#lps deserve more love they are so good

[me-sploh-rada-imas]

everyone do what he says!

[soapoet]

How do they express jealousy?

requested by anon.

like & rb if it resonates ♡

01.

Shufflemancy: Gives you hell by All-American rejects

You might not expect this person to be as vulnerable and sensitive as they are. They appear very sure of themselves, may even have quite an intimidating presence, and don't let their emotions show externally. Until they are behind closed doors with their trusted allies, that is. When it is safe for them to break, they collapse. Jealousy is a feeling they are well acquainted with, and theirs is a battle between life and death. They hold trust and loyalty in high regard, and any slight against it done on purpose is met with an instantaneous crumbling of the tower where they keep and guard their beloved. They grow suspicious and anxious, and can delude themselves in finding enemies everywhere.

They grow resentful and begin a horrid cycle festering resentment and desperation to not lose their partner. They love you, they hate you, they deserve better, they deserve to suffer. And so it goes, round and round, and the wound is one only time can heal, but the scar will mark them forever. They can forgive, but never forget. Even if disaster is avoided and things go back to normal, the betrayal will forever haunt them and any future hiccup will make them suspicious or immediately be brought back to the past, and they will succumb to the fear of abandonment once more.

Without purposeful attempts to make them jealous, they are still akin a wolf guarding their territory. They keep a watchful eye for any potential threats and hold their partner extra close or go out of their way to showcase their commitment to their partner and their partner's commitment to them, often whilst staring threats dead in the eyes as an intimidation tactic and a way to silently yell "back off". I would sincerely advise everyone to never play games with their partners, but especially this one, as they've known the pain of neglect and betrayal closely throughout their life, and have unhealed wounds all across their aching heart and the damage you could do would never again heal and the commitment would bleed out to its inevitable end without mercy.

02.

Shufflemancy: Lost on you by LP

This person has a rather straightforward relationship with jealousy. Though they do not easily fall prey to it, if caught, they tend to spiral into a desperate act of self-improvement. Convinced that their tinge of jealousy is evidence of lack in them, they raise the standards they hold for themselves to even greater heights. Tunnel vision keeps them from seeing anything clearly and they hyper focus on their attempts to measure up to the perceived bar suddenly raised out of their reach. Because to them, jealousy so easily means they are not good enough, and as somebody already at war with perfection, they do not take it lightly.

Whether their jealousy is triggered on purpose or arise naturally, they instantly find themselves at a crossroads, and must choose which way to go. The strict duality of their mind in these situations keeps them from seeing the path which lies between the two, and they only debate between proving their worth or accepting defeat, wiping their tears as they take the road which strays from the one aligned with their partner.

They can appear quite cold when they simply choose to give up, as though the river of love suddenly runs dry and they decide that it, to them, is objectively the best to cut you or them loose when the two of you are hanging off a cliff and either one of you must let go. Even if they are upset they remain calm on the surface and do what they think is right. Behind them may lie many shipwrecks they abandoned when the leak appeared much too difficult to mend.

03.

Shufflemancy: Sinner by Trevi Moran

Oh boy. They will not openly admit to jealousy, but will meticulously eradicate any threat as though they're pest control. Few things get under their skin as they are at least outwardly very secure in their own self-worth and simply dish out stupid prizes to those who dare play stupid games. For some, however, I must say that they may actually hold themselves in this high regard and play the role of somebody big and strong as a ruse because they deeply fear the fall from their throne.

They could easily flip the script or rewrite it on the spot, altering the play in their favour. When slighted they quickly make sure the whole audience gets on their side and point and laugh at whoever triggered jealousy in them, now the villain of the tale they get to tell. Depending on how delicate the situation is they may instead move in the shadows and whisper in enough ears and shake enough hands to assure the eventual downfall and demise of whoever dared challenge them and their partnership.

I won't lie, for some of you I'd advise that you err on the side of caution because this can easily become toxic. They're very protective and may worship you and keep you safe from the wolves, but some can easily slip into maddening possessiveness, which is unhealthy. Their jealousy, although kept under lock and key, shows itself in a very cold, unaffected way which can be quite jarring to witness as their eyes feel hallow and suddenly speak to you as though you're a complete stranger. The worst of them may very well have angry outbursts when pushed too far and I hope you know you deserve better than that.

04.

Shufflemancy: Fred Astaire by Ghost the jukebox

This sure is somebody you may even feel outright compelled to attempt to make jealous, because they appear so unbothered and nonchalant as though they have no care in the world. And that is the truth of the matter, because from their perspective you are either commited to them, or you're not. They trust their partner to not play with them or allow any advances from others, and if that trust is broken then c'est la vie.

For some, this apparent lack of jealousy altogether can mean that they are open to non-monogamy, whether or not they themselves are interested in opening the relationship for their own sake. As an example, they could be open to their partner seeking fulfillment of needs they cannot tend to themselves. They are a good communicator and live by and follow whichever boundaries and rules have been set in their relationship and may be open to change should their partner have any suggestions. I wouldn't really fear unfaithfulness with this person solely due to how easy-going yet frank and honest they are.

If anything, instead of jealousy this person could quite literally suggest you chat somebody up, and their inquiries about other people some would be concerned about seem genuinely curious and are without malice or suspicion. They're trusting, though some of their loved ones may call them naive and wonder when the day will come that they get hurt as they don't quite understand this person's simple views. It's reminiscent of the time Aladdin said "do you trust me?" because to this person you or they either do or don't and that's that.

05.

Shufflemancy: Style by Taylor Swift

This person seems to have very little to worry about and seem sure in their own worth. So much so, in fact, that they may use jealousy as fuel for passion. They could feel excited and amused by jealousy as though it is a challenge for them demanding they rise to the occasion and prove just how worthy they are and claim their partner as theirs time and time again so that they may never stray.

They tread cautiously the fine line between playful and damaging, pushing the envelope in search of the sweet spot that triggers just enough anger to provide some friction. One need not worry much of their true intentions as there appears to be a permanent glint in their eyes full of lighthearted mischief as they simply desire for you as their partner to show them that desire earnestly, just the same as they do for you when you too decide to play little games to see the chemical reaction which follows.

It really does take outright betrayal for them to reach damaging levels of jealousy, at which point they don't go out quietly and make sure their feelings are known. Just to be sure the two of you are simply playing, they may inquire more candidly about the people around you or openly question their intentions, as though they are so very playful and appreciate the fun and games they are also a little territorial and need it known by all that the two of you are spoken for.

06.

Shufflemancy: Vampire by Olivia Rodrigo

Easily distraught, this person sinks fast and deep to the very bottom of the depths of agony when they feel jealous. They struggle with their worth and have an intense fear of abandonment which leads them down dark paths in their mind as they begin a search of how or why they do or do not deserve love and commitment. There in the depths of their undoing they easily come to find that rock bottom has a basement, which they crawl into to hide away in the assumption that what is theirs will be taken away and if what is theirs is going at their own accord they must then be flawed and wholly unworthy after all.

Their primary means of showing their jealousy is withdrawal, as they have trouble voicing these vulnerable feelings or may simply not know the right words to use to express themselves clearly. They may even fear that expressing jealousy will only make matters worse or invite retaliation of some kind, and thus say nothing at all, which invites resentment to fester.

Jealousy mortally wounds them, and I'd never encourage anybody to play games with people to begin with, but certainly not somebody so frail and fearful. This is somebody who would step in front of bullets for their loved ones, so any chance that those same people, and especially you, their partner, would in essence be the one to pull the trigger would truly destroy them.

[harrisonarchive]

Photographed by Astrid Kirchherr from 1960 to 1968.

“For me it was a very natural thing. I didn’t know it was so hard because there weren’t a lot of female photographers around in that period." - Astrid Kirchherr, Astrid Kirchherr: A Retrospective “[H]e always treated me with so much sweetness. I think he understood real love, deep love, more than the others. Professionally, I always remember how serious he was… how determined he was to make sure that I received the creative credit I deserved. George was a sweet man, who, despite reflections on him by others, was really the least complicated of the Beatles… at least to me.” - Astrid Kirchherr, When They Were Boys (2013) “Astrid was dressing like that [in leather] when we were still just Liverpool scruffs. She was the one who had the leather kecks and the Beatle haircut. […] Astrid was so loving; she’d take us home and feed us. She helped us a lot, even just to let us have a bath. Astrid was twenty-two at that time, and I was seventeen; she seemed so much older than me, and so grown up… [...] Astrid was the one, really, who influenced our image more than anybody.” - George Harrison, The Beatles Anthology “He said ‘Oh by the way, I need a cover or an inner sleeve for my next LP [Wonderwall Music]’ and he said ‘I would like you to take it.’ […] Then he offered to build me a studio in London to take pictures and asked me if I could think it over. I was so unsure about me being a photographer, because of The Beatles boom, and I was thinking ‘Am I really good or am I just a Beatles photographer?’ So I just gave him a call and said ‘No, I don’t want to,’ and the only thing he answered was ‘Well you are my little fool.’” - Astrid Kirchherr, Astrid Kirchherr: A Retrospective “George was always my favorite, his kindness and his wit. He was just a wonderful person and whenever I was in trouble, like with money and things, he was always looking after me and he invited me a couple of times to London and later on to Henley. I just miss him terribly because he was like a little guardian angel for me, I feel like I am in a way lost without him.” - Astrid Kirchherr, Astrid Kirchherr: A Retrospective (x)

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[wangxianficfinder]

In the mood for...

~*~

1. ITMF: Just finished ShanaStoryteller's "By Any Other Name" where resurrected WWX pretends to be a woman, and it's put me in the mood for fic where he is actually resurrected as a woman but, here's the key: he's hamstrung by the extremely patriarchal society he's in. The few fic I've read that have him in a woman's body usually hand wave over that but I'd love to read a fic that doesn't. Anything like that out there??? @kimboo-york

To Deserve So Much More by renysen (locked to archive) (T, 20k, wangxian, summoned by f!oc, getting together, Mojo’s post) has WWX resurrected by the youngest daughter of a non-cultivating family and deals with several issues of him being a woman as a result.

~*~

2. do you know any fics that explore what happens if yzy lives past the wen attack on lp? wwx blamed himself enough without her active vitriol so i'd love to read how her survival would impact the yunmeng trio (esp wwx) and/or the war. thank you!

💖  Lessons relearned by Iamnotawriter (T, 44k, WangXian, LQR & WWX, Not Madam Yu Friendly, Time Travel Fix-It, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Inventor WWX, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, No Golden Core Transfer, YZY Bashing) has YZY surviving the fall of LP & has stuff about how her leadership is different from JC

Yearning for Miles by Murahi (M, 378k, WangXian, LQR/SiSi, Canon Divergence, Angst, Fluff, Slow burn, Mutual Pining, seeing the future) has YZY surviving IIRC (it's been a while since I read it & I bailed partway through so idk how it goes) & the tags mention YZY redemption

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3. hi ! in the mood for fics (canon) that feature wangxian and lan sizhui ! it doesn’t need to be about them as parents, although it definitely can, but just having them (especially lwj) act parental or acknowledged as parents or exist as a family unit would be much appreciated, kind of like “Crack me open, pour you out” by tenillypo. basically any parental canon wangxian (even just featured) would be amazing thank you !! @willesnelson

to the act of making noise by words-writ-in-starlight (WordsWritInStarlight) (G, 19k, LSZ & LWJ, LSZ & WWX, wangxian, Grief/Mourning, Father-Son Relationship, inquiry, Music, Angst, Fluff, Found Family, podfic available)

kick at the darkness 'til it bleeds daylight by AlfAlfAlfAlfAlf, tardigradeschool (T, 75k, WangXian, Hurt/Comfort, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Eventual Happy Ending, Getting Together, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, Inspired by The Parent Trap (1998), Kid Fic, teen shenanigans, two a-yuans, Fluff and Angst) it's set in canon times however its def an AU storyline but you get a lot of family feels

Finding Balance Series by Zombubble (G/T, 117k, WangXian, Character Study, Canon Compliant, Mentions of Blood, Mentions of Violence, Mentions of Death, Grief, But only a little, Nightmare, Canon-Typical Violence, within a nightmare, injuries, Underage Drinking, Light Angst, Happy Ending, JC Being an Asshole, but not too bad, Anxiety, Grief/Mourning, Self-Reflection, Conflict Resolution, Internal Conflict, lots of talking, Lots of Thinking, LSZ-centric, Soft LQR, Sort Of, Collective Bargaining, LSZ accidentally incites a mini off-screen rebellion, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Angst with a Happy Ending, Post-Canon, mild panic attack) not sure if its quite what #3 is asking (most recent itmf post) but there's a post-canon sizhui-centric series about sizhui coming to terms with remembering he's a wen and stuff, and the last two in the series (esp the last one) have parental wangxian helping him work through things

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4. Itmf wwx n friends as a crazy crack funny af potty mouthed wholesome group!! Modern au. Them being crack heads in a nut. Like, doing stuff like sneaking out, putting skates and running at night, sitting in shopping trolly and pushing it ahead, Fighting in Instagram comments section. Just wwx an friends. Idm relationships.

He lo I'm for #4 itmf. fic is really good, but not what I was aiming for, cuz yeah the plot was chef's kiss, but didn't had much of wy n frnds, lemme clear: wy n frnds shenanigans, doing stupid things, what the fuk moments. This time doesn't matter if it's canon, modern or alternate Universe. Thankyou

The Fifth Type of Non-Contact Force by Caixx (Not Rated, 83k, WangXian, Modern AU, High School, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Fluff and Humor, Actually Somewhat Canon, Mutual Pining, Horny Teenagers, Angst with a Happy Ending, Non-Graphic Smut) lots of shenanigans here

Carefully Orchestrated Plans (no strings attached) by Maledictius (T, 101k, WangXian, Modern AU, Chatting & Messaging, Orchestra, Fluff and Humor, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Gossip)

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5. ITMF!! What’s a wangxian fic you’ve read where, as you sadly leave your last kudos on the last chapter, you think, THIS COULD BE A MOVIE 😤!

Those fast paced, edge of your seat, tight plot, spot on character fics that you’d buy a ticket to see? Or maybe a smaller lyrical fic that could totally be an art house short film?

I was rereading Hobbsy3’s Tragedy is Not the End. I always have to make myself popcorn it’s so good! So yep, that’s my movie fic!

Dear mods, please direct me to the right list if this has been asked before!! 💚

Wei Wuxian Makes a Wish series by natcat5 (M, 119k, wangxian, major character death, underage, madoka magica au, modern w/ magic, time travel, high school au, body horror, self-harm, angst w/ bittersweet ending, time loop, mental instability, suicidal thoughts) is it cheating if it's technically based on a movie? I didn't need to know anything about what this is based on besides a quick Google but if asker is looking for something that leaves them feeling breathless with all kinds of feelings this is the first one that came to mind

The Fifth Type of Non-Contact Force by Caixx (Not Rated, 83k, WangXian, Modern AU, High School, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Fluff and Humor, Actually Somewhat Canon, Mutual Pining, Horny Teenagers, Angst with a Happy Ending, Non-Graphic Smut) link in #4 honestly this also felt like a teenage coming of age indie movie

💖 Echo, Murmur, Dream, Here by bluerainmist (M, 51k, wangxian, canon divergence, WWX survives, sect leader WWX, yiling wei sect au, slow burn, angst w/ happy ending, getting together, pining, love confessions, reunions, mind all the tags) I just read this and the descriptions of the armor and battlefields really felt like they would suit huge movie screens. It just had that imax vibe, ya know?

Also maybe 5 should look at the “Beautiful Writing and Good Plot” Compilation | Pt. 2 comps a lot of the fics on there feel like a movie

花无百日红; the flower that withers by yiqie (M, 29k, wangxian, Time Travel Fix-It of Sorts, Case Fic, Spells & Enchantments, Hurt/Comfort, Forgiveness, It's about the emotional catharsis, If you have ever laughed at WWX clowning himself for the 'no one will marry you' scene, This fic is: for you) i'm not a writer so i can't describe the feelings this fic evoked in me, but this is one of those fics that is so prettily written and if it's got a movie adaptation i would definitely watch it

In Imitation of Life by travelingneuritis (E, 70k, wangxian, modern cultivation, scifi au, android WWX, tone: neon seedy, rich people are bored and terrible, post-apocalyptoc landscape, happy ending, smut, severe major characger injury, time loss) everything this author writes is like a movie tbh

symmetry by bleuett (M, 44k, WangXian, Space, Science Fiction, Happy Ending, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Holding Hands, Blow Jobs, Hand Feeding, Cultivation in Space, Yearning, Reunions, Hurt/Comfort, Family Feels, Canon-Typical Violence, Minor Injuries, Grief/Mourning, Unconventional Time Travel, Burial Mounds) I remember reading this and getting major interstellar vibes

💖 Pentimento. by orange_crushed (E, 73k, wangxian, modern, college/university au, art conservation, museums, pining, not actually unrequited love, angst w/ happy ending, misunderstandings, smut, major character injury, hospitalization, hurt/comfort, past incarceration, forgery) this is like an A24 Sundance festival winner, author writes such incredible prose

Post Mortem by Cataclysmic_Calamity (E, 78k, wangxian, modern, Psychological Horror, friends with benefits, they're both fucked up but they love each other so much, Slow Burn Mystery, Unnegotiated Kink, Dom/sub, Anal Sex, Consensual Non-Con, Stalking, Drug Addiction, Serial Killers, in Wei Ying's desire to critique the 'final girl' trope he accidentally becomes one, Angst with a Happy Ending, meta commentary on the horror and true crime genres) A horror movie!!!! Very much on the edge of your seat.

~*~

6. Huge thanks to the mods and participants for this wonderful blog! You keep my Mark for Later list going strong.

ITMF fics where someone tries to harm WWX because of LWJ. Maybe they're obsessively in love with him and want to get rid of the competition, or maybe they hate him and want to hurt him in the worst way possible by hurting the one he loves most, or whatever. Bonus points if Wangxian assume that whoever seems to be coming after WWX is coming after him because he's the Yiling Laozu instead of because he's LWJs love, and so they make wrong assumptions and mistakes. Happy for similar recs also, even if it's not a perfect fit! No Jiang Cheng bashing though plz. Thanks all! @flamingwell

this body yet survives by RoseThorne (T, 50k, WIP, WangXian, No War AU, Recovery, Trauma, Dissociation, Courting Rituals, Near Death Experiences, Attempted Murder, Eventual Happy Ending, Panic Attacks, Protective Siblings, Triggers, Protective LWJ, Protective LQR, Yúnmèng Siblings Dynamics, Bad Parent YZY, POV Third Person, POV LWJ, Depression, Good Sibling JC, Good Sibling JYL)

A Soft Storm by AvoOwO (Not rated, 47k, wangxian, modern au, hurt WWX, LWJ pov, protective LWJ, not SS friendly, car accidents, hurt/comfort, heavy angst w happy ending, sexual harrasment, stalking, crying, blood & injury & gore, major character injury, college, slut shaming, insults)

Coincidence is Another Man's Fate by TriviasFolly (M, 164k, WangXian, Modern AU, A/B/O Dynamics, Alpha LWJ, Omega wwx, Sexual Harassment, Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, WangXian play the long game, UNTIL THEY DON'T, Getting Together, fated pairs, Eventual Attempted Sexual Assult and Recovery, Modern Setting - Office, Mpreg)

~*~

7. Hi!! Does anyone know of any fics where dual cultivation classes are part of the lectures that all the young masters attend? I’d love to see them paired up to meditate, study, duel, night hunt, perhaps even take a couple of sex magic classes. In my head I am picturing something like those Harry Potter fics where students are paired due to compatible magic and they study together regardless of house division. Thank you!

turn towards the sun by Ariaste (E, 21k, WangXian, Kushiel's Legacy Fusion, The Night Court (Kushiel's Legacy), Kink Negotiation, Courtesans, Intimacy, BDSM, Consent, Wangxian's canonical fetishes, roughly Cloud Recesses-era, Extracurricular Kissing, Impact Play, Kink Experimentation, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, (aka Madam Yu being canonically willing to hit WWX)) This may not be exactly what was requested but it’s definitely school and wangxian definitely “study” together:)

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8. Are there any fics where Wei Wuxian purposely tries to seduce Lan Wangji? Like he wears revealing clothes, touches him more often, moans while eating...etc? Like, Wei Wuxian knows Lan Wangji likes him and is trying to make him crack by being all flirty/seductive?

puzzle pieces by Yuisaki (T, 6k, WangXian, Modern AU, College/University, Roommates, Fluff, Humor, Friends to Lovers, Sharing Clothes, Getting Together, Pining)

~*~

9. Hi mods! Can I ask for the next ITMF for some fics where WWX, JFM or even LQR are angry at Wei Changze and Cangse Sanren for not being careful enough during night hunts and leaving WWX alone? Something along the lines of why they didn't have a back up plan or why didn't they leave WY in Lotus Pier or somewhere else where he would be looked after while they were busy and risking something happening to him bc they didn't tell anyone where their child was if something happened to them. Doesn't really need to be bashing but definitely some abandonment issues and not WWX just being alright with what his parents did and wanting to do the same

Thanks!! @jiangclaritybell

❤️ The One-Body Problem by metisket (T, 29k, LJY & WWX, LJY & LSZ, wangxian, possession, cohabitation, Mojo’s bookmark) Lan Jingyi (very) briefly mentions how stupid it was for WWX's parents to just leave him when they went off night hunting

~*~

10. Hii!! I hope you guys are well <3

I have a request for the next itmf, i recently read a fic where wwx is adopted by hua lian, so I was wondering if you had more fics in the same category?? The fic i read was the hearth series by eccentrick!!

Thank you in advance ❤️❤️

there's a whole tag Huā Chéng & Xiè Lián (Tiān Guān Cì Fú) Adopt Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn for that, but in specific

Hua Xianle by Tiffany_Guinne (Not rated, 170k, hualian, wangxian, TGCF, canon divergence, not Jiang friendly, madam lan lives, WWX adopted by hualian, WWX with different name, overprotective hualian, hurt WWX, WIP)

Narrative of Strength by MeltedIceAngel (T, 61k, WIP, WangXian, HuaLian, Canon Divergence, Adopt WWX, Found Family, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Protective XL, Protective HC, Adoption, Kidnapping, Attempted Kidnapping, Serious Injuries, Angst with a Happy Ending, TGCF)

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11. Hello, for the next In the mood for, do you have any wangxian fan fic recs of novel canon divergence/fix it that do not feature yunmeng bros reconciliation? Thank you so much in advance!

Lay my body down by tawaen (M, 48k, WWX & WQ, WWX & WN, wangxian, WWX & JYL, canon divergence, time travel, rogue cultivator WWX, no golden core transfer, not cultivation world friendly, not JC friendly, OCs) WWX travels back in time & goes fuck the cultivation world & JC in particular

The Core Issue by Hauntcats (T, 21k, WangXian, Angst with a Happy Ending, Not JC Friendly, Canon Divergence) WWX rebuilds his core while living in the Burial Mounds, JC loses his & is pissed about it

~*~

12. Can you recommend me Darkji fanfic and an oblivious weiying or a dark dark lanzhan where there's an abuse and manipulation included I don't mind🫶🏻

Obelus by Celestios (Not rated, 167k, wangxian, rape/non-con, non-con elements, NO rape, Non-Consensual Spanking, Non-Consensual Punishments, Spanking, Punishments, Dubious Morality, Dubious Consent, physical discipline, Physical Abuse, Toxic Relationships, Abusive Relationship, Kidnapping, Stockholm Syndrome, mention of violence, mention of drugs, Mention of alcohol, Possessive Behavior, Obsessive Behavior, Unhealthy Relationships, dark LWJ, Baker WWX, Bodyguard WN, Mentions of weapons, Gun mentions, Slow Burn, Long, Doctor WQ, Self Medicating, WWX has ADHD, Trauma Bonding, Psychological Manipulation, Gaslighting, Organized Crime, underground crime, Underground business, illegal business)

3-in-1 Shampoo/Conditioner/Bodywash - the Real Gateway Drug by Anonymous (E, 22k, WIP, WangXian, one sided wangxian (but for how long?), sketchy as fuck LWJ, does this count as dark! LWJ, implied bi WWX, modern au - no cultivation, Piss Marking, Come Marking, cum in food, brief cameo of food fucking, piss in food, Exhibitionism, Sloppy Seconds, Alcoholism, mention piss drinking, No Sex, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, sexually charged assisted pissing, accidental hold, Omorashi, freak4freak, emotional manipulation/subdrop of sorts, co-pissing, panty huffing, Degradation, dubcon blowjob, FaceFucking, Non-Consensual Somnophilia, pissing on someone who's passed out drunk, Spanking, Verbal Humiliation, Mutual Masturbation, jerking off walkthrough (with commentary), threats of edging, mutual CNC fantasies, Unreliable Narrator, I gave LWJ the LBH sized cock he deserves, Bathing, pissing in fleshlight) 3-in-1 shampoo/conditioner/bodywash - the real gateway drug for itfm 12. It’s more extremely dubious consent than actual abuse, but there is definitely a bit of gaslighting.

Kinkotber Day 4: A Shift in Perspective by Anonymous (E, 2k, WangXian, Stockholm Syndrome, Rape/Non-con Elements, there's no violence but he certainly doesn't ask for concent, Dark LWJ, Oblivious WWX, Cockwarming, Exhibitionism, bimboification (kind of), collaring (at the end), Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, PWP, Almost No Dialogue) as the tags say - no actual violence but deffo non/dubcon elements

~*~

13. Hello, do you know any modern or canon au wx fics where wangxian never interacted when they were kids/students but lwj still had a quiet crush on wwx?

and having a marvelous time by varnes (E, 108k, WangXian, Yúnmèng Siblings, Sound of Music AU, (i know!!! i know. stay with me on this.), Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Family Feels, spies to lovers???, Protective Siblings, Sometimes You Just Want Your Dads To Admit They’re Your Dads, Angst with a Happy Ending)

~*~

14. this might be a weirdly specific request for itmf, but I was wondering if you know of any fics where, either through reincarnation or time travel what have you, Lan Sizhui/Wen Yuan raises Wei Ying or Lan Zhan as his child(ren)?

~*~

15. For the next ITMF, can you recommend fic where characters OTHER than wangxian take ownership of their actions prior to wwx's death? (e.g. abandoning wwx/wen civilians to their fate, the mass slaughter of innocents, stealing & profiting off his work while slandering him, etc). I'm not interested in fics where this ownership has a caveat ("it was bad, but wwx was equally bad or worse" - these are fine but it's just not what I want to read.) Thanks! @balleyboley

~*~

16. Anything with wwx with low self-steem????

the thread may stretch or tangle but it will never break by RoseThorne (E, 88k, WIP,   WangXian, Canon Divergence, Soulmates, Self-Esteem Issues, Fix-It, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, PTSD, Handfasting, Panic Attacks, Getting Together, First Time, Aftercare, Implied/Referenced Alcohol   Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Torture, Scars, Chronic Pain, Golden Core Reveal, First Time, Switching, sex-related injury, LWJ Stays at the Burial Mounds, LSZ is a Wèi, Good Sibling JC, Dissociation, Burial Mounds Settlement Days)

Welcome to the Family Series by jiejieaini (E, 237k, WangXian, Modern, Hurt/comfort, Fluff, Angst, Explicit Sex)

❤️ The One-Body Problem by metisket (T, 29k, LJY & WWX, LJY & LSZ, wangxian, possession, cohabitation, Mojo’s bookmark) (link in #9) Seeing the “low self esteem” ask in ITMF made me go: any fic ever? If you want a funny response to it, metisket’s One Body Problem has Jingyi. Enough said.

Don't Leave Me by TrippinOnSkies (E, 19k, WangXian, Modern AU, Marriage Proposal, Mental Breakdown, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Panic Attacks, But they are very mild, Overthinking, Good Sibling JC, Break Up, Gentle Sex, Gentle Kissing, Idiots in Love, Pining, Misunderstandings, Oblivious WWX, LWJ Has Feelings, LWJ is Whipped, Getting Together, NHS & WWX Friendship, Friends to Lovers, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy EndingInsecure WWX, WWX Has Issues, WWX Has Self-Esteem Issues, Sad WWX, WWX is Bad at Communicating)

could you find a way to let me down slowly, if you're leaving baby let me down slowly by ravenditefairylights (M, 36k, WangXian, XuanLi, Past MingXian, Canon Divergence, Golden Core Reveal, Implied/Referenced Sex, Miscommunication, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Twin Prides of Yúnmèng Dynamics, Hurt WWX, Mutual Pining, Unreliable Narrator, Self-Esteem Issues, Twin Prides of Yúnmèng Feels, Protective Siblings, Trauma, Slightly dubious consent, courtesy of drunk sex, Inventor WWX, Genius WWX, Phoenix Mountain, Chronic Pain, Getting Together, Fix-It of Sorts, One Braincell Trio, PTSD)

See Me, Feel Me (Listening to You) by Ghost_Honey (T, 29k, WangXian, POV WWX, WWX Needs a Hug, WWX's Abyssmal Self-Esteem, Emotional Healing, Angst, The Juniors love their Senior Wei, Curses, WWX is an Unreliable Narrator, JC & WWX Reconciliation, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Platonic Cuddling)

pastel by antebunny (G, 6k, WangXian, Modern AU, College/University, Soulmates, Angst, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Found Family, Self-Esteem Issues, Misunderstandings, Angst with a Happy Ending, Unrequited Love, but not actually)

to be loved by wqngji (G, 1k, WangXian, Insecure WWX, Petty LWJ, JC is So Done, Domestic Fluff, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Doubt, Hugs, Hurt WWX)

leading tone by silencemostofall (G, 32k, WangXian, Modern AU, Soulmates, with a lil twist, Eventual Happy Ending, it will not look like it until the very end but I promise there's a happy ending, lesbian wq rights, Music, Orchestra, platonic and romantic pining, wwx's serious self-worth issues, [Podfic] Leading Tone by silencemostofall by Beria1021)

~*~

17. Is there a fic in which yiling people are protective of wei ying and wants him to come back

End Racism in the OTW | The Fire Lapping Up the Creek by notevenyou (E, 66k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Hurt/Comfort, Injury Recovery, Blood, Respiratory Illness, Major Illness, Fever, Grief/Mourning, Angst with a Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Hunger and food scarcity, Surgery, Fix-It of Sorts) it’s mentioned briefly, I believe

~*~

If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack, whatever - it’s all good!***

[cinnamonest]

I know nothing about Persona let alone Goro Akechi but after reading the bsf and yan profile post I want to give this man a hug (and my tits). His story seems so sad ;-; and he's so pretty and for what?? 💢

Honestly, as much as I enjoy genshin I never truly found it to have any meaningful or extremely well written characters (which is not a bad thing, I just can't take them seriously when they all look like that lmao). All credit to making me think twice about them goes to writers and artists in the fandom. So the change in content feels soooooo nice. Made me appreciate your writing in another way

I've heard about Persona a LOT for years, but I didn't have a huge drive to play it until your liveposting (p.s I love the LP so much) and especially the posts with that one insane policeman guy who is a loser (affectionate, also giving him my pussy). Any recs? 😅

HE IS MY BABY BOY you're so right he is so pretty 😖😖😖 Akechi is genuinely an excellently written character, and Persona 5 Royal is one of the few games I think fully deserves to be so hyped as it is.

Tbh I think the problem genshin and similar games has is that there's so many characters, you have to essentially go out of your way to dig into lore to get anything beyond surface level from them. This happens a lot in series with lots of characters — like with Danganronpa for example, your experience of a lot of characters completely changes upon playing their free time events. A lot of genshin characters get very little screen time on the main story, so all their characterization is in their quests, lines, and character profile content. Which to be fair, with a game of this nature that's kinda the only way to really do it, so, I'm just glad they give us that extra content tbh. I've played some gachas that would introduce new characters but give very little beyond a design and name which is kinda sad when you want to know more about the lil guy you're playing with.

But AAAAAAAAAAAAAA thank you so much anon I am going to ramble here, but I'll put a tl;dr at the bottom!

Soooo if you want to get into Persona, I'd recommend the series in a certain order with some notes. There's 5 main entries in the series and a lot of spinoffs.

A word of advice in general with marathoning a game series: with any series it's a good idea to play in order of chronological and thus technological progression, especially if you intend to play the series back to back, otherwise going from a more recent game to an older one can damper your experience due to the decrease in graphical quality, gameplay smoothness, and general content quantity.

However for this series, the ideal order to play really depends on the factors of 1) which version of Persona 3 you choose to play, and 2) if you want to play Persona 1 & 2.

Regarding Persona 1 and 2: These are some of those games where your enjoyment will strongly depend on whether or not you're a person who is okay with some of the frustrations, limitations and slowness/jankiness common to old games (they came out between 1996-1999). I know some people don't mind or see it as a sort of vintage charm, while others get very frustrated with that — if you're the latter, I'd recommend saving yourself the frustration and skipping them, but if you like old games or have a high tolerance for jankiness, you could start here. I will also say that, even amongst the vintage/90s games fan crowd, P2 is definitely more popular and considered better than P1. It's also much better on the aforementioned issues.

Also, unless you have an original PlayStation or PSP, you'll have to emulate these.

Regarding Persona 3: there's several versions — the original came out in like 2006, then there was a remake version called P3 FES which added an epilogue (which is being added to the recent remake soon anyway), then a PSP remake called Persona 3 Portable (which has ports on modern consoles), then the most recent remake, Persona 3 Reload, came out just a few months ago in 2024.

Obviously the newest remake has vastly improved graphics and added lots of gameplay content. However, one of the biggest differences is that P3 Portable had the option to play as a female protagonist — this altered a lot of aspects of the game and is exclusive to that version (which has disappointed a lot of people hoping she'd be in the 2024 remake), so you can't play as her if you play Reload (unless, I believe, you play PC, there's a volunteer team currently making a mod for her).

Personally, I bought P3 Reload, and couldn't get into it, so I dropped it. Then I bought P3P on a whim and LOVE it so far. Getting to play as the girl protagonist makes a massive difference in my opinion, and more than compensates for the older graphics/gameplay. It's not just the romance routes either, her dialogue options, interactions, music, and overall vibe is different enough that it changes the feel of the story.

It really depends on what you value more — 2024-tier visual quality/gameplay and the epilogue, versus the Female Protagonist experience, so just pick which you prefer.

For the order thing, if you choose to play P3P (or the original/FES for whatever reason), I'd start here, but if you want to play Reload, I'd play it either last or just before P5 Royal.

Moving on, Persona 4: Golden and Persona 5: Royal are both the definitive editions of their respective games. They're remakes of the originals with a lot of added content, and unlike Persona 3, there's no reason to play the older versions over these. Notably their themes/vibes are kinda opposite of each other (big city world-scale societal rebellion versus small rural town murder mystery), I wouldn't say either story is better or worse, they're not really comparable and more a matter of personal taste.

As for the stories, admittedly if you've read my posts, you've essentially already been spoiled on the identity of the killers, but honestly it's still worth experiencing the story, there's multiple big plot twists before and after the reveals regarding Akechi/Adachi.

I would play Persona 5 Royal last, largely because it's widely considered the best entry to the series and is by far the longest. However if you only intend to play one game, it should definitely be P5 Royal. The only real flaw to P5 is it's much easier than previous games.

From here, there's a few more spinoff games, whether or not you want to play them really just depends on if you enjoy the genre. There's a bit of lore in some of them but nothing critical.

Dancing All Night/Starlight/Moonlight - dancing rhythm games

Arena Ultimax - fighting game, acts as an epilogue to P3&4

Persona Q 1&2

These are Nintendo DS spinoffs with chibi style art. I haven't played these and admittedly don't know much about them, I think they're dungeon crawler genre? It's popular for the aspect of which it involves the characters of the different main games, so you get to see them interact with each other.

The downside is that these games are oddly expensive, I think because there weren't too many copies. I intend to get them eventually.

Persona 5 Tactica/Strikers:

These are P5 spinoffs that put the cast in alternate stories, strikers is the closest to a true sequel from my understanding, tactica is more of a dungeon-crawler. I didn't get them because Akechi isn't in strikers and is just minor dlc for tactica.

The Phantom X

This is upcoming I believe, it's going to be a mobile game with a new cast.

The TL;DR of my advice:

- Play P2 only if you're into vintage gaming

- Play P1 only if you're REALLY into vintage gaming

- Play Persona 3 Portable if you really value the female protagonist/male character romance experience, otherwise play Persona 3 Reload

- If you play the original Persona 3, FES, or P3 Portable: start with that, then P4 Golden, then P5 Royal

- If you play Persona 3 Reload: play P4 Golden FIRST, then both P5 Royal and P3 Reload in either order.

- Play the spinoffs just based on what type of games you like, if any.

[mai-fanblog]

Team employees

This group I planned is based on my first Ducktales fic "See you again".

Here it is for context: Link

Summary of the relationship of the fours

Dickie and Gyro

They have been best friends for years. Gyro has a slight crush on her, but prefers not to say it for the sake of their friendship. Dickie likes Gyro very much and sees him as the most important person in her life, although she doesn't see him romantically. Although they are completely different, they understand each other; Gyro is willing to help Dickie and Dickie will support her dearest friend.

And while Gyro is often uncomfortable when Dickie likes someone or has a partner, mostly because he feels neither deserves her (nor does he himself consider himself perfect for her), being more recent: Launchpad McQuack.

Dickie and Fenton

The two get along well, although there is a bit of disdain (although it is on Fenton's part). Dickie teases Fenton about his superhero identity and teases him several times, despite his jokes against him, but genuinely appreciates him for being good to Gyro.

Fenton initially had a hard time establishing a relationship with Dickie, due to his slight jealousy for getting along with Gyro so easily and her practical jokes towards him. Over time, he began to sympathize with her, although he still resents her teasing comments.

Dickie and Launchpad

The two became friends immediately, however, Dickie fell in love with him, mostly because of physical attractiveness and LP saw her as someone likeable.

She initially saw him as just a handsome man, but as she was with him more, she realized his great kindness and even though he is dumb, he would show his compassion when it is needed the most. She wants to start a romance with him, unfortunately it would be difficult for Dickie; despite her failed attempts, she appreciates LP's friendship and is happy for him to spend time together as friends.

For his part, Launchpad has liked Dickie ever since he met her and adores her crazy energy. He has inadvertently left her in the friendzone. Launchpad appreciates Dickie's optimism, although he still knows her weak side and tries to help her.

They both share the same neuron. xD

Launchpad and Fenton

The two get along extremely fine, it should have been the events that led Fenton to make Gizmoduck.

Despite their friendship, LP had a slight attraction to Fenton, although he is aware that he has a girlfriend and prefers to keep a low profile on the subject.

They both help each other, even when Fenton is in his hero mode, even though Darkwing doesn't like the idea very much.

Launchpad and Gyro

Both are known to work.

Gyro dislikes Launchpad's presence very much, not only because of the issue with Dickie, but because of Launchpad's stupidity and ignorance every time he appears, the more he gets involved with something scientific. Even so, he tries to keep his professional attitude to avoid someone unpleasant (mostly so that Dickie doesn't look at him ugly).

Launchpad, on the other hand, wants to have a friendship (or at least closeness) with Dr. Gearloose. Unfortunately, it usually ends badly.

They are such opposites that it is difficult to keep them together alone in the same room.

Gyro and Fenton

Both were just a scientist and his (unpaid) intern, although it was mostly Gyro's dislike of Fenton, for resorting to it himself when he was young.

Despite Fenton's mistakes with the suit, Gyro gave him many chances and began to like him, in his own strange way with his sour face.

Because of the events in Japan, Gyro agreed to make Fenton an official assistant, showing his appreciation for him. The two would begin a friendship, despite maintaining their status as boss and employee.

Fenton would take on a more important role for Dr. Gearloose regarding his emotions, especially when Dickie came back into the scientist's life. Gyro acknowledged (at times) that Fenton had become a good friend, although he hid it so as not to be soft.

Thanks for reading (this so long) and I hope to bring more of this headcanon I've been thinking about for a while and fine tune the details.

(I hope to publish both fics and drawings of them).

Chau

[iameatingrocks]

you know I’m a very “fuck cringe culture” kind of person but at the same time I find myself participating in. whenever I realize I’m doing it I feel so bad but I know why I’m doing it now I think.

It’s the fucking autism.

Whenever I engage in cringe culture it’s a form of masking. I’m replicating behaviors that have been inflicted on me about my similar interests.

so in the spirit of fuck cringe culture, here are some things that cringe culture hates that I absolutely love:

-having toys as an adult. I fucking love toys. lps are the cutest motherfuckers ever (except gen4-6, they are so flimsy and poorly made. Not cringe culture just literally poor execution. gen 1-3 & 7 my beloved)

-wonderwall. That song is so fucking good. I don’t care if it’s overdone on guitar. If I learn guitar again I’m learning wonderwall

-twilight. they are not perfect books by any means but my fucking god are they good. I love my shitty romance novels

-enjoying the current and past trends. I don’t need to be quirky or different or a contrarian, I can just enjoy shit.

-Justin Bieber. HIS EARLIER STUFF IS SO GOOD. I just listen to Maria a couple days ago and I stg it’s so so good. He made some absolute BANGERS. Other stuff is not my cup of tea tbh

-boy bands. *stares at trolls 3* you did this to me. THANK YOU TROLLS 3

-speaking of trolls 3, trolls franchise. that shit is SO good. broppy is so fucking cute and branch’s growth is so similar to mine that it hurts a bit. It’s such a good and underrated franchise.

-pop music. ITS NOT AS BAD AS PEOPLE MAKE IT OUT TO BE. It’s fun, it’s catchy, and damnit I like a fun and catchy song

-horse girls. y’all are cool as fuck.

-being different than other people. yes I am not like other girls. and that’s good! Being different is being human, and it’s good to acknowledge your differences

-liking shopping or being pretty. I am hot and I am funny and goddamnit I like to get new clothes

-liking “cringy” artists. Oh nooooo I like this person’s music— oh they’re cringe? I am SOOOOO sorry girl. Womp womp suck it up

-talking about my autism or queerness often. It’s a part of me and I will not ignore it.

-using neopronouns. that shit is SO much fun and so gender affirming

-enjoying “cringy” media and/or fandoms. I need silly media to be able to enjoy life

-enjoying fucking romcoms? I guess? Angst is not epitome of art. It is the gentle mornings, the bright laughter it’s to chaos, its mystery, it’s the intrigue, it’s the pain, it’s the sorrow, and it is the recovery. The epitome of art is being human, and the epitome of being human is being art.

-being overdramatic, philosophical, or deep. I’m allowed to feel deeply and fully and if you can’t handle it then you have some work you need to do

-complimenting myself. I think I’m hot, and I’m funny, and I’m kind, and im smart, and I deserve good things

-more things I can’t think of

[housewarningparty]

Your turn!

It's halfway through the year! Got any favorite albums/books/tv shows/whatever to recommend?

thanks to you @badwolfwho1 who both asked me!

music:

right off the top i'm gonna recommend 3 pop albums bc i almost never have this many TO recommend. but tei shi's valerie, empress of's for your consideration, and shygirl's club shy EP have all been on constant repeat for me this year.

big year for metal also - in particular crypt sermon, job for a cowboy, darkest hour, gatecreeper, aborted and tzompantli were all incredible. i feel like between seeing them live and the release of cure, this is the first time erra has really clicked for me and i'm loving it.

for post-hardcore i've loved the debut LPs by with sails aheads and your ghost in glass. the EP lonely people by love rarely was on repeat for me for weeks also - really great stuff.

i got heaven by mannequin pussy slaps too. and i also really, really want to recommend you could do it tonight by couch slut - if you love the queasy, depraved noise that chat pile make, you absolutely should be listening to couch slut.

i threw a couple little playlists together to roundup some of my faves:

(extended version here)

honorable mention: as was really apparent from my charts this year, i spent A LOT of time listening to the saosin s/t again. but also got really back into grouper this year - especially her 2021 album shade, which i missed entirely when it came out.

books:

okay for music i focused mostly on 2024 releases but for books i won't be so strict.

shirley jackson: a rather haunted life by ruth franklin was REALLY good and provided a lot of great insight into jackson's work and also just had some really interesting history in it. really enjoyed it.

hit so hard by patty schemel a rock music and addiction memoir by the drummer of Hole. very dark and upsetting at points, but compelling. was very illuminating re: the 90s seattle music scene and the drug culture around it, provided a lot of context and detail to some stuff i thought i already knew about. really great stuff.

penance by eliza clark - this is a fake true crime book that REALLY got under my skin. it's a meta commentary on true crime as a fandom and an industry and the exploitation inherent in it. it's a mirror to make you stare at your own internal biases. it's SO fucking 2014 tumblr. i've gotten like three other people to read it and they all went insane like me. highly recommended.

hex by thomas olde heuvelt - very late to the party on this one but i loved it. translated AND localized from dutch, with very interesting results. almost goofy to start and ends up totally bleak. i adored it.

magic for beginners and white cat, black dog by kelly link - REALLY falling in love with kelly link this year. read these two and currently re-reading stranger things happen and i just adore her style. weird but SO heartfelt, surreal and dreamy, as often horrifying as it is sweet. she's so talented, i'm really excited to read the book of love later this year.

between two fires by christopher buehlman - FINALLY read this and i loved it. absolutely deserves the hype. kinda wild that dark ages horror isn't more of a thing? i re-read buehlman's the blacktongue thief too and really loved it, definitely cemented it as one of my favorite fantasy books. i'm reading the daughters' war now and enjoying it a lot.

i also re-read the golden enclaves by naomi novik and had such a great time with it.

tv shows:

finished my buffy re-watch! been watching a ton of xena with @holdsteady and @nataliving this year too - we just finished s3 and it was insane and i loved it soooo much.

i watched under the bridge and thought it was very good, but i'd recommend people learn a little about the real reena virk case before engaging.

hacks season 3 was INSANE it made me crazy i loved it so much.

haven't watched much tv aside from that!

[giddlygoat]

Is Drake extremely jealous of Launchpad, despite loving him? Does LP know this?

drake is great at finding things to be jealous about, so i wouldn’t be surprised? like, he would be jealous of launchpad’s easy charisma a bit i think. he could be jealous of any number of things depending on his mood. but in general, i don’t really think of him as jealous of launchpad as a whole. more like, he envies launchpad’s easygoing nature and his being quick to forgive, because drake doesn't feel like he can be either of those things. but i think in his mind it sounds less like “it should have been me” and more like “i wish i were more like him” if that makes sense.

launchpad is absolutely very aware of drake’s jealous nature. he’s pretty finely tuned into drake’s emotions as a whole, but i think as someone who doesn’t experience a lot of jealously, it’s easier for him to step back and look at drake with a fresh perspective.

like. launchpad wants a lot of the same things drake wants. he wants attention, he wants recognition and support, he needs to feel useful at all times. but the way this looks on him is vastly different. he turns his desire to belong into acts of service, because if he can be of use, people will keep him around longer, right? he feels like it’s inevitable that he will be outgrown or left behind by everyone he attaches to. he doesn’t feel like he can ask for anything so he’ll give as much and laugh as often and smile as wide as he can because all he knows to do is freely give what he might not feel he quite deserves.

i think it took drake much, much longer than he’d care to admit to realize what’s going on inside launchpad. like, he quite literally crashes into the pilot’s life one night, immediately tries to brush him off, until - “wait, you’re a pilot?!” how can you be of service to me? how can you help me? at which point do you become a burden?

launchpad didn’t even think twice. he threw himself into the fray with drake, giving it his all, joking and smiling despite the chaos and tension. i imagine that’s the most alive either of them have felt in years. launchpad had a purpose, drake had a fan, and it was all kind of magical right before they crashed into a power line. like a slap to the face, drake walked away, sputtering and livid, and launchpad just couldn’t let all of it go yet. he begged for drake to let him stay, give him that purpose and allow him to belong. i think they were both frazzled and frightened; LP of losing this and drake of having it, and so it came to an abrupt end then and there. but everything was changing quickly and i think both of them knew it. i don’t need to tell you what happened in darkly dawns.

at some point, drake has got to investigate launchpad’s behavior. he’s a details guy - often bogged down in the smallest of details and unable to see the big picture. he picks and picks apart but doesn’t think to blink and look up, so of course he would take launchpad’s eagerness to help for granted. he must be well adjusted and content with his life. well well, good for him [sarcastic]. of course drake wishes he could be that unbothered sometimes, but it’s not a thought he can entertain for long before he’s already exhausted with it.

like, drake needs to wear a mask and cape to feel any sense of security. he needs to be clamored over and monologued to and hit hard a couple times before he feels any semblance of stability. of course he would take one look at good ol’ unconcerned launchpad and completely disregard the notion that he possibly struggles with a similar problem. of course launchpad wouldn’t say anything.

but i don’t think it remains like this forever obviously. like, at some point drake does begin to realize where things don’t add up. as they get more comfortable with each other, they both let the ‘mask’ slip a bit more. and from this, i think any jealously drake experienced before might actually intensify in some twisted up way. that launchpad could turn his loneliness and suffering into something so beautiful and downright productive while drake has to masquerade around the city at night in his clown getup? yeah he would probably resent that at first LAWL

but i think very quickly it would start to untangle a bit. as their strange similarities come to light more and more, drake would probably feel inspired more than anything. he finds that for the first time in his life he can look at someone doing better than him and want to follow him rather than belittle them. he doesn’t want to be better to spite launchpad, he wants to better himself because of LP.

also, if you were asking about drake’s jealousy regarding launchpad’s looks and i totally misinterpreted this ask, sorry LMAO. if that’s the case, i don’t think drake is jealous of his looks because launchpad doesn’t look anything like drake’s personal ideal. he’s so vastly different that they don’t really compare or overlap. of course drake has insecurities regarding his own figure, but i think he’s more self assured than anything. i think the euphoria he gets from the costume is enough to stave off any doubts he has about his looks lawl

[manysmallhands]

Top 10 Albums of 2023!

This was all supposed to work out differently. As i recall from the now long distant past, my original plan was to do a countdown where i put up one post a day throughout December. However, I got Covid on December 1st and that plan immediately became lame and useless. After that, my assumption was basically that i wouldn't be able to do any of this, but i got better more quickly than i'd anticipated and found myself working on these reviews in bits as the month has gone on. So, having rushed through all the the song blurbs that i wanted to do, here i am on New Year's Eve with a more or less finished Top 10 albums to put up.

The only problem is that there are ten quite lengthy reviews here and the vibe is already pretty tl:dr. But tbh that's fine: there really is only my girlfriend who ever reads everything (and i believe her, trust is what love is all about after all) so for anyone looking at this and thinking blimey, that's a lot of text, my advice is: you don't have to read any of it. Just look at the albums, scan thru to see if it sounds like something you might like and give one or two of them a listen if that looks like the case. The words are really just to keep me occupied but i'd like to hope that someone likes some of the records.

I said yesterday that i would reveal what the best one is and so I am now delivering on that important promise. The best one is Scarlet by Doja Cat. Anyone who follows me on whatever platform already knows that the best one is Scarlet by Doja Cat. Don't make me say it again.

Barbie - The Album

Few people have seemed much interested in the Barbie soundtrack, other than the punters who kept it atop the compilations chart for four months. I, as ever, channel the spirit of the populous. The sound is basically 80s synth pop updated for a modern audience  - the likes of Haim and Ava Max slot in predictably well - but its the extra dimensions created by how the artists interact with the film that provide some of its more interesting aspects. Sam Smith’s Man I Am reflects a surprisingly LGBTQ Ken despite protestations (certainly its "I'm not gay bro, but..." T-shirt is prompting a lot of questions already answered by the shirt), while Billie Eilish dwelling on life as a manufactured product makes for interesting and uncomfortable parallels in What Was I Made For. Mark Ronson’s plasticky production suits its subject to a tee, further cementing the conceptual unity of the project.

Star turns abound throughout the album as A-listers like Dua Lipa and Lizzo bring their best games alongside some terrific and unlikely downcard cameos. What Was I Made For? and Dance The Night were both deserved #1s, but the pacey pop punk of GAYLE’s Butterflies and Dominic Fike’s breezy, hook laden Hey Blondie are as much highlights as any of the bigger names here. Special mention should be made for Ryan Gosling’s I’m Just Ken, a blockbuster 70s rock number that, whilst puncturing the wider stylistic template, is batshit and hilarious enough to more than justify its place as well as netting him a surprise hit too. The quality lapses once or twice (Tame Impala in particular are bloody awful) but by the time Ava fires the final laser I’m generally happy to go back and start all over again. With banger after banger here, my verdict is in: the Barbie soundtrack is *Charli voice* HOT!

Claire Rosinkranz - Just Because

While this has been a year that I’ve gotten more fully into pop, it took a while for me to find many new albums that I’ve been interested in. This may partly be to do with me clinging to an idea that LPs ought to be substantial beyond having good hooks and charm. In truth, all I needed to do was revert to my indiepop training, where bands have never knowingly been fussed about having any great weightiness. But even so, it took Just Because to make it clear to me that no, you really don’t need any grand vision at all: a high number of great if frothy pop songs will do just fine. It’s a record which bounces from banger to banger in an endearingly sunny style, with each tune so catchy that their lightness becomes a strength rather than a weakness.

Rosinkranz’s voice seems to mark her out as one of the many Billie clones who populate the current pop scene but her musical ambitions are both simpler and more instantly engaging. Not yet 20, her songs have an element of schoolyard whispers which add a welcome silliness here and there, but she also plays with the intensity of youthful emotions to make them a little heartrending even as she goofs off. Highlights include Dreamer, a break up song where the vocal makes it clear that she’s far from as done as she says she is, and Wes Anderson, which offers some sombre advice but packages it in a song so sweet that you’d never know. But in spite of all this it makes no end of year lists (well, maybe just the one), being merely a lovable set of songs that are very hard to forget. Need it be more? I don't believe so.

Doja Cat - Scarlet

Mired in discourse throughout the year, Doja Cat still found time to make a chart topping single (Paint The Town Red) that took the world by storm and a cracking album which, sadly, did not. Scarlet was in my opinion the better of the two: largely ditching the afrobeat pop of Planet Her, Doja staked her claim as an old skool rapper and brought it off pretty well, mixing hard rhyming with her more scattershot pop delivery and sounding entirely comfortable wherever she landed. While flitting musically between modern RnB and neo-soul grooves, her subject matter was largely taken up by how much she hated her fans, a bold strategy that found her shedding support even as blistering tracks like Fuck The Girls shaped up as some of my favourites of the year.

Whilst I’ve found myself uncomfortable with both the company that she keeps and the views which she may or may not subscribe to (i feel safe in saying that she's a right wing edgelord but i suspect that’s the least of it), Scarlet is such a good album that I’ve found myself, if not making excuses for her, then at least deftly navigating around my distaste in order to keep listening to it. While Agora Hills often reminded me how serious she is about her scumbag of a boyfriend, it’s still a song that can submerge me in its beauty entirely; while some of the complaints from her online audience are less easily dismissed than others, it’s more comfortable just to think about the morons calling her a devil worshiper, especially when she mocks them so wickedly on the elegant Skull And Bones. Am I the problem? Maybe I am: it’s a place I often find myself in with hip hop, where faves are frequently problematic and exceptions beg to be made. As such, I can not wholeheartedly recommend this record to people who might want to take a principled stand against some of her bullshit. I can only say that, as a musical talent, there was no one better all year.

Lana Del Rey - Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Boulevard?

After 2021’s fairly middling brace of albums, Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd always felt like it was going to be a return to form and this time the faithful were not disappointed. It was another epic and sprawling record which unfolded like a cross between The Bible and a 50s musical. While changeable in style, ranging from hammy country ballads to trap beats and beyond, the thing that springs to mind most often is the Great American Songbook, as Lana takes the melodramatic grandeur of those standards and soaks them in her own messy and complicated worldview. This draws in family, romance, the future, her relationship with religion and how it all scrappily fits together, ranging widely and wildly across 75 extraordinary minutes.

Much of the album feels like it’s being broadcast from a kind of dreamworld, although one that overlays with reality neatly enough. Lana’s dismissive “if you want some basic bitch go to the Beverly Centre and find her” line undercuts the mood on the otherwise lush and evocative Sweet but the impact is hilarious rather than jarring, a perfect marriage of the strange and mundane. In contrast, the brooding A&W initially brings that realism to a far more uncomfortable level, before goofing off wonderfully in the second half in a way that only Lana ever really dares to do. Much of the record feels like it's creating its own language, as key phrases (“let the light in”, “when you know, you know”) are repeated and musical themes come back around in strange modulations. All in all, while perhaps less satisfying as a pop record than Norman Fucking Rockwell, Did You Know… feels like her most complete statement on a personal level yet, whilst still working well within the broader world that she’s spent over a decade constructing.

Mitski - The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We

Despite liking the odd song or two, I have until now been largely immune to Mitski over the full length of an album. But The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We has a much more organic sound than I’m used to hearing from her, well adrift from the polished guitar rock of her big 10s records. Instead, it takes many of its cues from classic folk and country, occasionally lush and expansive, often determinedly sombre but always at a distance from the areas where she’s generally been at home. Opener Bug Like An Angel is a brooding scene setter, where Mitski unveils the terse and grumpy presence we will grow familiar with over the next half hour. The main elements of the album are already in place - the spare instrumentation; Mitski’s extraordinary voice, hard and intransigent but still full of yearning; the occasional, overwhelming interjections from the wings. It all creates a distinctive atmosphere, extremely intense but intimate too: we’re allowed into Mitski’s world but there’s a lot to take in.

Lyrically, the songs are both heavily allusive and extremely personal, like hearing ancient parables told by the characters from the story. Surprise hit My Love Mine All Mine seems to sit apart as a relatively standard love song but a closer listen reveals deeper layers; the placing of her love as something independent from its object makes it feel more of a piece with the album’s other enigmas. At a time where Mitski seemed to be cooling on being a rock star, The Land Is Inhospitable adds a new twist to her long musical journey, seemingly presenting a more intimate portrait while in fact retaining most of her essential mystery. As an album, it really is quite something: what that is I’m less certain of but I like it regardless.

Olivia Rodrigo - Guts

Tho I wouldn't have called myself a hater (I don’t think I would have been bothered enough), I don't really like Olivia’s all conquering debut Sour, which I thought a bit too one-note and overpopulated with slushy ballads. But by the time Guts came around I was open to listening again, drawn in by its excellent singles and primed for a different experience. Vampire, the best of them and more or less of this year, was a fantastic example of taking something that Olivia is clearly very accomplished at (the grand piano lament) and then, rather than running that into the ground, instead using it as a springboard for an entirely different idea. Get Him Back and Bad Idea Right hark back to earlier guitar based tracks like Brutal, but on Guts they form a much more substantive part of the album, cementing its brand of addictive pop grunge and working up a much goofier version of her messy teen persona.

Elsewhere, the ballads did in fact return. Some have speculated that this may have been a bad idea (right?) but for me they’ve been growers, particularly the likes of Lacy and The Grudge, where Olivia explores the bitterness of youth and uses it to tear holes in the people who’ve wronged her. But if I’m honest, it’s the rockers that I’m usually waiting for: whether the new wave pastiche of Love Is Embarrassing or autumnal Cure homage Pretty Isn’t Pretty, each one feels like a mini-revelation and it’s the style that I hope she leans on most in the future.

Palehound - Eye On The Bat 

Palehound have been around for a while now and every so often I’ve given their records a try and haven't really managed to connect with them properly. Eye on the Bat has been the first exception, though whether that's because it’s any better than the others or I just made more of an effort with it I don’t know. Its template is certainly well worn in the indie world - country rock with varying degrees of aggression or melodic sweetness - but there’s still a lot here that grabs my attention, especially in the charming indie pop of the title track and the heart-rending melancholy of Route 22.

But the thing that caught my ear the most was Ellen Kempner’s disarming honesty, with much of the album spent documenting what sounds like a deeply messy break up. Whether she’s bitterly picking through the fall out on Independence Day or remembering some hilariously embarrassing bedroom scene on opener Good Sex, Eye On The Bat's almost diaristic view is mesmerising throughout, making you warm to Kempner even as she works thru some of her own worst traits. And aside from anything else, her understanding of relationships underlines her strengths as a lyricist, as she dissects their complexities with wit, sympathy and occasional anger to capture all the stuff that transcends whatever we were hoping for in the first place.

Poppy - Zig

After the wild ride that commenced with 2020’s extraordinary pop/metal mash up I Disagree, Poppy has journeyed thru indie rock, goth and punk to wind up back where she started, only not quite. Zig may represent a return to pop - indeed it’s produced by Weeknd affiliate Ali Payami - but it’s one that’s filtered thru all of the places she stopped off along the way.

The crepuscular grind of Church Outfit and Knockoff sound like more danceable versions of the I Disagree sound, while the crunching title track suggests that she can still go as hard as ever. But there are nods to a lighter side here as well, particularly in the strong trio that wind up the album: The Attic recasts her sound in a euphoric drum n bass clatter whilst closer Prove It kicks up a remarkable blend of manic hyperpop and gentle electro-balladry, whilst still working in the rich emotional palette that she’s developed in recent years.

In one sense this is a huge departure from the frenetic punk of last year’s Stagger EP but the vibes here stake out territory that you’d still find oddly familiar. Some of the gothy ballads are less immediate than other songs but nothing on Zig is boring, just varying refinements on her ever evolving musical journey. The critics were split, occasionally rattled and sometimes just plain baffled, but that’s only to be expected by now. Poppy follows her own plan and rarely sticks to the same tune: in truth it’s a privilege just to be a witness to the chaos.

Sweeping Promises - Good Living Is Coming For You

One thing that I find missing in a lot of modern guitar based music is snappy songs with good catchy hooks. While Sweeping Promises appear to place their focus elsewhere - their high concept sound is best understood as someone broadcasting direct from 1979 through a wristwatch speaker - their second album still finds time to deliver fully on the tunes. Good Living Is Coming To You is steeped in bubblegum melodies and memorable choruses, with songs that become earworms before you’ve even registered how catchy they are. 

More than anything, it's dominated by Lira Mondal’s imperious vocals: whether it’s in the cascading harmonies of Throw Of The Dice, the fierce yells and hisses that close out the title track or her sweet voiced switch-outs on Ideal No, her character springs out of every song in a way that few singers ever really manage to impose. While you might think that the post punk era has been mined to death by now, Sweeping Promises drag new life into it by going back further: their sound may be heavily rooted in a specific moment but the elements of songcraft often have more in common with 60s girl group classics than gnarled art rockers. Ten bangers and no filler: Good Living Is Coming For You is everything I wanted from it and more.

Wednesday - Rat Saw God

While the queasy vibes of 2021’s Twin Plagues are still high in the mix here, it was the welcome injection of melody on Wednesday's third album that managed to alert the media. That lightness was more apparent in Karly Hartzman's lyrics than you might notice on a passing listen too: though often praised for her grimly amusing takes on middle American backwaters, the key to them was her deceptively soft touch, casting a sympathetic eye over grisly scenes even as she retained their gnarlier undertones.

Single Chosen To Deserve, with its crunching chorus and heartwarming romantic turnaround, feels like the designated big moment from the record but in reality Rat Saw God has an embarrassment of riches. Quarry in particular, with its Waterloo Sunset-esque signature and matter-of-fact dissection of grim local gossip, is an almost pop version of the most haunting aspects of Hartzman's craft, while the washed out bounce of closer TV in the Gas Pump pitches a lonelier scene in a similarly gorgeous manner.

This is not to forget that Wedneday can still rock extremely hard when they want to, especially on the brutal 8 minute Bull Believer, an ambitious multipart epic that ends with Hartzman screaming “FINISH HIM!!!” repeatedly over the chaotic finale. But while Rat Saw God brought this kind of sawtoothed sound back to widespread acclaim, its real trick was how it sugared the pill just enough to get it past even the most determinedly sweet tooth.

[fandomwe1rd0]

"Would you love me more, if I killed someone for you?"

THIS FANFIC IS MEANT TO BE PLATONIC RICKORTYS GET OUTTA HERE

I'm sorry that I did this, the blood is on my hands

I just killed someone. Rick made me. Again. I looked down at the body. I felt nothing.

I felt...nothing.

Jesus, what was wrong with me?

"You're a fucking maniac." My inner voice spat out, laced with poison.

I gulped. I looked down at the blood on my hands.

My hands were now drenched in a bright ruby red.

I felt numb.

I expected to feel something.

I wanted to feel something.

Guilt, sadness, grief, something to prove that I still have a moral bone somewhere in my body.

But all I felt was this emptiness that consumed me.

I heard Rick's voice "C'mon, help me get rid of the b-*burp*-ody."

I took the legs as Rick took the arms and we hauled it.

Nothing.

I felt nothing, nothing, nothing.

"Awwww at least you're being a good lapdog, helping out your owner...who's a good boy?" My inner voice mocked in baby talk

Jesus, what's wrong with me?

"What isn't wrong with you?" My inner voice scoffed.

That would be the easier question to ask...

I stare at my reflection, I don't know who I am

After we returned, I went to the bathroom, my skeleton nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw my reflection. I thought it was a killer for a hot minute.

...

Well...

I guess it was.

But I thought it was someone that was going to kill me.

My eyes were glossed over like 2 Brown Duets wet with fresh dew.

Black eye bags being big circles under my eyes, sagging.

Skin pale and fragile like paper that's being stretched slowly, about to rip in half.

My movements slow, as if I were completely submerged in syrup.

Thick. Sticky syrup.

Drowning.

Gasping for air.

Trying to swim to the surface.

Desperately needed help.

Wanting to call for help.

But...

I knew I wouldn't.

I never would.

But the worst part?

Was my hands.

Covered in crimson.

Dripping with blood.

Leaving wet red spots on the bathroom floor.

I could hear the sickening drips.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

It echoed, echoed, echoed, throughout my mind.

"God you're pathetic. Fucking pussy."

I gulped, my bottom lip trembling as I washed the blood off of my hands.

But it would never be gone.

Not really.

(...) I'm packing up my things and I'm wiping down the walls, I'm rinsing off my clothes and I'm walking down the halls, I did it all for her so I, felt nothing at all

Rick killed someone. He looked at me, expression numb "C'mon buddy, help me clean this up."

I nodded, picking up some things he dropped during it, and the murder weapon, handing it to him as he stuffed it in yet another pocket of his labcoat.

Y'know, you'd expect me to be a little freaked out.

But this was just another Tuesday.

It was like I'm just doing some chores my mom gave me.

Rick looked at the body "Guess we should take care of- get rid of this guy, you get his legs, I'll get his- you grab his arm"

I walked over to the corpse, feeling nothing as I grabbed it's legs.

Rick shot a portal and we threw it through it.

Rick wiped his blood soaked hands off on his labcoat and looked at my shirt, soaked with blood.

He rolled his eyes "Rinse it off Morty, I don't need Beth bitching at me."

I nodded, my movements nearly automatic as I went to the sink.

The person who paid for the water was dead.

Yet I didn't even feel guilty.

Jesus...what's wrong with me.

"You should know the answer to the question by now...it's everything." My inner voice commented, bored

...

I hate how right it was.

I rinsed off my shirt, the carmine disappearing and instead being replaced with a dark yellow.

Rick yelled from the living room "Morty! Be qui- h-hurry up!" I ran so fast, I basically tripped over my own two feet, I had to stumble over to him, gripping the wall for support. 

"I already got my shit, he-*burp*-lp me...c-clean off the walls."

I nodded as he threw me a sponge.

"Oh look! You went from being his lapdog to his maid!" My inner voice cheered with faux enthusiasm.

Shut up...

"Why should I? You deserve it."

I choked down a sob 

Please just...

Please...shut up.

(...) Would you love me more, if I killed someone for you? 

Rick was dragging me on another adventure. We had to go and he threw me a gun and barked "Cover me!" 

I hated how I instantly caught the gun and didn't think twice about shooting them...

God, what happened to me?

"You became a worthless piece of shit, just like Rick, but at least he's honest about it." My inner voice growled out.

My stomach churned, goddammit. They were right.

I just need to ignore it...ignore the screams...ignore the crying...

Rick's infamous words echoed in my mind as I gunned down alien after alien

BANG!

"Ahhh! No! Please!"

Don't think about it...

BANG!

"Help!"

Don't think about it...

BANG!

"Oh god it hurts!"

Don't think about it...

BANG!

"Someone call my daughters! Tell them I love them!"

DON'T FUCKING THINK ABOUT IT

I felt the back of my shirt being pulled, then the familiar sound of the portal.

Rick placed his latest materials on the self with a proud smile

"Nice work buddy."

God I hated the smile the immediately formed on my face at his praise...I hated how the tiniest bit of praise from made everything I did just now fucking worth it.

Aw jeez...I hate how I just soak up his praise...

I really am his lapdog...aren't I...?

Would you hold my hand? They're that I used, when I killed someone for you

Rick was dragging me on another adventure, I looked down at his hand wrapped around my arm.

I stopped moving to look at something that caught my eye, he roughly yanked me, sending a sharp pain through me "OUCH!"

I roughly moved my hand back, Rick looked at me "What the fu-*burp*-ck was that shit?" He asked, hands on his hips, narrowing his eyes at me. 

I gulped...aw jeez....I hate how he's glaring through me...

"You really are a pussy." My inner voice confirmed.

I held the tears back "I-I'm sorry...I-"

Rick's unibrow furrowed "What." It came out more like he threatening to continue speaking rather than a question.

I gulped, my voice cracking as I spoke "Y-you hurt...m-my arm..." 

Rick sighed, grabbing onto my hand instead. Mumbling something about me being a pussy under his breath, I felt a pang in my heart...I hate how he still has the ability to hurt me after everything. 

I'm so fucking weak...

"Ding! Ding! Ding! Nice job! You just found out what everybody already fucking knew you dumbass."

I let some slient tears fall down my cheeks as I saw Rick holding onto my hand...the same ones I used to clean up the murders he commits...the same ones I use to kill people...

I'm so fucked.

(...) You have to understand that, the one I killed is me. Changing what I was for what you wanted me to be

Y'know I used to not be fucked. I used to actually not want to shoot people, but then Rick fucking ruined it. He ruined me.

"No he fucking didn't, that was all your fault and you know it." My inner voice insulted with vemon.

I was laying in my bed, and I finally let myself cry, sobbing into my pillow.

I'm so weak...I'm a monster...why couldn't I stay who I was? The innocent boy I used to be, before Rick, before everything. I'm a fucking monster, I'm no better than Rick!

"You're worse than Rick, at least he isn't a whiny little bitch." My inner voice chided

I let more tears fall, proving my inner voice to be correct.

It was right...

I was so weak, I killed people and felt nothing! But I can't even take my own fucking brain just telling it to me straight.

I know I'm a fucking monster!

...

So why does it hurt so much whenever I hear it? Whenever I tell myself that...

I'm a lost cause...

I followed your directions, did everything you asked, I hope that makes you happy, cause there's just no turning back

Rick busted into my room "Morty! I need- let's go on an adven-*burp*-ture." 

I sighed, I wasn't feeling up to it, but it didn't matter. Rick was going to take me on adventures no matter what. I had no say in the matter. 

I nodded "Okay..." 

Rick looked at me "Is...something wrong?"

"Do you even give a shit?!" I spat out without thinking, I let out a surprised squeak and covered my mouth when I realized what I said "R-Rick I-" 

He grabbed onto my arm, pulling me out of bed "Whatever. Just fucking come on..."

I blinked away the tears that sprung out of the corners of my eyes "Y-yes Rick..." 

Why was he mad at ME? He made me like this! He made himself the most important person in my life! My only friend! He introduced to violence and killing, what did he fucking expect!? 

"You'll still do everything he says though, won't you?" My inner voice asked

...

I choose not to answer that question.

"C'mon..." My inner voice egged on.

Fine, yes, happy now

"Knew it~" My inner voice sang "You're just his lapdog..."

I forced down the lump that was forming in my throat.

I knew it was right

It was always right...

I was just Rick's lapdog.

That's all I was...to him...to myself...to the world...

I'm nothing to Rick. I'm just his lapdog. I knew that well.

That was all I was ever gonna be.

[nikkiruncks]

It's so validating to find other people who aren't crazy about Donna! Like most people here, I try to love all female characters, but Donna is actually just as arrogant and bitchy as Jackie---the difference is that with Jackie this is acknowledged and she even grows a bit, while the writers and therefore all the other characters seem to THINK Donna is perfect as is lol. Also, Jackie's character is very well defined and consistent while Donna's is either underwritten or inconsistently written throughout. And finally, this is totally subjective, but the actress makes the character less likable too with her facial expressions and line deliveries. And I so agree with you about Donna fully buying into the idea that she's too good (too cool, too pretty, too smart etc...) for Eric lol. It's so annoying.

Gonna put under read more just to be safe.

Fun fact, but Donna used to my favorite female character on T7S. For a while at least.

I still have love for her, but when it comes to relationship with Eric, I honestly can’t with Donna a lot of the time.

Eric isn’t perfect and the show acknowledges that, and he grows. Hell, he gets shat for things that he didn’t even do and when he does do the right thing (i.e the s4 finale).

Donna, on the other hand, gets treated…weirdly to say the least. She’s either treated as a goddess that can do no wrong or is being objectified by most of the men in the show. It’s weird and gross and she’s never just treated as a person.

I personally disagree about the Jackie comparison. While I do think Jackie has a lot of character growth, she’s still kind of an asshole at times and it just seems to be tolerated lol. I’ll admit that she is consistent in being xenophobic and even racist.

I also personally disagree about the actress. I hate LP, but I believe that she did play Donna pretty well. I could buy when she was happy, sad, or angry. Seeing her cry over Casey still breaks me.

But yes on the F*rmciotti stuff! Eric deserves to be with someone who actually sees him as an equal, and Donna doesn’t do that. Starting from season 3, she seems to also believe that Eric is lucky to even be with her. Like Donna honey, you’re not perfect either. Which is more than okay, but she doesn’t even seem to acknowledge that.

Like when was the last time she ever apologized to Eric when she did something wrong? Probably season 2 and that’s it. After that, it was mostly Eric apologizing for shit that isn’t even his fault.

And Donna’s reaction to Eric going to Africa pisses me off. Somehow she gets mad at him for "not including her in his decision", when she literally walked out the room before he could do so. Like wtf?!

[ala-baguette]

Fic Stats Game

Rules: Give us links to your fics with the most hits, second most kudos, third most bookmarks, fourth most comments, fifth most words, and fic with the least amount of words.

Thanks thanks for the tag, @turanga4! (even if it took me a while). I haven't spent a great deal of time looking at my AO3 stats in detail, so this was fun to explore. Just going to focus on AO3 stats and ignore FFN's because trying to combine them made my head hurt.

Most Hits: Predictably, Knowing Where to Look. It's loooong and been going on for quite a while, so no surprises there. The more chapters, the more hits, so I don't know that this stat says much to me.

Second Most Kudos: A Lonely Path. My only other long-fic, so again not too surprising. Interestingly enough, however, when I first looked a few days ago, it was actually KwtL. Those two have been battling it out for first place on my stats page for a while, but it looks like KwtL finally won out (of which I am proud). Another interesting observation: while I would consider KwtL my most popular work on AO3, LP (first published in 2009) received way way way more engagement on FFN. So interesting to see how times have changed in the fandom and how the culture is different between the two sites.

Third Most Bookmarks: Never a Free Elf (Kreacher's Left Behind installment). I'm stupid proud of Kreacher. I wrote this story thinking, 'Wow! This is such a fun pov to write but no one is ever actually going to read it, because who gives a shrivel fig about Kreacher.' But then people did read it! You lot warm my heart.

Fourth Most Comments: A Life Filled with Laughter and Ice Cream (Florean Fortescue's Left Behind installment). Again, one of my more random side-characters to explore. I fell in love with Florean while writing this one, so happy to see him get a little attention. Florean was a man who fought hard for his little bit of well-deserved happiness. It breaks my heart to know that would he later give it up. He was too good for this world.

Fifth Most Words: Lemon Drizzle (Justin Finch-Fletchley's Left Behind installment). Justin deserves this tiny bit of recognition because it's the only recognition he's likely to receive, poor love. I don't believe that any story is a flop, but... objectively, this story was a flop. At just 200 hits (for context, while there's quite a bit of variability, my Left Behind stories average at ~13-1400 hits), I can't really fault the writing when no one ever really clicked on him to begin with. He's a nice reminder to not to take stats too personally.

Least Amount of Words: Mix Tape. This was intended to be a silly little drabble for Hinny day. 900 words later I realised I am incapable of writing drabbles. Brevity is not my strong-suit.

I know this post has been floating around for quite a while, and honestly, I don't know which authors have enough individual stories, so consider this an open tag to any who would like to participate!

[chorusfm]

Highly Suspect – “The 8th Of October (To August 17th)” (Song Premiere)

Today is a great day to share the new single from Highly Suspect called “The 8th Of October (To August 17th).” The track comes from the band’s forthcoming LP As Above, So Below that will be released on July 19th. The band is about to embark on a sold out U.S. tour this summer, and is looking forward to testing out their new material. If you’re enjoying the early listen to the new single, please consider pre-saving As Above, So Below here. I was also able to catch up with Highly Suspect’s front-man, Johnny Stevens, for a brief interview below. Can you share the inspiration behind “The 8th of October (To August 17th)”? What significance do these dates hold for the band? Yeah of course! Essentially this song is about two different people. In the first half I’m singing to my ex and in the second half I’m singing to the woman who snapped me out of a really dark place and taught me how to love again. It probably takes a couple listens but eventually that will be an easy thing to discern if you’re digging into the lyrics. The dates are pretty simple, like the song says, “The last time I saw you was the 8th of October-” and that’s that. I’m describing the tear filled and painful day I walked away from my ex for the last time. We hadn’t even broken up yet, I had to get back on tour though and we both knew without having to say anything that it was over. I still have nightmares about that day. Many tears were shed.. and would continue to fall for almost a year. Lo and behold August 17th of 2023 came around and I would meet someone who would change my life forever. This is who the second half of the song is sung about. So, This period in between these two dates were some of the most fucked up times I’ve had this decade. It was dark, but I pulled through. This is why I wanted to put a really hopeful and triumphant instrumental on the end of the song to help lift that weight off. I’m Happy now! For the most part anyway.. at least happier. That song kind of closes the album in my mind. It finishes the main story… the ACTUAL last track on the album is more of a modern hidden bonus reprise to a lesson that continues to show its face at different stages of my life. Perhaps it sets up the next chapter. How do you balance raw energy and introspection in your music, particularly in this single? Sheesh, I don’t know…lol…as best as I can? I wish I could say I knew what I was doing or how I was doing it but it’s purely feeling. I just write based off of what I think feels and sounds good. So, in this case I really needed to admit that I didn’t deserve my ex. She was an Angel. Absolutely way too good for me in so many ways, and I was just an asshole If I’m being real. I was so self-absorbed, and I wasn’t patient. I have no excuse for this.. I could try and blame this or that, the pandemic or whatever but the reality is I just wasn’t happy with myself, or my life and I was too stupid to realize I had a pure love in my life. Constantly suspicious of this or that, constantly scared I was gonna get fucked over, and so I had this natural defense up and rather than give my true happy funny normal self I was cold and selfish. I really let this person down as a human and it haunts me. Like fully fully haunts me. I guess the silver lining here was that she learned she needs to be treated better than what I was capable of, and I learned a LOT about myself and how to not be a jerk. I realized only after we split up just how much I need love in my life and how dangerous things get for me when I don’t have someone to ground me. I hate admitting that it took me 37 years to become a man, but I have to be real with myself otherwise I’ve learned nothing. Now I’m 38 and I feel pretty fucking rock solid to be honest. I’m not where I want to be yet fully as a human, but I’m pretty confident that I’m making forward progress instead of destructive anti-progress. So yeah, I guess you take all that and if you’re being 100% raw then you couldn’t not have the… https://chorus.fm/features/highly-suspect-the-8th-of-october-to-august-17th-song-premiere/

[weneverlearn]

Congrats to R.E.M. for Making the Songwriters Hall of Fame Last Night!

Last night, R.E.M. reunited for the first time in 17 years for one song at the Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony in NYC; plus this week is Fables of the Reconstruction's 39th Birthday! So here goes an expanded version of a facebook post I made about the expanded edition CD box set of Fables...

Good rockin' little demo that never made it onto an album, though much of the lyrics appeared in the song "I Believe" on their next album, Life's Rich Pageant.

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R.E.M. - Fables of the Reconstruction - 25th Anniversary Edition (I.R.S., 2010)

If ya gotta do an expanded reissue CD box set, this is how you do it. Pictured is the rough sketch art sleeve for “The Athens Demos” CD (all previously unreleased and with some songs that never surfaced otherwise), recorded before they jetted off to record their third album way over in the UK, about on their way to wider horizons…

Neat little set also includes booklet w/ liner notes and pix, postcards of each member, and a big fold-out poster kinda based on the store promo poster of yore…

Love this 1985 album that was met with some iffy feelings from the already-big fanbase; not to mention that the band seemed weird discussing the reportedly tough recording sessions, but that I believe Michael Stipe has since said is his favorite or something; and Peter Buck says in these liner notes is “a personal favorite.”

I was amazed at its bigger sound palette that was somehow even more musty Southern gothic than before. (And this record offered up their best 7” B-sides, which would’ve really sent this set way over the top, but are easy enough to find elsewhere.)

R.E.M. was always good at coming up with album titles that kind of seep in, and a lightbulb goes off like the eighth time you sat down with the album (except New Adventures in Hi-Fi; I always thought that title was a little behind the 1960s "bachelor pad" trend LP references of that time period.)

On first glimpse, that the switcheroo of this LP title from front/back cover could also read "Reconstruction of the Fables" seemed gimmicky. But right about that moment in time (1985), the band -- specifically Michael Stipe, I suppose -- was drip-dripping into more political stances, lyrics, etc. Their budding stardom was making them (rightly or wrong) some kind of spokesmen for a generation. This album kind of did have them working as new Southern storytellers, trying to fashion a different characterization of small town Southerners than the usual stereotypes left over from post-Reconstruction/Jim Crow eras (which, when you think about it, started with that Reckoning title)... Whether they succeeded -- and no one demanded they do -- is another question for another day...

Posting this breaks my personal rule of not hyping a band on this page that doesn’t really need it, especially on the day the band is getting inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. But what the hell, they deserve it.

One of my personal gateway bands to more music discovery, and still a top 10 fave album of their's.