#which imo is a rare type of inclination?

[divinesorciere]

misc things!

[velvetvexations]

RE: Lovecraft's racism

I don't have anything meaningful to add, just some personal anecdotes.

I started reading Lovecraft from some selected works books, and I didn't see any issue for most of it. I didn't know his reputation, and also I am European so race is not something that I am actively aware about (because POC here are extremely rare and mostly are rich tourists and exchange students rather than minorities). Up until he described Inuits as "dwarfish creatures who call themselves Eskimos".

Later I have read complete collections of his works and saw some absolutely horrific racist sentiments, and also now that I am tumblr-level socialist I can see all problematic innuendos in selected works as well, so it's in no way defense of Lovecraft. Just my addition.

P.S.: I also think that people calling Lovecraft exceptionally racist just didn't read a lot of popular USAmerican fiction of the time. Burroughs is IMO worse, or at least more obvious about it.

P.P.S.: There was a popular joke some time ago like "Lovecraft would go insane if he met me" that was made by white neurodivergent queer people, and I feel that it's weirdly tone deaf. We don't know Lovecraft's opinion on homosexuality or transgenderism, at all. He probably was at least somewhat homophobic considering times, but we just can't prove that he wouldn't have changed his mind if presented with science-based arguments, and autism is definitely not what he considered scary mental illnesses. His entire deal was being racist, not just generally bad person.

P.P.P.S. (wow): Also, not enough people talk about him describing political system of Great Race of Yig (or whatever they are called) as "a mix of socialism and fascism"

Actually, we DO know how he felt about queer people!

From a letter to J. Vernon Shea:

I guess it is true that homosexuality is a rare theme for novels—partly because public attention was seldom called to it (except briefly during the Wilde period) until a decade ago, & partly because any literary use of it always incurs the peril of legal censorship. As a matter of fact—although of course I always knew that paederasty was a disgusting custom of many ancient nations—I never heard of homosexuality as an actual instinct till I was over thirty…which beats your record! It is possible, I think that this perversion occurs more frequently in some periods than in others—owing to obscure biological & psychological causes. Decadent ages—when psychology is unsettled—seem to favour it. Of course—in ancient times the extent of the practice of paederasty (as a custom which most simply accepted blindly, without any special inclination) cannot be taken as any measure of the extent of actual psychological perversion. Another thing—many nowadays overlook the fact that there are always distinctly effeminate types which are most distinctly not homosexual. I don’t know how psychology explains them, but we all know the sort of damned sissy who plays with girls & who—when he grows up—is a chronic “cake-eater”, hanging around girls, doting on dances, acquiring certain feminine mannerisms, intonations, & tastes, & yet never having even the slightest perversion of erotic inclinations.

Even worse, from a letter to James F. Morton:

Have you seen that precious sissy that I met in Cleveland? Belknap says he’s hit the big town, and that he’s had some conversation with him. When I saw that marcelled what is it I don’t know whether to kiss it or kill it! It used to sit cross-legged on the floor at Elgin’s and gaze soulfully upward. It didn’t like me and Galpin—too horrid, rough and mannish for it!

The idea that this fucking dweep saw himself as the alpha male in the room is dadgum hilarious.

And yet, R. H. Barlow and Samuel Loveman (again) were gay. Did Lovecraft know? He met the aforementioned "precious sissy" at a gathering Loveman had taken him to. R. H. Barlow wrote a story lost to us called "I Hate Queers" which Lovecraft read that certainly sounds psychologically revealing, but his brief commentary on it really tells us nothing about the content and if it made Barlow's closet more transparent or not.

Derleth said Lovecraft "seemed" to be unaware they were gay, but what the fuck does that asshole know? Lovecraft personally explained the ideas behind his stories to him and he still fucked up the Mythos for decades with his bullshit. On the other hand, Derleth was bisexual himself, and I don't know how Lovecraft couldn't have picked up on it from this letter he sent him:

I can understand your detestation of sex irregularities in life as violations of harmony and I here fully agree with you. I had previously misunderstood you to mean protestation from a basis of morals, and on this basis I would have stood squarely opposed to you. I have known and still know many people who are sexually irregular, both homosexual men and women, and except for three cases out of perhaps 21, I have always found these people highly intellectual, fully aware of what they were doing, and in all cases quite helpless. Speaking perspectively and in the abstract, I could as easily conceive myself entering upon a monogamous homosexual relation as a heterosexual one—though perhaps practice would change that point of view. To quibble about mere words, I should not say that perverts necessarily lived inartistically.

As to if Lovecraft would have accepted scientific evidence in favor of queer validity, maybe. He was becoming a full-blown Actual Communist towards the very end of his life and his racial views, while still preferring to keep cultures separate, had gotten to the point where he believed a Chinese baby raised by White parents would be essentially the same as a White person, which is, uh, technically progress?

[thatbadadvice]

Dear Advisor,

I (M 21) have formed a tight-knit friend group in college. Yay! My closest college friends are the members of my ttrpg group, who we’ll call A, B, C, D, and E. A (F 21) and B (NB 22) have been dating for the whole time I’ve known them, about a year. Last year, A, B, and C lived in the same residence hall and were rarely apart. Now that B has graduated, the plan next year is for A and D to be roommates while C, E, and I live in a similar residence hall. I expect to see a lot of B, who plans to find a job and apartment in this town.

B is my friend, so this is *almost* fine. Except that while I like A, and I like B, it is painful to hang out with both of them at the same time. B is a fairly jealous person, and they get very upset and mean when A hangs out with friends without including them. When we get lunch together and the topic turns to an interest of A’s that B does not share, B usually ends up monologuing about how much they dislike the interest. These monologues often turn into teardowns of A as a person that the rest of us awkwardly sit through. A and B have a lot of their fights in public, and they’re mean to each other.

At this point, I’ve seen enough meanness that I don’t consider B a close friend anymore, and I’m wavering on A. I like both of them, but the way they’re willing to treat each other in public, especially the way B treats A, throws up a lot of red flags.

Any good options? I’m worried that if I tell A that I don’t like how B treats her, it’ll torpedo my friendships with both of them. C is A’s best friend, E is B’s best friend, and D is about to be A’s roommate, so it’s not like I can avoid either of them. And I do still like them, especially A. When it’s just the two of us, A is a good friend.

What do I do? I’m tempted to bring it up to our other friends, but I don’t like talking behind people’s backs.

Readers sometimes send Bad Advisor their real-ass questions to answer, so the Bad Advisor is periodically going to try her hand at answering them. If you’d like to submit a question for a Good Advice Interlude, use the “ask” form!

What a surprise it is, going on a decade-plus of Bad Advice, to finally have some TTRPG drama on the blog! ("Table-top role-playing games," for the uninitiated.) The Bad Advisor is all too familiar with the Darth Partner/Missing Stair dynamic (h/t Captain Awkward, the Pervocracy) in TTRPG scenarios and it's a real goddamned bummer, because you can mostly scoot away from the DP/MS at a party but when you're stuck at the gaming table with them, woof.

My first inclination, as an old-ass gamer lady, was to simply tell you that B will probably just move the fuck on from your group now that they're graduated and doing non-college things, but that doesn't help you in the moment, and they might not, and frankly DP/MS folks will show up for your entire fucking life if you're a game-type person in many and various modes, and it's good to figure out how you're going to handle them now and get some practice in with not tolerating nonsense in your circle. I'm gonna use some elaborate/belabored RPG metaphors in this response and want to emphasize that it doesn't mean your life is a game! (I also believe TTRPG life is real life, because it's my real life, too!) But you've given me a delightful tableau within which to work.

Your instincts for not just straight-up shit-talking and gossiping about A and B's deal are correct! You will never be able to keep those conversations totally private (nothing that starts in the TTRPG side-chat ever stays in the TTRPG side-chat), and for both A and B, it will suck to inevitably find out that their buds were engaged in such conversations. Is it possible you could safely feel out the other members of the group on the A/B relationship dynamic, as a fact-finding, temperature-taking mission? MAYBE. But it's a very risky maybe IMO, and if you don't love the dynamic, I don't necessarily think you need side-chat validation on this point. You have information the other players may or may not have; you are entitled to act upon it. I think we dispense with C, D, and E. You aren't them, and you can't control what they do or say or feel, and they aren't asking me for advice. But you can model behavior and steer your party!

So. What are you gonna do?

You start by describing B as a friend, but waffle on that some -- you've become less close because you dislike B's treatment of/behavior around A, which is fair! You're allowed to decide, with new information about how B behaves in particular situations, that you don't really like parts of a person, or maybe even that person at all! You don't have to set the whole motherfucker on fire to make your feelings known in a thoughtful, polite, and even kind way; if somebody else (B) blows that shit up, it's on them! They are a whole other person who will act a way in a game/life that you cannot control; the only thing you need to feel good about at the end of your turn is that you did something that was true to you/your character. Because for real, if there's one thing I know about people, it's that telling people to do a thing because you want them to do a thing (such as: "Y'all are miserable and you should split up!") will almost always result in the told-parties doubling down on the opposite of what the telling-party wants them to do. (This is what I do to torture my folks when I am the dungeon-master, because it is what people do!)

Assuming we're talking about garden variety shitty relationship behavior (which is what I think you've described here) and not full-scale abuse in public, I think you have a number of options depending on the situation. I don't mean to suggest that you should accommodate bad behavior; you already know that feels crappy and sows discord and confusion because you're doing it, now, by trying to side-step around the ick. You gotta choose your move depending on where you are on the board.

The next time A and B get into it in front of everybody (during a game, or at the bar, or the coffee shop, or the student union, or wherever), you pretend-roll a charisma check and imagine you got a 15+ and they rolled a combined 3 (because they have??? nobody likes this!!!!), and you say something to this effect: "Hey, A and B? These vibes are not great, can we table this tiff until later?" Repeat as needed! Passive voice/vague antecedents are great in these kinds of situations: "Can folks not get into this right now?"/"Moving on! Let's focus on XYZ!"/"Feels like we're getting off track — can we do ABC instead?"/"Wow! That's kind of awkward and private! Let's not do that here!" If it helps, imagine B is the obnoxious NPC you need to get the bare minimum of compliance out of to continue the game of not blowing up the entire situation. You already have a good bead on what people do when they feel attacked, because you're literally playing games wherein that make-believe happens! People fight back and get defensive! It's a bad scene!

Other people's bad relationships are theirs to solve, so you can treat interactions regarding those relationships as open-ended puzzle games that are not for you to finish. You are the Oracle, not the puzzlemaster. If you get A or B on their own in a safe space where you're not rushed to get somewhere or hungry or otherwise pissy or wanting, why not ask: How does it feel when A/B does that? What would you like to see happen instead when Bad interaction happens? What might you do about that irritating/annoying/weird thing A/B does? Despite what I said in the prior bullet points, your friends are not NPCs, and of course you know this or you wouldn't be asking — they are the main characters in their own lives, and you can neither save nor sink them.

It might be that A and B stay in this weird bad relationship! If it continues to cause bad vibes at the game nights/within your circle, I think you're well within your rights to say, either to one or both of them if they haven't gotten previous messages: "Hey, I like you both, I want to keep doing XYZ fun things with y'all, but this dynamic is actually really, legitimately killing the vibe, because I don't get to see the fun part where y'all make up and feel good about everything, I only see the bad arguing parts and it's just a real downer!" Don't let them off the hook about this! Stand your ground when they come back with "Oh, we're just joking" or "Ah, well, that's just how we are." Okay, they're joking and that's how they are, but it SUCKS TO BE AROUND and if it's not a big deal, they can cut that shit out!

The whole deal blows, and you're in a sorry position to have to navigate it. It just absolutely is a shit situation to have a friend-group whose dynamic is messed up in this way. But you're asking because your interest is in maintaining a collective good-feeling, and I can promise you that skipping the missing stair of A and B's bad vibes (and maybe specifically B's behavior) will absolutely in the long-term result in the precise kind of bad-feeling you're trying to avoid by skating past it today. Resentment, distrust, annoyance, back-channeling — all of the things we build and do to avoid being emotionally honest with people who care about because we think it'll hurt less in the moment, or get better later, or just change, somehow — are also 10000000% guaranteed ways to push us farther apart from the people we love, rather than keep us close and friendly.

Your people will always be your people. You have a wonderful and beloved friend group, and you will lose and add members of your party throughout your life, but you will never lose any people who were supposed to be your people if you commit to being kindly forthright while modeling your needs, boundaries, and appreciations for them. This isn't a skill you pick up once and do automatically forever; it takes work and commitment throughout your life and it's fucking annoying and awkward and so, so worth it.

[smhalltheurlsaretaken]

I know that you've written extensively about why forcing the Order to allow 'attachment' (which...99.99% of the time is either a misunderstanding of what that means and really just means "marriage is allowed") is not really Jedi positive (and I agree). I was wondering though, do you think there could be a way for fic to have the Order allow for marriage without totally disrespecting how attachment works in Jedi culture? I ask because there are married Buddhists and I have a few ideas how it may

Maybe.

I'm not familiar enough with Buddhism to comment on the real-world parallels here, but just from an in-universe perspective, there could be some wiggle room without disregarding everything that's established about the Force, how the Order works and why it works like it does. I can see two types of exceptions: - Jedi in situations like Kanan's (isolated from the Order, with his team as only support system, in a committed relationship - since there's no Order to be committed to - but aware of the risks; when feeling emotionally compromised, he asks other people to make the call, like Ezra in the mission to rescue Hera) - for a 'normal' Jedi in the 'normal' Order... intra-Order marriages. The way I figure this would work is that they'd be pretty rare and pretty regulated, but at least they've got a safety net in the form of all the other Knights and Masters who can point it out and step up if things aren't working out. They can be assigned to different missions when impartiality is needed and to the same when it's routine stuff and they work well as a pair.

Why just Jedi marrying Jedi? In an ideal case, both would be equally devoted to their duty, would understand that missions come first in daily life (so no arguments like 'you're never around for me, like Padmé and Anakin had) and that innocent lives come first no matter what (so no sacrificing other people for your personal happiness). I mean, Jedi do have very close friends and other Jedi they consider family and that's basically how they treat those bonds. What's different imo about marriage is that you promise to your spouse to always put them first, which is incompatible with the same vow made to your duty as a Jedi - but if they're both Jedi it might be like they'd be both married to the Order (which in essence is what being a monk is) and to each other. Risky, but who knows.

We see that Jedi raised within the Order from a young age tend to do leagues better than Anakin where dealing with loss or duty is concerned, so I imagine it could, hypothetically, work sometimes.

Ironically enough, that's how Karen Traviss' Altisian Jedi went about it iirc (minus the carefully making sure it doesn't go horribly wrong because 'there's nothing wrong with love ever')? She's not what I'd call positively inclined towards the Order lmao. I also vaguely recall that those relationships she wrote about ended rather terribly. Then again, the main philosophy behind her Altisians was 'Jedi bad, being free and not participating in the war and having sex good.' But as long as that's not the underlying idea behind the fic, yeah, it can work 😂 I mean, it's fic. Almost anything can work.

I wouldn't want it to ever become canon - I prefer my Jedi celibate, tbh, I love that aspect of their characters (yesIknow in canon they don't have to be celibate, but from what we see most never choose to pursue a relationship and I love that about them and tbh I prefer no romantic relationships at all rather than flings) but if I had to write a fic that's how I'd do it. I don't know if they'd call it marriage though

[sparrowsabre7]

Arrow 10th Anniversary Rewatch 1 of 10: S01E01 Pilot

“Arrow” I think, is one of the very small handful of shows which actually hasa really good pilot. It’s not a “oh, just keep watching it gets really good” or a slow burn episode, it gets almost everything on the table straight away without revealing the mystery.

First off, I think the dual narrative, while it shot them in the foot going for five years, was a stroke of genius. Most people come to superhero shows/ films for the superheroics, the origin is rarely the most interesting part, so by having the main present day narrative focusing on Oliver Queen’s vigilante antics and short bursts of flashbacks dedicated to how he came to become The Hood, we end up with a show that doesn’t spend its entire first season as a prototype of the character they end up as/only suiting up for the last episode.

Immediately we’re out of the gate paying homage to Year One with the ragged hood and long beard and Stephen Amell’s narration works well in setting a sombre tone. While it’s probably for the best the narration disappeared as the season continued, it works well here as filling in the thought panels for a character we’re still learning about. Amell’s delivery is a little stiff here and it’s hard to tell if that’s intentional as a PTSD survivor or just because it’s early in the run and he’s not found his voice yet. It’s present more in the narration than in the actual dialogue so I’m inclined to give the benefit of the doubt. 

The pilot works pretty efficiently at introducing quite a lot of key supporting cast members and immediately showcasing them and their relationship to Oliver and it helps that I don’t think there’s any cast member that turns in a bad performance here. Personal favourites being Susannah Thompson’s Moira Queen, Paul Blackthorne’s Quentin Lance and David Ramsey’s John Diggle (named for Year One writer Andy Diggle). 

We’ve already got several personal and external conflicts and threads set up, which is something I respect about the show in season one, it feels like nothing is held back, we immediately have Oliver dealing with the problem of having a constant bodyguard, we have the typical “stay away from me” for Laurel to avoid dragging her into his world, the antagonism between Oliver and Quentin, plus the reveal that Moira may have had something to do with the sinking of the Queen’s gambit. The show also does a good job of selling the red herring that Tommy Merlyn may take after his comics namesake (Merlyn the Archer) and become a threat to Oliver. The only thing missing in terms of the long-term storylines is the reveal of the primary antagonist: The Dark Archer. 

Delving back into the characters, Stephen Amell sells Oliver well in both timelines; an inconsiderate douche in the past and the cool, competent vigilante in the present. The action sequences are all great in this opening episode, some great setpieces and more violence than one might expect from a superhero (in the as-then pre-Netflix Daredevil era). Not to mention Oliver actually kills a man to protect his secret in IMO one of the more quotable lines from the show “No one can know my secret”. When fighting as The Hood, the use of his bow as a melee weapon makes for some inventive choreography, impractical though it might be in the real world, and serves to differentiate him from the kind of action we’d seen with Hawkeye by this point. 

Being early in the show, Oliver relies heavily on people taking a moment to stare at the arrow he just shot so he can disappear Batman-style. As a brief segue, the violence and the Batmanisms draw a lot of criticism, but this is not atypical of Green Arrow fiction. He was created, after all, specifically as “another Batman” type character for DC and in Mike Grell’s run (name checked as a Judge in this episode) he did induldge in more violent acts and occasionally murder. A little disappointing that he kills Constantin Drakon, a perenniel foe in the comics who is represented here only in name really as the body guard of Adam Hunt, but it works within the context of the show. 

Overall, the Pliot episode of “Arrow” makes huge strides in setting the tone, characters, and conflicts for the series and does it significantly better than many other shows and certainly the best of all the CW superhero shows. With the dual narrative managing to avoid being bogged down in an overlong setup episode we get straight to the heart of what makes “Arrow” great. 

[vrishchikawrites]

JC's condemnation of WWX and the recent discussion about Lan Xichen made me wonder about how both characters failed their brothers (JC obv more than LXC) and the entire discussion about how things could've changed if JC had stood by WWX.

And that made me wonder of a scenario where Xichen for the sake of his brother, actually tightens his belt and visits WWX in the Burial Mounds- would that have made an effect? After all LXC doesn't know WWX at all and only through second hand accounts at this point so why not actually DO something about it.

Honestly i wonder about a comparison between LXC and Jiang Fengmian where both characters are the wait-and-see type and do the bare minimum of courtesy but never proactive enough to bring about a change or raise their voice. I don't dislike these sort of characters because they still feel better then the ones who accuse and vilify and have no control over their emotions, but they also feel like a cautionary tale of being too mild and trying to make everyone happy but failing completely.

I know everyone says LWJ is suppressed but sometimes I think LXC is worse. LWJ is eventually honest with himself but I feel like LXC lies to himself a LOT. So much that he actually believes it. Always smiling. Always unruffled. The First Jade of Lan.

The cast is so big it's a bit hard to think about all characters so i've liked/been neutral about LXC for a while. I have to admit though that in many many fanfics he basically exists only to give shovel talks to WWX (which is beyond annoying) and very rarely makes friends with WWX and often when he does WWX is overly tearfully grateful and it's affected my view of the character somewhat. I've become less fond of LXC but I still sympathize with him for Meng Yao. It's what he warned to his little brother about WWX but instead it was actually happening to him.

On a different note- how strong a cultivator is Lan Xichen? I feel like he should be right up there among the best but his cultivation skills are mentioned. What is he good at? Is he super good at anything?

I sometimes think LXC is, in a way, a foil for LWJ. He's this gentle, placid guy, willing to cruise along with the world, serene as the surface of the lake until someone throws a stone. LWJ, on the other hand, feels powerful like a storm sometimes. Even his silence has an edge to it, he comes across as fierce in ways LXC just isn't.

His fierceness makes him proactive instead of reactive, that's especially true when he's an adult. He's always ready to shoot and he doesn't hesitate. That's why he goes where chaos exists. LWJ isn't the kind to sit idly by when people face problems, even if the people don't concern him.

With LXC, things are different. Yes, he earns his title during the war and is known for helping hundreds of cultivators. We get the picture that he's this incredibly kind, gentle, and honorable guy. And he is.

But honestly, there's a limit to how much a kind guy will care about other people not connected to him. He knows LWJ cares for WWX in some capacity but LXC himself isn't attached to WWX in anyway. In his view, this is the guy who teased his brother relentlessly as a teenager and then showed up rebeling against everything they had been taught.

WWX's no innocent peasant or helpless cultivator that needs defending. In his eyes, WWX is powerful, dangerous, and a proven soldier. He knows WWX is smart and cunning. LXC knows he's capable of being very ruthless.

All of the heroism and kindness that LWJ has seen first hand, LXC has seen none of it. I'm also uncertain about how much he understands LWJ's feelings for WWX. He was forced to go mediate between the two a few times during the war because they were fighting so much.

So why would he go out of his way to get the true facts regarding WWX and the Wens? Especially if JC, WWX's own sect leader is set against him? He has no reason to distrust JC, who has always seemed like a steady guy, trying to reign in WWX's chaos.

From his perspective, whatever happens to WWX and the Wens is just a part of the post-war politicking.

Now, if LWJ had asked him to check, LXC would've definitely gone to the BM settlement. But he didn't afaik. LXC simply went on handling his own sect business and life.

All of that makes perfect sense for his character and his station in life. He becomes a little more invested post-ressurection when LWJ and WWX request his aid. He gets involved because both of our heroes ask this time. And due to his connection with JGY. If he wasn't tied so closely to the situation, with JGY and LWJ at risk, he wouldn't have paid much attention to the situation.

Imo, he's just a kind guy who is inclined to help but also needs to have some sort of personal stake to truly involve himself. Everytime he's shown stepping forward (outside of war) in any meaningful way, it happens when someone close to him is at risk like JGY, NMJ, LWJ, or even NHS.

There's a big difference between how JC and LXC failed their brothers.

JC activily turned the entire Cultivation world against WWX. He refused to defend him or offer help when needed.

LXC only saw his brother's somewhat 'friend' was turning bad and his brother maybe felt a little put out about it. Can't even consider that a failure, tbh.

When he knew how seriously invested LWJ was, having seen his brother suffer for love, he became seriously invested in WWX's wellbeing too. He showed that by sheltering WWX even if it meant going against his sworn brother in spirit.

But that doesn't mean WWX owes LXC anything.

So to conclude, I think he's a kind but casual character. MXTX basically wanted him to be a humbo, so there's that.

As for his power, I believe he's a skilled cultivator, particularly good with musical cultivation. He's so good that JGY thought he was nothing in comparison. He's also a good swordman and very good at archery.

Is he has powerful as LWJ - I somehow don't believe he is simply because LWJ seems to go on many more nighthunts. I assume that hightens his cultivation somewhat. But LXC is very competent from what the text suggests.

[absolutebl]

Hi! Sorry if you've talked about this in the past (I tried looking on your 2gether tag but couldn't find anything), but I'm curious what your thought are on 2gether and still 2gether. I watched both series without having read and reviews, or being involved in any fan community, so I went in absolutely blind to all the criticism. My assessment after I had finished 2gether was basically that I liked it up until they became a couple, and then it kind of went down hill, due to the shows seeming fear of having them act like an actual couple. And I'm not talking about kissing (I think honestly that critique is a little tiresome, and I like high heat media I should add), just that I think the writing kind of failed, and even the editing and directing should have gone in a slightly different direction. Maybe have more lingering shots on hand brushing, longing looks, etc. I thought Bright gave some pretty good flirty looks, the show just could have emphasized it a bit more, and in general the camera could have been better when it came to showing the romance. However despite it not being a perfect show, I thought it was a perfectly serviceable romantic comedy. But some people seem to REALLY hate it. I'm curious where your thoughts on all of this fall, and the ending, and I guess the outrage because of lack of kissing. I actually think brightwin's chemistry wasn't bad. It's not like mewgulf or maxtul or something, but in this case I'm more inclined to blame the actors. Though I did read that it may have been in their contract to not have more then two kisses or something like that (though I feel like that's just a rumor)? Which is a bit strange imo, BUT once again, I would blame the writing. Just move the 2 kisses or whatever to after the characters get together, and don't waste them in the beginning of the show.

Hi!

No worries, I have so much content most of the time I can't remember either.

I'm curious what your thought are on 2gether and Still 2gether

So unlike quite a few people I was already deep into BL by the time these two rolled around. So BrightWin are not particularly formative for me. I find their chemistry... lose? Questionable? Awkward? Something. I don't know. Not totally believable, I guess.

It took me three tries to watch it at all. I HATE HATE HATE Green's character in every possible way and could not get past him for months. From the punching down humor against femme gay, to the stereotype, to the way Tine treats him, to how he is acted. I do not find Green in anyway funny and I blame the director, not the actor.

Apart from that I have a few niggling objections to do with chemistry and the like but it was fine. I didn't find the show ground breaking in any way. It's a serviceable BL with issues and concerns like other BLs, charms and pleasures like other BLs.

I gave it a... lemme check...

8/10

(Which is what I gave SOTUS, Theory of Love, My Day, Word of Honor, Given, You Make Me Dance, and HIStory 4 for comparison.)

I tend to rate media on what it's trying to do when compared to others of its type. So 2gether is judged as a high production BL from GMMTV, and that's what it's up against. Something like Golden Blood also got an 8/10 from me, but it was being judged as a Thai BL pulp, so different standards.

Is this grading on a curve? Let's call it that.

I rarely read reviews, so I went in blind to all criticism as well (in fact I remain so), although I was aware of the obsession and adoration. That tends to make me suspicious. I'm always suspicious of what's popular.

I agree with you that it's a "perfectly serviceable romantic comedy."

I wasn't aware that some people seem to really hate it. But I guess I can sorta understand. Where it misses the mark, it really does miss. Kind of like HIStory 4, although not it quite the same way, of course.

I tend to draw a distinction between:

not my thing - for weird personal reasons (I Told Sunset About You) and that's my hang up

dislike - I can't really explain I just don't really like something about it, even though I should be obsessed (Like in the Movies)

disappointment - we all know you could have done better in some significant way - chemistry, story, ending (My Gear and Your Gown)

betrayal - we have a contract about what it means to be a good BL and you BROKE it, you're dead to me (History 3: The BL That Shall Not Be Named)

2gether never really betrayed or even disappointed me. It just is what it is. Nothing special.

I actually think their Big Kiss at the end of Still 2gether was really good, and their chemistry got a little better in the second season.

But nothing about the show keeps me up at night.

It's just this show.

Ya know?

[sheblah]

how much of dt's personality that we saw in the show do you think is real and how much is an act?

This is a tough one. This is based loosely on observations, with a dash of headcanon:

I think there are parts of DT that are an act, but they've convinced themself otherwise. Then I think there are parts that are real but they've convinced themself it's an act. Then there are parts that they acted out so hard that they became real. And then there's the rare instance of something genuinely, totally real.

Type 1: Acting, but thinks it's real. Their unshakeable confidence, and that air of being totally in control even when they're clearly not. When they're being held prisoner by a couple powerful sorcerors, or they're paralyzed and being interrogated by angry princesses, they don't act like they're in danger. They exude composure and even try to put their captors on the defensive. But we know they're not always in control from the flashes of nervousness when they're about to be found out, and when they realize Hordak has no sense of humor. They just don't want their enemies to know that - and I don't think they want to know that, either.

In a larger sense, they give the impression of someone who knows exactly what they want out of life and isn't afraid to go out and get it. Admittedly, I do like the idea that they really are like that, because characters so rarely are assured of themselves in that way. But I like the alternative even more: that being a friendless mercenary, hopping from one gig to the next, always chasing the next fleeting scrap of validation from an attentive audience... isn't really what will make them happy in the long run. But for fear of the alternatives, which would require them to open up to people and stick by them, they choose to believe that's what they want. It's a self-preserving act that will only hurt them in the end.

Type 2: Real, but thinks they're acting. Anything having to do with caring about others. They're clearly a social creature imo, and it's only natural for them to seek out connections with other people, whether they realize it or not. Ex: they put in effort to make Catra laugh and enjoy her job. That didn't have any real benefit for them; its only purpose was to wipe the frown off Catra's face. But they probably saw it as "studying her character" or something - anything to spin it as a self-interested maneuver.

To that point, their general interest in people falls into this group as well. Their fixation on "character study" comes from somewhere. They're an extrovert. They like people - people as a group, the way some people like animals or tech. They're genuinely interested in getting to know and understand everyone they meet... but they've used it as a power play so long they've forgotten how to get to know people for its own sake.

Type 3: Faked it, made it. Their sadism fits here. They clearly enjoy causing suffering and chaos. Now, I don't think anyone is born wanting to hurt people. It's something that develops. At some point, something in DT's life taught them that hurting people is a source of pleasure and/or personal benefit. The Crimson Waste seems like exactly the sort of place where one might put on an act to seem scarier than they are, only to end up adopting the act for real. Whatever caused it, it's not an act anymore. I think this is a trait that, if they were inclined to get rid of it, would have to be consciously fought over and over.

Type 4: Whatever the hell THIS is.

[fortysevenswrites]

You obviously gotta do Peter and Olivia on the "who does what" ship questions. :D

Ughhhh yes! My universe(s) saving couple of badasses. Which, of course, I saw a commercial on my Amazon Prime recommending I start rewatching Fringe again, which like, yes, but also...I just rewatched the whole show like...3 weeks ago.

Gives nose/forehead kisses - Peter, because it’s canon and it’s ADORABLE. And like...Olivia really isn’t the MOST affectionate of the two but Peter so is, and it’s just such a great dynamic.

Gets jealous the most - I don’t think either of them would be, now that they’ve gotten their shit together (twice over). Olivia went through all of that with Alt-Livia, in season 3 and once she and Peter get past that, I really don’t think jealousy becomes an issue. Sure, Peter was a little jealous of Olivia’s relationship with Lincoln in season 4, but that got wrapped up quick. It also helps that Lincoln ended up with an Olivia of his own in Alt-Livia (which I think is both adorable AND hilarious)

Picks the other up from the bar when they’re too drunk to drive - On the rare occasion that Peter and Olivia get shmammered, I think they’d A, do it together, and B, just take a cab home.

Takes care of on sick days - Peter takes care of Olivia, full stop. Olivia is 1000000% the type to overwork herself to the point of exhaustion. Peter is a close second, but he has more of an understanding of what his limits are, and does take breaks (whether they’re Walter wants a snack-induced or it’s time to flirt with Olivia induced). When Olivia gets sick and the combined efforts of Peter AND Broyles to take a break, then, with reluctance, Olivia lets Peter take care of her.

Drags the other person out into the water on beach day - Peter 10000%. Olivia is 10000% the more serious of the two, and on the rare occasion that they take time off from trying to save the world, Peter would definitely be the one to drag Olivia away from the shelter of the reports she snuck into her bag to review while at the beach.

Gives unprompted massages - Peter, definitely. Especially after he and Olivia get together (both times) and they have the opportunity to be tactile with one another, Peter DEFINITELY takes advantage of it. Like, they were suuuuuper touchy from day 1, but now that he has permission? It’s cuddle time ALL the time (when they’re, you know, not trying to save the world)

Drives/rides shotgun - Olivia drives every time they have the opportunity, and especially when they’re working. Peter doesn’t mind being chauffeured around, since he does all the driving he can when he’s in the car with Walter (unless Walter’s having one of his self-actualization moments)

Brings the other lunch at work - Astrid. Someone has to keep her scientists and FBI agents healthy and functioning, and it sure as hell is not going to be Peter and Olivia (and, of course, Water).

Has the better parental relationship - Well....that’s a tricky one. I think Peter gets this one by default once he and Walter clear up all the nonsense and Peter acknowledges Walter as his dad and Walter decides to finally start treating Peter as his son. Obviously it’s not perfect. I also LOVE the relationship Peter has with Elizabeth from Over There, what little we see of that, and that’s definitely functional, all things consider. Olivia’s relationship with her mother from Other there was a lie, and of course her step-dad was a piece of shit. So, goes to Peter. 

Tries to start role-playing in bed - I don’t think either would, really. Olivia had to pretend to be Alt-Livia and isn’t a fan of putting on a persona, especially not in bed with Peter, and Peter is happy to follow her lead.

Embarrassingly drunk dancer - They’re both pretty decent dancers, and Olivia isn’t the type to let loose and be ridiculous, let alone Peter. I would say, of the two, the answer would probably be Walter.

Still cries watching Titanic - Neither. Olivia doesn’t have time for movies like that, and as much as Peter enjoys a good classic, he’s not the type to get emotional about movies.

Firmly believes in couples costumes - Walter, of course. Peter isn’t here for it, and Olivia is probably slightly more inclined to humor him.

Breaks the expensive gift rule during Christmas - Peter would. He’d find something sweet and obscure that Olivia would love, but she would definitely make a stink about the price tag.

Makes the other eat breakfast - Well, when it’s not Walter making frittatas naked on Tuesdays, it’s Peter. Olivia is the type to have dry cereal and whiskey for dinner (see: season 1), so Peter is the one who makes sure she’s fed and healthy. 

Remembers anniversaries - Olivia has a photographic memory, and she and Peter like to acknowledge important dates from both the Blue ‘Verse and the Amber ‘Verse.

Brings up having kids - Well, it was Olivia in canon, so yeah, Olivia. Which, is actually the more left field of choices between the two, imo, but I like it, because it makes for a TON of character growth for Olivia, who was this crime-solving robot when the show started, and now she’s looking forward to the future and having a family with Peter, and that’s just adorable as hell.

[roodllle]

Year in Review - Animal Crossing New Horizons

I started writing this review/criticism in May of 2020 but decided to update it as the year went along and post it on the anniversary of NH’s release. I would like to preface that this is mostly going to be full of questions of criticisms, I love this game. I have not been able to put it down since I got it on March 20th. My first AC game was NL and then I played HHD. I was ecstatic when they announced NH at E3 2019 and kept trying to find other games to fit in my AC shaped hole in my heart but I wasn’t able to fill it till this game came out. I feel like the pace of the game is great with how you build up to unlocking terraforming and 5 stars, and I feel like the updates are well timed especially with how crazy 2020 was for everybody. That being said there were some things that irked me. 

Some of the points I will bring up came from other people/commenters I have seen on here, Discord, Reddit, and Twitter that I also agree with. Some other points are from Youtubers such as ShayMay and ChuyPlays. And others are from me. 

With that out of the way, let’s get on with the review. Warning, I guess, don’t expect this to be an essay, this is just a patchwork quilt made up of thoughts.

Terraforming

I wish cliffs/tiers had a smaller level? Like how we’re able to make stepping stones for our rivers if we don’t want to put a bridge down/use our vaulting pole. I just wish there was a cliff alternative. 

Another cliff alternative would be if we could put bridges between cliffs. I think we’ve all been there where we see this picture 

          thought ‘we can do that!!” then realized it was photoshopped

When we go into terraforming, I wish a grid showed up on our island. It would make it much easier to avoid hitting the wrong square when I’m trying to change a river. 

Having us be able to “close” a waterfall from a lower level but not create a new on at the same spot. 

Also the fact we can add a 4th tier but can’t put anything on it is just strange to me. I know we have to have a limit to how high we can go, but at least let me put nature stuff, such as trees/flowers/bushes, on top of it instead of just a flat piece of land. 

Houses

Why no ceiling items? Find it odd they added a bunch of stuff in HHD and didn’t add that to the new mainline game

There’s no reason I can think of to why we can’t access our storage when we’re crafting inside our house. 

Buildings

Dodo Airlines

The Dodo Islands right now are very boring and barely use them. I have enough money and materials to not go farming and save up all my NMTs for when I go villager hunting, which has also become a rarity. I think it would be a good idea to make some islands seasoned themed. Have them be all rare, but have an island where it’s fall and has maple leaves falling, a cherry blossom one, one with snowflakes. I wouldn’t recommend they make Holiday themed ones, but having seasonal ones would be nice.

When I mess up a dodo code or accidentally hit ‘make a bridge’ instead of incline, etc. why do I have to restart the ENTIRE conversation instead of the characters just being “oh? did you mean “x” or “would you like to retype it?” like is it that hard??  

Resident Services

As much as I love Isabelle this game has made me very indifferent towards her. I think they gave her a role that didn’t need to exist. They could have either let us roam around without any warnings to who was roaming around our island, in the campsite, or any weather updates. Just have us rely on our villagers, the TV, and our eyeballs. OR they could have given us a social media like app and/or a weather app. Instead, they gave us Isabelle that only announces something once a month.

Nook’s Cranny

This might just be me but can they add a little DIY area in the store? Maybe just make to where you can only customize things?? This is more out of convenience than an actual problem  

Speaking of customization, since you can make medicine but also buy can we do the same for the custom kits and bait. Like make it where we can buy bait and also make our own custom kits? I just think it’s weird that they give us either/or for medicine but not for the other 2 that I honestly use way more than medicine.

Why do the Able Sisters get to have all of the colors of an item in their shop but Nook’s Cranny can’t? And why can’t we just be able to customize all items that have multiple looks/colors? Example, why can’t I just be able to change the wood type for the antique set instead of having to buy each one? I get that the furniture catalog is already small, but that’s not my fault. They’ve decided to not add past furniture sets into NH. 

Able Sisters

Let us multi select clothes instead of it just being how much we can wear. idc if it’ll just put those clothes in our personal storage and then we’ll have to run home and put it in that storage, I just hate having to walk back in and out every time I want a dress in multi colors. ALSO tell us if we already bought it, like a little storage icon or something

Why can’t we hang any article of clothing on the back wall, why do we have to either make it or have the OG qr designer come to our island? 

Why can’t we have the transparent option when designing clothes? I think it would make many designer’s lives easier instead of having to make 8 versions of the same outfit.

NPCs

I have played this game almost every day since it came out, minus 2 days. I have also been able to make friends on discord that help with trading/cataloging/etc. I have all of Saharah’s, Kicks’, Label’s, and Redd’s items. I have all of the fish/bug models I want and have no desire to “catch them all”. I haven’t talked to Wisp in months because I have most of the items and his idea of “expensive” is 10k bells. The only NPC I actively look forward to is Celeste because even though I now have all of her DIYs, she still gives out star fragments, regular large or horoscope, when I talk to her. 

What I’m wondering is if they’re planning on doing anything else with these characters. Before I speak further I’m going to weed out characters that I am actually fine with. CJ and Flick will always be there if I want a bug/fish model, I understand that Saharah/Kicks/Redd have a ton of stuff to get and w/o the help of my discord friends, I probably wouldn’t have gotten everything till late 2021. 

So that leaves Label and Wisp. I understand Wisp is there for beginners, but now that I’m at a point where I am a bell millionaire and have most of the Nook’s items cataloged, there is no reason for me to talk to him. I wish Nintendo had put in a system where depending on the person who Wisp is talking to, it determines how much money you have in your bank account/looks at your catalog, Wisp’s item’s worth goes up.

As for Label...I never saw her as viable. I also thought the tickets were dumb and you don’t even have to talk to her to have her items show up in the shop the next day. I think it would be great if when you bought all of her items, she decided to join the Able’s sisters in their shop like in NL and then have Gracie show up in her place for the weekly NPC. 

Where is Blanca? Or Brewster? Or Shrunk, Katrina, Gracie, or Kapp’n and his family? I understand we will probably never see characters like Harriet or Pete because they have been replaced by a new system, but what is the excuse for these other characters? I’m hoping they show up in year 2 of NH but...we’ll see.

Villagers

I think having your first villagers living in basic homes is a good idea but one that quickly gets annoying. I found Sherb while villager hunting for the 1st time and have had him ever since, but his house is stuck at basic lazy setup. Instead of me going back and forth on whether or not i should trust somebody enough to hold Sherb, get somebody else out, then get him to move back to my island, You can have it to where you let them leave, then just wait till he comes to the campsite to visit and reinvite him. You get his actual house and he still remembers you. This could also go for you accidentally letting somebody go or letting somebody go then regretting it. Also it’d be fun to see some old villagers again.

I was curious and looked back on past games to see how many new villagers were released each game and NH has been the least amount. NL released 112 new villagers in total while NH has released 8. I’m hoping they might release more down the line but, hella disappointing imo. Along with the Sanrio update and adding those characters to the game, I am more hopeful that they’ll be adding new characters!

Having an “event” of sorts where you visit a villager’s house and they’re looking inside their closet. They look at you in surprise when you walk in and sheepishly explain that they were going through their clothes/items. They then decide to ask you for help since they can’t decide what to get rid of/what to keep and think you have a good eye for that sort of thing. Basically, a way to get rid of any clothes/items your villager somehow received bc I guess Isabelle scolding them isn’t enough.

A big problem I feel like everybody has is the villager dialogue. Yes they added sub personality types for each personality but they are not perfectly cut in half, ex. are the Sisterly types where there are 4 B types and 20 A types, like?? How I have “fixed” this problem is by having one of each personality type on my island so I always have different conversations with my villagers, but I understand not a lot of people do that. Some people just want normal/peppy types on their island bc they’re cute as hell, I get it. I know it would be...difficult to come up with unique dialogue for all 399 villagers, including Sanrio, but....you could at least for the “gimmicky” villagers. Some examples of these villagers are Ribbot and Sprocket, Lucky and Ankha, the super hero squad, and Kabuki. 

Quality Life stuff

Why cant we sit AND wish on stars? And I don’t mean the sit emote; why can’t I sit on a bench and wish on stars?

It sucks when I’m about to hit my rocks or just do a lot of dig work and then my shovel breaks in the middle of it. To show the tool is about to break, cracks should start to form on the handle and get deeper/longer as you keep using it, starting when you have 5 uses left. You can also add an auditory element by making the tool sound like its struggling when you are using it. Net/Shovel/Axe/Fishing Pole can have cracks show up on the handle, Slingshot can have crack show up at the bottom of the 2 spokes while having 1 at the top of the handle. And the watering can have cracks at the base of the can.

If our inventory is full when I dig up a flower, why can’t I replace it with another flower to bury? And if I can dig up an item at an diagonal item, I should be able to bury it again at the same angle.

Other

Having more...liveliness?? on the island, idk how else to say it. Example is whenever you travel by plane there's a chemtrail in the sky afterwards, maybe just seeing other planes go by throughout the day. Maybe you can get a hint Redd or Gulliver will be visiting you tomorrow if you see their boats beyond the horizon, Redd’s just crusin’ and the Gulls’ boats looking messed up. On a week where you don't have a new camper, maybe have an old villager visit. That leads me too

I wish villager’s doors could count as “exterior decorating” and we can just put any ornamental on there instead having to hope that your villager will put the wreath on their own door. 

Conclusion

If you read this whole thing holy shit, thanks!! Go treat yourself on my part lol If you disagreed with me or whatever feel free to chat with me about it! 

[yamujiburo]

(I hope this doesn't come off the wrong way asfgd) What inclines you to draw nsfw art? Is it like a way to "refresh" by drawing something in a different subject matter for you? Or like a just because/wynaut (ahahahah) type of thing?

that’s a good question actually dskjhfafjkds i don’t really know. i usually don’t like it bc i feel silly when i draw it. well not silly,,, hmmm. it’s more like a weird secondhand embarrassment feeling (which is why it’s rare that i draw it at all). i have a hard time drawing serious nsfw and when i do the internal cringing usually stops me LMAOOOO. HOWEVER i did actually enjoy doing those sillier, lighter comics i posted! i like drawing funny stuff that makes people laugh above anything else and being able to laugh at the drawings myself helped me get past the embarrassed feeling. those two comics i did are the only nsfw pieces that i’ve done that i can actually look at without closing out immediately hahaha

nsfw is also a fun character study imo. like exploring characters in a position (haha) that cannot usually be explored in the source material. PLUS IT’S SO DIFFICULT OMG I RESPECT THE HELL OUT OF ARTISTS THAT CAN DRAW NSFW REALLY WELL. it’s not something im good at and i enjoy the challenge!

[warning-heckboop]

I’m writing this all down in one place because I want to draw something for it eventually but right now I’m too wrapped up in swimming in AC

So: Kindergarten SU Movie AU notes/concepts:

For starters, I have to keep the concept that almost everyone is a gem because the story is kind of screwed up otherwise, BUT they’re a bit different from the normal SU gems because I want them all to have some sort of tie to Monstermon, especially cards that are tied to them in game, whether it be using a Monstermon as a weapon (ex. Felix using a gem-like shield that resembles the Rare Jewel), or physically embodying the Monstermon itself (ex. Ted being The Knight who Turned Evil, Lily/Billy being Dank Magician), or some other connection (We’re giving Ozzy an angry pink llama a la Lion okay? Okay)

Unlike the original movie, this au sort of has two protagonists: Kid and Felix. The reason for this is that I want the Spinel-equivalent to be Ted. It’s pretty fitting, imo: someone abandoned and betrayed by someone they loved looking for revenge as a way to heal their shattered heart. Of course, that would make Felix most suitable for Pink Diamond’s role, but I don’t want Felix to be absent like she was. I want him to be the one to fix this, to make things right with Ted. That being said, he doesn’t 100% fit into Steven’s role by himself, because he doesn’t exactly seem like the type to have bonds with others like Steven does with the Crystal Gems. For that reason, both Felix and Kid will be playing the role of Steven, and there will be a greater focus on Felix learning more about friendship and love by watching Kid interact with his friends. Kid is the equivalent of Steven in terms of being the half human half gem hero of the universe, and Felix is a bit more complex. More on him and his relation to Ted later.

With them established, lets move on to the Crystal Gems (I haven’t decided if their actual gems will differ from the originals yet): 

Nugget is Amethyst--the started-out-a-loner but is now part of this family. Kid and Nugget singing No Matter What together just kills me. Simple as that.

Lily and Billy are Ruby & Sapphire/Garnet--we’ve obviously seen that fusion doesn’t have to be about romantic love, but can rather be about familial love as well. Since Lily and Billy are fraternal twins, I see them as being the same type of gem from the same kindergarten, but not separate halves of what was meant to be one gem (more on that later when we talk about Ted and Felix), so when they fuse they become a stronger version of their original gem like we see Rubies do in the show

Penny is Pearl--partially this stems from the fact that system/BOOT. PearlFinal (3) .Info is just. Perfect for her. But the background of being a faithful servant to someone and then learning to grow independent is also very fitting for her. Who she fuses with in Independent Together wouldn’t be Nugget, but rather someone else. I’m thinking maybe Carla, who might end up sort of filling Sadie’s role (but still being a gem)?

The remaining Crystal Gems (Bismuth, Peridot, & Lapis) would be the remaining kids from Kindergarten. No one really has a specific role as of yet. They just sort of fill in where needed, and all help rescue the townsfolk in the end. There’s no specific equivalent of Connie, really.

The role of Greg is filled by the human hall monitors, since I adore the concept of them being sort of father figures to some of the kids as presented by @ask-kinders-teenau. I see Freddie as the one who Penny would latch onto, and who would eventually fuse with Kid to sing Independent Together

I haven’t really decided who might be the Diamonds, and, to be honest, I feel like they aren’t really needed? Instead of going to live with them in the end, Ted and Felix would end up reconciling, so we’re just going to scratch the Diamonds from the record entirely. If they HAD to be someone, they’d probably just be some of the adults.

SO Ted and Felix: They’re identical twins, right? In the show, we see Rutile, conjoined twins who are the result of one gem branching off in two. Similarly, I imagine identical twins for gems would be a single gem that branches off during formation, but then is somehow broken/split before it finishes forming, resulting in two seperate gems that are completely identical. I picture Felix as being the original, base gem, so to speak, whereas Ted was the part that branched off and formed to be on his own, resulting in Ted having an increased feeling of dependency on Felix. Felix, being the original gem, would be inclined to feel superior to Ted, and, similar to the original game, would be much more confident and successful than Ted. This would eventually allow for Felix to be promoted in gem society until he feels Ted is nothing but a burden, at which point he abandons him similar to how Pink Diamond abandoned Spinel. 

Thats pretty much all I have atm. If I think of more I’ll probably make another post or reblog this one. Who knows lol

[avenger-hawk]

If sasuke and itachi belonged to an academically inclined family in our world, do you think they would be the type to attend oxbridge? I just wanted to know how you see them in an academic setting. What kind of students they would be.. what habits you think they'd have? The kind of departments they'd choose? I had a random hc about them being roommates. But, yeah.. thoughts?

uh sorry I don’t know what oxbridge is, I’m not from an english/american/australian/other english speaking country with that kind of culture and I get it’s something university related but putting it in universal terms, even tho my country is not as small and influential as english speaking ones it would be as if I told you about dams lol

In an academically inclined family: this is a good premise you made, it’s important because I think that first of all it depends on their family’s and specifically their father’s academic choice. 

Following their canon dynamics, their father would have a great influence on them, and they would be a traditional family, where the elder would be pushed to follow his father’s footsteps, to take over the family firm/activity for example, to keep the family name and reputation high, and Sasuke too would be pushed in that direction, and he would be proud of it, but he would have good but less stunning results compared to Itachi. This might either bring him to just keep doing what he’s supposed to, or choose something else, as once that his father has lower expectations on him he would lose self esteem but paradoxically gain more freedom. This kind of AUs are a modern kind of non massacre AUs so I don’t see Itachi revolting against his family for whatever reason.

So if Fugaku runs a business, Itachi and Sasuke would study economics, taking some specialization because they’re brilliant; then Itachi would effortlessly be given some cool director role where he would have out-of-the-box ideas that his father would be a little suspicious of, being traditional, but would support, while Sasuke would have a lesser role compared to Itachi but he would also have eclectic ideas and solutions, that Itachi would support, unlike their father. 

So if Fugaku has a law firm or a business, Itachi and Sasuke would study law, I can see Itachi as one of those cool lawyers involved in controversial cases, with his manipulative rhetoric and manners going from polite and respectful to cold and talking down-ish (sorry for my bad english explanations here). I can imagine Sasuke putting his personal opinions aside for a job because he did it in canon many times, but I can also see him leaving the firm (in the case ) and becoming a prosecutor, as he has his personal ethics and he believes in justice.

If Fugaku is a successful doctor, or better the head of the hospital, Itachi and Sasuke would study medicine. Itachi would specialize in surgery because ofc, Sasuke would maybe try it too but he would end changing, like doing internal medicine or specialize in some rare stuff because he’s close to underdogs and minorities, included those who can’t find a cure for their illness. Or he’d become a veterinarian, as he loves animals, and he protects those who don’t have a voice.

(also consider animal right activist Sasuke with Team Taka pls)

If Fugaku was a successful scientist, phisics, astronomy, biology, but also archeologist, historian, journalist, literary critic or whatever, Itachi and Sasuke’s behavior would follow the same scheme, Itachi would be pushed to follow his father’s footstep closer, and Sasuke would too but not being as good (but still amazing!) as his older brother he’d be ignored and he might decide to change subject/department/specialization.

If we want to consider this with more freedom of choices for them I think there are two options: that Fugaku/both parents are dead for some reason, or that he/they are in the field of humanities, as usually people in this field are more open minded. So if Fugaku’s profession was in this area, or in social studies area, he would be strict but less imposing, and his sons would have more freedom of choice. 

And, about the roommates thing, they are brothers and since in my country the default option is NOT to live in a student residence or a dorm, but to either stay at home or, if the university is somewhere else, rent an apartment or a room, I automatically imagine them staying in their house, with or without parents depending on the context, or even if they’re not dead renting an spartment closer to university or smth, so ofc they would live together, since they’re brothers. I prefer this to being roommates. Privacy is important lol

And they would be good students, being quick learners enough to not even have to stay up all nights to finish studying in time for exams.

Itachi might choose psychology, psychiatry or anything brain related, not because he would want to help people but for academic interest. Sasuke instead might choose something that would make him help people in a more practical way, not like becoming a therapist though, I don’t really see them this way.

Itachi might choose philosophy (idk elsewhere but in my country it’s history and philosophy which would be perfect) and Sasuke literature, or art, or music something, as in official illustrations he’s shown with instruments, which show an artistic sensitivity, that could also be related to art, art history or literature.  Or cultural antropology, since he’s open minded, more than anyone else, and he respects others and different cultures and habits.

I was following Sucker Love by ShurikenX where Sasuke studied literature and Itachi art, and he painted too. It’s a cool combination, I never thought about Itachi as an artist because he’s closed off about his feelings and art is self-expression but in a calm and safe context it would be cool that he had art as a channel for his inner states. And Sasuke as a literature student is really cool imo, since he has a deep sensitivity and the kind of independent thinking that goes well with humanities.

Anything can go actually, with the proper context.

[bigskydreaming]

Here's a random question for you: I know you're a big (the biggest) proponent of Scanny, but if you had to pick someone else for Danny to have a relationship with, who would it be?

I actually have thought about this! Honestly, my go to after Scott for Danny is Mason, because the younger characters are literally only two years younger than the original characters even if it seemed otherwise a lot of the time. And so given that we never saw Danny and Mason interact due to the whole ‘oh sure, he totally graduated offscreen a year early just in time to not be around for the season that revolved entirely around his specific expertise aka hacking’ nonsense....I can easily imagine a few years in the future, Danny and Mason meet in college or grad school or somewhere they’re on even footing and learn they have mutual friends/experiences/knowledge in common and from there grow into a friendship and also maybe then they’re boyfriends and then husbands and then dads and then grandpas and happily ever after yada yada.

Meanwhile, if Danny encountered Liam at any age, I feel like he would just be like: “No.” And then wave his hand around in Liam’s direction in a circle like to encompass all of him, as he’s all. “All of this is just exhausting, whatever it is. I am too old and too tired to deal with this....vibe you’re emitting.”

LOL I can’t explain it, like Liam and Mason have entirely different energies and I feel that age isn’t even a factor as to why Danny would just not at all have patience for Liam. Like, I don’t think he’d DISLIKE him exactly, so much as just....’I’m going to be over here, and you’re going to stay over there, and I just think that’ll be best for everyone and we’ll all get along great that way.”

Hmm, who else. Controversial I guess, but I actually did kinda like Dethan, waaaay back at the very beginning of it, before that very same season crapped all over any real potential it or even the twins at all had in the show. Given that I’m fine with them and even like them in AUs or fics that diverge before they had anything to do with Boyd’s death, but if that’s at all in canon for a story, I have no interest in them as anything other than cannon fodder. Which let’s be real, you always kinda have a need for in TW stories. 

But initially, I REALLY REALLY liked the fact that there was this (at the time) mysterious new character that was there for DANNY, like, deliberately seeking him out because of real or suspected significance....I was all for that, because I was like yes, excellent, clearly this means they have plans to focus more on Danny and bring him into the core group eventually and also obviously Danny’s gonna turn this guy away from the Dark Side and make him betray his pack of overcompensating losers for Danny and the power of LOVE because who doesn’t love that trope, am I right? Its all so clearly laid out!

Ahhh, to be that dumb again.

Anyway, so in AUs or early canon-divergent fics, I can be all for Danny and a better, more fleshed out and non-jackass depiction of Ethan. But by the time Ethan returns in actual canon, the fact that he’s with Jackson just irritates me in a ‘hooking up with your ex’s best friend is a jerk move and we get it, show, you don’t consider Danny important and never did, jfc’ kinda way. Beyond that though, I’m just like, Jackson can have him at that point, they deserve each other, go Team Jerkwad.

I don’t see Theo and Danny ever happening because I like to think that Danny’s view on scheming, ambitious and boundary-breaking friends with possible homicidal inclinations has changed since Jackson and Ethan’s presences in his life, and he’s like.....”Nah, I’m not doing that again. Two of that type are enough for me, and I’m kinda always gonna put up with Jackson at this point because...look, I had my reasons probably, just because I can’t remember the basis of our friendship now, like....just back off, okay?”

Just saying, I don’t think he’d inherently hate Theo if Theo’s story happens in an AU kinda way where he doesn’t murder and betray his way through the show’s social hierarchy, lol, but Danny would still just be like “Look, whatever your issues are dude, I’m not trying to judge you for them if you don’t make me, but like, go put in some you-time offstage and then maybe we can talk. I am not emotionally equipped to put up with the schemes of yet another person whose whole thing seems to be ‘am I good or bad, you decide, because I sure as hell can’t.’ I don’t care how big your biceps are, that is not going to be a deciding factor for me, not this time, no sir, I have learned from my mistakes, I have had hashtag Growth, and you need to go now, and also please put on a shirt. I SAID GOOD DAY, SIR!”

Danny and Stiles is Lol That’s A No For Me, of course, Danny and Boyd I would be totally down for and can picture them being like, a snark queen power couple who hang back and watch all the drama unfold around them while providing entertaining commentary back and forth to each other but otherwise act like they’re not even there, and when someone annoyed by their running commentary finally snaps and goes “Why are you two even here?” like, I can so picture Danny and Boyd just blinking slowly and looking at them, then at each other, then back at them as if confused by the question. 

“It’s Date Night,” Danny says slowly, in the tone reserved for being asked to solve the equation on the board that’s already got the answer written out right there.

“Okay, fine. But why are you HERE, then? If its your Date Night, like.....go have your date then. Catch a movie. Its all good, we don’t need you guys here at the moment.”

Boyd squints at them. “This IS our date. Whoppers?”

The latter is directed to Danny, as Boyd extends the box of candy towards him.

“Yes please,” Danny says, reaching for a handful.

Exasperated sighs are heard all around the room.

LOL anyway....who else....Jackson tends to be a no for me too, not for any real reason beyond like....I’ve read too many fics where they’re essentially treated as the Mirror Universe version of S/ciles, and you KNOW how I feel about that ship, so like, all even dubiously associated ships are by mere proxy also noped by me. *Shrugs*

Which mostly just leaves Isaac, and....idk, tbh. I’m not inherently opposed to them, and I’ve actually even read a couple of fairly long-ish and pretty enjoyable Danny/Isaac fics. But enjoyable in the sense of like....just as their own thing, a fun romance set in the TW setting/universe, between Danny and an Isaac-shaped woobiewolf. As the few Danny/Isaac fics I’ve found over the years tend to suffer from the exact same thing that’s always kept me from really ever getting into Scott and Isaac as a couple in anything other than theory...

Like, in the fics I’ve tried, I always tend to run into the same tendency to just....sand down all of Isaac’s rough edges and make him this shy, insecure, soft boy who is withdrawn until Danny or Scott bring him out of his shell....even when its based on the events of the show and Isaac’s already been turned into his leather jacket-wearing, snark-wielding, deliberately apathetic werewolfsona. 

And that’s just...not Isaac to me? So if I treat him as an original character basically, I can enjoy those stories, and do, just because there’s sooooo little Danny-centric fic that awhile back, I absolutely spent a good year or so making sure like, I found every last scrap of it, lol. I went spelunking in some deep, dark places in search of even a little spotlight time for Danny, because He Deserved Better and I was willing to put up with a lot to see him get even a little (except for like, blatant and unavoidable Scott hate being front and center in the fic as well. Then I exited with rapidity. I love Danny, but not even for him can I stomach that).

But yeah, otherwise, I very very rarely found a lot of Isaac fics, no matter who he was paired with, where he wasn’t like....constantly soft and vulnerable and the focus of Scott or Danny or whomever else’s regular attempts to comfort and protect him. Which I mean, I love Isaac, and I’m always projecting onto abuse survivors in fiction even if just a little bit, so its not that I object to the comfort and desire to protect him parts, just the sheer unevenness that tends to be present in his dynamics as well. I’ve always said that for me, the true theme of TW was survivor empowerment, that all of these kids had been hurt and exploited and traumatized in various ways and they all struggled individually and together to find ways to cope and to heal, and also to feel empowered enough to protect THEMSELVES from whatever or whomever tried to hurt them again in the future. 

And that’s the element that so often is missing from Isaac’s arc in fics, IMO...any hint of the character who he spent a lot of time and effort growing into on the show. Evolving first into a character who reveled in the power he’d been given and that made him feel safe and strong for the first time in his life, to the point where he was quite frankly an asshole a lot of the time. 

But then from there he grew into a character who came to terms with the reality that as his own power grew, so did the power of the new tormentors he was now often in conflict with, due to the source of his newfound strength...and his strength and brutality and apathy were not at all the tools able to help him find true protection and recovery in his new world. They just weren’t going to get the job done, and that’s when he started to let Scott’s example sink in and take his lead from that, finding the power and strength in committing himself more to others, becoming more of an active participant rather than just a spectator or a henchman who needed orders before acting.....allowing himself to be vulnerable in exchange for the benefits being more open to others afforded him.

Isaac’s growth onscreen from season to season was the very thing that made him so interesting and enjoyable to me....as well as how his bond with Scott did the same thing....so when the former isn’t really present in fics, even the presence of the latter doesn’t really do a whole lot for me. And its the same thing in the Danny/Isaac fics I read, so yeah. There for it in theory, but the execution I’ve found has never done anything to make it any more compelling a ship possibility than any other random ship.

I think that’s pretty much everyone though? Well I mean like, there’s Corey, but I don’t have strong feelings about that possibility one way or another. And there’s Derek, given the whole ‘Miguel’ thing in S1, but you know me, even in future/aged-up settings, I still tend to be ‘what if Derek dated people his own damn age tho, like just for the sheer novelty, let’s explore that some more’.....not to mention that as the show progressed, the more fandom hated on Braeden and her relationship with Derek, the more I spite-shipped them. To the extent that now I find it hard to picture even AUs where they’re not endgame, or if Derek HAS to be in another ship for some reason, then they still were a super serious relationship before the fic and there’s always that hint of her being the one that got away, kinda. 

*Shrugs* What can I say? The enemy ship of my enemy is my OTP. The Art of War, fandom style. I have no problem admitting it, lolol.

But yeah, that’s all of them I think now.

[comicteaparty]

November 13th-November 19th, 2019 Reader Favorites Archive

The archive for the Reader Favorites chat that occurred from November 13th, 2019 to November 19th, 2019.  The chat focused on the following question: 

When reading a new webcomic for the first time, what qualities are more likely to turn you into a long-term fan?

carcarchu

Definitely creativeness and how unique the overall concept is. If i think i can pretty much guess how the story is going to play out I'm less inclined to stick around and tune in every week (though i might queue up a bunch of chapters and binge it if i still like it enough). If a story keeps me on my toes and there's cliffhangers every chapter it makes me want to come back every week to find out what's going to happen next and that consistency makes me want to stay until the very end. Also i tend to read mostly romances so if i really like the ship that the comic is pushing i'm much more likely to keep reading it

Cronaj

For me, it's character development. While the art style or plot concept might draw me to read a comic initially, it is the characters that make me stay. If I feel like the characters have realistic enough motives or emotional journeys, I start to see them as real people. I cry with them, laugh with them, and mourn with them.

Batichi

I need to get a good idea of the 'hook' in the first 20 or so pages. I really need to know if the comic itself knows what it wants to do before it's really started. It can be through set up or character intros or world building like Chirault http://chirault.sevensmith.net/, or even a good random encounter like in Ghost Junk http://ghostjunksickness.com/ to get me into the action really fast, or starting In Media Res like O Sarilho http://sarilho.net/en/ . I need to know the creator knows where the story is going in some capacity or I'm worried the comic will quickly stagger into a hiatus. Technical parts can still be a bit wonky as I know from experience most creators need some practice, but I still need an idea they're getting to (without having to read the about page)

Most comics I've read that kept me going always seem to have really well thought out starting points that continue all the way till the end.

keii4ii

I look at how the narrative treats lawful characters. I usually have a hard time relating to chaotics, regardless of how well they're written (I may come to care about a chaotic character, but I'm gonna need something else to keep me reading until that happens). If the narrative portrays lawfuls as interesting and worthy of attention, and gives them compelling arcs that let them shine, yeah, that's probably my jam! Related to above though not the same: I love it when slow, quiet moments are given importance and handled well. (Related since quiet and lawful overlap?) Not just downtime so people can catch their emotional breath before the next set of busy scenes... but important enough to be seen as the focus of their own, if not of the story! This should show quite clearly in my own comic if I'm doing my job right...

keii4ii

Sombulus (http://sombulus.com/) by @Delphina is a notable example of treating lawful characters with respect, even though the comic as a whole has this wacky chaotic fun vibe. When I was first making my way through the archive, I greatly enjoyed the first adventure with townspeople turning into literal walking fruits, bread, etc. But then the trio went to talk to Tenge, and I was relieved that the narrative didn't "side with" the chaotic, irresponsible (though still 100% lovable -- I love you too, Astyr!!) main character. The comic managed to portray Tenge as being uptight without feeling unfair to me, a lawful. That is SO rare to see! (Sombulus as a whole does a great job at treating characters from the entire lawful-chaotic spectrum with both fairness and fondness. It is one of my favorite things about the comic. )

Delphina

(I saw I got pinged so I scrolled up to see what the question was, but I went too far and I thought you were saying Tenge was your favorite magical boy and I was dyiinnnggg @keii4ii )

keii4ii

(Tenge is totally my favorite magical boy too, now that you put it that way )

Delphina

Thank you! And thanks for the compliment on the lawful/chaotic dichotomy. Balancing how those kinds of personalities work together and how they're both strong in their own ways is really fun for me, and I'm glad it's showing in Sombulus!

DanitheCarutor

What can keep me reading depends on the comic. The hook can either be character interaction, the character's themselves, the setting, or the plot. With characters, how the they handle themselves and one another, how they think, how they talk, how they walk, how they DaNCe, how TheY LOVE! Lmao! But nah, I'm really big into character details, which individualizing characters to the extent that I like is rare in comics so I settle for standard stuff. As long as I can distinguish them, and they're interesting, I'm chill. Setting? A super fun thing for me, I love it when creators go batshit with their setting lore and world building. Of course even when the setting just pure aesthetic, when it comes to it being the hook for me as long as it's weird and crazy, something a little fantastical or cosmic I'm digging it! Plot. This is the one I least care about... as weird as that sounds. The story can be an insane mess as long as it's a fun and enjoyable mess, but when story does hook me it is usually an interesting, super intriguing take on a preused concept either with the use of visuals or writing. (Which every concept has been used, originality is technically dead) Some examples are: The Prometheite https://tapas.io/series/Prometheite - A sad Frankenstein story about a woman losing her partner to a fatal illness. Hookteeth https://tapas.io/series/Hookteeth - A lovecraftian/cosmic horror romance with merfolk. (Not much to say about this one, Lovecraftian stories in themselves are weird and awesome imo.) SUPERPOSE https://tapas.io/series/SUPERPOSE - A sci-fi comic heavy on character interaction, and looks to be something other than the usual in space, on a different planet, or a story where the sci-fi is just a setting. (To be honestly, I'm mostly into how the story is presented visually. It feels very theatrical.)

Sometimes I stick with a comic purely for the aesthetics, I'm a sucker for eye candy. LIke Seluda https://tapas.io/series/seluda - A normal-ass high school story, but the visual presentation is SOmething else! Very 60's-70's drug trip, the style of speech used by the MC is very surreal, if not a little long winded at times. I would chalk my interest in this comic up to characters and art, but mostly art.

keii4ii

Related: Astyr supplying the non-sequitur lines to keep that one machine going was also a favorite moment of mine. This is probably just me but I found it genuinely heartwarming to see him able to contribute simply by being his chaotic self, even without his magic. @Delphina

FeatherNotes

Honestly character design and a memorable interaction are easy hooks for me. I do like a good investment in world building however, it really helps for easy immersion and definitely makes it more enjoyable to read! The moment I see a creator indulge in some good backgrounds and lore, I'm pretty much sold! Phantomarine and o sarilho are really good examples of all those things http://www.phantomarine.com/ https://sarilho.net/en/

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

I read a really wide variety of comics. I’m not sure I can pinpoint exactly what trait it is that hooks me, besides just ‘good writing’. I like comics that have believable, relatable characters, well thought-out plots, and good character development. I’m immediately turned away by heavy reliance on tropes, stale, cookie-cutter characters, or achingly slow progression. If it’s well written and well-paced, there’s a good chance I’ll stick around and keep reading. Also, a bit opposite of what Keiii was saying above- I love a good rogue. The better the chaotic character, the more likely I am to be drawn in. I love stories that explore the moral grey area, that have villains with good redemption arcs, and have heroes that are deeply flawed but grow and learn. If the hero is always 100% on the good side and the villain is always 100% on the bad side, I’m more likely to lose interest.(edited)

FeatherNotes

Ohh yes agreed on that

keii4ii

@Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios) I believe we may be looking at two sides of the same coin! I wouldn't be interested in reading about the Honorable and Immaculate Lawful Heroes Against The Forever Evil Baddies, either. Greyness -- or to describe it differently, "stories not picking a side" -- is something I like seeing as well, just through a more lawful lens. Back to the Sombulus example, it's one thing to portray a noble lawful hero. But Tenge was portrayed as being uptight, without making it feel like a jab at lawful readers. He has room for growth, but so does everyone else in the story. Reading Sombulus I feel like he can learn to become a happier person without becoming someone else. Lawful doesn't mean perfect nor boring, and that's something I really appreciate seeing.

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

That’s very true! I like when lawful characters aren’t perfect, though I gravitate more towards chaos, lol.

keii4ii

(Tienar may not be my tippy top favorite Ashes character (not yet sure who my fave is!) but I am definitely partial to him and his lawfulness. )

Pakky

i love chaotic lawful characters. one of my favorite characters was from a long dead webcomic called destress where the main character was lawful but also psycho. it was pretty fun to watch

sssfrs

I dont read a lot of comics but I love loveable rogue characters

FeatherNotes

Love me those chaotic stupid types too My comic's main char is one of them and it definitely makes for interesting interactions!

sssfrs

I like the dynamic my characters have. The leader of the group is smart and responsible, the second in command is smart and kind of lazy, and everyone else is completely chaotic, evil, or stupid

So the leader is herding cats

Glowbat (Aloe)

I think what really grabs my attention and chains it to the radiator usually is when there's a noticeable overarching thesis or themes to the comic that the creator is mulling over via the story. Usually as a result it really tightens up the whole story and seeing characters of all kinds representing different stances on the thesis and acting in ways directly reflecting that is neat.

keii4ii

^ Cohesiveness!!!!

Glowbat (Aloe)

Yeah!

Cronaj

I think it's interesting how most of us are drawn in with character development, even if the specific types of characters we enjoy are different.

keii4ii

^ Yeah, I fully admit that just because a character is well written/believable, doesn't guarantee I'll be invested in that character. I definitely have my types, as well as a horribly narrow and specific taste range

Glowbat (Aloe)

also the other thing that really draws me in is if you put a hot character with pointy shark teeth in I will read the entire comic always

Cronaj

I think my taste range is pretty broad with the characters I like, narrow af in regards to art styles

It's a horrible affliction really

@Glowbat (Aloe) lol, do you read Castle Swimmer?

Glowbat (Aloe)

...maybe

Phin (Heirs of the Veil)

I think what hooks me, when I start reading new webcomics, is how diverse and interesting the cast is and I think I'm more likely to stay on a superficial level if not everyone is conventionally attrative. Other than that, strong character writing and strong motivations for the characters that are already there in the beginning.

Cronaj

Character development!

Deo101

Things that keep me around are like... If I can read it, honestly. Like if i can follow whats happening consistently then i can get into it. Also! Depending on how it treats women, lgbt people and disabled people really makes or breaks my overall enjoyment. I like character driven stories most but I can enjoy other things and get into them, its nit very consistent for me

All about clarity and respect

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

Oh, yeah, the author respecting their characters and / or groups of people is a big must for me.

So I agree with Deo 100% on that

Deo101

Oh, and also how much they respect their readers and trust that i can follow things without holding my hand through it!

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

^^^that too! I am not a fan of over-explaining(edited)

Cronaj

I will say, the way female characters are portrayed does affect my overall enjoyment as well. For example, if a woman is so boring and placeholder (i.e. just there to help a man or be a romantic interest), as I like to call, suffering from "girl" syndrome, I really hate it. This is why I can't watch a lot of anime, because often the female characters don't matter.

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

Also, @keii4ii I think you may be the first person ever to say you like Tienar!

keii4ii

omg noooo Tienar I WILL ROOT FOR YOU, MY EAGLE

It's not that I agree with him a lot. I just really appreciate that he's there

Cronaj

But yeah, if a comic can't pass the simple Bechdel Test....

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

Hahaha, well, he’s definitely There

keii4ii

Re: the balance of clarity vs not over-explaining, that can be tricky!!

I too don't like over-explaining, but what I find to be just clear enough may be unclear to some, or too confusing,

Deo101

Yep :// so that one is really not on the author so much as just "if I dont know what's up or if I feel its dragging on i wont like it"

Jts not the kind of thing that you can do right for everyone

keii4ii

Agreed

Deo101

What my indicators for "is this respectful?" "Is this clear?" Etc are gonna be wayyyy different from other people's so its hard to say exactly what keep me reading

keii4ii

This is actually something I've been thinking about a lot. For Korean webcomics, the comment section generates a lot of engagement, and one result is that reading comprehension becomes a group activity. Particularly observant comments become highest voted, so even less observant readers can follow along by reading the comic and the highest voted comments. I feel that makes some stories more accessible than they would've been without that comment section culture.

Deo101

I wish that were commonplace lol

keii4ii

ME TOO

Their comment section is active enough that one time, a reader asked for toilet paper (they were stuck in a public restroom stall at Incheon airport, and only had like 20 minutes before their flight) and they actually got TP in time

But yeah, it's not just the activity level that I'm envious of. It's the group effort reading comprehension

I value it as a reader (I am not the most observant), and want it as a creator

Deo101

Yeah wow that sounds awesome and would also help me SO MUCH because I struggle a lot with following things...

keii4ii

OMFG

Before reading the sentence to the end

Deo101

Remembering, knowing what's going on or who is talking, picking up on subtle hints... Can't do that lol

keii4ii

I thought you were going to say "because I struggle a lot with public restrooms with no TP" sorrryyyyy

Cronaj

Hahahaha

Same

Deo101

Hahahahhaha

I usually just ask whoever is next to me if that happens

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

I wish western audiences were that engaged. Usually the top voted comments I see are either puns (fair, because puns are awesome) or thirsty (less nice, but if it’s a thirsty pun I admit to laughing out loud sometimes)(edited)

Deo101

Yeah same lee :/

I've been getting like .1% of my readers commenting and ive been like. Is my writing just not conducive to an interactive environment? This convo should probably move out of reader favorites. Creator babble it is! Lemme go over there w it

keii4ii

There was this thriller webcomic in which the MC was trying to assassinate 4 corrupt politicians for personal grudges. He already got three of them. The last one receives a large, round-shaped flower pot as a gift from his supporters. 3-4 weeks later (IRL I mean), it is revealed that the third target/victim was cut up into pieces, but they couldn't find his head. One reader pointed out "THE FLOWER POT!!!!!!" and I would not have been able to make that connection without that comment. I mean the flower pot thing was revealed the next update anyway, but it was nice to have that comment, and another highest voted comment even specificed "go to [this specific update] for the scene in which he receives the pot"

(The head was in the pot)

Deo101

Thats so fun

Cronaj

Oh my God... It's brilliant

DanitheCarutor

@Pakky221 Distress by Blankd, right? I loved reading that comic back in the day! It's sad that the comic got discontinued, but I have to say I'm enjoying the WIP work for the stuff the creator is working on now. Regarding the conversation about characters, I think I'm the niche person in the crowd. Unless the character themselves or the situation they're in is an obvious mouthpiece thing for someone venting their racism, sexism, homophobia, whatever political views, etc. I don't reeeeally care how characters are treated or used? I've always seen them as tools, even in childhood I was disillusioned about seeing them as real people, so it's hard for me to get emotionally invested in how the author treats them. I don't even care about my own characters outside of portraying their problems, personalities, and situations decently. Probably not a good mindset to have, and it'll probably dox me some points on the "good creator" scale, but it's just my thing I guess. Lol

Bland characters are a pain, though! If you can legit replace your character with a rock, and it would have the same impact or be a livelier option, then... that's kinda sad. (Unless your character has some kind of legit issues relating to appearing bland, or they're sort of the butt of a joke.)

Pakky

@DanitheCarutor o: i don't have any way to follow the creator. the blankd tumblr has been inactive for so long but i agree. Bland characters are my least favorite. There's a lot of comics out there that have some pretty plain main characters that are realllllly hard to relate to.

DanitheCarutor

Aah! Blankd's Twitter is still active, they're working on a game right now, and they've done a few -ahem- adult comics since stopping Distress. https://twitter.com/blankd_ec

Yeah, with bland characters I'd like to think the author is trying to make that type of Sue that anyone can put themselves in? But it ends up turning into the opposite because they're so dead on arrival that no one can relate.(edited)

snuffysam

kind of related to the idea of "i should have an idea of where the story is going at the start", but one other thing that keeps me reading is "the story gets there". like if the comic opens with an old man telling a young knight that she has to travel across the land and slay a dragon, cool! if i continue reading the comic for six months and they're still in the same conversation, i'm probably dropping it! like i get that comics update at different rates, but if you have like one page every two weeks you should probably make sure something interesting happens in the first 20 pages. and the sorts of comics i absolutely love are when, like, the stories actually move forward. like, if i can re-read a comic and feel nostalgia for the earlier scenes, that's how i really turn into a superfan.

Capitania do Azar

The group effort in this chat already pointed some very important points: that not all characters are conventionally attractive (tho I like that, it's not something that would make me stop reading if it were absent), well developed women and LGBT+ characters, and characters with strong motivations that are apparent, make sense in the context of the story and are known to us from the begining. That said, if the comic consistently treats me, as a reader, as if I were not very smart (by constantly overexplaining things, pointing again and again at the obvious, making me go through walls of text because world is more important than character and you need to read a bible to get through chapter 1), I'll probably not engage for too long. I gotta say that the visual style is also a very important factor. I am willing to look through what I consider to be minor issues (like small inconsistencies in drawing/scenario or characters being offmodel) for as long as it doesn't interfere with my immersion in the story. However, some visual styles are a big no-no for me, and I discover that I can't look past those and enjoy a story

Q @CecilieQMT making WAYFINDERS

This chat is very good - also for a first-time webcomic creator. As a reader, I'm almost a little ashamed to say that I'm very picky. Not because I don't like comics, because I LOVE COMICS, but becase I'm so goddamn busy all the time. Everything is constantly competing for attention, and for a comic to be able to hold that attention, it needs to be something extra special. For me, that's an engaging and developed visual style, a plot that gets going quickly, and a sense that the story has been planned. I love that so many different comics exist, I just can't read all of them and also be a creator.

RebelVampire

As a reader, I'm almost a little ashamed to say that I'm very picky. Not because I don't like comics, because I LOVE COMICS, but because I'm so goddamn busy all the time.

I think that's an important sentiment all creators should remember. People are busy. And like, not even just comic creators. I'm talking about basically everyone. Which means good and bad things. Bad thing is that it makes creating a highly competitive market because people are going to be super picky just for lack of time to be un-picky. But the good thing is it means the people who do choose to read your comic are picking it out of all the other comics that they could read with their limited time. And that right there is pretty special.

Cronaj

@RebelVampire That really is a beautiful sentiment.

@Q @CecilieQMT making WAYFINDERS I am also very picky about comics, which is part of the reason I'm so picky about my own work. This is why if an artist doesn't seem professional enough for me, I don't want to waste my time reading the comic, because maybe the writing is unprofessional too. I know I'm missing out on a lot of good content, but as you said, I don't have the time to read a comic and be disappointed when I'm further into it.

keii4ii

I too am picky about stuff, and it's not even because of quality. My tastes are a far bigger factor. Just because I don't read something doesn't mean I think it's bad!!

Cronaj

That is also true

Tastes also play a huge role into why I read or don't read something, not just the "quality" of the art

kayotics

I don’t think I’ve answered the question yet but I’ve been lurking. The first thing to grab me that might turn me into a long term fan is the art style. I don’t think the art is the most important factor but I need to be able to follow along, and if it’s not a style I’m interested in I probably won’t start it. The second thing is the writing in general. I like characters the most, more than world building. So interesting interactions are where I get the most enjoyment. The story could go almost anywhere but if I don’t like the main character I really won’t like the story. So the thing that will keep me going the most is a likeable main cast. And I don’t mean flawless, because that gets boring, but characters that I enjoy seeing fail, and then pick themselves back up again.

DanitheCarutor

So I slept in it and realized when I was talking about plot for my answer, it was actually themes... because I didn't talk about anything relating to plot. Lol shows how professional I am. With pickiness, is it weird that I'm more picky now that I'm jobless than when I was working fulltime? When I was pulling 10-11 hour work days I was literally a drifter, so they never had anything for me to do. I would find anything I could get my hands on to make the time go by faster, so I read as many webcomics as I could. Now I have all day to catch up drawing pages, trying to find a new job, helping my mom with chores, and doing obligatory family bs. I also want to try making some kind of revenue off my drawings/comic, so I've been trying to get in the groove of doing more things. (Which is difficult because pages take almost all my drawing time.) It's hard to find the time to sit down and read a comic now since staying productive is mandatory. Uuuh Tl;dr: I can empathize with being picky due to lack of time.

Q @CecilieQMT making WAYFINDERS

THat's the creator struggle, right? In creating, so much time is spent creating, that it can be hard to find time to consume

Q @CecilieQMT making WAYFINDERS

Ooh, yay!

Deo101

I think also as creators, we tend to have a hard time -if not an impossible one- seperating our work from what we read. I Know I tend to look at other things as a learning experience in some way, either thinking "how would i do this different?" Or "what about this can i apply to my work?" Which makes reading a different, more tiring experience

We may tend to* this might just be me i will admit

DanitheCarutor

@Q @CecilieQMT making WAYFINDERS It is! Sometimes I get so focused on the creating aspect that I forget to do all the other important things like advertising, socializing, promoting other people. Like playing video games, reading comics is an absolute luxury time waster so I don't do it as often as I could anymore.

Aw man! I do that too, Deo! Although it's something I actually enjoy? Something about analyzing a piece of media, and applying what you would do with it is fun.

Deo101

Oh I absolutely do enjoy it! But it takes more time and is draining for me

Cronaj

Definitely makes it harder to enjoy what we're reading

DanitheCarutor

Aauh yeah, that's true. Analyzing does take a lot of brain power and energy.

Deo101

Yeah :/ so to find a story i can really get immersed in is incredibly rare now...

Cronaj

I do this with books I read too(edited)

It's an awful habit

DanitheCarutor

Over analyzing everything is something I've been doing literally since childhood, so I'm used to it. My brain never shuts off unless I'm drawing.

Cronaj

I find myself wanting to rewrite other people's stories

Don't be like me

Deo101

I do it too and i think its just kind of how you think about things when you're a writer

DanitheCarutor

Pff oh no, I've done that too. Not so much now, but in elementary school whenever I watched a show or movie I hated, I would rewrite it.

Deo101

When you pick apart what you dont like or analyze what you do iy lets you apply those things to yiur own work. Its a valuable skill to have and i think its kind of automatic

Cronaj

Even my favorite authors of all time... I end up going back on a reread and wanting to change things that didn't work out so well

DanitheCarutor

It's a really good skill that not enough people have... at least my coworkers are pretty lacking in the critical thinking department. They say it's healthy to question, analyze, and long to improve.

Deo101

Some people are, and that's okay! Those are the people I hope are reading millennium ;)

Jk lol

DanitheCarutor

Lmao! Yeah, it's okay to be a person of simplicity, as long as they don't tell me the hyper-realistic Lion King remake is better than the original.

Deo101

Ahhahahahaha

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

I analyse every format of story I consume automatically . Comics, books, movies, etc. I find that it doesn’t take me away from immersion, but it DOES take away my emotional investment. I’m enjoying the story plenty, but I’m less likely to feel attached to a character or be sad when they die. It’s a very rare story these days that will actually give me feelings over the fate of the characters.

FeatherNotes

I can totally see that too though, esp with the crazy amount of works being produced, you def have to do some curating in a sense to see where you will make that emotional investment too

DanitheCarutor

Aaah I get that with horror movies! Lol But in seriousness, I'm the same way for the most part. My immersion is perfectly intact (unless something stupid happens), but my care investment in characters does waver. Usually it's easier when the characters are really weird, and catch my eye, like the corpse man in Swiss Army Man. I got super invested for some reason when he learned how to walk, then when he died again because his friend wouldn't fart in front of him. But normally, nah I don't feel much, especially for death but my views on that are kinda skewed to begin with.(edited)

So I realize I'm really into surreal comedy, if a character can actually make me laugh I'm more invested in their wellbeing.

keii4ii

Analytical reading is great. Though I rarely find myself wanting to fix other people's stories. I have creative tunnel vision and genuinely have no desire to work on anything other than the OTP (One True Project)

Same goes to my own ideas really? I get ideas but auto-filter them out, as I have 0 desire to work on them.

Cronaj

You are blessed lol

Every five minutes, I'm sitting there trying to convince myself to work on ONLY ONE PROJECT AT A TIME.

"Oooh! That's a cool idea! I should E x P l O r E that!

kayotics

I try to not analyze shows or comics unless I REALLY love them or I find them boring and want to be interested in them. For example: I’ll analyze the hell out of Full Metal Alchemist because I ADORE it, but the analysis stage came much later after finishing the comic. If I’m not engaged with a series then I’ll analyze what would make me more interested. I hardly ever try to rewrite other people’s stories

Deo101

Yeah i dony try to rewrite its more of a "what about this didn't i like and how can i avoid doing that in my own work?"

FeatherNotes

ohhh yes agreed Deo

kayotics

Oh yeah definitely. I will sometimes think about that, but usually it’s if something is really bugging me

Deo101

Yeah I partly do it because people sometimes just don't take "idk i didnt really like it" for an answer and I gotta explain. Also its kinda like a puzzle and I like puzzles

kayotics

Oh, on the topic of the question: one other thing that will hook me is whether or not the writing is exciting. For example, I mentioned being bored by some comics, but that doesn’t mean I’m looking for action all the time. What I’m looking for is for there to be something to latch on to. The most mundane story about laundry could be interesting to me if it’s written in a way that engages me.

A really good example of engaging writing in a mundane story is probably Sakana? https://www.sakana-comic.com/ The characters just. Work in a fish stall. But the story holds my interest even in the quiet moments because it’s crafted in a way that keeps developing the characters.

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

I can’t turn off my analysis mode. It just happens as I’m watching / reading in the background of my brain and there’s no control switch. Sometimes I wish there was so I don’t correctly predict the ending 1/4 of the way through and spoil it for myself. (I’m no longer allowed to make predictions along with my friends when we watch movies together).

Deo101

^^^^ SAME. BIG SAME.

My mom and sister are like that too so we all guess the ending and my dad gets lile >:( I Kno youre right and it's ruined now >:((

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

But agreeing with the above, I don’t want to fix another person’s story. I’m just always asking ‘What made this scene so effective?’ and ‘what made this part not so effective?’. I also map writing patterns, formulas, and file away ‘tells’ in my head as I go.

Me and my friends all like to talk during movies: making snarky comments or predictions. I’m just no longer allowed to do the latter because I will ruin the ending. XD

Deo101

Ahahahahahaha

Yeah I can't go to theaters I've been shushed so much. But its so hard not to talk for me

FeatherNotes

that's a very important skill to have with analysing things to the point of deconstructing them in your own work and making more effective narratives too! it's good to be aware of the content that you consume and really understand what made the work speak/effect you the way it did. Honestly these conversations are much more enjoyable to have than just 'my fave character is that bc they are funny' and it ends there (no shade on simply enjoying things here tho! I def do the same) but yea! being aware to that degree is a good skill for writing

sssfrs

@Glowbat (Aloe) You should read my comc

I’m sorry I’m like this I’m just so focused on what I’m working on its the only thing in my whole brain right now.

You said you like stories with themes and my mind was like themes? my story has themes

keii4ii

Calm down man! XD Though I can relate to brain being 100% focused on your OTP (One True Project)

sssfrs

I love analyzing media. I get bored of reading or watching things really quickly if I feel like I’m starting to understand the central message. Or maybe bored isnt the right word- more like satiated? If the work is really cohesive and Ive gotten the overall message I feel like ive fully enjoyed the media and had a good time

Like analyzing it is enough and then reading is just bomus

bonus

I’m so sorry

FeatherNotes

it's okay to be really into your own work haha! love that passion to keep you going--!

also the OTP acronym is rly cute omg

sssfrs

One True Project I just realized you saidb that that is really cute

Like I said I stop reading if I feel like I have the gist of something(edited)

I think its cool that a lot of us are saying we analyze things all the way and were also making our own stuff like does working on making your own thing cause you to view the details of the construction of the story in a different way?

DanitheCarutor

Like, does being analytical make us construct our stories differently than others? If so I wouldn't say it does for myself, but my visuals tend to get way overly detailed. To the point where important stuff tends to get drowned out, which is something I've been trying to work on. <_<'

keii4ii

It would definitely help with self-editing/ revisions, for one thing.

I don't think you need to be analytical every time you consume a story, but it helps to be able to turn analytical mode on?

Deo101

yeah for me its kind of always on unfortunately. if not when im watching then definitely after having finished

DanitheCarutor

Yeah, turning it off is near impossible. Ah thinking about it, I guess being overly-analytical kiiinda affects my story? (If that's what sssfrs meant) I remember some readers who've said they go back and forth to connect plot details, and the guy who does Webcomic Relief did a super small review where he went nuts analyzing everything. Even down to the reason behind my use of medium. Since I like analyzing I guess I subconsciously made a comic that can be analyzed, or something. Or maybe it's not actually that deep.

keii4ii

That makes sense, though. That we make comics that can be enjoyed the way we enjoy other stories.

I'm not much of a theorizer, so my comic isn't really optimized for theorizing. Though some people have still managed to come up with really cool theories!

DanitheCarutor

Pff I think every piece of media has those theorizers, it's just fun to do for some no matter if they're analyzing some deep piece or Blues Clues. I imagine those types of fans are fun to watch as a creator whether your work is geared for analysis or not.

Oh uh, I forgot to mention. Let me know if I'm getting a little out there, or getting off topic too much. Socializing properly is still something I'm trying to work on, along with the etiquette.

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

Yeah, I can’t turn off analysis mode either. It’s always running in the background.

sssfrs

I was saying more the other way around, like having experienced the process of creating a story, you think more about the work that goes into it and how the various pieces all come together in a different way than someone who's only ever consumed media linearly would be used to seeing it.

It could go the other way around too though that's interesting, then it's like "what drives people to make stories"?

RebelVampire

For me, there are three qualities that usually hook me in with a new comic. 1) An interesting premise. Not to say I think premises need to be unique, but it's more of a question is do I think it'll explore the premise in an interesting way. For an example, Maiden of the Machine https://maidenmachine.com/ It's not like steampunk is new or anything, but I really wound up liking the premise of it both being a romance and about high society politics with the steampunk setting. So, that drew me in a lot to keep reading. 2) A good balance of themes and story. I'm not a huge fan of comics that are more interested in exploring their themes over their story. I prefer stories where the narrative is the focus, and the theme feels like a natural consequence of the narrative. My example for this is actually the recent Week Long Bookclub comic Missing Pieces https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/missing-pieces/list?title_no=192867 I actually wasn't sure I was going to like it first, but I was super hooked once I started. There were lots of interesting themes to explore around death and revenge, but at the end, the story let me decide how to feel and focused on the narrative. 3) Theory-fodder stories. If there is lots of stuff to theorize about and that is easy to overanalyze based on the most miniscule of evidence, I'm pretty sold. This is the fact that really got me with Galebound http://www.galebound.com/ There were so many small hints and tidbits, both in the story and supplemental material, that I overread and overthought the heck out of this comic. I do wanna note, the things I look for and what hook me are arbitrary and based only on my personal preferences. There are a crap ton of objectively great webcomics out there that I have no interest in reading as a long term fan. Not cause they're bad, they just don't have things I'd personally enjoy reading in terms of being part of the comic's fandom.

[peutro]

wonhobi ofc, cckencall, line taeguk! - this is moose who cant remember the login to their mumu For now FAKSDJFL

@vingtvies

WONHOBI

gives nose/forehead kisses

wonho is the king of forehead kisses. when he’s saying goodbye on his way to work, or good morning when hoseok awakens, or a hello — the FOREHEAD KISSES emerge. hoseok gives out nose kisses when wonho is being cute and when they’re cuddling.

gets jealous the most

listen… we KNOW they’re both the jealous type, to the point it’s almost kinda bad JKFNGKDJ i’m still inclined to say wonho, just because he’d be more obvious with his jealousy ( with him getting moody ) but also because he’d try to hide it once they’re together, but he can’t help it !!!!! he trusts hoseok, so much, but he still thinks he deserves better and thinks one day hoseok’s gonna wake up and realize that and yea.

picks the other up from the bar when they’re too drunk to drive

this works both ways too… but i gotta say wonho. once they get into a relationship esp, and because wonho literally owns a club, he’s grown responsible with his drinking and doesn’t work to get drunk like he used to earlier in his life

takes care of on sick days

wow a lot of these can apply to both of them, just because you already know they’re gross with each other… but okay, i will say wonho takes care of hoseok more so, just because wonho really … doesn’t get sick, it’s pretty rare for him, but that’s why when he does get sick, i’d imagine hoseok will worry and do whatever he can to make him feel better hmm.

drags the other person out into the water on beach day

hoseok drags out wonho, we been knew this.

gives unprompted massages

i… want to say hoseok…. 

drives/rides shotgun

wonho drives, hoseok rides shotgun — you know i’m right.

brings the other lunch at work

this also works both ways, but i’m gonna say wonho. he drops in and brings hoseok lunch when he’s on his own break and can slip away from work, but the same could be applied to hoseok, whenever he can come visit wonho @ headquarters.

has the better parental relationship

hmm, this is kinda tricky to be honest. wonho’s pretty wtf since he found out he’s adopted and even though he loves his parents, he can’t believe they kept it secret for that long… but also since his dad’s sick he’s been ignoring that and trying to not be so difficult …. but i think hoseok has a great relationship with his parents, even though i’m guessing he doesn’t talk to them as much since he moved to be with his aunt, right ?? but i am still inclined to say hoseok, u can fight me on this. 

tries to start role-playing in bed

hoseok. u know.

embarrassingly drunk dancer

hoseok. i know he’s super good actually, but wonho doesn’t drink to get drunk, thus … would never let himself go long enough to dance.

still cries watching titanic

HOSEOK.

firmly believes in couples costumes

HOSEOK !!!  wonho would never embarass himself like that.

breaks the expensive gift rule during christmas

wonho… this needs no explanation, he would spoil hoseok to no end.

makes the other eat breakfast

this might seem strange, but wonho. ever since his dad got sick, he’s been even more on top of keeping a healthy regimen, and i think we know hoseok’s not… the best at taking care of himself. wonho, knowing this, would make sure to remind hoseok to keep himself on top of things, and also make him breakfast ( and dinner when they’re home and want to eat in, or do something special )

remembers anniversaries

hoseok. although wonho’s not the worst at these, and he does have a planner ( and secretary at work ) to keep him on top of things, he still has those days when he’s overwhelmed with work !!!!! hoseok is just… really good at the romantic aspect of the relationship ( even though wonho was with sooyoung for so long, he’s just … really bad at putting others before work, no matter how much he wants to )

brings up having kids

hmm, i know we’d talked about this a lot, and i’m going to say … hoseok, just because wonho wants kids, he really does, but he’s not gonna be the most vocal about it, whilst hoseok would probably ( once they’re comfortable with each other and confident it won’t completely scare the other off ) drop it in a convo here and there until they discuss it and are ready.

KENCALL

gives nose/forehead kisses

kenta definitely, considering he’s much more out there than yongguk. yongguk’s not one for displays of affection ( although it’s also not so rare, he just struggles with it a lot )

gets jealous the most

hmm i think. kenta might show he’s jealous more so than yongguk ever would, but i think yongguk takes the lead for this. while he wants kenta to be happy in life and thinks he’s lucky to be … well, lucky, he also doesn’t want him to leave his side because kenta’s all he’s ever known, his other half, and he struggles with these two different mindsets — keeping kenta close, and letting him go.

picks the other up from the bar when they’re too drunk to drive

do they even drink omg  ?? i’m gonna say yongguk just because he doesn’t really drink unless its in the comforts of his home, and even then he’s hesitant, because he’s too afraid to like… let go, you know, so he’s always feel to pick kenta up if asked.

takes care of on sick days

hands down, must say kenta. yongguk’s the one who gets sick all the time / hurt, so kenta would take care of him whenever possible / let him bask in his “lucky” presence.

drags the other person out into the water on beach day

kenta would drag yongguk out, the latter’s probably scared of the ocean.

gives unprompted massages

hmm, could go both ways, but i want to say yongguk because he knows kenta works hard and must be tired, but i don’t know if it’d be unprompted because he doesn’t want to just intrude. but also kenta because yongguk does get hurt / bruised a lot and is stressed about well, everything a lot.

drives/rides shotgun

kenta drives, yongguk rides shotgun … but it could work the other way too, idk kjnfndnjfg.

brings the other lunch at work

hmm, yongguk. he just has more time to do so.

has the better parental relationship

N/A.

tries to start role-playing in bed

kenta. this needs no explanation.

embarrassingly drunk dancer

kenta. yongguk doesn’t dance, period !!!!!  but kenta’s a good dancer considering his day time job, so maybe it’s just more wild when he’s drunk.

still cries watching titanic

kenta. a very emotional card > yongguk who still doesn’t understand, but feels perhaps a small pang of sadness for the ending.

firmly believes in couples costumes

kenta !!! it’s not my fault my muses are emotionally constipated !!!

breaks the expensive gift rule during christmas

b….oth.

makes the other eat breakfast

kenta, because yongguk isn’t responsible for shit, but yongguk would probably try cooking whenever kenta’s around because he actually likes doing it … he just needs kenta to remind him to actually do it too.

remembers anniversaries

yongguk, he’s just really good with dates and stuff.

brings up having kids

HNGJDK is this even possible for cards …. 

TAEGUK.

gives nose/forehead kisses

i think taehyung would be the more affectionate one between the two, even though jeongguk loves him just as much, taehyung doesn’t feel the need to restrict a boundary between them. but even jeongguk is weak @ times and will do both too !!!

gets jealous the most

jeongguk, he’s secure in his relationship but he also can’t help….. how he feels… my muses are all the jealous type.

picks the other up from the bar when they’re too drunk to drive

i’m gonna say taehyung because jeongguk probably goes out drinking with his coworkers a lot and would give taehyung a heads up and taehyung being taehyung would go pick him up … maybe surprise him sometimes afterwards.

takes care of on sick days

jeongguk takes care of taehyung, although this applies to both of them — jeongguk just ignores his sickness until its unavoidable / until he can’t hide it from taehyung anymore. however, he has a knack for know when taehyung gets sick and will force him to get back into bed right away.

drags the other person out into the water on beach day

jeongguk loves swimming and will bring taehyung down with him

gives unprompted massages

jeongguk 18452852% does this wanting 1. to help taehyung wind down after a long day but 2. also because that leads to shoulder kisses which usually leads to s e x.

drives/rides shotgun

jeongguk drives, taehyung rides shotgun usually.

brings the other lunch at work

taehyung brings jeongguk lunch, or they just end up surprising each other and take their breaks together.

has the better parental relationship

i think we established jeongguk has a messy relationship with his parents ?? so taehyung.

tries to start role-playing in bed

i wanna say taehyung … but i think jeongguk would go this far too, especially considering how they met LMAO.

embarrassingly drunk dancer

taehyung. jeongguk is good @ dancing, i’m typical.

still cries watching titanic

this… could apply to jeongguk, he’s sentimental, not that he’d admit it. easy tears up during sad movies but tries to hide it.

firmly believes in couples costumes

ok lowkey i’m gon say both by once again citing the origins of their first meeting. maybe just a tiny bit more taehyung to convince jeongguk of the idea and then he’s 100% in.

breaks the expensive gift rule during christmas

jeongguk. doesn’t understand the value of $$$, he wants to get his man the best.

makes the other eat breakfast

TRICKY…. they’re both bad @ breakfast imo because early risers ?? they stay in bed as late as they possibly can, and if they’re working early, they’ll try to leave the other undisturbed if possible. if it got more domestic, i think it’d be taehyung because jeongguk’s a grouch in the morning and not @ all an early riser … a cup of coffee is a must to get him out of bed.

remembers anniversaries

considering how sappy and invested they both are in the relationship, i’m inclined to say both !!

brings up having kids

i think … taehyung simply because jeongguk wouldn’t think about kids until taehyung brings it up because he’s just … never thought about having his own until he’s with taehyung and then it’d be some sappy shit like imagining raising someone with the love of his life and thinking how great he’d turn out under tae’s influence and yeah !!!!!! a sap