#sure some people might be sad but they'll get over me not being here

[foxbramble]

.

[thecatundertheladder]

So with my Fsm lives au (which you can find here) I've decided the logistics of Wu and Garmadon and how Fsm might appear to them.

Basically a few decades (?) before Lloyd is born the Fsm disappears completely from Ninjago. Prior to this they tell Wu and Garmadon that he has something to take care of and as a result won't be overly available to talk to them or meet in person. Wu and Garmadon then don't see or hear from them until Lloyd is born where he makes a brief appearance to meet baby Lloyd, after which they fuck off again.

Now Wu and Garmadon don't see this as concerning at all. I mean they're immortal beings, a few decades isn't all that long to them (and I hc that the Fsm has really poor time management when it comes to other people so Wu and Garmadon are probably used to this sort of thing).

Fast forward to Garmadon getting banished and Fsm is trying to his best to not interfere with his children seemingly fighting to the death (they know that can't and won't kill each other, I mean he knew something like this was going to happen after all, but those are his babies! why do they have to let this happen) so when Garmadon gets banished to the underworld he's immediately relieved because it means they've stopped fighting.

(Later as they start to think over the implications of Garmadon getting banished he has a panic attack because there's no way this guy doesn't have anxiety)

After the fight he goes down to the underworld to find Garmadon unconscious and heavily injured from the fall and the lightning strike. Fsm stabilises garmadon, triggering a partial transformation into his Oni side, and then immediately fucks off again because 'oh shit the prophecy's beginning'

(Garmadon is vaguely aware that someone healed him after he fell. He has his suspicions as to who but nothing is ever confirmed)

Later when Wu's wallowing in sadness Fsm goes around and cleans the monastery and puts meals out for Wu to eat and generally helps him out but since Garmadon's banishment to the underworld was prophesised they can't really talk to Wu about it and comfort him. But Wu is aware that he is there and they'll talk about random things together.

He does, however, leave again once Wu shows signs of being able to take care of himself again.

Fsm starts showing up and talking to Wu again soon after he finds Cole, but it's never to comment on what might be coming next or even about how his student's training is going (that doesn't stop Wu from bragging about their accomplishments though), it's always inane stuff like 'Mystake's making me go therapy Wu can you believe it' or 'Kai fell in a ditch while trying to impress a girl. No I'm not stalking them Wu I'm just making sure they're safe'.

The ninja can't see them full stop though.

But the point of this long winded post was that Wu, being slightly less involved in the prophecy is fully aware that his father is just kind of there sometimes, but Garmadon, who is a key player, is not (he does have some suspicions however).

[a-killer-obsession]

Wanna say real quick if you're a fanfic writer and you're looking at my page like "ohhh they hit 500 followers so fast and they have a upload schedule and post twice a week, maybe i have to post twice a week to get followers" - Stop

This turned into a whole guide for newbies so more under the cut

Please do not use me as an example! Im disabled and unemployed which means i have time to write two chapters a week, please do not put that sort of pressure on yourself!!! I only let myself have a upload schedule because i keep a small backlog of chapters, meaning i have some buffer if my health is bad or i get writers block, and as yall saw recently i will take a break if i loose that backlog. If i was forcing myself to write two chapters a week on a strict deadline i would absolutely loose my shit and probably burn out very quickly. And to be entirely honest, I haven't seen much difference in follower growth now that I have a schedule versus when I was just posting whenever I remembered to. I really don't think a schedule makes a huge difference, I just like having one because it gives me some sense of routine now that I'm unemployed.

What im trying to say, especially if you're new to posting fanfics, is please dont stress yourself out by thinking you need a strict schedule for anyone to like your fic or follow you. You shouldn't be writing for followers anyway, write for yourself! Write because YOU want to write. And if you fall out of love with that writing, dont feel like you need to force it just to make others happy! When i get burnt out writing Wavelengths, I keep going because *I* want to get to the ending, I've been excited to write it for months. Its another reason i dont start writing new long forms until i have a generic plan of where im going, which is something i highly recommend. Having a chapter you're excited to write really helps when you're trying to find motivation.

While I have you here, let me lay down some general tips for new fanfic writers, especially for those who post on tumblr:

Write because you want to write. Don't ever feel like you need to cater to someone else, that's a sure fire way to get burn out

If you do get burn out: don't worry about it, either it'll pass or it won't. Maybe you'll drop that idea all together and move to something new. Don't sweat it, write what makes you happy. Forcing yourself will only make it worse and it'll show in your writing. Writing fanfics is a hobby, it should be FUN. Sure someone might come across your fic years from now and be sad that it's not complete but they'll probably only be sad for a few days at most and then they'll forget about it. Its not a big deal. Who knows, maybe you'll find inspiration years down the line and make someone's day by randomly updating after years of hiatus. It happens 🤷

Dont worry about how much engagement your fic gets. I know absolutely incredible fics that get barely any engagement, and some frankly hard reads that have a ridiculous amount. Its all just dumb luck really. Again - write because you want to

Don't sweat typos too bad. I recommend finishing your chapter/one shot, giving it a day or so, and THEN come back to proof read. I find doing this gives me fresh eyes and I often find a lot of ways to improve the chapter while I'm fixing typos. If you accidentally leave typos in there, don't worry too much. As long as it makes enough sense for people to understand what you meant, people will still read it. Just look at the first few chapters of Wavelengths for example, they're riddled with typos from swapping from 3rd to 1st person, but people still read them (I'LL FIX THEM SOON I PROMISE LMAO)

Don't worry about being cringe. Cringe is dead, make your characters as self inserty and over powered as you want. CRINGE IS DEAD. If you think its fun to write powers and tropes that you're worried will be cringe, fuck it, write it anyway. As long as YOU have fun writing it. Do you know how many "whoops accidental pregnancy" trope fics I've written? Every single one of my long forms has either had it, or planned to, because I like that trope! I don't care if its cringe, I will continue to get my characters knocked up

Some quick accessibility things:

Please left align your fic! I've seen people posting center and right aligned because it "looks cool". These alignments should be used sparingly! As well as things like italics and different fonts/font sizes/colours! They should be used to highlight small sections only! Otherwise they can make it very difficult for people with reading difficulties to read!

If you're posting on tumblr:

Make sure the majority of your fic uses the default black font. Some people set the whole thing to a different font or the "small" font or a different colour and I literally can't read them, and it makes me so sad! I'm sure I'm not the only one with this issue! Its okay to use other fonts for things like headers and descriptions, but for the bulk of your fic use the default! Theres a graphic designer out there somewhere who spent a long time picking the best font for the body text on this website for a reason!

If your fic is longer than a few paragraphs, use the READ MORE function!!! Either cut under a description or the first few paragraphs so people get a preview of your fic. You may think it's silly to hide most of your fic, but if someone, especially on mobile, comes across your fic automatically trimmed on the fyp, and likes your stuff, and they go to your account to see more and have to scroll for a million years just to get past your newest post, they're quickly going to give up trying to read your other stuff. Using the read more function makes it easy for people to browse your blog and check out more of your works!! It also makes it more likely people will reblog for the same reason.

Along the same lines: have a masterlist. This can be as simple as a pinned post where you add a link every time you post something new. This makes it super easy for people to check out more of your work!

If you have a long form/multi chapter I also recommend going to the previous chapter and adding a "next chapter" link when you post the next one. Not 100% needed though, if you have a masterlist that can be enough on its own, people just appreciate having that next chapter link for binge reading. PUT IT AT THE BOTTOM PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING. I hate when I finish a chapter and have to scroll for a million years to get to the top for the link

Feel absolutely free to use the way I format my fics and masterlist as example, but like I said, it can literally be just as simple as a list of links. I recommend listing the links at bare minimum as the title of the fic, and the pairing people can expect (including if its nsfw is a good idea too)

Speaking of NSFW: if your work isn't suitable for minors please make that clear! Even just a 'minors DNI' at the start of the post is good! If you wanna get fancy there are lots of creators who make lovely 18+/minors dni banners you can use for free, just google it and plenty will come up. If you're not adding a cut before the NSFW content then make sure you mark the post as for mature audiences (idk how you do it on the computer because I'm mostly a mobile user but on mobile you can find it bottom right, the icon with the two people). Not appropriately censoring your posts can result in tumblr restricting and possibly banning your account.

Finally, and this one is oddly specific to people who use google docs, but you can use a copy of this google doc to automatically add all the html to your writing so you can just copy and paste it into tumblr or AO3, instead of having to manually fix all the formatting. Do not just copy and paste AO3 html into tumblr, for some reason it has major issues with italics and will cause you a major headache. Just use the linked doc, its a super time saver, I've been using it for ages now

Okay thanks for reading bye

[howlsofbloodhounds]

Delta anon here again and I've got another headcanon for you:

Delta and Beta are very touch starved (as are all of the Epic Sanses, honestly), and absolutely love physical affection/attention, but don't necessarily know how to ask for it, much less how to ask for it without being embarrassed by showing vulnerability and admitting they need things.

(Beta's also probably not used to being allowed to ask for affection, due to our headcanon of him maybe being abused before he had fallen into the underground, so he was probably taught from a very young age that initiating affection wasn't allowed or okay to do, or that affection might turn into hurt.)

And since the Epic Sanses have all been friends for probably years, they most likely began to be able to pick up on Delta/Beta's cues on when they need something but don't want to ask. Said cues might be lingering around a bit too long, sudden physical touch or affection, randomly bringing up something relating to their need so they can see how their friends would react before they attempt asking. Stuff like that, probably.

(They test the waters like this, mostly because they're too embarrassed to ask for the attention/affection they need, because vulnerability is not a concept they're good with yet. Sure, they're vulnerable with their friends in some ways, but they'd rather die than ask for affection/attention straightforwardly.)

Color and Epic would also just eventually get used to Delta/Beta becoming more and more comfortable with them physically over the years. It still takes Delta and Beta a bit of time to feel comfortable asking, so instead of asking like a normal person, they settle for initiating - subtle nudges, leaning against/on them, stuff like that. And eventually once they got comfortable enough, they'd probably be fine with just silently cuddling right up to Color or Epic if they need the attention and aren't getting it.

Lucky for them, Color and Epic are patient and are able to understand what they need after a while. If they see Delta or Beta getting fidgety or trying to subtly initiate affection, they'll gladly reciprocate and offer affection.

(In my mind, it's sort of like how a cat wants attention but would rather die than be normal about it and ask for pets. It also might be how cats pretend to show disinterest, but in reality, they do want the attention.)

Thoughts?

I think this is a wonderful but also kind sad headcanon, although the thought of them getting better at initiating physical affection eventually makes me very happy.

It actually kinda reminds me of how I picture Killer and his cat-like ways. I usually view him (at least while in Stage 2) to have been so used to either being denied what he wanted or needed, or having those things held over him and used to control him, that he just started detaching from ever needing or wanting anything—which was only encouraged and reinforced. Really helps to convince someone that they’re an emotionless being if they believe they no longer have needs or wants.

So I always pictured that once he realizes that he actually needs something (id imagine itd be a lot harder for him to recognize or care about a want, if he’s internalized that what he wants doesn’t matter), he’s basically gonna do just about anything to get what he thinks he needs and to keep it. Manipulation, intimidation, blackmail, mind games, people pleasing and fawning.

Which is why I often think it’d take a long time for him to do things like express affection or ask for it openly if there’s no reason for it—those things are often tools for him, and he rarely wants affection for affection’s sake.

But when he does, he engineers reasons and situations and excuses for why someone has to touch him or why he has to touch someone else (this last one is often easy, considering he relies on physical touch for grounding, he can either use his rep as a disrespectful asshole who doesn’t care for others’ physical space to hide his grounding technique, or he can use his grounding technique with closer people such as Color as a justification for why he’s touching.

Or he may even do things like let Color hold his hand, with the justification of “keep him happy, and he’ll stay,” even though Killer wanted to hold hands too lmao.)

(making someone so mad they hit him, “accidentally” getting hurt or cutting himself so someone has to touch him to treat his wounds and they have to do it gently and carefully unless they want to hurt him. (which in the case of someone like Color, who claims so often that he doesn’t enjoy or want to hurt Killer, this type of situation also doubles as a test, a sort of landmine that Color has to be careful with.

Because although Stage 2 does enjoy pain (he would very likely enjoy being hurt by Color lmao), if he’s hurt in a “vulnerable” position by someone like Color, then he will just take it as proof of his fucked up worldview—and it’s likely that it could potentially have a ripple effect on to Stage 1, who does not enjoy being hurt.

Which must be so exhausting for Color, having to navigate what is and isn’t a test for him—and sometimes im sure color just sees right through him and calls him out on it.)

This also allows him to comfort of less vulnerability and a lot more control of these interactions—someone is only touching him because he made this situation where they have to, and they do not need to know that he wanted them to touch him. Which suggests a want, suggest an attachment, which—in his mind—can then be used against him if that person realizes the “power” they have over him.

Silly fella and his fucked up little world views on relationships and power dynamics.)

Which all in all, I’m sure helping and understanding Delta and Beta’s problems with asking or starting affection is more like a breath of fresh air. I’m sure this is mainly because, compared to Killer’s innate distrust for others, his control issues, his little tests and naturally manipulative ways, and the conflicting desires of his Stages, this is much more straight forward.

Color would likely take notice of Delta and Beta’s tells, notice even small things like their lingering, and would at least be able to tell that they want something—and can either ask directly (perhaps instead just asking them if he can have a hug, rather then having them ask for it), or just wait for them to feel ready to.

[seraphsfire]

Life situation & kitty update! Help me stay in Seattle instead of being forced to go to wyoming

Hello! I was able to make rent this month, but so far I cannot make rent for next month.

Ko-fi has been holding donations since paypal has been flagging them as "income" so that no longer works.

If you would like to help me out using paypal, the link is HERE. I will look into other venmo and cashapp. you can also reach out for a commission! If you donated via paypal and would like me to draw you a little something in thanks, please let me know!

I also put together an AMAZON WISH LIST , most is things for the kitties or food and some non-essentials / self care things for the hell of it that are things i haven't been able to buy myself for a while. Other than rent, kitty supplies and food are what I spend most $ on.

More on what I'm facing and what my kitties need:

about the kitties:

My sweet kitty Jade, needs a steroidal shot for her dermatitis. She should have gotten another one on the 25th, but I had no money to take her to the vet and she started ripping her fur out and made big, golf-ball sized spots completely bald on her armpit and chest :'( We put her on benadryl, moisturized her, and gave her a little jacket thing to help but I can tell she's really uncomfortable and really needs a vet visit to get that. it's $80 just to visit my vet and i'm sure the shot could be anywhere from 10-40 dollars, I really don't know. She's not in danger of pulling huge chunks of fur out thanks to the little jacket but she's really not happy and it makes me so sad.

About my situation (kind of long, sorry):

My Parents (mostly my mom; it's very hard to get responses from my dad) gave me rent money for September, but then made it clear that she will no longer help me financially under any circumstance if I want to "choose" to live in Seattle, then I'm essentially on my own. She doesn't want to give me money because she doesn't want ours to be a "transactional-based relationship" (after spending my entire childhood having them pressure me to move out on my own)

My dad is convinced that since Seattle is a city, it is very unsafe (and too full of Democrats) and that we would be safer living in their small town of Pavilion, Wyoming--which is literally just like, a few very spaced out neighborhoods. The nearest actual town is a 30 minute drive, and it's not very big either, and I don't drive. I would be snowed in *with them* for 4+ MONTHS every year, and every summer unable to leave the house for weeks because of the heat.

My dad has told my sister and I that if we choose to live right next to them, where they could have complete control over our lives, they would even buy us a house--but because we're not doing that, they refuse to support us in the life we've chosen for ourselves. They do not see the cruelty in this and think we are being nonsensical staying somewhere like Seattle which is "dangerous" and they do not like that it is full of non-republicans. I came out as queer in 2016, something which they have never spoken about since. I would likely be the only (out) queer person for MILES, and I don't feel like being the guinea pig for whether the anti-gay people there are the kind who ignore you or the kind who will hatecrime/kill you (:

Since I'd be at zero in my bank account in wyoming, they would have complete control over what I eat (not fun since I have a messed up digestion), clothes I buy, where I go, and how I behave just like they did when I was a child, or they'll start taking things away hoping that "tough love" will work. (it just made me mentally ill lol)

If I start a job in a week and a half I might be okay, but if I can't start until after that I won't have enough for October rent. I have one interview coming up but the future is still very up in the air.

[coolsosha]

ObeyMe DEMON BROTHERS, but as Will Wood's songs!

i just love will wood, ok?

LUCIFER

♪She said, "It just feels inhumane to lose this much" / 'Cause when you leave, you know you take more than your love / Just one week of cicada days, we're losing touch / And I know it just feels inhumane to lose this much♪

Jeez, finding a song for him was tough, but i guess i did my best.

Apparently, "Cicada days" is about "that even the most painful losses can teach us something, as long as we persevere" according to some website. And i think it's pretty accurate.

I guess this song works well with all that Lilith death and Celestial Realm situation. Bro literally lost everything but still standing.

MAMMON

♪Please, policeman, no heel-to-toe / Oh please, let me go / Please, policeman, is it a test? / I won't know 'til I'm under arrest / Am I being detained / Am I under arrest? (Yes, you are!) / Read me my rights, please (No!) / I want my phone call!♪

So this song is about "dealing with life difficulties and feeling like you are trapped in a cage by circumstances". I thought that it, again, works well with Celestia drama and with fact that Lucifer was the one who chose everything for them. That would also work for Levi, but pppffft.

Also his brothers are often bullying him, so "feeling like in cage" might suit this well. No one takes him seriously and think that he is stupid, sad.

And oooobviosly Mammon might be in cage because he stole something expensive and hanging out in jail!)

other ones under the cut~

LEVIATHAN

♪One night one flung light through this place / So I run for cover, over, under, left the rind out on the plate / Little heart racing and praying, "Something, keep me safe" / I think it saw my face / Okay, one hungry day / Is nothing come what may♪

Okay, i have absolutely no idea what this thing is about, but according to some people this thing is about "Wanting to have someone near you and struggling with loneliness, but then accepting everything". Which gives some Levi vibes, since he is all "lonely worthless otaku".

But it's actually about a mouse, that's trying hard to live, wishes for cheese, hated just because of it's existence and naively hope that it will get to the cheese moon. It wanted to be friends with everyone, but eventually it gets trapped and killed. That's so hella sad and I've almost cried when i saw the clip, but, also it works well with Levi i guess. Poor dude wanted to be helpful for everyone, but everyone just left him(

All those hunger and cheese themes making me think of Beel, but no, it's not his song for sure.

SATAN

♪...Is there room for me in your cage?/.../ Animals are people too, but these people are animals/.../You might seem behind bars, but friend, this cage is inside out / It's awful out here, Socrates♪

AND

♪I wanna make my murder look like a suicide / But they'll all know, they'll all know / They'll all know that the body's mine / I wanna go anonymous to identify / But they'll all know, they'll all know♪

Ok so "Willard!" is pretty obvious. The singer loves animals a lot more than humans and wishes to be animal too. And Satan is definitely that one type of people who prefer Cats over people.

And "Cotard's Solution" is kinda more complicated. Its about struggling with your identity. Actually Will Wood's "Self-Ish" album has a few other songs like that, but i felt like this one was the one. Satan's identity struggle is a big part of his character as we all know. Since he is a part of Lucifer and all that stuff. And Satan's love for knowledge is also working well, since singer is trying to understand what life is and what it even means.

I was thinking about "Hand me my shovel im going in" or "2012", but i thought this one is better.

ASMODEUS

♪Where do you get off being so God damn beautiful? / Oh lord. Don't ask me what I mean /.../ I'll never know. I'll never know. I'll never know. I'll never know what it's like / What it's like to love you♪

In this song singer talks about extremely pretty woman, who he is in love with. He is ready to sacrifice himself for her, even if he knows that it's dangerous.

Part from UNOFFICIAL meaning interpretation that i saw:

"Overall, "White Knuckle Jerk (Where Do You Get Off?)" seems to be a portrayal of the intense emotions and confusion that can come with infatuation, particularly when it is unreciprocated. The woman in the song represents a sort of unattainable ideal, something that the narrator desires but cannot fully understand or possess."

I think this song works reaaaally good with Asmo. We all know how much Asmo wants to be the prettiest so everyone would love him. He is taking dietes to keep his form, uses a lot of skincare routine and overall trying to be perfect. Lets take that the "woman" is the ideal that Asmo is trying to reach, and he is ready to go on any sacrifices to be perfect the way how he wants it. So everyone will love him!

and i really like this song.

BEELZEBUB

♪Just like my parents in due time / Imagine me, just like my parents, yeah, right / 'Cause I've made more mistakes than simple empty moments /Each one as out of character as you know I tend to be♪

AND

♪Of the two things we do on our knees / Watch me fold my hands just to crack my knuckles / Well, here is the church, here is the steeple / Open the doors, see all the people / Alright, that's enough, let's get you home♪

I could find something that would suit him more so... uhhh.. "Becoming the Lastnames". Its just some cute song about how singer wants to create family, live happy and accepting responsibility for one's life. And hoping for the best, and working to create a lasting legacy for his family.

I mean, Beel is family guy. I just couldn't find anything better, sorry.

And about Kitchen floor... Well, that song is more about childhood dreams and adult reality, but its also about accepting your past mistakes and trying to work harder in future, so i guess it's not that bad????

Sorry Beel fans, i couldn't find anything better(

BELPHEGOR

♪Hold my hands, we'll dance the twelve step on my grave / I'd kill the man I am for one more chance to be yours, babe / No, I ain't begging, I'm just saying, it's an option / Don't let the latest be the last nail in my coffin / If you need me, I'll be in my coffin♪

AND

♪I am not the sunshine, I am not the moon at night / Well, who else could I be when I can hardly see? / I am not the sunshine, I am not the moon at night / I'm no one if I'm nowhere in between /.../ And if dreams can come true, what does that say about nightmares?♪

These two are just perfect match with Belfie!

The "Vampire reference in minor key" is about feeling dead inside and wanting for someone to save you. And we all know how dead inside own Belfie is.

And "Dr. Sunshine is dead" is about world not being black and white. And the whole Moon/Sun theme along with Dreams stuff is just perfect!

And both of them suit well with attic part! There is nothing much to say about these, they are just perfect.

I also thought about "Red moon", but i couldn't properly understand what it was about sooo...

Idk, tell if you want side characters version idk?

i enjoyed making this though~

[befuddledcinnamonroll]

Ok, I have done some catching up! This mostly fell as I expected. There have been many shows that ended up far better or far worse than indicated by their trailers, so who knows how the final product will land, but here are my first impressions. (QL only, the hets are still boring to me).

Most excited for:

Revamp - pump it right into my veins, baby. The aesthetic still matches the original trailer, Boun looks so fucking hot, and if GMMTV has the sense to let BounPrem do what BounPrem do best, this will be an epic series. Sad about the loss of Boss. Looking forward to both Santa and Mark getting to hopefully break out of their usual innocence pigeonholing.

The Heart Killers - did not expect the FirstKhaotung and JoongDunk pairing, but I am here for it. Even though Joong and Khaotung do not look remotely related. Finally GMMTV has realized Joong should be killing people onscreen and we get sexy pursuing Dunk. First & Khao do feel a bit similar in vibe to Sand & Ray here, but presumably with the series they'll have no problem more fully developing them in a unique way.

The Ex-Morning - I don't always vibe with plotlines like this, but my baby Singto is here, and I like the meta-ness of giving him and Krist a story about former partners coming back together and relighting the spark.

Less excited, reserving judgement:

Us - I'm happy we're getting another GL, and I haven't seen Bonnie or Emi in anything before, but they seemed amazing, and the chemistry is on point. I'm just not a big fan of love triangle stories, especially with siblings. Also I want more of Sing being a bad boy with his tits out, less crying in the rain. But I will probably still watch to show support.

Sweet Tooth, Good Dentist - I am delighted that Mark is getting his well-deserved lead, and he and Ohm seem great together. I just don't love dentists as romantic leads. I know this is a me thing, the dentist's office is just a very stressful place for me, and having scenes there just brings up past experiences. I had the same issue with My Tooth Your Love. The plot also feels just so-so. But I hope this is just the start of a lot more Mark leading role material!

Thame-Po - similarly, really happy about Est in a lead, he and William have great chemistry. And I do think it's good to have shows pushing back at the public over this idea that idols aren't allowed to have personal lives. But it's also not a very original plotline.

Perfect 10 Liners - *weary sigh* We're going to end up with 40 year olds playing college students, aren't we? That said, I felt the same way about We Are, but I'm really enjoying it. So it could be fun. I'm happy to see Junior and Mark again. And according to online, we will also get AouBoom and MarcPoon (and it might be 3 series in full, good lord!?), so I'm on board with more of them.

Note to GMMTV: posting a slide that says "chemistry on point" before showing Perth & Chimon, does not make us believe in the chemistry! For the love of god, do some heavy duty chemistry workshops, or give Perth a new partner.

Ossan's Love - I haven't seen the original, but gotta admit, not a huge fan of this kind of comedy. I do like that the boss is an older man, represent, but I'm not sure if I'll enjoy this one.

[taylorslovesswifties]

BABYDOLL EP. 14

August 28, 2022

"The news of mid-season driver changes is growing. The Alpha Tauri team has announced that Buemi will drive instead of Bronie to test a few races and compare performance. Also, Bronie didn't attend the media briefing, could it be because the couple appeared hand in hand on camera at the last race? What do you think, Will?" The reporter said as he presented the day's sports news. The footage was a big hit. It was impossible not to recognize. Annabelle was back in Monaco, the team had decided to suspend her. She spent all day at home, sending her brother even when she needed to go to the grocery store. She was sad but she wouldn't admit she was sad and she was very angry. Really angry, she was close to hating this sport. Her name was taken off the garage door, instead it was Buemi's name. It was as if nothing in the garage belonged to her, as if she had never raced in Alpha Tauri. As soon as the race was over I went to the hotel, I didn't want to stay for the after party. I had been here for almost five days and I missed Annabelle a lot, even though we talked on the phone every day. I packed my suitcase and caught the plane, when I arrived in Monaco I texted Annabelle that I had arrived and I went home and first I threw the clothes in my suitcase into the wash and then I took a short shower and ordered some food outside. Near the end of my meal there was a knock at the door, I got up and opened it and Annabelle immediately hugged me.

"Mi corazón," I said as I kissed the top of her head. "Welcome." Her cheeks were flushed from the heat, and she looked like Dora the Explorer in her lilac t-shirt and brown shorts. Of course, if I told her that, she would probably punch me in the stomach.

"I missed you so much." She said as she hugged my neck tighter and I giggled, wrapping my arms around her waist. "How was the race? I fell asleep... so I couldn't watch it." She said as she buried her head in my neck.

"It was okay, I came seventh," I said, at least I got some points. She seemed to want to say something but couldn't. "Buemi was good too, how many more races did they say he's going to do?" I asked. She grimaced and rolled her eyes when she heard Buemi's name. I watched her for a while as she went inside, sat down and started eating the leftover potatoes.

"There are two more races. I don't know what will happen after that... Probably if Buemi performs well, they'll put me out the door." and then she was silent for a while. She seemed to be getting used to the idea. "And I have no idea what I'll do if I'm shown the door. At the beginning I was excited, I was excited to move to F1... Now I don't feel that excited. My career is almost over and I don't even have a plan B." I gently sat her on my lap and hugged her waist.

"That's how I felt when I was going to leave Mclaren, I didn't think I was going to find another team, but eventually I did. Sooner or later someone talks to you and you go to another team. So I mean, there will always be opportunities, you might have a bad experience with this team. But as soon as you leave the team, people will come to you with offers because you are talented Bella... You can be sure that all the teams see your talent. Any team that won't compete for you is an idiot." That's what I was really thinking, that's what I was really feeling, that's what I was trying to make her feel as we talked. She smiled and hugged me tighter.

"Thank you." I grabbed her chin and kissed her gently. I had missed her so much...

"So what have you been up to? I bet you missed me," I said with a grin.

"Of course I missed you. I hung out with my parents, my mom wouldn't let me stay home alone, she said my mentality wasn't right for being home alone. So I stayed at their place, slept and watched movies all day, just hanging out." I giggled and started playing with her hair this time.

"Are you hungry? I can order you some food." I said as I reached for my phone. She shook her head no and grabbed my wrist.

"You just got here, you must be tired. Besides, I already ate before I came." She said as she ran her fingers through mine.

"Yeah, we should go to sleep," I said as I stood up and picked her up. Her giggles filled the hallway as we made our way to the room. To be honest, I missed us like this. I didn't want to keep Annabelle a secret, she shouldn't be a secret. But she was happier in secret. Then we didn't have the eyes of the world on us, we could do whatever we wanted. We went on dates in disguise, I snuck into her team garage... Now we were in bigger trouble. Everyone had found out, I had always said I didn't want to keep her as a secret, I wanted the whole world to know that she was mine. She snuggled closer to me as I pulled the sheets over us, I put my hands on her waist and hugged her tighter. "I love you so much," I said as I buried my head in her hair and inhaled her scent. She looked into my eyes for a while, smiled and kissed my cheek. God, she was so beautiful.

"I love you too. I love you so much." I grabbed her chin and brought our faces closer.

"How much?" I asked, grinning.

"Too much, too much." She said as she left bites on my neck.

"Annabelle," I said between moans. "It's so late." But she didn't care, instead she took off her shirt, threw it on the floor and kept kissing me. I was melting with every movement...

After a while I took her under me and pinned her wrists above her head. "Stop," I said breathlessly. I didn't want to stop, my brain was signaling 'don't stop'.

"Didn't you miss me?" she said, biting her bottom lip. I pushed aside a lock of hair that fell on her face.

"Of course I miss you... But we both know I won't stop if I start. Don't you remember what happened last time?" She was an hour late for the media meeting because she couldn't wake up, also she had trouble walking and sitting all day.

"But I'm so wet," she moaned. I swallowed hard and spread her legs with trembling hands, her hands going to the bulge in my pants as I pulled off her shorts.

"First things first." I said breathlessly, bending over her.

[lighthouseofstories]

Wanted to drop in and say how much I'm absolutely adoring your writing! The cat post had me absolutely dying and your angst is just... so wonderful! The Ace fic hit me so hard and your portrayal of Zoro and his social obliviousness yet still meaning well enough was so spot on it hurts 😭

Was also curious if you might write something where the reader (trans masc or gender neutral if you're not comfortable with that ) is a new member of the crew (Whitebeard, Red Force, Strawhats, and Hearts separately) and they're really wanting to prove their worth on the crew because they're scared they'll be ditched and left behind. But in doing so, they go overboard and end up getting hurt or messing up the plan that had been laid out for everyone. How would the different captains/cremates react in the moment and afterwards when they find out reader maybe has some past trauma involving people making them feel like they weren't worth keeping around if they weren't useful in some way? And they aren't sure how to help most of the time when everyone around them is alreadyso capable and stronger without them. All the crews have such different vibes and dynamics, makes me curious how everyone would try to help the reader overcome these insecurities and realize that their worth isn't based on how strong they are/aren't and they were asked to join because they're a friend, not a tool to be used.

I hope that makes sense? Totally understand if you don't feel comfortable doing this request and want to say thank you again for your awesome writing!! Hope you have a wonderful day 💓

The Crew's Rookie

(30.08.23)

Platonic Red Hair Pirates x Rookie Reader (Trans Male)

TW: *Mentions of injury and blood. *The feeling of not being good enough and being desperate to prove yourself.

OOf, I ended up going in some random direction here, I hope it touches on the idea of the crew interacting with an uncertain reader. There was tons to unpack here so I condensed it into a one-shot. Also, sorry this is so late! I haven' felt too good under the heat we've been having!

Finishing re-tying some ropes on the ship, you wipe the sweat from your brow with the bottom of your shirt. The temperatures in this summer climate are so high that everyone is sweating buckets for the past few days. Not much that can be done about that except to keep showering and staying hydrated. 

Yassop closely inspects your work to check it won’t pose a safety hazard and you anxiously hold your breath in wait for the verdict. 

He then grins and pats you on the back. “Good job rookie! You’re learning quickly! Can't believe you've only been here three months! Man, it feels like you've been one of us for longer!” 

You sigh in relief and give a small smile as thanks. It’s only been about three months since you joined the crew and it’s been hard work to learn everything you can about being on a ship and even harder trying to find your place on one. You've also affectionately gained the nickname rookie or rookie y/n and you can't say you minded.

You’re beyond grateful for the opportunity that Shanks has given you that day, an opportunity to get away from your monochrome-filled world. 

You were working as a waiter in an almost-dead town and a half-dead tavern when Shanks and his crew strolled in laughing and chatting in a boisterous way. You felt trepidation at first, knowing that some pirates aren’t to be trusted, but seeing the charismatic captain politely inquire whether they’d be able to take over the tavern for the night you felt your fear slowly ease out of you.

You enjoyed serving them that night, their friendly behaviour and wild stories of the sea entertaining you throughout the night. When they left you felt sadness and emptiness fill you, missing the life they brought with them.

When they returned the next night for more partying you felt a grin spread across your face. You spent another night weaving between tables or just sitting with them and listening to their stories.

At one point the captain intently stared at you and you just furrowed your brows in confusion. “Hey, hey, why don’t you come and join my crew?” 

The crew around him laughed and someone shouted “Drunk recruiting again captain?” 

You felt your heart skip a beat at the proposal, but seeing how Shanks was so drunk he could barely sit up on his own, you forcefully shoved that feeling of hope deep down again. 

But the next day Shanks returned to your tavern alone. If it was anyone else you would have told them the tavern is closed and politely sent them on their way. But this was Shanks who you’ve grown a respect and admiration for upon seeing how he treats and interacts with his crew. 

“You never gave me a response to my question last night. There’s potential in you and it would be a shame to waste it by rotting away here. We’ll be setting sail tonight, so if you wish to come with us be at the dock by sunfall.” 

After Shanks left, you spent the whole day rapidly packing whatever essentials you deemed you’d need and a few mementos. You then scrawled a hasty note to the tavern owner saying you’re quitting in lieu of finding a better work opportunity and that you pushed the keys through the letter flap, he has spares after all. You then took a deep breath and saw the sky starting to change.

After you pushed the keys through the postbox and Slinged your backpack over your shoulders you take a deep breath and begin to sprint towards the docks. 

When you arrive at the dock you’re panting and out of breath, but feel the excitement buzz in your veins. 

Some nearby men spot you and grin, before shouting for the Captain to come and see who it is. 

When Shanks appears and looks down from the ship he grins wide and asks, “What are you waiting for rookie? Get on board before we sail without you.” 

“Yoohoo earth to Rookie y/n. A return to the ship would be great.” You return to the present to see Yassop waving a hand in front of your face. 

You blink and smile sheepishly. “Sorry, Yassop. Lost in thought.” 

He just lightly shakes his head and flicks your forehead. “You’re working too hard, no wonder you're so spacy. Go take a break and do something, anything, non-work related.”

You tried to protest but Yassop was having none of it and even gently pushed you in the direction of some crew members just relaxing around the ship, so you reluctantly went to wander around in search of something to do. 

“Rookie, come sit with us!” An older member of the crew cheerfully waves at you from his place at a table full of cards. Coming over you recognise some of the officers like Lime Juice and Howling Gab. 

You grin when you approach and see the scowls on some of the pirates’ faces. “Who’s winning?” You teasingly ask.

“Heh, for a change I am.” Lime Juice responds and places a winning hand of cards now with a grin that irritates those around him.

“I’m still not convinced that you aren’t cheating.” grumbles someone else at the table.

Lime Juice chooses to ignore them and turns to look at you as he passes you a hand of cards for a new game, his shades ever present on his face. “How are you settling in Rookie?”

You sit down at a nearby barrel and shrug as you accept the cards. “Alright, I think. I managed to remember everyone’s names and I’m no longer getting lost on a ship.”

“You’re faring better than some previous newbies, they spent most of their first weeks or months throwing up and falling over in search of their sea legs.” Another pirate at the table laughs.

“Yeah, I suppose this is better then.” You quietly say to yourself. Before you can say anymore a loud rumble of thunder and a flash of lightning spread across the sky. Following it immediately was a strong downpour accompanied by hale. The Grand Line weather really was unpredictable.

Curses erupt all around you and shouts to get the ship prepared for a storm are heard all around. 

“Oi rookie! You’re a pretty good climber! Climb up the rigging and roll up the sails!”

“On it!” You shout with determination happy to be put to use. 

Once you are up on the rigging, carefully helping to roll up the sails so they won’t be damaged in a storm a new shout spreads across the ship. “Hostile ship approaching at four o'clock! Captain they’re trying to pick a fight with us!” 

Barely a few moments after the warning, the sound of cannonballs shooting through the air is heard and the ship violently rocks with the combined attack of the strong storm and the cannonballs hitting water. 

You just about manage to grab onto a nearby rope to stop yourself from falling down, but it is proving to be difficult with the violent swaying of the ship. 

With the enemy ship not swayed by your captain’s Haki (which you miraculously just about managed to get used to) they are now next to the Red Force and a battle begins to commence. 

“Oi Rookie get down! It’s far too dangerous up there right now! Go and support from the back!” Someone, you didn’t see who yells at you from below. 

You grit your teeth and are about to descend before you have another idea. If you manage to help in this battle you can prove your worth, that you deserve to remain here as much as anyone else. 

With that thought made up, you carefully move to the end of the rigging and take out your gun. You carefully scan the enemy pirates and watch for an opportunity. Your eyes widen as you see one of them aim a gun at a fellow red-haired pirate. Without thinking you take aim and shoot. 

You grin victoriously when you see the pirate fall down dead, the surprise clear on his face. The nearby pirate of your crew turns in your direction. His eyes widen and he screams a watch out, but it comes too late as you feel a sudden pain at the back of your head, and the next thing you know you’re falling until the cold sea envelopes you, afterward, your vision turns black.

“Man overboard! Rookie fell in!” Comes the shout and Shank’s eyes widen from where he is fighting the captain of the crew stupid enough to attack them. 

“Beck!” Shanks shouts for his first mate, scanning for him through the crowds.

“I’m on it!” Beckman shouts back to his captain and then after tying himself up with a rope to the ship immediately dives down to the stormy sea. 

It takes him a moment of desperately searching around but he soon notices your unconscious form, blood flowing from your head. It’s a miracle it hasn’t attracted any sea kings yet. 

He firmly wraps a strong hand around you and swims to the surface. “Come on Rookie, you better hang in there.” He tells you as he tugs on the rope to be pulled towards the ship as in these stormy waters even a seasoned sailor will struggle to swim, let alone whilst holding an unconscious body.

Once Beckmann is safely back on board with your unconscious form, the fight is already coming to an end and so you are immediately brought to Hongo to be looked over. 

Shanks listens to Hongo carefully, all the while looking at the bed where your feverish body is currently resting. He has to admit the stunt you pulled was incredibly stupid and reckless and could have killed you, but it was also impressive. Shanks can’t be too mad at you because he’s also done his share of incredibly stupid stuff in his younger years on the seas. 

“The fever isn’t serious and should be gone by tomorrow. The knock to the head doesn’t look too bad either, Head wounds always just bleed like crazy and if I’m right about everything, he should wake up at the latest tomorrow. Once he wakes up I’ll give him some painkillers, for now just rest.” Hongo finishes as he writes down the incident in your patient file. 

Shanks nods in understanding and then turns to Beck. “Quite the troublesome rookie we have on our hands Beck.” he grins at the older man.

Beckman just bites on the unlit cigarette in his mouth, respecting Hongo’s no smoking in the infirmary rule. Eventually, he sighs as he responds, “No worse than you Cap’tn. At least he didn’t leave a blood trail around the ship like you and others have a tendency to do.” 

Hongo snickers at this comment and Shanks just sulks at his crew’s teasing of him. 

With nothing else to do Hongo excuses himself leaving Shanks and Beck alone with you. 

“You stayin to watch over him or should I?” Beck asks 

Shanks sighs and sits down on the chair next to the bed. “You happy managing the crew?” 

Beckman nods in response and leaves to see how the ship and crew are faring post-storm and battle.

Waking up, you attempt to sit up, but a sharp pain in your head makes you cry out. Rough hands come to your shoulders and gently push you back down. 

“Woah Woah y/n, I wouldn’t get up so fast. Quite a nasty bump you’ve got there on your head.” 

You blink a few times to clear the blackness from your vision and you raise a hand to your head and feel the bandages wrapped tightly around it. Then you slowly turn your head to see the owner of the familiar voice. Your eyes widen when you come face to face with the concerned face of your captain. 

“Captain! I-” He raises a hand to silence you and you look down at your bed sheets in guilt. 

Let’s get Hongo to look you over now that you’re awake and also get some food into you. Afterward, we can talk about what happened.” 

You lightly nod your head and let your thoughts run wild as you wait for Shanks to come back.

Once Hongo has checked you over again and declared that with rest you will recover, Shanks and Beckmann sit down and you sigh knowing now is the time for an explanation. 

Shanks looks at you seriously and you hang your head in shame and worry. “Would you like to tell us what prompted you to ignore orders to return and make you continue acting on your own?” He asks seriously. 

Your hands clench around the bed covers as you try to arrange your thoughts. “I’m sorry. I understand that by not listening I put the crew in danger, even more so as I had to be rescued, further endangering everyone. It’s just that, I wanted to be useful like everyone else! I don’t want to freeload on this ship and become a burden. If I keep going like this, being a burden, not improving, not contributing in any significant way, there will be no point for you guys to keep me around. You will probably decide the crew is better off without me dragging everyone down. I don’t want that to happen, I grew fond of the crew and being free, I don't want to go back to that mind-numbing life I used to have!”

After you say everything that is weighing on your mind, you realise your outburst and feel guilty for snapping at your captain and vice-captain. “I’m sorry.”

It’s deadly silent for a while, you being too terrified to look up, but then a small sigh can be heard in the silence. 

“Do you think so little of your captain? I wouldn’t dream of throwing someone who’s working so hard to learn off the ship. I told you I see potential in you and I wasn’t lying. But this potential won’t be realised overnight. You’re slowly learning from each member of the crew and improving by the day. But if you act rashly by jumping into the fray, you very quickly won’t live to see this potential realised.” Shanks says with a serious voice. 

You bow your head even lower and tightly close your eyes. “I acted out of line and for that, I will accept whatever punishment you see fit Captain.”

Shanks leans back in his chair with s thoughtful look on his face. “Any punishment huh? First, I order you to rest until you are fully recovered. Secondly, the crew will give you some chores and jobs to do. Thirdly, the crew is worried about you, so if you’re feeling up to it they’ll want to come and see you.”

This last line made your head shoot up and your eyes widen. 

All Shanks has to do is open the door and shout, “The rookie is awake.” and loud enthusiastic voices can be heard gathering outside of the door. 

You just stared at the door in shock as Yassop was the first to push in and bring you into an enthusiastic side hug. “Rookie! We thought we lost you when we first laid sight on you when Beck brought ya back! Should of seen the blood coming out of your head!”

“If you smother him like this he’ll open up his wound again and then you can deal with a pissed-off Hongo.” Lime Juice tells Yassop seriously as he pulls him off you so you can breathe. 

Lime Juice then looks at you and grins. “Glad to see you’re still sticking around in the land of living Rookie.” 

You smile at them, feeling touched by their concern. Your eyes then move back to your captain who just nods at you.

 Maybe you made a place for yourself on this crew after all. You thought to yourself with a small smile under everyone’s fussing.

[yinyuedijun]

Help I have another idea I need to share sjdnkek

This one's a bit wild ig so bear with me ok??! It's fluffy too and non toxic I think. I hope. Pls tell me this isn't somehow creepy I'm sorry if it is skskdkkd

SO- Aventurine × Ena! Reader.

Ena being ofc, the Gaiathra Triclops. In this version, even though everyone believes Ena was assimilated into Xipe, that's not what really happened - Ena instead made a deal with Xipe, trusting the Harmony to uphold Order, and willingly gave up their path and power as an Aeon, choosing to reincarnate as a mortal. And before they gave up their power, they did two last things: first, guarantee that their reincarnation would regain at least some knowledge of their previous life, i.e knowing that they were an Aeon before. And second, give out one last blessing to one of the people they watched over - Kakavasha.

Ena goes on to reincarnate (I'm thinking something like the Dan Heng/Dan Feng situation, so reader has dreams of their previous memories and such, but is a completely different person to who Ena was), and Reader!Ena lives a pretty tranquil life as a mortal - while Kakavasha goes through hell, and loses faith in the Gaiathra Triclops. I haven't given much thought to how they meet, but maybe Ena!Reader goes to Penacony out of curiosity for what a land presided by Harmony is like (given that they know they used to be the Aeon of Order, and that they had previously chosen to entrust Harmony with their path.) and they run into Aventurine there - and they just know. They can feel Ena's blessing on him, and they're immediately drawn to him.

Getting to know each other, creating a bond, trusting each other until Aventurine can open up about his past with them, and reader reveals their identity, and suddenly everything changes for him - he wasn't abandoned by his God, but rather they'd given him their final blessing before they passed - and reader has this strong urge to cherish and protect him, not because he's the child blessed by Ena, but because they've fallen for him. The complicated relationship they'll have to sort out where Kakavasha feels like Reader is a gift sent by Gaiathra, while Reader cherishes and worships him like he's the divine one. Aventurine being loved unconditionally and cherished for the first time, being basically worshiped by the Reader.. being treated like he's the most precious thing in the world, being looked at with pure love and adoration. The hurt, the confusion, the fear of being loved.. maybe reader can have some issues too and be so wholly devoted they'd do anything for him, no matter how much it might harm them, just to add a bit more trouble to work on.

I don't think I'll ever actually write any of my ideas (even though I do have a writing blog lmao) bc I'm too insecure about my writing and my inspiration bursts are too inconsistent, but thank you for reading my silly thoughts and letting me share them lol I really appreciate it, especially bc you're one of my favorite writers here <3

- Penacony DH smut anon (lol)

I DONT THINK ITS CREEPY AT ALL!! I adore reincarnation romances and I have a particular fondness for reincarnated deity romances. It would be so interesting to see Aventurine process this news. I really like the phrase you used wrt "the fear of being loved" - I think Aventurine would suffer very, very intensely from this fear under regular circumstances with a human. I can only imagine the state of panic he'd be in if he were the object of affection of the god who supposedly forsook him. augflgsjsk it would be so juicy... reader too I'm sure they're full of many complicated feelings just like dan heng is (I bet the two of them would be besties)

I'm sad hearing that you feel you won't write your ideas, I think they are so brilliant and I love reading them 🥺 you're always welcome to share them here - but please let me know if you do ever decide to post something, I'd love to read and reblog it <333

[the-badger-mole]

Hi,

Wishing you a happy new year answering the question on Aang and Katara. This query will dip slightly into Legend Of Korra.

I saw a few post on the parenting similarities on Ozai and Aang, I think you might have explained this earlier. But, it wasn't until I came across a meta on Zuko and Azula's dynamic as the Golden Child/Scapegoat, did it make me realize in a sad way that Bumi and Kya share a possible similar dynamic with Tenzin. Except the difference was that Zuko's anger at his father and sister was acknowledged, while Bumi and Kya's anger was shown as wrong and they just reconciled with Tenzin over a photo of their past, I am pretty sure that is not how reconciliation works.

I would like your thoughts on this.

I have discussed Aang as a father here , where I compare him to Ozai as a father, and here where I compare him to my dad.

I will add- and I think I've said it before- that I have never seen a show go so far out of it's way to gaslight it's own characters before. That resolution wasn't a resolution. It was an end to that particular conversation, but there's no real reckoning for Kya and Bumi about their relationship with Aang or the way he clearly put the full weight of keeping the Air Nomads alive on Tenzin. Bumi sort of gets closure, but he only gets it by becoming what Aang always wanted him to be. In his 60s. After building a life and successful career on his own terms. And it's supposed to be a good thing. Kya doesn't even get that much. Her issues are never even touched on again.

Bryke's biggest issue as creators- as Aang's creators- is that they never go far enough humanizing him. They'll introduce some of his worst qualities (lying to get his way, putting his friends' father at risk because he doesn't want them to leave, his carelessness about the people who put their lives on the line to protect him, his blatant favoritism with his kids, etc.) but then either pull back and make them not a big deal, or just outright ignore that they introduced those flaws to begin with. They need Aang to be perfect, and in making him perfect, they lowkey made him one of the worst villains in the ATLA universe. I have no doubt that they introduced the idea of Aang not being a good father to "humanize" him, but they couldn't have him actually be a bad father and tell the story of how his kids were able to reconcile their imperfect father and the hero Avatar. That might actually have been an interesting story to tell, and we can't have that can we?

[venus-is-thinking]

Disventure Camp All Stars Power Ranking (Round 13 - Venus)

Recap: Yul's Elimination (8/9 pts)

Total Points: 8/9

Well, I sure did rank those powers! Not bad for a first week, I think. Yul's elimination was pretty obvious, but I did think it was possible to likely that we'd set up some other plotlines with some other characters BEFORE getting rid of Yul.

Instead, the Yul plot thread is over, and other than the Alec/Riya kiss, we don't have that many active plot threads. We're probably gonna start some new ones this episode! The scary thing is that if we're starting the plot threads next episode, I have, like... almost nothing to go off of for this week's power rankings. I'm not even good at trailer analysis like Accirax, soooo... good luck to me, I guess.

Anyways, here's my best shot! I fully expect this to be my worst week this season!

1: Gabby

I really struggled with where to put Gabby. She and Grett just completed a major friendship plotline, so like... where to?

I don't really think either Grett or Gabby will go down this episode, just because I think it'd be nice to have a full episode of them getting to be friends without Yul being there without one of them getting kicked out at the end. Sacred space. Plus, if you roughly assume the heroes are still working together, as are Alec and Riya, Gabby and Grett might be swing votes. I assume they'll be working together, but there's reason to believe the pair might go in either direction. That gives them power, at least in the short term.

2: Grett

However, unlike Gabby, I think Grett is more at risk of going home. Grett's arc this season is clearly about breaking free from needing Yul's approval and finding a genuine friend in Gabby. I think it would be sort of fucked up to have her realize Gabby is the friend she always needed and then IMMEDIATELY cut that friend out of the game, leaving her alone again. Plus, I'm not sure exactly what Gabby's arc is, whereas Grett has pretty clearly completed hers.

That being said, I'm only barely putting Grett in the bottom half. I still don't really think she's going home for the reasons I mentioned in the Gabby section. I could definitely see her going soon, if she's not intended to be an end gamer, but I definitely also think she could be. Grett as a final 3 pick with Gabby on her bench feels really viable to me. I even think she could win, if they wanted a pretty thoroughly redeemed villain.

3: Jake

When in doubt, hopefully my winner pick is safe.

I just feel like Jake's been set up to have more character to arc! He's definitely getting better about working with other people and not being incredibly paranoid and all that, but he's still got some room to go until he finishes his arc.

It seems like he's fighting with someone (could be literally anyone lol) in the trailer for this week's episode, which also means that he's not above bickering or anything. He's still Jake.

Basically, that's a long way to say that it seems like this season has big plans for Jake, and I don't think they'd take him out with little enough setup. I do worry a LITTLE bit putting him so high, just because there's probably a lot of people who'd be willing to vote Jake, but I just don't see it happening from a narrative perspective.

4: Alec

My list, my rules. Alec is GOING to go further, trust me bro.

In all seriousness, I don't think Alec would go home this upcoming episode. He's spent a lot of the season being a successful mastermind, and it seems like last episode kicked off his cringefail loser arc. I think it'd be sad to only give him two episodes to be a cringefail loser, plus it might be a little unsatisfying if he just... leaves off there. Obviously there'd still be the losers' motel; similar to how Ally and Hunter wanted to work things out off screen, it could make sense if, say, Alec and Riya got to talk without the cameras being on. Still, I think Alec's got at least a few more episodes in him.

Obvious cons: Alec is a super big threat (he won like 3 challenges in a row and probably only lost last challenge because he didn't claim a superpower) and is running short on allies. I'm kind of assuming the villain/hero dichotomy is largely dead after last episode, and I don't know how much loyalty, say, Grett and Gabby would have if they're not bound by the alliance. Alec is also seen talking to both Connor and Riya in the trailer, which could be a good way to tie up some of his loose threads.

Whatever, he hasn't failed me before. Just win immunity again or something.

5: Connor

Still cannot shake the unshakable feeling that Connor has More To Do. He once again wasn't super important last episode, so everything I said last time about him needing to do more to justify being the returnee still holds. This time, he's at least talking to Alec, which probably means development for both of them. He'll also probably be very cringe in the seemingly TikTok themed challenge, so there's that.

As with the two above him, I'd be a bit worried about Connor pulling votes again, given that he was the previous target of the villains. However, I don't REALLY think anyone heroes side would vote for him, meaning that he shouldn't pull a majority of the votes, at least.

Additionally, I think it's very possible he'll be a major part of Alec's way back into the game (possibly mixed with some kind of redemption arc for Alec?), which means that he'd need to stick around a little longer. I definitely feel like we're about to enter the Connor plotline zone, which means he really should have a couple more episodes in him at least.

6: Ally

I still don't really know what to do with Ally. I continue to put her third from the bottom, just because there's less reason to actively put her higher in my mind, but there isn't really anything that pushes her towards the very bottom either.

I am excited to see what Ally's up to this episode, because if the challenge does have to do with social media, I'm expecting it to be something along the lines of "whoever gets the most likes wins the challenge." Based on her obsession with whether or not the viewers like her, that certainly seems like it'll do something.

I also have this crack theory I only half believe that Ally could join up with Riya and Alec if she sees that, like, the villains are more popular on social media or something because they're taking the game more seriously (which I'm pretty sure was what she got criticized for not doing last time). That would help capitalize on Riya setting that up earlier while also giving Alec and Riya a way to not necessarily get straight swept. If that's the case, I'd bet on a Riya immunity win, which further highlights the popularity of the villain character she portrays.

I don't super believe that theory, though, so who knows what Ally's doing! I just want to record it on the off chance that it's how the story actually goes.

7: Aiden

In my mind, Aiden and Riya are both in danger as people who made the finals in their original season. I feel like either of them being a losing finalist again wouldn't have much spice to it, and I don't really expect either of them to win. Additionally, Aiden and Jake seem to have fully made up at this point, their collective immunity win last week serving as a good symbol of that, so I could see Aiden getting cut.

My vision for the next couple episodes is that we're transitioning from the midgame to the endgame. As a result, the people who will be in our top 5 or 6 or so and have plot significance as the finalists are being picked will be getting new plotlines, and people whose plotlines are already more or less resolved will be at risk of getting eliminated, just kinda because. Aiden definitely feels like he could be cut in that group to me.

The big thing with Aiden is just that I'm not sure exactly where the votes come from. I do think it could be nice to take out a hero, just so that it doesn't feel like Alec and Riya are both doomed, but it's also obviously possible that one of the two of them will go down and the other will have to play in isolation for a little while.

I think the most likely way for an Aiden boot to happen is either a clutch immunity totem from, say, Riya, who would probably want to eliminate Aiden or Connor if she has her full shot, or if Ally does flip to join Alec and Riya. I think Ally would probably rather target Jake, but whatever.

8: Riya

I am by no means confident in a Riya boot, but when I assess the cast, it makes the most sense to me by far.

I think both Alec and Connor are going to make late game (if I had to lock it in right now, I'd say the final 5 are going to be Alec, Connor, Jake, Ally and either Gabby or Grett, meaning that one of Gabby/Grett, Aiden and Riya will collectively make up our next 3 boots). However, leaving Alec, Connor and Riya around is just... a large percentage of people to remain in that group. Similar to how Tom got eliminated when it was about time to cut one of the Aiden/Tom/Jake trio, I think Riya is the most expendable of the Alec/Connor/Riya trio.

She could easily get a lot of votes if we are in a weird in-between period of alliances, just because she is pretty problematic and a lot of people would be willing to vote her out. It's true that Grett might still be somewhat aligned with her, since Riya defended Grett from Yul, but I don't think that's something she can bank on, at least.

I also think it would be interesting to see how Alec and Connor move forward alone, as two people that Riya rejected romantically in favor of the game and her camera appearances. Assuming Riya refuses to budge on that for the rest of the season, which I am, I don't think she has much to say to Connor, and after talking to Alec this episode, I can believe she wouldn't have much room to grow in her relationship with Alec with the cameras on, either.

I definitely think Riya could win immunity here; I honestly think that timeline I discussed with Ally is probably her best bet. Though, barring anything weird, I still think she's the most likely so far.

[lenteur]

random thoughts about tell me that you love me, episode twelve

(the rest is under the cut because i'm worried about your eyes having to read ALL OF THAT and this post might contain spoilers)

Not even two minutes into the episode and a lot has already happened. Mo eun was adopted. I did not expect that. At all!

When the mom said "I don't want our daughter to become a child too mature for her age to open up to her mom" I had to take a moment because that hit close to home. I'm sure it has happened to way too many children but when something traumatic (no matter what it is) happens, children have a tendency to keep things to themselves. It's like they "magically" become adults and they want to protect those around them by not sharing what's bothering them. I haven't read any study on this topic so please take what I'm saying with a grain of salt (I'm only talking from experience) but children have this kind of sixth sense where they know when something extremely serious is happening so they begin acting like adults when it shouldn't be the case. The need to protect those around them is even bigger when it involves their family. A child doesn't want their mom and dad to be sad so they'll try their best to protect them even though they (the kid) shouldn't do that. I'm having a hard time trying to explain this because my emotions are getting the best of me as I'm writing this. I got emotional watching this drama, but that sentence alone has unlocked something deep in me 💔

I'm just confused as to why do hun would admit to stalking seo kyung and burning the college building just like that. He might have heard the mysterious woman say it was him on the phone but those are just rumors. As far as we know, the real culprit hasn't been arrested? Idk man I'm just meh about this revelation. It feels rushed...

Do hun judging seo kyung for still having feelings for jin woo when he's the one who has stalked his crush and burnt a building because of her. He should look at himself in the mirror before making such comments about others.

Seeing the scene of seo kyung being stalked made me think back on her and jin woo's breakup. When she got home after finding she was actually being stalked, her first instinct was to call jin woo to be reassured. But then, she realised she wouldn't be able to hear his voice (because he's deaf). It's moments like these that must have been the cause of their breakup. Of course, she'd want to be reassured by her boyfriend when such a traumatic event happens. Hearing his voice would have helped a lot. But mostly, being able to vent or cry (whether on the phone or face to face) must have been the best solution to appease her heart. Unfortunately, she couldn't do any of that with jin woo. While it could be weird to some people that she'd break up with him because of his disability (she has a deaf father so she should know what a relationship with someone that is deaf is like), I can kind of understand why she did it. She was still young at the time (early 20s I assume) and I think her enthusiasm and him (maybe?) being her first love, seo kyung let her heart make the decision of being in a relationship with jin woo. It's only several months later that the more rational part of her took over and made her realise what a relationship with a deaf man entails. I think it's important to see that even though someone is related to a disabled person, that doesn't mean said someone will understand everything about their disabled partner and things will flow easily. Even though two people have the same disability that doesn't mean the disability will have the same impact on them. There are varying degrees of disability (if I can call it that). What I'm trying to say is sure seo kyung has "some experience" with deaf people because of her father but that doesn't mean the relationship with jin woo was easy, far from that. When feelings are involved, everything gets even more complicated. Anyway, I'll stop here because I'm only eight minutes into the episodes lol

Linking to the previous comment I made, we see mo eun facing the same struggle as seo kyung. She's having a hard time communicating with him because of his disability. She's going through stuff yet she can't directly tell him because she has to think about it and then start to sign to him or text him. It can feel lonely because she's living something while he has no idea what's happening. I wonder how she'll handle that obstacle. We've obviously seen how seo kyung decided to end things between her and jin woo. I don't want that to happen to the main couple but I can't help but wonder what the consequences of that will be. It's a lot to carry on one's shoulder. Mo eun is learning things about jin woo's past from other people. Things that are serious. Up until now she's always let him talk about himself at HIS own pace, she never pushed him to admit stuff. But now I feel like she might try and push him a bit more because there's a lot of stuff she doesn't know about.

On a side note, ji yu and ki hyun are such great friends. They're there for mo eun and jin woo no matter what. I'm glad they have amazing support.

I did not expect this episode to make me so emotional. I need to lie down and digest everything that happened.

I'll give it a 9/10

[whatsyourcolor]

Personally I don’t feel like Akane will be lonely anymore after PPFI.She has a good support system in place.She’s Mika’s aide,who despite their differences has Akane’s best interest as heart.Arata,Kei,Hinakawa are good people.While Shizuka’s motives are unknown I do believe he’s not a bad guy.Akane had the power and influence to plant inspectors in Div 1 so that should tell you something.Sybil still likes her and regards her highly.Maybe she will be a behind the scene force and her role won’t be as public as before but yeah like I said things don’t look bad for her anymore.Despite her career suicide I think PPFI ends in a hopeful note for her.The law was still likely abolished but I have faith she’ll be in a position to reform the system.I don’t share the same optimism for Kougami.Don’t get me wrong FA is cool as hell.But they most certainly recruited Kougami for his capacity for violence.Idk what his objective of returning to Japan is.Here’s the thing Shiotani said something that stayed with me.“Tonami is a decayed Kougami and disillusioned Akane.Tonami is what Kougami becomes without his stopper(Akane)to stop him”So after Saiga we get our second warning what might become of Kougami if he keeps doing what he’s doing.(He’s doing what only supposedly only he can do,that is beating people to a pulp.Gino literally fought Kei to save him from Kougami because kougami would permanently disable him.Like fuck this guy).He’s a SAD employee.It’s not under Akane’s jurisdiction to stop him from killing.Imo?His role ended after SS3.What is he supposed to do now?Sure he hates the system but what can he do about it?Nothing.So he’ll probably be reduced to background cast who pops up occasionally for fanservice.Despite my despair about the ship I am hopeful about the way things ended for Akane.Kougami is a total lost cause to me.Both in terms of charecter and future development.Because Akane’s development happened over years and 1 season and 2 movies.Kougami is stuck.And in the new installlment the legacy cast will take over again so there’s almost no room for his development anymore.Like I said I have faith in Akane and the team seems to have good plan for her(unlike Kougami)

Holy crap! You and I are writing a dissertation on Psycho-Pass here on Tumblr. I don't know! I think Akane is pretty lonely in her point of view, in her life, in her heart of hearts. She's not a criminal, but she doesn't support the system. She's in a position where she will seem crazy to most people (the detective that went mad) and the only person who could probably understand her was probably Saiga and now he's gone.

About Kogami...yes, you're right. It's like he learns the lesson and forgets it the next day. He's the milkshake that brings all the boys to the yard with guns, shooting, killing and violence. They won't develop him beyond that because they don't want to touch his bad boy image, despite him not being a mindless violent idiot on season 1. He was more strategic and realistic: if you're a detective, you'll have to risk your life.

He had lessons to teach Akane. Now he's just a stubborn mule used and abused as a tool. What was that whole conversation with Hanashiro in SS3? What did he learn? My boy is so lost, he needs to get married to Akane and be a househusband. His future right now is so bleak and depressing. What happens when his body gives out? They'll send him to be an enforcer again? He's been shot, stabbed, spat at, punched, scratched and bitten. He can only last so long with that crazy lifestyle.

Even if he's a pessimist, Akane had given him a reason to be a detective since S1: protect people. What's his purpose for living now? He doesn't have revenge or justice or love. He didn't gain any wisdom and he went through so much pain for nothing. I hope at least he has Gino as a friend and he can get some support through him.

[sheepishmastectomy]

so i can't sleep and i'm thinking about green arrow (1988) which i'm slowly working through & i wanna talk about dinah lance i'm sure other people have written this essay better and more thoughtfully than i will but the search feature on this site is garbage and all the reddits are down justifiably protesting the api shit so here goes

I can see what the author was initially trying to do, when he had Oliver kidnapped and tortured & Dinah rescued him. This was intended to parallel the traumatic incident Dinah experienced in The Longbow Hunters (which I have not read), which she was recovering from at the start of Green Arrow (1988). This is made obvious by the way Oliver was kidnapped, the attack, Dinah killing to save him (I believe? This was unclear to me), and the utilization of the same therapist. He deals with his trauma mostly in issue 33

However, the writer bungled this plotline in a variety of ways. I'm going to start with what I think is less obvious-- while Oliver deals with the trauma & it is very much about him, ultimately both attacks end up having an immense effect on Dinah. Oliver continues on after all of this goes down and is immediately distracted by being screwed over by the US government and then fucking off on a vision quest for a year. The trauma he experienced isn't allowed to have a lasting effect upon him & is instead transmuted into more trauma inflicted upon Dinah.

The arc that Dinah undergoes here does her a great disservice. I understand the story beats they were hitting here, but having her change her mind regarding having children for the very reasons she gave for not wanting them in the first place is mind-boggling. She goes from 'if you die, you will leave an orphan behind, and that's unacceptable-- we shouldn't have children if we're going to be irresponsible with our lives as vigilantes' to 'if you die, you will not leave an orphan behind, and i'll be so sad and lonely, so i need your child'. I get that Ollie was 'uniquely vulnerable' here, but having her reverse course when they have BOTH had countless life threatening experiences doesn't make any sense.

the way they portray it, too, like ollie's FINALLY getting everything he wanted because he just suffered enough in front of dinah-- like this is some big reward for him. (I hate the doorknob thing that recurs throughout the issue)

And then, OF COURSE, they spin this into a fucking infertility arc. Because they're brave enough to screw with her convictions, but they aren't brave enough to show the follow through-- instead they'll hold up Shado as an example of fertility, or whatever-- the woman who was pregnant and gave birth off screen, where she couldn't be unnattractive. Let alone all of the issues with Shado, who deserves so much better than she's been getting-- did they realize how weird it sounds for this super talented Japanese Archeress to be soooo overcome by sadness that she might have gotten Ollie killed that she just had to fuck him (I'm not dignifying the authors justification that this was sexual assault while Ollie was insensate because that was a cheap tactic deployed to absolve Ollie of guilt and wrongdoing in this instance-- he gets to have 'ninja babies' without having cheated on his girlfriend or even chosen to have sex… okay)

(the loss echoes here... lmao)

(dinah has this conversation outside in her underwear for... some fucking reason? i hate it here)

But transforming the trauma of this whole mess into fucking baby fever really pissed me off. There's been quite a few things the authors haven't handled well, but this was??? Rather than have them really and truly process their mirrored traumas and allow them to grieve in ways authentic to their characters, they twist Dinah into this tired infertile woman plot. It feels needlessly cruel-- she didn't want children but now abruptly she does (because you the author decided this) and then she has that yanked out from under her by an injury she apparently never realized was so serious (again because you the author decided this). It feels like she's being punished for ever daring to want to be childfree and responsible, instead of immediately falling over herself to incubate when her male partner wanted a baby.

I'm not even going to get into how when she was left alone by Ollie for a year after that, she waited for him and didn't date or anything. She finally, FINALLY went on a date with a guy & Ollie showed up right then and she kissed him right there??? They fucked immediately??? It's like she lost everything inside to be the perfect little fucktoy for our male lead. (and her cop boyfriend was secretly evil (read doing the same shit she and oliver do all the time) and also killed himself within days of ollie getting back into town so he wouldn't be in the way lmao)

The author responding to the letter columns spent a lot of time justifying his decisions when the debates occurred on them there, but it feels like he over identified with Oliver and made Dinah into a gratification vehicle above all else. Very frustrating given that she was handled fairly well up to that point??? Guess I should've seen the storm brewing with the Shado writing (once again, she deserves SO much better than she gets)

[elleventhsense]

Showing up for yourself on Valentine's day

Happy Valentines day lovies. ❤️

Today is Valentine's day and I'm sitting in my room reflecting my life. I've never been surprised with the giant bouquet, rose petals scattered across the room, diamonds, and all the other sparkly things we see on V-day Pinterest.

Despite only being in healthy relationships my entire life (thankfully), I've always resented my partners for this a tiny bit because of this. Don't get me wrong, I was always appreciative of the cute things my partners did for me but even then I had to really emphasize the importance of Valentine's day (because lets be honest even well-intending men are clueless lol). I'm an extravagant person. If you ask anybody who knows a single thing about me, they'll let you know that I am the opposite of practical. So grand gestures of love should be... expected given my personality, no? 😐 Maybe not.

Anyways the truth is that you have to do this shit for yourself. You literally have to be your own biggest supporter because nobody else will. And this is the philosophy I've been living by for the past year. In part to avoid being disappointed, I took myself on a solo trip for my birthday and genuinely had the best day of my entire life. I had a couple people in my life ask me, "Weren't you lonely? Isn't it kind of sad you went on a trip by yourself on your birthday?" lol no. Every single moment of my day was filled with something I love, and I really just celebrated myself. It was an introspective and peaceful time. This might make me sound like an angry gremlin but if I had company on this trip, it probably would've ruined it.

Next year for my birthday I'm going to book another solo trip and make it even more grand than the previous one. Spa day, 5 star hotel, balloons in the room, a flower bouquet, fine jewelry, tasting menu, etc. All the best for myself. I fully intend to make this a tradition. ❤️

So ladies if you're disappointed that you didn't get the grand gesture of love today (because we've all been there), here is what you're going to do next year:

Pamper yourself. This could be a manicure or a 90 minute deep-tissue massage or maybe even a facial.

Call your local florist. Ask them for THREE DOZEN red roses. You want the bouquet to be twice the size of your head or even bigger. This is key. Write a cute letter to yourself and request that they attach a cute little note to the bouquet before it is delivered to your place.

Treat yourself to something nice. Maybe a piece of jewelry you've been eyeing. Some Jimmy Choos. That $300 dollar perfume. You deserve it alllllll.

Plan something fun that will get you out of the house. A night at the opera or a ballet performance. And make sure you're dressed impeccably for this because when you look good you feel good.

You better have some nice champagne and order yourself a chocolate covered strawberries for dessert because calories don't count on Valentine's day.

Your life will get so much better when you start taking direct action over these events.