#literally just read through the latest ep

[vampirevatican]

so... you mean to tell me, slashfic just gets worse? the plot is 3 or 5 different plots mashed and sewn haphazardly together. and the only thing keeping it going is a glimpse of cute killers. okay.

[rhaenella]

CL16 | Is It Over Now? | pt.7

pairing: charles leclerc x singer!reader

genre: social media au

summary: you and charles have been everyone's fave couple on the grid, but when you somewhat unexpectedly break up, you turn to songwriting to cope with the pain

face claim: léon

a/n: the finale... once again, all songs mentioned are either by taylor swift or léon. happy reading x

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part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6

masterlist

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Liked by taylorswift, danielricciardo and 1,292,849 others

y/n: End & New Beginnings. ONE WEEK.

✨Is It Over Now?~Say Don’t Go~Bigger Than The Whole Sky~You’re Losing Me~Now That We Don’t Talk~Pretty Boy✨

View all 12,138 comments

user55: y/n’s latest masterpiece is incoming!!

user56: YES GIRL LETS GO

user57: omg finally 😱

user58: can’t fucking wait 💛

user59: babe are you realizing you’re releasing on friday the 13th 💀

user56: y/n is like “i’ve conquered all this year’s bad luck already, no one can stop me”

6 October

Liked by carlossainz55, maxverstappen1 and 1,450,288 others

y/n: It feels like it’s been a long time coming and now it’s here, my new EP ‘End & New Beginnings’ 🤍 Been a few sleepless nights making this to be honest. Ups and downs like always. But now I’m just so happy to let go of it and let you have it, and hopefully you’ll embrace it and make it yours. 

To the incredible people who’ve been a part of this record, THANK YOU! Couldn’t have done it without you… 

Here’s to the end & new beginnings 🕊️

View all 14,159 comments

taylorswift: Perfection 🥰✨🎼😍💋

y/n: ❤️❤️❤️

danielricciardo: ART.

Liked by y/n

lilymhe: Beautiful work sweetie, I can’t with how talented you are 🥹 You made me cry the entire 23 mins (and then again cuz it was on repeat)

y/n: Awww, thank you love 🥰 and I’m sorryyyy 🙊

alex_albon: It’s so so good! I didn’t cry tho…

lilymhe: Liar

Liked by y/n

landonorris: Wow 💕

Liked by y/n

yourbestfriend: You’ve outdone yourself once again, darling, love you

y/n: I love you more baby

user60: as someone who’s just gone through a terrible breakup too, i cannot express how comforting it is to hear these songs and realize i’m not alone

Liked by y/n

13 October

—

You let your phone drop to the bathroom counter, blinking slowly, unable to fathom the conversation that had just taken place. Had he really just said those things? Scrolling through the texts confirmed that yes, he had indeed. The bastard.

Charles had always been the jealous type. But attacking you like that when he had been the one to… It was absolutely ridiculous. Apparently he still couldn’t—or wouldn’t—grasp the depths of how much he had actually hurt you.

You’d loved him with all of your heart. Until he had ripped it out and hurled it to the floor, letting it shatter into a million tiny pieces. Yet, even then, you would’ve forgiven him. If only he’d apologised. If only he’d shown true remorse. But he hadn’t. And so you’d been forced to walk the path of mending your own heart, and move on with your life.

Perhaps a small part of you had hoped that he could be happy for you. That somehow, even after everything, you would be able to greet each other normally—that you could coexist peacefully. But as his texts just now had demonstrated, that wasn’t going to happen. Not right now. And definitely not next week in Texas. You sighed. It would’ve been too good to be true, anyway. Especially considering who you were currently seeing…

A light knock sounded at the door, startling you out of those thoughts. 

“Are you almost ready to go, darling?” a male voice asked, soft.

Right. Dinner. Celebrations. 

You had been in the midst of applying the finishing touches to your makeup and outfit before Charles had interrupted, quite literally shocking you to the core when his name had appeared on your lock screen. He’d been the last person you’d expected to hear from today.

You swallowed the bitter taste that Charles’ texts had managed to leave behind. He wasn’t worth it, you repeated to yourself. You weren’t going to let his shenanigans ruin a perfect night—a perfect date. You ran a hand through your hair and readjusted the necklace around your neck when the bathroom door creaked open behind you. 

Looking up, your eyes met your handsome, new boyfriend’s through the mirror. He was smiling, eyebrows raised in silent question, ever patient as he waited for you to finish up. You felt your pulse quicken at the sight of him, dressed to perfection in a dark suit, hair neatly tousled.

As always, his presence was able to reassure you within the blink of an eye, the tense muscles in your neck and shoulders relaxing as you gladly let all of your complex emotions fall away.

“Yes,” you nodded, a genuine smile spreading across your lips. “I’m ready.”

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THE END

but who is she with? well, there’s a little (and not so subtle) easter egg that refers back to the beginning of part 6 that will confirm certain things… have you spotted it?

thank you everyone for coming along on this ride! it’s been a hell of a lot of fun writing and creating this story 🥰 my apologies to all the y/n x charles shippers out there, but as our songbird said: here’s to the end and new beginnings…

Now, if you'd like, please cast your votes below :)

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Tags: @sukisheadlights @eviethetheatrefreak @blueflorals @kiskso @dessxoxsworld @treehouse-mouse @dangeroustacoalienbiscuit @clown-fc @stopeatread @vanishingcherry @bb-swift @leclercdream @scenesofobx @kagatinkita @allywthsr @evieepepi08 @viennakarma @riverjane-d @httpjeonlicious @madnesstaking0ver @futurecorps3 @celesteblack08 @sadg3 @simxican @glow-ish @spideybv28 @laneyspaulding19 @tswizzleismother @slytherinfolk25 @merchelsea @1655clean @urgirlnextdoorr @cixrosie @lightdragonrayne @lxclerc @hopexcroc @nichmeddar @imthebadguyyy

[niki-phoria]

Hi, could I request a comfort Ni-ki fic where m!reader is struggling to catch up with the rest of the group and Ni-Ki helps him?

or

Ni-ki comfort fic where he stays up with m!reader to play some games, something like him holding reader while he plays through a tough level.

i need someone to make a gif of niki with the lollypop from the end of the latest en o'clock ep does anyone know what i'm talking about

he's so cute i love him there are literal stars in his eyes

pairing: niki x 8th member!male! reader (he/him pronouns) genre: fluff, comfort word count: 1.3k

includes: reader being insecure about his dancing, self doubt, supportive enha, blushy niki i am obsessed with blushy boys sorry but i make the rules

a/n: thank you for requesting !! i couldn't decide on which idea i wanted to write so i just combined them lol you literally read my mind i was thinking about how i wanted to write more niki fluff yesterday and then i got this ask lmao this idea was really cute, i hope you enjoy <33

requests open !! read my rules first

you curse under your breath as you lose count of the steps again. you bite your tongue in frustration as your choreographer sighs. although she’s trying to hide her frustration, you can see how she continues to grow more annoyed each time you have to repeat the steps. she glances back at you for a second before refocusing on the mirror in front of you and rolling the tension from her shoulders. “let’s just do it again, okay?” 

even without being able to see him looking at you in the reflection of the mirror you can feel niki’s eyes on you. you keep your gaze trained on your feet, mentally practicing the footwork once again. he’s standing on the other side of the room from you. his dancing is flawless - like it always is. you know it’s irrational, but it feels like you’re the only person struggling. like you’re dragging the team down. 

you repeat the steps once again. and again. and again. and again. you practice for so many hours that your shirt clings to your body because of the sweat by the time you finish. your hair is nearly dripping. everything feels uncomfortable. your sticky t-shirt, your too-thick sweatpants, the way your shoes dig into the heels of your feet, the burn in your throat from dehydration, your growing headache from the unforgiving studio lights above you. it adds to your irritation at yourself, fueling the flames of your insecurity. 

finally, your choreographer sighs, taking her hat off to push her bangs back. her once neatly tied bun is now a tangled ponytail laying on her back. “let’s stop for now,” she concludes, stopping the music. she grabs her water bottle, opening it as she continues. “good work today.” 

you wait for everyone else to filter out of the room before you finally lean down to take a swig of your own water. niki stays back with you, gesturing for you to sit down on the ground beside him. reluctantly, you obey. the dirty tile feels cool against your palms. “don’t push yourself too hard,” he whispers. “i’ll help you practice later if you really want to.” you remain silent, eyes completely focused on your water bottle. it feels lukewarm in your hands as you tilt the bottle back and forth, watching it swirl around inside of its plastic confines. 

niki’s gaze remains on you. he’s been looking at you all day. usually it would make you nervous; him staring at you. but today you’ve been so focused on your own shortcomings that you forget the boy who stole your heart as soon as you met him is watching you carefully. his eyes scan your face as if he’ll be able to read your mind if he tries hard enough. in some ways he can. your furrowed eyebrows and slight frown tell him everything you’re unable to vocally express. 

a knock at the door interrupts your one-sided staring contest. jungwon pokes his head in with a sympathetic smile, sunoo peeking over his shoulder from behind. “we’re heading home for the night. the car is ready if you’re coming.” 

niki nods, reaching over to grab your hand - a silent, but firm gesture. we're going home for the night. you're coming. we'll practice more tomorrow. “we’ll be right there.” he remains a quiet but welcome presence beside you as you grab your things, following jungwon and sunoo out of the studio. you lean against the car window. your swirling thoughts are kept at bay as jay reaches behind the seats through the car to pat your shoulder. 

“y/n?” niki slowly opens the door, slipping into your shared room. you sit up to look at him. he gives you a small smile as he walks over to sit down on the bed next to you. “you did your best today,” he whispers, reaching over to grab your hand. his thumb strokes against your knuckles as he intertwines your fingers. “everyone has off days. the choreography is hard. we all struggled with it. but you kept trying. that’s what’s important.” 

you move to look over at him. he leans down slightly to press his forehead against yours. his dark eyes stare into yours, somehow calming your anxieties about pulling the team down and easing your insecurities about yourself. “you really think so?” 

“i know so,” he hums, bringing his other hand up to your face. he strokes your cheek, leaning in to press a quick kiss against your cheek. you laugh at the ticklish feeling as he pulls away. “and the others do too. we love you. you could never disappoint us. or engene.” 

your lips quirk upwards into a small smile. you wrap your arms around niki, pulling him into a hug. he wraps his arms around your waist, pulling you closer. “thank you.” 

“anything for my boy,” he whispers. 

you savor the moment for as long as you can. it’s not often that niki is this affectionate with you - especially in the dorms when anyone could walk in at any time. he nuzzles his face into the crook of your neck, making you laugh as his hair tickles the skin. you can hear him stifle his own chuckle. “hey, you know what would make me feel better?” 

“hm?” the word is muffled against your shoulder. 

“beating you in mario kart.” 

niki pulls back, letting out a faux offended gasp. “i can’t believe this!” you bite back a laugh as he dramatically brings a hand up to his chest over his heart. “betrayed! by my own boyfriend!” 

you chuckle as you shake your head. niki breaks when you do, collapsing into a fit of laughter himself. you knock your shoulder into his as you stand up, holding out a hand for him. “come on, you big baby.” 

“but i’m your baby,” niki retorts. he lets you pull him up, following you out of the room. 

"unfortunately."

“you love it,” he teases. you playfully roll your eyes, shaking your head.

niki lets out a content sigh as you settle yourself in his lap. he grabs a controller, wrapping his arms around your waist and leaning his chin on your shoulder to see the tv screen from behind you. all of his worries disappear as you lean back against his chest and relax against him. you lean up to press a peck against his jawline, turning away before you notice the deep blush spreads across his face. he can hear jay and heeseung playfully arguing in the kitchen as they continue making dinner. 

as you wait for the game to begin, a realization dawns on him. sitting on the floor of your shared dorm with you in his lap and your friends surrounding you, he feels safe. it feels like home. like love. he’s in love with you. 

niki leans down to press a kiss against your shoulder, tightening his hold around you slightly. “i love you.” he whispers. though the words are barely audible you turn around immediately, staring at him with wide eyes. you both sit, staring at each other in shock for a few seconds before you smile brightly at him, pulling him into a sweet kiss. 

the moment is interrupted by sunghoon groaning as he lays onto the couch behind you. “you have a shared room for this,” he whines. you playfully roll your eyes as you pull away, pressing a final peck against niki’s lips.

“at least they have a reason to need a room,” jake teases, leaning over the edge of the couch. “it’s better than you can say.” 

"hey!" niki stifles a laugh as he hides his flushed face against your shoulder. sunghoon and jake's bickering drowns out any noise the tv is making, though none of you mind. you twist to look up at him with a small smile. when you finally begin the round he knows that he’s sure - he wouldn’t give this up for anything in the world.

[doll-elvis]

Hi! First of all, I love ur blog it’s one of my favourites and I really appreciate your nuanced takes and the research you put in to your answers. :)

I wanted to ask you — I read today that EPE didn’t allow Sofia Coppola to use any of Elvis’ music in her movie. I figured he wouldn’t be depicted very positively in it but I kinda hoped it would be a realistic and human depiction of both of them, not like sort of a condemning ‘he’s the villain of their story’ vibe lol. I guess we still won’t know until it comes out… Anyway it got me feeling like perhaps the depiction will be more negative, but maybe EPE just didn’t consent to his music being used because they weren’t included in the movie. Hard to know. Wanted to ask for your thoughts/take on it.

Also, what do you think Lisa would think about this movie being made?

this just made my day 😭, you are the sweetest <3!! I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to show your appreciation, it truly means the world to me that you get something positive out of my posts

also thank you very much for the ask, I really love to be able to have open discussions on here with fellow Elvis fans, especially regarding all the recent events that are taking place 🤧

as for your question, according to the latest interview with Sofia Coppola and Priscilla Presley, it was “Authentic Brands Group” (who owns 85% of EPE) that denied the request to have Elvis’ music featured in the film. As Sofia tells it, it was because ABG only endorse projects that they have originated as they are protective of their brand ⬇️

(quote from the “Hollywood Reporter”)

so I don’t think Elvis’ music not being in the film is indicative of how he will be portrayed, the decision seems more business based than anything else (hopefully 😭). I’m also wondering if this was a funding issue as this film doesn’t seem to have had the biggest budget (they only had 30 days to shoot) and I would assume the rights to use Elvis’ music would be rather costly 👀

as for how Elvis will be depicted… I think I speak for many other fans when I say when this movie was first announced my heart sank 🤧 the 2022 film accomplished so many amazing things for Elvis and his legacy and I think we all felt like this Priscilla movie would jeopardize that. But this recent interview with Priscilla, along with the film’s official synopsis, has given me more hope that this movie will be more nuanced

Priscilla telling Cailee Spaeny, the actress portraying her, to be sensitive towards Elvis honestly made me breathe a sigh of relief 😩

(quote from the “Hollywood Reporter”)

But I think the reason so many fans are still currently dreading this film and biting their nails over the release of it is because of the reception it has received online… particularly by non-Elvis fans

if you have Instagram or Twitter (especially) you know what I mean 😭

people are literally praising Sofia Coppola (even Priscilla) because they think this film is going to be a hit piece against Elvis and will expose how he “groomed” and “abused” her

I can almost guarantee these people and anyone else who have made similar comments have never even read Priscilla’s book, or have ever read about Elvis besides what they see on social media through things like twitter threads on how he was a “predator” or how he “stole” music from black musicians

their dedication to believing whatever they see written about him just proves their ignorance to me. If they haven’t taken the time to research the claims made about him then I just disregard their opinion🤧 I’ve really struggled with disengaging from people who hate Elvis but I’ve begun to learn that nothing we say as fans will change their opinion of him, and no matter what they say, it cannot change who we know he really was

and whenever I do see these people reference Priscilla’s book I’m like… did we read the same book? did y’all not see how 90-95% percent of that book praised who Elvis was? and do y’all not see how Priscilla still defends his actions to this day and says things like “he was the love of my life”? I’m just confused as to why these people think Priscilla wants Elvis to be “exposed” 😭

and like the majority of people who have written about Elvis, Priscilla’s book has the good, the bad, and the ugly, and I expect the film to be that way as well. However, I hope the good completely outweighs “the bad” and “the ugly” just as much as it did in Priscilla’s book

People always hyper-inflate the “bad” stories (of which there are very few) that are mentioned in Priscilla’s book. For example the story where when they were pillow fighting he accidentally gave her a black eye, which is also referenced now as proof that he “abused” her. But they won’t mention how Elvis profusely apologized and felt incredibly guilty, nor do they mention how Priscilla blamed the pills they were taking for Elvis’ temper in that moment, as opposed to Elvis himself

(excerpt from “Elvis and Me” by Priscilla Presley)

I feel like a lot of anger has been misdirected towards Priscilla lately regarding stories like this but in all honesty you cannot blame her for people taking what she wrote out of context. I’ve seen some fans say that she is only out to make Elvis look bad but she very clearly states he was remorseful for the incident

Like I mentioned above, I think 90-95% of her book puts Elvis in a good light, and shows how truly good his character was

One of my personal favorite stories is the lasagna incident, where Priscilla insisted on cooking for the whole group and in her nerves for proving that she could do such a thing, she forgot to boil the noodles before assembling the dish 💀

and this story is just one out of dozens that show how sensitive Elvis was to Priscilla

(excerpt from “Elvis and Me” by Priscilla Presley)

not to mention the very last paragraph of her book where she has nothing but good things to say about him… yet people who hate Elvis think this film, that is based on her book, will be out to “expose” him 😩?

(excerpt from “Elvis and Me” by Priscilla Presley)

obviously we can only really speculate on what the film will be like but I’m just hoping and praying this film will be a massive disappointment to anyone who is thinking it will affirm their opinions about how Elvis “mistreated” Priscilla… that would heal my soul 😩 like if this film is just a total love letter to Elvis I will be laughing my way out of the theater lmaoo

at this point the only reason I’m not excited about this film is just because I don’t think it was done in a way that would reach it’s full potential. That recent review of it that came out of Reddit was kind of what I expected the film to be (lackluster, lacking depth and Jacob not really capturing Elvis’ essence… Coppola’s reasoning for casting Jacob was that since all the females in the audition room were enamored by him he must have had a similar charisma to Elvis but I just do not get that vibe😭 (no offense to Jacob stans)

as for what Lisa Marie would have thought of this film being made, I’d imagine she would act in a similar way to how Riley is. Supportive but not involved perhaps? This film is really Priscilla’s story. Not Elvis’ story, not Lisa Marie’s story etc. etc. so I don’t expect as many people in the Elvis world to be involved with it as they were with the 2022 film. Like I don’t expect to see Jerry Schilling doing interviews for this movie or girlfriend’s/friends of Elvis to give their review of it

I really really wish Lisa Marie was here, I miss her terribly and I still haven’t fully processed her passing, but I believe that Riley is doing everything her mother would have wanted, and I wish the best for her and her sisters 💗

[jajanvm-imbi]

Babe wake up the Helluva Boss hiatus is finally over

Okay I have some thoughts. Was it perfect? No. Was it better than the last 3 episodes? Absolutely 100%

And before anyone comes at me, I like the Blitz and Fizz plotline, I really do. Blitz and Fizz might be my fave dynamic in the whole series, so seeing them interact was fun! But the fact that we got the worst episode in the entire series (Happy Campers) followed by 2 more episodes that were almost completely irrelevant to the main 2 plotlines (Oops and Mid-season Special) A N D the hiatus BEFORE literally anything about 2 sets of alluded reoccurring villains is baffling to me.

Anyway, my main issue with the latest episode is the split focus.

This episode featured both the return of alluded reoccurring villains The Cherubs and D.H.O.R.K.S, and Stolas finally freeing Blitz of their transactional relationship. Both developments are really good, the return of the Cherubs and the agents was long overdue, but I'm glad to see them back. HOWEVER, both of these super important developments had to share an episode, which I think is the problem.

Both of these events were waaaaaaaaaaay too important to share the focus of a single 20 minute episode, and because they had to share, it minimizes the impact of both developments.

Or in the HB fandom's case, everyone is gonna focus on the Stolitz shippy stuff and all but completely ignore the other half of the episode.

Both the first return of these alluded villains and the Stolitz stuff should have gotten their own solo episode to really highlight the importance of each event.

What makes this even more frustrating is that, like I said before, we just came back from a hiatus and the three episodes before that were almost completely irrelevant to the 2 main plot lines. The only actually important thing that happened was Stolas getting Blitz the crystal, and that was the B-plot to S2 ep6 and not the main plot??? Almost nothing important happened in the last 3 episodes before the hiatus and then when the 2 most important plot lines finally get the spotlight again they have to share an episode.

"Look My Way" wasn't even in an episode????? It was a separate music video????? Which is completely bizarre?????

I have nothing but respect for the Hellverse creative teams, truly. I admire their persistence and their individuality. I respect how they are so unapologetically themselves, making the content they like and nothing else. I adore the artistic identity of Helluva Boss (not so much Hazbin but that's in my review of the first 4 eps of the series if you're interested in reading my thoughts about that). The art style and the animation style are incredible, looking x100 better than most animated shows done by bigger studios recently. Their success is something to be admired for sure, leading the pack for indie studios everywhere to find their own success. But one thing I cannot wrap my head around are the writing decisions for this show.

If they really have such limited time and resources, why are they wasting time on irrelevant bullshit????? Or at least, why are they so adamant on doing everything all at once??? Why does the D.H.O.R.K.S + the Cherubs plotline need to happen at the same time as the Stolitz plotline as the same time as the Striker + Crimson plotline at the same time as the "Blitz estranged relationships" plotline as the same time as "Stolas' family drama" plotline????? It's the same exact issue with Hazbin Hotel except worse because Helluva has more episodes than Hazbin. Vivziepop and her crew didn't know if they were getting a second season of Hazbin until halfway through production of S1, which can excuse a good portion of writing sins (no pun intended) committed in Hazbin. HELLUVA BOSS HAS 4 PLANNED SEASONS. They have the time to pace these plotlines better. There is literally NO REASON why they had to cram every single plotline into every single season. By dividing the attention between all the different plotlines, none of the plotlines get enough meaningful attention. There are so many episodes between each plotline development and so much time between each episode, that everything gets muddled and nothing is impactful in the slightest. And on top of everything, some of these episode slots are wasted on completely irrelevant nonsense. Happy Campers was such a waste of time, and Barbie Wire's introduction was completely wasted on it. It was promoted as the "Millie episode" but it was actually another Moxxie episode caused by random Millie angst. The Mid-season Special wasn't even about the main cast or Stolas????? Blitz was only there to justify the episode existing because without him the episode would have no real reason to exist???? Most of s2 has been completely irrelevant with no real plot progression.

So much time was wasted on stuff the ultimately doesn't mean anything, or won't mean anything for a long time and as a result, two of the more important plotlines get shoved in an episode together. So the stuff that doesn't matter get full episodes and the stuff that does matter have to share episodes.

Or in the case of "Look My Way", IT DOESN'T EVEN GET AN EPISODE AND IT HAS TO BE A MUSIC VIDEO OUTSIDE OF THE ACTUAL SERIES?????????

Each of these plotlines should have gotten their own season, or at least the similar ones can share.

S1 should have just been about the main cast (IMP) and maybe Stolas. Maybe introducing some of the main villains like the Cherubs and D.H.O.R.K.S (kind of like how they actually did it but without eps 2, 5, 7 and especially 8. So really only like half the season lmfao)

Then S2 could have been about Blitz's past relationships, Moxxie and Millie's relationship and Stolas' family drama.

S3 could have been about Stolitz and Blitz repairing his other relationships

and S4 could have been the epic return of The Cherubs and D.H.O.R.K.S, with some foreshadowing sprinkled throughout the rest of the series

......or something

Idk but the point is that by trying to do everything all at once, none of the attempted plotlines are impactful and the series as a whole suffers for it.

I still find HB entertaining, but damn is it frustrating to watch.

Anyway that's all I had to say

[akajustmerry]

I didn't have the knowledge to spot all the shit that was weird with the latest tlou ep but after reading your post I def see it :( Ty for talking abt this, you opened my eyes. I knew Neil was a zionist but I still failed to spot the themes you talked about.

When I watched the episode I remember thinking that Bill's commentary was odd and as his and Frank's story progressed I was hoping it was going to be Bill learning out of his old ways through his love for Frank (...and I think the show attempted that and thinks it succeeded) but ultimately failed bc to the writers Bill only needed to love one person to have "changed"

I really would've loved if they built a community by helping anyone who stumbled by and used all of Bill's endless resources to help them. I mean there was so much potential there. Bill trusted Frank and found purpose (in his own words! I mean they were so close to the point!!) This could've been a learning moment for Bill, that trusting a stranger lead to good things. By the time we saw Tess and Joel in the flashback, I still had hope this was were it was headed. Bill wouldn't have even had to die with Frank if he still had people around him. I mean the show simultaneously tried to say that Bill had nothing to live for after Frank was gone (we need other people and love to feel like we have a purpose) and at the same time kept on hammering it into out heads that we should trust no one. It's so stupid. Imagine Frank got to go knowing that he left behind a community that his husband could keep looking after. Or even if they both died, all their resources weren't just left there to rot.

literally! they die and leave the resources, ALL OF THEM, exclusively to Joel. Joel is the only one who knows the passcode and no one else because Bill only told him, because like, this dude couldn't even share his shit in death! and since no one in this story is community-minded AT ALL joel just shrugs, takes what *he* personally needs and leaves the rest locked up. its absolutely cooked!!!!! if i were ellie i'd be like bro wtf is wrong with you!!!!! leave this shit unlocked for people who need it are you that selfish????? i mean, he is and we know this but its still so silly!!!! neil druckmann get empathy and compassion challenge.

[catscardigan]

I have many thoughts about the latest episode... too many to make any kind of coherent point. I’m definitely going to have to go back and rewatch the ep again, but the main things I picked up from my first watch are this....  Bobby FINALLY admitting in canon what we knew all along. Buck IS his son. Maybe not in origin, but in all the ways that matter now. 

Eddie is in love with Buck. The small snippets we got in this ep spoke so much louder than other, longer interactions we got. The “DO MORE” rattles in my head constantly. Eddie is surrounded by people who have known/loved Buck for longer than he has, been through some significant traumas together, but maintain a level of composure whilst worried for their friend/son. Eddie’s reaction is that of someone who is completely and utterly in love and we can see him starting to bleed his inner thoughts out into the open. These two words have completely destroyed me. 

Not to mention Eddie’s reaction when he takes Christopher to see Buck. Not being able to look at the person who’s hurt? Silently crying so not to draw attention? Book end this with the absolute JOY and RELIEF on this mans face when they visit Buck once he’s awake? That’s some next level love shit and I will stand on any hill and scream this point. 

Christopher. Now aside from him speaking to Buck (yeah thanks Fox, I’ve literally burnt away the skin from my face thanks to the tears), we have the moment where he asks Buck to help find his dad. THIS is what has kept my cogs turning all night..... I was trying to think about when Chris has ever asked him to look for Eddie. I don’t think he ever has....meaning this is something NEW and it screams. 

WHY does Christopher need help finding Eddie? Where is he? Why is he lost? Is it really Christopher who is trying to find something, or is it a prompt for Buck? There’s also something really off about Buck’s response. He says he’s going to feel guilty about it later. Why would he feel guilty? Buck knows he’s on a path to discover who he is and I think this episode has helped him A LOT...but there’s still more to come and I reckon Eddie (including Christopher) is the key to that. Buck isn’t ready to find Eddie yet, but when he does? I for one am very excited to see where this goes. 

My FINAL thought (for now) is Margaret & Phillip. Their “redemption” arc. There was nothing about their behaviour or action that screams redemption to me. As someone who has had a traumatic childhood, I relate too hard to Buck and how he sees himself and how his mind works. So for me, this wasn’t a Buckley Parent redemption arc - this was well and truly Buck accepting HIMSELF for who he is and almost keeping himself in a (hopefully) healthy self-preservation mode. He is letting his parents into his life *just enough* to keep the peace. The conversation about the couch solidified this thought for me. As much as Buck forgives his parents of origin, he doesn’t NEED them to be happy with himself. 

If you read this far...THANK YOU! It’s not often I spill my brain onto this app, but last night was too important 🖤

[linusbenjamin]

Hey! I loooove your Lost edits so much. It’s my fave show of all time and I love seeing more activity in the tag, thank you ☺️

Your first watch of the show has coincided with my latest rewatch (I’ve just started s3, so I’m a tad behind you). But as someone watching it for the first time I just HAD to stop by and ask how you’re finding it so far and what your thoughts are? Tell me everything! No thought or detail is too small, I love talking about Lost so much 🥲

oh my god thank you so much!!! i just love it when lost fans come by here to say me they love seeing activity on the tag again and they say my gifs made them rewatch the show (i can't check tags cause ✨spoilers✨) it's shocking to see there are very few people who actually gif popular shows like lost, breaking bad etc. and i've even realized there are not any marvel fans anymore like it used to be, i don't know how i feel about this, but i'm glad to contribute 🥹

that's so great! <3 it's so great to see people are still rewatching it after 19 years because that's what this! show! deserves! i didn't know what it was about and after i read it, i said "a plane crashed on an island and some people survived? eh it's not that interesting and so cliche" and later my brother watched it and he was literally obsessed with it and he was very pissed off that i was constantly putting it off. so i started and the first two episodes were the most intense and chaotic episodes i've ever watched in any series 😬 so as i keep watching, i realized i love mystery series (which was sth i've noticed about myself) and i absolutely love science fiction and psychological series. it was so hard to keep so many character's name in mind at first and you know better than me, there are SO many details in such random places that i bet, most people didn't even notice in the first watching 😅 it's like, the smallest thing you saw in a random episode of s1 turns out to be something much bigger in a random episode of s3 etc. 😅 so since i can't see all of the easter eggs, i watch it with my brother mostly who has seen it 3 times and after finishing the eps he says "did you notice that" and then he goes "look there are numbers right there and there's hurley on the tv of the people jin went to kill" etc. 😅 but you know, this series is magnificent and full of surprises and it always ends with killer cliffhangers and now i'm on mid s3 and desmond started to keep saving charlie's ass, i've seen ben and his people, i feel like i'm really into the show and the scifi part of it 😅 i don't know how it will all fit together, you know, everytime roll credits, i'm like "i dunno what i've just watched and how it's gonna play out by the end but it's freaking exciting" 😅 i'm really glad that i'm watching lost at 22 because lost is mostly about life itself, good memories, regrets, personalities, sins and grace, there's always a moral of the story in the end. so, if i had watched it when i was little, i probably wouldn't understand a shit. but now i feel a little more mature and i've been through a few things so the character's stories are a bit more relatable now.

so what i'm most curious about is that, now i'm on mid s3 and i found out claire's father is WHO!!! (freaking out!!! not spoiling this cause there might be someone reading) can you say that i've seen the most of this show OR things has just started and i've seen nothing yet 😂 i can't make gifs a lot 'cause i'm currently busy with life and my thesis but giffing this show is fun, so if you have specific requests, i'm writing which episode i last watched in my pinned post, u can check it out from there ✨ i'm so glad you had to stop to ask me this, lost is going pretty mysterious and chaotic and i'm so thankful for that 😂

[muninnhuginn]

Thanks for the tag, @roseofcards90!

Last song listened to:

Currently watching:

Move to Heaven (kdrama) - this probably isn't my usual fare, but I think I'm liking it so far? (Finished the first two eps) It's basically about telling the stories of the dead and making sure they get the respect they may not have received in life. One of the main MCs is autistic (as in, literally diagnosed) and the writing/acting seems to have a good balance so far with not babying him by showing he is competent but just has different rules and different people "get" him to varying levels? (There are definitely some little bits like the implication that his dad learnt sign language for him that feels warm rather than some writer just googling "common autistic traits") Will see how it goes anyway. It seems like the story of the day is episodic but the character stuff is building in the background.

Link Click (donghua) - Started watching this when s1 was airing but it was airing in the same period as Oddtaxi so the mystery parts of my brain were focused more on that at the time. To simplify it, it's a time travel donghua where the MC has to go back in time in order to retrieve info without altering the timeline. Season two is airing now and whilst I prefer s1 still overall s2 is still pretty interesting? Season one is more episodic/structured into arcs with a character focus, whilst season two is more full pelt mystery (so it's a bit surprising I prefer s1 tbh).

Jujutsu Kaisen (anime) - I'm an anime-only with this and am probably going to remain that way (especially from what I've gleaned about the manga - I might just watch to end of season two then leave it be?). Season two so far has captured me more than season one, though I've not seen the latest episode yet so will see if that holds when we return to the main cast. Either way, the openings and endings are genuinely so well-made. Even if the series goes entirely in a direction I hate I know I'll always have them.

Again My Life (kdrama) - Lawyer guy gets into trouble trying to take down a powerful guy. Gets killed (shocker). Gets sent back to his younger self to do it right this time. Not a super original plot admittedly, but it's a chill story so far and the relationships between the main cast in it (pretty much all platonic at least at this stage) are all really sweet. It's also doing surprisingly well in giving the female characters interesting conflicts

Adventure Time (US cartoon) - Not watching the whole thing and I have seen a number of random episodes out of order before, but am trying to crash course my way through enough to watch Fiona and Cake. Just finished the episode about Finn's ocean phobia and um, bit more yikes than I was expecting at this stage, but okay. Also, unfortunately, I can entirely see what people mean about Bubblegum&Finn being inspiration for Makima&Denji

Currently reading:

Klara and the Sun - first arc complete, extremely worried about some flags I'm picking up, rip. It's from the POV of a robot (AI kinda deal) and narration-wise, it really shows. Klara's pretty naiive in some ways, but the world-building and clues still make their way through the narration filter

House of Leaves - okay, ngl, I'm not far into this at all, but I've been confused about references to it for years and it seems meta so I'm going to get through it

Will bundle manga in together for ones I'm properly keeping up with rather than checking in every few months to catch up so: Skip and Loafer (monthly release), Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun (monthly), Spy x Family (fortnightly). Webtoons: Rebirth (weekly), unOrdinary (weekly).

Current obsession:

idek what I'd count because I'm into a few things rn and none of them to the extent I've done the whole deep dive? I'm being relatively chill, for me, I'd say. I'll say Link Click, Good Omens, Spy x Family are the things I'm most into nowadays? Good Omens is definitely what I have the most reblogs queued up relating to by far. There's just so much art and meta and I'm not used to being into a fandom here that just has so much. It's a bit overwhelming, honestly

Not sure who to tag but anyone who sees this and wants to have a go feel free (and feel free to ping me in it, I'm nosy) ^^

[thisisevenharderthannamingablog]

Liveblogging notes for Ep 3.

By this point Porsche might be excused for thinking he's dreaming. I am starting to wonder myself. The gang all watching porn together? They took Tankhun to Hum Bar? In a reversal from Ep 2, we see Porsche's chaotic streak and outsider status turned toward positive ends in this one, and a return to his own home turf. BTW in case you didn't notice all the subtle hints Kinn is gay.

Kinn do you ever actually sleep, or just keep tabs on everything in the house all the time? Maybe that's what the coffee is for.

Porsche has been left at home to Khun-sit during a big meeting. That's what you get for being a fuck-up, dude. This of all things motivates him to buckle down?! Why? Because it was an off-hand, second-hand comment, not something that he could fight?

Aw, his new friends are rooting for him. (Big is still sulking.) Going for that "most improved" award this month I guess, and is now allowed to go along on jobs.

Oh right! Everybody here is a violent criminal! We almost forgot. What's this about a secret...? Porsche is super-uncomfortable with this whole scene. What will you do when you're desperate?

Shit I thought that line about superhero movies was one of those incorrect quote things because it's so damn cheesy.

Apparently desperation leads this particular guy to suicide by Mafia. And now we have a "they" in the equation? Porsche is going way out on a limb here and Kinn's just... observing. Unbothered. Thinking maybe for a half second "holy shit is that actually going to work?" and then "nope good try though" and Porsche gets slightly shot and Embezzler Guy goes down with like six bullets in him, one of which belongs to Porsche.

I am getting so much whiplash, this show will be hearing from my insurance company.

Kinn is relaxing after surviving his latest murder attempt and... thinking about Porsche's face? Oh dear. So far we've generally seen him through Porsche's (more or less antagonistic) POV; this is the first private, reflective moment.

Porsche is so very confused right now but he's... sort of reaching out? Trying to be helpful? To do not just the physical but the mental part of his job and figure out the source of the threat? (Good lord he looks young though.)

Was that... teasing? Kinn is hard to read.

Ah, the elusive Kim at last. Who also gets assigned protection even though he doesn't live at home? Big is in a glass case of emotion here. Kim you are being mean to Big for no reason, although as the youngest anybody having a crush on your older brother is probably good enough reason from his POV.

We switch frameworks rapidly throughout this episode, mixing the two worlds. Back to Yok's bar with both of the older siblings, Kinn having invited himself and his friends along. I'm delighted that Porsche and Khun have hit it off. Khun seems much more like a character now that he isn't so one-note. Out of the whole bunch only Kinn looks like he actually knows how to drink. This whole scene is just so... unguarded? Like yes there are a bunch of bodyguards present, but everybody is drunk and dancing and nobody cares. It's positioned opposite the house, where everything is controlled and rule-bound and paranoid. By the end of the scene they're like a pile of (very scary) puppies, worn out from unaccustomed playtime.

All except for a silly-drunk Porsche, who is dragging a mostly-sober (?) Kinn down to the waterfront because why...? (There's the water again.) And Kinn is literally "all right, whatever" about this, just thoroughly bemused by this guy now. Big fan of the camera work in this show so far, the way it's spiraling in on the two of them here, none of the usual markers of difference between them in evidence.

"When's the last time you were this happy?" is a telling question, and it's one Porsche doesn't ask back, but you are inevitably led to wonder what the answer would have been.

And bang, we're back to Porsche's moral dilemma, which has been there the whole time, will always be there, whether or not he chooses to look away for an evening. Kinn reveals something significant for the first time - regardless of what the viewer might opine, he doesn't think he has a choice about his life. So why is he kissing Porsche now? Because Porsche is sad, and they both feel trapped?

For a first kiss that went hard, whoa.

They crammed so much into this I'm double-checking the episode length.

[simslegacy5083]

NSB (Straud Legacy) Gen 8 Ep. 45: A Chance Romance

The Story of a Family Told in Web Comic Format

---------------------------------------------

With Peachy and Jack connecting in and out of work, and Paul and Nikita seeming completely inseparable, Great Grandpa Chance was the last single member of the household. He had been continuing to seek a connection of his own through the convenience of Meet and Mingle.

One of his more promising recent matches was a librarian. The old book lover had even met her a few times already at his beloved local library.

---------------------------------------------

Adriel suggested he stop by right after her shift one night, and being surrounded by their favorite media got things off to a great start.

They discussed the latest books they’d read, and discovered a lot of similar tastes in fiction, exchanging new angles on tales they both loved.

---------------------------------------------

When Adriel asked about his family Chance had so many interesting stories to share! He picked just the best ones about his grandfather Vlad, his grandson Storm, Storm’s grandchild Jasper, and the two wonderful grandson’s of Jasper that lived with him now, barely mentioning the rest.

Unfortunately, it turned out his young date had never been married, had no kids, and was far more shocked than impressed by the depth of his involvement with his crowd of living and undead relatives. She ended their date by literally running off into the rain, leaving a stunned Chance to ponder a whole new kind of incompatibility he hadn’t even suspected.

---------------------------------------------

Up to this point Chance had been meticulously curating his dating profile and matches but this unexpected mismatch prompted him to take a back seat in the process and trust the algorithm to steer him to his next date. It could hardly do worse at picking than he had!

He met up with Bianca for brunch. They settled at a corner table, ordered their meal, and began the process of getting to know one another.

---------------------------------------------

He found out she worked at the Strangerville military base and just had to brag about his grand-grand-grandkids, the hometown heroes.

He wasn’t expecting his youthfully dressed date to laugh out loud and share colorful details about her own involvement as an experienced officer keeping a lid on that whole situation indefinitely while bureaucrats, officers, and scientific committees fought over various solutions.

That cute kid with the peach hair and his friends had saved her team a ton of late nights by cutting off the interminable bickering with their foolish but decisive actions. She’d been too busy then to tell them she owed them one, but she was glad Chance could let them know now.

---------------------------------------------

Their date progressed smoothly from that unexpectedly random connection. Bianca’s bold attitude took life in stride – reacting with wry amusement when Chance’s first Meet and Mingle date, Cristal, appeared suddenly at the next table and waved excitedly at him.

After Chance offered chagrined introductions, the clearly pregnant sim began oversharing about how she had met her now husband moments after Chance bailed on their date, and how excited they both were to welcome their new bundle of joy. The unflappable Bianca offered her congratulations, while smoothly steering the energetically unfiltered redhead back to conversing with own embarrassed seeming companion.

---------------------------------------------

Over the tasty meal that soon arrived, the two had a very pleasant conversation without any other random interruptions, and both seemed to feel very comfortable together. To Chance it felt like meeting an old friend for the first time, and he wasn’t shy about telling Bianca exactly that.

As they walked out of the restaurant together, he thanked her for the wonderful afternoon and hoped they could get together again soon, as it had been hundreds of years since he had met someone as interesting and impressive as her.

With a twinkle in her eye, she told him that his shameless flattery would get him nowhere, but he was free to continue it on their second date. Chance headed home excited that love might be in his future again after all and eager to hear from her after she “checked on some things”.

---------------------------------------------

Want To See More? View The Full Story of My Not So Berry Challenge Here

[megumiifushiiguro]

FOR YOU TO READ WHEN YOU ARE FEELING BAD OR NEED A BREAK:

heyyyyyy

sorry for not sending you a ridiculous rambly message in a couple days, schoolwork has been taking over my life.

i'm on half term rn but on tuesday i have a massive maths assessment so my days have been taken up by simultaneous equations and circle theorums etc.

anyways, if you haven't in a while then have some food, have a drink of water or tea or coffee or whatever else u like, and have a shower if you aren't feeling great.

you should so watch once upon a time, it's so good and addictive!!!!!! but kinda in that sorta crappy way! like it's a great show with lots of great plots but it kinda goes all over the place.

cereal is elite!!!!!! i ate half a box of special k today and, despite feeling pretty crappy and bloated after it did taste very good.

i saw you mention you are studying lots today. i'm sorry if it's a pretty dull day, but i'm sure whatever you are studying for, you will do amazing in it, and even if you don't it'll all be ok.

you should 100% listen to maisie, she is absolutely *chefs kiss* amazing. start of with some things like the list and details and this is on you and personal best, and then maybe listen to her album, because her earlier ep's are a lot more acoustic and the album is more indie pop.

oh also listen to her latest single body better, it's so good!!!!!!!!!

here is some pictures i took today of my cat to hopefully improve your day if it's not going too well

oh i just r4ead through your last message saying that your exams are from march 1st. that sucks. mine are around the same time, from late februrary to throughout march. mine aren't really important till next year though so even though it is a bit stressful, i'm sure it's not quite the same as what you are dealing with. ever way, i am sorry that you have to study lots and i am sure you will do amazing.

well, i can't think of anything else much to say and i should probably get back to my maths, but i am sending you lots of love and hugs and gilmore girls and rory/logan cute content and cups of tea and biscuits and everything nice <3

IZZY HIII

u and me both bestie u and me both but take all the time u need to send these msgs i'll be here waiting :)

aaahhh gl for ur math assessment!! i'm sure u'll do gr8 :)

gonna go and drink some water after replying to this ily<3 u also remember to hydrate urself and eat smth!

hsdfghgf i get what ur saying i'll definitely watch it after my exams :D

frfr cereal>>

yeah i'm literally studying rn also as i reply to this ask😭 also TY ILYSM

okok i'll listen to her i prommy :)

AND OMG🥺 WHAT'S HIS NAME??? HE'S SO SO CUTE AWWW!!! ALSO THIS DID IMPROVE MY DAY 100 TIMES MORE SO TY

aww tysm bestie<3 i sure do hope i do fine in them :') also gl for ur exams!! i'm sure u'll do just fine<33 and if u don't then that's OK too<33 remember that.

bye bye izzy ilysm take care mwah<3 giving u a hug rn🥺💕

[softbinu]

Moonbin and the baby. Moonbin and the baby. Moonbin and the baby.’oonvin and the vaby. Moonbin and the baby.. moinvin and the ba by moOn bin and the baBy MOONbinAnD THE BABYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

[merakiaes]

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT BUCKY AND SARAH

TFATWS EP.5 SPOILERS BELOW THE CUT!

Do you know what I love the most about Bucky and Sarah’s interactions in the latest episode?

The fact that we got to see Bucky as Bucky, for the first time in a long time. 

After having gone through literal hell, he’s become reserved, suspicious, and uncertain. He’s hesitant and just generally unwilling and uninterested in creating new bonds, partly because of his trust issues and the inevitable fear of being stabbed in the back, abandoned and betrayed, but also because of his deep self-hatred. 

He has developed somewhat of a habit of not purposely putting himself in other people’s lives more than absolutely necessary, because he doesn’t want them to have him in their lives. He feels like people are better off without all the baggage that he comes with; without the trauma, without his dark past and horrible deeds. 

And then Sarah walks in. He takes one look at her, and it’s like time just stops and rewinds 80 years.

He suddenly takes the first step to start a conversation, to introduce himself, and obviously goes out of his way to appear charming in a similar way to when he first tried introducing himself to Peggy Carter. 

He pulled out the old lopsided, boyish grin, the smooth voice, the sparkling eyes that just say: “I’m into you”, and rather than trying to cover it up and be subtle about it, he made it painfully obvious what he was doing, letting his eyes take their sweet time in openly checking her out with full intent of letting her know what he thought of her. No shame, but on the contrary, with pride. 

Suddenly he’s flirty. Confident. Open. Initiative. Curious. Interested; something he hasn’t been since before his Winter Soldier days; not even with Leah with whom he was still very withdrawn and, in my opinion, appeared very unwilling to even consider bonding and opening up to.

And now we suddenly get to see him as the go-getter he used to be before Hydra. Before all that super soldier and brainwashing shit. We get to see him as the first person to start a conversation, rather than just speaking when spoken to; again, like we saw on his date with Leah - he didn’t go out of his way, whatsoever, to show her that he was actually interested.

But with Sarah: he shows no doubt, no fear, no uncertainty. Just genuine interest and intrigue. He sees something he likes, something he wants, and actually makes the move to go after it. No self-doubt, no self-hatred, no internal “I’m a monster and shouldn’t initiate any new relations with people who deserve better”-thoughts. 

Just....: “I’m Bucky” , with that overly-cocky, shit-eating, playboy-ish grin that we all know and love from back in his golden days.

She answers him with her own name, and he repeats it, looks down, and has to bite his fucking lip to contain his smile, and totally fails in doing so when his entire face breaks into a grin as he walks away with Sam. 

It’s genuine. Happy. It comes naturally and doesn’t have to be forced like most of his persona and relations are nowadays.

Even if only for the moment, his guilt-ridden conscience and shame disappears, and for the first time in a long time, it just comes naturally for him to put himself out there. Because that’s him. In this moment, he’s able to be himself without reading into it, without over-thinking it. It just happens. 

And even after all this time, this man still has fucking game, leaving her blushing, fiddling with her hands and looking down at her feet while smiling like a fucking school girl. 

To wrap it up, all of my points are just proven even further by the fact that Sam noticed, and specifically forbade Bucky from moving in on his sister. That only shows even further how genuine, real and natural his reaction to seeing and meeting Sarah for the first time was and it’s fucking incredible.

Like, this? You see this, right here? The way he looks her up and down, smiles, clearly likes what he sees and makes absolutely NO attempt in denying his attraction to himself, nor hiding it from his surroundings? The way he looks down, almost shyly, and then can’t stop smiling as he walks away?

This is Bucky. This is Bucky fucking Barnes. The real Bucky Barnes, who was buried so long ago. The flirty, charming, go-getting ladies man. 

And who was it that unburied him? Who was it that made him appear after all that time of just being a cold, hard shell? Sarah fucking Wilson, that’s who. She brought the old - the real - Bucky Barnes back with one look. 

Like, if you read his expressions, his mannerisms, the way his entire attitude shifts when she appears - you just know that man’s heart is doing fucking sommersaults in his chest.

If any of you think that I’m reading way too much into this, you’re wrong. Anyone who disagrees with me about any of this is wrong. I will not be taking any constructive criticism at this time, nor will I ever, because Bucky and Sarah are soulmates and you can’t change my mind. Thank you and goodnight. 

[minniejo-fics]

hi! i love your works!! im not sure if you're currently taking requests but in the latest xdinary heroes rock the world (ep. 18 around 14 minutes in) o.de is said to get dizzy a lot. i was wondering if you can make a fic where o.de gets dizzy spells different times with each of the members and it shows how they worry and take care of him. its completely fine if you dont want to take this request but thank you so much for reading this <33

This is my first time writing this format and I hope you enjoy it

Five Times O.de got Dizzy and One Time he Didn't

Gunil

The members of Xdinary Heroes were still in the early stages of getting to know each other. Gunil had decided to spend some time one on one with each member so he could get a good feel for who they are as individuals. This would also help him in being a good leader. Today Gunil was getting lunch with Seungmin.

Gunil had asked the driver to take them to a restaurant that was located avout half an hour just outside the city. The route to the restaurant was mostly side streets that unfortunately were riddled with potholes and uneven paving. It was a fairly bumpy ride.

The duo was chatting lightly, each staring at their phones. The leader didn’t initially notice anything was wrong until he glanced up from his phone and saw Seungmin holding his head.

“Are you okay Min?” Gunil asked. Seungmin made a noise then said something that Gunil didn’t quite hear.

“What was that?” The leader leaned in a little closer.

“Dizzy, spinning.” Gunil became slightly alarmed upon hearing this. He would have asked the driver to pull over, but they were only a few blocks away from the restaurant, so he’d properly check in with his dongsaeng when they were parked.

Gunil knew that the manager kept a few bottles of water in the center console of the car, so as soon the car was parked, he asked the manager for one. He unscrewed the cap and offered it to Seungmin. Seungmin accepted the bottle, but it took a few moments before he actually started drinking. "Thanks hyung."

"Are you feeling better, or do you want to go back to the dorm and rest?" Gunil asked mainly because for all he knew Seungmin wasn't feeling well before they left and he was just hiding it.

"I'm good hyung. I'm just a little carsick. Give me another minute. This literally happens all the time." Gunil made a mental note to make sure to stock up on things for car sickness. Over lunch he asked the younger for more info so he would know what to look out for.

Jungsu

Jungsu and Seungmin had just finished filming/recording another episode of Youngjae's Close Friend, and were gathering their things. Youngjae had already left the room and Jungsu was already up and putting his jacket on. He watched as Seungmin stood up, only to seemingly fall back down into the chair. He became slightly concerned when he saw Seungmin grab his head.

“Min, are you okay?” He asked as he placed his hand on the younger’s shoulder. Seungmin nodded his head in response.

“I’m fine hyung. I just need a minute.” Jungsu wasn’t entirely convinced by the statement and quickly flagged down one of the staff that was still in the room, politely asking them to bring him a water bottle. While waiting for the water to arrive, Jungsu placed his hand on Seungmin’s forehead. However, Seungmin was quick to remove his hyung’s hand.

“Hyung, I’m fine. I just stood up too fast and got dizzy.” Sengmin said this as he began to sit up, only to have Jungsu press on his shoulder to keep him sitting. A moment later, the staff member returned with a water bottle and handed it to Jugnsu, who in turn uncapped it and handed it to Seungmin.

“Drink this first. Just in case you might be a tad dehydrated.” Seugmin visibly rolled his eyes in response, but drank the water anyway.

Jiseok

During a free day, Jiseok decided that he really wanted to go to the amusement park. A new ride had opened and he really wanted to check it out. However, he didn’t want to go by himself and the others all had plans. Seungmin’s plans wound up falling through at the last minute, so he decided to accompany his oldest same age bandmate to the park.

The duo decided to start off on some of the more low-key rides before going on the new roller coaster. One of the first rides they went on was the tea cup ride. Seungmin wasn’t too keen on spinning the cup a whole bunch, but Jiseok was very in favor of making the cup spin as fast as possible. Seungmin was going to tell Jiseok that he wanted to go slow, but the slightly older member was already spinning the cup around before he could get a word in.

When the ride stopped, Seungmin’s head was absolutely spinning, and he wasn’t entirely sure he’d be able to get out of the cup by himself. Jiseok had already gotten out and was excitedly chatting about the next ride he wanted to go on. I took him a moment before he realized Seungmin hadn’t gotten out, ane he looked back to see the younger still sitting in the cup.

“Seungminnie, let’s go.” He said somewhat impatiently.

“Hyung, can you help me get out?” Jiseok’s entire demeanor changed as Seungmin never calls him hyung. He quickly climbed back into the cup and helped Seungmin out, only to become even more concerned when he practically collapsed to the ground.

“Min, what’s wrong? Do I need to call a manager or somebody?” Jiseok was sounding kind of frantic. Seungmin shook his head.

‘No hyung. I just need a few minutes. The ride was going too fast, and now I’m insanely dizzy.

“Sorry. I didn’t think you’d get motion sick on the teacup ride.” Jiseok led him over to a bench before quickly running off and returning a couple minutes later with two bags of mini donuts.

“Let’s eat and then play some of the games. We can go on the roller coaster later, or I can go by myself while you wait.” Jiseok said. Seungmin agreed to the plan except for the roller coaster part. He told Jiseok that he’d be fine on the roller coaster and there was no way we was going to stay off the ride.

Hyeongjun

It had been a while since Seungmin and Hyeongjun had spent any one on one time together, so on their first free weekend, they decided to go to a nearby park. It was nice enough weather that there were people on the lake in swan paddle boats. Hyeongjun was looking towards the boats with an expression of longing, and since it did look fun and relaxing, Seungmin was quick to take the younger’s wrist and pull him toward the boats to buy a ticket.

The paddle boats were indeed quite relaxing, for the first few minutes. After that, Seungmin found it a bit hard to continue to paddle, as he began to get dizzy. Hyeongjun didn’t notice that the older had stopped paddling until they started going in circles instead of going straight. He looked over to Seungmin, who almost looked like he was in pain.

“Are you feeling okay?” He asked as he also stopped paddling. Seungmin shook his head in response.

“I feel sick. I think I might be getting sea sick.” Hyeongjun’s eyes widened a bit and he started to rub the slightly older’s back.

“Do you think you can help me paddle back to the dock?” He got a hesitant nod in return. The duo slowly made their way back to the dock, having to stop a few times because the boat moving forward plus the lake gently rocking the boat would occasionally make Seungmin’s dizziness worse.

When they finally got back to the dock, Hyeongjun wasn’t even surprised when Seungmin heavily leaned on him as they walked to the nearest available bench. “You didn’t have to agree to take me on the paddle boats if you get seasick.” Hyeonjun said as the duo waited for Seungmin’s dizziness to pass. Seungmin snorted at that

“I didn’t even know I was going to get seasick. It was my first time on a boat.” This made Hyeongjun feel a bit better, knowing that the elder hadn’t sacrificed his health for him. He still felt bad though, and insisted that Seungminpick the next thing to do and he’d go along with whatever he chose.

Jooyeon

Jooyeon had really wanted to go to the arcade, but didn’t want to go alone. Seugnmin was the first hyung he ran into at the dorm, and naturally was the first one he asked. Seungmin quickly agreed because arcades are always fun.

The duo spent some time playing DDR and ski ball. Jooyeon then caught sight of the VR game and immediately dragged Seungmin over to partake. Seungmin was a bit hesitant at first, so Jooyeon agreed to go first. Seungmin found Jooyeon’s reactions to the VR very funny, and before he knew it, it was his turn.

Seungmin found himself spinning around a lot in the game. To the extent that he didn’t fully realize he was spinning around just as much in real life. At least not until his but was on the ground and he was having trouble getting back up.

Of course, Jooyeon initially thought it was hilarious when Seungmin landed on the floor. Only to become concerned for his hyung when he was visibly struggling to get up. He quickly asked the attendant to stop the game and helped Seungmin take off the VR headset. Jooyeon immediately began asking Seungmin if he had gotten hurt, and Seungmin shook his head.

“Relax Yeonnie. I’m not hurt. The spinning I was doing just made me overly dizzy. I’ll be fine in like a minute.” Jooyeon visibly relaxed upon hearing this. The duo hung around the arcade for around another hour, before deciding to head back to the dorm.

Seungmin

It was the group's very first time having an international schedule, and they were currently at their gate waiting for boarding to start. Seungmin was confused because his members kept asking him if he was going to be okay flying. It wasn’t until Gunil brought up a sick bag, that he realized his members were concerned about his motion sickness.

“Guys. I’m fine with flying. I’ve been on dozens of planes and I haven’t gotten motion sick once. If something changes, I will be sure to alert someone.” The others clearly didn’t believe him because of Seungmin’s history of getting sick even on the short drive to the company building.

Much to the surprise of the other five members, Seungmin had zero problems on the plane. However Gunil didn’t want to chance anything, so he made Seungmin rest in the hotel room for a little bit after the very quick car ride to their hotel.

[magicpotatoobsession]

GIVEN | 8 Small but Tell-Tale Signs on the Complex Dynamics of Mafuyama

Kizu's been dropping hints since the beginning...

I was revisiting the beginning of the manga/anime and I noticed so many small interactions between Mafuyu and Uenoyama that allude to their complicated relationship dynamics in the latest chapters! I'm going to try and focus on things that people may have missed, or that I have missed the first time round.

[Manga/Anime Spoilers ahead!]

1. Uenoyama is looking behind for Mafuyu when Mafuyu can't himself

Wholesome boyfriend Ue is always giving Mafuyu support. But from this scene, it's hinting that Ue is also "looking behind" for Mafuyu when Mafuyu can't himself.

I think it's a very good reflection of the recent chapters (30 - 40s) where we are seeing Uenoyama completing Yuki's song when Mafuyu is finding it hard to process his own trauma. I think it's a very good depiction that maybe Uenoyama might be the one to be able to support him through this grief by getting Mafuyu to face and deal with his grief rather than being paralysed in a constant state of emotional shutdown.

More thoughts on what the Yuki-Ueno song might mean here!

2. Uenoyama grows closer but Mafuyu still holds him at a distance

We see in Episode 3 or Chapter 4 of the manga where Ue is chasing Mafuyu down after he runs away where Uenoyama changes from calling him by "Sato" (surname) to "Mafuyu" (first name). Uenoyama doesn't use any honorifics with family members as seen with his sister Yayoi so in that moment, he actually already considers Mafuyu as family.

However, Mafuyu throughout the entire anime as well as up till this point in the manga still address him as

"Uenoyama-kun"

(surname) with honorifics. It could be interpreted that Mafuyu is trying to hold Uenoyama at an emotional distance because calling him by first name, which is what he does with Yuki, feels too intimate.

Now whenever I rewatch or re-read scenes where Mafuyu is calling Ue, it's cute but actually kind of really sad. T_T

3. Uenoyama doesn't know what role he has in the relationship

I think most people would find this moment in the anime/chapter 6 in the manga to just be comedic but I think it really goes to show that Uenoyama doesn't really know what role he has in the relationship. He seems to fluctuate approaching Mafuyu either from a lower or higher footing.

In music, because of his expertise, his tone of voice is more instructional, however emotionally, he is always trying to support Mafuyu by putting aside his own needs. If you compare Mafuyama to the late Akiharu, Mafuyama feels like Ue pivotting around Mafu while AkiHaru have approached a healthy stage in their relationship where they discuss matters on equal footing.

4. Mafuyu and "five more minutes"

I already mentioned this in my deep dive on Mafuyu blogpost but I still think this is an important thing to bring up. The first time I watched the House Call/Ep 10 scene, I literally died of cuteness overload. But now looking back and reading the manga, Mafuyu asking for Uenoyama to stay for 5 more minutes when he came over holds a deeper meaning. On the surface, Mafuyu being flirty and completely owning it is very cute but it seems like there is an underlying weight to his words.

Mafuyu wants to be remembered and loved by Uenoyama just like Yuki wanted to be with Mafuyu. The parallel here wasn't a coincidence!

This actually derives from his fear of abandonment where he craves to be desired due to unresolved trauma presumably stemming from his violent and absent father.

But the thing is, will Mafuyu be able to reciprocate this same intensity of love back at Ue? We see Mafuyu often seeking comfort from Ue and Ue providing comfort, yet Mafuyu's hesitant when Ue's asking for Mafuyu to meet his needs e.g. commitment to music (metaphor for his commitment to the relationship). This is showing through the cracks of the latest chapters of Given.

5. Uenoyama is trying to share some of Mafuyu's burden

In that one scene in Ep 11 and Chapter 14, Ue was carrying the box of Aki's CDs that he lent to Mafuyu and he actually says

"It's ok, I'll carry it"

and in another translation, I saw that it was

"I'll endure it"

when Mafuyu asked if he wanted to switch at the next telepole. The box of music can be symbolic of Mafuyu's grief and emotional burden. Ue's saying that he will try and push through to help carry some of Mafuyu's burden and to endure it while Mafuyu is going through the motions of grief.

6. Uenoyama places blame on himself for Mafuyu's sadness

Here, another seemingly lighthearted comedic scene in Chapter 22, several times through the anime Ue actually takes it pretty hard whenever he sees Mafuyu upset or he thinks he did something that would potentially upset Mafuyu. That "self-loathing" panel seems funny on the surface but really goes to show that while Mafuyu is busy dealing with his own trauma, I don't think Mafuyu has noticed Ue also internalising and blaming himself for Mafuyu's grief and sadness. Ue really takes it so hard on himself that any sort of thing that made/could potentially make Mafuyu upset, he absolutely agonises over.

(man my heart hurts even just writing about this).

7. Mafuyu cannot see Ue fully while Ue only has eyes for Mafuyu

I think what's so interesting is that Mafuyu is pretty observant and perceptive of other people, but his fear of getting close to Ue stops him from truly seeing Ue.

While Ue has kind of the opposite problem, Ue is so in love with Mafuyu that he's basically tunnel-visioned about everything else except for Mafuyu, and that includes his very own needs and wants within the relationship. See how Ue was totally unaware in Chapter 22 that Haruki and Aki had feelings for each other. Also in Chapter 25, he can't even remember meeting Hiiragi? Of course it could be argued that Ue is just inherently blockheaded but for someone that's pretty popular and kind.....I think this is tunnel-vision wasn't this bad until Mafuyu came into his life.

8. Misinterpretation of each other's actions

In Chapter 35, I think it's easy to gloss over and focus on Mufuyu's sense of abandonment playing up but actually this key quote:

"But I thought he was avoiding me"

is very important. Uenoyama was trying to give Mafuyu the space to think but Mafuyu interpreted it as Uenoyama prioritising other things and people over him. It is likely that we will see this fester into a deeper problem later on in the story, where there misinterpretations of each other's actions because of Mafuyu's abandonment issues, the Yuki trauma and Ue's confusion about his role and his own needs within the relationship will most likely cause a main climactic conflict in the story. (Ahem Chapter 43)

This latest arc is absolutely tearing me to pieces...

Once again, a round of applause for Kizu. 8 small things (there are probably a lot more) that I would have missed but this is why Given is a manga you can keep returning to and just keep finding more things and layers about each character.

On a personal note, even though things are at an all high tension right now, I don't think Ue is a 'rebound'. I think it can also be interpreted that because Mafuyu cares SO much about Ue and doesn't wanna fuck things up, that's why he is in freeze mode. The trauma of the past, the deja vu of the present, the uncertainty of the future, it's just all very overwhelming for our cinnamon roll. While for Ue, our poor bean, can't help but take Mafuyu's shutdown personally.

(So I'm gonna go and cry now) Amazing storytelling as always, Kizu!

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