#three minutes of actual chaos and I've never been more in love

[kindahoping4forever]

Ash on IG Story

[respectthepetty]

10 Anticipated BLs for 2024

Since I'm excited for ALL the GLs (Pluto, 23.5, Sunshine in the Wind, Chaser Game, Be Mine, y todo!), I'm making my list of the 10 BLs I'm excited for this year with brief reasons why I'm looking forward to them. In my normal fashion, I cheat my way into having more. All except one is Thai because Thailand loves to tease series three years in advance, then never make them, but I strongly believe these are coming:

The Next Prince

Zee continues to never play a poor person, and a trailer is supposed to drop in the first quarter of this year. I never knew there was so many fencers on BL Tumblr, so I'm looking forward to everyone's commentary on how well the characters poke with their sticks or whatever fencers do.

Jack & Joker: U Steal My Heart

It's a heist BL. It has YinWar. It has Prom x Mark. It has Bonz. It's Dee Hup House (we got beef). It's Director Tee and probably Cinematographer Jim. It might have color coding. There is not one thing I can find wrong with this series. It's perfect on paper, and I'm praying that translates well to the screen.

Spare Me Your Mercy

Like that lady in Titanic, I've been waiting 80 years for this series (give me a minute to cry about MaxTul), and it's finally near! I'm getting JJ & Tor in a Dr. Sammon piece, who I feel writes "Be Gay, Do Crime" very well, so I'll be forgiving any of these two gays' wrongs including murder, attempted murder, contemplating murder, and murdering each other in the bedroom (ahhhh!).

Wandee Goodday

Golf from The Eclipse is directing. It's about Muay Thai. It has an older doctor and a younger boxer who start off as bed friends (and I think one is actually a virgin). It has color coding. It has me already seated and waiting with popcorn, and I think it might be the first offering that will be delivered from GMMTV's 2024 lineup.

Sequels: Choco Milk Shake 2, Unintentional Love Story 2, My Doctor

Is Choco Milk Shake 2 gonna finally give me poly? Probably not, but I hope My Doctor brings the same heat the side couple did in Be Mine, Superstar, and the side couple getting the spotlight in Unintentional Love Story 2 will also make my side-couple-supremacy heart very happy this year.

Live in Love

It looks color coded. That's it. That's the reason. Keeping my expectations low because it might not get made since this is Thailand's favorite game.

Red Peafowl

The character reveals were absolute chaos, so I'm hoping that chaos transfers over to the actual series because it can either be a mess or a masterpiece, but it cannot be mediocre with Max, Cooheart, Boun, Mek, and Yacht as supports. Plus, it has color coding and a bird that is quickly becoming a Tumblr god.

Love Upon a Time

Even though it is a historical queer series, which means it could be sad, I think Domundi will keep the sass, so James' character won't be crying in the 1600s club but instead eating fruit seductively to encourage Net's character to put his homosexual skills into practice instead of simply theorizing about them, which is something I need more of. Plus, it has color coding.

Love Puzzle

This is one that might not get made because . . . Thailand. It's connected to Chains of Heart, but I don't care because the cast looks good and Poppy is gonna finally get to kiss a homie. If this doesn't get made, I will cry thug tears. It's 2024. Poppy deserves to kiss a man already.

My Stand-In

I don't understand the plot, but it doesn't matter because Pepzi and Khom are directing, and in case that means nothing, those were KinnPorsche's directors! Then, it has Up and Poom as the leads, plus a stacked supporting cast. I'm here. I'm queer. And I'm ready to be served.

Honorable Mention: Peaceful Property

It's about los espookys and features Tay and New. Will it be a QL? The streets are saying no, but all the characters are color coded, and all's I'm saying is what would be the point of color coding them if I ain't getting a BL main couple and a GL side couple? It's already canon to me.

Bonus: MosBank & JoongDunk

MosBank had like eighty projects announced for 2023, and I got NONE! Big Dragon 2, Big Dragon: The Movie, SunsetxVibes, where you at?! Y Journey: Stay Like a Local and Club Friday do not count. I don't want to watch their horror movie, but gosh darnit, if that comes out before everything else, I just might.

And I am a JoongDunk fan first, and a human second. Give my boys a gym BL already, GMMTV!

[kanerallels]

bestie!! Can you tell me about your book, Land of Tales? I may have just stalked the tag for a solid forty minutes and I’m dying to know more (I LOVE me some good fairytale retellings)

BESTIE I LOVE YOU FOR SENDING ME THIS ASK I'm so so honored?? Thank you so much!! (also same we love fairy tale retellings they're amazing)

OKAY SO! I'm gonna give you a brief overview of the book in case you didn't see what it's about, then I'll do some fun facts because I deserve it as a treat and I'm hyperfixating on my own book series right now (and also Valiant. Minor detail. LET'S MOVE ON)

The main plot: My girl Rebecca Wood lives on Earth, but never knew her parents. She discovers at the beginning of the book that she, and the family she never knew, is from the fairy tale world, and so she goes there with the help of this socially awkward cinnamon roll, Liam. We love Liam, and we feel bad about the amount of Horrors I put him through, including but not limited to social interactions and torture

The rest of the book is basically Rebecca and Liam's travels through Avena (fairy tale world) meeting fairy tale characters and evading the evil Empress Goldilocks (who has magic plants and fairy tale princesses for assassins). And there are more books. Or there will be. Four overall in the main series, two prequels, umm... *pauses to count* okay yeah there are a lot of stories post canon. And I've already written a handful of short stories for fun and profit!

And now it's fun facts about some of the characters time:

Cinderella is, as mentioned, an assassin! She has fabulous fashion taste, glass shoes that can morph into any shoe type she wants, and is incredibly sadistic. Her husband Gavin is what would happen if Jean-Ralphio Saperstein, Schimdt from New Girl, and Oscar from The Rookie were fused into one incredibly vain, lazy person who wore a lot of capes

Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk is a pirate (occasionally of the sky). He's married to a future seer who basically tricked him into taking her hostage the first time they met, and has two kids. They are utter gremlins and we love them

Alec and Risha, who I've been talking about lately, are from Camelot. Risha's dad is Sir Gareth, aka Gawain's cool brother. In my series, the people of Camelot have Australian accents because why not?

OH MY GOSH I JUST THOUGHT OF A CHARACTER I HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT ON HERE okay his name is Bob. It's short for uhhhhhhhhhhhh I'm gonna be straight with y'all I don't remember his full name. It's really long. But he's the Magic Mirror from Snow White! He's a cursed prince who likes shipping his best friend with her love interest, and boba tea (if it exists in this universe. I shall ponder this) and he's just a little chaos gremlin and I would die for him

Somehow, every single ship in this series is enemies to lovers (except Alec and Risha, slow burn friends to idiots in love my beloved) and it's really funny to me. They're all different flavors of enemies to lovers, too. We've got "coworkers who annoy the crap out of each other to lovers", "I tried to kill your friends that one time and am involved in the organization that killed your brother but now we're working together and technically I'm engaged but it's a engagement of convenience and we're connecting to lovers", and one of my personal favorites, "you forced me to take you hostage that one time and now I'm stuck with you which is really annoying to lovers". There are, believe it or not, others

One more fun fact for the road: I have a book planned that's set after the series, and it's a combination of no less than three fairy tales at once. Possibly more, for all I know

Oh, and actually last of all! The first book in the series, which I shall not reveal the title of just yet because DRAMA, is finished! All polished up and shiny, and I'm currently looking into publishing options and cover artists! (also my girl a.spice is doing illustrations I can't wait for you guys to see them they're incredible)

[stargazer-sims]

Fox and Takahiro for the relationship ask 👉👈

Thanks for the ask, @nakasumi-sims ! Sorry this took a minute. I didn't realize how many of these I would get. I've enjoyed doing all of them so far, though, and I don't expect this one to be an exception!

Under a cut as usual, due to length.

Fox Abbottsford and Takahiro Suzuki

Disagreements:

Who is more likely to raise their voice?  Neither

Who threatens to leave but never actually does? Neither

Who actually keeps their word and leaves? Neither

Who trashes the house? Neither

Do either of them get physical? No

How often do they argue/disagree? They rarely argue, but they disagree fairly often.

Who is the first to apologise? It depends on who’s in the wrong. They’re both good at recognizing when they need to apologize

Sex:

Who is on top? Who is on the bottom? I combined these two questions because there is no top or bottom in this relationship. They are essentially celibate, mostly due to the fact that Fox is actually straight (or "heteroflexible" if you prefer). Fox is not sexually attracted to other men, and he's not generally romantically attracted to other men/male-presenting people either. Takahiro is the first and only man he's ever been romantically attracted to. Takahiro, meanwhile, is bisexual (but he doesn't have a particularly high sex drive). Nevertheless, these two absolutely are a couple. They're soulmates in the truest sense of the word.

Who has the strangest desires? Neither

Any kinks? No

Who’s dominant in bed? Neither

Is head ever in the equation? No

If so, who is better at performing it? n/a

Ever had sex in public? No

Who moans the most? Neither

Who leaves the most marks? Neither

Who screams the loudest? Neither

Who is the more experienced of the two? Takahiro, by virtue of the fact that he's the only one with any experience

Do they ‘fuck’ or ‘make love’? n/a

Rough or soft? n/a

How long do they usually last? n/a

Is protection used? n/a

Does it ever get boring? n/a

Where is the strangest place they’d have sex? n/a

Family:

Do your muses plan on having children/or have children? Yes

If so, how many children do your muses want/have? They have six "science babies"

Who is the favorite parent? Depends on which kid you ask. Forest and Camellia, who are twins and the oldest two children, would definitely say Fox is their favourite parent. Takahiro is Matsu and Willow's favourite parent. Takashi and Midori have no real preference.

Who is the authoritative parent? Both. They have six kids. House rules are important to keep the chaos to a minimum.

Who is more likely to allow the children to have a day off school? Neither.

Who lets the children indulge in sweets and junk food when the other isn’t around? Neither

Who turns up to extra curricular activities to support their children? It depends on the activity. Takahiro is more likely to show up to sports and cheerleading, while Fox is the one who usually attends things like art and theatre.

Who goes to parent teacher interviews? They both do.

Who changes the diapers? Since they had three babies at once (twice), it probably goes without saying that they both changed more than their fair share of diapers.

Who gets up in the middle of the night to feed the baby? See the previous question ^^

Who spends the most time with the children? They try to spend equal amounts of time with all the kids, but at the end of the day, Taka ends up spending more time with the sporty ones and Fox with the artsy ones.

Who packs their lunch boxes? It's usually Fox, since he does most of the cooking.

Who gives their children ‘the talk’? Takahiro

Who cleans up after the kids? This is a team effort. The kids help clean up after themselves just as much as their parents clean up after them.

Who worries the most? Fox

Who are the children more likely to learn their first swear word from? neither

Affection:

Who likes to cuddle? They both like to cuddle. Cuddling and physical touch are their primary forms of intimacy.

Who is the little spoon? They're equal opportunity cuddlers; there's no fixed role as "little spoon" and they will tend to switch. Fox is significantly larger than Takahiro, so this can be a bit awkward, but they make it work.

Who gets naughty in the most inappropriate of places? Neither

Who struggles to keep their hands to themselves?  Neither

How long can they cuddle until one becomes uncomfortable? It's usually Fox who becomes uncomfortable first, but they can cuddle for a long time before that happens.

Who gives the most kisses? Takahiro

What is their favourite non-sexual activity? Swimming is their favourite non-sexual thing to do together. They spend a lot of time in the pool.

Where is their favourite place to cuddle? On the loveseat on their balcony

Who is more likely to playfully grope the other?  Neither

How often do they get time to themselves? With six kids, spontaneous time alone is practically non-existent. The have regularly scheduled date nights and they'll plan a weekend away together every few months.

Sleeping:

Who snores? Fox

If both do, who snores the loudest? Fox, by default

Do they share a bed or sleep separately? They share a bed

If they sleep together, do they cozy up together or lay far apart? They'll usually start out cuddling, but will tend to drift away from each other when they fall asleep

Who talks in their sleep? Neither

What do they wear to bed? They both prefer to sleep in underwear and t-shirts/tank tops most of the time, but Fox will wear PJ pants and t-shirt during the coldest part of winter.

Are either of your muses insomniacs? No

Can sleeping pills be found by the bedside? No 

Do they wrap their limbs around each other or just lay side by side? When they're asleep, they tend to lie side by side.

Who wakes up with bed hair? They both do

Who wakes up first? They usually wake up together, or within minutes of each other. They're equally likely to wake up first.

Who prepares breakfast in bed for the other? Fox

What is their favourite sleeping position? Takahiro likes to sleep on his stomach and Fox is a side-sleeper

Who hogs the sheets? Fox

Do they set an alarm each night? Yes, but they often wake up ahead of it.

Can a television be found in their bedroom? No

Who has nightmares? Neither

Who has ridiculous dreams? Neither

Who sprawls out and takes up most of the bed?  Neither

Who makes the bed?  They take turns, but Takahiro does it more often.

What time is bed time?  There's no specific bedtime, but they consider it a victory if they're in bed by 11:00 p.m.

Any routines/rituals before bed? Nothing other than basic hygiene

Who’s the grumpiest when they wake up? Fox

Work:

Who is the busiest? They're both quite busy, but I will go with Fox for this one as he can sometimes get called to deal with emergencies.

Who rakes in the highest income? Fox

Are any of your muses unemployed? No

Who takes the most sick days? Fox, although he doesn't take an excessive amount of them.

Who is more likely to turn up late to work? Neither

Who sucks up to their boss? Neither. Takahiro is his own boss, and Fox thinks sucking up to the boss is something only people who are incompetent and bad at their jobs do.

What are their jobs? Fox is a child welfare social worker and Takahiro is an early childhood educator who owns and manages his own preschool.

Who stresses the most? Takahiro, because he's running a business

Do your muses enjoy or despise their careers/occupations? They both love their jobs. Their jobs aren't easy, and Fox's job in particular isn't fun, but they both enjoy the challenges their careers provide and they're both passionate about helping and caring for children.

Are your muses financially stable? Yes

Home:

Who does the washing? They take turns, and now that the kids are older, they help out as well.

Who takes out the trash? the kids

Who does the ironing? Fox

Who does the cooking? Fox

Who is more likely to burn the house down just trying? Neither. Takahiro knows his way around the kitchen, and he's in charge of baking. Fox is just the better cook of the two.

Who is messier?  Neither is particularly messy

Who leaves the toilet roll empty? Neither

Who leaves their dirty clothes on the floor? Neither

Who forgets to flush the toilet? Neither

Who is the prankster around the house? Takahiro

Who loses the car keys when it comes time to go somewhere? Neither

Who mows the lawn? Takahiro mostly does it, but they do take turns, and now the boys help too.

Who answers the telephone? They each have their own phone

Who does the vacuuming? They take turns

Who does the groceries? Usually Fox

Who takes the longest to shower? Takahiro

Who spends the most time in the bathroom? Fox

Miscellaneous:

Is money a problem? No

How many cars do they own? Three

Do they own their home or do they rent? They own it

Do they live near the coast or deep in the countryside? Neither. They live in a small city along a river.

Do they live in the city or in the country?  small city

Do they enjoy their surroundings? Yes

What’s their song? Beautiful Life - Bebe Rexha

What do they do when they’re away from each other? These two don't really go away from each other. With six kids, they don't feel they can leave just one of them to deal with that alone.

Where did they first meet? They first met when Fox was on a working holiday visa in Japan

How did they first meet? They actually met when Takahiro rescued Fox on the mountain. Fox had been hiking when he fell and seriously injured his leg. He lay there for quite some time before Takahiro noticed him while on a hike of his own. Takahiro was in the right place at the right time.

Who spends the most money when out shopping? Neither of them are big spenders.

Who’s more likely to flash their assets? Neither

Who finds it amusing when the other trips over? Takahiro is more likely to laugh when Fox trips, but Fox isn't above being amused when Taka trips.

Any mental issues? Fox sometimes struggles with anxiety and he's stilll working though his childhood trauma from his parents.

Who’s terrified of bugs? Neither

Who kills the spiders around the house? They generally don't kill them. One or the other will try to coax the spider out of the house

Their favourite place? Their balcony

Who pays the bills? Takahiro

Do they have any fears for their future? Not particularly

Who’s more likely to surprise the other with a fancy dinner? If it's a dinner at home, Fox would surprise Takahiro. If they're going out, it's more likely to be Taka surprising Fox.

Who uses up all of the hot water?  Neither

Who’s the tallest? Fox

Who’s more likely to just randomly hop into the shower with the other? Neither, really. They do bathe together sometimes, but it's usually planned rather than spontaneous.

 Who wanders around in their underwear? Takahiro. Fox is far too self-conscious for that.

Who sings the loudest when singing along to the radio? Takahiro

What do they tease each other about? Fox teases Taka about English words that he can never seem to remember (such as when he calls Fox's hair "orange" instead of "ginger" or "red"). Takahiro teases Fox about his apparent inability to dance when anybody is watching. Fox can dance passably when it's just him and Taka dancing in the kitchen, but as soon as Fox thinks anyone else can see him, he's got two left feet.

Who is more likely to cringe at the other’s fashion sense at times? Neither. They're both fairly normal and unadventurous when it comes to their fashion choices

Do they have mutual friends? Yes. They're mutual friends with Yuri and Victor Okamoto-Nelson, and Seiji & Sachiko Hinamori. Takahiro grew up with Seiji and Yuri

Who crushed first?  Takahiro

Any alcohol or substance related problems? No

Who is more likely to stumble home drunk at 3am? Neither

Who swears the most? Neither

__________

Wow... okay. After doing this, I realize Fox and Takahiro are actually boring asf. lol

[adracat]

So I have a feeling I'm gonna ramble on here, so tl:dr is basically I love your writing, thanks for sharing. With that out of the way:

I started by reading your G Witch myth analyses here on Tumblr. TBQH a lot of it went over my head, but I enjoyed them all (went through a mythology phase in like elementary school, so it's been a minute, but I still casually enjoy learning about myths). Then I saw you have fics on AO3. And as a millennial on the interwebs I am aware of the site, but as someone generally in the ace sphere of things I haven't actually spent any time over there. Anyway, I found your Law of Causality series and because my Sulemio brainrot is boundless I read As Above So Below. And boy howdy did I enjoy that. Like, read it a few times. The story telling is really good, and I love the little notes you stick on at the ends of the chapters. Now I am not a Prospera fan, so I didn't read Chaos and Night for a while. But eventually I decided I liked your writing enoughto give it a try. What can I say, I truly enjoy the world you concocted and wanted more of it. I'm glad I did, because I think that may be my favorite of the three stories. Still don't like Prospera as a person in general, but you wrote her so well. Like, girl, don't go making those stupid-ass choices. But obviously I see why she did, because her characterization comes through so strong in your stories, so she really had no choice in her decisions (tragically, yes). But, not to state the obvious or anything, Notrette is the one who steals the show. My favorite of your characters. The times where she is so open and honest and vulnerable in sharing her feelings with Prospera kills me every single time. She gets the best lines due to those situations. Like there are at least three times where she bluntly asks Prospera to stay in the garden, and that's not even counting the handful of times she asks for them to be a family. Damn. We all know what's gonna happen, but it doesn't make that knife's edge any less sharp. I have many favorite lines of hers, but up there is when she come back from Delling and tells Prospera she was only able to do it by thinking of her. Man, that whole interaction gets me every time and I gotta take a moment to pause and reflect. Absolutely heart wrenching. Anywho. Their toxic, tragic relationship is just so dynamic. Plus, again, all your mythology easter eggs were delightful. I thoroughly enjoyed looking up the different names and stories as I came upon/recognized them. (I'm actually naming a new character of mine in an upcoming ttrpg I'm joining after one of the gods I learned about and then did a deeper dive into late one night.) I'm sure there was quite a bit that slipped past my notice, which is a testament to your vast knowledge of a wide variety of deities across different cultures. Theophany was like a sweet afterwards/gift when it came out. Loved how it ties in the two stories, and how the two relationships mirror each other. Devastatingly so, and also in a beautiful way. I will never get over Prospera always being so firmly rooted in the past that she kills off so many healing futures she might have had. And how Suletta refuses to do the same, even without knowing her mother's tragedies, and is able to focus more on her present with a certain amount of forethought as well. Ugg, cycles indeed. I have, of course, read your other G Witch fics (the finished ones anyway, will get to the last one when it's completed). Those are great as well, but I mostly wanted to gush about your Law of Causality. I have read each story multiple times now. Just last night I finished reading all of them, in order, in their entirety. I can't get them out of my head (kinda want to go and reread my favorite parts again already) which is what lead me to reaching out to you. I'm not sure if this is poor etiquette or whatever, and I'm not an elegant writer like you, and it's certainly obnoxiously long, but I figured I've gotten so much enjoyment from your writing I ought to let you know. So. Thanks.

This made my day! Thank you so much for the gushing praise. Law of Causality possessed my soul while writing it, and I honestly think it may be the best thing I've written purely on a cohesive and thematic level. I wanted people to dive deep into everything I was doing there and think about why certain references were chosen. I'm looking for a moment to actually do a lengthy write-up on the stuff that may have been too obfuscated lmao. The two pairings are complimentary and contrasting tellings that I loved bringing to life. Prospera I knew would be a hard sell for people, but I'm glad you gave it a chance! Notrette's lines were a treat. (Ngl I reread too for them) I'm glad I wrote her saying the wildest off-the-wall shit to contrast Prospera's self-inflicted misery brainhole. It's incredible to know my work is seen and appreciated <3

[goldenhand9107]

Some observations about Buck coming out fic

so, I've thinking about the over 200 fics I've read in the past three weeks. so many of them have been wonderful and amazing and satisfied my poor obsessive heart, 9-1-1 is like, top 3 in my bookmarks rn. and the thing i love the most about all of them is how many different ways people have envisioned Buck coming out to the rest of his family.

cause all we have now for reference are Maddie and Eddie, right? one played a bit more humorful with jokes and quippy dialogue, and then one very serious (albeit, a bit rushed) coming out moment that clearly gives Buck some peace of mind. this is the only canon stuff we have to go off of.

so, we still don't know anything about how he'll come out to everyone else. with the Madney wedding and the seemingly three-week time skip (?), there's a lot of space to brainstorm about the circumstances and what he says to them, and how people react. it's like we're in a weird limbo of post-7x05, pre-7x06 where everyone is just taking the breadcrumbs of what we have and running with it. it's super fun to watch.

some of my favorite tropes that keep popping up: the classic pre-7x05 "Buck freaks out after the kiss and runs to Hen's house", the "telling everyone all at once at the firehouse", the "waiting until it's revealed kind of unintentionally at the wedding after nondescript chaos had occurred", or "someone clocks it when Tommy comes in to visit one day". Hen's reaction being like "omg welcome to the club" or possibly "you kissed WHO?!", Bobby being unsurprised and having a real Dad Moment™, Chim having a bit of a "wait wtf" or even getting more hung up Tommy is dating Buck, Athena giving Tommy the "you hurt him, i'll shoot you" talk, Josh LOSING it when he finds out Maddie's brother is dating a guy, everyone initially assuming the guy he kissed was Eddie.

it's such an interesting time because we have this framework from the end of the episode, and everyone is just playing around with different ways the conversations could happen. I think i've read like, eight different versions of Bobby being completely unphased by this revelation and i've loved all of them.

it's also probably a product of the fact that in actuality, 7x06 will be 70% Madney wedding drama; scenes with Chim being kidnapped (? or whatever), all hands on deck to find him, probably some karaoke flashbacks, hopefully a Tommy helicopter rescue scene, then the actual wedding happening at Bobby and Athena's house or something. so not much time for 5 minute long coming out scenes--i'm envisioning maybe stray comments in the whole 24 hours earlier they'll likely do leading up to Buck and Eddie waking up drunk, possibly have him sheepishly mention that his date to the wedding is Tommy. i think the worst thing they could do is have Buck telling everyone be off-camera.

so yeah, those are just some of my thoughts. my personal favorite version is Buck being like, "I'll tell everyone before the wedding!" so as to not make it a thing, Chim knowing he has a plus 1 and harassing him about who it is, Buck never getting around to it because he's still sort of awkward about the whole thing, then when Tommy airlifts Chim to his damn wedding, Buck just runs up and kisses him, and the whole 118 is like ???? it likely won't happen, but I adore that concept.

curious if others have some predictions for the actual coming out moments with the rest of the 118, or some of their favorite tropes that have arisen on ao3 over the past few weeks.

[thelediz]

I haven't watched Sonic prime bc something in me went "egh, no" after the first three minutes but when I heard abt Nines I immediately though about how you said Tails could be incredibly dangerous and his relationship with Sonic raised him out of a bad path hehe. I just kind of gauge Sonic and Pokemon stuff through your worldbuilding now lol I can't help it

Asides from that, I wanted to ask your thoughts abt Sonic's relationship with Gaia! You've mentioned you had Thoughts abt it in a couple of posts and it stuck to my mind bc I've always thoughts of Chip as a very one-off character (as in, I like him, but I've never thought of the Gaia mythos outside the context of Unleashed) but since you made a point of highlighting environmentalism in the Lost Prince I'd honestly really love to hear however much or however little you've thought on his relationship with the personification of the planet (both of them, even!)

Let me reassure you that "egh no" is a perfectly valid reaction to any media. Especially the first three minutes of ANY episode.

As to Sonic and environmentalism - honey, don't tempt a 90s kid.

I would argue that finding a balance with nature and sustainability has been part of the Sonic franchise since AT LEAST Sonic CD, if not the very beginning. And Sonic himself has been a literal force of nature since his inception, you just don't get into it very often because his ACTUAL purpose is to show off how the Mega Drive can go very fast with lots of colours, stop thinking about it so much.

(And you are skirting DANGEROUSLY close to my going on a gushing rant about why I love this franchise and the whole concept of controlled chaos. I shall try to contain myself.)

First off. I repeat: the actual purpose of Sonic the Hedgehog was to show off the capabilities of the Mega Drive and the technical skill of Sonic Team. Play any Sonic game on any platform (except 06, Lost World, and Boom, which all had Other Issues) and you will see how that team pushes the hardware to its absolute limit without causing problems. These people are skilled developers and they want you to know about it.

Now let me get madcap about character symbolism and worldbuilding.

Now, there's obviously the whole thing about Robotnik/Eggman being evil technology and polluting the environment, yes, yes, par for the course with half the other villains created in the 90s.

But the thing that made the Sonic franchise different is that Sonic never had any issue with technology AS A CONCEPT. He flies a bi-plane, Tails is an inventor himself, the good future as depicted by the Sonic franchise ALWAYS incorporates both technology and nature, and the whole idea of using chaos as a power source is basically code for sustainable engineering and renewable energy, because CHAOS ITSELF is as natural and inescapable as the sun and the wind and the only way we're going to lose them as a resource is if we -

Okay.

Stop.

Come back to the point.

Sonic's relationship with Gaia and the environment. Great.

Short point to be taken as a given, but which I can understand newer fans not realising because of the world they grew up in: the Sonic franchise, since its inception, has carried a theme of sustainability. You can take this to extremes by pointing out some vaguely anarcho-environmentalist takes about freeing captured animals, but I think it's more about the theming.

Every Sonic game starts in Green Hill Zone or a close equivalent: they're always lush and green and beautiful, and the deeper into Eggman's territory you get, the less naturalism you see. Eggman has gotten better about pollution, but he is always destroying nature in favour of machines. He uses and abuses the resources he finds until they cease to be visible, if not wiped out entirely. He has no thought about what he's going to do when these resources run out. He has no interest in how his desires impact the rest of the world. He just wants to build his theme park, staffed by robots, and anyone who disrupts that plan is impinging on HIS DREAMS and -

-cough-

Anyway.

Meanwhile, while Sonic and Tails use resources, they do so in measured ways, and only ever enough for their needs. In fact, in games like Sonic Colours, the resources (wisps) are actively forcing themselves on Sonic to be used. They transform him, and he just kind of goes along with it.

Because (and this is where I begin to actually answer your question), Sonic is a force of nature himself.

There are many versions of early Sonic lore, and you can take whichever one works for you, but in some of them, Sonic's first appearance in the world was him just... wandering lost in the woods, with no memory and no idea how he got there. He just appeared.

A spirit that appears when influence is needed on the world

Similarly, in most franchises these days, Sonic doesn't... live anywhere. He wanders the earth, he goes where the wind takes him, he isn't trying to do good, necessarily, he just stops the spread of bad when he sees it. In most current franchises, even when he DOES have a fixed address, it's... weird. Basically just a place for him to get out of the rain and store his strange collection of Stuff. Because he doesn't and isn't supposed to exist in the way of 'normal' people. He just is.

A lot of this is tied up in Sonic's relationship to Chaos, but I'd argue that nature and creation are inherently chaotic things. Have you ever seen what happens when a rose or blackberry bush is allowed to grow on its own? Madness! Trees will grow wherever they want, dandelions think a scrap of dirt in concrete is a wonderful spot to start a family, animals don't care about this concept of personal property that you have, and the human body doesn't give a damn about your 'schedule', it has NEEDS, dammit, and YOU ARE NOT PROVIDING THEM.

Go drink something. When was the last time you felt sunlight?

Anyway.

Even in the franchise, Sonic is unique among the characters for his relationship to chaos. All three male hedgehogs can use Chaos Emeralds to turn Super, but Shadow is artificial, and there is an argument that Silver is Shadow's son (don't @ me, I'm not invested and I don't want to get into it. Just accept the Dragon Ball Z reference and move on). Sonic is still an anomaly.

ALSO. Since Sonic Adventure, Chaos has been tied to emotion, and Sonic represents the positive side of that. The Water God Chaos represents the negative side of it. When they do battle, and positivity wins, neither side is destroyed. They just calm down and go away. You can't destroy emotion, you can only -

STOP.

So. If we agree that chaos is a part of nature, and Sonic is inherently tied to chaos, then you can see how Sonic can be read as a LITERAL force of nature. He exists to exert nature's influence and re-establish balance by being a positive chaotic force on the world.

And that's why he can also be inherently problematic because sometimes humans need nature to be controlled in order to live safely and SERIOUSLY LEDIZ STOP

The Adventure series made the subtext supertext, and Unleashed happily made it TEXT, but it's always been there. Sonic has always disrupted manEggman's march over the environment with nothing but his speed and natural resources.

Chip was a one-off character, but he is the continuation of a discussion enforced by Chaos, and then Shadow, and in many ways Metal Sonic, and Merlina, and lately followed up by Sage: personifications of how humans and their technology can disrupt and be disrupted by natural forces. Sonic's continuing triumph over these forces is a reminder that with good intent and effort, we can find a way to survive and maintain a sustainable future.

-DEEP BREATH AS WE EMERGE FROM THE THEORY MINES-

Watch me defend the Sega mandate about who can have a Super form with this madcap theory of mine

Listen to me get all cultural studies about how this ties Sonic into the storybook series because fairytales are implicitly tied to nature fables

The point is, Sonic is tied to nature, and so whenever the planet OR technology is personified, in any way, shape, or form, he WILL have a relationship with it.

And I will go back in my box now, thank you for not getting upset with my ramblings, please.

[blueberry-beanie]

Half Moon Run at Festsaal Kreuzberg, Berlin | 30th Sept. 2023 | photos by me

A little tale of a great concert with Half Moon Run and Flyte, and of spending a day in Berlin with Andrey the next day. I've divided the text into sections for you to skip to the best part.

Ich will nicht nach Berlin

Berlin has a special place reserved for me in its heart. However, it's not a place of love or appreciation, but a place of chaos and unforseen little catastrophes. This is why I barely wanted to get out of bed on Saturday morning to catch my train. For god's sake, I thought, as I stood sandwiched between other travellers in the second overcrowded train of the day, this city already hates me before I even get there. Of course, that had more to do with the prolonged weekend for German Day of Unity than with Berlin, but still.

Other than that everything went smoothly. The weather was really nice. I was even on time and had a good meal at the Vapiano in the main station. The hostel was fine, although I lost my way a little bit when trying to find it. I put on a new necklace I had bought while waiting for a connecting train and made my way to the Festsaal Kreuzberg. Of course I could not find the location right away as Google Maps lead me into some weird inner yard with loads of graffiti. There were several venues and some outdoor club as well and it was all situated near the river.

Wagenburgen and queues

Since there was no queue I decided to take a stroll along the Mauerweg near the river. Many people had the same idea as me because it was a beautiful Saturday evening. There is some sort of hippie camp in this park called the Wagenburg and people were making music there and dancing. When I returned, there was still no queue. However N had a little heart attack for me, because a certain satirist decided to appear after five months of silence to promote a demonstration against right wing politics. While I was still happily grinning like an idiot, I noticed a photographer and three guys across the street near the venue. I think it must have been the band taking some photos but I did not try to approach them.

People only started arriving half an hour before doors. And right away a young woman called Marianne joined me. She is a big fan of Half Moon Run and had never been to their concert because the band had never visited her home country Mexico. So now she was excited to finally see her heroes as well as their opening act Flyte. She was soon joined by Laurits, who was equally nice. He is actually a big fan of Flyte, so the evening was just a perfect opportunity for them.

The venue itself is actually quite beautiful. It was bigger than I anticipated with an entrance hall that also hosted the merch stand and the cloakroom. The concert hall had a balcony and a podium with red sofas. The three of us secured great spots at the middle-right of the stage. The stage itself was not separated by a barrier so we would have the best possible view.

When I decided to avoid the overcrowded merch stand at the end of the concert, Berlin intervened again and decided that today is not the day for card payments. So I had to return to pay for the album with cash a few minutes later. That was another girl's luck because I gave her the missing money for a t-shirt and and thanked me around forty-two times and immediately paid it back via Paypal. Then it was time to sit on the floor for a while longer and wait until the concert would begin.

Flyte and Half Moon Run

Around eight o'clock Flyte came on to play an acoustic setlist for us. The duo from London consists of the songwriters Will Taylor and Nick Hill. Both of them seemed lovely and have wonderful voices. The songs were calm and dreamy, some a bit sad, others hopeful. They were accompanied by some little stories and funny jokes and overall the audience seemed to love them. I soon realised that the lighting engineer was enjoying themselves with many colourful and moving lights, so I decided to take quite a few photos of the band. I tried out three different prisms to achieve a wide range of effects and overall had a wonderful time.

Then the "living room concert" was over and roadies came onstage to arrange everything for Half Moon Run. We were on Conner's side with the keyboard right in front of us. Dylan's drum kit and keyboard were situated in the middle to the back of the stage and Devon would play on the left side with his drum already set up next to the mic stand.

The band started with You Can Let Go from their current album Salt. It was a perfect opening and I enjoyed it right away. It was followed by one of my favourites, Hotel in Memphis. I was very happy to hear another favourite, Narrow Margins, as well. I realised quickly that everything sounded amazing and that the band hadn't lost any of their power or stage presence, despite of now being a trio. The last time I saw them in Manchester in 2019, they still had Isaac Symmonds as their fourth member, who has since gone solo.

What has not improved, however, is their lighting. It is a rare case when the support act has better lighting than the main band. It was cool and it did fit the songs but it was really dark, unpredictable and a nightmare for taking photos. The other thing I didn't enjoy was the overpowering bass for the likes of Salt and Alco. I think it did not fit the songs and made them less fun to listen to.

On the other hand, the performance of Devil May Care was just lovely. Just as in Manchester, the band gathered around one microphone at the front and sang together. The last song before the encore was She Wants to Know and the crowd went absolutely crazy for this one. Overall, the older songs sounded a bit more rounded and thought-through in my opinion and it was wonderful to hear them live again. The encore started with Favourite Boy and I really got nostalgic because that was the first song I heard live when they played in London at Rough Trade East. I instantly fell in love with it back then and listened to it a lot during my time in London.

Their last two songs were Fire Escape and then of course Full Circle, the ultimate banger. However, we cheered so much that they had to come back one more time to play a final song for us, Need It, another one from their first album. And that was it - the final bow and the lights came up again. Marianne, absolutely overjoyed for the entire concert, caught one of Conner's picks. The setlist went to another girl, but that was alright too.

Happy endings at the merch stand

We went to the merch table because the woman working there had told me earlier that the band may come out. But first there were the two lovely guys from Flyte. Laurits had the time of his life with his heroes, they gave him a hug and took the cutest photo together with their heads resting on his shoulder. They looked like old friends! Overall such an extremely lovely band. If they had any of their albums there I would have bought one. But instead I only told them that I enjoyed their show and that their lights were beautiful. Apparently the lighting designer had been allowed full artistic freedom. I told them that I had a lot of nice photos and they encouraged me to share them later. (They actually did see and share the photos today, which is really lovely!) Then, when almost everyone had already gone, suddenly Devon and Dylan appeared out of nowhere. I actually wouldn't have noticed them right next to me behind a wooden counter if Marianne hadn't exclaimed that they were there. "Wow, where did you come from so fast?" I asked them in surprise. Devon was actually being cheeky and replied "Oh why, we're actually quite late." They first attended to Marianne who was absolutely overjoyed to talk to them. Then it was already my turn and I asked them to sign a CD for me and Devon inquired about my name. So now I have two personally signed Half Moon Run CDs already, yay! I told them it was great to see them again because the last time was in London and Manchester four years ago and Devon agreed that this felt like an eternity. Both of them were kind enough to pose for a photo and I thanked them again and stepped back to allow others to talk to them. Marianne actually ended up going back again to take a photo and the night was already more than perfect.

Nighttime fries

Marianne and Laurits decided to walk me to the nearest station at Treptower park. We talked about concerts and bribing band members with chocolate. Marianne made me laugh a lot when she complimented my "dancing" which is really just me vibing to my favourite songs. I can't dance at all. Because their friend didn't pick up the phone to arrange a meet up they asked me if I wanted to grab food with them. Actually I was very hungry and had nothing at the hostel, so I thanked them and agreed. We went back to Jannowitzbrücke and found a Döner that was still open. After some fries and cold drinks we parted with hugs and I walked back to the hostel to shower and fall into bed.

I have a special place in Berlin's heart - part two

Berlin truly loves me. After around four hours asleep I was wide awake at six in the morning although I only had to leave at ten to meet Andrey. Andrey is a friend of N - he is originally from Moscow but he came to Berlin to live and work in his dream city. He's been here only for a bit more than two months and already feels like a local, walking around in Treptower Park and picking up all cats in a five kilometer radius daily. So I thought, to avoid getting more of the wrath of Berlin, I should team up with someone who loves this city as much as it loves him.

As it turned out, that was a brilliant idea because even with Andrey by my side, we were not in luck that day. It already started with me somehow going to the wrong station, getting lost while explaining to a foreign tourist couple how they shouldn't get lost, and then discovering that my coat had some stains while trying to navigate to his house. Even at his house when I rang the doorbell I somehow managed to run up the wrong staircase, resulting in him being very confused where I disappeared to.

Andrey is a lovely and very outgoing person who is excellent at leading conversations and navigating through the city. An overall well-mannered and lovely guy who makes you feel very safe and relaxed. I am not sure whether he got that part or whether my jokes about how easy it would be to abduct me because I have no sense of orientation unsettled him. In any case we could not have breakfast at the coffee shop he wanted, so we walked to an alternative.

I must confess I have never had breakfast with someone at any bakery or anything. Closest would be some sort of brunch I had in Vienna last year, but that was more like lunch already. Here we had a bagel for me and some eggs for him as well as chai latte and orange juice. The breakfast was tasty, but two wasps agreed that Andrey was much tastier than the breakfast altogether. The poor guy had to battle with them until one fell into my orange juice and flew off after a rescue with the straw.

We talked about a wide variety of topics the whole day as he is a very chatty person who always comes up with something new to inquire about. After the breakfast we took a train to the Museumsinsel where the Pergamon is situated alongside other museums. If Berlin hates me, the Pergamon hates me just a little bit more because this has been at least the fourth attempt to visit it - and it did not turn out again. In fact we could not visit any of the museums because the entry was (almost) free that day. That means that everything was completely booked out.

Berlin zoo and miso soup

I suggested to go to the zoo instead and Andrey agreed. I hadn't been to a zoo since childhood and Andrey had not seen all of it during his last visit. On top of that the weather was absolutely perfect. We took a bus to the zoo and could skip the queue because I had already bought the tickets online. The zoo was well-attended, but not overcrowded at most places. We saw many cool animals, including monkeys, owls and an elephant up close. The elephant was eating acorns and it was amazing to see such a huge animal up close. Meanwhile Andrey insisted that it would be better to have the lions closer and that petting the jaguar would in fact not be dangerous for him. I shocked him a bit with dark humour about bitten off hands or broken bones but I think he was still alright because it was compensated by some compliments about his beard.

We didn't get to see a lot of the pandas and no snakes at all because they were in the aquarium for no reason, but instead we walked for quite a bit to get to some Japanese restaurant that served miso soup. We had to eat in a hurry and our plan of calling N while waiting for food did not work out. We instead called her on the way back to his apartment, where we had left my backpack. It was too short and too chaotic but better than no call at all. Thankfully we made it to the main station in time. Here we were greeted by another special kind of luck only I bring to this city: There were huge queues outside the grocery stores and we had to buy insanely pricey drinks at subway. We parted with a hug and I felt a bit sad and empty to be alone so suddenly after a whole day with such engaging company.

Maybe the drunk guy at the platform thought the same, so he immediately began to follow me around and harrass me literally two minutes after Andrey had gone. This city really loves me... Thankfully I got into another train compartment than him and had a calm journey. There were no significant delays or anything on my way back - on the contrary: My acquaintance and evening show co-mod from the radio was in the same train back home and we travelled the last part together.

Dear Berlin, I had such a wonderful weekend in your city - I just wish you would show me more love. Maybe we should do couple therapy together? I would surely love to come back to see another concert and maybe say hi to Andrey once again. See you soon!

[niceyniceyzoozoo]

hiiii if you’re still taking howince hurt/comfort prompts, “come on, let’s get you cleaned up”?

Thank you for sending this! I am literally always taking prompts I love doing little prompts :)

I'm also changing the timeline for the end of the chokes for angst purposes

-

Howard had only returned to pick up the rest of his things and leave his keys behind.

Maybe he'd leave a dramatic note, or a signed headshot. Something that could really be worth some money after he hit it big.

Of course, Jurgen still hadn't disclosed the nature of his special project with Howard yet, but he had put Howard up in a dingy apartment for the past two months, giving him fine whiskey and cheap cigarettes to better "hone his craft."

So clearly, this project was a special one.

Howard crept into the Naboutique, holding the bell over the door still so it couldn't ring.

It was nearly the middle of the night, ten minutes past Vince's preferred time to arrive at any gathering.

Naboo and Bollo would be DJing, and Vince would be preening in front of a crowd.

If he wasn't still on tour with The Black Tubes. Howard hadn't kept up with the news of Vince's new band.

He was surprised to see the main area of the flat just as he had left it.

As Howard was the only one who cleaned, he had imagined it would fall into a state of pure disgust. But everything was neat and tidy, although covered in a noticeable layer of dust.

He had to convince himself not to get the feather duster from the hall cupboard. He was on a mission, after all.

The door to his old room opened slowly, and silently.

And now, this was different.

The room was utter chaos.

Not that Vince was exactly a neat person, but his piles of clothing always had some semblance of organization that only Vince could understand, and Howard's items had never been mixed into the mess.

But not, it was everywhere.

Howard's clothes were strewn about the room, mingling with Vince's clothes all around the floor.

Howard's desk had been upended, as though someone had pushed it over in a fit of anger. His stationary village seemed to have been hit by a hurricane.

Howard noticed scrapbooks, the ones Vince had created to keep their photographs safe, placed on Vince's bed, looking more like a nest than an actual bed, piled with blankets and clothes.

But the greatest shock of all, was on Howard's bed.

Vince was sitting up, perched on his knees, and staring at Howard.

His hair was a state, half of it pulled up into a tiny ponytail that had obviously been in for three days, at least. His roots were more visible than Howard can remember them being, mousy brown like a halo, dissolving into black.

And that's definitely Howard's shirt he's got on, the olive-beige button-down he wore nearly every day at the zoo.

It was misbuttoned, and christy, Vince was thin. His collarbones stuck out more than they should, and his cheekbones were even pointier.

He didn't look well.

He looked dull, and drained, and fucking sad.

Vince squeezed his eyes closed.

"You ain't real. 'm jus' dreamin' again," he mumbled. Howard watched him pinch his own leg.

His eyes opened again, and he seemed shocked to still see Howard lingering in the doorway.

"Um, not. I'm not. I mean, well, I'm not not real." Howard coughed. "I've come to-"

take you with me.

stay here with you forever.

tell you that you're the only thing that truly matters to me.

"collect the rest of my things."

Bushbaby eyes filled with shining tears.

"So that's it, then? You're taking your things and leaving?"

Howard didn't realize he could miss someone so much, until he heard Vince speak. Until he heard his uncharacteristically quiet voice.

He'd forgotten just how lovely Vince's voice was when it slid over his raw emotions.

How had he not felt this ache? This terrible pain in his chest at the mere idea of leaving Vince.

He had done it so easily when he thought Vince didn't care about him.

He had told himself time and time again that he didn't care about Vince, even if it was a complete lie.

And here they are. They care about each other, and they're both hurt, and sad, and how could Howard possibly ever leave?

"No," he cleared his throat, speaking up, his voice ringing through the room. "No. I am going to stay. I am, Vince-" he choked. He choked just like on that stage a lifetime ago.

He felt the crunching of paper, and for fuck's sake. This was the worst possible time to go all stiff and quiet.

But Vince, lovely, perfect, mind-reading Vince, simply stood up from the bed, and wrapped his arms around Howard.

It was everything. His little man holding on with all his strength, his body shaking as he held back his sobs.

Howard was such an idiot.

But he felt himself loosen in Vince's arms, so much so that he was able to return the hug.

"I'm sorry, Vince. I'm so sorry. Please, Little Man, please forgive me."

"'Oward, I'm sorry. 'm sorry I made you leave, that I-I, you thought I didn't care."

And once again, Vince was reading his mind just like Howard had never left.

"I'm staying right here, Vince. I promise." He brought a hand up to stroke through Vince's hair, surprised at the feeling of it.

It was silky smooth the way it was with no product, and it was stiff and immobile.

It was greasy, and knotted, and Vince wasn't taking care of himself with Howard gone.

The eerily clean living room made sense.

Vince was spending his time cooped up in this bedroom, in their bedroom, and he wasn't taking care of himself, because Howard always did that.

Howard made sure he was fed and chided him to pick up after himself. He made sure the laundry was clean and the dishes were put away.

And it's not as though Vince can't bathe himself, he loves primping and getting beautiful.

Clearly, he didn't care.

He didn't care about himself when Howard wasn't there to help him do it.

"Come on, Little Man. Let's get you cleaned up."

[analogwriting]

I love those “if you were a character in…” but I’m 100% I’d be dead in any of those worlds lmao

Heart pirates? I don’t know SHIT about medicine. Sure, my mom is a psychiatrist but it’s not like I’ll give Law prescriptions for anti depressants 😭

Kid pirates? They look like my friend group but Kid would kill me fr he would not allow my ass in that ship no matter how punk I look (which I don’t)…

Honestly my best bet is the strawhat pirates, I could be robin’s apprentice or something because I like archeology :D. This also reminds me of the time I dreamt about getting stuck in the one piece word but I didn’t understand what they were saying because they were speaking in japanese EXCEPT for Sanji who spoke in french too so I was able to communicate (i actually don’t know french in real life idk why in my dream I understood him)

- number 1 kese hater

you're so absolutely valid ongg i have a weird relationship with the ocean. like i love being in it and visiting it (i live in the midwest and have visited the ocean, like, three times) but it's vastness scares the everliving shit out of me. im in love with her but i fear her. being on a boat tho in the middle of it all???? i'd pass away. i get nervous just driving over large rivers on a bridge. i've been on a boat one time and a ferry, like, twice. scared every time lmfao and i can't even begin to tell you how many dreams about the ocean i have had. and not like, drowning or anything. just about how vast and unknown she is. ugh i love her

I only think i'd have a shot with the heart pirates because before i had to drop out of college, i was going to be a forensic pathologist, so i have a lot of science and medical knowledge in my cranium. but it's the submarine that draws the line for me. i would pass away. i would end up with cabin fever and claustrophobia and simply just pass away.

i am a shithead through and through and i'd be clowning on kid at all times. i'd be a nightmare for him. i don't give a shit who you are - i'm CLOWNING on you fr. like you really thought you could take on shanks? dumbass forreal. is it bc he's gotta have redhair superiority? like if you wanna join the red hair pirates just say so...jkjkjk (kid i still love you but NO ONE is safe from my dogging) i be roasting everyone left and right. so honestly, he'd probably HATE me. but i think he secretly just loves arguing.

gimme five minutes, i'll get you lookin punk in no time. im sure i got some patches around here somewhere to make you a vest and i've got PLENTY of eyeliner and hairspray just lemme know what era we going with lmao

i love robin so much. she's so beautiful and smart and i'd kill for her frfr. i think i could survive with the strawhats. they have a level of chaos im used to and luffy reminds me of my little sister.

i meeean more than 1/3 of the french language is the same in english, so understanding sanji makes a lot of sense. the language is also just pretty similar in general in terms of words. (i took it in hs bc i was convinced i was going to move to cambridge or smth with my pathology degree that i never ended up getting lmao)

or maybe sanji was talking to you through your dreams frfr. you guys LINKED IN FORREAL NOW

[hebimoonlightwrites]

hiyaa hru hebi? :D its neru here! your summer event looks so cute!! i was actually contemplating for a while about which prompt to pick,,, i was stuck between the arcade theme and the rose theme… so… I SPUN A WHEEL! i can’t make decisions for the life of me i swear- ANYWAYSS IT LANDED ON THE ARCADE THEME!! which is perfect because i absolutely love them!! i’m pretty decent at them! if it doesnt go in after 3 tries i’ll definitely be the type to bang on the glass ^^; do you like arcades hebi?

sorry for ranting so much, but may i request ichiro and a romantic scene at an arcade? (👾) being the big dork he is, i can already imagine the chaos 😭

btw i saw your little game about who we would ship you with! i’m not too sure who your fav is, but i’m sure your bright personality will be more than enough to make your fav like you! :D

have a great day or night hebi!

neru!!

Writer's corner: Hey, Neru! I'm so glad and happy to hear from you! My summer vacation was great. I'm so happy that October has started, actually, so I will come back to have a proper daily routine and won't spend my days going around my house without knowing what I have to to xD♥ It kinda makes me feel so empty inside! (Also I'll turn 20 soon and I can't wait to spend my birthday dedicating my time completely to myself!)♥ Btw, I have never been in an arcade, actually! Planning on doing it with my friends soon enough! Also thank you for requesting and, omg.. I can relate about the spinning wheel stuff! That's something I usually do myself!♥ Please, enjoy what I've written for you, and feel free to tell me in case you want me to fix or change anything!♥

mc's pronouns: THEY/THEM (GN!mc)

Warnings: sfw, nothing bad here♥

☀️𝐈𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐨☀️𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐆𝐍!𝐦𝐜

👾: At the Arcade with them (R)

☀️All that people around can hear was mc's laughter at Ichiro trying to shot some cans in the arcade. He looks so focused, yet he can't really win that game and it seems very funny to mc, who has already played a round and managed to hit three cans, winning a small plush. The rapper has promised them to win the game and getting a cute plush for them, yet he is still there trying to hit a single can. He laughs too and after a while. After realising that his round has finished, he starts laughing more. He looks so terribly clumsy yet so energetic mc can't help but joins his laughter. "Oh, well.. I tried!", he says happily.

☀️Ichiro then decides to try another game there at the arcade. He takes mc's hand and they both walk to the next game they want to try. Ichiro looks very happy, more than before, maybe because he knows he has more chances of winning with the next game they both are going to try. The game was called "Rhythmic Microphone", and it is a rhythm game where the gamer has to find a word that rhymes with the other one. It looks pretty chill, especially in the first rounds. Mc and Ichiro decides to try it and play against each others. Both are having fun, and as the rounds go on, they have to find more words each time and in less time per round.

☀️"Noo..! I lost!", mc laughs and Ichiro joins their laughter, patting their head softly. They are having a good time for real! "Don't give up, honey! Let's do another round together!", he supports his sweet mc and clicks the button on the screen to start a new round. As the game go on and it starts to be each minute harder, Ichiro looks very focused on the screen while the words are passing on it. Mc cannot help but turns their head and look at his face, those sparkling eyes of his. He looks so cute but handsome at the same time that mc can feel their heart beating faster suddenly.

☀️"Huh..? Honey...? It's your turn!", he laughs and mc gets startled and blushes heavily, looking at the screen and thinking about a word rhyming with the one on it. They have just started staring at him and getting lost in their thoughts! Ichiro chuckles and then he moves his hand. Mc doesn't notice him but as they are about to end their turn, he soon moves his hand on the back of their head- through their hair- and pulls them closer to him. Their lips touch and mc gaspes softly in surprise. They kiss him back slowly and blushing more, feeling the warmth of his hands through their hair and their hearts beating together. Soon enough on the screen the word "you lost" appears. "Ichi..!!.. I lost again, oof! It's your fault!..", mc chuckles and pouts. The black-haired guy smiles and soon his lips touch mc's ear:

☀️"You might have lost this game, babe... but you won my heart anyway..."

©hebimoonlightwrites_tumblr Please, do not copy my contents nor repost it without my permission.

[snowmuttgetsweird]

3/5/23 CW: Abuse/Trauma mention kinda? ADHD stuff, anxiety stuff, "The Bluey Post."

Last couple days have been okay. I've been learning to manage the panic attacks better. I didn't actually have one today- I kinda had a smaller episode yesterday, but I put on some Bluey and it turns out to be like, magic anti-panic attack medicine. Who knew.

Some people have heard me say (seen me type?) before that after watching Zootopia, I didn't want to FUCK Clawhauser; I just wanted to be his friend. My first real furry crush was Alex the Lion from Madagascar- just a bright, bouncy, funny, silly, charming character that loved to perform and loved people- bonus points for having huge bappy manimal paws and big chompy teeth. This is going somewhere, I promise.

I feel like there's this positivity vacuum in my life that makes me a sucker for hyper-pure characters and content, like it artificially fills some kind of void that makes me wish I were a part of it in an earnest and genuine way.

Bluey has been like... The greatest expression of that feeling. I love watching Bluey never stop being bossy because she gets away with it nine times out of ten due to her shear charisma. I love watching Bingo constantly challenged to fight for attention and respect, and ultimately succeeding. I love watching the chaos that unfolds literally any time that Muffin is on-screen. I love the way Bandit genuinely loves his daughters and does everything in his power to spend time with them and indulge them, even if it's not always on his preferred terms. I love the storyboarding, the subtle hints at deeper trauma across the cast, the relatability of the characters.

I remember before ever seeing the show, I saw a clip of Jack on Twitter. Why can't you sit still? Why can't you remember anything? Why can't you just do what you're told? He stops fidgeting for a moment and really thinks about it and says, sadly:

"... I don't know."

I cried to that clip- hard- because that moment with Jack was my entire childhood and was the most I ever related to a character. It was the most I had ever seen of myself on a TV show packed into three words uttered by a cartoon jack russell terrier that couldn't remember his god damn hat.

Every day of my life, my dad yelled and screamed at me asking why I couldn't do these simple things he asked me to do and all I could say was "I don't know." Sometimes he'd scream it back at me at the top of his lungs in that condescending slurred "pretending to be special needs" tone, mocking me.

My third grade teacher tried to tell my parents "Chris is very smart but has a difficult time staying on task and participating in class- I think that Chris may be struggling with ADHD" and my mom jumped down her throat for suggesting her son could have been anything less than perfect. She didn't attend parent teacher conferences anymore after that. Where dad was hard on me, mom coddled me and kept me "under [her] wing" as dad would say.

I grew up "smart" and "gifted" but "lazy" and "unmotivated," bullshitting and last-minute-ing my way through school, flopping upwards and somehow convincing everyone I was everything they thought I was.

I'm not medicated or diagnosed and I can't afford to be, but I KNOW I'm ADHD. Seeing the way other people struggle and relating to it all- the time blindness, the hyper-focus, the terrible working memory, the difficulty managing emotions, the executive dysfunction, the rambling- yes I know I'm doing it right now, sorry- all of it and more.

At THAT moment, seeing Jack internally question why he can't do all these simple things really endeared me to the character, and I knew I wanted to watch Bluey for more than just lusting after Bandit (god help me he's still so fucking ideal). When I actually watched the show and reached that episode, I was floored by just how beautifully and subtly the show straight up teaches kids about ADHD without ever mentioning it.

Rusty involves Jack in a game that challenges every debilitating aspect of his neurodivergency, and Jack succeeds in every event based on the three motivational pillars of ADHD: Urgency, Novelty, and Personal Interest. If you think of motivation as a bridge, those three things make up the planks you step across, and if any or all of them are missing, it's MUCH harder for someone with ADHD to stay invested in the task at hand and follow through from start to finish without struggling along the way. It's a game, so there's novelty. Jack wants to make a good impression on Rusty, so there's personal interest. In the last part of the game, they need that dust off NOW, so there's your urgency. All three allow Jack to overcome his poor working memory (difficulty remembering multiple pieces of information across short periods of time), his inability to sit still, and his executive dysfunction (inability to actively prioritize what your brain decides to focus its attention on). The episode is just extremely well researched. Fun fact, did you know there's a prominent, internationally recognized authority in the field of ADHD research named Russell Barkley? Coincidence? I think not!

Obviously I got off-track and rambled a bit and now I'm mentally spent, but all I mean to say is that Bluey is a really, overwhelmingly beautiful and cozy show and I'm extremely thankful to have it in my life. It is genuinely beautiful artistically and the animators are given a lot of opportunity to flex their creativity. There's a lot to love but that first episode with Jack was the one that really sold me on it.

It's about 1:30 AM now, I've got a pot roast I've gotta get in the slow cooker in the morning, and I think I'm more prone to panic attacks when I'm sleep-deprived, so I'm gonna try to maneuver around this cat that's leaned up against my thigh and go to sleep.

I don't know if anyone is actually reading these, but I kinda like typing them either way.

Night.

[no-te-lo-voy-a-dar]

Star Trek TOS S1 Ep02 - Charlie X

this episode starts and I'm already confused but delighted because Kirk is wearing the V neck green shirt FOR SOME UNEXPLAINED (so far) reason and they quickly show us how Charlie is to not be trusted but quickly give us that sprinkle of "he's just a boy regardless, he's amazed and curious" which, okay

THEN. NOT EVEN 10 MINUTES IN. they show me McCoy and Spock bickering on the bridge while McCoy is sitting on/against the controls panel and ?!?!?? and Jim tries to step in but then they start again and these three are a riot i adore them and when Kirk tells Bones to take care of Charlie regardless Spock has such a smug face omg WHERE did all the stereotypes i've heard during my life come from this alien is quite expressive actually and im here for it

adding to that, we have the funky moment of Spock playing a lyre (WHICH I DIDN'T KNOW HE DID) and Uhura singing and he looks AHFJSHFHSHF like a mix or offended and amused due the lyrics (it's about him and he knows it). he has a face of "i play for you to sing and yet you sing about me. idk if be offended or what" but like, fondly

AFTER WE SEE JIM KIRK BEING AN ABSOLUTE CHAOS OF A FATHER FIGURE BY GIVING SUCH A BAD EXPLANATION TO CHARLIE AS TO WHY HE SHOULDN'T SLAP GIRLS ON THEIR ASS AND it was hilarious honestly

then we keep seeing glances at how unstable and dangerous Charlie actually is AND the first time we see/learn about Kirk and Spock playing chess together and i gotta admit i was worried for the Vulcan for a moment there. then the odd yet understandable due plot and everything else speech about Charlie wanting Yeoman Janice and then we see a very nice talk where she requests Kirk speaks with him to leave her alone. idk that exchange and Kirk being soft and being like "okay I'll talk to him" was, nice

AND THEN we have him trying to guide this very lost boy and while what Kirk said makes sense to me it was still very confusing in the delivery but oh well

THEN WE HAVE HIM SHIRTLESS???? JUST BECAUSE, while trying to teach Charlie something. first Jim "tiddies out" Kirk witnessing. sad about that Sam tho :(

then we see more chaos and Kirk, Spock and McCoy being the three braincells they are and i love them and apparently McCoy has a thing for sitting on tables and honestly good for him because same. Uhura gets hurt, and then Spock is being made to talk in silly rhymes and there's something about Kirk being protective of his crew that will never tire me out

then we have Charlie at the Yeoman's room and Spock getting his legs broken??? and the Yeoman disappearing?????? and Kirk being very adamant about needing Spock ("You need me to run the ship and I need him")

then we see more of the chaos Charlie does and how he keeps getting away from Kirk's and Spock's ideas and then the idea of overload the kid and then we get a floating green head who apparently is from the beings who gave Charlie his powers? and his reason to run away is understandable and just like the Captain i did feel a little bad about him at the end and probably the wise course of action would have been to just take his powers away but idk how that works anyways - probably just plot device

and this episode ends in a very weird feeling and state before the cheery tune of the credits comes in :D

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

Intro to Part 1:

In Seoul, South Korea, in 1954, Sun Myung Moon founded the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity, a new religious institution that would quickly become known as the Unification Church, and one of the biggest cults in modern history. Adherents would come to be known as "Moonies," following the controlling teachings a man who considered himself a new Jesus. Sexual rituals, physical and psychological abuse, financial corruption, and so much more follow in this real life soap opera of a story.

Intro to Part 2:

Today we conclude yesterday's wild exploration of the cult Sun Myung Moon founded in Seoul, South Korea, in 1954. Moon's corruption and insanity finally begin to catch up with him before his death sends the empire he built into chaos. Also – Black Heung Jin may be the most entertaining character I've ever come across in any of these episodes. I wish we knew SO much more about his crazy ass. Hail Nimrod!

________________________________

Black Heung Jin Nim – Violence in the Moon church

The Tragedy of the Six Marys VIDEO transcript in English

Sun Myung Moon’s Ejaculate in the Holy Wine of the Unification Church

Japanese woman recruited by the Unification Church and sold to an older Korean farmer

Soon-ae Hong (the mother of Hak Ja Han) spent two years in Chuncheon Prison after Ansu beating an 18-year old boy to death.

Nansook Hong, transcripts of three interviews, including ‘60 Minutes’

Nansook Hong In The Shadow Of The Moons, part 1

Sam Park, Moon’s secret son, reveals hidden history (2014)

After Sun Myung Moon’s help, North Korea Launch an SLBM Missile on October 2, 2019

Moon’s first wife, Choi Seon-gil, and Kim Deok-jin interviewed

Sun Myung Moon’s secret love child – Mother Jones link

The Tragedy of the Six Marys website

________________________________

Comments:

I went to Bard College back in the late 70s, not far from the Barrytown Moonie compound. I have a zillion hysterical stories about the war between the Bardians and Moonies back then. Just recently, Bard bought their old compound… git even yet? lol

That's crazy I lived in the New Yorker dorm rooms my junior year of college. Shitty hotel.

I grew up near the Moonie mansion! They terrified me! They were everywhere always handing out flowers. They were so weird and spacey! My mother told me they were brainwashed, at a little kid I thought it was a literal thing, which was super creepy to me!

I was actually approached by a Moonie when I was in college in little Erie, Pennsylvania back in 1984 or 85. They gave me the song and dance first of a friendly group who got together a couple times a week and I should come and see what I thought. I can't remember what I thought of the idea, but at the end they asked what I thought of Rev. Sun Myung Moon and I said "Not much". Our little talk ended quickly. I have always been glad I knew enough or was just lucky enough not get pulled into that cult. I was young, innocent and questioning religion enough that it could have happened. That terrifies me, even more after this episode. Thanks as always Suckmaster. Never thought I'd actually have a personal experience with anything to do with a Timesuck topic.

[riot-control-camp]

WIP Wednesday!

finally starting these! tagged by the mutuals (and others) who put "you, the one reading this" in their tag lists /lh thank you i love you all

i have. SO MANY FUCKING WIPS IT'S NOT EVEN FUNNY but the main two i've been working on are as follows!

details under the cut!

1. "Hello My Old Heart"

this is a davey/angel canon-divergence where angel is a wedding planner recruited to assist in the organization of asher and babe's wedding! david did not know about this and he is Not Thrilled that his ex that he parted with under...complicated circumstances is now part of the wedding planning that he can Totally Handle On His Own, Thank You Very Much

Excerpt:

“We haven’t even touched the idea of planning anything yet, because you stubborn shits can’t focus for three fucking seconds,” David points out, smoothing his menu over the booth table. He’s starting to think this is another one of Ash’s half-baked schemes to get him out of the house; they’ve met up to start organizing twice in the past week with no results except a large tab.   “We haven’t done that because you can’t stop lookin’ around like everyone in this bar is planning a flash re-enactment of the Ides of fuckin’ March,” Milo says. “Stop bein’ an idiot.”   “That’s my best man, saving the day from...well, from my other best man,” Asher jokes. “But, I’m serious, buddy. The second we order, Babe’s fancy notebook is coming out to play, alright?”   David growls, because the waiter has come over asking if they’re ready to order at least three different times, only to get waved away without so much as an appetizer to show for it. At this rate, they’ll be here until the bar closes. “Keep lying to yourself, Ash. And you better tip well—we've been hogging the table for an hour and wasting their opportunity to get customers who actually know what they want.”   “We are going to tip excellently,” Asher concedes. “As a group. But until then, drink your drink and try to chill out.”  

2. "Never Love an Anchor" (which should tell you all you need to know about my music taste and how i title things /lh)

this is a magnus archives wip i've had cooking for a long time without a lot of time to dedicate to it, but the conceit is immortal jon and time traveler martin who's been searching for a cure for his mom.

Excerpt:

“You’re back again?” Jon says, like he’s bored of it. It’s one of the worse acts he’s put on, hiding his smile in the folds of his robes instead of keeping it off his face altogether.   “Yes,” says Martin.   “In that case, your books are in the corner, and I’ll get your pallet out from storage--though I expect it’s more mildew than anything else at this point. Still, you’re welcome to it.” Jon points to an unassuming crate in the corner, turned on its side as a bookshelf.   The spines of the books are all dusted. “You didn’t have to do that,” Martin says, flushing helplessly.   “I know,” Jon says as he climbs up to the eaves and pulls the second pallet and its accompanying dust cloud down from its nook.  “It just didn’t seem right to let them rot, and it only took a few moments a day to keep them in working order.”   Martin crosses the room and wraps his arms around Jon’s turned back. “You missed me.”   Jon tenses in surprise, then melts back into him, resting his head on Martin’s shoulder. “Yes,” he admits.  “More than you know.”   Martin nestles his chin on top of Jon’s head, humming contentedly. For a few minutes, they stand there, taking each other in and listening to the rustling of the trees outside.  Martin opens his eyes, not knowing when he closed them and spitting out a tiny bit of Jon’s hair. “So,” he starts a little too knowingly, “are we still pretending that this pallet is actually usable after spending at least a decade up in your attic?”  “I,” Jon says primly, “have no idea what you are implying.” 

that's all folks! sorry for any formatting chaos as i have Not Done This Before (/lh) take care and thanks for reading!

[writing2023]

Nostalgia

NOSTALGIA

I miss you. Not in the way you think, I've distanced myself from the person you once were so much that I can barely remember what it felt like when we were happy. No, I ache for the pain, the chaos that surrounded you and therefore by extension surrounded me. I ache for the uncertainty of being together in the eye of the storm, watching it all come to ruins as we stood there in eerie silence waiting for the storm that you were to take us with you.

I’m sure that if I could ask you today, you would say you went down so that we wouldn’t. That in your death, you took one for the team and freed us from the chains of your addiction but I disagree. I'm sorry, but you took us down with you. Actually, I think you dragged me further into the depths than them. See, they could still see some light above them that encouraged them to look up and forward, but not me. To my eyes your shadow was overpowering— you blinded me. For years I lived in it. In the darkness that flowed out of you and into me, I couldn't see much else. For years after you left it clung to me like a weirdly comforting ghost that I both resented and loved. see, that’s the irony of it. You destroyed me once, and I long for you to do it again. You taught me how to live in your chaos and now that you’re gone I don’t know how to live without it.

There's beauty and light and joy in my life but as I sit laughing with them at the dinner table that I used to associate with screams, I long for your anger. I was raised in it, you see. In this role of caretaker I never chose which you all assigned to me. I was your lifeline. Over and over again, I found you minutes from a death of your own making and got you to breathe again. Caring for you became who I was. School, friends, hobbies— they were

nothing but side quests in the real great purpose of my life: saving all of us. Every emergency injection of insulin, every call to the emergency number, every blackout I recounted to you the next morning, that’s what I existed for. Your very own home nurse, therapist, doctor, mother, punching bag, in the shape of a daughter.

On that fatal morning, I lost more than a father. I lost myself. All of me was based on you, and so in killing yourself, you killed me. You killed the girl I was and you left me to pick up the broken pieces of our family, once again. Eventually, they healed. They didn’t need me anymore, and obviously neither did you, and I became useless. I lived for you, and then I lived for them, and no one ever taught me how to live for myself.

You can’t destroy me anymore. Your overpowering shadow has almost been reduced to dust thanks to ssris and hours of therapy which I worked so hard for. Now that you’re gone, that the flashbacks and nightmares have stopped, that I don't jump at every loud sound, I miss the pain. I miss the fear, the tears, the screams, because back then I was still trying. I still had something to try for, and I still thought maybe if I loved you hard enough I would succeed.

Soon, it’ll be three years since I failed. I've built a new life for myself, I've found new people to live for including myself and yet if I were to find a lamp I could rub for a wish, I would beg the genie to let me try again. I would spend the rest of my life drowning in your pain if it meant I could be near you again. But genies don’t exist, neither does time travel, and so I'm stuck with your absence, mourning for your neglect and your abuse.