#i think i used a different soc tag last time

[ryehouses]

What do the different letters in your tagging system mean? There's "s:" which im assuming is maybe series? And "f:" and a couple others that I cant figure out but i think "b:" is book?

Ah hello! My tagging system used to be super organized and now (after a literal decade; I got the "happy birthday ryehouses" email last week) is less so, but the idea was:

s = "show" f = i think was originally for "film" but has morphed into "fandom" b = "book" or "book series," like b: grishaverse for soc/shadow and bone g = "game" pc = "podcast" h = "hal," i think, or maybe "housekeeping," the original intent has long since slipped from my mind.

for fandoms specifically, i almost always tag things that are multimedia (i.e. the witcher) with the prefix tag that i used first, i.e. i watched the netflix witcher before i played tw3 or read the books, so mostly i use "s: the witcher" for most of my witcher posts, though sometimes i do use g: or f:

for star wars things, i have s: or g: tags for things like the mandalorian, swtor or fallen order, but i also have a general f: tag for stuff that i want to be able to find easily.

my tagging system has, as you might have imagine, kind of broken down with time. it's fine.

[cherrygorilla]

My first impressions of The Outsiders musical (plus my extra notes on your reaction to ✨Starlight Express✨)

As promised, I've compiled all the notes I made whilst I was watching the show you so graciously introduced me to into a neat little post for you to read. I know it's not nearly as exciting as a video, but hopefully you can still enjoy reading through them as much as I enjoyed watching it. It was so cool getting to watch it after knowing how important the story has been to you over the years, and how much it inspired your characters. It felt like I was unlocking new Danelle lore - I loved it 😂 But anyway, enough wasting time! I'll start with my reactions to The Outsiders (the overall show and each song), and then I'll tag on my comments about Starlight at the end. I did them as little bullet point-esque comments as I went along to try to stop myself from rambling too much, but I don't know how successful that was... 😅

The Outsiders:

Okay, first of all, I love that you can hear time period accurate music playing in the theatre before the show starts - I love when productions do that; it adds that extra layer of immersion and helps you get even more excited for the show to start - at least it does for me anyway.

The actor playing Ponyboy has a really unique voice - but I think it works well for the character. It feels really authentic. 

The use of the screens in the set to show the movie scenes at the start was cool - for what sometimes felt like a more limited/sparse set with the sort of scaffolding backdrop, it added an extra element of interest.

The contrast between the Greasers and the Socs in that first number was shown in such a cool way too - with all the Greasers playing around and doing their own thing to reflect their imperfections, but good hearts nonetheless - and then with the Socs being more reserved and putting their jackets all in perfect synchronisation to show how much more 'put together' they are. That's such clever choreography! 

The staging of everything is great too - it feels like such a big set but they use the space so effectively. And all the gravel on the stage is a great touch; it helps set the scene so well! I think I saw actual water in that tire too, which is another really cool feature.

Tulsa '67 - great song to set the scene - sets everything up really well - no notes - fantastic opening number 👏

The car pulling onto the stage was so cool - it reminded me of when I went to go and see the Back to the Future musical last month (which was amazing btw - gave me some very entertaining ideas for a one-shot 👀), because the way they used the delorean in that, and made it drive, was genuinely incredible haha.

Whilst I felt really sorry for poor Ponyboy when he had that run-in with the Socs, the way they did the fight scene (and all the ones that followed) was just brilliant. The way the lighting and the sound design and the way they did the choreography with the slow-motion sections - it was fantastic!! I've genuinely never seen anything like that in a show before - no wonder it won so many Tonys haha. It deserved to after seeing that!

Also - no matter how many fight scenes there were - I still couldn't work out how they got the fake blood all over themselves. Maybe it was just too late at night and I wasn't paying close enough attention - but that felt like genuine magic to me 😂

Grease Got a Hold - fun song to show the brotherhood of the Greasers - very time period accurate too - at least it sounds it to me lol - which works really well to help sell the story - it did a great job at introducing us to the way all the different main characters act too

Runs in the Family - really liked Darrel's character in the show - maybe it's because you made that connection with him being so similar to Miles, and you know how much of a sucker I am for that guy lol - but I also did just genuinely think he was a great character to add an extra layer of conflict - and the actor did a brilliant job of portraying it; I really believed him in the role, and I thought his voice was beautiful.

The scene with Ponyboy and Sodapop talking on the bed definitely gave me Bentley and Royce vibes - especially because they share a room. That moment about the book and how many pages it had got a laugh out of me too - the guy who plays Sodapop acted that bit really well. That whole exchange was just really sweet - they played out that super close brotherly bond so well - I can definitely see how their relationship could have influenced how you wrote the Murphys.

Great Expectations - really moving song that was great for showing off the guy who plays Ponyboy's voice - it was so powerful! I've got to admit I'm not always overly fussed about slower songs/ballads in shows, so I didn't necessarily love this at first - I thought it was a good song, but I don't think I fully appreciated it until I came back to listen to it again and could link it back to the rest of the show; I think it becomes more meaningful once you know the whole story - at least it worked that way for me

The exchange between Dally and Johnny Cade (I can definitely see why you thought August was a good match for him btw) was really sweet - they really sold that chosen family vibe between them. And it was clever how they incorporated the set-up with the switchblade knife too, what with it being so important later on. 

Friday at the Drive-In - nothing really groundbreaking, but it was a fun, catchy song - and I liked the choreography!

I loved getting to meet Cherry for the first time - with her bravery standing up for herself I can definitely see Vivien selling that almost defiant confidence really well. And how she speaks to Ponyboy afterwards - I could so see Vivien acting that out with Bentley. I sometimes forget how close of a bond Vivien and Bentley have because I usually think of them as a trio, or just Vivien with Royce - but I'd love to see them tackle this scene together; I think they'd do a great job. 

Going on from that - I Could Talk To You All Night - such a pretty song that is so enjoyable and easy to listen to - it works so well for the scene, and I think Vivien and Bentley would kill it - BUT, your idea of a one-shot with Miles and Carrie pre-relationship is absolute perfection for this song. It works amazingly - right down to their places in society and everything!! Aaah!!

I loved Cherry sticking up for herself when her boyfriend barged in and started being an asshole too - she's such a strong-willed girl, I'm obsessed with her. I could very much see elements of Carrie and Eric in her and Bob's relationship (unfortunately lol) - especially in TMM. If only Carrie had the same balls Cherry did to actually put herself first lmao.

Runs in the Family reprise - whilst I understand it was a little overkill for Darrel to fly off the handle like he did, I can appreciate his point of view and how he cracked under all the pressure he'd placed on himself. Like you said in your post, it's hard to imagine the Murphy brothers ever arguing like this - but it could be something interesting to play with just as a one off, to see how they would react - especially that element of Darrel talking about all the things he could do with his life if he wasn't tied down to providing for his brothers - I feel like Miles could share at least some of those struggles (I just don't ever think he'd express them lmao - especially not like that). Also - I feel like in this reprise, even more than with the song the first time around - part of the melody reminds me of What'd I Miss from Hamilton. Maybe it's just me though lol 😂

Far Away from Tulsa - what a pretty song! And what a sweet moment between Ponyboy and Johnny Cade - this was such a good way to show how close the characters are. And omg just imagining Bentley and August singing it 🥹 - I couldn't cope

Probably just me watching too much Starlight Express (as usual), but the "you're nobody" part of the following run-in with the Socs was very reminiscent of the "he said nobody, so he's nobody" bit in the show when the other trains are all picking on Rusty. Weird coincidence haha. But again, the staging of this fight was just brilliant - it was like I couldn't look away! And the underwater effects!! That was so cool!!

Run Run Brother - what an exciting end to the first act! Again, the staging of it was brilliant showing their escape - and I loved the song in this one too; I feel like it showed off Dallas' voice really well. 

Justice for Tulsa - this was a really cool opening to the second act - I loved the way they staged it with the interrogation; that was so clever and it set the tone really well how everything is a little darker and more tense compared to the bright and cheery opening of the first act. I really liked the second part of the song too with Cherry sticking up for the Greasers even though everyone else was turning on her because of it - she's definitely feeling like one of my favourite characters at this point. The tone of her voice is so pretty and clear too - you can tell there's a lot of power behind it as well. She's great!

Also - I know it's not really a comical show - but that cut back to Ponyboy after they'd cut and bleached his hair… 😳 Girl. I gasped. That wig. I know the point is that it looks bad but I was still speechless 😂 The poor guy! Wanted as an accessory to murder AND looking like a clown?! He can't catch a break!

Death's At My Door - what a sweet duet - not the most exciting of songs - but it's really heartfelt and showed off the characters' close bond really well. 

Throwing in the Towel - I already had a bit of an idea what this was like from the TV performance of it, but omg seeing it fully staged, and knowing about everything that led up to this point, made it so much better! What a beautiful song! Everyone put so much emotion into it - and then when Ponyboy started singing too to show how they were all thinking of and missing each other despite being apart - ugh, it was so good!! Definitely a stand out song of the show for me. Brilliant vocals, and amazing acting too from all three brothers. I can totally see the similarities to your Murphy brothers as well, which made it all the more enjoyable to watch. The actor who plays Darrell did a particularly great job here, and as an oldest sibling myself, I definitely felt the most connected to him - he's another favourite of mine from the show.

The comedic timing on that "Do I look like Julie Andrews?" line was impeccable - that whole section with them talking about Ponyboy's hair was so good - they delivered the lines so well; it felt so authentic. And Dally's reaction just made it even better.

Soda's Letter - another really pretty song - you could really feel the sentiment behind the lyrics - it felt (at least to me anyway) that even the music itself was showing that internal conflict in Ponyboy: the need to stay safe and loyal to his friends, but also that comforting pull of his family back home. It was really beautiful!

Dally's monologue that followed was really powerful too, with him trying to keep his 'found family' safe - definitely felt like his advice was driven by the fact that he didn't have a choice in his matter of just keeping moving on though, and that he was potentially a little jealous that Ponyboy did have a loving family he could go back to. There felt like there was an element of pride there too - where he felt like their new big brother who could look after them, especially after his talk with Darrell, so he didn't want them to go back and not have them solely relying on/looking up to him anymore. He wants to try to keep that control over them  - maybe because there's nothing else he can control in his life? Idk, maybe I'm reading too much into it lmao.

Hoods Turned Heroes - that whole fire breaking out really took me by surprise, but it was so brave of Ponyboy and Johnny Cade to go save all those kids despite being so weak and tired themselves. No wonder they were deemed heroes! It was a fun song to show off the upswing in luck for the Greasers back home though - and it provided an even starker contrast to the next scene with Dally carrying Johnny Cade like that. That was a really powerful moment.

Hopeless War - another beautiful song showing off Cherry's actress' voice - I'm obsessed with it. She's really great. Definitely gives me turf war vibes that could be used in a throwback one-shot/au or something before the surfers and bikers made up.

The set-up for the rumble had me so nervous ngl - I really appreciated Darrell coming back and trying to help though, even offering to take Ponyboy's place and fight for him (not that Ponyboy was ever going to let that happen, but you know, the sentiment was there haha). Very good big brother energy - very Miles energy too. I liked it haha.

And then the rumble itself: genuinely unbelievable theatre. I know I've said it before, but the way they used the sound, and the lighting, and the choreography of everything - and the rain and the fake blood too - it quite literally took my breath away. Sooooo insanely brilliant. I can't believe how synchronised everything was - it was really, really impressive. 

Little Brother - another seriously powerful song, made even more powerful by that amazing performance by Dally's actor. Omg he totally killed that - the pain and the emotion in his voice - he sounded totally broken, it was such a brilliant performance! And aptly heartbreaking after what happened to poor Johnny Cade - it's just a shame Dally felt so lost and angry that he ended up meeting the same fate.

That conversation between the three brothers centering around Ponyboy and his grief was so emotional and, again, really powerful. They acted it out so well - I could really feel their love and frustration with one another. Again, I could totally see the Murphy brothers acting in a similar way if they were ever in that situation, especially with the way they were talking about their parents and how they're all each other has left. May or may not have helped me a lot with later parts of TMM too hehe 👀

Also - the part with them saying Johnny Cade's mum never showed up to the hospital to collect his things: what the hell! That's so sad! Poor boy deserved so much better 😢

Stay Gold - I've always known about this phrase being linked to The Outsiders in some way because I think you've had it in your bio at some point, but I didn't know the full meaning behind it until I listened to this. And omg what a beautiful song - definitely one of my favourites from the whole show. It's so delicate and heartfelt and pretty - that melody is just so gorgeous. It really feels like Johnny's last way of comforting and reassuring Ponyboy, all wrapped up in a song. Sooooo pretty. I loved the touch of them getting Johnny to be the one to sing it too; it sounds so much more meaningful coming from him. I could totally picture August singing this as well - the lyrics all felt very 'him' with that soft, almost poetic edge and the link to nature. At least that's the vibe I have in my head of August anyway haha.

The way they brought Ponyboy's writing back to end the show with felt so satisfying - it was a great way to tie it all together as one big story and show how their lives had changed, but part of it would always stay the same. A great way to end it with some really nice harmonies!!

So yeah, in case you couldn't already tell, I really loved the show - thank you so much for introducing me to it! I'm so glad I'll finally have an idea of what you're talking about when you bring it up now lmaoooo. And I'm so excited to see your reaction to it, because I feel as though it'll just make me love it even more!

Anyway, speaking of reactions, here are all the things I had to comment on after watching your reaction to Starlight Express. They're in that same sort of bullet point-y style, and I didn't comment on everything because I'd have probably bored you for hours. But here were at least my main things I wanted to share with you! So yeah, thank you again for putting that video together for me; I had such a fun time watching it and seeing you experience the show for the first time. I can't wait to see what ideas it sparks for you in the future (even if they're just new, awesome nail designs 😉)

Starlight Express:

It was so cool hearing you say that you bet you'd have loved the show when you were a kid because that's when I fell in love with it - and how you hoped that there are kids in the audience that fall in love with musical theatre because of the show because that's exactly what happened with me, and is exactly what the musical set out to do. Andrew Lloyd Webber has said many times that Starlight was designed to get kids into theatre and get them excited about going so the fact you picked up on that so early on was so cool! 

I LOOOOVE that you fell in love with Greaseball so early on - Greaseball's always been one of my faves, and this London version just cemented it for me. She's such an icon. I always used to love Dinah because she got to be WITH Greaseball - now I just want to BE Greaseball 🤣

That's so cool that you've seen stuff from the Bochum version (and that you've been learning German?! That's awesome!), and that you can appreciate the costume changes and everything. This video version of the London production might not be the best because the costumes aren't all finished off with the lights on their chest yet - since it was taken during the previews - but I agree that they all still look insanely cool. 

Also - with Dinah being one of my all-time favourite characters in the show - those Dinah inspired nails you got (which I may or may not have clocked in the intro because I'm a freak like that 🤣) are AMAZING! They look so good!! I'd love to see what you get done for Greaseball/The Outsiders if you end up getting them.

I loved your interpretation of the coaches being like the Muses in Hercules - that's such a cool connection; I'd never thought of that before but you're so right! And I loved your comments/analyses on their costumes too - they were so fun to hear. And as someone who LOVES really reading into details - especially when it comes to colours and things - listening to you talk about everything you picked up on was soooo fun. 

You giggling at that moment at the end of Whistle At Me was so cute 🥰

Also, I know you realised by the end of the show, but they definitely do sing AC/DC in Electra's main song - which is cool for both the music connotations, and because of the alternating current/direct current electrical terminology connotations hehe. 

I LOVED your reactions to Pumping Iron because that's one of my favourite songs in the whole show - it's just so FUN - and I had a blast watching you experience it all. Also - the way that your homemade slushie exploding lined up perfectly with Control saying "uh oh" had me cracking up so hard 😂

You picking up on Pearl saying "lovers" in Make Up My Heart was so entertaining too - the characters used to be a lot more romantically motivated in other versions of the show, and carrying songs over without changing the lyrics much (this one in particular) doesn't always work so well 😂

Totally agree with your score for Momma's Blues too - I love Momma as a character, but I always skip that song because it's just so random and unnecessary - genuinely don't know why it was ever included other than to give the Poppa/Momma character something else to sing 😂

I'm OBSESSED with Rusty's voice in this production too - obviously all the other Rustys I've seen have done an amazing job too, but there's something about Jeevan's voice that is just sooo beautiful. It made me appreciate 'Starlight Express' and 'Starlight Sequence' so much more than I used to because of how gorgeous his voice is to listen to. Also, can you believe he was only 17 when he started the show?! Insane!!

Unfortunately Greaseball is always kind of a jerk to Dinah in the shows, which is such a shame because they are so cute together otherwise. I've seen a few different interpretations of it though, like where Greaseball's so hellbent on winning that they don't want any distractions from anyone (no matter who they're from), and their desire to win just completely takes over. But another interpretation I thought was quite cute was that Greaseball is so desperate to look tough in front of their competitors that they have to disregard Dinah so that they don't look weak, because every time they DO properly acknowledge Dinah (like at the end) they're just like putty in her hands haha. 

I'm glad you still liked UNCOUPLED so much too, because as much as I also love it, I feel like it works much better with an American accent. Every other English-speaking version of the show has had Dinah being American, and since that number is so country music inspired, I just think it sounds better with an American accent. Eve's acting definitely helps to sell it though - and the more I listen to it, the more normal it's starting to sound. So maybe it's growing on me after all 😂

Your analysis on the 'money-driven' aspect of Slick's character was really cool too. That's a new aspect for this production too, because usually it's CB in that position just wrecking the trains for shits and giggles because he's a little psycho - but the link to the big oil rigging industry is a great one to make! I kind of wish they did more with Slick's character tbh - I feel like what they show of her is a very base level of her character - I wish we saw more of her desperation and intensity. And like I mentioned with how I imagine Abby would play her, I wish there was more of an element of Slick wanting to help Greaseball because she idolises her, what with their almost identical colour schemes and their joint reliance on oil. I think Wide Smile, High Style kind of falls a little flat because Slick's motives were never really shown up until that moment. But oh well, I suppose the show can only be so long haha. 

That moment after Rusty wrecks in the first version of the final race being Royce and Vivien coded is so true!! I'm so pleased you saw elements of them in those roles like I did!

It was so cute seeing how excited you got about Hydra each time he came on stage too - everyone seems to be really loving him, which is great since he, and all the other fuel trucks, were new additions for this production. He just seems like such a cool, chill guy - he's great. And that musical hook of his is really catchy haha. I'm pleased you could see how I could link him to Ethan lmao.

I love that you enjoyed One Rock and Roll Too Many - that's such a fun number in the show. I wish they'd made it more obvious that the trains had wrecked though, because in other productions they roll out in tattered/falling-apart versions of their costumes, which I think sells it more. But I also understand that that might not have been possible this time around with the way that the costumes are so rigid/plasticy. Either way - it's still a really fun number.

In terms of their makeup too - I've seen some of the cast on tiktok doing videos about their makeup and they have to do it all themselves! I think they were taught how to do their specific looks initially, but they have to do it all themselves every night, which is super impressive.

Also - yes - I totally agree Hydra should have been up there on the podium with Rusty at the end. Pearl didn't even race with him once!! 😂

And your utter confusion with Greaseball's poor spelling 😂 I love Al's portrayal of Greaseball but I don't think she hams up the dopey/dumb and embarrassed aspect of that part where she struggles to spell 'sorry' nearly enough. 

Overall, I absolutely loved your reactions though - getting to introduce people to stuff I love and seeing their reactions is one of my favourite things to do, so getting to watch you experience the show for the first time and fall in love with it was soooooo special. I can't wait to see your reaction to the Outsiders one if you choose to do one for that too!

And with that, I think I've got through everything. And to save you from reading through even more of my ramblings, I'll leave it here. Thank you so much for getting through it all if you made it to this point though - you're a real one haha. On a serious note though, the dedication you've put into editing together that video and watching the show purely because you know how much I enjoy it, and going to the trouble of helping me watch The Outsiders, is insane - you've gone above and beyond any of my irl friends with all that, so thank you soooo much. You truly are the best! 🥰

Now, back to TMM! 😂

[kiryma]

10 people you want to know better

Thanks @problemcore for the tag ^-^ I procrastinated on this so hard but I just want to say it’s so smart to just making a new post

Relationship status: single

Favorite colors: Blue and purple. Blue was my og favorite color and it’s the color of a lot of characters I like. Purple grew on me since I played Spiral Knights with my brother and a ton of people were some shade of blue and I tried to be different.

Favorite foods: Overarching statement for noodles. I absolutely love fried noodle dishes, noodle soups, pasta, etc.

Song stuck in my head: KAFU’s Curry Udon (Manic) Capriccio (it is kinda loud)

Last thing you googled: examples of rationalized organizations. I was writing a paper for a soc theory class.

Time: 9:19

Dream trip: I think I’m perpetually stuck being a weeb at heart, I wanna go to Japan so bad. Specifically with my friends though.

Last thing you read: The “Inscription of Labyrinth” chapter from Punishing: Gray Raven.

Last book you enjoyed reading: Chainsaw man. I haven’t really gotten into anything else I’ve enjoyed as much since.

Favorite things to cook/bake: Wontons. They’re the only thing I’m super good at that has any level of complexity past stir fry so I am attached to them.

Favorite craft to do in your free time: It’s a tie between drawing and making UTAU covers. I’ve really gotten into making covers recently, but I like doing little doodles for them so they go hand in hand. I also just draw separately though.

Most niche dislike: I feel the need to preface this with all art that people do is great, do what you enjoy and whatnot and it doesn’t need to be to anyone’s preferences. That being said I do not like large pixel arts where the artist used size 1 binary pen to do all the lineart and then it doesn’t really have the pixel art look when you zoom out and look at the full image. I just prefer thicker borders etc. on larger pieces, like it scales up or something as it gets bigger. No idea if this is niche or not I’ve just never seen someone talk about it before.

Opinion on circuses: Never been to one so I can’t say much, but I will say they have a great aesthetic.

Do you have any sense of direction: Kind of? If someone drops me somewhere and I walk around I can roughly know where I am in position to the starting location, but that’s about it. I won’t know where to go and especially if there’s other people around, I get lost really easily.

Thanks again for the tag, I’ll open invite this one for anyone who follows me to do if they want :3

[genuineformality]

Tagged by @pyrrhlc. A very slightly different version than the last time this came around. 

Favourite colour: I love bright colors of all kinds and I’m not certain I have an actual favorite. (True story, when I was getting married, wedding vendors were constantly asking us what our colors were and I told them “riotous”.)

Currently reading: To Be Taught, If Fortunate, by Becky Chambers, which I’m reading slowly to savor it. Like all of her work, it’s a study of the beautiful, glorious flaws of humanity, bittersweet and wistful and hilarious by turns. Do yourself a favor and go read Becky Chambers if you haven’t. 

Last TV series: I don’t watch a lot of television right now, so the answer to this is the same as last time: Ted Lasso, which is way better than it has any right to be. As partner @arbitraryimposition puts it, this was custom made for anyone who has ever lived in the US and the UK and has big feelings about being a fish out of water in either of those places.

Last film: I rewatched Yentl for the first time since I think I was a teenager, which is chock full of Big Gay Energy and wow do I have a lot of feelings about being Jewish and queer right now. 

Sweet, Savoury or Spicy: It depends on the context, but I love food, and I love all of those in different ways. I have a weird relationship with capsaicin peppers, though, so I don’t eat a lot of spicy food unless the spiciness comes from a different source (e.g., horseradish is spicy, but I don’t have an unfortunate reaction to it). My favorite sweet is marzipan in dark chocolate. My favorite savory/spicy is a particular combination of soy sauce, fake wasabi, and avocado.

Currently working on: Six of Crows I’m low-key working on my SOC minibang fic, although I feel like it’s pretty much done aside from some language tweaking at this point. I owe some additional comments to the people I’m beta reading for. I have half a story written for the next installment of Modern Business. I’m working on a fic about Wylan grieving his abuser (which is a big, ugly, complicated thing and I’m definitely processing some of my own shit there), and finally I decided to do Febuwhump, but instead of writing 28 disparate stories that have a whump element, I’ve gone completely rogue and I’m writing 28 connected stories with a shared narrative arc based on the prompts, because why can’t I do anything the easy way? 

Deus Ex I’m outlining a story about Adam Jensen having some big fucking feelings about being a cyborg (and that the process of becoming a cyborg isn’t exactly the plug and play experience that the games make it out to be)

Yentl I’ve very gently outlined an alternate ending fic, in which Yentl Anchel leans into being a transman, comes out first to Hadass, and then Anchel and Hadass come up with a plan to convince Avigdor that this is groovy, and then they all live happily ever after as queer Talmudic scholars, as they were always meant to be. 

Nonwriting: I have a pattern for a coat that’s been staring at me for months that I really need to get to; and I started on a new cross stitch project, but it’s been sidelined for a bit. 

[tundrainafrica]

I just find it so unfortunate that some aggressive shippers ruin a ship and a character for so many people. A popular Erwin x Levi artist got hate comments by some Levihan shippers and so many people are bashing it now on twitter because of that. Its just so sad considering LH was one of the most beautiful and fun dynamics in such a depressing story. Even Hange is getting hated because LH is pretty much the default ship involving them and it just breaks my heart :(

Twitter has some great content and I actually hang around AOT twt for some quick content. It’s like every time I’m feeling fast food I just hang there, like a few tweets, read a few soc med AUs etc etc. 

But god. It’s a mess man. Last year I was constantly on twitter to be honest and it left me in a bad mood everyday because people are just being assholes for little to no reason really but just to put themselves in what they believe is a morally higher ground from their peers. And people just like fighting and the funny part is no opinions are actually heard, no views are actually exchanged. It’s just “you dont agree with me so you’re a bad person.” 

Ad hominem attacks are just everywhere.

So I like staying in my small little hole and just talking to myself there and just liking the content of the Levihan people I actually follow. I see stuff I don’t agree with but I’ve kinda accepted that a lot of people there are just there to push an agenda because really if people were that open minded, I don’t think lynching and call out culture would have gotten this far.  

I’ve used this same analogy so many times but I feel like in Twitter, people are just scrambling for some sort of moral high ground. Because of that, it is completely useless to engage in discourse there because one thing I noticed is most people who are vocal there already have a set stance on something and the fact that they’re ready to just bully anyone who stands in the way of their agenda, just makes convincing them out of the agenda impossible and a complete waste of time. And there are two issues in particular among the LH community which are really unsettling for me: the ship wars and within the LH community, the gender war. 

Ship wars

I find the ship wars unnecessary because really what makes a superior ship? 

Probability of being canon? How much fuel they were given in canon? Healthiness of the relationship?

The truth is people ship for many reasons. But really, who are we to judge how a person goes about the way they decide to participate in the fandom and ship? As long as it is something they keep within personal spaces and do it responsibly, I don’t think it’s our business to judge someone or lynch them. The important thing is people are able to not be an asshole about it. People can ship the most questionable shit, create the most dubious content, as long as that person is respecting boundaries and putting the right tags and trigger warnings, who are we to call them out right?

Of course I prefer LH over other Levi ships personally but is there really a need to attack other people’s ships about it? I probably do poke fun at Ereri because until now I still do not get why people enjoy Ereri in the first place but why destroy the fandom experience for people just because we don’t agree with them.

My general intention behind shipping Levihan is because above anything I value the healthiness in the relationship and the things people can learn about love and relationships by analyzing Levihan’s dynamics and headcanoning them. I love Levi and Hange’s dynamics to death and I like digging deeper into them and pulling out lessons from it about love, life and relationships and just sharing them with people which is my whole point for participating in this fandom in the first place. 

But in the end, ships are just preferences. Some people like getting a kick out of dubious pairings and toxic relationships. As long as they consume these responsibly and don’t emulate them in real life, I see no problem in it. 

The toxic ones are the ones who actively crucify people for preferences. 

The Gender War

One really disturbing thing I found about twitter is that deciding to use ‘she’ to refer to Hange can get you lynched. I found a few accounts that would reblog tweets where someone says something like “Yes, Hange, Queen” which gets retweeted by some NB Hange folk who say stuff like “Unfollow this transphobe now.” 

Because apparently deciding to headcanon Hange as a woman or just preferring to use ‘she’ makes people a transphobe. Which is personally just... really disturbing. I don’t believe words like homophobic, transphobic, racist should be so easily thrown around unless there is hard evidence to believe that someone is really one of the epithets above like for example: 

There are things I find completely assholish like of course, refusing to use someone’s preferred pronouns if they ask you. 

But Hange is fictional and Hange is a gift to the fandom.And I don’t even think the issue about Hange’s gender should have ever reached this far. The only thing Yams ever said was that Hange is just not the type to be tied down to a single gender. 

And policing Hange’s gender and saying NOPE SHE’S NON BINARY USE THEY Is just counterintuitive to the whole idea that she’s a free spirit. In the end, Hange as a character wouldn’t have given a fuck whether people called her a they, she or even a he. 

And yeah, it’s frustrating really that these two issues I just discussed above are ruining Hange as a character for a lot of people and consequently, ruining Levi x Hange as a ship. 

Apparently, a lot of people are closet LxH shippers or closet Hange stans because the moment they tweet something about Hange, there are people who will attack them. If people refer to Hange as they, they get attacked. If people refer to Hange as she, they get attacked. There are so many antis apparently to the LxH ship, some apparently are jealous because ‘it’s the closest to canon’ while others just apparently deem it a toxic ship because of our own internal gender war.  

There’s no winning really. And to be honest, there’s nothing I can do either and I don’t want to engage in any arguments in twitter if at the end of it, I’m just gonna end up wasting my time listening to ad hominem attacks directed at me just for not agreeing with someone in a fandom related matter. . 

I’ve said my piece about the Hange gender issue so many times. There are NBs who use she. There are those who use they. Being female and being NB aren’t mutually exclusive. You can be both at the same time.

But yeah, we still have people being assholes about this and pushing factually wrong agendas. I love research and I have been writing research papers and metas for a lot of things even before I started this blog in the first place. And I eventually learned that the world is so complex that no opinion is completely and absolutely correct. 

And ideally, opinions shouldn’t be made so easily. 

Don’t get me wrong. I believe everyone is entitled to a preference and when I say preference I mean the type of food they like, the type of wallpaper they like. 

But no one is entitled to a moral judgement or opinion just for existing and when I say opinion I mean questions on morals, on what’s right or what isn’t, what is or what should be. Every single person has the responsibility to research, hear both sides of a discourse and understanding them before deciding for themselves what’s right. And this is why hearing accusations that someone is ‘transphobic,’ ‘homophobic’ blah blah over how we hc a character just really does not sit well with me. 

Passing moral judgement on someone requires discernment, deep thought and lots and lots of evidence. But yeah this is a philosophical question and a political question so I ain’t going to delve into it here.

Because, in the end, fandoms are preferences. The way we choose to participate in a fandom and create content are preferences more than anything.

So what? (Btw, if you reached all the way here, thank you for listening to me ramble lol and sorry if you weren’t expecting this type of ramble)

I know I’ve just been rambling a lot up there for a lot of reasons but really what message do I wanna give? 

Fandoms are preferences more than anything so I don’t even believe that there should be a discussion on moral judgement here. People can have the weirdest kinks, the most questionable preferences but as long as they aren’t going around romanticizing abuse, beating up people in real life, killing them and lying in real life, who are we to judge?

Even if someone says they have a rape kink and abuse kink when it comes to fics, as long as they acknowledge it’s something they shouldn’t emulate in real life, as long as they can keep an adult conversation about it, I think these people are generally kinder and more pleasant overall than people who force their healthy canon ship and lynch everyone for having more questionable preferences. 

Ship and let ship. Live and let live. Headcanon and let headcanon. If a person has a differing opinion, listen. (Or really, if you just don’t want to deal with listening to differing opinions coz you’re just gonna get stressed, don’t lynch? Don’t send hate? And just ignore it?)

Ask yourself. Does the person acknowledge that it isn’t right in real life? Do they acknowledge if they emulate it in real life it has the potential to be harmful?

Honestly, all I wanna do is just let people stan Levi and Hange however they want to. There are obviously hcs I dont agree with. But in the LH community we just all love Levihan, let’s not ruin the fandom experience for anyone. In the AOT community, we all just love AOT, let’s not ruin it for anyone. Let’s not hurt anyone, attack them etc. 

If someone doesn’t agree and they can hold an adult conversation about it and they don’t emulate these toxic opinions in real life and they recognize that there is the option to just agree to disagree, why don’t we just listen and engage in this discourse to learn more about other people and to build more perspectives?

Because really it isn’t the questionable hcs or the multiple genders which leaves such a bad taste in my mouth. It’s the people who just go straight to attacking instead of actually considering that there’s potential for discourse and there’s potential to ‘agree to disagree’ because in the end, fandom discourse is a question of preference more than moral judgement. 

It’s easier said than done really. But personally for me, I just try to keep my fandom experience as non toxic as possible while at the same time as mentally fulfilling as possible. I enjoy discourse, I like hearing differing opinions and I really believe with something as light and as inconsequential as fandoms as our common ground, we can learn to peacefully co-exist despite differing opinions on what the best ship is or what Hange’s gender is. 

Note: I won’t delve too much on the Hange gender issue here because I have pending asks about those which I’ll answer in one go, but I really believe that both they and she are valid pronouns for Hange. 

I have a general preference for ‘she’ because it’s just easier to read. But personally I don’t think too much about the gender identity issue because it’s really just too complex for me and i like spending my time thinking of other headcanons about Hange than gender and people who push the Hange is nb agenda and people who push the Hange is a female agenda and just insult each other and lynch each other are both equally unsettling. 

[national-nobody-writes]

2020 Creator Wrap

2020 Creator Wrap: Favorite Works

I was tagged by the oh so talented @irolltwenties!

Rules: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your 5 (or so) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought to the world in 2020. tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

I’m not a particularly prolific writer (WIPs for days, but completed projects? Not so much). Somehow in this hell year though, I did manage to complete more fics than in any previous year for a total of seven new works (~49k words, all on ao3), plus a chunky chap of a long running WIP (~20k words) so I’m actually pretty damn proud of myself! I also made some new fandom friends in 2020 which has easily been one of the biggest delights of the year & has definitely helped my creative momentum, so ty all for that. <3

Counting down from 5, here are my favs:

5. Downtime

I have endless love for JayRoy and it felt so good to finally finish something for them for once this year! All of my past WIPs primarily focused on them ended up firmly in my graveyard folder, including the fic that this one shot was originally meant to be connected to. I liked the way this turned out well enough to clean it up and post it on its own though, so at least now I can say that I have something published for them at last.

(Also it got me back into the JayRoy headspace enough to outline a whole YJ/Earth16 JayRoy fic that I’m excited to start drafting in 2021, so we’ll see where that goes...)

2.3k NSFW; A mix of playful sweet and roughness, just like them.

4. Mirror Image

Bluepulse Week really saved me this year in terms of forcing me to just write, damn it! Did I finish all the prompts this year? Nope. Did it get me to complete a handful of fics that I ended up really loving? Yes. This was one of them.

This fic zoomed into existence entirely out of necessity as an alt idea to a prompt that I had a much longer idea for, but didn’t have time to complete. It then got a positive enough reception that I decided to turn it from a crack-adjacent, passable one-shot to a slightly more developed two-shot by request of one of my commenters. Really, it was writing that second chapter that ended up endearing the fic to me.

6.3k Humor, time travel shenanigans & accidental dating. This fic is the sweetness of teenage crushes, the confusing mess of discovering your sexuality, & laughter with your best friend.

3. Soft Wesper One Shots

Would you look at that, another nsfw piece. Could it be that I’m starting to get to the point where I can look back at completed nsfw fics without cringing terribly? Love that for me.

This fic took me by surprise, tbh. I wouldn’t consider myself a part of the grisaverse fandom (I’m utterly ambivalent toward the OG trilogy & have no plans to read them), but I did fall deeply in love with the whole Six of Crows gang earlier this year to the point of having quite the book hangover afterward, unable to pick up anything else except related fanfic for a couple weeks straight. These fluffy, nsfw scenes were born out of that, and I was pleasantly surprised to see such a positive response to them in the comments. The whole SoC gang has my heart, but the dynamic between Jesper and Wylan in particular got my writing fingers itching.

3.7k Domestic, post-canon fluff & tender sex with flirty Jesper & blushing Wylan abound.

2. Stick With Me

Ohh, I still get warm fuzzies thinking about this fic! If I’m only low-key proud of the first three on this list, this is one I’m legitimately very proud of. I had this idea on the docket already from a convo with @ivyxwrites early this year (or maybe last year? who knows, time means nothing anymore) but used Bluepulse Week as the excuse to finally get started, and I ended up adoring the process of writing it far more than I anticipated.

As much as I love planning out meticulously crafted, plotty stories, sometimes all you want to do is pick some well-loved tropes out of a hat instead and run with them (in this case: stuck in a cabin, only one bed, & heated argument leading to confession). It was freeing to just mess around and have fun with this fic, knowing pretty much right from the get-go how I wanted it to unfold and seeing it so vividly in my mind. It also probably helped that I was writing it for Ivy; it’s much easier for me to stay motivated when creating directly for my friends.

Finishing this was also such a serotonin-filled burst of pure victory for me since, as previously stated, I’m terrible at finishing projects--particularly multi-chap fics, particularly within a decent timeframe.

25.5k A showcase of the essence of what I love about the best friends-to-lovers dynamic. Part character study, part wires getting crossed & uncrossed, and whole idiots to lovers. This fic is the warmth in the pit of your stomach from a yearning made real & the sudden clarity of realizing what you were looking for had already been there all along.

1. The Rest Pt 1: Delicate (Remember Me Chap 4)

Oh, Remember Me. Of everything I’ve ever written, this story remains the one I’m most proud of and certainly the closest to my heart (not to mention the longest running, whoops). The first iteration of the beginning of this story was actually drafted back in 2017, but I walked away from it for a couple of years before deciding to dust it off and try again. It has spiraled into something far bigger in scope than I originally planned for, but I’ve come to love the path it’s led me down so far, and finishing this whopping 20k chunkster of a chapter was like breathing a huge (if temporary) sigh of relief.

This chap was particularly cathartic to write because it allowed for a number of convos between the boys that had really needed to happen, and was finally the ‘getting together’ moment the fic had been building toward for a while. It’s also so sappy I could die, but I will not be apologizing for that, lol. I was really hoping to get Chap 5 up this year as well, but y’know. Sometimes things just don’t work out like you plan for and that’s okay. 

Chap 5 does have 17k done already (with prob another 5-8k still to go) & I’m itching to share it, but no sense in rushing if the end result would suffer for it. Luckily, everyone in comments has been kind enough to beat me over the head with ‘take your time, we don’t mind/we’ll still be here!!!’ which I’m immensely grateful for. So, at least the pressure to hurry up and get it done is purely self-inflicted.

Of all my works, this fic has not only gotten the most passionate responses, but has also been the main gateway for me to interact with other bluepulse creators, which has been a real joy. Nothing brightens my day like the essays people leave me over there from time to time after discovering the fic. That kind of engagement is the highest praise, & responding is very self indulgent fun for me (bc, clearly, I could go on and on about this fic & YJ in general forever).

54.8k total so far (WIP). Bart & Jaime’s relationship journey from beginning to ‘current day’ (aka the moment the fic begins), using amnesia/memory restoration as a framing device. The high highs and low lows of first love, navigating a 3 yr age difference, and the long, winding road from best friends to lovers as the years roll on. Slow-burn-adjacent (in terms of both the boys’ relationship to each other and reader’s relationship to the fic bc of how long I take between goddamn updates).

Tagging @ivyxwrites, @incorrectbatfam, @paintingwithdarkness, @bluepulsebluepulse

[reddish-light]

tagged by @umibekafka; ty buddy I love you this was fun to do

1. Why did you choose your url?

To match all my gamer tag stuff across a lot of different sites. It actually came from a friend I played Dead by Daylight with and they were a killer and I was a survivor they had just downed. I think they said something along the lines of me being a slug in a puddle of reddish light and I thought it sounded cool so I took it. Now I use it everywhere I don't want my name attached and I use another name for people I know irl primarily.

2. Any sideblogs? If you have them name them and why you have them.

One blog that won't be named because it's my most popular blog full of angry venting stuff / poetry that resonates with similarly angry people that need to vent.

@lilred-fighting-hood for the Achievement Hunter fandom although I'm no longer part of, but I still reblog posts for the people that do follow that blog because I hope it brings them joy.

@lumos-nyx for my aesthetic blog. Lots of purple and space stuff, though recently it's been flowers.

@icecourt-crows for the Six of Crows fandom! Used to post my writing but I kinda fell out of SOC for now (just wait until I watch the Netflix series though.)

@snxwflakeheart for an old RP thing that I couldn't figure out because I am not good at RP lmao.

3. How long have you’ve been on tumblr?

2012/2013 I believe. Oh wow it's been nearly a decade (using decade puts things in perspective, huh).

4. Do you have a queue tag?

No; I'm sorry. I reblog everything when I am online and the only reprieve my followers get is when I am not online. I don't want to sully their dashboards when I'm not even there to watch.

5. Why did you start your blog in the first place?

I believe it was for H/etalia? Migrated from Quotev because I heard there was better fanart and fanfiction here.

6. Why did you choose your icon?

It's a Picrew I did for Halloween and it feeds into so many of my interests (tits out, hearts, heart eyes, dark red, how I see myself in my head or how I'd like to portray myself to others).

7. Why did you choose your header?

I don't have one and that's because I couldn't find one I liked.

8. What’s your post with the most notes?

I don't know how to check that and I am too lazy to find out; I'm sorry ask game :(

9. How many mutuals do you have?

"I don't know how to check that and I am too lazy to find out; I'm sorry ask game :(" PART 2

10. How many followers do you have?

613! Hello everyone that follows me (or followed me by mistake lmao).

11. How many people do you follow?

779 people! I pruned it recently so it's not as high as it was a month ago.

12. Have you ever made a shitpost?

I haven't because I rarely personal post on this blog (aside from tag games like this).

13. How often do you use tumblr each day?

Daily and sometimes I catch myself getting bored of Tumblr, so I open Tumblr in another tab without realizing it :|

14. Did you have a fight/argument with another blog once? Who won?

Not on this blog, but I have like once or twice maybe? I "won" both times, but there is no "winning" in tumblr drama.

15. How do you feel about “you need to reblog this” posts?

I really dislike them because of the guilt tripping, but if the information is important to me, then I would reblog it. It would probably be better practice to reblog it from the last most relevant RB to avoid the guilt tripping, but alas.

16. Do you like tag games?

Tag games are fun! Too bad I don't notice I get tagged until much later because I don't check the activity tag lmao.

17. Do you like ask games?

They're fun to do on occasion; I don't like doing them on this blog though because the reach isn't as wide as my more popular side blog. At times, I thrive off the attention. At other times, please do not acknowledge my existence. And also, if one of the people I follow does an ask game, I send them something because I hope it'll brighten their day!

18. Which of your mutuals do you think is tumblr famous?

A few of them! I know for sure that @vorpaldick is popular bc they did the JFK post and are generally witty, eloquent, and hot. Similarily, @exeunt-pursued-by-a-bear is also intelligent and well-spoken and has very in-depth knowledge on theater-related stuff!

19. Do I have a crush on a mutual?

Yeah and they know who they are; I even have a specific tag for them when I find posts that remind me of them.

20. Tags?

Anyone who wants to do it tbh! Just tag me if you're embarrassed abt wanting to do it unprompted :)

[notveryglittery]

mistakes are made

summary: maybe don’t prank your boyfriend’s brother, especially if he already doesn’t really like you. ships: romantic roceit, brotherly anxceit, rivalry (?) prinxiety / words: 1,500 warnings: technically, a character gets shot by what is technically gun, but no one is actually hurt. lemme know if anything needs tagging! notes: wrote this to bribe @sher-soc-the-famder​ into finishing homework >:3 human au, i guess sort of youtuber au, too? it’s kinda plotless, just some good old fashioned fluff!! enjoy!! (i know the tenses are messy lol sorry)

@fandersfic-roceit @fandersfic-anxceit @fandersfic-prinxiety

—   —   —   —   —   —   —   —   —   —   —   —   —   —   —   —   —   —   —

Roman thought he was perfectly charming, thank you very much! Why, it was right there in his last name. Roman Prince. Prince Charming. See! He was an absolute gentleman, if he did say so himself. And, well, if you didn’t believe him, you could always ask his big brother! Patton said it all the time! He said that Roman was kind and chivalrous and passionate. He said that Roman cared about the people he loved! 

If only all older brothers were as sweet as Patton was. 

It hadn’t even been Roman’s idea, first of all! … Mostly. Okay, so it hadn’t been his own original idea but it might have been his idea to give it a try. He’d done plenty of research, though, in making sure that it was safe and that neither of them would get hurt! He was far too attached to Damien to even imagine letting him get injured. It was going to make for a really cool video, okay? Both of their channels had been lacking in content lately, what with being busy with college; this way, they’d each have a video to post! The plan was that they’d be shot from very different point of views with titles that were just enough clickbait without actually being false. 

“my boyfriend shoots my brother” was true, technically, even if it was going to put Roman in Virgil’s bad graces for a little while. It wasn’t like it’d be all that big a difference, to be fair, since Virgil definitely still kinda sorta hated Roman on some level. No amount of insisting from Damien would convince Roman otherwise. Despite the fact that they’d been dating for nearly a year now (with even more time as each other’s closest rivals), Virgil still had yet to warm up to Roman. He wasn’t sure what he’d done to deserve the dagger-filled glares, to be honest, but Roman was nothing if not resilient! 

(And charming, in case you forgot. He’d worm his way into Virgil’s heart eventually!) 

“confetti cannon gone wrong” really didn’t even begin to cover the premise of Roman’s video. Listen, though, you don’t just find a pretty pink confetti cannon slash gun at the thrift store and not buy it. He’d checked online afterwards and found that they ran well over two hundred dollars and this one had only cost him fifty! The best part was that it actually worked. After he and Patton had cleaned up that mess, Roman had video called Damien and… Alright, well, between you and me, this really had all been Roman’s original idea. He wasn’t one to half-ass his vlogs but if asked, surely it had been done before by some other popular Youtuber, and look Virgil, it wasn’t all him, he’d just been inspired!

“What if I shoot Virgil with a confetti cannon? I’ll even get it in purple and black!”

Damien normally had a very good poker face but apparently the idea of messing with his brother had peaked his interest. Roman swooned at the grin that lit up his boyfriend’s face. “That is a terrible idea. Let’s do it and see what happens.” 

Which led them here, cameras hidden in Virgil’s room to capture every glorious second. It’d have to be quick, Damien had said, because Virgil was far too aware of his surroundings for them to successfully sneak around for long. Making the executive decisions to skip classes that day, Damien and Roman cleared enough space in Virgil’s closet for Roman to hide in. It was significantly more difficult to make sure there was enough room for the confetti cannon, but they managed. Somehow. Let’s chalk it up to the fact that they’re both dangerously creative. 

If Virgil was suspicious of Damien being home on a day he’d normally have rehearsal, he didn’t say anything about it. If anything, it was the fact that Damien was filming in the kitchen. Nothing good ever came from Damien’s vlogs. Virgil shuddered just thinking about the sibling tag video they’d done last year. Sure enough, the moment Virgil was kicking his shoes off in the entryway, Damien was sidling up beside him.

“Oh dearest brother, won’t you tell my darlings what antics you’ve been up to lately?” Damien asked, practically simpering. 

Virgil squinted at him before turning the distrustful stare towards the camera. “You know, the usual. Putting the fear of God into freshies, inciting agitation in my professors for being opinionated, hacking Lyft reviews and fixing driver ratings if they got one star just for ‘not smiling enough.’ Nothing new.”

“Truly, a man of the people.” 

Virgil rolled his eyes. 

“And how’s starboy?” 

Damien delighted in the way his brother went red at the simple mention of his crush. 

“I’M GOING TO MY ROOM,” he announced loudly, disappearing from the frame so quickly, he might as well have been a cryptid avoiding being caught on tape. 

Which… isn’t entirely inaccurate. 

“Too easy,” Damien said, laughing under his breath. “Now, darlings, comes the fun part.” 

Now imagine with me, if you will, cutting to Roman’s video. Virgil storming into his room, muttering things like “stupid soft hair” and “eyes like glittering constellations.” Throwing his backpack aside and then throwing himself onto his bed and screaming into a pillow. 

Roman very nearly lost his composure at the sight of normally so stoic, so edgy Virgil having a meltdown over a cute boy. He would cut this while editing, of course, it wasn’t like he needed Virgil to hate him any more, but like hell he didn’t plan on using it as blackmail in the future. 

You might be wondering, “where does the ‘gone wrong’ come in?” 

Well, nowhere in their plans had they anticipated Virgil opening the closet doors himself. Roman shooting his boyfriend’s brother was supposed to be from a distance, maybe with him sitting at his computer, or while lounging in bed. He was not supposed to have shot Virgil directly in the chest while screaming half in terror and half in shock. Virgil was not supposed to stumble backwards, trip over his backpack, and fall onto the pile of blankets and pillows he’d shoved off of his bed and onto the floor this morning. This puts him entirely out of shot, by the way, leaving the viewer wondering whether or not he’s alive.

Roman, still screaming as he scrambled out of the closet and grabbed the camera, running out of the room would not ease any worries the viewers might have. 

Of course, Roman screaming was not part of the plan either, and so Damien had some concerns. “I wonder if my brother has finally murdered my boyfriend,” he would say, perfectly casual despite the sudden racing of his heart. 

“I SHOT HIM,” Roman shouted the moment his eyes landed on Damien. “Oh my GOD, he’s DEAD.” 

Before either could say much else, Virgil came stomping into the living room. “I’m not dead but you’re about to be.” (The threat didn’t carry much weight seeing as he was covered in confetti but we won’t tell him that.) 

“Now, now,” Damien said, stifling his laughter at the fact that Roman was cowering behind him. Oh, his poor sweet brave prince. “Maybe instead, Roman could do something to make it up to you?”

“Babe!” Roman hissed. 

Virgil crossed his arms over his chest. “He could break up with you so I never have to see his stupid face ever again.” 

Damien double checked to make sure his camera was still running. He couldn’t wait to use this to humiliate Virgil in front of Logan. 

“That’s hardly fair,” Damien responded, pouting. “I love him, you know.” 

Roman squeaked. 

“He owes me Chipotle for a month.” 

“Wh-!”

“Two months.” 

“I am a broke college freshman!”  

Virgil’s raised eyebrows and his slow lifting of three fingers shuts Roman up.

“I think that’s acceptable,” Damien concurred solemnly. He looked over his shoulder at Roman. “Is that alright with you, dear?” 

For a moment, silence followed as Virgil and Roman glared at each other. Damien would interrupt with a loud, over exaggerated sigh if he wasn’t getting such a kick out of this. 

“Fine,” Roman said finally, pouting. 

“Fine,” Virgil echoed, smirking. “Still don’t like you, though.” 

“I’m perfectly likable!” Roman cried as Virgil turned and left, brushing the confetti out of his hair. 

“Yes,” Damien hummed, finally turning the camera off. He turned to his boyfriend. “I’m inclined to agree.” Kissing Roman tasted as sweet as it always did, especially when he went and carded his hand through Damien’s hair. However, it could be made better… 

“I meant it, by the way,” Damien murmured, brushing his fingers through the curls at the nape of Roman’s neck. “About loving you.” 

Ah, yes, there it was. Roman blushed, bright and pretty, stammering through at least five responses before he finally gave up and just pulled Damien back in for another kiss. He had no doubt that Roman would have his own poetic declaration figured out eventually, but for now… Well, Damien had nothing to complain about.

[kaitycole]

New Beginnings (10.a)

Summary: It’s been four months since Drake and Riley went their separate ways. Riley has been spending her time between the Beaumont Estate and the Palace while Drake has been holed up in Lythikos.

This is the first part of the tenth installment of My Best Friend’s Wedding.

I recommend listening to Friends Don’t by Maddie and Tae, the lyrics are used as well as it fits Drake and Olivia.

A/N: I really am working to wrap this up but this part is going to come out in two pieces and then the ending will come. I swear I didn’t expect this, but I just write what comes to me, guys lol

Pairings: Drake x MC (past tense), Liam x MC (mentioned), Drake x Olivia (platonic??)

There’s also some smut, so by reading you are agreeing that you are 18+

Word Count: 2044

Tag List: @liamxs-world @lynn1214@mynameiskaylabella @mrswalkers-blog            @drakelover78@gardeningourmet @zilch3 @speedyoperarascalparty   @umccall71@mrsdrakewalkerblog @hopefulmoonobject  @sleepwalkingelite            @annekebbphotography @jared2612 @indiacater @lodberg  @lauradowning29 @dcbbw @araihc-ce @cora-nova @pedudley @custaroonie​

           He’s sitting in the wine cellar, well technically it’s a wine/whiskey cellar because Olivia added some shelves just for his whiskey. If you sent him a letter, it would probably be addressed a little something like this:

           Mr. Drake Walker

           The Cellar under the Stairs

           He doesn’t mind spending his days in the cellar, he actually preferred it to being around anything. In his opinion, it hasn’t been long enough since his disaster of a wedding for him to come out of hiding. It was only a month after their “wedding” that he saw Riley and Liam on the cover of a tabloid, showing off their relationship, as if Drake was never a part of the story.

           “Hey, Walker.” One of the Lythikos servants says to him as she comes down to gather a few bottles of wine.

           “Party tonight?”

           “There’s a state dinner tonight. To discuss the upcoming soc—” She pauses franticly, her eyes widening and she tries to think of something quick but draws a blank.

           “Social season? Whose getting married? Maxwell? Bertrand? Penelope?” He’s confused, he hasn’t been out of touch with everyone that long.

           “It’s best you speak to Lady Olivia,” she scurries up the stairs, disappearing.

           Well hell, guess its time to come out of here.

           He walks up the stairs, letting out a deep breath when he gets to the door before opening it. He hears conversation towards the ballroom so he heads in that direction.

           “Drake! You’re upstairs!” Olivia quickly smiles at him before dropping it so no one sees it. She notices that his stubble is overgrown and his hair is long enough to put in a short ponytail. He had been doing fine, he was sleeping in the guest room, eating regularly, and he wasn’t drinking more than a glass or two of whiskey a day. But once the tabloid cover came out, she found him more often in the wine cellar than in his room. She even found that he had put a cot in the cellar so he didn’t have to leave.

           It broke her heart to see him broken like this, to see him striped down to this raw shell of himself. Later that week she requested a section of the cellar be allotted to whiskey, just for him. Don’t ask her why she did, it just felt right. She thought maybe he’d after a day or two down there, he’d come upstairs, but it seemed he only came out when she was away.

           “Heh.” He runs his hands through his thick hair, it’s greasy from lack of care, “I uh…heard there was a state dinner.”

           Olivia’s eyes widen, she glances around looking to see who could have told. One of the kitchen maids look a little too red to Olivia, who is giving her the side eye. I guess I have to tell him.

           “Drake, let’s go to the study to talk, shall we?” She guides him down the hall before turning around to her servants, “Finish the ballroom decorations and I’d like to see tentative seating chart when I return.”

           The pair walk down the hall and slip into the study. Drake sits down in the chair that sits in front of a fireplace and Olivia takes the one across from him.

           “Just tell me what’s going on, Livy.”

           She cocks her head to the side, he hasn’t called her that in years. When she was a young girl, she hated it, but now. But now it made this weird fluttering sensation in her chest, yuck.

           “There’s a social season starting up in a few weeks. Today is a state dinner to see whom from Lythikos will represent it as the suitor.” Her words switch between no emotion and emotion because part of her is lying. Well not lying, but definitely withholding a huge piece of information.

           “I hadn’t heard from anyone.” He checks his phone, yup still on and working, he even checked his email that he never does, causing an annoying 538 notification to sit on the corner of the app.

           She takes a deep breath. She can sentence people to the dungeon, make the strongest man kneel to her with just one look, she always has control, but here she doesn’t. “Drake…it’s Liam.”

           He snorts, “Of course, doubt he’d be off the market long. Got bored of Riley already?” He stands up, pacing, mumbling to himself, “Maybe we can fix things and get back together.”

           “He’s marrying Riley, Drake.”

           He stops dead in his place, there’s anger in his eyes that Olivia has never seen, but it excites her.

           “Riley…? Already?” He sinks back into the chair and Olivia places her hand on his knee.

           “They have the courts approval, but for appearances they are doing a short social season. Something about unity and not looking so scandalous.”

           He starts laughing uncontrollably, he doubles over and Olivia swears he’s about to fall out of the chair.

           A psychotic break? Is that what he’s having right now? What the hell is wrong with him? Torture victims don’t even act this strange.

           “I’d really prefer if you didn’t die on this rug. Legend goes the first dagger was used on a rug just like this, many years ago. By a woman too.” She smirks.

           He clears his throat as the laughing stops and he sits up, he even wipes a tear from his eye, “Man, I really needed that laugh, Liv.”

           She stares at him, completely confused before he continues, “They think a social season will make this look less scandalous.” He starts chuckling again.

           Before she knows it, Olivia is laughing herself. She realizes just how ridiculous it sounds now. Thinking that making a few stops around Cordonia and pretending to be interesting in others before ultimately picking the American, that you either love or hate.

           “So, am I going to be asked to dinner?” Drake asks, after the two have calmed down.

           “Oh.” She’s taken aback, “I thought you hated those stuffy noble events?”

           He looks at the ground and smirks, “I wanted to help pick out who Riley’s competition will be.”

           “You’re on. Meet me here at 5:30?”

           Drake nods before walking back to his guest suite. Once he’s in the room, he leans forward, stretching his back. He starts unbuttoning his shirt and pulls it up over his head, dropping it on the floor. He stretches his arms in front of him, before undoing his pants and stepping out of them.

           What should I wear? These clothes are filthy and I don’t remember bringing many options. He turns on the hot water before heading back in the room to grab his phone.

           “Oh! I’m sorry!” Olivia shouts as her face reddens and she turns away.

           It wasn’t until Olivia turns away that Drake realizes he’s fully nude. Quickly, he grabs a pillow and holds it in front of himself.

           “I heard the shower,” she stammers, “I...I...was just going to bring this.” She places a bag on the bed.

           He gives her a puzzled look, “What’s that?”  

           She’s drawing a blank on the word she’s trying to say, “Uhm….uh….” a light bulb goes off, “Clothes! I had your clothes from New York sent here.”

           “Oh?”

           “I figured you wouldn’t go back to New York, so I had all your things packed up and put at your family’s cabin near the palace.”

           He rubs the back of his neck, almost dropping the pillow, “Oh. Thank you.”

           She points towards the door, “I’m going to…uhm…go.”

           Drake watches her rush out the door before getting in the shower.

           A blushing Olivia rushes down the hallway before stopping, leaning against the wall, trying to catch her breath, she feels herself become damp. Of course, she thought Drake was easy on the eyes, but she wasn’t prepared for what she saw today.

           Has he always been that…attractive? Does he work out? That can’t be natural, he has to work out, right? And what he was packing wasn’t bad either, she bites her lip at that last thought before shaking it off and heading back to the dining room.

           The hot water runs down Drake’s back as the silence between the song change fills the room.

           The upbeat guitar strumming begins to spread, erases any silence that remained. The slight ting of the tambourine surprises him.

They don't cancel other plans Have conversations with nothing but their eyes They don't hear each other's names and forget to concentrate Hits a nerve and lights you up like dynamite

           Drake wasn’t really feeling any kind of lovey song, but this one he could tolerate. This one, he never thought of Riley when he heard it. There were several other songs that he would sing and think of her, but never this song. As if maybe, just maybe this song was being saved for someone else.

Friends don't call you in the middle of the night Couldn't even tell you why They just felt like saying "hi" Friends don't stand around, playing with their keys Finding reasons not to leave Trying to hide the chemistry

           His cheeks redden thinking back to Olivia walking in. Sure, she was beautiful, but they grew up together and came from different sides of the tracks. Good thing I’m not a grower, heh.

Drive a little too slow, take the long way home Get a little too close We do, but friends don't

           The lyrics swirl around the room, he closes his eyes, letting himself sway to the music. He feels relaxed, for the first time in weeks. Flashes of Riley start to appear before they fade into Olivia. He thinks about the way she ran her fingers through his hair the night of the wedding, the way she smelt which was a strong orchid scent that could be overwhelming but not to him.

They don't almost say "I love you" When they're downtown somewhere, just a little drunk They don't talk about the future and put each other in it And get chills with every accidental touch

           He recalls how caring she had been since he came to Lythikos and understanding she had been. He half expected her to slap him around and force him to sleep out in the snow until he stopped wallowing over Riley, but she never did.

I keep telling myself this might be nothing

But one look in your eyes and, God, there's something

           Drake places a hand on the shower wall for balance before using his other hand to stroke himself. It sucks in a quick breath, he couldn’t tell you how long it has been.

           Flashes of Olivia’s surprised face fill his mind as he slides his hand up and down, adding the slightest pressure to the head with his thumb. He thought of her making that face as his fingers slowly trailed down her thighs, his tongue exploring around her outer lips before delicately flicking the tip of his tongue on her clit. He imagines her moaning, her back arching as he slid his fingers into her wetness. He begins to pump his length faster as a deep moan leaves his lips.

           Drake gets lost in his thoughts of Olivia and before long, his breath hitches and spills his cum on the shower wall. Panting, he tries to catch his breath as he uses the shower head to rise off the wall before quickly rinsing himself off.

           He wraps a towel around his waist, cuts the water off and walks into his room. He quickly gets dressed, trying to shove the thoughts he’s just had to the back of his mind.

           I can’t have these thoughts right now. Olivia doesn’t feel that way, I definitely can’t feel that way about her. I can’t do another one-sided relationship.

           He pulls on his shoes, running his finger through his hair to get it out of his face while making a mental note that he needs to get it cut.

           Grabbing his phone, he cuts the music off, allowing the last line he hears to linger in the air.

You can lie to me and say you don't But I know you do, and I love you too

…

Get a little too close We do, but friends don't Uh uh uh Friends don't.

[spacecharr]

Black Rose Sesh Report V

i think it’s number five at least.

Here we go again:

fuck having a bum shoulder. again. seriously, fuck it. right in the asshole.

ok

the trip back wasn’t an odyssey so much as it was a revelation-filled romp.

also chillhop music makes me seriously so lyrical. it’s... it’s like I’m helpless, but I’m also scared that people might see me as a pretentious bitch or something, but I also recognize that maybe this is just my anxiety or some shit? 

thought looops, like frooot loops

oh yeah!

revalations

one: holy fuck I am so fucking bi.

there was this couple heading back -- WAITTTTT

how could I almost forget Oliver?!

ok

People I met on the romp back:

(wait tags)

(ok, back to here - but ow, fuck)

Eric, Lisa, and Oliver the Dog.

amazing neighbors who’ve lived in the area for a long ass time. also Oliver is cleverly named due to the location.

the black cat that I thought was a little girl twin of my handsome boy? nope! He’s an adorable little psychopath named Merlin! he loves people, is adorable, vocal, cuddly, his owners are this amazingly punk rock lady and this guy who could be like a secret badass punk nerd from accounting or something. And he’s a bit psycho ‘cause he does the whole “snuggle up to your leg to purr and cuddle you, ask for belly rubs, then will attack your hand”. My Zi doesn’t do that at all. He will give you maaaaaany warning bops with his back legs, no claws, before he begins to lazily warning bite you.

Alright, ok. 

Revelations.

one: I am so fucking bi.

there was this couple heading home from a run. both of them were HELLA FINE. I mean, of the two I’d prefer the dude, but if I could have both of ‘em, then hell yes I would.

I have the preference namely because the lady was wearing matching pink shirt and scrunchie - and that get up on a wavy blonde made me think of that character from the Arnold the Armadillo show and I don’t like her as much.

they were wearing matching running tights, the girl was wearing pink and the guy was wearing orange (my favourite colour).

Both probably within my age range, maybe in their 30s.

The guy was super in shape, bony, broad, muscled shoulders and a runner’s taper. 

Gal was thicc and had a face that looked like Denaerys Targarean (idk how the fuck to spell that name rn)

two: I’m living in my dream neighborhood, basically, and living my dream.

where I’m at, I just went out for a walk to a park - it felt like I was at a lake. 

there’s dogs everywhere, and friendly people who own those dogs. people with stories to tell, who are happy to sit down and chat.

there’s beautiful people where I live. All sorts of beautiful people. (see revelation one: I am hella bi - and for any biphobes out there, remember that bi means i find more than one gender attractive. think about that for a sec, I’ll wait.)

there are couples in their 30s with no kids, so this place is fairly childfree.

there are people leading alternative lifestyles all around me, mixed in and living side by side harmoniously with neighbors who are more traditional. including couples even who are made up of a “normal” looking person and someone visibly living that alternative lifestyle.

today has been filled with so many LGBTQ encounters of other LGBTQ people living visibly out - whether they’re living out to prove a point, living out because it’s right for them, living out despite the fear, living out because it’s fun to, etc, etc. - that it makes me so happy to see.

there was a dude in this really fancy sports car - likewise somewhere in this 30s - which almost everyone at the intersection had to turn their heads to appreciate

there was this guy with a beard (beards are so attractive) balancing on this fancy looking road bike (god, I love bikes) - makin’ that choice for whatever his reason is, but it’s one I love because we need more bikes and less cars

on my way home, and this ties into the point below, I passed under a balcony where several ladies where having a girl’s night and discussing things.

and it turned into this awesome look on feminism in a way because they were talking about I think female genital mutilation (these are all ladies in their late 30s or older - lots of talk of husbands, etc) and how there’s so many women still having it done to them.

one of the ladies mentioned how some man in her life somewhere (she mentioned how she knew, but there was a dog I was distracted by when she explained, so I didn’t really catch it) was talking about how less girls get mutilated than boys or something. And she was like “well i don’t know the numbers for boys, but even if it is higher, that’s still six--(some ridiculously large number like 600 million or something, or 600 thousand...) and then that means there’s even more children being mutilated than that because the boys get mutilated more often.” 

like, holy shit, a man engaging in “oppression olympics” when a woman was just trying to express her shock that any children are being mutilated - and that he was being excited for winning a gender competition for “whose gender is mutilated the most as young, helpless babies?!”!

anyways, that little aside aside

holy fuck my shoulder hurts

I was thinking I could do this part as part of the stream of conscience further down, but I don’t think I can hold out that long.

So ok, I separated the AC joint (or something like that) in my right shoulder from some bungled board breaking I did during a parade with my karate club. Boards got rained on and my student and I still broke them.

I bungled this break only in that the first two elbow attempts didn’t work - the board was way too wet and it bounced both the elbows back. So I resorted to  hammer fist to break it and boooooo. I wanted to elbow it.

But yeah, turns out I’m hurting.

But I’m not sure if I am or not. Again, this is probably anxiety? or maybe another revelation.

But like, I’m confused. Would a separated shoulder take 48hrs to fully onset in terms of the pain and symptoms? Cause I felt like I was sore, but still able to do thinsg. Then when I went in yesterday to see my chiro for a scheduled appt from way before the parade, I mentioned my shoulder pain.

he ran two quick assessments on me and diagnosed me with a separated AC joint. it’s on the mild side, but it’s still a separated shoulder he said. and since them I’ve been way more conscious of it and I wonder - is it because he told me something’s wrong and I’m “pretending” because I’m hyper-aware of any sensation in the area? Or did it really just take until now for it to start being so bothersome?

--- another aside within aside within aside: I’m starting to feel suuuuper sleepy.

but then also, I’m high. I’m high on 50mg edible THC and 1/2 a 210mg joint. I should be pretty medicated by now, we can all agree. And I do feel a familiar stoner feel from the indica. Nice heavy body feel. But through it all, my neck, shoulder and lat are just screaming at me occasionally.

Especially my neck. 

And my shoulder when I go to use my right arm - reaching, etc. OHHHHHH!!!! It hurts more today than yesterday because I did karate this morning!!!!! And I pushed (but didn’t hurt) myself a bit because I wanted to train with our guests.

ok.

I get it now.

I’m not crazy, it legit hurts. I’m not being a wuss, I’m being realistic. Okay.

SEE!?! WEED! REVELATIONS!

Dammit, guys, weed really is a therapist. 

Have I even told you guys I’m a relatively new stoner? Like, just since it got legalized in Canada, and like, in November? So a lot of those like random “crazy-ass” stoner stereotypical phrases that I used to make fun of and think were like “oh, hurr durr, only stupid stoners who can’t think straight think like that” - they’re TRUE!!!! holy fuck, guys.

Hm, also, I think I am definitely going to be able to ride along and let the shrooms take me where they will next weekend. I’m ready for it. I’m excited for it. I feel like there will be so many more breakthroughs.

OH! yes, returning.

So, those ladies and talking about not even feminism, but just out in the open, within earshot of people on the street (fair, they’re just having an open air convo on their own personal balcony - everyone else is on the public sidewalk, the acoustics in this area are just very conducive), talking about statistics about women.

It’s so awesome that I live ina  place where that can happen.

That I live in a place where a trans woman and her lesbian girlfriend can walk through the park. Where an openly lesbian couple, an openly gay couple, two best dude friends (and or maybe another gay couple, it’s not like they were dressed in rainbows or held hands or anything), a single dad with two kids, a single stoner, and all sorts of straight couples can just all exist alongside each other without anyone feeling pressured or attacked or anything.

It’s awesome.

Ok. My shoulder is really hurting. I know I’m not being a wuss with this now.

Though I have to say, as much as this fucking sucks, I still wouldn’t trade it for my experience as a martial artist. Now I know for next year, and I can protect my younger students now since I know that wet boards are so harsh on even my body - it’d tear out the shoulder of some of our younger kids. And I can experiment with drying the boards a bit more so they’re more brittle and won’t bounce back. 

I think if I had been doing a single break in a controlled setting like a dojo instead of needing to set up in as few steps as possible and break and move on quick so you don’t hold up the route, I could have broken it. But as it was, it’s not possible for me to courteously summon up the concentration for a break like that on a parade route.

I’m gonna just relax for a while. Probably find some anime to watch. I wanted to draw, but I don’t think my shoulder’s up for it. I’ll have to try to remember the imagery.

It’s like, space-sci-fi dystopia future-wave sort of thing but with lower tech and more slum-like. cartoony. cel shaded. primariy colours: orange-brown, blue/purple like vaporwave, red, orange-orange, maybe some yellow/yellow-white.

guys, weed is magical. I love weed. I mean, I’m a highly functioning member of society. I live a frugal lifestyle, but I kill it at work, I’m becoming highly involved in my community, etc. 

it’s crazy how there’s that stoner stereotype, but honestly I’d say that’s just the entertaining minority. the minority we all like to smoke along with. XD

ok, that’s a wrap on this part. maybe more, maybe not. dunno.

in anycase, fuck bum shoulders, stay chill, and see ya in space.

...srsly should I do audios?

[marvelmando]

let there be light - pt. 1

summary: y/n has been living with tony stark since she was three, after a lab accident killed her parents, and left her with the ability to create and manipulate light. since then, she battles as an avenger, and eventually, as a babysitter for a certain new hero. she doesn’t mind it though, because she’s always wanted to live a normal teenage life... and possibly also because peter’s cute.

contains: swearing, angst, mentions of death, fluff, some ptsd mentions

notes: hi guys!! this is my first ever series!! i’ve got some of this written on wattpad (if it sounds familiar), so this is not plagiarized, i want to make that clear. but y/n will be different my that oc, so some fresh content is available :) but thank you all so much for the amazing support over the past couple of days! please tell me if you like this, and i can try a tag list too!!

next chapter

“Tony, are you sure this kid is good? I mean, what kind of powers come from spiders? Tony, you know I hate spiders,” You whined, and Tony rolled his eyes.

Okay, you didn’t hate spiders. You just thought they were incredibly creepy and sometimes had nightmares about accidentally swallowing a spider. But you didn’t hate them.

“You’d be surprised, Light-bulb. The kid can throw a punch. Or catch a car, or stop a bus with his bare hands, depending on the video you watch.”

Before you could get anymore information, you saw Happy arrive at the rendezvous, with a fidgety boy in red and blue spandex trailing close behind him. As they approached, you could hear the boy (who you presumed to be Spider-Man, based on the spider-shaped emblem on his chest) firing questions at Happy at a million miles a minute. You tried not to laugh at the desolation on Happy’s face as he tried to ignore him.

But then Spider-Boy’s questions halted, and the bionic eyes on his suit widened. You assumed it was because you and Tony were standing before him.

Since you’d arrived, Tony made you keep up your Illusion. They came with the powers: the ability to make anyone see, feel, taste, hear, or smell anything that isn’t there. You use it mainly to change your appearance, usually when you’re appearing as—

“Artemis! Wow! Um, I—I’m Pete—I mean, I’m Sp—Spider-Man.” The kid bounded up to the two of you. “And Mr. Stark. Hi, um, thanks for bringing me out here! I was just telling—”

“Okay kid, calm down.” Tony said, which made... Pete? shut up instantly. “We don’t have much time before the others start to arrive—”

At that moment, someone announced something over the intercoms in German. You looked to Tony. “Alright, that’s our cue. Artemis, you got him?”

You nodded. Stepping to the boy’s side, you didn’t give him any chance to speak. You grabbed his hand, and wrapped his arm around your waist. He stiffened, which made you smirk.

“Hold tight, Spidey.” You said, before you Beamed over to a cluster of wooden boxes, effectively hiding both you and Pete.

Beaming is what you like to call your super-speed. You can run at the speed of light, but because it often takes a lot of energy and requires a strong level of concentration, you don’t use it too often. Instead, you usually run at a speed that’s closer to the speed of sound, which is still fast, but when taking others (especially those who are caught off-guard), it can induce dizziness and vomiting. Hopefully, Pete wouldn’t do the latter.

When you released him, Spider-Man put his hands on his knees, catching his breath. “Woah, that was awesome.” He groaned, not appearing so awesome.

“Okay, I’m sure Happy told you part of what’s going down right?” You asked him once he stood up straight. “You know what your job is?”

He nodded. “Come out at the code word, web Captain America up, take his shield, and... I’m not really sure what comes after that.”

“Depending on what goes down...” You grimaced, hoping this wouldn’t escalate to fighting and Steve would come to his senses. “You’ll just have to keep everyone occupied and make sure no one gets to the garage over there. Think you can do that?”

“Yeah! Um, I mean, I’ve got this, no problem.” Spider-Man stuttered.

“You do talk a lot, don’t you?” You laughed.

“No! Well, only... only when I’m nervous, I guess.” He scratched the back of his neck, and rubbed the top of his head. You figured this would been when he ran his fingers through his hair, if he could.

“I get it,” You watched as Steve came into view. “I was nervous before my first fight too.”

As the two of you looked on as Tony tried to stop Steve, Pete muttered, “Yeah... the fight.”

You grew restless at the way the conversation was getting increasingly more tense. Steve then mentioned something about the doctor, and how there were more Winter Soldiers. While Spider-Man was clueless, you knew better, your interest piqued.

Tony wasn’t having it, though, and you could tell he was barely restraining his frustration. “Alright, I’ve run out of patience.” He said, and you knew what was coming. You nudged Spidey’s elbow, signalling him to be ready. “Underoos!”

Both superheroes sprang into action. While Spider-Man leaped high through the air above everyone’s heads and grabbed Captain America’s shield, you Beamed past, binding Steve’s wrists in a rope made of light.

Pete landed heroically on top of a nearby truck, on one knee with the shield on his arm. You stopped at the empty spot next to Tony.

Between Beaming twice already, and Fusing the rope, you’d grown slightly exhausted. “Nice job, kids.” Tony addressed them.

You would’ve given a snarky response, but you were out of breath. You nodded, though. Spider-Man was not so out of breath.

“Thanks!” He said, sitting straight as he settled on the knee. He looked down at himself. “I could’ve stuck the landing a little better, it’s just... new suit—” Realizing how that sounded, his head snapped up. “Wait—it’s nothing, Mr. Stark, it’s perfect, thank you.”

You smiled at his awkward babble, but Tony wasn’t as amused. “Yeah, we don’t really need to start a conversation.”

Spider-Man nodded, but wasn’t listening to Tony apparently, because he was too in-awe of the other superhero in front of him. “Okay. Cap—Captain.” He saluted at Captain America, who’s mouth was hanging open a little, obviously a little surprised. “Big fan; I’m Spider-Man.”

Tony was getting annoyed. “Yeah, we’ll talk about it later.”

Spider-Man exhaled, waving his hand. “Hey, everyone.”

“Not now, Spidey.” You muttered to him, still grinning to yourself.

“You’ve been busy,” Steve said, contrarily bemused by the situation. Your smile slid off your face as you glared at him.

"And you've been a complete idiot." Tony shot back. "Dragging in Clint, 'rescuing' Wanda from a place she doesn't even want to leave—a safe place. I'm trying to keep—" Tony's voice raised in volume, and he broke off with a sigh. "I'm trying to keep you from tearing the Avengers apart."

You hated seeing Tony like this, and your heart ached for him because you knew how much he’d grown to care for the Avengers Initiative.

But you kind of lost it, when Steve replied, “You did that when you signed.”

“Cut the shit, Steve.” You scoffed, and his eyes turned to you, shocked. “We did that? Tore the Avengers apart by signing a damn peace accords? Please, without the contract there wouldn’t even be an Avengers team anymore.” You shook your head at him. “You’re so hell-bent on saving people with this, but we wouldn’t be able to without the contract, not legally, anyways. And you know that! You know I love you and I know how important Bucky is to you, but he’s dangerous. He isn’t worth the risk.”

Steve leveled his head at you. “Oh, and you’re not just as dangerous as him?”

You could feel the blood boiling in your veins, and Tony had to hold you back, while you held back tears. 

Tony had enough. “All right, we're done. You're gonna turn Barnes over, and you're gonna come with us, now, because it's us... or a squad of J-SOC guys with no compunction about being impolite."

Now that you weren’t struggling against Tony anymore, you noticed how he was shaking. He was stalling.  Stalling, in the hopes that Steve could change his mind, stalling for one last chance of keeping his family from tearing apart. "C'mon," he urged, pouring every last bit of hope and desperation into the one word.

The Captain's head turned, as if he was suddenly aware of something. Suddenly, before anyone could react, Steve lifted his bonded hands above his head, and an electrically charged arrow sliced through your light-rope, effectively freeing him. Iron Man's helmet activated, and you could hear Steve say, "All right, Lang," into his ear piece, but you had no clue who or what a 'Lang' was.

"Hey guys, something—" Spider-Man said, before grunting loudly, as a man appeared next to him, seemingly out of nowhere. He kicked the boy down, snatching Cap's shield back. You readied yourself for action, charging your hands up with light energy and Fusing a light bow and arrows.

"What the hell was that?!" Rhodey exclaimed into his suit.

The man, you assumed, handed the shield back to its owner. "Ah, great. All right, there's two on the parking deck." Tony informed everyone through the comms. "One of them's Maximoff, I'm gonna grab her. Rhodey, you wanna take Cap?"

"Got two in the terminal, Wilson and Barnes," Rhodey responded.

Black Panther, whom you had completely forgotten was here, took off. "Barnes is mine!" However, Steve stopped him in his tracks.

Spider-Man hesitated, looking to you. "Artemis, what do I do?"

Preparing yourself for flight, you nodded toward the terminal. "Let's web 'em up, Spidey."

"Okay, copy that." As he shot webs and swung himself away, you took off flying. You maneuvered the light particles in your hands so that they created enough energy to push your body off the ground and through the air, which was a trick you'd recently learned.

As Spider-Man landed on the windows of the terminal, he tried to catch up with Wilson and Barnes by clinging to the surface and crawling across it.

And, as amusing as it was, you called out to him, "You know they're on the other side of the glass, right, Web-head?" You teased, floating in front of him and phasing through the glass. His suit's bionic eyes widened, and he yelled, "whoa, that was so cool!" before swinging around and flying through the glass.

Spider-Man went to Wilson first, and you landed right in front of Bucky. You started to shoot blasts of light at him, making sure to dodge his punches. You laughed as he kept missing, and he became more impatient. “Aw, lighten up, Barnes! Get it? Because I’m made of light!”

As you pelted him with a particularly solid blast of light, you pouted. “I hope there’s no... hard! feelings after what I said out there. Strictly business, you understand.”

Bucky suddenly grabbed you by the throat with his normal hand, and lifted his metal arm to punch you, but Spider-Man swooped in and caught it with ease.

Gasping for air, you backed away. “You have a metal arm? That is awesome, dude!”

Mildly in pain but equally impressed at how easily Spider-Man caught Bucky’s arm, you grinned and took the opportunity that Spider-Man was now battling Bucky, to knock back some light arrows at Sam’s wings. The bow and arrows had been your go-to weapon since you first used it in the Battle of New York, when you Fused the first thing that came to mind (you were in a Hunger Games phase). After it was over, the media had named you Artemis, after the Greek goddess of archery.

You only needed to fire one, because you could easily manipulate the arrow into his pack, temporarily shutting it down. Only for a brief second, though, because his wings opened back up, but not before swooping down and taking Spider-Man with him.

You cursed to yourself. You and Bucky stood there in an odd moment of calm, watching as Spider-Man struggled against Sam’s grip. “You have the right to remain silent!” Spider-Man yelled, making you laugh.

Bucky, remembering where he was, resumed his fighting stance. “You two were made for each other.” He grumbled bitterly, and you smirked.

As Spider-Man and Wilson were dueling in the air, you and Bucky were battling on the ground. You grew tire of throwing light blasts, and even tried Fusing a baseball bat and hitting him with that once. But he dodged it, and grabbed at a nearby metal bench. With his strong arm, he ripped it right out of the ground and hurled it at you.

Luckily, you were not completely surprised and moved your head quickly out of the way (and by quickly, you mean at the speed of sound). The chunk of metal narrowly missed Spider-Man behind them. Bucky ran and hid behind a support beam, but Spider-Man had seen him, and yelled at him, “Hey buddy, I think you lost this!” before chucking the metal back at him.

Looking up to help him, you watched as Wilson kicked into Pete's back, and pushing towards the ground, before Spider-Man shot his webs, pulling himself from Sam's grasp. You remembered hearing something about an automatic shut-off switch on the back of Sam's wings, and Fused your bow and arrows, shooting blindly at his back.

Luckily, you must've hit it, because his wings immediately retracted, causing him to fall through the air, and into a booth. Nearing the rail, Spider-Man swung by and shot his webs at Sam's hands, attaching them to the metal railing. Spider-Man clung to the side of a support beam, and everything was strangely calm for a second.

“Those wings carbon fiber?” Pete asked.

“Is this stuff coming out of you?” Sam looked at his hands, mildly disgusted.

“That’s what she said,” You joked to yourself.

"That would explain the rigidity-flexibility ratio, which, gotta say, that's awesome, man." Pete said, more or less answering himself.

“You know, Spidey, as much as I appreciate a little commentary, there’s not usually this much talking in a fight.” You pointed out, and Sam nodded.

Instead of being embarrassed, which is what you expected, Spider-Man chuckled. "All right, sorry. My bad." He then swung at Sam.

Suddenly, Bucky appeared out of nowhere, blocking Spider-Man, but not stopping him from knocking them both through the railing and onto the ground. Spider-Man webbed Wilson's arms to his chest, and Bucky's metal arm to the ground.

"Guys, look, I'd love to keep this up, but I've only got one job here today, and I've gotta impress Mr. Stark, so, I'm really sorry." Pete explained.

However, you noticed Wilson's hand move under the webbing and the net, and you could tell it was his wrist monitor.

"Webs—" You started to warn him. But, before you could get anything else out, as Spider-Man extended his arm to shoot a web, Redwing flew in and caught hold of Pete's hand, zooming out the window. Spider-Man banged awkwardly against the building's framework, and flailed through the air as Redwing tugged him along.

You turned to glare at Sam, who simply shrugged, before flying back after him.

Apparently, Spider-Man had been dropped, because he was squirming around on the concrete. You saw a small cut on his arm, where the glass had pierced through the fabric and his flesh. Landing near him, you grabbed his hand gently.

He began to fight back before he realized who it was, and he relaxed.

"Hey, quit squirming so I can heal you, dumbass." You gripped him harder, exposing the wound a bit more so you could make contact with his skin. You pressed your fingertips against the area around his cut, and allowed the light to flow through your chest and into your hands.

The illumination of your skin reflected off of his bionic eyes, and against your better judgement, you wished you could see the look under his mask. He stayed silent in awe, but looked at your face the entire time. You couldn't read Pete's expression, but you knew it was impressed.

After the wound stitched itself back together, you dropped his arm. "You okay? The healing tends to make people a little dizzy afterwards," You helped him stand, and Spider-Man swayed slightly.

Both of the your attentions were attracted when a truck went flying through the air, landing near Rhodey in a fiery explosion. Caught off guard, you recharged your hands, ready for the next attack. Beside you, Spider-Man crouched, as if ready to swing into action in a moment's notice.

Catching up to Tony and a fallen Natasha and Rhodey, you took the woman's arm, while Tony helped his friend.

"All right," Rhodey grunted. "Now I'm pissed."

"Is this part of the plan?" Nat asked Tony.

"Well, my plan was to go easy on them. You wanna switch it up?"

As Captain America's team ran for the hanger across the strip, you could see Vision flying in and cutting them off in their path with a beam from his Mind Stone.

"Captain Rogers," Vision spoke, floating ten feet above the ground, and looking pretty badass. "I know you believe what you're doing is right. "But for the collective good, you must surrender now."

One by one, Iron Man's team assembled across from them, separating Cap's team from the hangars.

Apparently, you figured, the talking was done, because Steve started towards his adversaries.

Beside you, Natasha sighed. "This is gonna end well,"

And with that, both teams were walking towards the other, without the intent to stop. As Captain Rogers picked up the pace, Pete seemed to freak out a bit. "They're not stopping!"

"Neither are we." Tony lamented, and for the first time, you hesitated.

This was your family; how were you supposed to fight against them? Why were they resorting to violence? For a split moment, you despised this life you had. But you couldn't think about that now, not when half of the Avengers (and this 'Lang' character) were running towards you, and certainly not for a hug.

You looked to Spider-Man, who seemed confident. You willed yourself to stay strong, and as Tony, Rhodey, and Vision flew into the air, you hovered as well.

And then the Avengers collided.

As each team member fought their own opponent, you chose to help Spider-Man battle Wanda. The Scarlet Witch threw her red energy blasts towards you with one hand, and launched vehicles at Spider-Man with the other. He made loads of different grunts and yelps as he shot web after web, trying to dodge the trucks. You fought back with your own light blasts, and even tried swiping her out from underneath her feet at one point, but Wanda took you by the foot with her energy and dragged you far away.

You had to hand it to her, she was doing much better at fighting off two people than you had done against one, but you didn't let her win.

You did, however, stop fighting her, as you went to find Steve. You wanted to have a word with him. And by word, you meant a good punch in the face, even if your hand did break in the process.

As you'd just found him, Spider-Man was swinging by, when Steve threw his shield and cut his web. Spider-Man rolled on the roof of a gangway, crouching. You split the distance, so you all stood in a triangular shape.

“Now, now, boy’s let’s play nice, yeah?” You teased, settling your hands on your hips.

"That thing does not obey the laws of physics at all." Spider-Man stated.

“That’s true, Spidey, but neither do I.” You smirked, forming your own shield out of light.

"Fair point, Glow-stick." Spider-Man shrugged, and your cheeks began to glow slightly at your new nickname. Literally.

"Look, kids, there's a lot going on here that you guys don't understand." Steve interrupted, slightly frustrated.

"Mr. Stark said you'd say that, wow." Spider-Man said, before flicking his wrist, shooting a web at Cap's shield, as you grabbed one of Steve's ankles with a Fused whip.

Pulling him towards Spider-Man, you released the energy in your whip, and Spider-Man used the momentum to kick him hard in the chest, sending him flying back into the gangway.

Rolling a good distance away, he laughed, "He also said to go for your legs."

Steve lunged towards his shield, which was a couple feet away from him. Reacting unnaturally quickly, both young heroes restrained the captain. Spider-Man held his hands back with his webs, and you Beamed over, which you could feel a massive energy loss. You kicked the shield away, and while he couldn't use his hands, you used the opportunity to punch him really hard in the jaw.

You yelped, cradling your broken hand against your chest, hopping around as you tried to distract yourself from the pain. Totally worth it, you thought, as you noticed a bruise start to blossom on his jawline.

You could feel the bones start to heal themselves, but you were forced to stand back a little while Steve managed to use Spider-Man's webs to his advantage. Spinning through the air, Steve slingshot Spider-Man back. Once he recovered, he tried to attach a web back onto his shield, but Steve grabbed the web and yanked Spider-Man back, slamming his head against the vibranium.

You cringed for Pete; even with regenerative powers, that was definitely going to leave a mark.

He recovered impressively quickly though, vaulting himself on top of the gangway.

“Stark tell you anything else?” Cap looked up at him. 

"That you're wrong; you think you're right. That makes you dangerous." Spider-Man shrugged, then swung himself around the gangway and hurled himself at Steve. The Star Spangled man roundhouse kicked him, sending him flying back into the leg of the gangway.

"Webs!" You gasped, still mildly in pain. You tried to sprint normally over in time to get him out of there, but Steve had already chucked his shield at the leg, causing the structure to fall on Spider-Man.

"Artemis!" Spider-Man yelped, thinking that the gangway was going to strike you, but he lifted his hands up, and caught it. With your good hand, you Fused a light sheet to hold up the structure, or at least help your comrade.

Steve, whom you thought had already left, put his shield back onto his arm. "You got heart, kid. Where you from?"

"Queens." Pete grunted.

Turning, Steve smirked. "Brooklyn." And with that, he bolted.

You saw the light in your peripherals begin to fade, and you whimpered. Spider-Man yelled out in frustration, managing to lift the whole thing on his own. "Go!" He shouted at you, and you did so gladly.

You collapsed not a couple yards from there, while Spider-Man shot a web and yanked himself out from under the structure before it fell. Now free, he ran to you.

You were panting, and you desperately tried not to let your Illusion fade, now that he was over here. That was one thing Tony had stressed. Don’t let him figure out who you were. "Hey, hey, Glow-stick, you okay? Look at me." Spider-Man tended to you, checking you up and down.

"I'm good—go," You gasped, feeling your light mask starting to dissipate. Spider-Man hesitated, but he was forced to change his mind when suddenly, small guy turned big.

"Holy shit!" Spider-Man exclaimed, and you breathed out a tense chuckle. As he left to battle it out with the giant, you crawled behind some boxes.

Letting your powers go, your alter-ego’s white hair faded into your own, and the eyes that turned white when you used your powers, closed. You took deep breaths. Your powers were almost drained, and you used what ever was left into healing your hand. You examined it; you could flex your hand open, but it still felt sore.

After a few painful minutes of recovering, Tony asked, "Okay, anybody on our side hiding any shocking and fantastic abilities they'd like to disclose, I'm open to suggestions. Artemis, I'm talking to you, Light-bulb!"

"Nah, T, the well's gone dry," You winced, and Tony groaned.

The boxes you hid behind suddenly exploded, and it didn't take long for you to find out that Giant dude kicked your hiding spot away. You immediately put back up your facade, sprinting towards Black Panther, who was seconds away from being the giant's new toy.

As Rhodey swept in, Spider-Man swinging along, Hawkeye began to duel with the Wakandan king. Figuring that fight was fair enough, you decided to go and help your team defeat the monster.

Eventually, Rhodey abandoned Lang, and flew off to stop Steve and Barnes from getting to the hangars, leaving you and Spider-Man to defeat Ant-Man yourselves.

Spider-Man scaled the giant, crawling up and over Lang's helmet. You tried to minimize using your powers, so you didn't completely drain them. You mainly shouted directions to your young new friend, telling him points of possible weakness.

Then, Vision used his body as a bowling ball, slamming into Ant-Man's torso and knocking him backwards against an airplane. Vision, now distracted by Captain and Barnes sprinting across the airstrip, phased through Lang.

Visually startled, Ant-Man grasped his chest. "Something just flew in me!"

On the other side of Lang, Vision shot a cutting beam from his Mind Stone, slicing a radio tower in half, causing it to topple over right at the entrance of the hangars.

Too distracted by Spider-Man's cries of frustration, you ignored Wanda's distant cries of pain and the overwhelming sounds of destruction.

"Hey, guys, you ever see that really old movie, Empire Strikes Back?" Spider-Man shouted. You laughed, for what felt like the millionth time.

"Jesus, Tony, how old is this guy?" Rhodes groaned, and you could practically see Tony's eyes rolling.

"I don't know, I didn’t carbon-date him. He's around Artemis’ age, on the young side!" Tony responded.

"You know that part where they're on the snow planet... with the walking thingies?" Spider-Man shouted, swinging himself around Ant-Man's legs.

You Fused another light-rope, grinning as you understood what the boy was saying. "Guys, I think he's onto something!" You attached your rope to Spider-Man's web, and beamed around the giant's legs.

"High, now Tony, go high!" Rhodey instructed Iron Man, who then both flew with their fists aimed at Lang's jaw, knocking him off-balance, and sent him to the ground.

Completely basking in the accomplishment, Pete gave Tony a thumbs up, still slinging around Ant-Man.

"Yes!" Spider-Man laughed. "That was awesome!"

Distracted by Pete's joy, you smiled, your eyes glued on the boy. It was too late by the time you noticed Spider-Man flying straight towards the giant hand, which, in turn, caused Peter to smack straight into you.

Your body taking most of the blow, the two of you crashed through a nearby stack of boxes.

Groaning in pain, you felt your Illusions begin to wear off again. Beside you, Pete was barely conscious, and you struggled to at least keep your hair white. Iron Man came flying to you, and Pete, whose mask was halfway off, was laying on the ground motionless.

Tony looked to you first, but you nodded to Pete. He crouched down at the boy, "Kid you all right?"

Reacting on instinct, Pete began to fight off his attacker, before realizing it was only Tony. "Same side! Guess who. Hi!" Tony grabbed him by the wrists, stopping him from pummeling the multi-billionaire.

Pete calmed down, letting out a sigh of relief. "Oh... hey, man,"

"Yeah."

"That was scary,"

"Yeah," Tony nodded. "You're done, all right?"

Pete blinked. "What? I'm good, I'm fine,"

You groaned, clutching your side. You made a move to stand up. "Pete, you did good job, stay down. Let us handle the rest."

Tony's head whipped to you. "Oh, no, you're both done."

"What?!" You exclaimed, at the same time Pete said, "No it's good, I gotta get him back!"

"You're going home, or I'll call Aunt May!" He yelled at Spider-Man, before turning to you. "And I'll put you in the Dark Room!"

You immediately stopped arguing, eyes going wide at Tony's threat. Tony never used it as a punishment, but the thought alone of going in there made you shudder. Spider-Man, however, wasn't deterred.

"Wait," He whispered, trying to get up. You watched him with weary eyes as he eventually gave up fighting. He slumped back down on the ground, clutching his side.

You laid down beside him, the two of you breathing in heavily as you both tried to recover from the intensity of the battle.

After a couple minutes of relative silence, Peter spoke. "What's the Dark Room?"

You sighed. "It's the place where I go when my powers malfunction," You started, sitting up. Pete perched himself up on his elbows, watching you. "It's a room without windows, no light, completely sound and heat proof, so no one gets hurt."

You trailed off. He then said, “My name’s not actually Pete, by the way. I’m Peter.” He held his hand out to you, his mask now completely off. He was cute, brown eyes and matching hair, tousled from the mask.

Eventually, Tony came back to retrieve you. You said your goodbyes to Peter as Artemis, while you and Tony left on a helicopter. Tony dropped you off at the airport, where you flew back to New York.

The next day, you leaned against the car, waiting for Happy and Peter to get off the jet. For some reason, Tony wanted you to meet Peter as yourself.

Once they landed and exited the plane, you smiled at the two. “Hello, Happy. Hi, Peter.”

Peter looked even cuter today, now in jeans and a shirt with a science pun on it. “Do I know you?”

“I’m Y/N, Mr. Stark’s intern. I’m here to escort you back home.”

And you did. Peter was endearing, and very surprised when you informed him that he was keeping the suit. After the good-byes, and Happy took you back to the Stark tower, you sighed at the sight of a very battered Tony Stark.

You took a chair and faced him, reaching out to heal him. He shook you off, which was not like him. “He killed my parents.” He said, and your heart broke for your father-figure. “Bucky, I mean. But Steve knew.”

“I’m so sorry, Tony.” You said quietly, grabbing his hands for comfort, being careful not to hurt him.

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” Tony responded, and you nodded.

“Anyways, I wanted to tell you something.” He rose from his chair, walking around into the kitchen. He poured himself a generous glass of bourbon. “You like Peter?”

You shrugged. “Yeah, he’s sweet.”

Tony nodded. “Kid’s got potential.” He agreed. “But I need you to do something. Go on a mission.”

You nodded, liking where this is going.

“Well, he needs some guidance. He’s still a baby superhero, and he’s got a chance of screwing up big time. That’s where you come in.” He took a sip. “You’re seasoned, you’re a wise elder. And you can... help him. Guide him.”

You furrowed your eyebrows. “But how am I going to do that?”

Tony smirked, which excited you. That was his ‘I’ve-got-a-plan-and-I’m-up-to-no-good’ face.

“Light-bulb, you’re going to high school.”

[tech-specialist98]

Samsung Galaxy A31 Review

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Making sense of Samsung's Galaxy A and M series models is getting harder by the month, as new models are brought in with minor refreshes, but don't always line up in a logical order. For example, the very recent Galaxy M21 (Review) was basically a Galaxy M30s (Review) with a different selfie camera, but going by the model names, it's impossible to make that connection.

While some models in the A and M series have slight overlaps in pricing, there's still a relatively clear distinction between the series themselves. Generally speaking, most models in the A series tend to have better finishes and fancier features such as in-display fingerprint sensors, while the M series prioritises low prices.

Today, we'll be testing Samsung's new Galaxy A31, which, on paper, should succeed the Galaxy A30s. Compared to the latter, the new model offers a fourth rear camera, a bigger battery, a higher-resolution display, full support for Samsung Pay, and of course a higher price tag. Available in just a single configuration with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage for Rs. 21,999, does the Galaxy A31 deserve a spot in our coveted list of top phones under Rs. 25,000?. Let's have a look

Samsung Galaxy A31 Design: Been there, seen that

Even though the design of the Galaxy A31 isn't exactly fresh for a budget Samsung device, I do like the fact that it's slim and light. The all-polycarbonate body feels quite sturdy but it does pick up fingerprints easily. The phone has a noticeably thick chin below the screen, and an Infinity-U cutout at the top for the selfie camera.

There's a huge SIM tray on the left, for two SIM cards and a microSD card. The headphone jack, USB Type-C port, and a speaker are at the bottom. The back features Samsung's Prism Crush pattern, of which we have the blue variant. This phone is also available in back and white trims. The quad-camera cluster at the back is a rectangular module and doesn't bulge outward much.

Overall, the Galaxy A31 was comfortable to use on a daily basis during this review. It's a little wide, and reaching the top of the display isn't the easiest, but One UI has gestures to help with this. After seeing many phones in the series with the same pattern on the back, the design has started to feel a little boring at this point. The box contents are pretty standard too: there's a silicone case, a charger, a USB cable, and a headset.

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Samsung Galaxy A31 Display: AMOLED never disappoints

The Galaxy A31 has a sharp 6.4-inch full-HD+ (1080x2400 pixels) Super AMOLED display. I found it to be more than adequate in terms of brightness, even in the daytime. Colours were a bit too rich for my taste in the default ‘Vivid' mode, but this can be toned down in the settings. The display is flat, without any curves on the sides, but there are no sharp edges either so performing gestures isn't a problem.

There's an in-display fingerprint sensor, which isn't very quick but works well as long as you give it a firm press. The time taken to wake the screen, along with the fingerprint animations, make this whole process feel a bit laggy. I usually relied on face recognition, which I found to be quicker. The always-on display has basic customisations such as the ability to show what song is playing, and a choice of different clock styles.

Samsung Galaxy A31 Performance: Quite disappointing

Despite its decent build quality and good display, its performance is a big issue. Samsung has used the MediaTek Helio P65 octa-core SoC, and I would have no problem with it on a phone that costs Rs. 10,000, but I certainly don't expect it on something that costs above Rs. 20,000. Compared to even the Galaxy M21, which uses the Exynos 9611 and costs a lot less, the Galaxy A31 is slower in most of the popular benchmarks.

Samsung's One UI v2.1, based on Android 10, also feels a bit sluggish overall. There's a persistent hint of stutter in the animations, and lag when I was switching between apps. It didn't hamper usage too much but having to wait that extra second or two for things to happen is not an experience I expect at this price point. One UI itself is fairly feature-rich with lots of shortcuts, themes, and gestures to play around with. There's also Dolby Atmos, but only for wired and wireless headphones.

The Galaxy A31 supports Google's Widevine L1 certification, which means video streaming apps can play content at the display's native resolution. The single speaker gets fairly loud but the audio quality is strictly average. Simple games run well, but heavier titles such as Asphalt 9: Legends or even PUBG Mobile ran at reduced graphics settings. Gameplay was tolerable but they didn't look as good as they should have. I also noticed a bit of heating when playing games for longer durations.

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Samsung Galaxy  A31 Cameras: The disappointment continues

Okay, so far the Galaxy A31 isn't looking too appealing, but perhaps it can redeem itself with its camera performance. The four cameras on the back include a primary 48-megapixel sensor, an 8-megapixel sensor with a wide-angle lens, a 5-megapixel depth camera, and a 5-megapixel macro camera. The apertures of all the cameras aren't particularly impressive, with even the one on the main camera being just f/2.0. The front camera uses a 20-megapixel sensor.

The camera app should be familiar to most Samsung users, though I did find a few missing features which ought to have been there. Keeping in mind the price of the phone and its positioning in the series, it's a little odd to not have 4K video recording as an option, and even a Night mode for low-light stills. Pro mode is crippled, with no option to adjust the shutter speed. Autofocus speed is decent, but this phone tends to hunt for focus in low light.

You do get Samsung's ‘Scene optimiser' AI engine, and the ability to save stills and video in the HEIF and HEVC formats. Under good light, the main sensor captures decent-looking photos. Images are captured as 12-megapixel shots by default but you can shoot at the full 48-megapixel resolution if needed. In low light, noise is suppressed well but details are lacking, which is noticeable when you zoom in to photos a bit. Close-ups shot under good light fare better, with good details and colours, but due to shutter lag, even slight movements can cause blurring.

The wide-angle camera captures comparatively weaker details, and HDR isn't as effective as on the main camera. In low light, details are much worse and there's no Night mode to help salvage shots.

Live Focus works decently well, and the amount of background blur can be adjusted for portrait shots. The macro camera does a fair job with extreme close-ups but I didn't find image quality to be much better than what I've seen from phones with 2-megapixel sensors.

Videos are limited to 1080p resolution, but quality is decent given ample light when shooting with the primary camera. The Galaxy A31 doesn't offer even electronic stabilisation, so movements with the camera look jerky. You can't switch to the wide-angle camera while recording but you can switch to it before you begin. As expected, video quality is just about acceptable under good light but very poor in low light. There's no stabilisation here either.

The selfie camera captures 12-megapixel stills by default (8 megapixels if you choose a tighter crop). However, you can shoot at the native resolution too. Selfies are generally usable when shooting outdoors, in daylight. Skin tones tend to look a little too warm and HDR can be a hit or miss, but it's not too bad. The camera struggles to reproduce good details in low light, often leaving you with soft textures and weak details.

Overall, the cameras on the Galaxy A31 are very underwhelming and lack many features that you'd find in many phones that cost a lot less.

Samsung Galaxy A31 Battery: Pretty good

If there is one redeeming quality about the Galaxy A31, then it would be battery life. The 5,000mAh battery lasted for 18 hours and 11 minutes in our HD video loop test, which is very good. Even with regular usage, I was easily able to go well beyond a day on a single charge. There is 15W fast charging, so you can charge the battery up to 50 percent in an hour, but filling it completely takes well over two hours

Verdict: Who is the Samsung Galaxy A31 for?

I'm struggling to find a good reason for the Galaxy A31 to exist, and I honestly cannot think of one. It seems as though Samsung has launched it simply to fill the price gap between the Galaxy A50s₹ 22,990 (Review) and the Galaxy A51₹ 23,990 (Review) — either of which would be a much better pick than the Galaxy A31. Battery life is the main standout feature here, along with the decent build quality and display.

However, the middling SoC performance and underwhelming cameras are faults that are too glaring to ignore when you're paying more than Rs. 20,000. Even if the price were to drop, there are plenty of more powerful and feature-rich options in the market such as Samsung's own Galaxy A50s and Galaxy M31, or phones from Realme and Xiaomi.

[techcrunchappcom]

New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/vivo-v19-review-finally-a-promising-v-series-phone/

Vivo V19 review: Finally, a promising V-series phone

Written by Sneha Saha | New Delhi | Updated: May 27, 2020 4:30:31 pm

Vivo V19 review: It is a much-upgraded version to the predecessor — Vivo V17. (Express photo: Sneha Saha)

What are the aspects one considers before purchasing a smartphone? Most consumers want their phone to look good, click great pictures, offer one full day of battery life easily and run all kinds of games smoothly. This is where the all-new Vivo V19 wants to ticks all the boxes.

On paper, the Vivo V19 may not look as promising — I thought the same when I first checked the specifications list — but it is when you start using the phone you experience the difference in user experience. Vivo has refined the latest version of the FunTouchOS 10.0 quite a bit and if you have been a Vivo phone user for a long time — you will know the difference and improvements that the version brings with it.

Specifications: 6.44-inch Super AMOLED display, Snapdragon 712 SoC, 48MP quad rear camera, 32MP dual selfie camera, 4500mAh battery, 33W fast charging support, Funtouch 10.0, Android 10, Glass on front and back, punch hole design

Price: Rs 27,999

What’s good?

I have used several Vivo phones over the past few years — starting from Z series to S series to V series and one issue I have had with almost all of them is the software. Previous versions of the FunTouchOS were mostly cluttered with innumerable third-party apps — too many features on one screen which often confuses the user. With the V19, Vivo has resolved this issue quite a bit.

For the Vivo V19, the company has finally optimised and refined its FuntouchOS. The latest version of the software brings major UI improvements — it is less cluttered, there’s dark mode, and the notification panel has finally shifted to the top from bottom. It has always been extremely inconvenient to have the notification tray at the bottom of the screen, the latest FunTouchOS solves this problem.

Vivo V19 review: The smartphone is priced at Rs 27,999 (Express photo: Sneha Saha)

Most Vivo V-series phones look good, but given they are usually priced high one always expects to get a premium design in return. Most of the past Vivo V-series devices — despite the expensive price tag — had a plastic back. With the V19, Vivo has finally shifted to glass.

Vivo has done a great job on the design front. The smartphone unlike its predecessor — Vivo V17 — looks classy, sleek, and worth the price of Rs 27,999. The last V-series phone that I loved was the V15 and now the V17 has finally managed to grab that place. The glass finish adds to the aesthetics.

The camera design looks pretty similar to the Galaxy S20 series though but I give it to Vivo for at least trying something new with this one instead of going by its old strategy of launching phones with almost the same design and a few tweaks here and there. The overall design of the V19 looks neat but some times registers fingerprint marks. So, use the phone with the case that comes with the box.

Vivo V19 review: The phone comes with glass design and looks stunning. (Express photo: Sneha Saha)

Besides the design, what makes the Vivo V19 slightly more appealing is its weight and the stunning display. Despite packing a massive 4500mah battery, Vivo V17 weighs so light that you can hardly feel the weight of the phone on your hand. This again is unlike the last few Vivo V-series phones. The device does feel pretty compact and is extremely easy to use with just one hand. The Super AMOLED display of the Vivo phone gets pretty bright in all lighting conditions. The viewing angles are also pretty good.

Now, let’s come to what the Vivo V series is mainly known for — its camera. Vivo’s V series smartphones have always been camera focused and the new V series isn’t any exception. It has four cameras at the back — first time in a V-series smartphone — and dual selfie shooters on the front that sit inside the punch hole — again for the first time.

Vivo V19 review: The phone includes 48MP quad rear cameras. (Express photo: Sneha Saha)

Some might say phones priced much lower offer 64MP quad-camera setup while Vivo V19 brings 48MP quad-camera setup. To be honest, before using the V19 — when I saw the specifications sheet — I also felt the same, but it is when I used the device for a few days that I noticed the difference.

The cameras of the Vivo V19 have been very well optimised to capture as much detail as possible in almost all lighting conditions. With the very few times I stepped out of the home due to the lockdown I tried clicking as many photos as possible and shooting videos with the Vivo V19. In daylight the Vivo V19 manages to capture stunning pictures with great details. The colours — except in pictures clicked under bright sun as they look washed out — also appear to be pretty crisp. The phone lets users click portrait shots from both the front and back panel and in both situations it manages to click sharp selfies with the background properly blurred out. There are several filters available in the camera app itself so you will not need to download a third-party photo editing app to edit your pictures before uploading on your Instagram. The phone manages to click great selfies with the primary lens — in fact, it is one of the best selfie smartphones you can find in the price point.

Vivo V19 review: Selfie with no filter (Express photo: Sneha Saha)

Vivo V19 review: Macro shot (Express photo: Sneha Saha)

Vivo V19 review: Captured with primary main rear camera (Express photo: Sneha Saha)

Vivo V19 review: Captured with primary main rear camera (Express photo: Sneha Saha)

Vivo V19 review: Captured with primary main rear camera (Express photo: Sneha Saha)

Vivo V19 review: Ultra-wide shot (Express photo: Sneha Saha)

Vivo V19 review: Captured with primary main rear camera (Express photo: Sneha Saha)

Vivo V19 review: Ultra-wide selfie (Express photo: Sneha Saha)

The phone also manages to capture ultra-wide shots and selfies. The ultra-wide pictures look well-detailed even when zoomed in, the colours also look pretty accurate. The macro and low-light are areas I feel the Vivo V19 could have been better optimised given the price of the phone. In both situations the pictures often get blurred. I’m a fan of clicking macro shots and the phone disappointed me a bit.

Another area that matters a lot to a consumer is battery life. Vivo V19 nails it in this department. The massive 4500mAh battery lasts one full day of usage very easily despite depending on the phone for all the day-to-day work. The icing on the cake is the 33W fast charging support that charges the phone completely in 1 hour and 15 minutes.

What’s not so good?

Since the launch of the device it has been criticised for using an old chipset given the price it comes at. The V19 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 712 processor — which we have seen on the cheaper Vivo Z1. Given Indian consumers check specifications sheet first before buying a smartphone this is one area where most might back off and consider buying some other phone that offers better chipsets at a much cheaper price.

Vivo V19 review: The phone comes with dual punch hole camera design. (Express photo: Sneha Saha)

Despite the old processor, at no point did I feel the phone lagged or slowed down. That’s how well the software has been optimised on the V19. I used the phone as my primary device and given all of us are at home we use phones more than ever before. I did all my work on the V19 — from taking calls to sending emails to browsing social media and the internet, playing games, watching Panchayat on Amazon Prime Video and so on. Despite multiple apps running in the background the Vivo V19 never slowed down. So, in real life usage I don’t think one will have a problem with the phone’s performance at any point.

Who should buy?

If you are a diehard Vivo fan, the V19 is a great option to consider given the number of improvements it has brought in compared to the predecessor. The phone is sleek, captures stunning pictures in most situations — macro and lowlight could have been better — and offers one full day of battery life. However, given the price of the phone, I wish Vivo at least opted for the Snapdragon 730 processor if not the 800 series. If your budget is low and preferences are high such as flagship-level processor, 64MP quad rear camera and more there are other options available in the market from Realme, Redmi, and Samsung.

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[tragically-broken]

10 Questions Tag

 Thank you @abookandacoffee for tagging me! I really enjoyed reading your answers!

My Questions:

1. When’s the last time you wrote for fun?

2. Growing up what did you want to be?

3. How many bottles of water do you drink per day?

4. Fav way to exorcise? 

5. Do you think you’re good at texting?

6. What is your go-to outfit?

7. If you could have any pet what would it be?

8. Do you use bar soap?

9. What are your thoughts on winter?

When’s the last time you felt pure joy? 

@abookandacoffee ‘s questions:

1. Would you rather vacation in the mountains or at the beach? 

Mountains 100%

2. Describe your perfect day in five words or less.

friends who love me back 

3. Who is the last person you had a deep conversation with?

Briannica aka @tintinnabulary 

4. Do you read any genres other than fantasy?

MS = obsessed with Nicholas Sparks Novels

HS = obsessed with Hunger Games and anything “end of the world” 

College = my fav obsession by far with SJM novels 

sooooo yes? lol 

5. Do you have an idea of where you want to be 5 years from now? 10 years?

-Working for a school that I love

-Living in a cute apt w/ my pupper

-Have my first draft of my novel finished 

-Completed my masters in education 

-Financially stable so that I can visit family/friends and travel the world....there is so much on this beautiful earth to see and I’ve barely laid eyes on a fraction of it.

-By the 10 yr mark I hope to have successfully adopted at least one child

6. What is your favorite thing to cook/bake?

I wish i cooked more than I do, but I feel like chocolate chip cookies are the most rewarding lol

7. What is your favorite thing about tumblr?

Friendship & Freedom

8. What is the last thing you would want to do with your free time?

M A T H 

9. You see a big spider. What do you do?

Find a shoe and deSTROY HIM 

10. What’s the last book you read? Rating?

The last book I read that wasn’t SJM was Six of Crows and I’d give it 5 stars it was soooooooooooooooo gooooooooooooooood

From Lucia:

1. Are you afraid of getting old? Or do you want to grow old?

I wouldn’t say i’m afraid of getting old, but I would say i’m afraid of aging....getting old is just a number on your diverse license, but aging is when your boy starts to slowly break down and your quality of life ain’t so great anymore.

2. Favorite type of landscape?

I haven’t had the chance to experience many different types, but I’d have to say mountains...4 summers in a row I’d hike part of the Appalachian Mountains and it’s one of the most amazing experiences and the water, OMG THE WATER so cold and crisp. What I love most about it is that the only thing touched my man is the slim trail. That’s it. The animals, trees, rivers, its all untouched. Breathtaking.

3. Favorite work of art?

I love art in general, but haven't gotten to see as much as I’d like. However, I’d have to say my fav is Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh. My Mamow (grandmother) had these coasters at her house that I was memorized by and they were all pictures of art made by Vincent and the Starry Night one was always my favorite. I actually got to visit the MoMA 2 years ago to see it in person and it was a really cool experience.

4. Favorite newspaper or magazine to read? 

I literally NEVER read either of those anymore....the last time I read a magazine was when I was 16/17 and it was Seventeen Magazine

5. Sweet or savory breakfast food? 

Chocolate Pancakes is my fav breakfast food ever

6. Fall fashion or spring fashion? Or do you not really care either way?

FALL GIMME ALL THE FALL COLORS MAN 

7. Are your books organized nicely or just in random piles/groups? 

I WISH. I’ve actually never owned a book shelf in my life which really sucks but i basically have a “read” pile, “haven’t read” pile, and a “WRECK MY LIFE” pile sooooo

8. Does a messy room bother you? 

Messy? nah. Dirty? yes. 

9. How big of a procrastinator are you? 

I can’t even talk about this rn lol

10. Whats your star sign? 

Libra

From Harry:

1) What one piece of fiction has most affected your world view? 

Throne of Glass by SJM 100% Those books have helped me in too many ways to count

2) Which three real life people do you look up to most? 

I don’t really do that?? I feel like the sooner you realize that everyone is human and will let you down at some point the better....I do admire certain things about ppl though like my aunt’s strength/independence, my papow’s determination/love for others, certain friends for not caring what ppl think about them, but overall I’m just tryin to do the best with what I have because at the end of the day no one on this earth is exactly like me. So why should I idolize ppl?

3) Which three fictional characters inspire you? 

Aelin (ToG series), Rhysand (ACOTAR series), Nina (SoC series) 

4) What, or who, is your guilty pleasure at the moment? 

I’d have to say anything chocolate related....

5) What trait about yourself do you feel is under appreciated by either yourself, or those around you? 

I’m a very good friend, and a lot of ppl have taken that for granted....as a result I’ve learned to drop ppl who could care less about me 

6) How do you dance? 

I loooooove to dance, but I’m so bad at it it’s embarrassing 

7) How do you entertain yourself on long, LONG car journeys? 

I get car sick which means reading makes it worse which sucks, but I drive now so just the radio mostly and whoever is my driving companion 

8) Are you at all religious or spiritual? 

I am both, but the term “religious” these days has a very bad rep which is understandable. I’m always open to conversation about these things. After all isn’t that how we grow as people? 

9) In light of October approaching, what are your favourite spooky films/books/shows/etc? 

I wasn’t allowed to watch Halloween movies as a child so I dont really have any...saw Hocus Pocus about 2 years ago for the first time and that was fun lol

10) And finally, which song are you most likely to sing along to regardless of the situation around you? 

If I know it, i’m singing it.

From Yfke:

1. What is your favorite movie of all time? 

whhhhhYYYYYYY THIS IS SO HARD 

I can watch Tangled any day any where so I guess that’s it

2. How old were you when you first fell in love? 

I’d like to say 16, but tbh I’m not even sure if that’s what love is

3. What is your biggest wish? 

Equality 

4. How old were you when you read your first book? 

Hmmm interesting question. I have no idea.....I remember loving the Junie B Jones books tho! Those were classics 

5. Who is your favorite person in this entire world? 

This hits a sore spot, so I’ll pass on this inner turmoil question

6. What is one place you would love to visit? 

Alaska 

7. What is one place you would love to move to? 

Somewhere that’s not here and has 4 seasons lol

8. What time do you usually go to bed? 

I have the worst sleeping schedule in the world, maybe im in bed by 8pm or 8am who knowwwwws

9. Favorite drink? 

Milkshake or Some sort of adult beverage 

10. What is/was your favorite subject? 

MS/HS = English 

College = Advanced Writing (shocker) 

Tagged: @tintinnabulary @kylar-black @abookandacoffee @kashews @dr-woodsprite @literarynonsense @mirroredsilence @ilikebigbooks-and-icannotlie @akcrion @kiminicricket 

^ngl this did take quite a bit of time so no offense taken if ya don’t wanna do it XD

[ashryverblue]

on reading slumps

ok so I was in the shower thinking about books because that's just what I do and a thought occured to me. I've been talking to a lot of people recently, particularly in the younger portion of the fandom about how we can't seem to get ourselves to read? Like if you've talked to me recently or read my whiny tag posts last night you'll know I've been struggling to read LoS for a good 3 weeks. (which is weird because I fucking love Cassie Clare) And I know there's a lot of reasons for slumps like personal problems/lack of time/distractions/just being in the completely wrong mental/emotional state for it, but I think one thing is that a lot of us (myself included) have a very specific idea of what it is that we like. personally for me my go to is always YA/NA fantasy. And maybe, we're so in the habit of reading an exact genre that maybe, subconsciously, we get to a point where we just need to read something else for a bit, something different? Maybe our go to isn't what we need and what it would be good for us to read at this specific point in our lives? It's difficult, especially with all the book recs flying around on tumblr and constant references to other fandoms, and I think that can sometimes make us (or at least me) feel pressured into reading certain books? Like don't get me wrong I love discovering new books from tumblr and taking recs from people but sometimes for me it has a more negative side effect. Like I've tried to start the Grisha trilogy twice, and everytime there's a reference to Leigh Bardugo or SOC I feel guilty for not having succeeded. But maybe that's just because those books weren't the right books for me at that particular time? I'm not trying to police anyone's reading habits or force other genres on you or anything like that, because I absolutely can't stand when teachers/parents or whatever try to force you to read more "intelligent" or "sophisticated" books because that's a load of bs. But reading something different can really help. Like I was struggling with Nevernight a while ago, and then I took a break from it to read the Scott Pilgrim comics, and I got so into them and got through them really fast (I mean yes they are comics but that's beside the point) and then I felt... Enthused again? And then when I got back to Nevernight I finished it really quickly. And Nevernight is actually one of my favs at the moment. So what I'm trying to say is... if you're struggling with reading try branching out and not limiting yourself to one or a couple of genres. Even though you may think you know what you're looking for, books can surprise you, and trying something different may help you recover your enthusiasm and appetite for books in general. This got long and I know everyone's different and this is just my perspective. I may be sounding like a rambling idiot. But I was just hoping maybe some of this might resonate with someone, or be useful advice for trying to get out of a slump.

[songzichens]

actually nobody asked but here i am, ready to talk abt my science kids for whom i would lay down my life, aka the wylan/kuwei parallels that are never discussed but should be 

i mean first of all, the most obvious similarities: the two youngest of the group, the ones that are most on the outside by virtue of arriving last with no pre-existing connection to any of the other dregs (aside from having done odd jobs for them, in wylan’s case), them spending the majority of ck not only looking identical but also given the role of ‘scientist’ by default because they’re the two with the most knowledge

i mentioned this in the tags of my other post but kuwei is to ck what wylan is to soc.  they’re both kept around to serve a purpose, neither get pov chapters so we learn about them exclusively through interactions w other characters, neither features quite as prominently as the others do (although wylan does more towards the end because like.  wesper build-up) but are nonetheless a crucial part of the storyline 

both of them have complex relationships w their fathers, this came to a Tipping Point for both of them around the same time (they were only like 15/16 someone protect them??).  kuwei had a father who loved him and wanted to keep him safe but inadvertently put him in danger; wylan had to escape because the danger was his father.  this leads to both of them ending up on their own in a strange place which they’re ultimately taken out of by the dregs

this is presumably also around the same place in the timeline for them both since by the start of soc wylan’s been in the barrel a few months and yul-bayur was killed (presumed captured) several months before, at least to the best of my knowledge

they’re the only two out of the dregs who don’t have an immediate (or any) connection with friends or family that they actually want to return to outside of the dregs.  wylan is reunited with his mother in ck but spends all of soc believing she’s dead, and doesn’t seem to have anyone else he wants to reunite with, certainly nobody he mentions.  kuwei is set on going to ravka, but not because there’s anyone waiting for him, just because it’s safe and he’ll be able to work on a parem antidote with other grisha.  he never talks about friends or family and given his description of shu han (“we live a frightened life ... it was never home”) it’s not a stretch to imagine he doesn’t really have anyone to talk about

following on from the last couple of points: they’ve both inherited issues from their fathers that neither of them asked for but have to live with.  wylan, the van eck heir who’s talented at so many things except the one thing his father wanted him to be able to do, made to feel like a failure because he couldn’t read, unable to live up to the Ideal Heir van eck wanted, and then almost killed because, through literally zero (0) fault of his own, he couldn’t do it.  and then kuwei, son of the chief chemist who invented parem, held prisoner and made to recreate something he didn’t even come up with, that he couldn’t fully remember the formula for (while trying to stall progress because he knew the damage that would come if he succeeded), he’s still being held up to his father’s legacy but in a very sinister way.  

(kuwei does say he thinks he can do it, but there’s still a vast difference between the experience of a 15 yr old inferni who helped in the lab versus a scientist/fabrikator with decades of experience, you can’t just ask the former to do the work of the latter and expect the same result)

and neither of them fully escape from it - when people do business with wylan, they know they’re doing business with van eck’s son, he’s carrying on from his father even if he’s leaving the corrupt business side behind.  and what’s the whole reason kuwei wants to go to ravka in the first place?  to develop an antidote to parem, a problem he didn’t cause that he’s not even fully qualified to try and cure but he’s going to anyway

they’re both coming from situations made more dangerous for them because of who they are, something they try to hide - wylan’s being raised to follow in van eck’s footsteps but he can’t read, something he keeps secret for as long as possible because as far as van eck’s concerned, that makes wylan useless.  he literally tries to have wylan killed because of it.  not for any other reason than that he can’t read, something that’s neither wylan’s fault nor does it make him any less good at basically everything else.  meanwhile kuwei’s being kept in the ice court, where they torture and murder grisha, trying to recreate something that’s going to do even more harm, but he’s grisha too, something he obviously has to keep hidden from the fjerdans (remember what happens to grisha who don’t use their powers?  how hard do you think that was to keep secret in the ice court of all places??  not to mention he had to do the same thing in shu han.)

if i think of more points i’ll add them later, but tl;dr please stop and consider the similarities here for a second because i did and haven’t stopped crying since