prompting Rey, “BB-8 and R2 did scans on the material when I brought it back to the Resistance base. Apparently the pages are made from Uneti wood.” “That would explain the longevity,” Shin continued, “Uneti trees are connected to the Force. More than most trees, I mean. If a Jedi wrote in them, the Force connection would keep the text from deteriorating.” Rey and Finn were beginning to understand why she was the chief librarian. Sabine started flipping thru another books, one whose title translated to Meditations on Malachor. “Hey, this one has text in Mando’a! Looks like it’s a transcript of some graffiti.” BB-8 helpfully informed her that it was the newest of the texts they brought. “About four thousand years old? Huh, that’s around the time of the first Mandalorian-Jedi wars.”

Finn found himself opening Aionomicum II without realizing he was doing it. He started to hear whispers coming from one of the middle pages. “Hey, uh, does anyone else hear that?” The others went quiet. “It’s getting louder,” said Finn as he turned the pages, with a little more concern in his voice. But the others shook their heads, unable to hear anything. As he found the page, the protobesh he could barely read otherwise suddenly became clear. The words enthralled him. As the whispers quieted, the emotions of the other people in the room started flowing into his mind. He slammed the book shut and slid his chair back against the wall. “What. The. HELL‽‽‽” Rey’s compassion grabbed a hold of him, “hey, hey, hey, it’s okay, you’re safe.” Shin’s curiosity remarked, “It seems there was a vergence in the pages you read.” Sabine’s smugness laughed, “Kid got his first drink from the firehose of the Force.” “What do you mean, first drink of the Force?” Finn’s terror at his own power had only started to subside. “Up until now, your connections to the force have been instinctual. Maybe a few lucky shots here and there. A feeling that something has changed and you somehow know what it changed to.” Rey’s comfort interjected Sabine’s teaching, “Reaching out on Exegol trying to keep me alive.” “Exactly. But now you’ve learned something about the Force. Your conscious mind starts putting the pieces together, and suddenly the well you were tapping into transforms into a geyser.” Sabine’s pride was followed by Rey’s reassurance, “It’s okay Finn, the more you use it, the more you train, the less terrifying the power becomes.” “Wait, how do you all know what I’m feeling?” Shin’s interest answered, “If you’re not careful, sensing emotions goes both ways.” Finn’s impulse to run away surfaced, “Uh, I need to breathe for a second, I’ll just be outside.”

Sabine watched as Finn dashed out the door of the conference room. “Does he do that often?” Rey thought back on their many adventures together, “Not as much these days, which does have me concerned.” She paused for a moment. “Do you agree with Jacen, do you really think he has potential?” Shin was the first to answer, “He’s hardly the worst candidate we’ve had.” What appeared to be a coin made a plonk against Shin’s armor. “Hey I thought we agreed to not make fun of each other in front of non-family.” Sabine’s tone was only mostly joking. “No, riduur, I was referring to me. Ahsoka almost didn’t agree to finish my training, remember?” Shin smiled, then turned to the orange astromech patiently waiting in the corner, “Come with me, little one. I have something to show you.” As the librarian began picking up the books to catalog, BB-8 beeped pensively at Rey. “It’s okay, you can trust her.” With that approval, he dutifully rolled after Shin into the stacks. 

—

Finn was searching for an escape. He didn’t want to completely leave, but he needed a space larger than a conference room. He spotted a door to the Sanctum of All, and entered. “Thank the stars, it’s empty,” he sighed, taking a seat on one of the short benches. He had always liked tall rooms, and this one was almost as tall as a star destroyer hangar. All around the upper walls were stained glass, featuring scenes of history. Jedi history, probably. Putting his head in his hands, he thought “What am I even doing here? I’m not cut out to be a Jedi. I don’t even know what’s obvious to real Jedi.” As he wallowed in his own thoughts, a suit of yellow armor took a seat next to him. 

 “You look like you need company.”   “I wanted to get away from people.”  “I said you need company, not that you want it.”  “It’s Jaina, right?”  “Jaina Wren, born of two mothers and of two worlds, Sword of the Jedi.”  “Wren? So that means…”  “Yes, you just met my mothers.”  “I thought I escaped them.”  “You did. I’m not them. They have expectations and knowledge of you. I don’t. What’s your name?”  “Finn.”  “Just Finn? No clan name?”  “I didn’t even have a name until a year ago.”  “Ex-storm, huh?”  “Yep. Is it obvious?”  “Only if you know what you’re looking for. So you’re worried about not being Jedi material?”  “How’d you guess?”  “The way you stare at the stained glass. Every single worried Jedi candidate stares at them the same way. Like you’re not gonna measure up to them.”  “I don’t even know what I’m looking at.”  “Would you like a walk-thru of our history?”  “Please.”

Jaina began walking thru Jedi and Mandalorian history: the Prime Jedi, the Mandalorian Crusades, the Hundred-Year Darkness, the Sith Wars, the Mandalorian Wars, Malachor V, Tarre Vizla, the Fall of the Old Republic, the Great Hyperspace Disaster, the Mandalorian Civil Wars, the Clone and Shadow Wars, the Tano Reformation, Order 66, the Saxon Crisis, the Night of a Thousand Tears, the Ignition. She finished her retelling with “It can be your history too. You don’t have to know it all to know it’s yours.”

��

“How long have you known him?” Rey realized Sabine probably knew very little about her and Finn beyond the basic facts Jacen had relayed to her. “He met me on Jakku about a year and a half ago. We’ve been running together ever since.” Sabine asked, “Running away from something, or running to something else?” Rey pondered the armor-piercing question. “I think I’ve been running to the Jedi, and he’s been running away from the First Order.” Sabine looked Rey directly in the eyes. “Then give him something to run to.”

As Jaina got up to leave Finn with his thoughts, Rey slid next to him. A minute of silence passed. “I can’t promise you won’t be scared. I can’t promise you won’t be overwhelmed. But I promise there’s a joy in connection. In connecting to the life-force of the universe itself.” After another stretch of silence, Rey continued, “That is, of course, if you join me.” “I think I want to. But I need to talk to Poe first.” Rey was not surprised at Finn’s response. “We kinda have a thing at the moment and I assume joining you would mean less time with him.” Rey replied, “You assume correctly. But he’s my friend too, and I’ve hated my time away from both of you.” The two friends continued to sit in silence for some time

—

Finn pressed himself against Poe’s bare chest, listening for his heartbeat. One of the few things he could always count on. “So you’re not gonna be mad at me if I start training with Rey?” Poe took a deep breath and kissed his lover’s forehead. “Look, Finn, I want you to be your best self. I think this Jedi stuff is for you, and I don’t wanna stop you.” They breathed together, basking in each other’s auras. “But you gotta promise me you’ll take some breaks and come see me.” Finn smiled, “I will Poe, I promise.” Poe continued, “And not just because you need breaks, I’ll also need breaks. I think Rose is mad we left her as the highest-ranking Resistance officer trying to sort out the new government.” Finn laughed, “yeah, two generals just running off probably isn’t the best for the Resistance.” They stared into each other’s brown eyes. They whispered a simultaneous “I love you” before drifting off to sleep.

—

End Notes: We have a Jacen in the new canon as a child of the Ghost, why not have a Jaina too? Jaina calls Shin “mom” and Sabine “mother” (like what Sabine calls Ursa). And yes, her birth will happen in the WolfWren fic in the series. Star Wars is a fantasy, so I might as well get to indulge my fantasy about how museums should work. Shoutout to Team Sanctum of All for putting 2 people in the top 8 of the Magic: the Gathering Pro Tour

Mandalorian history: Tarre Vizla was the first Mandalorian inducted into the Jedi Order. He built the Darksaber. The Shadow War is my name for the Darth Maul (Shadow Collective) vs the Kryzes war (I’m not calling it the Mandalorian Civil War 19 BBY) Same goes for the Saxon crisis (Gar & Tiber Saxon vs the other clans as seen in Rebels) The Tano Reformation is Ahsoka joining the Mandalorian cause, seen as the beginning of Jetii Mando’ayust

Mando’a (Mandalorian Language) Glossary: Beskar’gam: Mandalorian armor Olarom: welcome Jetii Mando’ayust: Jedi in the way of Mandalore Riduur: spouse, partner

[autisticempathydaemon]

For the Redacted match-up! ^_^

A song I’m currently fixated on: “the lakes” by Taylor Swift. The whole song is just so beautiful and wistful. 😭 And something about the melody of these lyrics just hits so right.

Specific lyrics: “I want auroras and sad prose/I want to watch wisteria grow right over my bare feet/Cause I haven’t moved in years/And I want you right here”

Enneagram type: 6w7. (And just for fun, I’m an ISFP as well)

YouTube essays: I don’t think I can focus my attention on a video for that long, tbh. It’s the same reason I can rarely get through movies in one siting. 😂

Imaginary childhood friend: I think her name was Amy? Don’t remember much else, though.

Falling asleep: I always sleep with my fan on, no matter the weather. I have to have the white noise, otherwise it’s just too damn quiet in my room. Usually I’m propped up by two pillows, cuddling one of my stuffed animals or something. If find that I can’t sleep, or just want something to fall asleep to, I’ll put on one of Redacted’s sleep-aids.

Name change: Cheesy as it sounds, if I didn’t have my current name, I’d love to be named Juliet. It just has such Main Character Energy™️ (and I mean that in a good way) and is freakin’ romantic as hell to me. (And yes, I’m aware that the play is a tragedy, not a romance. 😂)

Favorite Redacted audio: If I had to pick one, I think “Serenity Daemon Helps You Relax and Sleep”. That video is just so freaking comforting and sweet, and it’s knocked me out more times than I can count.

Redacted boi with no appeal: Regulus. Yanderes just aren’t my thing, and he legit scares me. 😅

Book/Movie/TV show you could quote entirely: I’ve watched The Breakfast Club so many times, I could quote it forwards, backwards, and sideways.

Redacted BFF: Elliott. Take away the “Lovers” aspect of his relationship with Sunshine, but keep all the playfulness, teasing, and banter that they have together, and I’d be perfectly happy. 😊

(It’s also a really perfect coincidence that Eli’s said he’s the “Protector” type, and I just so happen to like being protected. XD)

Go-to tired ramble: Most of the time when my any of my friends and I would have a sleepover and it was late at night, we’d just get really deep and start talking about life.

Go-to gas station combo: I try to avoid gas stations when I can, just because I hate the smell of gasoline. But I’d probably get a plain Hershey bar and a bottle of water. (I know, I’m boring. 😂)

Favorite playlist: Do you mean Redacted, or just in general? Because the answer depends.

For a general answer, Jacksepticeye’s play through of Night In The Woods. That game is honestly such a comfort one for me, and I can watch that playlist a million times over and never get tired of it.

In terms of Redacted, Ollie’s. If there’s angst abound on the channel, or I’ve just had a bad day at work or something, I can run to his playlist and feel like I’m getting a big, warm, metaphorical hug. 🥰

Guilty Pleasure: I still read, and love, young adult novels. I don’t care that they’re “predictable”, and that I’m “too old to be reading them”. You can pry those fluffy, romantic, cheesy-ass books from my cold dead hands. 😆

Anything else about me:

I seriously think I’m the biggest Swiftie I know. When I say I’m obsessed with her music, I am not kidding. 😂

I’m a huge musical nerd. And coupled with that, I love, love, love to sing. (Provided I know that no one’s listening, anyway.)

I’m a total introvert, and am pretty shy/quiet in general, unless I’m around my friends.

My love languages are quality time and physical touch.

I maaaaay or may not have a slight candle obsession. (Bath and Body Works ones, specifically.) Seriously, I have like, four unburned 3-wick candles sitting on my dresser, and I’m convinced I just like to collect/look at them as opposed to actually lighting the things. 😂

I’m a cat person through and through

This one’s random, but I felt like adding it anyway. I basically live in one beat up pair of combat boots. There are not a lot of shoes in my closet.

I have this thing where I either tear through a TV series in like, a few days, or I don’t touch it for months. The same with books. I don’t know why I do that. 😂

My favorite colors are blue and purple 💙💜

Well, if you’re a cat kind of guy (gn), you know that’s gonna make things easy for me! Though it might not be the boy you think, because I’ve got a case to make for you and Milo Greer.

What I really like about y’all is how the things y’all like (other than cats) contrast and how cute that contrast is. Like, I don’t think Milo’s a Swiftie but man shows up and shows out to take you to her Eras tour. The Breakfast Club isn’t his favorite movie, but he’s seen it with Marie; he’ll say the iconic lines with you when y’all watch it for the hundredth time. He doesn’t really love musicals but he can hum along to Alexander Hamilton with the best of them because that’s an ensemble piece and you need a backup singer.

Milo’s just a really great boyfriend who shows love with a combination of Quality Time and Acts of Service with little sprinkles of Gifts. It’s not just time spent with you, it’s time spent engaging in the things that interest you and make you happy. It’s the time thinking of you when you’re apart and bringing home fun, new candles he saw at the store. Although he is definitely not opposed to physical touch- y’all have a lot of cuddle nights, just you and him and Aggro.

Song:

However big, however small/ Let me be part of it all/ Share your dreams with me/ You may be right, you may be wrong/ But say that you'll bring me along/ To the world you see/ To the world I close my eyes to see

Now, I said Milo’s not really a musical man. You know what he is? A bisexual king with good taste, which means he loves you and a good Hugh Jackman flick especially since Zac Efron is involved. So I think he’s a big fan of The Greatest Showman and of singing the addictive, earworm-y songs with you. A Million Dreams is the sentimental choice, but y’all go fuckin hard to This is Me.

Runner-Ups:

Guy is absolutely a Swiftie and a musical theater kid, okay? Erik hasn’t confirmed it, but I know it in my spleen to be true, so he’s a fantastic runner-up for that reason. Vincent is a runner-up because he adores but despises that you stick to one pair of torn-up shoes and constantly showers you in luxury footwear. I think that’s cute.

note: I understand you completely candles are not just scent pieces they are decor

Read this post and send me an ask if you’d like a match-up of your own! 💌

[mickgaydolenz]

speaking of dreams that reminds me of one i had back in high school that is so fucking funny/cringy i need to share.

i used to work at the “local” theatre in my city, so in my dream i was working a shift on concession and everyone was abuzz about the rumours that there was going to be a new adaptation of interview with the vampire (this was back when there was actual talks of this happening/a new movie adaptation of the vampire lestat irl and robert downey jr. was supposedly in talks to play lestat). i was excited as a fan of the books, but i also wasn’t really participating in the conversation at all. meanwhile a customer came up to my till and i did my whole spiel of offering a combo and asking for their points card before i even looked at them, but when i did immediately i knew that this person in front of me was the REAL lestat de lioncourt.

and i just kind of froze. like i had no idea what to do or say because i both wanted to acknowledge that i knew who he was, but i also didn’t want to alert anyone else to the fact that he was there. but of course because of dream logic lestat knew that i was struggling with that, so he just casually lent in and asked if i was familiar with him. and of course i just kind of nodded dumbly, but that was enough to kind of start a conversation. i don’t remember what we said, but there was this feeling like we had a deep connection even though we just met, so when i finished getting his order he told me that he’d meet me after work and we could talk more. i was so insanely excited because he was going to tell me all this stuff that never made it into the books, so the rest of my dream shift just flew by.

i can’t really remember too many details after that, but we did meet up and, this is the really funny part, but he could fucking fly (as he does in the books eventually) so he fucking FLEW US to the top of this large apartment complex and we just spent the whole night talking and by the morning we were really good friends 😂. WAIT it was cringier than that, like legit we had a moment where we were like it feels like we’ve always known each other, and like we were destined to meet!! eventually armand showed up too (like next evening ish in my dream, and he was just lurking outside my bedroom window), but he was jealous that i was getting close with lestat, so i had to explain to him that we were just friends and i would literally never get into a relationship with him ahahahahahhaha

[namtanlovesfilm]

I love offgun in this new show, the dynamic is great and it's cartoony but in just the right way *coughmiddlemanslovecough* but what has been your favorite and least favorite elements so far and do you think it will get deeper or stay sweet and candy-coated? (I'm down bad for either!)

yessssss, the cartoonish aspect is so fun! ngl I haven't watched middleman's love when they decided to replace mii2 but apart from that I always feel like no other country can do silly like thai dramas lol. like idk they just can push the boundaries of comedy while still making their show good in a way most other tv shows I've seen can't!

anyways, my favorite elements are the chemistry, of course, which is just so... offgun. even though I usually prefer offgun in shows where they're more upset (lmao I love my men crying leave me alone), it's really nice to see them in this kind of show & their natural chemistry is so perfect you can tell they barely have to put any effort for it to look amazing. apart from that, I truly love ten & prem as characters SO FUCKING MUCH. I'll try to keep it short bc I legit could write a whole essay about them but I truly love how they're both genuinely good people who should be bland & boring, but instead are not AT ALL. also, despite the cartoonish-ness of the show, they genuinely feel like real people. we have ten who is both a hot, rich, smart & perfect love interest (which are usually boring ngl) but is also very dramatic & silly & has that nerdy loser quality to him (and it's not just the glasses I promise) which is such a paradoxical combo yet works SO SO well??? as for prem, I wasn't as sold to him before the show aired but I FUCKING LOVE HIM??? he's again, kind of the cliche main character good guy that the viewer is meant to see themselves reflected in, but they made him sassy and feisty, and proud but also insecure and I just... root for him so hard ngl. these two are such strong characters they're really carrying the show, but another element I love is the acting bc I didn't think gun could slay a comedic role this well & I'm sorry I ever doubted him! as for off, it's incredible to see that he once again managed to make one of his characters absolutely unrecognizable from his others, idk if anyone else noticed or if I'm just that one completely unhinged off stan but he kinda changed his way of speaking for this role??? he speaks way softer & more proper which is a very drastic change from who off is usually lol. also another element I love are the locations & especially prem's house/restaurant... it looks so cozy & beautiful 🥺

the element I don't like is gmmtv not putting up the uncut version of the episodes on their channel. the cut version can stay on tv who fucking cares but them not putting out the uncut version for inter fans is ACTIVELY hurting the show. first of all, the cut scenes should NEVER have been cut in the first place, they are not superfluous at all & develop the relationships (especially firedynamite's one) further. second of all, the cutting of the scenes just make the editing look SO weird bruh, the cut eps look unprofessional. and lastly, it hurts the views of the show, of course, bc most people are not gonna watch it on gmmtv's channel & are just gonna wait for it to leak on kissasian & dramacool, which is simply horrible. the whole thing about gmmtv releasing their shows on youtube is bc it profits them greatly in terms of viewerships & marketing. so yeah, that's my least favorite thing about cooking crush. there's some other things but they're nowhere near that bad lol so I'll wait for more episodes or for my official 'axelle judges bl shows' review to put everything out at once.

lastly, I do think the show will stay just sweet & quit surface-level. from the original mock trailer, we know there will likely be one crying scene but that's kinda it I imagine. personally, for a show to become my favorite I need more angst & more depth, but I never really went into cooking crush thinking it would give me that. I've rarely encountered a comedy that doesn't stay quite surface-level. do I wish the show would explore the characters' sexualities, ten's daddy issues, fire's mommy issues & tenprem's social inequality more in order to make it more deep? yeah, I'm ngl. do I think that's what they're going for? absolutely not. that being said they might surprise me bc girl next room: richy rich (with off as lead & by the same director and screenwriter) did explore the mindset of an ex-poor person become suddenly rich as well as social inequality with quite a bit of nuance, so we never know!

xxx

[tribadismes]

color ask game: 1, 5, 7, 10, 13, 17, 24, 26, 27, 35 hehe

Favorite color(s), and why ?

So obviously it's hard because i'm obsessed with colors and i love many colors but if i had to pick one it would be yellow. I've discovered my love of yellow maybe five years ago and since then it's only been growing and growing. It's the happiest color, it legit helps me with depression. Also I like every shade of yellow which is not something i can say about any other colors. I used to not be a fan of light yellow but i'm starting to grow fond of it, and even greenish neon yellow, my least favorite shade of yellow, can work in many contexts i believe.

5. Favorite color combos ? 

Yellow & blue, orange & blue, green & blue, red & blue, green & burgundy, black & beige, light blue & bright red

7. What’s your color palette (i.e. pastels, earthy tones, neons, neutrals...) ?

My favorite color palette is bright, primary colors : bright red and yellow, deep bright blue, bright orange, grass green. These are the colors i'm instantly drawn to, and that i consider part of my identity, my core. But I also really like neutrals, especially beige and wood tones in general, and earthy tones (khaki, burnt orange, camel...). I've recently discovered that i love the combination of bright colors with more muted tones actually, like on this picture :

10. Gold, silver, or rose gold ? 

I had a long gold phase for a few years but recently i've been tired of it and have rediscovered silver. I'm obsessed with chrome, like on bauhaus style furnitures specifically it's just... so good.

17. What color do you think compliments you best ?

Camel. I've had a camel colored sweater for yeaaars and everytime i wear it i feel like all my features pop.

24. What color makes you feel the strongest feelings, if any ? 

Klein blue and similar bright, deep, layered shades of blue. I've talked about how yellow has a strong impact on me but them blues are just on an other level. When I see klein's art in person, especially when he uses pure pigments it's like... It's like something is slashing down my throat to rip me apart. And I can't look at it for too long because i'm afraid i will start crying, i'm afraid i will get lost in the color, go crazy. But, in the best way ? No other color does that to me, needless to say.

26. Tell us about a color-related fact you like ?

Blue is the rarest pigment in nature, most things that appear blue don't contain blue pigment, it's the structure of these things and the way the light reflects on it that make us see them blue. How wild is that. Makes you understand why the indigo pigment was such a big deal.

Here are some fascinating videos about it :

27. Is there a color that holds a unique symbolism in your culture ?

Not anymore I don't think. But for example white being associated with royalty and aristocracy was I believe pretty specific to France (but don't quote me on that).

35. Thoughts on yellow ? 

Apart from what I already said, it's just such an underrated, overlooked, and even despised color in modern western culture, it's so crazy to me. While as you've pointed out it's literally the color of holyness in many many ancient cultures. I remember seeing a very interesting poll (that i didn't save because i'm dumb) where they were asking people across Europe to associate words with colors, and yellow was one of the least popular colors. Interestingly, the more you went up north, the more positive responses were given, words like "happy" and "sun", for obvious reasons. I also feel that yellow is way more popular amongst people our age, maybe because we're all depressed lmfao. Anyways my final take is, if you like yellow i instantly trust you.

Thank you so much for letting me ramble about one of my favorite topics !! Lots of love to you <3

[arttrampbelle]

My mk asks answered by me

Here is my mk asks answered by me

(These are just my personal opinions and takes)

Various mk based asks

Combo of sfw and nsfw.

Cw:nsfw content.

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SFW:

• What is in your opinion the best stage?: honestly overall in any game is living forest, shang tsungs throne room(mk1) and island ruins(mk11) respectively(because im a shang tsimp). And there are a few others but i can't think of the name specifically rn.

• Who is your main?: currently shang tsung. The og main is/was kung lao

• What powers/fighting type would you have if you were in mk?: well if i go by my self insert oc lady tsung(shang's wife),she has his fighting skills since she was trained by him,only a bit of magic which is fire magic. She is very monitored and limited with soul magic (due to her husband being cautious af). But if its me straight up? Fire magic/fire chi.

• Who is your fave kharacter(s)?: this will be extensive) shang tsung,kung lao,liu kang,scorpion,subzero(both kuai and bi-han),raiden,fujin,jax,johnny cage,kano,jade,kitana,shao kahn,mileena,goro,kintaro,sheeva,reptile,smoke,rain,cyrax,sektor,nightwolf. These are just ones i really like.

• If you had to pick a representative realm,who's side would you be on? Or would you be on your own side,acting alone? Aka neutral.: I'd be neutral. I mean I'd be probably a bit bias to earthrealm,because i live there. Buuuut. Eh.

• If your found yourself on shang tsung's island,washed up on the beach. What is your first reaction,and what would you do first?: besides choking half to death of seawater. I'd probably mildly panic. But then be happy because its a tropical paradise. Unf,yes. But I'd try to find out who lives here if any at all. (And me finding shang well....this is the hell i choose hun)

• Would you have a master/teacher/sensei? If so...who?: well my self insert oc lady tsung is technically his pupil. Soooo. Shang tsung. But also I'd pick him anyways,because who better to learn from then legit the guy that can turn into anybody?

• Fatalities,brutalities,or friendship?: depends on the situation. Game wise. I love brutalities more now than fatalities. Friendships are always welcome. Storywise or in a narrative? Maybe a fatality,cant go wrong with that. Friendships or mercy if the story counts for it.

• What stage would you NOT wanna be stuck in?: fuuuuuuck. Probably the pit only because,i do not like heights. But close second would be the deadpool/acid pit.

• Who would be absolutely terrifying to fight in mk. Even if it was at its fairest and you had the highest advantage.: raiden. Because why would you fight a god? Shang tsung not because he is only dangerous to fight but this fucker would know i like him,and take full advantage of that. He probably already has. The fight wouldn't get anywhere because he'd be too busy trying to get a rise outta me.

• Who's your least faves and why?: Stryker,because acab and i just dont like him all that much. Kronika because she's useless as a main badguy is underwhelming,and boring. (Look things could always be written better but how it was played out was hella sloppy and no excuse for them to not write better)

• Who's in your opinion the best character to play as? Who is the worst?: that depends entirely on you. For me personally the worst,i hate playing d'vorah and mileena in mk11 soley for the fact its hella unbalanced. But overall in mk across the board. Any character with gun(minus erron black because his character is based around rooty tooty mc shooty). As for the best character. Any of the two monks,johnny cage,raiden(if done right) and shang tsung if you wanna be an absolute jerk to your opponent. These characters are well rounded across many games for the most part and good to play even if you know nothing of mk. Or fighting games. Liu kang is easy and so is johnny cage. Good for beginners.

• Fave game?: shaolin monks and mk2.

• Least fave game?: honestly i dunno. I can't hate a mk game. Only critique its storytelling. But it's never been 100% anyways so despite any personal gripes. All mk games at the end of the day are fun. If you aint having fun. Then it sucks.

• Favorite iteration of your faves? The least fave?: ok look my fave shang tsung is always the 95 movie. 11 when he came back i was so stoked! (And the only reason why i got mk11 in the first place. I wouldn't touch it otherwise) but i have a soft spot for mk legends SR and BOTR old man shang tsung. Artt butler's performance grew on me. But no offense,unpopular opinion here. Snowblind sucked. Unless you are a kano simp or a kenshi fan. You wont like this movie. It feels so catered to one type of audience it aint funny. But BOTR and SR also has some problems too. But shang tsung is once again the only good thing about it. Maybe raiden. But thats about it. Sadly.

• Who would you love to have a drink with?: shang,not because i love the character. But because it would be fun and interesting conversations I'd have. Maybe raiden or fujin.

• Who would you play board games/videogames with?: raiden or kung lao or liu kang. They'd be fun. Videogames with johnny cage. Because he'd be a blast.

• Who would you have as a sparring partner?: if not shang? Liu kang. He'd be fair... ish.

• Who is your arch nemesis?: quan chi. More likely.

• Who if given the chance to. Would you love to sit down and have a deep conversation with?: shang tsung or raiden. If i can get away with it,shao kahn surprisingly. (Look my shao kahn is waaaaaaay more scary intelligent than is depicted in most media)

• Where would you like to live in the mk verse?: shang's island. Far tf away from people. Plus i love the ocean and beach sm.

• Would you help johnny cage with a movie if given the opportunity?: maybe. Depending on the script.

• What's your main outfit look like?: i have art of it.

• Do you have a self insert(s/i)? If so what do they look like?: see above

• Do you self ship? If so. With who?: shang tsung uwu. Because i absolutely love this character.

• If you could change 3 major things about the story. What would you change?: ok first of all get rid of these "titans" bullshit. Thats for starters. Second of all actually make the elder gods do their jobs,be more involved and relevant again. 3rd thing,write a better system of rules of mk and enforce the tournament,like actually make this not just plot convenient. Actually enforcing these rules.

• If you could have the power of the crown,would you take it? If so what would you do? If not,who would you give it to and why?: i wrote a whole thing for that with my self insert oc lady tsung.

• What is a race/species in mk you want to be explored or expanded upon?: the kytinn,the shokan,maybe reptiles species the saurians.

• What part of the lore is underrated or underused?: shiiiiit there is too many things they forgot and left to rot.

• Opinion on the special forces?: too much involvement in the story when they dont need to be. Not to be that guy but i really wish people would stop having this obsession with us military. It's disturbing to me. And special forces,was never ment to be a huge thing. It was so minuscule in the grand scheme of things for mk. Like it was to show " hey yeah, you aren't the big bad tough guys here. There is something bigger than you. So buckle up bitch because you about to get humbled" because i loved it when the characters had to rely on things that was beyond them. Like actual fighting skils and not relying on "gUn" to do the job. Maybe magic. Because let's be real. The us military would both piss their pants at an actual invasion of another world. Plus wanna get their greedy hands in whatever crap outworld has to offer. Dont lie. We'd be fucked if we didn't have a raiden or mk tournament to back us up. The only thing that should come out of SF is sonya n jax and they are again,minuscule in the grand scheme of it all. They got humbled real quick. As it should be. There is more I'd add. But id be here all day.

• Opinion on the elder gods?: should be utilized more and better. But overall cool.

• Opinion on the old timeline? New timeline?: honestly i just want a good story. New,old,dont matter.

• Opinion on the "kombat kids"?: could be better. Takeda and jin are the only ones i actually care about. Jacqui is cool but became a jax "clone" instead of her our autonomy as a character. And cassie,dont get me started on her. I'd be in a rage for days. But I'll leave it as she should have been johnnys kid from other marriage,instead of a careless one night stand that turned into loveless forced marriage for plot because the writers are brain dead and bigoted towards jax's family(because of course the only two main yt characters gotta have happy endings without much damage and actual consequences). But ya know. That's too spicy for people who don't understand why this shit pisses me off personally.

• Are you a heroic kharacter,villainous,neutral,etc?: myself? neutral for the most part.(as for my self insert oc Lady tsung will always be by her husband's side regardless if it's agreement with him or not. That woman is loyal. She is also neutral for the most part)

• How dirty are your willing to fight?: as dirty as it calls for it.

• If tempted by an enemy to join them if it ment saving your realm,home,loved ones,friends.....would you?: if its shang id be boned. Lol. Take that as you will. But if its shao kahn,fuuuuck i would begrudgingly say yes. I'd find a way out tho. If im already on shangs side or the "bad guy" side. Probably not,I'd be loyal af to shang even if i agree or not.

• If you were to be in an arranged marriage with a "bad guy" who would you rather be with? What about a "good guy"?: *chuckles* im in danger. *sweats as shang looks at me suggestively* But im not sure about a good guy tho. Kung lao would be the prime candidate for that maybe.

• If you could kiss any kharacter,who would it be?: shang tsung no doubt. But maybe lao. Kith,kith him on his head. :3 maybe fujin. Hee hee.

• Would you show your opponent mercy?: have they earned it? Then Yes. If not. Well time for the pain.

• If you had to pick a kharacter to die or killed off,for good. (Aka no bringing back for plot,like actually they ded ded bro) who would it be?: stryker....sorry Stryker enjoyers. But hey...he'd go out in style. So dont worry too much.

• Who would be a better guest kharacter?: duke nukem. Dont ask. I think it would be funny.

• Opinions on guest kharacters?: i dont care for em. I feel they take up space on the roster for more important characters and characters more deserving.

• What rules of mk are absolutely necessary and what rules do you think would be absolutely bullshit? (This one is for people who actually give a damn about tournament rules,lore rules,and general rules that were established in lore. If you dont care. Skip this.): honestly the rules should be more prevalent in the plot and story in general than what is shown. Period.

• What features would you keep,get rid of,and better utilize or polish up. Or even add?: get rid of too specific augements that legit are useless otherwise. Keep the easy fatalities tokens those are a godsend. And maybe add better skins and outfits. Better customization than just color palette swaps. And not 30000 of the same one only slightly different. Add a color wheel to custom the color more.

• Who is more aesthetically appealing?: shang tsung. Yeah im bias. But maybe the storm gods. But again they are gods so....yeah.

Ok now for nsfw

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• If you had to have a one night stand with a kharacter who would it be?: probably shang tsung. Tho i wouldn't really do one night stands. But especially with him. But he'd make it worthwhile. Next after that would be fujin,raiden,maybe kuai or hanzo. But again i dunno if these would actually be a one night stand.

• Who in your opinion has the biggest pp? Whether in energy or literally the biggest: as in figuratively,probably big pp energy is shang,shao kahn,hanzo,sonya,and fujin and raiden. But literal big pp would be: shang,shao kahn,raiden and fujin

• Who would you say gives the best oral?: not to be bias but shang tsung. Silver tongued isn't just for communication and or scheming dear. 😏💖🐍. But i feel he's got experience. Plus i hc he likes oral giving and receiving.

• Where in the mk verse would you liked to get fucked the most?: shangs island,the wushi gardens,and maybe the fire gardens.

• Who would send the most chills if they did dirty talk to you?: shang tsung automatically but fujin i hc gives the most filthiest dirty talk,you'd never know. And to be praised by a God would be ....excuse me a moment *throws water on self* ah much better.

• If you woke up next to your mk blorbo,naked,in their bed. What is your reaction?: *dies of embarrassment and happiness because omfg im next to shang tsung*

• Sexual tension training session? Thoughts?: *hee hee hee* yesss. Bonus points if i can get shang flustered. But training with anyone with "tension" would be hilarious.

• What god,elder god,or immortal kharacter would you smash?: fujin. Hands down. No contest. Raiden a close 2nd.

• If a god caught with your mk f/o (if you have one) doing the do. What would your reaction be? Theirs?: I'd die of embarrassment. But raiden would be like "i didn't wanna see that" *leaves immediately*

• Who is the most husband/wife/spouce material? Who is the least?: honestly for bad guys shang tsung. You'd have everything you could ask for,nobody would dare be stupid enough to harm you (less their soul be food for fodder for shang) and he's actually very accommodating. I hc he's cuddly and a bit maybe possessive in bed. But overall a good husband. As for other characters good and or neutral. Hanzo,kuai,johnny,raiden and fujin,kung lao,liu kang,and baraka.

• Would you bring back sexy outfits? Skimpy attire for everyone? Or just keep it rather tame or realistic outfits?: both and all,keep many options open.

• The smuttiest,filthiest,hc you have for your faves.: *cracks knuckles* ok look im only gonna give 3 for shang. Because i have too many. That i can make for a separate post for another time.

1. Shang tsung loves to eat out his partner on his throne,and also getting head too. But if he's getting head he wont mind if anyone happens to walk by or see by "accident" it's kind of a "ego" boost for him. But if he's going down on you,giving YOU pleasure? Nobody must see,if anyone thinks about seeing you like that. They'll get a face full of flaming skull or worse. This is him pleasing his beloved. This is a private and more pampering time. He wants you all to himself. To savor all of you.

2. He will only let you dom him if he is married to you,and its been at least a year or 2 after you married. And only if he is absolutely in the mood for it. But only you are allowed. And only certain things. Shang has trust issues and if he let's you do these things and you communicate well with him. He definitely loves you. But you have to be a special person for him to let you. But oh boy shang tsung whimpering to you in bed gives me the best high of my life.

3. Shang tsung has used magic to please his partner. Dont lie. If he's busy he will use his magic to pleasure you. If he's extra spicy he'll use a magical sex toy on you. While he does his work. Which might be making magic scroll,to alchemy,to helping reinforce his islands defenses or engineering. (No making clones is a tedious process and takes up way to much resources. Plus its annoying for him unless he gets paid enough or compensated for it. He dont do that shit for free. Plus im sick of the clones excuse and plot. Ugh no offense to people)

• How loud is your mk blorbo in bed?: shang is moderately loud. Most of the time. If he wants to be loud however,all the island will hear him. If he wants to be quiet however,its more likely you are playing a little lovers game. He always want you to be loud. How else will they know your heart and soul is his?

• Mk Blorbo,angry sex? What's it like? What about other faves?: oh yes. Please. I need this in my life. Shang is rough not enough to do bad damage. But he won't hold back. It's what you expect from a dark and very powerful sorcerer such as shang tsung. As for other faves. You know how they fight. Thats how they fuck. Makes only logical sense. Lol.

• Mk Blorbos Opinions on virginity?: look shang i genuinely feel doesn't guve a fuck if his partner is a virgin. It's only icing on the cake. If you are a virgin,he will absolutely take pride in being your first and would have the biggest smug ass grin on his face. But if not...oh well. He will make it feel like its your first tho. Either way he'd love you no matter what. If you managed to capture his heart n soul? Oh boy he'd have his little claws like a vice grip.

• Mk blorbos opinions on breeding kink? Would they have this kink? Would they be willing to get into this kink?: *evil laugh* the idea and fantasy? Sure shang is down. But in reality? Eh i dunno. He's too cautious for that. But with convincing,you could change his mind.

• How would your fave go about asking for sex? Would they be straight up or would they give hints and play around with you? What about you?: shang tsung could go either way. But he's always tactful and tasteful about it. Shang loves playing games,mind or otherwise. So the courting isnt any different. As for me,I'd rather be upfront but tasteful.

• How long would they wait to have sex with you? Would they be ok with rather early on or would they actually wait a bit?: at least give him a year. Shang isn't gonna say no if you are willing a bit early on in your relationship. But give him at least a year to figure you out.

• Would people know about your affairs or would they keep it under the radar? Or would they kinda have something in between?: depends. It's more of an open secret. Like they'd know you fucking shang or at least are close with him. But they dont know details. Just as shang would prefer it to be.

• Would they fuck after a fight? Would they fuck during a sparring match? Would the do this during training? What is their opinions about sexy times during kombat?: depends on how that fight went. If shang comes home after a fight and he lost badly,he might take his frustrations out but only if you agree thats ok. He'd never do it unless you wanted to. But if you green light that,be prepared for a sore ass the next day. But otherwise he'd work out or take it out on a minion. He comes back however and the fight was an absolute flawless victory. He'd celebrate and pamper and cherish you like the jewel you are in his life. Either way you're good.

• Turn ons? Turn offs?: he likes to be somewhat clean. He hates feeling dirty when fucking. So at least let him shower a bit beforehand. During the sex he can get filthy. And its not a huge deal if you both are in the moment. But he prefers to be clean and have a bit of a romantic atmosphere. Also i hc he loves somft s/os and naughty brats. So if you are both or either. You in luck.

• What they seek in a sexual partner (aka what they find sexually attractive) vs what they seek in a significant other/spouce (aka marriage material): ok shang doesn't discriminate with sexual partners. He's down for anything. Be it somft and sweet or you are more aggressive type. But as for a spouce? If you are patient,know how to talk and handle people,diplomatic,and or intelligent(doesn't need to be scientific or book smarts. But emotional intelligence is a huuuuuge turn on. Someone who has emotional maturity and understanding is a huge way to get him to say "unf just fucking marry me already!" ) you have him at hello.

• Who would they have a dick measuring kontest with. Aka who would they have to throw hands the most with for your affections?: there may be many. But i feel kung lao(for personal reasons),hanzo(because he feels shang doesn't deserve me) and maybe fujin(out of jealousy and the fact he doesn't trust him), maybe liu kang but in weird platonic way(unless its an au) maybe shao kahn but thats for funny memey reasons only.

• Do you like them softer/romantic or more spicy/kinky?: both

• What "bedroom" nicknames would you call them? What about what they'd call you?: shang would use. peach,my love,my beloved,my jewel,my pearl,or straight up calls you beautiful. As for me I'd call him master tsung (he relishes this),sorcerer(only in a teasing way) maybe bao bao if im feeling mushy,my love,but for the most part i just call him by his name.

[pkmnomegaverse]

The fool in me is looking at the “leaked ages” and trying to decide how many I want to adapt. Combo of I do like to use beta content, afterall! And most really do line up pretty well with my thoughts on the characters. Even the ones I’m scratching my head at, when I really look at the character, I can see it if I just tilt my head a bit. The ones that are pretty much impossible to adapt tho would be Trevor, Shauna, and Clemont (leaks say they’re 10, 12, 12 for ref). Most perplexed by this one since then say Tierno is 16, True reason Calem picks him to pursue. Only one close to his age! Even tho the same leeks say he and Serena are 14 (the bridge in the age gap of the friend group. Although the document these ages are from mention another girl who would have been part of the friend group. The cut friend. Since this is from an early early draft).

The Striaton Bros would be sooooooo baaaaaaaad the implications there are bleak (leaks say 14). But Ghetsis would (I say this, as I don’t already have it as a thing where Ghetsis is pursuing Cress once he’s 14. It’s already bleak). Although they are off the table as well purely because I really do like the Striaton Bros=Shadow Triad hc too much and that aspect works better if they’re older. Closer to N’s age. But pretty much anyone else is fair game since I kinda dislike coming up with ages anyway for a lot of the side cast. As I Do Not Care. Hell, there’s still quite a few characters I never pegged down an age for even though I’ve had this blog for years since I care that little. So sure, why not use a lot of it when it doesn’t directly contradict things. Or at least use them as a reference. Makes my job easier.

Now on to the NOTES FOR MYSELF section since some of the implications of the ages were funny to me, so making notes for future me to reread.

- Marlon as 30. Like it doesn’t even matter if I change Cress’s age or not, he’s still like a decade younger than this guy. Here I was thinking that was the one guy Cress is hooking up with who’s closer in age to him, but alas. Cress only likes older men confirmed. Ghetsis did too much of a number on him. Thus I feel I gotta use this one to continue that theme. - Maylene as 10. This one still seems a tad young but when I replayed the game recently, I noticed a random townie NPC has a line of dialogue that implies she’s pretty close to the protag’s age. So would have personally pegged her closer to 12 but the 10 is not actually surprising given that. Knew she had to be younger than Candice but didn’t realize it was quite that big of a gap. Since Candice as 16 tracks (can’t believe both these two and Trevor/Tierno were a duo of a 10 year old and a 16 year old as besties). This one I’ll need to debate a bit, but sure, whatever, not like I have either Dawn or Lucas making sensible choices regarding the ages of the people they’re getting with. The theme of Sinnoh.

- Ethan, Lyra, Dawn, and Lucas as 12. I will use any excuse I can to age up the protags so yeah, gonna add a year. Don’t even have to second guess this one.

- Cynthia as 28. A bit older than I expected. The Celestica genes already making her look young! But the point here is I’ve considered how Cyllene is perhaps the same age as Cyrus (27). It seems like that would maybe be a parallel with those two? No real reason to assume they’re not roughly the same age. So by that reasoning, would it not track that Volo is around Cynthia’s age. Thus 28? I truly have no idea how old that man is, since is he hella old due to the Celestica maybe immortal thing? Or is he legit somewhere in his 20s. Was leaning towards lower/mid 20s but it’s not like VoloRei isn’t dicey and problematic regardless so might as well just go all in on a wider age gap. Doesn’t make sense to base his age around that plot point alone. So sure, later 20s it is. He needs some time to put his plan in motion anyway. Inversely though, a fair amount of characters don’t actually seem to match the ages of their descendants. Obviously with the ambiguously aged adults looking characters it’s really hard to tell. But Kamado seems to be younger than Rowan so perhaps in that sense, Volo is not meant to be Cynthia age (basically he’s either 28 or very much not 28, vs off by only a little bit).

- Caitlin as 17 in Gen 4 while Darach is 25. Past me was almost spot on here with their age gap (had it as 7 years vs 8) but also had both a bit younger (was running Caitlin as 14 in DPP since I see that number thrown around a lot for her). But sure, probably should age her up to make that whole thing slightly less dicey. Also to better match the next point. Caitlin is noted as being mid 20s in BW which there’s roughly a 5 year gap between Gen 2/4 and BW for me. Which puts her at…22. Not mid 20s, but whatever, close enough. Can’t win em all and I’m pretty locked in on the timeline of when games happen. Moving any of those dominoes a lot of other things which aren’t worth changing on a whim.

- Diantha as 20 and Malva as 33. Not actually a problematic age gap since unlike my numerous other examples, as least the younger one isn't a teen. But I thought it was funny just how much of an age gap this gives them when originally I had assumed they would be pretty close in age. I just can't escape the villain of hero/villain ships being notably older than the hero.