#omg such a long post I'm so sorry

[nailsinmywall]

Maeglin in gondolin (and curufin laughing at eol)

[iilmunchkiin]

Just saw an absolutely amazing post that convinced me that Ceroba would be the one who confesses first.

(op turned turned off reblogs unfortunately so I'm making this post (┬┬﹏┬┬)) ("Just put the link to the post here-" No, you absolute buffoon, they turned it off for a reason and I'm going to respect that) (also potential rambling?? again??) (future LM here, yep there is alot of rambling. this was supposed to be a character analysis but I accidentally made a fic halfway LMAOAOAOAOAOA )

god I'm a sucker for slow burn and angst (duh, you all know that) I used to think that Starlo wouldn't be able to take it anymore and finally get the balls to confess to her, he goes up to her and it'll be the usual cheesy but wholesome moment with him nervously laughing, Ceroba getting surprised so she turns away while brushing off some hair that got on her face, Starlo sheepishly rubbing the back of his head and stuttering to get the words out. It'll all be planned of course he's a gentleman, he's just so stupidly nice and understanding that if Ceroba just flat out tells him "I don't wanna be in a romantic relationship with you" I just know he's going to smile and tell her it's okay and he'd still be there for her and it won't affect their friendship at all and he's going to stay by her side de jashdkahsd sorry the brainworms are doing the thing again.

Of course the idea of Ceroba confessing first also came into my mind, her realizing she's in love with Starlo but now has to fight the guilt thinking that she's "betraying/cheating on Chujin" made the little angsty gremlin in me giggle but I just preferred it would be Starlo who breaks the ice just for shittles and giggles (I like seeing him get all blushy and shy HIHIHIHIH). Also adding the fact that Ceroba DID consider getting together with him but she brushes it off cuz she thinks he's still too immature. (Yes I am aware Ceroba acknowledges Starlo growing up in True Pacifist but I didn't give it that much thought I was in delulu land)

But then I saw the post and ho h my god oh my goddddddd.....

I was a fool

Starlo is aware of what Ceroba has gone through and as her childhood best friend he would respect her and not risk overwhelming her with a confession cuz OF COURSE HE WOULDNT, and if he DID consider confessing it would be YEARS after the whole "Clover-sacrificing-themselves-for-the-futue-of-monsterkind" ordeal but he would have probably fallen out of love at this point and it would go

⭐: "OH YEAH btw I had a crush on you when we were kids" 🦊: "HUH"

(not dismissing the chance he could still be in love with her despite that I mean he's dedicated and loyal and so damn devoted to her it makes sense, it was just had a funny thought giggles)

But then after reading the post, it reopened the idea of Ceroba confessing first and... oh my god it was glorious. It would start small, thinking he looked nice one day, subconsciously gazing at him and adoring him at the distance as he talks his usual nonsense at the saloon with the feisty 5, wanting to hang out with him a little more than usual, until it slowly builds up over time. She starts noticing the little things about him, his wide smile, the sound of his voice and the laughter he makes when he does his usual shenanigans with her in post-pacifist where things are starting to get brighter as they heal together, she would call him an idiot but god he would just smile at her again and the little dimples on the sides of his face would make her melt without knowing and she swears she felt her face get warm but brushes it off, thinking it's nothing. But that's where the snowball keeps getting bigger, she would see him talking to the folk again at the saloon and wish it was her he was laughing with, she'll quickly snap out of it, shake her head a little and think about how weird it was for her to have thought about that. She'd find herself beaming when he calls her name and feel so stupid for doing so, "Why am I so happy all of a sudden? He says my name all the time..."

And the snowball finally crashes when they have one of those talks, y'know the ones where you usually have at 3 am with your friends? Just talking about life in general, talking about the future, what are each of them scared of, what they feel and what they think about things, just being so vulnerable and open with each other. They've had their fair share of these talks but today was different. He looked absolutely stunning, despite being mentally exhausted he still looked divine, the way his eyes droop when his expression softens, the slow rise and fall of his chest when he sighs, his wide glistening smile turning into a small and soft curl on his lips. She can't help herself but make subtle touches and discreetly brush her shoulder against his as they lean towards the railings of the balcony, fighting the urge to just reach out and figure out small ways to make contact with him. She gazes at him the entire time, analyzing him, noticing all the little changes he makes, why can't she look away? She can't, she tried, so many times but it still ends up with her looking at him again trying to burn the image of him in her mind, wanting to leave it there forever. When the talk comes to a close, he turns to her and offers a hug, she accepts it and the moment he melts into her arms, she feels a sudden warmth on her chest and it instantly scatters around her entire body, enveloping her. They share each other's warmth, she slowly buries her face onto his shoulder, cherishing this small moment with him as they hold each other tight in each other's embrace. She's closing her eyes, inhaling his scent, it feels like she's in a dream, she doesn't want this moment to end, she doesn't wanna wake up just yet but.... They break a part, he gives her his goodbyes. As she goes home she lays in bed, face up, staring at the ceiling as she recalls everything that happened to her, putting pieces of the puzzle together as she finally comes to terms with herself and gets hit with the realization. It all comes crashing down to her, her eyes widen and she lets out an audible groan. She lays in silence for a moment, feeling absolute agony for being so stupid, she peaks through her fingers and looks back up the ceiling again, "Fuck..."

I haven't even dabbled with what goes on in her head after she accepts this fact, the sudden guilt consuming her, feeling like she betrayed Chujin, the person she loved with her entire soul only to fall for another. She hates it. And if she confesses she's going to be a wreck and Starlo just instantly goes to comfort her, telling her it's okay, she doesn't have to force herself to confess to h- No. She wants this, she's absolutely in love, he may have fallen first but she fell even harder, but with so much conflict in her mind, wanting to hold his hand without the weight on her shoulders pulling her back. The entire time they're together, Starlo finds the time to console her, comfort her, feeling horrible for making him stay up late just for her but he says he doesn't mind and he himself wants this, feeling absolutely honored to have her in her arms and that she trusts him so much that she's just so open and vulnerable and he's being so kind and patient to her I hate them I HATE THEM I FFUCKING HATE THUEJN R F FUCK FUCKF FFIFUUCJCC N I HATE THEMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

thE SLOW BURN IS SO SLOW BUT KEEP UP AND SET THE KITCHEN IN FLAMES PLEASE RAUGHHH

SAVE ME STAROBA W AS SAV VE MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

TL;DR: uhhhh read a post and it convinced me that Ceroba slowly falls in love with Starlo over time without realizing it and when she finally does she feels really guilty cuz it feels like she's betraying Chujin, the slow burning is burning and the angst is scrumptious. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk. /j

[whataloadofqueers]

marauders era characters and their april fools joke of choice :

james : turning into a stag in places where a stag definitely shouldn't be

sirius : sticks paper fish on everyone's back because he grew up with les poissons d'avril

peter : pens and books and inkpots turn into small animals everywhere he goes

remus : just more werewolf puns than usual

marlene : enchanted bludgers that follow you all day

mary : 'actually i think i'm heterosexual'

lily : does not participate and refuse to believe anything that anyone says that day

dorcas : change the colour of everyone's tie

pandora : pretends she's a seer but actually makes accurate predictions

regulus : he's got 'nothing to do with the snake you found in your bag'

barty : 'april fools is stupid' but pulls little pranks all day

evan : charming all the plants so they can walk and then leaves the greenhouses open

[elwynsdream]

I love jegulus, but there are moments sometimes where I question certain things about the fandom. I'm a trans boy, and it's nice to see the popular headcanon of Regulus as a trans man, but cmon!! Why is he always the girl when people talk about jegulus variants? I know we have the right to be whatever we want (fem, masc, etc) but it's really uncomfortable to see Regulus constantly be feminized (? If I can call it that. Anyone can be trans, there is no requirement; you are who you are and that's it. But when we talk about media, which is a reflection of how large groups of people see reality whether we want it or not, it feels weird to see mlm ships where one of the characters (usually white) is made to be "dainty, delicate, needs help or protection" and the other one (usually POC) is "masculine, dominant, the protector type". I don't want to ruin anyone's fun, because fandom should be a safe place for everyone to enjoy their favorite characters however they want, but I wish to see if anyone feels the same (:

[not-your-bro]

On a lighter note my head cannon is that Hannah shipped climbingclass before she even knew what shipping was….bless her little nerd heart she was determined to get them together. Beth shipped it as well and both were constantly frustrated by Joshs attempts to get Chris a girlfriend. Like NO Josh that blond nerd is going to be a Washington and your husband. Like if the prank hadn��t happened she or beth were gonna lock them in a closet or take them to Vegas and get them REALLY drunk and get them married

based on what little we know about hannah, i think it's fair to make her a softie/romantic. i'm totally into making her, like, very invested in her sibs' happiness and that includes being a huge cheerleader in their romantic lives. also love the idea of josh being like "nobody can know i have these feelings. or feelings at all" but hannah clocks his gay ass SO fast. she's immediately like "you like chris don't you josh" <- said like "you like krabby patties don't you squidward." evil little smile and everything.

we all just making shit up abt beth and i for one love to make her zesty and kinda hard-edged. not actually mean, but like, if chris had to rank the washingtons from most to least frightening, beth would be at the top of the list. maybe he'll stop being lowkey scared of her when he's like. forty.

re: vegas, i would love a humor fic where josh + chris are absolutely shitfaced in vegas and get married bc they think its really funny, and the next day all their friends are like do we seriously have to explain to you that getting married "as a bit" doesn't make it less legally binding. you fucking idiots. even funnier to me if they are, in fact, in a relationship. and they don't bother to divorce bc that's too much work but they keep having to explain to everyone they meet that yes the relationship is real but the marriage is a joke. no one gets it.

[masezace]

little off topic for my blog, but i started watching a new show since a friend mentioned it was good and i'd heard positive things about it, so i just wanted to talk about it a little bit (probably never again after this since this isn't a fandom blog, but it's the only one i have rn so idc it's going here)

the show is Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous, and just going on looks alone, despite my love for dinosaurs and the Jurassic Park franchise i never would have considered it. it appears to be very much for kids, and as i'm in my late twenties now i'm not particularly interested in especially kiddy media. however a friend my age enjoyed it and mentioned it has a canon lgbtq+ couple in it among the main characters, so of course i just had to watch it. i had already been hearing that despite its initial appearance and premise, it was surprisingly good for a kids' show, so i had already been curious, but i was even more keen after knowing there were queer characters, and not even the adults, the kids themselves (in a kid's show?!! what a time to be alive), so i finally sat down and watched it.

[spoiler warning, both minor and major, for the rest of this post btw, so continue reading at your own risk if you haven't seen it yet/are still watching]

the show overall

okay so firstly, i am coming at all of this from the perspective of a writer, so my observations are from a technical standpoint more so than just as a fan of the show. and honestly, it really is a well-written show as a whole. is it geared towards kids? definitely. there are plenty of jokes/gags in it that just don't appeal to me as an adult, but beyond that, there was plenty to appreciate as an adult.

the writing is actually phenomenal? there were several points in the series where i just sat back and mulled over the way a scene went, what the thought process behind writing it was like, how well it was executed, and how important it was to the characters and overall plot.

the suspense is spot on, nothing gets dragged out too long, and i will admit there have been a few scenes throughout that actually got me; i jumped! it's actually scarier than i expected a kid show to be, but i'm so glad they went where they did because it really elevated the experience.

the pacing overall is very good, adequately engaging for kids' short attention spans (and us adhd adults 🥲) but not too short either to a point where things felt abrupt or unfinished. plot arcs are well developed and tied up nicely. also, as a bit of a dinosaur nerd, the array of dinosaurs in the show is super broad and satisfying! very fun stuff.

character element

imo the real gem of this show is the character development. honestly it's just *chefs kiss*

the characters grow and change so much and so realistically over the course of the show, it's honestly so much better and more satisfying than the character growth in most adult fiction/media recently.

the growth in ben (who btw was def my favorite character by the end of s1) and kenji in particular were my favorites and, in my personal opinion, the most interesting. the way ben started out anxious, cowardly, and rule abiding to a fault, then grew into a brave, confident, adventurous little pyromaniac gremlin, then had that stint later in the series where he regressed a bit-questioning himself-until eventually ultimately striking a great balance and really coming into himself was just... peak character writing.

kenji started out overconfident, lazy, and overly concerned with money/status. but that arrogant overconfidence and laziness slowly turned into responsibility, and a desire to protect his found family, and the realization that it's the people in your life that really matter most.

honestly what i mentioned only scratches the surface in terms of those two characters, there's certainly more that can be said about them (as well as all the others) but i'm not really in the mood for a deep dive character analysis atm. just trust me tho when i say these characters are so well done and each one of them have arcs that are super satisfying to watch play out.

queer representation

and as for the queer couple? yasmina and sammy are PERFECT. it was so beautiful watching their relationship grow from one-sided to mutual friendship, to loyal devotion, then to love. they were set up incredibly well and incredibly naturally. i have like, no complaints when it comes to them. i don't even know if there's anything i can say that would add to things, they were just a really awesome couple to watch become canon, they're the beautiful and painfully needed representation we all beg for in tv and movies.

shipping, chemistry, and intent

but oh goodness... probably my only real complaint about the entire show would be how benji (ben x kenji) and kenji x brooklyn (kenlyn? brookji? idk and idrc) were handled. because for all that this show did SO much beautifully right, they really screwed the pooch here, sadly.

i'm gonna start by saying that the writing in this show, as with most, is deliberate. what i mean by this is that despite having no clue who it would be because my friend thankfully did not even spoil me as far as the genders of the queer couple, i clocked yas and sammy as the would-be queer couple as early as season one (actually it was between them and benji, but more on that later). i could already see the chemistry, because it was deliberately written in.

shipping is subjective. anyone can ship any character, and in most cases it's pretty easy to see how there could be (romantic) chemistry between fan pairings based on their personalities, their arcs, etc. and that's okay! ships don't even have to have any canon support to be valid, because shipping is for the fandom, and it's for fun (i have a few rarepairs and crack ships across different media that i just love).

but onscreen/written romantic chemistry is a lot less subjective (to clarify, it is subjective whether or not the chemistry is good, but it's not subjective about whether or not it exists). there are literally scenes written with the sole purpose of building the romantic tension and/or chemistry between planned couples (some of which even have absolutely zero plot relevance, which usually is not advised tbh, and most of which are the cliches/tropes you see in literally any romance ever written, some are just disguised a little better than others. but make no mistake, it's all the same set of cliches. there is nothing new under the sun), as well as intentional, key moments within scenes that have other purposes. they are essential to establish romantic pairings.

and typically, the foundations for these couples are laid VERY early on. always within the first or second season (well, at least they are when the writer actually knows what they're doing and has at least a rough plan/outline for the entire series & characters. this is usually a large part of what separates the good chemistry from the poor chemistry. an author who knows who the couples are going to be and has a plan from the beginning to build them up is going to be more successful in creating a believable relationship with good chemistry. one who does not plan, or makes last minute plans will almost certainly fail, and the couple is just going to suck). when the set of characters you're working with are going to stay the same for most or all of the story, you start immediately.

i don't mean to toot my own horn, because i think it's because i'm a writer so i just pick up on narrative patterns very easily, and pretty much always clock the planned couples within the first few episodes of any series, and by the end i am right like 9 times out of 10.

that being said, do you know whose deliberately written chemistry i also clocked in jwcc? ben and kenji's.

kenji and... brooklyn?

no offense to people who like/enjoy kenji and brooklyn, you are free to love them, but the way their romance was written is... quite possibly the weakest point of the show. it felt like they were just trying to appease the upsetto heteros in charge, because there was definitely another het pairing that had a lot more potential than kenji and brooklyn (hello darius x brooklyn aka darilyn, you would have actually made sense because your relationship had amazing buildup and multiple standout scenes from s1 on. dgmw, i love that we got a m/f strong, supportive, purely platonic friendship out of them, i live for those and we really need more of them. but we could have had that with kenji and brooklyn, or darius and sammy, or ben and yas, literally any other pair instead).

kenji and brooklyn as a couple came out of absolutely nowhere. i honestly think they decided to shove them together last minute, and had no actual plan for them until they were working on s4. because their development barely started at the VERY end of s3 (the abruptness of him caring about her being held hostage so much more than literally anyone else in their group despite them having like zero buildup to that point gave me whiplash), but honestly didn't really even become "meaningful" development until s4, over halfway through the series. the two spend the first 3 seasons basically not particularly gaf about each other individually, only as part of the whole group and on an equal level with everyone else. they otherwise have no deliberate narrative foundation. it just starts in s4 with no prior hinting. which makes their development rocky and difficult to believe. the funny thing is their characters literally have dialogue (in s4) trying to draw comparisons/parallels between them to say that they especially have a lot in common and like??? no? they really don't? not any more so than any other two kids in the group. their relationship just, really falls flat.

it was disappointing to see it take such a massive spotlight in the series for almost all of seasons 4 and 5, overshadowing the friendships that have been the focus of the show and should have remained so, to the point where at times it just felt like i was watching some stereotypical het highschool romance. genuinely, it made s4 & 5 more of a drag to get through. yasammy and ben and yas' growing bond (which by the way was so sweet, it had the strongest queer solidarity vibes good lord, i sure wonder why yas chose ben out of everyone to come out to first, hmmm) were some of the few things that kept me invested, otherwise i would have dropped it if it had leaned much farther into becoming the kenlyn show than it already was. especially when it was that pair so much of the focus was given to, even though we had so readily and perfectly available, the pair that could have, should have been: benji. which finally brings me to:

ben and kenji

benji's foundation was laid in s1. their interactions, the situations they found themselves in, were deliberate (on the writers' part). i'm even gonna go out on a limb here and say the pairings were fully established in s1e3, even with parallels between yasammy and benji (sammy clinging to yas and ben clinging to kenji throughout the episode), and darilyn gets the beginning of their development too.

even though they bicker a lot in the beginning, they clearly care about each other? kenji protects/helps ben multiple times, and there are definitely some looks ben gives kenji at times. at the end of s1, the one who seems the most deeply effected over ben's "death," other than darius (understandably since he's the one who failed to save him), was kenji! immediately after it happens, we get two close up shots, darius and brooklyn then yasmina and sammy. after which, we go back to the whole group with kenji in center frame, the focus is intentionally on him. it is only kenji who drops to his knees at the loss, and then we get a close up of just kenji. he was saved for last, and he was alone in frame (tbf bumpy was in frame too, but i'm talking humans here), which implies his feelings are especially important in this moment. that is the reason for solo close ups.

after ben's "death," kenji takes to always wearing ben's fanny pack, and up until bumpy--who ben cares VERY much about--got separated from them, kenji was the one who (however briefly) took over her care, ensuring she got off the monorail with them, and he's extremely distraught, more than pretty much all of them, when they can't find her, and he's last to leave when they decide to accept that ben's gone. even when they do leave, he's distant and distracted and his mind is clearly still on ben.

other than darius, kenji is the only one (if i'm remembering correctly) to mention ben/say his name after they lost him, upset because he was actually trying not to think about him. he has clearly thought about ben, probably a lot, because it's hard not to be reminded constantly when you wear something that belonged to a deceased loved one. and frankly, he appears to be the only one who dwells on him that much.

when ben reappears alive (which btw he found the group again because of kenji's butter knife, hello), the frames literally purposely focus on kenji's reaction. he's the one in the foreground every time they show him and brooklyn in that scene. he is the first one to say ben's name, the first one to go to him and hug him, and the scene takes special care to highlight kenji's strong emotions at ben's reappearance, lingering on his teary face as the focus for a bit even after brooklyn enters the frame to hug ben (because she is not at all an important element in the scene at that moment). just like when ben "died," the way this scene is written and shot HEAVILY suggests that ben holds significant importance to kenji, specifically. because again, the focus here is on kenji and ben almost exclusively, with brooklyn as only an afterthought lol. and quite frankly literally everyone else's reaction to him being alive was pretty lackluster compared to the special attention they gave to kenji on this.

and then in s3 we have the infamous hat scene, where darius and ben are in the limo and ben sees and mentions kenji's sailor hat, looking sad and sounding like... longing?? then directly after we switch to kenji realizing he forgot his hat?? the scene has no real significance tbh other than to draw a connection between ben and kenji. like, it acts as a transition to switch to the pov of the group on the boat, but it was entirely unnecessary? why not just have darius say something about the others and then show them on the boat? if there were no special relationship between ben and kenji, it would have made far more sense if they really wanted it to be ben to say something, that he sees the hat, and sadly says something along the lines of "i hope the others are okay/doing better than we are right now/etc" which implies that the hat made him think of everyone, their whole group. rather than what we got... which very much implies that he was mostly just thinking about kenji 💀 and then kenji thinking about the hat at the same time ben's looking at it and thinking of kenji. like, this is.... a very blatant connection being made by the writing/directing here.

all of that. so many deliberate connections made between ben and kenji, they had a very solid foundation laid for a romance to develop, and by all intents and purposes one already WAS developing according to the show's own subtext. which was why up until s4 obliterated the idea, i was positive the queer couple in the show was either going to be yasammy or benji. it was extremely obvious imo. but as soon we started getting the typical, loud, cliche "we are going to pair off these characters" scenes for kenji and brooklyn, i knew we were getting yasammy and not benji (to be clear, i'm not at all upset about yasammy, they're beautiful and i love how their relationship was done, i wouldn't have had it end any other way for them. but i do personally prefer benji, i just like their personalities and dynamic more. and i feel they had so much potential that got wasted to make way for a far less interesting pairing between kenji and brooklyn. why can't we have 2 queer couples, huh? and if we really needed a minimum of one hetero pairing to appease whoever needed appeasing, darilyn was right there).

but then??? their like entire bond just gets dropped (honestly ben himself gets pretty heavily sidelined for almost all of the last two seasons, which is criminal imo). mostly so that a rushed kenji x brooklyn can be established. like there are still a few small moments here and there in early s4, and one episode in s5 (ep 10), but from early s4 till pretty much the end of the series we hardly see them have any meaningful conversations or interactions, meanwhile literally every other combo in the group does.

it's so weird? why build up benji so deliberately over the course of multiple seasons just to like, fully discard it for a pairing with far less chemistry, even after the chemistry-building scenes they shared, some of which literally had no other purpose than to affirm their connection? even though they were very sparse, the moments benji had were just so blatant (kenji leaps into the rock crevice right onto the back of a saber tooth to save ben?!!?? like he literally was just willing to exchange his life for him like that?? he basically says that he wasn't really thinking, he just did it. so he moved out of what, emotional instinct, that's what we're meant to intuit from that series of events? implying that he specifically has strong emotion and doesn't think things through when it comes to ben? because he doesn't do that kinda stuff for any of the others in the group! even better, this parallels when sammy jumped on the nothosaurus to save yasmina. and then the way benji look at each other after it's over??? hello??? and then how kenji pulls both brooklyn and ben in for that hug a couple minutes later... side eyeing the writers for that choice. they knew what they were doing there and they were evil for it). i just can't see any reason to have dropped them like they were, after all the development they shared for 3 seasons. confounding. biggest disappointment of the series.

i know this probably reads to some as just "wahh, my ship didn't become canon" nonsense. but that's not why i'm bugged. this wasn't just a ship i liked and wanted canon despite no actual narrative support, as most ships tend to be. this ship did have narrative support. there was intent behind many of their scenes together, lingering looks and little things that matter narratively and are always used to signify a stronger/special connection. and it led nowhere, for no good reason. that bothers me. writing that implies and promises something, but never delivers on it. like a person who never finishes their sentences (think Dr McPhee from Night at the Museum). ultimately it's not a HUGE deal or anything, at the end of the day it's just a ship and just a kids' show. but as a writer, it's just irritating to see something like that be done. what can i say 🤷

conclusion

even despite the wasted potential between certain pairings, and even though i do think the first three seasons were superior to the last two, overall i really enjoyed the show, and for what it was, it was really well-made. the overarching focus was of course on found family and friendship before anything else, which i absolutely love, and it was masterfully done. out of 6 kids, all of them had at least one or two meaningful bonding moments one-on-one with another in the group, so every possible combination had their moment to build strong, believable friendships with each other. i'm just so surprised by how good it was as a whole honestly, good enough to binge over the course of a week. i will happily recommend jwcc to anyone willing to give it a watch regardless of age, because i definitely think there's no age limit for a good story, no matter the medium it's told in. :)

[avastyetwats]

The Writer and his Songbird

Plotted starter for @izzyeffinhands <3

It wasn't the full moon that made the night so serenely beautiful. It wasn't the ocean way out in the distance that Stede longed to be near, but grateful that he could now see, it wasn't the clear night sky with the thousands upon thousands of stars twinkling above him, nor the calm ocean breeze that he so loved to feel...

It wasn't any of those things that made the night so serenely beautiful - though they did add to it - but it was the mesmerizing voice above him. A voice he's heard a few times before since moving into the apartment complex a few weeks ago and oh, how this made Stede's move worth it. Suddenly, he wasn't dreading his stay here, he wasn't feeling as unhappy as he did the second he set foot into this building... not that there was anything wrong with it. Not at all. It was comfortable and safe, but it wasn't where he longed to be. It was somewhere he had to be until he could get back on his feet and figure some things, having divorced from his wife some weeks ago. A divorce that was a long time coming, a divorce that should have happened long ago, but really, a marriage that shouldn't have happened at all.

It wasn't a marriage that happened out of love, but convenience and security. A marriage his father practically forced him into, bullied him into, made him feel as though he had no other option and wasn't worthy of anything else... a marriage that was more about his father and his business than Stede's own happiness and wellbeing. But finally, he was out.

And so was she. Mary. An ending that would bring about a new beginning for them both.

But not one that was easy for Stede. He left his home, left his family behind, intending to start anew and live the life he always wanted to live, but it was proving to be a challenge. Depression and anxiety got the best of him some nights, so did self-doubt and uncertainty, and the challenge of fitting in, but he was thankful he still had one place he felt comfortable in: his tea and bookshop.

But the third night inside his new home, that's when he heard it: the angelic voice from above singing into the night. He's never heard anything more beautiful, or more inspiring, and for the first time in what felt like years, Stede sat down at his desk and wrote. Yes, he was a writer. An avid reader of many things and an avid writer of some fictional stories and some poetry. A hobby more than anything, having never pursued a career due to the life forced upon him and the scolding of what he wanted to do and where he wanted to be.

But thanks to that voice above, inspiration had returned to the writer. Every night he kept his balcony door open and on the nights that voice returned, Stede would often lean against the railing outside or sit at the table outside and write.

Though he wasn't quite brave enough to meet the man the beautiful voice belonged to, he would leave him little notes outside of his door praising his voice, crediting him with helping to find lost inspiration and bring joy back into his life, and he'd only ever sign it The Polite Menace down below with a little heart over the i.

Stede kept this up for a good few days, anytime Izzy would bless him with his voice, and eventually Stede started receiving delicious baked goods outside of his door signed with his own special nickname. But it was instant that Stede figured out who it was - the melodious mystery man above - and so the notes continued, leaving even more now to praise his talent in baking, too.

Something that inspired Stede to try again. He was never an expert at it by any means, but he'd baked a thing or two in his previous life, though it had been a long time, but perhaps he, too, could leave a delicious treat for his Angelic Siren above...

Unfortunately that hadn't gone well at all. Made evident in the amount of smoke that billowed out of his balcony door and into the night above, eventually sounding off the alarms that sent Stede into a panic as he tried to put out the small fire inside of his oven. And this is why he wasn't near brave enough to reveal himself to the man above that he's had a crush on for weeks now, because he was nothing but a big, embarrassing mess.

[birdietrait]

top 23 18 of 2023 <33 ty for the tag @madeofcc

[miyamoratsumuu]

HI CUTIEEE (btw can i call u frannie cuz that’s literally what i say in my head but totally okay if not)

i js wanted to ask how u were

HIII YES YOU ABSOLUTELY CAN THAT'S SO CUTE 🫶🏻 I'll be honest I'm great HAGSHQHAJH the whole sending asks thing is probably just me trying to shield myself from the painful truth that school's starting again soon ahahah 💔 and I'm genuinely nervous about not being able to be on here as much cause if there's something I love it's def interacting with the amazing people I've met here 🤲🏻🤍

[singsweetmelodies]

Hi there! Im still kind of new to f1 so please, can you share all the piarles deep lore with me? Like your favorite moments from them, the story of them growing up, etc. I have a burning need 🙏 ❤️

hiiii dearest anon! i am so sorry for the delay in replying - i saw this ask and immediately got SO freaking excited, because, well, piarles is my absolute OTP in this fandom, so of course i'd love to share all the details about them!!

i started working on a piarles lore post almost immediately, and that's when i realised... um, there is actually rather a lot of piarles lore. like, a lot. enough that i've been working on this post for over a week in-between work and irl stuff, and it's still not done??

so yeah.... 🙈 i just wanted to reply to you today and say that i have seen this ask and i am working on a piarles lore post for you ❤️😘 it's just taking quite a bit longer than i thought because of how much piarles lore there is. but rest assured, the post is definitely happening!! thank you SO much for asking, and for giving me the chance to embark on the most fun research project ever <3333

[arklay]

DANI HAINES x CARLOS OLIVEIRA / template.

[yzerman]

[vvelegrin]

NOT ANSWERING MY DOOR WHEN MY NEIGHBOR KNOCKS AS SELF CARE. GIRL IT IS NINE PM.

[anthyies]

8 plz explain the disc horse to me

8. common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

i feel like i could write an essay about this. you're so lucky you left twitter btw you don't even know the amount of times ive been like look at this stupid opinion. so.

a) i literally don't think tim and jason have any sort of relationship at all like literally. their interactions should be a) titans tower attack, but like for hilarity points. not angst points. its objectively funny that jason made an adult sized robin costume and then put on clothes over that to attack tim n its objectively funny that tim's reaction to getting beat up was like yeah im still better than you <3. b) that one time tim kicked him in the balls. and thats it. thats all. like can we please talk about tim's relationships w his other siblings . please . i'm dying

b) i mean you know and i know that fandom hates women and people of color so i'm just going to leave it at this. and science experiment: go into the cassandra cain/stephanie brown tag and see how much stuff in there is literally not related to them at all. also the background lesbianification of them like they're crazy they do not get enough credit for the. hallucinating her bringing you back from the dead twice after she died. and nobody talks about their ISSUES and PROBLEMS something about me is i love when women have issues like yeah they're sweet and they're going to kiss but also. sometimes they can poke each other's sore spots and its INTERESTING!!!! they are not simple soft and sweet background women they should be the STARS of the SHOW. literally first base martyrdom second base raising each other from the dead third base eye contact.

c) my life is soooo hard i'll text you and explain the gay people properly i prommy but you know the special kind of hell where you like the most popular gay people but like, they're popular in the wrong way nobody GETS them. this is compounded by bat favoritism... enough about tim's issues i'm going to pretend he doesn't have any if that's what it takes to talk about KON'S issues.

d) people take damian cutting tim's line too far like its ok guys. it was resolved in the comic book. like it's fine he's literally itty bitty preteen raised to murder its fine. and rr hit list arc is like uncomfortably mean and hostile to damian in narration so tbh people should be trying to make up for that not make more tim angst

e) MY.. OPINIONS ABOUT TIM'S PARENTS.. ARE VERY IN DEPTH. and i've talked about them in tags before. but i think everyone needs to learn some NUANCE!!

sorry this is FIVE fandom opinions. everyone is so wrong. it's a terrible massive game of telephone

[thawthebeez]

alrighty Haikyuu essay time again because I watched s2 ep5 and I have a lot of feelings.

The part I want to talk about specifically is the argument between Hinata and Kageyama because I feel like it's a fantastic display of their characters and values, and I also feel like it is heavily glossed over and reduced to "omg it's gay because they were making physical contact" which I would like to fix.

I'd like to take a quick moment to highlight the tension that gets established from before they even enter the gym.

This frame right here is fantastic, because it shows an empty seat beside BOTH OF THEM, and the fact that they're both sitting closest to the window makes that gap feel further. And it both sets the mood and FITS the mood, especially with Hinata having just been told by literally EVERYBODY (Ukai, Suga, AND Kageyama) that doing a fast attack with his eyes open is useless and it's not even worth trying.

The fast attack Hinata pulls of with Kageyama symbolizes freedom for him. It's an attack that avoids blocks (blocks being symbolized as tall, tall walls preventing him from seeing the other side), an attack that lets him fly, and an attack that lets allows him to use his abilities to their maximum potential (speed, height, and agility).

However, this current form of the fast attack in regards to Season 1 and 2 is still run completely under Kageyama's actions. Hinata may be running fast and jumping high, but that's the only freedom he has. The rest of it is done by Kageyama. So when blockers do start to catch up to the fast attack, it's frustrating, because the whole point the attack was to avoid blockers but now they aren't so Hinata, even at his maximum effort, is no longer free again.

To be free, he knows he needs to open his eyes- and to have the self-awareness to realize that on his own is impressive, but it also puts him in a tough spot because he is once again fighting on his own.

Now imagine you're Hinata, you want to fix this attack that you know isn't going to work anymore, and everyone is saying "it's not possible. It'll never happen." That'd probably give you some flashbacks to middle school when you wanted to start a proper volleyball team and go places with it only to be told "never gonna happen, kid," and it'd also be frustrating as hell.

Hinata is not at all the type to just give up. That man has never given up on something in his life (both pre- and post-time skip). The difference with this fight, however, is that he needs at least one other person to be on board for it to even work, and nobody is giving him that.

Hinata's quick attack symbolizes freedom for him. It seemed limitless at first but here he's hit one of those barriers and nobody seems to want to help him break through it. The thing that was once freedom for him now has him trapped.

Because Hinata (especially at this point in the series) is shit at everything besides his attacks. He can't block, he can't receive, and he can barely serve. He knows that if he loses this attack, he'll be useless (which he expresses later. Again, the self-awareness of this man is astounding).

This is what makes the motivation to fix the quick attack to strong. There's a lot at stake.

Which perfectly shows Hinata's 'unstoppable force' vs Kageyama's 'immovable object' mentality.

(okay small Kagehina ramble here because I am weak and flawed

the fact that kageyama noticed the subtle change instantly is nuts. like the fact that his tosses have grown to be muscle memory and have adapted to toss the ball right where hinata's point of impact is every time, coupled with the fact that he immediately notices that his jump isn't reaching that point, AND that fact that he knows what exactly is distracting him OUGH they just understand each other so well i'm so normal about it)

NOW LET'S GET INTO THE GOOD STUFF

(going to use manga panels for the sake of being able to understand things like dialogue and such)

A lot of people tend to misinterpret Tobio's character as one that's mean or cold-hearted, but he's not. This a bit of dialogue where that conclusion could be drawn. He looks angry, sure, but what he's saying is entirely true. Hinata is weak, and there are a lot of other things he could be working on. Kageyama is not wrong.

We also have a little bit of the ol' 'immovable object' with Kageyama outright not wanting to try the new attack. He's justified for saying this, though, because the whole point of being in that gym is to practice and get better. What they're doing- trying and failing with no progress- is not practice. It's a waste of time, and Kageyama being Kageyama, wasting time in the gym is NOT something he does. Like. Ever.

And what Hinata says here is entirely true as well. He knows and understands that without the quick attack, he's nothing. There's no point for him to be out there, which is precisely why he's fighting so hard for it. He wants to be out on that court more than anything.

Kageyama's response saying that his tosses evade blockers is like saying "You're no good without me. There's no reason for you to be out there without me," which Hinata obviously takes offense to because WTF? The quick attack is meant to represent freedom for Hinata and the fact that that freedom can only exist when another person says so is a paradox. It's not true freedom if that's the case.

(Now, side note, one part that was added in the anime that does not appear in the manga is that Hinata points out that the attacks got blocked when they were against Nekoma and Seijoh. Kageyama asks if his tosses weren't good enough and Hinata says "No, they were perfect. Spot-on. But they still got blocked." It's weird how that's an anime exclusive because it's another fantastic show of character- how Hinata does genuinely appreciate Kageyama's tosses and also the recurring motif of Kageyama expressing and insecurity and Hinata immediately comforting him about it.)

Hinata's "I won't be able to get any better because of this" is also ultimate truth. It's him expressing how he's trapped if they continue like this- if he's not able to fight on his own.

And Kageyama is once again back with a line that makes him sound awful BUT it's not really his fault (number one Tobio apologist right here hi ^_^) because in Kageyama's mind, Hinata wanting to get better is selfishness. WHICH MAKES SENSE because when Kageyama continued to train long after practice all throughout middle school TO GET BETTER, he was called selfish. His tosses were good, they would evade blocks, he was good, he trained to get better, and he got called selfish. He destroyed his team's balance because he was better (amongst other things like, you know, his grandpa passing away. That would cause quite a disruption as well).

"I'll only toss to those who are essential to victory" is yet another horrible-sounding line, but coupled with "The same holds true, even now" makes it essential to the prolonging of the 'immovable object' aspect of Tobio's character. Because Kageyama isn't unjustified or evil for saying that he'll only toss to those who will score points. Like, of course he's only going to toss to those who score points. Who else would he toss to?

Where Hinata prioritizes development (because that's where he's at), Kageyama prioritizes victory (because he's passed that stage of development. He's good, and he knows he is, and he no longer needs to focus on getting better because he is better. Development will continue to come, but he doesn't need it in the same abundance that Hinata does).

(Or he at least doesn't need physical skill development. Tobio could definitely use some emotional development- which he does get later on in season 4- and oh, don't you just love how they compliment each other like this? Hinata needing physical development since he strives in emotional understanding and Kageyama needing the exact opposite? Yin and Yang? Sun to Moon?)

Hinata HAS to be an unstoppable force. One of the main focuses in Haikyuu, especially between Hinata and Kageyama, is their rivalry and how they use each other to motivate themselves. Hinata is far behind when it comes to his skills, and if he wants to reach Kageyama's level so he can continue playing volleyball, he NEEDS to get better- keep moving- be the force he is and keep barrelling through.

And Kageyama, always complimenting Hinata is every regard (setter to a spiker, winter solstice to summer solstice), HAS to be his immovable object. I'm sure he doesn't mean to be, because Kageyama will always be seeking to improve himself and others around him (ex. raising Tsukishima's point of impact with his tosses), but it's so in-character of him to not want to move for the sake of complimenting Hinata's need to.

Haikyuu has got to have some of the BEST characters out there. They all work so well together, and I have yet to find a series where the two main characters compliment one another THIS WELL. Being the two main characters, of course they have to drive the plot of the show forward, but to do it in such a beautiful way is something you don't see very often.

[reploidbuddy]

Me: It’ll just be a little one-shot, it’ll be quick. Get the idea out there, make the designs, post it all, easy peasy, will be done quickly n shortly

[Nearly 7000 words later, not nearly done]

Me: .

Me: A