#so far. very underwhelming for me tbh

[symphorine]

ok so ive been watching the firefighter show bc i enjoy procedurals (up til i cant take the bad writing anymore) and like. i know fandom so i know why the Big Ship is what it is. i was looking forward to seeing what kind of dynamic they actually have in the show tho! thinking yknow theres gotta be Something to start off of right. and uh 1) its really not very satisfying (sort of be told theyre close rather than be shown why they are) 2) i find eddie so uninteresting. like by far the worst of the cast. idk if its the performance or the character writing but dear god

[f1tales]

now he's thinking about me, every night - mv1

that's that me espresso || part one

next part

pairing: max verstappen x ofc!piastri

summary: oscar's older sister is a singer, who's taylor swift's opening act for the eras tour. she goes to a few races on her break. she meets max; who thinks about her every night now. much to oscar's annoyance.

author's note: this is my first time posting on tumblr, so still figuring stuff out. no use of y/n.

face claim: sabrina carpenter

liked by ivypiastri, maxverstappen1 and others

oscarpiastri: Got to see my sister perform in our hometown in front of 96,000 people over the weekend. So proud of you!

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ivypiastri: thank you thank you thank you for coming!! ily 🩷

formuladr: that's oscar's sister?!

landonorris: an introduction is overdue, mate!

oscarpiastri: not a chance.

ivypiastri: oscar, you should totally introduce me to lando!!

oscarpiastri: like i said, not a chance

ivysgarden: omg oscar what did you think of the nonsense outro?

oscarpiastri: she's done worse tbh, glad she kept it somewhat pg. didn't need to know the size was underwhelming, tho

ivypiastri: omg oscar! 😐

ivypiastri_fan: is anyone else noticing max in the likes cause like...

ivysgarden: he's literally on the grid with max, it's not that deep

liked by landonorris, maxverstappen1 and others

ivypiastri: melbourne 🩷 thank you, thank you, thank you. this was by far the most incredible experience of my life. thank you so much to @/taylorswift for making this happen, ilysm. i will never forget this. 🩷🩷

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ivypiastriy_style: ivyyyyyy you killed it! ❤❤❤

piastrisupremacy: uhhh max verstappen in the likes?

oscpastry81: i know he's on the grid with oscar, but like??? i'm sure him and ivy have never met...

oscarpiastri: you were amazing! making melbourne proud.

ivysgarden: omg our girl is so happy, look at that first picture! 💖

liked by ivypiastri

hattiepiastri: i wish you could've seen oscar during the nonsense outro. highlight of the night. ily 💘

formulaop81: don't be shy, drop the video

liked by ivypiastri

landonorris: the coolest piastri for real

oscarpiastri: ouch?

ivypiastri: hihi thank you 🤭

ln1999: lando flirting with ivy on main?

Oscar groaned from where he was sitting next to his sister. She giggled as she typed away on her phone. He gave her his deadliest glare.

"Please stop flirting with Lando."

Ivy looked up from her phone. She locked in and then put in down in the seat next to her. "I can do whatever I want." Her phone made a beeping noise again, indicating another message coming through.

"Vee, seriously."

Ivy ignored him as she opened her phone again. She could barely contain her laughter as she watched the video on her phone. Hattie had just sent her the video she took of Oscar during the outro she did for her song Nonsense.

It's a thing she started on her previous tour. She usually tried to make them as dirty as possible, but with her family in the crowd the other night she tried to keep it as PG as possible.

Look, she tried okay?

Oscar appeared very uncomfortable throughout the whole video. The outro wasn't too bad, in Ivy's opinion: broke up cause the size was underwhelming. Tried to give him pointers, wasn't helping. Maybe I just need a boy from Melbourne.

"Delete that."

"Introduce me to Lando."

"No."

Melbourne, March 23rd 2024

Ivy grinned as she entered the paddock alongside Lily and her mum. Oscar had instructed her to stay far, far away from any of the drivers.

She followed her mother towards the McLaren hospitality. Her mother seemed to be some kind of local celebrity here as she was greeted by the many people in orange- sorry papaya, shirts.

They soon found her sisters Hattie, Edie and Mae sat in a corner with their step-father, Chris. She greeted them all with hugs and kisses on the cheek.

Ivy settled next to Hattie as she looked around the hospitality. She opened her phone to scroll through Instagram to kill some time whilst she waited for Oscar to come and say hello.

liked by ivysgarden, maxverstappen1 and others

op81updates: @/ivypiastri has been spotted entering the paddock for the first ever at Oscar's home GP. She arrived alongside Nicole and Lily.

She's currently on a break from touring. She will return to The Eras Tour for the London shows in June and August.

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ivysgarden: so do we think she's finally been introduced to lando?

oscarspastry: uhhh max in the likes again? hello???

oscpastry81: it's getting low key suspicious 🤨

oscarspastry: on a different note, love your username 😜

verstappennation: aaaaaah f1 and ivy piastri! my two worlds colliding

Ivy and Hattie giggled as they read through the many comments underneath the post on Instagram that informed the world of Ivy's F1 Paddock debut.

Oscar joined his family soon after. Ivy smiled at the man standing next to him. Dark, curly hair; tanned skin and a boyish grin on his lips. This could only be Lando Norris. Oscar made the introductions between the F1 driver and the singer.

"I love your album, it's on in the garage a lot to annoy good ol' Osc over here."

Ivy grinned as she looked at the flustered expression on her brother's face. Lando quickly put an arm around Ivy's shoulder and pulled her in close. "Maybe your next album could include a couple of songs about me."

"Right," Oscar clapped his hand as he broke the laughing duo up. "That's enough."

Ivy and Lando looked at each other, both of their faces red with laughter.

Melbourne, March 24rd 2024

Ivy walked around the paddock on the Sunday after the race. Her family had gone back to the McLaren hosiptality to wait for Oscar to come back from his post race interviews. She opted to have a look around. She hadn't had the time yet.

He had just missed out on the podium. P4. Ivy was still immensly proud of him.

She stopped in her tracks to look around. She squinted her eyes, the orange papaya of McLaren catching her eye in the distance. As she turned around to walk back, she collided with something hard.

Someone. Someone's toned chest.

She looked up, "I'm sorry I-," her words got lost in mouth somewhere. Her green eyes were met with the most gorgeous blue eyes she'd ever seen.

"It's okay."

Ivy quickly took a step back. "I'm Ivy, O-,"

"Oscar's sister. I know, I like your music." The man shook her hand. "Max. Nice to meet you."

part two coming soon.

[fairyofshampgyu]

OMG SANCUARYYYSJDHH!!$) !!<3

My ranking so far 🤭:

1. DANGER - HOLY SHIT BRO SO FUCKING GOODNSJDN THE BASS? THE RAP? yummy yummy yummy my fav song ITS SO GROOVY. WHEN YEONJUN SAID TOMORROW BY TOGETHER AT THE START ?OMG MOANING. I love the part when, idk what they were saying but the melody in the part ‘something korean, so obsessed’ like I like how it’s a little minor and descends idk how to explain. txt are so good at r&b we love you beomgyu for being the main lyricist on this, he ate it up (the lyrics ‘deeper into me?’ What was…that beomgyu? 🤔🤔🧐…) also I love the little short backing vocal interjections in the pre chorus that ascend and descend they bless my ears

2. Over the moon - over the moon is so good! I love the little sparkles you can hear in the background at the start of the verses it’s so pretty, and I love the ethereal like intro, BEOMGYU STARTING AGAINSJDHD !, bass is good in this and I love the backing vocals they’re so heavenly and the harmonies make me float. Also I just love the lyrics to this song, they’re so pretty and so good for a love song like they’re actually so romantic but not in a cringe way WORD PAINTING TOO ! The over the moooonn over the starrrsss part is so pretty I love soobins falsetto. And also I love the call and response like parts with sookai and taegyu 😩😩 BUT ☹️! Icl I was slightly underwhelmed listening to it the first time, I think I hyped it up too much and the teaser kind of gave away the whole song 😭 it’s way too short 👎 I really wanted some new material, instrumental section maybe, a bridge but it’s lowkey just verse chorus, verse chorus, end. I think there was way more they could have done with this song bc it’s so good IF THEY ADDED JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE IT COULD HAVE BEEN AN ABSOLUTE MASTERPIECE but even without i really love this song so much

3. Forty one winks- INCOMING !!🗣️ chill like r&b, I knew i would love this song !! Sounds like it would have been on the freeze album. This song is very fun and I will be listening to this all the time to make me happy it’s very feel good !! You can kind of hear this little sparkley like thing in the keys sometimes in the background like in over the moon and I love that. I love the adlibs for this song too !! Ooh and the strings in the outro !! Love that

4. Heaven- cute and fun!! I really loved this song more than I expected I would, I love the verses and melodies in the verses 😭😭

5. Resist - resist being this low seems criminal but every single song was too good tbh idk whether to put this is as 4 or 5 or 3 😭. I knew I was going to love this song but omg I didn’t expect the genre! After the beat kicks in it really changes but it’s toooo good I love the guitar chords in the verses at the start of every bar ? and the guitar in the intro and I love the high notes in this song. I love how txt do different styles and genres AND PULL IT OFF they make kpop so fun for me 😭😭😩 plus I just like the rhythms in this song

6. Higher than heaven— I really liked this song more than I expected bc icl I was not much of an early 2010s pop boy band fan back then but I love that txt did that they really suit it. I really love the melodies in the verses so much and even the chorus is fine for me. But I really don’t like when they sing HIGH. HIGH. HIGHHHHH !, that part really kinda annoys my brain sm like it’s kind of so jarring to me 😭😭 I’m sorry it hurts my ears a little but other than that THE SONG IS SO GOOD I LOVE EVERY OTHER PART BESIDES THAT 😭😭 THE BRIDGE WITH KAI AND TAEHYUN IS SO ETHEREAL TOO AND THE BACKING VOCALSSJJDHD!! it’s just that one part for me personally 😭😭

[bunnygirllover45]

Natlan teaser feels so underwhelming to me tbh, not only are the characters white as a piece of paper, but the designs feel all over the place, maybe it's just me, but I don't really like the overall vibe of the designs so far have. The other nations have a very clear look and vibe to their designs, Just my opinion. Hopefully, the landscape compensates for it, Genshin never disappoints with their nation designs (Except with that one ugly and annoying fog island, but we don't talk about that one.)

[karuuhnia]

I've been a Pokémon fan since the very beginning and recently a friend asked me who my favourite character was. I couldn't answer with just one character. So instead I gave her my top 3 favourites from each generation - and then turned it into this. lol

A little bit more info under the cut if you're interested.

_______

Please do not alter, repost/reupload or redistribute my artwork anywhere! (Reblogging is perfectly fine, of course.)

Gen 1:

Blue: The original rival, you loved to hate him. :D

Erika: I loved her design as a kid, even though I had no idea what a kimono was back then lol

Bill: No idea tbh lol. I like his hair and that he's a nerd, I guess? Honestly, Gen 1 did not have that many memorable and fleshed out characters, so I kinda struggled here.

Gen 2:

Lance: Honestly, he was my fave in Gen 1 already. I love his strength, his design, his virtuousness, his bravery, his code of honour, his everything. To me he's like a knight in shiny armour from old fairytales. lol I could spend a whole day describing all the things I love about him, but I don't wanna bore you.

Eusine: Probably a weird pick for many because he is kinda obnoxious in the game lol I've always had a soft spot for him though and I really wanted him to get Suicune in the end, after he'd changed.

Morty: I love his design and colours and that he's Eusine's bff and voice of reason.

Gen 3:

Steven: He is classy, wears a really awesome suit, has very cool Pokémon and is still a huge nerd. I love it!

Archie: (I see you, @chipsncookies) Big hunk with a big smile and a cool outfit. Beard. Not a bad guy, actually. Learns that he was wrong and does everything to make things right again. Frienemies with Maxie.

Maxie: Scrawny beanpole with a silly (but very cozy looking) outfit. Secretly a dork. Not a bad guy either. Learns from his mistakes and wants to make them right again. Frienemies with Archie.

Gen 4:

Riley: I was a huge fan of Sir Aaron in the movie and Riley is just as awesome. I love his hat too. His personality is also similar to Lance's, so that's a huge plus.

Cynthia: I really, really like her. She is so cool and strong and her theme is amazing. Just like Charizard she's become too popular and that gets a bit tiresome sometimes.

Looker: Okay, I admit, it took me a while to get used to Looker. But now I like his quirky, funny Inspector Gadget shenanigans. What changed my mind was the aftergame of XY. ;__;

Gen 5:

Ingo & Emmet: I couldn't do it. I couldn't choose who of them I like more. So they share the first place.They're a duo anyway. And absolutely inseparable. R-Right?

Elesa: I like her mainly because of the fanon that she's bffs with the subway twins. But she's also not the bitchy supermodel that I first thought she was. She's actually kind and supportive.

Alder: Funny grandpa with awful hair, but a big heart and a great theme song.

Gen 6:

Lysandre: His design always gave me Ganondorf-vibes. That's pretty much it. His goal is stupid.

Emma: Her storyline in the post-game was by far the best thing in XY. And her theme is so beautiful!

Sycamore: I still wish he had actually turned out to be evil. I still like him.

Gen 7:

Kukui: What is not to love about him? He's a hunk, he loves his wife, he takes in Lillie, he punches Pokémon with his bare hands.

Lillie: Sweet little girl who deserves all the love from her friends and her adoptive parents instead of all the shit her psycho bio mother put her through.

Burnet: She's sweet and smart and kind and I wish she had a much bigger role in the game. Her anime part was great though <3

Gen 8:

Piers, Sonia and Raihan: Honestly... These are pretty much the only characters that I remember lol Gen 8 was very underwhelming for me.

Gen 9:

Arven: Just a poor neglected boy who wants to save his sick dog. In contrast to his shitty parents he's got a big heart, is caring, nurturing and supportive.

Clavell: The twist about this character was that there was no twist. He is just a very kind grandpa who genuinely cares for the well-being of his students. I also LOVE his battle theme.

Hassel: This game really is full of wholesome boomers. Hassel's got a huge heart for art and his students and Pokémon. He's also not afraid of showing his emotions.

[mikasaerens]

My Issues with the Season so Far

Tbh, a lot of the criticisms of the show don’t hold up and are super dumb but some are pretty valid..

- Tell me rn why Rhaenys is okay with her husband being a cheater and shows no anger? This has got to be one of the most anti feminist shows I’ve seen because none of the women show actual rage and anger, not even Alicent and Helaena after the boy’s death!!

- Rhaenyra saying she “can’t fault Arryk for not breaking his vow” DAMN!!! They can’t even let her be mad at the man who tried to KILL HER. Also he DID break his vow to uphold Rhaenyra as heir

- The show has fantastic characters, character dynamics, and an amazing idea of a plot (a Targ civil war!!) but the way they execute the plot is very very underwhelming. I was always glued to the seat in all the politics/scheming/war strategy scenes in GOT/ASOIAF but HOTD ain’t hitting the same way

- Some of the female characters are struggling to stand out and be distinct from each other- Alicent, Helaena, Mysaria are fantastic. Rhaenys, Rhaenyra, Baela and Rhaena are really struggling to feel different from each other. I feel like if they were in each other’s situations they would react the exact same way! Can’t say the same for putting Mysaria in Helaena’s position etc.

- Constantly acting like men are the only ones capable of violence, anger and war. While I acknowledge the time period and understand not showing anachronistic feminism, I still feel like I don’t understand whether the showrunners actually believe this? Or if they’re just saying that’s how the characters think. Because to believe women don’t have rage and anger, that means you don’t think they are human beings capable of the full range of emotion

Overall, while this season has mostly fantastic moments and amazing character arcs and everything, they have some serious glaring flaws. Even in GOT, the female characters like Sansa, Arya, Daenerys, Cersei, Margaery etc all were very unique, had their own goals and ambitions, but we don’t see that with HOTD.

The male characters in HOTD (down even to the council members) all are distinct and unique but main females like Baela and Rhaena after two seasons are still lacking substantial characterization?? I would say racism (and it very well could be) but frankly the same problem is there for Rhaenyra and Rhaenys too.

The politics and scheming scenes and the actual backdrop of the plot (Targaryen civil war) SHOULD be interesting, but why is it lacking so much? Where is the excitement, danger, tension and entertainment?

[superscourge]

okkkkkkk lemme be a lil baby for a moment here..

sometimes i get really self conscious abt new game bc of how slow of a start it has. like...idk. it doesnt feel very exciting to me either story-wise or visually if im being honest, and i feel like its kinda..lackluster??? i guess??? especially compared to all these other super duper cool fancomics i see

AND I KNOW YES i shouldnt compare myself to others' works and i really do try not to usually!! but im also like..stepping back and looking at how it holds up amongst all these other really cool ones, and it feels like to me it lacks a whole lot. theres not rly any action so far (i say so far bc there Is Some Later it just takes fucking forever to get there) and the scenery doesnt rly..change. bc scourge is Stuck In Bed. lol

at the same time all that is b/c i like to focus on character interactions and dynamics??? and thats what ive been giving! ive been focusing on the characters rather than the action. so i gotta be a little easier on myself tbh, new game (at least the..first one) isnt Meant to be an exciting action comic, its leaning more towards slice of life honestly and thats totally fine??

i guess im just self conscious abt it bc almost every other comic i see out there is both visually interesting and full of fun action. and i want that too, i really do. but i cant rly help that the majority of new game's first installment is just..scourge interacting with characters lol. in one singular space.

honestly i think what gets me is like..idk. the thought of like... if i werent the creator of new game, and i was reading it, id be a little. underwhelmed? i guess? at the comic's content, compared to other comics ive seen. and i guess that makes me a lil sad. coulda been a fic at that point. but ive committed to a comic bc i Love visual storytelling and there are some scenes i really really wanted to be visually illustrated. so i gotta deal w it i guess

anyway thanks for listening to my self-criticism lollll i just had to vent a little on my lil blog

[literaticat]

Are successful authors ever industry plants? Is nepotism big in this industry?

I read about certain authors being industry plants (Alex Aster) but I just don’t understand how that would work…or why they would choose someone that had already published books with underwhelming sales to be their plant?

I understand that wealthy people will always have advantages when it comes to access to higher education and not needing to work to provide for themselves and in turn having more time to work on their crafts. Is there more to it than that though?

I don't really think "industry plants" or "nepotism" are things that plague publishing to an unusual degree. This feels like a conspiracy theory with little basis in reality. So short answers: No, not really, it wouldn't work, that's not a thing, and no, there's not really more to it than that.

Longer explanation:

I guess, sure, as in any industry, there might be SOME "nepotism" around publishing. Like if your mom happened to be a high-powered agent or publisher or author, maybe you'd be more likely to get into the publishing business in some way yourself and get some kind of a boost from your/your family connections. But I don't think that's something that is happening A TON or anything -- because let's be real, for the most part, publishing is not the most lucrative of careers. It's just as likely, if your mom was an agent or editor or author, you'd be like "for the love of god, keep me AWAY from publishing, I would actually like to make money!" or your mom would say, "for the love of god, go to LAW SCHOOL or something!"

Yes, of course, as you say, a person with a lot of privilege/wealth generally probs does have a boost in publishing -- they don't have to have twelve other jobs to make ends meet, they have more time to swan around and go to parties and schmooze, they have more resources, a safety net, etc. But I don't think that is something peculiar to publishing, I think privilege helps in ANY industry. (And, it's also very possible to do well in publishing with ZERO previous wealth or "connections" etc. Plenty of folks do! Many/most published authors never knew anyone in the publishing industry before they were published!)

According to Wikipedia, "Industry plant is a term used to describe musicians who become popular through nepotism, inheritance, wealth, or their connections in the music industry rather than on their own merits." (Obvs we are swapping "author" with "musician" and "publishing industry" for "music" here!) Further,  "Artists described as industry plants often present themselves as independent and self-made, but are alleged to have their public images manufactured for them by record labels." (publishers)

The idea that publishers are out there "creating stars" is kind of laughable and gives them more credit than they deserve. Now, might a publisher give media training to an author so they come across more "polished" in interviews, or push a certain narrative about an author when they are doing a PR campaign? Sure, of course. Might a publisher choose to promote a beautiful and charismatic young author a little extra based on the fact that they are beautiful and charismatic? Probably, yes, tbh. -- but they aren't CREATING the authors out of whole cloth. Those authors still have to like, do the work, write the books, submit the books, edit the books, etc etc.

I don't know much about the author you mentioned, but I just looked up this "industry plant" theory about her and it doesn't really make sense to me.

Nepotism? Her family is not, as far as I can see, involved in publishing in any way, so that's nepotism off the table. Wealth? Is the accusation that she, or the publisher, somehow "bought" her way to popularity? That's just not how that works. It's extremely difficult to "buy" or manufacture virality -- if publishers knew how to do that, I promise you they WOULD do that, but they do not. (Hence why publisher marketing departments trying to Make Fetch Happen via tiktok or whatever other social media doesn't usually work at all!)

As far as I can see, this is an author who had a lot of rejections, decided to make tiktoks, went viral, then the book got picked up by a publisher, got a movie deal, etc. This is a lucky thing, and a somewhat unusual thing, but it isn't totally out of left field or anything, and I'm failing to see where "industry plant" comes into the equation. She got a book deal because her tiktoks went viral and that brought her to the attention of the publisher (and also, presumably, because the publisher thought the book was good/ cool and there was obviously an audience for it, see viral tiktok). She didn't "present herself as self-made" per se -- she WAS self-made in the sense that she wrote a book, and then it got published? And the publisher didn't "create her public persona", because she wasn't connected with the publisher until AFTER the videos went viral.

Basically, I think if people (not YOU, but other people) are out there saying that some author -- especially a young woman author -- is "an industry plant" and only got whatever they got because they are wealthy, or young, or pretty, or a nepo baby, or have a certain background, or whatever it is -- it's likely jealousy, and maybe some misogyny, fueling that kind of talk. Because while sure, any of those things certainly might not HURT an author's chances of becoming popular / successful, they still have to do the work. There has to be A BOOK that THEY WROTE at the end of the day.

[struggle-but-its-all-ocean-floor]

Okay, I Am Still spoilers under the cut. Let's do this.

Oh boy, that was something.

Seeing Jungkook made me so happy and at peace. His bright smile makes me happy. I felt so much love for him, so real and deep that it's surreal I feel that way and that my love for him has grown so much throughout chapter 2 - and that I've loved him for 5 years now... When the first Golden performance was played, I really felt so serene and present. I wanted to close my eyes. My problems felt so far away and I was grateful to be alive and to be alive at the same time as Jungkook. I often think this, but as long as Jungkook is happy, then at least one person I really love is okay, and that makes living a little bit easier. So I often plead to myself for him to be happy and have a happy ever after (as much as possible in a world where sickness and death are guaranteed). So, thank you, Jungkook, for every bit of comfort and happiness you give me, and for filling my heart when I feel that it is so hollow. I'm so proud of you. I was so proud seeing your journey.

I was also so moved at the end of the movie... Magic Shop played, then the black screen thanking Army showed up (tears), followed by Jungkook shaving his hair for the military... His hairstylist cried... It was sweet and sad, I love how much everyone loves Jungkook. He hugged his hairstylist was sweetly and acted bravely. And then Jimin showed up and Jungkook acted silly for him... The doc ended. with Jungkook making a funny face... It felt very Jungkook. It left me feeling happy, sad, grateful, touched, and overwhelmed all at once.

I guess the documentary also made me feel bad for how critical I am of him. It's just my nature. I feel things very deeply or very shallowly...

Now, other thoughts and criticism:

Most of the doc was rather underwhelming. I paid too much to see something that could've been available for free on YT. It had about the same quality as LSRF's docs tbh. They could've hired a really good producer instead.

I get the story they were telling, but it left much to be desired. The timeline was all over the place, and they overall showed very little given the material they must have. They could've dug so much deeper and shown so much more of Jungkook - which is what I believe he probably wanted. They showed so much old footage, like some of his performances and interviews. It was all about showing his success, talent, and perseverance. That's great and all, but it doesn't make the doc insightful or new.

I wanted to really see the process of creating Golden. Not just him recording stuff and traveling the world, but discussing the songs, the MVs. Why did he release the explicit version of Seven - what was that discussion like? Why he decide on collabs? How did he choose the songs? Why did he decide to make an English album after 3D - was it an easy choice or was he unsure about it? Did he give his input on the MVs? The doc doesn't answer these questions or truly show the decision-making process behind Golden, behind Seven, 3D, and SNTY. So it's less about Golden, and more about Jungkook's growth. I guess Golden is only about Jungkook proving something, but they could've done more, dug deeper, showed more of Golden since the doc is marketed as a "making of" Golden.

Still, it did show candid and very Jungkook-like moments and how his confidence in himself grew. It showed what his goals were, and I really relate to what he said about not knowing what the end goal is but that at least he's learning. I also don't know what I want my career to be yet, but I'm learning stuff and hopefully I'll figure it out.

I just expected more substance. Showing him perform and being interviewed was unnecessary. We've already seen all of that. Some performances and interview moments are fine, but there were too many imo. I also didn't like the quotes from some of the producers. Tbh, Jungkook would've made a much better documentary than Hybe. I was still satisfied in the end though.

On another note, I witnessed the Taekook effect for the first time irl. Some fans started yelling when V showed up - they either love V or Taekook, or both. No one really reacted with Jimin or Jikook...

This was my first time seeing BTS on the big screen. I'd never done it previously because I don't want to give Hybe money and because it didn't feel worth it. I was also very afraid of watching it with other Armys. I expected fans to yell when JK appeared shirtless, which they did, and they laughed and cooed a bit too much, but overall fans were quiet. Thankfully. That had been my biggest concern... The Portuguese just can't be bothered with anything.

Speaking of Portuguese, I paid 11 Euros for a movie that was translated into Brazilian Portuguese? I never thought an official movie would be shown in Portuguese from Brazil in Portugal. It is not the same as Portuguese from Portugal. A lot of the translation sounded off.

Anyway... what did you guys think? I have to eat now before I pass out. I'm so weak my arms and legs are tingling. And I bit all my nails during the doc because I was hungry lmao.

Edit: Forgot to add that beginning the doc with baby pictures of Jungkook was too cute. Also, I loved all the moments of Jungkook Jungkooking. Cause of death: Jungkook and his big, pretty eyes, and cute mannerisms, and perfect heart.

[runningupthatvecna]

night drive | part 1

joseph quinn x fem!reader

masterlist

story summary: you're just out there working your job when you encounter a special (and very familiar) client that is going to change your life. for the better, obviously. but should you really entertain personal relations with a client of yours?

general tags/warnings: rpf (don't like, don't read), strangers to lovers, mutual pining, fluff and eventual spice, slow burn, this will be just a small fluffy happy story tbh :)

chapter summary: it's just another day at work. at least that's what you think to yourself when you leave your flat in berlin one morning, yet unknowing that this day – or more like the client you have to drive to his destination – is being surprisingly gentle and kind to you, his personal driver. and the best part about it? he doesn't seem too scared of you wanting to get your daily dose of adrenaline.

cw/tw: fluff! just the overwhelming smol bean sweetness that is joseph quinn really, mentions of driving at high speeds on a highway, very brief mention of throwing up and usage of drugs, y/n mentioned once (1) at the end

word count: 3,9k

a/n: this idea has been engraved in my brain for literal months and i'm being reminded of it every goddamn time i am at work. so i had to get it out, right? jesus, yeah this is gonna be incredibly self-indulgent since i am german (stereotypes apply), but i tried to keep this as non-german as possible so more of you can relate in some way. hope that's alright and not too underwhelming in general. also, please leave me feedback/reblogs if you've enjoyed this so far! thank you and i love you :)

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Let's see who's gonna be flying in today, you thought to yourself as you shoved the last bite of your toasted bread slice into your mouth. Always have to have some form of breakfast at least.

Early signs of sunrise were making an entrance across the sky as you downed the last sips of your orange juice, leaving a tickling sour-sweet taste on your tongue.

Thankfully, your work uniform could easily be changed into something lighter and more casual during the summer months, which is why you only had to throw on a linen blouse and a pair of pants of the same fabric, supporting the flow of air around your skin to help keep your body at a reasonable temperature.

Berlin summers could be brutal, mainly regarding temperature, which is why the air conditioned environment you found yourself working in was the main reason for you to feel grateful these days.

Earning the bread while driving people around? And not in a oh god this guy is so drunk he's going to spill the insides of his stomach in my uber kind of way, but being the exclusive chauffeur for important people? Yeah, it could definitely be worse.

Especially in Berlin, where you can be anything you want.

Most people here get lost in the consumption of intoxicating substances while spending their entire weekends at Sisyphos; they have epiphanies about starting a career in dj-ing, before abandoning that idea again two weeks later just to start a food blog or become a yoga teacher. Long forgotten be the actual reason they once moved here in the first place. For studying or something.

There was a time when you used to think that this specific culture was cool, the same thought a lot of countryside kids think before they wave goodbye to their boring stuck-in-1982 German village life, trying to escape the impending doom of getting tied down to the soils of their direct ancestors, and decide to move here.

But the years of seeing what you had seen here had changed your mindset. A lot.

You loved the morning. The peaceful silence and quietness, empty streets when you could still hear the chirping of the birds, before the rush and heat of the hectic city would cast its overlay over East and West, before most people would start their day, trying to make it to everlasting work, meetings, important business corporate tralala on time.

It was something you had learned to appreciate early on after moving here.

Lighter shades of blue creeped upon the sky now, a sign for you to get ready to leave for your first client of the day.

Airport runs, all day long.

The morning shift, yeah.

You wondered how many people with sticks up their ass you would encounter today, since Germans were usually more of the awkward silence type. Some proved themselves to be quite bearable though, engaging in friendly small talk you would always try to initiate, just to break the tension in the air which sitting in close proximity to total strangers could evoke.

Plus, you never knew who else you would have to transfer. Could it be some important sheikh from Dubai today? A South African basketball player? Maybe the ambassador of Canada, though that would require a police escort.

Ever since you got your license, you had always enjoyed driving. You kinda have to get one if you grow up in small town Germany, where there is a bus service going, but only once per decade or so. Driving had to essentially be part of your DNA at this point.

Grabbing your keys and handbag filled with a water bottle, tissues, really good smelling deodorant, some chocolate you hoped wouldn't melt in the heat of late-ish May, and other small and useful things, you headed outside.

A shiny pearly white Audi A6 was sitting in your street elegantly, a bit further down from your building. Not your own, sadly. It was owned by the agency you worked for; however, with the frequency you found yourself driving it, it could be considered your property anyway.

You really couldn't complain. It was the latest model, seat and steering wheel heating, Apple carplay, a grade A sound system, cruise control, lane assist and all sorts of other nice features a modern car had these days.

From time to time the astonishment about being trusted enough to steer this four-wheeled beast in Berlin traffic was getting to your head.

The click of the lock was like music to your ears and you threw your bag on the passenger seat, since the clients you were supposed to transfer usually sat in the back.

Like a cab, but more personal and exclusive.

The warmth of the previous day had stayed inside the car overnight, which made you lightly turn up the A/C.

You had driven the route to the airport enough times to have figured out alternatives when the main roads would be too full with traffic during rush hours, so you were never really late for work. A true German virtue.

The first client of the day was some journalist working for the German broadcasting service ARD and it was your job to deliver them to the headquarters.

As per usual you asked them a few questions, from where they were flying in, how long they'd be staying, if they'd been to the city or even the country before, etc.

Right after drop off in the center, waving the journalist goodbye and wishing them a great time, your work phone received the message with further info for your next commission.

It was always like this. You'd receive a text message with pick up and drop off address, name of the client and their time of arrival at the airport. Sometimes additional instructions.

And yes, you needed to hurry.

You needed to hurry so much in fact, that your brain completely overlooked the name of the client next on your agenda. Your sole focus was on the time, and it became clear to you that you only had thirty minutes to make the distance.

The time aspect was always but thankfully the only stressful part of your job, still you loved it nonetheless.

You could be on the road twentyfour-seven, if one would let you.

Exceeding the speed limit on the A113 only slightly by 19km/h, you made your way back out to the airport before sliding out of the driver's seat. And yes, you had to get into the building with one of those cringy signs that spelled out the name of the person you'd be awaiting.

As you locked the car out front, parked between two cabs not too far away from the huge sliding doors of the immense window front underneath the massive concrete roof of terminal 1, your entire system flooded with the tingling sensation of nervousness.

You felt your heart make five million jumps, heat rising to your cheeks, and it wasn't because the early morning sun was already casting its heat down onto earth.

It was because of the name next to the arrival time info that you only now had to pay attention to.

It was half past seven, ten minutes after his estimated landing time, and you wondered how long it would take for him to make his way through the maze that BER could be and waltz through those sliding doors in the arrival hall.

The thoughts in your head went faster than what you'd just been going on the highway to get here.

You were about to pick up Joseph Quinn.

British actor, one of your absolute favourites. You knew about all the roles he had been working on, before his international breakthrough on Stranger Things' latest season, which is exactly why now, internally, you were screaming.

Your nervousness only got worse with every opening slide of the doors, built into the wall that kept the arrival hall and baggage claim separate, revealing behind it another random person that wasn't him.

The feeling of impatience grew with each passing second, mixing into the blood you felt getting pumped through you at increasing intensity, mingling with the rushes of euphoria and thrill caused by the thoughts of meeting someone you had so much admiration for.

And yet, a yawn escaped you just in the right moment, just when the doors opened for what felt like the millionth time within the fifteen minutes of you waiting behind the little gate.

He was wearing a dark blue cap, flattening down his light brown curls and making them stick to his (fore)head, brown sunglasses sitting on the brim, a white button down with chest pockets paired with light blue jeans and two rather thin silver chains around his neck. The sleeves of the button down folded right below the elbows. A black leather jacket hung over his forearm, his phone in the hand. A small dark blue suitcase on wheels was following behind him pulled by his free hand, alongside a middle-aged woman you guessed was his manager, because she stuck by his side, holding onto her own phone and own suitcase for dear life.

Didn't seem too fond of airports, you guessed.

With the way he was dressing it almost looked like he was here for much more casual reasons, but you were mostly to never driving people around just for leisure.

You could see him scanning the gathering of people awaiting someone, in search for a sign with an all too familiar name on it.

When his eyes fell on you, he smiled, warmly. Approached you, in fact, and with the way this man maintained eye contact, you felt your knees go weaker with each step he took in your direction.

You now understood what everyone that had met him was going on about.

Your breath hitched in your throat, forcing you to clear it to avoid your voice coming out as a squeak.

While dragging in one long inhale, you tried to gather every last ounce of your confidence, praying to whatever higher power there was that neither of them would catch a whiff of your tense nerves.

Okay, okay. Oh god. Okay, be professional.

He's just another client.

"Good morning, welcome to Berlin!" A smile appeared on your lips as you were met with Joe's warm reaction before you went on with your usual routine as your brain defaulted to that, telling them your name, mentioning that you'd be here to drive them to their destination.

"Hey darling, pleasure to meet you", he shot you another warm smile, lightly touching your upper arm right above your elbow to emphasize what he had just said. You just couldn't help but chuckle lightly at his Britishness and his subtle yet intentional touch made your arm almost twitch. And the skin underneath your linen blouse warm up.

Darling.

You knew well enough that it was more of a casual thing for a British person to say and that there wasn't anything to read into, buuuuuut you just couldn't help the way you found yourself attracted to him. It was melting you. You felt warmth spread on your cheeks at his words.

All of a sudden, it became so much clearer as to why everyone's brain chemistry seemed to be altered in a good way after an encounter of this kind.

And to your surprise, your nervousness was slowly vanishing into thin air. His presence, the way he was looking at you all soft and gentle, his entire aura was calming you in a way you just didn't expect to happen at all while being around him for the first time.

The realisation that he was indeed real and just a human being was doing its part, you guessed.

As you lead them out of the building, straight to your car as discreetly as possible, trying not to evoke the attention of any potential fan, you felt his eyes on you.

Okay, let's stay professional.

Sure you had met all sorts of interesting people through your job, and yes, there also had been moments you had gotten a bit starstruck before. For example when you'd met Dave Grohl while driving him to an appointment at Universal the other day.

However, nothing you had experienced at your job had you feeling quite like Mr Joseph Quinn was making you feel.

You were internally dying to ask him a million questions. And you were going to be surprised at how many he was going to direct towards you.

"So, what brings you to Berlin?", you asked after the carry-on's got safely tucked away in the trunk and all of you had settled into your seats. His manager behind you, him behind the seat your handbag was still occupying.

From the address that was given to you, you could already tell what his answer was going to be, yet you wanted to hear it from him and avoid making assumptions.

You set the car into motion, leaving the parking bay to make your way towards the highway, and while you asked your question number one, you briefly stole a few glances at him through the rear view mirror, awaiting his response.

And yes, he noticed.

His smile appeared back on his face, before he started explaining how this trip was going to be the start of him being on the move back and forth between London and Berlin for the coming weeks since he got cast in something and was now set to film said something here.

"I am quite excited to be part of it, actually. It's gonna be directed by one of my favourite directors and I honestly have had my eyes on working with him ever since I went to drama school years ago", he explained further with a nod, another look at him through the rear revealing the small spark in his eye.

You were getting excited for him.

"You must be quite nervous then, meeting him and the cast and all for the first time?"

You were also almost stunned at yourself for how many words you were able to put into a cohesive sentence in his presence.

A light chuckle escaped his chest, "oh yeah definitely. It's always a bit nerve-wrecking meeting everyone. But the excitement about being somewhere new and being surrounded by new people and getting to experience new things kind of balances it out quite bearably."

His deep brown eyes found yours again through the mirror. The eye contact this man was able to hold, even without being face to face with his person opposite, was honestly impressive.

You wanted to tell him. About how you'd seen all of his previous work, how all of his performances always left you completely stunned out of your mind since you were unable to wrap your head around how anyone could be this good at acting and portraying characters the way he always managed to. About how proud you were of him, seeing him succeed and receive things he'd been dreaming of, getting the things in life he'd always seemed to want and work towards. About how you had nothing but utter admiration for him. But you couldn't, because that would mean overstepping your boundaries.

Maybe, just maybe you would say that at the end of the week, when you were scheduled to shuttle him back to the airport.

"That sounds .. bearable", you quipped before continuing on a more serious note, "is this your first time here then?"

"Yes and no, I think I was here one time with school, but that was ages ago. We went and saw a few places, as part of history class, but I didn't pay enough attention back then to remember details, if I'm honest."

He let out another one of his deep chuckles.

Delightful how he was elaborating on his answers instead of keeping them one or two-worded.

"Oh, that doesn't count then", you answered while putting the car in cruise control as you switched back onto the A113. Speed limit was at 120km/h and you intended to stay there this time.

"Yeah, I definitely need a refresher I think, maybe I'll have some time on my days off during the next weeks. What about you, are you from here?"

Why, need a tour guide, Mr Quinn?

Just now, the A/C brought a whiff of his scent around to you, which you hadn't really taken note of before when he had stood close enough while greeting you at the terminal. Sandalwood, bergamot, a slight note of lingering cigarette smoke.

Once again you shot him a little glance through the mirror, which is when you noticed that his manager had passed out with her head resting against the window.

Sleep deprived, aren't we all?

"Yes and no", you mirrored him, "I grew up the South, in an insignificantly small town somewhere between Stuttgart and Munich, if you happen to know where that is?"

Joseph nodded, still with a curious expression decorating his facial features.

A bit impressed at his geography knowledge, you continued.

"I was born in the West, my family's from there originally. But I've been living in Berlin for a solid five years now, so I do consider myself somewhat of a local."

"That sounds sweet. So you know all the good spots then, hm?"

"Oh, for sure", you replied quirking up an eyebrow and then paused when you took the exit onto the A10, just to ask him, "ever been on a German highway before?"

"Not that I can recall", his voice changed into one of a slightly worried tone and you had a feeling that he was raising an eyebrow at you, "um, why?"

"You're about to see, just let me know in case the speed is making you uncomfortable or anything, I can go slower."

You could tell from the expression on his face that he wasn't sure if he should laugh or be terrified about what you just said to him, but he ended up giving you the green light anyway.

You thanked him mentally for the trust he was instilling in you.

No speed limit for at least 12km, aka getting paid to play Formula 1 in real life. Unfortunately, morning traffic crossed your plans of mildly and humbly impressing him (and his still asleep manager), so the top speed for today stayed at a cozy 173km/h. And maybe it was a good thing, getting speedblocked by traffic and keeping you from exposing yourself as a douchey sucker for speeds above two hundred kilometers per hour.

"You must really enjoy driving", you heard him almost mumble, a smile playing on his plush pink lips, almost making the colour in them disappear as it grew wider. He looked as if something in his head just clicked into place and he had come to a realization.

"Oh, what gave me away?"

"I think it's the way you stay so calm and collected while switching lanes at light speed."

His conclusion made you snort a little, the way he said it with such British seriousness.

"It's actually my German genes, you know?", you quipped back at him, without taking your eyes off what was happening in front of you.

You figured Joe would be appreciative of that.

Throughout the whole rest of the thirty minute ride to Babelsberg, a part of the town of Potsdam, with Babelsberg itself being a prestigious area with all sorts of different film sets and a bunch of production companies located at, there was not a single second in which you felt uncomfortable. No awkward silence whatsoever. And you hadn't even have to be the one breaking the ice this time.

Because there wasn't any to break in the first place. It was almost like the two of you had met before.

However, you kept the topics of your conversation on a strict small talk level. Your own level of professionalism was nagging at your brain in the back of your head continuously. You shouldn't be engaging in sharing personal info. You weren't supposed to make and entertain any sort of deep(er) connection with clients.

They were just clients and you were just their designated driver.

So you kept the convo at a strictly friendly brief small talk level.

Eventually you reached the hotel your two passengers were going to be staying at for the time being, and after you had gotten their suitcases out of the trunk for them in the hotel entry way, you actually worked up the courage to ask Joseph for a picture.

You knew yourself well enough that if you didn't, you'd regret it for the rest of your time on earth. And surely this was a once in a time-on-earth encounter, right?

-----

Another few airport calls were awaiting you silently through single respective vibrations of your work phone.

The outlook on the rest of the day was making a rather dull impression on you, not surprising after the morning you just had.

Pick up a medium known German actress and transfer her to the set of a talk show. Some athlete needing to get to the olympic stadium for some training camp. Another journalist scheduled to attend a convention. Another random rich person able to afford private shuttle service asking you to drive them to some hotel in the center.

Your thoughts kept drifting to your (by far) favourite encounter of the day. Over and over and over again.

During your lonely lunch break on the parking lot of the airport's closest gas station, you couldn't stop yourself from grinning at your private phone screen, the few selfies Joseph had taken of the both of you being reproduced on the display and being swiped back and forth by your thumb.

He had swung an arm around your half a head smaller figure, pulled you surprisingly tight into his white button up covering his side, cap still forcing this light brown curls to stick to his forehead, the arm not surrounding you stretched out, holding your phone into the warm early summer air, spinning the both of you around to find the best angle and background with one of his silly little giggles filling your ears.

In one of the photos, a toothy smile spread across both of your faces; another was slightly blurred because his focus was lying on taking you in instead of bothering to hold the phone steady.

Yeah, just a client.

The rest of the shift went the utmost ordinary and usual way. Time flew, which you were thankful for, since the only thing you wanted to do at this point was go home, refresh yourself through showering your warmed up skin in cool water, and keep staring at those photos juuust a little more.

For what would be the last time today your work phone vibrated once more, and the reason appeared entirely clueless to you as you were already on your way home.

A direct message from your boss.

Hey y/n, special commission for you this coming week. You're going to be assigned to Mr Quinn exclusively for the entirety of his stay. He will need transfer between hotel and film set twice daily until his ADT on May 27. I know I can count on you. Cheers and enjoy the rest of your evening.

– Laurenz

The letters of the words became a blur in your periphery.

Oh dear lord.

-----

taglist is empty and open

[serafilms]

thoughts on pjo series so far after episode 6:

(spoilers for ep 6 ahead!! minor spoilers for the books too but nothing much about the plot)

acting SLAYS. slays. i almost teared up like 3 times bc of percabeth in ep 4/5 ALONE. and sally!! and grover!!!! luke and clarisse too ugh!!!!

special effects SLAYYYY. the monsters look really good and just as i imagined, I’ll give them that.

sets and locations are also very accurately pictured and the vibes brought out are just like the book!

script sucks. the writing is soooo awkward most of the time and the conversation just does not flow well. it’s too serious and boring half the time and i can’t keep relying on the actor’s tones even if they’re doing well as child actors.

soooo much exposition in every single conversation my head is spinning. like i feel like there were better ways to contextualise info from the book?

i saw someone say this show could’ve been approached with a fleabag ish narration and while that sort of would be a bit unorthodox i feel like that or just having walker narrate over the top sometimes would’ve been a good way to nod to the books. it’s difficult to bring a first person series alive when the narrator has so much personality and stuff to say that affects descriptions and how we see it, but i think it could’ve been possible.

music is clunky sometimes in that like why r the vibes so heavy for nothing…. like when they were talking in the animal truck and when they were driving the taxi etc.

no action. like i don’t need it to be pumping out adrenaline all the time but they have fr barely done anything i’m sorry 😰 book trio would’ve ate them alive.

cutting grover out at the waterpark likeeee??? yeah maybe him w ares was important but also it was not. they could’ve gotten that info any other time without making him stay w ares.

lacking explanation where it matters. like the eeriness of the lotus casino and why there are people from all different eras. and their RESOURCES like they aren’t explaining where their money and clothes and stuff are like these kids are surviving off one backpack?? it reminds me of in a wrinkle in time (2018) how the kid’s shirt changes like every 10 minutes and it’s just never acknowledged.

speaking of the lotus casino it’s just so like… bland. they’re cutting out the best parts of the story. percy fighting the chimera was so underwhelming and the bus scene too!!! and the lotus casino like yeah ok let’s not promote drugs i guess but they could have and SHOULD have had fun. why did they waste that time on cgi for the roller coaster in the casino at all?? it wasn’t sinister enough bc the whole vibe of the show is just serious so there’s no contrast between them thinking they’ve found paradise and realising there’s something wrong. captured the vibe of the show tbh: they plateau along the middle line of fun and serious business instead of playing with it like the book does.

feels like the character relationships r poorly drawn out. i’ve already forgotten about the weak attempt to build a percy-luke friendship. and annabeth not letting grover talk to hermes in the casino felt badly explained. plus grover’s whole backstory?? why r we straying so far from how the books explained him like they’re separating him a bit toooo much from the others.

generally just too many plot changes like as much as there is good in this show there is also bad and we stray further and further from the plot every single episode (the SOLSTICE WHAT HAPPENED TO THE TIME PRESSURE??).

it’s somehow too low stakes and too serious at the same time. like they’re acting like the stakes are high but i’m not feeling the pressure.

i understand it’s a new iteration and an adaption almost never means it’ll be the same, but that doesn’t mean i like all the changes. i guess there’s probably tonnes of reasons why book to screen adaptions always change so much (actually harry potter and tbosas ate tbh but oh well), and in this case it’s been many years since pjo was released, so rick is just taking that chance to rewrite things as he would if he wrote the books now. and i accept that. but these are just my opinions and some of these things are just plain bad choices for a show 😭

but i do still hope it gets picked up for all 5 seasons + heroes of olympus like i’ll give u all my money i’ll watch it all i swear

[cheesecakeislazy]

Disventure Camp Episode 18 Spoilers!!

Basically just my thoughts on the episode-

Ally you dumb bitch, Jake literally gave both of his hair bands to Connor- YOU SAW IT. HOW COULD HE HAVE AN EXTRA ONE??

Although not all the blame on Ally for that miscommunication, Connor should’ve talked to Ally immediately. Explained that it was probably Riya, or literally anything instead of staying silent??

Despite my personal beef with Ally for fucking with my boy Jake, I will admit that she’s a better character than Riya… This episode alone made me dislike Riya. I don’t hate Riya, she doesn’t make me scowl or laugh at her pain. I simply dislike Riya and Ally.

As cute as it is that Jake had to dress up a mannequin like Tom- he should’ve had to dress it up like Aiden. Also that looked like season one Tom? I could be wrong though..

Connor doing the exact same fucking thing as last season?? It just seems repetitive..? I love Connor being selfless, but I just kinda dislike the fact he chose to get out like that. I think it would’ve been cooler to get everyone else to vote for him and he votes for himself? I dunno..

I was VERY neutral during this episode. Connor got out? That’s unfortunate but oh well didn’t think he would win.. Ally and Jake are beefing? What’s new.. Riya is being a bitch? Connor please punch her.

Connor needs to stop being such a gentleman, and needs to go into his wife beater arc- please I would pay actual money for Connor to beat the ever living shit out of Riya. (Pls don’t beat yo wives)

I really related to Jake when he insulted Connor in the heat of the moment- I’ve been there before. You insult someone you really care about without thinking because you’re just upset. I’ve done that exact thing and ruined a friendship over it. So I really hope my boy Jake wins this for us!

This is a really underwhelming final 3 tbh.. the only person I care about is Riya. It’s literally Ally vs Jake. Because if Riya wins this? The fans will not be happy at all!!! I really want Jake to win this, for Miriam, for Tom, for his boyfriend best friend Aiden, and for Ashley.

So far the episodes have peaked during the Aiden elimination episode.. 😭

Derek and Trevor kiss? Ngl I never shipped it, I made jokes like “oh they fucking” but I never shipped it. It’s cute tho tbh.. the way Derek looked afterwards? Bro was like “Damn.. that shit better than Kristal..” Derek is finally coming out of the closet!! Let’s goooo!!!

[coffinsister]

Hi there!

I just wanted to let you know that I'd never heard of Saya no Uta until I saw you talking about it on my dash and I was like hey I'll look into that!! I had no idea what I was getting myself into, and it was definitely an experience. I've only played the route of choosing Saya and choosing to call Ryoko, so I still have to make the other choices to view all of the game's content, but I just wanted to come say thank you for giving me the second controversial piece of media I've been able to consume without my ocd throwing a bitchfit, because the whole story is fascinating from a psychological standpoint and that definitely drew me in.

I just wish the story was a little more 3D, I guess? Like the writing is overly descriptive of things it doesn't need to be descriptive of and underwhelming with the actual voiced dialogue. It's an extremely bizarre contrast. And from what little Japanese I've learn over the years out of SpInterest there are some translation points that aren't entirely accurate.

A big one is the fact that Saya speaks in third person which is a common cutesy mannerism for small children in Japanese media. In fact, she speaks super similarly to Maria Ushiromiya from Umineko ( complete with using 'uu!' for emphasis too ) which caused me to attach quickly to her for it. While it's true that this doesn't translate well into English, it does lose in translation just how young Saya really sounds while speaking. Because in Japanese she's saying things like 'Saya did this for Fuminori because Saya wants to be with Fuminori forever!' and it's getting translated as like 'I did this to make you happy. So you'll stay with me forever, right, Fuminori?' and those are two completely different tones. In fact, it's so overlooked from the English translation that this trope of hers isn't even mentioned on the The Song of Saya tvtropes page and that's wild to me.

Sorry, I didn't meant to turn this into a rant in your inbox asjklhd. Thank you for bringing this intriguing piece of media to my attention. 💖

Hiii, I'm so sorry for taking so long to reply to this ask but it was lovely getting it, so please don't apologize! We love getting long asks, and talking about our interests <3 And I'm really happy me basically screaming into the void about it, got you into it! That's great, that's exactly why I post about the things I like.

This was very interesting to read so thank you for sending it.

Side Thought: TV Troupes actually really really sucks for this kinda thing, it is widely innacurate with big media, and incredibly lacking for small media. So personally, I would not chuck TV Tropes lacking this as much to the (very bad, like super bad) official translation, as much as I would to the site just kinda sucking.

I'm sorry if I sound harsh, the website is fun, like any other wiki is, I just have personal beef against it, do not mind me, old man yells at cloud.

The first route I finished was also the one with Ryouko, and tbh, in my opinion that's the best one, but obviously seeing the other endings gives a lot of extra information, and character depth, so I hope you play through them and enjoy them too.

And yeah, I feel you, I wish it was more 3D and that I could have cared more about the characters, the writing definetly feels too much like purple prose, and way too descriptive about meaningless things sometimes, while also compeltley glazing over others.

Also big big same about the translation, I already posted my long rant about it, but it's really such a shame, because Nitro+ is actually so good at conveying character through dialogue, like actually reading some of the VNs in Japanese is a whole new experience on its own

And exactly as you said, it would have been far easier to understand Saya is a literally preubecent child if the translation had shown how childishly she actually speaks, or another big one, we would have gotten to see more of just how badly Fuminori wants to show off in front of Saya and Yoh, if the translation had actually shown him avoiding being fully honest with Saya.

Like there's so so many moments in Japanese of him just going, Well, about that, you know... to Saya when she's asking him about their plans together, and he's very reluctant to ask her for help, even when he really needs it, until she blatantly offers it, and he takes it.

In the Official English version he literally just goes "Well, the thing, Saya is that I failed to kill Koji, any ideas about that?"

So much character missed there, I feel like also missing the honorifics isn't helpful or good, like Yoh calling Oumi, Oumi-chan makes them feel way way closer, than just college friends who hang out between classes. And it gives you a better sense that they care for each other.

My hot take about translations is that they shouldn't just accomodate to what's most familiar to the target audience, in this case USA people, it should just make the media more accesible. It isn't a failure of art if it is a bit of a struggle to engage with it, it's good to make an effort to try to understand foreign art, even when the way the text is presented, isn't super familiar or relatable to you.

This is basically what everybody who isn't from an English speaking country already does lol

[cbk1000]

So, if you don’t mind, why would you not let anyone IRL read your fanfic? Obviously it is really good writing, so is it the subject matter then? Based on your other posts here, it doesn't seem like you are someone who would fear judgement for that? Or is it different IRL? (I understand not letting your mom or dad read the porn though, lol).

No, I wouldn't let my parents read the porn. Lol My parents are also both very homophobic, so even if I didn't mind people IRL reading my work, I'd just keep it from them full stop, because even if I gave them the sanitized version of something with the sex scenes cut out, they'd think it was disgusting because two men are in love.

It's not the subject matter; I just find the thought of anyone I know IRL, and regularly have to look in the eyes, reading my writing to be incredibly cringe. I'd let my sister, a fellow writer, read it if she really wanted to, but she would not be allowed to do it in front of me, and she would also not be allowed to talk about it afterward. Lmao

It's not shame about fandom, or subject matter; I've read plenty of off-the-wall stuff and happily terrorize the people who know me by talking about it. "Jenn writes and reads gay fanfic" would probably be one of the least surprising things my friends and family could learn about me. It's my writing specifically that I don't want them getting hold of, because I find the idea embarrassing. I do not, tbh, think it's that good; obviously I enjoy doing it, or I wouldn't have written close to a million words in the last few years, and I take joy in it, and there are lines or scenes I think are well-done, but I don't think readers really understand how I and my Imposter Syndrome perceive my writing. I don't think it's the worst thing in the world, because I have read some really REALLY terrible writing, but I do think it's kind of just mediocre and underwhelming overall, so I think really the motivation for not wanting anyone IRL to see it is that I would find it embarrassing for friends and family to find out I'm really not that great at a hobby they've seen me put so much time and effort into.

It's different with internet strangers, who don't see the alarming volume of medieval history and Arthurian literature I've collected to help with world building, or how many times a week, and for how long, I disappear into my room to write. I also don't have to live in the same house as them after they read my writing. And, too, my specific audience is full of fanfic readers, who are judging it as fanfic, and who are comparing it to other fanfic, a genre that has absolutely no quality control, and where just spell checking your work puts you ahead of a lot of the pack. It's being judged, by fanfic readers, on its merits as fanfic, and it's being compared to other fanfiction. Of course it looks good and polished under those circumstances; a lot of fanfiction is written by people who haven't even been alive as long as I've been writing. But most of the people in my life are not fanfic readers, and would be judging my writing against the actual books they've read. So I guess what I really worry about is when it breaks containment, and has to be judged on its own, just as a piece of writing, and not as fanfiction being compared to a lot of works written by inexperienced authors, it'll be obvious that it's not very good. Even as fanfic, if you were to compare my work fairly, to writers of a similar age (30s) who have been writing for decades, it doesn't really stand out. A lot of writers of that age and experience level are far more educated than me, and, even as hobbyists, often have actual degrees, or at least some kind of credentials, in creative writing or literature. Whereas I am just someone who reads a lot of books and loves to tell stories, and I think that's fairly obvious when you compare my work to people who actually have formal education or training in writing.

[a-tale-of-legends]

( This whole ramble is in the perspective of a casual player/ fan game enthusiast. This isn't exactly talking about competitive pokemon, just how I've used the megas in the fangames/ROM hacks I've played.....this was supposed to just be about Mawile and Heracross but I derailed lmso).

In Which R rambles about mega evolution:

This might be out of nowhere but Heracross and Mawile are my all time favorite megas ever.

Tbf, they are the megas I've most used,but still. I love them so much. Lopunny is probably third bc I love Lopunny lol. Though while it hits hard, I have struggled with it being pretty frail. Maybe I'm not using it correctly ( I think it's more of an end game sweeper than a start off and destroy everything type of pokemon, though I think it's still that too so. Skill issue on my party LMAO)

I haven't used mega Salamence much, but I have been a victim to it. That thing is BRUTAL, and even with the short time I've used it, it's honestly really fun to use.

I don't think mega Garchomp needs to exist tbh. It's a fun power boost when needed, but overall base Garchomp is just better for me. Lucario is also something I felt.....okay, I guess. It's very cool and can really kick ass but I don't feel strongly about it.

Mega Gardevoir and Gallade are kinda similar to Lopunny but in a slightly lesser scale. Gardevoir in particularly I feel was really hyped up to me ( pixilate hyper voice), but when I used it I ended up feeling underwhelmed. Not saying that this a bad mega, far from it. There's a chance that I either am not using Gardevoir properly or I simply don't vibe with it. Gallade, ironically, I feel like I had a better time with. I don't know why Gallade in particular but honestly I had fun using it.

God there's a lot of megas: okay the Hoenn starters and then I'm gonna ramble about Mawile and Heracross

Sceptile: Love the thing, god I don't think the mega really helps it much. The dragon typing is cool, getting rid of some weaknesses but also adding more - I think it's still a very fun pokemon to use, but also. Oof. Sceptile kinda got the short end of the stick.

Blaziken: I keep hearing how good this mega is and guess what? It is! But also not my favorite. From my experiences, Speed Boost only really works if you have a good set up pokemon on the opponents end. I like to use bulk up as a set move along side speed boost which. Honestly it probably why I probably don't think as highly as mega Blaziken despite this thing literally doing full team sweeps for me. I think just the set up takes longer than I would like. I also think Blaziken is just not my cup of tea in general. Very good pokemon, but surprisingly slow despite how it looks, so I've always felt it should be faster than it is. Though I guess that's why it has Speed Boost. All in all, a very good mega, I've definitely had fun with it!

Swampert: I WISH I USED MEGA SWAMPERT MORE MAN. I LOVE THAT THING. My only real core memory of using mega Swampert was I think when I was playing alpha Sapphire for the first time? And even outside of that I've used it occasionally but never really used it as often as I'd like. If I did it would be top 3 megas for me. At least of the one's I've had experience in.

Okay NOW we go back to Heracross and Mawile. Heracross is in general such a fun pokemon to use imo. It kinda checks the boxes of my favorite type of pokemon to use: moderately, can take a hit or two, and hit back very hard. And while it's mega is slower, it doesn't negate from the fact that this thing is a fucking beast. Honestly with or without a mega, why do you think Kenji doesn't mega evolve his Heracross. He doesn't need to, just slap a choice band/ choice scarf on the thing and watch it destroy. Same can be said with mega Heracross but like. 5x that. Also I've realized the error of my ways on dismissing skill link. Crucial error I will never do it again, mega Heracross has that for a reason and it's to destroy.

Mega Mawile is pretty much what all mega evolution should be. Take a honestly bad or mediocre pokemon and give them an extra boost. I think Mawile does that perfectly and GOD, is mega Mawile just a beast. It's not fast, again, but it has sucker punch and huge power so. I don't think I need to worry much there. Play rough and iron head, swords dance if you want to be evil, and man. I just love using this thing. It's so fun. Same can be said with Heracross. These are just pokemon I love to use she would have to be against.

One last note: I have yet to use mega Pinsir, but I hope it's fun if I do.

[confusedhostage]

SH ask game! 1, 2, 15, and 20?

thanks for the ask :D

1: My fav episode so far is definitely 3 (though 4 is closeish behind) - it allows a ton of replay value with all the hangouts - all of which are so well done and give good insight into characters (and are unique depending on your relationship with them) and the haunt is deeply intriguing and scary and the dilemma feels more complex and emotional for me. Also trait save is cool lmao. All things in particular I love about the game are in 3 basically.

2: hmm this is hard. Maybe 1? I think it’s a good establishment for the game but it does feel lacking in replay value compared to even 2 - it’s got very good horror though but I do wish there were more panicking options lol idk. I also think some characters are better established in 2 as you see more of their hidden depths. I don’t hate it but compared to 3 and 4 and even 2’s replay value it’s more underwhelming as you don’t fully see the consequences until later episodes understandably.

15: I like the theory that the goat sacrifice is meant to be about the towns curse/a way to somehow prolong the town, the Wayne and entity theories (either he’s the same species or is the entity), MC being special as an heir or sacrifice (even if Tabitha doesn’t know it), but overall I’d say the Stickiness theory is my favourite and the one I believe in the most (curse that traps people in town). Also that TTA is church and SS is farm. I also believe that Sybil has a well intentioned goal even if she’s going about it in a controlling and brutal way considering what she does to her family (tbh I wonder if she killed her husband or at least knew he’d die?) and the Kelly’s and Scarlets.

20: my favourite achievement… I like Tabitha’s smile one it’s ridiculous. Other than that maybe the one where you keep turning instead of opening the door in the haunt? Funny. More seriously I enjoyed the one of choosing all mystical dialogue in the haunt (was cool) and the “illusion of choice” for the drama. Also any Dustin achievement is a good one.