#starstream: youre amazing

[void-and-virtue]

Tumblr is blessing my dash with ORV posts again today and I just… I feel like there is something to be said about my never-ending AFTG obsession and the fact that, on an unrelated note, I also sat down and read the entirety of ORV in a massive binge at some point and genuinely loved all of it. I might be insane for this, but these two very different things are actually a very similar flavor of story in some ways. Actually I have an incomplete list:

-Literally neither of these stories should work, except they do. Both have an absolute batshit plot that, in a lesser story, would make you shake your head and nope out, except not for this one. The execution of the premise, no matter how convoluted and improbable it gets, actually works and feels exactly right for this one (1) piece of media even if in any other context it would be too over the top.

-Which means: both AFTG and ORV is prime obsession material that simply cannot be encompassed by a plot summary because a plot summary can and will make you look absolutely insane for liking it. A summary of what happens simply cannot reflect what it is about the story that makes it so damn GOOD. These two stories will absolutely make some people look at you weird if you ever try to explain them and then the same people will seriously question the quality of the media you consume or judge your taste to be abysmal. All because they never sat down to experience the full glory of it all for themselves.

-Found Family in SPADES and they’re all amazing!!! Platonic relationships that are MEANINGFUL and IMPORTANT!!! Depending on what you ship there’s even an OT3 option available but that just as an aside

-The main character is a horrible, scheming little bastard who claims he is ‘trying to survive’ then turns around and does the most suicidal shit you have ever witnessed in an attempt to protect his friends. They’re also both incredibly smart yet incredibly stupid and have the grayest morality I have ever seen (affectionate). Also absolutely shaking hands over “people somehow think I’m a better/more innocent/moral person than I actually am” (KDJ even deliberately feeds that narrative whenever he feels it will benefit him to). Ofc there’s a lot of (fundamental) differences between them, as well as a clear difference in maturity due to age (28 and counting vs 18/19) but yeah,,,, I think there might be a Type there

(That said, no matter how bad KDJ is every time he goes off to blackmail or bargain with people for some shit— can you imagine what would happen if anyone ever let Neil Josten loose on the starstream? I’m head in hands just thinking about it.)

-Very dark and tragic shit happens but you still hang on to hope as you keep reading because you couldn’t fucking bear it if they lost dammit, these traumatized little bastards deserve everything, everything

-Anime vibes.

-The emotions,,,, the emotions in all the character arcs and the GROWTH and the THEMES just,,,, end me.

Yeah,,, that’s about it. I feel like I have either connected the dots or defenestrated myself over this but I’m having thoughts.

#OBVIOUSLY THE STORIES THEMSELVES AS TO WHAT IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING ARE NIGHT AND DAY DIFFERENT #but the vibes though #sobbing #this is for the ORV and AFTG crowd even if there’s probably only like 3 people who have read both #i feel a bit insane comparing KDJ and Neil #bc I think they’d come to both similar and completely opposite conclusions in order to solve a problem #they both REALLY check all of the ‘meddling bastard who possesses both more and less compassion than you’re led to believe’ boxes tho #some of the most protagonists ever I stg #orv #omniscient reader #omniscient reader's viewpoint #aftg #all for the game #kim dokja #kdj #neil josten