#if it starts recommending me shit based on this and the fact i like 3 songs from descendants

[sssilverstoned]

couples quiz ꩜ ln4

type: transcription from a youtube video

The GQ couples quiz goes precisely how you both, and your PR teams, expect it to

lily said: i just love world building (even if im not the best at it) so i can't ever leave a concept or pairing alone, so it goes!

part 1 part 2 part 3 2.5ish interlude

Y/N: Why do I feel like I left the oven on in the kitchen?

Lando: Well, because you did. I turned it off on our way out, don't worry about it.

y/n turns to the camera with a bright smile, and lando smiles at the sight of her own.

Y/N: My hero, everyone!

Y/N: And um, I guess we're getting started now? So hi, I'm Y/N L/N, a model and creative director currently based out of Europe.

Lando: And I'm Lando Norris, a driver for McLaren Racing's Formula 1 Team, and this is the GQ couples quiz. And if I may add, I absolutely think I'm going to win.

Y/N: I'm not even dignifying that with banter.

lando turns to the camera, an eyebrow raised.

Lando: Fun fact: Y/N's quite genuinely the most competitive person I've met in my entire life.

y/n's jaw drops with a scoff.

Y/N: No shot! You race for a living, for crying out loud.

Lando: Trust me, Love, you take the cake.

y/n rolls her eyes with no charge, a smile still on both of their faces and small looks exchanged between the two of them,

Y/N: Alright, you first. What's my favorite color?

Lando: (your favorite color), easy. it's the color of your phone case right now too.

Y/N: Yup. What's my favorite place I've traveled?

Lando: You loved Venice, no?

y/n winces, weighing her hands back and forth.

Y/N: I did, but that's not my favorite. In my whole life, I'd say,

Both: Jamaica!

they laugh at their unison.

Lando: And I knew that, I knew that! Because of your grandparents.

y/n nods fondly, giggling at how lando beats himself up about getting one wrong.

Y/N: Alright, what am I most scared of?

Lando: You're petrified of spiders.

y/n gags, and shudders.

Y/N: Don't even get me started.

lando turns to the camera with a faux look of exhaustion.

Lando: This girl refused to go into our bedroom for 3 hours once when I was out because there was a spider on the vanity.

Y/N: Whatever. Where did I go to school?

Lando: Switzerland and New York, very posh.

Y/N: You're calling me posh?

Lando: Can't the pot and the kettle both be black?

a producer bursts out in laughter in the background, making the couple do the same. there's a fondness in both their eyes as they double over in laughter.

Y/N: Okay, okay, almost done. What food do I love and hate?

Lando: You hate mushrooms, and for some reason, you really don't like salmon. As for what you do like, you get stir-fry and noodles a lot, but only from specific places. And you love tomato soup, that's the number one.

Y/N: Right again, nice baby! You make a good one now, by the way.

he winks at her.

Y/N: Who is my celebrity crush?

lando scoffs.

Lando: Dylan O'Brien.

Y/N: Forever and ever. My birthday?

Lando: March 10th, a spicy pisces, as you say.

Y/N: Hey, Olivia Rodrigo herself called me that.

Lando: And what about Scorpios?

Y/N: Nope, not your turn yet, I've got one last question.

lando takes a dramatic breath.

Lando: Alright, hit me with it.

Y/N: Where did we go on our first date?

a big smile grows on lando's face.

Lando: We went to a music show one of our friends recommended, and we both thought it was awful but didn't say anything because we didn't want to leave and have the date be over, so we listened to the most shit jazz music for an hour and a half just to be around each other.

Y/N: Best result from the worst music I've ever heard.

Lando: Ditto. Now, hand me the cards, yeah? I'm about to stump you so good.

the camera transitions to y/n now in the hotseat answering questions, lando teasingly taking his job very seriously with the question cards.

Lando: Alright. Where am I from?

Y/N: Bristol, thought you said you'd stump me?

Lando: This is literally question 1?

lando turns to the producers.

Lando: You see what I mean? Ferocious.

Lando: Moving on, what is our favorite show to watch together?

Y/N: We're rewatching Prison Break, so I'd say that?

Lando: I'll give you that one. Ugh, what was I wearing when we first met? Fucks sake, can we skip this one?

y/n sputters over him.

Y/N: Absolutely not, we're not skipping over this!

Lando: Oh come on, Love-

Y/N: I swear to you, the very first time I met Lando, he came to my 18th birthday party in a full on basketball kit!

Lando: I was told it was "Space Jam" themed!

Y/N: As in dress like you're in space, you fool! Not the Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny movie!

Lando: Needless to say, I was mortified. Seems like she still thought I was cute though, no?

another wink is sent to the camera.

Lando: What's your biggest pet peeve about me?

Y/N: You spoil everything. I can't ever watch a show or a movie without you walking in and going, "Oh, this is the episode before he dies." Like? Who does that?

Lando: Yeah, ah, guilty. Working on it. Eh, not really. What's my nickname for you?

Y/N: Cradle robber.

another producer reacts to this. a sputtering shock of laugh. "you call her WHAT?"

Y/N: We're the same age, mind you.

Lando: Wrong, you've been alive 8 months longer than me on this planet! 3/4 of a year, mind you. But I've got real nicknames for you.

Y/N: Yeah, you do. You call me Love, more than you say my name, so it always feels odd when you do say it.

lando doesn't respond with his voice, but the fond look in his eyes and nod at her answer.

Lando: What irritates me the most?

Y/N: About me? Or, like, in life?

Lando: Life, nothing irritates me about you.

Y/N: Oh, please. But, in life, you're pretty irritable when it comes to selfish people. You've always been like that, though, very compassionate and not a fan of people who aren't.

Lando: Very true, never thought of it like that, I guess. Just don't be an asshole, you know?

Y/N: See? Irritated.

Lando: Anyway. We're on our last question, so I guess you've won because it's not a point question.

Y/N: I won't rub this one in your face, just because you've been a great interviewer.

he gives her a gracious nod, and y/n rolls her eyes.

Lando: You'll never ever know how grateful I am. Final Question, what's something that you weren't expecting about me that you love about me?

Y/N: Oh goodness, are you wanting me to cry? Well, I think something that was initially a hard adjustment was the intensity of your racing schedule, and doing long distance sometimes. We don't really see each other sometimes, but when we do, you always sleep in. And at first it was really annoying to me, because we only have like, 3 days together, wake up! Let's do something! But once you told me that you let yourself sleep in on those days because it's a time to just, be, and we can do it together. So I guess my answer is, I wasn't expecting to love how much you love little moments. You've taught me to be grateful for things we take for granted, and I don't know, I think it's helped me through a lot.

lando stays still for a bit, an adoring look on his face as his eyes swell with what we think were happy tears. we're hoping so, at least.

Lando: I can't wait to marry you one day.

#f1 imagine #f1 x reader #f1 social media au #lando norris imagine #lando norris x reader #f1 instagram au #social media au

[mystic-scorpio]

THINGS I THINK YOU NEED TO HEAR

[ based on your 𝔟𝔩𝔞𝔠𝔨 𝔪𝔬𝔬𝔫 𝔩𝔦𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔥 placement]

𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷

𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷

[copyrights reserved ©️mystic-scorpio]

𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷

How to find your 𝔩𝔦𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔥 𝔭𝔩𝔞𝔠𝔢𝔪𝔢𝔫𝔱 ?

- Enter your birth data in the link give below:

𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷

𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷

♈︎ 𝔩𝔦𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔥 in 𝔸ℝ𝕀𝔼𝕊

You're ambitious, both in professional and personal life. You want to win. It's absolutely okay to be aggressive sometimes in order to achieve success. It's OKAY to show some teeth sometimes. You deserve to get what you want, don't be guilty for it!

Leave the guilt for them losers.

𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷

♉︎ 𝔩𝔦𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔥 in 𝕋𝔸𝕌ℝ𝕌𝕊

You should pamper yourself more often.

No seriously, go enjoy a bubble bath, treat yourself to delicious food, cuddle up in a blanket or have a date night with your boo.

The Taurus in you craves a bit of love, romance and delight, give in to those cravings.

𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷

♊︎ 𝔩𝔦𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔥 in 𝔾𝔼𝕄𝕀ℕ𝕀

In your love life, you're looking for your other half but you're also very flirtatious . Make sure you are acting authentically in love.

Gemini is the chattiest zodiac but if your Lilith is in this sign, there's a chance that your hiding something or you're not letting something out.

Let it out!

𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷

♋︎ 𝔩𝔦𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔥 in ℂ𝔸ℕℂ𝔼ℝ

You need to love yourself as much as you love people around you. Don't give all your time, attention and energy to your loved ones, save some for yourself! Trust me, that doesn't make you selfish.

Also I feel like there is a lack of creative expression. I recommend going to your nearest drink and paint classes and let the colours and emotions flow~

I promise it'll be rejuvenating!

𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷

♌︎ 𝔩𝔦𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔥 in 𝕃𝔼𝕆

You are braver, stronger and more fabulous than you think you are!

I feel like you've been hated for expressing yourself at one point in your life, be it for gender expression, coming out or just embracing a new sense of style. Those people who gave you a hard time are just jealous, don't let them affect you.

You are fabulous, my love<3

𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷

♍︎ 𝔩𝔦𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔥 in 𝕍𝕀ℝ𝔾𝕆

Okay this gon' sound funny but, don't try too hard to be chill.

Yes, I feel like you need a lot of structure and order in your life and somewhere your not doing it just to appear chill, you know?

You NEED to take care of your mental and emotional well being. Procrastinating is just gonna make shit harder.

If you're life requires structure, give it that!

𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷

♎︎ 𝔩𝔦𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔥 in 𝕃𝕀𝔹ℝ𝔸

Hey you.

Yes you.

You're worth EVERYTHING, kindly embrace that shit.

Go out there, ask for a raise, go out on a date , demand a glamorous birthday party for yourself. You're totally worth it.

You don't realise how much people around you love you and it's time you start celebrating yourself just as much.

𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷����𖧷𖧷𖧷

♏︎ 𝔩𝔦𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔥 in 𝕊ℂ𝕆ℝℙ𝕀𝕆

The moment you hear "scorpio", you know it gon' be about sex.

But it's kinda different for Lilith in Scorpio.

You need to embrace your true sexuality. Ensure that your getting what you want in bed, whether it be handcuffs and leashes OR complete asexuality.

For you, sexuality= spirituality

Therefore it's not selfish to be honest about your sexual nature. In fact, it's important to BE HONEST about it.

You also need a lot of privacy so allow yourself your secrets.

𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷

♐︎ 𝔩𝔦𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔥 in 𝕊𝔸𝔾𝕀𝕋𝕋𝔸ℝ𝕀𝕌𝕊

You NEED to keep expanding your knowledge and intellectual exposure, whether it be through a hobby, a kink or by some adventure or travel.

This placement requires that intellectual stimulation that you have to actively provide.

Oh yes, don't be afraid to dominate conversations in a group setting.

𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷

♑︎ 𝔩𝔦𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔥 in ℂ𝔸ℙℝ𝕀ℂ𝕆ℝℕ

We all know you like to work hard.

What we don't know is you like to party harder!

So give yourself that stimulation. Get your work done on time and then sit back and ENJOY your life. That way you'll enjoy as well as get everything done! It'll keep you motivated and happy.

𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷

♒︎ 𝔩𝔦𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔥 in 𝔸ℚ𝕌𝔸ℝ𝕀𝕌𝕊

You can change the world if you want to.

You just have it in you to fight for humanitarian causes. People will listen to you, you just need to speak up for what you stand for.

There's a chance you're not giving yourself the independence and alone time you deserve. Even in a relationship you might need to set boundaries.

𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷

♓︎ 𝔩𝔦𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔥 in ℙ𝕀𝕊ℂ𝔼𝕊

YOU DONT EVEN REALISE WHAT A BLESSING YOUR CREATIVITY IS?

Seriously, you've been putting your passion projects on halt just to be "responsible". Even when these passions make you happy?

Secondly, you are likely to want a spiritual connection with your romantic partner even if it's casual, so make sure you follow your heart rather than people's expectations on who YOU should date.

𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷

A/N: that's it for this blog, see you in the next!

#lilith in aries #lilith in taurus #lilith in gemini #lilith in cancer #lilith in leo #lilith in virgo #lilith in libra #lilith in scorpio #lilith in sagittarius #lilith in capricorn #lilith in aquarius #lilith in pisces #things you need to hear #mystic scorpio #mystic_scorpio #astro blogs #aries #taurus #gemini #cancer #leo #virgo #libra #scorpio #sagittarius #capricorn #aquarius #pisces #astrology #mystic scorpio blogs

[fairycosmos]

Oh boy, things are extremely rough atm. Can you recommend any healthy coping mechanisms? I literally don’t know a single one that works for me except for self destruction and being on my phone until I don’t feel anything anymore. And apparently that’s not what we’re supposed to do when we’re sad

ok so unfortunately all of my healthy coping mechanisms only half work for me and it's a total gamble whether or not they're going to on any given day. and none of them ever cure my mental illness which is annoying. like they're not fail-proof solutions and a lot of the time they're simply frustrating in fact it often feels laughable to even try them. a walk is not going to make any of this better. but consistency DOES strengthen your coping skills like a weak muscle. like even after 3 days of practicing them i'm like Ok well i feel like shit but i survived without hurting myself and that was the whole point. not a cure but a tool. ok i'm just going to list them because otherwise, i will ramble forever. btw it's ok to do like, even half of one of these per day. there's no need to overwhelm yourself at all :) coping is coping.

meditation - it sounds and feels like bullshit but i follow this youtube called great meditation and they upload 10 min guided meditation sessions and they have truly gotten me through a lot of low moments at this point. sometimes i feel much better after and sometimes i barely notice a difference but the point is i've sat and breathed for a bit

journaling - i thought i needed some sort of mental health diary for this but then i just opened a google doc and followed these mental health journal prompts ( just one every other day, nothing overwhelming, and no pressure to write a lot or to write anything in particular) and it helped me organise my thoughts and notice the patterns i was/am locking myself into. there's also trauma processing prompts online if that is what you're after.

free writing - again just opening a word doc but this time you just write without thinking literally letting go and putting down whatever words your fingers type - no judgement no curation no performance no expectations.

submerging my face in cold water, holding ice cubs - good for grounding.

crying my eyes out, purposefully listening to sad songs or watching sad movies in order to do so - cleansing, painful, tires you out and can make you feel renewed briefly.

breathwork - again there's some great youtube vids for this. i do this 20 min nervous system reset somewhat often, but there's shorter ones that are also very effective. box breathing also helps if you just need a simple go to - breathe in for 4, hold for 4, our for 4.

lie down on a hard surface or the floor with your back straight - another grounding thing. to occupy your mind during this you can name 5 things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one you can taste.

pat your arms, legs, stomach, head, chest gently and breathe deeply - again it can be grounding.

watch trail cam vids of cute animals, use the wikipedia page generator to read up on smth you've never really thought about before, download duolingo and start learning a language. not to become fluent just to get your mind out of the place it's in, even for 5 minutes.

literally just move around especially outside - HATEEE to say it but stretching on your bedroom floor, going for a walk, following an exercise video etc - it can really help you feel a bit less stale and myopic. if it's too much, opening a window is a good start. or simply standing outside your house for 2 minutes and going back in. the air will feel good.

make sure all your bases are covered - have you eaten, have you slept, have you showered, have you talked to someone in the last few days, are you hydrated? if not, make a small move towards doing one of those things. feeling like crap physically only compounds how crap you feel mentally and so the cycle perpetuates.

scream, punch/throw pillows, snap pencils, stab at paper with pens.

affirmations - i'm trying to build a list of ones that resonate with me specifically because a lot of them don't LOL. but there's a lot of good resources online for this. one of my favorite current ones is: doing a little is better than doing nothing. a job half done is better than a job not done at all.

do something creative - it's not about being an artistic genius it's about doing something tangible with your hands and getting out of your head and using the space in your brain to focus on something that doesn't feel doomed. drawing, singing, cooking, playing an instrument, writing, whatever you want. you don't have to have done it before. you can just do it.

talk to someone you trust/care about, let them in even a tiny bit. it's ok to verbalise these things. give them a fair chance to be there for you the way you'd want to be there for them. i know it's hard, all of this is, but it's not impossible. also, look for any communal resources you can find - support groups, local therapists who may offer sliding scale prices that are affordable. it all sucks but it's something.

will add more when/if any come to mind. i'm sorry you're feeling like this and i sincerely hope it all becomes a bit lighter for you soon. sending so much love. x

#anon

[one-of-tankhuns-neurons]

WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN PIT BABE IS ABO

How did I walk into UNTAGGED ABO IRL this hAs to be a first for me.

I mean, I understand they might've not wanted to market it like that to start a drama, or mAybe I'm just plain stupid and this was public knowledge but anyway here are my thOughts

Imma quote my favorite BL of all time and say "It cOuld be Extraordinary" I mean, it really could.

I believe the first episode was just to set the scene for the show, but let's address specific points

I WANNA MAKE IT CLEAR THAT I DIDN'T READ THE SOURCE MATERIAL THANK YOU

1. The ABO

Let's get this out of the way we knOw it's a difficult topic, and my main concern with it was that they would adapt some random ass manga/manhwa just to establish a bullshit dominant vs submissive horny dynamic that ended up in a very polemic mpreg.

But I encountered either a 'hot omega' - 'dorky alpha dynamic' where both have issues with their second sex traits (specially pheromones) or an alpha-alpha relationship with the same issues, which could lead to a bUnch of social commentary using the ABO social hierarchy.

Apart from that, I believe using those resources for the first big ABO production might have been a good call to ease the general public into it and not dwelling on the full nesting-marking-knotting and whatnot. I mean, it probably might never reach the full power of the genre, but if it works it might crack the door open for this.

2. The story itself

I had this discussion with my best friend (who has recommended me most of the ABO I've read) and we came to the conclusion that this feels like watching something straight out of AO3 fanfiction where the characters are clearly already established (bc the characters come pre built as they're based on ActUaL people) so the point is just telling this story full of made up violence, mafia, infatuation, possessiveness and desire. I kind of love it??? I am obviously not judging it as an ordinary BL, but for what it presented on the first episode it really could be great. I love how we have been introduced to a character like Charlie that will not just be this helpless boy that gets thrown around, he has more agency than we thought.

3 Production and stuff

Oh I love cars and stuff that goes fAst and slicked back hair and blue vs red and ALL the cliches, and I feel like it's done well. We could hate on kinnporsche for many things but it rOse the standards for commercial production. It also has really good actors whose previous work I've seen and liked very much. I also really applaud them for taking this shit seriously, bc many people half ass their acting in strange situation and that shows professionalism.

4. the more I think about it the more I'm excited for the show, and that's bAd because I'm building expectations and that nOt good so here are some point that require attention.

The ABO. This will be an issue until the lAst second of the show, because the way that it is portrayed will be perceived as a direct representation of the whole genre, so they ought to be careful.

The ABO agAin.. what parts are they gonna portray and hOw, because the main couple is not the only one, so I want to know how they will present an (explicitly confirmed) omega and how it will play into the social hierarchy . They already introduced scent and pheromones, and they did it tastefully, so kudos on that.

The ABO.. I'm kidding.

The story, this story might play into some kind of toxic and violent stuff that is becoming a bit problematic for certain audiences, and as I say.. problematic shows and up in problematic situations, so how I want to see how it plays out. But the fact that Charlie is giving 'morally gray that could end up falling' vibes and that gives me hOpe.

The discourse it might start. Oh this world can be a hot mEss and people could start a whole ass battle as this genre that usually was counterculture territory is now brought into this context.

Shit I'm way to nervous about this show... PLEASE IF YOU KNOW MORE let me know, I want to discuss and have a better opinion on it. If you need to call me an idiot in the process I'll take it.

#bl drama #pit babe the series #boys love #omegaverse #ABO BL #pitbabe #thai bl

[just-late-roman-republic-things]

What sources do you think had cemented a view of Caesar where he is this guy ultimately tying to destroy the republic to make it into a one man show?

Good question! This is just my opinion - I'm not a historian - but I think there are several layers to this:

Ancient sources. Cicero, Caesar himself, Sallust, Pollio, Hirtius, Augustus, Velleius Paterculus, Suetonius, Plutarch, Appian, and Cassius Dio are the big hitters here.

Some are pro-Caesar, some are anti-Caesar, and some (like Cicero) show different views at different times. But one thing they all have in common is that Caesar tends to "take over the story" as either a hero or villain. They also tend to be "backward-looking," in that they look for evidence of this heroism or villainy long before the civil war broke out in 49 BCE. It's like when a scandal breaks about a modern celebrity and people start digging up old rumors about them, or looking for signs that there was always something "off."

This is why Suetonius gives us stories of Caesar plotting to overthrow the government at times that don't make logical sense, and Plutarch highlights Caesar's charisma by telling us how he charmed the pirates who captured him. Even when a writer isn't trying to be biased, they still tend to assume Caesar's actions in 49-44 BCE reflect the values and goals he always held.

Most people change considerably throughout their lives, and a lot of our actions are dictated by luck and external pressures. But acknowledging this would go against the "story" that Caesar was exceptional, either for good or evil. It is, quite frankly, uncomfortable to imagine that an ordinary person could do monstrous things under the wrong circumstances, or that "bad people" have a lot in common with us. Easier to say that Caesar was different, Caesar chose to break the republic, not like us who are just making the best decisions we can in difficult circumstances.

(This is not me making excuses for the bad shit Caesar did do; I've criticized him in other posts.)

2. Secondary sources.

Caesar doesn't change, but the way we see him changes with every generation. Ronald Syme's monumental work The Roman Revolution came out in 1939, under the shadow of rising fascism in Italy and Germany; that influenced his views of Caesar and Augustus considerably. Napoleon saw Caesar as a role model, an exemplar of a "middle path" between tyranny and mob rule. The American founding fathers saw him as a boogeyman, a symbol of everything they were trying to get away from, and drafted the Constitution with the fear of an "American Caesar" in mind.

I don't think there's ever been a consensus on "How should we feel about Julius Caesar?" We cannot help but project our own values, fears, and cultural baggage onto him. In fact, I'd argue that most people's views of Caesar are more about what he represents to us than about what he personally did.

This is why I recommend A Companion to Julius Caesar and Julius Caesar and the Roman People so highly. Both books attempt to distinguish Caesar, the ordinary and fallible person, from Caesar the legend.

3. Cultural values.

One of the reasons we have so many conflicting views of Caesar is that in many ways he exemplified the cultural values of Roman politicians, and our values have changed significantly since then. Like, I detest Caesar's conquest of Gaul, but most of his contemporaries would have attempted to do the same thing, and very few Romans would have seen it as immoral.

Even during Caesar's lifetime, people disagreed on how to interpret his actions. When he reinstated Marius' statues, was he piously honoring his family, or was he dissenting from the post-Sullan establishment? Was his conquest of Gaul a traditional, respectable way of serving the state, or was he building an independent base of power to challenge the state? Were his multiple dictatorships necessary responses to breakdowns in public order, or a sign that he wanted to amass power for himself? Depends who you ask!

Ultimately, I think it's impossible to have an objective view of Caesar. And we'll never know what was really going through his head; we can only make our best guesses. But we can try to distinguish the man from the myth, to examine what we know and don't know, and to become aware of our own biases.

And all of this [waves in nerdy frustration] is why I tag posts like this with #caesarhell!

#just roman asks #julius caesar #caesarhell #historiography #jlrrt essays

[kitsaystransrights]

Okay I’m starting a new series on here called “I just finished this game” where I gush about a game I just finished.

Anyway, if you’re a fan of musicals, visual novels, or Greek mythology, you NEED to play Stray Gods.

If you haven’t heard of it before, Stray Gods is a visual novel with branching story routes, but it has the twist of also being a musical! Many of the game’s major choices take place in the songs themselves, and the songs will actually changed based on your decisions! Each song has numerous different permutations based on around 3-5 choices in each one. I recommend checking out Challenging a Queen, one of the early game songs that’s relatively light on spoilers, to see how some of the choices really add some spice to the game and weave through the songs.

The game’s story just follows Grace, a 20-something girl who witnesses the death of Calliope, the Last Muse, and to make matters worse, she has inherited her powers and role. The Chorus, leaders of the remaining Greek gods (known as Idols), give Grace one week to prove her innocence before she is executed, and the line of Calliope is gone forever.

Accompanying her on this journey are a variety of gods, monsters, and her mortal (strictly platonic… strictly) roommate, Freddie. The cast of Stray Gods is easily its best aspect, full of lovable and complex characters, leaving you laughing a lot, sobbing sometimes, and sometimes not knowing who to trust. And when it’s backed up by a fantastic voice cast, and nearly every character getting their own song if not multiple, I’d be astounded if you managed to get through the game without getting attached to SOMEONE lol.

(For the record, my favorite characters are Freddie, Persephone, and Aphrodite hehe)

And of course, what’s a musical without its music? The soundtrack of Stray Gods is absolutely incredible, even beyond the incredible amount of work and dedication it took to integrate so many variations of all the songs in the game. Lots of variety with the genre, sometimes even changing in the middle of a song! If I haaad to pick a few favorites, I suppose it’d be The Ritual, Look Into Me, and If Only. I’m a sucker for the emotional songs, but Look Into Me is suuuuuch a banger, it feels so threatening and I LOVE it.

OKAY now I’m gonna gush about my favorite parts of the story and get all spoilery so if you don’t want to be spoiled, DON’T KEEP READING! Go play the game yourself! Iirc it’s on all current platforms. Enjoy :)

So HOLY SHIT APHRODITE’S SONG HIT ME LIKE A BRICK??? I love the moral dilemma her whole cycle of rebirth puts you in, deciding whether to honor her wishes and let her die again or to convince her to find peace in life rather than trying to forget. I tried SO HARD to save her without forcing her and she ended up passing on anyways.

Persephone’s character is also SOOOO well done here, the reinterpretation of her story where she kills Hades is a fantastic direction to take her character. She ended up being my main investigative partner for the game and I did NOT regret it. I almost ended up romancing her, and I definitely will on my next playthrough, but I didn’t this time because of…

Freddie!!! Freddie absolutely rules and is my favorite character in the whole game. Mortal Greek mythology nerd who is super gay and wears a cool hat, how could I NOT love her??? My heart was completely torn to shreds when she died, and even though I knew she had to be able to come back somehow because you could romance her, the fury it raised in me made me blaze through the last four hours of the game and finish it in one sitting XD.

And JEEZ the way they let you bring her back is so well done. It’s not outright good or bad, it’s complex! Freddie and Grace are both traumatized by her death and resurrection, and the fact that you went against Freddie’s wishes and passed the line of Calliope onto her just makes it even more interesting from a storytelling perspective. It’s part of what makes If Only one of my favorite songs in the game. And of course, I’m a sucker for stories of unrequited love like Freddie’s is for Grace and now I’m gonna feel so guilty romancing anyone else 😭. Freddie is so relatable istg.

Anyways uuuuuh that’s all I have to say, maybe I’ll do a full review on my YouTube? Thanks for checking this post out tho! Okay bye :)

#I Just Finished This Game #indie #indie games #Stray Gods #greek mythology #queer #visual novel #musical

[chryblossomjjk]

bts fic recommendations | 01.31.23

→ hi friends! this is a little segment i do every tuesday (reviewsday get it, aren’t i funny, pls tell me how funny i am) where i read and review two-three fics. as a content creator, i know how big of a role other creators play in your growth, therefore, i want to do my part in making sure everyone gets the recognition they deserve! so with that being said, please check out the amazing fics listed below. make sure to like, reblog, and leave feedback! ♡ #reviewsday #kikirecs

busted (pt 1 + pt 2) - @btsgotjams27 (jjk x reader | married au, parents au, smut)

summary: your husband comes home with a new gift and you’re not happy with it.

oh.... this is wholesome

im usually partial to girl dad koo but i've been looking at his bby pictures lately and he was so cute ugh :'( picturing two lil kooks is killing me (also i see where u got the inspo teehee v cute jess)

also he's such a lil shit pls like he knows what he's doing being such a slut and avoiding the conversation !!! we love him for it !!!

this is my fav style of writing by the way. like when the reader is just dropped into a slice of the character's lives and you figure them out based on the context clues. like the fact that kook's mom died is such a small detail here but it adds so much to the world. you did so well with seamlessly dropping tidbits and making it natural, not an easy thing to do!!! but you did it so so so well in this!!

him licking his fingers clean after wearing her pussy like a ring had me

dad jk putting it the fuck downnnnnn on that bathroom counter SHEESH IM SWEATING!!! also the baby interrupting right before the nut is peak wholesome content lmao!! and the way you incorporated the title TWICE PLS A GENIUS AND THIS WAS SO INCREDIBLY HOT and i would love to see more of this lil family :') &lt;3

i want to be with you - @oddinary4bts (pjm x reader | idol au, s2l, f2l, fluff, slight angst, smut)

summary: moving to seoul has always seemed like a good idea, until the bubble bursts when you realize your new neighbor is park jimin, and he's not the sweet angel you've always imagined him to be. will the reality of park jimin forever be a nightmare, or will he turn into a sweet dream?

first of all this is just what i needed um what is fanfic if not a vehicle to live out your daydreams anywho... something about moving to a big city and finding love is so fairytale-ish and magical and uGh. the more of these i do the more im starting to think we're all the same bc I RELATE SOME MUCH TO OC GTFO!! and that introduction made me so attached to her because there almost this childlike nature about her?? maybe childlike is the wrong wording but she has so much excitement and ambition, looks to the future with so much hope despite everything that she's been through. yeah. love her dearly will protect at all costs. and the way you contrasted this intro with the intro to the present day to show how now its not a daydream anymore n shes actually dealing w the reality of starting n moving somewhere new *chefs kiss*

"Sometimes, you wondered if faith existed. If there was a bigger plan to the universe, something written for you already that you couldn’t really escape from. It was the thought that crossed your mind as the doors finished moving, and a dark-haired boy – man – stared at you as you just stood there, mouth falling open."

god if theres one thing my communications major literature minor loves its this !!!! foreshadowing !!! like idk this paragraph just tickled my brain in the right way. it really is so beautiful. one of those that you look back on on a second read and smile because it means so much more and aged even better. truly stellar writing.

ALSO BRO THIS OC IS LEGIT MEEEE LIKE HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO LIVE OUT MY CLUELESS Y/N WHO HAS NO IDEA WHO BTS IS AND IS MYSTERIOUS AND NON-INTERESTED WHEN I HAVE A WHOLE TATTOO DEDICATED TO PARK JIMIN LMAO THE CHIMMY KEYCHAIN TOOK ME OUT BYE!!

"You expected his features to have that same disgusted scowl he always reserved for you, but his brows fell, as if he was ashamed, or perhaps sad."

"It was so human you found you had to look away."

and then just the pull towards eachother like this connection was legit fated was so fucking good. them taking care of eachother when they're drunk. hangover fucking soup :'). and then after everything with collin and jimin's spiraling they really needed eachother. like the stars aligned to set this pair up and its so comforting to read. BUT LIKE THE SLOWBURN MADE IT FEEL SO SO EARNED. AND THE WAY YOU ENDED IT WITH THE TITLE I COULD FUCKING SCREAM!!! so so so good. thank you for taking the time to write and share this masterpiece on the platform, you've made it sm better with this beautiful addition :') friends do not walk, RUN to read this.

#reviewsday #kikirecs #bts #bts smut #bts x reader #bts jungkook #bts jimin #jeon jungkook #park jimin #jungkook smut #jimin smut #jungkook x reader #jimin x reader #bts fanfic #bts fic #jungkook fic #jimin fic #jungkook fanfic #jimin fanfic #bts fic recs

[hero-israel]

Hi there! So I have what feels like a stupid question, but I'm coming up empty and you are very knowledgeable. When I first started learning more about Judaism and Israel, I was coming from a leftist goyische American viewpoint that sees Medinat Yisrael as guilty of atrocities as a baseline belief, even if it didn't name specific incidents. Whenever I would look into these claims to understand the specific allegations though, I would just see more generic claims about how Israel is a settler-colonial state, how Israel is trying to genocide Palestinians, how Israel is a warmongering apartheid country, but very little in the way of specific incidents to back up these very serious accusations. Anything that seemed like it might go into that was either 1) in Hebrew, 2) in Arabic, and/or 3) so virulently antisemitic as to make it a compromised source. Occasionally I would find a claim that made sense to me, and then I would immediately find another source thoroughly debunking it. Eventually I just kind of gave up looking for any evidence of malfeasance and just waited for the (typically Jewish sources only) retractions to roll in 3 months later. Anyway at this point, years later, I'm now a progressive Zionist Jew, but I'm still baffled and it makes me feel like I'm losing my mind a bit, because I've literally never found what they're talking about and it's made me question every other political situation more, because what if there's a similar situation? I'd be fine to hear genuine criticisms of Israel and things to address, but so far I haven't found anything based in verifiable facts. At this point my trust in mainstream media is zero, so I guess what I'm asking is (a) are there genuine atrocities happening and if so, are there non antisemitic sources reporting on it and progressive Zionists trying to address them, and (b) if not, besides frustrated incoherent sputtering, any ideas about how to get goyische leftists to give a shit about facts and fact-checking? Any favorite sources that aren't right-wing and/or Islamophobic/anti-Arab?

....how did you ever get an Ask that long?

It is okay to feel unsure where to start, since Israel is a topic where most of the "common knowledge" is complete lies and many of the "expert sources" are antisemitic conspiracy crackpots. That includes the New York Times (probably the most prestigious newspaper in the world, openly loathes Jewish distinctiveness and whitewashes those who murder and ethnically cleanse us), the Lancet (most prestigious medical journal in the world, turned its pages over to KKK and 9/11Truther memelords to "criticize Israel"), every reporter and NGO who bought into the "Jenin massacre of 2002" hoax, every Twitter account that says "Israel sterilized African Jews and trained cops to kill African-Americans", and the United Nations (which is just Congress but with less democracy and more racism).

Recommended sources for accurately reporting on Israel - both the good and the bad - include:

Benny Morris

Tom Segev

Yair Rosenberg

Matti Friedman

David Schraub

Bari Weiss

Aviva Klompas

Eve Barlow

Emily Schrader

I could have listed more if you hadn't specifically asked me to avoid people who self-ID as conservatives. Hope this helps!

[twistedapple]

OK so I need to get it out of my chest somehow, because I've been a bit displeased ever since I read that post. Not gonna tag or link because I don't want to cause trouble for OP.

But I saw a post regarding the way some people engage with Baldur's Gate 3 content, and how it was frowned upon to have opinions without playing the game. I didn't exactly take that post well in part because I saw a lot of people from the Raphael Corner nodding in agreement with what I consider a short-sighted opinion piece.

I kind of disagree with the base statement that one's opinions aren't valid if one hasn't played the game for the following reasons:

1. It honestly sounds a lot like actual DnD players complaining that new players who got on board thanks to BG3 expect the game's rules to be the same in DnD, and I consider that gatekeepy when one could be eased into the tabletop version in a more welcoming manner;

2. It's very easy to scroll past what one considers a bad take. It's even easier to block people and even tags on Tumblr, if there's a type of content one doesn't wish to see (inb4 tag your shit properly please);

3. It can quickly come off as classist because what if one's only way to enjoy the game is to live it vicariously through other people's content because say, they can't afford it (either too young and their family won't invest in the game and the gear to run it for whatever reason, or simply someone who generally can't afford it? Like idk what's the price of a PS5 in some of y'all's country, but in my country it's almost 800€. That's a lot of money just for a console. Don't get me started on gaming laptops and desktops, the only way to hace something decent is to slowly build it yourself with some clever part hunting for something that won't literally cost you a month-worth salary);

4. Having been in that exact position of having to live videogames vicariously through other people myself, for the longest time, and still having trouble sharing my own stuff now because I don't feel at my place in the gaming community simply because I couldn't afford it for so long, this post hits close to home in an unpleasant manner. Sure, Tiktok isn't a reference (like, generally speaking. Don't go on Tiktok if you really want to learn about stuff and build informed opinions/media literacy), but following streamers on Twitch for example is very helpful in that regard because it's raw footage and one can actually learn from it (on top of having fun in the chat if the community is cool). Checking quality gaming/analysis channels on YT can also help acquire enough knowledge to build a solid opinion.

5. This is literally a game with a fuckton of options for the storyline. No matter how much you'll play it, there will always be someone else, somewhere else, who'll figure out something you've never picked up. It's a very common occurrence on the subreddit. So judging people because they don't play the game kinda misses the mark even in that aspect. Instead of criticising people for getting their informations from Tiktok, I think it'd be more productive to either simply ignore these people, or engage with them in a manner that makes them want to dig further and learn more through other, more interesting/reliable sources.

Now mind you, my own opinion on that matter is very likely colored by the fact I'm a TTRPG player IRL, I've literally had experiences of one DM animating a one-shot with different groups and everybody getting to discuss all of the outcomes afterwards (it's an interesting thing to experience, highly recommend it) - it's very similar to games like BG3 where one has multiple paths depending on one's decisions for the storyline, or more generally games with multiples endings (like my beloved Dishonored and Bloodborne, for example). There's also the fact that I simply avoid what I consider bad takes, I literally don't interact with it, I block if necessary to curate my feed. So maybe I'm just like "ok some people build bad takes from Tiktok instead of getting into the game proper, I'll just steer clear of them" in term of stance, which makes me much more moderate in my opinion of these people - I actively make the choice to ignore them and vibe in my corner.

I'm just sad to see many people I know from the Raphael Corner agree with that initial opinion piece so eagerly.

#crow speaks #i'm leaving that out of the tags #not willing to start a fight with the Raphael Corner over that topic #but that initial post saddened me ngl #i get what OP means but I don't fully agree with it and find the core message to be dangerously close to pretention #that's not how one grabs people's attention for general improvement #will likely not engage much here because the initial post made me uncomfortable

[d-lude]

Finally, I'm done writing this thing.

I'm going to be completely honest on why I'm so abnormal about Justice. (No, I genuinely was not kidding about that essay earlier. And you know it's real shit when I actually use caps and proper grammar and whatnot.)

So much of my music taste is based on what others recommend to me, especially my parents. And that on its own is special, but when it's what happens 99% of the time, it sort of becomes a normal feeling.

So, imagine discovering a band on your own in this situation, one you think is actually good.

When I first listened to D.A.N.C.E, it was unlike anything I had ever heard (and seen, as I watched the music video) at the time. But there was a slight bit of familiarity in the sound, one I somewhat associated with Daft Punk, a band I had started listening to only a few months earlier. Of course, I now know that Justice are very different from Daft Punk, but I didn't realize that at that moment. I'll go into that in a few paragraphs.

It took about 2 or 3 months for me to warm up to the rest of their music, but when I finally did, it changed A LOT for me.

“The cross is a very strong visual symbol, it evokes the idea of communion. Do not see any other message! I read that some spoke of us as Christian electro. Stop! Everyone is welcome. Yes, we convert the public, but only to our music.”

-Xavier de Rosnay

...And they had succeeded in doing just that. They had converted me to their music. That was when I realized they weren't all that much like Daft Punk. While Daft Punk's music sounded much more clean, more polished, Justice weren't afraid to get their hands dirty. They weren't afraid to keep people guessing with each album that came out. Not saying Daft Punk didn't change things up, because they did. But each album sounded so different, that when I heard Get Lucky on the radio for the first time, I didn't even realize it was them.

Justice, however, somehow managed to keep that sort of signature Justice-y feel in each of their albums, despite the major differences between their three studio albums. I don't know how the hell they accomplished it, but because of that, I only proceeded to become more and more obsessed with their music. Each song I listened to never failed to impress me. I mean it when I say the French electro wizards had me fucking hooked. Each time I listened to their albums, it only got better and better. It didn't take me long to just goddamn absorb, for lack of a better word, pretty much anything and everything involving them.

Whenever I reached tough points, some of their songs would play a part in somewhat helping me out of those spots. It motivated me. It kept me going. To name one specific song, Randy. Yes, the song I named myself after. It was seriously that influential to me. I talked a little bit about it in this post after an anon jokingly sent me an ask with the lyrics to the song. (Anon, if you're reading this, I'm thanking you once again.)

Anyway, soon, I started doing research on Gaspard and Xavier, and it gave me people I could look up to. People I wanted (and still want) to be like. It was kind of surprising, honestly. I never thought I would look up to guys like them so much. In fact, I recently watched their A Cross The Universe tour documentary, and I was somewhat shocked to learn that they just seemed like fairly normal guys (Although I'm still wondering what the hell I even watched!!)

If you're reading this and haven't yet listened to Justice, I highly recommend you do. I'm not even joking, they've changed my fucking life.

TL;DR: I just think they're neat.

#randys random ramblings #justice band #long-ish post #its finally done!!

[still-a-morosexual-help]

hi hiiii!! I didn't know you got into twst! and the fact you got to book 5 already surprises me since i got stuck on riddle's overblot fight for a month 😭

anyway highway, may i ask your thoughts on ace and deuce, if it's alright with you! :'

I actually finished book 5 'bout 3 days ago and I'm in a state of 'well now what :/ '

Anyone know when 6 is coming out?

I'm IN LOVE with MC's friend group, particularly the dumb and dumber, buy one get one free, double act that is ace & deuce. They're besties but they also think about killing each other twice a day. It's genuinely distressing to see one without the other. They're also such good friends to MC? And I really like how they all started out together. Love 'em both but Deuce has got a special place in my heart <3

Also here's my overall thoughts that I need to get out;

Leona may be a dick but he's so pretty it's nauseating

Idia makes Levi look like a party animal - that's....that's insane right?

Speaking of om!, the twst characters make the OM! characters look like well-adjusted, stable, functioning individuals

Love that there's a rule about how you can't use magic to fight at school when the students are actively trying to kill each other at least thrice a week

Hate hate hate the mickey mouse thing, he moved close to the screen at one point and my whole body jerked back

Loved the scarabia book but on a pillow in their dorm's common room there's a little patch that looks like m*ckey's head and i couldn't take my eyes off it the the entire time. It felt like a threat.

Whenever I see Malleus's "I'm afraid of losing you" line all I can think about is that tweet about balancing your entire mental health on the continued survival of an animal with a far smaller lifespan than you

Also can't get enough of what they did with his character design, you can't make Malleus look and sound and act like that - in a way that screams mystery and danger and then turn him into a pretty chill guy who's really kind of a dork who info dumps about gargoyles and adores his little tamagotchi and has cake based childhood trauma and arrives hours early whenever he's invited to something because he gets so excited about it and would do anything to make his foster dad(!!!????) and little human bestie happy. Im shaking. They said 'looks like he could kill you but is actually a cinnamon roll who could definitely still kill you' and they were so right for it

Rook's like...in love with Vil, right?

This is the second time I made an oc specially for a game and then had the game add some throw away detail that worked so well with my specific mc? (1:) named my OM! MC 'Eliza' short for E-Lizard/A-Lizard - Mammon's favourite possession ended up becoming the chocolate lizard keychain he bought with MC. (2:) Figured I should finally break away from ocs/mcs all having naturally dark hair - so made one with orange hair, gave them a couple pale pink highlights for funsies - 3 books later Floyd starts calling MC 'Lil' Shrimpy' and I realise their hair is the colour of boiled shrimp😬🤡

I'm in love with Epel's natural accent??

All these books are a lesson in why you don't let your cat eat random shit off the ground jfc

Anyway I had alot of fun! Shoutout to everyone who recommended this for giving me another hyperfixation!!

#asks #i should start tagging these :/ #twisted wonderland #twst spoilers

[serenescribe]

got tagged by @kimium in a music tag game here (thank you, kim!) and i figured i may as well get this post written before the next twst update drops tomorrow and permanently alters my brain chemistry q-q

rules: post 5 songs you actually listen to, and tag 10 of your followers/mutuals (except i def don’t have that many people to tag TT)

i freaking love music with all my heart and soul so uhh— time to tangent! under the cut. this got long. just scroll past if you didn’t follow me for this shit ahfndhgdgf

1. bathroom community by glass beach (pinkshift cover)

i stumbled upon this song earlier this year thanks to spotify (yes, i actually look at what they recommend! i need more songs!) and god. GOD. this song has held me in a choke hold since i first listened to it. i desperately want to create an oc from this song, or a story of some sort; the story it paints with its lyrics just has so much goddamn potential for a character.

i love singing this song, even if i can’t sing very well. it’s just a lot of fun, with how intense it is! plus the lyrics... god, the lyrics. i usually like to gravitate to songs with more vague lyrics, but something about this song really soothes that teenage version of me tucked away somewhere in my soul, still angsting about the world.

i think my favourite line is this one, in the second verse — “he said you’ll never be okay if you don’t come to your senses / with you, everything’s the end of the world.” though “flipping through a spiral notebook for some / sad, hopeless words to turn into a liturgy” slaps hard too.

2. everybody’s falling in love by *repeat repeat

oh, i have a fic idea i long to write with this one. actually, i have an oc story (which is its own thing i won’t talk about) based on this song, but i have a fic idea i want to write too. this song just evokes so much whimsy of people falling in love, a constant spiral of romance! and it brings to mind a soulmate au — except instead of soulmate marks already existing and being common knowledge, they just... suddenly appear. which leads to a spiral of people figuring it out, relationship drama — what if two people who were dating aren’t soulmates? people who were platonic who suddenly get marks for each other? who gets together? who doesn’t? i’unno, i’m like... relationship introspection extraordinaire. might be a silly idea now that i’ve typed it out, but it’d be fun.

ah— for the song itself... yeah, it’s light on the lyrics, but like i said, it’s whimsical! it’s fun! i love the announcement at the start to really set the scene — this is a stage, and people falling in love is the show for everyone’s entertainment. yeah, it’s just— it’s a fun song. i don’t have much else to say.

3. sex sells by lovejoy

oh... (longing sigh) this song.

i listen to it a lot whenever i’m in a depressed funk. it just resonates with me a lot; the lyrics remind me of being second place to someone else, of a relationship slipping, that kind of thing. actually, the fact that i haven’t listened to it as much lately is probably a sign of my improving mental health (HA!)

i conceived a fic au before based off this song before — for a different fandom, not twst. it’s kind of shelved, i might turn it into an oc story instead because i still like the concept. but the inspiration i drew from this song turned into a very complex introspection of a close relationship (think childhood friends to lovers) crumbling and shattering under jealousy, envy, et cetera, et cetera. wrote like, one short ficlet off that? never posted it, but i’m still happy with it.

ah... lyrics. yeah, this one’s obvious; my favourite line is “how’s it feel to be so loved yet so alone?”

4. poplar st. by glass animals

was struggling between a lot of songs (how do you expect me to pick just FIVE?!) but considering how a line from poplar st. is literally my blog title on my main... figured it was a no brainer to include it. i wish i could convey my thoughts and feelings on this song, but this is one of the very rare few songs where, if you asked me to tell you what i like about it, i’d be stumped.

i’m not good with identifying instruments or explaining any of that, but the almost dreamy atmosphere of poplar st. hooks me splendidly. the vocals fit beautifully, to the point where they blend with the music and almost seem hard to pick out. i like how the song seems to tinge with darkness and fragment as it goes on — both lyrically and musically. it just scratches a lot of itches for me. would love to try writing something based off it someday? might just be oc stuff though, given the lyrics.

lyrics... the whole chorus slaps. it’s so lovely. all the lines about flowers, and then “i am a true romantic / free falling love addict” just tops it off beautifully <3

5. schoolin’ by everything everything

ah... hahaha.

not to sound cringe on main but if i had to ascribe a song to myself, it would be this one. my friends know — oh, they know — just how much schoolin’ resonates with me. if i divulged all my thoughts here, this post would turn into a criminally long essay, so i’ll exercise restraint for now.

like, i genuinely think this song permanently altered my brain chemistry. so much of it just resonate with me — the scathing observations, the metaphors slamming society, the absolute raging emotions in the voice of the singer, the resentment brimming just underneath. it’s a song about mistakes, it’s a song about learning from them or not, it’s a song about conformity and education and straying or conforming to it. it’s a song about questioning the world and ripping apart the people who are too scared to do so. it’s a wickedly poetic song once you rip apart and dissect every little bit of the lyrics, and i fucking love it with all my heart and soul.

too many lyrics in this song. and yet i have always known my favourite lines. “so learn me anything good / and teach me something that works.” there’s something about that that clicks with me so deeply. a single, scathing request: let me learn anything useful at all, and teach me something that can work for me.

also shoutout to the entire coda (outro) of the song for being the best 1m 50s of my life.

tagging: @llondonfog @olivebranch311 @pitruli @digdeepergravedigger09 @lakuronekobaka @pixelfun20 @reubeam @0rchidm4ntis (cheating? by also tagging friends who follow my main but not this sideblog? sue me. also i hope y’all are ok w being tagged in this HGFNDHGDF sorry if youre not ;;; just ignore if that’s the case)

#ell rambles #tag games #i don't? know? twst drops tomorrow man i Need to get this out #im going to be irreverssibly changed after the update #sorry 2 be cringe on my writing blog. it will happen again #people who followed me for twst now get smacked in the face by my song ramblings #writing? coming soon maybe?? after tomorrow's update?? if i get any brainworms like w the prev one

[legy]

random game roundup

yeah baby lets go i hate posting things at a time people will see them

Meeting in the Flesh - PWYW

actually im obsessed with this one. holy shit. it fucking rules. its free and i think you should play it

this is a self-described "cozy horror-based dating sim" and i personally didnt think it was like. scary horror. but i absolutely loved it.

the premise is that you are vil, a salt courier in a city that um only eats salt and things mixed with salt? and the eclipse is approaching, a time of great significance in local culture.

i played the full yiestol route which took about 45 minutes. the art is gorgeous, and the writing was compelling enough that i kept playing past the usual 15 minutes. if i have a complaint its that the music was much more "miss" than "hit". you should play this one!!!!!

Flying Frags - World Tour - PWYW

this is. unreal. its a very visually interesting looking fps that is hampered by having some of the least responsive controls ive ever experienced in my life. i have no idea what is going on here lol. it would take two solid seconds of mashing the shoot button (both ctrl and left mouse button) before my gun owuld start firing. i wish i recorded myself playing this thing bc all i could say the entire time was "what in the goddamn"

Eternia: Pet Whisperer - $3

Included in Indie bundle for Palestinian Aid

this is a visual novel about going to a shelter to adopt a pet but all the animals at the shelter can talk. found the loving realistic paintings of the animals very funny when contrasted by the more typical visual novel sprite of the protagonist. also that you have one interaction per day implying you spend like a month at this shelter where the inhabitants kind of hate you lol

Six Match - $2.50

Included in Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality

i forgot to take a screenshot lmao

this is cute! six match is a match 3 puzzle game where you control a little guy who shuffles around the board. you have to make a match within six moves or you lose. it's pretty difficult (im bad at match three...) and kept my attention well the entire time.

i think generally the presentation is extremely good and the sound effects are satisfying but it does feel weird to me that there is zero music at all. overall this is very charming and worth a few minutes at least

Occupy White Walls - Free!

this is "an" "mmo" so kind of hard to get a taste of in only 15 minutes but by god did i try

occupy white walls is an art gallery sandbox. you have your own space to build a place to display art. i spent most of my time running around various recommended player spaces but it looks like it's very robust and interesting to build in

also this runs like ass in "high complexity" spaces despite the fact that it was not really taxing my hardware at any point. idk what was going on with that. this is completely free and on steam so if you want to go wander around some online art projects you could certainly do worse

#random game roundup #meeting in the flesh #flying frags - world tour #eternia: pet whisperer #six match #occupy white walls

[belannaswlonkderfulworm]

Director's commentary on Underneath The Tree? I saw you reblogged the post so here we go:) UTT is my favourite work of yours :3

thank you so much, anon!! i'm so glad you enjoyed UtT, i had an amazing time writing it so im delighted you enjoyed it <3

Underneath the Tree very much started as the baby of myself and @exit-pursued-by-a-lesbian . we started it in november last year, just based on the fact that they were mad that every single thing i wrote (and tbh, most of the time still is) was angst, so we thought, hey, it's nearly christmas, we'll figure out something related to that.

as i have a long-standing rep for torturing b'elanna in my fic, she of course had to get some joy, and it escalated from there. i wouldn't describe either of us as die-hard b7 shippers, but we both definitely ship b'elanna with seven more than anybody else, and we both love kes, too, and think so much more could have been done with her, especially with a potential friendship with seven, so she got a big role as well. kes comes with the doctor, so he got something to do, too, and as we were introduced to vines by a voyager vines video (yes, we do unfortunately spend our free time watching things like that. it's a great use of our time!) so it seemed natural for their arc to involve a vine. neelix sort of just... showed up. i don't remember adding him to the story. he was just there. janeway was similar, except more wanted, and i firmly believe that all the best b7 has kathryn manically encouraging them all the way. tom and harry are another ship that we both ship together more than we ship either of them with anybody else, so they got to make a few appearances, and the voyager betting pool spiralled from that. you need a few more stakes than the general emotional torture of b7 being hopelessly in love with each other, so the betting pool, vine, and christmas party worked out nicely, as well as bringing me extreme amounts of joy.

our original plan was to both write a version, and then pick the best chunks from both and combine them, so we spent a lot of time in mid december wandering around our local town centre looking at clothes and christmas decorations brainstorming. hence, tuvok.

all the shops near us tend to go slightly insane in terms of the types of clothes they stock near christmas (pretty much every item of clothing described in the story is something we've actual found within twenty minutes of our houses, aside from tuvok's heels) so as we were brainstorming the logical idea seemed to be to point at clothes and go, "x character wears that (hopefully to the voyager christmas party)". it's funny to do regardless of what character you pick, but tuvok makes it infinitely funnier. like, seriously, i recommend it: wander around your local shops going "tuvok would wear that." it fuckign SLAPS.

anyway.

that lead us to picking out every part of the voyager christmas party scene. who doesn't love a good christmas party with your alien coworker who you're homoerotically in love with? once we'd figured out the stakes, we just had to weave the story together and, y'know, actually write it. this is the point where it became much more of a me effort than an us effort, bc deadlines are HARD, y'all.

i think i wrote the first chunk up until kes realises seven's in love with b'elanna by the third of december or so, and then i wrote the entire rest on the twenty-first, when my adhd brain went oh SHIT i have to write this we no longer have infinite time. my favourite scene to write was definitely the mess hall scene where janeway drinks a bathtub of coffee, b'elanna punches kes, and kes drinks an inordinate amount of hot chocolate. it was such a fun little moment of realisation, tbh, and it gave my beloved kathryn her second in the spotlight, too.

after that, all that was left was for @exit-pursued-by-a-lesbian to beta it, and then i posted it! (yes, all the christmas songs are real. yes, they're all on a star trek-named christmas-themed playlist on my spotify. no, i will not provide a link bc none of you need to be able to find the other playlists on my spotify, which include a thirty-six hour worm-themed playlist featuring the whole hamilton soundtrack)

once again, thank you so much, anon! i'm glad you enjoyed the story, and i'm sorry that this post is almost as long as the story

#ask response #ask game #director's commentary #star trek #star trek voyager #underneath the tree #b7 #b'elanna torres #seven of nine #b'elanna x seven #fanfiction