#their existence is just important for the story

[charcubed]

Okay in the genuinely least shady way possible and not trying to start a debate here: I understand the wider point OP is making but I also, personally, feel insane when I see posts about this topic phrased in this way lmaaaoooo

“queerbait tv”

???????

What, supposedly, was “queerbait TV”?

[Rhetorical question. I can rattle off the list of shows people would probably reply with, and yet I'd also probably insist that each of them is vastly different and should be viewed through a unique lens rather than compared to the others because no 2 situations are alike]

Because what this post is describing (and what some people are even understanding in the notes of it) is subtext. These discussions are often really about subtext and queercoding and thematically compelling narratives!! That’s what’s described here and it’s what people – or at the very least me personally – desperately crave!!

And look, I’m obviously not saying that advocating for gay people being openly explicitly represented on TV was or is a bad thing. Of course that’s important, whether the gay people are going on healthy dates or killing for each other lmao.

But for God's sake... this is why my repetitive rant and personal hot take is that we need to abolish the word "queerbaiting." It's done so much damage in this regard and it doesn't even fucking mean anything of consistent substance or value at this point, if it ever properly did. Once upon a time and only briefly, "queerbaiting" was intended as an accusation that corporate marketing and false advertising were deliberately being used with the intent to increase viewership of a show with no explicit follow-through or validation of queerness within the story itself. It was a type of pinkwashing for ads about TV shows – something that was actually pretty rare in the grand scheme, to be honest – not about the writing or execution of a story itself. But that potential meaning for a very specific thing quickly became entirely lost, and now the use of the word "queerbaiting" is literally just about vibes. You'd be hard-presssed to get even 10 random people to define it the same way. And more often than not, using "queerbaiting" is about derogatory vibes specifically thrown in the direction of devaluing subtext or deriding creators for whatever a fan personally considers to be a failure, disappointment, subtlety (or even too-slow burn) in a story's writing.

[Btw OP, if you're reading this, I'm really not trying to make an aggressive accusatory example out of your singular use of the word here lmao. I apologize if it feels that way. I'm working up to a point]

At the end of the day, so much of these recent takes about boring gay people on TV or ~queerbait hits harder~ route back to how, in the (still worthwhile!) pursuit of explicit representation and the implicit assumption that it's always the Best, somewhere along the way people got it in their brains that subtext and queercoding deserved vilification as the Worst. And that became the loud and prevailing opinion. Of course a lot of that also stems from personal hurt, anger, or disappointment by past TV shows which is all obviously understandable... but that's why people cling to the simplicity of the word “queerbaiting” as an umbrella anytime something's upsetting, and the accusation is often hurled with misplaced ire at creators.

Ultimately in some ways the concept of subtext became synonymous with "not good enough," and in other ways it came to be seen as something cowardly or malicious that creators put into stories to tease, bait, and disappoint fans. Nuance got lost, as well as the understanding that subtext/queercoding exist at all because they're tools used to tell (or enrich!) stories despite interference, constraints, and censorship – obstacles which have never fully gone away.

So we've ended up here: the need for whatever constitutes Good Representation – an endlessly shifting goalpost – and room for little else. The fear of all the ways stories can hurt and the advocacy for avoiding that hypothetical or potential hurt. The "all or nothing" mentally where if a ship isn't canon in the way someone personally deems acceptable – or in a way where every straight person on the planet will miraculously, mythically accept it's queer – then the story has Caused Harm and therefore doesn't have much value or can't be queer. And the overall cultural framing that subtext only exists when creators are too cowardly to do something more, rather than possibly as a creative choice to add complexities or a byproduct of censorship or both.

I find it all pretty fucked and exhausting to witness.

So, judging by [gestures broardly] the hamster wheel of bullshit out there and specifically the high note count on this post...

Here's where I land, as always:

I truly believe so many people and fandoms would free themselves if they realized that “queerbaiting” as a term is mostly bullshit, and as a concept the fear of Being Baited often robs people of finding joy and meaning in stories on their own merit. And I think they'd also free themselves a bit if they learned, understood, and acknowledged that subtext and queercoding are forms of canon. They're canon and they "count." Explicit queer storytelling is important for all the reasons we all implicitly know and understand, and of course we want to see sweeping epic character arcs reach the natural loudly queer conclusions we and the characters often deserve. But even if a story doesn't have that or get that, if you see and understand it's queer, that's still enough in its own way. It still has value, and you don't need permission or validation from anyone else to maintain that to yourself or to others.

Final apology to OP for hijacking their post. And maybe the TL;DR is I genuinely am "advocating for a return to queerbait TV" – or rather the sorts of storytelling and subtext people too often derogatorily slap with the "bait" label, past or present. Maybe people should think a little more about how stories like that were and still are good as well as often legitimately queer... and examine why there's often an implication that they're somehow not.

I am genuinely not advocating for a return to queerbait tv, I was vocally against it the whole time it was happening that was like my whole shtick for a while but it is kind of wild that when gay people weren’t allowed on tv, gay characters (who weren’t allowed to be gay) would be drinking poison for each other and killing bad guys for each other romantically and offering to go to prison in each other’s place and now that we are allowed to have gay people on tv…gay people will just be having a healthy conversation and going going on a date like normal people. Get OUT of my face with that

[fel-09]

For some reason I really like these strange ideas

"Last time"

Important!A short story as an introduction :

The meadow was filled with flowers of every kind: proud roses, humble daisies, vibrant poppies. Yet among them, a single white lily stood out. It reached toward the sun, radiant in its purity, as if nature herself had crafted it to captivate hearts.Nearby lived a pride of lions. Its leader, a majestic lion with a golden mane, ruled this land. One day, while hunting, his gaze fell upon the fragile flower. The lily seemed to glow amidst the sea of colors, and its beauty ensnared his attention. The lion paused, entranced, and for the first time felt a strange warmth within his chest.It was love. A love filled with contradictions. He knew a lion needed an equal partner, a lioness with whom to share the burdens of life. The lily needed the sun, without which it could not survive. They were drawn to one another, yet both understood that this bond was destined for sorrow.

"You always tell this story," his voice was soft, almost tender, but there was a cold edge to it.

She looked up at him through the dim glow of candlelight.

"And you always listen as if it’s the first time," she replied, a faint smirk curling her lips.

Her voice was quiet, yet every word painted vivid images of their love. He was like the lion: regal, ruthless, accustomed to bending the world to his will. She was his lily, whose fragility both irritated and enthralled him.

Everything about their relationship spoke of impossibility. He promised her his soul, but his body belonged to others. She gave him her heart, yet could not rid herself of the jealousy that burned her from within.

"You say I’m yours," her voice was sharp, almost angry. "Then why do you leave me every night for someone else?"

He stepped closer, his footsteps echoing in the stillness of the room.

"Because I always come back to you," he said, sitting across from her.

His words sounded like truth, but to her, they were poison. She wanted to be the only one, not just another.

She asked for time.

"One week. Give me a week to figure out what I mean to you," her voice trembled, though she tried to remain firm.

He nodded silently, though confusion flickered in his eyes.

For her, the week stretched into eternity. She felt like a plucked flower, deprived of sunlight. In the mirror, she saw a woman she barely recognized.

For him, those days were torment. He was a man who always got what he wanted, yet her silence was stronger than any weapon.

When the week ended, he didn’t wait. He entered her room, but what he saw made him freeze.

She sat by the window, her face pale, her eyes dim.

"You were right," her voice was hoarse, as if she hadn’t spoken for days. "We can’t be together."

He moved closer, his fingers brushing against her hand.

"I can give you everything except one thing," he said.

"You will have everything Geta, but not with me" she looked up at him.

Their separation was inevitable. She left him, taking only memories.

Years passed before they met again. It was in a garden filled with flowers. Among them, a lily stood alone, as beautiful and solitary as before.

She lifted her eyes and met his gaze. In that moment, everything they had once felt returned.

He was still her lion, and she was still his lily. But now, their love existed only in silence, in the unspoken words that filled their lingering glances.

The End.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Hey, there. Can you help me with this? I am stuck on creating with this motivation for my WIP.

Those who seek death shall live, and those who seek lives shall die How do you create a character with this type of character motivation? either is an important side character, villain, mentor, or even main character?

Hi! Some writers like to use character tropes as inspiration when they get stuck with a certain idea. Here are some examples I found for you that you can use as a guide. And alter as needed for your story:

"Death Seeker" Trope

At some point in the past, some characters have had a traumatic experience, found themselves dishonored, committed a crime they could not repay, lost everything worth living for, caught an incurable disease or just became bored with continued existence.

For whatever reason, rather than turning to suicide, they went off seeking battles to fight, hoping to find an enemy who would kill them, and achieve an honorable, heroic, awesome, or otherwise acceptable death, sometimes going as far as outright surrendering and offering their life to their enemies. 

Martyrdom Cultures may regard such a character as a role model, even if upon closer examination they might seem like a Martyr Without a Cause.

In cases of cruel Irony, the characters who snap out of it and find something to live for often end up dying or getting killed shortly afterwards anyway.

A real life example:

Jeffrey Dahmer frequently expressed his wish to die for his crimes while in prison. When he was attacked by another prisoner who attempted to slit his throat, he refused to press charges and requested to be returned to the general prison population. Only a few months later, he was beaten to death by another prisoner. His last words were, reportedly: "I don't care if I live or die — go ahead and kill me."

"I Cannot Self-Terminate" Trope

Perhaps they've just been wounded in a vital area and know they are going to die slowly and in agony, and just want to die with dignity/end the pain quickly. Perhaps they are prisoners and being tortured, and the hero cannot break them free but could shoot them.

In any case, while they're ready or even eager to die, they cannot do it on their own. This can also count as a Heroic Sacrifice, sometimes.

If the character is robotic, this may occur due to influence from Asimov's Laws. Specifically, the Third Law states that a robot may not harm itself, or through inaction allow itself to be harmed, unless doing so is required to uphold the First or Second Law. Even when not following the hierarchical laws of robotics, it could still occur if a robot is simply programmed for self-preservation.

The victim may plead for death even when it is possible for them to be saved, owing to the pain. The hero is likely to override that, often saying No One Gets Left Behind.

Accidental Murder: Occurs when a situation that wasn't intended to be lethal ends with the death of someone anyway.

Anyone Can Die: This is easily defined as definite Truth in Television, because all living organisms are mortal and are bound to, by statistics at least, eventually die for any number of reasons, with no fiction writers to determine how it happens. When used poorly or too frequently, this trope can cause Too Bleak, Stopped Caring, possibly with audiences uttering the Eight Deadly Words, as the audience won't see any point in getting attached to characters that they expect to die sooner or later. A good way to check if this trope applies is to see if who survives is an important plot point, rather than only how they survive.

Cheated Death, Died Anyway: When a character narrowly escapes death on occasion (and perhaps more than one occasion), only to die shortly thereafter anyway…in a completely different way. Exactly how close the two incidents have to be varies, so the important factor in this trope is the presence of irony. This can apply in a matter of minutes, months, or even (in rare cases) years; the deciding factor is the Bait-and-Switch element of the death.

Death Is the Only Option: The only way to achieve victory is to die.

Forgiveness Requires Death: In order to be forgiven of their crimes, the character must die.

Heroic Sacrifice: Sacrificing your own life for the greater good.

Jumping on a Grenade: Sacrificing oneself by using one's own body as a shield against a deadly threat in hopes of sparing others.

Metaphorical Suicide: A despondent character willingly resigns themself to a fate similar to death without actually dying.

The Problem with Fighting Death: …is that even if you win, you'll still eventually lose. Killing or imprisoning Death might not offer protection either, as his sister Entropy goes around making everyone grow old and wish to die while Death Takes a Holiday or cause a plague of ghosts as the souls of the dead get stuck on Earth. This is the problem with fighting Death, Hades, The Devil, Psychopomps, Anthropomorphic Personifications or even God; you just can't win. However, a draw may be possible with creativity. If all that matters is that there be a Death, then replacing him with someone friendlier or someone with whom deals can be struck and honored can be a way to go. This can be done by appealing to someone higher on the divinity ladder, getting someone else to kill and replace Death (or doing so yourself, if you're willing to accept the job for the rest of eternity), and flying out of Hell are all possibilities. In this way, one can say Living Forever Is Awesome.

Who Wants to Live Forever?: If an immortal being grows so sick of eternal life that they just want it to end already.

Sources: 1 2 3 4 ⚜ More: Notes & References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

Hope this helps inspire your writing! You can look through the sources for more information on each trope.

[vetochkarowan]

Woah, anon, there is always value in exploring the parts of the universe the creator has defined for the character themselves. Knowing that Dal is around, supportive, and some insights into what's happened with the spawn isn't wasted time. Not everything needs to solely revolve around the relationship of two characters in a story where we only see them and that's it. That comment did not come off kindly and sometimes we don't need to agree with everything a creator does or decides to explore, it doesn't mean our interpretation is appreciated.

Oh, thank you! 💛🧡💛 Your words resonate well with my own perspective, and now, taking this opportunity, I’ll say that I think it’s important to maintain a balance in stories (at least for me), perhaps even to follow some intuition. Sometimes there’s a feeling that a scene is important for the future, and it’s true. The person who mentioned Dal earlier guessed well: she’s really needed for the plot.

But at the same time, I’m a big fan of “just like in life,” and life is full of random events and little details, Chekhov’s guns that turn out to be water pistols, and plotless, meaningless things that make life beautiful. Many episodes lead nowhere, don’t develop the characters, and exist simply because the characters are alive, and these moments are a part of that.

But that’s all, thank you for coming to my TED talk. 🫡🧡

[froghat1745]

Dina is 100% my favorite OC for multiple reasons, but it really all boils down to the fact she is not a plot dependent character.

Dina get's to exist solely just for the purpose of being a whimsical student at hogwarts, she doesn't help the golden trio complete any large grandiose missions, she doesn't play a large part in any overarching events, she doesn't even fight in any of the battles.

She is epitome of a background character and i fucking love her for it.

Well, Harry, Hermione, Ron, etc, are spending their days fighting enemies and having experiences dependent on plot relevance, Dina is just hunkered down in the potions lab playing mad scientist and writing fun and adventurous new recipes with her mentor Snape and eventually her boyfriend Percy too, just cause she has the time.

She gets a boyfriend, has fun with friends in the castle, and furthurs her education without once thinking about the business of the Golden Trio. She isn't enamored with their constant adventure, she isn't apart of any large mobs in the grand hall watching and waiting for the next most exciting thing about Potter and his legacy. She's just.. living her own independent life.

You could plant yourself at any point in Dina's life (past or future) and aside from some certain aspects (the involvement she briefly has with the weasley family as a result of supporting Percy through his big fight with them, her interactions with umbridge, and her name being the final topic snape speaks about before passing) her behaviors literally have no relevance to the main storyline of Potter, Hermione, and Ron.

Because Dina, was not designed to play any especially important role in the events of Harry Potter. She doesn't need to have her reactions, passions, likes, and dislikes revolve around any significant events regarding the main trio (rather traumatizing or not)

because she is not a plot device.

She isn't a member of the order, she doesn't train under Potter during the events of OOTP, she doesn't involve or worry herself in the feud between Potter and Malfoy (despite being a slytherin), she doesn't gossip about Potter and the events of cedric's death in OOTP, she doesn't watch the qudditch games for anyone else but Wood, she doesn't try to insert herself in the slug club, and she doesn't even concern herself with the triwizard tournament aside from what Snape forces her to pretend to engage with.

Even when umbridge attacks her, it's not Harry Potter dependent. He's not torturing her because she's in any way, a friend or even a peer of Harry Potter. But more because she's the daughter of Sirius black.

Dina is so removed from the main storyline that she doesn't even ever discover what happened to her biological father, Sirius Black, until after his death. And that is merely because Neville mentions it briefly when talking about his intent to kill Bellatrix Lestrange in the department of mysterys, and the furthur desire to mangle the women he feels after the fact. And though she is slighty saddened by the fact she has the capability to form a connection to one of her living parents, and slightly resentful at the idea of HER own biological father seeking refuge and a parental connection with somebody who wasn't her, after his escape. She doesn't really do anything about it but minorly sulk for a week or so.

And even when Dina does make a decision or exibits a behavior as a result of a memory. It just feels like a natural human response to stress as opposed to something that HAS to happen to further a story.

SHE DOESNT EVEN FIGHT IN THE WAR.

She returns in the last measly 2-3 months during the wars end, as the tension is fizziing out, in the court stages when the newly peiced together ministry of magic is working on one by one convicting every death eater responsible for the damage. Not more than a week after voldemorts defeat when it's more just antagonistic remnants of death eaters trying to grip for the power and control and less Voldemort running around torturing and killing everyone under the crush of his terrifying dictatorship.

So she doesn't even do the whole "I fought alongside Harry potter, the UK's golden boy! Look at my glory and honor" thing, that everyone else harps on for awhile. The closest connection she even has to Harry or the order is Neville, who she becomes quite close with in their school days, and eventually rescues her during the mass sweep to find Luna lovegood.

Don't get me wrong I love my plot dependent characters ♡♡♡ but Dina just shines because she can literally just have whismy and joy about her personality and it has nothing to do with anyone but herself.

being obsessed with your own oc is so awesome because everything you say is right. no headcanons we die like men

[tackykachowch]

Every time I see a "they clearly needed more seasons, they didn't have time to tell the full story properly" I lose 10 years of my life and 5 particles of my sanity. Why in the world would they need additional seasons to tell a full story, when in season 1 they were perfectly capable of it with the same 9 episodes? In season 1 they didn't waste our time at all, every scene was meaningful, every line of dialog said something important to us or set up something for later. The way the story was structured showed us that the writers understood their limitations and decided to use every single second they had properly. Also said limitations allowed them to focus on one specific overarching conflict (Piltover vs Zaun) and one specific set of characters, each of whom were directly involved in said conflict. No other distractions or side plots that go nowhere.

And there's season 2. Suddenly the writers decided that dialogs are for losers, actually, and it's better to replace characters reacting to major world-changing events (like Silco's death for example) with music videos. Weird choice, but okay. Oh, a bunch of new characters that serve no practical role in the narrative and distract actually important characters from interacting with each other? Give me 10. Also add a bunch of side storylines that go nowhere and serve no purpose to the main conflict- *the phone rings**picks up* what do you mean the main conflict changed? It's not about Zaun and Piltover anymore? What do you mean this conflict is left unresolved and is forgotten about completely in act3? Then what on earth do they focus on instead??? What, arcane? Meaning like. What? The magic subplot that was only a small part of season 1? And why would it matter more? Ah, marvel fights. Uh-huh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, sure. I get it, thank you *hangs up*. Well, that was a disaster. The decision to change your MAIN CONFLICT in the middle of the story is probably one of the worst ones you could ever make, and then yeah, no wonder they didn't have time to tell the full story. Because they don't know what the hell the story is about anymore. Therefore they can't use the resources at hand effectively and every wrong decision they make going forward is going to make everything even worse. And from what we see they made plenty of wrong decisions. Remember what I said about not wasting our time? Well forget it, because you NEED to see this joke play out in full, even though it's not funny in the slightest and doesn't tell us anything significant about the characters or the world. Also there's flashbacks that also don't contribute anything substantial to existing character stories, and even actively make them worse and inconsistent (ily Felicia🫶🫶🫶). And then there's the entirety of ep7 which is an abysmal abomination in and of itself. Not only does it waste our time with an alternative universe that has nothing to do with the canon conflict and characters in the first place, but it actively pretends that it does matter, actually. Which is detrimental to the whole story going forward. Because now instead of on-screen character interactions and actual resolving of existing conflicts within the story we're just told. To imagine it ourselves. Because the au somehow implied what was going to happen between completely different characters. Somehow. Alright.

So, I hope the reasons I listed above more or less explained why arcane, in fact, did NOT require more seasons to tell its story in full. What it did require was more tight writing, focusing on the conflict we had initially, flashing out the existing dynamics between characters and introducing the characters who didn't interact previously to each other (for example: Jinx and Jayce), thought through dialogs which focused on giving us important information first and foremost, less music videos and more actual scenes with dialogs and characters reacting to the world around them properly, subplots that actually mattered to the main conflict etc. Like, it really is THAT basic. If the story is badly written more runtime isn't going to fix anything, it could even make it worse, because more time = more chances to screw up even more stuff. Only good writing can fix bad writing, and that's an unfortunate truth we have to come to terms with. No amount of pretty visuals or microexpressions or character/prop design is going to change what is ruined at its core.

[astronautmike-dexter]

ASTRONAUT’S FAVE VEGEBUL FICS FROM 2024

This year saw an amazing Vegebul renaissance, and it's been such a blessing to be part of it! I have read so many wonderful fics this year and I wanted to point out some that were started in 2024 that have really stuck with me.

I have popped these into the following categories:

Multi-chapter - ongoing

Multi-chapter - completed

Oneshots

(Please note that I obviously have not read everything and have probably missed quite a few amazing pieces. Hopefully I get to my reading list soon and can rec some more!)

Take a look under the cut, ring in 2025 in Vegebul style!

MULTI-CHAPTER - ONGOING

Homeworld Lost - @astral-mariner Saiyan's under Freeza's rule. Bulma listening to Vegeta's horrifying origin story through a fixed scouter, told by the unreliable narrator, Raditz. I've been reassured we have not got anywhere near the level of horror the tags suggest. Fucked up, dark, kinda horny (if you're fucked up and dark as well).

Mission Critical - herpb4uderp An AU set in space. Enemies to lovers, with so much sexual tension throughout. The characterisations of the side characters are just as amazing. Absolutely love this one!

The Saiyan Accord - VolgaFjorgan Oh man, you want to talk tension?! Saiyan's are in an alliance with Earth, and Bulma and Vegeta have to work together while combatting unknown forces that threaten to dismantle everything. Tension, babes... TENSION!

Sons of the Saiyans - @mawrblaidddrwg MOTORBIKE SCENE. Sorry, let me calm down and start again... MOTORBIKE SCENE!!!!!!! ok, got that out of my system. It's not just that scene. I promise. It's everything. The world building, the smut, the absolute heartache throughout. Violent, gritty, sexy, amazing AU. Please consider giving this a go if you don't like AU's - I promise it will make you a fan!

When Heaven Takes You Home - @superaliencake Forced to work together on an important project, Bulma gets dragged into Vegeta's dark world under Frieza's rule. The tension throughout this is absolute *chefs kiss*. The author's first time writing fanfiction is an absolute home run, and I'm excited/terrified to see where this goes!

Lachrimae - @rozzingit Trunks from a future lands on Vegetasei and has to navigate Saiyan's, his father as a child, and absolute grief. The world building in this is next fucking level, and the flashbacks to the Vegeta Trunks knew are just devastating. I have no idea where this is going, but I am absolutely frothing this one!

Beyond the Stars - @twenty--one--violets Planet Vegeta still exists. Tasked with destroying Earth, Vegeta pops in to take a small holiday on the planet before its destruction. But of course, his plans are thrown when he gets one (1) look at Bulma. This Vegeta is as dark and violent as he is smitten.

Homeward Bound - @galexibrain Set in the 7YG, Trunks has been kidnapped. Vegeta, with Bulma in tow, plus a cheeky lil stowaway, track down the evil Cooler to bring him back to Earth. Beautiful, gut-wrenching, with some of the most stunning visuals I've read.

MULTI-CHAPTER - COMPLETED

Blue with Envy - @serenityhime1 The tag "Tension thicker than a snicker" is underselling this one. You want pining Vegeta? You want brilliant Bulma? You want what you can't have? If you answered yes to that last one, you might just be Vegeta. Read the tags before entering... or don't. Either way, you're in for a wild ride.

A Vast, Cold Space - VolgaFjorgan STAR TREK AU!!! This is one of my favourite Bulma fics. Yes, there's Vegebul (oh lordy, is there Vegebul), but the multi-dimensional, intricate take on Bulma is top tier. It tackles longing, grief, action, with all that delicious tension the author does so well.

A Heart Worth Believing In - @galexibrain FUTURE BULMA FUTURE BULMA FUTURE BULMA! Vegeta falls ill to the mysterious heart disease that once threatened to claim Goku's life. The only person Bulma can turn to is herself. If there's one thing Lexi loves to do, it's whump Vegeta and make us cry over it.

Illicit Affairs - @lawnchairthethird Oh y'all wanted a twist?! Listen... if you haven't got on the Illicit Affairs train, then idk what to tell you. This is a dark, sexy fic, with enough twist and turns to keep you guessing throughout. Babygirl loves a cliffhanger, and you will want to keep hanging on throughout!

Beyond the Field - @frandafwen fucking..fuckign.fuckhgfidf....igjfjdifd;..... this is a series of glimpses into the world of Vegebul. the btich fuckin wrote poetry for Vegebul. all of it is amazing, but I read the last chapter in a camera-on work meeting and had to force myself not to cry. A fucking marvel.

Only One Beast - @cuddlesomeone BED-SHARING BED-SHARING BED-SHARING BED-SHARING!!! starting from "bed-sharing...but Vegeta is the bed", this became a fucking amazing fic. I just... I will never get enough of BED-SHARING!!

Me Dedo - @saiyanmazen The gift that kept on giving, and then some. Priest-geta is honestly so brilliant, let alone Bulma being so devilish, leading the priest into the most carnal of sins. This is an absolute treasure, and will probably require some uhhh... re-reading... in future.

ONESHOT

Strength and Weakness - @astral-mariner Set in the same story as Homeworld Lost, this extremely explicit smut is jam-packed with tension, confused and pining Vegeta, bold and brilliant Bulma. The fic so hot that people regularly forget to leave kudos.

Persistence - @lawnchairthethird VIRGIN VEGETA!!! I absolutely headcanon Vegeta as a virgin (though ask me tomorrow and that might be a different story), and this fic is one of my favourite approaches to it. The build up, the dialogue, the smut itself, every part of it is amazing.

Mirai Bulma: an appreciation by Vegeta - @iamakynge It's in the name, but it's still... you won't be prepared for how brilliant and devastating this is. Vegeta honours Future Bulma's life, as well as his own growth. An outstanding piece.

Dynamics - @serenityhime1 Any time someone mentions this I go positively feral. Like Vegeta does in this. For real though, Bulma educating Vegeta on sex might just be my kink. And Vegeta being so animalistic, so alien in his approach to it, is also my kink. This fic...might just be my kink lol.

Bury Me Between Your Ribs - @rozzingit POST-BUU MY BELOVED!!! I said this in my comment on this fic, but this is the post-Buu fic. Devastating, poetic, a reminder of just how fucking perfect this duo is, even in their darkest hours.

Summer Heat - @twenty--one--violets ohjhghghjgh my gooododddd this is so hoootttttt. literally. and figuratively. just... beep boop brain broke. I did a cheeky re-read just now and nearly yeeted myself into the sun. 10/10 no notes

Mercy - @frandafwen oighhgfjk.... post-Buu. probably my favourite timeframe to explore. but not only that, the way this one is written is fucking phenomenal. I just... the way Franda can bring forward new things for a time well-visited in fandom is fucking amazing. Highly recommend this one.

The Vow - @mawrblaidddrwg Majin Vegeta returns under a full moon. Bulma is terrified, not wanting to lose him to the darkness once more. Though killing Goku is on his list, it's not the top of the list... guys, this is so fucking hot. So fucking hot. Majin Vegeta is a Hottie McHottie and I refuse to back down from this fact.

In Another Time Under Another Sky - @saiyanmazen When I fucking tell you... that this is one of the best things I have ever read... I am not exaggerating. A devastating look at what became of Future Vegebul. I can't even think about this now without tearing up. Simply brilliant. Also I think we can all agree we're ignoring what became of Future Bulma in Super, right? Right?!

[delulustateofmind]

OMG, your fic "This is Love, Right?" was really good. I have a feeling that Geto never truly loved Y/N, at least not as a lover, and neither did Gojo, because it seems to me that Y/N was only important to him until Geto came into the picture. After Geto's arrival, their whole dynamic changed, and Y/N ended up becoming a third wheel and broodmare in the relationship, where they hardly respect or love her as much as they do each other. I just want to know your point of view on the dynamics of their relationship and your perspective on my thoughts about them.

TW: Toxic Relationship, Abuse of Power Dynamics, Discussion of Yandere Behaviors.

Ahhh! thank you! Good question, your perspective is pretty spot on!

Okay, so... long story short, they think they love the reader.

Like, they legit believe this is what love feels like. But their version of love? It’s nowhere near healthy. It’s suffocating, built on possession and this obsessive need to have the reader rather than actually supporting or understanding them. The whole dynamic is super toxic. Satoru and Suguru on their own? They never really could click (Awful at communication). They were always missing that bridge to hold them together—and that’s where the reader comes in. But instead of just letting things naturally work, they basically force the reader into their lives, shaping them to fit their desires and deepen their bond with each other.

Suguru didn’t even think he’d love the reader at first. In the beginning, it was all part of the long game (getting Satoru to kill the higher ups or convincing him to defect). I mean, his daughters were executed just so he could crawl back into jujutsu society (thanks to the higher-ups, who basically had him "finish" the mission of the night he defected). So, at first, Suguru was just talking to Satoru, saying he couldn’t understand how he could date a non-sorcerer, blah blah blah. Then Satoru invited him into the relationship. Suguru figured, why not use this as a way to make the reader’s life hell? He couldn’t wipe out all non-sorcerers, but he could make their life miserable while getting his boyfriend back.

But then… he started to fall for them—or at least, his version of love. Over the years, though, he’s gotta remind himself at night that he does love them. His love is all about manipulation and control. He’s sneaky about it, isolating the reader emotionally and planting little seeds of guilt and doubt to make them more compliant. He’s so good at twisting things that the reader ends up questioning their own thoughts and decisions. Suguru’s "love" isn’t about genuine connection; it’s about dominance. It’s his way of keeping a piece of Satoru through the reader, not because he’s actually emotionally attached to them. Oh, he knows he can’t have kids with Satoru, so you’re spot on about the reader basically being a broodmare in his mind.

I think though once the reader pops out a few kids, he does grow to love them, especially if they produce sorcerers for him. So good luck ever trying to leave the clan estate, because when he does actually love he's literally insane (the type of insane to clip your Achilles tendon, not permanent but may affect your walking ability)

Satoru, on the other hand, does love the reader—but in this super selfish, messed-up way. Originally, they were just a rebound for him. (In part one, the reader had met Suguru before and had a tiny crush on him—it’s mentioned briefly.) When Satoru should’ve been working on himself, maybe going to therapy or dealing with his issues? Nah, he was pouring all that emotional baggage into the reader instead. His love is intensely possessive. To him, the reader isn’t their own person—they’re more like an extension of himself, someone who exists to make him feel better and meet his emotional needs.

This whole thing started way before Suguru joined the picture. The reader actually almost left Satoru once, and honestly? They probably should’ve, probably would have had a better ending. But Satoru used his charm and playful personality to reel them back in, all while hiding this super manipulative streak. And yeah, he cares about them—like, when the reader ran away, this man was ready to hollow-purple the entire airport. Suguru had to step in and talk him down, suggesting they go back to the clan estate instead. But at the end of the day, Satoru’s love is still selfish. It’s all about making himself happy and avoiding his own pain, with the reader’s needs coming in second—if at all.

And just for fun, I don’t think the reader even understood what love was. That’s the thing with a lot of people who end up in toxic relationships like this—they convince themselves that this is the love they deserve. So, while the reader is being manipulated and undermined, she has to keep telling herself, “This is love.” She’s not being openly abused—she’s still allowed to go to school (a little ounce of freedom), and it’s not like they’re yelling at her or anything. Arguments would’ve been relatively calm, with Suguru usually taking the lead and doing most of the talking.

Because of all that, the reader may be confusing dependency for love. She relies on Satoru and Suguru for financial support, for safety (even if it’s a twisted kind of safety), and for emotional stability. In her mind, she’s thinking, “This is a good relationship.” That’s why it was so hard for her to leave, even when she had a real shot at it. She keeps justifying staying by focusing on the good times instead of the bad ones. It’s less about actually feeling love and more about clinging to the idea of it.

So, in summary: Do they love the reader?

Yeah… but it’s not the good kind of love. Like most toxic relationships, their love is super conditional and unhealthy. It’s not about the reader’s happiness, growth, or well-being—it’s about how the reader fits into their lives and fulfills their needs. To them, this is love, but it’s a love that lacks a lot of fundamentals like respect, freedom, and equality.

Sorry! I rambled quite a bit lol

[raymurata]

I love this take. I think it would be interesting if we'd seen the Archive (not Anaris, not a mask Anaris put on someone) actually do something dangerous to make the player fearful. Or share extremely dangerous knowledge, but neither of these happens. As far as we're actually shown, the Archive is just a rude spirit paying lip service to Anaris.

Diegetically, it's Bellara who tells us that the Archive might contain dangerous knowledge, and blames it for what happened to Cyrian. She expresses a lot of guilt over the Evanuris' actions and keeping their lore, which I don't love, but it's definitely IC for her. I think it'd be okay if we had to make this decision with the fear-mongering coming from Bellara, and Bellara alone. She's a character and she's got some emotional hang ups here that make her especially anxious. That's valid.

But the problem is that the game itself is the one fearmongering the player. The UI, which is literally not a biased narrator or a layered character but the thing that exists outside of the narrative to set a clear tone of what you are doing and what the consequences will be, is the one telling you "By freeing the archive this knowledge will be safely contained. By keeping it it will always pose a risk." It's worded as 'safe but costly choice' vs 'risky but rewarding choice', so the GAME is the one saying, factually, that "thedas will be safer if the books are burnt," and that's my issue.

They don't let you decide for yourself whether this knowledge is dangerous. They let you pick that option despite its inherent danger, according to them.

Characters get to spout as many fallacies as they want without me criticizing the writing for its shortcomings. The UI doesn't get the same treatment. I know it's pedantic, but analyzing who says what in a story is part of reading a story.

DAV should have left it at "keep the archive (knowledge will be studied)" or "free the archive (knowledge will be destroyed)" without further commentary and then we'd have your take (with Bellara's guilt and Cyrian's death providing the "if you would personally feel safer if the books burned" side of the ethical conundrum to the player), and it'd have been a lot better.

Also, when you put all of this in the context of how the elves have been treated in Thedas for a thousand years (but for that you need to have played the other games, since this one completely glosses over such an important piece of DA lore), and the stuff Bellara says if you free the archive, it gets real weird for the narrative to zoom in on THIS repository of knowledge alone as being dangerous, but that's something else entirely.

Bellara's main choice and DAV's implicit (or accidental) stance on book burning

Okay, so. Prefacing this with -- I enjoyed the game. I'd even play it again. That being said, one of its biggest flaws is trying to deliver something so morally sanitized it shies away from giving its characters (aside from Solas) and plotlines (aside from Solas's) real nuance. And in the same breath, they end up sending messages that I doubt they intended to send.

Bellara's main decision is particularly annoying to me.

First, I find her arc to be lacking -- She starts the game grieving her brother and blaming herself for his death despite not being responsible for it, then she finds Cyrian again only to grieve him again, so she's back to the start, only this time she has had the guilt removed from her because Cyrian tells her what she needs to hear, and the blame is placed on a big bad evil. Fair, fine.

But I don't like the cinematography of that scene at all. There was plenty of time for Rook and Bellara to react between Anaris grabbing Cyrian's foot and throwing him at the wall. People in Thedas have survived way worse injuries, too, and Bellara literally has healing at her disposal. Why doesn't she even try? His death is clearly plot-driven but it doesn't take her arc forward all that much? But again, that's fine. Not too bad.

But then the choice I have to make for her is whether or not to keep the archive, why? At no point in the game (please correct me if I'm wrong and missed canon information that contradicts me. That would make me way less angry!!!) do they tell us that it was Bellara using the Archive that summoned Anaris, or that it could summon him at will. As far as my interpretation goes, the Archive is, as its name says, the equivalent to a library curated by a comically self-aggrandizing jerk. At no point do we hear it share any actually dangerous lore either, do we? No blueprints for nuclear weapons...

So why does the game choose this wording:

Now, unless the Archive has powers we are unaware of, what this is saying is basically "burn the ancient elven library (it will be safe)" or "don't burn the ancient elven library (it will be dangerous)" and, for a game that is so irritatingly set on giving you only 2024-morality-board-approved goodTM and unproblematic companions and allies... Why does it tell me that burning books is the safe option, ESPECIALLY given that these books are priceless historical artefacts from a marginalized and subjugated ethinic group who have long lost their history to genocide? Like, wut?? Even if the Archive were in fact a dangerous weapon, the game shows us through the Veil Jumpers' vault that they have trained capable scholars and developed (or are developing, with Bellara spearheading it) safe tools to study and keep these artefacts. How condescending is it to tell them that they won't be able to safekeep this one? How pointless? (and her cutest armor AND best skill are locked behind that choice? outrageous lmao.)

And what pisses me off is that they had everything set up already, they just had to deliver it differently. If they told us explicitly that the archive is Anaris' phylactery and that keeping it would mean allowing Anaris to eventually come back? THEN we'd have a real danger. NOW there is a non-fascist risk to maintaining knowledge.

Or what if the only reason Cyrian is back is because Anaris brought him back? What if Cyrian's life is therefore tied to Anaris', and you had to choose between letting Anaris live (perhaps that results in him getting imprisoned in the Archive, tampering with the information in it and destroying its historical value forever, plus Anaris might one day figure out a way out) or killing Anaris for good even knowing that Cyrian will also die again if you do (but then the Dalish get to keep the archive and all the knowledge in it, and Cyrian's sacrifice is not in vain)? Or maybe... The Archive is a spirit, isn't it? Drive home the fact that being tied to that device was a cruel thing Anaris did to it, and keeping it there is just as cruel, even if it would mean giving the elves access to information. Make the wording "free the archive" really mean something here, and the player really think that the knowledge will be lost. Then maybe have it that, if she frees it, it gives her information freely and with its own interpretation of that knowledge, and THEN it leaves (so it's not forever but there is a reward for being compassionate). And if she keeps the spirit in the device, then it is always rude and it gives her information curated by Anaris' point of view, but it is available to all upcoming generations. It'd be real nice and nuanced to pit her compassion against her drive for knowledge. If this were DAO or DA2, you wouldn't make the choice FOR HER. You'd make the choice yourself because you are the leader, and if you chose to keep the spirit, you'd garner lots of negative points with Bellara (and with Emmrich) because, let's be honest, she is written as inherently more compassionate than driven, and she'd resent you making an oppressing choice even if it is well-meaning and good for her people (just like Alistair resents you killing Isolde even if he understands it was a difficult choice).

I just... So many ways it could have been an actually weighted choice, or that it could have affected your relationship with Bellara (and other companions) as Bioware RPGs were wont to do. They had a good set up, but the landing was absolutely bonkers.

[mandalhoerian]

ty SO much for that non mc explanation bc i felt so heard!!! People also lately have been kind of shading us bc we like the non mc vs mc angst train. Like I understand where they're also coming from. the whole angst and infidelity trope. But with how intense the story is with the Mc and the romantic bond, it's hard not to explore that with the angst genre with non mcs

what the hell im so sorry???? i really want to see what they're saying just so i could argue back not gonna lie. you cannot be serious about people liking and wanting to explore certain tropes it's 2024 PLEASE LETS STOP THIS BEHAVIOR 😭😭😭

For readers who don’t identify with the MC, the whole experience of playing a game like this can be rather complicated. Instead of feeling immersed in the story or imagining ourselves as the protagonist, we end up watching from the sidelines and become an observer to someone else’s love story. And when the narrative focuses so heavily on bonds that feel unshakable, like love transcending lifetimes, it’s hard not to feel like an outsider or an intruder. That’s not exactly a fun feeling, but it’s one that a lot of us can’t help but explore.

The idea of being “the other woman” isn’t just a trope. it’s a manifestation of that disconnect, of not seeing yourself in the MC’s place. When you don’t identify with her, it’s like the game is constantly reminding you that you’re not the one in this love story, even though you’re the one playing. This taps into some of the most raw and vulnerable emotions,, jealousy, inadequacy, the desperate desire to be seen. The MC has this deep, cosmic connection with the love interests, and when you feel like you’re standing on the outside of that, it’s natural to imagine yourself as the one fighting for their attention, even if it’s messy and painful.

Take the “second choice” trope, for example. There’s something deeply emotional imagining yourself as the person who’s loved, but not quite enough. You’re the one they turn to when the MC isn’t around, the one who’s good, but not destined. It’s heartbreaking, but it also feels so real. Who hasn’t, at some point, felt like they weren’t someone’s first choice? Exploring that trope in fanfiction isn’t wallowing in negativity--it’s taking those feelings and giving them a space to exist, to be validated, and to tell a story of their own.

Then there’s “rivalry with the MC.” This trope lets us channel the frustration of not identifying with her and turn it into a narrative. The MC becomes more than just a protagonist we don’t connect with, she becomes a character in our story, someone we can compare ourselves to, fight against, and even try to outshine. It’s not always about villainizing her (though that can happen in some fics), it’s about wrestling with the idea that someone else has everything we want, whether it’s the love interests, the role in the story, or the cosmic importance. It’s cathartic to play out those emotions, to explore what it would feel like to stand toe-to-toe with her and demand recognition.

And of course, there’s the ultimate gut-punch: “wanting to be chosen over her.” This one is such an emotional minefield because it’s not just about romantic longing--it’s about self-worth. It’s imagining yourself standing in the shadow of a destined, reincarnated love story and yearning to break through the inevitability of the narrative and prove that you’re just as valid, just as worthy, even if the universe itself seems to disagree.

These tropes aren’t just for the sake of drama, they’re deeply personal. They give voice to feelings of inferiority, longing, and frustration that so many of us feel when we can’t connect with the MC. Writing or reading stuff on being the “second choice” or the “rival” isn’t a desire to tear down the MC or dismissing her story. sometimes you just want to find a way to exist alongside it, to process what it feels like to be an outsider in a narrative that’s supposed to include us.

So for people shading us for exploring these tropes? Please. Let’s take a moment to recognize that not everyone experiences stories the same way. For some of us, the MC doesn’t feel like us at all, and these tropes let us carve out a space in the narrative where we can explore our emotions and tell our own stories. The intention here isn't glorifying jealousy or resentment, it's deeply internal grappling with what it feels like to not fit into the role the story has handed you.

These tropes give us permission to be messy, to feel things deeply, and to exist in a space that isn’t perfect or polished. Whether it’s imagining being the second choice, facing off against the MC, or yearning to be the one who’s finally chosen, it’s all about exploring the human need to be seen and valued, even when the odds are stacked against us. And honestly? That’s some of the most powerful storytelling there is. Let people have their angst—it’s valid, it’s cathartic, and it’s beautiful. ❤️

[andredeyemii]

hii girll ur page is amazingg <3 how do u make manifestation fun?

girl manifestation is soo fun in general like you don't even need to do stuff babes (but you should cuz it's fun skdksk) the concept of just being unserious and carefree enough to choose how you want to think and accompany yourself so good, you can influence how you feel (like talking to someone and your mood gets better) damnn it's just fun.. but then you get you desires after!? soo fun.

H E R E I S H O W ( I D E A S ) : :

⋆˚ 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ : : GRATITUDE : : instantly top one, it's life. I mean use anything else but this one is tradition and pricelessss

⋆˚ 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ : : SELF-CONCEPT : : just because it's second doesn't mean it's "less important" it should be a repiblic act

⋆˚ 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ : : RAMPAGES : : I recommend high frequency guru for this, she has many amazingg rampages they're life

⋆˚ 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ : : VOID STATE : : it's veryy spiritual and instant, like it feels so sacred like it belongs in ancient civilization practices

⋆˚ 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ : : SUCCESS STORIES : : turn off the stress news and listen to magical girls who manifested money outta nowhere this is what my account is forrr

⋆˚ 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ : : SUBLIMINALS : : guys we are evolving as a species, please use this and cherish it rnn goiss

⋆˚ 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ : : SATURATIONS : : these are my 2025 goals and this has the right to be included in beauty rituals cuzzz wow

⋆˚ 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ : : SCRIPTING : : you can script habitually or you can just write about your day with a lot of exaggerated positivity

⋆˚ 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ : : DRESS UP : : would your higher self think like you? no, that's why you do saturations. would my higher self dress like me? no, so I do shopping sprees.

⋆˚ 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ : : SHADOW WORK : : it's free therapy and it releases blocks and past traumas so you can embody ur dream self

⋆˚ 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ : : VISUALIZATION : : it's the basics of manifestation do it as much as you can

⋆˚ 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ : : BLAH BLAH BLAH : : stop complaining and start talking about success stories and lifelong goals instead, it's technically a mini-mind saturation

⋆˚ 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ : : WORK W PLACEBOS : : knowing if something is just a placebo effect doesn't take away the magic of the mind when it just proves it. lmao.

T E C H N I Q U E S : :

⋆˚ 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ : : social media technique : : when you see something you want, think "omg I have that too!!", "me rn", "twins!!" cuz y'all that's so much inspirational than jealousy

⋆˚ 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ : : lists / checkbox technique : : list your desires and affirm that you have all of them cuz it's fun and you will anyways

⋆˚ 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ : : the water technique : : esp if you're planning on drinking 2 liters of water and being hygienic for 2025, keep saying that water makes u prettier

⋆˚ 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ : : the love letter technique : : if manifesting an SP or simply someone loving you, write a love letter to urself as if you're them with visualizations. or write yourself a love letter from you and write love letters you won't send hehee

⋆˚ 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ : : I would like more technique : : gratitude is key for this, but basically if you experience one small good thing or a small manifestation, affirm "I am so grateful for this, universe / god, I would like more".

⋆˚ 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ : : for you and for me technique : : you have to block out limiting beliefs. if you hear someone say "your standards are too high, good men don't exist." you think to yourself "good men don't exist FOR YOU" and stay safe. update your affirmations to say "money is so easy FOR ME to have" also <3

⋆˚ 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ : : play some music babes : : everytime you listen to music esp those dreamy love songs and those pretty lyrics, pretend they're all about you. feel beautiful.

G E N E R A L T I P S : :

!! some people will not find some ideas and techniques fun because they're coming from a place of attachment, scarcity desperation and doubt !!

🌺 : : but baby girlll manifestation is supposed to be magiccc. you have to feel like a little girl again and pick up the feeling of believing that you're just a pixie fairy or a pretty princess WHEN you were a child.

that's what ultimate detachment is!! children can experience stuff, they throw tantrums ofc honey but they don't get stuck in the experience. you'll cry over the past but them?? they'll cry over a broken crayon but once the crayons are gone, they're playing tea party next. SEE???

so yah, feel like a child. you should have no problems believing in anything because you're overconsuming. I see you gurl. stop thinking serious and hanging on. have fun y'all.

[rowie264]

Why Timebomb shouldn't exist in s2 (part 3 - Relationship)

Part 1 - Ekko Part 2 - Jinx

Now let's look closer at relationship itself between Ekko and Jinx that was shown in the series.

To begin with, I will briefly define my position - I don't ship Ekko and Jinx. But! I can appreciate something, even if it doesn't match my preferences, as long as it's written well.

Timebomb wasn't written well, guys. The foundation - the characters themselves - has already crumbled, as I pointed out in previous posts, and everything else followed behind.

Ekko had a crush on Jinx as a child, yes. But Jinx was killing his friends. Jinx was following Silco's orders, and I'll remind you that Silco killed Benzo and it was because of Silco that zaunites got hooked on shimmer. Forgiving all her actions and understanding why Jinx willingly followed Silco would have taken Ekko muuuuuuuuch longer than it was shown in the series. To cite their childhood bond is to reduce the depth of their conflict and importance of firelights to Ekko.

It's even worse on Jinx's side. Throughout both seasons (except for act1 s1), she doesn't think and talk about Ekko. Zero thoughts about him, zero reflection, as if she didn't care about him at all. All I see in her is a feeling of nostalgia for old friendships in a moment of vulnerability. How am I supposed to believe in their connection if one of the characters doesn't have a single second thought about the other?

And finally, episode 7. Why does it exist (regarding Ekko arc and his realationship with Jinx)? Does it reveal the characters in any way? Well, everyone except Ekko and Heimer are completely fucking different people and have nothing to do with the original ones, so I don't give a damn about them at all. Perhaps Ekko reveals himself more as a character? Mm… And how? What's new we find out about him? That he could be Heimer's student? We already knew he was smart. That he could have dated Powder if things had turned out differently? Well, thanks for the information, but why do I need it? Wouldn't you rather to reveal relationship between Ekko and original Powder/Jinx instead of wasting time on "what if"? Did Ekko need to make a time machine in alternative timeline? No, he could do it in canon timeline just fine.

Also, this "what if" does not serve to reveal relationship between Ekko and Jinx in original timeline. Or did Ekko need to see Powder (like a good version of Jinx) to understand that Jinx is a grown-up Powder and that she is still inside Jinx, and not gone as he thought? Well, you know, I personally saw it already shown in s1 on the bridge (in much more emotional moment with original Powder/Jinx lol).

And what do we have as result:

Ekko is not fully revealed; Jinx has become an OOC; their connection is not shown either through reflection, through characters thoughts, or through any interactions/mentions with other characters; they have very little screen time together - Powder in alternative timeline doesn't count bc she is completely different person; they get along with a snap of fingers as if they hadn't been enemies for many years; Jinx murdering Ekko's friends have no influence at all; restoration of their friendship takes place in a very short unrealistic period of time and, moreover, off screen; the romantic line is sucked out of the finger only to please shippers and is very poorly written.

Timebomb is the ship that demands slow burn if you don't want to fuck up the characters. It demands to attend to their complicated story and broken relationship before going anywhere romantic.

But all of it was brushed aside and that's why i'm not happy about Timebomb existing. Because Jinx's and Ekko's personalities, their complex history and their potential was sacrificed for the sake of this ship.

[oh-no-its-bird]

Ok so, bringing this back actually (shout out to @rosyhatake for making me remember this exists w their comments just now)

Ok but no bc now I'm thinking about Tobirama struggling to figure out what the FUCK kinda relationship he's supposed to have with Minato and Kushina as Kakashi.

He goes to dinner with them and Kushina goes, "I told you to call me Kushina-neechan, didn't I? ;)" @ him, which she's been trying to tease him into calling her for YEARS— only Tobirama goes ahead and calls her neechan and suddenly the entire table just. Falls silent.

Kushina starts to tear up a little and Tobirama scrambles to figure out what the fuck he did wrong, bc she literally told him to call her that???? Should he have not have???? Was it a trap??????????

(In the background, Minato is wilting like an overwatered plant bc Tobirama has been calling him Hokage-sama all dinner)

Umm Butsama just kind of being an asshole and Tobirama getting to experience the joy of a good family in Kushina and Minato. He misses Hashirama but he's also getting to learn what it's like to have a big sister (and whatever Minato is)

Minato giving Tobirama silly fluffy missions is also extra fun bc like. Kakashi probably wouldn't have been fooled by these so called "important duties", but Tobirama would be even more unimpressed bc he doesn't fucking know Minato. There's none of the respect and dependence and history there between them. There isnt even the basic "you are my Hokage" loyalty there bc Tobirama is new to the idea of a Hokage ad a whole

So while Kakashi may have been dumped with a mission of taking care of a litter of puppies and went ",,,,this is fucking stupid but it's what my Hokage commands. I guess."

Tohirama is dumped with a mission of taking care of a litter of puppies and just. Gives Minato a disbelieveing, judgmental stare. Is this seriously what he does in his free time...? Chichuie would lose his mind if Tobirama ditched training to take care of a litter of puppies while on the clock

Thinking also. The summoning contracts being linked to their souls, and both Kakashi and Tobirama having their contracts at this point.

Tobirama tries to summon his snow leopards and they arrive confused and angry, bc a) who is this brat, who smells so strongly of Hatake dogs, and b) Tobirama's been dead for decades, so they ain't buying his story that easy

Meanwhile Kakashi tries to summon Pakkun, but he hasn't been born yet— so he gets dumped into the wolves summoning realm. Oops!! Idk where that'd go specifically, but like kid Kakashi in Tobirama's body getting a big ass wolf summon on loan maybe?

What if he finds Sakumo's old wolf summon when young,,, ooo that could be fun,, they wouldn't remember Kakashi, and also probably wouldn't know Tobirama— but let's go with half Hatake Tobirama here, so they smell Hatake on Kakashi and kinda pick him up by the scruff bc of it.

Oooo on that note actually: Kakashi being able to learn ab the Hatake clan while they're still strong and prevelant (which also kinds contrasts Tobirama learning ab the Uchiha which is fun)

To those who know ah my Hatake ocs, including the timeline I usually work off of, Tobirama is actually directly related to Kakashi— which also maybe plays into why this body switch happened to begin with —Tobirama's mother was the twins sister of Kakashi's grandmother, Hatake Haruka

So like. Kakashi getting to meet his grandmother for the first time ever— who also already knows and has a relationship with Tobirama, which adds even more drama bc Kakashi is tripping over his feet trying to play it cool as he "introduces" himself to his grandmother.

And Haruka is looking at him like ??? What the fuck got into her nephew ??? Did u eat something weird Tobirama? Are you sick? Should she be worried?

But just. Kakashi learning about his clan and getting to meet and interact with members he never even knew existed. Could be cute

I have a couple more vague thoughts (rin being around / izuna interactions / kakashi and his doomed quest to save uchihs lives / someone mentioned obito ghost marriage which could be interesting / just in general the thought of Tobirama trying to piece together who tf Obito was, to give his eye to a non Uchiha / etc.)

But I'll leave it here for now

Body swap through time Kakashi and Tobirama at like, ages 12/13ish

Kakashi wakes up as Senju Tobirama at the height of the Uchiha/Senju conflicts

Tobirama wakes up as Kakashi in the lead up to the Kyuubi incident

They're actually alarmingly similar in skill level and personality, so they're able to get away with the switch on a surface level, even to those who know them well. But problems very quickly arise when it comes to fighting or anything that requires knowledge of history

""Tobirama"" taking to the field with a totally different skill set and jutsus than he's ever used before (Izuna is taken so off guard, it gets bad, fast)

""Kakashi"" suddenly does not seem to respond to any ANBU signals or codes, and where as before he was a shoe in for becoming an ANBU captain he suddenly seems to be fucking up at every other opportunity. You'd think the guy WANTS to lose his job with how suddenly awful at it he is, but he's Kakashi. There is no world where that kid fucks anything up on purpose

They're both definatley in a "holy shit I can NOT tell anyone ab this" position— Kakashi would probably be fr killed as an imposter, and while Tobirama would probably be ok (especially since Minato would be in charge of his detainment n stuff) he doesn't know that?? As far as he's aware, he is in enemy territory and will act accordingly.

Kakashi doesn't know how tf to interact with Tajima or Hashirama, but especially Tajima. He probably uses the wrong forms of address for people bc Tobirama uses more old fashioned honorifics than Kakashi is used to (Anija/Chichuie vs Nii-san/Otou-san)

Kakashi refusing to kill Uchiha bc like, village loyalty fuck you. Also just in general he probably has feelings ab killing anyone with a sharingan on multiple levels. But not just not killing them but going out of his way to help— these aren't his Uchiha, yeah, but it definatley fucks him up to see ANY uchiha die when all his life Uchiha = konoha = his people

Oooo, Kakashi instinctivley channeling chakra through Tobirama's eye after a solid couple years of getting used to the sharingan, possibly accidentally doing,,, something there. Idk what tho but SOMETHING

Meanwhile Tobirama is in that stupid fucking village of his brothers (that he will not shut up about, especially at that specific age) and its???? Real??????? It worked?????????? Huh.

He's surrounded by Uchiha and can't find any Senju (Tsunade just left the village rip Tsunade) but if he investigates it looks like the Senju died out naturally? Impossible, it has to be some kind of Uchiha plot—!

Hes also struggling to come to terms with there being a STOLEN SHARINGAN IN HIS FUCKING EYE !!!!!!!! Made extra super fucked up by the difference in intense hatred and taboo of bloodline theft in modern/warring era (with it being even more taboo in the warring states, like THE ultimate evil to any shinobi)

Maybe he, as Kakashi, is supposed to go to like special Uchiha class where they teach him ab the Uchiha n stuff bc of the eye, and Tobirama is sitting there eating all this shit UP (enemy intel!!!) But also, like, lowkey brainwashed kid brought up to do nothing but kill this one specific group of people, literally being forced to at least pretend to embrace their culture. He's in such a unique position to learn from and about them, and it'll probably end with him being some kind of sympathetic.

It helps that in modern Konoha, where the Uchiha may be considered overly traditional/religious, that's actually just Tobirama's normal. So there's also this added layer of "being around the Uchiha feels the closest to home / least strange than being around literally anyone else" which just pisses him off even more tbh

I'm tempted to say that somehow Rin is still alive just so I can have that one specific Rin and Kakashi queerplatonic codependent relationship from my other post, and then Rin being the one to finally notice that Kakashi isn't Kakashi anymore

Both Tobirama and Kakashi kind of piecing together the life stories of each other, immersed in eachothers histories and paths without ever directly interacting even once. Constant wonderings ab what the other boy was like / might do here, and if they're really so similar that no one has noticed the switch and all those implications (bc on one hand, that's good!! But on the other hand uhh— has anyone at home noticed...? Bc if not, fucking ow??? But also like, probably for the best tbh.)

[forcebook]

Hello there, do you mind sharing your favorite bls of 2024? Thanks!

hi! honestly i suck at keeping track of shows and ranking them asdfghjkl i want to keep better track next year tho and maybe even make some celebratory gifsets but we shall see!

and since you asked for it, i decided to check mdl and do a deep dive on which shows have aged well in my mind and score lmao

my top rated dramas of 2024 are:

love for love’s sake

my only 5 stars drama of the year. doesn’t surprise me at all. this show took me completely my storm at the beginning of the year. it has such a compelling story and it’s so efficient on so many levels. but most importantly, it sticks the landing. it gives closure to a story that wasn’t even finished. and it does so well. the definition of lightning in a bottle!

love in the big city

this show made me feel emotions unknown to humanity so i get my rating asdfghjkl felt really personal to me. it is also incredibly efficient and very necessary!

knock knock boys!

i said it halfway through its run and i’ll say it again: one of the best bls of 2024. no wonder i rated it this high asdfghjkl within its premise it promised very little and delivered soooo much with some incredible takes. while i love when bls do new things, to me a story told well is fantastic regardless of how cliché it might be to some. and knock knock boys manages to feel very familiar but also very refreshing with the way it handled some topics. super funny and it stuck the landing to me. in a completely different way from love for love’s sake but very satisfying!

jack & joker: u steal my heart!

this is the thai bl of the year to me. for all the conversations it started, interesting characters, refreshing plot and also for existing purely on the love and dedication of its creators. while it is not perfect, i do hope that when we look back on 2024, we see it as the year of jack and joker

century of love

i’ve loved daouoffroad since love in translation. i was a bit skeptical of century of love at first but i ended up loving it a lot. i’m also not surprised at all this made my top 5 asdfghjkl

now i would like to add a few shows that haven’t finished airing yet but had most of their run in 2024 and i’m pretty sure they’re going to be in top rated dramas

miseinen (our youth)

it is the japanese bl of the year to me. hands down. i could rant but at the same time i have no words asdfghjkl this show goes beyond efficiency or even sticking the landing (which i hope they do), but it’s the whole vibe. because while incredibly sad, you can see how much love and care exists in it. the characters are so alive and so complex and beautiful and godddd i love them. 10/10 no notes

see your love

came out of nowhere promising very little and delivered one of the best bls of 2024 imo. i don’t even remember when was the last time i felt compelled to gif a taiwanese bl but this show is sooo inspiring and fun and important. i just love it

caged again

this show promised nothing except wacky plot and delivered such a hilarious and compelling and heartfelt story. i love when i get these little surprises. shall live on in my heart

honorable mentions:

let's eat together, aki and haru 2: more please!

my only other 5 stars of the year. but it’s a movie so i didn’t include it up there. still. it’s a nearly flawless execution of a beautiful genre that i love: queer stories revolving around food and domesticity. it delivered exactly what it promised efficiently and i loooooove it so much!!!!!

sugar dog life

also came out of nowhere promising nothing and delivered a really solid little story, also revolving around food and domesticity. can you tell i’m biased lmao

the rebound

BALL IS LIFE!!!!!! we need more bls about sports. asap. we don’t have enough!!!! and this show was a surprise to me. i ended up super invested for the most part and i do think it stands out in the tiny little corner of bl sports therefore it deserves an honorable mention

blue canvas of youthful days

chinese bls always have a special place in my heart for fighting so hard to exist. this one is no exception. it got taken down when it first started airing and i’m glad they managed to release all of it eventually. it’s far from being perfect but i was still thoroughly invested in it. i love the main couple with my entire heart. and i’m soooooo grateful they got their happy ending!!

monster next door

as a deeply introverted person, this is the representation i needed asdfghjkl it felt refreshing and a conversation worth having about respecting introverts and other people’s ways of living. plus diew is autistic to me (source: i’m autistic) and it was an overall good show!!! bigpark my beloveds!!

and that’s it! thank you for asking 💕

[oblivionbladetd]

Alright, I have played both. Let's break it down. What are both trying to be? Rhetorical question, we all know.

Kingdom Hearts is a fantasy adventure set in a combination of Disney and FF worlds. It is many parts whimsical and dreamlike. The combat follows suit for the most part. It's floaty, Sora twirls in the air like a key taped to a Saw blade for cool ass combos. You can invoke awe-inspiring spells with the ease of a master wizard!

Dark Souls has slower, far more methodical combat. It's slow, practical, and realistic even. Without invoking the supernatural properties of a weapon, if you swing a 50-pound blade, it will FEEL like you are, regardless of how unnatural your strength is. Though it will do the kind of damage you'd think it would. Aerial combat doesn't exist, you are Some Fuck, you have a vertical jump of maybe 8 inches and the dexterity of doing flips and shit with that little height and be hashtagSWINGIN'! Is a tall ask. If you use magic that's slow and weighty too, the deities you invoke for your spell don't just lend that shit out with free same second shipping! And I will stress, you are last name Fuck, first name Some. The spells you use aren't exactly things you've practiced years on end. The fact you can use them at all is a feat in itself.

In Kingdom Hearts, you are a little sunshine child, SORA! And you are the life of the party! You get to travel to all sorts of Disney worlds to hang out with cool characters during the most interesting parts of their stories! Even the original stuff is about how friendship and determination always win out in the end.

In the Souls trilogy, elden ring, and bloodborne... You are some guy, of little to no importance. In DS3 and Elden ring, they don't even mince words on that you are the actual last resort in doing something productive in the dying world. You're late to the party. Legendary struggles have come and gone. The invincible heroes of yesteryear have grown old and weary, the gods have grown idle, and the creatures they wasted so much time beating back are returning. It's safe to say that you're doing stuff mostly because waiting with baited breath is even more useless of a way to spend the time.

Truthfully, the only real connective tissue is that they are both about hitting things with weapons.... and if you include superbosses for KH, it can be quite hard. They are very different games that do not even control the same. Based even off of just Vibes, it's clear they aren't even trying to do the same thing, the gap only widening the deeper you look. It is like saying Wonderwall and Through the Fire and the Flames are the same song because both contain guitars.... They don’t even use the same kind of guitar.

[brazenautomaton]

If lobbying didn't buy votes, companies wouldn't do it. The idea that lobbying money doesn't influence what policies get implemented just isn't credible.

You have no actual proof of these claims other than "things are a certain way, I think this party benefits from it, therefore this party caused it to be this way."

You have nothing specific to point to. The idea that "if lobbying didn't work companies wouldn't do it" fails the smell test: one, you don't consider maybe lobbying doesn't accomplish the thing you think it does and accomplishes something else (namely the thing I said, it's a reward for people who already like them), and two, we have seen example after example after example of things that The Corporations really don't like, that they have lots of money to try and stop, and a very good interest in stopping, that they absolutely could not have and didn't even attempt to buy votes against. Everyone was all aghast about how Verizon wanted to kill net neutrality and it was proof companies owned our democracy -- nobody mentioned how this policy would be very bad for Google because Google benefits from net neutrality, and Google has approximately one shit-zillion times as much money as Verizon, and Google appeared to have no ability to buy our democracy and preserve its interest. Banks have lots and lots of money, and banks don't like cryptocurrency, and somehow, nobody in government knows what to do about cryptocurrency and the Common People are all lamenting about how the government refuses to regulate cryptocurrency, when the banks should have been able to buy our democracy and regulate it out of existence. Fucking Disney can't even buy Ron DeSantis shutting the fuck up.

Political spending is a consumption good. The striking thing about money in politics is how little of it there is. The money at stake with these policies is so, so, so much higher than the amount of money being spent on lobbying that if money could buy votes, every CEO must be brain-dead because they haven't got the idea to spend 10 times as much money buying votes and get back a 1,000x return on investment.

When I talk about distributional efficiency in what claims get approved, I am not saying that every claim should be approved. I am saying that the US insurance industry does a bad job of rejecting claims based on how important they are, as opposed to whether patients are able to fight their case. IIRC an average insurance company rejects a little over 10% of claims, so maybe this would need to move to a little over 5% to eliminate unreasonable rejections, increasing premiums by 5% (or perhaps less if profits can be squeezed).

Do you have any math on how they specifically are bad at approving claims that are more important, and turning down claims that are less important? Obviously there's an error rate inherent in any process like this, and we both agree they turn down lots of care that is necessary. But do you think they turn down care at random? Are the mechanisms they use different from how socialized health care systems allocate care? Socialized health care systems also turn down care because the demand for health care is infinite (there is always a more expensive and less likely to work treatment you can try) while resources are finite. They also turn down care based on how expensive it is. Do we have any reason to believe that the lower rate of refusal is due to anything other than "health care costs less so their dollar goes further?" There are plenty of horror stories about socialized health care systems refusing to pay for treatment for things they don't believe are medically necessary or don't believe will work, and patients who strongly disagree and who tried to appeal. This story went around recently of a woman who needed very expensive surgery in Canada, the health care system refused to pay, she raised the money herself and went to California and had it done, and came back to Canada suggesting assisted suicide for her untreatable illness. Guess what, all systems must allocate scarce resources and sometimes they are gonna make a bad call. Do we have any reason to believe that American insurance companies are worse at determining necessity than Canada's health care system, when the obvious causative factor is "they turn down more treatment because it's much more expensive and they can't pay as much"?

Literally every single system, every single one, will allocate care based not on need but on how good people are at advocating for themselves. That is the proxy all human beings in these decision-making positions use for "how necessary is it." The group of things that nobody has to advocate for is larger in a system where health care is not ruinously expensive, but as soon as it becomes a question of if the cost is worth it, as soon as discretion is involved, then every single system every single one there is not an exception to this this is not exaggeration this is every single one of them will make decisions based on "how well is this person able to convince me, the decision maker, that they need this care and it would be worthwhile to pursue" instead of "how necessary it is and how worthwhile would it be to pursue." Because it is literally and not figuratively impossible for them to obtain information about that second thing! Any time they try, they just get the first one! It's how communication works!

And the idea that "to cover 5% more cases they would need to increase premiums by 5%" is obviously not true. The treatments American insurers turn down tend to be the ruinously expensive ones, and when there are treatments that are not ruinously expensive, they don't have trouble paying. That means that the scale is not linear. Reducing the rate of refusal from 10% to 5% would not cost them 5% more money because you're asking them to pay for the most expensive decile of medical treatments.

It is true that a lot of the discursive consequences of Thompson's murder have just been bloodlust, but it hasn't just been that. I think the BCBS case is an excellent example of that, because you left out the crucial fact that the cost of any difference in billed hours of anesthesia vs insurance-covered hours was going to fall on patients, not on hospitals. So that was a terrible policy that would have increased the number of people ruined by medical debt. But moreover, the fact that BCBS felt the need to reverse the policy shows that they felt a genuine policy pressure from the public, which wouldn't be the case if the reaction was merely bloodlust.

Doctors fleece insurance companies/Medicare because they know insurance companies/Medicare will pay, and this causes health care to be more expensive for everyone. They do not do this directly to patients, because this makes health care much more expensive for one person who is unlikely to pay. It is an incentive that changes behavior.

"Old people will fall out of bed and injure themselves, necessitating more hospital time than the thing they were originally there for" used to be an iron law of hospital care. It was put forth as the law "Gomer goes to ground" in House of God, the "it's true but he shouldn't say it" book about what it is actually like to work in a hospital and what people there actually think. Then insurance companies stopped paying for care caused by falling out of hospital beds. Instead of gomer going to ground and then gomer having to pay for it, that incontestable law of hospital care completely vanished. The change in the insurance policy stopped rewarding negligent behavior, and the negligent behavior stopped. If this policy had been changed right before an assassination, they would have reversed it for fear of a bloodthirsty killer (I don't understand how you can say this proves it has nothing to do with bloodthirst), and health care would be more expensive as it had to pay for more care for old people falling out of bed, and a lot more old people would be injured falling out of bed. Booking giant blocks of time for anasthesia in surgery is negligent behavior. These procedures do not take that long, and the doctors know that, but they have no reason not to overbill. BCBS wanted to stop rewarding negligent behavior. It is good to stop rewarding negligent behavior.

You just seem really, really, really confident that a bunch of statistics and math you don't have access to all shake out to be really, really, really convenient for you.

I think political assassinations are broadly not very good but I do want them to jury nullify on mangione. I mean he already did the assassination he already did it can't take it back now. So why not let him walk as a free man?