#but anyone guess who watches dropout now

[seizethedeansofproduction]

evil gamechanger episode be like: let's all hold hands and smile before playing a calming game of paddy cake then eat apple slices before telling each other how much we appreciate the other and then going on our merry way and sam does absolutely no jigsaw level shit

[fatlevisimp]

In Time. (Levi Ackerman/Attack on Titan Fan Fiction)

Chapter 1: Cadet Corps

"And who exactly are you, cadet?!" The bald drill instructor yelled at her. Without hesitation, she saluted and yelled back.

"Diana Lando from the Shinganshina District, Sir!" Shadis bent down, closing the gap between Diana's and his face.  

"And what is your business here?" He demanded, Diana flinched, slightly, at the droplets of spit hitting her face as he yelled. 

"To join the Survey Corps, Sir, and find and kill the Titans that destroyed my home and my family!" Diana's voice remained strong, and she spoke loudly without a stutter. The drill sergeant laughed, straightening up.  

"Those are some big dreams, cadet, especially for such a small girl." He clapped back, staring down at Diana, a frown formed across her forehead.

"I don't think my height will define the type of soldier I am, sir." She spoke,  the glare on her face still evident. Shadis let out a low scoff before walking away, as quickly as she saluted, she relaxed. Her eyes followed the cadets' line, all looking incredibly scared; Diana's eyes finally landed on Eren. His eyes were wide.  Diana let out a small sigh before continuing to look forward. This was going to be a tough three years,  she thought, but she was determined to stick it out, not only for her family but for Mikasa, Armin and Eren. 

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

The cadets had finally returned to the cabins. Some stood, watching as Sasha did laps around the compound. Diana couldn't help but feel bad for her. I just want to help her. This thought was fleeting. However, Diana knew Sasha brought this on herself, stealing food, especially when there was so little to go around. I guess it's a lesson that she needs to learn. 

"Man, I thought Shadis was going to kill Potato Girl," Connie said as the small group watched Sasha limp around the compound. 

"I know, what a hell of a first day." Eren agreed, his eyes still on Sasha; by this point, Diana had looked away. 

"It's funny, being told to run until sunset didn't seem to bother here anywhere near as much as losing meal privileges for the next five days." She spoke nonchalantly, looking up at the small group.  

"I think she said that she's from Daper. If I remember right, that's a small hunting village up in the mountains." Connie explained, and Diana looked over at him. 

"Hey, what's that?" Changing the subject, Eren pointed at a cart that was pulling away some of the cadets. Diana's eyes followed Eren's gesture, landing on the cart. Did they give up?

"They're dropouts; they'd prefer to work in the fields," Mina explained. Diana shrugged her shoulders and looked away from the cart. 

"But it's only the first day," Eren stated. 

"That's how it is; if you can't handle the pressure, you gotta leave." Connie shrugged. 

"I can't believe anyone would rather pull plants than fight." Eren scoffed 

"I know about some of us, but you never mentioned where you were from, Eren?" Marco asked. 

"The same place as Armin and Dee from Shinganshina," Eren spoke proudly, placing his hand on Armin's shoulder. 

"Uhh, that means -"

"You were there that day; you saw it!" Connie exclaimed, cutting off Marco.

"Huh? Quiet!" Marco hushed.

"The collateral one? Did you see him?" Connie asked, his eyes darting between Eren and Diana. She looked down with a small eye-roll, not wanting to be part of the conversation anymore. However, Eren carried on.

"Yeah, we did," Eren responded. Diana did not want to relive that day again, so she turned and left the group. The faint sound of Connie's voice trailed behind her as she walked away. 

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

It was now the cadets' dinner time, and Diana decided to sit away from Eren. Since the other cadets heard the four were from Shinganshina, everyone just kept swarming them, asking questions about that day. Diana sat in the back with Mikasa. It was nice and quiet, and they were able to eat in peace. Diana watched every now and then as Eren chatted away to the group, all of them listening intensely; she rolled her eyes and continued to eat her food.

Mikasa suddenly tensed beside her, causing Diana to look at her; Mikasa had her eyes set on something ahead. Diana's gaze followed her, landing on the stand-off between Jean and Eren. It seemed as though they were about to fight until the bell sounded, signalling it was time for the cadets to head back to our cabins. Diana watched as Eren left the mess hall before Mikasa followed him. Diana decided to follow, too. 

"Excuse me!" a voice called behind them before they could make it to the exit. Both Diana and Mikasa turned around to be met by Jean. "I just wanted to say —I mean, I've never seen anyone like you before. I mean, I'm sorry, you have really beautiful black hair." He gushed, blushing. Diana let a slight smirk fall on her face. Mikasa looked at Jean with no emotion and spoke. 

"Thank you."

She turned to Diana, sending me an eye-roll before the two left. Diana trailed behind Mikasa and Eren as the two spoke, ending with Mikasa agreeing to cut her hair. Diana grabbed a strand of her own hair, should I cut mine too? The thought, again, was fleeting as Diana quickly decided against the idea. Diana returned to the bunk with Mikasa and got ready for bed, deciding to get an early night. Training started tomorrow; it was going to be a long day. 

[grimdarkfandango]

Fandom Peeps to Get to Know Better

got tagged in an ask meme by @saltedpin thank you!!! I love oversharing on the internet!!!

3 Ships you like: god. okay. be cruel then.

Winter/Kitten - yes we're leading with OCs deal with it SOMETIMES you take a beloved archetype pairing, reshape them like silly putty, put them in separate dnd games, and spend four years running continuous RP with a partner in multiple different au variations because they are perfect actually (shout out to @andromeda-reinvented for literally keeping me sane and fed :prayer emoji:)

Kitten is my husband and also my phone lockscreen and has never done anything wrong in his life (the murders are fine)

Songxue - this is the wizard behind the curtain of winter/kitten, but they are different for all that they're the same. otherwise, uh. see above for all other applicable details lmao

Endhawks - the DRAMA the DILFYNESS the LEGEND look all of my pairings need a certain level of unhealthy devotion and self-sacrifice and not to spoil the current manga chapters for anyone but [blood seeps from my mouth as I start screeching incoherently] anyway yeah big man hot little guy feral

Ganlink - hey riley why are you putting an unnecessary fourth pairing, did you think we weren't already very clearly aware of your type here. no. okay. sure. big man hot little guy feral!!!!!

First Ship Ever: oh god bro I don't know if I have the memory details for that. the first ships I remember going and reading fic for were bandom (*nsync, JC/Lance, yes you heard me) or probably good old gundam wing 1x2, despite having seen approximately none of the show lmao

Last song you heard: Nightmares by the sea - jeff buckley when I started / The life I was missing - flannel graph when I finished (all off my Winter playlist. it's 12hrs long)

Favourite childhood book: I was one of those advanced reader kids who turned up my nose at kids books and for many years almost exclusively read sf/f off dad's bookshelf, which is a long way of saying it was the full ten book run of the belgariad and the mallorean, which I would reread twice a year between the ages of 9-16

is it my favourite now? god no. but I cannot deny what shaped me

Currently Reading: I just started the first Dragonlance book so, I guess, some things don't change

Currently Watching: everything currently airing on Dropout, also The Expanse (finally)(slowly)(I like it too much to binge I think)

Currently Craving: D I N N E R

Tagging: HMMMM ok @andromeda-reinvented, @bigneonglitter, @oldcoyote, @prairie-grass, and anyone else who wants to just say I tagged u!!!

[glitterdustcyclops]

saw @swirlingflight do this and thought it's been far too long since i talked incessantly about myself so why not!! (lmao)

Favourite colour: always mint green but right now especially that perfect shade of baja blast blue, which is the color of summer to me

Last song: The Worst Pies in London from the 2023 sweeney todd revival because it's like the only thing i want to listen to right now

Currently reading: literally just finished the re-release of For Real, which i think might be in the running for my fav alexis hall book? it's definitely tied between that and the arden st. ives series. i love the way it kind of plays with and interrogates the Tropes of bdsm erotica/our assumptions about Power and how that plays into dom/sub relationships. and like, they do a kink scene involving a lemon meringue pie and an anal hook, what's not to love.

Currently watching: a mix of dropout shows obvs but also this chinese drama my mom's been watching called the double, it's on netflix now with english subs so i gotta catch up to her so we can watch it together.

basically, our main character is set up by the evil daughter of the emperor to get caught in bed with another man, and so naturally her husband buries her alive, a totally proportionate response. she wakes up and crawls out of her grave & is rescued by a rich daughter of another government official who has been exiled to a convent as punishment for a crime against her step mother she didn't commit, together they hatch a Scheme to get revenge on their respective evil bitches

i'm only 3 eps in but it's compelling

Currently craving: gosh idk...oh wait. my mom said tomorrow we're going to get our weekly boba now that a kung fu tea opened down the street from my house, so i guess i'll go with that

Coffee or tea: tea. always tea forever. like i think on a good day i drink more tea than i do water at this point.

Tagging: as always, anyone what wants to, consider yourself tagged! and tag me so i can see your answers because i'm nosy~

[alphadogmp3]

nine people you'd like to know better

tagged by: @freckliedan tysmm omg. i did start writing this on the 21st but then i got busy :(

last song: was sin eater by penelope scott last friday (when i started to write it) and still is LMAO. very good song 10/10

favorite color: well ok. it was blue¹ for the majority of my life and i still love blue a lot But!! i think i gravitate more towards pinks (and some reds—pink is just diluted red anyway) nowadays so like yeah my fav colors are pink and blu—ah fuck accidental transgenderism

currently watching: tmnt (2003)...... nostalgia is one hell of a drug.. idrc tho it actually holds up in many aspects lmao. i also bought a dropout tv subscription so im watching game changer & make some noise

sweet/savory/spicy: im literally eating nutella as i write this lol. i mean. i do enjoy those other things as well. but yeah

relationship status: naaahhhh. a (romantic) relationship sounds fun in theory but ive never felt the need for one in my life ever. like i keep waiting for the moment where i finally want one but naaaahhh as it stands nope. not in one don't really want one.

current obsession: i have a few! game changer & its spin-offs on dropout, caryn and connie (i love their sims builds!! their banter is also very fun to listen to in the bg) and the aforementioned accursed turtles.....

last thing you googled: i use duckduckgo 😎 that being said it is "what is ctrl r in google docs" LMAO can't escape google.....

tagging: UM. I DONT KNOW. i am quite afraid of seeming annoying and pushy. to overcome my fear i will tag some people BUT do not feel at all like you have to do it!!!! im just gonna tag mutuals/people who were mutuals for a long time

@captainquacksheart @maybebi47 @heyitsphoenixx @thursdaygirlmp3 @cartilagexfluid @thepeonie & anyone who wants to do it !!!!!!!!

¹ actually tho speaking of blue (language rant incoming) many cultures have different ways of categorizing colors and our color perception is in part shaped by that! a lot of languages differentiate btwn lighter hues of blue and darker hues of blue (e.g. russian and turkish) SO when i say "blue" i am actually thinking of the color "mavi" which refers to lighter shades of blue!! isn't that rly fucking cool!! the other word "lacivert" refers to the darker shades of blue. now, mavi is the more general name for that color, and lacivert could be considered a shade of mavi, but even then, a lot of native turkish speakers would find it super odd to call a super dark blue thing mavi. even calling something koyu mavi (dark blue) wouldn't be the same as calling that thing lacivert even though lacivert refers to a darker blue, bc guess fucking what there is also.....KOYU LACİVERT!!! isn't language so cool. i love thinking about language and words wait what was i doing

[mondstaub1]

Modern/ABO Lucemond fanfiction

- When Viserys died he left everything to his daughter, brother and grandkids (Rhaenyras kids of corse) several houses and mansions around the world, his company, his money, stocks .... all in all several millions $

- So Alicent and her kids were left with nothing and in a terrible finacel situation since:

- Aegon (beta) was a highschool dropout with a alcohol and gambeling problem

- Alicent (omega) never worked before (she was a gold digger, or used as one, that is up for discussion)

- Daeron was in middle school (alpha)

- Helaena (beta) had graduated from highschool but had problems with autism (everyone else had problems she is just so sweet, not her fault her family can't see that) so she was working part time with kids

- Aemond (omega) was about to finsh highschool and since he could not bare to leave his family could not go to collage

- Otto is dead (we are all so sad) (Daemon problably threw a party)

- So they moved into a small aparment and tried to find work with was difficult for several reasons, mostly their lack of experience, Aegons drinking problem and the fact that most people were freaked out by Aemonds eyepatch

- All of them got paid the bare minimum wgrn the had jobs and whenever they had a bite saved up Aegon would spend it on himself

- So in his desperation Aemond used his status as an Omega and got a job as a dancer at a stripp club (Alicent nearly fainted)

- He danced behind a one way mirror so he never saw who he danced for and who it was his was undressing himself for (no touching ever)

- Aemond also took hormons to make his chest and ass grow (he hated the way it made him feel and look but he needed the money)

- Meanwhile Rhaenyra, Daemond and their family ran the buisness and slowly everyone grew up - Jace (beta) studied business to one day take over the company

- Luke after turning out to be an alpha to everyones suprise went to Driftmark to study merean biology and he learnt how to sail from his grandfather

- Joffrey beta got into highschool and played sports (he already had offers from collages for a full scolorship -

- Aegon and Viserys got into a privat school which they enjoyed and Visenya enjoyed her life as Rhaenyras youngest and daddys little girls with lots of sibling so spoil her (not presented)

- Baela (alpha) became an aphlate and Rhaena (omega) studied language and traveled

- After Luke graduated and passed his sailer purment Jace and some of Lukes friend dragged him to a stripped club (guess with one)

- They insisted Luke should have some fun and hired a stripper for a privat dance, they heard of a stripper nicknamed ,,The pirat" and thought it would be perfect to celebrat Luke offically becoming a sailer.

- Luke blushed but let himself be talked into it and the moment he saw the half naked omega through the one way mirror he felt his jaw drop, because in front of him dancinging in the most suductive poses was his oncle whom he had not seen since he was 14

- Aemond had chanced, he used to be so scary and intimidating and now he was dancing around a pole in a string tanger and a BH that seemed so small, well that did not matter when he took it of.

- Luke knew he sould look away but he couldn't and he didn't want to.

- The last time they talked Aemond told him he was a dirty bastard and his mother a whore, so this felt like sweet karma and honestly Aemond was hot

- So Luke sat there hard and with a shit eating grin, watching his uncle dance

- Once it was over Luke claped an said "Wow uncle, it's so nice to see you again. Even if I honestly didn't expect to see so much"

- Aemond went first pale and then red before he grabbed his underwear and ran away mortified

- Luke couldn't help but chuckel before going back to his brother and friends, but he decided not to tell anyone about Aemond.

- Aemonds heart nearly stopped when he heard the voice of his nephew, it had been years since the had seen each other but somehow he know instandly that it was Lucerys. Blood shot into his face once he became aware of the state he was in and so he flet, like the coward he once acussed Luke of being.

- His face burned, his intire body burned with shame, how was Luke even hear? This had to be a nightmare. But it wasn't and he knew it.

- At the end of the shift one of his coworkers aproched him and handed him money, saying it was a tip from one of his clients. Aemond knew immediatly from whom it was.

-He wanted to throw it away but he was not in a situation in with he could turn down money, so he took the 200$, feeling dirtier then ever before.

- The next day at breakfeast his mother anounced that they would meet with Rhaenrya at their old home, to celebrate Lukes graduation.

-Aemond wanted to die, he didn't want to face Lucerys, he didn't know it he could but it seems like he had no choice.

- On the other end of town Luke was grinning after this mother told him his aunte and uncle would attend the party thown in his honor. He could no wait to see Aemond again.

[erophonemic]

for the pervy questions: 3, 20, 39, 76/77 :)

3: Do you have any unusual kinks/fetishes?

I'm going to be honest, I feel like my experience with people is that me liking anal is unusual or something I have to bring up all of the like logistics and ask for it. I guess also I would find it hot if like someone psychically went into my spine like a puppet and fucked me from within my brain lol

20: If you could have sex with anyone right now, who would it be?

My boyfriend, my in-person lover, so many of my mutuals, and YOU :3

39: Favorite foreplay activities:

These days it's getting nice and high, cuddling while watching something silly like on Dropout, getting more and more affectionate as we get giggly and relaxed 💓

76. When was the last time you have had a wet dream?

The 22nd of August! I forget what it was about.

77. Which wet dream was your favorite?

I vaguely remember pinning down a shy eldritch horror girl and cumming in her, that was pretty hot

[la-principessa-nuova]

So one thing that’s been a bit disappointing lately is I don’t feel like I get many chances to girlmode, since I live within line of sight of my parents’ house, and I’m not out to my dad, so if I need to step outside even to get a package, I risk him seeing me.

And since I’m not going anywhere in girlmode, and I don’t exactly boymode at home, more of amorphous blob mode, so as long as I’m not being perceived by anyone else, it’s not so bad.

But that means the only thing I normally only bother even dressing in fem clothes and wearing a wig for therapy, but I don’t even bother putting on makeup for it.

But today, I was just getting home from a 1-night trip before therapy, and I was planning on not seeing anyone and needed to change (I didn’t bring a change of clothes since I was gone less than 24 hours), so I figured it was the perfect time to go all in on girlmode (but with light makeup because I didn’t have a ton of time between getting home and therapy).

So I went with that plan, and I felt great. After therapy I’m sitting on the couch watching Dropout, and I get a text from my sister to look at the sky because it’s so red. I go to the window and peak out the blinds. It’s kinda red, so I respond, “i guess so”. Then at the same time she said it’s “from the explosion” and my dad asks if I saw the moon tonight.

So I try to peak out and see if either there’s really something going on in the sky or if they’re outside. I don’t see anything, so I move to the window going out to my deck and I pull down one slat to peak out, and then as I’m scanning the sky for anything weird, I see a hand wave in front of the blinds.

I jump from the jump scare and let go of the blind. But now I need to know who’s there. If it’s just my mom and/or my sister, I didn’t exactly feel like dealing with them seeing me girlmode for the first time tonight, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world (although I would have wished I had done my makeup better, plus I’d rubbed my eyes and smudged my mascara). But if my dad was there, I needed to go change.

So I tried peeking beside the blinds, but then I realized they might be able to see me fully if I stand there, so after that, I ran out of the living room and into my bedroom, not stopping to pause the show I was watching. Then I literally just pull everything off as fast as possible and wash my makeup off and scramble to get dressed in boymode.

Then it turned out it was my mom and sister, but they were gone now. But it just sucked because tonight was an attempt to get back in the habit of putting in more effort and getting used to just girlmoding around the house and not feeling scared to be comfortable in my own house, and instead it just reinforced the idea of risk.

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 13/01/2023 (Liam Gallagher/John Squire, Lewis Capaldi, Bring Me the Horizon)

Welp, Noah Kahan’s back at #1 with “Stick Season” for a second consecutive week - kinda surprised this is the hit song we start off the year with but alas, welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

Rundown

Now this is the kind of balls-to-the-wall week I expect from early January, and we’ll get to that, but as always, we start with our notable dropouts, songs exiting the UK Top 75 after five weeks in the region or a peak in the top 40. This week, we say farewell to “ten” by Fred again.. and Jozzy, “Take on Me” by a-ha, “(It Goes Like) Nanana” by Peggy Gou, “Everywhere” by Fleetwood Mac, “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” by Whitney Houston, “Giving Me” by Jazzy, “Miracle” by Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding, "Escapism." by RAYE featuring 070 Shake and "As it Was" by Harry Styles.

Now as for songs still showing up on the charts, we have our notable gains, and given January actually has a lot of stuff going on pop music wise, I’m not entirely sure how well these will maintain their momentum but regardless, we do see boosts for… “When We Were Young (The Logical Song)” by David Guetta and Kim Petras at #53, “Riptide” by Vance Joy at #49 - oh, this is dire. Noah Kahan’s good, sure, but it really does not mean we need to stomp and holler our way back to 2014. Sigh, elsewhere, at least we have “Never Lose Me” by Flo Milli at #41, but also “Toxic” by Songer at #39 - God, let’s not do this, please - “Perfect (Exceeder)” by Mason and Princess Superstar at #26, “Feather” by Sabrina Carpenter at #19, “Popular” by The Weeknd, Playboi Carti and Madonna getting a second wind at #11 and finally, Teddy Swims with his first top 10 as “Lose Control” rises to #6, not really complaining about that one.

In addition, we see another film-related return with Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten” finding use in this romcom Anyone but You which no, I haven’t watched and unlike Saltburn, probably won’t. Regardless, the song debuted and peaked at #6 in 2004 the week that “Do They Know it’s Christmas?” by Band Aid 20 debuted at the top of the charts, and it’s now back at #24. I’m a lot less fond of this one, but it’s mostly fine, I’m more exhausted by how 2024 seems to be going even harder in just reviving catalogue songs instead of having new hits.

As for our top five, it seems pretty standard with “greedy” by Tate McRae at #5, “Prada” by casso, RAYE and D-Block Europe at #4 and “Lovin’ on Me” at #3, but then we have Sophie Ellis-Bextor reaching the same peak she reached back at release with “Murder on the Dancefloor” at #2. I don’t really get why the scene in the film, which whilst memorable, is hardly a worthwhile payoff to that shitfest, but I digress, is what propelled this but I almost think it was just sitting there, ready for any excuse to start skirting up the Spotify charts. Oh, and Noah Kahan’s at #1, of course, let’s check out what’s new, because there’s actually more here than last week… and it’s a bit more interesting… Hell, it’s actually pretty incomprehensible this week, so let’s just find some kind of through line, and we start with a certainty that is oddly comforting nowadays…

New Arrivals

#72 - “Skims” - D-Block Europe

Produced by THESCAM and Hash-K

Ah, my good old friends Young Adz and Dirtbike Lb. It’s even produced by… “THESCAM”, wow, I guess it says gullible on the ceiling of your mansion, guys. They released a mixtape or album or whatever and this is a single from it - yes, we’re getting back to back DBE weeks - and it’s just terrible as you’d expect. The tuned-out piano is almost plugg-esque, and surprisingly enough, Dirtbike Lb handles much of this, talking about women mostly as well as a lot of flexing, and whilst he can’t make a catchy hook to save his life, I like Dirtbike’s voice here, he sounds more… stable than usual, and the drums actually hit fairly hard through the whole song. On an objective level, if there is one, this is one of their most competent lead singles until Young Adz comes in with “Presidential, Emmanuel Macron”. That’s the French President. That’s just the French President, you can’t just say the French President. That’s not a bar. He’s mixed too loud and brags about paying with crypto and giving a girl so much money that she… can’t tax evade anymore. Sure. Good to have you back, guys.

#71 - “Nothing Matters” - The Last Dinner Party

Produced by James Ellis Ford

Alright, we have our first of many sleeper hits to debut this week, but this is actually one of the newer ones, being released just early last year. This is the debut single for all-female indie rock band The Last Dinner Party, hailing from London and getting James Ellis Ford, who’s produced for a who’s who of British alternative acts and Kylie Minogue, to work on their debut album coming out in February. We start with an organ, which is almost ironically religious for this kind of song, as lead singer Abigail Morris, through her very British delivery, pretty much condemns herself prematurely for what she’s about to say, “I have my sentence now”, it seems final and self-loathing for what is pretty much a newfound love song, where her partner is struggling to move on but it’s a complete rush for Morris, who seems to hold a lot of power. They can hold her like they held their last girlfriend, but what she’s going to do is fuck you so good that none of that matters, and yeah, this is brilliant. There’s such a bending character to Morris’ vocals, I love the flailing yacht rock guitars in the verses that end up picking up into an incredibly catchy bass groove peppered by the claps in the basic yet anthemic chorus that doesn’t change because, well, it doesn’t change like much will change at this point. To her, there’s not a third person that matters, or at least there’s not a third opinion she values more than getting off on their misunderstanding, and then that staccato bridge explodes into a great squealing guitar solo that ends up seamlessly mirroring the plastic horns that appear in the back of the - admittedly maybe a bit too compressed - mix for that final chorus, where we get a switch up in the rhythm and some impressive vocal runs from Morris.

#59 - “A Cure for Minds Overall” - Lewis Capaldi

Produced by TMS

…Can I use my free Get Out of Reviewing a Lewis Capaldi Song card? Oh, there are two Lewis Capaldi songs both from his deluxe edition? Sigh… well, I guess I’ll use these for another time. Well, for now, I can say that’s an ugly Britpop guitar tone that easily sounds like it could be a MIDI guitar just playing the same chord again and again, and like all of the songs from this album, Capaldi’s voice is mixed bizarrely, and really close, which could help the song’s intimacy, and mostly does, especially given it’s just as self-loathing and wordy as the others, and it goes for the same explosion of strings and belting as the others for the chorus… but God, it’s so tedious. I actually don’t mind the strings, the lyrics are pretty great, but this mix is such a blur of nothingness and the guitar just doesn’t stop. There are supposedly drums in this but they’re so unimpactful and shrouded by the terrible blending of the strings that it just sounds like a guy arguing with clouds and losing… which may actually be what he’s going for, in all honesty. I suppose it works?

#52 - “Ophelia” - The Lumineers

Produced by Simone Felice

…Why? Okay, so this is a sleeper hit from folk rock group The Lumineers and like I said, we’re stomp and hollering our way back to the days of “Ho Hey” as somehow, “Ophelia”, despite releasing in 2015 and being a minor hit Stateside, had never crossed over to the UK. This is really not my thing, even if I know that it’s really not a bad song. The reverb envelops the mix in a cinematic if slightly cheap, commercial-sounding way, and Wesley Schultz is far from a bad singer, his feature on my favourite song of last year kind of proved that I like his voice way more than I should. The jaunty hook is catchy if a tad unmemorable, carried by the gimmicky piano frolick that I’ve never liked, and you can hear he’s straining a bit in the third verse, out of a slight frustration but not a specific one. This song has always felt like vague-posting about a relationship to me and not in a very effective way because there’s little poetic about this song. I’m sorry, I don’t dislike these guys, I’m just not big on this one at all. I get why it’s going to probably be a hit now, I’m not really happy about it.

#37 - “Strangers” - Lewis Capaldi

Produced by The Monsters & Strangerz and Michael Pollack

Okay, our second effort from Mr. Capaldi here… he references “Wonderwall” within 10 seconds, and that’s not the last time we’ll be talking about Oasis, it’s one of those weeks. Anyway, this is just awkward: Lewis isn’t really fit for the fast-paced melody he uses given his frail, froggy voice, and there’s not much to cover that up given the minimal piano and strings backing. I genuinely think this could be a great song if just put against some real rock guitar and groove, it has an insanely catchy lead melody in the chorus that would rip in a pop rock context, but here we just have adult contemporary mush about a breakup… has this guy had 47 breakups or is he just talking about the same one each time? I mean, I guess it’s better than the last one because the mix sounds slightly more professional, but there’s not exactly much to latch onto here either.

#27 - “Practice” - Drake

Produced by 40 and Drake

This is a deep cut from 2011’s Take Care. What the Hell is going on?! To be fair, it’s still Drake, but it’s not even a song he’s pushing or got any kind of boost outside of a TikTok trend and, well, it fits the climate of pop music right now at least, since it samples the bounce classic “Back that Azz Up” by JUVENILE featuring Mannie Fresh, who also produced one of the most recognisable beats of all time, and a young Lil Wayne on the bridge. The Weeknd says he wrote the hook but it’s word for word from “Back that Azz Up” so not really sure what he’s going on about there. The explicit yet undeniable club jam actually never charted in the UK, but hey, now we have Drake singing it to yet another stripper he’s in love with. As for that version, I’ve never been a fan of this era of Drake, where he takes himself uber-seriously, can barely sing and is pathetic in a murkier way that just bothers me more than it allows me to laugh at him, especially when he just… recites the chorus to “Back that Azz Up” over a cloudy alternative R&B beat, and a lot of Juvie’s first for that matter. Outside of the drums, which sound straight from 2011, this isn’t exactly a beat too far from what Drake is putting out right now - he’d probably add a female vocal sample and 21 Savage guest verse if he were to make it today - so I suppose I guess why it’s here, but I can get this vibe done much more compellingly from early Weeknd, I see little value in this, or really the album as a whole in 2024, other than constructing the guy’s wounded armour in the public eye. I do hear people say they want the old Drake, so I guess the fans just put their streams where their mouths were.

#21 - “Kool-Aid” - Bring Me the Horizon

Produced by Zakk Cervini, Oli Sykes and Dan Lancaster

This cover art looks like an edgy AI prompt for “Kool-Aid Man digital art”. The Horizon boys have released many a single from this upcoming album, and I’m actually less excited with each one I hear, so I’m cautious here, especially given… well, it’s called “Kool-Aid”. Welp, is this an “Oh Yeah!” moment? No, not at all. This is an “Oh no” at best, and maybe that’s giving it too much credit. I do like the build-up with the shuttering synths and two-clap drop in the intro, but the rest of the song spends so much of its runtime in muddy breakdown mode that it just fails to function in any other way, despite going for screaming breakdowns afterwards as if the song had any momentum in the first place, with Oli Sykes going on about drinking the Kool-Aid and, man, I don’t think the social commentary is that interesting or up to date, and the violent relationship analogies aren’t nearly as transgressive as he thinks they are. The haunting backing vocals from Lucy Landry in the bridge are pretty sick, but they once again find themselves in a song that REALLY wants you to convince you on something, but never really tells you what that something is. They go all out with every Bring Me the Horizon trick in the book for the final chorus and it just seems desperate. I’ll pass on this, I hope there’s more to the deep cuts.

#16 - “Just Another Rainbow” - Liam Gallagher and John Squire

Produced by Greg Kurstin

This was headed for #1 on Sunday, really. Now at a much more reasonable spot but still higher than Liam Gallagher should be in 2024, this is the lead single from a collaborative album between Mr. Gallagher and John Squire, who used to be the guitarist for The Stone Roses, an influential and for what they were, incredibly popular rock band from the Madchester scene in the late 80s and early 90s. They actually released two top 40 comeback singles in 2016, to which Squire contributed, but have otherwise been largely inactive, with this being his first top 40 hit to his own name, with Squire making a guest appearance at Gallagher’s recent Knebworth performances in tribute to him guest starring at Oasis’ classic 1996 concert there, which I guess rekindled something in the duo. Is this slice of 90s alt-rock nostalgia going to be any good? You know what? Probably not, but on this week I’ll take it. Liam’s voice is still grating but that psychedelic guitar lick is pretty washed-out and cool, and I think the way the mirroring bass is mixed against it makes it sound pretty interesting instrumentally. It sounds lost and uncertain, finding itself only when the drums come in and it turns into a bit of a bluesy rocker that is just solid. There’s little to complain about other than Liam’s voice just being an acquired taste, as the song just slides itself to and fro, with some lyrics where he literally just lists the colours of the rainbow at some point, it’s kind of silly. I don’t see this lasting even a second week and it’s of course not the best of the rock songs of this week, even if it has the coolest solo of all of them: it feels really dynamic and kind of goes on forever in a soaring linger. If anything is proven by this song, I mean, John Squire still has it after all those years just painting away. That’s good to know.

Conclusion

Best of the Week should be pretty obvious, it’s going to The Last Dinner Party for “Nothing Matters”, which is actually fantastic and almost shocked me since I don’t expect much to stand out from the charting remains of indie landfill. Speaking of, I mean I guess it’s typical that another rock song gets the Honourable Mention, but no one was really competing with “Just Another Rainbow” by Liam Gallagher and John Squire, since the rest of this week really was kind of garbage. I actually think Bring Me the Horizon, who I do like around half of the time, snab Worst of the Week for “Kool-Aid”, which I feel second-hand embarrassment for. The Dishonourable Mention… give it to Lewis Capaldi. Moreso for the first one, but it’s not like “Strangers” is saving that sinking ship. As for what’s on the horizon, no pun intended, we’ll probably Ari and Lil Nas X playing an incredibly unbalanced game of tug-of-war for the #1. Thank you for reading and I’ll see you next week!

[tokiro07]

Martial Master Asumi ch.25 thoughts

[Fighting Dreamers]

(Contents: slight Okiba analysis, thematic analysis - motivation)

At last, we finally get Okiba's backstory! And it's...surprisingly mundane, honestly. Okome shows up, talks smack, challenges Okiba to a sparring match, breaks her arm and...apparently feels bad about it? I guess I shouldn't be surprised, Kawada's characters are generally pretty down-to-earth and believable, and with Okome being Kunisaki's kid, I imagine Kawada doesn't want to paint her as too bad of a person. Seeing that she actually went out of her way to help Okiba after the injury, even if it was in kind of a hurried and casual way, is a lot better than her walking off laughing because of how weak she was. It shows that Okome has a bit more depth to her than one might normally assume and gives the impression that she can become a friendly character down the road

Okiba was definitely being a bit...dramatic, eating the phone number that Okome gave her instead of, y'know, going to the hospital, but this is still a work of fiction, and unreasonable or unrealistic reactions are par for the course in pretty much any genre. Plus she's a teenager running high on adrenaline, they kind of have a habit of taking less-than-optimal paths

While explaining her backstory, Okiba revisits the ongoing theme of motivation, helping Asumi to contextualize his own stance as a competitor. It's been discussed a number of times now, but rather than harping on the same idea repeatedly as a lesser story might, Kawada has managed to introduce a consistent sense of escalation. Initially, Asumi was concerned that he was intruding at the Dropout, potentially robbing wins from people who regularly participate there, taking the fun out of people's hobbies; then, Asumi was concerned that he was robbing Amagaki of his chance at a professional debut, potentially killing a career before it even began; now, Asumi is concerned that he's robbing Kuronuma of his livelihood, potentially forcing him to quit entirely

In every scenario, Asumi's concern is that he's depriving people of their dreams and futures for the sake of a petty grudge match against his brother. It's common in any competitive story for people's motivations to clash, like in One Piece where Luffy crushes his enemies' dreams instead of killing them, or any given sports manga where only one team can win Nationals. Chainsaw Man delves into this topic sometimes, like with Denji fighting the Leech Devil and declaring that his shallow dream of touching boobs is stronger than her dream of living decadently with her lover. In all of those stories, though, the point is that everyone is self-assured that their dream is the one that's the most worthy of coming true, and that anyone who wants to prove them wrong is going to have to fight tooth and nail for it

In Asumi's case, though, he doesn't have that self-assurance at all. He not only discounts his own goal, he seems to have a sort of reverence for everyone else's. I mentioned it last week, but in the same way that he doesn't want to hurt people physically, he doesn't want to hurt them emotionally either - he treats their dreams like they're sacred, fragile things. However, this shows a fundamental misunderstanding on Asumi's part: while dreams may be sacred, they are anything but fragile

For one, if everyone was treating their dream as fragile, they wouldn't be able to fight for them in the first place. Everyone else has the guts to put their dreams on the line, to risk losing them for the chance of making them happen, because otherwise there'd be no sense in having a dream at all. Dreams, pride, effort; one can either bet them in the ring and risk watching them fall apart, or put them on a shelf and watch them collect dust because they were too afraid to take a chance. It's better to have loved and lost, and all that

Secondly, up to this point, has Asumi ever actually broken anyone's dreams? Everyone in the Dropout took their losses with dignity, even congratulating the people who beat them despite however embarassing or debilitating their defeats were. Even Amagaki is going to have another chance to debut later, he just needs to find another avenue first. The Dropout wasn't his only chance, it was just his best chance. We're still fairly early, but no one in the whole story has taken a defeat so hard that their life changed because of it, and I think that's a deliberate choice on Kawada's part

MMA, like any sport, is supposed to be fun. Sure, you can have a goal, and you will prevent others from achieving their goals because they're mutually exclusive, but this isn't a life-and-death battle, it's a game. Whether or not Kuronuma's career is ended by this fight, it won't kill him to lose. He'll have reasons to live, ways to make money, and a future ahead of him, and to act like his life to now will have been meaningless if he can't continue doing MMA is much more disrespectful than Asumi meeting him head-on in the ring and doing everything in his power to win. Plus, like I said, his showing in the fight might be so good that the outcome doesn't actually matter and he'll be able to keep fighting anyway, letting him have his cake and eat it too

There may come a time when the stakes are super high, like someone's livelihood actually does depend on the outcome of a match or a dream really will die based on one fight, but for right now, the whole point is to communicate to Asumi that things aren't as serious as he thinks they are, that he's allowed to enjoy the fight without having a grand goal waiting on the other side of it

Finally, the chapter ends with Okiba getting a fight scheduled with Hanagasaki for the same day as Asumi's fight with Kuronuma. This surprises me not because they're happening simultaneously, but because I would think that the Hanagasaki fight would have been at the same time as the Takanori fight. They're clearly a duo, so I would think that it would be more dramatic if it were treated as couple vs. couple. Oh well, I don't want to dwell on what could have been too much, instead I'll be excited to see Okiba vs. Hanagasaki so quickly. This might be the moment where my best girl is decided! At least until someone more interesting comes along

Until next time!

[hextechery]

Was pleasantly tagged by @dontbotherwiththepronunciation! Thank you <3

Last song: I live alone. I listen to music nonstop. This answer has changed five times already, but the most fun answer is Roma Fade by Andrew Bird. Been listening to a lot of Andrew Bird, but my star of the summer (and year) by far is Agnes Obel.

Currently watching: So many shows on Dropout. I've been bingeing Breaking News, Um, Actually, Game Changer and now I'm on Dirty Laundry and Adventuring Academy. Free promo right here but god I love Dropout. Money well spent, would recommend.

Currently reading: Sexualitetens omvandlingar by Johansson & Lalander which is a compilation and summary of different qualitative studies on sexuality in various contexts (ex. all-male middle aged sports team, neo-religious youth). I'm also reading Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir but I'm only like fifty pages in, confused as ever but hopeful (and sort of reading it as a book club with my best friend, which is fun!).

Current obsession: No joke, Pokémon GO. Been competing in the battle league for weeks now and I'm so close to reaching the ace trainer level that it makes my blood boil. I guess D&D could count as another obsession because I'm preparing to DM Curse of Strahd with my friends once term starts.

Tagging: Anyone who feels up to it! These are fun

[starlight-time-machine]

Week in Review

06/02/2024 – 06/08/2024

Sunday

Week 17 of missing Cipher Academy

Girl Meets Rock fine, just going through the motions as the band is entering its final form.

Undead Unluck is pretty fun, it’s great to get this glimpse into Fuuko’s parents and upbringing after all this time. Sean continues to be a favourite for how well he embodies the trope of a silly guy who’s still empathetic and in tune with other people’s needs. Also I’m really amused by that color page and how Tozuka envisions male idols to be LMAOO I can’t wait to see who gets to join Kaede’s backing band.

I checked out Dropout’s new show, Thousandaires, and it’s certainly…interesting. I saw an interview blurb where Sam Reich describes it as show-and-tell, which I’d have to agree with, but it’s just a bit odd to see it used in a “competitive” format. But of course, there isn’t actually any real competition – so the impression I get is like, aggressively positive as the contestants try to make their friends laugh. It’s an odd energy, but so far it’s still been decently fun to watch. Lisa’s was the most straight up comedic bit, but I also have to give kudos to Vic for commissioning a whole musical song for their sister. Jacob’s was cute for how he always looks to give back to the community, but I would have to say that Jiavani’s was my favourite for just how genuinely sweet and fun it was.

Monday

Watched two more episodes of Simpsons, and I’m sorry to say that they weren’t good ones… Homer really annoyed me in the mini-golf episode, and then Bart annoyed me in the subsequent Thanksgiving episode. They both had good endings, I suppose, but the journey to get there was frustrating.

I’m really excited for the Game Changer finale because I vaguely enjoyed the one season of The Circle I watched years ago, and I think the Dropout designers are smarter about how to create a fair game (the people who start at the beginning of The Circle have an insanely better chance at winning than anyone joining later, and the challenges feel really nonsensical), but somehow I think Ratfish has the opposite problem to The Circle. The main gameplay conceit is a lot more interesting and fair, where they all have a chance to deduce each other’s identities based on their intuition and social awareness, but because they filmed the episodes in one day, I didn’t get the build-up of friendships and alliances and other social dynamics that I liked seeing in The Circle. I know they wouldn’t’ve wanted to trap them in a hotel for even a week, but maybe three days would’ve been fun…the general chat and personal chat times just felt so short and inorganic because of the time micromanagement. I love all the characters the cast came up with, but my favourite has to be Zac and Granma Sweetie, he was just so so funny. I’m really sad that he got out first :( So now I’m rooting for Katie to win. And I’ve gotta say…I don’t care about Mr. Eric from Tim and Eric…it’s just a brand of humor I don’t care for at all LOL and the way he chatted was so cringe and “lol xd tacos are so quirky and funny right.” There would be no way for the cast members to guess who he is, so I assume he’s providing some other function in the game – perhaps he and Sam are the ones voting on who their favourite character is? But I’m sure the cast members will get a kick out of seeing him when he’s finally revealed. Anyway I think this format is fun, it just needs a little more room to breathe…I’d love to see it come back in the future like Survivor did.

Tuesday

I had to check out the latest Chainsaw Man chapter because Twitter was exploding about it, and all I can really say is lmao. As ever, we just have to wait and see where Fujimoto goes with this, I guess.

Wednesday

I’d been picking at it here and there over the past few weeks, but my library loan was quickly running out so I read through The Village of Eight Graves by Seishi Yokomizo in pretty much one sitting. Of the Kousuke Kindaichi stories I’ve read so far (Honjin Murders and Devil’s Flute Murders), I was surprised to find that this was my favourite. The premise didn’t seem to be all that gripping at first, but once I was entrenched in this rural town and watching the murders and paranoia spread throughout the community, I was fully hooked. I saw some reviews complaining about the lack of Kindaichi in this Kindaichi story, but I actually kind of really liked that we were getting the story from the perspective of someone who was deeply involved and had a lot of stakes riding on the situation. It made the mystery feel all the more personal and harrowing – and besides, one of the somewhat frustrating things about the other Kindaichi books was how Kindaichi could never really prevent most of the killings. Obviously he can’t get ahead of the killer before the book ends, but it’s a little sad and frustrating to watch as people drop like flies around him while this “great detective” is helpless to stop them. With Tatsuya as our protagonist, at least, it’s more understandable why he wouldn’t be able to do much, and the emotions run higher because it’s people he cares about/the murders seem to be implicating him specifically. I really liked this setting and its characters, too – there were a lot of them, but they felt distinct enough to me where I could imagine what they looked like and what the broader social web was between them all. I especially liked the female characters, of which there were quite a few who were written really interestingly. I also liked that this mystery wasn’t much of a “puzzle box” mystery as Honjin (because I can never really get the mechanics/geography straight in my mind enough for the solution to be satisfying), and the motives were more compelling than Devil’s Flute to me. And then there’s the added bonus of themes of mob mentality and how people in an insular community govern themselves, and the added spookiness of a curse and the dualities being revealed throughout the town…there was just a lot here that was really up my alley. I would have to think on it (and see what other books I want to buy), but this book has definitely become a strong contender for a book I enjoyed so much that I want to buy a physical copy (the first of its kind in my adult life, I think! So that’s fun). As such, I’ll give it a rating of 8/10.

Thursday

I was so productive I even forgot to watch DunMesh.

Friday

Productive again. Woe is me I’m getting a lot of work done.

Saturday

Went over to my friend’s house and made Italian wedding soup. We didn’t eat it while watching DunMesh, but I just had to let you know that we did a very DunMesh activity. The episode itself was fine, though the timing of everything is a little weird. I know we’re past the days of fiddling with the source material for fear of people yelling at you on Twitter, but it would’ve been nice if the Senshi backstory was all one episode and maybe even the season finale…but now there’s the awkward tonal shift of the deeply moving personal revelation with fun species-switching comedy hijinks. I think they didn’t get a new voice actor for Tallman!Chilchuck so now his voice actor is kind of struggling lol

[anxietyisoverme]

I Will- A Lumity Fanfic

Read on Ao3 here :)

Chapter 1- The Runaway

It had been a long day, every day was a long day in Amity’s life. Tied between her parents, her schoolwork, and lack of motivation, Amity had been falling in every aspect of her life. She went from straight A, perfect high school student, doing everything her parents asked, to, as of that morning, a college dropout with no future ahead of her. Because of that, she decided to take the long way home, to look at the local city, take in the trees, and the calming breeze in the graying sky.

“Okay Amity Blight- you have no future, and gave up being perfect. That’s okay.” Amity tried mumbling to herself on the streets. “You are fine. This is good. relaxed looks good on you anyways. Your mom won’t kill you.” She found her heart racing more and more with every step. “Bascha might hate you now, and you may have no friends now that your siblings are free, but that’s okay. It’s fine. You know how to make friends.”

Amity puffed her chest and saw herself in a reflection. Her green hair was falling in every direction, her roots vivid and dark against the color. Her eyes were framed with dark circles, her skin pale, her frame frail. She looked grotesque and disheveled, now with a puffed chest and worries written in her every breath.

“Who am I even kidding. I’ll be shocked if I can make it out of that house alive after this.” Amity sighed and hung her head down low, tracing the ground with her eyes as she continued the walk.

“Uhm, excuse me?” A familiar voice spoke, not far behind Amity.

Amity perked up to look around for who it could be- hoping it wasn’t anyone to make her day worse than it needed to be. That was, until her eyes met a pair of circle frame glasses, a rounded face, and a smile that felt warm and welcoming. “Willow?”

(Read the rest here or on ao3)

“Amity! Is that really you?” Willow smiled, stepping closer to Amity.

“Wow, I can’t believe it’s you.” Amity said, moving towards Willow.

“It’s been what, seven years?”

“I-” she quickly counted out the numbers on her hands before continuing, “Yeah, seven years since we last got to talk. How are you? Didn’t your family move before high school ended? To some, country or whatever- it had plants.”

Willow laughed and placed a hand on Amity’s shoulder. “Yeah- My grandma decided to give me her old business when I graduated. She worked here with me, but she went to the family a while ago.”

“Man- how is she?”

“On the decline, but in her age, I’m just happy to still have her. Plus, the business is thriving and I know that makes her really happy.” Willow smiled.

“I can’t believe that, I always thought she’d work there until the end.” Amity chuckled.

“Well you haven’t seen her in the past few years. It’s good she’s resting.”

“Yeah…” they both went quiet.

“I- I guess I should get back to work. It was nice seeing you-” Willow said, her smile now dropped.

Amity nodded and turned off back onto her path.

“Wait- Amity!” Willow shouted less than a minute later.

Amity turned around to see Willow running over, something in hand. “Yes?”

“Here’s my new phone number, and the shop address. Come back around. I’d like to catch up.” Willow placed a paper into Amity’s hand and smiled. “I hope maybe we can make amends.”

Amity smiled and watched Willow run back, her heart racing as she placed the paper into her pocket. Perhaps if she survived the night, she would try again with Willow. After all, it was Amity who pulled them apart.

The walk stretched on and on, yet wasn’t long enough. Amity stepped one sore leg after the other, as she started up the stairs to the grand double doors, ready to hear the worst. Once at the top, she took a deep breath and opened the doors. The familiar scent of incense and lavender welcomed her as she stepped in, her eyes darting around for her parents. Once she saw all was clear, she started running through the hall and up the staircase to her room. Through the day, she planned this very situation. In every possibility, she needed a go bag, and fast. So she hastily grabbed anything important and irreplaceable and started shoveling that into her empty school bag. Clothes, charger, emotional support childhood item, hygiene supplies, all a check. Now it was time for the worst part. Telling her parents. Ruining her life for forever, moments away.

“Ah Amity. Are you finally joining us for dinner?” Odalia asked, her voice calm, with an undertone of what felt like sarcasm.

“I-” Amity felt the blood drain from her face as she stood in front of her mother. “I already ate.” That was a lie.

“Ah, then I will pack up your dinner in case you want it during classes tomorrow.” Odalia said, starting off towards the dining room and kitchen. “How are your classes anyways? I know your grades should be coming through soon.”

Amity paused, and quickly shuffled after her mother. “That- haha. Actually-”

“I hope you tell Professor Brown I say hello. You know, he was my professor when I went through and got my degree in psychology.”

“Mother- I dropped out.” Amity spat, her mom pausing, and not turning around.

“Hm. I guess that is to be expected. You were never the best child of mine.” Odalia said calmly, too calmly.

“Oh- well, is that, okay?” Amity asked, picking at her fingernails as she looked towards her mother, back still turned.

“I had expected this from you. Good for you, I had something to discuss at dinner. Now is as good of a time as any.” Odalia turned around and looked at Amity, her eyes serious. It sent a chill down Amity’s back. “There has been an opportunity provided to us by Mr. Belos to join our companies if, his nephew could take you as a wife.”

“I don’t want an arranged marriage!” Amity said abruptly. “This is the twenty-first century. Arranged marriages are a thing of the past.”

“You should consider my offer. I’ll make peace with a dropout for a daughter, but I will not let you disobey me.”

“Why should I care? I don’t want to marry some hand-washed rich boy who doesn’t know how to dress himself.”

“He’s a perfectly fine boy. You can’t be picky anyways. No boy would honestly want you, and with your standards, you won’t find a husband who meets your standards. At least this one will let you do whatever you want without your degree.” Odalia started to raise her voice, her calm and stern demeanor fading into anger.

“I. Don’t. Want. Him.” Amity shouted. “I don’t want any man!”

“You just haven’t settled for the right one. Just say yes.”

“I will never say yes. I will make my own choices. I am in my twenties, you can not make my decisions for me. You should just leave me alone.”

“That will not be allowed in my house, not if you are to continue taking my money. Not if you wish to get anything when your father and I pass on.” Odalia said, her brows furrowed, a vessel popping out of her forehead.

“It’s not like I was going to get shit from you anyways.”

“Watch your tongue young lady! You are not to say such words.” Odalia said, anger still bubbling up in her voice.

“I can say whatever I please. I am an adult- I- I don’t need you!” Amity shouted at her mother, all fear now replaced with every emotion she had held back from her mother.

“If you do not need me, then leave, and do not think of reaching back out when you falter as you always do.” Odalia said, now shouting back.

“Fine. You weren’t much of a mother anyways.” Amity said, one final blow before storming off to her room.

She grabbed her bag, locked her bedroom door, and sighed, looking at her room for one last moment. The bed in the corner, the large circle window, posters, and old school books. Twenty three years, and this was it. It really hadn’t dawned on her what it would mean if she ever truly had to run. It’s not like there really was a way to prepare for leaving everything behind. She always knew there would be one day she would leave and never go back. Still, there was a certain surrealism to it. Twenty three years of life, gone in a flash. So she whispered one final goodbye to her room before opening the large circle window and swinging her legs out for what would hopefully be the last time. Down the house she went, as fast as she could, to the only place she could think to go. The only person who would still take her in. Willow.

It didn’t take long for her to find her way back to the flower shop, her heart pounding heavy in her chest. What was she to say, what was she to do? She was appearing to her old friend’s house, in the middle of the night, looking for shelter. As she thought her situation couldn’t get more pathetic, she felt rain begin to pelt her from overhead. She took a deep breath and rung the bell. She watched through the glass windows as yellow lights flickered on and a silhouette started to appear and shuffle closer. The same kind, round face greeted Amity, with squinted eyes she opened the door, messy pigtail buns forcing her to wipe her eyes.

“Amity!” Willow said, as it clicked who she was looking at. “Come in.”

Amity shuffled in, Willow’s arm reaching and pulling her through the shop and up stairs until they reached what looked like an apartment door.

“What happened to you?” Willow asked, opening the door and immediately pushing Amity into a comfy chair.

“I uh… I ran away.” Amity said quietly.

“You still live with Odalia and your dad?” Willow asked over the sound of her putting water in a kettle and setting it on a stove.

“Yeah, they wanted me to until I graduated college.” Amity started picking at her fingernails again as she kept her head turned down, her usually perfect bun now loose and falling to the sides of her face.

“Oh, I’m sorry Amity. You’re welcome to stay with me. I have an extra bedroom you can use.”

Amity looked over to Willow and gave a weak smile. “You’ve always been so kind.”

“It’s just part of being a good person.” Willow said as she handed Amity a cup of tea, steam still rising from the cup.

Amity blew the hot liquid as she held it in her hands. “I wouldn’t know.”

Willow sat down in the chair next to her and sighed. “That was Odalia. She was, controlling. I think you probably have some good inside of you, just waiting to come out.” She shot Amity a comforting smile.

Amity sighed, holding back. “I don’t know. I could’ve said no.”

“That doesn’t mean you can’t change. You were reliant on Odalia, you were alone. Why don’t you give yourself a chance and work here. Get on your feet.”

Amity looked up at Willow, her eyes misty. “You- you’d do that for me? After all I did to you?”

Willow smiled softly and nodded. “You’re still my BFF. That’s forever.”

Amity set the cup down and reached to hug Willow. “Thank you, thank you.”

Willow hugged her back. Eventually Amity relaxed and sipped on her cooling tea, feeling warmer, lighter. The night went on for a while longer where the two women talked back and forth. It was as though the past didn’t matter, and all Amity had was her future, in her hands. The lights from outside continued to go out until there was no light left in the large living area. Eventually Willow retired off into her room, leaving Amity alone in the dark living room. She sipped on her tea, looking out to the city around, and once all the liquid was gone from her cup, she took the dishes and washed them before finally wandering to the guest room, alone.

[itsclydebitches]

oh they are COMMITTING!!! to feanorian!galadriel holy shit they plastered the star all over the rest of her clothing too (check the trailer where she’s cliff climbing there’s two of them on her sleeves) at this point idk who i’m gonna see on screen but it ain’t her. maybe she has a secret long lost twin

Yeah I assume you mean this shot?

I literally have no authority to say whether it's really his star or not—I'm still seeing "It definitely is" and "It definitely isn't" takes from more knowledgeable fans than I—but my totally unsupported guess right now is that Amazon just grabbed A Star Symbol and designated it The Elf Star for the purposes of their show. Not that it makes this better... but it might be a case of, "We snagged an aesthetic with unfortunate, but totally unintentional implications because we didn't bother to research this" rather than, "This is deliberately and intentionally feanorian!galadriel." Idk idk.

The trailer was so underwhelming though? Accuracy aside, nothing in that made me excited to sit down with the show. Part of it is likely how lackluster the show itself actually is (I maintain that almost nothing here feels LotR to me, just Generic Hollywood Fantasy), but it's also just a mediocre trailer? Outside of those fans who know enough to make educated guesses based on context cues, we don't know who anyone is, both because it's largely a new cast, an OC cast, and a cast with unrecognizable faves (Elrond). There's no plot laid out except "legends," so we're left with just a collection of disconnected, kinda lackluster images. Dwarf hits rock. Gladriel races on her horse. Proto-hobbit smiles into the distance. As someone not very familiar with this age, I want to know what the story is beyond "forging of the rings" and "covers a couple thousand years in a couple episodes, I guess" and the trailer didn't give me that. I'm sort of weird in that I love trailers. In the sense that when I'm bored I regularly go onto YouTube and rewatch my faves because, to me, a good trailer is an art form all its own. It's a 1-3 minute story that is connected to, but ultimately separate from, the canon it's promoting and therefore worthy of watching as its own thing, not just as a precursor to the movie/TV show. This trailer? No desire to rewatch it.

(Also, I'm sorry, but Elrond is just so funny to me. He looks so out of place! Who is this theater kid/boy band dropout!! I can't.)

I did like the elf catching the arrow and shooting it back though. That was cool.

[imtooscaredforthis]

Basketcase

Chap.2 - Story

Mentions of: Death, Angst, Child Abuse, Sexual Harassment, Cults, Drugging, Kidnapping, Stabbing, Murder, Alcohol, etc.

You watched as the fog lifted around you, letting out an exhausted sigh. The previous trial seemed like your last for the time being, giving you some time to rest around the campfire with the other survivors.

You trudged over to a log, dragging your feet, and sitting down in front of it, resting your face on your knees. The bark scratched against your back slightly as you leaned against it, but it was something that grew comforting for you, knowing that it meant you could rest. Your injuries had all healed, only some slight tingles of pain from where you had been stabbed and where the entity grabbed you.

You had grown used to dying, and at this point, it only served as an inconvenience. Getting killed by the entity was probably one of the more merciful ways to go, compared to getting stabbed, eaten, cut up, and many other ends you had to face.

“Rough trial?” One of the survivors sitting across from you, Adam, asked.

“Yeah, I guess you could say that.” You smirked at him, leaning back slightly and banging your knees together with boredom.

Despite having a very antisocial attitude, you got along with most of the survivors. Well, the ones you talked with, at least. You usually spent most of your time with those who were relatively near your age. Quentin, Steve, Nancy, and Claudette who was always really nice. She helped you a lot when you first got here, and so did Quentin.

You also got along with some of the older guys, like Ace who was kind of like the fun uncle type, and Ash and Bill always had great stories. Ash’s fight against evil spirits and deadites, and Bill’s on the hardships and persistence during his service in Vietnam always seemed to entertain you.

But right now, there wasn’t anyone there who you could talk with, so, you let your gaze fall to the forest in front of you as your mind wandered. That same killer from before still plagued your thoughts. The Legion.

They were a relatively new group, joining along with a survivor not too long ago. Even though you only went against Susie, (and now another member) you had heard rumors about how aggressive and rude they could be. Some even scared them. You knew their names were Susie, Joey, Frank, and Julie, but you didn’t have any faces you could match them to.

Still, you didn’t know why that thought of him was glued to your mind, maybe you were attracted to him or something. You always did have a thing for guys that could kill you. That’s what got you here in the first place.

It all started during your senior year of Highschool. Your parents were extremely religious, forcing you to go to a private school to learn, and making you read scripture every night. Ever since you were a kid, you felt that religion wasn’t for you, but you knew if you said anything about it, you’d probably be disowned. In fact, if you did the smallest thing they deemed unholy, your Father would beat you for it. Most of your life had been boring, bleak, and bland until you met him.

Damien Finch. He was a dropout, about a year older than you. Black hair, hellishly handsome smile, leather punk clothes, everything about him smelled like trouble, and it enticed you even more. So, you decided, now that you were eighteen, you were old enough to make your own choices. And the first choice you ever made for yourself was to hang out with him. It was a mistake. It was the worst mistake you ever made.

You hung out a few times, doing stupid shit like smoking, vandalizing stuff, and lighting things on fire. For once, you finally felt like an actual teenager. Making stupid decisions and knowing you’ll learn from them later. It felt like you belonged.

The third time you were together, he kissed you. And man, was it intense. You had never kissed anyone until him, and he made you feel so many things, but most importantly, he made you feel wanted. Guys never wanted you before. No one did.

That was the last good thing you ever felt before your death. The last time you hung out with Damien, he drugged and kidnapped you. When you awoke, you were tied up and gagged to the floor, stripped down to nothing but your undergarments. Damien and a few other men were there, standing above you in robes.

The rest that happened was all a little fuzzy, probably since your brain was trying to keep the trauma pushed back. They carved into your chest and legs, muttering awful things to you, while you cried and begged for them to stop. Then, they began to chant something, walking over and slitting your throat. Never had you fought so hard, screaming until you couldn’t, kicking and struggling under the bonds until your skin was raw. As you bled out, the fog came over you slowly, taking you away from this miserable death.

It took you a while to get over your death and finally accept what was happening. You were so hysterical, so sad, so angry, it was horrible. You even tried running away, and the others had to stop you a few times, David even had to hold you down at one point.

You subconsciously ran your finger over your collarbone, feeling what was left of the carvings Damien gave you. The entity healed most of it up, except for two marks, one on your chest and the other on your thigh. On your collarbone was some cultish marking which you supposed was for the entity, and on your thigh was the initials of the men who all did this to you, D.M.N.S.

You supposed it was the entity’s little way of fucking with you as if putting you through these trials wasn’t already enough. Still, sometimes it would hurt. Sometimes you would still feel a little vengeful, wanting to make those men hurt the way they made you hurt, thinking about what you’d do to them. Other times, you would wonder where you would be in your life if you didn’t make that stupid decision of hanging out with Damien. Would you be free? You hoped so.

The sound of survivors joining the fire and conversations growing more animated managed to pull you out of your thoughts. It seemed that the others had just finished up their trials as well.

Quentin took a seat beside you, giving you a tired grin. “Everything okay?”

“I’m fine, I just got a little lost in thought.” You smiled back at him. Out of everyone here, you were probably the closest to Quentin. He was easy to talk to and pretty funny. He was also very comforting, letting you fall asleep on him when you were bored or tired.

And you were pretty sure he liked you. As in like-liked you. He was always so kind, and the way he looked at you...but you didn’t like him like that. As much as you wanted to, you couldn’t like him back. You could only see him as a friend, and it sucked. But despite this, it was nice to still have some sort of close connection with someone out in this isolating realm.

You watched as David pulled out a flask from his back pocket, holding it up in the air. “Look what I found.”

He took a sip, grinning as he sat back. “Seems like that wanker entity’s good for somethin eh?”

He passed the flask around, some drinking, some not. Min, who was seated beside you, took a long drink, before offering it to you. You gazed at it hesitantly, raising a hand to it. “Oh, I don’t know if I should.”

“Okay, no one’s going to force you, but it’s not like we’re leaving anytime soon. One of the good things about being trapped in another dimension for eternity is that you can make mistakes and learn from them. You have all the time to do, well, whatever.” Her words made you stop and think. And you realized, she was right.

“Screw it.” You shrugged, taking a sip, coughing slightly at the bitterness of the whiskey. It burned your throat but in a good way. Some of the other survivors cheered you on, hooting and laughing. Wiping your mouth, you offered some to Quentin, but he just shook his head.

After some time passed, most of the survivors were gone again, except for a few scattered around the campfire. That just left you, Quentin, and the flask which was now only in your hands.

Man, David must’ve hit the jackpot, because the flask felt like it was bottomless. You had taken quite a few more sips, growing used to the taste of the whiskey, and the nice burn it gave your throat. You never rally drank up until now, but it felt nice to have your nerves and emotions numbed by the alcohol.

“You sure you want to keep drinking that?” Quentin questioned nervously, noticing how tipsy you were getting.

“Oh, Quentin, you’re so cute. I’ll be fine.” You flicked his nose, letting out some drunk giggles.

The time between trials would either be too short or painfully long. Right now, it was really long. You rested your chin on your hand, gazing out at the forest once again.

It was dark, too dark to see if anything was behind the bushes and trees that were densely close together, as if screaming, “do not enter.” And you knew not to since most survivors said it was killer territory. But in your drunken state of mind, your curiosity peaked, and you couldn’t help but wonder what was back there.

Then, you remembered Min’s words from earlier. And you knew you had to go. So, when no one was looking, you crept out to the woods. You stood at the boundaries, looking through them hesitantly, you still couldn’t make anything out.

Right when you were about to step out of the boundaries, and into the woods, Quentin was there to stop you. “(Y/n)? What are you doing out here?”

“Nothing, I just want to see what it looks like inside.” You murmured, not moving your eyes from the woods.

“You know you can’t do that. The killers are in there.” He said cautiously.

“Yeah, so? I’m just going to take a peak. I’ll be back in a second.” You told him, turning away to the woods.

“(Y/n), no. Don’t be stupid.” He stopped you, making you even more frustrated.

“Why do you even care? It’s not like you’re my boyfriend or anything.” You regretted those words as soon as they slipped from your mouth. You fucked up, and the hurt expression on Quentin’s face showed it all.

“Shit, Quentin I’m sorry.” You tried, but he already turned his back to you, fuming.

He shook his head, dark locks bouncing in his face. “Whatever. I shouldn’t have to be responsible for you. Have fun doing whatever stupid shit you’re planning.”

You wanted to follow him, and almost did, but you stopped yourself. If you followed him right now, all you would do is make it worse. So, turning away, you set out for what you were here to do in the first place.

Pushing past some thickets and trees, you entered the woods. It was dark inside but just seemed like a normal forest. But there was something in the energy, something that seemed off about it.

Continuing to explore and drink away your frustration from your fight with Quentin, you began to sing to yourself. Back in the normal world, music was one of the few things you could have. Your mother gave you a phone just in case of emergencies, and you found a way to download your favorite songs.

God you missed music, you missed food, you even missed people. Which you never thought was possible. Softly, you began to sing to yourself.

“Love me love me, say that you love me,”

“Fool me, fool me, go on and fool me,”

“Leave me, leave me, just say that you need me”

You repeated the lyrics, the song engraved into your mind. As you continued walking, you felt yourself begin to grow tired, your eyes growing heavy and the next thing you knew, your legs lost all weight, and everything went black.

[jjfics]

can u write about the reader making five laugh and pointing that out, it's also the first time theyve done that so it's really special to them :3 thank you !!!

Ask Me Why

ship: Five Hargreeves x The Reader

summary: Five decides that he doesn’t want to be alone anymore and he finds the perfect new companion: The Reader drinks coffee, is interested in Greek and psyhics, and can make him laugh

author: Jane Jack aka your girl JJfics 

word count: 1240

warnings: none, it’s all fluff (if there is anything i missed please let me know)

a/n: i really hope this turned out the way you wanted it to. i’m not all that good at writing relationships when they are still in the beginning but i tried. enjoy this fluffy scenario!! -jj

After surviving not just one, but two apocalypses, Five needed to find out a way to live the rest of his life. A peaceful one, with no abusive fathers, no killing, no trying to save the world.

The days were slow and always the same. Grace cooked breakfast, Five would say goodbye and then leave the house for a couple of hours, never really doing much. How do you live when you don’t know what you’re living for? 

Before he used to live to go on missions. He used to live to assassinate for the commission so he could go back to his family. Five used to live to keep them safe, but now that they are, what will he do? He has a second chance at life as his young self, and he isn’t sure how to take it. 

Five turns the page of his book slowly as he looks up to his sister, who is cleaning her violin carefully. 

“I don’t think I follow, Vanya. What are you suggesting again?” he asks.

Her stupid grin grows even bigger but she doesn’t look at him when she opens her mouth to go further, “Look, I was just saying that maybe you need a… a distraction. It’s like you don’t even know how to relax.” 

“I am very relaxed right now. No idea what you’re talking about.”

“You’ve read that book at least 5 times already.” she scoffs. 

“Correction: I’ve read all books 5 times already,” he says with a small, sarcastic smile.

“Stop proving my point, oh my God.” Vanya gets up from the bed and leaves the room. 

“Where are you going?” Five yells after her.

“To get water” her voice fades away.

Five was left alone in his sister’s bedroom. What if she was right? He needed to find his purpose again. He just needed a way to start.

The sound of Vanya’s glass being put down on the nightstand interrupts his thoughts. “Alright. How do I do it?” he mumbles.

“Do what?”

“How do I… get a distraction?” 

She brings a finger to her chin as she sits back next to him. “Hmm… What’s something you’ve never done?” After she doesn’t get a response but a confused stare, she rolls her eyes, “What’s something all of us have done while you were gone that you haven’t? Something you feel like you missed out on?”

“I can’t just think of something off the top of my head… maybe if you’d tell me more of what you’ve been doing?”

“Oh… well, I started music as a profession, I wrote a book, dated some weird guys, joined a book club once… Got any ideas yet?”

“Dated some weird guys… dated… dating… yeah yeah” he whispered, “I think I know what I need. I need to meet new people.” 

“Well, that’s actually nice Five you kno-” she gets cut off by him special jumping out of her room to wherever. Typical for him. 

The December weather forced everyone to seek warmth. Five watches as a group of people enter the café, passing him and looking for a table. One person, in particular, catches his eye. You catch his eye. 

You take your scarf off and leave it on your chair before you sit down. Someone comes up to you and you turn around to look at the boy. “Hello,” he says.

“Hi…?” 

“Did you come here alone?”

“That’s bold of you to ask, stranger.” you chuckle. 

“Oh yeah, sorry. That did sound weird. What I meant is, would you mind some company?” he rephrased. 

“Not at all,” you say smiling. “Please, take a seat.” He places his cup on the table. “Looks like you already drank yours.” you point out.

“I wouldn’t mind a second one.” he winks. “Did you already order anything?” 

“No, not yet. I was thinking of a cappuccino… but I honestly don’t really know. What did you have?” 

“Black coffee. It’s the only way I can drink it,” he admits.

“Wow, I could never. Isn’t it too bitter?”

“You get used to it, after some time.” he shrugs.

“My mom tried to get me to drink black coffee. Said it would make me look like a real grown-up… grown-up my ass…”

“I don’t think that’s actually true. People’s tastes differ, you know?”

Who was he? Why did he come to you and why does he seem to be interested in you? You didn’t know the answer to all these questions, but if he stayed enough, you might want to get to know him. 

“What’s your name, genius?” you question, raising your eyebrows. 

“Five” he grins.

“Hmm… Eccentric. I like it,” you say, which makes him blush. “I’m y/n.” you bring your hand forward and you shake hands. 

A waiter is heading your way and you look for your wallet.

“Oh, don’t bother,” Five stops you by placing his hand on yours, and this time it’s your turn to blush. “I got it,” he says. And when the waiter is at your table you don’t even have time to protest because Five is already talking.

“Hi. I’d like a second simple black one, and y/n here would like… a cappuccino? Right?” 

“Yeah,” you say quietly and nod, your hands still touching. 

“Would you like to pay now or when you leave?” the waiter waves their pen in the air. 

“Now, please.” Five says and gives him the money. 

“You really did not have to,” you say.

“It’s my pleasure” he winks again. This boy… 

“Where are you from?”

“The city. Why?” he asks, fixing his blazer.

“I haven’t seen you in here before. I was just wondering, I guess.”

“You from around here?” he asks.

“No, but I’m a freshman. I got here on a scholarship.” 

“What are you studying?” 

“Greek. My parents didn’t really agree, they were pretty disappointed when I didn’t choose physics.” you laughed.

“Were you good at physics?” 

“Yeah, in high school. But I didn’t really enjoy it.” 

“Me neither. I was kind of forced into doing physics every day too.” Five confesses. 

“So you understand.” you look up at him.

“Better than you’d think.”

The waiter comes back with two cups. 

“Are you a student too?” you ask, bringing the coffee to your lips to take a sip.

“No, I used to be.” Five says stirring his slowly.

“So you’re a dropout, I see. Is physics really that hard?” you smack his arm playfully.

You considering him a dropout seems so funny to him. Is that what he did? When he left because Reginald wouldn’t let him time travel? Did he drop out of the academy? The thought was just so hilarious to him, he couldn't suppress his laughter at all. 

When he calmed down you lean forward over the table and he mirrors your actions. Your hand reaches for his hair and you brush it back the way it was before he messed it all up laughing. Five’s heart begins to beat faster. He never had anyone be so affectionate with him. 

“You look cute when you laugh,” you say smiling softly at him. “You should do it more often.”

“Maybe if we’ll talk more. Not many people can make me laugh.”

“I would definitely love to talk more.” 

Five looks down at his watch and then back at you. “How much time do you have?” 

“Why, what do you have in mind?” you giggle.