#they’re lowkey the perfect dynamic

[hadvarandralof]

you pretty , he ugly , you swan , he frog !

[revehae]

sorry babe i dont have any descriptive hard thoughts atm 😔 only came here to say nomin as roommates 🤤🤤🤤 lots of manhandling

tweaking off an energy drink right now and i cant stay still but here’s what i got. also this got wayyyy too long i had to stop tw // nothing actually! unless homosexuality triggers you but this lowkey kinda gay in a “my boyfriend and i saw you across the bar and we really dig your vibe” way. also i was gonna include manhandling but it got long, so…im sorry

sorry when you said “nomin as roommates” my brain went… just nomin or? i figured that’s not what u meant but my mind still wandered there so anyway.

jaemin and jeno recruiting you into their not relationship… like, they swear they’re not dating or whatever, and you don’t really press about it because it’s none of your business, to be honest. but they have been searching for a new roommate, a female one, not that they mention this to you during their recruitment, and something about you checks all the boxes of whatever it is they’re looking for. you don’t know that, though. you’re just happy you finally seemed to find a place to stay after much trial and error.

anywho, it’s relatively normal at first, other than the fact that jaemin seems to be naked most of the time… it’s not like he walks around the house freeballing, but damn close. it’s not so bad though, because he cooks sometimes and shares. jeno cleans. you appreciate the routine and harmony they seem to have going on, finding that they complement each other in some weird way, and you want to know how you can fit into that dynamic. after all, if you’re going to live here with them, you have to contribute, right?

it’s hard, though. honestly, you hardly understand why they were searching for a roommate in the first place. jaemin and jeno seem to handling everything, including rent, just fine together. they have a perfect balance in their life with or without you. jaemin cooks, jeno cleans. during their movie nights you walk in on, that they never ask you to join, jeno makes the popcorn and jaemin picks the movie. they work out together, coming home from the gym with sweat-drenched shirts that cling to their bodies, laughing about things you will never understand. jeno pinching jaemin’s bicep to marvel at how strong he is now. jaemin’s hand wandering over jeno’s chest for a second too long before commenting on how sturdy he’s gotten. sometimes you wonder if they will invite you, too afraid to ask to tag along, but they never do.

not until you accidentally walk in on them, jeno’s hand around jaemin’s tall, stiff cock as it spills over with semi-clear trinkles of prerelease, jaemin’s hips involuntarily arching into jeno’s palm. you gasp, eyes immediately hitting the floor as you jerk your head away and start to shut the door, spluttering, “sorry,” over and over. you had intended to come to jaemin’s room to ask him for help on changing the settings on your camera and the door had been slightly open. but a call of your name makes you halt just before you can shut it completely. “y-yeah?” you stammer, still not looking up from the floor. really, it’s not much of an invitation that you are given; “come in and close the door,” is what jaemin says.

for some weird reason, you obey.

that is how you find yourself with your palm around jaemin’s cock instead, your hand smaller than jeno’s. he tips his head back, moaning. he is sitting with his legs thrown open and you are standing at the edge of the bed, fisting his cock, all the while jeno is behind you, lips tickling the back of your neck. you try not to let it bother you, try to focus on anything but how it feels to have him pressed against you, but the only other thing you can focus on is the fact that jaemin is completely naked in front of you, bare chest heaving, and your eyes glimpse over the undulating muscle before going down to his toned stomach and throbbing cock, coated with a glistening sheen. jeno chuckles in your ear, the sound making you shudder, and murmurs, “so tense… relax, precious.”

his kisses droop down to your shoulders, pushing the loose hem of your oversized shirt so that it slacks just above your forearm. “you know what jaemin does to me when i need to relax, hm?” he asks, and he does expect you to reply. it’s a whisper when you do, like you have completely lost your voice. “he uses his pretty pink lips. look at them. aren’t they pretty?”

you do look at jaemin’s lips, and they are pretty. you have noticed before. never dry, which impresses you. jaemin grins proudly at the compliment, feeling adored. “yeah, aren’t my lips pretty, princess?” you nod your head, muttering, “yeah… they’re nice.” jaemin smiles a little wider, a little wilder. “make me come and i’ll put them on you. deal?”

and he does put them on you. your thighs squeeze the pale palette of his soft cheeks as you straddle his face, cotton panties hanging on jeno’s finger until he has to manually hold you onto jaemin’s mouth, keeping you in place when the pleasure becomes too much to bear. strong hands gripping onto your hips as you try to get away from the stimulation, with the added force of jaemin’s fingers tightening on your thighs as he sucks as your sensitive clit. you can’t move. you can’t escape it. “no use in fighting it, babe,” jeno tells you huskily, nibbling at your earlobe. “you’re not going anywhere. just let jaem make you feel good, okay?”

[loving-family-poll]

2nd Ultimate Incest Tournament - Round 1

Propaganda under the cut:

Amma/Camille:

Off the charts messy vibes. Grief over losing dead sister mixed with complicated feelings of having new sister. Possessive, jealous, manipulative.

Camille is lowkey infatuated with Amma and Amma is highkey infatuated with Camille. Great annoying younger sister trying to get her older sister's attention material. Plus murderous, intense, dangerous and clingy younger sister trying her damnest to capture her emotionally stunted but ultimately survivor older sister as a means both of getting out of the family sickness and drowning in it through a more compatible dynamic.

I mean. They literally make out. It's incest and pedophilia and weird family trauma and murder. I mean it's literally the perfect sicko ship.

In the book camille is obsessed with her 14 year old sisters big ol titties. truly insane.

I love these teeth sisters so much. Camille obsession with Amma in the book and the way she can’t stop talking about how beautiful Amma’s looks. The drug kiss at the party and the way Amma/Camille can be consider a form of mother/daughter incest due to their age gap and the way they’re recreating the trauma of past relationships like their mother and late grandmother.

Ashley/Andrew:

A murderous brother & sister pair with an unhealthy relationship

They are my most precious pair of freaks, I love them. Murderous, codepedent, demon summoning, cannibal goth siblings that can't live without one another and don't want to, trying to get by in a world trying to consume them. They turned their abusive parents into soup! Iconic behaviour.

[3d-model0]

Order from worst to best and finna add my own ships to replace it

1. Stoliz

This one should be a no brainer like sorry to all the people who love fucked up relationships but I don’t in fact I find all the moments that they’re being “loving dovey” with each other forced (ex Seeing Stars) also hate how they dunk on Blitzø for his shit but doesn’t give Stolas shit for not only starting this bs with that fuck ass deal but literally looking down on him (seriously when he said he never looked down on him, I face palmed cause what the fuck.

Replace it with Blitz x Fizz I feel like they would act like a normal, charming couple (unlike Fizz x Ozzie who just do too much it’s fine but like I honestly prefer this) plus even tho it was rush the backstory they have is cool.

2. Radioapple

Enemies to lovers is a hella of a drug that junkies will shove into anything and everything

Imma be real I don’t ship them with anyone it’s far more interesting to keep both of them single, have Lucifer actually move on from Lilith and have the divorce be due to his pride (cause he’s the sin of pride). And Alastor really doesn’t need a relationship tbh him being aroace is perfect tbh.

3. Charlie and her ex

I don’t know who that guy is so I’m 50/50 he can either be a Chaz clone or a diet Verosika.

Replace with Chaggie ig it’s fine for the most part only problem is Vaggie has no character outside of Charlie girlfriend and her half ass backstory.

4. Bee x Loona

Imma be real I lowkey ship this, I know Loona was rude to Bee but not to the point that I would hate to see them together, their dynamic is cool they have decent chemistry and both are interesting characters that I would love to see grow.

[halowishes]

january favs!

(first recs of the year!!!!)

ships: sakuatsu (if unspecified) ft. an oikage fic

six steps to a smile

e. 18.6k. 5+1 canon compliant.

5+1 of kiyoomi’s adorable pout leading to relationship milestones. i (unfortunately) can’t remember the last time i read a fic without even a little bit of angst. i feel like i never see friends to lovers skts! i do love tension but my heart swells at moments like “i’ll give you anything you want and you don’t even have to ask”. the sweetest boys ever.

the sakusa kiyoomi drunkness scale

m. 4.3k. canon established relationship.

atsumu meets six-drink kiyoomi. chaos ensues. such a lighthearted and short read about their relationship. i loved the little details of the characters and just how well they know each other. they’re so in love and it makes me sick (i treasure these guys).

shootin’ stars & satellites

e. 20.1k. third years skts.

itachiyama and inarizaki have a volleyball camp before their graduation!! this fic was a religious experience. i can’t describe how it made me feel. hilarious, beautifully written, sexy, gentle, and oh so tender. i honestly LOVE everything about this fic. expect this on my end of the year favs.

hold on, who’s got a boyfriend now? (yea right)

t. 9.3k. haikyu hospital.

resident cardiologist atsumu has a boyfriend! the rest of the hospital tries to find out who it is by creating a betting pool!!! this was extremely silly and light. i LIVE for gossip and i imagine hospital gossip is like the michelin star of work gossip. so (if i was there) you bet your ass i’d be betting!

daybreak

t. 8.1k. mid skip.

after a break up, kiyoomi decides to hike up mount fuji with surprise guest miya atsumu! i admire the idea of the u19 camp having a group chat and reunions together :’). also kiyoomi’s family running a tea business… it is so perfect for the rich kid hc. such a sweet and refreshing fic with some introspection!!

bane of my existence, object of my desires

e. 6.6k. regency era au.

messy skts who just can’t live without each other… you know i had to have it. in true skts fashion, this story was dramatic and chaotic and horny. but i mainly read this bc i loooove bridgerton so imagining them in their fancy suits and mansions scratched an itch in my brain.

high tides and sleepless nights

e. 71.8k. msby 4 go to the beach!

atsumu teaches kiyoomi how to swim so he can enjoy the beach <3 as someone who can’t swim, i find this plot so romantic. im gagged it took kiyoomi that long to realize the feelings between them were Real. but that just meant the ANGST was divine. (along with the characterization, dialogue, and happy ending). summer skts for the win!

go slowly with me

g. 5.6k. canon compliant slice of life.

ah yes, the joys and horrors of sharing your music taste with others. when the jackals bring a speaker to their post-practice cool downs, atsumu decided to curate an effortless playlist. along the way he learns kiyoomi listens to abba and that he wants to spend the rest of his life with him. tooth rotting fluff. dancing in the kitchen. they are domestic.

this is how you lose the time war

m. 15k. end of the world/ sci-fi au.

when kiyoomi wakes up on the last day before time loops itself, he somehow makes his way to his ex lover’s doorstep. god. i’m not ready to really think this one over (i lowkey read it in a haze), but it’s a wonder. this skts dynamic was intense, grand, and overpowering. snuzz is truly a wizard with her words.

such a constellation was he to me

e. 11.8k. canon universe.

two words: kiyoomi tattoos. two more words: body worship. truly, what more do you need? i love reading body worship because it just reminds me how special sex can be. it’s vulnerable and open and appreciating and so human. it’s nice to read a fic that highlights that. the tattoos & lore were just a bonus :P

ishigaki island, 2025 — oikage

e. 22.4k. forced proximity exes to lovers.

iwaizumi & ushijima wedding = oikage best men. only problem is they haven’t spoken in years since they broke up. and now they’re 4th wheeling on an island getaway with their best friends. i really loved this oikawa and characterizations, some classic tropes, and (more) sun!!!

[lanascurse]

: ̗̀➛ Some of my DR deets

JJK DR

Oddly enough, this is the one I tend to be most private about despite it being my main. I’d love to share soooo much but it’s all too personal. I’m part of the 2006 gang, and have a lovely s/o who I adore to death ! I scripted many things out (kenjaku dies off wayyy before 2018 lmao) so the plot is sort of similar , but I added my own tweaks to it? Also, my CT is related to crystals. I might explain it more in detail one day?? Idk if anyone cares tho but I love it sm. I’m considered a semi-special grade honestly…? It’s confusing but I’m definitely not a low grade 😋

Obey me! DR

Honestly my biggest concern about this reality was the language bc the game is meant to be in Japanese but I can’t imagine them speaking English 💀 the thing is they’re all demons living in “hell” so wouldn’t they have their own special language? Idk but I guess we’re all gonna be fluent in Japanese lmao. Anyway, there is so much chaos in the reality it’s so fucking fun. Lucifer is pissed 24/7 but I’m lowkey scared of him so I try not to slip out of line often. My S/O is Solomon because something about him hits diff 😍 I love my guys Mammon and Levi too but I don’t feel a huge connect to them in a romantical sense. MY OUTFITS TOO!! I mix the devildom and human realm fashion and it’s absolute perfection!! Also, even though there’s no sunlight in the Devildom, I will NOT be deficient in vitamin D 🥰

YouTuber DR

This is a fun one for sure. I’m basing this reality around sister squad mainly because first, iconic ass squad. Second, I eventually want Grayson Dolan as my s/o…I used to be Ethan’s lane lmao. I scripted for us to get together around 2020 since this is their “maturing” era. I have a YT squad of my own and we blew up in popularity years before we got involved with others YouTubers. I know James, Emma, and the twins personally, and quite close with them. And for fun I interact with Shane Dawson and Jeffree Star cuz why tf not? Doesn’t mean I wanna be their friend but they carried 2018 YouTube, let’s be so fr. 2018 is our prime year, my squad and I are drama free for the most part, even when people want to drag us into a scandal. Also making LA more ideal because…I think we all know why. Love this DR 😫

Waiting room

A cute cottage near the cliff-sides of Scotland where I have my bunnies, and all my cats (including the deceased ones). I chill, script, and am filled with absolute love and positivity. This is the place where time truly slows down and allows me to enjoy life. I get to watch edits of my dr’s (w me in them ofc), read goofy fanfics, and can literally summon anything or anyone I want ! It’s technically my dream life but without a career ;)

Haikyuu DR

In love with this anime/manga forever and always. My story goes deep so I won’t get into it too much but my s/o is most definitely Oikawa Tooru. I am a manager for Karasuno’s boys volleyball team and honestly might be like Hinata with how many encounters/friendships I develop 😭 I’m a second year so I’m close to Tanaka and Noya (two of the biggest doofus dingus heads ever I love them sm). My childhood best friend is Kageyama which creates an interesting dynamic around us imo. Wayyy too much to spill about this DR so imma keep it short !

Alice in Borderland DR

I was contemplating this one because it’s so creepy yet interesting. My occupation outside of the borderlands is still confusing to me because I haven’t given this DR any attention, but what I do know is Kuina will become my mf girlfriend. Have you seen that woman? Like idgaf about Chishiya, move over !!!!

Fame DR

I’m an actress with a background in musical theatre, and come from a successful family. I have some notable roles that led me to winning quite a few awards. In this DR, I have an older brother because I want to know what it’s like to have a sibling so bad. Idk why this is the reality I chose to experience that tho. I am friends with some of my fav celebs, ANDDDD one of my cousins is a K-POP idol as well!! We got them connections, y’all. NVM I don’t want a particular s/o in this reality but if I do end up with someone, I’d prefer it be a woman bcuz male celebrities do NOT hit the same :/

felt like yapping about my dr’s sorry. uh thanks if you made it all the way to the end. subscribe and like plz 🙏

[cursedcola]

Hey! I made my ‘official’ Yuu for this blog! She’s based on my previous idea of “oh - what if there was a Yuu who deluded themselves that they were in a ‘Truman Show’ situation? Here’s some character design, sheets, and concept ideas that I’ll be using to make comics soon. Ciao

“Yuu” - Aka, she was asked her name at the Mirror and asked “What the hell are you?”. The Dark Mirror only heard the last bit, and this the alias “Yuu” was born.

Goes through chapters 1-6 convinced she is stuck within a “Truman Show” situation, or a comatose. Due to her past health issues and state of her Earth - she wouldn’t be surprised of either.

Very intelligent when it doesn’t come to this belief. Her ability to observe others, create plans, and learn new topics (adapt) is concerning. Yet when it comes to convincing herself that this is all real - she loses sense of logic in favor of the simpler answer. It is easier to believe in an arranged cult than dimension travel. When she explores past the campus (Fleur City, Isle of Woe, etc) it is easier to believe in a dream than magic.

Very cautious. At first she believed all the students were in on it, but as she proceeds through the main story and learns of their intricate backgrounds (so well thought out…no writing team could create such deep stories and niches for every interaction she has on the daily) she believes that all the students at NRC have been kidnapped as well. Illogical. Highly improbably. Again, she forgoes her logic in favor of a simpler answer.

Thinking that they have been brainwashed or part of her dream makes it easier for “Yuu” to let her guard down. Allowing her to be more proactive in her “role” beyond helping with the Overblots.

Unreliable narrator. She doesn’t care for them, she pities them. She isn’t interested in magic, she’s merely trying to understand the lore. She doesn’t want to help with events at NRC, she wants to learn the school layout to escape etc.

Uses her alias “Yuu” - crafting her own character, to put distance between herself and those in Twisted Wonderland. Convinced she is only acting, but isn’t. Also convinced she is playing the perfect part as the “Ramshackle Prefect” who is tough, smart, confident, perhaps a bit villainous, yadayada…is not. Anyone who picked up on her belief that they’re in a cult or in a dream (later chapters) or who she confronta about it, simply thinks it’s a fun quirk or a coping mechanism for her situation.

Lowkey is a coping mechanism. Again. Very intelligent. Her EQ towards everyone but herself is fine - but it’s clashing with her IQ. Accepting that this is reality will not be a fun time, no bueno.

Very sympathetic towards anyone with issues involving ambition, who they are, he future, or freedom. Especially freedom, given her belief about what TWST is. Lapses the most when confronted with people like Riddle, Epel, Azul, Malleus, Silver, Jamil, and Leona. Not people who can pick her apart (some can) but those that she will feel genuine empathy for.

Does not want to feel this empathy. Convinced it is to escape or an act of her psyche trying to pull her in. Does not want any attachments. Very upset she is feeling attached. Tacks it as part of “Yuu” - y’all see where I’m going?

Has some very ‘interesting’ dynamics with the main cast. Some think she’s batshit crazy for the complete flips in personality, some think she’s a foolish martyr at the wrong place at the wrong time, some thing she’s a plain idiot with dumb luck

Extra Ideas for future comics:

Assuming fae myths carry over - Lilia and Malleus both know “Yuu” is not her real name. Don’t say anything.

Ace is the first to figure out she genuinely believes they aren’t real people.

Trey’s chocolate chip cookies are her favorite food. Only lets Ace and Deuce crash at Ramshackle if they bring her some. She goes feral for pastry and spent so much time at Heartslabyul to eat, that they convinced her to start painting a card symbol on her cheek. Except since she isn’t a member, she can’t actually do that. So she took the crown because Riddle doesn’t paint one. No one in Heartslabyul has a crown after all.

Age is unknown. Doesn’t want to give Crowley more leverage. Somehow Rook got her birthday.

Has a tattoo. Discovered during the stitch event.

Very bad at maths and science - but hangs around the Science club to see what kind of ‘potions’ (she thinks the students are being drugged at some point) are brewed. Was caught by Crewel, put on cleaning as punishment, Trey saw her and yeah - can’t get out of it now if she wants her cookies.

Logics that spelldrive is possible through mechanics. The government can hide drones, why not flying brooms? Has tried to swipe one to see what makes it tick but Leona somehow is always there.

Has tried to break into Ignihyde on multiple occasions. Meets Idia way before chapter 7.

Idia gives Ramshackle an AC unit in exchange for her no longer trying to break in. She still tries because why honor agreement in a dream? Oetho is happy his brother is interacting with someone, even if it’s fighting through an intercom.

Leona is also fully aware that she thinks this is a cult by the end of his OB - and that she’s the one deluding herself. Thinks it is hilarious and will purposefully toss questions out there to see her try to rationalize it. Knows it won’t last but doesn’t want to burst her bubble just yet. Regrets this in chapter 7 for…reasons.

Belief of coma begins around the end of Chapter 4 - so she doesn’t have to logic Kalim’s carpet. Does wonder if jumping off will kill her if it is a dream. Is politely dissuaded not to by Jamil, who was the one to burst her bubble that this is indeed not a cult.

….his UM could have been what made a cult, but yk being controlled within a place where people are bing controlled just seemed a bit too much to rationalize at that point

[elainsgirl]

"He hasn't gotten that far with his planning, certainly not beyond the fantasies he pleasured him to."

That has got to be one of the most misunderstood thing that has ever been written.

It's not that Azriel doesn't want a future, it's that he feels like he can't have it, thats why he doesn't see it! People are so stupid to see the real reason behind it and uses it as an argument just so they think their ship is better. Its ridiculous.

Its just another example of antis twisting canon/context to fit their narratives,

Rhys doesn’t ask Azriel about his future plans w Elain. He asks about Lucien specifically, “what about Lucien?” And to THAT he replied how he hadn’t gone that far with his planning. Which we know its true, Azriel has done nothing to Lucien or even affect elucien hence no plan to remove Lucien out of the equation has been made -> he hasn’t gone that far into actually doing anything. He’s just minding his business, staying away from Elain despite how down bad he is for her.

and here’s the thing, another example of antis x inconsistency-> They call Azriel entitled for questioning the cauldron yet criticise him for not planning an entite future with Elain…when that would literally be the definition of entitlement especially as he did not know for sure how she felt about him.

If elriel wanted to get together, the next step could be a bloodduel which Az was ready for. What else did they want him to say or do bcs im afraid anything else would’ve come across as arrogance & again, entitlement. Could you imagine the riot that he would have caused if he had said, “yes I’ve planned an entire future with Elain. She will obviously break the bond for me, we will have x many children and live in this place and she’ll do that and I’ll do this” THAT is what you call toxic and controlling especially as there is no imput from Elain.

The thing is - I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, antis hold elriel to a higher standard then every other ship bcs they hate the idea of two consenting, interested individuals getting together. Idk what they expected. A love confession!? A proposal!? Az to march up & wake Lucien and demand a blood duel? Their expectations are lowkey ridiculous whichever way you look at it.

And yh. This man did not know the full extent of elains feelings for him. He did not know if his feelings were returned or one sided, the man whose crush chose his brother over him with 0 explanation, the man who still hides his scars - is not going to think he is worthy of someone he is interested in. Azriel would feel the same about any Love interest. Mor, Elain, Eris or Gwyn - his insecurities and low self worth would remain. Difference is? Elain chose him over her mate. Showed him how much she wanted him. Took his scarred hands without hesitation. Never showed fear at him or his shadows.

Gwynriels in their HCs have this same dynamic. Az has a moment where he feels unworthy and Gwyn makes him feel better. Guess what? That WILL happen with elriel, it already has as I pointed out above. Its also a common trope/issue within romance books so idk why antis are acting as though its something so bad. They’re always yapping about how much they’ve read romance books yet can’t recognise this simple, common trope?

Thing is - when your ship is so undeveloped that it has no issues, yh it’ll be perfect. But thats now how romance is written, especially not how Mass writes her romances. Every single couple has issues, insecurities and fears they overcome. That’s what makes them special. Unique. Complex.

[nondelphic]

Hello! Dropping by to say your writing quotes give me life, actually followed you for that and am delighted to see you also answer Asks, your advice gives me fuel to write - but i may have hit a stump... Would you happen to know how to write tension between love rivals vying for a same girl?

The situation would be that they didn't have any hostile opinion of the other, they've just been classmates who share some classes, but then this new girl comes along and suddenly they're measuring each other up cuz they're forced to work on a project together.

I'd appreciate any reply or opinion since i always love reading stuff on your blog anyway, thank you! 💌

hey anon!! sorry that i'm responding to this two months later after you sent it... i've been wondering how to best reply!

okay, so tension between love rivals is such a gold mine for drama (love that for you), but it's also one of those things that can feel so tricky to nail because there's a fine line between believable conflict and cartoonish over-the-top nonsense. (unless you're aiming for nonsense, in which case, go wild, i support you entirely.)

in your case, the fact that the rivals don’t start off hostile is super interesting, because the shift in their dynamic has to feel natural, like something they're discovering about themselves in real time. the new girl (aka the object of their mutual crush) is obviously the catalyst, but the fun part is exploring how she becomes this lens that makes them start seeing each other differently—like, "wait, why am i suddenly noticing every move this person makes? are they smarter than me? funnier? ugh, no way, i hate them now."

jealousy is an easy place to start because it’s so relatable (and lowkey messy). they don’t have to immediately go full "duel at dawn"; instead, think about the smaller moments:

♡ micro-competitions: they start subtly one-upping each other in the project—who's contributing more, whose ideas are better, who gets the new girl to laugh at their jokes.

♡ awkward silences: tension can speak volumes in what’s not said. maybe one of them cracks a joke, and instead of laughing, the other one just looks at them like, “seriously?”

♡ misinterpreted actions: like, one of them does something totally innocent (e.g., asking the girl a question about the project), and the other's brain is immediately like, "oh so we're pulling the charming, thoughtful card now? cool, cool, not threatened at all."

♡ petty little jabs: nothing overtly mean—just enough to make the girl go, "um, are you guys okay?"

the project setting is perfect because it forces them into close proximity constantly, and that’s where the cracks start showing. it’s not like they hate each other; they’re just suddenly hyper-aware of every little thing the other person does, which is maddening for both of them.

also, don’t underestimate the power of humor! let them have moments of awkward ridiculousness. like, maybe one of them tries way too hard to impress the girl and ends up embarrassing themselves, and the other person is like, "this is the best day of my life," but only internally because they have to play it cool.

hope this helps, anon! sending you all the best of luck writing !! ✿(´꒳`)

[archerbeans]

talking about the art style for this show because I am lowkey (high key) obsessed with it and how unique and genius it is.

Warning: this is sort of a long-ish post. Everything here stated is purely subjective lol

S1’s style has a certain charm to it but personally doesn’t actually give me that wave of “nostalgia” (I started watching the show in 2023 summer) but it does have a certain aura to it. I personally love experimental styles and for the time this came out I still consider it to be very unique. Noting the experimental phase of it where things look less polished and the line weight isn’t as well executed as it is in the later seasons.

Using rigging for the time this series came out was certainly a bold choice with the realism and complex designs that this show used while also having a perfect balance with well done cartoony style. Archer is one of the most well known cartoons when you look into rigged animation! Floyd County’s process of using Illustrator and After effects together at the time was certainly bold as well. The team for this show was not as big as most people might think, as it states in the Art of Archer book that there were around 70 artists, illustrators, etc.. that worked on production. Compared to the average Hollywood animated movie, it’s surely a small crew. Using multiple levels for character movement, as the usual storyboarding that’s essential for any animated project (you cannot have a quality animated series without story boarding!), having to design an entire new model when the state of any character changes (scars, scrapes, torn clothes, etc..) which becomes a lot of extra strain, along with the actual design process in illustrator and using skeletal positioning as well. It’s truly impressive imo!

The backgrounds and settings throughout the show were also very cleverly executed. Using 3d modeling and royalty free assets to paint textures and the amount of detail was insane. Apparently Adam had a good eye for everything.

I really admire the effort that goes into all of the details in the show’s settings, along with the painted scenery. Which only improves over time. As you can see the quality difference between the earlier seasons and the latest.

S1 Malory’s office and S2 Tunt Manor

Vs

S6 Office and Tunt Manor. Notice the different in light fixtures and textures, the marble walls moving away from more of a tile texture, and the lighting in Malory’s office is much more smooth, the texture of the chairs, etc.. I love the improvement.

The more obvious and interesting part about all of this is the actual character design changing over time. I will always wonder what those first season 1 and 2 storyboards looked like. (If anyone ever finds any info on that please feel free to let me know! Ik there’s a few artists portfolios out there that are more easy to find and I’ve seen S12/11/etc..)

As with S1, it had a certain charm to it in which I love. The funny looking experimental angles, I wish we got to see more of, just for the silliness alone. Im glad they tried their best with dynamic poses. </3

I’d say there’s definitely even just a difference between the line weight in S1 vs S2, it’s slightly more smooth in S2 depending on the pose. Depending on the show you’re watching, I noticed line weight is sort of an underrated and mostly overlooked technique upon other people I’ve seen talk about art styles. It adds a lot of depth. Dynamic poses are not easy.

Not all line weight is used for dynamic posing though

I love this shot in particular. From what I remember and notice the most is that this is the first shot in the show where there’s much detail like the card reflection of the characters, they’re flipped like proper mirroring (obviously the modelling is not perfect for Ray, he still looks a little janky which isn’t a huge shock since we only saw him a handful of times in previous season) But the line weight for Malory’s thumb is something I appreciate very much and just thought this was a cool shot and shows a huge step up. The text boldness and format is also well done.

I guess the last elephant in the room surely is the actual style for the characters changing over time. There are about 3 different changes throughout the series, based on looks, clothing and movement. I wont get into specifics but it is always going to be entertaining to me how stiff and wonky certain shots looked. Not everything looked super goofy though.

I will never hate you scoliosis Lana </3

It’s very entertaining to see the changes through out the show.

(Malory’s hair was a tragic mess. Bless her cold heart <3)

First two seasons are where its flip flopped the most. Models were more stiff, tho on the brighter side the movements were still up to par with the action scenes. It’s still perfection. Some of the one-offs had funny designs (Krimenski, Uta, Mannfred, etc..)

Fast forwarding to S3 is when the improvements finally come in,

Noticeably mostly with Archer, Malory and Cyril (though he still has his old glasses. I much prefer his post S5 ones)

Lana and Ray still look a little off but certainly different in face shapes and Lana is much less- “S” shaped lol. Pam has improved looks as well.

The side profiles have had an improvement as well up to this point. But it doesn’t change much going down the line. The side profiles are very rarely shown. Krieger’s head finally looks less stiff as well. Cheryl looks completely different, with her hair being much more consistently styled. Also, notice the clothing saturation specifically, it’s much more toned down. The colours tend to match better more than they did before in S1 nd 2.

Completely new character…. Hah.

Moving on past S3, since the character models stay pretty much the same, everyone at this point has their new looks leveled out, notably Ray and Lana

This style pretty much remains the same through out the next few couple seasons. The models and settings have a new flair, the lighting improved immensely, especially with Vice. I dont wanna drag this on for too long but the modeling stays the same until the coma seasons.

One of the biggest reasons I love the coma seasons is that it brings a lot more to the table for the show as I played around with 3 different completely new environments. It mostly likely brought a lot of new people to the production crew as it cover a lot of architectural different and themes (jungle islands, temples, spacecrafts, etc.. )

Going forward past the coma seasons straight to S11 is where the style gets a little harder to explain the huge differences. Backgrounds and shots look very polished and none of the characters look stiff in any way anymore.

We’ve also gained more soft lighting on the characters compared to mostly pre S6, dynamic lighting was improved immensely. In the Art of Archer book the majority of the animation process that is presented is mostly BTS for S6 and so on, though it does go into the works of Vice, its mostly with the musical production though they do delve a bit into the music video, which is a whole other level of its own. The environmental feel excels greatly with the lighting changes and also background ambience. Much of which was actually visible in the Danger Phone mobile game (RIP </3) I’ve always thought the sound design in this show was clever enough but it got significantly better over time.. Atmosphere makes a big difference. I’d love to add more specific examples but tumblr DOES have a limit on media that can be in one single post. But I can recommend going back and rewatching the show wearing headphones/earbuds and you will notice the difference.

Just a few extra things I wanted to point out is that as much as the animation has improved there are little quirks I do miss about the older seasons, for example the clothing colour changes. It really added more depth and realism to the show and I think despite it being subtle it was something that the majority of us fans enjoyed. But assuming they needed a different model for every colour worn, I could see why it was weeded out. Maybe it helped with the polish! That’s just personal bias.

The difference is subtle, but it’s there! The faces shapes and body proportions have been “improved” slightly. But I genuinely think thats due to setting changes and having higher quality animation tools. But lighting makes a huge difference.

I don’t have a lot of cons for the art style improvement besides really that “nostalgia” feeling a lot of ppl have for this show. I personally believe pre- S11 is when the artstyle was the best, of course with having a few sacrifices

Not sure how I feel about this one. He looks less like an ocelot in the right panel. The colours do look better but Babou’s eyes are eyes extremely different, not a fan of it. Some things just look better than before!

I would also like to take a moment to appreciate this gal’s glow up.. Not to drive too far from the point of this post but Im glad they kept Trinette relevant.

Not 3, but 4 different improvements. Even though she has 3 completely different hairstyles there’s still the difference in quality..

Anyhow, I’ve run out of gas for this post and I’ve pretty much covered mostly everything I wanted to go over. I definitely would like to cover more on this topic but unfortunately tumblr has different plans.

Anyways I love this show so much and everything a bit and probably has one of the most compelling art styles out there with a very passionate studio. I think Floyd County is unique on its own and even just outside the art style there’s a lot more to be said about this show’s greatness. If you read this far and actually enjoyed reading my word vomit… well- thanks! Hoping to write more someday if I get any more literate than LOL

If i missed any details or got anything wrong then plz let me know! Most of everything here is subjective and I may perhaps be a bit biased with some things, but thats just me

[jeanmoreaue]

I agree!! *an incoherent rant incoming* Jean imo def moved on from Kevin (in a romantic way; i think he’s not moved on from the whole ‘Kevin left me’ thing ofc but I think he obviously knows and accepts that he and Kevin won’t ever happen lol). And that scene with Renee was obviously a closure/farewell and they’ve moved on to being friends now (also imo while i like their dynamic i feel like they’d never work bc of the whole victim saviour complex, that’d be really uncomfortable and hard to overcome). Jeremy seems like he’s able to handle Jean’s crazy baggage without placating him too much or pushing him too hard. He definitely needs to work on his own shit first (i feel like the way he went all in on helping Jean is kind of giving ‘I am avoiding my problems by getting too involved in others’ problems’) but I think Jean will be the perfect person to help him with that! As you said he’s super perceptive and honestly very empathetic even if he doesn’t show it in the most obvious way. Jeremy would probably really appreciate Jean’s brutally honest approach lol. They’re lowkey perfect for each other ☹️ TSC2 can’t come soon enough

hardcore agree on every single point you made!! i feel exactly the same about Jean and Renee, as much as their dynamic is sweet, i think it would be really difficult to overcome Jean feeling indebted to her (whereas Jean and Jeremy are both growing together) + ya i think Jean has very complicated feelings toward Kevin but i don’t think he’s actively yearning over Kevin anymore

and exactlyy i definitely imagine Jean quietly picking up on whatever Jeremy’s going through and expressing concern only for Jeremy to try and pull a “my problems aren’t that bad and therefore don’t matter” which i don’t see Jean accepting. especially since Jean has an ‘older brother who cares more about other people’s well-being more than his own well-being’ vibe (underneath his slightly prickly attitude lol) i think Jeremy and Jean are really good for each other, Kevin subconsciously knew what he was doing by having Jean transfer to USC 🤨

[autisticlancemcclain]

fic rec friday 23

welcome to the twenty-third fic rec friday! where, on friday, i rec five of my favourite fics.  

1. lucky i’m in love with my best friend by @nezueye

“I really wanna kiss you right now,” Lance murmurs, staring at Keith’s lips.  

“So kiss me."

Lance scrunches up his nose. “In front of all of our friends? I thought you were allergic to PDA.”  

Keith shrugs. “You’ve been sitting in my lap for the past 20 minutes and I’ve been basically groping you the entire time.” He punctuates this statement by bringing his hands back to Lance’s ass and squeezing just a little, as a treat. “Some more PDA is okay, I think.”

yes i know i recced one of nez’s fics last week and i’m here doing it again. they’re amazing okay. every single time the devotion settles heavily in my lungs im ALLOWED to be obsessed with them. this one gets to me especially bc its established relationship, which is my favourite dynamic always, and its as funny as it is sweet!! double blamy!! also the title is from possibly the most klance song ever, and if you would like to hear jeremy shada (lance’s VA) singing a cover of the song... you’re in luck

2. the meaning of donuts by @katranga

The next few days were filled with Lance informing everyone, multiple times, of their “new” friendship. “We’re friends now, did you hear? Keith and I are friends.” Over and over, big smile, loud voice. Looking between Keith and whoever he was telling like he expected a round of applause. Or confetti. Or a parade. What he usually got was somebody making a crack about bonding moments, which prompted a tight, put-upon sigh on Keith’s end. And Lance would look at him fondly, and Keith would have to bite his cheek to distract himself from how much he wanted Lance to lean over and kiss him. -- Keith realizes he may, potentially, possibly have some feelings for a certain blue paladin and he is Not Thrilled about it.

14k words of keith being exasperated by himself by being disgustingly in love with lance and lance being increasingly more in love but lowkey being oblivious about it??? hell fucking yeah!! lance is so bright in this fic bc thats how keith (begrudgingly lol) sees him and its so true and wonderful

3. perish the rest, this thought is yours by @moonguilt

“Lance? Lance can you hear—” Keith's voice crackled unintelligibly. “—big hit. Are you—” More crackling, and—silence.

Lance frantically pressed his comm button. “Keith? Keith, hey, uh, small problem maybe—”

The control panel flickered a few times, then sputtered out, and suddenly Red was falling—eerily slow at first, then faster than a bullet. Lance bit back a scream, smashing buttons and yanking at the controls desperately, but Red just kept falling, falling, falling, and all Lance could do was watch as she turned belly-up in the air, giving him a perfect, horrible view of Black taking several heavy shots directly to the cockpit.

This time he did scream. But it did no good, and Lance was forced to watch as Black—as Keith—careened toward the moon's surface, a faint trail of purple dusting his wake like the tail of a comet.

————–

Lance and Keith are sent on a mission to answer a distress signal from the desert moon of Xat-lor VII. They get more than they bargained for, both in enemy numbers and in feelings. They have to fight to survive long enough for the rest of their team to arrive, and in the meantime, Things Happen.

i will Never get tired of flirty keith. somehow in the first couple years of this fandom we forgot that keith is the one with game and lance is the one whos freqently getting flustered and tongue-tied, and god bless finn for reminding us. this fic has post s7 but only the good parts (and fuck s8), black paladin keith red paladin lance, bamf co leaders who are in love and also stupid, and (im mentioning it again bc Duh) flirty keith. loml.

4.  feel it in the space in between by angelbolt

“Coffee champagne, in my opinion, would be carbonated coffee with a shot of white wine. Does that sound like a good time to you?”

“It sounds like a great time.”

Adam leaned in, his nose wrinkling with a smile as he whispered, “Junkie.”

“You love it,” Takashi dismissed, kissing the wrinkles. “You think it’s endearing.”

Adam drummed his fingers over Takashi’s scalp, “I find too many of your flaws endearing, my love.”

“Even my dad jokes?” ✦ takashi and adam get engaged.

prekerb adashi does NOT get enough attention!!! at all!! i love them in love and happy with baby keith!!! this fic is sweet and sappy and gives both shiro and adam some much-needed dimension. shiro is a DOG and i love that for him. the big hero six scene made me cry. 

5. two bros, chillin’ in a space pool by angelbolt

Harrumphing, Lance paddled to the edge, heaving himself to sit on it, one foot extended to point at Keith, "Fine! Then if you believe yourself to be so much better than me—"

Keith seemed distracted, mouth slightly open, "I never said—"

"I challenge you to a duel! A swimming duel!"

He looked wholly unimpressed once again, "Wow, that's new." ✩ My take on why they were both shirtless.

i will never in my life get over angry pining. the idea of being down bad for someone and FURIOUS about it will never not be funny to me. this entire fic in general made me laugh out loud and in particular this fic used the word ‘ah-HOOGA’ unironically which is not only ballsy but also beyond my words to properly appreciate. lance is a menace. early s1 fics my love

that’s it for today!! i’ll see y’all back next friday for the next fic rec post!!!  

[loving-family-poll]

Ultimate Incest Tournament- Round 3

The Locked Tomb art provided by @dansnotavampire xoxo!!

Propaganda under the cut

Coronabeth/Ianthe:

Toxic yuri incest…. what if your sister had to eat someone to become God's right hand and all you wanted was for her to eat you and all she wanted to do was keep you alive forever and you'd only spent three nights apart in all 22 years of your lives and and and and- sigh.

Look… one of these women refused to both literally and figuratively cannibalize the other one so the consumed soul could fuel her immortality because she needed the other one to be alive for her, and the second one WAS DEVASTATED by the fact that the first one did it to SOMEONE ELSE. How DARE anyone else get to be one flesh and one end with HER sister!! How dare her sister eat someone else body and soul?!? It should have been HER!

they kissed on the mouth in nona the ninth

Amma/Camille:

Off the charts messy vibes. Grief over losing dead sister mixed with complicated feelings of having new sister. Possessive, jealous, manipulative.

Camille is lowkey infatuated with Amma and Amma is highkey infatuated with Camille. Great annoying younger sister trying to get her older sister's attention material. Plus murderous, intense, dangerous and clingy younger sister trying her damnest to capture her emotionally stunted but ultimately survivor older sister as a means both of getting out of the family sickness and drowning in it through a more compatible dynamic.

I mean. They literally make out. It's incest and pedophilia and weird family trauma and murder. I mean it's literally the perfect sicko ship.

In the book camille is obsessed with her 14 year old sisters big ol titties. truly insane.

I love these teeth sisters so much. Camille obsession with Amma in the book and the way she can’t stop talking about how beautiful Amma’s looks. The drug kiss at the party and the way Amma/Camille can be consider a form of mother/daughter incest due to their age gap and the way they’re recreating the trauma of past relationships like their mother and late grandmother.

[batsplat]

hi bat<3 i feel like you’re definitely not a die-hard fan of the big 3, but for someone like me who’s been watching men’s tennis since the early 2010s, they’re like everything.

so i wanted to ask: out of the big 3 (or big 4?) pairings, which duo do you think is more interesting? like which one feels more worth exploring in your opinion?

i just watched roger’s docu recently, and omg he gave novak a solo moment. not like a story about them, just a montage of novak yelling and screaming on court. then roger went, “this might not reflect well on novak.” it lowkey gave me vale/jorge vibes, not a perfect parallel, but within the big3/big4, they’re the duo that feels the least… connected. and yet, when it comes to tactical and technical richness, they’re at the top. roger’s obviously way more arrogant than vale, like he just doesn’t see novak as special or even interesting. meanwhile, novak used to be that guy who wanted everyone to like him, but now he’s completely over it. over the years, there’s just been this constant low-key, non-vibe-y energy between them. but their matches? they somehow deliver these insane moments at the most unexpected times. at the laver cup, roger said something to novak, and then novak cried.

i’m less into roger/rafa, partly because i’m not a rafa fan, but also because they suddenly turned into this ideal rivalry narrative, and honestly, that kinda freaked me out. i’m slowly starting to understand the feelings between them, though. like, i still don’t buy into the whole “greatest rival” thing because, let’s be real, on both the competitive and career-defining levels, it’s just not that mutual. but yeah, their pairing definitely had its advantages—sorry for saying this, but it’s true. the 2008 wimb F is obviously historic, but if you actually watch it all the way through, it’s not that great. it’s the unpredictable weather that gave it that epic feel.

and then there’s andy/novak, who’ve always been my fave because of their history and the emotional layers in their rivalry. like, when viktor troicki recently said novak was looking for a “big name” coach, my friends and i joked about it being roger, but none of us thought of andy. and then it happened. i still can’t believe it. from my very limited tennis perspective, andy’s kinda feels like a subset of novak’s. i don’t really know what qualities do coaches even need in tennis, and how do they maximize a player’s potential? so i’m really curious to see what they come up with together. their dynamic peaked in 2016, which was also the only time the big4 rivalries genuinely made me sad. so yeah, they totally deserve this heartwarming closure.

okay so first off, I have to confess I get a failing grade as a hater because I read this ask reading ?? eating breakfast with this on

I dozed off to the 2019 wimbledon final last night so idk. this isn't nadal retirement-prompted nostalgia, I actually failed as a hater there too and completely missed his last match happening so like. arrived to dance on the grave a day late. BUT the djokovic/murray coaching news DID awaken something suppressed in me. I'll probably watch the 2012 uso final next just to feel something

anyway, what this does go to show is that for all that I am obviously extremely not a fan of the big three, as a tennis fan it's also not like I can pretend to be completely immune. I grew up watching them!! I remember watching so many of their matches! often with my family! I would argue about them all the time as a fan, whether with my family or people at the tennis club or indeed my maths teacher. I was always rooting for SOMEONE, like I did have an order of preference. and... uh, it should be mentioned that I am also not a complete neutral who just intellectually hated the big three because I thought they were shitty sources of narrative tension. I was a massive murray fan as a kid so I did also just get my heart repeatedly broken by them. we're talking 'cried during murray's speech at wimbledon 2012'... I actually watched the wimbledon 2013 final at the tennis club where I trained and was EXTREMELY smug (and delighted) when murray won because EVERYONE including my coach thought djokovic would win and had been extremely annoying in my direction throughout the experience. but also I have never enjoyed a men's australian open final in my life, except 2012 I suppose. that venue holds nothing but pain and misery for me

so with my biases stated up front, where the big 3/4 rivalries are concerned, I'm basically in the 'anybody but fedal' camp. that one I feel nothing for and its popularity continues to absolutely baffle me. no hate to anyone who enjoys it but I do treat its continued dominance basically like a psyop. idk who's responsible for this or why they're doing it, but SOMEBODY is pursuing some kind of nefarious agenda. call me casey stoner because I've cracked the code. I understand they're both individually rather popular and I suppose in a detached unemotional way I do get how that could happen, but as a unit? idk man. also, EYE am a rivalry enjoyer, but I get very suspicious when too many fans are an enjoyer of a particular rivalry... (or y'know, sometimes you've got rivalries that have a lot of 'theoretical fans' but you can kinda tell they do basically hate one of the competitors involved and will immediately throw them overboard if they have to take a side, which also passes the test.) just shows to me that there's zero edge there. most partisan fans of an athlete hate anyone who is a threat to their athlete, that's just how people are. if there's this little hate then that tells me that there's too little threat which tells me the stakes aren't quite there competitively or emotionally... which tells me that there's no real reason to care. I'm well aware that federer fans used to be more likely to be nadal haters back in the noughties (david foster wallace coming through for me again on that front) and that nadal fans are more into that rivalry than federer fans and that they're both retired now... but still!! if it was a proper fun rivalry, more partisan fans would still be bitter. fundamentally the rivalry is good for both of them in terms of legacy and pr and all that shit and they both clearly agree so it's just... empty

which yeah, so full agree on the stuff you say lol. I HAVE watched the wimbledon 2008 final (and I... think?? must have watched it at the time, I was still pretty young and clearly it wasn't a defining enough experience it stuck in my mind lol) but it's been years by now. so I can't actually reallyyyy speak to its quality and I'm probably not going to rewatch it any time soon. I do also just think it's the most boring match-up tennis-wise... partly this is because my favourite big three playstyle is djokovic's - I love how he moves around the court, I love the compact backhand and the emphasis on counterpunching... the nadal/federer match-up was mostly defined by federer attempting to figure out ways to prevent nadal from bullying his backhand. which I do know is oversimplifying things lol but it's. kinda true. djokovic/federer is the best match-up tennis-wise even if it's a bit one-sided in the biggest moments (which, whatever, that was narratively engaging too)... federer's full artistry against djokovic's precision was just more exciting to watch. then comes djokovic/nadal which is a bit of a counterpuncher-off, like they are quite tactically similar in a lot of ways, extremely optimised baseliners... but that means they were always going to push each other the furthest - they were already half a step ahead of federer in the evolution of tennis and everyone now is obviously basing their tennis primarily on how they changed the game. and, y'know, nadal's biggest rival is djokovic!! I get why if you're a nadal fan, you'd want it to be federer, but well! tough!

and YES yes I ABSOLUTELY agree that federer/djokovic is the most interesting interpersonally because federer was SO arrogant towards djokovic. the worst thing that happened to federer is that he became a pr merchant, like at least being a cunt was INTERESTING. he used to be absolutely dreadful about murray too!! aggressively unpleasant!! but that one was also frustrating because... murray didn't end up surpassing him... (I genuinely have like. traumatic flashbacks to watching their atp finals 2014 match. I don't think my soul ever quite recovered from that day.) but with djokovic!! people used to be so unpleasant about him - and okay, by now unfortunately he's given everyone plenty of cause, but BACK THEN it was a completely different story. it was so much fun rooting for him when the crowds were being horrid to him and he stuck it in their faces... before he did all the boob throwing business - staring icily at them when he beat their hero? hot

and federer was so so snide about the guy... pepperidge farm remembers when he accused teenage djokovic of faking his injuries in 2006

The 19-year-old Djokovic called his trainer multiple times. He had hamstring issues, but Federer thought he was faking his injuries to disrupt Wawrinka’s rhythm. “I don’t trust his injuries. I’m serious. I think he’s a joke, you know, when it comes down to his injuries,” Federer said.

OR in 2009

Djokovic, the No. 3 seed, threw in the towel midway through the fourth set of his quarterfinal with Andy Roddick, trailing 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-2, 2-1. But in pointed comments, Federer, the No. 2 seed, noted that it wasn't the first time Djokovic has withdrawn midway through a match in a Grand Slam. "He's not a guy who's never given up before ... it's disappointing," said Federer, who will face Roddick in the semifinals. "I've only done it once in my career ... Andy totally deserved to win that match." "I'm almost in favor of saying, you know what, if you're not fit enough, just get out of here," Federer added. "If Novak were up two sets to love I don't think he would have retired 4-0 down in the fourth. Thanks to Andy that he retired in the end. Andy pushed him to the limits. Hats off to Andy."

'if novak were up two sets to love I don't think he would have retired 4-0 down in the fourth' ...? what are you even saying

and like, on a moral level I do actually think this is pretty gross and have a massive bone to pick with federer on his whole 'look at me aren't I amazing for never retiring from a match' schtick, which continues to have lasting harmful consequences in this sport. this kind of record isn't heroic, it's just fucking stupid. but also, it's hardly the first time or the last time tennis players accused each other of playing up their injuries - it's very much part of the sport, we've all done it or at least thought it. I am also on the record as being pro beefing with children. and it's very strong set-up for that rivalry, especially given how bloody often djokovic went on to crush federer's spirit! it's better set-up than the payoff, quite frankly

that being said, perhaps my favourite match they played is us open 2011 semis - y'know, the match where djokovic saves two matchpoints in the fifth set en route to beating federer... oh, I suppose that doesn't completely narrow it down!!

ah well!

back to 2011, that match did lead to just some really strong snarking in the press:

Djokovic was honest enough to admit the shot was a gamble – but Federer was reluctant to give him credit even for that courage in a crisis, preferring to regard it as desperate. "Confidence? Are you kidding me?" he said when it was put to him the cross-court forehand off his first serve – described by John McEnroe as "one of the all-time great shots" – was either a function of luck or confidence. "I mean, please. Some players grow up and play like that – being down 5-2 in the third, and they all just start slapping shots. I never played that way. I believe hard work's going to pay off, because early on maybe I didn't always work at my hardest. For me, this is very hard to understand. How can you play a shot like that on match point? Maybe he's been doing it for 20 years, so for him it was very normal. You've got to ask him." Djokovic was in a more relaxed mood. "Yeah, I tend to do that on match points," he said, reminded that it was exactly what he did to Federer last year. "It kinda works."

IT KINDA WORKS jhgjhgjhgkf get him again from me

here's the matchpoint save in question ofc

"someday the little twins will grow up to hear about matches like this" well -

which, I mean, federer's being extremely annoying in press! 'oh I'm above taking risks when I'm down on the scoreboard' says the man who ended up with one hell of a reputation for choking. it's also silly!! sometimes it's worth taking a swing at it!! also psychologically, because you're making things less complicated for yourself!! in individual matches, you won't necessarily be rewarded for your diligence and hard work, just not how anything works you moron. but y'know, this was the REAL federer. by the following year he'd already completely clamped down on this kind of thing and it felt like really djokovic could have also been WAY more bitter about this stuff than he publicly was... but yeah, this I did enjoy

and yeah, I do kinda see the vale/jorge comparison! like you say, federer is kinda... more arrogant, more contemptuous towards his younger rivals, also just more of a sore loser until pr got to him? tennis is infamous for its frosty handshakes, but you compare some of those with how warm valentino generally was when he lost... federer's problem was that he lacked self-awareness and was just so committed to this image of the gentleman's sport, which is why he ended up shying away from all this stuff. the unpleasantness with djokovic was actually like... still fairly late in the game, all things considered, it wasn't even really like 2011!federer to say stuff like that. which does show djokovic was capable of really really getting under his skin! and on djokovic's end, where the jorge comparison very much applies is how much he wanted the people to love him (ik his fans hate this narrative but like,, obviously he did). and how they had all already decided he was the enemy for beating their beloved federer and nadal. I do find it a bit easier to stomach with valentino because he deliberately plays with this stuff, weaponising the crowd and all that, whereas federer and nadal just pretend like it's not happening. (also morally it might be worse to boo at a motogp event because of the danger they're putting themselves in, but practically booing at a tennis match is far far worse - you can actually influence the competitors in a way you obviously cannot in motogp.) but that WAS one of the most interesting storylines in the big three era... djokovic slowly catching these two greats who were always so far ahead of them, however much people didn't want him to, even though he didn't have the love of the people on his side, and eventually managing to surpass them altogether. I do think there's plenty of interesting stuff there!! good groundwork! it's just... nowhere near enough, given how bloody long these guys ended up dominating

on djokovic/murray - MY favourite combination of guys as well, just in terms of how much I actually like both of them. it's an interesting relationship where it's like... they knew each other quite well when they were young, then inevitably grew apart a bit when they were competing for big titles? obviously they were also born exactly a week apart from each other, which is narratively fun. I suppose it's the equivalent to jorge/dani which... actually wait, no, I realise that would assign nadal to casey and certainly not my god. it's a rivalry that's a bit tough to stomach from a murray fan perspective because... I mean, it's not quite 'this is not a rivalry, they always kick our ass' territory... but when I started following tennis as a kid, it felt completely plausible that murray and djokovic would have similarly successful careers. which obviously. did not happen. still remember that kind of controversial 2015 australian open final -

- and, y'know, it's a bit frustrating!! this was the tone of a lot of that era, where you kinda just wanted to take them all aside and tell them. my god. maybe a little bit of feuding is okay, no? but well, it is what it is, mostly they had a good relationship. 2016 was kinda the best of times and worst of times because murray was pouring his heart and soul into scraping all of his potential out of himself, got another slam, year end #1 etc... but it also probably did end up fucking up his body permanently, in the quest to fight djokovic. and there IS something compelling and sad about that, but yeah. still a bit of an old wound as an actual sports fan lol

and yeah, they're two closely related playstyles!! counterpunchers with particularly excellent backhands - and if a wing falters, then it's the forehand. it was lendl coaching murray and getting him to properly go after his forehand, be aggressive enough off that wing, that got him his biggest successes. djokovic's weaknesses are less pronounced and especially these last few years, he's often been lethal as a serve + 1 forehand merchant. roland garros 2023 is a good example of that... murray was the tactician, generally thought a lot on court and had a lot in his arsenal - ofc most famously his excellent lob. djokovic does also have more to his game than just baseline pushing, even if sometimes that involves just spamming dropshots when he feels uneasy. obviously, as can be seen from the slam count, his game ended up being just a bit better... but, well, these are very fine margins. murray's slam count is deceptive, he really was the one guy who could consistently hang with those three year-in year-out. whatever revisionism people try to do now, it really was a big four era

as for the coaching relationship, I'm very curious!! coaching can take a lot of different forms and sometimes there's a bit of a distinction between the... bread and butter coaching, the people who are working with you day to day, and these more high profile gigs where sometimes it really is just localised to specific tournaments. it's all very individualised, depends on the specific demands of the player - obviously, given where djokovic is at in his career, you won't be seeing particularly major adjustments, like murray isn't going to come in and suddenly suggest djokovic revamps his serve, right. (though sometimes players still tinker with this stuff late into careers, especially if they're managing injuries.) given the particular stresses of playing in a match, what an odd experience that is in its own right, sometimes you do just need someone to be observing you, give your game a critical once-over from a little bit of distance. now, admittedly from what I've seen of djokovic's coaching relationships, I do feel like one of the coach's roles in THAT particular camp is also just 'being yelled at continuously during matches'. which...? a little curious if djokovic has that same tone when murray's standing there lmao. also one of the reasons for the yelling is when djokovic feels like he's not getting enough enthusiasm from his box. which... ... uh. I mean. murray wouldn't have been top on MY list for that particular metric. but he can get passionate at davis cup from what I've seen!! so maybe it'll work out

anyway yeah I'll cut it off there lol. obviously I spent half my childhood thinking about tennis and inevitably that involved a lot of thinking about the big four and that means I have a lot of thoughts on them so. basically it's fedole > rafole > fedal as far as I'm concerned. good luck to djokovic/murray in their endeavours, I will be there no matter what

[kankuroplease]

Inari & Yaya are my favorite couple out of the Uchiha brothers & their spouses. So I’d love to know more about their dynamic as a couple & now as parents (:

What are some of their children’s personality traits? How is their sibling dynamic between the three of them?

Love all of your content 🫶🏼 you’ve definitely inspired me to think more creatively about my own (neglected) ocs lol

Awww they are the sweetest of sweethearts of the founders au couples 🥰 I might do a little something for them later with some HCs for their relationship/parenting.

Nene

As the eldest, she’s always been the most responsible and mature

She was a bit (a LOT) spoiled as a young child by her parents and aunts, so she does have a preference for luxury things

However, she’ll never turn down any gift because she also believes it’s the thought that counts

When she’s not helping her mother cook and clean, she’s often hanging out with Riki, Yuri, and Uzume. Be that for training or simply gossiping

She has quite a few admirers, but isn’t really interested in them given none of them have tried to actually talk to her before professing their “love” (and she feels so bad, but please stop trying to court her)

She has a slight problem with viewing her little brothers as anything but the same helpless little boys they once were

She got her aunt Ringo’s taiko drums for her coming of age birthday and as such, she also got her little ‘love guide’ diary. This is how Nene knows her aunt was not the perfect angel everyone said she was that diary had some wild tips and tricks for seduction and detailed tmi data collection 😭

She somehow got deemed the group mom, so everyone feels comfortable venting to her and confiding in her

Kei

He’s a very boisterous and jovial guy

The family optimist™️ he’ll find the silver lining in everything, and if there isn’t one.. well he’ll make one for you!

Loves festivals because that’s when they’re all most likely to be together as a family

Doesn’t mind Nene treating him like a kid because he knows that she’s just trying to look out for him (it’s funny tho considering he’s a Shinobi and she isn’t)

Fairly popular with the ladies that like chivalrous guys with healthy appetites and a solid build

He might actually be too nice for his own good as he’s gotten into trouble keeping his siblings and cousins out of trouble

He’s lowkey ashamed the medical stuff his family does never stuck with him, but he jokes that someone had to be the muscle

He actually isn’t afraid of his uncle Madara at all? Call him stupid, but he trust that man with his life

Spent a lot of time with his grandmother because she liked hearing all his ideas and jokes. This is why he knows how to do embroidery and picked up the habit of talking to Tajima’s shrine too

Like, hey it’s your grandson Kei! I brought some snacks and the good stuff (the sake he stole from uncle Madara’s collection) 😃

Will sleep for 14 hours after a long mission like it’s clockwork

Secretly dreams of moving to the Oceanside because it’s beautiful/peaceful

Buys his mother and sister flowers for their birthdays

Swears Eiji is the coolest little brother and would “break him out” of the house to come play (which made his mom panick because her baby is missing)

Hates arguing

Supports his family in their rights (and some wrongs)

Constantly apologizing for the twins behavior to others

Eiji

Was the baby that didn’t like his father kissing his mother 💀

The most calm person out of the entire family

But he can be mean too. It just takes a lot of poking before that side comes out

He doesn’t try to be manipulative, but he knows he totally can manipulate his older siblings because they always give him the benefit of the doubt

And while he doesn’t do that to his siblings, he will plant seeds of “inspiration” amongst his other family members to get them to act on certain things

He’s taken after Sumi in terms of leaning towards being a strategist

He prefers to hang out at Tenko’s because he thinks Tenko is cool and those cousins are funny. But also because his mother is very close with Wakaba and Runa

Finds it hard to deal with his sisters babying of him. He’s grown and doesn’t need it

He gets irritated when referred to as the baby

Shuts down in awkward situations

Secretly trains to try and surpass his big brother at SOMETHING

This is why he decided to pick up Kenjutsu and train with his aunt who is a specialist

[amazingmsme]

What do you think the relationships are like between the LiB? Like who's eachother's favorite sibling, who likes to target who the most, etc etc

I love the way you characterize them and I'd love to know more about how you see them!

Ooo this is fun! Love figuring out the eldritch sibling dynamic!

Wiggly & Pokey are the oldest & embody the cool better than you older sibling vibe, so they’re each other’s favorite, but Blinky is a close second for Pokey. Sometimes he even slips into the #1 spot. But don’t tell Wiggly (it’s ok, his second favorite is Tinky cause he makes him loosen up & he’s such a wild card)

Tinky’s favorite siblings are Nibbly because he matches his unhinged chaotic energy & Wiggly. He just looks up to his big bro

Nibbly & Blinky are also each other’s favorite. They just match each other’s vibe so well & match each other perfectly. I mean the eyes mouth combo is literally perfect! They get up to so much mischief together!

Lowkey sad how Tinky isn’t anyone’s outright favorite, it makes him feel like a third wheel in the family