#this was supposed to be a romantic thing but lmao failed at that

[happyk44]

Hermes growing up in sunshine and bright lights and pretty thrones and regality and formality and "stay still, for the love of the stars, just stay still for one bleeding second" and hearing stories about the dirty Underworld and how its damp and dreary and no one it and the people who do are weird and strange and he meets Thanatos on a war field and admires the pretty wings stretched long across his back and watches quietly as he walks through bodies and blood and weaponry laid bare and plucks wandering confused soul up from their barely breathing chests and away from the grass they're sobbing in and and he follows him like a duck to water and Thanatos pays him no mind, just deposits the soil at the foot of his older brother and descends across the Styx with wide black wings that glitter like jewels in the dim light of the Underworld.

Charon regards Hermes with little interest, collecting payment and readying his boat. There's a young boy, no older than fifteen, who has no money, but Charon just pulls a coin from his own pocket and adds it to the bucket. It's locked tight and snaps at Hermes with large fangs when he creeps too close so he batters back and follows the boat across the Styx. She's black and vicious, waters tremulous and cruel. Beneath her waves, lost souls are screaming, begging to be saved. But around Charon's boat, her waves are soft and gentle. They push his boat along as he paddles to the gray sandy shore ahead.

He pays Hermes no mind when he lands of soft gray beach beside the boatman. Just guides the souls in a long line to the wall. There are other souls walking long across the beach and they turn and run with wispy feet and crash into the newly deceased with untapped joy.

Charon's lip twitches.

Hermes wanders through hallways and rooms and there's a large court, a myriad of souls waiting with shaking nerves as nymphs and naiads and skeletons holding stacks of parchment beside them. Some are assuring them. Others are silent, simply waiting.

Out through the final door, there's a beautiful walkway into a large field of asphodels. The Lethe trickles nearby. He can hear her soft siren call to rest, to sleep, to wash away all that worries him. Poppies flock her riverbank. Hypnos shimmers nearby. He is humming as soft tune as he lays a wispy soul to rest in the water.

The first and last time Hermes met him was Pasithea's wedding. A grand affair as Hera would have nothing less for her lovely daughter. He had been sleepy-eyed, dim and unresponsive. Here he is brighter. Whispering soft assurances as the soul rolls out of his arms and into the soft lap of the river below. He waits some time then collects them. They seem smaller somehow. Wet and dripping. But their form, once wispy and deteriorated, is stronger now. Squishy and soft along the edges, but ridge.

He seals them up in a jar and sets them aside with another set of jars. He pays Hermes no mind as he walks past. Nearby Pasithea descends. She cracks a crooked grin at her half-brother, and collects the washed souls sealed away. She disappears on gossamer wings into the darkness above their heads. Hypnos continues his work, lowering one soul at a time. Some of them are wispy and some are glowing bright. But he treats them all with the same gentleness. Like a parent tucking a child in for bed.

Hermes moves on.

It is not as dark as everyone said. Jewels glitter along the walls. The poplar trees almost glow, their white back standing strong. There is no dampness. It is cold, yes, but there's a warmth there. In the hustle and bustle. Ghosts wander, but nymphs and naiads and gods fluster back and forth among them.

It doesn't feel dreary. Feels like home. Comfortable, like every village and town Hermes has travelled through. Everyone has a job and they do it the best of their ability. They step around one another with practiced ease and smile and laugh. Cows roam freely and come when called.

Macaria doesn't say hello when he drifts by. She simply states at him for moment, but she doesn't question his presence. Just turns around and continues onwards with a cluster of souls at her side. Elysium is clustered further to the back. It is saved by a large boundary wall and strong iron gates. She pulls them open easily and he follows her inside. It is beautiful and orderly. Obsidian walkways. Colourful cottages. In the center square there is a large pomegranate tree. Each fruit is golden, hanging high and neatly in dark green leaves. As he approaches, they seem to shift, pushing outwards as though enticing him to take. Macaria grabs his wrist. It is the first true acknowledge of his presence.

"Don't," she says. "Eat those while living and my father will own you as if you were dead."

The golden fruit entices him. Turns a rich red as the trees almost tilts towards him.

"Oh," he says faintly. He doesn't like to be denied the things he wants, doesn't like to be told he can't have something, and he's tempted to take it anyway. But he withdraws his arm.

She pulls her hand off him and smiles kindly. She says nothing else, just carries on her way.

Hermes states at bright red fruit in front of him. He's never really been a fan of pomegranates. They're annoying to eat, little seeds you have to chew and spit out. And they're bitter. But he wants these ones. Distantly he thinks they'll taste good, like candy, like sugar, like the sweet relief of death.

He steps back and exhales shallowly. Turns on his heels and leaves.

The castle is far off to the corner. Built in the shadowy walls of the Underworld. He wanders through hallways and a throne room, peeking into bedrooms on the second floor. Each room is carefully curated to everyone's own design. He stumbles a bit when the castle floors shift under his feet, expanding rapidly. A new door opens up. He peeks inside to spot a nursery, and a second leading into Pasithea and Hypnos's shared bedroom. It slowly decorates itself. Sleepy wisps of fog against the ceiling. A soft rocking chair beside a study crib. Glowing jewels sprout from the walls. They are sharp for a minute before rounding out gently.

There is one room that is bare of any real effects. There is a bed that sits in middle, untouched. The sheets are too crisp. There's a closet. Dark robes sit inside, all the same colour, all the same design. There is one thing, a silver handmade crown on the beside table. It isn't well-crafted, but its cute.

He steps out and continues to wander. There is a modest kitchen on the second floor, across from the line of bedrooms. It accompanied a small seating area. But that is all. The third floor is open, no ceiling, just floor and an impressive view of all that is the Underworld. He steps onto the railing and jumps off. Flies across grass and wheat and a small but bustling farm and asphodels and poplar trees.

It's not scary. He doesn't know why the others grumble so much. Perhaps they fear what is below the surface, Tartarus, eternal punishment. The Phelegathon swirls around a large staircase that descends into flaming waters. The closer he gets, the warmer it is. The Keres are dragging sobbing souls to it and shoving them in unceremoniously. The river doesn't part for her, as she flies over head, but when a soul falls from her grasp, it spits the poor sufferer back out and into the pit itself.

Hermes recognizes Alecto as she ascends from deep inside the darkness. She glares at him, unpleased, but does not say anything about his presence. Merely snaps her whip and flies off. From a safe distance, Hermes follows.

Ah. Yes. The crown jewel of the Underworld.

The mines.

The caverns are glistening. Carts and carts of jewels are stacked along the walls. Guards dogs and a couple rams hold close, growling at Hermes when he tries to sneak over. A nymph shoots him a dirty look before she returns to her parchment. Hermes floats back.

He can sneak the jewels later. Right now, he wants to know why Alecto has left her post. She flies into the caverns. Hermes follows and falls still.

He's met his uncle before. Sat near him at meetings. But the man he's seeing now and the man he's seen before do not match up. Hades had always been tall, half-covered in shadows and shifting darkness. His crown sat on his head so dastardly no one but his siblings could bare to look him in the eye. Even Ares, strong and bull-headed as he was, cowered ever so slightly when Hades walked in.

Alecto speaks low as she settles near him. He listens quietly then nods, speaking near silent. Ghosts mill around, chipping at walls and pushing carts of shiny jewels.

He seems simpler now. There is no darkness, there is no crown. His pale arms are exposed. His legs. His face.

His eyes are blacker than the void, and Hermes finds himself falling into them, falling, falling, falling. His voice is a soft thing. Coaxing. Deep beneath his bones, Hermes feels himself crave something. A falling again. To lower himself. To rip out his own beating heart and hand it over without question.

The ruby red pomegranate filters back into his mind. He swallows around thick saliva of want and wearily steps back. Alecto mutters something and flies away. Hades turns and Hermes falls.

His smile is gentle, soothing. Everything is alright, it says. It's time to go.

"Hermes," he says and his voice is like a song. Upstairs, it is rigid, cutting and sharp. Like a blade. But here it's almost like medicine, healing parts of Hermes's soul he didn't know were damaged. "I was wondering when you were going to say hello." He cocks his head, like a pup, and it's almost laughable. It's cute, which doesn't make sense. Kings of the dead should not be cute. But Hades is. In a older matured sort of way. "Did you see everything you wanted to see?"

He knew. He knew Hermes was here and nosy. Of course, he did. This is his realm, his home. It shares his name and it is him, done to the bones.

"I was curious," he says slowly.

Hades's eyes glitter. Like stars. Like diamonds. "Yes, I know." He gestures loosely around him. "They were all curious once too." He laughs and it is sweet. The souls around him shimmer and bend with the sound, as though reaching for him. "Well, except Mac, but she was born of this earth. Nothing to really be curious about when it's in your veins."

The souls wane as his laughter dies.

I am not dead, Hermes thinks. Why does the sound of his uncle instill him with such longing then? He steps back. "Sorry for intruding, Uncle."

Hades looks amused. It fits his face far better than Hermes had imagined. Here he is lively and together. Breathing in the presence of death and wealth, invigorated by what Olympus lacks.

"People don't intrude," Hades says. He pauses. "Well, that's not true. Mortals intrude when they want something. But gods don't. Our family-" He waves his hand dismissively and moves forward. Each step is languid and calm. "-tend to stick to where they feel safest. Mortals will avoid me until they need me. But our family oftens feels I am unnecessary."

Hermes blinks. "Ares doesn't think that."

Hades grins. It is a sharp toothed thing, reflecting bloody war-torn bodies and rapid burials in shredded grass. "Ares likes Thanatos. And the Keres. That doesn't mean he thinks what I do is necessary. I am not the reason people die, nor am I the creator of their deaths."

Hermes blinks and Hades looms over him. It's not scary. Not worrying. There is something comforting in the presence of his uncle towering over him. It feels... Protective.

"They worry," Hades says, "about my proximity to our father and his friends. To the souls I have. My realm will always grow, even when belief begins to fade. The dead will always need a home to come to, even if they have no home in mind. It worries them." He shrugs. "But that's not a concern you need to bother about."

"I-" Hermes falters. He looks away from porcelain skin and glittering eyes and the sweet voice that coaxes him to spill bitter juice across his tongue and stay. "I should go."

Hades steps back. "I'm not stopping you," he says. "But when you want to, try to come back during the day. Charon locks the door at dinner and I wouldn't want you to be waiting too long for everything to open up."

Hermes falters again. Distantly he knows he was going to be come back. Drift in to poke around again. Maybe try to steal some pretty gems. Explore the farm. Check out the heated punishments down in Tartarus or sit in on one of the court proceedings.

There is too much he hasn't yet seen.

But how did Hades know?

Hades just smiles and says, "I told you. No one living walks in here unless they want something." He turns on his heel, to the souls waiting before him with carts of diamonds and emeralds and gold. "You don't have to know what you want now," he continues. He shoots Hermes a pleasant smile from over his shoulder. "But let me know when you figure it out."

[cinnamostar]

seven dates to fall in love

part two. part three. part four. part five. part six coming soon.

pairing : hyunjin x gn!reader

summary : after a two year long unspoken hatred, hyunjin and you are forced to be costars in a romantic series, but when it comes to filming any of the romance scenes, you both utterly fail and are unable to get through your lines. the director threatens to take your roles away if you two aren't able to get past this within the next week, which spawns the genius idea from both your managers: can you learn to (fake) fall in love in seven dates and save your careers?

wc : 4.3k

cw : actor!au, enemies to lovers ?!, slowburn (?!), cursing, one gorey joke thing, arguing, they;re each other's biggest haters, let me know if i missed anything !!

a/n : this is part one of a possible mini series! not sure how many parts this will be, but let me know what you think <33!! likes, reblogs, and feedback is always appreciated. this is supposed to be an uncomfortable read so i hope i got the vibe down LMAO this is also more to set the scene/story so not much going on in this part...

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Tears rolled down your cheeks as Hyunjin cupped your face, lips trembling as your doe eyes looked into Hyunjin’s. His hands gently rested on your cheek, his palms cool to the touch in contrast to your warm tears. His eyebrows furrowed in concern as his thumb gently caressed your cheek in an attempt to soothe your broken heart, yet his eyes lacked any emotions, no love to be found behind his cold, dark eyes. His body was stiff and uncomfortable, his movements almost robotic as he tried to lean closer to your face, yet all you could do was roll your eyes and sigh, as you braced yourself for what was next.

“Cut!” yelled the director furiously, a frown painted on his face, “This is ridiculous! We are never going to finish filming if you two can’t act out a simple kiss scene with each other.”

Hyunjin and you instantly jumped away from each other, not missing the chance to glare at the other as the director chastised you both.

“You two are amazing actors, that’s why I picked you both for these roles, I’ve seen you both act these kinds of scenes before, but my god, do you two lack chemistry,” ranted the director, his face reddening in frustration, “I get you two don’t like each other, but your entire job is to act like it for a bit. If you guys can’t solve this, then one of you is getting kicked off the project and being replaced.”

The last sentence caused you both to snap your heads towards him, eyes widened in disbelief as you scoffed, “It’s not my fault he doesn’t know how to fucking act properly! He’s the one who is messing up the scenes,” pointing your finger accusingly towards Hyunjin.

Hyunjin crossed his arms defensively, venom lacing his words as he spat with incredulity, “Me? Please, I should be getting paid more for having to pretend to be in love with that face of yours.”

You turned to Hyunjin once more, your hands balling into a fist as you opened your mouth to speak, but you were quickly cut off, “Save it, I don’t have time to listen to your childish arguments anymore. I will give you guys one week to figure this out, and if you are not able to get through this scene, consider it over for one of you,” promptly spoke the director before turning to the crew, “Everyone, go home. We’ll come back in a week from now and hopefully we will have something to work with.”

As everyone began to shuffle off set, you stomped your way to the dressing room, wanting nothing more to get away from Hyunjin at that moment as a rageful fire burned inside of you. You slammed the door open as you slumped in your seat, seething as you remembered Hyunjin’s words and how unlucky you were that he had to be your costar. You sighed as your manager entered right after you, a serious look taking over his features, “Y/N…”

“I know, I know!” you groaned, rubbing your face with your hands out of frustration, “I know a lot rides on this project and I promise I am trying my best to work with him, but he makes it so difficult too!”

Your manager, Chan, gave you a sympathetic look while shaking his head, “Well, you two are going to need to get over your differences somehow. This will look really bad for you if you get kicked off and you will be less likely to get any other roles in the future,” he murmured, “I will… talk to Hyunjin’s manager and see if we can figure something out, okay?”

You removed your hands from your face, your apologetic eyes meeting Chan’s, “I’m sorry, he just really knows how to get under my skin.”

“It’s alright, we’ll work something out. I’m not letting you lose this opportunity,” he promised before stepping out of the room, presumably to meet Hyunjin’s manager.

Sighing once more, you recalled the day you met Hyunjin on the set of another project two years ago. Initially, you both seemed to get along really well with each other and had great chemistry on camera, as you each were playing two side characters that had a small romance flourishing in the film. Yet, somewhere along the line, your relationship with Hyunjin soured out of nowhere, him suddenly being cold with you and making snide remarks every chance he had. It created such an uncomfortable work environment, you almost considered dropping acting altogether, afraid to encounter other similar characters like him. Luckily, Chan had convinced you otherwise, reassuring you he would do everything in his power to avoid any projects with him in it and also insisting your talents would go to waste if you let one guy ruin it all. Besides, you loved acting and you were slowly making your dreams come true. Why would you ever let Hyunjin of all people ruin it for you?

Ever since then, you despised Hyunjin due to his treatment of you and whenever you did have the misfortune of running into him, you did your best to keep it curt and cordial, never lingering around too long. He seemed to be on the same page as you, but the look on his face spoke of every nasty thought he was holding back on, and you hated him for it.

And while Chan did hold up on his end of his promise, it all came crashing down at this latest project. This was an offer neither you or Hyunjin could resist, especially when the writers, producers, and director personally approached both your managers and offered the role to you directly, plopping the opportunity right in your lap. The writers really wanted you both to be the leads, believing you two were perfect for the roles and had even seen that one film project you and Hyunjin did years ago, which unfortunately set their expectations extremely high, which led to the disaster you two are currently in.

It was impossible to say no to them, especially when they went out their way to contact you, and the script was great, it seemed like something you would have so much fun filming it, yet Hyunjin was quick to suck out all the joy from it.

You tried, you really tried to be as professional as possible with Hyunjin, and filming went pretty well the first few days. In fact, it may have gone a little too well that you both left the entire staff speechless after filming an argument scene between the two main characters. So much so, that the director applauded at how real you two were able to portray the scene, even bringing him to tears as he beamed proudly at you two, assuring him that he had made the perfect casting decision. Little did anyone know, you and Hyunjin’s scripted argument was not acting at all, but was a reflection of how you felt about each other. The rageful yelling, the resentful expressions, the improvised insults, and emotions were all entirely real - there was no need for acting when you both loathed one another.

Once it was time to finally start filming the romantic elements, the prospects of this being the next greatest show was squandered instantaneously by the painful awkwardness between you and Hyunjin. And to be honest, it was mostly Hyunjin who was tripping up during these scenes, making anyone who witnessed his weak attempts of being romantic with you cringed due to how much he struggled to even look at you and treat you like a person. Every now and then, you’d find yourself breaking character, but for the most part you were able to get through your lines pretty convincingly. Although, for some reason, Hyunjin was having an incredibly difficult time completing most of his lines and struggled keeping that abhorrent scowl off his face. Yet, even though you had managed to do quite well, you were also being punished by Hyunjin’s ineptitude. 

How on Earth was this supposed to all be resolved in one week? This was a two year long feud that was not simply going to disappear over the course of the week, but you knew both of you were too competitive to let this project go. Somehow, it would just have to work out, but it was a matter of how. As you lost yourself in thought, the door to the room opened once more with a nervous Chan standing at the entrance.

You raised your eyebrows in concern as you examined Chan’s anxious body language, “What happened?”

He gently closed the door behind me, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand, “So… I talked to the producers and Hyunjin’s manager…”

You nodded your head, encouraging him to continue, “Okay, go on. What did they say?”

“They’re really upset and disappointed, as they had really high expectations and now they've decided that they’ll just replace both of you if next week doesn’t go well.”

“What?!” You jumped from your seat in shock, no longer having the possible safety of remaining on the project to back you up.

“And I don’t think I need to tell you how much worse this will be for both your public images,” Chan spoke nervously, almost as if he was dreading to share the rest of the conversation with you, “So, Changbin and I spoke, and as both your managers, we think you two need to do something to get over this bump.”

Your eyes narrowed as you tried to decode Chan’s words, “Uh huh, which means what exactly…?”

“You’re really not going to like this, I’m really sorry, I tried to think of other solutions, b-”

“Please, Chan, just spit it out already.”

Chan sighed, “Well, Changbin and I think the best way you guys can learn to recreate that kind of romantic chemistry is by, well… going on dates this next week? You know, learn to get used to being romantic with each other so it's easier to act it out on camera.”

Your jaw dropped as your eyes bored into Chan’s as annoyance made its way into your body, “No, absolutely not! I want nothing to do with that man, that sounds like a terrible idea!” you exclaimed, your face contorting into a frown as your voice grew louder.

Chan lifted his hands before him in an attempt to fan the flames of your anger, “Y/N, I know, I know, but this is the best we got for now! Do you have any other better ideas?”

Your shoulders slumped in defeat as you shook your head, “No, but… That just sounds like a week of pure torture!” you whined, Chan’s face dropping into an apologetic expression.

“Just promise me you will try your best? It’s only for a week, and then all you will have to do is get through the rest of filming.”

“I guess,” you grumbled, turning your back to Chan as you ran your hands through your hair, “Let’s just hope Hyunjin isn’t too much of a pain in the ass.”

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The next day rolled around as you waited outside of your apartment building with a miffed expression on your face, tapping your feet impatiently as you pulled out your phone to check the time. 

7:10pm.

Great, Hyunjin was now ten minutes late to pick you up for your first oh-so practice dates. You felt yourself grow angrier as the minutes passed, your veins burning hot as you contemplated going back inside and calling Chan to yell at him how this idea was never going to work, but before you could, a black car with tinted windows pulled up next to you. The window on the passenger side rolled down, revealing an upset Hyunjin in the driver’s side who called out to you, “Wow, don’t look too happy to see me. Get in.”

This only made your frown deepen as you rolled your eyes, opening the car door to take a seat, “Whatever. Couldn’t even open the car door for me, huh?” you slammed the door shut, crossing your arms as you looked ahead, avoiding Hyunjin’s gaze.

He scoffed while putting the car in drive, “Now why the hell would I do that?”

“Aren’t you supposed to learn how to be all gentlemanly and shit? Isn’t this why we’re doing this?” you snapped, nails digging into your hands as you clenched them in an attempt to hold your anger in.

Hyunjin only shrugged, “Funny you think you deserve that treatment. Just shut up and let's get this over with.”

You held your tongue, resisting the urge to start another quarrel with him in this car ride to whatever restaurant Changbin reserved for you two. It was a 20 minute drive and you refused to waste your breath on some argumentative asshole, and reminded yourself that at the very least you’d be eating something delicious soon enough.The car ride was tense as neither of you dared to speak, especially after Hyunjin turned the music up to hide the deafening silence that hung in the air. As soon as you both arrived at the restaurant, you exited the car in a hurry, desperate for a breath of fresh air and some reprieve from the tension you just sat in. Unsurprisingly, Hyunjin strolled right ahead of you, not making any sort of effort to acknowledge your existence as he marched through the restaurant's front doors as soon as he exited the car, causing you to chase after him just to keep up with his long strides. Truthfully, it felt like Hyunjin was just trying to piss you off, and it was working.

Upon entering the building, you realized Changbin had definitely booked you guys an extremely upscale restaurant, which explains why he was so insistent on making sure you both dress formally. Everyone in here reeked of affluence, and while you and Hyunjin were able to afford these luxuries due to the success of your careers, you still couldn’t help but feel out of place. The other patrons were dressed similarly to you, but there was this extra layer of otherworldly riches radiating off of them. Perhaps it was their mannerism or the snobby, fake, business smiles exchanged amongst them, but something about this place was extremely unsettling.

Hyunjin approached the host with a polite smile, “Reservation for Hwang.”

The host nodded, retrieving two menus before standing in front of both of you, bowing “Mister and Mx. Hwang, please follow me this way.”

Your body physically recoiled with disgust and shock when you heard the host refer to you as Mx. Hwang, wanting to immediately correct him, yet you reminded yourself you were here on a date, so it would be best to try to immerse yourself into the role as much as you can for the sake of your career and the future of this current project. The host led you to your table, which was thankfully located in a more secluded corner of the restaurant, a small candle in the middle of it to help set the romantic mood.

You thank the host as you sat down, graciously taking the menu from his hand with a smile, which dropped into a glower as soon as the host left, “Are you not taking any of this seriously?”

Hyunjin pursed his lips, his eyes scanning the menu in his hand, “You expect me to take you seriously?”

Your jaw dropped, completely flabbergasted at his lack of concern over the situation he put you both in, “What the fuck is your problem?” you growled in a syncopated whisper, trying not to draw any attention to you, “Do you not care about the possibility of both of us losing our roles?”

Hyunjin let out another exasperated sigh, as if you were inconveniencing him, “I am trying to get through his evening with you without wanting to gouge my eyes out,” he dramatically plopped the menu down on the table, “I do care, of course I fucking care.”

“Then can you at least act like it?” you whispered angrily.

“Maybe if you would shut up-”

Before Hyunjin could finish his statement, the waiter came by with an excited and hospitable smile, “Hello, Mister and Mx. Hwang! I hope you both are having a lovely evening. I’ll be your server for the night, can I interest you guys in a bottle of wine before we get started with food?”

You smiled at the server, nodding your head, “Oh, yes, that sounds wonderful. We’ll take whichever one you recommend.”

The server nodded sweetly, blissfully unaware of the tension between the two of you, “Great! I’ll bring out one of the house favorites for you two to try, I’ll be back shortly.”

As soon as the server was out of earshot, you glared down at Hyunjin once more, gripping the menu in hand as your knuckles turned white, “I am going to pretend I didn’t hear you. Do you know what you’re going to order?” you asked, trying to at least make some sort of conversation with him.

Except, Hyunjin just hums a response as his eyes return to the menu, choosing to ignore your question as the chatter of other patrons fills the silence. You let out a heavy exhale, debating on whether you should reach over the table and slap him, play along with him, or continue trying for, once again, the sake of your careers. “Well, I’m going to get the filet mignon. I think it’ll pair nicely with the wine.”

Hyunjin continued to ignore you, now scrolling through his phone which caused your anger to boil up within you as you wondered how on Earth you were going to get through the rest of the night with any sort of progress. “Seriously, Hyunjin? Are you not even going to try?”

He looked up from his phone, an unamused look painting his features, “Please just shut the fuck up. It would make this night a whole lot more bearable if you knew how to keep your mouth shut.”

“Hwang Hyunjin, I swear to f-”

“Alright, here you go,�� the waiter returned with a cheery smile, setting down to glass cups while popping open a bottle of wine, “Are you two ready to order?” he beamed as he poured a healthy amount of wine in each of your glasses, and lord knows you need a drink right now.

“Ah, thank you,” you forced a courteous smile, “I’ll take the filet mignon, please.”

“Alright, and what about you, sir?”

“I’ll have the whole grilled snapper, thank you.”

“Perfect, I’ll have those out as soon as they’re ready.”

You felt yourself growing incredibly frustrated as time ticked by, unable to sit still in your seat due to the roaring fury you felt inside of you. You just could not understand why Hyunjin was so hateful towards you, you had no idea what caused him to behave this way with you and you were growing sick of it. Maybe you could confront him about it, but right now, you were way too riled up to even think of having that conversation with him. Your face was stuck in a permanent scowl as Hyunjin wore a blank expression, seemingly not caring about the circumstance you both were in. It floored you that Hyunjin wasn’t taking any of this seriously. He said he cared about the fact he was at risk of losing this role, yet his actions and attitude said otherwise. 

If looks could kill, Hyunjin would’ve been dead ten times over, yet as he looked up to meet your eyes, he returned your gaze with a humorless one, “You know, staring is rude.”

It was taking an exuberant amount of self control for you to hold it together, “I just can’t understand how you’re so relaxed about this. It’s like you want us both to get dropped from this project.”

“Like I said, I do care, but this whole arrangement isn’t so easy to do,” he said sternly, “You’re not even giving me the chance to get comfortable. You can’t just expect me to be able to act like we don’t hate each other. And pressuring me isn’t helping much either, is it?”

You bit the inside of the cheek, recognizing that Hyunjin wasn’t entirely wrong in how he was feeling. “I guess so,” was all you could manage to reply, not willing to give him the satisfaction that he was right. 

Once more, an uncomfortable, tense silence loomed over as you each waited for your food. You decided it was best to deal with this rather than forcing a conversation, perhaps it was best to let Hyunjin take the lead since he was the one struggling with this disaster. Despite the heavy atmosphere, you found your muscles slowly relaxing as time went on as your focus returned to the environment around you, how decadent each detail of the restaurant was and the false laughters of businessmen filled your ears. 

The waiter returned with both your meals in hand, grinning from ear to ear, “Alright, here’s the grilled snapper for you, sir,” he carefully laid the plate in front of Hyunjin before turning to you with a sweet smile, “And here’s the filet mignon for the beautiful Mx. Hwang.”

You noticed Hyunjin trying to hold back a teasing laugh at the waiter’s comment, even going as far to add, “They’re lovely, aren’t they?” But only you could see through the fakeness Hyunjin wore as the waiter politely agreed, causing you to kick Hyunjin hard in the shin from under the table. Hyunjin’s face winced as he thanked the waiter for the food before glaring at you, “What? You want us to act like a couple, but the moment I do something, you have a problem with it?”

You grumbled, annoyance lacing your voice, “Oh, shut up. You were being sarcastic, you asshole.”

“Oh, really? I would say our server didn’t have a clue, I’d say I’m a pretty good actor,” he smirked, picking up his fork and knife, “Let’s just enjoy our food, hm?”

You returned Hyunjin’s smirk with an insincere smile, “You’re right, it’s probably the only good thing that’ll come out this evening.” 

Hyunjin only hummed in agreement, choosing to ignore your comment as he dug into his food, you doing the same as the familiar tense silence enveloped you once more. In all honesty, this felt like it was going nowhere, it felt like this whole project was doomed from the very inception of it and Hyunjin’s stubbornness was only making this more difficult than it needed to be. The idea that you had to put your full trust and the fate of your career in someone else was too much, it was ridiculous, yet here you were, with the man you loathed the most having full control on whether this project would be a success or a blemish on your career. His lack of cooperation filled you with anxiety, yet you knew you had no choice. Patience wasn’t always your strong suit, but Hyunjin never failed to test it and you weren’t sure if you were going to survive this entire week if this was how every meeting was going to be like.

You were half way through your meal when Hyunjin cleared his throat, snapping you out of your thoughts, “So, why did you take the project knowing I was going to be the male lead?”

You snorted at his question, “Could be asking you the same thing.”

“Well, I honestly took the role thinking you wouldn’t do it knowing it was me as the lead,” mumbled Hyunjin.

“Wow,” you stared at him with disbelief in your eyes, “You really thought I’d reject a hand delivered opportunity?” you let out a surprised laugh, “Besides, the script seemed fun. Just didn’t realize you’d be so impossible to work with.”

“I see,” responded Hyunjin as he continued to eat, causing you to raise your eyebrow, fully expecting a witty response from him in return. 

The rest of dinner went on without a word, that being the only exchange throughout the night. While it was not an enjoyable time, you and Hyunjin seemed to have agreed that the silence was far more welcomed than any bickering you two would engage in, preferring the uncomfortable peace over anything else. 

The car ride home went the same, no words other than the loud music that drummed over your incessant thoughts, anxiety crawling throughout you as you began to worry that maybe you were losing out on the biggest role of your career, all thanks to Hyunjin of all people. If this didn’t work out, this would make it impossible for you to find other roles in the industry, as rumors would inevitably spread about how difficult it was to work with you and Hyunjin. You couldn’t trust him one bit, you had no faith in him that he would be able to get over his own differences with you, ones that you still had no idea where they even spawned from. 

As soon as Hyunjin pulled up in front of your apartment, you left his car without a word, not even looking back before making your way up to your unit. You pulled out your phone as you unlocked the front door, stumbling as you dialed Chan’s number.

“Oh, Y/N! How did it go?”

“Chan, this isn’t going to work. We’re fucked.”

[r3starttt]

LOSER! DINA

DON'T BUY TLOU | PALESTINE MP PALESTINE LINKS | DAILY CLICK

AN: this is the best request I've got because?!?!?! Dina could a hundred percent be a loser, the type that's so hot and smart and funny they just get the girl?

⠊ᥫ Loser! Dina who refuses to wear her glasses on public because she's a hundred percent they make her look like either a grandma or a mom and not that she's against it because she'd said it herself- she'd be a milf, but she very much so rather look her age and hot.

⠊ᥫ Loser! Dina who approaches quiet people with stupid and very annoying lines, or says "Oh, you do speak?" but somehow is so charming she gets to be friend with them and get them to overshare

⠊ᥫ Loser! Dina who approached to you first, no shame, no nothing. You could see her friends behind her, some meters away, ashamed or making fun of you? you couldn't really tell.

⠊ᥫ Loser! Dina who made you realize the reason behind her friends face the second she spoke. loud words, random facts, cheesy compliments. But it all worked and she got the girl!

⠊ᥫ Loser! Dina who never leaves your side and definitely makes sex jokes whenever she has the chance. Like going out with friends and she needs to go to the bathroom with you and everyone's so normal about it so she has to make it awkward by saying something stupid. Or you take too long and she apologizes for it... hot tbh

⠊ᥫ Loser! Dina who overshares and makes people overhsare. You can't trust her with a word because- she doesn't mean it, but the words come out and people end up knowing whatever secret she was supposed to keep

⠊ᥫ Loser! Dina who gets hyperfixations so randomly but also so specific. Like a brand, a color, a fabric.

⠊ᥫ Loser! Dina who forces you (not really because u agree) to do matching outfits and stuff.

⠊ᥫ Loser! Dina who is obsessed with astrology and spiritual stuff. That's her whole personality. She knows how to read tarot, hands, auras. Anything you're curious she'll learn or use to to practice lmao

⠊ᥫ Loser! Dina who wants to be a cool witch SO bad.

⠊ᥫ Loser! Dina who also gets obsessed with animals. She'd see a rabbit and believe she can have thousands. A horse? ofc she can handle. Cows? Lambs? she'd be so good just trust her.

⠊ᥫ Loser! Dina who gets baby fever a lot but doesn't really admit it cs that's not very cool hot girl of her.

⠊ᥫ Loser! Dina who is so romantic and cringy and clingy and just a lot? she's so intense and takes serious the special dates. You'll have the greatest birthdays and dates.

⠊ᥫ Loser! Dina who week one and she already wanted a family with you. U-haul lesbian pls everyone agree with it

⠊ᥫ Loser! Dina who's the type to do baby voice when cuddling and when she gets conscious about it she really wants to rip her tongue off

⠊ᥫ Loser! Dina who wants to have so many hobbies but always fails because she gets overwhelmed with all the tasks. Like, she'll try to make you a handmade gift "easy" and ends up sweating and groaning because suddenly she forgot how to cook, how to sew.

⠊ᥫ Loser! Dina who's naturally smart she needs to correct people when they're wrong. Who's a natural leader she has to offer for every task and help people- which ends up with her telling them what and how to do something.

⠊ᥫ Loser! Dina who believes she's the hottest human ever and people keep humbling her for it. (they're just jealous duh)

⠊ᥫ Loser! Dina who's SO horny, all the time. She's also touchy and the kind to whisper the most stupid shit on your ear and slowly make it more explicit, or do things to purposely turn you on, but she ends up needing you more.

Dina taglist: @whorefordina @hbwrelic @asraion @averyistired-62 @stevienicksrarities @aouiaa

TAGLIST?

[love-evetor]

May i request romantic! Pest x gn!reader headcanons ples im hungr y

QUITE LATE here is ur food anon served on a paperplate . eat up i hope it isn't word slop

obligatory this is not beta read LMAO its 6 am but i saw the ask and i started Writing sorry if i messed up 202049823008 words and have the grammar of an infant /exag

unsurprisingly, he is.. a bit of a dick! generally cold and silent and will probably look dazed when you show them affection. he's very dense as well, subtle little things go RIGHT over his head.

he has his struggles with emotional intimacy as well, gift giving and acts of service end up being their primary love languages. he loves to give you gifts of little things he creates and has definitely made a little machine guy for you! it doesn't do much though, just flashes some little messages of care.

continuing on his machinery, they spend a LOT of time on those things. its one of the only things you'll get him to talk about for more than a few sentences - absolutely in-love with the way robotics work. that being said, they will 100% ramble to you. they're normally not that emotional, but it makes him really happy when someone listens to him about his robotics. he'll go out of his way to help you understand, even!

more physical stuff, their mandibles do get in the way sometimes. the ones on his mouth are a little rough but kept clean, so they aren't too bad when it comes to kisses. the head ones though can be a little uncomfortable, having to slot yourself in-between them and they've scratched against you a few times. they've never hurt you though, only tickle a little, caused for a few funny moments.

cuddling, hugs, all that stuff with them they're INSANELY open for. will he ever ask for it himself? no, but its almost like he can sense when you're about to ask with how fast he says yes. he might be a teensy bit touch starved, but you'll never get them to admit that lmao

you, 100%, WILL catch him staring. he is captivated in you, that much is obvious - over and over again staring at you with the most love struck eyes before jumping and quickly looking away every time you catch him. he'll play it off like it hasn't happened every time, don't even get him to TRY and admit it you will FAIL

more of a detail, but he chitters a lot when you both cuddle - more or less mumbling to him. yet, it makes little rumbles in his chest and its obvious when he's doing it. you aren't supposed to know what he's saying, its in his native language of course - but its all sweet nothings. he does it subconsciously, but its cute nonetheless.

to end on a rather soft note, he loves you more than you ever know no matter what. you infect his mind, his work, his hobbies and he hates it in a way - but all in all he doesn't want it gone. :}

[paperstarwriters]

Billowing Fabrics

ouagh. I wouldn't typically post a fic like this lmao I feel like it's kinda underbaked so to say? but deadline is coming in and I don't have the leisure to leave the fic to just bake in my WIP file like I do with other fics 🥲 Not a bad thing neccicarily but if the fic isn't as perfectly polished that's why lol.

anyways,

Pairing: Muriel x reader (romantic)

Warnings: N/a

Summary: You've accidentally made one of your sweaters a little too big when you were trying to make it bigger and slouchier for yourself. Muriel finds your work and takes it upon himself to fix the worn down sweater. Not for any particular reason no, no... he just found a sweater that seemed to fit him....

Vesuvia Weekly Prompt | Masterlists | The Arcana Masterlist

Word count: 1,426

––––––––– ✦✧✦ –––––––––

The objective is a complicated one, but it was supposed to be simple with the aid of magic.

The spell is a simple one, but the objective you want to achieve has made it overly complicated.

You wanted a longer sweater for the upcoming months something long on the lower end with equally long sleeves to tuck your hands and legs into when it got particularly cold, turning yourself into a ball of soft fabrics—a sponge of soft fabrics when you inevitably leaned against Muriel.

There were a handful of well failed attempts that you've since set aside to mess around with later with the help of some borrowed yarn from Portia , or attempts that near destroyed the sweater you were working on. Thankfully the bunch you've targeted using, were either sweaters that have already been worn to bits and a handful of cheaply bought sweaters for more experimentation.  

From the various failed attempts you have one sweater that ended up with sleeves so long you could use it for a scarf. Another attempt stole fabric from the sleeves to lengthen the torso portion, and one of the attempts had simply made the woolen material far, far, far too thick to work with. Each were an interesting discovery in their own right of course, with the latter one in particular being added as a possible adjustment you would like to make to your end result. Not as thick as the material at hand of course, but something akin to that amount.

Beneath your fingers the well worn fabric of one of your more damaged sweaters stretches and expands. Fabric spills over your lap, as threads twist and turn growing thicker or longer depending on your desires, and as the light finally dims from it's passage through your fingertips and into the very fibers of the sweater you find yourself with a substantially larger and thicker sweater, fluffy and soft, though a little too big around the collar, and the sleeves seemed a pinch too loose. Practically perfect though! You promptly turn your attention to the target sweater you're intent on changing setting aside the successful practice to join the other attempts and work at slowly expanding the sweater. It doesn't take long before your sweater is now larger and comfier and fluffier around you, and very eagerly, you dash out of the hut intent on showing off your new creation.

——————————

Muriel returns, to the pleasantly warm confines of the hut. You're still outside, having gone on a quick trip to the marketplace, to go grab some groceries intent on getting the most important goods before the worst of an upcoming snowstorm hit. Snow wasn't exactly common in Vesuvia but on the odd occasion a wash of cold weather sweeps through, sometimes bringing snow, sometimes only bringing ice. While Muriel felt far more comfortable than most in the cold chilly temperatures, he knew full well he wasn't exactly a good example of an average citizen and though he knew how to manage his way through frost and snow, getting extra groceries was always a good help.

Extra cuddly items like sweaters and blankets couldn't hurt either.

Noticing the pile of thick fabric materials Muriel pokes his way through your failed attempts. You very eagerly showed off your brand new sweater, or well, old-ish sweater with brand new measurements. Made to protect even better against the cold beneath a water and wind proof cape. While you had tried to explain your process to him, bouncing around with glee at your success, Muriel found it difficult to imagine how you had been able to change the fabric to somehow create more of itself.

His hands stop at the sight of one sweater, well worn, and almost tearing at the seams. There's a little hole around the chest, and the sleeves seem to be moth-bitten, and he wonders how long you've had this. It's a much bigger size, clearly a victim of your testing for your sweater, and as he holds it up into the air to inspect it more, he finds it to almost fit his own size.

Tugging the fabric over his head, Muriel is greeted by a wash of scent. You've worn this sweater a lot surely. Perhaps as casual wear at some point of time. He recalls dimly seeing you wear it around the hut on the odd occasion, and though he feels slightly bad, he takes a moment to appreciate the feeling of being wrapped in something that smells so strongly of you.

When he finally pulls the sweater down, he finds the fabric fits him like a glove. No slouchiness or poofiness that you seemed so fond of in your own sweater, but it fits him, and it fits him well, even if there are a few odd holes amidst the seams.

Muriel takes off the sweater, setting it aside atop of your shared bed before he goes digging in the shelves of your stuff. Portia had lent the both of you some yarn at some point, if he recalled, perhaps he could patch a hole in this.

————————

Muriel returns home a little later than you, and though you're curious to see what he's done while you were out helping Asra and hauling groceries, the question escapes you when you actually see him. Patched with little hearts Muriel wears your old and tattered sweater, the one you made a little too large for you, but perfectly fits him.

And when he walks in the door, he stops, stares, and drops the knitting tools he's likely borrowed from Portia.

And in typical fashion, his face grows pink

"Is that my...?" you barely finish your question before Muriel sputters his reply.

"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't.... There were a bunch of holes in it and...." Though you try to hide it, try to bite your lips and cover your mouth to hide your grin, there's no mistaking the delight and glee that fills your cheeks, as you grin. Just seeing it Muriel seems to grow worse, face growing redder and redder. "I... Uh.... I didn't ........... It was just there.........and I just thought..........."

You don't say anything, no longer finding any need to hide and instead unabashedly grinning from ear to ear, pleased as punch at the sight of Muriel wearing your clothes. It fits him so nicely, you're almost upset you hadn't thought of doing so yourself.

He goes quiet in reply, staring down at the floor as smoke seems to puff from his ears, while Inanna rolls her eyes behind him and starts headbutting him in through the door. He scrambles to pick up his things at the gesture closing the door and keeping the chill from filling your little home.

Still he tries not to look at you. And yet you can't help but poke and prod.

"Is it comfy?"

He almost jumps at the question. "I.... Yeah. It's really soft and....." His mouth snaps shut with a faint click of his teeth, as he returns to busying himself with putting away the tools Portia let him borrow.

It's just a few tools, in any other scenario, he'd just set them on the shelf and sort it out later, there was no need for him to hem or haw over any container to put them into.

He just doesn't want to look at you right now, doesn't want to see the grin you have at seeing him in your clothes or at what he almost—

"and what?"

He doesn't have to reply, but you both know he will anyways.

With a soft and tepid voice, Muriel turns to just glance at you from the corner of his eye. "It..... It smells nice."

He doesn't say "it smells like you," but you both know that's what he means, and though you can't quite manage a pout around your grin you still lift up the sleeves of your sweater, and open your arms up to him.

"Aww, could you help me make mine smell nice as well?"

And though red faced, and still blushing, Muriel finally turns to you with a smile. How could he not? The prospect of a hug far too enticing, though he still tries to look away to hide it.

Curling up into your arms as his own come up to wrap around you, the both of you find the overwhelming warmth... Pleasant.

Outside it's frigid, icy and cold.

Inside, it's toasty and warm beneath your blanket like sweaters, and the feeling of being totally engulfed the presence of each other.

[goddessjichu]

in which the both of you are just two (oblivious) idiots in love

565 words // just fluff // they are dumb af lmao

[☽︎ ☽︎ ☽︎ ]

You don't remember when it started.

Not that it matters. Because, at this point, you've fallen way too deep for Jeon Jungkook anyway.

Not that it matters either, because he doesn't know and you don't plan on letting him know. For once, you're glad that Jungkook is dense when it comes to your feelings even though he's pretty much sensitive to everything else.

You think it's simply because he's crossed you off his list; it probably never strikes him that you, of all people, would harbor any romantic feelings towards him. After all, you're his best friend and best friends are supposed to care for each other and spend time with each other 25/8, right?

Nothing weird about him laying down on your lap and folding himself small to lean himself on your shoulder, right?

Absolutely nothing weird about him calling you at ungodly hours because he forgets you're on the other side of the world during his trip abroad, and you willingly wake up to answer his call without saying shit about it, right?

Yeah.

"Is it just me or are you a little out of it these days?" You blink at the sudden question, his voice snapping you out of your mind.

"Huh?"

He clicks his tongue and shakes his head jokingly, his shoulder bumps into yours as if to shake you awake from whatever's keeping you in your mind.

"See?" He grins. "Out of it. What's in that pretty head of yours?"

Stop. You want to tell him. Stop making my heart flutter when you're not even doing anything in particular.

Pathetic. You want to tell yourself.

"Nothing." You shrug, hope that it's enough to convince him. "Just zoning out."

"You're zoning out because you have something in your mind, though."

"Not this again." You roll your eyes, making him laugh when you fail to elbow him because he moves away before you can even do anything. "It's really nothing, Kook. Don't worry."

"Hmm, 'kay. I don't buy that but I'm letting you go for now." He nods to himself, not minding your exasperated sigh. "I'll get it out of you one day though. Don't think I'd forget."

You doubt he will, because you have no plan to tell him at all about your predicament. No, you genuinely believe your feelings would pass even though it's been about a year since you tried to convince yourself that.

"Whatever." You try to change the topic. "You look chirpy. What's up?"

Jungkook blinks. "I do?"

"Yeah. Anything good happened?"

Jungkook thinks back about the package that has just arrived today, a limited edition LP that you've always mentioned you want but you can never find anywhere. It was a mission finding it, let alone purchasing the thing, but your birthday is around the corner and imagining the surprise in your eyes and the smile in your face is going to be more than worth it.

"Nah. Just that your birthday is around the corner."

"Aren't I supposed to be the one chirpy about that, then?"

"Well, I'm already looking forward to what you're treating me to this year." He wraps his arm around your shoulder and shoves you into his chest. "I'm so going to eat a lot and make you broke."

You roll your eyes and jab his waist, Jungkook's laugh echoing through your apartment.

It's going to be worth it, alright.

[bananasfosterparent]

Very strange to me that some people who hate AA seem to think “abusive” and “toxic” are interchangeable & synonymous relationship dynamics. Everyone has toxic tendencies in a relationship, especially those healing from trauma (Spawn Astarion can also be toxic at times, it’s not exclusive to AA). But abusive?? As a DV victim, I don’t see that in AA & for people to try and force that narrative down our throats is gross.

If you wanna interpret AA as emotionally abusive sure, but then they have to admit that SpawnAstarion is also abusive because he’s ALSO manipulative! It’s so hypocritical

Don't you know? You're supposed to be a perfect model person of health in every aspect of your romantic relationships. Nothing you do should be able to be perceived as toxic or abusive to anyone, especially to strangers on the internet who do not know you or your SO and you should feel guilty if you fail to be perfect and healthy in all ways. /s

It's all just parroted buzzwords to make a point. As someone who has also been through DA, I did not even THINK of that. I had ascended him twice before I got deep into the fandom enough to know about the arguments, and the thought of him being "abusive" never crossed my mind a single time until someone else said it! And it only confused me, and continues to confuse me because I STILL can't see it. And to your point, if they're going to crusade over it, it would be nice if they'd at least learn the difference between toxicity and abuse. Abuse is toxic, but being toxic in a relationship (or being in a toxic relationship) doesn't inherently mean abuse. And neither of those things are even present in the game canonly. That's all based on personal perception.

I mean, I can see how people can roleplay and headcanon it to go that direction narratively. But I do not see any abusive actions in any of the canon dialog or events. And I probably never will.

I also dislike how no one wants to talk about Spawn Astarion being abusive.

Spawn Astarion is just as potentially abusive and toxic as AA.

To anti-AA people: Do you think because he was convinced to not ascend and that he's finding happiness where he is, and that since he's aligning himself with morally "good" choices that he no longer has any darkness in his heart? That he can no longer harbor feelings of rage, anger, resentment, hatred, or evil? Or express them in dark ways?

It's so bizarre. A lot of people seem to think the Spawn ending is him either becoming a different person who no longer desires to do such dark and evil things ever again, OR they see him as someone who was always "good" but just being influenced by Cazedor/using survival tactics/needed to learn better coping skills/fill in the blank. When neither of those things are true. Astarion does not change much. The difference between Spawnstarion and AA is confidence, power, and position.

There's so much untapped dark angst potential in the spawn ending. If I could get my AU playthrough together, I would draw something of my ideas for it lmao

[musiccgor3]

Gonna ramble about a movie I watched because it ended up far more interesting than I thought, and reminded me of a few things. It has some spoilers tho so (long ass post....)

It's kinda like Dead Poets Society, but if it was set in ww2 nazi boarding school for history buffs

Я убейся бля. It reminded me so much of dps. The scenes, the characters, legit everything with just a few changes here and there. I honestly just viewed Friedrich and Albrecht as best friends, but some people apparently see them as romantic interests, and honestly, I can't even argue with that. A few scenes felt like it. Still, no matter what your views on them are, it's still pretty devastating.

It also kinda hit close to home, which may be a weird thing to say for a film with nazis ☠️, BUT I meant specifically how the school and teachers acted and Friedrich's roommates. Obviously, it's not as comparable. Napolas were literally teaching teens to kill, but it reminded me just a tiny bit, k??? The strict ass teachers, and don't even get me started on the humiliating punishment. That one scene with the instructor and shit reminded me of my own teacher. Whenever we failed a test or quiz, he'd make us chew the paper and spit it out. We'd also get hit sometimes in front of everyone, among other things.

Another thing it reminded me was my friend. I think one of the main reasons I mainly viewed them as friends was because I might have been projecting from how much Albrecht reminded me of a friend lmfao. This shit is very personal but well whatever. It was mostly their personalities. He was also reserved, kinda soft spoken and quiet, like Albrecht. He had some family issues, mainly with his dad, and because of his personality, he wasn't severely bullied or anything, more like outcasted and ignored by the others. I was the only one he actually talked to casually without purpose, so I suppose being his only friend, I kinda influenced him too and vice versa (since it was also a pretty shitty time in my life where I was a bit stupid lol). He really stood with what he thought. Friedrich and Albrecht were like mirrors to me, almost. But unfortunately, too much alike. Due to some stuff happening, I also ended up losing him to suicide. I wasn't even able to attend his funeral, so the scene where Friedrich requested an obituary and they refused to give Albrecht a funeral in the school???? Ouch. And I also already felt a bit guilty with what happened, so when that fuck said the parents blamed Friedrich to be partially responsible for Albrecht's death, uhh, double ouch. It got me thinking a bit.

I'd be lying if I said I don't miss him bad, but shit, enough of that. I rambled about it wayy too much.

Yeah, this movie is great as hell. Not only is it a good film, but it'll probably hold an important place in my brain. I'm gonna think about this for the next week thx. Super cool movie. There should be more films where they allow guys to have more emotional relationships than just "oh, I'm super masculine. I don't care about others." Yeah, most of us are raised to be more emotionally reserved and probably cant be affectionate for shit with friends or let alone anyone, but don't lie when you say you haven't atleast had one friendship where you let go for once damn. "Bromance" or not, some ppl need to learn how to care. You can be masculine and still care for your friends deeply, ya know.

This movie might have some intentional or unintentional homoeroticism in it, but эххххх whatever.... Gay or not, we can all agree it's depressing in both ways someone can view it

(Just realized I probably liked this film due to more personal reasons than a cinematic view LMAO)

[cuntylittlesalmon]

I came across one of your posts criticising Delilah Green, and the radfem-esque rhetoric of Ashley Herring Blake's works. I agree, I completely despised her works. But every time one of my friends or I spoke about it, we were criticised on bookstagram and book twt. I was curious to know your thoughts on these books, if you are okay with it.

i am aaaaaaalways down to talk shit about bad books! i’ve felt completely isolated in the larger sapphic bookish spheres because i hated AHB’s work, i’m glad to have found another one of us 🫶

this’ll be under a cut because it’ll be incredibly long, as every instance of me criticizing these books has been

DGDC - delilah green doesn’t care

APDF - astrid parker doesn’t fail

AHB - ashley herring blake

SO!

these books suck. lmao. i don't think they're particularly interesting on the character-level, or the world-level, or the prose-level, or really anything at all. there are scenes here and there where i can see what AHB can do but she's too busy trying to seem like the funniest and the most progressive white cis woman out there--of course, without doing any of the actual work that comes with deconstructing the racist, transphobic, and homophobic ideology she grew up with as a person from the united states.

which leads me into my first complaint: everything to do with emery and their pronouns. every single thing in that scene felt like pandering, and the pronoun sharing aspect felt like word salad that needed to be edited down to a single sentence of "And then everyone else shared their pronouns". we're already deeply aware that every single person in this book sans emery is cis, i don't need that shoved into my face further with a cis woman expounding upon how she's terrified that she's going to fuck up somehow in sharing her own pronouns. unnecessary bullshit, since i'm guessing the point was to show that astrid is insecure, particularly around industry professionals, but with a slightly funny slant to it. this was not the place to show that, especially when there are so many other instances both before and after this part that show her anxieties better.

and frankly, in sharing this part with a friend, they thought it was astrid being insecure about getting emery's pronouns correct which....if your cute lil romcom protag can be see as an annoying and borderline transphobic cissie when they come face to face with a nonbinary person for the first time because your prose just sucks ass......maybe you shouldn't include that lol

and i think that leans in a lot to the "humor" of these books. at one point in ADPF, delilah makes a joke about fighting someone "like a lesbian", which in her eyes (and somewhat therefore AHB's eyes) means gazing disapprovingly at someone and making her mouth "look like a butthole" (paraphrasing, but not the butthole part. she really says butthole). i'm assuming this was supposed to be funny, but it fell so fucking flat with me. like, these books are supposed to be romcoms. romantic fucking comedies. but most of the humor is so deeply steeped in white millennialisms that it's actually unfunny unless you're like my gen x mother who spends 90% of her time on facebook.

which, i suppose that's my biggest gripe with the books, and with AHB herself. it's a lot of self-serving nonsense, with little to no introspection about why certain things are included versus not. i mean, i can say that about a lot of popular romance novels, but thats beside the point. there is no reckoning with institutions, despite all of the call backs to how rich people suck, or how white people suck, or how men suck. it's all so very wink-wink-nudge-nudge, "im in the know, can't you tell?", correct terminology wrong ideology kinda of stuff. ok yeah, white people as the institution suck. i think we all know that. but also, ashley, every single important character, every single side character (save a couple), and every single background character (save a couple), are all white. you are actively participating in the "white is default" ideology that you seemingly dislike and make fun of in your book. so which is it?

this disconnect between AHB's story choices (all white main cast, etc) and the prose-level choices is so fucking obvious throughout the entire body of both books:

the lesbian main characters cannot call themselves lesbians, but one will call themself dyke without a second thought.

the trans-positive lesbian main characters will talk about dating/being attracted to nonbinary people, but do not have any nonbinary friends, do not talk to any nonbinary people, and the one nonbinary character included thus far speaks one (maybe twice) just to give their pronouns.

the lesbian main characters call themselves butch (or are called so by other wlw (but not lesbian) characters) and yet are still conventionally feminine in their presentations.

men are the worst people in the world, and yet josh (an ex of claire from DGDC) is consistently trying to atone for his past harm, and within the story we're given, is like, an actually alright guy.

men are the worst people in the world, and yet the worst actions taken against iris was not by her ex-boyfriend, but by her butch girlfriend (which. i have a lot of thoughts on this).

the books say they believe one thing, but are never backed up with actually evidence that this is the case.

and so, when i say the books have some radfem-y bullshit in them, this is largely what im talking about. i have no clue if AHB herself is a radfem, or exactly what she believes in. im not combing through her twitter account because she as a person annoys me, and anyone promoting her work annoys me. but she is participating in some fucked up shit, and the fact that they are so beloved just makes my ass itch and i feel like i need to speak on it more than i already do now 💀

anyway. the radfem-y stuff.

the books use some pretty covert gender essentialism when it comes to the lesbian characters vs the bisexual woman characters. every single lesbian is said to be masculine (specifically butch) while every single bisexual woman (and every single ostensibly straight woman) is, while not called out as feminine, exclusively present femininely. which....is weird. i don't think i have to say why saving masculinity for lesbians (and men) is stereotypical, and kind of gross, especially coming from someone who isn't a lesbian.

but wait! its worse! masculinity (regardless of how prescriptive vs. descriptive it is) in these books are very much associated with emotionally unavailability and callousness toward the feminine (emotional) counterpart. and really, its even worse when you compare difference within the lesbian characters (delilah, jordan, and iris' girlfriend).

delilah and jordan, when you actually examine them, are feminine presenting. they both wear red lipstick, eyeliner "sharp enough to kill a man", and in delilah's case, heels. the most masculine aspects about them is that they don't wear skirts or dresses. literally. whereas, iris's girlfriend in APDF, who only wears suits, has short cropped hair, never wears makeup, and has a stereotypically masculine job. jordan and delilah are love interests. they're allowed to grow into emotionally available people by their love for their feminine partners. the butch girlfriend, however, is a cheating piece of shit who's entire point is to set up iris' storyline for the third book in the series (a role that could've been done just as well by her ex boyfriend, who she dated in DGDC, instead of what feels like a very pointed and spiteful subplot).

so, it becomes very clear to me that masculinity is the worst thing you can have in these books. none of the men are given grace either, and i touched on it a bit earlier talking about josh. he was flaky as hell with claire and their daughter before the events of DGDC, and so claire (and by extension, her friends iris and astrid) are wary of him when he comes back into her and her daughter's lives. but, for all of that, josh isn't flaky in the book. like he very much steps up to be a good dad to his daughter. is the best? no, obviously. i dont think AHB is capable of writing a "good" character. but he literally doesn't abandon anyone, despite us being constantly told that thats what he does, to the point that when he ends up being unreachable for a couple of days, every single character freaks out and treats him like a monster. iris fucking punches him for this, even though he actually had a good reason. and im not one to defend men like 💀 i am very much a manhater, but like. cmon. it feels entirely unearned. and its that disconnect again. AHB wants you to believe that josh deserves this because he's a man, so of course he's going to be terrible, its what men do, despite him, like, not being terrible.

(and its even worse in APDF, where astrid is literally disgusted to be in his presence point blank, period, even though hes been like. consistently a decent guy.)

and my last piece in this, is natasha rojas. the otherworldly sexy and gorgeous latina host of the reality show in APDF, who literally wears a clitoris necklace. like not only is it leaning on racist stereotyping, but she's the ultimate feminine who wears a literal piece of the vagina. yonic imagery is cool and everything (genuinely, there should be more!) but this is not only extremely heavy handed in a brick-to-the-face kind of way, but also as the Ultimate Feminine, she's this deeply warm and caring and nurturing person, who is never posited as a antagonist or anything despite her positioning as a literal corporate player for HGTV (the hallmark of home renovation. every fucking person on that network is some flavor of conservative). she very much could've been a stand in for the capitalist homogenization of the housing market that HGTV absolutely caters toward, especially when you take into consideration astrid original plan for the house that she's renovating (taking it from very classically victorian to white and grey contemporary), but instead she's positioned as a mouthpiece for the glory of the clit and female sexuality only. which is fucking frustrating. and so fucking weird.

but yeah. AHB has a very white millennial liberal queer view of gender and presentation and sexuality, which in and of itself is very essentialist. but she tries to play out of her biases as a white and cis woman by making in-narrative jokes about it, but they fall completely flat because she has no idea what she's doing, and thus perpetuates the exact same shit she's trying to make fun of. she's got a lot of unchecked bigotry rattling around in that empty brain of hers, which when you're trying to write a feminist book, leans itself to radfem & white feminist ideology (which. lbr. are the fucking same but whatever).

ik this was long as hell but ty everyone who made it to the end for reading 😤🙏💓

[yanderes-galore]

Mind if I ask for a romantic concept of Kai from Ninjago, please??? The show needs more content and I'm desperate lmao

Sure, lol! I totally get it. I'm meant to write that kind of thing anyways.

Yandere! Kai Concept

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Stalking, Overprotective behavior, Obsessive flirting, Slight paranoia implied, Kidnapping, Implied trust issues, Patronizing behavior, Anger issues, Jealousy, Dubious relationship, Attempted murder/Murder mention, Violence, Injury, Guilt.

Kai is one of the more intense yanderes in Ninjago.

He's the elemental ninja of fire, his obsession reflects that.

He's intense, passionate, get too close and you may get burned.

Kai is probably the most likely to flirt out of all of the ninja.

He's also overconfident and a bit self-absorbed.

The issue with Kai is, when it comes to you, he tends to get over passionate and impulsive.

He may accidentally rush his obsession when he means to take things slow which can get him into trouble.

Kai is Obsessive, Flirtatious, Overprotective, Manipulative, Impulsive, Observing, and Jealous.

He intends to take his obsession with you slow... but for one reason or another he accidentally rushes things.

When Kai first meets you he's playful with flirting.

He gives you compliments and talks about all of his successes as a ninja.

Due to his overconfidence he tends to focus on talking about himself to try and impress you.

Nya spares you by telling him to stop and focus.

Kai apologizes to you for his failed attempts at impressing you.

You laugh it off and you actually become good friends with him.

He's always been eager but you've grown used to it.

Kai, like Jay and Zane, is also a ninja to stalk his darling in order to get to know them better.

It happens even more when he develops a crush on you.

His stalking started with him wondering how to talk to you again... resulting in him following you one day.

He just ended up liking it after that... it made him think he was protecting you.

Kai is another yandere who feels it's his duty to protect you.

That becomes one of his main reasons for stalking you.

Unlike Jay, he uses it mostly for the excuse to watch over you for protection rather than write everything about you down.

Kai can be stubborn as a yandere.

He's determined to win over his darling to the point of it being overbearing.

Kai also is the type to practice pick-up lines and other forms of flirting alone to impress you.

Only to playfully try them out on you when he next sees you.

This is what makes Kai intense.

He isn't overly violent like Cole, but he does go a bit heavy on the flirting and touching.

Kai can be overprotective of his darling, especially if this takes place after losing Nya.

Kai loves those he cares about a ton and can be protective of them.

When it comes to his darling it gets worse.

He can get scary when you catch him whispering about locking you up for your safety.

He knows it isn't right...

But it's better than losing you... to anything or anyone.

If Kai's concerned of your safety, locking you away solves that and his jealousy.

Although he would like to reserve isolation for emergencies.

Kai's an older brother to Nya.

This can make him feel like he knows more than his darling when he's around you.

It feels upsetting to you already but if you were dating you feel it's condescending that Kai has this outlook.

Like he can't trust you.

It's a habit of his to act like he's supposed to take care of you and know everything.

You can tell him off about it but that may cause an argument as Kai is stubborn.

Kai can be impulsive, a dangerous trait paired with his jealousy.

Kai's... hotheaded.

While he normally has things under control... jealousy can drive up his temper.

Kai's not as physically strong as Cole but does get lost in his own anger.

Like fire, Kai's anger can get out of control and hurt people.

Kai doesn't like the idea of murder but he just may do it or something close to it by accident with his temper.

Kai is another yandere who regrets it if he does kill someone over you.

It quells his jealousy a bit... but his morals make him feel guilt.

Kai may accidentally harm his darling if he blames you for his jealousy.

Although afterwards he patches you up and offers to kiss it better... because he loves you and didn't mean it.

Kai overall is a temperamental yandere who just wants to impress his darling and protect them.

He wants to use his powers to protect and love you... to keep you warm and happy...

But one wrong move with his obsession and he could harm everyone around him like the fire that burns in his heart.

[maliabakerenthusiast]

who

soo i saw this idea i will tag in comments and i got writing its all overthe place bc i havent writen in like 5 months.. but 865 words

Third person 

“I hope you won't disappoint red, you do this and you will make me the proudest mother ever. Fail, and the kingdom will see as I personally punish you.”

Red despised her mother; she didn't want to kill anyone. She knows her mother is crazy.

“We leave in the morning, now be a good child and wear something respectful that outfit is offensive. 

“Yes mother”

That night, I couldn't sleep. To think to have to kill someone made red nauseas 

But she has to do it so she can't fail her mother anymore. 

Reds pov

The whole bride to auradon prep was terrifying .

“I'm only sending you here to kill her completely and we shall rule together. Do not get distracted.” 

I just nod not trusting my voice. To say I'm scared is an understatement.

We arrived at auradon prep and it was huge. I mean not as big as my moms castle but still. It looks amazing.

As were walking in i hear someone call the name bridget towards us? Whos bridget? I look the way it came from and I see the princess I'm supposed to murder and her mom? 

As my mom and the blue haired woman talk i draw my attention on the young blue haired girl 

“Chloe , Chloe charming” she puts out her hand for me to shake. I just look her up and down. “red “ i say coldly 

“Oh your the princess of hearts from wonderland right? Oh how I've always wanted to go there since I was able to read about it. What is it like there?” she said rambling 

“Oh i wouldn't know the queen keeps me locked up in a tower.” i say with a smirk

She looks at me puzzled before shes being called to her mom

My mom suddenly towers over me 

“I'm leaving this excuse of a school now. Don't forget or there will be consequences.”

After the principal does this annoying singing, we get it your name is uma, we have to go to a table to see who our roommate is. 

“Red hearts?” i  hear someone calling my name i walk over

“This is your roommate chloe, i hope you two can get along” she smiles disgustingly happy

Well at least this will make it easier 

Third person (again IM SORRY)

Over the next few weeks red and chloe have been getting closer and as much as red is in denial she knows deep down she loves chloe. But she has to kill her, she has no choice once the day came red had not slept the knights previous. It was noon and Red was in their shared room a complete mess. She couldn't think of killing the only person she loved romantically, she couldn't even see herself living without chloe.

Chloe knew something was up when red didn't show up at lunch, then her next lesson that they had together. She slowly walked up to the girls shared room opening the door slightly. The blue hair girl's heart shattered at the sight of the princess sobbing in her bed.

“Red?”

Redf swiftly got up and wiped her tears

Her eyes puffy and red

“chloe “ she trails off with a shaky voice 

“Red are you okay” her voice laced with worry

The red princess couldn't bring herself to look at the other princess in the eyes as her hand clenched around a knife she had stolen from the kitchen 

And slowly walked over to the princess in glass boots

“Im sorry chloe” she sobbed out

“Red you don't have to do this” she said finally catching on the what's happening

“You don't understand i have to my mom shes” she trailed off

“Red what do you want? I know this isn't it” she says with tears in her eyes

“I don't but cant you see i'm destined to be like her, i love you chloe but i can't save us”

“ you can stay don't do this she cant hurt you here, please” she says begging

Both of the girls crying at this point 

With a shaky voice “chloe i'm sorry” that was the last thing she said before darkness overtook her

Chloe ran down the halls calling for uma 

“UMA HELP PLEASE ANYONE HELP”

“Red stay with me please”

“Please princess dont do this to me”

“HELP”

TIME SKIP BC I'M A HORRIBLE WRITER LMAO

25 YEARS

Chloe's pov

I look her in the same hospital bed ever since that day 

She made a curse to sleep for eternity with no remedies 

fouc=tnly she messed up a bit and fairy godmother was able to help it but it still would keep her curse for 25 years

So that's where i am now waiting for her

“Hey princess it's me again, i still don't know if you can hear me, but i'd like to think you can.they say you should wake up soon so that's great. I hope you still love me.”

Just as i finish the machines start beeping rapidly 

“Doctor, come quick!”

She gets up with a large gasp

“RED!” I say as i start to get emotional

“What happened, where am I, who are you?”

[genericpuff]

ULO user here! I recently went back and found several old comments I'd made on LO while I was a huge fan of it in 2019.. so embarassing looking back lol. You mentioned that you used to send a bunch of "fangirl" messages back in the day- would love to see your old thoughts/opinions back when you loved LO to compare as a fun(if a bit melancholic) journey, if you'd be willing to share a few? Your thoughts/analysis are always amazing, but I'm super curious as to how you felt back before you realized what a shitshow it was

Haha yeah, I was a fangirl in the sense of like... always being on time for new updates, even if I was out doing other things, messaging my real life friend who got me into the comic to talk about it. Back then Saturday was the height of my week, sometimes the cliffhangers would get me so excited I'd spend the entire week thinking about what could happen next. I suppose I do still look forward to Saturdays now, but for much different reasons.

It's a lil' shameful looking back but I did used to be one of those "don't like it don't read it" dickheads LOL I also used to "not see the issue" with the age gap thing, not because I was okay with age gaps, but as someone who tends to write about immortal beings, I followed the same line of thinking that "they're gods, it shouldn't matter", until I realize just how silly it was that if that were the case, the comic wouldn't be constantly calling out the age difference and drawing Persephone to look as young as possible. I had to really sit on LO for a long time before I started seeing the issues with it. Ironically what opened my eyes to it was lurking in the #antiloreolympus hashtag every now and then, I'd be reading the opinions like "these opinions suck! they don't get it! they're just being nitpicky/mean/etc.!" and yet I duped myself by doing just that because it exposed me to other points of view which became more and more relevant as the comic declined in quality. I think it was around the trial arc that I started to notice the holes (one of the big tells for me that maaaybe LO didn't know what it was doing was when Persephone chose Hades to be her lawyer despite him being one of the judges and someone she was romantically involved with, like hello?) and then when the series returned from its mid-season hiatus and skipped right over Persephone's time in the Mortal Realm, that was when I realized the criticisms weren't coming from nowhere and I got off the high horse and started to read their points with more of an open mind.

Of course, I can safely say I wasn't as shitty as some of the stans can be, most of my opinions were just in the weekly discussion threads in the LO sub, but I was still giving my opinions on LO as if it was a Canvas comic, failing to recognize that 1.) just because webcomics are a budding industry doesn't mean they should be exempt from criticism, and 2.) LO isn't anywhere near the same level as Canvas, it's a #1 NYT best selling book with a creator who's won awards, so it absolutely should be subject to criticism and analyzing as LO is representing that same budding industry in a lot of ways.

I'm trying to find stuff from my pre-ULO days but unfortunately nothing from my main profile is loading past the last 9 months LMAO But if I do find any specific examples I'll definitely post them so we can roast past me together (*≧︶≦))(￣▽￣* )ゞI definitely remember back when ULO was created, it came at a perfect time I think LOL

[hyperactivewhore]

there's something very juvenile and shallow about klaroline, in my opinion. part of it is because the narrative has never really focused on them unless its for fanservice. klayley, for example, have had ups and downs. they have worked together and worked against each other. they have made concessions for each other, they have killed for each other, and they have made choices for each other. their dynamic feels a bit more adult despite their immaturity at times, and of course part of that comes from their shared responsibility and their shared desire to put hope above themselves. it is through their circumstances that they regard each other differently and begin to treat each other like equals, which i find interesting. personally, klaroline just feels a bit stuck in the teen drama pit, which is why i do not find it nearly as compelling.

I also think it's because Caroline herself is a teenager. Yes, a vampire, but also a girl who's frozen at seventeen and will never grow up out of it, similar to Rebekah.

I'm not sure if it's been said in canon, but in tvd it's pretty clear that vampires are more or less mentally frozen with their physical age when they die. I don't know if that made sense, so: you die being twenty-two = you'll always be twenty-two mentally and emotionally, no matter how much you live as a vampire.

A clear example of that is Klaus, who died when he was twenty-one/twenty-two and despite having a thousand years, he clearly doesn't act like it. Or Rebekah, who in canon died being seventeen: she was clearly an insecure and neurotic teenager in tvd, until they made her act mature and feminist in The Originals (don't come at me for the last part, trying to steal a girl's boyfriend wasn't very feminist of her).

But back to the point, definitely. There was a lack of power between their relationship which Klaus always took advantage of, and Caroline did act like she couldn't stand his sight yet she didn't hesitate before accepting his attention or his gifts imo. I believe is because they weren't supposed to be romantically interwined at first, so the writers clearly didn't know how to handle them and they tried to make look romantic every time Klaus threatened her and snapped whenever she said something he didn't like.

Which failed, and yet fans bought it with their whole "Klaus is the only one who always put Caroline first." He didn't imo and that's final.

And Joseph and Kat, the actress of Bonnie, wanted their characters to have a romantic relationship yet Pl*c said a big no because she's a racist piece of shit. So with the way the writers jumped at the opportunity to not give us the romance between the black witch and the hybrid and instead had him "fall" for the baby vampire is disgusting. Klaus x Bonnie would have been a thousand of times better than any of his other relationships.

And now, going to klayley, I personally don't ship them anymore even though I did once. I agree about how they were more mature than klaroline, but the whole point of their dynamic is that they wouldn't have spared the other a glance if not for Hope. Hayley hated sleeping with him, as pointed out for their daughter in s5, but didn't regret it considering it brought her her hope (no pun intended lmao, or perhaps yes). Still, seeing the development in their relationship was quite beautiful despite everything: they loved each other as family, and one of the few things they agreed on was that Hope was their number one priority.

The whole conception about how Hope was made is strange though, hybrid and female werewolf = magic and most powerful baby as cliché as Renaissance from Twilight, that is three species without any logical explanation other than "we don't want any black witch (especially Bonnie Bennett) to be the most powerful" and "Klaus is a hybrid so he can procreate, despite the fact that he had been killed before having his werewolf side locked, therefore he couldn't get any woman pregnant".

I honestly love Hope, but her whole character revolves around being the most powerful and being the daughter of Klaus Mikaelson who is traumatized after her daddy and mommy died.

But going back to the point, definitely. Personally, I don't ship anyone with Klaus because I believe that to be seriously in a relationship with him, you must be as screwed up as him. It's the reason I don't believe Camille or Caroline could have been with him for a long time, and honestly he doesn't deserve either of those girls (I do though, give him to me.)

Either way, klamille and klaroline have problems of their own, but the fact that they resemble so much the sister he's always been obssesed with??? And the way Rebekah went for Marcel, the person that the show always said was the most like Klaus???

[demadogs]

hello loveliest person ever. would you consider no byler to be queerbait ?

hey bestie

if byler didnt happen i would genuinely believe that their intention was to go through with it but they dropped it or were told to drop it. because if its queerbait theyre literally doing it all wrong? the ultimate goal of baiting is to gain an audience from a selected community, in this case the queer community, by promoting the media as potential representation and yet they have done everything in their power to AVOID this with byler.

for starters the majority of queerbait is usually achieved in the marketing side of things. and yet there was ZERO joint press with noah and finn, where they could have promoted byler the most. almost all of their scenes are together but they deliberately separated them so there wasnt even a chance for spoilers about byler. that is not how you queerbait.

queerbaiting is supposed to be obvious. it shouldnt require elaborate theories, it should be thrown in our faces. this article shows a clip of a trailer from riverdale that includes a gay kiss. i think the kiss was just to distract the character, it wasnt intended to be romantic at all and yet they put it in the trailer? that was obviously for the goal of getting queer audiences more excited and more likely to watch this (absolutely fucking horrendous) show.

on the flip side!! theres also straight bait and again, aaaaalll in the marketing.

i cant even believe these are real lmao.

they did this for s3 too. theres a flash of this in the s3 trailer, which had lots of mlvn shippers thinking this was the season of nothing but love for them and yet el broke up with him in the second episode. we also get audio of mike saying “we’re not kids anymore” but no visuals that showed he was talking to will and definitely not the “its not my fault you dont like girls” line, which would have been such a clear opportunity to queerbait.

and s4 was very gay and they could have so easily grabbed a LOT of peoples attention and curiosity by adding some byler scenes in the trailer but there was nothing.

could you imagine if they showed one of these in the trailer?? they had such a clear opportunity to queerbait and they didnt.

the only thing they did include was this and i didnt even notice will the first time i watched it.

the only things we’ve seen in the marketing that relate to byler are from netflix accounts in other countries that loosely imply that they ship byler but thats literally it. and these accounts dont actually have any access to the writers room. theyre not implying or confirming anything theyre just trying to be relatable and a lot of people would relate to the post if they mention byler.

aside from them just avoiding the topic in the promotion for the show, theres also the fact that byler has inspired loads of in depth theories and analyses based on how they portray them in the show. the point of queerbaiting is to throw it in your face. “look a gay kiss! watch our show to see gay people!” the fact that we’re reading into shit like lighting, colors, music, framing, all this stuff that the ga doesnt read into is a big sign that their goal isnt queerbait. one time i got an anon that summed it up perfectly, “why would they queerbait only to gay film nerds?” and its so true.

queerbaiting should not have people thinking too hard. like the kiss in riverdale, its supposed to be shoved in our faces in order to actually achieve what theyre trying to do. not everybody has time or cares enough to read entire analyses on specific film choices, and because of that, they would be completely failing to bait people. the goal is to gain their audience and no one has been baited for this because it doesnt seem obvious that its actually going to happen.

because of all this if byler didnt happen i dont think queerbait would be the right word. itd be a whole different thing entirely and i would genuinely believe they were forced to not go through with it if it didnt happen. but i highly highly doubt that would ever happen. its netflix’s biggest show and they trust the duffers and its the last season so even if people dont like it its not like theyd lose money because people would stop watching. by then theyd already finished the whole show.

[revoleotion]

I think it is a good thing that people have different tastes, so this really isn't what I am getting at, but recently I have started to notice that for the majority of people, a character being "denied" the romantic relationship of their dreams (either in favor of a purely sexual one or friendship) is something they expect pity from the reader for?

And that is SO WILD to me.

I don't even want to make this sound like an "allos are so weird" kind of thing, since one's tastes in fiction have little to do with your real life sexuality, but the amount of times I simply failed to recognize the "problem" a character was supposed to have?

"but they deserve romance!!!!" okay..... but like........ if the object of their affection doesn't want to have a relationship/doesn't like them romantically...... that's rough, buddy, I guess, how exactly is this a conflict I should be interested in as a reader lmao

and this is not just inspired by how people talk about solas on here or anywhere else but man, when a character says, out loud, multiple times, "No, I don't want a relationship" and "No, I don't want you to come with me", how is that even still up for debate?? Why am I supposed to pity your character for that??

All I feel is... the feeling you get when a child throws a tantrum on the bus. Mild rage. Embarrassment. The desire to get off and walk the rest of the way and never take the bus at the same time as that family ever again.

I also want to put a disclaimer here: this is not supposed to be a) against anyone wanting wish fulfilment from a game (but I will judge you harshly if you expect a game to cater to YOUR interests only with no respect for the writers' decisions) or b) imply that your behavior in a fictional game setting tells us anything about your behavior in real life.

But....... the crowd that complains the loudest about this already struggles to separate fiction from reality (which, by the way, is a SKILL, and being a beginner at that skill just means you have to practice more), so I have the big suspicion that anyone acting like this would 100% believe that a romantic relationship is the only correct goal in life

[rey-jake-therapist]

Elementary fandom vs other fandoms

A while ago I posted about Elementary after I watched a couple of episodes to say I didn't like it. I was just fresh out of watching the four seasons of the BBC Sherlock and it just didn't feel right, I didn't like it at all.

Finally, because I was too lazy to look for another show to watch, I kept watching and now, I'm at season 7 😅 Did my mind fundamentally change? Honestly, no. BBC Sherlock will always be superior to me, I don't care it's trendy to hate it now. I do like Elementary now, though. Sherlock and Joan (well especially Joan) have grown on me. I still think Elementary lacks originality, I find the structure of the episodes too rigid, there are way too many episodes, things in the global story I really don't like. The copaganda for example, urgh... There's a lot of screen time dedicated to the cops and how good and honest and united they are. There are some bad apples but we're really supposed to believe that they're *rare*.... And I love Marcus Bell and Captain Gregson but they're so smart you even wonder why they need Sherlock in the first place 😂 But there are things I really love too: Joan being more than a sidekick to Sherlock is one of them. She has agency, he trains her, respects her.... I must say, it's pleasant to see. Also I love seeing Sherlock being a mentor. That's what he should be, really...

Another thing this show did for me was to convince me to read the ACD canon books. I read a couple of them when I was a teen but I was more a Hector Poirot girlie - EDIT: damn autocorrect! his name's Hercule of course). I know for a fact that Elementary Sherlock is closer to the book that BBC Sherlock, and the show makes multiple references to the ACD canon but I'm unable to identify most of them, which probably influences my reaction to the show. I need to read the books and watch the show again :)

So, it's a fine detective show, a feel good show as well because the morals is always good, characters given a second chance when they mess up, bad guys punished as they should.... Johnny Lee Miller does a fine job at showing the character's complex personality, and his partnership with Lucy Liu is flawless :) They're just adorable together. They totally remind me of Mulder and Scully, but without the unbearable sexual tension, which is why I spent 6 seasons 1/2 being fine with the fact that they wouldn't end up together as a couple.

I wish I had known the fandom when the show was broadcasting, because I haven't heard of any fit of rage when Joan and Sherlock didn't become canon?? And yet lmao, at least 70% of their interactions is romance-coded. Like, if JohnLock shippers think they were baited, Sherlock and Joan shippers were baited much, much more. Seriously, there's even a declaration of LOVE. When Sherlock has to run away to London, Joan follows him there!! They're completely co-dependant, all their attempt to have romantic relationships with other people fail... At some point Joan needs to go her own way and Sherlock respect that.

They take care of each other, all the time. If one is in danger, the other becomes feral. Sherlock especially would do everything to protect Joan from getting harm, and surely so would she. There are so many moments that could be confused with jealousy/possessiveness, so many sweet speeches that probably made the shippers think, "no way this is platonic!" .

Not me, though, because I believe in platonic love, always did, and that's what Sherlock's story was always about: a strong, unbreakable bond between two people who love each other but don't need to have sex to feel or express it. I say they remind me of Mulder and Scully because in both cases, it didn't have to become a romance. I shipped Mulder and Scully, yes, but for years I was quite certain that they woud never become romantic and I was fine with that. What they had was already beautiful.

And frankly, Joan and Sherlock's friendship higlights everything that's wrong with Sherlock and John's in the BBC show. It's a balanced relationship! they didn't have to become a romance because they're a perfect friendship, but if they did it would be ok, because it would not be toxic. Joan never beat Sherlock up, for a start. She never slaps him, they never insult each other. Sherlock is sometimes a prick to her but he always comes around because he respects her a lot. There's nothing in their interactions that makes me think, "wow, if they were a couple that would be so fucked up!", while, sorry but I had this thought about John and Sherlock a dozen of times, especially during season 4 but even before that.

So if I'm not wrong and shippers were cool with the ending, well... kudos guys.

@tickldpnk8