#these are good questions lol bravo friend

[sensitivelittlething]

🧖: What's the most relaxing way to be tickled?

🧑‍🚀: Describe the headspace you enter whilst tickling/being tickled

🧞‍♂️: You're given 3 tickling-related wishes. What do you wish for?

🧖🏽‍♀️: relaxing? aint nothin relaxing about being tickled brother!! LOLLLL even just back scratches or soft caressing makes me jumpy!!

👩🏽‍🚀: when being tickled, its like my head is empty and there are no thoughts besides the sensation 🥴 its really nice when i wanna just turn my brain off for a while. i do get kinda self conscious at times. sometimes i'm like "do i look okay? is my double chin doublechinning? do my arms look fat? is my face weird? is my laugh weird?" i try to silence the insecurities by just focusing on the feeling but its difficult sjfhskjs

when tickling someone my mind races too 😆 im like "is this ok? should i stop and check in? i wanna be more sadistic but i dont wanna go too far," etc. theres a lotta pressure when youre dom/ler and i always wanna make sure that i dont cross boundaries or push limits!!

🧞‍♀️: three wishes? hmm...

1. i wish for a switch bf that is equal parts ler and lee thats perfectly compatible with me & lets me be a brat while also letting me dom sometimes!

2. i wish for a switch gf thats more on the ler/dom side who will torture me sadistically skfhsjsk

3. i wish that both of these people lived close by so i wouldnt be alone all the time 😭

[skellseerwriting]

Death and Rebirth Part 1

Hades x Phoenix!GN!Reader

Gift

Word Count: 1,035

Warnings: Hades’ self confidence, Hades thinking he’s a “cool guy” (lol), Uliana is a little menacing (to me), this chapter is short but the rest won’t be, the romance in this series is more of a subplot (there is romance but there’s also another plot going on)

Summary: Hades is already bored with Merlin academy. Nothing is interesting to him anymore. Class is boring, students are boring; they’re all just a bunch of humans and faes. Then, he sees you, and he’s not quite sure what you are…

Important Note!: This story includes lore I made up for phoenixes, so it is not accurate in that regard (they’re not real anyways, so it’s not really “inaccurate”). Information on that will be revealed naturally throughout the series

It was only a few weeks into the school year and Hades was already bored.

At first, he was interested in what classes there might be. Anything with magic caught his interest. Real quickly, he learned he didn’t like any of them.

The other students weren’t any more entertaining, either. Outside of his friend group, which contained a sea creature witch, a dark and powerful fae, a quarter-fae shapeshifter, and a human pirate who’s skills and attributes more than made up for his lackluster nature- Hades found the rest of the school to be, well, boring.

As he walked through the fountain courtyard he passively took note of the people around him, sensing their nature. Being a powerful god who regularly dealt with all sorts of people in the underworld had its effects.

Human, he noted. Another human. Fae. Half fae. Human. Fairy. Human. Fa-

Wait.

Hades paused, looking at you standing nigh fifteen feet away. You looked human, but he sensed something different. Something… magical, perhaps? It definitely wasn’t fae. It felt nothing like Maleficent’s dark aura, either (which was different from most fae). It felt… more powerful? But, as he looked at you, all he saw was a sickeningly sweet smile on your face as you talked to a human student.

Before he knew what he was doing, he was walking right towards you. The student saw Hades approaching and scurried away with an “eep!”, leaving the two of you in each others space.

Standing there awkwardly, he realized he didn’t even know what to say. You just looked at him expectantly with your head tilted and your lip curled; amused.

“Uh…” He was at a loss of words. He realized how uncool he looked right now. Maybe he should just walk away. No- that’d look weirder. Then you’d go telling people how the Hades just started gawking at you silently.

Opting to just ask at this point to save face, he cleared his throat.

“What are you?”

You looked at him quizzically.

“Huh?” You went, slight smile still on your face, although more perplexed. Oh great, now you were going to think he was just weird.

“I-“ he coughed. “Sorry. I just- you don’t… seem.. human?”

“That’s because I’m not!” You chirped.

“Well, what are you then?” Hades asked, not expecting a straightforward response like that.

“Hmm,” you thought for a moment before perking up. “It’s a secret!”

Well so much for asking.

“Why, though?” He questioned, scratching the back of his neck.

Blinking once after a moment of silence, you said:

“Because you want to know.”

“Seriously?” He felt a little agitated.

“Yes.” You stated, then angled your head the other way. “How could you tell I’m not human?”

Beginning to smirk, he quoted you.

“‘It’s a secret’.”

Rolling your eyes with a smile, you made a bravo motion.

“I assume it has to do with your godly nature?” You said that last part a little mockingly. Hades didn’t mind, however. You were the most interesting thing that had happened since Mali accidentally made scales grow from Uliana’s skin.

He gave you a brief nod. He was reputable around school for that. Some scared little royals had even spread a good rumor that he could kill someone with just a single touch. Most started avoiding him after that, which was fun. Of course, they were mixing up him with Thanatos, who was the god of death, but when he brought it up at one point he was met with a “who?”

“Well,” you interrupted his thoughts. “If you stick around, you might just find out.”

And with that, you spun around, and it seemed as if the earth spun with you as wind swirled leaves where you had stood. He barely noticed that your top had a gaping hole in the back, as something bright caught his attention in the middle of your spot.

Stepping forward, he crouched down on the stone tiles. It was a feather. A decent sized, fiery orange  feather.

Picking it up gently between his thumb and finger, he could feel magic coursing through it. What kind of bird did it come from? And did you just give this to him? Or was it some kind of coincidence?

Standing up, you were nowhere to be seen; leaving Hades with more questions than he started with.

“Where did you get this?” Uliana asked demandingly.

Hades had shown her the feather, questioning her about its origins. He considered telling her some student had given it to him (he thought that’s what happened, anyway). Ultimately, though, he didn’t want to risk sicking Uliana on a poor (possibly innocent) person. He wasn’t that cruel. And that had nothing to do with the fact he wanted to learn more about you.

You were interesting, and he liked interesting. There was no way he’d get to know about you more if Uliana started breathing down either of your necks. So, he told her that he found it on the courtyard grounds.

“Maybe an orange bird flew by?” Morgie posed, eager to provide suggestions to Uli.

“Or someone dropped it.” Maleficent suggested.

“No.” Uliana stated, clutching the feather. “There’s no possible way this fell from a bird. And there’s no way someone dropped this.”

Hades began to feel a little nervous, though he didn’t let it show.

“Why is that?” He asked, though he almost didn’t want to; afraid of what she might say.

“Because this,” she held up the feather, staring at it in awe. “Is a phoenix feather. They went extinct centuries ago, and you can only get one from them if they let you pluck it. If someone was carrying this, they would’ve been careful enough not to lose it. The only place you can see one now is in a museum. And the black market every decade.”

Woah. Hades took a step back. And you had just given that to him? What if he hadn’t picked it up?

“But someone must have been carrying it.” Morgie insisted. “Otherwise that would mean there’s a phoenix around here. Wouldn’t that be something.”

“Yes.” Uliana mused, making Hades feel uneasy as she twiddled the vibrant feather in front of her eye. “It would.”

Part 2

Taglist:

@lesbpotmurdocklokistan

@mushroomdemon9

[sandyseagullsip]

Universe thingy (title in progress i guess)

Hi lol.

Part 2

CW: gunfire: you know, regular cod stuff

Indulge me; imagine this.

You had finally gotten home from a long day of work. Bitchy coworkers, upset clients, stupid issues that should've been fixed already, --- needless to say, you were stressed out. What better way to wind down than playing one of your favorite games, hm?

You boot up your console, searching through your game library in hopes of finding something that could distract you. Eventually, you decide on the Call of Duty Modern Warfare games (the new ones). The campaign is good, the characters are great, it should get you out of the frazzled, careworn mindset you've been in all day.

Oh. Boy, were you wrong.

You select your game, and your vision goes white. Your first thought was, 'did this job finally give me an aneurysm?' Your hearing had disappeared too, yet it was the first sense to come back.

Gunfire.

When you could finally see, you were no longer on your sofa wallowing in sorrow; you were in a fucking warzone. Not that you were prepared for this clothing wise, in your hoodie and sweatpants.

The only thing you manage to get out is,

"Holy fucking SHIT-!"

And you start running. And running. It's dark, but you keep going. And the first shelter you see is a downed helicopter.

You're about to go in when you hear a voice you know: "Get your gun on that tree line."

Ghost. One of your favorite characters. But now you know you shouldn't attempt to enter. On the other hand, you need to. You'll wind up shot if you don't. So, you slowly start to get in. (ha, you thought they wouldn't notice?)

And now three guns are aimed at you: an Alpha soldier, Ghost, and Soap. You know this mission like the back of your hand. You could help them. But your fight or flight turned instead to freeze, both hands up to signal that you were no harm to them.

"A fuckin' civilian?" Ghost mumbled, followed by Soap's "Steamin' Jesus..."

"Th' fuck are you doing here?" Ghost questions, staring you down, still aiming his gun at you.

"I don't-- I don't know?" You manage to get out. This big man with a skull mask and his buff Scottish friend are both aiming guns at you. Sure, they are the good guys, but they still will probably shoot you.

"I can help you!" You yell out quickly. Jesus Christ, why did I-

"Shut up." Soap loudly whispers at you. "But how cannae y' help us? Why should we trust you?"

"I know what happens. Trust me."

They both look at each other, confused and slightly angered.

"Better no' be a fuckin' spy, or I'll shoo' you myself." Ghost mumbles, grabbing you by the wrists.

"We cannae jus-"

"Might give us a shot a' Hassan."

Ghost gestures for you to stay down, as he aims his gun out the helicopter window. And lucky (not really) you, there's a gun on the floor! As the AQ fighters pour in you decide to test your luck with a gun.

Long story short,

You were just a simple retail worker, how were you supposed to know how harshly the gun would recoil? You also got a souvenir from the ordeal (you got shot in the arm).

The men did not like your pain tolerance (may have complained too many times), but you got through it all, even the snipers on the roof.

But as you approached that area and told them there would be snipers, they didn't believe you. You can't tell them they're in a video game you've played too many times to even count, so 'trust me' is the only thing you can say.

This earned you looks from the entirety of the Bravo team, which made you realize that, shit, you probably will be interrogated later.

Eventually, you made it to the warehouse. Soap walked up next to you, looking down at you.

"Now whats in this one?" He asked sarcastically. This might be something he should find out on his own, you thought. But you said it anyway. Shit.

"Enemies. and uh- anamericanmissile." You say quickly hoping he doesn't notice. But this causes him to go into the warehouse faster than you could think.

Once all the enemies were KIA, you brought them to the missile container. He presses a button causing the team to see the launcher and the American flag on the side.

"We found a weapons cache. Hassan's got missiles... they're American." Ghost said into his radio. "And you," He points, "I've got someone who's gonna have a bloody lovely talk with you later."

Ghost handcuffs your wrists, handing you off to have Soap bring you to exfil.

Shit.

-------

AAAAA

[shipsational]

Hi!!!👋🏾😊

I'm curious about your self insert for the golden trio. How did they meet Johnny and Jack? And, anything else you'd like to share about them. No pressure, though.😊 Sorry if you already answered this question somewhere before, lol.

absolutely! Okay So the thing is the insert for jack and johnny normally is kinda Just Me, but in the CN city bumper crossover universe (im actually considering making a much bigger, nonsensical crossover world for all my f/os but we'll see!) unfortunately beyond that im still ironing out the specifics with my insert there, since its gonna be a part of something so extensive

however! beyond that, i Also have a fun and funky au for them that leans way more into the vibes of jack's canon- i call it Samurai Bravo: Space Opera, and its about me and the boys traveling through a retro futuristic sci-fi universe (think cowboy bebop meets lupin lll out of touch (synthwave remix) vibes lol) where aku is still the evil in charge of the greater worlds, and jack is from a family that was destroyed by him. he's dedicated his whole life to taking aku down, and this eventually leads him into a bar looking for information, and this is where johnny comes in.

johnny in the space opera au is something of an idiot savant- he's actually one of aku's top assassins despite being dense like a brick bless his heart. he's only in the business to take care of his mama of course.

but in this bar, some guys pick a fight with jack because that just sorta happens to him when people see he has a samurai sword and want to know just how tough he thinks he is. since johnny is a pretty good guy when he's off the clock, he steps in to help jack and its a real bar rager, and maybe they get a little flirty when they escape out the back door when things get out of hand, whatever its not like they'll ever see each other again anyway- except for a few days later when johnny is told that he has to go take care of the cute samurai he met. this is doubly unfortunate when i, his childhood best friend, overhear the phone call about his dangerous double life and he has to decide what to do about that.

well turns out that the thing he decides to do is to basically kidnap and hide me away somewhere that i'll be safe since i now know too much, and then he's off to try and kill jack.

obviously eventually we work it all out and decide to go on the run together to all try and stop aku. unfortunately bunny bravo might have had to die to catalyst johnny into going against aku but thats angst and plot for ya!

i'll of course add more to this eventually, and i need to actually get down a design for my insert (since its scifi im lowkey considering making them partially alien or something but we'll see!

as a fun little bonus, years ago before i was openly proship, i participated in a selfship halloween event, and i came in second place! it was for this moodboard and the idea that the three of us got stuck in a scoooby doo esque haunted house

and this was the little prize doodle i got for it! my insert had really long brown hair at the time cause I had really long brown hair (it was exaggerated of course)

i really hope the proship selfship community does similar events sometime if they dont already

[aheathen-conceivably]

Hi! I’m a huge fan of your work (Josephine, in particular, has my heart! Gio, I tolerate… sorry 🫣), so, firstly, thank you for sharing your lovely creative mind with us.

Second, I hope it’s okay to ask a question! There’s a specific story idea that’s been rattling around in my head for ages now, but try as I might, I can’t seem to make it into anything concrete. I have a few things down (mostly snatches of dialogue, basic facts like character names, and start/end points - i.e. “z and a start as enemies but eventually fall in love”) but I’m struggling to connect point a with point b and actually make it, yknow, a story. Do you have any sage advice/pro tips/divinely-inspired guidance for making a handful of loose ends into something real and fit for Tumblr consumption? Lol.

Thank you in advance!

Hello, there! First and foremost let me apologize for some particular writer out there (ahem, it is me) who may have just gotten herself out of a real bad slump by making Gio a main character 😂

I am SORRY y’all I wasn’t supposed to like him this much I was a Jo girlie forever but now, well, the heart wants what the heart wants. Make no mistake Jo still has my heart but…can’t a girl have both? Y’all out here taking sides already oh my goodness I can’t wait to see y’all for the rest of this decade 😜

Now WHEW! Let me also say I appreciate your kindness about the story. I wish I had more advice for you, but I’m afraid I fell into this without much creative or really any writing background at all, so I’m not sure I’m the source for sage advice. Other than going on my resource page for other tricks that might be helpful, what I will tell you is to write every damn thing down. Like I mean it, one line of dialogue, one idea, one thought. I have stuff everywhere, under to do lists, in massive documents, in scribbles on the back of bills. Eventually I do try and organize it (and this would probably be the time to tell you to maybe not put it in random places where it’s hard to find later 😅), but I’m often shocked at what a small little tidbit later turns into.

As far as connecting those tidbits (which bravo for having them, that’s already more than I did for some parts of the story!), I honestly just feel like the more you write and inhabit the mindset of your little world, the more it comes to you when you aren’t thinking about it. Thanks to my boy Gio (please see above oops) I have been writing nonstop. Chopping onions, folding clothes, driving, just trying to live my life and a scene is playing out in my head. Now mind you, this comes after over a month without a single thought of the story, so it is a process that waxes and wanes.

I would also say not to get frustrated with yourself too early, as again, I think the process of getting into your story is a snowball effect. My early decades had much less going on, and that’s very much for a reason. The process moves with you. That means that I don’t really think there’s a benchmark for “fit for Tumblr consumption.” Doing it is practicing it, and the community is very welcoming to changing style and voice as your work goes on.

Just write my Nonny friend, write whenever your brain tells you to and don’t be afraid to share. And then fall in love with Gio with me 😙

[nijigasakilove]

What in the 8D chess 💀 dude wtf I’m speechless this was insane. Tears in my eyes, this was the best episode I’ve seen in a very long time. Jaw is still on the floor from all the twists and reveals.

Chuuya was never even a vampire? Using gravity to manipulate the bullet? Everything according to Dazai’s plan? Wow I knew everyone wasn’t going to be dead, it was always a question of how they’d pull it off but I got to give it to the author this was immaculate.

Against nigh insurmountable odds and the Detective agency still come out on top.. or did they? That post credits scene was insane. A future godlike version of Fukichi?? So confused but excited at the same time lol. It’ll be a long time before we get those answers sadly.

Looks like Fyodor is finally gone for good, at least he’ll be without an arm if he somehow did make it out of there. Even Dazai looked almost bittersweet about it. He enjoyed their battles a lot. In some ways, Fyodor was like another half to him.

Full body Bram finally here! That was a hell of a gamble by Aya to jump off the building but it was the perfect move since it freed him. I’m kind of confused on that one though because Bram said a few episodes ago that the sword was embedded into his brain and that removing it would kill him 🤔 maybe it was removed so quickly that his healing factor activated or something or was that just a bluff? Either way, will be interesting seeing how he and Aya’s relationship develops now that he’s her knight.

Fukichi and Yukichi final conversation was so well done. Goosebumps the entire time. As we already knew, Fukichi isn’t really evil so much as blinded by his ideology. Makes some good points, but war is ultimately something that will always be apart of human nature. Sacrificing sovereignty and free will to end it isn’t the way to go.

In the end, even though he couldn’t kill his best friend, Yukichi is still going to live on with that guilt. The ED playing over that scene of him holding Fukichi’s body and not being able to destroy the one order.. chef’s kiss, bravo Bones. Poor Teruko though 😢 even through it all she remained loyal to Fukichi. To be the one to kill him was rough.

Best episode of the best season of BSD.

Full review up on Myanimelist as usual.

[atinylittlepain]

Sunday Digest - ah shit here we go again

welp

if you've been seeing me posting and have wondered to yourself "gin, i thought you were on hiatus. why are you lurking around like a ghost with social anxiety?" then i would say that is a valid question, my friend.

in case you didn't hear, i had a very abrupt, very dramatic change of plans in regards to my internship and i now find myself back home, teaching yoga and volunteering and praying for a summer job.

i wasn't sure if i was just going to let my hiatus run its course, but i've decided that i have writing to share, and i'd rather do it now than in a few months when i'm up to my eyeballs in course and thesis work. so this is me officially ending my hiatus, oops.

here's my plan - June is complete (not the month, the series, though the month is also almost over lol) and it means a great deal to me so that's what i'm going to be posting for the foreseeable future. most likely a chapter a week. the second chapter will be coming this tuesday.

also, i am very close to another follower milestone and i'd like to do some request work to celebrate that whenever it comes along :)

that's all. i'm definitely taking things slower and i think it will be more sustainable for me in the long run.

in the meantime, i want to give a little love to fics and writers that have been swirling around in my brain.

.............................................

FIC RECS YEEHAW

@northernbluess and @fishingforpike have a new Frankie Morales series they're working on called In Bloom and the first chapter was absolutely lovely. i'm so excited to read more soon!

never not reccing @thetriumphantpanda and their Ghost of You Joel Miller series. i just finished reading the latest chapter and it was perfectly human and honest and well done.

@wannab-urs put out a lil lovely bite-sized fic called Bruise last week that is fresh and dizzying and a perfect little hit of Dieter Bravo goodness.

i admit i have not read it yet, but i just know @swiftispunk is going to wreck me with the conclusion of In My Hometown. an awesome series that i cannot recommend enough.

are you reading @tieronecrush's neighbor!joel series Hot and Heavy? If not, what the hell are you doing? For real, every chapter makes my head spin a little in the best way.

@beskarandblasters is coming up with the coolest ideas in her Punisher Joel Miller series. And i'm stoked to see what she and a whole crew of other lovely people do with their Folklore series as well :)

..........................................

those are my recs this week, as always, i invite you to add in the comments what you've been reading and enjoying!

thank you to everyone who has reached out with care and support these past few weeks. i be going through it, not going to lie, and this little corner of the interweb has been a bright spot for sure.

my dms are always always always open if you want to chat, about anything at all.

take care out there,

gin

[majaloveschris]

I live in the NYC area and recently received a local newsletter from my neighborhood showing outdoor summer movies in the local public park.

The reason I’m telling you this is bc something kind of interesting happened. One of the movies they were showing this summer is mrs Harris goes to paris.

In the neighborhood newsletter blurb discussing the movie, they mentioned Lesley manville (the star), AB, and then isabelle huppert.

No mention of Lucas Bravo, Jason isaacs, etc.

It was really bizarre to me bc AB being listed as second billing for a random local newsletter makes little sense to me as she was very clearly not the star or even second star. Lucas B technically should be bigger than her as he has a pivotal role in Emily in Paris which is still going on and hasn’t been canceled, and he was just in a romcom hit with George Clooney and Julia roberts last summer. He’s also a professional model and has been on runways and mag spreads this past year alone.

Ab had WN that got canceled and she didn’t even do any interviews for the second season. She has not been in any large endorsements or gotten any super prestigious roles since, but she did go public with a more famous actor.

If anyone is questioning if the PR is working…there’s your answer. Her name is getting out there and the search algorithm for her name is getting more and more out there as well.

Is any of this due to her own talent and success? (LOL)

Or is it more likely the huge PR boost given to her by someone else’s name?

I think the reason some ppl, esp team real, is doubtful about PR bc AB herself is not doing the legwork to put her name out there for more positive professional recognition. Her very actions/inactions seem to point to her hoping that the PR boost will do the work for her.

Many women who started dating more famous men usually had their own careers or would leverage the association to their professional benefit. Examples: Kaia gerber (mother is supermodel Cindy Crawford, boyfriend is Austin butler), Gigi hadid (already famous in her own right) and whatever her thing is with Leo DiCaprio, Hannah Davis (model) and Derek Jeter, Natalie V (works in the industry) and Henry Cavill. You’ll see most of these women have their own personas and social media and continue to do their own thing outside of being connected to famous men. Even if you feel they dated/married up or are opportunists as well, they still have their own thing going on. They didn’t just go into hiding so all ppl will ever think of is that they’re spending all their time following their man around.

By contrast, the dating rumors began for AB and she immediately pivots to “never being seen” unless it’s to let ppl speculate she’s with him.

She gives the vibes of a person who very much hopes the offers will fall into her lap bc she got her name attached to an A lister. She forgot that she is not marketable by herself and has no IT factor so ppl are still not checking for her. Being pretty on a basic level and attending one fashion show does not make you a star.

I know ATP the discussions on this have hit beyond the point of broken record. But I stand by it - she never wanted to work for fame. She wanted it handed to her, and still does. Her little friends JA and his sister also wanted to reap the benefits by association, and really believed all of their statuses would magically elevate due to their “association” with an A lister.

No wonder CE has spent this entire year mentioning the “industry” and what it makes you do. This was a hint, y’all.

This whole "relationship" definitely gets her name out there. WN was successful, but not enough to give her a name in HW or in America.

I think one of the other really good examples of how big of a boost it is for her can be seen on WN's number. So the official People article came out on November 10, 2022, exactly on the day the show's second season debuted. The first season had never been trending before that. Not when it came out, not when they announced the second season. However, after the announcement, not just the second but even the first season started trending, with the first season in 32 countries and the second season in 70. I've seen that a lot of people have said they only started watching the show because they wanted to see who the woman Chris is dating is. And I will also admit that back in, like, January 2022, I also checked the show because I was interested in who she is.

Obviously, I'm not saying those people didn't like WN or that they just watched two seasons because she is dating him. I'm pretty sure there were people who did it because of that, but I'm also pretty sure there were people who liked the show and the characters, but maybe they didn't even know about it before that. WN is not my cup of tea, but that doesn't mean it's a bad show. Not at all. But I think the fact that it started trending and that more people started to watch it has to do with their relationship. It has to do a lot, in my opinion.

A lot of Chris fans love them together, support them, and even defend her and their relationship. So yeah, the fact that her name is now connected to his helps her out big time.

It always bugged me that she never really promoted her work. I guess she did a little more when the second season of WN came out, but it wasn't anything special. She also seems reluctant to engage with her fans. They keep tagging her; they write sweet messages for her, but no reaction. Not even a thank-you or anything like that. They were trying so hard to save WN.

I just don't like her or her personality. I mean what we can see from it.

[literaticat]

If a book sells a ton of copies but receives very poor reviews, would the publisher care? Or because it sold a lot and they made lots of money the reader reception doesn't matter?

There are plenty of mega-bestselling books that received very poor critical reviews in the press. And no, I don't think the publishers give one fig, they are too busy gathering their money! (I mean I'm sure they'd LOVE it if their books all got starred reviews and glowing accolades and awards and whatever -- but a book being considered "good" by five snobs in NYC and London doesn't keep the lights on.)

Just as we see with so-called "trashy" movies and TV shows -- there are some things that are legitimately not good, like from a craft standpoint or whatever -- but are extremely appealing to regular consumers. They scratch an itch -- and in THAT sense, they are very very good.

For example: LOVE IS BLIND on Netflix is not GOOD by any critical metric. It's an embarrassing, witless, ridiculous "experiment" cast with a bunch of fools, all of whom need therapeutic intervention. Is it going to get a glowing review in the NYT or on NPR? Absolutely not. Did I watch every minute of it AND the reunion? Bien sûr, avec plaisir. Same same with our ocean-going friends on Bravo's BELOW DECK or the bling-filled shenanigans of REAL HOUSEWIVES -- these programs are not trying to be critical darlings, they are trying to be appealing and hooky for a mass audience who like gossip and scandal.

Now the thing there is, VIEWERS love these programs, regardless of what critics or pundits say. 50 SHADES OF GRAY is not going to win a Pulitzer Prize -- but out of tens of thousands of reader reviews, it's clear that the majority of READERS really like it. (And yes, thousands HATED it, too, or just thought it was Meh -- but TENS of thousands of readers loved it for what it was, enough so that the haters don't matter, and the point is, love it or hate it, everyone READ it.)

So -- to answer your question (finally lol) -- I think it depends. If critics pan a book but readers are passionate about it (whether for good or ill) and it sells a lot of copies -- the publisher is happy. If critics pan a book or ignore a book, and readers pan it or ignore it, and it doesn't sell a lot of copies, the publisher is not happy.

[always-together]

Are you happy with how your favorite canon muse was portrayed in canon?

What was the first muse that you’ve written?

Do you still write your first muse?

What people make you happy when you see them on the dash?

LATE MUNDAY QUESTIONS

Thanks for all of these questions Rook!! Sorry I got to them a little late lol

Honestly most of my muses are canon muses, and the reason I pick most of them up is because I love how they’re portrayed in official material! Sometimes, like with Spamton, there’s room for headcanons and fanon, and I love that, too, but most of my muses are very well established already and I love all of them and how they’re portrayed!! Sometimes it can be a little nerve wracking wondering if I’m doing them all justice lol, especially Garnet. I hope I’ve gotten better at writing her in my 4 years of being here 👉🏻👈🏻

Speaking of Garnet, she was my first muse and I obviously do indeed still write her lol. To make a long story short a month into the lockdown I was starting to get stir crazy and needed a release for my creative energies, and an IRL friend (hi @ssatxr ) suggested roleplaying! They even helped me figure things out a little. It’s taken me a few years to actually be good at it hehe but I’ve been here since 2020 and I hope to be here for several more years! This is a genuinely fun hobby and I’ve made lots of friends with my mutuals here.

I assume this last question is just an opportunity to shout out people I love following and writing with lol, so here’s a few!

You, of course, Des is super fun and I love the world you’re building! More people should be following you and writing with you.

@hxzelwallflower !! Bravo’s lovely, Eileen is lovely, if you’re not following her already you totally should ❤️

@oddlies and all of their blogs! Ramone’s characters, both OC and canon, are all well written and developed and they themselves are a joy to talk to. Follow them at your earliest convenience

And for one last person I followed recently (cause I could be here all day otherwise lol), absolutely @starlitcircus and all of their blogs! Their muses are getting me interested in all sorts of media I never would’ve turned my eye to otherwise, and they’re super good at capturing the voices of their characters. Please follow Pierrot 😁

[love-nakamura]

Hey

Number 7, 10 and 26 about your nationality?

sjdjdjdh sorry this took so long!! Thank you so much for the questions :) <3

number 7: three words from your native language that you like the most?

This was much harder to think about than I thought it would be!!

First word is probably 화이팅 (hwa-ee-ting) aka 'fighting'. It's an enocuragement like you can do it/you got this! I use it All The Time. like soooo much lol

Second word would be 얼씨구 (ul-ssi-gu) its used kind of as bravo/good job in a old fashioned context?? hahaha. Technically it has... a weirdly sexual origin but I casually play some traditional music and that's when it's most used

Third word could be 점메추 (jum-meh-chu) which is shortened from 점심 매뉴 추천 (jum-shim menu chu-chun) which means give me a recommendation for lunch 😂 we use a lot of shortened words like this but this one is good and I think it builds community lol

number 10: most enjoyable swear word in your native language?

I actually don't swear! (or at least very rarely as in once a year.. ). When I'm frustrated or in pain i'll make a shhhh sound, like aah-shhh or ei-shh which my friends will say thats basically me cursing (shh is the beginning sound of 씨발, shi-bal which is fuck).

number 26: does your nationality get portrayed in Hollywood/American media? what do you think about the portrayal?

Hmmmmm first of all I think there is a big difference between portrayals of Korea and portrayals of Korean Americans, because they've developed different cultural context over time so you can't depict one of the two and say you've depicted the other.

I remember when Black Panther came out and some scenes were set in Seoul and Busan (two of our biggest cities) and a 'Korean' shopkeeper spoke like three lines? and they were... um not great Korean lol which was dissapointing/frustrating, but that's a pretty old talking point haha

Recently Korean actors have been getting more involved in Marvel movies, and the film 'Past Lives' which you may know because its a more recent movie that won a few awards, depicts Korean diaspora in a very heartfelt way. Overall, I think times are changing and Korean people are getting more involved and telling their own stories. (For example 'Elementals' .. as a Korean person who experienced life in the USA I can tell with one glance that that's a Korean-American story.)

[kdelarenta]

envy

pairing: mason x f!detective (josie valentine), also bobby is in this 

note: after the bakery incident (because I’m still not over it), things are tense and bobby only contributes, a lot of confusion lol, bobby and josie kissed in book 2 

Mason didn't like this, he didn't like this at all.

In theory it made sense with Josie's whole 'all for Wayhaven, town spirit' shit but did it really have to involve that stupid fucking reporter?

Even though Josie went on and on about how it was nice of him to promote the blood drive and how him covering it will draw people in, he saw that she wasn't indifferent to the idea of having him there. Something happened, he was sure of it. All he knew was that the two were best friends in college and somehow fell apart. Josie might be an open book but she was particularly stingy with the details whenever he was involved.

Him. The reporter. Bobby.

The same Bobby who was at Josie's apartment that night, the same Bobby he caught her visiting almost every day at the Agency's hospital wing. The same Bobby that keeps harassing her at work, no matter how much she tries to play nice and ignore him. He knew the shit face was getting to her, the way she was playing nervously with the sleeves of her yellow shirt and that worried look on her face were evidence enough of how much she was dreading this meeting, he thought briefly about having a little chat with him. But why should he? Josie could handle it, besides it's not like they were on the best of terms right now — he'd only make everything worse.

Josie still hasn't spoken to him except for a brief 'yes' when asked if she was going to be working late again and a 'no' when he asked if she needed him to walk her back to her car.

Both questions work related, as all their conversations were these past few weeks. But whatever. She'll get over it. Mason didn't care, or that's what he kept telling himself, but that still didn't stop the regret from coiling deep in his stomach.

When Bobby finally arrived he was greeted only by Nate and Felix, with Nate giving him a polite nod and Felix looking between him and Mason as if he's expecting the two to jump on each other any second. Adam simply gave Bobby a curt nod while Mason didn't bother to hide his eye roll. Bobby didn't seem too bothered by it but still stayed at the doorway as if waiting for something, Josie shifted on her feet unsure of what to do. The tension in the room was nearly impenetrable and the quiet was only interrupted by the sound of the station's printer. This meeting couldn't end soon enough.

"Hi." Josie blurted out before snapping out of it "Welcome, thanks for coming."

Bobby simply smiled and with a shrug stepped into the office.

"Well I wouldn't be a good reporter if I didn't cover the town's newest event, would I?" He steps further into the room, his attention completely on Josie.

"Especially when it's hosted by Wayhaven's dearest detective."

Mason almost growls at the sultry tone he lets casually slip in the compliment, Josie's eyes widen briefly before she looks away from him, blushing slightly. Mason frowned — what was up with her? She simply offered Bobby a small tight smile, lifting her shoulders to her chin in something akin a shrug. A tell that Mason knows means she's shying away and wants to shrink but Bobby doesn't miss a thing, his eyes gulping her down, hungry.

"Right. Thank you. Well, we should get started."

Josie busies herself with lifting the files from the table to make room for the blueprint of the event. Once she lays it down, Bobby joins her on the other side of the desk to examine it thouroughly. Josie's yellow shirt, with which she replaced her turtlenecks and pressed shirts once summer started, clashes with Bobby's white one causing Mason to avert his eyes every once in a while. The bright yellow should be even more unbearable to look at but somehow on Josie it didn't bother him that much. Bobby's shirt was also slightly unbuttoned, on purpose Mason assumed, since judging by his reaction earlier he didn't expect Unit Bravo to be there at all. He wanted them to be alone.

Mason smirked. He can forget about it.

After a few moments Bobby whistles. "This is the Mayor's idea."

"Yeah." Josie slightly leans on the desk "Flashy. Colorful. Fun — the brighter it looks, the more people it attracts."

"Sounds about right." he says giving her a conspiratorial smile.

Josie shrugs. "It's the best way to get people interested."

"Yes I know Jo." Bobby rolls his eyes "You don't have to jump to everyone's defense all the time."

Mason didn't know if it was the nickname or the almost irritated tone he used that made Josie uncomfortably shrink again.

"Just get on with what you came here to do." Mason interjects impatiently "No one asked for your opinion."

They both finally look up at Mason and acknowledge that the rest of Unit Bravo are still in the room. Bobby makes to probably sass him back before Josie cuts him off.

"Stay out of this Mason." she orders in a strict tone so unlike her usual gentle one "Bobby was kind enough to help us out with this so you should treat him with respect."

Bobby seems just as surprised as Mason at the outburst before turning towards him with a smug smirk.

"Yeah Specialist Agent Mason." he almost spits out the title "Show me some respect."

He simply crosses his arms, stifling the urge to grab him by the collar and teach him some 'respect'. Felix throws him a worried frown but he shrugs it off, he wants a smoke but he doesn't want to leave.

Choosing to move on from the conflict, Josie and Bobby agree to get started with crafting the article. Mason watched with interest as Josie took initiative, listening attentively to everything Bobby suggested and making her opinions strongly known when needed. The change in Josie's confidence didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the team who seemed really proud of how far she'd come since their first meeting. And Mason was glad, he couldn't help the small tinge of pride that lingered in his chest at seeing Josie be more sure of herself.

She was a great detective, Mason never doubted that and it was time for her not to doubt it too.

His senses haven't been acting up again, not with Josie's presence there to soothe them, but something was begining to set him off. A strong aroma, as he focuses on finding the source it immediately draws him to Bobby. Overwhelming. His face scrunched up when the scent finally hit his nostrils — juniper, Josie's favorite. Does he really think he's being subtle? Though he doubts subtle is really Bobby's forte.

He's onto the bastard and what's he's trying to do. It won't work, Josie's too smart for that. But as more time passes, the more unsure Mason becomes.

The two work in sinc, dancing around each other in a familiar routine that they only know the steps to. It's like they've done this a thousand times before and Mason briefly acknowledges that they probably have. The way they communicate through glances, the way they finish each other's sentences knowing what the other is going to say before they actually say it. It reminds him of Nate and Adam and he wants to extinguish that connection, they're nothing like Nate and Adam.

He's a bastard and she's—

She's Josie, she's Josie and he can't imagine how they could've ever been friends.

"Are they going to serve food there as well?"

"I guess, since there will be a lot of festivities."

Bobby hums in agreement before sliding his glance briefly over at Mason. He smirks again as if he's suddenly remembered something.

"They better not serve strawberry ice cream though, right Jo?"

Josie looks mildly panicked glancing from him to the team as if they're supposed to know what that means.

"Bobby you promised!" Josie pouts slightly but he can see it's more out of amusement than being upset. They both share a smile from across the table and Mason's sick again. He's throwing it in his face, isn't he? The fact that they have secrets, memories... something that her and Mason don't. Whatever. He doesn't care who she has memories with, he'll win her over soon enough.

Josie joins Bobby's side of the table as they both lean over the blueprint. Mason doesn't miss how Bobby's eyes never leave Josie's face as she talks, too engrossed in the blueprint to notice. He couldn't quite make out the look on the reporter's face and it irked him. Josie was pretty to look at, there was no doubt about it, but it wasn't just that. There was something else there; dialated pupils, fondness...

He's not staying for this bullshit anymore. Josie briefly looks up at the sound of him leaving the chair. He doesn't care — he's not thinking about this anymore. He's not thinking about the fact his hand is only inches away from hers and he's definitely not thinking about the fact that she's starting to forget herself too, leaning into him slightly, their shoulders touching.

"This is taking too long, I need a smoke."

He doesn't look back. He doesn't notice Josie watching him leave.

-

Josie offers a final smile to Nate as she closes the door to her office. She didn't know what exactly encouraged her to walk Bobby out, maybe it was because she wanted to thank him again or maybe it was because she wanted to make sure that everything was right between them. She had her reasons, there was no doubt about it. She prayed for weeks that he wouldn't remember the kiss they shared in her apartment. She wouldn't know what to do if he did. And so far, he hadn't mentioned a thing, so he must've really forgotten everything that had happened.

The meeting felt familiar. And it was familiar, so familiar that if she closed her eyes and let herself drift away, she could pretend that this was a college project. That they were partners, friends, best friends...

She bit her tongue.

"Thank you, again, for doing this."

'I couldn't have done this without you' she almost says, like she did before. But she learned that she could do it without him.

"No problem." he said giving her a friendly smile "I would've stopped by anyway."

Why? , she wants to ask immediately. But she knows why.

User.

"Oh." she simply states and finds herself avoiding eye contact. A small part of her was still scared that one moment he'll snap out of it and remember what happened.

The kiss had remained her own filthy little secret. She didn't tell anyone, not Tina, not Rebecca, not anyone. She was filled with such shame, how could she have been so weak?

What was she thinking? That he actually cared? She had finally stopped returning his calls, stopped turning around when he'd try and talk to her. Stopped treating him as a treasured person in her life that he once was. He decided to stop being that. Her best friend. It was his choice.

So she doesn't believe him when he says he misses what they had because what they had was so easy to throw away for a stupid article. An article that made sure she couldn't show up to campus anymore. Her nails dug into her palms. That was the thing with Bobby, he managed to bring out the worst in her, the worst that Josie desperately tries to keep inside.

"I had a weird dream about you, you know." his voice brings her out of it and she doesn't avert her eyes this time. The way his mouth shaped around the word 'weird' filled her with dread.

"What?"

"It felt so real." he utters somewhat to himself, his eyes laying solely on her lips. Breathing heavily, she reflexively took a step back but stopped the urge to run and lock herself in her office.

"People dream about all sorts of things. You shouldn't worry about it." her words are half-rushed, her tone is all skewed and she all but freezes when his eyes meet hers with intent focus. As he examines her face, she's almost sure he'll give her that content smirk, the one he uses when he knows he's won, and call her out on her bluff. But he doesn't.

Instead he simply looks away for a second and shrugs, visibly snapping out of it. She makes an effort not to let her relief show.

"Yeah, you're probably right. See you around Jo."

She doesn't trust herself to respond, after all, she'd never been a good liar.

And how can she respond when she can still feel his kiss on her lips?

[nomoregoldfish]

I Promised You The Moon rant

Just binged it and this was from the episode by episode reaction/discussion with my partner in crime @glossyboy.

First of all, Oab stole the show, singlehandedly, which he's not supposed to. I don't think anyone expected it including himself. In the very top post when I searched his name on tumblr, he said this lol

But the truth is he played one hell of "villain" that required a very nuanced performance and he delivered it in a believable and graceful manner. Jai became the catalyst of the entire season and his rather complicated relationship with Teh was the highlight of part 2.

EP 1

From the very beginning it's clear that part 2 is very much a Teh's story rather than a balanced story about two young people's journey as a couple in the next chapter of their lives. It makes me uncomfortable they made Oh-aew clingy and pessimistic without giving him any character development.

The best part is probably the opening scene where they went paper-rock-scissors to decide who's gonna buy condoms. It felt authentic, the expectation, the hesitation, the mischievous act, all fits their characters well. Other times ep 1 was more like two adult kids playing house, literally in an empty giant ass upper middle class apartment.

EP 2

It's great that they poked the femininity vs. masculinity issue through Oh-aew, but stopped right there at the surface. Missed a perfect opportunity to go head-to-head with the controversial topic, start a debate, crush the stigma of femininity, bring something new, be a real game changer of the BL genre, and most importantly give Oh-aew some concrete character development. Part 1 showed us a gay character that's very comfortable with his sexuality and femininity, that's almost revolutionary in Asia, not as a comic relief but a leading role. Oh-aew questioned his own sexual identity once in that bra wearing scene, it's straight out of comfort zone, BOLD, and transgressive. So I expected more from part 2.

That's it? And they're already sophomores? Can't believe Oh-aew's character has been marginalized like this. It's pathetic.

But I love the brutally honest conversation at the end where Teh vented his rage and despair regarding his frustration of acting. He was acting like a dick because he's disappointed, and scared. Teh again was not afraid of showing vulnerability, making the reconciliation very realistic and touching.

EP 3

Dare I say I freaking love ep 3! The unresolved (partially sexual, but not entirely) tension between Teh and Jai was over the roof! And the built-up to their kiss was very authentic, which paled Teh and Oh-aew's much sidelined storyline, including the long anticipated sex scene (still can't believe it happened right after Jai explicitly instructed Teh to do it after the two spent a whole night bonding, like wow! Totally TRANSGRESSIVE and to some extent, kinky.) Teh looked up to the senior, idolized him, wanted to be good for him and make him proud, thirsted for the validation from him, which was mixed with affections. The workshop diary was a brilliant idea to let them open up to each other and eventually bring them close. This was what a meaningful arc of a story looked like. By contrast, there isn't a single moment between Oh-aew and Teh in part 2 that made me go "Damn it's soooooo hot!"

I know Jai/Teh wasn't the endgame but I appreciate the storyline so much. It's a very bold move considering it broke the over-glorified "one true love in one's life" fantasy of its target audience, mostly young cis women. The popular narrative of "you can only love one person through your life/one true love" in romance fictions/chick flicks was totally smashed. And it wasn't written just to stir up things between Teh and Oh-aew, it wasn't a silly fling. Instead, it's meaningful, complicated, natural, and realistic, delivered by nuanced and excellent acting from two young actors. It's hilarious that fans hate Jai with a passion and call him names.

And big news, Jai is bi?! Bravo! He's radiating bi vibes since his first appearance.

I kind of gave up at this point, the season wouldn't do Oh-aew any justice. Like my partner in crime pointed out, the costume design literally threw some "incongruous female fashion pieces" on Oh-aew, made him dye his hair red, without...making any actual point of his personality or his character development. Wardrobe was supposed to make a point in storytelling. Yes, PP wearing pink is cute, and? There's nothing else for Oh-aew. Unfortunately he's reduced to this sulky, crying, and wronged partner in a failing relationship.

EP 4

Oab again was killing it. The tension between Jai and Teh...from the rehearsal in front of Oh-aew to the dressing room pep talk, was incredibly intense and hot AF.

Was it a manipulative relationship after all? Oab was so good at conveying a character with many faces. Jai's a mentor to Teh, also a good friend, their relationship was genuine. He's also ambitious with his own goals, he used, challenged, provoked Teh in a way that benefited them both. It made sense the title of part 2, I Promised You The Moon, was from Jai's script. He promised Teh what the junior wanted the most, a bright future in acting. Teh's unconventional and unspoken feelings for Jai was the best part of the entire season in terms of creative writing, it's complicated, fragile, delicate and completely heartbreaking.

The after talk in the hallway was so well-written. It's funny (Teh joking about playwrights always write about their EXs is gold), intimate yet meticulously controlled, no one lashed out or wept. Both knew what they signed up for and Jai particularly made it clear about his motive and the purpose of the "special workshop" beforehand (or right away.) Yet it's no one's fault that Teh got carried away. He's younger, he's immature, he's more into it, it's totally natural. It's so romantic when Teh's singing karaoke in the bar with Oh-aew, yet he couldn't help but desperately staring at Jai on the floor, knowing he and the man who just turned him down were never gonna happen, they were done, but he's still madly attracted to him and his talent. He fancied Jai, at least the idea of Jai, a playwright, a director, someone knew him better than himself. That hurt beautifully.

EP 5

Teh/Oh-aew endgame at this point was pretty meaningless. Oh-aew as a leading character never got any solid character development over a span of four years. What happened between Jai and Teh wasn't just "cheating", though they surely made it look that way, like Teh's empty promise of "I won't see him again after the show ends". No matter how Oh-aew and Teh eventually reconciled, there's no emotional connection, no sparkle anymore between the couple.

But I knew for a fact they had to. Otherwise it's too much of a risk financially for the series. The creators had to take the easy way out like most traditional romances—one of the most contrived and formulaic trope where the male leading character made a mistake (usually cheating) and realized he's wrong, he deeply hurt the female leading character (Oh-aew was merely a girl substitute in part 2), then he completely changed for hell knew what reasons, started doing every nicest thing in the world to try to "win" the female character back. It has been feeding the emotionally-deprived cis female readers/audience who are frustrated with heterosexual relationship irl for decades. The formula that made romance outsell other genres of fictions combined in the 60s and 70s still sells today, under the name of boys' love. It's pathetic to see Oh-aew confess to Bas that he always "lost" to Teh. Love shouldn't be some kind of game or competition, there isn't winner or loser in love. Love is spontaneous. Oh-aew didn't lose because Teh developed feelings for someone else, and he didn't win when Teh begged him for reconciliation. People change, people move on.

And as predicted, they went for it. The ending was so absurd and tedious.

Overall, Jai's probably the hardest villain to play, he needed to be REALLY GOOD to be "the bad guy", to make his role conceivable. Oab absolutely nailed it with his talent and experience. He's not even my type or extremely good looking yet I'm 100% SOLD. I immediately re-watched the scene of him kissing Teh back hungrily at the end of ep 3 like I used to re-watch Teh/Oh-aew's steamy make out session at the end of episode 3 part 1. Coincidence?

I like some parts of both seasons for the same reason, each challenged and tried to break some outdated/contrived narratives in the BL genre. Part 1 took on the sexuality taboo by showing two same sex characters sexually attracted to each other, no more "I'm not into boys, I just happened to fall for someone of the same gender" or "pure love" bullshit. By staying true to the characters' sexuality and actually showing it with explicit, intense (and beautifully shot) scenes, the gay characters were normalized. They weren't just pure and innocent, no one was. And it created two of most unconventional gay characters in Asian pop culture, Oh-aew, a beautiful boy who's very comfortable with his own sexuality and femininity, not passive at all, taking initiative to pursue what he wanted; and Teh, a sensitive, caring and vulnerable boy who cried a lot, he's confused but also sweet and brave.

Part 2 tackled the "You can only love one person through your life" trope with a very nuanced story of "cheating". Yet neither carried out what they started. Part 1 fell short of a revolutionary piece that stayed true to "adolescent sexual turmoil", dismissing bisexuality and becoming a typical unrealistic BL fantasy in the end. And Part 2, ugh, forced a "happy ending" that almost no one digs. I understand it's extremely difficult and risky to disrupt the established norms of a genre. But sometimes being transgressive and progressive could be the same thing. A story, an artwork, has to challenge something in order to create something new and compelling.

[xxladymjxx]

HUMANITY'S STRONGEST IN LOVE?

I took this from my wattpad! I hope you guys like it so far!

Humanities Strongest in Love?

Lance Corporal Levi is a highly respected soldier amongst the Survey Corps. He is known as "Humanities Strongest" because of his amazing abilities to take down Titans. Whither they were normal or abnormal Titans, Levi could take them down with absolute ease. Unbeknownst to him, he'd soon meet a certain cadet that will change his life, experience new, confusing emotions and possibly happiness.

●I don't own Attack On Titan

●I don't own the characters

(I don't own Attack On Titan)

*Your POV*

You stretch your body as you awoke this Monday morning, getting ready for the day. Your (h/s) hair was frizzy (*A/N I have naturally curly hair :D*) you'd have to manage your hair properly with a brush this morning quickly as in you didn't want to be late for breakfast.

*Time skip to reader-chan getting ready...also I'm lazy to write it lol*

*Your Pov*

You walk down the hall toward the Mess Hall, happy for breakfast and the sunny day outside. Perfect training weather. You walk into the Mess Hall and you are immediately greeted by one of your good friends, Hanji.

"(Naaaaaaaaammme)!!!"

Hanji exclaims after giving you a hug that nearly knocked you over.

"Oi! Shitty-glasses! Don't assault (Name)!"

You looked to see whom that voice belonged to. It was your Lance Corporal Levi who was glaring at you and Hanji with absolute fury.

You squealed and hid behind Hanji, ducking your head.

"I can still see you, brat! Tch!"

He says as he rolls his eyes.

You felt a light tap on your shoulder and you turned around. Armin gave you a shy smile and asked "Hey, (name) would you like to sit with us?"

You've always though Armin was a total sweetheart (*A/N Which he is*) so you decided to sit with him.

"Sure, Armin! See you later Hanji!"

You smiled at her.

Hanji smiled back, heading back to the Squad Leader Table.

"You got it (nick name)!"

You took a seat next to Armin, whom was closely followed by Mikasa, Eren, Sasha, Jean, Reiner, Ymir, Christa and Beretoldt.

Even though you were older than the cadets by a decade you still got along with them well.

"U-um, (N-name)?" A shy voice you recognized called your attention.

"Yes, Armin?"

You fixed you (e/c) eyes on him.

"Are you sure you're not exotic?"

His question made you giggle.

"Why do you ask that?"

"W-well your beautiful (s/t) is something I've never seen before! Isn't her skin gorgeous Eren?"

Armin asked the turquoise eyed boy who was sitting to Armins left.

"Huh?"

He asked Armin.

"Oh! Yeah! (Name)s skin is gorgeous!" He blushed while saying that.

(*A/N btw reader is light-skinned*)

"Thank you, Eren."

You smiled.

*Levi's POV*

I watch that Arlet brat and the Jeager brat fawn over (Name)s while drinking my tea, trying to suppress this strange emotion stirring in my stomach. My thoughts get interrupted by Shitty-glasses.

"Leeeeevvvvviiii!"~ she sang.

"What?" I ask in my monotone voice.

"You're staring at cadet (Name), you think shes fucking hot don't cha!" She gently nudged Levis' ribs in a teasing way.

"Tch! Shut your loud-ass mouth."

I couldn't quite explain what I felt around (Name). I don't recognize this emotion, its infuriating. Am I going insane? I close my eyes sipping down the rest of my tea recalling how we first met.

*Flashback*

Shitty-glasses fucked up my cleaning supplies as some sort of prank. I'm currently running down the many halls of HQ trying to catch her.

*Your POV*

(Name) was wandering down the halls of HQ heading outside.

"Operation: human shield!"

You heard a voice behind you when you suddenly feel the belts on your back being lifted along with yourself, feet barely touching the ground.

"Sorry, (Name)! This must be done!"

You recognized the voice as Squad Leader Hanji.

"H-hanji! W-what going on!?"

She immediately turned you around and there was the answer to your question. A livid looking raven-haired man was pursuing Hanji. It seemed to be an instant but he was in front of you.

"Shitty-glasses, what the fuck are you doing!?"

You heard Hanji laugh behind you.

"Just a silly little prank, shorty. Lighten up!" She says pulled you closer to her.

"U-uh!" You couldn't help but say.

"Put the new Titan fodder down!"

The cold man exclaimed in a furious tone.

Uh, rude much?

You thought.

"Never! (Name) (last name) is my human shield from the mean small man!"

You couldn't help but let a small giggle escape your lips at Hanjis comment but immediately stop when the man glared at you with such intensity you let out a small gasp.

"Hanji,"

The man said, trembling with rage.

"Put cadet (Last Name) down." He says, still seething.

"No can do Corporal short stuff!"

She immediately shoves you so hard that you and the Corporal land straight in the dirt, your breasts in his face. Hanji laughs maniacally, running back to HQ.

You gasp softly.

"Oh no! My deepest apologies Corporal, sir!"

You scramble to your feet, hold out your hand to help the Corporal up.

"Tch!"

He takes your hand and with your help pulls himself up.

"Levi."

"Huh?"

"My name is Levi, you will address me as that when we're alone, got it memorized?"

(If you get that reference, bravo!)

"Yes, sir! Nice to meet you, sir!"

You say saluting your Corporal.

He nodded and chuckled a bit from your manners.

"So, Corporal, I guess I'll see you around?"

"Tch! Obviously, brat."

"Brat?"

You pretended to be offended, hand over your heart dramatically.

"I am 29 Corporal."

"Tch! Brats still a brat."

"If you say so."

You shrugged, as you walked back inside HQ.

"Did I dismiss you, cadet?"

"No, sir!"

You saluted quickly.

"What is that?"

He pointed to your necklace that looked like a small vile of red liquid.

"This?"

You questioned him, holding the small vile between your thumb and index finger.

"A necklace, sir."

You smirked knowingly.

Levi rolled his eyes

"Yeah, no shit. I meant what is it exactly."

You giggled and replied.

"Family heirloom."

"A vile of red liquid that looks like blood is a family heirloom?"

Levi questioned, perplexed.

"My family is fucking weird, Corporal."

You smiled fondly.

*Flashback over*

Levi finishes his favorite black tea, setting it back down on the table, sighing contentedly.

●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●

[damn-scarhead]

D.Gray-Man Tag!

Got tagged by Violet (@14thexorcist) to answer to a few questions.

Just answer the questions and tag three other blogs when you’re done.

• What year did you first get into DGM?

I first started to read DGM when I was in middle school (I was 12), so in 2007. A friend was really into it back then and told me about it, so naturally I got curious and looked it up. I don’t remember if I started reading it or watching the anime first. But in the end I did both that year.

• Who’s your favorite character?

Kanda. It was Kanda back then (handsome and mysterious dude, of course I was going to fall for him lol) and it’s still Kanda now even after all these years.

• Who’s your least favorite character?

Eeeehhhh hard to say. Maybe  Chaozii Han or Renny Epstain. I just can’t seem to find a any good side to them.

• Who’s your favorite general?

Weirdly enough it’s Sokaro/Socalo/whatever is his name. I wish we’d see more of him. Tiedoll is a close second. (I’d say Kanda but he hasn’t been a General for long so it’s hard to say if he’s great or not)

• Who’s a character you would get along with?

I have no idea.

• What kind of innocence would you have?

Bold of you to assume that the Innocence would want me lmao. But if by some miracle I was worthy enough, it would probably be a bow..? Something that wouldn’t force me to get too close to the Akuma/Noah.

• Whats’a your ship?

(Violet dear you kind of messed up when writing this question so I’ll assume you wrote “What’s your favorite ship?” or something along the line)

I love both Yullen and Yulma equally. (Maybe a bit more Yullen but shhh)

• What’s your least favorite ship?

I don’t have any to be honest. Years ago for some unknown reason I really didn’t like Laven. But now I do like it so...  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I suppose as long as it’s not inc*st or p*dophilia I’ll be fine with it.

• What branch would you want to be part of?

Aside from the European Branch and the Asian Branch, we know so little of the others that it’s hard to tell. (The only thing we know of the North American Branch is that it’s where Alma was being kept “alive”. And the others?? No idea.) Maybe I’d like to be part of the Asian Branch. Maybe. Actually I don’t know.

• What’s your favorite arc?

I’m really hyped by the current arc to be honest. (FINISH THAT FLASHBACK ANDGET TO THAT MANSION FFS) I also really like the Alma Karma arc and the whole arc in Paris with Timothy (it was my favorite art-style by Hoshino)

I tag @nooooooooooooo00000000, @metzzi, @kandaxxx and @bravo-cube (I know that’s 4 and not 3)

[keyofjetwolf]

Bonus Question Answers! (non-anime animated final)

I asked a silly question! You gave me incredible answers. SO VERY MANY INCREDIBLE ANSWERS. If yours is listed below, you’ve earned an entry in a random draw to win a GIFTENING liveblog OF YOUR CHOICE

This question may have inadvertently created my favourite solid block of answers. I wouldn’t have called that, and was DELIGHTED. Narrowing these down was so incredibly hard. You are all beautiful and I love you.

—

Q: What was one of my favourite songs in JEM? Points will be awarded for accuracy, OR making me laugh, so if you don't know any JEM songs (or Misfits or Singers, of course!), DON'T LET THAT STOP YOU.

*  The Limp Lizards launched a shockingly popular remake of their 1 (one) famous song, and it is literally just an ASMR soundtrack of glass breaking.  That's it.  And yet, their renewed royalties have set them up comfortably in the 2000s.  -- @amberlilly  [I hoped in my heart of hearts that someone would say The Limp Lizards, and then you did, BUT DID IT MORE, Lilly you are the hero we need in these dark times.]

~~

*  If one of your favorite songs wasn't Takin' It All, then I just don't know you.  @ayu-ohseki​  [I DO LOVE THAT ONE YOU GOT ME]

~~

*  Bad Influence? I don't know, the Romeo and Juliet tale but instead of people getting stabbed/poisoned, you have of a bunch of people hijacking YOUR stage performance to sing about how much you and your friend suck. It seems really appealing.  -- Don Jose  [I’m not sure I ever quite phrased it that way to my myself, BUT YOU RIGHT.]

~~

*  Designing Women. It's an incredible bop that features the Misfits trashing a store and then buying everything. All just to spite one of the protags. -- Eddy  [I DO IN FACT REALLY LOVE THIS ONE.  Oh, Misfits, you’re so ridiculous and poorly socialized.]

~~

*  "Come on in the Water's Fine" because when I looked at song titles, I imagined Michiru saying this to Ami to bully her into the pool to race her again bc Ami seems like the kind of girl to her who would need such kind things said to entice her. But additionally, when it started up for some reason it made me think about "Holiday" by Madonna which boy, talk about nostalgia for me. Also also when the dude in the video first shows up, I thought the striped part of his shirt was the only part of his shirt and the peach flesh colored part of his shirt was just his torso and therefore that he was wearing the most hideous crop top that ended just above his nipples because that would be QUITE the fashion statement. Also mermaids rock okay   -- Furi  [There isn’t a word out of place in this entire answer, but also it made me really want you to have to do a blind reaction series on JEM song videos.]

~~

*  "Be Gay, Do Crimes, Rio Sucks" obviously a Misfits song, preaching only truth  -- @incorrecttact  [Bless you, friend]

~~

*  I Snort Glitter Everyday  -- Jillwalker  [ACTUAL LOL, this was clearly from one of Kimber’s 1938577 rebellious phases this week.]

~~

*  That one, in episode 47 I think? about rats being good for your skin? Wouldn't expect it to be so catchy just looking at the lyrics (I mean really, "Put 'em in soap, that's the peak, all squeaky clean, makes the boys' knees weak"? Who greenlit that?) but I haven't been able to go two months without it lodging itself in my brain for *years*  -- @kariachi  [just *chef’s kiss*]

~~

*  Glitter and Gold, because it's such a gigantic "WE HAVE NEW DOLLS TO MARKET!" advertising tie-in that I can't help but enjoy how shameless it is. GLITTER AND GOLD! GLITTER AND GOLD! HERE COMES GLITTER AND GOLD, IN STORES NOW! (Also truly outrageous I guess, but GLITTER AND GOLD!)  -- Peter Svensson  [IT’S TRUE AND YOU SHOULD SAY IT. It’s so fucking brazen, I love it.]

~~

*  Jemmicle Songs for Jemmicle Cats!  @sirblackaxe  [Bravo. BRA. VO.]

~~

*  "alone Again" for the sole reason I want you to go "wtf song was this again?" and have to look up this nightmare fever dream of an episode  -- shoujo screamer  [HA JOKE’S ON YOU FRIEND I DON’T HAVE TO LOOK IT UP I ALREADY KNOW THE SONG AND THE EXACT EPISODE IT CAME FROM SO TAKE THAT I AM VERY COOL]

—

AND THAT’S ALL THE BONUS QUESTION ANSWERS. Thank you all so much for playing along with me. I’ll be pulling for the winner (winners? THAT’S UP TO YOU) this Thursday the 14th! The winner(s) will have 24 hours to let me know what I’ll be doing, and we’ll have that liveblog(s) on the last day of THE GIFTENING, Tuesday the 19th.

THANK YOU AGAIN YOU’RE ALL TOO GOOD IT’S DISGUSTING