#new song slops | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

dancingbirdie · 1 year ago

Note

Would you plz do a fic with Astarion when tav and the party looted a bunch of alcohol and take it back and drink it and celebrate at camp but tav gets a little drunk and astarion starts realising his feelings for them? 😳

I’d love astarion to take care of me after a few drinks 😂

Bless you anon, for gifting me this fic idea. It practically wrote itself and saved me from being bored all day at work. I hope you enjoy it!

A Night of Drinks and Realizations

Rating: Teen

Word Count: 3,120

Warnings/Tags: Astarion x GN!Tav, minor act 1 spoilers, drinking, drunkenness, descriptions and references to Astarion's trauma/trauma responses, FLUFF! Non-sexual HEARTWARMING FLUFF!

Song Credit: The Galway Girl by Steve Earle (I do not own rights to the music, lyrics modified slightly to fit the fic)

************************************************************************

Chultan Fireswill tasted exactly as its name suggested - like the last charcoaled bits remaining in a dying campfire. But, Tav had to admit, it got the job done. It was as strong as horse piss on a hot day. They were absolutely soused from just half a bottle. Although, to be fair, Tav hadn’t been a heavy drinker in their past life, before all this illithid tadpole business had come about. Now? Well, they supposed they had much more reason to imbibe.

Tav sat around the campfire with most of the others, enjoying spoils from the goblin camp the party had handily defeated - mostly due to the help that Halsin and Lump the Enlightened’s group had provided. They had yet to make it back to the Emerald Grove as Halsin had requested. Utterly spent from the fighting and fleeing, Tav and the rest of the party had opted instead to rest for the night in the blighted village on the outskirts of the goblin camp. At least there were semi-usable beds in some of the abandoned buildings.

Shortly after setting up camp, Gale had retired early, eager to continue reading some of the dusty tomes he’d been collecting throughout their journey. Astarion had slunk off in search of something to satiate his thirst, leaving the rest of the group in various states of relaxation around the fire. It was a quiet, peaceful evening. Everyone seemed to be deep in their own thoughts, ruminating.

That was until Tav hiccupped loudly, breaking the thoughtful silence that had overtaken the party. Karlach guffawed at the sound, smacking her hands on her thighs.

“Tav’s absolutely PISSED, look at them!” she managed between cackles. The other party members turned to observe them, curious. They had all been running about, fighting, nonstop for the past few days. No one in the party had ever been well and truly drunk in front of the others. There just hadn’t been the time, or the relative safety, to be inebriated.

Tav blinked blearily at Karlach across the bonfire, trying to focus. “‘M not,” they garbled. “‘M perffc-ly fine.”

“Chk. Your tolerance for this weak slop is an embarrassment,” Lae’zel spat from her seat next to Tav. “Give me that,” she said as she grabbed the bottle from their hand, upturning it and consuming the rest of the foul liquid in one go.

Tav smiled amiably and patted her on the knee. “You’re *hiccup* lovely. I forgive you *hiccup* for takin’ my drink.”

Lae’zel stared at them, eyes widened to the size of saucers. Wyll, Shadowheart, and Karlach were nearly bursting at the seams to keep from laughing openly.

“I do not require your forgiveness, ska’keth,” she snapped.

Tav just giggle-hiccupped and smiled again. Looking to the rest of the party, they put a hand to their mouth and stage-whispered, “she’s a little grumpy, that one.”

At this, they all laughed uproariously. Lae’zel rolled her eyes, reaching for another bottle of alcohol piled near the rest of the camp supplies.

“YOU-GUYS,” Tav suddenly shouted in a slur, tottering over to snatch up a new bottle of Chultan Fireswill. “We should have a party. Like, right now, have a party.”

“FUCK YES!” Karlach cheered, chucking an empty mead bottle onto the ground with a resounding crash. “I’m all in, baby,” she said, reaching for an unopened bottle of Ithbank.

“Here, here,” Shadowheart echoed, raising her own bottle. “We could do with a bit of levity and foolishness, I think. Does anyone play an instrument? Some music would be lovely.”

“It’s been a few years but I believe I can still pluck a few tunes on the lyre. Let me give it a go,” Wyll replied, rummaging through his pack supplies to retrieve the instrument.

Moments later, he began plucking a jovial tune that had everyone besides Lae’zel tapping their feet and nodding to the music. After it finished, he continued with a dancing jig Tav was familiar with from the taverns in Waterdeep, although most of the footwork eluded them in their drunken state.

“Where’s Gale and Astarion?” Tav shouted in a sing-song voice, twirling around in a laughable attempt at dancing. “Wake their asses up and tell them we’re having a party!”

“No need for ass-waking, at least for me,” Gale called, joining the party from the direction of one of the abandoned houses. “No one can get an ounce of sleep with you lot frolicking around the fire.”

“GALE!” Tav shrieked as they dance-skipped over to him, tripping slightly and smashing into his chest. “You made it!”

Chivalrous as ever, the wizard kindly grabbed Tav’s arms to keep them upright and restore some semblance of balance to their swaying form. “Quite literally impossible to miss it, Tav. Your voice carries extraordinarily well,” he replied, chuckling.

Tav gave him a rueful smile. “I drank, jus’ a lil’,” they explained.

At this, his face broke into a wide grin. “I can certainly see that. Looks like I’ve got a lot of catching up to do if I'm to match the rest of you!”

He guided Tav over to where Shadowheart was sitting, delicately perched on an old traveler’s trunk near the fire. “Perhaps stay here while I go peruse our stockpile.”

Tav plopped down unceremoniously next to Shadowheart, who quirked a smile. “Enjoying ourselves are we?” she asked.

“Oh yes,” Tav sighed out. “Although it would be even better if Astarion joined us. Where IS he?” they asked, swiveling their head around the village square, hoping to spot his telltale white blonde locks.

“I’m sure he’ll turn up eventually. Maybe he caught himself a big bear and is drinking it dry,” Shadowheart said teasingly.

Tav nodded seriously, “He deserves the biggest bear, ever,” they said, absolutely failing to notice the joke.

Shadowheart scoffed. “Lovesick, little pup?”

Tav giggled, abruptly hiccupped, and then giggled again at that.

“He’s just beautiful,” they finally replied in a dreamy sort of voice.

And then, “Inside and out,” they added, more softly.

Shadowheart threw her head back with a laugh. “Oh gods! You really are lovesick.”

Tav hummed happily. “I think I am, but - OH MY GODS!”

“What?” Shadowheart shouted, startled and peering about to assess the apparently impending danger.

“I LOVE THIS SONG!” Tav shrieked, jumping to their feet and swaying about once more as Wyll began playing another lively tune.

Confession utterly forgotten, they were lost to the strumming of the lyre, spinning like a top that might never stop.

************************************************************************

Astarion had not planned to eavesdrop on the conversation between Tav and Shadowheart as he made his way back toward the camp. Truly, he hadn’t. But, at the mention of his name from Tav, he couldn’t help but wonder what the conversation was about.

Stepping quietly around the corner of the decrepit tavern, he paused to listen. His heightened senses easily picked up on their voices as clear as if he would be standing next to them.

Tav had… feelings for him? Astarion didn’t know what to do with this information. Why were they admitting this so openly? And to a person they barely knew? Was this a ploy? Was Tav banking on him hearing this supposed confession and trying to lull him into some false sense of security? The paranoid part of his mind was absolutely convinced of it.

But no, surely that couldn’t be it, another more reasonable part of his brain asserted. Lost in his thoughts, he observed Tav whirling about the campfire with their bottle of booze spilling out. They accidentally doused Lae’zel with a spurt of liquid, causing the Githyanki to swear loudly and move to the other side of the campfire.

Astarion huffed a laugh. No, Tav was… many things… but devious was not one of them. He had observed them enough throughout their travels the last few days and had come to the conclusion that Tav was as harmless as a week-old pup to those they liked and trusted. They were genuine, transparent, and… open… to his utter confusion. And, okay yes, his considerable annoyance.

But Astarion was truly hard-pressed to remain annoyed at Tav for long. They were just so gods-damned pure. As pure as the sun’s rays. Being annoyed with them was like being annoyed at the sun for existing. It couldn’t help what it was. Tav couldn’t help who they were. It would be a mistake, a waste of time, to despise them for their nature.

He envied them for that. But above all else, if he were being totally honest with himself, he craved their attention just as much as he relished the actual sunbeams he’d been able to feel on his skin for the first time in over 200 years.

But still, Astarion had no idea how to process this revelation, that the-pure-sun-incarnate-Tav had love for him. Love. Not merely lust, desire, or attraction. Now those he was familiar with. Those had been a currency he’d transacted on Cazador’s behalf for so many years. But love? Love was an unknown concept to him. It had never been something he’d tried to cultivate in the minds of his victims. Astarion wasn’t even sure he understood what love actually was.

A series of loud bangs startled him from his circling thoughts. He looked up and chuckled at the sight he beheld.

Tav had found several scrolls of minor illusion in Gale’s packs and had begun to set off fireworks. Bright green, pink, and yellow sparks were careening into the sky, exploding into images of flowers and pixies to the utter delight of Tav. The rest of the party were loitering about, laughing at Tav as they clapped their hands in joy.

Seeing as this would perhaps be the best time to integrate himself into the party, Astarion strolled toward the campfire. Grabbing a bottle of some cheap swill they’d looted, he took a seat beside Shadowheart and nodded in a cheers sort of motion to the cleric. She raised her bottle in acknowledgement.

“Come to watch the wonder that is Tav utterly debauched?” she quipped.

“I must say, I rather like them like this, all uninhibited and bawdy” he replied, his eyes following Tav as they danced and gyrated their way over to Wyll, who was plucking out another familiar tavern tune.

“Wyll, do you know the song ‘The Amphail Girl’?” Tav asked too loudly, hiccupping.

“I do, but gods Tav, I don’t know that I’ve ever tried playing it,” Will admitted.

“Okay, okay,” Tav sighed in a mock-morose tone, stopping Wyll from playing by placing a hand on the lyre strings. “Then you must pass the lyre my friend and be ready to take some *hiccup* notes.”

Wyll, ever the good sport of the group, obliged Tav’s demand and relinquished the instrument.

Astarion chuckled. “Oh, dear. They’re not about to actually put on a performance, are they?” he asked in a somewhat-rhetorical question toward Shadowheart.

She chuckled. “It appears so. Liquid courage really does wonders, it seems.”

They both watched as Tav began plucking at the strings of the lyre until they stitched together the right tune. After a few beats of strumming, they began to sing.

“I took a stroll down the old long walk

Of the day I-ay-I-ay

I met a little girl and we stopped to talk

Of a fine soft day I-ay

And I ask you friends, what's a fella to do?

Because her hair was black and her eyes were blue

And I knew right then I been takin' a whirl

Down the Salthill Prom with an Amphail girl”

The entire party watched, enraptured, as Tav sang the lyrics in a beautiful, high tenor voice. Their hands never missed a chord, performing as though they knew the song by heart.

“Did you cast Guidance on them?” Astarion whispered to Shadowheart, as Tav strummed the bridge of the song.

“No, I haven’t touched my magic since this afternoon,” she replied. “This is all Tav. Shocking, considering how inebriated they are.”

It seemed the rest of the party members were in equal disbelief that their drunken compatriot could perform so flawlessly. Tav continued the song, smiling as they sang, eyes closed and blissfully unaware of the stares they had garnered.

“We were halfway there when the rain came down

On the day I-ay-I-ay

She asked me up to her flat downtown

On a fine soft day I-ay

And I ask you friends, what's a fella to do?

Because her hair was black and her eyes were blue

So I took her hand, and I gave her a twirl

Oh, and I lost my heart to an Amphail Girl”

And the longer Tav sang, the longer Astarion realized there were cracks now forming in his long-held aloof façade. There they were, singing with their heart and soul, radiating unobtrusive joy. Astarion was enamored by Tav’s utter lack of pretense. He couldn’t take his eyes off them, even if he had wanted to.

“When I woke up I was all alone

With a broken heart and a ticket home

And I ask you now, tell me what would you do?

If her hair was black and her eyes were blue

'Cause I've travelled around, I've been all over this world

Boys, I've never seen nothin' like an Amphail girl”

Tav concluded the song with a final series of strums. They opened their eyes slowly and looked around curiously at the party, as though they had forgotten where they had been before the song began. Astarion thought they had an almost ethereal look in their eyes. Everyone had grown quiet, the meaningful pause leading them toward more introspective thoughts.

Of course, that was before Tav doubled over and hurled the contents of their stomach on the ground. In a blink, that otherworldly moment was gone, and the party members groaned at the mess of ick now puddling in the center of their circle.

Tav wobbled on their feet, very nearly careening to the ground.

Strong arms caught them about the waist before they collapsed.

“Now, now darling, the fun is truly over, it seems. Let’s get you to bed, shall we?” Astarion coaxed, leading Tav toward the tavern.

“You alright taking care of them, then?” Karlach called after him and Tav.

“Yes, yes, I can keep the pup from choking on their vomit,” Astarion promised.

“And make sure they drink plenty of water!” Shadowheart added.

“Astarion?” Tav mumbled, seeming to finally come to, blinking up at the pale elf’s face.

“Yes, darling, I’ve got you,” he murmured, an arm wrapped solidly around Tav’s waist.

“Oh good. Did you get a beat grig bear? Oops,” Tav chuckled, grinning. “I meant a great… big… bear. Shadowheart *hiccup* said you would.”

Astarion didn’t have a bloody clue as to what Tav was talking about, but he nodded along, charmed by their innocent look of excitement.

“We should drink to celebrate!” they said suddenly.

Astarion well and truly laughed. “No, my dear, I think we’ve both done enough drinking for the night,” he responded.

Tav sighed. “I suppose you could be right,” they grumbled.

The two fell into a companionable silence. Astarion carefully walked Tav up the steps of the tavern and guided them toward an old boarding room near the back. There was a bed there, mostly left untouched by grime and pests. In any case, it was a more favorable alternative to sleeping on the ground.

Gently, Astarion pushed Tav to sit down on the edge of the bed. Crouching to his knees, he began pulling their boots off their feet. Tav watched in a daze before lifting a hand to cup Astarion’s cheek.

Concentrating on the laces of Tav’s boots, he hadn’t been expecting their touch. He jumped slightly in surprise. Casual touches were not something he was used to.

At his response, Tav removed their hand from his skin but kept it floating there in the air, as if unsure what to do.

“Sorry,” they murmured. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Astarion held their gaze, pondering them thoughtfully. After a moment, he took Tav’s hand and returned it to his cheek.

“It’s all right,” he said quietly. “I’m beginning not to mind those touches from you.”

Tav gave him a sleepy smile. “Thank you, Astarion,” they whispered and began to slump over onto the bed.

“No no, not yet you don’t,” Astarion said hastily, rising to his feet and walking over to fetch a carafe of water from his pack.

“Here. Drink all of this,” he said, extending the bottle to Tav.

“I don’t want water,” they said, frowning.

“Trust me, darling, you’ll thank me for it in the morning,” Astarion chuckled.

Tav gave a sullen huff. “Fine, but only because you asked.”

They downed the carafe in a couple of drinks before collapsing back onto the bed.

Satisfied that Tav wouldn’t perish from alcohol poisoning - at least not tonight - Astarion made to leave the room. A quiet voice gave him pause just as he was about to cross the threshold.

“Could you stay with me, please?” Tav whispered, watching Astarion through half-closed eyes.

Astarion balked inwardly. Staying in the same bed with Tav would mean something. To Tav. To him. Was he prepared for that? What would Tav expect from him then, in the days that followed? Was this a step toward some kind of commitment? Did he want that?

As the seconds ticked by, he watched Tav’s eyelids close completely. They may not have even been aware that they had uttered that request aloud. They certainly weren’t aware of the effect it had on Astarion. He could just as easily pretend not to have heard them and walk out the door, leaving things as they were between them now: a curious potential.

But watching Tav’s chest slowly rise and fall with peaceful breaths, Astarion felt that craving again. The desire to be in the warm sun. To be touched by the sun’s rays.

Fears be damned, he thought. At least for tonight. He could have this moment, he reasoned. He could have this one night.

And, climbing into bed next to Tav, a part of him thrilled at the way their body turned and curled into his. The complete and total trust they had in him, that he wouldn’t harm them. That he - Astarion - was a safe harbor in which they could rest.

The realization was too much to take in. So foreign. His mind couldn’t make sense of it.

But, as he lay there in the quiet, his hand gently brushing Tav’s locks back from their forehead, listening to their even breaths, Astarion knew one thing. Whatever this new feeling was that Tav was drawing out of him? He wanted more than just a few stolen moments of it.

#bg3 astarion #astarion ancunin #astarion x tav #astarion x mc #astarion x reader #baldur’s gate astarion #astarion #dancingbirdiewrites

851 notes · View notes

tribow · 1 month ago

Text

Ah yes let me listen to

While I get some work done mmm I wonder what's going on here.

"...This stuff is also happening on music platforms like Spotify too, so it's not like using another musical platform is really an option."

HUH!??!?!?! WHAT!??!?!?

"And even if it was, that shouldn't be the solution."

NO. NO! NOOO!!!

You can't, you can't just dismiss the competition! Youtube and Spotify are not the only places to listen to music are you kidding me!??!?! Both Youtube and Spotify are music platforms that heavily rely on algorithms to deliver music to you. Of course bots and AI slop are going to take advantage of that! This video talks a lot about how Youtube playlists and recommendations are getting ruined by the slop. That's a shame, really, but consider what you're saying here!

There are options!!!!

Bandcamp and Soundcloud are right there!!! They're right there!!!!!

I go to the first page of Bandcamp and what do I get??? Featured Artists being promoted by Bandcamp, a list of current top selling albums on the platform, new and notable albums that were released on the platform recently, and encouragement to explore the tags.

What do I get on Soundcloud??? Music I recently played, Recommendations based on songs I previously liked, Other recommendations based on who I follow and listen to, Soundcloud's featured artists that get promoted.

Both platforms use tags that are set by whatever musician uploaded the music. They both encourage you to curate your music yourself or explore what others have curated. Yes, there's some algorithm stuff on their front pages, but these algorithms are properly built to promote real people and not just bots taking advantage of the system. Soundcloud has a feed just like other social media platforms, and that feed is only for what YOU follow.

Heck, you could even use Audius! I don't personally use the platform myself, but it functions like an alternative to Soundcloud. It has much of the same appeal. Its front page shows what music is currently trending, but guess what, it has a feed and it encourages you to curate it!

I get it, a lot of artists don't use these platforms, but what ties them all together is that they're doing what we want them to do: Actually support musicians. Artists aren't incentivized to use the platforms strictly because they're less popular, but it doesn't mean these platforms are worse than Youtube or Spotify.

Spotify sucks ass! They're literally infamous for being infested with bots, fake genres, and barely paying artists. You can buy an artists album for $5 and you would be paying them more money than they would get if you listened to them on Spotify for 5 months total.

Youtube pays a bit better, but they don't give a flying fuck about music! They're trying to have the whole cake and eat it too with movies, games, and other social media interaction. (text posts, polls, pictures, and the such.) They want people to be using their platforms and ONLY their platforms for everything. Your eyes must be glued to their screens at all times, so what if the algorithm hands you slop? You'll watch it right? It'll promote whatever keeps you there no matter who or what it is! (as long as its legal)

Don't sit around waiting for these platforms to change for the better. LEAVE. If you want to support artists then support them on other platforms if they're available on there!

And I know, I know Soundcloud had a whole exodus some years ago because whoever makes the decisions at Soundcloud is some out of touch buffoon who's getting desperate and doesn't know how to make the platform profitable, but you know what happened with almost every stupid decision Soundcloud made? They rolled it back or it didn't follow through with it. They're at the mercy of the userbase. The platform has issues, but I'd never give it up for the lack of respect and slop Spotify and Youtube have. Soundcloud's my musical hellsite (affectionate)

Bandcamp, as far as I know, has 0 controversy outside of the big companies who bought them and laid off half the Bandcamp staff. That wasn't Bandcamp's fault! They just got fucked over by Epic, otherwise they're still doing great! Bandcamp just needs to modernize their platform a little bit. (HOW IS THERE STILL NO VOLUME SLIDER)

Again, no comment on Audius, but hell maybe I'll start using that too.

And if you're SO INSISTENT on using Youtube for music, don't rely on the algorithm for your content! You can curate what you see on there you know! Subscribe to people, actually look at your subscription feed! If you want to use recommendations, you can adjust that too! Every time you see some AI bullshit click on those 3 little dots and either click "Not Interested" or "Don't recommend channel". I hate Youtube's guts when it comes to music, but they at least gave you options to if you hate what the algorithm is showing you. Use them!

Fuck!

Sorry that video got under my skin, it's not a bad video all things considered, but that one point got me heated.

#youtube #music #soundcloud #bandcamp #algorithm #spotify #curator #and enough of this “Release this on Spotify!” “When is it coming to Spotify!” shit!!#WHEN IS IT COMING TO BANDCAMP #WHERE'S THE BANDCAMP RELEASE!?!?!?

51 notes · View notes

barrenclan · 6 months ago

Note

idk if someone's said this before but July by American Murder Song is a very patfw-ish song. i can't pinpoint it exactly but a lot of it reminds me of cootstorm especially 's refusal to leave the territory but there's also the idea of going west, like the idea of leaving the territory and later moving further away from defiance, and the very last part of the song is reminiscent of Rainhaze to me, how he kills Asphodelpaw, and in doing that, kills his old self so to speak. just a thought

Oh, how did you know that I've been listening to 1816: The Year Without a Summer and specifically July on repeat for the past month? Are you reading my mind? Anyways, I do really love that song with Cootstorm, especially how the narrator curses everyone who is leaving and insists that he'll never leave this land. Though I do hope Cootstorm wouldn't go so far as murder.

Black in the cotton and rot in the lamb Ash in the windows Ash on the land Summer got spooked Went yellow and ran We ain't going nowhere We ain't going, going nowhere

Outside the tree coughed up blood 'Stead of leaves Coughs from the floorboards Coughs from the eaves I climbed the coughing tree Noose at my sleeves I ain't going nowhere I ain't going, going nowhere

youtube

Deepdark would certainly believe he was the protagonist of this comic, that's for sure. Will Wood isn't really my taste but I do like the tone of this song.

I'm that first-person they talk about in all the books I'm that perspective you cannot doubt, see how I look Control the narrative reliably, baby, it's all about me

So, God forbid I'm seen just as an average human being I mean, imagine if antagonists lacked any evil scheme I'm the gap between a tragedy and comedy

youtube

I see the vision!

So there's this Castle of Rats I mean a million of them, butchering each other As they try to get a window open Burying the new dead beneath the old dead

There isn't anything in this world could make you go back There isn't any meaning in the metaphor I'm weaving a series of words that hurt me more The more that I repeat 'em

youtube

I like it when people suggest OSTs, it's very vibes-based. Spooky songs are great soundtracks for this comic!

youtube

Lol, Nat, no people haven't sent me obscure Appalachian string band suggestions for music before. I do like this sound with the comic, though, I think it fits very well. If PATFW was a show or movie I was making, I'd score it with a lot of western/appalachian string music.

youtube

Ah, MNQN! One of my friends likes that band a lot. This is a very very Rainhaze song.

You've changed within Some selfish mutation A stranger I once called a friend

Man will almost certainly be replaced by a new order of intelligence Stop looking for monsters under your bed You are the monster

youtube

Oh, you've seen that Darkstripe video too... big fang. I love Ween, so any song of their you give me is good far as I'm concerned. Rainhaze being a Johnny on the spot fits him very well, always willing to break his back for other people.

I'll be your Jonny on the spot I'll be your Jonny on the spot My daddy died, and left me all he's got I'll be your Jonny on the spot

I get up early in the morn' I get up early in the morn' I slop the pigs, and momma shucks the corn I get up early in the morn'

youtube

#i haven't done a music post in awhile so my askbox is like 60% just music suggestions lol #ask #anon #music #cootstorm #rainhaze #deepdark #slugpelt

62 notes · View notes

kezmaggot · 2 months ago

Text

new intro post cuz i deleted the other one 💔

HeLLO my name is kenny or kenneth or kez idc

basic info bout ME!!!

i am a minor dont follow me if u post nsfw stuff 🔥

i am transmasc, girlkisser & aroace and i go by he/any !!

my fav colors r green and pink 🤞

im a msi fan (obivosuly,,,.) and ive been listening to their slop for 4 years

diagnosed asd/adhd

i have a hyperfixation on msi, dinosaurs, old earth, spunglebob, south park, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN!!!, and sonic the heg hog 🔥

this is music i like and recommend 🤞

MSI obviously⁉️ some of my absolute favourites are

seven eleven, clarissa, boomin, evening wear, planet of the apes, PUSSYYY ALLL NIGHT, daddy, tornado, on it, 3s, futures ‼️, london bridge, i hate jimmy page, youll rebel to anything, panty shot, fuck machine, issues, animal, backmask, married alive, DARLING YOUNG BOYZZZ, golden i, kill the rock, CAPITOL P!!!, envy, lush and tons more but i'll have like 140 songs to write down so 💔

ohright haha i have to write down other bands too,.,;,

the left rights, mccafferty, jack off jill, PTV, MCR, slipknot, korn, sunny day real estate, mudvayne, the cure, green day, the offspring, jack stauber, Lit, the jins, and a few others that i cant rmb💔

here are some PHOTOS of ME

trust me that last one looks different bc of the lighting ok its me

MY SPOTIFY

MY TIKTOK

MY DISC TAG

cheesemuncher444

UHH ROBLOX USER

angelpixy

OK THX FOR CHECKING OUT MY BLOG FOLLOW ME I FOLLOW BACK

37 notes · View notes

literary-illuminati · 2 months ago

Text

2024 Book Review #70 – Absolution by Jeff Vandermeer

New additions to a series a decade after it concluded don’t have a particularly good track record at living up to the quality of the originals – far too often they just read as commentaries on the series’ fanbase or pop culture reception, and that’s if they escape being a transparent case of giving the fans slop for a quick paycheck. This is even more the case when the originals are a tightly interconnected trilogy with an extremely definitive conclusion.

All to say, I received the news that Jeff Vandermeer was writing a new Southern Reach book with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. Excitement, because Annihilation might actually be one of my favorite works of the 21st century and the whole trilogy holds a deeply and irrationally precious space in my heart. Trepidation because – well everything I just said. Thankfully, this was far more good than bad – not Annihilation, and it didn’t need to be basically as long as the entire original trilogy combined, but absolutely met my expectations of beautifully described cosmic and psychological horror and indecipherable mindfucks in gorgeously uncanny locales.

The book’s a hard one to describe – the plot is twisting and opaque, the narrators thoroughly unreliable – but it’s (not exactly but nearly) a prequel to the original Southern Reach Trilogy, following first events in the Forgotten Coast in the lead-up to the Border falling, and then the very first expedition sent across it into the newly-named Area X in the months after. Though it’s really divided into three-ish parts rather than two – first we get a vivid picture of Old Jim (our first POV) recovering from his life collapsing into a gutter and researching the confused and redacted records of a very Cold War CIA science experiment on the Coast years prior and how it all went horribly wrong, before journeying to the Coast himself in the weeks and days before it becomes Area X to try and discover what happened. Exactly one character from this section also shows up on page in part 3, though the neither the reader nor the new POV is aware of her continuity until quite late in the game. Which is funny, given that despite neither protagonist ever really understanding her, Cass has the most complete character arc of anyone in the whole book.

This is a book very concerned with language and perception – how you can’t trust them, how they can control you, how the right words whispered in your ear can shatter everything you ever were. Language is a parasite that needs a host; the song stuck in your head reinforces the compulsions you don’t even realize you’re obeying. The theme runs thick through the entire book, and shows up more ways than I can count. I did particularly like how it’s specifically the beautiful things – the poetry, music and cryptic little koans, the fields of wildflowers and the awe-inspiring autumn storm – that are the dangers, that might entrap and break you. Even the protagonists’ internal monologues shift as their minds become more and more captured by whatever motive force drives Area X, their descriptions and use of imagery more elevated and poetic as they get further from whatever humanity is.

Not that Area X is the sole source of identity-rupturing and mind-stealing horror, here. Old Jim and Lowry are both agents of Central, the opaque intelligence agency that control the Southern Reach in the original trilogy. Both have been broken and remade by it, their minds stuffed to bursting with hypnotic conditioning and trigger words in case they ever get distracted or prove to be unreliable. Not that anyone seems clear on who they would even be reliable to – the whole agency is addicted to secrecy, its internal factions feuding and sabotaging each other in the shadows, the chain of command a complete mystery to anyone not sitting at the top of it. Just like Area X, it’s never even close to clear whether the things encountered are the outwards signs of some grand and intricate conspiracy, or just the random flailing of a blind idiot god.

Vandermeer has at this point made a very specific aesthetic of horror almost his brand, and it shows up here in spades – the uncanny intersection and overlap of nature and civilization, overgrown ruins and artificial facsimiles or animals, the overwhelming of ordered systems and bureaucratic rationality with the bizarre and inexplicable, the usurpation of body, mind and world by something foreign to it. This is a book whose acknowledgements section is at least half different specific sorts of ecologist or similar experts being thanks for things like ‘detailed information on how a gar would feel in the hands like a rifle,’ and ‘how it would feel to have an alligator gush through the mud around you if you were lying mud-bound in a blackened meadow.’ Which I always find just incredibly endearing (along with the acknowledgement for an idea as being from a literary critique essay of the themes in the original trilogy – which is getting a bit incestuous, but it was a good bit of imagery.)

As always, some parts of this is going to work much better than others – the rabbits with the odd cameras around their necks, placidly digging for and eating crab meat while a flamethrower is unloading on them particularly stuck with me, whereas given the sheer wordcount spent on it I don’t think the Tyrant (or any of the alligators tbh) had nearly the effect on me the book hoped they would.

Overall though, it worked. Vandermeer’s prose is laid on more than a little thick at points, but there are several different bits of imagery or turns of phrase that have stuck with me – that feel downright inspirational to try and make something that can achieve the same effect, even. I do feel like the impact of Area X is weakened by the fact the total absence of really normal seeming people – even before the border falls, we only barely meet a single person not already captured in the whole labyrinth of conspiracies, hypnotism and psychosis – but that is in fact kind of a plot point here, so.

As far as recommendations go – this book is totally incomprehensible if you haven’t read the original trilogy. Also not as good as Annihilation. Go read that and then decide if you want to continue – but the series remains one of the leading examples of 21st century cosmic horror that’s trying to be something besides a riff on Lovecraft.

#book review #absolution #southern reach #jeff vandermeer #sff #horror

32 notes · View notes

shares-a-vest · 1 year ago

Text

Prompt: 'Build Me Up Buttercup' (Discord Drabble)

"Why don't up buuuuuild me up! Build me up! Buuuutercup, baby. Just to let me dow-ow-ownnn!"

Wayne curls his fingers around the top corner of his newspaper, reading over the results of the weekend's local sports results one more time. He thinks he has probably read the same column of statistics at least three times now, not soaking in a goddamn thing.

All because Eddie is in the kitchen, alternating between whistling and singing away, turning the radio up with each new song. When the kid feels like cooking, he's a tornado.

He's singing along to Build Me Up Buttercup now, his "buttercup"'s growing shrill as he competes with the kettle sounding off and bacon crackling away on the stove. Plus whatever other clattering he makes along the way too.

Wayne sighs, blinking harshly as he tries to focus. He supposes he should be grateful his nephew is actually up at a decent hour to not just have breakfast and get ready for work, but is also pretty darn cheery about it.

But he sure as hell could be a whole lot quieter about it!

"Why don't you build me up!" Eddie shout-sings, beginning up the never-ending chorus yet again.

He cracks an egg and Wayne has to bite back a grimace as he watches part of the yoke slop from carton to frypan.

"Build me up, buttercup!"

"Hey, Wayne."

He looks up to find Steve Harrington letting himself in, clicking the door shut as quietly as possible as he looks into the kitchen with an amused frown.

"Morning," he replies, nodding to the boy.

"Is he up?" Steve stage-whispers, bewildered as he sets his backpack down and begins tip-toeing to the table, "And making breakfast?"

"But I love youuuuuu stiiiill..."

"Sure seems like it," Wayne replies, bringing his coffee mug to his lips to hide a fond smile.

He almost falters as he sets the mug back down, startled by Eddie bounding to the table.

"Made you breakfast," he sing-songs, leaning down to grin right in Steve's face before jumping upright just as quick, "Figured you'd have, what, a Pop Tart and a gallon of coffee?"

"No..." Steve defends, folding his arms with obvious guilt.

Eddie hops back to the kitchen, bouncing to the ba-da-ba-bum beat – and singing it too.

"Buttercup!" he screams.

Steve jumps, stumbling halfway to a seated position.

Wayne spills his coffee in earnest now, narrowly missing the sports section.

#oof haven't done one of these (or any writing) in a hot minute #might be a bit rusty so bear with me #steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #wayne munson #steddie ficlet #lilys drabbles #stwgdailyprompt

177 notes · View notes

spell-bloom · 13 days ago

Note

the rerelease is way worse than everyone thought, they literally stole nopke's shadow fix (code is exactly the same) and from what im hearing it doesnt even include bodyshop

I've been checking like three other discords and uh WOW there sounds like an absolute shit show.

There is a LC mod status tracker and there's a few that are broken or have issues. It's going to be a nightmare helping others troubleshoot from here on.

@ghostwoohoo put it best, you're paying more for less. Less packs, no bodyshop, some songs got cut due to licensing.

Crash fest, bug fest, whole bunch of new bugs we've never even seen before

Needs the EA app anyway even if you use Steam

I absolutely feel bad for the people who buy this crap, realize how much it sucks and then learn about the ts2 starter pack later. It's not the 64bit, pink soup free, lag free, remaster of our dreams. It's corporate slop that banks on players either not knowing about piracy or being incapable of reading instructions on how to pirate the game.

#spell.txt #meanwhile latam and east europe:#i dont mean to come off as rude on the last part but if you can't read clear as day instructions then that is truly a skill issue 🤷#i help troubleshoot elder scrolls modders for a living some people just don't know how to read #swinging at the nest part 2 #ts2lc

20 notes · View notes

titanomancy · 14 days ago

Text

youtube

Some additional thoughts regarding the recently announced Astartes 2.

I don't pretend to have any particular inside knowledge of the situation between Games Workshop and the various creators that they've tangled with over the years. A lot of people have a lot of thoughts about the fanpocalypse of 2021 which resulted in SODAZ's disavowal of Warhammer and the spectacle Bruva Alfabusa made of ending Text-to-Speech, among others.

But on the flip side, you have creators like Richard Boylan that successfully parlayed a YouTube video into the Warhammer+ Angels of Death series; and despite memory holing the Lord Inquisitor, Erasmus Brosdau went on to direct the Enemy Without.

So it's not entirely beyond the ken that there's a wholly anodyne explanation for why, after five years, Games Workshop is finally returning to Astartes, and any rumor of acrimony between the company and their creatives is just a pernicious libel like the Warhammer/WarCraft connection.

I had previously believed - and, if I'm being entirely honest, still do - that there must have been some sort of creative disagreement between Games Workshop and Pedersen regarding the direction that Astartes should take, given the alacrity with which Boylan's project was produced while Pedersen's languished, even if it was something as simple as reticence to revamp the project to showcase Primaris Space Marines instead of the classic style.

As I observed at the time, Astartes was the single best piece of Space Marine media of the last thirty years and precious little has come out since that can hold a candle to it. I don't hold any of the subsequent Warhammer+ series to date in particularly high regard - bully for Boylan, but Angels of Death bored me to tears; Iron Within had all the cinematic spectacle of a Playstation 2 cutscene; and Pariah Nexus could charitably be described as unfocused, or uncharitably as a hot mess. I've been so thoroughly underwhelmed by what's on offer, I skipped the Tithe entirely and I have no comment on anything it depicted so don't at me.

But, here's the thing that really has me concerned, and to which I alluded in my earlier post:

This teaser trailer is not actually clips from the new animation, instead showing a compilation of shots that represent the former lives of the characters that will appear in the show.

While there is some footage that may not have previously been released, I'm extremely confident that almost everything seen in the trailer is taken from the original development of Astartes 2 before Games Workshop got involved, and the project has been on ice ever since. Some clips like the orks dogpiling the Lamenter have previously escaped from behind the Patreon paywall and at this point, I'm reasonably certain that most of it can be found as reuploads on YouTube.

The best case scenario, and my hope for the series, is that Pedersen's Digital Bones brand/studio/Patreon campaign is basically the licensee for Astartes and is granted sufficient autonomy to produce a product that's faithful to his creative vision for it.

It's not enough to simply mimic the structure and style of the original short, Secret Level did that and while it was certainly a higher quality production than any of the outsourced industrial animation "Warhammer Storyforge" slop that's appeared on Warhammer+, it's self-evidently an imitation; like a cover band serviceably performing your favorite song. It has to be better than that.

And I sincerely hope that it is, but I'm not getting hyped for it and I warn you not to, either.

#games workshop #digital bones #warhammer 40k #astartes #adeptus astartes #space marines #youtube

19 notes · View notes

dame-zoom-a-lot · 1 month ago

Text

Silver Linings

Prompt fill for @steddiebingo square: Victorian AU

So.... I basically know nothing about that era, so I did a modern twist based on that horrible scam Regency ball. I hope that's good enough ^^;;

Rated T

Read on Ao3 if you'd like

This feels bad.

Normally, he'd be pretty mad about the lack of tips, but he really can't blame any of these suckers. The "ballroom" is desolate. Scattered groups of sad sacks sit around in Victorian getups of varying quality. There's a girl in a really good dress trying to stage some people and props to look like she's having a good time. It's a futile endeavor. The organizer fucks didn't even bother to set up minimal decoration.

Eddie sighs and mixes a drink for himself. He shouldn't drink during a gig, professionalism and all that. But maybe if he gets sloshed enough, they'll fire him and let him go home.

Though if the goal is to get fired, it'd probably be faster to just go home. He has that new mini just begging to be painted. Jeff got a new game that he's been itching to try out. He might even DM. Not that he minds DMing all the time, but it'd be nice if someone else took the reins for once.

Eddie takes a big swig as the music turns on.

That should have been a good sign. Maybe something was finally going to happen. Maybe the organizers were going to at least offer some semblance of a ball. But people around him, including Eddie, groan at the sad copy-right free slop. These dipshits couldn't even be bothered to get period-appropriate songs. It's all vaguely poppy instrumentals that remind him way too much of the early 2000s.

That's it. He's leaving.

But his sneaky exit gets blocked by a duo carting in a stripper pole. A livid looking girl and another dude roll out their equipment to the middle of the room. The dude has this thick head of hair that's defying gravity. Eddie forces himself to look away before he starts counting the number of moles on the his long strong neck. The girl next to him glowers at the rest of the room as she extends the pole. She grips it and does a wide swing around the pole. It holds.

Everyone in the hall is looking at them. The girl blushes furiously. She says something to the dude and punches him on the shoulder when he says something back.

He's got a nice smile. Sharp at the edges. A bit crooked.

Eddie leans back to watch. He wonders what kind of routine the girl would do. Most dancers he's worked with try to look vaguely happy, or at least neutral. Apparently that's better for tips.

Then the guy strips.

Ok, so he doesn't strip. Tragically. He's wearing some nice, tasteful boxers that hide the... goods as much as it can. Eddie shamelessly ogles him climb up the pole then flip upside down. He wolf whistles before he can catch himself because he was drinking on the job like a fucking idiot, but he just turns towards Eddie and blows him a kiss and a wink.

Eddie doesn't take his eyes off him for the rest of the routine. It gets so bad he actually creates a line. Sure, he should mix up a mule for the grumpy lady in an oversized pink and yellow nightmare. But Mr. perfect is clenching his abs and wrapping his thick legs around that metal pole right there. Eventually, Eddie gets sick of people bothering him and just lays out a bunch of drink so people can mix whatever the fuck they want.

Eventually, his enthusiasm manages to infect the crowd, thanks to his ungodly charisma honed with years of DM-ing. Or maybe they were bored and sad and just looking for something good to latch onto. Anyway, by the end of his routine, he has a decent crowd cheering him on. He does one last long, sensuous spin around the pole and hops off from the top. He pulls on his pirate-inspired (as much as Eddie likes this guy, he's not going to pretend that costume is in any way adequate) robe and exits after a deep courtesy. Eddie hoots and claps along with the crowd ~~~

"I take it you enjoyed the show?"

"What?"

The girl that came with the dude is looking at him with a sharp smirk. Her dusty blond hair is chopped roughly at neck level. She points her chin at the now-empty pole.

"I mean, yeah, obviously," Eddie says with a nervous laugh. She's looking at him with a sort of intensity he's not used to.

"Not obviously. Look," she sighs and gestures at the pole again. "It was supposed to be my girlfriend, but she got nervous about pissing off the crowd because why the fuck would you have pole-dancing in a Victorian steam punk ball? And they didn't even tell her that's what she was doing until day of. Can you fucking believe it?"

She doesn't wait for him to answer.

"So she's freaking out. Then Steve, that's who you were staring holes into by the way. He's been taking some lessons from my girlfriend so he volunteered. Said he's gotten good at dodging shit so he could take the heat, even if the crowd starts pelting him with tomatoes. As if I'd let anyone throw anything at him--don't tell him I said that by the way. And anyway..." she takes a deep breath. "I told him to go freshen up."

Jesus H Christ. Is this what Jeff meant when he said talking to him is like watching a one-man show?

"That's so nice of him."

"Nice and brave. Ugh. Dingus," she says with incredible fondness. "Anyway, I told him to go freshen up."

"Freshen up?"

"Yeah, basically, fuck off for ten minutes so I could give you the normal spiel of, you know..." she narrows her eyes. "Do you hate the gays?"

"No?" Eddie chuckles and looks around. Fortunately, no one's paying attention to the egregiously lazy bartender and the random dancer's assistant. He flicks his wrist playfully. "Would be awkward if I did."

"Ok, great," Robin nods. "You saw me do that test swing around the pole, right?"

"Yeah, very impressive."

"Ugh, don't fucking lie to suck up to me. You've already passed my vibe checks. Anyway, you should know that means I've got incredible upper body strength. Believe me, my girlfriend reminds me every day and she's got even better upper body strength."

"Got it. So if I break his heart, you girls will smash my head in with your giant abs and arms," Eddie says with a wink.

"Birdie, please don't smash the bodies. It makes clean up such a chore." A pleasant, melodic voice quips from behind them.

It's the dude. Steve. In the flash. Eddie lets himself fully roam over his face now that he has permission. Steve smiles a little shyly and gives him this cute, dorky one-fingered wave. It feels like the start of something big.

#steddiebingo2025 #steve harrington #eddie munson #stranger things fanfic #pre-relationship #meet-cute #steddie fanfic #zooms writes

28 notes · View notes

gloriousburden · 3 months ago

Text

So much fucking AI generated content on Pinterest. It’s every single image when you search something up at this point. It’d be a lot less insufferable (albeit, still insufferable) if it were mandatory for people who “create” and post that shit to put a disclaimer/somehow sort it under AI generated so it could be hidden/filtered through by those who have no interest in it.

If AI generated content HAS to be a thing, it should be organized in a separate division from everyone else. They “create” and enjoy their AI shit amongst their own crowd, and we don’t have to see it. We need restrictions and regulations on it ASAP.

It shouldn’t be mainstream and heavily accepted especially in such an early stage where it is ever evolving, and all these apps/websites should stop pandering. Especially on apps/websites like Pinterest where human creativity and authenticity is supposed to thrive. We’re all supposed to connect due to our shared love of everything from recipes, to anime girl fanart, and AI takes that away.

AI should not replace human passion. It should not replace human creativity and human skills. Learning skills is not an inconvenience, and it is ALWAYS rewarding. Learning how to draw and getting to see your practice and hard work come into fruition is rewarding.

Writing stories/fanfiction and finally getting to start off the plot line you were most excited for after finishing writing the plot line you were becoming really bored with, is rewarding. You learn, and you grow from these experiences, Even “boring” work/practice is rewarding whether you realize it at the moment or not.

Lyrics from one of my favorite Björk songs:

“Lust for comfort

suffocates the soul

Relentless restlessness

Liberates me (Sets me free)

I feel at home

Whenever the unknown surrounds me”

You have to do things that are “boring.” You have to do things that are uncomfortable and foreign. That’s how you learn. Not every part of acquiring new skills or learning something new is going to be easy or make sense immediately.

If some experiences were not boring, then the other experiences would not be enjoyable. If you are constantly comfortable, comfortability loses its appeal. We’ve gotten too reliant on comfortability and instant gratification. (Insert Tom Hiddleston talking about delayed gratification on Sesame Street)

What would be the point if there were no challenges? It would all be quite unfulfilling, and you’d stay the same. You wouldn’t learn to look at things differently and challenge yourself.

And I saw someone selling earrings with AI generated images on them without disclosing the fact that the images were made with AI. It’s kind of a scummy thing to do when people are likely buying your shit because they value authenticity and would like to support a likeminded person with creative passions rather than supporting corporations who mass produce shit with no passion except a passion for greed.

How do corporations nowadays have more passion than someone selling something on a site like Etsy where self made items, diy, and creativity are the main focus? Why stoop that low?

Remember, you’re supposed to be the alternative to PURE greed.

Let’s bring back being passionate about creative hobbies and let’s bring back mastering skills out of love for said skill. Out of love for creativity and expressing yourself through what you created. Let’s bring back authenticity and wanting to share your own authenticity with others.

How does this not scare people? That others are no longer passionate about anything? That human beings have become so fucking lazy, that even some of the most fulfilling things you can do in life are too much work?

So lazy, that they’d be more satisfied with typing prompts into a website so a machine can generate literal internet slop made from preexisting art/images on the internet rather than them creating something themselves and getting to make all the creative choices and have every last detail be theirs to decide.

And I didn’t even get into how fucked up it is that AI has little to no regulation/restriction. It’s fucked up that images can be made depicting public figures of any kind. Anything, and anyone. Singers, Actors, Comedians, Politicians, literally everyone.

It’s fucked up that voices can be made to say anything. To sing anything. To declare anything.

But go on, keep feeding the machine because you were too lazy to pick up a fucking pencil to draw one of your OCs. See where your laziness and lack of passion gets us all.

Mind you, people used to be happy to draw their own OCs. Putting them in new outfits and such and maybe even giving them new haircuts. We have lost every plot, because people are too busy acting out those plot lines out with AI chat bots instead of with other human beings. They’re too busy feeding prompts to a machine before they could even think for themselves about how they would want the plot to go.

TL;DR: FUCK AI!!

#fuck ai #anti ai #anti ai generated content #anti ai generated images #anti ai generated art #anti artificial intelligence #anti ai images #anti ai fanfiction #anti ai writing #anti character ai #pinterest

20 notes · View notes