I just finished the season 3 episode of Glee centered around (in theory, at least) an attempted suicide, and now I’m seriously wondering if I can keep on watching this utter trainwreck of a show. The only thing that’s saving this post from being a paragraphs-long rant about tone problems and cloying, superficial messages about heavy topics is the knowledge that I’m showing up to this party about five years late so there’d be absolutely no point to it. And yet people have told me that it continues to get worse?

A long-delayed update on the demimonde, such as it is.

Not for the first time in my life I’m juggling the lust and/or affections of around half a dozen men. Unlike previous occasions during which I’ve had to manage that however I haven’t had actual physical sex (i.e. not sex through a phone or other electronic device) in months; half of them don’t live anywhere near here and the other half are contending with either jealous lovers or failing libidos. And in spite of all that and two entirely mostly above-board jobs at the moment I still have next to no disposable income. Something is clearly wrong with this picture.

pendwick:

does anyone else follow people who don’t even have the same interests as you, but you’ve followed them for years and you can’t imagine unfollowing them?

it’s like, no that’s joan the dolphin lover? she’s practically your neighbor on this website? you’ve never talked, you’re not even mutuals, but damn she loves dolphins. And every time you see her on your dash, you’re just like, oh wonderful, joan’s still alive, just doing her thing. she’s getting into golden age russian cat literature, good for her!

this person doesn’t even know they’ve been on your dash through the ups and downs of your life.  Their presence and cactus obsession is just something kind of familiar and almost comforting to you?

shamwowxl said

i have feelings about the britney spears episode and honestly i think that’s enough

That’s an interesting one to single out. All I remember from it is that it relied on a really dumb contrivance to include a bunch of unrelated music videos.

And then looking at the episode listings for the later seasons it looks like they did a second Britney Spears episode? I didn’t know her discography was large enough to warrant another one.

Now that I’m finished with the second season of Glee I recall why I stopped watching in the first place. This show bores me immensely by asking me to care about some of the most uninteresting things imaginable, like the blandness of Klaine, straight love polygons, high school proms, underage sex and drinking, the death of a character who existed only to be a morality prop for another character, or the belief that New York City is somehow the greatest place to ever exist. Nevertheless I think I’m going to soldier on through the rest of the series, in large part because of a piece I read once over on The Fandomentals that said something to the effect that almost every queer person has strong feelings one way or another about Glee. I’d hate to feel left out.

As paragonred tells me however I’m not even close to the peak of so-bad-it’s-good (or so-bad-it’s-watchable, at least) idiocy, so this is presumably going to get worse before it gets better.

Since you recently completely your Jugdral series, #9 & #25 for the Jugdral pairing of your choice.

Hmm. I believe I remarked back when I was talking about the women of FE that I don’t really connect with the Jugdral games much on the level of individual characters, and that it’s more the overarching narrative and world that appeals to me. Nevertheless, I’ll go with Lex/Azelle, which, if we accept the (your?) theory that Lex/Ayra was the prototype for Hector/Lyn, would be like Hector and Eliwood 0.5, sort of.

9. Do they discuss big issues? Religion? Marriage? Children? Death?

Yes to all of the above at one point or another, simply because they’re both young men of consequence who grew up together and have their lives increasingly defined by tragedy that hits very close to home and ultimately kills both of them (except I think there’s a manga where Azelle survives Belhalla but gets petrified or something, but I’m overlooking that). Marriage and children would of course not be in reference to each other but to the various women in their lives – Lex must be sick of hearing Azelle moon over Edain, for one. I can see or both of them privately thinking how life would have been better had one of them been a girl and they’d been able to marry, considering both their relationships with Tailtiu end up being more or less exactly that.

25. How much time do they spend together? Do they share their feelings, or hold things in?

Quite a lot of time spent and feelings shared together, although as Sigurd’s campaign wears on and becomes gradually more bleak I see them starting to pull away from each other. Their conversation in Chapter 5 comes after the army has killed Lex’s father, which is a pretty heavy reason to start talking to your BFF again. Maybe they get wrapped up in their own individual romantic dramas and don’t have as much time for each other anymore. Maybe they’re concerned about what people might say about them, seeing as the rumor mill surrounding inappropriate romantic inclinations among the nobility seems to be quite active in Jugdral. By the time of Belhalla I imagine they’ve reached a certain understanding about where they stand with each other, even if they aren’t “together” in any conventional sense.

For the meme, Ike/Ranulf 3, 7, 8?

3. Are they open about their relationship? How do they feel about public displays of affection?

It’s hard to really call them “open” when their ending has them leave behind everyone they know and set out for parts unknown, but I don’t see them keeping it a secret that they’ve done so together (I could not imagine either of them having the nerve to break it to Soren, though). On their travels they probably act similarly to how Nailah and Rafiel are with each other, where they’re always together and clearly care for each other even if they’re usually not being deliberately demonstrative about it. Both are comfortable with PDA, but it’s probably something they reserve for more serious moments if only because that’s when Ike is at his most emotionally expressive anyway.

7. What annoys them the most about their partner? Would they change it if they could?

There are times when Ranulf’s teasing can be over the top for Ike, or it can seem like he’s not taking a situation seriously. Conversely, Ranulf can get annoyed whenever Ike is acting too much like Skrimir, thinking he can solve problems by simple straightforward action all the time. I don’t see either of them ever setting out to change those things about the other, but as issues are bound to arise whenever they have arguments they’ll likely learn over time to better moderate themselves for the sake of better communication.

8. What do the like best about their partner?

This is undoubtedly the influence of fanfic, but I could buy that what they both say they like most about the other would be primarily physical, whether that’s Ike’s ripped bro bod or Ranulf’s lithe twunkiness (and/or catboy elements, because Ike enjoys those and Ranulf gets a kick out of playing them up in general – see “kitty cat pillow”). What they like best in reality though is how easily they can open up to each other and share, despite their considerably different life experiences. Their in-game conversations are full of effortless camaraderie, and they have no trouble getting on the same emotional and even intellectual wavelength when they talk.

allonym said

Hope everything is okay now!

Oh, not at all, though I’m long accustomed to handling such things on my own. It’s flattering in a way that some people are so threatened by my mere presence, whether that be in a property that partially belongs to me or in someone else’s bed. And as I have nothing but contempt for men who attempt to control those in their lives by brute force and posturing I relish knowing that I’m taking some of them down a peg or two.

Send me a ship and a number and I’ll tell you

susurrusilous:

  1. – How do they fall asleep? Wake up? Any daily rituals?
  2. – How’s their team work? Do they share well?
  3. – Are they open about their relationship? How do they feel about public displays of affection?
  4. – First impression of each other? Was it love at first sight?
  5. – Nicknames? Pet names? Any in-jokes?
  6. – Any tasks that are always left to one person?
  7. – What annoys them the most about their partner? Would they change it if they could?
  8. – What do the like best about their partner?
  9. – Do they discuss big issues? Religion? Marriage? Children? Death?
  10. – Who drives? Cooks? Does the handiwork? Cleans? Pays the bills? Handles the public?
  11. – Do they celebrate holidays? Anniversaries?
  12. – Is there a wedding? What was the proposal like? Any kind of honeymoon?
  13. – What do they do for fun? Do they have a favorite activity or do they like to switch things up?
  14. – Anything they both dread?
  15. – How adventurous are they?
  16. – Do they keep secrets? Lie? Cheat?
  17. – What would make them break up? Would it be permanent?
  18. – What are their dates like? How long do/did they date? Do they ever feel the need to take a break from each other?
  19. – What do they fight about? What are their arguments like? How do they make up?
  20. – What does their home look like? Their room?
  21. – Do they share any interests or hobbies?
  22. – Does their work ever interfere with the relationship?
  23. – How do they hug? Kiss? Tease? Flirt? Comfort?
  24. – Any doubts about the relationship?
  25. – How much time do they spend together? Do they share their feelings, or hold things in?
  26. – How do their friends feel about their relationship? Their families?
  27. – Do they have kids? Grow old together? Split up?
  28. – What are their vacations like?
  29. – How do the handle disasters or emergencies? Minor injuries? Sickness?
  30. – Could they manage a long distance relationship?
  31. – Do they have finish each other’s sentences? Pick up any phrases or habits from each other? Know when the other is hiding something?
  32. – Do they ever get into trouble? Is it serious, or are they just mischievous?
  33. – What kind of presents do they get each other? Do they only do it on special occasions?
  34. – Do they have any pets?
  35. – Do they bring out the best in each other, or the worst? Do they have a fatal flaw?
  36. – What’s their greatest strength as a couple? Their weakness?
  37. – How much would they be willing to sacrifice for the other? Any lines they refuse to cross?
  38. – What are they like in the bedroom? Any kinks/fetishes/turn-ons? Anything they won’t do?
  39. – Who initiated the relationship? Who kissed who first?  When did they realize they were in love?
  40. – Any special memories? Do they have a special place they like to go to?
  41. – Are they party-goers? What are they like when they’re drunk? Does it happen often?
  42. – Do they let each other get away with things that would normally bother them?
  43. – Do they talk often? What about?
  44. – Are the comfortable with each other? Anything they have to have their privacy for?
  45. – Any special dreams or goals they have as a couple? Any heartbreaks? Regrets?