#and he's always in a fantastic fucking mood when I get to talk to him

[knaveofmogadore]

I dunno. I think once everyone realizes that the urge to commit violence and hoard things is a stress response we'd make a lot of progress in, like, everything

[notyourhetloki]

Can I request dating headcanons for Logan x GN Reader x Wade please?

Logan x Reader x Wade dating headcanons

Reader: gender neutral

/Logan x Reader x Wade/

A/N: Hi anon! I was almost writing this even if no one requested it so thank you! I love them so much and I hope you like these short headcanons I made! This is SFW btw S2

Tags: SFW headcanons, idiots in love, soft!Logan (maybe ooc), Wade is good with feelings, domestic fluff, poly relationship.

—

Dating Logan and Wade would be… interesting, to say the least.

The dynamic between them was mostly violent, particularly because they matched each other’s strengths and that meant they couldn’t really get hurt. But when it came to you, they would show such gentleness it never failed to make you feel like royalty.

It would probably start as a casual thing, and then escalate to a more serious level. When that happened, Logan would begin to worry about whether that was a good idea. But as soon as he saw how happy you were with the two of them, he would relax.

Wade was obviously the clown of the relationship, while Logan was the anchor. He brought you together and made sure to keep it that way, even if he faltered in relation to his own emotions (because of his trauma, he would be afraid to fuck things up).

But even though Wade wouldn’t take things seriously, he was good with feelings. When it was absolutely necessary, he would take a sit and just… talk. Whatever you and Logan needed, he would be there (because he couldn't quite believe he had you both, it was too good to be true and he would make sure to do everything right).

That would bring you even closer to each other, those vulnerable moments being critical to the development of your relationship. Not everything was rose-colored, sometimes you needed to get your hands dirty.

But it was worth it! Because after all, it was good to have them both. You enjoyed watching them bickering at each other, and then only a couple of moments later kissing like nothing had happened... it always brought a smile to your face.

And they would include you, of course. In every activity, even if that meant simple things like cooking or watching TV, you three would always be together.

Let's not forget about the make-out sessions, hm? The way they kissed and touched you brought butterflies to your stomach, made you feel loved and seen. They were mostly gentle... until you asked them otherwise. ;)

They would protect you at all costs, even a little too much at times. You had to constantly remind them you weren't a damsel in distress and that if you needed their help, you would ask. But their concern was appreciated, nonetheless.

And they would also get jealous... Wade's jealousy would be immediately obvious because he had to comment on everything, but when Logan was jealous... things would escalate. He would probably take it out on Wade (because he could take it) until you figured it out and talked to him about it. "You're mine..." He would say, and you would agree.

To cheer things up, you would put some music in the living room and dance along. Wade was a fantastic dancer, while Logan was... not. "C'mon, Wolvie! Dance with us!" Wade would say, and he tried sometimes when the mood was right. You would laugh while they twirled you around, both men giggling to themselves.

You would shower together, helping them out of their clothes and washing them clean. You would also wash Logan's hair and massage Wade's shoulders, they would almost purr with your every touch.

And when you slept together, you would take turns on who would lay in the middle. Cuddling and chatting until you fell asleep always made you warm and fuzzy inside, because after all... you loved them. And they loved you and each other, so that was all that mattered.

—

[euripidestrousers]

What are your big wolfstar hc?

Ooh good question!

I tend to change my hcs based on the AU I'm writing, but i am not exaggerating when I say these little freaks are Always on My Mind so I have an ungodly amount of canon-themed hcs. Here we go:

- Remus is one of the only people Sirius cuts a fair amount of slack. Sirius has high standards and expectations of others but he has a huge Remus-shaped blind spot, so will find reasons to excuse Remus' sometimes shitty behaviour. He has heart shaped eyes for his gangly, sly, avoidant attachment style man.

- Remus sleeps like an absolute log, anywhere, anytime. Sirius has always been a light sleeper, wakes easily, and doesn't sleep much.

- They kept their casual fucking-turned relationship secret until well after graduating. The only ones who knew were James, Lily and Peter. Lily was the first one to figure it out because poor James had been in the trenches, so used to his friends' flirting that he didn't even clock it anymore. It brought Lily and Sirius together because he had someone to talk about it with, the first person he'd met who wasn't a casual homophobe about it, and was sympathetic.

- Second to this! James and Peter weren't always rainbow flag waving allies. They were teenage boys in the 70s - they'd drop casual homophobic comments all the time before finding out about their friends. Sirius joined in sometimes to hide it from James (he never cared what anyone else would think but he was secretly afraid of losing closeness with James), and Remus went very quiet whenever this happened. James was surprised at first when he found out but came around within minutes and apologised for being a thoughtless dick when he was younger.

- Peter most definitely used Remus and Sirius' tumultuous relationship against them. Remus was very avoidant about coming out and Sirius, while not his highest priority, resented having to hide. They bickered about it and Peter would often throw a spanner in to make their fighting worse.

- Sirius' hair is a good indicator of his mental health. While he's not vain he tends to keep it neat and out of the way when he's in a good place mentally. When he's fighting inner demons he lets it go and Remus knows this. He uses it as a Sirius-meter, and knows when it's starting to get long and unkempt to gently pry into what's going on with him.

- They do the crossword puzzles together most mornings (when Remus gets up in time)

- Sirius is fantastic at baking although he only did it once or twice for Lily's birthday (per her request). Remus is the cook for both of them, although when Sirius isn't there he sustains himself on tea, biscuits and deeply suppressed anxiety.

- Sirius is a singer when he's in a good mood. Remus adores coming home to hear his deep voice belting out a mix of muggle and wix songs because it means Sirius is in his happy place. Sirius is a serenader - it starts as a joke but there's a soft look in his eye when sings while he spins Remus around the kitchen. It's one of Remus' favourite Sirius-isms

- Sirius jokes about Remus' lycanthropy to make light of it. He can be a bit callous and insensitive about it at times, but his candour does make Remus feel less like a monster.

- They are god-awful at communicating as they're both rather private, skeptical people. While it's something they have in common and respect about each other, it makes for difficulties in a relationship.

- Sirius is a Nightmare when he's bored so Remus has a mental Rolodex of thought-provoking questions to stop him from wreaking havoc (or just being annoying). As soon as he sees the restlessness starting, he casually brings up that new law about to pass in the goblin senate, and how it might affect non-human creatures in the wizarding world. He still hasn't recovered from the time Sirius got bored and took apart his record player to see how it worked and he's not getting caught out again. This is also one of the reasons why Remus is in Sirius' top 3 favourite people - he always has something interesting to say and will happily debate for hours. Sirius is hardly ever bored around him.

- Neither of them are jealous lovers. Remus' self-worth is in the toilet, so if he sees someone flirting with Sirius he just feels miserable and spirals, thinking about how Sirius can do so much better than him. Sirius is a fiercely loyal person so he never flirts back and thinks Remus' self-image issues are ridiculous. On the odd occasion that someone flirts with Remus, Sirius rather enjoys it because a) it's ammunition for teasing and Remus will go bright red when he brings it up, and b) Watching Remus eventually realise he's being flirted with is prime entertainment - he fumbles and blushes so hard and almost takes out whoever's around in his haste to flee. It's priceless. Also - Sirius is extremely self-assured and knows his partner is hopelessly gone for him and would never cheat. Trust is extremely important to them both.

- Remus is extremely unpleasant around the full moon. He's got all sorts of aches and pains, has trouble sleeping properly, fatigue, and nausea issues. It makes him irritable and snappy. Sirius is incredibly patient with him and gives him space. He doesn't take Remus' mood to heart and occupies himself while Remus wallows. He's always there when Remus finally emerges from his misery to pitifully request a massage or a pain potion, and is uncharacteristically soft with him during the full moon period.

- Sirius. Cannot. Stand. the way Remus runs away from problems. It's his biggest pet peeve and it's a source of some of their biggest fights.

- Remus is mostly vanilla-aligned but is open to trying whatever new thing Sirius comes home with, smiling giddily and clutching a new toy or book with a spell he wants to try out. Occasionally Sirius will strike gold and find a kink Remus is wild for (ahem, praise kink), and is horribly smug about it

- Sirius is hopelessly gone for Remus' feigning innocence, lying through his teeth act. He doesn't understand it, but seeing Remus lie point blank to someone's face with those big, trustworthy brown eyes, sends him off-the chain, I-need-to-fuck-this-man-right-now-wild and he has no clue why. Remus is aware of this.

- They are mostly switchy but will go for months at a time with a preference for topping/bottoming. When Remus is feeling particularly insecure he tends to want to be fucked intimately, face-to-face, where he can see every twitch in Sirius' face, can catalogue the evidence of how much Sirius adores him. Sirius is just happy to be along for the ride because this way he can completely blanket Remus and grind slowly, swallowing every one of Remus' whimpers and broken moans as he fucks him slowly and thoroughly. Sirius can't get enough of taking him apart, finding his limits, anything that breaks Remus' finely tuned composure.

- Sirius is awful at apologies when they're younger. He has trouble admitting or even seeing his wrongs. After becoming an animagus he finds that it's much easier to apologise as Padfoot. After a fight he'll go for a rage-fuelled long walk or bike-ride, and cool down. When he's said or done something he regrets, he'll come home as Padfoot, tail drooping and wagging hopefully, big grey eyes fixed on Remus. He'll sidle up to him and just stare, wagging his tail. Remus knows exactly what he's doing but it's impossible to stay mad at him like this and he begrudgingly accepts that it's Sirius' way of apologising. It's not the healthiest communication tactic but they're not perfect. Once Sirius receives a begrudging head scratch, he changes back to his human form and acts like they never fought. It's annoyingly effective.

- Remus absolutely loathes flying on Sirius' motorbike. He begrudgingly admits it's hot to see Sirius dismounting, windswept, leather jacket donned, but god help him he'll do anything to avoid joining him on that death-trap. The only upside is that when he gets cajoled into riding, he can wrap around Sirius like a squid, burying his face in his back, and it's the only way it feels even slightly safe. Sirius secretly loves when Remus does this, and although he doesn't know what cute aggression is, it makes him want to squeeze Remus until his head pops off.

- Sirius is The Garbage Bin of the relationship. Oh you're not gonna finish your dinner? Pass it on over. Random assortment of treats Remus can't finish? Munches on them instead of meals. He often forgets to eat so he gets what he can when he can - ADHD eating style. Remus is the sick Victorian child, 'i can't eat too much dairy or I'll die'. Takes one bite of an apple and feels sick, Sirius, come get your snack, boy.

- Neither of them ever wanted kids but they both like children, which is a surprise to both of them. Given the chance, they are the Coolest Uncles, although Remus is cagey about their relationship and insists they're just best pals that live together until Harry is old enough to call bullshit, and Sirius just shrugs like 'yeah, he's weird about it. If you ask him about it he'll run away to Turkey. I'm working on it.'

Wowwww okay I have so many more but I have to stop somewhere. I hope you don't regret asking this question anon! You have opened Pandora's box

[multifandomthoughts]

“I don’t love you anymore.”

“You what?”

Kid’s eyes were nearly bulging from his sockets in anger and disbelief. His fists were clenched, fuming. He doesn’t understand why you would say such a thing, and doesn’t like it one bit. Not the type of man to cry, he could feel his eyes well up with tears.

“Why not? You’ve fucking always loved me, haven’t you? If this is about the comment I’m sorry, and I truly mean it! I’m just trying to make sure that my reputation as one of the worst generation stays the same. If anyone finds out that I’m lovey dovey behind closed doors, they won’t fear me!

And there it was. You had loved him, truly. But lately he had been an asshole towards you and towards his crewmates. Kid could be in a bad mood sometimes, but this just isn’t like him. Constantly making underhanded comments to others that he’s the toughest and even attacking other ships in the means of conquering them.

The two of you had been in a relationship for a long time; you had grown used to his antics. His dirty comments, his light teasing towards his crew mates and even rough housing was usually expected from him. But when the lighthearted horse play started to turn into secretive jabs towards you, ones that actually stung, you knew it was time to move on.

Kid wasn’t going to stand for it, not one bit. Everytime he knew you were going to be somewhere, he’d try to apologize and attempt to make up for what he’d done. And always days later he’d be back to his old ways. The next time he approach you, you’d escape his clutches to truly prove you’ve moved on without him.

Coming up from the hold, you can see him trying to corner you, most likely trying to plead for your forgiveness and coax you back to him. Stepping back, you run and jump up the steps, sliding underneath him. You make a bee-line for killer, who you’ve been confiding in a lot recently.

“He’s doing it again Killer, trying to convince me that he’ll change. He can barely change his own underwear, let alone aspects of his personality.” Killer grows silent, clearly struggling to hold back his hated laugh. Clearing his throat, he speaks softly. “If you continue to show him you’re not interested, he’ll get the point. And if he doesn’t, I’ll make sure that he has to deal with me. Nodding, you can feel a faint blush begin to rise to your cheeks. Kid had never offered to protect you before.

Weeks go by, and you find yourself spending more and more time with Killer. You find yourself appreciating his more quiet and timid nature as opposed to Kid’s loud and oppressive one. You learn more about him, finding out that with those blades, he makes a fantastic cook. After you spend enough time with him, you get to hear his unique laugh.

You can definitely see that he has a softer and sweeter side than you knew a guy with spinning blades at his wrists could. A few weeks go by, and you’re closer than ever. You spend almost every waking moment together, attached at the hip. Never before have you felt so safe, so comfortable, so respected around another person. You have a gut feeling that this is going to blossom into a beautiful relationship.

So you wait. And wait. And wait. At this point, you’re fed up. You could’ve sworn that he would’ve confessed to you by now. He tells you everything that’s on his mind, surely this is something that’s bothering him. You figure you might as well confront him, and see what his reaction is.

Heading up to the bow of the ship, your feet clatter against the wooden boards. It was your designated spot that you met up in, and sure enough, there he is, sitting quietly. Gruffly, you speak. “Hey Killer. We need to talk.” Squatting down next to him, you sigh as you lean your head against the railing. “Of course, what’s bothering you?” You take a moment to ponder your next words carefully, as it could make or break this.

“We’ve been spending lots of time together, and I was just wondering…if you maybe like me in a romantic sense.” Before you can even finish your sentence, you hear Killer’s quiet signature laugh. You think that you know the answer, now.

“Yes, I do like you. Very much.” Stunned beyond belief, all you can do is stare. Why did he laugh then? Sputtering, you try to speak up, but no words come out. You keep trying until you finally get the words out. “But why didn’t you confess to me earlier? I would’ve thought if you liked me that much you would’ve tried to start a relationship earlier.…”

Killer nods, reaching out and holding your hand in a soft grip. “That is true, but I wanted you to be comfortable enough to make the first move. I want you to have as much agency in this relationship as I do.” Falling from your squat to a seated position you lean against his shoulder as his thumb rubs your palm softly. “Well, in that case…I really like you too, Killer. Will you go out with me?”

“Of course. May I have a kiss then?” You nod aggressively, tentatively lifting his helmet. “I would like nothing more.” Leaning his head towards yours, your lips meet in a supple yet gentle kiss. The kiss feels like forever, yet you pull away only after about a minute.

“I love you Killer.”

On the other side of the ship, silent eyes have been watching, unbeknownst to you. Kid has caught every second of your new romantic encounter, and he’s not pleased. His ex-girlfriend and his first mate? There’s a couple ways that this could end, and very few of them are pleasant.

[formosusiniquis]

After much delay, please welcome our longest chapter so far of my @steddiebang2024 And can I say thank you again to the fantastic, amazing, brilliant @ablogcalledrevenge and @kaspurrcat they've just been a fantastic team and this chapter especially was a killer.

The woman at the counter looks mad before he even gets in the door. He didn't call ahead, but Eddie also isn't sure how you predict bird related emergencies. Which he's pretending this is, because the alternative is that she's mad because he's accidentally violated some kind of migratory bird act and he thinks admitting that he's been hosting this bird in his closet for the length of a holiday weekend isn't going to improve her mood.

There's something familiar about her, but her name tag dubs her Robin. While he wishes he knew someone whose sense of irony was so fine tuned that she would be Robin who works at the bird sanctuary, the name isn't familiar. 

She's got a good scowl though.

Eyes framed up top by feathery bangs -- actually feathery, the short blonde bob has long tendrils of feathers floating from the back. Style choice or hazard of the job, it's cool either way. A lot more interesting than the way the tips of his fingers are always stained faintly with ink. Feathered or not, they set a nice stage for the narrowed glare they’re leveling at him.

“Hi, should I have called ahead? I've got this bird-”

“What have you done to yourself, you featherbrained dingus?”

“Um, I found him, it looked like he was being attacked by something. Do owls have predators?”

“No, but they're extraordinarily stupid. No room in their head for any brains. They get used in some Greek iconography with Athena, who's you know, beautiful and wise, and through that good marketing everyone thinks they're smart too. But they're really just instinct driven idiots who rush headlong into danger without thinking about how their actions have consequences.”

It’s hard to know what to say in the face of a speech like that. More than impassioned, Eddie feels like he’s been lectured. No, it’s more like the slimy discomfort of being in the room while a friend is getting yelled at by their parent.

Any hint of a response that Eddie would have made disappears as the bird he’s been trying to hold like it’s a strange creature from outside and not like something he’s hoping he’ll be told he could come back to adopt, wiggles from his arms. It screeches at the woman across the counter, using a tone Eddie hasn’t ever heard before. The talons on its feet scratch and scrabble against the counter she’s been leaning boredly against until they’re nose to beak.

“He’s normally not like this,” Eddie finds himself defending, even as Majesty pokes a claw into the freckled flesh of her arm.

The bird’s head spins around its neck to glare, like Eddie’s defense has somehow lost it “cool points” with the strange wildlife rescue employee. To its benefit the strange faintly feathered rehabber has a brow quirked as well. “Spend a lot of time getting to know this random avian? Had a chance to get to know all his little quirks?”

“I mean, it was very well behaved in the car.”

“I’m so sure.”

Majesty croaks, something that on a different bird he’d say sounded like “Rob” but even he knows owls can’t talk. It just serves to make it look a little more muppet-y. Like when the real cat disappears to be replaced by the animatronic anytime Salem needed to talk on Sabrina . It's unfortunate that the longer he looks the more he wonders if Dustin is right.

But surely the bird sanctuary employee would tell him if he had a fake owl.

She mutters something into the feathered crown of the bird that isn’t his. Something that sounds like it ends in ‘so fucking stupid’ but deciphering the what becomes a lot less important when she asks, “Do you want to see where he’ll be recuperating?”

“Yeah! Can I?” His fingers tap the desk in a rhythm he can’t place, nervous energy expending out of himself and into this weird liminal space. Dart had been a stray and Ma had saved Mews from the Walmart parking lot; they'd never adopted anything that hadn’t made its way to them first. He is his own third example that proves the Munson way.

Maybe all animal shelters were like this. Large empty lobbies with big desks that block off access to their single mysterious doors. Buildings that weren’t concerned with things like electricity bills, the air on high enough that it’s got every hair on Eddie’s body currently standing on end: goosebumps down his arms, the hair at the back of his neck is on end.

“Great,” she smiles. There’s something off putting about it, like the mouth that she’s got doesn’t fit right on her face. A grin cut out of a magazine and pasted on a different picture.

“Let me get him settled and I’ll come back for you.”

Read the rest on AO3

[estoniacobaltpayne]

Ranking the Bad Batch Based On How Fun They'd Be To Jam To Some Tunes With

Just something fun to do lol. I'm a musician and sound engineer, so not only am I basing this on what I think they each like to listen to, but also how much interest and knowledge each batcher has in the music making process, specifically music theory and music production, which are major aspects of why a person likes or dislikes certain songs or artists.

I'm totally basing this on my own musical preferences by the way, and since I'm writing this I'm gonna be totally biased towards how I feel about their jammability based on how much I enjoy their music taste, too. Y'all can like whatever music you want, and rank their music preferences according to your own taste.

HUNTER: 5/10 (FANTASTIC MUSIC TASTE, ATROCIOUS JAMMABILITY)

IDK I just feel like Hunter is very "meh?" about music??? Like it's a very passive thing for him.

If I had to guess, I'd say he probably chooses to listen to genres including Latin Pop, Americana, Classic Rock, maybe a little Funk? Within those genres I'd say he likes artists like Juanes, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Fiona Apple, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Maná, Trombone Shorty, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Collective Soul, and the Allman Brothers Band. I'd say his taste in music is the only reason he'd get even a 5/10, he's got an ELITE taste, but he also is just... is not that interested at the same time. He probably talks while it's playing too, like bruh if you have something to say PAUSE THE DAMN SONG AND STOP RUINING THE VIBE

He also has no interest in, or in learning, anything about music theory or production, which as a musician is such a fundamental part of enjoying a tune. Like you could drop a "yo that melodic tritone interval between the flat 3rd scale degree and the 6th scale degree over the dominant IV7 chord FUCKED bro" and he'd just sit there at stare at you and barely give you a shrug?? Bro no. No vibes. Don't bother trying to explain the mix to him either, he straight up doesn't care.

Hunter does not dance, and even if you managed to convince him to, he SUCKS at it. Sure he's got grace, but Hunter wouldn't know rhythm if it slapped him in the face. Plus, he gets upset when he sucks at it, which then just gets him in a pissy mood. 😐

WRECKER: 10/10 (FANTASTIC MUSIC TASTE, FANTASTIC JAMMABILITY)

WRECKER LOVES TO JAM BRO

He can jam to just about anything, but I know for sure he loves the 80's and 90's stuff, like Punk Rock, New Wave, Ska Punk, Anthem Rock, and Classic Rock. As for artists, think Quiet Riot, DEVO, Green Day, AC/DC, Oingo Boingo, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Journey, INXS, Dropkick Murpheys, Bon Jovi, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Sublime, and Styx. Wrecker will enthusiastically sing along to every song he knows (and he doesn't care if he's in tune or not, he's too busy having fun!), and will enthusiastically jam physically to songs he doesn't know. He's always down to listen to new music if it's presented to him, but I also don't think he really goes out of his way for new music either. He knows what he likes and he's good with that.

Music theory in particular escapes Wrecker. You can explain it to him 1,001 times, he just cannot grasp it. But that's ok! He'll eagerly listen to you explain it for the 1,002nd time and every time after that, because he loves listening to music and finds the making of it passively interesting. As for production, once again he finds it passively interesting, so he likes brief, "cliff note" explanations as to why things sound certain ways; he wants to know that the reason that the vocals sound like they're echoing in a concert hall is because they have reverb, but doesn't particularly care about which kind of reverb or how it works.

Wrecker is so down to dance. He will absolutely head bang, and he will absolutely throw DOWN in a mosh pit. Doesn't care at all what he looks like or what other people are thinking of him; when "What I Like About You" by The Romantics pops on, Wrecker pops off 😎

ECHO: 9/10 (FANTASTIC MUSIC TASTE, GREAT JAMMABILITY)

Echo jams for sure. In a different, more chill way than Wrecker, but he's still fun to jam out with!

He definitely had an "emo teen" phase, so he likes Punk, Pop Rock, Alternative, and I'd say he probably likes Neo Soul, Rap and Hip Hop as an adult, too. He's a My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy FIEND; he knows all the songs and will sing along to them when he's with people he's comfortable with. He now also goes for artists like Green Day, Kendrick Lamar, The Struts, John Legend, The Killers, Tai Verdes, Radiohead, Alicia Keys, Crazy Town, Teddy Swims, and Erykah Badu. He's also the kind to keep starting the song over each time you talk, there's a distraction, or just because he loves a song and wasn't "feeling it enough" the first time through.

I feel like Echo would be one hell of a producer, and can and will spend hours in Logic Pro or Ableton making the stankiest beats and mixes, but also falls into the "MuSic ThEoRy KiLLs My CrEaTiViTy" category. Doesn't matter how many times you tell him that, even though he doesn't know how to identify what he's making, he's still using music theory, he'll just blow you off and swear that he doesn't use theory, he "puts stuff together because it sounds good." It's okay Echo, the rest of know it sounds good because it's a I-7 chord to a IV7 chord, just because you don't know your song is in Dorian doesn't mean the rest of us don't 🙃

Echo doesn't get up to dance, but he does the thing where he's "dancing" in his seat and makes, sometimes quite silly, faces. Big head bobber attitude, and if he's really into it, you can catch him unconsciously drumming his hand and scomp along to the song on whatever surface is in front of him. Same, Echo, same.

CROSSHAIR: -10000/10 (ATROCIOUS MUSIC TASTE, ATROCIOUS JAMMABILITY)

First of all, this man claims he doesn't like music, and "prefers to be alone with his thoughts." Bro, that's bullshit and we all know it.

At first, Crosshair would be one of those assholes that claims he likes music that's "actually good" and artists that "you've probably never heard of" like Stevie Ray Vaughan, which is funny because like dude, I don't know a single person who hasn't heard of SRV, but he literally knows one singular song - Crosshair knows "Crossfire" and that's it, and if you listen to the entire In Step album with him, you know you can call BS on him because that's... literally the only song he knows off the entire album. And then you catch him with headphones in for the first time and oh boy, this man jumps through flaming hoops to deny it, but Crosshair is a Swifty, a Belieber, and an Ariana Grande stan, which for me personally, are the absolute LAST artists I'll ever listen to, but hey if that's your thing, Crosshair is your guy to listen to music with. Like there's good pop music out there, but Crosshair will hear none of it and refuses to even try anything else. "Yo Crosshair let's listen to some P!nk or Bruno Mars or Lady Gaga or fun.---" "gO aWaY!" If you really worked hard at it, you could maybe get him to listen to some darker pop like Hozier, Imagine Dragons, and Twenty One Pilots; the angstier the lyrics, the better. Who knows, maybe with time and patience you could even work him him up to some Screamo bands like Asking Alexandria or Falling In Reverse??? 👀

Don't bother trying to explain theory or production to him; he does not care. He just wants to listen to music in solitude.

If you even think this man will bob his head in front of you let alone dance you are sorely mistaken.

TECH: 1000/10 (A LITERAL GOD-LIKE MUSIC TASTE, GREAT JAMMABILITY)

I mean, it's Tech. Golden Retriever boy. He's interested in just about everything, and is always down to try new things, and the same applies to music.

Tech has a very diverse taste in music, and his taste is also always growing. He likes different things for different reasons; he loves Classical, Jazz, and Progressive Rock for their interesting and stimulating use of music theory, and he finds Funk and Alternative and even Salsa inspiring for their arrangements and/or songwriting. This man will whiplash from Coldplay to Duke Ellington to Muse to Earth, Wind & Fire to a literal Gregorian Chant Compilation so fast you won't even have time to process whatever song you just finished, and best of all, he'll show just as much attention and appreciation to the new song as he did the last. He loves Bach and Wendy Carlos' Switched On Bach, and he loves artists like Genesis, Nat King Cole, Elton John, Joe Arroyo, Thelonious Monk, Pink Floyd, Jon Batiste, Seal, Led Zeppelin, R.E.M., and unlike his twin, Tech will absolutely sit down and listen to SRV's In Step with you and will absolutely love analyizing every second of it. He's also an anti-fascist, politically conscious king, so play him songs like "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield, "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke, "Front Line" by Stevie Wonder, or "Big Yellow Taxi" by Joni Mitchell, and that exceptional mind of his will get super amped up. You'll have a great listening session, and then a great political conversation. And maybe I'm just self-projecting here, but Tech will go absolutely feral for Queen. Everything about them. The music? Stimulating intellectually and emotionally. Brian May is a literal astrophysicist and John Deacon is an electrical engineer, and he finds that so fucking cool. His favorite album is a toss up between Queen II and A Night At the Opera; either way, he loves the thought and intention that go into a concept album, and if you ask him if he wants to listen to one with you, he will definitely say yes.

It's super fun to have listening sessions with Tech, because you can totally geek out with him over what's happening in the music you're listening to, be it theory or mix or whatever; and if you teach Tech even the basics about music theory, mixing engineering, songwriting and arrangement, etc., it will be highly likely that this dude will know more and be 100x better at it than you within days. I feel like he loves mastering, and will always be the one to master Echo's mixes. 🥰

Tech is less a physical jammer and more an intellectual jammer, if that makes sense. Discussing all the various aspects of music is totally a jam, and Tech is the one to do it with. That being said, if you asked him to, he'd dance, but this socially awkward guy would probably think you meant like...ballroom dancing??? instead of just hanging out in the same room and groovin' to some tunes together??? And he'd be super awkward, too, because he's the opposite of Hunter- all rhythm and no grace. But either way, the vibes from this man are immaculate and you will never run out of music to listen to with this man.

Well, hope you all enjoyed my TED Tech Talk :) and I hope you all enjoy listening to music as much as I do lol

[flowerandblood]

Review from the Vatican

House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 1

AGHHHH!!!!! I LOVED IT. I LOVED ITTTTT. I don't care what others think, I had tears in my eyes throughout the entire episode! I couldn't imagine a better season opener, really. It was fantastic first episode, better than the one from season one in my opinion.

Below are my spoiler thoughts and my husband's impressions – beware, comments section is not spoiler free.

Alicent x Criston???? Honestly, that's the only spoiler I got, but it was still worth it, lol! Their relationship is very interesting! I like the idea that Alicent kind of get what she always envied Rhaenyra. Scene in the Sept with her burning candles made me very emotional. And her trying to justify Aemond and Aegon? Her sending apologize letter to Rhaenyra? Heartbreaking!

Aegon trying to be a dad who cares and a good king in his weird, boorish way? Helaena saying that she is afraid and his response, that there's nothing to afraid of – then when she says that she is afraid of rats he looks around the chamber as if thinking that there are really rats there. When he nor the servants sees none he is going back into joking mood, not knowing what to do with her words. I love, loooove that we get a scene between them!

Helaena giving away her boy not knowing what to do? Helaena running away with her daughter? Helaena in complete shock, entering her mother's chamber, not even caring what is going on there?

I really like the change that they wanted them to kill Aemond, not Helaena's children. It has a lot, lot more sense for the plot for me (I know that some Team Green people will complain that they make them "look better" – I'm not any team and for me it just look more logical that you want son for a son that actually KILLED YOUR BABY.

Rhaenyra finding Luke's body and grieving? Jace talking to Cregan on the wall? Aemond being Aemond?

AMAZING

As to the Aemond: Aegon calling him a hound, but like, in some tender way, like: my brother will fucking destroy our enemies and protect our family. I love the feeling that Aemond deep down, as Otto said, want to PROVE himself, because he FUCKED UP so much.

And him teasing Criston Cole? My fucking God that was hilarious.

I loved Alicent × Otto conversation a lot too.

My husband really enjoyed the entire episode. Overall, I'm proud of him for understanding what was going on so well and we both laughed during the scene in the Throne Room with Aegon and Otto. He was surprised that Helaena gave up her son so easily and didn't really believe she did it: in my opinion, she just knew that if she didn't do it, they would kill her and her daughter too.

The next episode looks completely crazy. We'll see what happens in the brothel, aghhhh.

FUCKING JUSTICE FOR THE DOG. 🤬🤬🤬🤬

If you want, write about your thoughts, but please take into account that I will simply delete and block messages/comments that insult other fans or me. I invite you to a joyful and pleasant discussion!!!!!

[mybatimblog]

"Get Out of my Office"

Sammy Lawrence centered writing blurb about Joey overstepping boundaries after he's had a really, really bad week. March 1946.

DO NOT REPOST.

TW: swearing, funerals, mention of death of a child

For more writing, check out my Masterlist.

Given recent events, not a soul dared talk to Sammy unprompted. Even Franks kept his mouth shut when coming to drain the stairway, with nothing more than an "excuse me" or a "sorry to interrupt". For this, Sammy was oddly grateful. He would finally think properly. 

Of course, this level of social awareness did not seem to spread to Mr. Joey Drew. He’d only attempted to start a conversation once, but Sammy knew he’d try again. “I heard about your little girl, Sammy. We’re all very sorry for your loss. Hopefully some work will help you out, after all, music is what you love.”

Sammy could only sigh. Fuck Joey Drew. 

Joey did not know Elisabeth. He’d met her a couple of times, at most; she was part of the screening groups they sometimes brought in, to make sure the cartoons would be well received. She seemed to like him enough, but he barely knew her. He never bothered to try. So long as Sammy was working, Drew didn’t care if Lissy sat on the bench as he did so. 

“Sammy! Good to see you hard at work!” Joey opened his door, banging it against a pipe. Sammy flinched and dropped his pen. He used picking it up as an opportunity to try and stab Joey with just his eyes, but as always, glaring daggers never succeeded in actually killing someone.

“Get out of my office, Joey.” Sammy turned back to his piano, tucking his hair up. It felt scraggly. He hadn’t brushed it in two days, he probably looked a mess.

Joey chuckled somewhat nervously, and leaned on his cane in what was probably supposed to be a fun, endearing uncle-ish way; it did not succeed. “Now Sammy, is that any way to greet someone?” 

Sammy didn’t answer, trying to focus now on the blank paper in front of him and the keys under his fingers. Trying to not focus on the new dripping noise from the corner where Joey stood, most likely from slamming the pipe with his door. Fantastic. 

He was “quietly” angry at Joey. Quietly only because he could not bring himself to raise his voice much. Joey made him come in on his days off. Joey kept him late. Joey made him come in today.

Sammy really wanted to yell. He wanted to push him— maybe even punch him, or beat him up, like he almost did to that reckless driver less than a week ago. But he’d have to settle for silence, sitting at his piano bench like there was no place he’d rather be. 

Realizing he wasn’t going to talk, Joey huffed a bit. 

“Sammy.” he said firmly, “There is no reason to be so immature. I just need you to step out here for a moment. Gent has a proposition. I swear you’ll jump for joy when you hear it.”

Sammy could have gagged at how hopeful he sounded. “I’m not in the mood today, Joey.”  

“Well, this will fix that mood!” He sauntered over to the piano and leaned on its side, propping an elbow on top as if it was an old friend. Sammy’s shoulders went up at this intrusion of personal space, and he scooted as far away on his bench as possible. 

“Not likely.” 

“I swear it Sammy, I really do!” Joey nodded jovially, as if Sammy’s mood was just the average rain cloud. He swung around the piano and sat on the bench, somehow assuming the music director had just been making room for him. 

“I really, really don’t think so.” Sammy’s patience was thin even on good days, when he got to sleep in and everything in the department was on time and he got to leave early. But on bad days… 

No, on this day, not even forty eight hours after a funeral, Sammy’s patience was barely even there. Joey did not seem to notice Sammy’s rigidity, his red eyes, or his unkept hair. There was no acknowledgment of his rumpled clothing, or how his papers were blank, or the 5 different coffee cups on top of the piano without coasters. Joey did not care. 

“I promise it will, you just have to trust me here!” Joey nudged Sammy with his shoulder, as if he was just being regularly stubborn. “Come now, do you think Elisabeth would want you like this?” 

In that moment, Sammy snapped. 

“I said get the fuck out of my office!” The piano jumped as he slammed his hands down on the keys, emitting a loud, deranged chord that made Joey flinch. He wasn’t used to profanity. Good.

“Sammy! Language!” He tried to scold, to no avail. Sammy stood, towering over his boss feeling ready for a fight. He must have looked meaner than usual, because Joey moved up from the bench like it was on fire.

“Keep her name out of your mouth, and leave me the hell alone!” The words alone seemed to push Joey back, back, and out the door. Sammy followed. “In case you haven’t noticed, I have shit to do!”  

----------

hope you enjoyed my work!! let me know if you'd want to see any other writings from me! Thanks to a new friend of mine ( @lawrence-songs ) for inspiring me with the confidence to post my writing.

[alectoperdita]

Can you tell us a bit more about the confrontation at the kink club (in bad guys have more fun)? I'm very curious!

Yeah, I'm happy to spill a bit on that!

So I am super tempted to dedicate a whole part in the series to this, but given there's actual character/relationship consequences to this one, it's harder to write than cranking out more PWP. But do not count it out. Just waiting to get into the right headspace to tackle it.

Hacker!Seto has a history of going to kink and BDSM clubs semi-regularly, since long before he started sleeping with Jou. Not only is it a convenient place to find sexual partners when he's bored and horny, he also finds subbing (in specific scenarios) is a good reset for his brain when he gets "stuck." But since he got together with Jou, he hasn't been to one.

Until they have a particularly trying job. Jou has a pretty well-developed sense of Seto's mood at this point. And Seto is vibrating. He is snappy. He is Wound Up. Jou half expects Seto will be tracking him down afterward so he can get the tension fucked out of him.

Except Seto doesn't go find Jou. They finish up the job and Seto splits. Jou, now even more worried, decides to follow him. When Seto is this Tense, he usually starts acting recklessly. Jou is invested enough in him he's concerned about his general well-being at this point. (Plus, if Seto can stalk him, Jou should be able to return the favor, right?)

Jou follows him to a place he figures out is a sex club as he grifts his way in through a service entrance. It takes a bit but he finds Seto with another guy, talking real close and being kinda touchy and obviously flirting. Jou watches them for a while, super conflicted. Now they never discussed being exclusive. Jou's always kinda thought Seto might be fucking other people, but convinced himself it was none of his business. It's harder to stay impartial, though, when he's faced with apparent evidence.

(Yeah, he's jealous, but he knows he shouldn't be jealous because it's not like Seto's his actual significant other. It's not technically cheating.)

Jou can't take it anymore when it looks like Seto and his companion are about to set away and go somewhere more private. He slips in and pretends all "hey sorry to keep you waiting." Other guy gets pissed (lol he did not sign up to get roped into a cuck fantasy or some other couple play). Seto is also pissed because he just lost his playmate.

But they can't come to blows in the middle of the open area of the club, so they make use of the private room to duke it in.

No small part of this confrontation is Jou being faced with his own hurt pride. What? Was he not good enough that Seto had to go cruising for other dick? He knows they're just fuck buddies, but he was under the impression that they were both satisfied with that.

Seto has to brutally correct him that this isn't about Jou, get over himself. (In his view, it's not about any deficiencies on Jou's part, but in a healthier relationship, this is also where you talk candidly to your partner, and they're not in a place to do that until they're absolutely forced to. Like right this moment, lol.) They've been having fantastic sex, but it's fantastic vanilla sex.

Seto sometimes craves more.

This doesn't reassure Jou at all. Does Seto think he's incapable of giving him what he wants? For crying out loud, he was straight like a month or two ago. Now look at him!

Seto questions if Jou actually can. Because this isn't like whatever he thinks from his porn. Seto likes impact play, specifically. And he knows, he can see that Jou struggles with the violence he can and has inflicted in his past. He doesn't want or need Jou's issues bleeding into this. It'd be bad for both of them.

But they're both stubborn and more than a bit reckless and determined to prove the other wrong. (Yes, a healthier thing to do would be to cool their heads and call it a night and revisit the topic another time, but that's not the characters I'm writing lol.) So they try out some light impact play, probably spanking to keep it entry-level.

Long story short, I'm hoping this is the start of Jou learning the ropes when it comes to kink. Much like using his strength as a hitter for the team, it kinda gives him another way to recontextualize it for good. Or at least I hope it can be pulled off that way haha.

[nicistrying]

Sat 7th Sep

Felt gross when I woke up, and was in a foul mood, everyone is pissing me off lately for many different reasons. Anyway I walked Mags and felt much better with fresh air in my lungs and my heart pumping. We went through the woods and plodged up the stream

Did some housework when we got home, and went out to meet my sisters at my dad's house to go to a country show. Dad didn't speak to any of us as usual, and my stepmam didn't make much effort either. I was still feeling weird and overwhelmed and exhausted so I didn't try much either, I just played with the dogs until we left.

Me, Matt, my sisters and niece and nephew all went to the show and it was so lovely! I've been wanting to go for years, we always used to go when I was little and Matt never went to one - so I really wanted to take him. They had falconry presentations, fancy bird shows, sooo much good food, really cool new and old trucks, tractors and cars. And some fucking tortoises!!

We had a lovely day, I think. But I still felt weird and tense and anxious and kept trying to get Matt to be more sociable and involved with everyone but he just kept wandering off. Idk it's hard work trying to bring people together but I think we were all tired and a bit off. But my sister said she enjoyed it and that made me happy bc she's having a shit time lately.

I felt really poorly on the way home, nauseous and headache and v anxious and depressy, I have no idea why. But Matt and I had a good talk about how it's probably normal for us to feel pretty shit after a month off work just enjoying life and then having to go straight back into work, routine, family pressure etc. He walked Mags when we got home and I had a nap. We were supposed to be going to see a Beautiful South tribute band I had seen at a festival last year and wanted to take him to see them, but I couldn't bring myself to get dressed again and have to be enthusiastic for the both of us - he enjoys music but is not a 'gig' person so he just kind of stands there looking off even if he's actually really enjoying it, and I get anxious he's not having fun so then I don't enjoy myself. Anyway we stayed home, made a point of being okay with staying home bc we clearly needed it. Had spring rolls and noodles for dinner, and watched Fantastic Beasts and cuddled on the couch all night. ❤️

Currently 7.45 Sunday morning, snuggling with Mags, and I think I feel a bit better. Going to get up soon and clean the house, have a stretch and get ready for a full day of visiting family. I've been dreading it, but I am going to try to enjoy it.

[therotatingvillain]

Funny things in Baby Steps, my unfinished Pokevillain fanfic

Alright, after spending too long in a severe depression hole and also spending like way too much time at work, here I am again!

This is gonna be my first update on the Pokevillain fanfiction that my last post was about. What I’m doing is reading through those 43 pages and just get a base understanding of what the fuck I was even doing.

To have all of you be part of this, you’ll get my live thoughts about it! So be ready for some shitposting and a few sneak peeks at the story haha

Cyrus insisting on just being called ‘Cyrus’ because ‘Mr. Akagi’ reminds him of his father is such a mood. Also, yeah, I use their japanese names as their last names, except Guzma, because Guzmas japanese name is Guzma lol So for him I just used his german name ‘Bromley’. Such an ass name

Having stayed in a hospital for the first time not too long ago, 2020 me was surprisingly accurate when it came to hospital food

“What do you think? Aren’t you supposed to be incredibly smart?” She kept smiling, but Cyrus knew it was fake. It had been ever since she entered. It was the same smile his mother always had when talking to guests or clients. God I hate Cyrus nurse, I made her such a bitch lmao

Forgot I made Cyrus lactose intolerant lol

That smile made Cyrus want to go back into the distortion world No comment needed

‘New Guy’ seemed like a major downgrade from ‘God of a new dimension’ but for now, having terribly failed the latter one, the first one was acceptable. 2020 me had banger humor

Guzma looking at Cyrus and just going “You’re my friend now” is how I make all of my friends

Ah yeah, Giovanni is there because of another failed attempt, except for Guzma the rest is there because of court mandation and Guzma is there because Nanu got him a spot.

almost like touching a Rotom that couldn’t quite control its energy. Foreshadowing? Maybe

Guzma immediately having Cyrus back even when Cyrus is clearly in the wrong is so funny to me

Aaaaaaaah gays bonding over piano music

Ah yes, Maxie and Archie are divorced husbands. Yes, they still love each other, yes, Maxie still actively wears his wedding ring while Archie always has it on him somehow

“Hey fuckers, time for lunch!” Mood Guz

Lysandre desperately trying to socialise with his roommate only to routinely be fucked over by his own shitty mental health and eating disorder is too real man

Dr. Roberts is such a kind soul, he’s the therapist OC I created specifically for this story and he’s just a sweetie who’s fantastic at his job and also, obviously, gay and married with a couple kids.

Cyrus went to college (duh) and majored in: Electrical Engineering, Economics, Computer Engineering, Political Science and Computer Science. And finished all his majors in 4 years. Yikes dude, my boy just wanted to study the stars but he was denied by his bullshit parents

Ah yes, Cyrus sister. Buckle in people, time for a bit of lore:

So we all remember the Old Chateau in Eterna Forrest back in gen 4, right? Right. For a long time there was a theory that perhaps Cyrus grew up in that house. How did we come to that conclusion? Basically, Cyrus in Platinum (and the USUM Rainbow Rocket episode) has a severe obsession with the Pokemon Rotom, supplying Charon with detailed notes and diaries all about it and in the Rainbow Rocket episode, he nearly has a breakdown upon seeing the Rotom dex. Now where do you find Rotom in Gen 4? Hiding in a TV in the Old Chateau. So, we theorized that Cyrus grew up there. What else do we find in the Old Chateau? The spirits of a butler and a small girl. So, the theory goes that Cyrus used to have a little sister, but she and a butler of the family were killed in an accident, probably involving the Rotom Cyrus kept, most likely hidden from his parents. Afterwards, his family moved to Sunyshore, leaving the Chateau, where Rotom was still hiding, possibly having come back in search of it’s friend (Cyrus) and then hiding in the TV because it was scared as it was alone, Cyrus nowhere to be found, and sought comfort in the electrical appliance. That’s how the theory goes. This theory is true in my story.

Maxie and Archie being extremely angry bordering on violent with each other makes me sad. And I wrote this shit!

The fact that Cyrus, on his first day there, immediately has a panic attack in the evening is relatable.

Also, Giovanni helps him through it and they start bonding and being cute hehe

For every scene involving stargazing, be aware that I have zero idea about stars. I grew up in the middle of fuck nowhere, so I can see them very clearly each night, but I still have little to no idea about how to read stars lol

Lysandre has anorexia and Cyrus is way too oblivious to understand that it’s ana so he’s just constantly like “wow youre thin” until it clicks lmao

Saturn, Jupiter, Mars and Charon are just codenames and Cyrus never bothered to learn their actual names. Is this also foreshadowing? Maybe hehe

YES CYRUS STAND YOUR GROUND TO THAT PISS POOR EXCUSE OF A NURSE i hate her so much man

Cyrus is a deeply kind person. I will not elaborate yet

Yes, Maxie and Archie get over their shit and back together

Yes, it spirals Giovanni into another suicide attempt

No, I shall not elaborate how one leads to the other

But yeah, there’s a pretty intense part of this that deals with Giovannis shitty mental state and his active suicide attempt (that only barely failed) and Cyrus ends up having a severe breakdown because of it. Like I said in my last post, this story deals with some heavy topics.

Guz and Ly really take on the roles of dads to Cyrus, to help him be more open in his expression and just be who he is and I think that’s beautiful

His breath was caught in his throat, his chest and stomach spreading a comfortable warmth through his body.

What was this? A heart attack? 

No, those felt different. There was no stabbing pain. I love writing Cyrus

THERAPY POKEMON EVERYONE yes the leaders are getting therapy Pokemon

Here’s a list of who they get:

Giovanni: His Persian

Maxie: Toxel

Archie: Hypno

Cyrus: His Rotom

Ghetsis: Castform

Lysandre: Levanny

Guzma: His Golisopod

I’d love for yall to theorize on why each leader gets their respective Pokemon! I actually put some thought in all of them haha

Cyrus grandfather has a big role in Cyrus’ recovery, and it starts with a simple visit that is still one of my favorite parts of this story so far

Cyrus grandfather (Paul Akagi) is the polar opposite to his parents, Paul is kind, loving, supportive and really just wants Cyrus to be happy and their relationship???? it warms my heart

A big part of connection for all of the leaders, specifically everyone else and Ghetsis, is a broken piano in the common room that they all work together to fix and that piano really is a symbol for Cyrus’ recovery and especially his willingness to get better.

GUZMA IS TRANS and this is a fact because I am trans and I said so. Also Ghetsis is a bigot. End of sentence lol

Ghetsis saying some transphobic shit and Guzma then going to PULL HIS NON PARALYZED ARM OUT OF ITS SOCKET is such a girly pop move

Also yes everything I’ve written so far ends on Maxie and Archie remarrying and Dr. Roberts allowing everyone to drink alcohol in celebration and yes of course it escalates lol

Alright everyone, that’s it for now, I’m all caught up, hopefully I’ll get some time to actually write a bit more the next few days. 

As always, please please please interact with this, tell me your thoughts so far, ask questions, I NEED IT okay cool thank you.

I have work tomorrow so I shall go and kill myself lol

Have a great whenever you are! Stay hydrated

Love all of you.

[thetarotsequence]

Part Two - Half House and The Tower

✨From here on out, there will be spoilers ✨

Half House:

This chapter is foundational knowledge, in my opinion, on how to build a lovable character and then let them do disagreeable things. Honestly, THE LAST SUN is a masterclass in character building, already, but this chapter is the cornerstone of getting the reader sucked in, and the next chapter (which I'll get to, pinky promise) is the string that tugs the stick out from under the edge of the box, effectively trapping the reader in complete and total love for these stories. I don't make the rules, that's just how it happens.

The key, I think, is how relatable Rune is. From his claim that the stories about the worst night of his life "Just. Won't. Fucking. Die," to the pause he has for the unsettling feeling of did I just fuck up? that he feels after the encounter with Max in the bathroom, Rune is just a regular guy. I mean, yeah, he's technically a fallen prince with the capability to incinerate everything in an as-yet-undetermined radius, but he's a normal dude with a shitty day job, spooky boss, and bills to pay! He worries about his weight and wears laundry of questionable cleanliness! Just me? Listen, once you start having a chair pile, you never go back. But I digress.

I will die on the hill that these books - while fantastic to read - are even better when listened to. Josh Hurley, the narrator, is my dream narrator for my OWN book (if I get lucky enough to be published one day - I hope he can do a British accent). I hated audiobooks, legitimately hated them, until these stories, because the narration just feels like listening to a friend tell you about what's going on in their life, until all of a sudden it doesn't and you're in an epic battle with a lich, or struggling not to cry as your worst fears and biggest hopes are confirmed one right after the other (but that's HOURGLASS THRONE talk). So, if you're a hands-on reader who hates audiobooks, just trust me. I've listened to these books so many times I don't hear my own brain voice when I read them anymore. It's just the incredible talents of Mr. Hurley that have been engraved on my memory like grooves in a vinyl record.

It's the narration, too, that enhances that relatable factor, especially where Brand is concerned. He's definitely doing a violence on Max that would get American CPS called, but the narration makes it funny, the way I think it was intended to be. And again, they all clearly grow from this point over the series, and moreover, no one is perfect, and if you haven't wanted to stick someone's head in a toilet and flush, you're probably a liar.

Speaking of liars - Queenie. Settle in and grab some tinfoil for your hat, because I Have A Theory:

I think Brand went fucking nuts on Max - and granted, this is mild considering what he, a literal sharpshooter mercenary, is capable of - because he was programmed to do so. I have the benefit of having read all the way through the 3rd book and the EIDOLON, so I know that evidence supporting my theory exists, but that's an essay for a different day. What matters now, dear reader, is that I think that Queenie fucked up, and she's realizing it in the background of this scene when she tries to stop Brand, only to have him steamroll the conversation right over her. He goes oddly (and humorously) formal in his recount of what he did and why, and the ferocity of his protectiveness coupled with his recount of events just never sat well with me. It was disproportionate; there's no doubting that. I've always been suspicious of this sequence of events, specifically because this happened on the heels of Rune mentioning that the Empress, in her "unhinged grief" (such a mood) vanished into thin air and obtained Cryptid Status. From the first time I read these books, I thought (and continue to think) this bitch is the Empress, isn't she? Every time.

But! More on that theory soon.

Queenie's gentle manipulation, asking Rune how it was for him, after he lost everything, was masterfully done, Empress or not. It speaks to someone who has been a parent, or at least has been responsible for giving guidance (which, ahem, the Empress is the Mother archetype in the Tarot soooo...I am, as the kids say, standing on business) and knows that a delicate hand is needed. Where she couldn't stop Brand's irate retelling, she is able to successfully pull one of Rune's heartstrings and get him thinking about what she wants him to think about.

Overall, I genuinely enjoyed this passage not only for the breadcrumb trail beginning in front of us as readers, but also for the dynamic emerging between the characters. Especially knowing how much trauma exists between the three of them now, and being a parent of a child with trauma (she's bootleg, don't worry, I didn't give it to her) and being a parental figure with my OWN trauma, I could really relate to the feeling of fucking up because of a trigger being set off when I was unprepared.

The last thing I loved about this chapter is how Brand and Rune work a case. It's incredibly smooth, subtle world-building that SHOULD, by rights, feel like an info-dump, but it doesn't, because of how expertly this is written. The personality embedded in Rune and Brand saturates the page and obfuscates any sense of things being spelled out for the reader. Plus, the way Rune and Brand riff off of one another is fun, and funny, and 100% the reason why my wife ships them romantically, because they DO bicker like an old married couple. It feels more than anything to me, like conversations I would have with my wife (if we were magic-case-solving-mercenaries, obviously). It's impossible not to love Rune and Brand. They're iconic.

Favorite Quote:

Not so much a quote, but the way Josh Hurley narrates Rune proudly theorizing "Maybe he wants to give me a big fat check" is stuck permanently in my vernacular, cadence, tone, everything. I have quoted it while opening the mail several times. There is never a big fat check.

The Tower:

This, as I said before, is where the string gets pulled, and we, the readers, get trapped. It's not the hook - that was buried back in the sparkly lure of the Heart Throne chapter - this is us being reeled in so swiftly we can't even struggle on the line. The continued world-building is seamless, concise, and vivid. I love the line where Rune says the rest of the world thought New Atlantis pulled their Gotham out of a cereal box, and the way he follows it up with "not a bad rep to have". This sentence does so many things at once: it establishes how New Atlantis came to be, it establishes what other people thought of it happening, and it establishes that it was costly on multiple levels, AND it establishes that it is incredibly unlikely to happen again. This makes New Atlantis feel more real, to me, because it's the difference between living somewhere and just visiting, or seeing photos online. Y'all might see a picture of bluebonnets in a meadow and think "Wow, so pretty," and I would see it and definitely think "God, it was probably 102 degrees when this was taken."

Speaking of differences in perspectives! When Rune said that Lord Tower and Brand "didn't get along" my first instinct is best described as uh huh...sure, Jan. HOURGLASS THRONE survivors know what I'm talking about.

I also loved the stealth-worldbuilding of wandering the streets of New Atlantis with Rune and Max on their way to the Pac Bell. And did you notice the seamless way Rune interrogates Max? I literally didn't notice that that was what it was, an interrogation, until THIS REREAD, so like...yesterday. And then Rune effortlessly provokes Max to reveal his true feelings about the situation? Slow clap goes here.

Another thing I just realized this reread is that IF QUEENIE IS THE EMPRESS, IS SHE THE ONE WHO TOLD LORD TOWER MAX WAS THERE????? Because who was holding New Atlantis together in her wake? Oh, just good ol' L.T. That takes LOYALTY, a deep kind of loyalty that most political figures don't deserve, and I'm curious to see if I'm right, if the loyalty was reciprocal, or if Queenie/The Empress was still trying to call the shots from behind the scenes instead of stepping back. Also, calling it now: I don't think it was just grief that sent Queenie to ground. I think she had something to be legitimately scared of coming for her, and she bolted for her own survival. I feel this way because New Atlantis, according to Rune, treats grief differently than we might. He refers to himself as a cautionary tale, even - why would a society designed to not support victims have space for grief? So my next question is - did she participate in the raid? Or does she know something about it?

Going back to Lord Tower - this is a weird experience, this reread, because of the loss of my own Dad, but it's even weirder to realize that I can see how Rune identifies L.T. as a father figure, now. It's right there on the page, but in THT, the recognition of that role in his life was a sucker punch for me. So that's interesting. I look forward to seeing what else this reread elicits for me.

Also, what happened to that AI, KD? It's been a while...I'm just saying. Is this Chekov's AI?

Another 'love it' moment for this chapter, to close out my TEDx talk, is yet more casework, this time in the form of Rune getting info from L.T. It initially felt like a mysterious-benefactor-and-protege situation before, but like I said, this reread, I can feel the difference, and like a paperback that's gone soft as fabric from too many rereads, I hear the soft affection in Lord Tower's sigh and "Must you make me so terrifying?" quote. I also hear that paternal vibe in "Addam is special, and I worry." You even hear it in the OBVIOUS (except to Rune) matchmaking energy from Lord Tower calling Addam a "confirmed bachelor, much like you." Which I love, every time.

Favorite Quote:

"His walkabouts?" (Emphasis to try to capture Josh Hurley's narration). Honestly, Rune's entire snarky commentary is just so funny, especially now that I know what happens, and it's obvious just how not like what he expected Addam turned out to be. But that's another topic for another day.

[what-gs-watching]

"Why is no one having a good time? I specifically requested it."

Here’s a thing: my husband used to watch a ton of tv, all the time. Always had something on in the background. But then he got sucked into TikTok and his attention span broke, so I’ve been watching most things myself.

He just put together a snack to wind down from his work day, and came back in for a glass of milk. I’m on the couch and as he swished by he said “I just turned on Brooklyn Nine-Nine”, which in and of itself was surprising, only to continue “and remembered he’s dead…” and I let out a wail I’ve been mostly ignoring. 

Andre Braugher, I’m so sad that you’re gone. Brooklyn Nine-Nine is one of my absolute favorite comfort shows, and I’m not sure how I’m going to stand it now, for a while. Captain Holt is iconic, you can’t watch that show and not fall in love with him. 

And now it’s just…sad.

Nine-Nine is another one of those shows I started watching religiously while it was airing on cable, the entirety of the reason being Andy mother-effing Samberg. I have been in love with him (and the Lonely Island, which we should talk about eventually) since that crazy man joined SNL and so nothing was going to tear me away from his randon sitcom. I came for him, obviously, but I stayed for everyone else.

Including, and mostly, Captain Raymond Holt. 

I’m not gonna lie, he might be the most realized, well-defined character on the show. The man has layers. Gay, black cop who finally becomes captain of his own squad. Deadly serious, married to a professor, proud dog dad, lover of rules, hard grudge-holder, extremely literal and blunt, with the weirdest sense of humor. 

Most of the best moments of this show involve Holt. There’s an entire scene wherein the squad is put on the night shift and it’s fucking with everyone’s relationships and someone suggests his bad mood is because he needs to  bone down with his husband. His reaction has me crying every single time.

He has a dance-off with a kid on the street. He goes undercover as a straight person and does it hilariously. He gets incredibly, heavily, disturbingly invested in the Halloween heist game Jake sets up each year. He creates a ridiculous balloon arch for a wedding and gets deeply attached to it, and is infuriated by the fact that everyone thinks it’s weird as hell. He has the most fantastic arch rival relationship with an old partner, to the point where he plans to deliver a scathing eulogy when she unexpectedly dies. He learns the choreography set to Salt ‘N Peppa’s “Push It” and performs it to distract Amy while she’s giving birth. 

It feels like a lot of characters on tv are two-dimensional, but good lord, Holt was in full technicolor, and it’s obvious the reason it works so well is because Andre Braugher was a master of his craft. He WAS Holt, for a lot of people, including me. No one else could have stepped in and created that man. 

Throughout the show, Jake treated him like a surrogate dad because his own father (lol at Bradley Whitford in that role) was a dumpster fire, and it was really sweet. He just wanted validation, and acceptance.

In the finale, he tells Jake, "On my first day here, I asked Jeffords to tell me about everyone, He told me you were a great detective, but the one thing you couldn’t figure out was how to grow up. Well, I think you’ve finally figured it out. Over the years, you’ve sometimes referred to me as something of a father figure, but I want you to know, if I had had a son, and he had turned out like you, I would be very proud of him.”

I have a dad of my own, he’s wonderful and I love him and we have a great relationship, but y’all, Holt can be a surrogate dad for me too. He can be one for everyone. He always had a pearl of wisdom and he supported the entire squad in absolutely everything, and he was just an excellent human. Who was FUNNY and multidimensional and just…dope. 

He’s one of those perfect characters. And they don’t come along that often. So I guess the point is, thank you, Andre Braugher, for bringing him to life, and giving us the gift that is Captain Raymond Holt. I’m glad we still have him, even if we don’t have you.

[galahadenough]

I admittedly went into the series not expecting much. It’s a superhero show. It’ll be fun! But somehow fucking DC’s Legends of Tomorrow is hitting almost every itch I have for queer representation that I don’t see enough, or any, of elsewhere.

First off, it’s a fun show. It’s hilarious. It doesn’t take itself too seriously in a way that lets it be fun, but clearly the writers take the the show seriously because of the inside jokes that don’t break the mood if you don’t get it and because of how well they treat their characters.

But I’m here to talk about the queer rep. BTW, spoilers ahead (I say while having one more season to go…)

I suppose that I’ve been taught to not expect much, especially from action or superhero genres where every hint of a gay character is treated like an amazing first that people are suppose to be grateful for. But I really wasn’t expecting this.

First remarkable thing is the sheer quantity. You want a queer character? How about 7? How about they be main characters? How about they be emphatically queer while being queer has nothing to do with that character’s plot??

But the best thing for me is how they show queerness.

I have always felt that, as much progress as we have made, the goal for media should be that Indiana Jones (or Bond, or anyone) can be queer in an unquestionable way. It shouldn’t need a big explanation or be a shock. My personal goal would be that any generic action hero can unexpectedly turn out to be queer because it could easily go any direction. And Indiana Jones casually gets the guy. Or whatever. And that’s what Sara Lance does.

Sara Lance is ~arguably~ the main character. Hard to have a main character with that big of a cast, but she counts enough to make my point. The main character is bi. Visibly and emphatically and gleefully bi. And the show makes damn sure this fact never gets forgotten, but it is not a part of her backstory. It just is, without reasons or explanations.

She spends a lot of the show Casanova-ing her way across history, seducing women right and left in such a traditional male-adventure-hero type role that had me so happy. She took on such a traditional role that women have never had and did it is such a matter of fact way. Her confidence was never questioned. Her competence was never questioned. Her sexuality was never questioned. She didn’t even need to “come out”, she just existed like it was normal.

And this same character is the one who has had the longest, healthiest, most stable relationship in the show. I don’t know what happens in the last season, but it honestly wouldn’t even feel like “burying the gays” if Ava died at this point. It wouldn’t feel like a punishment for being queer because it was so openly celebrated for so much of the show.

Now that I’ve got Sara out of the way (because I love her too much to write this without her), it’s time to get to Mick Rory. Because Mick is fucking fantastic.

Mick is even more shocking than Sara when it comes to queer rep because he represents so much of the less visible representation. He is so visibly male and tough and abrasive. He comes across as questionably literate and is known for being the brawn and pyromaniac of the group.

This isn’t the sort of character that is known for getting any queer representation, then he stops drinking just long enough to pop off one of the best, most impassioned speeches about being “othered” that I’ve ever heard, and probably the only time I’ve every heard the phrase used outside of niche online communities.

He turns out to be a writer… of space opera sci-fi romance novels. A prolific, published author who adores his army of female fans, which is more respect towards a female audience than most shows seem to have. An author who, when he finally revealed who he was, preferred that his fans continue to call him Rebecca when talking to him. This isn’t quite trans representation, but it is incredibly satisfying and normalizing. Someone who looks and acts like him being comfortable being called Rebecca combined with the fact that he didn’t even get a strange look over the choice.

He has been referred to as a “skirt chaser” but rarely shows interest in anyone. Honestly feels like decent rep for aromantic and/or monsterfucker (which is one of those categories that I feel belongs under the queer umbrella).

And I just love how queerness permeates the show. There is never a shocked “wait.. you’re gay!!”. There are no token gays that are quickly forgotten and there are also no queer characters whose plot point is being gay. It just exists naturally and normally and it feels fucking fantastic.

I could probably polish this up a bit, but it’s really gotten away from me. I really love this show, and I just needed to get this out!

[fandomfluffandfuck]

*Distant screaming*

S!!! I HAD ANOTHER IDEA.

Okay we all know the sweet (very sad) baby bunny that is TJ Hammond. We know how his love life hasn’t been too fantastic. But!!!! What if he finds a new guy that makes him happy? A sweet guy from the Boston suburbs with a nice job and an even nicer body. Maybe he meets Mr. Barber at a bar or maybe a group therapy session or also maybe he gets into some legal trouble. And suddenly he finds himself going home with this guy who makes him want to do things that his mother’s PR team would not approve of. Maybe it’s the first time he’s been really treated with love, where it’s clear that he’s adored just as much as he adores Andy. He’s head over heels, and so when things go to shit he finds himself on Andy’s doorstep.

“TJ? Sweetheart, are you alright?” Andy asks, worry in his voice.

TJ can’t even talk, he just lets the tears fall and shakes his head. He’s quickly ushered in and hugged tightly, where he promptly breaks down. Sobbing into Andy’s shoulder, hanging onto him like a lifeline. Andy just keeps holding him, kissing the top of his head and whispering sweet words.

“Oh, darling… It’s okay, baby, you’re okay. I’m here, you’re safe. Won’t let anything bad happen to my angel.” He whispers, and TJ just melts further.

TJ can’t imagine being more loved. Slowly, he dries his eyes and looks up at the older man. He smiles for what feels like the first time in a week, and is met with a kiss to his forehead.

“I love you, TJ. Always.” Andy says, and the kiss that TJ gives him is nothing short of perfect.

you can also imagine TJ with Pete Brenner, and how much of a smutty trainwreck that would be. TJ would definitely call Pete daddy, and Pete would totally call TJ his bunny. They’d end up worse than they started, but I can’t stop thinking about how TJ would totally end up drunk/high out of his mind and pissed at Pete, storming into his office and exposing him to everyone.

“You just fucking wanted power, didn’t you, Daddy?!”

“TJ, this isn’t the time…”

“Fuck you!”

I know it’s a bit of a weird pairing, but it’s stuck in my head and now I’m gonna stick it in yours >:)

Hello again!

Oh. My. God.

I love this. I love both of these. A pairing for every fucking mood.

A comforting, loving (maybe even overprotective, nearly smothering sometimes, I'm looking at you, Andy 👀) pair.

And a train-wreck pair.

Andy would give TJ the best, best hugs when he's upset and in need of comfort--the kind of hugs that engulf TJ in warmth and come with an endless supply of soothing back rubs, that man is so empathetic he's basically just a big teddy bear. Plus, with Andy's (relatively) normal life (assuming this outside of or before the Defending Jacob timeline, lol), he's the breath of fresh air TJ needs. I bet they meet when TJ gets a DUI, maybe he injures himself or someone else in the car with him, nothing huge, just a mild crash that was his fault, and he needs a lawyer for. Andy is there. Andy is kind. Andy can see he didn't do it on purpose--he's just hurting, and he needs someone. It's frightening how badly Andy wants, no, needs to be that someone for this sweet kid.

Absolutely Pete would do TJ dirty, assisting him in his downward spiral, able to get him both money and drugs fast. Rapidly, TJ discovers more drugs and more vices to make him feel better, if only for a little while, all at Pete's insistence. Anything he wants, Pete can get him, no questions asked. Plus, they move fast as a couple, too; they meet during a night out, not knowing each others names before they're pushing and shoving their way into the sleazy club's bathroom with TJ on his knees in some filthy stall, then, that same night, TJ dismisses any lose security detail he had to go back to the apartment of this stranger, buzzed and high. His phone is dead. He doesn't care. And it's obvious that Pete doesn't either. It's reckless. It's intense. And it overpowers them both, unraveling completely.

Thank you for the thoughts!!

[thepenultimaterolo]

9 People I'd Like to Get to Know Better

Thank you to @yoshihashismattebum and @thewaythroughthewoods for the tag!

Ok, here we go...

Last song: I am going to follow my friends' lead and also give an album! Since it came out last Friday I've been really enjoying Lauran Hibberd's new album, Girlfriend Material. I first heard her when she was supporting The Regrettes on tour, and she's released two fantastic albums since then!

I could spend this whole thing talking about what music I like at the moment if I'm not careful, so I will leave it there!

Favourite colour: Greens and blues are my go-to colours for clothes, decor, etc. For flowers, my favourite colour is probably yellows, or deep pinks, or the colour of whatever flower is looking especially good in the garden right now.

Currently watching: I don't watch a lot of telly tbh, but I watch All Elite Wrestling pretty regularly, and my partner and I are watching Avatar: The Last Airbender together (the original, animated series).

Spicy/savoury/sweet: I'm not a fan of hot-spicy, but between the others it very much depends on my mood... Top tier snacks for me would be paprika crisps, worcestershire sauce French Fries (the crisp), Tunnocks caramel wafers, Wispa (aerated chocolate), and anything involving ginger and dark chocolate.

Relationship status: Very happily in a relationship with my partner for 10 years this spring ❤️

He is wonderful, interesting, kind, clever and funny, and I still can't quite believe I get to share my life with him.

I reworded that sentence so many times because I kept ending it with a joke of some sort, but no! I want to just be genuine for a moment actually! @unpairedbracket: I love you so so much 💕

Obsessions: ok in no particular order:

Gardening: There's just such a joy in watching and helping things grow. Being outside and physically working on something, even just weeding, makes me feel so good. And I love watching new things come up and grow and flower at different points through the year.

Wrestling: @yoshihashismattebum got me into watching pro wrestling during covid, and I would say that it certainly stuck 😝

The first thing I really watched was NJPW, and then I started watching AEW as well, and bits and pieces of other things. We've been going to some Rev Pro shows as well, which have been excellent.

I really like how varied it can be; in the same show you can be super-hyped for an excellently constructed match, crying with laughter at a comedy match, and then crying with emotion at the culmination of a storyline, or just at someone loving what they do.

Wildlife: I get excited about basically all forms of wildlife, and I think I can be a bit of a nightmare to go on a walk with because I'll keep wanting to stop and look at wildflowers / nice moss / birds / cool insects / interesting fungi / etc etc. (sorry guys...)

I'm always excited about seeing bats and foxes and birds of prey, and I also got very excited when I saw a hornet last autumn (so big and yellow and cool!), and also took a photo of a really good stripey spider I found, and showed it to everyone who indicated the slightest bit of interest for a couple of weeks afterwards.

Disco Elysium: I first played this last spring and what a fucking game. I keep thinking about it again and again, and I really want to play through multiple more times...

The worldbuilding is fantastic and fascinating, and there are so many little side details that you can explore. The writing is sincere and thoughtful but also frequently very funny. I played the tribunal with tears running down my face because it makes your choices feel like they matter so much.

I also love that Fayde exists as a resource, and all the discussion of various theories that it supports. It's a game that really invites and rewards that attention to detail.

I'm also reading A Sacred and Terrible Air at the moment (the translated version), which is a book written by the game writers before DE itself, and set in the same world.

Music: ok I lied I am going to talk more about what music I like - and about live music! I love going to gigs and seeing bands live and discovering new bands through the support acts.

The core of my music taste has got to be punk, old and new. I just absolutely love the guitar sound, and the energy, and the thickness of the noise, and being at a gig where the music just saturates the air. (While wearing concert earplugs because I value my hearing, and because going deaf in one ear for a couple of days was pretty scary...) I also love that gigs have such varied demographics, and that we, in our 20s, can go to eg. an Undertones gig and be listening with a load of people who were going to gigs back in the 70s and we're all just enjoying the same music together.

I've been lucky enough to see a lot of my favourite artists play, but bands I would love to see and haven't yet include: Nova Twins, Sløtface, and Soft Play (fka Slaves).

Tags:

Anyone who would like to do this, please consider yourself tagged!

I'm going to specifically tag the following people (but only if you would find it fun!):

@unpairedbracket , @unicornjellybee , @mortphilippa, @lovethatcoat, @pipedreamdragon, @rubiscothegeek, @vermin-disciple, @calamitys-child, @nothingiswrongwithyourarmrests