#this got pretty long for my standards oops

[lorcandidlucienwill]

Who pulls the most bitches?

So I saw someone do something like this and I kind of wanted to do my own version with sjm characters. They get no bitches (besides that one girl who's a sucker for losers): Tamlin, Hunt, Ithan, Declan (only bc he's gay not for lack of game; he pulls ALL the men), Tarquin They get more than none but less bitches than you'd expect: Fenrys (bc he's with Maeve, poor boyo), Tharion (bc he's stuck with the river queen's daughter, oof), Aedion, Mor (because she has to hide her sexuality, rip) Now let's rank the remaining: Rhysand: for the supposedly most powerful fae guy to ever exist, he gets a surprisingly low amount of bitches. Perhaps it is due to his creepy evil reputation and the hatred for him within his own court: turns out a pretty face a male does NOT make. Even gold-diggers have standards! Cassian: I turned this over in my mind many times, but I realized Cassian pulls less bitches than Azriel after the line "I don't need to resort to poetry." He gets plenty of bitches because he's a bigass dude with muscles, but his shitty poetry is a turn-off to most eligible ladies. Azriel: he doesn't need to resort to poetry; he's a pretty boy with a cut body, but points have to be deducted for lack of game and pining over Mor for 500 years and being obsessed with having a mate (yuck). Dorian Havilliard: Come on, guys! He's a hot prince! Of course, he gets all the bitches. He's a little immature but he grows out of it! I mean he pulled the fucking man-eater, for God's sake. Points deducted for falling for Celaena wayyyy too fast (and getting rejected) and for his healer girl getting decapitated (rip Sorscha). Rowan: we KNOW this guy gets aaaaaaaalllll the bitches. Come on, he's Rowan-rutting-Whitethorn! Points were deducted for the whole Lyria thing AND serving Maeve for so long. Lorcan Salvaterre: He gets even more bitches than Rowan because... "Battles, riches, females- Lorcan always won, at any cost." And it's even said Rowan often allowed him to win. So yeah, he pulls a lot of bitches and participates in crazy orgies with his homie Rowan. Points deducted for being Stockholmed by Maeve (poor Lolo). Ruhn Danaan: I mean we already know the man's got game (evidence: CC2 chapter 3 plus all ruhnlidia chapters). He's also a young (by Fae standards) prince who lives in a fucking frat-boy house. And that sad-boy thing he's got going on? Girls love that. Eat it up. All the bitches wanna sit on him to take away his sorrow. Points deducted for crushing on a lesbian (oops). Tristan Flynn: Man gets even more bitches than Ruhn because he's just hornier and he's obsessed with his hair. Also, did you see the fire sprites becoming his cheerleaders? King shit. Points deducted for failing to rizz up Ariadne. Eris Vanserra: Come on, he's an Autumn Court male. Plus he's a Vanserra! It's practically in his blood! Points deducted for being rejected by Mor and Nesta tho. Chaol Westfall: Man gets a shockingly high number of bitches despite being a human character who until Dorian became king had a pretty lowly position. I mean, there was a literal PRINCE and his cousin hanging out and the girls were all drooling over Chaol. When he had a disability (which unfortunately due to prejudices that exist, often make you "undesirable" in the eyes of many) and he rizzed all those women, including Yrene, harder than Kashin. EVERY. GIRL. CHOSE. CHAOL. OVER. A. LITERAL. PRINCE. Both in Adarlan AND the southern continent. You're telling me he doesn't have the rizz??? A half a point deducted for being too hung up over Celaena (I don't blame him but still). But still, he pulls sooooo many bitches. Lucien (Vanserra? Spell-Cleaver? Cunt-Server?): Come on. Is there anyone else fitting to be number 1???? Man's got EVERYTHING Chaol has, PLUS he's the son of a High Lord and he's got that Vanserra rizz. Fuck it, he wouldn't stop at bitches. He'll pull every mfer to ever exist. If it breathes, it's into Lucien Vanserra. He is THAT guy.

#tamlin #ithan holstrom #tharion ketos #tarquin #declan emmet #hunt athalar #fenrys moonbeam #morrigan #aedion ashryver #rhysand #cassian #azriel #dorian havilliard #rowan whitethorn #lorcan salvaterre #ruhn danaan #tristan flynn #eris vanserra #chaol westfall #lucien vanserra

[tlbodine]

How to Socialize

OK, before I dig into this, a few disclaimers:

1 - I'm not like. A psychologist or anything. Just a writer who's been part of a whole lot of online communities and has run a pretty successful one for a few years.

2 - The advice that follows is not intended to make anybody feel bad or be a condemnation or enforce standards of behavior. If you read this and don't vibe with it, cool. Keep on scrolling by.

**also, oops, this is really long because I wanted to be thorough.

OK. So with that all out of the way. I was talking with a coworker today. She's undiagnosed but suspects she's some flavor of neurodivergent, and she works over on the sales side, where she was recently hired. Part of her training involves being coached specifically in how to interface with clients -- active listening, etiquette, how to ask good questions, that sort of thing.

She said to me today, "For like 27 years everybody has always just told me I was weird and intense and off-putting but nobody ever told me what I was actually supposed to DO until literally this week. Mind blown."

And I was like, shit, you know what? You have a point.

And that got me to thinking about communities -- from online spaces to meet-ups to society at large -- and the way we try to teach people behavior.

I feel like, overwhelmingly, folks are assumed to just understand what they're supposed to do. If there are community guidelines in place, they're usually rules about what not to do. But you can follow the rules to the letter, and still come off all wrong, and then nobody will ever tell you what you're doing wrong because it's impolite or whatever, until you irritate them so much that they either blow up at you or else just straight-up start avoiding you, and neither of those are really helpful pieces of feedback.

So. In case nobody has ever actually told you, specifically and explicitly? Here are some tips on being a good community member, the kind of person that folks will generally like to be around and want to be friends with.

Show Interest in Other People

The number one most important thing you can do to be a good community member, is to show interest in your other community members. After all, you want them to respond to you when you say things, right? Well. They want the same thing for themselves.

"But I'm not interested in what they're talking about." No problem. You're interested in getting along with them, right? Cool. So this interaction isn't actually about the subject. It's about making them feel good. And, hey, you know what? If you keep an open mind, you might find that what they're saying is actually pretty interesting.

Some phrases to remember and use when people are talking about an interest of theirs:

"Oh?" (general usage prompt for more information)

"That's really interesting! How does that work?" (acknowledges their interest + prompts them to talk more)

"I heard once about [related thing]." (shows that you are engaged with the topic, and allows you to shift conversation in a direction you're more comfortable)

"I'm really interested in [thing], I feel like that might be similar in [way]." (forges common ground and allows you to shift conversation to a topic you enjoy).

So for example, let's say you're talking to someone who mentions that they're really interested in...idk...volcanos. You don't really care about volcanos. But you like this person. So instead of just saying nothing (because you don't care about the topic), or changing the subject, engage instead: "I saw that movie Dante's Peak. How realistic is that?" "What got you interested in volcanos?" "I don't know much about volcanos. My thing was always horses. What's it like being a volcano girl?"

Whatever. The point is not to learn about volcanos (although learning new things can be fun!) but to give them a chance to talk about their thing.

Give Other People a Chance to Speak

The flipside of the thing above: If you're talking to someone about their interest, don't go so overboard trying to relate to them that you don't actually let them talk. In the horse/volcano example, see how it ends with a question? The question hands the topic back to the other person. It's like playing a game of catch. Conversation is tossing a ball back and forth. If one person hogs the ball, it's no fun for the other person.

When you're talking about your interests, you'll want to pay attention to the person/people you're talking to. In general, engaged conversation partners will mirror your energy. If they're asking questions and relating what you're saying to something they know, then they are trying to carry on conversation with you. Proceed!

If you notice they are:

Responding more slowly (without saying a disclaimer like "sorry, multitasking/at work, keep typing!")

Starting to reply with single-word responses ("cool!" "Okay" "lol") or emotes

Saying the same thing over and over ("That's awesome!" three times in a row)

They are most likely trying to disengage from the conversation. It's almost certainly not that they dislike you or that you've done anything wrong. They've probably just run out of things to say, or they really want to talk about something else, and they're looking for a way to politely exit the conversation. You can provide them with a graceful out by saying something like, "Anyway, that's my thing. What have you been up to?"

(Incidentally, if you notice that people have a tendency to stop talking to you or change the subject when you're trying to converse, check that you're not inadvertently giving off those disengagement signals. Saying things like "ok" or "I know" without any further prompting or question can be perceived as a cue for the other person to stop talking).

Avoid Self-Deprecation

Sometimes, you realize that you've made a misstep, and it seems natural that your next step should be to apologize. This isn't a bad impulse! But the way you apologize makes a difference.

For example, let's say you're talking in a discord channel and realize that you've been going on for a while and nobody else is saying anything. You get self-conscious and realize, oh, maybe you're talking too much.

So perhaps you're tempted to say: "Sorry. I know I talk too much and it's annoying."

Do not do this. Because now the people in chat will feel contractually obligated to reassure you that you are not annoying.

Instead, try a joke: "Phew that was a lot! Anyway. Anybody else want a turn?"

Keeping things light-hearted alleviates the pressure that other people might feel and keeps the mood from being too awkward.

"Isn't all of this dishonest and manipulative?"

Look. Here's the thing. People who are good communicators -- folks you might hear described as charismatic -- are folks who understand these rules, and other social rules, intuitively. Most well-socialized neurotypical folks communicate this way without thinking about it or even knowing what they're doing.

For those people, conversation is usually less about exchanging specific information and more about nurturing a social bond. Remember -- it's not about volcanos. It's about making the other person feel heard and appreciated.

To stretch the example to its breaking point: What would be dishonest or manipulative is if you pretended that you loved volcanos, or lied about your experience with volcanos, or went out of your way to build a relationship with someone on a shared passion for volcanos when actually you don't really like volcanos at all and one day you won't be able to stand it anymore.

Showing polite interest for a few minutes by asking a question? Is not dishonest. That's just you signaling to them, "I don't get your thing, but I care about you as a person and talking about this seems to make you happy, so please continue."

That's all for today. I might be back later with a post about sympathy and venting and advice. But for now, I hope this was at least a little bit helpful for somebody. Good luck out there making conversation!

#communication #life skills #autism #neurodivergence #i am not a professional

[shaylixie]

The Great Gatsby

Word Count: 2922

Genre: Fluff

Pairing: Bang Chan x gn!reader

Requested: No.

Summary: Chan throws a party a while after not seeing you.

Warnings / Contains: Alcohol consumption; language; dialogue heavy; lots of characters.

A/N: Omg, where do I start? Hi! I'm back and seemingly writing again, lol. Anyway. This is my first fic for Stray Kids. I wrote it just for fun...I wasn't really sure where I was going with it & I just ended up with this. So. Bon appétit. Not sure if you can tell, but I'm a multistan.🤣 Primarily a Stay. I wanted to write something fun and wholesome and fluffy. This is the start of something wonderful! I'm thinking of making this into a loose sort of series? Hm, we'll see. Let me know if you want a part 2, and I'll think about it! Thank you for reading, and enjoy! 💕 Feedback welcome.🤍

You knock on the door of Chan's place, loud enough that it's heard over the blaring music. It opens, and you're faced with an excited expression.

"Y/n! You made it!"

"Hey, Sungie!" you greet Jisung, followed by a warm hug. "I had to see my favourite guy."

"Me or Chan?" he asks with smirk.

Sigh. Okay. So here's the thing.

You and Chan have been friends for...well, enough time. But a small part of you wishes you were more. Okay, fine. A big part of you. See, you caught feelings. But this is your friend you're talking about...you can't ruin your friendship after so many years. Even if you did want to risk it everytime you were with him.

You rolled your eyes, anticipating the familiar endless teasing.

Everyone knew, it seemed. But if Chan was part of "everyone", you didn't know. He certainly didn't act like it.

You walked in and began greeting the rest of your friends. The usual ones were there - that is, the members of Stray Kids, along with a few personal mutual friends - and also a handful of people you didn't know. Other idols, including but not limited to those of JYPE, and friends of friends. It wasn't packed to the brim but it wasn't a small gathering either. A decent enough crowd for it to be considered a party, and for the house to be full.

Of course, knowing the Kids for as long as you did, you knew most of the idols here so you weren't as intimidated as you thought you'd be. Sure, you still got starstruck from time to time. But you were familiar with the JYP family; had befriended them even. You suppose that's the perks of being such a close friend of the Kids. So much so that you're playfully referred to as the 9th member...except you can't sing or dance. Or rap. Or do pretty much any of the extraordinary things they do on a daily. But you still somehow platonically seduced all of them. How? You didn't know, but you didn't care either. This was your family.

After hugging all your friends who you could find at arm's length, you started settling down and adjusting to the atmosphere. Minho handed you a cup and just winked when you asked what was in it. Oh, you were in for it tonight!

"Y/n!!"

You whipped your head around at the familiar voice. There was Chan, bounding towards you with his own cup and his loose fitted tank top. He placed the cup down and lifted you up, spinning you around and sloshing half of your own drink onto the floor.

"Oops! I'll clean that up later," he laughed.

"Channie! I've missed you. How have you been?"

"Great! Except I've really missed you too."

"I know, I'm sorry. Studying has been crazy. I'm here now, though! Catch me up, guys," you say turning to the others.

He threw his arm around you as you drained your cup and then flopped onto the couch, with half of the Kids surrounding you - specifically Minho, Han, Felix and Hyunjin - and also Ryujin, Yeji and Chaeryeong.

You all started talking non-stop about anything and everything, laughing at the most stupidest things. You know, standard feature.

"Oh my gosh, Somi!!!" you suddenly burst out excitedly, leaping off the couch.

You half-skipped-half-ran to your best friend as you giggled together and embraced, jumping up and down.

"Didn't you guys hang out last week?" Hyunjin asked with a weird look on his face, hiding his amusement.

"Yeah but this is my best friend in the whole woooorld!" Somi said as she rocked you side to side, still in an embrace.

"Also how would you know, Jinnie? Do you stalk us?" you asked.

"Ooooooh, he probably stalks all of us," Chaeryeong teased.

"Eww," Hyunjin said with his classic disgusted face. "I saw it on your story, Y/n. Yours is the only one I check all the time...since we're best friends and all you know. Or maybe not..." he ends dramatically.

"Oh shit," says Han.

You roll your eyes, laughing at the constant competition between Hyunjin and Somi.

"You're my guy best friend, Jinnie. Somi is my girl. You know this."

"Yeah, I'm her girl," Somi teases, wiggling her eyebrows. She makes playful kissy faces at your cheek and you turn around last minute, making her kiss you on the lips. Everyone bursts out laughing, and somewhere in the room you hear a cat whistle. It makes you and Somi double over laughing, not fazed at all by your friendly flirty dynamic.

Chan stands up again and pulls both you and Somi into a hug.

"I gotta go say hi to a few more people, I'll be right back," he says looking at you.

"Wait!" Felix shouts. He runs to pull you, Chan and Somi into his arms. "Group hug!"

You pull him into your arms at the sight of his happy face and everyone leaps up from their respective places on the floor and the couch until your face is buried in Chan's chest and you can't breathe, let alone lift your head up. All you hear is cheers going up as people start to randomly join, and you giggle wondering how drunk everyone is. When the hug eventually ends, everyone's moods lifted even higher than before, you and Somi part as the rest do the same, all going to mingle.

"So...I saw how he had his arm around you," Somi says, bumping your shoulder.

"Ugh, it doesn't mean anything...but I loved it so much, Som! Like...I just wanna stay like that. I'm lovesick. I need another drink if I'm gonna get through this night."

"Already on it," she laughs, pouring you a drink. "But we gotta take a shot first!"

As she pours the shot, Sana and Dahyun come over with Jackson Wang from China (as you lovingly call him) and more hugs ensue.

"Shots? Count us in!" says Jackson.

You all take a shot together...and then another one. Hey, you may not party much (like, at all), but when you do...you DO.

Next you know, Sana is grabbing your hand and Dahyun is leading you outside onto the makeshift dance floor (the lawn). Everyone is vibing and jumping up and down and busting out their best (and worst) moves all over the yard and you can't help but join in on the fun. You dance (is that what you call it?) with your friends surrounding you, all letting loose and having a fun time, their idol masks surrendered. You can't remember the last time you had this much fun. At some point, Changbin and Chan join in, and Changbin grabs your hand and dips you, making you squeal. You hold him tightly around his neck and drop a hand to his bicep, squeezing there.

"I've been working out!" he shouts over the music with a huge grin. He knows how much you love feeling his muscles up, and he loves how much you do. It's become something of an inside joke between you.

"I can tell! They're even bigger than last time!"

"You're drooling, Y/n!" shouts Chan. "What about me?"

Changbin lifts you up again and you bound up to Chan, squeezing his bicep too. You make a show of thinking hard.

"It needs more work!" you say, stifling a laugh.

Chan pouts, making you fail at holding your laugh back. He laughs too then, grabbing your hand. You relish at the feeling of his hand in yours, and next thing you know, you're running behind Chan, following him inside the house and up the stairs. He stops outside one of the closed bedrooms, the both of you breathing hard.

"I really did miss you," he says softly, but loud enough for you to hear over the music and laughter. He pulls you into a tight hug then, and you blink out of shock.

"Are you drunk?" you giggle.

"A little. But I missed you when I was sober. And I'll miss you when I'm wasted. And hungover too. And then sober again."

You laugh and boop his nose. "I missed you too, Channie." You dip your head to hide your face before saying the next part. "More than you'll ever know..."

"Yeah?" He looks at you like he genuinely wants to know.

"Yeah...yeah, of course."

The two of you are silent for a bit after that, just staring at each other. It's a comfortable silence. The type you always have with him.

He clears his throat. "I, uhm. I...how drunk are you?"

"Surprisingly not drunk at all," you say honestly. "Tipsy...but I'm fine. You?"

"Not drunk enough," he laughs. "I'm still okay."

"Good."

"I'm asking because...well...I wanted to tell you something."

"Good or bad?" you ask nervously.

He laughs just as nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "It depends..."

"Yeah?"

"I uhm..." he trails off, stepping closer to you.

Your heart is beating so far out your chest, you think he can see it.

"I don't know how to say it. But I-...we're friends, right? Good friends?"

You're about to answer when suddenly-

"CHAN HYUNG!"

You're interrupted by Minho's yelling, and you make a mental note to kick him in the shin later. Chan drops his head in exasperation, then laughs.

"Give me a second," he says apologetically.

"YEAH?!" he shouts back, halfway down the stairs.

"WE GOT THE BEER PONG ALL SET UP. YOU COMING?"

"YEAH, I'LL BE DOWN IN A SEC!"

He runs back up to you then, about to say something, but seemingly changing his mind.

"Minho set up the beer pong. It's your favourite game..." he winks at you. "Be on my team?"

You shove down the anxiety of the previous moment and agree, hoping the beer will help. You hate beer, but it is your favourite game after all. Chan takes your hand again, and you go over to the living room where the beer pong is set up.

"So, who are Chan and I winning against?" you ask to the room around you, feeling much more confident because of the alcohol. Oh - confident about talking to an entire room of people - not about winning. You're always confident about that.

Seungmin walks up with Chaeyoung from Twice.

"You sure you can beat us?" he quips.

"Yeah, sorry Y/n, but I'm pretty good at beer pong," Chaeyoung says.

"Oh, don't worry. You haven't met my Y/n here," Chan says.

Your heart skips 3 beats at that - "my Y/n" - and you have to ignore the urge to check your pulse to see if you're dead.

"Let's go, Old Man! Try to keep up," teases Seungmin.

Chan rolls his eyes at the familiar nickname.

The game starts, and everyone who isn't passed out or dancing gathers round. Minnie and Chaeyoung go first, and Chae gets it in first try. The crowd goes wild. You chug down the drink as Chan goes next...and misses. Seungmin laughs and says something about "losing with the old man." It's your turn now, and lo and behold, you get it in.

"Not bad...not bad..." Chae says, and downs the drink.

Seungmin goes next and misses, which causes Chan to start teasing him back. "What's all that about an old man, huh??"

"Girl power! Yes, Queens! Slay!" shouts a drunk Yuna, and everyone laughs.

The game continues with various hits and misses, and the 4 of you progressively get drunker off the beer. Finally, it's down to the last cup on both sides. After what seems like an eternity of back and forth throwing, you land the ball in the cup. Stunned, no one reacts at first. Then the whole room erupts and everyone starts surrounding you and Chan and you think you hear Seungmin scream "FUCK!" but you're not sure because Chan has picked you up and he's spinning you around and shouting "That's my girl!" and everyone is too drunk and excited to question it and the euphoria spreads through the room. Ah, yes, you think. Beer pong is your favourite game.

-

Seated around the bonfire, spread out equally on blankets on the floor and chairs, are all of your favourite people. Well, some are missing because they went home and others are passed out in Chan's guest room and on his couches and maybe one or two on the floor. But most of your favourite people surround you right now, and a peaceful atmosphere decends over the night. Softer music is now playing as everyone sings along, swaying and sitting half on top of each other. You walk out of the house filled with people spread around drinking water and eating bread and ice cream, trying to sober up before they go home. Chan is still beside you, and he walks up to the only remaining empty seat, vacated by Jackson whose Uber just arrived. He sits down before realising you have no place to sit, and then stands up just as fast, offering you his seat.

"Just let her sit on your lap," says Somi, drunk and drowsy, half lying on Yeji on the floor.

A chorus of "oooohs" go up, and Chan's ears go red.

"Everyone is sitting on everyone anyway," Jeongin points out.

"I mean, if you're comfortable..." Chan says softly only to you before sitting down and holding your waist lightly.

You drop gently into his lap and he pulls you against him, wrapping his strong arms around you. You hold his arms back, and cuddle into his warmth. It's a warm night with a cool breeze, but you savour his body heat anyways. You shiver, and not from the breeze. You feel him hold you even tighter after that, and you're glad he can't see your blushing face. Hyunjin winks at you, and Felix smiles at you knowingly from between Jinnie's legs. Your blush deepens. You soon get caught up in the conversation, laughing and throwing comments in here and there. The topic changes and you take to just listening. But you're interrupted by a soft voice in your ear.

"I'm really glad you came," Chan says softly.

"I'm glad too. I loved- I mean, it was nice seeing you."

Chan chuckles, not oblivious to your change of words.

"I loved seeing you too."

You dip your head in embarrassment.

"I mean it. It would have sucked if you weren't here," he continues.

"Sucked? Hey, you still would have had a good time with everyone else..." you point out.

"Yeah, yeah you're right. But it wouldn't be the same without you, you know? It wouldn't have been as good. I'm just really glad you came."

"Why wouldn't I?" you ask. "It's your party, after all."

You don't know if it's because you're still both a little drunk or because of the soft, romantic atmosphere or the intimacy of everyone around you, but he admits, "Yeah, that I threw for you."

You scrunch your eyebrows up in confusion. "For me?"

"Yeah. I wanted an excuse for you to come...it ended up becoming bigger than I planned though. Much bigger," he laughs shyly.

You laugh at that then, and then start laughing harder, earning you a few looks. Pleased ones, at that.

"What?" he asks, slightly embarrassed.

"No...nothing. You just...you sound like Gatsby."

He laughs then too, his body shaking against yours.

"Nerd."

"Shut up!" You swat him playfully. "Everyone knows Gatsby." A pause. "I had fun tonight, Channie. A lot of fun."

He grins, his eyes squinting at the action and his cheeks dimpling. "I love it when you call me that."

"Channie..." you tease.

He tickles you then, and you squirm in protest.

Once you quieten down, he asks for the second time that night, "How drunk are you?"

"Uhm, not that drunk. I can Uber back safely."

"Oh," he says. Is that disappointment you hear?

"Why?" you ask.

"Oh uhm, I was just asking. I wanted to know if you'd feel better staying over. You can have my room - I can sleep on the couch. If it's not already taken..." he laughs. "I mean, the guys are staying over. I thought we could nurse our hangovers together, you know? Besides, it's too late for you to go back alone. I don't feel right about it."

You smile, hoping for this outcome.

"I'll stay. But on one condition..."

"Mhm?"

"You have to sleep in your room. I don't feel right kicking you out. Besides, I'm on your lap right now anyway. What difference does sharing a bed make? Lord knows I've fallen asleep on you so many times before..." You giggle together at the various memories.

You can hear the smile in Chan's voice as he says, "Deal."

You snuggle into him further, your head in the crook of his neck and his scent all around you, and you know it's not possible, but he pulls you even closer. He joins in on the singing around the bonfire as the song changes, and you smile at his lovely voice. Looking around you, you can't help but feel your heart swell to three times its size. Here are most of your favourite people, your deepest loved ones, sitting in the same place with smiles on their faces and love all around. You wish you could capture this feeling forever and get drunk on it every night. But you can't, so you settle for relishing in it deeply right now. You're grateful and loved and everything is perfect, and you wouldn't ask for more.

#stray kids #bang chan #stray kids text #christopher bang chan #bangchan #bang chan x reader #bang chan fluff #bang chan skz #stray kids x reader #stray kids imagine #skz x reader #skz x y/n #skz imagine #skz scenarios #kpop #kpop imagine #stray kids fanfic #bang chan fanfic #bang chan x gn!reader

[ikinremu]

hi there !

i’ve been absolutely obsessed with all your tommy content lately, you write him so so well !!!

would you consider writing a (smutty) drabble with brat tamer! tommy and reader being cheeky / smart mouthed with him

hope you have a lovely day <3

Hi anonymous! First of all thank you so much for the support, you have no idea how happy it makes me! Thank you so so much for requesting. I know the ask said drabble but I got a little carried away with this idea and ended up just having to make it a whole oneshot.. oops 🙈 But anyway, I hope you like what i’ve done with your request! Enjoy :)

|| Nsfw || Understood? - Tommy Shelby ||

Tommy Shelby x Fem!Reader

Tags: Oral (M Recieving), P in V

! Smut Warning !

Knowing someone well was always a bonus, and perhaps it did mean you should have at least some level of regard for their irritations once you'd been made aware of them - but how could you be held to the unrealistic standard of constantly keeping them in mind? Because truthfully, there was somehow less than a mere trace of Tommy's irks occupying your thoughts in the previous hours. It was only when he requested your arrival that your earlier actions dawned on you, and even then you remained rather negligent.

With a lingering ambivalence, you roamed the path to the office responsible for your calling. Cocking a brow, you stepped inside, sleek door clicking in connection to its frame behind you.

God, labelling it a mess was a weighty understatement. Papers were carelessly scattered and drawers had been yanked open - majority nearly emptied of any previous contents.

"What did you do with the papers on my desk?" Tommy groaned from the chair behind the disorderly table, nostrils ever so slightly flaring as his callous fingers kneaded the skin of his forehead.

"I didn't do anything with them?" You retorted, a certain arrogance to your tone. Tommy disposed of a deep exhale - clearly not as much of a calming exercise as intended.

"Right, so where are they then?"

"I don't know."

"They were here when I left and now they're not, I know you came in here looking for something, sounds pretty fuckin' simple to me." He continued to pry.

"Well I probably just misplaced them while I was in here, it was an accident, fucking hell."

Following your words, Tommy began to ramble a rather exhausting monologue about the importance of these papers - though, for you, his words merely slipped in one ear and out the other.

You certainly were a work-orientated person, though today you simply didn't have the strength, let alone the willpower, to care about some documents you knew nothing about.

"You're not going to apologise for completely fucking up my office.?" His face painted one blatant notion: expectancy.

Eyes flitting over the room, you rather admired the dishevelment - Tommy’s frustration supplying you with a newfound sense of pride that you hadn't felt while concocting the mess not long ago.

Putting things as simply as possible, you'd utterly destroyed Tommy's office while rooting for an item so very simple; a book, a book that you hadn’t even located after all. You hadn’t restored one single thing and were responsible for the loss of some form of document that - judging by his reaction - must've been more than significant.

You knew you owed him an apology - every part of you did - however, manners were the least of your worries considering the way in which you were speaking to one and another.

You scoffed, "It's really not that important, one minor inconvenience and you're acting like a child about it?"

"What did you just say?" Tommy's gaze snapped in your direction, cigarette retracting from the slight crevice between his lips.

"I said you're acting like a child." You echoed, the wall of your chest now accessorised by your folded arms.

"Say that one more fucking time." Tommy huffed, eyes rolling at the same pace as the cigarette in his hand - his tone a clear warning not to test his limits.

"I'm sure that was meant to affect me more than it did." You sneered, unhesitant to deride the man sat solemnly behind his desk. "So, alright, you're acting like a pathetic little child."

The cigarette sputtered as its heat was stubbed away, Tommy taking a rather abrupt stance, his eyes burning through your own like laser beams. Hands firmly stuffed to fill the points of his trouser pockets, Tommy's stance developed into steps.

A look of lust bloomed in his eyes as he stood before you, the border of separation barely existent. Thinning the gap even further, Tommy's hand reached to cup the curve of your jaw, thumb pressing against your fragile skin. The contact spiked you with a sudden excitement, his touch so tender yet rough in the most enticing way.

Everything was silent. Dead silent.

Stomach twisting, you revelled in the rich, musk of Tommy's scent, allowing it to seep into your nostrils as your eyes stared deeply into the pair opposite you. You were still indignant in relation to this whole situation, though your priorities had taken a rather drastic hit the moment your lips gently brushed against his.

As you reached to press your mouth to Tommy's, he suddenly froze, hand redirecting to the lean fronting of your neck with a fierce grip - just enough force to savour your breath, taunting it nonetheless.

"You're not to go through my office, understood?" He raised his brows with a growing likeness of superiority, speaking in what could only be described as a gravelly whisper. "Now if you want to act like a brat, I'll fuck you like one. Get on your knees."

A chill coursed through your body. You were utterly dumbfounded, wishing you were more appalled by his words, though there truly was no use in denying the flame igniting within you - its spark feeding off the rapid development of your arousal.

Utilising the firm hold he'd subjected your neck to, Tommy guided your descent, only retiring the grip once your knees met the sleek planks.

Amongst this thickening fog of desire, you found curiosity weaving it's way into your mind - more so captivation.

Severely lacking the ability to do otherwise, your gaze floated to meet its match above. Your heart palpitated, stabilisation nowhere near possible as you studied Tommy's complacent expression - the artful glint in his eye wholly to blame for the dampened fabric of your underwear.

His thick fingers delivered a brisk sequence to your right cheek, a pair of light taps falling against your skin, "Open."

You immediately loosened the - what used to be - unyielding clench of your jaw, the action much like a bolt unscrewing. You rather surprised yourself with this obedience, though Tommy seemed to have retained more confidence that you'd oblige. He had his way with his dark, costly garments, a gruff heave fleeing his throat as he freed his erection.

"What are you waiting for, eh?" His eyes, less than subtly, motioned towards his unattended length.

These lustful instructions may've only been momentary, however, the raging heat they spread through your body lasted far, far longer.

You assumed a tender hold of Tommy's naked length, nimble fingers surrounding his shaft as you felt him twitch against the soft creases of your palm. Shamelessly, you projected your hunger onto his pulsing cock, sliding your lips over him as if you'd been mercilessly starved. Exercising the depravity of your tongue, you swirled it around his spasming tip, trailing slick stripes up his slit. Your ears overflowed with the familiar vibrations of his low groans, stimulation taunting his grunts as they encouraged you further.

Tommy harshly dug a hand through your hair, tugging it back in a rather sloppy interpretation of a clasp. His leaking tip began slapping against your salivating tongue as you engulfed his erection into the warm chamber of your mouth, shaft having gained enough slick for your hands to stroke it. He rid all that had shielded his torso, a collection of inessential fabrics just contributing to the mess of the office.

He throbbed between your frothing lips, "You like when I use your mouth like this, hm?" His teases were broken by ravenous grunts. Hot flushes clouded over you, body fuelled by such pure, unfiltered desire.

Without warning, Tommy slipped himself out - completely dismissing any provoking as he unleashed your hair from its hold.

He ushered you to a, minorly, abrupt stance, callous thumb swiping the drivel that rather tellingly coated the underside of your lips. With less than a second to adapt, Tommy's bare arms hoisted you so intimately against himself, touch rather bleakly shattered as he laid you atop his desk - your silk blouse brushing the surface.

Your legs curled over the blunt table edge, stomach flipping at the sheer anticipation - you needed to feel him; desperately. Hooking beneath your waistband, Tommy's fingers dragged your skirt downwards, a small few kicks of your feet assisting the removal process, shoes flinging off in synchronisation. You verged on complete nudity as your underwear were the next to be rid, the sodden material easily deemed the least cared for in this moment.

"You wanna make a mess of my desk? That's exactly what we're gonna fuckin' do." Tommy rasped, the deep tones of his voice resulting in your stomach fluttering. He raised your legs, effortlessly draping your calves over his rather chilly shoulders, your bare thighs pressed against his torso.

His leaking tip lined up with your entrance, surpassing your drenched walls before so perfectly filling your hole - replacing what had been mere deprivation. A shaky mewl crept from your throat, a hoarse groan from Tommy's.

Forearms caging your calves, the position allowed Tommy to hit deeper than you thought possible as he planted his first - much anticipated- thrust, utterly intoxicating your every want with just a single buck of his hips.

As his length so angelically tormented your sweet spots, the air between you couldn't resist growing sultry. Body temperature reaching unbearable stakes, you unbuttoned - and shed - your blouse, hastily repeating the same steps with your bra. Your lips dropped a weighty exhale as the air faced a collision with your bare chest, pebbling your now exposed nipples.

Assisted by his hand’s dense hold of your legs, Tommy pulled you against each rhythmic drive of his hips.

Devotion infested the air, not leaving a molecule untouched as the pair of you picked up speed.

Your chest took to a pattern of shallow dips and lifts as Tommy pounded into your sopping cunt, your thighs occasionally striking his torso.

Desperate for something to hold, your fingers curled around the mess of papers atop his desk, crumpling them until smooth sheets became jagged balls.

"Fuck," Tommy panted, "Take it, that’s it."

His encouragement strung a whimper from your throat, though your pleasure travelled far deeper than surface level. Teeth puncturing your lower lip, you melted into the sensations of Tommy’s skilful hips rocking against your own. As he pumped faster, cock burying itself further inside you, your seeping hole began a relentless sequence of clenching around the length that filled it.

“Don’t stop..” A soft moan floated from your tongue.

You wanted nothing more than a release to wash over you, this craving only heightening as you felt the wish inching closer to being granted.

Tommy’s ferocious grip upon your legs somehow intensified, pulling you against him significantly harsher than before.

Your body quivered as your release unwound, orgasm elevating your arousal to its very tallest peak. The purest of euphorias struck your frame from head to toe, eyelids screwing so firmly shut, swollen clit only able to convulse as your climax drew to an unwanted close.

Tommy croaked deeply as his head lolled back, subconsciously loosening his contact with your legs. You observed the bliss that - with no sign of mercy - possessed his features, a shiver running down your spine as you felt a sudden burst of warmth span inside your heavily pulsing cunt.

Your breathing found stabilisation - to the best extent possible - as Tommy slid out, soon easing you into a, far more convenient, sitting position.

Cheeks flushed, your hazy gaze scanned over his desk, not a single document in the place it used to be, nor any utensils. Crinkled paper balls were scattered over the surface - the already dreadful mess now so blatantly worsened.

Inhaling sharply, you struggled to compress a mischievous smile, “I hope you don’t need this desk for anything too important today..”

Thank you for reading and hope you enjoyed! Please feel free to use the asks feature on my page for requests of oneshots/drabbles/blurbs etc.. would be greatly appreciated! <3

#smut #smutty #peaky blinders #peaky blinders smut #thomas shelby #thomas shelby smut #tommy shelby #tommy shelby smut #oneshot

[ringo-ichigo]

James, STOP

James Somerton is trying to apologize again. First, James, CLOSEUPS ARE NOT THE RIGHT FRAMING FOR THIS "APOLOGY." Back that shit up to show your shoulders! This close is uncomfortable! One of the first things you learn for film is that extended closeups are uncomfortable for everyone! For the love of all the Muses, your saturation and lighting are terrible! Why is the focus off?! Also, also, finally on petty shit, why do your glasses frames have an etching on them that catches the light in such a weird way?! It's distracting!

Second, sir, sir, what is all this irrelevant bs?! Great, you explained why there was a huge spat with Jessie Gender. Most of it could have been cut down or just left at "I shouldn't have been as opaque about the situation." This was long winded and frankly not the real issue we have.

Third, sir, "getting permission" for the Evil Queens video... you got that after it was published and you'd been caught plagiarizing it. Let's correct that timeline error. Additionally, NO ONE CARES THAT YOU GOT PERMISSION FOR THE EXTRA COOKIE AFTER YOU ALREADY TOOK AND ATE THE COOKIE. YOU DON'T GET PERMISSION AFTER THE FACT.

Fourth, again, this wasn't "oops I cited it wrong" or "didn't credit properly." I will grant you actually fucking said the word plagiarism this time, but like... sir, you went to college. You had to learn how to cite sources. And frankly, you're not being held to college standards so like, get thee to fucking citationmachine and start a-plopping your sources in there. Boom done.

Five, why did you monetize this? No, I don't care that it's "for the people I plagiarized." Rule number one of youtube apologies: do not monetize your apology. It doesn't matter what excuse you make for it, it is... as the boys and girls and everyone in between say, a bad look.

I'm barely into watching this other reaction and I already want to yeet a table at this man. And for the record, I'm dealing with my lovely genetics' propensity for pain and still low key recovering from the stomach bug. I am pretty goddamn low on energy right now and I still have enough rage to fuel this.

#james somerton #gods help me I want to smack this man so hard #I will yeet him #my bi rage knows no end today

[fictionalafvsmybeloved]

So, I just discovered you so if I ask for something you've seen before, uh, oops, but I have to ask you to take a look at my favorite tank from the world of Battletech, the Manticore! https://www.sarna.net/wiki/Manticore

Hey, I remember these from when I was playing MechWarrior 5!

Even a thousand years into the future, tanks are still awesome. This is proven very clearly by the mere existence of the Manticore in a world where 'mechs are stomping all over the place.

I'm not sure what it's based on but it sure is BASED.

With a surprising (for it's size) weight of only 60 tons and a top speed of 40 mph (65 km/h), she's quite a mobile platform. Power plant is a nuclear reactor, but I'm willing to give it's safety a pass because it's a futuristic fusion reactor.

These are equipped with a type of armor called "ArcShield Maxi II" as standard. I'm not too sure what that is but I do remember these being pretty resilient when I was fighting them.

This big girl is armed to the TEETH. Her primary armament is a Particle Projector Cannon, which has a fairly long range along with the added benefit of interfering with the targeting systems of anything it hits. This is backed up by a set of both long and short ranged missile racks, and topped of with a medium power laser for targets at closer ranges.

Targets are identified and tracked by a robust sensor suite that links into the FCS. However, the only analog backups I can see are a set of large windows set into the hull.

Her crew compliment is a respectable four, with what I assume is plenty of space inside.

She may lack tow hooks; but she has maintenance access panels, sensors, additional armor panels, hatches, and heat vents aplenty.

Speaking of heat she's got a total of 13 single heat sinks to keep her reactor and armaments cool.

FINAL SCORES

Credibility: 9/10 - Completely Credible

Coolness: 9/10 - Charismatic Hardware

BONUS:

Dancing Locust

#noncredibledefense #ncd #noncredible defense #tank ratings #tanks #mechwarrior #battletech

[smallfrenchstudyblr]

Your local Law PhD is going through the draft SCOTUS ruling overturning Roe / Casey and here are a few thoughts, if you want a quick overview of the thing as I get angrier with each new point, culminating in me loosing my absolute shit :

The main argument is basically "yeah, we are bound by Casey, but Casey relies on Roe, and Roe was wrong, so we can overturn all that"

This is not a drill, this is the actual, proper, end of Roe and federal protection of abortion, if this passes.

"this was not protected in the XIIIth century England, and there fore should not be protected now" is an actual legal argument that I had to read with my own two eyes

Quick reminder : overturning Roe/Casey does not ban abortion, but it says that there is no constitutional right to abortion at federal level, and therefore this is for each individual US state to decide

The draft basically says that this is State business, specifically, the legislative power of each states should decide.

but what worries me is that if a State wanted to actually criminalize abortion, the same reasoning could hold. Meaning that SCOTUS would not give any costitutional protection to the one being prosecuted, because historically the tradition is to criminalize rather than protect their right. Basically while this does not make abortion a crime, it lets the States decide up to an including criminalizing it

This would still be under the control of each State's own Supreme Court though.

I am pretty sure SCOTUS writing 100-pages long rulings is a self-defense mechanism where if you ever want to litigate to overturn a ruling, it is a dantesque effort

(more under the cut bc this got long oops)

The sheer clownery of assessing a scholarly article as not acceptable argument because it "advances ideological goal", as your entire reasoning is based on the originalist doctrine ????

SO MUCH OF THIS REASONING IS BASICALLY HISTORICAL DISCUSSION OF WHETHER, HOW MUCH AND HOW WOMEN HAD ABORTION IN THE XVIII CENTURY WHYYYYYY

"Looking into the legislative motives of legislator who are still alive and can give explanation to why they pass laws supporting abortion rights is too dodgy, let's stick to old XVIIIth century manuscript written by men telling us how women handled their preganancies"

I started sweating buckets when the draft also got into other precedents on the decriminalization of homosexuality, interracial marriage, other reproductive rights... but so far the draft says that "yeah, but abortion involved a potential life of another person, so it's different". Even though the draft goes "yeah, they also have no basis in history though". YERK.

The audacity of saying "oh and we treat pregnant women real well now !!" and supporting this by giving statistics on UNPAID FAMILY LEAVE ???

"Also the foster care system is doing great" BITCH SAY THAT AGAIN TO MY FACE

The audacity of invoking Brown v Board of Education, which ended the separate-but-equal doctrine, to support overturning Roe/Casey sent me to Hell to prep a cozy room for a few people there

( Alito discussing why Stare Decisis has the same energy as that GIF of BArbossa going "“The code is more what you'd call 'guidelines' than actual rules.”" )

One argument is that the test of "undue burden" is too vague to be workable, but it follows the part where the draft whines about SCOTUS being way too specific on Roe and overtstepping its role by doing so ??!? Please make up your mind ??

Also, Alito, you are a jurist. A lawyer. You KNOW that legal standards are vague. That's what they are for. They are legal standards. They are MEANT to be vague while still giving sufficient visibility in the future. You are not convincing any single lawyer, here.

Even "necessary" abortion are not protected, because, really what does "necessary" even mean ? Who can say ? Would it include protecting a someone whose pregnancy places her life in danger ? Would it include a sexually assulted teenager who does not want the pregnancy resulting from this ? Who is to say ? Certain not Alito, according to him.

"Casey is bad because it gave people ideas and made it potentially easier for them to get their right constitutionnaly protected " is not the hot take I expected in the year of our lord 2022 yet here we are.

Who can say if abortion really helped women be trly equal citizen and facilitated their involvement in society as equal to men ? Who can ? that's a really tough empirical question, according to Alito. But that fine !! And like, they have the right to vote !!! So it's fine. If they are really mad about that, they can just vote at State level.

Quick question : have you talked to a woman who is NOT an upper class straight cis white woman, recently ?

"How dare you say that the ruling of the sCOTUS could be influenced by the public's reaction ?? I am a JUDGE. Appointed by a President elected based on political preferences, confirmed by a legislative body whose members are elected based on their political preferences, but the Court is TOTALLY ABOVE THAT" Bro I am from a Civil law country and even I will not defend my Supreme Court like that.

"We must now decide which standard will govern abortion" hold up I am going to need alcohol for that

Wait what

There is no standard

You mentioned a new standard where is the new standard

THERE IS NO STANDARD

WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN WE NEED TO DECIDE ON THE STANDARD ??? YOU SPENT 30 PAGES PONTIFICATING ON THE SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE ABORTION IN XIVTH CENTURY ENGLAND AND YOU ARE GOING TO GIVE THE ACTUAL ANSWER TO THE QUESTION AT HAND IN 3 PARAGRAPHS ?????

DON'T SAY TOY ARE GOING TO SET A STANDARD IF YOU ARE NOT GOING TO SET A STANDARD

"RATIONAL-BASIS REVIEW" IS BARELY A STANDARD IT'S BASICALLY JUST GOING "YEAH STATES CAN DO WHATEVER THEY WANT AS LONG AS THEY GIVE A REASON"

YOU DID NOT EVEN HAVE TO GO THAT FAR

BUT YOU DID ?!???!?!

YOU BASICALLY OPENED THE DOOR TO A TOTAL AND ABSOLUTE BAN ON ABORTION AND THE CRIMINALIZATION OF ABORTION WHEN EVEN THE LAW YOU WERE ASKED TO REVIEW DID NOT GO THAT FAR

BUT YEAH SURE WE WOULD N E V E R WANT THE SCOTUS TO OVERSTEP ITS POWER TO IMPLEMENT POLICY PREFERENCES

[feral feminine legal screeching]

#abortion #scotus #supreme court #us politics #dobbs v jackson

[zwy01]

Susanna doodles!!!

I drew my noblesse oc from my Millennium AU, Susanna Mergas! She is the second child of Ludis Mergas and Rozaria Elenor, and the younger sister of Alois Elenor. She goes by the nickname Susa, and a few others.

1. Susanna painting!!! She is very cute and has big eyes and a round face just like her father Ludis. Her eyebrows are short and oval-shaped. She parts her bangs sideways and her super long, wavy locks that extend beyond her knees flow like waves when she moves. Interestingly, her hair never gets in her way even when she’s running and jumping around like hyper gymnast. It’s a real mystery to everyone. She’s very extroverted and cheerful, and always full of energy. Life is never boring around her, as she always has fun things to do! Millennium AU Lukedonia is only functioning thanks to her lol. She’s probably looking at you right now and thinking about dragging you to her next tea party. There’s no other escape, new best friend! Lol. Despite her tiny stature, she’s surprisingly strong. All that junk food probably worked their way into her muscle fibers, as Ludis jokes. All you need to do is sit down and enjoy the dozens of assorted sweets she brings out from the Mergas manor. There’s also ramyeon flavored macarons, if you like that kind of stuff, hehe! She’s got you covered.

2. Susa tries on a beautiful outfit! Very much Izarok themed. It probably belonged to one of Ludis’ female predecessors/ancestors and is a Mergas heirloom of some sort. It’s been a looong while since this outfit was last worn by someone. Ludis found it in his manor, and he gives it to his daughter. As expected, she looks absolutely stunning in it. Susa loves it! Her parents love it too. Alois is very moved by his sister’s cuteness. Awwwwww.

3. Lil’ Susa and her mother Rozaria! They are super close and very affectionate with each other. One of Susa’s favorite things to do as a child was playing with mami’s long, red hair. She still loves to do so even in adulthood, and Rozaria is more than happy to bond with her personal stylist! Susa also has a sweet tooth. It’s probably in her dna or something, because she inhales them like a blackhole. If she were human she would’ve gotten cavities a billion times already. Luckily, she’s a noble, so that doesn’t happen lol. Still, Ludis and Rozaria prefer to monitor their bab’s junk food intake, so other than retrieving the occasional treat, Ludis has barrier spell put up around their pantry. In the very, very rare cases where he forgets… well, you can guess what happens lol. Mommy Roza is worried about her daughter’s tummy, but Susa is actually more than fine lol. Ludis is surprised but amused. Better not forget next time, oops

4. Susa and Ludis part 1! By conventional noble standards, Susa was a bit of a slow learner, a late bloomer. As the Millennium AU progresses she does get very powerful and becomes the promising Mergas heiress, but not many people know that she has struggled for a while, especially in her childhood. Luckily, Ludis is a great parent and he is a pretty chill person in general so he never pressures Susa. He even modifies the traditional “standard” Mergas training curriculum just for his daughter, even when Lord Raskreia questions him for it. Hey, are no real enemies in the outside world anymore, right? Surely we can take it one step at a time. Lil’ Susa is aware of how she is doing compared to her peers, and it sometimes overwhelms her. Poor girl. Ludis being the supportive parent he is will do anything for his daughter and he lets her know that he’s always there for her. This father-daughter bond would later be forged in iron. Best dad.

5. Susa and Ludis part 2! After a wee timeskip to 80 years later, Susa is now a young teen at 100! Susa’s persistence and hard work, as well as Ludis’ unconditional love and support, pays off. Susa manages to successfully conjure a simple barrier spell. This moment is a huge milestone for Susa and she’ll remember it forever. Ludis is super proud of his bab. Roza and Alois are probably crying tears of joy too. Susa’s just so amazing, isn’t she?

6. Sibling bonding time!! Ludis and Rozaria are busy with stuff and are outside, so the siblings get housesitting duty, and some time to spend with each other. They got the entire manor aaallll to themselves lol. Ludis summons Izarok and leaves it with his kids to entertain them and of course Susa gets a hot pot started. Nothing beats comfy pajamas and great food. Fun fact, Alois isn’t really a fan of vegetables, though Mommy Roza knows that Susa will take good care of him. Eventually he won’t be able to say “no” if it’s his sister, lol. C’mon just one bite, you gotta eat your green foods too Al!

7. Susanna x Arya! They are the only “official” couple in my nextgen cast. Everyone else either hasn’t confessed yet, the crush is single-sided, or … something more complicated. Arya K. Landegre is the daughter of Regis and Rael. Susa and Ari are very loving and affectionate girlfriends and have a great relationship. They are each other’s soulmates. Much later in the AU they eventually marry each other.

8. Susanna x Arya what if babies! Susa/Ari is official and they eventually marry, but the next-next-gen doesn’t “exist” to me in my Millennium AU so these two babs are just a concept and don’t happen in the “main” Millennium AU timeline. Even so, they’re very cute lol. If Susa and Ari ever have kids of course they’ll name them something very unconventional and nonconforming to noble traditions, lol. Cute sons. Precious babs spoiled rotten by their mamas.

#noblesse #manhwa #myart #fanart #ludis mergas #rozaria elenor #susanna mergas #alois elenor #arya k. landegre #oc #ocs #original character #millennium au

[relevant-url-incoming]

Scenes from Ord Mantell

I am still going insane if anyone was wondering. I started this today on a whim and played through all of the Trooper prologue to get it right. anyway: behold! sometimes you plop your asshole smuggler into the trooper story and it brings out the daddy issues in him. I've got to cut Nalyan a break but instead I made him bond emotionally with Tavus. oops (technically??? spoilers??? for the very very start of trooper class story?)

“Before you go, Sergeant. A word.”

Nalyan gritted his teeth. He’d been having words with commanding officers as long as he’d had commanding officers to deal with. None of them had said anything new yet, or particularly inspiring.

“Commander,” he said as neutrally as he could.

“You’ve got quite an interesting record,” said Tavus.

“Are you talking about the time I disobeyed orders to save a town full of plague-ridden civilians or the time I punched my commanding officer?”

To Nalyan’s surprise, Tavus smiled.

“I’m talking about the fact that you’re a good shot and a genius at field medicine. You don’t respect anyone who doesn’t earn it, do you?”

Make them earn your respect, his uncle had warned them all once. Hand it out freely, and you end up like us.

“I think that’s pretty standard,” Nalyan said. “We’re in a Republic, right? We vote. Whole point is that we get to decide which leadership is worth our time.”

Tavus actually chuckled at that. So much for getting discharged on Ord Mantell. The guy seemed to actually like Nalyan.

“I can understand reserving judgment,” Tavus said. “But my duty is to my squad first. All right? I don’t intend to let you down.”

My duty is to them, Nalyan’s dad once shouted. I don’t have any fellow soldiers to look out for, but I have these kids.

He was getting really sick of the memory lane. He’d have to avoid talking to Tavus in the future, if this was how he was all the time. The stupid soldier rhetoric was starting to get to Nalyan.

“Thanks, Commander,” Nalyan said. “I’ll keep it in mind.”

-

There were too many people waiting for Nalyan when he got back. He set his jaw, prepared to hear the usual scoldings.

“You spent a lot of time with those civilians,” Needles observed.

“She was dying,” Nalyan said. “He wasn’t looking so hot, either. And that medicine wasn't going to do anything if it wasn't mixed and dosed properly, which you ought to know -”

“It was hardly a concern -”

“Needles,” said Tavus. He jerked his chin toward the rest of the squad. Blank-faced, Needles retreated. Nalyan looked between Tavus and Jorgan, unsure what this meant. Was he still about to get chewed out? The rest of Havoc was obviously watching.

“You lost a lot of time out there,” Jorgan said. Nalyan clenched his fists, hating the way his gloves creaked. Even his anger was starting to remind him of his father.

“They didn’t,” he snapped.

“That bomb –“

“Should never have been made in the first fucking place, and what the hell is the point if we’re not actually protecting civilians?” Nalyan interrupted.

“Do you have any idea how many people will die if the Separatists set it off?” Jorgan hissed. Nalyan shook his head.

“This planet is theirs, Jorgan,” he said. “They’re a bunch of idiots, but they have to live here. The Separatists can't afford to destroy their own families and homes and infrastructure. Maybe, maybe, they come for Fort Garnik. But with the number of refugees? You’d have to get one hell of a loose cannon in charge of that bomb before someone makes that call.”

“They’ve already proven they don’t give a damn about the refugees,” Jorgan said.

“Enough of them see themselves as freedom fighters that there’s no way –“

“Lieutenant Jorgan, give me a minute?” Tavus interrupted. Jorgan growled under his breath. The only thing stopping Nalyan from doing the same was the desire to be as far removed from Jorgan’s cold-hearted banthashit as possible. He barely kept himself from rounding on Tavus by remembering what the commander had said before. The guy understood where Nalyan was coming from. He wouldn’t have brought him on otherwise.

Tavus sighed.

“What brought you to the army, Celi?”

He was never going to get used to hearing his old surname. Nalyan gnawed on his lip, trying to think of a good lie.

“It was… something my sister would believe in,” he said slowly. It wasn’t a lie. “I needed a job. And I know what I’m good at.”

“Well, it’s not taking orders,” Tavus said with a chuckle. Nalyan didn’t laugh. Tavus was slowly earning his respect, but that didn’t mean Nalyan was going to show it easily. Tavus sighed again.

“People are going to get hurt in a war, Celi,” he said. “I’m glad you’re not letting the rules get in the way of what’s right, but you can’t get distracted.”

Well, that was a whole lot of nothing. Nalyan kept his face blank.

“Sure, Commander,” he said. Tavus reached out to squeeze his shoulder. Nalyan felt a flash of irrational anger. The last person to do that had been his dad, and Nalyan had pushed his hand off. Because he could, and because his dad would never punish him for that. Tavus could do anything he wanted, but not because he’d earned it; he was just the bastard in charge.

“I know it’s not right, the Republic always turning its back on the people it’s supposed to stand by,” Tavus said. “But this isn’t how to change it.”

Nalyan didn’t say anything, too distracted by the urge to twist one of Tavus’ fingers until he took his hand away. At last, the commander let him go.

“Is all this just a speech, or are we going after that stronghold?” Nalyan asked.

Something in Tavus’ face seemed to tighten a bit.

“How do you like Havoc?” he asked.

“The squad or the people in it?”

Tavus shrugged.

“Whatever comes to mind.”

“I’m going to be honest,” Nalyan warned him. “Commanding officers usually don’t like that.”

“Oh, I’m aware,” said Tavus. “But not me.”

“Wraith’s too quick to torture or kill. Needles is a disgrace to medicine. Fuse seems nice, but he’s a pushover next to them. The only guy I’d actually trust to take care of civilians is Gearbox.” Nalyan could admit that maybe such a rapid-fire dismissal of the team wasn’t the best idea, even if he wanted Tavus to think he was too much trouble, so he added, “And you. Commander.”

Tavus nodded, looking solemn.

“Havoc will be moving out,” he said. “But you’re observing the op here with Jorgan.”

There it was. Nalyan nearly laughed.

“This isn’t a punishment, Sergeant –“ Tavus said.

“I couldn’t care less, Commander,” Nalyan said. Tavus frowned at him.

“It isn’t,” he said, as though he couldn’t comprehend Nalyan not particularly wanting to get himself killed inside a mountain for somebody else’s war. “If we had more time, the chance to build cohesion and trust between you and the rest of the squad, you’d be first on my list. You’re damn good at what you do and you’ve got a better head on your shoulders than almost any soldier I’ve met.”

Nalyan hadn’t been looking for praise, but it cracked open his chest a little anyway. He swallowed down thoughts of his sister and his father and smiled weakly at Commander Tavus.

“Thank you, sir,” he said. “I understand. I really don’t mind.”

Tavus seemed to search his face for a few more seconds, then he nodded and clapped Nalyan on the back.

“Maybe another time,” he said. “You’d be a good addition to the team.”

Before Nalyan could muster a response, he’d turned to the rest of Havoc and shouted for them to move out. Bewildered, Nalyan sat beside Jorgan.

“I have to admit I’m a little surprised,” Jorgan said quietly as he opened the comm channel to Havoc Squad. “Not that I’ve been too impressed with your attitude, but Tavus seemed to like you.”

“Thanks,” Nalyan said. “You’re warming my heart.”

The noise Jorgan made was almost, almost a laugh.

Nalyan tuned out what little chatter they got as Havoc headed for the stronghold, only checking back in when Tavus reported that they’d breached the perimeter. He was leaning back, head sprawled awkwardly over the back of his chair, when the technician made a noise of alarm.

“Sir! I’ve lost contact with Havoc Squad – with everything!”

Nalyan bolted upright, his throat dry. Jorgan barked orders at the tech, poorly concealing the frantic edge to his tone. Nalyan got to his feet, thinking it all over.

“I should go after them,” he said.

“It’d break Tavus’ orders,” Jorgan said. Before Nalyan could snap out anything rude about orders, he added, “But if it comes to that –“

“I can’t get them back. I think we lost them for good, sir,” reported the tech.

“All right, people, I’m not letting this mission fail! Lucky for us, we still have one Havoc trooper left.” Jorgan looked at Nalyan levelly, and for once there was no contempt in his eyes – for once Nalyan had his respect. Nalyan set his jaw and nodded, not about to waste this on a glib comment.

“You’re going in there, Sergeant,” Jorgan said. “The ZR-57 must not fall into Separatist hands.”

Tavus’ laugh was still fresh in Nalyan’s mind, and the way he’d reached out to Nalyan just like his father always had. That bit about earning respect.

“What about the squad?” Nalyan said. “We can’t leave them. If they’re in trouble –“

“The ZR-57 has to be the priority,” Jorgan said. “When it’s taken care of, we’ll see what we can do for Tavus and the others.”

Nalyan wanted to argue, but he knew how this went. He’d faced these choices before. And Jorgan wasn’t wrong – that bomb, in the hands of people who’d use it, meant a lot more lost lives than one missing squad.

“Sir,” he said, the word tasting foul in his mouth. “What’s the plan?”

-

“I hate to say it, Jorgan, but I think you told me so,” Nalyan said in an undertone as he crept past the latest patrol. “I’m seeing Imperial armour, and they would blow up Ord Mantell.”

“Glad you see it my way,” Jorgan muttered, though he didn’t sound nearly as grateful as Nalyan thought somebody should upon hearing one of his rare apologies. “Focus.”

“Do you think I’m not?” There would be no sneaking past these Separatists. Nalyan sighed and lifted his rifle. A couple dead freedom fighters later, he was stepping over bodies and onto a lift.

“What I want to know is who sets up a base in a volcano? Wouldn’t the heat fuck up all their tech?”

“Cut the chatter.”

Nalyan rolled his eyes.

“I’m killing people out here, Jorgan, I don’t think complaining about lava is the most unsubtle thing I’ve done today.”

Jorgan didn’t reply.

“Of course, if you just don’t want to hear my voice, you could say so. Can’t imagine why. I’m a delight.”

That was definitely a growl. Nalyan grinned to himself. Jorgan certainly wasn’t Shiny, but he was predictable just like her. He’d be glad to get out of the Lieutenant’s hair, but he would regret never getting to see his sister and Jorgan meet. That would be funny.

Taking down the Separatists guarding the controls he needed was too easy. Nalyan kept his mind fixed on new ways to annoy Jorgan, just so he wouldn’t consider the dead Separatists too hard. Imperials were one thing, and he certainly didn’t appreciate that the locals he’d been trying to defend had sold out to the Sith, but he’d been a freedom fighter. He’d been a terrorist, technically. He knew what would drive a person to violent revolution.

At least he could rest easy knowing that deactivating that bomb was unequivocally good, and that no one would be able to use it again. He pulled his comm out.

“There’s definitely Imperials here,” Nalyan said as soon as Jorgan picked up the holocall. Jorgan looked unimpressed, and Nalyan realised belatedly that he’d been about to say something.

“I was going to congratulate you on your work,” Jorgan said. “We saw the Imps. We need to know how deep the connection goes. Finding your squad is priority one now. If they’ve been captured, they may be able to tell us more.”

“Finally, a reasonable priority!” Nalyan said. Jorgan growled at him.

“Don’t push your luck, Sergeant,” he said. Something almost like concern crossed his face. “You’re going to need all the luck you have.”

“With these skills?” Nalyan said. “Yeah, probably.” He ended the call and cracked his neck, ignoring the little voice in his head that sounded like his dad telling him not to. He’d done a hell of a lot worse, and he would do even more before the day was out.

Time to rescue Tavus.

-

The depths of the fort were almost entirely Imperial, no more Separatists to be found. Nalyan had pretty much given up on his sympathy for the local rebels, if this was the kind of person they threw their lot in with. The answer to bad governance was not worse governance, that was for sure. At last, he found what seemed to be the heart of the operation, though not in any way he wanted.

A hangar had been carved into the back of the mountain, and it was this that Nalyan walked into. A large ship emblazoned with Imperial markings sat, obviously awaiting the payload Nalyan had just rendered unusable. A group of armoured people stood there, talking, and Nalyan’s blood ran cold as he realised he recognised the armour. Mostly white, with gold symbols denoting squad and rank, Havoc’s armour was unmistakeable.

“Commander Tavus,” he said. He should have just shot, but there was a distant possibility it was a ploy. That was the kind of game his family had to play all the time, pretending to be passing information to the Imps or hiding amongst real Stormtroopers. There was still a chance.

“My orders were clear, Sergeant,” Tavus said. “You were to remain at the base.”

“Tell me this isn’t what it looks like,” Nalyan said, raising his rifle. Wraith and Needles both lifted their own weapons, aiming at his head and heart, and he slowly lowered his blaster. Clearly, his hopes were about to be dashed.

“No, Wraith,” said Tavus. “The sergeant deserves an explanation.”

“You’re damn right,” Nalyan snarled.

“Celi, I hoped it wouldn’t come to this,” Tavus said. Nalyan couldn’t hold back his flinch. “You’re a good warrior. I’m just afraid the Republic no longer values her warriors.”

“I know a lot about that,” Nalyan said through gritted teeth. “But you’re a damn idiot if you think the fucking Sith will treat you any better. Going off to play nice with tyrants? With the people who order massacres? I don’t care about being a warrior and I never have, and the warriors –“ He sneered the word. “That I know would have died before throwing their lot in with the people you’re working for now.”

“I thought you would understand,” Tavus said. “If we’d had more time together, you would see. You were already so close –“

“Close?”

The only thing that kept Nalyan from shooting Tavus then and there was the fact that Wraith and Needles both had clear shots on him. He'd put his life at risk for a lot of things in his time, but he didn’t want to die before he got his sister back.

“I’m the worst damn soldier you’ve ever met and I’m proud of it,” Nalyan said, voice shaking more than he’d ever admit. “But I am never going to be a traitor.”

Tavus frowned coldly. His expression was so much like the disappointed look Nalyan’s father used to give him that Nalyan wanted to hurl.

“It’s a shame,” he said. He called to the Imperial officer nearby as he stepped backward, boarding the shuttle just as the engines whirred to life. Wraith and Needles joined him.

“Kill him,” Tavus ordered. Nalyan sprang for cover as the wind from the shuttle picked up. He made short work of the three Imperials left behind, but it was nothing to be proud of. He’d lost the traitors, he’d lost the massive hunk of radioactive material that they could probably reactivate given time and effort, and worst of all – he’d been exactly the kind of man Tavus thought would be on his side.

#swtor #swtor oc #my writing #swtor trooper #commander tavus #nalyan: begging to the force to let him rest #also i should maybe state that i adore jorgan. nalyan's just a dick #roleswap au

[somekindofadeviant]

Victorian Era Fanged Four Fic Recs

So, like, my absolute comfort fic genre is that old staple that used to be such a standard, though you pretty much never see it anymore, and that makes me very sad. It's works set in the Victorian era, when the gang were all together and happily evil, William's a bebe fledgling learning the ropes, and you got this family unit/polycule that's simultaneously brutal as hell but kinda sweet and domestic. I will devour this fic, especially if the historical detailing is on point, and apparently some others wanna see this trope too so lemme spread the love and massacres.

Warning: A LOT of this fic contains noncon and torture and oodles of murders. If you want to know detailed warnings for a given piece, DM me. I'm also including some fics that are pre-Will's embrace but still Victorian and honourable mentions to a couple of Georgian era Darla/Angelus ones.

Ensemble Works

Peasantverse by Peasant - A goddamn masterpiece. The absolute foundational example of this genre. A series of works starting with William's siring (deliberately vague who did the deed itself) and going through the following years. Lots of intriguingly plotty stories, just so many, and everyone in the family gets some love. The historical detailing is absolutely wonderful, the dynamics are wonderful, worldbuilding is fantastic, with some delightful lil footnotes to give extra context to some of the historical points.

Rating: NC17 Length: 14 works, total 232,438 words

A Winter's Tale by Coquette - A road trip of sorts. I love it so. The fanged four on a journey Oop North. Truly engrossing, viscerally descriptive. Followed by Temper which is, sadly, a long abandoned WiP but still worth a read.

Rating: NC17 Length: 74926 words

Queen's Gambit by Josey - Lots of plotty intrigue and politics and gorgeous detail. 'The year is 1880 and the family is sorting things out amongst themselves. Plus politics – and that’s never pretty.'

Rating: NC17 Length: Long

Followed by:

Demon's Aria Oh my gosh you have to read this one. 1881. And more plotty intrigue and politics and a surprise encounter or two that you just truly have to see.

Rating: NC17 Length: Long

Followed by:

Master's Voice - It all comes to a head in 1882. Oh hey could that be the consequences of their actions arrivin? It just might be. Sadly this is another long-abandoned WiP but again it's well worth a read

House-Guests From Hell And How To Send Them Back There by Glassdarkly - Oh hey it's seasonal. The fanged four dealing with unwanted Christmas guests, and they're at their dysfunctional best. Delightfully funny.

Rating: Teen+ Length: 12353 words

The Perfect Present by Glassdarkly - And another seasonal one to go with it. A lil Christmas shopping.

Rating: Teen+ Length: 1998 words

Charity Begins at Home by Glassdarkly - And one more seasonal one for the road. Well, things do come in threes. In a very grand house on the fringes of Victorian London heartwarming deeds of bloodthirstiness are afoot - or should that be bloodthirsty deeds of heartwarmingness

Rating: Teen+ Length: 6713 words

Ennui by Glassdarkly - Darla decides to shake things up a bit to reignite the waning passion in her relationship with Angelus. Things get in the way.

Rating: NC17 Length: 2240 words

Alone at Last by Glassdarkly - Darla and Angelus conspire to send the children away for a while.

Rating: Mature Length: 997 words

She's So Cold by Rebcake - Spike and Dru conduct a harmless experiment. Darla is not amused. Part of the Travels With Spike and Dru series (which has lots of good stuff go read the rest too!)

Rating: Gen Length: 100 words

Fanged Four Fairytales by Kita - Some lovely but brutal little smutty vignettes with delightful imagery

Rating: NC17 Length: 2210 words

The Web by kidcyclone - William contemplates, just a little snapshot, short and lyrical and gorgeous.

Rating: Gen Length: 573 words

FFWTF by soulless lover - What happens when you try to cram every Fanged Four badfic cliche ever into one fic?

Rating: Teen+ Length: 502 words

Darla/Angelus

A Lost Letter of Jane Austen by Hello Spikey - A clergyman's daughter writes her sister about two new acquaintances, a Mr. and Mrs. Angelus.

Rating: Teen+ Length: 2462 words

Followed by:

Darla's Letter by Hello Spikey - Darla reports to the Master on recent events regarding an authoress

Haunted Summer by Gill0 - In 1844 Mary Shelly recounts to a friend her time with our couple in the Year Without a Summer. Absolutely wonderfully captures Mary Shelley's voice and the writing style of the period.

Rating: Gen Length: 1443 words

Angelus/Will

Incandescence by wiseacress - A night at the theatre. Run and catch.

Rating: NC17 Length: 2568 words

Breathing Lessons by Hello Spikey - When Spike's coughing during a fire nearly gets them caught by Holtz' men, Angelus decides he needs to learn to stop breathing.

Rating: NC17 Length: 2499 words

The Adventures of the Concealed Closet by brutti ma buoni - Angel and Spike encounter Sherlock and Watson. Yes, really.

Rating: Teen+ Length: 1399 words

Darla/Drusilla

Venus and Mars by Glassdarkly - A young gentleman encounters two mysterious ladies in the National Gallery, London, in 1874. An absolute classic.

Rating: Teen+ Length: 7972 words

In Pursuit of the Appropriate Man by lillianmorgan - Darla and Dru in 1860s Rome. Contains a delicious abundance of politely cutting Victorian speech

Rating: Teen+ Length: 1691 words

Ye Gods And Little Fishes by Beer Good - The first, aborted, trip to China, and why they never got there.

Rating: Mature Length: 868 words

Darla/Will

Lessons from the Lady of the House by joycometh - Darla discovers William's education is lacking. She sets things to rights.

Rating: NC17 Length 1317 words

Drusilla/Will

Tea For Two by Glassdarkly - Spike will go to any length to please Drusilla. All the way to Wonderland.

Rating: Teen+ Length: 1347 words

#fic recs #btvs #ats #spangelus #spangel #dangel #sprusilla #darla x drusilla #angelus x drusilla #angelus #angel btvs #spike #darla #drusilla

[totaldramafan-lauri]

Mammon is indeed a sad sack of-

OK, finally, time to give my thoughts on this episode. I know it's been a while, and I normally don't take this long, but other stuff kept taking my energy, and I knew this was likely the last episode of the year, so I didn't wanna rush it out when I wasn't in any hurry.

Now, this episode...I don't have as much to say about it as I did about Oops. Everyone knows what's good about this episode. It isn't just entertaining, it isn't just funny, it isn't even just dramatic. It's a statement. In a way, this is kinda like Helluva's version of a Very Special Episode, but it doesn't come across as preachy in the slightest. It still feels like the same show, except it has a lot to say this time, and does practically all of it flawlessly. The messages within this story are all things viewers can take to heart and learn from. The most obvious one is about cutting toxic people and abusers from your life, but there's also stuff about how idols aren't always who you think they are, and about perfectionism and how it's OK to not always have to be The Best, which even I can relate to (with how often I bash my work for not being perfect), and even stuff about the entertainment industry, all of which other people have discussed by now. There's almost nothing new to add at this point.

Fizz is still a great character, and this episode made his relationship with Ozzie grow on me SO much. I love them together now! I love how Fizz pushes himself not just to please Mammon, but also because he fears that without Mammon, he'll lose everything he has including Ozzie. This isn't just him blindly idolizing Mammon, this is him believing that Mammon made him who he is and without that he's NOTHING. This hurt even more when you consider that Fizz was left crippled after the circus fire...He has REASONS to trust Mammon, who was likely the one who helped rebuild him after that, and just- aaaaaaaaarrrrggghhh!! You WANNA tell Fizz that Mammon shouldn't matter to him, but you SEE WHERE HE'S COMING FROM and it's- MAN it hurts!

"You're with me because of who I am at my best!" Dang, that line....I remember when Fizz appeared to be the picture of confidence, the foil to Blitzo's internal self-loathing. Yet another thing I got very wrong...

This is such a feel-good episode for Helluva standards...It has its harsh, raw moments, but the support Fizz receives from everyone around him at every corner, culminating in one of the most satisfying, happiest endings in the show...It's hard not to smile when it's over.

I loved seeing Ozzie calm Fizz down from his panic attack. That whole scene was just unbearably sweet, and cemented me as a Fizzarozzie supporter when I wasn't sure if I liked them before (that was really me just having to get used to them being nice guys and not villains).

And it wasn't just Ozzie - I loved having an immediate follow-up after Oops with Fizz and Blitzo, confirming that they're indeed on good terms again. I really like how Fizz doesn't pronounce the O in Blitzo anymore. And I just really like having another episode were Blitzo doesn't mess up at all - he's JUST patched things up with Fizz, so it's really cool to see that he intends to keep things like this and not lose his old friend again. He's really supportive of Fizz the whole time, and I like seeing him take a relationship seriously, as well as him seeing right through Mammon's BS.

And that scene with the deaf kid....c'mon. What more can I say about that? It's just perfect.

The only thing about this episode I didn't like at first was that creepy ex-fan of Fizz's. For a bit, I thought he was a pretty...pointless character. I didn't know why he needed to be there, and his scenes were just uncomfortable to watch for no reason. Mammon was already an effective villain who sets off Fizz's anxiety, and the Glam sisters could've also easily have taunted him more, since they were already showing off and getting attention. Just have the sisters rub their success in Fizz's face a bit more, have THAT make him panic, and there's no need for that guy.

But...now, after giving it some thought....I get why that guy needs to be there. He's there to show how, even if everyone else surrounds you with love, when even just one person hates you, that's the person who's words will still stick in your head. That guy was just one voice in the crowd, but he was the only one booing, and his voice stuck out to Fizz, who ended up giving him even more of an opening. I still don't like watching that guy, I think he's way too over-the-top and his toxic fan behavior is very exaggerated, but he definitely does his job at the end of the day.

So, yeah, the story's great, the messages are great, but I really have nothing new to say about either at this point. However, you wanna know what my FAVORITE part of this episode was?

The. Songs.

Holy crap, the FLIPPING SONGS-

Not gonna lie....Up till now, season 2's songs had really not been as good as season 1's. There hadn't really been any WOW songs yet. The only songs in season 2 that I'd really gone out of my way to listen to were "You Got The Power" and "Crashin' A Muthafuckin' Wedding", neither of which were amazing songs, just ones I have a soft spot for (The former, I just tend to really love 80s inspirational anthems and I think it's a good parody of one of those, and the latter, I think it's really catchy but I also admit to not liking it as much as a song on its own away from the awesome scene it plays during). Not to mention, most of them are pretty short? Which means less impact. The only song this season you could tell they were trying to make a scene out of was "Look At This!" which ironically had the opposite problem to me, overstaying its welcome.

But then.....THEN....we got this episode. And my wishes were granted. Every single song in this episode is phenomenal. "Klown Bitch" is super catchy and a lot of fun. "Crooked" is the sweetest thing I've ever heard (that "I think you're messy, but I'm messy too" line still melts my heart).

But....both of those songs, as great as they are, don't measure up to "Two Minutes Notice", the BEST song of the season so far, and my new second-favorite song in the whole show. I'm dead serious when I say that. I ADORE that song! I've listened to it on its own sooooo many times already! Everything about it just hits the spot for me! That big emotional release for Fizz as he FINALLY calls Mammon out for everything he's made him suffer through, Mammon not realizing it's directed at him until that uber satisfying namedrop towards the end, was brilliant. The lyrics are both meaningful ("I have suffered for profit and suckered for fame / Made a fortune you could steal") AND funny ("Kiss my ass goodbye, you CUCK")! Music-wise, it's SUPER climactic, with a nice big chorus, and that part where Fizz gets the audience clapping along is super catchy! And not only is the song incredible, but we get three whole minutes of it! A whole scene, dedicated to a song THIS FLIPPING GOOD!! I literally could NOT ask for more!

So....yeah, this episode is GREAT. There's not really any issues with it! It's a really good self-contained story, extremely satisfying, very real in places, and Fizz and Ozzie are super cute! Sure, Mammon isn't very interesting, but he does his job, too!

I keep seeing people say this is an absolute masterpiece and the best episode of the season...maybe even of the whole show. And if you're someone who has that opinion, I completely understand why. The story can really hit home to a lot of people. People like Mammon really do exist out there, and if you know someone like that, I get why seeing Fizz get away can be extremely satisfying. Buuuuut, for me personally....

This...isn't my favorite episode of the season. It's actually third place for me. I like Oops and Exes And Oohs more.

N-now, lemme try to explain why-

This episode just...doesn't hit me as hard as those two did. And I think I figured out why.

It's cuz....this is literally our first time seeing Mammon at all. And Fizz broke free of him in one episode. I feel like if we'd known Mammon longer, it'd hit harder to see Fizz earn his freedom, but no, he quits at the end of their first episode together. This is why I said this episode is a good self-contained story. When you place it in the timeline of the show, it feels like it happens way too fast. Thankfully, it still WORKS, mainly cuz I care about Fizz, and the episode DOES give us JUST enough moments of Mammon's abuse that we're able to get the gist of their relationship, but it does cause the episode to lose a bit of impact it could've potentially had if we'd had more Mammon beforehand. Compare this to Oops, which almost had me in tears.

Sure, the emotional moments here still hit, particularly the stuff with Fizz's panic attack, but none of it carries the same weight as Blitzo shouting "I DID CARE!" I saw a few people say the ending to that episode was rushed, but I personally didn't care cuz....it's Blitzo, the guy in every single episode, breaking down and pouring his heart out. We know him, we know how his mind works, and seeing that flashback made the whole experience satisfying when he finally mends a relationship.

As for Exes And Oohs...now that I think about it, that episode is....kiiiiinda similar to this one? In that, we learn that one of my fav characters has been suffering under the boot of an abusive father figure and the episode features him standing up against that father figure. Moxxie and Fizzarolli are my two fav characters in Helluva Boss, but of the two, I've always related to Moxxie harder. I don't love Fizz for relatability. The only thing I relate to Fizz on is being a perfectionist. Everything else he's had to go through - being exploited and marketed against his will, having to deal with toxic fans, etc. - are thankfully things I have no experience with. But Moxxie's near-constant battles with his self-esteem? I always feel those so badly. Not to mention that Exes And Oohs recontexualized nearly ALL of Moxxie's character and cast him in a tragic light (I explained it in a past post), when I thought I knew him so well. Not to mention.....something I've never talked about with Exes And Oohs is that, despite how dramatic its stakes are....it also manages to be a really funny episode too? Like, it legit has some of my fav jokes of the whole season still. It's just a very well-rounded episode that made me understand one of my fav characters more.

This episode was really really good, but it lacks the impact of those other two cuz I feel like it didn't have enough buildup. That's really about it. And that's just my opinion. If it's your favorite episode, I understand why completely. Everything else about it is flawless. I have zero complaints. I'm happy Fizz is outta there, and I'm curious to see what he's gonna do now. I love the stuff with Ozzie, I love the stuff with Blitzo, and above all, I'm super happy that I FINALLY got my big Wow Song from season 2.

And we're only halfway through the season, holy fffffffff- W-we still have time to get even more good songs- H-how many have they saved up? We'll see XD

.....

One more thing this episode did.....was it finally helped me move on from my old image of Fizz. I'm ready to let go of him for good now.

So, like I said in my Oops post....in the interim between Ozzie's and Oops, I got excited to see Fizz again, and built him up in my head as who Ozzie's prepared me for....a villainous Fizz. I thought he was gonna be this sadistic, chaotic force with a grudge against Blitzo, who would turn on a dime from being goofy to being cruel, yet still with the ham and charisma of a performer. I would imagine him mercilessly taunting Blitzo and using their history together as friends as ammo to tear Blitzo down. He was the shadow of Blitzo's past mistakes, a monster he created, and he'd NEVER let him live it down. I was very disappointed when the real Fizz wasn't like that at all, but decided I liked him anyway (in a different way).

Now, after this episode, I can say....it's better this way. The Fizz we have is a much more dynamic character than what that would've been.

When I think of "my" Fizz (I feel weird saying "my" Fizz, so I'll say villain!Fizz or Ringleader!Fizz after the old fan song "The Ringleader" by PARANOID DJ, which if you listen to it, gives you a pretty good idea of how I perceived his character after Ozzie's, if you're curious), yeah, he would've been FUN, but he wouldn't have been very original. Not only do we have a lot of villains in Helluva, but even in terms of the imp villain with parallels to Blitzo, we already have Striker. Ringleader!Fizz would've been another Striker but with a goofy exterior and a more personal connection to Blitzo. That's pretty much it. Striker even has the sadist angle, too.

I still love Ozzie's to death, but man, that episode is aging really weirdly as time passes, huh? XD Knowing my fav song was sung by...two of the nicest characters in the show....pfffff....Sorry, Stolas, geez....

S-sorry about the tangent-

U-uh....yeah....good episode, can't wait to see what we get next year! I don't really have any hopes for next episode except....I miss Moxxie. Now that I feel satiated on Fizz content after these past two episodes, I miss my other boi. Lemme see him soon. Also, for the rest of the season overall....LOONA EPISODE PLEASE. I can completely understand if some people are frustrated that Fizz, a supporting character, has gotten two episodes this season while Loona has had NOTHING outside of that one scene in Seeing Stars. And finally.....what's going on with Stolas and the crystal situation? What's Blizo gonna think about this? I think this is gonna set up for some kinda misunderstanding where Blitzo will think Stolas doesn't want anything to do with him anymore and UGH, just get it over with already!!

#helluva boss

[scienceoftheidiot]

Hi! So I'm going to catch up on the latest chapter of All The Hope asap, but do you mind sharing some of the inspirations and thought processes you had behind writing this story? :D

Aahh don't worry about catching up, the fic is there and not going away, read when you can 🥰

I'm so sorry this is going to be... Extremely long... 😬😬😬 oops 😅

Sooo there are a number of thought processes I've gone through when writing this specific fic! I'll try to explain while being not too spoilery 😅

(Edit : in case anyone wants to read the fic, you can find it here : All the hope that I lost, you have found)

First, as I say in the notes of the fic, I had the idea of this because I had already written a fic where Roy didn't get healed after Promised Day and stayed blind, but in this one it was understood in the background that Grumman had pressured the other generals so he'd be able to keep him.

The result is a fic where, inbetween the lines, Roy has a LOT of pressure on himself, has to go through rehab and at the same time has to prove he can still be kept in the army - which means the frat laws still apply, and neither he nor Riza have much brain power left to try and address this, which makes for a weird power imbalance and Roy not knowing where he stands and what he wants out of the relationship (which. Is what backfires at the beginning, because, he in fact, knows very well, and what he wants is NOT nurse Riza 🙃). So the whole setting is different.

I still like this fic, and many things that happen in it, but it's pretty unrealistic even by FMA standards, lol (I also forgot to take into account that Havoc himself would need a lot of rehab before he comes back 😅), and I wanted to explore the other, more realistic option imo, that Roy wouldn't be kept in the army's ranks.

Because with Roy out of the army, so many things can actually work better.

Of course the obvious, and what Roy realizes himself in the first chapter, is that the frat laws don't apply. More on that later.

But there's also the fact that Roy, as a General (Grumman would definitely not leave him a Colonel after Promised Day at least in part because so many generals have died 😅), would have overseen Ishval's restauration from afar, and not be hands on. Because he'd have a lot of work, he'd probably be appointed to be the head of East Command at the very least (Grumman even talks about it in the manga), and while Roy this way can ensure there's enough funds and men and help going and he would have been far more able to pull money from the state and rich people of Amestris to fund the restauration, he would also be way too precious to be allowed to just roam around Ishval helping rebuild.

Basically, in post Promised Day Amestris, an able bodied General Mustang who wouldn't use alchemy much is far more precious to the army than an overpowered, but blind Roy. Not only do I like to pull the rug from under his feet because I'm just evil like that, I like how he's never been that powerful, and yet. While there's a lot of talk about how Amestris is pretty good at accepting disability (no meta from me there, I don't have much to say), it's stated plainly a couple of times that unless they can be fit with an automail, disabled soldiers are no use. See Havoc. Anyway that's the way I followed, because even with Grumman on top, the army stays the army, and the army is not a nice institution. At least Roy and Havoc got a pension 🤷🏻‍♀️ I don't think they could have expected much more.

So overall, politically speaking, having Roy stay in the army is interesting, but action wise a little less. Alchemy wise, too. Because I want Roy to use his new overpowered alchemy (he will !!! And not only to transmute tea, spoons and squeaky door hinges, lol)(this fic is very slow aaab I am sorry), and if he's not on the field or only as a last resort against some incredibly powerful enemy.... That's not of my interest. (Keep in mind that's just MY train of thoughts, lol, I am not dissing any fic that does that. I want to read them. Lol). And to be honest I don't see any other reason that just being kicked out where Roy would leave the army (in manga/BH. In 03 I have different ideas but this reply is already soooo long).

Another point is that I wanted to explore Royai as an established couple, but still stay within the lines of the original story. And here I have the perfect setting : no frat laws anymore, they needed each other to basically survive during and right after Promised Day, and I had them make this deal that if Riza helps Roy, she has to let him help her, too. In this fic, the result of Promised Day is that now they are codependent more than ever, and I wanted to explore that, how their relationship shifts but in the end stays the same, and how it helps them move on.

It's definitely NOT a sane way to recover IRL, I know lol, but I think for them there is no other way. Their lives are already so entwined, it couldn't work differently in this specific case.

Last but not least : I'm an angst monster. Taking everything from Roy and fucking up Riza? Yes please let me play with that 😈 How is someone as stubborn and ambitious as Roy going to deal with having his ambitions crushed, and his autonomy seriously hampered? How is Riza going to deal with what was basically her goal by procuration disappearing, and her job radically changing? How are they both going to go on? Together, of course. And as I had Roy say himself in the fic, maybe they can allow themselves that, even if it's temporary, because, well. They don't have much else left. And it's not hurting anybody so why not.

So with this as a (clearly not as defined at the time) base I went on and then the events just clicked.

However. I want to say a couple of things about this fic, more in a logistics way :

First, the number of chapters is a lie. I have hastily cut all the "conjoined" chapters I had in half to get a rough number, but in fact there are some chapters that I keep as one, some that I divided that I had not planned on dividing. So take the number of chapters as an indication that the fic is mostly written and almost finished, but it won't be 27 chapters for real. How many ? No idea lol. Probably more around 20 judging by how it's going.

Also. This fic is only the beginning of Roy and Riza's journey, be it together or to rebuild Ishval. It will end with the (nice!) big event that was already foreshadowed, leaving a lot to do still. But if I find the strength to write yet another crazy long fic, there will be a second part (ok uh. Second part is already 20K long and has a rough outline. I don't write linearly lol).

This whole fic btw is also there for two reasons : 1) considering I am (have been for YEARS) writing an original novel with a blind main character I just HAD to try and write blind Roy, couldn't pass on that, and 2) I have an incredible enabler in the person of @qs63 who just pushes me, gives me lots of inspiration, and reads all I write and is just so supportive, and who is a great writer herself - we even wrote a whole fic together, and it was A BLAST. This fic wouldn't be there without her because I didn't want to just write yet another blind Roy fic and she persuaded me the idea was good. And now I think it's one of the best I've been working on (with the one we wrote together, lol).

Aaaanyway sorry this is a lot of rambling and thoughts and this was very long, but thank you so so much for asking about this fic. I just love to talk about it and read how people feel about it ❤️❤️❤️ thanks !

#long post #writing #replies

[mkiss723]

LItG S8 Vol. XI

This one is long! 😘

More gossip?! Of course I want to know it all duh!

Jin grabbing me for a chat before the movie night was good. Got to hear him out. I’m glad he’s being respectful of Sienna but I wish she could get it through her thick skull that he’s just not that into her.

Movie night!

I feel so bad for Bea. She is so sweet and he is such an ass. But she is the one who chose to bring him back over the others when we tried to warn her so… 🤷‍♀️

Oops there I go again, spilling tea I’ve heard… 😏

And I do believe Jin but he also could have been a bit more clear so I do get where she’s coming from. A little bit… I did like getting to rub it in Sienna’s face though 😝

Paying gems to watch Liam fail miserably with Claudia was totally worth it! 🤣

Ugh Emel and Oakley are super irritating at this point. Hypocrites both of them! 🙄

Both Jin and Max’s clips were both super cute and choosing between them is getting harder by the episode! I still love Jin though!! But Max is so tempting 😉

My clip was so nice and tame… this time round. (I’ve seen some other scenarios of what plays if you’re not loyal and oh boy! 🫣)

Not sure how I feel about Theo and Hari talking about me too in their clips. I feel bad for the other girls. I’ve never once flirted with either one…

The boys recoupling was fine. Went pretty much the way I figured it would. OG LI picked us (yay for us loyal girlies!!) and then our Casa LI picked Sienna (yuck) and I’m not sure how I feel about that since I like him too… would have been interesting if Oakley was able to choose Sienna and then have the rest of the couples all mixed up 😅

This is the one time I will thank Liam because… Holy… Moly… that shower scene was 🥵 I’m seriously enjoying the newer spicy scenes. They are much better this season! All ways are hot so play them alllll! The pinning the hands up against the wall is sooooo up my ally I can’t handle it 🫠

Dammit Sienna… just had to ruin it there didn’t you? Though I’m not sure why it would be a secret if you’re coupled with the person you’re caught with. Oh no! You caught me getting busy with the guy I’m coupled up with and have been keen on the whole time! What will everyone think? 🥱

Heart Rate Challenge Time!!!

So excited for this HOWEVER the outfit choices are awful! I am so disappointed in the options for MC! Why the awful bright iridescent colors?! What happened to our choices compared to the other girls?? I would literally have taken any one of those over our choices! Ours are so tacky and cheap looking! The mermaid isn’t sexy AT ALL and the cowgirl literally hurts my eyes AND the hat/collar don’t sit right on MC’s body and hair! 😤 The other girls get such cute outfits - especially Bea and Emel…

Anyways, back to the challenge! I do enjoy this one but seeing Sienna all over my Casa boy was hard to watch even though I’m with Jin. I wish we could choose to dance a little bit for everyone like Claudia did instead of all one person. I want to raise as many heart rates as I can!! 🤣

Hazel liking Liam is sad. Poor girl. Oh well she’s been warned too. Bit of a hypocrite with Emel though (shocker!) calling out Hari for not dancing with Hazel but Hazel chose Liam to dance all over and nothing was said to her… I hate double standards.

Not sure how I feel about the Viking outfits… like I like that each boy’s version is a bit different, but the hats sit really weird on their heads. Definitely not a fan of the caveman one on Jin, doesn’t show enough! Max’s superhero is so cute! He can save me any day! Also, he gets bonus points for having pop as his song type because that is what I picked as my favorite! And I’m a fan of Indiana Jones so that was a good one too! But the guys outfits are pretty cute this season! Overall two thumbs up for the boys 👍👍

And of course Liam is a jester… 🙄

I wonder how the results will go… if either Jin or Max gets their heart rate raised most by Sienna then I’m gonna be upset. I know I can’t have both in the same playthrough, but they’re both still mine!! 😅

I really hope the new bombshell doesn’t pick me. Please go for anyone else but me. I am finally back with Jin and I don’t want to ruin that! Also, I’m not a fan of his face so that doesn’t help! lol I guess we shall see what happens next week.

This time it isn’t as bad to wait like the past few weeks have been so that’s good… or is it bad? 🤔

#love island the game #litg #fusebox #litg s8 #litg season 8 #litg tempting fate #temping fate for real Fusebox!! #you guys made the casa boy top tier!! #he really is waaayyyy too tempting!! #and sweet and kind and hot 😘 #these were fun episodes and I will replay them MANY times

[brightgnosis]

We decided to do our meal planning last night, visit his mom at the Clinic, and then go do our shopping. Pretty happy with this week's meal plan again- even though I'm still carrying meals over from last week, ha.

Meatballs with Orzo, Spinach, and Tomatoes

Pulled Pork Burgers and French Fries

Steak and Lamb Gyros

Ginger-Sesame Pork over White Rice

Lasagna with Garlic Bread

And then for Shabbat tonight I picked out Chicken Eggplant Margherita with Kasha Varnishkes and Challah (obviously); Even picked out next week's Shabbat meal already, too: Fish in Peperonata Sauce.

I did mess up and buy Swai fillets for next week's Shabbat without checking to make sure it was Kosher first. It is not 🤦‍♀️ It's a type of Catfish, so it doesn't have scales. I should've googled it first, but I was thinking about what freezer space I had available and the other bagged fish were too big for what little freezer space I have left. I don't feel quite as weird eating a non-Kosher fish on Shabbat, though, compared to eating Pork. It feels more like a genuine "oops, just do better and remember to Google next time" rather than a blatant violation by eating something I know is definitively treif in every way.

I poked around after we got back and actually did manage to find my Meal Planning "chalkboard" a lot easier than I anticipated! Turns out I'd kind of just chucked it on top of the art pile in the corner of the Laundry Room and called it good, ha. It needed a really good clean when I pulled it out, though ... I can't remember the last time I actually cleaned the thing; probably never, if I'm being honest.

Got it cleaned up ... And broke it in the process ... Got it ducktaped back together, then wrote up our meal plan for the week ... Kind of.

The board is very "standard American working calendar"- which is no longer how we do our grocery shopping. So it wound up working out a little wonky. I'm going to have to go back to grocery shopping late Saturday nights (after Havdalah) or early Sunday morning (before Church rush). It still worked out well enough, though, even if I'm missing 2 days for this week's plan we did last night.

I put both the Hebrew date and the Gregorian dates on it, and even looked up the times for next week's Shabbat and Havdalah. I'm hoping this'll help me remember to keep Shabbat 🤞

It did take me an annoyingly long time to figure out where to actually put it, however. But I did want to re-do the wall next to my desk anyways, so I settled on putting it there. It took a bit, but I got it all rearranged eventually.

It should be easy enough to get up and down. Plus, it's right there where I spend most of my time when I'm not gardening or cleaning, so I should have an easier time being reminded that I need to do stuff like pull food out to defrost (which has been my largest hurdle to getting back into cooking full time again). Fingers crossed this works, ha.

This blog belongs to a «Multi-Neuroatypical + Multi-Disabled» «Queer» «Childless» «Jewish + Pagan» «NonTraditionalist» Homemaker. TradWives are unwelcome.

#Personal #2024 #Homemaking #Homemaker #Housewife #NonTrad Homemaker #NonTrad Housewife #NonTrad Homemaking #Food Is The Ultimate Love Language #Just Potential Jewish Convert Things #Jewish Studies

[helluvapurf]

*oop almost forgot to post* -BUUUT, looks like HB's second-half of S1's finale is finally here! 👀Lets talk about it~

Spoiler thoughts below for those who haven't seen it-

The Positives:

-The background & Gluttony ring setting were pretty gorgeous to look at, wonderfully sickly sweet & inviting with all the honeycomb/beehive aesthetics~

-Kudos to Kesha making a stellar guest appearance as "Queen Bee(-lzebub)"; a charismatic and charming party girl who turned out to have more of a heart when it all came down to it (making sure everyone was well-fed, nudging Loona to go look after Blitz, her tender side to Tex, etc.), what a vibe~ 😊

-Loona gets to shine again in a speaking role, and this time wasn't too overly-moody/aggressive, but more anxious and unsure of how to make friends with all these wild party guests (which I'm sure anyone could relate to, in some degree 🥺). Even getting to see her acknowledging more of Blitz as her dad was a nice touch (for the time being at least) ^^

-Nice to see Blitz arrive as he could to help out Loonie, even after he already had a stressful night from "Ozzie's" (+drank himself silly at Bee's party), his daughter's presence being there for him in the darkest parts of his life is what matters most, aww~ ☺️

-Tex gets to return as the best wolf bro that he is, and his lil moments with his girlfriend Bee (while arguably a bit overdone with the “royalty x commoner” theme, given some other HB pairs we got atm-) were still pretty wholesome on their own too~ 💛

The Negatives:

-As sweet as it was to see more of Loona's softer/vulnerable side (especially when tending to her dad at the end)... idk, it just makes me all the more crushed at how "Seeing Stars" just threw away that potential development out the window, so her & Blitz actually get along for once here isn't meant to "mean" anything in the long run… 😔*sighs*

-Pacing felt a teeeensy bit rushed/unfinished in some parts... like on one hand you have Bee's song running for a good chunk of time (like a standard iTunes single), but stuff like Loona's anxiety/rivalry with those snobby dogs at the party wasn't really addressed afterwards once Blitz entered the picture (opting instead for filler of him drinking/fooling around while Loona's just... kinda "there", up until they go home)? Idk, I kinda get in-hindsight why Viv had to make this a shorter ep, but in this sense I feel like just a few more mins added could've really enhanced the story a lil better.

-While the tonal shifts weren't... too clunkily-handled compared to some of S2's lineup, I'll admit there's some parts that could've used a bit of tweaking in the emotional bits imo (Like Blitz just abruptly throwing up after moping about his love life... while funny initially, it still makes one wonder if it really "needed" to be there, yknow?)

-Enjoyably catchy as a classic lil callback to the early 2000s!era of pop/clubbing music… after a few listens. "Cotton Candy" does feel a lil too long/repetitive in a couple parts, I'll admit .w.; Which… probably was the intention now that I think about it ('cause yknow, Gluttony-) buuuut, ye lol

-As much as I enjoyed seeing Tex & his friendship with Loona again... ehhhh, with her lowkey still seeming to have a crush on him (+her implied jealousy at Bee), I'm a bit afraid this might lead to some unnecessary love triangle bs if not handled carefully .x.; Since we already got enough of that with Blitz' love life atm, we really don't need more melodrama tbh >>

-Finally... yeaaaaah I know this is already getting kinda "debated" enough already in the fandom, but as far as my thoughts on Bee's design goes? ...Kiiiiiinda don't really know what to think still tbh- ^^;;

Like, okay there's parts I do genuinely love about it, like the bee-theming, the honey hair & lava lamp aesthetic (+the lowkey-callback to the "Die Young" wolf girl was a cute touch)... buuuuut then you get to the random canine-bod/blue tuft of hair that the design just loses me from there, I'm afraid glkjgk .w.;;

Again, I don't hate the canon Bee design overall, and I'm curious to see if she'll make any other reappearances down the line (even if they might need to recast her for budget issues like w/ Striker)... buuut idk, if I had to personally reimagine her myself I'd personally lean more to her being a cute bee demon imho .3.

-----------

-Aaaaand yeah, that about covers it for my thoughts regarding this ep! :> I'd say overall I'd give it.... hmm, a B-rank perhaps? (hehe bee pun-) .3. A lil heavy on the filler in some parts (and in the long run could arguably be one of the more "skippable" eps), but for what its worth it had some good vibing moments for me as a palate-cleanser to some of the "lesser" S2 eps, previously ^^ 👍

#helluva boss #helluva boss spoilers #helluva boss queen bee #helluva boss review

[purble-gaymer]

YES! I recently impulse bought a 16" viola because it was at a good price (violin player) and it is so hard to find the orchestra side of social media! Especially viola stuff, ESPECIALLY because the internet keeps directing me back to the violin section

Maybe it's because I haven't looked hard enough or most people are quiet about it, but if this doesn't sound weird, please keep posting about your music/viola (She's gorgeous!)

Ahh idk maybe I just need a podcast or something but reading other people's experiences are just so fun! Love seeing musicians and their instruments

And honestly, your level of annotation is kinda admirable, I forget to look at my annotations/forget to annotate/forget what I mean, so it's a whole mess trying to improve.

Holding a viola really made me admire the instrument and it's players a whole lot more. (More love needs to be shown to the other sections of the orchestra, seriously.)

And if you aren't tired of reading yet, might I ask what size viola you play? I was kinda shocked to find out viola sizes aren't standardized, and how much of a difference 16" is compared to 14".

(now I've gone and spilt my guts out, oops)

you’re totally fine!! as is obvious, music is a really big part of my life, so i’m always open to talking about it.

i believe it’s a 15”. i’d probably be alright upgrading to a 16 since i’ve had it for so long, but i don’t really want to. i’m attached to this one. if i remember correctly, 15 is considered “full size,” but yeah they just keep getting bigger after that. i’m not entirely sure why that is, and why violins pretty much stop after a full size. it’s probably something to do with the difference in strings. violas are already bigger to compensate for the sound produced by the c, so if you want more sound, you get more viola. i was able to play someone’s 16” for a bit a few years ago and it was one of the most beautiful sounding instruments i’ve ever heard.

my rule for annotation is if you mess it up once, right it down. miss a sharp even if this is your 20th run through? mark it. need a shifting reminder? mark it. anything to help you remember what you want to do. sometimes i’ll put some little explosion marks over a note if i need it to stand out or be louder.

violas are definitely overshadowed by the violin section, but i’ve found at higher levels this isn’t too much of a problem. any of my complaints about “violas never getting the melody” were pretty much gone by high school. playing in a chamber group flips this around too, since you’re suddenly the only violist and your sound matters so much more. i think at the very least most people have stopped with the “violas bad” jokes. two set violin was the bane of my existence for a few years there.

being able to play both violin and viola is honestly impressive to me. they really don’t seem too different, and sure i could support myself on a violin for a while, but reading for either instrument is like reading two different languages. i know a handful of people who do both and being able to swap between them so easily is so cool (but maybe that’s also because i’m not too good with treble).

i don’t have a lot of time to play during the school year, but i’ll see what else i can do over my break. i’ve got a lot of rehearsing to get through

#rhyn rambles #asks