Talking about a ship for me is complicated because the feeling that I might be missing something or extrapolating too much. But still, I want to talk about Kafka/Blade.

Since HSR is a gacha, the chances of playable characters having romantic relationships are very low, so the fans have to pick the crumbs. Sometimes it’s pretty much obvious the devs want certain characters together, but the hand of the gacha business model holds them back. Other times, not really, maybe the devs are really aiming for platonic or other. And, of course, fans are free to interpret their own. So, I’m here to give my interpretation of KafBlade, why it called my attention.

From their interactions, they are working together and they have a level of affection: Kafka calls him Bladie (and he’s upset if others call him by that), Blade loves hearing her singing and is receptive to her whispers; they also seem to have good synergy in the battlefield. It also works in accomplishing missions, with Kafka’s lack of fear making her prone to injuries and Blade acting as her immortal bodyguard. Plus, there’s the implication they had to fake being a couple for a mission, which I hope it never gets a full flashback because imagining how it went is funnier. How they complement each other is what makes them so interesting.

They are both fundamentally broken people. We know Blade’s story, but it’s pretty implied Kafka has some tragedy in the closet (with Blade commenting he doesn’t want to see her sad; would it really be surprising?). And, they are villains after all.

But still, what I see in them is how they can still experience with each other things that they couldn’t imagine to experience or that they thought that they’d never experience. For example, Kafka is a liar. It’s a strength in her job, to the point even when she’s telling the truth it still feels she’s lying. She uses her whispers to dominate men and then discard them when they’ve done their jobs. She goes full “nothing personnel, kid”, because for her everything is just a job.

And then, one day, appears a guy who’s like “can you do that again?” A guy who wants to be whispered, whose lies sooth and motivate him. And then she learns he’s an immortal that wants to die and then she decides that she’ll help, but that she will strive to make his life more fun until that day because he amuses you. She has no feelings for him, because she has no feelings at all (or are very different from what normal people think to be); either she wasn’t born with them or the organization she learned her skills remove them, but still she just wants to make him feel good about his journey to death.

Blade is similar: he wants revenge. He crafted his entire life and used all his bladesmith skills to pursue that goal; it’s easy to imagine him forgoing everything, his feelings, his self-care, eating whatever slop he puts on his face, a very miserable life. And then one day a woman appears saying “join me” and she’s actually…fun to be around. Sure, they are using each other to their respective objectives, but there’s something more to it. He starts to pick her habits and helps her whenever she needs carry her stuff. And then he starts to wonder that, yes, his life sucks, but it sucks a bit less with her around. The blade he crafted for revenge can be used to protect, unexpectedly.

It should be noted that the devs already had opportunities to portray their relationship as toxic and abusive, but they haven’t. I’m not sure I’d call healthy either, but there seems to be a mutual respect and trust about them. I mean, they are dangerous (along with the rest of the Stellaron Hunters, Silverwolf, Sam and Elio himself (it’d be really funny if he was the cat)), but still it’s not hard to imagine them as a found family. We have to wait for future updates to see how they’ll be developed, but their Team Rocket dynamic with the heroes is fun.

One last thing is how I think it’s funny that KafBlade is “what if Gojo and Marin (from My Dress Up Darling) were evil?”. Kafka is the extroverted girl that loves shopping and fashion, while Blade is the recluse artist, but that grew bitter - as Yingxing, he was one the best bladesmiths of the Xianzou, he knows what beauty is (also please read the fanfic “dal segno al fine”, it really captures this side of his) – and would be reluctant even if Kafka’s feelings were like Marin’s; Kafka would have to have a lot of patience, but I think she’s not one to give up once she set up a goal.

I didn’t really review their text and quotes, I’m remembering all of it in the game and some comments in the internet. Even so, I wonder if others share these thoughts on them, especially the fact they bring out things that were previously kinda buried in each other, so it has potential for a more mature love story.

OKAY. Am I the only one fascinated by how much Alastor in s1 has interacted with other demons and built a potential for considerable amount of different, broad and unique relationships? With All of them being non-romantic/sexual?

I really don't wanna dive into the discourse of shipping coz honestly, I do think that erasing Al's aroaceness is not cool at all. Personally, I don't see him wishing any romance/sex at all, and well. Considering how platonic he actually is throughout the season, it kinda seems like people forget that friendship (or basically anything non rom-sex) exists in the first place.

Coz, like, let's see what we got::

Vox -- probably one-sided (psychosexual) crush from Vox with possible past friendship between them, them hating on each other yet having (used to have) some respect as well. The ANGST, the drama (for both of sides). Insert aroace troubles (possible aphobia from Vox? Or not? He may be biggest ally as well!) and Vox's petty feelings that are insanely interesting to explore (and laugh at).

Lucifer -- immediate hate that (with a course of events) can turn into forced bonding. The potential of queerplatonic parenting of Charlie is HUGE here. Insecurities from Al? Forced care? Banters? SHENANIGANS? Luci patching up Al after battle, prolly discovering his deal and them slowly bonding on shared interests? Hey.

Rosie -- literal established queerplatonic partners, married for tax benefits, spending their evenings gossiping, hating on Susan and Al rolling his eyes on another romance-rel drama Rosie was trying to help sb with. Rosie can have insane influence on him whether it is understanding modern things or just being with him when he needs it. It also gives off mom/son to me.

Husk -- fucked up master-pet not-friendship with probable care rooted since they were closer in past. Is it toxic? Yes. Is it giving off some problematic dynamic? Sure. Yet it's fucking complex on its core considering pilot, bits and pieces of their interaction and how easily Husk used to insult Al until he overstepped. Them two are quite similar if you think about it and if Al got over his ego it could benefit him a lot.

Niffty -- daugther/father dynamic with them sharing one sadistic-psycho braincell and genuinely enjoying each other's quirks. Protective Al? I just need more Niff and them two being partners in the most outrageous crimes.

Mimzy -- friendship going since they were humans, with them having an amazing (potential) backstory of sharing evenings on two. Al enjoying her company as well as being protective and helpful to her with nothing in return.

Charlie -- manipulated into trusting you as a dad figure? Don't tell me there is nothing below Al's creepy plans or that he wouldn't grow to care for her. He already is proud of her and finds amusement in her inspiration-skills (also, performance is his thing for a reason)

Angel -- I was honestly kinda upset we didn't see any interactions between them except one sex joke, coz my past era of Hunicasts was a fuel to their duo. Them bonding over how different they are is the best description of their dynamic. Also banters and body-puns.

You can't just erase Alastor from interacting with people, but putting him inside boxes of allonormative relationships while he has such a fucking huge potential for everything beyond just that - is quite.. disappointing. People turning a blind eye to a wide variety of relationships he can have (potential to which is set in canon) for the sake of just romance/sex is low key sad.

It's AWESOME to see ppl actually understanding it and.. damn THANKS to everyone who explores Al's relationship with others without it involving final wish to stick tongues into places. Dynamics can be interesting and exciting without it.

I really don't wanna project my romance-aversion onto Al, but when romance and sex is one thing you see everywhere.. it's hard to just let it slip.

You are allowed to do whatever you want, exploring physical intimacy is fun as well, and having Al, well, there are bunch of ways to show it with respecting his orientation and the fact that IT AFFECTS RELATIONSHIPS/ATTRACTIONS but please just don't make it the center of your attention, the one thing relationship revolves around, coz sadly it's just exactly how it looks like from some folks.

Hey , how would Jeff the Killer, Slenderman, Ticci Toby and Eyeless Jack react to a Albino reader ?

Jeff the killer, Slenderman, Ticci Toby, and Eyeless jack w/ an albino!reader !

jeff and toby are the only two characters strictly written as platonic as per admins personal boundaries, but the others can be seen as either way YAHOO playing TLTs new fnaf song on loop while writing this its so mf good got my bones getting in a twist YIPEE did some research on albinism since i didnt want this to be the characters simply reacting to the surface level stuff so thats why it took a little longer to get to this ! hope thats okay!

SLENDERMAN:

sticking true to my personal headcanon that outside of feeding and running people out of his forest, he doesnt actually interact much with humans... asides from the additional torment he puts potential proxies through but hush hush thats a whole different can of worms. point is, i think its unlikely that he would meet someone with albinism. sure, hes probably seen albino animals now and then, but a person? new experience for him, but i dont think he would be treating you like a spectacle. puts two and two together not long after meeting you... though even if hes accepting of it, he doesnt know of the extra precautions you need to take (to protect your eyes and skin from the sun, for example) but hes pretty receptive i think... notices youre having a hard time on days where its sunnier out so he either keeps you inside or keeps you in the shade. doesnt like giving you things from victims, so hes going to find other means to get you what you need (sunscreen, hats, sunglasses, ect). generally very accommodating, has a soft spot for you. i mean of course he does, you managed to win over this ancient forest demon thing

EYELESS JACK:

already knows what it is, down to common traits and the different types since i personally hc that before he became this silly man eating demon he was studying in medicine + generally had an interest in this sort of thing. doesnt bat an eye to the way your eyes sometimes twitch or drift off, helps you to the best of his ability when the strain gives you headaches. very good at reminding you to reapply your sunscreen and to remember to wear a sunhat when you go outside. if he has to, hes going to give you his jacket just so you can protect your upper body long enough to get back to your place/// just please give it back when you see him again..

JEFF THE KILLER:

"has heard of it but like slenderman knows next to nothing about it asides from "oh it means you dont have pigment/have low pigmentation" has heard of it but like slenderman knows next to nothing about it asides from "oh it means you dont have pigment/have low pigmentation", but unlike slenderman hes kind of... an ass about it... like hes generally an arrogant asshole, so it may take a while for him to pick up on things to make things a little easier for you. seems like hes annoyed with helping you remember to pack your sunglasses and other necessities, or when giving you something to help with any headaches caused by any strain... but let it be known that if he truly didnt care he wouldnt even bother to pipe up and drag you out into the shade when the sun starts beating down on you two.. he simply shows his care for you differently, you know?

TICCI TOBY:

he gets it, he does. maybe this is because he relates to having to just. deal with stuff that makes you different from others. or because admin is on the fence of headcannoning toby with poliosis... which while not albinism, visually he can relate and also relate to some of the other symptoms of it (namely the eye issues). flip flops between reminding you to pack stuff you need and forgetting.. but when he does remember hes very pushy about it, so much so that you might need to tell him to tone it down. you guys tend to vent to one another about things since theres some relatability between the two of you. as mentioned in my previous post hes prooooooobalby going to steal things for you to help you feel better; from things that will physically help you to things that will emotionally help you

Ted Lasso, the Roy/Keeley/Jamie triangle, and – dare I say it? –television history

No matter your preferred term for the throuple, OT3, or poly relationship on Ted Lasso, it’s worth appreciating.

The more I think about it, the more I believe that the creative team behind Ted Lasso is doing something with RoyKeeleyJamie that doesn’t exist in precisely the same way anywhere else. In my opinion — and with the disclaimer that my frame of reference is (of course) limited—what they’ve done here is incredibly unique and maybe even groundbreaking.

These declarations of mine aren’t premature or at all conditional on how explicitly “official” their relationship may or may not get to be in the season 3 finale. I say this from my current perspective after episode 3x11, because after that episode I feel that what they’ve been doing with this part of the story has been made abundantly clear.

When it comes to Roy Kent, Keeley Jones, and Jamie Tartt, it would’ve been very easy and even expected for the writers to fall into the trap of making them into a typical love triangle at any point. Yet they never did. People might ascribe the traditional “love triangle” label to the trio because it’s a familiar frame of reference, but as a term I feel like it’s not actually applicable to the story beats we’ve seen.

These characters have never been in any true rivalry motivated by jealousy, insecurity, or possessiveness in regards to one another’s relationships. By contrast, within their triangle and amongst all of their separate pairings, their common denominator has been mutual attempts at building respect, communication, and accountability. Roy and Jamie’s conflicts with each other predated and were never centered around their love for Keeley, and Keeley was never put in a position of having to choose between the boys. Keeley was allowed to care about both of them in different ways, maintaining different relationships with each of them on her own terms. None of them pretended they couldn’t all care about each other in some capacity while still acknowledging boundaries and variation in their relationships. And while this shouldn’t be a big deal or a surprise–especially because Ted Lasso is a show defined by second chances, found families, and endless variations of love–it’s still refreshing enough to warrant praise.

As part of that, because the writers didn’t rely on nor fear the typical contrived “love triangle” dynamic, all three of the characters’ stories were kept heavily intertwined. They live and work in the same spaces, and they care about each other in various ways, so of course they interact and share advice. Their individual arcs were then intentionally informed by the ways they learned to grow because of each other, intertwining them further.

While I don’t know for sure if the writers’ goal was to eventually approach them as an inseparable group, I suspect it wasn’t, based on a couple of quotes I’ve seen float around. That means that they may have seen the potential for the non-platonic “triangle,” chose to lean into it relatively quickly (the show is only 3 seasons!), and continued to build it so it feels organic and cohesive. That speaks volumes as to their talent and it’s also part of what makes this situation so unique.

Along those lines: Ted Lasso is a mainstream ensemble show with several storylines in play. It’s not solely or primarily about romance. It’s also not a “queer show,” meaning that queer storylines were not a central pillar of its premise, nor were they part of its original appeal to or promise to audiences.

Of course, there are now several queer storylines/characters in season 3 amongst the ensemble cast that have clearly been planned from the start, including Colin, Trent, Keeley, etc. That’s fantastic, and anytime a show doesn’t “start out” as blatantly queer but later makes a natural place for the development of queer characters within its wider story, it’s a huge win. It’s also great storytelling!

But rarely is that the case when it comes to polyamory. While there are several movies and shows that include it… most poly representation is within the context of an already radically queer story, or within the context of a story that’s solely about being polyamorous. Any non-monogamous relationships–or even the potential for them–are very rarely given casual, “normalized” inclusion amongst an ensemble, or treated like just another romance in the mix.

And yet… Roy, Keeley, and Jamie seemingly have been, with beautiful complexity. It's like seeing a real windmill for the first time.

This “triangle that symbolizes home” has been built as a three piece, slow burn, collective romance. Equal weight has been given to developing them as individuals while developing all of the ways they intersect and connect, with no combination falling by the wayside. Between Keeley/Jamie, Roy/Keeley, and Roy/Jamie, you can chart the trajectory of how they all grew to love each other and how they’re now coming together as a group towards the end. It all plays out with various levels of romantic motifs across the board, and–as if that isn’t already enough!–with added subtext through costuming/wardrobe, set details, framing, and music. It has been formed and shaped with great attention to detail, and of course with unbelievably beautiful acting choices that bring it to life. (Analyzing those details at length would require its own post.)

This sort of thing may exist in other media, but I’ve personally never seen anything like it before. I’ve certainly never heard of it happening in such a high-profile, widely-loved show like this.

Here, with one episode left, the equal setup of the three now feels complete and ready for a future. Roy and Keeley aren’t back together yet, so Jamie wouldn’t feel like an add-on if that is indeed where they take the story. Roy and Keeley haven’t even kissed on screen this season, in a way that feels deliberate (and anticipatory). And it’s now clear that the relationship struggles any 2 characters may have had as couples can be improved upon by adding the third person, so they’d all be fully supported in a throuple.

For example: Keeley helps them all to be more vulnerable and open while also being a problem solver. Roy’s steady, heartfelt, but no-nonsense encouragement builds them all up with confidence but not toxic pride. Jamie now wears his heart on his sleeve, bringing a level of fun and joy that’s incomparably him. If Keeley sometimes needs space, Roy and Jamie are clearly happy to be indefinitely tied together (sometimes literally). If Jamie or Keeley want to be the life of any party, they’ve got a partner for the scene so Roy doesn’t feel obligated to match that energy. Roy and Jamie relate through football as a specific kind of language, understanding that part of each other as only they can while Keeley cheers from the side. Each of them has taught the others new skills along the way.

If any of them now enter into new relationship territory, it sure seems like they’ll do it all together as a full set–and be stronger for it.

Feel free to call me a fool, but at this point I’m confident that at minimum they’re going to leave this story hinting at the three of them getting together off screen in the future. That’s the baseline I personally really wanted, and it’s more than I’d have previously dared to hope for.

In terms of what could happen on screen: Do I want them all to have a conversation about dating each other and/or kiss and/or be shown in bed together? Yes. Do I think at least one (if not all) of those things are going to happen in the season finale? After episode 3x11, I find myself nearly convinced we’re going to get SOMETHING of the sort. It feels like a thread that needs pulling (or a Chekhov’s gun that needs firing?) after Roy and Keeley’s conversation in Jamie’s room. It’s the next bit of natural and needed evolution for all of them.

Or, as Trent Crimm once said, “You’ve done this over three seasons. . . thousands of imperceptible moments, all leading to their inevitable conclusion.”

But am I counting on that inevitable louder conclusion? Will I be disappointed if it doesn’t happen? Do I think any of that explicit behavior has to happen for this poly relationship to be considered canon and have merit?

Not at all. 

That’s not how I choose to view media. Personally, I never play the unwinnable game of debating the ever-shifting goalposts of what constitutes “good representation.” Relatedly, I think the word “queerbaiting” is almost always misused and probably shouldn’t exist at all. And I’m tired of the lack of nuance in these discussions where people act like fictional queer relationships have to hit a certain level of “canon enough” in order to “count.” Many of those arbitrary goals seem to often be determined by whether or not ~all audiences~ can magically be convinced by the queer relationship’s seeming legitimacy. But queer stories aren’t made for the people who are oblivious to them at best or looking for reasons to disregard them at worst; at the end of the day, they’re made for queer people, as well as for anyone who has media literacy and an open mind.

If you ask me, RoyKeeleyJamie is already “canon.” Anything else we get now is just a bonus. And ultimately–after everything I outlined above–I am very aware of how unique this particular situation is, and how more explicitly going “all the way” with any queer dynamic (let alone polyamory) is still never a simple or easy task for creators to accomplish. Even in 2023.

However.

IF they do it?

If everyone involved in both creating this show and approving it (which is very key) had the sheer courage to go all the way with this storyline, in a way that most mainstream audiences won’t be able to ignore or deny without sounding stupid?

Well.

Then they’d better get a great deal of overdue praise and acknowledgement. And I will be loudly losing what’s left of my mind in the best possible way.

(I had to write this now just in case I’m incoherent after the finale.)

Either way: I am FLOORED by what we’ve gotten up to this point! I’m thrilled! I’m having a great fucking time!

And I’m very, very grateful to the team that’s put together such a beautiful triangular love story for our enjoyment.

It truly feels like it’s one of a kind.

---------

I posted this on Medium as well here :)

(so I can pull the lunatic move of tweeting it @ the writers with a more legitimate link)

I’m a firm believer that sometimes when you’re in a relationship you don’t see it for what it is, and that applies to any type of relationship, familial, romantic or platonic.

Sometimes friendship grows toxic or one-sided, your family treats you like a child even when you’re a matured adult, or a casual acquaintance evolves into something deeper and turns romantic. But something has to happen to make one or both parties step back, reassess it and come back with new perspectives.

This absolutely applies to Colin and Penelope They’ve been in each other’s lives for so long that in many ways they still see each other exactly the way they did when they first met as kids.

Their relationship began for Colin with Penelope being his sister’s friend who became such a fixture in the Bridgerton household that he began to see her like another sibling or cousin, she has been in his life forever as an honorary Bridgerton.

For Penelope, Colin has always been confident, outgoing and kind. He’s the only boy she has felt comfortable around because she’s shy and her interactions with men have been extremely limited. We never see her speak directly to her own father, just as she warms to her cousin Jack but she discovers he’s untrustworthy and gentlemen at parties don’t even acknowledge her.

The only male who has consistently been in her life and proven to be kind to her or paid her any positive attention is Colin. Of course she has always adored him, he’s practically the only man in the world who has ever acknowledged or been good to her.

But hearing what Colin said and realizing that he isn’t perfect, forces Pen to take him off the pedestal she’s always had him on and consider what will become of her if she continues to exist in her fantasy that Colin will miraculously love and choose her as his wife. She knows she has to meet more men and she’s going to focus on stepping out of her comfort zone (in the shadows) and into the light.

We know Colin & Pen have grown closer since writing to each other because that’s how their friendship actually developed. Prior to that Eloise had claimed Penelope and she and Colin were far less familiar, it’s clear in how once Polin are more friendly, Eloise keeps interrupting their conversations and claiming Penelope to herself.

It’s important to note that Penelope basically bestowed upon Colin all the positive attributes of the men of fantasy, possibly from romantic novels and books she’s read and maybe that’s why Portia told her to stop reading because it would confuse her thoughts. Because Colin was still very much just a young boy in season 1 and hadn’t actually cultivated in himself what Penelope sees in him. She saw his potential and not who he truly was but we come to find out that her image of him is what he aspires to be.

That’s why Colin mentioned how Penelope’s letters encouraged him, that’s why he’s different with her in season 2. Penelope’s letters were likely full of positivity, she built up his confidence so he could be the man she sees when she looks at him.

Keep in mind Colin is young and desperately wants to be a man with purpose, the sort of man his father was (but his father died when Colin was like 11 so he doesn’t know how to become the man he wishes he was. So Colin has been doing his best to get by on flirting and charm but he wants to be taken seriously now.

So while on his travels, away from his family and his mother, relying on himself and free to act as an adult for the first time, he chose adventures and trying new things and spends time thinking about who he is. Cue Penelope’s letters and positive image of him as a brave, heroic, capable gentleman.

We know that when he left town he was broken hearted and his confidence had taken a major hit. Penelope’s letters were vital in getting him through something difficult that was also humiliating. It’s begun to dawn on him that she isn’t just his sisters friend, she is someone who genuinely cares about him, understands, respects and appreciates him for all the things that other people might mock, overlook or take for granted. That is why she’s special to him. It’s the same reason he’s been special to her, she thinks he sees her, and to an extent he does. But the way he sees her has not changed enough by season 2 which is why he has her in the friend zone box.

Penelope taking herself out of his life by ignoring his letters and/or distancing herself from Colin to focus on her own future is the closest thing that she as a young woman, can get to Colin’s travels because it’s her way of getting to know herself so she can become the woman she aspires to be.

This is Penelope’s time for self reflection and figuring out what she really wants and needs which is going to change everything because she has been surrounded by a lot of negativity. Sisters who pick on her for having bad skin or being chubby, a mother who’s constantly silencing her and hasn’t put any effort into helping her attract suitors.

Taking action that will change her life for the better is an extremely important step for Pen. But old habits are hard to break and she’s made herself small and quiet for so long she is bound to struggle with confidence. So where she helped Colin through letters because her writing is the way she expresses herself best (and the only way most people actually seem listen to her), Colin will help her in person once he’s had enough time and distance to realize how much he wants and needs her in his life.

Once Penelope finally embraces the confident woman she has become deep down (the one who comes out in her writing), more and more people will take notice of how remarkable she is. Because at her best Pen is kind, funny, loyal, and she protects the people she cares about.

Colin is going to be smitten once the more matured, confident man he has become over the last several months finally meets the mature, confident, emboldened woman Penelope has become. And these two newer versions of Penelope and Colin are perfect for each other.

VAGUE FIONNA AND CAKE FINALE SPOILERS

(but it’s mostly me ranting about betty)

I’m actually never gonna get over betty constantly being sidelined by the writers, like ever

I love simon, he’s amazing, 10/10 babygirl, But god i wish we got more of Betty, She’s such a good complex character with so much potential to be used for more then she is.

She’s got serious character character flaws with the possibility for her to work on them, she has a great personality that would mesh well and create great interactions with other characters, she has interesting relationships (platonic or not) with seveveral characters and the potential for more, and she has such an interesting position in OOO.

Like simon she was thrust into this magical world and out of her normal mundane one, but unlike simon she didn’t have a magic crown that made her forget her whole life, or magic powers to blend in with everyone else (at the beginning) She was litterally just a normal gal, and then she became magic, but she didn’t lose herself to the magic (like simon did)! she’s completely concious and aware of all her actions and thoughts and memories, she’s just a bit crazier/more intense. She’s just as crazy and ‘weird’ as all the other Ooo residents, but she isn’t an ‘ooo resident’ she could have such an interesting character arc with feeling as though she doesn’t truly belong in ooo, and how she doesn’t want to instead only wanting to go back to her time, but being forced to stay in ooo anyway. But unlike simon she wouldn’t be (somewhat) complacent in her life, she wouldn’t be a miserable old woman, she would be mad! and angry! and try whatever she has too to go back! (just like she does for simon!)

but we don’t get that. We explore her character, and her motivations, and personality, but solely (with the exception of maybe ONE episode) through the lense of her relationship with simon. We don’t see what she’s like in her other platonic relationships. For all we know she could be just as a much of a mother-character as simon is a dad one, but we can’t be sure, because we’re never shown that. Throughout the entire show Betty is almost always only important as ‘Simon’s fiance’ ‘Someone trying to save Simon’ ‘A tormented gal mourning her fiance’ Never ‘Magic woman’ ‘THE ONE TO SUMMON GOLB??’ or even just ‘betty’.

Pretty much the only person to really see her as Betty is Simon, adding to the fact that she is only ever seen through petrigrof’s relationship. And of course simon is the only one to see her! She has 0 deep relationships with other characters! Finn and Jake see her as someone who once betrayed them, but also needs help, and thats cool and interesting to possibly explore, but there’s more to betty then that! Marceline sees her as Simon’s super cool fiance who she’s never met but still thinks is great (and is implied she could imagine her as a mother-figure) But betty is more then that!

Betty gets maybe 2 episodes where it’s just her and not Simon aswell (‘You forgot your floaties’, and the mars one i forgot the name of sorry) And both of those are still to do with simon (her working to save simon, and her looking back on her relationship with simon)

And i understand why it’s like this, because while Betty is her own person, with her own personality and interests, she focuses on Simon so much that to everyone else she really isn’t anything other then Simon’s fiance. I love petrigrof and how obsessed they are with eachother, it’s poetic, and romantic, and self destructive and i love it; but Simon is just as obsessed with Betty as she is with him, yet he gets his own character arcs, his own deep and meaningful relationships (Marceline, Finn, even Fionna maybe) while betty doesn’t.

Magic woman could have been a great character, who in her quest to save simon ends up making similar connections with people, she could have tried getting marceline to help her with simon, and they could have a great complicated relationship (Wirh marceline wanting to save him too, but also being able to accept that for now he’s the ice king, and betty being completely unable to do that, too determined to save him to realise that she is somewhat hurting ice king, which would piss off marceline) She could have kidnapped or forced other (probably background) characters to help her save simon (JUST LIKE SIMON KIDNAPS AND KILLS CHOOSE GOOSE TO SAVE BETTY!) But we don’t get that.

Even if all her other connections revolve around or have something to do with simon, it would have been great for her to actually have other connections. for her to have like 1 friend atleast. Even if she doesn’t get any of that, and remains as ‘simons fiance’ it would have been great to atleast see her more! Even as just a teeny tiny apearance in episodes, as just a background character with like 1 scene.

I quite liked the Fionna and cake finale, but more golbetty focus was something i was left really wanting. We get more about the litch then we do golbetty! I get that a lot of the vagueness/mystery around golbetty could be leaving stuff unknown to be explored in potential sequals but still, i wanted to see more of her

I don’t think any of this is betty’s fault, or a flaw of hers, nor do i fully blame the writers, writing stuff is hard! writing a 10 season series with like a bajillion characters and the potential for later spin offs? even harder! Not including Betty as much is understandable. I just wish it wasn’t what happened.

Sorry this was disorganised and super rambly, i just love betty and want to see more of her. She deserves to be seen as the epic girlfailure magic woman she is!!!

hihi! It’s always great to see another adult shifter in the shifting community! 🫶🫶

Could you talk about your Royal Academy DR? What are your classes? Do you live in a dorm-like situation? Did you have uniforms?

I’m a sucker for fantasy DRs and futuristic DRs; have you shifted to a futuristic or fantasy dr? If so, what were some of your favorite places in those DRs?

*Happy, cheerful noises*

It gives me ✨️ super happy glimmers ✨️ to see more adult shifters interacting with my blog and also adding onto the conversation! Even if they're cringe-pinions, lol. I'm really grateful and touched that you took the time to check out this little sanctuary of mine and ask me about my DRs~

Lemme give you a breakdown of my Royal Academy DR. It's still in the process of being created/scripted/energetically-fed right now as a lot of my focus (lately) has been on my 🚩 all red flags vampire DR 🚩. And also a little bit on my Futuristic Space DR which is also in the same level of actualization as the Royal Academy DR. Annnd I'll even add in my favorite places even though I feel like I'm rambling too much, haha!

🌸 Royal Academy DR 🌸

▪︎ This DR is part of my seasonally-based DRs and embodies the spirit and feelings of a blooming spring. Part of the fun and novelty of my seasonal DRs is that I only visit this space when the corresponding season arrives in my CR. It keeps things fresh and exciting for me. But also, I'm very emotionally bound to the change of the seasons as a part of who I am...so my shifting reflects this.

▪︎ Every DR I make is rooted in something I want to explore about myself and my soul. My 🌸 Royal Academy 🌸 will be rooted in exploring my romantic and sexual identity as a person; something that's been denied to me for YEARS being locked in survival mode. As such, Royal Academy will be a heady, romantic whirlwind steeped deeply in Ouran Host Club & Utena Revolutionary Girl and Winx Club (the original cartoon) vibes.

▪︎ My Royal Academy is aged up. It's more like a college than a high school and offers courses in the magic of Love. Technically, all the students at my Royal Academy are training to be cupids, gods, goddesses, or spirit sages of romance, love, friendship, (this includes strictly platonic friendships as I think love shouldn't be stripped to strictly sexual or romantic connections) and devotion. Some students are children of deities while others are demi-gods or witches or supernatural beings or even just plain normal people who showed great potential.

▪︎ While unnamed still, the aesthetic of my Royal Academy is a huge gold, white, and crystal palace city floating on a series of islands in the sky. It is always spring here. Flowers are eternally in bloom. It is May 1st forever at the Royal Academy. There's also infinite fields of clover, crystal clear lakes, mystic water falls, rainbow bridges, and secret areas only accessible by flying on wings (one of the first lessons you learn in 1st Year of my Royal Academy is using the power of your heart to fly) or airship or if you have a unicorn or pegasus or rainbow bridge handy. The dorm rooms are housed according to which year of study you're in. But some students have private abodes because their family paid off the Academy to give them special accommodations. 🤣

▪︎ Uniforms are strictly enforced except for holidays (where traditional or celebratory garb is permitted according to a student's cultural beliefs) spirit week, & graduation week for 5th years who have mastered the arts of Love & are now ready to tackle the multiverse with a firm grasp of their heart. Some students never make it to fifth year, though, as the coursework is...intense. But 5th year is not required to achieve success in my Royal Academy. All students signed up in classes can stay & study for however long they want, & learn at their own pace. Accommodations are given to any student here that needs it.

▪︎ Getting back to uniforms, students ARE encouraged to use their heart to decorate and customize it to fit their aesthetic. This Academy cherishes art, beauty, passion, & creativity. As long as you are wearing your Uniform and I.D. badge, the rules are very malleable.

▪︎ I haven't officially enrolled and explored in this DR (yet) but I plan to shift next year around this time and begin my adventure there. For now, the DR is incubating in my creative subconscious. But I'm really very excited to go there and learn!

🌌 Galactic Federation DR 🌌

▪︎ Another DR that's still being churned in my mind. This place will serve as a sort of hub world for all my other DRs. What do I mean by "hub world"? Well, it'll be a place where people and entities I meet in all my other DRs can come to & kick back, have a drink at the space bar, and enjoy games in the holodeck. Basically like Star Trek only there's no sense of impending danger like there is in my 🚩 🚩 red flags only vampire DR 🚩🚩 and the challenges I face inside the summer, winter, and autumn worlds. Especially fucking winter. Shit. That place is like, "Heyyyyy buddy. Do you wanna get really chill with all the shadow work you've been putting off??? You're about to get so chill about it right now." But back to the point, I feel like having low-stakes Hub to kick back and savor little moments & side quests with the DR people I love (instead of always being in advance-the-scenarios mode) allows me to get to know my s/o's and friends in DRs better and relieves the stress I experience when there's higher stakes involved.

▪︎ All my DRs are actually bound to rings that I wear around my neck in my CR. The space DR is bound to an epoxy ring that holds a piece of iron meteorite inside of it so that I always have a bit of space on me. No matter where I'm at. DR or CR. Pretty sure my Galactic Federation DR is gonna look a lot like the donut-shaped space station in Deep Space 9 in Star Trek but I'm not certain yet. While my space station can technically move around the Universe, I think I'll probably keep it docked where it is for awhile before moving it to any sort of other sector of the galaxy/ies.

Other, futuristic places that I've gone to...

▪︎ I had a very intense experience in my winter-themed DR where I time traveled to a future version of myself in order to look at & confront my own generational trauma cycles and do battle with the "demon" that presides over them in order to release my energy from the control they have over me in my CR and cement that I am the God of my reality. While some out there can just affirm that easily (then go on their way) I decided to crack open the hood of my inner darkness and manually tinker with each and every piece that created it last winter. Because I needed to see it up close to really understand it and let it go.

▪︎ In that future self, I was drinking at an ocean-themed neon nightclub in a futuristic world made completely out of plastic and enjoying all the weird, colorful cocktails at the bar. The place was called Club O. It looked like a giant blue glass tower shaped like a 〰️ that speared a pirate's ship being consumed by a coral pink octopus 🐙 kraken. The tentacles the kraken had moved on their own, and the suckers were made of LED lights that lit up the entire establishment. The tentacles also held huge glass bubbles 🫧 that were different parts of Club O that you could access with a keycard...given that you had the permissions to. Those were more private parts of the club while the main stage was housed in the pirate ship. If any of you shifters ever get to go there, I recommend you try the Monterran Sunset and the Neptune's Swill. Both drinks are a favorite of mine. ❤️

🌈 Favorite Places! 🌈

▪︎ Yunan Sect: It's a place inside my Summer-themed DR (Called Seven Blessings Mountain) where I am being trained by Taoist Sages to learn how to use energy, meditation practices, and harmonizing with nature to unlock my inner immortality. Also a lot of martial combat. It has some crossover themes with Royal Academy but this place served, originally, as a space to talk to my spirit's inner guides and ascended masters. Which happen to be Taoist in philosophy and nature. Yunan Sect is a training community housed in the thick bamboo jungles of a mountain with a lake on top of it and hidden within mist and clouds. The buildings are built on platforms on top of the water and lotuses are always in bloom there. At night, you can see so many stars just...so clearly. Also there are dragons & sacred beasts roaming around. Currently I am training with my Big Dipper Demon Be Gone Fuck Off jade sword to defeat a bad spirit who lives on the mountain as my 1st test of strength. Also one of the students there doesn't like me because he thinks my sword strokes are unrefined and I sing while I meditate instead of being perfectly still like him. 🙄

Edelnatch: Ever seen the movie Halloween Town? Or the show Over The Garden Wall? Imagine you smashed those two shows together and added in a lot of pumpkin spice and spookiness. This is the town of Edelnatch. It is positioned in an eternally autumn forest with giant mushrooms on the banks of a rushing river. The town houses MANY mysteries and has a sort of Hilda (another good show) theme to it in that my job is being the town's Spirit Tender. I make sure that the spirits of the Autumn forest are happy so the town of Edelnatch can thrive and be at peace. Currently it is not at peace and my task is to locate a giant angry Oak tree who one of the town's clan pissed off. Because someone (not naming names it was the Boar Clan) was a cheapskate with their offerings most likely. The writing here is in a language that's like...old high German. I am constantly having to look up stuff online in my CR to translate a word I saw or heard someone say in it.

emoji interview character asks! [x]

potentially a part 1 if i get more of these, but i figure this is enough to start. thanks so much to everybody who sent one in, i'm super excited to answer these! i hope this format of responses is okay! these will just be one after the other, all text. it's a little long, but there's hopefully some tasty bits!! thanks for sending them in!

@veinsfullofstars || an extremely cute question to start with! i think she has probably not even considered the idea of tree houses and would be absolutely smitten by them. she'd like a tall tree- so as to be closer to the sky- with dense soft branches that would catch her if she fell, like a conifer perhaps. though one that grew fruit or nuts would also be favourable for that late night snack-time. she'd definitely have to have a balcony, to sit on and star gaze, and i'm sure she'd have it decked out real cozy-like in true waddle dee fashion, with soft places to lay and sit and lots of little fairy lights. she would definitely have the great king's insignia in there somewhere as well.

@kittenvirus "🍄 [MUSHROOM] How likely is your OC to eat random berries/mushrooms they find?" || exceptionally likely. the more colourful and pretty it looks the more likely it is to go into her invisible mouth, much to the alarm of bandee and dedede who know that usually bright colours are a warning sign for poisons. she's been surprisingly robust though, and has yet to develop so much as a tummy ache from it.

@trainerbob23 🥂 [GLASS CHEERS] What is your OC's 'aesthetic?' || it's the same as mine, which my gf and i have always identified as very kirby compliant. i had existing pink star/space/celestial themes. bows and feathers and birds and wings as well. for accessories she might put on her body, she likes to match themes with what's around her; dressing festive for holidays, or colour coding to match others ☘️ [SHAMROCK] How passionate is your OC about things they love/hate? || while she is incredibly enthusiastic about things and will info dump your ear off if given the chance, i'm not sure if it's passion, though you could confuse it for such. she absorbs information mechanically and at an alarming rate, and parrots it back enthusiastically hoping for interactions and/or praise. but she doesn't form a lot of genuine opinions of her own, and would be equally interested in any new topic you broached with her as something she already knew about. 🍾 [POPPING CORK] How does your OC celebrate special occasions? With whom? || she doesn't know about celebrations until they're upon her, and she relies entirely on one of her friends- usually bandee or king dedede- seeking her out and including her. if she's told something is happening, she does her best to learn The Rules and To Participate as best as possible, though she doesn't always get it right. if there are lots of people she doesn't know at the event, especially other waddle dees, she can get quite anxious. she's not great in crowds, and tends to hover quietly on the arm of whoever brought her 🍇 [GRAPES] What's their circle of people/their species like? What dynamic would they be called? || she is a Waddle Dee!!!!! of course. in my head canons waddle dees are a very tight-knit species, with some hivelike tendencies and a lot of platonic physical affection. she craves this community desperately, but obviously doesn't get it because other waddle dees quite explicitly don't like to be physically close to her. i would consider her dynamic to be closest to 'found family' with the dream land four, which is of course very self indulgent of me. 🍊 [ORANGE] Does your OC have a prophecy surrounding them? If they don't, what would it be? || no!! of course she doesn't because that would not be a very normal thing to have for a wadddlḋ̶̳͉̱̪͛̊̕l̵̝̥̣͊͗̿̆͐̍͑̚͘̕d̷̡̡̻͚͓̻͖̱̝̦̭͉̈́̑̂̉̾͗͗̾̆̌̽̚d̶̢̛͍̮̍͋͜è̷̛̛̛̩͙̳̰̤͔̝̤̞̝͍̻͖̤̿̊́͊̔̈́͌̓̚͜͝ẻ̸̡̨͔͕̭̥̪̩͖͖͍͉̦̯̐͌́̀̀̐̓͝͝ ̴͈̳̗͖̲̎̿͗ͅ last of ███ ███████ █████████ survived the ██████ ███ ████ ████ ██ created █ ████ ██ w̷̡̪̯̜͑̓͂į̵̨̠͔̮͓͉̬̩̤̗̒͋̿̌̓̈́̾̿͒̉̔͘̚͘s̴͕̮̚ĥ̷̛̲͚̬͔̰͈̪̙͑̈̃͛̐̌͗̋͘͠ maker ██ ██████ ███████ ██████ g̵͔͈̖̙͊͝ą̷̛̛͚̗̙̙͙̠̟̯̼̖̱͙́̽̿͛̉̈́̕̚̕͝l̶̗̉́̓̾̄́͂͊̒͋̓̉͠a̶̬̺͝c̸̺͒̌̎̅̕ť̴̨̡̟̲͈̜͈̍͆̽į̷̧̻̖̅̊̽̅̀͋̍̑̈́̑̊̆͝c̷̢̧͚̮̺̺̹̝̩̺̳̱͙̅̾̾̑̏̾̓̑̔̑̔̚̚̚͘ ̶͍̹͇̒͂̔̎c̸̘̜̞͑͊͜r̵̛̖͓̆̑̄̋̊́̈̇́̕͘͠͝͠i̴̧̢̛͎̘͔͕̤̲̱̼̐̔̋́̔̽͑̓̌͋s̴̨̛̹͙̩̜̳̰̬͕̦̪̜̭̳̑́̋͆͗͝͠ǐ̶̢͙̠̣̠̟̣͍̚͜͝s̸̢͍̲̰̞͉̭̥̼͚̺͂͗̓̔̑̿̐͂̓͐͠.

@moon-mage-ex 🧈 [BUTTER] How soft is your OC? In what sense are they soft? || like a marshmallow. in every sense. if you're mean to her she WILL cry. 🍅 [TOMATO] How misunderstood is your OC? In-universe or IRL. || hmmm. in universe i think she's not so much misunderstood as ostracised unfairly for something she can't control. she sometimes struggles to communicate, but she usually corrects this as quickly as possible; she's quite a transparent sort of person. IRL i think the biggest thing is that i get a lot of comments like "protect the little baby!!!' and while they are very sweet it sometimes leads me to worry folks genuinely think she's a child. she's my sona and so she's an adult, like me!

@the-void-is-a-disappointment 🍬 [LOLLY/CANDY] What would your OC like to receive for Valentine's Day/as a token of love? || literally anything. if you give her a gift she'll cherish it forever, whether it's a physical item or a memory. the thing she enjoys most of all is flying, so if you take her flying she'll be smitten with you instantly. 🍷 [WINE] Where on the 'wine aunt scale' is your OC? || i'd say more wine less aunt. she's not very maternal, and is frankly super awkward and terrible with kids. she's an adult but i wouldn't call her a particularly responsible one; though maybe that fits the niche of a wine aunt! then again i probably wouldn't put her near alcohol either 😂 🌹 [ROSE] Does your OC believe in true love? Why? || she straight up does not know what romance is and would probably struggle to understand it!! she's not opposed, and i'm sure she'd adore being doted on romantically, she's just... the synapses aren't firing on her end 😅 i think if she did understand she'd be the sort to have crushes on all of her close friends, and i have the silly head canon that she'd accidentally 'date' a half dozen people and simply not realise what was going on 😂 🍎 [RED APPLE] Who does your OC value above all else? || there he is, here he be, we talking about bandana waddle dee. her mental illness is shaped like him for sure 🍍 [PINEAPPLE] Pineapple on pizza or not? || more food on your food! of course she would. 🌷 [TULIP] What is your OC's favourite flower and colour? || she likes pop flowers, of course! she has a nice memory of receiving some from kirby, king dedede and bandee while she was in hospital, but now that she's out she just thinks they're so fun! and sometimes bonus food; what's not to love! her favourite variants are the ones from fine fields in floralia and the sparkly crystal-like ones from white wafers, though understandably she doesn't see them as often 🥔 [POTATO] What do they have that others see as a flaw, but they don't care about? || nothing!!! if you see something as a flaw she cares about it SO MUCH!!!!!! insanely much!!! fixing this apparent flaw will become her Entire Personality until you rescind the statement of seeing it as a flaw

@graycoin 🍨 [ICE CREAM] How does your OC compose themselves in stressful situations? || abysmally! she's anxious as a baseline even when nothing is wrong, so she's terrible under even the slightest amount of stress. you can expect her to start crying about 30 seconds in and after 90 she's probably shut down entirely and needs to be carried out in a handbag 🍦 [SOFT CONE] Where does your OC work? How much are they paid, and would they prefer a different job? Why? || utterly unemployed, and i feel like any attempts to get her employed would result in a severe comedy of errors and perhaps the destruction of the economy entirely 🍁 [MAPLE LEAF] What is your OC's favourite season? Why and what do they do during it? || she enjoys all seasons, and on popstar you can explore many different environments all year round. that said, she likes autumn the most. it's particularly beautiful in dream land; crisp but not cold, clear starry nights, vibrant waddle dee-like colours in the trees, and bountiful harvests of food. most importantly, it reminds her of bandee, and peaceful hours spent helping him in the castle's apple orchard 🍊 [ORANGE] Does your OC have a prophecy surrounding them? If they don't, what would it be? || w̵̧̛̛̙̞̄̓͜ḧ̷̙ë̴̥̯̫̻̈r̸̺̘̊ë̸͔̦́̂̓͘ ̵̛̘̂͝d̵̢̼̓̒̆i̷̛̼̬͛̈́͝d̷̫̗̈́̿͜͝͠ ̷̱̫͚̄̿̌̔██ ̷̦́̀̽͑g̶͉̈́̒͂ǫ̷̒̂̌ ̵͔̯͙́̀̈͜w̵̧̬̜͛͂̂͐h̷̬́͂͋ě̵̺̥͜r̴̮̓̐̅͠ĕ̸͉͐ ̴̡̰͍̖̂̒̃̓d̵̮̟̃͋͐ị̸̡̒d̷͙̠̳̐̒i̵̙͍͑̈́́̀̑́̃̋̉̚ ̷̡̧̛̟̰̟͗̃̕͝g̷̟̼̫̈́̅̏̓͒̋̓́o̸̦̲̓̇̇̄́̉͛̅͘͝w̴̧̟͔̱͍̫͍̞̮͠h̵̛̰͍̘̖̫͎̩͘̚a̴̻̝͔͙͔͒͋̋̓͌̕̕͝ţ̷̠͕̙̘͓̥̠͂̈́̍͛͆̌̄̋͝ ̶̧̦̏̔̈̈́̄̈̅̈́͊̚h̷̢̝̗̜̔ȁ̸͕͉̝̻̖͐̌́̈́̔̃̕͘p̴̤͚͂ë̸̢̝͉̲̤͙́̎́̏͝͝ǹ̶̜͍͔̮̿̅̽̋̇͠͠ǹ̶̝̭̝̗̗̯̮ȩ̷͚̠̖̠̯̼͍̲̈́̽̑̾̎̆́̓̃͌͜d̸͍̣͔͖̹̥̤̪̳̿̾͠ͅn̸̛͇͚͇̼͖̺̮̈́͗̎̑̍ē̵̥̯̘̦͍̘̪̉͒͋̒̉̈́d̴̤̣̾̿̐͘͠ ̵͍̓͑͂͒̚͠͝͝î̷̳̜͙͙̣̖̽̚͝ͅt̵̢̛̛͍͛́̒̉̌̽͛s̶̙̲̔̈ṯ̵̟͔̺̙͇̫̤͛̈̈́̀̾͑̒s̶͚̪̳̟̺͖͈͛̔͛́̈̈́͑̿̋̂ͅ ̸̧̳̘̣͓͗b̸͚̘͛̀̿͝ë̷̗̳̼̲̻͖̆̈́̽̂̓͐͂͘e̷̡̹̘͓̠̪̠̍͗̍͗̽̉̓͛͠n̸̛̩̞̝̦̈́͛̀͛̆ ̵̨̡̱̥̈͌̊̋s̸̖̞͈̗͉͕̘̰̓̿̊̑͝o̸̙̘̗̭̗̫̳͓͂̈̐̈̏̍ ̷̮͔̜̑̐͆͒̍̑̓̊̚̚ḻ̷̼͓̯̺̼̺̄̏̋̒͆̅ͅo̵̳̖̘̫̹̥̣̹͓̼̾̔̀̂́͒́̚͝n̸̨̺̖̜̭̗͈͂g̸̛̟͚̱̭̃͗͊̄͂̃̏̕n̴̜̪͖̑̅͗͝͝ ̸̧͓̭̗͍̗̠̇̃̊́̂̃̅͜͝w̷̨̪͍̐ḧ̴̺̠̏͑̓̐͆̊͐e̴̤͌͑͐̅̌̏͘r̵̨̞̘̘̠͒͌̐̐̄̾͒̉͘͠ĥ̵̺̗̪̖̱͓͈̔͆͛̒̆̈̋̀͜e̶̫̖͎̙̼͖̲͙͙̿̇̈́̉̕͠͝ḩ̸̛͈͖̜̈́̽͑̈̋̆͆ ̴̫̥̩͇̺̱̩͎̞̈́̏̃̆͝͠ą̷͍̼̲̈́͘m̷̖͓͙͕̲̲̙̙̂̌̄̓͆ ̶̧̫͎̝̗͚̱̪͑̀͌́͆̾͋̚̚͜͠į̶͔̟̝͔̰̻̦͆̈́͗̚ 🧅 [ONION] What is surefire to make your OC cry? Who knows of this information? || you can just bully her, it's super easy! everybody knows this. say you have a problem with her sparkly eyes or her non-existent hair. you think her bow is stupid and it's getting in your way. her friends don't like her and are only pretending!! you could cure a drought with this soggy little waddle dee 🍋 [LEMON] What is their kryptonite/ultimate weakness? || if not her general lack of emotional constitution, i'd say it's that she's extremely dependent and impressionable. i don't personally think these are flaws, but they are tactical weaknesses. if you lie to her, she'll trust you. if you ask her to come with you, she'll follow. if you tell her she is something, she'll assume you know best. if someone were to isolate her from the people who actually have her best interests at heart, i think she'd be insanely vulnerable 🥯 [BAGEL] What does/has your OC have/had an unhealthy obsession over? What caused this obsession? How do they deal with it? Do they seek help? || as we know, she's desperate to be seen as a Totally Normal Waddle Dee, to the point that that alone makes her look suspicious. this was absolutely caused by that initial interaction with bandee, though he absolutely does not know and would be quite gutted to learn he had caused this kind of mental stumbling block for her. she's not totally wrong to be worried about it, because it does cause her to be ostracised and subjected to meta knight's suspicions, but probably she could be a lot emotionally chiller if she just accepted she was a bit unusual and didn't think of it as such an inherent flaw. 'does she deal with it or seek help' no because she's fine. you see?

🍰 [CAKE SLICE] How does your OC change as you get to know them? || she becomes a lot less manically happy and desperate to present as cheerful and carefree. much like anyone, if she's comfortable around you, she's more likely to talk about the things that actually make her feel sad or anxious or her real feelings. 🌾 [RICE SHEAF] How picky is your OC with food? What will and won't they eat? || i'd put her with kirby on this one. if it can go into her mouth it will. pizza. burgers. unpeeled bananas. polystyrene pellets. rocks. the bobble on dedede's crown. she vastly prefers actual food though, she has a soft spot for gooey cheesy pastas and is not the biggest fan of raw meats or salads. 🥦 [BROCCOLI] What do they hate about humanity/their species? || nothing. she adores the waddle dees- lifestyle, culture, appearance- and wants terribly to be just like and accepted by them 🌱 [SEEDLING] What new passions/hates is your OC discovering? || she put a spicy food in her mouth one time and had An Experience about it.... i dunno if it was a good experience but it certainly made an impression. she also really really doesn't like being left on her own, though she toughs it out. this was a much bigger issue before she was introduced to cloud/sky/star gazing, which can now distract her anytime, anywhere 🍧 [SHAVED ICE] What's your OC's favourite flavour of edible thing (e.g., strawberry)? || melted cheesy things like i mentioned above and- obviously- apple. one day she learned you can put cheese with apple and she would not stop talking about it for two weeks, though she prefers the cheese hot. i think she'd totally lose her mind over like... a crumbed mozzarella stick 🍩 [DONUT] What is your OC's biggest flaw? How do they deal with it? Do they deal with it? || it's hard to answer this one because i don't really want to label any of her behaviours as flaws because they are all behaviours that belong to me that i have had to fight and scratch and claw not to loathe and punish myself for. i'd say possibly it's that she can get very stuck in her own head or on a topic and won't notice how other people are feeling or reacting, especially when she gets nervous. the feelings of others are actually very important to her, and she's not emotionally unintelligent, she's just a bit obtuse. if she chilled out a little and took a breather, she'd be a little less of a steamroller in conversations, and would have an easier time being more emotionally aware of others and their needs.

@kamalemons 🍀 [FOUR LEAF CLOVER] Would your OC spend hours looking for a four leaf clover? || she definitely would! because of the aforementioned unemployement she has literally all the time in the world. if you told her there was a Very Special Lucky Plant in the grassy patch and implied she should get it (or that you wanted her to get it for you) she'd be in that patch of grass for hours/days

🥐 [CROISSANT] Where is your OC from? How do they feel about their homeland? Where are they now? || she really likes it in Dream Land! who wouldn't; it's peaceful, it's beautiful, it's bountiful. there's scarcely any capitalism and whenever a world ending calamity happens you just send the Little Guy at it and it's solved in 2-5 business days. 🥨 [PRETZEL] How complicated is your OC's backstory? Who does it entwine with? || increasingly. and that's classified, but you might be able to guess 🍃 [FALLEN LEAF] What's the darkest period of time your OC has been through? || during her stint in the hospital. she didn't know who she was, where she was, or what was going on. she was in pain. little creatures who looked a bit like her would come up to her and poke her with things. they'd be kindly and attempt to performing social healing on her, only to burst into tears or run away shrieking and apologising. she didn't speak the language, though she picked it up very quickly. but that meant that she overheard when the only beings she recognised seemed to be discussing at length whether she was a planetary threat and whether she needed to be disposed of or not. obviously meta knight and dedede would never ever have done something so drastic, but if they had wanted to, she'd have let them. 🍏 [GREEN APPLE] How do they differ from the norm and how are they punished for it? || her appearance is fairly abnormal for a canon compliant waddle dee (though significantly less so among other waddle dee ocs) but her magical signature is the most unusual thing. it wouldn't even be that weird if she were anything other than a waddle dee; it's just that waddle dees have very consistent signatures in the cottagey-vibe area of a consistent strength, and hers is far outside that norm. unfortunately, because waddle dees are also extremely sensitive to the signatures, it results in her being almost entirely excluded by most of them. it's like seeing something that's pretending to be a human person but knowing that it Is Not, like slightly-off cgi. bandana dee, who is braver and stronger and more determined than most, with an extraordinarily well-developed sense of heroism, pushes through it in order to not leave her suffering in isolation

WOW OKAY DONE. yikes. that became super long!! uhh uhhh uhhh if you read all of this thank you!

Overlooked Gabriel & Annalise Moment - TBSATDH Spoilers

A scene I don't really see people talk about in regards to Annalise and Gabriel's relationship in The Bastard Son and The Devil Himself is the one in Ep. 8 when the boys reunite with her. Gabriel gets to her first, she looks to him first, and she seeks comfort from him first.

Gabriel and Annalise's bond tends to be overlooked and downplayed a bit within the fandom space, and I can understand why. Their bond is probably the most subtle of the three and also the only one that hasn't included any kissing. It’s also the least developed and it's closer to a deep platonic or queerplatonic dynamic.

But in this moment they both look at each other so intensely. The screenshots I took can't really capture it, but Annalise was practically clawing at Gabriel for physical comfort in that scene. And that makes sense to me, given the dynamic we've seen between the three before.

Annalise comforts Nathan:

Nathan comforts Gabriel:

Gabriel comforts Annalise:

Of course, there has also been times when all three of them drew comfort from each other:

And Gabriel did comfort Nathan in this scene, though it was more akin to “snapping Nathan out of his guilt and trauma response to the situation,” since there wasn’t really time for comfort.

But the most common dynamic we’ve seen, and when looking at their one-on-one interactions, Annalise comforts Nathan, but rarely vice versa. So it makes sense that she looked to Gabriel for comfort first, then turned to Nathan. 

I really feel like that Episode 5 scene, when Gabriel and Annalise held hands and gave each other comfort during the Ceremony, is when their dynamic started to shift and change a bit. In the sense of getting more intimate and intense, though not necessarily romantic or sexual. 

If the series wanted to pursue that route in a (hopeful) second season, I wouldn’t necessarily object to it. Granted it is handled well, especially because I can see how it could potentially tie into the implied trauma Gabriel experienced from Mercury (she had no qualms with kissing Nathan when she was possessing his gran’s body, and her words and actions to and with Gabriel imply possible sexual trauma and abuse, in the below image she says, “So hard to say no to such perfection” while looking at him and touching him in a very sexualized way). 

The set up that Season 1 left off with seems to heavily imply that Jessica and Mercury will be the big bad duo of a potential Season 2, which would work perfectly with the hanging plotline of the boy Gabriel promised he would come back for at Mercury’s. And all of that would tie in nicely with a deeper exploration of Gabriel, his sexuality, his past and traumas, and his bonds with both Nathan and Annalise.

As someone who is aroace though, I would also be perfectly fine with Gabriel and Annalise’s relationship continuing to deepen but still staying in this space of deeply platonic and/or queerplatonic, since I feel we could always do with more representation like that, especially for poly ships.

Anyway, wrapping all of this up: That Ep. 8 scene speaks volumes about Annalise and Gabriel’s bond and I love it! It shows how they’ve grown a lot closer to each other than a lot of the fandom thinks they have, and possibly even more than either of them had fully realized in-series until that moment.

man it bothers me so much when people feel the need to reduce our perception of vanille and fang’s relationship as romantic to “just a headcanon” when there’s so much more to it than that 

obviously we’re all aware that they’ve never been confirmed as a canon couple, and NO we are NOT trying to devalue dion and terence’s relationship just because we don’t personally see them as the FIRST gay rep in final fantasy (every bit of representation matters ffs). when we talk about fanille being the “real” first gay couple we’re not trying to take away from the fact that ff FINALLY has confirmed queer rep, it’s just a half-joking way to point out that homoromantic SUBTEXT has been around in the franchise for longer than people think, and we believe fang and vanille are the most prominent example of that 

the reason why we see them as having a romantic relationship is because their actions can easily be interpreted as such solely from what we’ve seen in canon, without the need for headcanons or made-up scenarios to piece it together. square could’ve literally made them kiss at any moment in the games out of nowhere and we’d just be like “yeah, that seems about right” because the build-up is there

it’s not about whether the writers actually intended for them to be a couple. frankly, the fact that fang was originally going to be a man, but was changed into a woman just so their relationship wouldn’t be mistaken as romantic, says volumes about how difficult it must’ve been to try and write their bond WITHOUT romantic connotations. they had no problem making noel and yeul share a more sibling-like bond (you could see them as having romantic subtext as well, but nowhere near to the same extent, and with much less support from their canon interactions), and yet they struggled so much with fang and vanille that they had to take (heteronormative) measures in an attempt to stick to their original intentions? would a good writer not accept that that’s the natural direction of the relationship dynamic they themselves came up with? 

part of our reasons for thinking of fang and vanille as canon lesbians, even without confirmation from the creators, is essentially a big ol “fuck you” to heteronormativity.... but also, there’s nothing sisterly to us about clutching your homegirl’s hands, pulling them to her chest as you hug her from behind, and whispering in her ear about how not even death can take her from you, but i digress

using square enix’s description of them as having a sister-like bond to prove they’re not a couple rings hollow to a lot of us because homophobia and heteronormativity has muddled any potential queer rep in games for decades, even in this case where the writers themselves have essentially admitted that it was next to impossible for them to write their relationship without romantic undertones. whether that says more about their ability to write a platonic relationship than it does about fang and vanille is up to you, of course

it’s also worth pointing out some hypocrisy among the ff fanbase. take tifa and cloud, and aerith and cloud, for example. neither ship has been confirmed as canon in any of the games, but (despite the ship wars lmao) the vast majority of the fandom can agree that both of these relationships were written with romantic undertones, whether intentionally or not, and that viewing them as “canon” is perfectly valid because of that. and yet when we view fang and vanille as a couple it’s outrageous unless we specifically call it a headcanon and denounce any and all possibilities of it holding any weight in canon. i don’t want to make any accusations as for why, but it’s worth noting 

i also just want to clarify that the main theme of the final fantasy xiii trilogy IS family, and it makes perfect sense to see fang and vanille as sisters if you choose to interpret their relationship via more traditional family values, but it also includes found family (a group of people that are as close as family, but don’t adhere to conventional family roles and values, and usually consists of outcasts of some kind), which is not inherently romantic, but is also not strictly platonic, and is a trope that is especially important and relatable to the LGBTQ+ community, so of course we’re going to interpret these things in a different light compared to how people outside of the community would

thoughts on genre, tropes, Bad Buddy, and My School President

and here she is! the full text all together, not split into the three parts previously posted here: part 1, part 2, part 3

I also go more in detail about a lot of the terms and concepts I use here (indexes, conventions, genres, intertextuality, etc) in this post here, in case you would like more context

[strap yourselves in, this is loooooong]

The BL “genre” has so many conventions - in narrative, characterization, themes, settings, iconography, filmic techniques, and of course, tropes.

Bad Buddy and MSP do not lack these genre conventions (both are stories about boys in love, both are set in schools which is very common in Thai BLs especially, both explore a budding relationship and other social and emotional problems of youth, both hit familiar plot beats like confessions and narrative/emotional climaxes, both utilize many editing and sound effect techniques seen in other BLs, and both deploy many BL tropes like cheek kisses, head pats, forced proximity, looming, etc.). However! Bad Buddy and MSP are atypical in their deployment of genre conventions, especially with regards to trope usage and pacing - they go against genre and trope expectations to subvert seme/uke roles and dynamics and they space their narrative beats differently than other shows. As a result, the shows feel familiar but also fresh to BL audiences.

Bad Buddy, MSP, and tropes

BL tropes index so much information to audiences familiar with the genre (e.g., the nature of the relationship between characters, the seme/uke dynamics, other social information, etc.). Bad Buddy and MSP take these familiar indexes, with their well established meanings, and mix them up, give them new contexts, and use what they normally tell us about the characters, social context, relationship dynamic, etc. to tell a new story.

There are SO many examples of this so I have decided to focus on two “subcategories” of tropes: the faen fatale and tropes which are strongly associated with seme/uke dynamics.

Faen Fatales

In most BLs, the faen fatale (thanks to AbsoluteBL for the term) is a character (male or female) whose sole purpose is to drive a wedge between the main pair, often serving as a catalyst for their relationship/confession, and who generally does not get much character development or identity of their own.

In Bad Buddy, Ink seems like a classic faen fatale: she is introduced as an old high school friend that Pat was interested in and Pran was jealous of because of that fact, and now in the present day of the show Pat pursues her again and Pran is once again jealous, especially since it seems Pat is succeeding (they get food together, they hang out a lot, Pat wears the bracelet Ink gave him in high school, etc.). Pran believes that Pat likes Ink and that they are well on their way to being together, if they aren’t together already. Pat even tells Pran he likes Ink. However, it becomes clear quite quickly that Ink is not a typical faen fatale. Her interactions with both boys feel platonic, she shows just as much interest in fostering a friendship with Pran, and when Pat uses Pa’s patented “Four Ways to Tell if Someone Likes You,” Ink fails in every category. She does act a a catalyst to Pat and Pran’s romantic relationship in some ways (e.g., Pat using Pa’s patented Four Ways he learned to assess Ink to realize his own feelings for Pran), and she does act as a barrier to their relationship as some of Pran’s hesitation post their ep.5 kiss comes from his understanding that Pat has a crush on Ink (though of course their family and friends present the main barrier). However, Ink has her own personality, interests, and crucially, her own romantic arc. She is a fully fleshed out character who never had anything but platonic feelings for either lead: ergo, a subversion of the faen fatale trope.

In MSP, there are a couple of potential faen fatales, but neither develop that way in the end. Sound is introduced as Tinn’s rival, and romance media logic would suggest he will fulfill a love rival role in the show, competing with Tinn for Gun’s affections (especially as Sound is interested in music like Gun and he joins Chinzilla). Even Tiw suggests Tinn should look out for Sound moving in on Gun. However, Sound never shows interest in Gun and quickly gets acclimated into the band, only briefly presenting a threat to Tinn and Gun’s relationship when Tiw witnesses them having a seemingly intimate moment but that is sorted by the end of the episode. Like Ink, Sound never has anything other than platonic feelings for either lead and ends up with his own romantic arc. The other possible faen fatale in MSP is Nook, though she is present so briefly. I think other shows would have stretched out her plot line more and had her fill more of a faen fatale role. As it stands in MSP: Gun sees her give a gift to Tinn and compliment him, he gets jealous and snaps at Tinn, and then the show/Tinn immediately reveal to us and to Gun that it was a case of mistaken identity (Yo was catfishing with Tinn’s picture). In a matter of minutes, Nook went from being a faen fatale set up to simply someone involved in another character’s arc, part of a problem that Tinn and Gun could work on together.

Neither Bad Buddy nor MSP have faen fatale characters, though there are characters that could, and indeed seem to be set up to, fill that role. Both shows subvert our expectations and BL tropes by having potential faen fatales be uninterested in either lead and possess more character development than most other examples of the trope (including their own, completely separate, romantic arcs). In the case of Ink, this also subverts typical BL handling of female characters, who tend to be few and far between and generally relegated to the under-developed role of faen fatale.

Seme/uke Tropes

Most BL shows can be read through a lens of seme/uke dynamics, which originated in yaoi. The seme is the “pursuer” character and the uke is the “pursued”. There are certain physical (height, skin colour, etc.), social (age, wealth, social capital, etc.), and personality (active vs. passive, extroverted vs. introverted, flirtier vs. shyer) markers which are typically associated with either the seme or the uke. For example, semes tend to be taller, wealthier, older, flirtier, tanner, more active, and have a higher social status, while ukes tend to be shorter, poorer, younger, shyer, paler, and have a lower social status. “Seme” and “uke” roles are also sometimes conflated with masculinity and femininity (semes are “masculine” and ukes are “feminine”) and sexual preferences (semes are dominant and tops and ukes are submissive and bottoms). There are also tropes associated with either the seme or the uke, like ukes typically give cheek kisses and semes forehead kisses.

Thus, things like height, age, wealth, personality, presumed sexual preference, and the role they take in tropes can index the character’s status as a seme or a uke, and in turn the character’s identity as a seme or uke in the narrative (pursuer vs. pursued) indexes a character’s personality, sexual preferences, etc., however unrealistic and simplistic that is in real life. In a BL, we would expect the seme (pursuer) and uke (pursued) characters to exhibit most, if not all, of the associated seme or uke traits and roles in tropes, though this is not always true (and some BLs have little to no seme/uke dynamics at all).

In terms of physical, social, and personality markers in Bad Buddy, Pat exhibits slightly more “seme” traits than Pran, like his larger size and more “rugged” and “typical” masculinity compared to Pran’s neatness. However, both Pat and Pran take the seme or uke role in tropes about the same amount of time, with Pran having several significant moments where he embodies the seme role (looming over Pat, licking his fingers, drying his hair, etc., not to mention the post-sex scene in ep.11) and Pat many significant moments where he embodies a uke or even “feminine” role (casting himself as the girlfriend at the bus stop, being clingy, pretending to be sick so Pran will give him a sponge bath, etc.). In fact, tropes often happen twice, with Pat and Pran taking turns in the seme and uke role (e.g., both take turns cleaning the other’s face, both cook for the other, both kiss the other’s cheek, etc.). Furthermore, and I’ve spoken about this before here: both Pran and Pat deliberately take on the seme role during their ep.7 Flirt-Off bet (”whoever falls in love first loses”). To win the bet, they have to be the pursuer (i.e., seme), and thus spend the episode taking it in turns to exhibit the seme role in tropes (Pat takes off his shirt multiple times, Pran looms over Pat, they wash each other’s faces, they take the seme roles with Ink and Wai at the noodle shop to make the other jealous, etc.), thus also spending the episode taking it in turns to fulfill the uke role in tropes. The fact that the seme and uke roles in Bad Buddy are so interchangeable and balanced (they sometimes ever play the narrative roles of pursuer and pursued at the same time) demonstrates the show’s upending of traditional seme/uke dichotomies.

In MSP, Tinn and Gun are pretty much the perfect seme and uke in terms of physical and social markers: Tinn is taller, wealthier, has a higher social status, and even has a female “faen fatale” (more typical for seme characters), while Gun is shorter, poorer, from a marginalized club at school, and has a male “faen fatale” (more typical for uke characters). Some one on Tumblr (and I cannot for the life of me find this post again) mentioned that Tinn is a little “feminine” coded when it comes to romance (he is the dreamer, the romantic, always imagining romantic situations), while Gun is more what we’d think of as “masculine” when it comes to romance (more brusque, less sappy), though I am not sure how applicable these types of divisions are to BL. In term of preference markers, there isn’t much sexual content to go off of, but MSP does mention the TinnGun vs GunTinn divide in ep.12, never coming down on either side, and one of the things the homophobic teacher says is that he thought Gun was more “masculine” so he is surprised to see him dating a boy. Overall, the show deliberately eschews and criticizes the association of top/bottom or masculine/feminine with the pair. Furthermore, Tin talks a lot about wanting to be Gun’s boyfriend, to belong to Gun - and as @cinna-bin​ points out here, for a genre that equates seme with dominance, the one who shows and has ownership of the other, it is pretty subversive to have the seme character in the narrative express a desire to be “owned”. Like Pat and Pran, Tinn and Gun are fairly egalitarian when it comes to which role they take in tropes (Tinn catches Gun when he falls, Gun touches Tinn’s chin constantly, they both kiss the other’s cheek). I’ve talked about this here too, but often Tinn will imagine a moment with himself in the seme role (e.g., wiping Gun’s face) that won’t come to fruition, but when it does happen in real life, the trope is reversed and Gun takes the seme role (e.g., when it happens in real life, Gun wipes Tinn’s mouth). In MSP, the deployment of tropes is more about natural moment and real life, and less adhering to strict role divisions. This back and forth feels more accurate, more high school - they both take it in turns to boldly initiate and then to be shy (all the aborted kiss chances, etc.).

Finally, I’d like to add that there are many moments in both Bad Buddy and MSP where the characters are aware of the romantic tropes and intentionally utilize them to further a romantic agenda. We aren’t exactly subverting tropes here, but we are playing with them deliberately and consciously in a way you don’t get in a lot of BLs so I thought it worth mentioning here. Most of these instances come in the Bad Buddy ep.7 Flirt-Off or from Tinn’s day dreams and include:

Pat employing the “drinking from a water bottle/pouring water on yourself” and “shirt off” tropes to try and get Pran hot and bothered in ep.7

Pran looming over Pat during the bet

Pat and Pran trying to make each other jealous by employing various classic tropes with Ink and Wai respectively while eating noodles (opening their water bottle, feeding them, wiping their mouth, etc.)

Pran symbolically losing the bet by wiping Pat’s mouth

Tinn imagining himself wiping Gun’s mouth

Tinn imagining a Ghost moment while cooking with Gun

Tinn making a joke about a “hot underwater kiss”

Pacing

Both MSP and Bad Buddy are also slightly unconventional when it comes to pacing. Both shows hit the standard BL narrative beats (falling for one another, confessions, first kiss, confirmation of relationship, conflict, beach eps, etc) but at unconventional timings, they utilize a lot of time skips, and they also condense plot lines which in other shows might have been much longer.

The Placement of Narrative Beats

I will focus on two of the main places where both Bad Buddy and MSP diverge from the usual BL placement of narrative beats. Firstly, the first kiss on both shows: while there is a lot of variety in the timing of first kisses for BL shows, Pat and Pran’s rooftop kiss at the beginning of ep.5 is perhaps a little earlier than usually, especially since the two do not truly confess or get together until the end of ep.7; and in MSP, their first kiss comes quite late, especially given the numerous near-kisses that happen throughout the latter half of the show. The first kiss for MSP coming in ep.12 is not unheard of for a low-heat BL and really makes sense given the tone and setting of the show (lighthearted, high school), but combined with the early confession of feelings (hinted at as early as ep.3, and fairly confirmed in ep.6) as well as those fake-out kisses makes it feel unusual.

Secondly, both shows eschew the typical ep.11 of doom structure of a BL, where ep.11 sees peak emotional angst and the narrative/plot climax, in favour of a ep.10 (and even ep.9 in Bad Buddy) of doom, an ep.11 denouement, and an ep.12 conclusion. Eps.9 and 10 in Bad Buddy are when Pat and Pran’s friends and parents, the two biggest barriers to their relationship, find out about them. Pat is shot, they learn the real story behind their parents feud, there are a lot of emotions, etc. In ep.10 of MSP, there is the finale of Hot Wave and Gun’s mother’s illness (culminating in her receiving surgery at the end of the episode). Neither show has the main couple break up in their eps. of doom, like is common in other BLs’ ep.11 of doom, though they do have their relationships tested. Ep.11 in both Bad Buddy and MSP are instead the denouement, a quieter, more introspective look at the emotions and plot event of the previous episode(s). Pat and Pran run away from their families for their “honeymoon” on the beach and come to terms with everything they’ve learned, and MSP focuses more on the aftermath of Hot Wave and the tensions and emotions among Chinzilla, though there is of course parts about Tinn and Gun’s relationship in the face of disappointment. The final ep. for both show is thus given a bit more breathing room than in other BLs - they don’t have to wrap up the emotions and plot lines of an ep.11 of doom AND conclude the series, and can instead focus on wrapping up the series and even introducing new ideas and a look into the future (there are timeskips in both ep.12s, Bad Buddy does their PatPran breakup fake out, and MSP explores homophobia).

Time Skips

While time skips aren’t unheard of in BLs, especially in the final episode, Bad Buddy and MSP’s usage of them interject a level of realism into the series that isn’t always seen. The time jump of 6 or so months at the beginning of ep.7 in Bad Buddy means the tension build of the Flirt-Off doesn’t happen over a matter of days or weeks but in fact months. Pat and Pran are stubborn, this won’t be resolved quickly, and it give time for the tension to realistically reach a breaking point. MSP features several time skips in ep.9, ep.10, and ep.12, stretching both the Hot Wave competition schedule and Tinn and Gun’s budding relationship over a much more realistic full school year, instead of pretending the competition and build up of tension or feelings could be happening over a span of weeks. Paradoxically, the fact that the shows use time skips instead of showing (either in full, in part, or in a montage) the parts they skip (the Flirt-Off, the weeks of Tinn and Gun coming closer together and Chinzilla practicing) connects to my next point: the shows aren’t afraid to speed things up sometimes. The use of time skips both slows down the narrative and emotional arcs over a longer period of time while also demonstrating that the shows feel confident in their narratives: there is no need to stretch story lines out over episodes and episodes.

Condensing Plot Lines

The most striking thing about Bad Buddy and MSP’s pacing is how fast they move through plot lines, especially compared to other shows. In Bad Buddy, the plot line where Pat and Pran are anonymously and unknowingly flirting with each other through gifts and notes left at each other’s doors could have been the plot line for most of a show, if not a whole show, but it is introduced and resolved within ep.2. Ink is introduced in ep.4 and seems to be a potential faen fatale, but by the end of ep.4 this seems somehow unlikely and by halfway through ep.5 it is confirmed that she won’t be. The Flirt-Off happens in large part off-screen, in the 6 months or so time skip between eps.6 and 7, and is shown to us and resolved in ep.7. Other shows could have spent episodes if not half the show exploring that plot line.

I've talked at length about the pacing of MSP here and a bit here - like Bad Buddy, MSP moves quickly through plot lines that might have spanned episodes or even a whole season in another show. By the end of the first episode, MSP establish that Tinn is soft and pining hard over Gun (instead of keeping up the premise that he is cold and out to get the music club), the finale of Hot Wave comes two episodes before the end, the plot lines around Gun’s mother’s health are resolved in about one episode (the conflict around Tinn keeping Gun’s mother’s illness from him is resolved in a couple of scenes, and she has surgery and is pronounced ok by the end of the episode), any jealousy plot line around Nook is resolved in two scenes, the conflict introduced by Sound joining the band is resolved in one episode, and so on. Pretty much every problem introduced at the beginning of an episode is resolved by the end.

Bad Buddy and MSP feel confident, like they know they have narrative material to spare and don’t need to stretch plot lines out with twists, miscommunication, and jealousy. Thus, they move through plot lines much more quickly than other shows would.

Both shows feel so fresh because of this - they keep things moving, they surprise us by resolving things faster than other shows would, they don’t linger in jealousy and miscommunication like many other shows do, they skip over parts that other shows might have lingered on for the biggest punch, and they break the patterns that us, the audience, have come to expect from BLs (like the ep.11 of doom). Even the progression of the relationships, which we know will be romantic and probably happy in the end (these are BLs after all) and conform vaguely to enemies-to-lovers and will-they-won’t-they conventions, stay fresh: Pat and Pran have kissed and all but confessed their feelings, but they now embark on a months long Flirt-Off bet that delays them actually getting together. We know Tinn has a crush on Gun from the end of the first ep. and we begin to see hints that Gun might like him back from ep.3 onwards, and at first the show seems like it is going to go the typical romcom route wherein Gun doesn’t realize Tinn’s crush is on him (especially with him offering to help Tinn flirt with his crush), but like I talked about in my post here, they don’t and instead have Gun know it is him Tinn has a crush on, he’s just uncertain and a bit scared. Bad Buddy and MSP are both quicker and slower than other shows: they move through plot lines without lingering, but they use time skips to create realistic long term development of the core relationships, allowing the characters to build tension, live in hesitancy, and in the case of Tinn and Gun, be realistically slow in the physical progression of their relationship.

Conclusions

Bad Buddy and MSP subvert audience expectations with regards to tropes and narratives - like their handling of the faen fatale trope (both shows give us characters that could be faen fatales, and probably would be in other shows, that do not fulfill the narrative role of a faen fatale and receive character development and arcs of their own unlike other faen fatales) and how they play with expectations surrounding seme/uke dynamics (those who embody the seme or uke role in tropes aren’t necessarily the ones who exhibit the most seme or uke physical, social or personality markers; tropes iterations are balanced and reciprocal). Both shows change up the usual BL timelines and expected pacing - they hit their peak narrative, emotional, and angst climaxes before the standard ep.11 peak, plot beats come quicker than in other shows, and story arcs that are usually dragged on in other shows are concluded more quickly. On the other hand, both shows are “slower” than other BLs in other ways, like their usage of time skips to create realistic progressions of the core relationships. As a result of these subversions of BL genre conventions, the shows are familiar but also fresh to BL audiences.

But what does this say about Bad Buddy and MSP, and the BL genre in general?

Firstly, these shows remind us again of the importance of intertextuality. Texts (and this includes television shows) are intertextual; they all refer to one another and cannot exist separately from other texts. BLs especially are very intertextual - they have so many shared elements (tropes, characters, locations, etc.) they always (deliberately or unintentionally) draw parallels to other BLs. We would never notice how Bad Buddy and MSP diverge from other BL shows if we did not by necessity/automatically think of all previous BLs while watching them.  Furthermore, where and how Bad Buddy and MSP divert from genre conventions and previous examples of the genre demonstrates their relationship to the genre and underlines the messages the shows are trying to send. Bad Buddy and MSP subvert the particular genre expectations they do and in the way they do to make a point - by giving new meanings to familiar conventions and juxtaposing typical meanings of genre conventions with their own (either explicitly, or through the audience’s intertextual analyses) the shows ground themselves in a different world view than other BL shows and give a more nuanced and realistic look at human and queer experience.

For example, the way Bad Buddy and MSP move quickly through plot points (avoiding extended plot lines centering on jealousy or miscommunications) and the reciprocity of their trope usages (deliberately balancing the seme and uke dynamics of their lead pairs) is unusual in the world of BL. It serves to emphasize the reciprocal and egalitarian nature of the lead pairs’ relationships which we also see in their treatment of one another (communicating, understanding each other’s needs and taking turns acquiescing to make the other happy, e.g., ep.11 where Pran agrees to run away and stay on the honeymoon to make Pat happier and then Pat agrees to return home to make Pran happier, or Tinn and Gun being so supportive and understanding of one another’s dreams and physical boundaries, etc.). In this post @miscellar argues the lack of miscommunication as a plot device in Bad Buddy is inherently queer and that the show as a whole does away with heterosexual/heteronormative tropes. In their reciprocity, egalitarianism, and communication, Pat and Pran and Tinn and Gun eschew the standard power dynamics of BLs which come as a result of BL’s encoded seme/uke dynamics, which in turn come from heteronormative and misogynistic ideas in the het romance genre and beyond about men and women. Defying genre conventions in some ways (e.g., subverting tropes) strengthens and underlines how the shows defy genre conventions in other ways (queerer, more realistic stories; fairer treatment for women; less heteronormativity, etc.) - these smaller, more obvious subversions of genre conventions and expectations indicates to us, the audience, that we should be prepared for larger, more subtle and implicit shake ups of genre conventions and expectations, ones that might rewrite the BL genre code for the future.

By reflecting on what Bad Buddy and MSP change, we can understand and identify the standard BL world view and set of assumptions. For example, by weakening and subverting seme/uke dynamics and their associations with things like dominance/submission, masculinity/femininity, and top/bottom, Bad Buddy and MSP reject the heteronormative and misogynistic assumptions that underlie most BLs: that gay couples have a “man” and a “woman;” that the penetrated must be feminine, weaker, sex averse, etc. like women are in heterosexual relationships; that there is always an unbalance of power (social and/or sexual) in relationships. While these are “just” romance tropes, or you might say that it’s odd to be so absorbed by the dynamics between two characters (particularly when it come to analyzing seme vs. uke and top vs. bottom), in a world where these tropes and their execution, and the preferred sexual position of a character and what that says about their personality etc., are so tied to other things and issues like misogyny, homophobia, etc., refusing to engage and deliberately obscuring are pretty radical things that say a lot about the message and view point of the shows.

Bad Buddy and MSP feel more realistic than a lot of other BLs. This is not to say that shows have to be realistic to be good, or even that viewers/that I prefer realistic shows, but it is certainly something that strikes me when I think about Bad Buddy and MSP. The relationship progression is slower, there is less dwelling in miscommunications, they even have not entirely happy but hopeful endings (Pat and Pran are continuing to hide their relationship from their parents, but it seems they are coming around; Tinn and Gun face homophobia from people in their lives, but also receive support from their classmate and parents). And beyond being realistic to the “real world,” they also feel more realistic to the queer experience: queer relationships don’t usually have such strict relationship roles and power dynamics, adhere so strictly to heteronormative ideals, or exist in world without homophobia or disapproval. They are varied, often deliberately contrasting and rejecting hetero norms, and sometimes involve being scared to come out (even to accepting parents), facing homophobia, and living in a “glass closet” limbo.

Many people have talked about how Bad Buddy walked so MSP could run - Bad Buddy was more heavy handed and noticeably deliberate with its trope subversions, intentionally trying to correct problems that have existed in the BL genre since the beginning, and this allowed MSP coming later to be more subtle with their changes, working them even more seamlessly into the style and the tone of the show. After MSP, what will be next? Where is GMMTV, and BL as a whole (in Thailand and beyond) heading? I’m excited to find out.

Bibliography

@absolutebl​, specifically these posts: 1 (faen fatales), 2 (seme/uke), 3 (seme/uke tropes), 4 (GMMTV correcting for its mistakes), and all their posts about BL tropes

Agha, Asif. 2003. “The social life of cultural value.” Language & Communication 23: 231-273.

Ahearn, Laura. M. 2012. Living Language: An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology. Hoboken: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Bakhtin, Mikhail M. 1982. “Discourse in the Novel.” In The Dialogic Imagination: Four Essays by M.M. Bakhtin, edited by Michael Holquist, translated by Caryl Emerson and Michael Holquist, 260- 422. Austin: University of Texas Press.

Chandler, Daniel. Semiotics for Beginners. http://visual-memory.co.uk/daniel//Documents/S4B/semiotic.html

Chandler, Daniel. Genre Theory. http://visual-memory.co.uk/daniel//Documents/intgenre/intgenre.html

@cinna-bin: https://cinna-bin.tumblr.com/post/704496825511641088/his-boyfriend-words-matter

Irvine, Judith T. 1996. “Shadow Conversations: The Indeterminacy of Participant Roles.” In Natural Histories of Discourse, edited by Michael Silverstein and Greg Urban, 131-159. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Laineste, Liisi, and Piret Voolaid. 2017. “Laughing Across Borders: Intertextuality of Internet Memes.” European Journal of Humour Research 4, no. 4: 26–49.

@miscellar: https://www.tumblr.com/miscellar/674021449476997120/here-are-a-few-things-off-the-top-of-my-head-1 AND edited to add this post, which is so crucial to understanding how intentional all this is when it comes to Bad Buddy: https://www.tumblr.com/miscellar/710442440997371904/hello-in-a-convo-we-were-having-about-qls-that

Proctor, Devin. 2020. "Intertextuality." In The SAGE International Encyclopedia of Mass Media and Society, edited by Debra L. Merskin, 849-50. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

@ranchthoughts​ (myself): 1 (signs, symbols, icons, indexes, genre and BL), 2 (Bad Buddy and seme/uke tropes), 3 (MSP and imagination vs. reality), 4 (MSP being a good-natured show), 5 (MSP and narrative structure and pacing), 6 (Gun and knowing about Tinn’s crush); and everyone I referenced in those posts as well

Wiggins, Bradley E. 2019. The Discursive Power of Memes in Digital Culture: Ideology, Semiotics, and Intertextuality. London: Routledge.

Can I request a platonic yandere Bucky Barnes? Like just general headcannons on how he would act or be? Thank you!

Thanks for the request!

Warnings: Yandere themes, Bucky being a grade-a stalker (and has murdered some people for you)

Ooh, let's see.

I think that having Bucky as a platonic yandere would be like having a big brother or a fun uncle you're close to.

Except like any typical big brother/fun uncle, he's terribly overprotective and fully willing to kill for you.

Bucky isn't overprotective in the way that most platonic yanderes would be. He's not trying to lock you away just because somebody flirted with you or you scraped your knee from tripping.

Instead, he's one to stalk you heavily.

He's not good with modern technology, but he is good at adapting.

Most of the time, Bucky would prefer to follow you physically. It's easier when dealing with your safety. If you get put in a dangerous situation, he can get to you fast and protect you.

But Bucky also plants quite a few trackers and microphones on different objects of yours that you carry around often. Your phone, a bag, your wallet, etc.

He knows that a lot of a person's social interactions can occur online now. It is easier to talk, he can admit that, and Bucky also can admit it makes watching you easier too.

Tapping into your phone allows him to keep track of who you're talking to. who they are to you, and what they're saying to you at any given moment.

He's not about to limit your social interactions, though.

I've talked about this before with Bucky, but he's not the type of yandere to keep a tight leash on his darling. He has his own trauma from everything being taken away from him and being held captive for years, so doing that to someone he claims to love is not something that even crosses his mind.

Bucky will let you have a life outside of him. He won't kidnap you unless you're put in extreme danger. You can have friends, a job, you can go to school, and maybe even a romantic partner.

With that being said, he would kill anyone who ever put you in any type of danger.

To Bucky, danger can be a range of things.

Of course, someone actively threatening you is the easiest way to get on Bucky's list. He doesn't tolerate someone even saying that they're going to hurt you, much less actively trying to do so.

Danger can also include someone trying to hurt you mentally. Bullying you, damaging your reputation, etc.

These sorts of people won't be around for long after Bucky figures out what they've done to you, and he's very good at hiding what he does to them.

You'll never find out he does any of this. He's a very well-trained assassin, so he knows how to clean up after his messes.

To you, they'll just disappear from your life, lifting whatever burden they gave you off of your shoulders.

But besides stalking you and sometimes getting rid of a potential threat, Bucky's pretty great to have as a platonic yandere.

As I said, he allows you to have a social life. He can be a bit overprotective with your friends, and even worse with a potential romantic partner.

The minute you introduce them to him, Bucky's asking them questions with narrowed eyes, and you can bet your ass he's doing a background check on them later.

He might scare off a few people, but hey, he always gets you food, and he's always up for an all-night movie marathon (saying that his sleep schedule is already messed up.)

So long as you don't go looking into the deaths of some people or watch your back too closely, Bucky's just the tad bit (more than you know) overprotective brother/uncle.

And it's not like he'd let you figure that stuff out easily anyway.

controversial star wars opinion - I think anisoka gets too much of a bad rap. like honestly im surprised at how disliked (or outright despised) the ship is in the fandom. like yes I do see how there's a notable power imbalance since they are teacher/student, but I don't get the whole "age difference" point because they have basically the same age difference as padme and anakin. also, its not like anyone can't explore the idea of a romantic relationship between them when they're older. ahsoka didn't stop aging at 17. sorry that this is long, I just see a lot of untapped potential in their dynamic and im salty that theres such a stigma surrounding a fairly tame ship

Oh Anon, it's like you read my mind.

I'm extra salty that Anisoka has such a stigma attached to it, to the point where the it's practically radioactive when compared to ships like Obikin or even Anidala.

If we're going to start treating ships as radioactive because they have an unhealthy power imbalance, the SW fandom better invest in some heavy-duty hazmat suits.

Padme and Anakin have the same age gap, and Padme met Anakin when he was nine. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan raised Anakin from that same age, meeting him for the first time when he was in his twenties.

(I'm very aware that there are Obikin antis, but Anisoka seems to be treated as even more toxic)

I'm not saying that Obikin and Anidala deserve hate, they don't, I'm just saying it's strange that Anisoka is so disproportionately targeted.

Also, as you said, Ahsoka didn't stop aging at seventeen. In Ahsoka (the series) she's in her forties.

But, I'll be fair and briefly try to see it from the other side's point of view.

Unlike Anidala and Obikin, most of Anakin and Ahsoka's canon interactions happen when he's a grown man and she's an underage girl, and yes, the teacher/student aspect is understandably squicky to a lot of people.

Also, unfortunately, there is a lot of utterly revolting stuff out there depicting Anakin and Ahsoka that's set during The Clone Wars. I don't consider this garbage to be fan art, or representative of Anisoka fans. It's genuinely horrific and vile, and I think it really poisoned the well as far as perception of Anisoka goes.

(...and trust me, when I say something is horrific, I'm not exaggerating)

Anyway, time to ramble about my own Anisoka feelings!

I loved seeing Anakin growing fonder and fonder of Ahsoka in a completely platonic way over the course of The Clone Wars. It was a highlight of the series for me.

...but, my first introduction to Ahsoka Tano was through Rosario Dawson playing her in live-action, starting with The Mandalorian.

Part of me will always see Ahsoka Tano as a grown woman, played by an actress who has incredible chemistry with Hayden Christensen.

So can you blame me for shipping them?!

That's not even going into all the potential of their relationship.

I've got four Anisoka WIPs in my drafts right now, and they all approach the relationship from different angles. I found crafting each dynamic completely fascinating.

But I also find their platonic dynamic fascinating too. Across the Stars uses Anakin and Ahsoka's relationship to trigger a turning point in the plot, and another WIP of mine is a cute and platonic Clone Wars-era prompt that I'm loving as much as the Anisoka WIPs.

Now I need to apologize for rambling on too long!

...anyway, everyone please read my fics ;)

-Jesse xx

(...also is it just me, or can anyone else hear a hornet's nest buzzing?)

Replies

One serious one and a bunch of kind of silly shorter ones.

Anonymous asked:

Hi!  I hope you don't mind me asking this but I had a question about fandom stuff since this is my first time in an active fandom.  Almost every time there's fanworks, mostly fanart, of the TWST first and seconds years in sexual positions/sexualized, there's a lot of people dramatically freaking out because they're "minors/16/17!" and "you're not allowed to do that/it's illegal so stop that!" (Sometimes in all caps too). Are these people common in fandoms with younger casts?  Sorry for sounding anxious, I just keep running into people like this and anti-shippers and they really bring my mood down...

Hi Anon! Sure, I don’t mind talking about fandom stuff.

I think it’s not a matter of titles having younger casts, but a matter of fandoms having younger people in them. There are some shows that aren’t very popular/have fandoms that mostly consist of people that are older than 25, and you’d see less of this type of attitude there. Like, drastically less. I don’t think there are a lot of people complaining about characters of Prince of Tennis being 14-16 year olds, for example.

But if a show is popular with teens or younger people in general, chances are, there are going to be quite a number of antis. For example, SK8 got a big chunk of its popularity on tiktok and boy is it obvious lol

I want to stress that this doesn’t mean that all the anti-shippers are young: this absolutely isn’t the case, and unfortunately a lot of pretty much adult people participate in harassment, write call-outs and do this type of crap in general. Also obviously, not every teenager is an anti (not that it matters to us of course, all of our blogs are 18+ so the majority of teens shouldn’t even be here).

So yeah. I think of it as a subculture, albeit a very aggressive one. There are people who are legitimately uncomfortable with this type of content, but I’m pretty sure the majority of antis just love using their non-existent high moral ground to harass and try to control people and their art. They either don’t understand the magnitude of their actions or don’t care if they hurt real people over fictional minors.

I am very sorry that you stumble upon this type of people and that they make you feel bad. I always say this, but: block everyone. Even if a person is just mildly uncomfortable to you or you don’t like their vibes, block them just so you see less of this type of stuff.

Your art and any art that you enjoy doesn’t hurt anyone as long as people are being responsible about posting and interacting with it. So absolutely don’t feel like you’re doing something wrong just because someone doesn’t understand how fiction works. I hope this type of crap disappears as soon as fandoms become less popular, like they’ve been before things got out of hand. Some people should’ve never been here in the first place – sorry for gate-keeping, but they don’t get it and don’t care about getting it or at least being respectful to others, so why should we be better people.

Anonymous asked:

Idia: Yay, crotch view!

(related to our Lilidia drawing from yesterday hehe)

Lucky boy! Got to see Heavens right before his demise…

Anonymous asked:

What do you think about Neige x Epel?

Replied! Also talked about them a bit in this reply + some other replies that I can’t find…

Anonymous asked:

thoughts on liliaxepel?

Definitely replied before, but I can’t find that reply, so: they’re cute, gotta love two short feisty cuties together; we really liked that one vignette in which Lilia shows Epel that you don’t have to be tall or big to be scary and strong. It teases a very interesting potential dynamic both in a shippy and in a platonic sense: Epel has a lot to learn from Lilia, and it would be fun if they interacted more often.

It isn’t a ship that we’re massively passionate about, but they’re fun together! Could be very hot.

Now after seeing the *cough* 18+ stuff, I wonder if you have just sweet, wholesome headcanons of Nadia. I have one, tho very specific: Nadia is not really used to physical affection or talking with people 20 years younger than her but when she met the younger sibling of MC she made them feel like the most special person in the world (platonically) and everytime they would hug in greetings and goodbyes, Nadia cradles their head and it melts the kiddo's heart and MC's when they noticed.

Nadia is such a sweet person, and your headcanons melted my heart 😭

And I completely agree that she is not really used to interacting with such young people. No one said anything about her siblings having children, and since Nadia is still called the baby princess, she's the ultimate youngest Satrinava. And well, people in their late 30s/early 40s and people in their 20s/teens are two entirely different worlds, and our dear Countess knows that. That's why she was probably nervous as hell before meeting MC's younger sibling. But, of course, we're talking about Nadia, so it went extremely well, and the head cradling part is just incredibly wholesome. I wish she would do that to me. I imagined her doing it to my younger brother, but I quickly perished the thought because he's like twice her size. And he's a little bitch, so, Nadi, put my head to your tiddies instead.

As for the physical affection part, I have to agree with you again. She isolated herself during her marriage to Lucio, so there was definitely no affection of any kind. While living in Prakra, she mentioned in her tale that she had some distant crushes, so I think she has never had any proper romantic relationships before meeting MC, only a few physical ones. She also had trouble making friends or at least keeping those friends because everyone thought that her siblings were much cooler. She really needs a hug.

I added a few headcanons of my own. Most of them are pretty general, but I added some cute, wholesome stuff too.

Thanks for the request! I loved it (maybe a bit too much), and your headcanons are beyond amazing!

Nadia Satrinava headcanons

Nadia was a timid child, hiding behind her mother's skirt type. She was quite insecure, sometimes stuttered, never really had friends, and always blushed and avoided eye contact until she became a young adult. Then, with a lot of hard work, she turned herself into the strong woman she is now.

If MC has a younger sibling, it helps her grow as a person. She can finally become the older sister she never had, and baby the kiddo would be spoiled to death. In addition, it would help her see things from her siblings' perspective and potentially bring the Satrinavas even closer. Being an older sibling is a whole job; this younger sibling would help Nadia realize it.

An MC who is the eldest of their siblings can be an interesting experience for her too. She always pays attention to how MC treats their younger family members, and a part of her might wish she had an older sibling like MC.

Nadia has never held a baby. Ever.

When she is with MC, and they make her laugh very hard, she sometimes snorts and then covers her mouth. She apologizes, but it's just so cute. Only MC sees her like that.

Sometimes she zones out during meetings.

If MC can cook, Nadia subtly hints that she would like them to cook for her. She would help them, but it's not a very good idea. A sandwich is the best she can do.

Nadia is a great listener. She's not the best at giving emotional support, but this woman can come up with the most amazing logical solutions.

Sometimes she really wants (and needs) to be held, but she might be a little shy when asking for it. Putting her head on MC's chest and listening to their heartbeat is one of her favorite things in the world.

She thinks about MC all the time when they're not together.

Even when things are not exactly perfect between Nadia and MC, she stands up for them against anyone who dares to disrespect them.

Nadia loves physical affection; she just didn't know it until she met MC. From the moment she first saw MC, she was dying to touch them, and it was very surprising to her. Nadia is not used to a lover's gentle and loving touch, but she has secretly longed for it her whole life.

Her love languages are giving gifts and physical touch. She melts when MC gives her hugs for no reason, simply because they love her.

Nadia likes cheesy romance novels and has a hidden bookshelf filled with them.

She giggles and smiles whenever she looks at something that MC gave her.

As a child, whenever Nadia played alone (so most of the time), she made up stories in her head about the toys she was playing with.

Nadia is very independent, but it warms her heart when MC offers to help her with something. She could really use a hand once in a while, and while she wouldn't ask MC to take over some of her Countess duties, if they offer, she doesn't turn them down.

She dies of happiness whenever MC shows interest in her hobbies.

She was definitely a daddy's girl as a child. Her amazing fashion sense comes from Namar, and there's no doubt about it.

It's probably no secret, but Nadia is kind of an obsessive type of lover. She wouldn't rob MC of their freedom or control their life for them, but she would do anything for them. They're the light of her life, and she wants to share everything with them. So yeah, she can be a little clingy.

She secretly wishes to be a random rich woman without all the Countess duties so that she could spend her whole life spoiling and loving MC.

Nadia is extremely intelligent and talented in many things. She is interested and educated in almost every subject. Mathematics, Physics, History, Geography, and languages are her favorites, but she also enjoys the arts, such as music. Biology is not really her thing, tho, but she knows some basics.

For Nadia, loving MC is like being a teenager again. They bring out her carefree, playful side.

She gives long, soft, and very warm hugs, the kinds that make you want to melt in her arms.

It might be surprising, but Nadia doesn't think highly of herself. She is aware of her beauty, rank, and knowledge, but as a person, she feels like she's not someone interesting. She never had any close relationships, and she thinks the problem lies within her. Therefore, when MC is very much in love with her, it gives her a huge confidence boost.

Nadia likes it when cats curl up on her lap.

Her kisses are simply magical and full of love.

do u have any suggestions on how to . meet people? ive never been approached by anyone/never even gone on a date but im 22 and so lonely and scared of dating apps:(( any suggestions on how i can Put Myself Out There

<3 sending love & a sympathetic ear because i was in a similar situation myself in my early 20s and it felt so lonely even though from talking to others i know it’s actually not so unusual. sometimes i feel like the prevalence of dating apps has made dating this activity that’s entirely separate from the rest of your life / your social circle and it’s actually reduced the amount of casual dating we do in early adulthood. hmm anyway some suggestions:

for making friends in general: in my experience the easiest way to make friends is to pick an interest or activity + regularly show up where people do it. work or university are two obvious examples but there’s also rec sports leagues, online meetup groups for hobbies, trivia or open mic nights at local bars, bouldering/climbing gym or another specialized sports studio, martial arts studio, group art class, knitting circles, book clubs, volunteering … all good ways to expand your social circle + also valuable in themselves! it can feel intimidating to do things solo but people are pretty receptive to chatting especially if they’re also by themselves or maybe just 2 or 3 people. additionally bumble has a BFF mode that’s specifically for platonic connections & i have a very wonderful friend who i met from there so it might be worth a try.

and all of these ^^ situations (except bumble BFF) are good ways to meet people to date too! the only thing is for some reason in my experience, you rarely meet people to date when that’s your only goal from the interaction. like, i’ve been in social situations (outside of like bars/clubs where it’s the norm) where you can just tell that someone is only looking at new people as potential romantic interests or hookups and it just puts more pressure on every interaction. so like get out and do things and meet people, allow yourself to be open to them, if they’re cute + available feel free to flirt but don’t discount the interaction if it doesn’t turn romantic yknow?

oh also tell your friends you want to start dating! you might not want to date your close friends but they probably know someone who knows someone who you’d like to date. i’ve even been on a blind date that a friend set up for me and while it didn’t go anywhere it was still nice + less nerve-wracking than app dates because we at least had a common interest and a single shared connection. tbh in my experience NO ONE will support your dating adventures as much as your friends who have been happily partnered and in love for years, because they want everyone else to be in love, and they need the gossip.

finally ik you said you’re scared of dating apps but they’re not all bad! i think dating apps can be a good option for adults not in a university setting esp if you just want to meet a lot of people with low stakes. i think a lot of people (myself included) considering meeting someone on an app as less “real” than a cute meeting irl but the reality is a lot of single people you meet irl will also be on apps. i had a thing w this guy from an app and we ran into each a year later at a party and realized we had mutual friends and it was this nice realization like oh we would’ve met anyway. and i know a lot of people who are in relationships that started on apps! do what you’re comfy with of course but they’re always an option.

and of course goes without saying that there is so much love and romance to be had in life without a partner, that you can find so much joy and care and growth through friends family passions etc, that timelines are not real and that all experiences will come in time but you’ve probably heard that a lot, i know i did and do. but saying it again in case u need to hear it 🤍

hope some of these ideas resonate w u - ik it’s been a couple months since you asked so maybe it’ll just help someone else in a similar situation. good luck! <3

finally i know you said scared of dating apps but they’re actually not all bad and i think for adults who aren’t in university it’s a great way to just kind of dip your foot in the dating pool. plus i think a lot of us (me included) tend to romanticize irl meetings when the reality is a lot of people you’d meet in a cute way irl will also be on dating apps, i had a thing w someone from an app and a year later we ran into each other at a party and realized we had mutual friends and it was a nice reminder like ok well we would’ve met anyway, just on a later timeline. i know lots of people who are in relationships that started on them too. dating apps are also real life!!!

maybe some these ideas will resonate with you, ik it’s been a couple months since you sent it so maybe it’ll just help someone else in a similar situation. good luck out there 💗