#they do this often as a band and i love to see it portrayed even in the photos

[follivora]

also it’s so touching to see two men from an area where being intimate and loving with another male is not really celebrated to be so happy and comfortable with showing the world that they do love each other, this photoshoot is so important to me

[tearlessrain]

please help me- i used to be pretty smart but i’m having so much trouble grasping the concept of diegetic vs non-diegetic bdsm!

gfkjldghfd okay first of all I'm sorry for the confusion, if you're not finding anything on the phrase it's because I made it up and absolutely nobody but me ever uses it, but I haven't found a better way to express what I'm trying to say so I keep using it. but now you've given me an excuse to ramble on about some shit that is only relevant to me and my deeply inefficient way of talking and by god I'm going to take it.

SO. the way diegetic and non-diegetic are normally used is to talk about music and sound design in movies/tv shows. in case you aren't familiar with that concept, here's a rundown:

diegetic sound is sound that happens within the world of the movie/show and can be acknowledged by the characters, like a song playing on the stereo during a driving scene, or sung on stage in Phantom of the Opera. it's also most other sounds that happen in a movie, like the sounds of traffic in a city scene, or a thunderclap, or a marching band passing by. or one of the three stock horse sounds they use in every movie with a horse in it even though horses don't really vocalize much in real life, but that's beside the point, the horse is supposed to be actually making that noise within the movie's world and the characters can hear it whinnying.

non-diegetic sound is any sound that doesn't exist in the world of the movie/show and can't be perceived by the characters. this includes things like laugh tracks and most soundtrack music. when Duel of Fates plays in Star Wars during the lightsaber fight for dramatic effect, that's non-diegetic. it exists to the audience, but the characters don't know their fight is being backed by sick ass music and, sadly, can't hear it.

the lines can get blurry between the two, you've probably seen the film trope where the clearly non-diegetic music in the title sequence fades out to the same music, now diegetic and playing from the character's car stereo. and then there are things like Phantom of the Opera as mentioned above, where the soundtrack is also part of the plot, but Phantom of the Opera does also have segments of non-diegetic music: the Phantom probably does not have an entire orchestra and some guy with an electric guitar hiding down in his sewer just waiting for someone to break into song, but both of those show up in the songs they sing down there.

now, on to how I apply this to bdsm in fiction.

if I'm referring to diegetic bdsm what I mean is that the bdsm is acknowledged for what it is in-world. the characters themselves are roleplaying whatever scenarios their scenes involve and are operating with knowledge of real life rules/safety practices. if there's cnc depicted, it will be apparent at some point, usually right away, that both characters actually are fully consenting and it's all just a planned scene, and you'll often see on-screen negotiation and aftercare, and elements of the story may involve the kink community wherever the characters are. Love and Leashes is a great example of this, 50 Shades and Bonding are terrible examples of this, but they all feature characters that know they're doing bdsm and are intentional about it.

if I'm talking about non-diegetic bdsm, I'm referring to a story that portrays certain kinks without the direct acknowledgement that the characters are doing bdsm. this would be something like Captive Prince, or Phantom of the Opera again, or the vast majority of bodice ripper type stories where an innocent woman is kidnapped by a pirate king or something and totally doesn't want to be ravished but then it turns out he's so cool and sexy and good at ravishing that she decides she's into it and becomes his pirate consort or whatever it is that happens at the end of those books. the characters don't know they're playing out a cnc or D/s fantasy, and in-universe it's often straight up noncon or dubcon rather than cnc at all. the thing about entirely non-diegetic bdsm is that it's almost always Problematic™ in some way if you're not willing to meet the story where it's at, but as long as you're not judging it by the standards of diegetic bdsm, it's just providing the reader the same thing that a partner in a scene would: the illusion of whatever risk or taboo floats your boat, sometimes to extremes that can't be replicated in real life due to safety, practicality, physics, the law, vampires not being real, etc. it's consensual by default because it's already pretend; the characters are vehicles for the story and not actually people who can be hurt, and the reader chose to pick up the book and is aware that nothing in it is real, so it's all good.

this difference is where people tend to get hung up in the discourse, from what I've observed. which is why I started using this phrasing, because I think it's very crucial to be able to differentiate which one you're talking about if you try to have a conversation with someone about the portrayal of bdsm in media. it would also, frankly, be useful for tagging, because sometimes when you're in the mood for non-diegetic bodice ripper shit you'd call the police over in real life, it can get really annoying to read paragraphs of negotiation and check-ins that break the illusion of the scene and so on, and the opposite can be jarring too.

it's very possible to blur these together the same way Phantom of the Opera blurs its diegetic and non-diegetic music as well. this leaves you even more open to being misunderstood by people reading in bad faith, but it can also be really fun to play with. @not-poignant writes fantastic fanfic, novels, and original serials on ao3 that pull this off really well, if you're okay with some dark shit in your fiction I would highly recommend their work. some of it does get really fucking dark in places though, just like. be advised. read the tags and all that.

but yeah, spontaneous writer plug aside, that's what I mean.

[itsabouttimex2]

MK and Mei’s Friendship

Wukong and Macaque’s Fallout

Mei isn’t the next “warrior”, and she would 100% beat your ass for implying she’s like Macaque

I’m going to preface this for anyone who might want to leave early- I personally dislike this theory!

Because to me, it isn’t a theory- it’s just wrong.

And usually it’s so wrong that it shatters the reality of MK’s and Mei’s character for the sake of forcing them into little “Sun Wukong” and “Macaque” shaped balls.

And so often it starts with demonizing MK/Wukong.

I see, so often, this portrayed in two ways:

1. MK loses his mind and becomes a vicious monster that must be collared and restrained for the good of all around him.

2. MK becomes obsessed with power and fighting, thus driving Mei away.

And both of these are done in an attempt to “link” the kids with the monkeys.

MK-Wukong and Mei-Macaque

We don’t really need to talk about the first two- most of the show is about MK interacting with the Monkey King and learned to handle his legacy and foes- we’d be here all day.

But, what sort of interactions do Mei and Macaque share? Well, for Mei, it’s:

1. Being a victim of his violent and murderous actions

2. Being extremely close to his other frequent victims

3. Bafflingly having no negative opinions on the man who led an assault on her people’s palace, tried to murder her friends, and forced Tang to unleash the Samadhi Fire, nearly killing her in the process.

4. Being a weaker character for her lack of hostile dynamic with someone who has hurt her again and again and again

5. Having a worthless “team-up” with Macaque without the show ever having her address what he’s done to her and her loved ones

6. Weaken her character by taking away characteristics like “willing to call people out” and “gets violent when people try to hurt the ones she loves” for the sake of a boring and short “team-up”.

…yeah, thats not a great list.

Already, Mei’s non-violent interactions with Macaque leave a lot to be desired- and don’t hint to anything even close to her being a “successor” to his story like MK is to Wukong.

Back to those two first bullet points, now, right under the read more.

Sun Wukong and MK are not; and never have been, “mindless monsters”, in spite of MK’s destructiveness in his monkey form- it is explicitly made clear that he’s in control of himself.

“There’s nothing “mindless” about this.”

And he was right. MK is completely awake and aware in his monkey form, with full mental faculties. He’s verbally capable of shredding Azure and decrying his crimes in an efficient fashion, all while kicking him around.

MK wasn’t “going insane”- he was having fun.

(That’s a rant for another day, though)

Nor did Sun Wukong solely drive Macaque away.

The crux of Wukong and Macaque’s fallout is clearly displayed in the show, in the fourth season of Monkie Kid- it started from a single fucking argument.

Now, I’d like to preface again: this is the first point that I see many, oh so many theorizers, artists, writers, etc- get wrong.

SUN WUKONG IS NOT THE “BAD GUY” IN THIS SCENE.

THEY ARE BOTH AT FAULT.

Sun Wukong is trapped. For attempting to overthrow the Jade Emperor, he is sentenced to FIVE HUNDRED YEARS trapped under a mountain.

Let me elaborate for anyone who doesn’t sympathize.

For the next five hundred years, Sun Wukong will be 75% immobile and alone under a nearly lightless mountain. There will be no noise, no stimulation, and no company. He will suffer in silence, and he will suffer alone.

But you know who ISN’T being punished for an attempt to overthrow the Jade Emperor?

Macaque.

Now, this is funny. Wukong leads a six strong band of brothers against the forces of the Celestial Realm, but only ONE of them faces consequences for the rebellion- himself.

Even five hundred years later when Wukong is set free and traveling with his fellow pilgrims…

No one else has faced consequences for the rebellion. All five of Wukong’s “brothers” (Azure Lion, Peng, Demon Bull King, Yellowtusk, and yes, Macaque) get away scot-free to continue their plans and schemes.

I would be pissed. You would be pissed. There is not ONE SINGLE PERSON in this world that would NOT be pissed about how blatantly unfair this is.

Especially not after spending five hundred years nearly immobile under a dark and lonely mountain.

So, even before all, here and now, under that mountain, before five long and lonely centuries have passed, faced with the current injustice of his predicament-

Wukong lashes out and blames Macaque.

No. Fucking. Shit.

All of us (none of us are saints, do not try to say otherwise) would have snapped in anger.

All of us would have been angry. Each and every last one.

Mostly immobile and imprisoned alone to take the blame of six guilty men, Wukong lashes out at the nearest person.

And what does Macaque do, when blamed one single time for something that is mutually the fault of six men, including himself?

He lies and runs away.

No the fuck you didn’t.

Macaque nudges the idea. He implies the idea. He hints, quietly and softly.

“You’re really going through with this?” Is not him shutting down the idea of fighting the Celestial Realm.

It’s him being a coward and trying to dance around the issue without a direct confrontation.

Not even once does Macaque say: “We shouldn’t fight the Jade Emperor.”

Macaque directly LIES to present himself as being the better person during this fight.

MACAQUE IS FUCKING LYING TO HIS BEST FRIEND’S FACE TO MAKE HIMSELF LOOK BETTER, THEN RUNS AWAY AND NEVER COMES BACK DESPITE HAVING FIVE HUNDRED YEARS TO DO SO.

(But because it’s their ‘pewfect pwecious Maccy’, the fandom blindly ate this blatant dogshit lie up and took it at face value. Y’all don’t deserve unreliable narrators and mature themes go watch cocomelon/s)

The moment something goes wrong, what do these two do?

Blame each other to absolve themselves of sin, and then one runs away and chooses to never come back.

This was fucked up and toxic from the start- Macaque was a cowardly little bitch, and Wukong was a power-hungry idiot.

And both of these dumbasses have ZERO communication skills.

You know who doesn’t fall into those categories? OUR KIDDOS.

Mei and MK fight too- as soon as the first season.

And what does Mei do when her best friend accidentally wrecks her bike and nearly costs her a race that was EXTREMELY important to her?

She forgives him almost the moment he apologizes, and he immediately works on making it up to her.

Well, hold on a minute! That doesn’t sound like, I don’t know…

Lying to make yourself look better, throwing the blame around instead of accepting it, and running away for five entire centuries?

Huh. It’s almost like, maybe, instead of being built on one-sided adoration and tenuous “brotherhood”, Mei and MK see each other as, of all things-!

Equals. Friends. Partners.

Mei will NEVER abandon her best friend. Nothing could make her. Even when facing down lethal odds, her first response will ALWAYS be to run to him.

Even if she has to be forcibly dragged away, screaming and in tears, Mei will always fight to stay by MK’s side.

Nothing in the world could tear them apart. Not a petty fight. Not a presumed death. Not demons or celestials. Not an inky scroll of eternity inscribed with the past.

There is ONE circumstance in which she runs away from him-

When she’s overwhelmed by the Samadhi Fire and terrified of hurting the person she loves most with a

DEMONIC FIRE FUSED TO HER BODY THAT COULD EASILY BE USED TO DESTROY THE ENTIRE PLANET

then, and only then… does Mei run.

That is what it takes to drive her and MK apart. Not an argument. Not a game of flinging blame. Not a mishap or a tumble.

But fear for his life.

She runs away because, even if she wants to stay- Mei loves him.

And she loves him too much to think of putting her own life and desires before his.

Mei and MK are not the “hero and the warrior”.

This is not MK and Mei. And it never will be.

This is Macaque and Wukong, two people driven apart by boldness that was brashness and cleverness that was cowardice. This is a tale of adoration and anger and heartbreak and betrayal.

This is not MK and Mei. And it never will be.

Because they love each other too much to ever be “the hero and the warrior”.

And they’re all the better for it.

[witchhazelevesque]

I often see Calypso’s curse described as ‘she’s forced to love anyone that comes to her island’ but that’s not exactly what happens:

“You asked about my curse, Percy. I did not want to tell you. The truth is the gods send me companionship from time to time. Every thousand years or so, they allow a hero to wash up on my shores, someone who needs my help. I tend to him and befriend him, but it is never random. The Fates make sure that the sort of hero they send…” “They send a person who can never stay,” she whispered. “Who can never accept my offer of companionship for more than a little while. They send me a hero I can’t help…just the sort of person I can’t help falling in love with.” … “The Fates are cruel. They sent you to me, my brave one, knowing that you would break my heart.”

Battle of the Labyrinth, 223

The most pertinent bits are in color.

It’s not that she’s magicked into loving someone against her will, it’s that the Fates handpick people she would have loved anyway. As in, they have qualities she admires/values and finds herself able to love (big asterisk here). And the Fates make sure that of those people she could love, they pick ones that can’t stay with her.

This isn’t exactly retconned in House of Hades, but she does shift the blame more to the gods and doesn’t mention the Fates in this exchange:

“They were all the same! The gods send me the greatest heroes, the ones I cannot help but…” “You fall in love with them,” Leo guessed. “And then they leave you.” Her chin trembled. “That is my curse. I had hoped to be free of it by now, but here I am, still stuck on Ogygia after three thousand years.”

House of Hades, 378

But the focus is still on the fact that the people who come to her island can’t stay. The way it’s phrased here, it does makes sense how it could be taken as ‘she’s forced to love anyone’, but that’s not what’s happening.

Her curse is centered around being abandoned while stuck on her island. It’s only a curse because she’s imprisoned. She cites that as the reason she isn’t free from this curse. It’s not a set-and-forget work of magic that controls her emotions. It’s more of an active situation for the gods or Fates, where they orchestrate the delivery of the source of her pain each millennia, and then the rest comes in Calypso dealing with the aftermath of her companions leaving.

That big asterisk: Percy and Leo should not be included in this category. They’re children.

So, why is any of this even happening?

Blame Riordan and his weird, failed attempt to depict Calypso as a teenager; he did a horrible job.

Granted, it wouldn’t have worked no matter what he did, just by the nature of immortality. But he, for some reason, keeps shooting himself in the foot by hammering in her age. I don’t have access to the ToA books but some examples: Apollo saying she was old enough to be his babysitter, the way she got dreamy eyed at remembering things that happened before her imprisonment, the fact that she was there when Zeus was a child (by immortal standards).

Calypso is aware of time passing, and she retains all her memories of the thousands of years she existed, both on and off Ogygia. Time is weird on her island, but it does still move forward. She is literally, emotionally and mentally thousands of years old.

The only leg work RR does to depict Calypso as a teenager is to make her look like a teenager and then try to set up romantic situations with actual teenagers. For comparison, RR has Hestia take the form of a child, but no one acts like she actually is a child.

Later, RR has Calypso do things like want to go to high school and band camp, but that doesn’t make sense. Her wanting to have new experiences does, yes, but not ones that are for teenagers. That’s not indicative of her being a child, it’s more of RR’s lukewarm effort to make her a teenager.

I don’t have some hard hitting point to this distinction, I just think it’s important to know what’s actually being portrayed and how it’s being done. Calypso isn’t forced magically, in universe to fall in love, but she is forced to narratively.

My overall point though is, as usual, be critical of Riordan’s choices. He set up this thing where he wants the audience to believe that Calypso is so compatible with Percy and Leo that even the gods take notice, but it doesn’t work because she isn’t a teenager like they are.

[somewhere-at-the-burrow]

hi!! I have a question if that’s okay!

How is house rivalry at Hogwarts? Is there a lot of house pride/division between the houses?

Also during quidditch season, do people know the players of the teams (kinda like football)? (do people root for individual players?)

I’m so interested in how the vibes would be during quidditch season and if people get really intense into showing house/team/player pride bwjahshd

THANK U FOR SHARING ABOUT YOUR DR YOUR POSTS ARE ALWAYS SO LOVELY TO READ <333

yes of course! i love answering questions and they are always welcome!!

for house rivalry, it is very toned down during the average school day than what it is portrayed in the original series. now that I've gotten into advanced level classes, there are students from every house in my classes and it is very standard to have good friends from every house! the school also has lenient rules about sitting with other houses during meals, and we usually only have to sit with our assigned house during important meals (start of term feast, meals with speeches, etc).

however, when it comes to quidditch, everything gets so crazy. even with the teams in the League, every person usually has a team that they root for (sometimes from where they are born) and it is very common to see students wearing team merchandise or sporting a team pin on their school bag. it can start some great conversation and there are even mini-clubs and friend groups that are formed over the obsession of a certain League team!

quidditch at Hogwarts probably has the wildest division between the teams / houses, but only if your house is playing, usually. for example, the Gryffindor vs Slytherin game (which is the first in the season) is one of the most highly anticipated and conflict inducing games of the season, i'd say. the weeks leading up to this game are full of older students dragging the newer students to the practices to watch, and even those who swear they hate quidditch seem to make time for it. it really joins us all together, and I especially love how in my desired reality the winner sometimes throws a party and everyone is invited. I can't wait for the season to start again so I can experience it firsthand!!

also, there are definitely "quidditch celebrities" at Hogwarts. because the sport is so vital to student life at hogwarts, if you are on the team it is kind of an automatic popularity marker. even the substitute players who don't join in the actual game very often are so well known and the team really is like a family. one thing that is so similar to the franchise is how popular the seekers are. students band together to cheer for their favorite players, but i've noticed that the seekers / captains are the most anticipated members of the season. in my DR, gryffindor and ravenclaw are opening up the spot for new seekers this year and the speculation has been INSANE. people are so eager to see how this season plays out, as Cedric Diggory and Elsie Smithey (the slytherin seeker) have stolen the hearts of everyone in the castle and those two are pretty unbeatable.

(( i scripted that I would become the gryffindor seeker I AM STRESSING SO BAD))

as for house pride, everyone takes part in creating banners and creative posters, and dressing up for games is an absolute must. in addition, I also own some things for different houses, as it is so common to support the other teams if yours is not playing! it all depends on how the season works out in your team's favor, so some students change what team they cheer for each year IT IS SO FUNNY.

I hope this answered some of your wonderings!

thank you so so much for the ask <33

[ecto42]

I think in D&D terms the typical assumption would be that a character with a chronic illness and/or chronic pain would have a low constitution score. The reality is a lot of people like myself would probably have constitution as our biggest stat because not only are we constantly staying up while fighting our bodies, we’re generally expected to ignore our own physical needs and wellbeing in exchange for being able to get things done. For example, I have been fully in the middle of a POTS episode and had to cook myself dinner, carry multiple loads of laundry up and down the stairs, etc. Like there’s such a real thing to Ashton Greymoore having chronic pain and yet their highest stat being Constitution.

I think something people are really good at acknowledging for Ashton as well as being apparent with Taliesin is that chronic illness generally means you’re stronger than people would assume, but you also blow through your resources faster and they can be just as counterproductive as they are helpful. It’s important to note that Taliesin struggles with chronic issues like hand tremors and has other chronically disabled friends like Dani Carr.

Like personally as an AMAB person with a condition that primarily hits AFAB people particularly hard, I’ve had cardiologists tell me “If anything your heart is overly muscular.” Which like, thanks dude yeah that’s decades of anxiety and years of POTS hitting and me having to stay standing up. Like I was in marching band in high school and I was the kid basically double-time marching in giant steps every show because I was the easiest to place since I’m so tall. Then when I worked fast food I had to either maneuver through hoardes of people to get back to my station or just push through them completely. In 90+ degree weather in the summer in Alabama with an anxiety disorder and a “heart condition” that’s actually just another neurological condition. Like I spent years doing manual labor and unloading trucks and pallets while exhausted on like 3 hours of sleep. You have to develop that kind of resilience when the capitalist system reinforces a world where no matter what if you want to survive as a person straddling the poverty line you have to work your ass off.

This doesn’t even get into the kind of resiliency you have to develop as an undiagnosed neurodivergent person who’s being told by absolutely everyone for most of your life that you’re doing everything wrong. Like Adaine from Dimension 20 is such a good example of that. This is also why I love the portrayal of Ayda Aguefort so much, because she really is like me having to learn everything from books because no one else in her life can explain things the same way that a book can. That is one of those things that as a late diagnosed autistic & ADHDer it’s really hard to explain personally without getting really like tragic or depressing in conversation because it sometimes is just a matter of “I’ve effectively been abused my entire life purely because the system wasn’t built for me and I had a lot of expectations I failed to live up to.”

All of this as a way to say that neurodiversity and disability are much more interesting and heroic feeling when they are portrayed by actually neurodiverse and disabled people, as well as those who love those people enough to tell stories that include them. I think TRRPGs and RPGs in general are a great way to explore this. Often times when we see disabled people in shows or movies that revolve around their disability there is a lack of agency, whereas often times with TTRPGs you have to create your own agency in the first place.

[lej222]

Literary Allusions and Pop Culture References in ASLFUA

After School Lessons is a series that has minimal plot, but great underlying themes and references to other famous creations/pop culture moments. I thought it would be fun to collect as many as I can in this post and their possible narrative connection, not necessarily in order. :)

Cheol & Miae

One of the biggest running gags of the series is that the main characters have the same names as the famous Korean musical duo Cheol and Miae. The group was formed in 1992, with Cheol as the rapper and Miae as the singer. Their single, 'Why do you' became a huge hit and was referenced in ASLFUA plenty of times. Obviously, the main joke here is that the singer Miae was taller than rapper Cheol and they were only friends, while Unripe Apples Cheol is taller than Miae.

Nostradamus

The prophecy of Nostradamus said that in the 7th month of 1999 a great king of terror would descend from the sky and bring end to the world. Which makes it even more interesting that the supernatural powers in the story started to be very active around July with the end of the first term and the start of the summer break.

Miae's posters on the wall: E.T (1982) and The X-Files (1993)

Interestingly enough, both feature aliens. E.T The Extra-Terrestrial might be more interesting for us readers, as it features a young boy named Elliott who befriends an alien. In one of the most famous scenes of the movie, E.T. is riding Elliott's bike in his basket, and the bicycle lifts off from the ground and two are shown flying in front of the full moon. In fact, in a poll made by Universal it was voted as the most memorable movie scene in 100 years of cinema.

Needless to say, there are some ovbious similarities with our story - the boy with the bike, the strange friend, the moon symbolism. In fact, Cheol is always looking at the moon so it wouldn't be a surprise if it was inspired by Spielberg's movie, plus one of the most impactful scenes of aslfua is when Cheol allows Miae to ride his bicycle with him in ep 95, the scene that I personally consider the end of the first part of the story.

Backstreet Boys

Miae is singing the 1997 hit song 'As Long As You Love Me'. Miae, like a typical teenager, likes boybands like the Fire Boys who might be the parody of The Backstreet Boys😃

Romeo and Juliet

There are quite a few references to the 1996 Romeo and Juliet movie, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. On 3 separate cover pages, Miae is portrayed as Juliet, while Cheol and Jisu are dressed like Romeo. There's also a scene where Miae imagines being Juliet who is not allowed to meet her Romeo when she cannot see Cheol. I wonder if Jisu will also have a Romeo-like element in his story that could create a similar situation, it would be an amazing foreshadowing element.

Man in Black

It looks like Soonkki really loves her alien references, because we also have the 1997 movie starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, who play agents tasked with monitoring extraterrestrial life on Earth.

Titanic

Another movie that is mentioned many times in the story, the Titanic (1997) is one that Miae seemingly loves and has watched many times. In fact, it's funny how her favourite part is the car scene because it really shows us readers that Miae is interested in the idea of love, even if she doesn't know what it truly entails to be in a relationship.

Green Day

People born before the 2000s all know that characters listening to the American band's songs were often the slacker/stoner stereotypes. I've also written a post about how Jisu is seemingly the subversion of the 90s slacker/stoner and nerd archetype, while Cheol seems to be the subversion of the jock trope. Jisu is listening to Basket Case (1994) that has become the anthem of many slackers/stoners in the 90s, and weirdly fits his character really well considering Jisu is usually described as a strange person. I've also made several posts about Jisu possibly being on the spectrum, and it's interesting to see how Jisu expresses himself with the songs he listens to, no wonder his hobby is listening to music. If we consider Jisu might be bad at expressing his feelings through his body language, it makes this scene even more precious.

Speed

Cheol invites Miae to watch a movie together and it happens to be the 1994 classic starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. Reeves plays a police officer who has to save the passengers of a bus without the speed of the bus dropping below 50 miles per hour, otherwise a bomb would explode the vehicle. It's one of the most creative action films ever made, but if someone wants to watch it, I advice not to watch the sequel because it is awful lol.

Scream

Miae wants Cheol to join the academy kids watching an R-rated movie which leads to a hilarious misunderstanding. To Cheol's relief, the movie turns out to be the horror movie Scream (1996).

Shakespeare and Carl Jung

Like I've mentioned in my supernatural involvement post under ep 116, we get a close-up of 2 interesting posters.

One of them is about the forest in Midsummer Night's Dream by Shakespeare. The 4 central characters in the play all get entangled with the supernatural, and the forest symbolizes a world where the line between reality and fantasy is blurred. Dreams play an important role in the story as they are sometimes real, sometimes simply dreams. In aslfua, we also have dreams, a forest where young Miae and Cheol played, a stone tower fairy that allegedly grants wishes and an unknown supernatural power that talks to Miae.

The coincidences poster is likely a reference to Carl Jung's synchronicity, a concept that states that seemingly meaningful coincidences have a deeper meaning. One has to realize the connection between their psyche and the material world to experience synchronicity, so basically you have to notice the coincidences that keep happening and put meaning to them. Because these coincidences have no rational explanation, they can be proof for a deeper order in the universe, almost like destiny, no wonder Jung used this concept to argue for the existence of the paranormal. A simple example: you really cannot decide what to study in the future, but have seen many posters on your way about one school. You go home and it pops up on the Internet. You start to wonder if it's a coincidence, and decide that it's a sign from above and eventually choose it. You've experienced synchronicity.

-> this happens when seemingly unrelated events become meaningful to you. Miae wonders how she keeps bumping into Cheol. She says he must have come to her neighborhood because of her wish. Miae experiences synchronicity when it comes to Cheol. Or we could say Miae acknowledges a deeper order in the universe that, through coincidences, let her meet Cheol again. Jisu also notices that he keeps meeting Miae through coincidences, he acknowledges the deeper order, he even remarks it's fun, but he goes beyond and says he feels like there's a higher power involved. Miae has no idea about her coincidences with Jisu so she her psyche doesn't make the connection with the material world. So we have synchronicity experienced by: Miae->Cheol and Jisu->Miae.

Jisu, the grateful magpie

Jisu's backstory gives us a reference to a famous Korean folktale about a man who saved a group of baby magpies from a snake and in return the magpies sacrificed themselves to protect him. Here, the illustration clearly shows Miae as the person who uses her bow and arrow to kill the snake, while we know she called Jisu a magpie when they were kids. Throughout the story, we see Jisu trying to protect Miae and repay the favor without much luck, which pretty much foreshadows one big possible role for Jisu in the storyline, no wonder he's the one who's aware of Shim bullying Miae. It's no coincidence either how in the present she thinks Jisu resembles more of a bald eagle, a predatory animal.

Stone tower

Although it's not an allusion, I wanted to include this one because it's a very famous superstition in Korea. People used to pray to the mountain Gods by building stone pagodas so their wishes would be answered. This tradition is still alive, though nowadays most people tell their wishes or pray for good luck. You usually put your stones on an existing stone tower because it also shows how people are interconnected and how you should respect others so your wish can come true through the wishes of others. That's why you should never destroy a pagoda that somebody else made, and it's also very disrespectful. Miae also makes wishes to the tower so Cheol can become her friend and he would one day come to her neighborhood. When Cheol wants to give her a book, he accidentally falls on the pagoda and injures himself.

The Matrix

The Matrix (1999), one of the most famous movies of all time, is about how reality is actually an illusion, and people can be blinded about the truth about their own existence. The main character Neo, played by Keanu Reeves, is someone who awakens within the Matrix, similarly to what we see in The Truman Show starring Jim Carrey.

In one of the most iconic moments of the movie, the oracle tells Neo not to worry about the vase, while Neo doesn't know what she's talking about until he accidentally drops a vase. This scene poses many different questions about predetermination and free will. Was Neo's act predestined by prior experince, free will, or maybe both?

If you look at my aslfua screenshot, you can notice the code from Matrix in green. And what happens in the scene? Miae and Jisu injure a plant in a pot. An accident, right?? Well, depending on how you interpret it based on the movie. And what does Jisu do? He intentionally throws the pot and destroys the plant. Can Jisu's act be considered a sign of free will? Because that is what he tells Miae- that he is not a bully, so he took the blame by flipping over the plant. Jisu might just be a glitch in the system if you know what I mean :D

The Bible

Last but not least, we have this super symbolic illustration at the end of ep2 after Miae meets Cheol. The biblical allusion is obvious, Miae is holding out a green apple to Cheol, a half-eaten apple. In the first part Miae is the one providing her knowledge to Cheol in order to help him mature. :)

There are probably way more references, but I'm kind of tired so I might add others in the future. :) If anyone read this whole thing, thank you so much! :D

[goitale]

EXPLODES apparently mcsm fandom is coming back and JESTRA IS WINNING (not really but who cares i love them)

anyway ive been thinking about what instruments they would play if they were in a band and like. im on the fence. would jesse play guitar? or something more "sophisticated" like violin? and petra seems like a bass guitar player imo but i can see her on drums! and a lot of other things like maybe even saxophone!

i must console the mcsm fandom about this. specifically you because your headcannons for jesstra are unmatched

HEHEHHEHEHWEEWHEHE IM SO HAPOY YOU THINK MY HEADCANONS R UNMATCHED THIS IS LIKE BESTOWING ME AS JESSTRA KING..../vpos

(if you want a band au, see: @macronisalad1 's band au!!!! PLSPLSPLSPLSPLSPLSPLSSSPLSSSSS)

SO! INSTRUMENTS! bass would be cool for petra but petra is loud and brash. so drums! and jesse would probably play guitar yes and defo not smth "sophisticated " actually!

due to petra and jesse having very complimentary personalities and traits, þeir instruments should also compliment eachoþer! petra using drums is akin to how she fights, wiþ one goal- to kill wiþ style! and imo drums are always portrayed as simple yet also super effective for music :3 (also drummers often have an immaculate sense of tempo/rhythm which can be symbolic for how in-tune petra is wiþ fighting). jesse fights akin to petra but moreso for þe need of it and for þe fun of it, so it would make sense jesse would use guitar bc its more of a lead with the song (having notes)!!!

cuz riddle me þis- when do you see a song have an electric guitar and no drums? or drums and no electric guitar? its very rare, which is JUST like þeir ties wiþ eachoþer!

tysm for the ask!! have fun now :3

[whatsaudreythinkingabout]

randomly assorted scott pilgrim headcanons!

(mostly involving roxy)

(some involving future scenarios)

envy & roxy have the same weak spot behind their knee. they are also girlfriends. this is the most important headcanon & i have a whole separate thing that goes more in-detail on this but this is all you need to know

kim is a huge tegan & sara fan (she’s from canada and definitely bi so it makes sense). she likes their earlier albums (since it takes place in the mid-2000s it would probably be around the time so jealous and/or the con were released), and when heartthrob and lytd came out she tried to pretend she hated the new pop sound but she secretly loves it.

lynette lost her arm while performing a show with tcad that brought the house down. literally. the frequency of the vibrations emitted from their performance was powerful enough to cause a minor earthquake, and while the band was trying to escape the venue, her arm was crushed by falling debris.

envy is bilingual, having grown up in montreal, and speaks both english and french.

roxy & matthew are best friends. however, when they first joined the league, they absolutely could not stand each other. each thought the other was totally obnoxious, and they would constantly bicker and fight with each other. they also definitely got into the pirates vs ninjas argument on more than one occasion. eventually, after a sparring match gone wrong, they bonded over the fact that ramona had used them in some form while they were dating her (matt for his powers, roxy for her sexuality), as well as their love of too much black eye makeup, and they’ve been inseperable ever since. they definitely have a partners-in-crime dynamic, and their friendship is 80% snark and 20% chaotic dumbass.

later on, lucas gets roped into their friendship as well, and they form an unstoppable friend trio. roxy sees him as a cool older brother type. matt has such a huge repressed crush on him you don’t even KNOW and roxy teases him about it literally all the time

after the events of the series, they form a 3-piece punk band called roxy & the hooligans (title derived from a book i read when i was a kid). roxy is the lead singer and bassist (she learned how to play out of pure spite just to flex on scott & todd), matt is lead guitarist & backup vocalist, and lucas is the drummer. matt is also their special effects/pyrotechnics guy.

they’re also housemates for a little while, then matt & lucas start dating and roxy moves in with envy when they start dating. of course, this does not affect their friendship, and they have double dates frequently.

after she starts dating envy, roxy also forms another best friend group with julie powers and lisa miller. at first envy is worried roxy and julie won’t get along bc she thinks julie will be jealous of roxy for “stealing” envy’s attention, but they end up bonding over their shared hatred of scott.

lisa and roxy are identical twins who were separated at birth. (this was bc they’re both portrayed by mae whitman but i might retcon this one, idk)

meanwhile, roxy & todd actually, genuinely HATE each other. todd was always kind of a bully to her when she was in the league & she hates how much he gets on her nerves. to make up for it she loves to rub in his face how much he fumbled the bag with envy

envy was genuinely hurt by lynette going behind her back with todd bc she thought they were friends. lynette is pretty indifferent about it.

after the events of the comic, ramona starts a support group for all the women affected by gideon.

envy is a natural redhead, but started dyeing it blonde once she had her big rockstar makeover, and often alternates between the two shades.

(tentative, still figuring out whether i wanna make this a full headcanon) roxy is a natural brunette, but dyed (and maybe also cut) her hair after ramona broke up with her, as the gays™ are known to do. she also used to wear her hair in space buns instead of pigtails (whaat nooo this totally wasn’t inspired by spinel what are you talking about)

roxy doesn’t really care about the spelling of her name; she spells it with a “y” and with an “ie.” (alternate idea: she spelled it with an ie before the breakup and with a y after the breakup?)

barbie movies exist in this canon, and envy recorded “hope has wings” for the magic of pegasus when she was a teen (back when she was still going by natalie) but she’s super embarrassed about it. she has literally done everything in her power to hide it, but as soon as her friends find out about it they refuse to let her live it down.

likewise, finally out of pe exists in this verse except now it’s just part of envy’s early discography, which she wrote before she formed TCAD.

technically the events of the story happened at the same time the early barbie movies & brie’s album came out but we can afford to move the timelines around a lil bit just for funsies

kim created the maid costume herself, & she’s a closet geek/cosplayer. later on she & envy end up bonding over their secret nerdy sides.

she’s also a closet theatre kid

roxy is the kind of person that tries to put on a tough front to avoid getting hurt & being seen as weak but if you give her even one (1) single tiny bit of affection she will instantly fall apart (especially if you happen to be a pretty girl)

when gideon was messing with everybody’s memories, he ended up causing a rift in the universe that caused the timeline to branch into two separate realities (the books and the movie, respectively). when he was defeated, they merged into one again, but the characters now have memories from both realities. it’s a little confusing

wallace ends up getting together with stephen later on (maybe? they seem like they’d have a fun dynamic), and they’re happy together, but once wallace finds out about matt & lucas dating he’s so fucking salty about it bc HE HAD A CHANCE WITH LUCAS LEE THIS WHOLE TIME

ramona eventually becomes the lead singer of shatterband. scott & kim decide the two-person lineup isn’t working out for them; they need a frontman, someone with charisma to tie them all together. then they hear a voice coming from the bedroom. they go to investigate and find ramona singing softly to herself. she’s a bit hesitant to join at first bc she’s not super confident about singing in front of others, but they manage to convince her by telling her how she could totally one-up envy.

matthew is a proud, unabashed theatre kid. roxy is the kind of person who acts like she absolutely despises theatre kids (even tho she’s really just as melodramatic as matt but won’t admit it) until karaoke night rolls around & she suddenly knows all the songs

roxy is a mixed media artist & is proficient in quite a few different techniques, but her specialty is graffiti. since being a ninja takes a lot of discipline & she often got criticized for letting her emotions get the better of her, it gives her an outlet to be more uninhibited.

the twins are pretty aloof & don’t really talk to anyone else besides themselves; they just kinda do their own thing while viewing everyone else with either mutual respect or smug superiority. gideon doesn’t really give a shit about the other league members, but the twins are his “favorites” (relatively speaking) just bc of how efficient & powerful they are

scott & ramona end up in sort of a semi-throuple with kim. no one really knows what their exact situation is; whether they’re an open relationship, friends with benefits, or just officially all dating each other, but wherever they are, kim is usually also there, & they don’t question it. (honestly the more i think about it the more i like the idea of polyamorous ramona just bc there’s so many characters i ship her with)

maybe wallace also gets involved. just for funsies

in the future, roxy ends up taking knives on as her ninja protégé. as a mentor, she’s pretty no-nonsense bc she wants her to be able to reach her full potential, but she also tries to keep her temper in check & not be overly harsh on her just bc of what she went through in her own training (at the ninja academy she was looked down upon for her half-ninja status & constantly belittled for being too soft, undisciplined, emotional, etc. which caused her to push herself to the brink of total physical and mental exhaustion to prove them wrong, & that led to her parents pulling her out bc they were worried she was gonna push herself so hard it would kill her, & that whole situation is the main source of most of her insecurities). at first she’s put off by how relentlessly upbeat knives is, but then she sees how eager she is to make her proud & roxy can’t help but see a bit of herself in her. over time she comes to see her as sort of a kid sister, especially when knives eventually comes out to her, though she refuses to admit how much of a soft spot she actually has for her. she knows knives can handle herself, but she’s also grown more than a little protective of her (and scott is terrified of her for this reason)

i have a LOT of other HCs regarding specific backstories/relationship dynamics/etc that i might post later if i get the motivation for it but these are just some of my shorter ones

[shadamyheadcanons]

SPOILERS FOR THE MURDER OF SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 🛑 https://twitter.com/krack932/status/1641923206486294530?s=46&t=tC2LddLuwO9pUUd3TlNgIg

Guess it’s time I tackled this, huh? I’m late to the party!

Short answer: I love the game AND the Shadow/Amy interactions! They’re wonderful! I’ll be putting spoilers under the cut. If you haven’t played it yet, I’d definitely recommend it. Great art, great story, fun gameplay. It’s free on Steam and it’ll probably only take you a few hours, so there’s nothing to lose!

I never would have thought to make a Sonic murder mystery game, but it fits super well. The characters are really well-written. It’s been a long time since I played a Sonic game and felt everyone was portrayed well. I wasn’t even fully satisfied with Frontiers in that regard tbh, but this game nailed all of them. It helps that with Sonic being, uh...preoccupied, we get to see side characters interacting with each other for once. Blaze conspiring with Rouge? Yes, please! Knuckles throwing a fit when he loses to Vector in a video game? Wonderful!

But Shadamy is the standout. I couldn’t be happier with how these two were handled! This is exactly the kind of Shadow/Amy interaction I’ve waited years for, and I know I’m not alone in that. Some people have started shipping them because of this game!

I think what I like most about it is that this is the exact pattern I often use when I write them falling in love. He does something really sweet and dedicated for her...

...makes bad excuses to try and downplay it...

(PFFT WHAT SOCIAL STATUS??? Even Tails is laughing)

He remembers something about Amy and goes to the trouble of doing something nice for her even if he has to embarrass himself in the process, something he wouldn’t be caught dead doing for anyone else...

She sees right through his excuses because she knows how sweet he is. She literally stutters and blushes. Just look how smitten she is!

...and then she asks him out because she wants to spend more time with him.

Sure, she’s probably thinking of it platonically, but it’s worth noting that this is the exact approach she’s taken to try to get dates in the past.

Wallpaper posted on Sonic Channel 2/22/21. Art by Yuji Uekawa

If she wants to spend time with a love interest someone, she’ll make it happen, regardless of their hesitation.

And he agrees. He hesitates either because it’s a boy band or maybe because concerts aren’t his thing, but he says yes because it’s her. The proof is right there: he goes through all this for her specifically. He dresses up in a glorified Starbucks outfit--let’s be real, we were all thinking it--joins in for a silly game, something that’s been out of character for him since the beginning...

and agrees to go to a party despite repeatedly rejecting invitations to such things in the past. Rouge makes it clear that’s the norm:

And even when he shows up to Sonic’s birthday, he’s late and ignores everyone, including Sonic himself:

But he goes to Amy’s birthday, makes sure to get her a thoughtful gift, and even socializes with the others. He’s in a pretty good mood, even showing an unusual amount of patience while she’s accusing him.

He doesn’t snap back at her or anything the way he normally would with others. How many people could get away with interrupting Shadow the hedgehog without getting an earful? He really is more patient with her than he is with anyone else.

Shadow’s a blunt, stubborn guy, and he won’t agree to something if he doesn’t want to. But he’ll go to a crowded boy band concert because Amy’s just worth it to him. Different rules for Amy. And if he keeps it up, she’s bound to notice.

That’s how I write them, at least, and now it’s in a semi-official Sonic game, too. I couldn’t be happier. <3 Hopefully Sega will see the positive response and put these two together more often; people really loved this, regardless of who they ship. Platonic or otherwise, I’d love to see more.

Either way, rest assured that this interaction will be finding its way into headcanons here and there from now on. And I may or may not have a proper story in the works for it 👀

Oh, and the kicker?

Tails totally ships it. He didn’t have to wink like that, but he sees what’s up. He’s a clever kid. That’s another point for the “Tails is on Team Amy” trend, and more fuel for the Everyone Ships Shadamy tag.

[softspeirs]

It's really interesting (and this isn't a callout post) during this HBO War re-watch to see how the fandom experience differs - I think for many of us who watched Band of Brothers years (even a decade) ago, we were so obsessed with the meticulous historical accuracy that the show portrayed (yes, there are issues with Ambrose's book as the primary source material, but that's a whole separate post).

We loved how real everything felt, and the dialogue felt easy and natural. Reading more books on Easy though, I often found myself wishing the writers had included this piece of dialogue or this conversation or that battle...

Now we have Masters of the Air and for me, the biggest thing I was worried about was that it would sacrifice historical accuracy for creative storytelling -- and it seems that many people watching it take issue with that, but for the opposite reason - some people feel the inclusion of historical accuracies (or pieces of dialogue) actually hinder the storytelling and other creative liberties that the writers took.

I may be being An Old about this, but I just find it so fascinating to see how the way we interact with and judge a piece of media changes over the years.

And I wonder - if the writers had decided to go with screen writing only, and didn't include any piece of actual dialogue from Donald Miller's book or the men's memoirs, would we have the opposite feeling? Would we feel the show was more or less accurate?

I suppose it comes down to what you're watching the show for - are you watching for a realistic piece of historical media, or for a show that tells a very creative story but is essentially historical fiction? I think we all ideally want both, or at least I do. I appreciate the time they took to include real details and keep things as accurate as possible, and I can also see where and why they chose to alter things.

This is simply a ramble, no discourse required! Just an observation as a fandom old who has seen thoughts and feelings about war media change over the years.

[hum4n01df00]

Here is my list of characters that are most definitely Weezer fans

*note this is very opinionated, so if you disagree, make ur own damn list!* But do share some important info that applies to this category or share some other characters you think could fit in this list!

ps- this isn't very detailed because i can't be bothered lol.

Spencer Reid (Criminal Minds)- I have seen Criminal Minds fans say that he'd be a swiftie or whatever. NO! he'd like Weezer and the Pixies. He yearns like that bro. Even though Mgg is a hottie, Reid would just be that down bad!

Malcolm Wilkerson(Malcolm in the middle)- he is the teenage boyloser (even though he is a genius). His poor social skills just contribute to this idea.

Luke Skywalker(Star Wars)- A farm boy with dreams? he reminds me of every single Virgincore music fan on TikTok. if they existed in the star wars universe, he would definitely be bumping that shit.

Brain Johnson- This is the brain from the breakfast club. He is a sensitive people pleaser with immense issues. I think this applies to the Weezer fan base. Again, if they existed in that time period he would definitely listen to that, but I also have strong Smiths vibes from him.

Louis Tully (ghostbusters)- this man is a man of persuasion. In the first movie, he was a mega simp (by this I mean that he literally almost died trying to turn Dana's TV off) and then I the second movie he was submissive towards Janine. This applies to the Weezer list and the characteristics of a Weezer fan.

Cameron Frye (Ferris Bueller)- "he's gonna marry the first girl he lays, and she is gonna treat him like shit". Sounds like something Rivers Cuomo would write about in the 90s.

Tina Belcher (Bob's Burgers)- A hopeless romantic, who fantasizes about boys, horses, and many things. she is literally the female equivalent of Rivers Cuomo in a sick way(minus the horses by the way).

Fogel or McLovin (Superbad)- He reminds me of every single nerdy kid who discovers cool music like Alex G or something like that. He is every TikTok goth's wet dream- and something about that gives him that Weezer essence.

EVERY. SINGLE. MICHAEL. CERA. CHARACTER. EVER- let's face it, even in real life he claims to be a Weezer fan. He is often portrayed to be awkward and introverted with an often very sweet personality. He is the product of Weezer.

Mordecai (regular show)- Mordecai has a very nerdy kind of feel, he works at a park and if he were a human, he'd be the blueprint of male manipulators. So, definitely a Weezer fan.

Paul Tannek (loser)- This guy owns one of those hats, he falls in love with an alternative girl and he just is one, ok? It just makes sense.

Daria Morgendorffer (Daria)- She seems like a Sonic Youth fan because their music is dry and monotone, she probably likes cake as well and idk she seems like a riot grrrl. But I can definitely see Weezer being one of the bands she probably enjoys but I don't know. She'd also enjoy matt's band the rentals.

Hiccup (httyd)- He likes Weezer because he is an outsider from the rest of the dragon trainers and I feel like he'd relate to like 'the good life' because he doesn't have a leg no more. he'd just relate to River's Harvard experience.

Neil Lewis (Watching The Detectives)- He is a film bro, he falls in love with a manic pixie dream girl PLUS he is like the punching bag within his circle. If he likes EODM then he probably likes Weezer.

Eric Foreman (that 70s show)- He seems to be that shy kid that every friendship group has, he acts freaky with Donna so why not put him in this category. He is so virgincore (without being a virgin ofc).

Simon Seville (Alvin and the Chipmunks)- His signature color is blue- idk what else you'd expect (he is chipmunk Reid)

[castlebyersafterdark]

Wow, thanks so much for that beautiful take on Will’s attraction to Mike! I love the passion and personal experience you included. 

its definitely true about will being into unconventional beauty, I hadn’t seen that viewpoint articulated before. All the music in the show, and indeed the themes of the show itself - that Jonathan sets in motion through talking about music and outsiders - are reflected in will’s attraction to mike. I think the creators chose Finn as an actor partly for this reason, whether or not the mike and will romance was planned from the off. Mike was meant to be the leader, but he’s still an outcast, and needed outcast traits.

It’s also quite amusing that Finn has ended up being the kind of musician/band guy that Will would have really been into (which is also why I wouldn’t be unhappy if they tried to include these skills in Mike’s character/the s5 story somehow, especially considering music is such a huge part of the show narratively. So far the only hint we’ve seen is the guitar in his bedroom). His appearance is not American Conventional Hot, but he certainly fits the alt camp, which is far from niche (see basically any band musician from the 60s onwards and the legions of people who find them hot). Like you said - Will is into Bowie. He’s into alt. It makes so much sense that he would be into Mike physically. 

You spoke beautifully about how Mike’s height is a physicalisation of his protective instincts too, which I do think would have been a major catalyst in Will’s falling in love. We don’t get to see much of Will’s developing crush in s2, because of his possession, but arguably that is a sort of narrative metaphor for what’s happening (as well as a commentary on his homosexuality overall), and there are plenty of intense moments of Will looking at Mike in s2. It’s there, it’s just not presented as people might expect - but then again Will is quiet, so his attraction is expressed quietly, unless you know what to look for.

And then s4 - I think Will having painted so meticulously really does show that on some level he is very comfortable with his attraction to Mike, and it's just expressing that safely + risking their friendship that is the issue. To me, Will's internalised homophobia isn't a persistent distaste with the male body despite also being attracted to it; it's a frustration with how society views him, and therefore a wish to be 'normal' for an easier life. I think s5 will be feature him coming to revel in being gay - he is already on the way there by acknowledging that loving Mike feels so natural to him and he wouldn't give it up, not even when he's in pain.

Some of my fav moments in s4 are the way he looks at Mike in the van as he unfurls the painting - it’s all in the eyes and hesitance, and it’s just gorgeous and so real for someone like Will. Perhaps the real problem with people not picking up on byler is that realistic shy/introverted romance is so criminally under-portrayed in modern media. And of course what you said about Mike arriving in Lenora - it’s brilliant and hilarious because we have this mix of in love/pissed off + wtf is Mike wearing/Will still can’t take his eyes off him, and I think it speaks so well of how physical attraction often follows emotional. Will might not like Mike’s unconventional features out of context (though I think he does - as said above) but even if he didn’t, the fact that they are MIKE’s makes them desirable. 

A wonderful detail is when Mike comes into Will’s room and sits on his bed - it’s an apology scene, but underneath is this idea that Will would have fantasised for so long about Mike being in his room, on his bed - and now he is, and Will doesn’t quite know what to do with it. 

Thanks for such an insightful take, and for acknowledging the actors in such a mature way. The byler Tumblr police seem to think that isn’t possible, and it’s certainly not common! You express yourself so well. 

I don't have much to add here without repeating myself or parts of your lovely message but yesssssss to everything ❤️❤️❤️ thank you for the kind words and insightful thoughts

[fantastickkay]

Album Review of the Week: Ke$ha - Animal (2010)

Kesha Sebert ushered in the 2010s in the most iconic way imaginable. By kicking down the doors and bringing mainstream pop to a whole new level! It took me a few years to get it, I have always been more of a Gaga girlie, but once I got it a few years later - I was obsessed!

We kick it off with probably the most radio friendly track on the album, Your Love Is My Drug. Lyrically, it is borderline as far as the radio goes but the structure of the whole thing is total radio material. I love the lyrics and vocal delivery of the verses, they go together so well and she is able to convey the desperation. Then, the chorus is explosive and worthy of blasting in your Jeep in the summer! At the end, we get a silly spoken word section that sort of introduces what you are in for with the rest of the album, NOTHIN' BUT SASS.

Track 2 is the big hit, Tik Tok. Ever since this song hit the scene, it has been a legendary party track. As with the previous song, it is perfectly structured for the mood it is going for. I hear it and long for my house party days!

Next, we have Take It Off. This is one of my favorites! The Streets of Cairo interpolation, the deep thumping synths that just inject right into your veins. I also love the lines 'I'm not the designated/driver so I don't give a' and 'Get my drunk text on, I'll regret it in the morning/but tonight I don't give a'. This song definitely echoes back to a long gone time in my life.

Our first deep track is Kiss N Tell. This song is so perfectly synthy and poppy and bouncy. The lyrics are a little juvenile but they do perfectly portray some aspects of partying because I definitely witnessed some bitter rivalries!

Stephen is a rare moment of vulnerability, although it still has all of the instrumentation that is very 80s video game and synthy. Even though it is a soft ballad, we still get a lot of sass and the lyrics are not what you might predict for this sort of song, making it fun to listen to.

Blah Blah Blah (featuring 3OH!3) is another one of my favorites. I love the disorienting intro with the layered vocals that are all over the place. Another great chorus for driving around with the windows down or jumping around at a party! It is also fun to see 3OH!3 involved as they were huge around this time as well in the same realm of crazy party music.

Hungover is another soft ballad set to heavy synths and striking drum beats. It is a unique breakup song in the way she isn't sure if she is really sad and missing the person, or if she's just plain hungover. It also shows another side to the party, when everyone is gone and you're just left with yourself. What happens then?

After recovering from that hangover, the tempo picks up as we head over to a Party At A Rich Dude's House. This one is a bit rockier than the rest so far, even has a guitar! Another fantastic chorus to get you in the party mood - so much fun!

Backstabber is a standout, again it has that cat-fight feeling, but it sounds so fun! The instrumentals are so energetic, the melody is fun and I love how her voice kinda slurs/fades out at the end of some lines. The production has been great this whole time, but it really stands out on this track.

Blind is a track that I do not often revisit unless I am listening to the album as a whole. I like how her voice sounds during the "you'll miss me till the day you die", other than that it is a pretty forgettable track in the midst of everything else.

Dinosaur is one of the funniest songs not performed by a novelty band. I absolutely love the crazy laughing bits and the lyrics are so cooky and playful. The overall sound isn't as nice as we have grown accustomed to, but that may be on purpose to play into the silliness of this particular tune.

Dancing With Tears in my eyes in another attempt to be deep while playing into the club image. While I appreciate the deviation from the usual heartbreak tune, it does get a little old especially since we seem to be going back and forth between vulnerable and party/silly vibes.

Back to the fun with Boots & Boys. This one is a fan favorite, as well as one of my own. It is always on my workout playlist! The melody of the verses is a lot of fun and we get that crazy cosmic stutter thing again.

We close out with the title track, Animal. This song is fine, but it is nothing too memorable for me. In interviews leading up to the album, Kesha said that she chose the album title because she wanted people to lose themselves in the music and let out their animal side and go crazy. I think the contrast of that message with the subdued song that snags the same title is interesting.

Overall, this is a legendary debut album chock full of bonafide party hits! Although the back and forth between moods gets to be a little much after a while, this album has stellar production and lyrics. A great performance!

[klbwriting]

The Jason Todd Anomaly

Chapter 2: Just Wanted a Coffee and a Donut

Pairing: Jason Todd/female reader

Fandom: Jason Todd, Bat Family, Red Hood

Warnings: none except foul mouths

Summary: Jason and Y/N meet again and yet again can’t seem to keep calm

Chapter 1

Y/N pulled her dark red hair up after her shower and shoved her gym clothes into her duffel bag.  She hated that the only good gym was in Red Hood's territory, but she needed to work out her annoyance at being interrupted the previous night so she had just put in an early morning lifting and boxing session and now she was starving.  She slid on her hoodie, being completely enveloped by the material, next came the ski cap, folded up so no one could see the holes for her eyes and mouth she had added and off she went.  

The diner was nearly empty, typical for 9AM on a weekday.  Even with the city cut up to ribbons by criminals capitalism still ran the world and people needed to work.  The waitress just motioned around the room, not caring where she sat so she took a seat at the counter.  She barely glanced over as four men walked in and sat at the booth behind her.  

"Going to have to ask you to leave," the waitress said suddenly.  Y/N looked confused.

"Why?" she asked.  The guys at the booth looked over.  Y/N knew she recognized them from somewhere but she couldn't figure out where from.  They were watching her, the one nearest was eyeing her particularly hard.

"The Wayne family needs some time," the waitress said, looking nervously at the men.  Then it clicked.  These guys were Bruce Wayne's adopted kids.  They had been on TV in recent months mourning the loss of their father.  He'd disappeared almost a year ago and they were gearing up for some memorial.  She tried to check off who was who in her head.  She only really knew two of the men, near the window, Dick, white, tall, blonde hair and blue eyes, looking every inch the heartthrob, a clear heir to the playboy throne and across from him was Damian Wayne, the only actual legitimate son of Bruce, she only knew that his mother was from the middle east and he was often portrayed as a snotty, privileged bastard, however, she sensed that was due to xenophobia since he looked like a normal teenager.  He had dark hair in a small ponytail, dark eyes, nothing about him screamed brat.  The other two of Bruce's sons she couldn't recognize but she studied their features all the same.  Next to Dick was a black man, brown eyes, dark hair cut close to his head, he was looking at his phone as if he didn't have a care in the world, and the one eyeing her with dark, annoyed eyes, was Asian, with dark hair that fell into his face in a way that she couldn't deny, was pretty hot.  She took stock of the situation, deciding that a fight wasn't what she wanted right now.  She just wanted coffee and a donut, and she was getting it.  

"Can I at least get some coffee and a donut to go?" she asked, her stomach rumbling out loud for effect.  The waitress threw a glance to the men.  The annoyed, yet hot one, stood.

"She said you had to leave," he said.  Y/N turned to him, trying to remember which one this was.  Joey?  Maybe.

"Listen here...Joey is it?"

"Jason..." "Alright, Jason, you don't own the diner, or the neighborhood, so I'm not sure why you and your little band of misfit toys needs the whole place, but I will leave as soon as I get some coffee and a fucking donut, so please, sit down and be patient," she said.  Jason looked back at the other Robins, all of them smirking.  Of course these assholes would like watching someone try to chew him out.  He glared at this girl.  

"What's your name?" he asked.  Y/N gave him a confused look.  Why did he want her name?

"Y/N," she answered, trying to not give too much away.  Jason nodded, pinching the bridge of his nose for a moment.  

"You're funny, you know I do own the diner, birthday present from Bruce, I love the pancakes here, so no you can't have the coffee or the donut..."

"O come  on Jason, just let her get her food and go, I'm bored of sitting here watching you two argue," Tim said, glancing up from his phone.  Jason turned and glared at him but he was unfazed, already back to his phone.  Jason looked at Y/N and then the waitress.

"Fine..." he grumbled.  The waitress quickly filled a cup with coffee and handed Y/N a bag with a donut in it.  The girl took them and glared at Jason, fumbling for her wallet.  Tim stood up and walked over, pulling out some cash.  

"Let me, to apologize for how insensitive my brother here is," he said, putting the dollars on the counter for Y/N.  She threw him a small smile before sending Jason one last glare and stalking out of the diner.  What a dick.  That other one, Tom maybe? He was alright.  She took a sip of coffee and headed off to get home and get ready for her own shift in Gotham PD's records room.  

"What the hell was that?" Jason said, sitting back down at the table.  Tim just shrugged with a laugh.

"Anyone who can bother you that much deserves something nice," he said.  Dick chuckled a little while Damian looked bored.

"Can we get on with this?" he asked, clearly not wanting to be there.  Dena, the waitress, knew exactly what to bring to everyone, and she knew to disappear after she was finished.  

"Alright, so this dumbass last night, they had smoke bombs and I noticed a really badly done utility belt," Jason said.  "Also, a ski mask with holes cut out of the eyes and mouth like she robbing a gas station."  The others listened, exchanging looks with each other.  "What?"

"How did you know she was a she?" Dick asked.  Jason scowled.

"Because I am observant, and her hair was sticking out of the hat," Jason said, making sure not to turn red at all.  The only people who could embarrass him all had to be at this table right now.  He couldn't wait to be done with this shit.  He hurriedly started talking again so they wouldn't ask any questions about what he observed of this new vigilante, explaining what had happened again, emphasizing that this new person was definitely not a professional.  Someone hadn't flown in from another city to try and help and they didn't seem to be trying to carve out some territory, just trying to fuck shit up for Penguin.  

"So they're someone from inside Gotham," Dick said.  Jason nodded.  "And since they have some training as you said they're probably not living in one of the criminal territories, someone would have recruited them into their gang already, or killed them."

"Yes, so that just leaves everyone in the Safe Zone, possibly someone underground in my territory, I don't keep too many tabs unless they're a threat and while she had training this chick is no threat to me."  The others rolled their eyes, tossing cash onto the table to pay for breakfast.  They knew better than to think Jason would do that.  He stood up, leaving the diner first after telling them to call him if this girl showed up for any of them.

Y/N stayed away from the border of the Red Hood territory for a few days, not wanting to possibly run into the Wayne 4 again, but she needed to get a good training session in and she hated the Gotham PD gym.  Back before the Robins had gotten control of the precinct the place had been ransacked and they stole pretty much all they could carry, the department gym only had a couple treadmills and a single upper body machine, it was a shame, she remembered when it had been nice back when she wasn't pulling 12 hour shifts filing paperwork and running errands for the commissioner.  The only plus side to Gotham being a mess was she could do as she pleased most of the time, as long as the paperwork was filed and any requests she had were completed so here she was, 1 the in the afternoon and ready for a boxing session.  

"Ok Y/N, I want you to be ready for anything, so keep those hands up and just throw fists.  You try to think first out in the streets you're dead, hit first, ask questions later," he trainer, Marco, said, holding up the pad.  Y/N threw her combos, making sure to stay strong and keep her thumb tucked.  Marco was moving around, getting her to move with him, create some agility in her feet when he stopped, looking behind her.  Y/N had already been extending her hand so when she turned the punch finished, taking out the guy standing on the apron of the ring.  

Jason felt the hit from the glove and in surprise, he was knocked off the apron, landing on his feet on the floor.  He touched his cheek where the punch had connected, not finding any blood but knowing it would probably bruise later.  He glared and looked at the person throwing hands.  She removed the headgear and it was that Y/N girl again.  

"What the fuck are you doing here?" he asked, ignoring the laugh from the other Robins behind him.  Of course the one day a week they got together to train and this girl had to be around.  She looked sorry for a moment before getting annoyed.

"Well, you should know better than to try to get in the ring when someone is training.  I know you were rich and all but didn't Bruce Wayne teach you any patience?" she asked, removing the gloves and starting to untape her hands.  He noticed the calluses and cuts, like she fought more then just in the ring, looking back up at her he could see in her eyes that she was stubborn, relentless.  He almost liked her eyes.  

"We have the gym booked for the next hour, please leave, now" he said, sitting on the rope so she could get out.  Y/N looked at the rope, at Jason, and then laid down, rolling out of the ring like it was a wrestling show.  He rolled his eyes.  She headed towards the locker room, glancing back at them.  Tim gave her a wave and she smiled and waved back at him before going into the locker room.  For some reason Jason wanted to punch Tim harder than ever before so that day he trained against him mostly, being more aggressive than normal.  

[isthisaria]

My recommendation of '23

You’ve Got My Devotion (Hate You Sometimes) by lucythegoosey

Harry was in the biggest boy band in the world. He was also one half of the best (or worst, depends on who you ask) kept secret relationship in the music industry. Now, almost five years on, after One Direction has broken up, and Harry and Louis' relationship has as well, a video threatens to put everything at risk. One determined Irishman, a massive publicity stunt and two begrudging exes are all it takes to bring One Direction back to life and maybe, just maybe, Harry and Louis' mangled love life too. Or: Harry and Louis are forced to fake-date after an old video from when they were dating emerges.

the school of extraordinary lovers by stylinsoncity

"We keep telling the other, I love you and I love you, and we do, though we both know where the knives are." - Laura Van Prooyen harry is a third-year witch and violinist at Laitswold, the only magical academy in the UK, with dreams of taking on the world, and hopefully breaking the centuries-old curse on his family while he's at it. he does not dream of facing off against his childhood rival and duet partner, but louis is back in town after six years abroad, so that's exactly what happens.

The Second Hand Unwinds by kingsofeverything

Louis Tomlinson is one of the first members of NASA's top secret Chrono Exploration Program. When things go wrong and he's sent further back in time than planned, he has no other option than to show up on his ex-boyfriend's doorstep.

all we can do is keep breathing by thealmightyavocado

“Harry, I-I’m so sorry…” Louis stutters out, trying to keep his voice level and even, to portray a depiction of strength, but with the way Harry is looking at him, staring at him like he has a personal passage way straight to Louis’ soul, it’s so hard, nearly impossible. That simple opening phrase, that short introductory acknowledgement that is often rushed out so easily, painlessly, at a safe distance. Giving a doctor the ability to portray empathy without true emotion, without feeling the full brunt and sheer force of the underlying pain itself. But Louis feels it, he feels the crushing agony laced behind the phrase, he feels the weight of the painful words slipping from his lips, the cause and effect that the three-word expression holds. The distantly empty “I’m so sorry” that doctors throw out in self-preservation, isn’t at all empty for him. Louis recognizes it, he understands it, he feels it.   a fated story of two broken and battered boys who barely survived the unimaginable and how the love of one little brave girl defies all the odds and somehow puts them back together.

A Package Deal by alltheselights

Louis knows Harry hasn't fucked and run because he can hear him talking quietly in the next room. He shouldn't care enough to get up and find out who he's talking to—he knows cops get phone calls at all hours of the night and day—but Louis has always been too curious for his own good. He pushes himself up off the couch and pulls on his underwear, which he finds several feet away, folded in a small pile. Harry must have done that while he was still asleep. It feels a little silly to be tiptoeing around in his own home, but Louis does it anyway. When he finally peeks around the corner to the kitchen, he sees Harry kneeling on the floor with Biscuit, and that alone is enough to disrupt Louis' usual heart rate. When he realizes that Biscuit is allowing Harry to scratch around his ears while he mutters to him quietly about what a pretty boy he is, well, okay. Now Louis might need a defibrillator. For the past three years, it's just been Louis and his one-eye orange cat, Biscuit. When Louis starts sleeping with Harry, the aggravating cop stationed at the ER where he works, he has no reason to think anything will change. Unfortunately, Biscuit and Harry have other plans.

a cycle of recycled revenge by brokenbeaks

Foxburgh, England, 1983. In the heat of summer, wreathed by pastures, rolling knolls, and thatched-roof cottages, Louis takes on a new job: caretaking for a recently blinded man named Harry. As it begins, what seems like a simple task turns into a quest that costs him every last bit of his pride and tolerance. Harry is, in practice, a two-legged curse. And Louis is just gonna have to put up with it. Or: The one where Harry likes to infuriate Louis almost as much as he enjoys straddling his lap.