#i think there *is* something i'm specifically referring to when i say soulmates but it's not defined well enough to. like.

[erstwhilesparrow]

trying to put some thoughts in order. under the cut for length.

0: soulmates as straightforward romantic trope

i mean, i get it. sometimes i get sad and go read the sappiest, shippiest, fluffiest fic i can find and it does help. (and yeah, i know it's more complicated than that sometimes but this isn't the point.) it'd be really fucking nice if there was someone out there 'meant for you'. convenient. a little less lonely. someone who gets it when no one else does. someone you can be sure of. someone you can pour your whole heart into, knowing you're doing exactly what you're meant to.

1: soulmates as assigned seating

no frills or bells. you meet them and you know and that's it. what you do with that information is entirely up to you. is it any different from group project assignments handed out by a teacher? is it any different from meeting a person and deciding you like them enough to stick around? what undeniable truth can mark something as ephemeral as a relationship? is it nice just to have someone or something else make the choice for you? would you have even looked at each other without the prompting? did you fail to look at others because you were not prompted? do you wish it was someone else but resign yourself to this anyway because it's not like it matters, you don't have to choose to stick with them? does that become half the reason you're still here, because you could still leave any day now?

2: soulmates as unwelcome imposition

a reaction to an unpleasant intrusion on your life. something binds you to them, and it doesn't feel right or good or any of the things soulmate is supposed to mean when people tell you about those. can you get rid of it? if it can, what does it mean that something supposed to tie you together forever can be removed? if it can't, can you love someone when given no choice? what can you hold on to that is solely your own, once a relationship begins to define you? where do you fit into the worlds of people who are not bothered? do you overcorrect in the other direction and hurt someone who did not mean to inflict this on you? are you being less harsh than you should be because you have been told this is supposed to be good, because you know what it will look like? what will you be made to do to "make up for it"? what evidence will you have to collect to prove you don't want or need this?

3: soulmates as unforgiving want

that thing where you don't realize you're hungry until you're presented with food, but with a whole person, and there is no satisfying that particular hunger. did they meet you and find you lacking? are you somehow lacking because you cannot be sated by what has been given to you? or is it instead that it is supposed to wear on you like this? would you have been this discomfited if it had never been pointed out to you what you could have had? how do you moderate your expectations back to "reasonable", if such a thing exists when it comes to soulmates? will any relationship you have after this measure up now that you know the depth and intensity of feeling you are capable of? have you ruined every pleasure you could experience by indulging too much here? have you ruined it for yourself by refusing to take? does it really get worse the longer you hold back? are you refusing to let go, to let time soothe this ache for you?

4: soulmates as unremarkable prologue

it works. it's good, actually. it's how you met. no preconceptions, only both your futures ahead of you. is this better than all of your previous relationships? what makes it better? would you call any of those previous relationships "real" love now? who did you leave behind in going through with this? do you wish you could have had this sooner? would you rather have had them all your life? is all of this more real because you followed the rules? what might have happened if you had pushed in any direction other than the one you were meant to? could you have done this with another person, a different one that no one chose except you? are you relieved to have the uncertainty taken away from you? do you feel there is another uncertainty about how willing you would have been to care for this person if you hadn't started this relationship knowing? are you going to ask your soulmate these questions? what are you relying on to keep the two of you together?

5: soulmates as pretty veneer

it looks like it works. maybe for a little while it even does. but something's going wrong, though it wouldn't look it from the outside. can you pin it down, to the day, to the hour, to the second? can there be a satisfaction to seeing clearly your coming end? can true love of the kind you were told stories of be like a chain? were you kind of expecting it to be? does true love go sour in that way, or were you always faking it? are you faking it now? are you faking it well enough? is it a kind of love still, to look the enemy of your enemy in the eyes and agree to their proposal? do you understand the shape of your mutual adversary? are you too busy making it all look right so you can finally get that happiness you were promised? do you believe it, when other people say they want what you have? do you believe that they could? do you believe it could have ever worked out? does believing anything help with the reality of it?

6: soulmates as open wounds

you can't forget them; you aren't allowed to. the mark it leaves on you is obvious, and the absence of your other half even more so. does being told you were born incomplete make it so? is there really something wrong with you? does being hurt by something meant to help mean you're the one who failed? is there something to fail? in what ways do people find themselves indelibly bound to one another for the worse? is it better than forgetting, than being forgotten? does defiance come easier from this? is this punishment for defiance? what do the people who look at you say about that visible absence? will you look past them to something outside their concerns? is there anything out there? is this safer in its consistency?

7: soulmates as puppets that can see their own strings

the question is not one of circumstance or of compatibility or of care. the question is structural, is composed of people pressing buttons and flicking levers in a system where they will never see the end result. does it need to be two? does it need to be love? are any of the words you're using to describe this relationship necessary to talking about what is happening to you? how deeply embedded in romance is the language around relationships? does this simplify aspects of your navigation around and into each other's lives? does it smooth away important nuances? do you find yourself wishing for uglier words to describe this situation? do you find those words? do you find the script? do you recognize it for what it is, or will you keep playing the role it sets out for you? what story ends up getting told here? what does it mean for you?

#sparrowsong #is this. do you get what i'm saying here?? #'i am going to be direct and straightforward this time' i said. #'i will not hide my meaning behind several layers of half-finished thoughts and sideways metaphors' i said. #'it will make sense and have answers' i said. #sweet fucking stars. #if i keep doing this i'm going to have to actually come up with a working definition of soulmates #i think there *is* something i'm specifically referring to when i say soulmates but it's not defined well enough to. like. #do more than gesture vaguely with #anyway if you read all that i will accept reading recommendations #the closest you will ever get to falling in love

[harunovella]

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ love language (verse ii); s.g.

synopsis: when gojo satoru first interacted with you content: teen gojo era, fem!reader, hopeless!romantic gojo, 1k+ words of gojo and reader saving a kitten (a moment straight out of a romcom for sure), not beta read (sorry for any errors!) note: truly didn't think the first part to this anthology series would gain such attention! thank u for that! again, these can be read as a standalone (or connected to this one, but you don't have to read it); enjoy and lmk if u want more!

It was this specific cherry blossom tree Satoru always found you under. The one Kento mentioned the first time he ever asked him about you. If you weren't busy with training or missions, or enjoying life outside the jujutsu world, he found you there. Although there was an array of trees, there was one specific one you seemed to gravitate towards. 

He wasn't sure if it was the specific spot that had good lighting for when you wanted to read or sketch in your little book, or maybe it was the way the roots formed a perfect spot to sit in between... whatever it was, he knew it to be your tree. Even when you weren't around. There was something... welcoming about it. Whenever he walked by with Suguru and Shoko nearby, or whenever he was aimlessly wandering around, he always found himself peeking in its direction, hoping you were sitting underneath it. 

For a confident young man, it took Gojo some time to make his way to you. Claiming to love you when he hadn't even uttered a word in your direction was bold, even going as far as believing you were his soulmate was quite the exaggeration. So why was it hard for him to simply say hello? 

Maybe it was because he wasn't a simple person. Nothing about Gojo Satoru screamed simple. He was anything but that. Yet, a task as easy as that—which came naturally to any other girl around him—was a hassle. Each time he thought he found the courage to step up, he let his racing heart deter him. 

That was until you made the first move. 

It caught him completely off guard, the way you gently tapped his arm from behind, peeking up at him with that sweet smile of yours. His heart did somersaults, his eyes widened behind his round frames, so big that his shades couldn't even hide them. He had been on one of his little walks, new treat in hand that Shoko bribed him with in order to practice her reverse curse technique on him. He was bored, completing his missions and not having much to train on when he already excelled at everything. 

At everything except talking to the girl of his dreams. 

"Hi," you kindly greeted, smile reaching your eyes. Oh, god, you were an angel. A being descended from up above. How could you exist so easily in such a cruel world? He needed to protect you, right? Even if he could see your cursed energy oozing out so brightly. You must've been powerful, something he never considered, always looking at you like you were some little bunny to keep in his pocket... not one who could possibly kick the shit out of him (if he'd let you and he definitely would). "Can you help me out?"

"Pretty..." the words slipped his mouth before he could even process them. Quickly sealing his lips and clearing his throat as you tilted your head, Satoru straightened his back. "What is it?"

Dismissing the sudden word vomit, assuming he was in his own world, you pointed to the left of you. "I sit under those trees, but I keep hearing soft meows coming from one of them. I'm too short to reach... do you think—"

"Yes," the white haired young man instantly nodded as you blinked. Without a second word, he turned on his heel and stalked towards the tree that you claimed your own. 

You, a bit baffled, were unsure as to how exactly he knew which tree you had been pointing at when it was a general direction. Yet, there he was, approaching the tree you were referring to. "It's quite high up, but you're very tall!" You called out before following after him, lightly jogging to catch up before stopping behind him as he eyed the tree. 

In reality, Gojo didn't think any of it through. He just wanted to say yes to be around you, to hear you speak more. Not... to climb up a tree to save a stray kitten. But, whatever made him look better in his eyes, he didn't mind. 

"Be careful!" You exclaimed as you watched him make his way up the tree, no hesitations. You were a bit surprised that someone so easily wanted to help you save a cat. Maybe he liked animals, too?

Or maybe he was a fool madly in love with you—you wouldn't know this yet. 

"Oh, there! You've got 'em!" You clapped as you watched the uniformed young man gently reach for and latch onto the small, white kitten. 

"Ah, don't worry, I'm only here to help you," Gojo said, carefully pulling the kitten towards himself. "I've got you, you're safe now. I just gotta figure out—"

"Watch out!" You shrieked.

"Shit!" Satoru yelped as he lost his balance, clutching the kitten close as he slipped from the branch. Landing with a loud thud, followed by several groans of pain (and pure embarrassment... when did he ever make himself look like a complete fool?!), Gojo rolled around with his eyes closed. 

"Are you alright?!" You panicked, rushing over and kneeling at his side, gently lifting his head with one hand as your other pressed carefully against his shoulder, eyeing his body for any wounds. 

"Agh... dammit..." he grunted, eyes fluttering open and adjusting to the brightness of the sun. Blinking a few times, blurred vision focusing, his heart skipped a beat at the sight of you. Your hair that was usually held back by its ribbon, cascaded around your face as a few strands slipped out from the ponytail. With eyebrows narrowed and a look of worry on his face, Satoru's embarrassment turned into that of timidness. You were engulfed by the sunlight, glowing like the angel you were. "Gosh, you're so pretty..."

"Are you okay?" You asked in a panic, his mumbled words coming off too slurred to understand. "Did you hit your head too hard?"

Shaking his head as he forced himself to sit up, Gojo rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. "No, 'm fine..." he sighed before looking down at his hands to the kitten. "So is this little guy."

Turning your attention from the white haired young man, to the matching kitten, you gasped, "what a hero!"

Grinning and feeling the heat rise to his cheeks, Gojo shrugged, "eh, ''twas nothing..."

"You almost broke a few bones, though..." you frowned, looking back at him. 

"I'm tough," he brushed off before turning to face you. Now eye to eye, the sudden confidence instantly sizzled away as he gazed at you from up close. A sudden silence weaved between the two of you as your eyes locked, nothing but the sounds of nature and the kittens purring filled the air. "I..."

"Um..."

"You should keep it," Satoru suddenly said, handing you the kitten. "Deserves a nice home."

"Oh, me?" You asked as you took the kitten in your hands, caressing its soft, white fur. 

"Yeah, I wouldn't be a good dad," he chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck. "You... You'd be a great mom to it, I'm sure."

Eyeing the kitten, then looking back up at him, you smiled, "we can coparent."

At your offer, Gojo gulped. "Co... parent?"

"Yeah, like, help me out with..." lifting the kitten up, you squinted your eyes, "her."

"I... I don't know much about taking care of animals but I can try and help as much as I can," he offered, scratching his head nervously. 

Smiling, you brought the kitten close to your chest, "you saved her from a tree, I'm sure she will remember that."

"Yeah, maybe," Satoru blushed.

Looking down at the kitten as you pet her, listening to her gentle purring, you happily sighed, "what's your name?"

Quickly pointing at himself, the blue eyed boy asked, "mine?"

"Mhm," you nodded. 

"Gojo. Gojo Satoru. You can call me Satoru, though," he nearly blurted out as you chuckled before giving him yours. 

"Well, Satoru," you beamed as he melted at the sound of his name slipping off your tongue, "I think I'll name her after you."

"Wha— Satoru? But... she's a girl?" He tilted his head with furrowed eyebrows. 

"I was thinking of a nickname," you said before looking down at the kitten. "I'll name her Toru. It's cute, right?"

Nodding slowly, then faster, Gojo agreed. "Yeah, Toru is cute."

Lifting your gaze to meet his, you gave him a toothy smile. "Toru it is."

#harunovella writes; #gojo #gojo satoru #satoru gojo x reader #gojo satoru x reader #satoru gojo x you #satoru gojo #gojo satoru x y/n #gojo x reader #gojo satoru x you #jjk x reader #jjk x you #jjk au #fem reader #gojo fluff #satoru gojo x y/n #reader insert #jjk x y/n

[i9messi]

Dating Max Verstappen

Specific things I think Max would do as your boyfriend

max’s masterlist

Max was a little shy at first, but he became so much more extrovert when you spoke to him casually

At the beginning, he stalked you once or twice on social media. Not in a creepy way, just because you had caught his eye and he wanted to ask you out

He may seem a little cocky at first, but everything changed when you met him and realized how he actually was

Max is a beautiful person and you enjoyed spending time with him

Max is someone who gives you 100% of his attention, hears you talk about what you are most passionate about and asks you questions about it. He is a very attentive person and makes you feel comfortable

Less than you both thought, you started to date

He treats you like a queen. If you want something, he’ll do his best to get it for you as quickly as he can, there are no no no’s when referring to you

Max is quite disciplined and organizes everything with the smallest detail, including dates and holidays

When something does not go as he wants he tends to get frustrated, but you tell him that you love that he had spent time to organize something

You don’t need everything to be perfect, because even though things don’t go as your boyfriend has planned them, everything is already perfect

He learns as much as possible about your tastes. You have a specific favourite music artist? He’s gonna play that artist’s music every time you’re in the car just because he knows you’re gonna be happy with that

He loves your happiness and will do everything to make you smile

Movie nights. Max likes to watch films with you, no matter what genre or whether they are children’s films, just spending time with you is everything he needs

“If you steal the blankets, I'm going to put my cold feet on you.”

He gives you teddy bears and flowers when he has to be away from you for a few weeks

You casually steal all of his Red bull's merch

“That's my cap?”

Both adopted a pet and accepted that this is your child. You post photos of Max and your "son" all the time, because they give you so much tenderness

Max is such a boyfriend material

Fans love the couple

You are the type of girlfriend who supports him in every race and who is there to listen when things do not go as predicted

He knows you’re going to be there to support him and that’s all he needs to feel safe

You’re the one who keeps him focused, with his feet in the real world

You were so proud of him when he won the formula 1 championship in 2022

He’s an incredible driver, even though many have opinions formed against him

You are the same one who will be there to defend him always, from bad press and people who have prejudices against your boyfriend

Outside open doors he’s the least clumsy person you’ll ever meet but in the comfort of your home, it’s the same one who asks you for hugs and kisses when he needs it most. Max is like a little boy who needs attention

“Just a kiss, pretty please, liefde.”

You can’t say no to Max, not when he looks at you with those cute eyes and talks to you with that accent that makes you crazy

He always tells you nice things in Dutch and you have to ask him what it means, the answer makes you smile

“voor mij ben jij de wereld.” (to me, you're the world.)

Max gives you a lot of pet names in Dutch, of course

Besides being your boyfriend, he is also your best friend and confidant

You can tell him practically anything and he will be there to support you

Stressful day? You can both cook a meal and then lie down on the couch to wait for it to cook. You both just need to be hugging and talking, nothing more than that

You’re soulmates and you love each other so much

#max verstappen blurb #max verstappen fluff #max verstappen one shot #max verstappen x reader #max verstappen #max verstappen headcanons #verstappen #f1 #formula one #f1 blurb #f1 x reader #max verstappen x you

[alrightbuckaroo]

hi ada! it's nice ask week! i hope you don't mind me coming into your inbox!

what are your 3 favorite scenes in lone star?

what's your favorite hobby outside of fandom?

what's your favorite song/album right now?

Hello Rachel; I don't mind at all! I hope life is being kind to you and that hateful messages cease entering your inbox for the rest of time <3

what are your 3 favorite scenes in lone star?

Oh gosh, only three??

Maybe it's cheesy but I love the proposal scene. There's so many layers to it: the fact it was episode 3x18 and TK woke Carlos up at 3:18 in the morning, just after Carlos told TK he can wake him up at 3 a.m. if he needs anything??? I love the red string of fate, I love synchronicity I love soulmates. I also love the fact TK holds Carlos' hands the way he did when he told him they make a pretty good team. I say it all the time, but they really do hold one another like that's the reason God gave them two hands <3 Also the way TK rocks back and forth with excitement? The same way he flipped the ring he was going to propose to Alex with but because of anxiety? If I'm going to love anything it's a reference let me tell you that much!

I have gone out of my way to show people the Lou story line because to this day it might actually be my favorite. It's so miniscule, in a way, in the grand scheme of things but nothing beats TK walking in, posed like this: 🧍‍♂️and asking Carlos if they were robbed. As if the COP would just be sitting in a mess of a living room if they had 😭

Saving Grace is tied with Push as my favorite episode and I'll occasionally think of Grace telling Judd, "You're so tall." and Judd replying with, "You're so beautiful." and feel the need to scream because I LOVE them so much. I have a spin-off I want to write based off a Tarlos AU that's in the work and I can't wait to write them falling in love because I love falling in love with their love.

what's your favorite hobby outside of fandom?

Media consumption seems like the weirdest thing to call a hobby, but truly, that's what it is!

I love watching films that I don't know I'm about to love (Humboldt County, my beloved) , discovering new television shows that rewire my brain (looking at you AMC's Interview with the Vampire), listening to music that feels like sunshine (Cannock Chase by Labi Siffre, you will always be famous) or reading a book that makes me want to bite a brick (A Density of Souls by Christopher Rice ruined my life (affectionately)

If I'm not doing any of that, and this is going to sound so corny, but I write! I've been working on a novella for a little while as I'm trying to prepare something for grad school (that isn't gay firefighter fanfiction lol) and I was working on a book of poetry before realizing that I'm a much stronger narrative fiction writer than I am a poet (Ada Limón if I could just have a sprinkling of your voice please ma'am)

what's your favorite song/album right now?

Album wise it has to be Cowboy Carter. I've been saying it since forever, but Beyoncé truly is on a very different level than any other pop artist we have right now (and I like a lot of them! I loved eternal sunshine and I can not WAIT until Dua drops her third album in May)

If anyone is the music industry right now it is her because she is constantly reinventing herself as well and influencing the industry as whole. Did you know that she's the reason music comes out on Fridays now? Her impact !!

Anyways, one of my favorite genres of music is Classic Country; so think 1950s, 1960s Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Skeeter Davis, Lee Hazlewood, Glen Campbell; that whole bunch.

So, I was so excited to see what Beyoncé was going to cook up because that is a woman who makes sure each and every thing she makes is perfection and my god, it got as close as any of her work has gotten so far.

It also features an interpolation of Good Vibratations by The Beach Boys, who's one of my favorite artists so it feels like this album was made specifically with me in mind. Here's hoping Act III is rock because I need to hear her with Jack White again.

#i don't get parasocial but if i it would be with beyoncé's entire catalog she's just been so damn good and is still so damn good #thanks so much for the ask!! #asked and answered

[erinelliotc]

Why do you ship EddEddy when in canon we have the very harmonic friendship of Eds? What's interesting about the dynamic between Edd and Eddy, if Ed isn't there, it's pretty boring without him.

I'll talk about this in much more detail after I rewatch the show a few more times and make my video talking about EddEddy, BUT here's some of what I have to say about it:

Yes! I agree that they have a very harmonious friendship, all of them together. They're soulmates and they love each other very much. I really envy what they have because it's something so perfect and beautiful. The show is about Ed, Edd and Eddy, but I think it's very clear that:

1) Eddy's the main character

2) The show focuses more on his relationship with Double D, especially from season 5 onwards

They work well both as the three together and as separate duos too. Each duo has a different dynamic, and from my perspective, Double D and Eddy have a dynamic that involves mutual romantic feelings (that they're not yet aware of), which I don't see between Ed and Double D or Ed and Eddy. To be more clear, it seems to me that Ed has or may have a crush on Double D and Eddy (there are a number of scenes that indicate this), but I don't see them reciprocating, feeling the same way about him. And believe me, I really wanted to ship them. I love polyamorous relationships (Anne, Sasha and Marcy from Amphibia are a great example, I think the three of them have a clear interest in each other), I love edt3 fanarts, I think they're cute together, BUT I just can't see them working together as a polyamorous couple because I don't see Double D or Eddy being romantically interested in Ed at any point of the show or even in the future because it doesn't seem to be heading in that direction (I think that in Big Picture Show it even becomes a little uncomfortable how much Eddy specifically refers to Double D even when Ed is with them, which already happened in other moments of the show (and Double D specifically referring to Eddy as well) and intensified in the movie, but it's another factor that seems to indicate how emotionally close the two are, in a way beyond friendship...).

I want to make it clear that I disagree with the view that romance is more important than friendship. I don't think boyfriends/girlfriends/romantic partners or love interests are above friends, they're just different equally important dynamics. When I talk about this, I don't mean in any way that Double D and Eddy's relationship is better or more important, or that Ed is less important to them or less loved by them, they're just relationships and feelings with different natures and ways of functioning. So please don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Double and Eddy like each other more than they like Ed, I'm just saying they have a different dynamic and type of relationship, and different types of relationship usually mean different ways of interacting, and usually romantic relationships imply on more intimacy (both physical and emotional), and that's what I see happening with Double D and Eddy. There are certainly things in the relationship between Ed and Double D that Double D doesn't or can't have with Eddy, and things in the relationship between Ed and Eddy that Eddy doesn't or can't have with Double D. As I said, each duo has their own dynamic, their own unique and exclusive specificities that they can't get with their other duo, and all three love each other deeply and equally, just in different ways. That's all.

To me, Double D and Ed's relationship follows more of a mother-son dynamic (sometimes brotherly too), and Ed and Eddy have a more brotherly dynamic (@gettingfrilly made a really good post talking about it in more detail, about how Eddy's like a younger brother to Ed because he's very much like Sarah but unlike her he shows that he likes Ed and has fun with him, and how Ed's like the supportive and affectionate big brother that Eddy didn't have). I think the show makes it very clear that Double D and Eddy are supposed to have a couple dynamic, whether as a joke/comic relief or in a serious way. It's very visible to me that their relationship is supposed to give this huge old married couple who always disagree and fight energy, and even Ed often seems to look at them as if he's finding their excessive closeness strange, either shipping them or wanting to participate too.

Someone pointed it out already, but I think it's very relevant to note that the only times Eddy cries throughout the entire show is because of or related to Double D (I'm talking about emotional crying, not crying from physical pain). @gettingfrilly also made another post that I really like and completely agree with about Eddy and empathy. I recommend reading it. Anyway, Eddy's not a very emotional character at all because as we know, he's always trying to repress the feelings that make him "fragile" and to imitate his brother. He tries to act cool, to be superior and better than everyone, to be very manly, so he can't cry, he can't be a sissy, he can't be sensitive, vulnerable and emotional, he has to be tough, he has to be a man, he has to be unbreakable and unbeatable, he has to be self-centered, he can't be compassionate, empathetic and caring, and I personally think that in the end, whether we like it or not, he ends up absorbing all of this into his personality because that's how he was raised and conditioned from a very early age, and that's how he coped with it, so being self-centered and feeling uncomfortable dealing with and showing these types of emotions is now part of Eddy's personality, even though he doesn't feel good about being that way. He's spent most of his life having this distorted perception that acting like this is the normal way to be and treat others, that acting like this is "cool" because it's how his beloved, precious brother acted, so it's very complicated for Eddy to deconstruct this within himself now, and in fact it's already a bit late to actually change this because his personality has already been shaped and built, and all he can do now is remind himself to be more sensitive and care more about others. Being kind and empathetic is not something that comes naturally or easily to him, but rather a task he needs to rationalize and remember to do, and even in the few moments when he shows that he at least cares about Ed and Double D, his way of expressing affection usually comes in the form of practical actions rather than affectionate words, so sometimes it can seem like he doesn't care when he actually does, or that he has a very cold, insensitive and crude way of showing affection. It's necessary to teach him the way friends act toward each other, teach him about acting with affection and love. He needs people, most of the time Double D, to tell him how and why what he did is bad and harmful to others, but there are many moments when you can see a genuine effort on his part to try to understand, improve and show that it wasn't his intention to cause any harm, after all, this only makes others dislike him, and he doesn't want that. Eddy's desperate for acceptance and being liked by everyone, which conflicts with his "I don't give a shit about anyone but myself" way of being and acting, and being the way he is keeps everyone away from him and makes them not like him, so he suffers a lot being in this limbo between "I don't care about others" and "everyone has to like me".

Anywaaay, back to the main topic: the fact that the only times this character who struggles so much with all of this cried had something to do with Double D says a lot about how intimate he feels with him. Double D and Eddy seem to share a very strong emotional as well as physical intimacy. Sure, it's part of the show that the characters in general have a lot of physical contact, so it's something a little difficult to analyze, BUT the impression I have is that Double D and Eddy still have more scenes with physical contact, and their type of physical contact also seems more intimate to me, more romantic... (I mean, just watch the final scene of BPS of them holding hands looking into each other's eyes. It's pretty obvious).

The person also pointed out how emotionally attached Eddy is to Double D, and that's so true. Double D messes with Eddy's emotions in a very interesting way. He "messes up" everything that Eddy learned as his truth and that was established, awakens many things in Eddy, brings out the best side of him making him have to think and reflect more about things, people and the impact of his actions. Despite also having a lot to learn and improve, Double D has a lot of emotional maturity and responsibility and tends to have a very careful and kind way of dealing with people. Although this way of him being what Eddy understands as "sissy" and is often the target of his mockery or he even appears angry when Double D acts like this, Eddy can't help but feel embraced and comfortable with Double D's affection, sensitivity and support in a way he seems to have never felt before considering his history with his brother and his difficulties and cluelessness about affection and love. Yes, Ed's also a very affectionate person, I'd say even more than Double D. They both like to express affection physically, but while Ed's more like a clingy, happy child or puppy with lots of love to give (mainly physical) and silly things to say and do to put a smile on people's faces to make them feel better, Double D has a more "therapist" and "maternal" side. He's very conscious and attentive, he takes care of people, provides support and a safe space, analyzes situations and tries to help with understanding, counseling and kind words. All this almost unnatural excess of kindness and support is something that Eddy is definitely not used to and finds very strange, but it makes him feel good without him realizing it, as throughout the show we see him frequently turning to Double D when he feels lost, confused, frustrated or scared, as if he sees Double D as a great source of emotional support to help him feel better and get back on track, and as his guide to better understand situations and solve problems. Obviously this isn't something exclusive to couples, but this type of dynamic indicates a very great intimacy and is usually more characteristic of romantic relationships, being another factor that makes their relationship seem to tend more toward romance.

There are many other things, but I prefer to save them for when I make my EddEddy video.

"What's interesting about the dynamic between Edd and Eddy"

Wow I really like this subject because to me this is one of the biggest reasons why they have so much chemistry and are so good together and to each other. I don't want to talk about this in much detail because I want to save that for my video, but basically: Double D and Eddy have some very opposite traits that complement each other, and they have a lot of growth and character development because of their differences interacting together. The show focuses on their relationship because their character development mostly depends on each other. Double D is good where Eddy has to grow and mature, and Eddy is good where Double D has to grow and mature. They have so much to offer and teach each other, and that's what they do by living together daily for years. They unintentionally learn from each other and help each other improve and work on their bad aspects/tendencies, and achieve greater balance in their personalities and behaviors, helping each other not to lean too much in one direction and too little in the other. I think that many of the things they both hate about each other are actually things they deep down admire and even envy about each other (Eddy gets angry and mocks when Double D is smart and uses his extensive vocabulary, but in "Once Upon an Ed" he makes it very clear how he'd like to be smart and use "fancy words" like him, or even be smarter than him, because Double D's intelligence actually makes him feel inferior and dumb. And Double D complains about Eddy's stubbornness but shows that he feels uncomfortable with his own lack of attitude and that he'd like to be more determined, less of a people pleaser and stand up for himself more like Eddy, in addition to him seeming to try to imitate Eddy in many moments, acting with Eddy in a similar way to how Eddy acts with him). The answer is to balance their qualities and flaws, because they complement each other perfectly. And as many say, Ed is the glue that keeps the trio together. He's a crucial piece in their group. In fact, they all are, each of them plays a very important role. @gettingfrilly made another great post (I'm starting to realize how we share similar thoughts xD) about what happens if each duo doesn't have their third Ed. Please read it because I couldn't put it in better words.

Well, as I said before, the three Eds love each other intensely and equally, just in different ways. Even though Double D and Eddy have a romantic relationship, they all need each other and don't function well forever as just the two of them. They work well separately, but just in the short term, as something momentary. They are meant to be a trio and this is how they truly reach their full potential.

#ed edd n eddy #ededdneddy #eene #ed edd and eddy #edt3 #eddeddy #eddxeddy #edd x eddy #eddyedd #eddyxedd #eddy x edd #eene analysis #my analysis #eddy #eene eddy #double d #eene double d #ed #eene ed

[zenmai--jikake--no--komoriuta]

⌘ more than yesterday, more than today

{ a fanmix following Akane and Yamada’s whirlwind love story as they level up from strangers into something more, one song at a time }

     listen on... { Youtube }  >>  { Spotify }

-------------------------------------- just a mix of EN and JP songs that fit well lyrically, arranged in some semblance of a chronological order, as well as a few that fit the vibe well!

I managed to fit many references to events in the story, chapter titles, etc. within the various songs and section headers up until around ch71-ish. I had songs planned out for a section covering the Gunma arc around ch97, but figured it was better to shelve that idea for now until we have more content; in the meantime I hope this playlist can help tide everyone over during the wait for ch108, while the manga is on another short hiatus!

Youtube is the recommended way of listening as it contains all 44 songs in their intended versions (I had to make some cover substitutions with Spotify, but it's otherwise intact-- just not preferred!). --------------------------------------

tracklist

     ⌘ = incl. links to a specific translation

- LV.1: A chance encounter, like a romantic comedy - ○ 01. Hello Hello — Fickle Friends >> I'm in a lie that I told last night / You're a problem but you're mine / I think you hide it well despite the dark around your eyes ⌘ 02. Umbrella — Penthouse >> I told him I'd return the umbrella I'd borrowed / and we met up with him over the turnstiles / I look for a reason to see him one more time ⌘ 03. Kasuka na Kaori — Perfume >> I was always looking for reasons we could be together / We didn't have the kind of relationship where I could just say I wanted to be with you ⌘ 04. If Soulmates Exist — Kana Nishino >> There is surely someone in this world / Someone who I’ll fall in love with and marry / My one and only soulmate / Cool and refreshing, taller than me / With a great smile, ah… / the possibilities are endless, after all ○ 05. IRL — Fickle Friends >> Can we just speak in real life? ⌘ 06. Magic — Nanawo Akari >> "Yes" and "Thank you" and "I'm not interested" / All these words are so like you ⌘ 07. Trick Art — Ryujin Kiyoshi >> I long to meet you, but I can't / I've been caught in a bad spell / Even though we're close, it feels distant / Like a trick art, I'm getting lost ⌘ 08. LOVE PARADE — Arashi >> The rhythm of the town within my heart, my beat and yours / When they come together, that's the moment when love starts ○ 09. prologue — dasii >> - instrumental -

- LV.25: A burning fondness, akin to fever - ○ 10. The Strangest Dream — The Strike feat. Alita Moses >> You ask me to stay, what a curious scene / You're gone when I wake, what a curious thing / I had the strangest dream / You put your hands on me / You said "tonight don't think / about what it all means" ⌘ 11. PLACEBO — Kenshi Yonezu feat. SEKAI NO OWARI >> I want to make sure of that day's coincidence / I want to resolve it, this unexplored mystery (this unnoticed gravity) / We can't go back to how it was before ⌘ 12. Gimme Gimme♥ — SP: BENI / YT: Kyaami feat. Miku Hatsune (cover) >> 1-2, what do you think, / 3-4, about me? / It's scary. I want to ask you that, but I just can't ⌘ 13. The Best Day of My Life — Utada Hikaru >> Falling more and more in love with you / It won't stop now, it won't stop now / A turn of events that would shock even Shakespeare— that's life ⌘ 14. Damn it! — Da-iCE >> Hey, it’s getting obvious baby, despite concealing it with a poker face / But then, I like you even more… ⌘ 15. Critical Hit! — Amatsuki >> More and more, I want to get to know you more and more / Please show me all the parts of you I don't know / For sure, for sure, today / I'll definitely, definitely say it ⌘ 16. Dreaming of you — MY FIRST STORY >> I don't care if it's all a lie, a beautiful lie / Just say you love me now ⌘ 17. Gradation — KANA-BOON >> I want to see you, I want to hear your voice / These accumulated feelings can no longer be divided, ah

- LV.40: Tomorrow morning, when you wake up - ⌘ 18. Ponytail — Vickeblanka >> You said "Are you kidding?" and laughed innocently / I can't wait to see your amazed face / when you understand that I mean it ⌘ 19. Never Stop — Nissy >> Again today, I was half-awake when you whispered in my ear / Your morning call / She says… "Hello? Hello?" / Where’s the border between dreams and reality? ○ 20. Same — Josie Dunne >> I could tell how you felt for a little while now / Innocent, droppin' hints, but it wasn't coming out / I don't say it, stayin' patient, kinda fun to drag it out / And you say I love you, I love you, I love you / And I say "same" ⌘ 21. BAD MODE — Utada Hikaru >> How about we ignore texts, watch Netflix / Stay in our pajamas all day, order something on Uber Eats / and take a bath together? ⌘ 22. Halfway — Gen Hoshino >> At a glance, it always seems like / we're pretty peaceful / Our adorable crises / and our not-so-adorable ones, we hold them close ⌘ 23. Akubi — Omoinotake >> Looking at each other's drowsy face, acting goofy / Like a mirror, we always have the same expression on our faces ⌘ 24. over and over — Rei Yasuda >> I always want to look over you, and that dazzling smile of yours / I want to fall in love with it, no matter how many times ⌘ 25. I LOVE… — Official HIGE DANdism >> In the midst of a growing love, of changing feelings, you shine brilliantly / Irregular, like paints diving into a water tank and melting / I wouldn't have even noticed these vivid colors if I was alone / You feigned ignorance, said it's normal —so let me finish what I started saying to you— "I love—"

- LV.69: A dimly-lit room and gentle rain, just you and me - ○ 26. Glue — Fickle Friends >> I know what you're thinking / I know that it's not like you / Your heartbeat is so quick / when you say, "let's rendezvous" ○ 27. Empty Cups — Charlie Puth >> If you wanna like I wanna, let me take it to another room / so it's only us / Turn that television up so nobody can listen ○ 28. Into You — Da-iCE (cover) >> The temperature's rising in here / Is this gonna happen / Been waiting and waiting for you to make a move / Before I make a move ○ 29. Collar Full — Panic! At The Disco >> We've waited so damn long, we're sick and tired / I won't leave any doubt or stone unturned / I've got a collar full of chemistry from your company / so maybe tonight I'll be the libertine ○ 30. Space — claquepot feat. Anna Takeuchi >> I want to touch you, even if it's just for a moment / Even the space between our skin / I love even that and it's endless / I want to swim around in the one-room universe ⌘ 31. Ribbon Shower — SP: Shoshinsha F (cover) / YT: Natsushiro Takaaki (cover) >> Amid the rain, I can hear it, I can hear, “I love you” / and then the two of us break those platonic rules… ○ 32. A Night to Remember — Betty Who >> When the morning came, I could hear my name coming from the bed / Laying on your side in the early light, I could see it in my head / Naked, coffee, hands still on me / I swore I'd never give you up ⌘ 33. Rendezvous — Nissy >> Because you’re the first, / a special person, you see / Hey, when the time comes, / I will definitely ask, / “would you dance with me?” ○ 34. Your Eyes — Bitei Matsuki >> Eyes that melt when the rain stops / The words that trace the wet window are silken / In a world where there is no day or night

- LV.999: More than yesterday, more than today - ○ 35. Grace — Kasper Lindmark >> - instrumental - ⌘ 36. Ai — Motohiro Hata >> I don’t believe in love because I can’t see it with my eyes / Or at least, that was how I used to delude myself / I kept it buried way, way down / But then I met you ○ 37. Then There’s You — Charlie Puth >> Some girls walk in the room and everything remains / But when you opened up the door, my life completely changed ⌘ 38. Comedy — SP: Gen Hoshino / YT: NORISTRY (cover) >> Let's go home hand in hand / What do you want to eat today? / Wanna talk to you about things like / "this is what happened today" / Every day with you / makes my life a comedy ⌘ 39. Tattoo — Official HIGE DANdism >> And within this relationship between you and me / I see why you show your cheeks blushing / I can’t come up with a good metaphor right now / but it’s something invaluable ⌘ 40. LADY — Kenshi Yonezu >> Suppose the two of us could meet all over again / like a glittering movie: how would you want it? ○ 41. Beautiful Journey — HIRAIDAI >> I like it just the way it is / You're you, aren't you? ⌘ 42. One Love — Arashi >> Any kind of you, even any kind of me, loving each and every one / If you are here, then I don't need anything else / Because I'll be sure to make you happy ⌘ 43. Sunflower — I Don’t Like Mondays. >> Hey, how much longer can we be together like this? / I don’t know, but I don’t wanna know just yet / I understood from the beginning that there is no eternity / so till that day, till that moment, I wanna be with you ○ 44. Wish Upon the Summer — Penthouse >> I wonder if I'll reach you someday / It's a risk-taking love / Tell me that you love me / I hope, more than yesterday, more than today...

#avoiding my usual tag-rambling because it 110% neutered the traction of my last fanmix! so: happy eng novel 1 release day! that's all! #山田くんとLV999の恋をする #yamada-kun to lv999 no koi wo suru #loving yamada at lv999 #my love story with yamada kun at lv999 #akito yamada #akane kinoshita #fanmix #playlist

[rikeijo]

Today's translation #266

Febri vol. 40. Kubo Mitsurou's interview

Part 11.

--- The most extreme example of that is the rings scene in episode 10 - it was shocking. After listening to what you've just said - was is also a spontaneous development?

"Not spontaneous - it was inevitable! At least this is what I was thinking, when I was drawing the storyboards. I was looking forward to draw that scene at the end of episode 9., where Yuuri and Victor meet again at the airport in Fukuoka, and at that point in time, me or Yamamoto Director, we weren't really planning to set up any bombastic tricks in episodes 10 or 11. However, because episode 10 is the last breather before the Grand Prix Final, we wanted to make it as fun as we could. To do that we were putting forward different ideas and I was wondering if it would be possible to make the relationship between Yuuri and Victor even deeper. By that point in time, they had already hugged and done things straight out of Monday 9PM TV dramas, so I was thinking that probably doing more would be impossible. But then, a thought came to me, that it would be nice to have an item that could be a kind of boost for the Grand Prix Final. When I was looking around websites of various rings brands, I found the information that engagement rings are not only for people who want to get married, but also something that you can gift to your soulmate. I thought: "That's it!". Plus, among the reference materials we have gathered during our location hunting in Barcelona, I found photos of a church and choir, so I thought: "That's the place!".

--- Everything just came together, almost as if you were guided by something/somebody.

"I was almost at the end of my wits at that time, but that scene, I drew on impulse. It was before the anime started airing, so I didn't know what the response was going to be like, and how people were going to interpret it. I was like: I don't really care if people are going to think that "this scene is just absurd!" (laugh).

--- As a result, the viewers went crazy.

"If it was a manga, I think that much less attention would have been paid to it, surprisingly. It was very interesting for me to see, how impactful it was when it was made into animation.

[Notes: Many TV dramas that aired at this time slot, Monday at 9PM, on Fuji TV gained huge popularity, so it's a sort of "brand" for TV dramas. It's already a well-know fact in the fandom, but for newer fans which happened to stumble across this translation - she meant the airport scene.

---

"When I was looking around websites of various rings brands, I found the information that engagement rings are not only for people, who wants to get married, but also something that you can gift to your soulmate."

Many people would probably feel a bit weird if somebody important to them gave them a ring saying that "it's an engagement ring", but then said: "But it's not an engagement, we are not engaged" - the classic "words have specific meanings" problem. I'm sure some jewelry brands use the word "soulmate" in their marketing, but I'm not sure they encourage people to gift "engagement rings" to people who they don't want to get engaged to. There are others types of rings, too, after all.

In Jp, she kind of "solved" this problem using the English-Japanese word "engage rings (engeeji ringu)", where engage is short for "engagement", instead of Japanese "konyaku yubiwa", lol. Both mean exactly the same thing, but people who don't speak English may not know what the word "engagement" means - like, "engeeji ringu" is the ring the bride-to-be may get from her partner, but maybe it has different meanings in English, who knows? 🤨 If she said "'konyaku yubiwa' are not for 'konyaku'" instead, then you'd immediately think: "eee, what are you talking about? Why call them "konyaku yubiwa" then?"... At least, no clubs for after-school activities were mentioned this time 😂 (The "rings are for bukatsu members" explanation was from Pash!!! issue published on February 10th 2017, and this interview was published on March 1st 2017.)]

#yuri on ice #yoi translations #yuri on ice translation

[astriiformes]

18, 22, and 29 for the fic asks, please!

18 - Do you title your fics before, during, or after the writing process? How do you come up with titles?

Oh this so, so depends on the fic, in part because every once and a while an excellent title descends upon me early in the process and also if I'm working on a fic for a while I have more time to think.

Usually my fics start out with placeholder titles that are whatever came to mind when I first saved the document; I'm yet to have one of those graduate to being a final title but that's partially because they're all things like this:

...and are often tonally different than what I'm actually going for.

As far as where my titles end up actually coming from, poems are a common culprit; I've got one or two song lyric ones, and some inspired by various other cultural references (ranging from like... pop cultural to Biblical). I tend to try to work in some wordplay, irony, or symbolism where I can, and love a title with layers.

Breaking down a couple recent ones:

Beharren ist eine Kunst -- German for "Persistence is an art," stemming from the longer proverb "Anfangen ist leicht, Beharren eine Kunst" (Beginning is easy, persistence an art), works particularly well for a story about an artist where "Kunst" doubles as a bit of a play on words.

Stemma Codicum -- A textual criticism term referring to the chart that can be drawn of different manuscripts relationship to each other (what was copied from what, where changes entered into the manuscript transmission process, and etc). Worked really well for a Pentiment fic about three "alternate timelines" all branching from a single change at a specific point in canon -- manuscript transmission as a metaphor for those critical points in people's lives that manage to change everything!

Long Upon the Land -- A tongue-in-cheek reference to Exodus 20:12, which reads ""Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee"," as a title for a fic in which a character with an overbearing abusive father contemplates art and things that can outlast us across generations. Really loved the irony with this one, it's one of my favorites I've come up with in a while.

Needless to say they draw from all over the places, but I feel like between them it's pretty easy to get a feel for what I like in titles.

22 - Are there certain types of writing you won’t do? (style, pov, genre, tropes, etc)

I don't want to say there's for sure something I won't do, just because it seems like there's exceptions to everything (Pentiment wrung a "Major Character Death" warning tag out of me which is a new one!), but in general I am pretty allergic to most romance tropes. I'll write romantic relationships -- although my fics rarely center on them, but that's one of those things I'd be willing to assume might have an exception one day -- but when I do, they tend not to be particularly trope-y. There's just a lot of amatonormativity steeped into ideas like soulmates, fake dating, etc, and I'm not interested enough in them to consider ways to rehabilitate them in my own writing. I am but a tired aro and while it means I'll never write the most popular fic in any fandom I'm in, I get by perfectly fine in my little gen niche.

I'm also not a big fan of writing in first person (reading can go either way! I'm less into it in fic unless the canon itself is in first person, but fine with it in original fiction), but even that one has an exception on the horizon! If and when I finally write my TOH Sherlock Holmes pastiche, it'll probably be in first person, to mimic the original source material. So really that's a great example of why I have a pretty solidly "never say never" stance on most non-romantic tropes and devices.

29 - What’s your revision or editing process like?

I have a horrible confession to make. I edit as I go. My terrible perfectionist brain struggles to make peace with messy first drafts, and while I'll often give things a final, editor's eye read-through once I've finished writing, the bulk of my editing happens on repeated re-readings of the material throughout the writing process.

This is not a good way of doing things and I would love to break the habit, particularly since I think it would result in me writing more and faster. Do as I say, not as I do, everyone.

#[hides my face behind my hands] #in theory i am a decent writer but i have some BAD HABITS #my writing #ask meme

[septembersghost]

it’s crazy because i always liked haylor but as time passes by and more songs come out i’m starting to realize that they were or potentially could have been soulmates because the way they write about each other is insane, i know theyre both in a relationship though and are happy (at least taylor is) but idk theyre always on my mind.. that “what if” really kills you😭

you don’t have to answer this but what songs do you think are haylor?! in terms of harry and taylor (including unrelated hs1 songs)

i just wrote you a long response to this and tumblr ate it 😭😫 but i'll try to say it again lol

they both have said they're the happiest they've ever been now, so i am willing to trust and take their word on that, and i truly want and hope that for them!

a friend of mine and i were just talking about this, and how fate isn't a strictly determined thing, that because we have agency, we have the ability to make decisions that alter outcome. no one is "meant" to be something or have specific things happen, there are different paths along the way, and things we can control, and things we can't at all. it's more like fate is lightly playing strings in the background, and you follow a melody. so because of that, there's not only "one" soulmate, but potential for love that people find. it's like that quote from the good place, "if soulmates do exist, they're not found, they're made."

taylor found and made hers with joe, and has sustained it for six years, it's the beauty of why invisible string and mastermind can both exist in tandem. they were drawn together by breathless happenstance, and then she made a plan. it's clear from what she's written that that was right for her life. he quiets the noise for her, gives her a place to be safely held, compliments her mind, loves her for who she is as a real person. we know this from what she's written (and now what they've written together). she deserves that.

that doesn't mean that you never wonder about other situations - it's human nature to ask what-if. it doesn't undermine the devotion of what you have at all. it's why she said one of the things that has kept her up at night in the past is wondering what might have been, that was a theme for the album. obviously, if she's sharing that with us, then she shares far more with her partner, what we have is a tiny little cracked window, where they have an entire life and world (and that's how it should be). doubtless they've talked all these things through, and she knows what's okay to share, what's comfortable for both of them. i've seen people act like, "omg he must be upset that she's still thinking about ____," and it's missing the point. he respects and loves her enough to know she does that through her art as a form of processing and healing, he knows it all! he understands. she wouldn't be able to be this raw and vulnerable had she not worked really hard, singularly and with him and with those close to her in her life, to get here, and that's admirable.

so, phew!, to get me thus to question...? she's looking back on that situation and realizing she never got the answers she fully needed, and she still had some things to express and get off her chest, and it turns out, there was some upset and annoyance there (my friend wrote about this too). she just had to ask the questions, and send them out - like a message in a bottle - into the universe.

this is already long so i'm putting the song list under a cut for you <3

songs!!! anything i say is conjecture and fitting little puzzle pieces together in the way i hear them and the picture they paint, full disclosure i could always be wrong.

taylor: from red, we have message in a bottle and come back, be here. there's also the question of the very first night, and i know most people have decided it's about jg and from an earlier point in time, but hear me out - i have trouble believing she'd refer to that relationship as "children running," when the crux of the whole thing was that she was trying so hard to seem grown up and capable, and was feeling adrift and confused and belittled and hurt because of their age difference and the way that caused him to treat her. "i'd pick you up" seems ill-fitting for him too, there's an innocence to it. there's also, well, the mention of the night at the hotel and the polaroid picture, and i'm not saying that means anything, but if i hear a little bit of harry in it instead, well...i know i'm wrong on this one, okay, let me pretend. this song is so sweet that scarf stealer doesn't deserve it shhhh

as i mentioned on 1989: style, out of the woods, all you had to do was stay, i wish you would, how you get the girl, this love, i know places, wonderland. she gave us context and stories for some (i love that quote about style, "we should've just called it, 'i'm not even sorry'," the grammy museum performance of ootw talking about her anxiety, the story about how he drove past her house at night wanting to go in, the green eyes, the sinking ships, the cheshire cat smile...).

i'm going to link you to another post of zoe's too

i have a couple of stray thoughts about other songs but i feel like i should keep them to myself aksfdkljghkl

from midnights, question...?, of course. i know i mentioned this somewhere else, but there's also the fact that question...? borrows a little cadence from keep driving.

harry...there are so many 1D songs that i'll probably forget, but from my memory - perfect, if i could fly, olivia, stockholm syndrome, where do broken hearts go, happily, there's debate about something great because harry wrote it with jacknife lee and gary lightbody not long after taylor wrote the last time with them, and taylor and harry wrote songs (that have never seen the light of day, it's mentioned here) together at that point.

unreleased, there's half the world away, don't let me go, hunger, already home, without you, lay down...that whole spate of demo songs that leaked back in april.

he gave just a little bit of your heart, i love you, and someday to other artists (ariana, alex & sierra, michael buble)

from HS1: meet me in the hallway, two ghosts, only angel, woman, from the dining table

unreleased from HS1: him (which, question...? directly speaks to this situation), baby honey, complicated freak

(a reviewer of fine line said golden was about taylor because of, "i know you were way too bright for me," and i don't think that was his intent, but it permanently stuck in my mind, thank u rolling stone or whoever u were)

when taylor starts with, "good girl, sad boy," it's no joke. when you listen to all those songs, it was a lot of sad boy season.

like i said, this is only glimpses of the story and guessing in putting them together, but it does give us a lot.

#haylor #anonymous #letterbox

[shark-myths]

Hello! I was feeling the urge to tinhat about peterick and I pretty much consider you the one place to go to for that. I'm thinking about a lot right now, thanks to the amazing wealth of lyrics that Pete has gifted us (there has not been such a consistent reference to "summer" since ABAP and I'm losing my mind over it a little bit), but the main thing I'm thinking about is that "I just need someone to hold me even though you don't even know me" can only be about Patrick. Why? I'm glad you asked! I can back it up. For one, this harks all the way back to Hold Me Tight or Don't which is, for obvious reasons, peterick coded. Not only that, the "hold me" motif is used again in Hold Me Like A Grudge, which makes that song even more strongly linked to peterick, even disregarding the insanity of "twenty summers" (which I am not disregarding, by the way). So that's the "hold me" bit of that original line covered. There's also the latter bit, the "you don't even know me," which, yeah, doesn't seem very peterick-y, not in the way we like to think of them, but I will point out "part time soulmate, full time problem" and "you don't know me anymore" are also lines in this album that point to being Patrick-related (for the latter, because I don't believe the former needs much justification, something about the house Pete grew up in and its relation to Chicago and thus its relation to Patrick) (I would say I was reaching here, but I've gathered that's basically how Pete's brain works, so let's call it a reasonable assumption?).

Additionally, and more in appreciation of Pete's writing than any specific shippy thing, I'm a big fan of "if you put your heart in it then we'll do more than just get by together" because it sounds a lot like that last phrase could be "get together," and there's a lot on this album about missed opportunities/parallel universes/etc.

One more thing (I'm just rambling now, sorry) but the scar/star crossed lovers line is really just a bit of genius. It's almost a wink towards the listener, not just at the twist of the phrase but also because there's been so many instances of the star motif and space in general in the lyrics that I feel like it has to be a nod towards the instances when cosmic objects have been referenced (such as in The Last of the Real Ones).

Okay that's probably enough for one ask lol. I look forward to part two of your presentation!

YES 👏🏽 YES 👏🏽 YES

I have nothing coherent to add because you are nailing it and this record has me in shreds

tinh@ me always ((is that too dumb? yes)), it’s what I live for, keep it coming!!!

#lyrics meta #fob deep lore analysis #peterick institute #smfs #asks

[mortalfortaxpurposes]

Hey there

Favourite fOB SONGS?

hi :D

uhm. I accidentally wrote you an essay, so I’m putting it under the cut:

I tried to rank these but that's absolutely not happening, so I'm going to give you somewhat of a top ten, in a random order:

the phoenix - this is probably the most random choice out of all of them, but I love it so much. it's the very first fob song that I listened to years ago and it holds a special place in my heart. also I adore the drums in this song, and the way they punctuate the words, and patrick's pissed as fuck tone to go along with it. angry srar sound, my beloved.

the kids aren't alright - I love how post-hiatus their themes have shifted from fame to legacy, and this is the legacy song. it's realising that you made it so much farther than you ever thought you would, like, doesn't it fuck with your head a little bit how we're all still here? and it's also looking back at all of it from the perspective of someone older and happier and so much healthier, and going, it was worth it. I'd do it all again. I also love the little reference to the this ain't a scene music video, you know, the video that is also a very self-aware look at their fame and legacy. I could sit here and write you an essay about every single line in this song, but anyway. I go through phases where I forget how much I love this song, but I recently listened to this instrumental and just started sobbing, so.

the last of the real ones - god I love their soulmate songs. I love that pete said it's the closest thing to a love song they've ever done. I love the way this song slots into their reoccurring themes and I particularly adore his stars and planets metaphors and the way they return throughout their discography. though it will always haunt me that they took out "be a collapsing star with me" from the original version of the chorus. patrick why. fun fact this is one of my most streamed songs of all time, apparently.

twin skeleton's (hotel in nyc) - GOD I LOVE THEIR SOULMATE SONGS. this one has my favorite imagery in their entire discography. that first verse? come on. the fact that it's such a dark and twisted and angry song but it's so loving and hopeful underneath that. pete said "this is a love song to me", and, like, yeah. sometimes that level of emotional vulnerability is a little messy and ugly. sometimes the person that knows you like that is also the person that knows what makes you tick, but that's also the person that you're not afraid of getting into that dark place with. I also adore it as an album closer, with the repetition of "hold on" closing out the record. amazing.

I've got a dark alley and a bad idea that says you should shut your mouth (summer song) - this is the most devastating song, and that's partly knowing the context of it and partly just... the way patrick sings it. it just sounds so heart-wrenchingly sad. I think a lot about how so much of this album is so flippant, almost a performance, and I feel like this song is the moment when suddenly that's not true anymore. when you stop wanting the attention and start telling the truth.

the (shipped) gold standard - I love how folie is an album about a band that is falling apart, and I love the reoccurring theme of just wanting to quit everything and start over. hmm, subtle. also this song is just so much fun. it doesn't matter how many times I listen to it, every single time the chorus starts I lose my shit.

headfirst slide into cooperstown on a bad bet - by far my favorite thing about fall out boy is the way the music serves the words and not the other way around. this is something patrick has talked about, specifically in reference to this album, and this song is my favorite example. I love when patrick puts on a character. I love the arrogance and bitterness covering up the insecurity. I love the way the melody is almost cocky when he's being arrogant, like he's posturing, and then everything strips back and the doubt sets in. and of course I always love the songs where patrick lets himself go nuts in the final chorus.

bob dylan - I can't really elaborate on this one, I just love it so much. it's anxious but also kind of lovely. I don't know. I'm obsessed with it. it makes me feel like driving around and being in love, which is a whole genre of fall out boy songs, I feel like. I can't believe we almost didn't get to hear it. sometimes I think about all the scrapped songs that must just be sitting on patrick's computer somewhere and it makes me want to break into his house with a usb stick.

the patron saint of liars and fakes - I love it as the album closer, thematically. the whole album is looking at this fucked up relationship and in the end it goes, will you even be sorry when we're over? I love how it incorporates the title of the album, I love the way the second verse sits on the melody, and I love pete's scream, it's one of my favorites. I miss when he used to scream on the track, they should bring that back.

the (after) life of the party - the emotion in this song is insane. fuck if it doesn't sound exactly like what a middle of the night break-down would sound like. I love how it's the same lyric over and over but the melody alone is carrying forward a whole narrative by itself. it's a sad song with really powerful vocals and I love that so much. 

#sorry if you just wanted like a list or something I have a lot of opinions #fall out boy

[erstwhilesparrow]

what's double life, sparrow? it almost sounds like a dnd podcast title jsdfgkjh

reyni, i would like to preface this by saying that i'm genuinely delighted and flattered by your consistent efforts to reach out / discuss shared interests, and that i hope my responses reasonably convey how much i like seeing you in my inbox. i appreciate you! :]

that said. i regret to inform you double life is not a dnd podcast; it is a minecraft roleplay series on youtube. double life is the third season of what i think we're calling the life series, where a bunch of creators scheme, collect resources, and fight to the death on a very small map. the goal is to hold on to your limited number of lives longer than everyone else, and the prize is [???]. (the prize is you have fun fucking around with your friends, and a lot of people on the internet get very sad about your roleplay character.) i have seen double life be described by turns as a telenovela, a sitcom, and a minecraft gay marriage simulator. i really really like it, and in particular i'm a huge fan of the way they do soulmates, but i will put that under a cut for reasons of [talking a lot about something that is not really directly answering the question]. i'm (not very) sorry that i keep reblogging fanart that makes silly youtube videos look all edgy and serious :P

hi there, welcome to the space underneath the readmore! the thing about double life is its shiny new conceit, the thing that makes it different from previous seasons of the life series, is (:sparkles:) soulmates! each player is "soulbound" to one other player, and what this means mechanically is that when one of them takes damage, the other person takes that same amount of damage. what this means narratively, on the other hand, has widely varied depending on the creator / soulbound pair.

i've tried describing this set-up to multiple people without mentioning the minecraft component and the thing that particular exercise has thrown into sharp focus is that "person who feels your physical pain (and only your physical pain)" is. not necessarily a very conventional definition of soulmate. and the thing i keep ending up at is that i kind of adore that fact? it gets dressed up in language and behaviour we typically use when dealing with romantic relationships (some characters refer to their soulbound partners as their "crazy exes", others find their partner and immediately start flirting with them, i mean even just the fact that they call this being soulmates) but it is so important to me that the soulbond is fundamentally a game mechanic.

it's completely arbitrary who gets paired with who, and i know that none of the creators went into this game with the goal of picking apart the whole way people often think about romance, but the fact of its randomness combined with the ways the players talk about the bond is so deeply appealing to me for a soulmate story because i think it opens up avenues and / or spaces for discussing aspects of romantic relationships i am personally very interested in exploring?

i've thought for a long time about soulmate stories, because i'm invested in Doing Weird Shit to romance tropes (see: that summer i wrote what is to date my longest published fic about hanahaki But Make It Weirder) and this is sure one of them! i know there are other people -- on tumblr even! -- who are interested in this too, but i've never been totally satisfied with the stories i've seen?

like, obviously, just playing the trope straight throws me off because it constantly feels... too easy? like it shouldn't have worked out that neatly? it typically assumes a certain amount of... natural importance to romance that i don't agree with? but the ones that try to complicate the trope have also never quite clicked for me. the closest i've gotten to being able to say why is... i think they are often "what if soulmates existing sucked for this one specific person because [this person isn't their soulmate's soulmate / this person is in love with someone who isn't their soulmate / this person doesn't seem to have a soulmate at all / this person is aro which comes with its own set of potential complications]?" and there's. it feels like a personal problem? one that that specific person has to [repress / ignore / cope with / solve]? and that, on top of being wildly depressing, just. doesn't ring true or feel interesting to me?

because sometimes [gestures broadly at the whole thing of dating / relationships / falling in love] is good for people! it works out for them, and they genuinely are getting things they need / want out of it even though it's not perfect! i care about stories that can play around with that! i don't care about stories where this works out fairy-tale-happy-ending perfect, but i do care about what it takes to get to this being Good For You, what those types of people might fail to consider when they assess other people's relationships, the very subtle ways things can go wrong in a relationship because parties involved have been told their whole lives that this thing they're doing is Good and Correct and The Only Way, what it looks like to feel that pressure toward a romantic relationships and attempt to conform to those expectations, and so on. there are so many different ways to be hurt here! and that sort of thing just. doesn't fit into either of the models of soulmate stories i've described above?

but double life! double life has So Much of that! it's so delicious! there's such a range in the way that the players approach the bond, and it's so so fun and useful as a springboard for thinking about and illustrating -- in the [greatly exaggerated for funsies but nevertheless reflective of real parts of our society] way of sci-fi / fantasy fiction -- so many of the ways people approach romance, outside of the binary of [Perfect And Good] and [Just The Shittiest Ever]. and, again, i cannot imagine any of the creators set out to On Purpose say any of the stuff i've described here -- it was improv and playing around and friends trying out new stories to tell. but they give themselves over to an arbitrary system for defining their relations to each other, and some struggle to fit themselves to it and others don't, and we as the audience can see just how arbitrary it is but we and they find meaning regardless, and none of them think to say, "hey, what if we just gave up on every single piece of this system entirely?" and in the end it all falls apart anyway, because separate from being a soulmate story it was also a death game and it was never not going to be a tragedy. i care So Much about it. despite this being the season where the rules of the game themselves seemed to intertwine themselves with the concept of love, it was also the season where the power of love failed, where everything unravelled not despite but because of it.

#chattering sparrow #thanks for the ask! good opportunity for me to talk about things i've just been rolling around in my brain for the past uh. six months. #i just. wow. double life smp you own my entire heart. #i do not feel as awkward for talking this much as i otherwise might because i suspect this is at least loosely relevant to #some of your interests reyni

[kaezer]

I'm beginning to think that the VladxFem!OC & VladxFem!Danny tags are cursed, cause there are almost no finished fics in those categories. Even with the unfinished ones, very few of them get to the good stuff before stopping.

Most of them are either reader inserts that use Y/N for the name or are really Twilight-esc & have Danny as underage & still go on with the romance. Which is something I'm not okay with.

By Twilight-esc, I'm referring to how soulmates are done in them. Basically in a way that says, if you find your soulmate you have to get with them regardless of whether you're already in a healthy relationship or if you even want to be in one. It's a very shallow & absolutist idea of soulmates & when paired with underage Danny, is really creepy.

Yes, I'm talking about a specific story, but I'm not gonna specify which one because, honestly, it's not that good. I only read as far as I did because of desperation for VladxFemale content.

I mean, it was well-written, but... it just made Danny a total simp for Vlad & not in the healthy way. Like, in a "He can do no wrong" way. Which, I prefer relationships where the 2 stand on equal ground & they both understand that they are just people & likely have work to be done on themselves as people & their partner is totally here for that. Like, there can be a bit of power dynamics or domination going on, but it's something the 2 agree upon & both are okay with or it's for when they're in bed, ya know?

I just... you ever feel like you're looking for something, scrambling to find it or anything to satisfy a craving, but it's just not there, so you settle for whatever you can get? ): 💔

Bro I feel it! I’ve been trying to satiate myself with Badger Cereal but I have such a MIGHTY need for sexy Vlad that I’ve been poking around PomPep for the age appropriate stuff. It’s still not meeting my needs sadly. I’m still dehydrated-

But that’s why I wrote New Exhibit and why I’m writing how Vlad meets Maeven (A Lesson in Draconology) and my Hunted AU (Maeven comes in later but it’s cute). When in doubt, write what you want to read, ya know? I have a few other fun ideas bouncing around my head that if I develop them enough I’ll write them (I actually have spooky one that I might do in time for Halloween).

But I agree, we need more VladxFem- we are sorely lacking. Even the Star Wars fandom feeds the Hux simps and that’s saying something, it’s time the Phandom fed the Vlad simps. *Cracks knuckles* I know what I must do

#talk to kaezer #if anyone has good Vladxfem fics #please shoot them our way #I’m so thirsty

[insanelydeadlybookcollector]

I dislike TOT Could Have Been, because I dont buy the implication that Mondler were "fated" to be together & would have ended up as a couple in an another universe. Imo that's less romantic than what happens in the "real" universe. I think they needed the real universe specific history & set of events to end up falling in love. (Also I think the idea of "fate" & "meant to be" is more Ross & Rach than Mondler). Seeing as youre watching those episodes now, do you agree? (Feel free to say no!)

I'm going to say that I disagree.

I don't think TOT Could Have Been says Mondler are fated. Because I agree that the way some people define "soulmates and fate" is totally wrong and emphasises magic far too much. But soulmates as Shakespeare, Plath, Sparks, Fitzgerald, all the great romance writers, define fate as people whose interests and personalities compliment and couples who have the potential to work together and work hard to communicate and make their relationships work. I think that Mondler are exactly that. They're two people with amazing chemistry, who, despite everything when they met, they communicate and trust and love each other because they are willing to work hard and love each other for their quirks that no one else does.

The bones of what happens are the same in both universes. An dreally, as Marta Kaufman said, the idea wasn't that they were fated, but that "he loves her in every universe." Which just means that Chandler, in the real universe, loves Monica no matter what and this was their way of dispelling any idea that Chandler wouldn't be with her because of her weight. That was the entire purpose of the whole thing, the message that they love each other regardless of faults and flaws and quirks, that she can “balloon up or shrink down but she will always be Monica” and Chandler Bing will always love Monica Geller. Because of that friendship, trust, and communication. Which has no logical basis, given how rocky the start of their friendship was. Something pulls them together so that they become friends - that natural chemistry and potential to trust and enjoy each other’s company - that’s the fated part, because at their core characterisation, they haven’t changed, they cannot change, no matter the universe or situation, at their core they are the same and they have that potential to be more if they risk their friendship. 

I like the idea that you've posed here, because Mondler happening is totally contingent on their friendship and trust and things going right at exactly the right moment. But I think a very similar sequence of events happen in both universes to emphasise that Mondler is always going to happen because they are so connected.

They're friends. They have this inextricable bond despite their differences. They trust each other. The first person they tell their good news to is each other. The one person they can count on for support in the hard times is each other.

That's true for both universes.

And while it's a different catalyst in this universe. It's not, really.

They're friends. They have been for a long time. They touch and trust and invade each other's space constantly. Chandler doesn't think he has anything to offer her but offers himself to her anyway. Monica is involved in a relationship that clearly doesn't mean anything to the doctor she's dating but she's too oblivious to see. That man brushes her off - there is no reference to her appearance or her age but it is still a third party brushing her off as not worth his time. She turns to Chandler, not expecting anything but friendship, when she's upset because she knows he'll make her feel better. He tries to make her laugh. Tries to be self-deprecating. They end up throwing themselves together. It wasn't meant to mean anything for Monica. It did for Chandler. It ends up meaning far more than they expected it to.

And then they put the work in to make it work.

#mondler #relationships mean nothing if you dont put the work in #they work hard at their relationship #chandler and monica #monica and chandler #a film about soulmates and the fact you still need to work together to make the relationship last #it really depends on your outlook on fate - fate as personalities that for whatever reason put aside their differences and communicate - wh #absolutely starcrossed in the most beautiful sense. That is #chandler x monica #they have no reason to be together other than unconditional trust that shouldnt make any sense #monica x chandler #friends tv #monica geller and chandler bing #chandler bing #monica geller #monica geller bing #fate #soulmates #mondler are partners #mondler are soulmates #irrespective of circumstances #Mondler are going to love each other

[thoughts-on-bangtan]

I really wish jimin didn't wrote that song friends so i don't assume vmin are so special among them but it turns out that he called jk his best friend forever and soul brother which is same with vmin thing and i think taehyung is no longer special to jimin is just being his friend nothing at all. Do we get vmin moment these days? nothing right. or if we get its looks like fanservice now i know good luck to your ship.😊 because to me i'm signing off of being vminies now but i support them individually.

First of all, as twt would say, this isn’t an airport, you don’t need to announce your departure. Sorry.

Secondly, I think it’s a wild claim to make that you, as a fan, wish Jimin wouldn’t have written a song that means so much to him just because you, as a fan, made assumptions based on it and managed to disappoint yourself later down the line. Because this isn’t on Jimin, or Tae, or even JK, this is entirely on you, even more so if you used to be a vminnie yet allowed assumptions and interpretations of others to influence you enough to think that Tae isn’t special to Jimin anymore, that their bond isn't special, especially when even the other members have told us as much, as in that they are special/unique.

Third, the soul brother and best friend thing. I know what you’re referring to and I know you only thought this way based on interpretations solely made by one type of crowd in a specific way while everyone else saw it for what it was. What am I on about, or anon? During FESTA 2020 for the BTS Profiles there were a few pages were a member would fill out the answers for another members, as in what member X thought member Y would answer etc. Part of it was this:

Looking at the answers Jimin wrote in JKs POV, it’s easy to see Jimin was simply clowning and being cheeky much the way he was during Let’s BTS when he made JK admit that he is Jimin’s copy cat. Or do you really think that Jimin thinks that the other members are nothing but hyungs to JK while he’s the only one to whom JK has more of an emotional attachment? That Jimin really thinks JK only sees Seokjin as oldest hyung instead of the person we know JK loves and respects so much? Or Namjoon?

And sure, Jimin wrote soul brother, but imagine this, there is actually a difference between a soul brother and a soulmate. Shocking, right? Though there isn’t a literal dictionary definition of that word that fits, there are two from Urban Dictionary instead:

Soul Brother: Someone who fully understands you. Like a soul mate, but not someone you want to marry and make babies with. The brother of your soul.

An individual who you have been destined to become best bros with. 

Sounds rather platonic, doesn't it? While we know that soulmates, in an overwhelming majority of cases, are not, since soulmates are seen as destined perfect romantic partners, two halves of one whole etc. Here I’d like to use an example Admin 2 gave me, being a tennis player they like called Carolina Wozniacki, who never referred to her now husband as husband/boyfriend but instead usually refers to him as her...soulmate:

And, since everyone loves to friend zone vmin, or best friend zone them, here’s another tennis example where Denis never refers to his girlfriend as such but instead simply calls her his bestie:

All that to say, I think while Jimin was just having a good laugh, he still told us something we already know, that he is close with JK and they get along well, they are similar in some regards and they even come from the same city. During FESTA 2021 Jimin called JK his dongsaeng while calling Tae his chingu, and we know that in their context chingu is special. Besides, Tae is his person, the one about whom he’s been telling us for literal years that he wants to be with him forever, until they are grandpas, with whom he’s attending online university and studying the same major (which even just on the basis of that they must spend time together, but in a way that isn’t meant for our eyes since their lives aren’t a 24/7 televised reality TV show), and he even wrote a song about it, which brings us full circle. 

You have to remember that we aren’t the ones who decide what terms the members use to refer to each other and what those mean, they do. Just because you want something or another, that doesn’t really matter at all. If Tae and Jimin call each other best friends and soulmates, that is what they see each other as in whichever way they feel is right for them. Especially since Tae said something that definitely makes his bond with Jimin different than the one Jimin has with JK. You know what I’m about to say, right?

95z is love. 

Also the bonds within Bangtan aren’t a competition and the members are more than just pawns you can use for shipping, compare and contrast, and decide something or another.

Now, the fan service comment. This one I take offense to because we’ve had a lot, and i mean a lot, of Jimin and Tae interactions this year in nearly every kind of content we’ve seen from BTS. Except for maybe a preplanned stage moment, or something that’s simply part of the choreography like their Butter duo dance, none of that is fan service. Though the ironic thing is, with vmin I’ve noticed people only see two options: if they don’t interact, they hate each other/have drifted apart/they were never special to begin with, and yet if they do interact, it’s just fan service or to make X jealous.

I’m sorry to say this but this isn’t only pathetic but it’s also extremely rude toward Jimin and Tae, their bond, and even their friendship with JK and their place within Bangtan. Tae and Jimin have repeatedly shown and told us about their importance to each other, and unless they’ve changed their minds at some point, everything they’ve said is still valid and true. Do they really have to repeat themselves every month just so people believe them because otherwise their words and feelings will expire? That’s not how it works.

Just two months ago during Let’s BTS Tae told Jimin, and us, that he likes Jimin the most, which Jimin thanked him for and said he likes him a lot as well. Do you honestly believe that was also just fan service and nothing more? If so, perhaps it’s better you stopped being a vminnie because this is just uncalled for to say the least.

#vmin #Jimin #Taehyung #answered ask #answered ask by admin 1

[bookwyrminspiration]

hello quil!! do you still take song analysis asks? if so, consider the song Stray Italian Greyhound by Vienna Teng, for sophitz (but to be honest most fitz ships would work)

hello maya!! I don't have limited times or subjects for my askbox, so I'm always taking all asks, whhich includes song analysis! so I will very happily consider Stray Italian Greyhound, as you are right and there is so much to work with for that one

For some reason this is the first lyric that caught my attention: "Please not now / I just settled into the glass half empty / Made myself at home / And so why now." Looking at this through Sophie's perspective, it reminds me a lot of her inner dialogue throughout Flashback and Legacy, a sort of excited dread like "can this really be happening? is this real?" Because she'd spent so long convincing herself that what she wanted wasn't going to happen, that she had to get over her "stupid crush." And literally right before Fitz confessed she was settling herself into that glass half empty, into accepted the bad of the situation and to stop convincing herself something was going to happen when it wasn't. She was telling herself she'd settle for being his friend and it would have to be enough, and in that very moment he decided to confess his feelings for her. And there's this little bit of "why now?" Why not sooner so she didn't have to spend so long hiding it, and why then when she was just finally going to do something.

She wants it to work, she wants them to be a thing and to work out in the end. But leaving it unaddressed always meant that there was a sliver of maybe, like Schrodinger's cat. Not that he's bringing it up, they're going to quickly find out which of the possibilities it actually is. She'd just given up, so now to be thrust back into it all? Disorienting.

Stepping away from Sophie for a moment, let's look at a line that I think applies well to Fitz: "Oh, if you knew just what a fool you have made me / So what do I do with this?" I think that once again applies well to Flashback/Legacy (as that's when they were canon so I'll probably reference it again). Specifically the "what do I do with this" in regards to Sophie's whole situation with matchmaking and her complicated emotions with it as Fitz is trying to navigate it all. This boy is absolutely smitten and head over heels for her, but it comes with its fair share of challenges because its Sophie. We could even say he's a fool for her, ignoring logic and the things he knows in his heart about her (like her having already told him she doesn't want to find her bio parents and that she'd hate them for what they did) because he so desperately wants things to work out a certain way. he's a Vacker and he wants to be traditional, doesn't think he has any other option, at least not one he's willing to take and inflict the consequences of on his family. He wants them to be matched, and despite all the evidence pointing to that not happening he wants it so badly and loves Sophie so much he doesn't know what to do with the situation.

Then there's a line that reminds me of both of them: "These colors make my eyes hurt / This feeling calls for everything that I am not." Specifically that second part, but I'll get to it in a moment. You know that soulmate au where when you meet/see/touch your soulmate, you see the world in color or can finally see the color of their eyes, etc. Something to do with meeting each other and experiencing color is common. And while it may not literally be seeing colors in kotlc, it's painted in a similar way. Fitz introduced her to a whole new world, a whole new way of seeing things. And he did so further when they confessed to each other. They're both introducing each other to something new, to romance, to seeing the world and each other differently, to new colors. But it's...complicated. And as beautiful as it is, it's painful. It's hurting them despite them loving the view. Being together drove Sophie to seek out her biological parents, something she didn't want to do and that caused her deep distress. And Fitz is forced to confront the fact that what he wants won't happen because it's Sophie. Because things are always different for her and no matter what he tries he either has to accept being a bad match or they won't be together at all. And that hurts him, much as he doesn't want it to for their sake, but it does.

Neither of them are the person the other person wants or needs them to be. Fitz wants Sophie to be his match, to be on his lists and to be The One the system gives him. He needs them to be traditional, to do things the "right" way. Right now, he's not able to accept anything else. Not just for himself but for his family. Like he said, if he was a bad match it was the kind of thing his sister and his parents and his kids would never hear the end of. He can't do that to them, so he needs Sophie to be a perfect match for him. Sophie needs him to be outside of the system, to be flexible, to be able to disregard match status. She wants him to be someone who doesn't care about any of the strange things about her existence, who won't bat an eye at her being unmatchable and will comfort her through it. Someone who understands how much she doesn't want to know her parents. And Fitz isn't that person. He's traditional and her very existence goes against tradition. They love each other and desperately want it to work out, but there was too much between them that they weren't willing to work through or understand, and it tore them apart.

Neither of them were the person the other needed them to be.

I'm sure there are even more lines I could draw from the song to look at, but I don't want this to get too long so I'll stop there!! This is an excellent song suggestion and I loved applying it to Sophitz and the contrasts in their situations. It's absolutely riveting to compare their individual values and the way they're almost opposites of each other.

#I have many thoughts about them #even more so now that I'm almost done rereading the series #there were a few more lines I considered taking out of context #but I feel like these fit better #sophitz is so interesting to look out #*look at #so thank you for the opportunity!! #kotlc #keeper of the lost cities #quil's queries #queersofthelostcities #kotlc song analysis #kotlc character analysis #kotlc ships #sophie foster #fitz vacker #sophitz #fitzphie #sophie x fitz #long post