#this is...probs longer than I intended lol

[andthendk]

hey! since the tomorrowverse is officially finished with the crisis on infinite earths trilogy, do you think there's any chance we'll ever see damirae in any dc movies again?🥺

I honestly think we'll have to see how Gunn's DCU unfolds, because DC's rly notably trying to center things on that (aside from comics but comics have always been independent work) - see how they're wrapping things up real quick while we're in a massive limbo rn outside of continued series/shows because they've yet to unveil the new universe's finelines just yet 🫠🫠 a LOT is at stake with that first Superman movie,,,,,, from what I know they don't have concrete plans for the next animated movie universe either (if they plan on it being a universe at all, after crisis "erased" most of it). Though I keep WISHING something new comes up on SDCC...this is why I keep joking that our fandom has to be more obnoxious about what we want rn lmao

Jokes aside though, Damirae isn't a minor ship I'm sure a lot of ppl wish it were and Damian and Raven as characters are widely known & popular so it's a never say never deal. Continuous multiverse has its merits?!? Funnily enough, both characters have 39392 different interpretations across all content so it depends on who wants to pick up this spaghetti code and make it work 🤷‍♀️ I do have high hopes though, because Gunn's favorite characters are Raven and Damian, as the guy has mentioned himself 🥹🍀🍀🍀 at the very least we should expect to see them both on screen, and us humble folk will pick up the crumbs lmao 👍🏻 fingers crossed🍀🍀🍀!!!!!

[double--blind]

(SPOILERS) breaking down how obsessed Andrew is w/his sister bc he's a repressed lil liar and I'm going insane

This post got longer than I intended it to

1. He claims they don't spend enough time apart from each other to even begin missing her so he doesn't even know if he would, but just earlier in the game he was apart from her for probs like 30 mins tops to investigates some cultists and guess what???? He was already missing her 😒

2. Says "I thought you grew out of this touchy-feely crap" when Ashley asks for a hug, but earlier when he was cooking dinner, he was the one with the inexplicable urge to "pull this broody bitch into [his] arms and force her to stay until she smiles" 😒

3. Piggy-backing off the last screenshot: WHAT OTHER THOUGHTS, ANDREW??? yOU WERE JUST THINKING ABT HUGGING HER. WHAT DO YOU EVEN MEAN. THESE ARE SIMPLY INNOCENT BROTHERLY THOUGHTS ARE THEY NOT????? 🤨🤨🤨

4. Bro just can't keep his hands off her. And everyone thinks Ashley's the clingy one jeez (lol the way he springs apart from her when Mom catches them is definitely definitelyyyy not worth analyzing. nope. not even when it happens a second time on the couch. nope. nooope)

5. What. What is he thinking here. Don't think I don't see those grey lil blush lines. Is this connected to my third point somehow bc like... 🤨😬 Is "Andrew" is gonna start doing and being what "Andy" was too spineless and afraid of doing?? That's what the vow was partly abt right?? Does that include—

5. WHEWWW BOY that little flashback with his gf has so much baggage in it I just wanna dissect. His girlfriend's tryna have a serious discussion with him abt his weird sister for the sake of bettering their relationship bc she genuinely loves him, but he just gets caught up in fondly talking abt said weird sister instead??

6. He's awfully hesitant abt Ashley learning some independence, bc y'know what?? I think he doesn't really want her to stop relying on him. But what do I know y'know

6. Wants his gf to put tie her hair up in a ponytail, then when she refuses bc he'll pull on it, says it's just "how boys express their love". Well. You know who else puts there hair up in a ponytail??? You know who else's hair he's always pulling on and touching???

7. The voicemails in his gf's phone left by Ashley are heard by him in his dreams, and his dreams are a construction of his mind utilizing his memories, personal hangups, and knowledge of Ashley. The voicemails irl were left on his gf's phone, and for all we know, he never actually listened to them in person. Bearing this in mind... odds are the things Ashley's saying contain bits of truths he believes within himself, filtered thru her crude, hateful dialogue.

Here. I transcribed one of them...

"DO YOU THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAN ME!? Just because you can fuck him and I can't? You think that's love?! Are you fucking delusional?? Cumdumpsters like you are just that. He will never love you. Not like he loves me. I am the only one. I am everything. I am the secrets you'll never hear. When he lies in bed at night, and when he needs someone to hold on to… It's not you he seeks out. It is me."

8. Claims Ashley's the one with the jealous streak, not him, but I think he's just as bad. The only difference is that Ashley's never given him reason to act on it since all she's ever wanted was him, but at the slightest mention of her gettin it on w/someone else, even as a joke, he gets mad. "OVER MY DEAD BODY!!" he says, when she's jokingly contemplating getting knocked up via the neighbor so an ambulance would come for her. "I wouldn't let them," he says, when she's complaining abt not being pretty enough for the wardens to bang her

9. Going hand-in-hand with that fact, he's intensely protective of her. Didn't hesitate to cleaver the warden who found her in the closet (probs didn't even BLINK lmaooo he chose VIOLENCE), and when the cake-stealing cultist insulted her just once, he stepped forward just like that

10. In their apt, when they were lying on the floor talking abt jumping off the balcony, he was really caught up in the "romantic" fantasy of them committing a double suicide and dying with their bodies entwined so irreparably by the impact they form one unified corpse "never to be separated!" and they get buried in the same coffin together. UM??? Bro fr thought he was the sane one of the two. That wasn't even true before the cannibalism and demon summoning 😭😭😭

BONUS:

11. This might just be me, but his reaction to seeing the post-sex vision doesn't strike me as someone who's inherently opposed to the idea. Instead of disgusted, he was... flustered?? He acted like she walked in mid-guilty pleasure wet dream. This wasn't a "GROSS THATS INCEST" reaction which is... the most normal reaction to have. That's the face of a man that got CAUGHT bro.

He asks "we're not like that, are we?" and "why are you like this?" and questions the veracity of the vision, but he never actually explicitly denies wanting the vision to happen, more focused on Ashley and her reaction. He buries the elephant under the rug as fast as he can, bc yeah, it struck a landmine, but it probably wasn't a landmine for the reason Ashley thinks it is. I bet the vision just hit a little too close... :P

[crackedhrglass]

i got this ask on my strawpage and was gonna type it up in my notes app and post it to twitter, but i really couldn't figure out a way to say it concisely, so i'm answering it here bc it's prob gonna be long lol.

do i think stancest is actually canon? simply put, no. despite how often i'm like "STANCEST IS CANON!!" i truly don't think that AH and the writers intended stan & ford's relationship to be seen through an incestuous lens.

their relationship is def the heart of the show, second only to dipper & mabel's own bond. they are the center of each other's worlds, their story & character arcs revolve almost entirely around each other, and their happy ending is literally the two of them sailing off into the sunset to spend "the rest of their days" together (ford says this almost word-for-word in journal 3).

but i still don't think all of that was meant to be taken romantically.

in my opinion, where things start to get a little weird is, surprisingly enough, ford's relationship with bill.

the rest is under a cut bc HOLY SHIT this got longer than i expected.

there's no denying that bill was written to deliberately parallel stan in a number of ways, from his mannerisms, to his conman status, to the fact that he calls ford the same name stan did when they were kids.

he's written in a very intentional way that makes him serve as both stan's parallel and his foil, especially in their respective relationships to ford (bill feeds into ford's ego and encourages him to aspire for greatness alone, stan has always been a direct obstacle & challenge to ford's ego, accidentally ruining his chances at WCT & encouraging him to live out their childhood dream together; bill valued infinite power over his own family and destroyed his dimension as a result, stan valued his family over everything, and saved ford and his dimension as a result).

normally, this wouldn't be that big of a deal to a stancest shipper like myself. but as the book of bill & the accompanying website all but confirmed in big, flashing neon lights, ford & bill have a romantic history and are exes.

having the two people closest to ford be compared to one another is one thing. having ford be drawn to bill because of how similar he is to the brother he secretly misses is one thing.

having ford be romantically involved with said character is what makes me raise an eyebrow lol.

again, do i think ford is literally a brocon who's got repressed sexual/romantic feelings for stan?

no.

i do, however, think he has unresolved Brother Issues that led him to subconsciously find comfort in a romantic partner that reminded him of stan (right down to bill calling him stan's nickname for him) in much the same way a person with "daddy issues" may seek out affection & intimacy from someone who reminds them of their father (or is just "fatherly" in general).

that much, i believe, was actually intentional. it's just too blatant to not be lol. it'd be a completely different story if either

bill & stan were nothing alike (untrue) or

ford & bill's relationship was strictly platonic and didn't have any romantic implications (also untrue)

i've said this before, but this isn't just a case of "oh, ford fell in love with someone who just coincidentally reminds him of his brother." bill's use of the nickname "sixer" during their first encounter was a deliberate attempt at appealing to a part of ford that was repressed, vulnerable, and aching, in order to get ford's guard down and make it easier for ford to trust him, and it worked.

billford is a ship that, to put it bluntly, would not exist without ford's buried feelings for stan, even disregarding shipping/incest/etc. ford's desire to be close to stan even platonically is what allowed bill to needle his way into ford's heart in the first place.

and all of this wouldn't be that weird if, again, bill hadn't continued to feed into ford's longing for stan even after they'd established a romantic relationship, by still calling him "sixer" and trying to permanently sever the relationship he had with stan specifically, once he and ford broke up (the phone call he tried to make while in ford's body that was described in tbob).

to put it another way, imagine if wendy was basically an older, taller mabel, or if any of mabel's crushes were eerily similar to dipper. people in the fandom would def take notice and view it as a little strange. so i don't get how people can look at ford dating someone so blatantly and intentionally similar to stan and think to themselves "ah yes, this is normal. ford is completely Normal and definitely doesn't have any underlying issues whatsoever" lmao

to conclude: no, i don't think ford & stan's relationship is actually canonically romantic, nor do i think ford falling in love with bill was incestuous, necessarily.

but i do think that he had a desperate longing to reconcile with stan buried DEEEEEEP down, and it manifested itself in the form of being attracted to bill, which is probably why he never bothered correcting bill's use of the nickname "sixer" since their very first meeting, or ever expressed that it made him uncomfortable.

[johnslittlespoon]

listen ik they say don't make decisions ab ur life past 9pm. and it is in fact 3am. however. it's with a heavy heart that i say i am scrapping TAS ch3

LMAO jk sry that sounds much more disastrous than it is, i'm keeping the first 4k words of it and rewriting the rest, and i'm moving the last like 5k words of it to ch4

i realized as much as i aimed to make this fic slow emotional burn with a fast burn (? lol) into nsfw, i am a Piner at heart, i gen don't think i'm capable of writing anything bucky pov without pining?? plus slowburn KNOWING hot spicy times will be coming (no pun intended) in abundance makes the burn even more fun

it's not that i'm unhappy w what i wrote bc i'm having a great time, but i think what i have rn feels too rushed for how shy john still is around gale (and how new all this is to him in general) and it's way too fun to write poor john having to sweat over gale from a distance. he needs another week or so of suffering with his crush while also getting comfier around gale. i have a new plan for the second half of ch3 now, but unforch just means it'll be a bit longer before i post it :')

sryy on the bright side tho that probs means less time in btwn ch3 and 4 bc i'll already have lots of ch4 written! ok silly late night decision made, gotta trust the process, i wanna do this version of our boys justice and keep it realistic alongside the spice :-)

[duskuntilthedawn]

ive noticed a pattern in the duos i like (orphan, ethubs, purples) and it all rlly boils down to history. skeppy and techno were my favorites since 2019 and that’s because they were each others first youtube friends, and it’s also rlly bc they were the ones i started watching first from the newer gen of mcyt lol.

if i rlly wanted to dig deep into my brain i could pull out some thoughts i had about the implications of their dynamic in dsmp with previous servers being canon like smplive (and directly tying in mcm), and I don’t remember the full context but there was a point in time where they were on opposing sides (? i think just bbh? it’s been so long lollll) and skeppy goes “wait techno, we go way back” — and this is 100% them Not in roleplay mode but it implies SO much history between them in a singular one-off line where skeppy thinks this is just regular server conflict and not deeply personal, and i really wish i could remember the context of this conversation because i really want to look into it deeply. techno has helped skeppy out by giving him free gear and food after a simple msg in chat, and technoblade would not do that for just anybody. not to mention, this video (again, 100% not roleplay) where technoblade is so at ease with skeppy and immediately agrees to hang out with him without relatively little suspicion, bcs he’s known skeppy for so long and can kind of rlly free his facade? he easily gives skeppy his trident and doesn’t get mad at all when skeppy accidentally kills him.😭. and in this video, they DO get into the lore with techno catching skeppy up with his wanted posters and bounty, and here’s a conversation i used to regularly spin in my head:

(longer post rambling about these guys and the other duo I’m currently obsessing over under cut)

[start]

skeppy: is there a bounty on you or something?

techno: uhh, i think they’re going to make a bounty soon.

skeppy: well, i would’ve gotten it just now [techno laughs] if there was. i just gotta title the video, i KILLED technoblade, I’m better than him, after all these years! (<- cheeky little reference to the sub wars they used to do in 2018)

techno: this is why, when people are like, ‘hey i have something to show you’, i just don’t respond.

skeppy: [laughs] you just don’t respond. but i get special treatment, and it.. didn’t end well.

techno: this is- this is how i trust. this is why people DON’T get special treatment, skeppy, this is why. [they both laugh]

[end]

and the idea of how every singular moment relating to the server is lore whether it’s intended or not shapes how i see skeppy and techno’s relationship in the context of dsmp. techno’s “this is how i trust” isn’t intended to be an in-character quote, it’s supposed to be a lighthearted jab. but again, simple one liners reveal so much about their unspoken history together you can’t just NOT ignore it. as well as the “special treatment”, there’s very few people technoblade would be comfortable being this vulnerable around, running around armorless and compromising his safety by doing so, playing along with a hot-cold game to find it. like genuinely u could prob count on one hand.

there’s a reason why techno calls up skeppy to trick him into freeing Carl from Sam’s prison and agrees to using it to trick badboyhalo with skeppy– and it’s because skeppy’s fun to hang out with. it’s a relationship built upon years and years of techno and skeppy trolling each other like this, they know there’s no hard feelings between them, bcs they do it right back at each other. skeppy isn’t afraid of techno like other people are– he’s not intimidated by him and that’s really why techno is so comfortable around skeppy. this is the trust techno is talking about. 

there’s also a small moment of red skeppy when he forgets bbh, he says technoblade was his best friend. we dont have any moments (or ones that i can think of) where it’s dsmp techno bringing skeppy up in a similar way, but i used to be a really big skeppy harpocrates truther because of this. Techno mentions skeppy a lot off-dsmp, one of my fav threads here – “i cant believe you would even like attempt to so doubt between our unbreakable bond”. All this to say, it’s the fact that even though they don’t have many on-screen moments together, they’re one of my favorites because they can rely to be there for each other, unspoken and comes up in little moments like these. It’s like when you haven’t talked to a friend in so long, but when you finally do see them again, it’s like nothing changed. (insert skeppy idot smp clip abt techno)

I didn’t really mean to go on a tangent about dsmp, but this idea of just “being there” and being the first, follows me in other mcyt i watch, with ethubs (and tbh, beetho as well– i get soooo happy when people post 10 yr old clips of them), and lately, if it wasn't obvious vitalasubz. 

They’re so different than skeppy and techno in that they actually meet in lifesteal, there’s no prior relationship to build off of, and they get a LOT. of moments together on screen, explicitly both in-character and as people. it’s the fact that vitalasy was subz’s first teammate, and they were together for the next two seasons. it’s the fact that they would never betray each other, sticking with each other when nobody else would, up to the end. I think they were the oldest, most consistent duo. they don’t need to communicate their needs with each other often because they know each other so well, they just help the other wordlessly, that trust was built off previous seasons.

Unfortunately there’s no way to watch season 2 or season 3 vods with the foundation of their relationship, unlike skeppy and techno. which is why they fascinate me so much and why i dig for clips of them throughout the years. I didn’t have the balls to post publicly about skeppy and techno back when i was obsessed with them, so a lot of my thoughts had been silently brewing for years, and most people don’t really know them like that and don’t even realize skeppy was techno’s only featured channel for years. I thank last life everyday for the ethubs renaissance. 

with subz and vitalasy leaving the server it pains me to come with terms that they pretty much are dead (i hate admitting subz is right, and subz saying he and vi won't talk anymore after he leaves lifesteal is SO. ugh), and you can really only keep them alive through talking about it, and to keep that in a permanent place– i dump all my thoughts on instagram stories and unless you see it in the 24hrs it’s posted, it’s gone forever. And u can’t rlly keep any memory like that a long-holding one.

Like when it comes to eclipse, it’s assumed vitalasy and subz are a do-not-separate and even if zam and subz wanted to elope, they just couldn’t because zam doesn’t have that history with subz like vitalasy does. it was a start with spawn cleaning, but those few months were being weighed in comparison to whole entire seasons. vitalasy drags subz into conflict with other players, otherwise subz would continue to grind and build his megabases by himself. It really is about just being there, there’s so many clips of vi wordlessly helping subz with megabase building, and subz testing out vitalasy’s traps with him. 

and nobody in the server really elaborates on it because they saw vitalasy and subz team in season 2, 3, they lowkey just accept it. we as viewers don’t have that and since the vods r mostly gone we don’t really know their history, we know About it but we don’t actually know it. subz can retell the story of broke vitalasy showing up at his doorstep with a catmaid oasis and subz just accepting it all he wants but it doesn’t change the fact that we don’t see it. It’s like season 3’s deliverance, subz retells it so we don’t see the “thank you” / “thank you as well” solemnity in his video like we do vitalasy’s. This guy makes fun of vitalasy instead! which, like, that’s a subz thing to do, but like come onnnn. (at least we knew that the sword was named deliverance from his video!)

I can only imagine what it must’ve been like to be vitalasy and subz against the entire server the first time, what they were planning and doing when running away/hiding out, or what they were even talking about. We do get a s3 clip of vi asking subz if he would betray him, and i love that clip so much even if it’s probably recited because it’s that uncertainty shown. In s4, we DO have those streams where subz is debating on betraying vi, and we see EVERYTHINGGG. and it’s so crazy we see everything they went through in s3 (which we don't know the full extent of) is being weighed against them in s4 when they haven't done much together. the videos don't show any of this, and they cut out the moments that hit the hardest-- see deliverance in vi and subz's videos vs their streams-- and it makes me long for the purpleduo s3 angst sooooo bad.

we get references to s3 when subz talks about how it's ironic they're against the server again (he namedrops the revengers LAWL), and deliverance is itself an easter egg. they were definitely not making angsty vent signs in s3 but it makes me wonder What they were doing then. like it's probably discord messages and calls but i still want to knowwwww >: i want to see the uncut footage of their convos from before they fight clown, before they enact the exploding mountain trap, the otherside trap, likeeeeeeee. pls.

it’s just really fascinating to me to have this kind of relationship on a server like lifesteal, and even they don’t escape the violence either, they kill each other only to ban each other off (4 seasons in a row wtf is wronf with themm!!!!) (also vitalasy carries this sentiment to when he leaves ls with jumper so like. It affects their other relationships too. wtf). the “betraying you would be betraying myself” line is seared into my skull forever and ever and it says soooo soo much about them. so attached to the hip they’re fused together.(<- AND HE WAS FIGHTING AGAINST IT. HE WANTED TO BE WITH ZAM STILL. if he couldnt have both of them then he decided he should have none. OTL)

this post is way too long but i just really wanted to write my thoughts down somewhere. i’m not really good at analyzing characters and dynamics like that so there’s probably going to be nonsensical or redundant points, and i do also realize that these duos are kind of not talked about at least anymore(when their popularity in 2019/2022 was why i attached myself to them too v_v). I also haven’t watched ls s5 so im sorry if vitalasubz are ooc, i saw the goodbye pandemic friend forever video and it fucked me up badly. I might be able to move on after writing this, as some sort of cathartic moving on thing so i can get into duos who actually interact but yeah that’s pretty much it.

tldr: i love duos who start with each other when they have nothing, and hold onto that bond for life

[magpiefngrl]

3, 21, 28, 34 for the asks, it’s so interesting when you talk about your writing :)

Ooh thank you so much, anon! I love talking about writing but am insecure and always feel no one cares. Thanks for reassuring me <3

3. How would you describe your writing style?

And off we go with a question I don't think I can answer lol

Mentioning my strengths as a writer is easier because I rely a lot on the feedback I receive and what readers tell me. But my style in general is much harder for me to pinpoint, and I'd love to hear from readers as to what they think it's like. I've been humorous in some of my fics and more poetic and lyrical at others. I like to use metaphors. I love to write long sentences and I adorn them liberally with semicolons and colons. I guess you could say my style is baroque, or at least leans that way.

21. Can you accurately predict how long your fics are going to be? If you can, what's your secret?

Nope. I've no fucking clue. I assumed some of my longer fics would be around 10k and they were three times the length. With the shorter ones I tend to write them in one sitting so I can tell that I'm writing a 2-3k fic.

I'm trying to predict how long the original romance I'm working on is going to be. My goal is 40k, but I'm looking at the number of side characters I've created and I fear it's going to be longer than that. I prob created too many and will need to sideline a few.

That's can be a way to gauge, I suppose: the amount of secondary characters will necessitate more scenes establishing all the different relationships. More characters=a longer story. Not a hard and fast rule, but it might help.

28. Any writing advice that works for you and you feel like sharing?

My favourite question! I have a lot of Opinions on writing and I love to be given the chance to voice them.

OK so one tip that always works for me: when I'm stuck in a scene, I stop and describe the setting in detail. This might not be a big help for people who outline but for pantsers like me, it's worth giving it a try.

Say, for example, Draco is at a house party of one of his relatives, Harry's there, they don't talk. They aren't friendly. I know I want Draco to approach him but I'm stuck. He wouldn't go and just talk to him, it doesn't work for this fic. I'm stuck and can't think of how to proceed.

Then I might start typing:

"It was a splendid room, large and airy with velvet curtains that drifted in the summer night breeze. Every piece of furniture was chosen meticulously, antiques paired with design pieces, bold combinations that worked as they were intended to: to impress and intimidate. The chandelier over their heads cast light on the wine-red carpets. A painting of the lady of the Manor hung over the ornate fireplace; her stern gaze warned her guests to behave, or else. Draco had been subjected to her gaze all his life. A desire to misbehave overwhelmed him, to stick a finger up to her and her ilk, smash the delicate crystal flutes and dance on the shards.

Or he could snog Harry Potter in front of everyone. That should do it."

And I go "Oooh so that's why he approaches Harry!" I wouldn't have come up with the reason if I hadn't described the painting. This trick got me out of plenty of stuck moments, and my guess is that when I describe the setting I feel more grounded in the world of my story. I feel like I'm right in it and it's easier to imagine what happens next. I often delete some of the description--it did its job, which was to get me unstuck.

I just came up with the paragraph above and now I kinda want to write the fic lol

34. Do you write to improve? Or is that not a concern for you?

Improvement is a constant concern for me. At times it has actually been detrimental for my health because every single thing I did had to benefit my writing in some way. ("oh look pretty clouds! How would I describe them in a story?") It meant that I got no mental rest. Ever. Luckily, I've learned to take it easy.

Writing isn't the only thing that helps me improve: reading is the big one. Seeing how other authors structure their stories, construct sentences, use dialogue and setting. Also watching TV series and films makes me think about what I can learn to use on my writing.

I don't write fic to improve per se, like it's an assignment, but I do want to improve. I wantt o tell a story but I also think about the writing. Some fics are my attempts on working on a craft element. I've got a wangxian WIP which is a frame story, and I'm very keen on getting that one done.

yet another writing ask

[rimouskis]

it’s so crazy to me that people get married at 22 like. if you went to college you’ve basically just finished, if you didn’t you’ve been working as in adult for maybe three, four years and like. have you lived in your own long enough to really know how to take care of yourself???? have you lived w your partner long enough to know your relationship is compatible in that way??? granted i feel like most people who marry young are p religious which would prob nix the living together but still. you’ve barely been adults living w/out parents long enough to figure out who you are as an adult!!!!! idk getting married before like 25 seems SO crazy to me!!

I know, I feel the same. and like, again, huge caveat that I don't know everyone's life stories and if finding love young worked for you and led to your happily ever after I'm SO pleased for you and grateful you got to spend some formative years with the love of your life, etc. etc.

but like, based on my own personal experience: at 22 I didn't have any friends who were engaged. none, zilch, zero. I had some that were INTENDING to marry the person they were with, but they were waiting (for age, for jobs, for more financial stability) before popping the question.

at 25, I only had ONE friend who was engaged. still! and I think my numbers are maybe a bit skewed because the vast majority of my friend group is gay and I think we work on a slightly different time schedule than many straight couples, but it was like...

idk! I'm now older than my parents were when they got married! I've never had anything approaching a marriage-considerable relationship, even.

I think part of that has to do with where we are culturally right now (I'm speaking from an American perspective), and I think women's continued liberation and understanding that there exists more for us than just marriage and children means we're taking longer to explore life without those things!

like, if you're raised religious and you decide that yes, what you want in life is to marry and have children, that is what you want to pursue: then you have a very clear goal and objective in mind, lol. you can pursue that as soon as you're legally able! but if you are waffling on that decision, or if you're like me and decided you don't want it, you just have to explore and figure out what you do want, and to someone who's exploring, it feels really drastic to legally/financially commit yourself to another person when you're only relatively recently freed of the set-life-path of k-12 schooling.

I'm suuuuch a big proponent of living some of your life by yourself, too. just trying it out! I give my dad grief for never having lived alone ever lol. he lived with his family, then roommates, and then my mom, and I'm like: ok pal lol talk to me when you can run a household SOLO ahahaha.

[flydotnet]

Excess of Care

WHUMPTOBER 2023, DAY 30: “It’s okay, just to say, ‘I’m not okay’.” Borrowed Clothing | Bridal Carry | “Not much longer…”

I guess writing one (1) interaction between Camilla and Hikaru in the early chapters of "Promotion to Parent" has always made me interested in more Camikaru (let's call it that lol) content for the HSAU. I don't even know why that is, I just felt like they'd be interesting to write interacting; and if this fic being there is proving something, it's that my writer hunch wasn't wrong.

This story is set a year after the main timeline, around the same time in the (school) year Promotion to Parent was set in. Since it serves as a bit of an indirect sequel to it, it does contain implied spoilers for it - so if it's ever interested you, please read that one first! It's not too long and also filled with all of the good stuff (read: family angst and lots of sibling love).

It's another short one that I thought I'd be more inspired by, or that would be angstier, but oh well… Brain is slowly stopping to function properly. It's another one of those I'll probs revisit in the future.

---------------------------------------------

Excess of Care

Summary: Camilla Nohr has always cared too much for others; but it doesn't have to be a bad thing.

Fandom: Crossover (FE Fates/CT), high school/teacher AU

Word Count: 1K words

AO3 version available here.

---------------------------------------------

Camilla has lost count of the number of times she’s been told she cared too much about people she didn’t know anything about. She’s been warned not get attached to students no matter what. She’s been blamed for lacking perspective and thinking with her heart rather than her brain. Mind over matters, duty of detachment, all that jazz that has turned into background noise inside her skull.

And yes, maybe Xander is right when he points out to her it will one day make her miserable, the one day she’ll be powerless yet too involved. But what do you want her to become, then? A heartless machine of an employee? Very little for her, thank you.

Today is proving Xander’s concerns for her habit of “over-caring” right once more, she does suppose. She’s meant to just deliver some papers her brother forgot to give to one of his workmates that couldn’t wait: with the upcoming class council season upon the school, teacher comments and grades have become the latest emergency. He’s himself swamped with comments to write for all of his students – who are a lot more than anyone would expect, to be fair – so she volunteered to deliver something he apparently needed to give to someone as soon as possible. Leo was the one to call her out, this time, but she replied to his concern the same way she always does: with a smile and truthful words.

This someone has turned out to be one of the few workmates he has she knows about, from last year’s Xander-related fiasco. Elise most often calls him by an affectionate nickname used by the entire school, it’d seem, while Leo is always a lot more detached when referring to him, and neither case comes to her surprise. What surprises her more was that she’s already met and spoken with him once before, yet when he opens the door, she’s still a bit starstruck. It’s like meeting her sibling’s idol in an intended context.

Perhaps it’d be closer to meeting someone and realizing they need help, however, because this is exactly what she’s doing.

Camilla has no doubt in her mind that, would’ve it been anyone else but her in this situation, they’d have just called someone close to the person they barely know anything about and left when it was clear it’d be taken care of. This is the sort of things Leo and Xander have warned her not to do, because she cares too much, and it’s not good for her.

On the other hand, this poor boy needed a helping hand, and he clearly is home alone: not only have Xander and Leo both mentioned his fiancée was out of the country for the week, but she also knows from second-hand accounts Elise’s favourite teacher is a chronic workaholic with… questionable self-care. Hinoka and Shun have both corroborated that, although considering Shun’s own lack of routine, she can only guess his judgement came from first-hand experience.

And this is how Camilla is finding herself with her brother’s colleague in his arms. From what she can tell through touch and sight, he’s slightly feverish and very much exhausted, but he should be fine with some rest.

The first order of action, when someone passes out in front of you, is to carry them to a bed. Luckily, she’s always had a lot of strength in her arms to carry her siblings and help Xander out, so it’s not an issue for her to carry the fairly lightweight Hikaru (she isn’t sure if she can call him by his given name, but it sounds like a good compromise between the formal “Mr Matsuyama” Leo uses and the much endeared “Matsu” Elise calls him instead) to his bedroom.

It doesn’t seem like he’s been here for long periods of time lately, with half of the twin bed undone yet the other undisturbed. She quickly takes the time to put it back into shape before tugging her patient in, just making sure he isn’t wearing anything too uncomfortable. To his luck, he was already wearing a very casual combination of old t-shirt and sweatpants. (Come to think of it, this doesn’t match the casual yet strait-laced enough looks Leo usually describes his literature teacher wearing).

With that taken care of, she can proceed to the next stop, which awaits her downstairs. With the supplies in the kitchen and the tools at her disposal, she wipes up a quick get-better package: a steaming mug of camomile tea with a generous spoonful of honey, lightly toasted bread straight from the machine and, of course, a good, tall glass of water.

To her surprise, when she comes back into the bedroom, he’s already awake, and quite confused to see her in his house. It’s… a surprisingly realistic outcome of the situation, she must admit.

“Uhm… What’re you doing here?” He asks, voice hoarse and slightly on the morning side of things.

“My apologies, I must’ve scared you,” she replies without advancing. “My brother sent me to deliver you some papers for work, but almost as soon as you opened the door, you lost consciousness. I brought you back to your bed so you could rest properly.”

“Papers for work… Oh, right, Xander.” His shoulders slump. “You’re Camilla Nohr.”

“It’s indeed me,” she answers with a smile. “Can I come closer?”

“O-oh, yeah, don’t even ask.” He scratches the back of his neck. “Sorry for that, by the way.”

“Sorry for what?”

“For passing out on you.” She puts the trail on his lap. “Oh, you’re too kind, damn, thanks.”

“It’s no problem, don’t stress yourself about it.” She remains standing on the side of the bed. “I was just very concerned, truth be told.”

He drinks the glass of water first. As always, her guess was right on the money.

“I get it, that must’ve been a rough way to get greeted at the door.”

“It’s not just that. You’re just as tired as Xander, but unlike him, you’re all alone.”

“I appreciate the concern, but I’m fine.” He clears his throat. “Even though I realize I can’t be very convincing on the matter.”

Her face grows sterner. This is sounding all too familiar to her.

“You’re right, you’re not very convincing.” She uncrosses her arms. “You know… It’s okay just to say you’re not okay. Especially when you’re alone like you are right now.”

“Right,” he replies with a slight smile, as awkward as it is. “You’re right. It’s just, I don’t know who I’d be telling this to.”

“I’m sure you have friends and family willing to listen to it. If you find yourself without someone, then…” She smiles again. “You’ll find my phone number written down on a note on your fridge.”

“That’s a radical way to get me to take care, damn.” He chuckles anyway. “I’m very thankful for that Camilla, I really am. Still, please tell me you’ll go home. I don’t wanna keep you here.”

“As long as you promise to rest, at least until the break comes in.”

“I will. Thanks again.”

“You’re welcome. Although, for now, I think I’ll just take some time to call Xander and tell him I’ve delivered his parcel.”

Hikaru almost jolts in place.

“Shit, the docs, yeah!”

“They’re on the drawer in the hallway.”

“Oh, good. You’re really good at this.”

“Years of experience.”

As she turns on her heel and gets her phone out, Camilla unanimously concludes she can’t care too much about people.

[jentlemahae]

the vmas last night was so long and boring and messy. that writers strike is really taking it's toll 👀 it was way longer than intended and even then they didn't have time to announce all the winners so they had to tweet the rest. most big artists left early except for taylor (prob bcs she was drunk). sabrina was one of the best of the night and that was only the pre-show. so i'm sort of glad bp weren't there tbh, although i still think a shut down performance would have been everything 🤩🤩

oohh ? i didn’t watch cause i was sleeping (lol) but yeah that ive seen most people are calling it boring :| and i had no idea the writers strike was affecting the vmas as well but wow that makes sense 🤷🏻‍♀️ tho i do think that it was boring mostly bcs they didn’t really have many big names performing :p a shut down performance would’ve been great but it wasn’t really needed so i can see why they didn’t

[aru715]

I want to add to this a bit that I'm also quite curious how each member of Destiny's Edge and Trahearne would react to the Commander now, post EoD. Heck, Post LS4 as you've mentioned would be a heck of a perfect spot to hear these comments.

From the base story the Commander starts out as a young nobody who essentially shines amongst their peers for a race-specific reason: whether it be a dream for Sylvari for being monumental in defending the city/captial such as in Charr and Human. And as you've stated, Destiny's Edge personally had a hand in guiding the Commander along, and from there it moved to be under the tutelage of an Order Mentor: Forgal, Sieran, and Tybalt. And I'd like to know their responses to the Commander now being larger-than-life, when before they were simply a new bright-eyed apprentice who they connected with, formed a bond with.

This may be the prospective-teacher in me that's furthering this curiosity, but there's a certain wistful pride I know many older educators to have. If you speak to an old teacher you were close with and you mention what job you're doing or what your dreams are, they usually exhibit the same warm voice of pride. The voice of "I'm so proud of you for pushing this far and I'm still supporting you even if I'm not physically with you anymore." Mentors remember their students. And getting to know how these students grew is such a source of joy for these people.

And this is an experience I think many people are aware of whether they're a mentor figure or not. You could be an elder sibling or a parent, a person who's growing plants to someone witnessing a friend improving from a past spot they were in. There's a shared pride in all these experiences.

And I'd like to know how this might be exhibited by the characters the Commander knew. From Trahearne to Forgal, to Sieran and Tybalt to someone from Destiny's Edge. Heck, in the earliest stories there are people you befriend and grow with but eventually left behind in the safety of the homelands or capitals, the people in your home instance, characters like Ftokchak or Lagula who the Commander helped back when they were in the orders who reappeared in much later story events. These people all had personal conmections with the Commander, and I'm curious what they think of them now.

And going back to the initial starting point of the Commander being a young one under Destiny Edge's tutelage, it makes me wonder if one day we'll become the mentor to someone else. A new young one who's only heard of the Commander through stories and gossip, maybe someone who had their life saved by the Commander whether it be directly or indirectly. Someone who dreamed of being a hero but didn't know where to start, being picked up by the Commander and being taught how to help more people than their direct community. Someone who begins to travel the world to see who else they can help out and eventually become able to take on legendary foes that no one dared to face besides Destiny's Edge, Dragon's Watch, and the Commander.

There's small mention of it with Yao at the end of EoD. They want to learn from us and the rest of Dragon's Watch. And while the Commander doesn't directly offer to be their teacher, they do let Yao know that they'd be pleased to oversee them helping out. Help them gain some more confidence in reaching out to help people byond New Kaineng, and well, Cantha. It's small, but it's there.

And it's all simply another fleeting thought to explore. A way to close the loop and begin the cycle of hero again. But it would be quite poetic if the Commander could connect with someone by being a mentor.

The Commander’s Growth

I am once again on a GW2 lore binge, and looking back at the Personal Story, it’s wild how much the Commander has grown since. It’s almost hard to imagine that this gratuitously OP dragonslayer used to have betters; used to have mentors… and how they surpassed every one of them.

Keep reading

[folklorefairyy]

i had a dream ab peter m feelin insecure bout his body n he just needed reassurance and it made me so sad bc he prob has felt like that and ): like i wanna smother him in kisses and tell him how much i love him

nonnie this is so sweet! i feel like we often focus on characters comforting an insecure reader rather than reader comforting them, especially with peter, and it is a sad thought to imagine him in such a state but a sweet one to smother him with love and affection - i had to make this!! i hope you enjoy <3

of insecurities and intimacy - p.m

summary: in which peter maximoff is feeling insecure and your mission is to shower him with love and reassurance

warnings: peter’s insecurities and sadness in the form of crying etc. but it’s followed by some comforting fluff (i wasn’t sure who to tag since the insécurités aren’t directly readers but if you’re uncomfortable with any form of insecurity talk or body talk then maybe dont read this!)

word count: 0.872k (not really a drabble i got carried away lol but it’s certainly shorter than my normal fics so we’ll go with it lol

authors note: this turned out angstier than i intended lol and i did cry whilst writing it but i really love it!!

Peter Maximoff was never quiet. Bouncing with energy and always having a one-liner on the tip of his tongue, the Maximoff boy was always making his presence known with the rushing of wind and a quip from his lips. Thus, his now quiet demeanour was an alarming notion for you. 

He was sitting on the edge of his bed, fingers toying with the end of his shirt as his eyes remained downcast on his legs that he was continuously kicking against the floor. He didn’t make a sound, lips only parting for an occasional huff of breath as his eyes darted in all directions, reflective of the thoughts racing around in his mind, speaking torturous words unbeknown to you. 

Perching on the edge of the bed softly, you tenderly brought your hand up to his hair, brushing the silver locks off his skin and instead running your fingers through the silky strands to hopefully lessen some of the stress within his being that you were clueless as to the cause of. 

His eyes fluttered shut as he exhaled a large breath of anxiety and exhaustion. Your eyes darted over his figure and all you could sense was exhaustion and angst, an itching pain picking part his being from the inside out. 

Speaking softly, as to not rouse him out of this mellow mood and have him pretend he was fine, you whispered, ‘What’s wrong bub?’ and the boy before you slowly raised his eye-line to meet yours, thorny tears pricking at his skin, the salty droplets burning his skin as a reminder of the pain within his mind. 

Drawing him into your arms, you cradled his body within your grasp, one hand rubbing his back in tranquil circles of safety whilst the other cradled his head, shielding him from the harshness of the world outside and the threatening thoughts swirling within his mind. Speaking softly into his hair you consoled him, ‘Honey, hey, shh I’ve got you,’ pausing to press a kiss into his hair, ‘I’m right here, tell me what’s wrong love.’ 

Through shaky breaths and laboured sighs he whispered out his worries, as though the quieter the volume, the less real they would seem. ‘I just worry I’m not enough,’ he paused mid-sentence, voice cracking with insecurities and pain, ‘ that I don’t look good enough.’

Through furrowed brows and confusing clouding your mind you attempted to speak before being cut off, ‘Honey I-’ 

‘My legs are so long and lanky, I’m not super muscly or as buff as the other guys here and I have those awful lines on my back from growing so quick I just-’ his voice broke, tears falling freely from his eyes in thick streams of anguish as his throat grew tight with pain and he could no longer speak. 

Tears filled your own eyes, heart aching at the image of your beautiful boy so broken and beaten up over thoughts that weren't true. You held him tighter as he sobbed into your chest, his own heaving with each treacherous breathe. 

You cradled his face between your hands, his red-rimmed eyes staring into your own desperately as you spoke to him words of reassurance and affection.’Petey you're perfect. Your legs are long as they've helped you get everywhere, have taken you on each journey you’ve embarked on,’ your hand traced the top of his thigh at this, reiterating your point by rubbing circles of affection into one of the places he hated most, ‘I love how tall you are, it means that you become my own cocoon of safety, you're the perfect size that I feel like nothing can reach me within your hold.’ 

Your eyes bore into his, gaze conveying utter truth behind your words. Moving to his back, your thumbs slipped underneath the hem of his shirt and rubbed circles there too, love seeping into his skin as words of similar emotion drifted into his ears, ‘These lines tell stories of growth, of your life, and whenever I see them I’m reminded of everything that’s happened in your life that brought you here, to me’ 

Finally, your arms hooked round the back of his neck, pulling him close once more, ‘ You don’t need to be muscly or buff to be strong and good at what you do love,’ pressing a kiss on the tip of his ear and continuing with true sincerity in your voice you said, ‘Your body is made to do what it needs to and you are perfect the way you are Pete - you don’t need muscles, or blank skin, or to be shorter, to be beautiful, it is these things that make you beautiful,’ Pulling away you stared into his eyes and placed the softest of kisses against his lips, ‘It’s these things that I love about you,’ another kiss just as sweet to embody such love, ‘ that I wish you will learn to love to.’ 

And as Peter pressed a firm and passionate kiss against your lips, movement telling of thanks, of love and of comfort, he sobbed against you and felt the safety his arms provided you, reiterated here in your hold, and perhaps one day he could see himself thorough the gaze in which you did. 

[cadopan]

watched rafa play for the first time today (thankful for the normal ish time kick off) and my god she’s gooood.

her pace is phenomenal and her positioning wow. she’s still adapting sure but if this is the start i am excited for what’s to come.

cait has been amazing on left wing too, bulldozer without fouling too often. really added a spark when she came on. cait should start chelsea imo tobin as impact sub but jonas prob won’t do that

wally as left cb/LB was confusing as hell but she had a great great game as a DEFENDER. jonas take note DEFENDER, my player of the match for holding our defence together while contributing to attack

vivstina is the highlight of the game tbh, that connection was chefs kiss and viv carried both the midfield and defence until the subs came on today. viv was dropping all the way to our own goal and making so many defensive moves you wouldn’t believe she was a striker. (cbviv)

our biggest problem is midfield that hasn’t changed but hopefully with viv in midfield and rafa lia and leah spraying passes past the midfield we stand a chance against chelsea

this turned out longer than i intended, tl;dr we were good not great

This is a really good and fun summary of the match so I'll post this first! Thanks @justforkicksnmmrs as always :) Yeah Rafa is really promising and just gives me so much more security compared to our other options. The way she lunged into Toone and completely missed it, letting her have that sitter of a chance, was a bit of a boo-boo though. IKR. Cait LW era, we've been saying it for the longest time @ Jonas!! Cait also needs to stay on the left and nowhere else bc she looked a little lost once she had to come over to the right side near the end. I wonder how Tobin's doing because I would love for her to start, and for a large chunk at the start the team was trying to get everything to Tobin that I felt like I was watching the near side of the screen so much lol. Anyway, I'm all for Plan Tobin but Cait starting is a good option too. Same, happy for Lia and hope this is a big boost for her confidence! Yeah literally. Viv was all over the pitch today, maybe even the standout player in all categories: DF, MF, FW (ok that's an exaggeration but still)

tl;dr we were good not great

Exactly. And what's with us starting matches so slowly?? It's like we only show up for the match in the second half and the first half is just warm-up or sumn.

[on-trying]

I Would Like A Book If It Is Alright With You

oooooF COURSE ZOE <3 !!!! i was just scrolling through ur blog for my morning and i JUST saw your ask notification just now at 8:22 am in my day i am so sorry. i’m on it !!!!!!

warning this answer is prob gonna be LONG. it’s the morning so i’m using a lot of words to say very little because i am horribly hyperverbal in the morning, have many many thoughts, and barely any that i can hold on to for longer than like twenty seconds. now i’d like for u to know that my fav three genres are: psychological thrillers, messy literary adult fiction, and books on soft living. and i got and have read MANY books on the first two genres so i was pulling out so many to try n think hard on which one(s) i’d like to pick for you.

- if i actually read the book, The Picture of Dorian Gray would be such good choice because gothic horror, homoerotic angst, crime, and prose !!!! so perhaps that will be my choice for your representation! it’s captivating, interesting, and more (imagine i said more in a spooky scary thriller esq voice). but i really want to deem/recommend u one of the thrillers or messy lit fics that i actually have read because idk idk you like thrillers, i like thrillers, the world goes round. most the books and media that consistently hold my attention are indeed some form of thriller. your blog always reminds me that i need to watch american psycho, and that we both need to watch angels egg.

okay yea i know what im gonna choose. Luster by Raven Leilani. My absolute favorite book that I read from 2021. my most annotated book. some people really dislike this book, not i though. (this is a recommendation rather than blog comparison btw) its lovingly chaotic and emotionally complex, and my favorite FAVORITE part is that the author dedicated it to her mother. just 'for my mother' thats it. yeah. felt felt felt. ANYWAYS. book holds a unspoken yet blatant hatred for working and the usa, is quietly passionate, and unfortunately relatable. everything i LOVE in a book, really.

also if you intend on reading it, please make sure to check the trigger warning list for this book beforehand tyty

here's some quotes from Luster that when i first laid eyes on it, i scrambled as fast as i could to tab it so i would be able to return to it and greedily reread over and over because it verbalized many feelings i have felt before as a person learning How to Be that i struggled to verbalize because i was going through so much at the time. (Im doing a lot better now for anyone wondering, healing is tough but so worth any turmoil that it takes)

"I hate the idea that I have repeared an action, that he has looked at me, discerned a pattern, and silently decided whether it is something he can bear to see again. There is nothing I can do to level the playing field."

"It's that there are gray, anonymous hours like this. Hours when I am desperate, when I am ravenous, when I know how a star becomes a void." my single commentary under that line was simply: '"yeah."

but uhh yeah! luster & dorian gray lol

fin at 10:35am (simply could not sit still so i kept leaving n returning leaving n returning on repeat) i am so sorry for how many words this turned out to be, i rlly rlly hope you can still enjoy it. also, i hope you’re having a wonderful day and congratulations on the 1000 posts !!! <3

[mishkakagehishka]

Hi-ho Korka!! Hope you're having a wonderful day <3

Um, for the ask game, Natsume or Leo?

Heyo!! I am, thank you, I hope you're having a lovely day, too <3

And. How about both hehe

Natsume:

favorite thing about them: his manner of speaking. I'll be honest, I love speech characterisation sosososo much, it's my favourite type of characterisation. And Natsume's is so good, from his weird intonation (that disappears if he thinks nobody is listening/can hear him) to the font-changed speech... his word choice, also, is very <3

least favorite thing about them: there is no reason why he has to call Anzu/us kitten. There is literally no reason.

favorite line: "Until death do us part" <- guy who just vowed to stay by another guy's side, supposedly for revenge. Those lines he dropped then live rent free in my head. I usually forget story-based lines since it takes me three reads to remember details, but those stuck.

brOTP: I feel like I'll say this for every eccentric, but Eccentric 5 brolycule

OTP: well, since he already proposed🙄 I can see the appeal in Natsume/Tsumugi

nOTP: (i feel like i'll end up jokingly answering these just because i have no strong opinions about ships) Anzu/Natsume, she deserves better tbh

random headcanon: Wears contact lenses because his glasses are thicker than ... I'll leave that unfinished. Anyway, has horrible eyesight.

unpopular opinion: usage of "kitten" aside, I actually think he's quite charming and smooth. I don't know how unpopular that is, though. He's a loser, but a charming one

song i associate with them: Conquest of Spaces by Woodkid... It's the stars and space imagery.

favorite picture of them: the look on his face in this one has charmed me completely. pun intended. it's the look of a practised baba gatara, if anything

Leo:

favorite thing about them: can i say "his speech" again, idk, you kinda gave me two characters with really good speech characterisation. If not, then probs his impulsivity. Me, too, brother

least favorite thing about them: what's there to not love about Leo.

favorite line: the classic "uchuu~". It's just such a word when said the way he says it. Everybody say "thank you Ruri Amamiya"

brOTP: I like seeing him interact with Arashi :>

OTP: As far as Leo ships go,,, hm. I can't really think of anything that stands out to me. I'm slightly interested in the MadaLeo dynamic tho <3

nOTP: Like, what do I do about this, I genuinely have no idea. I guess neither as ship, nor as a friendship, I'd put Shu/Leo, but it's a dynamic I want to see explored more nonetheless. They seem like those cats you need to introduce to one another behind a closed door first. They're too similar

random headcanon: for-fun and purely because I know Leo's VA primarily as Samatoki Aohitsugi and Itaru Chigasaki, but I headcanon Leo makes an active effort to make his voice a higher pitch than it actually is. Why? Who even knows

unpopular opinion: idk how unpopular this is, but I think he deserves to have longer hair. Maybe not at Nagisa's level, but I think about to chest would be a good length

song i associate with them: the thing is, I either associate with him with Chopin or iroha's Meltdown, so. Choose what you prefer lol

favorite picture of them: chinese server exclusive..... anyway. CATBOY

Send me a character <3

[klausalvatores]

1/4 Im a Barchie (have been since the pilot) and hardcore Rina stan turned PW convert so I just wanna add my 2 cents. I noticed many Barchies also tend to be Rinas cuz they think b/ ships are being slowburned and I can see the case for that. I deff think Ricky liked Gina that way in S1 but stopped having those feelings by the S1 finale. I knew Barchie was being slowburned since 1.01 since A always loved B but wasnt ready to admit it yet. Did I think the show would wait SO long to properly

2/4 explore Barchie? Nope. Bughead fanservice obvs got in the way but I digress. The prob w/ thinking Rina is a slowburn is the fact that theres nothing burning romantically b/t them anymore. Ricky does want Gina as a friend but took her friendship for granted in S2 and G finally moved on from her romantic feelings for R by 2.09. Shes perfectly fine talking to him in 2.10 at Slices and is aware hes single in 2.11 but is sending hearteyes to EJ offstage. Even with o/ ppl Barchie cont to pine

3/4 for e/o for 5 seasons. Thankfully for Ginas sake she took the steps to move on in a healthy way after hurting so much in S2. The point for Rickys arc moving forward should be realizing happiness doesnt come from being in a rela. Rinas also tend to conveniently forget Gs friendship w/ Nini which obvs matters to her. Maybe S4 could lead to Rina but the writers seem to actually care about these chara and want whats best for them, unlike Riverdale.😅 Its true anything can happen so who knows

4/4 but imma try to stay posi. PLUS b/ PW and Barchie were THE cliffhangers last yr so Ill take that as a win for now 🤷🏽‍♀️ Ultimately Ricky and Gina cant meet the needs the o/ wants in a romantic partner. I say this as a former hardcore Rina stan but I just wanted G to be HAPPY after that flashback in 2.06. I couldnt ship Rina anymore after that not when Gina was carrying that pain for so long. Its so satisfying she finally found that with EJ. Sorry this was way longer than intended. Lol

I know slowburn ships can be thrilling and epic, which is why I shipped Barchie since the pilot as well, but I'm not a fan of Rina's writing because like you said, with Barchie both were pining for each other but so far it's only been Gina pining after Ricky, so it just feels a little bit too one-sided for my taste (I also never shipped them in season 1, which is arguably Rina's best season but I was a HUGE Rini back then so yeah...) That's not to say things can't change for them in S3 or S4 but it just seems unlikely and messy now that Lily is in the picture and Ricky seems to take a liking to her and Gina is happy with EJ right now.

[castudies]

hi! I was wondering what year are you in your studies? Do u have any idea what you want to do after? I’m also in econ and have two semesters left and I have no clue what to do next lol

Hi! That’s so cool omg, I feel like I never get to actually interact w/ other econ majors on here?? Love it.

This ended up being a longer reply than I intended so feel free to read none of it: honestly I'm all over the place when it comes to what I wanna do after I finish my studies next semester. It prob sounds cavalier but I’m at the point where, for the most part, I’m mentally preparing myself to have to “go with the flow” and see where it takes me. (The pandemic was basically the nail in the coffin for me when it came to trying to plan.)

My focus rn is applying for fellowships and jobs as I decided not to apply to a postgrad program this cycle. The panorama on top of prev health issues have me wanting more time to improve my application e.g. make up for hits to my GPA, add job experience, hone my LSAT/GRE, etc. So I guess the closest thing I have to a plan atm is working for the next year or so then applying to either grad school (likely a Master’s in Econ or Public Policy) or law school. It just sucks bc I know I want to do something meaningful, but I also need money to like survive and would prefer not to be in crippling debt for the rest of my life lol. This is a separate discussion but I feel like as econ majors we’re always faced with the glaring statistics about debt, investments in human capital, projected life-cycle earnings, and so on, so that’s just always at the back of my mind. (I like to joke that I get zero of the glory that comes with being an actual economist while getting 100% of the fiscal anxiety)

Anyway. Pls feel free to DM/message me whenever, I love to talk about this stuff but even more so I love to know where y’all are at and what your plans are :’) solidarity!!