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slotumn · 25 days

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Thoughts and ponderings on how to make the Golden Deer eviler™ and more involved in Fódlan politics and the war and why that would be good for the worldbuilding (note: GD are my faves)

First and most obvious imo: war profiteering. It would help establish their character as mercantilists who can be just as cruel as others even without direct bloodshed, if they sold supplies and weapons to both Adrestia and Faerghus over the five years and profitted off said bloodshed.

Extension of the above: price gouging. Oh your country had bad harvests this year? That's so sad. So, how much are you willing to pay to make sure your troops don't starve?

More extension of the above: loan shark shit. Especially cruel if Adrestians and Faerghans are forced to borrow from a Leicesterian cartel just so they can buy stuff from... another Leicesterian cartel.

Possibly the final boss of "evil shit to sell during a war": drugs. The frontlines are said to have been in a stalemate for a while, meaning the soldiers are just stuck there up north without making much progress, for a couple years. That must be painful both physically and psychologically. Thankfully, your good friends from the Alliance have juuuust the thing to make you forget the painful reality! Ever heard of opium?

If that's not enough action, then how about: Leicester doing various operations to keep the conflict going and ensure that it can't end, either by compromise or surrender. Sabotage potential deals, do false flag operations, anything to make sure the Kingdom and Empire both fight until the last soldier, because that way they won't have any left to attack the Alliance with.

There must be desperate people escaping Kingdom and Empire and coming to the Alliance for various reasons. But it's difficult to feed all these new mouths, not to mention that it might aggro the Empire if they accept too many people from Faerghus or defectors from Adrestia. What's Leicester to do? Use them as slave labor in some remote place like the Goneril mines, obviously. They've trafficked Almyrans, they'll gladly do it to Adrestians and Faerghans, too.

Aside from making Leicester more involved in the politics, I think this is a good way to justify and set up a true three-way conflict instead of Kingdom vs Empire feat Alliance.

For the Empire, it gives a good reason for them to go on an active military campaign against Leicester (as in CF) before heading to crush the Kingdom. "Evil underhanded motherfuckers are trying to destroy us by selling us drugs and sabotaging our operations, we can't let that stand for the future of Fodlan" + stomp on them to make sure they don't try any funny business in the future.

For the Kingdom, well... I think it makes it somewhat harder to justify the Derdriu rescue part in AM*, but I do think it gives more justification to why they're totally unwilling to cooperate with the Alliance at Gronder, even aside from Dimitri being feral. Like from their POV, tf you mean "what does it achieve," you put us in debt and destroyed our economy and now you're trying to imply we should team up?

(*If it's presented the same as in canon, I think it can still work if it's framed slightly differently, like Leicester growing desperate enough to grovel for help from the same faction they were previously trying to sabotage and Dimitri decides to do it for the greater good and the future of Fódlan instead of holding a grudge)

Also a good way to fuel tension between Church and Alliance in VW even though they work together; Alliance uses the fact they've got the money to basically blackmail Church into giving them legitimacy for propaganda purposes, Church thinks Alliance is dangerous and unfaithful, partially because they've got sticks up their ass but also because they are, in fact, kinda fucked up. (And Byleth is just stuck mediating between the two rip)

Most of all, this is my personal taste but I like that it makes Fódlan even bleaker than it already is. Like if you take a step back and just look at the factions as nations instead of focusing on the virtues of the individual leaders, it's: superiority complex irredentist imperialists vs inflexible outdated zealots vs greedy backstabbing opportunists, feat. religious institution that has long since grown corrupt and complacent. If you are a random person (probably commoner) in Fódlan who does not know the leaders personally, war would look pretty bleak, especially the longer it goes on. It would look like no matter which faction wins, the average person would lose.

And I think that would make it all the more impactful when Byleth appears and ends the war, especially in SS. The chosen one and savior isn't a noble raised to lord (lol) over others, it's someone raised as a commoner* doing the dirty work (fighting and killing) for others. When they get to lead and/or the leaders listen to them, something finally changes. I have issues with how Byleth was handled as a character in base Houses (even though I grew to like them eventually), but I still think their existence and role is nice symbolically and thematically.

(*You can argue that Byleth isn't a "regular commoner" considering the Crest + their heritage, but like, they don't know about the Crest until they've lived ~20 years as a merc and in some routes they don't even fully learn about the heritage so for all practical purposes they lived and grew up as a commoner)

Think I went on a bit of a tangent but the point is: let the Golden Deer and Leicester be evil, I think it would have been really fun if they destroyed the other two countries' economies with the power of money and friendship* then had a feast afterwards like a bunch of psychopaths (*among themselves I mean, not friendship with the other factions).

#fe3h #fire emblem three houses #meta #i think #golden deer #leicester alliance #the virgin 'my fave did nothing wrong'#vs the chad 'my fave needs to do more wrong and everyone needs to commit more atrocities in general'#slotalks #fe3h meta

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utilitycaster · 5 months

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you getting push back on that post is crazy to me isn't it enough to watch and get invested in something for what it is currently rather than what it will be? I have so many unfinished projects in my own life it'd be crazy to demand polished completion from everything I watch/read. my unfinished sketches and embroidery and abandoned dnd campaigns still brought joy and growth without having a polished thing to present at the end

So what's funny to me is like. I have referenced this before here and elsewhere but like, as a child, I was SO bad at ambiguous and sad endings and my mother was like, not unkind about this, but neither did she coddle it, and I think that laid a groundwork that was really necessary.

My tags, which got lost bc I did NOT expect that post to break containment, do actually touch on how Netflix and other streaming services canceling things to avoid paying people a fair wage fucking suck but yeah here's a list of creative endeavors I participated in or watched/listened to/read that do not as of this posting have endings and I still liked, and many of them aren't even directly attributable to capitalism because this is just a fact of life and art.

As mentioned, both A Song of Ice and Fire and the Kingkiller Chronicles.

Multiple D&D campaigns for sure (I actually don't make D&D characters without a game in mind and find it weird that people do and so I'm like why am I the one arguing for the beauty of the incomplete).

Multiple fics, both mine and others.

King Falls AM, a podcast I binged in like 2018-2019 and despite being a mystery never actually completed bc the creators couldn't agree.

I think Battlestar Galactica 2003 is one of the most brilliant shows of its era and also the finale, which happened when the creators intended it to, is really dumb, and that doesn't undo the fact that I loved everything else.

How I Met Your Mother ends really poorly in a way that arguably undercuts the whole series, but like, I still liked that too.

Ditto for Chuck, which also struggles in that it was on the chopping block most seasons so they kept ending in ways that probably weren't true to whatever the original vision may have been.

I saw Firefly on DVD after it had already been canceled, I think Serenity is good but I don't love all the choices, and Joss Whedon has since been revealed to be a dick but like, I enjoyed myself greatly while watching it.

As mentioned, Heroes. I didn't watch much TV until my teens anyway because we didn't have cable and our reception sucked and we were very much a book household, and this was one of the first series I recall watching from season 1 and it's also the first TV series where I was like yeah I don't care anymore, and it went on for 4 seasons and I think I gave up either late S2 or early S3.

I didn't watch Supernatural, Game of Thrones, nor Grey's Anatomy but all of those are famous for outstaying their welcome, sometimes it's better to burn out than fade away, etc.

I had already long outgrown Harry Potter and started to see its limitations by the time Rowling's transphobia became public but like, now it's not something I would ever recommend to my friends' kids or anything, and that doesn't undo the fact that I did greatly enjoy it as a child and teenager; it was indirectly the reason why I was introduced to the superior fantasy of Diana Wynne Jones, which I do still reread from time to time. (I think the "well I never liked it" mentality about works from artists who end up being terrible people is tied into the "I can't get invested in anything that might end in an unsatisfying manner." Tumblr University's media studies grads are not the brightest stars in the firmament, that's for sure.)

Like, cancellation (let alone cancellation specifically because of the unique shittiness of streaming services) is just one of the many reason things might end in a way you dislike or become difficult for you to enjoy at a later date, and that's just talking about television. Are you really going to deny yourself the joy of anticipation and watching a story unfold in real-time because the thought of something not satisfying you at every single turn is so unfathomable?

(oh, and because this is, as we know, a CR blog much of the time, I should add that this mentality is really pervasive which is wild because your average 3-season canceled Netflix show is probably the equivalent of maybe 9-10 CR episodes; thinking about how many people who now claim C2 is terrible watched 141 episodes and also the person who is iconic to me who unironically asked me what the point was in getting invested in characters who will die re: Chetney)

#answered #thespoonisvictory

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aquitainequeen · 19 days

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Aside from news on how things possibly stand for a Shadow and Bone/Six Of Crows renewal (basically no news is good news, keep going with the campaign!) there's also a short interview with Eric Heisserer, which sheds some interesting light indeed on the writing and making of Season Two, and it explains a lot of things:

Here are the questions posed for Eric's interview:

"I'd like to know if there's a way to liberate the pre-written scripts if Netflix doesn't plan on using them" - Christian Thalmann (creator of the Fjerdan language)

"In my view, 'The Crows' have the potential to revitalize the Grishaverse. Unlike "Shadow and Bone", this new show could rely less on elaborate visual effects and offer a fresh narrative angle. Heist-themed shows are currently in high demand, adding to its appeal. Am I mistaken in thinking that our focus should primarily be on 'The Crows'? The likelihood of 'Shadow and Bone' returning seems slim, but I've always believed that 'The Crows' had a greater change of success." - Joleen

"If/when the spinoff is back (finger crossed) was there anything he had planned that would completely surprised, for good reasons obviously, the audience? And we should hold our breath for that twist/turn??" - Rti

"What are the difficulties you mentioned about filming S2 in that Reddit comment? Don't want to sound negative, but what went wrong?!" - Mitra

"How long was the sizzle reel ready to go but he had to keep it secret?" - Discord Team

"I would love to know his perspective on the impact of streaming on storytelling. Would we have had to launch a campaign like this 10-15 years ago for a show like this? What are the main points when it comes to streaming models and telling unique, diverse stories?" - Acorn_Bri

Eric's Responses:

1) "There is a way to liberate the Crows scripts from Netflix, yes, and in fact that would be part of the buyout for another streamer when acquiring the rights to Leigh's novels. It would be a package deal."

2) "The focus on the Crows is helpful in two ways -- first, those scripts were written, which lets us get a running start at production, and second, just from casual analysis of book sales, it's far more popular worldwide than other Grishaverse titles. So it will be a bigger draw for viewers. The trap though is the cost. It's more grounded than S&B, sure, but the Ice Court is a unique location that either requires a really costly set build, or set extensions and VFX work to make it look authentic, which means nearly every shot of the heist once our crew gets there could be a VFX shot. My guess is the budget would be on par with S2 of S&B.

3) "Yes, there is a surprise or two in the Crows spinoff season, but overall it's as close to the novel as we could make it. And Leigh's novel is such an amazing story with natural cliffhangers that work as episode "out" moments, etc. I think the biggest move we made was to feature every single Crow's backstory to go with their episode. So that was fun/sad/exciting."

4) S2 kept throwing challenges at us, and it started long before we got to production. Like months earlier, when we learned the location we needed for the Little Palace in S1 was closed to us due to the pandemic. So right there we lost out on a ton of S&S scenes, because it wouldn't be a match. But we also had written a compelling side arc for Ivan and Fedyor in S2, these two Grisha trapped on either side of the civil war. Each of them played a big role in the story, but Simon (Ivan) had a feature film that overlapped with our schedule and couldn't move, which meant we lost him. So Daegan worked to revise the season keeping Fedyor and leaving Ivan like dead from the end of S1. He was Kirigan's right-hand man for the season. But poor Julian caught COVID just when we were to shoot out most of his scenes, and after tyring to ake the schedule work, we had to come to the brutal truth that there wasn't a way to keep Fedyor in the story. Our only option was to bring him in at like episode 8, which would've been too little, too late.

COVID continued to be a monster all through production, requiring us to juggle schedules and miss out on days, and it was madness for the cast, who had to pivot with almost no notice whenever someone was ill and quarantined. This isn't unique to our show of course---it happened with everyone. It's just the challenge.

Beyond that, we had been given the go to write a special standalone story: The Demon in the Wood. This would have been released on its own around Christmas, like a BBC special but for Netflix, and would help bridge seasons 1 and 2 by showing a little of what Kirigan was doing before we seem him in S2, and also provide more character context, etc. Christina Strain wrote that and did great work adapting Leigh's short story. But it never went the distance.

There was a lot more to S2 as well, scenes and side stories and little interactions that were lost due to budget or time restrictions. Again, not unique to our show, but agonizing all the same, since what you get is not what we had written, or in some cases even shot. I'm incredibly proud of the cast and the team, and Daegan did the heaviest lifting while I was off finishing the Crows writing room. But we had a lot more thrown at us."

5) That sizzle reel was put together four months before the second season dropped.

6) Streaming is a challenge to serialized storytelling in that it looks at 'content' often with a different agenda and uses metrics that can take a creative issue and exacerbate it. Like in broadcast, if viewership and thus ad revenue has slightly declined, the show will ned to find a way to make their 22 or 13 episodes on a proportionally smaller budget. What is not done is reduce episode order. But if a streaming series underperforms or doesn't meet expectations, an the streamer doesn't cancel it outright, the go-to budget reduction idea is to reduce episode order for the next season. When you just have 8 episodes and continue to deal with notes to compress, pace up, or omit for what you'd scripted for a longer season, reducing further to six or four episodes is exhausting.

This happens due to a slide in autonomy from what the showrunner position has been. What the chatter on the picket lines revealed to us is that most showrunners today don't get to see their own show's budget, and thus don't get the freedom to make budgetary decisions that could better protect the story they're telling. More and more, showrunners not at a legacy network aren't the final say or at times even involved in hiring key roles. I don't have any ideas that aren't already in contract language, I just see how the job on this side has gotten harder and there isn't much of a way for us to make it easier for each other like we could with having writers on set or in post production, because the streaming model has made that impossible."

#shadow and bone #six of crows #sab #shadow and bone netflix #netflix shadow and bone #Eric Heisserer #I really feel sorry for the writers and creators now #There was so much they wanted to do but couldn't because of EVERYTHING

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ofmermaidstories · 2 months

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Hi! I’m new ish to tumblr and I have a problem that I need some advice for, but is also okay to ignore because I know it’s bit weird. Also english is my second language so sorry for any errors.

I have a small ish blog and I have my asks open. It used to be very nice but over the last few weeks it’s very hate filled now. My blog has growed a bit but I feel it went from being 1 mean/off-putting comment a month to being 50% mean. I am not sure whether this is normal or if there is anything i can do.

Is it normal for it to get quite nasty or is it likely it is one person who is doing all of the comments? Is this a normal thing to deal with when people start noticing your blog a bit more? It has made me sad about beginning my blog.

Any advice would be appreciated, and so sorry for being vague with details. This is embarrassing for me to admit.

don’t be sorry about reaching out, or trying to protect your privacy! 🥺 it’s not embarrassing—it’s awful that you’re going through this, and i’m so sorry anon.

it’s never normal to get hateful messages. it does happen every now and then, and in my personal experience it’s always been because of something i’ve reblogged or a random opinion (which those that disagree with me can eat shit for, bc i’m always correct 😌), but it’s not normal for it to be a sustained campaign against you!!!!!!! do the messages have the same sort of voice, when you read them? write the same? it could just be one person who’s decided to take your blog/your writing/your opinions personally. if they don’t sound the same, but are about the same thing, then it might be a group of “friends”—i’ve put “friends” in quotes like that bc if you are bonded by being dicks to other people then you don’t have enough empathy to have true, lasting friendship LOL.

i’m sorry you’re dealing with this, anon. 😭 it’s especially worse if you feel alone with it. you’re not!!!! 🥺 you’re not!!!!!! this anon, or these anons, are not the norm. hate messages are a reality of our communities, but they’re a reality we should not tolerate. try blocking the anon messages—like, using the … menu on the message to block that particular anon. it’s not solid protection, but it’s a start. i’m sorry your introduction to tumblr has been rocky. these things can suck the fun out of what we do, it’s why these anons always try it. 🥺 but i hope you know you belong here—more than these little jerks do. more than they ever could. i don’t care who they are behind that anonymous message—whether they’re popular writers or just some random who’s bent out of shape—but by virtue of being hateful enough to consistently try and upset you they’ve proven that they’re not the kind of people we want among us.

don’t be embarrassed. so many of us have had similar problems with just a singular asshole trying to make things a little more miserable. you’re not alone, and we will make your blog a fun space for you to create again—somehow. 🥺🤍🌾

#ofmermaidstories-asks #i wish i could physically fist fight them for u anon #i will dunk their heads into a toilet bowl like the nerds they are

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themonotonysyndrome · 2 months

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So it’s just me that really wants a headcannon of the baroness giving birth a bit earlier than she was supposed to and I’m talking like 4 weeks early.So Castin is gone because of a campaign (for only a week)not knowing she’s giving birth,thinking her due date is in about 4 weeks.And he comes home after a week and sees his newborn realizing he missed the birth

It can be your oc ❤️celica❤️ or even in y/n form

Interesting suggestion, Anon! Shall we go with the Baroness as the Listener? (PS: I love that you highlighted Celica in red and gave her hearts; you're so sweet, Anon!)

I like to believe that once it's official that the Baroness is pregnant, she and Castin would sit down and discuss how they would like to prepare for the next 9 months. From decorating the nursery rooms right down to her new meal plans, and you know what? For once, Castin is super invested in planning ahead, lol. So much so that every time he would leave with his soldiers for a mission, Castin would first discuss his wife's care for the day with the kitchen and household staff. Yes, he's a very dutiful husband! He doesn't want to be away from the Baroness for even just a day now that she's pregnant, but Intacia still needs to be protected, and so does his wife.

"I promise to come back as soon as I can. Ok, babe? Just holler for the maids if you need anything. A-And make sure to stay hydrated, and I mean water. Not tea. Don't skip your meals either! I know you hate them greens but please, please just try to eat half of it - the baby needs it. And - "

"Commander, please. I think the Baroness is sufficiently advised."

"Yeah, brother! We should, uh, go now. The rebels aren't gonna captured themselves!"

"The Baroness looks like she's 2 seconds away from kicking the Commander in the balls... we should rreeeallly run away."

NJDKSNKJSNF Please be patient with your overly eager golden retriever of a husband, Baroness!

Haih... but unfortunately, our fave couple can't prepare for everything. Especially when an emergency arose, Castin's campaign was stretched out more than he liked.

He'll be sad, but I think... ultimately... just so relieved that once he got the news that his wife had given birth early, she survived, and so did their babies. He'll ride on a horse non-stop for 2 days just so he can return back home and be with his family.

Castin, beyond exhausted and sweaty with some blood on his face and armour proceeds to cry once he sees the babies: Babe... they're so... beautiful. Oh Goddess, thank you thank you thank you! I was so worried -

The Baroness, also exhausted but unamused immediately held the infants closer to her chest: Bath time for Daddy.

Castin: What!? Babe, c'mon! Lemme just kiss their little head, at least! Babbbby!!!

The Baroness: I am not letting that blood on you dripping down on them! Go bathe already, and then you can join us in bed!

Castin: :(

#monotony's rambling #desmond asmr #headcanons #castin hammer #baroness (listener)

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ghost-proofbaby · 3 months

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Not to indulge the BG3 " brain rot " but.... can we see what your tav looks like? Maybe hear a little bit about them? Sorry I'm just also on a BG3 kick right now

sure! don't apologize for that <3

this is my first tav, for my only currently completed playthrough. named her seraphina, she was a wild magic sorcerer elf and she romanced astarion, and she was 100% a goody two shoes. not to flex or anything. always gonna hold a special place in my heart. kinda sad i don't have more screenshots of her. also, i went through this playthrough without any mods!

and then my current playthrough is actually my first durge! i've made a couple so far (my bad), but this is going to be a redeemed/resisting the urges playthrough. her name is aruna, and she's also romancing astarion (what a shocker). she's a storm sorcerer elf you can tell i have a preferred class and race huh. i also caught the wonderful lil sideye exchanged during the gur encounter between her and astarion which i laughed at for a good five minutes. so far, this playthrough has been 100x more chaotic, and is definitely giving her and astarion sharing a brain cell (the blood of lathander quest is still a sensitive topic for our dear pale elf womp womp). she's simply bhaal's god's favorite princess with her crew of scary dog privilege while she fights the voices. (and yes, this playthrough i am using mods. sue me.)

i also have two bard durge playthroughs (one as a tiefling, one as a half-elf), and one of them in a multiplayer campaign with my friend in which uh.... we're gonna do full on evil ! wish me luck !

#terrified of the full on evil playthrough and losing karlach and wyll #gonna have to fight for my life to keep gale as he's been assigned as my stray cat in our playthrough #also at this point just assume all my tavs romance astarion lmao #i keep saying i'll romance gale or shadowheart and then DON'T #he just gives me those puppy dog eyes and i'm back in the house ya know #my first playthrough had a lil chaos but nothing compared to the durge one so far dear lord lmao #i did end my first one with telling gale to just fuck off and ascend to godhood if he really wanted to because i was so tired of him asking #like bro you're not my problem anymore stop #I ALSO KILLED SHADOWHEART ON MY FIRST ONE I'M TRAUMATIZED #HOW DO I SAVE HER??? HELP????#also i didn't get to keep halsin in my first playthrough because i didn't notice the quest for him #AND I LOST THE LAST LIGHT INN SO NO JAHEIRA BC SHE DIED IN BATTLE #I WENT FUCKING THROUGH IT Y'ALL #thank u ily #ghost plays bg3 #<- that'll be my tag for bg3 stuff #also yes seraphina is the one who fucked the mindflayer my bad my bad

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theold-ultraviolence · 2 years

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No One Like You (SIDE A)

Eddie Munson x fem!reader // available on ao3

Summary: The prospect of life after graduation year loomed heavily on your mind, just as your unspoken feelings for your best friend, Eddie Munson, were getting too difficult to contain. On a spur of courage, you decide to finally confess, through a language that both you and Eddie understood far better than words. A/N: It's done!! Thank you so much to everyone that stuck around for this, to those that commented/reblogged and specially those that followed along and listened to the songs of the mixtape! I am super grateful and happy to have shared this with you, it is a story that is very personal and very dear to my heart. This is the first multichapter fic that I've finished in a long time after not writing in over a year, I think? and it feels like something huge! but I'm also lowkey sad that this is coming to an end since it's the first thing I wrote for Eddie right when ST4 came out, so it's a story that's been living with me for so long now. I had plans of writing the follow up with the SIDE B songs, but life promises to get busier for me this semester, so I'm not sure how this will affect my writing/fangirling schedule. If people ask for it, then I'll be happy to do it once I have more free time. Once again, thank you so so much to those that read! I hope you enjoyed the journey 💾

masterlist // TRACK 09

TRACK 10. Sweet Child O' Mine, Guns N’ Roses

You’re speechless, with the note burning a whole through your hand the longer you hold it, with your heart feeling like it stopped altogether but also like it’s just skyrocketed right out of your chest and into outer space.

For a second you have to make sure that E.M. really stands for what you think it does.

The bell rings for a second time, signaling that you really had to hurry now, as the school was closing for all those who didn’t have to stay for extracurricular activities. You shake your head out of your abrupt stupor and hurry to grab the book – struggling to get it out as it’s unexpectedly heavy, squished in between the rest of your stuff.

It’s unbelievable how you’re not tripping on your own feet or stumping against the door frame as you make your way outside, with your eyes transfixed on the pages and your hands trembling with anticipation, until you reach a bench on the outside of the main entrance and settle down to properly appraise the mysterious object.

The first page of what you recognize now as a photo album reads,

Hey sweetheart,

Well isn’t this a bitch? I’m the one who wastes all his free time scribbling for my campaigns, and English Lit. is the one subject I’m pretty decent at. But once I sat down to write you something I couldn’t think of shit. Totally blanked.

And then there you are, the one with an eye for the pictures. Sweetheart, I don’t know how you’re so good at that. Have I told you that my favorite thing about watching movies with you is when you point out all the technical shit about the photography in them? That’s your forte and now you’ve beaten me on my own, with everything you wrote, which is SO NOT fair.

Now I know how you see me.

Two can play that game, though! I’m gonna get back at you and show you how I see you. I couldn’t think of words but I have taken my fair share of pictures of you, and in them, I’m sure, with your technical eye, you’ll figure it out in no time.

Meet me at our secret spot in the woods when you’re done.

Eddie.

You’re laughing at Eddie’s humor dripping from the first line and can’t help but feel some of your worry be dusted away by his words.

Gingerly you flip the page, finding the album filled to its entirety.

There they are, the polaroids from Halloween ‘84 when you went as Gene Simmons and Ace Frehley; you had your own set but he had kept most of them. He’d taken one of you doing your make-up, staring intently at yourself all bathed in the dingy, warm light of his trailer’s bathroom, and another one where you’d smiled as you’d caught him staring. Then there was a photograph that some neighbor took of the two of you in the middle of the trailer park, doing KISS-like poses, and one when you’re side to side, hugging one another and flashing the devil horns. The last ones from that night are of you in his living room, makeup all smudged, candy scattered all over the floor and faces illuminated only by the blue-ish lights of the horror movie you were watching.

Each page shows a glimpse of your lives together; a chapter of a shared story about the special bond between two people that bloomed from a little seed into something truly resplendent.

In every corner of the pages, or under the white still of film from a polaroid, the tags in black sharpie read,

‘Winter ‘dance’ ‘84’: a picture of you all snuggled up in your living room with cozy sweaters, under the christmas tree; another one of you, all covered in tomato sauce overlooking a mess of burnt noodles; the both of you grinning with the gifts you’d gotten one another – him holding his outstretched poster of Metallica’s Ride The Lightning and you the VHS tape of Weird Science.

‘Cooking with Wayne, Christmas ‘84’: in which he’d invited you over to his for an early Christmas dinner in his trailer, and had snapped pictures of you helping Wayne around the kitchen; afterwards the three of you had sat for a portrait on the couch, beside the tree.

There was a whole page dedicated to snapshots of all the concerts you’ve been to together, specially ones taken on the road, with your feet propped on his dashboard overlooking the passing scenery of Indiana or even asleep, with the wind messing up your hair dramatically; of you grinning with your band tee at the venue’s gates, or right before entering the mosh pit, or by the merch booth. You’d gone to see W.A.S.P, Scorpions, Aerosmith, and those were just the bigger bands; there were plenty of polaroids from the local acts at The Hideout, and among these, in its own page, there was an 8 x10” picture of you proudly sporting a Corroded Coffin t-shirt, with a tag underneath that red, “our #1 fan” with a heart drawn beside it.

Then there’s a page marked as ‘Birthday, 1985’, from when he’d picked you when your own parents had ditched you, with the cake he’d baked himself, just for you, followed by ‘Birthday, 1986’, when you’d gone to Enzo’s. The contrast of those pictures is crystal clear; in the first there’s still a cloud of melancholy in your features despite your smile, but in the latter you appeared genuinely happy, posing in the restaurant next to Eddie for a picture that the waiter had taken of the two of you when he’d brought out your complimentary dessert.

The album was overflowing with moments: First gig outta town ‘85; Picnic at Lover’s Lake, Summer of ‘85; “Shitcourt” Mall ‘85; Roadtrip / beach ‘84; Museum day ‘84’; ‘Master of Puppets album release date party, ‘86…

In most of these pictures, there’s a close-up of a part of you, whether it be your hair, or your eyes looking back at Eddie, or your smile…but each image revealed Eddie’s way of seeing each moment, of seeing you – of what kind of magic he sought to capture with each shot.

One in particular caught your eye: it was a picture of you, sleeping on his bed.

You don’t even remember when this was taken, but you must’ve fallen asleep one night after helping him study, or simply accompanying him while he planned out a campaign. The pose reminds you of when he’d fallen asleep on your lap on that one time you mention in your letters. You looked so peaceful and content, snuggled around a blanket that no doubt Eddie had placed over you. But this exact frame, the angle and the light unveiled the depth of Eddie’s yearning for you, hidden behind the lens.

Your heart feels like it went from zero to sixty with each page until you reach the end and there’s nothing else to do but to dash out of the school grounds all the way to you and Eddie’s secret spot.

–

You run, run, run through the uneven soil of the woods, nearly tripping over a few vines and sticks as you make your trail upwards through the old trees until you see his wild heap of hair in the distance.

The closer you get, the clearer the sight of his signature Dio vest gets, wearing it on top of a short sleeved t-shirt.

You walk with trepidation now, hugging your photo album in front of you like a shield.

The sound of crunching leaves gives your steps away making him twist in his seat; the tender smile on his face as he turns, reveals the hidden dimple on his right cheek that only appears in moments of wholehearted joy.

“Hey sweetheart,” he greets as he fully turns his body towards you, and your reply comes out as a hoarse whisper with how you were brimming with nervousness.

“Hi, Eddie…”

A moment of silence passes as you’re both trying to figure out how to proceed when you’re too immersed in this cloud of self-consciousness and unspoken feelings, until he eyes the photo album that you lovingly hold in your arms, making the weight on his own heart evaporate completely.

“Did you like it?”

You tighten your hold on it against your chest and nod your head while looking at the ground timidly. “Who taught you to take such good photographs?”

He chuckles, standing up from the picnic bench to get closer to you, longing for you to lift your gaze to him the nearer he comes.

“Oh yeah!? Well who’s helped you in English lit. huh?”

You roll your eyes and look at him then, “Who else!?”

“Duh!” He exclaims with his goofy grin right in your face, because if there is one thing that’s for certain about Eddie Munson, is that he does not know what personal space is – but he also knows, better than anyone, how to use his charm and wit to make you feel at ease no matter what.

“Did you like the mixtape?” you tilt your head as you inquire, with your confidence returning in beats as you’re met with the familiar glint in his irises that you’ve come to adore so much.

He makes a ‘chef's kiss’ gesture, kissing the tips of his fingers and flashing you a big smile before muttering, “but you know, I think there’s a song missing.”

“What do you mean?”

“I think there’s room for one more song in that cassette. Check this out,” He grabs your hand to lead you closer to the boombox stereo sitting on the picnic table, pulls out an unassuming tape from the inside pocket of his vest and pops it on.

A honeyed riff you’ve never heard before bursts from the stereo, leading like a brave knight and calling on the cavalry of triumphant drums that thrumm along a hopeful bass.

The riff is buoyant, sounding like how sitting on the flying chairs at a carnival feels like, being hauled up and down, suspended in the air and free of any worries that tie you to the earth.

“Who are they?”

“Okay, listen,” he lowers his voice and inches closer to your face as if he’s about to spill all the secrets of the universe to you, right then and there.

“We can’t tell anyone about this, but this album doesn’t come out till next year. I got this as a favor from Rick. It’s from this new band, Guns N’ Roses and judging from this, they’re gonna be crazy big.”

“How on earth did Rick get this!? And how did you know about them!?”

He smirks, tongue sticking out mischievously as he shrugs his shoulders.

“Edward Munson! for how long have you known about this band and why didn’t you tell me about them!?”

He doubles up with laughter and wheezes out, “I’m telling you now, aren’t I? I’m glad I saved it for a special ocassion. Listen to the lyrics...”

His hand remains glued to yours, with his thumb soothing your knuckles as you avert your gaze to the scenery of the woods below you, overlooking the grounds of Hawkins High in the sunset.

‘… She's got a smile that it seems to me

Reminds me of childhood memories

Where everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky

Now and then when I see her face

She takes me away to that special place

And if I stare too long, I'd probably break down and cry…’

You close your eyes, the minute you feel them itch – starting to burn as your chin wobbles and the well inside your chest begins to fill with longing.

He senses this immediately and pulls you away from the picnic table, towards the center of the woods where you’re surrounded by the trees and enveloped by the cool wind. He leans into your body and wraps his arms around you from behind, gently swaying the two of you along to the melody…

‘…I'd hate to look into those eyes and see an ounce of pain…’

That one line gets you, making a lone tear trail down your face unwillingly, making you hold onto Eddie’s forearms like a lifeline as he nuzzles his face on the crown of your head.

As the second verse of the song floats along, the tighter your grip on Eddie’s skin becomes, as if wanting to be certain that his presence behind you is indeed tangible; that his soft blonde hairs that adorn his forearms are there, that the veins that traverse the muscle feel bumpy underneath your fingertips, and that it’s not only the breeze that tickles the side of your neck, but his breath as your own hitches with contained sobs.

‘…Her hair reminds me of a warm safe place

Where as a child I'd hide

And pray for the thunder and the rain to quietly pass me by

Oh, sweet child of mine

Oh, sweet love of mine…’

His arms now wander around your tummy and waist, moving you along to the guitar melody and the soulful harmonies of the background before the chorus erupts in repeating, yearning notes.

The solo feels like it tells a love story on its own by the way the chords begin spiraling between intervals of long, flat notes to happier progressions that fall once more to one dramatic, pining, desperate sound that rises in crescendo before giving way to the singer’s echoing voice alone.

You turn in his embrace, and as soon as he sees your tear streaked cheeks and red eyes his palms are cradling your face in an instant.

‘…Where do we go?

Where do we go now?

Where do we go…?’

You just stare at one another, never ending tears raining down your face that Eddie’s desperately cleaning away with his thumbs, with his doe eyes as big as the moon itself.

“Where do we go now, Eddie?” You whisper, you plead.

“Somewhere we should’ve gone a long time ago…”

There’s bravery in his eyes the minute he licks his lips and captures yours – making the world stop for a beat before it starts spinning on its axis like the merry-go-round you’ve talked about in your letters, only this time you don’t want to get off, not in a million years.

You want to continue to spin for it means his lips are still on yours, softly pecking, delicately nibbling on them with such tenderness, so much love that has you spinning and spinning and spinning much like the song is, with the singer howling those words over and over again, ‘where do we go? Where do we go now, sweet child o’ mine?’

You cover his hands with your own where they rest on the sides of your face, wanting to feel the cold press of his ringed fingers soothing your burning cheeks.

“I don’t wanna waste more time,” he sighs against your mouth, looking straight at you. “I want you to be with me. You’re my best fucking friend in the whole world, baby. And I still want to be that, but I want more.”

“Eddie…” you kiss him again, and again in the corner of his lips before murmuring, “You know I want to.”

He quietly giggles to himself, biting his lip as his eyebrows lift in surprise, “You’re my girl now?”

“Yes, Eddie!” you take his face in your palms now, giving it a little shake to remove all the lingering doubt in that lovely head of his before diving straight into his kiss once more.

The first kiss as a couple – the thought pops into the back of your mind, with fireworks and confetti and celebratory trumpets going off along with the ending of the song.

It prompts you to smooch his face all the more enthusiastically until you’re both drinking each other’s laughter.

“Oh shit, I almost forgot.” He kisses your cheek before leading you to the picnic table and pointing to the shopping bag you’d somehow missed, sitting beside the boombox this entire time.

“This is for you – well, for both of us, but mostly for you.”

You take out a hefty box from inside the bag and gasp at the sight of a JVC camcorder – the latest in home video recording. You can only stare at him wide eyed, knowing that this must’ve cost quite a few bucks that Eddie couldn’t afford.

“I figured we could make new memories with this, seeing as that album of yours is pretty packed already, huh?

“Eddie, this is too much!”

“Nah, man, don’t even worry about it, I wanted to do this. We took a lot of time for granted and now I really wanna save up all of our special moments from here on out. Maybe we’ll look at them in the future and remember how stupid we were once, right? Pining for each other without saying shit.”

You’re stunned by the sincerity in his words, so much so that you feel another shower of tears threatening to spill from your eyes, but this time you hold them in, and wetly murmur your thanks to him.

He hugs you tight against his chest with one arm and gives you one loud, smacking kiss to the side of your head, “Well let’s test this baby out, shall we!? See what all the rage is about!”

The rest of the secret Guns N’ Roses album (that later Eddie reveals to be named, Appetite for Destruction) plays as you read the instructions to assemble the parts of the camcorder properly and manage to turn it on without fuss.

Eventually the cassette plays on loop and comes back to Sweet Child O’ Mine, serving as the perfect background soundtrack to the first clip that you record with the JVC.

Eddie’s holding it with one hand while cradling you to his side with his opposite arm around your shoulder, both of you looking up at the camera with dopey grins and wrinkles at the corner of your eyes with utter, endless joy. You kiss his cheek, which makes him giggle before turning to kiss you.

For the second clip, you mount the JVC on the wooden table, framing a shot akin someone staring from afar, as one of Eddie’s hands are delicately smoothing along your lower back while the other guides you by the side of your face to kiss you passionately, tilting your head to deepen the embrace, as the song plays on and on to the melody of Axl Rose’s soulful shrieking in the background.

You watch that clip over and over again, snuggled up at Eddie’s trailer that same evening.

On repeat, all through the night, ‘till uncle Wayne comes back from work to the sight of the both of you cuddled up on the couch, long having fallen asleep with the tape still playing on the TV, making him sigh happily before draping a blanket over the two of you.

‘…Where do we go now?

Sweet child

Sweet child of mine…’

–

You rush outside your door when you hear the honking of Eddie’s van as it pulls up to your driveway to take you to school on that next Monday morning.

“Hey, babe!”

You kiss his cheek the minute you hop into the passenger seat and Eddie replies by giving you a loud smooch on the lips, lingering for a moment with a smile plastered on his plush lips before giving you one light peck and turning the ignition back on.

“Morning, sweetheart.”

He turns up the volume of his car’s stereo and your tummy does a happy flip when you see clunky little green numbers passing on the dashboard that read, ‘TRACK 10.’ belonging to the resounding riff of Sweet Child O’ Mine. True to his word, he’d added the song to your mixtape.

“You’re still listening to that?”

“Fuck yeah, man! my girl put together this tape for me.”

You chuckle, looking out at the passing streets and feeling irrationally happy and in love with this new routine of driving to school together. It definitely makes Mondays all the more bearable now, you don’t even mind that you have gym class first thing in the morning.

“How nice of her…”

“Right!? I’m so lucky.”

“Eventually we’re gonna need to switch this selection up, though.”

“Well, there are only tracks on the SIDE A. There’s still space on the flipside, right?”

“Indeed there is…”

He looks back at you when he reaches a stop sign, grinning like a madman and taking your hand in his. “Well then we have a new mission on our hands, babe. SIDE B, baby, here we go! Which track should go on there first?”

“Why don’t you pick it out this time?”

You give his hand a squeeze, echoing the way your own heart contracts each time you look at – Eddie’s profile, with his tattooed forearm and ringed fingers gripping the steering wheel – and are struck with the realization that he’s all yours now. All yours, at last.

Somehow nothing changed between you, you’re still the same best friends as always.

Only this time, you’re free to kiss him any time you feel like it.

Like you do now, tenderly going for that perfect dimple on his cheek.

“Alright, fair,” he looks back at you and lifts your hand in his to kiss your knuckles, “I already know which one.”

taglist: @sweet--em @hiddlebatchedloki @maryan028 @prickliest-peer

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #reader insert #fanfiction #eddie munson fanfiction #joseph quinn #stranger things #no st4 spoilers #friends to lovers #romance #my writing

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eggofritts · 1 year

Text

The Vanguard

The first of three D2 acrylic charm designs! I will be making these semi-transparent 2.5 inch charms and limited stock since I’m not sure if there’s anyone else interested in these as well.

My current impressions of the three below! (Spoiler: I like all of them.)

When I first played, I did not care for Zavala or Ikora. They both seemed like fairly boring and serious people who gave me objective instructions. I was not even aware of Cayde’s existence since I first started playing Sept 2022. 200 hrs and much offline lore reading later, I still haven’t read everything regarding these three but I am so much more invested in them now.

When I went back to play Season of the Haunted, I got to learn so much more about Zavala. That felt like my first real impression and crack into who Zavala really was beyond the stoic facade. Lance Reddick delivered such an emotional performance!! I really do need to get to his lore books with Safi and every other lore pertaining to him. I especially love that his faith in the Traveller has waned so much, but he is still holding on for the people he actually knows and cares about. I personally did not connect with “protect the traveller at all costs” as a motive. So, I enjoyed seeing a much more relatable, down to earth, and selfish conclusion to Zavala’s true motivations to keep marching on.

I was a bit more interested in Ikora because I like Mara Junot’s performance for Evelynn in LOL and she was the first person I interacted with when I came into the WQ campaign. I didn’t get truly invested in her until I read the Witch Queen Collector’s Edition lore though (which was last night lol). I was a fan of Seth Dickinson’s books already so seeing his writing again is always welcome. Truly the lore did NOT disappoint. Her manic doubts, conversation with Chalco, banter with Zavala, ruminating about Eris, Mara, and Savathun, and the general themes behind lies, truths, and secrets. She was so vulnerable and introspective! I love that!!! When she explained why she always ask the guardian to meditate, I was very pleasantly surprised that there was an actual personal reason as to why she did that. Every time I mediate for new aspects now, I think about how she wants us to reflect on our past actions. After reading that, it made me feel more proud of choosing warlock as my first and main class even though I initially chose it on a whim and for gameplay reasons.

Of the three, I still know Cayde-6 the least. Since he’s dead and I haven’t actually interacted with him in-game (very sad about Forsaken being in the vault), I haven’t felt particularly motivated to get to know him for who he is. I like the snippets I get about his meaningful interpersonal relationships with the others so I’m sure I’ll like him. Plus, Nathan Fillion and the writing team do a fantastic job of making him charismatic and infectiously cheerful. The first time I heard his voice in old strikes, I was a little confused as to who this guy was but I also definitely had a smile on my face. He really does stand out from Zavala and Ikora in his own way.

I cannot wait to learn more about them all! If only I wasn’t so busy with everything else sigh

#destiny 2 #commander zavala #zavala #ikora rey #cayde 6 #the vanguard #destiny 2 witch queen #ngl I wish they added a little lore blurb when you first pick your class at the beginning of the game like many other RPG games #I get that D2 isnt an RPg but considering the amount of artists who are interested in fleshing out their Guardian #it would be really nice to see lore to inform my pick and make me more invested in the classes you sell merch of #my art

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barbiegirldream · 10 months

Note

Hi Sally, little info on the French streamers of the qsmp because I am French.

Antoine Daniel is extremely well known in France and one of the og youtuber. He is always careful that his communities are far removed from right-wing movements. He absolutely does not need the qsmp.

The big French streamers are very close with each other and with female streamers because they are used to organizing big charity events together that last for days (for example Zevent).

If Bahera tells them that she was treated badly by Q or his community, I can see them dropping the qsmp more and more because they don't want anything to do with this type of fans. I mainly follow Antoine Daniel and Baghera (on their French content) but they are very respected among other French creators. I have already seen them in front of fans like those of qsmp (always american) and they have always been very vocal about the fact that this is not how we should act but to encourage their French fans to stay very far away from that and respond like adults on the internet. They always end up moving away from these crazy communities so as not to contaminate theirs. It doesn't surprise me that Baghera is gone, I fear the others will to if she tells them something or if their streams start to be touched by q's weird fans.

(sad, I was excited to see them with the American creators that I like)

Anyway, that was the French pov info dump.

Also, I've never found frenchs to be bullied on the internet, at most it would be dumb shit by American and brits but we make fun of the Brits the same way. Hearing Hasan shit on the French is fun and literally no harm is done, why would some Americans qsmp fans be offended on our behalf, it's like making fun of the Spanish, where is the harm? Sure I prefer to be made fun of from the British(we have history), than from white American because their anti-French sentiment started from the French government refusing to follow America in their war in Iraq (which is one of the few things I'm proud of from this country ) and America starting a French-hate campaign because of it (fun thing when you think of it) but that's whatever. It's irritating when 15y old American cry about "the French being made fun of" bouhou, poor them, I'm gonna protect anyone not talking English on the internet because they soooo need it"

... like, girl, learn about history and choose your battles (T＿T)

Anyway sorry for the long ask, I'm just rambling in your inbox as usual, haha

Love ~^3^~

My anti French sentiments are because I’m from Maine and we have a long standing beef with Quebec I think (funniest Wikipedia screenshot I have is like anti French sentiments worldwide) but it’s all jokes I don’t actually have a personal grudge against anyone from anywhere I don’t think you are the country you’re born in or it’s history just hate when people play dumb to their history.

Very good info thank you ! I should probably try watching some French CCs it might help me brush up on my French skills. Another question if you don’t mind me asking is how many people in Paris are likely to speak English at Twitchcon ?

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strangestcase · 1 year

Text

I will make a final statement on the dramaTM and then shut up about it, you know, not make it worse, because I know myself.

I guess it would be hypocritical of me to not apologize.

I will step up and admit, I've been petty, I've been annoying as hell, I've been stubborn, and I have overdone myself more than once. I have not been gracious at many times and I completely understand people are upset about it. It was never my intention to hurt anybody, and I say this completely honestly. But holy shit, looking back, do I fucking jump to conclusions.

Also, for context, it hasn't helped that I'm not exactly in a good place mentally lately due to personal issues.

As a... I wouldn't say content creator, but as a writer and artist, I also struggle with criticism at times and I would be lying if I said that having critics, no matter how civil, is not a walk in the park. That we can all agree on. I imagine it's not fun, as a pretty anxious person myself, to have a few people call you out on some bullshit -regardless of if they're right or not- because, trust me, I have been there, and I should have been more mature, being aware of that. However, I will make the point that the "harassment campaign" you are talking about is just three or four mostly cloutless people complaining about immature behavior on part of a popular artist; on your end, we have the big names of the fandom overreacting at the plight, no matter how ridiculous, of a blogger that has a fraction of a fraction of your fame.

It would be dumb to pretend I have not stepped on people's toes or pushed their buttons the same way it would be dumb to pretend the other side hasn't done the same in differnet ways. So let me reiterate: I am genuinely sorry if I've made any of the people involved feel bad or insulted, though I would be very happy if they made the move to likewise apologize for their behavior, because it's not like I'm super happy about the way they've treated me. Once again, if you stay in your lane I'll also stay in mine and vice versa. Like. Sure. It wasn't good of me to vague other fans, I'm self aware enough to see that now, and I wish I had been able to see it earlier, but it isn't good of them to screenshot my blog and spread rumors about me, you know?

Let me be clear here: I don't want anybody to harrass anybody, go after anybody, or start any more shit. God knows I've already had enough and I wouldn't want to drag more people into this. Any sort of disagreement or beef there is in the fandom should stay between, well, the people affected, like that's OUR problem to sort out? Not yours? So please and for the love of all that's holy don't stoke the flames from this point on because right now we're all just angry and sad and scared and. Um. That doesn't feel great.

Cool?

Cool.

Anyway. I still stand by my opinions, and anybody who knows me knows I'll die on whatever hill, but I have no issue with admitting that an angry Doc is a very petulant and immature creature, and now I'm seeing the consequences. So. All I can say right now is that I sympathize with the fandom at large, understand why they're angry at me, and just... I suppose sit down and be more reasonable even in the face of people who aren't exactly being it. Turn the other cheek and all that.

All this aside, I'm glad we are... kinda cooling down, and having enough emotional maturity to not involve more folks. I'd hate if this got any bigger, and I'm sure that's something we all believe.

TL;DR: I've gone a bit too far and admit I've also overreacted in regards of the current fandom drama, and feel sorry for it. But also please it wouldn't kill you to do the same? I promise I will do my own thing from now on, just be a bit more chill next time someone complains about you. If I can admit I've been too belligerent so can anybody honestly.

#doc talks #man i feel better now #also dont expect me to say much more about this! this time for reals lol #im really tired like tired as balls and i need to be beaten into a coma at this point

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spaghettificationandpretzels · 2 years

Text

A Taste of Heaven Part 7

Series Masterlist

Part 6

Contains: Fluff, hurt/comfort, medical cannabis use, smut (oral sex M and F receiving, fingering, P in V)

2,340 words

Comment if you want to be tagged or follow #a taste of heaven.

After years of study and effort, you finally secure your dream job, as one of the head curators at the best museum in New York. After inheriting a huge brownstone you're looking for a roommate when your best friend Ubbe comes up with a suggestion, his younger brother Hvitserk. Better yet, you're a food historian and he's a three Michelin star chef.

"What did Harold say?" Hvitserk put the coffee down on the table in front of you, "even if the radio host won't pay, now that he's confessed, we can take it from the proceeds of his show. We've all decided that Bob should also get a pension if his hands don't improve, which will also come from the host and the actual participants, some of them are very wealthy."

Hvitserk nodded, "when do the court proceedings start?" You shrugged, "not for ages, they need to handle the criminal case first, but it looks like they're all going to plead out."

Things had been strange over the last few days, with each good update, he didn't seem even a little surprised. He would smile softly and press a kiss on your cheek. You knew something was going on, but there's was no point in worrying about it, Ubbe would have said something if there was a reason to be concerned.

"We've got to take the kitties in for their first shots tomorrow, then we need to help Ubbe set up his house for his little one." Hvitserk shook his head, "who knew a few days with our guys would turn him into a foster mother." You smiled, "your brother has always been a little too soft, all it takes is one sad story for him to be invested."

"I know, I'm taking a half-day in case they need extra cuddles. I know when dad got the dogs their rabies shots, they felt pretty shit for a couple of days." You nodded, "that's not uncommon with the rabies vaccine. I know we're not letting them outside but I think we should get the heartworm shot rather than back of the neck."

He nodded, "good idea, is there anything else we should ask the vet about?" You shook your head, "they're too small for spay and neuter, I'll ask the vet the soonest possible date and set up the appointment tomorrow."

"Great, I'll see you tonight. Love you."

"Love you too."

There was a buzz in the office when you arrived, it had been there since the day the host turned himself in. The cleaning was done with a purpose instead of just a sad drudge, whispers were passed back and forth about who would come out next. Mary had made a bet with Carl that the politicians who advertised on the show would here glad handing to save face.

Sure enough, the interim guard stood and waved his metal detector wand while a man in a crisp suit and red tie walked into the bearly clean space. He walked up to you with the stride of a man who had never had the smug punched off his face.

"Hello Dr l/n I'm sure you know who I am." You didn't take his extended hand, "yes I do, Mr Hicks is one of your biggest doners. Are you here to win votes? Because if so, you're in the wrong place and you can bet when your campaign comes around I will be bringing this up with everyone who will listen."

His face changed, "Mr Hicks…" You cut him off, "Mr Hicks and his lies are the reason one of my good friends will have to go through months of painful medical care. I'm not some rich socialite, sir, you can't bullshit me. I don't want your cash or your promises of doing better. Leave, before I get you thrown out."

He shook his head, "I leave my check with your bosses and come back when you're less hysterical, I'm sure you'll be more reasonable once this mess is gone." You wanted to punch him but you refrained, "I'd be careful sir, Mr Hicks is singing like a canary, if I was you, I'd be worried about what skeletons he's going to let out of the closet to save his own skin."

He went red, "Mr Hicks is a smart man, he's knows when to stay quiet." You nodded, "let's hope, I imagine there are a lot of powerful people who want him to keep his mouth shut."

You raced off the called the brothers, the group call took a little while to connect but everyone was there listening, "you won't believe what just happened. You know that hardline Republican senator who's always going on cutting public spending?" There was a rush of yeses, "he just came here hoping to smooth things over with us. That's not the best part, he basically threatened Hicks when I said that he was ratting on people."

You could hear Ivar laughing, "are you starting a pool for how long this guy lasts before his powerful friends take him out?" The burst of giggles was cut off by Lagertha, chastising him, "Ivar, you know that's not appropriate. At least over the phone when other people can hear."

"Sorry mum." You shook your head, "you guys are terrible. I need to get back to work." The warm goodbyes were met with being invited to dinner that weekend and you hung up.

****************

The rest of the day went by quickly, most of the cleaning had been done by now and the department was almost ready for tours. By the time you were ready to head home, things looked practically normal.

Hvitserk was still at work when you got home, Ubbe had come by to drop the kittens off, having asked to look after them again today. You were in the laundry brushing Lady Soot when Ivar showed up.

"Hello sweetie. What brings you here today?" You pulled him into a hug and invited him inside, "hey y/n." He sat down and took his braces off, moaning and rubbing his legs, "I was at work, my legs won't stop aching. I figured you understand." You nodded, "I can give you some of my weed if you like? I take it for the migraines so I don't know if it will help but it's worth a try."

He nodded, "anything." You ran off and returned with a cookie, "we like our lungs in this house." He laughed and scoffed it down, "it should take about an hour and a half to work. I'll get you a heat pack in the meantime." He smiled softly when you came back and laid it over his legs.

"How's work been?" He shrugged, "busy, Bjorn's still trying to get the big security contract but they're playing hard to get. They want us armed to the teeth but they're not willing to pay for us the train their old guys or hire our guys." You shook your head, "why is he wasting his time? The security contracting part of the business is super high-end, why waste time and money on someone who wants a cheap job?"

He shifted again, trying to get comfortable, "I'll rub your legs, you explain why your brother wants to torture himself." You gently rubbed the ache away while he continued, "he hired us first to help with trading. He wanted to move fresh produce from the east to west coast without the carbon footprint but it took off and now he wants protection for his warehouse."

"Fuck that, he's made millions off of you guys, he needs to be grateful and listen to you and your brother or he needs to fuck off." Ivar laughed, "that's what mother said but you know Bjorn, he gets his mind set on something and he won't let it go."

Ivar kept venting to you as the medication kicked in, after a while he started to get sleepy so you covered him up and closed the blinds in the lounge room before calling Hvitserk to tell him to come in the backway.

"Hello my love." Hvitserk pulled you into a kiss, his hand coming to stroke your cheek, "how long's he been out?" You rested your head on his chest, "an hour, I think we should let him spend the night here so I can look after him if his legs act up again. We can wake him up for dinner at seven." Hivtserk nodded, "good idea, I'll make his favourite."

An hour later, you were walking up to Ivar's sleeping form and patting his cheek, "hey, it's time for dinner." He opened his eyes slowly, "I'm not hungry." You shook your head and helped him sit up, "Hvitserk make your favourite, you need to eat something even if it's just a bite."

You helped him put his braces back on and walked him to the dining table, "how are you feeling?" He shrugged, "much better just foggy." Hvitserk was smiling, "what are you smiling about?" He shook his head, "nothing, I just got lucky when you chose me."

Ivar chuckled, "you guys are really cute." You threw a bread roll at him, "you're one to talk, bringing flowers to Miss Hanah on your way to work." He blushed, Miss Hanah worked at the preschool next to one of Ragnar's buildings that Ivar did IT in and Ivar was utterly smitten.

"She's nice to me." Hvitserk laughed, "she's more than nice to you Ivar, you know mother saw you and her kissing in the cafe." Ivar put his spoon down, "we all know dude, Hvitserk couldn't want to tell me." Ivar started to laugh, "you guys are killing me."

"I've set up the spare room for you, I don't want you driving home in this weather while you're in pain." Ivar tilted his head, "what weather?" You raised your eyebrows, "it's going to pour in like half an hour, don't you pay attention to the sky."

Sure enough, forty minutes later the heavens opened and it was bucketing down. You all sat and watched some TV for a while before Ivar headed to sleep in the spare room and you and Hvitserk went to yours.

You were laying in bed with your back to Hvitserk's chest while he told you about his day, his hands rubbing the stiffness out of your shoulders. He leaned in to pressed kisses on your neck, his hands moving to stroke your skin.

"Can I suck your dick?" His breath caught in his throat, "fucking hell yes." You spun around and sat on his lap, holding his chin in your hand while you kissed his lips. He pulled his T-shirt over his head and you ran a hand down his chest, your lips following the path of your fingers while you moved down his body.

When you got down to the waistband of his pants, he practically pulled them off, you took his half-hard cock out of his pants and stroked it until it swelled against his stomach before placing kitten licks on the head.

"That feels really nice." His tone was breathy as you pulled him into you mouth. His hips started moving slowly, pausing each time to let you adjust as you went deeper, "just like that, oh fuck." You sucked him deeper, using your hand for the parts your mouth couldn't take in while the other rolled his balls.

"Can I cum in your mouth?" You pulled off and took over with your hand, "sure." You put your mouth back on his dick and went back to work, Hvitserk tapping your cheek soon after to let you know he was ready. You squeezed his hand in consent and seconds later, he was cumming down your throat.

He pulled you up, pressing an opened mouth kiss to you before flipping you over and kissing down your body, "your turn." Hvitserk pulled your top off then sucked a nipple into his mouth while his hand rubbed the other one softly, swapping over when you gasped and grabbed his head.

You pushed your panties off as he made his way down your body and lifted your legs onto his shoulder when he kissed over your mound, settling down comfortably into the pillows. He used one hand to hold you open and sucked your clit into his mouth, moaning as your taste filled his mouth, "you taste like sour candy." You giggle was cut off by a moan as he slid two of his long fingers inside you.

"Hvitserk, please." He lifted his head for a moment, "I know, I'm here. Just let me make you feel good." He didn't stop until your legs were quivering around his head and you were pushing him away from the overstimulation. He kissed up your body and rested his weight on you, his hard cock laying against your stomach.

"Do you want to keep going?" You nodded, "yes please." He shifted onto his elbows and used one hand to line up with your entrance, with one last nod for you, he slid inside your body. "Oh God."

He chuckled, "Hvitserk is fine." You huffed a laugh through a moan and he sped up slowly, ending in his hips slamming into yours while you bucked to match his speed. He felt you contract around him, his hand coming to rub your clit while he kissed you like you had the last breath of air in your lungs.

"Give me one more." You were powerless to resist, clenching around him. His pace faltered and he half fell on top of you. He grunted and you felt him pulse inside you, "holy shit, that was something."

You giggled, "I know right." Hvitserk smiled and rubbed his nose with yours, "you stay there, I'll clean us up." He got up and came back a few seconds later with a warm cloth and wiped you down.

"You good, not sore or anything?" You shook your head and opened your arms, "I'm great." He smiled and climbed on top of you, resting his head on your chest. "You good?" He nodded through a yawn.

"Ok then, good night my love."

"Good night y/n."

Part 8

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the-rxven-king · 11 months

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Still thinking about Amadeus all these years later 💕

Got any OCs you're currently obsessed with atm? The council of I Heart Amadeus would like to know, oh great one of many fabulous OCs~

THE WAY YOURE STILL HERE AND THINKING ABOUT HIM ALMOST MADE ME C RY LIKE

idk who you are and idk if i ever will but know that i think about you sometimes cause it makes my heart so happy that someone loves one of my characters so much even tho i get scared to talk about them more often cause i dont wanna be obnoxious, you are always amadeus anon in my heart and i love you pls come into my inbox whenever you want to ask about whatever i will try to answer quickly sometimes it just takes a while for my brain to feel ready but i will Always try to answer questions about my ocs

i will ramble about some of my characters under a cut i dont wanna flood anyones dash with my bullshit if they dont want it!!! anyone playing in a campaign with me..... proceed with caution if you read!!! even tho i am coming back to this after deciding i needed to be done and. i didnt say too much spoilery shit. i didnt even talk backstory much. its fine.

as for ocs im obsessed with i am Entirely Not Normal about my character nowell, i wasnt fully normal about him when i first made him, but at the time i was only really talking to my ex and all the parts of nowell that really made him Nowell to me were things he didnt want to discuss so i didnt get to explore him to his full capacity. i dont blame him since nowell is one of the darkest characters??? ive ever made???? in terms of the things hes gone through? i affectionately call him a walking trigger warning. but it still made me sad sometimes

now tho? when i was able to put him into a modern horror dnd campaign and i played him a bit before our current hiatus? where ive gotten to fully explore him and every single facet of him, good and bad? it really unleashed him fully in my brain and it kinda makes me really emotional. i fully developed his backstory out more than i felt i could before (because what did it matter before if i could never utilize it? had to dull him down to be easier to deal with and honestly i think thats had an effect on his character now too) and ive learned more about him, hes grown into himself and he truly is out here changing my brain chemistry. i love him so, so, so much and i have drawn him more than any other oc i have im pretty sure. hes my most drawn son and i really wish i was braver about posting oc art on my blog now a days like i used to be in the past because i love my art of him. im pretty proud of it and the way hes made me want to create again. i just wish i could do him more justice yknow??? g uh hes everything to me im holding him so so gently in my arms

and also my boy veth???? g o d i love him sm especially since i!!! recently got to confirm/drop a big lore reveal about him in my campaign thats been going for like 2 years at this point!!! my party finally knows hes the only survivor of the royal family of kuzania and thus the rightful heir to the throne and not the BBEG whose currently ruling! i feel So Free now that i can mention his princely-ness truly i do. hes just. so sweet and so lovely and hes everything i love in a character cause truly i just accidentally made My Type in a man and now its just veth. the only way he could be even more my type is if he was a tiefling instead of an elf but he makes up for that by being like. 1/4 platinum shadow dragon. and one day thats gonna pop out with him i know it to be so. i want him to be able to have a bit of a draconic-ish form because of how STRONG that 1/4 dragon blood is. im gonna work on it eventually, but im v happy with him hes so pretty and i adore him

he also recently canonically got with a PC in the campaign (hes a main story npc!!!) and im So Not Normal About Them theyre driving me up a wall and i literally cried over them earlier this week because my friend came at me with a fuckin baseball bat of an answer to a vague scenario/question i told them about cause im batshit and think about character scenarios every day of my life.

im also leaving my setting for that campaign open for friends who arent playing in it to make characters and throw em in and one of my friends made an au of a character she already had that im Deeply And Completely Obsessed With named creed to put him into this world specifically to date veth cause theyre obsessed with veth like i am their chara and we had joked like "aha what if we just picked them up like barbies and made them kiss just to see if it worked out" and now they are literally The Couple Ever. like there have never been 2 men who were more perfect for each other in this entire world and the way they have a fuckin grip on me. i have also cried over them several times. veth is a poly king and by GOD is he winning rn. we have made this au version of creed canon in stadalon so veth is gonna have TWO boyfriends!!!! perhaps 2 husbands! perhaps 3!!!! cause another friend has an oc to kiss him with!!! we shall see!!!!

guuuuh and also my vampire spawn shadow genasi/tiefling requiem??? recently hes been So Loud in my head. i specifically made him to romance a character my friend made (same one who made creed) named harbinger cause i saw him and immediately fell head over heels and begged her to let me kiss him and other friends in the call at the time he was shown immediately jumped on the bandwagon wanting to make characters in relation to him (2 of them made siblings for him, theyre triplets! and the other just decided to make the most normal man ever (a fuckin lie. theyre Not Fucking Normal) because of the triplets happening and me being like imma out-goth this goth tiefling and out came requiem) and the last friend in call decided hell why not make a whole campaign out of these losers just for this One Blue Tiefling Our Friend Made That We All Love.

in campaign shit is Constantly Happening but me and them were talking and she told me that harbinger is finally starting to get to a point hes falling for him and requiems already been there cause hes disney prince ass level falls hard and fast. im cheering and screaming and kicking and crying i love them so much we keep talking future scenarios for them and im so deeply in love with how soft and gentle and adoring theyre going to be with one another one day and i would die for them both.

plus i just. Love requiem sm hes such a big soft sad bastard and the fact that he loves and cares so fuckin deeply and hes so kind? so open? so genuine? was not in the plans when i first sat down to play him he was supposed to be more moody and a bit more intense than he is now. he held my face before i even opened my mouth to play him and said no. i am kind. i am patient and understanding and i was born to love and to take care of people. i have also cried over him. i love him so so much and im just guuuUUUH yknow what i mean.

anyway. ill leave it at those 3!!! or i will never shut up!!! i have more ive been thinking about a lot recently but i will leave it at my 3 most precious blorbos if you made it this far i adore you pls take all my love

#the raven king speaks #god i talk so much. rip. thank yall for putting up with me

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girderednerve · 1 year

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reading that very fun piece against queer presentism & thinking again about the idea of the literary canon

the main contentions in this piece are that queer writers ought to look for historical queer writing, and that there's a lot of it which is often & unjustly ignored, to our detriment. at least some of the problems the article writer is getting at seem to me to be historiographical, which is what i say about nearly everything. anyway it helpfully lists several things i'd never heard of, alongside some things i had. i am admittedly a lazy reader & as a result not at all well-read. most of my interesting or difficult reading was done in school, which i don't think is that uncommon.

you can kind of tell that this is common to some extent because on tumblr where there's a strong interest in evidence of historical gay people, there's a continual air of surprise around evidence of queer lives & a particular focus on arguing that certain people you've already heard of are gay (shakespeare was gay! fight your english teacher about it! keynes was gay! fight your econ teacher about it! they don't want you to know!!). i don't entirely disagree with this preoccupation—i spent my fair share of time arguing with teachers—but it seems kind of sad, honestly! as a dull & boring gay myself i like to hear about the less- and even non-famous historical gays. but more importantly there's more writing out there than they teach in school, & as various ongoing astroturf campaigns make unpleasantly evident, what makes its way into school libraries & onto school curricula is extremely political.

i guess this is the question i find most interesting. whence canons, wherefore canons, will we ever be done with them? probably the solution instead of long tumblr posts is to actually read a) more books and b) scholarship about those books, plus what other very clever people have said about canons, but i am simply not going to do that because my focus is shot & i am, anyway, a fool.

so a few things, i guess:

1. many people do most of their expansive reading & get a sense of what they like & what literary history looks like from school, which is a solid intention of high school & college literary survey classes.

2. these surveys tend to focus on a certain set of works, which are understood to be both good & influential or important, and are thus 'canonical.'

3. there's a lot of fighting about what goes or doesn't go in the canon or whether we ought to have a canon at all; the survey of literature with which one is usually presented in one's eleventh grade english class or one's required freshman english class or whatever tends to be eurocentric, white, male, & straight, which sucks

4. there have been various initiatives to open the canon, with mixed success; my own high school education was comparatively fairly wide-ranging (we read achebe, morrison, ondaatje, and wang wei, in addition to our shakespeare, steinbeck, and austen). but consider, e.g., 'the yellow wallpaper', which was not an enormous success in its own time but was successfully championed by feminist scholars of the 1970s, who argued that it reflects an important sort of 19th century women's writing. kate chopin, too, benefited posthumously from this activism. there are probably others whom i am failing to think of, due to knowing almost nothing about anything.

5. why not argue for expanding the literary canon? why not argue that some of these writers ought to be taught in school? i love the focus on the queer self-education, but why stop there? the piece includes a call to publishers (print these older works anew! make cheap editions, new translations, accessible anthologies!) but none to curriculum composers, who surely look for what is available but can also generate demand in a way which is miserably familiar to anyone who works in a library & abruptly finds themselves expected to produce >15 copies of some school book on no notice.

6. is it just passé now to talk about the canon? are we anti-canon? this seems kind of pointless to me because surely we are all still going to be (peripherally, at least) subjected to AP english & so on for several more years, & we may as well try to get the kids to read some interesting things. i don't really see how we could get out of The Canon, however limiting we find it; it seems kind of unavoidable to me that we should have some sort of list of widely-known, well-read literature which is generally understood to be good, useful, representative, or educational in some way.

but if you got this far please do feel invited to comment!

#sorry 2 be like this. unlikely 2 improve but still sorry #it is just soup in here #you should read the article instead of my post

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