#who in this production does he owe a favor

[lurkingshan]

The core premise of Wedding Impossible isn’t working. The whole plot would make A LOT more sense if Ji Han knew that Do Han’s relationship is fake, but he doesn’t! Which means his choice to pursue Ah Jeong and attempt to destroy his brother’s happiness is despicable. And Ah Jeong is not acting like someone with a fiancé she is loyal to, she is being way too casual about his interference. She’s not playing the part the way she is meant to be doing.

Luckily, I am here mostly for Do Han so I don’t really care. But there are some baffling choices in the way they are writing the main romance.

[heart-of-the-morningstar]

Dress Up Part 4 - Second Preview

Second preview for you lovelies! Warning for mentions of sex and innuendos!

"Pheromones?" you repeated, "umm, not much honestly. Why do you ask?"

Fizz shot you an excited smirk. “Well, the long and short of it is that they work extremely well when you’re looking to boost attraction,” he said, emphasizing his seductive tone on the last word. “Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t doubt that you and the King have the raging hots for each other! But Ozzie and I came up with a little something to…maximize the experience!”

“That’s putting it mildly,” Asmodeus chimed in.

Fizz rolled his eyes. “Okay, okay, yeah, there are a few little quirks with it, I'll admit it."

"Such as?" you asked, your curiosity piqued.

Fizz skillfully flipped and landed his backflip back onto Oz's lap and crossed his arms. "You know, I used to think there was no such thing as too much overstimulation, but uhh..." The jester looked up at Oz, "you wanna take this one, big guy?"

Oz cleared his throat. "Y-yeah, like Fizz said, it's extremely powerful. You don't even have to touch your partner for the effects to start take hold, they just have to be in the general vicinity of you. It's gonna take almost nothing to get them going. So, do you think that's something you're willing to try with your prince charming?"

Oz's explanation was intriguing to be sure, but a question still lingered. "You're selling it well, Oz. But what is it exactly?"

With a snap of his fingers, a small and skinny lavender colored vile appeared in Oz's hand. It was no bigger than your pinky finger. "There are very few things are more enticing to the senses than a good perfume."

"It seems...a little small," you joked.

"Oh, trust me, Your Highness," Fizz laughed, "that is way more than enough. One tiny spritz and you're in for a loooonnnggg night!"

Oz tossed the vile to you and you caught it with ease. You examined the bottle. The blue flames from Oz's fire pit reflected beautifully off of the pristine crystal container, almost as if it was sparkling. You couldn't help but wonder how powerful this substance really was, especially considering the King of Lust himself was skeptical. You turned the bottle around and found the warning label on the side. It had things like 'Increase in stamina' and 'Increase in sensitivity' listed, but one sentence had jumped out to you in particular.

" 'Lack of a refractory period.' " you read out loud. "Does...that mean what I think it means?"

Fizz chuckled at your reaction. "It sure does! You two will definitely have loads and loads of fun.~" The jester's innuendo was definitely not lost on you, and you could feel the heat rise to your face once again. "Don't stress, it doesn't last that long. Well, I guess it depends on whether or not you consider an hour a long time!"

Oz playfully squinted at the imp in his lap who stuck out his tongue in return. "Normally, I wouldn't give away a product that hasn't been sold publicly, but I'm more than confident you and the King will use it wisely. Hell, you might even be able to handle it better than most!"

"Thank you, Oz," you smiled. "How much do I owe you?"

Oz waved his arms in dismissal. "Oh honey, don't worry about it! Consider it an anniversary gift. Although, I do ask for one favor." You raised an eyebrow. "After your session, I'd love to know how it worked for you. It'll be another test run, for lack of a better term, and I need all the info I can get before we start marketing."

"Oh, yeah, n-no problem!" you managed to squeak out. “Thank you for everything. I should be getting back now, though. Knowing Lucifer, he’s probably on the verge of sending out a search party for me.” You stood up and snapped your fingers, creating a portal behind you that lead to your home. Becoming the Queen of Hell had its perks, and Lucifer was a fantastic teacher when it came to your newfound abilities.

“Before you go, I have one last thing for you,” Ozzie called out. With another snap of his fingers, rope with a shining light blue glow appeared in your empty hand.

“Blessed rope?” you questioned.

“It’ll come in handy, trust me,” Oz winked. “Use it as you please! Although, I don’t know how well it’ll fair against an angel like him.”

“Thanks again, Oz,” you smiled shyly as you stepped through the portal. “I’ll see you two soon!”

The couple waved back as the portal closed “Let me know how long it takes ya to learn how to walk again!” Fizz called out before disappearing from sight.

[corazondebeskar-reads]

remember what you're staring at is me

jackson!Joel Miller x f!reader

originally for Febuwhump 2024 Day 8 - found footage | Febuwhump masterlist

words: 2.9k

summary: A videotape is left on your porch one morning, and it changes everything about your budding relationship with Joel Miller.

warnings: Jackson!Joel, some dark!Joel, some soft!Joel, we love a man who contains multitudes, ambiguous ending, I wish I had made this a much longer one shot but oh well, references to The Hospital Incident, oral (f & m receiving), implicit p in v

dividers by @saradika-graphics

You find it on your porch one morning in an old paper bag. Someone’s written right onto the brown wrapping with black crayon—”you need to know the truth.” It seems rather dramatic once you peel back the paper to find a videotape. 

It's not high quality—the footage is fuzzy and crudely edited together. But there’s just no mistaking the man on the screen. 

Joel and Ellie came into your life when they arrived for the second time in Jackson. You had heard the gossip the first time, but never met the pair. 

You met him fairly quickly when he swung by with a torn jacket, gruff and blunt but polite. Steady. “They, uh, said to ask you about some mending?” 

“Sure thing,” you say easily, smiling at the very handsome stranger. “Let me take a look.”

It was a casual thing, the sewing, and you liked it that way. You didn’t make anything, didn’t haul things to the market. You spun the wool for those who did craft things, and then you kept to your little projects at night.

The push and pull of the needle was the meditation you needed to keep going every day, even now, even safe here in this bubble. Something productive, something to keep your trembling hands busy and your mind blank. 

And in return, you got company and conversation. Most folks knew your services could be bought with a warm drink or baked good, a promise of a favor you’d never call for.

“How long?” he asks, voice flat and serious, but it didn’t prick at you, didn’t land as rough as it set out. 

“Not long,” you muse, looking over the tear—a knife gash of some sort, and the thin lining that peeked out. “Ten minutes if you just want it sewn up, or if you give me a day, I can get it properly stuffed.”

“Sewn, please.” 

Please. You like that. Manners at the end of the world. 

“You sure? Be a lot warmer if I fill it out.” 

“I don’t—” he scowls at the ground. “I barely have anythin’ to offer ya for the mending.”

You want to tell him it’s on the house, call it a welcome basket, but he’s holding out what he does have to offer and your jaw drops just a little, lips parting to make way for a soft, pleased “oh” that has him straightening up. 

“I can find somethin’ else,” he says.

“Oh, no. That’s… amazing,” you say, taking the jar into your hands and popping the lid. They certainly aren’t potent, not like you remember, but oh, you could die from just the faint smell of the cinnamon sticks. “This is… more than enough. I’ll owe you, I reckon.”

“I dunno about that,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Seriously,” you say, eyes wide. You set the jar on the counter. “For that, I’ll get the whole thing done tonight.” After all, the delay had only been so you could go to bed. 

“Y’ain’t got to do that, I don’t mean to be a bother.”

You brush him off and start gathering your supplies. If you steep the thread in tea for a bit, you think, you might be able to get close to the color of the fabric.

He turns down a cup when you offer but does take a seat at the table. He’s as stiff as your late husband’s favorite bourbon, but the blunt edges grow a little duller when you don’t try to keep up small talk.

The bright overhead light casts him in shadow, deepening the circles under his eyes and drooping his wrinkles in inky black. But his eyes are bright and curious as he watches you start to add unspun wool from your stockpile into the jacket, trying to shape and layer it evenly through the inside. You have to make a couple incisions but keep them tight to the hemlines and existing stitching.

The thread dries quickly with the hearth raging and he speaks for the first time as you weave it through the needle’s eye.

“What’s that?” 

“It’s a threader,” you say, offering it to him to see after you’ve pulled it loose. “I, um. I’m not as dexterous as I used to be and I can’t say my sight’s as keen, either. Makes it easier to use these damn tiny needles. Luckily, it wasn’t a very in-demand item when people were raiding shops.” 

“Huh,” is all he says, sliding it back across the table to you. 

The stitching is quick and rote. You’re used to people pouring out their life stories and desires and drama when they sit at your table or on your sofa, feet kicked up on your coffee table while you sew. 

But this silence with Joel is warm, too. You’re almost regretful the job didn’t take longer.

You stand up and he follows, pushing his chair neatly back into its place. He takes the coat and runs a gentle finger across the original wound.

“Thank you,” he says earnestly. 

You give him a wan smile, never having found those words to settle right in your skin. “Nice meeting you, Joel,” you say instead. “You know where to find me if you need anything else.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he says, and lets himself out. 

You lock the door behind him and wonder why you feel so energized. That tea was decaf, after all. And a little fuzzy, if you were totally honest, but you weren’t going to dump it down the drain just over a few fibers. 

One day when he comes, it’s with a bundle of thick socks and another, smaller jacket. Not a difficult job, but the gift he brings to trade knocks you off kilter so hard that you have to sit down.

“Not sure if it’ll be any use to you, but figured you’d know someone who can use it if you don’t,” he says, looking at the floor.

You’ve gotten to know him a little better, though his visits are few and far between. But he’s gotten more comfortable around town, more interested in following that wild daughter of his than hiding away. 

Sometimes, he’ll even sit at your table in the mess. You’d even go as far to say that the two of you were friends.

So you can tell what he’s trying so hard not to project. He’s nervous.

It looks almost like a desk lamp with its sturdy base and bent wooden arm, but in place of a shade and bulb is a hoop. You recognize it immediately and your stomach swoops. It’s an embroidery stand and you might faint just from that, just from having a steady way to hold the fabric tight as you sew. 

But that isn’t all. He shows you how to turn the peg that loosens the grip of the handle on the side, a raw hewn thing that doesn’t match the worn stain of the stand. You’re burning, head spinning, and the fuzzy darkness at the edges of the world stop you from focusing on the gift. 

The carved handle, he says, with hands curling around either side of you, has been partially hollowed to accommodate the end of the magnifying glass. You can raise and lower it with the peg and rotate the handle to use the other side of the glass.

“Joel,” you say uncertainly. He doesn’t really seem like he’ll want the attention drawn to it, but you have to know. “Did you make that?”

“Nah,” he scoffs. “Just added the glass is all.”

“Just added the glass,” you echo in a whisper. But you know he doesn’t mean he only attached it. He made the entire attachment and fit it onto the stand. 

His ears are red and he won’t look at you. 

You set a cautious hand on his arm where it reaches across your shoulder, still resting on the table. He’s caging you in from where he leaned over to demonstrate. “Joel, this is incredible. This is… this is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.”

“Ain’t a big deal,” he mumbles but he doesn’t shake off your hand. “Just saw it and thought it might be useful.”

You feel emboldened by his kindness, so you curl your hand around his bicep. “Can I thank you?”

He looks down at you now, seeking something that he must find, confirmation in your blown out pupils and parted lips, and nods. 

He doesn’t break away as you slip from the chair to sink onto your knees or when your fingers loop around his belt to pry it open. 

“Tell me if I’m reading this wrong,” you say, voice tight. 

He shakes his head. “You’re not.” His voice is the rumble of thunder breaking a tense summer night. 

You don’t bother removing his belt, simply knocking it open to reach for his zipper. 

You’re about to tug his pants down when the door opens. 

“Hey sugar,” Tommy drawls, “all my fuckin boxers have holes. Can you help a guy out? Promise they’re cle—“

His loud mouth gave just enough warning for Joel to pull his shirt down over his belt and for you to fumble at rolling the cuff of one pant leg up just so, reaching for a pin. 

“Oh hey, Joel!” Tommy says happily. “Finally fixin’ those ratty old things?” 

It’s a fucking miracle that he’s in these jeans, his favorites. Actually, it’s not, he wears them all the time, and they’re just a little too long so the bottoms are torn up. 

“Guess so,” Joel scowls. He’ll have to finally let you hem them now. 

“Just leave ‘em on the table, Tommy,” you say around the needle between your teeth. “And tell Maria to stop bein’ so rough with them.”

He throws his head back and laughs. “She can’t help it, sugar. I’m irresistible, see?” He claps his brother on the back and takes his leave. 

You slump a little, sighing as you set the needle on the table before moving to resume your activity. 

But Joel steps back. “I should get goin’,” he says. The line between his brow is cavernous and his lips are tugged down at the corners. 

“Oh. Okay,” you say, and pull yourself up with a hand clutching the table. 

“So. Thanks again,” he says. And then he’s gone. 

You let yourself drop dramatically into a chair, groan growing as it turns physical when your tailbone hits the seat wrong. 

You’re rubbing your forehead and thinking about going to bed to give yourself a pity orgasm when the door opens. He’s quiet and cautious, but he pushes the door shut behind him and locks it. 

“M’sorry,” he says. “I…”

“It’s okay,” you say with a tired smile. “I understand.”

“No, you don’t,” he says, offering you a hand. 

You take it and let him pull you to standing. 

His other hand finds your waist. “I was bein’ a coward.”

“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable—”

“Darlin’, you couldn’t,” he says. His arm slides further around, pulling you to him in a gentle embrace. He looks down at you through heavy lids, watching the way your lips part just a little. “You still want this?”

You bring a hand up to cup at the hair that curls down the nape of his neck. “Please,” you whisper. 

He matches your motion, cradling your head in his palm as he dips his head to kiss you. He wastes no time, licking into your welcoming mouth, seeking out the earthiness of the tea still lingering on your tongue and the sweet shiver of goosebumps prickling across his skin as you wind your fingers into his hair.

“Shit,” he mumbles when you break away for air. “What do you want, baby? What can I have? You gotta tell me now, before I can’t think straight.”

“You can have whatever you want, Joel,” you say, hot breath brushing his swollen lips before he presses them to you again with a growl.

It’s a much quicker kiss, and he breaks away to drop to his knees and push your skirt up to your hips. You have to lean back with both hands clenching the edge of the table not to fall over in shock.

He nuzzles against the soft cotton of your panties and groans at the smell of your wet cunt. He mouths at it gently over the fabric before hooking his finger around the gusset and pulling it aside to part your lips with his tongue. 

“Not fair,” you gasp as he feasts. “I was supposed to—supposed to do that for you.”

“You said whatever I want, darlin’,” he says against your pussy, chasing the taste of you. 

“Fuck,” you pant. “Fuck.” 

“Gimmie one and I’ll let you suck my cock if ya want it so bad,” he says, plunging two thick fingers in and basking in the way you squeal and squirm. He doesn’t give you a chance to adjust, pistoning in and out like he’s trying to win a race. 

It works, with his tongue on your clit and his fingers against that soft, secret part of you that no one has touched before, you gush around where he spreads you. “That’s it,” he croons, “good girl. Good fuckin’ girl, give me another.”

“You said—”

He cuts you off by sucking on your clit and your hips rock, wobbling the table as he takes another from you anyway. 

“Couch or bed?” he says, tugging your panties down your legs now that he’s sated the immediate urge. 

“Don’t care,” you say.

“Alright, bed,” he says. “Wanna do this right.” 

“Don’t think you could do it wrong,” you say, a lazy, sated smile on your face and a lightness to your eyes that he thinks he could get addicted to. 

He does let you suck his cock, and thinks maybe he could die happy from the warm, wet of your mouth and the way you look up at him like he’s the only thing in the world. 

At that moment, he is. You had resigned yourself to keeping your little crush a secret until it faded, too fond of him to risk it, but here? Now? Now that you’ve had him, you don’t think you can ever go back. 

He’s gentle in a way you can’t quite name. It’s not that he’s soft with you, but just aware. Like he knows where you’re capable of meeting him and settles there. He makes room for himself in you like you’d done for his coat, opening you up and stuffing you until you’re warm and full and renewed. 

He doesn’t leave you to stitch yourself up, either. He buries his face in your tits and holds you tight after, cleans the both of you up with a warm towel, and kisses you before he leaves.

Neither of you want him to go, but he’s got Ellie at home and won’t—can’t—worry her by not coming home. Not without warning. Next time, he whispers, and it carries a question and a promise. 

There is a next time. And another. And another. You think you might be in trouble. You do far less mending jobs once your evenings are taken over by Joel. You still take them, darning socks on the soft with your feet in his lap, or basking in the way he looks proud and satisfied when you use the stand to fix up bigger projects. Some of your favorite nights are when he sits and strums his guitar while you sew, just two people finding peace by creating it themselves. Together. 

So when eight months later, that tape finds its way into the VCR you’ve only used twice, you’re more than familiar with the bulking shape of him. The way his hair sticks up when he runs worried hands through it. The grip of those hands, sure and steady.

He finds you there on your third viewing. You didn’t even hear him come up the porch, didn’t realize the sun was starting to crest over the mountains, that he’d be coming by with breakfast just like he promised.

The little Joel on screen is working his way to the operating room. You’ve stopped flinching at each crack of the gun or collapsing body. 

“Where the hell did you get that?” 

You do startle when he speaks, unaware that he’d been watching you watch the tape for a minute. His voice is low and slow, something lurking beneath the baritone that trips an alarm. 

This isn’t your Joel. This is that one, the one from the TV. 

He moves like a jaguar, slinking and graceful. “Where,” he snarls, breath curling off your clammy skin, “did you get this?” His hand curls around your shoulder at the base of your neck. 

“It was on my porch,” you whisper. 

His fingers dig in a little where he holds you in place. “Try again.”

“It’s the truth, I swear. I didn’t know what it was.” 

“How much did you watch?”

“All of it,” you whisper, though it feels like the click of a lock.

“Goddamnit, baby. Why’d you have to do that?” 

There’s an actual click, the unmistakable flick of a release. 

“Joel, please,” you say, voice breaking. “I won’t tell anyone, I promise.”

“I can’t take that chance,” he says. 

He still hasn’t brought the knife close to you, though, so you hazard a glance over your shoulder. You wish you hadn’t. He’s gone, his sweet eyes dead to the world, no whisper of his gentleness to be found. 

“I swear, please. You can trust me.” 

“Can’t trust anyone in this world, darlin’. You shoulda realized that by now.”

*title from "Through Glass" by Stone Sour

[eemcintyre]

Repaying the Favor (Tom Cruise)

TW: discussion of blood/periods, one mention of throwing up.

Summary: Tom comes home one afternoon to find you in a great deal of pain because ~it's that time of the month amirite ladies~, and he does what he can to try and make things better, despite you insisting that you can handle it.

I myself have been on my period, so I have been nothing but angry, depressed, and h-word (more than usual I mean 🙃🔥) and this is what happened. So it was productive, at least, I guess?

After a hectic morning of back-to-back appointments, Tom was returning to the apartment he and Y/N shared. He was hoping to not only grab a brief lunch, but also some quality time with Y/N before heading back out for the second half of his work for the day.

Unlocking the door and crossing the threshold into the main living room/kitchen area, he was surprised at how quiet the apartment was. Scanning his surroundings for Y/N, she was not to be found, so he proceeded to check the bedroom, calling out “Sweetheart, it’s me, I’m home.” He was met at first with silence, which concerned him, but before he could panic about her being mysteriously gone, he heard a muffled groan. However, upon reaching the bedroom, he still couldn’t see her anywhere.

“Y/N? Are you alright? Where are you? What’s going on?” He darted across the room until he spotted her lying on the floor by the side of the bed. She was lying on her stomach, twisted in a position that looked odd and uncomfortable with one leg bent toward her midsection and the other straight out. Tom breathed a sigh of relief, ruffling a hand through his hair.

“Don’t do that to me, honey- I thought you’d been taken,” he laughed nervously at the movie reference, noticing that she was also clutching her stomach and had several heating pads draped across her body.

“I-I’m sorry, I- ow, ow, ow…” Y/N struggled to explain herself as several intense pains stabbed in her midsection. “It’s, I just…”

“When did it start?” Tom asked, quickly realizing what the problem was. He crouched down to where she was splayed out, gently placing a hand on her back. Y/N furrowed her brows, this time in confusion instead of discomfort.

“How did you…?”

“I grew up with three sisters, remember?” he chuckled. She covered her face with her hands in embarrassment over the whole situation, but he pulled them away with his hand that wasn’t comfortingly stroking her back. “Hey, don’t worry, I'm not one of those guys who thinks periods are gross. It's just blood. I really don't care. If you stick me with something sharp, blood's gonna come out." He paused, recalling an incident from a while back. “Like that time I knifed my hand really bad trying to make stir fry.” Y/N managed a quiet giggle. “I practically bled all over you, but you just rolled with it and didn’t freak out, and you got me all fixed up.” He smiled while reflecting on that eventful memory.

“C’mon, why didn’t you tell me?” he pressed as Y/N attempted to roll over into a new position, the old one no longer comfortable as new pains began to spring up.

“It’s just humiliating, it shouldn’t be such a big deal, and you’re so busy, and I ruined the sheets…”

“Ok, ok, hold on,” Tom interjected, lacing a hand into one of hers. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of; let’s get that straight. And I can wash the sheets; that’s not a problem.”

“No, I’ll take care of it; it’s not necessary-” Y/N, who had been trying to sit up, was cut off as she doubled back over in pain. Tom threw an arm around her shoulders.

“And as for me being ‘too busy’, I’m not going anywhere, angel. Not when you’re too sick to sit up. I don’t have anything going on the rest of the day that can’t wait.” He had made his mind up and could not be moved by any of her continued pleas that she was fine and could manage by herself.

After fetching her a dose of painkillers and reheating the lukewarm heat pads, he delicately scooped her off the floor, transferring them both to the nearby bed. He settled her on his lap while he rested his back against the headboard. She was curled up in such a way that her head was nestled in his neck and chest, and he could reach an arm around to knead her stomach.

Once the painkillers started to kick in, he felt comfortable enough to run out of the apartment to grab her a few things. Y/N insisted that he had done enough, to which he replied, “If you don’t tell me what you want, I’ll just have to guess.” He slipped into his leather jacket, making sure his wallet was still in the pocket.

“Do I also have to remind you of the time I was out of commission sick for almost a week? You practically waited on me; you cooked everything, you sang to me, you sat with me while I was throwing up-“

“Oh no, please don’t talk about throwing up,” Y/N implored, already nauseous from the consistently intense stomach pain.

“Oops, sorry,” he winced.

She begrudgingly requested her favorite hot tea and that he rent the new movie she had been wanting to see, blushing and trying not to smile.

“Yes, ma’am. Now, call me if you need anything; I shouldn’t be very long.”

He gave her a peck on the forehead and a peck on the lips before leaving on his quest, and Y/N replied, “You know you’re the best, right?”

[fromtenthousandfeet]

Never Let Go Thoughts

I finally listened to Jung Kook's Never Let Go via a reaction video. I sort of skipped through it, to be honest. I'm not here to write a review of the song, but to express some concerns.

As others have said, the song feels rushed and unfinished. Yes, it's repetitive and continues to be a little too derivative of Justin Bieber's work. Also, his English pronunciation isn't the greatest. Because the tempo is so fast, his diction suffers. Any non-native English speaker will have this problem given how fast the song is.

I think it's great that Jungkook is trying new genres. An artist really needs to push boundaries and take risks in order to grow and stay relevant in the industry. But in this case, I'm struggling to understand how such a simple song could have 8 writers and 4 producers. Teenagers across the globe are making better music in their bedrooms with free or cheap music production software.

This is going to sound crazy given how snarky I can be, but I genuinely feel bad for Jungkook. Seven and Golden didn't sit right with me, and neither does Never Let Go. It's increasingly clear that Big Hit/HYBE's goal is to make money off of JK without investing in his growth as an artist, even though we know he's a serious music lover with high standards. And while ARMY and JJKs will support Jungkook unconditionally - continuing to buy and stream his music - the general music consuming public will not. Right now he's not an industry joke because most people in the GP have no idea who he is, but if BSH and BH keep this up, JK will become completely irrelevant. The American music market is not the Korean music market. Copying established western singers over and over again is not going to end well, especially when the final product feels significantly sub-par to the original.

Now for the scary part. Who is paying for all this promotion - especially for a song that should have either been released on music platforms but not for sale, or simply brought back to the recording studio for improvement/reworking? If JK's marketing costs are deducted from his song sales and streaming profits, not only will he not make money, but he might end up owing HYBE big bucks. I think it's very likely he's in a 360 contract with Big Hit given how much investment they've put into his solo work. Hopefully he was able to negotiate favorable terms so he doesn't end up in massive debt for his solo projects. Jon Bellion's recent bellyaching about the lack of radio play for SEVEN makes me think the group behind JK's album aren't getting the royalties they were expecting.

As I watch BTS' fandom devolve into divisiveness and rancor, as the members' solo singles fail to chart in the US, and public perception about HYBE continues to fall, I worry. I think Bang PD was counting on BTS' reputation and brand value lasting forever. He's a foolish man. I'm reminded of that video where he's sitting with TXT and telling them that their collab with the Jonas Brothers is going to be a huge hit and has a guaranteed spot on the Billboard Hot 100. We all know how that went. Does anyone have a link to that clip? Bang PD has a lot of bravado, but not a lot of western music industry sense.

Thanks for these comments on my previous post, @in2u-4asec and @isaidnothankyou. Ditto!

in2u-4asec i worry about jk to be honest. because all the money used and continued being used to promote him as a soloist, it isn't free. he has to make money to pay all of that. i just really hope he hasn't signed any solo contract like that infamous 360 one. isaidnothankyou @in2u-4asec, I've thought the same thing. I know it isn't the thing to take away from his "agency," but was it really his idea to release an unfinished song (he was obviously embarrassed about it) in a blatant money grab? I've said this about Jimin, but it goes for everyone. Do they have anyone who is NOT affiliated with the company to advise them and protect their interests? A real manager, in other words, not just someone who drives them and takes care of the luggage?

[an-aroaces-harem]

Ivy Chapter 6

DISCLAIMER: I just deepl and google translated my way through this because I wanted to know what’s going on, so there are definitely mistakes but I believe I managed the general gist of the story. Anyway, it’s just a fan-made translation solely for entertainment purposes. Morganatic Idol belongs to Cybird and ABC Frontier, Inc.

Ivy: Next song too, huh?

Ivy-san laughed weakly. His listless appearance differed from his usual gently and dependable appearance.

(What's wrong?)

Rina: Um ... Ivy-san?

Ivy: Hmm? Oh, I'm sorry, I'm a little fuzzy. It's nothing.

Ivy: Anyway, thanks for delivering the papers. I'll take it.

(Oh, I hadn't given them to him yet!)

I hurriedly pulled out a stack of papers and handed them to Ivy-san.

Ivy: Thank you.

He quickly looked over the documents.

(Very serious expression ...)

Perhaps noticing my gaze, he looks up and smiles.

Ivy: You seem to be interested in it. Do you want to see?

Rina: Is that okay?

Ivy: I don't care. You're part of the staff.

Ivy: These are offers that come for exe.

Rina: Eh, all of this!?

Ivy: Oh. Collaborations with foreign artists and requests to perform at music festivals. That kind of thing.

I skim over the documents he shows me.

(All the names of famous festivals and artists even I know.)

(I can't believe they get so many super-sized offers like this. I knew exe was on a different level ...!)

Ivy: As you know, exe is all about self-production.

Ivy: We'll all decide whether or not to accept the offer, but first I'm going to do my homework on the job that's coming our way.

Ivy: Then I share it with the members, and we all look at it from different angles, and then we make the final decision.

(Come to think of it, I've heard that you also take care of the clerical work behind the scenes. So this is what it was all about.)

He says it plainly, but data collecting is a painstaking process.

(While keeping up with his busy schedule as an idol, he also takes lessons and trains.)

(And to write high quality songs in such a short span of time, and to do this kind of work on top of that ... he's a little too busy.)

(I'm afraid that Ivy-san's body is getting tired of it ...)

The way he looked at me earlier made me worry.

Rina: Umm ... I think it would be better to ask the others to help you.

Rina: I think it's a little too much of a burden for Ivy-san.

I know it's a bit forward of me, but I just said it like that.

Ivy: I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine.

Ivy-san smiles at me ... but then says that firmly.

Ivy: And the other members have their own things to do.

Ivy: Xeno does the directing, Jace is doing makeup and costumes, and Finn and Hugh are doing choreography and training.

Ivy: Each member does what only they can do ... so it's my job to do this.

He may be a responsible leader who cares about his members.

But ... after seeing the shadowy expression on your face earlier, I'm worried.

I also remembered that I felt something strange about him at the concert the other day.

(The reason why Ivy-san's smile looked different from usual at that time might be because he was too exhausted ...)

As soon as I thought that, I opened my mouth.

Rina: Ivy-san, please allow me to assist you in previewing that offer.

Ivy: What!? Why?

Rina: I'm worried about you, Ivy-san.

If it's so bad that it diminishes your brilliance on stage, it's not something that can be ignored. And ...

Rina: I've had a lot of help from you in the past days.

Rina: From the day I arrived at the apartment, you were so kind to me ... it was really reassuring.

He was the only one who was kind to me when I was anxious.

(He showed me materials, recommended me to help with the distribution ... and gave me gifts.)

Rina: So if there's anything I can do to help, please let me. I want to return the favor.

Ivy: I'm glad you feel that way, but I'm sorry. You're too busy.

Ivy-san seemed puzzled by my passionate words.

Ivy: First of all, you don't owe me anything. I just did what I had to do.

Rina: I'm not exaggerating! You really helped me.

I can't tell you how many times your words of encouragement have helped me.

(I was saved by Ivy-san's kindness many times just in this short period of time.)

(I feel so much safer when I'm around this person ...)

Ivy: No, but ...

Rina: Please, I'll do anything anything to reduce Ivy-san's workload ...!

I was so eager to help him that I even said something like that.

Ivy: ... Anything?

Rina: Yes!

Ivy: ...

Ivy-san makes a gesture as if he's pondering something.

Ivy: Well, then ...

His beautiful eyes flicker slightly, and then he suddenly takes a step closer.

Rina: !?

As the distance between us closes, his eyes, always softly colored, turn earnestly toward me.

Ivy: Stay put and don't move ...

I couldn't move as if I were tied up. I watched breathlessly as he reached for me.

(What are you ...?)

Ivy: Kawanaga-san.

Rina: Ah ...

The sweet, magical voice spun from his shapely lips made my heart race.

He reached out and gently placed his hand on my head.

A large hand lightly touched it, and then my head was caressed with both hands.

Rina: Wah ...

Ivy: You're so sweet ... to care for me like that. I'm glad.

Rina: Ah, Ivy-san!?

When I looked up in surprise, he was looking at me with bright eyes.

Ivy: Haha, I'm sorry. I'm kind of happy.

(This is the third time having my head patted ... but this one feels a little different from the other times ...)

He had been gently so far, but the way he just did it was like he was ...

Ivy: Finn wasn't so wrong about what he said before.

He laughs mischievously.

Rina: What do you mean ...?

Ivy: I'm talking about you being like a dog or cat. You're like an honest, healthy little animal.

Ivy: When I do this, it's very calming.

As soon as he said that, his hands mixed my hair again.

Rina: Oh, wait a minute!

Ivy: Hehe, so cute and cuddly.

Laughing happily, Ivy-san strokes my head.

(Really, he's treating me like a cat or dog!? Ivy-san is even talking like Finn-san.)

While I was frozen, not knowing how to react, my hair was being crumpled up ...

(Oh my god ...!)

Rina: Ivy-san!

... In my confusion, I just screamed.

Ivy: !

At that moment, he stopped and widened his eyes in shock.

(Oh s-shoot!)

Rina: I'm sorry. I was just shouting ...

Ivy: Ah no, it was me ... I got a little carried away. I'm sorry.

My hair was a little messy, and Ivy-san hurriedly fixed it.

Ivy: You don't like being treated like a cat or dog. I'm sorry.

Rina: I was surprised, but I hope it cheered you up.

Ivy: You're very kind. Thank you.

Ivy: But it was wrong of me to overdo it. I'll be more careful from now on.

Rina: I've asked that before but am I really that much like a cat or dog?

When I asked him this, he stared at me.

Ivy: I thought so but ... when you were mad at me earlier, you looked more like my sister.

Rina: Sister?

Ivy: She used to scold me like you just did.

Ivy: She would huff out his cheeks and say "Oh my god, onii-chan!"

He looked so kind as he squinted his eyes at me.

Perhaps this is Ivy-san's expression as a 'big brother'.

(I bet he really loves his sister.)

The shadows that had been there just a few minutes ago had completely disappeared.

(I've been told I'm like a cat or dog, or that I look like his sister. I don't mind it, but it's kind of weird ...)

I wonder what kind of person Ivy-san's sister is, who has been mentioned many times.

Rina: How old is your sister?

Ivy-san's eyes were a little downcast and he looked as if he was thinking.

Ivy: Probably around the same age as you.

Rina: I see. Does her face resemble yours?

Ivy: Well, I don't know. I've been told we look alike.

Rina: I'm sure she's a strong person because she only scolds Ivy-san.

Ivy: She was often angry with me, especially when I was naughty.

The way he talks about his family shows that they're close siblings.

Then, Ivy-san coughed.

Ivy: Actually, I was feeling a little stuck until just now. But after talking to you, I feel much lighter. It's a wonder.

Then, he says resignedly.

Ivy: I'm just wondering ... when I'm tired, can I ask for your help again?

Ivy: For example, like patting your head like before.

Rina: Eh?

Ivy: Oh, no, I'm sorry for asking you to do something weird. I know I said I wouldn't treat you like a cat or dog anymore, but it's contradicting.

Ivy: But when I stroked your head, I felt so much calmer.

With a tense expression on his face, Ivy-san was staring at me.

For some reason, his serious eyes make my heart skip a beat.

Rina: ... I don't mind at all. If you can think of me that way, I'm happy for you.

Rina: I'm willing to do it whenever you need my head.

Ivy: !

Ivy: Thank you ...!

When I answered with a sense of embarrassment, Ivy-san laughed at me.

The way he looks at me is much gentler than it was at first.

I was happy to feel like we had become a little closer.

... And then.

The studio was only occupied by two people, but then I heard someone enter.

And ...

Finn: Hey Ivy, I brought you some goodies.

Finn: Oh, you're Rina, aren't you? What are you doing here?

Rina: Finn-san!

He had wondered why I had brought the documents instead of Sakura-san and--

I also told him that I'd like to help with Ivy-san's work.

Finn: I see ... that's good, isn't it?

Rina: Really?

Ivy: Hey, Finn. You can't let her do that.

Finn: She's motivated. I find she can do the job relatively well, and I think that's good.

Finn: And you've got your hands full with songwriting now, don't you? Then why don't you let Rina take care of it?

Ivy: That's ...!

Rina: Ivy-san, please!

Ivy: ...

After a moment of contemplation, Ivy-san let out a sigh.

Ivy: ... All right. If you insist, I'll let you do it.

Rina: Thank you very much! I will take full responsibility!

Ivy: Yeah, thanks.

Rina: Yes!

... After that, Ivy-san asked Finn-san to go home with me becaue it was already late at night.

--flashback--

Ivy: I wish I could give you a ride, but ... sorry, I can't leave yet.

--flashback--

Ivy-san was apologizing, even though he was the one who was going to have a hard time.

I think he has a strong sense of responsibility. Ivy-san seems to be trying too hard, which worries me.

(I'm glad he agreed to let me help.)

(This might reduce Ivy-san's burden a little.)

(You trusted me with this, so I'm going to finish it!)

I made up my mind to do so.

[fickleminder]

I am once again asking for more demons will be demon concept content. Because I am obsessed. You mentioned that Lucifer would make more rules that would make mc stay at the house more often how else would the boys go around trying to insert themselves in MC‘s life and try to gain their friendship?

Okay, so, saying ‘sorry’ will only get the brothers so far (if they even apologize to begin with). They have to prove that they genuinely regret the way they treated MC, no shallow apology with nothing else to show for it.

As mentioned, Lucifer probably starts mandating weekly dinners and movie nights, if only to ensure MC is around more often. Good for family bonding, would be his excuse, and yes that includes you MC. He considers assigning MC more chores as well, but the risk of that backfiring is so high that he discards the idea almost immediately. To entice MC further, he asks them to recommend human world movies under the pretense of cultural exchange. But really, he just wants MC to be able to enjoy a piece of home in the HoL.

Mammon and Levi team up for this. While Mammon works on refurnishing MC’s room and replacing all the stuff he’d stolen from it, Levi stalks them online to figure out what kind of shows/games/media they’re interested in and gets them lots of rare merch. Increasing MC’s amount of material possessions is their go-to method to get them to stay, even if it borders on bribery.

Satan takes the indirect route and goes to Solomon, trying to convince the sorcerer to let him help tutor MC too. He asks Solomon to ‘recommend’ him for certain subjects, arguing that it’ll free up some spare time for his own projects (not that spending time with MC isn’t already enjoyable in itself). Satan might end up owing Solomon a few favors after this, but it’ll be worth it to have some one-on-one time with MC. His plan is to start out as study buddies before progressing (hopefully) from there.

Asmo... may or may not have worked his charm on MC’s lesser demon friends to learn more about MC. He would have tried it on MC themself, but then there’s consent and boundaries and all that. He finds out what kind of fashion they like, which shops in town they frequent, and tries to emulate/adopt their preferences into his own so that MC will have someone around who shares the same taste as them, something in common to bond over.

Beel takes a more active interest in human world food, instead of just devouring everything in sight without meaning/understanding. He asks MC to teach him how to cook, and offers to help when it’s their turn to prepare dinner. Keeping his Gluttony in check is agony, but he does his best to be more engaged in the process than just the final product.

Belphie tries to fix his past behavior and atone for his bullying. He’ll finish (some of) MC’s chores for them without asking, and mumble that it’s in return for their help doing his chores last time (not that they had a choice in it, but still). At night, he makes sure MC only has good dreams and uses his abilities to give them quality sleep. Belphie thinks MC won’t know it’s him, but he doesn’t realize that MC can see him in their dreams when he works his magic.

[laura1633]

I love your defiant Max au so much because of the enemies to lovers aspect especially the hate sex. Uhmmm so…

I love the idea of Max being blindfolded as Charles tries to feed him gelato, except maybe this time it’s a bet.

For every flavor Max can tell is not the real “authentic” version (aka Max’s ice cream) Charles has to pull that product and rework it. But if Max can’t guess the majority of the flavors correctly than he owes Charles a favor.

I imagine the first few times they made this bet Max would’ve crushed Charles and sent him back to the drawing board each time, but Charles is super competitive and can’t stand not winning, so he ask for rematch again and again until he actually starts getting better. More and more flavors stay each time they rematched until eventually Max loses.

Of course Max is upset that he lost to Charles, in honesty he’s probably a sore loser about the entire affair, but a bet is a bet and he’s someone who doesn’t back down on his promises.

Because I’m me, Charles definitely used the favor for sex lol.

I imagine he ask Max to kneel as a part of the favor blind fold still on, and Max whose at this point torn about liking Charles being drawn to him while simultaneously being infuriated, is very confused, unsure and maybe vulnerable.

He then takes the blindfold off carefully cradling Max’s head saying he wants to see Max’s eyes for this. He tells him about this plan and ask if Max want this, says he could use the favor for something else if Max refuses.

Thing is Max does want this, and he has for quite some time now, so instead of pushing Charles away he goes for the button of his pants which has Charles groaning and tipping his head back.

I’ll let you fill in the rest from here lol

Lestappen rival to lovers works in every au 😂 and thank you to the original anon who suggested ice cream shop owner Max.

This is great anon because Charles would absolutely be super competitive and asking for rematches until he wins! He'd become obsessed with winning! Oh and absolutely he would use that favour for sex (and who can blame him - Max is hot but he's even hotter when he's all worked up from losing).

[kitcatia]

I have a weird fascination with this character from greek mythology called Mestra of Thessaly. I think about her so often, but there's so little written about her. She is the shapeshifting daughter of King Erysichthon, the absolutely awful guy that killed Demeter's sacred tree and got punished with eternal hunger because of it. His story has been told many times (Overly Sarcastic Production's version of it is very good!) so I'll be focusing on her point of view this time around.

She got shapeshifting powers from Poseidon as a boon because he had taken her virginity. Yeah, it's a bit similar to Caeneus' story, but Caeneus chose to be turned into a guy, while Mestra just prayed for a way to escape from… okay I'll get there when I get there. I don't think it's ever stated in the original myths if it was consensual or not, so that's up to interpretation. He is often called "her lover", so I think it was not as violent as it could have been? I don't know, and that's up to the re-teller to choose if you want more or less abuse in her story.

So, after her father spent all the money of their kingdom to buy himself food, he tried to SELL HER AS A SLAVE FOR MORE MONEY. She ran away and shapeshifted into a man to escape the guy she was being sold to. Some versions say that she prayed to Poseidon in this moment to call in that favor he owed her and that's when she got her boon. There's something really interesting about ocean deities being tied to shapeshifting, maybe because of the volatility of water? If you look at a god like Proteus (who Mestra's powers are compared to) or to the Argonaut Periclymenus (grandson of Poseidon, also got this power as a boon), these connections really start to appear. But I digress.

SO, THIS GIRL HAS JUST GOTTEN MAGIC SHAPESHIFTING POWERS SHE COULD USE TO BECOME ANYTHING AND ANYONE SHE WANTED. And what does she do with that newfound freedom? She goes back to her father to be sold again and again. This part never fails to intrigue me. Mestra could have left, restarted her life as anything she could imagine, but she made the conscious decision to fly back to her father's house and submit herself to this cycle of being sold and then turning into different animals to escape each time. I think it's never explicitly stated if these later times she was sold were as a wife or as a slave.

Wanna hear something even weirder the myths ommit? They never tell us what happened to her after all that! They just go from saying: "and then mestra was sold again and again", to: "but Erysichthon's hunger was still too great so eventually he ate himself". And we never get closure on Mestra's story!

There are some fascinating articles about how much of an outlier Mestra is among the female shapeshifters of greek mythology, given she is the only one among them that is not a virgin and that succeeds in her attempts to use shapeshifting to escape marriage.

And in a random one-off line, Ovid says Mestra was "wife of deft Autolycus". This makes my brain spin so much. Like, Autolycus? The son of Hermes? The Thief King of Parnassus? That guy? Also one of the guys that we KNOW tried to "buy" Mestra as a wife was Sisyphus! He tried to get her to marry Glaucus, his son, but she ran away like she always did. So yeah, Autolycus and Mestra have one more thing in common which is pissing off Sisyphus. Good for them.

It's never stated HOW Autolycus and Mestra would come to know each other. We know he was very well-known and very hated all across Greece, so if things came to Erysichthon trying to sell/marry his daughter to THIS GUY, I think things were already starting to go to shit. Maybe his good fame was withering away and he no longer managed to arrange good marriages to his seemingly endless number of daughters. I think that technically, if the groom lost the bride, the responsibility was no longer on the father of the bride, so Erysichthon was not to be blamed for all the brides suspiciously disappearing right before the wedding night, but i think it still got him a bad reputation. As if his rep wasn't bad enough already.

So maybe Autolycus was the last option? Or maybe he wasn't the last option, but he somehow convinced Mestra to stay with him and actually marry him? I'm in purely fanfic zone now but I love the mental image of these two shapeshifters being an actually happy couple, stealing stuff and conning people all over Greece. She's even described as "fox-like" by some accounts, while Autolycus is The Wolf Himself, they even have a motif going on! I like to imagine a version of her story where she gets a happy ending, changes her name to Amphithea and becomes mother of Anticlea and grandmother of Odysseus.

Amphithea is like, mentioned in the Odyssey as Autolycus' wife and Odysseus' maternal grandmother, but we don't even know her PARENTAGE. That's why i have my crack theory that Amphithea IS Mestra using a new name to distance herself from her traumatic past.

OK, that's it for today, thank you for coming to my TedTalk!

things that feature Mestra that I like:

The Cannibal King's Daughter · | Lore & Legend: Halloween Special · Part II: kinda heavy and fucked up in some aspects, really heed the content warnings. but this version really explores mestra with more depth and i'm oh so glad it exists.

the man who ate himself by darkside_cookies on ao3: so far the only fic on Ao3 with Mestra as a protagonist. Gives her side of the story a lot of depth and genuinely fascinating psychological turmoil. Definitely worth a read.

Visibility by odiko_ptino: a fun fic where Dionysus organizes a gathering for all the characters of greek mythology that have, voluntarily or not, changed their sexes at some point, so Mestra gets a moment in the spotlight, and it's a very good moment. It's like ancient greek genderqueer support group and it's a delightful fic.

[deepdarkdelights]

For the boquet boys.... Can I ask for a summary of how they all know each other? I'm still so confused😅😅😅 like Namjoon is the big scary mafia, hoseok is his second in command (?), Then how do the other BTS members know RM? are they also members of his gang? I'm just so lost

You know what that is a completely fair question! A lot of the world-building I did was through asks as this was my first series! So, it makes sense why you are missing some pieces! I should really add a guide to the masterlist now that I'm thinking about it 😂

So, here is a guide to (I think) all of the relationships:

Jungkook - he works with Yoongi and is his CFO they both bonded over their "shared interests" if you know what I mean. Jungkook also grew up with Jimin and Tae they are all childhood best friends and would often spend summers at the lakehouse with him and his family. Jungkook also owes Namjoon now, Yoongi contacted Namjoon on JK's behalf in order to get the forged death certificates for his father. Jungkook knows of Jin and Hoseok because of Yoongi but has never met him.

Yoongi - works with JK and is the CEO of his entertainment company. Yoongi's father was indebted to Namjoon and when Yoongi inherited the company he also inherited his father's debts. Yoongi also knows Jin as Jin was previously in Namjoon's place and he plans to call in a favor with Jin to deliver the MC's baby. Yoongi knows Hoseok as Joon's right-hand man. Taehyung is also contracted under Yoongi's label. Yoongi has never met Jimin.

Jimin - childhood friends with Tae and Jungkook, they are all still in touch. Jimin's grandfather used to kidnap and murder those that slighted him, he would sell the bodies/organs to the underground through Namjoon's father - after passing, Jimin took over for his grandfather and still supplies Namjoon with whatever he needs but he does not kill anyone...just kidnapping. Jimin knows Hoseok as Namjoon's right hand but also the middleman for deliveries/favors. Jimin is not familiar with Yoongi and hasn't met Jin.

Taehyung - childhood friends with Jungkook and Jimin. Taehyung is contracted under Yoongi's label and has met with him often. Taehyung does not know Jin and he has not met Hoseok or Namjoon in person. He does know of them though because they were the ones he paid to learn everything about the MC - where she lives, her personal documents, and access to her browsers and cameras etc.

Jin - he is Namjoon's half-brother. Jin's father was a crime boss who raised him as his next heir despite Jin not wanting to take over. Namjoon found Jin and they planned to murder their father, once they succeeded Jin handed everything over to Joon but he still gets a cut of the profits and in turn acts as a doctor when needed. Jin knows Hoseok as Joon's right hand. Jin knows Yoongi through his father's debt. Jin knows Tae as an actor but hasn't personally met him. Jin knows about Jimin from his grandfather but hasn't met him. Jin has not met Jungkook.

Namjoon - knows pretty much everyone through work or debt. Yoongi, Jungkook, and Tae are indebted to him. Jin is his half-brother and is somewhat indebted to him. Jimin essentially works for him by providing "product." Hoseok and Namjoon met each other as teenagers and spent a lot of their time on the streets together and getting into all sorts of trouble. They built their empire from the ground up together.

Hoseok - knows almost everyone through work and through Namjoon. He's the consigliere, the right-hand man, the guy that gets the job done. He knows Jin as Joon's half-brother and as a doctor. He knows Jimin through "work." He knows Yoongi through "work." He knows about JK because of Yoongi and Namjoon. And, he knows Tae as an actor and as someone who is indebted to them.

AND done. A comprehensive list of how everyone knows each other 😅

[thebreakfastgenie]

one 🔥 for mash, one 🔥 for tww

These won't be new because I post my unpopular opinions all the time lol but

MASH:

There is a very obvious "king of repression" in MASH. It's Margaret. Margaret struggles to admitting she's feeling anything or experiencing negative effects from the war to anyone. If there is anyone Sidney is dying to put under a microscope, it's her, although I don't think he sees any of them that way; they're his friends and he likes being able to help them, they're not lab rats. Margaret has an entire conversation with Sidney wherein she's denying feeling anything at all, while expressing sublimated rage, and basically projecting, as she's trying to offer him advice. In fact, rage is one of the few emotions she ever feels comfortable expressing. One of the only people who can get past her walls is Hawkeye, and in Comrades in Arms she even falls back on rage with him.

Margaret's second conversation with Sidney is mostly comic relief and unfortunately dominated by early installment weirdness Charles ship tease, but it goes very similarly. She makes claims about other people while seemingly unaware of her own feelings and behavior, and she yells a lot.

Margaret says she's not a very open person. We see her struggle to form relationships, including with the other nurses, because she is so closed off. She's lonely, but she pushes people away. It's hard for her to admit she wants or needs anything. She hates to show any kind of vulnerability.

And yet we can see Margaret be compassionate! With the other characters in the later seasons, and with the patients throughout. She does acknowledge emotions, just not her own, because that would be too dangerous.

These are all traits you rarely get to see in a female character and I for one owe Loretta Swit my life.

In the spirit of the game, I'll get a little spicy:

I think the reason the fandom devotes so much time to the repressed BJ headcanon--which is just that, a headcanon-when Margaret is right there doing it in canon and gets very little attention is that people struggle to see female characters as complex. Emotional repression in particular tends to be associated with men; we see this all the time in society. This is not a problem specific to this fandom; it's a reflection of how we are taught to view women that manifests in every fandom. I do think Margaret is a prime example of it.

TWW:

I don't like Donna's arc in season 6. I think it loses sight of the foundation of the character, which is my criticism of a lot of seasons 5 and 6. I hate the "shallow girlboss feminism" critique, but if the shoe fits... We're supposed to believe Donna is overqualified for her position and Josh has been unfairly holding her back. This is simply not the case. There wasn't really a ladder for Donna to move up. She was very good at her job, so Josh had every professional reason to keep her.

None of the other assistants are portrayed as being treated unfairly. Mrs. Landingham, Debbie, Bonnie, Ginger, and Carol are all career assistants. That's a real job! Donna also has no formal qualifications and no relevant experience prior to the Bartlet campaign. The whole point of Donna was that this silly, slightly flaky young college dropout is actually extremely smart and capable. Donna not wanting to remain an assistant makes sense, but she wasn't wronged. The job offer she gets in season 4 is lucrative, but it's for a start-up, where formal qualifications are less important than in, say, the White House, and they're more free to emphasize her on-the-job experience. Donna getting as high a position she as she does on the Russell campaign is frankly absurd and in my opinion a product of it being a convenient way to have two main characters handle those campaign scenes.

Once Donna does get successful, she jettisons most of her personality in favor of being Competent and occasionally the only moral one (2162 Votes; Donna is the moral compass of the show but the way that was presented bugged me). And Josh was right, if a bit dramatic, when he said he was the victim. Donna quit without giving notice! That's pretty unprofessional! Donna was so full of shit when she accused him of keeping her in grunt-level servitude, when we've seen the responsibilities she's been given. And like... knowing how he liked his food was part of her job. It's uncomfortable to admit but Josh did give her a career. That doesn't mean she's beholden to him forever, but it happened. In Impact Winter, she never told Josh what the meeting she wanted to have was about or that it was important until the last minute. She also knows better than literally anyone that his meetings get rescheduled all the time because that's the White House, and him not prioritizing her meeting over various urgent situations is not personal. Maybe if the show had done a better job of showing him dismissing her and taking her for granted as an ongoing pattern I would buy it, but they didn't.

Even in the Josh/Donna resolution in season 7, Donna has to be Cool and Right even at the expense of making sense. Josh is the first one who brings up talking (and even indicated he wanted to way back in Election Day, which she ignored), but we're supposed to believe it's a sign that he's panicking about commitment when he doesn't want to do it while badly jet-lagged? It's all the tables have turned, Josh is pining for Donna, until Donna's the one setting deadlines. All in all it made the character much less enjoyable for me and unintentionally sent the message that women can't have personality and success. Iirc, CJ gets a lot less fun material once she becomes chief of staff, too.

[the-rookinator-3000]

hell yeah you’ve got some based headcanons

curious on your headcanons for dot

THANK YOU!!!! i think about them a lot . penguins in my brain. also i can totally do dot hcs !!! (i was wondering when someone would ask cuz i did have a couple in my mind...)

👗 > DOT HCS BELOW!!! MY FAV DISGUISE GAL :3

first of all and i CANNOT stress this enough, trans. she is a trans woman. this is very important!!! RAAHHH

and to add to that i'd like to think that her "design gal" appearance is the product of her finally expressing herself, which is why she's wearing a lot more colorful accessories and trying a new style she usually didn't have prior... and the whole "new passion for fashion" quote is DEFINITELY an indicator of her being more comfortable with herself and her interests, especially branching out to other things that don't have to do with the EPF

dot is fond of giving her fellow agents nicknames! she likes to call rookie "rooks" and (canonically) calls the agent "ace", she also teasingly calls jpg "big guy" just to annoy him

heres some relationship stuff below!

to rookie, she is a very dependable and understanding older sister figure. the two are very close and rookie enjoys going out on missions with her just as much as he enjoys doing so with jpg. dot has always been offering a helping flipper to rookie

to jpg, dot is very sassy and kind of ruthless. she likes to tease him a lot, mostly to see his reaction. but the two do get along, especially when talking about their common interest in fashion. jpg owes a lot to dot's talent and skill, even if he has to take in all of dot's teasing all the time

dot owes a lot to aunt arctic, mostly because of ANOTHER SCENARIO I MADE UP IN MY HEAD but basically it had to do with dot first coming into the island, and more or less being really distant and cold. a lot of that personality really softened when she got recruited into the EPF

occasionally, her old cold-hearted nature can sometimes stick out, especially when she's angry. which is one of the main reasons why jpg never attempts to fight back against her teasing. she is simply too girlboss i fear

i also originally planned for her to be the one who made rookie's hawaiian shirt. i scrapped the headcanon in favor of an oc explanation, but i'll just leave it here :3

dot enjoys scrapbooking and crafts in general! there is a board in her igloo that contains a lot of photos, she is very crafty!

dot's parents are both models, and they taught her how to improvise on fashion when she was younger. that's how she ended up being really good at making disguises out of simple materials.

despite that, dot does not get along well with her family!

dot has crossdressed a lot before, mostly for her disguises, but occasionally she does it for fun.

(semi-canon?) she has a lot of friends around the island, and maybe even moreso in the fashion industry

her personality has hardened a lot more after the events of operation blackout, she became a lot more focused and just.. a teensy tiny bit more stern

everyone in the EPF means a lot to her, she cares about all of them like family. (and she probably cares more about them than her own family but i digress) just like gary, she'd rather be cryogenically frozen 20 times over than see the EPF get destroyed in front of her

she collects squishmallows. i dont know im adding this in

the inside of her igloo is the most pastel purple-pink mess you can possibly think of. (i also thought of her living in a travel trailer? kind of a funny thought ngl)

OKAY I THINK THATS.. MOST OF IT!!! I HOPE THIS WASNT TOO FOCUSED ON OTHER PENGUINS

[zorilleerrant]

I like to think that Rose makes fake infomercials for all of her products, and has roped all of her family, friends, and neighbors into making them. which means, eventually, The Doctor gets tapped to star in one, where he gamely holds up toys and talks about their fantastic qualities. now he's pretty charismatic, and he loves teddy bears and all, so I think he'd get very enthusiastic about this, and become very popular all over the internet.

so we know he always calls himself The Doctor, even in contexts where it doesn't make sense, but in a channel of fake toy infomercials (with real handmade toys to buy) I don't think people would question it too much. they even get him to say "trust me, I'm The Doctor" and other catchphrases like that by leaving comments. he develops a cult following, and, owing to this, Rose puts him in even more videos and gets him to talk up all of her most popular products. she's doing great business out of all this.

one time, he tries to show off a talking bear. the bear says something normal, like "I love you", but it's advertised with the ability to email Rose your own audio files and she'll record them for the bear. except this one doesn't turn on immediately - so The Doctor has to sonic it better. works pretty quickly, the bear starts playing music, and he goes, see, what a fascinating product! which, of course, makes the bear very popular after the video goes viral. what else does it do? well it makes people want his sonic screwdriver.

now I don't think almost anyone thinks it's an actual device, they think he was just being funny, but it means that Rose gets to design a whole bunch of novelty penlights and they start selling really well, too. (just cheap bulk ones and she sculpts decorations onto them, well within her wheelhouse.) and The Doctor, by popular demand, starts using them to give the plushies 'checkups' and make sure they're all feeling their best.

so, because he does silly little skits like that, and he's called The Doctor, people think he's a toy doctor, and start sending in their dolls and bears and toy cars and everything to get patched up. Rose can do that easily; that's the same sewing, stuffing, painting, etc. that she's already been doing when she makes things by hand. maybe she learns some new techniques, which I think she'd be excited to try, but most things I think would be very quick repairs and send all the toys home happy and healthy. except it's odd that it's happening so much, because no one has put together that people think The Doctor is, like, The Toy Doctor yet.

but The Doctor has also noticed this influx of orders and is all, well, if people are going to be sending so many in anyway we might as well add a separate order form, and while we're at it let's make our own site, that'll be cheaper and more convenient. and Rose is all do you even know anyone who can make a website because all my friends are, no offense, kind of bad at it, and you shouldn't believe them when they say they know how. and The Doctor's like of course I know someone, it's Mickey.

and Mickey's like, oh sure, I'll do you a favor, and drops by the house to help set up Rose's website because he wants to install some design software for her to make it easier to do mockups and such, and he gets to explaining, and then The Doctor finally comes home, and at first Mickey's like, hey, and keeps explaining, but then he finally looks at The Doctor and he's like. why do you have a different face that's the same face that I thought you already didn't have anymore, and The Doctor has to explain.

and then Mickey's like. I thought you lived with Martha now and also what happened to the version of you who looks like me, did you just abandon Martha? and The Doctor's like. I don't think that part has happened for me yet it's probably yet another version of The Doctor who isn't really The Doctor but just looks exactly the same because that's happened really a lot of times now. or else it's a future version of me! and Mickey is like. right well enjoy your website

and then Rose asks Mickey to do infomercials for her toys and since Mickey thinks the toy monsters are really cool he's very enthusiastic about them and then his videos go viral too

also Mickey is the only one who realized why people think he's The Toy Doctor and has to explain about toy hospitals

[arkadiaasks]

How is Season 3 of GX trash? This is literally the TVTropes description: Season 3 is considered by many fans to be the series' start of its true highest point owing it to Jaden's Character Development, better pacing, and an overall darker tone with much more dire situations.

It's basically a bad action movie, or at least devolves into one. Or a phoned-in sequel where the author is writing for the check.

I have an extremely low opinion of Director Tsuji due to how his run of Cardfight!! Vanguard (it follows his impersonal space force villain fetish to its logical conclusion and it basically killed Vanguard as a meaningful competitor to Yu-Gi-Oh!) and a lot of the second half of GX Season 3. But basically? It's style over substance, especially as you move into the second half.

The first half is good and has decent set-up and general follow through and escalation, resulting in some really fun intense climatic Duels.

But. Basically?

The second half of the season has the writers more or less stumbling over each other's feet with regards to writing decisions. If you've ever actually watched it, the tone just gets really off kilter and doesn't even work as well as the tone for the first half of Season 3. And basically plot points (namely who or what The Supreme King exactly is changes from week to week).

Jim's sacrifice really doesn't get well built up because the Orichalcum Eye comes out of left field without build up from earlier in the season.

O'Brien's character basically gets shot to hell.

Amon and Echo basically get their heads blown out spontaneously with no real meaningful clarification that "Yes, they're dead for reals, holmes."

Shou, Edo Phoenix and Kaiser basically act in really weirdly out of character ways (yes I know why Shou does but it just comes off as edge for the sake of edge).

The show tries to clean itself up in the fourth quarter but you have a lot of 'but the damage was already done' problems, and it adds a heavily unnecessary twists of past lives I've never seen defended in a meaningful way.

GX's pacing was generally fine as it ran on "we do this for 11-13 episodes and then we complicate the plot in a new way", which is how a good production does its story for syndicated TV in Japanese animated long runners.

I'm also suspect of people who only really got into GX with Season 3 as "The real GX" as anecdotally, those types were basically bullies, transphobes, or gaslighting manipulative sexual abusers or all three combined. (But I will acknowledge this is a personal bias)

Or the types so fucking insecure about their media they need it to be Grimdark so their friends don't judge them for watching a kid's show. (At which point, my dude, drop your friends if they're gonna be shitbags to you)

And honestly, Judai's character development only works with Season 4 to contextualize the trainwreck Season 3 became (which itself was an attempt by the writers to try and get the show back to the more dramedy setting they had been shooting for for Season 1 but got shot down for reasons similar to why the Dark Signers arc turned into Kiddy Nobody Did Nuffin Wrong Town)

Season 3 is honestly just a mess, especially with Cour 3. Takegami and Yoshida and the rest of the writers were given an idea by Takahashi (the Supreme King concept) and could not figure out what they wanted to do with it.

He was simultaneously an extra dimensional ruler that already existed. A past life. Judai's trauma giving him a Batman of Zur-En-Arrh autopilot fugue state. It just wanders around in circles, and doesn't figure out what it wants to be until meaningfully at the end.

And.

Yoshida clearly not interested in the past life baggage. Or a forced / phoned-in addition of The Light of Destruction again.

Basically tosses Season 3's events into a trash can outside of broad strokes, in favor of addressing plot points from Season 1 and 2 about the main cast, and using loose ends from the first season to construct the story's endgame.

It's basically treated as a failure by the staff themselves except for it as a vehicle to do cool stuff in Season 4.

[nadiegesabate1990]

People ask me why you stopped writing song lyrics?

I had a lot of vigor, style and violence in my lyrics that I wrote. But it's very boring to live in today's world, it's pathetic. We have to write and people get sick of it and we have to write another one, you know, that gets tiring. And this gives rise to fads. But I distanced myself from cruelty. And I didn't have the money to record in 'record' studios, publish these splendid albums.

At that time, I was working on one of my masterpieces, at home, I had a dispassionate view of misery and cruelty and I wrote while drinking coffee. The cool thing about it all is that they accepted the challenge of recording my albums. But I look alienated. But what does it mean to be alienated?

Alienated work is part of a process of domination imposed on subjects, individuals, who are treated only as means for the achievement of others and not as ends in themselves, they are treated as instruments and not as people and, finally, they are expropriated of its production.

A being only considers itself independent as soon as it stands on its own feet, and only stands on its own feet as soon as it owes its existence to itself. A man who lives off the favors of another considers himself a dependent being. But I live completely on the favors of another when I owe them not only the maintenance of my life, but when he, moreover, created my life; when he is the source of my life, and my life necessarily has such a foundation outside itself when it is not my own creation.

Creation is, therefore, a very difficult representation to eliminate from the people's consciousness. The being-in-itself of nature and man is inconceivable to him because it contradicts all the probabilities of practical life. (MARX, K. Economic-philosophical manuscripts. p.113)

In this sense, Marx only conceives the possibility of the existence of ethics from overcoming selfish and possessive individualism, from overcoming the dichotomy between the individual (bourgeois) and the citizen that now allows the domination of the selfish forces of civil society that isolate the individual of his community essence, sometimes the domination of an abstract entity – the State -, disconnected from the real life of men. In both situations, there is a denial of freedom in the republican sense. Therefore, Marxian politics presupposes the effective existence of the republic.

In games of domination, the aim is to confuse the development of political thought and citizen action, which must be constituted from questioning mediations and ethical values, with simple empty rhetoric, or with the mere assimilation and reproduction of a competence discursive, supposedly democratic, but whose objective is solely domination and, therefore, the suppression of freedoms.

For some authors, Marx's problem is the disregard of the role of the State as a means of constituting and promoting freedom. But, did Marx, definitively, disregards the role of the State, or it would be shifting the axis of political beyond the limits of the formal State – thinking about the politicization of civil society, exercising the sovereignty of the State, to then constitute a truly democratic State?

Nothing much, it's a bit daring with autobiographical tones that refers to the daily life of an angry girl. After a prolonged silence, I returned to the metal genre. The most uncontrolled experimentalism leads to obsessive satanism of darkness. It's been ten years and I still haven't been successful, and I'm being asked if I'm dead.

I don't know if I'm Christ or the Devil?

I hope to receive some prize. And also receive more awards and be recognized throughout the Planet, and be honored with more awards.

[yessadirichards]

Japan's synthesized singing sensation Hatsune Miku turns 16

CHIBA

Hatsune Miku has always been 16 years old and worn long aqua ponytails.

She is Japan's most famous Vocaloid — a computer-synthesized singing voice software that, in her case, comes with a virtual avatar.

Legions of fans are celebrating the 16th anniversary of Miku's Aug. 31, 2007, release with events including a virtual exhibition and songwriting to showcase her standard high-pitched, cutesy voice. For sale are a special Seiko watch and a series of dolls in the character's likeness.

The Vocaloid’s hits have been widely shared online, including on Miku’s own official YouTube channel, which has drawn 2.5 million subscribers. She has CDs and DVDs out and video games focused on fun rhythms co-produced with Sega, as well as cosmetic products plastered with her name and famous manga artists drawing portraits of her for T-shirts.

On Friday, thousands of people packed a concert hall in a Tokyo suburb to watch their virtual idol dance and sing while accompanied by human musicians.

The audience bobbed colorful light sticks in time to the music, with some people dressed like the doe-eyed Miku. As laser beams flashed about, the cheering crowd, who knew the songs and the choreographed moves by heart, performed them in unison. A human-size hologram of Miku was projected at the center of a dark stage as though she was really there.

“I love the way her voice doesn’t sound human,” Koyo Mikami, 16, said while attending the event at Makuhari Messe Convention Center with a friend. Both boys wore kimonos featuring large images of Miku.

Miku's voice was synthesized based on the voice of Saki Fujita, a human singer, actor and voice actor.

The Vocaloid software application works on both Windows and Mac computers by taking inputs of melody and Japanese language lyrics and outputting the music with Miku as the vocalist. Edits like adding vibrato are as easy as double-clicking. Although various versions are available, the latest official Crypton package sells for 16,500 yen ($110).

Miku is 158 centimeters tall (5-foot-2) and weighs 42 kilograms (93 pounds), is perpetually 16 years old, and favors songs with tempos between 70 and 150 beats per minute, according to Crypton.

Whether being 16 makes a technology outdated or a classic is up to the beholder. While Hatsune Miku, whose name translates to “first note from the future,” pioneered a genre, many other Vocaloids are now on the market. The technology has advanced since Miku’s early days, with all kinds of voices and features available.

The voice synthesizer software has been featured in more than 100,000 songs, performed in 3D concerts in Los Angeles and Hong Kong, and inspired countless works of art.

Hatsune Miku owes her reign as the “It Girl” of the digital era to the participatory nature of Japan's manga, animation and pop music culture, according to Benjamin Boas, author of “From Cool Japan to Your Japan.” Instead of strictly guarding their intellectual property, publishers and other copyright holders encourage fan participation, he said.

Unlike Mickey Mouse, Super Mario and other copyright-protected characters, Hatsune Miku was offered as open-source software, with a Creative Commons license in the West that allows people to more freely use and distribute the content they make with the software.

“Miku’s success was always about the fan community and the ability for fans to become all Miku’s producers at once," said Boas, whom the Japanese government named as the country’s Cool Japan Ambassador, a symbolic honor.

"As long as that community is alive, I see a future for Miku.”

Creators who make music with Vocaloids are called “Vocalo-P” in Japan, with the “p” standing for “producer.” Some have gone on to become superstars in Japan, including the duo Yoasobi and singer Kenshi Yonezu.

People are also having fun with various voices for Vocaloids. Among the recent performances shared with a frenzy online is an AI version of Frank Sinatra doing a rendition of “YMCA,” a 1978 hit by the Village People, never performed on record by the legendary crooner.

Hiroyuki Itoh, chief executive of Crypton Future Media, which developed Hatsune Miku and is based in the northern Japanese city of Sapporo, said creating a character to go with the voice software was part of making the program user-friendly.

“We wanted to make it easy to use for amateurs who want to make music as a hobby,” he said. “Some people can’t sing very well, and here you have a 16-year-old girl singing your song.”

There are no plans to end Miku's perpetual adolescence or to age her beyond 16.

“We will do our best as a company to make sure Hatsune Miku will continue to be loved by the people," Itoh said.