#though i might all change still if i can think of sth better

[ganondoodle]

I'm curious, in your totk rewrite, would the final fight with Ganondorf be the same, or would you do something entirely different?

somewhat, this is a bit of a different take on ganondorf though, it makes more sense in context of his changed ... or added rather, backstory;

you fight him once before, not a phantom like in canon but him physically, were hes still trying to cope with the horros he had lived through being half awake for such a long time so he isnt much for talking, at the end of it he has like a breakdown that essentially causes cataclysm 2.0 (that might even open up new caves that were previously just cracks in walls too) and which spawns the miasma/memory trees that contain his memories, all of which you need to collect to unlock the ending-

structurally the final fight is similar:

theres a horde of enemies you fight all together and the sages get taken away once you reach ganondorf; when you find him hes all calm and collected but does not allow zelda to talk to him despite her understanding how it had come to all of this and her wishing for a different solution; the fight begins but over time as he loses HP he start to act differently, less calculating and like he is in control and more and more aggresively, and more jumpy like he is afraid of something

phase two he gets too cornered and activates his enigma stone + the sages rejoin you, he is visibly just trying to put an end to you using everything he has to offer, phase two of phase two, he loses it and changes into a beast form (a miasma version of the best forms we know basically, i made a sketch of it once but it was only a rly early concept; i need to put more boar features on that

(unsure whether i want this to be his engima stone active version or the actual beast one) after he changes into beast form he charges at link and zelda and essentially burrows through the earth with them, breaking through the surface in the hyrule plains where the dark beast ganon fight happened in botw, here you fight him in the open, any weathher and time of day can happen here so its a much more diverese vibe each time; he is very fast in this form, if you are familiar with bloodborne im thinking of something akin to the first phase of ludwigs fight but a little more coordinated

this fight ends with zelda telling you to shoot at her so she uses her shielding powers (sth she can also do in the game itself) to reflect your arrow in a certain angle (reference to how ww zelda shoots an arrow you need to deflect in order to defeat gan but in reverse), it hits the ornament keeping the enigma stone in place from the side and it flings off

the battle seemingly ends with beast ganon falling to the ground, zelda tries to run and take it away but gan is still awake and sees in her how sonia sealed him way back, so in a last ditch effort to avoid the fate he had just escaped (despite zelda not wanting to do any of that) lunges for the stone and swallows it

he transforms into a dragon snatching up the both of you and flying high into the sky, zelda can wriggle free but falls and while she could land safely with her paraglider gan is flying off with link so she makes a last moment decision to take in her enigma stone as well, she transforms, rams into gan to free link and a somwhat similar fight as in canon happens, though i would like zelda to be more openly agressive towards dragon-gan

sicne in this version gan doesnt have his stone on the forehead somehow but inside like you would expect you need to fly into his mouth to end the fight, assuming you have found the lab that held the moonbloom (perhaps kogas so tie him nicely into it all) needed for the reverse dragon medicine (bc i wanted to involve links passion for cooking somewhat i thought it would be cool if he takes the chrage on that to make that special dish), you now use it, causing gan to spit out his stone and reversing (still unsure whether he survives this or not, but i thought of the scene from spirited away when chihiro gives haku the lil herb thingy to make him spit out whats killing him when i was coming up with this) zelda catches you again and you use the second charge on her to reverse her as well, boom you got your epic falling scene, the sages also now have made their way up through the tunnel, perhaps they catch gan too

this is a super rough current concept for it, it might all change still so dont take this as the final version, still working on it all after all

[drenched-in-sunlight]

hello hi!!! grfhvhghr i am in love with your artwork so much you cant believe-- i wanna ask if you have any tips on how you lineart and colourpick?? no pressure to answer tho, have a great day/night!! again, love your art <33

hi!! thank you for your kind words!! since i got asked about these a lot, im answering this for all the other ask asking about lineart and colour tips too! You can see some previous post here.

also i could only give out tips that work for my drawing style - which is heavy lineart / colours pop up the line (believe it or not it's American comic book style. ppl cant understand why my art doesnt really look like usual anime/ Asian webtoon style, even though it is still clearly anime / Asian webtoon style, but when i told them it's because im drawing these by studying American comics, no one believes it either lmao.

i do study but i do my own things too, so most of my art inspo is really unexpected to ppl, but they r really where i learn things from, cuz i dont even go to art school TT_TT).

Changing the brush size will help you achieve thick/thin lines better without having to put pressure on your wrists. Keep your hold relaxed and let bigger brush size give you the thick strokes.

I like messy sketch, to me the sketch is just an outline shape to fill details in when i do the line, it also gives more freedom to wriggle as i draw! cuz i dont really plan out everything from the start, just wing it as i go, so a lot of my work is actually very spontaneous.

that leads to this point: when you do the lineart you should start deciding which colour style you want from it to adjust the details amount. the ink shadow blocks in my art aren't there randomly, i adjust them to best complement the shape language and colours.

for piece where i want the line/shadow to...idk hit (?), the colours are almost flat with textured brush adding depth to them, so the inking is the shading, thus there are more details in the lineart / ink blocks.

for the video above and piece like this where i want the colours to be clear and pop out, the use of ink blocks are minimized and i do the shading during colouring process. but! the ink blocks can still make some places pop very nicely! just use in moderation!

when doing the base it's good to keep the colour on the left side of the colour wheel (low saturation), but as you do shading and lighting, try to spread out evenly so it won't look washed out.

toggle around with hue and saturation slider as you go! the key is always adjusting! you're making hundreds of decisions at once, being conscious of your choice in why a line or a colour should be in a certain way will help improve your process a lot! (i think you can tell which art i turned off my brain and just draw for stress relief ........ which is also a valid way to draw and sometimes the result might surprise you! but for more serious stuffs i try to be aware of most of the move i make. it's problem solving, yeah?)

i find that one way to keep your art from appearing too...yellow in the end (which is sth that haunted my ass for a long while) is always aim for cold tone, so if you accidentally make it warm either way in the end it won't be too warm (and yellow :cry:)

well that's all the stuffs i can think on top of my head. sorry i can't give more advice on colour picking cuz it's sth i don't really know how to give advice on???? i think my colours now are still pretty lame haha........ if there are still any questions i'd gladly answer within my ability, though im very slow to answer ask ( i do read and be happy at all of them tho!)

[merlinfromberlin]

Theoretically, if I ever were to consider writing a TF One Shattered Glass retelling/continuation, I would definitely base it off of Animal Farm.

A few more details/ideas below the cut bc of TF1 spoilers.

Also, it's been a while since I've last read Animal Farm so I'm sorry in case I got any names wrong/am a bit wonky on the plot. I don't have my copy with me right now, so I can't look any of it up.

Characters

Quintessons = Humans Sentinel = The Farmer Orion = Napoleon D-16 = Snowball Elita-1 = The third pig (?) Various miners = the other animals

First Half of the Movie

The first part of the movie would largely stay the same except that Orion is not as naive or nice. Instead, he's clearly power hungry, he saves Jazz not bc he cares about his co-worker/friend dying but bc Jazz will be in his debt, he's looking for the Matrix not bc he wants to help the miners but bc it will make him more powerful and maybe even allow him to overpower Sentinel.

I think I'd even keep D's darker moments - he can still want to kill Sentinel, but I don't think he'd try to kill Starscream anymore. Mostly bc the High Guard's motto has changed to sth like "Together We Are Strong" (no, that's not a quote from Reinhardt in Overwatch - you are imagining things). Not yet sure if it's him or Orion executing Sentinel.

Pretty sure I would have them abandon Bee (who is slightly more bitter and jaded than in the movie) in Sublevel 50, though. Maybe it's even B-127 who wants to go back bc he is afraid of the things (punishments) that may be awaiting him in the outside world and they just let him, Orion maybe even convinces him that it's better to stay safe down there. This way, he has one less competitor for power. Then they move on and never think about it again. D might remember him later, once he's Megatron and banished and go back to get him bc he realises that that was very fucked up. But tbh. as much as it hurts my heart to treat my blorbo like that, I think it would be the best statement for the story if B just vanished from the story and we never get to see him again. Because this time they (Orion) are not out to actually improve stuff. They just want to change who's in power.

Rest of the plot till they return to Iacon stays largely the same for now.

Some more plot points:

The uprising of the miners/Orion leading them into battle? That's the Great Battle between Animals and Humans.

Sentinel's execution? That's the animals banishing the humans from the farm.

Orion receiving the Matrix ? That's the pigs taking control of the political system of the farm bc they are "best suited" to it. All seems to be fine and dainty for a bit. :) (Not yet sure how Orion would receive the Matrix. Not yet sure if he actually even gets it. If he does, it's not almost sentient like it is in the movie where it only bonds with good leaders. Instead it is just a pure power-up. Instead of Megatron, Orion gets the transformation/power-up scene.)

All the miners receiving T-Cogs? First Liberation of the Animals. All Animals Are Equal.

Optimus banishing Megatron (would happen later than in the movie - only after the first functionist rules have been introduced)? That's Napoleon banishing Snowball. We don't see Megatron (or the High Guard) again for the rest of the story.

Some more:

Not yet entirely sure what I would replace the windmill with. Maybe some sort energon refectory/distribution system.

The everchanging/vanishing rules on the farm? Some animals are more equal than others? That's OP and his governement slowly introducing more and more functionist rules.

It ends, rather suddenly, when one day one of the miners realises that oh damn, OP is barely distinguishable from Sentinel. Except instead of cogless miners we now have Functionism.

Maybe there is another racing scene with two new miners (Hot Rod, anyone?) And someone, maybe Jazz or a random NPC we met in the first chapters/during the first racing scene is like: Huh, when did we start needing miners again?

And that's it.

Maybe, if I'm weak, there'd be an epilogue/additional oneshot where we get to see B-127, Megatron & co. again and learn what happened to them. But at the same time, I think that would dramatically weaken the story. + It would be depressing af bc they are not in a good place.

[outsidereveries]

— zerobaseone: bunch of requested readings

all of the readings are done between 12th and 13th june (2023).

the requested readings are:

how zb1 views ricky

hanbin sees ricky as someone who (for hanbin) completes hum fully and even though they probably have different energy, hanbin feels that ricky is the missing but needed to him piece for his life.

jiwoong thinks that ricky has changed his life fast and completely. to jiwoong ricky is exciting, refreshing but also might be introverted in some way. i’m certain jiwoong would love to know ricky more.

zhang hao respects ricky and wants to protect him till the end. honestly, hao also feels complete with ricky, so he might think ricky is like his little brother or something like that?

matthew also sees ricky as great person. matthew thinks ricky is someone who wants to help out (and matthew would do the same), as happy, optimistic guy.. basically, positive things.

taerae on the other hand sees ricky as someone who wants to know him better, however taerae has something in mind that ricky might not be trustworthy at all, so i think taerae might have trust issues..

gyuvin thinks ricky is naive and easy to manipulate. gyuvin might thinks ricky is boring, so i wouldn’t expect them to have any moments on shows. but also gyuvin would defend ricky no matter what. honestly, there is love-hate relationship from gyuvin’s side���🏻‍♀️

gunwook might find their relationship hard to maintain as of current time, so whatever his thoughts are, they’re definitely confusing and without any specific words.

yujin and ricky might be too different, especially character-wise, so.. i’d say nothing after that🤷🏻‍♀️

how zb1 views yujin

hanbin sees yujin as someone who has changed his life in some way: however, i do feel these feelings hanbin has can change. the leader currently views positively yujin with the impact the maknae has over the leader. (i didn’t fet anything else, i am sorry)

jiwoong likes yujin a lot. he sees the maknae as balanced and stable person who thinks before acting and when he acts, he’s just doing it straight away. jiwoong appreciate these qualities of yujin.

zhang hao also sees yujin as someone who changed his life in some way. hao is for the change that’s needed, and he’s embracing it. hao sees yujin like a little brother - the energy is similar to how hao sees ricky.

matthew and yujin might’ve not liked each other at first. they might’ve not understood each other, but it seems that they’re ready for new start of their acquaintanceship at least. also, matthew sees yujin as a survivor? did yujin get through something that matthew saw? matthew’s thoughts of the maknae is definitely interesting, so the theories here are many.

taerae doesn’t like yujin. he thinks yujin is overwhelming person who doesn’t have trust to. yujin might even think he is secretive, who keeps his actual intentions to himself and doesn’t share them. taerae is fine with sharing this

ricky LOVES yujin but apparently they also didn’t liked each other at first? perhaps, ricky might’ve done sth yujin doesn’t like? but nonetheless ricky still loves loves yujin. (as a friend)

gyuvin thinks yujin is too attached to him, obsessed even. their friendship might be karmic, toxic even, and although the maknae brings excitement in some way, it’s too much to gyuvin.

gunwook sees yujin as really happy and optimistic person who is emotional and would give anything to help (and gunwook will help back).

how zb1 views zhang hao (how hanbin sees hao is uploaded separately weeks ago)

he’s apparently fine with me sharing jiwoong might see hao as someone introverted (who has hard time with sharing) and because of it jiwoong might have trust issues.

matthew sees hao as someone who loves to help (basically give-take person?, in positive way of course, no bad feelings).. and seok thinks his opinion is fair 😐

taerae sees hao as someone who is very special to him. like, to taerae hao is his soulmate? taerae just feels complete with hao and i think he’s adorable

ricky might have trust issues, to be honest. ricky sees how hao appreciates him but apparently ricky might be too afraid to be honest with hao and he even might have insecurities that stop ricky to be closer with hao in the way they will have healthy friendship. ricky might be even jealous of hao and maybe he tries to hide it with his attachment towards zhang hao in some form.

gyuvin sees hao as someone who’s “a breath of fresh air”. gyuvin wants and is excited to know zhang hao better. gyuvin feels hao is their light, their newfound clarity even..

gunwook loves hao. he also sees him as someone who’s willing to help (and will return the help). gunwook just likes hao a lot, i feel the appreciation and the love.

yujin sees hao in the same way hao sees yujin.

how zhang hao views matthew

hao on the other side feels matthew as really comfortable person. warm, precious even. hao sees matthew as someone who’s helping him a lot with his traumatic experiences in life.

ricky, career reading in zb1 (till august 2023)

as a member of zb1, ricky might have a opportunity that he wants to try! i see he will work with someone else: it might be collaboration as well as him getting closer with one of the older zb1 members. the work can change his perspective of idol life, so i feel ricky will be even more motivated for his idol opportunity. some sort of pr zb1 ship is also possible, but i am not certain if it’s that or another individual activity in some way.

how ricky is treated by wakeone

ricky is treated by the company.. um, not the worse but not the best either. there are challenges between him and wakeone. i think wakeone is purposely sabotaging some of his individual opportunities he currently has, and ricky is still taking responsibility (for him being an idol in the future). i think ricky is clueless of this, but wakeone will offer something that will mark ricky’s new start.

this might be about line disturbition mistreatment if he won’t have solo activities in the upcoming months.

zb1’s debut:

how it will be perceived (by fans/critics/etc.)

i see quite mixed opinions.. some of then might not care, others will be hurt.. do you expect something different? that’s what i see..

will they shine when they debut?

unfortunately, i think their debut somehow will be ignored and something else will be looked instead.

what’s their popularity potential?

to me quite in the middle. it depends how they’ll play the dramatic moment that will turn the tables for zb1’s relevance.

will they be successful with the time?

- south korea:

it looks like they’re already reached the needed success? unfortunately, if their audience isn’t loyal.. well.. it looks like zb1 won’t gain that much fans in south korea?

- everywhere else:

they definitely have the potential for the global popularity every other k-pop group is looking for.

success check (2023-2026)

- 2023: they’ll start to build their popularity, but i don’t think they’ll do something significant to rise their relevance up.

- 2024: might receive a opportunity that will “serve then right”? the energy to me is similar to this year’s but if this shows that they’ll be viral, let it be? i have no idea..

- 2025: they’ll establish their loyal fanbase, but the thoughts of them disbanding are appearing to me. i don’t see they’ll hit the “viral moment”, but the thoughts for individual paths are there.

- 2026: yeah, it looks like then they’ll apart as zb1. one or some of them might switch the industries.

career reading, 2023

- july/august:

unfortunately, there will be something that will be delayed or missed on purpose. there might be lack of activities for some reason if zb1 actually debut in july. they might have also a scandal which won’t affect their career’s relevance.

- september/october:

it looks more beneficial for the group, so if their debut gets actually delayed, these months will be more beneficial to the boys. (i don’t have anything to type)

- november/december:

unfortunately, i see they’ll have less activities in some way. they might be not that packed with work, but it looks like that doesn’t matter, because the boys will be happy for that?

how their debut will go:

weeks 1/2: there’s potential for mistreatment from wakeone (possibly there might be lack of activities for real). i can see they’ll do well on the charts despite the hardships.

weeks 3/4: uncertain

weeks 5/6: now i understand why the 3rd and 4th week are uncertain… so, there will be scandal, right? i see some possibilities:

wakeone might manipulate their sales in order to have their first win

someone might be caught in money-related scandal

i don’t think it will be dating one (saw the pictures of gyuvin with his alleged either ex or current girlfriend).

weeks 7/8: better compared to the rest of the weeks. might receive some offers

zhang hao’s solo song (type of song/perception): expectations vs reality

expectations: getting over someone type of song? being adventurous? / hao might expect to deep dive into the song and feel the nostalgia?

reality: yeah, i see the type of song hao tried to do.. i don’t feel the popularity that much. there’s some potential but .. it might not do that well.

ps. by typing that someone is fine with me sharing of anything i mean their guides

[a-weird-cryptid]

I can honestly only agree. You should always search for the answers to the questions you have, using all tools available to you. Though you should always second guess the answers you might get. Especially if they're coming from the internet.

And when it comes to educational systems from other countries:

Trust me when I say that most school systems suck. No matter where. Sure, originally they might have worked. And where a great way for equal opportunities and such. But times have changed.

Our current school systems though? Mostly stayed the same ever since it was created.

Our current school systems need to go with the times, just like everything else does. Because if it doesn't, it will always lack behind. And so will every future generation, as well as all of the ones who are currently stuck in this bullshit.

These days school really doesn't prepare you for anything you need as soon as you're out of it.

Grading is a straight up scam and you can't convince me otherwise. Since it fails the only job it has: giving proper feedback to students and showing what somebody is and isn't good at.

What does something like an B really tell about your strengths and weaknesses? Does it mean that you understand the basics of the topic, but you struggle with tougher things based of that? Or does it rather mean that you understand everything somewhat good, but not perfectly? Perhaps it also means that you understand tougher things better, even though you struggle with the basics? I think you get the idea.

On top of that, grades are also highly subjective. I think we all know that one teacher who gives students better grades, simply because they think they're more sympathetic. Or how teachers will always, no matter if it's subconsciously or not, grade somebody worse, if the previous test they corrected has been almost entirely correct. In those cases, errors stand more out. But it also goes the other way around. If a teacher corrected an almost entirely wrong test before yours, they might give you a better grade because of that. The same logic applies to the entire class. If most of them, understandably, suck at school, you'll stand out more, even if you're not gifted and just average. And the other way around. And those are just two of many examples I could come up with.

Countless of studies have shown that grades don't necessarily increase motivation of students, but rather decreases it. What they do increase though, is stress, anxiety, the risk of substance abuse and many other mental and physical health problems. So do many schools and school systems in general.

Mix that with a bunch of teens who already struggle biologically and psychologically to adapt to the changes of their body and brains, a lack of enough sleep over long periods of time and stress with family, friends as well as school in general. Plus an ever higher getting demand of productivity and countless of people, things, news, adds, etc, that all demand your attention. Using a shit ton of manipulation to distract you.

And people still wonder why every student seems to be depressed and constantly on their phones these days?

And it's not just because younger generations "have gotten weaker and more sensitive" or sth like that. Every new generation is, in one way or another. Because we start to become more careful and learn from mistakes that have been made in the past. But that's not bad. It just means that humanity is constantly evolving and changing. Learning and discovering new things every day.

For example:

Not even a century ago radium was used for basically everything. Especially for paint. But I don't think anybody sees somebody as sensitive or weak for not wanting to paint their walls with radium. Why? Because we now know that that element is radioactive and extremely harmful towards humans and other living beings. So why shouldn't something similar be the case with some things that seem "harmless" today? Like our current school systems?

I also think it's funny how some schools try to get more modern these days, fail and then wonder why. Or even better, stop trying to update our current school systems because "those modernization attempts have been shown to only fail".

I can tell you why you're failing miserably:

You're trying to build a skyscraper on the foundation of a shed. Because of that, it will never really work. Sure, you can try to stabilize it. You can also try to change the shape of the skyscraper or whatever, hoping it will work better. But it will never change the fact that even the smallest earthquake will tear it all down.

If you really want to build a stable skyscraper, you NEED to change the foundation.

The same goes for our current school systems. You can't change anything in a stable way if you don't change fundamental things as well. Like the way subjects are taught, what is taught and when, grading/feedback for students, or even just the time school starts, for example.

School should prepare you for the future. They should give you the opportunities to find your individual strengths and weaknesses and support you to get to where you want. They should be build on the natural curiosity, that every single human being has and teach things like critical thinking, problem solving, how to be independent, creative and navigate through our modern time. They should help children, teens and young adults to truly find out who they are and which of their skills they could use for what.

And not fail every new generation even more than the previous one.

Because this, dear readers, is the only way we all will be able to keep up with this ever evolving and changing world. Because this is the only way we'll actually be able to increase productivity, as well as (scientific) development in a significant way. Something so many companies, and society in general, these days care about.

Anyway though...

For more discussions, reviews as well as other original stories and more, check out my master list of series.

idk about other countries but the United State's education system has really fucked us in all sorts of ways.

They don't teach you how to think critically or how to problem solve. If someone doesn't know how to do something they just like?? Give up?!?

The number of times someone tells me shit like "I wish I could do XYZ" or "how do you know ABC?" ...like, dude, just google it. Find a book about it. Ask someone who knows about it.

Search for the answers to the questions you have!!!

If you don't know something or how to do something LOOK IT UP OR ASK SOMEONE ABOUT IT!!! Don't just sit helplessly around waiting for someone to do it for you!! You are more capable than you think!!!

[trashcanfills]

So I just read your hanzo space hcs and I loved the part about hushed conversations between him and genji in Japanese and I'm sorry if this request doesn't make a lot of sense but could I ask for a reader who finds out hanzo likes them because they know Japanese and listen to the arguments between hanzo and genji? Thank you and I'm sorry if this is long or confusing.

Mam/sir no this is not confusing. I like that you elaborated on the scenario u wanted me to write cus boi it helps hehe.

This became a monster of a fic jesus so uhhh more content for you i guess pardon the wait. I might edit this later cus Im not sure if Im happy with it now but eh its been stuck in my inbox for so long with some other requests better release now.

Shimada Hanzo x Reader - Hidden Confessions

Hanzo would likely be crushing on you after spending quite some time with you as friends. It’s hard to tell though because he never really says how he feels out loud, like I doubt you even are aware he considers you as a friend unless you confident/observant as hell or sth happened that both of you had to clarify for the sake of your friendship.

But alright lets say that you both consider each other as friends and you both know that. Cus friends to lovers tropes are gucci hehehehehe.

Ok so you def have to be crushing on Hanzo at this point, which I dont blame you for btw like look at the man. There’s a reason for the loads of fanart around him.

Unfortunately as we all know with the fucking friends to lovers trope drama, you cant just admit you like Hanzo that way, cus what if he doesnt sees you that way and it ruins your friendship and makes everything btw u??? Uh yea better safe than sorry bitches. Just keep it down and appreciate that you get to hang out with the angsty ass archer anyway.

Except…some kinda weird things have been going on with Hanzo and Genji? You think you see Genji talking to Hanzo in hushed whispers abt something that, based on Hanzo’s flushed and irritated expression, Hanzo clearly doesnt want to talk abt. It HAS piqued you interest when it tends to occur more often whenever you see the Shimada bros tgt. Asking Hanzo about it however just has him to dismiss it and change the subject. Rip.

Later on those hushed conversations do end up occurring in front of you and other overwatch members, in Japanese, since not many people do really know the language and the conversation was prob meant to be abt sth private and secretive.

Except, you do know Japanese. You didn’t exactly inform Hanzo or Genji of it because it seemed really entertaining to have them have these supposedly private Japanese conversations OUT LOUD without realising there were people who understood what they were saying. I mean, if it was a really sensitive thing they should be speaking behind closed doors right? Like cmon lol.

Usually, whenever the Shimada brothers talk to each other in Japanese, they would exchange some form of wit or ridiculous reference to their past (like that time Genji tried to cajole Hanzo into joining the DDR contest during one of the weekly game night sessions, until Hanzo said he still has pictures of Genji’s 16th Birthday Party Incident in Japanese. Ngl you were a lil curious what the incident was, but its likely some form of embarrassing blackmail).

However THIS TIME, it was completely different. You were chilling with a few other overwatch members plus Hanzo and Genji in the recreation room. Cue your surprise when Genji decided to ask Hanzo in Japanese:

“Sooooo…have you confessed your feelings yet, brother?”

Im sorry HANZO?? HAS FEELINGS FOR SOMEONE????? Thank god they weren’t really focusing on you that much otherwise they would have noticed your body tense a little at that. You don’t know exactly how to feel about this because this can either spell sth great or very bad for you, but most likely bad because what are the chances…right?

Hanzo predictably flushes a little, scowling even harder. If you didn’t know any better you would probably have thought that the archer was pissed at Genji about something instead of being embarrassed (tho i mean when has hanzo never been annoyed at genji lol)

At Hanzo’s expression, Genji sighed out loud. “You do realise you can’t stew on your feelings forever-“

“I can if I want to and that is my decision to make, not yours.” Hanzo hissed back. Genji, unbothered by the interruption, continued:

“-and you have been pining for them for like almost a year.”

Hanzo scoffed. Genji kept going. “I mean they are literally just RIGHT THERE. You can ask them out on like a freaking date-“

“-and risk the potential embarrassment and fallout of our current platonic relationship?”

“Look, I doubt y/n would be the kind of person to-“ Sorry, hold the phone. Did Genji say YOUR NAME?? DOES HANZO ACTUALLY LIKE YOU BACK??? HOLY SHEET???? It was literally taking all of your concentration to not combust on the spot and give away the fact you could understand what they were saying in Japanese because HOLY FUCK HANZO RETURNS YOUR FEELINGS??

Ok ok calm down and listen back to the conversation because you were zoning out a bit from the revelation that Hanzo has a crush on you. Genji was still talking.

“-and you can’t be sure that they aren’t interested in you. Heck, from what I see, they seem very receptive to your boneheaded ass-“

“Being friendly and polite in a platonic relationship is no grounds for speculating romantic interest, you idiot. It’s only a common courtesy-“

“-dude do you NOT notice how much closer they are to you compared to anyone else here-“

“-and that means nothing, Genji. Cease this conversation.”

“Hanzo-“

“No. I do not wish to discuss this any further. Regardless of what you say, I severely doubt they would even like me that way.”

“Even then, just TRY. That is all I am asking of you, Hanzo. Because I want you to be happy for once-”

“You know, you guys could just asked me yourself right now if that’s what you are worried about.” You chimed in. “And speaking of which, I do actually like you too, Hanzo, and uhhh I would be totally open for a date anytime?”

Their reactions were priceless. The moment you spoke up in Japanese had the two Shimada brother halt their conversation to look at you in shock. Hanzo in particular had a myriad of expressions too entertaining to watch.

Hanzo practically went through an entire rollercoaster of emotions when you interrupted. Shock at you speaking Japanese, horror when he realised you spoke Japanese and understood it which meant you were able to listen through their conversation this entire time, until he processed the part on you liking him back which turned into a mix of joy, relief, embarrassment…yea rip Hanzo lol.

Genji meanwhile was trying so hard not to laugh because holy sheet your timing was excellent.

He had to shake Hanzo a bit to get him out of a daze, and gestured at him to ask you out. Hanzo gets his wits back after, glares at Genji because he’s such a lil shit. He then glanced at you briefly before looking away all flustered. “So uhhh…I’ll pick you for dinner at 7pm later?”

You gave him you biggest smile and agreed. That was the start of your beautiful romance with Hanzo, albeit with a mildly embarrassing start but hey, you guys got together since then. :3

BONUS: during the date

“I wasn’t aware that you knew Japanese.”

“You didn’t exactly ask me.”

“…Fair point but still.”

BONUS BONUS: immediately after Hanzo asks you out

“Holy fuck finally!”

“I-Cassidy WHAT?”

“Look. I had to sit through y/n telling me that they are crushing on Hanzo, and listen to them whine about how unfairly hot and cool Hanzo is. I couldn’t do anything about it because I had to keep it secret.”

“Mood.”

“Genji, why are you saying mood? I didn’t tell you about my crush on your brother-“

“I had to sit through Hanzo waxing poetry about you whenever he gets in this weird mood or when he gets drunk during our drinking sessions. It was funny at first but then got sad after a while when he kept making himself depressed over the idea you didn’t see him the same way.”

“You did NOT have to reveal that information-“

“You were the one who chose to confide in me, brother.”

“Hmph, then I suppose you won’t mind me showing y/n my collection of blackmail material of you, then.”

“Woah woah woah let’s not go THAT far-“

[missmonsters2]

today I feel awful... idk my insecurities are taking over me and I just want to curl into a ball and cry. maybe it's my hormones maybe the fact that I weighted myself and found out I gained weight (I can't fit into my jeans 😭) and the fact that I saw my sister in a tight skin dress looking perfect while I'm in my pj's just destroyed my confidence. I need something angsty to read to make me forget about my sad, miserable lffe right now. would you be down in writing sth angsty with nat maybe? you don't have to though. it's fine either way. I really appreciate all of your work and I keep reading on repeat whenever I'm feeling down. makes me cheer up. thank you, van ❤️

It's like we're the same person because I also went to visit my sister recently and my sister has gotten her life together and is living her best hot girl bod while I...let's not go there.

I just want you to know that you're hot as fuck and a body is just a body that we can change with time and effort. We're lit rally in this together. This time next year, we will be rocking the body that makes up happy and we'll be healthy!!! 💘💘

But I will still give you nat angst...but with a happy ending bc I said you deserve a HEA!!

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The Withers of Springtime Bloom

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Fem!Reader

Summary: Spring is a time of blooming and when things come back to life. You can't help but notice things that may be causing your relationship with Natasha to wither.

Warnings: self-esteem issues, insecurities about body, relationship with working out and food, seasonal depression. angst with HEA.

Count: 2.1k~

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You're not sure when things changed.

Things change so slowly after all.

Without you noticing, things change and change and change until one day, you do notice.

You notice that Natasha has become quieter, somber.

You notice the lack of date nights and affectionate touches.

You notice that you've let yourself go a little.

You're standing in front of the mirror, staring at your body with a frown. You've gained weight since dating Natasha, but relationship weight gain was normal, wasn't it?

But you remember how Natasha was just as fit as she was before she met you. Sure, she was a superhero, and you were a regular civilian; there was no reason for you to train long hours as Natasha did.

Still...

You turn to the side and peer at yourself in the mirror again.

You can't help but wonder...were you becoming less attractive to her?

⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⋆⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷

It had been the beginning of fall when you met Natasha. You loved the season of change and when things turned into warm colors before withering away for winter to come.

Natasha had come like a blessing, and in the winter, she was just warm as the colors of fall. Instead of withering away, she bloomed and invested that warmth in your relationship with her.

Despite always being an early riser to work out, weekends were the days she stayed in bed with you just a little longer. There had been so many breakfasts, lunch, and dinner dates. You found yourself moving things around or neglecting to work around her busy schedule.

Perhaps that was when things began to change. Eating out so often and forgoing working out to spend time with Natasha was what led to this.

Spring has arrived, and things are coming back to life. Yet somehow, your relationship with Natasha was withering away.

"Hey," you greet her as you come home, shopping bags in hand. You bought some more clothes when things felt like they didn't fit comfortably anymore. The experience had been upsetting for you, and you didn't end up buying too much, telling yourself you didn't want to spend too much when you were going to lose the weight.

Natasha was working in her office, peering down over reports, and barely acknowledged you other than with a hum.

"Long day?" You ask her as you put your things away and walk over to her.

"Yeah," Natasha sighed. "Trying to get these reports done since Maria needs them tomorrow."

That had been Natasha's excuse for spending long hours in her office every night for the last two weeks.

You place your hand on Natasha's shoulder with a reassuring squeeze, but she leans to the side as if to readjust herself, but still away from your touch.

The sting immediately comes, but you try to push it down, so it doesn't hurt as bad.

"Right," you say hoarsely, but Natasha stares on at the reports. "I'm just going to get ready for bed. It's been a long day and all. Let me know if you need anything."

Natasha gives you a nod as you leave the room. You feel awkward as you lie in the bed you share with her. You wonder if you're taking up too much space.

There's a pang of something as you try to curl yourself to be smaller and only distantly realizing you've skipped dinner before you fall asleep.

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You fall back onto the mat, chest heaving and your lungs burning.

It's been a while since you've worked out, and now you're definitely paying for it with how unfit you are.

The gym is moderately empty with the hour it is. You hate going to a public gym because it always feels like someone is staring, but it's better for strangers to stare than working out at the Compound for people you know to stare at you.

The rational part of you knows that you should just talk to Natasha, but the emotional side of you whispers that you won't like what Natasha has to say, that she might even end it before you've had a chance to change yourself.

When weeks pass, and you weigh yourself again, you almost start crying because you've only lost a couple of pounds.

It's normal, you know it is. You're losing weight at a normal rate, but it's not enough. You know fast weight loss wouldn't make sense for your body but you also feel you don't have half a year to go back to your normal weight.

You sit on the bathroom floor for hours, debating what to do when you hear a quiet knock.

"Sweetheart, are you in there?" Natasha's muffled voice comes through.

You wipe at your eyes furiously as you stand up.

"Y-Yeah," you answer back. "I'm just in the tub soaking."

There's a moment of silence through the door before Natasha answers back, "Alright. Enjoy yourself. Did you want me to order anything specific for dinner?"

"No, it's okay," you tell her. "You order anything you want. I already ate on my way home." You think about the chicken salad you've been eating for the past two weeks and almost sigh.

Natasha answered that she just came back to see if you've eaten, but she actually had to head back to the Compound. You were Natasha shuffling around before leaving through the front door, and you let out the breath you were holding.

You actually take a long, hot shower before putting on sweats and a big hoodie.

The truth was, you were hungry. The chicken salad was okay on the way home, but it had been a couple of hours since.

You knew starving yourself wasn't the answer, so you went into the kitchen to see if you could find something healthy to hold you over until you could go to bed.

But you can't find anything in the fridge except for Natasha's leftovers from whatever she ordered the day before. You can't find anything except frozen pizzas and microwavable foods.

You check the calories on the back and let out a frustrated sigh. Checking your watch, you realize it's too late in the evening to go grocery shopping because, by the time you get there, stores will have closed.

You slump down on the floor, leaning against the cabinets as you let out a pathetic whimper while your eyes became hot with tears.

You miss Natasha. You want Natasha holding you and telling you it would be okay. But you couldn't have that until you were back to what you were when you met her.

The front door suddenly opens.

"Have you seen my—sweetheart?" Natasha started to call before she noticed you sitting on the floor. "What's wrong?"

You use your sleeve to wipe at your eyes as you sit up straight.

"Nothing," you sniffle before you start to stand. "I just stubbed my toe against the edge of the kitchen island. What were you looking for? USB? You left it next to the bedside."

Natasha stares at your back, hair still wet as she takes in your attire.

"It's a little hot to be wearing a hoodie and sweats, isn't it?" Natasha asks softly. "Doesn't seem like you turned on the aircon in here."

You keep walking, but Natasha starts to follow you.

"'m cold," you say quietly so she can't hear the tremble in your voice.

"Are you feeling sick?" Natasha asks with concern as you sit down on the couch, turning on the TV. You pull the blanket over you as if to make your point.

"No," you tell her because you don't want her to worry. "Just cold after a bath."

Natasha sets her things down before she takes a seat next to you. Even in the low lighting, she can see your eyes rimmed red and dampness of them.

You're refusing to look at her as you have your knees drawn up to your chest and stare stubbornly at the TV screen.

Then she hears it.

Your stomach grumbles.

"Are you hungry, sweetheart?" Natasha asks softly again. "We can just order food and stay in tonight."

Your cheeks grow hot. "Don't you have to be at the Compound?"

You don't mean to snap at her, but you can't help but feel embarrassed.

Natasha remains quiet for a moment, quickly thinking over the last few weeks before she feels guilt trickle in.

She doesn't remember the last time she ate with you—doesn't remember the last time she saw you eat.

"Sweetheart," she calls you gently again, and you bristle at the tone. "Is there something wrong?"

The fragile dam you've built to keep the weeks of compiling emotions at bay breaks, and you're hurtling down the stream over the waterfall.

"Are you not in love with me anymore?" You choke out as you begin to cry.

You can't even register to feel horrified at your breakdown because you just need to know.

"I know...I know my body has changed since we first met and I've gained weight but I really am trying to lose it. I just—I feel like you're avoiding me. At first, I thought things at work have been really stressful for you, and I wanted to give you space but you're gone all the time. You're gone even when you're here."

Natasha can barely understand anything you've said after hearing you say the first part. Her breath hitches painfully in the back of her throat, and she legitimately feels appalled at herself.

She starts to say something, but you keep going.

"I'm sorry, I don't want to make this about me because if you're going through something then I want to support and be there for you. But I can't help but feel like you're grossed out by me. I mean—I feel grossed out when I look at myself. I feel like I'm taking up so much space—"

Natasha cuts you off abruptly, pulling off the blanket as she pulls at you until you're in her lap.

"Nat—"

"You're not gross and this is not about the weight you have or have not gained. You hear me?" Natasha says forcefully as she holds you close to her, hand over your thigh to keep you against her.

"God, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry if I've been making you feel like you're not attractive me," Natasha's eyes well up as your tears wet her shoulder. "You're literally still the most gorgeous person I've ever met and you're always going to be that to me."

Natasha's hand at your waist dips underneath your hoodie, her fingers trailing up your back as she sighs at your warmth. "I should've told you, but the springtime is just really hard for me. It's odd because it's a time for things to come back to life but some of the worst things have happened to me during the spring and things blooming makes me think about things that aren't coming back. I think it's also just a little bit of seasonal depression too. I'm just the rare percentage that gets it in the spring."

The explanation makes your body sag with relief because while you feel so horrible that there is a reason Natasha doesn't like spring, she's not falling out of love with you.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize that I was hurting you," Natasha apologizes again. "I didn't mean to be so distant but I didn't want to bring your mood down as well, which is why I've been working so much to keep busy."

"It's okay," you muttered as your turn your head, forehead pressed against her neck. "I'm sorry spring is depressing for you."

Natasha merely hushes you as she kisses the side of your head.

You begin to feel awkward, thinking about how you must be heavy on her and try to move, but Natasha doesn't let you.

"Sweetheart, I don't know how to convince you that you're perfect to me," Natasha says so seriously as she forces you to look at her. "If you want to lose weight because that is what you want, then I support you. But I need you to understand that I love you no matter what. I don't care either way because you're so fucking lovely to me always. Do you understand?"

Timidly, you reply, "Okay. Thank you."

Natasha presses her lips against yours in a long kiss before she pulls back.

"Now, I'm going to ask again. Are you hungry? We can order in and watch that new show on Netflix I heard was pretty good from Wanda."

You feel lighter. You think you might still want to work out because that would make you happy, but you don't feel the rush like you did just a couple of hours ago.

"Yeah," you say shyly. "But maybe something not so heavy?"

Natasha nods as she presses another kiss into your cheek as she helps you settle onto the couch right beside her to grab her phone.

"Anything to make you bloom."

[whatifyoulivelikethat]

anon apprehensive about change

Things are changing too quick. Last year i had a stable friend group where we all loved bts and the same shows, music, etc. I was living at home and felt safe because it was all i had known.

Now i have one friend left and she told me she is no longer into bts and kpop in general and has switched her personality and preferences 180°. It feels like i don't know her and that pains me to death because i'm starting to feel like sth is wrong with me. Every close friend that i've had has kinda gone through a really bad place where i have helped them and then once they switch we just fall apart. I've never changed though, i don't know if i should or i'm just destined to be the person that helps people through their hardships and nothing more. I've also recently noticed a lot of people losing interest in kpop which made me realize how important it actually is in my life. It's one of the only reasons i'm even on social media and even though i'm not as invested as before i am still interested and still just as in love.

I know we are supposed to change as we grow but i feel like i haven't moved in years. I'm still the same as i was 3 years ago, maybe just extremely insecure and terrified that a time has come when i have to start thinking of future goals and a career and the best possible money income in the future. I worry so much about things in the past, things in the future and just things in general. I can always find sth i don't like about me and i don't think i'll ever love myself because i'm a realist and therefore cannot accept that i'm imperfect. I cannot accept that i have flaws, i shouldn't have them or else people qon't like me.

This is very random and chaotic but i have absolutely no one to talk to and i need to let some steem off. Thank your for reading my ted bullshit.

Two things.

1) Expectations are disappointments in the making.

2) Don't try to mold others into who you want them to be. Let them be who they are and then periodically evaluate if you want that kind of energy around you.

All people are individuals who look out for themselves. Some people chose to do so at the expense of others and that sucks, but that's their choice. But most people don't think like that. They just pick and choose their friends based on the energy they want to be around at the time. It's not necessarily a reflection of who you are or the kind of person they perceive you to be (good or bad). Sometimes the reasons are arbitrary or personal to the individual.

Friendships are always fluctuating. That doesn't mean a friendship can't reconvene later in life. And maybe it won't and there is no real reason for it. That's life.

We're not supposed to change as we grow. We choose to change as we grow. Believe me, plenty of people choose to be stagnant and ignorant of their stagnation. There are plenty of childish adults. Hell, the great lie of adulthood is that you suddenly become a composed, responsible person simply due to age. (insert JK's In The SEOM laugh here) No, responsibility is a choice and it extends much further than simple household chores or going to work. You have to be responsible for yourself too - know that your choices have effects and consequences, be aware of and take care of your physical / mental health, and choose the people you want to be around.

Remember, most people aren't trained professionals. They're not going to know the "right" thing to say unless you tell them. They're not going to be able to "read" you or know how you feel unless you tell them. No one can vocalize your hardships except you. Noe one knows the words that will make you feel better except you. If you ask for help, people will either help you or not. Sure, some people might not do it because they want you to be miserable, but most people don't do it because they don't know how to help. So, understandably, they back off because they don't know what else to do.

If you want to change for your own sake, then look at the tangible things you can do for now. Take steps to be where you want to be. Let go of things you can't change. There is no such thing as a perfect person. Being liked doesn't mean that you don't have flaws. People like individuals who know who they are - earnest people, hardworking people, genuine people. Colorful, confident, and authentic personalities. idk, it could be a multitude of things, but rarely is it because they are "perfect" or "flawless".

also, plenty of people like shitty people for various reasons, that's how certain people became elected officials cough cough and don't forget Ted Bundy had a fanclub even after he was convicted. ehhhh????

And

There's lots of people who love K-pop.

That's why merch keeps selling out.

(Damnnit.)

When you're entering adulthood / early twenties, you need to search for friends in your areas of interests, but these people will be more likely to have a lasting passion for it because they also have looked for other like-minded people. You probably won't find someone who shares all of your interests but you can definitely find people who are just as passionate about specific things (such as K-pop).

Also, you can just enjoy things on your own.

For example, I enjoy metal and I don't really talk about it with anyone because most people who enjoy metal like to put down pop music in general and most people who enjoy kpop don't understand metal (arguably, metal has had a bigger impact on my life than kpop has) but did I eldritch screech when Slipknot surprise announced a new album coming out Sept 30? Yes. Yes I did.

Well, I lied. I talk about it but nobody cares, they just listen and laugh because they enjoy watching me get passionate about things I like LMAO

...

anyway

You may be at a strange point in your life right now, but I'd say this is a chance to refine and redefine what kind of friendships you want and what you need out of them. Then you can search for like-minded people on various social media groups or attend events that relate to your interests to meet new people. If you want to help people when they're having a hard time, then do. If they don't care about you later, that says more about them that it says about you. Always remember that they might just not know what to do. Just because you do what you do when a friend is in distress doesn't mean they know what to do when you're in distress. And just because you think you've helped them doesn't mean they attribute their improvements to your input. Maybe they talked to someone else. Maybe they turned to religion. Maybe they yelled into the abyss and the abyss responded.

Maybe they anonymously messaged a BTS smut writer with a yoonkook obsession and they got a wall of text and these:

he's pretty cute tho isn't he

ÒᴗÓ

[maxemilianverstappen]

not sure if you're still answerinig ship questions! but thoughts on lestappen or sebchal?

I am still doing that, Anon! 😆

Lestappen is a proper rival ship right there in my book. They have their shared childhood competitiveness evolving into a very intense adult rivalry and I honestly hope they both get good cars next year and duke it out spectacularly. I am a Max fan and while I am slowly warming up to Charles, too, I also can't wait for the fandom to tear itself apart as soon as they get into a wdc contention 😈

As far as personalities go... Even though Chal (i like calling him as such) seems like elevator music is playing in his head 7/24 behind those empty and soulless eyes of his, the guy is literally a tragedy magnet and I think he is quite hurt inside and is dealing with all that shit by not thinking about them too hard and trying to live as it unfolds and accepts it all.

Max at times genuinely looks like a scorned kid and tickles all my maternal instincts, lol. I don't know how he processed and internalized his childhood and past with his parents, but I am sure on some level he also is hurt, but he seems like he's dealing with that shit a little bit better. As I said, he is like Kimi, so he very much might be thinking "past is past, I will look at my present and build my future" and accepting it all as sth that's his. I don't buy all those headcanons where these two, especially Max is unable to deal with their traumas/pasts/upbringing/parents.

These two are strong guys mentally, and in a relationship, it would take them quite a while to open themselves upto each other, but once they choose to be vulnerable, they would be inseparable and unbreakable. They'd understand each other and even tho they'd have down moments, bad times, times of self blaming and internalized self hate, I think they'd pull each other up and be present for the other. They are the kind of ppl who, as I said, accept life as it is, but who are fierce fighters if they believe there is sth that they can change/affect about it. Which might also mean they criticise and blame themselves equally harshly for falling short of their own high expectations of themselves, but since they are alike in this aspect (Lando is like this, too) they'd realize how they should also be gentler with themselves while trying to help each other see that they should be more forgiving of their own shortcomings.

In short, they have the potential to be amazing.

Send me a ship and I'll give you my honest opinion on it

[o-king-of-suns]

To the sweet anon who sent me an ask couple of days ago. I am sorry for not answering you earlier. I have a problem with the reply button, so I will be answering your ask here :D

 1- Let’s be real here; Levi was NEVER going to choose Erwin :D No matter how much we wanted it to happen. No matter how much we thought it is the most reasonable choice, it was just never going to happen and we all know it. Levi was pretty much a slave to the narrative at that point.

Isayama said that he ALREADY had made up his mind that Erwin would die there and then. He also said that the since volume 18, he tried to draw Erwin and Armin as contrasting characters, the past and the future and described Erwin as someone "who is drenched in sth very personal" while Arimn is someone who "is chasing a dream that's pure and fresh”. Isayama intentionally created the serumbowl scene to draw important parallels between Armin & Erwin (as well as to show Levi’s development). I don’t understand how can anyone be blind to this!

  Armin is the future, rightful successor to Erwin. The plot deemed it necessary to show that Armin WAS the right choice and Isayama’s objective was to ensure that neither the characters nor the readers regret this choice by the end of the story. This is what Isayama planned to do all along but I’m going to be honest, it wasn’t well-executed as I wished it to be. Armin’s arc could’ve been handled much better.

2- Both Levi and Erwin agreed that in order for humanity to have a chance in survival and for them to have a chance in winning this battle, Erwin had to march to his death. Did this mean that both of them made a choice to doom humanity?! of course not, because as much as brilliant Erwin was as a commander, he wasn’t the sole key to humanity’s survival, Eren was at that point. I mean if they had to choose to sacrifice Erwin or Eren at that time, they would’ve agreed that it was Erwin is the person to be sacrificed because Eren was more important.

Actually, Levi made the same decision before during the Uprising Arc! He was willing to let everyone in the SC (including Erwin) die in order to find Eren and Historia.

3- Levi’s two most highlighted character traits are his kindness and his perceptive nature. His choice on that rooftop solidifies what I find to be his most important feature: an innate instinct for consideration, for understanding how to best care for someone independent of himself ALONG with his very strong perceptive nature and his ability to read situations and act in the best way accordingly. Taking that into consideration, an important comparison between Levi and Erwin needs to be drawn to also understand why Levi chose Erwin to rest.

Levi admits that he is willing to play the role of the “lunatic who kills people” for the sake of humanity. He chose to take this burden on himself. He understands that he might need to ask his comrades and subordinates to sacrifice themselves and in return he promises them to carry their will. The deaths of his comrades have always been a way to strengthen his will. He uses their will to keep moving..

Erwin, on the other hand, enrolled into the SC to achieve his childhood dream, like Armin and many others (he’s a human after all), but found himself getting up in ranks till he became a commander and a necessary devil. It wasn’t simply a burden he took upon himself, unlike Levi. As Levi said to Floch, it was asked of him. Everyone wanted to see something in or get something from this figure Erwin cut in their tense, desperate world : Erwin the Figurehead giving people direction  and purpose, Erwin the Monster wielding ruthlessness for the sake of  humanity, Erwin the Visionary who sees something no one else can see.  Everyone had something they wanted him to be, and he delivered. Erwin eventually becomes broken. He struggles to find meaning in his comrades’ deaths. He tells Levi that he thought many times that death would have been much easier for him. He never wanted that burden in the first place and it’s a heavy burden indeed.

Levi always thought that Erwin was the same as him but he realized that this wasn’t the case till it was very late. He never “accepted Erwin as a human” until he  watched him drop the mask on that crate in Shiganshina and realized that had an ideal which he projected onto Erwin.

My point here is that Levi deciding to let Erwin rest is very understandable and he would have acted in the same way regardless who the person was - Erwin or someone else- because it has only to do with Levi’s compassionate and understanding nature. It had nothing to do with personal feelings towards Erwin (If it was, we would have had flashbacks of Levi thinking only of Erwin moments in his life and him reminiscing their old days together, right? Lol)

4-  Levi’s decision was a layered and nuanced decision and Levi refers to it multiple times as such, saying he let Erwin rest and ALSO that he doesn't regret the decision and wouldn't let anyone else regret it either and reassures Armin about his abilities. Anyone who intentionally decides to not pay attention to detail within the narrative structure, both visually and textually, know what they are doing (ehm shippers :D)

Isayama: “The scene where Levi decided Erwin’s fate - he was influenced by his interactions with Kenny.”

Levi’s past experiences always helped him in making decisions, especially this one. We can see how Kenny’s final moments, Kenny’s “being drunk on sth to keep going on” speech, and Levi overhearing Armin talk about his dream to go to the ocean influenced his choice.

The answers  to what’s in the basement were the only thing that drove Erwin. Aside from that, his life was empty, thus his longing to die. Erwin admits that he has no idea what he will do afterwards, whereas for Armin, the idea of seeing the ocean is more of a symbolic gesture for appreciating the freedom outside the walls - one of hope for the future itself.

Seeing the basement could never be a positive thing for Erwin’s character, because once he saw it, he would have been overcome with despair because it could never have possibly lived up to his expectations. His goal would be complete, but he would still be a broken man, and upon discovering the secrets of the basement he will have no choice but to see those ghosts all the time.

This is an excerpt from one of the official short stories and it summarizes the whole thing. Erwin’s dream, once fulfilled, would have probably caused his downfall.

 Going forward to ch. 136, Levi specifies that he made his choice with Armin and the future in mind and he doesn't regret entrusting the future to Armin "who had the same look in his eyes as you guys" Levi saw something in Armin that made him entrust their future to him.

This is literally the same chapter in which Armin convinces Zeke to offer to sacrifice himself to stop the Rumbling, showing his potential and skills.

In the official short story, Levi sees an apparition of Erwin, but it’s actually more of his own reflection.

5- At the time of making that decision, none of the characters knew that their enemy was the ENTIRE world. Knowing this might have changed Levi’s choice, but it was never going to happen as I said because this is not how the plot was supposed to work.

6- Last thing, it is very strange that Eruris say that Erwin and Levi share a very deep bond and understanding but then make such claims as though Levi doing that would be a gesture dedication and *love*. It's not just that Levi wouldn't be willing to risk it. It's that it literally would not occur to him as an option because it would not be good for Erwin or any of his comrades who gave their lives for the sake of humanity.

[pastelwitchling]

moviesbuff asked:

So this one is kinda sad.

So the aliens have weird biology and once they love someone, that person can smell the love pheromone on them. ( which smells like rain.) And they have this pull toward them (like the cosmic connection that Tripp and Nora had)

The whole gang (+M*ria) are at the crashdown, and Liz and Alex and Kyle start talking about how the pod squad smell like rain, and Maria laughs "No they don't." And they're like "yes they do." And everyone realizes that Michael didn't love M*ria.

So Alex wants to move on with Forrest but Guerin wants to be with Alex. And mr. Jones finds out and tells Alex that he can sever the cosmic connection between Malex and that he can take them to the remains of their alien ship where there is sth he can use to do it.

So the pod squad + Alex + Mr. Jones go to the remains and on the way there, Guerin corners Alex and tries to change his mind but Alex is adamant about moving on and he tells guerin that he loves Forrest and that they're not good for each other and that he's saying no. (All the things Guerin told Alex in 2×01)

Bonus for Alex/Isobel friendship and Belmanes.

***

Liz smiled over her microscope. She’d first conducted this little experiment a few days ago, frustrated with the dead ends she kept hitting and eager to do something mindless and silly and fun for the first time in a long time. It had been a question, small but incessant, nagging at the back of her mind since she’d woken up to Max’s scent of a heavy storm one morning.

She couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her lips now at what she was looking at. The bloodwork and sample tests she’d had done confirmed it.

“I take it that’s good news?” Michael said from across the lab. He would come by sometimes, not often, to look through some of his own samples, and when he caught sight of Liz’s blush, he raised a brow. “Or great news?”

“Okay,” she shook her head, knowing Michael might find the findings as amusing as she did. “So. A few days ago, just during my free time, I started looking into the pheromones that you, Isobel, and Max give off. I noticed that Max smelled like rain, and then Kyle had said the same thing, and I suspected Isobel felt something for him for a while though she wouldn’t say it which I don’t understand why I mean –”

“Liz,” Michael pinched the bridge of his nose. “It’s too early in the day to sing Valenti’s praises. Back on track, please. You’re saying Isobel, Max, and I . . . give off pheromones? What, like, to attract people to us?”

Liz’s smile widened. “Not exactly. I compared your samples to mine, Kyle’s, and Rosa’s. Now, mine and Kyle’s carry traces of that same pheromone, but Rosa’s doesn’t.”

Michael, ever the genius, understood what she was trying to say right away. “You’re saying whenever one of us likes a human, that human can – can smell us?”

“Smell rain,” she said, “to be more precise. It’s a very innate and unnatural scent, but to me, to Kyle, it’s like you’re always wearing a special kind of perfume. And you have to do more than like, otherwise half the school would carry the traces after Isobel. No, you have to fall deeply in love. I’m talking true, Once Upon a Time forever-kind of love.”

Michael did not smile or laugh or share in any of Liz’s excitement. Instead, he fidgeted uncomfortably where he stood. Liz faltered. A year ago, she might’ve understood why Michael would react this way, but after Maria . . .

As if sensing her name, Maria suddenly came into the lab with Alex at her side.

“It is ten in the morning,” she said, a cup of coffee in hand which she set on the desk. “I have a business to run, there better be a good reason to call us down here, Ortecho.”

“I’ve been awake for five hours,” Alex told her, taking a seat on a stool between the desks. Liz noticed Michael glancing at him every so often. “This is basically the middle of the day.”

“Oh, well, aren’t you Mr. Perfect?” Maria said, taking a long gulp of coffee. “Super Alex, up before the sun is, how good for you.”

Alex winked, and Maria almost choked trying not to laugh. Liz smiled, noticing Michael subtly inching closer to Alex. He didn’t even seem to realize anybody else was in the room anymore. She cleared her throat loudly.

“I found something really cool that I wanted to show you,” she said, turning back to her microscope. “Come see this, both of you.”

“Uh –” Michael started, “Liz?”

Maria sighed and did as she was told. She straightened. “Okay, why am I looking at a bunch of squiggly little lines?”

“They’re pheromones,” Liz said excitedly, and both Maria and Alex waited. She quickly clarified, “I – well, I realized that whenever Michael or – or Isobel –”

“Liz –”

“Or Max, when they fall in love with a human, they release this special pheromone that only that human can smell.”

Alex blinked, and came to see through the microscope, too. “Really? That rain smell is a pheromone?”

“Yeah!” Liz said eagerly. “You know about that?”

“Yeah,” he scoffed, still looking at the sample. “I knew Michael was in here before I saw him, I could smell him in the hallway.”

That strongly? Liz thought.

She started to smile as she noticed Michael’s eyes on him soften, like he wanted nothing more than to hug Alex from behind and bury himself in his warmth. All this time, how had she never realized? “Really?”

But Maria only frowned, looking from Michael to Alex to Liz, and back again. “What rain smell?”

Silence. Alex looked up at Maria with furrowed brows, then to Michael. He looked just as startled and confused as Liz felt.

Maria rounded on Alex. “Alex?”

Alex cleared his throat, waking himself, glancing at Michael. “It’s – it’s this intense rain smell, like . . . like a storm.”

She shook her head, and her thought was clear; she had no idea what they were talking about. The only one that didn’t seem the least bit surprised was Michael.

“Not even a little bit,” she said quietly. Then she turned to Michael. “Never? Not for a minute?”

Michael shook his head. “I . . .” he tried, but trailed off, raising his arm halfway to gesture at Alex before it fell back down to his side.

Maria looked to Alex and something in her eyes shifted to resignation as the truth dawned; Michael had never really loved her. Not like he loved Alex, not for a second.

She cleared her throat and plastered on a smile. “Well, if that’s all, science geeks, I have a bar to run. Excuse me.”

“Maria –” Alex started to follow, but Maria turned at the door and said, “We’re still on for lunch, right?”

Alex, startled, seemed to only be able to nod. Maria’s smile turned warmer, more genuine. “Good.” She turned and held up a hand. “Later, nerds!” she called, and left.

Alex sat back down on the stool with a sigh, wincing as he rubbed his leg. He must’ve been a little more worse off this morning than he’d been willing to show, and after Maria’s exit, he seemed to simply be too tired to pretend he was fine.

“I’m sorry,” Liz said, shrugging a shoulder. “O-Or I’m not? I don’t know.”

Alex gave her half a smile. “That makes two of us. Except . . .” he looked to Michael who was tentatively kneeling at his side, squeezing his knee as if hoping it would help relieve him of any pain. “I may be a little more selfish than you.”

“Right,” Liz muttered, trying not to smile. She didn’t think it was right to, not after what had happened. But Alex . . . Alex was her friend, too, and she couldn’t help but be happy at the way he was looking at Michael, at the way Michael was looking at him. It was like how Max looked at her; like all the stars in the universe couldn’t compare.

She turned around as Alex slid a hand into Michael’s curls and Michael leaned into his touch as if desperate for it. Next time, she realized, when it had to do with Michael, Alex was the only one to call. He was the only one, after all, that seemed to matter.

***

I hope it’s all right that I deviated so much, I had to!

[snuggletrophy]

Shipping Headcannons (Semi x Tsukishima)

characters: Semi Eita x Tsukishima Kei

warnings: mentions of alcohol and nsfw stuff i think, but not really nsfw...

further notes: another great idea my sis had and another ship of which i have an idea/wip sitting on my laptop xD

this is a ship I only see happening as adults/after school, I don’t think that either Semi or Tsuki would spare the other a second glance during high school

but I do believe that, if they met again as adults, that they would know who the other was; Tsuki blocked Ushijima after all and Semi just looks like someone who you’d remember, also Tsuki seems like a person to be good at remembering names and faces rip kageyama and me

as adults Semi is a civil servant and in a band and Tsuki is working in a museum and playing in the sendai frogs, best conditions for them to get to know each other i’d say

I don’t think we know what kind of band Semi plays in canonical, but I see it being a punk and/or rock kind of band and I see Tsuki listenting to this kind of music

so it would be possible for them to meet during a concert/performance of the band or rather afterwards; maybe Semi noticed Tsuki and approaches him afterwards, because it’s bugging him if that really is the lanky kid that blocked Ushijimas spike during their last chance of winning the spring tournament during their 3rd year; OR they bump into each other at the bar or next to the dance floor, both trying to navigate around drunk and dancing people as well as fleeing drunk and interested people trying to chat them up

it would be a veeery cold-sounding conversation at first, they’re both known for being stoic and annoyed, but that might actually be something they could bond over quickly: that person who tried to climb the stage during perfomance? Pathetic. The drinks in this club? for such a broth completely overpriced. That man over there trying to lean on a swing door? Ridiculous. ...they’re so tall they can see everybodies flaws up there...

Another meeting could actually be at daytime- maybe Semi is the one issueing/processing(?) Tsuki’s driver’s license or sth like that... I bet they’d be professional and not say anything even though they stare at each other so intensely while trying to figure out if the other is really that volleyboy from high school that the coworker who shares the room with Semi thinks they’ve both have been assigned to kill the other through sheer force of will

No matter the scenario of first (re)meet, they’d gradually drop the hostility and even though they were still vary of each other, they were also intrigued enough to make sure to meet each other again

In the club situation Semi could just invite Tsuki to the next performance, in the office situation, maybe he invites him to lunch, because he needs to know if he’s really that boy from highschool or sth. like that I’m sure Semi would figure sth out xD

they would meet up and talk a few times and the air would slowly change from hostile, to subtly intrigued, to outright having the hots for each other

the tension would be so thick everybody in a radius of ten meters is feeling extremely embarrassed

I’m sure Tsuki wouldn’t tell Yamaguchi about all that right away! He’s way too embarrassed and Yamaguchi would laugh/have way too much to say to the situation; after either a first official date or the first time a one night stand happens he would tell his friend

I actually see potential for quite a few one night stands before they have to admit there is no chance of getting rid of the tension like this

They seem like a frenemies/bickering type of couple, they always have to disagree and try to convince the other even though they actually have the same opinion (they're both competitive); it's kind of tiring for a 3rd party, but way better than those two teaming up against you!!

when a first real date happens they somehow make it akward again... doesn’t matter if they slept with each other multiple times already, sitting in a rather fancy restaurant, having to constantly face and look at each other, they both feel nervous

I see Tsuki as more nervous than Semi, because Semi can act confident even if he feels shy, but Tsuki just gets quiet and grumpy, which is incredibly cute to Semi, so it doesn’t matter

they agree to not go back to that restaurant again, though; the next date is held at a place with good music, which Semi recommends and afterwards more casual dates happen; sometimes it’s just grocery shopping together and then cuddle up on the sofa and gossip about the world

in the beginning they full on fight about who gets to be the big spoon, until they can be honest and settle it as Tsuki = big spoon and Semi = little spoon, because Semi actually likes to be doted on and Tsuki likes it if Semi can’t see how much he blushes because Semi points it out and then they bicker again

going back a little to around the first official date or starting their fwb relationship: Yamaguchi either notices Tsuki being more busy and or he just looks at him and is like “you’re seeing someone”, he just knows and Tsuki tries to deny it, but he can’t really lie to Yamaguchi; in the end he tells him everything Yamaguchi has to actively ask for all the details, though, which he does, because he’s nosy

I’m not sure how secretive Semi would be... he either doesn’t tell anyone until they have been officially going out for a while or he tells his friends even before their first night together...

it’s a sight to see for Tsuki’s coworkers at the museum when Semi picks him up one day; they share the most lovesick-longing-hot-and-bothered-gaze you can imagine, but when they stand in front of each other- you called it- they bicker: Tsuki is late, Semi arrived too early, it’s too cold in the museum, Semi didn’t have to come, Tsuki wants to eat cake, but Semi needs a warm dinner first, ...

the people at the museum wouldn’t say anything, but when Semi came to watch a game of the Sendai frogs things get wild: Tsuki is already stressed, because Semi and Yamaguchi have never been together without him and while he loves and trusts both of them he doesn’t really want them to chat without him knowing what they’re talking about their big grins when they pointly look at him from the stands doesn’t help calm his nerves at all also Kyotani instantly knows who Semi is and Koganegawa is nosy enough to ask Tsuki about their relationship

When the game is over Tsuki just wants to go home, hold his boyfriend and listen to some music, but Semi and Yamaguchi already planned dinner together with Kyotani and Koganegawa and enjoy every huff and rumble from Tsuki also Semi knows that this will make their night together even better

if the Sendai frogs play against the Hiashi Automotive Lions Semi will 100% rile Tsuki up by cheering for Yamagata he does make sure to cheer more for Tsuki and afterwards Yamagata just rolls his eyes at both of them and is glad that Yamaguchi is normal and easy to talk to, while Tsuki does act civil but is clearly feeling a little jealous and Yamagata has no time and ambition to be part of Semi’s plan of bickering with his boyfriend

[shieldofrohan]

One doesn't have to go through GRRM's excerpts and interviews to figure out that he was favouring one sister over the other . It also makes me fear that he might not give a happy ending to Sansa because she harboured antagonistic relationship with his faves ( not being the perfect big sister and not sleeping with Tyrion) . I wouldn't be surprised if he makes Sansa apologize to Arya in ADOS and tell Tyrion how he was a good husband ( just like they made her do in the show) .

Hello Anon,

I once said that Martin = Ned about this favoring the one sister thing. And I think I was right.

So yes it is obvious but as the author he has every right to love one of his character more than the others. I don’t think that he owes us sth. What bothers me is that this favorism hurts the story but we have to deal with it.

BUT I have to say that I disagree with you. I never believed that Martin hates Sansa. And I don’t believe that he is writing a bad ending for her. I think when he was writing Sansa having antagonistic relationships with his faves, he wasn’t trying to make Sansa the villain. Him putting her in the opposite position of Arya, Tyrion, Ned etc was just another POV trap.

I certainly believe that Martin wanted readers to HATE/DISLIKE Sansa and I am sorry but no one can change my mind. It is obvious in his writing that he wanted “simple” readers to root for Arya/Ned/Tyrion. 

BUT this doesn’t mean that he was actually saying Tyrion and others were right/good while Sansa was being wrong/bad.

What I am trying to say is that, Martin’s writing and intentions are complicated and I believe that at some point things got of his hands a little.

Martin totally wanted to make Arya/Ned/Tyrion “look” more sympathetic and he totally wanted his readers side with them while making Sansa look like the problem in these characters’ stories. But this is a POV trap to a certain degree.

Let’s face it, Martin loves playing with readers’ expectations; so him creating an UNSYMPATHETIC girly girl who “creates” problems for fan-favorite characters and writing her as the winner of the story is his way of irritating his simple-readers.

I think unseasoned (I am not sure about this choice of word- I hope it manages to tell what I am trying to say. LOL) and regular YA fantasy genre fans who are only able to enjoy the surface of the text easily fell into this POV trap.

When we look at the Sansa-haters in the fandom we can see that they are local af with their tropes-based basic and boring theories. These fans still read this series like they are reading a simple YA book with mean sister/girl who is antagonizing the ugly duckling/ ugly but good man will end up alone and ugly. But Asoiaf is more nuanced than that.

So I believe that Martin wanted these surface-readers to fall into this POV trap. And he did all he could to make Sansa look less sympathetic one. Martin didn’t want “these" readers to root for Sansa at all. He wanted them to dislike her. This was his plan. Because he wanted to catch them off guard with Sansa.

I believe that he wanted people to like her slowly. I hate to say this (UGH) but he might have wanted to create what he created with Jaime/Theon like characters with Sansa. He was probably like: “Oh, you didn’t like her… watch me challenge you in this and watch her rising while your faves are falling down.”

THE FCKING PROBLEM IS: This PoV trap or whatever was so UNNECESSARY and at some point he failed. Because unlike Theon/Jaime/Sandor, Sansa has done nothing wrong and she never deserved the dislike in the first place.

I can see that he wanted to make her unsympathetic one but his way of doing this didn’t do the job well. I can accept that at certain degree he was challenging readers to dig deeper, but it is also obvious that HE believes Sansa needs to redeem herself a little too. That’s where you can see that he lost the control of his own story and how he fell into a trap too.

He shamelessly admits Sansa had a part in her father’s death without giving a defense or a criticism to Ned’s parenting. 

And I know that he defends his characters when he likes:

He defended Cat when people said she was whining all the time (the question was about Cat and SANSA but his answer was only about Cat… so no defense for Sansa huh?) or when they accused her mistreating Jon (and again he didn’t criticize Ned’s part in this whole Cat-Jon drama).

He defended Dany about causing a massacre in Astapor by telling that she is still young and needs experience and she had "noble intentions” (even though she actually had very selfish intentions and he literally minified her actions… the white old American in him makes him clueless sometimes: LOOK at FIRE AND BLOOD book.)

I mean, he created a POV trap with Sansa BUT he also failed to realize what he actually wrote because he himself believes Sansa needs to learn better and redeem herself. BUT the text screams SANSA HAS NEVER DONE ANYTHING WRONG AND OTHERS SHOULD BEG FOR HER FORGIVENESS.

Now let’s go back to your ask. 

I don’t think that Martin will write a miserable ending for her. I think she will have a happy-ish ending (my fear is what is happy according to Martin.. he can be edgy: "tHEre wAS nO HappY EnDiNg FoR fRODO!!" smh…)

But yeah he might write her being sorry about whole Arya thing… But I hope that both sisters will apologize to each other…

About Tyrion, I don’t know. Sometimes she hates Tyrion, sometimes she says he is a better husband option than poor Robin…

If he writes her apologizing Tyrion, I would hate it but I hope he won’t forget that Sansa is not Martin himself. But I think there is a possibility of Sansa being nice to her abusers (Tyrion or Sandor if they ever meet) to show that how good she is. And I think he might do this to make her more likable in the eyes of these basic readers…

BUT I trust Martin (to certain degree). AND I am sure that he won’t write her a bad ending.

Thanks for the ask.

[hd-learns-korean]

MUSICAL MONDAYS WEEK 2!

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a beautiful weekend and are all well rested.

It's that time of the week where I'm back with another study post! Whoop whoop.

The song this week absolutely slaps! I can't stop singing it. @tell-tale-taeil Thank you so much for recommending this for my Musical Monday's. Your taste in music is 10/10!

Song: Boat 보트

Artist: George 죠지

My thoughts on the song: If you're looking for a fun and light hearted little number I strongly recommend this. I can't stop singing the lyrics. The other day I was making a cup of tea, and out of nowhere I scream sung 'I'M ON A BOAT' much to the surprise of my mum, who rightly looked at me with concern. Sorry mum. The lyrics are stuck in my head and need an outlet. Great song. Go give it a listen when you have a few moments to spare. I warn you though, you will end up shouting "I'm on a boat" at random and sporadic moments throughout the day after hearing this! 😄

Notes: As I am still not 100% fluent in Korean, my study sentences are for me to practise writing in Korean. So there might be a few mistakes. If you spot any or a better way to translate a sentence, please let me know so I can correct it!

Translation Notes: I have included a mixture of my own sample sentences, Papago translation and Naver Dictionary. Where sentences are not my own I have labelled them.

Let's get this study show on the road!

VOCABULARY:

사방에 on every side/ on all sides/ all around/ everywhere

산지사방 all directions (Naver) Can also mean ‘Mountainous area’

사방에서 from every direction

사방에 벌들이 날고 있었어요! Bees were flying everywhere! (Nuance: Surrounded by bees on all sides)

사방을 살펴보다 look all around (Naver)

새 카페들이 사방에 생겨나고 있죠? New cafes are popping up everywhere, right?

사방을 살피다 Keep a sharp lookout (Naver)

산지사방으로 흩어지다 scatter/ be dispersed in all directions (Naver) (Scatter all over the country)

사방으로 싸다니다 bustle in and out/ hang about (Naver)

사방으로 비산하다 fly in all directions (Naver)

벌들은 사방으로 비산해고 있어요! Bees are flying everywhere!

새들은 사방으로 비산했어요. The birds scattered in all directions.

올리다 raise/ lift up/ achieve/ gain

Present Tense: 올려요

Past Tense: 올렸어요

Future Tense: 올릴 거예요

Nominal: 올림

Contrast: 올리지만

이자율을 올리다 raise/ drive up the interest rates (Naver)

기름 값을 올리다 raise the gas rates

이번년에서 가스회사는 기름값을 30%로 올렸어요. This year, the gas company raised the price of oil by 30%. (Mine + Papago)

저는 연간 3천만 원의 소득을 올리고 싶어요. I want to make a yearly profit of 30 million won a year. (Roughly £18,738.69) I want to earn 30 million won a year.

오른팔을 올릴 때 아픈가요? Does it hurt when you raise your right arm?

쏘아 올리다 launch/ shoot up/ send off (Naver)

로켓을 쏘아 올리다 Launch a rocket (Naver)

선취 득점을 올리다 score the first point on a game/ get on the score board first (Naver)

블로그에 글을 올리다 write on a blog (Naver) Post something on a blog.

오늘은 뮤지컬 월요에 대한 글을 블로그에 올리려고 해요. Today, I am going to blog about musical Mondays.//Today, I'm going to post a blog about musical Mondays.

페널티킥으로 득점을 올리다 score on a penalty kick (Naver)

머리를 올리다 put one’s hair up (Naver)

멀어지다 recede/ die away/ drift apart/ grow apart

Present Tense: 멀어져요

Past Tense: 멀어졌어요

Future Tense: 멀어질 거예요

Contrast: 멀어지지만

사이가 서로 멀어지다 Become estranged from each other

윤아 씨는 친구들과 사이가 멀어졌어요. Yoona has become estranged from her friends.

원하다 want/ wish/ hope/ desire

Present Tense: 원해요

Past Tense: 원했어요

Future Tense: 원할 거예요

Contrast: 원하지만

미나는 미래에 파리 미대에서 공부하기를 원해요. Mina wants to study at the Paris Academy of Fine Arts in the future. Mina hopes to study at the Paris Academy of Fine arts in the future.

다 사람들은 많이 돈을 원해요. Everyone wants a lot of money.

저는 천체물리학자가 되기를 원��어요. I wanted to be an astrophysicist.

탐욕스럽게 명예를 원하다 to be greedy/ hungry for fame/ honour. (Naver)

한심하다 pathetic/ pitiful

Present Tense: 한심해요

Past Tense: 한심했어요

Future Tense: 한심할 거예요 // 한심할 것이에요

Nominal: 한심함

한심하기 짝이 없다 To be extremely deplorable (Naver)

넌 한심하지 마! Don’t be pathetic!

다르다 different from/ different to

Present Tense: 달라요

Past Tense: 달랐어요

Future Tense: 다를 거예요

Contrast: 다르지만

질적으로 다르다 to differ in quality (Naver)

거리에 따라 다르다 vary with distance (Naver)

차원이 다르다 be entirely different/ belong to a different level (Naver)

생각이 다르다 have a different way of thinking (Naver)

취미가 서로 다르다 have quite different tastes (Naver)

내 친구와 나는 취미가 서로 달라요. My friend and I have different hobbies.

하루가 다르다 change from one day to the next/ rapidly change (Naver)

그는 기분이 하루가 달라요. His mood changes from one day to the next.

Another way to say this is: 그의 기분은 하루하루 변한다.

날씨는 하루가 다르다. The weather is different from day to day.

앞뒤가 다르다 to be inconstant/ to not add up. (Lit: One’s front and back are different)

그들의 이야기는 앞뒤가 달라요. 거짓말인 것 같아요. Their stories are different. I think it’s a lie.

정돈하다 tidy up/ straighten up/ arrange/ clear/ put sth in order

Present Tense: 정돈해요

Past Tense: 정돈했어요

Future Tense: 정돈할 거예요

오늘은 저의 집을 정돈했어요. I cleaned my house today. Lit: I put my house in order today. E.g I tidied my house today.

저의 주위를 정돈할 필요가 있어요. I need to organize my surroundings.

창고에 장비들이 잘 못 정돈되어 있었어요. The equipment was not well organized in the warehouse. (Modified Naver)

뜻밖의 unexpected/ unanticipated

저는 뜻밖의 희소식을 듣고 싶어요! I want to hear some unexpected good news!

어제밤에 우리는 뜻밖의 희소식을 들었어요! Last night we heard some unexpected good news! Last night we got some unexpected good news!

뜻밖의 손님이 들어왔는 것 같아요. I think we have an unexpected guest.

It seems that an unexpected guest has arrived.

뜻밖 unexpectedness/ a surprise

향하다 look/ face/ head towards

Present Tense: 향해요

Past Tense: 향했어요

Future Tense: 향할 거예요

Contrast: 향하지만

창문은 남쪽을 향해 나 있다 The window faces/ looks south. (Naver Example)

배는 바다를 향해 나아갔다 The boat headed out to sea. (Naver Example)

어선는 대서양를 향해 나아갔어요. The fishing boat headed for the Atlantic Ocean.

미나와 그녀의 가족은 도쿄을 향해 출발했어요. Mina and her family set off for Tokyo. Mina and her family departed for Tokyo.

내의 침실 창문은 숲을 향해 있어요. My bedroom window faces the forest.

마음이 고향을 향하다 To yearn for home. (Naver) Literally: My heart is heading towards my hometown.

우려하다 concern/ worry/ fear/ worry about/ fear that

Present Tense: 우려해요

Past Tense: 우려했어요

Future Tense: 우려할 거예요

많이 사람들은 경제 위기를 우려해요. Many people are concerned about the economic crisis.

우려 Concern

우려를 표명하다 Express concern over (Naver)

우려할 만한 worrying/ alarming/ serious (Naver)

Miscellaneous things I found interesting in this song!

회치다 slice raw fish/ prepared slice raw fish

회(를) 치다 prepare a raw fish dish

회 Sashimi

참치회 slices of raw tuna

모듬회 a plate of assorted raw fish

이 맥주는 회에 잘 어울리다. This beer goes well with sashimi.

GRAMMAR:

The grammar point that I have chosen from this song is an interesting one because it combines 2 grammar points into one.

ㄹ 수도 있지만: ...may happen, but....

The first grammar point in this is:

(을) ㄹ 수도 있다 – Talking about possibilities. May/ Might

It is a mixture of 을/ㄹ 수 있다 = Can/ expressing ability to do something and 도 meaning 'also'. When combined it means ‘Can also…’ = May or might.

The second grammar point is:

지만 – Even though/ but/ however

Shows a contrast between the two clauses.

Can also be used to connect two clauses together.

I will be creating separate grammar posts for each of these points listed above, otherwise this post will get real long!

When (을) ㄹ 수도 있다 and 지만 are combined it gives the impression of '....may happen but…'

Examples from the song:

큰 파도가 날 덮칠 수도 있지만A big wave might hit me,

뜻밖의 사과가 날 수도 있지만 There may be an unexpected apology/ accident.

There we go everyone! Study list complete! I hope you enjoyed studying with Musical Mondays, and that you liked listening to this amazing song too!

As always everyone,

Stay safe, have a beautiful day, and happy studying! x

Sources: Naver dictionary, Papago translation, Verbix.com, Unsplash.com.

[taikova]

Just looking back in your older posts and just wondering, how are you able to go to your old art and work on it again? Whenever I try to do that, I cringe way too hard and feel repulsed by it lol. I wanna try going back to some old WIPS though and was just wondering if you got any tips for getting past that initial cringe?

hey! for me, the further back the drawing is from, the more objectively i can look at it. some of the stuff from 6 months to a year ago? i’m not terribly fond of. but the stuff from like years ago i can look at now and see how much my art has changed and appreciate that. and i can see how different my drawing/storytelling process was compared to now and i can sometimes learn from that by bringing something back, or being aware that sth i do differently now, works.

if that sounds familiar, try going through our art from older and work yourself up to newer things? might help with the initial feeling.

to be completely honest i still don’t want to look at my old art TOO OFTEN because i easily see the flaws before the good. but i think an artist can learn not to look at their art so harshly? i find it’s similiar to self-critical thoughts, you catch yourself as you’re doing it and try to counter it by saying more nice (or just neutral) things to yourself, even if you don’t really believe it (yet). or with art, it’s more taking it like, as a natural part of the process of making art. it’s very common that you don’t like a lot of your older art! it’s just. how making art, and getting better at it, often times works! there’s a reason why artists do this “old vs new” art challenge a lot! it helps them see how much they’ve grown, i think.

i also try to care less about doing a perfect job or get attached to pieces of art right off the bat. it helps to try and do multiple versions of my pieces for that, especially if it’s something incomplete or the piece doesn’t quite work. and preferably do this at the sketching stage? sketching usually is meant to help you to pre-emptively not get stuck later in the process, so making the sketch rough and not caring about the precise lines, is helpful for that. give yourself options during this stage! if you’re less precious and more rough with the sketch, you can work more quickly and have a bit more purpose, just put down whatever is you want to say or what the piece is about in the sketch. also, in that vein, you CAN just completely redo the old WIP if you want? you don’t have to draw on the old WIP, you can just start over with the same base drawing. treat the old drawing like a sketch layer, or an idea reference, for example, and redo the WIP if it feels unsalvageable. treat it like a study, try to work out what about it doesn’t work and try to solve those problems in the new piece?

learning not to be repulsed with your old art is kind of an excercise in self-kindness, really. it doesn’t always work, there probably will be days when everything will suck and self-critique is really tough to get over, but for me, it has gotten a much less prominent thought - even if i think an old piece of art doesn’t look great, my reaction is less like “ugh how could i do that??” to “these things i can do better now” or “these i know i could still work on”. makes me so much more willing to learn new things when i’m not consciously or subconsciously thinking/fearing how my current art will eventually look like a piece of crap even though i’m proud of it now.

same thing with looking at other people’s art: be more appreciative of people’s process and compare yourself less to where other people are at with their art, even if they are “much better” than you. everyone’s at a different stage. it’s much better to take better-looking art as inspiration than a comparison. there’s ALWAYS going to be someone better than you, doesn’t mean you can’t be/become exceptionally good at something yourself, at your own pace and by your own merits.

managing to do all this this doesn’t mean you won’t be disgusted with your old stuff ever again, but it does mean you have a healthier disposition towards your past and current skills. i think being conscious of the self-critique has helped me grow as an artist, at least.

[riacte]

Unnecessary Hermit MCC Team Speculation

So according to Scott, teams are in the works, applications likely closed a few days ago, MCC 14 date is known to participants, MCC Twitter says they’re gonna steal CPK’s spotlight after wishing him a happy birthday. So we’re getting MCC 14 relatively soon. Hence I’m making my 284927391 hermit MCC team speculation.

Hermit duos:

Actually I think we’ll be seeing more duos in MCC S2.

1) Hermits and Scott have probably realized hermit duos perform way better than trios/ quartet (the only hermit duo team that didn’t get to DB is the first time False and Ren played)

2) They wanna meet new people, but they also want to play with friends. So 2+2 will be a good combo. You can meet new people while having a buddy you a stick to.

False + Cub

I don’t think any of the hermits are confirmed to join (Doc has shown interest) but I feel these two would most likely be in MCC 14?

1) False has been in every MCC since debut

2) Cub plays every other MCC, and he skipped MCC 13

3) Most important of all, they’ve both been polishing their skills through parkour and speedrunning etc. I think they’re currently the most competitive of the hermits, so I won’t be surprised at all if they pair up for a competitive team.

False + Grian

A surprisingly popular duo in post-MCC 13 team predictions. I like them as a duo, and I used to think we’ll have a bigger chance of getting False + Cub/Ren, but now I think about, the team predictions may be right.

1) False has been with Ren and Cub for their first victory, so according to ✨meta✨ she’ll be with Grian for his first victory and her third. The Hermit Winner enabler.

2) Grian is the only hermit regular who hasn’t won yet, and really really wants to win (he said he was gonna cry himself to sleep after he lost MCC 13 lol)

3) False is seen as the most competitive

So if Grian wants to win and go full competitive, and I feel Scott will likely pair him with False. Also Reddit loves this duo apparently. Another incentive.

False + Ren

Ah yes, the hermit team staple. Ex base-buddies my beloved. The duo that’s always been together. I miss them lmfao

I feel they’re gonna continue pairing up because False said she’s gonna collect all ranks with Ren? Also I feel Ren likely asks for False every time (Scott said someone asked for False back in MCC 9, we thought it was H, but apparently neither H or Fruit specified a person, so I guess it’s Ren. Makes sense because Ren’s with False literally every single time).

There’s not much to say except if they team up again, everyone saw it coming.

But also exactly because they’ve teamed up for so many times that they may decided to split for a MCC or two? That doesn’t seem to be what they’re doing though.

Ren + Cub

Honestly every time I think of this potential duo, I just see False sandwiched between them lmao. Because this a hermit trio. These two are probably False’s most frequent collaborators?? (Although there’s not much False and Ren collab this season)

Basically I somehow can’t see this happening without False. I’m sorry lmao

Grian + Cub

To a lot of people’s surprise, they haven’t teamed before. They’re probably the duo that collabs the least often on Hermitcraft so I kinda get why. Still wanna see this duo.

Grian + Ren

They’re close enough that they apparently visit each other irl. Which is very sweet. I can honestly see them as a duo, just chilling and having fun.

Hermit trios:

False + Ren + Grian/Cub. With the FRG trio happening more often in recent MCCs, FRC trio happening more often in the early, chill days. Hermit trio + S tier (aka. Lime Liches) is the most powerful version of hermit trios, and may even rival the strength of hermit duo + S tier teams.

FRG:

Honestly this seems like a feasible trio, especially when Cub skips a MCC/ plays with non hermits (MCC 7, 11, 12). There’s also the Lime Liches bias with this trio, so Scott might be more inclined to put them together?

Also if Cub skips, it means Scott will either have to make a hermit duo + solo hermit OR make a hermit trio. And Scott will probably put the solo hermit with hermit adjacent (eg. Grian with Pearl). Also pretty sure for this case, it’s gonna be False + Ren duo, Grian with hermit adjacent people just like MCC 9. That being said, MCC 9 was special because I think False and Ren specifically said they were gonna go competitive, while Grian not, so it makes sense for the split. For the current meta of competitive hermits, it might be easier for Scott to stuff the hermits together in a trio (eg. Lime Liches)??

FRC:

The last time this trio appeared was MCC 8. From that moment onwards, Cub has been in competitive teams either in a duo or solo, and had gotten to Dodgebolt in all his post-MCC 8 tourneys. So I honestly don’t know if we’ll see them together again. Maybe we’ll get something like Lime Liches.

New hermits:

I can see False-Ren-Doc as a trio for Doc’s first MCC.

1) This team appeared in CotC

2) To use Ren and Doc’s words: #ShipRendoc

3) Putting False here because I feel non hermits will be very ?!!???? at the Rendoc flirting

I can also see Iskall in a hermit trio. In particular Iskall-Grian-Ren

1) We got Team FRIC in MCC 5, so maybe something new?

2) Renskall. That’s it.

3) Everyone wants Grian-Iskall interaction, especially because they don’t collab that much this season compared to the last

But really I can see Iskall with every hermit regular. The reason I feel newcomers will be in trios not duos is that having two veterans to coach the newbie(s) is better than having one.

Hermit quartet

Genuinely don’t think this will happen if the hermits go competitive. Maybe we’ll get this for a chill MCC. Maybe not.

The hermit quartet in MCC 5 did pretty good though, but team standards have changed a lot since then. I kinda wanna see Iskall in another hermit quartet.

Others:

The famous Grian-False-Techno-Wilbur team, if you ignore the swearing thing and opposite Dodgebolt strategies. This team will have a fuckton of clout, probably comparable to MCC 13 Pink.

I actually feel this might happen because it’s highly popular and highly requested

But also 1) the swearing thing 2) Scott tends to put people who have similar attitudes (eg. hermits play with people who advocate arrow splitting) 3) they’re a powerful team. So maybe not.

Lime Liches. I seriously believe this might happen because of the very high demand and the Blue Bats bias. They got screwed over bc of parkour, many people think they deserve a redemption. They’re not too strong as a team either. It’ll be like MCC 8/9 Green.

Also the Fruit+Grian duo. I’m pretty sure this duo will happen at least once in S2. Grian famously commented he wants to team with Fruit, Fruit replied, even had an alt Twitch called “grianstanaccount”. Won’t be surprised at ALL if they ask for each other. Maybe this will happen along with LL redemption.

Hermits and H? This is to pacify the Blue Bats fandom. Also if we have hermit trio + Fruit, why not H lmao. But H said he wants to play with new people, and I think he said he wants to team with Puffy, sooo.... imagine we get sth like False Cub H Puffy. Lmao.

Hermits and Dream? I said I can’t see this happening, esp with Ren, but maybe Scott will do it for the Dreamslayer memes

Hermits and Quig? After Pete and Fruit, Quig is probably the most hermit friendly S tier. I think people said he would vibe well with the hermits. Quig is also involved in the X Life circle, which overlaps with the hermits’ circle.

Anyways. I’ve liked all Hermit teams so far, I’m sure Scott will make them fantastic as always. If you’ve reached this point, thank you for reading my pointless speculation. See you when MCC 14 teams are revealed :)