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stem-sister-scuffle · 3 months

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STEM SISTER SCUFFLE: ROUND 1 MASHUP 5

Dr. Olivia Octavius (Spider-Man Into The Spiderverse) vs Ms. Frizzle (The Magic School Bus)

Dr. Olivia Octavius is a Quantum Physicist and Roboticist!

Ms. Frizzle is a Science Teacher!

Why you should vote for each contestant:

Dr. Olivia Octavius:

""If you stay in this dimension too long, your body’s going to disintegrate. Do you know how painful that would be, Peter Parker? You can’t imagine. And I, for one, can’t wait to watch." I love deranged evil women she is the character of all time to me"

"Dr. Olivia Octavius, also known as Doctor Octopus, is the secondary antagonist of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. She's also known as 'Liz' by her friends, one of them being Peter Parker's aunt May. She is an evil scientist, CEO of the science research & development company known as Alchemax. She's the scientific advisor for The Kingpin's inventions to open up portals to other dimensions. She's an evil woman in STEM girlboss."

"feral :)"

"Oh I heard you like mad scientist girlies???"

"I know she’s evil but I love her shes so cool. Have you seen her. I support womens wrongs <3"

"MILF. Evil. What more does she need? wowza"

"shes not the best shes the worst and she owns it. milf i mean. who said that"

"I mean. just look at her. she has the robo arms, the awesome hair. also if I recall, she's also been in science educational videos for kids"

"Proves herself as a competent fighter able to take on multiple spider-men at once, plus rocks the mad scientist look"

"Successfully works as a kids' science show presenter while also being a supervillain and working on sketchy projects. Is an absolute dork about her work and about cool phenomena in a way that's really endearing right up until she threatens to lock someone up to slowly die so she can study the phenomenon that's killing them. Probably put bugs in the microwave as a kid to see what happens.

Yes she did get hit by a truck in the fight and disappear but I fully believe she lived and ended up in some other universe.

1. She's a supervillain, she's definitely been hit by a truck before. 2. Out of everyone fighting in there she's had the most experience with this sorr of thing. While missteps are possible she would be going into it with some idea of what the risks are and how to deal with them. 3. Isekai truck trope 4. If she did end up in another universe she would totally find a way to keep herself stable there. She's got science knowledge and robotic limbs built for crime. 5. I like her and I think it would be really funny.

Why did I make this part mostly ""no she isn't dead"". It'd still be funny even if she was dead tbh.

I cosplayed her once and that is irrelevant to the poll but idk. She's fun."

"it's so rare to have female mad scientists in media like her, she's a role model to girls who want to commit crimes against the spacetime continuum everywhere. she's very important"

"She's really cute, too bad about all the murder and stuff :/ Women's wrongs, amirite?👍"

"She has a "For Science!" attitude that makes most male mad scientist look sane and safety minded. I would gladly be her intern/minion. <3"

"is only here to do science for Nefarious Purposes. science without any regard for moral cost. idk i love that this character type gets to be a milf for once. we love to see an evilgirl winning"

"mad scientist lady. cool as hell hair. evil girlboss."

"She's evil. She's evil and I love her"

"Evil milf with giant robot arms that loves chaos."

"Mastered multiple disciplines, managed to break barriers between dimensions, which even in superhero realms is a bit impressive. STEM girlies should be allowed to go a little evil/feral/unhinged. as a treat."

"She is evil! She is sexy! She employs usage of soft robotics into her prosthetic tentacles, is the head scientist at Alchemax, and quite literally built a machine that creates a portal to alternate dimensions! Get you a girl that can both make educational science videos and also rip open a portal to alternate dimensions under dubious moral conditions."

"she's sooooooo cool"

"She is a girlboss she tried to make a portal and while she’s a villain she isn’t the Evillest out there… babygirl head scientist Her glasses are shaped like octagons :3"

Ms. Frizzle:

"*gestures at entire magic school bus series*"

"Embodies the true spirit of scientific discovery: barely-contained chaos."

"She is very knowledgeable about a wide variety of sciences, and uses that knowledge to further the educations of many people. Teachers deserve the world; they do so much for so little in return. (shout out to Mrs. Goates)"

"She loves science and loves teaching kids about science. I love her. Idk I saw she only had one submission and that made me sad so now im here submitting her"

"She is an icon and has cool earrings"

"SHE'S SO COOL!!! She's so smart and so fun and genuinely just an icon. ALSO she has a little lizard on her shoulder. I saw an ask abt the submissions for Ms. Frizzle and the sender was the only person who submitted her.. I couldn't let this go. ALSO one of my professors irl called herself the irl Frizzle and she's a doctor of biology so make of that what you will"

#stem sister scuffle #round 1 #dr olivia octavius #olivia octavius #spiderman itsv #itsv #into the spider verse #spiderverse #spiderman into the spiderverse #ms frizzle #the magic school bus

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dragonseeds · 6 months

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what are your thoughts on rhaegar and lyanna?

oh i love them! there’s all this talk of them haunting the narrative and they do, but i’d take it further and say they are the black hole at the center of the story. the choices that they made, starting with lyanna’s decision to defend howland reed and what that meant to both him and rhaegar, who was very likely at his lowest point at harrenhal after the ruination of his careful plans, touched or changed the lives of every character and plot line in the series. the story itself is such a fun mashup of tristan and iseult, lancelot and guinevere, helen and paris, the fall of camelot and all of arthuriana really, the classic trope of the princess in the tower and the dragon and the knight: all of that in one couple and we don’t get to experience any of it with them. we can guess and speculate, but we can never truly know them. we experience their story only through the memories the people who survived the war they ostensibly kicked off, and those memories are all heavily colored by trauma, guilt, nostalgia—alternately faded and sharpened by time. it’s this incredibly fun and brilliant reconstruction of some of the most enduring tragedies in folklore and mythology and i adore it.

hate beyond articulation the way asoiaf.tumblr.edu approaches their relationship and the individual characterizations of both of them, though. just absolutely some of the most insufferably sanctimonious disingenuous decontextualized analysis i’ve ever experienced—much of that coming from people viewing this through a historical lense instead of a thematic one. like, imagine approaching the battle of the trident as “rhaegar is a bad person for fighting for his father who was evil! he lost the moral high ground with that one” as opposed to “rhaegar as a character exists to fail and die; he was the last dragon, carrying the unbearable weight of his family’s legacy and the burden of the prophecy for which they conquered westeros: the end of his life is the end of the targaryen dynasty. he must fail and he must die, so that dany and jon can grow up free of that weight and that power. daenerys gets to redefine what it means to be targaryen on her own terms. she and jon separately and unknowingly do the things that he thought he had to do—the things he was conceived and born to do—but never knew how: they do it because of their circumstances, because of the people that they have grown into, because they believe it is their duty, because they have the power to do it.” also, like, re: interpretations of battle of the trident, is there maybe another battle that occurs later in the series that is exactly the same thematically and contextually? where perhaps a character who was missing for a while shows up on the eve of battle, knowing that the opposition is right and their cause is just but that his family will die if he doesn’t fight with them? anything that adds an extra layer of meaning to what happens, aside from dany’s own connection—which is not as thematically similar but is still incredibly meaningful. like i certainly don’t think there’s any one interpretation of a character or story, but the worst ones are consistently applied to rhaegar.

and then with lyanna in particular, it’s like people cannot stomach her or find her sympathetic as a character unless they’re wallowing in her eternal victimhood. the constant dismissal of the importance of lyanna’s actions and what they meant to rhaegar is pure misogyny, by the way. her choices and her agency, the inherent meaningfulness of the struggle for both of those things in a system that seeks to reduce her to her body and the use men can make of it—all of that is important. the person she was and what that meant to people was important, but from the way i most often see her discussed, it’s like her gendered death is the only thing that matters. it’s okay to lament her because she got crushed by the wheel. if she hadn’t, if she wasn’t a victim to write flagellatory meta about, she would be a hypocrite, someone who needed to learn a lesson—as difficult for some of these people to relate to as dany or rhaenyra apparently are.

like, it’s just wild to me because her kindness to howland reed and her choice to defend him, to disguise herself as the knight of the laughing tree and risk her life and reputation to fight for him—is the answer to and the embodiment of one of the most thematically significant questions in the series. we see it most prominently in dany’s chapters because she asks it directly: why do the gods make kings and queens if not to protect the ones who can’t protect themselves? that’s what lyanna did, when no one else was doing it: she had more honor than any knight at that tourney or any man sitting on the small council, and it meant something to rhaegar. like what about this is hard to understand? i think he must have idealized her immediately: she must have seemed like something out of a song or a story to him, and rhaegar was a singer, a songwriter, a bard: he knows how stories are supposed to go—how to finish a song, or at least he thought he did.

bran, who also loves stories, says it himself: “and the mystery knight should win the tourney, defeating every challenger, and name the wolf maid the queen of love and beauty.” like obviously bran has some critiques i cut out, but he has the ending right—only the wolf maid was the knight, and she couldn’t have won. in the feudal gender prison, women are rewarded for being beautiful and their worth is derived from that and from what their bodies provide. she should’ve won the whole thing, but the system doesn’t allow that, so rhaegar—in a fit of single-minded capital r romantic hero idiocy—dedicates himself to winning the tourney to honor her in the only way he can: the only way the system allows him to recognize her. it was the worst possible move he could make at that time because of the romantic connotations, but i love him for doing it, as stupid as it was and even though there is no way it didn’t hurt and humiliate elia, or make him look terrible when he desperately needed to make a good impression on the lords of the realm—it’s just such a Moment. being reminded that there’s good in the world—feeling hope in the face of endless abject overwhelming despair—how do you express gratitude for that? the idea that he could only doing it by hurting someone who didn’t deserve it and making himself look like an ass is fucking awesome. i’m genuinely so sorry for people are incapable of enjoying that. could not be me!

but that’s just my interpretation of what happened at harrenhal. like i said, part of why i like them so much is that we truly don’t know. while i love darker relationships in general, the idea that he crowned her at harrenhal because he wanted to impregnate her then does not work for me. it’s a popular theory, but it renders some of the very few contextual clues we are given about what happened meaningless. for one, he didn’t know that elia wouldn’t be able to have more children at that time. this was discovered after she gave birth to aegon, and that is the point at which the question of the third child appears to have become a motivating factor for him. i personally think he left for the riverlands to consult with the ghost of high heart—the one whose prophecy is the reason he was born, the reason is parents were forced to marry, the reason his family burned alive the night he came into the world—and ran into lyanna somewhere near harrenhal. it’s possible he had been in contact with her prior to this (how? without her family knowing? what are the logistics of that?) but i think it’s just as likely it was pure chance. i really like the idea that his crowning her queen of love and beauty caused lyanna’s father to set a date for her wedding to robert or talk of moving it up, maybe even suggest a double wedding at riverrun, which would have almost certainly caused her to balk. either way, high heart is located between harrenhal and riverrun. arya also stops there while she’s kidnapped by the brotherhood without banners on the way to ransom her to her family at riverrun, and they trade songs to the ghost for her dreams and prophecies. i think it’s worth noting because arya’s journey in the riverlands mirrors lyanna’s right down to her “death” as arya stark when she leaves for braavos, paying the ferryman’s fee with the coin jaqen h’ghar gave her—just as jon’s journey at the wall mirrors rhaegar’s in many ways right up until his own death.

i also don’t think rhaegar and lyanna eloped because they were in love—this is implied by lyanna’s famous quote—but that they did come to love each other deeply, which is suggested by the way they died: her roses and him saying her name. notably, rhaegar did not leave the tower of his own volition—someone had to come and get him with news of war, which is hilarious because i think the tower of joy is right in the middle of like three major battles of the rebellion? like quite frankly, if he didn’t love her or care for anything beyond the prophecy and if she didn’t love him despite how badly things went wrong, then where in their story is the heart in conflict with itself?

i do want to clarify that i love the tower entrapment and the power imbalance aspects of their relationship as much as i love (what i interpret as) the genuine respect for each other that grew into love: it’s really the tension of those disparate elements that interests me. a dragon can love the maiden, but he’s only ever a dragon—still liable to hoard her like treasure or burn her up and rip her open trying to be gentle, to protect. that FUCKS, sorry! love is sweet and hopeful, but it’s also at exactly the same time horror, consumption, destruction.

idk it’s myopic to act like the beginning or the ending of their relationship—of their lives—is the summation of it. i think people want their story to be easy when it’s not: a clear case of a villain and his victims where everyone knows who to root for and no one has to think too much about things that are difficult or uncomfortable, questions where there probably isn’t an answer that doesn’t hurt someone. what a sad, tedious way to approach any text, but specifically this one. i’ve sometimes seen it suggested that if their story is romantic then it’s an endorsement or justification of all the “bad” things that happened because of it, and that’s also stupid. grrm as an author is never going to be someone who tells us how to feel about anything: he presents these characters and situations, often as a means of exploring certain facets of the human condition, and each of us has to come up with our own answers and find our own meaning. i don’t think he always knows what he means, or what those answers are, you know? but for me rhaegar and lyanna are one of the most fascinating parts of story, and whatever the truth is—if we ever find out—i can’t imagine a scenario where i don’t love them or find them really interesting and wonderfully sad.

#lyanna stark #rhaegar targaryen #rhaelya #i’d apologize for this being so long but u have got to all be used to me by now #like i couldn’t be succinct at gunpoint #or coherent apparently #and especially not about this like i’m not normal about either of them #also just to clarify because this kind of turned into a rant: none of this applies to people i follow #but like. i sincerely think that 90% of the meta about them (individually + their relationship) is bad lol #and part of that is bc so much of it is based on fanon instead of what is actually in the books #and that frustration really comes through in this post and i regret that but it’s out there now lol #asoiaf

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chongoblog · 10 months

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mashup question!

how would you go about mashing more laid back/ambient tracks (ex. parts of celeste or portal)?

are they simply unmashable, or do i need to expand my mind and open my third eye - or just reel in the shitter brain that needs the whole song fried in shitposts?

I don't think I'd call them "unmashable" per se. Then again, anything is mashable, it's just a question of if you can do it well, and I'd argue it's even possible to do it well.

Using the OST's you're mentioning, I'll pick a song from each and say how I'd go about it.

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So this track is from the first level of Celeste. Like most of the songs in Celeste, this one is still in 4/4, so you could theoretically make a solid mashup out of it, and one that fits tonally if you wanted to pick a lighter vocal. For some reason the first thing that comes to mind is the verse of "Bring Me To Life" (not the chorus), but that might just be my meme brain.

Now this might not be helpful since you specifically said more laid back/ambient, so I'll pick a song that's absolutely more fitting to that description. That being 9999999 from Portal 2

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This one is definitely a lot less driven by the standard 4/4 type rhythm seeing how it's in 3/4, and its ambience definitely makes it feel very surreal. I think that it's still possible to make a mashup out of this. Off the top of my head, I had an idea for a 4/4 song that would fit it pretty well...

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It might be worth seeing if I can get a higher quality vocal stem than this, but I think that Muse's tone of voice with the melody would work really well with this vibe. The time signatures don't match, but I think that finding ways to artificially extend each line might add to the surreal and almost unsettling nature of the backing track. I also don't know how the keys line up, but yeah.

That said, I actually really like this particular idea and I might try my hand at it real quick....so stay posted for that I guess

But to answer your question, I don't think you need to open a third eye or anything. Just try things. See if it works. Worst case, it doesn't. Best case, it does.

#mashup talk #yeah i think im gonna make that portal muse one real quick

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murphy-kitt · 9 months

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Yoooo! Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💚

Thank you to @darthfrodophantom for also tagging me in another post! :)

I have 69 (nice) works on AO3 so there was quite a lot to go through.

1. red in tooth and claw (that’s your fatal flaw)

Summary: Everyone finds out Wes was right in the worst way possible.

Reason: This was the first fic I wrote in phicphight ‘22, my first year of participating for the event. I remember loving writing this in the moment and beginning to flesh out Wes’ character in my style. It was the first time he had a main POV in my fics. It definitely took me out my comfort zone as I had to take Wes, someone who wants his discoveries to be known, and reduce him to this subdued bystander facing the realisation that although he did want to reveal Danny, he never thought it through or considered the impacts.

2. lie like a tombstone (yet secrets will bloom)

Summary: Valerie finds a body in the park thanks to some ghostly flowers, and she never would’ve guessed that it belonged to Phantom. Only, the context around his death sounds.. concerning. Because he died alone. And no one ever reported him missing. But that just barely scratches the surface of Phantom’s secrets.

Reason: This fic is so self indulgent it’s actually ridiculous. 35k+ (and ongoing) words of a corpse au and no one knows au mashup with me trying to keep the mystery up as long as possible. I’ve been working on it for two years now, it’s seen me through college, and who knows how long forever more. I appreciate this fic a lot, because it’s a massive motivator for me to keep writing and reminds me that I am capable of longfics outside of one-shots. The Val and Wes team up was unexpected when it began but honestly one of my fav combinations of characters to write. Of course it’s also a big favourite because it’s a corpse au ❤️🤌.

3. Mask

Summary: Danny never really took a minute to consider what he looked like in Phantom form. He didn’t need to, not really. It wasn’t as if he was scared of what was under the mask. No, not at all.

Reason: another self indulgent fic. It was Ectober 2021 and I saw this prompt and went “yup it’s danno has a HAZMAT hood time”. I loved writing the reveal scene in this the most, when the Fentons and Val realise that Phantom is just this kid with no evil intent (best genre of fics imo). Also the opportunity for a sequel is prevalent—although I’m unsure if I’ll go ahead with that. I put a lot of work trying to get the build up and reveal done smoothly.

4. Forest Fires

Summary: 1967. Nine-year-old Madeleine Walker watched her older brother Daniel Walker die in a lab accident. Years on, she’s certain that Danny Phantom is the ghost of her dead brother. But she’ll never know now, having thrown away the opportunity in a fleeting moment of anger. Meanwhile, a confused Danny sets out to uncover what happened to the uncle he didn’t even know existed. Only the truth is much more than just a simple lab accident.

Reason: although only one chapter and two prequel one-shots at the minute, this AU/series is something I’m very proud of. I’ve planned a lot out for it and I can’t wait to get all the mysteries set and unravelling. Maddie’s portrayal of character I feel satisfied with considering the turmoil over her brother and having to deal with Danny’s changing behaviour. Excited to get this one going again. Also love it because I get to include my OCs 😁.

5. beyond false pretences (we search in plain sight)

Summary: Danny Fenton disappeared without a trace. Soon after, his family followed. Five years on, Sam Manson is determined to figure out why.

Reason: This was my third phicphight fic in 2022 (I seemed to have really liked my fics that event 😆) and I saw the prompt and ran with it. I particularly love writing mystery and suspense so this was very fun to do. Unfortunately it’s not finished but I like what I’ve done so far. I loved putting the easter-eggs within the fic and seeing if readers could spot them. And it was great fun to see people theorising on what they thought had happened to Danny.

I’m going to tag: @jadenoryuu @kawaiijohn @dp-marvel94 @jackdaw-sprite @cleanlenins

#danny phantom #tag games #corpse au #no one knows au #danny fenton #fic rec

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theboytatu · 4 months

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ok... initial thoughts on the title track:

that carol of the bells sample comes out of nowhere. i'm struggling to understand the choice behind that - specially because it feels like it goes nowhere. the initial chorus mimics it and then discards it right away. it doesn't even fit with the rest of the song

the song's length is incredibly short and i am very disappointed that out of all groups it's tvxq that brings a two minute song as their main comeback in five years. sue me but the tiktokfication of kpop is to blame for everything wrong with the genre rn

the song feels like a mashup of both members' individual sound. it's like the verses are borrowed from yunho's solo stuff and then the dramatic and grandiose vibes are straight from changmin's last mini. not exactly mad at this

while i can get behind the industrial sound and the "epic battle song" vibes it doesn't stick the landing. again, the problem is the length. it makes the drop of the chorus feel very unearned. i keep finding myself waiting for a bigger built-up moment before letting the hook drop on us

do not understand the thought process behind the chorus. it feels like a 4th gen bg song where the writer can't be bothered to lay out an entire melody. death to anti drop empty choruses

uhhh as for the good parts...

very cool arrangement. like i genuinely enjoy the stop and start of the instrumental, it gives a very nice sonic landscape and having watched the video it blends well with the cyber dystopic concept

this mv got the BUDGET. it's a super cool and well edited video with a very interesting storyline. love the choreography and the way the backup dancers are incorporated into the performance. however i feel like the mv is so flashy to distract from the song

overall this is a boot for me. tbh it's giving the korean imagine dragons - a lot of fluff and not a lot of substance behind it. some might like it and i'm sure starved tvxq stans will eat it up but once again SM continues to drop the ball for what is officially one of their worst years in music direction

#Youtube #tvxq

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cgtg · 3 months

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Always wanting 2 expand my music knowledge but can’t grasp genre differences well. how do u find new music?? im relying on recs from other people most of the time but stuff like ur davekat music post is so specific and right I’m curious

i getch i getcha, i go thru dry spells where i listen 2 trhe same music over and over and over haha. i struggle with grasping genre diffs too, so i constantly compare artists 2 each other, and try to find music relevant to specific examples of shit i alrdy like. the only genre ive ever explored BY its genre n not specific artists is future funk. good genre.

im a music rabbithole-r by habit bc i just dont fucking understand genres. a lot of my music tastes r based on foundational shit i got into as a kid, like videogames or movies soundtracks, that i dragged out as long as i could.

as an e.g. , i was introduced to "why?" as a kid by an older relative. i got into "odd nosdam" because why? mentions him directly in a song on their first album. n i was like "whos that". i got into "clouddead" because its a collab between yoni wolf ("why?") and odd nosdam ("odd nosdam"). i got into "sole" cus he has a feat on that album. etc etc

got into "tmbg" because of homestar runner. got into "og maco" bc of the 12 bricks meme. got into "anamanaguchi" over a decade ago bc of this video.

it's a rlly fun way to find music🙂

i like to find out what artists are related 2 artists i already like, or what their inspirations are, or who they inspired, and move on 2 them, and do that ad nauseam til i cant anymore. i also do this with music rec'd to me by other people which is sumth u mentioned, which is how i found ppl like pinback/rob crow and lemaitre who are some of my fav artists ov all time.

if u find a single song u like, id recommend sample the entire source album in order, and then the first album by dat artist, or just which ever one has the most interesting album art. maybe. or just click on song titles that look interesting.

if u find a cool ytpmv or mashup, check their channel, check the recs on youtube and open 10 in separate tabs and go thru them one by one bc it doesnt hurt 2 be thorough. and theres so much music out there to listen to. if a band's name, song title, cover art grabs you, listen to it. at worst u frown for a minute and move on, at best u find a lifelong fave.

id rec getting shazam on ur phone so u can grab songs u hear in public.

spotify's smart shuffle is also prety good actually. if u have spotify try making a playlist of songs u like and turning that on also.

if a character you like in something references a song or artist, check them out ASAP. very very fun 2 do can provide so much context 2 the characxter as well.

if you do this kinda shit enough on youtube, your recs start to fill up with <1k view videos from independent artists. that is when you have struck gold

thats such a fun thing 2 ask, i love music so much. thank you a lot 4 asking me such a fun thing. also if anyone is reading this reply with a song u like so i can absorb more music

#bro if someone asks me about music i write so fucking much im sorry #hahahahahha

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colorisbyshe · 1 month

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Tinashe's tiny desk performance has won me over, is there an album if hers you would recommend for a new potential fan?

Oh man, all of her albums reinvent her entire sound, so it's hard to pick just one.

I think if you had to stick to just one album, 333 is my favorite of hers, with highlights like "Unconditional" which really shows off her vocal chops while "Bouncin'" and "X" show her sensual side. The Bouncin music video is actually what got me into her as a more serious fan because I loved how she made sexy look so fun and easy

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The fact that's on the same album as "The Chase" and its cinematic, soaring greatness is incredible. "Naturally" is only on the deluxe edition but it's pure addiction.

That said, as great as 333 is, Songs for You mmight represent her range of sounds much better, even if it is a bit more juvenile lyrically.

"Save Room for Us" and its remix is incredible--rhythmic and desperate, it shouldn't be missed. "Die a Little Bit" is a club banger. "Link Up" has the hard edge that is more common in her earlier music. "Perfect Crime" has more of the beautiful vocals over a beat that draws you in.

Just listing these two albums is leaving off many great tracks (2 On, Needs, Ghetto Boy, Treason, All Hands on Deck, just to name a few!!!) but it also leaves out her COLLABS!!! "The Worst in Me" with Kaytranada has divine production, "Disco Pantz" with grouptherapy and Reijjie Snow gives her a classic, nostalgic dance track, "Love Line" is pop perfection that should've owned the radio, and Machinedrum's "Zoom" puts her over a drum & bass sound she was exploring in her newest album BB/Ang3l.

TO SUM IT UP:

Pick up any album and you'll find stan worthy songs.

If this list of songs is too overwhelming, to give a perfect sampler of her sounds, here are five songs to check out (sorry if any are redundant with her tiny desk performance!):

"Bouncin" has the perfect summation of her flirty sound that is dirty but never feels... filthy. It's a sleek type of horny. 333.

"Gravity" is ethereal and shows some of her dabbling in Drum and Bass. BB/Ang3l

"2 On" is one her (many) songs dedicated to getting fucked up at the club, hell yeah. Aquarius.

"Sunburn" is slower, more experimental. Gravity may feel ethereal but this song feels like an angel falling off the edge of a cloud. Nightride.

"Throw a Fit" is a single off a scrapped album but it represents her "Nashe" persona, so I couldn't leave it off!! I'm not in love with her voice sounds on it but if you can, watch a live performance of it, really elevates it and helps it fit more smoothly into her discography. Here's a mashup up performance:

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I'm in this video though, if you want a non-mash up but farther away video

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#LITERALLY IN THE LAST VIDEO I CAN SEE WHEREI AM LMAO #tinashe

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counterspelling · 1 year

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Hi! I hope you don't mind me asking, but I've been interested in getting into Dimension 20 for a while, but with all the campaigns they did already, I find it a bit hard to understand which one to start with, so I thought I'd ask you, as you seem to know your stuff ! So I was wondering if there was a chronological order to some campaigns, if there was one you advised to start with, and where I could watch it. I hope this doesn't bother you, have a nice day ! ♥

This doesn't bother me at all, I love questions like this! And this is truly one of the worst weeks of my life, so thanks for the distraction <3

Short answer: d20 is divided into short and long seasons, long with the main cast (brennan dm'ing for lou, emily, murph, zac, ally, and siohban) and short sidequest seasons with different players, mostly dm'ed by Brennan but also with guest dms! You need a monthly/yearly subscription to dropout.tv to watch, but it's truly the best subscription service in my life, $6/month or 60/yr, with d20 putting out a 2 hour episode every week plus a half hour talk show in Adventuring Party (in addition to their other stellar comedy shows, Game Changer and Make Some Noise, especially). If you just want to dip your toes in and see if you like it, you can watch the first seasons of Fantasy High or The Unsleeping City for free on youtube

Long answer! Fantasy High is still to this day my favorite d20 property, it's teen adventurers at an adventuring academy in a sort of magical realism world. It's extremely funny and the first season was the first season of d20 so most of them are learning 5e after switching over from 3.5, although a few had no previous dnd experience. The second season is probably my favorite season of any tv show ever, and it's a great introduction to the main cast. Those characters will probably always be the closest to my heart in d20, they're all perfect to me.

The Unsleeping City is an urban fantasy series set in a magical New York that is also very good! There's again two seasons, and they are both well worth watching. The second season is again even better than the first, imo.

If you're getting into it because of Matt's season next month, then his The Ravening War series is a prequel to another main cast season, A Crown of Candy. ACOC is the biggest outlier in d20, which isn't ONLY a comedy show, but comedy is very much at the core of d20, but ACOC is a very, very emotionally heavy show. I loved it, but I have also never rewatched it since it took such a mental toll. It's a very high stakes, inter-party conflict, no resurrection magic world, and the entire cast had backup characters prepared in case of character death. It's very good, but not the best example of what the rest of d20 is like. If you've seen EXU Calamity, it is similar tonewise, just a longer campaign.

Then there's the two most recent main cast campaigns. A Starstruck Odyssey is a screwball scifi series set in a world created by Brennan's mom, Elaine Lee, who wrote the original Starstruck comics/play! It's very much a labor of love from him, and it was the first season the main cast filmed in person post-pandemic and the unhinged energy is truly off the charts. It was extremely good and would be a great starting point, no knowledge of the original Starstruck is necessary.

The most recent campaign is Neverafter, which is horror-inspired, but still very much a comedy. It's fairy tale inspired and I'm very sad it just ended because it was so good, although the ending was perfect.

Then there are the sidequests! My personal favorites of those are Mice and Murder, a murder mystery series set in an animal-populated turn of the century England, where the cast were all collegehumor alum so it was very funny and I love murder mysteries and think Brennan did an excellent job at it, and would frankly love another murder mystery season from him. A Court of Fey and Flowers from Aabria is another favorite, a fey-regency romance mashup that was absolutely perfect. The Seven is an all ladies/nonbinary season (dm'd by Brennan) that's technically a spinoff of Fantasy High so I would recommend watching it first, but also it stands alone if you don't mind spoilers for the main seasons.

So!! That was a very long answer, hopefully it was some help to you. You could really pick any season and be fine, and I hope you end up falling in love with d20! My personal recommendations would be to start with either Fantasy High or Starstruck, since I think they're the best examples of what the show is like overall. Good luck! Feel free to let me know what you think :)

#counterspelling asks #d20 #dimension 20 #anonymous

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fromriches-tosin · 3 months

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For the trope mashup reijean + baby fic + the missus and the ex

Hello!! I’m very sorry for the delay!! 💜💜

I don’t think I’ve ever written or even thought about the missus and the ex trope before. Interesting! Let’s see… mpreg time, folks!!

Jean is dating Eren who happens to be Reiner’s ex. The three of them meet during some high-profile event — I’d like Eren and Reiner to be lawyers in this universe. So, it’s definitely a party for the rich and influential, and Jean feels a little out of place because despite being Eren’s +1, he’s just an aspiring artist and not really someone the rich would like to be associated with on a daily basis. And then Reiner appears and makes everything even worse because he and Eren start arguing. Jean feels ignored as Eren is soo immersed in the conflict, he completely forgets about him. It even feels like Eren regrets breaking up with Reiner. Like he would like to get back with him if given a chance.

To avoid attracting even more unwanted attention, Jean leaves the party and is waiting for a taxi when Reiner reappears. He’s still pissed off and aching for a smoke, but his lighter isn’t working. Jean lends him his own, and the two of them start talking. It turns out Braun is not interested in getting back with Eren which puts Jean at ease, but it also makes him think that Eren is not really someone for him.

They end up going to a bar together. Reiner is pretty chill for a stuck-up lawyer, he doesn’t make Jean feel inferior in any way, and he seems to be genuinely interested in his art. He also has some funny Eren trivia, and Jean can’t help but dial down his usual sarcasm and enjoy his company. He enjoys it so much, they end up in bed together. It’s supposed to be a one night stand, just a friendly quickie between two men with a broken heart, but things get complicated when Jean finds out he’s pregnant a month later.

The worst thing is he isn’t even sure who the father is, and he has to inform both Eren (who he has broken up with) and Reiner (whose last name he barely remembers) about the situation. He’s also shocked by his own decision to keep the baby even though he’s destined to be a single parent. He refuses to do the prenatal paternity test, not willing to risk a miscarriage, and to his surprise Reiner offers him his full support. If Jean needs anything during the pregnancy, he can count on him. And Braun delivers on his promise which leads to them becoming good friends. Jean even begins to think that maybe, just maybe, he won’t have to be a single dad…

Thank you!!

FanFiction trope MASH-UP

#thanks for the ask ✨#reijean #reiner x jean #veecanons

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ninja-knox-ur-sox-off · 2 years

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What is the "burnt marshmallow" LMK AU I've been hearing about?

Burnt Marshmallow!Monkey King AU is basically just a mashup of a couple of hc's and a design I have for Monkey King. Tumblr is being a jerk so I can't just link you some explanation posts so I'm just gonna have to summarize

Headcanon 1: Fire

In jttw the only thing that's really ever hurt Sun Wukong is smoke and fire. He's been burned quite a lot, by the Samhadi fire, lost his sight for a bit due to smoke in his eyes, and way back during the Havoc in Heaven he was actually burned in a furnace for forty-nine days. I created this design (1 2 3) thinking about the results of that that maybe he never fully recovers from that. When he gets out of the furnace it even talks about him having glowing red eyes. I just had the thought of "what if that was more permanent" to the point where his fur never grew back the same way and the areas around his eyes were kinda charred and blackened because they're the most venerable part of him. (Hence the Nickname “Burnt Marshmallow”)

Headcanon 2: Glamours

I was thinking about how, he'd hide his appearance in canon, and in order for glamours to be convincing, he'd have to have some physical substance to them so that people could touch them and not immediately know it was just an illusion. Like if Mk were to reach out and touch his head he'd be able to feel how weirdly course and spiky feeling his fur is in contrast to how soft and fluffy it appears to be, he'd know somethings up. So I hc glamours act as a physical shield between the user and those around them.

Headcanon 3: JTTW

So I actually hold the hc that Tang Sanzang (Tripitaka) was actually afraid of Sun Wukong. (Which, y’know, kind fair. He watched him throw an entire mountain, run at the speed of sound, fly around on a cloud and insta-kill an entire group of bandits with no remorse (and maybe even some glee) in the first day of knowing him so... bGAKWMEOF) Anyway, add on the hc of my design for Wukong, and this monkey is one of the most demonic, terrifying things you’ve ever seen. As the Journey goes on Wukong gets enough self-awareness to realize Tang Sanzang is afraid of him, (which i actually hc as to why he listens to Zhu Bajie more and is so quick to punish and scold Wukong for things) and starts applying glamours little by little to make himself less terrifying. Dulls his teeth, slowly makes his fur change colour, changes his eyes to gold, a more friendly, good looking appearance, gradual enough that he makes it appear natural and if anyone asks he just says his fur’s finally growing out

Conclusion:

Burnt Marshmallow!Monkey King is an AU about how Monkey King is traumatized as heck, is hiding his true appearance and who he is behind a perfect hero persona because he believes he has to in order for people to feel comfortable around him or for him to be treated kindly/loved. He’s also the most touch starved version of Monkey King because after 500 years under a mountain + glamours that prevent people from touching him, he hasn’t actually had physical contact with anyone for close to a thousand years, maybe even more. So like, the moment someone makes contact with him without his glamour on he just shuts down completely, which becomes a problem during battles when his glamour is off. He barely remembers what he actually looks like and wears his glamours constantly out of habit, and not a single person knows about it.

Then Mk and the crew find out.

So it’s basically just a bunch of my hc’s building up until it was an AU of it’s own lol. I’ve made lots of posts about it, but unfortunately Tumblr’s the worst rn and nothing shows up when I search the tag so :’) hopefully this gave you the general gist of it. I’m currently writing a fic about this and it’s taking shape very nicely ngl, very angsty, lots of recover, and deals with a lot of Wukong’s suppression of certain aspects of himself and things bubbling over the top. And then just... him learning that there are people who won’t be scared of him no matter what he looks like, and that they’ll love him regardless, and that he doesn't need to change specific things about himself to make himself lovable, he already is. but yeah. Just Mk and the crew helping him work through a couple thousand years of trauma WOOOO BGAS;LKDFMAOWE

My favourite part of the fic so far is when he climbs a tree :P

#knox rambles #Burnt Marshmallow!Monkey King AU #Burnt Marshmallow!Monkey King #this post actually sparks joy i forgot how much I love my ideas BKGMAOWEF #asks #anon #fr tho fr #I'm in love with this AU i'm gonna have SO much comfort and recovery in it it's great #hopefully we'll go 50/50 on the hurt/comfort BGAMOWEF #just me writing Wukong getting some therapy and working through trauma he has #and slapping on some physical manifestations of said trauma because it's a hecka cool design #I'M NOT APOLOGIZING FOR RAMBLING BECAUSE THIS WAS FUN AND IT MADE ME HAPPY :D

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mistress-of-vos · 1 year

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We as a fandom always forget about how Tim *is* Jean-Paul's Robin and that if we go in a New Earth and Rebirth mashup, it probably was hella shocking for Jean-Paul to come back to life and suddenly see Tim being this cold and lonely Red Robin who refused to work with the bats 🫣

Jean-Paul trying to adapt to be back to life and return to his life (going to therapy with Brian, either working again on WE or studying to be a nurse) and part of it it's fixing his messy relationship with the bats but he can't bring himself to ignore how awful they're being to Tim and he ends up screaming and asking what the hell happened and why is Tim refusing to talk to them and no one dares to answer that Robin was taken away from Tim when he needed it the most so JP decides to go and ask Tim himself...

Tim isn't that shocked when he opens the door and sees Jean-Paul standing there. It's the first time they see each other properly ever since JP came back to life around two months ago, yet Tim acts as if nothing had happened in those two years JP was dead. Tim smiled and tells him to come in, making two cups of coffee and asking Jean-Paul how he's doing and if Azrael is truly back (Valley always wanted to leave that life behind, after all).

Jean-Paul answers all the questions Tim makes, drinking his coffee slowly and slightly uncomfortable at the view of Tim's rich and *sober* apartment. It looks like those penthouses rich girls have on movies and Jean-Paul starts to realize that he never really asked Tim about his life, his parents, his dreams. They knew each other for years, and Tim saw Jean-Paul at his worst and did all he could to help, yet Jean never quite returned that favor. He feels a bit sick at that thought, and he clings to the empty cup as he looks at Tim intensively.

"Why aren't you Robin anymore?" Jean gasps, the words barely making their way out of his throat. Tim loses his warm smile, and then he's looking at Jean-Paul coldly and sharp.

Tim's hurt.

"Some people thought there was someone who needed Robin more than me," Tim mutters, fingers taping the wooden table, "I was fired, can you believe that? Guess they never thought I deserved to be Robin. I was always the one who had it *easy*"

"That's not true!" Jean-Paul yells, "I have seen you in the field, Tim. You're a great Robin. No one of us ever understood Batman like you did... God knows you understand the mantle better than I did," he admits bitter but genuinely, looking worried at Tim, "I don't understand, how could they fire you?"

Tim shrugs, "I knew Bruce wasn't dead, and they assumed I was doing - badly. Mentally, I mean. It's fine," Tim laughs painfully, "I got help from other people anyway. And I'm Red Robin now, so I don't have to follow their annoying rules."

Except that Azrael also tried to be alone for a while, and no one understands how hard it is better than him. There's no way Tim is truly fine with this.

"Help? From who?"

"From the only person who believed me and saw me worthy," Tim whispers, ashamed, "Ra's al Ghul. He helped me find Bruce, and he - saved my life too.*

"Oh."

"Could you keep that a secret? I have enough with the bats saying I'm being childish, I don't need them calling me a traitor too."

"I won't tell, but..."

"But?"

"You're Robin," Jean-Paul insists, "I - I cannot accept that it was taken from you. I don't understand!"

Tim smiles, a bit condescending, "You're too sweet. No one of the bats wants me as Robin anymore. Not even Bruce."

"Even after you did for him?" For me?

"Even then. I told you, it's fine," Tim sighs, "Bruce never saw me as his son, anyway. Makes sense he would forget about me when his blood son appeared, don't you think?"

Jean-Paul isn't a fan of the weight people put on bloodlines. In fact, he hates it. He wishes he wasn't a Valley, and he wishes he wasn't Azrael.

"You're my Robin," Jean whimpers, shaking despite the fact that it's not him who has been pushed away from the bats nor is him who got his mantle taken away, "You're my Robin."

Cold, soft hands take Jean-Paul's between his.

"Look at me," Tim says with that firm voice he has always had. It's unsettling to hear in someone so young (small), and it was even weirder back when Tim was thirteen, patching an injured Jean-Paul at the middle of the night and reprimanding him for being so violent.

Tim has always had deep eyes, as if he has been alive for hundreds of years instead of eighteen.

"You were Batman, and I was Robin," Tim says softly, comforting him, "But we can't be that anymore, even if we want to."

"It's unfair," Jean yells, remembering the arrogance of Dick dressed as Batman and that - Damian using the Robin suit that should be Tim's, "It's not how it should be."

"There's no way things should be," Tim argues, tilting his head and looking awfully sad, "That's the worst part, that there aren't instructions to who or what we should be. We need to decide so ourselves."

"I don't want to be Azrael," Jean admits, letting Tim guide him away from the table so they can lay down on the couch, "Do you want to be Red Robin?"

"... No," Tim says like it's a secret, "I don't want to."

"And what do we do?"

Silence takes over the room for a while, and then Tim's typical click of the tongue echoes too loudly.

"We will be Jean-Paul and Tim, that's what we are going to do."

The kiss and touches that follow would have been inappropriate for Batman and Robin, and they would have been inconvenient for Azrael and Red Robin. But for Jean-Paul and Tim? For them, kissing and sex are a natural path to follow.

There are some things that never change, after all.

#jeantim #jean-paul valley x tim drake #batcest #bottom tim drake #batman x robin #kind of #rastim #ra'stim #not really but implied #fic

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amazing-spiderling · 18 days

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For the fic writer asks,

🌿how does creating make you feel?

💝what is a fic that got a different response than you were expecting?

💥find your least kudos'd fic - say something wonderful about it.

🧿what steps do you take to not take things personally if a fic doesn't do well, or if your writing/posting/sharing experience isn't going how you'd like it to?

🌿how does creating make you feel?

Ahh... wow... well, sometimes during, a little stressed, ngl. That's probably why I enjoy working on projects with friends and sharing things so much- having someone to bounce ideas off of and work with helps take some of the pressure off, but I also don't want to let them down, so it keeps me engaged even when things get challenging. Then after a project gets shared/posted, there's an immediate sense of relief- like whew! I can take it easy for a day. (Or the, "nobody ever ask me for anything ever again" feeling haha). And over time, that relief turns to satisfaction, especially as I look back after a long time and thing, "Wow, yeah. I did that."

💝what is a fic that got a different response than you were expecting?

I wrote a fic for a recent Metal Gear Solid zine called, "Dance Like You Want to Win", (an Evangelion reference I've been dying to use in an MGS fic for years). It was based on an idea I had for a story that was over a decade old, and I actually found part of my original draft collecting dust in the bottom of my google docs. I hadn't written for the fandom in a LONG time, and I was really worried about my characterization, the world-building, and having to write *action* scenes in a mission fic, neither of which are my forte. I was really worried people were going to read it and think I'd lost my touch.

But in the end, people liked it! I actually got compliments on the banter and overall, way more love than I was expecting, even some comments when I finally posted it to AO3. It felt like old times, and that really warmed my heart. <3

💥find your least kudos'd fic - say something wonderful about it.

The story in question is "Kind of Cool" which is a mashup of sorts of two webcomics by Kieran Thompson, "This is the Worst Idea You've Ever Had" and "Cuanta Vida" which was a TF2 fancomic. I had to read over it, because I'd forgotten what it was about, honestly. XD

The TLDR is that two characters in TITWIYEH (a modern magic story) had a few familiar faces from Cuanta Vida (with names! and much happier fates), so I had two characters discussing their non-serious theory that linguistics professor Jordi Betrand was actually a French spy- the joke being that the man is so softspoken and gentle, he's clearly nothing of the sort. I did get a chuckle from myself at this

The young man shook his head again, running weary fingers through his shaggy blonde hair. "Nicole, Professor Jordi Bertrand has got to be the most unassuming and boring man on the entire planet. I doubt he's ever experienced anything more exciting than a birthday party in his entire life- and not even a surprise party! Like a regular one with invitations where everyone knows when and where to go."

A lot of the humor in this fic is reliant on people having read both comics... which explains why it has a whopping 2 kudos, but even after a decade, the easter eggs are still pinging in my brain, so I guess that means I hid some good ones. XD

🧿what steps do you take to not take things personally if a fic doesn't do well, or if your writing/posting/sharing experience isn't going how you'd like it to?

Oh, gosh. Hm. Sometimes, I'm a big believer in "being the change you want to see in the world" when it comes to fandom and creative works. If you can't find the thing you want, make it- and that includes your own hype. If I want a story to get a little more attention, I might do some artwork for it (or commission some if I'm able) to hopefully pique people's interest. I might also do stuff like record podfics or something. But usually, the "next step" is to just move on to the next project and hope it gets a warmer reception.

I've found that trying to work too hard to cater to other people's wants just to get the reception I want doesn't always go to plan- or worse, I might get lots of comments and kudos, but it feels hollow because I feel like I'm being told, "you're really good at knowing what we will like" instead of "you are really good at writing and expressing this idea"- so over time, I've gotten a lot more comfortable making things for me. That way I'm guaranteed at least one person will like it, in the end. And even my "weird" fics are eventually found by people who appreciate them- and that really means a lot.

#thanks for the ask!#sorry it took me a bit

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mydemonsdrivealimo · 15 days

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oooh tell us about their apartments. how does their typical personal preference for how a living space to be set up change when they move in together? how different is their apartment in chicago from their apartment on the west coast? how do they decorate?

ooh I love this one!!

okay so in their individual boston apartments both of them have pretty different styles. bryces apartment is just filled with a whole bunch of little unfinished projects. if he has enough tasks he can usually get through a whole day without having to be left alone within own thoughts. he's not necessarily messy, but there are just things that get left out on the coffee table, counter, etc. jensen is pretty organized, but he's not big on getting new stuff for his apartment. he has His stuff and that's like all he needs

once they move in together, it's just kind of a weird mashup of all the comics and instruments jensen has on display and bryces plants and little tinkering projects. once they move to the west coast they're like okay we gotta figure out wtf we're doing w this shit. so they went very basic and pretty modern. not like pre-furnished or anything, but pretty close to it. just something easy

the west coast was like. a nightmare for both of them. it was like they tried to compromise and instead of getting the best of everything they just got the worst. bryce was alone A Lot bc jensen was flying out between there and chicago for work and it was just a huge hit to his mental health. the house was so Bland. they were both like eh whatever we just need something but it was just. not good.

the chicago apartment is where they decided they needed to do something they wanted w it. they get a house just outside the city that's partially buried in the woods. it's SUPER open and has a lot of big windows which is great for both of them. they take time to decided the colors and theme they want, and find space for each of their hobbies and interests. it has a lot of antique touches bc they Love going shopping for weird stuff like that which really helped to make the house. they end up having a lot of funky furniture (like spears furnishing in chicago def has some stuff they'd like, specifically their tete a tete) including a circular bed. for decorating they have a shared office space that has all their interests, and then the living room, bedroom, etc all have a lot of pretty art prints and paintings and stuff. overall it's just way more Them

#love this one fr #bryce lahela × jensen valentine #asks answers

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animentality · 1 year

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I have an excerpt from my newest urban fantasy novel, a John Wick meets Scott Pilgrim mashup, link here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BLMCCXDN?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420

It’s got:

Enemies to lovers to enemies that fuck

Demon summoning assassins

An improbable amount of LGBT assassins, while we're at it

Ridiculous fight scenes

Gothic angst

Full utilization of the URBAN in urban fantasy, cuz I love me a magic RPG, enchanted snipers, and cursed frag grenades.

A romance told in reverse

Time bending magic and a cursed city on the brink of destruction.

This is the first in a series, but it can be read as a standalone too.

Excerpt below the cover image:

1. An Introduction to the Business: Professionalism in the Work Environment

It always starts here.

Cisco thought the assassin would be difficult to find.

He was not.

Something hard pressed between his shoulder blades. A hand came down on his shoulder, jostling him just a little.

Cisco tensed.

He hadn’t been in the bar for long. In fact, he’d pretty much just gotten in. The place was packed. At least, packed for a shitty, dingy little bar filled with beaten-up furniture, scratched up walls covered in graffiti, and the grimiest counter he’d ever seen. He’d arrived and wormed his way into a corner, wanting to remain inconspicuous, out of sight, as he waited for the assassin to show.

But as it turned out, he didn’t really need to wait.

“Nice jacket. I assume you’re the client who wanted to meet me?” the stranger behind him asked.

Cisco frowned. “What is that?”

It didn’t feel like a gun or a knife. It was too small and light.

“Don’t worry about it. Just answer the question,” the stranger said.

“Yes,” Cisco said shortly. “I have a proposition for you, Mr. Monterey.”

The assassin’s mystery object lifted off his back, but Cisco kept still just in case.

“Come with me. But don’t call me Monterey. It’s just Rey.”

Cisco flinched as he felt Rey’s hand gently moving from his shoulder to his arm, pulling him. He couldn’t see the man much, just flashes of his back as he dragged him through the crowd of unfriendly faces and tense bodies. But he could tell the man was spry, lanky, moving with the unbridled energy of someone much younger. Cisco could also see he was dark-skinned, probably Latino, in his early twenties, but with premature gray hair.

This whole thing was sketchy at best, and just foolish at worst, but Cisco had been desperate yesterday morning. He’d been all up and down the Laundry List, a secret online assassin bounty board that allowed assassins and clients to match up and strike deals. The only one that had caught his eye was this guy, whose full name, like all the others, was hidden until he sent him a private message. All Cisco had said was “Proposition.”

That instruction had been in their detailed rulebook, which he’d been forced to read, page by page, before making his temporary profile (to be scrubbed the second he logged off). In return, the assassin had responded just as the rulebook dictated: with an address, a time, and a special article of clothing to wear and identify himself.

And here he was. On the worst side of the city, meeting with a contract killer. And not even one with a particularly good rating or reputation. Within minutes of agreeing to a meeting, his profile, and his name, “Sebastián Monterey,” had vanished.

And there must be a reason his services were so cheap.

But Cisco swallowed his misgivings, because it was a little too late to worry about it now.

Rey kept pulling him through people until Cisco saw the flash of a red door. And realized they were headed towards a bathroom.

“Move along, people! It’s not a rollercoaster!” Rey called.

Cisco stumbled through the bathroom door after him. But before he could look the other man in the eye, Rey was already turned around, slamming the door shut.

The assassin seized a nearby waste bin.

“Uh, what-?” Cisco started.

Rey waved him off impatiently.

There was a bang like a shotgun going off. Cisco instinctively flinched, ducking down and covering his head, ears ringing. But there was no shotgun. Rey was now holding a wooden chair. He leaned it against the door, just under the door handle. Someone immediately banged against the wood, but the assassin merely laughed.

“I’ve claimed the Porcelain Isles, buddy! Lay waste to another kingdom!” Rey declared.

They cursed at him through the door, but Rey simply banged back cheerfully. Then, he finally turned and looked Cisco in the eye.

Blue eyes. Or perhaps green?

“Hazel, actually,” he said, winking.

Cisco, flustered, looked away from his eyes, begrudgingly noting to himself that he had a prettier face than any man, much less an assassin, had any right to have.

“So. Now that we’re alone… I’d like to hear this proposition. And it had better be business, because I warn you: I like older women with impeccable aim, and men who can beat me in a fist fight. You are most certainly neither,” Rey said.

Cisco stared at him.

Rey stared back, a small, shameless grin curling at the edge of his mouth.

“Uh…uh…business proposition, definitely,” Cisco stuttered.

Now that he was seeing Rey, face-to-face, Cisco was able to take in more details. He was wearing a simple black leather vest over a neon blue hoodie and ratty cargo pants, the ends tucked in old, frayed boots. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing tattoos, strange looking symbols all up and down his right arm. His left arm, by comparison, was not marked by tattoos, but red scars like lightning bolts. They branched out from his palm, curling around his wrist and forearm, ending in the crook of his elbow. He also had a small red backpack slung around his shoulders, almost comically small, like he was an oversized toddler on his way to kindergarten.

Rey leaned against the filthy sink counter, gesturing with his hand for Cisco to continue. Smiling at him indecipherably, too amicable to be trustworthy and too easygoing to be reassuring.

“Uh… I found your name. This morning. Yesterday morning, I mean. On the Laundry List,” Cisco squeezed out awkwardly.

“Yes. That’s why we’re here,” Rey said, smile deepening playfully. “And why did I stand out?”

His eyes were far too playful, too bright; Cisco tried to look away, but they were distracting. Like two pinpricks of light, glowing from depths never before seen. Beguiling and lively, in a world devoid of life.

“You were…the cheapest.”

Rey laughed a little at that, a stifled sound, as though trying to contain a more honest one. Cisco looked down, heat in his ears. The floor of this bathroom was disgusting, covered in mold, with missing tiles and accumulated dirt.

“You know, beggars can’t be choosers. You don’t have a lot of money; I’m the worst assassin on the list, and I’ll do anything for twenty dollars… Not a bad match. So, continue. What’s the job, Wall Street?”

Wall Street?

Cisco grimaced.

He hated that nickname.

(Was it because of his suit?)

“I need you to kill someone,” he grumbled.

Rey laughed a little more honestly at that. “Well. That was a given. Who?”

Cisco hesitated.

Maybe this was a bad idea.

After an uncomfortable, prolonged silence, with a lot of shifty-eyed staring, the assassin sighed. He pressed his hand against the door. And to Cisco’s astonishment, a bright blue circle burned beneath his fingers. It spiraled in dizzying loops from a center point beneath his hand, spreading out past the door and into the tiles of the bathroom wall like a blue wildfire. Yet, the door was completely unharmed.

“What does that do?” Cisco asked, backing away. He’d heard of demon summoning, but he’d never seen it.

“Silencing ward,” Rey said simply. “Nothing you say leaves this room. Except in my memories, of course. But we assassins have a code of confidence, so.”

The man stared at him.

What?

“If you’re worried about the other assassins outside, they can’t break this seal and hear us…unless they’re also demon summoners. But it’s fine. They have no reason to interfere. I have no official affiliation. I don’t do big stuff anymore. I’m just your small, local, struggling mom and pop assassin. And I don’t have all night for business propositions. Who do you want dead, and how important are they that you’re scared to say their name?”

Cisco swallowed, and said it before his nerves got the better of him:

“I want you to kill Daphne Oakland.”

There was an awkward silence.

Rey blinked, his face frozen in a congenial smile, disbelief just barely twinkling in his eyes.

“Daphne Oakland,” he murmured. “The Daphne Oakland? Not just someone who shares a name with… the richest woman in Larkhaven, seventh richest woman in the world, part-time supermodel, actress, and unbeknownst to the general public, the best Quick Summoner in the world?”

“Yes. Wait, she’s a Summoner?” Cisco said.

“Of course, she’s a Summoner. There isn’t a single billionaire in this world who doesn’t summon demons on the side. How else do you get to be a billionaire?” Rey asked.

Cisco shrugged. “I wouldn’t know.”

“Well. She is,” Rey said matter-of-factly. “And the whole family relies on Summoning. The entire Oakland family, ruler of a financial empire that spans entire continents and can be traced back as far as the European Renaissance? That empire? And that family? And that heiress?”

Cisco, feeling just a little discouraged, shrugged. So maybe this was ridiculous after all…

What was he doing here, in this seedy bar, seeking out a small time nobody, an assassin with the lowest possible rating, whose name was obviously so disdained amongst the assassin community that he was almost instantly removed from their private listing? Even if Cisco could provide him the resources, and even if Rey really wanted to, he probably couldn’t get the job done…

He almost scoffed at the idea now.

A Craig’s List assassin, that was what Sebastián Monterey was.

How foolish Cisco had been, how desperate, and how badly he wanted to kill that woman…

“Ok. I’ll do it.”

Cisco met Rey’s hazel eyes in disbelief.

“What?” he croaked.

“You know,” Rey said, throwing his hands up and shrugging. “I’m strapped for cash. They keep taking my name off the damn Laundry List. Can never get steady work. In this economy, especially in the assassin business, you just can’t be picky about steady work, you know? And rest assured…guy. This job is going to be a long-term one. Daphne Oakland isn’t an easy target. I’m going to need room and board, equipment expenses covered, free parking… Also, you’re new to this, so I don’t expect you to know, but for contracts like this, down payments are standard, and right now, I need twenty dollars-”

Rey and Cisco both jumped as the door exploded into a shower of wood slivers, the circle glowing bright blue just before it fizzled out.

“Oh my,” Rey said.

A man staggered inside the bathroom. He was tall, built like a linebacker, wearing a hockey jersey and brass knuckles on both fists. As Cisco fell back, Rey stalked forward.

“Evening, Jim.”

“You!” the man snarled, reeking of booze, hair slovenly and greasy around his face. He slammed his hand against the wall for balance as he took sloppy, but aggressive steps forward. “They told me you were holed up in here. You got a lot of nerve, showing your ugly face at this bar.”

“If I was even half as ugly as you,” Rey said. “I wouldn’t show my face anywhere.”

The man seized his collar and dragged his face closer.

“Ok, Jim, we’ve gone over this,” Rey said. “Not my type.”

“You owe me money!” Jim shouted. “And you’re not leaving until I have either it or your head in a box.”

“Well, I don’t have any money,” Rey said. “And I don’t have a box. So, I’ll just have to get back to you.”

He gestured at Cisco to come forward. The man didn’t budge.

“Oh, come on…Jim’s gonna let us pass, right?” the younger assassin asked.

But Jim was doing the opposite. As Rey turned back to him, he gurgled, low in his throat, and spat promptly in his face.

Rey froze.

Cisco stared at his rigid back, at his ridiculous backpack and bright clothing, his unusual gray hair, and his lithe, but strong build. It suddenly occurred to him that he had no idea what was about to happen, but it couldn’t be good.

“Oh, Jim,” Rey said slowly, carefully. “You are too drunk for this.”

He smiled tightly, shoving the man back so hard, he slammed into the wall.

“Go home.”

But Jim, incensed now, charged at him. Matching symbols were carved into his brass knuckles, glowing brightly as their wearer swung. Rey knocked the blow off course into the wall, where it exploded immediately upon contact.

Cisco covered his eyes as rubble flew all around the room. When he opened them, the other man was swinging again, but Rey caught him, this time re-directing his hand into the plastic stall. No rubble this time, but the man was thrown off balance as it shook and wobbled rather than broke. Rey took the opportunity to uppercut him. He went down hard, sliding against the tiled floor.

“Are you still mad I hooked up with your nephew?” Rey asked, crouching down. “I told you.”

He seized the man by the shirt and flung him into the wall. His head cracked against the tiles.

“I didn’t make him gay, I just made him realize he was gay. You’re shooting the messenger. Or…the message…I don’t know.”

Jim snarled something, moving as though to get back on his feet. But before he could properly lurch up, Rey kicked him in the side of the head. Down he went again.

“You walk around like you’re immortal just because your whore mother was at the top of the List a decade ago,” Jim shouted. “But you have none of her talent or drive, unless you count how good she was at blowing guys in this very bathroom!”

Cisco thought Rey would be furious at such an insult, but he just laughed.

Then the assassin let out a high-pitched yelp of surprise as Jim suddenly raised one of his fists and slammed it into the ground. He was knocked off his feet as kinetic energy rippled across the floor in a wave. Jim lunged at Rey, grabbing him before he could fully fall. He threw him against the stall, smashing his head against the plastic. Rey fell back, dazed, and Jim finally got a proper hit, right in the face, with one of his brass knuckles.

Cisco, having been knocked down, scrambled to his feet, trying to see what was happening. And then, he dived out of the way as the dividers completely collapsed, doors unhinged and swinging, locks rattling free, screws and bolts littering the floor like loose change.

“Rey?!”

The sound of porcelain shattering.

Cisco raced over to what he hoped was the right stall. And he saw…

Rey, face bloody and mangled, nose broken, slamming Jim’s head into a toilet.

Over and over.

Until he stopped struggling and lay on the ground, limp. And the toilet, no longer stained yellow, but red, shattered into several pieces. Water bubbled merrily from the broken pipes, washing some of the blood off Jim’s face as he lay unconscious or dead on the floor of the women’s bathroom.

“Rey…holy shit, are you ok?” Cisco called.

“Need my inhaler,” Rey murmured.

Inhaler?

Cisco watched, flummoxed, as Rey pulled his backpack off and began rummaging. Fumbling through it until he found…an inhaler. The small object he had pressed between his shoulder blades earlier! There was another bang like a gunshot. And the inhaler glowed the same blue from before.

Exploding, bursting, morphing into a…revolver.

(Had he been holding it like a gun to his back earlier? Cisco almost laughed at the mental image now.)

“What are you doing?” Cisco asked.

Rey cocked the gun, aiming at Jim. “Just putting Jim out of commission for a little bit. He could use more time with his family.”

Cisco flinched as the assassin fired one round into his opponent’s foot.

“If you’re going to kill him, just kill him!” he shouted.

Rey paused, looking at him with surprise. “Why would I do that?”

Another shotgun blast sound. And the revolver was an inhaler again.

Rey took a deep breath from it.

“You have asthma?” Cisco asked disbelievingly.

“No.”

He stuffed it back into his backpack. Cisco got out of the way as he stumbled towards the sink.

“Anyway,” Rey said, blood dripping down his cheeks. “No 401k, but I will need medical.”

Cisco stared at him, then looked at the body on the floor.

“How do I know you can do the job?” he asked, a little more overwhelmed now. “What am I doing? This is crazy!”

He walked out, or at least, tried to. Instead, he slipped on the very wet floor. And would’ve eaten shit if Rey hadn’t grabbed him by the arm. In a fucked-up bathroom of a seedy Larkhaven bar on the worst side of town, the small-time CEO looked the small-time assassin in his bloody face.

Rey was smiling the same way he’d been smiling before the insanity had begun. Not even a slight change in expression. Unfazed by what had just happened. Other assassins were peering in, some with mild interest, others with disdain. After a few seconds, their faces disappeared, no one really caring enough to comment.

“You were already crazy walking into an assassin’s bar,” Rey said. “Might as well commit.”

He offered him his left hand. Cisco took it, feeling the scars under his palm, the soft ridges. Rey’s thumb rubbed gently against the back of his hand, sending electricity jolting through him, right into his heart, so it felt.

In that moment, something else called to him.

The sense that he needed to say yes, because this was the only way.

(This is the only deal worth making, Cisco.)

“I’ll agree to everything. I’ll provide anything I can,” Cisco said. “But you kill Daphne Oakland for me, or…”

“Die trying,” Rey finished. “Works for me, Wall Street.”

#writing #writers on tumblr #spilled ink #fantasy #urban fantasy #literature #writblr #litblr #kl writes

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