#this show is unironically pretty damn good is the thing

[hesgomorrah]

btw i think it's important that you all know trapper john md has a character that starts out as a frank clone and then actually gets a character arc. and it rules i love him

[misrepresentedmorallygrey]

PROPAGANDA

R. M. Renfield

Mentally ill queer man writes mentally ill queer character. 200 years later, Dracula Daily happens and everyone in their mother immediately starts poking fun at him, demonizing him, or treating him like a naive child when none of these things are true. I could write a darn essay about Renfield and his role in the story. His status as a servant of Dracula is kept hidden from our heroes despite how obvious it is to the modern reader, and it turns into a striking example of dramatic irony. But at the same time, he's not a simpering servant; he's psychotic and Dracula feeds his delusion for his own gain. His death isn't a sacrifice, it's a tragic end to a story about the effects of isolation on the mind and the suffering that can come about from people refusing to listen to those who aren't like them. Pretty damned amusing, then, that absolutely no one seems to listen to the words that come out of his mouth.

Izzy Hands

people hate this guy. people HATE this guy. and for what? "hes abusive" you are out of your MIND if you actually think that. let middle aged men be messy jilted lovers, goddamn!!!!

Oh my gods, fandom has lost their minds with this one. People act like Izzy is the devil himself and actually it's his fault that the main love interest of the show has ever done anything wrong ever. Every bad thing in the show? Actually Izzy's fault. I've seen people literally, actually say he deserved his abuse and that it's his fault his abuser hurt him and that he liked it. I have seen people unironically say that his abuser should have killed him. I've seen people say that Edward Teach (y'know, literal Blackbeard who explicitly says in canon, with his mouth, "I love a good maim" would never have done anything violent ever if it wasn't for Izzy's manipulation. This is, of course, ignoring that Ed's first acts if violence were before he ever even met Izzy

So Ed and Izzy have a toxic relationship and do bad stuff to each other. And Izzy fans will minimize the shit Izzy did while bringing up what he suffered. And Ed fans will maximize the shit Izzy did and forgot the rest. Honestly I'm might be bringing a lot of anger on the blog for this, sorry.

[the-s1lly-corner]

Anon who asked about the mpost/the one who had sent the tadc x wolf reader request here... Here's my new and improved version of the request!! And not on anon so I get the notification for it being completed :3

Okay so, tadc characters of your choosing (if you need specific characters then Jax, Ragatha, Caine, and Gangle) x a wolf!reader who is really shy, tends to be self deprecating, is a people pleaser, and underestimates their skills. Preferably platonic but romantic is fine!!

Caine, Ragatha, Jax and Gangle x wolf!reader who is shy w/ low confidence !

writing this then imma go work on my silly art eheheheheh unironically listening to hit my spot by ur pretty (do NOT listen to it without headphones if youre not alone it is literally gay sex song) on loop it has no reason to be so catchy gawd DAMN admins yapping aside i hope you enjoy this !! written more leaning towards platonic !!

CAINE:

i think he would try to hype you up and make you more confident in yourself! i think he would be a little confused on why you arent too.. self assured, i mean he thinks youre cool and talented and skilled and-

he could go on for hours.. i think sometimes you might cave into him and what he wants due to you being a people pleaser and it might take caine a while to catch on to that and try to pay attention to those smaller things, especially if theres something making you uncomfortable... the good thing about being a wolf is that you have ears and a tail, which do a lot in conveying how youre feeling in the moment! usually he pays attention to those things if youre the type to not like.. vocalizing your discomfort. hypes you up to everyone who will listen, stops just short of picking you up and showing you off to everyone/hj

RAGATHA:

similar to caine she uses your ears and tail as a means to gauge your internal feelings about things. ragatha is a lot more low energy and calmer compared to some of the other characters on this list... has the least issues of reading you. pulls you away if youre getting uncomfortable in any situation, and oftentimes stands up for you if someone is trying to push you something you dont actually want to do... a lot of the times those people tend to be jax.. but we'll talk about that in his part. I like to think she would try to give you little pep talks when she notices you're a little down.. makes frequent compliments to you and the things you do (skills, hobbies, ect). her room is always open to you whenever you need an escape!

JAX:

really a lot of his "coercing" is just him teasing you and, in a somewhat mean way, trying to subtly push you to get a backbone and find your limit. he wont say it or really express it, but you guys are friends and he does want to see you be able to speak for yourself... its just how he goes about it can be a little... erlrkgkh.... you know? since HES the one trying to test your boundaries and get you to snap at him. i dont think he would go as far as make fun of your hobbies and interests to make you stand up for yourself.. thats just. a smidge to mean, since youre his friend. definitely calls you wolf/dog-based nicknames, most of them dont fall into the "im trying to make you stand up for yourself" thing and more so "haha i think its funny and genuinely lighthearted"

its a little odd but there are good intentions in there

GANGLE:

she gets it, she really does... you two probably talk to one another about your problems to one another... you both find comfort in it and in a way it makes you both feel better. seeing you uncomfortable or anxious kind of empowers gangle to come and help you out, regardless of which mask shes wearing. i like to think it would to the same for you if the roles were reversed... its kind of like how you stop being anxious momentarily when you see your friend struggling and being anxious themselves and you back them up or speak for them, you know? or maybe thats just a me thing... shrugs. probably gives you bows and ribbons to put on your tail to accessorize it

[katasstrophy]

I feel like I've seen every Bluelock boy paired with a very cute, very bubbly, and chill gf/reader before, but I haven't seen any of them paired with a cool and competent or even bossier type. Are there any guys you think of liking that type??? Or maybe just deserve that type to be kept in line lmao 🤣

nonnie!! 😳 NONNIE UR BRAIN I’M GIVING IT A THOUSAND KISSES UR SOOO RIGHT FOR THIS!!! i guess it doesn’t really show with the fics i’ve uploaded so far – which is a damn shame, i should fix that – but i am absolutely all for readers who are just… out there, ya know? they’re prickly, or easy to anger, or sardonic as all hell, or way too clever for their own good or yes yes, bossy<3 i eat that shit UP like it’s my last meal. this is not to say i don’t enjoy sweet, bubbly readers (bc i do!) but the type you describe just… scratches a certain itch iykwim 👁️👁️

i think one of my first posts ever about blue lock on this blog (cw. mid writing LMAO) was exactly about this. obviously most of the blue lock guys are only extreme egoists when they’re playing soccer, but i do think that aspect of their lives will ultimately start to bleed into their personality as they grow up/go pro. so having someone who’s just like “yeah that’s great and all but if you won’t make it to date night i’ll leave your sorry ass” is just. so sexy to them like?? they haven’t gotten their ego knocked down a peg in a while so i think they’d be drawn to a partner like that askdhxnbz idk if i’m explaining this very well but as far as i’m concerned all blue lock boys deserve an unhinged reader lol 😤

THAT BEING SAID!!! >:))) i have a top three list of blue lock men who i, personally, would love to put in their place and encourage anyone out there to do so as well LOL

1. MICHAEL KAISER — this cocky motherfucker ugh need i say more 🙄 the urge to censor his name was real strong but i persevered still cannot believe i’m (sadly) attracted to this horrible, horrible man. he’s sooo insufferable and just so obsessed with himself like he unironically refers to himself as the emperor when i tell you there’s nothing i want more than to make this man beg on his knees i mean it – what a pretty sight that would be hm? <3 all his past lovers probably treated him like he was god’s greatest gift to women (HE IS NOT) – and by now he’s not only used to it but comes to expect it – so when he meets you and you’re like “mm you’re kind of a prick leave me alone thenk yew✨✨” he’s just. so scandalized LMFAO suddenly he’s the one chasing after you and vying for a shred of your attention oooohh yes that’s exactly what he deserves how it should be

2. ITOSHI SAE — listen he might be my precious babygirl now but i used to hate this mans guts like no other and that little resentment still lives on in my heart in the form of wanting this man’s downfall to be a woman like don’t tell me that’s not the hottest thing you’ve ever heard. he’s just so single-mindedly focused on soccer – japan’s treasure and what not – and thinks he can get away with being an asshole because of it but you place down your foot and tell him to cut the bullshit or you’ll find someone who treats you better (AMEN SISTER) and suddenly he’s grappling with the reality that shit he might just fall apart without you yes girl make him suffer

3. OLIVER AIKU — i couldn’t not include the resident fuckboy here mmmm the possibilities for him are endless and each one more delicious than the last. he might not be as insufferable as the others but he still thinks extremely highly of himself, especially when it comes to his way with the ladies. typical “oh no i don’t do relationships” kinda guy who can show you a good time for a night before dipping in the morning – and you just don’t want that. so you reject his advances, say you’re not interested and move on, but for some reason, oliver can’t. literally physically wounds his pride when he crawls back for a second chance but you don’t budge, still wary of him due to his past behavior unless he can show you otherwise. and the way he scrambles to prove himself as trustworthy to you? god tier groveling from a man YUMM

[angstflavoured]

You have any fic recommendations? Any fandom really lol. You have good takes and interpretation so I feel like you’d have some fire recs

AWH WELL THANK YOU !! I dont actually know how great the ones I read are gonna be since usually the fandoms Im in are scarce on content 💀 but ill go ahead and list a bunch of the ones I really like. I definitely spend way too much of my time reading one shots. REALLY wanna get back into longer fics, but its hard to find ones I care enough to sit down and dedicate time to these days 💔

Smiling Friends

bittersuite, charlie/pim: AND THERE WAS ONLY ONE BED !!!!! THIS FIC CHANGED MY LIFE FOREVER !!!!! It is hurt/no comfort, but its soooo good it hurts so good and also there is supposed to be more eventually so i'd get on this one first bc when the second one drops its gonna be a day in history

Dimples, charlie/pim: I just read this last night and was so pleasantly surprised ☹️ Its so damn cute and I love how it delves more into both of their characters.

Portal 2

interface, chell/wheatley: HANDS down, best portal 2 one shot out there. the way the characterize chell is fucking insane, altered my brain chemistry forever. also wheatley is so hehehheheheh

You Do It, adventure/fact: I have a very love/hate relationship with this author..... Im not the BIGGEST fan of how they characterize them, esp Fact, but its definitely the most decent factventure content out there. I so like this one quite a bit, though their ideas are definitely better in theory than completely in practice. That's how I feel abt a lot of their works, but this person unironically holds the title for like 90% of the factventure content. If you just want some quick cute smut of them, i'd say you should check out their acc, cus I get the factventure fandom is starving LMAOO

I've got the fuse if you've got the light, adventure core/reader: ....erm, very self indulgent for me hehe!!! i was so fucking excited when this dropped

Half-Life/HLVRAI

Autonomous Sweet Mesa Response, benrey/gordon: THIS FIC IS SOOO FUCKING FIREEEEE !!! OH MY GOD, I can't even count the times I've read this one. their dialogue is as good as it comes next to canon. If you like this one, this is the first in a huge series and litearlly all of them are just as good as the first. such a good sit down and binge author. They also have a shit ton of other good hlvrai stuff on their page and they make fire art

If You Asked Me To, benrey/gordon: the way they wrote the sex scene in this changed my brain forever, it was so fucking awesome.... frenrey dynamic makes me WILD

Whispers and Moans, barney/gordon: this whole author has a lot of super cute freehoun :'[ this one deals with them before the resonance cascade AND after and shows how things changed between them and its so precious grrraah

Promise, barney/gordon: again, deals with the timeskip stuff which just always makes my heart hurt... also shower sex smiles

It’s Only Natural, barney/gordon: I DIDNT REALIZE THIS FIC JUST GOT FINISHED THIS YEAR OH MY GODDDD I WAS OBSESSED WITH THIS need to reread this immediately

Team Fortress 2

He's a Rebel, sniper/spy: SUPER fucking cheesy and corny but oh my god its like one of my fav fics ever..... it's just so much fun, like stereotypical fanfic and that's always a good time to me. biker gang member/school teacher au are you fucking kidding me i'll vomit

It IS the Size That Matters, sniper/spy: erm.... BLOWJOBS!! always find myself coming back to this one sorry i really like it hehe

Secure, demo/solider: Not a lot of fics of these guys, which really sucks!! super underrated ship. I liked this one a lot tho, its pretty cute and a little emotional

Something to Rely On, sniper/spy: casual sex but really sniper is in love will forever be my favourite thing ever, it never gets old istg

The Silent Game, sniper/spy: can you tell I really like sniperspy, MORE BLOWJOBS!!!

Disco Elysium

The Collision in Cardiozone HQ, harry/kim: holy. fucking. shit. actually life changing i am not joking. so fucking heartbreaking, it left me hollowed out for like a WEEK after the ending. A longer one for sure, but SO worth it like oh my god

The Catacomb Killer, harry/kim: I don't think I ever fully finished this one, but I remember REALLY liking the whole case the fic was set around. there was so much thought put into it, it was genuinely interesting like a murder mystery show

Retour à nouveau, harry/kim: I did really like the whole plot and buildup in this one, but from what I remember, them getting together was super anticlimatic :P i recall being disappointed, but the whole actual case and their interactions during the fic are super cute

Mortal Kombat 1

the game of idiocy, johnny/kenshi: BY THE SAME AUTHOR AS BITTERSUITE!! this one is sooo fucking cute, the way they write them interacting is so much fun. a little troupey and on the cheesier side, but cmon who doesn't love that

Undertale

Flowey is Not a Good Life Coach: no ships but delves a lot into flowey and papyrus relationship and there's so much good sans development too. SUPER GENERIC, it IS one of the most liked fics, but I remember reading it back when I was a teenager and it blew my fucking mind. ghhghggh i love the way they write the brothers interacting so much

The Party Incident and Other Embarrassing Anecdotes, sans/reader: uhmm.... soo sorry, this fic will forever hold a special little place in my heart. I'm sure if I read it now it would be SO corny cus oh my god it was fucking 2016 like are you kidding, but I'm just a fucking sucker for fake dating. there like 5000000 troupes in this one and theyre all so cute and its just a fun and silly time. it subconsciously inspires so much of my writing in fics. will probably forever be unfinished before they get together though HAHAH so definitely do not read if you're looking for a solid ending. its just about the journey i swear

[artnerd1123]

“I’d wish you luck, but that always seems hypocritical, given I’m the one handing it out~” -- Lady Luck

(Profile undercut)

Name: Lady Luck Pronouns: She/Her (the capitalization is necessary) Gender/sexuality: girlboss god and whatever gets the most people in the door! Jokes aside She really doesn’t care to pursue any sort of relationship that isn’t having more people under Her thumb, so, big mystery, that one.  Species: god (specifically She is Fortuna, the roman god over the Wheel of Fortune) Height: taller than anyone else in the room Age: ~2079 (popped into existence in 55 BC) Occupation pre-dungeons: She really didn’t have one, She jumped on Her whole dungeons schtick VERY early on. She was siphoning power off of the roman colosseum/betting pools at first, using it to create Her own pocket dimension, which She’s grown in size/shape/etc through the years Dungeon wish: She IS the dungeons. If you were to ask Her for Her own wish, She’d just laugh. But it’s power. Always has been. To be able to stand among the “major” gods and bring them to their knees, make them grovel for Her, make them sorry for ever daring to laugh at Her and think Her weak. And man is She SWIMMING in power right about now. In Her pocket dimension, She is queen. Of EVERYTHING. Literally none of the other gods can oppose Her if they step in. So. Yay :) 

Fighting style: “a Lady doesn’t start fights, but She CAN finish them” but unironically. She goads people into throwing the first punch, making the first move, taking the first step, throwing the first stone. She digs Her claws into any flaw She can find and uses it to grind people to dust. Most of Her “fighting” is manipulation of the mental/emotional variety. “Luck” isn’t a physical concept, after all. But She does have enough power built up in Her little power dimension to physically ensnare things with Her smoke, which She can then use to throw/strangle/hit/etc etc others with, if She wants. Other than all that, there’s the obvious! Where She literally manipulates Her opponent’s luck so their hits never land/end up backfiring on them. Hard to beat someone who makes everything turn in Her own favor.  Strengths: extremely good at talking, to the point where She could charm a snake out of its own fangs and make lamb walk happily into its own slaughter. She’s got an EXTREMELY strong presence, which She leverages to Her advantage as a very effective intimidation tactic. She excels at subtle pushes, little words, tiny nudges to get things to go how She wants while seeming pretty hands off. And, to harken back to Her “wish…” She is all powerful in Her dungeons. She’s built up enough belief and terror in there to become an undeniable force of nature, like gravity. And outside? Oh, the world LOVES Her. She’s an aspiration, an idol, a success story people cheer on through the centuries. As a result there’s very little, if anything, that can touch Her in the dungeons. And since that’s where She stays, what strength doesn’t She have?  Weaknesses: Wouldn’t You Like To Know, Weathergirl :) from a more serious standpoint, though, She IS a god, and as such, is beholden to the same restrictions all the others are. Not only is She a god, She’s a MINOR god. Artificially inflating Her own power in the dungeons only goes so far. She has practically nothing if She steps outside. Luck isn’t a physical force, it isn’t something you can quantify, it isn’t something easy to define,  and at the root of it all, it’s not something everyone believes in. After all, what is a god to a nonbeliever?  Personality: Lady Luck is, above all else, a power hungry god. This informs everything She does, everything She thinks, everything She strives for. And She’s gotten damn good at putting on a show to get what She wants. She’s honed Her showman persona well, appearing coy and playful to Her audience while commanding an air of power and strength that nobody can really deny. In reality this translates to having a cruel iron grip on those around Her. The only reason She plays nice for the cameras is to lure more people in, and have a steady stream of positive belief streaming into the dungeons. She really doesn’t care what anyone thinks or feels toward Her. As long as they’re thinking about Her, She wins. She delights in finding the breaking point of others. The Lady relishes in watching others crumble, just to build them back up, and topple them again. She doesn’t care about anyone other than Herself. She’s quite vain, seeing Her actions as righteous in the face of the “ridicule” She faced early on from other gods. (Spoiler alert: nobody really bullied Her, She just thought the major gods were too smug and wanted to be one of them so so so very badly.) The Lady is extremely cunning and manipulative, patient when She needs to be, and ruthlessly efficient when She doesn’t. She’ll do anything to make Herself more powerful.  When it all comes down to it?  Everything is a game to Her. And She never, never loses.

[rocketboots564]

Here is part one of my thoughts, notes, and reactions to Red Versus Blue Season 9 as a first time watcher!

Yes, I have heard the news about Rooster Teeth. No I will not let that stop me from binging this series one way or another!

The rest of each individual season will be posted separately instead of being a reblog of the first post… mainly because I saw how egregiously long my post on season 8 was.

Season 9 Part 1:

Epsilon… what do you mean nobody’s called you “Director” in a really long time? Sir, season 8 was probably just a couple months ago… I think…

I don’t know how much time has passed from S8 to S9

FIRST OF ALL TUCKER, CHURCH IS CABOOSE’S BEST FRIEND

Wait… how can you get winded if you’re an AI. I mean I know Epsilon is in a memory unit, but does that mean he relives everything in a human body too?

It does make sense that Epsilon doesn’t really know how to use a Rifle. Sure, Church (or Alpha? Imma stick with church) didn’t know how to properly use it either, but he did know how to adjust the scope.

“Torqued in my pants” pffft…

WOAH TUCKER?! You did WHAT IN ALONE TIME? WHAT THE HELL’S “ALONE TIME”? 😦

Erm… what the Metal Gear? I unironically love this stealth mission thing. And knowing South Dakota… I wonder how long it’ll take for this to go tits up…

I’m betting five to ten minutes

also, YESS THE BIG BUCKS BUDGET OF ANIMATED CG SCENES RETURNS.

South MY GOD LISTEN UP?! HAVE YOU NEVER PLAYED ANY STEALTH GAME?! Set up the MOTION DECTETORS!!!

As someone who’s had years of experience sneaking past light sleepers in the dead of night for snacks and video games… I could do this better than you South Dakota.

SOUTH THIS IS WHY WE SET OUR SOLITON RADAR!!! I mean motion detectors… sorry I got Metal Gear Solid on the brain

MY GOD THE ANIMATION?! THE TAG TEAMING?! What happened that got South Dakota to eventually abandon North Dakota?

I too could take 50 of them South… in a fight… definitely a fight

Oop I saw that in the background! Who’s that?!

OOH THEY BAITED ME WITH THE BLACK ARMOR! They almost made me think it Tex… it’s actually well… whoever this cyan lady is

Supportive Sarge? He WANTS to hear the blue perspective? He DOESN’T want to command and yell at his subordinates?

GRIF? CLEANING? Actually I could get behind Maid Grif.

“I actually like being talked down to” woah WOAH SIMMONS?! 🤨 real, me too…

I mean… at least Donut’s still kept his accidental yet somewhat intentional innuendos. And, also his diary apparently…

Damn SHUT UP SOUTH DAKOTA! SHUT UP!! NOBODY HEAR WANTS TO HEAR YOUR SHIT!

North? WHOAH ANIMATED FACES?! NORTH DAKOTA WITH THE CLUTCH!!

Medics = bad luck. Honestly… yeah for you guys they are.

THE PHOTOSHOPPED WET FLOOR SIGN AND MOP IS KILLING ME

The ultimate OTP battle: Caboose x Sheila versus Caboose x Email

Listen… Tucker… never in a million years will I ever call you Professor Fuck

Damn the Freelancer Program only has ranked mode? No wonder they’re all assholes

CONNECTICUT? SHE’S CT? Yeah I can see why you’re so mad about your low rank… you’ll get your shit rocked by Professor Fuck of all people. Fuck it… it’s a funny name

So like… you know you’ve got absolutely dogshit rizz when Caboose has a better shot at dating someone than you.

Speaking of which… Caboose is now in my top 5 of the most dateable guys in this show. Like take this quote from him:

“I just really want to meet someone nice. Someone who appreciates me for who I am not so much because I’m pretty but because they really want to get to know me…”

HOW HAS THIS MAN NOT WOOED THE HEARTS OF THOUSANDS?

Tucker has NO rizz…

Oh wow Epsilon, just drop the existential dread on your teammates like that with no warning. It is a damn good thing your teammates either don’t understand it or don’t care.

Huh… seems even in a memory unit in which everyone is different fate still finds a way to make Grif lazy and sarcastic again.

Then again, that’s kinda happening with the rest of Red Team as well, minus Simmons and Lopez

Also, LOPEZ IS BACK! And this time is immediately beefing with Simmons… or rather the other way around.

“I’ll show you who’s likable and funny, and who people like” SIMMONS BABY ITS YOU! YOUR THE ONE I LOVE! YOUR THE ONE I NEED!

I just like Simmons… a perfectly normal amount…

Conclusion: this season already fucking ROCKS I LOVE IT! HOLY SHIT THIS IS AWESOME!

[opossumloverr]

Could you do a headcannon with the Rise Boys with a Seal Yokai reader? I wonder how each would react to it?

✪TURTLE BROS X SEAL YOKAI READER✪

Summary:

The Mad Dogs reaction to a Seal Yokai reader!

Warning(s):

None! Fluff

A/N:

FIRST ASK OF THE SEASON EVERYBODY YEEHAWW, I love seals so much they're so cute, if only it wasn't illegal to own them 😓 (Gender-neutral reader!)

《RAPH》

You're so god damn CUTE

He definitely watches those cute animals compilations on YouTube, so when he saw you, he is in AWE

He cannot get his eyes off you

Please please PLEASE let him cuddle with you, PLEASE that's all he wants

I don't know if seals actually do this in real life but, he'll gladly watch you balance things on your nose

OH MY GOSH! And if you can do tricks, popcorn in hand with a beverage to wash it all down, you don't mind putting on a little show for ol'Raphie, right?

"Encore!" Raph squealed as he started rapidly clapping his hands together, "That was amazing [NAME]!"

"Raph all I did was balance a ball on my nose for 10 seconds"

"And those were the best 10 seconds of my life"

He loves anything that you do

Praises you anytime he gets, just look at you! you deserve it!

I live laugh love this giant man

《LEO》

He thinks you're so silly

A silly little goober

He watches those seal stimboards on TikTok unironically 💀

He will 'boop' your nose, you can't avoid it, it's a cannon event

And if you do that little thing that seals do where they retract their whole head into their neck when he does it, you just dug yourself a grave out of embarrassment cause he will NOT stop bringing that up

"Leo, for the last time shut up!" You yelled at the red-eared slider that was currently getting on your last nerve,

"Aw, cmon! you can't deny it, you looked adorable!" He replied, "I swear you'll be the first yokai to ever kill someone with their cuteness"

Teases you and calls you every cringey name in the book

Y'know how baby seals are called 'pups' yeah, he will call you pup on a daily basis (Leo at this point leave, I'm holding the door open for you)

Likes making you mad or flustered just so he can see your reaction ♡

《DONNIE》

You're adorable, hope you know that

Gives you lots of pats with his robot-arms ♡

Will probably research a lot about your species and what they like so he can accommodate them

Seals are actually pretty smart, so uh take that as you will

Likes to lay down on you sometimes while he rants about his day or some project he's working on, not his fault you feel like a cushion

Likes to watch your tail move, not in a weird way its just, fascinating, the way it moves so smoothly is so satisfying

"Donnie? Don-tron? Earth to Bootyyyshaker9000?" You've noticed how he wasn't paying any attention to anything you've been saying for the past 5 minutes, you looked at his face and followed his eyes to where/what he was looking at, oh! It was your tail, you lifted your tail up to wave it in front of his face, that seemed to snap him out of it,

"Oh! my apologies, carry on, [NAME]" He said sheepishly, you just hummed and continued

He also likes the texture of it and will sometimes graze his fingers on your tail

《MIKEY》

HUGS HUGS HUGS!

He just wants to pet you all over

I feel like Mikey is a HUGE animal lover so if you let him pet you, he's over the moon

Plays with your fins sometimes

Likes to squish your face together, he can't help it! you're too cute!

Since seals do eat small marine life, he will cook you a bunch of seafood (seafood boil)

Likes to stare into your eyes, they're so big and shiny, it's kinda hypnotic

Small little giggles leak through your mouth as you stare into Mikey's eyes, not blinking at all, "Mike? You good?" You asked but all you got was a 'hmm' for a response, your eyes subconsciously moved from his,

"Hey hey hey! what are you looking at? bring those cute eyes back on mine!" He pouted, and you laughed,

"Oh, so you like my eyes? how sweet"

"Yep! And I would very much like it if you don't break my gaze, thank you very much!"

I'm so normal about him guys, TRASTYFDTUFYFYUDFIYDIGU

THIS IS WAYY SHORTED THAN HOW I USUALLY WRITE THINGS, SORRY! I'm trying to get my gears going, thank you for the request! Keep them coming guys! but at a reasonable rate pls 🙏🏾

(ALSO LOOK AT HOW CUTEEE AWH)

[oblivious-aro]

Do you still have that ninja ranking post on hand? I'd love to hear more about your opinions on them!

Eh, it was just a plain old list with no further explanations.

But my beloved mutual deserves further explanations and opinions!

1. Nya

Being the only main female character, the writers did the thing male writers often do where they give said female character some crazy good powers and/or abilities to prove they don't hate women.

Nya got herself up to the same level as the other ninja on her own time without a teacher, built pretty much all their vehicles for a while, and could canonically take all of the other ninja at the same time before she even had an elemental power (she literally was a boss for them when she got possessed in season 2).

When Nya has a goal to achieve, she either completely slays (infiltrating Chen's high security island without an invitation? No problem!), or goes completely unhinged (yes summoning The great Devourer would be an effective way to take out Nadakhan Nya, but then you would have other problems), and both options are very entertaining. Love the go big or go home energy.

There are definately problems with that writing approach, but Nya is unironically and canonically the coolest and most powerful ninja.

She also has some really interesting story potential high-achieverness and stubborn sense of pride, even if they are underutilized.

It's a shame she was neglected by the writers so much, they don't know what they missed.

Also, I love Kelly Metzger's vocal performance. Very energetic.

2. Cole

Cole is nice.

No seriously. Sure, he makes a lot of snippy comments at the other ninja (they all do, they really should be less mean to each other), but when interacting with people who aren't ninja, Cole is always super friendly.

This is best showcased in season 4, when he gets locked up in the factory. He brings and keeps up a positive spirit that the others have completely lost. They're pretty dismissive of him at first, but after a while, his attitude actually starts to bring back hope to the others, and it's wonderful. He finds Zane, organizes an escape plan, and gets everyone on board just by being himself.

People who complain Cole didn't get any focus clearly weren't paying attention during season 4. Tournament of Elements was a better season for Cole than either season 10 or Man of the Mountain.

I also love that Cole gets jokes about how much he loves food without depicting that as making him "gross" or "greedy" (Well, up until Hunted, at least. Reason 5026 Oni trilogy sucks). It's so true Cole, there not being cake at a function is extremely disappointing.

Also he got a fang blade way faster than Kai despite having a crippling stomach ache from to much cake. What a flex.

In general he gets so enthusiastic about little things, and it's extremely charming. Like, he genuinly enjoyed the little museum tours they used to go on as teachers. I love that!

And his his core character traits of being "the strong one" is actually showcased in a lot of subtle and unique ways. There's the obvious physical strength, then there's also way he tends to fool the leader role when needed, and the fact that he often has a phobia of the monster of the season but faces it head on and overcomes it everytime.

Kirby Morrow was also an absolutely delightful voice actor (very sad to hear what happened to him).

Also he's so so aromantic coded! I'm telling you it's bonkers, and in this essay, I will-

3. Zane

I think Zane had a very unique energy. He's honest and earnest, and it's very endearing, especially in a show where the main characters tend to be so mean to each other for no reason.

"I was built to protect those who cannot protect themselves" goes sooo hard everytime. Like, damn.

His relationship with Pixal is pretty interesting, although you do have to get past the initial layer of Ninjago romance (so much blank staring and wistful sighing. Like, so much). That being said, his conversation with Pixal in season 8 after they find out she's Samurai X is a rare W for the Oni trilogy.

Outside of that though, I feel like Zane didn't get a whole lot of big moments or storylines in later season, and the writers kind of forget about the whole "protect those who can't protect themselves" thing, which was a really big draw for me.

I like his little robot powers and gags. They're pretty fun. Gives his humorous moments a very unique feel, too.

His little falcon friend is also great. Watching that bird fly to close to the dark island and Nadakhan's ship was probably the only time genuinly stressed me out. (Reason 5027 Oni trilogy sucks, they got rid of the falcon).

4. Kai

He's got a fair bit of "bland main character syndrome" going on, and then after he passes that to Lloyd, the writers just...aren't really sure what to do with him.

He gets angry sometimes cuz fire and he...flirts badly a lot and thinks he's cool.

Eh.

He does have that thing where he laser-focuses when he gets a goal in mind, but the amount I get out of Kai for the amount of focus he gets is still not a lot.

There's a reason he got taken first in Skybound.

5. Lloyd

I actually found Lloyd fairly charming as a child. He's got a good heart, but also a mischievous streak and a fair bit of juvenile passion.

But then he aged up and lost all those things, leaving him with no personality.

He's the chosen one. He keeps getting power-ups.

Wish he'd get some characterization.

Lloyd seems to be a pretty popular character in the fandom, but everything people say they like about Lloyd could've easily happened to any other character. People always talk about stuff that happened to him, and never anything he does or wants, and I couldn't tell you anything Lloyd personally wants anyway.

6. Jay

Jay definately has the most distinct personality of the group as the jokey comedy guy.

I like that he kind of breaks down when the situation gets too stressful. That, and his relationship with Nya could make for some very interesting story potential.

But then Skybound happened and turned Jay from silly and maybe a bit insecure into disgustingly selfish with no redeeming qualities.

Even outside of Skybound, Jay big plot points are fighting Cole for Nya's affection (without consulting Nya herself. A terrible side plot that Cole ultimately resolves anyway), learning to appreciate his parents more (it's not the worst, but Ed and Edna don't get a whole lot of screen time to showcase the change in their relationship, and it doesn't help that the next time we see them in season 1, Jay is acting the same way about then that he did when they first appeared), and his true potential episode, where Nya's really the one doing all the legwork.

I don't think Jay's a bad character, but every time the writers give him the spotlight, it goes terribly. Jay's never the one to facilitate his own growth, and that makes him pretty much impossible to root for.

[thevindicativevordan]

Thoughts on Scott Lobdell's Superman run?

Rocafort's art kept me reading.

Rocafort's depiction of Krypton, the Fortress even the armor which no one outside of him and Jim Lee sold me on, all look great! They all had a flavor to them that we don't usually get on the Superman books. He drew Clark with a youthful appearance that suited his age, and I wish going forward artists would emulate New 52 Superman's design for when they want to draw a "young" Superman. Unfortunately Rocafort isn't a fast artist given his style, which meant he needed lots of filler. Still I powered through the filler simply because the issues he did draw were always worth it for me.

Storywise though? It was bad. Lobdell was trying to do the Johns technique of taking old Silver Age concepts and "modernizing" them, but he wasn't as good as it as Johns was. We'd get cool ideas like Kryptonian dragons or Superman benching the weight of the entire planet, but it all rang hollow. There was no real heart or underlying theme just an excuse for the artist to draw cool shit. Early New 52 felt a lot like 90s Image and Superman was hit especially hard in that regard. H'el as a character is nothing but a cool looking Bizarro knockoff, and he is the big villain of the run. The Court of Owls had a point to make about Scott Snyder's relationship with Snyder's hometown and also a point to make about Bruce's relationship with Gotham and his wealth. Couldn't tell you what Lobdell was trying to do with H'el on a thematic level.

Also it's no secret that Lobdell would execute on editorial edicts that other writers wouldn't, which meant he was implementing orders from on high that didn't result in good stories, but did check the list on whatever Didio or Harras wanted. Only Shay Veritas has sorta outlived his run (which is good because I love the concept of Superman befriending the world's smartest woman in contrast to his relationship with the world's smartest man), and unlike Morrison or even Pak's Action Comics runs I haven't seen anyone step up to bat for this run as underrated.

I loved this moment this though:

Clark gives a big speech about the value of truth, justice, and the American Way in the context of real journalism bowing to corporate interests - hoping to rally his fellow reporters to walk out with him in protest - and no one cares!... except Cat Grant. The one person you'd think wouldn't give a damn about those things, does. This is an unironically great Superman moment, one that I think really does capture his appeal as a character, showing how he can inspire others, especially those you'd think couldn't be reached, while showing the cost of that attitude too. Clark and Cat going on to found a blog was actually not a bad idea in the context of "what does journalism look like in the 21st century?" which most Superman runs ignore.

Even having Clark and Lois butt heads over that isn't a bad idea. Clark as a journalist is mainly concerned with his own stories, while Lois as a producer/editor has to look out for the organization as a whole. Clark only has to worry about himself but Lois has to worry about "if the paper isn't profitable and I have to lay people off, what's going to happen to these people in a field where the number of journalism positions is steadily decreasing?" which is a recipe for good organic conflict between the two! It didn't have to be bad or forced for those two to be at odds because a journalist and an editor/producer have different concerns. It just... wasn't good.

Sure looked pretty at times though.

[qwuilty]

Give more postal 1 hcs ?!?! Please :D

Im getting ready to head to bed soon but yknow what, hell yeah i can share some more:

I think Dude, in all universes really, would have absolutely grown up on public access television. It was cheaper, accessible, and always there, so it makes sense to me. P1 specifically i can see being a sesame street kid, his favorite being snuffy (for reasons that are totally not depressing relating to deep profound loneliness and a sense of disconnect from people i swear)

He has a pretty bad posture issue as well as almost constantly tense shoulders. Since hes fairly tall, hes gotten used to having his head tilted down leading to neck pains. Hes also just generally not great at taking care of his health and hygine which doesnt really help his case, either physically or socially since he's well. Kind of sweaty.

His eyesight isnt bad enough to NEED glasses all the time, but he does wear them when having to read small fonts and more blurry text. Due to aforementioned not really keeping up with his health, his glasses are probably way out of prescription now, but theyre so damn expensive, hes willing to take the slight migrane.

He has kind of a set up in his living room for camping out during bad nights, mainly being he has a pillow and blanket on his couch to sleep on and a cheap chair he dragged over to the table by his window to look out at whatever he percives as being out there. Usually to keep himself somewhat level headed or at least TRY to, he puts on a documentary or some nonsense fluff show on a lower volume. The news is an absolute no at this point though, too much doomspiraling and paranoia on top of already being paranoid.

Im usually kind of hesitant to assign like music headcanons cause it relies on my own taste vs others, but i generally agree with stuff like him liking NIN, Korn, i also think hes unironically a big Radiohead fan, he likes their sound. (Does not help that despite it being kind of a joked about song, i think creep is very fitting for him-)

He tries his best to be humble and not too needy, it's good virtues, but he cant help getting excited about praise and fixate on others words. He's the kind of guy who thinks all day about someone who said he did a good job in the morning, he does things mostly out of (or what he at least wants to come off as) a more selfless kindness and simply because he has to, but praise and adoration is something he wont say no to. And he will want more and more of it, so be prepared.

Physical closeness is something he's always struggled with, platonic or romantic. There's a feeling of a barrier between him and other people so he tends to sit a good distance away, not wanting to intrude upon others. Having someone go more into his space can disorient him, makes him pretty flustered to be even recognized as a living person too.

If someone breaks through to him, he may be a bit clingy at first, he didnt have much experience establishing proper boundaries so figuring out someone elses is another can of worms. He can be convinced to step back a bit and calm down, but even still, frankly the man is just absolute touchstarved. Touch drought for this man.

[filipinosamflynn]

Golden Son tier list + review! :D

These books are so fucking good, I want to continue with book 3 already. I have never read books this quickly, but DAMN that was good. You can see my live thoughts while I was reading from the tag "#sam flynn reads red rising", but here are my post reading thoughts below the cut.

Characters: 9/10, everyone served their purpose well and was great except for Antonia, who SOMEHOW still disappointed me.

Plot: 9/10, I have no clue if there was anything for me to complain about.

Personal Enjoyment: 10/10, I was unfortunately spoiled to 2 events within the book before I started reading, but I had so much fun regardless. I wish I had come in 100% blind :(

I have NO CLUE where to start. I guess I'll start with Fitchner. His identity as the founder of Ares was no secret to me when I came into the book, I strayed too far and accidentally got myself spoiled. Despite that, the reveal was still fucking brilliant. I'm surprised by how far he shot up in my tier list, from close to the bottom to being top 5. Wish he didn't die though 😭

Another character that shot pretty dramatically up the tier list was the Jackal. I knew he was gonna betray Darrow from the start based on intuition (thankfully not from spoilers) but DAMN HE DIDNT HAVE TO DO ALL THAT 😭 He's so sociopathic, I love that. I am no longer disappointed by him, and are excited to see what this little fucker has in store next! (Unlike with Antonia. Maybe I hyped myself up too highly for her, I expected her to play a larger role in everything but she feels so much like a pawn, it's embarrassing. She is my unironic least favorite character because of how plain disappointed I am in her, and it's not a fun hatred, it's a "oh she is here again. will she do anythin- nope. okay.")

Roque. Sweet Roque. I thought you were eh in the first book, just a cool voice for darrow to talk to I guess. But after the ending, fuck you 😍 I got spoiled by his betrayal, but honestly I saw his betrayal coming when Darrow kept being unable to reconcile with him. Either that or Roque dies, but uhhhhh I got spoiled anyways so it was going to be the latter. yeah I wish he had died instead of this! 🥰 but honestly and to be fair, yeah Darrow kind of deserved some of it for being such an ass of a friend, but:

Cassius went down the tier list because the gala fight was AMAZING but he doesn't show up after that again until the end, and that made me feel sort of hesitant? BUT HE IS CLEARLY STILL BEING SET UP FOR THE FUTURE SO HE BETTER NOT PULL AN ANTONIA AND DO NOTHING BUT BE A PAWN.

Sevro is half red, cool! I am so glad he's still such a lovable scamp. I got excited every time he showed up, I love him.

Darrow is still an amazing protagonist, and I am so glad we are past his angsty "I miss my wife" phase, but I can guarantee I will see more of it after the ending. At least I will be mentally prepared for the whump this time.

Mustang is at her prime here. The scene with her in Lykos was so... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH i fucking hope she returns for darrow because these two are awesome and they deserve all the happiness.

Oh yeah, the scene where they revisit Lykos? As I said in a previous post, it watered my crops and cleansed my skin. I am so glad we finally got to catch up with Darrow's family. AND HE GOT TO HUG HIS MOM AAAAAAAAAA- I hoped we would see Darrow talk with the rest of his family, but just everything about this was comfort enough. Rest in peace uncle Narol though. 😥 Even if the meeting with darrow and his mom was cut abruptly short by Kieran's kids, but my heart... 🥹

Ragnar spawns in and just gets to business, and I love him. I love stories where people raised for only one thing learn to break free of their mold (that's why i was so interested in this series in the first place). I think it's so iconic that every time he speaks, the text becomes bold, that instantly endeared me to him somehow.

Victra was good, but her insistence on Darrow was weird. Could be because I'm a hard Darrow × Mustang shipper.

That's all the characters I feel like talking about. Onto other things like the plot! The plot was SO much better than the first book. We're finally out of that fuckass academy and doing actual rebelling finally! I don't know what else to say, the twists and the plots were phenomenal. The fight scenes here are even better than the ones in the first book. Overall, y'all weren't kidding when people said book 1 was the weakest of the series because I am flabberghasted by how good this book is.

I don't know what else to say, all of this has just been rambling. Darrow better break those god damn chains at the end of it all.

[bizarrocloudy]

Metallica!!!

Cosplayed in my period-accurate totally authentic 80's thrash metal costume-- full denim obviously

Took the gay train to the show \m/

Always give your queer antifa battlejacket to the cishet homie if he gets cold

I love how Kirk Hammett is always sparkly nowadays. Gender & fashion goals forreal.

They played a lot of bangers, so I was pretty happy. Mister of Pupperts, a personal favorite of mine. And Blackened!!!! They also played my guilty pleasure song, Fuel, with pyrotechnics!!!!

I like Fuel because it's definitely a song that's horny about V8s. And I'm into that sort of thing. I wanna fuck a car!!!!!!!!!

This was my first ever stadium show, and while the sound quality kinda sucked ass, and it's definitely not as good as going to a mid-sized venue... It was kinda fun. But you just feel so far removed.

Metallica first 4 albums are experiences that I genuinely love. I'm just sad that I couldn't see them in a better venue with better sound quality. :( Apparently they played a secret show at the Metro in 2021 and I was definitely not on the "need to know" list, so I missed that one lol. But damn, that would've been one of the experiences of all time.

James Hetfield can still fucking sing. And I unironically love his vocals lmao. I can't explain why, but it's just the perfect mix of gruff and clear! (some of his lyrics are the dorkiest shit I've ever heard though, forreal)

OH YEAH AND IT'S A 2-DAY TICKET, SO IT AIN'T EVEN OVER LOL

[welcome-to-the-cafe]

Guilty of Romance (2011)

This is a Sion Sono movie, which apparently carries certain weight and implications that I didn't know until after the viewing. I will admit it is an artful film, in the sense that all creative choices seem very deliberate, heavyhanded even, but very clear. I don't agree with those choices but they do all contribute to the film as a sort of cinematic painting, rather than a story. Yes, it seemed the director was painting with his favorite colors, rather than engineering a tight movie. I have only seen trailers of his other movies but I can see the same colors in those.

Major Spoilers below.

Color 1: Megumi Kagurazaka

The main character is a housewife played by the director's own wife. He...really likes showing her off. She doesn't disappoint of course, in acting or, er, physical appeal. But knowing shes married to Sion gives an...interesting dynamic to her scenes.

Color 2: Cuckoldry and Cheating

It happens so much it's almost satirical. Maybe it is, but maybe also unironic given Color 1.

Color 3: Psychology, Philosophy

Wax poetic about the power of words and actions. The scenes between the Izumi and Mitsuko I personally did not find very engaging or informative. I'll just accept that Izumi is spiritually seduced by Mitsuko's poetic turn of phrase, but Mitsuko is just using her highbrow academic language to trap her prey.

Color 4: Corruption, Degradation

The main characters are all women, but I didn't find the movie particularly feminist or empowering. All 4 major female characters make humiliation and degradation central to their characters. Men are in the picture as dastardly enablers, but the women make the conscious decisions to further their own self-destruction. Perhaps because they are trapped in patriarchy, all their efforts to empowerment also slide them toward doom?

I now think this dilemma is one of the stronger parts of the movie. Izumi is spiritually freed by embracing her sexuality, but she is also disturbed and the guilt corrodes her. Her mirror scene was, er, great for viewers, but the longer it went on, the more uncomfortable and effective it became. Yeah that girl ain't right.

Color 5: Gore, Shock

This is the weakest color for me. The gory nature of the murder I felt was askew to the tone and message of movie as whole, and felt like it was just there to draw viewers and make them wonder what kind of killer would do such a thing.

The resolution to the murder, though present, was unsatisfying, unlike Bong Joon-ho's Memories of Murder, which was unresolved but satisfying.

Artistically, the murder as a component of the movie does match the nature of the murder itself, a few bloody weirdly tacked on pieces.

The SA components were, again, disturbing and effective, and I think too much.

I did not appreciate the final scene with kids whatsoever. I really hope those kids weren't actually there,

Other Things

Hated that pimp character, he is actually just...awful. Good casting, because I hated him immediately.

Hated the husband, instantly knew he was slime and went out to cheat all the time. I didn't guess it was every damn day though.

Makoto Togashi has a jawline that can lift a continent.

I really liked the trash-truck chasing metaphor, and that the movie ended on that. Really tied up the corruption color, I just hope Sion didn't make Miki Mizuno run that much.

Overall, a pretty good viewing experience.

[adenei]

Ch 1 - Never Really Over

*Deep breaths*

Soooo I've been working on a new multi-chap romione fic since April. Have kept it pretty quiet aside from my betas who have been wonderful with their help and support because let's be real, finding time to write and allow yourself to become invested in a hobby with an infant is HARD. But that's a whole other slew of issues for another day. You're here for the fic (I assume), so let's get back to that.

I love the direction this is taking, and am super proud of the idea and its development. I think I'm known a lot for taking existing stories/movies/etc and twisting them to fit a ship in an AU, but this one is all me - yay proving to myself that I CAN have original ideas!

It is an American Romione AU in a modern setting.

Summary:

Hermione Granger is a modern woman who doesn’t need to find love for self-fulfillment. Not that finding love is even an option anymore. Her perfect love story has come and gone with the one who got away—sorry, the one who disappeared is more like it.

That fake fairy tale is all well and good until Ron Weasley, the man who ruined everything, suddenly turns back up in her life with no explanation whatsoever. It seems his only goal is to show up wherever she is, attempting to undo the walls she’s built around her heart after he shattered it into a million tiny pieces. But Hermione’s determined not to let him in. With the help of her best friends and an online dating site that promises users their very own ‘happily ever after,’ she sets out to move on from her first love for good. 

After a few misses, Billy slides into her inbox, a sweet, genuine, fun-loving guy who’s easy to talk to and fills Hermione with the hope that perhaps love isn’t off the table after all. Seemingly overnight, she’s gone from perpetually single to balancing a love triangle on a fine, fine line. The deeper she gets, the harder she realizes it’s going to be when she has to choose. The last thing she wants to do is break anyone’s heart—her own included.

So, without further ado, I give you the first chapter of Never Really Over.

Read on AO3

But once in a while I trip up and I cross the line, and I think of you

Work ᐧ a ᐧ hol ᐧ ic (noun) a person who compulsively works long and hard hours.

God, I hate the connotation of that word. And yet it still burns into my mind, distracting me from—unironically—the article I’m trying to finish up at my desk. Am I three months ahead of the current deadline? Maybe. But that doesn’t mean anything. There’s nothing wrong with having backups just in case. It shouldn’t classify me as a workaholic.

Because I’m not.

It’s only haunting me because my brain has a sick and twisted sense of humor. It clearly refuses to follow my strict list of off-limit thoughts, cementing the chokehold the word has on my life.

Ugh. Why am I letting this bother me anyway? I’m Hermione Granger, a capable, independent woman who is perfectly happy with her life right now. A twenty eight-year-old with a house of her own, a career she’s passionate about, and the five best friends a girl could ask for thanks to fate bringing us together during freshman orientation at Kearney University. The memory brings a smile to my lips. What more could one want?

And then the frown returns when I remember that I’m sitting alone in the office on a Friday evening and self-doubt trickles in. If I’m being honest, there’s a lot more I want. Like love. Finding the love of my life would be nice. I thought I’d at least be married by now, and maybe have one kid by the time I turned thirty. Not that I’m a traditional woman by any means. I’m about as modern as they come. It’s just…

No. You’re not allowed to think about him, remember?

Except it’s really hard not to think about him. Especially when that damn word keeps flashing in my mind while I sit here on weekend time, finishing an article that’s nowhere near due. But it doesn’t matter. That inside joke died a long time ago. I stopped finding the word endearing the moment I realized he was no longer in my life. Now if only my brain would get the memo.

I shake my head, brunette curls flying around as I try to refocus on the cursor blinking in front of me. It’s still a tough pill to swallow, but I’ve long since given up on love—or so I’m telling myself. Romantic companionship clearly isn’t in the cards for me, so I turn to the one thing that will never let me down: writing. And right now, I’m only a couple of paragraphs away from completing a lovely little piece on the hidden gems of Bora Bora—the things they won’t tell you in the travel guides.

A long, deep breath helps me push those intrusive thoughts away and brings me back to the salty ocean air and the calm lapping of the waves. If I concentrate long enough, I can feel the sparkling white sand between my toes, and it’s enough to catapult me right back into the article—until my phone rings two minutes later.

I don’t want to answer, but it’s Hannah Abbott, my best friend, and she’s always there for me when I need her. The least I can do is return the favor. Plus, the creative juices are no longer flowing thanks to the interruption, so I may as well see what she wants.

With a swipe right to answer, I do my best not to sound annoyed. “Hello?”

“Where are you?!” Hannah cries, though her voice sounds hushed, like she’s hiding in a closet or something.

“Finishing up an article at work. Why?”

“Unbelievable,” she grumbles, more to herself than to me. “Hermione, I’m going to let you think about why I’m calling for a second and see if you can put the pieces together.”

“What are you talking about?” I’m not in the mood to play this game, but I adjust the phone and hold it against my shoulder so I can lift my laptop and check my desk calendar.

August first. Friday. The day I try to forget. But then I see the periwinkle writing at the bottom of the square.  Harry and Neville’s birthday party.

Remember the strong support system I mentioned earlier? The freshman orientation group turned lifelong friends? Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom are part of that, along with Hannah, of course, and Seamus Finnigan and Lavender Brown. We never miss anyone’s birthdays, and Hannah knows that.

“Shit! Shit, shit, shit! How could I forget?”

Hannah sniggers at me. “Yes, how could you forget? Hermione, I don’t know if it’s because you love your job so much that you’re willing to stay late on a Friday, or because of what day it is, but—”

“We’re not talking about that. I’m leaving now. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

I slam my laptop shut and shove it in my bag a little too haphazardly. I’m already closing my office door by the time Hannah responds again. “Right…”

She’s clearly contemplating whether to push the subject or let it go. After all, she’ll have all night to try and grill me on it, but she knows better. We don’t talk about what happened on August first. Ever.

And just to make sure she doesn’t go there, I try to swing the conversation back to the guys. “Have they noticed I’m not there yet?” 

“Well, considering it’s a small gathering of our closest friends—all of whom are already here because the party started an hour ago—yeah, they’ve noticed.”

“Ugh, I’m sorry, okay? I just—”

“—Got caught up with whatever article you’re working on? I know, I know. You’re lucky it’s only their twenty-eighth birthday and not the big three-oh.”

“Come on, Han, this is one tiny mistake and I feel terrible. You don’t need to make it worse. I’m never late, you know that! And I would never miss something as big as their thirtieth birthdays. Especially not since we’ve already got a running list of themes and ideas going. Just—give me a break, okay? I’ll be there soon. I’m almost to the car now.”

“Alright.” Hannah sighs. There’s a stilted pause and I wait, knowing there’s something else she wants to say, and I brace for the lecture about my workaholic tendencies and what it relates to. Damn psychology major.

“Listen, Hermione, there’s something you should—” But after a long day of reflecting on it, I don’t want to go there right now.

“See you in fifteen, bye!” I hang up the phone before she can finish her sentence. She tries this every year. You’d think after six years she’d let it go. But no, she thinks that one of these days I’ll finally talk about it. Well, she can keep trying, but it’s not going to happen. That part of my life is over and it’ll only hurt more to bring it back up. 

⚭

It takes me a little longer than fifteen minutes, but that’s to be expected with D.C. traffic. Once I’m parked outside Hannah and Neville’s house, I quickly do a once-over on my appearance. Thanks to the mid-summer humidity, my hair is frizzier than when I tamed it into its half-ponytail this morning. It’s too bad my incessant need to run my fingers through the curly strands does nothing to combat its flyaway tendency. I guess I’ll just have to deal with yet another pitch from Lavender to let her help me with my nonexistent beauty regimen. Perks of having a beautician for a friend. 

Prying my eyes away from the visor mirror, I get out of the car and look down at the pale yellow eyelet sundress I put on this morning. There are definite wrinkles and creases from sitting at my desk all day, but what can I do? At least my mascara isn’t running down my face and I don’t have sweat stains under my arms. That’s more than presentable for a backyard barbeque after working all day. Kudos to whoever chose that over some fancy dinner.

Not that my friends would care. They’ve always accepted me for who I am. Sure, I’ll never hear the end of being late tonight, but at least I made it, and in their company,  I’ll be able to accomplish the one thing I’ve struggled with all day: taking my mind off of him.

Faint sounds of laughter echo as I walk up the path to the front door and let myself in. A ‘happy birthday’ sign hangs from the ceiling in the foyer, and red and gold balloons litter the floor leading to the kitchen. Of course they’d deck out the place with the colors of our alma mater—I wouldn’t expect anything less. 

“Hey, I’m here! And sorry I’m late, you know how work is,” I call to a seemingly empty house. 

I poke my head into an empty living room before heading back to the kitchen, where I find Seamus pulling a beer out of the fridge. Everyone else must be out back.

“Well, well, well, look who finally decided to show up.”

And so it begins. 

Rolling my eyes, I grab a wedge of gouda off the picked over charcuterie board on the counter. “You say that like I intended to show up almost two hours late. I lost track of time.”

That was sort of the truth. After all, I couldn’t tell Seamus I forgot, he’d never let me live it down. Seamus is usually the one who gets called out on things. His affinity for pyrotechnics has created many occasions for us to give him hell, and you can guarantee between the five of us, we never let him live a single one down. So I guess I can’t blame him when he doesn’t miss a beat now the tables are turned.

Which is why I’m not surprised he isn’t letting me off the hook yet. With a snort, he tries to call my bluff. “C’mon, Hermione. We all know you love working so much that you’d skip out on weekends if you could. You don’t have to lie.” And then, to make things weirder, he looks around and lowers his voice to add, “You can tell me the truth about why you’re late. It’ll be our little secret.”

My face scrunches up before I have a chance to control its reaction. Why does he care so much? 

“I…I don’t know what you mean. I really did lose track of time, Shay. Why are you acting so strange?”

A scowl crosses his face as he sets his beer down on the white speckled quartz. He eyes the back deck before lowering his voice and says, “Because I’ve got a bet going with Lav and Nev on whether you were going to show or not.”

“Whether I was going to—why wouldn’t I show? Honestly, it’s not my fault I got wrapped up in research and writing an article all day and then forgot I had plans tonight! Do you guys bet on my predisposition to get lost in my job and failure to show up to events often?” 

I’m so bewildered by the fact that there’s a bet that I don’t even care about letting my forgetfulness slip. Do I need to reconsider how genuine these friendships are? Does this happen often? Are my friends not as supportive as I thought they were?

I open my mouth to ask as much, but clamp it shut when I see the wide-eyed, pale shock cross Seamus’s face. His reaction is far more severe than it should be and now I’m really confused. He spins around and opens the fridge, rummaging around until he pulls out a mango White Claw—my favorite.

Things are getting more suspicious by the second, and I need to know what is going on. “Seamus, what—”

“Here.” He opens the can with a loud crack and hands it to me. “You’re going to need this.”

Oh, come on. “Seriously? You know I don’t care if I’m already three drinks behind.”

“Well, you might this time…” he mumbles before nodding to the door. “Come on, everyone’s out back. I’m sure they’ll be excited to know you finally made it.”

Okay, what is happening? I try not to let my jaw drop as my mind works to decode this odd behavior. Seamus has always been the one with the crazy ideas and adventurous spirit. There’s not a cryptic bone in his body. If anything, he’s always impulsive and up-front with his intentions.

All I can do is shake my head and follow, giving up on trying to make sense of anything. I take a few quick swigs and step through the sliding glass door that Seamus left open for me. Lively conversation comes from my left, where everyone is sitting around the patio table. I prepare myself for more endless teasing as I shut the door behind me, but instead, the chatter dies to a sudden silence. More peculiarity. 

Did I spill something on myself and miss it? No, Seamus would have said something. Or are they really just that shocked about my late arrival? I’m about to ask as much until I look up and see an all too familiar shade of red hair sitting at the table with his back toward me.

Despite the eighty-degree weather, my body breaks into a cold sweat. I’ve spent six years pretending he doesn’t exist anymore. Six years trying to forget that part of my life, convincing myself that he wasn’t the person I thought he was. That he wasn’t ‘the one.’ 

Everyone else’s expressions mirror my shock when they realize I didn’t know he was going to be here, though Hannah’s contains a tiny wince that’s meant to say, ‘I tried to warn you.’ And their reactions are enough to make Ron Weasley, my ex-best friend, ex-confidante, and ex-lover, turn around.

Seeing his face unfreezes my body from its current awkward stance. Anger and hurt burst through the gates that I’ve worked so hard to keep locked up as our eyes meet. In slow motion, my hard seltzer clatters to the ground, soaking my feet and wedge leather sandals in the sticky, bubbly liquid as I try to find my voice. 

As if this paradox couldn’t become any more ironic, he actually seems excited to see me. He opens his mouth to say something, but I’ll never know what since I manage to cut him off with the only scathing question that I can possibly think of. 

“What are you doing here?”

[makigorogoro]

disorganized thoughts on fionna and cake eps 5 and 6

(Spoilers!!)

ok ive only seen the eps once each and im going off of memory so a lot of this is probably gonna be paraphrased and mixed up but whatever . also this post is really fucking long lol sorry

-OK FIRST OFF THESE WERE SO GOOD RAAAAAH

-obviously we are in the farmworld, not surprised but very happy!!!

-also not very surprised fionna and cake immediately went along with simon’s plan

-the whole time they were talking about where to find a crown i was like lol. simon don’t look behind you

-cake bringing fionna a dead rat was really funny

-the versucci gag or whatever was also really good

-but what made me die was fionna talking abt how she’s played a lot of post apocalyptic rpgs and then it pans over to “man who has actually lived through the apocalypse”

-was really cool to see how the farmworld has developed after what happened with ice finn, i think it’s interesting how they’re more technologically advanced since the first time an ice age happened in this world they pretty much reverted to medieval times (does that make sense. you know what i mean)

-i was SO convinced jay was farmworld finn’s little sibling so when he said dad my heart stopped

-the name jay didn’t immediately click until bonnie was revealed to be one of his other kid’s name and i was like HOLY SHIT PUHOY???

-veeeery interesting since assumingely golb destroyed/erased the pillow world

-i guess you could just chalk it up to finn would have named his kids the same thing in any universe?

-but i mean speaking of his kids GOD he got busy with huntress wizard

-i mean it has to be huntress wizard. one of them looks just like human hunter wizard

-sucks that she died though

-simon’s ship of theseus thing was so fucking funny oh my god he’s just like me fr (i started talking about the ship of theseus in one of my assignments a few days ago and i was like. is this too nerdy.)

-i haven’t really talked about farmworld finn yet. a little sad he turned out so cold (pun not intended oops 😭) because of what happened to him when he was younger

-good on him for saying simon was a damn fool or whatever for wanting to put the crown on lol

-i wish they actually had a talk though

-cake saying fionna should kiss him while knowing he’s just an alternate version of her??????? girl

-also farmworld jake still being alive was crazy

-so it did turn out the crown was destroyed in this world, i honestly wasn’t sure since the crown from the main world survived direct contact with a comet lol

-the romeo and juliet style romance going on between finn’s kid and big destiny’s kid was really good

-finn showing up with bartram lmao!!!!!

-dude i love bartram, the bit in finn the human where finn’s mom says that they have to sell the mule and then bartram’s head peaks out from the bed in the corner is unironically one of my favorite jokes in adventure time

-i kinda forgot what happens between here and the end

-so did farmworld finn fucking die????

-idk what happened there i sure hope not

-i really don’t know if we’re going to revisit these worlds in any capacity considering the amount of time left but i hope we do now!! i feel like we need to see what happens lmao

-now for ep 6

-wasn’t really expecting it to open on “fionna world” as they started calling it

-i was wondering how they were gonna balance gumball and marshall yaoi with what’s going on with the main trio

-they did it really well though i think

-i also wasn’t really expecting to be introduced to winter king right away once we got back to the main plot

-he definitely gave me weird vibes right from the start im gonna be honest lol

-blaah i don’t really remember what happens between that and the winter wonder world sequence

-so ill just talk about that. holy fuck

-every review i read before the show came out was really hyping this scene up and i get why now

-was really cool to see the beyond the grotto animation again and the song was so good it’s still stuck in my head

-but the moment the winter king said he overcame the crown with sheer will i was like. um. im calling bs

-i was just thinking however it did happen though i have a bad feeling about! felt really bad for simon and when he said that he sucked i was like. oh no ☹️ dude

-the moment i saw little ice marcy pretty much cemented it for me i was like oh no something fucked up is happening here. tbh i still can’t really figure out what happened with that but given what the winter king said about making an ice betty. uhhhhhhhhhh

-OH YEAH cake once again saying simon and the winter king should kiss . GIRL WHAT ARE YOU ON

-i looooved crazy pb

-i remember when people were saying she was a marcy pb child lmao.

-simon saying that he wanted to “fix her” while the winter king just wanted to kill her was really interesting. im trying to figure out what it means lol. like we know that simon wants to be the ice king again but also now knowing he would want to fix and save someone from that madness…idk

-her song was really good

-her playing those ominous notes on her keyboard made me laugh

-i haven’t really talked about gumball (im not calling him gary im sorry) and marshall. i thought they were really cute!!! could definitely see marcy and pb meeting in a similar way

-the juxtaposition between gumball talking about his creations to fionna fighting the fucked up versions of them was really cool

-i hope gumball doesn’t take what the lemoncarbs said to heart . they’re just like that

-ok so. I was honestly more shocked that fionna kissed (a version of) simon than him disintegrating seconds after lmaooooo

-i have to wonder why he immediately died here when in betty (the episode) he was dying relatively slowly without the crown’s magic

-ive been writing down a bunch of crack theories and the first thing ive gotten right was the winter king transferring his craziness to pb lol lets goooo

-i was thinking that simon might’ve transferred it himself but then i was like nooo he wouldn’t do that….apparently he would do that

-idk despite how he seemed i think the winter king was still a little insane in the membrane.

-maybe the crown was still influencing him in some way? and that’s the message here? idk

-i can’t believe bi fionna is real

-back to gumball and marshall. gumball describing slumber party panic……oh my jod 🥺🥺🥺

-the baby world was so cute

-“and i’ll be cursed the right way” simon do you fucking hear yourself

Ok that’s definitely not all i have to say but this post is long enough lmao ,, god this show is SO GOOD i can’t believe it’s real. ok that’s all