#and when i go check the release date the season has been out for two or three weeks already???? literally stop

[demigod-of-the-agni]

youtube needs to fix its recommendation game because lordy it always lets me know when dragons nine realms has a new season every 3-5 months and i'm just.

leave me alone. i do not want to see the httyd fanfic show. pls stop.

#a dragon loses its wings everytime youtube recs me a video with “DRAGONS NINE REALMS SEASON ONE MILLION” in the title #and when i go check the release date the season has been out for two or three weeks already???? literally stop #dreamworks is doing something to the animators they are not thriving #/eye/ am not thriving #I DO NOT WANT TO SEE....... LEAVE ME ALONE...... BLISSFUL IGNORANCE IS ALWAYS A CASUALTY #yall out here telling me they named an episode “science vs nature” that is literally something satan would write with his asscheeks #i cannot take this show seriously anymore #this post is ghost written by hiccup. he is sick and tired of his grave being desecrated by these delinquents #dragons the nine realms #nine realms but legit

[yeonzzzn]

jay au where y/n is also an idol and they have a situationship and they always do tiktok challenges together and when jay recorded a challenge with other idol y/n is like OHHHHH SO YOU *TALK* WITH OTHER GIRLS? and is sooooo jealous (literally me in my silly little delulu head cause wdym jay talks with other ppl???)

NO BC I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS CONCEPT‼️‼️such a cute idea!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

it’s just a tiktok challenge

paring: jay x afab!reader word count: 1.6k

You didn’t know what was worse:

1: Your situationship with Jay or  2: The fact that this situationship with Jay is a secret. 

You obviously didn’t understand how the world didn’t already know the two of you are more than just friends. Mostly since anytime there’s a new TikTok challenge, you were always the first person Jay called and vice versa. 

Of course, Jay used the challenges as one of the excuses to see you out in public. To drag you to whatever good spot for the challenge and have it secretly be a date afterward. 

Being idols has made it hard for the two of you to officially slap a label on whatever it is that your relationship is. Jay was your best friend and you were his, so obviously when the two of you are seen in public together or doing the TikTok challenges no one bats an eye at it. And anytime either of you has been confronted on whether it’s more than friends, you both deny everything. 

It sucked, truly. To keep the situationship such a secret.

Jay felt the same way. He hated having to find ways to sneak you into the dorms or sneak into yours just to have a quick fuck or spend as much time with you as possible in a way that the public eye wouldn’t know anything. All Jay wanted to do was scream from the rooftops about how in love with you he was. And the only way he knew how to voice that was through this situationship and the TikTok challenges. 

He’d always sneak glances at you while doing the challenge, as in a way of hoping you’d see it. Jay knew you had feelings for him too, you’ve both discussed your feelings, just not in depth. 

Both are so in love with each other but neither of you knew it. Thinking it was just a small crush mixed with friends with benefits and acting innocent when the cameras are on.

Sometimes you’d both risk getting caught, having a quick make-out session behind the stages or stairs or closet or wherever Jay was able to pin your body against him. Just to get his fix of you before having to go back to pretending. 

It’s award show season and all the idols are gathered in one place, taking selfies and videos, going on Instagram lives together, and of course; TikTok challenges. 

Jay searched the sea of idols for you, constantly checking his phone to see if you’ve texted him, but have yet to hear from you. 

Sunghoon nudges Jay’s side, teasing him about you and Jay flips him the bird, “Shut up! Don’t speak too loud.” 

Of course, his group knew about the two of you, and the same with your group. Who else was going to help film the challenges and sneak you both in and out of your company buildings and dorm rooms? 

Jay slides his hands into his pockets, releasing a sigh as he continues to search for you, only for Chaewon to pop up at his side, “Jay! Want to do our new choreography dance challenge with me? Please!” 

She clung to his arm, smiling at him. Jay shrugged, smiling back, “Sure why not! How about in the hallway? It’s got pretty good lighting.” 

Chaewon agreed, asking Sunghoon to film the challenge. Sunghoon took a smirking glance at Jay and agreed. 

Jay didn’t do challenges without you. It was always you or the members he did them with. So this was the first time since before meeting you that he’d do a challenge with another idol. 

They filmed the dance challenge, then Jay offered Chae to do their comeback title challenge too, to which she agreed. 

Your group arrived a bit late but still just in time. You smoothed out your white cropped tank top and double-checked your fishnet tights underneath your white jeaned shorts, your group was set to perform early on into the show, so you all showed up already ready. 

“He already thinks you’re sexy, YN, stop fidgeting with your outfit,” one of your elder bandmates teased, pinching your cheek, “You’re cute, he knows it.” 

You couldn’t lie and say you were just trying to make sure the outfit was okay, mostly when in reality you were hoping Jay’s jaw would drop at the sight of you. 

You released a sigh, looking out around the stage and the sea of people, trying to find him. You found his group, seeing all the boys huddled together and laughing at something Jake was showing them on his phone, but Jay wasn’t there, Sunghoon was also missing. 

You glanced more around the crowd, finally eyeing the two boys and Chaewon walking back to their seats. You watched as Jay and Sunghoon gave her a smile and nod before parting ways, reuniting with their groups, and seeing Jay pull his phone from his pocket. 

Pulling your phone from your back pocket, you went to his messages, typing out that you could see him and comment how handsome he looked, only to be distracted by another notification on TikTok: Enhypen posted a video! 

You smiled and clicked the notification, expecting it to be something silly Jay and Sunghoon just filmed, only for your smile to slowly drop at seeing Chaewon by Jay’s side. 

As if on cue, you received a text from Jay.

Jay: Where are you? I want to see you before you perform. I bet you look so pretty :(

You locked your phone and ignored his message. 

Jealousy wasn’t a normal emotion for you. You haven’t had to ever feel it, really. Yes, there were *small* moments but it wasn’t ever anything major. Until today. 

Your group was finally called to perform, your headsets and equipment being handed to each of your group members and being escorted to the stage. 

The performance was three song lengths long, and you kept your smile the entire time, only making eye contact with Jay once, trying your best to keep your eyes everywhere but at him. 

Once the performance was over, your group headed to a changing room. You glanced down at your phone, seeing multiple texts. 

Jay: god you look so good  Jay: <3 <3 <3 <3 Jay: those fishnets are killing me YN  Jay: meet me at the stairs the moment you see these  Jay: fuck the things I want to do to you right now. 

You thinned your lips in a line, debating to either ignore him or go to him. 

You went to him. 

You had barely pushed the door open to the stairs and took two steps down before Jay had his hands on your waist, lifting you off the stairs and pinning you to the wall, his lips crashing to yours. 

His hand trailed down to your thighs, pushing his fingers between the strings of your fishnets and squeezing the plush skin, “Fuck you’re so hot,” he whispered between kisses, shoving his tongue down your throat and rocking his growing hard length against your tummy. 

You placed your hands on his shoulders, slightly pushing him back from you so you could catch your breath, resting your head against the wall. 

It took one look at your face for Jay to realize something was wrong. Normally you’d be jumping his bones at this moment, but you’re clocked out and far away from here, far from him. 

He cupped your face, resting his forehead against yours, “What’s wrong, honey?” 

You sighed, pouting your lips and moving your head away from his and his hands, “Oh, nothing.” 

Jay took a step back from you, raising a brow, “That attitude says otherwise.” 

You crossed your arms, slouching against the wall, “What reason would I have to be upset, Jongseong?” 

He stared at you, running through every possible thing that could be upsetting you and then it finally clicked. 

Jay smirks, placing both his hands on either side of your face, “You’re jealous, aren’t you?” 

You weren’t shocked that Jay figured it out so quickly, he knew you inside and out. 

You shrugged, looking away from him. 

Jay pressed his body back against yours, bringing his face close to yours, brushing his lips against your ear, “You’re so hot when you’re jealous.” 

He nibbles on the shell of your ear and you bite your tongue to keep from whimpering, “I am not jealous.” 

Jay traces his lips down to your neck, “Baby, it’s just a TikTok challenge.” 

You scoff, “So you talk with other girls then?” 

“You are so jealous,” he chuckles against your neck, “Chaewon and I are under the same company, I can do challenges with her.” You tried to push him away again, but his body held firm against yours. 

You pouted more and tried to hold yourself together from exploding out your emotions. 

“Baby,” he whispered, moving his face back to yours, once again cupping your face, “You’re the one that I want, okay? I love you. I want you. There’s no need to be jealous over a TikTok challenge. There’s still so much more I can do with you.” 

You stared into his brown eyes, “You love me?” 

He chuckled, “Of course I do.” 

You felt stupid for being jealous, mostly when Jay is allowed to have other friends to do challenges with. You felt stupid for being jealous when he was in love with you. How silly you felt as you curled your lips into a small. 

“There’s that smile I love,” he smiled back, rubbing his thumbs against your cheeks, “Now,” he went back into a whisper, sliding his hands down to your ass, “I have about thirty minutes before my group is called to perform, let’s make it count, ya?” 

You attach your lips to his, your hands working at his belt. 

At least to say, you both made every second of that thirty minutes count.

— perm taglist: @alvojake @ikeuverse @woniebae @shawnyle @kangnina @jwnghyuns @in-somnias-world @zyvlxqht @aaa-sia @wonniethepoo @addictedtohobi @eneiyri @sparklovespink @skzenhalove @fakeuwus @cherry-park @vousty @ladyartemesia @psh9 @cmoundiamante @enhaverse713586 @wondipity @lhsvibez @belowbun @jaeyunq @rikizm @kaykay11sworld @pockettwinzz @vixialuvs @seunghancore

#yeonzzzn asks #jay bae #jay park #park jay #jongseong park #park jongseong #reader x jay #jay x reader #park jongseong x reader #reader x park jongseong #enhypen #enhypen x reader #reader x enhypen #enhypen fanfic #enhypen fanfiction #enhypen imagines #enhypen scenarios #yeonzzzn writing

[betterthanburrow]

It Was Divine - Instagram AU

(Bengals Quarterback! Joe Burrow x RnB Singer! OC)

liked by yourinstagram and 99,690 more users

Bengals: Starting off May with a pic of Joe.

view all 13,009 comments

username1: a great start to the month

username2: thank you admin!

liked by 113,009 users

ENEWS: is it the time of season for romantic relationships between singers and football players?!

R&B Singer Y/FN Y/LN and Football Quarterback Joe Burrow are rumored to be in a relationship.

Official Sources tell us that the two met earlier this year when Y/N performed the National Anthem at the AFC Championship game between the Bengals vs the Chiefs and have stayed close in touch ever since.

view all 909 comments

username1: my favorite singer and my favorite football player are in a RELATIONSHIP?!

username2: this relationship seems like a fever dream

username3: he didn’t walk away from this football season with a SB ring… but he’s walking away with a new hot girl by his side.

liked by 222,013 users

WorldOfY/N: AFTER 3 YEARS OF WAITING…

WE’RE GETTING A NEW ALBUM THIS MONTH!

view all 69,420 comments

username1: dating rumors AND album announcement on the same day? … this is too much to handle 🫨

username2: OH MY GOSH!

username3: AM I DREAMING RIGHT NOW?!

username4: GO CHECK HER INSTAGRAM! … SHE JUST POSTED THE ALBUM NAME, THE ALBUM COVER, THE RELEASE DATE, AND THE TRACK-LIST!

liked by joeyb_9 and 5,420,013 more users

yourinstagram: It Was Divine 🦋 The Tracklist 🤍

view all 999,009 comments

yourrecordlabel: very excited for this new album 🤍

username1: I’M CLAIMING TRACK 4!

username2: i can already tell that this will be my new favorite album of all time!

Twitter:

liked by joeyb_9 and 4,250,009 more users

yourinstagram: More Than Enough is Out Now ☁️

view all 250,045 comments

username1: MORE THAN ENOUGH IS MY NEW FAVORITE SONG!

username2: is this a soft launch 🤨

username3: i think there’s only one man on this planet who would wear those tie-dye sweatpants…

liked by yourinstagram and 245,450 more users

Bengals: Headband Joe: Unlocked

view all 99,513 comments

username1: i didn’t expect to see this kind of look on Joe… but i don’t hate it at all.

username2: this dude is SO FINE!

username3: hard to watch ❌ hard while watching ✅

username4: i understand what the tiktok girls see now

username5: you’re a lucky woman @.yourinstagram

liked by yourinstagram and 930,205 more users

joeyb_9: First day of school vibes

view all 20,013 comments

username1: you got me feeling some type of way on this lovely morning Mr. Joe Burrow.

username2: 🤤🤤🤤

username3: MY FAVORITE WHITE BOY!!!

liked by 255,505 users

ENEWS: Despite no official confirmation of the relationship between the Singer and the Quarterback, Sources close to the new couple say that they’re both “head over heels in love” and that fans will be able to feel that with the songs on Y/N’s upcoming album.

“Things in their relationships are moving quicker than they expected but for all good reasons… Ever since the two met for the first time earlier this year, Joe has made a huge impact on Y/N’s life to the point where she got very inspired to get into the music studio to create her new album.” one source says.

Another source says, “After the lost of the AFC Championship game, Y/N was by Joe’s side as a new friend and Joe had been very welcoming of the new friendship because he had been a fan of her music since her debut album was released in 2020 (Joe had said in an interview before that her debut album helped ease his mind during the Covid Lockdown).”

“Don’t expect Joe and Y/N to hard launch their relationship on social media because Joe and Y/N use social media as just a business platform… but through the way they’ll be supporting each other is how the world will be able to see the love that Joe and Y/N have for each other.” an official source says.

view all 55,013 comments

username1: i can’t believe that my favorite singer and my favorite NFL quarterback are in a relationship WITH EACH OTHER?!

username2: the two most private celebrities that i stan are in a relationship… I JUST NEED ONE PICTURE!

username3: oh okay… so they’re IN LOVE!

username4: Y/N is a WAG!

username5: this man has made such a huge impact in her life to the point where she was INSPIRED to go to the MUSIC STUDIO to RECORD A NEW ALBUM!

liked by joeyb_9 and 10,013,420 more likes

yourinstagram: It Was Divine 🦋 Out Now!

view all 690,513 comments

yourrecordlabel: congratulations on the new album 🤍

username1: THIS IS YOUR BEST ALBUM!!!!

username2: ALBUM OF THE YEAR!

username3: the album has been on repeat ALL DAY!

joeyb_9: 🤍

Author’s Note:

if you have a Instagram AU request, please send the IG AU request to my Inbox and i’ll try to get the requested Instagram AU published as fast as i can!

thank you for all the love and support! 🤍

#Joe Burrow #NFL #CFB #LSU Tigers #Cincinnati Bengals #Joe Burrow Fanfiction #Joe Burrow Fanfic #Joe Burrow Fic #Joe Burrow x Reader #Joe Burrow x OC #Joe Burrow x Y/N #Joe Burrow Instagram #Joe Burrow Instagram AU #Instagram #Instagram AU #NFL Fanfiction #NFL Instagram #NFL Instagram AU

[ggundeuri]

hwang hyunjin - platform 14

pairing: hyunjin x gn!reader

genre: romance, fluff, established relationship, long distance, reader is a uni student, hurt/comfort??

warnings: reader hates crowded/public spaces, not proofread

word count: 1.5k 

summary: your train home to see your boyfriend after several months is delayed

a/n: inspired by this cute couple i saw at the train station T-T 

masterlist

reblog if you enjoy!

You were already running late thanks to the traffic, and now you found yourself at another escalator. If it wasn’t for your terrible habit of overpacking, you would’ve just picked your suitcase up and lugged it behind you as you climbed your way up. Instead, you were forced to wait on the steps. With every passing second, they seemed to move slower, the end only stretching out further from you.

Checking the time as you were finally released, you broke out into a small run. Platform 14 wasn’t far - you had done this so many times before. You still had time to make it. Fumbling around in your pockets as you approached the turnstiles, your face fell when a member of staff held his hand up, blocking you from entering the platform

“Sorry, the train is delayed.”

You peered behind him, noticing how the tracks were empty. 

“Why? It’s supposed to depart soon, no?” you huffed, crossing your arms over your chest.

“Unexpected railworks,” he said simply. 

“How long will it be?” 

He shook his head, “No clue. You’ll have to listen to the announcements.”

Without another word, you turned on your heel and marched to the closest bench. Your arm was so sore from dragging your luggage around that you winced when you pulled out your phone.

[Hyunjin] did you get on the train okay?

[Hyunjin] i’m so excited to see you

[You] it’s been delayed :(

You sighed, closing the messaging app to take a look at your homescreen. It was a picture of you and your beloved, Hyunjin, that the two of you had taken years ago - just before you started dating. You tried to not let it get to you, this journey was familiar to you after all. Even though you had moved away for university a couple months ago, you made the time to visit each other almost every other weekend; a little distance wasn’t going to spoil what you had.

Still, life got in the way. Exam season came and went, preventing you from leaving the library except to go home and sleep or to make your way to the exam hall. Your boyfriend never complained once, always calling you or texting you to remind you to eat and even sending little gifts in the mail - bathbombs and facemasks and snacks to make sure you were taking care of yourself. Thinking about it only made you miss him even more, if that was even possible. You cursed the railway tracks for not working properly on today of all days.

The only thing there was left to do was look around you. Eyeing up the information board, it provided no relief. It still only said that your train was delayed. Of course, some people were complaining loudly about the delays - it wan’t just you that had been affected. Dozens of other people were probably also being kept from seeing their loved ones because of the works. It made you feel so small. The crowd between you and the platform grew bigger as each second passed, completely blocking it from view. Now you would have to fight your way through them to get a good seat. Their chatter reached your ears despite your music already being on maximum volume, clashing with the announcer���s monotone voice booming from the speakers surrounding you. You just wanted to be home already, to see Hyunjin. To have him hold you and tell you it was okay.

As if he had read your mind from such a distance, your phone started buzzing. A call from him. It barely made it through the first ring before you picked up.

“Babe, are you okay?” his voice was music to your ears. Everything, all the people and all the noise suddenly seemed so far away. 

“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?” you tried not to sound too worried.

He knew you like the back of his hand, though. You couldn’t hide your shaky voice from him, “It sounds really busy there - are you sure?”

You nodded, forgetting he couldn’t see you, “I just want to be home already.”

“You will be soon, don’t worry,” he sighed, “is there any more information?”

“Nope - there’s unexpected railworks. The train we’re supposed to get on hasn’t even arrived yet.”

He laughed. You laughed, too. Oh, how you missed his laugh, “Typical, isn’t it? Do you want me to stay on the phone?”

“Yes, please,” you begged, “It’s too loud.”

“Okay, let’s see. I have a lot planned for us when you finally arrive.”

“Really? Tell me more.”

“I can’t - it’s a surprise,” he teased.

“Oh, please,” you scoffed, “I don’t need any more surprises.”

“Right, right,” he surrendered, “I had nothing planned for tonight - it’s free for whatever you want to do.”

“What do I want to do?” you thought out loud, “I just want to sleep.”

“Okay, then,” he chuckled, “we can just sleep.”

The two of you spent the next few minutes discussing your plans for the evening in more detail. He suggested ordering food, taking a bath, watching TV, and turning in early. You could picture it clearly, removing yourself from the hectic atmosphere of the station.

“Oh, did you hear that?” he stopped. 

You took your earphones out, disbelieving of the sudden silence from the crowd around you. You strained your ears, struggling to understand the announcer’s muffled voice even though the speaker was so close to you.

“The train from Platform 14 will depart in ten minutes. Please make your way to the gates. We apologise for any inconveniences caused.”

“Making me wait another thirty minutes to see you is more than just an inconvenience, I think,” Hyunjin joked. 

“It’s already been half an hour?” you questioned, confirming this for yourself by checking the time, “I have to go now if I don’t want to wrestle with a stranger for a window seat.”

“Okay, okay, text me when you’re almost there,” he cooed, “I’ll pick you up.”

“You don’t have to,” you stood up, struggling with how unnatural it felt to pull your suitcase along with your other hand, “I know the way.”

“Don’t be silly, I can’t wait that much longer.”

“Alright,” you sighed, “I’ll see you later. Love you.”

“I love you too.”

You put your phone away, retrieving your ticket from your pocket and gripping onto it tightly as you merged with the crowd. You tried to not let it bother you every time someone cut in front or pushed against you, doing your best to focus on how you would finally be able to see Hyunjin again after all of this. 

Successfully making it past the turnstiles, you hurried onto the coach at the very front, relief soothing your tensed muscles as you claimed the last forward-facing seat. Having to deal with the motion of travelling backwards would do nothing for your already excited nerves now. 

You didn’t even bother trying to hoist your suitcase above your head and into the overhead compartment, knowing that it would end badly. Instead, you carefully balanced it upright on the aisle seat, blocking the rest of the world from your mind as you turned to the window. The next couple hours passed quicker than expected, the blurry scenery surrounded by a burnt, beautiful orange sky as the sun began it’s descent. 

It was nice to get away from the world for a while; there was nothing to do but stare out the window and relax, all your worries left behind at the station. But when the train finally came to a stop, you were the first one off. Ticket in hand, you rushed past the gates and only slowed down when you were finally outside, taking a moment to finally breathe in the fresh air. 

Just as you were about to reach for your phone to let Hyunjin know you arrived, you felt a warm hand take your suitcase from you. Tensing up, worried that someone had just managed to rob you in broad daylight, you whipped your head around.

It was just Hyunjin. 

He was leaning against your suitcase, a bright smile plastered across his face. He looked exactly the same as he did when you last saw him a few months ago, the only difference being that his hair had now grown out past his jaw, falling haphazardly across his face as the wind blew. 

You didn’t say anything. Practically throwing yourself at him, he stumbled backwards a bit as he tried to catch his balance and keep the both of you upright, forgetting about keeping his hand on your luggage in favour of snaking his hands around your waist. You let out a long sigh, remembering just how nice his hair smelt - it was the same scent as the shampoo he started using when you first got together. He must’ve taken note of your comment on how nice it smelt.

Finally pulling away to look at his face properly, you smiled back at him.

It wasn’t just Hyunjin. He was your Hyunjin.

“Welcome home.”

taglist - taglist is open!!

@abi121 @sockjam

#stray kids #skz #stray kids x reader #stray kids x you #stray kids x y/n #skz x reader #skz x you #skz x y/n #hyunjin #hwang hyunjin #hyunjin x reader #hyunjin x you #hyunjin x y/n #stray kids hyunjin #skz hyunjin #stray kids fluff #skz fluff #stray kids hurt/comfort #skz hurt/comfort #hurt/comfort #stray kids scenarios #stray kids drabbles #stray kids imagines #skz scenarios #skz drabbles #skz imagines #stray kids fanfic #stray kids romance #skz fanfic

[thelarriefics]

STRANGERS TO LOVERS FIC REC, Part II: Below you will find more fics that have Harry and Louis barely knowing one another before intimacy. (Part I)

📖 Let Your Heart Be Light by @cyantific (77k)

Louis Tomlinson, a self-proclaimed holiday-hater, loses his job two weeks before Christmas. Broke and desperate to see his family back home in England, he takes the only job left at the mall as one of Santa’s helpers. Harry is an unconventional mall Santa, the youngest one they’ve had in years, but with as much holiday spirit as any other seasoned Saint Nick. He’s determined to un-Grinch the new guy in Santa’s Village if it takes until Christmas, then he finds out the devastating reason Louis has lost his Christmas cheer. Will Harry be just the thing Louis needs to help him get his sparkle back?

Featuring Liam as the manager at Santa's Village, Niall as an easy-going Irish elf and Harry's best friend, grumpy Grinch Louis and his best friend Zayn and one matchmaking Mrs. Claus.

📖 where the tide takes you, i will follow by @pinkcords (53k)

There’s no way around his departure, their inevitable fate. Harry will leave and he will return to London and when he sits in his new flat, wherever it might be, he will think of this summer and the warmth the sun brought him and the way it felt to be loved. He will compare all his future relationships to Louis and when they fall short, he will be disappointed. Harry knows this.

Or, Louis lives in Gloucester and Harry tries to find a way to stay.

📖 You're The Christmas Wonder, That Makes Me A Believer by @lousluv91 (44k)

There were two things that every person in Louis Tomlinson's life knew for sure.

First, he was a perfectionist. A hard-working person, a caretaker who took his responsibilities seriously and often appeared to be kind of intimidating. Though those he trusted also knew his very soft and loving side.

The other thing they all knew was that Louis hated Christmas.

or the one where Louis is a grinch and Harry teaches him to love Christmas. Maybe Louis falls in love with more than just the holidays.

📖 Purring In My Lap (The Kitty Fic) by @yoursolosong (40k)

Louis and Harry are two strangers who find an abandoned kitten at the same time and argue over who's going to keep it. Begrudgingly, they decide to co- parent because they're both stubborn and don't trust the other to take proper care of the kitty.

📖 now you're in my life (I can't get you off my mind) by @so-why-let-your-voice-be-tamed (32k)

In reality, it’s a little different. Because as much as Harry loves the concept of dating, the reality sucks.

📖 Ding-Dong! Daybreak by @thinlinez (28k)

All it took was a flat bike tire, confusing usernames, pumpkin flavored biscuits, a chaotically supportive dog and food deliveries at daybreak for Omega Louis to fall hard.

📖 Sweet as Honey by @teamlouis2023 (21k)

Louis has always been shit at cooking. When he discovers Sweet as Honey on Instagram, owned by chef Harry Styles, he intends to mock him by recreating his recipes with his awful skills, posting photos on his own Instagram account, Nailed It. It's all fun until Harry asks to meet him.

📖 I Just Want To Start a Flame in your Heart by @peachbootylouis (21k)

Harry’s impending album release meant promo season was in full swing. While at an industry party with his manager, a harp player catches his eye and Harry is instantly bewitched.

📖 Checking Them Out?: How To Use Your Library Science Degree To Get an Alpha by @insightfulinsomniac (20k)

When a flirty, attractive alpha patron checks out an entire shelf of literature on omega behavior and omega rights, Harry can’t help but wonder why the man is so interested — is he a really attentive partner, or is he just a creep?

It doesn’t help that this alpha visits weekly to exchange his books… and that he smells absolutely divine.

Whether he likes it or not, Harry has a crush.

📖 lucky me, lucky you by @sun-lt (17k)

He wants to let Louis have that—have him, on his knees, easy and good and willing—badly.

📖 Be Mine? by @softfonds (11k)

Getting dumped the week before Valentine's Day wasn't in Harry's plans, and neither was being dragged to a concert to forget about it. But a sign Zayn brings manages to turn his night around in more ways than he hoped for.

📖 i need something, so tell me something new by @alwaysxlarrie (10k)

Louis goes on vacation to New York City to enjoy the good weather and good food - he even has a list of restaurants he wants to eat at. Much to his delight, his first restaurant stop includes a gorgeous curly boy and his nosy but supportive best friend. Maybe he'll get more than what he came here for.

📖 Wait by the Light of the Moon by @jaerie (5k)

Being a single parent of a newborn was not in Harry's plan. He can barely keep himself together doing everything on his own. He can't explain why he finds comfort in his neighbour next door, but apparently it's mutual.

📖 Get Nesting & Soft Knots by @pocketsunshineharry (5k)

AU where Omega Louis who runs a nesting materials Youtube channel meets Alpha Harry who knits his own blankets

📖 Perfect, For Now by @parmahamlarrie (4k)

Moving to a new city is always hard, being away from home, finding your new community - none of it is easy. Dealing with all of this while being touch deprived is even more difficult.

That is where omega Harry Styles finds himself a few months into his move to Brighton.

Then a mysterious alpha's scent enters his life, and he finds that he can't stay away.

📖 Unplant by @hellolovers13 (4k)

Louis should've looked where he was going, then he wouldn't have to desperately try to save a little flower now.

📖 She is Beauty, We are World Class by @exquisitelycloseted (3k)

A 70's London AU where Louis loses himself, and Harry finds him before he gets lost.

📖 Netflix Original by @allwaswell16 (1k)

Harry's hot neighbor overhears that he doesn't have Netflix.

#strangers to lovers fic rec #hlcreators #hljournal #1dsource

[tame-a-messenger]

Ok I’m glad that we’re getting sword af again but I’m disappointed it’s audio only. Like is it bad that this announcement kinda ruined my day a bit? One of the things people like the most is seeing the cast interactions I mean a majority of the posts I’ve seen about sword af are about their interactions and reactions to things (and several posts about the seating arrangement for next season only to get no seating arrangement 😔). Also like I don’t really do podcasts. I can’t focus on audio only things for that long and (even though I’m definitely going to try to listen to season two) I don’t think I’m going to be able to listen to season two because I can’t focus that long when there’s no visuals. Everyone keeps saying budget is the reason for it to be only audio but smosh mouth and smosh Reddit stories are their podcasts but both of them have video too. Cut the video for smosh mouth if you have budget problems not the show where acting and reactions and interactions are so important. This is just going to hinder the sword af experience like I don’t understand why they did it?? I just can’t believe they delayed sword af season two for like 5 or 6 months only to make it audio only. I’m so sad that I’m probably not going to be able to enjoy season two as much because I’m not going to be able to get into it like I can when I can actually see everyone.

Also the wording really got me too like “rejoice!! 80% of what made sword af so good has been taken away!!! Hazzah!!!” Like wtf?! I keep seeing people saying we should be grateful we even get a season two and like yeah. I get that but also it’s going to be a completely different experience now and we have a right to be a little disappointed about that. Idk I’m just disappointed and a little upset but I’m going to give it a try and hopefully I’ll be able to enjoy it still

I’m happy it’s not dead in the water too, but at what cost?

Having it be audio only???? like how can you miss the point so badly?? 

THE FUCKING SEATING ARRANGEMENT POSTS IM GONNA CRY

I want to talk about the possible reasons they changed it to a podcast but I’m honestly too confused to even think of reason they would change it at all? Like it got similar views to most of the other content they put out at that time?? it wasn’t that different? And the community LOVED IT! 

“Everyone keeps saying budget is the reason for it to be only audio but smosh mouth and smosh Reddit stories are their podcasts but both of them have video too“

(maybe not so much Reddit Stories because they make bank $ off those videos) BUT SMOSH MOUTH?? Like we could have had at the very least 1 steady cam pointed at them (or if we want the very least- a recording of them in a zoom call (I’m assuming the reason it’s going to be audio only is because they’re filming sessions at home through zoom/discord??) I would literally take that over no visuals

They said S2 was dropping Dec 10 2023 (holy fuck I went to fact check and they removed the release date off the end of the video..)(I’m pretty sure it was supposed to be sometime in Dec) then they pushed it back with no new release date- THEN THEY TAKE BACK THE VISUAL ASPECTS????? WTF

Thanks guys, really, thanks....

“the wording really got me too like “rejoice!! 80% of what made sword af so good has been taken away!!! Hazzah!!!”

Actually had me seething. I can’t believe they phrased it that way. 

Don’t get me wrong. I love Sword AF. That’s exactly why I’m so pissed off about this whole debacle, they teased the FUCK out of S2 only to strip it down to the absolute bare bones. 

I just don’t understand why they would do this.

#they really dont care about us huh? #crazy #smoshblr #smosh #smosh games #Sword AF #sword af season 2 #sword af s2 #pissed beyond belief

[7grandmel]

Todays rip: 12/01/2024

9​来​4s

Season 2

Featured on: THE SILVAGUNNER CHRISTMAS COMEBACK CRISIS ORIGINAL SOUNDTRAXX: vol. 1

Ripped by dante

Uh, so, hi, everyone. I'm going to apologize ahead of time if this post reads a bit more shakily, a bit less structured than what it maybe usually does. I always have a timeline of rips to cover over the week laid out ahead of time, and was really not expecting to cover 9​来​4s as part of it - I thought, naively, that today would just be a day like any other, one more on the pile. I wake up, get dressed, check the SiIvaGunner YouTube feed - and almost collapse onto the floor in shock.

The Christmas Comeback Crisis is back. Ten hours from the point of writing this sentence, the eleventh episode of the main SiIvaGunner storyline will premiere on YouTube.

I don't think I've ever done an effective job of conveying to people just how much the Christmas Comeback Crisis means to me. Sure, rips that I love are one thing, with those you can understand what I'm talking about with just a listen yourself. But the Christmas Comeback Crisis series is so difficult to truly appreciate without the knowledge, the memories and attachment to the channel from having been with it the whole time. To me, it marked the point where all of SiivaGunner's potential as a narrative, all of the loose threads of lore and jokes, all of those feelings of joy and sadness and comradery that flew like sparks throughout Season 1s 9-month run, were distilled into a streamlined narrative. It felt as if a bunch of stray thoughts were finally put to paper, a world envisioned by all of SiIva's viewers finally envisioned with an engrossing conflict and beautiful art. And it felt to me like the team themselves knew just how golden the idea they'd landed on was, as the scope of the storyline quickly expanded from just Christmas of 2016 to eventually enveloping the entirety of Season 2's run.

The final core episode of the Christmas Comeback Crisis released at the tail end of Season 2, on Christmas Day. That is to say, December 25th, 2017. It is currently January 12th 2024 - six years, two weeks, and four days have passed, as the main story of the channel has remained in limbo. When I watched that episode, live on the date of upload, I was still a teenager. I've followed the channel since, still immensely invested, still closely following and paying attention to the lore introduced since - the Side Stories and Haltmann's Archives of Season 3 and Season 4: Episode 1, the King for Another Day Tournament and its fallout across both episodes of Season 4, the many misadventures of Wood Man across Season 5, having seemingly left the Christmas Comeback Crisis canon altogether to explore different worlds where he could have fun with little consequence - only for it all to come crashing down on him in Season 6. After all of that time, all of that buildup, after Season 7 has already been one of the channel's all-around, best-ever years - the cherry on top has landed. Episode 11.

Beyond the lore, the world, the artwork, the storyline, the characters, and the community that's supported it all, what has held the Christmas Comeback Crisis together for me and many others has been the sheer passion present in all those aspects - including, of course, its outstanding soundtrack. I've talked about it before with voiceless, with 時の回廊 ＜ver. CCC＞, with vlEP, and now here - but dante is, genuinely, an *exceptionally* talented musician, possibly my favorite amidst the entire SiIvaGunner team, and he has been completely outdoing himself on the Christmas Comeback Crisis' soundtrack since the day it first began - his music, remixes, arrangement, and overall sound direction has breathed a kind of energy and life into the story that's immersed me in ways I could never have expected.

9​来​4s plays during Episode 8 of the Christmas Comeback Crisis, An Acrimonious Assault - which sort of marked a point of no return for the series. After the 6th episode, Advent of Hell, just barely managed to release during Christmas of 2016, and the 7th episode, Loves the Ladies, released four entire months later due to expressed production issues, it felt like the team had officially realized just how big the project was getting. Yet, despite the woes that the 7th episode had presented, the team pushed on - and the series continued until the end of the year. That energy, that hype and love for the channel, is echoed all throughout 9​来​4s, and it's a feeling I haven't truly felt since that Season that the series once ended during.

At least, that's what I once said. Because now, *we are so fucking back.*

#todays siivagunner #season 2 #siivagunner #siiva #dante #soundcirclet #christmas comeback crisis #siivagunner ccc #siivagunner lore #lore #hiroyuki sawano #guilty crown #Youtube #Bandcamp

[fanbun]

Time for me to talk about Hazbin Hotel now that season 1 has ended!

I’d like to start off by saying I enjoyed watching the show. It is a visual delight that introduces some much-needed variety to the western adult animation space. Charlie and Vaggie as main characters hooked me even way back when I watched the pilot on YouTube. And although many of the songs caught me off guard in the episodes themselves, I kept going back to listen to them for days afterward.

But in all honesty, when it comes to writing, season 1 is a structural mess that wants to do as much as it can in 8 episodes rather than narrow its focus to what is most important for a first season. Yes, of course this is subjective to an extent, but the lightning-fast pacing the show quickly adopts is a common complaint even among the most hardcore fans. It is glaringly obvious that major plot points and character development are rushed because Vivienne did not want to compromise her vision to fit neatly into the number of episodes given to her.

Sure, I agree that 8 episodes a season shouldn’t be the norm but I don’t think the quality of a show is doomed to suffer because of that. Choices were made by the writers to include characters and scenes that could have easily been saved for a later date or even cut entirely. Season 1 didn’t even have to end with a climactic battle between heaven and hell, as first seasons are usually meant to introduce characters and provoke further intrigue that can be expanded upon later. But as it turns out the almighty cool factor demanded a war to end season 1 and that’s what we got.

This is something I’ve noticed often while watching Hazbin. The spectacle of engaging designs, captivating animation sequences and catchy songs quite literally steal the show. This “cool factor” will almost make you forget that many of the main characters have hardly spoken to each other outside of a few brief jokes here and there.

Hazbin wants to be cool and it wants to have an expansive cast of characters to make the world-building feel fleshed out. But this doesn’t exactly work when we’ve hardly gotten to know a character before moving on to the next one who seems far less relevant to the main selling point of the hotel that the first season is SUPPOSED to be establishing.

And here’s where a HUGE issue with the pacing comes in and that’s how fast we see sinners at the hotel get better. It doesn’t feel like 6 months have passed in the show since there is barely an indication of the passage of time, and we also don’t get to see much struggle to change from those staying at the hotel. Both Sir Pentious and Angel Dust are given their own character development episodes, but in my opinion a single episode for each is not enough to feel like the development was realistic and earned. Directly afterward we see them immediately improved and acting as if they have become close family with those staying at the hotel.

It was jarring to watch since I felt like I was missing the context for when all of the characters bonded to the extent of being that close. The only characters I saw bonding in a way that felt real were Angel Dust and Husk, and even though episode 4 was terrific for showing Angel’s struggles and how the hotel serves as his support network, it made me desperately crave more genuine moments like it.

I especially wanted more genuine moments between Charlie and Vaggie since they experienced an upset in their relationship towards the tail end of the season. And unfortunately the last two episodes didn’t satisfy me since the two talked more with other characters I wasn’t interested in than with each other. It’s a shame that Alastor often steals their spotlight, and from what I’ve heard season 2 is going to be more about Alastor and the Vees too. This worries me, as it seems Vivienne is showing favoritism for the supporting cast over the main characters.

Still, I will definitely be checking out season 2 when it’s released to see if there have been any improvements. And even if there aren’t, it’ll be a fun show to turn my brain off to. I see the show’s existence as a net positive for the animation industry despite the issues I have with it.

#Hazbin Hotel #hazbin hotel criticism #hazbin hotel spoilers

[chickencowcow]

Can you say more about your Sep Heap world DnD campaign 👀

Yeah totally! Sorry this took me so long, you caught me right in the middle of finals season.

So like. The campaign is one that we lovingly refer to as Foryx, is DMed by my boyfriend, @thebugaboy

There are five PCs in the campaign:

Amestrias "Tris" Waelrue (she/they): an eladrin bard/warlock played by @voidthatdraws

Sivala "Sylvir" Waelrue Persipa (don't ask but like he/him but really she/her): an eladrin rogue/bloodhunter played by myself :]

Honey Locust (any): a warforged druid played by @sofilophisaurus

Hanne Borgerson (she/her?): a half-orc cleric played by @actually-rj

Myrela (they/them): a vedalken artificer, played by a friend that I don't have the Tumblr of.

Nobody plays a Heap (we used to have someone who played Simon Heap but she had to leave the campaign) but there are ties between the PC's and the Heaps, like:

Sylvir and Simon Heap were childhood best friends and they ended up dating in their teens. Their relationship ended when Sylvir ran away from home after DomDaniel temporarily stole the ExtraOrdinary Wizard position from Marcia

Tris and Jenna Heap dated in their teens and she was friends with Septimus and Beetle. Their relationship went sour after a bad argument (from what I'm told) and Septimus and Beetle ended up taking Jenna's side and ditching her.

Honey Locust has??? some type of connection to both the Heaps and the Waelrues??? And basically is protective over both the Waelrue kids and the Heap bunch.

Uhhh a BUNCH of stuff has been changed from the book canon? I haven't read the books in a while so I don't know everything accurately and im not gonna go into much detail (that's a job for my DM) but. Uhhhh. The Waelrues are the family that's been in charge of the Manuscriptorium for three? Generations now? With Tris just taking her position as Chief Hermetic Scribe the day the campaign started.

The absolute basic plot synopsis is that the whole gang and their gaggle of NPCs are going back in time to use Alchemical Fyre to destroy the Two-Faced Ring on an implied Manuscriptorium work trip, and they're also there to rescue Septimus and Jenna from the past. Sylvir and Tris have a... strange relationship. Honey Locust used to be a tree. Myrela is an alchemical apprentice who delights in eavesdropping and drama. Hanne doesn't know what the fuck is going on but is deeply deeply intruiged. Nicko, Snorri, and Simon all joined in on the quest and so did Sylvir and Tris's father, which made everything a lot more awkward.

There's a lot more to it (a LOT) but that's what I've got for rn! Tris's player draws her a lot so go check out their art and Honey Locust's player just released an AMV that looks really good but I am unfortunately banned from watching it because Spoilers. I know our DM has made art of Jenna before, as well as a few NPCs but I'm unsure how much he's posted. Anyway, thanks for the ask! :]

#septimus heap #magyk #dnd campaign #honestly ive been going feral about this campaign for a rlly long time #theres a BIG post ab with sylvir in my drafts because i have so much to talk ab with him #and i love him dearly #hope he gets torn to shreds

[ladylooch]

In an atmosphere of celebration 🥳 Congratulations on the 300

How about Kempe and reader celebrating a dating anniversary? Very romantic! Lots of affection, slow dances... candles 😍

The Way You Look Tonight with Adrian Kempe

A/N: First, Thank you so much!!! Second, you're speaking my language :) But I think you already know that! I went with a wedding anniversary because I wanted it to be so extra! And that is first wedding anniversary category.

Word Count: 2.1k

Warnings: Boob grabbing, so fluffy you’re gonna die.

Adrian Kempe has never been one to skimp.

And tonight, on your first wedding anniversary, is no different.

You just arrived back in L.A. to get settled before the season after visiting both of your families. 

After you finished lunch this afternoon, Adrian immediately sent you off to the salon so you could get your highlights and color retouched along with a quick trim. He surprised you with manicure and pedicure appointments at the same time, followed by full hair and make up. When you returned home, you were disappointed to find he was nowhere to be found. Instead, a gorgeous bouquet of deep, red roses with hints of baby breath sat on your counter. A note in his scratchy writing is resting with a corner under the vase.

A year ago today, we made the best decisions of our lives. Thank you for choosing me, beautiful girl. Happy first anniversary. Jag alsker dig.

P.S. Go upstairs. More fun awaits you.

You lean in, savoring the sweet smell of the roses before giddily bounding up the stairs. There, you find a black garment bag along with two Cartier boxes. You bite your lip, grabbing the smaller of the two and popping it open. Gorgeous pearl earrings greet you. They are reminiscent of your grandmother's that you wore for your wedding last year. The other box has a dainty necklace with yours and Adrian's initials lined along the swoop of the chain. A note from him says more initials can be added as your family grows with a wink.

The jewelry is stunning, but the black, beaded, A line dress really gets your butterflies swirling. It's paired with gorgeous ombre red to black, open toe Louboutin heels. You start to get a little sweaty at the price tag of all these items. You're not sure your gift for him of an engraved Rolex is enough. 

With your hair and make up already done by the professionals, you slip into the outfit he arranged for you. You’re pulling up your phone to text him when his picture appears on the screen with a phone call.

“Babe, where are you?” You whine immediately. He chuckles.

“You’ll see soon. A car is coming to pick you up. Get in it and I’ll see you soon.”

“Oooo kidnapping! I like it.” 

“What? No.” He laughs. “But the driver is named Jason. Check that before you get in.”

Jason does indeed pick you up in front of your condo ten minutes later. You chat while threading through California traffic. Eventually, you get to the beach. The sun is starting to set over the ocean, finding an angle that releases the relentless, summer heat. You’re dropped off in front of an expensive seafood restaurant with gorgeous ocean views. Their patio is usually stacked, but tonight it’s set only for two. 

You slowly walk in. The indoor part of the restaurant is busy. 

“Hi, I’m meeting Adrian Kempe.” The host eyes sparkle excitedly.

“Mrs. Kempe! We have been waiting for you.”

“Oh great.”

She leads you outside to where one table is set up. Adrian is out there, leaning against the railing overlooking the beach. He turns when he hears the door, grinning at you and only you. His hair is pulled back into a bun, just how you like it. He’s wearing a white, t-shirt button down, leaving his tattoos exposed for you to run your fingers along after a few glasses of wine.

“You look just as beautiful as a year ago.” He murmurs, leaning down to capture your lips. “Hi. I missed you all day.” He holds your hand as he admires the outfit he picked for you. It looks better than he could have dreamed on your curves.

“Me too. You’re the one who sent me away.” You remind him. Your hands grip the muscles of his back as you sway together for a moment. His lips rest against your head, breathing in the scent of your hair products.

“Was it worth it?”

“Yes. It was amazing. Thank you.”

“Good. You deserve all of that and more.” He leans away to grab you a glass of champagne. You take a small sip after a clink of your glasses in a cheers.  “To us. Forever.”

“Forever.” You agree, tilting your face up for another soft kiss. His hand at the small of your back presses you deeper. You lose a bit of your footing with his insistence of pressing you deeper into him. 

“Sorry.” He murmurs. “Want you closer than that.”

“Am I going to have to sit on your lap during dinner?”

“Yeah and feed me like a baby bird.” He chuckles, kissing your cheek. 

After you both finish your first glass of champagne, you grab another then sit down to start munching on your meal. You start with oysters and shrimp ceviche then move into a light salad with butter lettuce and a lemony dressing. You two take turns feeding bites from each others forks, leaning shoulders into each other and stealing kisses as the waiter takes your starter plates away.

“Thank you.” You murmur, then kiss your husband’s lips again. The privacy on the balcony along with the champagne is making you fee loose. “I hope we can recreate other parts of this night together.”

“There is more at home when we are done.”

“Yeah?” 

“Mhm. Champagne… candles… bubbles in a bath tub… chocolate covered strawberries….” He nibbles on the side of your throat as he says that. You let your head fall towards his, gripping his necklace under his shirt for some grounding. He’s recreating your honeymoon too and you hope what happened in that bed then repeats tonight.

Another glass of champagne is gone. Multiple courses begin to filter to the table including pasta, sushi rolls, crispy okra, and a ribeye with a decadent truffle butter sauce. You share everything, but are both too full to consider any dessert. 

“I have something sweet at home for when we want it.” He assures you when you feel guilty about saying no to chocolate gelato. “How about another glass of champagne though?” 

“Yes!” You wiggle against him as he pours you both another round. 

A recognizable, soft jazz beat begins to play in the outdoor speakers. 

Some day, when I’m awfully low… when the world is cold… I will feel a glow just thinking of you.

Your gaze meets his and you feel yourself tear up, remembering the soft steps of your first dance. It was such a hectic night, but all the noise faded when this song played. Adrian had held you so close, lips on your ear the whole time, signing the lyrics to you as you rested your head on his shoulder.

“Dance with me?” He murmurs, kissing along your knuckles hanging off his shoulder. His lips hover on the large wedding rings he gave to you. Their imprint stays in his lips for an additional moment when he pulls away.

“I would love to.” You set your glass on the table and let him lead you to an open area of the patio. He pulls you flush with him, just like he did a year ago, whispering into your ear how incredibly beautiful you are. Then he sings along with Michael Bublé.

“Lovely, never ever change. Keep that breathless charm, won’t you please arrange it? Cause I love you. Just the way you look tonight.” His European accent muddles the words a bit as he sings, making you fall for him again. You pull away, eyebrows pulled low in tender love for your sweet man. 

"Baby." You murmur into his neck. "This is too much. I didn't get-“

"You are worth all of this. I'm so happy. Our life together is better than I could have imagined it being even on our wedding day. I want to spoil you."

“You have. This was all so unexpected and so sweet. I love you.”

“I love you too. Happy anniversary.” 

The first pop of fireworks surprises you as they fly off from the beach into the ocean. Adrian hugs you tighter so you know you are safe against his chest. You tilt your head up to the sky, watching the next one burst in gold across the inky, black sky. 

“Oh my god!” You exclaim. At your wedding, you had wanted to have fireworks, but the dry weather conditions made it a last minute cancellation from the venue. “You got me our fireworks.” Adrian had tried so hard to get them to reconsider because he knew how much you wanted them with sparklers for your guests.

“I told you I would. Sorry they are a year late.”

“No, it’s perfect.” You admit as he transitions behind you, pressing your back to his front so you can watch together. Both your hands fold together over your stomach, admiring the glittering booms he arranged just for you.

It’s late when you get home. But you two are not tired. There is a glow coming from under your bedroom door as you walk down the hall with him. He pushes the door open from behind you, showing you an oasis of candles, soft music, rose petals complimented by a chilled bottle of champagne on the nightstand.

“I should carry you over the threshold. We never did that last year.” 

“Yeah you were too desperate.”

“Me? You were too.” He laughs, swooping you up. “You ripped the buttons off my shirt.” He brings you into the room.

“Still not sorry about it either.” He sets you down on your feet and you look back at him as he unzips your dress.

“Who is breaking into our house and doing these things for us?”

“Don’t worry about it. They’re gone.” He murmurs against your shoulder. He unhooks your small straps from your shoulders, letting the whole dress pool down at your feet. A groan sounds at the sight of your lacy butt cheeks pressing against his zipper. You rub your booty into him more, creating a hardening there. He reaches up to cup your bare breasts, holding them and stroking their tips into hard peaks. You melt into him.

“Bath?”

“Mhm.” You nod. He leads you forward, wanting to feel you brushing against his lap with each step.

You begin to strip him down in the bathroom. His shirt falls to the floor. You lean forward to kiss along his chest to his shoulder where you sink your teeth into him playfully. He chuckles, showing his straight teeth as you work on his belt next. His bottoms fall to the floor as his fingers hook in your panties, working them down your legs. He kisses his way back up your body, then offers you his hand to step into the tub. You both sink in, skin buzzing from the warmth and the night. You both want each other, desperately, but it’s going to be so worth the little bit of wait. 

“I have one last surprise for you.” He says as smooths bubbles across your arm. He points to his tattoo sleeve. Nestled inside the ripples of roses on his right bicep is your first name with his last, the infinity symbol, and the date of your anniversary. You run your finger tips over it, feeling the raised lines of the fresh ink.

“Babe. I love that. And you more than I can put into words right now. Tonight has been… unbelievable.” You sigh, leaning further back. “How is this all real? How are you real?”

“I constantly want to pinch myself that you’re mine.” He whispers. “So many times you could have left. This is not an easy life you have chosen.”

“No, but you make it easy.” You answer honestly. “If this was with anyone else, it would be so hard. But we have an amazing relationship. One I thought only existed in teen fairytales. I’m proud of us. I know we can handle anything as long as it is me and you.”

“Now to start planning next year….” 

“Oh my god.” You laugh, shaking your head at the thought. 

“Maybe no champagne tho…” He trails off. You turn to look at him, knowing this man aches for his baby in you. 

“I would be okay with that.” You admit. He grins, leaning forward to seal the deal with a kiss.

#Adrian Kempe #Adrian Kempe x reader #Adrian Kempe fic #hockey writing #my writing #writing request #los angeles kings #nhl fan fiction

[frozenmikan]

Liella! Cross Talk 03 - Date Sayuri, Aoyama Nagisa, Suzuhara Nozomi

Check out the original interview in the LoveLive! Days Liella Special, available for purchase on Amazon JP here.

An interview with the voices of Shibuya Kanon, Hazuki Ren, and Sakurakoji Kinako. We asked them about how they feel now after starting from the open auditions and overcoming the same hurdles together.

Interview by Okada Moeka

I feel like Kanon-chan grew so much throughout the second season that I’m being left further and further behind

It’s been half a year since Liella! became nine. Has the group’s atmosphere changed since then?

Aoyama: I think we’ve settled down a little compared to when we first started out as nine. Now that we know what everyone else is like and what kind of people they are on the inside, we’ve managed to figure out the appropriate distance between us.

Date: We really were trying too hard back then, weren’t we? (laughs) Feels like we’ve settled down and are now much more comfortable with one another.

Suzuhara: Like, the first-generation members have always just been a group of people on the other side of a screen, so… Now that we’ve gone for meals together, I find that I can be quite frank when talking to them.

Date: I’m actually quite shy, so I’m not very good at initiating conversations. I decided that I might as well just be myself from the very start if putting up an act wasn’t going to work anyway, so I just treated everyone like I would have when we only had five members.

Aoyama: I’m also not very good at starting conversations, so I kinda get that (laughs).

When was the first time that it truly hit you that Liella! now has nine members?

Aoyama: When I watched the archive for our release event.

Date: !! (Nods with eyes wide open)

Aoyama: What’s with that reaction? (laughs) Now that we have more members, it’s not so easy to grasp what everyone’s facial expressions are like during dance rehearsals, unlike before. Of course, we do have recordings of the rehearsals, but you can’t really see everyone’s expressions clearly from that alone. So, when I first watched the recording of the event… That was when I felt like we could reach even greater heights together as nine.

Date: Yeah! I felt the same way right after the event. During the rehearsals, I usually focus only on what I was doing, not to mention the fact that we were wearing masks. So hearing our fans’ comments and watching the archive after the event was when it first hit me. It was also the first time I felt truly grateful that we had become nine.

Suzuhara: I watched Liella! perform as five for quite some time, so for me, a Liella! with nine members just didn’t feel right, probably even more so than the first-generation members. Watching the archive of our release event finally made me think, “Maybe I can call myself a part of Liella! after all…” more often. 

It sounds like you’re still in the process of discovering what it means for you to be part of Liella!.

Suzuhara: I spent a lot of time thinking about that, but there’s a part of me that’s still chasing after the five-member Liella!. A Liella! with nine-members is still Liella!, of course, but there are times when I think that they’re just not the same. I don’t think that’s a bad thing, though, so I’ll continue chasing after them!

This question is for the two first-generation members: is there anything that’s different about performing on stage with nine members instead of five?

Aoyama: It’s amazing just how much more reassuring it is to perform when there are more of us on stage. When performing as five, sometimes it shows on my face that I’m thinking about what my next line is, but now I feel like I can put on a more natural expression when performing.

Date: She’s right. You’re also really close to the person next to you! Our second release event was held in the same venue as our first event, Hajimari wa Minna no Sora, but the stage felt much smaller than before. Of course, part of it was because the seats were now filled with all our fans, but it felt like the stage had become more colorful than before. It really has gotten livelier, hasn’t it?

Suzuhara: We’ve all been strung along by Ookuma Wakana’s passion.

Date: Passion? (laughs)

Suzuhara: She can make very big movements with her head. I’ve always wondered how she manages to do that, and I even asked her that very question today during practice. Looking at her makes you realize how much fun it is to perform on stage, and seeing that in turn has made me want to make even bigger movements when I’m dancing, to use as much of the stage as possible and to make everyone enjoy themselves as much as possible. I’m sure Wakana’s dancing has infected the rest of the group, and Liella!’s dance moves now have much larger movements thanks to her… (voice getting softer with time)

Date/Aoyama: What’s wrong?! (laughs)

Aoyama: I totally get you! (laughs) Actually, I think it’s precisely because Kumachan dances so dynamically as Shiki-chan that her dancing shows off something different from just Shiki-chan’s dancing. She made me start thinking more about how I can incorporate her strengths and look even more like Ren-chan when I’m performing on stage.

Date: Kanon-chan doesn’t really have that much of a link to dancing story-wise, I guess. Now that we’ve become nine, I’ve spent more time thinking about how Kanon-chan would dance, more than I used to for our 1st Live Tour and 2nd Live. That’s one of the things I’m chasing after at the moment. Up until now, I’ve pushed through by just trying my best to have as much fun as possible, but now that she’s in her second year and trying to win Love Live!, I’m sure she has thought about how she should perform to achieve that goal, so I’m trying to figure that part out by re-watching parts of the anime.

How was your first time performing on stage, Suzuhara-san?

Suzuhara: I had loads of fun! I couldn’t picture in my head what it’d be like to actually perform on stage during the rehearsals. I did appear on stage for the fan meetings, but that experience wasn’t linked to actually performing live. I now know that performing live is really, really fun! I found myself naturally smiling when dancing, and I’m so overjoyed at being able to stand on stage as Kinako-chan that I find myself fully enjoying myself. I’ve always loved singing and dancing, so finally being able to do that, finally being able to show everyone that made me really happy as well.

That was when I felt like we could reach even greater heights together as nine

This may be a sudden question, but is there anything about the others here in the interview today that you particularly admire or would like to be able to do too?

Suzuhara: I’ll go first! I really admire Sayuchan’s loud voice—

Date: Loud voice?!

Suzuhara: I’ll talk about some other things later! (panicking) When we’re in a circle, or when push comes to shove, the way her voice resonates through the room is just so cool, which is something I really look up to. That, and her communication skills are top notch! Though I’m pretty sure she’d argue otherwise.

Date: That’s the thing I’m the worst at!

Suzuhara: She’s really easy to talk to, and talking to her is always so enjoyable, so I really like that about her. Her singing and dancing is amazing too, so I really look up to that part of her as well! As for Nagichan, she can do anything.

Aoyama: No way.

Suzuhara: I wanna do a segment where we try to find out just what it is she can’t do.

Date: I wanna join in too!

Aoyama: No, please~

Suzuhara: Oh, and she’s also really good at sports, which I really envy. I’m terrible at sports, so… She really can do anything. In fact, what is it that you can’t do?

Aoyama: There’s a whole lot I can’t do! I can’t speak Chinese or Spanish, for example.

Suzuhara: And that just makes you even more amazing! …That’s all.

Date: (Laughs) Guess I’ll go next. I feel like Nagichan knows herself really well. I’ve learned so many things from just talking to her. She speaks from her own experiences and gives really good advice on what I should do in every situation, and that has helped me out countless times. The other day, she recommended that I eat some meat—

Meat? You mean protein?

Date: Yeah! She says it a lot, things like, “You gotta make sure you get enough protein!” I’ve started incorporating more protein into my diet thanks to her, and I feel a little more cheerful than I used to be. So I have her to thank for that.

Aoyama: That’s such an interesting thing to talk about! (laughs)

Date: And, as for Nonchan—

Suzuhara: You don’t need to force yourself, just skip me… (softly)

Date: Now that we have nine members, our group definitely has more prominent personalities than before. When I first started out, I used to compare myself a lot to the others around me. Things like wondering why I couldn’t do something even though someone else could do it without any trouble. But Nonchan is different. She has a very strong sense of self, and seems to work towards improving herself step by step without ever comparing herself to someone else. Am I making any sense?

Aoyama: Totally get you!

Date: Oh, and because she doesn’t really say much about what she’s thinking, she has this cool, mysterious aura about her. Being able to use what she observes in others and converting it into something of her own is quite an amazing quality, and something I’d like to be able to do as well.

Suzuhara: (While slowly shaking her head, in a soft voice) Thank you……

Aoyama: I guess I’m up last. For Sayurin, it’s gotta be her smile. I’m sure her fans already know what I mean. She’s just so cute when she has this huge smile on her face! Her very presence brightens up the atmosphere in the room, so she’s definitely a natural idol. Every word she says to her fellow members is also filled with kindness, and she can always find just the right words to say. She’s a kind soul that brings with her a soothing atmosphere no matter where she goes.

Date: I’m gonna cry…… Thank you so much!

Aoyama: That really is something that’s unique to Sayurin. Nonchan, on the other hand, is a really strong person on the inside, though she doesn’t show it often. At first, I had no idea what she was thinking. But, now that I’ve spent more time with her, I’ve realized that she has a really strong sense of self. Now that we’re close enough to be frank with each other, I’m really glad that she speaks her mind to me. She’s even more diligent than everyone thinks, so I do hope she can relax just a little. Don’t push yourself too hard!

Suzuhara: Really~? But am I really pushing myself too hard? I find myself tensing up quite often, so I want to learn to relax like Nagichan does.

Going back to the original topic, did anything in particular stand out about the release event?

Aoyama: Our previous release events didn’t have an audience, so being able to perform directly in front of an audience made me really happy. We performed Watashi no Symphony in the audience seats during our first release event, so when the second-generation members were performing the first verse, I had flashbacks to when I sang the same lines standing to the right of the audience seats.

Date: We all performed Watashi no Symphony together, but I’m sure it resonated so strongly this time precisely because the second-generation members were performing it. It made me realize just how much the mood of a song is affected by the people singing it. I’m really glad we got to hear a version of it with the second-generation members.

Suzuhara: I was watching as a member of the audience when the first-generation members performed the song during their first release event, so that came to mind. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect myself to be standing on stage singing the same phrase I saw Sayuchan sing from where I was sitting in one of the audience seats in a corner. I’ve always thought, “If that was me performing, there’s no way I’d be able to sing that phrase,” so I was really surprised when I found out that I was assigned those starting lines. I practiced that part again and again, but I was still very nervous… How are you even supposed to sing those lines?

Date: Huh? But the release event is already over! (laughs)

Aoyama: You did great!

Suzuhara: Even though I spent so much time practicing, I felt like my mind would be completely blank when I actually got on stage. But being able to sing those lines was, to me, a really big accomplishment and my success story for this release event.

Date: There wasn’t an audience when I sang it, so you’re really amazing, Nonchan!

Suzuhara: It’s a precious song for the first-generation members, and also a very emotional song for the second-generation members and all the fans, so I was really, really nervous…!

The theme printed on the teaser visual for the anime’s second season was “Chasing after them, surpassing them.” How did you interpret this theme?

Date: In the teaser illustration, the second-generation members were chasing after the first-generation members, so that’s how I interpreted it. The second season of the anime really gave off the feeling of “Liella! is nine,” so I’m now convinced that it also has something to do with striving to become a better version of yourself, as well as the relationship between the cast members.

Suzuhara: The second-generation members took on this challenge with a similar mindset (laughs). But, hearing Sing! Shine! Smile! made me wonder if it’s the entire school that’s chasing after and surpassing something together, as a whole.

Aoyama: I too interpreted it as being broader than just referring to the second-generation members. I think the second season is a story of Liella! achieving something together as a whole. I guess you could even extend that to the entirety of Yuigaoka moving forward together.

I’m so overjoyed at being able to stand on stage as Kinako-chan that I find myself fully enjoying myself

I believe you’re all now in the midst of rehearsing for your 3rd Live Tour. Suzuhara-san, is there one goal or target in particular that you’d like to achieve during this tour?

Suzuhara: There are too many to count. I really love singing and dancing, but on the technical side of things, I still have a long way to go. I want to improve as much as I can given the time we have to prepare. We’ll be performing quite a few songs with pretty difficult choreographies for our 3rd Live Tour, not to mention Go!! Restart, in which only Kinako-chan performs with all the first-generation members… I’ll do my best during practice so I can get through it with a smile on my face!

We actually asked the first-generation members this same question in the Liella! special.

Date: I mentioned how I couldn’t do the Starlight Prologue twirl, didn’t I? (laughs) I didn’t manage to do it in the end either, but I think the most important thing was not panicking. I performed that twirl with all kinds of negative thoughts in my head, like how I’m wasting everyone’s time, or why I couldn’t do something as simple as this… But I realized that just enjoying myself and not thinking about anything negative while performing usually went better.

Aoyama: I think I talked about not being sure whether my facial expressions looked natural. But, seeing with my own eyes how everyone was supporting us naturally put a smile on my face, so I can now stand on stage without worrying about that. Now, my goal is to perform in such a way that even if all of us were performing with the exact same hairstyles and costumes, anyone watching would be able to tell at a glance that I’m Ren-chan. Of course, dancing dynamically or very energetically is bound to attract attention, but I don’t think that’s how Ren-chan would dance.

Suzuhara: When watching our dance recordings, it’s always so easy to pick out Ren-chan! So you are paying particular attention to that! 

Aoyama: Thank you!

Suzuhara: I actually think I’m too similar to Kinako-chan… When I first saw the script for the anime’s second season, her actions and words made me think, “...are they writing about me?” There are times when I can’t tell where the border between the two of us lies. Which emotions actually belong to me, and which are Kinako-chan’s?

Date: The two of you really are alike.

Aoyama: That’s amazing. But I don’t think that’s a bad thing?

Date: Whether or not I look like Kanon-chan… That’s something I’m working on too, actually. I feel like Kanon-chan grew so much throughout the second season that I’m being left further and further behind. Up until now, just having fun took every ounce of my effort, so I too am trying to find out how I should be moving to look more like Kanon-chan, and how to get closer to that.

Last but not least, a message for the fans!

Suzuhara: Our 3rd Live Tour will be the second-generation members’ first live tour, not to mention our first live tour after we became nine. Right now, I’m more nervous than anything else, but I’ll do my best to enjoy myself so much that I forget all about my nerves! I hope I can show how much I’ve grown since the release event, and put on a performance that stays in everyone’s minds as an amazing one even after it ends. I hope to see you there!

Aoyama: It’s our first time going on a live tour with all nine of us, so I hope to be able to say wholeheartedly that I really enjoyed myself. We’ll push each other to even greater heights and I’ll do my best to put on a performance even better than our release event!

Date: After our 1st Live Tour, the way I think about things changed completely. I’m sure our 3rd Live Tour will also become the starting point for some sort of change, so I’m looking forward to it. As the nine of us go around the country, I’m sure we’ll experience both fun and painful things, but I hope to not let the negative emotions overwhelm us and complete the tour while keeping the importance of having fun ourselves at the forefront of our minds. Yuina-san is coming along with us as well, so let’s get through this together!

Translator: xIceArcher Quality Check: Yujacha (@yujachachacha)

#love live superstar #liella #date sayuri #sayurin #aoyama nagisa #nagichan #suzuhara nozomi #nonchan

[vienecash300]

Artist: Vinal Luciano

Album: Aquarius

Release Date: 27 Jan 2024

The father of Rich Taste Entertainment, despite a constant presence on social media, keeps his music notoriously close to the chest. He typically avoids the early release of anything at all which is likely due to his preference for perfection, but also lends itself as a marketing tactic. The tactic? Keep the music secret and don’t discuss the drop for any reason. The strategy has two different outcomes possible. One? Success. The artist blows people away.Think Playboi Carti “Whole Lotta Red” Two. The artist comes with that bullshit and the fans are pissed. Think l, the newest Kendrick Lamar. Vinal Luciano’s “Aquarius” does the first one.

As usual Vinal inflects his well-enunciated flow reminiscent of 90s East Coasters like Prodigy of Mobb Deep. How does it then vary from his predecessor album? Well unlike most independent artists it seems Vinal has grown considerably since his last album, a review of which can be found on this page.

Vinal chose to lean on the heartfelt utilizing the sung vocals of Springfield well-known Junior Pasare on multiple songs. That’s where the growth came in. Vinal has always had a flow and wordplay that uses simile like a scythe effortlessly cutting through beats However on GP2 (his last project) the songs seem rushed. I am an admitted fan of GP2 having both reviewed and attended the release party of the aforementioned. The songs were rife with the bars we expect from Vinal but seem almost soundcloudesque when compared to the precision engineering, tight mixing and utterly singable choruses on Aquarius.

The intro to a couple of songs is a feminine voice delivering a monologue on the more eclectic characteristics of Aquarians. I am not a believer in Astrology I am however an Aquarius and can get down with the beliefs of anyone.

The album starts off with slower tempo songs yet still somehow moves at a clip that allows for consecutive play through. Notably Junior Pasare sings on “inTOXICated” and “Sad Song” the latter of which is a piano driven dynamo that compliments Junior’s falsetto magnificently. The line “My momma checked out on me” hit different. There in lies the power of Vinzl Luciano. Despite his grating spitfire flow he tugs at the heartstrings like a pro weaving a tapestry for his listener. On “Afraid of Love” Junior reminds us that he is a double threat on the mic, employing his signature flow that has been described by me so many times that I will not go into it. As usual he blesses the microphone he breathes into with exquisite breath control and aplomb.

Jr Pasare.

The snare-heavy “Can’t Relate” contains a feature from artist Morg. Nothing is known about this artist at the time of publication but whoever he is he is fit to share the track with Vinal. Another artist that favors the long verse flow of the 90s East Coast Morg reminds me of NYCs Cormega, which as much of a compliment as I can give anyone I only hear one verse from. It was a cold ass verse though.

In the humble opinion of this publication the crown jewel of this project is “Petty Season”. Vinal again shows his penchant for piano driven beats eating the verses alive. He provides his own chorus which as usual is rapped. I think this album reflects the 2 years it took Vinal to release it. You can’t make quality like this in 3 months. It’s crafted. People know I am a huge fan of the new school of hip hop, however new artists albums lack the crafting that albums used to have. It’s not just putting songs on the internet. Crafting involves diligent attention to detail in track listing in order that the album plays like a movie of sorts painting a coherent picture of the artists mindset at the time. Vinal Luciano has always done that, and he’s getting better. 💯💯💯

#rap music #newmusicalert🚨 #spotify #hip hop #music #aquarius

[quaranmine]

Book Reviews with Quara

Since I keep talking about audiobooks, now I want to do a sort of mini book review of the books I've read since starting to "seriously" pick up reading again last year. Also I just like typing about things. I'm skipping Fire Season by Philip Connors and Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams because I've spoken about them already. Keep in mind I am not super-super critical of reading material; generally if I enjoyed it I'm giving 5 stars. If I disliked it though I get a lot more critical because then I want to start analyzing what didn't work for me. Now go forth and learn about what my reading taste is when I'm not reading/writing angsty mcyt fanfic!

Books I loved, aka 5 stars:

Cold Storage by David Koepp

This was the first book I checked out from Libby and it was a banger. I am still trying to replicate that high tbh. When I gave my mom access to my library card in Libby (her rural library has nothing and my city library has everything) I made her check it out too. The narration on the audiobook is fantastic. My mom raved about the narration and basically says she doesn't want to check anything out that wasn't as good--regularly her reviews to me are "good narrator, not as good as that Cold Storage book" lmao. You may know David Koepp as the guy who wrote the Jurassic Park screenplay. This is his first novel.

It's about a mutated fungus that is a sci-fi version of the very real Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, which is more commonly known as the zombie-ant fungus. In this book, a version of Cordyceps can infect all lifeforms, including humans, and has been locked away deep in a former US military vault that has since been sold and converted into an underground storage facility. The plot follows two unlikely protags who work in the storage facility, as well as the two retired military people who are the only ones to have seen the fungi in action, as they try to prevent it from being released into the world. It's funny, horrifying, and gory.

They are making a movie of this book. The release date is tentatively 2024, but I worry about it because I have heard so little news on it. They did do filming though. I have high hopes because they cast Joe Keery as a main character, which I think is perfect casting for the guy in question. I have low hopes because they cast Liam Neeson, a white man, as a character who was originally Hispanic and (as I just noticed while writing this) changed the character's name to be more white. Ugh. Who is Robert Quinn and what did you do with Roberto Diaz???????

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

What if you got kidnapped and woke up in a parallel world where everybody knew who you were, but they think you're someone else? What if you're just a quantum physics professor, but this other version of you is a successful theoretical researcher? What if your wife never married you in this universe, and your son was never born? How do you get back home? This book is constantly pulling out interesting new questions, twists, and places to explore. Also I liked that while it does feature romance pretty prominently, it's about a guy who just really loves his wife of 15 years and wants to see her again. I just like it when men love their wives.

Also, a fair amount of Goodreads reviews poke fun at this author for having way too much fun hitting the enter key on his keyboard, but since I listened to the audiobook I never had to deal with any annoying formatting choices lol

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

I feel like we all know about this one already, tbh. If you don't, heavy tw for child abuse and eating disorders. Tread carefully. It's worth it though if you are confident you won't get triggered. If you haven't read it I recommend the audiobook specifically because Jennette narrates it herself and that gives the book so much extra. It was a 6 hour audiobook and I was gripped by it all day.

Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister

BACKWARDS TIMELOOP BABEYY!!! This one was great. It's about a Mom who witnesses her teenage son kill a man. Every day she wakes up in the past again until she can solve why this happened, the mystery leading up to it that entangles her family, and try to prevent it. First she ways up the day before, then two days, then three, then a two weeks, then a few months, then a few years--until her son hasn't even been born yet. I enjoyed it. Also a plus for British accent narrator (can you tell I'm American....)

A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong

This one was fun. I checked it out because it was longish and I had to drive like 8 hrs roundtrip for a work trip, so I listened to this the entire way. It's about a (Canadian) woman named Mallory who was a police detective in the modern day, who gets attacked while out for a jog in Edinburgh, Scotland. The attacker strangles her and she goes unconscious. When she wakes up, however, she finds herself in someone else's body--in the Victorian era. She's now a 19 year old housemaid, and has to adapt as quickly as possible to avoid suspicion. She quickly finds out that she works for a man named Dr. Duncan Gray, who is a medical examiner. And there's a person who's been murdered in a very similar way to how Mallory herself was attacked. And she's quickly finding out that the person who's body she's in was not well-liked.

My favorite part about this one is the emphasis it has on early forensics in Victorian Scotland. Dr. Gray is a fantastic character and it is so interesting to see him doing his lil cutting-edge forensics research (which Mallory, being educated in modern times, wants desperately to help him with.) Also the narrator, while being Canadian, does Scottish accents for all the Scottish characters. I'm not the best person to ask as someone who isn't Scottish but I thought the accents sounded pretty good lol

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson

My mom recommended this one to me. It's also a lot of fun. The title is, mostly, accurate. Ernest Cunningham (protag) is a writer, who mostly creates how-to books for mystery novelists he sells on Amazon. No, he doesn't write mysteries, he just writes the how-to books. But he's very well-versed in the "rules" of how to write a classic mystery! He promises that, as the narrator of this story, he will always be an entirely reliable narrator. The book itself is obviously fiction but within the narrative of the book, it is being told like a nonfiction account of something that the main character is writing down. This book is sort of a bottle mystery--strange murders while everyone is snowed in at a ski resort during a family reunion, anyone? The main character is funny and breaks the fourth wall often. I am convinced that there is a separate audiobook specific version since the narration within the book references it being an audiobook. The main character will be like "so, you probably realize this isn't the real killer, since we still have 4 hours of the book left to listen to" lol. I almost want to check out a print copy of this to see if the text is different.

Starter Villain by John Scalzi

First one on the list that I didn't listen to as an audiobook. Honestly, I probably read this book in 4 hours flat. Three of those hours just dead-focused while on a plane (with the book's hold expiring as soon as I landed and took my phone off airplane mode.)

I don't really know how to explain this one. I don't think I understood what it was about until I actually got like 4 chapters in and then I couldn't stop. It's just off-the wall ridiculous. There are talking cats. There are dolphins that want to unionize. There is a volcano lair. There are explosions and assasination attempts. There is a reasonably bleakly accurate capitalist picture of what "villainy" means in our world. There is a poor main character in over his head as he learns he's inherited all this from an uncle he never saw. This book is like...satire comedy. Comedy and outlandish but you're also depressed about billionaires a little while reading it.

Books I thought were Okay (3-4 stars but actually I gave both these 4 stars I think)

The Poisoner's Ring by Kelley Armstrong

The second book to the book I mentioned above. Honestly, I remember very well what the first book was about (i typed the summary by memory) but I have trouble remembering specifics about this one. It's a bit too long as well, at 14 hours. I don't have anything bad to say about it, I just didn't enjoy it quite as much as the first one.

But honestly I do remember it was still a good time. I just really like Dr Gray as a character and the setting, early forensic science focus, etc. These books are also setting up to be an EXTREME slow burn romance between Gray and Mallory, which I don't mind. (Literally by book 2 the most we have is that she thinks he's attractive, so at this rate it will take us 3 more books to get anywhere lol.) I will be checking out the 3rd book when it is released this spring.

Someone Else's Shoes by Jojo Moines

Also a book that suffered from being too long. It's a 12 hour audiobook but I think that it could have been 8 or 9 hours and gotten the same point across. My mom recommended this to me. It's narrated by Daisy Ridley, who does a good job. I enjoyed it, but I also started to feel like I really wanted it to be done?

Also unsure how to describe this one. Slightly-contrived-but-cute plot about how a bag switch up in a gym connects two women's stories. One is a, frankly quite annoying, American woman who married rich but has now been completely cut off from her money (and even passport) by her ex-husband who's cheating on her with a younger woman. One is a British woman with low self-esteem and a bad job who is struggling to keep her family afloat while her husband suffers from severe depression. I think my favorite was a side character named Jasmine who brought light to every scene imo.

Books I disliked (2 stars but after writing this review I almost want to make it 1 star)

Aurora by David Koepp

David I really believed in you after Cold Storage. But imo, this book isn't it. It throws away every interesting part of its apocalypse-level plot to focus on the characters. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love a good character-focused plot, except I never connected with anyone in the book. I just kind of didn't enjoy any of them. This is a story that is supposed to be about a solar flare taking out all electricity and communications for most of the world. And it only covers like a few days after the disaster AND THEN TIME SKIPS LIKE 8 MONTHS UNTIL EVERYTHING IS HAPPILY SOLVED NEIGHBORHOOD UTOPIA STYLE. I'm sorry????? Assuming I can believe that this little suburban Illinois cul-de-sac has managed to set up subsistence farming in a few months and is living perfectly happily, why would you....not show me how that happened.....

Also the "everything fits together" character moment at the end felt unearned. I was like yeah, okay, I guess this slots together. But the author didn't earn that moment for me. Instead of connecting with the characters and the plot and getting invested I felt like I was just being....told that everything worked out?? Or told that this was an important moment instead of actually Feeling the moment? It's hard to explain but I was like ok great thanks let's all go home now.

Sigh. I just can't get over the whole "throwing away the most interesting part of your setting" part. Again. Why would you spend a significant time setting up the science and how much of a disaster the solar flare is and then not show any of the characters figuring out how to survive it long-term....?

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

This book has such a high rating. It's very popular right now. It took me like 12 weeks of waiting for my hold to come up, and that's with the library having 7 copies.

It is, supposedly, about a smart octopus named Marcellus who helps an elderly lady solve the mystery of her son's disappearance at sea when he was a teenager.

In practice, it is about one minute at a time of Marcellus (the best part of the book) and extended sections of characters that I don't care about at all. I assume all the pieces of the story were supposed to come together later, but I was just highly bored. I was so bored that I DNF'd at 25% when my hold was up. I do not care enough to wait weeks to check it out again. Based on the one star reviews I read, the characters I didn't like did not develop into better people later and remained similarly annoying. Now, I don't need characters to be good people of course. But I do expect to be interested in them. I still don't know how the son's disappearance factors in because I felt like I heard barely anything about the supposed main character woman.

I feel vindicated because my coworker also checked out the book and told me a few weeks ago that she was at 50% and there still wasn't anything happening in the plot. I will ask her tomorrow if she finished it or not and if it ever got better.

Write an entire book for Marcellus the octopus and I'll check it out...

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

This book had so much potential. It's about a group of four women who were formerly assasins but are now retiring at 60. To celebrate retirement, they go on a cruise and then realize that they're the new targets for assasination, presumably because they know too much about the organization that used to employ them.

In execution....very meh. I actually had a Libby glitch on this one, where I think I missed about 1.5 hrs of narration total because the book skipped twice. I have no concept of which parts I missed. What I do know is that, the book was already so cobbled together before the first skip that I didn't realize I had missed anything until the end. Like sure, parts didn't make sense, but I was ready to accept that it was just Like That since the rest of the book was like that. After reading a bunch of reviews of this book I am convinced that there is NO way that all of its flaws can be explained by me missing a small part. After all, I did listen to 8.5 hours of it still.

The characters never felt their age to me. I felt like they either acted like they were 80 or 90, or like they were 20. It just seemed odd to me. The characters also felt very 2D, like the author wrote down three traits per person and called it good. There's a younger woman who appears to know the main character and conveniently helps the group, but I literally never figured out where their relationship originated or how they knew each other. Maybe I missed that too. By the end of the book I still didn't know who anyone was and couldn't remember which person was the main character. The plot jumped around to new locations constantly and often with little transition--this happened even on the parts where I definitely didn't get a skipping glitch. The main villain was a guy I literally had barely heard anything of til that point, although perhaps he came up in the 1.5 hrs I missed. They described the same painting in excruciating detail THREE separate times. It was...too feminist? Feminist in a contrived way where I have to be reminded every 5 minutes the characters are women? Like, I know, I am reading a story about women. Please don't mention it several times a chapter. There are ethical and moral considerations about their profession and chosen organization that never really get given the weight required. There was a love interest for the main character that I hadn't heard of once until he was introduced like an hour from the end--maybe I missed more about him in the parts I skipped? Unknown.

ANNND THAT'S ALL FOLKS!!!

#quara talks books #my current book is mr penumbra's 24 hr bookstore by robin sloan and i'm not getting promising vibes from it 30% in #i'm gonna try to finish it but....the mc kind of annoys me #but i could live with that! #what i can't live with is the author's incessant need to talk about google constantly. there's a character who works for google. #does the author have a thing for google....?? why do they wanna **** google's ***** in this random presumably unaffiliated book???? #also more product placement vibes like macbooks and kindles coming up a lot #like dude. please. stop. you promised me mysterious bookstore not megacorp tech worship #also the tech talk hasn't aged super well in this book imo #a bit amusing to read about people being very wowed by someone attending a party 'virtually' via webcam #in the post pandemic work from home era of zoom meeetings and teams meetings etc #also getting manic pixie dreamgirl vibes from main love interest #ANYWAY. stay tuned to see if I have to put this book in the middle or bottom tier (it's already missed its chance at 5 stars)

[nflstreetsanimereviews]

Winter 2023 Anime First Impressions

Below is a short list of anime that I'm currently watching, and my impressions of them so far. Please send me recommendations for currently airing anime since I'm not watching much this season.

Tomo-chan wa Onnanoko!

Tomo-chan wa Onnanoko! (Tomo-chan Is a Girl!) is an adaptation of the popular rom-com manga of the same name. The anime starts with Aizawa Tomo (the Tomo-chan in Tomo-chan wa Onnanoko!) confessing her love to her childhood friend Jun. Unfortunately, due to their rather strange friendship that revolves around them sparring often, along with other 'boyish' activities, Jun takes her confession of love as reaffirming their friendship. Honestly, I forgot that this anime going to air, since the manga finished years ago. The nature of the manga, which was released daily in one-page slices, originally gave me concern that the anime would be paced poorly. Thankfully that doesn't seem to be the case. Tomo-chan so far has been a great show. While Tomo and Jun have some good gags, it's Tomo's friends that make the show as good as it is. It's my pick of the season if you want to watch a light-hearted slice-of-life anime. Check out the manga too.

NieR:Automata Ver1.1a

NieR:Automata Ver1.1a is the anime adaption of the 2017 video game NieR: Automata. The anime details the experiences of android soldiers (known as YoRHa units) 2B and 9S as they fight alongside their human creators against invading aliens and their seemingly infinite machine army. The game came out to critical praise, although reception of the game has gone down in the past few years. I was a fan of the game when I played it, but honestly, I don't remember much about the game's story. I do have a hard time believing that the anime will have anywhere as much a positive appraisal as the game did--it's just how anime based off of video games usually go. The biggest complaint so far from viewers has been the shoddy CG job. Anime CG is rarely good, but NieR:Automata Ver1.1a has some egregious examples, like the one above. You'd think that an anime as high profile as NieR:Automata Ver1.1a would at least have passible CG, but I guess A-1 Pictures has better things to do. Sans the bad CG, the anime is okay so far.

Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san 2nd Attack

The second season of Nagatoro. Pretty self-explanatory. If you loved the first season, you'll love this. If you didn't...then you won't like this. Of course, the gags continue from the first season, but the ROM cart of 'rom-com' takes a huge step up. Hell, they pretty much are dating already as it stands. Also, I'm very sure that Senpai will get contacts this season, not to spoil any character growth. There's really no reason for Nagatoro to be included here, due to it being its second season, but I had to fill in space because a list with only two items would've been pretty embarrassing!

#tomo chan wa onnanoko! #nier anime #ijiranaide nagatoro san #anime first impressions

[twotommyolivers]

This is me (lady)bugging you

So, as a direct response to this post (and less directly in response to bits of fandom I've seen that take the fun out of children's television, I will make a public confession: Miraculous Ladybug has captured my imagination so fully that I have created a Bad-On-Purpose Overpowered Self-Insert OC whose role in the story has evolved over time but basically serves as the kind of character I would write if I were still in high school.

(Note to actual high schoolers: yes, your writing isn't good, but in the same way a toddler's ability to walk isn't good. It'll get better as you learn more and more about how to write)

Because his adventures are much more fleshed out (and my other fun scenarios are a bit too citrusy for main) here are some of his highlights. Be warned that this is long, is not great on accuracy (it took enough time to write all this down, I'm not fact-checking) contains spoilers, and comes with a minor content warning for self-harm.

(Note that this character has evolved over the past couple seasons because one of the secrets of storytelling is you don't have to know everything at the beginning.)

He has no name, but that's because I am normally crap with names or titles except for the rare times my third eye is open and I see all nomenclature forever. Also, the names that I would use for a self-insert are either taken or dull

He's an American, but from Washington, DC to keep things interesting. His dad is a diplomat working for the US Embassy in Paris, which is his excuse to mix it up with the upper-class as well some extra deus ex machina shenanigans. Whether his parents ever show up in the story is currently unknown but not terribly necessary.

His origin story (revealed during Season 4):

He was on the bus when Socqueline was warning Marinette about Kim before their Spider Date. He spontaneously got off the bus when Socqueline did and offered to help. As an American, his speech is clunky in non-English dubs. He gets to the pool but Kim has already released the spiders so all he gets to see is the aftermath and the two girls on the upper floor recording it.

Immediately after the meeting Socqueline is kicked out of CFD, my OC has a pre-orientation meeting with Principal Damocles (yes, he's a mysterious transfer student). He sees Socqueline on her way out and makes a promise to help protect Marinette.

Sabrina and Chloe had yet to clear out from the principal's office so when they see the kid from the pool rock up, Chloe tries to get him kicked out, too. They're about to get away with it when my avatar pulls out a pocket voice recorder that's been on the whole time and then explains fluently that it would be a shame for the press to learn how the Mayor is so mad with power that he would blatantly ignore the diplomatic immunity of a child who just wanted to go to school. Suffice to say, he doesn't get kicked out.

When the Spider Date gets brought up in the present day and Kim sings the praises of Chloe, my OC (who has been sent as a secret chaperone by the friend group) turns to Ondine with the deadest stare of all time and asks "this your man?"

For most of seasons 1 and 2 he's just another member of the cast. He hangs around the main friends group but also is a big supporter of Juleka. During the episode in S4 where everyone is overly patronizing to Rose, his part is being an intentionally overt wingman for Juleka to try and make both of them smile. He's super hype when Juleka becomes Purple Tigress and during the incident with the career surveys, he tries with Rose to talk Juleka down before becoming Reflekta.

He has no demonstrable romantic interest in Marinette (he knows better) but maybe he gets akumatized because he's lamenting about how everyone else is getting paired off but not him. Maybe a bad blind date with Alix or something sets him off. A coupling with Zoe is briefly hinted at later, but nope, they're just friends who are both ex-pat Americans who hate Chloe.

At some point in season 2, he gets ownership of the Wolf Miraculous from the western canon for reasons. The main gimmick is that he has scent tracking while transformed. Dunno about anything else because I'm garbage with action scenes and fight styles. I assume the kiwami's name is Howll or something.

His civilian power having multiple brain cells at all times, either inherent or because of his dad. He's not down with most of The Gang's more ludicrous attempts to make the perfect Adrienette moment happen. He doesn't have an Alliance ring because (per his dad) a government employee shouldn't have yet another listening device and his phone already does what the ring would do. He also is the only one who intentionally changes his voice if he's trying to hide his identity.

Further evidence of not having Int or Wis as a dump stat:

In the S2 finale, he uses the akumatization from Scarlet Moth to try and fight off the other akumatized heroes as a diversionary tactic but that doesn't last long.

He's not as smitten with Lila as everyone else but he tends to give her leeway. This changes when she gets Marinette kicked out of school. Going forward he starts to more openly challenge her stories. His initial interactions with Felix are the same level of maliciously compliant politeness you see when Spider-Man interacts with J Jonah Jameson.

He finds it quite odd during Wishmaker that Viperion was able to immediately sus out what the Lucky Charm was for.

During episode 100, he freaks out when Viperion doesn't push the button. He also subtly tries (and fails) to keep Adrien's post-reveal ego in check ("nice ring you have there...")

At the premiere of the Ladybug film, he adds to Thomas's series of harassments by asking a series of obnoxious fan questions (he also thinks Adrien did a oddly fantastic job as Cat Noir).

During Furious Fu instead of Cat Noir flailing away against a Chinese martial arts master, it's my OC absorbing every attack he can before his opponent realizes that he's stalling and our heroes ran away.

During the NY special he help Ladybug and Cat Noir escape conflict with not-Superman and not-Batman after Uncanny Valley was revived, because even though he says he's willing to fight for his friends, the notion of actually fighting the World's Finest scares him to tears, earning enough sympathy to de-escalate the situation safely. In lighter news, he pokes fun at Jess and Aeon because they too Ship It. He also comments that he didn't trust New York hot dogs before and he certainly doesn't trust them now.

In later seasons if he's in a scene while someone is getting akumatized and they cut to a group shot of civilians, he's usually in the background trying to exit or has already left.

During Season 4 he has an arc with Alya:

He is the one that triggers the Gang of Secrets. While Marinette is moping about Adrien and Luka, my OC strong arms her into taking a walk and just conversing about stuff and how her friends love her. This upsets the Gang who thinks this is a secret date which goes against their wishes of hooking her up with Adrien again.

At some point after Sentibubbler he (as his Miraculous form) does a welfare check on her but openly questions whether she has the Fox Miraculous. Alya dodges, but something doesn't smell right.

During Glaciator 2 (in which he almost throws hands with Cat Noir after almost getting Marinette akumatized; my OC apologizes later) he fights as a civ alongside Alya with slightly better results.

My OC helps to talk Cat Noir into working with Scarabella because he thinks she's a friendly but secretly because she smells like Rena Rouge.

During Rocketear, my OC draws tremendous amounts of aggro during the fight with akumatized Nino by making fun of his Nice Guy/Incel based powers and what a knobhead he's being. A postscript conversation with Alya has my OC saying how cool and awesome she is and even though he's just a friend she deserves to hear that.

During Strikeback, he's the one to collect Rena Furtive's Miraculous. During the act he gives her her proverbial flowers and also mentions he figured out all of her identities a while ago

And then there's the S4 finale/Season 5:

During Risk, it's revealed that he's been tracking akuma activity and whatnot through the Ladyblog and various security footages. This is how he learned of Alya's identity and has also concluded that because of all of her interactions in S4 plus how the Ladyblog has changed to no longer worry about Ladybug's identity, Alya knows who Ladybug is. He assumes this and other factors lead to him assuming Ladybug is Marinette. His Risk is that he keeps giving less and less subtle one-liners implying that he knows who people are. He also is pro-Marinette when it comes to Adrien leaving with Lila.

Because he has the Fox Miraculous, my OC joins up with Ladybug at the Agreste Manor when Shit Goes Down. he nearly puts Adrien through a wall.

Somehow by the end of episode 2 my OC no longer has the Wolf Miraculous thanks to some very nice people who may or may not have automatic weaponry.

Because he's studied the tapes, my OC looks incredibly nervous all throughout the episode where Luka is put on a bus.

Because the author is a nerd, when Nino tries to play guitar badly, my OC makes a reference to the is-nino-actually-luka tumblr (the answer is no).

The Kagami Arc:

When Kagami leaves after being weird on the boat, my OC and Adrien split up to find her. My OC finds her on the bridge and starts to panic. After she's akumatized he's the one that runs off to LB & CN and tells them to nonviolently engage to her. After everything's wrapped up, he's super happy she's okay even though they hadn't really interacted up until that point. It turns out that before spiders and miraculouses and everything else, my OC was feeling depressed, alone, and isolated in a foreign country. He had gone to the same bridge one night overlooking the Seine but instead of being akumatized, he was thinking of doing something much worse. However, as he was about to do it he broke down and instead sat against the bridge crying until Officer Roger found him and escorted him home. My OC's investment in Kagami's well-being was because he went through similar things and didn't want anyone to go through that ever again…

And then she becomes Riposte Prime. My OC joins the confrontation slightly miffed and talking loudly in Japanese (up to this point he's the only one that's stressed the "Ka" in "Kagami" instead of "ga") to try and draw her attention. During the confrontation my OC mentions how people care about her and how he shared a very initimate part of himself with her, to which Riposte Prime says that his was a lie to manipulate her. This "activates" my OC, as the kids say. He does the "catching a sword with both hands" trick and near single-handedly stops her rampage. He also deliberately starts calling her "Tsurugi-san" instead of "Kagami" because if she believed him nearly jumping off a bridge was a lie and believed it enough to say it even in anger, then he can no longer consider her a friend.

My OC is at the masked ball that Marinette sneaks into. After freaking out because Marinette is there (and laughing at Chloe's ignorance) he Nopes Out the instant Argos reveals himself. He tries to be stealthy and follow the action, but is eventually caught out. Luckily, he talks he way out of being snapped (what happens if he wants to go to America?) but is then tasked with talking down Tsurugi-san. When it's revealed that Marinette got snapped my OC goes Deer In Headlights because that further confirms Ladybug's identity to him.

When Argos "liberates" Kagami from her car, my OC decides to join up with one of the Tomoe clones since the enemy of his enemy is his friend and there is no love lost for Felix. During the confrontation in the catacombs, my OC comes off looking bad to Kagami but he flat out has the same amount of vitriol as Ladybug did.

The Chloe and Lila arc:

In spite of Riposte Prime causing my OC to no longer be casual with Tsurugi-san, he still volunteers to take her back to Lila (he also tells her during the episode that Lila may not have her best intentions at heart). He also takes the opportunity to call Lila out to her face and warns her to squash any beef she may have with Marinette. They don't have to be friends, but they should be able to coexist in the same space without drama. My OC also points out how Lila wasn't at PSG to help Kagami but to quote him: "I'm sure you had a reason."

When Monarch conspires against Scarabella and Kitty Noire, my OC is the one to put the final nail in Chloe's coffin. After Chloe threatens she'll crush Zoe & the rest, he mentions she has no power after the Bee Miraculous was taken away and spent the intervening time being worse instead of getting better. Sole Destroyer tracks my OC into the locker room where after some banter, it's revealed that he was duping her and gets her with a steel chair after a lovely one-liner. This is how The Resistance was able to tie her up in the first place.

When Lila and Chloe try to kick Marinette out of school again, my OC immediately remembers how there was an invisible villain before and that Sabrina is conspicuously absent from the event site. He also catches Chloe and Lila in 4K and wishes "Spider Girl" a happy anniversary.

During the class rep re-election, my OC volunteers to run against Lila instead of Marinette. His decision to run was to ensure that the election was not about the two girls' relationship but to figure out who would best represent the class. He taps Adrien as his 2nd because of his connections but secretly to tweak the opposition. When a brainwashed Alya heads to Marinette's house, she and my OC have a quick fight. She knocks him out, but she is spirited away by Ladybug by the time he comes to.

During the incident with the career surveys (his fake one said he wanted to return to America and not come back, which he couldn't be mad at), Lila objects to lengths Marinette went to discredit her. My OC agrees with Lila, but his solution was instead to have everyone's reports notarized and duplicated. He and Marinette were witnesses along with Ivan because he didn't wear a ring and is too introverted to speak out. After presenting the true reports, he says that he wanted Lila to bury the beef with Marinette but she couldn't, and that was the one truth she couldn't cover up.

Chloe is able to get him kicked out of school at the same time as Ms. Bustier. He laughs and congratulates her for a job well done and she has no idea what she's done. As he exits he begins a series of cryptic phone conversations with a mysterious third party. Gabriel's plan to set the Mayor up happens to coincide with my OC's plan which was again, to go to the press about his overbearing control over the school system and blatant regard for international relations.

When Mayor Chloe tries to come for my OC initially, it's a scene reminiscent of her stalking him as Sole Destroyer. As part of the banter he suggests Juleka help with Chloe's vocabulary. Once Chloe corners my OC and tries to capture him, it's revealed she's been hunting a hologram and that the real him is somewhere safe. He also concedes that "democracy" may indeed be hard, especially since Chloe will have to get used to a different, much simpler word. One with three letters.

As LB and CN are about to de-transform, a smoke bomb is fired at the dais and someone yells out to rush the stage. As a postscript, my OC explaining on the phone he has a function to get to and doesn't know anything about a missing crowd suppression gun.

The S5 finale:

Due to a paired assignment my OC has to go to the Agreste mansion to get some stuff from Adrien. While waiting, Gabriel tries to insinuate that my OC should try and date Marinette. My OC immediately sees through this which results in Gabriel giving a version of The Crepe Speech. My OC's rebuke is that because he's the son of a diplomat he has to be a student of history, like his father. One constant thing throughout history is that the people with Vision eventually disappear and the visions they have change. Similarly, Gabriel will one day die and his power over Adrien will disappear. Both parties agree Adrien will e-mail his part of the assignment instead.

My OC's phone suddenly becomes able to detect midichlorians (shut up) so he knows Felix shows up to the school dance after Chloe is deposed. When he suspects he's trying to dupe Marinette, he decides to go with her just to make sure she's okay. They make it to the school together, but he gets separated by Tsurugi-san. My OC is supremely angry with the deception but she warns him not to talk during the performance and disappears, locking him in. As a postscript, he's walking home talking on the phone. The door to the room he was in shows a broken lock. It's implied that he saw the entire performance.

The entire class wakes up, all restrained in a government facility. My OC walks in, accompanied by Uncanny Valley. After the Strikeback incident, the US government can no longer rely on the heroes of Paris to deal with Monarch and has been using my OC as a double agent. He reveals that US knows that everyone in the room has held a Miraculous at some point. (Luka is being held over in Los Angeles.) Also, there is a clear conspiracy between the Agrestes, the Tsurugis and Monarch, and Adrien is a person of interest due to his one-way trip to London. My OC confronts Marinette and demands she help because otherwise the American military will step in and it won't be good. He asks as her friend, but she refuses so he has both she and Adrien detained. Socqueline chides him for this, but my OC questions why she's here and also wonders why his movements are so sluggish. He then wakes up realizing that this was a Nightmare, but it's one that he can control.

Mylene is stopped from putting on an Alliance ring by my OC who says in a threatening manner that he was looking for her. He had anxiety due to lack of sleep and wondering if she had any holistic solutions to keep calm, like tea or meditation. He's also holding Mylene's wrist extremely tight.

After everyone realizes the ring stuff is all a trick, Alya notices Plagg but is reluctant to take the cat Miraculous. My OC volunteers instead and is surprised when Alya reacts to this with shock. He does have a plan for Alya though and will give the signal when it's time but for the time being, my OC gleefully asks Plagg to transform him.

My OC becomes Tuxedo Cat. It's exactly the pastiche you think it is. When he gets to the Agreste mansion, he's able to divert the attention of Monarch and his goons. He has his stick and knows how to use it, but he also has multiple extra weapons thanks to the parts of the Nightmare that were true. He uses a microwave gun that shoots an automatic shutoff code to some of the Miraculized ring holders in order to neutralize them. TC also spends a lot of the time dragging Monarch, using the context that he's Gabriel Agreste and he's likely doing this because of his "family." He also declares him under arrest on behalf of the United States government His barbs cut sharp and deep and it becomes Captain Marvel vs Thanos levels of ownage, but the numbers eventually overwhelm TC and he's forced to retreat and relinquish the Miraculous.

And that's the story so far. Thanks for reading, sorry for the length. (This is why I don't write, I wouldn't have time for anything else lol)

#welcome to miraculous #2to begs for attention #fanfiction #I'm old yusuke #I realized there are some things left out #but you'll have to ask to see them out further #long post

[whirligig-girl]

hii, i want to get into star trek but i dont know where to start

Do you have a particular episode or series you recommend for newbies?

Star Trek: Lower Decks is a pretty good way to get into the series imo. It will introduce you to a lot of the concepts of the series, but with a different style and tone. There's a lot of references to the rest of the franchise, but to those who have only seen lower decks they mostly read as just worldbuilding to make the world seem larger than just one ship.

If you want to know what Star Trek is really like as a whole, I recommend checking out Star Trek: The Next Generation, season one episode one, Encounter at Farpoint. It's not the best Star Trek episode, but it introduces the characters of TNG and some series-long plot arcs, and its plot is pretty typical of the kind of high-concept science fiction the franchise is known for.

Most of the series was designed for syndication in a pre-streaming environment where you don't need to watch it in order if you don't want to. You can kind of skip around if you want. One valid way of watching star trek is just to watch all the pilot episodes of the pre-streaming Trek (to get to know the characters and the premise) and then skip around within each series.

All of the modern star trek shows made for streaming should be watched in order, and Star Trek Deep Space Nine absolutely should be watched in order. DS9 also has the best pilot episode. And is probably the best series; although I feel like it's best enjoyed when you already have a familiarity with this universe through watching other star trek.

appendix: description of the premise of each star trek series, in order of release date.

TOS: Star Trek (1966-1969). Also known as Star Trek (The Original Series). The show follows the first three years out of the five year mission of the United Federation of Planets starship Enterprise under command of Captain Kirk and his science officer Commander Spock, and the doctor "Bones" McCoy, to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life, and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man has gone before!

TAS: Star Trek: the Animated Series (1973-1974). A cartoon in the animation style/quality of the likes of Scooby Doo. The show follows the final two years of the five year mission, but very quirky and even lower budget.

Star Trek movies 1-6 (1979-1991) continue the story of Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and the crew of the Enterprise. People say the odd numbered movies are worse, but I like all of them. Star Trek IV (the one with the whales) is easily the best one--it's a movie in the style of some of the more 'hijinksy' episodes of TOS.

TNG: Star Trek: The Next Generation. (1987-1994). Nearly 100 years after Kirk's Enterprise, Jean-Luc Picard commands the Enterprise-D, an almost city-sized starship going even further and faster than before, with advanced tech like matter replicators and holodeck simulator rooms. His crew includes an empath, an android, a blind pilot with an accessibility aid, starfleet's first Klingon, and idk i guess a couple of regular humans I guess.

DS9: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999). Commander Sisko begrudgingly takes command of a run down space station that had been built as a slave camp during the lizard-nazi occupation of the previously peaceful and spiritual Bajor. The occupation is over and the station now belongs to the Bajorans under Starfleet administration. His second officer is a Bajoran terrorist. The rest of the crew includes the cringiest best doctor in starfleet, a trans woman with a worm in her belly, a slime cop, and a cutthroat capitalist running the station's bar. And who can forget O'brien, the former transporter chief of the Enterprise-D and the Most Normal Guy In The Universe. Things get complicated when, in episode one, a uniquely stable wormhole to the other side of the galaxy opens up, and suddenly this backwater becomes a bustling frontier.

VOY: Star Trek Voyager (1995-2001). A state-of-the-art but otherwise pretty unremarkable starship, Voyager, sets out from DS9 on a quick mission to capture some (mostly human) rebels/terrorists. However, both the terrorist ship and Voyager get transported to the other side of the galaxy (not the same side as the wormhole from DS9, although that would be convenient). Facing a 70 year return trip, they must learn to work together to survive in a harsh part of the galaxy. And if they do a little exploration of strange new worlds while they're at it, that's fine too. Captain Janeway commands her intrepid crew of humans, aliens; terrorists and by-the-books officers. there's also a really cool ex-zombie-cyborg with autism but she doesn't appear until like season 4. Also a brilliant holographic doctor who isn't pleased about the fact that he can be turned on and off at the flick of a switch.

Star Trek movies 7-10 (1994-2002) are the The Next Generation tie-ins. Generations is kinda bad, First Contact is the best one.

ENT: Enterprise (later Star Trek: Enterprise) (2001-2005). 100 years before Kirk's Enterprise, Earth is a client state of the Vulcans, and humans are tiring of the Vulcans' watchful eye. After a diplomatic incident, Captain Archer commands the 'first' Enterprise, the NX-01, on humanity's very first deep-space expedition. Though he'd be a LOT happier if the Vulcans hadn't insisted upon putting a Vulcan Science Officer on the bridge. Phlox, the alien doctor, is one of Star Trek's best characters. Trip, the chief engineer and certified Florida man, is also a delight.

Star Trek movies 11-13 (2009-2016) are the alternate universe "Kelvin Timeline" movies, which take place in a more action-oriented, star-wars-like version of the The Original Series time period. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy are back, but played by younger actors. Star Trek (2009) is kind of okay if you like action movies that have nothing to do with what Star Trek is actually about, Into Darkness is kind of bad, and Star Trek Beyond was actually delightful.

side note: the Kelvin Timeline movies are often considered a "reboot," but they're arguably less of a reboot than the Discovery/Strange New Worlds timeline, since there is an in-universe REASON for the kelvin timeline to exist parallel to the television timeline; whereas DSC & SNW just rewrite history and visual design for no reason and expect us to believe it was always this way despite previous callbacks to the TOS era in the franchise generally being faithful to the events and appearance of the original series itself.

DIS (DSC): Star Trek: Discovery (2017-). First in a franchise soft-reboot. The visuals are all different, and though they have tried to imply it's the same universe/timeline/continuity as everything that came before… it is best interpreted as a reboot in a slightly different timeline. The story of a federation starship with a top-secret mushroom-powered teleportation drive, just a decade before Kirk's Enterprise. Or the story of how starfleet's first mutineer learned to trust other people. I don't like this one very much so it's possible im mischaracterizing it.

PIC: Star Trek Picard. (2020-). A Character Study on the elderly Jean-Luc Picard, as he goes on a quest to find the daughter of his late android friend before something terrible happens to her. This one is horrifically violent for some reason and is also horrifyingly ableist in season 2. Season 3 will be a sort of The Next Generation Cast Reunion.

LOW: Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020-). An adult-style cartoon which reimagines Star Trek as a workplace sitcom. On one of Starfleet's low-tier workhorse starships, the U.S.S. Cerritos, on the lower decks, are four nerds who love their jobs (one of them would never admit it though and would be offended if you called her a nerd.) Bradward Boimler, the rule-follower, Beckett Mariner, the badass free-spirit who is clearly suffering from burnout, D'vana Tendi, the delightfully optimistic nurse and scientist, and Samanthan Rutherford, the cyborg engineer who loves crawlin' around in the tubes! This one is sort of star trek self-parody, but in a good way. I love most Star Trek, but as different as this one is, it's my favorite.

PRODIGY: Star Trek: Prodigy (2021-). A 3D-animated cartoon (for all ages, this time). Four alien teenagers, a large alien child, and some kind of goo monster, steal an incredibly fast prototype federation starship, the Protostar. Now, none of them have ever actually heard of the Federation, or… know how to pilot a starship, but they are guided through it by a hologram based on Voyager's Captain Janeway. It starts with a very Star Wars-like tone and gradually shifts to being more and more like Star Trek as the season progresses--which makes sense in the context of the story. SNW: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022-). A soft reboot of TOS based on Captain Pike's appearance in Discovery. (Pike was the captain of the Enterprise just before Kirk was, in the TOS episodes The Cage and The Menagerie). This one has some pretty bad ableism in it, but it's not as overt as PIC's. This one really is just, like, as close to "more of regular star trek" as it gets. Though the tone does feel very different to Star Trek TOS and TNG.

#star trek