#but this is the new version and i’m so pleased with it

[redvexillum]

I wasn’t planning on posting any stories this month since I’m still on a bit of a break, but with everything going on in America right now, I just felt the need to reach out. I know there’s nothing I can do to change things, and this may seem small and silly, but writing is what I know how to do. And if even one story can bring a smile or a bit of comfort to my friends, then I want to share it with you. Please hang in there. You’re not alone.

PART 01. CATASTOR AND HIS NEW DO

The mirror reflected back a tired version of you, someone with hair that seemed almost weary itself—dull, brittle, lifeless. It felt as if it siphoned off the vibrance around it, capturing any glimmer of light and snuffing it out. You tilted your head, narrowing your eyes in concentration, pondering whether today might finally be the day to give it a fresh look, a touch of sparkle.

“Nyaahh,” came the unmistakable squeak from behind you. There was Catastor, your mischievous little companion, perched primly on the dresser. From his place in the reflection, his big, round eyes stared outward in comical opposite directions, his pink tongue lolling out as he mimicked your tilted head with an exaggerated, inquisitive look.

“Baby!” you called, your heart swelling with warmth as you spun around, arms open wide. The sound of your voice was enough to make his tail wag wildly, his body nearly vibrating with excitement. Without hesitation, he launched himself at you, his small, warm body landing like a soft, cozy blanket against your chest, his form molding against you with the comfort of melted cheese.

A purr reverberated through him as he nestled closer, pressing his face into your neck, his ears flattened in absolute contentment while his tail swayed in erratic, delighted rhythms. You ran a hand absentmindedly over his back, savoring the soft fur beneath your fingertips. His warmth seeped into you, a soothing weight that melted the day’s tension as his purring grew, a low, comforting rumble.

“I’m thinking of getting my hair done,” you mused, fingers trailing through his soft coat. His purrs only deepened, and the faint tug of relaxation settled over you like a spell, easing every muscle into stillness.

Catastor blinked up at you, each eye fluttering in its own haphazard rhythm. You chuckled at his antics, reaching down to tap his little nose. “What do you think? Should I cut my hair?” You knew he couldn’t actually answer, but you enjoyed these small conversations; there was a special solace in talking to him, as if he understood more than he let on.

In response, he stretched his neck, bringing his face to yours, then gave the tip of your nose a tiny lick before plopping his head over your shoulder, nuzzling into the crook between your neck and shoulder. A small laugh bubbled up as his soft fur brushed against your cheek, the feel of his familiar warmth filling you with a calm contentment.

After a moment, you lowered yourself onto the bed, trying to peel him off of you, but Catastor flopped onto the mattress with an exaggerated stretch, limbs splayed like a second blanket, his belly exposed and tail twitching in lazy arcs.

“Well, I’ll be getting my hair done today, so I’ll need you to watch the house while I’m gone,” you murmured, giving his soft belly a gentle scratch. His eyes drifted shut, head lolling back as a new wave of purrs filled the room, his front paw giving a contented twitch.

“I’ll even bring a treat back from Cannibal Town,” you promised, your heart melting as his purrs softened, his form going limp, edging on sleep. Catastor always struggled with separation, and more than once you’d found him nestled secretly in your hair after shrinking himself down to follow you. So, you’d learned to wait until he was fully asleep before attempting a quiet exit.

As his breathing deepened, his little paws twitching as if in a dream, you held back a giggle and rose carefully. Holding your breath, you tiptoed to the door, gently closing it behind you. Outside, you finally released a long sigh, the crisp air filling your lungs. You loved his protective nature, but he’d once torn apart a whole street after a gang had tried to hassle you. As grateful as you were for his fierce loyalty, his fervor sometimes led to more trouble than you bargained for.

Keys and wallet in hand, you glanced back toward your room, a gentle smile tugging at your lips. “Sweet dreams, baby,” you whispered softly. “I’ll be back soon.”

At the salon, you were greeted by Mel, the ever-charming Poodle Sinner who had a reputation for her wickedly red lipstick and long, flirtatious lashes, popping her gum with every word. She tossed her towel over one shoulder with practiced ease, flashing you a wide grin.

“Darling!” she greeted, smirking as she chewed her gum. “’Bout time you came back, hah!” With a wink, she gestured toward the chair, deftly laying out her trays of potions and lotions, each bottle filled with promises of shine, volume, and glamour.

“What’re we doing today, hun?” she asked, fingers weaving through your hair as she examined it with a critical eye. “My, you’ve let her grow!” She gave an exaggerated cluck of her tongue when she caught on a knot, making you wince. “Now, don’t you worry, we’re gonna make you shine like a star again.”

As you settled in, you couldn’t help but imagine Catastor napping peacefully at home, dreaming of treats and waiting loyally for your return.

You laughed nervously, watching Mel's smirk in the reflection as she raised a brow, eyes full of mischief. The cold mist from her spray bottle caught you off guard, sending a shiver down your spine as your shoulders jolted. Slowly, you settled back into the chair, letting yourself relax as she worked her fingers through your hair. “I was thinking…maybe some curls?” you mumbled, cheeks warming as a certain image flickered to mind—one of a tall, red-haired demon with that wily smile and fluffy ears.

“Oh my!” Mel snickered knowingly, brushing through your hair in slow, precise strokes. “There’s a new man in your life, isn’t there?”

Immediately, your cheeks flamed, and your gaze dropped to your hands, fingers twisting together as you stammered, “N-no! Nothing like that, really…he’s just, uh…just my boss.” But your heart betrayed you, racing faster with every word. The thought of admitting any hint of interest, even to your friend, left you shy and tongue-tied.

“Say no more, sweetheart,” Mel trilled in a sing-song voice, dismissing your excuses with a wink. “I’ll make you look like a knockout!”

A tiny squeak escaped you, your face now red as a tomato. “It’s not—it’s really nothing like that!” You tried to argue, though the grin tugging at Mel’s lips made it clear she didn’t buy a word of it. Before you could protest further, she gave your head a light pat, her smile bright and warm. You couldn’t help but smile back, the joy in her laughter lifting you from your shyness.

As Mel worked, the usual salon gossip filled the air, talk of the latest mischief and drama from the East Side of Pentagram. She’d been one of your first friends in this strange place—a friendly face in the chaos of Hell. You remembered that first day, scared and alone, stumbling into her salon. Now, as you sat there, chatting and laughing with her, you felt a happiness and warmth that chased away any lingering loneliness.

The smell of her berry-scented products wrapped around you as she applied them, each brushstroke feeling like a balm. And despite yourself, your thoughts drifted back to your boss—the Radio Demon. Would he be surprised to see you tomorrow, all dolled up with new curls? Maybe he’d even…like it?

Your hands pressed together, a hopeful smile spreading across your face as you imagined the look on his. You could practically see his eyebrow raise, his grin widening in that sly, amused way.

After what felt like hours, a sharp gasp broke your reverie. Mel had jumped back, a look of shock on her face. “Oh, honey, there was a…pest in your hair!” she exclaimed, eyes wide.

Confused, you frowned, tilting your head. A pest? Before you could ask, a loud, indignant yowl rang out from behind you, and you felt something shift in your hair. In a flash of pink, something furry tumbled forward, landing on the floor in a poof of exaggerated volume.

Your mouth dropped open as you stared down. There, standing in a mound of fluffy, pink fur—puffed out so large he looked like a living cotton candy puff—was Catastor. His fur had poofed to double its usual size, the familiar outward-pointing eyes and red monocle nearly swallowed up by the mass of fluff. His wide grin only made the sight more ridiculous.

“Catastor!” you gasped, dropping to your knees as he waddled toward you, his puffy paws kneading at your knee in that familiar, pleading gesture for comfort.

“Oh, baby,” you cooed, scooping him up and pressing him close. His fur was so soft and squishy it felt like sinking into a plush cloud, your arms disappearing into the sheer volume of fluff. He burrowed his head against you, the tremble in his yowl finally quieting as you gently stroked his back.

“Oh, my, Satan,” Mel laughed, eyes twinkling. “You’re holding a walking ball of cotton candy!”

You looked down at Catastor, his little face half-buried in his own fur, his yowl softening to little meows. The sight of him, so utterly ridiculous and adorable, sent a wave of giggles through you. “Looks like we both got a spa day today,” you teased, scratching under his chin. His eyes drooped, his purrs growing content and low.

“I know just the thing!” Mel said with a playful wink, disappearing behind the counter. She returned with matching ribbons, one for each of you. Gently, she tied a little bow around the small, perfect curl atop Catastor’s head, then expertly fastened the other bow in your newly styled curls.

Turning back to the mirror, you burst into another fit of delighted giggles. Your hair looked amazing, vibrant and full, bouncing with every movement, and in your arms was Catastor, fluffy and bow-adorned to match.

You cradled him close, feeling a warmth spread through your chest, a happiness that lifted you. Tomorrow, you would see your boss…Alastor, with your new look, confident and refreshed. And maybe…just maybe…he’d notice.

But for now, you were content to just sit here with Catastor, your matching bows and poofy styles reflecting the joyful, silly energy you felt bubbling over.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Thank U

Warnings: non/dubcon, mentions of crime, violenc, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

Character: Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale version)

Summary: you try to thank the vigilante who saved your life.

In the same universe as Home Sweet Home

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging ❤️

‘To Batman’ 

No, that sounds ridiculous. All of this is just absurd. You don’t really think this will go anywhere but you just need to get the thoughts out. After a sleepless night, you need to put it somewhere before it boils over inside of you. 

You need to thank the man who saved you. If that’s what he is. He seems inhuman with all that he does for Gotham. 

‘My hero’ 

Ugh. New page. 

‘Hi. 

You don’t know me, but you saved my life. I know I’m not the only one and I hope I’m not the only one to say thanks. That’s what this is. I know it isn’t much but I’m not sure how else to do this. 

If you don’t remember me, that’s okay. I was walking home and there was a man following me. Then two. Then three. Then you were there. 

And just as quick, you were gone and so were they. I didn’t get the chance to thank you but I got home safe. Because of you. 

Batman. My hero. 

I owe you my life. 

Stay safe. 

Just another Gotham citizen.’ 

You reread the letter and cringe. What are you doing? You’re crazy. Is this pick-me energy? 

Ugh. You just can’t get over it. Your heart races every time the scene plays out in your head. Those men, their footfalls echoing yours, getting closer and closer, penning you in as they came at you from all sides. 

Your shoulders rose as you shrunk down and braced yourself for a heedless fight. Then the sudden flapping, the crash and crunch of violence, the shadows at battle against the brick wall as you stood by helplessly. Then the silence and his grizzled command. 

‘Go home.’ 

You ran all the way there. You didn’t look back or stop. And you didn’t sleep. You couldn’t. The dregs of adrenaline are still in you. 

Fatigue finally sets in as the sun rises. You fold up the letter and slide it into and envelope. You don’t expect this to go well. You don’t know what you’re doing. 

You’re in the same clothes as the night before. You feel like you’ve been frozen. That night fogs around you like a cloud. So close... it could’ve been so much worse. You could have been another news story. Another body in and alley. 

You walk down to the precinct. You stare at the doors for a while before you make yourself enter. The last time you went there, the only time, they wouldn’t even file a report about the man who sleeps outside your apartment door. He went away though... just a few days later. 

You go up to the counter. 

“Hi, erm, I need to get this to Commissioner Gordon.” You say. 

The uniformed officer doesn’t look up. He laughs.  

“It’s just a letter,” you plead. 

“Girl, you’re wasting everyone’s time right now,” the man doesn’t look away from the computer screen. 

“Please,” you hold the envelope through the little gap under the thick plastic window. 

“What’s this? A love letter?” He scoffs. 

“Joe, don’t be a dick,” another officer approaches and takes the letter. “I’ll give it to him.” 

“Oh, thank you so much,” you preen. 

“Don’t know if he’ll read it,” he mutters. 

“He just needs to look on the outside,” you point. 

He flips the envelope and reads your writing; ‘Batman, c/o Commissioner Gordon’. He tilts his head as he looks up at you. He shrugs. 

“Whatever, it’s a reason to stretch my legs,” he wiggles the letter between his fingers. “Have a good day, ma’am.” 

“Thanks, officer.” 

You turn and scurry out of the precinct. You don’t think the caped crusader will ever see that letter but at least you tried. It might not help you sleep at night, but it will be one less thing keeping you awake. 

[rachelamberish]

Comprehensive Veilguard Review (FULL SPOILERS)

What They Got Right:

-The environments. My God, seeing some of these locations that we’ve only read about for a decade had me getting legitimately choked up just looking at them. I cried entering the Grand Necropolis. I cried at Weisshaupt. I cried at Kal Sharok. The Ossuary. The Crossroads 2 Electric Boogaloo. Just all absolutely stunning, and so lovingly crafted.

-The art direction, on top of that. They kind of go hand in hand, but genuinely, it’s great. I think the art director deserves a raise for the candlehops alone.

-The music. I love it. I know it’s not what it has been, but I think it’s fucking great. The Blight theme is far and away the best, but so many of the other tracks really fully commit to the fantasy-futurism aesthetic that has been crafted by the art direction and I think it’s so fucking cool that the music has evolved as we travel to new locations and the world of Thedas really opens up.

-Companions. I’ve spoken a little about this already. But yes, the companions are incredible. The pacing of getting to know each of them is so well executed. (It feels unfortunate that the same cannot be said about the story as a whole, really). They are each truly so memorable and I think BioWare knocking it out of the park with its companions is nothing new.

-Vocal Performances. Gareth David Lloyd should be lauded for his work as Solas. You can hear how that performance has evolved and matured over the years like a fine wine. His vicelike grasp on the nuance of that character transcends even the game’s often questionable writing. Truly incredible stuff. I also have to mention Jee Young Han for Bellara, and Bryony Corrigan and Alex Jordan for two versions of Rook. The rest of the cast is fantastic as well, those four are just so incredibly standout to me.

-This feels very specific but The Siege of Weisshaupt. That quest. Is. *chefs kiss emoji*. It’s giving game of thrones season 8 episode 4 the long night where i cant see anything but also i have existential dread!!!! Love that

-Codex entries are as well written as they ever have been, so no dip in quality of the writing there. Particularly a huge fan of the passive aggressive emails sent between Solas and the Evanuris like they were all shitty coworkers. Elgar’nan screaming “i’m the ELDEST BOY!!!” at the top of his lungs à la Kendall Roy while he and solas bicker about who was conceived of by the Fade first. Very good stuff

-Ghilan’nain is an eldritch horror lesbian witch and that is so so cool. Thank you bioware

-Maevaris Tilani

-Combat and performance. Because neither of these are story stuff, I’ll throw these together. The game performs like a fucking dream and is incredibly optimized. The combat feels amazing and I genuinely look forward to combat encounters rather than dreading them. No notes.

….The Rest, in No Particular Order:

- Morrigan forgiving her mother and the game erasing Flemeth’s nastiness was truly vomit-inducing so thanks for that one bioware

- Is Mythal good or bad bioware please answer the question and you CAN’T look at your notes

- They do get Solas mostly spot-on but Mythal is so inconceivably bad and it’s hard to divorce the two. Ironic, considering that they should be the most divorced couple that ever lived

-"Flemeth's piece of Mythal was the good version actually and was completely uncorrupted" bitch HOW?!!??!??!!?! FUCKING HOW?!?!? Literally A GAME AGO she screams at Morrigan and Lavellan about "a reckoning that will shake the heavens" promising vengeance for her betrayal because she's done nothing but stew ALONE in her anger for 2,000 years, ALSO piling on the rage and betrayals of Flemeth and (I think it's safe to presume at this point) Andraste and EVERY OTHER host she's had. If we have learned ANYTHING about spirits and "abominations" through four games it is that the spirit becomes corrupted "against its original purpose" when fused with the negative emotions of its host. What was the point of Anders, if not to foreshadow what Flemeth truly was? A spirit of justice corrupted against her purpose by living inside righteously angry women for millennia? If anything the Dagger-version of Mythal would be the uncorrupted one. Sure, she'd be lonely and pissed too but that would be the truest version to who Mythal ACTUALLY was from before. A mixed bag of grief and anger and hurt and pride. But the rage inside Flemeth's Mythal would be wild and unfettered. She would be almost unrecognizable.

-I'm moving on from Mythal now because ranting any more about her in this game is actually going to give me an aneurysm.

- Yeah this game suffers from lack of roleplay and choice carryover. It’s impossible to avoid. It was okay to suspend roleplay in a game like, say, Dragon Age 2, because Hawke as the game wrote her was such a strong personality and memorable protagonist. Rook is…. not that. Which is okay for a blank slate protagonist, but they’re also not that either. And i think they didnt commit, fully, to the idea of less roleplay. Because they *tried* to give you origin stories, but they don’t end up feeling like they truly inform the character in the way that they do in Origins, or even in Inquisition. Say what you will about Inquisition’s roleplay options, but Lavellan being Dalish DEFINES her character.

- And what do you know. Yeah. It was bad that they only let us carry over three choices. Who could have seen that one coming. It’s almost like everyone ever was like “wow. That sucks. Please reconsider.” And then they didn’t.

- And it also gets extra confusing when you realize that the three choices they said were going to matter a LOT literally don’t. At all. So that was a lie. I guess. Even Solas romancers who were being PANDERED to apparently get…like two mentions of something that feels like it should be so pervasive throughout the whole story. And one ending.

- Solavellan writing failure gets its own bullet point actually. There was so much ample opportunity for Lavellan’s presence in this story to be amplified. For the Lighthouse to contain more traces of her. In codex entries, in murals. I get that Solas probably wouldn’t talk about her to Rook much. But the fact of his yearning is downplayed when it should be overplayed. He yearns for this woman who made him think he was worth something for the first time since he took a physical body, while clouded by regret for his feelings for a long-dead woman who made him hate himself. That’s the saddest fucking story ever. Why does this game not lean into it more? I don’t know. You don’t know. None of us know.

- BioWare kind of forgot that fifty percent of the Tevinter population is slaves. What do the shadow dragons even do? There are apparently no slaves left to free!!

- BioWare kind of forgot that the Crows are very cool and yes very Italian!! 🤌🤌🤌 but also buy child slaves and turn them into soldiers by systematically weeding empathy out of them. So where was any of that.(*where is Zevran or someone who fills the role of that character. He is so desperately needed to portray the Crows with any nuance.*)

- The depiction of the Qunari/kossith, outside of Taash’s storyline (which I actually think was a very thoughtful examination of the intersection of gender and Qunari ideology), is actually the craziest most stereotypical one-note racist bullshit i’ve ever seen and i am shocked any writer allowed that to be the final product.

- You know what yes i also noticed that you couldn’t ever be mean in this game and also Rook smiles so much. She smiles when saying things she should not smile about. Idk why but that bothers me. And why are her hands always on her hips? What is she hiding

- The exposition-heavy dialogue is terrible at the start, gets way better around the first act break, then turns dangerously close back around to Avengers-style “Well, that just happened!” and it’s a mixed bag that I don’t know what to do with. I can’t blame bioware for the exposition, I’m sure that’s an EA directive of “pander to the people that want to come into the fourth installment of a series knowing nothing and not be completely lost”. But the rest…..let’s just say I can feel how many people had their hands in writing this. And I can feel it because the quality swings back and forth so wildly it gives me whiplash.

- Because of no choice carryover cameos feel like cardboard cutouts of characters. Dorian worked for me because he was doing things he would be doing anyway and it is passively mentioned that he and the Inquisitor are in close contact. Isabela is skinny like a twig now i guess (??? Hate that) and i’m happy for her whole lords of fortune thing but she is made lesser by being completely divorced from Hawke. Same for Varric, although at least he has more to do. Morrigan…………………………………………………………………anyway moving on.

- The Dalish.

- BioWare kind of forgot that Solas doesn’t hate blood magic. Doesn’t use it personally. But doesn’t hate it. Also what he does to gain a connection to Rook is LITERALLY blood magic. I don’t fucking know WHY he/the game insists that it’s not. I’m beside myself with that one.

- BioWare kind of forgot about the brewing elven uprising led by Solas that they set up at the end of Trespasser and instead now he’s a lone actor and everyone hates him. Like no. No actually some elves would have found what he was doing very cool and a great alternative to the terrible hand the world has dealt them. Perhaps all those elven Tevinter slaves you forgot to put in the game.

- BioWare kind of forgot about Briala in their rush to say “but nothing in southern thedas matters!!!”

- Cole should be in this game and the fact that he is not is actually fucking baffling.

- VERY BIG SPOILER Varric dying is fine actually and the one thing i’m literally perfectly okay with so idk why i put it down here other than it feels wrong putting this spoiler at the top lmao. But yeah that’s fine. We knew it was coming and Peepaw needed rest anyway. Good reveal, no issue there.

- Lucanis’ bugged romance ruined my life

- I made a separate post about this but Veilguard has single handedly eradicated mystery in the Dragon Age series without creating any new mystery and it’s what I’m legitimately the most sad about.

All in all, a mixed bag. I enjoyed my time with it, but it left me sad at times and not in the good way. The idea I have of Dragon Age in my head will always be more true to Dragon Age to me than this was, and I can live with that, I was just hoping for better on a lot of writing fronts.

[samandcolbyownme]

Could you please please do a reader x johnnie, we're johnnie was ending his stream and he accidentally doesn't, and reader comes into the room for whatever reason and everyone in the stream is like 'WHAT' 'WHAT IS READER DOING HERE???'

Warnings: none, swearing, kissing, fluff

Word Count: 701

─── ⋆⋅ ☾⋅⋆ ───

You cracked open the door, peaking in to see Johnnie strumming his guitar softly as he talks back and forth with the viewers.

“Yeah, yeah, I have a new song coming out soon.” He nods, looking up at the screen, “Were actually filming the music video for it over the next few days, which I’m excited about, um..”

He looks over, giving you a smile when he sees you looking in.

He looks back to the screen, “This video will be.. I don’t even know how to explain it, honestly, it’s cool, I’ll tell you that.”

You push the door open more, slowly and as quiet as you possibly can, sneak over to sit on the floor by his desk.

He leans forward, reaching out to grab your hand before sitting back up, “I’ll give you a little preview of the song, the acoustic version if you will.”

He clears his throat and you rest your chin on your knees, watching up at him as you listen to his voice fill the room.

You swayed back and forth, closing your eyes as you know he’s really serenading you in secret.

He hums a little before picking up with the words and you smile up at him, giving him a thumbs up when he glances down at you.

He smirks, shaking his head before looking back up at the screen, “Why am I all of a sudden so smiley? Well I- I’ll put it this way, until you have a work of art in progress that you’re exited to get out, you wouldn’t understand.”

Johnnie tilts his head, “That sounded absolutely dickish, my apologies. I’m just so happy to get this out for you guys.”

You reach over, secretly laying your hand on his leg under the desk and he leans back, “Alright guys, I think I’m going to call it a night, I’ll get back on tomorrow and fill you in on the first day of the music video shoot.”

Johnnie sets his guitar down and leans forward, “Thank you all so much, I love you. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He clicks off and turns the chair towards you as he takes off his head set. You stand up, “Good stream, J?”

“Yeah, it was good.” He nods with a smile, biting down on his lip rings, “How was dinner with Tara?”

You nod, walking over to stand between his knees, “Actually really good, I brought you something back.”

“Oh no way! I’m actually starving.” He slides his hands up your thighs and lays them on your hips, “Thank you.”

“Mhm.” You run your hand through his hair and look over at the computer screen. Your heart skips a beat as you see the chat still filling with messages.

USER.ONE: UMMM HELLO

USER.TWO: WAIT Y/N!?!?!? Am I seeing this correctly???

USER.THREE: WHAT IS Y/N DOING THERE!?

USER.FOUR: is that Y/N Y/L/N?????

USER.FIVE: Y/N and JOHNNIE OH OH OH

USER.SIX: I HAVE NO ONE TO TALK TO ABOUT THIS!!!!!

“Uh, Johnnie.” You tap his shoulder and he looks over, “What- oh fuck. I’m sorry. I thought I-“ he laughs slightly, “I thought I logged off.”

You laugh, shaking your head, “It’s fine.”

“Sorry guys.” Johnnie puts his headset back on and sighs, “I guess this wasn’t goodbye.” He laughs, “So I guess, um..” he looks up at you, “I guess the cat is out of the bag, huh?”

You nod, sitting down on his lap, “I guess so.” You smile as you wave to the camera, “It’s me, Hi.”

USER.SEVEN: so it’s TRUE!?

USER.EIGHT: ohhhh this is so goooood!!!

USER.NINE: WHAT THE HELL I CALLED THIS SHIT!!!

USER.TEN: STOP IT THIS IS PERFECT

“I’m glad to see that they’re responding well.” You smile and look at Johnnie. He looks up at you and gives you a smile, “If they didn’t, then that’s on them.”

He leans in, pecking your lips, “I love this girl.”

─── ⋆⋅ ☾⋅⋆ ───

Thank you so much for reading! I love you all so much! 🖤 catch you in the next one!

Likes and reblogs are majorly appreciated!

[autumnmobile12]

Epic the Musical: Not Sorry For Loving You

Regarding the debate about Rivera-Herrans' choice in writing Odysseus as sympathetic to Calypso and telling her he loves her even though she trapped him on her island for seven years...I may have some context.

And I’m really hesitant in posting this because I know the ‘Calypso was Odysseus’ lover or abuser’ debate is a volatile subject. I guess what I’m saying is please be kind.  I don’t want to fight about this, but I do want to provide some insight with what I know about Greek mythology.

...

My guess is the song was largely inspired by this conversation between Calypso and Odysseus in the original Odyssey. (Abridged because the full text is too long to be concise):

“…Kalypso the goddess thus began: ‘Son of Laertes, subtle Odysseus--so then, your mind is firmly set on returning now without delay to your home and country? Go then, and joy go with you, in spite of all. Yet if you knew--if you fully knew--what miseries are fated to fill your cup before you attain your own land, you would choose to stay here, to join with me in calm possession of this domain, to be beyond reach of death…”

Subtle Odysseus answered her: ‘Goddess and queen, do not make this a cause of anger with me. I know the truth of everything you say; …. Yet, not withstanding, my desire and longing day by day is still to reach my own home and see the day of my return. And if this or that divinity should shatter my craft on the wine-dark ocean, I will bear it and keep a bold heart within me. Often enough before this time have war and wave oppressed and plagued me; let new tribulations join the old.’ -The Odyssey, Homer, trans. by Shewring.

…

In this conversation, we see Calypso asking Odysseus if he’s sure he wants to leave her and return to Ithaka, and that he would have an easier life if he remained with her forever immortal. And he asks her not to be angry/hurt and that whatever lies ahead on his journey, he’ll face it bravely. (Choosing a simple life but a life of obscurity as opposed to returning to hardship and being remembered as a stalwart hero.)

Giving this the context of the Ancient Greek cultural lens, Odysseus and Calypso were lovers.  The above conversation is immediately followed up with this:

So he spoke; and the sun sank and darkness came; then the pair withdrew, and in a recess of the arching cavern they took their pleasure in love, and did not leave one another's side.  -The Odyssey, Homer, trans. by Shewring.

Yes, Calypso trapped Odysseus on her island for seven years and by today’s standards, that's gonna be a huge yikes.  But their ‘lovers’ dynamic becomes easier to understand when you look at the wider collection of Greek myth stories and remember that what we consider a lovers’ relationship by today’s standards is practically nonexistent in this genre and if there is 'love,' it’s probably closer to what we’d recognize as Stockholm Syndrome and so on.

Look at Hera and Zeus’ eternal marital problems.

Jason the Argonaut just setting aside his wife Medea so he can marry another princess.

Helen of Sparta either willingly left Menelaus or Paris kidnapped her, depending on which version you hear.

Theseus abandoning Ariadne and then she marries Dionysus almost immediately after he stumbles across her.

Hades kidnapping Persephone, even in modern retellings where they form a mutual love.

I think the closest we can get to a romantic love story in Greek mythology is possibly Perseus’ rescuing of Princess Andromeda because that has more of the classic ‘hero saves princess from monster, they get married, happily ever after’ trope we're familiar with in fairy tales.

Even Odysseus’ marriage to Penelope calls consent into question because he technically demanded her as payment for helping her uncle, King Tyndareus, out of a difficult situation.

Getting back to the song and Epic: The Musical, the tone of the original text does give the impression that Odysseus is sympathetic for leaving, and I think Rivera-Herrans is trying to reconcile that because he portrays Odysseus as a faithful husband and that clashes with the Greek portrayal where Odysseus and Calypso were lovers in the poem, hence Odysseus giving a more heartfelt goodbye than Calypso may deserve. I go into the original story a bit more with this post.

It’s not a bad portrayal of Odysseus and I do like that Rivera-Herrans chose to resolve the toxic masculinity of the original story. Women in Greek mythology, especially if they’re mortal, are more often than not little more than a plot device while the men get the glory. That said, I think if Rivera-Herrans really wanted Calypso to be a sympathetic figure to his audience, it might have been better suited if he'd referred to the poet Hesiod’s version of events where she held Odysseus prisoner because Poseidon commanded her do it.  He could have easily spun her story as,

“Forgive me, I can’t disobey the sea god.”

That option would have robbed her of free will as much as Odysseus and we could have gotten more on board with pitying her for her loneliness when he leaves, and it would have still preserved Poseidon's role as the villain of the musical. As it stands, the ‘playful but socially clueless’ demeanor he gave Calypso only works if she detained Odysseus a day or two. Seven years of drawing that out is a little much and portrays Calypso as a foolish girl and not as the ‘mighty and beautiful’ goddess she’s described as, by Odysseus himself, in the original.

But that's me.

[dumbass-tumbler-cryptid]

A few random Avatar thoughts I’ve had recently

I’m been thinking about some things and I just want to put them out and see what everyone else thinks about them

First this is more of a headcanon but I was reading the Avatar cookbook and I kinda just laughed at the R.D.A section. I know the Avatar cookbook is full of the vegan recipes they had on set.I get that. But the R.D.A section reads : they serve up familiar foods with a vegan twist to respect the worlds limited resources. I just don’t buy that. The colonizers and planet destroyers are not respecting shit. So I had the idea that they clone meat. They already have cloning tech down, and cloning meat is something we already have today. It’s just not at a point where it could be mass produced. But by Avatar time? Absolutely. So that’s my headcanon. The R.D.A clones their meat. A really minor thing but I’m sure my fellow writers will agree minor details are just the things you get hung up on.

But now a bigger idea I’ve been thinking about. I’ve been fascinated recently by the physical state of the recoms when they woke up. By that I mean I’ve been thinking a lot about how exactly did they all wake up with their tattoos and hairstyles from their past lives? Because a clone wouldn’t just wake up like that. So my next thought was just oh it would have happened after they were decanted but before they woke up. Except:

You can clearly see they’re decanted like that. And that got me thinking about the state of Jake’s Avatar when it was decanted. I’m thinking that since the Avatar was organial made for Tommy there wasn’t a reason to put Jake’s tattoos on him. But at the bare minimum you’d need something to braid the hair around the neural whip because as we see on baby Neteyam and Kiri, Na’vi aren’t just born with a full braid. It has to be grown out. And yet Jake’s avatar had a perfect braid inside of the pod. So I’m thinking theirs some kind of little bot inside of the pod that’s used to care for the avatars. They’re a million dollars a pop so I’d think you’d want a bot that can do things like blood test or if a clone isn’t forming properly, do minor surgeries control by a doctor. But it can also be used for more aesthetic things as well like hair styling and tattooing so the Avatar driver can just wake up and go without having to mess with too much.

The recoms were obviously made to look as close to their past selves as possible so they wouldn’t “lose themselves” like Jake, Grace, Norm, and the other drivers all did. Z has full sleeves, Quaritch has his military tattoos. If you look closely Lyle’s recom has a faint shadow of hair on his head. So his new body doesn’t have male patterned baldness but his human body did so it was replicated on his clone. The R.D.A was so detailed with all these things - except Quaritch. Because his recom doesn’t have his most noticeable feature, the thing he shows off to Jake in the first movie- his scars. I don’t think it would have been hard to replicate them either. With my “little bot” theory as I’ll call it, you could simply use a laser scalpel to replicate the scars long before the clone is decanted so they have plenty of time to heal. But they didn’t. And I’m really scratching my head as to why?

Is it a visual cue to the audience that he is in fact not the same man as before? Or that this new version of him has the capacity to grow past the sins of his previous life. Did the R.D.A intentionally leave off the scars so he could be “pretty again” even though Quaritch himself said that he liked them? But why would they even care about something like that when the whole purpose of making them look like their human selves is to ground them in that life and make it harder from them to identify with the Na’vi despite looking exactly like them now. They omitted Quaritch’s most distinguished feature for what! 

These are just thoughts kicking around in my head. I really want to know what everyone else thinks so please share your ideas 💙

[myrsinemezzo]

My best piece of advice as a 19th and early 20th century music person is to look for sheet music that is out of copyright. More and more of it is being put in easily searchable and downloadable databases. Highly recommend looking for Piano Method or Junior Method or something along those lines from the 19th century since teaching scales and identifying notes on the keyboard hasn’t changed much. Something like the free “New Graded Piano Method” from 1881 by H. Maylath in Library of Congress’s very large digitized sheet music collection. There’s also a Google Books downloadable version of Karl Merz’s 1885 Piano Method: A Complete Course of Instruction for the Pianoforte

Free sheet music resource extraordinaire! Many many classical musicians utilize IMSLP.org for varying levels of keyboard music (usually more intermediate to advanced but I can’t go without mentioning it). It collects out of copyright scores for a variety of instruments, and there is a metric ton of piano music.

Those in Europe and the UK have different copyright laws so you might be able to get at more of the 1950s era music education materials but there are also things like the c. 1900 50 piano pieces for First Beginners, Op. 70 by Hermann Berens over there.

Searching by Category:Renaissance or Category:Medieval for periods that were much simpler in style might be fun for you and then limiting through their Crawler to just keyboard and not organ will turn up a lot as well.

For more modern out of copyright pieces, you could go with a wide array of slow ballads and more up tempo pieces from the 1880s-1920s via the Sheet Music Consortium that is pulling together the contents of several individual libraries and special collections in academic libraries to offer out of copyright materials free to download. NOTE: please please please be aware that many pieces housed within the collection are absolutely products of their time in terms of racism and gender inequality and are intended for academic study purposes. That being said, there are just as many classic works on there that are just sappy love songs, dance music, and various other instrumental pieces.

Good luck! I’m honestly shocked that I didn’t readily find more Open Educational Resource textbooks or something on piano methods. Wild.

Looking to get into piano playing again => does anyone know a good website to get music sheets? ideally

including nerd stuff like video game & tv show themes

including very simple beginner's stuff

easy to download/print

free or one-time sign-up pay

i appear to have lost my pile of piano papers at some point in the last 2 decades so tx for your help

[viivenn]

the bear and the maiden fair.

[novelconcepts]

[hanzajesthanza]

dandelion is indeed the worst but if he’s not present in the next book i would legitimately be sorrowful as the whole thing will become a slog . you basically cannot have the “short stories” era-of-the-timeline iteration of geralt without dandelion, it would be like eating unbuttered bread.

though it’s not like season of storms did them dirty, i wasn’t disappointed with it (… with regards to them), but since it’s literally been over 20 years since the saga was finished i’m trying to prepare for any potential reality

[toddtakefive]

btw todd’s reluctance to join the dps because he doesn’t want to read (which is then accommodated for) and is scared to put himself out there (which is also worked through) being read as todd not wanting to go AT ALL, and thus neil making the proper accommodations (“todd anderson, who prefers not to read, will keep the minutes of the meetings”) and encouraging him to step out of the box that stifles him being seen as ‘forceful’ or like he can’t take no for an answer makes me insane with rage

[yonderghostshistories]

….

…..Michael, darling,……you’re gonna be the death of me financially.

[rachelamberish]

Have to get this out before the cohesive thought escapes my ADD brain so excuse me if this is word garbage:

The passage from the chant of light about the maker’s first born children being spirits and he thinks they suck bc they don’t want to create anything new and original. So then his second born children are people with physical bodies. “In your heart shall burn an unquenchable flame all consuming and never satisfied”. Like.

Okay i have no inclination where a lot of the passages in the chant even come from, other than that I assume a large source is Andraste herself who was presumably a host of Mythal (Morrigan in Veilguard describes Mythal’s spirit coming to her in a dream in the EXACT same way it is described the Maker approached Andraste and also the Andraste’s line being only women thing and. Yeah. I hope/assume we’re just all on the same page with this now).

So like. I think this passage was a bastardized-by-time-and-interpretation account of Mythal (and the other Evanuris) being unsatisfied with their spirit forms and then proceeding to take physical ones.

Actually now that i think about it I want to reread the whole chant. Because that shit now just takes on entirely new context.

“And so the golden city blackens with each step you take in my hall, marvel at perfection for it is fleeting, you have brought sin to heaven and doom upon all the world.” Could very easily be — again — a bastardized version of some shit Solas ACTUALLY said to the magisters that breached his prison and in so doing unleashed the blight.

“They looked upon what Pride had wrought and despaired”??? Like please. I’m going back to read that fucking Chant.

[toomanyteefs]

So this is totally unrelated to Star Wars, but I’m just so excited by how the art for it I did turned out that I decided to put it up anyway. One of the original stories I’m working on is about angels and demons, and the angels in particular are beings made of pure celestial fire, but to interact with anything outside the heavenly realm they have to use a special vessel made of stone so they don’t destroy everything they touch, and the type of stone their vessel is made of reflects their place in the hierarchy of heaven with the strongest seraphim vessels being made of ruby and sapphire. (Corundum, which is the mineral rubies and sapphires are made of, is lower on the Moh’s hardness scale than diamond, but diamonds are actually relatively fragile in comparison as they shatter easily when struck from the right angle, so overall corundum is a tougher stone.)

Anyway fallen angels keep their vessels, although they do change slightly to reflect the fallen angel’s new demonic form, thus I did some art of a fallen seraph, Zethael, who is one of the main characters of the story.

[lukadarkwater]

Waiting (Im)patiently for the 1.6 update for Stardew to appear on my Switch

[imsociallyanxiousgetoverit]

oh no

@zarvasace I may have tried to predict what your Half-Fours would be like and created my own entire headcanons about it? and the colors?

uh

enjoy I guess? maybe? I got hyperfixated on it so fast

The Colors’ Personalities:

Four (Iris):

-He/They, any

-nickname created and used by the minish/picori

-passionate about his opinions

-blacksmithing is a job and hobby for them

-capable of socializing but doesn’t require it

-loves to read

-levelheaded both in battle and in (relative) peace

-splitting either results in a negative or purely confused reaction from people so they tend to keep silent about it

Green (Jade/Sage/Forrest):

-They/Them, always

-genderfluid; changes names but not pronouns with gender

-the most balanced emotionally and logically

-focuses on the big picture rather than the details, but can acknowledge they exist

Vio (Topaz):

-He/Him, always

-nickname chosen lovingly by Shadow; only used by them

-intellectually focused; shows outwardly

-takes misinformation very seriously; easily sidetracked by this

Blue (Cypress/Lana):

-She/Him, swaps

-occasionally uses other names when feeling dysphoric but doesn’t have specifically labeled genders

-intense feelings; most often some form of anger

-honest to a fault sometimes

-fast to accusations and assumptions

Red (Ruby, Nova, Ivy, Rose):

-They/She/He, any

-has many loving nicknames from the other colors due to how much they love it; Dot uses these as well, though is the only one using rose

-outwardly emotional in general; appears more sensitive due to it

-can forget the big picture if there are lots of feelings involved

Colorwheel Personalities:

(Green-Blue) *Mars/Aqua:

-He/They, rolling

-second in command energy

-apologies after outbursts

-very protective over others

-becomes quickly defensive

-dyslexic and pissed about it

(Red-Vio) Berry/Cerise:

-They/Them, always

-manipulative, for better or worse

-tries to fix emotional and relationship issues- sometimes without asking first; they’re working on it

-very emotionally intelligent until they get overwhelmed or worried

-great at gifting

-passionate about books

(Blue-Red) Pela/Mauve:

-He/She, rolling

-lashes out when overwhelmed

-self esteem issues due to behavior not matching their expectations/desires for self

-shows affection but pretends it’s not actually that

-uses the most nicknames for the others

(Green-Vio) Ant/Maline:

-They/Them, always

-manipulative, for better or worse

-inflated ego they try to hide

-leader qualities but doesn’t want to be one if possible

-socializing is easy for them, but they aren’t extroverted

-dyslexic and pissed about it

(Red-Green) Nela/Maly:

-She/Her, always

-is red-green colorblind but it doesn’t affect her too much

-very focused on the larger picture when people’s happiness or rights are at stake; struggles to notice details alone

-almost leader material; would be a good backup leader assuming a second in command is not fit for the role

-very protective over others

-loves reading aloud a lot

-loves to socialize but needs time to recharge alone

(Blue-Vio) Tanza/Indigo:

-She/They/He, rolling

-superiority complex

-will apologize if perceived as mean or rude by someone they think deserves one

-thinks before speaking but just doesn’t care about the consequences sometimes

-most likely to cope with sword practice or sparring

-if has a breakdown there’s a chance many pots are broken before hand

-sometimes they disappear into a book until they feel like they won’t go berserk or be an asshole; this happens most just after waking up