#ramblings of an obsessive former fan

[lawonderlandwriter]

Living in Hollywood and working in Hollywood and working for someone who is related to someone who works for someone that is work-related to the Game of Thrones crew and therefore possibly people working on Snow, I feel like I can’t outright say “Fuck Kit Harington” for the things he said about Dany in the GOT Con panel today but.... I’m really disappointed in him, I’ll say that much. (If you’d like to know what Kit said during the panel, read THIS thread on Twitter, other threads have more info but this gives the gist). 

When it was first announced Kit was behind the Snow spinoff, I legitimately had some hope for it and, further finding out about GRRM’s direct involvement (when he had virtually none in the final few seasons of GOT), I had a lot of hope for it that it would try to steer his character’s ending (and maybe a few others) back to what was originally intended in the books, if our theories were correct that the show was complete D&D fan fiction. 

What purpose could Kit - but especially GRRM - have for creating this spinoff other than to “fix” or at least attempt to fix what D&D had broken with the end of Game of Thrones? Money? Returning to the cash-cow, as they say? I had hoped this wasn’t the case. 

And then Emilia was at that panel for the DIFLondon event and said so many hopeful and lovely things about Dany AND JON that I thought, what else could the spinoff be but a way to make all those lovely things a reality? With Kit being Emilia’s alleged best friend, and the two having talked about it before the news was leaked, it made sense to me that she would be a part of it, if not full on producing it with Kit. 

But with the shit Kit said about Jon killing Dany “feeling right”, I just don’t know. That hope I had for the spinoff is definitely crushed, I can’t say that it’s not. Is it crushed completely? Probably not, because I’m a fucking idiot and even with the leaks of 8x05, I still went into watching that episode hoping Dany wouldn’t burn down King’s Landing. That’s just the kind of dumbassery my pea brain participates in. 

The pea brain is scrambling to rationalize everything at the moment. Excuses such as “well, it’s what he said in all his official interviews when the season first came out, all the things he was “forced” to say, but it still differs from things he’s said in less formal settings” and “when asked who he thought should have been King of the Seven Kingdoms, he said he thought it should be Jon Snow even though in the past he’s said he didn’t think Jon should be King because it didn’t suit his character so he’s clearly just saying random shit to please the audience...” Kit also said his favorite season was S2 because there were more character moments so was that a secret dig at everything that went on in later seasons without outright saying he hated them? He also said he was “shell shocked” (yeah, we fucking know, we know he went to goddamn rehab about it) when at the table read and found out Jon kills Dany. He said Ned Stark would not have approved of him killing Dany. He said he hoped Jon would be able to find love again but also said he thought Jon would have issues being in another relationship because of his trauma from what happened with Dany and Ygritte. 

All of which just seems....all over the place. 

Was killing Dany right? Or is Kit’s real opinion what he speculated would have been Ned’s opinion on the situation? Should Jon find love again or is he too fucked up for love? Should Jon have been King or is it not appropriate for the type of character he is? What are the real answers, Kit??

People are also saying that, as with previous GOT panels, everything here was rehearsed / the questions were definitely vetted, meaning the answers may have been rehearsed / pre-written too. But if HBO execs are vetting questions and telling Kit what to say, are they basing his answers on only the previous series or do they write his answers according to what Kit and GRRM have planned for the spinoff. And if the former and not the latter, does that mean none of what Kit said is how he actually feels and therefore should not be taken as a sign of what’s to come for the spinoff..................? 

You would think that a question about the spinoff would have been NUMBER 1 on the questioners’ priority list but no one asked / Kit said nothing about it (which is ODD considering most people speculated that HBO would use this as an opportunity to officially announce that the spinoff was happening, considering, what the fuck else was the purpose of Kit even being there, if not to build up hype for his new show?) 

I’m rambling. Fuck it, I’ll ramble. And I’ll just say, I don’t think his answer about Jon killing Dany was entirely his own and that it was probably pre-written for him by the HBO marketing team who wouldn't give a fuck about the audience’s opinions on Dany. Of course Kit would have to say Dany needed to die after murdering nearly a million people in a single day, or of course the marketing department would make him say that, as they don’t want people thinking, hey, we and our actors are cool with mass murder, even if it’s fictional.  

Am I still upset about what Kit said? Absolutely. Do I think the answer was all his own? Not entirely. Do I think this means anything for the plot of the Jon Snow spinoff? Entirely up in the air. Will the pea brain still have hope for this spin off? Possibly. Even if I believed Kit did answer entirely honestly and that he thought Jon killing Dany “felt right” for their ending together, I still can’t fathom what a Jon Snow spinoff would be about if it didn’t somehow involve her being resurrected. It’s still a limited series. Jon still has fuck all to do up at the Wall with 0 character plot intrigue. Even if they did a “hey, the Night King and the White Walkers aren't really gone,” I don’t know how it would work without Dany. Maybe that’s wishful thinking. Maybe Kit would pull the ultimate beyond ultimate of betrayals and have Drogon return and make Jon his new rider as many Dany haters have speculated....?

Who knows? Whatever. I’m still rambling. I’m all over the place. We have nothing new to obsess over so I will be thinking about this for far longer than is necessary and reading into it far more than is necessary for something that, again, was probably just some generic bullshit written by some marketing intern. 

[tequila-solar-storm]

Mean anons know where the door is :/

So excited to know there'll be more kinich coming from you! As I'm —way rapidly thought I will— descending into a kinich obsession, It's clear that yours truly is my favorite characterization of him. I don't know how you manage to capture his cold attitude and the way he's at the same time so incredibly caring. He just hits all the right spots. I've reread your fic a second time and is just, perfection. I think I can ramble about it all day lmao

Do you have any Kinich HC you're willing to share?

—🌻

Awwww anon you’re going to inflate my ego way too much!! 😆 I’m incredibly happy to know that you enjoy my depiction of Kinich! Receiving kind comments from people like you just makes me so ridiculously happy!!

Regarding headcanons, I honestly have too many to count! So here are some listed under the cut! NSFT + Spoilers for Kinich’s character stories!

For general headcanons, I think it’s funny if Kinich genuinely didn’t like Grainfruit. He can eat it if needed, as he’s not one to waste food, but he prefers not to. So whenever he goes out with Mualani and Kachina he’s pawning off his Grainfruit to Kachina, since it seems Mualani doesn’t like vegetables.

Imagine being like, twelve, and your two adult friends are just dumping their not-corn on you HAHAHAHA Mualani’s going to make a bunch of excuses like “It’ll help you grow up Kachina!!!” While Kinich just flatly says “I don’t want it.”

While Kinich is not one for initiating affection, I do think Elder Leik is an exception to that rule! Kinich is surprisingly affectionate with the elder and would crash at said elder’s house whenever he’s in the area!

Before he leaves, he’ll make sure to give Leik a hug and kiss first! He does it all with his trademark poker face, but the love is evident!! On a side note, Genshin Wiki please make a page for the dad that stepped up already! (Yes, Elder Leik is his dad now. No I do not accept criticism. His birth dad can rot at the bottom of the cliff he died in)

Wholesomeness aside, onto the raunchier stuff!

Did Kinich fuck half the male population in the tribe? At this point, probably yes. Leik’s fully aware of his son’s habits and is just shaking his head. But oh well, as long as Kinich is happy and safe! (The former? Definitely. The latter? Eeeeh…)

The tribe’s general relationship with him is so complicated it’s hilarious. When it comes to wanting to fuck Kinich’s brains out, there’s three camps.

Camp One is where our dear nameless warriors from ‘More’ falls in. They’re the ones who find Kinich’s frigidity endearing. They love his cool demeanour and want nothing more than to watch it fall apart! They’re the rare Kinich fans who love him for who he is!

Kinich’s probably conflicted about Group One. They’re acquaintances at best, since he wouldn’t consider any of them to be his friends despite sleeping with them, and he finds their enthusiasm for him pretty surprising. He’s super flattered though! So he’s not sure whether he should accept their love or not…

Meanwhile, Camp Two is the biggest and also the funniest. It’s the ‘I hate him so much I want to absolutely humiliate him with my dick’ gang. It contains all those who guiltily/angrily masturbate to the thought of ruining him every night. They’re the ones who scoff and criticise Kinich yet immediately jump at the opportunity to fuck his brains out.

Sex is more of a power thing with them. Kinich finds these guys the most fun, since they’re usually the roughest and are out to brutalise him. Except he hasn’t found anyone who was actually successful in ruining him yet HAHAHA

Camp Three is the most mature in which they acknowledge both his shortcomings and strengths. Sex happens to fall in the latter category, so why not indulge in it? It’s the group that even if they don’t like him, they’ll leave their gripes out of bed. Kinich finds them the most boring, but also the most respectable!

I don’t think Kinich would have any particular kinks aside from ROUGH ROUGH ROUGH. If anything, he enjoys them all! So long as his partner(s) can leave him feeling like he got run over by a Long-Necked Rhino, he’s fine with anything. Rope? Sure! Whips? Sure! Group stuff? Sure! All in all, Kinich’s just a delight to be with. Poker faced slut who’s also super wholesome at the same time!!

How long he stays after the deed itself depends on his partner(s) performance(s). If the man sucks, he has no qualms running off immediately after he blows his load. If Kinich happens to encounter some sex guru, however, he’s staying and cuddling him till morning! That’s an easy way to gauge how one performed, I guess?

Anyways, thank you so much for the ask! I had a blast writing these!!

[morrigan-sims]

women of the fifth crusade

I'm still going strong on my P:WotR obsession, so take some sim-ified versions of my PC Reda, Ember (& Soot!!), Seelah, and Arueshalae.

(Reference art for the 3 NPCs plus my ramblings under the cut.)

Ember's turned out by far the best and is nearly perfect, but I don't think any of them are bad per se. I couldn't find a hair that was perfect for Arueshalae, and something about Seelah's face shape / facial features is bugging me, but I can't figure out exactly what it is. Reda's not perfect either but I don't really have a reference pic for her, so this is the best I can do, seeing as I can't really visualize things in my head at all.

I was gonna make Woljif and Queen Galfrey too, if not also Camellia and Sosiel, but I ran out of steam. I'll probably make them eventually, though. I also want to make full edits of them. (Maybe tarot card edits?!?!) I wish I that I could do Lann justice in the sims, but given his appearance that's more or less impossible. Which is sad, since Reda married him in my gameplay.

For people who aren't familiar with the game, here's a quick rundown with minimal spoilers:

Ember: child/teenage witch who nearly got burned at the stake, but still wholeheartedly believes that anyone and everyone can be good, even demons. Tries to convince a Demon Lord that she can redeem herself. Absolute sweetheart, must be protected at all costs, but also can be slightly terrifying.

Seelah: human paladin who started out as an orphan thief. Saw a paladin die saving people and decided to devote her life to the Crusade. Calls herself dumb and good for nothing, carrying immense amounts of guilt and refuses to acknowledge her successes.

Arueshalae: succubus ranger who turned her back on the Abyss, leaving behind an abusive relationship in the process. (Heavily implied former sex worker, also.) Wants to do good. Gets excited about gaining the ability to dream, seeing it as a sign that she's losing her evil for good.

Oh, and Reda is turning into an angel, hence the wings and halo. (Both of which she actually has in-game at this point.)

I can't express my love for this game. In some ways I like it better than bg3. If you've finished bg3 and you're looking for something else to play, give P:WotR a try, I beg you. It's SO GOOD. The graphics aren't as beautiful as bg3, and there's not nearly as much character customization, but the story is amazing, the NPCs are awesome, and the gameplay is very interesting!! The Mythic Path system blows me away and I wish more games had something like it. Also, if you wish bg3 was longer, you're in luck! P:WotR goes all the way to level 20 (technically level 30 if you count the 10 mythic levels), and a completionist playthrough could take you 200 hours. Also, there's I think 7 or 8 basic difficulty settings, plus the ability to customize literally every setting under the sun. If you're a fan of the real-time combat in something like Dragon Age, that's an option too. I am on my knees begging people to play this game, but I'll shut up for now.

[tornadoeffect]

Hello, Tumblr.com!

Finally decided to make a side blog dedicated to one of my favourite games of all time!! So... hi!

This is a side blog where I'll mainly be posting my thoughts and analyses of LIS, primarily the 1st game but also the prequel BTS as I believe you can't fully analyse the former without the latter. I have many thoughts and ramble a lot ™ so expect fairly text posts.

I'd love to receive asks to engage with fellow fans or have writing prompts, so don't be shy about sending me something :]

Now for some extra (still relevant) info for anyone interested:

𖦹About me𖦹

Call me by my username, an abbreviation of it, or anything you'd like tbh

Lesbian from France, Ukraine, Tunisia and the UK

I've been obsessed with LIS 1 since it came out in 2015

My favourite character is Max Caulfield <3

Currently mainly studying Economics and Mathematics (but deep down an English Literature fan)

𖦹Useful info𖦹

Pricefield has always been the OTP for me, but I'm also a multishipper and can respect/see the appeal in ships I'm not interested in

Bae>Bay fan, but love both endings regardless

I have barely any sympathy for Nathan. I think he's a great character, but otherwise I'm a hater lol

Complicated feelings about BTS and Rachel Amber (mainly execution)

I think Warren is a bit creepy, but ultimately a good friend and decent dude

Not super excited for the new game tbh?? At least not anymore?

I will occasionally reblog LIS art and such, but otherwise will try to keep this blog focused on rambles :}

[thekrows-nest]

*angst ask* 🎻 How would Krow deal with major incompatibilities? If he found out Dove had some personal qualities he really didn't like, or lacked the ones he did.

Like... Dove has no ass. Flat as a pancake. They're allergic to mangoes, a picky eater, or can't handle spice/eat any of his favourite foods in general. They're always doing Stupid White People Shit. They're too afraid of planes and crowds to ever go to India with him. Don't express affection openly/the right way. They're always too tired to do things with him. They're aroace and don't like to be touched. Don't want kids. Oblivious slow walker. Shallow about height. Anish Kapoor fan or doesn't like/do art. Afraid of birds. They're BRITISH.

If they were all of the above or enough to be a poor fit would Krow reconsider his crush, never develop one, or not falter in his obsession? And if he still liked Dove anyway... would it be because he had learned to like them as a person enough to overcome their annoying quirks?

Or would he just be idealizing them out of pure denial and rose tinted Yansanity?

Krowspiracy once again asking the hard questions where I gotta go find my two remaining brain cells and rub them together. /silly

I'm gonna put my response under a read more since I will probably ramble.

I love that one of the sticklers is "flat ass, just a pancake" lmao. If that was the only thing, it'd be a non issue. Krow isn't THAT superficial when it comes to Dove's features.

The mango allergy. That's something Dove can't help, so he's not going to give them a hard time. He won't have mango's or such around them, only eat them occasionally and warn them when he's had some so they know not to kiss him or such if the allergy is THAT severe. This goes in line some with the "can't tolerate spice/eat his favorite foods in general". Some people just can't and Krow can work with that.

As far as being a picky eater... that depends. If it's something he could work with, he would try to gently coach Dove into trying new and different foods. But if it's being a picky eater more in lines of Dove is autistic, then that's something he knows Dove can't really help or control, and would do his best to be patient in regards. Krow probably would get annoyed at times in private, since food IS important to him, but he'd recognize that is a him problem and not a Dove problem.

Some of the other things, we're getting more into things that could give Krow pause. By Stupid White People Shit are we talking like just mild accidentally doesn't recognize own privilege but you point it out and they correct themselves and apologize but you gotta remind them. Or do they almost revel in the fact they're a Stupid White Person? The former Krow can work with. The latter... Uhh... I'll touch on that a bit more later.

Dove being afraid of planes and unable to go to India with him would be a huge bummer to him. He would want to go WITH Dove. Perhaps they can save up for a cruise instead? Or perhaps Krow can get secure enough to go by himself. This bit is not necessarily a deal breaker regardless.

Now we're really getting into like, 'could/would Krow actually continue to love such a person' territory. Being too tired to do things with him would be okay... at first. While Krow is patient, he does have limits. It'd especially be hurtful if Dove is only 'too tired' to do things with him. He'd really start to... question things. And depending, he COULD spiral into more yandere delusional dangerous territory.

Affection expressed differently can be worked with. That's just something to have a conversation about. Same in regards to Dove being aro and/or ace.

Being a slow walker/shallow about height isn't really a deal breaker. The walking Krow can deal with but he WILL eventually get bothered if Dove goes on about his height/their height difference and talk to them of it.

The not wanting kids though. Ooof. That COULD be a deal breaker. The kids do NOT have to be biological, nor does he feel a need to have many. But he would like a kid. He wouldn't force or manipulate or coerce Dove into having a kid. But this would give him so much to think about. To consider.

Not liking art and/or birds is also something serious to Krow. Both are extremely important to him. Being scared of birds is one thing, but if it wasn't fear and dislike... Eeeeeee. And not liking art. Also eeeeeee.

The absolute worst though is being an Anish Kapoor fan and/or British though. /silly

I think in all. If Dove only had one or two of these things, Krow would work with them. Continue to obsess over love them. But having too many or gods above ALL these quirks? I'm not going to be unrealistic and say that Krow WOULDN'T have significant pause. Yes he's a yandere, but he's still a person with his own likes, quirks, interests and so on. He was still his own self before meeting Dove.

I THINK if it was too many incompatible things... Krow's obsession would waver and wane. Krow is patient, he is tolerant. But he has limits.

If it was only a few, if it was only a few... annoyances or quirks. Then Krow can learn to work with Dove about them. Learn to still love them as Dove. Warts and all.

...Ooooorrrr fall down the yan rabbit hole and become increasingly delusional and idealizing them into a person that doesn't truly exist and into the cage they go.

[persephonescottage]

EXES PAST: Year 3.

Pairing: Billy RussoxFem!Reader.

Summary: Corrupt Benjamin March.

Warning: References to sexual situations, violence, blood, mutilation, trauma, swearing, obsessive thoughts, possessiveness, kidnapping, stalking, manipulation, violence, gaslighting and other triggers I will include as we go along, please only read if you’re 18+.

If any of this warnings trigger you please don’t read.

&

Gift giving, hot cocoa and pine trees everywhere. Billy wasn’t a big fan of the holidays but if it meant he’d see you at the Castle’s Christmas party he was all in.

Even if his baseball team lost and now he had to wear the stupid sweater Karen got him last year.

As soon as he stepped in the Greenwich house he looked for you, the warmth blushing his face, still some snow on the shoulders of his coat from the outside weather.

“I can’t believe you’re here!” Karen said excited jumping to hug him and Billy knew she had a little too much eggnog already. “I thought you wouldn’t come cause of the sweater. Oh my God look at the sweater!”

She points as she rambles to Frank who is next to her and Billy looks down at his outfit. A red sweater with a three dimensional Christmas wreath and a plush reindeer coming out of it. 

He couldn’t even turn sideways safely without knocking someone over with it and God knows he wasn’t gonna let anybody know it sang jingle bells if you pressed the nose.

“I hate you.” He said simply taking his his coat off.

“No you don’t! You love me, that’s why you’re wearing it.” She smiled.

“Well I’m a man of my word.”

“Come on in.” Frank said this time, his lips in a line trying not to giggle “Let’s get you drunk so you’ll let us press the nose.”

As he followed his friends he scanned the room. Karens news paper friends and some old marines popped from the corners of the home but not you.

“She did come.” Frank whispers to him as soon as they reach the kitchen island that’s covered in half drunk bottles and people mingling around. 

“I don’t know who you’re talking about.” Billy smiles in complicity.

“Sure Bill.” Franks sarcasm makes Billy laugh “She’s outside with her boyfriend, he’s a smoker.”

Oh right, the boyfriend. 

Billy had learned his lesson with the lizard king, you would never surprise him with a boyfriend ever again. 

Keeping tabs on you was complicated, you were a social butterfly but thankfully he had a never drying fountain of gossip in Karen and he’d often got Frank to grumpily drop tips on you.

He also hacked your phone, email and social media.

Again, you’d never catch him off guard and this was a fun one to crack.

Benjamin March was a well known man around New York. Partner in one of the city’s top legal firms he had made a name for himself with a file of high profile clients. Most of them politics and men of influence.

And he would always win.

Red flag number one.

He married a former Miss North Carolina whom he divorced about a year before and who he left practically on the streets alleging a horribly balanced prenup.

Poor girl, at least she was pretty.

Red flag number two.

Late night at his office after ANVIL was completely empty a few nights before Billy tried to convince himself he’d only intervene in your relationship if Benjamin March had all three strikes against him.

As if he really needed a single reason to murder a man just to get you all to himself.

Luckily for Billy he found the third strike, and it was a big one. The big kahuna of dirt he had now saved in a usb drive that was burning his pants pocket.

He couldn’t wait.

His hands vibrating with anticipation when you walked inside all by yourself, taking a shot Karen offered you on sight.

“Nice sweater Bill.” You press your lips together trying not to laugh and he smiles at you.

It’s all he can do.

“Merry Christmas angel. Not following the rules I see.” He says pointing at your outfit. “We agreed, no mini skirts. They make me nervous and you know it.”

“Well we also said no cozy looking sweaters.” You can’t hide the laugh after the sarcastic comment.

“If this makes you horny you have some serious issues.” 

His laugh is interrupted by a man about a foot taller than you. His arm twisting around your torso in a possessive way.

There’s a fruity smell lingering from him and Billy wants to puke. 

This man vapes?

As if he needed a fourth red flag, he thinks.

Billy introduces himself, a proud smirk on his face when Benjamin admits he already knows who he is, reassuring his status.

It takes a while before Karen pulls you to her, the motion lifting your skirt a little too much for Billy’s sanity and then you disappear with the blonde off to meet some of her friends.

It even feels orchestrated when somehow he is left alone in the kitchen with Benjamin March, the closes person holding their drunken state on a column of the dining room.

But Billy isn’t worried about Karen’s drunken co-workers and he wastes no time on handling the lawyer the usb from his pocket, releasing the speech of accusations he had prepared.

It’s not surprising when the man doesn’t deny Billy’s accusations.

Benjamin March had been helping elite men get away with fraud, murder and other crimes that made Billy’s stomach turn.

But he didn’t look remotely sorry.

Maybe a little sorry he had been caught when Billy hands him the incriminating proof, it’s all there, pictures, documents and audios, served in a silver platter that can lock the lawyer up for a long time.

Billy isn’t sure he’d ever been more offended than when Benjamin offers him money for his silence.

As if he wanted his disgusting money.

“What do you want then?” Benjamin seems more annoyed than worried.

“I want you to break up with her.”

“Fuck man! You went through all this trouble for some pussy?” He mocks. 

He has no idea.

“You got a deal. She’s all yours.”

He agrees without even thinking twice and Billy wants to break his jaw for talking about you as something so disposable.

They fine tune the details and Billy wishes to tell him he has no interest in pursuing his downfall after he breaks up with you.  Then he’ll become just another corrupt lawyer in New York City and he couldn’t care less.

And when March finally decides to leave he makes sure he makes himself even more punchable.

“Hit me up if you ever need a lawyer.” 

&

“Maybe you should have some water angel.”

Did he tell Benjamin March to break up with you?

Yeah.

Did he tell him to do it right now at this very party in front of other people?

No!

For a lawyer he had no common sense and now Billy had a very drunk girl half crying half laughing on the Castle’s couch.

He eyed you quickly, trying to miss the way your legs shine under the low lights of the home when the red skirt you wore rises up.

He couldn’t tonight. You were drunk and sad and he didn’t want you like this but you seemed determined to get him though.

“Man I really was smart with the no sweater rule. You look so cute!” 

He looks down at the cursed sweater wanting to laugh with you, but you don’t, you seem serious about it.

You’re holding what seems to be your tenth shot of tequila and giving him those flirty eyes he often saw in his head during his jerk off sessions.

There’s barely anyone left at the party and it would be so easy to get you in one of the rooms and lift that tiny scrap off fabric you call an outfit.

Stop.

There’s a big red stop sign going on loop in his head, not only was this his best friends home, your cheeks were bright pink from the intoxication and life was so unfair to him.

The one time you wanna fuck it’s because you’re drunk.

“We should get you home angel.”

He didn’t need to say it twice and you hold yourself clumsily up the couch using a sleeping Karen as a prop while Billy grabs your coat.

“Can you stay with me tonight Bill? Please I don’t want to be alone.”

He’s doing his best to be good, helping you put on your coat and your voice is so tiny and cute as you beg him standing by the Castle’s front door.

Again, life was so unfair.

He nods immediately anyway, his body betraying his reason and before he knows it he’s driving towards your apartment.

He has to help you walk into the elevator when you arrive since even in the state you are you refuse to take your heels off and something tells him you’re not as drunk as you pretend to be when you hold on to his bicep, resting your face of his chest in the elevator saying you’re dizzy.

As soon as you enter your home you disappear down a hallway and Billy looks around. It smells powdery and sweet just like you and he wants to fuck you on your pink couch.

But he won’t.

Instead he marches to your kitchen, opening the fridge to gather ingredients for a sandwich the he offers you as soon as you walk back out of your room wearing tiny cream short pajamas with polka dots on them.

“Aren’t you coming to bed?”

Your voice sounds innocent but he knows better. You’re gonna be the death of him.

“Here, eat this.” He ignores your request handing you the plate “It’ll help your stomach after all that tequila.”

“But I’m not hungry!” 

“I didn’t ask. Eat.” 

He barks a command as he would one of his soldiers even when he knows he has no power here. 

Not after you sit on the counter of the kitchen, your legs slightly spread and a force of gravity pushes him to walk in between them. 

You’re taking your time to chew and you look tired but the bread seems to be absorbing the alcohol just fine.

“I just don’t get it.”

“Get what?”

“Why boys keep breaking up with me. No one takes me seriously, no one wants me. I’m good enough to fuck but not enough to be a girlfriend.”

Billy can feel his heart shrinking with your statement and he wishes he could tell you that they do want you. All of them do. In fact he had to use violence and threats to get rid of a couple already.

But he gives you a warm smile instead, using his fingertips to put some of your hair behind your ear.

“Maybe you should stop dating assholes.”

That didn’t come out as comforting as he wanted to and you sigh and use your forearm to move him from that sacred place between your thighs, getting off the counter.

He tried his best to ignore the jiggle of your curves as you do but he can feel the zipper of his pants tightening.

“I can’t finish it” you say, a yawn escaping your mouth.

“Fine.” Billy sighs, taking the half eaten sandwich from your fingers “But have some more water.”

“Hey, I didn't mean to force you to stay with me tonight, I’m sorry. Thank you for driving me but you can go if you want.”

‘Leave dickhead’ his head screams ‘It’s time for you to leave’

“I can stay a while.”

The voice in Billy’s head throws it’s hands in the air in exasperation.

“Okay.” Your reply is a whisper but there’s a small smile on your lips.

Billy wishes he had kept the moment cute, but he can’t help his gaze to skim over your body, the outline of your nipples through the tiny cotton top. You adjust the strap on it and Billy looks away, afraid you caught him staring. 

“I know this is stupid but I like having you here.” You admit toying with your own fingers in a nervous state “I feel safe.”

Billy knows you mean it as a compliment but the sudden image of all the dangers of the city surrounding you made him anxious. Did you not feel safe when you were alone?

“How long have you been living by yourself?”

“A while. Since Karen moved out.”

That’s a long time. Too long.

You turn to walk towards what seems to be your bedroom and he makes sure he leaves a space between your bodies. He’s not sure if he does it so you know he won’t be creepy tonight or because he wants to watch your ass jiggle with each step.

He wants you to sit on his face.

But you’ve been drinking. You’re not falling down drunk but you’re still drunk.

“Billy?” You call to him from inside the bedroom.

Maybe a little make out session wouldn’t be the end of the world, he thinks. 

But that’s it.

There’s a rustling of fabric as he steps into the room and sees you crawl into bed. The sight of you shimmying into the blankets, hair spread on the pillow, waiting for him steals his breath.

He can feel your gaze burning into him and Billy has a sudden urge to flex his muscles, to show off, that until he figures you’re actually staring at his sweater.

Damn that singing reindeer.

“I’ll take it off.” He laughs.

“I actually like it.”

You’re on the right side of the bed, lying on your side facing him. Leaving a space in your bed for him.

“Would you stay for a while longer?” You ask.

“Sure angel.” 

“Sorry, you don’t have to, it was dumb of me to ask. I can walk you out if you’d like to go.”

“No, I’d like to stay. I can’t stay the whole night but I’ll stay a little more.”

Billy doesn’t elaborate why, because the why is simply that he won’t be able to control himself sleeping next to your soft body. If he was still there in the morning there was zero chance he wouldn’t fuck you.

“You should rest a little then, before you drive home.”

Your hand is touching the spot next to you on the mattress and Billy gulps.

“You worried about me angel?”

“I’m worried about the other drivers. I’ve seen you drive.”

Your laugh fills the dim light room and it seems to make it easier for him to get closer to the bed, sinking his knee on the soft surface.

“Sorry I don’t have anything your size to put on.”

“Put on?”

“To get comfy. Like pajamas.”

He nods like it was obvious what she meant, but why had his brain gone straight to condoms?

“I suppose you could just… take your pants off.”

Yes.

Yes he could do that.

His body is fighting a battle of mind against dick and he waits for his conscience to win. To tell him to keep his pants on and to walk out the front door, but it never does.

Pants off it is then.

And that god awful sweater while he’s at it.

Standing there in your bedroom in his white under t-shirt and blue briefs Billy realized he’d take whatever punishment the universe threw his way for getting in bed with you in that state, even if you just slept next to him.

He was going to hell anyway.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Radley Balko at The Watch:

For all the talk of Project 2025 and the debate over whether it is or is not a roadmap for a second Trump term (it definitely is), you don’t really need to delve through a 900-page document to find potentially catastrophic proposals that, in a sane world, would be disqualifying for any major party candidate. You can just look at what Trump has said himself. What’s sobering is just how many such promises he has made. He proposes about a dozen things in every speech that would have doomed any other candidate early in the primaries. Some of these promises have been well-covered. But some he throws out almost as an aside, and given the rambling, string-of-consciousness nature of his speeches, they don’t get nearly as much attention.

So I want to take a more in-depth look at some of the more destructive policies Trump has promised his followers. Today, we’ll start with one of the most gobsmackingly ignorant proposals to ever escape the lips of a major party candidate: Trump’s vow to withhold federal funding for any school that requires students to be vaccinated. This policy wouldn’t be limited to the COVID vaccine. He’s talking about all vaccines. Here he is on Saturday, speaking at a rally in Minnesota: “I will not give one penny to any school that has a vaccine mandate.” This has been a long time coming.

Trump is the most boastful man in American politics. He takes credit for things others did, things he actually opposed, and things that never happened. But since leaving office, Trump has stopped taking credit for one of the few unquestionably laudable achievements of his administration — facilitating the rapid discovery, approval, manufacture, and delivery of the COVID vaccine. The vaccine has saved millions of lives. Its effectiveness and the speed at which it was brought to the public is one of the most miraculous scientific achievements of our time. Yet Trump didn’t mention it in his acceptance speech at the RNC. He rarely mentions it at all anymore. This is because vaccine denialism has swallowed the right whole. Trumpism is a cult of personality. There’s almost nothing he can say that his fans won’t thirstily lap up. Vaccines are the exception. Here, for example, is Trump getting booed in Alabama after telling rally attendees that they should get vaccinated.

[...] Vaccine conspiracism was once the province of hippies, far-left wellness zealots and technophobes, Christian Scientists, and libertarian off-the-grid types. It’s now a mainstream position in the Republican Party. The political right’s six year slide into vaccine denialism is perhaps the most striking and destructive examples of how the bizarre obsessions of an rich, eccentric old man who has long lived in a bubble of yes-men merged with the fierce devotion of his increasingly radical supporters to mainstream ideas that had once been properly shunted to the far fringe.

Trump himself has long dabbled in vaccine skepticism. But by the time he announced for president in 2015 he at least seemed to realize this was a fringe position that made him look like a loon to moderate voters. The pandemic changed all of that. When COVID first hit, Trump played down the threat, not for deep-rooted ideological reasons, but for purely selfish ones — he didn’t want to be blamed for it. So he discouraged testing, interfered with the distribution of tests, and pressured the CDC to change its testing guidelines. This undoubtedly resulted in infected people remaining ignorant of their status, then infecting others. It undoubted caused unnecessary deaths.

[...] This COVID skepticism almost immediately bled into sowing fear about a possible vaccine, even before it was clear that a vaccine was possible. Once it was clear a vaccine was coming, Trump pushed back on the conspiracists, rightly defending the coming vaccine and his record in accelerating its approval. But with Biden in the White House, Trump has been increasingly willing to entertain vaccine conspiracists. He occasionally defended his record, such as when he directly confronted Candace Owens in December 2021 about her absurd claim that the vaccine was killing people. But six months earlier, he was telling parents that they shouldn’t vaccinate their kids. Trump has now completely capitulated to his base. He admitted as much last year in an interview with Brett Baier. When Baier asked Trump why he no longer touts his role in expediting the vaccine, Trump replied, “I really don’t want to talk about it, because, as a Republican, it’s not a great thing to talk about.” The RFK, Jr. campaign recently shared a video in which Trump told Kennedy in a phone call that he shares Kennedy’s vaccine nuttery. It’s difficult to overstate the threat of Trump’s public school policy. Currently, even here in deep-red Tennessee, public schools require students to receive the vaccine for Hepatitis B; Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis; Poliomyelitis; Measles, Mumps, Rubella; Varicella; and Hepatitis A.

[...] But even if Trump isn’t able to implement his school policy, another four years of MAGA will further entrench vaccine skepticism in the Republican Party. It’s already pretty bad. In April the New Hampshire legislature passed a bill removing the requirement for a polio and measles vaccine to attend public schools. Republicans in Wisconsin, Georgia, Montana, and Iowa have tried to restrict or remove vaccine requirements for public facing government jobs, which may include public schools. Other Republican legislatures have passed or introduced bills that erode support for vaccines in other ways, such as barring state governments from advocating them. The Republican party in Lee County, Florida, wants to ban the COVID vaccine for everyone, and Montana Republicans have tried to ban people who have received the COVID vaccine from donating blood.

[...] It’s notable that a key component of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s strategy to defeat Trump in the primaries was to outmaneuver him on vaccine skepticism. So DeSantis appointed a vaccine truther as state surgeon general — who then advised against the COVID vaccine for Floridians younger than 65. DeSantis also floated the idea of appointing RFJ Jr. to a high-level position at the FDA or CDC. Trump responded in kind, amplifying a supporter who criticized DeSantis for “vaccinating more people than Trump and Fauci combined.” This is now what constitutes an attack between Republicans — “accusing” one another of vaccinating too many people from a deadly disease. Multiple studies have also shown that the Republicans’ vaccine skepticism has been killing off their own supporters. There’s a strong correlation between excess COVID deaths and Republican registration, Trump support, and viewers of Fox News — and this disparity in excess deaths widened after introduction of the vaccine.

Radley Balko wrote a solid piece in The Watch detailing Donald Trump’s reckless pandering to anti-vaxxer bozos with his “I will not give one penny to any school that has a vaccine mandate” statement. Last year was when he began to make this pitch, likely to ward off Ron DeSantis and RFK Jr., who were making major appeals to the anti-vaxxer crowd who were disgruntled with Trump.

If he wins again, it’s open season for diseases long thought to be eradicated to make a comeback.

Trump himself is vaccinated and boosted for COVID, but he has downplayed those because the few times he brought them up at the rallies, he was booed for it.

This pitch tracks with Trump’s anti-vaxxer past, especially in regards to falsely linking vaccines to autism.

[cloon-draws]

What Escaped from home au about?

Hello! I'm glad that you asked. This will contain a lot of rambling. The Escaped from Home au takes place where Puppets and Toons exist in the real world (or put it: The Au takes place in the same universe as Roger Rabbit and Bonkers). The main focus is Gen, a former Wally Darling backup puppet who managed to escape from the Playfellow Workshop a year prior to its abrupt end.

Despite being a puppet, Gen witnessed the absolute horror house known as the Playfellow Workshop. The only reason why he escaped was before everything went to hell, a puppeteer quit their job due to the mismanagement and their concern for their own mental health. the puppeteer managed to leave with a sentient Wally Darling backup, and ever since, Gen (he named himself) strides to avoid being associated with Welcome Home, the studio, and most of all: Being Wally Darling.

Welcome Home has been off the air for about 50 years, therefore Gen has witnessed the growing world and had been experiencing a whole kind of entertainment from Toons, Puppets, and everyone else in between. He's a huge fan of the 70s punk scene and knows how to wield a guitar. (He doesn't like to be labeled as "emo"). He does a lot to distance himself from being recognized as a Wally Darling. Gen also does not like to remember his times being at the Playfellow Workshop. He thought he was all alone until years later during the 50 years, he met June, a Sally Starlet backup who survived the ordeal on whatever happened at the studio is was taken by mechanics at one of Toontown's local auto repairs. She's well-customed to her community and therefore knows her way around town. It was believed that puppets are more susceptible to damage given their felt and flammable nature, however, June wants to prove them wrong.

Unlike Gen, June has a few fond memories as Sally's backup but she isn't the star of the show, June often wanders around the studio to see the busy mechanics at the workshop, being fascinated by it. She isn't as used as Gen when they were backups, therefore she treats the show as a distant memory. All fine and dandy until the duo found the website of Welcome Home and everyone who they talked to before increasing their questions on what happens with the show. That's where Gen is being forced to confront his past while, not having the same experience, June is helping him among the way. There are more characters in the thinking process but I'm getting more solid on what the "Howdy" and "Eddie's" roles will be. The former works at the Toon Communes helping out out-of-the-job entertainers while the latter works deep underneath the Toontown streets. This is what happens when I'm obsessed with the idea of being an actor au but overanalyzing what is like to be a man-made entertainer.

As a bonus, I have two playlists in the making about those two: Gen: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0NeYIs3WS6deQ26Q082IQ7?si=65eea81c8d1c432a

June: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0K9L9kuJa6UKV19GFgY6E5?si=b00c57f2c3564982

[wearevillaneve]

A thought just occurred to me...

Today makes it 294 days since the last episode of Killing Eve aired. Maybe that means something special to you. Mostly, it's another sad Sunday without your former obsessively watched television show.

But it's also the last Sunday for the WeAreVillanelle Tumblr and Instagram. Does that make me sad?

I won't lie. It does a bit. It hurts to let go of Killing Eve. It's been a big part of my life for a long time now. I only started this Tumblr so I could rant and rave and ramble about this amazing show and the amazingly talented women making it happen. I wanted to rant about Killing Eve and all the great acting, writing and directing we witnessed and how the brilliance of this unique project inspired so much art, photography, producing, writing, and other manifestations of an engaged audience of creatives and fans. Killing Eve started off as a weird little show and it spawned a weird little fandom of wonderful weirdos who loved and savored every moment when Villanelle stylishly dispatched some poor bastard and Eve raked her hands through her magnificent mane in sapphic frustration. Then it all went to hell because of the amazingly untalented women who got ahold of the show and ran it into the ground.

I alternate between still being sad about how it ended and mad over how it happened and the total unnecessity of it all. If only Neal and Gentle hadn't chosen cruelty. Villanelle was no hero but she did not need to die that way. Villanelle did not deserve to die that way. Eve didn't need to be tortured that way. WE certainly didn't need to be treated so shabbily as Laura Neal sneered, "Hello, Losers" and made Jodie Comer speak those words out of her mouth knowing within minutes it would be Villanelle herself who would be losing both her life and love. I will never forgive Neal for that. I will never forgive Sally Woodward Gentle for hiring Neal to do that. That's another reason I'm not sad these Sundays and KE are over.

I'm not sure I'm leaving the KE fandom as much as I'm not going to be actively engaging in it in the way that I have. I'm still following various KE bloggers like @anevolutionarynecessity, @agaywithcoffee and @saturnvs, among others here on Tumblr as well on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Reddit and I'm really looking forward to The Killing Eve Flip Book in February. But I need to put some space between this obsession and the rest of my time. I've loved Killing Eve and hated what was done to it long enough. Frankly, I could use a break. I need some fresh air. I need to inhale and exhale without checking my Tumblr hits first thing in the morning and last thing at night Let me shout out and say hello to my 17 new followers (and where the hell have you been until now when I'm about to close up for the night and every day and night after today?). Sorry if I'm rambling and less focused than usual. I've had a few...stimulants tonight and I'm feeling good about life despite ample reasons not to. We are ALL going through something and is only a different thing from what I'm going through.

One does not simply "leave" the Killing Eve fandom. One moves on and waits for a reason to come back.

[pacinosgf]

After Midnight Mayhems’ first split up, Barbara was nowhere to be seen. Not in Texas, not in California, couldn’t be reached through the phone: the woman had vanished from the planet. Travelling, everyone assumed, since Jim had also disappeared, and they were right. After almost two years travelling around and exploring the world, she came back home a few weeks after Brooke Wellington’s first album release. Healthier, almost totally sober and more introspective than ever and with a leatherbound notebook, every single page filled with random-seeming scribbles to anyone, Barbara didn’t want to talk to anyone. Her hidden scribbles were the idea for what would become her first and only solo album, Contemplations and Ramblings.

It would take a while to convince her to play again, though. The Robinson couple decided to get into producing, Barbara being very vehement about her desire to live peacefully and away from the spotlight, as much as she could. Being a producer and technician meant she got to spend the days analyzing (criticizing), discussing and playing music, all that safely. Why would she want to put herself on the edge again?

She kept writing, almost obsessively, even with no plans of ever returning to the other side of the recording booth. Acquaintances at the time justified her refusal by saying she didn’t want to be compared to Brooke Wellington, former bandmate and lover — the true reason was never revealed, but Contemplations and Ramblings’ production began in early 1982, after Barbara invited her closest friends to her home studio to show what she had come up with on the keyboard, a tune that would later be known as Stroke. She first intended to sell it to another artist, but ultimately changed her mind.

barbara ann: i was so excited, had just written something completely alone, something that i deeply related to. i didn’t want to see anyone else playing it, but i also didn’t want to let the lyrics rotting in my notes. so, i had to release it somehow, and i always thought that if you gotta do something, you gotta do it right.

Barbara played most of the instruments heard in the songs, including bass, keyboard and ryhtmic guitar. Jim played the drums, and any other instrument was played by session musicians. The cover was shot in her property in California, and the full shoot depicts Barbara barefoot and in a modest dress, wandering around the property, the cover clashing with the record content. Though it gained more attention and acclaim with time, Contemplations and Ramblings received modest critical acclaim and attention from the public when it was released. There was barely any promotion and it has been the said that the folk looks from the record cover and name put off a lot of fans from Midnight Mayhems. The only hit was completely unintentional: Call Her got to the top 10 of the country, allegedly written about a major celebrity at the time. In 1997, Barbara Ann told press she didn’t regret writing the album.

Barbara opens the record with Core, announcing her own return after almost four years away from the mic. Disappearing suits me, you don’t need to say it twice, she addresses before anyone else can do it, spending the next four minutes diving into her own core. She knows she is seen as a weakling now, and directly tackles the subject by confessing how much she needed time alone to be able to face herself again. Though I ruin everything / Let it crash over me / I will pick up the pieces / With no intentions to flee again. She doesn’t regret doing it, having understood that her life is for herself and herself only.

Don’t Tell Me is a sorrowful ballad about trying to start over after going through an intense heartache. The narrator pleads to remain unaware of what happened ever since the last meeting with her lover, savoring the sweet memories though conscious there’s no way of fixing the problem. And if you should ever find it in your heart to forgive me / I’m setting you free / We must go on.

In Success, Barbara sings about working hard day and night to make her dreams come true, though nobody else seems to believe. She references her days as a nurse and finishes the song with Here I am, only the tenth hour of this shift / God, if you think you have some time for me / Please, I’m working hard / For some success. It fades right to the next song, Failure, where Barb admits not being able to appreciate her success and feeling empty and angry while supposedly on the top of the world. The song starts as a drunk chat, Barbara laughing while trying to tell her story, but the tone becomes serious in the second verse. The thing is / Nothing matters when I feel like this / Empty, down and more miserable that I want her to think / All this while mistreating everyone around me / Failure is not for the weak. Both are played like traditional country songs with some rock arrangements.

The longest and most personal song of the record, Annie pictures Barbara’s life from her healthy early childhood in Houston to the present. Annie is a childhood nickname, used only by her closest friends, and by revealing that Barbara exposes a softer side of herself that she usually likes to. She talks about her marriage (And if anyone can handle me / I’m glad to say the one is Jim / Through the thick and thin / I’ve been able to trust him), and about her former lover, Brooke Wellington, also referencing her album (I threw myself into the eye of the storm / A natural disaster / I never thought I’d miss).

No one expected a song like Love Bites, but Barbara didn't think about that when she first sang Your teeth on my skin / Gentler than a kiss / I won't turn to ashes / You can bite me, setting a pun with Brooke Wellington's song Ash. She is more rational in Bait, describing the process of trying to get over an old flame when the attraction is so strong: I take care of myself / knowing I will be your bait / at the very first opportunity / Give you myself in a silver plate (...)

Playing With You and Moving On also touch the subject of an old flame, with Barbara being able to acknowledge mistakes from both sides. Bitter in Playing With You, she confesses the wish to see her lover as miserable as she feels, dropping the act and telling the truth. Still, she collects herself in Moving On, giving what may be the last step to get over the relationship: I danced in the eye of the storm / Turned to ashes and howled like a madman / I will take my blame and let you live.

Barbara returns to the topic of facing herself with Stroke, in the happiest of the record. It doesn’t matter what happens, she says, it’s a stroke of luck having myself again.

Call Her is the final track, added to the album only a month before release, forcing the album to be remade and reissued before the official date. The song describes the journey of a rising star known by her scandalous behavior, and the not so bright future it might be upon her. It’s been said that Barbara was inspired by the actress Amèlie Bergstein to write the song.

barbara ann: i was attending one of those boring celebrity parties, looking for the guy i was supposed to be making a deal with. he didn’t show up, jim was nowhere to be found, i didn’t know anyone, i was so pissed off and overwhelmed and then she enters — everybody instantly stops, like they can feel her presence. she was on tv, she was on the movies, amèlie bergstein was the biggest star you could think of. she walks into the room barely acknowledging how shocked everyone is, just smiling, greeting and making her way when she stops and looks right at me. “barbara ann, isn’t that right?”

i remember she took me to the bar and i could barely babble a sentence, even more overwhelmed than before. people were saying she’d get an oscar for black widow, it was the first time i felt so in awe in the presence of someone famous. but she was so charming, she dropped the fancy act and spoke to me in her oklahoman accent after the second sentence. mind you, i could only smile and nod! she said she loved midnight mayhems when we were together. 

my expression probably changed when she mentioned the band, and i remember she pulled me closer and told me make a new record so we’ll have nicer things to talk about. i told her i was finishing one, when i didn’t even know if i’d release it. when a woman like that demands something from you, you just accept it. i got home and started writing call her immediately.

it wasn’t the nicest song ever and i think the lyrics were too obvious and maybe even a bit rude, but people liked it and as soon as she caught up the references, she called me to go meet her and play it exclusively for her. the rest is private.

[notevenanna]

welcome to my blog 🌿

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ ani/anna. she/her. nineteen. bisexual. infj-t. literature lover. swiftie. music eater. writer. casual baker. piano and vocal novice. movie obsessed. fluffy sock enthusiast. former football hater, now loves women’s football. picture taker.

psst i looove asks, send me anything!

tag list!

#a talks🕯️: for my random ramblings/thoughts

#a answers🌷: responses to asks/anons/games

#a rants🪴: where i let off some steam sometimes

#a’s pics📷: photos that i’ve taken

#a writes🖋️: stories/things i have written

#trinkets🔖: a rock collection of posts that are special to me

my favourite things!

—movies: little women, good will hunting, portrait of a lady on fire, the dig, awakenings, never let me go, hamilton, atonement, pretty woman, nyad, anything marvel.

—tv shows: stranger things, haunting of bly manor, gilmore girls, killing eve, greys anatomy, b99, criminal minds, golden girls, the bear.

—artists: taylor swift, abba, ethel cain, gracie abrams, searows, rigby, phoebe bridgers, fleetwood mac, ldr, bon iver, billie holiday etc.

there are so many more i could add! i am also a big fan of natasha romanoff if you couldn’t tell :]

masterlist.

[thsc-stuffs]

Wait, Hold up, what are your headcanons about Billy G. And necromancy???

:O have we not talked about them before?? Long post time.

OKAY ramble time. Starting with some basics;

Billy G. IDs as panromantic, asexual, and gender non-conforming! They use she/they/he and neos!

They always had an interest in magic, and were admittedly very skilled with it for a human! He was constantly looking for more knowledge on the matter, but was very cautious of it; she knew that it could be dangerous.

They don't remember how they wound up in the clan, or much of anything from before joining. She doesn't mind, however, as what could she have had before that he doesn't have now?

He was very close with Dusty and Coudface, but primarily Dusty. She was pretty young when she joined and the clan was still fairly small, with Dusty having not hit the prime of his leadership yet. He took her under his wing and they were pretty close!

As for the necromancy... Dusty's death was inevitable, with his health rapidly deteriorating. He was old, already in his late 80s, and had accepted that his death would come sooner or later. Billy wasn't ready, however. They became obsessed with finding a way to cheat death; to keep not only Dusty alive, but maybe even the entire clan. Dusty and Cloudface grew increasingly concerned as she became reckless in her desperation, but the two were able to talk her into avoiding anything too dangerous.

When Dusty died, however, Cloudface became a husk of his former self out of grief for his husband of over 60 years. So, not only did Billy have to face the death of one father-figure, they had to watch the other all but die with the first. At this point, Cloudface becomes leader out of barely more than formality, trying to keep up the golden age his husband had started. Billy acted as his right-hand (and interpreter, as Cloudface became entirely mute) but was delving further into the art of necromancy. After Cloudface retires, Billy steps up and becomes leader, opting not to take a right hand. The clan is still in grieving for their leaders, which allows Billy's spiral to go unnoticed.

Billy had done his best to preserve Dusty's body, but technology at the time wasn't good enough to outright prevent decomposition. They were growing more and more desperate, stitching new parts to replace what was rotting, but nothing they tried was bringing him back. So, they sought out their last resort; a dragon. (Yes, she suspected that Jaques was one, but they were not a fan of her and she knew such a young hatchling living among humans wouldn't be able to help her)

He found what he was looking for, on the west cost; a wild, adult dragon willing to convene with a human. He pleaded with her to help him, and she sympathized with his story; she had lost her children, two eggs destroyed and one stolen by humans. So, she gave him the spell, and its required dragon scales and bones, and he returned to the clan to bring forth T.R.N.K.

Dusty's mind was still there, yes. But he was buried under that of the dragon whose essence had been used to revive him, and fragments of those pieces Billy had used to repair his body. T.R.N.K., or so called Trunk, was in constant agony. It couldn't communicate, couldn't function, and Dusty could only do so much to keep the amalgamation intact; a month after its revival, Trunk snapped and went on a rampage, taking multiple lives and injuring countless others. Jaques took charge as Billy broke down, rallying the panicking Toppats into trapping and destroying Trunk.

Billy knew she'd fucked up big time at this point and just... left. Ran far, far way, weaving enchantments through themself to prevent them from fading away. They had bested death and seen the consequences, but she couldn't bring herself to face her own inevitable demise. He made himself functionally immortal, but the energy it took left his body to decay as his soul slowly trickled away.

Jaques would have hunted her down and killed her for what he'd done, and they knew that. In trying to cheat death once more, they instead caused their own fall.

[fabdante]

7, 12, and 42 for fic asks

Thank you for the ask!! 💖 (questions from this ask meme here)

7. Any worldbuilding you’re particularly proud of?

This is a really good one because I like...love worldbuilding. I love expanding on a world in a fan fic. So there's a lot of worldbuilding I've done I'm really happy with! However a lot of it I haven't written about in published fics. And I don't want to ramble about specific headcanons too long, because I can and I will ramble about specific headcanons too long sdfghjk.

In general I'm really happy with the way I've chosen to characterize the world of the DmC reboot. I like Limbo City as this former industrial capital that's on a downslide where it feels like you could meet a burnt out angel on the failing subway. I feel like half of my motivation in wanting to start sharing reboot fic has been because I've just really come to love the world and how the characters interact with it. I also really liked playing around with how the demon realm works with each ring and it's respective ruler, since its implied there are other rings and other kings down there.

I also really love playing with Zelda's world in general. I like how a lot of the time the fandom treats the games as a mythos, because it allows for a lot of fun world building. But I've posted even less about any of that so I won't ramble too much. In general, though, I love a fantasy world that I can play around with.

12. Are there any tropes you used to dislike but have grown on you?

I've thought about this one for a long time but I can't think of any honestly.

I feel like the closest answer I might have is slow burn? Because I feel like when I was a younger writer I found slow burns annoying? But also I feel like I always liked slow burns in other works and now I don't even know how to classify the burn temperature of a lot of what I like to read and write so maybe slow burn. I definitely love a slow burn.

42. Have you ever received a comment that particularly stood out to you for whatever reason?

I had someone on Detours refer to the vibe it had as similar to a sleep over and I loved that. And on Pinky Promise, I had a lovely fandom friend refer to Vergil and Kat as 'the statue that admires the painting' and I'm obsessed with that. (Also literally anyone who has ever said anything about Crossroads of Catharsis and Contemplation, really the fact anyone at all looked at that fic means a lot to me so anyone saying anything about it stood out to me and made my day)

Also one time one of my beloved friends told me something akin to 'I can feel I'm going to need floor time after this one', it was very kind of them sdfghj

[koopzilla]

It's kind of weird King Boo likes to possess suits of you, huh?

//So I don't know if Bowser would actually be aware of that battle unless Mario or Luigi talked to him about it. Even so, by bringing this up, you stepped on the hidden Bowser space! So now I'm going to ramble about old Luigi's Mansion theories and headcanons that I used to subscribe to and wish was pushed more in the newer ones! Aren't you lucky? Under a read more just cuz it got long.

Namely, I love the ole King Boo is Bowser theory. The fortune teller ghost relays a warning of King Boo, but does not go much further than that. Then her last reading warns that Bowser is in the mansion. She then states this is not possible as the Koopa King was soundly defeated by Mario. It sounds like Bowser is gone, but now this new King Boo has come out of nowhere and started causing trouble--

This new King Boo, of course, because there have always been two main renditions of the character. The red-eyed villain of Luigi's Mansion has only been seen in those games. Every rendition of King Boo that has Bowser alive at the same time is that black-eyed one with the regular crown. Thus, they either both exist at the same time, or the King Boo in Luigi's Mansion exists in a timeline where Bowser no longer lives.

King Boo pilots a Bowser suit in the final boss. This concept has been done to death in Mario, from tanooki tails, to mechas, to cardboard replicas-- so I could certainly see someone else in the series doing it. However, its way more fun to presume that King Boo has summoned his discarded body. The suit looks exactly like the real thing, which is where all those replicas fall short-- its quite easy to tell all of them are fake Bowsers. King's Boo's Bowser does not show any obvious flaw however, other than its head popping off like the Headless Horseman's. That is a potential cause of death: there is always an axe at the end of the level... It also continues on when the head pops off, but without King Boo inside, the suit's head becomes soulless and loses its eyes.

I enjoy the theory because it adds a lot to King Boo's objectives. For one, he seems completely obsessed with vengeance against Mario. Despite Luigi now being his main rival, he always wants Mario captured. If Mario is the one who soundly defeated him, his persistence becomes purposeful: he wants revenge on the guy who ended him. Otherwise, King Boo references all the trouble Mario caused him in the past. Once again, Bowser would be Mario's most common rival and he'd quite literally carry his grudge to the grave.

Thus, I do wish Luigi's Mansion as a series would have pushed this potential origin a bit more. Have Bowser get more of his undead troops involved as time went on-- like Dry Bones. They could visit the remains of his former castle as a mansion! Have him reanimate the bones that remain of his body: Dry Bowser. Even make him say more lines about things Bowser might have known about Luigi in life. Taunt the being stuck in his brother's shadow all the time-- tell him to turn on Mario. Tell him he's seen him suffering as player 2.

Also, I enjoy the theory because it opens the door to his cameo in Bayonetta. His limbs can be summoned through the wicked weaves. Since this ability calls upon demons in Inferno, it could imply he's died and carried on in death. You could even be ridiculous, as it is said King Boo was revived by Madame Gravely, who is built a bit like Bayonetta's witches and may be a fan of him for that. Now we pushing to the extremes, and I think E. Gadd actually says he just sold King Boo's portrait at a garage sale, but whatever this is headcanon heaven I enjoy headcanons going wild sometimes.

tl;dr: I am kinda glad King Boo and Bowser have never been shown meeting one another. A verse where Bowser died and haunts Mario purely for revenge gives King Boo and Bowser that little extra edge I enjoy them having. Nintendo, give us interesting lore to theorize about in the Mario world please I'm dying over here.

[thesummerstorms]

So I didn't start reading comics as a kid.

(lots of rambling beneath the cut, though having just finished after writing, maybe the take away is 'N52 was not actually inviting as someone trying to get into comics for the first time'.)

At one point in high school I had some Green Arrow/Black Canary back issues my former step dad bought me when we went into a comic book store at complete random (he bought my then 9 year old brother Simpsons comics and then we never went back) but I was broke teen with no job who did not live in that area and did not pursue much further.

I didn't consider picking up comics until I was in college, and then I mostly started with Marvel because it was early days of the MCU and I saw a lot of the movies with friends. Other than Winter Soldier, I wouldn't say most of them stuck with me or were the best movies ever, but it did get me interested.

The DC movies on the other hand did not get me interested. The DC live action movies mostly sucked.

DC got my money, however, due to my childhood obsession with Dinah, specifically, from Justice League/Justice League Unlimited. (And her relationship with Ollie, I guess, but I wasn't super interested in him without Dinah.) PLUS my preteen fascination with the 2003 Teen Titans.

(That one was harder to carry over because as fun as the 2003 series was the characters were very different lol. They do NOT go into "Robin" and "Starfire's" full traumatic back stories or more adult characteristics in the 2003 stuff.)

So I just looked to see what my first DC purchases on Amazon + Comixology even ended up being and...

I clearly made my first attempts pretty soon after New 52? There is a New52 Batgirl book in the list right above Birds of Prey.... And then nothing DC for literal years.

So much Marvel and Star Wars, even a few non Big 2 things. No DC except rentals for the animated movies and shows.

I bought one digital issue of Green Arrow/Black Canary in 2014, and then DCdoesn't show up on my Comixology account until 2016 with Wonder Woman Rebirth.

Even though that whole time from 2014 on I was still buying the main SW comic, Darth Vader, Princess Leia, Wicked + Divine. I was buying anything I could with Black Widow (the Rucka book was a favorite, and I also read whatever the series was called with Bucky as Cap, dating Natasha. I kept that trade for a while, too.)

Apparently I didn't even pick up RHATO (which I mainly read bc a) sale and b) bulk purchase until then c) what the fuck is happening to Starfire morbid curiosity means I need to see it end) until 2018.

But you could not like at any point call me serious about the actual DC comics (again, I watched ALL the animation) until I apparently bought every single volume or issue of the 2016-2019 Green Arrow run (I cannot REMEMBER any of the plot, but I definitely READ all of it) , which finally lead somehow to the 2009 Batman and Robin run (which I bought and read all of in the span of a few days in 2020), then DCeased and Justice League Odyssey.

And now I'm actively trying to go back to some of the older stuff + looking for current publications to read. (I want to like Titans but it's very very hit and miss for me. I read one volume of TT's Nightwing and gave up.)

But like, I just feel like I could have very easily been an "easy" new fan for DC to grab since I had literally never heard of Marvel before the MCU but grew up with all the DC characters. My Uncle is STILL Superman's number one fan, my ex-uncle (? Aunt's ex husband) would throw any DC with Batman at us that he could when we were kids.

But I bounced SO HARD off on New 52 that they literally could not get me actually hooked until 2020, even though I started buying comic stuff in 2014.

[cielsosinfel]

Favorite 2023 reads pt 2

Cus I said I'd come back and finish after making this post. I've been super busy + exhausted lately though so this will be less detailed lol (maybe, we'll see how much I ramble)

Once again, links to places I already discussed the book are added if they exist.

Fiction

Helen House by Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya: This is a VERY short book, barely I novella I feel, but it has so so so so much packed into it. I'm just gonna copy what I wrote on DW:

It's a story that opens with our unnamed narrator realizing she is a terrible girlfriend, as her girlfriend Amber shares that her sister died years ago. Our narrator also has dead sister trauma, and she is coping with her grief in fun and exciting ways aka sex addiction. A ghost story steadily unfolds, but what really got to me was how this book delved into sex addiction, codependence and objectifying not just your partner(s) but also yourself. Really plunges the depths of how far someone can fall in their grief and how it radiates outward to affect others.

Idol, Burning by Usami Rin, tl Asa Yoneda: A story about Akari, a high schooler deeply obsessed with a particular male idol, deeply involved in fandom for her oshi, has her world upended when rumors circulate that he hit a woman who may be his girlfriend. This was a beautiful, amazing novel (and wonderfully translated) about a teenage girl spiraling into depression, the failures of the education system to provide meaningful support, and the fractures in a family where everyone is coping so badly with the struggles life throws at them. I found this a very, very thoughtful book on depression, social isolation, eating disorders, and living with undiagnosed learning disabilities and dyslexia. It's also a beautiful exploration of all the ways fandom can offer a lifeline in one's darkest moments, and also contribute to spiraling further and further into a depressive and self-loathing rut.

I still have complicated feelings about the ending, but I think I also still appreciate the realism of it all, and how much more relatable it made it. Even as someone who has never been involved in oshi/idol fandom, let alone Japanese fandom, it resonated a lot as a man who was a disabled, undiagnosed teen girl desperately seeking connection and purpose with online fan communities.

I read some of the original Japanese novel too and I think the language is perfect for someone still intermediate with their Japanese literacy!

A Man of Lies by Ben Crane; A former enforcer for the local mob boss fucks up big-time when he and his boyfriend (that mob boss' accountant) are caught trying to steal money to run away together. Now his boyfriend's dead and the enforcer will be too, if he doesn't pay his boss back. But he's got a much better idea what to do with the money he gets from his last big heist.

I wasn't expecting to be as into this as I was, but the writing pulled me in and didn't let go- the prose is quick and easy and never loses its pace; this would really make a perfect action film. And the plot was a lot less predictable than I was expecting; the cast was genuinely fun and endearing barring a few characters, which helps cus there are SO MANY PoVs. It's just a very fun trope-y genre romp and a good break from much heavier stories lol. I'm excited for the sequel after the damn cliffhanger this ends on.

A Guest in the House by Emily Carroll: an absolutely GORGEOUS comic (as all Carroll's comics are) about a woman struggling to fit herself into the life of her new husband and his daughter, with the ghost of his former wife ever present in the background... more literally than she wants to accept. Really good terrifying and beautiful F/F horror exploring sexuality and relationships and mental health and domestic abuse.

Poetry:

The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes on by Franny Choi

Yin Mountain: The Immortal Poetry of Three Daoist Women by Rebecca Nie and Peter Levitt

Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz