#honestly if anyone wants to i'd highly recommend listening to the whole song

[biblicallyaccuratepigeons]

Beyond this physical terrain,

There's an invisible domain

Where angels battle over souls in vast array;

But down on earth is where I am,

No wings to fly, no place to stand!

Here, on my knees, I am a stranger in this land!

[my-great-big-book-of-fan-fiction]

The Taming of Man: chapter Four - Dragon Shifting!Katsuki Bakugou x F!reader

Ayo, Merula back again and dropping the new chapter? I know I said that this would be up in a few days...like...an hour ago...but I expected it to be much much much longer. While writing, I realized just how much more writing I'd need to do to get to my original goal, and that much just felt cluttered and too much to put in one chapter. Enjoy my wifeys!

Words: 2,210

This is incredibly based on the song The Willow Maid by Erutan, I highly recommend giving it a listen for the best experience.

Warnings: Cursing, reader is She/Her and will be AFAB in later chapters, Shirtless Katsuki, slight misogyny a little if you squint

"Ok, so..." You took the map from Katsuki, placing your finger on the different sections as you name them. "This is Forrmidūl....This is Novia...-" Katsuki scowled a bit at the mention of the place- "This is Positeel...and this is Marina." Katsuki nodded, his impatience showing, but the smile on your face warming him a little.

Each country was painted a different color to show the borders better, and the forest was painted completely white because no one owned it. "This place is big, huh?" You couldn't look away from the map, studying it. It wasn't like you've never seen a map before, but this whole place was new to you.

"And this is just one continent," He said, almost proudly, like he took pride in the fact that his universe was so big. "Where I come from, The entire world is just the one continent," you sighed, almost to yourself, before laying back on the stump and looking up at the tangerine sky. The dress you wore had that difficult corset and giant hoopskirt, making it hard to bend much, but once you laid down you were comfortable. It helped that you took out that headache of a bun, too. "Must be big," he mused, not laying back with you but instead watching you from his seat at the edge of the stump.

"Yeah, No other kingdoms either. Just us." You didn't look away from the empty sky, wanting to catch a glimpse of the first star. You would have to go soon, you've never stayed later than sunset, but you just wanted to see one star. Maybe they were different here. Most things were. You began to hum mindlessly to yourself, that same song you always sung, and Katsuki snorted. "Why'd you always sing that," he asked, a hint of amusement in his husky voice. You shrugged, saying, "It's my country's song. Kinda like a national anthem." Katsuki began to gather his things, sliding his shirt back on and putting the near-full healing potion into his bag. "Well keep singin' it. I need it to get here."

Now it was your turn to laugh derisively, your eyes finally falling on him as he buttoned his shirt up. What a shame to cover something that looked so beautifully sculpted, each scar like the slashing of a mastered pen on pristine paper. Fuck, wait, don't think that. He's a dickhead, an asshole...and kind of your teacher. "Must be my beautiful voice," you said with a sarcastically coy sigh, squirming to get up. He watched you try and turn turtle several times with no avail, laughing before reaching out a calloused hand to help you up. "Yeah right, probably just your dumb faerie magic."

You begrudgingly took his hand, his laughter making your heart swell in a way you didn't understand, before the skin to skin contact shocked you both. It was completely normal, just one of those small static shocks you could get from anywhere or anyone, but for some reason this one sent a shiver down both of your spines. You chuckled nervously, standing straight up and releasing his hand as soon as possible.

"S-so, what should I bring tomorrow," you asked, trying your best to hide how weirdly flustered you felt. He hadn't really thought that far, he honestly didn't expect you to show the first time. "I dunno...same thing," he sighed. He supposed you could never have too many healing potions. You nodded eagerly, before both of you went your separate ways.

For the next week, You simultaneously listened to suitors blather on and on about how great they were, and visited Katsuki for lessons. You learned a lot, sure, like geography and politics, but it soon became too little for you. You had a taste of the outside world, and you wanted more. That's why, at the end of the week and very end of your lesson that day, you asked Katsuki to take you outside the forest.

"Hell no," he scoffed, almost immediately, much to your disgruntlement. "C'monnn," you whined, walking after him in your giant baby-blue dress (The result of your earlier meeting) as he began walking towards the forest edge. "It's too dangerous," he huffed, stopping and turning to you. "I'm magic," you reasoned, fluttering your fingers and producing pink glitter dust to prove your point.

"You know what kinda shit is out there? The kinda fuckin' people out there? It's not all smiles and rainbows, princess," He said sharply, glaring down at you. "I know that, that's why I need a big strong Dragonborne prince to protect me," you teased, hopefully stroking his ego in a playful and endearing way. He scanned your eyes, sternly examining your face with a hard countenance, before turning to keep walking. "No," he barked.

You stood there dumbfounded, blinking rapidly in confusion. You were getting this, whether he liked it or not. "If you don't take me I'll go by myself," you called out quickly, nervously fidgeting with your dress. You needed this to work. He stopped in his tracks, seeming to be thinking. Moments passed, before he turned his head with a pissed expression on his face. "...Be here at noon tomorrow... and don't wear any of that frilly crap!"

You jumped with joy, squealing with happiness. You were about to leave and let him walk out without another word, but instead you zoomed over and tackled him with a hug around his neck. He nearly fell backward, but kept his balance as he stayed stock still, unsure what to do. "Thank you," you whispered, your voice tight with all the excitement you were feeling, before giving him a peck on the cheek and running off to go home. He watched as you jumped into your portal, unmoving as he processed.

His hand gently touched where you kissed him as if by instinct, and he could feel his face getting tomato red by the second. "Damn it," he shouted, clenching his fists and sending flocks of birds flying out of trees, practically rumbling the ground. You and your fucking faerie charm, that had to be it. No way he was just naturally infatuated with you, it had to be magic.

"Do you have to undermine me every day," Ochako sighed, undoing the knots of your corset. You just laughed nervously, mumbling, "About that..."

She froze and drooped a little, clearly anticipating your next words. "About what?" You turned to her as she released you from the rib-crushing confines of your attire, stepping out of and over your dress. "I kinda need- want to go out tomorrow, around noon this time..."

need sounded suspicious, so you quickly changed it to want for a more believable story. "Wh-" Ochako started, before you cut her off with- "And before you say no, remember that I don't have any meetings, or lessons, or plans, and mother is travelling to meet with the dukes, and-"

"fine."

You paused, blinking confusedly as you looked at your handmaid's annoyed face. "...fine?"

She rolled her eyes a bit and sighed with a smile ghosting her face, shrugging. "Yep, You make a good point," she said with amusement, watching your face light up. You brought her in for a tight hug, and she hugged you back. She laughed a bit, saying, "You smell kinda weird."

You pulled back, cocking your head a bit with a confused smile. "Yeah? like what?" She shrugged, thinking a little. "I dunno, kinda like...burnt sugar or something."

burnt caramel, you corrected in your head, before catching yourself. You smelt like Katsuki. Now that she pointed it out, it was all you could smell, the scent of and musk and smoke and caramel. Must've been from that hug from earlier. "Weird," you said nervously, Ochako seeming to be none the wiser as she helped you into your nightgown and blew out your candles, tucking you into bed and leaving you to sleep.

You could do nothing but take deep breaths in from your nose, wanting to catch the scent as much as possible and make yourself blush from embarrassment in the process. What were you doing? It's not like you liked him...It's not like he'd like you back. You chalked it up to the newness of it all, the fact that he was so foreign to you, that he was the one kind of person you were supposed to hate...

"I told you not to wear anything too frilly," Katsuki scoffed, immediately pissed off at the sight of you. "What? This isn't nearly as bad as the other dresses," you argued, gesturing to yourself. You were wearing an ankle length matcha green A-line dress with light green butterfly lace, a structured yet relatively loose corset, and off the shoulder sleeves. Your shoes were the best you had for walking, your sturdiest pair of brown flats. As a princess, you weren't expected to go adventuring, and therefore had no adventuring clothes.

Meanwhile, Katsuki was wearing a linen tunic and pants that looked to be something like a mix between leather and snakeskin, a solid and thick maroon fabric with the slightest bit of a scale imprint and iridescence. He had thick and heavy working boots, no doubt steel-toed, and noticeably made of the same material as his pants, except in brown. "Well 'm not carrying you if your soft little feet get tired," he stated gruffly, gritting his teeth.

"Not like I'd ask you to," you laughed, beginning to walk towards the same part of the forest he always came in and out of. He followed closely behind, the scent of you being pushed into his nostrils by the breeze gently blowing your hair back. As you both approached the edge, right where the green brush meets the damp fog, Katsuki grabbed your arm and held you in place.

"Before we go in there, I gotta tell you about some shit so you don't piss yourself."

You rolled your eyes, sighing with a slight smile. "it's not like I'm a baby, I can handle whatever's in there. Besides, this is clearly fae magic."

...what?

Katsuki blinked a couple times in confusion, his curious demeanor decidedly extremely cute, and his grip on you softened a little. "What do you mean? Fae don't live here."

"Well I know that. This was probably fae magic used to protect the portal." You spoke as if you were explaining things to a toddler, something he hardly appreciated.

"How do you know," he scoffed, clearly not believing you. There was no way. "Look.," you huffed, slipping out of his grasp and reaching out towards the mist. The second your fingertips touched it, the mist parted with a golden glimmer surrounding your hand, the area around it now visible. You pulled back with a cocky smile on your face, cheeky and self assured. "Since it's to protect other fae, it doesn't work on me."

Katsuki was a little red from embarrassment, clearly in the wrong, and he just grumbled with a slight pout. "Well let's hope you keep that confidence," he huffed, grabbing you again and pushing you through the mist. he held you in front of him, and as each part of you passed through, a bubble of clarity surrounded you. Seeing as he was technically attached to you, his hands on your forearms, he got the benefits of this too.

He could now see everything in Nebel, and to be honest...there wasn't much to see. No trees or brush, the ground covered in a thick layer of dense moss and mushroom. You however, you were way more impressed. You excitedly reached down and touched one of the grey little mushrooms before he could tell you no, and to his surprise, it began to glow a bright and bioluminescent blue. You happily plucked it and its little friends, as well as a clump of moss, and put them in your satchel.

"Why're doin' that," he asked harshly, clearly judging you. "I bet they'd be really great for spells," you explained, continuing your trek. You both reached Leben in no time, and now there was no need for Katsuki to grip your arms. He let go as soon as possible, and the absence of warmth made you feel...a little empty. it was stupid and weird, you just brushed it off.

The entire walk, from Nebel to Böse, you were collecting little things. Plants, jewels, sap, literally anything. You made his anxiety peak in Böse especially, when you reached to pick a fucking fire flower. "Hey," he shouted aggressively, reaching out to smack your hand away. He was too late however, and your fate was sealed. You reached out, grabbed the flower by its stem, and of course....nothing happened? It stayed stagnant.

No flames? No hissing? Where were these flowers when he was traveling the forest? You gently plucked it from the ground, took a deep breath, and smelt the spicy-sweet, cinnamon scent of the flora. "What," you said curiously, noticing just how confused he looked. "...nothin'" he finally grumbled, grabbing your hand and pulling you through the last stretch of the woods. Not even the forest could resist your charms.

After mere minutes, you were at the exit of the Farbenreich Forest, your afternoon adventure with Katsuki only beginning.

Ahhhh I did it! Had to push through some writing block at the end there, but I hope my work didn't suffer for it! As always, leave a comment with your thoughts, I loveeee to hear from you guys!

Taglist: @sky-angel1011 @the-galaxy-fiend @chixkadee @faemagic88

[goddesspharo]

people I'd like to know better tag

Thanks to @at-thestillpoint for the tag!

Last song: I heard that stupid “updated” “We Didn’t Start The Fire” cover that Fall Out Boy did over the weekend and have been annoyed about it since then (it’s bad and not chronological which is literally the whole point!!! also how has their sound not evolved IN TWENTY YEARS??) so I’ve been listening a lot to the Billy Joel original (a timeless classic; the only one who should be updating is Billy Joel). But the actual last last song I listened to was Pearl Jam’s “Rearviewmirror” while eating a bag of chips for dinner because I’m on call and work is killing me. 

Currently watching: I watch a lot of movies (and that’s not even logging rewatches). I just finished rewatching the Mission Impossible franchise this weekend in anticipation of the new film (…after having rewatched the franchise last summer when the teaser trailer for MI7 got me so hyped) and, honestly, name a better franchise - you can’t because Fast & Furious has fallen off the rails (derogatory) and even when a Mission Impossible movie is bad (MI2), everyone has great hair! The soft reboot of energy starting with Ghost Protocol has only reinvigorated it. Tom Cruise can make these movies forever as far as I’m concerned and I’ll keep watching them. More recently, I watched Traffic today and it was both terrible (narrative wise) and hideous (did Soderbergh film all of the Mexico scenes on the sun???) and I cannot believe that THIS movie out of all the other (great!) movies he has ever done is what got him an Oscar for directing. Thanks, I hate it. TV-wise: I’m trying to catch up on Silo aka the show where Rebecca Ferguson keeps doing insane things and getting people killed (but also why won’t anyone make out with Common???) because apparently the only Apple TV show I’m actually capable of remembering to keep up with every week is Platonic, which more people should watch because Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen playing off each other is ALWAYS gold. They are my Jessica Chastain/Michael Shannon team up of comedy.

Currently reading: I’ve been trying to finish Laura Dave’s The Last Thing He Told Me for ages, but it’s as much of a slog as the show so I’m not sure that it’ll ever happen (…for either? God, I just want to get to the Victor Garber part!). Working my way through Making Rumours slowly and am about to start reading Piers Paul Read’s Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors (one of the inspirations behind Yellowjackets!), but I really need to listen to Vendela Vida’s We Run The Tides first before Libby returns my audiobook loan.

Current obsession: spiiiieees (always); the cold brew I’ve been making lately with Cafe Du Monde grounds (highly recommend); the breakfast burritos I made this weekend; Tom Cruise saving cinema (why are the Oppenheimer folks so boring that they couldn’t play the game like Gerwig and Robbie?); Top Gun Maverick - still? forever? I keep waiting for it to leave my system and it simply won’t; mango season; trying to figure out which old HBO shows I finally need to watch before they get shipped off to Netflix (not the end of the world; it would just annoy me to watch an HBO thing not on an HBO platform) or yeeted to hell because David Zaslav is clearly just three kids stacked on top of each other under a trench coat.

No pressure tags: @earnmysong, @pearly--rose, @veronicafitzosborne, and anyone else who wants to do it!

[blerdstatic]

Microsoft Surface Headphones Review: 1st vs 2nd gen, and why they're great to Work-from-Home or anywhere.

So you're on the market for some new gear, and in your search you stumbled upon Microsoft's Surface Headphones, but you're not ready to make the plunge until you get some more research under your belt, right?

I don't blame you. The right head candy can be an expense these days, but hopefully this short and concise review can help!

Let me start by acknowledging that sound and music are more personal in nature, and everyone has their natural preferences. I happen to dig all kinds of music from musical soundtracks and trap to neo-soul and hip-hop. That aside...

Let's begin!

How much do Microsoft Surface Headphones cost?

Surface Headphones (1st gen) - $139.89 on Amazon

Surface Headphones 2 (2nd gen) - $250 from Microsoft Store

What's the difference between them visually?

To be honest, not much has visually changed at first glance. The design was pretty slick the first time around, and was well received. Even as I rode the subway or walked through the aisles of the grocery store, you could tell people admired the unique modern look. It's simple and clean just like the original.

The first gen headphones are grey/off-white while the second gen are charcoal black. They are beautiful shades, however it does make me wish for more colors. It would kind of be a good look if Microsoft offered four more colors that matched the colors of their logo (red, yellow, blue, green). But, I understand the safer play as opposed to going bold.

So what are some key differences that stood out?

Buttons: The 1st gen headphones had buttons that were almost flush with the cup, which was annoying. There were plenty times where I had to search frantically for the power button. The second gen fixes that by making the buttons pronounced.

Ear-cup Size: The size/diameter of the 2nd gen earcups are definitely larger, which is welcome because I have Will Smith ears. But not only that, it makes for an over all cozier feel.

Earcup Swivel: The Surface Headphones 2 earcups can spin around almost 360, which is great because I have more ability to wear them comfortably around my neck! I'm glad they fixed it this time around.

Multi-Bluetooth Connection: I was easily able to set up multi-bluetooth connections to my various devices, including the Android Pixel4a and Pro7. It was amazing to listen to music or video on my phone, then continue right where I left off on the Pro7.

Grease: One other thing to note...don't touch the black Surface Headphones with greasy hands, it shows much more than if you did with the white 1st gens. That's a user issue though, not a hardware one.

How do they feel once you pick them up?

Without a doubt, the difference is night and day. The 2nd gen headphones are more weighty, and for me that's a great thing. I honestly don't like my hardware/electronics to feel too light, because it makes me think there's not much going on inside to produce a quality experience.

Once I picked up the Surface Headphones 2, then picked up the Surface Headphones (1st gen), I was properly excited to listen. The extra weight provided a sense of anticipation that there would be more UMPH, in terms of low, mids, highs and bass tones.

Setup Time?

It took literally less than 5 minutes to open and pair the headphones to begin listening to music. It was quick, easy, and intuitive for me. I enabled blue-tooth on my phone, then powered on the headphones. Found the name of the headphones from my phone's blue-tooth list, and followed the onscreen/audio instructions, and boom I was setup.

Now if it's someone older or unfamiliar with blue-tooth devices, they might need some help going into their blue-tooth settings, etc.

What about the Sound?

I preferred the sound of the Surface Headphones 2 over the 1st gen. During my test I played all kinds of music at a 95% volume (almost on max...yes mom, I know it's not good for my ears).

One of my main gripes on Surface Headphones (1st gen) was that on higher volumes, and listening to music with more bass, it started to sound like 'rattling', as if the headphones could not handle the true sound.

The Surface Headphones 2 fixed that issue completely. I listened to all sorts of bass heavy music and not a single time did I hear rattling.

The treble is also more solid this time around, and truly shines when listening to slower soundtrack or classical music.

I would say that I'm highly satisfied with the sound on both fronts. And if you're curious here are some of the songs I listened to on both Surface 1st gen and Surface 2nd gen.

And here's the rest of the list in case you're curious or want some new jams:

Story of OJ - JayZ

Cyberpunk 2077 - Pacific Dreams Radio Playlist

Father Figure - Tobe Nwigwe

Will (Remix) - Joyner Lucas & Will Smith

O-o-h Child - The Five Stairsteps

This Land - from Lion King original album

Black Panther - Ludwig Goransson

Break You Off - The Roots

All the Stars - Kendrick Lamar & SZA

Nothing Without You - Tanerelle

Adonai - Sarkodie

Be Here in the Morning - Joy Denalane

Noise Cancellation and Ambient Amplification:

The noise cancellation is solid. With no music playing and maxed out ambient filter on, I couldn't even hear myself snapping fingers next to my head, or my wife talking to me in her normal voice (which is occasionally kind of loud - no shade).

The noise cancellation was great on SurfaceMulti (1st gen) but it's now even better with the 2nd gen, especially when drowning out annoying sounds when walking outside (such as people, cars, trains).

I also love the ambient amplification feature, that's easy to use by dialing up the level on the left ear cup. I use that regularly if I'm listening to music, but want to also know if someone says something to me directly. Or the other day, when I was in the grocery store and walked up to the cashier to checkout, I didn't have to take the headphones off. I was able to up the ambient amplifier to max, and speak with the cashier. Once I finished, I immediately turned my music and noise cancellation back up. It was pretty seamless.

Charging and Battery Life:

Officially the 1st gen gets 13 hours and the 2nd gen gets 18.5. After a full charge, and then turning on the Surface 2, the voice said I had 17 hours left. I typically only listen in 1 - 3 hour spurts at my highest usage, so that pans out to about a whole week almost without needing to recharge.

Overall Verdict:

I'm highly recommending the Surface Headphones 2. For the price point and quality, I feel like the Surface Headphones 2 are your better buy, especially considering how they stack up against similar competitors. I felt like Microsoft paid attention to all the things that actually needed improvement, instead of trying to switch everything up. That impressed me more than anything honestly, how they paid attention to the minute quality of life details. Compared to other headphones I've tried in the same range, excluding the Sony XMs, I'd say these are very well priced and outdo the predecessors as well as the competition. But even compared to Sony XMs, which are prices $100 to $150 more, the sound on the Surface Headphones 2 are definitely comparable. I certainly don't think you'll be saying "I'm really glad I spent that extra $100+ on these Sony XMs".

I would have no problem recommending these to anyone trying to figure out what to spend their next stim check on!

[uwusillygirl]

Hiiiii! Normal ppl anon back again bc I wanted to say Spotify recommended me we'll never have sex by Leith Ross today and I only realised it was where depollute me, pretty baby was from near the end but felt very much like a video game character - like an exclamation mark appeared above my head as my brain went oh! First one's free! I had to listen to it a second time, properly paying attention to the lyrics and now I'm utterly obsessed, have been listening to it on repeat all day. It's such a beautiful song, just so lovely and warm, but also holy shit the fof of it all (I mean, I know you beat me to the mark in that so I'm preaching to the converted here but you look perfect, you look different I can't.)

But ALSO, I got here to say hi and saw you liked worst person in the world and wanted to gush because it's possibly my favourite film I've seen this year but none of my friends went to see it so I haven't talked to anyone abt it. If you'd like, I'd love to hear your opinions on it!! I felt so ridiculously moved by it, I had this heaviness in my chest for weeks after seeing it and found myself constantly thinking about it in quiet moments. Not to make everything abt me but I feel like I'm at a point where I'm trying to figure out who I am and spending more time alone and so the whole journey Julie went on resonated a lot and I think it captured the feeling of this age and point in life so perfectly.

Beyond the personal, I loved the use of chapters and narration and explicitly fantastical elements that kind of aim to remind you you're watching a film (I feel like films that you can "get lost in" and "forget you're watching a film" get a lot of praise and I'm not against that but also a story's power isn't necessarily diminished for your knowing it isn't really happening). And the way the two of them not cheating together at the start is somehow the sexiest, most fun and intimate thing ever committed to film and (to bring this back round to fof so I don't get accused of just using this as an excuse to be self-indulgent and talk abt a film I like even tho that's exactly what I'm doing) I'm vibing with the idea of Eddie and Chrissy sharing a cigarette like that absolutely iconic shot from the film.

ALSO ALSO (bc I can't shut up) the single sentence you posted from the fof wip has been living rent free

hi again sweet normal people anon!!! such a fun juicy question to pick at while i’m at the nail salon today hehe

that video game character realization bit is TOO funny!!! i love that song, highly recommend their album Motherwell also!!! such a good songwriter!!!

LOVE your thoughts on worst person in the world! i felt the same! honestly i thought it was good when i first watched it but didn’t necessarily feel like my mind was blown or anything, but then i just could not fucking stop thinking about it… sneakily impactful.

i totally understand what you’re saying! and you’re welcome to make it about you! that’s all good!

those are such great thoughts, truly. i feel like it’s such an interesting thing to see which of Julie’s partners we end up being more attached to… it sounds like you really resonate w the second (understandably!!!) and i really resonate with the first!!! (but that not cheating bit is TRULY so fun and raw and honest!)

as for the wip >:-) ty i am hoping to spend some proper time on it soon!!!!