#their dynamic is so funny i think a lot of people portray them as mutually scheming but no.

[likeadog]

shinsou brainwashes midoriya to calm down his rampaging quirk and then releases it bc hes a good sport and wants to fight honorably and monoma immediately jumps midoriya as if he wasnt just writhing in agony. truly his haterism is off the charts

[oscarsasylum]

(breaks chains) I CAN BE AUTISTIC ABOUT TAKARAZUKA PHANTOM

@partymeow since it’s going to be undoubtedly long I had to make a post instead of a reply so here it is! im gunna start talking about erik on each one because hes special like that.

its gunna be a bit long:( guess how many times ive said the word love in this thread

Bonus sketch for how I differentiate each adaptation via my style :3

Takarazuka Phantom 2004

Wao Youka’s Erik is, to me, remarkably one of the more serious ones compared to the rest of the takarazuka adaptations of phantom. He reminds me a lot of the 1990 phantom film with Charles Dance! How both of them appear so serious but has probably laid out billions of traps around the opera to prank people and can be quite witty. Wao Youka’s Erik is my favorite just because I’m a sucker for that dynamic wherein person A is cold towards everything else except for when it comes to everything about person B. He looks like he’d buy (or steal) a ton of what Christine just off-handedly mentioned she wanted to get once. I absolutely love how there’s a lot of moments wherein Erik just looks lovingly and proudly at Christine and that’s why 2004 has such a special place in my heart.

Out of bias I think that the best Erik and Christine chemistry still goes to 2004. There’s something about the way Hanafusa Mari and Wao Youka acted out on stage that just sits so perfectly with me. Before the climax, the way they’ve interacted on stage just made it seem as though Erik and Christine actually had some mutual feelings towards each other.

While probably unintentional there were several times wherein the characters actually shed a few tears on some really important scenes and I thought that made the performances all the more immersive because you can actually see the deep emotion that they’re feeling on that moment.. like Christine during My True Love :3

Also! For me, it also has the best Alain Cholet! Suzuka Teru gave him so much life, he’s so full of expression and just overall funny.

Takarazuka Phantom 2006

My second favorite Takarazuka Erik is one acted out by Haruno Sumire. To me, her portrayal of Erik makes him twice as angry as Wao Youka’s Erik. I saw him as a ticking bomb, a loser sewer goblin with anger issues. I absolutely LOVED when he shouted at Gerard to leave his lair in anger, because instead of him demanding him in a firm tone to leave, he quite literally SHOUTS at him and that was just (chefs kiss). Instead of full on appearing like a sopping wet dog after his owner left, he just stands there like a pouting little child and that was just hilarious to me. She’s got a bit of that ALW Erik in her.

I decided to put it here since she played both in 2004 and 2006, but I absolutely adore Izumo Aya as Carlotta! When I first watched the 2006 adaptation I didn’t expect to see her there (since it’s a different troupe) but I’ve always loved how she acted out Carlotta with the perfect amount of snarkiness and comedy so its a pleasant surprise!

Takarazuka Phantom 2011

The most hilarious transition from the angriest Erik to the youngest looking and emotional Erik. Ranju Tomu’s Erik looks like the direct descendant of Wao Youka’s Erik but instead of being serious and cold he is just up there on the sog factor. I absolutely love the carmen sabotage in 2011 because it really set the standard to make that moment as chaotic and silly as humanly possible and I’m so in for it; like Erik literally came out of the FLOOR. Ranju Tomu has such a fantastic voice too, not to say every actress who played Erik didn’t (they’re all so amazing), but I felt it to my core whenever she sings. 

His entire character plus the more stoic and cold Gerard of Sou Kazuho makes for such an interesting dynamic. I’ve never seen an adaptation portray him so serious, and I mean that positively:3

Takarazuka Phantom 2018

THE soggiest Erik out of all the takarazuka adaptations. Nozomi Fuuto’s Erik is by far the funniest and most pathetic one yet because of how emotional he is. Everytime something happens to him he just looks like the last panel from that ‘is that your fursona? thats cringe’ meme format. I just absolutely LOVE how miserable he is whenever he’s on stage. He’s always on the verge of crying and that just makes him all the more loveable. The mommy issues on this one is CRAZY! The way Nozomi Fuuto put so much expression into Erik is so cool, it was so clear what emotions he was going through.. even the really complicated ones like confusion and conflict (and most importantly, smitten).

Absolutely love Maaya Kiho as Christine! I just thought that the way she played her was so cute! She was so pretty and she really rocked that feeling that Christine really was just an honest and kind gal with no bad intentions whatsoever.

There’s also the beautiful improvements in costumes and stage effects and it was such a treat to see. Absolutely loved the special rendered intro of the show.

But that’s the end of my little autistic rambling! Thank you for asking, it was such a pleasure! I really can’t rate which is the best because each of the takarazuka adaptations are special in their own way. each adaptation is like the same size of cake on the table for me and im wearing a little bib and holding up my fork and knife

[bistaxx]

JINX !! tell me why you ship Quackity x Luzu and why you dont ship Quackity x Wilbur I need to know the Lore

Hiiiiiiiii Vin! oh gosh- I'll try to condense this as much as I can OKAY SO...

yeah I don't vibe with tntduo 😭- I already talked about q!tnt so I'll just explain about c!tnt instead:

Why don’t you ship it: The Fandom. Listen I hate saying it but it really is 90% of the reason why- I always try not to let annoying fandom stuff sour my opinions but like... MAN- Because like I actually did really use to enjoy /r tntduo fuck man I was shipping it back in October 17th 2020 after the moment in the button room and especially after the famous Niki's birthday stream like- idk I just liked the dynamic and the chemistry it was fun! I was even still shipping it when I first started getting really into the c!fiances and was hyped when Wilbur and Quackity met up again... but then. IDK- something about the fandom take on their dynamic just didn't click with me it didn't feel like the same characters I enjoyed ESPECIALLY IN REGARDS TO THE WAY C!QUACKITY WOULD GET TREATED- like GIRL- Quackity would not cave and be visibly annoyed or flustered by the first jab Wilbur makes hello-??? or the fanart that would portray Wil as like completely disregarding Q's personal space as this 'teehee funny flirty' thing like I HATED that shit- I also just hated how when I tried to look up c!fiances content I had to filter like 5 million tags to actually find what I was looking for because there'd be so many c!tnt fics that had the fiances tagged in them and 50% of the time it was just so Quackity could break-up with them for Wilbur 😭 I also just like got sick of seeing it everywhere when I wanted to find c!Q content it felt like it was inescapable and that people only cared for my favorite character solely to mischaracterize him in a ship I was quickly growing tired of... yeha I think that sums it up-

What would have made you like it? Um.. All of the above not happening LMAO-

Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it? Like I said earlier I DID really like it and I have tnt shipping mutuals who do the dynamic justice even if I got super burnt out on it (shoutout to Thes)

... So anyway uh- SO LUCKITY-

(this will be a lot shorter despite how much I have to say about Luckity I'm just really tired rn SORRY 😭)

This will be about k!Luckity specifically cuz I rly don;t have much of anything to say about q!Luckity outside of finding Arinckity cute

What made you ship it? Started for the fluff and stayed for the toxic ship 😈- GOD Quackity and Luzu fucking outdid themselves with Luckity in Karmaland V like dude it's just so good- like looking back on it the writing was already on the walls that they were so doomed from the very start- like they somehow manage to be both "it's tragic because it didn't have to end this way" and "it's tragic because it was always gonna end this way." if that makes sense. But god at the start it was just so easy to overlook the blaring the red flags because they'd give us just enough hope that it'd end well only for the rug to get pulled during the elections and the whole dynamic get's flopped on it's head but now instead of cute fluff or funny flirting it's this Angry passion and resentment- from start to end they were devoted to each other whether in hatred or in love. The build-up and payoff were both just amazing even if I felt miffed about the ending of the arc at first I've since come to love it because really it's just the cherry on top of their tragedy leaving the possibility they could just end up doing it all over again yeah <3 They were The Moment yeah!

What are your favorite things about the ship? A lot of things but like- I love that they're sun and moon coded <33333 I remember associating them with sun/moon imagery before they took those iconic photos with the sun and moon and like I was so hyped when that happened <3 my toxic sun/moon boys yeah <3

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship? Not really no- but HEY check out this web weave I made about Luckity that I'm still super proud of and debate remaking one day: X :3

[everyone-with-a-para]

Alright! The last poison: the Jellyfish bitch herself, Actress/Fictional!Lusamine.

When I say this would be an info dump, it will be an info dump.

Tldr: Lusabitch becomes besties with SpongeBob, cools tf down, diverge more, gets angsted by the paracosm's lore, all because of this one comic I found in kym.

The bitch has been through a lot. She's been around since day one of Screen Universe and even some time before that. She's one of the late comers to the previous paracosm and got carried over to Screen Universe during the transition.

Funny enough, I despise the bitch's canon self and still do. But her daydream counterpart diverge almost beyond recognition that I can't see her the same way anymore. You could say she became a fully grown para along side with SpongeBob and a few others.

Speaking of SpongeBob, my man is the one who started her development and divergence as a para! If it wasn't for him, idk what I could have done to her instead. Bro thought it was a good idea to befriend one of the most fucked up characters in the Pokémon franchise, ran with it, and actually ended up being iconic doing it. Not Lillie, not even Archie (even though he really should have). Nope, it's the Bitch™ he formed a bond with.

Imagine, your imaginary/daydream childhood best friend befriending a character you hate, and you ended up watching where it's heading until it's too late. By until it's too late, I mean ended up supporting their dynamic while being conflicted about it because of who the two people are involved in the said friendship. It's very much like that.

Although, I'm not really sure who even initiated the befriending. For all we know, it could have been mutual.

So how did that happen? It all started with encountering this joke comic on Know Your Meme of Lusamine recreating a SpongeBob episode where he attempted living with the jellyfish. I ran into it on Facebook when I was younger and the full title didn't load. It just stopped at the part that implied the Bitch being in a SpongeBob episode doing something, but it didn't say what. So my younger self was like "w h a t" and daydreamed of the two interacting more than usual. This is prior to Screen Universe. Back then, when she joined, she was just like her canon self, and Spunch was kinda diverging while being mostly in character. So they'd fight (mainly in the trophy room and Ultra Space, but it can be anywhere else) and be after each others' necks. She even froze him one time and he only escaped because plot armour.

When I finally read the full title and comic, that's where shit hit the fan and started the bond in motion. They didn't become besties over night, it had a rocky start because of how I see both characters at the time (love one, but hate the other). Their interactions and scenarios evolved over time. With shit like soulmate AUs, fights, and the copyright jokes to name a few. The memes involving Lus being portrayed as SpongeBob (either with a scene or as SpongeBob himself) definitely spiked the development of their relationship. I think they started to mellow down with eachother towards the end of the previous paracosm, and the transition between both daydream eras.

What really cemented their fate as a pair was drawing this fan art of the two riding on eachother's jellyfish forms back in 2019. A handful of people on the Pokémon Amino liked it and even commented on it. This was when Screen Universe was still pretty new and these two are still actually warming up to each other after like one to two years of fighting and bickering. They just eventually agreed Jellyfishes are neat and they should bond over their enthusiasm for them. There was another fan art I made with the two before that, but that didn't gain much attraction iirc.

Over the course of the paracosm's development, their bond grew and grew until we're where we are now. There had been some rough edges here and there like when they were starting out in Screen Universe's fresh beginnings, Lus was still pretty malicious even for SpongeBob's detriment. And there was an phase back in 2021-early 2022 where Sponge didn't treat her too well (saw her as a weapon for ends to meet), but eventually cut that shit out. But there's some fluff too, like when they had tea together, gush about jellyfishes, and spar.

I think I will have to cut the ask in two because this is getting long 💀

I think my many issues trying to post this is because of how long it is so I'm gonna try posting asks 2 and 3 in the replies instead of pasting it into the main body of the post

Reading this and shovelling popcorn into my mouth like it's the newest cult classic movie I'm so invested

SpongeBob Lusamine enemies to besties core <3 when the paras are emotionally dependent on each other >>>>>

Taking all the villain Fictionals and giving them soft blankets and hot chocolate and therapy btw

Fma:b mentioned!!!!! (Rip my fma:b paracosm my paraself was so OP in that when I was 14)

Mickey needs to take a fucking nap, sort his ego out, and rethink his life choices please and thank you

[cloudychao]

I think I wanna make an eevee universe. I have seen people make their own versions of eevees so I shall try to make it too. This probably will all be done in fun and as a joke since I do not know what I am doing. I would probably call this the "Late Night Eevees"

Eevee - Male (he/him) - Careful - Races the others

Flareon - Female (it/she) - Impish - Pranks whoever is nearby

Jolteon - Female (she/her) - Quiet - Dislikes chit chats

Vaporeon - Male (he/him) - Docile - Sunbathes for long periods of time

Espeon - Male (he/him) - Lax - Will always initiate confrontation

Umbreon - Female (she/her) - Gentle - Enjoys napping under trees

Glaceon - Male (he/they/any) - Bold - Likes partying out late

Leafeon - Male (he/him) - Lonely - Hates noisy crowds

Sylveon - Male (he/she) - Naughty - Bullies the others for fun

Eevee loves being fast and is always jumping around places

Flareon bothers the others, showing them the newest trap or joke

Jolteon usually reads alone or takes walks outside

Vaporeon chills at the lakes for too long, especially at night

Espeon drinks a lot and starts the bar fights

Umbreon stays up until morning to where she sleeps while the grass is still dewy

Glaceon is a party animal, coming home at the wee hours with messed up fur

Leafeon likes cooking for everyone with a fear of going out

Sylveon thinks that tormenting others is the best

I thought doing something out of the box and new with their dynamic would be very fun. As you can see, their personalities would be a little different than what is shown or portrayed. It would make for an interesting series with this group. Maybe spice it up with some romance too.

Flareon and Sylveon tag team on the group. They are the evil duo that no one really likes. Flareon does not enjoy taking it as far as the sadistic Sylveon, but she likes his company.

Vaporeon and Umbreon usually past by each other a lot. The lake is near the forest where Umbreon lazes around. Sometimes at night, they do late night talks before Umbreon sleeps during the day.

Jolteon and Leafeon do not get along too well due to both being very introverted. They are not well adjusted to social situations.

Espeon and Glaceon know each other due to the bars they frequent. Glaceon does not drink as much as Espeon, but will indulge him for fun.

Eevee does not like being with the other losers, but likes winning the races they do.

Everyone tolerates one another and they are roommates trying to pay the bill.

I will write more later when I am less distressed. I think doing some romance would be funny.

Umbreon has a huge crush on Espeon. She thinks Espeon is the coolest person ever, but he does not want her to catch on his bad habits.

Glaceon and Leafeon hate one another, but support each other's love lives. Glaceon likes Flareon and Leafeon likes Sylveon. They are trying to be wingman, but fail at it.

Vaporeon and Jolteon get along pretty well. They like reading romance together, but have no plans for relationships.

Flareon and Sylveon mutually like one another. They are slow to forming their relationship, but do confess on their feelings.

[petrichoraline]

SLEEPOVER SATURDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🥳🥳🥳

what are your top 5 japanese BLs?

tell me about a fond memory or your comfort food (or both!!!!!)

[I LOVE YOUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

[LOVE YOU TOO MY SWEETESTTTTT💗💞💕💖💓💗]

these are suchh good questions omg okay

i suck at ranking things and don't enjoy it one bit because i don't do faves, im too fluid in my tastes and can't ever pick criteria but! let's try in no particular order

1. Kieta Hatsukoi

i think im in the habit of dropping things from my fave lists as time goes by and especially if they're well beloved by other people like "okay then I'll focus on this less talked about thing, my bby seems to be getting enough attention"; how and why I work that way im not sure but I do and by that logic kieta hatsukoi should not be on my list but it's an honorary member - I've watched it twice (with maybe a bit of skipping which is still a lot cause I don't really do rewatches) and I've read most of the manga. it's just so..easy to like, for a lack of a better phrase. it's inoffensive and suited to be a comfort piece of media in whichever form you decide to enjoy it (and it'd make an amazing anime, i guarantee people would be all over it)

the live adaptation also takes the events of the manga and mixes them around big time but it still makes sense and it keeps you a bit more on your toes when consuming the other version, whether you watch the show or read the manga first

it's also a show I've recommended passionately and I successfully made my then new acquaintance watch which I'm a bit smug about lmao

sweet characters, supportive friends, funny, light and warm 💖

2. The End of the World With You

*indescribable screeches*

this showwww, i dont know if i can call it a fave since i havent once come back to it, i dont feel the need to go watch compilations of my guys or anything and i acknowledge there were some elements i found a bit lacking but! it's amazing. idc, this show gave me proper complex relationship where i still end up rooting for a couple of people who were toxic towards each other and did nootttt know how to handle a relationship; the dynamic is compelling, the premise is interesting enough, there are heavy scenes and plot points but it is embedded with hope

it also helped me bond a bit with a mutual i like <3

i just am thankful for it existing out there in the world, it served fucked up relationship (that i root for wholeheartedly), sexy times, found family, amazing acting and it didnt have most of the chaos an apocalyptic piece would usually be dealing with

3. BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita: Crank Up Hen

listen. we're getting some pretty good jbls this year but i said this will be jbl of the year and i still think it's a solid nominee.

the romance is tooth-achingly sweet. the leads are adorable. the acting is perfect and manages to deliver the comedy very well. it's cute, it's fun, it knows exactly what it wants to achieve and works with its timeframe to do it. the side characters do not affect the plot negatively, the hurdles the couple needs to overcome do not feel excessive. if you happen to yell at them for being silly, it's lovingly. also we got more chemistry than i expected! and it was really good. it also set up an example for ''japanese actors working on bls'' (found the things like shooting promos and the portrayed bts process really fun) so now watching 25 ji Ajisaka de i can't help but think of this show

4. Utsukushii Kare

my relationship with this show suffers from the "enough people love it" thing as well, i think i rewatched it or skipped through the first season? and i enjoyed the second one as well but honestly it feels not only as if enough people love it but that they love it and get it way better than i do. i didnt watch the movie out of fear of having to say bye to my guys but i also feel more disconnected from it now. im sure its still a gem of a movie and im so so happy we got two seasons and a movie, the show and the cast deserve it!!

there is just so much beauty in their yearning for each other and the misunderstandings, the downright stupid decisions they make..they all just work in making this a neat story of love that blooms from something different, from worship and the desire to be seen and to be held and to be possesed. they're wild, i love them

5. Kinou Nani Tabeta?

this show i watched years before i got into bl and i didn't even know it was a bl when i started it lol, i was like "ohhh, theyre a couple? cool"

i rewatched the first season, watched the special and the movie, started the second season and kinda got stuck there, again with hte "i dont want to let them go"..and now ive lost momentum and ive got basically a whole season ahead (i started it when it was airing 😭)

these two love each other so much and support each other in every way that matters, my heart melts at every sweet gesture and even though the show portrays some real struggles they have to deal with, its still a very funny and light show. the best word to describe it would be "charming" - you see this couple's everyday life, you see how they came to be and what challenges they face, how they overcome them and you're left with no doubt in your mind they will grow old together, well loved and taken care of

now I wanted ti turn this into a top 10 but I felt like I was being disingenuous cause I can't overcome my need to talk about underrated shows rather than pick my faves..I can't make a faves list without turning it into a diverse recommendation list so I'll just. stop here.

favourite food.. faves again.. hahah

a fond memory involving food.. preparing food the whole day before my birthday (maybe my seventeenth?) - sushi, spring rolls, i think I made dessert too? and then having picnic with my friends who were all in awe and praising me. I felt very appreciated and truly celebrated and it was a fun party 💖

[hazamacore]

oh yeah i started watching tmnt 2003 also so im watching that + the 1987 show side by side BUT thoughts so far on the two from a guy who knew essentially nothing going in:

already the 2003 ver of splinter sorta feels like a wiser approach to the character just in that it avoids that underlying racism unintentional it may be with him being a japanese man turned into a rat. instead being same as the turtles in originally just being a normal rat. from context clues im guessing hamato yoshi will be weaved into the story later as a separate character so hes not entirely omitted just reworked

though beyond the unfortunate implications associated w aspects of his character concept i do rlly enjoy splinter as a character + think his relationship with the turtles and april in 1987 is very sweet like man hes really just their dad….in 2003 how he saw these lost baby turtles + just thought Well i guess im a father now despite being completely different species is so 😭😭 the little nest he made for them….

i LOVE!!! the turtles theyre actually SO skrunkly theyre my best friends…..i love them all theyre very special to me. particularly 87 raphael and 2003 mikey have immediately latched onto my brain the absolute silly of these critters everything they say is like cocomelon shit to me. i love them SO VERY!!! dearly <33

i love aprils attitude of fuck around + find out i think shes a very fun character. ive seen ppl refer to her 1987 iteration as being a “damsel in distress” but i dont really agree with that at all lol bc she doesnt just get kidnapped she actively gets herself into shit for a news story…its the same issue i hold with people referring to daphne as such tbh. also wrt her 87 character i love how similar to 2003 splinter she meets the turtles and is freaked out for like a few seconds b4 just being like Well i guess im a big sister now

the difference in style + tone b/w the two shows is immediately evident lol like for example 87 is largely episodic bar the first five episodes really where instantly 2003 is set up as having an overarching plot. and just by the artstyle its clear 2003 will intend to have a more serious plot at that compared to the more overall lighthearted yet earnest 87

i havent met casey jones in 87 but wrt 2003 help ….whats wrong w this guy i need to see more of him NEOW! i really liked his introductory episode his dynamic w raph is sweet i like how raph sees himself in casey + thus wants to help him. all about balance….

donatello CARRIES rhe team in both these versions my goodness. he deserves the world hes so funny

2003 raphs brooklyn accent kills me every time he speaks. thank u

speaking 👆 of 2003 raph i really love his + mikeys relationship so far especially. really enjoy dynamics where one of the characters annoys the shit outta the other one frequently intentionally and while the other gets angry over this its clear that its rarely serious + they care abt each other very deeply. interesting foil situation being set up too i think maybe? mikey seems to have this natural talent but little desire to train where raph is the opposite going simply by their sparring scene in ep4. love how they reunite after that scene too the absolute sillies:

i think its interesting already the differing takes on the characters which manifests a lot in how i think their ages are portrayed? like obviously theyre all the same age but theres still the Vibe of an age order that appears mutually agreed upon by the characters. in both versions leonardo is unequivocally the eldest + the leader ofc. but then in 87 for me i get the vibe that michelangelo is the second oldest, followed by donatello, followed by raphael (which is funny i think. 87 raphael is just a little hater) whereas in 2003 it goes leo -> raph -> donatello -> mikey and that then seems to become the constant for the rest of the franchise (bar rise of the tmnt i think? where raph + leo swap). theres just interesting dynamics to be had there in how due to this higher emphasis placed on an age order for example 2003 raph seems to be portrayed as more protective + authoritative compared to 87 raph who is more laidback and just a little hater as opposed to having genuine anger issues

i have run out of things to say. UHM anyway overall im really enjoying it!!! i love the turtles a lot. little guys who r beginning to live in my brain…..

[simpingforthisonedeer]

Don’t be surprised when you start losing a lot of followers for being an anti

Why do you care so much abt other people’s ships anyways

BAHAHAHAHAHA UR FUNNY LETS TEAR YOU APART SHALL WE?

What a vain and shallow assumption you are under for believing that I care about how many followers I have. I do not care for the quantity of my followers, only the quality💀 but I have well over 1K followers and they keep growing if you are worried or something💀💀

And why do I care about other people's ships? Well, I'd love to support my mutuals's ships because I think they're cute but since the context is me being an "anti" I assume you are talking about people who enjoy incestuous, pedophilic, and/or large age gap ships?

Because they are absolutely insane and dangerous to those who are easy to manipulate who most of the time are minors? What a ridiculous world we live in that someone is confused on why you shouldn't be glorifying incest or pedophilia.

Pro-shipping is absolutely the most chronically online take I've ever seen in my damn life.

Like few years ago, there was this post where the op wrote "William x Mimosa" and "Fuego x Noelle" I remember the Fuego x Noelle thing being a misunderstanding but my god was that blog torn apart. Where is that energy now folks?

"It's only fiction! I want to explore these dynamics in fiction!"

Absolutely! I encourage exploring taboo concepts in fiction! But you are portraying it as something bad, right? Right?

Of course you are not!

Racism, homophobia, pedophilia, incest are all what? Say it with me: Bad.

I am not saying that people who write about them are bad, but the concepts themselves are not stuff you endorse. You don't need me to explain why they're all bad right? But if you live under a rock or in fairyland where nothing ever bad happens, let me explain.

Racism hurts people. Physically and mentally.

Homophobia hurts people. Physically and mentally.

Pedophilia hurts children. Physically and mentally.

Incest hurts children and adults. Physically and mentally.

I write about all of these topics in my fics but never have I once portrayed them in a good light. I don't pretend to ship or endorse any incest or pedophilic relationships I write. I don't portray racist and homophobic characters as good people. I write how much it hurts to be in those positions. I write about the confusion, the betrayal, the pain.

And what do I see proshippers doing on my dash? Fucking glorifying it.

I used to think, that's their thing, let them enjoy it but then I realized: There is a good reason why we shut down racists and homophobes and don't allow them safe spaces, why do we allow the same for people who FANTASIZE about disgusting things and put them on the internet.

Wake up to reality. Your behavior will make parents hide their children from you.

"What is fictious does not apply to reality!"

Are you serious my guy? Joining a fandom changed my life. Stanning Julius made me a better artist, writer, and made me more motivated to study quantum mechanics. My professors and my thesis advisors literally know of Julius because of me💀 I care so much about thinking about the underlying themes of BC and any other fiction I consume and see how it challenges my beliefs and my way of thinking. You may not consume fiction the way I do! But it most definitely affects reality💀

If you want a historical example, Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" converted many people to abolitionism because it brought attention to the horrible conditions of slavery.

And I can give you many, many, many examples about how fiction affects reality. But not in a one to one ratio. Just because I play COD or MW2 does not mean I want to pick up a gun and start shooting my friends.

"It is my coping mechanism for my trauma!"

Then book an appointment to a psychiatrist and tell them about this pro-shipping. See how that conversation would go down. Find a healthy coping mechanism. Nobody in their right mind endorses self-harm through unhealthy coping mechanisms.

To end it off, I'll say what I've said earlier,

What a luxury it must be to fantasize about incest, pedophilia and other BS like that in a positive manner when it is a nightmarish reality to many people.

I come from an ethnic culture where this is all so normal and the cycle of abuse continues. I don't want to talk about how it personally affected me because it is personal but, seek help. If you cannot, find healthy coping mechanisms. Pour all your pain out into art and writing if you must, but don't pretend for a second that it is good.

[hypermania]

So I'm trying to get into Sam/bucky now because of the show and all the content and I just don't see it. What am I missing? It just feels like they're both in love with Steve and don't even like each other. I want in on the secret help a long time follower out

i mean sometimes it’s just vibes and if you’re not feeling it, you’re not feeling it, and that’s fine. don’t try to force it.

but for me with sambucky it’s about the potential. sa/msteve and st/ucky are both fine and i get the reasons people ship them but they’re both lacking something for me. sa/msteve is nice and quiet and full of mutual respect and love but i ultimately find it incredibly boring. there’s no conflict. they are just a 15k coffeeshop au full of fluff. which is fine and dandy but ultimately not for me.

st/ucky, on the other hand, is basically the angst ship of dreams (particularly unrequited st/ucky—bucky having steve all to himself for so long and then the serum changes that and suddenly steve belongs to the world and then there’s peggy and steve is looking at her like he’s never looked at anyone else and bucky just has to quietly watch steve slip through his fingers) and for that reason alone i very much get why people ship it (and i even ship it a little bit too). plus, there was the way that steve was basically like “well i guess i’m not even gonna try to keep living” after he thought bucky was dead and then the shot of steve just staring blankly at the ground after the “who the hell is bucky?” line while rumlow was arresting him was like A LOT. it still makes me feel things. and then the “but i knew him” line. like all of it. it’s all very angsty and romantic and full of feelings. but that’s also kind of all it is. it’s not.. fun. there’s no levity. there’s no laughter. there’s just sadness and nostalgia and the knowledge that they can never go back. it exists in the past, completely. do they deserve a soft epilogue, my love? yes, of course. but they’re never gonna get it and even if they could, i think it would ultimately be a bittersweet illusion. when i imagine them growing old together in a house, it feels more like a mausoleum: surrounded by their past, and longing for a life they can never get back. they’re not the same people they used to be. too much has happened. they can never go back.

which brings me to sambucky: it’s just pure unadulterated potential. it’s the antagonistic dynamic they have right now, but with the capacity for more. it’s the possibility of a future. it’s the fact that they claim to not like each other, but continue to work together, trusting each other above everyone else. for as much as they bicker and argue, they are very much a team, and they have been since the warehouse scene in civil war. they gripe at each other while they’re taking bullets for each other.

i also really enjoy that they kind of sort of get to be free with each other, in a way they don’t seem to be with anyone else. sam is the first person who didn’t treat bucky like a fragile ball of trauma or an unstoppable killing machine. he treated him like a person just by being annoyed with him and that’s.. huge? for a few minutes in a volkswagen beetle, bucky got to be a person instead of a tragedy.

and sam—who, up until that point was portrayed mainly as steve’s sidekick, just along for the ride, always upbeat and ready to go—got to be annoyed. which... is kind of a big deal. i cannot even begin to imagine the backlash sam would get if he was “rude” to anyone else. but with bucky it’s just funny. with each other, they get to be more than their designated roles in steve’s story. and it quite literally got them their own show.

and the show is exploring how their roles in relation to steve are hurting them: bucky is struggling with the weight of what he’s done and is clinging desperately to steve’s faith in him as the only thing that can redeem him, and it’s hurting him. the fact that he can’t let go of steve is a problem for him. it’s holding him back. it’s making him obsessed with this piece of metal and causing him to lash out and act irrationally and put himself in danger. 

sam is struggling with the weight of this responsibility steve thrust on him. because he’s not steve and he never will be and the world works very differently for him than it ever did for steve. and, most importantly, he’s not steve’s sidekick. that’s the point. he is a hero in his own right, with or without steve, and with or without the shield. but steve thrust a legacy on him and now he has to contend with that.

and over the course of the show, we’ve watched these parallel paths they’ve been on start to converge, even on a meta level. the first episode didn’t even have them on screen together. it just showed us where they’re at, specifically in relation to how steve left them—both struggling, both alone in that struggle. and they ARE very much alone in it. the camera even frames it that way. sam is alone in his apartment when he’s looking at that shield. bucky is alone on that couch in the therapist’s office. they talk to other people but there’s still a disconnect. they’re boxed in by steve’s absence. 

then, walker is given the shield, and suddenly their stories collide into each other. they’re on screen together. they’re arguing. they’re sniping at each other. they don’t want to be doing this together but there is nobody else in the world that is in this the way they are. it’s like they’re fighting to pull their stories back apart but they keep smashing back into each other because there’s nowhere else for them to go. by the end of the second episode, we watch them physically push their chairs together so that their limbs are tangled, and we get to the root of their individual struggles that i laid out earlier. and bucky is a dick and he feels bad about it. he feels bad about it because he hurt sam. and here’s the thing: that doesn’t work if they don’t already care about each other. sam wouldn’t be hurt by what bucky said if he didn’t care about bucky. bucky wouldn’t mind that he hurt sam if he didn’t care about him. so now here we are: they care about each other. they’re hurt and they’re struggling but they do care about each other.

so we move on to episode three, where they’re finally working together, not just in tandem. they still argue, they still gripe, but they’re doing it together. their bickering has moved past outright resentment, and into more playful territory (see: the trouble man conversation). they start checking in on each other. “you good?” “you okay?” bucky moves in front of a bullet for sam. sam yells, “buck!”

and this shift in dynamic progresses even further in episode four. bucky denies that sam is his partner, but both times walker says it, bucky’s reaction is significant. the first time, his automatic response is “he’s dealt with worse,” meaning that bucky has faith in sam, that he trusts him (and then, as an afterthought, he adds in the denial about the whole partners thing). the second time walker says it, it has enough of an affect on bucky that he actually convinces himself that sam might be in danger and ruins the whole damn operation over it. there’s also sam defending bucky’s very existence to zemo, sam telling bucky to stand down with zemo and bucky listening!, AND bucky doing what sam wants (stepping in between the ayo/walker fight) just because sam says his name in a certain tone. that’s boyfriend behavior, your honor! 

and most significantly we get “she said to come alone” “i’m coming with you.” this particular exchange matters to me for three reasons:

1. it’s bucky’s way of saying you’re not alone. i’m here for you. i care about you and i’m not going to let anything happen to you or your family. 

2. it’s the affirmation that they are a team. they’re in this together, no matter what. sam doesn’t have to ask bucky to be there. it’s a given.

3. it’s a parallel of sorts to that scene in catws when steve says, “you don’t have to come with me” and sam says, “i know. when do we start?” that conversation put sam and bucky in each other’s lives, tethered by steve. but this conversation moves them past him. it’s the first time that their partnership has absolutely nothing to do with steve or the way he ties them together. this is just about them.

i don’t know what the next two episodes are going to have in store for them but there is an obvious progression here so far. and there’s a lot they still need to work through. (there’s a lot bucky needs to apologize for.) but there’s possibility. there’s a future. there’s potential.

they already care about each other. they already trust each other. and they have the capacity for so much more! their bickering could turn to teasing and then to flirting! their partnership could turn to actual friendship and then to feelings! nothing is off the table with them: friends with benefits. pining. angst. fluff. hurt/comfort. fake relationship. there’s only one bed. pwp. being in denial. all the possibilities work! they could be all of these iconic otp posts:

missionary so we can continue our fight from before.

surprise! we’re making love!

character A gets hurt and character B realizes they’re in love when they lose their fucking mind about it

I’ve decided that my favorite ships are those ones where you don’t care if they’re together romantically or not, as long as they're together. It doesn’t matter if they’re kissing, as long as you know they’ll have each other’s back through everything, and really it’s a stronger bond than if they were banging anyway.  Because it’s all based off of trust and loyalty.

no trope fucks me up more than when person A watches person B with softness and wonder, all while person B is unaware

‘you’re a disaster i can’t believe i’m dating you.’ ‘i am irresistibly charming. or w/e’

which member of your otp says “no” right after the other takes a deep breath

In your OTP who gets tangled in their clothes during a strip tease and who sits there and watches them struggle.

Ok but which part of ur otp unironically calls themselves “a fucking delight” and which one immediately snorts

they’re both stubborn and it’s complicated

for your otp thing: who dies and who destroys a fucking city in grief

Which one is nervous before their first kiss / first time And Which one whispers ‘its just me, relax’

one time when i was a little drunk and laying in bed with a guy, i kissed his neck and mumbled ‘i could beat the shit out of you’ in his ear. he said ‘i know’

character A is pretty much 85% of character B’s impulse control

as much as i love the trope of a character falling fast and hard for someone, i also love the subtle descent where they don’t really think about it; where that person is just kind of there until one day they realize that person is so ingrained in their lives and they cannot do without them. where there is no conscious effort on either ends to become romantically involved but somehow the thought of them being with someone else is disconcerting. where ‘i enjoy being with you’ unwittingly turns into ‘i want to be with you’

The best ships are ones where feeling are confessed not during romantic and tenderly picturesque moments, but in the middle of a heated argument when one of them, in a fit of frustration, bursts out with ‘because I LOVE you, you dick!’

Who in your OTP asks the weird questions in the middle of the night and who hits the other in the face with a pillow

Imagine your OTP making out on a couch, but then one of them accidentally rolls off and the other one is either frantically asking if they’re okay or laughing at them

when you ship that couple that stubbornly refuses to say “i love you” to each other even tho they’ve had like 5 tearful “disaster is coming and i may never see you again” moments 

pairings where they “hate” each other but would be devastated if anything happened to one another aRE MY FUCKING WEAKNESS 

and on and on and on. 

in summary: it’s the potential. 

[starfire-s]

here’s a list of the best, mediocre and worst kdramas i watched in 2020

no one asked for this but it’s happening because i have thoughts (also all opinions are my own if you disagree then get well soon i guess... no i’m kidding make your own posts about it don’t hate me please) ahsjsj anyways click to read a lengthy post and if you actually read the whole thing then thank you i hope you enjoy this wild ride! 

THE BEST KDRAMAS -

mystic pop up bar - this show had everything i ask from a kdrama literally i can name it all found family (to real family), well thought out characters, a mystery plot, special effects, soft romances that were well written, a happy ending! no show in 2020 even comes close to how good this one was! the writers literally guided you throughout the whole thing so you could come up with theories and didn’t do a ‘aha! gotcha’ thing where they want to prove the audience wrong but they wanted us to be right and satisfied! the worst part about the drama is that it’s still so underrated and people just brush it off as some random fantasy show but it’s so much more than that! 1000/10

flower of evil - who doesn’t want to see lee joon gi being the son of a serial killer, living with the name of a man who is in a coma, and hiding his real identity from his wife who is a detective? this show constantly had me at the edge of my seat on a weekly basis so the emotions i went through while watching this are unparalleled! the writers also did such a good job on writing a coherent story that made sense and tied up all the plot points in the end. just a really satisfying show to watch! 10/10

where your eyes linger - i literally bought a $8 viki pass to watch this show so it should tell you everything you need to know about how i feel ahsjsj the episodes were 10 minutes long but we got a good story with well written characters who got character development in a total of 80 minutes it’s insane! honestly it’s still hard to believe this show had rookie actors because they were just so emotive that you could feel all the happiness, sadness, yearning and pining! probably one of my fave kdramas this year because of the acting that i always constantly rewatch! would recommend 10/10

crash landing on you - okay so this drama was actually released on my birthday last year and it was a time in my life when i was going through a lot so maybe it’s the comfort this show provided me through that time this is why i have such a soft spot for it? like the romance was good, it was funny, there was found family, the nk soldiers were all softies, there were strong female leads, soft male leads!!! ahh!! no other show on this list made me think about the unification of south korea and north korea irl because i wanted se ri and jeong hyeok to be together 4ever! but the only issue i had with this show was the ending they gave seung jun if they didn’t do that i’d give this show a 10/10 but just for that they get a 9/10

psycho but it’s okay - this was one of those shows where you’re literally like ‘wow everyone here needs therapy’ but this show was amazing i loved the story telling and how each episode related to children’s book/fairytales! the writers also did a good job with how carefully they talked about mental health in depth without villainising their characters but actually tried to make the audience understand why they were this way which included all the side characters too who had a well thought out story in each episode! also the dynamic between moon young, kang tae and sang tae was everything to me the actors all did an amazing job portraying their characters, it truly was a healing drama. the only thing i didn’t like about this show was the whole plastic surgery plot with the mother like that was very far fetched but it provided drama so i’ll let it slide because the rest was amazing. this show is a solid 8.5/10

18 again - another underrated gem! who would’ve thought a remake of that zac efron movie could be this good!! lee do hyun stole this show for sure the way he portrayed his character and gave heart eyes to his kids (when he’s only 25 irl was the best thing i saw this year ahsjs) i loved the family dynamics in this show, i loved how it talked about what it’s like to be young parents and how society still think it’s taboo to be divorced! it’s a show that makes you laugh and cry at the same time and that’s why everyone should watch it! however, the biggest clown thing this show did to me though was that i got sls for the first time while watching a kdrama... hwang in yeop if u’re reading this i love u and u deserved better 🤡 that aside this show was a 8/10

itaewon class - i actually didn’t watch this drama as it was airing because i thought i wouldn’t enjoy the plot but when i watched it i binged the whole thing in 2 days and my biggest regret is i didn’t watch it sooner! everyone knows i have a soft spot for park seo joon since he’s my favourite actor i’ve literally watched all his dramas like he could star in the trashiest drama out there and i’d still watch it and be like wow (looking at she was pretty 👀) this show aside from the acting had one of the best revenge plots in a kdrama! just watching a character realistically hustle his way to reach the top while fighting the corrupt man whose son killed his father was so so satisfying to watch! however, the love triangle in this show was questionable idk what they were trying to do with that but it personally annoyed me! but still i’ll give this show a 7.5/10 because i enjoyed it a lot!

do you like brahms? - kim min jae and park eun bin.. that’s all you need to know about why this is a good kdrama! i’m usually not a big fan of melodramas and everyone knows i prefer rom coms but this show was just so perfectly melo that i loved all the angst and pain we got!! also just watching two introverted people awkwardly fall in love was amazing! the characters story arcs were also handled pretty well with song ah finally learning to speak up for herself and joon young learning to express how he truly feels! but... the love square? was probably the most annoying thing the rest in my opinion was nicely done! i know people had mixed feelings about the ending but i loved that after all the pain joon young and song ah went through they got a happy ending together! 7/10

find me in your memory - okay this show started off very slow and it was confusing at the start but as it progressed everything in the plot started to fall into place! i mean this show really took opposites attract to a new level where the male lead could remember every single detail from his life but the female lead had to forget some of her traumatic memories to help her cope with her life! they were also tied together through a mutual character who was a big part of their lives in a different way! just an interesting melodrama with interesting characters i liked it! and moon ga young... i love you queen!!! 7/10

THE MEDIOCRE KDRAMAS -

more than friends - was the storytelling in this show groundbreaking? no. was the acting decent? yes. also probably the main reason i stuck with this show until the end! i think we can all agree lee soo had the best character development on this show he started off as a bad boy who wore one ear stud to actually becoming a well liked character... who else did it like him? no one. also the chemistry between the mains was 🔥 but the second male lead was so annoying is there a opposite word for second lead syndrome because i had that for sure! i think the best part about this show was the people i watched it with on here... shoutout to the five of us ahsjsj also this show introduced me to a talented actor/singer like ong seong wu (y’all know my kpop knowledge is nonexistent so no i didn’t know he was in a band called wanna one) all in all a predictable show but i had fun watching it so 6.5/10

tale of the nine tailed - i didn’t actually watch this show i watched it through gifs and instagram posts ahsjsjs so am i qualified to talk about my opinion definitely no... will I talk about it anyways yes lmao. lee rang deserved better that’s all goodbye and take care. 5.5/10

start up - probably one of the most awaited opinions. y’all thought this would be in the worst kdramas section but i decided to give this show some rights. the show started off strong, lost it’s way after episode 6 and then the last episode gave me what i wanted so i have mixed feelings. the writing was not the best i think we can all agree, love triangle as a plot device? wow so groundbreaking 🤡 the characters on the other hand... i loved every single one of them i mean ship wars? i don’t know her. the show had a lot of potential that was wasted but we also got some cute moments between the characters so there was really no winning or losing with this show? but in all honesty you can’t put a talented cast together like this and then just decide to give the audience a mediocre plot but the writers did exactly that! i think i can redirect y’all to my ‘crimes this show committed’ post for a in-depth analysis. lastly nam do san was a GOOD and REFRESHING male lead and ji pyeong was also a GOOD and FUN second male lead!!! this show gave me the ugliest ship war ever that i was transported back to my high school tvd days so thank you for that!! but the cast was loveable and all had a lot of chemistry together so here’s a 5/10 maybe that's too generous but... i think the reason why i didn't enjoy watching this show as much was definitely because of the tag on here lmao

THE WORST KDRAMAS -

the king eternal monarch - i miss clowning this show so much. the amount of braincells i lost while trying to understand this plot... i should be compensated by the writers. however, woo do hwan was a treat to look at on a weekly basis... however the writers kept decreasing his screen time even though he had a dual role... make it make sense? and i cannot comment on the plot of this show because i still don’t understand anything? also in my opinion tae eul and lee gon were the most bland couple of 2020, there was no chemistry between them and there was just a random kiss in episode 5 and they randomly said i love you... where was the development? also lee gon was soooo boring and such a one dimensional male lead! literally all the side characters were so much more interesting and the cast was good... but this plot. 2/10

do do sol sol la la sol - i wanna fight the writer who decided that the plot twist on the show would be that jun is a minor? i had no expectations from this show but it looked cute and nonsensical but that plot twist made me run the other way so fast that i never looked back! just because jun is a boy they really thought this would be excused like lmao we all have critical thinking skills???? the clown behaviour. a solid 1/10

record of youth - i hate this show so much. imagine not utilising park so dam who just starred in the biggest oscar winning movie to her full potential. imagine just making her a love interest to park bo gum’s character in the year 2020. i watched it up until episode 6 and i kept waiting for her character to get development... but it never happened so i dropped this show. also this show featured the MOST useless love triangle i have ever seen in my life like what was the point? also park bo gum’s characters family was straight up annoying (minus the grandpa) but they got so much screen time like that should’ve been given to park so dam... also villainising a gay side character for no reason at all in the year 2020? this show was a waste of my time i want the 6 hours i spent watching this back. -100/10 

backstreet rookie - i watched one episode of this and literally wanted to rip my eyeballs out of my head. idk what ji chang wook was thinking when he signed this drama i think he lost his ability to read because that's the only reasonable explanation for why he chose to star in such a dumpster fire show! this show had a racist character... had a high schooler kiss an adult... sexist jokes... just the worst things you can think of in a drama... this show had it. i still can’t believe so many people watched this show to the point where it had better ratings than pbio... really made me question everyone’s taste? but sorry can’t relate my taste is excellent so here’s the rating this show actually deserves -1000/10

if you made it this far... thank you for reading. let’s continue to love some kdramas together and get clowned by others in 2021! looking forward to it 😅

[musclesandhammering]

Loki (2021) Positivity from an Anti

Ok so all of my mutuals know I’m extremely anti-Loki (2021), anti-sylki, and anti-sylvie. But at a certain point, even we antis get tired of all the negativity. So! Here’s some Loki series commentary in the opposite direction! This is a list of all the things about the show that I loved :)

Also adding a disclaimer that all of this is just my opinion and some of my fellow antis (or even people who liked the show) might disagree, and that’s fine! I’ve been planning this post for awhile. I always say in my other posts that I don’t entirely hate the show and I wanted to be a little more specific about what I think are its good aspects. Feel free to leave your thoughts!

• Mobius is a gem (Owen Wilson owns my whole heart) and his relationship with Loki is so so great. He’s not one-dimensional at all, he has conflicted loyalty and is morally complex, and he has the tragic backstory- which makes him a perfect choice for eventually becoming Loki’s first genuine friend.

• The casting was really really great. Lots of women and people of color. Most of the female actresses (as well as the males) are over 30, which isn’t very common and is fantastic!

• Superb acting all around. I can’t think of a single scene where the actors under or oversold it.

• Beautiful set design, incredible cgi, and gorgeous cinematography overall. It looked more like a movie than a tv show, which is really good.

• Kang being the big bad was a huge plus for me. Johnathan Majors was perfect in the role, his vibes were immaculate, and I was honestly pretty worried that the man behind the curtain would end up being another Loki variant, which imo would’ve been boring and predictable and counter-productive, so it was a big relief when that didn’t happen.

• I like that it sets up a bunch of future marvel movies, rather than being contained to its own little world. It gives it more importance and (hopefully) will encourage writers to not just toss Loki’s character aside in future projects.

• All the Loki variants were delightful. All of them except Sylvie. Kid Loki has my heart. Boastful Loki is a fashion icon. Alligator Loki is a savage. President Loki is the superior variant. Classic Loki became my fav character in less than half an episode.

• It showed some more variety in Loki’s magic. A lot of his powers we’ve seen before, but it feels like they were portrayed a bit more blatantly in the show. The energy blasts, the telekinesis, the teleportation… Outstanding.

• It also implied that Loki has the potential to be waaaay more powerful than he knows he is right now, which? Yes.

• Some of the quotes- and the themes behind them- are just profound as hell. Such as:

“I think we’re stronger than we realise.”

“It’s never too late to change.”

“You can be whoever you wanna be, even someone good.”

“We’re Lokis. We survive. It’s what we do.”

“Loki, God of Outcasts.”

“The universe wants to break free, that’s why it manifests chaos.”

• Technically Loki was Marvel’s first canon lgbt (bi) character, which is a win. His genderfluidity is also technically canon, even if it wasn’t really acknowledged on-screen.

• There were a lot of throwback references to Thor 1, Avengers, and Thor The Dark World. Which I loved.

• Sylvie’s so pretty. Her hair and makeup and costume were all perfect.

• Big fan of Loki finally getting Laevateinn.

• Sufficiently slutty imagery, courtesy of a female director (Loki in a collar, kneeling to Sif, President Loki looking down into the bunker, the hair flips)

• The music was Excellent Wonderful and Superb.

• I love that Loki being a good singer is now canon.

• I love that Asgardians having their own language is now canon (even if it’s basically just Icelandic).

• I also love that they disproved all of those “Loki was a shy nerdy wallflower pre-canon” theories in Episode 3. The drinking/eating/singing scene was fun, if a bit wacky.

• There’s a million different reasons why Loki does what he does, especially in regards to the New York attack (I’m literally writing a huge meta on them), but somehow I never considered that Loki being desperate for control was one of them. It makes a lot of sense, and I always love getting new insights into his motivations.

• I love that Loki finally outright acknowledged that he doesn’t enjoy hurting people. We Been Knew™️ but it’s still nice to hear it out loud from his own mouth.

• The TVA outfit wasn’t as hideous as some people make it out to be. It could’ve been A Look, even. You know, if he’d just accessorised a little better. And kept the jacket on. And not gotten sweaty. And not gotten dirty. And maybe had at least one other costume change… But it had potential, though!!

• Even though I despise the Obvious One, I did actually like some of the other romance crumbs they tossed us (sifki, Loki x the flight attendant).

• The whole DB Cooper thing was iconic idc idc.

• Loki’s hyper sort of overly excited puppy attitude in episode 2 was actually pretty refreshing and funny (for awhile). And now I can headcanon him as adhd, yeehaw.

• “We’re all villains here.” That quote was iconic, my favourite one in the show. And the entire theme that it summarised was really great as well. When you think about it, every single main character in this series has been the villain at one point or another. I mean, I know all marvel characters do bad things etc, but none of the Heroes are ever narratively categorised as Bad. This show did just that with all of them, though. . Loki was framed as the psychopath that attacked New York. Sylvie was framed as the murderous fugitive. The TVA/Ravonna/Mobius were framed as the murderous fascists. Kang was framed as the crazy totalitarian. It’s made clear that all the Loki variants were the villains of their stories.

However, every single main character in the series is also framed as the Hero at a certain point. Loki is framed as the main protagonist who throws a wrench in the TVA’s dastardly plans. Sylvie is framed as the persevering freedom fighter who wants to take down the fascists. The TVA/Mobius/Ravonna are framed as the ones who maintain order for the greater good. Kang is framed as the weird but ultimately benevolent wise man who’s just trying to prevent something worse from happening. The Loki variants are framed as generous allies who befriend the main character and help him on his journey.

Everyone in this equation is openly acknowledged by the narrative to be morally corrupt, but not entirely morally bankrupt. There are no Straightforward Hero Figures (like the Avengers) in this entire scenario at all, and that makes for a super interesting dynamic that marvel has never done before. So yes: “We’re all villains here.” But also: “No one bad is ever truly bad, and no one good is ever truly good.” I loved that.

• Even if it wasn’t really enough imo, I still treasure the crumbs we got of Loki being competent and capable (him putting the collar on B-15, him figuring out Sylvie’s hiding place, him teaching himself to enchant on the fly while fighting a giant cloud beast of eldritch proportions).

• I love that B-15 was the one who stepped in and saved the day in Episode 4, when we all thought it was gonna be Mobius. What a queen.

• Marvel usually has a bit of a problem with creating compelling and memorable side characters. But aside from Sylvie, I genuinely got attached to every single character in this show. Like Casey, C-20? I was seriously emotionally invested in them and they were only in like 2 episodes. Wtf.

• Introducing the TVA storyline in the Loki series specifically was a really good move. I’m not saying they executed it well, just that it had a ton of potential. A lot of people have wondered why marvel even thought to put those two (the TVA and Loki) together, when they had literally nothing to do with each other, nothing in common, and essentially no connection at all. But when you think about it, it’s a really interesting twist on both of those stories. Forcing the embodiment of destructive chaos and the pillar of rigid order to interact could make for some seriously entertaining and compelling television. And as far as meshing these two completely unrelated entities together goes, I thought they did it pretty well- at least just the bare bones of the story (loki being arrested by the TVA and being one of their most common variants).

So that’s it! If you guys (fellow antis) wanna add stuff you liked, feel free. If anyone wants to discuss (or debate) my list, feel free to do that too!

[thornfield13713]

Dick Grayson and Merrill Dragon Age, for the character ask meme?

Dick Grayson

general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual love of my life 

hotness level: get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | pretty hot | gorgeous! | 10/10 would bang

hogwarts house: gryffindor | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuff

best quality: Objectively? Dick is really, really good at people. Like- Even leaving aside that he's funny and charming, he's been described as the linchpin of not just the Batfamily, but the entire superhero community. He's a really good leader and big-brother-mentor figure, he's great at staying friends with people and keeping a community together. He's astonishingly multi-talented, sure, but his people skills are really phenomenal, and I always get distressed when a piece of media doesn't give him his due in this area in particular.

worst quality: I mean...the thing is, Dick isn't long on what you'd call fatal flaws. A lot of writing outside the Bat-books tends to portray him as sharing Bruce's issue with being excessively driven, perfectionistic and manipulative, but that's rarely to be seen in the Bat-books...granted, often because the rest of the family are worse about it than he is. I'd honestly call this an issue from a writing perspective, because I haven't read many stories that give Dick a distinct fatal flaw of his own that works with his broader characterisation. Yes, okay, this is an issue with comics in general and the nature of having so many writers at the table at once, but...yeah, can't really think of a consistent 'worst quality' for Dick that isn't a writer trying to give him Bruce's failings in a toned-down form to a degree we don't see in Batfamily books.

ship them with:  Barbara Gordon. Not that I don't love Starfire dearly, but Dick and Babs are just...they just work for me, and I eternally regret that the 'no Batfamily member can ever have a happy personal life' rule keeps keeping them apart.

brotp them with: Wally West. They just...work. I enjoy their dynamic, they play off each other well...kinda wish more adaptations put this front and centre the way Young Justice did, honestly.

needs to stay away from: Tarantula, Mirage, Deathstroke - basically anyone with molester vibes or who has actually sexually assaulted him.

misc. thoughts: I love Dick as a character, but he often reads as a very different person based on who he's with, and not in the same way anyone's behaviour changes in company. Like, in the Batfamily books, he's often the most emotionally balanced person in the room, the one who has his shit together. In his own books, this is less the case, and in team books, he often ends up as Bats' junior counterpart, with all the attendant issues, which goes against his characterisation of being the best leader/people person in the DCU by bringing in the Batman tendency to manipulate people and use them as pawns. Like, I'm not saying these qualities are mutually exclusive, but writers don't often do the work of reconciling how all of these qualities can coexist, which leads to a somewhat jarring feeling when following Dick's career.

Merrill

general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual love of my life 

hotness level: get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | pretty hot | gorgeous! | 10/10 would bang

hogwarts house: gryffindor | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuff

best quality: Merrill is one of the smartest people in Thedas. I am not even kidding. She managed to purge an Eluvian of the Blight, something we never hear of anyone else ever being able to do. Sure, she used blood magic and demonic help, but the fact remains that this is an astonishing achievement, and she did it on the move, in the face of the disapproval of her whole community. Merrill is one of the most brilliant people in the whole series, and it is a crime she wasn’t the Inquisition’s Eluvian expert.

worst quality: She does have a bit of a tendency to hyperfocus on Dalish issues. Which is very fair, the Dalish are facing an absolutely awful situation, but she is shown to disregard city elves, and to harbour some prejudices against elf-blooded people that are never fully unpacked. However, unlike basically every other character in DA2, she is allowed to grow through this and ends up working to protect the alienage community, so...still head and shoulders ahead of everyone else.

ship them with:  Both Isabela and Bethany Hawke. Isabela is her canonical best friend, and one of the few people to be absolutely and entirely supportive of Merrill throughout the game. Bethany...well, despite the game claiming they don't get on, this is never really borne out in banter or cutscenes - Merrill is even one of the few people able to get Bethany to admit that there are things she might want more than to get to live as a non-mage and thus not have to hide all the time - and honestly I just think they'd be cute together.

brotp them with: I just really, really need her to meet and befriend Sigrun from Awakening. They’re both cheerful, sweet, friendly and often treated as immature for it by the fandom despite being grown adults with worldy experience, they both like learning about the world and are fairly open-minded, and I think they’d get along very well and have very interesting conversations.

needs to stay away from: Until they both do a lot of working on themselves and their biases and stop taking their shit out on Merrill, Fenris and Anders. I do think they are capable of this sort of personal growth, to be clear, but until they actually get there and engage in it, I do not want either of them near Merrill and prefer to avoid having them in the same party because some of their banters with her are just vile.

misc. thoughts: I love Merrill. I adore her. And I absolutely hate that the wider fandom often treats her like a child or an idiot when she’s one of the cleverest, most determined and most misunderstood characters in the whole series. She also absolutely deserved that ‘eluvian expert’ spot, and I would have absolutely loved to see her again. Not that it wasn’t nice to see Morrigan again, but her portrayal in Inquisition did make it a lot harder to like her, given her approach to elven issues.

[solanj]

@jacethemindblogger Okay, here is the take that will get me crucified, I guess xD Disclaimer - I haven't read past Forsaken and wish that I could forget Forsaken too.

Whether I ship it or not I acknowledge the canon status of the ship and I find some of the fan content cute/funny, but no, I do not ship it at all

Why I ship it or not I can probably write a thesis on everything I feel wrong with that relationship and Jace's treatment in Ixalan in general. I loved both Jace and Vraska pre-Ixalan and what happened there pained me a lot. In an attempt of portraying their moral growth wizards for some reason decided to turn them into some kind of wet tissue, they both lost got suddenly weaker (in terms of personality, not powers) and lost some complexity. I can't find the right words, sorry. But it felt to me like I'm reading about sappy teens, while Jayce is what, 27 at the moment and Vraska so much older? But honestly the thing that irks me most is the whole "falling in love while amnesiac" plotline. It is so WRONG I don't even know where to start. Jace can not possibly give any kind of consent under such circumstances, Vraska sees him as a "human retriever" first, then intentionally withholds information about his powers from him and generally treats him like a puppy that is entirely in her power (and he is) and the plot somehow treats this relationship and cute and wholesome? It's never really addressed later either. The fact that fans are just rolling with that honestly horrifies me. I can't get past it so I can't have an unbiased view on the rest of the relationship.

My opinion on their canon potential It's obviously canon, even though Forsaken seems to set it up to fail, but I'm intent on disregarding everything in that abomination. I can see some chemistry and cuteness if I disregard their previous personalties and some unsettling parts of how the relationship started. But honestly even in that case I feel like they aren't really good for each over. For all the show of mutual support Vraska lacks the un-judgementality which imo is absolutely necessary for dealing with Jace and his self-deprecating views on his powers. Vraska unintentionally fuels his "telepathy is bad and should be carefully contained" mindset. And Jace in turn lacks natural involvement in Vraska's world, he would either have to abandon his own to follow her or they would never align for long. Funny thing is - if you take them both pre-Ixalan and tell me "hey, that's an enemies to lovers plot between two people who are both seen as monsters due to the powers they were born with" I would LOVE the ship. I have some nice options for that dynamics in my head. But no, we got... what we got and it makes me extremely uncomfortable whenever I think of it.

My opinion on fanon interpretations/fandom around it I honestly hate how hard people try to frame this ship as ~unproblematic~ erasing any kind of nuance to both characters in the process. Also the widespread view of Jace as that fragile and pathetic soft little boy annoys me to no end. He is way more than a shy brainy geek people try to paint him as, so attempts to put most power in that relationship in Vraska's hands is very irritating to me. They are equals and should be treated as such. Well, rant over, come at me. It boiled in me a long time so I had to cut A LOT from what I have to say on the topic, but this reply is way too long already, sorry

[sokkastyles]

I said that Mai treats Zuko the way her mother treats her (no I'm not saying Mai is abusive, but this is bad behavior that has the potential to become abusive if left unchecked, and it is behavior that the finale plays as romantic and hilarious and that will always be a problem), and there's a lot of argument about Mai. Many people who dislike her will deny that she was abused by her parents and say her mother was just "encouraging her to express emotion," not repressing her emotions. That shows a misunderstanding of what controlling and emotionally abusive parents are like. In "Return to Omashu" Mai's mother tells her that she should be happy for her father's position and not complain, and the reason this is emotional abuse is because although she is encouraging her daughter to express emotion, she is only encouraging her to express the right kind of emotion. That's what Mai meant when she said her parents gave her whatever she wanted as long as she behaved, and why she struggles to express emotion of any kind.

But she also treats Zuko in a similar way and she does this many times, but I want to talk specifically about "The Beach" because I've seen people make the exact same claim here that they make about Mai and her mother, that Mai was encouraging Zuko to express his feelings. But what she was actually doing, just like her mother did to her, was encouraging him to only express the kinds of feelings she wanted him to express.

No, I'm not saying it was acceptable for him to fly into a jealous rage at the party and attack another guy for talking to her. Of course it wasn't, and she is right to shut him down and not put up with that kind of behavior. But she also shows an inability to engage with him emotionally that he calls her out on during their argument, and that does not get enough focus because people focus on his jealousy and anger. And I think the reason for this is because we tend to assume that's what toxic behavior looks like. But the kinds of behavior we associate with abusive men, anger and aggression, are also often symptoms of being abused, especially in men and boys who are victims of abuse. That's where the myth of mutual abuse comes in, and this is quite common in situations where women are the perpetrators. We see this kind of behavior a lot with Azula and Zuko, in fact. Zuko often is upset and hurt by Azula but can't express himself so he'll react with ineffectual anger which she immediately shuts down. Zuko acted out because he felt like Mai didn't really care about him, and that does not excuse his behavior at all, but it is very clear what is behind it. She's also easily able to shut him down.

Mai: [Angrily.] Zuko, what is wrong with you?

Zuko: What's wrong with me?

Mai: [Scolding.] Your temper is out of control. You blow up over every little thing. You're so impatient and hotheaded and angry!

Zuko: [Snapping back.] Well, at least I feel something, as opposed to you. You have no passion for anything! You're just a big blah!

Mai: It's over, Zuko. We're done.

Of course Mai should not have to put up with Zuko's behavior here, but their conversation also reveals that jealousy wasn't really the issue. When she angrily asks what is wrong with him, he immediately shoots back "what's wrong with me?" And he doesn't say that what he thinks is wrong with her is her talking to other guys, he says she has no passion. He says at least I feel something. Now, why would he say that?

Mai: [yawn] I just asked if you were cold, I didn't ask for your whole life story. Don't worry.

And this is exactly the dynamic between Mai and her mother. We see Mai express negativity, acting out because she's unhappy, and her mother tells her she is wrong to express negative emotion. In "The Awakening," Zuko tries to talk about his feelings but since those feelings are negative, Mai does not want to hear it.

And then at the party, then she wants to know what's wrong with him. She acts like she has no idea why he's upset, because she doesn't, and when he tried to tell her what was bothering him before, she shut him down.

And the scene around the campfire? Is this Mai encouraging Zuko to express emotion?

Azula: There's a simple question you need to answer, then. Who are you angry at?

Zuko: No one. I'm just angry.

Mai: Yeah, who are you angry at, Zuko?

All three of the girls keep pushing him in this scene until he says that he's angry at himself. And I've talked about this scene before but, oh, boy, this scene. Yes, Zuko should be angry at himself, but he also has justified anger at his father, Azula, and Mai that he does not get to express because he can't be angry at his abusive father when he's under his control. He can't be angry at Azula when she's right there pushing him and manipulating him and insisting that her actions are for his own good, he can't be angry at Mai when she's yelling at him and expressing justified anger at him for his blow up at the party, nor can he tell her what's really wrong. This isn't a scene where Zuko can safely express himself. So he directs that anger inward, and his real problem with Mai, that he wants her to care - specifically, to care about him, does not get addressed. It only gets addressed when he stops being angry at her and blames himself. Then she immediately says she cares about him and it's make out time, despite her having broken up with him a few scenes before that. She never addresses the reason she broke up with him in the first place, but she's happy now that he's not angry at her, but at himself. Yikes. So the message, whether this was intended by the show or not, is that Mai cares about Zuko when he is expressing approved emotions. Even if he's expressing self-destructive anger, at least he's not angry at her! What she is doing, whether intentional or not, is encouraging him to internalize negative feelings and turn them into self-blame. This is NOT a healthy dynamic. For either of them, considering how Zuko lashed out at her after repeatedly being forced to bottle up his emotions.

I know why Mai acts this way, I do believe she does care about Zuko, but her behavior is extremely hurtful and damaging especially since Zuko already has a tendency towards self-blame. I'm not saying Zuko never hurts her, either, but the difference is in how the show portrays their actions. And the final note the show leaves us with in the finale is one in which Mai again invalidates her boyfriend's emotions and agency, says she "kind of likes him," and warns him never to break up with her, and this is portrayed as cute and funny.

[honeyviscera]

Hehe blorbo ask game for fmab!!

GAAAAH THANK YOUUUU FRUITY AND BAZ!!!!!! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <- so many hearts for you guys!!!!!! (@peplos)

blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most): this is hard bc all of them are Beloved, but... ling. i would say ling, i love him a lot and i want him to be happy!!!! he's funny and obnoxious on purpose (him robbing ed of all his food & money (to use for food) is such a good gag his dynamic w/ ed is So Funny) and he cares so much about others, and for all his efforts to be the Silly Funny Guy he's so smart and he Cares, and I can tell that he needs to be Held, I LOVE HIM SOOOOO MUCHHHH!!!!! WONDERFUL BOY IM GIVING HIM A HUG <3333

scrunkly (my “baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped) THAT WOULD BE MAY!!!! MAY MY SWEETHEART MY DEAREST LOVE MY DARLING. MY DAUGHTER MY LITTLE SISTER MY SWEETY!!!!! She's so young!!! She's so kind!!! She appoints Scar to be her Father Figure and he Cares about her and risks his life for her (which I would argue to be the start of his road to redemption and recovery!!!! their dynamic is great!!!!) SHE CARES SO MUCH ABOUT EVERYONE AND SHE'S ADORABLE I LOVE HER IM HOLDING HER SO GENTLYYYYY

scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave) RIZA HAWKEYE (even though she's very much appreciated she deserves Even More OKAY) GOSH I LOVE HER. She's super skilled and good at what she does and even though she's more of the Brick Wall character she gets to be emotional and she gets to cry and she gets to be angry and she gets to be regretful and she's never 'weak' for her emotions, she's never portrayed as being unreasonable and that's just so GOOD. her relationship with roy is the fucking best thing ever okay. it's about the mutual respect that's been built over a decade, the deep trust and understanding, their secret codes, their teamwork, the compassion they have for each other, their banter ETC. ROYAI SHIP OF ALL TIME ANYWAYS. Riza is so good i love her so muchhhh!!!! She has so much depth and she constantly works to support roy in their goal to overthrow the government she is SO GOOD IM NOT SAYING ENOUGH HERE JUST KNOW I LOVE RIZA I ALSO LOVE ROY.

glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week) MAJOR GENERAL OLIVIER MIRA ARMSTRONG!!!!!!! AAAGH I LOVE HER!!!! first of all, woman with a sword!!!!! automatic points!!! SECOND OF ALL: SHE'S SUCH AN AMAZING CHARACTER she's tough as all hell BUT she's NOT CRUEL, literally all the soldiers at Briggs are loyal as FUCK to her because of her outstanding leadership!!! she's so smart and clever too, and she strives forward no matter what out of sheer force of will and resolve. you might think she's the stereotypical 'tough emotionless Strong (tm) woman who is a brick wall and can punch things' BUT NO SHE HAS DEPTH OK. AND SHE GENUINELY CARES ABOUT HER TROOPS ESPECIALLY MILES AND BUCCANEER. ANYWAYS I LOVE HER <3

poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave) GREED GREED GREED. GOD. HE'S SO!!! he wants More for himself all the time, but mostly he just wants a life that he chooses, and he chooses People, Friends, Humans, every time, he becomes more like a human BECAUSE all he really wants are friends, he goes beyond what he's 'supposed' to be, he's the 'rebellious' child of the family for choosing his own path, he thinks he wants Everything, he says so but then!!!!! all he wants are friends, people to love him and I!!!!! AUGHHHH. HE BECOMES MORE HUMAN THROUGH HIS FRIENDS. CATCH ME FUCKING SOBBING.

ALSO. hohenheim okay. at first i was like hm. >:/ absentee father. but he just. he thought himself so monstrous that he could never be a parent, and he didn't know what to do, he only left because he thought himself irredeemable but he Tries, and even if his actions did end up harming ed and al, he was genuinely trying his best and he Cares about so much, he thinks about so much, god i find myslef crying over him i just!!!! AUGHHHH HE TRIES SO HARD TO BE GOOD EVEN IF HE DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO BE. FUCK.

horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason) well I would only torment him affectionately, not actually being mean, but roy mustang. lol (don't get me wrong i seriously love him, he's so well written and he has so much depth he pretends to be a manwhore but he's so not it's all part of his cunning and cleverness, he's smart and resilient and his relationship with riza GOD) anyways i would poke him with a stick why did he think putting a 12 year old in the military was smart lol. also i love that moment where he lies to ed and then later to riza was like 'oh lol ik what you're going to say, that was soo soft of me haha' and then riza's like 'more like a fucking dick move, sir'

eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell) hm. superhell (derogatory) for Father of course. ALSO KIMBLEE. KIMBLEE CAN GET FUCKED.

[tales-of-sweets]

LloydxSheena and LloydxZelos 001 :]

(Sorry for responding a little late!!) Also sorry I didn't have much to say on the first one! If someone would like to sell them to me go for it! I'll modify accordingly if you make me see the light! /gen

Shelloyd (is that how ya spell it?)

When I started shipping it if I did: Nothing against it of course, but I don't really ship it 😅 Maybe an ot4 sort of deal could work?

My thoughts: I certainly see why people would like them!^^ I mean, her and Lloyd are kinda similar in some ways, she canonically has a crush on him, and she's a lovely character. It's just not a ship I am personally interested in.

What makes me happy about them: I haven't really thought about the dynamic that much, unfortunately most of my Sheena thoughts involve Zelos, Raine, or her people. I think they are cute as pals!

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: Sheena with Zelos is my typical preferred pairing, Lloyd with Colette or Zelos (assuming he's not with Sheena)

Zelloyd

When I started shipping it if I did: Only kinda recently, actually! Few weeks ago, perhaps?

My thoughts: Uhhh... brainrot terminal🥴

What makes me happy about them: World's goodest guy (to a fault) and his disgusting little creacher.... They're so funny together with their banter and bickering but they also have so many nice moments of being incredibly sincere. Lloyd always turns off his bullying the moment he notices Zelos gets serious and he never judges him for his feelings or the pain he's been through. He gives Zelos nudges in the right direction about not hiding his feelings but he never forces him or pries. Zelos admires Lloyd a lot and he gives him the strength to consider the benefits of being alive. He put everything on the line by siding with him because his trust for him was just just deep. Also that cute little surprised face Zelos made in multiple skits where Lloyd saw right through his front and called him on his feelings🥺They make me feel things...

What makes me sad about them: So many things... For starters, the inherent angst pressure it must put on Lloyd knowing someone hinged their will to live on him (which is not Lloyd's fault at all and is unfair to him) and that even a slight slip up in words could have sent him over the edge (it's not addressed in the game but... think about it...). Zelos's lifelong unresolved fears and trauma that are now out in the open and need to be worked through as well as his bad coping mechanisms that he just can't shake. Lloyd struggling with the paranoia of knowing someone he trusted fully had drugged his food, conspired to sacrifice his best friend, and kept so many major secrets from him from the moment they met. It may be a thing he will always fear and need reassurance about for their rest of their lives. To name a few things!

Things done in fanfic that annoys me: I don't actually read fanfic usually😅 But I guess I would probably dislike sexual content, Zelos being forgiven too quickly (unless it's portrayed as a bad thing), Zelos doing a complete 180 and magically recovering from all of his issues right away, or any form of character death involving them

Things I look for in fanfic: Again, I don't really read fanfic but I think I would like to read something comedic about mishaps during their post-canon journey to collect exspheres. Or perhaps the two of them parting ways due to broken trust but reuniting many years down the line after some healing. I just want to see them being happy and learning to become healthy and recover from the trauma of their pasts.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: Lloyd with Colette, Zelos with Sheena. Or even Zelos just being single and focusing on his family and friendships, that might be good for his health.

My happily ever after for them: I just want them to travel around forever and ever, seeing the world together, healing, and thriving off of their mutual trust and ability to depend on one another

Who is the big spoon/little spoon: I think it depends on the mood and situation but I think when it comes to sleep Zelos always ends up the little spoon because he likes to curl up and feel safe and protected

What is their favorite non-sexual activity: I HC that Lloyd is firmly ace and even Zelos respects that so all their activities are non-sexual anyway😅I think every time they hit a new town along their journey they take a day or two to themselves to sightsee, try the local cuisine, and probably get into trouble of some sort. Naturally stargazing, cloud watching, and roadtrip games (that they both cheat at) are natural time passers. I think they'd also like showing each other pastimes they're familiar with (eg. formal tea dates and fancy casino nights for Zelos, tree climbing and self-prepared picnics for Lloyd). Even if they hate them, they'd still have a nice time just being together and learning about each other's interests.