#they've definitely Stepped Away for the time being which is for the best even if i miss some of their thoughts + insight

[br1ghtestlight]

the ii neg tumblr blog is like my actual personal #1 enemy i cant BELIEVE they followed me over a joke ask i responded to over a year ago (i blocked them and have blocked every account they've remade lmao) just such hateful bullshit looking for ANY excuse to attack this random youtube webseries and the ppl who work on it including MANY STATEMENTS that are just straight up not true. someone could send them an ask like "hey justin is actually homophobic and called me slurs irl i hope they all die in a car crash <3" and they will post it without any questions. no further research cuz it isnt about what's true or actually offering constructive criticism on the writing of the show it's about being hateful and cruel and spreading lies & death threats. some actual famous people dont have accounts as dedicated to attacking them and every aspect of their identity and career as these random ass guys who make a YOUTUBE WEBSERIES do like why are you actively wishing death upon them?? are you insane?

IF YOU DONT LIKE THE SHOW THEN STOP WATCHING IT. DONT ENGAGE? like do you seriously have fucking nothing better to do than spread lies online about literal nobodies with the smallest amount of online influence. for reasons i cannot even fathom. be so fucking serious

[glitter-stained]

Thinking about how some modern comics writers (Tom Taylor) write the batfam and why it doesn't sit right (this post centers around the robins because of their training but some of that reflexion would definitely fit for Barbara and Cass as well.)

The thing with writing a team of people with similar training and strength is you can't take the easy route of "well this one is the smart one! And this one is the flexible one! And this one is the strong one!" .... which is obviously reductive to all of their characters. Obviously, they have interpersonal differences; Dick, being raised as an acrobat, is the most flexible, but that doesn't mean that every single one of these little fuckers doesn't like to bend, twist and somersault to dodge bullets like an annoying worm on a string being flung around in the sky. They're Robins. Obviously, Jason is the bulkiest, but that doesn't mean they don't all go through hardcore conditioning -Tim is only considered "frail" when you put him between Bruce and Jason, this guy would bench-press you any day, come on. (And DC editorial can lie to us about the girls' weights and heights and make them at the limit of ed-territory even though they're doing parkour and hardcore martial arts every day but I know the truth, Steph's strong as hell, homegirl's got bazooka-level guns). Obviously Damian was raised in the League and is proficient in a bunch of martial arts, but they all received training from a bunch of different experts, including, for all of them, the same guy (that they are all so normal and chill about.) Obviously, Tim is the one who used detective work to figure out everyone's identity but you're kidding yourself if you think he's the only intelligent/detective one amongst the robins. Being smart and a detective is a defining part of all of their characterization, and so is being a leader and a strategist. And then of course with that kind of simplified characterization we end up with Steph being "the girl robin" and Damian "the assassin one/stabby one" and Duke "the meta one" (yes this post counts Duke as a Robin. They trained him and also just cause I wanted to. I love him.)

And even if we make an effort and try to dissect it "this one is the detective smart one! And this one is the strategist! and this one is smart in a more techy-way! And this one is the leader! And this one- hey what kind of intelligence do we have left..." obviously doesn't work either. Duke was a exhilarating strategist in WaR already, Jason's strategic work in UTH and detective in Lost Days is thrilling, Damian is a fucking child surgeon (do I need to develop how intelligent that kid is), Dick was the first leader of the Titans and is always doing detective work like, that's an inherent part of his character, Duke was a cute-ass baby doing puzzles and planning to defeat the Riddler himself, Steph literally became Spoiler to stop Cluemaster (girl knows to solve riddles that would make Nygma shit his pants), they've almost all lead a team at some point, etc, etc. All of this is great and cool and a character being great doesn't take away from the skills of another character! Stark contrasts cannot possibly be the only interesting team dynamics, especially since they already have their own teams of contrasting skillset and personalities.

Imo, best robin team-up dynamics is them stepping on eachother's toes with their plans, getting into rapid-fire brainstorming sessions where they're all finishing eachother's sentences, reaching a conclusion and saying it out loud at the same time, one of them having a crazy ass plan and suggesting it to the other and the other saying "i like the way you think" to that person who thinks exactly like them, getting mad at eachother for being stubborn while also being a stubborn little shit, pulling complicated acrobatics together, and just thriving solving a good old complicated mystery with other people who are just as competent and enthusiastic about detective work as them but not a carbon copy, with extremely specific strength and weaknesses and quirks (like Dick's ability to recognise heroin by putting it in his mouth, Damian's uncanny voice imitation ability, etc.)

Of course, this doesn't even begin to touch the family drama, but honestly we get so much family drama angst with no real consequence rn, I'd really love just a robin team-up, relatively low-stakes (aka nothing taking over the city, the world, no past traumas unearthed to haunt them or parental abuse or secret cults etc etc.) Just a very elaborate murder mystery and a good excuse for all the robins to be there and a story that works with their similarities and their potential (both comedic and in terms of plot) rather than erasing it. It would be so much fun!

[scribescrawls]

Thinking about TFOne setting Skystar AU pre-Sentinel betrayal like many cycles before it happened, where Skystar are going through the steps of the Conjunx Ritus and Starscream’s Act of Profference (the step/act where you give the other a gift) is basically building a new home for them to live together. Not just buying/renting a new apartment in Iacon, but one made from the ground up or more accurately carved out of the natural rock stalactite, it’s still underground a little on the edge of the city but closest to the surface. And imagine the reason Starscream chooses this location to build their new home is because this specific stalactite has a natural ledge that at that angle when you look up even underground you can see the sky and stars. It’s their spot. The place they would sneak away to when they were still studying together to become scientists and continued going there when they became lab partners working together. A place where no one else could find them to stargaze and look out at the vast sky full of possibilities and late night discussions about new worlds just waiting to be explored. And even if Starscream is now leader of the High Guard and not a scientist anymore the ledge is still their spot they visit. Thinking about Starscream being very Extra about his gift cause he’s like ‘I’m going to make my gift so good that there’s no way Skyfire will back out of being my conjunx!’ (I’m pretty sure Starscream could just give him a cool looking rock and Skyfire would say yes to marrying him lol)

Now also imagine that he also hand-makes their new berth for their home himself, a large berth specifically made to fit someone of Skyfire’s size which has always been a hassle for Skyfire having to deal with finding one he fits in comfortably or often needing to duck to fit into doorways. But this new place is made specifically to fit his size in its entire construction meant to show how much thought was put into making this a comfortable home for the other. And okay maybe the berth was mostly made by himself with some help cause i think it's funny if Starscream goes 'I totally know how to do this on my own' and then it cuts to a scene that's basically when you're trying to horribly put together IKEA furniture, I'm just imagining Starscream going 'I've built a [insert complicated science thing here] before! A berth should be easy!". It was not, especially the fancy one he has in mind.

I like to think he goes to Solus Prime for help on how to construct the berth since she is known for forging and creating/building things so he's like 'I need an expert and also the best for my Sky pls help I've lost count of how many times I've injured myself trying'. And Solus is both amused and nostalgic because I like to think she built the berth her, Megatronus, and Prima share because finding a berth that fits all three is impossible unless it's custom made considering Solus and Prima are pretty big/tall already and Megatronus is HUGE so fitting all three in one berth means that thing needs to be very roomy and big (yes my ass ships all three together, noblefallenforge my beloveds lol). I also like to think that Solus definitely could have hired/commissioned someone to make a custom berth but she's like "but I could make a better one with my skills and this is for my conjunxes so it has to meet my incredibly high standards of construction" so chose to do it herself. Solus to Starscream going "I got you bestie don't worry. I understand the struggle of having an extremely tall and big conjunx lol". They bond over the amount of berths they've accidentally broken with their respective partners. So Solus guides him on how to build the berth he has in mind and it turns out beautifully. The berth's foundation is built directly into the very stone/stalactite that's reinforced through various methods that's supposed to symbolize their enduring love and solid foundation. The headboard of the berth has stars and constellations carved into it. And when you lay down on the berth, when you look out at the window directly positioned in front of it you can see the stars and skies above. The exact same view/spot from the ledge they used to sit at in their younger years and it’s their own little secret of why their berth is built in that location.

Post-Sentinel betrayal, the High Guard are presumed/declared dead along with the Primes. Now imagine Skyfire lying in their berth alone and looking out at the view from where he lays. He can still see the sky as usual, but he can no longer see the stars that are supposed to be there too. The view is technically the same, but it feels emptier because the star that matters most to him is missing and gone.

[secretlytranced]

Hi!

I saw your addition to the post on limits. I wonder, may I ask, how does one gracefully back out?

I have been chatting for some months with somebody who can put me under so nicely, and who has large amount of time at times I have time. He is trancing me daily, and in the begin it was fun and games but lately it turned into boundary pushing that makes me uncomfortable with more and more aspects.

I never been in a situation, a relation like this. I feel I should know better but I don't. So therefore the ask.

OK, first of all - you do know better since you're asking for advice/help. Don't get down on yourself for falling into an uncomfortable situation. It happens to the best of us. Sometimes, especially with hypno play, it's hard to avoid bc everything seems so great and fun and a big part of this is mental manipulation, so it's hard to see where the line is.

But, since you're saying you're uncomfortable, you've found your line and it's being crossed which means - time to back out.

I'm hoping that you've discussed this already with your play partner and they've been open to your concerns, but it sounds like they're ignoring or trying to bend your boundaries. That is Never OK.

If you've tried having conversations about it and telling them flat out to stop and they don't- activate your blocking mechanisms. Stop answering, walk away, and block them literally if you have to. You have all the power here even if it doesn't feel like it.

Will it be hard to walk away from someone you may like, someone who makes you feel good and can trance you so well? Yeah. It will suck. But won't it feel better to feel safe and understood and listened to? Yeah. It definitely will.

If you're scared or having trouble, reach out to a friend or take a break from online and this kink. I do it all the time. Sometimes, I just step away for a bit. You can always come back to the fun when you are ready.

The important thing is to know yourself, set boundaries, realize when you are not feeling safe, and do what you need to do to protect yourself.

You got this. <3

[junicult]

Speaking of fiances and marriage, can you imagine Harvey's reaction to seeing someone talk to his partner, they're a stranger to him but obviously know Y/N, who looks really annoyed, obviously not wanting to talk to the person

So he steps in, introduces himself and ask "and who might you be?" And the stranger goes "oh I'm Kyle, their fiance" and Y/N just, very, very quickly fixes him and just "ex-fiance"

Apparently Kyle came crawling back but Y/N wants nothing to do with him, obviously, they've got a cute man now! Also Kyle is cringe

Kyle: I'm Kyle, the fiance

Harvey, ABSOLUTELY heartbroken: What?

Y/N: Ex-fiance, ex. It's there for a reason don't forget that, Kyle

🦂

contains ; entirely sfw. (nameless) male ex bf. fem!farmer. new bf!harvey. harvey being the sweetest (as usual.) short drabble.

note ; ok i’m going to bed. i’ll proofread this in the morning (no i won’t)

aw i love the idea of harvey being protective over u.

he’s still pretty reserved, he’s not going to start problems unless he absolutely has to. & he definitely can’t handle confrontation, that’s for sure. obviously, if you’re upset he’s trained and prepared to help you feel better. he’s not a therapist by any sense, but if you just need comforting, he’d be one of the best to go to.

let’s say it’s the very beginning of your relationship. i’m talking you’ve only made it official a couple weeks ago, still in the earlier stages where you get butterflies whenever you see him, and you get all nervous and stuff like that.

you haven’t had the time (or energy) to disclose your last relationship with him just yet. you know he wouldn’t be upset or anything, you just haven’t talked about it.

which is why your ex coming to see you at the farm—WHILE YOUR WORKING—became a huge shock.

you’re easily frustrated. i mean, he’s getting in your way while you’re trying to work so, maybe the easiest option would be to just give him what he wanted—a chance to talk.

he’s talking, in fact he probably won’t even shut up, while you’re watering your plants and listening all annoyed.

“my mom’s still super pissed, she wants to talk to you,” he complains.

“i’ve been pretty busy lately. i already gave you the ring back, what else do you want?” you counter, clearly exhausted.

“i love you, you know that. i think we can work this out, you just need to talk to me!”

his delusions make you even more frustrated, pausing mid pout to take a deep breath—but before you even have the time to yell, you’re startled by the only man you’d actually wanna see at the moment.

“hello…am i intruding something?” harvey asks, standing only a couple feet away. you were too distracted to even see him approaching.

your ex just stays silent, looking him up and down while you blink in surprise.

“no, actually. he was just getting ready to leave.” you sigh, shooting him a pleading look that he doesn’t miss.

“oh, ok! i’m harvey, it’s nice to meet you. she’s a little busy, so maybe you can give her a call later?” harvey smiles, and it almost eases you entirely. his approachable demeanor is making it easier for him to walk closer to him—more importantly you in case he needed to reach for you. but that was just in the back of his mind.

“then why’re you here?” your ex spits, taking him by surprise but certainly not you.

harvey’s the kind of guy that means no trouble. if anything, he just wants the best for everyone.

which is why it’s your turn to blink in surprise when your sweet, peaceful boyfriend’s smile falls just a little, and his eyes squint with a certain sass, saying, “who are you, again?”

it’s pathetic seeing your ex laugh like he has any right, taking a step closer as if to challenge someone who doesn’t even want one.

“her fiancé. who the hell are you?”

“ex,” you waste no time, rolling your eyes. “he’s my ex-fiancé. we lived in the city together months ago.”

whether or not harvey is shocked to learn that, he doesn’t show it. maybe it’s because of your clear distaste to even hear the nickname, but either way, he knows better then to ask any questions right now.

“well, it was a pleasure to meet you. i think maybe we both should probably leave her to finish work. she’s got a busy schedule, anyways.”

you’ve never seen harvey so authoritative, subtle with the intent to get this man who is clearly stressing you out, away from you. his smile still seems so kind, and he’s clearly prepared to step in the way in case your ex counters with some excuse to stay.

“yeah, it’s a bummer you didn’t check to see if she was free today before you came all the way down here.”

“well i tried, but she won’t answer my calls.”

“hm. weird. anyway—!”

you almost feel sick with how much your stomach swells seeing the most amazing boyfriend handle a stressful situation as such so easily for you. he doesn’t even as so crack his exterior while he guides him away, still showing decency just to avoid a scene, which you couldn’t be more grateful for.

it was almost so baffling how easily he handled it. and attractive (needless to say.)

but you still felt so guilty, seeing him after the crisis was averted.

“i’m so sorry, i was going to let you know. i promise i wasn’t trying to keep a secret from you,”

and because of how understanding, and kindhearted he is, it’s easy to melt into his touch when he pulls you in and presses a soft kiss to your forehead.

“oh, i’m not mad at you! i’m just glad you’re okay. he seems like a real jerk.”

knowing him, his main priority will always be the most important task at hand. but of course, you know him well enough that he can’t help but have questions.

so when you get your chance to explain, you know to reassure him with your soft touch, rubbing your thumb over his knuckles and kissing his cheek to show how much he means to you. especially after that.

“i’m sorry you had to go through that,” he frowns, sympathizingly.

“no, it’s okay. the ring didn’t even fit me anyways. and besides, i’m with someone much better now.”

he smiles at your reassurance, not that he really needed it because—well, he knows already.

“me too,” he kisses your cheek. “and don’t worry, i won’t make that mistake.”

[myreitha]

Costume time!

Okay, you know what, I want to share this process and I've chosen y'all to suffer with me.

SO! A friend of mine doesn't have a spooky show to produce this year, and so is putting all his energy into a cool-ass halloween event (Fancy paper invites, puzzles to solve, challenges, games, seances, etc). The whole thing is themed around this fake secret society that we're all now part of, and the dress cose and we're being encouraged to come up with cool fancy clothes/outfits to match the theme to come in. Best description I can come up with for this theme is "Fancy witchy-vampire" (Like, think VtM, but witchier). THAT SAID. I'm still out of a job, so, I've got to be strategic. AND I've got the itch to make things. Even better. (More past the cut!)

I don't have photos for a lot of these earlier decisions and stages, sorry. BUT I go through my closet and costume tubs (the for-fun-or-cosplay costumes as well as the circus/performing ones) and have a nice closet-runway to figure out what I'm starting with and settle on this one burgundy satin wrap top with big-ass sleeves that I love. . .that unfortunately doesn't go with much that I have in my wardrobe that vibes with the theme. (There's like. . .one or two things it works with, but I want to be FANCIER). So I sketch around and come up with an idea based around this shirt (and a statement necklace collar I have that was some of the best $5 I've ever spent)

I have this old dress I'd bought at a flea market years ago and had altered to be an overskirt for a hoop skirt, and then it's been worn as a bustle with the bodice tucked away more times than it's felt hoops. It's a similar color as the top, so I figured I'd finally take the bodice off it, pull it in to be something I could walk in that wouldn't trail on teh ground, and I could set it under a corset in the center. Bing-bang-boom! Genius!

No. The skirt and the shirt were similar-but-different enough colors and textures that they clashed. Damnit. Well, I can ditch the skirt and figure out the rest! Some skinny moto pants. A decorative corset - I could embroider a corset (Myr no), or, ooh, use gold appliques (Okay, more realistic, proceed).

Next step was to mock things up as I'm trying to find what I want without purchasing a bunch of shit, which got me to this:

Okay okay okay. Cool, I've got a direction (that's not the shirt, but it's the closest I coudl find online to use, so I used it). Now for the endless internet and thrift store (No fingers, not thirst store, dear god) and internet thrift store searching to find me some cool-ass pants and a corset and some shoes that'll work with this. You'll notice, though that my statement necklace has been swapped out for cool-strappy-thing. Because statement necklace-collar is geometric and GOOD LUCK finding geometric applique. Harder than I expected. Took me a couple months to find things that weren't lots of money that I could afford. BUT I EVENTUALLY DID IT. This included buying multiple corsets with the intention of returning things. Benefits of modern shopping. The happy "lets try everything on" day was this weekend!

SO FAR SO GOOD. Took a poll from friends and the short corset is the winner. It's definitely the best constructed of the three, though the pants aren't QUITE high enough waist to be able to wear under it without some adjustments. But it'll do. The shoes turned out to be dark brown instead of black, so I need to see about making them black (and fixing them so the tongue doesn't decide to go deep diving towards my toes.) Other things to do: bring in the wrists of those sleeves some, they're a bit too big (Here they're clipped with bobby pins), decorate the corset, maybe add some gold detailing onto the pants? They've got that gold ridging along the thighs that you find on moto-pants, but that's absolutely invisible most of the time, so I think if I just brush some gold paint along the tops of those ridges, it'll make them pop in a good way. You'll note that none of these photos have the strappy-thingy, and instead we're back to the statement necklace-collar. Turns out the differece between the image I found on the internet and teh shirt I own is enough that you BARELY SEE the strappy. Also, I decided that instead of using applique, I'd buy some gold paint, make a design that'd work, and paint it on the corset. Only time will reveal whether this was a good or a bad idea.

Other thing this showed me is that this doesn't feel FANCY enough. So I'm coming back to that half-skirt idea. This time, though I'm thinking about something sheer - either a burgundy to match the top, or a black with gold accents (OR A FULL DESIGN?!?!?!).

Last night I got flat photos of the corset for figuring out the design, since the shape I was working with in my sketches doesn't match the chosen corset shape. Pls to enjoy some of the designs I was playing with:

Proooooobably going to see about adjusting the eye design. I think it fits the theme best.

Last night I started on the alternations by taking in the waist of the pants. Please have this photo that happened 30 seconds before my thread was attacked.

[mermaidsirennikita]

oooh, you've read "ruthless" by anne stuart!! was waiting to hear your thoughts! it threw me for a loop because i'd never read a romance with a truly trash hero before (derek craven is practically noble-hearted in comparison), and francis just aaaahh. i love how he's absolutely insane about his liking for elinor. and by that i mean, how he's all "i don't REALLY like her, i'm just interested a little, but i DON'T LIKE her, but also like... i'm interested?" and it's just great to see it play out. also love how his gentleness comes out at times. him being a trashbag makes the gentle moments that much more precious!!

and that moment when he grabs her hand and puts it to his crotch to show her he's not lying about how much he wants her?? i about died!!!

the only bad thing about this book is that WAY too abrupt ending that just comes and wallops you out of nowhere. after all that nonsense fighting beforehand (which was obviously great & necessary nonsense), i felt like we DESERVED some good, long moments of these two actually relishing their love for each other. and i was so sad to see that the second book has such a huge leap forward in the timeline! i need more of them. :( (was seriously considering writing fanfic...) anyways. yes. i love francis and elinor. so many good moments.

Francis is definitely a step away from the historical romance heroes of say, Kleypas lol. A lot of people THINK they've read asshole heroes... Or dark heroes, for that matter... But until you've read Anne Stuart? Nah. And I'd honestly say that the Rohan heroes are kinda tame compared to say, Nicholas of A Rose at Midnight (proooobably her darkest book I've read) or even Simon of Lord of Danger (my favorite Anne Stuart historical; maybe my favorite Anne Stuart in general). And they definitely don't go as far as Killian of her contemporary romantic suspense, Ice Storm (the other contender for my favorite Anne Stuart). Francis is for sure the darkest Rohan, though. I'd say Lucien is second, then Adrian, then Benedick, and finally Brandon.

And I agree, the gentleness is more meaningful because you've seen how dark he can be. I truly think this is something a lot of authors are missing when they only write cinnamon rolls. I'm not saying that every hero needs to be a dark hero, but the fact is that if the romance hero is just a Nice Guy the whole time, there's no room to grow. Francis has great character development in that book. A lot of Anne Stuart heroes really Go Through It, and they should because they're little twats.

I'm a huge fan of the classic, admittedly dubcon at best, "FEEEEEEEEL how much I desire you, you silly woman" moments. Even if they wouldn't fly in real life. I'm not reading to experience real life, after all.

Anne's books often have these really sudden endings, and idk. I have a weird fondness for them. I find the breakneck pacing of her books really refreshing, and while I do think this book could've used maybe a bit more, I kind of admire the gumption she has to end on these really stark realizations. Like, Ice Storm ends very abruptly, and it has one of the best final moments I've ever read in a romance. She doesn't always score with that tactic, but for me it's almost like a "Damn, you went for it" writing admiration lol. It speaks to a confidence she has, which I think characterizes her writing in general. She doesn't ALWAYS knock it out of the park, but you can tell she's totally unafraid.

[forgottencassimir]

ooc | Cassimir & Cormac

I'm sorry I know you haven't even made his site yet, so this is premature, but I went on a walk today and I just thought about this relationship????

So, first, I feel like Cassimir did NOT like Cormac at all when he first met him! I imagine they met pretty soon after Cassimir came to Malconaire and he was like "who is this loser??? and why won't he leave me alone????" Honestly, he probably was kinda mean to him atp but I can also see where the sarcasm might have just gone over Cormac's head #facepalm

I do think he treated him better as they got older and Cassimir started being a tad bit more empathetic and while he might have been friendly at times, I don't think you could have considered them friends (even if Cormac did lmao) -- that being said, I feel like Cassimir was still frequently pretty annoyed with Cormac, but even then he did like the attention/compliments that Cormac would pay him!!

I think they've become more of a duo though, since the war?? Both because I think Cassimir feels a little isolated and lonely since the events of the battle and part of him wonders if that is justified, but keeping people like Cormac around makes him not think about any of that!!!!! I feel like Cormac is just Cassimir's personal hype man and between him and Valentina, Cassimir is really out here thinking he can do no wrong sometimes ;D

I'm crying because Cassimir does NOT consider him and Cormac to be friends, but in reality Cormac probably ~is his best friend. #facepalm [ Honestly, I imagine that there are some Gaston/Lefou parallels here lmao ]

But Cassimir definitely takes advantage of Cormac!!! He's come to realize that Cormac will do pretty much anything he says and he knows it?? And I feel like Cormac is half his friend/half his servant (even though he's a legit lord in his own right alsjflasjfldsfj -- although that being said, I'm sure he knows that Cassimir has ~royal~ blood)

I think Cassimir is also pleased that a) Cormac is currently residing at Lorcan b/c Cassimir thinks that that should pass to him and not Rian since he is a step-cousin to Padraig Lorcan and he definitely wants any and all dirt he can get on Rian and b) that Cormac is now going to have an estate of his own to manage, which I feel like Cassimir pretty much feels will be his own to control?!??! Like, he can tell Cormac to do whatever he wants him to do and he will do it!

I also think he sees Cormac as a potential husband for either Rosie or Brigit tbh??? I imagine that the northern estate he has been gifted is further away than Lorcan/Hanthom/Malconaire/the capital all are in relation to each other (which reminds me that I should construct a map soon!!) and that it is farther away that they wouldn't be a ~constant problem to him. I think he'd prefer Brigit, because he imagines that she would run away as soon as they are married, but that the harsh winters up there would (~conveniently) kill her but he knows he has talked a lot of shit about Brigit over the years and its a hard one to try to turn that around and start saying good things about her to get Cormac on board??? So he does think that Rosie will be the easier sell

[mychlapci]

Im supposed to be going to sleep bc I just got off night shift so sorry if incoherent or with errors but I was just struck by the thought, as per that last ask I sent with megaratchlock + hot rod (I'm also hyped youre writing something - lets both feed this absolute rarepair)

But yeah so:

Hot Rod taken in by the decepticons bc his ass got grabbed too and I mentioned in the tags of my rb that he would just claim he can totally top megatron too

Hot Rod, convinced hes gotta be some kinda milf magnet now: trust me. This is for the War Effort. Prime will even give me a medal if I can slow down the Decepticon advancement by knocking Megatron up

Ratchet, who just spent the last 3 hours convincing Megatron not to kill Hot Rod bc he's just a young and dumb bot doing his best to be helpful to him and Deadlock/Drift due to them both being sparked: you WILL die

Hot Rod: what a way to go tho 😩 bet its tight

Ratchet: youre going to die because IM going to kill you-

And Megatron is... Considering Hot Rod because hey he's already got the autobot medic sparked, why not keep going- (and Ratchet def asks if the new Decepticon plan is to just knock up every autobot he can)

So for a while Megatron and Hot Rod are just kinda 🤼 at each other bc both refuse to back down.

But because Megatron went and pulled an absolutely INSANE stunt like openly breaking into an autobot base, kidnapping a defector, the already carrying medic and Hot Rod, high command are freaking out. V much clashing with the whole /freedom/ part of OP's motto. So Megatron has gotta go deal with that.

And enters the dark horse: Soundwave

Bc if he had hair he'd be tearing it out after the shit Megatron has pulled with TWICE kidnapping Ratchet and now additionally Hot Rod. And SOMEONE had to be looking after Deadlock's sparkling when he had "defected" bc obv Megatron was busy planning to get his mates back.

And now he's stuck monitoring the two autobots they've got in the base whilst Megatron is away, one of which is about to pop out ANOTHER sparkling he'll have to care for.

And of course reckless Hot Rod just HAS to frustrate Soundwave with his antics because fuck being spied on to the point it reaches a boiling point and

Ratchet, bed bound bc that sparkling will come any day now: have you seen Hot Rod anywhere?

Deadlock, happily tending to his sparkling: hm. About an hour ago? He was at the command centre making new cassettes with Soundwave

Ratchet: what?... WHAT?!

All to say that nothing has disproven Hot Rod's milf magnet theory (even tho he'll shortly be joining the club)

Hot Rod has exactly 0 fucking self-preservation instinct in this scenario and I love it. But tbh getting to spike both of Megatron’s sparked up mates and not getting punt into the ground by Megatron’s fists afterwards would make a mech feel special. 

He is so convinced he’s gotta knock up Megatron now. And he definitely isn’t very subtle about it, which amuses Megatron greatly and now he’s actually considering sparkling up Hot Rod as well, because he already has two mates, and he could always keep three by his side. Deadlock and Ratchet already seem to be fond of the kid, after all… Of course nothing happens between them for a loooong time because they’re too stubborn and also Ratchet and Deadlock keep getting in the way. 

I love Soundwave coming in. He’s already lost all faith in Megatorn’s sanity the moment he had the medic tend to a sparked up Deadlock for the first time, now he’s pretty sure that siring coding had turned Megatron into a loose cannon and what’s worse is that he’s forced to babysit his sparklings when Megatron is gone and his mates are too exhausted by their own carrying. I think this is where Hot Rod steps in because he’s not knocked up (yet) and he’s pretty sure Soundwave is spying on him anyways, so why not shove himself into his face, if he’s so fucking persistent? Cue Hot Rod doing something incredibly stupid, such as trying to knock up Soundwave, since the Megatron thing didn’t seem to work out, and Soundwave is very willing to have a good hate-fuck. Damn Hot Rod, he gets why Megatron’s stupid boyfriends have chosen him, kid knows how to pump a mech full of transfluid…

Honestly, Megatron and Hot Rod are now in a race of how many members of the enemy faction they can impregnate before the war ends… Megatron gets one up on Hot Rod though, because oops, you know he knocks Hot Rod up. Now he’s in the early stages, Ratchet had just popped out his first, and Deadlock is about to have his second.

Add a knocked up Soundwave and soon enough Megatron gets to sleep surrounded by four pregnant bellies… Call that a lucky sire.

[canirove]

Best friends… forever? | Chapter 23

Previous chapter | Next chapter

Masterlist

"Do you think she'll like it?"

"She will, trust me" Bruno says. "She isn't expecting anything for her birthday this year, she told me herself. This will definitely surprise her in a good way."

"I hope so" Rúben sighs.

"I told you I would help you get back together, and that's what we are going to do. Though to be honest, you yourself have already done half of the job."

After their Valentine's Day "date", things kept getting better and better between Mila and Rúben. They were seeing each other almost every day after training, and Mila had started to spend more time at their apartment than at her own, which had given Rúben an idea for a birthday gift. Kind of.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━ 

"Have I ever told you that I hate being blindfolded?"

"You didn't say that the last time."

"That's an exception" Mila says, feeling her whole body burning just by remembering that las time. It had been after the photoshoot, and it felt like it had happened on another life despite being just a few months ago.

"I'm going to open the door. Wait here" Rúben says to her ear, something that doesn't help with her current state. "Take a step forward."

"I swear, Rúben. If I hit something, I'm murdering you."

"You won't, trust me.”

"Ok then" she says, taking a deep breath.

"Another one... One more. Stop there" he says, moving around her to close the door.

"Now what? Rúben? Where are you?"

"Here" he says, making her jump when she feels him behind her. "Time to take this off."

After a few seconds to adjust to the light, Mila takes a look around her, and she can't help but gasp.

"What... What is this?"

"A birthday surprise" Rúben says, now standing next to her.

"This is... I..." Mila doesn't know what to say. Their living room is covered with photos of themselves from when they were babies to the present. There are photos from their holidays, from when they played football together as kids, from school, random selfies they had taken over the years, photos they had taken of each other... Even the women and men's health photos were there. And on the table, there is a huge bouquet with her favourite flowers and a spread with all her favourite "cheat meals", from chocolate to candy and everything in between.

"You did all this?" Mila asks him.

"Bruno helped me a bit."

"Bruno?"

"He told me he would help me fix things between us because he feels guilty, and this was his way of doing it."

"Well, it's perfect. Remember me to thank him" she says with a big smile.

"Do you really like it?"

"I love it, Rúben. I truly do."

"Great" he says with a nervous laugh. "Do you want to check the photos? It took me ages to pick them."

"Of course" Mila says, taking his hand and walking towards the ones of them as kids.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"There is something else" Rúben says after they've checked all the photos and shared their memories, laughing at some and getting emotional with others.

"Something else?"

"Yes. Something I want to say, and something I want to ask you. So two things."

"Ok.”

"I love you, Mila. Despite everything that has happened lately, I haven't stopped loving you. I just... I can't. I know that you are the one I want to spend the rest of my life with, the one I want to have next to me as I get old. And I understand if you are not ready for it yet, especially now that things have started to properly go back to normal between us. But I want you to know that I don't mind. That I'll wait. I don't know if I'll have to do it for months, years, or forever. But I do know that it will be worth it. Because you are worth it, Mila. You are so worth it. And..."

"I love you too" she says, interrupting him.

"What?"

"I love you, Rúben. And not just as friends. I know it has taken me too long to say it aloud and that I've hurt us both with all my doubts and being such a coward. But I love you. All that time away from each other made me realize that my life wasn't the same, that it didn't feel complete, that there was something missing. And you were what was missing. Not anyone else, Spanish, English or from the moon. No. My life is only complete if you are by my side. You and only you. Because I love you, Rúben. I love you like I've never loved anyone before and..."

And now Mila is the one being interrupted, but not by Rúben's words. She is interrupted by his kiss, one that makes her feel everything. She can feel her face getting warmer and warmer under his hands, her whole body burning, the butterflies on her stomach going crazy, her knees threating to give away. She had never been kissed like this. And she had definitely never felt this while being kissed. Is this how you are supposed to feel when you are in love? Like, truly in love? When you've found the one?

"That was the best kiss of my entire life" Mila chuckles when they finally break apart.

"You're welcome" Rúben says with a big grin.

"Best birthday present ever too."

"Better than this?" he says, taking a key-chain from his pocket.

"Is that... Paddington Bear?" she laughs.

"Don't you like it? I was looking for something British, and thought it was cute."

"It is very cute."

"What matters is what it represents, tho."

"Which is?" Mila asks, playing with the little bear.

"I want you to move back here. With me. And I wanted Paddington to be like the representation of us starting again together here, in England. I was only expecting to do it as friends, but now..."

"Yes."

"You want to come back?"

"I do. I've basically been living here these past weeks, and you know I don't like being on my own. So yes."

"But are you moving to your own room or mine?" Rúben asks with a cheeky smile, hugging her by the waist and pulling her closer to him.

"Ummm..." Mila says, putting her arms around his neck. "I have to think about it. I have a really good room here. And with my own bathroom."

"But mine is bigger."

"It actually is, yes. We'll discuss it later."

"Later? Why?"

"Because now I want you to take me to that big room of yours, and do to me what those girls on Instagram ask you to do to them."

"Which is?"

"Fuck me, rail me, ruin my life... And I'm definitely forgetting something."

"Your wishes are my commands" he says with a mischievous smile. "But before we go..."

"Urhg, what?"

"Paddington should stay here, he's too pure to see those things."

"Ok" she laughs, leaving the little bear on the table. "Happy now?"

"Very" he says. "I love you, Mila."

"I love you too, Rúben."

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

[dark-and-kawaii]

btw! Is it possible to use your screencaps of Lofn and Zevlor (with credit? for a project? If not, I'll use other pictures. :D I want to make a set with your lore because I adore it.

I wonder what Aedric thinks of his adopted siblings? And also of Zevlor! in fact what about Lofn's siblings? The eldest is king, but what about the others? Do they advise Lofn or her brother?

Yes! Absolutely thank you so much for asking<333

Aedric and his blood brother were the only two who were adopted, but Signa and him are extremely close. They've both even fought next to one another during wars. Signa was in Lynnania's womb when she took in Aedric and his brother, which puts Signa 8 years younger than Aedric. And Yes! Aedric does help advise Signa when their mother isn’t around (Signa is a huge mamas boy). Is always at Signa’s side when he travels, definition of “I trust you with my life”.

Aedric wasn’t sure of Zevlor at first, he and Signa actually met Zevlor before Lofn introduced them. They were off looking for their missing sister after she was abducted by the mindflayers. After finding out Zevlor saved his beloved sister, Aedric warmed up to the tiefling more and for his sister’s sake supported Zevlor moving into Thay. After some time, Aedric warmed up to Zevlor and eventually the two established a trusting bond. Will walk around Thay once Zevlor is accustomed to it and watch over the city together.

Visela is off doing her own thing, on her dragon. She resides just outside Thay in a temple that belonged to her step grandfather (Grazzt's son) with her husband (a man who was supposed to be the next king of his kingdom but refused it to live a peaceful life with Visela and his sons). Aedric visits often, he is very close with the two boys and also looks up to how strong Visela is. She does not advise any of them usually, simply because she is focusing on her two boys.

Aedric is very protective of Lofn due to her being the youngest and the next to wear the crown. She clung to him and Signa a lot when she was little, especially Aedric since Signa was usually busy learning how to rule. Now that she is older, Aedric does try and advise her best he can and will even be the one who physically pulls her away from a bad situation/ an argument that may get out of hand for no reason.

Hope this helps my dear <333 Sorry for the lateness!!!

- 𝐿𝑜𝓋𝑒 𝒦𝒾𝓌𝒾 𝓍𝑜𝓍𝑜

[postsfromtheportalfuture]

Earthenby-notpromumordad to nextstephome

Thanks for your posts about Pro parents. As one myself - I'm already seeing one of my kids (professionally) drift away from me. Trying to continue sending supportive messages, trying to not lose them, but... On the bright side, one of my bio kids who went low/no contact has been sending me messages again, and has apparently actually told his partner about my existence! And explained why. Luckily, despite his partner being annoyed at the lie, recent newsie coverage has made it clear why, and they are still together. They don't have a lot of credits - he moved to the frontier - and previously my son told his partner I disaproved of that. I didn't, but it was the cover he used. Maybe I should be angry and hurt about the years I missed, but...they've decided to save up credits to come for a visit. I'm going to get to meet my grandkids!

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I, and all the ProParents out there, are very grateful for your posts in support of us. This is a trying time for us all - and if I'm honest, doesn't even seem real yet. I mean, Earth, part of Alpha Sector? Norms treating us like we exist?

There will be downsides, as you mentioned. We Proparents put everything into caring for our own kids and our adopted kids. We don't get to see them full time, but that doesn't mean we don't love and care for them. To have our kids abandon us for their 'true families' is heartbreaking, I won't pretend it isn't. But it's nice to know we have a community out there who supports us. Sorry, this turned into a bit of a ramble!

nextstephome:

Don't apologize for rambling! I always love getting asks like this. Just knowing that I was able to help make at least one person feel better is more than enough for me.

I'm so so happy for you that your son has gotten back in contact with you! I'm sure it doesn't erase all of the hurt between you, but it's definitely a start, especially knowing that they're planning to come visit you when they can!

I know it's heartbreaking to see your prokids start drifting away from you and you can tell me to nuke off if what I'm about to say is inappropriate, but this is how i think of it:

our current proparent system is broken, and it has been for a very long time. ten prokids for each proparent is just too many to be able to provide the kind of support that these children need.

i think it was wallamcranesarchnemesis who said it best in one of their posts a while back: "We have proparents, but they're only around for 2 hours a week, which means that while they're able to be there for the big things, the ones that we learn the most from actually tend to be the older children in our Homes/Next Steps...We are quite literally a society of children raising other children."

Please don't take this as me criticizing proparents or saying you're not doing enough! You're all massively overworked, and are being asked to do more than is humanly possible.

And as awful as it sounds to say this, those children who are pulling away from you are (hopefully) getting the kind of one-on-one support that a proparent can't provide them, and their absence means that you now have the time and resources to provide more support to your other kids who need you more now than ever. It means you can spend more time with your own families as well!

I know it doesn't make the hurt go away completely, but hopefully this perspective makes it a little easier to deal with?

Much love from me, and keep being amazing!

[maineshewrote]

I-just-started-s4e6-thoughts:

What did I clearly say? Glen better be okay. You can't just give me a resurrected sunshine character and then un-resurrect them.

The orange blouse is telling me the crazy film sister, whose experimental body horror film techniques finally landed her under arrest for shooting two of her actors, will be stepping away from the movie.

Loved the honourable mention of Howard's hemophobia / vasovagal syncope when we see him faint in the corner of the chaos.

"So you're all the target." Just like we are all Tim Kono.

I remember a post from before the season about how Oliver should invest in security cameras with him being the only one to date whose apartment has not been the scene of a violent crime. Seems like the trio agree.

Nothing like a near-death experience to put priorities into perspective. In other words Oliver nearly dies and realizes Loretta is the love of his life for the second season in a row.

Williams caring for the trio in her no-nonsense way is just lovely to see. Also, it was very considerate to bring Sazz back to Charles. Everything feels a bit more settled that way.

Deranged Melon did what to the pain medicine? Actually, it fits, I'm not even shocked. Galifragilistic can mourn his Capri Sun of an IV line in peace.

So my take is that this shooting has nothing to do with Sazz. The Brothers are trying to make a ground-breaking documentary while they're making the OMitB movie, exactly like Ben was making his Broadway debut and a documentary about his Broadway debut. So all these hidden cameras have been planted by the Brothers, which is a bit concerning, because that means they've obviously been rummaging around Oliver's place. But Sazz's death was connected to some other problem concerning the movie, not its maniac directors.

Okay, so I'm not familiar with US prices but that dip in Oliver's fridge looks way too expensive.

Is Cinda Canning made of clay? No. But do the clay actors in the Brothers' film look like her and do I miss her? Yes.

Wait a minute, that's Vince! And was that clay twins scene filmed at the Dudenoff? The windows in the background certainly indicate that. Which could explain a footprint which could have been there from some other time than the night of Sazz's death.

Oh, how maddening, all the pieces coming together. Apparently, we are all Dudenoff now or whatever.

Okay, good, the proposal I had planned for my fanfic is better than the canon one. Who would have thought. They really did Oliretta dirty with this one.

But you gotta admit Oliver can be very real and brave when it comes to expressing his feelings. At times.

Hah! When Oliver said, "She should be wrapped on the set by now." Literally.

Gravey causing chaos, this, bad girl, that, but where is my girl Winnie? That's what I'd like to know. How long has Will agreed to dogsit? Until there are no more murders in the building?

Aw, come on! Hasn't Charles suffered enough guilt? Can't you just leave the remains be? On the other hand...

Who has two left shoulders? I'll tell you who, Oliver, two people. My guess is it's someone we know but haven't seen and also someone who's not a stunt person and therefore doesn't know that the best parts come from Bulgaria. So Dudenoff maybe? I mean, he's been very elusive, and like Williams said, who goes to Portugal? (No offense, lovely country, but in this scenario why would you.)

When Sazz said, "I've got a cold case for you!" on season 3. Yeah, it was about the beer back then, but did she already know that there was an old murder needing to be solved, too?!

I went back to check and yeah, the two shoulders were there from the start, you can see them in episode 3. I just thought it was right and left and anyway, I'm not an expert in anatomy.

Yeah, the Brothers definitely aren't that complex.

His bones are too creaky for cameras! Maybe 'cause he has metal joints? Huh? Is the dust Dudenoff?

The dust was Dudenoff. I rest my case.

But if they haven't spoken for three years, that's roughly around the time the podcast started (my calculations say it's been less time in canon universe but Williams said it was three years, so we're rolling with that). So was Dudenoff killed before or after Tim Kono? That is the question. My bet is on soon after.

If Dudenoff has been dead for three years, doesn't that mean that the Westies have all technically been squatting all this time and can own their apartments? Would be a lovely silver lining.

That Oliver remembering Doug moment has the same energy as Crowley remembering that water slides off of ducks who eat frozen peas (see: Good Omens, seriously).

Okay, so I was wrong about the shooting. The Brothers didn't shoot anybody and the orange blouse was, firstly, not a blouse at all, and secondly, not on an incarcerated Brothers sister. I remain convinced this is something they would be capable of for the sake of their film art.

More people have been watching them?! (Like maybe someone who wants an inside access to the podcast trio's life.) And it's not even just one camera, their places are littered with technology at this point.

But if it's from Sazz's phone, doesn't that mean the police can now track it since it's been turned on? And why is the killer showing them the footage? They are already properly scared, this is just going to drive them off.

So did Sazz get access to the cameras' footage before she died and that's the sensitive thing she wanted to talk to Charles about? I love that theory. It's also possible that the footage coming from her phone is simply because the killer is using the phone now, but I like my take better.

That's the note from Jan's door!! Praise to all who questioned that note from day season one! For how long have they been watched, they ask? For three years. That's how long they've been watched. From the beginning. This is properly messed up, high quality creepiness.

It's the writer, isn't it? My pitch is he can't write, so he stalks. (See: older post)

This episode's format was a really refreshing and riveting new wave of excitement. Approved. I won't go into detail or I might not stop.

[earlgreytea68]

Hi!

For all of us, who couldn’t watch the concert last night, please we want to hear your have moments, highlights and general feeling about the show)) hope you’re having a great day :)

I am happy to share all of the thoughts that I have from staying up waaaaay past my bedtime to watch this show. <3 And this got SO LONG, SORRY.

In no particular order:

They started with "Love from the Other Side," and Patrick's voice didn't sound quite warmed up to me, Idk. There were a couple of places where he didn't seem to hit the notes he wanted as comfortably as he usually does, and I was worried it was going to be a rough set. But his voice was excellent after that, so I think maybe it wasn't completely warmed up or something? I blame the weird way that they didn't quite know what time the show was going to start. But I thought he sounded truly excellent and they ended with "Centuries" and it was one of the best live versions of "Centuries" I've ever heard him sing, because I think sometimes that's a rough one with some of the notes being high.

Joe was there! And it felt like Patrick was noticeably happy to have his whole band back together. Patrick just seemed really happy the entire set. Lots of smiling.

One of the smiley moments came in the second song, which was "Sugar." Patrick started singing it and then could clearly hear the crowd singing back and he smiled so much and stepped back to let them finish the line. I love how much Patrick smiles when crowds sing to him, he clearly loves it (I feel like I would, too, if I were a person who wrote songs).

That said, it was a really weird setup for a concert. Like, the people directly in front of the stage were pretty sparse, and then waaaaay back they seemed to have a decent crowd, but there was a fair amount of empty space? I didn't watch the draft, but I assume the people upfront were, like, NFL people and not fans, which explains why Patrick was clearly hesitant to assume they'd know the songs, or that he would be able to hear the people who he knew would know the songs, because the fans were so far away. But the NFL people who were there seemed to be having a good time and seemed to know the songs, there just weren't many of them there. It just seemed like a weird concert to play. Even Pete, when he talked to the crowd, seemed a little uncertain because I think it was hard to gauge crowd reaction to anything, they were so separated from the audience. They've been playing such small venues, it must have been extra disconcerting.

Which is why I thought it was a somewhat unfortunate show for Joe's first show back. Only because they've been playing such electric shows full of so much audience affection, and this show definitely wasn't that, it was a much more detached and professional performance. Maybe that's exactly what Joe wanted for this first show back, that he didn't want anything too emotional. Actually, that makes some sense, so I hope that's what he was going for. Because I was thinking that if you didn't really feel like doing a show, it didn't feel like the kind of environment that would convince you to keep doing them. But maybe it was exactly what Joe wanted to ease back in! I really hope it was. He seemed like he was enjoying playing the new stuff. And he did his little "Sugar" move with Patrick.

At one point Pete mentioned the new album and said the next song they played was going to be a song off the new album and some guy in the crowd called out very clearly, "Fake Out!" Shout-out to that guy, that would have been me lol. (It wasn't "Fake Out." They played "Hold Me Like a Grudge.")

Speaking of "Hold Me Like a Grudge," Patrick looks like he absolutely adores singing that song. I can't get over it because it has so many words crowded in so fast and I find it so impossible to sing but he just looked delighted the entire time he was singing it, like he was having a blast. He especially seemed to relish, "Call you up and demand you have no fun without me, I'm like a storm on the horizon." He just really seemed to love singing those lines.

They RACED through this set. I am pretty sure they must have been told they had to be done playing by midnight local time, and they didn't get to go on until after 11, so they had less than an hour, and I feel pretty sure they'd probably had an hour set prepared. Pete talked very, very little and mostly they just finished a song, started the next one, finished a song, started the next one. I'm convinced this is why Pete didn't have the crowd sing Happy Birthday and settled for just having them shout "Happy Birthday, Patrick," because I'm pretty sure he was worried about the time constraint. He even sounded as he was saying it like he was unsure what to do but felt Patrick's birthday should be mentioned lol. Anyway, I noticed they didn't play "Uma Thurman," and that kind of surprised me because they played almost all of their hit singles and that one seemed like a notable absence, but I suspect they intended to play it and had to drop a song because of the time constraint and for whatever reason picked that one. Since it's on AB/AP, maybe it's hard to play and so it was easy to give themselves a break and decide to drop it. They did add "I Don't Care" to the set, which they haven't been playing recently, but again, that's what made the lack of "Uma Thurman" so noticeable to me, since they were playing their charted singles pretty heavily.

Another weird thing about this concert is they were using a backing track for Patrick in places, which maybe they always do, but it seemed like the balance was off because it was just really distracting.

Okay, so something I've been thinking that I haven't mentioned because I didn't want to give the impression that I don't like Joe when I think Joe is lovely and insanely talented and vitally important, but -- I'd been wondering a bit if the decrease in Peterick-y shippiness after the hiatus mightn't have more to do with Joe than with either Pete or Patrick. Idk, I was watching them all album cycle be so incredibly over the top with each other, and I was like, Well, they certainly came out of the pandemic swinging...., but then I was thinking about how we know Patrick had to work hard to convince Joe to come back after the hiatus, and we know that there was some tension between Joe and the Pete/Patrick dynamic. Which makes all the sense in the world. And, Idk, it also kind of makes sense that you would think, if you've got a friend feeling like a perpetual third wheel around you, that you'd dial back the PDA a little bit so they wouldn't feel so left out and awkward. Idk, because they've just been SO MUCH for the past few months, and I just kept wondering if maybe they've always really been just as close and solid in private and just not as outwardly performative about it, and so why the sudden public-ing now? They haven't had Joe around for the promotion, and I was like, "Is this coincidental timing, or is there a connection, that maybe they were being a little less careful because their friend wasn't right there in front of them?" Idk, I don't want to make any of them sound like jerks, because that is not at all how I mean any of this. Probably I just sound like the jerk. But anyway, seeing Joe back, I had a moment of wondering if there would be less Peterick in the concert. But! Then Pete and Patrick added a little "Arms Race" moment (maybe to make up for missing out on both GTA and "Saturday" moments since they sang neither song, unsurprisingly for this crowd) and so then I felt relieved and decided my theory was entirely incorrect and the pandemic just made Patrick think he had to make sure Pete knew how much he loved him lol.

Patrick wore his fedora and his hair was doing this adorable flyaway thing the whole concert and it was just great.

Pete wore his mesh shirt but covered with another t-shirt and then THAT covered with his So Much (for) Stardust jacket. He shed the jacket at some point in the concert, which was what revealed the mesh shirt sleeves. No rose harness or ruby heart necklace.

I love watching how Patrick adjusts his performance for the audience participation he's getting on any particular night. I guess I never really thought before about how obviously he must be able to hear how well the crowd knows whatever he's singing, and how he makes decisions on the fly about when to let them sing vs. when he knows they're not going to be able to fill it in for him. Like I mentioned above, he started singing "Sugar," even though usually in their concerts he doesn't, he lets the crowd sing the whole opening line. But I think it was clear he wasn't sure about the crowd. Then he could hear them singing along with him so he stepped back and let them sing the rest of the line. But it was also clear that he didn't think the crowd knew LFTOS, because he sang that whole song, whereas when he sang it at the smaller shows where he could hear the crowd singing along, he let the crowd take some of the lines. Idk, I guess I'd never really thought about that before, and watching Patrick make the decisions last night about when to call on the crowd and when to sing it himself, and to see those be different decisions than he's made in recent sets, really brought home to me exactly how much he's reading the crowd the whole time he's up there. It makes me want to make sure I always shout along because now I know he's listening for that support.

The other thing I've noticed is that Patrick settles into live versions of the songs that sometimes is slightly different than the recorded version, like, he'll hit slightly different notes or sing a melody in a slightly different way. Now, of course, I am drawing a complete blank on an example. Oh, he does it in "Thnks fr th Mmrs," at one point he sings "Thanks for the memories," like, descending? I think? Unless I'm making that up. He does it when he sings it live but not on the album version of the song. Idk, they're like little Easter eggs that show he's singing live, but he also tends to use the same ones over and over, so that sometimes I have a hard time remembering what's on the album version and what's a live version flourish. Which is why I'm doing a terrible job of coming up with an example. But ANYWAY, my point is I have enjoyed watching Patrick settle into his live flourishes for LFTOS. Like, he sings the "Sending my love"s at the end with a few more notes when he sings the song live than when he sings it on the album. Which brings me to: What a SINGER Patrick has really let himself grow into being. Comfortable with showing off a little, comfortable with handling the crowd so deftly. <3

Wow, is this long. Final observation: After the crowd shouted "Happy birthday, Patrick!" at Pete's request, Patrick gave a shy little thank you wave and then someone said, "Go, Pat, go." It sounded like Andy to me??? Which seems so unusual for him to talk, so maybe it was Joe? It didn't sound like Pete. Idk.

[tanenigiri]

Episodes 6 and 7 of Our Dining Table have my favorite ever scenes in the manga (and that's not even considering that scene) so my opinion of the whole show was pretty much contingent on these two episodes.

And they knocked them out of the park.

(Stray thoughts and ramblings on Our Dining Table eps 6 and 7. Some light manga spoilers but nothing too revealing.)

Our Dining Table was one of the first manga I read, and by then I was very new to the concept of Christmas in Japan being a primarily romantic thing. So that whole scene about Minoru struggling to ask Yutaka about his Christmas plans flew over my head during my initial reading, but after re-reading it it made a lot more sense why Minoru was so on edge about it. I thought the show did this really well, and that added scene with Minoru and his manager in the ramen shop was a great way to contextualize it too.

We only see her for a single scene so let me just say: Ohata you will always be famous. (And her outfit looked so good??? We should've had a scene where Yutaka asked her for advice on which scarf to get.)

The whole "taking care of your sick loved one" trope is 50/50 for me as those scenes seem to be quite predictable, but I really like how Our Dining Table uses it as a catalyst for both Yutaka and Minoru to start truly opening up to each other. Sure, they've gotten very close over the past few months and I think both of them recognize by this point that their "friendship" is something special, but I found it very interesting that it's only by this scene - both in the manga and in the show - where they start digging deep into their issues and expressing why that friendship means a lot to them.

I've already said it in my previous two posts but it bears repeating: how they're handling Minoru's past in the show is such a step up from how it was in the manga. Minoru deciding to open up first so that Yutaka can be comfortable sharing his own past is so in-character and honestly makes that Christmas scene even more of a gut-punch than it already is.

And THEN we get that absolutely devastating scene with Tane and his dad, with the latter worrying about Yutaka dying. I feel like this scene was given a lot more weight in the show - mainly because I felt it gave the scene the space and time to play out - and I am still recovering from it. Very much a top 3 scene of the series for me.

(Also, shout out to the dad for getting the memo not once, but twice and letting Minoru get his much-deserved alone time with Yutaka. I'm sure he's making up for interrupting them in Episode 5.)

Cannot stress enough how fantastic the show's little plot additions have been, and the matching scarves as gifts is probably at the top of my list. I could go on and on about how it represents warmth and comfort and all that, but really I'm already screaming at the fact that they had the same idea on what to give each other.

I also want to point out how much I love that the very first shot of Episode 7 (after the opening credits) is Yutaka's dish rack with the washed bowl and utensils as it takes the viewer a second to realize that this was Minoru's doing. It's up there with the shoes in Episode 2 for me.

While I fell in love with the manga by like the first chapter, I think what cemented its grip on me was how they decided to gives us Yutaka's backstory in the style of Tane's drawings. That was definitely the scene I was most looking forward to in this entire series, and when I saw the Episode 7 preview at the end of Episode 6 with Yutaka just tearfully recounting his story to Minoru, I was worried that they were gonna do away with it. So you can imagine my reaction to not only seeing that Tane's drawings were kept, but that they also decided to animate a significant part of that backstory with the drawings. (All I'm gonna say is that I had to pause the video to calm down.)

Tane clinging to Yutaka like a koala was the best shot of the episode. It was a nice break from all the heavy emotions. And then Tane said sike and gave us that head patting scene and he really got us while our guard was down huh.

I really have nothing to say about the kiss as I'm not really a fan of dwelling on these kinds of scenes, but I will say that how understated it was fit with the tone of the show. If anything my only complaint was how I felt that scene was a bit dark (as in it lacked lighting haha not that it was grim).

Next episode is gonna be a rough and frustrating one I'm pretty sure, but I am curious on where they're gonna end it. There's one more scene I'm really looking forward to seeing but I think that's gonna come at like the finale.

I love this series so much. It's nothing flashy or groundbreaking but it takes pride in its simplicity and makes the most out of it. And I'm so glad more people are discovering it thanks to this show.

[sarangbe]

SWEAT 💦 염사랑 → 루시엘

waterbomb weekend has been incredible to him so far, and the good vibes have sarang convinced that he's starting to heal. it turns out, all he needed was to reconnect with who he was in the past. this sunny, splash-filled festival has reminded him of who he is and what makes him happy, and he's dedicated to taking advantage of every blissful second these three days provide for him. today, he's donning a brand new outfit—its light tone accentuates how sun-kissed his skin has become, and it's in a silhouette that continues to show off his shape—and he's feeling remarkable; scrumptious even.

with flare, sarang flutters about the venue like the social butterfly he is; imaginary wings glittering behind him while he locks eyes with handsome men, exchanges cheeky glances with his close friends, and recharges from the energy of his surroundings. everyone is here to have a good time, to cool off and wash away life's stresses, and he's totally here for it. however, through his journey, he can't help but be curious when he spots a frowning face amongst the crowd, and though said face is glowering, it's still exceptionally lovely.

it doesn't take long for him to recognize who it is, and though they've never formally spoken before, sarang's been curious about him, so much so that he's even asked their mutual friends what he's like. their testimonials of him have been dubious at best, which both intrigues, and scares, sarang, but being that they haven't brought the two of them together yet, he decides to break the ice himself; sauntering over to him between the cascades that splash around them.

though, just before he's about to try and introduce himself, his usual grace fails for a millisecond and sarang loses his footing. sloppily stumbling forward, his hands stretch out in front of him, and thankfully, he's able to grab hold of the other's shoulders; eyes wide due to being startled by the rush of it all. embarrassed, he looks up at luciel and smiles; his moon-like cheeks donning a delicate flush.

"wow, i'm so sorry..." he begins, bowing slightly toward his senior. "that... was definitely not my plan, but thank you for catching me?" interrupting himself with laughter, he takes a step back and gives luciel more space; hoping that he didn't already ruin the mood. "i'm yeom sarang, and i was coming over here to see if i could help turn your frown into a smile." is it cheesy? yes, but purposely so. hopefully it works in his favor.

"anything i can do?"