#they are a MAJOR part of why I hate summer tbh

[tsfennec]

Okay, telling myself they probably serve a very important role in the ecosystem is not working. I wish every single deer fly in existence a very drop dead immediately.

#they are a MAJOR part of why I hate summer tbh #so bad #and it's not just that the bites are painful and itchy #the welts last SO LONG #and they get stuck in your hair and buzz and burrow trying to get at you #and around here you can kill literal dozens #in the course of a relatively short walk #and not even make a dent in the swarm divebombing you #h a t e

[scoliosisgoblin]

Do you think Jerry Smith deserves the hate from his family?

honestly? IT DEPENDS

Jerry is one of the most pathetic fictional men of all time and he constantly made it known, if that makes sense?

the hate Rick had for Jerry in the first few seasons is truly understandable — a young Jerry knocked up his 17 y/o daughter, which forced her into a situation where she felt the need to have the baby and get married to him. he gets by in life being pathetic and making people feel sorry for him, which is why I DON'T hate the conflict between him and Rick at all. however, I would've liked a scene where Jerry calls Rick out for potentially abandoning Beth (not knowing what actually happened)

I feel bad for Summer, she used to be quite close with Jerry and Jerry seems to take advantage of that, or at least TRIES to. in S2 Ep 9, Look Who's Purging Now, Jerry tried to get Summer to give him money, since he lost his job in S1 iirc. I'm pretty sure it's happened a few times because of it. also, she's a teen, teens hate their parents and stuff, so yeah

with Beth, I hate it for the most part. she was so obviously in a toxic relationship with her father that never really got addressed until Space Beth showed up, but it wasn't even explored all that well. she's so quick to hate on Jerry because of Rick's grudge against him, which would've been such an interesting topic to discuss — addressing the trauma she's gone through instead of just playing it out for jokes. I also don't like how toxic Jerry and Beth's relationship is majority of the time, and how they never explore it unless it's for a joke. it could be funny, yeah, but it's really just a waste of an opportunity to address their toxic behaviors and better them as characters

finally, with Morty, I get why he thinks so little of Jerry. he's a young teen viewing the world more from his grandpa's point of view. his views on life and the world around him is so heavily put into hsi head because of Rick, WHICH I LOVE TBH. I just dislike how.... they don't explore it very well....

Rick having a huge impact on Morty's thoughts and how he goes about his life is something I wish was handled better. they practically just said "this relationship is toxic, Rick is gonna fuck off for half an episode, then come back and everyone is gonna hate him" but that's a different story

also SPACE BETH — HER HATING JERRY IS GOOD FOR HER CHARACTER ‼️‼️ her getting along with Jerry nowadays is FINE, but SB is literally just Beth's more toxic traits exaggerated. and I love that about her, I love their rivalry. I always liked Beth and Jerry's rivalry tbh, but sometimes it'd get out of hand (which is what I was talking about earlier), and I dislike that their relationship has just become like "man I hate my husband", "honey I built a jigsaw :D". takes the fun out of it, makes it just.. sad

#rick and morty #I'll add on later #rick and morty fandom #rick sanchez #jerry smith #jerry #morty #morty smith #summer smith #beth smith

[wakeupthemembersofbylernation]

It is not even that Mlvns are homophobic. I mean, many of the toxic ones are. We’ve all seen them and interacted with them and received hate anons from them. When Noah’s article officially confirming Will’s sexuality dropped during the summer, people were literally tweeting slurs and fantasizing about him being hate-crimed or dying from AIDS. (It’s probably unfair to group Mlvns in with these people, as lots of them weren’t even Mlvns, just bigoted GA members and trolls). But still. It was bleak. There’s a deep darkness within the ST fandom undeniably.

But I’m sure many Mlvns/Byler-antis are the types of people who genuinely have no problem with queer people in real life. When we call them out on their bigotry and homophobia, they get confused and say, “But I have gay friends! How am I homophobic for not liking Byler?” And they mean it 100%. They really do have gay friends. They probably consider themselves allies and yada yada.

The issue is that A) they are deeply heteronormative without realizing it, and B) they simply aren’t the target audience for the show, and as such, they don’t really understand or connect to the themes of the show. The thing is, lots of people, many Milkvans included, are simply normies. Now I love Steve as a character, so this is literally no hate to Steve, but lots of people are Steves. And people who are like Steve: popular, straight, attractive, used to dating the types of people they want, into ‘normal’ interests like sports (not that Steve is hyper into sports, but you know what I mean), likely to go down ‘normal’ paths and live fairly conventional lives like their parents, etc. are simply not the target audience for the show.

Obviously, the show centers on outcasts, nerds, queer characters, characters with disabilities, black characters, etc. Most people recognize this on some level, but they recognize it in more of a general sense like, “Of course the protagonists are nerds/outcasts, just like all the classic 80s teen protagonists. I just love how nostalgic ST is!” And they leave it at that. Because they are normies, they don’t really connect to the themes of the show other than a surface-level, power of friendship sense. They don’t see how Byler is more aligned with the show’s message than Milkvan at this point. They don’t see that the outcast status of most of the characters is more than just a throwaway personality trait… its deeply integral to the point of the show itself and closely connected to the supernatural storyline.

This is because nerd culture is somewhat mainstream now, and lots of “normies” like it too. Star Wars, Marvel, LOTR, Harry Potter, etc. These are all major parts of society and billion dollar franchises, even more so than they were in the 80s. Because of this, people don’t realize that in the context of the world of the show, they wouldn’t have been friends with the Party most likely. It is far more statistically likely that they would’ve rolled with Angela’s friend group or joined Jason’s human hunting squad. Or even if they weren’t outright bullies, it’s far more likely that they would’ve been one of the nameless background characters in Hawkins High, just kind of floating by in a conventionally comfortable existence, entirely oblivious to government lab conspiracies and alternate dimensions. The characters in ST are outcasts in a deeper, existential sense. Society is against them.

And so many people can’t relate, especially to the queer themes. They can’t even see the queer themes. Because the show is not for them. That’s why you see so many baffling takes on the show:

“Will is so whiny all the time, and I don’t like him!”

“Mike was right in the rain fight! S3 is about growing up, and Will was acting like a baby.”

“Tbh I don’t care that much about the Party dynamics. My favorite part of the show is Steve and Dustin being funny together. And my second favorite part is Hopper being a cool action hero.”

“B*lly is overhated! I mean, he’s so hot and misunderstood! He could’ve redeemed himself.”

“I don’t get Byler. It barely seems like Mike and Will are even friends.”

To be clear, it doesn’t mean they don’t enjoy the genre of the show. Being horror/sci-fi, its core fans are a smaller pool of people than, say, fans of The Office or Friends or other popular sitcoms. So the Mlvns who watched it since the beginning probably do have some avant-garde tastes in terms of genre-preferences, since lots of people wouldn’t touch horror with a ten-foot pole. But it does mean they don’t pick up on the themes of the show and the arc of the characters.

(Of course, many newer fans now are just watching it cause it’s popular, regardless of which genres they typically prefer. This opens the show up to lots of people who don’t connect to anything about the show, not just its themes but also its darker content. A lot of newer fans sound like this: “Like, I just love that Mike was in love with El from the day he found her in the woods, and it’s so cute that El is Mike’s superhero, and Eddie is so cool and badass; I wish he could’ve told Chrissy how he felt, and I’m anxiously awaiting S5 to see who Nancy chooses but I hope she chooses Steve… Stancy 4ever!” This is because Stancy is like every other conventionally attractive couple in media).

I’m rambling, but a lot of people are into Milkvan because of their expectations that “pretty boy and pretty girl go together,” and that’s all there is to it. Finn is attractive and Millie is attractive, and they play the protagonists, so of course Mike and El are endgame. Why wouldn’t they be? This is true for the girls who project themselves onto Millie and see Finn/Mike as a dream boyfriend, and it’s true for the guys who project themselves onto Finn and who would want nothing more than to have a cool, superpowered girlfriend.

This is the way of nature. In a normie worldview, there’s no deviation from this path. A lot of fans basically take The Kissing Booth/To All the Boys I Loved Before and slap a sci-fi/horror filter on it, and they think that’s what Stranger Things is. It’s a cool show where kids fight monsters, and there are normal, heterosexual romances like Mlvn to root for, and there’s a badass superhero main character at the center.

Oh, there’s a gay character too? Well, that’s weird. I mean, y’all already have Robin, but whatever. I’m not homophobic! I’m cool with Will being gay… as long as he stays over there. Oh, he’s in love with Mike? Well, that’s even weirder. Why would the writers do that? I suppose that’s fine, as long as it’s just a little crush, and as long as it doesn’t get in the way of “the main storyline” and my OTP. I’m not homophobic, I swear! I have gay friends!

And they do. And they might not actively be against LGBTQ+ people in real life. They may really be telling the truth. But because they are Steves, this is where heteronormativity comes into play and blinds them. Main couples in shows are always straight, so the cool sci-fi, monster show they love must also be. They’re fine with Kevin Kellers, but queer Mike doesn’t fit the box that they allot to gay characters. So Mike must be the straightest character of all time to fight back against “weird delusional Byler theories” that would “come out of nowhere.” It’s not that they’re actively anti-gay; it’s that they are profoundly closed-minded and have a very myopic view of sexuality/storytelling/their favorite characters/their favorite shows. This is very similar to the XO, Kitty situation and people who were upset that Kitty was ‘suddenly’ bi and had a crush on Yuri.

WHAT?! Where did this come from? I thought I was watching a normal rom-com! I was fine with the gay characters on it who were clearly televised from the beginning! But Kitty? No! Kitty’s my self-insert. How can she like girls too? It must be a phase and be “less real” than her male love interests. This isn’t Heartstopper. The same weird energy is present in the ST fandom.

Byler being semi-canon isn’t seen as confirmation of a love triangle; it’s seen as a disruption to the norm and the foregone conclusion that Mike and El will be together forever and get married and have telekinetic children because the show owes that to them for all they’ve been through. “But why is Will inserted into their scenes?” we ask them, begging them to see reason. “Idk, but he should know his place and stop being a homewrecker and go find a new boy to like. Just leave the soulmates alone. Mike has already made clear he’s straight and that Will is nothing more than a friend. He said it in the roller rink!” This is how heteronormativity works.

That’s why Byler endgame will be so important because it will shatter preconceived notions and open people’s eyes to the beautiful tapestry of humanity. And they will see that this powerful, queer, coming-of-age, love story was right there, under their noses, in their “fun sci-fi monster show” this whole time. *Mind Blown*

#byler #mike wheeler #will byers #mike wheeler i know what you are #byler endgame #stranger things 5 #anti milkvan #ST fandom analysis

[hsinnii]

school update #2 ! week 2 (so far)

mini rant:

why do professors who have professed for a long time do the thing where they use very specific field terminology without ever explaining what the words mean and expect everyone to know whats going on? i have 2 that do that rn & they are both classes without prereqs and specifically state you dont need any background in related fields to take the course lol

classes:

ethnomusicology - he tried to make us sing the other day, & i get its a music based class but its also an 8 am seminar for non music majors, my anxiety will not let me do that lol. otherwise seems really interesting so far and im excited for some of the projects listed in the syllabus.

dinos - not fully understanding the geology parts of this class so far. we were also assigned a group project where we have to go fossil hunting but none of my group members answer my texts so 🤷🏻‍♀️. enjoying reading the textbook a lot. also why does being in a larger room for class make it so much harder to focus?

bio anthro - not as bad as i expected. hearing my professors talk about their research as archaeologists is reallly cool. hate this classroom as well tho lmao

cultural anthro - we havent really done anything yet lol no updates tbh

archaeology - current fav. think im gonna be volunteering in the campus archaeology lab starting at the end of the month to help catalogue artifacts. excited for my textbook to get here tomorrow bc its the only physical one i got.

other things:

am in the process of setting up a semester abroad for summer 2024! already met with the office, chose a program, and have another meeting friday to apply for scholarships and get transfer credit approval :D fingers crossed i get accepted to the program i want

#studyblr #study blog #langblr #langblog #chinese langblr #language learning #languageblr #mandarin langblr #anthropology #anthro #japanese langblr #korean langblr #cultural anthropology #archaeology #ethnomusicology

[tessaservopoulos]

20 questions for fic writers

Tagged by the ever lovely @oliviassunrise - thank you friend!!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

521

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

as of today i have posted 1,189,141 words, which makes me feel insane!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

i have written for a lot of them, but the current three are the last of us (tess/joel), the hunger games (haymitch/effie), and fringe (peter/olivia).

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

but home was a dream (one that i'd never seen until you came along) [jopper]

i am still looking (even when i look away) [kate/yelena]

this is home [philinda & philindaisy]

your heart is a masterpiece [melinda & daisy]

how everything still turns to gold [tessjoel]

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

i do!! i'm terrible at it and usually very late but i cherish every single person who leaves me a comment.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

probably confined, where tess is captured by fireflies and has no hope of escape.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

probably my tessjoel summer anthology fic!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

not usually? if i do i'll just delete it and move on, tbh.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

i do lmao it is a majority of what i write nowadays if i'm being honest?? i did kinktober and had an absolute blast, especially because i wrote some kinks i never had before.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

i have! i've written plenty of marvel crossovers, but the silliest one was wayyyy back in my ncis days- i wrote a jenny shepard/bruce wayne crackship fic, haha.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

i don't think so?? if i do i don't know about it lmao

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

i have not!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

back in my sons of anarchy days i used to rp gemma/clay, does that count?

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

i'm gonna be honest- i don't have one. i love each ship so deeply in the moment that it always feels like the all-time favorite! like right now, it's tessjoel. but two years ago it was jopper. before that, it was philinda. before that, riverdoctor. and so on, and so forth. i just love what i love, man.

15. What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Honestly, my maydaisy + avengers au that has sat unfinished since 2017 haha. i had such a great plan for it and then aos broke my heart and i got discouraged. i really should go back to it because melinda + the avengers is my favorite thing.

16. What are your writing strengths?

description. i have a very flowery writing style that lends itself better to descriptive scenes.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

starting too many projects for my pea brain to keep up with

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

i've added bits and pieces of other languages to my fics before and it is always after intense googling, haha.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

NCIS, for my beloved jenny/gibbs <3

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

this is so tough!! i have been writing for nearly half my life now so i've written so much. but i really really loved i lost a part of me out there, a tessjoel time travel au borrowed from one of my favorite tessjoel writer's verses. i think it's some of my favorite writing ever. but also the jopper marriage law fic (my top kudos fic) is my absolute pride and joy.

tagging @wardenannie @sassymajesty @professortennant @wistfulwatcher and anyone that wants to do this <333

#about liz #writing tag #tp

[notexactlyrocketscience]

Alright y'all, let's do this.

Review: The Summer I Turned Pretty (2022)

(no major spoilers!)

If you missed my long hate-rant about the book, here you are.

Jenny Han is a great contemporary author, I just feel like the book focused on the wrong (and often problematic) themes, and therefore didn't age well. Naturally, I was excited about the 2022 Amazon Prime adaptation for that reason—I binged it in one go, and I wasn’t disappointed!

What I disliked:

🥀 There's nothing particularly special or distinctly high-budget about the show (perhaps other than the marketing)—It definitely has that same old teen drama ambience with a generic original background music score, and sometimes doesn’t linger long enough on important scenes. The flashbacks are kinda eh because the characters just look like adults dressed like kids, so I'm glad they kept those to a minimum. (Some book fans were disappointed but tbh most of the flashbacks in the book were just depictions of Belly being bullied by the boys and then idolizing them for the bare minimum.)

🥀 Love triangles involving siblings are just icky, okay? I was hoping they'd tone it down a little in the show, maybe limit it to just a confession scene, some chaste and awkward dating, and then a heartbreaking rejection for the second lead, but ohhhhh no. ಠ_ಠ

🥀 Y'all ... it should be ILLEGAL for teen shows to depict PARENTS having sex or steamy makeouts. Look, I fully respect that all parents are individuals with their own lives, sexuality, et cetera outside of their roles as parents, but even for me as a grown adult it’s uncomfortable and traumatizing to watch, okay? WHY is it necessary??

🥀 It's looking like they're going to bring out further seasons, but man I hate the icky trash-drama plots of the sequels. I hope they heavily diverge from that, but really I wish they'd neatly wrapped up in one season while they were still ahead.

Okay, onto things I liked 💫:

🌻 THE CASTING?? The books made it seem like everyone was white, but the show is sooo inclusive! They made Laurel, Steven and Belly Korean-American just like Han, which I appreciated so much. ❣️ They're all amazing actors, perfect for each role and really brought the characters to life.

🌻 There's so much more content about the parents! (Aside from the unnecessary makeout/sex scenes) Laurel is an author (!! like Han!) and Susannah is an artist. The dads are around, too, and we get to learn so much about all the adults' dynamic!

🌻 BISEXUAL JEREMIAH! BISEXUAL JEREMIAH, THIS IS NOT A DRILL!! This was so perfect for his golden retriever-like character, like a missing puzzle piece. 💖💜💙 There's also a side-character sapphic couple, and a bi middle-aged man main character. The queer inclusion is perfect and never feels artificial.

🌻 THE MUSIC SELECTION?! Sooo high-budget and inclusive of POC and queer artists: Lots of Taylor Swift, plus Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Baby Queen, HAIM, Japanese Breakfast, Phoebe Bridgers, BLACKPINK, Bon Iver, Matt Maltese, Doja Cat, Hayley Kyoko, Tame Impala, and so many others. Amazon Prime does such a phenomenal job of matching specific lyrics and vibes to a scene, but again sometimes the fade-in/-out is abrupt, probably because of screentime limits.

🌻 THE BOYS AREN’T ASSHOLES!! Applauds wildly Steven is sometimes bossy, insecure and mean, but he's quick to see sense and apologise. Jeremiah is only reasonably protective and rarely immature; for the most part he's so, so selfless and adoring. The show does a MILES better job in portraying Conrad NOT as a selfish asshole, but as a usually gentle and attentive person who is very bothered (for GOOD reasons) and not himself this summer. He doesn't have the headspace to indulge in serious romantic pursuits, but his emotions often get the better of him and he acts impulsively, letting people down. He eventually realises his wrongdoings and always makes proper amends. Cam is the gentleman he always is, and the other boys respect that—any jibes they initially make at him are significantly more light-hearted. Toxic masculinity is NOT romanticised like it is in the book.

🌻 Belly is the exact character I wanted in the books. She knows what she wants—personal growth and respect from others. AND she stands up for herself several times. She is not a pick-me girl and calls out bullshit. Most of all, she doesn't mistreat Cam.

🌻 Women in general are portrayed better. There are many complex teen girls in the series, all with their own individual backgrounds. Taylor and Belly have their fights but then they talk things out like real friends. It's really refreshing and more accurate to real life.

🌻 New scenes were added with all the important conversations and communication between the characters that never happened in the book. It made the series so much more comforting and wholesome, and didn't leave me with that uneasy feeling.

🌻 The new plotline additions were highly appreciated! They're nothing ultra-original, but they subtly enriched the narrative and removed the overly serious focus on the romance that the book had.

🌻 The theme (or at least, one of the major themes) was the correct one!—That all teen girls (and anyone!) deserve to feel both pretty and independant whenever they want to, regardless of what they look like, what they're wearing, where they are. This does not make them less worthy of respect, and is not an excuse to infantilise or dismiss them. A true coming-of-age.

🌻 The summery beach setting really is soothing and lovely. 🌅

🌻 This time, I totally shipped Belly with whoever the show was going for. The sparks were there, and it felt warm and bright. It just worked and made sense, every time. They definitely did that part right. ✨

That's all from me, folks! It's not a must-watch show by any means, but definitely more worth your time than the book, especially since Jenny Han was involved in the writing process. 🌸 Have fun!

#the summer i turned pretty #it’s not summer without you #we’ll always have summer #summer trilogy #jenny han #isabel conklin #belly conklin #jeremiah fisher #conrad fisher #amazon prime #cam cameron #laurel park #susannah conklin #coming of age #teen shows #teen romance #book adaptation #belly x conrad #belly x jeremiah #tv show #ya books #young adult #bisexual #bi #sapphic #achillean #wlw #mlm #taylor swift #swiftie

[summerdazed]

Before someone asks “Summer is this the one you always talk about?” The answer is yes, yes it is. Idc what anyone says I will never dedicate myself to and oc like I will this man. I will ride or die for this man. Y’all are lucky I’m shit at drawing because one would think I would draw all of my interests. Nah, just this man.

Anyway, now to actually talk about the mf that prevents me from working on stuff htf or lookism related because he lives in my head rent free 24/7 (fyi Shiloh = Ozzy)

Tbh I lose track what I say about him

Shiloh snores like a fucking freight train. I just know it. Like one minute you’re sleeping peacefully and the next it sounds like the damn tracks run right through the room you’re in. 10/10 recommend smothering him with a pillow for a peaceful nights sleep.

I might contradict myself but I do not see him as a morning person at all. Especially considering he’s awake a majority of the night at work and then works most of the day. He literally goes through his morning routine with his eyes barelyyyy open. Not even washing his face or showering wakes him up.

Speaking of morning routine, since he is a tv host and looks are a big deal, he has a very strict morning routine (and a night one too). He always faithfully follows it. Even the one time he was recovering from when his knee was, uh, broken and he couldn’t walk. (The real ones know why lol.) He even makes sure to file his nails every day if they’re uneven and cleans them. Part of him laughs at all of pampering he puts himself through compared to when he lived on the farm.

Believe it or not, but when he’s not consciously smiling or attempting to make himself look happy/friendly he has a resting bitch face. Literally stands there making his coffee in the morning like 🫥. Walks into the studio like 🫥. He just looks like he hates you guts. (And probably does this man is fakeeee.)

Not a breakfast person. Eating breakfast makes him feel sick however if someone makes something especially for him he won’t turn it down. He might just be grumpy throughout the day but that’s nothing a few compliments and a smooch can’t fix.

#mwah i love that man <3 #summersocs #shilohbright

[echodimension]

Comic Beginning

I wanna play around with the opening a bit more- I think rather than it just being an "odd day unlike any other", I was debating on adding a funeral as well. Tbh I got the idea from a dnd dms idea thing- so I wanna try working further with that concept.

The difficult part as of right now is figuring out who died and why? Who's all at the funeral? What do they say and how do these things fit into the story?

Although I doubt I'll find any or all of those answers- let alone actually use any of it for the finished product. However I've been watching a lot of Hawaii 50 along with spooky stuff with Halloween coming to an end. (happy sahiem everyone!<3)

My story takes place in a very small mountain/forest kind of town, with a population probably no more than 20-30 people living there when it's not summer time- so because of that, I wonder if the funeral should be for the old major of the town?

Honestly that could help out a lot of parts with the story. It'd be an easy way to introduce the whole town, explain what kind of major he was and what kind of town they're living in, and I'm pretty sure a whole small town like that is in morning for their major would be.. pretty different so it still fits with my original opening.

Possibly the old major had some enemies within the town? They could be at the funeral or could be the whole reason the old major died in the first place. Regardless- I feel like the new replacement major would be there immediately. Probably play up a lot of their own drama with it in hopes of reaching out to the community and even win along the way. I would say that the new major killed the old one so that he could move into office faster but I don't think I wanna go with that because I've been seeing that a lot within my tv shows n I'd like to do something a lil more interesting for my personal story.

The Old Major = a absolutely old fart who didn't really have an idea of what was going on but he was helpful to strangers and neighbors when he could, a very old fashioned man, stubborn and sometimes mistaken as rude or pure brain dead. it's a mixed bag through out the town on if he's liked, hated, loved or tolerated. regardless he kept the small town running and moving forward as the major for over 40 years. not everybody agreed with him but most people respected him. kids liked to pick on him of course.

The New Major = at the funeral, his dramatic theater acts made him quite suspicious with the town people- not to mention that he's from the city and doesn't know a whole lot of people or much of anything for that matter. he's just a small guy in a suit fresh out of collage from New York, based off of his clean look- he seems gay. he is gay. very gay. however the new major eventually proves himself to the town because he becomes an active member of the community, eventually got to know everybody and began making big improvements on the town as it gets repaired, refurbished, cleaned and slightly expanded. when spooky things start to happen later on within the story, he ends up being very helpful with the magic, spooky, and mysterious goings on. he just wants to be a good major and be there for the people he leads with a rainbow streak.

That's all I really have for right now so I suppose I'll expand onto this more later but again- I'm not sure about any of this really lol

However I feel like I'm making a lot of progress with it and hopefully this'll end up being a comic! This def by far he longest I've worked on a writing/drawing/comic book type of project! Granted I don't think anybody actually reads/looks at my posts but just posting the story stuff and sharing into the void really helps me stay on track with this and reminds me to work on it more rather than a google doc and I'm just really proud of myself <3

Thanks for reading if you did though and see ya later- probs

#comic #newtotumblr #wip #workinprogress #webcomic #oc #notes #original #originalcharacter #digitalart #gifs #dark #demon #story #tumblr #writer #new #funeral #dead #triggerwarning #death #doom #deadly #gothic #spooky #cartoon #comicbook

[sizzlingpatrolfox]

The thing about Jimin is that he’s a kpop idol, not a Western celebrity.

Engaging with fans is part of his job and part of the fantasy.

The fact that BTS made so much content until now is one of the main reason they are do popular.

Jimin is of course not obligated to be active on social media, but neither am I as a fan obligated to wait for him or like the situation.

For me being into kpop(specially Jimin) is a hobby and while he is still dear to me this period of silance really made me diatance myself from him and spending my free time alocated to him doing something else.

Also, I hate the way armys like to act like it’s sooo hard for them to post something, it takes less than a minute lmao

- Gen asking!!! Are you saying you’re losing interest in jimin lately? Btw just want to say if that’s the case I’m sad but it’s literally your choice. I love how honest you were on this blog and how you weren’t scared to say your opinions

---

Thought I could put these two asks together since both answers are similar 😅

BTS would not have been as popular and they wouldn't have reached millions of people the way they did if there wasn't so much non-music content. Armys and their superiority complex will tell you that their talent was the only reason but that's the biggest lie ever. The non-music content gave their music a background story, a reason to be, it gave it cause and consequence. You know why each song was written, what they allegedly had in mind at the time they wrote them, what they were going through. And even if they never said it out loud, fans can deduct the reasons and make theories based on random facts they know about the members, for example that theory that fake love has something to do with a book Namjoon read once and stigma is taehyung's coming out of the closet because Namjoon read a book once. Note: I don't have anything against theories about their music, and I think it's great that music can cause conversations. I'm just pointing out the ways BTS extracurricular content was probably THE reason they became so huge.

I don't think music was their content of choice for several years. It was always blended with their relationships, and somewhat personal stuff. You watch festa dinner 2018 for example, and there is some music talk but the dinner was never supposed to be about MUSIC, you know? It's the same with their documentaries and behind the scenes, there are some discussions about music here and there, surface-level, but the predominant theme in all of their content, is THEM. Them as people, them as friends, as colleagues. I'd say that the only time music was the main topic and the focus of the "extra" content, it was when they put out BE. That was the time they talked first about music and consequently their dynamics and personality snaked in through those conversations.

Then of course there's other content, so much of it that doesn't have anything to do with music at all; RUN, ITS, Bon Voyage, Winter/Summer Packages.

Now that content doesn't exist in the same capacity it existed for the past nine years. Even after 2020 there was some content, tho it wasn't of quality tbh. It seemed like 2020 was a major year for BTS, emotionally, on personal levels, yet the content doesn't really reflect the severity of those changes. On top of that, they all put up the tallest walls they'd ever built around their personal lives and real feelings and issues. So there was content, but did it really mean anything? Because I honestly never felt satisified with their music after dynamite, or with their DVDs or reality shows (run, ITS), and I know I'm not the only person who felt like that. I've talked before about that, that it was almost like meaningless content made just for the sake to be made and not to actually entertain or say anything of substance about the members.

The thing you say, that he's not obligated to do this or that but you're also not obligated to wait for anything, that's exactly what I mean when I say that BTS don't owe me anything, but I also don't owe them anything. Why are BTS members allowed to change, to grow out of habits, to completely (or almost completely) lose interaction with the fandom, to modify their ways of being idol, but I'm a horrible person if I change the way I feel about them? I used to interact and respond emotionally to the type of content BTS had been providing for the past five years; that content doesn't exist anymore. Jimin from 2017 doesn't exist anymore either. I am allowed, and I think in fact that it's the most logical thing to do, for me to also change and modify, to adapt my fan experience to 2023. It's just impossible for me to feel the same way I felt about BTS/Jimin as I felt in 2019 because the cirucumstances have changed.

If Jimin wants to be a celebrity in the way western celebrities are, to just realease music and dip for two years until the next album, then I'll just be a fan for that type of artist. I think all of us will just have to get used to being fans of people we know nothing about from now on.

However, music can be a replacement for all that extra content that BTS is not giving anymore.

I'll use Taylor Swift as an example. I've been a fan of hers for the longest time, yet I know almost nothing about her personal life. I don't know what her house looks like, I don't know if she can drive, I vaguely remember her mom's face (she used to be around Taylor managing her gigs when she was younger), I know she has a brother but I don't know his name, or what he looks like. I think I found out about Joe Alwyn like 4 years after they started dating. She doesn't do run episodes, she never released Taylor Memories of 20##, or at least not that I know of, there's barely any behind the scenes content. Only thing I ever watched about her was Miss Americana. It's a short documentary but it's enough. It's enough because it's well done, it has a dialogue with the viewer, it has purpose, and most of all: it's honest. It doesn't matter if you release 100000 hours of tour footage when it's meaningless, when half of it it's BTS half asleep during breakfast; you could do a 90 minute documentary and it could be enough for all of your career as long as it's well done and it's genuine.

I know there are millions of fans of Taylor who know everything about her, and they're curious about what toilet paper she uses and they go all "oohh she's so mysterious" the way pjms go because Jimin doesn't show his apartment, but that type of fan doesn't even make up for half of Taylor's entire fandom. There are even more people like me, who know nothing about her but still love her, and know all of her songs, and are waiting for 00:01 on the day of releases. And this happens because she was able to make a connection with people through her music.

Taylor doesn't show up to interviews and talks non stop about Joe, I think she's mentioned him a couple of times but they've been dating since 2015 I think??? and it wasn't until like after the pandemic that they started showing up together publicly more often. But people know who he is, and there are photos of them together, and even in Miss Americana she talks about him even if she doesn't say his name, and they have little clips together, and most importantly... she has entire albums that are about him. And that's my point. You can listen to reputation, or lover, and you know what she feels about him and can somehow gauge what type of man/boyfriend he is to her. She talks about him in the way she knows best how to: through her music, her songs. She's an amazing songwriter and she's found that it was a great way to communicate with people, and she does exactly that.

There wasn't much to do during strict quarantine in 2020 so she wrote folklore, which was just her letting her imagination run wild and make up stories and whole relationships and it's probably her best album to date. She didn't try to sell it as more than what it was.

BTS put out BE and it's a less than mid album that says "like an arrow in the forest". What? Needles to say, I hate BE with a passion. They gassed it up as personal and sincere and painful and whatnot and it's undoubtedly their worst album ever, and they didn't say anything of substance in it.

Creating connection through music is a perfectly valid and I'd say probably even more wholesome type of content than documentaries and whatnot. So far, BTS have failed to connect with people with their recent music. For me, this is one of the reasons the recent releases are forgotten so soon, because they don't actually have an impact in people's minds.

This got longer than I thought it would be, but to sum it up, I hope that Jimin will be able to create that conversation with people with his music. That he will be able to connect and reach people honestly, be vulnerable, through his music. Otherwise, I don't see people sticking around for him (or any BTS member) long term. Right now, seeing that he obviously doesn't care to connect with people through maybe casual stuff like magazine shoots, or even social media, I think there's still the possibility that he will do so through his music, and if that's what he's planning on doing then it would be amazing. But I do strongly believe that there should be some form of "dialogue" between him and the people that are supporting him.

[softcallofdutyimagines]

Hc: How the squad would try to impress you

Adler

His tales

Only a few are actually true

But all of them are entertaining

He's already an interesting person, but there are parts of him that he's afraid might scare you off if you knew the truth

So for now, you get his pretty, welcoming mask

Such as it is...

The mask of man who sometimes does stupid things, but always has a cool story to tell because of it

Not the ruthless... machine he has deep inside him

The man who will truly do anything to reach an objective when it's all on the line

The type of man who does the dirty work

The things even some of the hardest veterans he knows would think twice on

No. He can't let you know...

Hudson

He does not feel a need to impress you

In fact, he doesn't even like you

Nope, not one bit

Not the way you look at him with respect and admiration, instead of as some government drone like literally everyone else

Not the friendly, cheerful smile you always wear, and how it even reaches your gorgeous, shining eyes

And certainly not your melodic laughter, like a wind chime in a summer breeze to him, no matter how many times you say you hate the sound of it

...

He tries to impress you with the one thing he has going for him, knowledge

The only problem is he may come off as a bit of a know-it-all

But he does, in fact, know it all, so you kind of have to hand it to him

And honestly, it's almost nice to have a walking encyclopedia around

Although he'd never admit it, except perhaps with an air of exasperation, Hudson finds he actually enjoys being appreciated

Being... Liked, even

Not that he'd go out of his way to chase that reaction from others, but still

He even finds it in himself to willingly answer your questions

Even if the majority of them revolve around spell checking

Mason

He... Is not sure how to approach you

But don't take it the wrong way, he does want to

It's just, even he's not quite sure who he is these days

How will he know if what he's doing to draw you in is the real him?

Besides, he comes with a looooot of baggage...

He can't possibly drop that all on someone's lap, not at this stage in his life

For a long while, he feels distraught over wanting to talk to you and not wanting to compromise himself emotionally

But thankfully, Woods is here to give him the kick he needs

After all, he'll never find out who he is if he never tries to lay out a personality!

And as for the rest, cheesy or perhaps bizarre as it sounds: if you're the one, then it'll all work out with the brainwashed stuff

Besides, look at this place... What they do...

Everyone's a little messed up

Ok, a lot messed up

So with some surprisingly sound Woods logic in his pocket, Mason decides...

Maybe you'd like to go hangout and get drinks?

Or perhaps even, a movie?

Yeah, that sounds like a good start

Park

She knows that obviously the best way to impress someone is to be yourself!

It's not too hard, just walk up and introduce yourself

After that, segway in with a sincere complement, and bam!

You're getting to know one another

Of course, she has the added bonus of being naturally friendly, charming, and easy going

And damn, if it isn't hard to resist someone who just knows what they're about

Park asks you out for some proper, stiff drinks and has a ball trading stories

It ranges anywhere from military/secret agent type stuff, to gossip about current happenings and your friends back at base

But even then, when you're talking about the others, it almost astonishes you how she manages to keep things professional

It's never nasty comments or prying

Just... talk

And that's something that truly impresses you

She's always just so team driven and encouraging...

Perhaps you wouldn't mind getting closer to someone like that

Weaver

Weaver's in the same boat as Mason tbh

And by that I mean, he's shy and an aging, self-conscious vet with a hefty bit of baggage

Particularly, he's concerned with his missing eye

I mean, there's plenty of other, better looking guys in this place

Why would you settle for a beat up pen pusher like him?

You wouldn't get that impression from him though

Typically he just comes off as distracted or busy before he goes back to bustling around with the scientists and Major Carver

A clever fallback plan

Although the distraction piece is accurate, considering that, regardless, he's still trying to figure out just what it'd take to win you over

If you're Russian as well, he'd probably have a muuuuch easier time

Because in that case, he'd want to bond over defecting and living in the US as an ex Soviet with you

If you're not however, he has the added fear you'll reject him if you found out about his background, in addition to all the other stuff above

So he keeps that aspect as quiet as he can, and tries to talk about anything but himself

Once he works up the courage, (because he will eventually!) he likely take you out on a traditional "date" type thing and will happily let you do the talking

Woods

The most impressive thing about Woods is, well, himself!

He may be getting some salt and pepper to his beard as well but, much like Adler, he's got a lot of life still in him...

You know those weights in the back corner of the garage?

Well you can catch him pumping out some reps with them!

He's often doing waaaay too much weight which causes him to be quite sore the next morning

But hey, he does look impressive while doing it

And if, for whatever reason, he can't grab your attention all sweaty and shirtless as he pumps that iron...

He is also a very skilled marksman, he'll have you know

Whenever he can afford to show off a wicked shot out in the field, he will

He never lets his pride get in the way of the mission though

And the funny thing is...

That's what gets you in the end

Frank is so much more then his looks and his showboating

He's brave and strong and loyal...

He's a true hero, all 'mission first' and an inspiration to everyone else in the field

These are the things you like and look up to him for

Although, his unique personality is a plus

#call of duty #black ops cold war #helen park x reader #frank woods x reader #jason hudson x reader #girgori weaver x reader #alex mason x reader #russel adler x reader #call of duty x reader #cod headcannons #call of duty zombies #helen park #jason hudson #frank woods #alex mason #grigori weaver #russell adler

[antiloreolympus]

8 Anti LO Asks

1. It doesn’t really make sense for a long term comic such as LO to have such a drastic change in the artstyle, and even more you can’t really call it an improvement when all the interesting parts of the art style are now gone and all that it is now it’s just some basic same-face and body art style with barely any backgrounds. RS is incredibly talented for illustrative artwork and it’s really a shame she’s not doing that anymore and instead has left it to her team, with leaving them very messy sketches. The artstyle in the beginning had life and glamour and now it’s just very dull and boring. That’s not an improvement

2. I genuinely can’t think of any man in LO that’s even half way decent. Poseidon maybe? Hephaestus? Those are the only two I can manage, meanwhile the rest are either Rachel purposely ruining them because of her own biases (Zeus, Apollo, Thanatos to an extent) or are “good” men who are just creeps who disrespect all the women around them and are super creepy and obsessed over a literal teenager who acts like a child (Hades, Ares, Hermee, Eros, etc). The women aren’t much better either. 

3. About Perse making Hades childish: (this is no way defending him, just some speculation, and tbh I doubt that RS has thought this through haha) I wonder if he becomes a horny teenager around her because she’s a goddess of fertility? Would that have any affect on him? Doesn’t excuse his creepy ass behavior, but could explain it a bit, I guess?

4. Okay so I'll be honest I dont really see any reason to 'simp' over Any of the LO characters?

Also, not to start sh*t, but - I think part of the reason why some of the LO fandom does not like Zeus (and perhaps gives Hera more leeway - at least in terms of cheating) is because:

Mythologically Zeus is a known cheater / rapist (Io for example, or Semele)

They see Hera cheating a Zeus as okay (its not) because he's been known to cheat on her in the past / fans see Hera cheating on Zeus with Hades as 'justified revenge' for what he's (Zeus) put her through

I'll be honest I dont really see Zeus (or Hades for that matter) as good rulers because

Despite other deities (like Eros) doing 'acts of wrath' - they get away with it because they often have someone to back them up (like Aphrodite offering to sleep with Zeus to get her son out of trouble) - but the one time Persephone does something wrong (an act of wrath) - Zeus wants to give her the Prometheus treatment - mainly so he can feel like an in control king whos subjects respect him

The reason this sound so odd is because of RS writing choices. Zeus is a grade A d*ck who is willing to destroy a 'young girls promising career' because she made 1 mistake that one time. But at the same time the act of wrath is framed oddly because Demeter doesn't want her daughter to get in trouble so she covers it up (its like the equivalent of hiding a murder from the cops).

Zeus wanting to Prometheus Kore seems overly harsh because she is a Child. (Well a teenager) - so it adds to the "Zeus is a d*ck" card, because she doesnt have the life experience to "get away with" stuff like the other deities because she is young AND sheltered.

Like again, the whole concept of Human Laws applying to Gods is so confusing:

Would Zeus have been this harsh if Demeter had simply come forward in the first place about Persephone's murder rampage? Why did she blackmail / get other deities involved to cover it up? Is Zeus THAT much of a d*ck in Demeters eyes that she knows he would harshly punish a child for something "she didnt mean to do" (killed mortals based on a feeling?)

Why is there a motherf*cking trial in the first place? Do All the other deities get the right to a fair trial or is this a special case? (Like can any deity just offer to sleep with Zeus and he'll let them off the hook?). If the other deities had commited the same crime would the trial / punishment be the same or does Zeus just have a rage boner because he was lied to? If thats the case then why are the other deities taking Persephones side during the trial? (Ares I can maybe understand cause hes the God of War and stuff but everyone else is taking Perse's side because their either her personal friend or family member (Hecate, Hermes, Demeter, Hades etc).

Why are there certain laws like "Zeus cant get to Persephone because she has clemency in the underworld" but other deities - including Leto, Demeter and others (like Perse's nymph family) can just stroll into Hades house? Why is Hermes still on house arrest? Why are Hades + Persephone throwing a house party when shes on trial for scythe crimes??!!!

Why are the gods bound by such petty squabbles?

The way RS set up the governing "laws" in universe just doesnt make a whole lotta sense. Also, sorry this got ramblely.  

5. Tbh i don’t think that Hades acting differently when he’s with Persephone is a bad thing, as a concept. But there are many issues with this such as the fact that Persephone is barely legal and Hades act like an actual child around her. Obviously when you’re with someone they are going to act different than they do when they are at work. The problem is that Hades essentially goes from the “cold-scary king” to a 17 year old hormonal boy when he’s with Persephone. And him making out with her in a middle of a store or them golfing with diamonds or him making out with Persephone again in front of his workplace is not exactly acceptable behaviour from a king. If Hades acts all lovey-dovey with Persephone when their at their home together it’s different, but when they’re at a public place they can’t really do that. I would say that he has to keep a status about him but from what we’ve seen all the citizens of the underworld hate him and don’t respect him at all, from yelling at him to actually fighting with him, so idk how much status there is actually attached to him 

6. I swear, the majority of the “cute” HxP moments in LO just seem like a single father dealing with his hyperactive 8 year old over the supposed future intimidating rulers who Rachel is obsessed about talking and drawing their sex life. Is it really that hard to depict Persephone even acting like a smart teenager at the very least, as opposed to an airhead grade schooler? It doesn’t scream cute to me, it seems more like a father/daughter relationship. It’s just weird. 

7. i mean, i have a LO oc who's persephone's brother (fertility god) between demeter and zeus. dude got thrown into tartyrus to cover up the affair and now serves cronus. he was the god of summer, and my reasoning was demeter's seasons/harvest + summer thunderstorms. wrote a whole minific i will never post about him and persephone realizing everyone around them are assholes and healing together. so the mistress-of-zeus oc isnt that weird.

8. I’m not a Zeus stan by any means, but I do find him one of the most interesting characters, and one that RS has, in her attempts to make him be the worst ever to make Hades look better, actually way more interesting and compelling than the majority of the cast. He doesn’t lie or whine to the audience he’s some good person like Hades when he’s not, he owns that he’s a dick and doesn’t bullshit the audience into thinking he’s someone he’s not. RS tries to show us he’s a “bad” king, yet we see no proof it beyond what, he wants to uphold the law P broke and doesnt kiss Hades’ butt? That’s not a bad king, it’s a good one that he doesn’t let family ties or lust cloud his judgement, unlike Hades or Hera, for example. I don’t condone his cheating either, but it’s not fair to hate him for it, but love it that Hades cheated on Minthe so he could get into a teenager’s skirt and praise Hera for sleeping with her brother in law while punishing Zeus’ mistresses because she’s being a fake “loyal” wife. Just because he’s a deeply flawed, even a bad person doesn’t make him a bad character. Hades and Hera and even Persephone are awful people who do worse than Zeus, yet they’re loved and praised for it, all while being written with the depth of a puddle. 

#anti lo #anti lore olympus #lore olympus critical #lo critical

[seattlesea]

✨My (maybe) Unpopular Heroes of Olympus Opinions✨

(maybe part one??? idk)

-I don’t really ship any of the main canon ships in HoO. None of them had any chemistry and most of them are either pedophilic, forced and rushed, or toxic in some way

-Most of the characters that were shoved into relationships (Leo, Nico, and Hazel especially) really did not need a love interest to complete their character arcs and their relationships ended up boring and flat cause Riordan just wanted everyone to have a love interest and it never went deeper than the skin

-Piper took advantage over Jason’s amnesiac state and manipulated him. She really went ‘But what if he has a girlfriend he can’t remember 👉👈 it would be wrong to start a relationship with him while he still has amnesia 👉👈 and cause it was based off lies and fake memories 👉👈 lmao imma just jump all over him and make him fall for me while he’s still amnesiac 🤪’ as if that’s not taking advantage over someone’s mental state

-And then she blamed her relationship being forced on Aphrodite and Hera saying they ‘forced her into a relationship’ and ‘arranged their relationship’ even though Aphrodite never said anything about or did anything to them and Hera gave Piper fake memories of them being a couple but it was Piper’s conscious choice to act out on those memories she knew were fake and her relationship was in no way influenced by anyone (especially Hera and Aphrodite) other than herself

-Shelper and Solangelo were way too rushed and forced (inside and outside of the books) and were only added for publicity, plus it seems like most of the fandom only like them cause they’re LGBTQ+ ships

-I hate Pipeyna and Pipabeth. My girls (especially Reyna) deserve better than some manipulative little girl who went ‘we were friends? no weren’t ❤️’

-The fandom portrays the characters really inaccurately (tweaking them a bit for humor is fine, but changing their entire personality is a different thing)

-The movies actually aren’t that bad when not compared to the books (I mean, you gotta admit- it’s pretty good effects for 2010)

-And speaking of the movies, they did a better job at portraying Thalia and Annabeth’s relationship in one movie than Riordan did in 5+ books

-Speaking of which, Riordan wrote pretty much every platonic friendship that weren’t Thalia/Nico and Reyna horribly and most of them shouldn’t have been friends and wasted all the potential for the good friendships

-Calypso should’ve joined the Hunters, not Reyna

-Annabeth and Piper are horrible friends lmao (separately and together)

-Silena is a hero and deserves redemption, but Luke doesn’t despite most of the fandom agreeing he does (he was a pedophile y’all)

-The fandom over-exaggerated the Tartarus fall, it wasn’t really that bad tbh

-Reyna is stronger and a better leader than Annabeth

-Annabeth’s intelligence is more tell than show (and quite a few characters including Leo, Reyna, and Octavian have shown more intelligence than her)

-Riordan over-glorifies and overpowers Percy way too much. Just cause he’s the main character doesn’t mean he has to be the best of the best after barely 8 months of training (four years at CHB only in the summers is 8 months total)

-Speaking of which, Jason can beat Percy (8 months versus Jason’s twelve years) and so can Annabeth, Reyna, Thalia, Hylla, Luke, Hazel and maybe Frank and Nico. Percy’s skill is overrated and unrealistic

-And I feel like most of the fandom knows that Jason can beat Percy but just doesn’t want to admit it cause they like Percy more

-Same thing with the Greeks and Romans- the majority know the Romans are stronger and can easily beat the Greeks but they don’t want to believe it cause they favor the Greeks more

-Percy and Annabeth shouldn’t have been part of the Seven, they already had their chance to shine. Riordan should’ve brought minor characters into light instead

-And Piper shouldn’t have been part of the Seven either. Riordan really expects me to believe that she’s stronger, more powerful, and a greater/better hero and deserved to be part of the Seven more than Reyna, Nico, Clarisse, Thalia, etc.?

-Riordan’s women line-up of Reyna, Annabeth, Hazel, and Piper was really cheap and boring (Avengers: Endgame women line-up who?)

-Percy (in HoO) and Piper are easily some of the worst, most underdeveloped characters Riordan has ever written

-Annabeth got really bland and weak in HoO and couldn’t do shit for herself without others (especially newbies) having to help and/or save her. She pretty much became exclusively Percy fangirl

-As much as I like them, Frank and Hazel don’t have what it takes to be Praetors and Reyna and Jason should’ve stayed as them

-Jason’s whole ‘am I more Greek or Roman’ arc was dumb af

-Riordan’s bias towards the Romans is also dumb af (the Romans could beat the Greeks in an instant)

-Jeyna is and always will be 1000x better than Jiper

-Hazel is the most powerful demigod (way more than Percy and even Jason)

-My hot take on who should’ve been the Seven: Reyna, Nico, Thalia, Frank, Hazel, Leo, and Clovis (son of the god of sleep puts Gaea back to sleep who?)

-Riordan confirming Piper bi was a cheap move to make her more likable. It didn’t even make any sense. A character is confirmed LGBT only after they become a minor character despite being a main character before and kisses some random unnamed girl only three months after her ex-boyfriend whom she still loved dies??? girl what??? Kinda obvious it was just for publicity. Like- Riordan, honey, the LGBTQ+ community is not a circus you can plop your characters into to make them more entertaining❤️

-The PJ series as a whole isn’t that creative. It’s legit just a copy of exactly what past mythological figures have already done and a bunch of character tropes and clichés shoved into one book

-And in general it’s not even that well-written (like HP, it’s over-exaggerated a lot)

-All of the romantic relationships and platonic friendships are extremely unrealistic. Like they never argue/fight, disagree, etc. (then grow stronger from those fights) at all??? Even if they’re complete opposites???

-Reyna is the best-written character in the whole series and a queen she deserved better and y’all sit on her too much

-Theyna is ✨amazing✨ their dynamic and chemistry was just *mwah Pansexual Muslim blessings to you* and people are allowed to ship them even though they’re Hunters and swore off love

-Rachel doesn’t deserve all the hate she gets. Y’all hate on her cause she crushed on Percy when half of you are doing the same thing and then y’all go and ship Percy with Nico, Jason, Artemis, Athena, etc. 

-If y’all want to hate on Jason for ‘not having a personality’ you’d also have to hate on most of the main HoO characters except Reyna, Nico, and Leo (and maybe Hazel) for the same reason cause they have the exact same problem tbh

-Zoë and Bianca’s deaths weren’t actually that sad. We didn’t get to see them enough nor did they have enough development for their deaths to have a real impact. The only sad thing about them was Zoë’s last words and Nico’s reaction

-Thalia needed more time in the books

-Reyna was the only main female character in HoO that wasn’t a boring, bland Mary Sue that all the other characters automatically loved. She was the only one with real flaws and distinct personality traits she’s my queen

-Piper, Annabeth, and Calypso did have flaws but the fact that they weren’t called out by other characters or even noticed are what makes them Mary Sues. It doesn’t matter how many flaws a character has, if they’re not called out by other characters (more specifically, other protagonists who actually like them) they don’t count as real character flaws

-Riordan can’t write female characters for shit

-Clarisse, Drew, and Octavian deserved better than being completely antagonized for no explained reason other than to make the protagonists seem better and to make the readers root for them. Those three had more potential than most of the Seven combined

-The whole ‘Aphrodite kids don’t train’ thing is bs. It’s specifically stated that all the demigods follow a strict schedule and have to follow it or they’ll be on stable duty or smth and the Aphrodite kids shouldn’t (and can’t) be excused from that

-Therefore, Drew should be way more powerful and skilled than Piper, at least enough to not back down automatically from a duel by a newbie who hasn’t even learned how to fight (Drew can control an entire cabin of people at once and Piper can barely control one person at a time, who’s more powerful again??)

-Also I have no idea why Riordan portrays all the Aphrodite kids as weak and girly in the first place. ‘Femininity’ and ‘weakness’ are not synonymous and ‘love’ and ‘beauty’ don’t equal ‘feminine’

-Speaking of which, love is actually really powerful but Piper doesn’t stand for love or ‘inner beauty’ and all her ‘thoughtful/insightful’ quotes in ToA/TBM about love were complete bs

-Riordan using the LGBTQ+ community for the sole purpose of making Piper seem more likable and ‘special’ was disgusting and proves he thinks that straight is the default- “...Or Hera’s ideas of what a perfect couple looked like. Piper finding her own way, not the one people expected of her” my ass. In other words, he’s saying ‘The expectations for love and the idea of a perfect couple are a heterosexual relationship, and anyone who 'finds their own way instead of the ones people expect’ are different’. ‘Different’ and ‘default’ are antonyms, so if you think LGBT people are different, then you think that straight is the default. Aphrodite is the goddess of love not heteronormative bullshit. Like Riordan, honey, you’re the one who thinks that the expectations for love and the idea of a perfect couple are heterosexual couples, not fictional gods from a fictional mythology. Remember kiddos- an author writes their own beliefs

If you don’t agree with some of these that’s fine sis it doesn’t matter if you have different opinions than me❤️

#heroes of olympus #opinion #unpopular opinions #percy jackson #annabeth chase #jason grace #frank zhang #hazel levesque #leo valdez #reyna ramirez arellano #reyna avila ramirez arellano #thalia grace #nico di angelo #zoe nightshade #bianca di angelo #will solace #clarisse la rue #octavian #ships

[kailedger]

for all the YOI fanfic authors

I’ve been reading a lot of fanfics in this particular fandom and, as a Russian, there’s like... little things that constantly bother me. Don’t get me wrong, the works are amazing, but every time I see this little innacurate details in a really good piece I’m like... slightly dissapointed lol

So here’s a couple things from a native speaker and someone who actually lives in Russia. (Also pardon my grammar, since English is not my first language).

NAMES. I couldn't stress it more, honestly. Here's the thing: most of Russian names have a full version and a short version. For example Victor (or Viktor, whichever you prefer) is the full version and Vitya is the short version. Sometimes I see authors using the short version, but most of the time it's described as something unusual (like Victor gets TOO excited to hear it from Yuuri). But in real life everyone in Russia will call him Vitya. It's not a big deal, the closest equivalent I can think of is this: if you wanna adress someone as Ms. or Mr., you can use the full name, but if two people are on the first name basis, in Russia they most likely will use the short version. So, like, Yakov, Yurio, Mila, Georgi will definitely call him Vitya (as I recall, in anime Yakov actually does? Or have I been reading too much fanfiction?). 

If it's an official kind of thing (for example, press meetings etc.) Victor can be adressed by his full name, sometimes even with his paternal name. (Paternal names in Russia is a whole other thing, pretty close to second names, but a little bit different. We always adress elder people like teachers with both full name and paternal name). I actually think Victor would adress Yakov with his paternal name, but that heavely depends in their relationship (honestly, Victor has like zero chill, so I wouldn't put it past behind him to have no respect in this matter lol). 

Oh, and Yurio's name is a mess in most fanfics. The full name would be Yuri, the short version is Yura. Since Otabek is from Kazakzstan, there's a very high chance he's actually fluent in Russian, so he would definitely use "Yura". The cutesy dimunitive would be Yurochka (not Yuratchka as it's stated in the anime subtitles), but it's only appropriate to use with a big age difference (like Yurio's granpa calling him that) or in a really sweet manner, to a point of being almost nauseating. (BTW, dimunitive from Vitya is Viten'ka). 

Mila's full name doesn't actually have a short version, but if you're looking for a dimunitive it's Milochka (which is also the same word for "darling" in Russian, and this version can be kind of sarcastic, so be careful with it). 

Georgi... Oh my God, where do I start lol. There's like two common short versions: Zhora or Gosha (sometimes even Goga, we have a very popular movie quote with this name, it's like a well-known joke for Russians).

Pet names. That's a whole other different level of hell. I often see people writing Victor using pet names, sometimes it's good, most of the times it makes me go "He would never use that, please, stop". 

"Zolotse" as in "gold" is actually a pretty good one - altough it's a little conservative and not often used, it has a personal meaning for Victor and Yuuri and isn't, you know... cringy. But for the love of God, don't use "krasavchik" (handsome guy) or "detka" (baby), it's just... no. Miliy (darling), lyubov moya or lyubimiy (my love) are pretty good. A little too sweet for my taste, but I actually think it's appropriate for Victor since he's clingy lol.

Accents. So here's the thing. I lived my whole life in Russia, I learned English through some additional courses (not very advanced) and watching a lot of american/english tv-shows and movies and reading literature in english. When I had the chance to talk to native speakers (one was from Boston, I believe, and also a bunch of people in England when I went on a vacation there), most of them said that I barely had any accent at all. 

Victor presumably has been participating in international events from a very young age. My point is - sure, he can have an accent, but in my opinion it's not gonna be very distinctive. Unless he's specifically speaking in a broken English, but, like, why would he do that? On the other hand, Yurio and Mila are both pretty young, so it would actually make sense for them to have an accent or even have trouble speaking English.

Customs and traditions. Pretty sure most people know it already, but in Russia we do wear our wedding rings on the right hand. Has something to do with our main religion being eastern orthodox church. 

We don't usually celebrate Christmas. Our Christmas is on 7th of January and it's a pretty religious holiday, most of us barely acknowledge it. So 25th of December is not a holiday in Russia. But! New Year is the biggest holiday for the whole country. We celebrate it starting from 31st of December, and the celebration itself usually involves the New Year tree, champange, tangerines and a whole bunch of salads. We have official holidays from 31st of December all the way to 7th on January (some years even 8th or 9th). So it's a whole week of celebration where people usually get drunk a lot lol. 

The stereotype about russians drinking a lot is not exactly a sterotype tbh. We DO drink a lot, not all of us, of course, but still. And yeah - vodka is pretty common since you can find it really cheap and it doesn't have a particular taste or smell (if you don't count the smell and taste of alcohol itself). But I, for example, prefer rum in my cocktails, so it's like a preference thing. 

Not exactly a tradition or custom, but still fits here. Yeah, it can get pretty cold in Russia, especially in winter or late fall. But this winter (of 2019-2020) was pretty mild honestly, not a lot of snow and the temperature was rarely below -10 degrees celcium. And our summers can get unbearebly hot. Since the humidity in St. Petersburg is very high, it makes the hot weather even worse. Oh, yeah, and in St. P it rains A LOT. The city itself is pretty gloomy and dark, but that's kind of part of it's charm if you're into this kind of thing (some people are not, I've got a lot of friends from Moscow who hate St. P for being so moody). 

Russia is also pretty big. The travel from St. P to Moscow is from 4 to 12 hours on train (depends on what train you're on) or 1.5 hour on plane. But both of those cities are in the western part of the country. Vladivostok (the city on the eastern coast) is actually closer to Japan than it's to St. P or Moscow (2 hour flight to Japan, 45 hour flight to St. P, crazy, right?)

Homophobia. Kinda heavy topic, beware. Russia is a homophobic country. Not to the point of same-sex relationship being a criminal offence, but propaganda, as our authorities would call it, is an administrative offence. And the court can judge A LOT of your actions as a propaganda, especially if you’re a public person. I mostly prefer to not dwell on this topic in fanfiction, I think even the creators of anime itself stated that there’s no homophobia in YOI world, so best stick to it, I guess? But if you wanna go for something realistic, here’s how it would have been in Russia. If Victor EVER publicly acknolewged being in a relationship with another man (like... kissing one on a national televion, ya know), he would be heavely criticized. There would still be supporters, people who would say that it doesn’t matter, what his personal life is like, but there would be a lot of backlash, especially on official level. Which would make his life in Russia pretty miserable tbh. He would most likely lose a majority of his sponsorships in Russia, there’s even a high chance of administrative penalty (since he’s a public person). That’s really sad and makes me very, very angry, but, unfortunatly, that’s the reality. Oh, and same-sex marriage is illegal in Russia, in case that wasn’t clear. 

Phew, that was a lot, and I think I haven’t covered all that I wanted to lol. But in case you have any question, feel free to ask!

p.s.: part two, if you’re interested: https://kailedger.tumblr.com/post/621623611041759232/for-all-the-yoi-fanfic-author-p2

#yoi #yuri on ice #yuuri on ice #victor nikiforov #viktor nikirofov #yuuri katsuki #victuuri #viktuuri #fanfiction

[a-shakespearean-in-paris]

I was in a toxic friendship

I want to preface this by saying I am so much happier right now and I am no longer friends with this person. Haven’t seen or heard from her in over a year. I also want to be clear this was a friendship I had in real life, not tumblr. I think however this story’s lessons can be applicable across the board to online friendships and even relationships with family members. Please, if you ever feel belittled by your “friends,” and you bring it up to them and they brush it aside and think you’re overreacting, it’s not a friendship. 

I was friends with this person, let’s call her Stacy, for about ten years before I realized I no longer wanted to speak to her or be her friend. I met her in the ninth grade and we bonded over Disney World and other things and I could talk to her about anything, including this huge crush I had on a twelfth grade boy. She came over to my house sometimes, though not a lot, and as high school wore on we started going to the mall together, stuff like that. I went to college in a different city and she came to visit me sometimes, and we even worked at the same theme park, though different departments. For all intents and purposes this was my best friend, though Stacey got upset when I also called my cousin my best friend, even though she spoke of her sister as her best friend.

She got a boyfriend when we were both around 21/22 or so, I think we were both juniors in college, though she took a semester off because she hated school and thought it was weird I was a double major. She told me her boyfriend was thirty and she met him at work. I thought the age gap was a little big, but I wasn’t one to judge. Later on I found out he was 36 and she told me she lied because she was worried how I would react. I met him and I thought he was nice, but when she got engaged when we were both around 23, I had only met him that one time for a birthday dinner she had, and my mom and dad told me they thought it was kind of strange. They also said it was weird to them whenever I hung out with Stacey it was only for like an hour, two at most, especially since my cousin and I could spend days and day together at sleepovers, chilling and being ourselves, interpretative dancing, lol. Privately I also found it odd I could talk to Stacey about anything, but when I asked questions about her life and her thoughts she’d barely talk. Her grandma passed away, she loved visiting my grandma because she could have one through me. One day I broke down and admitted my grandmother is a narcissist, and she is different behind closed doors. she berates me, used to call me fat, berated me. Stacey didn’t believe me. I can’t say when she started not being such a good presence in my life, but these were some seeds, and it got worse--slow at once and then all at once as they say.

Anyway, I was a bridesmaid of hers and her sister was the maid of honor--a mutual friend was another bridesmaid and there was one more (super sweet girl and I don’t even think Stacy talks with her much anymore either LMAO) and at this point in my life I was really into my first fanfic IWD. I was consumed with it, to put it bluntly. This is another story entirely but I spent so much of my college career as an English major writing for academia, and when I was finally writing something for me, I bloomed. I talked to her about it and she kind of laughed about this Cullen person but she liked to read fanfic herself so was whatever about me doing it. I shared with her my first piece of commissioned art and she laughed at Lydia thinking Lydia was just me, and I told her, no, she wasn’t, she’s based off of several old hollywood ladies and I actually made her avatar in game, but she wouldn’t believe it. I actually ended up saying “would you think this if I were white and she were white as well” and she laughed and didn’t understand. Needless to say the whole incident rubbed me the wrong way. I ignored it. Her wedding happened, her sister made a good speech, then when all the groomsmen did a speech for the groom the other Bridesmaids and I thought we had to do something, so we got up there and made an impromptu speech. I called her my sister and I told her I loved her. I didn’t know it then, but I didn’t believe her when she said “love you too.”

I wanted to go back to school, and I ended up in a Masters program after the wedding. My summer semester, my first, went well, starting in June and ending in July. I finished IWD and went to another fic, Stacey making fun of Sophie, my OC for that fic too, because I just straight up made her part Hawaiian like I am. When I told her I had little representation growing up other than like Lilo and Stitch and now Moana, (which I don’t like TBH but another story lol.) she asked me what the big deal was about that. Why did it matter that no main character ever looked as I looked? I couldn’t explain to her how much writing a character who was like me in a fanfic mattered. We planned on going to Disney World, me, her, her sister, and the other bridesmaid, but don’t post anything on facebook because she didn’t want to invite the other other bridesmaid. I wanted to go to a nightclub with her for my birthday but she didn’t want to go because her sister couldn’t enter, so after my whole family, plus her and her husband ate at my favorite restaurant, she went home even after I begged her to come with my and my cousin. She said it was stupid. Also, her husband was a huge ass to wait staff. Alarm bells went off for all of us.

But I was looking forward to Disney in December that year. (2018) I didn’t have a job at the time but was actively looking. Well, I got a job after interview after interview at restaurants that wouldn’t hire me, my dream job researching Shakespeare. It fell through. (I was promised to actively help the professor research, it fell through.) She paid for the trip without me knowing and I had to pay her back 800 dollars on writing commissions which I severely underpriced. because I was worried no one would pay otherwise. School wasn’t going well. Put it simply I felt really dumb and stupid and like I didn’t belong, (we were reading Ulysses!!!) which I later learned was a common sentiment with my classmates who began the same time as I. I will admit my relationship with academia is rocky at the moment, but I genuinely do love to write, love to research, love to make discoveries about new texts. Stacey saw how stressed I was and sad and got angry I was so sad, and asked why was I in school anyway Am I going to be on my deathbed and wished I studied harder? I didn’t have the energy to tell her it wasn’t about “studying harder,” it was that I loved writing and reading and wanted to be a part of academia. Learning makes me happy, expanding my mind. She belittled me anyway, thinking getting a Masters was dumb and I wouldn’t get a good job.

At Disney World I was so happy. I hadn’t been there since I was a child. She made fun of me for wanting to meet Ariel, for wanting to ride Soaring and being afraid to check grades when a classmate said they were up. I got so stressed I cried at the Japan pavilion at Epcot and stress ate sauerbraten at the Germany pavilion (Amazing by the way, I love German food.) She basically dictated the entire trip--we went to Universal for Harry Potter World at her request and refused to ride the spider man ride with me (it was fucking fun too-girl missed out.) All she wanted to do was stand around in Harry Potter world all day, (LOL now right?) I wasn’t that big of a Potter fan anymore, even at that point, and she told me I was going to stay there anyway and like it. She dictated the entire trip and when I questioned her about it she said I wasn’t listening to to her--we were following the agenda. Our last day there we went to a “Hawaiian” restaurant and made a comment about my “Hawaiian privileges.” I just didn’t have the heart to tell her that the crap we ate didn’t hold a candle to real Hawaiian luau food.

When we got back I was mentally drained and melancholic because I wondered why Stacey was so cruel to me. She always had a biting wit, but before it seemed playful. Now it was cruel, mocking. She made me feel so incredibly stupid. At this point my cousin got engaged and I cried because I wanted so badly to be in love with someone and get married. I was angry and I lashed out at people I shouldn’t have. I was later diagnosed as depressed. I felt like my life was at a standstill and matters with Stacey didn’t help. I also had a huge writing crisis--I told Stacey something I will always remember and always regret because she doesn’t deserve to know: I write the romances I want because no man wants me.  At this point, Stacy turned me into her project. She didn’t like how sad I was at Disney World, it put a bummer on her trip, and when I told her she seemed off she brushed it off. Her plan was to get me on dating apps and basically settle for anyone, even though I had used apps before and don’t like them, but when I got back on Bumble she basically patronized me and told me she was proud of me and “small steps.” On bumble, I wanted to vomit. (for the record, I am not against dating apps, I know success stories, but at that time I was not emotionally ready to date.) Also, she would teach me to drive so I could go on dates, but only in my Dad’s truck. 

I wish I could say I broke it off, that I told her not to talk to me again, but Stacey stopped talking to me first. However. the day she stopped was when I told her she was wrong and I wouldn’t listen to this anymore. What happened? I mentioned I was demisexual.  She said it wasn’t real. I said it was real to me--I don’t experience sexual attraction unless I have bonded with someone. Sure there are people I like to look at, but it’s not a sexual attraction. She asked about my crush on Tom Hiddleston, Cullen, “that robot guy” and was like yeah you’re sure demi, and lol it’s not real. It wasn’t just her words, it was the mocking indifference. 

I went off. I told her she didn’t have the right to tell me what was in my brain or how I felt. I knew who I was and who I am. I should have also told her I wasn’t her project, but I left her that day and it was the last time I saw her.

I talked to my dad that night and mentioned it to him, being demi, and you know what he told me? I think I’m the same way. I think I almost cried. 

I tried to talk to her again but she didn’t want to see me. She had “personal issues and was busy” I pissed her off. Good, I say now. But after this happened in March of 2019 I thought I had no friends. She was my only friend, and I lost another mutual friend (one we went to Disney with) because she knew Stacey longer than she knew me. But you know what happened in April? My cousin asked me to be her maid of honor and I fucking wept, because there was my best friend--my sister all along. Just because she lives in another city and we are growing up and it took me longer to figure out my career than her doesn’t change the fact that we have a bond that can’t be broken. My cousin is one of my favorite people and if you know her you love her--it is impossible not to. And when I told her about my fanfic and about being demi she wanted to know, wanted to listen. School got better too--I started chatting in class more and come to find out, one of my classmates also broke up with a toxic friend. God I love her and I miss her--wish I could see her. (thanks COVID) 

There was more, but this was a lot, and I spent more time writing this than I thought I would. I wanted to write it because seeing a few posts float around made me remember, and I want ya’ll to know, leaving a friendship is scary. Sometimes it can be worse than leaving a lover. But it is a brave thing to do. Part of me that knew I should have left at the first racist comment (oh yeah, she called me a pineapple one day before the Disney trip, did I mention it’s a slur for Hawaiian people? If my grandma were there she would have clobbed her.) but I stayed because I didn’t think I had any other friends. Well, I did and I do, and I know now friends lift each other up, not belittle or talk behind your back. They listen to me when I talk about how important my writing and my characters are to me. 

Sometimes I still miss her--but mostly the high school her that I knew before she met her husband. I don’t know if he changed her or this was her all along, perhaps both. I got fired from a job in November 2019 (which now I’d like to thank them because I got a better and more fulfilling job with a boss that respects me.) and when I cried outside the place, humiliated, I wanted to call her and vent like I used to. I didn’t. Now I don’t want to call her anymore or talk to her. I’d rather spend time with people who care, people who don’t kick me when I’m down. Since then I am so much stronger, in so many ways. The worst times in my life yielded the greatest lessons I have ever learned. 

If you made it this far, thank you. I did tear up a little writing this, but please know: it can be hard to walk a new path, but it is brave. You are brave. You don’t deserve to be belittled *hugs*

#personal #toxic friend #ok to reblog #tw: depression #tw: racism #yep she was that bad and I was blind for a long time

[keytomythoughts]

Perfection Imperfections | Chapter 1

Chapter Index 

»»—————————————-　

Finally, summer break. It’s been a while since I was able to go home. Having to attend high school rather far from my home in Seoul, I never thought that I’d adjust to the new environment. Fortunately, I wasn’t entirely alone, since I stayed with my aunt for the four years of my high school life. School wasn’t so bad, but the homesickness is what killed it for me. Even though it was my parents' idea to send me a rather vast distance—me not being too excited about it, but I knew I wouldn’t get my way in the end—there was some good that came from it. The two only good things, actually. 

I glance outside the train window, the buildings of Busan zooming past me. Sure, it may not be my home, but I won’t lie. I’m really going to miss this place. My phone suddenly vibrates in my lap, glancing down to see a text from my group chat, smiling as I respond.

(Binnie)

R u still on the train?

                                                               Yeah have been for the past like 30 mins

(Eunuwu) 

Going back to ur parents? Or r u moving out?

                                                                                                                      Funny

                                                                        Yk I can’t move out, at least not on                                                                            my own. My parents won’t allow it

(Binnie)

:/

What about Jaehyun?

                                                                            Idk, they rlly dc what he does tbh

                                                                       They’re just hell-bent on me getting                                                                                    into the top schools and shit

(Eunuwu)

Damn, rough

                                                                                                                        Mhm

(Binnie)

Try talking to them, u never know

They might change their minds?

                                                                 Nah, I already know how it’s gonna end

                                                                         Me crying and stuffing myself with                                                                           pints of ice cream

(Eunuwu)

Doesn't sound so bad

(Binnie)

¬_¬

(Eunuwu)

Except for the crying part ofc

But c’mon it cant really be THAT bad

I’ve been over plenty of times, they seem nice

(Binnie)

U’ve been to her house??

                                                                         Yeah him and oppa are friends too

(Binnie)

Righttt forgot lol

                                                                  And that’s bc you were there dumbass                                                                    and half of the time ur either in oppa’s                                                                    room or out somewhere

                                                                  Interaction with my parents = minimal

(Binnie)

That sounds awful ngl :( sorry Hyuna

But hey we should all hang soon!

(Eunuwu)

I’ll be in Seoul for the summer too so y not?

                                                                                                           I miss y’all :’(

                                                                   Ok I should be there around like 5 ish                                                                     so I’ll text then

(Binnie)

Aww I miss u toooo 

(Eunuwu)

*puke*

                                                                                           Shut up, ur just jealous

(Eunuwu)

Me? Jealous?? Of what, ur face?

Yea no thx, Ive got a great face already

And personality 0:)

                                                                               Gr8, explains why ur still single

(Binnie)

LOLL

She got u there bro

(Eunuwu)

Shut up

Ur talking as if u’ve got a gf

Idiot

(Binnie)

At least I didnt reject them as coldly as u did lol 

                                                                                             See? My point exactly

                                                                               Your fAcE scared off every girl                                                                                   in sight bc of tht pErSoNaLiTy

                                                                           I almost feel bad for them, u little                                                                             heart breaker

(Binnie)

He made a couple of em cry I heard

                                                                                                                     Rlly?!?

                                                                                                                         YAH

                                                                                                               U MORON

(Eunuwu)

Bin wtf

(Binnie)

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

                                                                                    U JERK HOW COULD U??

                                                                                              Those poor girls omg

                                                                               Im so kicking ur ass when I c u

(Binnie)

Me 2

(Eunuwu)

Wtf?? Y???

(Binnie)

No reason lol, just feel like it

                                                                                         And this is why ily Binnie

(Binnie)

:D <3

(Eunuwu)

GROSS

                                                                                                        Can it u demon

                                                                                                         Read 4:02 PM

I snort, turning off my phone and placing it back down on my lap as I go back to staring outside my left-hand window again. Meet Cha Eunwoo and Moon Bin, my two best friends. The only reason I got through high school how I did without major setbacks. Sure, there was the occasional homesickness and all, but had I not met these two, I probably wouldn’t have even attended and graduated. 

Being so far away from the place I grew up never really suited me, and they saw it right away from day one how lonely and upset I looked. I didn't seem to fit in, especially since I skipped a grade and was placed in classes that were very advanced for me. Not that I minded the vigor, but it was hard for me to socialize, let alone make friends. 

That’s when I met them. Freshman year in homeroom before my first literature class. Moon Bin, a boy with parted, coppery-golden hair accompanied by his shy, puppy-eye smile and sweet nature, offered me an empty seat next to him in class, even going as far as to share his textbook and asking how I found the school. No doubt, I was embarrassed and immensely shy, stuttering over my words and failing to meet his soft gaze. However, he didn’t make fun of me nor find me odd. All he did was smile, laughing lightly at my slightly flustered state. He stuck his hand out, introducing himself (most people just call him Moonbin or Bin) with that smile of his, thus the start of our new friendship. Since then, he became someone who always knew how to cheer me up when I was feeling down. No moment was ever dull with him by my side. 

Eunwoo, the tall, brooding black-haired and charismatic student almost everyone knew (and crushed on) of, was usually with Moonbin when we hung out together, but he normally kept to himself. Though quiet and sometimes reserved with his intimidating looks, it didn’t take long for him to break the ice with us, the three of us becoming close friends. Promising to stay like this until we went to college and beyond. Regardless if we all diverge and tread different paths, we would always converge and come back to one another. 

Four years flew by and graduation was upon us. Just like that, the two became like family to me, my ride-or-die duo. The two who were able to turn my world upside down, finding solace in a time where I thought it was nearly impossible for me to.  

My thoughts are interrupted by my “Move” ringtone—yes, I’m a huge Lee Taemin fan—looking down at my phone again to see it’s my brother calling. I sigh, picking up the call.

“What?” 

He gasps dramatically. “Is that any way to address your loving older brother after being away for so long?”

I snort, shaking my head. “Loving my ass, oppa. How are mom and dad?”

“They’re fine, living. Didn’t you tell them you’re coming home?”

“Nope, I don’t even text them that often. You already know this..”

He sighs. “Yeah, I figured.” 

There’s a slight pause on his end, but he continues. “You took the three-thirty train, right? So you’ll be here around five or so?”

“Yeah, give or take.” 

I look out the window again to see the endless stretch of greenery and flowing springs, sometimes even children playing in the fields. I grin mischievously, deciding to poke fun at my brother when he doesn’t respond right away. 

“What, you miss me?”

He makes a sound similar to throwing up. “As if. I got so used to the peace and quiet. I’m not ready for it to go away.” 

“Yah!” I realize that I had yelled a bit too loudly and eyes were now trained on me, and I bow my head in apology. I lower my voice, “You’re such an asshole.”

“Oh, I know, but you still love me anyway.”

“Shut up.”

I can hear his laugh resonate through the phone and a smile unknowingly tugs at my lips. I wouldn’t say it out loud, but it’s true. When I lived with my aunt in Busan for the duration of high school, I missed Jaehyun a lot. Though two years older than me, he didn’t seem to alienate me the way my parents do. While I hate the notion that they spoil Jaehyun endlessly and let him do as he wishes, I won’t lie and say that he was a prick about it. He could’ve been, but he never came off as selfish. I’m really close with my brother, shocking as it may be. Sibling relationships are like that—one minute you want to strangle them with their intestines and the next you’re singing duets together. Crazy, but that’s how it is for us. My parents don’t really pay me any attention, so Jaehyun decides to do that instead. Not complaining though. I’d rather take his pranking and teasing over my parents’ demands and reprimands any day.

“Aight, I’m heading out for a bit. Text me when you arrive.”

I smile again. “Will do, but make sure to get me food!”

“Let me think…” He hums, and I can practically sense the smirk on his end. “Nope. Get your own.”

“Oppa!”

Jaehyun laughs. “See you in a bit, Hyuna. Get here safely. Bye!”   

He hangs up the call before I get a chance to retort, and I scoff. Typical of my brother. He knows how much I enjoy street food, and every time he goes out, it’s almost certain that most of the time he stops somewhere to eat. Did he ever bring food back? Sure, but by the time I’d get to it, most of it was gone anyways. That only lasted a little while before I had gone upstate anyways, so he had more food for himself, I guess.

As the train barrels down the tracks, I feel my heart racing in excitement, but there’s also a slight ounce of dread. I really don’t know why. I want to believe it’s because I’ve been away for too long, but part of me knows it’s the fact that I’ll have to face my parents again. Knowing that I only have two months to decide where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do, I know the bitter truth is that those decisions won’t be left up to me. Last time, I was sent to Busan.

God knows where I’d be sent to now.

***

“Final destination of the KTX Busan-Seoul train at Seoul Station is approaching and will arrive at 05:30 PM. The doors to alight are on the right hand side. All passengers are requested to dismount the train upon arrival. Thank you.” 

That’s my stop.

Gathering my bag and hand luggage, I patiently wait for the train to pull up at the station. Seeing the familiar shops and buildings around me makes my legs bounce up and down in both excitement and anticipation. 

Four long years away from Seoul...

Before getting off, I quickly text the group chat and then my brother, letting them all know that I’ve reached safely. Side-stepping the other passengers exiting the subway doors, I carefully land onto the platform with my luggage in tow. I breathe in the air around as I stretch my arms up into the sky, the grin widening on my face.

It sure as hell feels good to be back home.

I try my best to maneuver through the crowds, but it doesn’t stop the rush of people knocking into me. At times like these, I curse my genetics for favoring my older brother instead of me in terms of height. Eventually, I come to a clearing and when my eyes glance upwards, I spot a rather familiar dark brown-haired six-foot-tall male amongst the small crowd waving me over.

“Hyuna, over here!”

I gasp, my eyes widening. “Oppa!”

He smiles as I begin walking towards him, my feet hurriedly moving across the concrete. The distance between us shortens and I abandon my luggage as he opens his arms wide. 

Only for me to sucker punch him in the stomach.

He yelps in pain, grimacing as he holds his abdomen. “Shit, that hurt. What has Aunt Sua been feeding you up there? Rocks?”

I smack his shoulder, my blood slightly boiling in anger. “Yah, why didn’t you tell me you were coming?! Do you know how much money I blew off for the bus fare?”

He straightens his back before going to rub his shoulder, then behind his neck.

“Fine, fine. My bad. I wanted to surprise you, but I guess that didn’t work, did it?” 

I cross my arms over my chest, huffing in annoyance. He sighs, nodding.

“Okay, okay, I’ll compensate you. Dinner’s on me.”

At this I grin, blinking excitedly. I grab onto his arm and shake it vigorously. “Really? You mean it? You’re the best, oppa!” 

“Look at this brat..” he taunts, shaking his head. In a flash, he headlocks me and rubs the top of my head harshly with his knuckles, upsetting the neatly-tied auburn ponytail. 

“Yah! Quit it!” I smack his arms and flail in protest, but he chuckles, saying this is what I get for cunningly finding a way to exploit him the minute I stepped back into Seoul. 

What can I say? It’s a talent. 

He lets go eventually, and I try to smooth down my already-tangled hair. I grumble incoherently but Jaehyun pulls me into his embrace, wrapping his arms around me. His free hand gently pats the side of my head in comfort.

“Welcome home, sis.”

I stand there stiff for a second before hugging back. He squeezes me tighter and I find myself smiling into his shoulder. 

“Good to be back,” I whisper. 

We stand like that for a moment before he pats my back a couple of times, us pulling away from each other soon after. He reaches behind me to grab my hand luggage as he shoulders my bag. I tell him that I can carry them just fine, but he starts walking away from the platform to the parking lot. I call out after him as I run to catch up, and I can see the corners of his mouth twitch. Jaehyun leads me to his car, a sleek matte-silver convertible Mustang. My mouth drops open in shock at its stunning beauty, my body forcing itself to remain composed for the sake of avoiding public self-embarrassment. 

He throws my luggage in the back seat before he turns to me, smirking at my expression. “You like it?”

“Shit, do I like it? I love it!” I run my fingers over its metallic surface, the silver exterior gleaming in the evening glow. Grinning, I stare up at my brother who catches my gaze as I stand next to the driver’s seat, my fingers already curled on the handle.

“Can I—”

“No.”

“Please—”

“Nope.”

I pout as I pull my hand away and step to the side. Jaehyun chuckles, rubbing my head playfully before getting into the driver’s seat and starting the car. The engine purrs to life as my brother pulls out his shades and wears them. He looks at me and cocks his head to the passenger seat. 

“Don’t just stand there. Get in.”

Smiling, I quickly make my way over to the other side and slip into the passenger seat. I barely have time to buckle in before Jaehyun speeds off. I scream in fright, but he laughs heartily, telling me to let loose.

With the wind harshly whipping around us, I close my eyes and tilt my head upwards, absorbing the remnants of my childhood in a place I’ll always call home. A place where my heart always feels at ease.

My name is Jung Hyuna. I’m eighteen years old, and this is my story.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 |  

#moonbin x oc #moonbin ff #moonbin fic #moon bin #cha eunwoo #jung jaehyun #astro #nct #fanfiction #my writings #mine

[spikeface]

Hi! For the shop bingo any thoughts on Isaac + Brett (which has been bugging me for months and it is all hypothetical) and Achilles + Aiax Telamonios (for old time’s sake?). Hopefully that’ll fill a few boxes!

No thoughts on Achilles besides the fact that he needs to calm down. I ship Achilles/some chamomile tea tbh!

As for Brett/Isaac, I haven’t thought about these two before. In general I’m Scisaac trash, and I like Brett with Mason and/or crushing on Scott, but I’m happy to speculate about Brett/Isaac. It’s interesting because they both have that douchebag veneer, but if you peel the douchebag layer off Brett you find a sweet Buddhist kid who takes care of his sister, whereas if you peel the douchebag layer off Isaac you find a second, more compact, very angry douchebag layer underneath.

Brett causes a major malfunction in anyone in his grade who sees him (and, like, fair), so I like imagining that it’s his turn to malfunction when he sees Isaac, who comes back from France for the summer during college. Brett has heard about Isaac from Liam, who heard about him from Stiles—according to Stiles, Isaac is an obnoxious idiot with crap fashion choices and crap ideas and he’s full of crap. Somehow, Stiles never thought to mention that Isaac was gorgeous! Brett is not ready! Whatever Isaac’s previous wardrobe was, it got a lot more chic in France. Isaac is now devastatingly pretty. At the casual lacrosse game Scott organizes one afternoon, Brett makes a complete idiot out of himself. Liam and Lori make fun of him a lot. Scott asks him if he’s feeling all right. It’s the worst.

France, meanwhile, has been good to Isaac. He’s had a chance to find himself, outside of the prison of Beacon Hills. It’s still kind of hard to be there, though, since it’s the first time he’s been back since Allison’s death. He loves seeing Scott again, but is intrigued by the thought of new friends, new memories to round out the old. He’s gotten a little better at this whole “be nice” thing, so he offers to work with this lacrosse newbie Brett one on one, since he seems like he might need some help. He doesn’t understand why that makes Brett start blushing and stammering, or why that punk Liam is laughing so hard as he throws an arm around Brett’s shoulders and accepts on his behalf (because, at the end of the day, Liam may be a little punk, but he’s still a great flight attendant).

Lori bullies Brett into showing up when Isaac suggests they practice. It’s a little easier now that no one else is there, though Isaac’s looks still somehow take him by surprise (how is he so handsome?? How??). Isaac seems convinced that Brett’s an idiot, but the upside is that it’s pretty fun to make him see how wrong he is. Brett shows off a lot, enjoying it, and then the two of them get competitive and there’s an awful lot of jostling. Isaac plays aggressively. Brett doesn’t mind at all.

Isaac, for his part, is delighted to discover Brett’s cool, cocky confidence—one of the traits that once drew him to Allison. The two of them wind up chatting afterwards. Each of them has lost their entire family and then some. They talk about Scott. They talk about Liam, whom they’re both bemused by. Isaac is curious about Buddhism, and how generally even-keeled Brett is, after everything that’s happened to him. Brett, meanwhile, is charmed by Isaac’s playful abrasiveness, and a little awed by how Isaac doesn’t seem to be afraid of anything. They keep hanging out. They get closer. When they finally hook up, Brett is more experienced but Isaac learns very quickly and alternates between bossy and pushy. Brett is so into it.

Stiles finds out about the two of them eventually. He finds both of them annoying and hates the thought of the two of them together. They wear matching scarves just to piss him off. Liam laughs and laughs.

#brett talbot #Isaac lahey #brisaac #teen wolf #ask game