#I read it in 2021 and I’ve only just not stopped thinking about it

[enobariasteeth]

Oh God they’ve got banana fish on Prime video

[harryforvogue]

harry and mia blurb. 1.8k. as always, happy reading! based on this message ... from 2021

---

The thud of Harry’s duffel bag dropping onto the floor forces Mia out of her daydreams. She stops staring at him – even though it’s well within her right to as someone so intimately occupied with him – and smiles up at the newest arrival. He’s just stepped out of the bathroom, a hoodie and sweats on, dragging the bag to the end of her bed frame so it’s no longer a tripping hazard. 

Harry’s hair is tied into a bun at the back of his head, but the strands he couldn’t avoid getting wet in the shower frame his face in cute ringlets. Harry loops his work bag over the back of her desk chair and then falls onto her twin XL bed with a grunt. Face first. 

The bed is so small, not just compared to all six feet of Harry, that his arms naturally fall into her lap. He adjusts himself then, wrapping his arms around her waist, shuffling closer to bury his face against her hip. It’s easy to fall back into the rhythm of having Harry in her space, no matter how startling it is to see him only every few months. The excitement doesn’t go away totally, but it dissipates into comfort. Evolves.

Harry sighs deeply. Mia relieves his hair of the tight bun, and then his sigh turns into a very tired hum. 

“Long flight?” Mia whispers. She walks her fingers down his neck and shoulders, pressing the backs of her knuckles into the hard flesh at the top of his spine. Harry groans and drops his shoulders.

“Worked the entire flight. I wanted to sleep,” Harry mutters. He lifts his head up and then flips over, staring at her upside down from where his head rests now in her lap. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Mia says softly, smoothing her thumbs over his forehead. “You should get some rest.”

Harry blinks. “No, I’m good. I’ll sleep at the hotel.” With yet another sound that he can’t seem to keep inside of him, he sits up and turns around, wrapping his right arm around her torso. “Come here.”

Mia happily lets him tug her towards him. His kiss is soft, always just a little bit hesitant when they meet after so long. His free hand cups her jaw, fingers curling into her own damp hair. When he pulls back, Mia swears there’s a hint of a smile on his face. The rest of him, though, still looks tired. Even his blinks are slow. 

“You can take my bed, sir,” Mia whispers, leaning in for another kiss. What she really wants to do is kiss him until she’s lost all reason, but she just feels so bad about how tired he looks. “It’s small but it’ll do the job.”

Harry drops his forehead to Mia’s shoulder. She thinks he kisses her collarbone, but she’s not too sure. The kiss is clumsy and not well positioned. Mia throws her arms around his big shoulders and goes back to knuckling at the stiff muscle, smiling when Harry shivers and spreads his large hands over her back.

“Fine,” he decides. Or maybe his body decides. “Just for half an hour.”

“Okay.” She goes to pull away. “I’ve an assignment I’ve been procrastinating anyways.”

Harry’s arms tighten. “No, sleep with me.”

It’s not a question. But it’s not an order either. Mia knows exactly how to tell the difference in tone when the statement from Harry comes as a command versus a suggestion versus – albeit rare – a joke. Right now, it’s a suggestion. He picks his head up and looks at her with his beautiful red rimmed green eyes and his pouty, tired mouth, and his red cheeks, and –

And Mia can’t say no to him.

“Yeah, all right,” she whispers, swallowing. 

Harry scoots back and pulls the duvet away. Before he buries himself into the bed, he tugs his hoodie off, giving Mia a breathtaking view of the smattering of tattoos on his arms and chest. She stops herself for a total of seven seconds before her hands are wandering over his flesh, as if it’s the first time she’s seeing them. Harry doesn’t mind, nor does he pull away. His eyes are closed, hair smushed under his cheek on her pillow. He’s taken the side closest to the wall, but even though he makes himself small, there’s so much of him. To accommodate the lack of space, Mia slinks into the warm bed and huddles close to him.

“Your roommate?” Harry murmurs against Mia’s hair. It’s a bit awkward. There’s a bit of maneuvering, and Mia ends up with her back to his chest. Still, his knees end up at her thighs and he has nowhere to put his other arm except under the pillow. It’ll fall asleep soon and cause discomfort, but Harry seems too tired to care.

“Studying in the library. Then she’s staying at her boyfriend’s dorm.”

“Did you tell her I’d be here?”

“I told her I’d have a guest.”

“Mm.” Harry’s hand slides over Mia’s skin when he snakes under her shirt. She clenches her stomach to prevent laughing out loud or jabbing her elbow into his stomach. “An hour okay? Set an alarm or something.”

“Okay,” Mia says.

She will not.

Maybe Harry will be upset with her when he ends up sleeping for a lot longer, but there’s no way a man can function like this. It’s simply not healthy. And it digs into their time together, but if Mia’s totally honest, she’s fine with just this. She’s missed Harry so much. It’s nice to be close to him, to feel his warmth against her back, his heavy arm over her waist. His presence is good for her.

Harry is out within seconds. His breathing evens before Mia actually gets comfortable.

Stupid man, Mia thinks. He overworks himself too much.

–

Later, when two and a half hours have gone by and Mia’s working on her assignment on her desk, she peeks over at him. He’s still fast asleep and hasn’t moved since he first laid down, arms where they would be if Mia was still cuddled up against him. But it’s eight p.m. now and though Harry needs the sleep, he won’t be able to rest again if he goes back to the hotel. It’ll start an annoying cycle of sleeping at the wrong hours.

He looks beautiful tucked into her ridiculously small bed. All pale skin and dark tattoos. Dark hair. She’s so happy she gets to see him in his most vulnerable state. 

Mia stands and shuffles closer. In her heart, she doesn’t want to wake him up. She leans on the mattress on her knees and carefully shakes him. “Hey. Sir, wake up.”

It takes a while to get him to give her a grunt, but when he does, he glances outside sharply and sighs at the dark night. His eyelashes stick together and there’s an imprint of her pillow’s folded edge right under his left eye.

“Amelia…”

“I know. You said to wake you up, but you looked so tired. I couldn't.”

He smells like sleep, like warmth. Mia carefully lowers herself onto him, straddling his hips, balancing herself out with hands rested on his lower stomach. Harry blinks at her a few times and then lazily looks over at his phone. The bright light illuminates his face so she has a perfect view of his furrowed eyebrows. He drops the phone back onto the bed. 

“Don’t you feel so much better?” Mia whispers. 

Harry’s fingers slide under her shirt again, holding her down. “Mhm.”

“You can stay the night, you know?”

Harry shakes his head. “Can’t.”

“You can. It’s my room and I say you can.”

It requires a fair amount of effort, but soon Harry’s sitting up, bleary eyed, rubbing his palms against his eyes. “I can’t,” he says, dropping his hands. “What time is your class tomorrow?”

“11.”

“And it’s done at–?”

“I have two classes. I’ll be done by 3.”

“I’ll pick you up at 3:45. We’ll eat in.”

He goes to move, but Mia’s hands stop him, holding him down. “Sir, you need to rest. I mean it.”

Harry’s eyebrows raise, a clear sign that he’s trying to be in charge, but the attempt melts away with his low energy. He puts his hands over hers and leans in for a quick kiss. No arguments after. He rolls her over and then heads to the bathroom to freshen up.

When he returns, she’s still sitting in her bed with her legs criss crossed, staring up at him. Before he goes to grab his bag, he leans down and kisses her hard, fingers curled around her jaw. She eagerly responds, dragging him back down by the collar so that he has to lean his weight on the mattress with a hand splayed on her headboard.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Harry’s promise is firm and resolute.He kisses her again. Pulls away. Thinks for a moment, and then kisses her once more. “It’s so very good to see you, Amelia.”

Butterflies erupt everywhere in her body. She follows his lips with her own, crawling closer when he goes to move away. “Come on. Please stay, sir.” She pouts. “You can take my bed. I’ll sleep on the floor or even my roommate’s bed.” Neither of them are her first choice, but whatever. 

Harry’s answer is a quick shake of his head. “Thank you,” he murmurs, thumbing over her mouth. “But, honestly, Amelia, the issue isn’t that.” A quick upwards turn of his lips and then – “My back will kill me tomorrow if I sleep in your bed overnight.”

Mia gapes at him as he moves to grab his work bag. “You’re such an elitist!” she whisper-shouts. “My twin XL bed wasn’t cheap! I paid for it in my room and board fees!”

Harry hums with a bigger smile on his face. “Tomorrow, 3:45. I’m going to be at your door, got it?”

“If you hate my mattress so much, why don’t you buy me a new one!”

“We’re going to my hotel and we’re going to have dinner–” he says slowly.

“And why don’t you complain to the college while you’re at it!”

“And we’ll open a bottle of wine and maybe take a bath, have dessert–” Harry comes closer, a fire in his tired eyes.

“You have no right to complain considering you just hogged my blankets for two freaking hours!”

“--and I’m finally, finally,” Harry murmurs, reaching for her jaw to shut her mouth, “going to show you how much I fucking missed you.”

Mia stops. She puts down the pillow she grabbed in her frustration to hurl at him. “Oh. Okay.”

“Okay?” Harry says, amused, searching her face.

“Uh huh.”

“Good.” Harry drops his hand and lays an innocent kiss to her cheek. It seems like a reward. “Now.” He goes for the door. “Tomorrow. I’ll see you.”

“Um.”

“Goodnight.”

Mia sits there and blinks.

“Wait!” She scrambles off the bed, running to the door. “You can’t just say that and leave! Hey!” The door shuts behind Harry, but she can hear him quietly laughing. “You can’t just leave now!”

[swiftiethatlovesf1]

Lost on you?

Heyy guys, I hope you enjoy this initial Lando story but eventually, Oscar's (I made up the years so maybe they aren't exactly accurate) , let me know what you think, inspired by LP's Lost on you :) If you want to read more stories of mine here's my masterlist.

2010 - You met Lando Norris when you were both kids, running through the karting tracks with scraped knees and boundless energy. Your fathers had been friends, and it was only natural that the two of you grew up together.

From the start, you adored him. He was the boy with the bright smile, the one who made you laugh even when you were exhausted from traveling between races. When he started karting competitively, you were there with your camera, capturing every moment.

“You should be my photographer forever,” Lando once told you, after you showed him a shot of him mid-race, helmet tilted at just the right angle to make him look invincible.

You had only been twelve at the time, but you took those words to heart.

2014 - You’re thirteen, standing by the track with your camera in hand, capturing every moment of Lando’s race. He’s just won, and as he rushes toward you, he throws an arm around your shoulders.

“You’re my lucky charm, you know that?” he says, grinning down at you. Your heart stutters.

Maybe, just maybe, you’re special to him too.

2018 - He had just signed his contract for F1, and the celebration is wild. Champagne bottles pop, the team cheers, and he finds you in the crowd.

“You’re coming with me to McLaren, right?” he asks, a little breathless.

You laugh. “Of course, Lando.”

His eyes flicker with something unreadable before he smirks. “Good. Couldn’t do this without you.”

That night, when the party dies down, you sit beside him, your hand brushing against his. But he never holds it.

2021 - You’re on his yacht, late at night after his podium finish. The city lights flicker over the water, and he turns to you, tipsy and smiling.

“If things were different,” he murmurs, “maybe we’d be something, huh?”

You barely have time to react before he laughs it off.

“Forget I said that,” he adds, walking away, leaving you frozen in place.

2023 - You’ve spent over a decade by his side, capturing his career, supporting him, loving him in the quiet spaces between races and podiums. And yet, he never stays. He never chooses you.

So, one night, you gather the courage.

“I need to know,” you say, your voice barely above a whisper. “If you feel the same way, or if I have to move on.”

Lando stares at you. “YN, you’re my best friend, but—”

“But I’m not enough,” you finish for him.

His silence is louder than any rejection.

“I don’t fit your life? That’s rich, considering I’ve spent my entire life in it.”

Lando sighs, running a hand through his hair. “It’s not like that.”

“Then explain it to me,” you press. “Because I’ve been here for everything—every race, every podium, every heartbreak. I’ve been the one who’s stood by you through all of it. And you’re telling me I don’t fit your life?”

He exhales sharply, shaking his head. “It’s different. You don’t get it.”

You laugh bitterly. “No, Lando, I get it perfectly. I was good enough when you needed someone to boost your ego, when you wanted someone to flirt with but never commit to. I was good enough when you needed a constant in your life. But now, suddenly, I’m not?”

“It’s not about you,” he insists, frustration creeping into his voice. “It’s about me, about what I need.”

You step back, crossing your arms. “And what you need isn’t me.”

His silence is all the answer you need.

Tears burn at the back of your eyes, but you refuse to let them fall. “You don’t get to do this to me anymore, Lando. You don’t get to keep me around like some backup plan. I deserve better than that.”

He doesn’t stop you when you walk away.

2025 - A McLaren dinner. You weren’t going to come, but Oscar insisted. And when you arrive, hand in hand with him, you know you made the right choice.

Lando is laughing with the team until he hears your voice.

“Sorry we’re late,” you say, squeezing Oscar’s hand before taking your seat beside him. “There was traffic.”

Silence.

Lando looks up, eyes locking with yours. Shock. Regret. Something else. But it doesn’t matter anymore.

You’re finally moving on.

Oscar wraps an arm around your shoulders, pressing a quick kiss to your temple before diving into conversation with the team. You’re laughing, engaged, your eyes bright in a way Lando hasn’t seen in a long time.

And suddenly, it hits him.

That could have been me.

It’s a thought that won’t leave his head as the night goes on. He watches how Oscar pulls you closer when you shiver, how you whisper things to him that make him chuckle. How you look at Oscar the way you used to look at him.

Lando had thought you would always be there. That no matter how many times he led you on and pushed you away, you’d stay.

But now, as Oscar presses a soft kiss against your lips, Lando realizes he was wrong.

And he has never regretted anything more in his life.

[petercapaldi-press]

INTERVIEW

'This is my tribute to 1980s Glasgow,' says Peter Capaldi

March 22, 2025

By Teddy Jamieson

We begin - and this may not totally surprise you - with a bit of swearing. There’s a line on your new album, I say to Peter Capaldi, that I have to ask about. At one point you sing: “I talk a lot and know f*** all.” Now, tell me, Peter, is that you singing in character or are you talking about yourself?

Sitting in his agent’s office some 400 odd miles south of me, Peter Capaldi - formerly the expletive machine that was Malcolm Tucker in The Thick of It, formerly a Timelord, formerly of Glasgow but long resident in London - smiles before admitting, “Yeah, that’s true. I do. That’s me.” 

But then he adds, “It’s a lot of people really. That’s quite common.”

Yes, Peter Capaldi has made a record. Another one. After 2021’s Saint Christopher he returns this month with Sweet Illusions which has - as you now know - sweary bits (though, actually, not that many) and guitars and synthesisers and songs called things like The Big Guy and Bin Night.

It’s not really what you expect 66-year-old successful actors to do. Especially 66-year-old actors who are still busy with the day job. Right now Capaldi is shooting a second series of his Apple+ police series Criminal Record and you’ll see him soon in Black Mirror.

Today, though, he’s talking to me, and, yes, he’s talking a lot. About music and acting and ageing and anything else that comes to mind. 

We start with the music. Even though he has previous experience as a musician - back at the start of the 1980s he was in a band with future comedian Craig Ferguson called The Dreamboys - it was still something of a surprise when he released his first album. Clearly, it didn’t scratch the itch and now he’s back with another.

The explanation is simple enough. “I enjoyed doing the first one so much I just wanted to carry on doing it,” Capaldi explains.

“When I was a kid, if you wanted to record an album you had to be signed to a record label. I essentially do this myself. I have collaborators who I work with, but essentially if you have a computer and you’ve got GarageBand or Logic you can start to put songs together.

“I take it seriously but lightly, if you know what I mean,” he adds. “My intention is not to have a new career or be a pop star. It’s just a creative thing that is very accessible.”

It was his friend and producer Dr Robert - once of The Blow Monkeys - who first encouraged Capaldi to start writing songs. And now Capaldi can’t stop.

“I read that the only way you get a good song is by writing a hundred terrible ones. I think I’m still working my way through the hundred.”

That’s self-deprecation at work. Sweet Illusions is far from rubbish. Ask him to describe what it sounds like and he says, “It’s fairly nostalgic guitar and synth tribute to eighties Glasgow. That’s what I think it is. Because I’m really picking up where I left off,” referring to his Dreamboys days 40 years ago. 

But it’s also the work of a man in his mid-sixties. It’s unlikely that the twentysomething Peter Capaldi would be writing a song called Bin Night after all.

“I’m a big fan of bin night. The night, not the song,” he quickly adds. “Because the world is chaotic, and terrible things are happening, and there’s only five minutes you get when you can exercise any control over your fate. And that’s bin night. If you get your bins together and you get them all out, you think, ‘Well, I’ve done something constructive.’”

More than that, though, Bin Night is also a love song to his grandchildren. “I became a grandfather. I wanted to do a lullaby because I have babies back in my life again.”

There is a lot of love on the album, it’s worth saying. If you have a tendency to conflate Capaldi with the parts he plays you might be surprised by quite how romantic it is. As he sings at one point, love is all that matters.

“Yeah, it’s love that matters. That’s not a new line to have in a song, but you can do it in a song and it’s easier than doing it in a film or on stage. You can fill things with your own emotions.”

It’s possibly worth remembering at this point that Capaldi has been married to his wife Elaine Collins, herself an actor and now a TV producer, since 1991. They have been through the highs and lows of a life in acting together.

That twentysomething singer in The Dreamboys, I say, does he feel very far away from you now, Peter?

“Not very far. I mean, physically, yes. Because I’m an actor I get to see how I look and I’m always horrified to see this old guy with white hair. I don’t know where he came from. I don't imagine myself as that, but the parts I get are like that. I don’t feel that old.

“The younger one is still there. The optimism is a bit more crushed. I went to the art school and at the time there was a great ethos of just having a go. It wasn’t just the art school. I guess that’s what the whole post-punk thing was, so I still carry that.

“It doesn’t matter if what you do is great, what matters is you tried.”

The son of Nancy and Gerald John, who ran an ice cream business, Capaldi’s desire to be creative can be traced back to childhood in Glasgow.

“I could always draw from when I was little. I remember my granny felt that drawing was an Italian thing. She was talking about Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, not the son of an ice cream van vendor.

“But when I was little I remember I had a shoe box and - this is how long ago it was - I cut the front off of it and made a wee studio in it. It was Ready Steady Go, a programme that was the precursor to Top of the Pops, and I drew little people; little John, Paul, George and Ringo, and a camera and all that.”

What he wanted back then, he says, was not to be an actor or a musician. It was simpler than that. “I wanted to be on the telly. I wanted to be part of that whole thing.”

What eventually happened was that he met the film director Bill Forsyth who gave him a role in his film Local Hero.(Image: unknown)

"I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him and a lot of people wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him,” he says of Forsyth. “My career is thanks to him.”

Everyone asks you about Doctor Who and The Thick of It, I say, but what I really wanted to speak to you about was Ken Russell’s incredibly camp 1988 vampire movie Lair of the White Worm which also starred Hugh Grant and Amanda Donohoe. What was it like working with Russell, the master of excess?

“It was great. We laughed so much. Hugh Grant was so funny. Such a smart, witty guy. He’s great company. Great cast all together, happy days.”

As for Russell himself, “he’d be fine in the morning and then at lunchtime he’d go into his trailer and he would emerge as the enfant terrible of the sixties. I don’t know if he had been quaffing champagne, or what had gone on at lunchtime, but he was mad then. He would push the cameraman off the camera and he would take over.

“I remember he was very serious about that film. It subsequently became well known as a comedy, but that wasn’t intentional at the time.

“It was a wee bit weird. I’d stumble onto a stage in Shepperton and there were some quite racy sequences that didn’t appear in the film being shot.”

Capaldi had his own ambitions as a director. In 1992 he wrote and starred in the romcom Soft Top, Hard Shoulder alongside Collins and a year later he wrote and directed the short Franz Kafka’s It’s A Wonderful Life which won him an Oscar at the 1995 Academy Awards. At which point he was being courted by the Weinsteins and a career as a Hollywood hot shot seemed just a contract away, only for the Weinsteins to renege on the offer.

“I think it was for the best,” he says now. 

“At the time it was difficult. The rug’s pulled from under your feet. But if I’d done that I wouldn’t have gone back to acting and I’ve enjoyed acting so much since then.”

Still, a year to the day after winning an Oscar, he told Kirsty Young on her Radio 4 show Young Again in 2024, he was shooting a local dog food commercial.

“We had to shoot it within the range of the M25, the ring road that goes around London, but the product was from Cornwall,” Capaldi recalls when I bring it up. “I had to find a farm and a field and a dog because we didn't have enough money to go any further than that

“And the client, who was from Cornwall, said the soil was the wrong colour. ‘This is brown, the soil in Cornwall is red.’ What am I supposed to do with that information? So I thought I don’t want to spend my life doing this, apologising for the earth.”

What followed were what we might call his Midsomer Murder years; guest parts in TV series and small parts in films. 

“I think I was a bit disappointed,” he says of that time. “You start to go, ‘Oh well, I’m not going to do those great parts or whatever. I’m just going to be a bellringer in Midsomer Murders.’ And there is a delight in that, a grace and a dignity in that. And I love that in actors. They really get knocked about. They’re up and down. They’ve got mortgages to pay and look after their kids. I can see it in their eyes.”

Of course at that point he was also sharing a house with another actor. 

“That was where Elaine’s production career started because there was a period there where I really wasn’t earning anything. She made some enquiries with some friends who were working in production and she got a job reading scripts and doing reports for the BBC. And they were so impressed by her they said, ‘There’s a job going.’ A script assistant or something in the drama department. ‘Would you come in and try and go for it?’ “That’s how she eventually ended up becoming a producer.

“She’s my boss just now,” Capaldi says, referring to Criminal Record. How is that?

“She’s great. The show that we’re doing now I really enjoy doing. It’s very demanding,very modern, and the subjects that it deals with are hard. 

“And that all comes from her. Crime wasn’t a particular interest for her, but she’s extremely well read. People would come into the house and go, ‘Oh Peter, all these books, you must be very well read.’ I have to go, ‘They’re Elaine’s books. They’re not mine. My books are the Doctor Who annuals over there.’”

Have you written a song for her yet, Peter?

“Many songs. Many, many songs on the album.”

It was being cast as Malcolm Tucker in Armando Iannucci’s scabrous political sitcom The Thick of It that heralded the second act of Capaldi’s career. Those fey, gangly, awkward young men he played in his twenties were now pushed aside as he became the fire-breathing spin doctor with a caustic line in sweary putdowns.

“That’s just what life does to you. I couldn’t have played that part until the time I played it,” he suggests. He needed to have experienced the “various kickings” life had in store for him, he says, to be able to play Tucker

“I knew by the time I came to play that part that things could go wrong. I was tougher, I was a different person. That helped ignite Malcolm.”

It is now 13 years since he said goodbye to Tucker, eight years (and two Doctors) since he handed the keys of the Tardis to Jodie Whittaker. Capaldi has now moved into the veteran-stroke-legend part of his career. Or, as he would have it, his don’t-give-a-stuff years.

That’s what’s great about being in your sixties, he says, you don’t care anymore.

“Physically, you can’t escape the fact that things can get a little bit tougher. But, as yet, that hasn’t really impacted me. I get a bit knackered, more knackered than I used to.”

He pivots to the personal. “I love having grandkids. I love … I wouldn’t call it wisdom …There’s a kind of understanding, a perspective, about what’s important and what’s not important which you don’t have when you’re younger and I welcome that very much. You don’t waste your time. You’ve only got X amount.”

He smiles again. “It’s funny, my wife …” he begins, “I’ve never been obsessed with death or the ending of life. I think she’s been obsessed with it since she was a kid.

“So, it’s only recently I’ve begun to realise, ‘Oh, right, so this doesn’t go on and on and on. There’s a point where this ends.’ And if you’re lucky it ends neatly.

“So I am conscious of that, but it just makes me want to enjoy life more, be a part of life. 

“I’m very, very lucky because the shows that I’ve been involved in - obviously Doctor Who, but also The Thick of It -  have a large appeal to young people. So I have a lot of young people talk to me. And also with the music, I’ve got a band who are all so much younger than me and it's great to be part of all that, to be in that world.

“And it's very stimulating rather than just locking the doors and saying, ‘I'm going to be old now.’

“Is it a struggle? I don't know. It’s a struggle sometimes because it's physically a bit tougher. But I don't find that I struggle psychologically. Other than the ticking clock.”

Towards the end of last year Capaldi returned to playing music live with a gig in Stereo in Glasgow. He’s not sure if he’ll do many more.

“I’m not trying to have another career, so I don’t really want to have a big tour. I don’t want a pile of people I have to answer to. So, we’re going to do Belladrum Festival in August and that’s great. The big band’s are on the big stage and we’re on a little stage and that’s perfect. 

"And hopefully we’ll do a couple of gigs before that as well.”

Maybe you could see the current chapter in Peter Capaldi’s life as a sort of homecoming. He’s reconnecting with that young musician he once was. And he is also reconnecting with his own origin story in Glasgow.

“I’m in Glasgow much more now than I have been for years. My daughter, who was born and raised in north London, has moved to Glasgow with my grandchildren. Because although she was a north London girl her granny was in Glasgow and she’d come to Glasgow to see her granny who’s no longer with us. So she’s very familiar with the place. She loves Glasgow, she loves the scale of it, the kids love it, so we’re spending a lot more time there.”

There’s a sense of circularity in that, he admits, and a reminder of the city that made him who he is.

“I love Glasgow. The thing is you carry it with you anyway. Glasgow is part of me and I’m happy about that.”

Peter Capaldi talks a lot and, it turns out, he does know a thing or two. Whatever he might sing.

Sweet Illusions comes out on the Last Night From Glasgow label on Friday. 

Credits:

With thanks to the Lord Palmerston Pub, Dartmouth Road, London.

Blue shirt and both suits by Edward Sexton, plum shirt by Paul Smith. 

Paul Stuart's Assistant: Elvis Elliott

[movedtoadifferentspace]

i shifted last night for the first time in 2 years. . .

MOVED TO @kodtheshiftinggodd !

📌 — QUICK RUNDOWN OF MY SHIFTING JOURNEY

umm so i started on shifttok ( unfortunately) back in like november of 2021, i was shifting to naruto. during like 2021-2022 i had experienced a lot of shifts, ranging from weird realities i didn’t plan on going to, only being there for a few moments, not realizing i was there even though i was there for over an hour, and literally shifting while doing dishes. 🧍

sometime in like the summer of 2022 i stopped shifting doing to being in a relationship with this really cringy dude… who like thought i would disappear out of thin air… if i shifted… ( and some shifttok drama that i got brought into, that’s a whole other story if you wanna hear that, the rundown is i got randomly outcasted bc i had BPD and autistic traits ( literally what they said ) ) yeah not my finer moment. anyways, i also just lost a lot of motivation for it. i still hated this reality but i don’t know, shifting just, idk. it took me just a few months ago to realize that the shifttok mean girls who outcasted me, made me feel like i didn’t deserve to shift in some way. ( when i realized that, i realized how fucking stupid that was )

and so i’ve been really reevaluating my journey, spent a lot of time of shiftblr instead of shifttok, even started my own discord to get rid of misinfo!!! which by the way shiftblr has helped me change my mindset SO MUCH! like i’ve been literally a ghost on here but i adore ya’ll so much !!and basically i feel really confident about shifting. i’ve shifted every time i tried, even though it was a very short shift, i have been practicing manifestation, LOA, & meditation and yeah here we are !

🐇 — THE SHIFT ITSELF

so i read something last night on shiftblr, it’ll be linked here, i already was/am in the mindset of “if i try to shift i’m going to fucking shift” like it doesn’t matter to me anymore, i’m doing it. instead of trying every night, i’ve been focused on trying on weekends when i have no responsibilities and such. though throughout this week i have been practicing my meditation/reaching the void state. SO i saw that post and honestly… i wasn’t really like looking to shift, it was a very impromptu thing. i put on a subliminal [ the one i used ] and i went to bed. i was thinking about one my alt realities a better cr though i hate the term better cr where i live in Oregon, and I am a tattoo apprentice, Levi Ackerman from AOT is the one I am apprenticing for. this is really based on me learning how to tattoo and not having to spend time with the AOT cast while also fighting titans and save the world. while that is great, I wanted something chill SO YEAH. I fell asleep to thinking about that… and I shifted. not to that reality but a weird parallel/version of it?

I did this with my first ever shift too. it was almost like a dreamlike reality, but only subtly. soooo I did reality checks.. and it for sure wasn’t a dream. I lived in the apartment above the shop ( which isn’t what i scripted ) and I went down and just went to work with Levi, Hange, and Zeke. I was really on edge though, like “omg i shifted” “i’m literally talking to Levi wtf” like i had no time to process or ground myself so i ended up coming back. but yeah. that’s what happened and i’m determined to get to this ALT reality. ( not in a rushed way, but a ‘i know im going to get there soon’ way )

anyways, that’s my first ever shiftblr post ahhh xxxx

creds to @jolynesmom for their post that i found

ALSO ANY TIPS WILL BE WONDERFUL, i’m literally always looking for things to improve my journey <3 or new things to try at least

happy shifting <3

[athletickat]

Fic Rec 2025 (AO3 masterlist)

Hey girls and gays. So, it's been 5 years since I started reading fan fiction, and I honestly did not think it would take me this far. I started out as reading only Dramione and Harry Potter fics, but then I got into anime and thought hey what the hell there are probably some bomb ass fics out there... and I was right 😏. I'm just a simple girl who loves reading about 2 hot men (sometimes 3) getting in seriously messed up relationships with each other, and I figured I should share my obsession with the world (bc I KNOW I'm not the only one). I have indulged and devoured fics from lots of fandoms (mainly MHA , AOT, and Haikyu!!), and I want to rec and review my fav fics I've read for the people out there who love gay shit and have way too much time on their hands 😌

My full bookmark list on AO3 My Dramione Fic Recs 2020 and 2021

So without further ado here's my fic master list...

AOT Fandom 

featuring...

Ereri   Eruri Erwin/Eren/Levi (when you want some spice) 😏

Is there a difference between Riren and Ereri?? I didn't know. I'm into both Riren and Ereri, so take your pick!

Okay before people start saying shit, I was against Ereri at first too. I thought why do I want to read something that ships a 15-year-old with a 30-year-old, plus the first scene they had together was Levi beating Eren’s ass, and not in a sexy way. I tried to get into Eruri fics, but I didn't like the dynamics the two characters had with each other, so I circled back to Levi and Eren. Turns out I like reading ships with a nontoxic (...okay sometimes toxic) power imbalance and characters who are so fucked up and traumatized they can’t help but need each other. Hence angsty, dark, sexy, and fluffy Ereri fics at your service. I give some love to Erwin in there, don’t worry though. I stopped really thinking about the age difference thing bc it's fiction, and in my pretty little head, I'm imagining two grown fine-ass men with fucked up personalities and attachment issues going at it. So, Suck it!

Ereri

Good Enough to Eat by @wasterella

A/B/O fic, but like werewolves. This is the first fic in this fandom that I ate TF UP. This was my breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert for 2 days. Fabulous fic. The plot is insane and very well-paced. Definitely a top-tier Ereri fic. 

In this Life, And the Next by HBJenko

Another top-tier Ereri fic. Like seriously this is one of the best fics I've ever read, in all fandoms I've read. It’s so fucking good, you guys. Please read it. Canon relationship but realistic and lines up with the anime. Sex scenes are amazing, fight scenes are fab, fluff and angst is so good it's upsetting. I’ve read it so many times. Also, *good fic to read for power bottom Levi stans 

1994 by Vee

A classic fic in the AOT fandom. Love all the relationships in this fic, not just Levi and Eren. Very cute and wholesome and the writing transports you into the story. Such a fun read, and another top tier fic

The Rest of Their Lives by folaigh

Age swap reincarnation fic– Levi is younger and trans, while Eren is older and takes care of Levi. The writing is impeccable and the concept is so unique and creative. Another Top-tier fic for me.

Accidental Captivation by @snakemittens

Really cute and light-hearted ABO fic. Dentist Levi is the hottest Levi. Very fluffy and smutty. Loved reading it 

Sugar on Top by @housewife-heichou

Sugar daddy fic (I swear this fandom really brought out a new monster in me). So hot and sexy. Levi is so daddy in this it's insane 

Deal With It by Corporal_Levi_cleans_my_house

Literally just ABO smut. Alpha Eren/Omega Levi. Very fluffy. Again it's literally just sex for like days and days. But it's hot. Like really hot 

Summer, Sweat, and Sausages by @momohime69

Good, fluffy, and lighthearted fic. So uwu. These boys are so cute in this one. A little summer fling with an older man never hurt nobody. Smut is 10/10. 

Shattered Façade by @bokusaka

One of the first Ereri fics that really stuck with me. Eren’s been through shit with his abusive ex and Levi helps and saves him – so good 

Normal by @chenziee 

Levi-centric one-shot. This shit was actually insane to read. One of the tags is psychopaths in love and it's on point. It was pretty weird, but sexy as fuck

Federkleid by @fairygardencorgis

This was honestly kind of a hard fic to get through, and made me uncomfortable at times – not because of Ereri, but because Eren’s story is so horrendous, traumatizing, graphic, and brutal that it’s hard to get through. It’s about his healing journey with the help of Levi. It angsty asf but has its moments of cuteness 

My Home Is Where Your Heart Is by @bfketh

Dad Levi (not Daddy Levi, sorry…). Mikasa is Levi’s daughter and Eren is her babysitter. Classic babysitter/parent trope. This was a cute one to read 

Let Me Help by @twisting_vine_x

Both babies can't sleep. BOOM! They share a bed… I wonder what will happen next 🤔 Good hurt/comfort fic where they heal through feeling safe with each other and sleeping (and a little light petting) 

lay with me, stay with me by folaigh

Cute, wholesome, asexual relationship one shot. Also they share a bed 😉

Giving Up the Ghost by folaigh

Levi falls in love with ghost Eren. Angsty asf. Get ready 

Night Drive by @astramachina

Good Boss/coworker fic. They love each other so much it hurts. Very angsty and sexy

Still a lover. by JupiterRose (TitanShifter94)

Disabled Levi one shot. Love this one because it shows love has no limits. Eren loves Levi the way he is even if Levi doesn’t love it himself 

It's Fine by taydrawrs

This one’s kind of crazy. Very naughty, but has its cute moments. Teacher/student AU one shot. The characters are aware they should not be doing this (but they do it anyway). Levi knows its bad to crush on his student; Eren knows it's bad to crush on his teacher. What will they do??? Very angsty fic. 

Lacuna by @vvonvoyage

Another ABO werewolf fic, not very lengthy but has a good plot and is worth the read 

Lights Out by @fluffyboots

This one is hmmm… idk how to describe it. somnophilia fic *eeeeek*... but like, kinda hot ngl. Just… try it out 

Erwin/Eren/Levi

Aegis of Two by @snakemittens

Papa Erwin. Daddy Levi. Sub Eren. Enough said (the spice level is through the roof 🔥). One of my favorite dom/sub fics out there.

Eruri (Levi/Erwin)

Irascible by bigasstrees, @tinyghoulproblem

I know it’s a popular one in this fandom, and now I know why. Detective AU with a slow burn and crazy twists from both Levi, Erwin and the plot. Very interesting read, had me hooked from start to finish! 

Primetime Authors: 

@mandrs-writes

Really good Ereri fics (my personal favs are Maneater and Misguided Ghosts) 

@snakemittens

Good author for AOT and MHA; love their writing; it’s very captivating and the smut is so sexy (thank you)

folaigh

There's like three stories in this list from them. Genius *chefs kiss*

Phew okay. There are more fics in my bookmark list on AO3. I have to make this tumblr post short and simple (not gonna happen)

On to the next fandom...

My Hero Academia

This is my first fandom I got into after Dramione, so I was a little hesitant to read the stories. I didn't have a specific ship in mind when I watched the show, and I love me some romance, but I knew I wanted to read some fics in this fandom. I mean the MHA concept is so cool with everyone having a quirk, and I knew there would be some gold mines... and I was right! I know the MHA fandom is little toxic and weird (sorry guys), but the fan fic stories are so so good, and I couldn't help but fall into a rabbit hole...

featuring...

TodoDeku TodoBaku Kacchako EndHawks

As you can probably tell, my smol bean Todoroki Shoto is my angel and I love him and his clueless, oblivious, devilishly handsome self, so here are some MHA fics that make me warm and fuzzy, including my other favorite smol beans

TodoDeku

Yesterday Upon the Stair by @pitviperofdoom 

Classic, everyone has probably read this, but I have to add it. This was the first fic I read in the MHA fandom and I really appreciated all the characters and the plot. 10/10. Comfort fic for sure and I love the TodoDeku in here. So smol. 

Schrödinger's cat by @aeronocacto

The second fic I ever read in the MHA fandom and I was hooked on TodoDeku and their smollness. This fic is one of my favorite fics EVER… it’s so good and so angsty, and so so creative. Love this one. 

home is just a room full of my safest sounds by @captainkirkk

TodoDeku cuddles to the MAX. This one shot is so fluffy and adorable. Such a cute read

Starved by @esselley

This was the first ABO fic I ever read besides a little dabble in Dramione stuff. Prince/Peasant vibes (and of course Shoto is the prince because he is a diva and wants what he wants). Very hot and smutty. 

prince & prince by @midoriyaizuhugs

Another royalty fic. The first fic in MHA where I spent all night reading it (more like devouring it). It was so fucking good. Long story but the plot is great and Prince Shoto is an actual diva in here. I’m in love with him. One of my fav TodoDeku stories. 

The Roundabout Way of Fate by @itsmyartfam

Healer Quirk Izuku. Very interesting plot and got me hooked instantly. Love the side characters and how they really snake the story pop. Another 10/10 read

Marking Boundaries by Gemsom

Another ABO fic. Literally, just smut. Alpha Todoroki, Omega Izuku. Both boys are idiots who fuck. 

Burn Your Wings by @crowbird-kamakse

Another popular fic in the fandom, and for good reason. Love the Icarus metaphor in this one. Couldn't stop reading. 10/10

State of Mind by @guardian-of-the-loaf

The plot of this one is really good and pretty angsty. The writing is superb and transports you to where the characters are and how they feel. I could easily imagine everything when I was reading, which i fucking love. Another 10/10 fic

Like Fractions (Baby We're Breaking Down) by @rayshippouuchiha

3 part story of full angst. Izuku and Shoto navigate UA together and it's very traumatic for both of them. A story about friendship and healing together. Love the angst in this one.

Better Than Fiction by @leisey

Literally made me laugh so hard. Izuku and Shoto are pining on each other and eventually find the world of fan fiction, and they fall down a rabbit hole (as one does). Had me kicking my feet and out of breath from laughing so hard. It was such a cute one shot, pls pls read it 100/10. 

 TodoBaku

sweet everythings by noxum

The first TodoBaku fic i read. Bakugo keeps calling Sho pet names and Sho secretly loves it. Literally made me feel so warm and fuzzy it's not even funny, it’s actually a bit pathetic. Just read it thx

Runnin' with the Devil by @esselley

Bakugo is a bad boy. Sho falls in love with him. Also Bakugo is a rockstar. They’re both so hot its not even funny. Great fic.  

Dance To This by justhavesex

ABO one shot with Omega Sho and Alpha Kats + pack dynamics. Very cute, fluffy, and funny with the whole cast 

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead by @iizukuus

Sho gets hit with a quirk and literally needs Katsuki to survive (goldmine!)

Eat You Alive by @saucybrtt

Post apocalyptic fic where Sho and Kats fight for their lives and for each other. Incomplete but very very good. 10/10

Mechanical Yarrow by redonthemoon 

No quirk AU, Bakugo is yet again a bad boy whose a mechanic and Sho falls in love with him (as would I Sho, as would I). Very cute read. 

april rain & winter flowers by todobakutodo hours (snowandfire)

Sho is not human and accidentally reveals it during sex to Kats (and he thinks its super hot) 

we're meant to make this love grow by lelex

Kats has a 5 year old kid. Shoto babysits him, and falls in love with his dad. Kats’s kid is obsessed with Sho (no surprise there), and very cute Kats and Sho dynamic. Daddy Katsuki! 

Kiss Me Too, Won't You? by Jumpingjedirose

First one shot I read where Bakugo is a main character. All three boys are in a relationship, and it’s so fluffy it’s to die for. It’s so fucking uwu its insane. 

Kacchako

How to Save A Hero by KacchakoFan2171

Ochako goes through some traumatic shit and learns how to heal and become a better version of herself. Basically, she’s a bad bitch. Kacchako in here is really cute and Bakugo is supportive and very cute in this. Lots of heavy topics and lots of angst. Another fic where I spent all night reading it. 

okay tumblr is not letting me do a huge long post for this (whatever 🙄😒). so I will have to continue this on another post... I have a couple more MHA fics (EndHawks), Haikyu!! fics, and fics from other random fandoms in PART 2.

[elainsgirl]

the gwynriels that ship gwynriel not just for vibes but because they insist it is canon are in for a harsh awakening. We've known for years that elains book is being written and is next and Azriel is such an obvious love interest elriel have checked off most key aspects of a romantasy couple in the making (we even have a romantic rescue scene where the male li risks his life for her). But it seems many new readers who focus only on their selective reading of acosf took over the fandom in 2021 and started gaslighting everyone that gwynriel is real and elriel was never a thing. I'm an artist who used to make acotar content but the arrogance of especially these new readers is infuriating and has made me stop making any content for this fandom.

I used to feel bad that all these people will probably be very upset when elain and azriel are confirmed to be next. But i dont anymore. They did it to themselves. Four wasted years arguing over what was already obvious in front of their eyes. They have soured the fandom for everyone else. They have stubbornly and publically thrown a four year long tantrum with their eyes and ears covered, while yelling at everyone that their fanon is real and everyone else is delusional. It's so embarrassing i cringe to think about it. It will age worse than sour milk.

You know what I think it is? Between 2021 and 2024 - booktok popularised the “enemies to lovers” trope - 8/10 all the books being advertised, had that trope. As well as E&L, banter became really hyped up - when authors wanted to promote their book, you’ll notice they will almost always use banter scenes as that is what piqued readers interest. Along w this, other tropes such as the “sassy, badass fmc” “warrior fmc” “girlboss fmc” became popular and in demand by readers. Many antis jumped onto this train, probably consumed lots of books with these tropes therefore its reflected onto Gwynriel and Elucien as ships.

We’ve all seen their HCs, Lucien will bring out the “sass” and “fire” in Elain. Gwyn will be a badass and run her mouth off on Az which he will like etc. Both ships are filled with HCs that booktok popularised. I’ve said this so many times before - but I always think of elucien and gwynriel as lumps of warm clay. You can mold them to be whatever you want. Whatever dynamic, trope, story etc that intrigues you because they’re just not developed. They have no outline, no set dynamic that you’ll get with a canon, foreshadowed ship such as elriel. Antis have motives for shipping their ships, elriels don’t and thats another difference. Antis motives’ and biased lenses lead to them to different outcomes - 4 years later and still as a whole group, none of them are consistent with anything. Literally, can’t even decide- is it elucien next or gwynriel?. With elriels, we’ve all read the books as they should be read and came to the same conclusion. Hence why, elriels are more consistent with everything they put out.

Its so hilarious when newcomers or casual readers are so suprised to hear about Gwynriel. I mean, I thought it was some booktok cult at first- had no idea it was an actual ship. I think its funnier when gwynriels act so superior and list all the foreshadowing & “scenesl” they have only to be proven wrong by canon. Take Az rescuing Gwyn, the whole thing was romantacised. He carried Gwyn in his arms all the way to the library…when actually that was Mor. Az had left Gwyn to finish his job.

I dont have it in me to feel bad. Cause it was literally “in your face obvious” all along and as someone who was there from 2021, Gwynriel started due to Elain hate and Elucien’s main arguement for so long has always been about Elain needing to make Lucien happy as he deserves it. Yeah I can’t count the amount of times antis have given me second hand embarrassment. Some are ok. Others are just immature and entitled. I agree, the fandom increased in toxicity due to the shipwars which started because of Gwynriels/Eluciens. And not saying elriels are innocent, every side has bad stans but some antis have made the fandom unbearable. Seems like they crash out whenever Sjm posts something, they then get over it and crash out again. Its a tiring yet amusing cycle to watch from afar. I think when the announcement comes there will be silence at first from the antis before the new delusional takes begin.

[piratefalls]

“You are", he says, "the absolute worst idea I've ever had.” - me @ ao3 after watching the movie and thinking "there's probably fic for this."

i like lists. i've lost sleep reading fic like it's gonna disappear the second i look away. i'm making my problem yours. i'm sure a lot of these won't be new to people since they pre-date the movie and it's far from comprehensive but. i'm late to this party. i also can't make gifs, so enjoy the basic canva header.

(baby) don't make me spell it out by extasiswings

One night near the end of first semester 1L finals, just a few weeks before the two-year anniversary of their first kiss, Alex finds himself looking up from his desk with its messy piles of color-coded notes and tabbed textbooks to see Henry asleep on the couch, clearly having dozed off waiting for him to come to bed, and unbidden he thinks, God, I’m going to marry this man. It startles him, the spike of adrenaline that floods through him waking him up and bringing the parts of his brain turning over concepts like proximate cause and strict liability to a standstill as he stares at Henry. I want to marry this man.

God Save the Blessed American President Mom by zipadeea

["June stopped by at lunch; she showed me a delightful channel called Hallmark, which repeats the same story every hour after they swap one round of white, straight, small-town conventionally beautiful actors for another. It was entertaining.” “June and I used to play a drinking game with those. Take a shot every time someone goes ice skating, sledding, or leaves the big city for their tiny hometown.” “Good lord, you must’ve been sloshed in the first ten minutes.”] -- On December 4, 2021, an attempt is made on President Ellen Claremont's life. Alex gets shot instead.

Familiar Gravity by cmere

“Yeah,” Alex breathes, and he pulls back to look Henry in the eyes. “I’ve been fantasizing about you fucking me in this chair for, like, weeks. Every time you sit down here with your stupid book.”   Henry likes it when Alex speaks Spanish and Alex has a request.

Am I the Asshole? by everwitch

AITA for spending Valentine’s Day with my roommate instead of my boyfriend? It’s well past midnight on a Saturday and hardly the first time Alex has scrolled aimlessly on his phone instead of trying to sleep, but it’s definitely the first goddamn time Alex has discovered his roommate has made a lengthy post about last night’s curry debacle to r/AmItheAsshole — a post that’s apparently gone fucking viral. -- In which Alex and Henry are college roommates, and a few thousand strangers think they should fuck.

Everybody needs good neighbours by railmedaddy

To nora(9.37pm): So a funny thing happened My hot neighbour brought me the mcflurry i ordered and we fucked From nora (9.38pm): WHAT DETAILS NOW Which neighbour? Wait, you only have one hot neighbour. Alex, did you fuck a guy?!?!?! ALEX Or Alex meets a hot new neighbour. Shenanigans ensue.

A Picture on Your Corkboard by bleedingballroomfloor

It happens on a random morning in May when Alex, age fourteen, pads into the kitchen to greet his mother and steal a waffle from June's plate and sees a man sitting at their breakfast counter, reading a newspaper, a cup of coffee raised to his lips. Like he belongs. Like it's the most natural thing in the world. June doesn't seem to give the man a second thought. She merely flicks Alex on the forehead and takes back the waffle. Ellen isn't worrying, either. In fact, she's talking to him. Asking what his schedule is like. Making plans for dinner. Alex has never seen this man before in his life.

this is the worthwhile fight by dearhappy

It's not that Henry's scared of their future, he's never been more sure of anything in his life. The thing is they're still trying to figure out how that future is going to look. And he worries about how it'll affect Alex's career in politics.

Déjame Ver Cómo Es Que Floreces by 14carrotgold

Oscar gets in close and bluntly asks, “Earlier. In the bathroom. Did you do it?” Alex scoffs, “No. Don't be a perv. Why would you wanna know that anyway?” Oscar rolls his eyes. “Mind out of the gutter, chamaco. Did you propose?” Ah.  - Henry is introduced to the extended Diaz side of the family at their matriarch's birthday. Shenanigans (and romance and feelings) ensue.

Please Don't Let Me Be So Understood by chamel

“I’m glad you both see it that way,” Dr. Chen says. Then she closes her notebook and folds her hands on top of it. “I think I’m starting to get a sense of where the issues lie. The good news is that you’re both here, and you’re both willing to work on this relationship. That’s promising. Not all of the couples I see are even at that point.” “Sorry, what?” Henry says, voicing Alex’s stuttering thoughts as well. (After one too many fights at work, Henry and Alex are assigned mandatory reconciliation therapy by their boss. Except the therapist thinks they're there for couples therapy... and surely, a bet on who will break first makes more sense than actually correcting her, right?)

Such a Burden, This Flame on My Chest by allmylovesatonce

Alex Claremont-Diaz is relocating back to Austin to join his dad's firehouse. His days as a firefighter in Washington D.C. ended badly, but no one knows that, or knows why. And he plans to keep that close to his chest. He has to shove it back down if he wants to seem like a normal person, if he wants to do the job, if he wants to get along with his new crew, and most of all, if he wants to get to know the hot British firefighter on the squad. No one can know what really happened.

thinking (about last night) by rhosyn_du

“I hope you know that I am literally never going to stop reminding you that you said that. I’m going to, like, take out an ad in the student paper. Maybe hire a skywriter or something. I am definitely telling Pez." "I hate you," Henry tells him. "Lies," Alex says, still laughing. "You know you love me." Henry lets out a heavy sigh. "Well," he says softly, "that's rather the problem, isn't it?" “What, you think we’d be better off if we still hated each other?” “I think," Henry says slowly, "I’d be better off if I could figure out how to stop being so stupidly in love with you.” It takes a few seconds for the words to really register, as distracted as Alex is by the heat of Henry’s breath and wondering how much it would cost to actually hire a skywriter. Once they do, it takes a full minute before Alex can move. Can breathe. Can think. Finally, he forces out a whispered, “What?” When that gets no response, he tries again. This time, his voice actually cooperates. “Wait, what?” The only response he gets is a soft snore and Alex realizes that Henry, the utter fucking asshole, has passed out on his shoulder.

you're the reason i let myself fall by perfect-porcelain (tedddylupin)

Alex doesn't quite know what to expect when he walks into a room with a glowing screen separating him from the person in the other pod. The entire experience makes him skeptical. How can you fall in love with someone you've never met? Or: Love is Blind AU

Sharper Head, Wilder Heart by Dawg1515

"This could work out,” Henry offers. “It could,” Alex replies. “That’s good, then. Someone’s going to have to walk me through the brilliance of Empire Strikes Back, after all.” “Sweetheart, if we’re legitimately dating now, I’m forcing you to watch every movie that has Harrison Ford in it.” “Duly noted.” Or: When the Queen decides it’s time for Henry to settle down with a woman, she arranges a courtship between him and Alex Claremont-Diaz, closeted political powerhouse. Alex secretly tells Henry he’s trans, and Henry tells Alex that he’s gay. To say they become an amazing couple would be an understatement—but nothing is ever that easy for a prince and a president’s son.

every version of you (i love) by coffeecatsme

“So,” the voice narrates as the man squishes the dog’s cheeks and laughs at himself. “There’s this guy that lives next to me with the cutest beagle in the world and this little guy climbs to the fence every day to drop his toys off at, like, 5:30 on the dot, I’m not kidding.” The camera shows the man boop the dog’s nose and press a little kiss to his forehead. There’s a ball in his hands that he hands to the dog, but it slips from his mouth all over again, making the man reach down to grab it. He glares at the dog, but even then he’s still smiling. “And this guy always walks by and picks up the stuff and it’s the cutest fucking thing ever you have no idea.” The camera zooms in farther into the man’s smile, genuine and wild, as he pushes his wild curls away from his face. His eyes flicker up when another figure walks into the frame, his blonde hair falling over his forehead in waves. The man’s smile, impossibly, widens. “Oh. I’m also pretty sure he has a crush on my neighbor.” Or, 5 times David greets Alex with something that belongs to Henry, and 1 time he greets Alex with something that belongs to both of them.

The Duke Who Loved Me by annesbonny, Inareskai, schmulte

This Author knows as well as anyone how much you, gentle readers, enjoy a scandal and a love story. And what could bring more delight that two young gentlemen who bring both of those wherever they go? Join the Duke of Mountchristen and the, untitled, Mr Claremont-Diaz as they attempt to find a Love Match amongst the gossip of the ton.

The Edge of Glory by politics_and_prose

Subject: CD-10 To: Alex Claremont-Diaz (acd@cdlaw.com) From: Natasha Wallace (nwallace@txdems.com) Alex - You know how you jokingly told me to let you know when Mayfield was vulnerable and/or not seeking re-election? Tash

lying in the low light by smc_27

The thing about having a one night stand with the guy your sister is close friends with and gatekept from you is that it becomes really fucking important that she never knows. Or, Alex and Henry have a one year stand. Or, Alex and Henry are in a relationship, only they’re the only ones who don’t know it.

what we might do (if we stop keeping a secret) by indomitablelove

'This isn't how I wanted to tell people. I thought we'd get the chance to do it right.' - Red, White and Royal Blue, Casey McQuiston, p.327 --- or, in another world, Alex and Henry get to do it right.

Who Could Love You The Same as I by MariaDmitrievnaLikesSundays

Inside was exactly what Alex had found himself dreaming about ever since that night at Kensington. The kind of dreams that he forced himself to forget once he woke up, but dreams all the same. A gold band, simple and smooth, with a single square diamond embedded on top. It was small, modest, exactly to Alex’s taste. ”Holy shit,” he said again. “Holy shit.” That was a ring. That was, unmistakably, an engagement ring. Hidden in his boyfriend’s coat. And he had just found it.

—— Or, Alex finds the engagement ring that Henry had hidden, and does exactly what you’d expect him to.

As the World Falls Down by 3bowtruckles

So while we all knew that the 2020 written in the book would be glorious fiction, we didn’t realize that reality would throw us something to take 2020 even further away from the book’s events. This story is where I attempt to merge our 2020 reality and the fiction of RWRB, using research (a LOT of research) to try to figure out what the trajectory of reality might have been. The story starts picking up the timeline after their late-February trip to Paris. After that, it's strictly AU, but I try to keep a lot of the intents of the events in the book (for instance, Alex's trip to confront Henry in Britain after the lake) while still making them fit the narrative I've created.

We'll Change the World Yet to our Dessire [sic] by cresswells

Alex and Henry are engaged and ready to share their announcement with the world, but after the media circus surrounding their forced outing Queen Mary wants them to do things properly this time. To Alex’s surprise, ‘properly’ apparently means taking a Royal Tour around Europe as an official couple. Ten days, five countries and lots of unnecessary wardrobe changes. What could possibly go wrong?

where clouds look like mountains by weather_stained

Four months after the election, while still learning to navigate the complexities of being in a public relationship, Alex finally has the chance to show Henry around Austin.

We'll Invite Something In by smc_27

Alex is grinning a little too hard.  This is absolutely idiotic and pointless and fun.  The cover of Hello UK with a photo of him pulled out and a photo of His Royal Highness Prince Henry Fox-Mountchristen whatever the hell the rest of his names are (Alex knows; he being a dick) with the admittedly stupid but flattering headline which reads: His Royal Highness: He’s just like us and crushes on Pres ACD.

Henry's Cold, Empty Tower by DracoWillHearAboutThis

“I want you,” Henry said, slowly but clearly, “to leave.” When Alex storms Kensington Palace, Henry sends him away. Then, their relationship gets leaked, and it's Henry's turn to fight for Alex.

behind the diamond-shaped glass by Celaestis

Five times Alex and Henry used tea and biscuits to communicate, and one time they don't need to.

The Byline by rosetintednerdglasses

Press Secretary Alex Claremont-Diaz serves at the pleasure of the President, and he does it excellently until a new White House correspondent darkens his press room: Henry Fox, The Guardian.

we've been here forever (here's the frozen proof) by r_holland

Objectively, I am aware that you – a stranger – cannot tell me my own sexuality any better than I can, however... Can you, please? Tell me? It’s 4am and I have been thinking about this for hours, and I can’t sleep. Warmest regards, ACD *** It’s four in the morning, and Alex Claremont-Diaz has managed to follow a research spiral straight down into a personal crisis. It isn’t the first time.

words on the tip of your tongue (but please don't say them) by viciouslyqueer

So close. He was so close to saying those words that have lived inside him for so long, and now it's gone, a moment that slipped right between his fingertips before he could grasp it. Now he’s floating in the middle of the lake alone, the ghost of Henry’s touch still lingering on his skin and an unknown, heartbreaking feeling in his chest. — Or: canon-divergence where Henry doesn't leave the lake house.

The Grand Tour by lucky (revolutionbarbie)

When Henry returned from an audience with Queen Mary looking stony faced and grim, Alex had immediately feared the worst. She had requested to see Henry – and Henry alone – the moment their plane had landed at Heathrow on a visit to Pez’s new shelter in London.  Alex had suggested that they go to see her together just to spite the old hag, but Henry wanted to keep the peace. Since moving to Brooklyn, they had entered into an uncomfortable détente with Queen Mary and Henry was loathe to be the one to break it.  “She wants us to go to Australia. It would be an unofficial Royal Tour, of sorts, with stops in several cities and a short visit to New Zealand. Three and a half weeks in total.”  “She wants to send us on an all-expenses paid Australian getaway? Count me in.”

come and get me by rizcriz

The email arrives 8 days after Henry left the lake house. He contemplates deleting it without reading, but it sits in his Alex inbox, where there are over seventy emails favourited, and somehow it feels wrong and weirdly impersonal. As if leaving without a note were any different. He stares at the from line with an aching longing that seeps into his veins. It settles on his heart like a tangible thing; something warranted and cruel that casts shackles around the aorta and locks them tight so that he might never love again. -- or, alex sends an email instead of flying to KP.

Never Did Run Smooth by clottedcreamfudge

"You and me? Best friends. Stellar. Love that for us. But we could absolutely fake being in love. Dating. Whatever. I know literally everything about you—" (No you don't, Henry thinks firmly) "—and you know everything about me. We would absolutely fucking annihilate the other contestants.” "You're too drunk to apply," Henry points out, like he himself isn't about as wasted as it's possible for him to be without curling up and going immediately to sleep. "I doubt you could spell your own name right on the application. Or mine." Alex grins and pulls something up on his phone; it looks like it takes him a few tries. "Wanna fucking bet?" *** Or: Henry's life is a comedy of errors; a patchwork of oopsie-daisies; a quilt stitched together with hauntingly terrible mistakes. And at the centre of it all is his best friend, Alex Claremont-Diaz; director of said comedy, threading together his oopsie-daisies into a flower crown, rolling around in the quilt of his own making, and this analogy is going to shit because Henry's so in love with him he wants to die.

idk I'll do a part two if anyone wants.

[chirpsythismorning]

Surfer Boy number update!

Now when you call, the recording comes instantly saying ‘the phone number you just dialed is available. 2499.’ And then cuts off.

Initially, I thought this meant that Netflix just stopped paying to use the number for promotional purposes and so now it’s available for someone to use, and I’m still partially leaning towards that.

However, there are a few things that intrigue me about this.

For one, all the other numbers ST used up to this point remain active, despite them all arguably being well past their need for use.

Murray’s number is still active, despite it being revealed way back in 2019 when s3 premiered and it appeared on the show, with the message still being him on his answering machine, hinting at the s4 plot. And Yuri’s fish fry is also still active, which is another number used for s4 promo sometime in early 2021.

Then there’s the number that appeared in s4 when the Cali gang called Nina, which currently still has the war games sound effect when you call.

The surfer boy number on the otherhand, was revealed in late 2021, which is when the surfer boy van made its first appearance in the Cali teaser that dropped. And for a very short time after that, the message was a birthday jingle, only for it to switch to Argyle explaining the ingredients of pineapple pizza (using colors of the rainbow). And now this.

So apparently it’s important enough to warrant them changing it several times, which in and of itself is a contrast from the others that were revealed and just stayed how they are. Not to mention, the fact that they used it for a birthdaygate Easter egg potentially, reads to me like this number is very much on their radar and it’s unlikely they would just throw it aside.

What confounds me most though about the surfer boy number presumably being dropped for promo while the others weren’t, is that the surfer boy number actually has a lot more longevity to be acknowledged in the narrative, with the van likely making a return in s5.

And not only do we see it repeatedly in s4 whenever the van appears, but the van is also used heavily in merchandise that is still coming out.

So wouldn’t you think out of all the numbers, this is the one they would want to keep active given that fans are still being reminded of it? Wouldn’t it be weird to distribute surfer boy van merch en masse, knowing the number would be called by people curious there’s an Easter egg waiting on the other end of the line? Because that’s generally been the trend up to this point?

Another thing about the message itself, is that I’ve never heard it before in everyday life? Most of the phone messages out there in the states are instantly recognizable to the average person who has spent time on the phone and they all go somewhere along the lines of disclosing that the number is unavailable, even when it’s not in use. The voice here also doesn’t resemble the usual voice you hear whenever you call a number that’s not in use.

It’s honestly also odd to hear a message say that a number is available, because that’s something I’ve personally never encountered. I even tried to look up on it to see if this message is common and maybe I’m just out of the loop, but every search led me to results saying the most common message is to say that a number is unavailable, again even when it is available for use.

And lastly, the most odd part of this new message is the four numbers at the end unprompted.

2499

The only connection I could find to this number is that it appears to be a slight mix up of the last four digits of the surfer boy number.

Original number: 805-45-PIZZA aka 805-457-4992

So is 2499 some sort of acknowledgement of the number itself? And if so, why wouldn’t it just be 4992? Why would it use those same exact numbers, but pull 2 from the end and put it at the front of the other three numbers? And then just end the message there?

It’s so odd to me.

While it could be nothing, I honestly don’t think it makes sense for Netflix to drop the Surfer Boy number altogether, given that they’re making the choice to not drop all the others. They could easily drop the previous ones and save some money if that’s the issue, but apparently it’s worth keeping them. And so why not keep the one that is still likely to be referenced going forward?

Regardless it’s likely that if Netflix still has access to the number, the message is bound to change again. So we’ll have to stay tuned for if and when that happens…

Edit: I FORGOT! There was another message for the Surfer Boy number, which preceded Argyle’s Pineapple pizza message. I only remembered after googling the number’s digits and coming across someone composing it. Still not sure what to make of it. Still so fucking odd…

[mybrainproblems]

hello, i'm finales georg...

i don't want to further clutter up the notes on this post while responding to the tags below but the persistence of the "finale is short/scenes are missing/extra ad break” conspiracies drives me absolutely bananas when i've watched the finale ten times and have posted about this A LOT trying to clear things up. (disclaimer that yes, i'm a goddamn destiel shipper but i care about Facts above all.)

ok but this is weird because i'd swear the episode was shorter (11 missing scenes!) but okay. maybe we all mandela effected ourselves into #beleving that. because it felt shorter. but i will die on the hill that it had another ad break. i understand this person has the thing #recorded with ads so i am thinking maybe different ad breaks in different idk time zones??? #because the finale did air an hour earlier in canada so maybe idk i am reaching here but maybe different states or whatever had different #ad breaks??? as for the last minute changes - wasn't the cover band asked for permission to use their version of carry on like a week before #the thing aired??? so even if the episode was 42 minutes and had no additional ad break - which i am side eying but lets say all was normal #i will always say they were changing thing until the absolute last minute (carry on my wayward son X 2 #the crew on the bridge which is not only giant 4th wall breaking but also wow they really got all those people in one place in times of #covid???) #anyway. tinfoil hat stays on sorry guys :/ (via @officialmisha)

short and snarky: there are plenty of real and sourced examples of network homophobia and scripted/directed destiel scenes being cut to point to. we don’t need to make this stuff up just bc the finale wasn’t what we wanted. so it’s not the mandela effect — it’s ppl repeating a conspiracy/rumor bc it supports their narrative and it’s easier and more fun to repeat something that supports a narrative they already believe (misha or something destiel was cut) vs the boring act of fact checking.

longer circumspect answer with links bc like many ppl i am in my debunking era and i rewatched "roblox_oof" last night.

like i said. i've watched the finale ten times. i’ve gone over the episode with a fine toothed comb and posted a detailed breakdown of timing marks on my blog. it’s actually extremely obvious where the ad breaks are once you know roughly where to look for them (they have a longer fade to black instead of a quick cut scene change). there’s no room for extra ad breaks and i think this conspiracy/rumor persists in part bc the episode feels so sparse in terms of cast and the fact that the episode’s momentum hits a barn post (and rebar) less than 20min into an hour-long programming block.

also i’m begging ppl to actually look at that timing mark post. it’s very straightforward and i spent a lot of time on it. i don’t care if ppl plagiarize it at this point if it means this conspiracy stops. i've got almost every second accounted for.

the "eleven missing scenes" that you're thinking of are probably from the finale script of questionable authenticity that @spnscripthunt acquired back in 2021 which can be found here. it's dated as the “final draft” from 11 sep 2020 and filming on 15x20 wrapped on 10 sep 2020. as noted at the bottom of this superwiki page "[the] script came from someone claiming to have been the person who did the closed captions for the show in Russia. There are some indications that it possibly may not be authentic, but this has not been confirmed."

if we go with the possibility that this was a transcript meant for subtitles, the "omitted" scenes were probably written but never filmed since it's the "final draft" and not a color revision (blue, green, yellow, etc). unfortunately, i’ve lost track of where i read it and a preliminary duckduckgo search isn’t bringing it up bc there's a program for script writing called final draft, but iirc the “final draft” version of a script is a transcript of what was filmed (e.g. there are parts of that 15x20 script that ended up being deleted scenes on the DVD). spnscripthunt also has an example of a confirmed final draft for 09x02 (funnily enough, also a dabb-penned ep). if anyone can confirm with a source that i have the purpose of the “final draft” version designation wrong, please let me know! i love being proven wrong with Facts.

i do want to acknowledge that the two “final drafts” do look different from each other and the 15x20 one doesn't look like a “real” final draft script since it lacks the revision/versioning dates that a script would normally have on the cover page. it could be that it was intended for subtitles; there's the chance it's been re-typed to anonymize it if there was anything indicating who the "owner" was, tho that seems a wee bit cloak and dagger to me. and again: it's considered of questionable authenticity. there are some things that don't quite line up but oh dear god i don't want to get even further out into the weeds than i already am.

i won't disagree that it's weird as hell that neoni only got asked about using their cover seven days prior to the episode airing (tiktok here). my personal theory is that they were hoping to get a more expensive song (maybe a zepp song, idk) and didn't manage to secure the rights in the end. again: this is pure conjecture on my part! but i could absolutely see someone working on the show hearing neoni’s cover and liking it and then maybe they were using it as a placeholder until it got down to the wire and they had to make a call/send the ep to networks. because yes, it is baffling they played a song and then a cover of it with only a 40 second break between. (i do actually really like the neoni cover! the placement is just weird and i think it could have worked if they had the kansas version at the beginning and closed with neoni's full cover.)

as to the 4th wall break COVID stuff: robert singer talked with variety magazine about filming the last two episodes and the logistics of filming during a pandemic. whether they should have been filming during a pandemic is a separate discussion but their use of office vs set pods, strict quarantining and daily testing meant that they had zero positive tests in the month they were filming (18 aug to 10 sep). so given all that, i personally don’t think it’s totally out of pocket to have everyone standing outdoors on a bridge for maybe an hour to get a drone shot of them together. (i won’t get into incubation periods and viral load, but if everyone tested negative that day and every day for a month prior, it was a fairly low risk scene to film outdoors and for all we know everyone was masked until the last possible second. there were plenty of outdoor masked protests in 2020 that weren't superspreader events.)

and before anyone brings up “but misha was in vancouver!” i know someone who looked into it and they said no dice, nothing matched up between the backgrounds in those pics and places in vancouver. his statements about “us” going back to set over the summer were pretty generic in hindsight and “we”/"us" could be him or the spn crew generally. unfortunately i’m not able to find those tweets but the use of “we” was likely so as not to give away he wouldn’t be returning to set. (bc we were absolutely casbaited!) and bc it comes up a lot: the "onion field pic" was from when they were filming 15x17 and was not taken while filming 15x19 and 15x20.

besides, it would be ridiculous to go through the financial and logistical headaches of bringing someone into the country to film during a pandemic, only to cut their scenes in the end! honestly, the script is pretty tight when the scenes are given so much breathing room! the only thing i could see being further cut down is The Monologue and even then, i don’t think there was any intent to cut it down given it was filmed in fairly long takes.

i’ve said it many times before, but i believe the finale was fucked long before they returned to set. walker got the green light in sep 2019 and it was being marketed heavily as a “follow on” show to spn given jared’s involvement. the demo they were courting for walker has little to no overlap with the demo for destiel fans — why would they want a finale that catered to a demo they weren't interested in courting? we just went through a historic double strike that exposed so much of the rot of business interests overriding creative vision. this isn't completely unfounded conjecture.

i will not apologize for the length of this bc i wanted to be thorough, but i do want to give context that i think the reason these conspiracies and rumors grind my gears so much is because anyone can fact check all of this. the truth is out there and absolutely none of it is that hard to find. the most time consuming/difficult part of this was finding someone who had a DVR’d copy of the finale from when it aired live and they actually found me themselves after i’d been low key asking around for a year!

and like. i get it. conspiracies are fun. but there are so many sourced instances of network homophobia and destiel being cut that it's like. why is this something folks are hanging onto? the cw is notorious for having upper level meddling with finales bc there's a follow-on show they want to shuffle fans along to and spn is no exception.

[commanderbuffy]

Sapphic Books Reccs

Here is my list of recommended sapphic books! There’s a lot of YA here since that’s a lot of what I read. Everything on this list I have personally read and can recommend. I’m sure there’s a TON out there I haven’t read or ones I have read and have just forgotten!

Contemporary

Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail by Ashley Herring Blake (Adult)

My favorite of Blake’s! Enemies to lovers. SO good.

Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake (Adult)

A woman falls for her step-sister’s best friend. Oh, and there’s a kiddo in the mix as well.

The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth (YA)

Two girls promise a summer of fun full of rom-com worthy dates. The only rule, no relationships. Just one summer, nothing more. Sure....

Forget Me Not by Alyson Derrick (YA)

Amnesia fic where a girl forgets she ever met her secret girlfriend in their ultra-conservative town.

Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar (YA)

Fake dating between the girl who wants to validate her bisexuality to her friends and the girl who doesn’t mind the popularity boost.

Her Name in the Sky by Kelly Quindlen (YA)

Best friends to lovers! A big piece of this is also the friend group involved.

Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli (YA)

Imogen thinks she’s just an Ally. Spoiler alert: she’s not. I loved the way friendship was explored in this. You see some really solid friendships as well as a subtly toxic one (that’s acknowledged as such).

Late to the Party by Kelly Quindlen (YA)

An ode to late bloomers and a journey to self-acceptance. A girl goes to her first party, befriends a gay guy who introduces her to new group of friends and one really cute girl

Margo Zimmerman Gets the Girl by Brianna Shrum and Sara Waxelbaum (YA)

Super fun involving a girl asking another girl fo “Queer 101″ lessons. Bi and Autistic rep too!

Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales (YA)

A girl gives anonymous love advice and gets hired by a hot guy to help him get his ex back. Really FANTASTIC bi rep!

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston (Adult)

A sexy time-bendy romance with so much heart

She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen (YA)

My FAVORITE rom-com. I reread it constantly. Fake dating, enemies-to-lovers between the cheer captain and basketball star!!

She Gets the Girl by Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick (YA)

Two girl team up to get their crushes to fall for them and start developing feelings for each other along the way.

Six Times We Almost Kissed by Tess Sharpe (YA)

Childhood frenemies forced to move in together for their best friend moms’ sake. Trauma filled and SO SO good.

Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan (YA)

A fun rom-com between an out queer athlete and the local beauty pageant queen.

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour (YA)

One of my favorite books of all time. A story about grief and friendship and love. A soft, quiet story.

Who I Was With Her by Nita Tyndall (YA)

A girl’s secret girlfriend dies and she is left to grieve alone until she finds herself turning to her girlfriend’s ex.

Science Fiction/Fantasy

Crier’s War by Nina Varela (YA)

A romance that leads to revolution by between two girls: one human, one Made

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow (Adult)

This is historical and fantasy! Suffragette witches! Another one of those books I wish I could read again for the first time. Three sisters, one of them has a WLW romance

Thriller/Horror

Hide by Kiersten White (Adult)

A high-stakes hide and seek competition in an abandoned amusement park. One of my all-over favorite books of 2022.

House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland (YA)

No wlw romance in this one, but the main character and her sister are both wlw. My absolute favorite book of 2021. What I would pay to read this for the first time again.

The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe (YA)

The daughter of a con artist is finally allowed to stop running and faking her identity, only to get stuck in a bank heist with her ex-boyfriend and current girlfriend.

Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand (YA)

Three girls who shouldn’t have a reason to team up together against an ancient evil. The new girl, the pariah, and the queen bee who’s been helping the evil all along. I have reread this book easy a dozen times.

Throwaway Girls by Andrea Contos (YA)

When a girl goes searching for her missing best friend, she finds a trail of other missing girls and battles with heartbreak after her girlfriend leaves her for California.

Wilder Girls by Rory Power (YA)

Quarantined at her girl’s school after a gruseome Tox breaks out, a girl must find what happened to her best friend who’s gone missing

Historical

Great or Nothing by Joy McCullough, Caroline Tung Richmond, Tess Sharpe, and Jessica Spotswood (YA)

The queer Little Women retelling we all deserve with a SAPPHIC JO! Set in 1942. Beth’s POV still haunts my heart

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray (YA)

Two of the major supporting characters are WLW. This becomes more important and on the page in the later books in this series, but this is the first one.

Music from Another World by Robin Talley (YA)

1970s California. Two girls become penpals and bond over music.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Adult)

Hollywood icon Evelyn Hugo famously had seven husbands. This is the story of her wife.

[utilitycaster]

(not accusatory in tone) But in what ways does Dropout specifically cater to their loud obnoxious fans? I am a pretty casual D20 fan and only briefly lurked in Dropout’s discord when it existed, but I’ve seen this sentiment a few times now where people say Dropout listens to these fans as opposed to say CR, who has definitely backed out of unmoderated fan spaces. I was curious how Dropout differed (especially as much of their cast seems to use twitter and social media sparingly)?

I believe that the Dropout server's collapse is directly tied to the fact that they never had a "keep it on topic" rule, clumsily tried to implement a "no politics rule", and listened to a loud and unpleasant minority on Twitter who pushed back so hard that they opened up multiple political channels. Their next Discord survey specifically requested (volunteer) mods from specific minority backgrounds, one of which was a group of which I am a part, which was frankly disgusting - like, the reason pretty much any other fan server I've seen has a broad "on topic" policy is because most fan server moderators are like "I can handle making sure people keep it appropriate to a D&D show; I am not prepared to moderate discussion on geopolitics." The fact that the Dropout server's solution was to ask people from minority backgrounds to do this labor was infuriating and I have to admit, had they not shut down the server soon after I'd have at least written an actual letter (well, email) saying that unless they started paying mods, I would cancel my subscription over it. (I did say that I found this wildly inappropriate in the survey).

I also found their mods even before that whole debacle to be grossly incompetent. The biggest example I have in mind is that in The Ravening War, Lou's character Deli was at minimum flirting heavily with his aunt by marriage (and that this was reciprocated) and the mods like...outright said this wasn't happening because it would be icky, in pretty much those words; but this was not an isolated incident.

On the other side, Critical Role has pretty consistently only listened to fans for major missteps (the Wendy's one-shot) and otherwise has stuck to their guns on setting their own timeline and agenda for making or not making political statements, keeping moderated fan spaces on-topic, and also just not giving into fan requests that would require immense and impossible to moderate effort for very limited benefit (the biggest of which is their choice to keep their existing blanket content warning in most situations, despite a similarly small but loud contingent back in early 2021 making a commotion about it).

I think most of the problems with Dropout listening to fans stopped once they made the server read only. I do think that the fandom generally still has some of that problem (there's a zine scene, which I think is great, honestly, but a lot of the people who work on the D20 zines think they're king shit of fuck mountain for doing so) but I no longer think that any representatives of Dropout the company are listening; I think the server led them to learn their lesson.

[ladyiristheenchantress]

General QnA - Me, the elements, and more

Hello friends! I recognize this post is a bit different from my normal content flow, however some people have asked some great questions about me, my practice, and some more pressing ones I feel are worth answering! These have been compiled from over my years on discord, tumblr, etc, so I hope you guys are ok with a different type of content!

This is structured so there is a little about me to start, and the rest is burning elemental questions I’ve collected, and I can’t wait for you guys to check it out! I’m hoping it dispels a couple myths, furthers peoples knowledge, etc!

This is a REALLY dense post, but I am not willing to post this in multiple sections because I want this to be all in one place for you guys, I want you to be able to read the bolds for your questions, and have the answer right there! Sorry if that’s a bit annoying, but I think it’s worth it.

Questions for Iris specifically

How did you become an elemental practitioner? I became an elemental practitioner about 8 years ago, became a devotee to water 6 years ago, and became a priestess 7 years ago! I ran my own elemental coven from 2019 to 2021-'22 where we had many members from all walks of life joined by an appreciation of the elements! We focused mainly on community service, hosting clean ups, and sponsoring building projects before we were sadly shut down due to a legal dispute. However, even without the formal coven, we all moved forward into our practices and became stronger as individuals! What has it been like being a devotee? It is hard work, but its good work! I wouldn't have it any other way. I am in a life long, contractual obligation to upkeep the domain of the west, and educate others on the elemental systems as part of my religious duty to water herself! Why don't you teach anymore? For those who don't know me, I used to teach on discord and would be someone that had a boatload of resources and time to talk at any given moment. I have stopped extending myself as a 'teacher' for a couple of years now mainly due to time constraints, and wanting to focus more on school, work, and my private religious life, so because of that I have stopped teaching over all and instead make bite sized posts I can be passionate about! Will you ever put out a grimoire (either for free or for purchase) The short answer is; No. But the long answer is no*. I have no intention of putting out a grimoire of either my elemental work or my full time information for a couple of reasons. When it comes to my elemental work, I will only ever put out what I am freely able to put out, a lot of my practice is really private and filled with coven SVG, and for their privacy and respect of our practices, we have declined sharing our grimoire to the public. However, this doesn't mean I am not going to post more UPG based content like our coven legends, or possible spells in the future, it just means that a book is a no go. I also prefer living documents anyway so I can go back and edit things as I collect new resources or correct old information.

What are your plans to post about in the future? Im hoping to do more elemental content, and then over the summer possibly crafting up more tarot spreads, infographics, and other parts of my archive that interest my readers and viewers! I really would love to start sharing some of my own SVG, or more educational content looking at practices from around the world!

Why dont you post about deity work? The simple answer is: I am not a deity worker, and it isnt really my forte or something I enjoy posting about. In the past I used to practice revivalist deity work, however I have left that space because I found it wasn't for me and my religious beliefs, and found more solace in elemental work! Also due to the oversaturated market filled with content, I really don't see an active need for my own 2 cents to be thrown into the hat here on tumblr when there are people who have specialized in it for years and years.

What is your elemental hot take? For this one I thought it would be fun to interview real members of my coven, while they asked to remain anonymous, here is some interesting UPG from all 4 of my collogues. (conversations have been transcribed to the best of my abilities from a phone call) Priestess of Water (me) - My elemental hot take is probably that the elements don’t “love” us, they don’t have the innate “love” that we do for our kin or our friends. Keep in mind, they are eternal beings that have watched over this space for billions of years, they don’t see us as any different than the smallest forms of life. But what they do see is when destruction and chaos ensue that threatens the lives of all living beings. Love is subjective, emotions are subjective, sure sometimes you get loving aspects to an element but in essence; they don’t “love” us, its a fallacy to say they do.

Priest of Air - Within my elemental experiences, I believe my hottest take would be that elemental work and deity work are not the same and should not be approached as such. It would be foolish to try and apply the same prayer formats to every single entity, the elements are not gods, they are not spirits, they are a class on their own and need to be treated as such. When people approach the elements, it isn’t like approaching a god, you can use all 5 senses to perceive an elemental figure. Use that fact to your advantage.

Priestex of Fire - Literally the thing I have to say time and time again is please stop being unsafe just because you’re an elemental practitioner. Like honestly it is incredibly disrespectful when I see people damage property or their homes and sometimes other people because they choose not to use fire safety. It’s inappropriate, sets a bad example, and disrespectful. Our ancestors did not honor the flame and all its power by being careless, why would you do the same?? Have respect for your belongings, you don’t know how the spirits of those objects or even your home feel about it. Also I don’t ever want to see anyone hurt over something completely preventable.

Priestess of Earth - My hot take is if you are trying to serve earth and nature, your actions need to speak louder than your words. Now I am not saying you need to do things a certain way, that can alienate people, however it is so important that you are doing what you can to remain educated on the problems of earth. Your practice is political, whether you like it or not. We need to do more for both our neighbors and the earth we walk on and I’m tired of pretending like it’s ok to engage with performative earth spirituality.

Credit: AmandaZ

Questions regarding the elements

Where exactly *are* all the elemental practitioners? How many of us are there? I get asked this question a lot, because if you try looking up 'air magic' online you get met with almost exclusively wiccan sources talking about elemental witchcraft, but if you have checked my page you may have noticed thoses who work with the elements like divine, who use them in full life style and philosophical processions. The truth is elemental workers are quite a minority in online spaces. For most cultures, the elements are extensions of gods, mythology, or a natural concept so we don't see a lot of people who choose to work with the divine energies themselves as their own entity's (the "middle man"), usually they are interacting with them as a religious extension, however as a secular practitioner, slowly presence is growing online as people talk to each other! More people are gaining interest in the concept, especially those who may not feel connected to deity work. Finding an online space solely filled with elemental practitioners divorced from wicca is extremely difficult right now because most of us have no idea each other exist, feel free to use my comments to meet people btw lol. But in essence, we have yet to establish ourselves in most mainstream social platforms, which is why it can be tough to find us, but if you enter a space like a discord server just reach out and ask! you may find people to bounce ideas off of, or create a new friend! Further more, feel free to boost voices of practitioners online who are speaking about the elements in a more secular way, it can really help us find more amazing content creators sharing what they can! How can I research the elements so i'm not getting only wiccan sources? The problem with elemental research is that a majority of the sources online come from a wiccan background, this is because the system is a really common form of wiccan magic as well. Finding secular or variating sources can be difficult but not impossible. First, its great to check out some of the sources on my page because it offers various backgrounds, but as you are trying to format your searches be specific. Use terms like historical, anthropological, ancient, use terms that help your search engine understand your not exactly looking for the "spiritual" side of things, but rather the multi-cultural perspective. Geolocate your searches by asking "what do [ancient culture] believe about the elements." Another way to avoid wiccan bias is by learning their system so you can weed out those sources, when you already establish what they believe in it makes combing through resources a bit easier. Finally there is no shame in some good old introspection. Creating personal associations based off a system that revolves around you and your perspective is a wonderful way to get involved and get connected with the world around you, exactly what the elements encourage!

What is the difference between elemental MAGIC and elemental WORK Elemental magic is the concept of using an elemental system to help influence your workings, it is observing the elements as an extension of the natural world, and using them in magical concepts. Things like pairing elements via herbs and crystals in a spell, observing astrology and seeing elemental aspects, and using the elements to help boost your magic like a tool. Many elemental magicians treat the elements as a symbol and a spirit, this means they can treat the elements similar to the spirit of their tools, some magicians also consider the elements to be extensions of themselves being part of the world. Elemental work is the concept of seeing the elements as divine in some way, and exploring their roots on earth, and understanding how they operate. In essence, an elemental worker communes, researches, and understand the elements on a global and community scale, and often interacts with them similar to divine energies and high spirits rather than extensions of tools or themselves. Often times these practices go hand in hand, you can build off both, its just one is more revolved around divinity than the other, and both methods are a valid and valuable way to approach the elemental systems.

How do I figure out “my” element This question is great, because a lot of people ask me how to find the element that best suits them. Some people use astrology and are drawn to elements that represent something in their chart, whether it’s a really strong connecting element or one they need to work on. However not all people use astrology, not all people have access to their charts, so what are some other aspects? My best piece of advice would be to evaluate nature and experience the elements. The elements aren’t going to “reach out” to you, they rule over trillions of individual organisms, they work with millions of species, it is unfair to expect them to change their nature to draw you in. Not to mention the elements are not omnipotent or omnipresent, if you are in a place devoid of an element the area reflects that, its no different spiritually. When you get out there and experience the elements your own spirit will begin to guide you to the right direction, you will sense a belonging and slowly you will start to realize one or multiple are speaking to you. There is this idea called “Radar theory” when you have a very large spirit or entity, that is NOT omnipotent, chances are they are not aware of you until you make yourself known. We interact with the elements on a spiritual level constantly, so to find the one that connects to you look at their domains, look at what they represent and the common lessons you observe in nature. Get involved, and you will find your way. The last thing I want to bring up is that you don’t HAVE to be going out to find them, they exist in our homes, in our spirits, and in our ancestry, if you can’t get out in nature there are means to connect to the nature within you.

How does the relationship between elemental divines (secular) relate to elemental spirits? What happens if I upset one or the other? We discussed how the elements have separate aspects similar to epithets in gods, they go by nicknames, but sometimes we see separate entities that spawn directly from a source. For example river spirits, sylphs, elemental cryptids, and more. A common question I get asked is what exactly are elemental spirits and how the relationship between them work with the larger element. The first thing I can say is that elemental spirits are entities that spawned from an elemental source, whether they exist only in a spiritual plane born from energy, or if they exist physically in the form of a cryptid, in essence they were birthed from a specific element. This makes it similar to the element but have distinct personality’s, just like us! They are individuals who happen to be born from them directly and have their own evolution and morphology. I get asked a lot “well what if I’m interacting with one, and not the other? What happens if I upset one?” And what I can say is it’s just like a relationship. Certain entities are closer to their source than others so they may not tolerate disrespect like elemental guards for example, so if you disrespect one you disrespect the other by proxy. In other cases certain spirits exist all on their own and don’t care too much for their source so really disrespecting one won’t disrespect the other. It also depends on how involved that entity is with their source! For example, a river spirit is very close to water and wouldn’t take to kindly if you pollute trying to give an offering, but an ember spirit probably won’t be that upset if you stamp out hot ash that escaped from a fire pit because it’s a risk to your home. The best way to see is to simply ask, they are individuals with their own beliefs, ask them how they feel about certain things! Create a connection!

How do I place elements on the altar? What about setting up their own altars? What about specific spirits? The truth is there is no one “correct” way to place elements on the altar, if anything I encourage you to be fluid and use your intuition. The whole idea that elements “hate” each other or “can’t stand each other” is complicated, sure water extinguishes flame if you want to honor this then feel free to put them across from each other, but water can also help the flame like in steam reactions, or underwater volcanos. The truth is the elements are fluid, feel free to change positions based off seasons, intuition, and more. The piece of advice I can give has to do with the second question about individual altars. The elements like certain things, you can set up an altar that reflects them yes, but how you position them can have something to do with their domains! Picking rooms in the house that reflect their energy like a sun room for fire, picking a direction to orient the altar based off your cardinal system or astrology can be a way to connect, you have means to get creative. Specific spirits are a bit different; they might have specific requirements or needs they want you to meet like regular spirit work, that gets individual and personal.

Where do the cardinal directions come from? What are cardinal witches? Cardinal witchcraft is a label and practice where a witch has to do with a specific domain. In many cultures the directions correspond with aspects, usually determined by where they are in the world. An example: in the western cardinal system the west represents water, the past, the psyche, and divination. So that direction represents an element, a time, a part of the spiritual practice, and a practice! It’s a way to classify domains that we work in and specialize in.

Something that needs to be mentioned is that the cardinal directions are NOT only western! Because the directions come from polarity and the rotation of then earth the directions don’t change, but culture to culture what they represent will be different because it’s greatly dependent on where that culture developed! In the western system that originated in Europe, the reason why west is water is because the Atlantic ocean is in the west! For other cultures sometimes they use the setting sun like on the Lakota medicine wheel, some use animal migration patterns to determine where an element is, some use astrology and where they are in the sky, the list is endless.

When we are discussing where the most common placements come from we need to look at the western system because that’s what most elemental sources are using for spiritual information. In this system the concept of cardinal directions actually stems from multiple different evolutions! In the very beginning, the pre-curser information we have actually has nothing to do with the cardinal directions, or even the elements at all, but alchemy, emerging sciences, and how scientists + occultists of the time viewed the world. So, an example, we can see some basic calculations that were done for astrology in the west, which lead to more eyes being led to aristotles work where he was the main person who identified directions to traits. Aristotle preposed each direction on a compass is associated with a quality, so the 4 qualities were hot, cold, wet, and dry, each direction had its own association to each. As people began to build on this idea, germanic peoples began adding in their own qualities (arguably long before the system which was stolen later down the line), and because they live in the northern hemisphere, it started to sterotype the directions to eventually elements BUT it was not solidified as 'one movement' until crowley and other occult movements like ceremonial Wicca. The last defining movement for the cardinal directions stems from both wicca and cermonial magic, where they took each cardinal direction and associated it to an element through something called a 'watch tower' which is a type of elemental spirit that certain wiccans invoke while casting a circle. Because of the popularity, this is how we ended up with the western cardinal system, and then as new-age spiritual movements became more popular they eventually lost the watch tower meaning, and began taking on associations relating more towards astrology, and bioregionalism!

How does becoming a devotee or priestex actually work? This is a beautifully complex question, mainly because this religion does not have its own mythology, heavy rules, or much structure at all. It isn’t the same like in aspects of deity work where you have guide rails to use. In essence; becoming a devotee is generally defined as a life long devotion to an entity, and a priestex is generally defined as someone who preforms religious duties and acts as a leader for the religion. (I am using textbook definitions, I’m not going to argue semantics, sorry. We need a clear generalized definition to work on here). When it comes to being a devotee, one must understand it is a life long commitment, your duties must be fully straightened out, and then usually you will be given a devotional task to be fully inducted to “prove” your willingness. What’s extremely important is you are very clear; consider sick days, consider the days you are busy, because this may not be a practice you can leave when you want it to be over. This decision can take years to make, so make sure you are clear! “Divorce” isn’t always an option, and that’s because you are making a very extreme declaration of commitment some spirits are not ok with people walking back on that, be considerate of this. Be aware of the promises you are willing to make.

Additionally, I get asked constantly how I became a priestex. I also get asked about how retirement works from the role. A priests role tends to also be life long, but you do have an ability to relinquish your duties after serving. The path of becoming a priest means you have devoted serious time, effort, and energy into the understanding, conservation, and activism behind the elements. Usually the process has to do with a declaration of service, and a sacrifice or display of service, and from there continuation of service. You may be tasked with a goal, but usually you are encouraged to formulate your own acts of service. It is important that the work is being done to upkeep the domain and that can mean putting together community service work, funds and collecting donations, and getting active in your community. The whole goal means you have devoted your energy to protecting the space you live in and the domain you are called to protect. When it comes to relinquishing your duties, you will be called to a certain time frame, dont get me wrong some will continue until death, but sometimes people need to fully retire. What is important is that a clear discussion of expectations is had so you know how long your journey will actually be. Retirement means you pass the torch to someone else who can upkeep the practice or the elements, if that cant happen then something more Permanente needs to be established like a conservation effort, or something people can use.

How does gendered language work? I get asked a lot “why do you call water she” or “do the elements prefer certain pronouns” and the truth is that it’s subjective! Every culture has their own views, certain people believe the elements are completely agender or gender fluid, all of that is valid. In some cases you may be asked to use certain pronouns like I was! It doesn’t mean I think water is “a girl” or “feminine” specifically, it just means I was asked to refer to her in that way. Other people are not, and that’s completely ok. What actually matters is that you are avoiding stereotypes or harmful rhetoric. For example online you might see people say “FIRE IS A HE BECAUSE HE IS MASCULINE.” But that’s not true for all people and systems. It can contribute to stereotypes like imposing a belief that “oh fire can’t be a she because it’s too destructive” when you break that down, doesn’t that sound weird? That we equate destruction to a group? Truly, use whatever you are called too, but remember that the elements are concepts, not confined by human views of gender expression.

How do I know if I upset an element? This question is a follow up to elemental interactions, usually people ask me this because they feel they already made a mistake and are worried about upsetting them. The truth is, it can be difficult to upset an element, they have an understanding of the world around us, and don't hold us to such heavy expectations. Do you need to be perfectly "carbon-zero"? No, because the earth understands it's companies contributing to a majority of the harm and not regular people. However what I can say is that one must be intentional and aware of what they are doing when interacting with the elements. Disrespect can happen like using disrespectful terms when addressing them, overly trying to humanize them, making false promises, or wrongfully speaking over them. Now that can potentially upset them, and usually you will know if you really upset them. Symptoms usually include not being able to connect to that element, being tested in some way, divination no longer being precise, usually you will be guided to learn from your mistake through research, introspection, and watching how the elements interact with the world. Now; chances are that crazy storm was not because of you, your house setting on fire is not your fault, you wont be punished to the point of ruin as a beginner or casual elementalist. That stuff only comes into play at a later time, and by then you will have your own views on what is actually going on. The elements still have a job to do, react to the ever changing world, that tornado probably was laid out in the atmosphere months ago.

You said the elements “work with species” what does that mean? This may come as a shock, but yes animals, plants, and things that we don't deem 'conscious' work with the elements. We can see animals that display a complex show of religion like elephants, we can see a level of respect coming from all living beings (we need all the elements to survive). This is why the elementals aren't focusing only on us humans, its why they don't "reach out" in a traditional sense, they are working on a scale of trillions and are not omnipresent. They can't see and hear every single living thing at all times, its why there are terraformed structures like mountains, rivers, that can house specific species with specific needs! Its why the aspects are so interesting and important because its regional. It reflects the needs of all organisms. So yes, the elements work with even the smallest bacteria, to the largest elephants, influencing their lives and actions, as we honor it back by going through the cycle of life.

Thank you all very much if you read this far! This is my passion and something that was really suggested, so I’m glad I was able to make something for you guys! Fairest winds!

Tip Jar

Resources:

All of my resources have resources!

https://www.tumblr.com/ladyiristheenchantress/777913355141808128/energies-and-elements-master-post

https://www.tumblr.com/ladyiristheenchantress/775842203648065536/the-other-element

https://www.tumblr.com/ladyiristheenchantress/742131059117965312/elemental-work-crash-course?source=share

https://www.learnreligions.com/four-classical-elements-2562825

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watchtower_(magic)

https://www.cunning-folk.com/craft-posts/a-brief-introduction-to-elemental-magic

https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/elemental-magick

https://floraware.ca/getting-started-with-elemental-magic/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrology_and_the_classical_elements

https://cymbiotika.com/blogs/news/astrology-101-pt-one-the-elements?srsltid=AfmBOor5Ko2mG3RwmmmmoJPf8FE2QExu7W8vu1RS4nkQVE7iF0MsB1dD

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elemental

https://threehundredandsixtysix.wordpress.com/2011/11/05/elementals-and-elemental-kings/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Elementals

[csvent-2]

/779341647691595776/777726792946663424hey-just-wanted-to-put-it-out-t

So now you’re mad about the Cold War storyline I’ve had since like 2017? And got characters for in species starting in 2021 (the year I joined)? There was no way for me to know Russia was going to invade Ukraine in 2022. And that’s not really a reason for me to stop writing about the USSR being shit and getting overthrown in a whole alternate universe (entirely fictional timeline beyond 1991) either. If you think that’s glorifying the USSR or any modern day country your reading comprehension is lacking.

And I already had a Manhattan project character a while ago too because the Cold War involved nukes so they had to at least exist in my AU. Like that whole concept wasn’t new either. I literally put *the name of the Manhattan project* on the other character’s ref and was posting that guy around like that for a while.

There was no way for me to know *anyone* was bothered by my fiction because literally nobody brought anything aside from Cherenkov up as an issue until 2024 (and even Cherenkov was only brought up like… 2 months ahead of everything else). And there’s no reason for you to expect me to have known you were bothered by it. You can’t just not have a conversation and then be mad because someone didn’t read your mind or inherently know your personal boundaries.

I check artist TOS and try to avoid commissioning people who say they don’t draw cbcs or historical fiction or whatever else for that kind of content, or I ask questions to clarify if the TOS is vague or confusing to me. But if you’re in a server posting comm ads and not posting your TOS, not having a TOS, or not mentioning what you won’t draw, *and* not doing any research into the characters and lore that are (were ig) literally all on my toyhouse when you know you don’t like certain things, that’s on you actually. And if you’re sitting there watching me post about my AU, being upset by it, and not either blocking me or asking me to add a tw, that’s on you too.

Again, I *did* stop posting my writing in the server after Cherenkov was brought up to me in December. So it’d already been at least a couple months where I was like hmm…. maybe this is not the place for real topics. By the time the “cold war nuke dogs” got brought up it’d already been a minute since I’d even posted my writing in the server and you were still digging through my profiles looking for things to be mad about. Like frankly I did not even talk much in the first place. But especially not after Dec ’23.

Btw bringing minors into this like that’s an argument is wild because history isn’t - and current events aren’t - even an adult topic. Like if you think kids aren’t hearing the news.

Imo having to even have a discussion on whether people could or should talk about real topics in the species, just because some people can’t either block content they don’t want to see or have a mature conversation about it, was ridiculous in the first place. But yeah my take on it since December (literally before any charity was even brought up or at least before I had any say in it, lmao) was that species spaces were no longer a place to talk about real events and posts probably needed to be kept to silly/cutesy things. If what you’re gonna try to claim out of all that is that I’m personally against charity or pro-censorship or whatever else, idk what to tell you. Keep doing McCarthyism I guess.

I’ve been here for years making a massive joke about how Every Government Ever is shit… you just got here, except you’re actively condoning the same kind of shit while trying to claim the moral high ground.

Defending violations of artists’ and workers’ rights (or trying to cover that up by changing the subject) just because I made an art you don’t like is fucked up. Expecting people to just know your boundaries / triggers / etc and getting mad at them and acting like they’re the problem when they don’t (or can’t) “read the room” is fucked up. Do better.

🌸

[realityshiftwithkassie]

Heyyy Huns!!!

Introduction-

My names Kassie, I’ve been shifting since 2019/2020. I am also into Wicca and different types of divination. Some of my DRs include Supernatural, Hogwarts, Percy Jackson, Stranger Things, Deadly Class, Group Shifting Waiting Room, and Devil’s Night! I first discovered shifting through a friend in 2019 and in 2020 I was victim to 2020 shifttok😔. I stopped shifting in 2021 and started again in January of 2024. Since starting again I have successfully shifted an unknown amount to soooo many parallels! I have mini-shifted (all senses but sight) to my Devil’s Night DR TWICE!!!! I LOVE teaching people about shifting and giving all of my insight! I have done HOURS upon HOURS of research and love topics even remotely similar to shifting. This blog will mainly be about my experiences and where I will log my experiences from here on out as well as some past experiences! Although, I also want to make shifting easier for others and will make shifting information posts as well.

Check out my groups shifting podcast-

YT-Shifting Police

TikTok-@shiftingpolice222

Disclaimer: CHECK YOUR SOURCES AND DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH!!! YOU DON’T KNOW IF WHAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE SAYING IS FACTUAL!!! DO YOUR RESEARCH!! I will have people you can search online and on YouTube that are professionals and have studied this their WHOLE LIVES! I understand it can be hard to know where to get information and other things on this topic. All I have to say is DON’T IMMEDIATELY BELIEVE EVERYONE ONLINE!! Thank you! 🩷

Disclaimer: My name in this reality is NOT Kassie, I use Kassie for my socials names because it’s the name I go by in EVERY other reality!!

What is shifting?

I’m gonna be real. I hate the word “shifting” now. It’s true. Sue me. Shifting was just recently renamed to shifting back in 2020. It has had many other names. I personally use “shifting” a lot just because it is so widely known as that now. In my beginning years I referred to it as Quantum Jumping. It may be easier to find information on shifting by using its old names similar to Quantum Jumping. Anywaaayyyys. Shifting is, at its base, a change in your awareness's place. Think of it like a book with dual perspectives. When reading the boys perspective you are getting his emotions and what his life is like from his perspective and then, by the turn of a page, you're reading the girls emotions and what her life is like from her perspective. This is how I think of shifting. It’s simple and easy to explain in that way. Unlike shifting as a whole. Shifting as a concept is confusing but shifting as an action is easily acquire-able with the correct materials. Now shifting isn’t always easy. It isn’t always hard though either. Some people shift first try and others it takes years. Although, in my belief your always shifting. And I’m not saying “every decision you make is you shifting” cause let's be real that isn’t helping anyone. I’ve heard that maybe a MILLION times and have always thought it to be so insignificant. Though, that’s neither here nor there. I will go farther into beliefs later on.

Why do I shift?

Everyone has a core reason they started shifting and continued even if they weren’t successful. For example, I STARTED shifting because a friend introduced it to me. I CONTINUED shifting, even though I wasn’t very successful in my beginning years, because I’m always down to try something new and prove someone wrong. Even if that person ends up being myself. I would love to hear your stories and tips and ideas!

Lots of Love ❤️

Resources-

Robert Bosnak- He is on YouTube and TikTok

I will have more resources later on, however Robert is the only one I mentioned in this post!

Recommendations-

CarlyShifts111-She has fantastic subliminals and has a really helpful TikTok page

Alunir-Great guided meditations

[youremyheaven]

Do you think those influencers who dramatically switch from very left wing Marxist alternative etc to very trad Christians (specifically in homophobic/transphobic way) have ketu influence?

You were talking about ketuvians and their struggle to find a sense of self and it made me think of these types of people. I know someone with ketu 1H and magha moon who did this to an extent. She used to identify as non binary and was constantly shifting through different names and pronouns but then one day she just kind of stopped and started saying how she thinks pride is pointless and a waste of time or whatever😭 it wasn’t *that* extreme but I still thought it was a significant shift in belief in such a short time.

I think a lot of people have this dramatic shifts not only out of a need to identify with something due to a lack of sense of self, but also because they like going back to what their parents believe for comfort. I guess those two are interlinked but it’s interesting how my friend is a magha moon and magha is associated with ancestors and whatnot.

I guess mula is somewhat similar as “the root”? Idk about ashwini though

Sorry I haven’t actually had the chance to look into examples since it’s hard to find birth data for influencers and I don’t know that many examples irl 😶‍🌫️ so this is me just going on a tangent and hoping you get what I’m trying to say LMAO

I’m also not sure if anyone else is familiar with this phenomena or if I’m just too engrossed in niche internet drama.

In terms of influencers I guess a somewhat prominent example is Freckle Zelda on tiktok? I never followed her but she went from making cutesy safe space liberal type content in like 2021 and now she’s a Christian and is using it be to super controversial. But like I said I’ve never followed her so idk if this is dramatic enough of a switch to count as what I’m saying.

I also feel like this a rahu trait to switch between extremes🤔 idk lmk what you think

I feel like the capitalist commodification of identity has most adversely affected Nodal people.

If you think about it, spirituality's aim is to transcend the "self" entirely, you stop identifying with labels and attaching yourself to this or that thing. I'm not saying you cease to be a person but you stop trying to "accumulate" identities to hold on to.

9/10 times the reason we identify with something is to feel a sense of belonging but searching outwards for it will only lead to disappointment, when we search within and feel at home within ourselves, we lose the need to externally confined ourselves to rigid "identities"

Yk how people dye their hair, get piercings/tattoos etc to mark a new chapter or the end of an old one or whatever??? It is an attempt to claim something as "yourself" and "solidify yourself". Everything changes all the time, everybody changes yet there are many people who will never dye their hair or change their name or join a cult or whatever (not that all these things are the same) its just that if you're at peace with yourself and truly grounded, you will no longer be shopping for different identities or things to associate with.

Yk those people who have IG bios that read like "Mother, Pluviophile, ESFJ, Petrolhead, UJC'22, Missourian, Ancient Spirit, 1/4th Cherokee, Bitcoin Enthusiast, EDM Lover"

like what do any of those terms say about them?? how on earth is any of this central to your identity? all of these are external ??? is loving rain and being a petrolhead central to your sense of self?? im not trying to demean anybody's interests, im only trying to point out that what we choose to make the focal point of ourselves is up to us and its possible to not be defined by anything?? i think a truly ugly consequence of capitalism is how people try to define themselves by things outside them (their interests, hobbies, job, income level, marital status etc etc) because there is more to a person than all that.

when we retreat within, we base our sense of self on our qualities like kindness, compassion, creativity (this becomes the essence of who we are) so we don't feel the need to claim 87373 other things to describe ourselves

some people overly identify with others like their partners, friends or even strangers and kind of become them. this is also the root of stan culture, by being obsessed with someone to that extent and giving them all your time and energy, you are losing your own qi and harming your Sun (the same way criticizing the appearance of others ruins your Venus)

Rahu is prone to taking things to extremes and Ketu is prone to trying on different identities and losing interest in all of them one after the other. so your observations are right.

i dont really use social media so i dont know any influencers that i can quote as examples ;-; but im thinking of certain celebrities who have had drastic style changes in the past and all of them have nodal influence lol

in the 2000s, the Olsen twins were known for their boho chic hippie style and over the last decade or so they have become known for their "quiet luxury" style. They are Magha Moon

Julia Fox is Ardra Rising and she went from basic to avant garde

Jared Leto, Mula Sun, Ashwini Moon & Rising , he's also the leader of a cult allegedly so👀i guess it all adds up

Adele, Mula Moon & Ardra Rising

im not just talking about her weight loss, just her overall change in style. she got married young and had a baby and in a couple of years she got a divorce and revamped her look to that of an ig baddie

Kylie Jenner, Swati Moon she's changed her style/demeanour every other year since the early 2010s lol

Taylor Swift, Ardra Moon has also had many diff lewkzz throughout the years

before anybody says dont celebs change their styles often?? no they dont, not everybody for sure. look at Jennifer Lopez or Sarah Jessica Parker, theyve been dressing the same since the 90s. constantly evolving style/looks/personality is a Nodal thing. its also a big part of the reason why Nodal people succeed in the entertainment industry and in the material realm (a lot of rich people including Bezos have Nodal placements) because entertainment = illusion, pretending to be someone you're not and for Nodal people, this is pretty much second nature.

im sorry that my response is kind of all over the place. your question provoked some thoughts within me lol and i just had to shareee

i cant think of celebs who have drastically changed their life paths like the example u cited ;-; EXCEPT Bridget Mendler who is an actor, singer, and entrepreneur, has a PhD and went to Harvard Law and now runs a satellite company?? she also adopted a kid during all this? She has Mula Sun

anywayyys thats it for now

tysm for sending this ask!!! its a very thought provoking and interesting question<33hope u have a good day<33