#teddy would also get into tumblr meme culture

[angeltism]

holy shit will and the others would do numbers on here

[kpop]

K-Pop Spotlight: K-Pop Critical

All month long, right here on @kpop on Tumblr, we’ve been highlighting creators from the @blackintokpop coalition of Black K-pop podcasters. For the final installment, we spoke with Virginia native Morgan and New York City-based Catrina about K-Pop Critical—a podcast that deconstructs K-pop and ponders the commodity of art-making and intersections of pointless and perfect in pop culture.

Tell us about yourselves. How did you start your podcast?

I feel like any intro to our show needs the preface that we were both staunch Directioners. I was literally turned into a 1D meme on Tumblr for going to a 1D show in a white t-shirt and shorts with Zayn's face printed on both asscheeks! We also both happened to be working on degrees related to culture, media, and criticism at the time. After years of a mutual friend trying to get us to meet, we finally did and talked about 1D for an entire night. Somehow K-pop climbed in priority again for both of us, and a couple of months later, we started the show.

The podcast industry is still largely white and male-dominated. How can we continue to shine a light on BIPOC women podcasters?

Monetary support is always incredibly appreciated!!! A LOT of independent podcasters do this for $0.00, so if you see a CashApp/Venmo/Paypal/Patreon link, RUN UP ON IT! Especially if you're learning something new or just enjoy aspects of the show. Beyond this, kind words, shout-outs, questions, reviews, and other interactions on social media are huge morale boosters to keep us motivated. 

What has been your favorite episode that you’ve created?

This is a great question because I know Catrina do not be listening to our episodes often LMAO!I think we'd both agree that our second episode, #FREEHANBIN, is probably our favorite because it is the most gut-reaction recording. It featured our friend Moses, who also did a NCT 127 x Grace Lee Boggs mashup intro for an episode. We also had a great viewer phone call that helped add more context to our understanding of drug culture and South Korean legality. I think more standard/informative/less reactionary favorites are all of the episodes in our Trauma series and Blackness series.

The K-pop community is a wonderfully inclusive one, but the industry continues to have its instances of cultural appropriation. What changes in the industry do you hope to see going forward?

A doozy of a question. I never have super high hopes for cultural consciousness from ANY pop system operating with money as its main priority. That said, I am hopeful that more artists take ownership of their images and schedules and loudly proclaim their influences and what they care about, along with acknowledging when they're wrong. Hearing different idols PUBLICLY connect their love for Black music to their understanding and empathy for Black people and our struggle this past summer was such a minor (in that context) but interesting and necessary thing to witness. Hopefully, that type of appreciation continues.

When you hear Black Excellence, is there someone in or adjacent to the K-pop industry that comes to mind?

I've gotta say, I never grouped Black Excellence and K-pop in the same thought until I learned who CHIKK and Adrian McKinnon were. Without these songwriters and producers, we would be missing a huge portion of SM Entertainment's music, including massive singles. It obviously doesn't stop or begin with just them—add MNEK, Dem Jointz, Cha Cha Malone, Tayla Parx, Tiffany Red, Devin Morrison, The Stereotypes, and, obviously, Teddy Riley, to name a select few. Imagine a world without Girls Generation's The Boys, or EXO's What Is Love, or Shinee's Juliette, or *insert almost any K-pop track that is obviously RnB-leaning*: simply another marker of Black people being everywhere and doing excellent things constantly.

If you could choose any K-pop idol to appear on your show, who would your dream guest be?

So. many. people! We literally tried to get Seventeen on our show in 2020 while they were in New York touring, and it kinda drives me a lil nuts that we didn't, but it was also a ridiculously ambitious plan. 2022 though, we'll be ready. If you see a GoFundMe for buying thirteen extra cameras, don't @ us—just reblog.

What can we look forward to from you in 2021?

More episodes!! We're a little under two years into the show, and we have a lot of ideas and unfinished series to go. We'll be updating our Trauma series and Blackness series, and will hopefully get back into company and idol group episodes soon!

Thanks for sharing your stories! Check out more from K-Pop Critical here. Find more awesome Black K-Pop podcasts, and keep up to date with all things @blackintokpop over on their blog.

This interview has been condensed for clarity.

[sharkfish]

Hi, I am kayas-wife (and also of course knightfrog on AO3). I deleted the tumblr app and when I caved and reinstalled it gave me back my old blog full of my Sins of the Past, but what is this about destoel wedding? I have been gone for a week, and this happens?!? (I suppose I should not be surprised)

some shitty actors we’re all now mad at now made some tweets that led the destiel fandom to collectively decide that dean and cas were getting married on valentine’s day at the roadhouse. like it was bonkers (in a “people are cool and interesting and cultural memes are weird” way) how seemingly EVERYONE immediately jumped on this. 

then said shitty actors backpedaled and were like “loljk about those posts we made, it’s an insult to the integrity of the show* to make it about sexuality” so we are mad at them. rightfully so, but also, i don’t know why anyone ever cared about these people in the first place. 

the point is, apparently dean and cas are married in heaven and having a grand old time. i love that for them! 

as a side note, i am entertained that anyone thinks i would know anything about what is happening in this fandom, and even more so that i seem to have a basic idea of what did happen here. or maybe way more happened that i just don’t know i don’t know about. 😂

PS we’re all sinners here 

*pretty sure this actual phrase was used tho i can’t be assed to look for the tweets again. yes, dean and cas getting married is an insult to the integrity of a show where an actual plot involved a suicidal literal teddy bear. and also they killed THEE god, who was chuck shurley. what show do these people think they acted in??? 

[katiewattsart]

29/10/19 : TEDDY BOYS. HAUL GIRLS. #1

What are they? 

Teddy Boy: (in the 1950s) a young man of a subculture characterised by a style of dress based on Edwardian fashion (typically with drainpipe trousers, bootlace tie, and hair slicked up in a quiff) and a liking for rock-and-roll music.

Haul Girl: A girl or women who makes a haul video.

The revolution will not be televised. 

The tv shows you what it wants to show you.

Television tells us what the people who run the TV stations want us to know. But social media today sometimes provides an alternative.

Subculture - Under/Beneath 

We are looking today at youth and subcultures… their historicity and their contexts, and where we are with what might be called subcultures and youth cultures today.

GUIDE TO THE CULTS

A genuine piece from the mirror in the 1980s.

Sex Pistols : This is one of the most infamous moments on television. Today it seems tame, but in 1976 this was enough to get the presenter fired.

Like Duchamp's 'ready mades' - manufactured objects which qualified as art because he chose to call them such, the most unremarkable and inappropriate items - a pin, a plastic clothes peg, a television component, a razor blade, a tampon - could be brought within the province of punk (un)fashion...

Dick Hebdige - Subculture: The Meaning of Style

Hebdige’s book has long been consider the authorative text on subculture.

In the book he discusses the ready made aesthetics of punk. Punk was the first reaction to the developing politics of Thatcher and Reagan… here a refusal to take part in business as normal led to music that sounded amateur and fresh… the opposite of the progressive rock that had dominated the mid 1970s and early 80′s. 

Vivienne Westwood

Objects borrowed from the most sordid of contexts found a place in punks' ensembles; lavatory chains were draped in graceful arcs across chests in plastic bin liners. Safety pins were taken out of their domestic 'utility' context and worn as gruesome ornaments through the cheek, ear or lip...fragments of school uniform (white bri-nylon shirts, school ties) were symbolically defiled (the shirts covered in graffiti, or fake blood; the ties left undone) and juxtaposed against leather drains or shocking pink mohair tops.

Jamie Red and others made zines that could be assembled in this same way, collaging and making work that felt it could have been made in the house, and often was.

Subcultures

Subcultures are tribal, bringing people together to form loose relations outside of the mainstream.

Different subcultures:

Even subcultures have subcultures… specific types of goth (steampunk, lolita) rude boys, K Pop sub genres, grunge punk rock etc

Once about a specific youth culture movement based around the disco music of the 1970s, clubbing subculture developed into rave culture in the late 80s and 90s, and has become a mainstream movement in the last few years. 

Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore, Mark Leckey, 1999

“Something as trite and throwaway and exploitative as a jeans manufacturer can be taken by a group of people and made into something totemic, and powerful, and life-affirming.”

Subcultures are about a sense of belonging, often to people who feel excluded or disenfranchised from the mainstream.

Cosplay - form of subculture 

The Joker and Harlequin are both characters who live for misrule, and both of them come from characters in the commedia dell’arte.

Harlequin relates directly to Harley Quinn… the Lord of Misrule was the peasant who was given the task of making sure that Xmas revellers got very drunk and very naughty.

The World Turned Upside Down

These characters link back to the ideas of the carnival, a time when the world was turned upside down. Christmas was initialy this kind of festival. People didn’t know if they would make it through the winter, so they made merry whilst they could. In the carnival Kings become Jokers, Jokers became kings. 

Carnival extracts all individuals from non-carnival life, non-carnival states and because there are no hierarchical positions during carnival, ideologies which manifest the mind of individuals cannot exist.

...And finally in a few relatively rare instances, we find an extreme form of revelry in which the participants play-act at being precisely the opposite of what they really are; men act as women, women as men, kings as beggars, servants as masters, acolytes as bishops. In such situations of true orgy, normal life is played in  all manners of sins such as incest, adultery, transvestitism, sacri- lege, and lese-majeste treated as the order of the day...

Edmund R. Leach, Rethinking Anthropology

In Rabelais and His World (1965), Mikhail Bakhtin likens the carnivalesque to the type of activity that often takes place in the carnivals of popular culture. In the carnival, according to Bakhtin, social hierarchies of everyday life—their etiquettes, and normal structures—are turned on their head.

Court jesters become kings, kings become beggars; opposites are mingled (fact and fantasy, heaven and hell).

Drag Cultures

Much in the same way that Madonna, undeniable icon though she is, in no way invented voguing, neither did the queens on RuPaul’s Drag Race invent the concept of "shade", "realness" or any of the other essential sayings liberally adopted wholesale by the internet. But what the show has done is continually provide a potted queer history. Whether it’s through highlighting ball culture, trans activism, gender fluidity, or queens like the legendary Lady Bunny; or simply by allowing the contestants to talk about their lived experience, the show has put an all too rare slice of gay and trans history in American (and the world’s) living rooms and laptops.

Drag Race has brought a subculture into the mainstream. It has brought secret languages into modern parlay.

From RuPaul raising a pair of opera glasses to say archly, “I can’t wait to see how this pans out”, to season four queen Latrice Royale’s “the shaaaaade of it all”, social media’s gif game has been vastly bolstered by nine seasons of this show. A gif reaction needs to encapsulate maximum emotion, drama, and appearance – and the queens on Drag Race have all three in spades. Tumblr couldn’t create gifs fast enough in the early seasons, and the joy of so many strong characters, and sound-bites, means that there is a reaction for absolutely every occasion. Season 6 winner Bianca Del Rio named one of her world tours after her own much-gif’d catchphrase, “Not today Satan”.

Memes and online culture have helped the show become part of the everyday.

Historically, "sissy" has been used as an insult against feminine-seeming men. Ru-Paul’s Drag Race not only reclaims the word – “now sissy that walk” is the phrase said at the top of each catwalk, usually preceding a demonstration of almost gob-smacking creativity – but shows that adopting a truly feminine character requires massive amounts of charisma and self-confidence. The show is wildly popular with women, not simply because of the incredible looks and transformations served by each queen, but because it is a celebration of feminine mystique in all its forms.

It has helped reclaim a sense of agency in an era of toxic masculinity.

The little show that could has turned into a global behemoth, with tours around the world each year, and an annual convention in Los Angeles. Last year, a second US convention launched in New York, while London hosted the first European edition, DragWorld UK, which saw a number of the show’s queens and RuPaul’s right-hand judge, Michelle Visage, holding court. And as fabulous, glamorous and downright funny as the queens are, the real joy came from seeing the response of teenagers to meeting their idols. RuPaul and Visage are giving hope to lost kids around the world, whatever their gender, ethnic background or sexuality. By sharing their stories, the Drag Race contestants are giving comfort and inspiration to viewers, as well as swathes of entertainment.

The show has brought disenfranchised, often hidden cultures into the open. And given people something that not only entertains, but also empowers.

The difference between Drag Race US and Drag Race UK summed up in one perfect tweet…

With RuPaul’s Drag Race UK finally airing on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, it’s got fans realising just how different the two editions of the show are… International fans were subjected to the colourful world of British slang and swear words, leaving dozens bemused about what exactly the UK queens are actually saying…. But in a viral tweet shared by one of the British queens, it’s managed to capture the crucial difference between the US and UK versions of Drag Race.

Sum Ting Wong shared a screenshot of a Facebook post that so beautifully sums up the two shows:

Pink News JOSH MILTON OCTOBER 8, 2019

Drag is culturally derived, and finds its forms based on local customs. In the UK drag has a relationship to Vaudeville and play, which means it does something different to the american show. It is less about the act of putting on a show, and more about the comedic, slightly catty relations that we have come to associate with saturday evening tv here in the UK.

But that doesn’t mean it is mean in itself… it still brings a subculture to a mainstream audience. Remember, if I talked about this with you in the 1990s, I would face prosecution under Section 28

"shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality" or "promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship".

New Subcultures

‘It's hard not to be struck by the sensation that, emos and metalheads aside, what you might call the 20th-century idea of a youth subculture is now just outmoded. The internet doesn't spawn mass movements, bonded together by a shared taste in music, fashion and ownership of subcultural capital: it spawns brief, microcosmic ones.

In fact, the closest thing to the old model of a subculture I've come across is Helena and the haul girls. Their videos are about conspicuous consumption: a public display of their good taste, carefully assembled with precise attention to detail. When you put it like that they sound remarkably like mods.’

Alexis Petridis 

Marie Antoinette, 2006 (Sofia Copolla) 

[ocular-intercourse]

3, 29, and 32 for all of them 👀

thank you!! i’ll stick to my main boys or else i’d still be typing tomorrow

FINN

3. Favorite companion

oh this is so hard to answer for finn cause he is so full of love for every one of his friends and family he could not single anybody out, I’m going to count love interests out for this question in general even though for some of them they would be their company of choice. for finn i’m gonna have to say randy, cause logan and colin come as a package. he was his first friend after he moved to the us (counting out shawn) and with randy being an absolute chaotic mess of a person finn feels very comfortable around him. randy has some of the qualities finn has when he’s manic and messing up, hurting people or getting himself in trouble, seeing that in randy but seeing other people still love him and finn himself loving him is reassuring. it’s also really nice getting together with a person that has a very careless energy, where they can egg each other on and get into bullshit together and just have fun while another person would try to be more reasonable or would look at you weird for certain ideas. randy is very much a no-judgment kind of person and while that sometimes makes him an asshole it is also very relaxing when you are a person that judges oneself a lot and feels guilty for so many things. flawed ppl being flawed together without having to be ashamed. ❤

29. What makes them blush

to his friends he is very much an open book, he is a terrible liar, so all of his emotions are just out there, he is pretty relaxed about people getting to see these things, cause he has learned it makes life easier sometimes, for people always knowing where they are at with him. he is not embarrassed about many things, so making him blush out of embarrassment is a hard thing to do. he get’s blushy when he is excited or angry, just because he is energetic and agitated and not staying still. the one thing that makes him blush because it overwhelms his feelings is when he considers something very earnest admiration. a lot of compliments he just brushes off either as something that he does not agree with at heart, or as something the other person feels like them must say out of some sort of obligation, but if we had a situation, say shawn looking at him in an intimate moment and telling him how beautiful he thinks he is and finn realizing that that man is just genuinely in awe in that moment, especially about something finn is not always in agreement with, something like that would make him blush big time. so yeah, genuine compliments about things finn is insecure about, that does it.

32. If they had a tumblr, what would they post

i love this question hsadgj if finn had a tumblr it would be part of his online presence as a somewhat famous person, so a tumblr after finn became a professional athlete and one he would have had before that are two very different things. he is not very knowledgeable about online etiquette cause he did not spent a lot of time online, or with media in general, not a lot of pop culture references and stuff there, so some of it might be a little clumsy, but he catches on real quick. he would want to genuinely use it as a tool to connect to people, so it would be him sharing pictures or videos from his life, but also invite people to interact, asking for recommendations on things, Q&As, discussions about what to play for the next stream, he is the person that tries to answer every message, he would also very much use it as a tool to educate people, because he is very conscious about social issues, he advocates for equality and talks about mental illness and being poc and later on about sexuality and gender and so on, his rants go from angry to eloquent. pre fame finn tumblr would be more like.. just about bands, tattoos and food, more of a dark moodboard kind of thing, aesthetics of a sad angry boy

ASHER

3. Favorite companion

does clover count? these days being around people does not feel comfortable to him because he feels with every second they spend around him they are more and more in danger, he does sometimes get the same fear about clover but he feels his father would not harm her considering it was his idea to get an attack/protection dog and he just loves the idea of asher, voluntarily for once, running around with what is basically a weapon, he is really impressed about asher’s dedication to the training and how vicious the animal can be on command. so asher does not only feel safe considering clover will probably be safe, but also feels safe having her around as a protection dog, because people do have him in their crosshairs both for being incredibly rich but also being the son of a crime lord or whatever. he would have much more trouble using a weapon against another person, for some reason it feels more controlled to him, to have this dog that will incapacitate anybody he tells her to, not that dog bites can’t be deathly too but she is very much trained to do as little lasting harm as possible

29. What makes them blush

he is so dead inside i’m not sure he has the capacity these days, but i do feel like any kind of tenderness and closeness is a potential for him to blush. he was raised at a distance, very controlled, level-headed, you know, behave yourself, keep yourself together, being surrounded by someone who is just naturally very touchy feely and receiving their attention would probably make him blush real good. being told somebody is proud of him would be the killing blow, while his father expects him to be the best always and asher exceeding at everything eden still mostly tells him he is a disappointment as a very messed up tool to motivate and any sense of proudness he gets from his father is either when on public display, or about things asher himself does not feel especially proud of. asher can’t help but try and be the best at everything, part of it is definitely about getting some sort of parental recognition that has always been dangling just out of reach, at this point i don’t think it matters who says the words he is conditioned to fall apart upon hearing them.

32. If they had a tumblr, what would they post

his own photography, but he would also use it to promote any artist he enjoys, it would be a lot of art history, a lot about music, rich boy guilty pleasure: pictures from travels and gourmet food

TEDDY

3. Favorite companion

his brother, brad makes him feel most accepted and at home in his family, he engages the most with him, out of genuine interest but also because it gives him input for his books. teddy does not mind so much, being used for inspiration, he feels a little flattered even, that someone would consider his life that interesting, and brad makes it very clear that his interest in teddy is much more than just a goldmine considering his career. they very clearly admire each other and enjoy the feeling of the other thinking so highly of them

29. What makes them blush

anything that goes in either direction of a base emotion, being very happy, being very angry, strong emotions most definitely get him there, similarly to asher he was also raised to be a well-behaved child and to subdue big gestures, he was however never good at that, but it did lead to him feeling a sense of shame whenever he can’t hide just how excited/mad/annoyed etc. he is

32. If they had a tumblr, what would they post

teddy would have a cottagecore blog, it’s all flowers and comfortable little houses and domestic life and animals mixed with stuff about mythology and monsters, he would also have fun reblogging and engaging with stuff about his brother’s books, considering some of it is secretly based on him he would find it really entertaining reading about headcanons and everything

ACE

3. Favorite companion

i think his impulse would be to say his brother but being around dale is much more nerve wracking than he realizes himself, he would probably notice it, if he would spend some time with dale, and immediately afterwards spend some time around ben, that he would suddenly feel much calmer and more welcome and could just BE without it being some weird unspoken competition. i know i said no love interests, but with ace being, well ace and somewhat aro i do think ben counts more as a companion in a platonic way to ace than he would call him a love interest

29. What makes them blush

NOTHING he won’t allow it, but no that isn’t true but you would very much have to come at him with a sledgehammer or catch him off guard real good which is hard considering ace is always vigilant and dedicated to showing as little involuntary emotion as possible. ben and ellie get really good at flustering him once they get more intimate, they might find it a little too entertaining

32. If they had a tumblr, what would they post

memes, shitposts, trolling 24/7, just really obsure dada-esque humor. oh and his music

GYO

3. Favorite companion

gyo is a little hesitant at enjoying other people’s company cause he’s too used to betrayal, he does enjoy just being there though, just one of many, part of a group, not especially important to any of them so they don’t have a tight bond, but spending time together nonetheless, might be an army thing, the evenings in camp before you march on or fight, camaraderie. he does however feel especially proud when surrounded by his closest subordinates, the ones he’s been a mentor to, just the thought of this group of strong people that act on his orders, but it is not a single person. a person who’s company he truly enjoys wholeheartedly is his granddaughter of course, but they don’t see each other very often. dimà has the potential of becoming a companion sooner or later but who knows where that ends it’s a weird power balance. gyo would probably consider raime a little bit too beneath him to truly consider them a companion, though he feels closer to them than he’d like to admit.

29. What makes them blush

blushing gyo is such a lovely idea. i think innocence makes him blush, children interacting with him seeing nothing but a hero, it makes him equally bashful and ashamed. showing weakness makes him blush, cause he never does that, it would be uncomfortable and new and make him very vulnerable and would only happen if there is truly no way around it, talking about what happened to him when he was a slave would make him blush, it’s a mixture of anger, disgust and shame of having been so weak

32. If they had a tumblr, what would they post

hasfhasgfdj ok we all know my favorite version of modern gyo is the army bbq dad and i find the idea of him basically posting facebook level dad posts really really funny, shaky pics, unflattering low angle selfies, pictures of his fishing successes, reminiscing about his army days, but with him being a security guy he would in all honesty not do that, he would not post any personal information at the very least. how about just a blog about weapons and self-defense. if there’d be such a thing as tumblr in the gyoverse it would be a propaganda tool about the greatness of the empire and the unbeatable 7th division and the divine heir

[kaaras-adaar-a]

// I was going to leave this for next Monday when it’s the official date, but chances are I’ll be working or away and I’m not certain yet, and with so many other people posting theirs, I figured I’d jump on the bandwagon!  

I can’t believe I’ve had this blog for two years already on the 20th of February. Kaaras’ blog started off as a place for me to keep everything Dragon Age related (and Kaaras related) as an archive of sorts. Where I could share his game play with a friend of mine, and where I could store my art of him and screencaps.

It wasn’t too soon after when people approached me if I RP’d at all or asked IC questions, etc. After some pretty bad experiences in my previous fandom, I was a little nervous to start Rping on tumblr again. I’ve been SO overwhelmed with the positive response that Kaaras has been given. Honestly, I have met so many amazing people in this community.

Dragon Age and Kaaras helped me a lot through some darker stages in my life, through some pretty severe depressive states and mental struggles. He’s been a huge support beam for me, and honestly he’s made so so happy over these last couple of years. Kaaras very much became a person to me, and he’s now so much more than I ever could have imagined, no thanks to all of you and your support and interactions over the years. <3 

So first of all, thank you to EVERYONE who has ever interacted with Kaaras, whether you’ve stayed or left, you’ve still interacted and shaped Kaaras in one way or another. Thank you for approaching us, wanting to RP with Kaaras, sticking through all of the ooc posts, his (and my) moods and dark days, and just loving him as much as I love and care for him. <3 Thank you anyone who has sent us memes, anons, follows, art, ANYTHING. Thank you for merely interacting with us as a whole. 

Of course, what would a milestone be without some shout outs. So in, no particular order, here goes: 

The Inner Circle:

For the people I have long term Rped with and have made spectacular friends with. <3 These are people who have either put up with so much of my shit that they belong here because they deserve to or because they’ve simply made RPing here such a joy and left a huge impact on myself and Kaaras. Let’s be honest, we also talk nearly every day XD 

@elfroot-and-lightning - Honestly, where would Kaaras be without Ezra? Where would I be without you as my special friend and who I absolutely adore and love. <3 You are one of the very first people I got to RP with here on this blog, and I remember when Ezra was on your main blog, and I was so excited to RP with another qunari. Ezra was one of the very first muses to get so close to Kaaras to open up and talk about things that he’d never spoken about with anyone else. Ezra was a calm to him that he needed, and to be honest, because of them, we became so much closer to one another. Where we were too shy to talk to one another, our muses were able to fill in the gaps, and I can never regret that. You managed to settle yourself deep within my heart and when I say that I love you, I absolutely mean that. As whatever you will have me as *snug* You’re a kind, loving and gentle person, and talking to you always makes my day just that little bit brighter. Tbh, I still feel a little giddy when I think about my feelings for you XD

Kaazra is life has become an official tag, and to this day, Kaazra is still my OTP for these two in an RP setting. I will never not love these special two. You’re a fantastic writer, and even though you don’t RP as much as you used to, you’re still one of my favourite Rpers here and forever will be. *smooch* 

@sahlintalas - I don’t think you understand (yes you do who am I kidding) how much I love that someone can GET me in a cultural perspective and thus in a very personal and lifestyle perspective as well. Honestly, it’s SO refreshing getting to talk to someone who understand my lingo, the fact that dunking your biscuits in tea is a highly important role in society and all of our other ridiculously non American traits. XD 

I’m still slightly creeped out, even if amused that we have so much in common and that we are literally clones. That we look alike, that we share the same names and everything else. It’s amazing and yet so fucking weird that I love it to pieces. 

You have become one of my closest friends here in the DARP community and out of that as well. It’s not just the RP that I love with you, it’s getting to talk to you almost every day as well that it’s become quite a norm for me and that I miss it when we don’t talk. Sahlin has become such a significant part of Kaaras, and honestly as someone who understand how real a muse can be, I definitely need that in my life. 

You just GET me. And that’s so damn important. Even when we don’t agree, you still say that it’s nothing wrong with me, and even that the world needs people like me, who give so many chances, etc. And that’s important to me, to know that just because we don’t deal with things the same, that I still have your respect as a friend and as a person. 

For one, I love ALL of your muses, yes, even Martine although Kaaras still is iffy as fuck on her and they haven’t even interacted XD. Your muses are so unique to themselves, and not a single one of them is the same, they are very much their own persons. 

With Herah and Sahlin, I’ve actually learned a lot about Kaaras (especially his more dominant side with Sahlin). Seriously, I always thought that Kaaras was a major subby until he and Sahlin got together, and I realised just how wrong I was. XD 

Our muses have grown with each other, and that’s something I love to see. Thank you for putting up with Kaaras’ moods and my bad days as well. You’ve been a great friend to me over the year that we’ve known each other. <3 

@aylenlavellan - Although we’ve been friends, or at least known each other, for quite a few years, this fandom absolutely brought us closer than we’ve ever been. I was always a distant admirer of your art over on deviantART and then following you over on tumblr we talked a little more. I am SO happy that you made Aylen’s blog official, and I am so thankful that you gave into my pining for you to make her blog xDD (sorry I am the worst lol), but I have no regrets! 

You’re a sweet, kind, gentle soul and one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. I ADORE Kaylen to pieces and they are honestly one of the fluffiest and happiest ships I have going on here. We don’t love you just for the ships, though, we love you and your muse because you’re wonderful people, and you’re a fantastic writer and artist. Whenever I see that you’ve replied to a thread of mine, I always get a little bit giddy.

Also, never forget rubba dub dub in the tub--I had to mention that :D Because it’s fucking legit and it’s still the best thread title TO THIS DAY! 

Seriously, though, you’re a major sweetheart, and I don’t think you realise how important Aylen is to Kaaras’ happiness. His childhood was taken away from him when he was just 12, and with Aylen, he feels like he gets to relive something he never got to have as a growing man. A childhood and youthfulness is important to remember, and Aylen gives that to him, with the balance of a sturdy and professional adult life as well. They’re perfect together, and even in their tough times, there is still something so HAPPY about this ship. In turn, their happiness is absolutely infectious and I find myself happy for them. I love them, they’re adorable! 

@tal-fucking-vashoth - Omg, you haven’t even had this blog for two months and I ADORE you to pieces. When I first approached you, I was very shy and nervous and I thought you’d absolutely hate Kaaras (yes I’m just as anxious as everyone else is on tumblr apparently XD). But we hit it off really quickly, and even though it’s been so little time, I already know that you’ve got my back in tough times, and that’s important for someone who’s barely known each other for a few months. XDDD 

You’re fun, you’re chill, and I do feel like you’re a very understanding person. And then there is your Bull. WOW, as if your follower count can’t prove it to you already, but you write an amazing, deep Bull who is full of confusion and struggles and LOVE. He’s a giant teddy bear, and tbh, let me tell you as someone who’s spent 2 years in the DARP community and pining for some Bull action, yours is absolutely one of my favourite takes--and yes, even with the absolutely terribull puns. XD 

I really do look forward to getting to plot with you and becoming your friend. <3 We met on a very... awkward basis considering everything that happened with me and my dash all of a sudden becoming such a negative space, but your Bull definitely was a light in the darkness there, and thank you for putting up with my rot. You’re amazing already! 

@tavis-of-bannorn - I feel like our muses really struggled at the start, and now look at them. They are being really fluffy and adorable, and honestly, the time that it took for them to open up was definitely one of the longest for Kaaras, but it was well worth the wait, and it absolutely makes these two realistic. 

Tavis is an amazing, in depth character with a heart of poetry and symbolism. What I love most about Tavis is that there is no muse like Tavis, Tavis is so unique in his own way, even his own aesthetics, that he really stands out from the crowd. I know I’ve told you a million times that I think he’s the hottest elf in Thedas, but we don’t RP with Tavis because of what he looks like.

We RP with Tavis because of his depth of character, because of how well he’s been thought out and how much of a person he is, and an individual to himself. We Rp because Rping with Tavis is honestly something that I can’t even predict with him, and it’s sort of like a lucky dip every time Kaaras is with him, he’s left wanting that little bit more, and I’m left wanting to know what will HAPPEN, because Tavis is the kind of character you WANT to ask questions about. He draws you in in such a way where he’s never boring, and he’s always got something to say. 

You’ve been such a delight to talk to and befriend along the way, you’re so chill and understanding, and I love that, and you’ve been there for me when Kaaras was struggling and going through some serious shit. Also, your taste in music is fucking awesome, because let’s face it, it’s the same as mine P: 

@thosewhospeak - Omg, can I just say how much I LOVE KAARAS AND TAMA!!!? I mean, for one, Kaaras has NEVER had a rival before that’s actually been enjoyable for the mod to RP. And that’s how it SHOULD be. No guilt tripping, no manipulation for them to like one another, just pure letting our muses be themselves and enjoying their shitfest on the sidelines. XD

I absolutely love their dynamic and the internal struggles that the both of them have because of one another. This is what a rival SHOULD be, and you play Tama so strictly and in line that it’s amazing to watch her be so blind and stubborn and yet also struggle a little within herself. 

Rping with you in general is such a delight and so enjoyable, and it’s so fun getting to explore this side of Kaaras. Thank you SO much for making Tama and having her simply be herself. I know some people may have caved under the pressure and feared people might not like their muse because of what she is and her beliefs, but you’ve done a fantastic job with keeping her in character and true to herself, and that includes making her grow and learn as well.

Seriously, I adore her, she’s got to be my favourite Qunari (Qun) character out there. I fucking love her to pieces. <3 You’ve also always been there to ask if I was okay when I was having a bad moment, and I want to thank you for that. Chatting with you is always enjoyable, and I love bouncing ideas off one another with our terrible muses. XDDD 

Inquisition:

I want to throw some special shout outs to the following people. We either admire you from afar or RP with you and are just getting to know both you and your muse enough that they’ve left a special little mark in mine and Kaaras’ heart, and we hope to continue Rping with you and want to say a special thank you for Rping with us! <3 And hopefully more in the future!

Some of you are long term RP partners and friends of mine, and I want you to know that you are special and that we adore you to absolute pieces! <3 I honestly want to write little notes about ALL of you, but this is already getting so damn long that I’m afraid I’ll be a broken record >.< Just know that if your name is below, that you’re awesome, and if you’re not following any of these guys, then GO AND DO IT! :D  

@teaganhawkeward | @lcthallin | @princeand-thepauper | @snowball-with-knives | @lovely-little-jewel | @nevarran-seeker | @lieutenantofthechxrgers | @ostwickjoker | @dragonagedmage | @flame-of-ostwick | @katxh | @notching-arrows | @inquisitorataashi | @tai-trevelyan-the-inquisitor | @fredericofserault | @thedalishbloodmage | @krahel-adaar | @zevranrp | @natalia-hawke | @ride-the-bull | @Reilinwarad | @evora-eriu-mclaggen | @brokenbiirds | @pelle-lavellan | @thequiethealer 

Support: 

To EVERYONE! To anyone who has followed Kaaras, interacted with him, IMed me, asked him anons, sent us memes, liked our video posts, my art, ANYTHING. I want to say a HUGE thank you to every single one of you amazing souls out there!

We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for all of you. Even the shy people who watch from afar and are too scared to approach. We still love you! Also don’t be shy, we’re dorks :D I promise. 

Seriously, though, this blog helped me through some seriously bad times, and the community as a whole has been overwhelmingly amazing! Thank you anyone and everyone who has interacted with Kaaras over the last two years, even if you didn’t stay around--thank you either way! 

Each and every one of you had left a mark in our hearts. Thank you for being so supportive of us, and I hope for many more years and getting to know a lot more of you and RP with you guys! 

Thank you so much for everything. <3 The Inquisition would be nothing without it’s people. :)