#well I rambled hopefully it made sense 😅

[the-bi-space-ace]

I have been DYING to get a minute to sit down and write out my thoughts about this because oooooooh boy you really got my brain racing with this one.

Echo and Fives have been so much of a package deal that they’ve fallen into a pattern they’re both comfortable with. Echo has a level head, confidence, and he’s very comfortable with authority figures. Fives is passionate and fiery but he also gets antsy with waiting around. The having to think about what’s coming next really gets to him whereas Echo doesn’t get that nervous.

I have noticed that there are several times Fives follows Echo’s lead, lets him take the front, and Echo is their voice. Often when you’re so intertwined with someone else you can tend to fall into patterns that work for you and I think it’s totally possible that happened for Fives and Echo.

Echo just does so well with structure, mediating, strategy and the planning process. It seems to get him more ready to get moving. Hearing about what’s going on, their mission, how they’re going to help, just gets him fired up to get going. He is never hesitant to state exactly what he thinks and he is a compelling man. When he believes in something he’s hard to ignore. Fives just wants to get out there and do it. The more he has to hear about how bad it is, how many steps it’s going to take, how dangerous it is, the more nervous he becomes. It’s like he has this anxiety about having to hear about it, sit with it, know it’s coming. The anticipation drives him up a wall he would really rather just do it and let his adrenaline do the talking.

Echo is so comfortable in the structure of it all. He likes having rules and boundaries and he likes knowing how to bend them. He’s confident, which is something I love about him. And Fives is confident too just in the ‘doing’ phase more so than the ‘planning’ phase.

I like the idea that they level each other out. That they need each other for different things. An equal and balanced partnership. A partnership that is shaken to its core at the Citadel. Fives has to learn to make up for the balancing act he lost.

And in a lot of ways he does. He changes. It’s so clear to me that by Umbara there is something different about him. The way he fights for what he thinks is right is something I’ve just come to associate with Fives but I like seeing him grow into it, find ways to speak out, and make people see him. Fives is one of those characters that really grows into himself, ya know? We see him at a few different stages of life and see how he’s changed from his cadet years and I’ll always be proud of the man Fives became.

I know Echo is proud of him, too.

I’ve always loved the idea that Echo was 60% of the chaos of the domino twins. Fives gave a good 40% of it but mostly held on for dear life and made sure Echo had someone backing him up. He knew Echo would have his back, would stand up for them and would recite every regulation he could remember to get them out of hot water. Echo may not be able to lie one bit but if he can use his knowledge against you he’s golden. The second they had a plan Fives would be all for it, ready to go, jumping in as fast as he could, but Fives knew to let Echo do the talking if they got caught so he could get them out of the hole they’d dug themselves.

I don’t know really where I was going with this just that I love it and can’t get enough of these two 🩶

Fives Thoughts

Sooooo I literally just made a post being like 'here are some fun bits from Umbara because the arc is depressing and I don't wanna talk about the sad bits' but uh... I had thoughts in the last 15 mins and now I wanna share them. 😃

And of course tagging as usual for people I'm interested to hear opinions from: @saturn-sends-hugs @inkstainedhandswithrings @the-bi-space-ace

It's been a while since I watched these story arcs back-to-back, so a lot of the character development is really showing atm. And one I find interesting is a shift in Fives between The Citadel and Umbara.

Fives has always had a bit of a firey personality, but up until this point he's been a little bit held back with that passion for the most part. And I'm gonna touch in something that @novaceleste and @spaceyjessa spoke about in their podcast (@coffeeandclones I was just listening to it the other day and they talk about some interesting points. Defo recommend you check it out. Also #JusticeForDroidbait2024) because it really is the basis for this whole point. Despite Fives being the brasher, slightly more hardheaded personality, and Echo being the more by-the-books one, it's Echo that tends to do a lot of the talking when authority is involved. When they speak to Shaak Ti, it's Echo that takes the lead, while Fives is a little more hesitant.

And when they first meet Rex and Cody, Fives automatically introduces himself as CT-27-5555, despite being very open about his displeasure of being called that throughout their training. He has this louder personality but he tends to draw into himself and panic slightly when put in front of authority.

However, he still has these more fiery moments, like during his speech in ARC Troopers. When he's put in a fight, that spark within him comes out full force. "My blood is boiling for a fight." That's what drives Fives. That's where that passion comes from. He always wanted to make ARC trooper, to prove himself and to demonstrate that fire in the fight.

And yet when we get to the Citadel, he's surprisingly nervous. Echo seems to be fairly on board with everything, he's listening intently, he's down with the plan. But Fives is rather hesitant and doesn't seem totally enthused about the whole thing. They've made ARC trooper, they're being included in a specialist mission, the things that Fives so desperately worked for. But now that they're here? He's really not comfortable with it.

And I think that Fives' passion and drive is so prominent in the heat of battle because his adrenaline is going, he's got the energy to burn and so that's when we see this fire in him. But in the quieter moments, the meetings, the in-between fights? He's nervous. Those are the moments where he can sit on it and really think about what they're up against. And what becomes really apparent is that Fives is absolutely terrified of the thing that fuels his fire. The thing he worked so hard for scares the absolute shit out of him. And for good reason.

But it's never been so much of an issue because he had Echo. Echo, who's more level headed, who feels comfortable with plans and formats and authority. He could be the comforting presence that Fives needed outside of battle, while Fives could be the spark in it. They're like fire and water. They keep each other regulated, balanced.

But then The Citadel happens.

And watching the Umbara arc, I noticed that Fives doesn't have that very noticeable fear. It's not that it's absent, it's just that it isn't so obvious all of the time. Of course, some of that is going to come with experience, he's been an ARC for longer, he's know Rex for a while so there's slightly more comfort with that level of authority, but he's definitely more consistently confident than he was before.

So my suggestion is, what if that comes as a result of losing Echo (at least in part)? He doesn't have that calming presence anymore, the one to balance his nerves. He doesn't have someone to stand firm beside him or take the bigger step for the two of them, so he's had to learn to do that himself. I think part of it is natural growth that comes with experience (to quote Rex: "experience outranks everything") but I do also think it comes with no longer having that constant other half. Fives has had to learn to balance himself.

Like I said earlier, a lot of this links back to stuff said in Nova and Jessa's podcast, so I'd recommend checking it out. But I just wanted to add my extra thoughts on it, having just watched Umbara, because it definitely stuck out to me on this rewatch.

[what-about-yogurt-night]

homewarming spoilerssssss

Insane ramblings below

Ok so I've seen a lot of folks suggest that the single pea on a plate could be symbolism for Eddie being isolated from everyone/everything around him, right?

Well, I was thinking back to the gelatin dish and how there's a single pea inside it...

Since gelatin is Frank's signature dish (not to mention their name is clearly stated in the title), I think this could in some way represent the relationship between Frank and Eddie, with Frank (the gelatin) trying to keep Eddie (the pea) safe, but in doing so Eddie is still being isolated (In order to keep their relationship secret--cause one or both of them might get kicked off the show or worse if it gets out--Frank acts indifferent around Eddie, and this might add to Eddie feeling like he doesn't belong cause they can't properly express themselves).

Idk this made more sense when it came to me last night but hopefully y'all can make some sense from it???😂😅😅

Also if y'all have any other interpretations of the single pea in gelatin lemme know👀👀

[atla-confessions]

I normally dislike a/b/o stuff (mostly because of how it’s usually an au for purely sexual reasons) but to be completely honest my brain has been stuck thinking about a/b/o in ATLA, to the point I’ve made around five plus google documents about it, three being unpublished and rushed fics plus two being rambles. My mind focuses on the weirdest of things. Anyways, since I can’t stop thinking about it, I just wanted to put it down here so that my mind hopefully starts being so focused on actual important things.

NGL, I’m an Omega Sokka and Alpha Katara truther. I just feel like it makes more sense to me than them both being Alphas or both being Omegas or whatever, ya know? I want to explain more but I, unfortunately, would make a fool of myself because it just shows goes to show much I’ve thought about this all if I already have an explanation prepared. But yeah, while I can handle the idea of an Alpha Sokka, whenever I think of him as an Omega my mind is quick to be all ‘Well, it makes sense, considering how he acts in canon, his choices, blah blah blah…’ same with Omega Katara v.s Alpha Katara.

Personally, I think that in ATLA, pups would present some time after they become 12 (can take weeks, months, maybe even a year or two), so for the entirety of ATLA Toph and Aang are unpresented. But in the comics and such, I’d say Aang would be a Beta and Toph either a Beta as well or an Alpha, but I lean more towards the idea of her being an Alpha.

I think Suki could be a Beta or Omega, but I usually see her as a Beta. She could possibly be an Alpha, and I wouldn’t mind hearing what people think she could be, but I mostly assume she isn’t an Alpha because I feel like it wouldn’t make exact sense. Her wariness of men and how she protects and supports girls so much makes me think if a/b/o were a thing, she’d also feel the need to protect Omegas/Betas from bad Alphas… and it would be a little strange to make her an Alpha if she was trying to protect her girls from them, wouldn’t it? I’m not sure. Either way, I think Sukka would still happen; Betas/Omegas can be with Omegas as well, not just Alphas.

I know that with most a/b/o ATLA fics people tend to make Zuko an Omega, but I seriously think he’d be an Alpha. It makes a lot more sense to me than him being an Omega does, but it’s hard to explain myself considering that this has been in my head for around a week or two now and this whole post is just a random thing I made. I’ll try my best though; I feel like he doesn’t embrace his Alpha tendencies much because of how Azula and Ozai (both Alphas) act and treat others, and he’s afraid of becoming like them. Before his redemption he was deadset on trying his best to be like them, but there was always an underlying disgust he felt at trying to fit into shoes that were a size too big for him. But he continued trying to be a manipulative Alpha anyways because he thought his feelings were cowardly and weak. Does that make sense? I want to explain more, I really do, but I already feel so awkward talking about this all. It feels like I’m nervously rambling to a judge who could throw rotten tomatoes at me at any moment and shout, ‘OFF WITH THEIR HEAD!’ for being dumb 🥲.

I’m not gonna give each of Ozai’s Angels a whole paragraph, nor the side characters, so I’ll just put what I think their second gender is here:

Jet, Azula, Ozai, Iroh, Hakoda: Alphas

Mai, Bato, Hama: Betas

Ty Lee, Yue, Kanna plus Kya, she’s important even if she’s passed long ago: Omegas

There’s probably more characters I missed but who cares! Sorry for the ramble and the scattered ideas, and if you guys don’t like a/b/o please don’t throw a tomato at my anonymous face. Still hurts, even if it’s not directly to me. I’ll maybe speak more about it if it interests others? Maybe? 😅 Like I have a whole document ready of stuff that isn’t even close to finished but that I’d still be willing to talk about!! But I don’t know, just like… if you care to know more… I DON’T KNOW!!! Ahhh! Don’t throw tomatoes and boo at me I’m a sensitive little dudeboygirlthing !!!!

X

[mysticbeaver]

Your opinion on all the side characters? Or what you like or dislike in each of them?

Thanks for the ask, and it's a long one! Nice for a change. Let's see...

- Jonny 2x4 - one of the characters I'm guilty of neglecting... But I think he's a fun, quirky kid (even when he's supposed to be annoying). I remember when I first watched Dear Ed (where he got in a fight with Plank) the scene at the playground made me sad for him. It seems to me there's not much Jonny fanart here on tumblr compared to how Plank and him are considered icons of the show elsewhere. That's probably what makes some like me less interested in the character... I hardly react to pics of real Plank IRL, sorry Plank fans 😅

- Sarah - she's fun... c'mon! Again, non-tumblr fans are on a different planet, the hate boners people have for a 6-7(?) year-old character are entertaining... for a while. I love that she's actually intimidating and strong, she ain't just bark and no bite, another less slapstick-focused show would have handled her differently. A lot of people cheer for the scene where Ed shouts at her in Little Ed Blue, cause they want to see her get "just desserts", but I never care about that, I like her for the rabid little princess she is lol. I also like people's headcanons of her treating her brother better as she grows up, and hopefully escaping the unhealthy favoritism from her parents.

- Jimmy -  even more than Sarah, the hate he sometimes gets is really tedious to me... he's always entertaining, especially his "theatre kid" moments, and his squeaky voice borders on "dog frequencies" sometimes haha. The only thing I've found slightly odd is maybe his flaws and negative traits (spoiled, Sarah always has his back, secretly a cunning little bastard) are sometimes given a free pass just because he's queer-coded, maybe? This only ever bothered me exclusively in relation to someone like Kevin being written off instead, but this my own bias, just a lighthearted observation (for real tho please tell me if this is a dumb reasoning)

- Nazz - she's the nicest and most well-adjusted "normal" kid around (if you ask me kevin ain't normal haha), but had an unfortunate starting point of "girl all the boys have a crush on", which she was never developed out of, or at least not nearly enough as she should have been. I've read something about the writers struggling to figure out what to do with her, maybe? Can't remember. Some people point out her hidden intelligence, but I think it would also be interesting to explore her negative traits, mainly I see her as slightly two-faced/flighty when it comes to how she interacts with the Eds.

Kevin - oh boy, my sense of this character is probably so skewed... The one character I used to get upset and annoyed about like an idiot, in regards to other people's takes and such, sometimes I resent the fact I ever got fixated on the character... why??? Help 🤣 I guess what torments me is that the viewer was never really meant to like him or find him interesting in any way? and doing otherwise is just a case of "fandom brainrot", I dunno what others think 😵‍💫 His jerk/bully role is definitely handled in more interesting ways than other shows would, there's enough meat to the character I guess it's possible to be invested in headcanons/developments. (or so I convince myself...)

Without getting too rambling, let's just say I love him as much as I'd find it entertaining to see him get incinerated by a flamethrower lmao.

Rolf - my other favorite ofc, and a much more pleasant one lol. Nothing embarrassing about loving this character, for sure. In fact I'm probably guilty of not seeing his flaws, but I guess he can be arrogant, and violent/gross with his traditions, when he could learn to be lenient considering how he's treated with a fair amount of tolerance by the cul-de-sac. But in the end he's just a kid trying to get used to a new land and culture.

Kanker sisters - I never thought much about Lee but my eyes have been opened by the implication that being the oldest one in a tough family/social background kinda excuses a lot of her behavior... But others can analyse this better than me.

I think Marie is the unfortunate middle sister who maybe had the least distinct personality? (beyond her aesthetic hinting at her being a punk chick), thankfully she's got plenty fans (btw her being underdeveloped is more food for thought for marie x nazz/nazzarie 👀...). I haven't got much to say unfortunately, other than my first eene ship was eddmarie exactly because of Marie development.

I'm guilty of seeing May as the most innocent one (certainly thanks to that bit where she cries in Hanky Panky Hullabaloo) and the only Kanker I'm keen on shipping with an Ed (the Ed).

Bro? - well... He serves his purpose haha. And he's got an interesting aesthetic. I do like people being invested in the character and even liking him or imagining a more redemptive interpretation of him. Fans have been able to like much more monstrous characters in fiction, being a Bro fan is no big deal... "I can fix him" sure go ahead! You're a saint 🤣

[little-peril-stories]

Happy STS!

Today, we're going to get a little bit more specific, but hopefully still not too spoilery!

In The Prince of Thieves, Baden Hatchett and "the thief" (as we'll refer to him for these purposes) were always antagonistic, to put it lightly. But in The Queen of Lies, they are overt romantic rivals for Breanna as well (there was a little bit of this dynamic in TPOT, too, but I always craved more of it, which is part of why I'm so excited about TQOL!)

It presents so many delicious possibilities, given the possessive tendencies of the man who is Breanna's husband in this universe, and the thief's tendencies to aggravate them!

Were you also interested to see how this dynamic would play out in the AU? How did affect the way you wrote the characters? What else can you tell us about how you approached it?

Happy STS! On not a Saturday! Thank you so much for your question!

God this is such a ramble, and I’m not sure it makes much sense, I'm so sorry.

You know, your question made me think a LOT. A LOT. It genuinely made me consider whether I exploited this particular dynamic to its full potential. And I decided, that, uh, I don't think I did.

😈 But.

I think we can expect more thief-POV chapters (requested or not, lmao) that will get to play with this dynamic a little more. Also, TQOL might be another case of a CYO-ending situation, or at the very least an 'official' (lol whatever) ending and an alternate ending. (Don't worry, your question didn't break me or anything, I was already toying with that idea and this just helped the thoughts along!!)

Was I interested in this dynamic? I think so, although my primary drive in writing this was honestly just that lighting bolt image of a very free Breanna and a very not-free thief - so, the Breanna/thief relationship more than the thief/Hatchett relationship (lol).

How did it affect how I wrote the characters? Well, I was lucky enough to have our power- and- control-obsessed Hatchett from TPOT just waiting for me to transfer his energy to his relationship with Breanna.

In TPOT, I wanted Hatchett's weird thing with Bree to be more about his ego and pride, how dare you run from me, now see where it got you kind of deal. He can't control Bree, he can't control the thief, and that just frickin' kills him. It's what leads him to his downfall/his mistakes at the end of the story.

But in TQOL, Baden has a Breanna he can control, at least until <redacted>. So it was fun to play with his, uh, “calmer” side, a more quiet sort of menacing energy that the thief often manages to just shatter but is generally successful at intimidating Breanna. I love writing about power dynamics and it was actually really fun to explore how this one was so different from the one in TPOT.

I honestly don’t know if I answered the question. 😅

Tl;dr I want to play with this more through thief-POV chapters, and Baden Hatchett is in all universes a controlling, possessive asshole. :)

[applesfallingfromblondehair]

Ok so rambling/ throwing thoughts around

You probably can’t really say too much about it buuuut John joining the emo baby gay mix makes me wonder how serious Jack thinks Ross is about him. I’d assume that jack still thinks that he has a chance at rlly getting with Ross

Like ofc he knows that Ross is still with Matty but is he aware that he’s not the only guy for Ross to mess around with apart from Matty?

Bc I’d guess that Jack thinks Matty is the only one stopping him from getting with Ross

In other words, does Jack expect or see Ross slut era coming?

As much as jack hasn’t exactly been the textbook definition of likeable, thinking about it like that makes me a little sad for him. No one wants to get his heart broken by Ross :(( and he seems to go on a heart breaking spree real soon 😅

The whole thing probably also depends on what Ross and Jack “calling” whatever they’ve got going on, do they call it a situationship? Like what’s Ross saying to Jack (apart from don’t tell my bf 🥲)

omg how did this get so long ops..anyway that would be all of my thoughts haha just needed to get them out there

okay I like this a lot 👀 let me try to answer it without spoiling too much.

first of all, Jack is definitely in love with Ross. he was before anything happened between them and he still is now, perhaps even more. Ross on the other hand, as you may recall from the end of the last chapter, does not have any intention for this to be anything other than a momentary distraction, something that happened and that shouldn't have happened.

so yeah, I guess this definitely implies Jack getting his heart broken a little, in all this. which is very sad, isn't it :( Ross was well aware that it might happen but he still went ahead and indulged himself, because again he is a complete idiot who thinks with his dick :) but listen, haven't we all made at least one stupid decision like this in our youth? something that didn't make any kind of logical sense? just because we were horny? asking for a friend 😅

and going back to Jack/Ross/John: the next chapter is pretty much all about that. and it got very long as I was writing it, so you'll get answers to all your doubts and questions hopefully ❤️ thank you for sending this, I really enjoy long + rambling asks ✨

[rosecoloredknight]

22. Strangest thing that has happened to you this week?

28. What about life makes you smile?

Also, i randomly came across your blog and you seem so cool! I wish you all the best with fatherhood, finding your someone and living your best life! Always remember to take care of yourself ^_^

22. Strangest thing that has happened to you this week?

Hmm, I can't really think of one in the spot? Hmmm, I'm going blank for this one, sorry 😅

I'll come to update it as I think on it tomorrow and so on!!

28. What about life makes you smile?

Sigh. Everything 😊😊😊

Kiddos, families spending time together in different places, making memories together, single moms and fathers doing their best to be the best parents out there, elderly couple making the most of their life at the park, restaurants, etc. seeing people in love doing things together. Seeing couples of 5-10+ years, looking like an ordinary unexciting couple yet I can only admire the dedication and commitment they have made for each other, etc.

Dogs, cats, pets—

*

My niblings makes me smile, my job as well because I get to interact with kids all the time and it's fun. My friends, although I don't really have that many, and I don't know if they consider me their friend as I do to them, but I'm really grateful for the friendships I currently have and have made and eventually lost. I got to experience a sense of happiness and importance because of them 😊😊😊

Finally, the chance that I'll be able to experience love or fatherhood is enough to make me smile. And yes, just THE CHANCE. it could never happen, but a guy can dream, right? 😊😊

Knowing that I'll be able to make the most of my life each day I wake up makes me smile 😊😊😊

—

I TRIED NOT TO RAMBLE AND I KNOW I DIDN'T MAKE SENSE BUT hopefully I made a little sense 😊

!! thank you so much for saying all of that, I greatly appreciate it 😊😊

I hope life is treating you well; take care of yourself, anon😊😊

[sparklingcurepeace]

First and foremost I want to start off by saying that I had planned to respond to this all on the day your reply was sent to me. My thoughts were already spiraling with what to say, both out of eagerness and fear, because I didn't expect you to ask me a question directly—So I hope I can clear up a little bit as to why I think anime appeals to such a broad audience, including myself.

Whether or not it will make sense to you or be satisfactory, I can not guarantee.

Hopefully this doesn't become crazy long or sound like a ramble, but I can't guarantee that either. 😅

I am by no means an expert on Japanese culture. Heck, I am no expert on western culture and I live in America. So when you say anime isn't really your thing, mainly because you don't understand the culture of it, I think that's actually pretty valid. Maybe to others who have read or will read this post, your words came off strong, but at least you were honest. Much of what you said, believe it or not, is something I think plenty of people can agree with to some extent; whether you're an anime fan or not.

I do think it's possible that we as people have the capability to understand or learn to understand things that aren't necessarily from our culture. After all the world is so vast and there is beauty in our differences, and we our often encouraged to embrace what sets us apart. Of course we, at our core, are made of the same stuff, so certain ideals, values and messages might shine through no matter where they come from. I think anime can address grander themes like love, death, faith, ect. and even point to truth, but it might either be one facet of the story or you have to dig a little deeper to find it. I've seen people attempt this, so i think it's possible. It just requires some work. At least that's how I see it.

Anime is a unique medium to navigate because it 100% is coming from a country that is different from my own in many ways, but I mean this more so in the small intricacies. Again, I am no expert, so what I say might be a bit inaccurate or plain wrong, but from what I've come know, anime is used as a means to counter things in Japanese society. An example of what I mean would be how many of the characters in anime, especially school students, have hair and eye colors that aren't natural. The designs in general can be pretty out there, sometimes looking wacky or just over the top, it could never be replicated in real life unless it's cosplay (probably). You're might be wondering why I mentioned that, since anything animated could do this as well, and you are right. It's not inherently special.

With anime though, I think it has more to do with the fact that in Japan, there is a tendency to keep things uniform. To keep things orderly, rather than drawing attention to yourself, dressing or acting in ways that are deemed inappropriate or out of the norm. Anime is not a replica of the day to day Japanese society, unless a particular show is crafted that way, so even some of the things going on in a story could even be seen as odd or uncommon or dare I assume, scandalous. Anime can be criticized by the very people responsible for it, so even when they KNOW the culture, they as the audience can react to it in many ways. I am sure someone else could explain this much better, perhaps understand it much better, because I typed all this and I am beginning to wonder if I lost you and I haven't even addressed some of your comments directly. I apologize.

All of that above is basically to say, YES, the culture is tricky and unless you're willing to try and see why things are the way they are when consuming something as popular as anime, I don't think you'll have the best experience. In my case, I will admit, I had a somewhat complicated relationship with anime. I still do but not for the same reasons as back then, when I was still a child and witnessing all this for the first time. I was familiar with shows such as Pokémon and (English) Yu-gi-oh! which are rather tame in comparison to...so many other anime out there. But I wasn't a fan, yet. I hadn't really dove into the anime pool, much less felt like exploring it, due to my upbringing and general reluctance to watch anything because the way anime looked was so different than what I was used to.

Until one day, finally, an uncle got me to watch a show that is generally geared towards children. I liked it, I liked the story and while the art wasn't as weird as it could have been, it took some getting used to Then he thought I could handle one that was for an older audience but not terribly grotesque or sexual or dark. It did have violence, although I think it was mostly justified given the subject matter. Shameless advertising, I think you might want to give this one a try, it's called Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. I think there's plenty of lessons to pull from it, it isn't purely made to entertain just because.

I'm getting off track, so let's try to get back to your grievances.

So, I don't understand it very well. I don't understand why everyone's screaming. I absolutely don't understand the character designs. I don't understand the use of blushing. I don't understand the humor or the drama. I don't understand why one interaction can take several "episodes," and the dialogue is unrealistic the entire time. People don't talk like that. And it would be one thing if people talked in an unrelatable cadence once, as part of the "style" of a film or show, but it's across the board for every anime I've seen.

I think I and many other self proclaimed anime fans, got into it on the basis of the art style drawing us in. Yeah it was weird and new but it could also be fun and incredibly pretty. Also, there's real dedication and skill put into many anime I've seen, at least when you're looking at the scenery, food, and non-human related imagery. So if you're an art person or just like looking at things that are well made, that could certainly explain part of the reason why people watch anime, whether or not the designs make sense. I suppose that is also aesthetic choice as well.

So you could say, before we (The fans) understood anything about the culture, or why things were being done in the story, we just accepted it as different and went along with whatever was going on, for, entertainment and fascination. That includes things like the screaming, the humor, and even those strange speech patterns.

It definitely catches people by surprise. Even to this very day, while I am aware of these different things, I can still get annoyed or stunned by some of the anime antics. I think all the screaming has to do in part with anime being understood as a medium where you are expected to exaggerate and use excessive emotion to sell whatever you're going for. It doesn't have to be anything related to love, a battle or something super sad—That's just the acting. In comedies they can really go over the top, and that can be done as a way to sort of poke fun at anime as a whole. Then of course, if I went deeper, I might find that this ties back to ancient forms of storyteling and playacting. I can't say for certain if screaming was ALWAYS apart of how Japanese performed, however, I wouldn't be shocked by it. Same can be said about drama. Every culture has their own form of drama, each distinct in how they demonstrate it, and Japan is the same way. Their show of humor is probably a mix of doing things because its fiction , "anything goes in fiction" + certain tropes being tied once more to what they've gotten from their storytelling tradtions. Or maybe the tropes aren't even that old, they were just created first in japan and have been utilized since. Like when characters fall on their face and their legs stick up when somebody says something stupid.

As for dialogue, I can't quite figure it out myself. I assume the japanese speak more formally than your average person ? Although there is no way of actually knowing that. In anime especially, I notice they can speak in a way that just feels...weirdly poetic. Then you also have those weird breaks or pauses in sentences. Which does work if the situation calls for it, I think, but even I find myself saying something like "please just talk normal, you're doing too much 😭," every now and then. Also let me tell you, I think everyone at some point has COMPLAINED about anime taking multiple episodes to resolve an issue or reach a much needed discussion, especially when discussing romance anime. I've chopped it up to being for these reasons:

It heightens the drama and makes the audience anxious to see what happens. It's trapping you to stay for the rest of the show.

It's part of the plot, somehow. This scene can't happen until something else happens and that can drag, whether intentional or not.

I suppose you could say that there are situations in real life that would play out like this. A person who is shy or hates confrontation just keeps things to themselves, just doesn't bother to address the issue at hand and the more they leave it alone, the worse it becomes. Anime just makes a bigger hassel.

Are these all possible reasons? I doubt it. Still, I think they apply the most.

Now I'm going to merge what you said at the beginning and what you said near the middle.

Otherwise, why is there so much gratuitous cleavage? Whats with the emphasis on violence violence violence? Plus cursing? Why are all of the "attractive" characters a little-girl stereotype or a sexy femme fatale stereotype? And what's with the feminine looking dude characters? Why does one fight take six episodes? Why does one "romance" last an entire show but consist of nothing except gasps and blushes?

You sure picked some hot button topics to ask about if I can dare say so. I call them hot button topics because whether you're a long time anime fan or short time fan or just not a fan at all, many of these things have been discussed before...usually in great detail lol. Especially the part about women, there's quite a few video essays and conversations surrounding these seemingly common yet unnecessary things. There's all the feminism and patriachy stuff and I am not dismissing it or saying it isn't important to consider, but some of that I just...don't think matters to some degree. If I were honest, a lof of those big cleavages and sexy stereotypes exist because the audience (mainly men) want it and like it, and it pertains to a fantasy. Same with the little girl looking characters that can be super old. I AM NOT SAYING IT'S A GOOD FANTASY. But it exists. Additonally, however, it comes down to art style and aesthetic. Anime can do whatever it wants, thus you can design the characters however, based on what's popular, based on what you (the creator) wants and likes. Or they are filling some sort of quota, you gotta have the comedic relief character, the moody character, the pretty girl, whatever. The feminine looking dude thing is its own archetype and has its own history, one I couldn't really explain because I am not well versed. But that too, is catering to someone out there.

In regards to how blushing is used...my dear, I think that is, once more, an art choice. Many people know anime by its cutesy big eyed designs. Usually, you'll find a character blushing too. Typically it is used to show embarassment, shame or excitment. It probably adds to that cutesy factor, as well as exaggerating that emotion being expressed. Then there are moments of crying, or just other occasions when blushes are used, and I gather that is done because in real life, people can get super worked up. They can get all hot and red in the face or they get so flustered their cheeks show it. Still, this is not wholly accurate and thus, it's just artistic choice to add blush for a specfic moment or just cause. The gasping...yeah I don't quite like that either. Or excessive violence or cursing.

Depending on WHAT the story is, I'd argue you might need that violence. Could be about war, could be about surviving from a great evil, essentially anything that involves fighting. But even I have to admit, it can go...overboard. Or feel like whoever was making that fight scene was having a little too much fun yk? If you have certain kinds of characters who are just rough and angry or have gone through something traumatic, this may result in a potty mouth. On average I am surrounded by adults and teens who just make a habit of swearing, or its just part of the vocabulary. Anime is no different it seems.

Just cutting in to say that, whoever recommended you watch Demon Slayer and Naruto or whatever else- they showed you the "mainstream" shows. Nothing inherently wrong with that but anime is filled with all sorts of shows and some can go outside the norm of what is popular. Maybe you were shown the wrong stuff or it wouldn't have mattered either way because it wouldn't have what you're seeking. Unfortunately.

You aren't wrong in saying some values that are perceivable in the animes you've seen might be ones that the West is adopting and trying to instill in us. I wish you had been a little more specific in what values you mean so I could have a better handling on whether I agree with you fully or not. Even so, I think I have an idea of what you're saying. Not everything I see in anime I agree with or think matters or should be something to encourage, and that isn't me trying to be disrespectful to the culture but it's true.

I also find it odd that so many young Western men are drawn to anime. I don't think it's an awesome thing. All the anime I've ever seen: Demonslayer, Naruto, etc. doesn't have anything particularly good for them in it. There's a ton of violence, of egos getting slung around, yelling, and terribly long gratuitous brain-numbing pacing, along with sensual gasping and drama-for-drama's sake. And I know my young male friends are no more Japanese or understanding of Japanese culture than I am. So what are they getting out of it? They can't ever tell me.

This is perhaps the hardest part of the replies because I know what I think and have come to know about this appeal young men have for anime and it isn't all...good. Neverthless I will try to be fair to them. In the first place, I think men have a tendancy to like most things with battles and cool powers and just general rough housing. So if anime has that, plus a story compelling enough to draw them in, understanding the culture doesn't matter so much as does watching the characters kick some butt on screen. That just sounds like watching something for entertainment, it just gets a rise out of you and I think that's what it usually is. I think the closet equavilant that comes to mind is superhero and action films. Is the average guy watching for a message or because it's exciting and bloody and there's a ton of bodies running around?

another thing...people like to see themselves in the characters. This happens me sometimes as well. Maybe whoever is on screen right then and there, is seen as relatable to the young man watching and he starts to imagine himself like the character or indentify with certain traits, certain situations. I am not saying that this is always good or even healthy, mind you, but it happens. And I think whoever is making the anime(s) is aware of that. This can be said for girls too but that is a different discussion.

Many men are watching anime for the eye candy too, that being, the female characters. I don't think I need to explain to you what can be done and thought about when characters are made to invoke sexual desires. It can be explicit or implicit but it's still there and that comes with its own issues. I'm not trying to sound like some kind of prude or judge, I've dealt with my fair share of strong feelings with characters, but I wouldn't call it a good thing. Much of what was said in this response to my ask, I've been convicted about because I know that deep down, not all of it is really doing anything for the audience, we're just here to have a good time with whatever is on screen. It can feel very shallow.

I could probably say more but i think this is enough. I hope this makes sense, I jumped around a lot, not sure if I answered every question the best I could. I wanted to try and provide context. This conversation hits home in some ways so that is also why this reply is long. My brain is fried though and this took forever to type, but just know, if you don't think you could ever like anime, that's fine. It an acquired taste. You might be better off away from it.

Hi, not to sound like a creep but I was trying to find this one reply to ask about the Chosen series because I remembered something and I wanted to see if you're the one who said it. But then I couldn't find it. Stumbled into this one post where you said your least favorite medium is anime and I'm quite curious about that now. I don't generally have an issue when people say they don't like anime, as a whole, but I try to understand why. Of course even if you just said "I just don't like it" then I could respect that too, since I can not push it.

I think it's like a language I don't speak. Even the English-dubbed versions. In anime, it's not made by people in my culture, for my culture. So, I don't understand it very well. I don't understand why everyone's screaming. I absolutely don't understand the character designs. I don't understand the use of blushing. I don't understand the humor or the drama. I don't understand why one interaction can take several "episodes," and the dialogue is unrealistic the entire time. People don't talk like that. And it would be one thing if people talked in an unrelatable cadence once, as part of the "style" of a film or show, but it's across the board for every anime I've seen.

There's nothing wrong with that, per se. Like I said, it's just made for a different culture, one I'm not in. And that's fine. Could I learn it? Could I engross myself in it until I feel what the media is trying to make me feel and get what they're trying to say?

Yeah. I could.

But most often, it doesn't feel worth it. It doesn't feel like the anime I've seen is really trying to point to a significant truth or remind people of goodness and beauty, so much as it is pointless entertainment.

Otherwise, why is there so much gratuitous cleavage? Whats with the emphasis on violence violence violence? Plus cursing? Why are all of the "attractive" characters a little-girl stereotype or a sexy femme fatale stereotype? And what's with the feminine looking dude characters? Why does one fight take six episodes? Why does one "romance" last an entire show but consist of nothing except gasps and blushes?

Not a fan.

I have seen one or two anime that clearly have a point. They're Studio Ghibli, though.

And again, I'm not saying anime's have no point in general. I'm saying I'd have to understand the culture to get the point, but the culture itself seems to be based around values that I don't find valuable. And a lot of those "values" if I'm reading them right are the ones our Western culture is starting to push down throats more and more, and I don't like those, either, so there you go.

I also find it odd that so many young Western men are drawn to anime. I don't think it's an awesome thing. All the anime I've ever seen: Demonslayer, Naruto, etc. doesn't have anything particularly good for them in it. There's a ton of violence, of egos getting slung around, yelling, and terribly long gratuitous brain-numbing pacing, along with sensual gasping and drama-for-drama's sake. And I know my young male friends are no more Japanese or understanding of Japanese culture than I am. So what are they getting out of it? They can't ever tell me.

Maybe you can?

[closetednobody]

Do you think Maya will get her captaincy back in S6? What do you think will happen next?

Hello there! 😊

Personally, i don't think so. I think, or maybe it's more of what i hope, what would happen next is... Maya will pave the way for Andy to be captain. She noticed the lie that Andy told the team and that might give her a sense that she's not alone and she (and the team) would be okay even if she's not the captain. In her mind, she might be planning to either get the captaincy back or make Andy the captain.

Her "truce" move with Beckett is a start. And based on that smirk, i hope she is more calculative about her next step. That's the thing about darkness - it could either paralyze you (e.g. Jack) or drive you (e.g. Maya). Both are just as destructive but guess who would get more sympathy in real life?

I hope she'll slowly gain her composure to play the politics smarter (which she IS) and use her intuition (which she did).

I, honestly, want the injury plot because it will be a good reset for her. And, hopefully, for Carina too.

I want Andy as captain because giving Maya captaincy right after this chaos will not break her patterns. If she gets her captaincy back, it will just solidify the notion that every move that she has made so far is okay and effective.

Her moves/actions are justified, but they are not necessarily right. Some of it originated from trauma and some are from her own personality. She needs to heal from the trauma and develop herself to be better - and for her to do that she needs to be less focused on leading the team, and take lead of her own recovery and her family first.

Once she got that sorted, our Maya Bishop shall become UNSTOPPABLE.

-----

To conclude, life consists of many parts - family, relationship, friendship, financial, career, physical health, mental health etc. - that make a whole. All of them are interconnected but it's best NOT to mix them up unnecessarily.

Learning how to compartmentalize and only pick the necessary item from each part when making a decision is a very, very handy skill to learn and master. For us to be able to do that, we need to be aware of how each part affects the other. It helps to improve your (and other people's) life quality and avoid unnecessary... well... drama. 😅

The worst at compartmentalizing, imo, is Carina, and the best, is Sullivan.

------

P/s thank you for your questions! I'm surprised a lot of you are interested in my nerdy rambles but i also hope it helps you to navigate through your own challenges. At the end of the day, these characters are fictional but you, YOU are real.

That being said, it's wiser to be kind to the real people online than to be rude while defending fictional characters.

One day, this show will end but the friendship you forge through arguments AND agreements, might just last forever :)

Love and peace,

Hans 🐈‍⬛️

[ashtraythief]

I remember a long time ago you felt you needed to go back through Underneath and tell Jared’s story more!!! I’m really glad you did that because we got some fun chapters about him, and I love seeing his POV more. I wanted to ask you about the process. Are you happy that you did that, and got to spend more time in Jared’s head?

Oh, absolutely! I have to admit, he was kinda clear-cut and fairly two-dimensional in my head when I started writing the main fic. I knew he was driven and ambitious, a control-freak and a little selfish, loyal to his crew though but very much a born leader who’s very comfortable with wielding power. And the thing is, with this fic, he didn’t have to pique Jensen’s interest, he didn’t have to do things to make Jensen want to stay with him because Jensen had to. So in the beginning, I very much built Jensen’s growing attraction on, well, his physical attraction, Jared’s looks and the sex. But then Jensen falls in love with him of course. And so I had to figure out why Jensen would do that. It made me dig deeper into Jensen, but I also had to dig deeper into Jared. And after a while, I realized that digging into Jared was lots of fun. First, because there was more than what I originally assumed. Like his relationship with his crew. They put on a show for outsiders, but their hierarchies are much flatter and much more driven by affection and bonds of friendship. And then I asked myself, well how did that happen? Which is why I started writing all those Stanford snippets (I love writing romance but I also love writing friendship hence so much Chad). And I realized that while Jared is a control freak who enjoys power, he’s also driven by a deep sense of justice and fairness (maybe not mine or yours 😅) and that he has the drive to help and guide others. For him, that of course also includes the punishment, but you know, mobster and all that. 😬 And the more I wrote his POV, the more I needed to figure out what exactly happened in all these instances I only mentioned through Jensen. So I needed to actually know how his mom died, how things with his brother went, etc. And that has been fun. Also I think it makes Jared a better character, like he’s less of a stereotype now I hope? I mean, he’s still a stereotype of course, but he has a little more nuance.

The other reason why I enjoy writing Jared’s POV is because you and I know about Jensen, but he doesn’t. So every time I write Jensen through his eyes, I know and all of you guys know what’s probably really going on in his head or what his words actually mean, but Jared doesn’t. So he’s the most unreliable narrator because poor boy doesn’t have a clue, but we do, and can kind of guess what’s going on with Jensen. And that’s just fun to write. Tragic too sometimes (at least I hope so), but fun. Also by expanding Jared’s side, I get to write all these one off criminal characters that aren’t always good guys. Like his brother is a straight up asshole and that’s honestly fun to write. For some reason assholes are just fun to write, but my beloved protagonists are never asshles, so I love writing all these outsider POV snippets where the characters sometimes are nice and sometimes are dicks. Honestly, I should write more about Jared’s brother, he’s such a dick.

And now I’m rambling. Anyway, no regrets, more Jared POV will hopefully happen and I am thrilled that you’re enjoying that! 💜💜💜

[karahalloway]

Technically they each had their own room, but she wasn’t planning on sleeping alone. It was a Cordonian custom not to put unmarried people in the same room, even engaged ones. Drake told her it was about respecting people’s independence and that even many married couples in Cordonia kept separate bedrooms. It was less about romance and more about individuals needing their own space. She understood and it made sense. But she was planning to snuggle up next to her man at every opportunity.

As discussed yesterday, I have no idea why people would want this... unless you don't actually like your spouse 😅

He smiled serenely at her, “I was going to ask all of you to meet me. I called Drake first and he mentioned he was already meeting you here, so I decided I would come to you. Ah, here’s everyone else now.”

This would drive me crazy... 😞 And now, she won't have a chance to come clean to Drake about what happened on the boat before with Liam and it's all gonna blow up at the polo match... 😫 (which I can't wait for, but still - they don't need all this angst and drama!)

“I’m sure, babe,” the fact that he never missed his mom’s weekly call was something she admired about him. It showed commitment to family.

🥰

“Love you,” she grinned at him as she waggled her fingers goodbye.

“Love you too,” he mouthed as he blew her a kiss.

Omg the mental image of this interaction...

She stepped through the door, pulled it shut behind her and then turned to find Liam still in the hall outside her room

...Liam!!!

“It’s not as exciting as it sounds,” she rolled her eyes with a smile.

“Oh, it sounds riveting!” He joked.

“Well, you know what scintillating company Penelope can be.”

...though I have to admit, he is excellent at making light-hearted small-talk!

She felt self-conscious as she glanced over to where Hana and Max were waiting for her then back to Liam, “Don’t want to miss your conference call.”

“That I don’t,” he took her hand and lifted it to his mouth. His fingers burned her skin where they pressed into her palm, his lips sent electric jolts shooting from the back of her hand straight to her heart.

Not again...!

“Okay, Max is gone now,” Hana dismounted and handed the horse over to one of the stable hands, “So spill. I know something is wrong. I can read it all over you!”

Aww, Hana! You really are the best of best friends! 🤗

“Well?”

“Liam kissed me!”

“What? When?”

“Today! On the damn yacht!”

“And you told him he was out of line and to fuck all the way off, right?”

Riley took a long time before answering, “I don’t know. I know he means it, but Hana, I swear to God, the tension between us is still there, and ignoring isn’t working. It just keeps getting stronger and I….I’m not sure I want it to never happen again!”

Okay, so despite what happened earlier on the yacht and then in the corridors, I 100% respect the fact that she is being honest with herself here. Because she's gotten into so much deep water in e.g. Heir Apparent exactly because she wasn't honest. So hopefully things will play out different this time around...? She asked... hesitantly...?

“I mean you did sleep with him five minutes after turning down his proposal.”

Yeah... Now that Hana mentions this in this way, it does seem pretty shitty on Liam for that to have happened in canon...

“So, when are you going to tell him?”

“Right now,” she wiped her face with determination as she stood, “Tonight, as soon as I get back to my room!”

...things don't go to plan, though, do they...? 😫

Drake was lying on the bed, his phone still resting on his shoulder, snoring. She stifled a giggle. It wasn’t the first time he’d fallen asleep listening to his mother ramble about whatever drama was going on in her hometown. She gently removed the phone and plugged it into the charger on the bedside table.

ROFL! This actually cracked me up! 🤣🤣🤣

Tomorrow, she thought as she drifted off to sleep, I’ll tell him tomorrow.

The De Facto Queen Chapter 2: Guilt

Series: The De Facto Queen

Fandom: The Royal Romance

Pairings: Riley x Drake, Riley x Liam

Rating: Teen

Warnings for this chapter: Mild Language

Word Count: 2,266

A/N: I know chapter one was over 5k words. This is more in line with the average length of my chapters. But drop a note in the comments if you have a preference for longer or shorter chapters (just to satisfy my curiosity)

My other stuff: Master List.

Unity Tour, Day 2, Portavira (Evening/Night)

She was parted from Liam almost the moment they were out of the car. Landon whisked Liam away for something and she was set upon by Penelope, Max, and Hana for a puppy playdate.

Her work was never done it would seem. All she wanted to do was curl up in bed with Drake and decompress from this day, but those poodles were the way to Penelope’s heart, and therefore support, and she knew it.

With a public smile and an inward sigh, she fired off a quick text to Drake, “Waylaid by Penelope and poodles. There’s something we need to discuss. Meet me in my room in an hour?”

Technically they each had their own room, but she wasn’t planning on sleeping alone. It was a Cordonian custom not to put unmarried people in the same room, even engaged ones. Drake told her it was about respecting people’s independence and that even many married couples in Cordonia kept separate bedrooms. It was less about romance and more about individuals needing their own space. She understood and it made sense. But she was planning to snuggle up next to her man at every opportunity.

An hour later she found not just Drake but Liam waiting for her in her room.

“Ah, there you are!” Liam smiled at her as he tapped on his phone, “Hold on, I’m texting Max and Hana to meet us here as well.”

“Oh,” she left the door ajar so they wouldn’t have to knock, “if I had known, they could have just walked back with me. They were with me meeting Penelope’s poodles.”

“It’s okay,” Drake assured her as he took her in his arms, “they’re right down the hall.”

“Mm,” she agreed as her lips met his. She kissed him quickly and then stepped away, cognizant of Liam’s eyes on them. She turned to face him, “Why are you in my bedroom?”

He smiled serenely at her, “I was going to ask all of you to meet me. I called Drake first and he mentioned he was already meeting you here, so I decided I would come to you. Ah, here’s everyone else now.”

“We’re here!” Max called out as he sauntered through her bedroom door with Hana right behind him.

“I guess we can get this meeting started now,” Drake flopped down onto the bed, folding his arms behind his head, and crossing one leg over the other, “So, what’s up?”

Max and Hana both found chairs and then looked at Liam expectantly.

“Why is everyone here? Are we having a sleepover?” Riley quipped then her eyes widened as they darted from Drake to Liam. Earlier events with Liam made that joke hit differently and she flushed as she caught his eye.

Liam chuckled softly, “No such luck.”

No one but her seemed to read anything into that. Thankfully.

“Why are we all here?” she asked again.

“Right,” Liam snapped into business mode, “It’s about the match tomorrow. I wanted to update you all and ensure we’re all on the same page.”

Liam quickly ran through the information he had received from Landon in the hour since she had last seen him, and they discussed their plan of attack for the competition. She wondered if it was Landon’s idea, or Liam’s to put her on the same team as the king, and not her husband.

As if reading her mind, Liam said, “Landon and I thought it presents the most unified front if you and I, as Cordonia’s representatives are on the same team as Lady Penelope.”

Riley was the only member of the group that had never played so Hana offered to give her a quick crash course on techniques and strategy. She hesitated, her eyes going to Drake.

“That’s a great idea! I’ll come help!”

“Me too!” Max volunteered.

“I would join you, but I have a conference call with the Canadian prime minister in fifteen minutes,” Liam told her regretfully.

As they were leaving the room, Drake’s phone rang. Pulling it out of his pocket, he glanced down at the screen and then up at her, “Shit. It’s my mom, I forgot it’s Wednesday.”

She smiled affectionately at him as she reached up to tousle his hair, “Go on and answer it, Hana and Max can teach me what I need to know.”

“Are you sure?” he asked uncertainly.

“I’m sure, babe,” the fact that he never missed his mom’s weekly call was something she admired about him. It showed commitment to family.

“Okay,” he nodded as he swiped the call open. He knew that if he didn’t take it, she would just keep calling. And worrying about why he wasn’t answering.

“Love you,” she grinned at him as she waggled her fingers goodbye.

“Love you too,” he mouthed as he blew her a kiss.

She stepped through the door, pulled it shut behind her and then turned to find Liam still in the hall outside her room, “I thought you had a conference call.”

“I do, but I wanted to check in with you. You haven’t told him, have you?”

“Liam! Be quiet!” Her eyes widened and her head swung wildly around, her eyes searching the hallway.

“I sent Hana and Max on ahead,” he told her, “I’ll walk you out to the stables.”

A deep sigh of relief escaped her as she turned and walked with him, “No, I haven’t. That was the first time I’ve seen him since I last saw you. I got waylaid by poodles.”

Liam laughed, “You’ll have to tell me that story!”

“It’s not as exciting as it sounds,” she rolled her eyes with a smile.

“Oh, it sounds riveting!” He joked.

“Well, you know what scintillating company Penelope can be.”

“Indeed,” he snickered.

“Liam, thank you.”

Surprised struck through him, “For what?”

“Not saying anything to Drake about earlier. It should come from me.”

“Riley, it is not my intention to interfere with your relationship in any way. Tonight was a momentary lapse in judgment. I’d like to apologize again-“

“Liam, stop,” she placed a hand on his arm, “There’s nothing to apologize for. I kissed you as much as you kissed me.”

“Be that as it may, I instigated it, therefore I take full responsibility.” He stopped as they reached the edge of the polo field, “Well, here we are.”

He turned to face her as they stopped walking. Her hand was still resting on his arm. Their bodies were mere inches apart, bathed in moonlight, electricity snapping between them.

She felt self-conscious as she glanced over to where Hana and Max were waiting for her then back to Liam, “Don’t want to miss your conference call.”

“That I don’t,” he took her hand and lifted it to his mouth. His fingers burned her skin where they pressed into her palm, his lips sent electric jolts shooting from the back of her hand straight to her heart.

She felt like a traitor as Drake’s image swam before her eyes.

Liam stood up and released her hand, giving her a little bow, he told her, “Enjoy your lessons. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He pulled his eyes away from her, threw a quick wave to Hana and Max, and then turned and made his way back to the main house.

She watched him go, warmth and guilt flooding her in equal measure.

Part of her wanted to turn and run straight back to her room so that she could tell Drake everything right this minute. Part of her wanted to never tell him any of it. Instead, she drew in a fortifying breath, pulled her shoulders back, pasted a smile on her face, and made her way over to her friends.

“Everything okay?” Hana asked.

“Everything is fine,” Riley assured her.

“Hmmm.” Hana gave her a skeptical look but let it drop.

“Okay, let’s get this lesson moving!” Max handed her a mallet and the next two hours flew by in a haze. By the end of the night, she could play passably well.

“I don’t know about you two,” Max pulled his helmet off and shook his head, flinging sweat from his hair everywhere, “but I’m wiped! I’ll see you in the morning! Good job, Ri! You’ll knock ‘em dead tomorrow!”

“Thanks, Max, you’re the best!”

“I know!” He grinned at her before trotting his horse over to the side of the field where the horse’s handlers were waiting.

Hana nudged her horse abreast of Riley’s as they trailed a good bit behind the younger Beaumont. By the time they made it to the edge of the pitch, he was already gone.

“Okay, Max is gone now,” Hana dismounted and handed the horse over to one of the stable hands, “So spill. I know something is wrong. I can read it all over you!”

Riley rolled her eyes as she followed suit and dismounted. She had never been able to hide anything from Hana. It was occasionally annoying. But mostly she was grateful for the friendship they had fallen into so quickly and so easily.

She pulled off her helmet as she made her way to the seating area. Hana followed quietly behind her, giving her an expectant look as they sat. Riley glanced around to make sure no one was close enough to overhear anything. The stable hands had led the horses off the field, and they were alone in the stands.

“Well?”

“Liam kissed me!”

“What? When?”

“Today! On the damn yacht!”

“And you told him he was out of line and to fuck all the way off, right?”

Riley ducked her head and then turned to glance back out over the polo field again.

Hana’s mouth fell open, “Riley? What happened?”

“I kissed him back, okay?”

“No, that is not okay! You’re engaged to Drake!”

“I know that!”

“Sorry, sorry! I know you know that but…shit, Riley! I knew you weren’t really over him! I told you that you moved on with Drake too fast!”

“I know! You were right! But I do love Drake! I love him, Hana, and I want to marry him!”

“Okay but…what are you going to do about Liam?”

“I mean….” Riley wiped a few errant tears from her cheeks, “He apologized for it and said it would never happen again.”

“And you believe that?”

Riley took a long time before answering, “I don’t know. I know he means it, but Hana, I swear to God, the tension between us is still there, and ignoring isn’t working. It just keeps getting stronger and I….I’m not sure I want it to never happen again!”

There, she said it.

“I mean you did sleep with him five minutes after turning down his proposal.”

“I did.”

“And you were pretty deeply in love with him.”

“I was.” Hot, wet tears welled up in her eyes.

“So, what are you going to do?”

“Never be alone with him again,” she choked out with a half sob, half laugh.

“I’m not sure that’s realistic, but if that’s your plan, I suppose I can start shadowing you everywhere. You can make me your personal assistant and tell everyone that I’m overbearing, and you can’t get rid of me!”

Riley laughed through the tears, “That’s not remotely believable!”

“I guess not,” Hana patted her hand, “Are you going to tell Drake?”

“I have to, don’t I?”

“That’s entirely up to you. If it’s really never going to happen again, maybe it’s okay to just forget about it.”

“I don’t know…that feels dishonest. A lie of omission.”

“I agree. But of course, I’ll support whatever you decide.”

“You’re a good friend, Hana.”

“So are you. And you’re a good girlfriend too. Everyone can see how in love the two of you are. Don’t be so hard on yourself. People make mistakes and Liam doesn’t strike me as someone that’s easy to get over. Drake had a ringside seat for your entire relationship and the aftermath. I think he’ll understand.”

“I hope so. If the shoe were on the other foot, I’m not sure I’d be very understanding.”

“So, when are you going to tell him?”

“Right now,” she wiped her face with determination as she stood, “Tonight, as soon as I get back to my room!”

“All right. Come on, I’ll walk back with you,” Hana offered her hand, and Riley took it.

They parted ways at her bedroom door. Riley watched as Hana walked several doors down then turned and waved at her, before slipping into her own room.

Drake was lying on the bed, his phone still resting on his shoulder, snoring. She stifled a giggle. It wasn’t the first time he’d fallen asleep listening to his mother ramble about whatever drama was going on in her hometown. She gently removed the phone and plugged it into the charger on the bedside table.

She smiled at him softly with a shake of her head before heading into the bathroom to wash the dust from the polo field off her body and the stress of the day from her soul.

When she got out of the shower, she found Drake had stripped down to his underwear, turned off the lights, and was under the covers, snoring. With a sigh that was equal parts dismay and relief, she slid under the covers with him and wrapped herself around him.

His hand went to hers where it lay across his abdomen and his body shifted slightly, pressing back into hers.

Tomorrow, she thought as she drifted off to sleep, I’ll tell him tomorrow.

[phoenixtakaramono]

Cosmic again!! (Not Comsic 😅 guess that typo serves me right for typing out all my thoughts as I was literally running out the door for work lol) Thank you for answering my ask and for sharing your own thoughts in return! I agree with pretty much everything you said: I’m also a writer, so you were on the dot when you said that character growth is necessary in order to have a satisfactory resolution/payoff to Stolas and Blitzo being endgame (IF they are endgame; more thoughts on that in a bit.) I hope you don’t mind if I ramble to you a little more; I PROMISE I’ll give you a break after this 😂😂

Blitzo… my poor baby… there’s no two ways around it: it’s only a matter of time before he reaches his breaking point, and when he does, that’s probably when Blitzo and Stolas (hopefully temporarily 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼) go their separate ways. This confrontation is likely going to be the catalyst for Stolas reckoning with the ways he’s treated not only Blitzo, but his daughter as well. I don’t believe he hurts people intentionally. Rather, I think he’s oblivious to the feelings of others, and projects his own emotions onto them, i.e during the Loo Loo Land ep, maybe he assumed Octavia was having fun because *he* was having fun. I think it also partially explains his refusal to use Blitzo’s real name in spite of the fact Blitzo doesn’t seem all that thrilled with it and has actively called him on it: I mean, his unchecked privilege is definitely one factor lol, but it’s also likely due to the fact that, because he *intends* it to be an affectionate nickname, that’s how Blitzo feels about it too. Once the boys have confronted their inner demons (😏), it’ll make the potential healing episode all the sweeter 💕💕

Real talk??? I would also welcome a few different endings to Blitzo’s and Stolas’ story. While I’m really, really holding out for them to make things work and become a family (Stepdad Blitzo/Stepdad Stolas are my lifeblood 💖) or at least very involved in each other’s lives—I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t desperately curious to see Stolas and Barbie Wire interact— I… would actually be okay if they ultimately don’t work out. As much as it would break my heart, if the writers decide to go that route for reasons that make sense story-wise and character-wise, that make me go “as much as this hurts, I completely see why they made this decision and when I *really* think about it, there really wasn’t any other way this could’ve ended”, then yeah, I could live with that. (I’d still forever be Big Sad, though)

WHEW. OKAY. I think that about sums up my feelings about everything thus far. Other than my brother, no one else I know watches HB (it’s our sibling bonding show 😂😂) and it’s always interesting to see how people come away with different thoughts and ideas and interpretations in spite of watching the same show/reading the same book/etc.

(And btw: that Stolitz comic you drew?? *chef’s kiss* absolutely delightful. Thank you for feeding us such a delicious meal)

(Referencing this original post.)

Cosmic! (Truly, I wasn’t certain but I put the original “Comsic” just in case in the Ask and asked in the tags. Good to know my gut instinct was not off, ha.)

That’s really interesting! I liked reading your thoughts and your theorizing. Happy to bond with another creative. ;) Now you have one more person, with your brother, in your circle who you know watches the show, haha~. I pretty much am in agreement with what you typed. Our babies have so much to work through, and I hope to see them grow onscreen. And to see them interact with more characters (like Barbie Wire!) and see how they tackle whichever hurdles the plot requires them to handle. There’s indeed so many different directions the show could go down in and so far I’m excited to see what they bring to the table from a creative standpoint.

Ah, regarding being bummed out if Stolitz doesn’t work out in the show (which is a 10% possibility, I’m not denying it!), I think that—theoretically—there is very low probability of Stolitz not happening in show canon. And here’s a big reason why:

I’ve seen people theorizing why Stolitz is endgame because that is the expectation that seems to be hinted from the show, and fans have pointed those out aplenty with analysis of multiple episodes. I offer a different and brand new perspective that I haven’t seen people consider before, and that is profit and a creator’s pressure to deliver a successful show.

Personally I don’t think it’s IF; it’s a matter of how “ambitious” the creators want to be and how self-aware they are when it comes to what makes a show successful. Vivziepop is one of the content creators creating animation history by basically making an indie animation show entirely made by her hands and her curated team of VAs and artists, so they are under a lot of pressure to do well (if successful, they are essentially a case study/ business model to look up to for future aspiring creators; if they fail to deliver, then you can expect quite a few retrospective vids hailing HB as one of the biggest disappointments in YT animation history; I direct you to the videos critiquing actual TV animated series such as Star/vsthe/Forcesof/Evil and I suppose Vol/tron which had started off great but tanked in the later seasons, with the last season especially being harangued and toted as a writing failure by some reviewers lol sorryVol/tronfandom, sorrySvtFoEfandom). We’d don’t like to think of shipping being the “end all, be all” of a show’s success, but it truly is the backbone of what makes or breaks a show (as well as good writing and animation). I do think Stolitz IS endgame because shipping is a controversial matter in shows, and a great show can die in a blazing fury of disappointed fans when the “ship” that is introduced from the start, which has set the kernels for growth potential and launched thousands of fanart at this rate as well as fanfiction, isn’t fulfilled. A person’s expectations would be betrayed, and I think HB—which is popular and trending presently—might actually turn people away if the Stolitz ship does not become canonized.

Mind, this all said based on what we’ve seen from episodes 1-6, as well as the pilot episode, and what we see from the official “not truly canon Instagram accounts” a lá Blitzo and Stolas. But with Vivziepop and the storyboard artists liking/ retweeting Stolitz fanart or tweets on Twitter and/or following certain artists and/or making their own fanart and based on the interviews the voice actors have done live on YouTube (remember the question a fan asked the cast, about what advice the VA would give their own characters, and I believe what Stolas’ VA said I’m paraphrasing is Stolas needing to learn that it’s okay to love who he wants to love and be happy/ be true to himself), with all these shippy fanservicey kernels they drop, it will blow up in their faces if Stolitz is not endgame.

Take a look at what Kevin Smith did with the rebooted He/Man, and recall why it’s still divisive to this day. Let’s look at Steven/Universe, and ask ourselves what the reputation of the show would be if Steven broke up with Connie. Let’s take a look at Owl/House and ask ourselves what’d happen if Amity and Luz did not get together despite the shippy moments being set up in the show. When you set things up, you have to follow through—or else all your foreshadowing and build-up become plot holes. You would have betrayed your audience’s expectations otherwise, making them feel like they were lied to. And that is what a show should avoid.

I mean, yeah, sure, there are those fans who are more open-minded or would be alright seeing Blitzo together with any other character (*points to Striker, (Robo) Fizzarolli, Verosika, a threesome with Moxxie, etc*) so long as the animation continues to be good and the story remains serviceable, but their numbers cannot beat the large numbers that make up the Stolitz fans. That is a lot of money that the crew would be turning down if they do not “make them work out” in the end, and a lot of disappointed fans.

I’m not saying this from the perspective of a Stolitz writer and artist, but from an objective point of view of someone who would prioritize numbers and YouTube engagement. At the end of the day, HB might be a show on YT with full creative reign given to the creators, but it still makes money from engagement and views. Income is generated from viewcount, engagement, and merch—which goes back into the show and paying everyone for their work. Furthermore, a show dies when there is no interest or if people become less engaged or less interested in the story, and I guarantee that they will lose a SUBSTANTIAL number of viewers if they decide to “subvert expectations” by not making the Stolitz relationship canonized.

It is a possibility that they could end the show with both going their separate ways or having Blitzo in a different relationship and/or Stolas being a single dad or having reunited with Stella, etc etc, but that isn’t something I expect will go over well with the target audience—especially those who have been following the show for so long and have hanged their banner under this ship. If this ship sinks, the show will probably tank or suffer a viewcount loss. It is the undeniable reality. It would probably incur a lot of people’s rage (Lesson 101 of film and animation: never betray a fan’s—shipping—expectations; if you set it up, you better deliver or you are just asking for trouble and backlash).

Furthermore, HB is an indie show and passion project produced by passionate creatives like ourselves; it is not being overseen by a faceless corporate entity who decides what goes or doesn’t go in a show based on TV ratings and what they think will appeal to a broader audience—and missing the mark by a long shot, haha. We don’t have higher ups who decides what gets censored or not, what gets taken out, and when the show gets axed or not. I mean, yes, the content they choose to animate has to be carefully considered because of YT guidelines but the Vivziepop crew has more creative freedom over the writing without fear of their show being canceled early.

So I’m rather hopeful for the Stolitz ship in the foreseeable future, even if there is a small possibility of it being unfulfilled. But I’d like to remain optimistic and hopeful! 😊

Whew! This was long! Welcome to my TED Talk! Hope this was interesting to read through. :)

EDIT: Tysm! 💖 I’m happy to hear that! The comic really blew up on Twitter, haha, and even here on tumblr! As thanks for all the love, I’ll make one follow-up illustration to the comic as an “aftermath,” fully colored. I’ve provided a sneak peek of it on Twitter this morning (it’s DILF Blitzo; now we need a DILF Stolas to complete the cycle).

[nikatyler]

Hey there ! I cannot help but I am just teensy sad for Raleb. I know you had planned for this and I kinda suspected this coming still cannot say that I am overly happy since they both seem so sad rn. But I trust in you to give them both happy times in the end. Callias seems to be a good person for Ross and I would be happy seeing them together even though Raleb might be my fave ship of your sims. But who knows there is always more space for more ships ♥

Aww yeah, I knew that would be the reaction, I'm kinda sad too, but like I said it felt right to me at that time, even though part of the reason why I did it was because I wanted to cut myself off from them. Long story. I no longer want to cut myself off from Ross (why did I even think that would be possible 🤨) BUT their separation still feels right to me. Well, I feel bad for them that it didn't work out when they were both so sure that nothing could separate them, but it's not like it's completely unrealistic. Even the most perfect couples can fall out, and they were not flawless. As a writer I wouldn't even want them to be flawless, actually!

I know I might be making things confusing by having multiple universes in which my characters simultaneously exist (it would be way easier if I just said "yeah forget about this, that's not canon anymore", but I'm more like "yeah that story that I'm posting is canon, the story that I have in my head is canon, then there's this completely unrelated story that's also canon in a way"), but Callias is not part of the nsb universe, we won't see him here, ever. He's a replacement for Caleb in my non-nsb Ross stuff because like I said many times, I didn't feel comfortable using Caleb as Ross's partner anymore and I wanted my own OC for that. But he'll always be his love in the nsb world. Well...clearly not now but I think you get what I mean haha 😅

And I'm sorry I'm just rambling now, hopefully at least some of it made sense. Just as I promised to an anon a few days ago, we still have three generations to go, a lot can happen. Wounds will heal and people will move on (or not) and...yeah I'm rambling again, sorry. 😅

[wishuponabookshelf]

// hi everyone! ✨ • i haven’t posted on here in ages so i think the ig algorithm might get really confused by this post 😅 • also how are y’all doing? what have you been up to/reading lately? • anyway, i just wanted to check in and give y’all an update about some things. well not really that big an update but more as a way for me to document some stuff. • so far, in 2021: 📍i’ve reached an all-new reading record. i read 30 books so far even tho my original goodreads reading goal was to finish at least one book 🥰 📍i feel like i’m maintained a good skin care routine this year bc ive noticed a lot of changes. i know ive never showed my face on here before and that is primarily due to some personal/body image issues (amongst other reasons). so on that regard i feel proud of myself for coming this far on my skincare journey ☺️ 📍and i also feel like i’m getting more in touch with some other things i want to accomplish in life. ie i’ve always wanted to start my own business and eventually write my own book and also hopefully travel/nourish my mind with knowledge (hopefully when things get better 🤞🏽). like i have an idea on what to do for the first part, so rn i’m hoping to take that leap into the unknown and see where it takes me ☺️ • i know i’m rambling and i might not make sense rn but yh that’s how crazy things feel sometimes. and sometimes when you have too many thoughts and the memory/attention span of a goldfish, you just have to write them down otherwise you forget 🙈 • tell me things you’ve been doing lately and feel free to share some accomplishments you’ve made this year. it could be anything like ‘i ate an apple today’ or ‘i learnt how to whistle’ 🥰 • #bookstagram #lifestyleblogger #love #vintage #historical #rustic #shakespeare #autumn #cosyvibes #inspiration #mybeigelife #bookblogger #bookphotography #thehappynow #babysbreath #livethelittlethings #vscocam #winter #fantasy #journalspread #beautiful #highfantasy #tiktok #stepbacksaturday https://www.instagram.com/p/CQTfHTqrIzu/?utm_medium=tumblr

[merakiui]

This is really long btw, I jump topics a bit so I tried to break up the walls of text as the topic changes! 😅

So a few hours after reading Click, I ended up watching Donnie Darko for a paper. So hopefully my theory doesnt stray too far! But before we found out who that imposter was, I wasnt sure if it was Albedo going evil or not (thankfully not bc of how much I relate to him! That would fuck w me for a couple days lmao), but I def got the feeling that the whopperflower was not the end, that this situation is not as cut and dry as it seems. And I suspect mhy is kinda putting in some hints to Durin, but I do think it is Durin impersonating Albedo!

So I redid Albedo's story quest on my alt account for the event, and the mysterious sediment that was left behind in the potion bottle traveler drank- Albedo tested first. I think that sediment came from Albedo, because he had exposure to festering desire

(I dont remember if traveler was the only one to not be affected by the sword or if Albedo was too). Since that is inextricably linked to Durin, I think he was able to somehow manifest into Albedo in a sense???

(While the festering desire event isnt apart of Albedo's story quest, it should be, cuz I think that is too important, just like the unreconciled stars event, even tho I was playing during that event I'm still salty we can't play it grr)

But my friend had a really neat theory that the fake Albedo was actually a harbinger before we learned of the flower! I thought it was so cool I had to share (with his permission of course.) I'm def gonna draw that one day...when I figure out how to draw Xiao lmao (i'm restarting the doodle I keep mentioning cuz I keep not liking it RIP)

And because of Donnie Darko, I cant help but think of a time traveler au with our dear alchemist jskjsk - time traveler albedo is def getting a techware or sci fi outfit when I draw him too!

Uh, yeah, massive Albedo brainrot while I try to think of orginal works to put in my portfolio ksmdkf

-🔑, looking for a red string

OOO THIS IS SO INTERESTING!! :O Both your theory and your friend’s theory have made me very curious! Also, a time traveler au with Albedo… 👀 I absolutely love the idea of him having a techware outfit!!! It’s just too good. If you ever draw it, please show me because I’d really like to see it! If that’s okay with you, of course. :D

But I also have major Albedo brain rot! We have been fed well with this event. I rambled to a friend about the ending of part three of the quest and aaaa!! It left me with way too many thoughts and emotions and ideas. I had to spit all of them out because there was so much in my mind. Even though my friend doesn’t play Genshin and probably didn’t understand most of what I rambled about, we both agreed that Albedo <3.

[violetnotez]

Hey! Firstly, I'm Ziri, a new bby to ur blog. Nice to meet you ^.^

Second: I'd like to order a Haikyuu matchup if it's not too late 👉👈

I'm a 5'4" tall, straight Virgo girl with brown eyes, glasses (I only need them for distance since my eyes can't focus all too well). My hair color is currently blonde, but I'm dying it platinum blonde (dying it from dark auburn so the color rn is kinda a caramel color). I'm pretty chubby, but I guess not that chubby since I'm not obese but not exactly healthy either....

Let's see... I'm pretty shy at first when meeting knew people, and tend to talk so fast I trip over my words from time to time and get tongue tied (This gets worse around a guy I like and it frustrates me). The more someone gets to know me, the more talkative I become (which doesn't mean I wanna talk all the time, I'd be happy listening to him talk more than me, but I do tend to go into an excited rant like Midoriya if someone brings up something I really like [aka MHA 🤣]). I'm sweet, caring, loyal to a fault but I can be stubborn when I wanna be and insecure (boy with me must have extreme patience)...

I love listening to music, singing (I haven't sang in front of a huge crowd before), reading, writing (though my brain jumps back and forth between ideas, so I haven't exactly finished writing a fanfic yet 😅). I get flustered easily when complimented, so....

Dislikes include bullies (I was bullied myself, so I hate it when other people do it) cheaters (been cheated on in a relationship, no way do I wanna go through it again), alcoholics and drug addicts (I would explain why but I don't wanna get into something that might trigger someone, so I won't get into the details, just know that my biological Dad was one and I've seen what alchohol and drugs can do to someone... It's not pretty)

Talents: I know for sure that singing is one of them (which is one of my hobbies XD) and I'm told I'm a talented writer (writing is also one of my hobbies :3), but given the fact that I have a brain that keeps switching focus on ideas for different fandoms I haven't finished anything yet 😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅

Fears: The list could go on forever.... I have a slight stage fright (I shake a bit until I start singing, but I don't freeze up, never ask me to public speak thou...). I'm insecure as well, so my biggest fear is not being good enough (I can't remember if I already told you if I'm insecure and the boy paired with me is gonne have to be super duper patient 😅)

Aspirations: I really wanna be a singer one day (I'm actually doing voice lessons so I'm on my way there! ^.^) I'm good at writing lyrics but composing music? Not so much XD... Oh, I do eventually wanna have a family, just later down the road with the right guy ^.^

I admire someone who is brave, sweet, compassionate, loyal to a fault (as loyal as I am ^.^ and I don't mind if he gets a bit protective of me XD)...

But, since I got dragged into too much drama during high school, I hate people who spread rumors for attention, players (people who date multiple people), and I usually stay away from people who are arrogant beyond belief (believing in urself is important, but it becomes a problem if you're over confident, know what I mean?) and people who are conceited (not to say that loving yourself isn't important, it is! I just don't like it when people are obsessed with themselves.... If that made any sense XD)

Anyways! Sorry for rambling, and hopefully I gave enough info (If not, feel free to message me asking for more XD) Have a great rest of your night (or day depending on what time it is where you live XD)

𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝑜𝓇𝒹𝑒𝓇, 𝒾𝓉 𝒽𝒶𝓈 𝒷𝑒𝑒𝓃 𝓇𝑒𝒸𝑒𝒾𝓋𝑒𝒹: 1 RAMEN BOWL | MATCHUP

Hey bb! Sorry I didn’t get to this sooner, but I shIp ya with...

【ＢＯＫＵＴＯ】

- First off, this man is neverrrrr gonna let you feel down about yourself

- He will either 1) go on a huge rant about how amazing you are and then get emotional and start crying or 2) go on a huge rant and start giving you a random pep talk you didn’t ask for 💀

- but seriously, he is just so supportive of you and be your personal cheerleader 24/7 🥺

-OMG he thinks it’s soooooo cute how shy you are when he first met you! And even if you get embarrassed about talking really quick around him he finds that so cute too!

- (Though at first he was making you nervous for the wrong reasons and got really concerned, until Akaashi told him you were probabaly nervous because you liked him...couldn’t believe it lmao 💀)

- But once he believed Akaashi he’s was like sprinting toward you screaming “Do you wanna date me?” 💀💀💀

-yeahhhhh that gotta couple looks 😂

- but Bokuto is such a sweetie pie, you’ll never feel unappreciated with him 💕

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