#I've been making an effort to go to performances like these more often

[cookinguptales]

I'm so happy 🥹 my ensemble philly wallet is so fuckin stacked rn

[rainbowbutterfrosting]

It's odd that Dream commented "Tommy essentially belittles what I do, saying that what he does with his podcast and book are somehow more valuable or important than the videos that I make"

Because:

1.) The context was not there. The quote was about Dream/Those like him creating a hostile space. What Tommy said was

"You called me a promoter of all my other projects [because it's my job]. "I actually give a shit- I put effort into [the podcast, book, and stand-up comedy]. I've ditched the internet for a year [to focus on comedy] because of people like you who have ruined this space."

Yet dream portrayed it like Tommy was saying Dream's content didn't have value, thus placing the latter in a victim position.

2.) During this clip, Dream shows this. A screenshot of a bunch of his videos from 2 years ago.

The reason why? It looks bad to show his current content since he has absolutely not been uploading (and also not performing as well lately). Showing a few things:

a.) Dream is criticizing promotion despite not even uploading often

b.) Tommy has been actively working on things that require much more coordination and skill sets than Minecraft videos

c.) Tommy has been actively working on things that NEED promotion. Who is gonna trust a random website that says there's a tommyinnit tour? Or a book written by him?? Promotion is inherently good for social media careers

d.) Dream promotes his merch midway through the video. Like what. Pick a lane.

And finally, maybe obviously,

3.) Dream is truly attempting to rotate this around. He just likes spending time with his friends :((( he's a coder so he likes to code :((((

Yeah no, this isn't about your content in general. Otherwise Tommy would be going onto every youtuber's page and giving the same treatment. This is regarding a slow-burn over several years and a final explosion over recent passive aggressive treatment

I'm sure that somewhere, a definition of manipulation and logical fallacies has Dream's picture there

[inthelittlewood]

So, just out of curiosity, are you thinking of making episodes for rats 2 like you did for all the other pow creations smps? If not, that's okay (:

I'm really not sure currently. For full transparency, the previous episodes of both series made on average about £40 individually. The occasional one flicked up to NEARLY £100, but they're real anomalies. Thumbnail costs take up a good portion of that 40, then what's left, divided by the hours it takes to condense masses of content down to episode form would be a wage grossly below minimum wage. It's not smart financially or motivationally to proceed that way.

I've always been proud of the end products of each episode / series but I had revenue coming from other sources that have since dried up. I can't make purely artistic decisions when I have mouths to feed and a home to maintain.

I've been quiet on video content this year because I've not had an SMP play in, so streaming became a primary earner. Even that was propped up significantly by our Logitech/Streamlabs sponsorship - which concluded unexpectedly early at the end of September due to budget adjustments on their end (zero bad feelings regarding that btw, it was all done fairly and by the contract, it was quarterly renewals and I was communicated respectfully with)

I'm lucky that Wild Life has come along when it has, as it gives me a little breathing room to try and secure a new sponsor or at least compile a content plan for late 2024 / early 2025.

Even my Life series barely pass the threshold to where an editor wouldn't gobble up the majority of the revenue. That one is a real 50/50 between coming out net neutral, or coming out with a minimal profit. It's rough. Speaking honestly, I'm a tad nervous about the immediate future, but I promise this isn't a post trying to rouse pity or spur on donations/subs etc, it's just transparency as I've always operated. It feels better laying it out so analytically because it gives people context and answers the FAQ of "why don't you just hire someone", the overhead isn't there.

I'm going to start putting the feelers out to try and secure a new partnership, I have one conversation pending and if we can I'll nab some sponsored streams more often to raise the tides.

That said, we are headed in to the best time of year for ad revenue on YouTube especially, but it's not quite the 5x multiplier I would need to sensibly navigate my situation ha

The only viable solution currently would be to crowd source funds to cover the costs of the work for making the episodes, whether that be paid to me and I edit them myself or more ideally, an editor, so I can focus my efforts in to producing another piece of content. I've no idea what the Patreon/Kofi/Crowdfunding landscape is like currently both mechanically and socially. Are they a thing people subscribe to anymore? They inherently come with more pressures too which I'm nervous to take on.

I'm likely to get inbox messages offering to edit for free or at a reduced fee, but PLEASE DON'T DO THAT. Even if you're framing it as good practice, or a portfolio/client list piece, I wouldn't feel comfortable with that. It's a very sweet gesture and I totally understand showing that initiative / sincerity, I've been there, but those scenarios can too often be miscommunicated or misconstrued and it gets messy. People's time and talents deserve compensation.

So tl;dr answer is I'm not sure, I might try an episode 1 to see how it performs, but it's not looking great. Sorry.

[pyrodolls]

WHAT IF THE INAZUMA MEN HAD A CRUSH ON YOU...

A/N: i hope this is not ooc, i've been playing genshin for like 2 years sooo i think i should know their personalities by now LMAO

CHARACTERS: arataki itto, gorou, kaedehara kazuha, kamisato ayato, heizou, thoma (separate)

arataki itto loves showing off and trying to impress you, thinking that he's being very slick and secretive about his crush on you. but in reality, it's extremely clear that he has feelings for you. he'd always yell out your name every time he sees you and run up to you excitedly. he always seems to strike up an enthusiastic conversation with you and have his full attention on you, regardless of what the topic is.

gorou's crush on you feels as if it was taken straight out of a book. he gets the heart-beating, face flushing and sweating feeling every time he sees you. he stammers and struggles to keep up his professional facade every time he attempts to speak with you. which happens very rarely, as he is too nervous to even go up to you. he just stares at a distance, silently hoping you'd go up to him and start up the conversation yourself. it comes off as creepy more than cute, so you end up being uncomfortable every time he does this.

kaedehara kazuha is a gentleman through and through. he is very kind and helpful to you, always offering to perform your chores and tasks whilst striking up a conversation. he is also an excellent listener, never interrupting you when you speak and he offers input every now and then. he loves your voice and will listen to you talk about anything. overall, he's extremely charming and finds a way to treat you in a special way without revealing his feelings for you.

kamisato ayato is a man of ambition. he sees something he wants, he will get it. he is very strategic when it comes to courting you. he wishes for everything to be perfect and carefully considered. he would spend time with you and offer to treat you often. he also uses his resources and reputation in inazuma to make sure every outing by your side is enjoyable. he understands that he may be too busy to truly keep you happy in a relationship, but he is willing to try. as soon as you finally understand the meaning of his teasing and expensive gestures.

heizou does not believe in coincidences. meeting and falling in love with you was no fluke, it was meant to be. that is why he is almost completely open about his feelings for you. he has never explicitly stated that he has feelings for you, but he is not afraid to flirt with you or act as if you are already dating. he knows there is a chance that he could be rejected, but he would rather be open and honest about his feelings and risk getting rejected, rather than regret never being true to himself. however, if you expressed the slightest discomfort or straight up rejected him, he would stop. in the meantime, he's gonna keep up his flirty antics.

thoma is almost the perfect person to have feelings for you. he is extremely kind, respectful, gentle, and observant. the only problem is that he never has the free time to spend with you. he is constantly performing his daily tasks, offering help to others, etc. he tries to find the time to talk to you and drop a few hints to how he feels about you, but it isn't easy. so in the few moments he does have with you, he goes all out. he gets to know you more, he listens to you and understands you, and he puts an effort to help you with any task he can. he truly wishes to be with you someday, and he goes to sleep every night thinking of you, hoping he wasn't messing up your viewpoint of him just because of his busy schedule.

[sleepingdeath-light]

relationship hcs ; black sapphire cookie

requested by ; anonymous (13/02/25), anonymous (16/02/25) & anonymous (20/02/25)

fandom(s) ; cookie run

fandom masterlist(s) ; hub | specific

character(s) ; black sapphire cookie

outline ; “is it possible to ask for anything with Black Sapphire Cookie with a gn!reader? ik he came out very recently but I've been obsessed with him lately and can't get him out of my mind.”

&

“Would it be ok to request general (sfw) relationship headcanons for Black Sapphire Cookie?”

&

“I absolutely love your work and I’m so hype to finally catch the requests open!

Black Sapphire Cookie w/ gender neutral S/O headcanons? (Relationship/Fluff + Smut) I’m 19!

Thank you for considering mine!

Also if I could stay anonymous ty!! ^^”

warning(s) ; none, just fluff!

being black sapphire cookie’s partner means accepting that your life is going to be filled with a whole lot of mischief courtesy of your loving boyfriend. and while he’s mindful to never actually cross the line from ‘harmless but annoying’ to ‘malicious and harmful’, his love for you doesn’t make him any less likely to joke around with, prank, or tease you… it just makes him unlikely to be mean about it

quality time is one of his big love languages so whenever he’s not busy helping out his master or annoying the life out of candy apple cookie, you can guarantee he’s never too far from your side. whether that means floating a few feet away while you run some errands, putting on a whole performance for you while you do your chores at home, taking you out on a date, cooking with you, or just hanging with you when you do your thing, he doesn’t mind — as long as he gets to be around you he’s not particularly picky

this may not be immediately obvious, but black sapphire cookie is an extremely supportive partner — like he’ll listen to you rant, help you brainstorm solutions to any of your problems, join you in crap-talking people you hate (and offer his help in messing with them on your behalf), show up to all of your important events, and offer you a helping hand if you need to practise or rehearse anything — but he does it all in such a way that it’s difficult to notice just how devoted he is to you and your happiness unless you’re extremely good at reading him

he’s very protective over you but he also generally manages to play his efforts and actions off as much more casual than they really are. like the second an outsider gets into the vicinity of you or your home he’s on high alert, keeping a close eye on you and them to ensure your paths never cross and you never get anywhere near the line of fire (or anywhere near his master when the beast is particularly aggravated for whatever reason)

dates with black sapphire cookie tend to be something of a mixed bag — sometimes they’re more thoughtful and planned out, other times they’re more spontaneous and surprising, and on very rare occasions they’ll be weirdly sedate and intimate (like a quiet night in or something like that). more often than not they start with him telling you to get changed into the clothes he picked out for you before carrying you off to wherever your date is going to take place, and he’ll refuse to tell you what he’s got planned and insisting that you need to be more patient. and more often than not they end with the two of you fleeing the scene after causing some sort of trouble for the other people there. but no matter what you’ll end up grinning and giggling until your sides and cheeks ache, and he’ll be right there with you laughing at everyone else’s expense

he’s very physically affectionate with you, but the way he goes about it isn’t the most traditional. sure he still does all of the usual stuff (kissing, cuddling, hand holding, playing with your hair and letting you play with his, etc.) but he also goes a bit further beyond that: biting at your cheeks and wrists and fingertips, picking you up and throwing you over his shoulder at random, going in to hug you from behind and then leaning his full weight on you until you inevitably fall over, pinching at your cheeks and the tip of your nose when you’re flushed, poking at and tickling your sides, and so on

his favourite places to kiss you are your eyelids and the top of your head. his favourite places to be kissed are his jaw and his wrists

thinks the idea of matching with his partner to be pretty cute but wouldn’t do it with you unless you were the one to propose it. ideally he’d prefer to get matching earrings, or some other form of jewellery, but if you wanted to match with something bigger or more blatant than he won’t complain… though he will tease you for being so possessive

the pet names he use for you tend to be traditional and sweet (like ‘darling’ or ‘my love’), weird enough to catch you off guard (think along the lines of ‘my little [random inanimate object that isn’t traditionally ‘cute’]’), or based on some inside joke between the two of you and thus completely random/nonsensical to anyone else who might hear him refer to you that way. nine times out ten he chooses the weirder terms of endearment, which means that he’s still able to catch you completely off guard whenever he chooses to use a more traditional pet name for you

he does generally hide it very well, but black sapphire cookie is an extremely jealous and possessive partner. he’d never take his jealousy out on you, nor would he ever expose the extent of his jealousy in front of you, but whenever anyone other than him starts taking up too much of your time his blood starts boiling and he starts to get snippy as all hell towards the other party. he degrades them, belittles them, humiliates them, starts rumours about them that range from mildly embarrassing to things they should get arrested for, and does everything in his power to keep them as far away from you as possible in the future (all the while playing at ignorance and distraction whenever you bring it up to him)

black sapphire cookie absolutely excels at lifting your mood whenever you’re upset or annoyed — either leaning into his performing persona to keep you entertained, or distracting you from your low mood by taking you out to annoy and/or terrorise the people you both dislike (bonus points if you let him target anyone who has been giving you a hard time lately, but as long as you’re laughing and in a visibly better mood he doesn’t care who you end up targeting)

whenever you’re sick or injured, he overcompensates for his anxieties about your health by refusing to let you do anything on your own. he plays it off as teasing you for being so weak and reckless, but know that him snatching the jar out of your hand to open it himself and his refusal to get out of your personal bubble for more than a few seconds at a time are just how he shows his concern for you… which is certainly endearing in its own way, but no less annoying or frustrating because of it

[creatingblackcharacters]

hey so im sorry if im bothering you with this or youve already spoken about this before, but im afro-latino (Black + mexican) and i have naturally straight hair. its a lot thicker than a white persons hair obviously, but its never been super curly or coily or even wavy at all. seeing people say stuff like "Black people never have straight hair, drawing Black characters with straight hair is racist" really hurts. i have several OCs that have dark skin and straight hair like i do and im afraid that people will call me racist for them even though i just designed them to look similar to me because i rarely see actual representation of Black people with straight hair (outside of the "white person painted Black" characters like you talked about). i dont blame you at all for being upset when people only draw Black characters with straight hair, but it does hurt when i see stuff like "Black people never have naturally straight hair, drawing them that way is racist" because it makes me feel like im not allowed to call myself Black and im doing something wrong by drawing characters that look like me.

I hear you, and I get where you're coming from.

I've never said (afaik) Black people don't have straight hair. In fact, multiple times throughout my lessons I've said that we aren't a monolith, that it is completely possible for Black people to have thinner textures of hair (even though it is rarer!)

What I've emphasized is that a lot of the people drawing these Black characters with straight hair are not doing it for the sake of representation, but for the sake of ease and familiarity with eurocentric beauty standards. They are not entering with the intent of drawing Black characters with those features! Which, you said you saw me discuss in that lesson, and multiple times on my later lessons. And again, you're right! It should be done more thoughtfully! You deserve that!

I'm going to be honest, I think you are projecting your hurt onto me for things that you should be angry at those artists for. Because when I say Creating Black Characters with intent, that does include Black characters that look like you!

But even at specific times when it doesn't, your strength in your identity should not be shaken because I am emphasizing the importance of the depiction of others that may not look like you. If you're Black with straight hair, then you're Black with straight hair! Me emphasizing that we should see more effort into drawing Black people with thicker textures and unambiguous features more often (which is true) does not take that identity from you, nor does it mock your existence.

I'm sorry that my work caused you distress. I hope you continue to make your characters as you have, with the emphasis and care that you do. Because it is sad and annoying that people are approaching you without recognizing your work and your identity, ready to be performatively loud and wrong. Do it anyway.

[danieyells]

hi there,

thank you so much for all the voicelines you post !! if it’s okay, can i request subaru’s ?

thank you again !

You're welcome! At some point I might go back and put in the ones I leave out because they don't appeal to me as much lol but since i always end up posting 99% of them anyway I think it's enough for most people hahaha. It's all of them now! Sorry for the delay.

I WAS GONNA OMIT ONE OR TWO BECAUSE OF SPOILERS but eh i'll just warm for like. extra spoilers. since after doing more code peeking it wasn't the spoiler i thought it was. SUBARU IS A SWEETIE THOUGH. I also read Subaru's chats which were put in the code recently and. Man this guy needs anxiety meds. I have a small guess as to what his stigma is, but we'll learn in a few days anyway.

Hello: (the first time the game is opened after that character is set as home screen NPC. Only happens once per day, unless the character is switched out and back.)

"I'm very sorry to have kept you waiting. It's wonderful to see you again."

You've Got Mail: (whenever there's something in the inbox, usually Arena rewards)

"It looks like there's a notice for you. I'd be happy to go pick it up for you if you've got your hands full. Oh, forgive me if I'm overstepping."

oh no he's anxious about helping--

Default: (requires no affinity, has no time constraints)

"I really am so lucky to be surrounded by so many kind people like you."

"I never thought I'd get the chance to enjoy the lifestyle of a student until I came to Darkwick. Every day truly is fulfilling here."

it feels like subaru is like. . .the only one who actually enjoys school life here. . .or who really enjoys being here period lmao. . . .

"You think I'm always smiling? Ha ha, I hear that a lot. It just happens when I'm around all of you."

"I may be the captain, but it's just in name. I think Haku is much better suited for the job than me."

"I've been working since I was four, so people often said I was mature for my age. But the truth is, I've still got a lot to learn."

that makes two characters whose parents have essentially been keeping them from normal life and normal childhood for work reasons since they were four year olds. . . .

Affinity 1: (between 5am and 11am)

"I tend to just have hot water for breakfast. I know it would be better for me to eat a proper meal, but it's just so much effort."

DO WE REALLY HAVE TO START WITH "I NEED THE GHOULS TO EAT PROPER FUCKIN MEALS". . . .

Affinity 2: (between 11am and 4pm)

"I'm sorry I'm so late. The campus is so crowded I can never manage to walk in a straight line, so it always takes me longer than I think. Silly, isn't it?"

baby you're hardly the first person i've met with anxiety about crowds. you're fine.

Affinity 3: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"What would I do without Haku's help? Hotarubi would be a mess without him."

Affinity 4: (between 8pm and 5am)

"I wonder if I should apply early to take out any common artifacts I might need for this mission. I'll ask Haku what he thinks..."

Affinity 5: (between 8pm and 5am)

"Ah!  You surprised me there... I just got back from a small errand. Do you need something?"

Affinity 6: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Ever since I was a child, the performing arts were my only focus. Maybe that's why people always say my mannerisms are so peculiar. It bothers you too, doesn't it?"

poor boy doesn't know how to act if he isn't acting. . .he doesn't know how to exist off-script. . .no wonder he made a deal with a demon. it's probably the first thing he's ever done for himself.

Affinity 7: (between 11am and 4pm)

"I'd like to go to the cafeteria, but the line is always so long. I feel bad taking time to choose while people are waiting behind me. The bar of entry feels a little high."

i am once again suggesting subaru get anxiety meds. hell go to sinnostra and get some weed, i bet they sell that. i hear it can help.

Affinity 8: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"I'm just about to go and meet a friend. I hate to inconvenience you like this, but if it's something urgent, could you speak to Haku about it instead?"

Affinity 9: (between 8pm and 5am)

"What am I going to do? We're supposed to be meeting up in an hour... If I cancel now, they'll hate me..."

Affinity 10: (between 10pm and midnight)

"Whew... I'll walk you back to your house, {PC}. Oh, it's no problem at all, I assure you! I wanted some fresh air anyway."

Affinity 11: (between 5am and 11am)

"I have an Anomalous Ecology test coming up. It's such a fascinating subject, I couldn't help but stay up all night studying. Now I'm a little sleep-deprived."

Affinity 12: (between 11am and 4pm)

"I'm going to stretch my legs a little. I might not have a show to practice for right now, but I need to keep putting myself through my paces. I'll get rusty otherwise."

Affinity 13: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"I'm sorry my phone's been making so much noise. I recently downloaded an app by mistake, and it won't stop sending me notifications..."

awww he's also technologically incompetent. . .poor guy was probably raised with such a heavy focus on his career he just. never needed a smartphone. anyone he needed to contact or who needed to contact him was probably always very close by. it sounds like he didn't even properly go to school before going to Darkwick. Somebody please take this boy on a walk. like anywhere. take him to a library. buy him a churro. can sho make churros? this is somebody who's never had any sort of normal social experience and sees how different he is and wishes it weren't the case, unlike Ritsu who assumes everyone else is like him, i think he'd like to have some more Experiences.

Affinity 14: (between 5am and 11am)

"... ...Oh! Hello, {PC}—I didn't even notice you there. My mind was somewhere else."

Affinity 15: (between 5am and 11am)

"Good morning! Sorry? My hair's messy? You're right, it's sticking right up at the front... That's embarrassing. I'll fix it right away."

Affinity 16: (between 11am and 4pm)

"I usually have lunch in the dormitory. I do eat on the terrace with Lyca every now and then, but he seems so busy these days..."

Lyca is one of the members of Obscuary, btw! Seems like he and Subaru are friends.

Affinity 17: (between 10pm and midnight)

"I didn't take you for a night owl, {PC}. Since you're here, I suppose I'll stay up a little longer. You're sure you're okay? You're not sleepy?"

Affinity 18: (between 8pm and 5am)

"Do you visit Sinostra very often, {PC}? I see... Oh, no reason. I was just making conversation. Ha ha."

why do you ask that. . .a certain mafioso captain wouldn't happen to be suspicious of you would he. . .or maybe you owe them money. . .or maybe you used to be part of Sinostra and moved to Hotarubi. . . .

Affinity 19: (between 10pm and midnight)

"It's getting late, {PC}. How about we finish this tomorrow? Thank you for keeping me company all this time."

Affinity 20: (between 5am and 11am)

"Oh, I couldn't ask you to come all the way to my room to wake me up—I'd feel terrible. I do very much appreciate the thought, though."

it's okay buddy jin already makes them do it, one more pit stop won't hurt.

Affinity 21: (between 11am and 4pm)

"Oh, hello, {PC}. Sorry, I was actually just on my way out. I should be back by evening—do you mind if we speak then?"

Affinity 22: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Lyca has seen my message, so why hasn't he responded to it? I hope nothing bad has happened to him..."

Affinity 23: (between 8pm and 5am)

"Lyca will adapt well to human society, I'm sure of it. I'm so relieved that Darkwick chose to trust him. I can't thank you enough for your help."

he really likes Lyca huh? that is his dog.

Affinity 24: (between 10pm and midnight)

"You can't sleep? Then let me tell you some stories. Legend has it that evil spirits appear once you've told a hundred. Now, what number was I up to..."

BOY IS TRYNA GET YOUR ASS HAUNTED.

Affinity 25(max): (no time constraints)

"I don't want to seem like I'm testing you, I just... I get really anxious sometimes... I'm sorry. I'm being weird, aren't I?"

he's the type to ask 'are you sure you love me? are you sure you wanna be with me?' after you get married and move in together and own a house and have two kids with another on the way. he's the hyper anxious 'i'm sorry we disagreed about our favorite colors do you hate me?' friend(affectionate) I wonder though, is he apologizing for seeming like he's testing you because he's using his stigma to see what you've been up to or something. . .? Probably not lol it's more likely he just keeps asking if you like him

Spring: (March-May) (between 5am and 11am)

"There is no time like spring. Everyone seems more relaxed this time of year. It's reassuring to see."

(between 11am and 4pm)

"I have some sakura mochi. I was just about to prepare some tea to go with it—would you like to join me?"

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"They have no control over whether they bloom, and yet they get made a spectacle of nonetheless... Oh, sorry—I was talking about the cherry blossoms."

(between 8pm and 5am)

"There are many different flowers growing in Hotarubi, but I think the wisteria are my favorites. This is the best time to see them, so you should take a walk around."

Summer: (June-August) (between 5am and 11am)

"Hot today, isn't it? It's always raining in Hotarubi, so it does provide a little escape from the blazing summer sun, but... Ha ha. It is very humid, isn't it?"

(between 11am and 4pm)

"Summer makes me think of the ghost story Yotsuya Kaidan. The scene where Oiwa becomes hysterical, having realized her her face has been disfigured— incredible."

Yotsuya Kaidan is one of the best known japanese ghost stories! It's extremely violent, so read the summary at your discretion. The scene in question has Oiwa shown her reflection by her sister's boss to see that the cream she was given by a woman who was in love with her husband was actually some sort of poison that instantly scarred her face. She grabs a sword and goes to kill her, only for her to accidentally slit her own throat.

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"Hotarubi House holds regular festivals during the summer months. If you need a yukata to wear, I'd be happy to pick one out for you."

(between 8pm and 5am)

"I don't mind scary stories, but when that biwa in the tea room started playing by itself, it did make me jump a little..."

slight spoiler, although you can probably figure it out from this but. . .Zenji is a ghost. Subaru currently can't actually see him or hear his voice. . .only Haku, the pc, and, perhaps not so oddly, Towa can afair. All of his youtube content doesn't have him or his voice in it because he can't be recorded by cameras. So Subaru doesn't realize that the biwa playing on its own is actually Zenji playing the biwa.

Autumn: (September-November) (between 5am and 11am)

"The air has gotten crisper, and the leaves are changing color. I know it's only natural for the seasons to shift, so why does it make my heart ache so much?"

(between 11am and 4pm)

"Oh, these? They're some chestnuts I found. I know—I should give them to Sho. I'm sure he'll be able to make something delicious with them."

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"That's another kuchikiri tea ceremony under my belt. It's an annual tradition where one cuts open a tea jar to reveal the tea that was preserved from the first harvest."

(between 8pm and 5am)

"On long autumn nights when the moon is shining beautifully in the sky, it's hard to resist taking a walk outside. Don't stay out until too late though, {PC}."

Winter: (December-February) (between 5am and 11am)

"...Oh, {PC}. Good morning... I had a hard time getting up today. It must be the cold... Ha ha. Not very captain-like, is it?"

Jin, Taiga, and Ed are all prone to not getting out of bed. and Yuri falls asleep on operating tables when he has down time. Trust me Subaru you are perfectly captain-like.

(between 11am and 4pm)

"Today, I'm going to order ingredients from one of my favorite stores so we can all make negima—tuna and scallion—hot pot together. Please, do join us."

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"It's cold out today. I was just thinking about lighting the fire. Would you like to come and warm up with me?"

oh subaru you don't even know how that sounds

(between 8pm and 5am)

"People say winter makes you want to snuggle up with someone, but I find that a good blanket does a much better job."

i agree that blankets are much easier to manage than people lol. probably warmer too.

His birthday: (February 20th)

"A present? For me? Thank you... I didn't expect you to do anything for my birthday, so I'm a little caught off guard. I really appreciate it."

Your birthday:

"Um... Happy birthday.  I really hope this year will be a wonderful one for you."

New Years: (January 1st)

"Happy New Year. I hope I can depend on your guidance and support again this year."

Valentine's Day: (February 14th)

"Chocolate? Oh, It's Valentine's Day, isn't it? Does that mean these are for me...?"

nah i just wanted you to look at them. YES THEY ARE FOR YOU BBY. why would you be showing him chocolate if it wasn't for him! On any day, not just valentine's day!!

White Day: (March 14th)

"These are for you, {PC}. I put in a special order for monaka from my favorite confectioner in Ginza. They're wafers filled with bean jam—I hope you like them."

April Fool's Day: (April 1st)

"Earlier, Haku told me he was switching houses. It gave me a real shock— I'm very relieved that it wasn't true..."

i bet subaru made the most scared kicked puppy face and started apologizing for being such an awful captain and blamed himself for that haku would go to a different house and haku had to quickly explain it was just a prank for fear that subaru might burst into tears.

Halloween: (October 31st)

"Happy Halloween. I know it's nothing special, but I've prepared some treats for the occasion. Oh... But you're more than welcome to play a trick instead."

please don't trick him. april fool's day was hard enough for him.

Christmas: (December 25th)

"Merry Christmas. We already have our New Year decorations up in Hotarubi, so it has a real east-meets-west atmosphere now. I hope everyone is okay with it..."

Idle: (about 20 seconds without interacting with the game) (below 13 affinity)

"Everyone seems busy at the moment. Maybe I should use this opportunity to tidy the garden..."

(13 affinity and above)

"{PC}? Oh... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you. I was just worried because you were so quiet..."

Absent: (logging in for the first time in 2 or more days?)

"You're back... I'm so relieved. I was worried I'd done something to make you feel uncomfortable..."

this man shakes like a chihuahua 24/7. like you can taste the anxiety coming off of him. i love him. he's so pathetic(affectionate). i wanna squeeze his hand reassuringly and tell him everything's gonna be okay. i wanna hug him and pat his head. i wanna take him places so he learns more about the world outside of working. i wanna watch him do schoolwork excitedly because he's never really gone to school before and it's a new and exciting experience. i want him to experience the most mundane aspects of life with wonder.

good boy. yeah. get him anxiety meds /nodnod

[thelaurenshippen]

i genuinely cannot count on one hand the number of times i've listened to mark (episode 48)!! your writing. is absolute genius. i have never felt so much for any two characters in my life, and damien and mark are just written SOOO WELL OH MY GOSH LIKE RUN ME OVER WITH A CAR?? the "i'm trying to tell you that you hurt me" and the "But at a certain point you won’t be pissed anymore and then we can go back to where we were last summer. / Mark: We can what?" I WISH YOU HAD JUST PUNCHED ME INSTEAD BECAUSE WHAT IN THE WORLD MS SHIPPEN IM GOING TO LOSE MY MIND (also the voice acting is just incredible like paired with your writing it should be called the Shippen Effect because what in the WORLD) I have never ever been more relieved to have found any piece of media more in my entire life. just oh my gosh damien saying one manipulative thing after the other with no end but being able to completely understand where he's coming from??? i've rambled about his character to my friend so so often and just oh mark mark HOOLY MOLY every single character in tbs is so well-developed and just oh my gosh like I went through a similar experience to mark and finding tbs was WATER IN A DESERT I SWEAR OH MY GOSH just the . the part about humanizing manipulation and how manipulation makes you still empathize for them just EUEUUEUEGH I AM BITING A TABLE . you are. an incredible writer. like genuinely I look up to you so so much (you've been featured in my argumentative essays for my lang classes haha ACJHHBA) because you epitomize the beauty of putting your heart out and having it work through hard work and effort. your books are also at my school library which is CRAZY considering how tiny my school library is!! every single one of your works has so much heart and empathy and care in it, from the bright sessions to breaker whiskey to new year's day i've looked forward to and loved every single episode. thank you so much for what you do!! you as a person are also just so so admirable. you're incredibly humble while being INSANELY CRACKED AT WRITING ANALYZING ACTING ETC and are just?? so fun to listen to and have a very awesome voice??? I hope you're taking good care of yourself and looking out for your needs!! I appreciate you so so much and hope you have an awesome rest of your day :D <3

oh my god!?!?!? this is the NICEST thing in the world!?!?! thank you so much!?!?!?

but for REAL thank you. this genuinely means the whole goddamn world to me. I'm so glad you found my stories and that they were what you were looking for in one way or another and thank you so much for listening and for telling your friend about my characters!!! the "I need to talk to my friend about this character" is a feeling I personally know so well and one that I consider the highest compliment if I'm able to prompt it in someone else!

and ahhhhh I'm SO happy your school library has my books!!! that's always AWESOME to hear. I'm so grateful to your librarians (and all librarians)

I love the idea of the Shippen Effect being "voice actors take a script and spin it into gold" because that is one of my absolutely favorite things about working in audio. and I do like to think I have impeccable taste in actors :)

and the fact that you picked out one of my favorite episodes I've ever written is amazing. not only was writing it so fun, but a huge reason I wrote it is because Andrew and Charlie had such INCREDIBLE chemistry as Mark and Damien. like. off the CHARTS from moment one. which is so funny because they'd done scenes together in the acting class we were all in and had been, of course, amazing together, but there was something about them taking on those characters that just made a spark

I had never anticipated writing that episode when I started, but the performances that Andrew and Charlie gave were so inspiring that I just followed their lead with that relationship. and it was such an incredible blast. I miss them both - and especially them together - a ton.

also, omg being featured in essays is literally the greatest honor.

thank you SO much for your message, you have MADE my day!!!!

[idontmindifuforgetme]

You want someone to go mask off? Sure why not. Idc about followers and I know at one point we were mutuals on your older blog. But I've seen a lot of posts from you recently that are very very defensive if not outright rude when responding to asks from people who do very genuinely seem to care or are just trying to share their perspective and better understand yours. And if you don't want "saccharine" talk that's fine, I have no problem being blunt. And simply put, you're being a hypocrite.

You are assuming they are looking for the worst in you when that's what you're doing by treating perfectly respectful asks/sharing of opinions as if you have this massive group of haters waiting at their keyboards to shit on your life all the time. Tumblr is not that important. You don't have a fan base and you certainly don't have a group of "haters" stalking your every post. Now, you have clearly made several very popular posts and probably do have a lot of followers (not fans, anyone who says so has a parasocial relationship w/ you which is hilarious). So your posts are exposed to a wider audience, and with that of course you are gonna have more people asking questions/sharing their opinions than someone with a significantly smaller audience.

That ask about the poem certainly didn't seem rude or ill-intentioned, and it's clear they made an effort to be respectful. They also have a very valid point. I wouldn't want someone who is white to speak on the black experience, especially not the black incarcerated experience. And I generally don't agree with someone who hasn't been incarcerated or detained writing on that experience. If it's a form of oppression they haven't experienced why are they speaking on it instead of uplifting the voices of someone who has? (I'm aware this situation is different and the author did live that experience, and I think there can be exceptions to that rule, but that's exactly why a discussion around it IS important).

This probably comes across as me hating on you, which I don't because that implies I think of you more often than when your posts simply cross my dash. But having seen answers like this consistently from you, about various subjects, just thought maybe you needed to be told bluntly that you're not exactly creating an environment condusive to people trying to better themselves or better understand you. And I'm absolutely not saying you have to sugarcoat things to get people to care, or act as google for people who need to just take the initiative to educate themselves. But their should be a stark difference between shutting down shitty behavior and responding to people with good intentions who maybe just sent a bad take. As you said, "you guys want everyone to be a bad, performative person deep down." But it seems like you believe the same thing about your anons. People send things like that on anon because they're afraid of being villainized for their curiosity.

Idc if you post this or not, take any of it to heart or not, because at the end of the day it's your life dude. But I do hope you get off your high horse before someone humbles you irl. Activism is most effective when you don't have ill-will towards your allies, and focus on building community between us. Which involves discussion. Why are we nitpicking someone trying to be an active supporter of human rights and making sure the right voices get the spotlight in the process? Is that not exactly what we ask of people with privilege?

”you don’t have a fanbase” “anyone who says so has a parasocial relationship w you which is hilarious” this is absolutely in good faith. I believe you

[a-spicy-reader]

The meeting at the gym

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT

English is not my first language so sorry for any mistakes

Synopsis:

Jeno always preferred the gym in the late afternoon, when he could focus on his workouts without distractions. However, his peaceful routine is interrupted when he notices Leah, a confident woman dedicated to exercise.

Jeno was at the gym, pushing himself through another intense workout. He preferred to arrive late in the afternoon, when the place was almost empty, allowing him to focus on the routine. This night was no different, with just a few people scattered around the gym. Energizing rap music played in his headphones, fueling determination in him as he moved from one exercise to the next, his muscles burning with the effort.

During one of his sessions, Jeno noticed a woman training on the other side of the room. She was impressive, with a confident air that caught his attention. Her toned body moved with grace and strength as she navigated her routine. Jeno found himself looking at her more often than he'd like to admit. He began timing his workouts to coincide with hers, hoping to muster up the courage to talk to her.

Four days passed and Jeno's curiosity only increased. He watched her lift weights, run on the treadmill, and even stretch, appreciating her dedication. He decided that tonight would be the night he finally performed. When she finished her presentation and went to the water fountain, Jeno saw her chance.

He took a deep breath, wiped the sweat from his forehead and approached her. "Hey," he said, offering a friendly smile. "I've been seeing you around here a lot. You have a pretty intense workout routine."

She looked at him, her eyes meeting his. "Yes, I think so," she replied with a smile. "By the way, my name is Leah."

"Nice to meet you, Leah. My name is Jeno." He held out his hand, which she shook firmly. "Do you mind if I join you for a bit? I could use some tips."

Leah laughed. "Sure, why not? I'm always happy to help a fellow gym-goer."

They spent the next hour working out together, exchanging tips and stories. Jeno was attracted to her confidence and easygoing nature. When they finished the last set, Jeno decided to take a risk.

“Hey, Leah,” he said, his voice a little more serious. "Would you like to get a drink or something after this? I'd love to get to know you better."

Leah raised an eyebrow, a playful smile appearing on her lips. "Sure, Jeno. But I have a better idea. How about we skip the drinks and go to my house? It's right around the corner."

Jeno's heart skipped a beat. "That sounds perfect."

They left the gym together, walking the short distance to Leah's apartment. The tension between them was palpable, an unspoken understanding passing between them. When they arrived, Leah unlocked the door and led Jeno inside.

"Make yourself at home," she said, taking off her shoes. "I'll get us some water."

Jeno nodded, looking around the cozy apartment. It was simple yet elegant, much like Leah herself. She returned with two glasses of water, handing one to him. They sat on the couch, the air thick with expectation.

Leah took a sip of water and placed the glass on the coffee table. "So, Jeno, what brings you to the gym at this time?"

Jeno shrugged, trying to look casual. "I like the silence. Plus, it's a good way to relax after a long day."

Leah nodded, her gaze intense. "I get it. It's my favorite time to work out too."

There was a moment of silence, then Leah approached. "You know, Jeno, I could tell you were watching me the last few days."

Jeno felt a blush creep up his neck. "Was I that obvious?"

Leah smiled. "A little. But I didn't mind. In fact, I thought it was kind of flattering."

Jeno's heart skipped a beat. "Really?"

“Really,” Leah said, her voice dropping to a whisper. "And now that I have you here, I don't want to waste any more time."

She leaned in, capturing his lips in a searing kiss. Jeno responded immediately, his hands going to her waist, pulling her closer. The kiss was hungry, filled with a mutual need that neither of them bothered to hide.

Leah's hands roamed her body, feeling the hard muscles beneath her shirt. Jeno's hands did the same, exploring your curves with a sense of urgency. They separated briefly, both breathing heavily.

"Here?" Jeno asked, looking around the room.

"Here," Leah confirmed, her eyes dark with desire.

Jeno didn't need any more encouragement. He pulled her to the couch, arranging them both so they were sitting. He kissed her body, taking the time to appreciate every inch of her skin. Leah's breath hitched when he reached her core, his mouth hovering just above hers.

He looked at her, their eyes locking. "I want to taste you," he murmured.

Leah's eyes darkened with desire. "So do it."

Jeno didn't wait. He lowered his head, his tongue darting out to taste her. Leah's back arched, a moan escaping her lips as he began to pleasure her with his mouth. The hands Jeno grabbed her thighs, holding her in place as he worked his tongue, exploring every fold and crevice.

Leah's hands went to his hair, tugging gently as she lost herself in the sensation. Jeno's tongue moved expertly, bringing her closer to the edge with each passing second. He could feel her getting wet, her body trembling with anticipation.

"Jeno," she panted, her voice shaking. "I'm so close."

He didn't give up, her movements became more intense as he pushed her closer and closer to her climax. Leah's moans grew louder, her body tensed as she teetered on the edge. With one final, skillful flick of her tongue, he brought her to the edge.

Leah screamed, her body convulsing with pleasure as her orgasm washed over her. Jeno continued to please her, prolonging her climax until she was a trembling, panting mess beneath him. Only then did he pull away, a satisfied smile on his lips.

Leah looked up at him, her eyes still cloudy with pleasure. "Fuck, Jeno. That was amazing."

"I'm not done yet," he replied, his voice full of promise.

He kissed her body back, positioning himself between her legs. Leah opened her thighs wider, inviting him in. Jeno aligned himself with her entrance, his tip teasing her slick folds.

"Prepare?" he asked, his voice husky with need.

"Yes," Leah breathed. "I want you."

Jeno didn't wait any longer. He thrust into her, burying himself deep in her heat. They both moaned at the sensation, the connection between them was electric. Jeno set a steady, intense rhythm, his hips moving with purpose.

Leah's hands gripped her shoulders, her nails digging into her skin. "Fuck, Jeno. You feel so good."

"You're so tight," he moaned, his thrusts becoming harder and more urgent. "So perfect."

Their bodies moved together in perfect harmony, the room filled with the sounds of her pleasure. Jeno's pace quickened, his need for release growing with each passing moment. Leah's moans stimulated him, his body responding to his every touch.

As they got closer to climax, Jeno's thrusts became more frantic, his control slipping. "I'm close," he panted, his voice strained.

"Me too," Leah gasped, her body tensing around him.

With one final, powerful thrust, Jeno reached his peak, pulling out at the last moment to spill his seed into her belly. Leah's orgasm followed almost immediately, her cries of pleasure mixing with his as they rode the waves of her climax together.

Jeno sat back, breathing heavily and covered in a sheen of sweat. Leah was lying beneath him, her chest rising and falling rapidly. "That was...amazing," she said softly.

Jeno smiled, turning his head to look at her. "Yes it was."

They lay there in comfortable silence, their bodies still vibrating from the intensity of the encounter.

Leah stirred, a playful gleam in her eyes. "I think we need a shower," she said, a mischievous smile on her lips.

Jeno smiled. "I think you are right."

They got up from the couch, Leah leading the way to the bathroom. The water cascaded over their bodies, washing away the sweat and tension from their intense training and passionate encounter.

Jeno pressed Leah against the shower wall, his lips finding hers in a heated kiss. The steam enveloped them, increasing the feeling of intimacy. His hands roamed her wet skin, exploring every curve and contour.

Leah moaned into her mouth, her hands sliding down his back to cup his ass, pulling him closer. "Jeno," she whispered, her voice full of desire.

“You’re insatiable,” Jeno joked, biting your neck.

"You loved it," Leah replied, her nails lightly scratching his back.

Jeno's only response was a grunt of approval. He lifted her effortlessly, her legs wrapping around her waist as he positioned himself at her entrance once again. With a slow, deliberate thrust, he entered her again, both of them moaning at the sensation.

The shower only increased their excitement, the hot water cascading over their bodies as they moved together. Jeno held Leah tightly, supporting her weight as he thrust into her, each movement more intense than the last.

Leah's back arched against the cold tile, her hands gripping Jeno's shoulders for support. "Yes, Jeno," she panted, her voice echoing in the small space. "Just like that."

Jeno's grip tightened on your hips, his pace quickening as he felt the familiar pleasure building inside him.

Their bodies moved in sync, the sound of their skin slapping together mixing with the steady pitter-patter of the water. Jeno's thrusts became more urgent, his control slipping as he neared climax.

max. Leah's moans grew louder, stimulating him, her body clenching around him as she reached her peak.

With one final, powerful thrust, Jeno buried himself deep inside her, her release hitting her.

him with an overwhelming intensity. Leah screamed, her orgasm washing over her as she clung to him, her nails digging into his skin. They rode the waves of their climax together, their bodies shaking with the aftershocks.

Jeno placed his forehead against Leah's, both of them panting. "That was…amazing," he murmured, his voice full of wonder.

Leah smiled, her eyes shining with satisfaction. "Yes it was."

They lay there for a moment, letting the water wash over them as they caught their breath. Jeno slowly placed Leah on the floor, his hands on her hips. She looked up at him, a playful glint in her eyes.

"Do you think you can keep up with me, Jeno?" she teased, her lips curling into a mischievous smile.

Jeno chuckled, his hands sliding up to cup her face. "I think I can," he replied, kissing her softly.

They finished their shower, washing each other with gentle, lingering touches. Once they were clean, they went outside and dried themselves, the steam still hanging in the air around them. Leah wrapped herself in a towel, her eyes never leaving Jeno's.

"I don't normally do this," she admitted, a hint of vulnerability in her voice. "But there's something about you, Jeno."

Jeno smiled, reaching out to tuck a strand of damp hair behind his ear. "I feel the same way, Leah. I'm glad we met."

Leah leaned into her touch, closing her eyes briefly. "Me too."

They put it on, and the previous tension was replaced by a new sense of intimacy. Jeno followed Leah into the living room, where they settled on the couch, their bodies still vibrating with the afterglow of their passionate encounter.

Leah snuggled against him, resting his head on her shoulder. "And now?" she asked, her voice soft.

Jeno wrapped his arm around her, holding her close. “Now, we see where this goes,” he said, a smile appearing on her lips. "One day at a time."

Leah smiled, her eyes meeting his. "I like the sound of that."

As the night progressed, they talked about everything and nothing, sharing stories and laughter. The connection they felt was undeniable and Jeno knew this was just the beginning of something special.

The night deepened Jeno and Leah remained entwined on the couch, their breathing synchronized in the comfortable silence that settled over them. The soft glow of the room's lamps casts a warm, intimate light on their relaxed forms.

Jeno looked at the clock on the wall and sighed softly. "I should probably start getting ready to go," he said, his voice tinged with reluctance.

Leah squeezed him tighter, her fingers lightly tracing patterns on his skin. "Do you really need it?" he asked, his tone was a mix of hope and disappointment.

Jeno smiled and ran his fingers through his hair. "Yes, I have an early morning tomorrow. But tonight was perfect, Leah."

Leah nodded, understanding but wishing they had more time together. "It really was. I'm glad I finally talked to you."

"Do you want to meet again?" Jeno asked, his eyes searching for her confirmation.

Leah smiled warmly. "Absolutely. I want to see where this goes."

Jeno leaned in, capturing your lips in a tender, lingering kiss. "Good evening, Leah."

"Good evening, Jeno," she replied, his smile lighting up her face as he walked out into the hallway.

Leah watched her until she disappeared around the corner, then closed the door and leaned against it, a satisfied sigh escaping her lips.

---

The next few days passed in a blur of anticipation. Jeno and Leah texted each other constantly, their conversations were filled with fun banter and shared excitement about their upcoming date. Finally, they agreed to meet again at Leah's apartment, eager to pick up where they left off.

When Jeno arrived at Leah's house, the sun was beginning to set, casting a warm, inviting glow over the city. Leah greeted him at the door, her eyes shining with excitement.

"Hey," she said, pulling him into a hug. "In between."

Jeno followed her inside, feeling the familiar rush of excitement upon noticing her presence. They settled on the couch, the same place where their intimacy had begun.

"So what have you been up to?" Leah asked, her eyes fixed on his.

"I'm just thinking about you," Jeno admitted with a smile. "And counting the days until I can see you again."

Leah laughed softly, her cheeks flushing with heat. "I've been thinking about you too."

They talked for a while, sharing stories and laughs, the bond between them growing stronger with each passing moment. As the conversation calmed down, Leah stood up and

stretched out his hand.

"Let's take this to the bedroom," she suggested, her voice full of anticipation.

Jeno's heart skipped a beat as he took her hand and followed her

[thefisherqueen]

The Merry Widow (1968) with Jeremy Brett

I've not been a lot on social media lately because of the complete takeover from US'ers (which - understandable, I'm worried and grieved too, but still there are other countries and issues and the way people often neglect to specify they're talking about the US and assume all their readers are in the US too is kind of obnoxious) so I've directed my very limited time and energy towards something which has given me a lot of joy in recent years and is often freely accessable too: old media. I'm making a valliant effort to actually finish Moby Dick and Les miserables and Raffles, I've read the first collection of Arsène Lupin, I'm trying to get into Hercule Poirot (not entirely convinced yet but we'll see), and last weekend I watched The Merry Window movie of 1968, starring Jeremy Brett. It is entirely on youtube here. Not in the best visual or auditory quality, sadly (it has not been remastered yet), but still very watchable.

I went into this without any knowledge of the story or rich history of this operette, only having heard a few fragments of the songs before. And I was so, so entertained throughout, even though I did not understand everything that was going on.

A summary of my prompt research: The Merry Window (Die Lustige Witwe) was composed by Austrian-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár and first performed on stage in 1905 in Wien, running a very succesful row of almost 500 live performances. It has since been adapted both on screen and stage often, even through this very day. The Metropolitian Opera has a comprehensive synopsis on the story on their website, but more fun is this comic.

The basic story goes as follows: the embassy of a small Balkan country (fictional, but likely to be inspired by Montenegro), situated in Paris, is thrown into merry chaos as they learn that a very rich widow originally from the same Balkan country also is residing in Paris. Shenagans and plotting occur to try and convince her to marry one of their countryman, so her sweet sweet money won't leave the country, which is in dire need of it. There's only a problem: the proposed candidate, a count played by Jeremy Brett, already knows the widow, and the two of them have a History. Avoidant behaviour, sassiness, misunderstandings and other delicious drama ensue.

I did not expect the amount of music and songs in this movie. I think 80% or 90% of the script is in song rather than dialogue. Entire performances are shown, during which the plot just stands still, and honestly? I loved it. Modern movies/shows often move too fast for my sluggish autistic brain to keep up with, and this languid tempo just worked well for me. The folk and, I imagine, quite scandalous can-can dances are a joy. I'm usually not that fond of the more classical technique of singing but I found the music here quite gorgeous, too, a delightful mix of classical sound with fun folk elements. Jeremy Brett's rich voice really stood out of me. You can listen to the entire soundtrack here.

Jeremy Brett is a treat to watch in his role as a bit of a playboy, avoiding responsiblities and commitment and feelings of heartbreak by dancing and drinking at a local nightclub each night instead. Not suprisingly for everyone who has seen him in Granada's Sherlock Holmes: he's really excellent at dramatic posing, lounging on surfaces not meant for that, and 'trying to look cool but actually besotted'. There's a lot of humour in the dialogue and performances of the entire cast, too. For example, there's an entire extramarital affair going on right under the nose of an antirely oblivious baron's nose, and it's pretty hilarious. Further example of some funny lines: "What have you been doing lately?" Absolutely nothing!" "Excellent!" Jeremy's rivalry with the widow (played by Mary Costa) is especially a lot of fun, both really sell that part. I really got quite emotional by the final "Love unspoken, faith unbroken..."

There's an interesting background of historical social context to this operette, too: widows in that time enjoyed an amount of financial freedom denied to either unmarried or married women, and watching high class men competing for a woman's money was, I suppose, a nice bit of social commentary. I also really enjoyed a song by a group of men all wondering what they have to offer women if it isn't money - a question, in my opinion, that may be asked more often. The widow using her relative freedom to protect another woman from scandal at the end was rather sweet, too. The story ends, of course, by not upsetting the status quo too much. But it's such a fun ride.

All in all, very much recommended.

[hungrytummyprompts]

bratty?

"Are you kidding me?" The music abruptly stopped as Ryan held up his hands before storming over to the guitarist and ripping the sheet music away from him. "Did you even fucking try to read this? At all?" He pressed his fingers to his temples with a great sigh. "I don't know why Cass even insists on hiring musicians. She knows I can play all the instruments myself."

The man at the guitar put the instrument down and stood roughly. "Then why don't you?"

"Because Cass insists on hiring you. Only for you to butcher my fucking music. I want it played as written for the recording, mate. It's my vision, my song. No improv, no creative flair. This is a Reks Lee song, one hundred percent by Reks Lee. Not by Reks Lee and some random nobody his manager picked up off the street."

He turned away before the poor sod could answer, continuing to try and massage away the headache threatening to crack his skull. It did nothing to help.

"I'd always heard Reks Lee was great to work with." A snide voice piped in from behind him. One of the other special hired helpers, he supposed. "Didn't realise he was such a prick."

So great. Not only am I stressed beyond belief, tired as fuck and packed in a schedule tighter than a nun's holes, but my reputation in the industry is about to get completely fucked too. Whoop de doo.

Ryan handed back the crumpled sheet music with a sigh. "Look, just...just play the music, okay? We need this done by five, we only have the studio until five, I want it done early if possible because I've got to go straight on to a bloody performance in bloody Milton Keynes of all places. So...please."

He stalked back to his place as his stomach twisted in that frustratingly familiar ache that came with not having eaten a thing today and barely eating yesterday. Add starving to that stupid list. Ever since he'd started gaining real notoriety, Cass had really been on his arse, keeping him busy at all hours to make the most out of having at least one genuinely famous client. That often meant wall to wall work without a single break to eat and a very grumpy singer. He paused to adjust his microphone and that was when the hell cramps in his belly released in a low, longing growl. Loud enough for the others to hear, judging by the snort of laughter from the amateur guitarist.

"So are you always this much of a cunt or just when you're hungry?"

Perhaps it was a subconscious effort to save face or protect what little reputation he had left, but he answered with a terse "just when I'm hungry" through gritted teeth. His stomach punctuated that with another insistent, burbling groan and he found himself pressing a hand to his belly, trying to ease the discomfort just a little. He gave his tummy a rub, trying to work out the knots and cramps, but every time one released another took its place.

"When did you last eat, man?"

"None of your fucking business."

"More than a day ago then. Got it."

Ryan rolled his eyes so hard they could have popped right out of his head. "Well, the sooner we get this done, the sooner I can eat." His stomach moaned miserably again.

"Anyway, you'd think you'd be less pissy considering I only got the sheet music yesterday. Like, come on, man, give me some time to learn it before you jump down my ass."

"...What? No, excuse me, what?" Frustrated, he dragged his hands through his hair. "Are you telling me Cass only...yesterday?" He took a deep breath, then kicked the microphone stand, stomped to the nearest chair and hid his face in his arms. After a moment, he heard the snide helper, he did not know her name, come up beside him.

"How about I order some pizza or something?"

"I don't have time for pizza." The thought was tempting, though. He was so fucking hungry, just the thought of even a cheap pizza from the nearby dive set his mouth watering and his stomach grumbling. "I have to get this done. Cass-"

"Get a new agent." The guitarist told him sharply, sitting down next to him. "Or manager, whatever she is. And learn to tell her no, man, for fuck's sake."

Learn to say no. That had always been a problem for Ryan. People pleaser, he'd called himself, but really it was just code for 'easy to abuse'. It was second nature by now to keep his head down and his mouth shut, do as he was told and deal with the consequences as they came.

"'Sides, your gut sounding off like that'll get in all the recordings anyway." Ryan huffed while the others laughed. One of his arms came down away from his face and clamped around his belly instead as it let out another hollow groan. "Saige, order a few pizzas. We'll fill our bellies and have another crack at the recording when everyone's in a better place physically and mentally. Trust me, man, there will be way fewer interruptions then. We might actually get a smooth run without you losing your shit again."

Ryan sighed, rubbing his poor, aching belly as he thought it over. "Fine...pizza sounds good. I'll pay."

"No, I'm buying it." Saige insisted, shaking a finger at him.

"... I'll at least chip in. Come on, this is embarrassing enough."

"You won't stop until I cave, will you?"

"I'm one stubborn bastard."

Saige laughed as she put in the order. "Fine. Pay me back later. For now, let's get you fed."

[spaceorphan18]

Every time I've heard someone say and defend the idea that Colin wasn't into and in love with Penelope, it has always, always ended up being their own issues with them finding Penelope undesirable as a love interest. They can believe he's more into the girls at the brothel because they fit their own idea of what a woman should look like.

Their perception is the problem and it's a lot easier to handwave it away and place the blame on Colin and/or Luke because delving deeper into what it might mean to them personally makes them uncomfortable.

Perhaps we could say some people simply find the brothel scene, where we see nothing of Colin and these women other than some mild aggression (which is often equated with passion), more intriguing than the actual feelings of love and passion he has for Penelope but, again, I've never seen or heard anyone not end up reducing to their looks (for both characters).

For the most part, Nonny, I do agree with you. There are some weird, weird body-shaming/issues when it comes to Polin, and I do think that most of the time, you are exactly right -- it is about the fact that Penelope doesn't look like your typical female love interest. And that makes people uncomfortable.

In the case of my coworker, however, it landed differently. The tone of the conversation was more directed at Luke and his acting skills. And implying possible subconscious unprofessionalism (?) in that his acting was 'better' in the brothel scenes because he found the actresses more attractive than Nicola.

(As an aside, she adores Nicola, and found no issue with Penelope or Nicola's performance.)

And the thing that just gets me is that -- listening to a lot of Luke's solo interviews (there are a couple of really good podcasts and radio interviews which are great) he talks so passionately about the work he does, and the effort he puts into his roles. And seeing an actor outside their work, and seeing them in different projects (I really haven't seen Luke in anything other than snippets of other things but...) you get to see how there are lines between characters and actors. Layered onto that the amount of close range meta I've been doing on Colin and just -- Luke has sooo much going on.

Even in the years he's been on Bridgerton, he's grown as an actor and it's really kind of been remarkable to watch. And, I mean, let's be honest -- saying this as someone who loves Season 3, Colin got the short end of the writing stick, and Luke had to do a lot of heavy lifting with his story.

So, for someone to call it emotionless. And not see that work being put in? Just feels - kinda shitty.

And I guess, this next thing not being my employee's fault, is this layered fandom baggage that's coming along with this conversation. Yes - everything you said up above. But all the people who are shitting on Luke (and Nicola) for a variety of stupid reasons, as well as people swinging too far the other way and claiming it's not acting at all (because they're in love or whatever). And it's so disingenuous to him (them). And his (their) craft.

These guys are professional actors. They're good at their jobs. And it's just a shame to me when people can't see that and appreciate that.

But that's just me.

[gauntlings]

Hello hello! If you're down to answer asks from that short ask list about love, I'd love to see 1 - 5 answered for whichever oc(s) you choose🥹

Chichi I'm literally always down you have no idea ahhh!! Not me dropping everything to sit and ponder these questions most sagely and psychosexually

I ended up going with my vampire Lauralene because she is by far my most sexual character, and thus I had a lot more thoughts about how this would apply to her! Sorry for the mini rant since i always try (and fail) to keep it succinct but just know there's always more cooking in this noggin. Tysm!🥹

Also ty to @aztarion for the vtm dividers <3

Does your OC have any difficulty distinguishing the difference between love and lust?

TONS. Lauralene was turned into a vampire by the first woman who she was ever deeply, blatantly sexually attracted to after leaving a very repressed society. For context, she was turned into a vampire during the act of sex. The sex was consensual, but the act of being turned into a vampire was deeply not.

Which— on one hand, could be seen as a deeply romantic & bodice ripping gesture. A fated love between two unhinged women. But on the otherhand? Violating. Traumatizing, in a way she can't ever really put words to. Caught between two versions of her own story, emotionally stunted.

Lauralene romanticizes a lot of her trauma, included how she was turned. It makes the horrifying reality of things that have happened to her feel more empowering. In actuality, it borders more on delusional 🤸���♀️

All that to say she often conflates one for the other. And lust is a strong emotion. Strong to enough to make her feel flattered by the attention of very bad, very dangerous people.

Is your OC at all romantic themselves? Or is romance something they expect others to perform for their benefit?

This is actually so interesting to think about because my default answer was yes of course! But I actually don't know that she knows how to be romantic as much as she is just... used to being given romantic gestures, affections, attention, etc. I think she would say she is very into romance but in reality is more seductive and purposefully tempting than actually romantic. Another way in which those wires are crossed in her head, she's such a poor little sicko

What does your OC look for in a romantic (or perhaps purely sexual) partner? Is this always healthy?

To best answer this question I've compiled a brief list of Lauralene's exes:

Ex-Fiance : Dumped him for being too poor & because she knew she was destined for better oops. Little did she know he was the most stable thing she was ever gonna find

Sire / Ex-Wife : Dumped Lauralene's ass after they fagged it up for 3/4 of a century in France. The heartbreak nearly drove her insane ✌️🤪

Stalker / Ex-Boytoy : Tried to kill her ex-wife out of jealousy. Might be Jack the Ripper??? Phantom of the Opera mf for sure

The bar is in hell really, she just likes a pretty face and for someone to be sweet to her no matter how horrible they may turn out to be 🥹

Does your OC consider themselves to be attractive? Do they put much effort into achieving this?

Being attractive is kind of her Thing™️ at face value. She works in theater and has a lot of pride in being eye-catching and impressive to look at! Especially while still pretending to be modest to disarm men.

Statwise her predator-type is a Siren so she primarily feeds on those she can lure intimately close to her. Because of when & how she was turned into a vampire, Lauralene always wakes up with perfectly manicured nailbeds and freshly pressed waves in her hair.

She has the Blush of Life merit so she always looks like she's just been well-fucked 🫣 It is one of the ways she has been blessed by undeath and I love that for her personally!!! The rest of her life sucks so bad!!!

Would your OC ever take advantage of someone's romantic feelings in order to manipulate them?

Hell yeah baby she's maxed out in Manipulation and Charisma, it is perhaps the only reason she has remained alive(ish) for so long. She's a smooth talker and the brits love her across the pond. She is able to get away with much as a vampire by chalking a lot of her eccentricities to being a silly young American woman (and an actress at that, like be so serious) but she's 105 years old babes!!! It's all a ruse!!!

In the past she has seduced people for purely selfish reasons. Bloodlust, boredom, to feel something. She has sometimes killed them after, whether she meant to or not. Her beast craves innocent blood, which she naturally is drawn to and yet tries to avoid. She's damned the soul of an innocent man who told her she was beautiful, all because her friend needed the help of a demon. So she pays the price. And she'll probably do it again 😇

[raeniskaies]

why it is important to socially rest ♡

- as you may have noticed , I have been inactive for 14 days , aka 2 weeks . This is because I socially rested & I recommend you should too . .

001 , what do I mean by " socially resting " ??

- what I mean by socially resting is by taking a break from social media and focusing on yourself. It should be necessary especially if you like to post on social media .

002 , why is it necessary ??

- if you post on social media , you often recognise that it must take a lot of time and effort to do so. I find it fun and nice , making cute guides for my angelic followers ( you guys !! ) but it becomes unbearable to do for a long period ; it burns you out.

interacting on socials for a long time can also affect your attention span , damage your mental health ( depends ) & cause you to procrastinate ( some of the things you want to avoid ) !!

003 , what can you do whilst socially resting ?

- you can perform sports & hobbies , focus on your studies , interact with family and friends , go on trips etc etc ! it is not impossible to do these whilst using socials but it is easier when not.

004 , are there any benefits from socially resting ??

- the benefits I've gotten from socially resting is being able to do daily activities without worrying about posting + notifications. My sleep schedule has improved more & I felt a bit more " free " ^^

005 , conclusion ㅡ extra things you want to know

- you don't need to feel forced to post on your account or interact with anyone , as well as you don't need to feel forced to take breaks when not wanted. you can rest for as long as you want to + post again whenever as well ! in my opinion , take a break from tiktok and go out with your friends , it's way more enjoyable !

[dogsliampaynedoesntinstagram]

Do you have any thoughts on makeup and its connection to femininity and people who say makeup isn’t meant to satisfy men, it’s for enjoyment/fun etc? Not sure if I’m clear

I have so many thoughts about makeup anon. I've been really distressed to watch both the amount of beauty work expected of women and the gap between the beauty work expected of women and the beauty work expected of men grow over the last couple of decades. To make it worse there has been a really active effort to deploy rhetoric that sounds feminist to mystify what is actually going on.

Your ask is a really good place to start - because you are asking about an idea that is part of that process of mystification. The idea that motivation for why someone is participating in beauty culture is important is fundamentally individualistic. It suggests that both the problem and the solution with beauty culture is individual - and actively shuts down structural analysis.

In our culture, make-up is both an expense and a form of labour that falls disproportionately on women. In a lot of circumstances make-up isn't optional for women, and in many, many more it doesn't feel optional. That's political problem that needs to be solved - the compulsory nature of beauty work and disproportionate burden on women. Individual motivation isn't important politically and doesn't change that underlying dynamic.

Part of the problem is that it is very hard to find places to collectively fight the rising demands of beauty culture. I really like Jessica DeFino's work - and strongly recommend it - but her solutions are often focused on individuals disinvesting from beauty culture. It's really important that there are voices doing this - particularly in a world where people will with all seriousness suggest that skincare is feminism.

But I don't know what the political solution would be. I don't know how to fight the uneven and compulsory burden of beauty on women in a collective way. I maybe have some ideas for first steps, but the problem is obviously much bigger than these ideas

Fight where beauty work is actually compulsory. Usually the compulsory nature of femininity is a bit of a metaphor - there are consequences for not performing femininity - rather than explicit power structures. But there are plenty of places, particularly workplaces, where beauty work is compulsory. Seeing fights against compulsory make-up and unequal dress-codes as important political fights - and mobilising solidarity when they happen - is an important first step.

Build a feminist movement that cannot be co-opted by the beauty industry - and actively work against that co-option. A large part of that is rejecting individualism (a great start is reading the actual personal is political essay and grappling with how distorted those ideas have come). Feminism isn't about what we do as individuals (or even worse what other people do as individuals) - but about how we collectively build a better world.

Take the question of how to challenge beauty culture seriously and collectively. Acknowledge that we don't know how to change it at the moment and form groups that discuss that question.

But the most important starting point is that it doesn't matter how women personally engage in beauty culture as individuals, or why. What matters is the fact that beauty work is both compulsory and an uneven burden.