#this is such a pet peeve of mine like can you stop treating every single character as accessories to the damn bats

[mamawasatesttube]

the fic: superboy (comics)! kon-el centric! kon & ma kent, kon & clark, kon & lois, kon & lori luthor, kon & bart allen, kon & aura (lindsay wah), kon & kara zor-el, pre-relationship tim/kon

the absolute buffoons and clowns in the bookmarks on the fic, for some reason: #batman #batfam

[jjkyaoi]

I am getting so tired of how poorly some people in this fandom treat c!tommy and how differently from any other character they treat him, for example c!ranboo. It shows so much after every single stream, especiay this one and its such a pet peeve of mine because its so unfair.

If people don't like c!tommy thats absolutely fine, but don't pull stuff out of your arse to tear the character down.

When c!tommy lost henry and was clearly grieving and feeling terribly, c!ranboo didn't really deal with that very well and did a bad job comforting him and thus sometimes came off borderline mocking. And that is very justified and in character from his pov because he is not at all equipped to handle peoples mental breakdowns and shouldn't have to be, hes basically a walking mental breakdown himself. Not once after that stream did i see a comment anywhere that was like 'c!ranboo is ignoring tommys trauma/isnt taking it seriously!!bad friend!!'

But after c!tommy makes one tiny offhand comment about c!tubbo having thicker skin, from his pov also fully justified and in character, its suddenly 'ooh he isnt taking his trauma seriously!!!bad friend!" Or again today, with them deciding that ranboos 'tubbo is only using me for my items' (which was absolutely a joke and not serious lore) isn't cannon, but tommy accidentally blowing up tubbos stuff, (like tubbo did to him on his birthday btw and Nobody said a word about it BECAUSE IT ALSO WASNT CANON NOR INTENTIONAL) is.

I see people bragging about not watching c!tommys pov and not c!ranboos despite them having about the same viewership numbers during lore streams. They complain about c!tommy taking away attention from others and being the protagonist, while declaring c!ranboo who is also involved in many plotlines the 'next protagonist' in the very same sentence...

Some people just pick and choose anything that makes c!tommy look bad and put both c!ranboo and cc!ranboo on a pedestal. And don't even get me started on their totally invasive takes on the irl friendships. At this point they should just admit that they hate cc!tommy, stop watching his stuff if he annoys them so much, and shut up.

this isn’t ranboo critical in any way at all, because it isn’t his fault that people in this fandom behave this way/there’s a bias between them, but yea, you’re right.

i don’t know what it is, but people seem to be more open to supporting c!ranboo than they do c!tommy under any circumstance. and it’s like, that’s fine, you’re allowed to have characters you’re more open to supporting/you like more than others —god knows i do— but it gets the point where when you’re actively comparing the two characters/saying things like “ranboo wouldn’t ever do this” or “ranboo is so much better at __/for __ than tommy is!” is like. Okay Pal. i don’t know what it is, if i’m honest. i don’t know if it’s tommy’s abrasive personality that throws ‘em off, but the double standards in this fandom never fail to astound me —and, it isn’t always with ranboo. there’s a lot more people that are willing to be forgiving with any other character than c!tommy. there’s always the “i’m not excusing c!tommy but i can understand why he did __” or “he shouldn’t have done __!! he’s evil!! a monster!” but when it comes to anyone else it’s just “they popped off 🥺🥺🥺 deserved!! never did anything wrong!” and it’s getting to the point where i’m genuinely tired of it. people in this fandom take any opportunity they can to bash on his character but when it’s anybody else it’s just crickets, and they like do this funny little things /s, where they make fun of apologists for c!tommy for only liking a character if they’re nice to him, but then turn around and do the same exact thing and when said character isn’t nice to their fave they’re the devils incarnate, so it’s hypocritical for them to stereotype c!tommy apologists as people who only care about certain characters if they have a positive opinion of tommy when they do the same thing.

i’m just sort of tired of it. when c!tommy makes the slightest mistake i’m always anxious to check tumblr or twitter because i already know —i’m already expecting thousands of people to have turned against him. there’s such open support of c!tommy one second, but once he makes one harmless mistake it’s suddenly he’s unforgivable once again and i’m getting tired of people not bothering to understand his character and brushing him off as horrible but when it comes down to anyone else they’re way more open for second chances.

i don’t fucking understand it, is the problem.

genuinely, i don’t . i don’t understand why the vendetta against him goes so far, and i’d be open for people to tell me why they hate him but half of he time they don’t have a reason beyond him being annoying/the mistakes he’s already made up for and theyre just choosing to hold a grudge against him for.

i don’t care if you don’t like c!tommy, don’t take this post as an opportunity to debate with me (/srs), because i’m tired of explaining to deaf ears why “hey, he isn’t actually that bad guys”, because it’s 4:51AM and i’m being driven by spite and pettiness only. i will bite your head off /hj

[lunannex]

Writing Latino characters 

Before I get into these tips/things to avoid when portraying a character who's Latino, please keep in mind that I'm speaking for no one but myself. I'm just one voice, and there's so many other things that go into writing Latinos that I'm sure I'll forget to mention. And for anyone who might see this, please consider reblogging as these are some things that I feel like all non-Latinos should take into consideration.

—————

•Latinos aren't just from one country alone. We come from a large variety of places (ex. Puerto Rico, Cuba, Perú, Costa Rica, México, Argentina, etc.).

•Not all Latino cultures are the same!!! I cannot stress this one enough. We all have different cultures based on where we're located. This means that we all have our own traditions, national holidays, dialect, names, last names, foods, music, etc!

•To expand on the food topic more: stop associating all Latinos to tacos, burritos and nachos. And additionally, just because a character is from a certain country doesn't mean that they only eat foods that are native to that place.

•Just to clear this up real quick: Latino is NOT a race!!! Stop treating it like it is!!

•When writing a story, it's important to think beyond just the plot and story you wanna tell. You have to think about how and why you're using the characters that you are. Make sure that each character is there to serve a purpose. Representation for the sake of feeling woke and inclusive is tokenism, plain and simple.

•On that note, representation points do not count if that “representation” just means that the minorities end up dead. Or even if they're just there to be tortured or mistreated. I hope I don't have to explain why this is a shitty and racist thing to do.

•Don't rely on cultural symbols in order to sell your character. I get that you might want to emphasize the diversity and show just how inclusive you are, but you have to slow down and think, "Is this detail actually important to the character, or is it detracting their development/the plot?". Because believe it or not, while it's an important part of who we are, our personalities don't center around our cultures—shocker! 

•If you feel like you're portraying something in a racist way then...you probably are. Some little details aren't obvious at first, since a lot of racism tends to be a lot more subtle than you'd think, but it's always good to double check. It's difficult to authentically tell stories with characters that exist outside of your own lived experiences. A lot of these things are easily googled and capable of being researched, but make sure that these sources are from actual Latinos because non-Latinos do not get to decide what does and doesn't count as racism to us.

•A problem that usually arises when writing characters of colour is falling into racialized stereotypes or making them one dimensional. It's an easy trick to fall into but please try your best to avoid it. 

•One of the most well known Latino stereotypes is making the characters sexy, flirtatious and promiscuous. All it does is perpetuate this unrealistic perception of our already romanticized culture. This doesn't mean that your character can't flirt, but centralizing their entire personality on their sexual appeal is harmful. 

•The stereotype that the majority of Latinos work as janitors, maids, and gardeners couldn’t be farther from the truth. There is nothing wrong with having these types of jobs, but they aren't the only ones that we're capable of acquiring and it drives me up a wall to see just how much it keeps getting reinforced throughout all different types of media. It's placing us in a very limited box which is extremely damaging. Latinos are capable of having all kinds of occupations, whether it’s as doctors, lawyers, actors, artists, journalists...—you name it!

•For the love of God, don't make them or their parents abusive. We've had enough of the angry Latino trope and if you're the type of person that portrays minorities as violent and aggressive for absolutely no reason whatsoever then I'll automatically assume the worst of you.

•Some other stereotypes include: the drug dealer, the immigrant, the lazy Latino, the Latin lover, the fiery Latina, etc. Just by doing a quick Google search, you'll get a large number of sources that'll inform you of all the stereotypes and tropes out there that you should do your best to avoid.

•I've noticed that a large portion of the Latinos shown in media are portrayed as though they know every single aspect about their country and that's...honestly pretty unrealistic. Many people, regardless of where they're from, mostly just have a general understanding of their country's history and that's it.

•Latinos are diverse. Afro-Latinos exist. White Latinos exist. Mixed Latinos exist. Muslim Latinos exist. Jewish Latinos exist. Plus-sized Latinos exist. Curly haired Latinos exist. LGBTQ+ Latinos exist. Disabled Latinos exist. Write about them. You shouldn't just focus on representing the types of Latinos that you and the rest of society consider "acceptable".  

•Not all Latinos speak Spanish. Don't forget that Portuguese is another one of Latin America's main languages or that there are a lot of Latinos out there that don't speak either of those languages. That doesn't make them less Latino in the slightest, whatever languages they do or don't know shouldn't determine how valid their identity is.

•When writing bilingual characters, do NOT use Google Translate. We can tell when you do because it is glaringly obvious. Reach out to someone who actually speaks the language if you want dialogue to flow more naturally and accurately. And if possible, reach out to someone who shares your character's nationality since the expressions and dialect tend to be different depending on where they're from. 

•Most bilingual people don't switch languages mid-sentence nor do we "forget to switch back". This is a MASSIVE pet peeve of mine. Yes, it CAN and DOES happen –mostly when we're around someone who we're very close and comfortable with– but most bilingual people tend to just speak English to non-Spanish or non-Portuguese speakers. These "language switches" tend to translate in a very awkward and stilted way when written into actual dialogue, especially when it's done by non-bilingual people. 

•Language switches usually happen when someone forgets a certain word or phrase in the language they're speaking in. Ex. "No encuentro el –¿cómo se dice?– el screwdriver." (This is something that's personally done by me at least multiple times a day. And it's not the best shown example, but it gets the point across)

•Do NOT have your Latino character say something flirty/sexual to someone who doesn't understand the language they're speaking in. That counts as fetishization and it's disgusting. 

•If you're writing a romantic relationship, please don't have the Latino call their significant other mami or papi. It's what we call our moms and dads respectively.

•As I mentioned before, people are far more than just their culture. So, just treat your characters with the same respect and importance as you would any other character. Minorities should be allowed to have just as many layers as white characters. Humans are complex beings, and just as you should give a white character a reasoning behind their actions and behavior, writing minorities warrants the exact same thing.

•And lastly, it's okay to mess up. All you have to do is own up, take accountability and work towards bettering yourself so you don't make the same mistake again. 

[itsclydebitches]

New pet peeve: "You can't criticize the story of an episode, because a later unreleased episode might justify it. But you can still praise the story of an episode even though, by the same metric, a later unreleased episode could retroactively make it worse."

Oh yeah, that one has been a pet peeve of mine for RWBY going on three years now lol. And it's not an entirely baseless stance. Audiences aren't wrong for picking up on cues (deliberate or otherwise), recognizing that this is an ongoing series, and concluding that this will be developed further — potentially for the better. Don't slam the show for not doing X when X needs the rest of the season (or even multiple seasons) to come about/develop. The problem is that a) the fans pushing this perspective likewise tend to ignore RWBY's history of dropping plot threads rather than just slowly unfurling them — making that perspective appear less and less reasonable the longer time goes on — and b) they're applying it to situations that have already messed things up.

Let's take two examples. Example #1 is Penny getting her human body. Putting aside for the moment the thematic issues with that, fans weren't wrong to say, "Wait and see." At the time of "Creation" none of us had any idea what might come of this change. Whether this would lead to a new and exciting arc for her, whether all our questions would be answered... or whether this potential would get dropped along with so much else. Though there's still plenty else to criticize in the episode, specifically criticizing RWBY for not doing more with Penny's change is silly because then and there the story only had 20 minutes we had no idea what might happen in the following episodes. The fact that they didn't do anything with Penny, just killing her off again, is beside the point. The potential did exist and fans aren't wrong to praise potential for being potential. A well-written story doesn't smooth every edge, answer every question, and wrap up every arc in the span of a single episode. It wouldn't be a long-form story if it did.

However, Example #2 is Emerald joining the group, wherein fans say "Wait and see" regarding her redemption. Problem is... that arc is done. We saw it. The group had a brief argument about trusting Emerald, Oscar stopped Ruby from attacking her, there was another few lines of annoyance in the dining room, the group accepted her via laughter, and then Emerald got to smile about how "weird" it felt to be doing good. Badly done as it was, that functioned as an arc! We saw a conflict, a resolution, and growth. It was terrible, but it existed. Which means that all these claims about how the group is going to struggle more in the future, or Emerald will prove herself more in the future, or whatever is currently getting said under the assumption that it will be Good Writing doesn't hold up. Even if RWBY backtracked and gave us that, it's too late. It would read as ridiculous to have the group go from laughing happily at her 'lol remember how I used to try and kill you guys a few hours ago?' speech to suddenly treating her with the reservations her actions always deserved. This isn't potential, this is the RWBY writers backing themselves into a corner. Either we're left with a "redemption" that was never a redemption to begin with, or the story tries to do that work in Volume 9, making the Volume 8 material look like even more of a mess in the process. There is no way to fix this now.

Too much of RWBY is read through the lens of what fans assume is going to happen, to the point where some in the fandom actively ignore what is happening on screen in order to maintain that presumed potential in their minds. Those who put faith in Penny getting a fantastic arc as a human may have been a bit too optimistic given RWBY's history (and I do include myself in that), but they're not wrong to point out that such potential existed for a time. Those who put their faith in Emerald getting a better redemption are actively ignoring the canon in order to preserve the better written version of RWBY they've got in their heads. And then yeah, we have the hundreds of cases in which "Wait and see" is used simultaneously as a way to dismiss criticism while also praising the current canon. Up until we know, say, what happens with grimm!Summer, "Wait and see" allows fans to say that the Volume 8 Hound material was incredibly well written AND that critics are fools for doubting what will come next because they've already jumped ahead and written RWBY to their own standards. They've already imagined a version of RWBY one, two, three years from now where grimm!Summer is handled in a spectacular fashion (whatever that means for each individual fan), thereby validating both the writing we currently have and throwing a metaphorical middle finger up at the critics. Never mind that this version doesn't exist and that a bad version is equally possible, it's treated as fact. Thus, we're left with a community where potential is, so often, assumed to be leading to good things... despite how often RWBY has proven otherwise. Because whenever we do get to that future writing — when it's clear we're done with Oscar's outing, or forgiving Ozpin, when Penny is dead and Raven never showed up in Volume 8 and a ton else — when it's clear that "Wait and see" didn't actually lead to anything good like so many claimed... the fans who made those claims suddenly no longer want to engage with that. They ignore it rather than going, "Huh, yeah. That didn't turn out like we'd hope. I can see now why you'd be hesitant to put your emotional investment in this new question the show has raised. If they dropped the ball before, they can definitely do so again..." Instead, it's this round robin of "Wait and see" applying to the newest plot point, ignoring the dropped plot points behind us, a catch-all response to praise the current canon and shrug off anyone who would doubt the brilliance of the writers... not matter how much evidence they can point to in order to say, "Hey, this doesn't appear brilliant to me." I mean, it certainly makes for happier viewing, but if you're at all interested in discussing the canon as it stands and what, based on history, is possible, if not likely to happen... that's not a good perspective to take. And that catch all "Wait and see" response will continue all the way up until RWBY ends. Potentially even longer if the other publications — Chibi, novels, etc. — continue beyond it. I can easily imagine a community where one half is frustrated with how the RWBY series finale ended and the other half is going, "Well, we haven't see the next novel yet that's definitely going to make all this better, so your criticisms mean nothing."

[thedevilliers]

Hey, I've been reading your story for a while, and I'm enjoying it very much. Following the De Villiers has been so fun, and you've inspired me to create my own royal Simblr!

Can you maybe share some tips about what to do with your royals? I'll be posting my family within the next few weeks, and I have already planned out several engagements + events, including visits to parks/schools/hospitals, parties, and news surrounding a royal pregnancy. I've also planned out the first arc. I don't know what else to do, and I've barely started! If you have any tips related to the beginning of your Simblr that you didn't cover in your other post, I would so appreciate them. I want to get all this nailed down *before* posting, so my blog is the best that it can be.

Also, if you have any advice on how to make things as efficient as possible (especially regarding posing sims, editing/writing posts, etc.), I would love that! I want to cut down on time wasted wherever I can.

Thank you!! :-)

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 me?!!?!?! ME ??????? omg 🧍‍♀️ thank u for reading my story 🥺 and AAAAAAAAAAAA your own royal simblr !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ill answer everythin under the cut !!!!! spoilers: it got long sorry

first of all, remember we ALL started somewhere. you can look at my first like... fifteen and even MORE posts and they are BAD. oh my gawd idk why i thought they were good, but hey! i learned things from them. you will more than likely change your mind about certain things from the beginning of your blog to who knows, four months from now. don’t focus and worry a lot on ‘perfection’ and setting up ‘high standards’ from the beginning. treat it like a learning curve! this is something we all do for fun, so don’t get stressed a lot on it. you can always change and adapt things and that’s no problem!

i love lists, so im gonna list a few things of advice/tips basing myself on what you said!!!

i personally don't do engagements anymore, so i can't really help you in this regard of even more activities you could do 🧍‍♀️ what i could recommend for people to get to know your characters' personalities and private lives and grow attached to them, add in BTS posts.

continuing on my BTS’ post thing, they are a GREAT way to show more than what the public sees for your royals. because from a press and public point of view, you don't really know 'what goes on behind closed doors'. they could be all happy in public, but in privatE??!??!!?!?

as i said in my starting out guide, i did have around ~15 drafts done before i started posting. just so i could not stress about “oh my god i dont have any posts for tomorrow”. a LOT of ppl do posts and queue them as they go, and they have MANY posts done and usually they start accumulating and they are MONTHS in advance compared to what they’re currently posting. if this method works for you, you can definitely use it!

please, please please read your dialogue OUT loud. is it possible to say a 2093023902 word sentence without a singular use of punctuation? do people in this age and era really talk this way? also please if possible use correct grammar. just a little pet peeve, it can take a reader out of the immersion your story gives them.

we all have our lil dialogue habits. mine is starting sentences with “oh” and the infamous dash “—”. others use ellipses. just make sure you aren’t overdoing it. for example, doing a sentence like “oh— there you are. i was uhm— looking for you. how—how are you? its—i mean where have you uhm— been? yes—ive—ive been fine. you? i mean— your mom” ....just no 😔 it doesnt read well at ALL

you can always do lil filler posts, dont tell anyone tell you otherwise. post a little simstagram post, a little family portrait, updated portraits post, family hanging out, kids hanging out, etc.

for posing sims, i do try and remember where MOST of my poses are in the ingame list. usually creators’ correctly naming the poses helps a lot. for example i need a Mel Bennet pose; hers are usually ALL in the same spot and have the same lil aqua bg so i can easily find them. sometimes, i dl pose packs VERY specifically for a certain scene. am i gonna use them again? no. so i open the .package file in sims4studio and rename them to “00 for emi scene [rest of the og name” so when i open my game, they are around the top of the list! no more scrolling and i easily know what i need it for.

dont be scared to plan things that are happening MONTHS from now or anything in detail. some ppl dont like planning things in detail, or even dont like planning things AT ALL or things that arent happening say, in over 2 weeks because idk, they get bored. i recommend at LEAST having a list of things that HAVE to happen so you have ‘goals’ and you slowly plan out how you’re gonna get there. at LEAST theres some level of planning there. if you’re posting and PLANNING as you go, there’s gonna be holes. and it’s gonna be obvious.

editing wise, i don’t do much. my reshade does most of the work, i just add in my psd, add text and done! this is easily the fastest thing you will ever do.

if you get inspired by someone else doing, idk, a certain layout for the portraits, them adding little things to their captions, a certain edit, etc. if you want to do something similar and you ARE very much aware you were inspired by them, credit them in the caption. i beg. its free, its the nice thing to do, bc if not its rude.

if you get inspired by a certain storyline someone else did and you notice yours is gonna be similar, go ahead and send them a message to let them know and if they have any tips or feel uncomfortable with you doing this. simply put, if you don’t, you’re gonna look bad. we are all bound to do same storylines, such as assassinations, shooty shooty’s, stalkers, first loves, accidental babies, etc. but what changes is how each person approaches it. no ones gonna do it the same way as you and others. if you CONSCIOUSLY start copying else, stop it. and you could even be unconsciously be inspired by someone else too. it happens! just make sure you are able to look at the bigger picture and realize “hey, i’m doing something wrong”

same thing with dialogue. you like a line someone else said in their story? don’t just... steal it and incorporate it into yours word BY WORD

OVERALL: you can be inspired. give credit where it’s due. and don’t copy because someone else is doing ‘something others like’ and you want others to like your story. no no no !

im adding this AFTER i posted it but, be yourself. in the way you interact with others and send questions, etc. don’t try and copy someone else’s personality because they are liked and essentially absorb them. be yourself and i’m sure a lot of ppl will like you the way you are : D

for my writing dialogue etc, this goes back to my point 8. i use milanote, its free and you get 200 free thingies to use, and i plan out how every single one of my posts is gonna go. so i just have to go ingame and i already know what im gonna do. no thoughts, just taking screenshots. for example, this is how a part of my part 2, chapter 3 posts layout looks like. every square is a post that has what is happening, who is in it, what is gonna be said very vaguely, etc:

11. and the most important tip! don’t compare yourself to others. i did it at the beginning. i think we all did at one point. its not good for you at all. please always remember we all are here for share our lil stories with each other and it’s not easy get a following. you’ll get there and its gonna take time. be patient, be nice!!! and i cant wait to see your story!!!!!!!!!!

[booksneedcaffeinetoo]

Book Review: House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1) by Sarah J. Maas

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas

This review is going to be LITTERED with SPOILERS because idk how to talk about this book without giving away the whole plot.

Consider yourself officially warned. 

I’m still debating on my rating, but for now here is my review. Fair warning: it is rant-y and ramble-y and hasn't been edited yet. I'll clean it up when I come back for a rating.

As always, content warnings are listed at the bottom!

Overall Positives:

• SJM has actually included a few gay characters….now they are all very minor side characters (Isiah, Fury, Juniper, and Declan) who are only present for maybe 3% total of the novel, but at least they exist??? So she gets points for actually having gay characters who aren’t killed off. You can say that she’s making an effort.

• The banter between Bryce and Hunt was pretty funny

• That scene with the knock-off My Little Pony dolls was funny

• I think there might've been a reference in the book to First Aid Kit (the sister folk duo) and it made my heart squeal because I love that band SO MUCH!

• Bryce actually has a great relationship with her mom and her stepfather! And they are both alive! And stay alive! I’m actually struggling to recall a book I’ve read where the main character in the book has a). both parents alive and b). a great relationship with them both. So that was really refreshing!

• Hunt in a sunball cap.

• Bryce and Hunt taking photos together. Way too adorable.

• Ride or die friendship. I love books that emphasize the importance of friendship.

• That LIGHT IT UP DANIKA LIGHT IT UP LIGHT IT UP scene....like i felt that...her happiness. so sweet. i teared up at that scene ngl....

• Pretty good depiction of grief. How even after years the pain of losing your friend doesn’t go away. How some people cut themselves off to cope and others don’t. How some take out their anger on the closest target. How some people remember the dead one’s birthday and other don’t. etc. etc.

• It really was a slow burn because they like didn’t even kiss until 75% into the 3,000 page book.

• Rhun is my favorite character in this book. He’s a goth softie king. I also loved the Demon Cat. And Fury. And Declan. And Flynn. And Isaiah. And Hunt. And Lele. And the dog. And Jesiba. And Randall. And….well….that’s about it….

• I have recently been getting more and more into Urban Fantasy so I am excited and glad that this book is UF. I also like how it takes place in a different world with a different history (although for some reason I went into this book under the impression it takes place in New Orleans…)

Overall Negatives:

• If I ever have to see the word “alphahole” again it will still be too soon. I get that she was going for meta and trying to poke fun at how the trope in so many UF books includes an alphamale love interest….but it just doesn’t really work because none of the guys she was calling an alphahole was actually acting like one??? Okay so this is kind of ramble-y but whatever. When I think of an alphamale love interest acting like a…*shudders*…. alphahole I think of the stereotypical shifter romance/erotica novel where the guy likes wants to punch any guy who stands too close or talks to his mate. I think of him making outrageous claims, always posting a guard, never letting her leave the house, etc. all without any cause. Having a literal demon serial killer who (at this point in the book) you believe RIPPED APART AN ENTIRE PACK OF WEREWOLVES and is killing everyone who is close to working on the same case as you and you are a half-fae who NEVER carries a weapon with you, doesn’t have magic, and no one beside your mom, stepdad, and dead bestie know that you can turn into a flashlight at will…..yeah it makes sense that the people who care about you would like you to have a guard. But that’s not “alphahole” behavior. Nor is when you’re starving yourself from guilt him being concerned and wanting you to eat, or wanting you to try to take care of yourself….that’s not “alphahole” behavior, it’s being a good friend/sibling. If someone wanted a guard on her PRIOR to her investigating the murder than yeah….that would be “alphahole” 100%. But that’s not what happened…one of the highlights of the book was Hunt calling out Bryce by telling her that she is actually the “alphahole” here.

• Fucking sunball = baseball. WHYYYYYY I thought it was soccer for so long until Hunt tossed on a “sunball cap”

• I thought that Violet Hall from Pucked was the most infuriating main character I have read in a long time until I met Bryce fucking Quinnland. It is a pet peeve of mine when a character acts like someone (usually lazy or a partier) and then gets pissed because people think they are how they act??? Like, if you act like an asshole then don’t be shocked if people think you are an asshole. Also she was someone who was terribly selfish and stupidly reckless for no reason for 99% of the book. Yeah she’s ride or die for her friends which is supposed to be her best quality but she is just terribly rude to so many people. Like take Lele for example. Bryce treated her horribly until Hunt was sold again, then was friends with Lele for like a week which someone equated to Lele being willing to die for her???

• Part two of that bullet above^: Why was everyone willing to die for Bryce? Maybe I hate Bryce because she reminds me too much of Jane Salone from The Bold Type with her ‘I’m always right’ attitude. But yeah, everyone is willing to die for her. I don’t get why though. Also everyone wants to fuck her. She can’t walk down the street without like five dudes wanting to fuck her. It was so annoying. Also how the hell has she not died by age 25!?!? There is a different between being bitchy with your algebra teacher versus being bitchy with some guy who could smite you before you blink. And all of them are like ‘oooh she’s not afraid of me like everyone else how charming’ and I’m just like NO. That’s like if I intentionally pissed off some mafia dom and instead of making an example out of me for dissing him in front of his mafia bros, he’s like ‘oooh you’re sassy wanna fuck?’ MAKES NO SENSE!!!

•Part three of the above^: okay before someone comes at me and says ‘well would you be saying the same things if she was a guy doing an acting this way’ well probably. I love the KATE DANIELS (Magic Bites) series. And Kate is a no-nonsense, can come across rude, and gives zero fucks what anyone else thinks about her. Kind of like Bryce, but less bitchy and has the power and skills to back up her recklessness. (No one around Bryce learns of her secret lightbright gift or of her sharpshooting skills until the very end so I am maintaining my ‘she’s reckless’ viewpoint based on everyone around her not knowing of her abilities when she does all of this dumbshit). Kate also is a fucking martyr who runs towards danger even when the odds are against her. Just like Bryce. But I love Kate and hate Bryce. So…yeah I think it was just a Bryce issue. It took until about 41% with the whole phone-Sandriel thing for me to stop finding her insufferable….but I still never really liked her after that...I could stand her for the occasional paragraph or two

• Speaking of martyrs…why is everyone one in this book!?!? NOT EVERYONE NEEDS TO BE A MARTYR!!!

• Another reason I hate Bryce (yes I’m back on that Bryce shit) is because after Hunt broke her heart he immediate thought upon learning who he was going to be sold (back to his old owner who is a sadistic fuck) her thought was good, he deserves it and all he did was break her heart and not want to be a slave anymore and kept something he knew would destroy you (which yeah, keeping that secret furthered his cause but still…) and I just????? Have???? No words???? Like girl you have a RIGHT to be PISSED but jfc that doesn’t equate to TORTURE.

• Ugh and then her whole ‘take me instead’ bullshit was so reminiscent of that Jules and Emma whipping scene from Lady Midnight I almost gagged for the level of cheese and martyr-syndrome 

• Why is everyone described as “brown,” “golden brown,” or “tan”?! It’s like SJM is trying to not make everyone white but doesn’t want to fully commit…

• And was anyone uncomfortable/cringed at the ‘white angel wings are supreme to any wings with color’ bit....

• I hate books where the werewolves can talk outloud in human form. I cringed.

• Why was the calling people by their last name thing not consistent? I’ve read books before where characters flip between using another character’s first and last name, but there is context behind why they choose one or the other: the professional setting, if the person is happy or upset, who is being addressed, etc. But you’ll get Hunt calling Bryce “Bryce” and “Quinnland” within a sentence of each other? And literally every character did stuff like this. It was weird and not consistent at all.

Negatives About the Plot:

• This book really felt like three books in one: Part One (first 12ish%) being the day leading up to the Pack of Devil’s murder. And I do mean like every boring thing that happened. Part Two (the next 66ish%) being the murder investigation. Part Three (the last 22ish%) being where all the action occurred. The book felt like it couldn’t decide what it wanted to be. The summary promised a murder investigation so I was expecting it to be a KATE DANIELS-esque plot. But nothing of true importance really occurred during that investigation. We got some cool flashbacks with Danika, and some sweet moments between Hunt and Bryce…but that’s it. SJM isn’t Brandon with a Stormlight Archives (The Way of Kings) complicated interwoven plot. I think the book as whole would have been better if it was about 300 pages shorter.

• Nothing in the plot of true importance happened until the last 100 pages or so.

• I mean we literally got every single thing that happened during every single day of their investigation…it was….too much detail.

• When I got to 80% like every other chapter felt like the book should end. It could’ve ended on a cliffhanger. Like right after Hunt was found on that boat. But nope….

• Figures. SJM can’t have a main couple unless they both are super special. Did anyone else feel like she just recycled parts of ACOMAF in this book? Hunt: has wings and super special powers. Bryce: absorbs some super-fae juiced up power from a cauldron—er….I mean arch—to get extra powers and become the most super cool and super special fae in all existence because god forbid we have a heroine who isn’t the most physically powerful person ever. I mean, to hell with mental strength. Must be physically magically powerful or you’re no good!

• The only plot points that surprised me were the hunt being at the drug bust (because we got nothing from his povs that he was remotely interested in going back down that revolution road especially after his whole meeting with Briggs…still iffy with this one, because his thoughts in that cell sound like he actually was on board with it until he called it off because the drug is too dangerous but his call to the viper queen said she owed him a favor so…..) and Micah’s weird horn hard-on. Literally nothing else surprised me...

• I really though Reid would play a bigger role considering Bryce used to date him and is fam is responsible for that drug....but nope. The dude is like never even mentioned.

• Ugh...that villain speech. Maybe I'm just like...what's the point? Why not just zap the bitch why do you need to tell her your life story!?!?!

• Also let's be real, Danika's password never would have been allowed to be that simple nor remain unchanged for 2 years. But whatever.

• It’s also pretty cringe that Bryce freed Lele just for her to die…………..

• Why is Jesiba’s shop impenetrable (the building and cameras) until it’s convenient for it not to be…I mean it sounded like nothing could break into her building or the cameras but then… Micah just easily waltzed in there and Declan easily hacked into the security cameras….makes no sense but okayyyyyyy…..

• ....or about how the dog can teleport and undo locks until once again it's convenient for him not to be able to so she can dramatically save the day (look I also have issues with her valuing her pet's life over Lele's in that scene...also isn't the dog supposed to be like terrifying, it could've fought while her and Lele got out. not really sure how the water which delayed him like two seconds helped more than her dog would've....look, i love pets and i don't want him to die but i don't want Lele to die either!)

• Bryce and Hunt literally never have a talk about everything???? Like I get the world almost ended but neither of them had a thought like I know we need to talk about everything that happened on the boat. About if his love for Shahar trumps his love for me. But that can wait… Because those were all fears she had before but now vanished???? I get not wanted to have verbal talk but a thought from Bryce would’ve been nice.

• How can you run, carry a sword, and shoot a gun all at the same time? Still trying to figure out the logistics of that all....

• Why is SJM's adult book the least smutty thing she has written so far!?!?!?!?

• The love saves everyone and everything line is so fucking cheesy I can’t.

My Overall Feelings:

• The book couldn’t choose a plot. Did it want to be a crime book? Did it want to be ACOMAF? Who the fuck knows.

• This would have worked better as a TV series than a book. Especially that scene where Bryce is trying to save the city and everyone is just watching it happen on the jumbo screen at the summit. In book form it was just….weird….and felt disruptive...and someone could've started flying to help out. Plus I like watching shows with characters like Bryce but hate reading books with characters like her if that makes sense...

• Also if the summit is just between the leaders of CC then why did Sadriel have to be there? Why does it happen only every 10 years? Why does it have to take place outside of the city if no other leaders from other places are present?

• Why don’t we get a map of all of the other countries that were mentioned?

• This book was wayyyyyy too long. It would have been much better if it was reduced to 500ish pages instead.

• Also the character’s flip-flopped with their character development way too much. It wasn’t consistent.

• This is definitely one of the better SJM book’s I’ve read, but it won’t be one that I’ll reread. It is too long with too many boring bits in the middle.

• But hey! If you love SJM then you’ll probably love this book…

Content Warnings and Trigger Warnings: restricted eating, self-harm, drug use, alcohol consumption, implied rape, mentions of abusive relationships, suicidal thoughts, depression, emesis, slavery, terrorist attacks, grief, gun violence, death, murder, violence, torture

View all my reviews

[itsbuckysworld]

“... and then he came up up to me and kissed me until I was-” "I'm gonna have to tell you to shut up now" with Sebby

31. “… and then he came up up to me and kissed me until I was-” – “I’m going to have to tell you to shut up now.”

Sebastian didn’t want to hear any more of it. 

Yes you had a terrible date, and yes, he was somewhat happy about that because it meant that no boy had swept you off your feet so far, and that meant he still had a chance to man up and tell you he was crazy for you, but liking you – cross that, loving you – so much meant that hearing you complain about a bad date only made him angry. 

Who did this guy think he was to treat you like anything less than a queen? Who was he to think he even deserved you granting him a date and then have him royally fuck up?  Hell not even Sebastian thought he deserved you giving him the time of day half the time.

But there you were, giving him the time of day and a recount on a horrible date as you paced around your room and he sat on your bed, hugging a teddy bear he’d gifted you on your birthday a few years back, close to his chest. He loved how close you guys were, a tight friendship that only grew stronger with the years to the point where it always stopped him from saying anything about his feelings for you. 

He didn’t know how you went on many dates lately, especially when no guy out there could ever love you like he did or even come close to deserving your attention, but you did and he couldn’t blame anyone. You were gorgeous, the way you flipped your hair made him weak, and whenever you called him one of the many nicknames you have for him, his cheeks would paint red and he would forget how to breathe, and don’t get him started on every time you smile his way or touch him, it’s like his body jolts awake after sleeping for years, every single time you laid a hand on him. Every time your warm soft skin grazed his, he was in heaven. 

How was it possible that you didn’t know how much he died inside with every day that passed not telling you his heart and soul belonged to you, was a mystery to him. All his friends knew, and all your friends knew. It was as if they could read it in his dumb lovestruck look or smell if off of him like a cologne. 

You kept pacing around and complaining, retelling him all that you remembered from the traumatic experience. How the dude had been late, which was one of your biggest pet peeves, and he brought you roses which always made your nose itch, and took you to a place he loved despite you telling him what your favorite food was, how he kept checking out the waitress and he wouldn’t stop trying to touch you in some way, hold your hand, place a hand on your arm or your back, anything, and you were creeped out. With each sentence, Sebastian’s fists tightened around the poor teddy bear, a need to punch whoever this idiot was, running free through his veins. And then you gave the line that broke him in half.“... and then he came up up to me and kissed me until I was-” Sebastian shot up from his spot on the bed, startling you to a stop."I'm gonna have to tell you to shut up now" The sentence wasn’t mean or anything, but you could see the anger in his stance. “God I really want to beat him to a pulp” he whispered through clenched teeth and you walked up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Yeah, me too, but he’s not worth mine or your time Seb”“No guy is, Y/N” he says more calm now that your touch has brought him back to earth and your warmth from how close to his body you got, softened his fists. He looked into your eyes, always getting lost in them, bringing out that zoned out love-filled look he knew he carried every time you were this close. “There’s got to be someone out there” you let out in a meek whisper. “Just have to find him. Maybe I already know him” those words hit him back, but if he was reading into the situation correctly... The air in the room was suddenly charged with what he knew well to be admiration, love, lust. Everything he felt for you.“Maybe...” he starts, timidly, placing a hand on the small of your back. He’s way in over his head touching you like this, like you’re his. He’s terrified of what you’ll say but the moment has never been more clear to him. Before he can do anything, it’s you that places a small kiss to his lips, closing the gap between your best friend and you for once and for all. Sebastian lets out a sigh, pulling you in closer to him, melting into the small kiss. When you pull away out of shock – did you really just do that? you keep thinking, but it’s clear that you really just did that, and it’s clear you want more – Sebastian just chuckles lightly.“God, I-I’m not worth your time, Y/N” he’s looking at you like you hold all the stars in the sky, and to him you might as well be the sun itself. This was the guy you wanted to go on a million dates with. “Too bad. You’re the one I want to give it to” and with a small smile that you put on his face, he takes it it’s his turn to close the space between you and kiss you again and again and again. 

this one was a bit long whoops.

send in numbers from this prompt list and a name for little drabblesmasterlist

[onegayastronaut]

Hey Gina, I know you're more on the "butch" spectrum of being a lesbian. I was wondering what your definition of being a "gentleman" is.

Okay, strap in ladies and gents cause this is going to be a long one:

I feel like the term “gentleman” has been slung around quite loosely over the past few years, but here’s what I think. The things that I’m about to say can be applied to both men and women.

A gentleman is polite and courteous. Always. You don’t have to like the person you’re talking to, but always be polite.

Notice how I didn’t put someone’s appearance as a thing in there. Don’t just be nice to that “hot” girl in class. Be nice to every single person pays dividends.

Know your values and what you stand for. And then stand up for them.

Have standards and know what you want.

Set goals and then go for them. After you’ve reached your goal, make a new one. Never stop trying to be better than you are right now.

Be able to take criticism and think “Is it a valid criticism?” If it is, take that into account.

Punctuality is key. This is a personal pet peeve of mine – if you’re not punctual, it just says to the other person “Your time is not valuable to me.” Time is one of the few things that no amount of money can buy.

A lot of people assume that well-dressed people are automatically “gentlemen”. That’s a false assumption in my opinion. I have met men who are dressed in thousand dollar suits who treat others like crap and homeless people who are more deserving of the term “gentleman”.

What I’m trying to say is this: your values are what counts the most. Be motivated, have a moral code you go by, and be courteous. That’s all you need anon.

[howtomusicmajor]

Ten Music Major Commandments

I have a Patreon!! There are some basic things that I find myself repeating over and over when it comes to posts. While I am obviously going to continue explaining stuff and answering questions, I thought it might be good to explain some basics of my attitude towards musicianship as a whole. As there turned out to be ten things, we can consider these the Ten Music Major Commandments. 1. Thou shalt remember that no single audition will make or break a music major career. Your career isn't hanging in the balance just because you are auditioning for an important to school or orchestra or whatever. Unless you insult the director, sit on his cat, and start yelling slurs to the room as a whole, a single audition will not torpedo a career. You can always attend a different school, work with a different ensemble, or try again at a later date when you're better prepared. 2. Thou shalt remember a music major is not a competition, it is a process of personal growth and improvement. There are few quicker ways to kill your love of music than by comparing yourself to the inevitable “people who are better than you.” There will ALWAYS be people better than you. Use that as motivation to get better yourself, or just admire them for their skill. 3. Thou shalt remember that you can't know what other people have gone through to get where they are. If a freshman can play a piece you can't perform as a senior, take a deep breath and chill. For that to be the case, they likely started earlier than you, had better training at an early age, were forced to practice more, or simply had different priorities when they were younger. You can't know those circumstances, and you can't know what you'd have done if you been in their shoes. Don't judge people who are older but haven't yet reached your skill level - you can't know what they have dealt with. So just admire their abilities and perseverance, and mind your own business if you can't think of anything nice to say. 4. Thou shalt remember that if you decide music may be better as a hobby, that's okay. It is not a personal failing. Simply put, not everyone feels comfortable betting their future on the roulette wheel that is the potential career outlook of a music​ major. Music is stressful, it requires a lot of emotional labor and self-sufficiency, and sometimes that's just not what a person wants. If that person is you, that's okay. You don't have to try and make a living making music for it to be your passion. That's what community ensembles and after-work gigs are for. And if it turns out music isn't your true passion? That's okay too. Things can be important to one part of your life but move to the background later. That doesn't mean you weren't dedicated to it when you loved it - it just means you have moved on. 5. Thou shalt take care of yourself - taking a break is better than burning out. Recently, someone I knew dropped out of school completely, essentially because of musical burnout. They had simply given too much of themselves to their music major, and didn't have any emotional reserves for the other hard parts of life. Do your best to take care of yourself, because you are the most important part of the music you make. You are the true force behind the performance - that doesn't change just because you need tools (your instrument) to make music. If you feel overwhelmed, as a music major often is, take a break. It's okay to rest, I promise. 6. Thou shalt write your schedule in stone, but follow it like the Pirate Code. It is VERY IMPORTANT to have a schedule. Musicians have to handle too many classes and performances and rehearsals and other responsibilities to try to get by without a strict schedule. When you write one up for the semester, imagine each day, and try to be realistic. You should assume that you'll live each day exACTly like it is written. If it seems impossible, then reschedule stuff. However, when you're​ actually living your final schedule, remember you can be flexible. If you know you can manage your assignments later, then absolutely use your assigned study time to go on that adventure with your friends. You still need to live your life, after all. Balance is the key, here. 7. Thou shalt never be afraid to ask someone a polite question. While it is a personal pet peeve of mine when people talk out of turn (especially when they don't know what they are talking about!), I firmly believe there is always time to answer a question. If you want to know more about something, or if you are confused, find someone who knows the answer and politely, at a convenient time, ask them. This means asking a question to clarify important class material during class, and asking that nitpicky question about that tangent your professor went on during their office hours. The main point is to ask! 8. Thou shalt try to practice at least once a weekend. Weekend practicing is honestly one of the hardest things for me to do. However, I always feel awesome after I do it! Taking a two day break from practice can be good for the mental health, but if you aren't practicing just because you can't be bothered, then maybe you should try bothering. Practice is good for you, and​ it builds character. Go practice. 9. Thou shalt treat yourself like you would your best friend. If you wouldn't make a comment about them, don't make it about yourself. You are your first, foremost, and most permanent friend. Take care of yourself, and build yourself up. No one ever became an amazing musician by beating themselves up at every failure. The best musicians take mistakes and use them as fuel to get even better. Stop beating yourself up and start being friendly to the only person who is guaranteed to be around forever - yourself. 10. Thou shalt take a deep breath. Sometimes we can get so lost inside our own heads that we forget how to leave. The next time you suspect you're on an anxiety spiral, find somewhere quiet and do you best to just breathe. You're okay. You are not going to die/get expelled/get thrown in Bad Music Major Jail. That's not even a thing. Do your best to keep things in perspective: “it's just one class/jury/audition/performance. There will be more classes/juries/auditions/performances. No matter how this one goes, life will go on.” Because it will. Life goes on. You've got this.

[irraydiance]

1. No specific fandom, do whatever you feel like 2. I just really like salt, you don't have to do all of them if you don't want to

It’s cool anon, I’m just pulling your leg. All in good fun!

I’ll stick to Assassination Classroom because it’d probably be too much salt if it was a fandom free-for-all.

1. What OTPs in your fandom(s) do you just not get?*

I see why people ship Karma with Asano – it’s the same reason people ship rival pairs, which is something I don’t get – but to me, they’re always going to be the rivals who find one another insufferable and don’t get along. It’s a personality clash as I think they’re fundamentally different people.

2. Are there any popular fandom OTPs you only BroTP?*

Karma/Nagisa and even then, their friendship is just kind of…”meh” to me now. In the past, I would’ve called it a BroTP of mine but I’m just indifferent now. Yeah, they’re close and there was that schism/survival game arc and all – I recognize that, but I’m just tired of seeing it everywhere even when it’s actually presented as strictly friendship.

I’d rather read about the Nagisa/Sugino BroTP to be honest. Or better yet, the Karma/Sugino BroTP. Hell, give me some Sugino/Kayano friendship.

3. Have you ever unfollowed someone over a fandom opinion?

No, but that might also be because I generally only follow fandom-specific blogs. I also only follow one AC blog, so…

4. Do you have a NoTP in your fandom? Are they a popular OTP?*

Yes, I have a NoTP – it’s Karma/Nagisa, and yes, it’s the goddamn most popular pairing in the fandom no matter which side of the world you’re on. Just my fucking luck, right?

5. Has fandom ever ruined a pairing for you?*

A pairing that I actually liked? No. A pairing I was indifferent to at first? Yes.

6. Has fandom ever made you enjoy a pairing you previously hated?*

Hahaha. No.

If I hated it to begin with, then I probably had a solid reason as to why, and my opinion wouldn’t change so easily.

7. Is there anything you used to like but can’t stand now?*

Not a one.

8. Have you received anon hate? What about?*

Never. That might change after this. But I did get an annoyed anon one time when I said Karma and Nakamura aren’t actually close. They were actually pretty civil though so no offense taken. I never heard back from anon but I hope they read my response!

9. Most disliked character(s)? Why?

Takaoka, probably… Yanagisawa was a scumbag but as a villain, Takaoka was more annoying as far as motives go. Like a goddamn cockroach, he just won’t go away (see: Karasuma’s 2-page manga in Grad Album Time). He also felt like a cartoon villain…but I can’t complain too much as the target demographic for AssClass definitely skewed younger.

There aren’t really any characters in the series whose guts I absolutely hated though.

10. Most disliked arc? Why?

Oh hell. The space arc right after the schism/survival game arc. Yeah, it’s AssClass we’re talking about, but I can only suspend my disbelief so much. Also, the lull in-between that arc and the final arc where nothing really happened was kind of a chore to read. It was the calm before the storm, but not much happened.

11. Is there an unpopular character you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

The fandom doesn’t hate him as far as I know, but Sugino doesn’t get nearly as much love as anyone that isn’t a member of Utatan, Nakamura, or Asano. Is it because he’s just a regular nice guy and people think that’s boring? Because he’s super ordinary and apparently heterosexual? I guess that’s Tumblr’s least favourite combination.

I’m kidding. Don’t kill me.

12. Is there an unpopular arc that you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

I don’t know if it’s unpopular but I enjoyed the baseball arc with Sugino. He’s just very likable to me. The themes of friendship and teamwork were recycled constantly, like in the sports festival (Isogai’s) arc and the culmination of Karma’s character development in the second semester finals, but it really began with Sugino’s baseball arc, and to me, that one really exemplified the themes best out of them all. They felt like a real rag-tag group of guys working toward a goal together.

13. Unpopular opinion about XXX character?

Karma is not a flirt and he’s not a slave to his hormones.

Stop writing him this way.

14. Unpopular opinion about your fandom?

Outside of the Ace Attorney fandom, I’ve never been in a fandom that hates on het pairings so much. I’ve seen all the common ones insulted and just trashed in general for the most inane reasons, and the Nagisa/Kayano ship has it the absolute worst, but I digress. The only het pairing people don’t seem to shit on is Chiba/Hayami – probably because they mostly only ever interact with one another. Go figure.

Also, this is a thing in every fandom, but seriously, you’ll have two characters interact, and even if it’s a completely regular conversation, people suddenly just start shipping it. It’s like people will ship any character with another character as long as they have even some kind of small connection. “These characters hate each other? Yeah, let’s ship ‘em.” “This character complimented this other character in an offhanded way but they have no other interactions? Yeah, I ship it.”

I’m not saying “stop having fun, guys,” but it’s a mentality I don’t follow.

15. Unpopular opinion about the manga/show?

Some of the villains felt a little too cartoon-y/flat for my tastes, like Takaoka, but as I said earlier, I think AssClass skewed younger despite such a focus on assassination and the entire nature of “killing” – most of the time, not literally, of course. They had basically zero redeeming qualities as opposed to antagonists like the Asanos, who were ultimately sympathetic, or even Korosensei’s apprentice.

16. If you could change anything in the manga/show, what would you change?

I’m terrible with these questions. My biggest complaint is that in a series with loads and loads of characters, most of them didn’t even get fleshed out so I really would’ve preferred there to be more alternate points of view – make it really feel like an ensemble cast because outside of maybe 2-3 characters, the rest of them only ever got one-and-done chapters. There are so many characters that I wish got more time in the spotlight, but alas.No offense to Nagisa and his fans – I like Nagisa, but especially in the second half of the story, it just felt like the scope narrowed way too much on him and/or Karma when Class E is actually supposed to be treated as a single entity where everyone feels equally important. Kind of like in the problem Karma solved for the final exam.

17. Instead of XYZ happening, I would have made ABC happen…

I wouldn’t have had Kayano die only to be brought back to life right after. I get that it was a parallel with Korosensei not being able to save Aguri, and now being able to save her sister Kayano. Still, the whole she’s dead lol psyche! angle went beyond cheating death; Kayano straight up died and got revived.

At the same time, in the entire series where they had a death fakeout like what we got with Lovro, if Kayano ended up being the only one killed off for real, I would’ve been upset.

So I would’ve not had that happen at all. I would’ve settled for Kayano getting hurt, or being about to get hurt when she tried to help only to have Korosensei cover for her, but not have her literally dying.

18. Does not shipping something ‘popular’ mean you’re in denial and/or biased?

Whether you ‘like’ or ‘dislike’ a pairing is down to preference.

There are plenty of pairings in other series that have strong evidence behind them and even then, there will be a handful of people from the more popular ship that twist facts to suit their narratives because they don’t like opposing pairings. They’ll even bend fiction into fact to deny actual facts. That’s being biased, but I can’t even say these people are “in denial” because a lot of those people honestly do believe they’re 100% right. Even if you throw a fact in their face, they have some kind of warped excuse ready.

19. What is the one thing you hate most about your fandom?

Obnoxious, toxic shippers.

20. What is the purest ship in the fandom?

You’d think that on a salty ask list, the question would be what the most vile ship is, not the purest one.

Come on, guys. Karma/Okuda is obviously the purest. Sarcasm aside, I really do think Karma/Okuda is the purest. It’s very sweet and genuine. The very guarded Karma can completely drop his walls and open his heart to Okuda and in turn, she watches out for Karma and really wants what’s best for him.

Putting aside the deadly pranks they can unleash on others, Karma and Okuda’s relationship is definitely pure.

21. What are your thoughts on crack ships?

I don’t mind crack ships at all but I would prefer that there’s something logical that connects the characters involved, even if it’s a crack ship.

22. Popular character you hate?

I don’t hate any of the popular characters, but I find that I’m much more mild about Nakamura than a lot of people in this fandom. I like her, but clearly not as much as everyone else.

23. Unpopular character you love?

Sugino is one of my favourites. No love from the fandom, sadly.

He’s referred to as Nagisa’s “best friend” by official material but it seems the fandom completely buries this. He’s always written off as a goddamn third wheel to Karma and Nagisa no matter if it’s shippy or just platonic and that’s such a pet peeve of mine. Official material indicates that Nagisa/Sugino/Karma get along well as a trio, but noooo, fandom seems to have this perception that Karma and Sugino only see one other as a friend-of-a-friend (Nagisa).

I feel that they might not have been friends if not for Nagisa, but after they got to know each other, Karma and Sugino would still be good friends even if Nagisa’s not around.

24. Would you recommend XXX to a friend? Why or why not?

I’ll say yes. For a weekly Jump series, AssClass is a lot more off the wall compared to the usual stuff, but it has your standard life lessons/morals for not just kids, but anyone. Plus it’s short and sweet at ~180 chapters.

25. How would you end XXX/Would you change the ending of XXX?

I wouldn’t change the ending. Korosensei had to die or else it would cheapen the meaning of the story.

26. Most shippable character?

The fandom would say it’s Karma, but I will say it’s someone with a welcoming and adaptable personality like Sugino. Isogai works too.

27. Least shippable character?

Outside of actual villains, probably Asano. This isn’t meant as an insult, but it’s hard to find a match for him because of his personality.

I didn’t have great answers, but I tried, lol.

[dabumbumblife]

Saying goodbye to another relationship

Hey everyone, so i got an interesting story for y'all. I was a part of this very fast pace relationship that only lasted a little over a month. The woman's name was D____. At first, I fell for her kindness. The fact that she helped me out even after being two hours late AND searching for me when I was lost, spoke volumes about her character. The second was her personality. It was literally like dating fire, any second you could get burned, but at the same time, you couldnt help but want to be near the warmth. Finally, dear lord her body was the hottest i've dated yet. There were always rocky instances throughout the short relationship. She would often get jealous of my friends, whether they be in the philippines, or abroad. She would often get jealous in general, even with my own family as well as ex's that I havn't seen in or spoken to in years. It was tiring to fight every single day, but I still fell very hard for the woman. Despite her jealousy, I wanted to stick with her, to be the guy she'd be with in the end. but that never came into fruition. Why? Because her personal life continuously unhinged what little we started to build. Plus, her unyielding need to point out negative factors of me, or just straight up judge me. It was baffling. Let me start with the first problem: 1. The girl had people courting her for years. Now this by itself isn't an issue. The problem is that she would continue to take gifts from these people far after we had decided to start dating. No, neither of these guys gave up, she continuously said that they're just friends but, lets be real, they don't see it like that. A woman must be able to command her own path, not be so weak willed when it comes to others interfering with the relationship. 2. She was all about money. I don't know what sparked this issue, but she really started to focus soley on money. It was asif every single aspect of our relationship revolved around it. To be honest, I spent more on her (percentage wise) than any other woman i've dated. I doubt she noticed cuz she was too buy looking at the value spent (or lackthereof) rather than what i'm actually sacraficing to be with her. Now I only have about 20.00 that must last about 30 days. Good luck to me. 3. She can't let go of the past. Granted she was head over heels for a guy before, and various men have been trying (and even while we were dating, have continued to try) to date her, i stood firm about my feelings towards her. However, in her case, she would dig... find whatever she could on facebook, or even start imagining things, blow it up, and break up with me on a whim. I felt like nothing almost every time she did that. It felt like I really couldn't open up to her about anything after awhile... 4. She called me some other guys name. Thats kinda self explanitory, there isn't much to be said after that. I was treating her to some bubble tea, she called me one of her other guys names. Yeah... imagine how my heart felt when that happened... I am still not over it. 5. She talks highly of other men. This is probably my biggest pet peeve. How can a woman say shes dating and has a boyfriend, when she quite literally says "xyz loves me far more than you do" followed by words like " Sometimes I ask god why I don't love him back". Girl... the fuck. Its one thing to think a friend or whatever is amazing. Its another to always rub in the things that I am currently limited to doing, or even worse, comparing and saying I fail in the most basic of things that I know I am trying my best at, especially to others who are still trying to court her (when they're supposed to stop... but she never stops them). 6. She lies. I mean, everyone lies. I don't believe theres anyone in this world who could say otherwise. However her lies aren't white lies. She willingly omits information regarding other men at near intimate levels just so "I won't get mad". The issue is the situation in the first place. I have to admit, I too have lied to her, about meeting up with a friend. However, that time was to actually talk about her and kind of brag about her, also to get help on what we can do together later that month as a couple, it backfired and she forever stopped trusting me. 7. She believes in other peoples words. This is probably another one that hurts me. I would tell her something, really think out my words before I send them but what she would do is go asking one of those guys that are trying to court her, and they would flip my words against me. She willingly chooses their words over mine. I hope nobody feels through that type of pain. 8. She did the "pick between your friends of me" question. Like wow... what are we 11? Stop with that shit, you're a freaking adult. 9. She had no actual faith in us succeeding, regardless of me being a foreigner. She would continuously say "This will eventually end" and "i'm going to marry an arab for the money so my family will be happy" etc. Her mind had already been setup to want us to fail. Almost every single day she would remind me that i'm either not good enough, that other men are doing things for her, or that she sees no future in us being together. I still question then, why call yourself my girlfriend and be with me, if you already want us to fail? There isn't much willpower in negativity. I just couldn't when we spoke about future plans. She wasn't ready. 10. There are alot more, but this will be the last. She wouldn't listen. Above all else this was probably the one that was the most devistating. Rather than hear my own words, she would listen to others. Instead of listening to me (having to defend myself on a daily mind you) about how I am literally doing nothing, she would make believe something, get furious and lash out. The amount of times we would just walk around the mall and she would scream at me for looking at some random girl (another note, she happily looks at other men...and women... and then screams at me when I have been trained to look down to the floor out of respect) when I wasn't even looking. My eyes are averted to the floor, out of respect for women, they aren't sex objects to me, they are people of equal status. I respect them and hopefully they respect me. She couldn't get this. She never wanted to communicate or look through my eyes on things, just blow up, f @ eel bad, and wait for me to come back begging, even though I had done nothing wrong. This was a destructive relationship by leaps and bounds. I am actually very hurt because I was so into the thought of this working out. Now i'm just like "wow... I lost everything and she don't even say nothing". She broke up with me by text btw, imagine how thats like. I really tried my best to make this work. I wish she just saw how much effort I had put in, just paid the tiniest bit of attention on the actions I did... something. I know I was her first bf and lover, thats probably why she doesn't realize what she truly had. But she made up her mind, blocked me on all forms and has probably moved on, or at least is in the process. I will truly miss her, because I loved her. I tried so damn had to make things work, I guess it was just too real when I blew up and texted out my entire grievances with what she's been doing up till now. All she got out of it was "you think low of me" and "you indirectly called me a hoe"... shes too immature to really see that she isn't ready for the seriousness of a relationship. I wish it was otherwise, but thats how it is. Thus is the life of a foreigner!... Now I have two tickets to a theme park this sunday and nobody to go with. I will miss you girl, more than you'll ever know.

[laceyeb]

Jealous - Part 1

Valenna jealousy! Part 1 of at least 2 because I don’t like the ending yet... Set during the upcoming season. I never write in first person or present tense, so if I have weird tense changes (my pet peeve!), I apologize! 

Two weeks down. I still can’t believe it. I joked when we started this season that my goal was to at least get us past week two, but now we’ve done it. And we’re doing really well. We’ve probably got at least four more solid weeks in us before I really need to start worrying. I finally get to know what it feels like to have fun and relax and train and teach and enjoy the experience.

It’s not going to be an easy ride though. Sure, there’s the usuals who won’t be around too long. But they have to mix it up and have that variety of abilities. I would say there’s maybe four other couples I’m really worried about. They could be some serious competition. Of course it’s all about our journey and me being here for my partner and guiding him through this and us having fun together, but I’m allowed to be a little competitive, too.

As far as worrying about the other couples, top of the list is definitely Val and Sharna and their partners.

Now, I love Sharna to death, but I would not want to cross her this season. She has come too close too many times. She’s not about to let another one slip right through her fingers. They’re not going to be easy to beat.

Val is a different story. Selfishly, I really just want to get one more week further him. Maybe that’s a little petty and completely missing the point, but that’s why I said ‘selfishly.’ Obviously that’s not my main focus. I care more than anything about giving my partner the experience of a lifetime and helping him grow and learn. But still. Val’s in the back of my mind. Sometimes I feel a bit guilty, but then I see them together.

She’s not the best partner he’s ever had, but she’s still pretty fantastic. The time has long since passed when Val would get a less than stellar partner. But it has been quite some time since he’s had such a blatant “showmance” story line. And that’s basically a ticket to the semi-finals. Usually it’s at least a little more subtle than this, but everyone knows Val’s single now. Why not capitalize on that? It’s irritating. Not because I’m jealous because I’m absolutely not jealous. I couldn’t care less. That’s over. He made his choice months ago. We’ve moved on and I definitely don’t care. He can flirt and blush and act all nervous and cute all he wants. I don’t care. I’m definitely not jealous.

I turn to the door when I hear Alan walk.

“There you are.” I hurry to him. I love working with Alan. It’s probably my favorite thing about being here. He’s like a best friend and a little brother and a big brother somehow all rolled into one person. “Thanks, again.”

“You don’t need to thank me,” he says, dropping his bag on the floor. “You tell me where to be and when to be there and I’m there. That’s how this works.”

“And that’s my favorite thing about you.”

“That I’m always here?”

“That you do what you’re told.”

Alan rolls his eyes and takes my hand.

“What are we working on?”

“Rumba. I just need you as a body today.”

“And your partner is…?”

“Busy. He’ll be here this afternoon. I want to be ready to go for when he’s here, so we can make up for the lost time.”

Alan narrows his eyes and I already know what’s about to happen.

“Speaking of making up for lost time,” he says.

“Nope. I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want to talk about it. Not here. Not now. He’s right down the hall. With her.”

“With her?” He repeats these words as if doesn’t understand them. Then it clicks. “Wow. You are so jealous.”

Now I roll my eyes. And I turn my back to him so he can’t see me blushing. “I am absolutely not jealous. They’re just playing it up for the cameras anyway. So even if I cared, which I don’t, it wouldn’t matter. It’s not real.” I walk away from him, avoiding his eyes in the mirror.

“Exactly.” His voice sounds quiet and far away. “It’s not real. So why are you jealous?”

I whip back around. “I’m not,” I snap at him. “Can we just do this?” I walk back to him and take his hand and I move us to the middle of the floor. When I turn to him, I see that look in his eyes and I know he’s about to apologize. “Forget it. It’s okay,” I tell him before he has a chance.

Alan nods, but I know he hasn’t let this go yet. We work for about an hour and I’m really happy with the progress we make. I have almost the entire dance mapped out, though I know it’ll still get minor tweaks and changes as the week progresses.

We sit down on the floor together to take a break and Alan doesn’t even wait a full five seconds before he starts again.

“So, you’re not jealous.” I open my mouth to argue, but he stops me. “You’re not jealous. Fine. For argument’s sake, let’s say that’s true. But you’re also not over him.”

I look across at Alan. If it had been anyone else sitting there, I know what I would have said.

“It’s been months. We’ve moved on. It’s over. We’re back to being friends and we’re fine.”

But it’s Alan who’s sitting with me now, so I tell him the truth.

“Of course I’m not. I’m not over him. I loved him.” I’m whispering now and probably blushing again, but I don’t really care. It feels good to say this out loud. “I still do. It’s not something you just get over. And I see him every day and I have to spend time with him and it’s hard. I mean, we’re friends again. Or we’re at least good at pretending to be friends again. It’s all very… civil, you know? Very cordial and formal. It’s so awkward. But I have to pretend like it’s not and I have to see him every day with her and I’m not jealous.” But Alan just gives me that look. “So, I am jealous, but not jealous of her because I know that’s not real. It’s the idea of her. It’s the idea of being her. With him. I don’t like that it’s her and not me.”

This is the first time I’ve been so honest with someone about Val. About the way I feel now.

“I don’t really know how to make this better for you,” Alan says. “I hate that because I like to know that I can always make you feel better. But this one might be too much for me.” We’re both quiet for a moment and then he says something I know he’s been holding in for a while. “Do you think maybe you should talk to him about this?”

“No.” That’s an easy answer. I’ve already considered that option. He made his choice. I had to accept it now whether I wanted to or not.

Alan chooses not to force the issue. We get back to work. I want to fix the end of the dance because I think it needs a bigger moment. It needs some more wow at the end. We run through from the top and we get to the end. Alan dips me back. When I come back up, he leans his face in close to mine instead of turning away like I had originally choreographed it.

“Better?” he whispers, his lips close to mine. “You could even throw a kiss in at the end.”

“I’ll have to ask him first if that’s okay. We probably won’t.”

We both jump at the sound of a voice from the door and Alan nearly drops me. We turn and see Val.

“Irony,” Alan mutters just loud enough for me to hear. I pinch him hard on the arm.

“That wasn’t what I expected to walk in on,” Val says. “You should probably close the door next time.”

“What can I say?” Alan says in a joking tone. “I couldn’t resist.”

I quickly step in before Alan says something he shouldn’t. “He’s just a body for me today. Rumba this week, so…”

“Where’s your partner?”

“He’ll be here this afternoon. Where’s yours?”

“Running late.” Val checks the time on his phone. “Said she’d be here be now.”

“Well, she has to take her time and look good for her man,” I say without thinking. I immediately regret it. I feel Alan tense beside me.

“Jealous, are we?” Val says. I can tell he’s trying and failing to keep his tone light.

“Of you and your fake relationship? I’m good.”

Val turns to Alan and grins smugly. “She’s jealous, isn’t she?”

Alan steps back from me and says, “I’m not getting involved in this.”

“There’s nothing to get involved in.” I grab Alan’s hand and decide to just ignore Val, hoping he’ll just get bored and leave again. “Let’s run it again.”

We start from the top and Val moves back to the door, but he stops and watches us. When I’m facing him, I avoid his eyes. When my back is turned to him, I can feel him watching us.

I don’t know what makes me do it. It had been Alan’s suggestion, adding a kiss at the end. But he doesn’t expect it when I lean in, so his reaction makes everything worse.

“Woah. When did we put that in?”

“It was your idea,” I say as if it was obvious.

“It was my suggestion. I didn’t tell you to plant one on me all of a sudden.”

“I should probably give you two some alone time,” Val says suddenly, his demeanor casual. But I notice that he doesn’t move any closer to the door.

“We’re just dancing,” I say, rolling my eyes. “No different than what you and your fake girlfriend do every day.”

I don’t know why this frustration has flared up in me so suddenly. Maybe because he’s able to walk into this room and act like there was never anything between us. It hurts me more than I would admit even to Alan to see him treat our relationship like this.

“Alright.” Val steps toward us now and his calm tone vanishes. “Should we talk about this? What is your problem with me right now?”

“I don’t have a problem with you.”

“Clearly you do. Get it out so you can get over whatever the hell this is?”

“So I can get over it?!” Now I’m angry. “Get over what?”

Alan moves past both of us without a word, walks into the hall, and closes the door. I don’t stop him.

“Whatever has you so pissed at me for no reason!”

“No reason?! Here you are walking in here accusing me of being jealous of -.”

“You are! You’re so -.”

“And you’re jealous of me and Alan, as if that would ever be anything!”

“What the hell are you talking about?! When did I say -.”

“I should probably give you some alone time,” I say in a mocking and vicious tone. “Close the door next time.”

“Are you kidding?! That’s a joke! Besides, you’re the one using him to make me jealous.”

I freeze now. I know this is bad. I know we should stop this before one of us says something we can’t take back. But it feels so freeing to have this out with him. To yell and scream at him and make him understand how I feel.

“Using him?” My voice is quiet now. “Using him? How dare you accuse me of that. I wouldn’t care if you were jealous or not. And I would never do that to him, especially not to make you jealous.”

“Well, you just did.” He stills, realizing what he has said.

“You’re a hypocrite. I have no reason to be jealous of you and your pretend girlfriend, but you -.”

“I’m not fucking jealous of you and Alan!” His voice has risen again. “Do whatever you want with him. Hook up with him. Don’t. I don’t care! Why should I?!”

I drop my head into my hands. I don’t know how we got here.

“I’m not hooking up with Alan. You’d have to be really stupid to think -.”

“And I’m not hooking up with -.”

“I know!” I shout and I look up at him again. “I know you’re not! But I don’t like it!”

This stops him. We’re both breathing heavily. I avoid his eyes. I hear him take a steadying breath.

“We need to stop. We need to stop yelling. Everyone will hear us.” I nod in agreement. His voice is small now. “Did you mean that? That you don’t like me and her together? Because we’re not together.”

“I know that,” I say hoarsely. My throat is sore from yelling. I feel regret and shame settling in, but I keep some anger in my voice. “And I didn’t mean it. I don’t care. I don’t care what you do with her.”

“Then I don’t care what you do with Alan.” His tone is childish, but I know I don’t sound any better and I don’t try.

“It’s not fair, you know? You being jealous of me. You chose this. It was your choice. You’re the one who ended it. You’re the one who said -.”

“I know what I said. I was there.”

I look up at him and quickly look away again. Looking in his eyes makes it all worse.

“What are we doing?” I whisper. “Why are we doing this?”

“Doing what?”

“I don’t know. Yelling. Arguing. Fighting. We were better. We were at least close. Everything was okay again and now we’re back to this. Why?”

“You really thought everything was better?” His tone isn’t angry anymore. He’s curious. Almost nervous.

“No,” I say honestly. “It wasn’t better. Somehow it was worse, pretending it was.”

“Then we need to fix this. Tell me how to fix this. Tell me what to do.”

[emptymanuscript]

BL Genre

Ok, why waste a good idea? More on Genre today. To be honest with you, if you're only going to learn one of the STC! Genres, learn Buddy Love. Because more than any other Buddy Love, or the BL genre, is the human story. Emotional connection is the fundamental glue of humanity and insufficient emotional connection is the great stumbling block for... well... pretty much everyone.

Please note that I don't say love. That's a pet peeve of mine. The love story is NOT the base story of humanity. As much as we want to say it is. It just isn't so. And sticking a romance where it doesn't belong happens far too often. Most often to the great detriment of the story it is pasted onto without reason other than that's what everybody does. Nope. Everybody tries to emotionally connect. Even people already in friendships and romances are looking for emotional connection. Romance is a single iterration of a larger and more necessary category. And sex is an even smaller category. We are a social animal and this genre is about fulfilling that basic need. We NEED each other. And that isn't easy. So we need this story over and over and over again in a thousand different ways because we'll never be able to cover all the bases.

There are three essentials for a BL genre story:

The first is the need. Let's face it we all need other people. We need that emotional connection. But need is also weakness in story terms. And one of the first things we learn to cover up as people, and so necessarily one of the first things that characters must try and cover up is that basic a weakness. We close it off and live in denial until the pain is too bad. Sometimes that means loneliness. Sometimes it means filling life with people who we only superficially connect to. Or people where we connect but there's still something not quite right. This need is the driving force of a BL story. And the audience needs to see it. BL's are often an ironic genre. The audience will frequently have a better grasp of what the protagonist needs than the protagonist does themselves. But that's a generality. The protagonist may know exactly what they need and instead have no capability of getting it. The essential thing is that this is the bit that needs not to be backstory in this genre, even though it usually comes up late in other genres. In BLs you need to lead with the need. The sooner you show it the sooner you are moving.

Ok, there's actually a bit more to the need than just the desire to socially connect. While you can get away with just that need for light stories, for stories that you want to stick, there needs to be a deeper element to the need. It isn't just that the protagonist needs someone, they need someone to do something in particular for them. In its purest form it is validation. Someone else to see the protagonist for who they are, warts and all, and still approve. For more complicated forms, the need usually relates to the major subplot of the story, or the main plot if you are using the BL as the subplot. Somehow the need relates to the main drive of that, often validating that the protagonist is the right person to solve the other plot. A warning here, though. Many writers have interpreted validation as judgement. That the need that truly exists is to be found worthy. Validation and worth are not the same. When they are treated the same it is codependence. That's fine to do intentionally in a story. Stories aren't really necessarily about things going well. But do it intentionally. Otherwise you get weird moments like in action stories where for some inexplicable reason the hero and the heroine get together and now the hero is ready to take on the villain. Because they passed judgement. ? Yeah, it doesn't really work. When the need is for something, then whoever the protagonist socially connects with has to provide for that need in an identifiable way.

Ok, number two, the other character. Simple, right? Nope. Remember, the other character has to fulfill the need. If you don't make a character that can fulfill the need then they aren't ready to be part of the dynamic for this plot. In a fundamentally BL story, instead of using it as a subplot for something else, the other character also has to have a need. This is non-optional. And it has to be a need that the protagonist can fulfill in the same way that the other character fulfills the need for the protagonist. You can even have a story where there are two (or more) protagonists. In which case each one has to have the scene showing their need. And then you need to have the scene somewhere where the other character (the opposite of the respective protagonist) shows that they have what it takes to fulfill that need. This is actually why pure validation usually isn't the best choice for what to have as a need. Because it is very difficult to show that a person is particulary capable of validation compared to other people. It's much easier to show that a particular other character has a competency that allows them to fulfill the need in a way that is meaningful. Even if BL isn't your main plot, one of the easiest ways to make your writing better is to take a moment to show this kind of reciprocal need, where the characters are able to aid each other.

Why do I use character instead of person? Because we've all grown up with these stories where the other character isn't a person. Animals are frequently the other character. Horses. Dogs. Robots. We aren't limited to other people when it comes to emotional connections. Again, in spite of the name of this genre, don't mistake this for just being about romance. This is about connecting and being able to be more by being together than you can be as seperate.

The third element is the complication. Every story has a complication. But the BL has a specific purpose to its complication that other genres have more possibilities to play with. The complication in the BL genre is specifically why the protagonist and the other character(s) can't emotionally connect. Or, having connected, why they stop connecting. Remember this genre is fundamentally about connection. That means once the connection has happened and is stable, the story is over, you're just wrapping up. So the only way to get a story out of this genre is to interfere with the connection. Make it difficult. This isn't really optional. As I said, other genres have a lot more possibilities here. It's why people tend to complain that romance is fill in the blanks or that all buddy cop films are so formulaic. The inventiveness isn't in what the complication accomplishes. The inventiveness is all in how that complication is accomplished. And that kind of inventiveness is hard. It's going to force you to stretch and be deeply specific not to repeat what has been done twenty thousand times already. That's the cost of this genre. It's one of humanity's favorites, so it has been done and done and done to the point that specifics are your friend more than anything. More than being original, you're going to have to overcome this weakness with other elements of your story to make the audience not care that they've seen this before.

There are three main places that the complication tends to reveal itself. At the quarter marks. At ¼ the protagonist usually realizes that this is the character they need in their lives and it is time for action to get them in their lives to overcome the complication that has already been set up but is now clearly identified. At the ½ the protagonist usually realizes that there is a possible relationship but also that there is a big problem in the way. At the ¾ mark, the protagonist usually realizes that the big problem that has been keeping them apart from the character is nothing compared to their desire for emotional connection and it is time to take drastic action to get the other character into their lives for good. Sometimes stories have all three.

The two variant placements are right up front and right at the end. With a right up front placement of the complication, the BL usually sets up its main subplot as the main course of action and the protagonist spends the entire story messing up connecting with the other character. With the right at the end placement, usually the BL is a sad story. The protagonist fails to get the other character but finds that their lives have been enriched by being with them. Again, sometimes you get both. Sometimes your flat out get all five points.

But also remember this is typicals. You can run anywhere you want and you can think of these five iterations as a menu of options. You need at the very least one of these scenes showing this relationship. But where you put it, which one you choose, and how many you use are up to you.

[northshorehealthandfitness]

5 Ways I Include Single Leg Training In My Programs

Before I melt some faces with my witty banter and (somewhat) intellectual prowess on the subject matter below, I wanted to let everyone know Mike Robertson’s new resource, Complete Single Leg Training, is now available at $50 off the regular price.

It’s legit.

I mean, it’s Mike freakin Robertson we’re talking about here. If you’re a trainer or coach it behooves to add this to your educational library.

Copyright: vadymvdrobot / 123RF Stock Photo

5 Ways I Include Single Leg Training In My Programs

Single leg training isn’t sexy to talk, much less write about. In terms of excitement factor I’d rank it somewhere between a watching a NASCAR race and picking lint out of your belly button.

I can understand the cacophony of subsequent eye rolls and yawns that are being directed my way.

However, hear me out.

Single leg training is important shit.

Now, more often than not whenever there’s an article written on single leg training it’s under the guise or in congruence with taking a massive dump on bilateral training (think: squats and/or deadlifts).

The implication being one should avoid bilateral or two-legged training in lieu of performing only unilateral or one-legged training.

I think it’s a stupid argument to have on par with which is better: low-bar vs. high-bar squats? or mint chocolate chip vs. mint Oreo ice-cream?

Photo Credit: T-Nation.com

With deference, almost always, the appropriate answer to the single leg vs. bilateral debate (and, really, any question in the history of ever) is “it depends.”

Some people are more concerned with being brutally strong with the “Big 3”  and are only worried about optimal force production. If that’s the case bilateral movements should make up the bulk of training.

Conversely, some people, especially athletes, need to marinate in a diverse pool of movement. In that case single leg training is going to take precedence and play more of an integral part in their training and programming.

Are there people out there who debate ice-cream? Don’t be cray-cray.

Suffice it to say, here’s my take on the debate: BOTH are important, BOTH play a significant role in a well-balanced program, and BOTH should be used simultaneously.

If we’re being honest, though, we generally don’t have to pull any arms behind backs in order to convince people to perform bilateral movements like squats and deadlifts.

It’s pretty much bro-code.

Single leg work on the other hand?

Well, that can be a bit of a harder sell.

It’s unfortunate because even if someone’s goal is to be a brick shit house or deadlift Kansas single leg training has many benefits, mmmkay.

Including but not limited to:

Joint health and integrity (I have yet to find an individual with a history of knee, hip and/or back issues who doesn’t benefit from a healthy dose of single leg training).

Improved balance.

Improved foot/ankle/hip stability. Or, stability in general.1

A fantastic way to train rotary stability (<— a fancy schmancy way of saying something will work your core).

Greater specificity to sport (and real life).

Improved strength & hypertrophy (depending on how it’s implemented).

Helps address weaknesses and imbalances from limb to limb.

Reduced wear and tear via less axial loading.

More exercise variety.

And the list can go on.2

Below are (some) ways I like to include single leg training in my programs.

1) Treat Single Leg Training Like Eating Broccoli

It’s just, you know, something that has to be done.

It’s hard for me to peruse the list I made above of all the benefits and not include some semblance of single leg training in a program (regardless of someone’s goal).

There aren’t many scenarios I can think of off-hand where it won’t help.

Be a better athlete? Check

Be a better lifter? Check

Beat Jason Bourne in a knife fight? Check.

All the bases are covered.

That said, one pet-peeve of mine and something I notice all….the…..time as a coach is that people tend to go way too heavy.

I’ll watch some guys grab the 80+ lb DBs and perform walking lunges and think to myself “why?”

Their knees are caving in every which way and it’s evident most are unable to control the load. This kinda defeats the purpose of doing it in the first place.

Stop training your ego and lower the load.

I’d rather people use a load they can control and perform it for high(er) reps than to grab the heaviest weight possible and make perhaps do more harm than good.

ALSO…..

It’s my own preference as a coach, but I much prefer people to adopt more of a forward lean when performing lunge variations.

  When you assume a more upright posture during lunges it makes it easier to crank through the lower back which can also result in excessive rib flair; I.e., a more unstable position.

The inner dialogue should be more “shoulders over knees” than “shoulders over hips.”

2) Potentiation (Or, Turning “Stuff” On)

I often have my clients perform a single leg movement before squatting or deadlifting.

  I find it’s a nice way to turn “stuff” on and to prime people for the heavier shenanigans going down shortly thereafter.

Goblet variations are my go to here (less grip intensive): Goblet Reverse Lunge, Goblet Forward Lunge, Goblet Reverse TO Forward Lunge, Goblet Split Squat, Goblet Bulgarian Split Squat, Goblet Whateverthefuck.

  The idea is to go LIGHT and to OWN the movement.

I like to use 2-3 sets of 6-8 reps per side.

Pants optional.

3) Adding Isometric Holds

If you really want to humble someone (and to make their glutes scream for blood mercy) try adding in some isometric holds.

  I LOVE using these with my clients/athletes as it forces them to use sloooooow down, to stay more cognizant of body position, and it also aids in more time under tension.

The 1-Legged RDL Hold to Reverse Lunge (video above) – which I “stole” from Joel Seedman – is one of my favorite go to’s of late.

4. Combo Movements

Pigging back on the RDL Iso Hold to Reverse Lunge, another way I like to include single leg training into my programs is to combine two movements into one.

This is a fantastic way to make the movements a bit more challenging and also serves as a way to make people feel like a bag of dicks.

You want sore, I’ll give you sore.

1-Legged RDL to Squat

  Bulgarian Split Squat to RDL

  5) Fake Single Leg Training

Least we forget single leg training can be too advanced of an option for some people. Whether it’s due to novelty or “just because” we can incorporate “fake” single leg options to help ramp people to the real thing.

I’m more concerned with setting people up for as much success as possible rather than making them feel frustrated.

In that light here are two excellent options I use all the time:

Split Stance Trap Bar RDLs

  Here, with the split stance, we can hinge back into back leg placing a bit more emphasis (loading) into the front.

For those who have balance issues this is an excellent choice.

B-Stance Squat

  With the offset (or B) stance, we place more load on the front leg. Again, this is a great option for those with stability/balance issues and who aren’t quite ready for actual 1-legged squats (you sadistic bastard).

Do Your Single Leg Work, Yo

If’ I’m not able to convince you, I know Mike will.

Complete Single Leg Training is on sale now at $50 off the regular price (offer only lasts till this Friday, 9/22).

Mike’s entire philosophy and system on single leg training is covered. Whether you want a better understanding of the role of single leg training plays in programs, how to streamline progressions and regressions, or you just want to have a plug-and-play list of exercises to use, this would be an excellent educational resource for any personal trainer or coach to consider.

Quite bluntly, Mike’s one of the best coaches I know and you WILL get better.

Get your copy before the price hikes back up.

—> Save $50 on Complete Single Leg Training <—

The post 5 Ways I Include Single Leg Training In My Programs appeared first on Tony Gentilcore.

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[desertmannequin]

Grub: Dining with Gary Robinson

The fact that I’m not a size 0, or a 2, or even a 4 for that matter should be a strong indicator of just how much I love food. I really do love it, A LOT! So when I was invited to hang out and have Gary Robinson (Director and Executive Chef at Condé Nast International Restaurants) cook me a meal, I immediately called Waqas to get home early and put on his fat pants. We marched on over to the Vogue Café (which is conveniently located across the street from us) in a New York minute to meet the man himself. 

“I wonder what he’s whippin’ up in the kitchen today,” Waqas muttered to me slightly hesitant due to being gluten intolerant. 

Though curious, we both knew we were in good hands.

I worked up an appetite by sitting down for a fun interview first, followed by a welcome drink, and then came the best stuff - kale salads, beef ceviche, burrata on bread for starters, followed by the risotto I had ordered, and the monk fish Waqas had. 

Disclaimer: Do not google monk fish because boy does it look unappetizing, and actually somewhat demonic.

Here we go. 

AB: What first got you into cooking, or culinary arts?

GR: It was my grandmother. When I was a kid, I spent so much quality time with my maternal grandparents. My grandpa is my hero by the way. I hung around him all the time, looking up to him, admiring him. I wanted to garden like him, and fish like him, and climb mountains like him. It was just such a wonderful childhood. They were truly inspirational. Everything my grandmother touched was so humble, but equally great. She made the best food. It was simple, nothing fancy, but really was a treat for the tastebuds. 

AB: You’ve probably mastered dozens of recipes by now considering your long successful career, but is there still a favorite to this day you absolutely love preparing and sharing? Something that’s close to your heart?

GR: I’m going to get all nostalgic and teary eyed here now, but it’s my nana’s rice pudding. It’s absolutely heavenly and still to this day my favorite. It’s baked to perfection, has this rich creamy consistency, and just evokes some really wonderful memories of us eating it together. It’s very comforting when I reminisce about it and just takes me back.

AB: What’s the one ingredient that saves it all - the golden ingredient you absolutely cannot live without?

GR: Lemon! Most people would say salt, or olive oil, but for me it’s lemon. A little zest into a salad, or a little juice drizzled on to a piece of meat, or even lemon fruit salad is really great and truly helps to open up the flavors in the fruit. Yup, lemon works for me every single time.

AB: Sweet or savory?

GR: Savory all the time. I don’t have to end a meal on a dessert note. I’d rather end with an espresso personally speaking.

AB: I’m by no means great in the kitchen. I do have a couple things I make quite well, but I’m not adventurous or confident enough to venture out of my comfort zone. To be honest, I’m not a great cook, so what’s the one piece of advice you’d give a gal like me who works all the time and ends up ordering in?

GR: Plan your time out in the kitchen. Strategize what you want to make and how you’re going to go about making it. It really helps. Tell yourself you have 20 minutes to make a certain dish and stick to that. There’s wonderful recipes out there on the internet, pick something you like and tackle it. Cooking is trial and error. The more you do it, the better you get.

AB: Can everyone cook?

GR: God yes. Everyone can cook. We all to a certain extent know how to eat well and have a certain palette that’s developed over time, so if we put ourselves up to the challenge, we can surely learn to put together the dishes we love.

AB: You’re talking to a person who’s ruined eggs in the past.

GR: My wife has ruined water, so I think you’re ok. It’s all about applying yourself to be able to technically create something you enjoy.

AB: She’s married to you, I think she’ll be fine.

AB: What ingredient don’t you like and feel doesn’t work well.

GR: Truffle oil. It’s too manufactured and contrived. I love fresh truffles as they are, but not the oil. I find it very artificial. 

AB: Which chefs have inspired you, and really shaped the chef you’ve become today?

GR: I count myself as incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the best chefs from around the world. In my opinion it’s like a roll call of who’s who in the culinary world.

Each and every one of them have influenced my craft. You take something away from each person who’s mentored you and incorporate into your personal code.

From Annie Féolde to Roger Vergé, and Shaun Hill to Pierre Chevillard where I started my career, it’s all been one heck of a journey. I’m also a big fan of Daniel Boulud. My style is an amalgamation of the sources I’ve been exposed to. A chef is a result of his/her experiences. Even here in Dubai, I’ll walk out and have a wonderful meal in a humble restaurant nestled away somewhere on a street corner and it will blow me away. I leave wondering and thinking how I can potentially put my own spin on something I may have had for dinner that evening. It’s a fun process that keeps evolving. It’s a great business to be in because the learning never stops.

AB: Do you enjoy eating as much as cooking:

GR: I do have to say that I enjoy cooking more and sharing that than eating what I’ve created myself. 

AB: There’s something incredibly filling about the process of cooking in and of itself. 

GR: Absolutely! That’s a great way to put it. I like to perform in the kitchen, and dance around and get my hands dirty. For me, it’s exhilarating. The process of making something alone is enough for me. Plus, I’m always trying things along the way. 

AB: A cuisine you consider to be the most well rounded and complete?

GR: I love Japanese cuisine because it’s so clean, linear, and relatively healthy. Otherwise I would have to say Thai is my absolute favorite. It offers something for everyone. I can eat Thai food 7 days a week.

AB: What’s your take on food “trends”. Certain ingredients or dishes have their moment and then they fade away. How do you feel about this?

GR: There has to be movements. If you think about what people were eating 20 years ago or how they were eating it, we’ve come a long way. Things have evolved and changed. Likes have turned to dislikes, and vice versa. The art of cooking has always depended on it. You also have to cater to what people want and are liking at a particular time. So I’m actually not opposed to trends, in fact I think if one operates in his/her own bubble, you run the risk of getting left behind. But with that being said, yes, one does wonder how long Kale will continue to be the celebrity green for, although we’re moving on from it. You heard it here first. Part of my job is not to predict trends, but rather be ahead of the curve. Innovation too is key in running a successful restaurant or instigating a movement. Trends have to be considered, but the best chefs put their own spin on it. 

AB: What’s the best way to salvage the things going bad in your fridge?

GR: Oh wow... hmmm... I would have to say that eggs would always save the day there. Just turn everything into a frittata, sprinkle some parmesan on top and you’re good to go. It does taste delicious.

AB: What’s the one dish you swear you can make in your sleep without flinching?

GR: Name me a flavor of ice cream?

AB: Chocolate!

GR: There you go, chocolate ice cream. There’s a recipe I learned when I was 17 years old and it’s still the recipe I use to this day. I know it like the back of my hand and promise consistency.

AB: How has being a chef impacted your life?

GR: It has taught me how to be flexible, and be highly analytical and quick thinking. In the kitchen you have to act quickly and be on your feet - catering to situations on hand. The process of being a chef, I suppose like many other careers, requires you to constantly learn and adapt, and I love that. 

AB: If you had to commit to eating one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?

GR: PIZZA! Every. Single. Time.

AB: Good one. Mine is cheeseburgers.  

AB: First thing you do in the morning?

GR: I make a cup of English Breakfast tea with a splash of milk.

AB: Last thing you do at night?

GR: Prepare that cup of tea I’m going to make the next morning. I lay out my cup, teabag, etc. and then hit the hay. 

AB:  Pet peeves?

GR: I can’t bear when someone isn’t paying attention. I struggle with a lackluster approach to anything.

AB: Thanks Gary! Now, let’s eat....