#((And I made a similar piece to this 2 years ago where I put my Plushsona in a box))

[antihibikase-archive]

This Barbie is undergoing several issues!

Trade with @spqp!

[bbydoll18xx]

I’ve Got a Wand and a Rabbit (Part 2)

You give Paige some guidance when it comes to self-pleasure.

Paige Bueckers x reader

Part 1

Masterlist

Word Count: 2.4k

Themes: mentions of sex, sex toys, and some ~self-pleasure~

A/N: hiii guys!!! I honestly cannot get over the love for part 1. That was probably one of my favorite things I’ve written since I’ve been here on tumblr, and I’m so glad you guys shared the love 💜😚

I hope part 2 doesn’t disappoint!!

Here we go!!

~

“You shoulda seen the way she was blushing! I’ve never seen her act that way!” KK roars to the rest of UConn’s women’s basketball team, the girls leaning forward in extreme interest as KK recounts how Paige had turned into a bumbling mess in your presence the day prior. 

“God, KK, shut up. I did not,” Paige whines, her face growing warm with humiliation. 

“There she goes again,” Jana teases, and the girls erupt into another round of laughter. 

“Y’all suck,” Paige pouts, walking off the basketball court and heading towards the locker room for a much needed reprieve. 

The taunting had yet to stop since she had stepped foot in the sex shop a week prior. KK and Ice had hunted down valuable information that a certain someone had worked there, and they had forced Paige to come inside, knowing you were standing behind the counter.

Paiges’ thoughts drift back to that day, as they had nearly a million times the past week, and she muses over the way your hair had flowed over your shoulders and your lips glistened pink.

Her crush on you was unwavering, the same way the ocean waves continuously kissed the shoreline. 

And despite what nearly everyone had perceived about Paige Bueckers, she was absolutely terrified when it came to expressing her feelings. Especially about you. So she bottled them up, settling for watching you from afar with a hope that maybe she’d muster up the courage to talk to you.

That was until her teammates had made the decision to do so for her. 

She really couldn't be all that mad at them.

Her crush on you had started three years ago. The two of you had shared a fondness for studying in the same area of the library, where it was quiet and away from the loudness of your respective roommates. Paige’s grades had always been good, but the daily motivation of seeing you, tongue occasionally peaking out in concentration and your body nestled in large, comfy-looking sweatshirts had Paige securing her place on the Dean’s List semester after semester. 

And with everything Paige did, she completely lacked subtlety when it came to you, and it only took a few longing glances in your direction for Ice and KK to connect the dots. 

~

“Oh, c’mon you can’t be mad at me,” KK whines, running into the locker room after Paige. 

Paige rolls her eyes. “Well, you ain’t gotta put me on blast.” She sits on the bench, putting her head in her hands.

“You’re being way too dramatic. She offered to show you how to use the damn toy,” KK stresses, and Paige’s face goes pink again.

“Soo,” she drags out the word with a thoughtful expression on her face. “Just take her up on the offer and boom you can have sex and then live happily ever after!” 

Paige’s eyes widen as KK, in the midst of her rambling, doesn’t see Coach Geno walk in behind her. 

Based on the look on his face, he had definitely heard KK, and he clears his throat, causing KK to whip around, her hand flying over her mouth as she pieces the situation together.

“Shit,” she mumbles under her breath, sending a weak smile over to Geno, who just waves her away, a disgusted grimace on his face.

But as Geno rambles on about how the practice went, Paige’s thoughts drift back to the way you suggested to help her. 

Would you really want to? Paige was navigating something completely new, and it was stressing her the fuck out.

If only there was a way to get rid of the pent up anxiety.

~

On the other side of campus, you were having a similar dilemma. You had been trying to work out what had come over you yesterday when you had boldly and uncharacteristically offered to teach Paige Bueckers how to use a vibrator.

The interaction plays in your mind for the millionth time, and you slap a palm across your forehead in frustration.

“I am so fucking stupid,” you groan, catching the attention of your roommate who was working on a paper at the seat across from you at your most favorite spot in the library.

“What’d you do now?” She asks, and you divulge her in yesterday's interaction with Paige, and her eyes widen.

“Dude, you have been drooling over her for the past three years, and you’re telling me you’re not going to wife her up?” She asks in a hushed whisper.

“I think she was just being polite,” you sigh. “We exchanged numbers, but I’ve been too scared to do anything.”

Charlotte shakes her head in mock derision, “I raised you better than that.”

You sit there a moment, contemplating. 

“Fuck. Okay, I’m gonna do it.” 

Pulling out your phone, you pull up Paige’s contact information, your fingers shaking slightly as they ghost over the keypad. 

“Hi, still need some help? If not, no big deal. Just thought I couldn’t leave a pretty girl stranded,” you read out to Charlotte as you compose the text, and she claps loudly in approval.

“God I hope she doesn't think I'm some sort of sex addict,” you moan, looking at the delivered sign under the text. 

~

Back in the locker room, Paige nearly chokes on a swig of water as your text appears on her screen. Aubrey, who is sitting next to her, slaps her on the back a few times, before leaning over to take a good look at what was causing the reaction.

Aubrey hoots loudly as she reads the text and promptly snatches Paige’s phone out of her hands to show it to KK, who had proudly deemed herself the captain of yours and Paige’s ship.

“FINALLY!” KK yells, fist pumping the air with great enthusiasm, and the whole locker room erupts into laughter again. 

Paige rereads the text. And then again. Your words were flirty and sure, just as they had been yesterday, and Paige is once again reduced to a blushing, simpering mess. 

She looks around the room, eyes wide and a shy grin on her face. “What do I say?” And the girls erupt again.

“Tell her you wanna fu—” KK starts eagerly before Azzi, who was sitting next to the younger girl, covers her mouth with a sharp look on her face. KK moves Azzi’s hand away, pouting and muttering to herself about how she’s “just tryna help Paige get some pussy.”

With pink cheeks and a pounding heart, Paige composes a reply, hiding her phone from the curious eyes of her teammates, hoping it seemed way more confident than she felt. You had a strange effect on her, reducing her assured ways into a bumbling mess, teetering on the edge of falling into madness.

And it was just the beginning. 

After all, you had yet to even touch her. 

~

That night you stand in front of Paige’s door with a pounding heart, determined to keep up the facade you had attached to your being, and as she appears on the other side, it is cemented. 

There was just something about seeing a bashful Paige Bueckers that makes your confidence soar, and you send her a cheeky smile, reveling in her mannerisms.

Paige leads you into her bedroom, and you immediately spot the purple vibrator laying atop of the comforter. 

You break the ice. “So what’s stopping you from finishing?” You ask, looking her in the eyes.

An embarrassed chuckle leaves those pink lips, and she rubs a hand over the back of her neck. “I guess I just keep gettin’ distracted,” she mumbles, and you nod in understanding.

“I like to think about someone,” you say boldly and pointedly. “If you close your eyes and immerse yourself into a fantasy, it’s almost like they’re there with you.” 

You watch as she takes a deep breath, like she’s mentally preparing for what she says next.

“Can I try again? And you can walk me through it?” 

The air leaves your lungs, surprised by her suggestion, and you agree before any other thought could cross your mind. 

The situation was something out of a filthy romance book, and as Paige undresses down to her boxers and her sports bra, you thank every star you had wished on the last three years for letting this happen. 

Paige settles onto her pillows, her chest rising and falling rhythmically, and with shaky hands, grabs the vibrator.

“P,” you say softly, and her eyes fly back open, meeting yours. “Use your hands first. Tease yourself, and let the arousal build up,” you suggest kindly, and she nods, putting the toy back down.

She runs her hands across her toned stomach, causing your own to lurch with want. Her hair was sprawled out on the pillows, and her bottom lip was red and plump from biting it, and despite just getting started, she looked completely fucked out. 

You secretly hope the image never leaves your memory.

Paige continues to tease herself, her fingers delicately dancing across the fabric of her boxers, and a quiet moan leaves her mouth. Her eyes are still closed in concentration, and you wished you could peer into her thoughts, hoping you were the object of her most intimate fantasies. 

And as if she could read your thoughts, your name leaves her mouth in a broken whimper that has you wanting to jump her bones and connect that sinful mouth with yours.

She’s panting now. Her eyes open, those crystal clear baby blues pleading for more. The unspoken words spoken between the two of you bridged a formidable bond, and you know at that point that this would lead to a whole lot more than offering friendly tips on masterbation. 

“Need more,” she whispers, her lithe body squirming on the bed hinting at her growing arousal. 

“Okay, baby, now take the vibrator and start at your tits and run it down your stomach,” you instruct, your voice nearly trembling. 

The quiet buzz fills the room before it’s cut with Paige’s whimpers as she runs the toy over her now exposed breasts. The pointed, pink peaks of her nipples make your own strain against the lace of your bra, and you shift uncomfortably in the gaming chair you are sitting in. 

The toy gets dragged over her belly, going lower and lower until it grazes the waistband of her underwear, and with a frustrated sigh, she lifts her butt to rip off the offending fabric. 

And now she was laid out bare in front of you, occasionally peeking at you, making sure you were still watching. 

You could not look away, and your body subconsciously leans forward toward the blonde girl. 

She places the buzzing toy on her clit, her back arching off the bed in response, moaning in pleasure. Her hips jump, grinding against the vibrator, desperately seeking an orgasm that had been denied from her several times over the past week. 

“Doin’ so good for me, baby,” you whisper, enthralled with the display in front of you, and Paige opens her eyes once more at your praise, sending you a needy look and a pout. 

“Keep going,” you encourage, and she adjusts the vibration, a higher pitched buzz ringing through the small room. 

Paige’s skin glows with a subtle sheen of sweat and arousal that you want to meticulously lick, and her whimpers grow louder as she squirms, her eyes never leaving yours. 

“Fuck, gonna cum,” she groans, and you bite your lip, her noises effecting every fiber of your being. 

And with a loud moan, your name leaves her mouth, along with a long string of expletives, as her back arches off the comforter again. Her chest heaves as the orgasm rips through her, and her eyes roll back in overwhelming pleasure.

Your gaze rakes over her, taking in the gorgeous woman laid out before you, watching as she slowly comes down from the high. 

“Oh my god,” Paige breathes heavily, suddenly feeling exposed and shy again. 

“That was probably the hottest thing I’ve ever seen,” you admit, your own cheeks flushed with arousal, and Paige’s eyes trail to your peaked nipples straining against the fabric of your shirt. 

“I was thinkin’ of you the whole time. And that was the best fuckin’ orgasm I have ever had,” she responds, putting her underwear back on, much to your displeasure. 

“Thank you,” she adds shyly.

You shrug, moving to sit next to her on the bed, you run your hand across the flesh of her thigh, goosebumps erupting in its wake.

And before you can even make your own move, Paige connects your lips in an impassioned kiss that adds fuel to the fire that was raging in your core. The kiss was messy with unrestrained want and need, swapping unsaid words that had been brewing in both of your heads over the last three years.

The two of you had unknowingly fallen in love with the thought of each other, and now, here you were, falling right into each other. 

And it wasn’t going to stop there. 

~

The next afternoon, you are back at work, your mind continuously going back to the delicious display of Paige’s naked body. You had been on the edge all day, dying to get home to rub one out. Or four, if you were being completely honest with yourself. 

Sitting in the back room in front of the fan, desperately needing a cool off, you hear the familiar jingle of the bell on the front door, alerting you that someone had entered the shop. You take a few deep breaths, trying to compose yourself. 

It was hard to be cordial when you were surrounded by sex toys.

You walk out of the back room, your eyes immediately trained on Paige who was now standing at the front counter with a huge smirk on her face. 

Blushing you walk up to her, pressing your lips to hers, the taste of her mouth sending your body up in flames once more.

“What’re you doing here?” You ask breathily.

Paige gestures towards the package she had set on the counter with a wide smile. “Figured I’d add to the collection. Wanted to buy something for your pleasure,” she adds casually.

Your belly lurches as your eyes land on the strap on, a deep purple and six inches of thick rubber.

“Fuck me,” you breathe, feeling yourself drip with excitement at the thought.

“Oh, I plan to,” Paige grins, and she pulls you in for another kiss.

Things were just getting started.

~

This was a blast to write!! Also I am obsessed with shy, blushy Paige

xoxo katy

~

You can now read part 3 here

[nyaagolor]

Ok, This is the anon that said ages ago that I think that Tohya is trans, and I finally have gotten back to write my thoughts on this

I will be dividing this discussion into two sections, how Tohya being trans is supported by the text, and my own EXTREEEMLY indulgent rewrite of Tohya as an explicitly trans character.

There's a lot about Battler's character in canon  that seems to me and other people like egg behaviour.

His hatred of his name, his often cartoonish machismo, the closed room scene in episode 6 in which one of the escape methods mentioned would be to cut himself up in little pieces and push them down the drain, this idea of destroying yourself to be able to exist in the outside world, the fact that I have seen 2 maybe 3 people think that Battler is Beatrice in some way (one person coming to this conclusion from the closed room scenes in episode 6 in which a witch at the opening scene haunts Battler from the outside, as if implying to come of the closed room would mean to face the witch) the fact Tohya dreaded meeting Ange because he was afraid he'd be forced back to being Battler, that the man that was Battler would come back and kill him.

It's honestly that last scene that sealed it for me, as it's very metaphorically similar to someone transitioned away from their family and is now afraid to see their family again because they're afraid they'd be forced to de-transition, LIKE YOU CANNOT CONVINCE ME THAT TOHYA IS CIS, and I think a trans Tohya reading elevates the text (TO ME) and makes the death of Battler so much less metaphorical and a lot more literal, it makes Battler Tohya's deadname.

Now I understand the pushback towards a trans Tohya/Battler reading, despite Battler's comically masculine behaviour at times he's also put into a lot of situations where he behaves "unmasculine".

He cries often (one of the reasons I love his character), he's often under Beatrice's thumb and is made to submit very often, the fact that he's called a bride in his wedding to Erika by one of the chiester's, with this being done to degrade him. 

His masculinity is often under attack, so I understand why people like the idea of him still being a man and still being masculine despite it, which I respect and my own trans reading isn't here to invalidate that.

HOWEVER.

I think what a lot of people forget when discussing Battler as a character is that he's not real. 

He's a fictional character within a piece of fiction, and I don't mean this in the piece vs meta aspect.

No, what I mean, is that in Sayo's message bottles she wrote of him having not seem his is 6 years, so a lot of her assumptions about him might not have reflected reality, and while Tohya was Battler, Tohya no longer is him, and a lot of his depiction of Battler is tinged with survivor's guilt and a seeming dislike to his past self. 

That is also not accounting the idea that Tohya's Battler and Sayo's Battler's characterisation is so similar may not be because Sayo had got his characterisation right, but because Tohya choose to stick close to her characterisation closely even if it was wrong, as a way to make the forgeries not only more convincing but also as a way of honoring Sayo's writing decisions. 

A lot of the depiction of Battler as we see in text is extremely biased, as the depictions are of all characters but Battler especially!

We come out of Umineko not knowing anything about what the true Battler might have been like.

And doesn't this say something about how we're supposed to interpret the text? That the main man of this tale isn't and has never been real?

Battler, under this reading, may continue to be a man, despite the narrative's attacks on his masculinity, because he exists to be a character.

But Tohya is fundamentally not Battler, Tohya is real in ways Battler is not, so Battler's masculinity should not reflect on Tohya's

NOW ONTO MY VERY UNHINGED IMAGINARY WORLD IN WHICH I WAS IN CHARGE OF UMINEKO AND NOT RYUKISHI

Now you may ask, "anon, why would you want to rewrite Tohya's character? Didn't you just go on multiple paragraphs about how the canon text supports a trans Tohya reading?" well yes, but I think it could have done so in a better way, as in, by making them actually trans, and not just having Tohya be trans in text, but by changing a very crucial aspect of the writing.

Ikuko.

Listen I love Ikuko, I love unhinged women, why would I read Umineko "unhinged women the visual novel" if I didn't, but Ikuko as a character exists as a writing device, she's the author's insert, there to literally spell out the meaning of the text, and there to explain how the fuck Tohya survived post memory and identity loss.

But that kinda means that she doesn't really get to exist as a character and a person, which means that her weird actions and behaviour aren't really interrogated by the text. 

Like, we all agree her, a woman at least in her 30s, grabbing this half dead 18 year old off the street and taking him to her house, NOT A HOSPITAL, and becoming his career post island trauma and later after he becomes paralyzed is suspect right?

Like I loved the fic Coracle that interprets Ikuko's actions in a sympathetic lens, but there's a reason some people interpret Ikuko's behavior as immensely creepy.

BECAUSE WHAT SHE DID TO TOHYA IS LITERALLY WHAT KINZO DID TO BEATRICE THE FIRST. Beatrice the first was injured, so Kinzo took her to his house and his doctor friend treated her there.

In both situations the consent is suspect, but while in Kinzo's case we're invited to interrogate his actions we are not intended to do the same with Ikuko, because she does not exist to be a character, but as a writing device.

And that bothers me, so let's fix that.

Combine Ikuko and Tohya into one character.

No, I'm not joking.

Instead of canon, in which Tohya is picked off the street by a rich benefactor, they are instead forced to make it on their own, and without any idea who they are, injured and unable to support themselves because a fresh 18 year old with no name and no credentials and brain damage is not very hirable , they predictably do not do well for themselves, becoming homeless.

This is to mirror the reality to many queer people who get cut off by their family.

However through the help of individuals in similar situations, and a couple of good samaritans (showcasing the importance of community outside of family) Tohya managed to make a meagre living for themselves and eventually after gaining that stability gets introduced to the forgery scene and start writing forgeries of their own under the pen name Ikuko, the story of the Rokkenjima massacre feeling horribly familiar to them.

Later when Eva is dead and Ange is investigating the forgeries, she does meet with Tohya, tho under the name of Ikuko.

And despite Tohya being her "brother", she does not recognize them as Battler, in fact she does not recognize them at all. Tohya  having partially transitioned, plus the stress and age, makes Tohya look vastly different to her than what she remembers Battler being like.

This is serving two purposes.

One, this is to reflect the Shannon and Kanon situation and how despite both being Sayo the Ushiromiyas didn't recognize them as the same person.

Two, it makes Tohya look less callous than in canon. While a trans reading of the canon text makes the reason why Tohya put off seeing Ange again for so long understandable, a lot of people don't read it that way and often interpret his refusal to see her as callous.

But if Tohya does meet with her and she doesn't recognize them, well it explains why they wouldn't tell her who they are. I mean, would she even believe them?

It also makes that last scene in the novel where they meet after all these years (again in this case) after Ange has changed her own name into Yukari and is now an author much more poignant. Battler only got to "see" Sayo after he understood Beatrice, Yukari only got to "see" Battler after she understood Tohya.

This also just results in tighter writing (TO ME), we get more time getting to know the person Battler died to become even tho we may not know who they were when we are first introduced to them.

Just imagine the potential of Featherine as Tohya's witch sona (since here Tohya and Ikuko are the same person), imagine meta Ange getting to snark Featherine, subconsciously bickering with Featherine the same way one would bicker with their siblings, and everyone else being confused why Featherine isn't smiting her, it would have been great.

And this could work in a multitude of ways. I used to be firmly in the trans girl Tohya camp, but nowadays I'm more so of an enby Tohya liker, something about Tohya being able to abandon gendered categories in a way Beatrice only dreamed of with the existence of Lion feels right to me.

HI sorry it took me so longer to answer I've been so busy but OHHHHHHHHHH MY GOD I LOVE THIS A LOT. going thru this bit by bit:

I hc Battler as intersex / trans / having some repressed gender related smth or other for those exact reasons. The whole thing about being in the closet in EP6, his "late puberty growth spurt" sounding like exogenous T-induced puberty, the way his character intersects with gender and how he seems mildly uncomfortable with the way he's praised for performing gender "correctly"... all of it just makes me go hmmmm there is a trans reading here. I go back and forth between intersex battler and golden land butch lesbian battler and a few other things but nonetheless. Gender.

The whole thing about Tohya and Battler being involved in a deadname / fragmentation of the self is SOOOO perfect and I'm kind of obsessed with it. I see the vision and the vision goes crazy. As for the whole thing about Battler being a character and not a person, AGREEEEEEED i think it's one of the least spoken about meta aspects of the narrative. I haven't really written about it much outside of discord but the whole idea of Tohya maintaining the image of Battler so as to not hurt the people who cared about him but didn't know the real him is so... ough. Also intersects with Sayo's themes of understanding the heart / seeing things with love extremely well

ok I will not lie I do not really think too much about rewrites for Umineko specifically but you are COOKING with this. The whole thing with Yukari not understanding Tohya, not SEEING Tohya until she understood herself and abandoned her grief... stellar, incredible, 10/10 no notes (side note the whole deadname with Ange is why I think she's trans, but this is about Tohya rn)

I'll get to the other asks soon but WOW WOW WOW this goes crazy. OP what is ur discord we need to have a discussion. this could be us.

[wintersoldiersoul]

I just realised you already have a post similar to my previous ask so maybe could you write something where Bucky noticed reader was struggling with self harm a while ago and thought she was better but she isn’t and he helps her 🥺

TW: self-harm, blood, depression, please do not read if any of these things will upset you. Love you all and reach out to someone if you need to <3

You didn’t know what had happened. You couldn’t even remember how you had ended up where you were. One second you were crying in bed and suddenly you were on the bathroom floor, blade in your hand and covered in fresh cuts. 

It had been so long. You were doing so well, about a week away from being 2 years clean. You tried so hard to prevent it from happening but Bucky being gone made it so much harder. When you had first told him about your self-harm and depression, he had sat down with you and made a “safety-plan”.

“If you feel like you’re gonna hurt yourself, the first step is find me, okay?” He had spoken sternly. “If I’m not here, you call. And if I don’t answer on the first try, you keep calling. Second step is to distract yourself. Go on a walk, bake something, it doesn't matter. Just don’t let yourself sit in the dark thoughts.” As he spoke, he wrote everything down on a piece of paper. “And listen,” he grabbed your hands and looked into your eyes. “If I don’t answer, for some reason, you call someone else. You call Natasha or Tony or any other person in your life. You cannot let yourself be alone when you feel this way.” You nodded, fully planning on doing just that if the time ever came. But when you woke up this morning filled with a primal need to hurt yourself, you didn’t even remember the plan.

It was like nothing mattered except for feeling the blade against your skin and watching the blood pour out. The emotional pain that you were in needed to escape. You needed to feel it in a physical capacity. So you didn’t call Bucky. Because you knew he’d stop you. And you didn’t wanna be stopped. 

You regretted it the second you made the first cut. All of that progress you had made, gone within the blink of an eye. You’d have to remember to erase the day marking your 2 years clean on your calendar. The shame you felt didn’t stop you though. It just made you want to hurt yourself more. You were ashamed and felt like a failure. You cried as you dragged the blade over your wrists, mumbling to yourself how stupid and worthless you were. How you always let everyone down. 

You dissociated as you cut, robotically moving to your thighs once you ran out of space on your arms. You couldn’t stop, even as you grew dizzy from the blood loss. Your head was pounding from it and the dehydration caused by your tears but you couldn’t bring yourself to get up off the floor. Eventually, you put the blade down but you continued crying, the crimson of your blood staining the white-tile floor.

You didn’t hear the front door open. Didn’t hear Bucky calling out for you, home from the mission. His heart sped up as he walked further into the house, hearing your broken sobs coming from the bathroom. “Y/N? Sweetheart?” He called, getting closer. He didn’t wanna frighten you but his gut told him that something was incredibly wrong. He knocked on the door, but you didn’t register it. There was no time for you to even attempt to cover up what you had done, plus you knew he’d find out eventually. Bucky’s favorite thing to do when he got home from a mission was to rip your clothes off.

His heart stopped when he opened the door. There you were, hugging your knees to your chest, crying hysterically and bleeding out. There was so much blood coming from your arms and your thighs. “Oh my god,” was all he could say as he rushed over to you. “Oh my god, oh my god,” he kept repeating, trying to assess the damage you had done to yourself. “Baby, can you hear me? It’s me, it’s Bucky,” he said, trying to get you to calm down and talk to him. You were still in your own little world as you cried. 

“I’m sorry,” you cried, fully realizing that he was there. He grabbed you and hugged you tightly and you could feel his body shaking as he did. “I’m so sorry,” you sobbed into his chest.

“Baby, we gotta stop this bleeding or I’m gonna have to take you to the hospital.” He wanted to talk this out with you, to comfort you, but right now, you were bleeding out in his arms. “Can I move you? I’m just gonna sit you up on the sink, okay?” You nodded and he gingerly moved your body so that you were perched on the sink, back against the mirror as it was hard to hold yourself up. He created makeshift tourniquets, a skill that he still had from the war, and wrapped them around your arms and legs. “Oh my god,” he said, once again.

You looked up at him with wide eyes. “I got blood on your shirt…” you whispered quietly.

“It doesn’t matter, don’t worry about it.” He assured you, cupping your face in his hands. “I gotta clean these cuts, I’m sorry,” he said, removing the tourniquets once the bleeding had mostly stopped. You winced as he dabbed at your skin, the sting from the contact immediate. “I know, sweetie, I know, I’m sorry,” he repeated words of encouragement to you. “Just breathe, please. Take a deep breath. It’s almost over.” He took his time in ensuring everything was clean and that the bleeding was stopped before he applied bandaids. “What did you do, baby?” He looked up at you with sadness in his blue eyes. “You-you’re covered,” he said, voice dropping to a whisper as tears started falling down his face.

You looked down, too ashamed to look him in the eyes. “I don’t know what happened… I just woke up today and it just hurt so much and I just… I don’t know. I couldn’t stop myself.”

“Why didn’t you call me? What about your plan, remember?” 

“I knew you’d stop me…” Your voice held so much shame.

“You’re damn right I would have!” His voice grew loud, but he wasn’t yelling at you. He knew you couldn’t help the mental illness you struggled with. And he saw how hard you fought every single day. Even though you had slipped up, he was still so incredibly proud of the time you had spent clean and he would dedicate every second to helping you get back on track. As long as you were willing to try, how could he be mad at you? “I’m not angry at you, I’m just… oh god, I’m terrified. I’d be worried no matter what if you relapsed but baby, you did some serious damage.” 

“I know,” you said. “I’m so angry at myself. I was a week away from 2 years. And I fucked it all up!”

He tilted your chin up so that you were looking at him. “Do you wanna stay clean again? Do you wanna get back on track?” You nodded. “Then you didn’t fuck anything up, okay? You’re human and you struggle. That's normal and okay. Of course I wish you didn’t do this. I hate seeing you in pain more than anything in this entire world. But baby, don’t be angry with yourself. Use that emotion as motivation to continue getting better. Please don’t let this send you spiraling back down into a place that’s gonna be even harder to get out of.”

You wiped some tears off of your face. “It’s so hard being alive, Bucky. Even on the good days, the depression is always there in the back of my mind. Even when I’m happy, it’s like I’m never really happy. Maybe true happiness just isn’t in the cards for me. I just wanna end it.”

“Honey…” your words broke his heart. You could see it on his face. “I know how hard it is and how much you struggle. You have no idea how badly I wish I could take away all of your pain. Seeing you like this… god, it breaks me apart. I’m so scared for you. I’m so worried about you,” his body was still shaking slightly. “But you deserve happiness. You deserve it more than anyone. You have such a beautiful soul and you inspire me every single day that you get up and live your life even though you struggle. Happiness is in the cards for you. I know that because I will spend every waking minute of the rest of my life trying to make you happy.” He brushed your hair behind your ears. “I love you so much. Please don’t leave me here alone. I-” he took a deep breath, trying to hold back tears but failed as they slipped out anyway. “I can’t do this without you. I can’t be in this world without you.” 

He pulled you into a tight hug, resting your head on his chest. The two of you stayed like that, both crying against each other’s bodies. It was heartbreaking, the way your sadness broke him, too, like you were one soul sharing two bodies.

“Let’s get you into some clean clothes, okay? You’ll feel better.” Your shorts and shirt were both stained with red. He helped you change into a pair of clean pants and a sweatshirt, being extra careful as he noticed your grimaces of pain each time the material touched your skin. You both got into bed, exhausted from the intense emotional turmoil that the night had stained you with. 

The two of you lay on your sides facing each other. Bucky wordlessly stroked your hair, looking deep into your eyes. “I’m never gonna abandon you. No matter how many times you slip up. I’m not going anywhere.” He kissed your forehead before pulling you into a tight hug. “Never.”

[starlit-mansion]

I've decided that i want to disrupt the strightsized/midsized thriftblogger industrial complex for my fellow actually fat people. I havent been as small as a size 18 since senior year of highschool and my waistline is sitting comfortably at around 50 inches these days and i thrift but it's frequently humiliating. Here are my tips.

one: there isn't nothing. It might be slim pickings. It might be a single rack in a 2 story shop. It might be only 2 pairs of pants in the whole place. But you've been on the street and in the grocery store. You know there are other people your size in the world and their stuff ends up a thrift store too.

two: avoid trendy areas like the plague. do you live in a smaller town? do you have reason to go to one? go to a thrift store there. if you know there are more people your size in an area, then that's a good sign for your chances. you aren't looking for designer pieces at a steal; you are looking for some gently used lane bryant and this is where it lives.

three: it isnt all or nothing. you can get some things thrifted and some things you're probably going to have to buy at a plus sized store. Getting a few nice blouses for cheap can free up your budget for a pair of new pants from a plus sized retailer. For instance, I really cant thrift a pair of shoes for shit because i have extra wide feet and cankles for days, but my partner who is a similar weight has regular sized feet and could thrift shoes easily, and that's a lot of money that could be saved there.

four: if it only almost fits, put it back. if you're anything like me, the fact that you can button or zip it is going to feel like a miracle, but if it hurts or digs in any way, it'll sit in your closet for weeks while the things that don't hurt get worn many times in a row. we don't always have the luxury of everything in our wardrobes sparking joy but it can at least not spark pain.

five: be honest. if you aren't going to fix it or take it out, don't waste your money on a project piece that's going to sit around for the next 2 years and go back to the thrift store from whence it came.

five point five: be a little adventurous though. especially with shirts and dresses. maybe you've never tried that color before but it looks good in the store. this is a low stakes way to expand your style. you can always get rid of it if you decide against it, either within a return window, or donating it back. If your thrift store gives coupons for donating, taking a small grocery bag with a few pieces will get you the same discount as a car full of old furniture, so donate small amounts and often.

six: if you're thrifting online, thrift the brand you trust. like i hinted above, i trust lane bryant. i also trust torrid because i'm tall and torrid is for me and the transfems. search on shopgoodwill or depop or whatever by the brand you know the sizing of. hell, you can also seach the box store brand like time and tru or ava viv on there if you miss that one piece from a year or two ago that was cute and fit you perfectly. Speaking of...

seven: goodwill gets target overstock. you can find new overstock stuff from last season on the racks. i've seen many a thing go from clearance at my local target to on the shelves at the goodwill. keep it in mind if you're broke but used clothes yuck you out. you can find new with tag stuff in plus sizes, either from stores directly or people who just aren't fussed about money.

eight: you have to go a lot to find stuff. that's how the bloggers do it; they made it their side hustle in some way. i don't suggest doing it if you have no interest in it, but if you can put aside a half hour once a week or twice a month to check while you're running your errands, you can start finding stuff. Keep your trips and your budget small, and start looking for stuff for the next season months ahead of time to keep the pressure down.

nine: save a treat. either literally go for a treat afterward for being a big brave bestie and confronting the fact that you have a corporeal form and it needs clothes, or look through the fun thing that relaxes you. Looking for silly mugs? trying to find fine leather purses? want to look at ugly figurines and take pictures of them to text your friend and say "it's you'? Do that. Every time you go to the thrift store, add in the fun thing. If looking for work clothes can't motivate you, maybe looking through the children's paperbacks to try to rebuild your collection of animorphs books that you got rid of in 2005 will.

lastly: cut out the middle man. if you have a friend or relative of similar size to you: TRADE the pieces you're pruning from your wardrobe with each other before you donate them. It will give you the spark of newness that you both are looking for. Also you can reference the "those shoes... look familiar..." vine when you see them wearing something you gave them.

tl;dr: thrift often and in small doses, make it fun for yourself if you can, and also i just heard a tip where if you want to check a waistband size without trying it on, have the waistband fully closed and hold it to your hip. if the ends of the waistband reach your spine and bellybutton, it'll probably fit. So that's pretty handy.

[yuukei-yikes]

Hey vinnie! Really love your comics! I was wondering, what's your process when it comes to drawing them? Do you come up with dialogue first or draw the figures and piece together the dialogue, and how do you go about doing layouts?

this ask reminded me i have a whole ass "process vid" of THIS COMIC from over a year ago where u can see exactly what i do to plan that comic lol this is embarrassing i never thought id share it so do NOT be mean

i was curious myself how it looked which is why i made it heh this is 50 min of footage in almost 2 mins and idk why my superhero movie is the song of choice this is from a while ago OK... u can see i literally have no idea what im doing i just DOODLE i just go for it

i talk some more under the cut i <3 art but i am a serial doodler

i use the power of imagination a whole lot bc i have a pretty busy life so when i get an idea im like working it out in my mind as i live my normal ass life. when i actually do sit down to make it, first i sketch it all and will usually write certain bits in each "page"

its pretty similar. but as u can see i tend to skip some dialogues that im like. meh ill figure it out later. i just write what i know i wanted to add. and then i figure out the rest when i get to it, or i even change up what i already got, which results in it not being super planned. for example here i made ayano repeat "this is something..." in both her dialogues and i didnt realize until i finished and read the whole thing over but i was lazy to change it heh... but that was bc i write as i go and u can tell in mistakes like that.

as for layouts... erm i barely make actual layouts. this is kind of the same process for everything LOL except sometimes i feel like making actual boxes to put the characters in, but otherwise u can see that the majority of my comics are just all over the place like this. during the sketch i do separate it but then i try to divide it with only the speach bubbles. the layout where i put little boxes is when i dont mind making many pages, bc it fits less stuff.

otherwose i tend to do stuff like this:

which looks a lot more crowded. the reason is, i post here and on twitter (more amphibia on twitter) and since u have a limited amount of pics u can post (here in tumblr it used to be 10 pics), i wanted to fit as much as possible in only 1 page so it wouldnt be too many pics, and it morphed into this sort of layout that i became used to.

im a Go For It kinda guy when it comes to drawing. i like doodling and sketching and going with whatever i got first. the only reason i dont start the comic right away and even do the sketching first is bc i want to figure out where ill put everything, not so much bc im worried abt the art looking better in one or the other. as u can see the art is very similar in both cases

[trans-luis-serra-navarro]

hi! do you have serennedy headcanons about luis and leon being parents?

Hello!! Of course I do omg are you kidding me!!!!!!! I have a whole tag on my main @wisecrackingeric-2 titled ‘DadSerennedyAU’ if you wanna see my own spin on the idea!!!!! ORRRR if you wanna read something from yet another incredibly talented artist and author I CANNOT recommend @mooseonahunt ‘s AU enough!!!! And I know the lovely @geddy-leesbian has made some posts on this subject also!!!!!!!

But in terms of Headcannons I have plenty!! I’ll put them below the cut to avoid clogging anyone’s dashes!!

Edit: THIS IS UH UM. V E R Y LONG. I WENT KINDA BUCKWILD WITH THIS ONE AHDNCHDNXUXJXJ SO UH PLEASE ENJOY I GUESS!!

• First and foremost they are t4t. Sorry I don’t make the rules (also. Look at my blog name HQNAHWNEHDNDUDJ /lh)

• I imagine it was probably Luis who wanted a kid- we don’t know much about Leon’s childhood other than the fact that his parents died (the very wonderful @highball66 has some more information on the backstory we DO have for him!!) and thus we don’t really have a good idea of what his relationship with his parents might’ve been- but Luis is the TOTAL opposite. We know from context clues that he had a really strong relationship with his Grandfather, who went as far as to encourage his love for science and the unorthodox in an incredibly strict Catholic environment, and it’s implied on some level that Bitores Mendez had some hand in helping raise him, so I can imagine that Luis is very attached to the idea of parenthood and would probably wanna be the same kind of man his Grandfather was to him!!!

• Leon???? Realistically???? Probably a whole lot more hesitant- like he almost dies on the job everyday there’s no way he’d feel fit enough to raise a kid. But also,,,,, this is resident evil and also fiction where we can do whatever the hell we want so hell yeah he comes around to the idea eventually!!!!!!

• Luis is probably accidentally VERY clingy with their kid/a lil overbearing during the toddler age. Everything he’s ever contributed to in his life has either hurt others or he’s destroyed it one way or another- and everyone he’s held closest to him dies in some way. And going off of the first point, he’s probably put a LOT of pressure on himself to be a good Dad like his Grandfather was, so that usually ends up with him hogging the baby HCNNSSNSJSNIS

• Leon, again similar to my last point, would probably have the opposite reaction where he has this gut instinct to keep his distance- like he’s worried if he gets too attached it’s all gonna be ripped away from him just like Sherry was all of those years ago. But I highly doubt either of their qualms last for very long- they’d talk things out and figure out something that works for the both of them <3

• They’d probably go with the same middle and last name as Luis- ‘Serra’ and ‘Navarro’. I know I keep repeating myself but Luis had a really good relationship with his Grandfather and his culture/heritage clearly means a lot to him (ie; the intro to Seperate Ways), so being able to keep that little piece of his history alive would probably mean the world to him <<33

• And going off of that, Luis is ALWAYS trying to encourage their kid to learn more about their culture and heritage- teaching them Spanish, cooking them traditional foods, etc etc etc and when Luis isn’t there to do it, Leon is always more than happy to do so <<<<<<33333

• Let’s be real,,,,,,, Leon is coming up with the cringiest baby names ever HXNEHENDUXNXU CMOOOOOON LOOK AT MR. WHERES EVERYONE GOING BINGO!!!!! But Luis probably isn’t much better BCNENWEJSJ I can easily picture him convincing Leon that noooooo Alonso or Miguel aren’t references to Don Quixote hahahahahaha omg what’re you taaaalking abooout. So anyways if it were a girl what about Dulcinea-

• I’m picturing them choosing to have a kid a lil bit later than most people (like,, late 30’s-early 40’s??? So not like they’re old or anything but it’s not like they’re having kids in their early 20’s yk HNCSHDNSJ) so for that reason in my mind they’d probably only want one kid

• Very predictable but they both read Don Quixote to their kid when putting them to sleep and/or they sing them lullabies in Spanish. Who here is surprised for that one certainly not me

• And once again WHO IS SURPRISED, the kid’s room is very subtly Don Quixote themed. Lil stuffed donkeys and windmill motifs everywhere you get it (<- normalest guy alive)

• Leon’s probably the one who does more physical activities with their kid- realistically, Luis is N O T surviving that knife to the back without some major lifelong injuries, so Leon’s the one who always carry’s their kid on his shoulders or swings him around when they’re playing etc etc

• I think Luis would be a lil sad that he isn’t able to join in on those kinds of physical activities, but he’d absolutely make up for it by taking their kid to work or teaching them general hands-on skills n stuff!!

• Leon ABSOLUTELY would wanna teach their kid self-defence as early as possible. He obviously mellows out and realises hey maybe teaching a 10 year old how to wield a knife is a Bad Idea, but with everything he’s seen in his life there’s no way he wouldn’t want his kid to know how to defend themselves at LEAST

• Wild-card one here but the three of them ABSOLUTELY take family trips to Madrid or other cities in Spain during the summer

• Last wild-card one but sometimes Luis will look at their kid and see his Grandfather so clearly he just starts fuckim bawlimg. Same with Leon. He sees the childhood he could’ve had and sometimes he’s gotta excuse himself to cry. Love these beautiful idiots

Tl;dr they would be very very wonderful parents who would love their kid with all of their heart and soul and you can put that headcannon from my COLD DEAD HANDS!!!!!!

[shopwitchvamp]

not trying to be a hater, but genuinely curious, long ago i saw some people saying your skirts were of a lower quality and were prone to being torn and ripped because of this lower quality, was that a fluke in certain pieces or did you begin selling clothes at a lower quality with a lower price point until you could afford to ship out clothes made of better materials?

Hmmm, a couple questions to narrow down what you heard that about:

1) how long is long ago? If you mean reeeeally long ago (before about.. 2017?) Then they were totally different skirts from a totally different manufacturer.

2) who were the people saying that? (because sometimes people put some rude stuff in comments on posts when they've never even seen my skirts in person, but also if it was specifically sometime in summer last year I might have been the one you saw complaining about quality issues)

3) was it definitely about my skirts or was it about similar ones somewhere else? I get confused with other people a lot, so just to check.

Regardless, I've never heard of anything ripping or tearing, but I have had issues with pilling. The first thing to come to mind is that last year I did have a bad batch of skirts where the issue went further back than the manu that does the printing for my skirts, to the manu they get blank fabric from.

Summer 2022 there was a much, much higher percentage of skirts than usual with some kind of fabric flaw where the fabric was pilling very quickly, sometimes after only being worn once. This was while I was still with FHF, so some of their skirts were affected too, but just by chance more of my designs had issues than theirs. Spider Lily Maxis in particular got the worst of it. Maya Kern (who was also using the same manu at the time) had similar issues with some skirts' fabric around that time too.

This is when I started switching over to "Milk Silk" fabric after getting some samples from my manu of different fabric options and running them through a bunch of testing (high heat washing and drying, friction tests, etc). The "Milk Silk" option not only felt softer/smoother, but it also turned out to be much more durable than the "Matte" fabric I used to use. So that's what's available on the shop now.

Anyone that got a dud skirt was sent a replacement made with the new fabric as soon as I had them on hand.

Also the cost to me from my manu hasn't changed (beyond shipping fluctuations), so none of this has anything to do with cost cutting before or after getting that bad batch.

If this is about skirts waaaay further back in the 2014-2016 range though, we were using ArtsCow which still wasn't about cost vs quality but about accessibility and being able to order as little as one thing at a time. Finding a manufacturer to work with directly instead of going through a company like ArtsCow took time, and the very very early skirts were an experiment more than anything. I didn't think I'd end up in fashion, haha. Mainly I was selling handmade crocheted plushies back then and just wanted to try out making skirts because my friends were also doing it and it was a fun and cool new thing to offer at cons.

[melishade]

I have things to say

1. Congratulations on you 90th Chapter, I wasn't expecting that you made almost 5 years ago.

2. Does Erwin Smith's cybernetic arm would look like Ultra Magnus's hand?

Thank you so much for the congrats! All of this planning and editing and I finally get to talk about it! YES!

Erwin's cybernetic arm actually looks like a arm, similar to the Edward Elric's. I was going to say Buck Barnes, but no, the imperfections make more sense.

I say this because of two reasons. One, Erwin is significantly smaller than Ultra Magnus, so technically Wheeljack would have more tools to work it to mess up and perfect Erwin's new arm unlike Ultra Magnus. His size and the lack of resources that the Autobots had at the time ultimately resulted in Magnus' hand looking like a claw.

On top of that, I did bring up in the Cybertron OVA as a pass that Wheeljack was helping Ratchet repair Ultra Magnus' hand. So Wheeljack has the basics down at least for cybernetics.

Also because I didn't know where to put this, this is the rough draft of Erwin actually getting the new arm installed:

“Then this is going to hurt,” Wheeljack warned, “One, two, three!”

Erwin yelled in pain as Wheeljack attached the final piece of the arm to his nervous system. When the pain subsided, he had to take deep breaths in order to help focus. He then felt the new appendage…twitch.

Erwin looked down at his new arm. He could see the mechanical wiring in the appendage before his gaze moved to his finger. Erwin focused on that one finger, willing it to move, and the finger…began to bend. Erwin stretched out the finger, and it did so. Erwin moved his hand and curled it into a fist. He lifted the hand and it did so. He flexed his fingers, one by one, noticing the metal and the wires shifting in his arms when he did.

He…he had an arm again. He had his arm again. It was so unfamiliar, and yet…so right.

“Wheeljack…thank you,” Erwin smiled, “Thank you.”

“Think fast!” Wheeljack exclaimed.

Erwin saw a dead scraplet heading for him and he caught it with the new appendage. Erwin was shocked when he crushed the scraplet with his hand. The pieces of the creature slipped from his hand and clattered onto the floor.

“What?” Erwin asked in confusion.

“Suspected this,” Wheeljack began, “You’re not used to the new arm just yet. It’s unfamiliar, and it’s made from Cybertronian metal. You’re going to be over estimating your strength a lot. So my advice, take it easy and slow. Don’t touch other humans with that arm. Keep on practicing until you’re absolutely sure that you won’t crush any inanimate objects. Try holding stuff that wouldn’t break too easily and work from there.”

Erwin nodded his head in understanding.

“Any issues with the arm, come straight to me and we can look it over,” Wheeljack informed, “I’ve never really built an arm before, and the parts from the ship are practically from a scrapyard. And hey, if it does work, then we could add a weapon or two.”

“I think the arm is a weapon in of itself,” Erwin admitted.

I knew that I wanted to have Erwin get a new arm fairly early on because I thought it would be cool. Maybe I'll make it a oneshot, but idk.

[foxes-that-run]

Two Ghosts

In 5 - 7 minutes of Behind the Album there is footage of Harry working on the melody, lyrics and recording two ghosts in Jamaica in late 2016. He goes on to moving from 1D where his personal life was overexposed and wanting to write music that was successful without people knowing about his personal life. He has made a similar comment to Rolling Stone “I don’t know much about Van Morrison’s life, but I know how he felt about this girl, because he put it in a song. So I like working the same way.”

When was it written

On it's release in May 2017 Harry said it was written “almost 4 years ago now”. in Summer 2013, Midnight Memories had his first writing credits, Happily and Something Great, Style was not written then. While possible, Two Ghosts is more mature. I think he thought he “wrote too many songs about” her and changed the time.

By 2019 he'd moved on and he told Rolling Stone it was written for Made in the AM. (Summer, 2015.) That places it with Walking on the wind, if I could fly, Olivia and Perfect, which also refer to 1989. FTDT and Woman are the same period, but don’t have lyrics that ID them like two ghosts.

To me, Two Ghosts is about reflecting on a lost love. The premise os the song reflects the Style MV which has Harry and Taylor shot in a ghostly way. The Style MV was released Valentines Day 2015, the anniversary of them getting together in 2014.

It has only been played live once since 2018, on Valentines Day 2020, further indicated it may have been written on Valentines Day 2015. Harry choose it over Golden when promoting Fine Line on Radio 2's Valentines Show in 2020, (16 mins), the only time it's been played in 4 years now. Harry also played Joni Mitchell’s yellow taxi which Joni tweeted about the anniversary of.

1D was in Australia, HS was flat. Style was #6, named after him and with footage is intentionally reminiscent. Even more interesting that we never saw the Two Ghosts MV, though Taylor referenced it in Me!'s.

On holding it back to be Solo

From Rolling Stone: "Sometimes if you’re, like, telling a really personal story, then the voice changes every few lines; it doesn’t quite do the same thing. As the songs got more personal, I think I just became more aware that at some point there might be a moment where I would want to sing it myself.”

"A turning point was “Two Ghosts,” a ballad from his solo debut. “’Two Ghosts’ I wrote for the band, for Made in the A.M. But the story was just a bit too personal. As I started opening up to write my more personal stuff, I just became aware of a piece of me going, ‘I want to sing the whole thing.’ Now I look at a track list and these are all my little babies. So every time I’m playing a song, I can remember writing it, and exactly where we were and exactly what happened in my life when I wrote it."

Questions on who it’s about

Nick Grimshaw asked Harry (at 4:38) if it was about Taylor. Media trained, 5 year seasoned TS question dodger, Harry had an adorable reaction. He and Nick are friends, he’s being coy and laughing, answering “I think it’s pretty self explanatory” adding “I think it’s about, sometimes things change, and you can do all the same things, and sometimes it’s just different, you know? 2017, Philosopher, London, England.” Then he laughs and dances around.

Lyrics

Same lips red, same eyes blue Same white shirt, couple more tattoos But it's not you and it's not me Tastes so sweet, looks so real Sounds like something that I used to feel But I can't touch what I see

The song clearly references Style, the music video for which was filmed in November 2014 while they were together and released in February 2015 after they broke up while he was in Australia.

The video is meant to be something he used to feel, that looks real but he can’t touch. It shows Taylor and Harry-stand-in with projections, playing with light and it’s interspersed with home video footage. The footage is thought to be shot in part by Harry, or at least wearing outfits she was pictured with him in.

We're not who we used to be We're not who we used to be We're just two ghosts standing in the place of you and me Trying to remember how it feels to have a heartbeat

In the chorus moves from the reminder of the Video to the memory. Reflecting on looking at an idealised version of his relationship that’s now broken up and he’s grieving.

Taylor had referred to Harry as a ghost in How You Get The Girl “Stand there like a ghost shaking from the rain”

The fridge light washes this room white Moon dances over your good side And this was all we used to need Tongue-tied like we've never known Telling those stories we already told 'Cause we don't say what we really mean

In the second verse Harry reflects on their downfall, a lack of communication.

Taylor refers to herself as tongue-tied in Message in a bottle on Red “and I became hypnotised/ by freckles and bright eyes, tongue tied”

Harry later refers to being still tongue-tied in Sunflower Vol 6. Taylor also sang about not saying what the mean in Wish you Would: “You think I'm gonna hate you now / ‘Cause you still don't know what I never said”

We're just two ghosts swimming in a glass half empty Trying to remember how it feels to have a heartbeat

This may refer to being emotionally depleted, as in Ever Since New York: "Brooklyn saw me, empty at the news / There's no water inside this swimming pool"

Or it could refer to being in an ever shrinking microscope, Taylor later used a Snowglobe and Fishbowl in the Lover Video to represent being on display together.

[piltover-sharpshooter]

Right so, after having some time to digest it, a small(ish) review of Arcane based on my initial reaction under the read more. (Spoilers, obviously)

TL DR: Arcane is both a masterpiece and an incredible mess. You'd be valid for loving the show or hating it or everything in between, but I personally adored it regardless.

Let's start out with the things I didn't like, since I think it's important to criticize the piece of media you like.

The show's compressed and fast pace damage the storytelling. While understandable that the animation takes a long time and adding more episodes/seasons would have made us wait even longer, it's particularly clear in season 2 that we just needed more time to breathe.

Piltover and Caitlyn both should have faced more concequences. Zaun should have been declared independent by the end of the season, with Piltover fully paying reparations. Similarly Caitlyn should have proposed to Zaun that she should face her crimes. I understand why they didn't, the thematics of sisters sticking together whatever the case, but it feels like a cop-out after talking so long about the systemic opression of Zaun.

And this is less fault of the show itself more Riot's fault, but oh my god how in the hell is this going to slot into canon. I so don't trust you to pull through on this, you've never pulled through on this.

Taken as a whole these are not minor issues, they are flaws. Flaws that could have been solved with more time, more commitment to the idea of systemic change, and Riot not being stupid respectively. If any of these are a major deal breaker, it is completly understandable. However for me, these are offset by how great the good is.

For starters, the obvious, the show is beautiful. Everyone can see that, even it's most passionate haters. And not only is it beautiful, it keeps finding different ways to be beautiful, with different animation styles or techniques. Every episode is a wonder to the eyes, and while keeping this level of quality certainly is what caused the decision to keep it to two seasons, I think personally I'd rather have it this way.

I adore how complex and multilayered the characters are. Both the villains and the heroes have virtues and flaws, you can't just say 'these are good, these are bad' no they feel real, multi-faceted. And smartly when the characters are more heroic and 'simple' (like Vi or Ekko) they are put in complex situations, and seeing them navigate those situations is incredibly interesting!

There are so many little details in every frame, that reward you for paying attention. This is the main reason why I'm not as personally hang up on the pace, because the show is so dense and filled with stuff that every second counted. And it's not just easter eggs, so many plot beats are revealed, and so many character moments are the for those who look for it. You can rewatch the show three times and still find new stuff.

The writing is superb. God just...characters talking in this show is delightful. So many wonderful conversations , so many ideas, it was just a wonder. I've been quoting shit show for years now and I don't think I'll stop now.

3 years ago TBskyen released a review of season 1 where he gave this contradictory statement "Arcane is a 10/10 show, and Arcane is a 7/10 show" . In that review he highlighted how Arcane's highs are so high that it's pitfalls feel even more massive, and how being so good 'objectively' helped the 'feel' that it could have been better.

I'm in a similar boat now. Arcane is a masterpiece, it's also deeply flaw, it's perfect just as it is, and it could have used some tweaks, it was just the right amount, and I'd love to have more of it. I'll be looking back at this show for the longest time, thinking of how great it was and how it could have been better, but for me personally it was amazing and worth every single moment.

[scarebats]

this is just gonna be me explaining what i like and don’t like about each bttf and going into depth x

be warned my opinions are very strong and i wrote a lot😭

i did not check for spelling or grammar so expect mistakes!!

okay so for the first movie, i personally think that it’s an amazing introduction to a trilogy. in the beginning you’re wonderinf why marty is in a room with a bunch of clocks and such, overall you’re just curious about who he is. then it moves onto when he realizes he’s late for school n stuff. from how people react to him (like mr strickland who is also stinger) you can tell that he doesn’t have the best track record of being polite or tactical. also how it’s obvious how much he cares about jennifer and his music this is actually just me explaining the movie plot shit

BTTF 1

so again i really like how each character is introduced, and i also like how marty and george have more similar traits when they’re both 17, because then they’re basically the same person. they’re in love with a girl, and are passionate about one this but can’t handle rejections. i like how they made marty so similar to 1955 george, but then different in the original 1985 because they didn’t fall in love how they’d wanted (not the best explanation) anyways i also find it funny how doc’s appearance doesn’t change for 30 years. idk i find that funny. and how doc has pictures of famous scientists instead of like family photos in the house that he inherited from his family😭 also!! in the original 1985, doc only had his shed (where the delorian was kept) and next to it was a burger king, and that’s because he blew all of his family fortune on failed projects. very sorry that i keep gettinf off track, i am very passionate about back to the future. anyways! i like how biff is generally the same in 1955 and original 1985, just his behaviour is less justified while he’s 47 years old😭 and in the new 1985 how he’s showed that he learned his place (which kinda confuses me because it was literally a singular punch that did that) but still has that same personality revealed in the second movie

honestly i think that how marty was literally the reason his parents got together, and then 30 years later (to his parents) his dad literally says to him “30 years ago, a young man once told me, you can accomplish anything if you put your mind to it” LIKE HOW COULD HE NOT LOOK AT HIS SON AND THINK “OH SHIT IT WAS YOU” ??? i’m sorry that party makes me very angry. like the REASON that you are married to the love of your life is your son, who just so happens to look exactly like the man that gave you the piece of advice that you now live by. what a coincidence! you even fucking named your son after that man. like ITS SO FRUSTRATING.

BTTF 2

i like how doc and marty’s relationship seems more closely bind together as father-son kind of, also bttf part 2 is my favourite!!! personally, i also enjoy how hill valley generally stays the same, just modified along with the times. like how the clock tower still stands and the café is still in service. it’s also a bit cliche how each movie has basically the same plot, just different scenes. also !! i think it’s cool how they include scenes from the first movie (the enchantment under the sea dance) into the second movie and created a whole new point of view to think about while you watch the first movie again. when griff (biff’s grandson) tries to get martin (marty’s son) along with his friends, the amount of groaning is insane… i’m just enjoying this part of the movie and then marty just takes his son’s hat and pretends to be him and then griff is groaning while spikes come out of nowhere and he fr tries to kill him like what. not to mention that he son is knocked out behind the bar of the café and marty couldn’t give any shits😭 and also how rude those two little kids were when marty was showing them how to play that video game (the one the foreshadows the end of the movie and the bttf part 3) “you have to use your hands!?” YES. YES YOU DO YOU SPOILED BRAT. that’s how they envisioned 2015 in 1988 thats so crazy to me. also jaws 19 😭 that’s just the portion of the movie that’s in 2015 tho. bro how jennifer is literally passed out in an alley for most of that too is so crazy

then like she wakes up and stuff and finds her future self and all that too but that’s not that interesting for me

THE LIKE 9 SCREENS ON ONE TV THAT MARTIN WAS WATCHING ALL AT ONCE.

i like the alternate 1985 where biff turned hill valley into like the strip in las vegas. he literally could’ve actually went to las vegas but he decided to stay in hill valley😭 made a museum of himself too like what. oh yeah i also like how much marty struggles to get the sports book back from biff in 1955 and he literally hides in mr stricklands office and it ends up being some explicit magazine😭 now onto the end of the movie… marty from bttf 1 finally goes back in the delorian and then doc is celebrating that one of his inventions work and stuff. then immediately after marty is already there and he’s like “you fucked shit up”

BTTF 3

i absolutely hate how marty and doc’s character traits were basically flipped in the third movie. like suddenly marty is being reasonable and wants to get home, and doc fr starts saying “this is heavy” LIKE WHAT MARTY WAS DOING FOR THE PAST TWO MOVIES. and then he proceeds to throw any logic that he made clear himself put the window when he met clara😭 the same clara that was supposed to die off of that cliff and then be known as “clayton canyon” or something like that. one scene “me? falling in love? pfft” the very next scene “i will throw away the future of this guy who is like a son to me and myself for you” SHE WAS SUPPOSE TO DIE. i get the love at first sight and all but you’re gonna mess up literally everything man. also i know that they’re living in the old west, but their tans look so unnatural😭 and how 1955 doc specifically tells marty to change his shoes into boots when he gets there and the first thing that happens is he gets chased by a bear and uses the boots as a distraction to get away. those shoes are iconic fr (i own the same shoes) bttf part 3 is my least favourite movie in the franchise, mainly because it completely goes against how the characters act in the other two movies. also how jennifer was sleeping on her front porch since like the middle of bttf part 2 is insane😭 i get that it’s technically been october 25th since the first movie, but please she’s been asleep for like at least a week technically. omg i forgot maddog aka buford tannen😧 he like. challenges marty to a duel and then gets covered in manure again. it’s pretty funny

—

thank you to whoever actually read this💕

[dollsonmain]

Random babbling

That lot of dolls with Jetta is on track to arrive tomorrow. It’s in Hagerstown today which is one stop away from our delivery hub.

The other Goodwill buys haven’t shipped, yet.

There’s a mystery package OFD that’s coming from where MiL lives so either she’s sent something for That Guy or Son and forgot to tell me. She usually tells me when there’s a package for Son so I can let her know when it’s arrived, so might be for That Guy. It was his birthday this past weekend.

-

Things have been disappearing lately.

The take out food containers I’d been reusing to work on dolls and ponies all just vanished at once. All of them. Poof. They’re the shallow, plastic ones with lids. One of the boys must have recycled the whole lot of them. Don’t like that. I used them a lot to hold things while working on things, keep them separate, keep them off the counter or touching other things I’m working on if it’s something gross like rusty tails, etc.

It’s frustrating to have something I use a lot suddenly gone.

Another thing is the cleaning cloths. That was a pack of 12 and I can locate about half as many, now.

However, I have caught myself throwing those in the trash without thinking a time or two, like I would a paper towel. I may have thrown them out and not realized.

-

I realized that I have That Guy’s credit score in my hands and that’s very weird. I could easily rack up his card pushing him into over-use (though his credit limit is really high so that would be rather difficult), or not pay the bills without saying anything and let it go to collections.

Not that I would do either of those things. It’s just weird that, in a situation and relationship where I’m very much cut off from money in such a way that I can’t stash any away in my savings or use it to buy what and from where I actually want (like dolls and stuff off of stores like Mandarake), I also have that kind of possible influence.

It seems illogical.

-

I barely ate this past week, and that’s very likely contributed to my hard crash over the weekend.

I did eventually get through the bag of apples other than two that I had to toss because they were prematurely gross. I ate all of the peppers. Ate the loaf of bread and 2 pieces from the bag of pitas. The boys ate a good deal of the pita chips I’d made. I know I ate 1 stove top and 1 microwave ramen at some point, and I think 2 TV dinners.

For a whole week, that’s not much food at all.

But also I’ve noticed things don’t smell or taste right again. The microwave ramen smelled like elephant poop, and lots of different things have smelled and tasted like play-doh. I wonder if I picked up covid again at that school meeting and am just not having many symptoms this time, or if it’s the same occasional Smell Wrong that I’d been experiencing since the first couple bouts of covid a few years back.

But it triggered a memory of having a similar kind of problem causing food aversion a long time ago and now I’m wondering if that bout of diagnosed anorexia was really a months-long struggle with an unrecognized viral infection.

Though I do still have the body dysmorphia (50 pounds ago I felt like I look the way I do now).

-

I’ve been inundated with makeup and hair videos on Instagram again, likely because I interact with doll faceups and styling videos.

It’s.... How to say....

I still find it uncomfortable that so many people feel obligated to go to such lengths to make themselves look different than they are.

Like, grooming is one thing. Being clean, you know? Putting some goop on your skin so it’s not itchy and cracking and you’re not picking up little infections. that kind of thing. Grooming.

But it’s so much of curly haired people straightening it, straight haired people curling it, wear a wig even though it’s itchy, put on those fake lashes, your nose is the wrong shape regardless of the shape it is so change it with makeup, do not dare to have uneven skintone...

I think that I am very lucky to be ok with how I look. Like, I don’t find myself attractive, but I also don’t feel a need to put on makeup or spend lots of time styling my hair into a shape it doesn’t want to be.

I found the haircut that suits my hair and it happens to be a wash-and-wear cut, too. I have lots of pimples and pick at them because they annoy me but don’t feel a need to cover them up.

Which has nothing to do with people that do their hair and makeup in a way that ISN’T meant to conform to “beauty norms” and do it to be more colorful and for fun.

I think I am lucky in that because so many people can’t feel content in their own skin.

(Though, going back to the body dsymorphia thing, I do feel a need to cover up my body because it feels like I’m doing the general public a disservice if I don’t, and that’s silly.)

-

Also thought it was funny that Volks released Tall Wolf Man BJD, and then Luts was like Oh? GIANT Cat Man BJD, then!!!!

[atlasllm]

I know you're blog title is probably exaggerating, but I wanna know exactly what moments and what about them made you cry. Hold nothing back. I'm willing to read a Bible's worth of this stuff. I love hearing about how people emotionally connect to pieces of fiction in a positive way, especially if it's something near and dear to me like Sonic.

nope i am not exaggerating in the slightest lol, i've kept count for the past year

That being said, I don't remember ALL of each moments that made me cry, but I answered a similar question a year ago (back then the count was only 6 times)

I cried because Sonic reminds me of a very obscure comfort character of mine and one of the 2 people I talk to who know about this character confirm that he is exactly like him, which hits deep because they both are optimistic punk guitarists who would definitely fit My Chemical Romance's "Danger Days" album due to their life philosophies

I made a new friend recently One of my friends has been a Sonic fan longer than I've been alive, and since I got into Sonic post-Forces they said that they were glad the first game I can experience be released is Sonic Frontiers because of how massively amazing it is in comparison to how the franchise has been for the past decade

Catching up with a friend since they're working and I'm in college and they allowed me to infodump on Discord call about Sonic Frontiers... I forget WHY exactly it made me cry at the moment but like, god this game was so good and I was only WATCHING gameplay

I think more recent ones I remember have been:

Outright crying because it took me so many hours to finally beat the Master King Koco Trial (I have video of this but I don't think I'm ready to use vids of me crying for internet clout yet LMAO)

Hearing I'm Here (Revisited) for the first time and hearing the instrumental + Kellin Quinn's vocals as Eggman aims the rifle, seeing Sonic grow so powerful he defeats The End in one shot, floats through space unconscious, and lands back down onto the planet okay and finally able to be with his friends again

I'm not 100% sure about these ones, but I guarantee-ish moments I have cried were:

Watching Penny "Snapcube" Parker play Sonic Frontiers (like I've said, this is the first Sonic game I've actively followed coming out + would have just watched let's plays before realizing it looked so fun to play that I wanted it for Christmas) and her playing the entire Chaos Island storyline where Sonic admits Tails is basically his little brother and he'll miss him when he goes out on his own adventure

Sage's sacrifice + hearing Dear Father

That shot in the original ending (Penny played Hard Mode so it was getting me antsy enough to see what the ending would be after the bullet hell section) where it's just Sonic flying through the air like a shooting star; the shot of Sonic being a literal star coupled with the specific part of I'm With You that plays just looked so incredibly beautiful

While once again I'm not sure if I can name specific moments, but Sonic Frontiers is genuinely one of the best experiences I've had. For the longest time I've only played free-to-play MMOs like Wizard101 and Toontown (and also Minecraft Bedrock edition), and while I have yet to catch up to Wizard101, I've never really gotten attatched to triple A games.

Watching Penny play Sonic Frontiers, after ages of hearing that "oh this old Sonic game is the best" "eugh these past few Sonic games are terrible" and seeing a human just genuinely enjoy this fresh new game, especially as the first Sonic game that I as a newer fan was seeing experience in real time, just filled me with so much joy. Seeing each update come out to make it better and better, and seeing Frontiers completely blow itself out of the water and put Sonic on-par with other triple A games instead of being seen as a joke 24/7, it made the experience of Sonic Frontiers being my first real Sonic game so much more sweeter. And heck, it's incredibly accessible! Wizard101 is basically a card game simulator and even I with a keyboard was able to 100% it, play hard mode, and complete the DLC!

I think that in itself, seeing Frontiers as my first Sonic game and seeing how good it is, just makes the entire experience really emotional for me. How so many of my friends who've been fans longer than me are excited I get to experience the same joy they felt when they first became Sonic fans. It's like seeing an old friend that you haven't seen for a long time mixed with the sheer joy of waking up on Christmas morning during your childhood.

I have a lot of feelings about this game ;w;

EDIT: OH OH that part where Sonic grabs the giant sword and slashes Knight in half coupled with the ending of Find Your Flame 100% made me cry too

[full-moon-rising]

Chapter 10: Cats - Bags

Summary:

The heroes begin their efforts to bring Marinette home by recounting their roles in the battle with Hawk Moth and Mayura. It is not as easy as it sounds, and in the process, the proverbial cat escapes the metaphorical bag.

Notes:

This story was fun to write. Granted, I spent way too much time in tears at some points, but it really wanted to be told.

Ten: Cats - Bags

Do you know that silence that you get when you tell someone that the world as they know it is all jacked up? It was like that. Alya and Nino were sitting at the table with me, and their brains hadn’t caught up with their jaws which were hanging open. We were in the kitchen and Sabine had already gone to bed. The Kwami were off somewhere nearby, but clearly leaving us alone. I wasn’t sure how long I was going to wait for my friends to mentally catch up, but I could see twitching in Alya’s left eye, so I figured it wouldn’t be long.

“Fuck.” There she was.

“Right?” I asked.

“Why didn’t Plagg tell us this a year ago? It would have saved you a lot of grief.” Nino caught up too. Good, we could get on with this.

“Plagg was in his own form of shock, and I put him in the box the same night. Turns out he kind of went into a bit of a fugue state. He only came out of it the night the thing happened in Marinette’s room because he could feel Tikki’s presence.”

“And he didn’t say anything then?” Alya asked.

“Come on Alya, even a god needs to get his feet under him after an experience like that. But he confirmed that what I felt wasn’t all in my head.”

“Woah, dude. Does this mean what I think it means?”

“I don’t know, and neither does Plagg. This has never happened to him before. And as he said himself, this isn’t his area of expertise.”

“One of these days we have got to get a deeper explanation of just how this whole kwami/god thing works.” Alya made a good point. All this time we never went looking for what was really going on.

“Then we’ll have to figure out how to fix this, or we’ll never find out, because Tikki is likely the only one that could give us details.” I rested my head in my hands, elbows on the table. It had been a long day and was going to get longer. I had arranged for one of the other bakers to take my shifts for the next week while we were trying to find Marinette and Tikki.

So where do you start when your goal is to look for a ghost and a god? It was after 2 a.m. when we finally called it a night. Alya and Nino had the weekend to help and were going to stay at the bakery while we worked on this.

The next day we met in the living room and began work in earnest. We agreed that the first place to start was recounting the events of that awful day. There was a problem that we hadn’t thought about, but there was nothing to do but push through.

We each sat at our laptops and put down our memories with as much detail as we could. Every little thing could be the thing that gave us the clue that we needed. I wrote down everything. Everything I could remember. And in the process, I discovered something unsettling. There were gaps in my memory. Holes in my internal story. How do you forget the most important, traumatic day of your life?

Alya and Nino didn’t fare any better. When we were done, we had three stories that told similar tales but with differences. Some of them big, some small. It was like we attended three different battles with the same theme. We tried to make them come together, but it was like making puzzle pieces fit in places that were just that little bit off.

“But I remember you knocked Hawk Moth off his feet at the Arc.” Alya declared.

“Alya, you weren’t even there when that happened. You were still a block off, trading blows with Mayura.” That was Nino who had been with her at that moment.

“Then why do I remember it?”

“How many times did you go over your notes before you wrote the story up in the Ladyblog? And you didn’t even get to it for almost a week and a half. We were attending memorials on top of memorials and planning them for family and friends. You had to rely on the memories of people who were still grieving, some of them telling you what they saw, or heard, or read over the week before.”

“Hey, babe, he’s right. I remember reading an article for a science report that said that every time we unpack a memory and think about it, we can make little changes in it by seeing a problem or event just a little differently and then making a new explanation or image fit into it. Next time it comes up, it will have that new element woven into it, just like it had always been there.”

“I know I’m forgetting things,” I told them. “We need another way to check our facts and memories.”

“I think I can help there.”

Three heads spun to look at the entrance to the bakery. There stood Sabine. Holding onto the wall to support herself, she looked at each of us like she was seeing us for the first time.

“How long have you been there?” I asked.

“Long enough to know that I’m talking to the three Heroes of Paris.”

I got up and almost ran to her. Stopping just short of hugging her.

“Long enough to have discovered that my daughter was Ladybug.” She almost whispered Ladybug.

“Sabine…”

“Adrien, or do I call you Chat Noir?”

I didn’t know what to do. What to say.

“Adrien, then. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I couldn’t. If anyone found out that Marinette was Ladybug, it might have led them to Chat Noir, Carapace, or Rene Rouge.”

“So instead, you three went through the most difficult times of your lives alone. No wonder you were such a mess, Adrien. You lost your father, your partner, your girlfriend all in one day.”

“I’m sorry Sabine. I wanted to tell you every day so you would know what a brave and amazing woman your daughter was.”

“I already knew that, dear.” She put her hand on my cheek. “Is that why you started working here?”

“No.” I looked at the floor for a moment then met her eyes. “You are the only family I had left. And those two.” I pointed at Nino and Alya. “I didn’t want to lose that. I … needed…someone to be family. Someone I could take care of and could take care of me. I’m sorry. That sounds awful.”

“Not awful, son. Very human. I needed someone too. I don’t regret a minute of you living here. I think you were the only reason I didn’t lose it completely.” Sabine pulled me into a hug. After a moment, she pulled back and looked at Alya and Nino. “And you two, my god, the responsibility you took on afterwards. Becoming the new Heroes. Thanks for taking care of Adrien too.” Sabine walked over to the table and took one of the stools. She turned my laptop screen toward her to see what was written. “Oh my god. Adrien. Gabriel was…”

“Yeah. I lost my father long before that battle.” Sabine shook her head.

“Alya. I’m going to give you the name of a friend of mine who works at the T.V. station, a colleague of Nadja. She should have access to all the footage that the station gathered after the battle. They have cell phone videos, and cctv footage as well. Go talk to her.”

“I thought the kwami were mysterious,” I laughed. “We need to sit down one day, so you can tell me who you really are behind that apron.”

“We all have our secrets, son. I’ll let you get back to it. If you need anything, let me know.”

Well, that cat is out of the bag, but happily, we have a new ally in this project. Alya took off to meet Sabine’s contact, and Nino and I prepared lunch for us all when she got back.

End: Chapter 10

Next: Rena’s Chapter

[f-agagegea]

Coming next to the ranking is Scandal Vol 1&2. I’m not sure if there would be anyone who would object with me putting these two albums (ep?) together, but I count them as one era as they’re basically created around and released not that far from each other. And sonically, they’re not that different from each other to warrant separate a review, and I basically hear very similar thoughts about these two. (But if anyone is wondering, I do think the second half of the album is better.)

Anyways, in some ways, it does feel off to me to put these albums so high. They both quite messy albums, and I don’t agree with some of the musical choices being made. For example, there’s this piano note being played repeatedly at the introduction of The Beginning of the End; I understand what Marion was going for there, but it is overbearing and distracting. Or sometimes the mixing is off like the bridge in Running. There’s songs that definitely could have been removed and just have one album with the best songs that told a certain narrative. I did attempted to do my own revision of which songs made it to the tracklist and what order I would want it to go. I’m really happy with the first three order; I’d have to think about if I’m happy with the rest. But yeah…it’s a lot of songs, so that’s why Marion broke it up to two parts. To give some context, when Marion released Songs from a Blackbird, it had been about six years since she was able to release anything body of work. And she had a shelved another album because of record label issues. So with Scandal Vol. 1&2, it’s very easy to see that she was really excited to be able to release music. It does feel like she was making time that she lost. But like I mentioned before, this was a messy output with different genres kind of all over the place, and it could have been fine tuned a little more. If I had to put my “objective lens” on, I would rank these two last. But it’s high as it is because I really love some of these songs here. Scoundrels Like You is one of her best written songs she has ever written, if not THE best—it’s well structured and actually has a bit of a personality. The bass line is so good too. I did mentioned the production is messy through these albums, but this song has to be one of the tightest production. Just *chef’s kiss*. This song does not get enough recognition. Like a Moth and Goodbye My Love are the stand outs as they’re her few theatrical songs in her discography. Marion has said that she took inspiration from other people for this album, but something tells me that she was also inspired by her own personal life. This album was made before her divorce, and her ex-husband was still in the credits. But when you piece these two songs together in hindsight, along with a couple of others, you realize the album was basically signaling the end of the relationship. I think knowing this, it doesn’t made Goodbye My Love even sadder. But while it does cover the rocky relationships, it’s not all about relationships. Like for example, You Get Up Again is about being there for someone. While Never Gonna Get It is about how Marion is not the teenager girl that most people remember her as, meanwhile Better than This is about the fleeting moment of being on stage and enjoying a certain time of your life while also moving forward. These are songs are interesting in particular because you can tell if someone is an actual fan of Marion or not depending on how they talk about Better than This. More fans should listen to Never Gonna Get It for the message she wants to say.

Before I end this, I do want to talk a little bit about this time. I mentioned before that Marion has stopped updating specifically to the international fans about ten years ago. Well, this is the time where she ultimately stopped giving updates altogether. I believe it was during her time being an opening act for Lionel Richie. She had released a new version of Songs from a Blackbird with some of the songs being replaced with Scandal Vol 1&2 songs. And if I’m correct, she was trying to get an international deal, so she can release her music in other countries. But like you already know, it didn’t work out, so she mostly focuses releasing music in Norway. A sad story for us, but like you also know, she’s doing more than well for herself.

See you guys in the next post.