#I will be mad if the writers didn't think of writing them a song

[fabiolajyx]

✨️ Me manifesting a Gil and Olivia duo in tomorrow's episode ✨️

[mehkers]

Triworlds (Excluding Luke) react to MC having a shrine of them

Alrightyyy, it's here!

Maybe one day when I learn more about Thirteen, Mephisto, and Raphael I'll include them as well Warnings: nothing , fluff, teasing

Part one, part two (ur here) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Diavolo

He decided to visit the HoL (House of Lamentation)

It was an excuse to run away from Barbatos and meet his right hand man, Lucifer, under the pretense of delivering some 'important' papers

It was a list of places in the human world he wanted to visit

Lucifer was busy scolding Mammon and the Anti-Lucifer League though

Dia wandered around the place and came across your room, sooo he decided to peak in-

He swears it was an accident how he ended up looking in your closet and finding the shrine

POV: You accidentally trip and find a shrine in your favorite human's closet they made of you

Nah, he was checking your closet to see your size since a ball was coming up and he wanted to secretly order you a designer outfit

Diavolo didn't have much of a reaction

He was confused, but since he's the prince of the devildom, seeing shrines in his name weren't uncommon

Coming from you tho.. his heart did flutter

During RAD, Diavolo def called you to his office to check what that was about

"I didn't mean to snoop, but I couldn't help but notice you made a shrine of me. Oh don't worry, I'm not mad. I'm more amused, and curious as to why you made one?"

Hearing your confession did make him laugh, but he quickly stopped when he noticed you looked like you were on the verge of tears

Dia still didn't understand

Buuut, you will catch him sending many lavish gifts your way

He's started to invite you to the student council more often now, and you have a position there (I don't think you have one in game, it was never mentioned)

Congrats!

You flustered the Prince of Devildom and now he doesn't know what to do!

"I still don't understand your motives behind it, but.. I must say, it does make me feel giddy. Haha! Does that sound weird coming from me?"

Barbatos

He sighed

Barbatos was not ready to conduct a cleaning check

The brothers usually live in a dump, but since you arrived, they've managed to keep it clean

He thought so

Until he saw a huge rat walking out of the house from the front door

Thankfully, he was greeted with the sight of a well kept house

Barbatos walked around and surveyed the place until he reached your room

Barbatos will admit, he was curious to see how a human's living space would look like

It was relatively normal

And your space was clean

He found a lot of Mammon's belongings strewn around

he was the most surprised to see a shrine in your closet you made of him

The Prince of Devildom's butler

He's considered the second most powerful demon, but no one paid much attention to him

So in turn, he decided to pay you more attention

With time, he noticed how you'd always sneak glances to him

This made him feel a tad more.. possessive

C'mon guys, he's a yandere at heart (did you hear his song??)

"While I was cleaning, I found something interesting in your room. It's a shrine of me. I was not expecting to find that, but don't misunderstand, I welcome such attention since it's from you~"

He'll smile and look so understanding that even if you deny, you'll end up confessing

He's secretly so prideful that he go the attention of the human that every demon coveted

He's soooo sweet tho

Always inviting you to come to tea parties

Looking out for you

Sending exotic tea, or coffee, or any other drink of your preference to you

"Allow me to worship you now."

Simeon

He decided to join Satan and Belphie's book club

Turns out it was a ploy to get more members into the Anti-Lucifer league

While it seemed interesting, Simeon was too tired to deal with shenanigans after not sleeping for 2 days straight

He's out of his writer's block, and has been writing nonstop

The exhaustion finally reached him

You allowed him to rest in your room for sometime since he basically looked dead

The sleep deprived angel was ready to fall to his knees and pray to you

He laid in your bed for sometime, but for some reason sleep was not reaching him

He sat up and observed your room, smiling softly

Since he couldn't sleep, he decided to pick up a few things and fix up your room

He opened your closet and looked through your clothes, taking it upon himself to fix up your closet

That was when he saw the shrine

:|

:O

:D

He's over the moon

Dancing on rainbows

Singing at the top of his lungs

A bit weirded out, but nevertheless

You noticed he was more chippy than usual

Always calling you over to the Purgatory hall that the demon bro's started to get suspicious and put a ban

"Sad we can only meet in at RAD. By the way, I.. uh.. never mind! Luke misses you, we should meet in the marketplace some time."

fanfictions

just

self inserts

He feels like such a creep, but- his writing skills have finally come in handy

He's so shy

Solomon keeps teasing him about it

Will use any reason to hold your hands

"Ah! Don't trouble yourself, let me help with that. And.. I'd like to come to your room again, if you wouldn't mind? I want to spend more time with you."

Solomon

This shady bastard-

He could become the new Avatar of Pride

And he's about to make it everyone's problem

Solomon was just dropping off some extra notes he'd taken for the hexes and curses test

And your closet was wide open

There was no way he couldn't have seen it

It was like you left it there for him to see!

So, you wouldn't mind if he took some pictures, riiight?

NEW MESSAGE: 20 photos from Solomon

"Wow, never knew you adored me this much ;)"

He's flustering you sooooo badly

Using this to his advantage

He's a bit more soft though

And, he's a lot more protective

He's always calling you cute nicknames ever since that incident

He doesn't announce it to the entire world

But everyone basically knows how hard he's fallen if they see the way he acts around you

Always has a hand on you

Waist, hand, shoulder, head

"My darling apprentice, shall I remind you of your embarrassing little secret, or will you shut up and admit you love me~?"

Fuck, I wrote way too much. I got too excited and used up too many creative juices by the time Solomon's turn came 😭 Well, hope you enjoy it! If anyone wants to request, my ask box is always open

I was gonna do Luke as well, but I'm lazy and idk it might be a bit weird- Soooo, I might make a special post dedicated to the cute angel cuz he deserves as much attention!

[serxinns]

idk if u do angst or not but i love me so good angst so if u dont mind can u do some kiribaku x reader angst plz i would love that thx like they cooking for kiri and bakugo and bakugo complains about how little reader dose and kiri agrees cuz they just kinda stay at home and clean do the laundry and so like after he says that she gets mad so the next day she does nothing and like just reads like doesn't cook for them that night doesn't do there laundry and doesn't clean the house that day and at first bakugo's mad about it and kiri doesn't know what to feel and this go's for a few day and kiri and bakugo have to do everything and the see how hard it is and apologizes to reader! i think it cute

thank you plz dont feel like u have to! i love ur writing

*evil laughter* you fool I AM THE IDEAL ANGST WRITER AND IM A KIRIBAKU FAN IM A YUZUYA FAN AFTER ALL 😈

You were humming along to your favorite song as you were carrying 3 baskets of both your husband's clothes "That's About all of them" you huffed in relief you then grabbed and poured all the bleached cleaning chemicals in there and the clothes and turned on the washing machine "ok so I cleaned the room unclothed the sink and the toilet went and got groceries what else..." you were thinking for a while until a delight smell met your nose

"Man whatever Kats is cooking must be good I might sneak a bite or two.." a mischievous grin started forming on your face you crept out of the laundry room in the halls to where the kitchen to hear Kiri and Katsuki talking, you leaned your ear closer and it seems like they were talking about you

"And then when I came back I saw y/n tried and laying on the couch sleeping like a layout sloth with MY favorite chips in hand! " You giggled as you heard Katsuki angrily rambling on to his other lover Kiri about you slacking off thinking he was still holding a grudge about the snack incident"God I wish she could just do SOMETHING around the house rather than clean and BARELY cooking shes so..LAZY" "bakugo don't be so mean but yea I kinda agree I wish she could do more in the house rather than clean.."

Your heart stung at that very moment tears started to swell up in your eyes you had to carry Kiri's 2000-pound dumbbells when it was delivered at his home which bruised your hands and arms pretty bad, another time you saw permanent stainsmon Akatsuki's hero suit due to a battle with a notorious villain and decided to spend all your savings try and get it off, the more rambling they went on about you being "Lazy" the more angry and hurt you were

You then ran up the stairs and stuffed your face into the pillow and cried softly were you not working hard enough? After all the bruises cuts and money worth nothing? Were you actually Lazy? Thoughts swirled around your head and you lost your appetite you didn't feel like sleeping with them so you grabbed a pillow and blanket and slept in the guest room for tonight, you locked the door making sure they wouldn't barge in

Suddenly a knock on the door alerted you "Hey baby you there why are you in the guest room?" Kiri asked concern filling his voice but you ignored him getting the pillow and putting it on your head, Kiri tried a few more times getting more worried for you so he quickly ran down to get Katsuki about the situation "hèy blast y/n locked herself in the guest room... I think they're ignoring me" katsuki rolled his eyes while brushing his teeth getting ready for bed

"She's probably in her "dramatic bitch phase moods" or whatever she calls it she'll prob get over it in the morning," he said waving it off "but it feels like shes mad at us.. I think we should-" he was cut off by katsuki kissing him on the lips "El they'll be fine I'm sure of it plus she'll prob crawl back into bed without us knowing in the middle of the night now good night" katsuki pecked kiri on the cheek and jumped into bed Kiri took one last Glance in corners and slowly climbed in the bed feeling a bit empty even katsuki felt it so he clung onto Kiri but it was still empty and cold without you

The next morning they woke up and there was still no you, katsuki glanced at the space and rolled his eyes maybe you are mad.. or you woke up early to cook breakfast? Katsuki then took a shower and then got ready, you normally already had his warm dry clothes in the drawers but to his surprise, they were all soaking "Y/N!" He yelled out stomping around to hunt you down for this cruel prank but to find out you already left without their breakfast... only but a note and plain grain cereal saying "Here's your breakfast breakfast 😁"

Katsuki was stunned knowing that you would go all out making them a big breakfast with their drinks and everything decorated Kiri followed behind him yawning he glanced at the table and looked a bit worried "Katsuki what if we did make her upset" Katsuki groaned at his boyfriends whining and turn towards him "she's not mad she's probably was too lazy to do it and even if she was she can't go that far we can outlast her rebellion" he said with confidence

It's been 2 days and it's been hell you weren't lifting a finger for them and both of your boys weren't too pleased with that, katsuki wasn't used to washing clothes so he accidentally mixed the colored clothes with the white clothes which stained some of the white clothes to his annoyance, Kiri was freaking out that there was red hair dye left and he had hero meaning to go and his hair was almost turning black he begged you to go to the store but to his defeat you just stared at him and politely said no and got back to your reading

Katsuki was getting enraged by your sudden behavior so he confronted you with a beaming glare "Oi what's with this shitty attitude your pulling?" "Blasty no!" You tilted your head innocently at the 2 Men "What do you mean I'm doing something" You were about to go back to your read when Katsuki snatched the book and slammed it on the counter you glared at him "I had enough of this shitty attitude woman you have been doing less and less work each day and we're paying the consequences"

you scoffed "But is this what I am right a Lazy bum" Katsuki was about to question you about your statement but then it hit him..the memory of him and Kiri talking about you... "you heard our conversation" you looked over to him as your eyes narrow "at every single last word" Kirishima swelled up with guilt avoiding eye contact with white katsuki was still glaring

"Listen, baby, we're sorry it won-" "Oh don't give me that half ass apology you're gonna have to work for it BIG TIME" "Oh please like we deserve your forgiveness just because you're not doing much" You laughed sarcastically and got in his face

"I bet your ass wouldn't last a week without me doing the housework" "Fine winner gets to use the others credit card for the day and make them breakfast in bed for almost a week" "what!? Bakugan I dont think-" "Deal" you cut off Kirishima as you shook hands with the blond "what have I gotten into"

The next few days were hell! Most of Kiri and katsuki's colored clothes were bleached due to Kiri accidentally putting them in the colored clothes rather than putting them in the white clothes all their clothes were full of dye stains that day while you happily shopped you some clothes,

Katsuki, on the other hand, was worse he didn't have any time to make breakfast or lunch so he went on for the day cranky and hungry having to eat cheap instant ramen in his break and was questioned by fans on why was there Clear dye stain on his suit and kiri got laughed by both his friends and in the agency about his hair drooping and all black colored making his fans chased after him with questions or stating they liked his hair red which was to his annoyance

You watched as the two boys struggled with doing their jobs as you sat there secretly giggling to yourself and talking with your friends on the phone like a form to brag it to them

"Katuki im gonna apologize it's getting too much..." Kiri told Katsuki as he was struggling to mow the lawn (you also do that) "Are you kidding you giving up that easily because she was a" "No Bakugo because I know to feel what's it like its hard, look at you, your struggling to turn on the lawn mower your clothes are stained and we haven't eaten no good meals in over a week I'm tried katsuki and you are too"

katsuki stood they're quietly he didn't wanna admit but it was true it had been torture without you hell even if they kept going like this the whole house would be a disaster but not inky that their relationship would be stained and he didn't want that he truly loved you two even if he doesn't show it and he doesn't mean or intentionally wanna hurt you was he really taking it to far? That's what he made his final decision

"Fine.." Kiri turned slowly turned into smirk a bit "what was that couldn't hea-" "I SAID FINE DONT PUSH IT YOU DAMN ROCK" he chucked putting hands up in defeat "alright alright I heard you thr 1st time kats!" He chuckled as both was finding a way to make it up to you when you got home

You arrived at your home signing it's been a long day for you even tho you barely did anything you had a lot on your mind wondering was too far but were still confident that they needed to learn their lesson!, you got to your doorstep seeing a note that said "come in there's a surprised" in both Katsuki and Eljirou handwriting you raised your brow a bit but curious to know what was the surprise about

You slowly open the door revealing a fancy dinner table with all your favorite foods' petals on the floor what's next to the dish is a small gift right beside it "You look over to see both Your husbands' faces guilt written all over, you narrowed put your hands on your hips pretending to not be happy "so what's all this" katsuki sighed knowing that you were still mad at them which was reasonable "an apology i-no we're sorry for what we say I know this isn't much" you glanced I silently "but we also ran a warm bath for you with your favorite show recorded-"

you cut the men off by tackling them with a hug happy tears fllow "I COULDNT DO IT ANYMORE I HATED THIS CHALLENGE" Kiri's face was starting to swell up in tears as well "ME NEITHER" Both you and Kiri cried dramatically while Katsuki stood there genuinely smiling and chuckling a bit

"What are you laughing at blasty" glaring playfully at the blond who was on the edge of wanting to bust out laughing at his partner's dramatic performance

"Nothing" he smirked he was just glad everything was back to normal "So who wanna watch (favorite show)"

[thebluester2020]

I wonder how sdv bachelor's would react to you getting mad at them for forgetting your (relationship) anniversary?

Getting Upset At SDV + RSV Bachelors For Forgetting Your Anniversary (For the Umpteenth Time And You Decided To Leave Them For It)

Warning(s): Angst (Especially on Shane's part lol, I'm a hater), No happy endings, Reader goes in on Shane and Alex in their individual parts,

Side note(s): Ik you were probably expecting something decently light anon but I just remembered that I haven't ratted on Shane in a minute so I thought some good ol' fashioned angst was in store.

Also, I picked who I wrote angst for because I teared up thinking of writing angst for my favorite emo or writer. Still, though, I hope you like what I've written anon (and sorry it took so frickin' long 😔)

Shane | "Another Bottle"

You were so excited for tonight, you could hardly stand in place as you waited for Shane to get home!

Tonight would be your third year with Shane. A year that (in your mind) would symbolize the trials and tribulations the both of you had gone, as well as shared with one another. And for the last week or so, Shane had been talking almost non-stop about the plans he had for the both of you at the end of the week! He hinted at eating some fancy dinner cooked up by Gus at the Stardrop Saloon, and although he didn't mention it verbally, Shane had been spending a lot of time with Elliot lately.

The two had almost nothing in common so, butterflies erupted in your stomach at the thought of the extra things your husband was preparing for you.

Shane had also mentioned taking a walk on the beach at the end, and once the night had concluded? A nice wine on the porch whilst listening to a playlist of you and his' favorite songs.

All of it was straight from a dream, a fairytale even that...admittedly, you thought would never happen. Especially since...he had forgotten your first anniversary, the second one too—but, you were nothing if not forgiving.

You had to be.

Your husband dealt with a lot. He had mental health issues as well as a drinking problem that he was still fighting to curb to this very moment! When you married him—nay, when you first started dating him. You knew that you would have to be patient and constantly show him that you were with him through thick and thin, come Hell or high water. You'd stand by Shane's side and walk with him through any troubles he may have faced or had roaming around in his head.

Therefore, that's why, as soon as the clock in your shared bedroom ticked to five o'clock. You practically burst out of your bedroom and out to the front porch to wait for Shane like an eager dog waiting for its owner to return home after a long day! In any minute, he'd walk through the small gates that led onto the farm's property...maybe with a bouquet of flowers? A tired expression at first perhaps? One that would immediately melt away at the sight of you like it always did...you couldn't wait to see for yourself.

Six O'Clock

You had decided to sit down on the steps of the porch, constantly standing in a pair of heels was bound to hurt your feet sometime or another as you continued to wait for Shane to go through those gates. He must've been held up at work, maybe spending a little extra time getting your date ready! Something.

Anything other than the thought your mind was threatening to settle on.

No, anything but that.

He was late but you were going to have patience, after all, all the best things in life were worth waiting for, right? You were willing to bet that he was going to appear at any moment now.

Eight O'Clock

You had lost the bet with yourself, that much was obvious as you quietly took off the outfit you had put together for tonight and debated whether you should simply take a shower and go to bed or if you should comfort yourself over a nice glass of wine. On one hand, you wanted the former, anything that would help you forget this night but...this time? You just couldn't bring yourself to do it.

This would be the third time that Shane had forgotten your anniversary. Last year, you had let him slide with his excuse that he was caught up at work, even though he worked at a grocery store and the place had a set time for when it closed! The second year, that time around, Shane had claimed that Jas suddenly wanted to spend time with him! You wouldn't have minded Jas tagging along for your anniversary date, she would have made it more lively, so that year as well, you let it slide.

This time though...as tears started to well up in your eyes and your chest tightened. You didn't know if you had it in you to let another anniversary slide.

And that's when you heard the front door open and close.

Even from the bedroom, the scent of alcohol was strong and all too familiar. The lazy movement of Shane's footsteps...the way he groaned and grumbled drunkenly in search of you.

He had forgotten your anniversary...all so he could get drunk?

You saw red. "Where were you?" You immediately questioned your husband when you rounded a corner and into the living room.

There he was, lying down on the couch with the stench of alcohol radiating off of him. You clenched your fists so hard at the sight, that you almost worried they'd bleed. "Out." Shane finally answered.

You could feel a vein threaten to poke out as he slurred his words.

"Out?" You said in exasperation.

"Yes, out."

"I thought you were trying to quit drinking," You stormed up closer to him. Shane barely even flinched, you were hoping he'd give you something, anything that said he had remembered your anniversary but was just too drunk and stupid to remember it. "Why—"

"I needed a break from work!" He grumbled. "Get off my back."

"But—" You took a breath. "Shane." You continued. "Our anniversary...you—you promised." When that word made its way out of your mouth, Shane could barely give you the decency to look embarrassed. To look ashamed that he would miss his only spouse's birthday. The one person who had stuck with him through everything, listened to him when he was at his lowest, had made sure he was at Dr. Harvey's in a heartbeat the second you noticed he was too drunk to even stand. You had even gone out of your way so many fucking times to make sure that you had did some things for him, anything that made his recovery easier and swifter.

And what could he do to thank you?

Easy, begin to fall asleep on the couch whilst he still smelled of alcohol. Even as tears started to burn your eyes, he still couldn't wake up for you.

So, you decided that was that.

You wouldn't go through this again for a fourth, fifth, or even sixth time in a row!

You were done.

"...I guess you were right before Shane," You said to his passed-out form.

"You are nothing but a drunk. And that's all you'll ever be." You continued with venom dripping from each word before you stormed off to your bedroom. Immediately, you tore open the closet before you practically ripped and tore his clothes from the hangers, snatching pants and everything else he owned from the drawers and other places he kept his things before you carried them all to the living room before dropping it at his feet.

Still, he barely moved an inch aside from snoring obnoxiously.

You wanted him gone first thing in the morning and you wouldn't hear another half-assed apology or even an excuse that he was "still healing" or "just had a momentary relapse". It was a fine fucking time to have a relapse on the day you were looking forward to for an entire week! And you absolutely hated him for it.

But...soon you'd have your peace back, free of any disappointments too.

Once he was up and gone tomorrow.

Alex | "High Ambitions"

Alex's gridball career had been going extremely well as of late.

You always knew that his efforts, the constant hard work he'd put into the sport, would pay off one day. You always told him that! You just wished that...it wasn't at the expense of you sometimes, compared to how he was when the two of you first started dating, Alex was gone almost all the time. From sun up to sun down, he'd either be training or taking a bus down to Zuzu city at the crack of dawn in order to train further with his coach!

You didn't have enough fingers to count how many times you woke up by yourself. The spot where Alex should have been cold and empty, but Alex had promised you that he wasn't letting his ambitions and his budding career get in the way of you two! He'd always come back and hug you, stating that you were the reason why he was playing in the first place and trying to make it big.

All so that he could fund and take care of the both of you, deliver you a lavish lifestyle that would allow you to have more time to do the things that you and he liked to do rather than most of your day being spent with farm work and running around! And while that was all fine...your current lifestyle, was something you enjoyed.

And you enjoyed it even more when you did it with Alex.

Yet you had bit your tongue and nodded your head, you were happy for him and wanted him to succeed! So long as he didn't forget about you, you were happy and content. Besides, you'd have all the time in the world to make up for lost time with him tonight! It was your anniversary and the second he got back from practice, you wouldn't hold back from being a little greedy with him.

At least...that was the plan.

Until two hours went by.

He was supposed to be home at 8 o'clock.

Now? It was just barely reaching 11:00pm. And as the minutes continued to tick by, your anger at your husband only grew. He promised you that he would be home on time, that he wouldn't let practice take over you being his number-one priority. Clearly, that was one huge lie. However, as you heard the rapid jingling of keys at the door all of a sudden...you couldn't even find it within yourself to make up an excuse for him like you had many times prior.

No, it was clear where his priorities were as of lately.

And you weren't a part of them in the slightest.

"Y/N!" Alex called out as soon as he entered the house, his eyes quickly finding you sitting on the couch. Back straight and eyes forward, you hadn't even reacted to the sound of your name aside from a brief glance over your shoulder.

Oh, he knew he was in trouble.

"Sorry," Alex said bashfully, flashing you a boyish smile that would always do just the trick of melting your heart a little in the past. "I got caught up with practice, I scored three touchdowns today!"

"Do you know what day it is today?"

His eyes widened a little, his mouth opening to ask you to clarify as he desperately racked his brain. Only then, did horror wash over his features the second he remembered. "Y/N...I'm so sorry-"

You suddenly stood up. "Don't bother," You said sharply with a sigh. "It's the third time you've missed our anniversary!" You laughed emptily.

"All for fucking gridball practice. The same thing you told me wouldn't get in between us."

He rolled his eyes. "You know this is the one thing I've been working towards my entire life." Your husband huffed. "Why can't you be happy for me? I'm doing this for the both of us!"

"The both of us?" You scoffed. "You're doing this for you. I told you the second you started practicing to not let sports come between us, to at least take the time to remember me!" You shouted as you quickly got in his space, your chest heaving as your hands found their way to your hips.

"And what do you do? The exact opposite."

"Well, what about you?"

Oh, he was not placing the blame on you.

"You're always working on the farm, that or rushing off to the mines for the third time in a night!"

"How the- that's not the same! And besides, you're barely here to begin with! I'd rather be in the mines with the ghosts to keep me company than lay in an empty bed for the fourth night in a row!"

Your husband only blew you off with a scoff at your words, turning on his heels to walk away from the conversation. And that single act, it only made the pain worse. So much worse that...you couldn't even believe that you had married him in the first place. In the beginning, you were absolutely smitten with Alex, admiring his determination for gridball as well as his drive to be the best at it! Even now...you still want to support him at it, see him become the very best but...not at the detriment of you.

Not at the detriment of your marriage.

If he couldn't be bothered to remember the simplest things about you such as an anniversary.

Then it was best if you left the picture completely.

You took a deep shaky breath. "...Pack your bags tomorrow Alex." You said, your breath barely above a whisper but still loud enough to where Alex stopped in his tracks completely.

"What?"

"Pack them," You repeated. "You want to focus on gridball? Fine, but it won't be with me playing second fiddle to it." Then, you turned around to walk to the bedroom and shut the door behind you.

[therecordconnection]

Some Thoughts Regarding James Somerton

I know I'm rather late to the conversation and some of these points may have already been talked about in some form elsewhere on the site, but if you don't mind, I have some thoughts of my own regarding the subject of hbomberguy's latest video and I would like to take time to voice. This blog is normally dedicated to music and music writing, not posts about disgraced Youtubers, so I apologize for the detour in regularly scheduled programming.

First, I think it's important to make the distinction that Somerton isn't just a case of "problematic Youtube guy got owned... twice" but rather a genuine case of academic dishonesty, which is several grades above youtuber drama. This isn't something like Tati Westbrook getting angry at James Charles for sucking dick and cock at a birthday dinner. This isn't Ethan Klein and Trisha Paytas or whomever having beef. It's not Charlie Critikal talking about some stupid drama of the day or someone just using Youtube videos to say a bunch of gross and problematic stuff. No. This is a fucking grifter who not only lied, cheated, and stole his way to the top, but also did it by using a vulnerable community that has long had their voices snuffed out and their history completely rewritten or wiped from existence altogether. What history he didn't plagiarize, he twisted and outright lied about. He just made shit up to suit his own gross agenda.

A lot of things about James Somerton left me absolutely livid, and I admit that I didn't even know who he was until hbomberguy's video. I think what makes me the most mad is that I went to undergrad and grad school with a number of jackoffs that were just like him. People that didn't give a shit about the art of writing and research and just treated academia and the pursuit of knowledge and how to critically engage with art and media into a stupid game that only chumps take seriously. Somerton pisses me off because I AM a writer. When I write the Ranting and Raving series of posts on here, that stuff doesn't just fly out of my ass. I have to sit with a song, study it, research it, and make sure I know what I'm talking about so I don't look like a clown. I also have to make sure that I link and credit where I'm getting information from. It's not just important for my own satisfaction, but it's important for anyone who stumbles upon a post on this blog and takes time out of their day to read it and/or reblog it.

I think that's the part that makes me the most mad. That he and Nick Hergott have so little respect for the work that goes into researching and writing about a topic that other people are really passionate about. Spending time with something, studying it, and figuring out an interesting and unique perspective on it is a great feeling. Sharing what you find or how you see something with others and having them either like or reblog your work is an even greater feeling. That's my writing that somebody enjoyed and thought was worth sharing with others. Fuck fuck fuck Somerton for thinking you can take a million little shortcuts to get to that result.

While I'm on the topic, I don't think Hergott gets a pass for Somerton's actions. I've seen some people make the argument that he isn't complicit and there's a chance that he genuinely had no clue that Somerton was doing this... but I don't buy it. There's no way he didn't know and wasn't in on it in some capacity. Even if he wasn't, as Todd in the Shadows pointed out in his video on this situation, Nick is, whether you like it or not, an accomplice to Somerton's lies and he is complicit in the blame, due to his name being included in the "Written By" credit of a lot of those videos with Somerton. The way I see it, I find it hard to believe that he couldn't have known. I imagine part of Hergott's signing on with Somerton was that in the event that shit hits the fan, Hergott would be used as a fall guy to help deflect accusations of plagiarism.

To return to Somerton, in a way, he's almost worse than AI/Chat-GPT because, really, an AI has no morals. It can only do what someone punches in and tells it to do. Somerton is a guy who does have genuinely insidious ambitions and knows fully what he's doing. That shit about "only the boring gays who didn't mess around in the eighties survived the aids crisis" is the wildest and grossest accusation I've seen about gay people in some time. The wild takes about the Nazis (especially all the wrong things he said about fitness relating to Nazis) should also raise a lot of red flags. I'll say this though, I don't blame anybody in the slightest for not fully realizing Somerton was saying shit like that or doing all of what he was doing until hbomberguy and Todd presented it a certain way and made it all very clear. It's easy to not notice it when Somerton buries it by ripping stuff off from other, better writers. So, if you were someone who was a big fan and was genuinely shocked by the things Todd had to fact-check and debunk and worried that you're a bad person for having not caught any of them, trust me, you're not. Nobody should blame you for not catching it. <3

While I'm ranting about this, I want to say that Somerton's patreon grift was really gross to see exposed as well (through Dan Olson's really great thread, which can be read here). I understand the allure of wanting to buy expensive gear and thinking that's somehow needed in order to make Good Content™️, but there's a stark difference between someone saying "I think I need to shell out a little money in order to get something of higher quality" and "I need to have the appearance of looking like my stuff is being made with high quality stuff." As someone who has been experimenting with trying to turn his writing into video, I did some audio tests this weekend and realized that maybe (just maybe) the old Turtle Beach microphone my brother left behind when he moved out isn't going to cut it. If I want to record something I can be happy with, I'm gonna have to bite it and look at getting something decent, but somewhat affordable from a Best Buy or something. You don't need the best tech in order to make something great, but you can't use copper tools forever if you have the means to be able to enjoy using iron ones, you know?

Somerton's grift reminded me of guys like Onision and Spoony. Grifters who looked to Patreon and other creator donation sites for an easy pay day and would bitch and cry and complain that it's your fault when they don't get it. Somerton making poor financial choices ON TOP of it being money that he scammed from a community of people that were looking to invest in a voice that they genuinely thought was speaking for them in a meaningful way, only makes the grift more disgusting and foul. Even if he's just "some Youtuber," Somerton still had a responsibility to his audience to present queer topics in an ACCURATE manner. He didn't and we all have the right to be angry with him about it. This isn't just silly youtuber controversy, this is academic dishonesty in it's purest form and if it gets you expelled from any college program, it should get you expelled from being able to show your face on Youtube as well, which is how Somerton's story will end.

I've been on the internet for many years. I've seen some of the worst, most problematic creators of all time find a way to bounce back from all kinds of controversy and find some kind of success again. I don't think that will happen for Somerton. Not one bit. What he's done is something you can never come back from, no matter how much you try to reform. If two different youtubers can make two completely different videos about why you suck, I don't think there's any recovery. What happened this weekend is a now classic episode of World's Most One Sided Fist Fights Caught on Film.

This post has gone on for a while, so let me wrap it up. I mean this without hyperbole and without exaggeration: James Somerton is a disgrace to both media criticism and the art of video creation. I genuinely hope he remains propped up as a cautionary tale of what can happen when you fully decide you have absolutely no respect for the Humanities and decide that lying, cheating, and stealing your way to the top, all while scamming and being incredibly shitty towards a community that has long suffered and is STILL suffering greatly to this day, is better than any kind of academic honesty. I understand that Somerton is just "some youtube fraud" to some people, but the problem lies more in what Somerton's actions and motivations represent. I really think hbomberguy's video on plagiarism is going to do a lot of good. It's going to help a lot of people avoid doing it as well as help people become more aware of what it really looks like and all the damage it can do.

Thank you for your time.

P.S. It doesn't really need to be said at this point, but make sure you support the queer voices and writers that did the work Somerton thought was good enough to just copy and paste into a video. They're the ones that suffered the most through all of this and my heart goes out to them, from one writer to another. <3

[dootznbootz]

Hello. I honestly don't know how to prep this but uh, why do I feel like MM's Circe had so much potential? Like, MM did the lazy thing that is "making Circe's life a living shit show because that's the only way her actions would be justified" which... Is the annoying thing most modern interpretations do.

One good example would actually be EPIC: The musical. But in EPIC it only works because Circe isn't exactly a vocal point. And Circe having a motive plays into a pretty big theme of the show (Specifically in the song "Monster" where Odysseus is basically just... Contemplating everything)

But when you have 400 paged book, focusing around Circe, you have so much potential to focus more on the godly elements of these people. Someone else has said this before but ama say it too. The Greek gods had REASONS for acting the way they did. Zeus misused his power, that's what a king does. Artemis's wrath was unmatched when you wronged her, that's how nature is. Hades took a young girl from her mother, that's what death does.

And I'd like to add some of my own.

Aphrodite is a completely morally gray character, that's how love can be, it can go againts you sometimes. Dionysus was all over the place, sometimes good sometimes terrible, that's what madness is. Hermes is swift and a trickster because that's what people we deem 'messengers' can be like, via rumours.

When you notice these complexities to the characters, you start to realize. Circe misused her magic on innocent people for entertainment, that's what black/evil magic does. But at the same time, she helped Odysseus. Because even evil magic, or the 'worst possibilities' can be useful sometimes.

I think it is SUCH a missed opportunity MM didn't focus more on this aspect. Because that would've made for such an interesting story an unique story. Most of these modern retellings try to push modern ideologies on ancient works, which doesn't work. No retelling tries to tell these stories in a ancient Greek perspective (which is actually fairly easy you just have to do your research)

And with an author as skilled as MM is, I'm sure she could do it. But honestly, I don't think her writing is good in the perspective of Greek mythology. She could probably do a great modern story but let's face it, that wouldn't get as much money.

A story focusing around a goddess, and what it means to be a divine personification of nature and a concept, not to you but to the humans you exist for.You can really focus a lot on that and it could be such an interesting story.

All of these writers to me just seem like they're exploiting Greek mythology, which bugs me. If miller wanted to tell these stories, she would've told THE stories with her own twist. Not completely change them to the point they lose their charm.

If miller couldn't do that, if she wanted to write a complex feminist character she wouldn't have chosen Circe.

Something I really admire in your work is how you characterize these guys. It's obvious you're extremely passionate. I also love how you give Penelope clear flaws. You don't have to mortify everyone else to make her 'stand out' or to be 'more likable'. I really love your fic and I'm wishing you nothing but success in the future! :D

Anyways, enough about MM's book.

What do you think is one of Penelope's favorite little quirks od Odysseus', like something he does she finds really cute? :)

I hope you find pretty flowers today and get a sweet for free, dear anon. This ask made me so happy as it's like, perfect. As you gave a Circe rant that will be fun to dissect but also gave me a silly lil question for me to feast on and for the balance and the silly and I love it. You also sent it at the perfect time as I was getting a wee bit sad about how women from Greek Mythology get treated by retellings and fandoms. This really cheered me up 🩵

And thank you so much for the sweet compliment! It means so much to me that you love my silly lil guys as I love sharing them! And don't worry I am working on stuff! ;~; I know I'm taking a while but I am!

I'll do the cute stuff Penelope loves about Odysseus :P

(I do have them "mirror" each other a lot with "like-minded" so they often have SOME similar traits in some ways that both find endearing about the other. (both love watching the other brainstorm/think/swindle/winning/etc., both love (and are sometimes annoyed by) their stubbornness.) Stuff like that :D Also in general. Thank you, Anon. You've made me realize I've been going a wee bit too crazy with Penelope and kind of forgot about Odysseus.

1.) This is a past post that goes into it more but she just adores his freckles. She has counted them and memorized them. She's going to kiss every single one. He mostly has them on his face and shoulders but they are peppered a lil everywhere (he gets it from his mama). She uses the freckle pattern he has across his nose as "stars" for her tapestries.

Rando: Hey, that's not how the stars are mapped. Penelope: They're my stars, asshole >:(

She has to do a "recount" when he returns as some of his "stars" are covered by scars now :')

2.) She loves his hair and how well-groomed he usually is. He also is a bit like a cat in how he loves being pampered. (lil post about that) She loves scratching at his scalp and at the tiny hairs that are at the back of the neck. She loves the pretty grays he has when he returns as well :') She really loved how he looked without and with a beard. (It doesn't end up growing too long anyway)

3.) He's very warm. She's not really affected by temperature too much (she's used to freezing rivers and she herself is naturally cold. Her average temperature is colder than the average person. She only really has to worry about "drying up".) she loves his warmth. She wraps herself up in blankets while he's gone despite not really needing them sometimes as...she misses her furnace. (also his snoring) He also wraps himself in her blankets while away but sadly wakes up to them tossed about because he gets too hot. He needs his lil iceblock wife.

4.) She just adores his big laugh. The laughing so hard you cry one. Hearing it was kind of a "...Okay, I wanna hear that again." for her.

5.) He tends to bite his lip. Sometimes it's endearing and hot but he also will often rip at them. She tries to help him with this habit by distracting with kisses...Though with her teeth, it doesn't always help. Fun fact: For their first kiss on the lips, they were so stupid excited that he knicked himself on her teeth. She felt awful but he just kissed her again. It was bloody and bad but they were so happy. His bad habit returns when he's away because he's not getting his kisses 😔

6.) He whistles while he whittles often.

7.) So ancient Greece had yo-yos (probably in Odyssey but I'm getting silly with it)...and Odysseus is a nerd who WILL do tricks with them. (they can be made with wood and string so... odypen lol) He has fun trying to show other people how to do it too. It's a nice fidget. (modern day he would have definitely been that guy with that rubix cube lol)

8.) So Penelope is better at getting more for less, (lowering prices) and Odysseus is better at giving less for more. (selling shit for good things) They both can do it but they have their strengths.

9.) He got big eyebrows and with his weird "face shifting" thing he inherited from Autolycus, he can make a lot of silly faces.

10.) He tends to make sandcastles whenever he waits for her at the banks of rivers.

11.) He's a "heavy stepper" when he's not sneaking. It's not because of his scar. He just likes walking like that. :) Not so much "stompy" but she finds it cute that she knows it's him coming based on the footsteps she hears.

Some things that annoy her >:3

She's incredibly ticklish and he's not so much and he keeps doing it. STOP IT >:(

So she's smaller than him in mine and in general, he loves draping himself across her (he's like a cat remember?). Most of the time she loves that weight as she loves him and he's a warm weighted blanket. Though while she's strong, he'll sometimes be a brat and put so much of his weight on her just to mes with her. (mostly when they're young and dumb. not so much after he returns)

(Not this big of a size difference ofc but you know >:) )

Those are some and I have more rattling around in my head but I wanna finish this ask and I gotta do some shit :')

Thank you again, Anon. This made me happy <3

[sflow-er]

I heard people are mad because they feel like August should be apologizing to Simon also, and I think that’s like, a no-brainer because of course he will – – he’s changed now. He’s not the same person who did that thing so – – we saw him suffer and now he apologized to Wille whom he knows and then – – I’m sure when [August and Simon] meet, he’s going to talk to [Simon] about it too. Linnéa Roxeheim, director of S3 eps 5& 6, PRP interview 59:00-59:22 (– – used for legibility, the redacted phrase is 'you know')

So...this kind of seems to confirm something I've been thinking since I watched the season: the lack of apology from August to Simon feels less like an intentional, character-defining writing choice and more like a mishap overlooking or even retconning the August-Simon conflict.

Some thoughts under the cut.

That conflict was one of the central building blocks and driving forces back in S1. Simon wouldn't have ended up selling drugs if it wasn't for August looking to buy, Wille wouldn't have found out about August's finances and been able to use them against him, and Alexander would not have been framed to save Simon. And for that matter, August's eagerness to pin the blame on Simon was likely fuelled by the fact that he wasn't just a sosse sleeping with Wille, but also a constant thorn in August's side. Someone who had even physically roughed August up at one point.

Still, I do believe August's decision to post the video mainly concerned Wille. I've written about that too many times to rehash it again; let's just take his dismissive reaction when Sara says Simon is distraught in S1E6 at face value. And that made perfect sense for his character, considering his only moral code at the time was (elite) loyalty.

However. From S2 on, the history between August and Simon has been sidelined, and the focus has been on the conflict between August and Wille.

We didn't see Simon suffer any more daily consequences from the video in S2. He could already sing karaoke in Bjärstad without people giving him dirty looks, and both the rumour mill at Hillerska and the hate comments online had stopped. Not being allowed to sing his song at the Jubilee was a concrete consequence, but even that felt more like an obstacle for Wilmon and an opportunity for Wille to stand up for them. Simon and August barely even interacted over the season - but at least Simon did refer to Sara knowing everything August had done to him in the gun range scene, so that was something.

I had hoped for the August-Simon conflict to be picked up again in S3. Even if the writers wanted to focus on other relationships and tensions, to me, it felt too essential to pass up. It would have been a clear sign of August learning the accountability and empathy that he needed to grow, and it would have also provided some much-needed closure for Simon (and tied the series together as a whole). I guess the writers felt differently.

Even though the focus on Simon getting hate on social media again could have provided an easy tie-in, the vile hate messages focused on his and Wille's relationship, as well as him being a POC. Apart from Linda's comment in the settlement negotiation, I don't think the video was even mentioned once in all the hate comments we saw. There was no indication of the media or the public having dragged it back up either (or asked who filmed and leaked it, but that's another matter entirely). Nor were there any references to Simon having already received some hate after the leak - on the contrary, it seemed like he was completely blindsided by all the vitriol. I do realise that the scale was much bigger this time around, but still.

Circling back to the August-Simon conflict, there's also another aspect that is easily overlooked. Namely, that Simon himself actually seemed pretty content to just put all his dealings with August to rest after the settlement was finalised. The only time the two of them even interacted after that was all about Sara. It could have also been an opportunity to show Simon's own feelings, but that didn't materialise.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure Simon could still use that apology, but I never got the impression that he needed it the way we fans needed to see it. Based on S3, you might even think their only source of conflict was Simon coincidentally being on the video, and when that was settled, Simon was okay just moving on with his life.

Which brings me back to the ending.

I always figured that August was portrayed as genuinely remorseful towards the end. Yes, I would have liked to see more of his growth and development (even just showing his reaction to the sale of Årnäs instead of having Simon say that Wille said it was a fitting punishment would've worked wonders)... But the authorial intent seemed to be that he had already taken enough steps. His and Wille's reconciliation was as sincere as anything could get, with Wille not forgiving him as such but agreeing to move on, start healing, and even wish each other well. Wille was sincere when he congratulated August upon graduation and tapped him as the next king, thinking he was well suited for the job (it's the narrative that frames it as a sort of punishment, not Wille).

Crucially, Simon doesn't seem bothered by this. If both Wille and August had truly just ignored the harm caused to Simon and reconciled amongst themselves, with Wille essentially giving August the position that everyone but August still thought was all August ever wanted...while Simon was still hurting and needing the closure of an apology...well. That would actually make Wille look like kind of a terrible partner even right at the end, which clearly wasn't the intention.

We can't be sure if Wille told Simon about the reconciliation when they talked at the lake, but Simon will still know that Wille stepping down means August stepping up, and he is happy about it. Wilmon are off to start a new chapter in their lives, and we don't get the feeling that the lack of an apology to Simon is left as an unresolved issue between them (or between them and August).

So...yeah. I guess I'm just trying to point out that this seems to be another example of a previously important plot line being dropped from S3, and to a lesser degree, also another example of execution vs. authorial intent.

[sissylittlefeather]

It's time for a new series! Introducing:

This is the Story

A/N: This is my first experiment with an OC! Her name is Grace Dubois (doo-bwah) and she's a writer and single mom of 6-year-old Wendy. I hope you all love her! The story takes place in 1973. I don't want to say much more and give anything away!

Word count: 2.5k

Warnings: not really any yet. There's some cussing and smoking. This'll heat up eventually. I promise.

Song inspiration:

Here we go...

Grace is half asleep in the meeting with her editor. Her daughter, Wendy, was up sick all night and she didn't get much rest. But the editor doesn't really care. He expects her to function at 100% no matter what's going on at home, and usually she can manage, but today is a struggle.

"I need you to do the Elvis Presley book."

Surely, she didn't hear that correctly.

"I'm sorry; you want me to do what?"

"You're going to ghost write the Elvis book. No one else wants it. And there's agreement from the higher ups that he might respond better to a woman." She rolls her eyes. She's always getting assignments that are supposed to be better for a woman. Just once, she wants to be assigned based on her abilities and not what's between her legs.

"No, Frank, I'm not doing it. I need time to finish the novel you originally hired me for. I don't have time to follow a washed-up rock star around."

"That's too bad because I've already told them you're doing it."

"Frank, what the fuck?" She doesn't have the energy to hold back her anger. And she's known Frank long enough to know he knew she'd be mad.

"I'm sorry, kid. They think this'll be a real money maker and somebody has to do it."

She rubs her temples and closes her eyes for a second. It's no use arguing at this point. Not if he's told the big bosses that she'd do it.

"How long is it going to take?"

"He's in Vegas now. They want you to follow him until he goes back to Vegas in January." She glances at the calendar on the wall. It's August 6th.

"You want me to follow him around until January?!"

"It's what they want, sweetheart. You're going to be at their beck and call until this is done."

"Fucking great." She says under her breath. Hopefully, the nanny can travel with her to what she assumes will be Vegas and then Tennessee.

"When do I start?"

"They need you in Vegas this weekend."

"FRANK. IT IS TUESDAY."

"I'm sorry; you know how these kinds of things go." She huffs and gets up out of the chair to walk out.

"Grace, just be careful. He's apparently pretty difficult to work with. Keep your distance." Frank looks at her softly. He's been somewhat of a father figure to her since she started at the company.

"Oh, don't worry." She says as she walks out. "I want nothing to do with Elvis Presley."

******

"You're doing the book, my boy." Colonel Parker says firmly. Elvis slams his Pepsi on the table.

"No, I'm not." He glares at the Colonel.

"This will make it snow for a long time to come, boy."

"I don't care. I'm not telling some stranger about my personal life. It ain't happenin'." They stand in opposition for a while. Elvis knows he will eventually give in because he trusts the Colonel to make the business decisions, but he wants it known that he is not a fan of this idea.

"Can I at least bring the ghost writer in for you to meet? It might change your mind."

"Fine. I'll meet the guy. But this doesn't mean I'll do it." The Colonel walks out to the little lobby where Grace is sitting and asks her to follow him.

Elvis is looking out the window thinking about what it would mean to have someone write about him. There is so much going on in his life right now that he doesn't want the public to know. Telling it all to some stuck up, big city guy in a suit is about the last thing he wants to do.

"Here is the ghost writer." The Colonel says to get him to turn around. He does and has to hide his shock.

She's a woman.

And not just a woman. An attractive woman. Maybe a little old for his taste, and probably married, but it'll be nice to have something to look at through this ridiculous experience. He's thankful for his sunglasses as he runs his eyes over her from top to bottom, taking her in. Her almost-black hair is tied up with a forgotten pen shoved in the top of it and her black-rimmed glasses make him think of a librarian. She'd be more attractive if she'd unbutton the top few buttons on her shirt and reveal more of her olive skin, but he likes the way her brown pencil skirt hugs her hips. He also can't help but notice her calves and ankles, wishing he could see the rest of her legs and feet without the heels she's wearing.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Presley." She extends her hand to him awkwardly.

"Oh, you can call me Elvis, honey." He puts on his normal charm and takes her hand.

"Please don't call me honey. My name is Grace Dubois." He's a little caught off guard by her chill and he pulls his hand back quickly. He's not used to women who don't fall into giggles or tears or screams in his presence.

"Okay, Grace Dubois. So you want to write a book about me?"

"Not particularly. But it's what I've been assigned to do." He suppresses a chuckle. He likes her spunk, but he's still annoyed at the idea of her writing about him.

"Come sit with me. Let's get to know each other before I agree to do anything." He walks over to a little couch and pats the seat beside him. She sits in another chair on the other side of him instead. He sighs and turns to face her. Her attitude was cute at first but now he's getting irritated by her refusal of him.

"If you're gonna be learnin' all the intricate details of my life, I think I'm entitled to some information about you too."

"What do you want to know?" She answers curtly, hoping he won't ask too much.

"Well, are you married?" He doesn't see a ring on her finger, so he has to ask.

"No."

"Divorced?"

"No."

"How old are you?" Now she's getting really annoyed and he can tell.

"I'm 35, but I'm not sure that's pertinent to our task here, Mr. Presley." She's older than she looks. He would've guessed somewhere between 27-30.

"Call me Elvis, please. I'm just tryin' to gather some background information. Wait, you're 35 and you've never been married? What's wrong with you?" Her eyes flash with anger and her cheeks turn red. He realizes he's gone too far, but it's too late now.

"What's wrong with me? I've been focused on my career. You married a girl 9 years younger than you. What's wrong with you?" She asks, crossing the line with him too. He feels his anger rising as well.

"There ain't nothin' wrong with me, honey. You're the one that's been too busy workin' and actin' like a man to find one!" Her mouth drops open. He instantly regrets saying it when he sees that her eyes get glassy and wet.

"I don't think this is going to work out, Mr. Presley." She stands up and turns to walk out.

"Call me Elvis, please." He curses under his breath when he realizes she's headed to the door. "Wait, honey don't leave, I'm sorry."

"Don't call me honey, Elvis!" She turns back to him and hollers as she opens the door. She slams the door and he hangs his head and sighs deeply. The Colonel is not going to be pleased.

******

What an unimaginable ass. Once the door is closed, she stands in the little lobby breathing heavily and trying to keep the tears in her eyes from falling. She always cries when she's mad and it drives her crazy. Colonel Parker comes around the corner when he hears that she's walked out.

"What happened?"

"Nothing. He's an asshole." She knows she shouldn't say it, but she's still pretty worked up. The Colonel sighs and shakes his head.

"I'm sorry. I'll talk to him."

"Do whatever you want. I'm leaving. I'll send a new author as soon as possible." She gathers her purse and heads for the elevator. They've paid for her to stay here at the International, so she heads straight to her room.

She left Wendy at home with the nanny while she's in Vegas for now, so it's just her in the suite. When she gets there, she kicks off her shoes and lays down on the big bed. She finally lets the tears from the afternoon fall, getting makeup all over the pillowcase. But she doesn't care. She just wants to go home.

******

"What did you do to her?" The Colonel hisses.

"Nothing! I just... I asked why she wasn't married."

"My boy, how is that any of your business?"

"If she's gonna ask me a bunch of questions and follow me around, I should get to know about her."

"That is not how this works." Elvis nods his head. He knows he's messed this up. He thinks about her dark eyes and how they were full of tears when she left him. He didn't mean to make her cry.

"I'll fix it. I'll get her back here and do the damn book." The Colonel smiles and claps him on the back.

"I knew you would, my boy!" Elvis drops into the chair she had been sitting in and looks out the window again.

******

When she wakes up the next morning, Grace's plan is to head straight for the airport and get the hell out of this town. Instead, there's a knock on the door. When she opens it, all she sees are flowers. The hotel attendant can barely carry the vase as he stumbles in and sets it on the table in her room. It's an obscenely large arrangement. He laughs.

"Someone has an admirer." She gives him a couple of dollars as a tip and he ducks out of the room. She most certainly does not have an admirer, so she grabs the card quickly and rips it open.

"I'm sorry. Please come back.

- Mr. Presley"

She rolls her eyes. Surely he doesn't think this will work. Then again, it would be easier to just do the job than to try to argue with Frank or the higher ups about why she won't.

And it is the slightest bit charming that he signed it "Mr. Presley" after their conversation yesterday.

Maybe she'll just let him call her honey.

******

There's a soft knock on the door and Elvis gets up and walks to it, opening it slowly. He was hoping it would be her, for his own sake, after he promised the Colonel he would fix it.

He takes her in again as she walks past him. Same hair and glasses, no pen this time, but she has on light blue bell-bottom dress pants and a pinstriped button down with the sleeves rolled up. Again, he wishes she'd undo the top buttons and kick her shoes off, but he's not sure why. She is not his type at all.

"So you decided to come back." He says it playfully, trying not to push her too hard.

"I did. My editor didn't give me a choice." She lies a little, not wanting him to get the wrong idea. "Thank you for the flowers."

"You're welcome hon- uh I-I mean, Grace." She actually smiles at him and he's a little stunned, both by the fact that she smiled and how beautiful she is when she does.

"I was rude yesterday. I shouldn't've asked those damn questions."

"It's nothing. Let's just try to start over." He nods and sits down in a chair, gesturing for her to sit in the other one. He knows better than to attempt the couch this time. She sits in the chair and pulls a small notepad from her bag. She reaches up to her hair to grab the pen but it's not there.

"Ah, damn." He suppresses a chuckle at the endearing scene and reaches over to the table and grabs a pen that's sitting there. He hands it to her and she clicks it, ready to take notes. They both sit in silence for a bit.

"I'm not sure what you want me to say here." He opens his hands awkwardly like he has nothing to offer.

"Well, start with telling me why you want to have this book written."

"I don't."

"Okay. Well, what are you trying to say with the book? What message do you want to send?"

"No message. I don't want the damn thing written at all." She sighs and puts the pen down, looking up at him.

"Then what are we doing here, Elvis?"

"Hey! You called me Elvis." He smiles warmly, and for the first time, she notices that he's actually quite handsome. She shakes her head a little and tries to refocus.

"I was brought here to write some kind of book about you. I doubt they're going to let me leave until I do. So you're going to have to tell me what you want it to say." He turns and looks out the window, not sure what to do. He knows he's going to have to tell her something, he's just not sure what. Should he talk about Vegas? Priscilla? The international tour that might never happen?

She's surprised by how quiet he is when it comes time to talk about himself. She figured he was arrogant enough to have no trouble gushing about how great he is. But this is something different. He seems almost shy.

"How about this: start at the beginning. Just tell it to me like a story and I'll ask questions when I need clarification."

"At the beginning? You want to know about all that?"

"I'm not a journalist, Elvis. I'm not here to print your dirty secrets in as few words as possible. I'm an author. I want to tell your whole story in a way that lets people know you the way you want to be known."

He searches her face for evidence of manipulation or mockery and finds only sincerity. That's something he's not used to in the slightest.

"Why?"

"What do you mean, why?"

"You obviously don't like me. Why do you care what story I tell?" This is a deeper conversation than she expected from a washed-up rock star.

"Because I'm an artist, Elvis. When you do a show, even one you don't necessarily want to do, you do it well don't you?" He nods.

"I know what you're sayin'." There's a strange moment of connection and understanding between the two of them, maybe even mutual respect.

He takes his sunglasses off and pulls a cigarillo out of his pocket.

"Is this going to bother you?" He asks as he lights it.

"Not as long as this doesn't bother you." She takes a cigarette out of her purse and leans forward for him to light it. Then, she picks up the pen to take notes again.

"I recorded my first song for personal use. I never intended to release anything..."

******

Stay tuned for chapter 2!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Taglist:

@ccab @elvisfatass @elvisalltheway101 @ashtag6887 @aliypop @your-nanas-house

Want to be tagged for this series? Let me know!

[babyleostuff]

For a prolific writer like you ( and I know you've got mad skills because I like a stalker went through your blog and with each ask you write good stuff, hitting the feelings right and all) do you have a book recommendation? Your discography of writing is so vast and profound and for each character ( and we all know there's 13 reactions you have to nail every time ,)you must have read an ocean fill to be deeply inspired to write this well.

Sincerely how the hell do you nail quality WITH quantity this well ?

In other words... you're Uhmazeing

first of all THANK YOU SO MUCH this literally made me go 🥰🥲🥳😍💜🥹. complements like these always make me shed a tear (in a good way ofc).

AND DO I HAVE A BOOK RECOMMENDATION??? OH HONEY I DO!!!! (literature and writing are basically my whole life).

you didn't specify which genre you're interested in so let me give you some options <3

CLASSICS

picture of dorian grey, dracula, psycho, animal farm, pride and prejudice, little women, the handmaid’s tale

CRIME/ MYSTERY

the only crime and mystery i enjoy reading is sir arthur conan doyle and agata christie, so sherlock holmes and hercules poirot is just chefs kiss (and their books are such wholesome, short, to the point novels that i can’t imagine someone not liking them)

if i had to pick my fav tho „then there were none” has to be one of my all time favourites, it’s so so good

FANTASY (ISH)

the song of achilles, the invisible life of addie larue, a court of thorns and roses, electric idol + radiant sin, the ex hex, kingdom of the wicked, these violent delights, serpent & dove

SPORTS SERIES

(F1) dirty air [don’t get discouraged by the first book], (hockey) off-campus, (american football) the wall of winnipeg and me [not that huge fan of this in particular, but idk maybe you like american football]

OTHERS

the housekeeper and the professor, a little life, the secret history, if we were villains, a dowry of blood, little fires everywhere, radio silence + loveless

TIK TOK (it hurts me that a genre like that even exists)

twisted series, check & mate + the love hypothesis, the spanish love deception, love redesigned (an actually good tik tok(ish) book), kings of sin series, dreamland billionaires series, archer’s voice

i think that’s the best i can do for now (and i realise that not all of those recommendations are masterpieces and classics of literature, but sometimes you just need a book with bad writing and poor plot).

i hope you’ll find something for yourself! 🫶🏼

[kaija-rayne-author]

Review 10.3 of Dragon Age Veilguard

74 hours in, 72 playtime

Obligatory disclaimer, feel free to jump to the cut if you've read it.

Something came to my attention. I need to make it crystal clear that I utterly love the diversity in DAV. It's fantastic. I'm also a heavily left leaning, non-binary, queer as fuck reviewer, editor, and author.

I'm on media blackout while I play this, so I'm only getting second-hand info on how awful it is right now in the DA Fandom. Please be safe and take care of yourselves. Arguing with incels and white supremacists is completely pointless. They sea lion worse than an actual sea lion. Your mental health is important.

Though, every single time the anti-queer brigade comes out for a new DA game, I sit there thinking 'have you bozos ever played any DA game, like, ever?' My guess is nope.

Spoilers for Dragon Age Veilguard

Section 10.2 here.

So. I didn't want to play tonight, didn't really have the energy. But I legitimately fear if I don't play for even one day, I'll drop it and not come back. I have ADHD, its a strong possibility, and I still want to see what happens in the story for myself.

I hereby announce that I am, in fact, Eating Crow. Game Lucanis is way better written and developed than in his intro story.

And Lucanis did let Emmerich help, after all. Plot hole taken care of.

That's it? That's all we get about The Titans? After all the previous foreshadowing, we get a single companion quest to find out and resolve (completely unrealistically) the entire issue of The Titans? Are you seriously kidding me?

I need a stronger word than flabbergasted.

Discombobulated. I'm discombobulated at the sheer level of mishandling so many incredibly important aspects have been treated to in this game.

Yes, it's nice to get confirmation about my guess to the history of Titans and Elvhenan... but are you seriously fucking kidding me?

Lucanis talks about coffee more than we get something as important as the Titans settled.

Anywaaaay.

Called it on the identity of the Gloom Howler. And the 'reason' for Isseya to be doing the exact opposite is 'she's been driven mad by 400 years of guilt for following orders'? Edit, it's been pointed out she's suffered the blight for 400 years, too. The blight, in the Lore, basically makes creatures start digging out dragon/arch demons. Because all they can hear is 'the song'. There have been speaking hurlocks working for the benefit of the unblighted. There's the Architect, who keeps showing up and is sane. If directly opposed to anything mortals would want. There's no support in the Lore for blight making someone mentally ill. I truly just feel it's bad writing.

That is so over the top ableist I'm not sure if I can describe it in small enough words why we shouldn't say grief and guilt makes us fucking mentally ill in a dangerous fashion! There isn't a mental illness that I'm aware of that includes a person completely reversing deeply held, sacred beliefs so they do the exact opposite of what they've previously sacrificed so much for.

Crazy and mad both mean mentally ill. That's why calling Isseya mad or crazy is ableist. Isseya would protect those griffins, She’d very possibly steal them to protect them from the wardens. I could see where, out of fear, she'd decide that the Wardens weren't worthy of the griffins after all.

What I cannot see is her sticking a knife into the skeletal remains of a 400 year old arch demon dragon and actually finding liquid blood. That's some foolish jurassic park nonsense. Thinking maybe she got it from the blood marrow? That's dried and almost dusty within a century. Or turned to a rocky like consistency. I don't care how magical the creature those bones came from was, that's just not happening. It's ridiculous.

What I cannot see is her then using that to infect the griffins she fought so hard to save from that very fate.

Last Fall wasn’t my favourite of the books. But both the writer and the character Isseya deserve fucking better than what the end of her story will likely be. I can think of two ways that dumpster fire could be satisfactorily fixed, but I have zero trust in the Bioware writers anymore, so I highly doubt they're going either direction.

And outright stating that too much emotion makes us dangerously mentally ill... I've always said Bioware had ableism problems. I've said they need to hire diversity editors.

I'm utterly appalled that they thought that whole storyline was even remotely okay on any level.

So. Do I have this right?

The Evanuris did lots of bad things. One of the worst was severing the Titans and the dwarves from their dreams.

The Evanuris bound themselves to high dragons, blighting them, and they did this for more power.

The blight is somehow The Titans' or dwarves or both severed dreams? If that's the case, the blight should now be receding or cured because the Titans have been 'fixed'. In a completely unrealistic and ridiculous manner that does a disservice to the whole damned Titan Evanuris war, but hey. I'm used to bad, nonsensical writing. Especially in this game.

Solas made the veil to imprison the Evanuris? Bad side effects. Which, in the Lore, include the death of magic in THEDAS and the eventual death of the realm itself. But we're apparently conveniently brushing that under the rug of bad writing to drive through a story that makes no sense.

He tied the veil, their prison, into their life essences.

So the theory they seem to be going with is that by killing the arch-demon dragon, the Evanuris will become mortal.

They were mortal before they bound dragons to themselves for more power. Mythal was mortal. She was murdered. (Oopsie, even bound to her dragon.) But the Evanuris, the first elves, didn't age and were eternal. They could be killed, sure, but just regular living, even inside a prison, wouldn't have killed them. So why exactly would all the other Evanuris be dead? Just killing their dragons wouldn't have killed them. If they were somehow dead... Wouldn't that have thinned the precious veil that they've spent three games, numerous books etc. stating was thin and as full of holes as my grandmothers crocheted doilies?

Somehow, the veil is completely all better now and holding back a world of blight that never existed in the fade except maybe in the black city? We've been to the fade several times in this game and seen no blight.

How exactly is the blight the corrupted dreams of dwarves or Titans? Does that make any sense to anyone else?

Does that mean that Genlocks (blighted dwarves) dream?

And the veil is what separates the world and magic/dreams/world of spirits?

If the so precious veil is tied to the life energy of the Evanuris... and the veil was created to contain them... what exactly is going to happen to said veil when those Evanuris die?

Either I've figured out the end of the story, or found plot holes the size of Texas if they try to say that veil is still in place once Gilly and Eggy are dead. (Why again are there only two Evanuris left? Have we gotten an answer to that? That makes any sense?)

They've made the answers to everything too pat and yet so convoluted they're tripping over things they've said are fact in this very game.

I just... how? Why? What the actual fuck? How is the writing in this so reprehensibly bad?

I can write better stories in my sleep FFS. And have. One of my published novellas was a dream before I wrote it down. And at least everything makes sense in it.

Section 11 here.

[aliypop]

Return To Sender : Chapter 4

Word Count: 2,123

Writers Note: Alright, here's part 4! @sissylittlefeather, you'll love this!

Warning: Language / SLIGHT SMUT

Pairing: POC OC x Elvis / OC x Jerry

Plot: It's 1968 and Natalya Dyer a divorcee and single mother is tasked to interview Elvis and Cecelia Presley at their humble mansion Graceland about their spicy relationship only to learn more about them as people.

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3

Taglist

@darkmoviesquotespizza

@sissylittlefeather

@richardslady121

@thegettingbyp2

@presleyenterprise

@dkayfixates

@rjmartin11

@thetaoofzoe

@your-nanas-house

@zayurir

@60svintage

@sillybookmarks

@leapresley

@everythingelvispresley

@dreamondina94

@elvismylove04

@pocketfulofpresley

@elvispresley1956

@poeandmoonknightgirl

Memphis August 1968

"Sorry, we're late..." Natalya whispered, walking up the steps to pick up her son. "No worries, Nat. Elvis and I were still up." Cecelia mentioned as she led her to Jesse's bedroom, "What were you two doing still up?" She didn't mean to say it, but it happened, "Reading, Sometimes Elvis has trouble sleeping, so I'll read to him until he falls asleep." Natalya nodded as she smiled. Every time the Presleys talked, she wanted to have just an ounce of their love for each other. "Was he good?" She asked as Cecelia smiled. "Perfect. Anytime we're here. And you want us to watch Jericho. You let us know." Cecelia winked, "You mean it?" 

"Nat, when you become a friend with us, you become family,"

"Really..." Cecelia nodded, 

"Next week, the girls and I are hanging around here for a girls night,"

"And Elvis?"

"He's having a boy's night, though sometimes we impose." She chuckled as Natalya smiled and hugged her. She finally found people who made her feel like she belonged, 

"Thank you for everything..." 

"Of course,"

"Say, could you keep Jericho next week, say. Friday?"

"You and Jerry, huh?" Elvis smirked.

It was Friday, and Jericho was running around with Elaine and Jesse as Cecelia had been writing songs and business proposals. "Hey, honey?" Elvis said as Cecelia looked up, "You're not still mad at me, are you?" Cecelia glanced at her husband and then saw the look on his face, "Disappointed, yes. But mad at you, no." She took his hand and kissed it,

 "I'm sorry I peaked and found the gift you got me..." 

"It's okay," Cecelia laughed, "I shouldn't have gotten so angry." Elvis kissed her cheek until they heard glass break, already knowing it had to be either Jesse or Elaine who broke it. 

"Jericho did it!" was all they heard as Cecelia laughed, "And to think we wanted a third child," Elvis commented. However, on Audobond, Natalya was getting ready for her night with Jerry, which a part of her had butterflies about, and the other part said he was just a good friend, that was until he knocked. Jerry was standing there casually with the summer wind in his hair. 

"I bought Rosé." He smiled,

"I have strawberry ice cream." She smiled. as he walked in. Her house was enchanting. There were pictures of her and Jericho, her degrees on the wall, awards, and such, 

"I see you're very accomplished," He mentioned, 

"Yeah! An overachiever." She mumbled,

"Nah, you're smart."He smiled, "I like that,"

"Uhm, so you hungry?"

"I could eat," Jerry smirked. She wasn't used to compliments anymore, as he could see, but she deserved it,

 "So, how was your day?" Jerry asked, standing in the kitchen with her,

"Well. Jericho said he wanted to be in little league football." She laughed, "So I said. Well, I don't know, bud," her hands moving with her words, "But Jericho looked at me with those sad little eyes and," She looked at Jerry as he laughed, "Am I talking too much about him?"

"You're good. I played football as a kid, so if he needs any coaching, I could help." He winked, and she felt her heart race.

"That's kind of you. Jericho also has this father-son day coming up and..."

"I'll be there. Elvis is going anyways, so." Her knees were weak as she struggled to open the can of marinara sauce, a knife in her hand as she tried to pry it open,

 "Here, let me." Taking the jar from her, he twisted the lid and gave it back to her. It had been too long since she had someone do that for her, "Thanks..." She blushed, taking a whiff of his cologne as she was dizzy with desire, but she couldn't. They were friends and nothing else. 

After dinner, they were in her living room watching TV and putting her articles together, "I was thinking for the cover we have Cece El." She smiled as Jerry agreed, "Yeah, I like that. They're rarely on a cover together," he smiled, drinking his wine, 

"Exactly, then... Open with their interview!"

"Nah nah nah, page 7 interview, make the people work to read it." He added, "Page one should be all about you as an independent magazine, your mission." Jerry smiled as Natalya nodded,

 "You believe in me?"

"With all my heart, kid." He turned to look at her. Her body was on fire, "I-I see..." She blushed, knowing it was the wine, "It's hot in here. You want ice cream! I need ice cream..." Rushing to the kitchen she made a bowl and plopped a heavy amount in as she stuck two spoons in it. Jerry was laughing, he could tell she was into him, and he knew he needed to up his charm. As she sat back down and placed the bowl down she felt something wet on her body as she groaned,

 "Great... I wasted the wine..." 

"Not really..." Jerry smirked,

"What do you mean?"

"I could lick it off you..."

"You wouldn't..." She felt his tongue on her neck, "Dare..." her voice was breathy. 

"I might..." His fingers fiddling with the zipper on her skirt as she tried to fight it, his scent wafting back into her nostrils as she bit her lip, her brain was on fire saying that they were friends until she felt his mouth licking the access wine off her stomach, slowly, her eyes focusing at how he was between her legs, 

"You like that, huh?"

"Oh, eat me..." She blushed,

"As you wish," He smirked, feeling how wet she was getting, taking her panties off her as his mouth was on her clit, "Oh God..." Her eyes closed, and her body melted in pleasure, she hadn't been touched in so long. It felt like heaven just to have him under her skirt. She could feel his tongue lapping at her slick folds and her back already arching up to give him more access.

"Fuck... Jerry..." his fingers were inside her, plunging into her gushing wet cavern as he twirled his finger across her G-spot, causing her to writhe in pleasure, her legs shaking as if he'd had fucked her entirely, 

"J-Jerry!"

"Hmm..."

"Right there!"

"Like this?" Speeding up his fingering as he heard her gasp and mewl and moan, his thumb twirling her clit as he could hear her getting closer, 

"Baby, please!"

"Baby, huh..." That southern smirk on his face as he brought her to climax, crawling over to her to kiss her lips. The kiss was drunken, needy, wanting, yet savory as he bit at her lip, 

"Pants off now..."

"Hmm?"

"Now..." She smirked as he winked, Jerry could feel his pants tighten at the tone of her words, as he watched her lick the spoon covered in ice cream Jerry could tell right away what she wanted, taking him from his pants, Natalya had a tinted blush on her face as Jerry giggled, he felt like a schoolboy again,

 "What's funny?" She asked,

"Watching you blush." He grinned, "Nervous?"

"I know what I'm doing..." Natalya smirked, taking him in her mouth as she felt him hit the back of her throat a little,

 "Let me adjust for you." He moved as she tried again, Jerry groaned as he felt the cool sensation of the ice cream on his shaft, she could taste his skin and the strawberry as she bobbed her head in rhythm to whatever song was playing on the TV commercial in the background. Jerry held her cheek as he felt her tongue on the tip slurping around the base, her eyes focused on him as he bit his lip. Natalya could feel him throbbing between her lips the more she slurped and popped, she was driving him crazy, and she knew it.

 "Nat~" He moaned, his eyes fluttering as her hands twisted around him, she could feel him getting closer, and pulling away she added more ice cream in her mouth to hide the salty taste on her tongue. 

"Shit... Did you just..."

"Mhmm..." She winked,

"Damn you, Dyer." He laughed, 

"You started it, Schilling..." 

"So, uh... advice?" Natalya asked. It was a peaceful Saturday afternoon with Rosa, Daphane, Carlotta, and Midge as Cecelia was in the kitchen grabbing drinks, "On what?" Midge wondered,

"Yeah on what?"

"So... You all know Jerry and I have been hanging out," Natalya said as Rosa giggled,

 "Goodluck I dated him and-"

"You messed it up by going back to Scotty..." Midge added, "Continue Nat," 

"Well, do friends lick wine off you and then give you mind-blowing head..."

"NO!" Cecelia interjected, 

"Says the girl who said Elvis's cocka-cola fell inside her back in 55..." Carlotta grumbled, 

"You're just jealous..." Cecelia huffed, setting down drinks, "Mai-tai, an old-fashioned, metropolitan, and a lemonade for me." 

"Y'all ever get drunk, and land with your face in some really good muff..." 

"No..." Joe looked up from his beer as Red and Sonny laughed, Charlie blinked and Cheryl smirked, "Yes..."

"Jerry what the hell..." Elvis sighed, drinking his Pepsi-cola almost as if he were disgusted, "Two things E, ice cream blow job." Jerry smirked as Elvis blinked at him, "Oh come on E, the number of times I've walked in on you and Cece on set,"

"Well was it with Nat..." He asked as Jerry's smile widened, "Hell yeah, my boy, my boy," Elvis smirked. 

"I mean it kinda fell in my mouth..." Natalya blushed, "Sure it did." Cecelia laughed as the rest of the girls did, "But, it felt so good like I need more of it."

"Southern men are like that," Rosa added as Daphane agreed, 

"Really?"

"Married nine years with two kids, yes." Cecelia chuckled as Carlotta sighed. It wasn't that she didn't like this talk. She just didn't like her talking about Elvis,

 "Carlotta, you okay?" Rosa asked

"Yeah..." She nodded in response, 

"So, I invited Jerry to the kid's father-son lunch," Natayla smiled as the girls grinned, 

"And..." Midge smirked,

"He invited himself. I know I keep saying Jerry and I are friends but..."

"But E, There's something about her," Jerry smiled, "She's so amazing, and I wanna do anything to keep her happy," Jerry said as Elvis nodded,

 "Well, then do so." He shrugged. The men then stopped talking as they watched the kids playing football. Jerry watched Jericho who was struggling as he walked over to him, 

"Jesse I'm not good at it ok..."

"Yes, you are." Jesse smiled,

"No, he's not." Elaine teased holding the ball, 

"Is too!"

Is not!

"Is too!"

"Hey, what's going on here?" Jerry asked squatting to their level, 

"I'm not good at football." Jericho pouted, "So, you're gonna quit before you start?" Jerry asked as Jericho shook his head in agreement, 

"No, see things like this take practice..." He smiled, 

"They do?"

"Yes, Jesse they do."He sighed as he then turned to face Jericho, "Listen, we don't give up okay, no matter how hard anything is, we don't give up."

"Okay..." Jericho nodded,

"So you know RCA's having a gala and-" Cecelia paused as she looked out in the backyard and saw the boys playing football, "Did Jerry just tackle Elvis..." Cecelia turned to look at Natalya, "I find that attractive..." Natalya smirked, the two walking outside to watch, "FOUL!"

"What Cheryl that ain't a foul!" Elvis grumbled,

"That's ten points to team Hound Dog," Cheryl smirked, 

"Yes!" Jericho grinned high-fiving Jerry, 

"You two wanna be cheerleaders?" Elaine asked 

"Sure why not!" Natalya smiled, the rest of the women stood by the fence and watched, the final round was getting heated, and team Tiger Man was losing horribly, "Okay team, here's the play, Jericho you're going to take down Charlie, I'll throw the ball and Jesse..."

"I'm gonna take down my papa,"

"Exactly,"

"What if I can't..." Jericho got nervous, "Then be like Joshua and take down that wall..." Jerry ruffled up his hair as he laughed, 

"Okay," Jericho winked. The game was getting intense the girls were worried as Elvis twisted his ankle and Jerry on the ground, it was left to Jericho to sprint the ball to the other side, 

"GO JERICHO GO!!!" Natalya shouted as he carried it to the other side, 

"I DID IT! MAMA! MR. JERRY I DID IT!" Jericho grinned as Jerry picked him up on his shoulders "Yeah you did!" Jerry smiled, Natalya's heart fluttered as she almost kissed Jerry,

"Honey!"

"Oh, dear are you okay!" Cecelia ran to help Elvis up, "Mmhmm, Spranged my damn ankle," He sighed,

 "My poor baby." She grinned, "Can I get you anything..."

"A bath with you in it..." He winked, 

"Are they always like that..." Natalya whispered,

"Yeah..." Jerry laughed, 

CHAPTER 5 MAYHAPS?

[eisforeidolon]

Yes, when the actors are doing cons (or interviews), it's a performance and so they may very well exaggerate or even lie. The problem is that some people in fandom - definitely hellers, but not just them - will take that and run with it to the point of 'everything I want to believe is true and everything I don't is a lie!'.

Of course there are some things we can't know how true or not they are, but the reasonable way to evaluate has nothing to do with personal biases and making up justifications why an actor is only being 100% truthful when they say the things you like. There are a number of questions we can ask to more objectively consider the relative truth value of a statement.

Let's take Misha's claim that RC's song Watching Over Me is about Castiel as our obvious example.

First question is, "What was literally said?" Fandom tends to share their interpretations of what was said instead of facts, so the first check is to see what literally came out the actor's mouth. He did more or less say that, but he claimed Jensen told him one of the album's songs was about Castiel but he had no idea which one. It was fans who filled in the blank of what song it supposedly was. It's also reasonable to consider that Steve talked in a stream about writing most of that song and referred to something else as the inspiration.

Second question is, "Does it make sense given what we otherwise know?" While songs about fiction are sometimes a thing, does it sound reasonable Jensen would write not a song about some other media he's a fan of, not a song about his own character or the show as a whole, but a song about Castiel? Considering how he actually talks about Castiel in the show as a sometimes brother sometimes tool side character outside the main focus of Sam and Dean? Considering his visible annoyance when shippers try to make everything he says about Castiel and their ship, and how he has explicitly stated multiple times he did not play into that and doesn't see it as part of Dean's story? Does it make any sense that if there was a song about Castiel, Misha wouldn't know or care which one? No, it makes no sense outside of heller fantasies that Jensen is an obsessed teenage fan girl in lurve with Misha just like them.

Third question, "How generally reliable has the source been on the past, and what would they get out of lying?" When we tell a story, details can get mixed up in but if there's underlying truth there, the fundamental point of the story isn't going to change and other involved people will agree as to its general truth. Sometimes fans want to quibble over and dissect minor discrepancies when they want to find quote unquote lies, but with Misha? That's not really a factor, because he will completely change his story from con to con and he will frequently be contradicted by other involved parties. Examples: When he both said he knew and didn't know he was coming back in season seven. When he claimed Jimmy was going to be at the Roadhouse in the original finale script as a fakeout that Castiel was there, then changed to it being actually Castiel there for a reunion. When he said Jensen and the writers were playing into D/C back in the earlier seasons and Jensen and Singer both said that was bullshit. What would he get out of lying? The vast majority of his fanbase have made it clear they only care about him and Castiel in regards to shipping him with Jensen/Dean, and they will blindly believe whatever validates that and get mad at everyone else for what he's told them is totes true. It's happened over and over for years. So Misha is grossly unreliable, has a history of dishonest pandering on this subject in particular, and definitely has reason to lie and think he'll get away with it.

[ashleyfanfic]

"Stay A Thousand Years"

Is a fun little choral version of Jon and Dany's love song "Truth" from Game of Thrones. Oh, why did he write it? Cause he felt like it and it went with what could have been with their epic love story and BECAUSE THEY FUCKING DESERVED IT. Oh, don't think it's that important that this little version ended up being release? Did you know he also did a special one for Jaime and Brienne that was never released because Jon and Dany's was more epic?

You will never convince me that everyone involved with that show knew Dany was going down a dark path. NEVER! Yeah, some of the actors have to justify it to be settled into their role and live with the fact that they were part of one of the greatest television spectacles of all time that epically crashed and burned for bad storytelling and "subverting expectations". Guys, they literally tried to justify her death by saying "she killed slavers and we all cheered". TYRION SAID THIS! Yes we all fucking cheered. She killed people who enslaved other people. She killed bad people. Her brother was abusive to her and threatened to cut her child out and leave it for Drogo if he didn't get what he wanted. He was crazy and would have been a terrible ruler. But no, we should take the way he died and the way she let him die as her madness.

So, let's flip the coin and look at the perennial fanboy favorite, Stannis Baratheon. Let's see, who were the people we saw Stannis kill? Like, actually kill. Well, he sacrificed his brother and law to the lord of light. He tried to kill Gendry but used his blood to help along the deaths of Joffrey, Robb, and Balon Greyjoy. Granted, Joffrey and Balon were pieces of shit. But Robb, for all his faults and stupidity, looked to be a not horrible king. Then, in the biggest douche bag move of all the douche bag moves on the show, Stannis had his daughter burned alive out of religious zealotry. To help him win a battle that it was clear he wasn't going to win. His sweet, precious, intelligent daughter who loved him and him. You want to talk about characters on this show who did nothing wrong, look no further than Shireen Baratheon. But Stannis okayed her being cooked over a fire like a hot dog.

My long and winding point goes back to this: the villain arch of Daenerys didn't make sense then, it doesn't make sense now, and it will never make sense. Some of these actors get really into their roles and they mean a lot to them. They have to find some way to justify their actions in order to be able to make it come across on the screen believably. Which is what I think Kit's deal is, cause when he's actually made to talk about it with a fan or even in from of Emilia, he's not so set on Jon made the right decision. In fact, from the clips that were released of his chat with the fan over that zoom call or whatever, he's firmly in the Jon and Dany Together Forever club. He agrees that it made all the sense in the world for them to be together. Because it does. They are the alpha and omega, fire and ice, the true love story of that show. Their characters and their coming from nothing and into the front of the story is what it's fucking about. It's called Song of Ice and Fire. Not Ice and his shitty cousin he thought was his sister (don't even get me started on the destruction done to Arya and Sansa in those final seasons, or God forbid, Jaime Lannister).

I wish we could all agree that no matter what narrative anyone in the cast or crew want to try to pin on it, the final season failed so epically bad that a lot of things happened: a petition was started to redo the entire last season (which had no chance of going anywhere but 1.4 million is a lot of people), Kit Harington checked himself into rehab (there were signs during filming that he might not have been doing so great and God bless him he didn't deserve the emotional torture those two writer asshats did to him all the time), COUNTLESS celebrities all made it very public that they were with Daenerys, the ending was stupid, and she and Jon should have ruled the seven kingdoms, and the best, the piece that really tells you how badly they fucked it up, Dan and Dave were removed from having anything to do with Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. Honestly, none of us should have trusted them when one half of that due made the Wolverine Origin movie and made Deadpool silent. He's the merc with the mouth. You do not silence Deadpool.

If you really think the ending of that show settles with everyone ok, then tell me why Kit Harington is trying so very hard to get a show with Jon Snow started. He hates the ending his character had even though he said it made sense to him at the time. If it did that, baby, why you trying so hard to bring Jon Snow back?

And then you have the people at HBO. If you think that your favorite is the face of that show, I will out right laugh at you and call you a moron to your face. Aside from the dragons, DAENERYS is the face of Game of Thrones. Not Sansa, not Tyrion, not Jon, Arya, or Bran. No, the face is Daenerys because she was epic. There was no other character on that show like her. She is the one that TRULY brought magic into that world. Not only did she have the dragons, but she had been proven to be impervious to fire. That was shown before she was gifted the eggs. There was something special about her in her first scene.

Which brings me back to Ramin and his love for Daenerys. Do you know how many songs he's done for Daenerys? A LOT. "Mhysa" for one. He even admitted in an interview once that he liked writing music for her and her scenes. Of course he did. That's where all the magic was. He also says that he wrote the love song for Jon and Dany backwards, doing the large sweeping song of their love scene and then going backwards and doing the softer tones of them just bonding. But then, to find out that he'd written this other song, this "Stay A Thousand Years" based off Dany's line in the first episode of the final season to represent their love for one another and how epic it COULD HAVE BEEN. They were the point.

I'll bring you back to my brother's point he makes all the time: if Jon's purpose for being brought back wasn't to kill the Night King, then what was the point? There are scenes shot with Emilia where she is clearly wearing a baby bump tummy. Perhaps the true plan, what should have happened, was Dany being pregnant by Jon (otherwise why have Tyrion bring it up in Season 7 and then Jon basically "Hold my beer" to her if that wasn't going to be the point?). But you know what you probably couldn't do and get away with it, just have everyone kind of go along with it? Have Jon kill a pregnant Daenerys. You think people complained about Jon killing Dany now? There is no way they could have done that which means their ending of turning Dany mad and Jon having to put her down like a rabid dog wouldn't have worked. And what wouldn't it have worked? Because like the ending we got, it made no sense. Honestly, the worst thing that ever happened to Daenerys is actually meeting and listening to Tyrion. Her life went to shit after that happened.

[wondereads]

Weekly Reading Update (06/23/24)

Reviews and thoughts under the cut

Wild Seed by Octavia E. Butler (8/10)

This was my first ever Octavia E. Butler book, and it didn't disappoint! The way this story used Anyanwu and Doro's relationship to comment on power dynamics and issues in the world at large blew my mind; I found the discussion of eugenics particularly interesting. They were both such intensely flawed yet compelling characters. This book skirts the line between fantasy and sci-fi (something I'm looking into for my thesis as a peripheral issue), and it definitely made me wonder about the world. I wasn't aware going in that this was a prequel situation, but even then I do think I was a bit dissatisfied with how things left off. That's just my personal taste though.

Haikyuu!! Vol. 41 and 42 by Haruichi Furudate (10/10)

It usually takes me around half an hour or so to get through a volume of manga, but these took me a couple of hours. Why? Because I had to keep putting it down because I was crying so hard I couldn't breathe. As someone who has read a plethora of books ever since I was young, it takes a lot to get me to cry, especially that hard. I was sobbing. Furudate has created such wonderful characters and then puts them through so many struggles that I can't even be mad about because it's highly realistic that someone pursuing a sport would run into this! Seeing Hinata break down followed instantly by the third years graduating and the Brazil arc had me miserable in the best way possible. I usually never rate manga or graphic novels five stars because they're usually super fast-paced and so much relies on writing style for me when I read novels, but this just broke me.

Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter (46%)

This is a very cute book so far. I could probably tell you exactly what's going to happen from this point onward, but it's a genre convention for romcoms to be predictable. Liz is a fun protagonist; she's quirky in a way that has a reason and isn't annoying. There's good chemistry between the leads with some great banter, and you really can't ask for more than that. However, I will say the constant song references are starting to irk me, especially with the lyrics included in the writing --I don't know, it just reminds me too strongly of my early fanfiction years.

Moon Rising by Tui T. Sutherland (45%)

If there's one thing about me, I love a mind-reading protagonist. Moonwatcher is probably my favorite perspective of the Wings of Fire series, even if I wish she'd speak up sometimes. Sutherland did a great job making her similar to Starflight, since they're the same tribe, without being a carbon copy, and while mind reading might seem a little too omniscient, her inexperience and general social ineptitude keep it from becoming overpowered. I'm thrilled to see the return of Peril, whose story is left open from the previous arc, and I'm excited to learn more about the other new characters (Winter, Qibli, and I believe Turtle) who have their own interesting introductions.

The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien (43%)

Despite my fantasy obsession, this is my first time reading The Lord of the Rings (though I have read The Hobbit). While it is definitely much slower-paced than the average modern fantasy, I'm enjoying myself so much. If you've been following my blog for a while, you'll know I'm a worldbuilding nut, so this is like my dream book. There are so many tangents to tell stories about the history of Middle Earth and all the goings-on of the world, and I keep noticing little details and wishing they'd talk about those too. Tolkien is also a rather funny writer; Bilbo's passive aggression in particular made me giggle. While this a bit of a dense story, it's definitely living up to its reputation so far.

Boys With Sharp Teeth by Jenni Howell (42%)

This is a project for my part-time job, so I'm not sure how much I can actually divulge, but let me just say this: this book is compared to The Raven Boys in its summary, and it's living up to that.

Her Wolves by G. Bailey (7%)

I won't lie, the writing of this book so far does not give me hope. However, it could still be a fun read even if the grammar and syntax aren't the best. Also, funny thing, this book is set in the future on Earth. I did not know this. I thought it was a high fantasy. So imagine my surprise to see a landmass labeled "America Court" on the map. My misunderstanding was cleared up soon, but it still made me laugh.

[star-star-fall-inlove]

HI THERE!! Im sorry if this is poorly said this is quite literally my first time asking for a request but can I ask for second years with an mc that listens to Japanese metal/kawaii metal? (Artists like Hanabie, Babymetal, Band-maid, etc.) If you're requests aren't open or if you don't wanna do it just ignore~! <3

Hellooo! Don't worry my request are open. I'm actually happy I'm the first writer you requested to!

Second Years X Reader

12-19-22.. 2-22-23

☆ S t a r

☆ You've always seemed to be in your own world. Prancing around when excited when listening to music twiddling with your fingers in a weird way or even bobbing your head! You would also skip a little too

☆ Either way it's slightly annoying. It's seems as tho your never listen to what they are saying! Which is true but in your defense what your listening to is a bop! And it's not like you don't try but you also find it hard to listen when your to busy vibing to songs in your head that aren't currently blasting in your ears you also have a short attention spam

☆ It literally takes everything in you not to jump up and dance around.

☆ You tend to bump into things or people because your usually not paying attention and that lends u in a lot of trouble. So Jack has to make sure you always careful and paying attention because he doesn't want u to hurt yourself

☆ They've always wondered what kind of music has you so out of here. And they would have never expected you'd listen to Metal! Will kawaii metal to be infact

☆ It's not like you were trying to hide that you listen to kawaii metal! You just didn't think it was that important and they've never asked until now lol

☆ You and the first would always have sleepovers on the weekends! Deuce and Jack would bring tasty snakcs and you'd have the music ready

°.•°.•☆Cute Scenarios☆•.°•.°

☆ Ace Trappola

Found it a little annoying at first. But he quickly realized he could get away with anything around you! Haha bring on the funn! You found at later tho he used the excuse "But I told you I would be borrowing your homework!" He's annoying for that one so when he was sleeping at Ramshackle you'd blast the music so loud he felt as though he saw the great seven

☆ Deuce Spade

He worries for you. Like seriously you could get hurt! And you bump into a lot of people which ends up starting fights sometimes! Like the time when you had grape juice in your hands and you bumped into a diasonmia student. He always thought only Riddle's face could turn that red...guess not. But you both he always looks forward to the sleepovers! You have the best made playlists ever! He's not a big fan of rock will most of them are not but they are kinda interested in what u listen to.

☆ Jack Howl

He also worries about your well-being! Your always hurting yourself just like Deuce said. So he make sure to keep an eye on you whenever he sees you. He doesn't want you getting hurt on his watch

☆ Epel Felmier

He heard metal a couple of times! But he doesn't really have the chance to listen to music a lot since of Vil. Bit whenever he's with you you'd both sit down and relax while listening to music. Just like with Sebek you'd both listen to music and talk, giving each other some suggestions.

☆ Sebek Zigvolt

My dude was beyond mad! Imagine him screaming in your ear but you can't even hear him? He's was always trying to talk to you but you never seemed to hear him and that frustrated him a lot. But recently he calmed down and he has nice conversations about your music. You like to tell him all about the artist you listen you even recommended some stuff

☆ Grim is used to you already. He also takes advantage of you not paying attention a lot. He just hopes he's never in your arms again when your excited or else you'll squeeze him to tightly..again

Okay I'm honestly not sure if this good soo feedback would be nice!

But while writing this I decided to go listen to the artists you mentioned and oh my gosh wow. You converted me lol

[serendertothesquad]

Seren's Studies: Odd Squad UK -- "The Triangle Sisters" Episode Followup, Part 1

...Yeah, I don't think I need to elaborate much on this one in terms of what I hope to see.

But I will try and get myself out of that mindset and take the episode for what it is instead of twiddling my thumbs.

So with that said, let's move on to "The Triangle Sisters", below the break. (Whether Miss Triangle will appear...eh, she won't. Even I know that much.)

Your writer for this episode, who, unlike the writer of the last episode, has a pretty big resume of shows, including a few kids shows. So of course, I'm already immediately confident that this will be a good episode.

Really, anything could surpass what I had to experience yesterday when writing that followup.

(On top of that, somewhere Olympia is shaking in her Converses right now.)

Yeah okay, this one lyric in this short song already sold me on why they had to use AutoTune for Ozzie in "Odd Jubilee".

I'm...a little less critical of it now.

...But is it normal pizza, or is it pizza with odd stuff on it?

Because this is the same organization that has "scrambled toast with Gregs" and I've been sitting here for several years wondering if they're human Gregs or animals with meat.

Sounds like you need to call in a favor from a redhead fri- ah who the fuck am I kidding. There will be no living-legend agent mention this season beyond the Oona image Easter egg. I will stop being delulu and live in reality now.

Olympia wishes she had this kind of Flash-like power.

...Did I hit the Olympia mention quota yet?

Stupid question to ask of Orli, but Captain O's answer is just as hilarious.

INB4 "prop pizza", but that is the worst pizza I have ever seen and tormenting Orli with it is cruel.

HIS SPECIALTY IS MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP?!?!?!?!?!

I'm not even mad. I'm just happy Orli doesn't have to consume a human, hear the crunch, and go "what did I just put in my mouth?"

"Is mint chocolate chip pizza popular over here?"

"Not at all."

It's not the dig at Chicago deep-dish pizza, but someone on the British staff has got one hell of a vendetta against mint chocolate chip. Because it killed their grandma, okay?!

Is...is...

...No. Mm-mm. Wasn't surprised when Betty turned up in "Training Day". I've already gone apeshit over the parking enforcement officer in Chicago. This shit doesn't faze me anymore.

Let's be honest for a moment: if there were security cameras in "Training Day", it would have ruined Todd's entire dramatic comeback reveal.

I mean...they're in the museum...but it would have ruined it.

THEY DIDN'T SHMUMBER-FY THE SANYO CAMERA SANYO BRAND IS CANON IN THE ODDVERSE GOOD DAY.

*long deep sigh*

"The Great Grinaldi" is one example of a time when a character wants to do something but can't because they're occupied on a case. It's a great episode. Otto gets tormented to hell and back because he just wants to see his favorite magician before the chance slips away.

...

I had another example of an episode that was good that did the same thing, but typing that out reminded me that this episode is really just "The Great Grinaldi" but very unfunny. Orli getting tormented with wanting pizza is not funny. It's annoying. Maybe because she's not an idiot like Otto is and has...ehh...well, she's got whimsy, just not Otto-brand whimsy. But she's not an idiot, and she has self-awareness and meta knowledge, and Otto's idiocy is part of what makes "The Great Grinaldi" fun.

No, it wouldn't work with Ozzie either. He's also not an idiot. Nor is he the "I gotta put up with this shit every day" type like Olive.

...I changed my mind.

Transgender triangle villain.

With my cisgender aroace soul.

...I made up my mind.

Lesbian triangle villain.

With my cisgender aroace soul.

See, it's funny because villains normally can't math, but most of them are smart enough to know that squares can be cut into two triangles.

I CHANGED MY MIND.

THEY'RE BOTH GAY WITH THE ONE ON THE RIGHT BEING TRANS.

MY SOUL IS GONE TO THEM.

"And there was no door, so we assumed it was open."

The door doesn't lead to the outside, ding-dong. It connects rooms in the museum. And even if the door seen earlier was not the door she's referring to...common sense would tell you to go by store hours and maybe if the lights are still on inside. Maybe.

If neither of these villains plays the triangle at the end of the episode, it will have been a completely lost cause.

I can, uh...do without the screeching, though. I got that plenty when I watched The Amazing Digital Circus yesterday, thank you.

Oh, the fact that Orli doesn't even want to tell them the truth is absolutely savage.

Look, I don't know if they have neighbors...but do them a service, Orli.

Honestly, how many square villains are in Britain? Among millions and millions of niches, there can't be that many, huh? So this whole "out of town" thing won't be so contrived?

...Mm. Well, them seeing all the town squares got a chuckle out of me, so one point to Tasha.

The pizza thing is not funny.

It will never be fucking funny.

If I want this shit then I will go rewatch "The Great Grinaldi". Or...uh...that other episode whose name I was gonna mention but I forgot now. Yeah. I'll go watch either of those episodes.

Point fucking revoked, Tasha.

AAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA WHOT???????

I'm sorry, did...did they just play the sound of a ringtone...for a video call?

Because Season 3 proved in spectacular fashion that they were inept at including video conference calls in episodes and they didn't even improve???

God, I didn't think I could hate this episode more, but somehow they surpassed Orli's addiction to pizza and went straight into "hehe lawl Zoom".

Believe me, if graphic design actually were my unironic passion, I would design a Zoom conference call screen that would fit the show and be accurate to what they're referencing. But alas, it's not.

Ah yes, my favorite museum in Britain! Museum.

...'S it. 'S the name of the place.

(Also, Want It Need It cookies. Can't decide if that's an MLP reference or not, but I highly doubt it unless they show purple ones.)

"I close the museum at lunchtime so I can feed my cats."

It's like they heard my earlier rage about pushing the black cat stereotype and are trying to rectify it and y'know what? No, it does not rectify it. The man has integrity. But shifting gears doth not an unsin do.

Ohhhh...it's that, uh...the woman with...the hat and...the stick in her mouth that may or may not resemble a cigarette. Yeah. That woman.

Osgood, I love you. Even though you remind me eerily enough of Ohlm, I love you. Platonically. As a character.

But do not perpetuate further what is already a stupid fucking gag.

Perhaps not, but I hear having odd food qualifies you for Odd Squad tax credits, which are very hefty if you can get 'em. You can even cheat the people at the DMV!

"When will you learn, Osgood? No one wants mint chocolate chip pizza."

(On to Part 2!)