#all go to Naff asks now

[lavenoon]

30, 33, and 34 for the fanfic writer ask! ❤️

30. Tooth-rotting fluff or merciless angst?

In reading, I don't actually enjoy angst if it's merciless most of the time! I do enjoy some hope with my pain, please <3 So with content I seek out, it'd be the fluff! For writing? Well, uh, looking at my track record - did I. Did I ever write just pure fluff? With not a hint of conflict? The type to make you put your device down and just giggle for a while over it all? I. I honestly don't think so, whoops Merciless angst I also rarely write (and even when I do I can't really leave it alone and let it remain angsty), but I think I'd honestly be better at angst than I'd be at fluff gfhdjs It just, activates my brain? And I love seeing the reactions it causes - a very interesting ego boost where everyone including me is crying <3 (I still will not promise a Y/N dies scenario, because Y/N I definitely cannot fix and I'm not sure I can handle that) Besides, merciless angst doesn't have to involve death, and I do have other evil thoughts brewing <3 So, for writing, I guess it'd be angst!

33. Is there anything you wish your audience knew about your writing or writing process?

Maybe. Not in a "please ignore all mistakes" way, but in a "please be aware of how often I mix things up" way - please remember English is my second language. To top it off, I learned most of it online, with manga fan translations that were unavailable in German, and on social media, and that makes for rather unorthodox results. Especially with writing - grammar rules differ between English and German, and sometimes I just have to stop and squint and think about which rules I'm applying currently, and if it's the right ones. Or having the perfect word or phrase for something in German - but it's untranslatable. Often enough I write a sentence, in English, that in English makes no sense, but if I literally translated it to German it'd just be a normal sentence. I'm so lost between languages sometimes, I even forget which language I read something in, until I think of a specific phrase from the thing or a context clue that will help me sort it into the German or English basket. Being bilingual is fun, but sometimes I wish I could take my brain out and just make vague, confused, and offended gestures at it until it stops producing nonsense. And perhaps not necessary to know, but a fun fact: I don't write in German, and I'm not sure I'd be any good in it. I very much dislike reading in German these days, and since most things I'm interested in are in English/ have an English original or translation, I go with that! It's a weird situation, honestly, feeling so distanced from my native language, but it's also not big enough of an issue to unpack, and English does have a much wider audience!

34. Copy and paste an excerpt you’re particularly fond of.

I'm still very very happy with this little bit from Catbird out of the Bag:

I didn't have a plan, going in, that went beyond "Moon introduces himself and reality smacks him like a brick to the face, he has a quiet, shorter crisis before helping Y/N through theirs". So then I was at that point and Y/N was still so frantic, and I wasn't quite sure what would fix it - but Moon did. It really just hit me, that of course he'd defuse things, because that's his rival, he knows them, they know him, and if he acts a little goofy there's no way they can resist calling him out on it. It's also the first time he uses "dove" for them - the softer, post-reveal pet name he opts for when not on the clock, and I am just so soft for that <3 I still miss this reveal sometimes, I'm glad they all got the happy alternative, and I know that there's only more happiness in their future, too. Happiness that our canon trio will also get, just taking a bit more time! <3

[naffeclipse]

I lived babes

[wosohermoso]

Lucy Bronze

Jealousy - 18+

Warnings: smut (fingering), fluff, angst

Reader gets jealous when a waitress tries to hit on Lucy. (Do i make a pt.2 where Lucy gets jealous?)

Myself and Lucy hadn’t been dating long, our relationship still a secret from most people besides our close friends and family. We hadn’t actually planned on telling anyone so soon considering it had only been a few months, but with being around Lucy’s friendship circle and teammates, word of us being together kind of just - spread - although we were in no means trying to hide it.

We had been on holiday in Spain with a few of Lucy’s teammates for just over a few days now, all just enjoying the few days we had together after the World Cup, but me and her had decided to go for dinner away from the others just to spend some quality time together.

As we sit at the table waiting to be served, Lucy reaches over from opposite me, intertwining our fingers in a subtle but romantic way.

“You look gorgeous” She smiles, her thumb delicately brushing over my fingers.

“You don’t look too bad yourself” I giggle, her eyes burning into mine as she lets out a small chuckle.

“Y’know y-” Lucy begins to speak before she’s cut off by the waitress.

“Are you ready to order?” She smiles at me, and i peer down at the menu. My Spanish isn’t the best, so I order in English, letting her know what food I wanted. The waitress jots down my order with a small smile before turning to Lucy.

“-and for the pretty lady?” She says, watching Lucy carefully as her hand subconsciously leaves mine to pick up the menu. I giggle, Lucy is a pretty lady, there is no denying that. I don’t mind when others compliment her, especially knowing that shes mine. She deserves to know that she’s beautiful.

“What would you recommend?” Lucy asks as she looks back up at the waitress.

The waitress grins, placing her hand on the table besides my girlfriend as she leans over at the menu. She tucks a stray hair behind her ear before speaking.

“For you? I mean you cant go wrong with pasta. We have this-” she points “this tastes amazing, and its cooked specially by the head chef”

Lucy nods, “I’ll take your word for it”

The waitress takes note of our order before leaving and Lucy’s attention falls back on me.

“We’ve only got a few days left here and I want to make the most out of it, I was thinking tomorrow we could go to the beach- without the others obviously, I wanna spend as much time with y-”

“Wine- for you, hermosa” Lucy is cut off abruptly by the waitress placing one glass of white wine down on the table in front of Lucy. “Did you want a drink?” She then asks me.

My eyes narrow slightly, but still I keep my composure. Neither of us had ordered our drinks yet but she had come over with a glass for only my girlfriend. “Uh- yeah could I get a wine too please?” I ask with a small smile.

“One wine, is that all?” She asks and I nod.

After a short while our food arrives, “Pasta, for you-” she says, placing Lucys dish in front of her, “alllmost as beautiful as you” She says, earning a slightly awkward chuckle from Lucy. “And a pepperoni pizza for you” She states, placing my naff pizza in front of me. “Enjoy” She says, her hand resting briefly on Lucys shoulder before she leaves.

“What is her issue?” I blurt out earning a small look from Lucy.

“The waitress?” She asks, raising her brow slightly.

“Yeah. I don’t know. She’s acting strange.” I say as a shake my head a little.

Lucy shrugs, “no idea but this pasta looks incredible”

I roll my eyes. I was hardly ever the jealous type, but when tall, pretty, blonde waitress with a figure to die for very obviously has a thing for my girlfriend, its hard to not feel slightly annoyed. And when I look up to see her sat by the kitchen blatantly trying to catch Lucys eye, it only angers me even more.

“Shes staring at you” I state.

“Who?” Lucy frowns a little glancing round at the waitress.

“Don’t turn around, what the fuck?” I grab her hand, diverting her attention back to me.

Lucy looks at me with a small smirk.

“She probably just knows who I am” She chuckles. God her ego is so high, but i love it.

We finish our food in a comfortable silence, a few conversations about life together springing up between mouthfuls. Once we’re done, Lucy places my empty plate on top of hers and scoots them to the edge of the table and after a short while, the waitress returns.

“I see you’re helping me out” She grins at Lucy, motioning towards the plates that she had neatly stacked up to be taken. Lucy smiles at her “I try” she shrugs.

“Would you help me out in finding your instagram?” The waitress very confidently asks. Lucy looks up at her, her mouth open ever so slightly.

“Mine?” She asks in disbelief. The waitress nods.

“I- I mean yeah? Lucy replies, taking the waitresses phone. I watch her search for her own instagram before handing it back. I don’t think it meant anything, Lucy was just a people pleaser, but there’s a time and a place and that most definitely was not the right place - or time.

I sit back in my chair, my arms crossed as the waitress thanks Lucy. I had never been one to not stand my ground and so fighting the urge to say something was a fight I most definitely had lost.

“Do you wanna ask her to shag while you’re at it too?” I say under my breath, my eyes burning into the Blonde.

“Y/n?!” Lucy frowns at me in confusion. The waitress hadn’t heard it but Lucy definitely did. My eyes avert to Lucy with a cold glare, why on earth had she just given her her instagram right in front of my face. The waitress then thanks Lucy, giving her another small rub on the shoulder before leaving.

_

We were in the car in a not so comfortable silence. I must admit we were only in silence because I was in the worst mood known to man.

“You gonna speak or…?” Lucy strains out, her right hand rested on the steering wheel while her left placed comfortably on her thigh.

I stay silent.

“Y’know, jealousy looks quite nice on you” She states, earning a cold glare.

“What do you mean?” I frown, looking at her in complete disbelief.

“Jealousy. It looks good on you.” She states again before giving me a quick glance.

“If you think im jealous you can think again Lucy” I roll my eyes, shuffling slightly in my seat.

“Mkay” Lucy simply replies.

-

Once we arrive back at the villa we were renting, I take my shoes off, heading straight to the kitchen to grab a glass of water, Lucy following shortly behind. I feel her presence behind me as I lean over the sink.

“Whats wrong?” She asks softly, placing a small peck on my shoulder. I say nothing.

“Are you still jealous about that gir-”

“Lucy I told you, I’m not jealous.” I state before turning around. Lucy places her hands either side of me, resting comfortably on the counter behind me. She scans my face with a small smirk.

“I’ll take your word for it” She shrugs.

“Like you took her insta” I roll my eyes, earning a small chuckle.

“No. She took mine..”

“Luce?! You need to stop being so cocky about it because honestly it’s not a good look. We were on a date.. and she was all over you like a weeping back boil” I frown, attempting to cross my arm with my water still in my hand.

“So you are jealous” She grins at me, delicately taking my water from my hands and placing it behind me. “Why are you jealous?” She says lowly, her lips feathering against my neck. She cannot serious right now. The stubbornness in me heightened.

“Im not.” I state. Before giving her shoulders a small pat and worming out of the embrace she had me in.

I make my way to our bedroom and sit in defeat on the bed. I was kinda hoping she’d follow and maybe give me a cuddle, make me aware that there was absolutely nothing to worry about, but Lucy was so carefree. She probably didn’t mean anything by the whole interaction with the waitress, I just found it slightly disrespectful, but I knew I was being silly.

It takes Lucy a good half hour before she joins me, giving me a small light tipped smile as she slouches onto the bed besides me above the covers, before leaning over and giving me a quick peck on the lips. She could tell I still wasn’t in the best of moods, but I was slowly starting to get over the uncomfortable date we had had. That was until I saw her scroll through her insta notifications and hover over the new follow she had gotten. It was the waitress. Dont click on it. She clicked on it. She gave the waitresses insta a small skim over before swiping off. I was glad she didn’t follow back, but still I was annoyed. Not at Lucy, just the blonde.

I reach over, taking Lucys phone and locking it before placing it on the bedside table and very abruptly repositioning myself so that I was straddling my girlfriend. Lucy looks up at me in disbelief before opening her mouth to speak, “What are you doi-”

“Shut up.” I cut her off before smashing my lips onto hers.

It doesn’t take her long to widen her mouth, letting my tongue brush against hers, her hands instantly trailing along my thighs before resting on my ass. My tongue roamed her mouth as I took out almost all of my frustration out on her lips while the frustration in other places only grows. Lucy’s breath hitches as my lips trail down her neck, sucking harshly at the sensitive spot just below her ear as my hand creeps up under her shirt to squeeze at her breast. “Jesus christ, y/n” She groans out, her fingertips roaming my thighs and ass as I continue to make out with her neck, sucking and licking every one of her sweet spots. Her hands graze up my back, creeping their way under my shirt where her nails dig into my skin ever so seductively before coming back down to rest on my waist. Our lips meet again, more passionately than before, earning another small groan.

I felt her shuffle underneath me, her knees bending as she raises her hips slightly to try and get just a little bit of friction where she needed it most.

I reposition my legs so that I’m in between hers, before training my kisses down once more. Placing seductive but soft kisses back down her neck to her collarbone as I pull up her top, revealing her braless breasts. I try my hardest not to moan out at the sight of her as I dip my head down to suck delicately on her right nipple, my left hand working its magic on the other. Lucy’s nipples were always sensitive, and I knew that with just a small touch she’d be a complete and utter moaning mess. Her breath begins to shake as I caress her breasts, my tongue flicking against her nipple before my mouth moves on to the other. I feel her hand leave my hip and drag up my back before her fingers tangle in my hair, pulling at the roots sensually. Her hips buck slightly and I knew exactly where she needed me most.

My hands glide down her body as my lips find their way back to hers, my hand very swiftly slipping into her panties. She was wet. So wet. Just how I liked her.

I start to rub slow circles against her clit as her breath shakes and her eyes tighten shut. Her hands finding her way under the waistband of my shorts where they grip onto my ass tightly.

“Get your hands off me” I say, Lucy’s eyes widening in confusion. I smirk down at her. “Hands. Off”

She removes her hands from my shorts, holding them up by her head in defeat as my fingers pick up pace, earning the most leg clenching moan from my girlfriend. “What has gotten into you?!” She breathes out, before moaning against my lips. I pull my head away slightly.

“Jealousy.” I state, before my fingers plunge inside her.

Her back arches in pleasure, and at that moment she had no care for what I had to say, and to be honest, neither did I. I watch her squirm underneath me as my fingers curl inside her, hitting the spot she needed it most. “God, y/n” she moans out.

My fingers leave her as I kneel between her legs, pulling her shorts down her thighs and off her legs in a quick and swift motion. I gaze down at her slightly swollen clit, and oh how I wished my tongue against it right now.

She watches me in frustration as I tease her pussy. My fingers delicately grazing over her hole. “Y/n please..” She groans out as I stare at her.

I was hardly ever dominant with Lucy. But today was different. Today all I wanted to do was claim her as my own, make her know that shes mine and only mine.

My fingers slowly slip back inside her, moving slowly but harshly against her gspot. Soft moans escape her lips as I work my magic.

My other hand caressing her nipples, pinching, squeezing and rolling them in all the right ways as she squirms underneath me before it trails down between the valley of her breasts, down her stomach, and find their way to her clit. And with that I do everything I can to send her completely over the edge. “Y/n” She moans out, louder than before, the tension between my own legs only growing. “Let me touch you” She whimpers, her hands entering my shorts yet again.

“No” I say, as I slow down the pace of my fingers, briefly taking my fingers out of her to remove her hands from me. Lucy lets a small huff of defeat out as my fingers re enter her.

I curl my fingers inside her feeling her tighten around me, her back arching in pleasure. She was close, so close, but I could tell she was holding back. She wanted to touch me so bad, she’s a people pleaser - like I said. But she should have thought about that when she gave the flirty waitress her instagram earlier.

Her eyes tighten as I feel her clench around me and I quicken the pase of my fingers against her clit. Her body almost rolls over as she comes undone, moaning out my name in pleasure as she cums around my fingers, dripping down a little to my knuckles. She pants aggressively, small moans still escaping her lips as she comes down from her high and my fingers leave her body.

“Y/n, let me-” She quivers as her hands try to roam my body yet again.

“No, you’re not done yet” I cut her off, grabbing her wrists to lift her up, “get in the shower” I state, getting up off of the bed and dragging her with me.

I hear her let out a short giggle as she holds on to my hand and follows me into the bathroom, before spinning me round and pushing me up against the sink.

“Told you jealousy looks good on you” She grins down at me. I frown slightly.

“Knees. Now” I state, guiding her down by her shoulders.

She was in for it tonight.

[sunnys-aesthetic]

I have had this certain itch to say this. I'm surprised you never got mad or despised Naff for being more well-known about a dca detective au and people stealing your designs to make fanart for her

I had to think over how to respond to this ask because by all means I didn't want to give a quick answer and dip without leaving things properly, genuinely answered or explained. I'd like to minimize any misinterpretations or misunderstandings :<

I think the best way for me to properly address this is to section it into 2 parts? One part for how I feel about Naff and the second part for how I feel about some of my designs being used without credit! Also sorry for any messy typing as admittedly I'm nervous typing all of this out after so much time has passed and I haven't really thought about this in eons FHSKJDHFSDGJKHJF

Long body of text warning So I'll place down a 'keep reading' down here! v

I want to answer this ask truthfully on my experiences and how I overcame this, what my mindset was then, and what it is now.

So! First part- Naffeclipse! Right off the bat I want to say that, no, I don't hate or despise Naff. Yes, I used to feel hurt by how they used my work, but I don't feel that way anymore. I think you're the first ever person to have asked me anything regarding this in almost two years. If I'm honest, no one online has ever made a comment regarding this so I was a little surprised! I began the DCA Detectives and dubbed it "Sleuth Jesters" in my original post back in mid-June 2022. And from there the concept's popularity kinda exploded.

I'm proud of Naff for the wide range of followers, love and support that they've cultivated using my au, and I don't want to take away from the fact that yes, the story, the world, the character interpretations they created was all their own work! That's something i want to make known first and foremost. That is all 100% their own hard work and skill as a writer. And I never want to take credit for that.

Now, I know this may look really unfair and believe me, within the first few months of Sleuth Jesters taking off from not my own platform but from another persons, I thought it was too. I was possibly going through one of my roughest periods, as all of this was very new for me and I had a lot of IRL personal stuff going on at the time. The main reason I hadn't made any remark or mention aside from one post asking for credit the same day I had talked to Naff about it privately in DMS is because I inadvertently developed imposter syndrome with the whole situation, and I privately decided to not work on that au of my own volition and lack of want to continue it on my own terms!

Why did you have imposter syndrome? Well! Because for me personally it was a feeling of 'hey! I know you racked up tons of followers and created a big platform, and you personally put the work into it, but can I please be credited for your hard work? Because they're my initial idea and designs?' was essentially my mindset for months back then, it was a sticky tricky situation! ^^; and it was not very healthy for me.

However I don't want to dive into too many details on my emotional & mental wellbeing during 2023! I was a new artist, and I was absolutely scared I would be the one who would make or initiate the first large discourse within the DCA community if I spoke up about it, possibly receive unwarranted hate or backlash, and I felt the pressure was really on me to keep the peace because as far as I had known, the DCA community hadn't had any 'big drama' since its making during that time.

But! At the same time all of this was happening I moreso delved into making my oc cloud drop + being with friends and having fun, and I simply personally didn't want to continue the AU anymore. It was not entirely due to Naff's usage but also because I simply just didn't have the time or energy for it! That's all there was to it. I struggled yes, sure! but,

What matters to me is not how or what i think or say, but how I choose to act or deal with situations that can be stressful or uncomfortable in the general sense. and despite any negative feelings I may have had, I think kindness can live a lot longer than any hatred ever could. I don't physically have it in me to hate someone or hold a grudge for too long, even in the heat of the moment, and I hope this mentality can be applied to anyone who reads this as well ^.^ Communication is key to me in any relationship, even if i know you or don't know you! And if you are not willing to make that effort in talking or speaking up it will negatively affect you in the long run. And I made that mistake by waiting for too long! sorry that was cheesy haha but its a personal mindset i live with.

So to answer the first part of the question, yes I used to be upset, but I'm not anymore.

What about the people who used your design(s) to make fanart for her?

wwweell, ill admit this was actually one of the bigger things that hurt me the most at the time, Nowadays I am being more properly credited, even if there's a few people who forget to credit me I wont take it personally. It's a much better improvement compared to when I hadn't spoken at all about it.

It's already gotten to a point where its thousands of people who associate the fanart to their fiction, and even if it wasn't with my permission at the time, it is now! We can't really force or change what happened in the past but at the v least I hope those who will make fanart are a little more aware of who to give their credits to! I still enjoy seeing everyone's art! ^^

tl;dr, i was really sad and hurt by it at the TIME, and yes it messed me up but not once did I despise Naff as person at all. Everything's all good now and I'm doing much better and all I can ask for now is the continued credit for at least my au and my designs ♡

And i very VERY VERY much urge you all TO NOT give any animosity towards naffeclipse as I already know they did not mean any of this in any ill will at all since the beginning, and we both already talked about it mid last year c:>

[the-river-runs]

Returning with another post from my wonderful friend! She made this lovely edit for @naffeclipse 's fic, Sleuth Jesters, and has asked me to post it to Tumblr for her. All drawings used in the edit were drawn by her (http.redshoes on instagram)

She has another message!

"Hello Naff! I’m so glad that you enjoyed the memes I made for you <333 I had fun making them and I’m definitely making more later >:)

Here’s the Mafia Boss!Eclipse edit as promised. I apologize in advance for the mistakes as I haven’t properly drawn or made edits because of finals 😔👊 (but now that they’re over, I have more time to focus on my art/editing skills)

I’m going to make another edit later on…but with a different Eclipse 👀"

Individual drawings under the cut!

[lemonhemlock]

it's amusing to me how ppl will try to criticise alicent's "where is duty, where is scarifice" by saying it's just her demanding why rhaenyra doesn't "submit to men", "scarifice her happiness", "give up her bodily autonomy" blah blah blah.

there is such a smugness and it's made worse by their security in them thinking this defense of rhaenyra is flawless."

submit to men". im not even going to deign to respond by pointing out all the ways which shows this simply isn't true or at least challengeable for alicent, but in the context of rhaenyra....its questionable because who made rhaenyra his heir in the first place? quickly. her father. rhaenyra "submits" to viserys' will by accepting his decision to name her princess of dragonstone. obviously she's only 14 then but it's a decision she continues to, using their language, "submit" to well into her adult life. of course, you could say that rhaenyra wants the throne anyway and that's fair but rhaenyra's own wants/needs are still ultimately irrelevant. they just happen to align with viserys' own wishes that stem from his powerful guilt over aemma and his conviction that he misread his "prophecy" wrong. it's because of these factors that one can find it really questionable that viserys would have listened to rhaenyra if she asked him to change the succession. what's more important, his daughter's happiness, or his need to redeem himself through her? im comfortable saying this because viserys at his core seems allergic doing right by his kids.another way it's questionable because again who is the final "authority" on rhaenyra's sons? quickly. her dad. rhaenyra's word by itself isn't good enough, she still has to submit to viserys' will through getting his protection.

"scarifice her happiness". mind you rhaenyra calls her own life a "droll tragedy". how great could that "happiness" (harwin) have been then? it's also very clear that harwin was never going to be enough for rhaenyra.

"bodily autonomy" I mean, I wish they kept this energy for alicent. but they don't. alicent's line to viserys "to have one child like that is a mistake" is also really interesting to me concerning this whole subject because it suggests that alicent would have been sympathetic to rhaenyra if she had been honest from the very start with jace's birth. but she doesn't and she ends up lying again and again. obviously rhaenyra lying about such a matter is going to be a huge trigger for someone like alicent whose father was removed from his position partly because of rhaenyra lying or not being wholly truthful.

sorry for the long post!

Hi there! I think there's a lot of naff defence of Rhaenyra and hypocrisy towards Alicent in TB's discourse, but, by now, there are a wealth of critical posts available that highlight these discrepancies and, if they don't pose any interest to them, we kind of, at some point, have to let bygones and be bygones and leave them to their little bubble. They can educate themselves from many sources now; it's not like when the show first aired and the meta was dominated by TB content. But if they don't want to engage in good faith arguing, then there's not much point in getting worked up about it. IMO a lot of these posters skew on the younger side, have a rather primitive view of feminism and rely heavily on anachronism, so girlboss pew pew is appealing to them. Maybe they'll grow out of it, maybe not, but we can't be educators for everybody.

That being said, onto the points you highlighted. I think I agree the most with "sacrifice her happiness", because Rhaenyra had all the options in the world for a husband, but she didn't take any of it seriously and exhausted everyone's goodwill after a ton of resources were wasted on her marriage audition tour for nothing,* until Viserys got tired of her tomfoolery and forced her to marry a closeted gay man. This is where a point about bodily autonomy can also be made, because Rhaenyra could have very well married Harwin (who was in her social sphere), had she taken any of this seriously.

*think of the cost of transporting her and hosting so many suitors under one roof - some of the bill being footed by the lords who were hosting her. Perhaps Lord Baratheon had better use of his time and money than organizing Rhaenyra's engagement contest. And you can bet she didn't just leech off of him, she must have visited other castles as well, since she is said to have been gone for several weeks (? can't remember). And all for what? It's very disrespectful.

I do have some sympathy for her because it's a lot to ask a 15(?)-year-old to start seriously considering marriage proposals, when that's probably the last thing she is interested in. And it is normal for teenagers to be immature. But there's got to be some give-and-take here. Rhaenyra can't both be the nominal heir and future queen, entrusted with more power than anyone else in the kingdom, and not heed any of her responsibilities. It is a position that comes with sacrifices and responsibilities; it's part of the job description. Making a politically-advantageous marriage is one of those compromises. Acknowledging that is not anti-feminist lol. God forbid kings and queens can't just do whatever the hell they want all the time.

And Rhaenyra is presented with choices: at no point does she refuse Viserys' offer to name her heir. He straight-up tells her at one point: choose a husband or I will name Aegon instead. She could have very well said "You know what, I didn't really think about what this would entail when you nominated me in the first place and now I kind of realise this is not for me. I don't really want to get married and I'm not particularly inclined towards politics either, so can we find some kind of alternative arrangement here?" Does she? No!

She doesn't want to run away with Criston and eat oranges either. Fair enough, but then you kind of have to move your butt and work towards securing your position as heir to the throne. Does she do that instead? No, lol. She's the definition of eating one's cake and having it too. In ep. 7 she bemoans to Viserys "I thought I wanted it" (i.e. the throne). So she does want it!

As far as her just going along with whatever Viserys wants, I am going to be generous again and say that I get she doesn't really want to disappoint her father and appear diminished in front of him, cool, but at some point you have to start taking responsibility for yourself and not just explain everything away resorting to your shitty childhood and relationship with your parents. And Rhaenyra never does. Especially when the stakes are this high. We're talking about the possibility of civil war here. It's very laissez-faire to the point of irresponsibility to just "go along" with this, in spite of succession laws, when you know people are going to be opposing your shaky claim, if you don't really want the throne deep down and are just half-arsing it.

And Rhaenyra can't blame it all on the follies of youth either. Because there is a time when she is a mature woman with three illegitimate children under her belt, not really putting in the work to diplomatically advance herself, being rude to people at court and just interested in her love affair and doing whatever she wants. But, by that time, Alicent had already produced 4 children, so Rhaenyra could have just noped out of this situation, if she considered it so shitty, and conceded to Aegon. Viserys by then was old and weak, he wouldn't have really put much of a fight if that's what she truly wanted. She could have lived her life as a very rich, privileged lady, but instead she chose to escalate and marry Daemon. And, no, the greens would not have killed Rhaenyra and her bastard children, not because of the kindness of their hearts, but because Rhaenyra's claim is comically weak and would not be taken seriously by any medieval historian, let alone by a person actually living in those times.

So this is where I wrap it up with the "submitting to men" argument. I don't think it's necessarily accurate to categorise Rhaenyra accepting Viserys' decision to name her heir as going against her will, because she is known to want the throne. What I think is more relevant here is to consider that Alicent is in a much more powerless position than Rhaenyra and doesn't really have much of a choice when it comes to defying men. Alicent is the daughter of a second son and she doesn't have a dragon soul-bonded to her who can roast people who annoy her. I think it quite trite to be "angry" with her (lol she's not real) that she has the (normal) coping mechanisms that she has and is not magically transformed into a rebel Lagertha figure who does whatever she wants and takes no shit from anyone.

However, I don't see the solution as Rhaenyra "submitting to men" either. I think that's a misrepresentation of the green stance (although I'm sure there certainly are green-aligned posters that skew more towards the Kinder-Kuche-Kirchen disposition). On my part, I don't see Rhaenyra respecting the basic law of the land as her submitting to men. Kings have to follow succession laws to acquire the throne, too, and then produce legitimate children to succeed them. Of course the law is meant to favour men, but not once does Rhaenyra do anything to further the cause of women in Westeros, only to further herself. She wants to be Queen, but it has to be served on a platter to her and she is not interested in putting any work in. She's not interested in the plight of bastards in Westeros, as long as her own bastards get comfy seats. At one point you have at least concede that she's mainly on a one-woman mission for her selfishness. And anyone is welcome to like her exactly as she is! She doesn't have to be morally pure to have fans.

But there comes a time when, after appraising the inequalities of the world, you also have to adjust your own behaviour so that you won't end up causing more harm in your quest to advance your own interests. You have to find a balance between your desire for absolute freedom and reforms that are achievable, because some progress is always better than no progress.

Some of this stuff is really complicated, like how can you integrate bastards in the inheritance process when most of the wealth is acquired via land and you live in a society in which people of means turn marriages into economic alliances, with vested interests in passing down that wealth to children related to both parents? The short answer is that you have to diversify the sources of wealth, but, for that, you need technological advancement, the rise of the middle class and, ultimately, to dismantle feudalism. Could Rhaenyra have accomplished this during her reign? No. Could anyone? Absolutely not. These are historical developments that happen gradually, over a great span of time, so the best any decision-maker could do is introduce incremental reforms that can help speed up this process, increase literacy rates* (you cannot become free if you cannot read) and, yes, tumblr is going to hate this, but engage in harm reduction - basically don't become part of the problem or an active vector of destabilisation.

That is wisdom that Rhaenyra never comes to possess. And, to cut her some slack again, this is truly visionary stuff, like very few people would be able to be so politically avant-garde. But, at the very least, Rhaenyra could have engaged in harm-reduction. And it's pretty insincere or misguided of TB to reduce this resolution to just "submitting to men".

*But can you even? You'd need to invent the printing press for this. See my mentioning the need to technological advancement.

[dominickeating-source]

‘Star Trek: Enterprise’ Actors Say Season 5 Would Have “Crushed It,” Defend “Naff” Theme Song

In addition to all the new Star Trek Universe show panels from Mission Chicago we have covered, there was a fun panel for Star Trek: Enterprise, which celebrated its 20th-anniversary last year. On hand were show stars Connor Trinneer (Charles “Trip” Tucker), Dominic Keating (Malcolm Reed), and Anthony Montgomery (Travis Mayweather). The trio shared stories of their time on the NX-01 Enterprise, including some frank discussion about the series which ended in cancellation after four seasons. TrekMovie was there to report on the highlights.

7 years and movie?… that ship has sailed

When the moderator asked the group what it was like walking in for the first episode, the actors talked about how they were given high hopes for their future:

Connor Trinneer: We weren’t walking into a pilot, we were walking into a series. We had that luxury. So that was a little intimidating. We knew we were in it together. And we knew we were going to be together for well… Anthony Montgomery: It was supposed to be seven years. We signed for seven years. They told us we were doing movies, because they didn’t do movies with DS9. They didn’t do movies with Voyager. So they told me that the fans love Star Trek and you guys are going be here for at least seven years, and you’re going to be doing movies and everything. And you guys know how that all turns out.

Regarding if they thought the show were more anticipating the show being big or worried it would fail, again they talked about the initial excitement, which soon turned to concern:

Anthony Montgomery: Really big, initially. Connor Trinneer: But then, we wondered for a long time if we were going to be coming back to work. Anthony Montgomery: That started in season one.

As for what was planned for the show beyond a fourth season, speaking for the group, Montgomery made it clear they were on a roll once they got to season four and it would only have got better:

Anthony Montgomery: They’d never told me where we were going, but I can tell you it would have been fucking great. What? Come on! Did y’all see season four? We have really stepped into our own by season four. So if we’d gone five, six and seven, man, I don’t know what it would have been, but we would have crushed it!  I love that guy [points to fan] saying “you guys could still do it.” No, no, that that spaceship has sailed.

Dominic Keating, Connor Trinneer, and Anthony Montgomery entertained the crowd at Mission Chicago (Photo: TrekMovie.com)

About that theme song…

One of the more controversial elements of Enterprise was the theme song: Russell Watson’s “Where My Heart Will Take Me.” As a group they defended the theme and talked about how producers were very optimistic about it, although Keating noted he wasn’t a fan of the new version of the song used for the final two seasons:

Connor Trinneer: They were very psyched about it. They were really excited about it. Dominic Keating: I got to say when they suddenly introduced a tambourine and the upbeat version of that song for season three, I got to say, that is some goofy shit. I am watching the show now and I am on season three and I can’t even listen to it. It is naff, really naff. The original song? I didn’t mind at all. I thought it was rather beautiful. Anthony Montgomery: I thought it was fantastic. And it fits our series. It does. For what our show is and what it represents in the franchise, I thought it was a perfect song. Connor Trinneer: I think I heard it for the first time and went, “That’s a song, that right there is a song.” Dominic Keating: I thought it was rather fitting with the graphics and absolutely the human endeavor and flight and I thought it was pretty cool.

Representing Florida and Britain

The actors also talked a bit about how they developed the cultural identities of their characters. Connor Trinner described how he was taken by surprise when the writers identified Trip coming from Florida about halfway through the series:

Connor Trinneer: I’ve had done a play in New York for about a year playing this guy from Oklahoma and all this said was [Trip is] a good old southern boy. I know Oklahoma is a tip of the South or south Midwest. Anyway, I went in with that accent and worked on that and knew it really well … and then they wrote that I was from Florida and I went to the producers and said I’m not doing Florida and they’re like, “They’ll never know.” And I was like, “People in Florida will know!” And sure enough there was a family that came on the Make A Wish Foundation to our set and they were from the town Trip is supposed to be from and they were just like, “I just want to thank you so much for nailing our accent.”

And Leicester-born Keating talked about how he was proud to represent Britain, and he was given some leeway in portraying a British character:

Dominic Keating: It was it was an honor. And if anything, I got slightly a wider berth how they were particular about what they’ve written. Connor, if you wanted to change anything, you have to bring up the writers’ room, didn’t you? It had to go through a whole order of command to change an “and” to an “or” or a “but.” I could just go, “A British guy wouldn’t say that.”

Dominic Keating, Connor Trinneer, and Anthony Montgomery entertained the crowd at Mission Chicago (Photo: TrekMovie.com)

Source: TrekMovie.com - April 26, 2022, article by ANTHONY PASCALE

[thaliatimsh]

hiiii can i get 5, 10, 11, 16, 17, 19, 25 for the fic writer asks :>

HOHOHOOHO thamk you for asking sorry it took me a hot minute to get back on my laptop:

5. What are your fanfic pet peeves? Do they have a huge effect on whether or not you decide to read something?

LOL i love how everyone has asked me this do i come off as so bitter? i sure do lol. anyway another peeve of mine is really naff ~foriegn language~ bits esp. as like. rubbish sexy talk. people making a character go oooh ma petite chou-fleur in the heat of the moment shfgdjshds fuck off

10. What’s your favorite fandom, pairing, or character to read fic for?

this is a tough one! when i go hunting for fics i normally start w my Fave Character Tags (... treavor pendleton, george hodgson ao3 pages saved to my phone bookmarks smhhhh). probably dishonored fic is my fave to read actually? bc people do so much fun stuff with The World :^)

11. How do you come up with your fic titles?

normally they come from a spoken line in the text of the fic! or sometimes a bit of description... or something from the canon. like the working title for a different kind of man was "stained glass". the fics in the takes two to quarrel series were all named for lines in the fics, except for imperfect life which i lifted directly from canon text (and the series was named for a line in imperfect life)

nlwib's name comes from that one line of wallace's in game thats like - "I must prepare the mourning garments. His lordship has never looked well in black.". i often think that if i was gonna do a cleanup re-write i would just call it in black, but i did start posting it nearly eleven years ago and my Style has evolved since then lol

16. Do you research for your fics? If so, how deep of a rabbit hole have you gone down by accident when researching?

HFJSDKFHKS SEE MYSTERY MAN PART 2 in which I accidentally uncovered the history of one of the rl officers of the franklin expedition and have since seen real life Scholars talk abt things that were literally lost to history until i connected a bunch of dots on accident while trying to find out what early 19thc. eton was like. for a fanned fiction. me @ franklin scholars: get on my level wankers lol

17. How obsessively do you sit and stare at your fic after you’ve just posted and wait for feedback?

TOO OBSESSIVELY and it never ends well. i am trying to hold back on this bc. drac your fics are too niche your majesty they'll kill your self-esteem your majesty. never 4 get that the only comment i got on nlwib chapter 15 was "shame it wasnt gay" :/

19. Do you edit your fics after you write them, or do you prefer to just hit post and run (because it’s someone else’s problem now)?

i don't really Edit edit? things come and go as i write, then i'll get a version i like and probably give it a once-over in the ao3 preview to look for typos.

25. Do you listen to music as you write? If possible, link your writing playlist.

i don't really listen to music while i'm writing bc i get too distracted! either by lyrics or A Good Bit in instrumental music lol. but sometimes I'll play a single song on repeat through the entire thing like a deranged animal. i think the last nlwib chapter was written to Paris 1919 by John Cale on repeat for abt 40 hours lmao

this is the questions btw

[purplebass]

Mhm, Kell and Kosika do seem to have some similarities about them. Especially if Holland or whoever is using his image is just using Kosika to reopen the walls. Also it's quite interesting to note that all her antari commands have come to her instinctively. However, whilst we don't have confirmation that this is strange or unusual - we do see both Kell and Lila using their powers for the first time (just about) and neither knew the commands - Maris told Kell and Lila had to ask!

Definitely seems to be a vitari-esque parallel between Holland and Kosika, very spooky. I'll be interested to see where it goes, given basically all W!London scenes are build up for later.

Balance is interesting, because I'm of the thought that reopening the gates will balance - because closed everything fell out of balance. I do think "and we had to give up magic power for the good of all" endings are a bit naff and considering R!London is very reliant, I don't think Schwab will lean that way. Would the antari population *balance* out?

Gods, I agree, Kell was probably way too scared after the ring business. It seemed like he was really hung up on it - but I can also see why the gesture was received poorly on Lila's end. I would like to see Lila cry more, let it out!! What comes after the confession though? Lila was clear she's not really a... family maker (nice parallel with Alucard who does want that for himself and Rhy). I thought Lila's response when asked by Nadiya was a bit interesting, it was a clear no, but Lila clearly felt a bit off about it, literally describing it as a "strange effect". I don't necessarily think children is the lathway this is going, but idk, it stuck out to me. Perhaps its like you say, that fear she has of facing her feelings.

Poor Tes, i'm looking forward to seeing her confidence grow! And for the eventual conflict with her sister!

That would make sense, or perhaps the space between worlds - and they can only escape once Kosika opens the gates.

I think Schwab is very drawn to male characters (and i think why some readers don't like Lila so much because she is this aggressive and mean character - each to their own i guess)

Thanks for rambling with me - i don't have anyone to theorise with and I liked your recent takes!

Hey, sorry for the late reply but I was kinda disconnected mentally this past week �� and I wanted to give a proper reply!

Putting a read more because it's quite long 😅

-> Kosika using her commands casually Yup, from what I've gathered, before she met "Holland" in ghostly form, he was with her but she could not see him, and he told her the commands and only later I think he tells her that's how she was able to know what to do, which is suspicious. Because like you said, Kell and Lila were told the Antari commands and there are still commands they might not know and can't use bc Antari magic requires specific formulae. Maybe "Holland" wanted to speed the process required for Antari to learn every spell they can use so the process to gather power would be quicker. What if he needed power to manifest himself to her as a ghost? Because it took a few years... and that power they are gathering may have other purposes which Kosika is unaware of. And yep, the WL scenes are for the future! Because no one expects WL to be so changed after seven years, and for Kosika to be so knowledgeable about Antari magic so young.

-> Everyone losing their power at the end? Would the antari population *balance* out?

I also dislike the "they lose their powers at the end" trope. This series deals a lot with the theme of balance and one of the hardest things the characters have/had to do is/was to control themselves and their magic. If they lost everything, it would be quite annoying and would be too easy. The point that was made throughout the trilogy and now in Threads is balance, power, control, limits, etc. Victoria doesn't seem the kind of writer who would resort to that, at least in most of the series by her I've read, there was no one who ended without powers (on the other end, they had to deal with the consequences of having x power and things like that). So maybe, if Black London has something to do with Antari and why they exist -maybe there's a bit of Black London magic in every London and that's why Antari are so rare- it's possible there would be more of them? Even though that itself would be difficult to handle because people would abuse of their powers etc. so it's a never ending cycle lol

-> Kell and Lila

I wanted to see how the ring scene went because it must have been angsty (might write a fanfic about it perhaps, bc I like to write missing scenes XD). Confrontation can make or break a relationship, and I think that even if they don't see eye to eye on some matters, they still try to understand and be there for each other because they deeply care and love each other. I don't want to imagine what would happen if either of them died or would be severely injured.

I think I wrote in the previous ask that Lila only cries when there's death/near death experience with the people she loves. The finality is the trigger that opens the gates of her tears, because she's emotionally repressed. She had to reign in her emotions for years and it takes time to unlearn this. And we see that even if Kell shows her repeatedly how much he loves her, and she knows he won't reject her - if any, he would be ecstatic if she told him she loves him - she still finds it difficult to do so and to say those three words. I believe it's one of her core fears, along with well, losing Kell.

See, a reason I would love a baby storyline/talk is that perhaps this could help unlock her emotional side more. Lila might not be emotional like Kell (even though she's more irrational than him on the practical side), but she does have a heart and that heart beats so loud for those she cares about. This story would also tie with her trauma (i.e. losing her mother so young, having an abusive father so being scared to be like her father with her child, her fear of being tied down, etc.). I don't think a child is necessary in a couple but I feel like there is something in Kell and Lila's story (and their inner child trauma) that would tie so well with a baby storyline. I can't unsee it after this baby talk with Nadiya but of course it's just an headcanon for now. There are a lot of ways to explore this topic, and they may even discuss it among themselves. I would like to know where Kell stands on this. Maybe he would talk about it with either Rhy or Nadiya herself, because I bet she's interested about Kell's thoughts about this (even if it's none of her business lol).

-> V drawn to male characters

Yeah, most of her novels have more male characters than female characters, and she does characterize them well (they also have great chemistry with each other and that's not an easy fit). In ADSOM Lila is the only mfc, and she doesn't fit the gender stereotypes, and sometimes she might be too extreme and do questionable things and people might not like that. Or maybe, people do not try to see past the exterior behavior she has, I have no idea. On the other hand, that's why I love Lila. She is morally grey, she is unpredictable, she is an hypocrite, she is a mystery, she is many things. I love all the layers she has and she is definitely my favorite character along with Kell. She was the first character I was drawn to when I read ADSOM years ago, and my love was reaffirmed and grew even stronger when I read Threads. 😂

Do not worry about rambling! I like rambling about ADSOM and I love talking about it with other fans, so feel free to send more asks 🫶🏻

[naffeclipse]

Hey, Naff! I was thinking of the AU where y/n is a dolphin mermaid and Sun, Moon and Eclipse run a mafia pod, and then I thought of the alternate scenario someone sent asking what would have happened if y/n had a kid with them, and then I had a thought! XD Not to contribute to the baby fever but!

What if the initial encounter went the same, y/n is chased, caught and forced to accept the deal of working for them, but in this scenario they are already expecting. Like super early pregnancy stage. Y/n does know about it, but it's so early that it's not outwardly visible or noticeable to anyone else.

And since that first encounter was so rough they are hesitant to ever mention it to the trio because they don't know how the mafia works and they are afraid either them or the future baby would be seen as a liability (unable to tell that's not actually the case). So they do the jobs they ask, while trying to hide it to the best of their ability. And thankfully for them (at least they think so), it's one of those pregnancies that doesn't really show until much later, but there comes a point where they can very much not hide it anymore.

But what if that point comes when there is a lull between jobs for them, and the trio of bosses is pretty busy, so they are left alone for a while and they are like "Great! Maybe I can have this baby unnoticed!" But then just as they approach the due date they are finally summoned back, but at this point they know they can't go to them. So when they don't respond to the call it causes for one (or all three) of the boys to get suspicious and come looking for them. And that's all I thought about gkjfhgkfh No idea what happens next XD

Chaotik, I'm rattling you so hard right now! It's a sweet little twist on dolphin Y/N dealing with the mafia sirens + baby, and I'm entirely here for it!

Continuing where you left off, I like to imagine that Sun and Moon are the ones to go look for Y/N.

They can't have one of their own go rogue, especially without consequences. They make no exceptions as they explained what would happen to those who aren't loyal, but Sun and Moon are especially sullen. Dolphin Y/N is all three of the bossess' favorite, and to have them try and think they can get away spears their pride (and hearts) when they've been so good to them. Of course, that's not to say they haven't taunted, teased, and grabbed Y/N mercilessly, as they have full rights to do within their territory and those under their protection, but they thought Y/N was growing closer with them in return. Regardless, they're on the hunt.

On the farthest northern edge of their territory, where it was confirmed that Y/N was summoned back but did not follow through on the command, they come upon a thick Arctic ice pack and towering, roaming glaciers. Sun catches sight of Y/N first. They're hiding behind a sizeable outcropping of ice, flukes flitting anxiously. Moon swims around to catch Y/N from behind should they decide swimming away is a possibility.

Y/N is panicking, doing their best to keep their now very visible pregnancy concealed while also pondering their fate. The due date is close but the ferocious bosses are upon them. How useless will the two orca sirens decide they are while carrying a child?

Sun calls out to Dolphin Y/N to come out before he has to make them, and though Y/N reluctantly answers, they still keep their belly hidden. Moon, however, sees them entirely from his position, baby bump and all. Caught off guard, Moon slips behind Y/N while Sun is still interrogating them, and he takes their arm and firmly but gently pulls them out into open water. Sun stops midsentence to stare at Y/N while they flounder internally, deeply unsettled by their reactions—or the lack thereof.

After Moon and Sun silently stare at Y/N and process the new situation, they share a sharp look. Sun asks where Y/N's mate is. Y/N says in a small but no uncertain voice that they have no mate. They intend to raise their baby alone. Both sirens seem to relax at this. Y/N begins to babble about being able to care for the baby and still perform their work but Sun and Moon have made a silent decision together. Sun softly takes Y/N's other arm to guide them back to the center of their territory, where they belong.

Of course, Sun and Moon now recall certain moments from the past few months, such as Y/N being especially skittish whenever they or Eclipse grabbed onto their hips or caressed their sides. Another siren under their pod commented on Y/Ne eating better for they're a little thicker around the middle, and Y/N quickly brushed aside the remark. Of course, Sun and Moon see now how much softer Y/N's face is and that their movements are slow and careful, not as slipstreamed as they were when the brothers first chased them down. They're a bit bewildered (and abashed) that they missed the signs.

Y/N is still panicking at how closely Sun and Moon guide them back into the heart of their territory before taking them to a sizeable ice cave, carved out by claws. Sun darts away once they pull Y/N inside. Moon asks Y/N more questions about their pregnancy: how are they feeling, do they need to eat, are they tired, do they know when they might have the baby, and so on. Y/N grows increasingly anxious by the grilling but answers truthfully. The due date is soon, very soon. That's why they couldn't answer the summons. Moon dismisses Y/N's stumbling overexplaining with a wave of his head. He's already pieced that bit together.

Then Eclipse arrives with Sun. His burning eyes immediately land on their big belly in plain view, and Moon tending closely to their side, his claws curled around their hand. Y/N finally asks what the bosses are going to do with them. They don't want any harm to come to their baby but Y/N is well aware that they can't fend off three orca sirens. (Eclipse remembers a time he noticed a slight swell to Y/N's belly but attributed that to providing well for their Dolphin Y/N after they've been so loyal and hard working in return.) Eclipse is silent for a long heartbeat before he flashes his teeth and chastises Y/N for not telling them earlier. They could have protected them more, allowed them to rest and stay closer to them, and given them less dangerous work.

Y/N stammers for a moment before falling silent. Did the terrifying eldest boss just say what they think he said? Sun leaves to retrieve a fish before Moon speaks low into Eclipse's ear. Sun returns and gives all his attention to Y/N while he ensures the fish he caught for them won't trigger any nausea. After Y/N says the fish is fine, Sun caresses their cheek once. Then, the twins disappear, leaving Y/N with Eclipse as he watches them eat. He explains that their child falls under the orca sirens' protection because he and his brothers already protect Y/N. They will see that Y/N is given whatever they need to rest and recover. Y/N is struck dumb, but the fish is delicious and they haven't been torn apart yet, so that can only be a good thing. Right?

Eclipse catches Y/N's chin in his hand, lifting their head to hold their gaze as he grins. It will be lovely to have a little one around, he says. Y/N believes he's sincere, still wrapping their head around how they started the day off terrified and somehow finished it with devotion and support from the three orca sirens.

[captaindibbzy]

A really dumb series of events I'm gonna have a long bitch about.

In 2012 I took part in a trial Jujitsu day at my university. I landed wrong during warm ups and went on my ankle with a large snap. This was dismissed by the teacher but it hurt a lot so I WALKED home on it, you know, rather than finish the lesson. I do not wrap it. I do not go to hospital. I just go home and figure meh it'll be fine.

Spoiler: I am an idiot.

Next day I wake up with an ankle fatter than my thigh and some very interesting bruises on it. Very dark, colour of a black grape. I, not wanting to be a bother (and also suffering from an undiagnosed series of mental issues that won't be diagnosed for another 3 years+) ask my friends to get me some bandages from the shop. I wrap it up from toe to knee and elevate it. Continue to walk on it like the idiot I am.

6 months later this "sprain" is for some unknown reason still a problem. Who can guess why? Could it have something to do with the audible SNAP it made? Our best scientists decided they couldn't be bothered to investigate and they are right. Anyway, I go to the doctor's. They look at it. Hmm. Yeah you probably tore your ligament. But it's 6 months old now so there's not much we can do. Try some physiotherapy.

I do attend but physio on the NHS is basically turn up once every week for 6 weeks and receive a new exercise then we trust you to do it yourself. As mentioned above I'm about 3 years away from a diagnosis of some kind of garbage brain, so for some reason the ability to move does not come naturally to me.

Trash ankle, now wobbly as shit, leads to me over using other leg. This does not lend stability. I become prone to just falling over. Ankle will just GO! Doesn't nesecerily matter which!

This leads to a series of quite bad injuries like the time I was carrying a heavy backpack down a hill, and I just went. (Having learned nothing, after bandaging my ankle I still walk on it. My bag breaks when I get to the train station! Strap just snaps. That was a crap day.)

This incident is around the time I am diagnosed with Garbage Brain and being that the NHS is a pile of trash for mental health I am added to a waiting list for CBT: the only help they offer except medication. They drop me off the list, then re-add me. All in all I spend a year till I get it and in a surprising twist of events it is not very effective! For secret reasons related to garbage brain but which will be discovered in a number more years, but we'll call it self awareness.

Ten years go ticking along. I start using a cane cause I get so scared of falling over, especially on unsteady surfaces. I discover a new talent of managing to twist my ankle out of place while sitting on the couch. I naff my back and start using a cane full time. Falling over is now a HUGE potential problem that could result in broken back. Pandemic happens. My ability to be mobile declines cause while I'm on medication for Garbage Brain I haven't received proper treatment in a long time. I discover I'm autistic! More garbage for the trash fire that is my brain. Join a waiting list. Assume I will never reach the end of it. NHS reaches crisis point. No longer bother trying to get doctors appointment unless I think something might actively try to kill me.

2024. First quarter. I start experiencing intrusive thoughts about falling over. These get more frequent. It doesn't matter if I'm sitting on the couch, lying in bed, driving, walking, standing still. I have horrific cringing visions of my ankle just suddenly going to a 90 degree angle: tumbling down stairs, in pot holes, fully flat surfaces in perfectly stable shoes. These visions get more and more frequent. Visions start affecting OTHER ankle as well.

Here we are today, July 4th, approximately 13 years since I effectively wrecked my ankle for life. I tried to walk down the drive last night and literally every step I took my brain was screaming "you're going to fall over." I stand at the front door scared to step out cause I'm gonna snap my ankle in half, so I think.

This sounds like a job for... Therapy! Oh wait, the NHS is on fire, waiting lists are measured in years, my local NHS only provides CBT which could theoretically be useful for this but also is something I already had and one struggling problems is I was too self aware for it. Also I have to register myself for it cause I've had it before and figuring out how to do that is scary made worse by garbage brain. Those same problem brain cells also make it difficult to fully communicate in a concise and easy to follow manners (thus epic long bitchfests on Tumblr). Can't go to a doctor for advice cause that requires phoning up at 8 in the morning and they are over worked and don't actually want to see anyone and I don't have a GP any more (haven't had one for ten years!) just a practice, and also I'm a fat woman so we KNOW what the first option is going to be from 9/10 people who lay eyes on me.

So I'm literally watching myself step closer and closer to developing psychosis while being firmly caged in by my own mental garbage fire, a failing health system, and a pair of trash ankles that I should have just gone to hospital with in 2012 and had a fucking cast put on it but I didn't want to bother anyone!

[themeeplord]

[Respectfully, to break the trend I’m currently doing, and to be funny…Meep. Hi. :)

I’m politely not breaking and entering into your ask box. I am politely entering my head in to leave a silly appreciation message <3]

So hello Meep! I hope that you and your followers are having a good day today.

It’s me, Fandom from Instagram. Finally got a Tumblr account haha

I really appreciate your Cryptid Sightings fanart, but also the other content that you create as well.

The way you draw your different designs always intrigues me. It’s impressive with what you come up with and I love reading the info behind them if you leave notes in the post about them!!

(Ex: Like how you came up with one of your CS!Eclipse designs, I recall you breaking down the clawed feet he had based on certain animal anatomy for an ask. I really liked reading it, since it provided a great insight into your creative process!! 🙌)

I’m kinda a noob at knowing about different animal anatomies, but I find it wonderful that you incorporate that knowledge into the artwork you produce :D

So thank you for not only serving groundbreaking pieces of work that make me go “🤯‼️” every time, but also providing the details behind it.

I don’t see all of your works, but I liked the art piece you posted not so long ago on Instagram with the person hugging that giant frog. It was very cute!! Gave me some Studio Ghibli vibes tbh

And every time you create fanart for Naff? And when she reblogs it?

I just. *Staring* so disrespectfully at all of the yummy shading, sketch lines, the lighting - the poses??? Hello???

Everything from the angst to the fluff gets me Meep. I’m not normal about your stunning art like. Help 😭💔

Eating it all up like it’s the finest cuisine 😮‍💨🍽️

Odbdodno but anyways!!

Sorry this is very short, but I promise once I reblog your fanart I’m going to scream and cry at you in the tags >:)/pos

Thank you for your time if you see/or answer this!!

🫶🫶🫶

I shall now throw my heart emojis at you for more appreciation

💖💖💖💖💕💕💕❣️❣️❣️❣️🩷🩷🩷💜💜💜💝💝💝💝‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

AAA- I wasn't ready! 💕❤️💖💕💖❤️💕

Hi Fandom!! Oh AAA this is so sweet, you're so sweet I AA Thank you!!! :'3

So glad to finally have you on tumblr! Hope you're enjoying this wacky place so far~ and hope your day is going well too!

Thank you again, this is so lovely and it's made me so happy to read over and over❤️💕💖

[the-river-runs]

My best friend Fandom has once again returned and asked me to post to Tumblr for her! Once again, I have permission to post this video and all edits were done by Fandom (http.redshoes on Instagram)

These memes are all based on Cryptid Sightings by @naffeclipse

She has a lot to say this time around!

A message from Fandom:

"Hello Naff!! And hello everyone :D

It’s me, your girl, your local meme and edit maker, Fandom (aka http.redshoes on Insta 😎)

I’ve come back to make another meme comp for you guys! I wanted to make this earlier, but:

1. I was busy saving/collecting ATSV content on Instagram like Pokémon to getting noticed twice by Jack in the Box ☺️

2. I had to create an Ao3 account (understandably ofc AI theft sucks) and was um. You know… being silly in the comment section 👀 (please don’t mind me if you ever stumble upon them - I react and appreciate the stuff I enjoy in weird ways 💔)

3. Was waiting for my friend here to finish reading so I didn’t spoil anything in the memes! We both loved the series so much and man. The Naff do be eclipsing fr in releasing chapters left and right biggest round of applause for one of my favorite authors here 👏👏👏

Naff, you did such a great job writing this fanfic. I’m going to repeat myself from the comment section BUT you need to give yourself a pat on the back, relax, take a break - just reward yourself. You deserve it all and I hope that you take care of yourself for all the hard work you’ve done 💞💞💞

I’ve also included the lovely artist themselves, @themeeplord , again in one of my meme comps.

It’s only one meme but dang they always draw Eclipse to be getting that gain 💪💪💪 (bc of how muscular he is haha.) Mad respect to all of the drawings they create - they’re always a banger to see.

(Most of the memes surround the last episode + epilogue so if you haven’t read those chapters LOOK ‼️ AWAY ‼️ Don’t get spoiled 🤯)

(P.S. for the imagine scenario that’s not a meme, this is what they’re saying in the audio:

“[Amused] You can hear their heartbeats? Come on, that’s a little far fetched.”

“[Soft chuckling] I can hear yours too… Your heart’s beating pretty fast.”

I’d like to think this would take place around the beginning of “The Episode Bedeviling Bodies,” where the Hunter is still trying to understand their dear friend and what they’re capable of. I thought it was fitting ngl and included it in the comp.

There were uh, more memes I wanted to include, but I’m running low on storage space atm. I’ll get back to making more after I’m done clearing that out ^^’)

(P.P.S. Okay I don’t have Tumblr obviously but 🕴️ apparently you guys really liked the SJ memes I made??? Because my friend’s been receiving notifs of it still??? Thank you so much you guys!! I didn’t really expect people to enjoy them that much 😭💘💘💘)

Now without further ado, enjoy the meme comp! >:D " -Fandom

[ashey-did-owt-wrong]

the ahse sleepign psoition make me thinking. so in this post by createor Just a random question, sorry if that sounds silly、、、 | Peing -Question Box- ahshe is secojnd least tolerant to extreme tempteratures (sirus is #1 least) so is pretty easy to cold and hot the ahse. so i think would at least litle cold. so, no blanket is probably weird.

in wilardo scenario, an ahse eeping bag.

awww litle cozy eeping! ashe have a blankie there. difference is: here ashe is sleeping with someone else in the room and maybe it's like the little kid thing where you hide under blankets because afraid of monsters...but the ahse not thinking, "whhaht if someone come insdie???" when no blanket in his own room?

in bonsu stage ashe give claire his blanket as distractation. explanation why ashe not have it, because gived calire! but why not give back? keep it whole route? does ashe give it every time? just doesn't like it? is only ashe room too hot, but sirius room is fine? most importantlty...why ashe chose blue eepy bag and not green? just kidding it's least importance.

I thank you for my first ask! Ill go over practical reasons before psychological because its easier for me

I think its interesting considering their individual rooms temperatures. Noel has one large window, Ashey one small window and everyone else lacks one. However, the air ouside could be freezing as we're flying through the air, or warm because of some magical aura. There's nowt of a way of telling. Makes me wonder about central heating, and as Sirius would be in charge, hed have it be perfect for him without bothering for anyone else. Not that hes uncaring, but he's the only to have been in this mansion for a decade.

(apologies for the naff picture)

In siriuss room, he is properly tucked in and anyone knows it gets right toasty in a sleeping bag. Methinks it could be quite cold in siriuss room, so sirius ends up warming everywhere up - including the spare rooms. By this, ashey and everyone elses rooms are warm, but siriuss is a bit cold. Everyone has their own preferred ambient temperatures too.

||||||||||| Psychological reasons now, done with practical ||||||||||

I don't believe he knows of siriuss spare keys, so he likely feels safe in his own room - he knows that he's the threat (even though he doesnt really mean to do anything bad ever). He believes he is the only one with access to everywhere else, with his lockpicks. I may be wrong, but i believe that in one of the earlier routes he is surprised to see sirius with his backup keys, going into a room trying to find noel? I may be wrong.

When he goes to siriuss room, in his sleeping bag, he is likely suspicious of him (he doesnt naturally trust anyone for owt, shown with his eating habits). He is rather childlike, mentally, as shown nearing the end of siriuss conclusion, therefore methinks he would show his feelings so.

On giving the blanket, i believe its of his guise of kindness, but shows how he almost breaks down under the stress and completely fails to remember to ask for it back. I think he, in previous loops, has given it away often to prove his kindness

Ont blue sleeping bag, maybe its his childishness and how he wants to hide when he feels exposed; choosing it the same colour as his hair in some hope of blending in.

I hope ive answered all the questions to me best ability, let me know if ive missed owt or amde any mistakes. Thanks for the ask, @guy0509

[lavenoon]

IT'S MY TURN TO SEND YA A SAPPY ASK <3 <3

We're melting you on discord, but we gotta make sure your ask box isn't neglected!! (says the man who has sent you an ungodly unhinged amount of asks)

Your writing? Immaculate. Your art? spectacular. You? THE BEST!

Holy shit I cannot imagine a day without finding your blog, your art fuels so much creative energy and AU completes my day. I have said it once and I will say it again, since you made the first AU post I have non-stop been thinking about it. Your ideas, your story, your plots, your comic planning, it's all so good! All of it just drags you into the world you've created and I have fallen absolutely in love with it all.

Legit AU is my fav DCA AU! I never made fanart for the DCA before AU came around, and I never posted my writing online for ANYONE ONLINE before! But your amazing content inspired me to do so! Not to mention you're the best to interact with, the positive feedback cycle is immense. You're so friendly and kind!

Everyday I am so stunned and shocked I get to interact with you, you're so amazing! ;w; <3 !!! Okay, I'm done being sappy now.

HAVE A GOOD DAY AND I AM SENDING YOU ALL THE GOOD VIBES!! YOU DESERVE THEM!

I'm going to answer this first because it's almost your bedtime and I need you to know that every time I read this I just tear up again and again and if things continue my transformation into a puddle will be complete by sundown fghdjsk

I can't even. oh my god I'm trying to answer specifically but I'm just starting to leak and make blubbering noises and that's not quite elaborate, so I need to answer from memory or I'm never getting anywhere!

It's so incredibly flattering and validating to hear all this - especially how much I inspired you, that's just. God that's just so so amazing to hear and I swear I'm normal about it (<- tears streaming down face because I am in fact that kind of goober)!

@naffeclipse is my "role model" in the sense that I just. I saw it's an option to just gush about fanworks and of course I jumped at the chance! It's so much fun interacting with everyone, and I just try to be the kind of person I'd like to interact with (which again, Naff very much influenced - the positive feedback cycle from the CS fanart was what gave me enough confidence to start my AU in the first place!)

(Not saying other creators don't do this - CS just happened to grab my brain like a squeaky toy, and that's how things aligned for my own experience!)

I'm really just a li'l dude who's very easily excited and enjoy talking to people and sharing ideas, and this is the first time I've gotten this much of a response to what I create, so I don't know if or when I'll get used to it. Guess I'll just melt a little more at your convenience!

Now, hope you're getting sleepy, because I'm gonna get to the intimidation asks and then it's sequel time now that I'm home again! <3

[allthemusic]

Week ending: 12th November

We're in a doo-wop mood, it seems! Plus, the arrival of two pretty cool characters, at least one of whom is going to be a returning guest star for the next few years of this blog.

What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes At Me For? - Emile Ford and the Checkmates (peaked at Number 1)

We're kind of in the golden age of "X and the Ys" band names, aren't we? We had Johnny and the Hurricanes last week, and now it's Emile's turn, with this little slice of doo-woppish pop. And it's really doo-woppish, including literally starting with backing singers - the Checkmates, I presume - going doo-wop be-dooby-dooby doo-wop, before Emile comes in with a soulful romantic complaint, as he asks his love what do you wanna make those eyes at me for / If they don't mean what they say? His love's been leading him on, he explains, with looks that make me glad, they make me sad, / They make me want a lot of things that I never had.

It's relatable stuff, though definitely skirting a line, by modern standards. One line, in particular, stands out here, about how that's alright, I'll get you alone some night / And baby you'll find you're messing with dynamite. It's very menacing, and colours the rest of the song, giving the whole situation a sort of "well she was asking for it" vibe that I'm not sure I appreciate. "Oh, but your honour, she was making eyes at me, you can hardly blame me." Fortunately, for the most part, it's delivered in such a way that you do mostly get the sense that Emile's just a frustrated man, and not an outright predator - he's all talk, but there's none of the heat behind it that suggests he's actually going to do anything, you know? This is just him venting his frustrations as he feels he's being messed with.

Making it doo-wop is a nice touch, in all this - the backing singers and soulful, wailing singing add a real pathos to it that I can appreciate. And there's a sort of silly fluffiness inherent to the style that lets you get away with things like tacking a slightly underwhelming yeah to the end without really damaging the song - a harder rocking song would have been absolutely crippled by it, but here it just comes off endearingly naff. Surprisingly, it wasn't originally a doo-wop song, though, but a rather obscure Broadway number from 1916. I have genuinely no idea how it found its way to Emile, a full 43 years later, but I find myself kind of glad it did.

In all this, I assumed that Emile Ford was American - but no, he's from Saint Lucia, then part of the British West Indies. He moved to London with his mother in the mid-1950s to study sound engineering, and picked up guitar, piano, bass, violin and drums all while studing - talk about an overachiever! He made regular appearances in London dance halls, during this time, and on TV music shows like Oh Boy! but this record was what really made his name - and made him the first black British artist to sell a million records. All with a sound that's shockingly American, to my ears. We've been hearing white British artists putting their own spin on rock and roll for a little while, but Emile's perhaps our first British doo-wopper - at least that I can remember, correct me if I'm wrong.

Interestingly, there's another name I recognised attached to the record - because it was co-produced by Emile and one Joe Meek. By my count, this makes this Joe's first appearance in this project. A sound engineer by trade, just like Emile, Joe's an interesting and somewhat tragic character who will absolutely re-appear in this project. Interested in electronics and soud recording from a very young age, he had had a brief career in the RAF as a radar technician, before getting into the music industry, hopping between various radio companies and recording studios as an audio technician, and scoring a few minor jazz and calypso hits, all while developing an interest in using the studio itself in new, experiemental ways, an impulse that would lead him to develop techniques for overdubbing, sampling and adding reverb to tracks. None of which are really on display here, but it's cool to see his first chart appearance, as one of the earliest producers to really have a distinctive style and reputation.

Put Your Head on My Shoulder - Paul Anka (7)

And then, after the surprisingly British doo-wop of Emile Ford, we've got Paul Anka, with a shot of the proper American stuff. Again, we're looking at some pretty standard doo-wop fare, here, lots of backing singers going oooooh and ba ba ba ba ba, all combined, in this case, with triplets on a piano and a steady, driving bassline and drum combination that keeps the whole thing slinking along nicely as Paul wails away over the top. It's a slightly woozy slow dance, elevated, perhaps, by the fact that the backing singers sound absolutely angelic. None of Emile's rough and tumble chorus of dooby-doo-wops here, we're in the realm of clean, sustained chords here, ethereally high and sweet.

I think, delivery-wise, Paul's also a bit more convincing than Emile - while Emile's frustration is clear in the lyrics, it's Paul who sounds properly desperate on lines imploring his love to put your head on my shoulder / Whisper in my ear, baby / Words I want to hear. Et cetera. It's all pretty basic stuff, just wanting your love to hold you and pull you close and tell you that they love you, but Paul really sells it, with a slight warble to his voice, and a little audible breath before the title line that just underscores how much he's longing for that bit of contact. Lyrics asking them to put your lips next to mine dear help, conjuring a sense of intimacy that's somehow even more intense than if he'd just asked them to kiss him.

Production-wise, this is definitely sleeker and glossier than Emile's was - Anka was a much more established name at this point, and was working with American pop money, coming off the back of several similarly big, smoothly swinging hits. And so there's a sort of shimmer to this that Emile is perhaps lacking, at least in my mind, an easy stylishness that sets the track out. And indeed, the song's been picked up by a bunch of people for cover versions, through the years, including apparently becoming the basis for a 2020 Doja Cat song - as a consequence of which, a mashup of the Doja Cat hit and the Paul Anka original apparently was briefly a thing on Tiktok. All of which puts us squarely half a century ahead, just shockingly modern. I fully did not expect to be talking about Paul Anka and Tiktok in the same entry. Wild!

I think Paul Anka probably recorded the better song here, from a technical and a perfomance standpoint. It's catchy, it's pretty, and he sings the heck out of it. Plus, it's clearly good enough to have stood the test of time, and to be sampled even sixty years later. It's great, genuinely. But if I had to pick one of the two songs I listened to for this entry? I think WDYWTMTEAMF (good song, bad acronym) has to be the winner. It just felt more interesting, fresher. Plus it's interesting to see sound technicians like Emile and Joe Meek take centre stage - they're not doing anything too wild here, sure, but it's only going to be a matter of time before they start unleashing more avant-garde sounds on the world. And I am here for it - watch this space!

Favourite song of the bunch: What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes At Me For?