#shannon is too pure for this world

[favorite-music-tourney]

Adjusted Round 1 match ups

I’m against the government by Defiance, Ohio - Little Boxes by Malvina Reynolds

Vienna by Billy Joel - Miracle of Life by Bright Eyes

Hungry Dog on the street by the Taxpayers - Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell

Excursion Around the Bay by Derina Harvey band - I am a Union Woman by Bobbie McGee

Jolene by Dolly Parton - Wild World by Cat Stevens

At Seventeen by Janis Ian - The Battle of New Orleans by Johnny Horton

Everybody's Talkin' by Harry Nilsson - Do you Believe in Magic by the Lovin Spoonful

Blackbird by the Beatles - Mr. Tambourine Man by the Byrds

Puff the Magic Dragon by Peter Paul and Mary - Blister in the Sun by the Violent Femmes

Ooh La La by the Faces - Ain't No Sunshine by Bill Withers

Tear the Facists Down by Woody Guthrie - Fire and Rain by James Taylor

Rule #4 Fish in a Birdcage by Fish in a Birdcage - Strangers by Apes of the State

Angel From Montgomery by Bonnie Raitt - I'd work for Free by Blake Rouse

I'm not a good person by Pat the Bunny - Ho Hey by the Lumineers

Lyndon Johnson Told the Nation by Tom Paxton - Pure Obsession by Mirabai Kukathas

Not Yet/Love Run by the Amazing Devil - Budapest by George Ezra

Diamonds and Rust by Joan Baez - Paradise by John Prine

What a time to be alive by Matt Press - Ballad of a Wobbly by David Rovics

Glad to be Gay by Tom Robinson Band - Nebraska by Bruce Springsteen

All The Trees of the Field Will Clap Their Hands by Sufjan Stevens? - Kill the Boy Band by She/Her/Hers

Every Town will Celebrate by Mischief Brew - Oak & Ash & Thorn by The Longest Johns

The Galway Girl by Sharon Shannon and Steve Earle - Curses by the Crane Wives

You're So Vain by Carly Simon - The Chemical Worker's Song by Great Big Sea

I'm Gonna Be an Engineer by Peggy Seegar - Follow Me up to Carlow by the Young Dubliners

American Pie by Don McLean - Murder in the City by the Avett Brother

Rhododendron Honey by Leslie Fish - The Fox by Nickel Creek

California Dreamin by the Mama's and the Papa's - Ohio by Neil Young

It's too Late by Carole King - There is Power in a Union by Billy Bragg

Have you ever seen the rain by Creedence Clearwater Revival - I ain't Marching Anymore by Phil Ochs

The Wrote and Writ by Johnny Flynn - Wayward Prodigal by Cora Reef

Landslide by Fleetwood Mac - Place to Be by Nick Drake

Space Girl by Shirley Collins - Little Lion Man by Mumford and Sons

Delta Dawn by Tanya Tucker - Where have all the flowers gone by Pete Seeger

Take Me to Church By Hozier - Solidarity Forever by Utah Phillipps

Let the Mystery Be by Iris Demont - Brave as a Noun by AJJ

A Horse with No Name by America - Mrs. Robinson By Simon and Garfunkel

Tom's Diner by Suzanne Vega - A Song for a Computer Programmer by Cricket!

War on the Workers by Anne Feeney - War isn't Murder by Jesse Welles

Me and my Bobby Mcgee by Janis Joplin - For What It’s Worth by Buffalo Springfield

You're Dead by Norma Tanega - The Gambler by Kenny Rogers

Color in your Cheeks by the Mountain Goats - March of the Jobless Corps by Daniel Kahn

Stick Season by Noah Kahan - O Valencia by the Decemberists

Fuck it by Days N Daze - Dream a Little Dream of Me by Cass Elliot

Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down by The Band

Deny Defend Depose by Joe Devito - Big Rock Candy Mountain by Harry McClintock

Annie's Song by John Denver - The Funeral by Band of Horses

Union Maid by the Almanac Singers - 32 Flavors by Ani Difranco

Our House by Crosby, Stills, Nash, And Young - Fast Car by Tracy Chapman

The War Racket by Buffy Sainte-Marie - Hurt by Johnny Cash

One Great City by the Weakerathans - Loose Lips by Kimya Dawson

Feed the Machine by Poor Man's Poison - Everything I Own by Bread

I want wind to blow, the microphones - City of New Orleans by Arlo Guthrie

Todos Juntos by Los Jaivas - II: The Road Giveth by RENT STRIKE

Roll On, Columbia, Roll On by the Highway Men - Ballad of Ho Chi Min by Ewan MacColl

Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison - Time in a Bottle By Jim Croce

The Trolley Problem by Windborne - One Kind of People by Amigo the Devil

Season of the Witch by Donovan - House of the Rising Sun by the Animals

The Times they are a changing by Bob Dylan - Cats in the Cradle by Harry Chapman

Closer to Fine by the Indigo Girls - Two Headed Boy by Neutral Milk Hotel

Heave Away by the Fables - Your Heart is a Muscle the Size Of Your fist by Ramshackle Glory

Who would Jesus Bomb by Jordan Snart - Electricity by Sister Wife Sex Strike

Rhinestone Cowboy by Glen Campbell - Plastic Jesus by Tia Blake

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald By Gordon Lightfoot - Bread and Roses by Judy Collins

Sixteen Tons by Tennessee Ernie Ford - I'm a Believer by The Monkees

[wexhappyxfew]

Shannon I took you so seriously when you said readers could request as many as we wanted, so please ignore me if this is too much lol

⋆ “try and get some sleep. i’ll stay right here- i won’t let anything happen to you, i swear.”

For Judie and Rosie?? I just feel like it’s perfect for them. 🩷

This is my last one I promise

-☀️

SUNSHINE ANON!!!! you sent this in ages ago i fear, but i am so beyond excited to *finally* get to it! for any readers....remember that angsty judy x rosie piece i mentioned a week or two back? HERE WE ARE!!!!! the focuses on rosie here and judy's 'home' are probably some of my favorites aspects here - it speaks to their characters here in a *character-study-esc* way that i felt was really pleasing to read. please enjoy! thank you again sunshine anon (and i fully appreciate and love the prompt requests you sent in and could not help myself haha!!!!!) thank you again!

the world went quiet

(a/n): judy x rosie girlies HIIIIII. get ready for the angst train because we enter with judy experiencing the emotions after hearing that annie, bessie, kennedy and margie went down. for judy, i imagine it's like hearing about your sisters - especially after captain faulkner - and with emotions a young 21-year-old feels she can't handle. and rosie really helps her to feel okay with those. and that's why i just love the way they match each other here - like they fill in each other's missing parts :) [brb sobbing] please enjoy! <3

Numb.

The first feeling Judy was able to decipher out of the thousands of emotions tormenting her body right now.

Gone. That four letter word that found it's way to haunt her and torture her and tear her apart without fail; all the time. She thought after losing Birdie it'd be different.

Now, it was hard to breathe, to walk all the sudden.

The news was fresh, like a wound that wouldn't heal, like a door that wouldn't budge. And now, Lieutenant Bradshaw, Carlisle, Farley and Harlowe were all gone.

Gone.

She squeezed her eyes shut. It was a dream, she tried to tell herself, it's a dream! And without fail, it never was. Because over here, where they were now, in time, in war, it never was a dream. Nothing ever was.

After Lieutenant Montez had come in to deliver the news, the barracks were far too suffocating for Judy to cope. There were quiet tears and sobbing, people trying to put on the brave face so others didn't have to worry or suffer their emotions like some had to. And it was almost too much - knowing just that morning, Annie, Bessie, Kenny and Margie had all woken up there in that hut and thought that they'd be coming back.

So, she did what she did best when she had to deal with her emotions.

She hid.

The cockpit of Rosie's Riveters was the most apt place to curl into a ball and get her emotions under control. The window of the copilot seat provided the dreary picturesque view of the setting sun, the moody oranges and blues dancing across the horizon. Her head was pounding from crying, from the tears, from the ache of her entire body. Her stiff A2 was wrapped around her body, knees pulled up to her chest, dried tears left in residue on her cheeks and her eyes heavy.

It was embarrassing, she had thought to herself as she had stormed away from the huts and from the women, to be a blubbering mess.

But how many more times would this have to happen? People leaving, going, gone. Over and over, never to return.

How many more times would her fragile heart have to feel like this? It was embarrassing because she saw how the others would handle things - she never saw them cry, she never saw them break - and yet, she couldn't handle it. The loss, the pure feeling of it all. The grief. She couldn't take it.

And the only thing she could do was find solace in one of those B-17s, the only reason they were even able to do these runs in the first place.

From somewhere inside the stoic plane, she heard the metal creaking of someone jumping up inside. Someone had seen her retreat, had seen her make the run for it. Someone had seen her and God, what would the sight be when they came upon her. Judy tried not to be like this, she tried to hold her own. Doing so much and she broke.

Hastily, she reached up to brush at her red, tear-dried cheeks, smoothing a hand back over her head to wrangle the wind-swept hair on her head, but before she could even begin to think that she could possibly redo her braids, she heard footsteps sound against the metal of the plane and at the entrance of the cockpit.

Deep-down, she figured Lieutenant Montez had seen her run and had come looking for her - probably to try and get her to eat something or get some rest; lie down and close your eyes for a bit, honey, she'd probably say. Like a mother, like a sister.

"I'm sorry, Monty, I'm not hungry." Judy managed out shakily. She heard a small breath escape from the person.

"It's Lieutenant Rosenthal, Judy." the voice said. Judy's eyes widened as she shifted, glancing over her shoulder, only to find him standing there on the one-step entrance into the cockpit, arm leaned up against the pilot's seat, a blanket in his hands, and the quiet look on his face that told her everything she had needed to know.

The instance Judy found herself looking at him, her eyes began to well with tears. And then her face crumbled and her body didn't seem to care who was around, as the tears began to streak down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry." she managed out quickly, shaking her head and looking back up at him, "I just….couldn't stay in the hut. After….the news…." Her voice came out croaky, like a frog almost and the second she had started to think about them again, she felt a cry crawl out of her mouth.

"I'm sorry, Judy." Rosie said quietly, "I had just heard…." She looked up at him and tried to smile in thanks, but in became a watery whimper instead. Rosie was quiet for a moment as they watched each other.

"Lieutenant Montez told me." he said, his voice light as a feather, "I'm sorry." She sniffled and nodded.

"Thanks, Rosie." she managed out, before biting back her wobbling lip and staring forward towards the window of the cockpit, before her eyes welled with more tears, "I'm so sorry." And there she was, the cry from her lips like that of a wounded animal, soft and bleak. It hurt. Something like this had never hurt so much. It ached; deep down inside her, dark and harrowing.

"Here, Jude," Rosie said quietly, stepping up inside the cockpit, his large form crouching, looking rather cramped in the space between the pilot and copilots' seat, wrapping that warm blanket around her shoulders, "it's okay." He wrapped his arm around her then, rubbing his hand up and down her arm gently, back and forth, over and over.

And suddenly, the world went quiet.

The voices torturing her mind, the thoughts pulling away at every breaking edge. Everything went quiet. And he was so warm. Shuddering breaths left her lips as she shut her eyes, pressed into the side of his A2, tucked underneath his arms, listening to the low beat of his heart.

For a moment, it didn't feel like she was in this nightmare - instead she thought about home. Her special place at home, in the open field up on the hill her and her siblings would race up. The long grasses tickling their faces, their bare feet and their hands, the daises that grew in bountiful bunches swinging in the early afternoon sunlight, the hymn of the birds and the bugs lingering in all the eves of the trees and the little river that ran down the hillside.

The feeling of sun-kissed skin and that blue dress she always wore, the sound of her siblings' laughter as they'd lay in the trees, tripping over the roots, jumping off the rocks, splashing in the tidal pools with the mud and the large-leaf plants that overgrew.

The smell of fresh rain having fallen, leaving dew before on every bit of upturned root, leaf and tree. The sound of her mother's voice in the kitchen, singing sweetly and softly a Polish song that she grew up on, as she rolled dough and cut it into pieces.

The pure joy that the kitchen was always filled with, despite what little they had. Her father coming back from town each day, with a few more animals than they'd had the day before, maybe a goat, or a chicken - getting their cow the one day was like striking gold! She remembered what it felt like to sit at the kitchen table and eat with her family every day, cleaning off the dishes with her mother, drying them and placing them in their wooden cabinets. The way their front porch faced the setting sun and she'd sit and dream and dream about her future.

She had been so happy. She had been so care-free. She had been so different from the person she had wanted to be. But she was who she was, now, in this moment.

Cracking her eyes open, she found that she was curled into Rosie's side, the tender touch of fingers and fabric somewhere near her cheek as she glanced upwards and found half of Rosie's head facing her way, and his hand tucking the blanket under her chin.

Without second thought, one of his fingers came to the corner of her eyes and brushed at what she could only guess was a stray tear. And then he smiled at her, so lovingly, so full of care that she was sure that wherever she was, wasn't Earth. And he didn't even say a word to her.

Letting her sit there in his embrace, curled into his side, quiet and withdrawn.

He didn't say a word.

He stood there and watched her quietly, adjusting the blanket a few times here and there, meeting her gaze every few moments and offering a smile that she felt throughout her entire body. When she had found her voice, it was hoarse and creaky, but raw.

"I'm so sorry, Rosie." she found herself saying quietly, her eyes welling with tears slightly. And he instead tilted his head and watched her.

"You have nothing to apologize for," he said, his hand against her shoulder, moving back and forth, "absolutely nothing." And she nodded because she believed him. She watched as he slowly retracted, sitting himself down in the pilot's seat, swinging his legs over the side to face her, leaning forward and allowing her to get a full view of his face and his eyes - without the crusher cap, without the mental preparation of preparing for a mission. It was simply Rosie Rosenthal in front of her now. Judy watched him with tired eyes and swallowed nervously.

"Thanks for the blanket, Rosie," she managed out quietly, "you don't have to sit here with me, if you don't want to. I just needed to get away from it all for a bit."

"It's okay." Rosie said with a quiet smile, "Just didn't want you to have to be alone, that's all. Look," she watched as he reached into his own A2 and revealed a book in his grasp - The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, "even brought a book." Judy's eyes widened at the sight of it and suddenly, she felt a bit of weight lift from her shoulders. Sitting up a bit, she sniffled to herself and caught a glimpse of Rosie's eyes and the cover of the book.

"On the Steinbeck kick?" she asked him, a small smile escaping her as Rosie met her gaze and chuckled quietly.

"Seems like it." he said, "Finished up Of Mice and Men, just….left it in your barracks, too." She looked at him and felt her eyes glow with a smile a bit. He smiled wider.

"Lieutenant Montez let me in." he offered her.

"Thanks." she said quietly, before offering a small smile, "Really, you don't have to stay." Rosie looked at her, that tender look on his face and shook his head.

"You're apart of my crew now," Rosie said quietly, tapping his fingers gently against the book cover, as if a tune had just struck his mind, "a pilot does what he or she must do for the safety of the crew." Judy cracked a smile at his words.

"I'm safe." she offered him and he chuckled at her words.

"Well, it's the beginning of November, and pretty cold, and you're holed up in the cockpit of a B-17 with nothing past an A2 and no blanket." he said back, before nodding to her, "Wouldn't consider it entirely safe in my book." Judy watched him before managing a small laugh at his words, snuggling the blanket - most likely his blanket from God knows where - up around her more and looking to him.

"Thank you, Rosie." she said, barely above a whisper, her tone genuine, and slightly broken, before she met his gaze again, "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course." he said, "I'm an open book." Then he smirked, tapping on the book again and she found herself chuckling again at his words.

"You're too funny," she said softly, reaching up to brush some of her hair behind her ears, wiping at her eyes before letting out a breath, "if you had known what to expect from all of this, would you still be a pilot?" Gently, she tucked herself against the back of the copilot's chair and watched him with wide, curious eyes.

She got the sense the question had knocked Rosie a bit off guard because he looked at her with a slightly surprised face and did that cute little thing where he smiled slightly, the corners of his eyes crinkling, before settling his jaw.

"Well," he started, glancing out the front of the cockpit window, growing quiet for a moment, "I don't quite know." He looked back at her.

"Even if you knew what you'd expect from the war? All the death, the emotions…the bloodshed?" Judy asked him, watching his eyes grow with adoration and pride as he looked to the mechanics of the pilots chair - the wheel, all the working and running gears and mechanisms. Rosie reached forward, gently stroking his hand along the top of the wheel, landing on the middle, metallic part of the bottom of the yoke and sighed.

"I would." he said, a finality to his statement as he gave the wheel a gentle pat before looking over at her. Judy could only stare at him in a mesmerized state.

Knowing someone like Rosie Rosenthal was a leader in the 100th Bomb Group would forever make her feel safe and protected. Knowing he'd do it all again, despite the knowing, the reality.

And that's when her eyes welled further and it hit her again. Like waves crashing on a shore. Over and over. As if she was standing there, trying to get back up and she couldn't. It hit her over and over, drowning her in the salt.

The sacrifice from their leaders, from the people risking their lives day in and day out. Rosie continued to watch her softly - he remained so calm, so stoic, so…..filled with an authority and steadiness that she felt she could never muster. Whenever she had seen him the few times through the interrogation room or after they'd been released, he always seemed to have a sense about himself and what had happened and how to carry himself going forward.

"Here," Rosie said leaning forward, holding out his hand, "give me your hand." Judy slowly placed her hand forward into his own - she had to hold back the small laugh at the sheer size difference. His hand was warm, too, soft, a steady presence. He clasped his other hand overtop hers and then looked at her.

"There's no one way to learn it, but I'm sure you saw it with Captain Faulkner and Lieutenant Bradshaw," Rosie said quietly, "even if they aren't here, they still are people that would do anything to keep you safe, keep you alive and keep you moving forward. And they'd do it all over again to know their crew was safe. You know that." Judy sniffled. She nodded.

"In my eyes, knowing how Lieutenant Bradshaw was with you and the crew?" Rosie started, "I don't doubt she's still alive. Her, Carlisle, Farley and Harlowe. I don't doubt it." Judy managed a smile.

"And I want you to know that I'm here for you, too," Rosie said, "they're out there. People in the 100th don't seem the type to let the war get the best of them. But, for now, you're safe, you're here, and I want you to know that." Judy softly gripped his hand at his words and nodded.

"Please don't leave me." she whispered, eyes glassy with tears. It didn't take less than a second for Rosie to place the book down and move forward, wrapping his arms around her form. He held her with such understanding, such certainty and calm that she never wanted to have to let go.

Tucking her head into his neck, she squeezed her eyes shut and focused on him in this moment. He was such a massive person it seemed in comparison to her, his broad shoulders, his tall figure, cradling her like a wounded animal. And he was so inviting, so welcoming, so warm and forever one of the friendliest people she'd had the pleasure of meeting. And if anything, he was kind and he understood.

Maybe he never fully got to the story on Birdie Faulkner, or never would entirely understand how hard it was to get the group moving forward again with a replacement pilot, but he understood loss and what it meant to show up.

His hand gently grazed her back, over and over, up and down again overtop of the blanket, while his other arm cradled the side of her head, his thumb brushing her hair, tickling at her ears. Judy tested the waters.

"I don't normally breakdown like this," she whispered quietly, sniffling to herself, "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry about, Judy," he said quietly in her ear, a small smile at the end of his words, "let's keep this blanket on you, you're freezing." She felt him pull it up higher over her back and then she couldn't help the small smile that was brought onto her face. Despite her puffy eyes, the dryness of her throat and the helplessness that seemed to pool in the pit of her stomach - she was smiling and it was because of Rosie Rosenthal.

"You know you're not alone, right, Judy?" Rosie said quietly and her face fell as he held her, "Montez told me you had come out here…..and….well, admittedly, she had told me to leave you alone. She knows you well, but….I came out here anyway, figured I-"

"Thank you." Judy whispered quietly, achingly, a stray tear leaking out of her eye as she took a deep breath in, "Thank you." She heard him let out a breath from his nose, almost like a bit of laughter and gave her a warm squeeze. She found it easier to speak when she wasn't looking at his face. Because looking at his face made her want to cry.

"The last time we lost someone - Captain Faulkner…" Judy started quietly, "I could barely get myself to function when I was alone. Usually, when I saw someone - Bucky or….maybe Blakely - someone higher up, I could get myself to function. Act like I was okay. Even when I wasn't." Rosie's hand slowly continued to move.

"And people would always say 'I'm so sorry', over and over. It got to the point where I'd go to bed, and just….I don't know, try to get a hand on my emotions?" Judy said, questioning even her own mind, as tears welled in her eyes.

"It was just so hard." she choked out, gripping onto him tighter as her chest heaved against him, "I'll be honest, you make me feel safe enough to cry, that's why I'm like this." It was the most honest thing she'd said in days it felt. And she hoped it wasn't overboard.

"Really?" he asked, almost as if he were surprised. Judy swallowed nervously.

"Yeah," she whispered quietly, "because you've taken care of me before. And I know how much you care for your crew, for the others. And I know you wouldn't judge me for this now." In her mind, she wanted to shut up, stop blabbering. But it was the truth. It always was.

With Rosie, it was the truth.

Slowly, she pulled back to look at him and found that same worried look written on his face.

"It's probably too early to ask, but it's who I am by heart - are you hungry? At all?" he asked her and she let out a small laugh, her stomach twisting in a sour manner, as she gripped his shoulder gently.

"Not really." she said quietly with a shake of her head. Rosie nodded, the corner of his lip turned upward at her as he glanced back at his chair.

"Well," he said softly, looking back at her, "how about you try and get some sleep then. I'll stay right here - I won't let anything happen to you, I swear." Judy eyed him tentatively as he pulled away - his warmth disappearing - as he sat down in the pilot's seat again and looked towards her.

"How'd you know I was sleepy?" she whispered out, feigning offense, the smile on her face doing her no favors.

"Your eyes." he said with a smirk, picking up the book, and opening up to a page he had doggy-eared. She watched him as he looked down to the book, his eyes tracing over the words in a fluid manner before moving on to flip to the next page and repeat.

And slowly, she felt the heaviness and exhaustion take over, her mind filled with quieted thoughts for the time being and the warmth of the blanket.

And she let herself fall asleep, right there in the copilot's chair, right next to Rosie Rosenthal.

[ginawankenobi]

What my first impression of the Lost characters would be if I were watching for the first time now:

(I love all these characters like they’re my own family, and like my own family, I will not hesitate to roast them)

Jack: main character syndrome but won’t acknowledge it. Probably voted for Bush in 2000 for “fiscally conservative” reasons. A take-charge dude.

Michael: who’s Walt? Disney? (Sorry Mike, I 🤍 you)

Shannon: valley girl, definitely drives a pink vehicle. Only drinks soy lattes. Could be a Hollywood scream queen.

Charlie: but why’s the rum gone? Oh hey there, Meriadoc!

Claire: could also be a scream queen. So cute. Why flying at 8 months preggy, though? Desperation? Determination? Fear?

Boone: lifeguard. Auditioned for a Baywatch reboot. (I legit forgot he was actually a lifeguard and cried laughing when he mentioned it later)

Hurley: faints at the sight of blood, too pure for this world

Rose: lucky lady #blessed

Jin: Korean is a beautiful language and that’s a beautiful man. Very corporate-looking, though.

Kate: obvious love interest for Jack. Can be talked into anything if she finds the guy attractive. (jk, but only kind of)

Sawyer: broody. Started smoking at 13. Marlboro approached him about being a model for them. Gets into fist fights regularly. (I 🤍 you so much James but let’s face it, you had a LOT of growing up to do.)

John: chill dude. Likes oranges.

Sayid: another take-charge dude. Main character but doesn’t know and never acts like it.

Sun: hates being subservient. Will fight against it.

[rose-of-oz]

Plot Bunny: FC: Renee Rapp, FD: Glee

Thanks so much for this!! Gonna tag the Glee gang, @luucypevensie, @manyfandomocs, @ginnystilinski-reblogs, and @ginger-grimm!! <3 <3

NAME: Clara Jane “CJ” Shannon.

LOVE INTEREST: Santana Lopez.

SUMMARY: CJ was not at all into music, or acting, or dancing, or anything like that - she wanted to be a comedian. A self-designated “funny girl” since she was able to walk, she had a reputation in McKinley High’s halls for being the girl who could tell the perfect joke to make anyone laugh, and for using her biting wit to verbally destroy the various jocks and cheerleaders she saw picking on those lower in the social food chain. This, of course, had not endeared her to the Cheerios and those on McKinley’s other sports teams, and so she often found herself on the receiving end of cruel nicknames and cold slushies to the face, but thankfully, the feeling was entirely mutual - CJ Shannon hated the Cheerios, and they all hated her. But when she agrees to join the revamped glee club to help boost their numbers, she finds herself seeing another side to the football players and cheerleaders she’s always held disdain for… particularly one member of the so-called Unholy Trinity.

OTHER INFO:

The world needs more lesbian comedians in general, I think, so. Have CJ!

To be clear, CJ has no interest in any kind of on-stage performing that doesn’t involve telling jokes, and this does not change even when she’s in the New Directions until graduation. She remains there purely for the numbers boost, and to occasionally provide backup for solo performances or duets when it’s needed.

She’s also besties with Tina! That’s how she joins the club in the first place, because they’ve been friends since elementary school and when Tina’s worried about the club missing out on competitions because of their numbers CJ’s like, “Well, it’s not like I have anything else to do after school, I’ll join!”.

She and Santana are very much enemies to lovers, because CJ is kind of the worst nightmare of McKinley bullies everywhere and they don’t like each other at all, but eventually Santana starts to improve as a person and CJ sees the person behind her walls of bitchiness, and they grow to become a really cute couple.

She eventually does get to become a comedian when they all move to New York, and a successful one, too!

send me a fandom and a faceclaim/love interest and i’ll make an oc!!

[myfairkatiecat]

as an actual person getting a degree in criticism of english literature, i'd like to say that you are completely entitled to your opinion and i am entirely thrilled to see discussion of literary theory in the kotlc fandom!!!! it's fantastic and i wish everyone engaged with the work like you are!!!

that being said, I do have some questions? problems? smth idk. for you. This is not an attack or anything like that, pure academic camaraderie and engagement. Literary theory shifts entirely based on who, how, and why people engage with it.

You stated in one post that when an author writes their story one way, you as the reader can't really argue against that at all, as you are choosing to engage with the work. For instance, if you hate Sokeefe and it turns you off from reading the series, you can't say that the author was wrong without basing it in some real criticism. My response to this would be, what would that criticism look like? Do you have a good argument for why Sokeefe wouldn't be a good route for the author to take? I am an AVID Sokeefe shipper, and I can think of at least three. But I digress. My main thought here is that an author, at least in my opinion, can be completely wrong in their execution of anything. Just because something is written in a story doesn't necessarily mean that's how it has to be, or how it would best be written!

I genuinely think millions of writers have begun writing things simply because they saw a poorly executed story.

Writing, for me, at least, always seems to be utterly entwined with itself. Story, wording, execution, pacing, it's all combined into the whole it becomes. This is why Twilight is so bad, why KOTLC has isn't classics material, and why, say, Jane Eyre is! It's all combined together into a beautiful flashing collective, and it is when you get excellence across the board that a work of fiction really shines.

However, I don't think one can take the author as the prime example of perfectly executing their own story.

I would write so much of KOTLC completely differently if it were my writing, and I would argue that all of that would make it worlds better, even if some of my choices are primarily based on personal taste, not supported criticism, because I think that I know how to write just as well, if not better than the author does.

It is based in this very same idea, that even if I were operating solely out of personal taste that I could do it better, that I find myself disagreeing with your claim.

I genuinely believe an author can make terrible decisions with their story, and be wrong about how it's carried out, even if it's in the material and published.

Do you have any thoughts on this? Sorry, I know this is kind of long.

Anyways! Thank you so much for bringing up theoretical stuff!!!! I literally LOVE to see it!!!! :D Have a great day!!!

I love this stuff too OMG im going to college next year and I’m majoring in English

Anyway yes!! Most of what you said is actually about the execution of the story, which I totally agree can be objectively better or worse! I like to put all those things like style, pacing, and execution in the family of “writing” and things like plot and scenes and what is actually happening in the universe as “content.”

I think the “writing,” as I loosely defined it above, can be thoroughly criticized at any point, and ABSOLUTELY SHOULD BE! That’s how readers and writers alike learn and grow from other media and nurture their own talent! I can definitely think of some things about Shannon’s writing in kotlc that I would have executed differently, but with kotlc, I mostly try to ignore it since it’s………kotlc 😭 but no you’re absolutely right!

I bristle a little bit at criticism of “content” as I defined it above. I know it’s wrapped up in the writing, but I think things that are actually happening in the universe—such as decisions characters make or big events that affect the plot and characters—are things that are totally up to the author, and therefore can’t be objectively wrong. For example, Sophie deciding to date Keefe is something happening in the universe. Therefore, it can’t be the “wrong” thing, because it’s Shannon’s universe in the first place.

Now, there could be other pathways the story could have taken. The story might be more enjoyable to some people if other pathways were taken. But Shannon isn’t… “incorrect” about her own characters, which is a take I’ve seen implied (and even outright stated somewhere, I’ll have to find that again) since she created them and what she decides to have them do is a part of the story she’s deciding to tell. From an objective standpoint, we can discuss her writing methods and the execution of the story she is telling, but at the end of the day, if someone’s problem isn’t with the execution but with the story itself, their criticism ceases to really be helpful. That’s basically like saying, “I like Harry Potter, but J. K. Rowling really messed up when she made Voldemort a half-blood.” (Which might be a bad example because it was actually a genius narrative choice.) In that statement, you aren’t criticizing Rowling of her execution of the story, you’re criticizing the very story she decided to tell, which is her right as an author.

I think an author can make choices that don’t move their story in a direction that would lend it more literary merit or have more of an impact. But if those decisions are related to the “content” rather than the “writing” (according to the groups I defined above) then I don’t think anyone can objectively say the decision is wrong. That’s the other thing—the use of the word “objective” in situations it has no business being in.

In short, writers can execute things well or poorly, and they can make narrative decisions that don’t lead the work down a road that gives it more meaning, but when coming up with the actual plot of a story, authors can’t be wrong about what should happen in a story that is of their own design! If they think that their character would do X, Y and Z, then they’re right, because they created the character. Even if we, the readers, haven’t been exposed to a single thing about that character that would make them make those decisions, the author is still right about their own character. Now, in that scenario, the writing can be criticized, because a character who would do X, Y and Z should probably show signs of it earlier in the work so that it doesn’t give the readers whiplash and better develops the character, but the author can’t be wrong in their own universe by virtue of having created the universe.

Thanks for stopping by!! I love chatting about this stuff, feel free to reblog and keep it going

[lenaboskow]

gay!eddie is happening in the near future, a post brought to you by someone who spends way too much time dissecting queer media (and usually ends up being at least half right)

bear with me, it's a long one under the cut

i have a longer, more scene specific post that i will finish during the break if nothing happens tonight but i am a full believer that eddie's big arc this season (or next season, depending) is that the reason none of his past relationships worked out is because he's gay (not bi, gay)

disclaimers: i fully believe eddie loved shannon, just not the way he wanted to. you can also be gay and still enjoy heterosexual sex. sometimes sex really is just sex. this post is purely about romantic attraction.

I also tried to leave as much out about buck as possible (though that's hard, the man is obviously an integral part of his life) because gay!eddie diaz will happen no matter if buddie is endgame, and people need to realize that. their sexualities are more than just about each other.

anyways, on to the post-

it's canon that eddie will put christopher first when it comes to deciding relationships, and i think we first see that with shannon. rewatching season 2, i didn't get the impression that he wanted a romantic relationship with her, but he wanted her back in his son's life, and to eddie, those two go hand in hand.

and, if we're being honest, i think eddie's habit of putting other people first is the whole reason he got with shannon, because his family taught him that he was supposed to find a nice girl and settle down. who better to do that with than his best friend? my theory is further proven when shannon gets pregnant and eddie marries her out of a sense of duty, and then immediately ships off to afghanistan under the pretense of "providing" (and isn't it something that he picks a profession where he'll be away from his family for months at a time)

the only reason eddie returned is because of the helicopter crash, to which shannon immediately started talking about moving to california. while i believe that wanting to rest after the crash could be part of the reason he was hesitant, i think there was also a fear of what would happen when he was no longer near his family he was trying to please.

of course, eddie eventually moves to la after getting a job offer from both lafd and chicago. carla mentions that it is only thirty minutes from shannon, and while that could be because he wanted to reconcile, i think it was more to do with wanting to have his son's mother near. that, and lafd is the best in the world (according to eddie)

eddie only kisses shannon in 2x07 after she does her family interview for the school. this specific fact coupled with the absence of the eddie diaz heart eyes™️ (which, despite his closing off at the beginning of the series, we'd already seen in 2x01 when he and buck call truce) makes me believe he realized he could trust her and wanted her back in his son's life, and the way to do that was to get back together.

"but they hid their relationship for a while" eddie was still scared. comphet is a real thing, and causes people to act on things they necessarily don't want. i believe he pursued a romantic relationship with shannon because that's what she wanted, and if he kept her happy, she wouldn't leave again. this is why i wish we could've seen divorced shannon/eddie instead of her dying immediately, and i wonder if maybe it would've sped up the whole deconstruction process for him.

the next time eddie dates, it's with ana. on paper, ana is the perfect wife for him. she's a teacher, knows how to handle kids, is latina, the whole package. eddie tries so hard to make it work, that it actually does, and this causes him to panic. both carla and buck tell eddie not to take just chris into consideration, but to make sure he wants it too, and after some time, he breaks it off with her. the way ana reacted to the breakup makes me wonder if she could also sense the reason for the breakup.

marisol is where it starts to get tricky, but i feel like we've seen enough (or not enough) in these four episodes to piece some information together. chris is the one who encourages eddie to call her, and that makes me wonder if that's the reason they're still together. before the promo of the bucktommy date eddie and marisol crash, we only got two mentions of marisol, and both times was in relation to her helping with chris. at this point, eddie has spent more time with tommy than he has with marisol, as far as we're aware.

the synopsis of tonight's ep says that eddie and marisol "take a closer look at their relationship" and given that we haven't seen much of them on screen, it makes me wonder what this could be about. does it maybe have something to do with them crashing the bucktommy date?

obviously, i wouldn't be mad if eddie turned out to be bi. however, to me, all of his relationships seem be a big case of comphet. speaking from experience, as someone who's pursued relationships with men purely because that's what i was expected to do, not because i actually wanted to be with them. and just like eddie, there was a time where if my best friend (who was of the opposite gender) had asked me out, I would've said yes and married him had it come to that, because it would've made my family happy. i've gotten to a point where i don't care what my conservative family thinks or wants, and i truly believe that this season, we'll see eddie get to that place to.

if you've made it this far, thank you for listening, and here's to hoping we get gay!eddie tonight.

tag: @queeredmundo

[m3r1m4r5u333]

You know. I've been thinking of the shape of Eddie's sexuality, trying to understand him and. Yeah, I think I've been a bit hasty assuming that all these conflicted relationships with women spell out that he has no interest in women at all.

I think he might be bi... Here's my explanation:

Might be just about the timing of his feelings and about his stubborn persistence to ignore other choices (namely Buck) because the catholic guilt tells him that the only option available is a woman.

But what if it's a case of emotional conflict, more than sexual conflict?

Whatever Eddie's sexuality is, his marriage with Shannon was kinda rushed. They were teenage sweethearts, and then suddenly Shannon was pregnant and the expectation was to marry her and stay with her forever.

But teenage romances do not always last, do they? What if by the time Shannon got pregnant, the relationship just wasn't working purely because weren't a good match as two people - that does not need to have anything to do with sexuality.

But it can still be a suffocating relationship. Being in a relationship with someone with whom you just fight all the time. Even if the sex is good, and she is someone you've known for such a long time. It would still be draining and anxiety inducing.

Especially if you see no other option but to marry her, and stay with her. If you think it's you duty as a man to stay with the mother of your child...ren.

And let's not forget that Shannon leaves and that would break Eddie's trust. Even if Eddie escaped first, to the army, having the same pain mirrored on him would still break his trust.

And by the time Shannon returns... Eddie has met Buck. Maybe that is just such a strong emotional bond that Eddie is after that unable to truly bond with any other woman. Or any other man.

And then Shannon dies. The important thing I'd like to point out about her death is that... It does not even matter what Eddie's sexuality is.

Shannon was one of his closest human relationships. Someone he knew from a young age. His highschool sweetheart, the mother of his child, his friend. That's a lot of shared history. That's someone you grieve, deeply. Even if the marriage wasn't flawless. So do not look at Eddie's grief as a way to figure out his sexuality. He would grieve her deeply, no matter what it was.

Then... Eddie getting back to his feet after that blow...?

Aa said, he is by that point struggling to trust people. They do not stay. Also... He has met Buck. It was an instant connection. Clearly the bond they're forming is a deep one, they are turning into a family.

Expect... He hasn't really figured out that men, too, can be an option for him. So when people start urging him to return to dating... He does, even if his heart is not in it.

He pushes aside the bond with Buck. Why wouldn't he?

At that point he thinks that Buck is totally unavailable. Straight. And also ...what about religion? What about his family's expectations? And what if dating a man would cause hardship for Christopher - whose childhood has already been a tough one. So women it is, even if he's already fallen for someone and tries to ignore it.

And then there's the clusterfuck that is Eddie's relationship with Ana. On the surface it looks good.

But Eddie pushed himself to date. He does not love her. But just like with Shannon, he feels like dating equals marriage. That's the catholic guilt urging him on. Marriage, marriage, marriage.

So Eddie feels trapped... Starts having panic attacks.

Again. That does not automatically mean he's gay. It can just be that he's denying his true feelings and trying to date and get serious with someone he doesn't love. And he does realise that it is getting very serious. Ana won't even leave his home. People are talking about marriage.

And then she visits Eddie at the firestation with Chris and Eddie's carefully compartmentalized worlds collide. Because it's like she isn't even in the same room... When Buck is there.

And this cycle just keeps repeating. Must date... Can't date Buck. Dying inside. Dating feels like performing because his heart isn't in it.

And then Marisol.

The thing is... It's very tempting to leap to the assumption that Eddie's performance issues here spell "the man is gayyyy".

However. Imagine being a closeted bisexual and finding out your girlfriend was almost a freaking NUN???

That could just as well be the issue here. How can he TRUST her? Nuns aren't exactly the sort of people who join Pride to wave a sign that says "BI rights!", or any of that sort really. Also, so many important people in his life are queer. How does someone like Marisol fit into his life?

Also... Buck comes out. Wtf. Buck COULD be an option, after all?

That would certainly make Eddie's imagination run wild.

And now his trapped in another clusterfuck relationship. Watching someone he's so drawn to date another man... While he, a closeted queer, dates a nun who just moved in.

Yeah.

Edit. Not to mention, the show already did "a closeted married gay man" storyline. I think "Bi Eddie" would really be a more original story now.

Bi erasure is real, and Eddie is exactly the sort of closeted adult bisexual that slips notice in real life, too.

A straight-looking marriage can be very much genuine. But not actually a sum of two straight people.

[ohmaosama]

Do you have any "What If" mahoyome moment??

What I write is more from s1 soo-

Like What If : when things go bad

• Chise following Aerial to the fairy world the end literally

• Elias can't stop Chise from breaking the universal rules, what consequences she gonna have to take? *From Ruth arc

• Chise never fight back and let herself drown by shannon, Elias just gonna rampage isn't it

• Silky never met Spriggan, no one cook in the house they fucked up real bad lmao

• Elias never gave Simon the cough drink, I mean it's gotta be not that drink alone but it's the beginning where simon think elias is not a bad person smthng along that

• Chise end up joining the witch

• Stella forget his brother entirely cuz Elias just dgaf

• Joseph got Chise dragon arm

• Chise never got into college just pure cottage life mode

What if : things got different alternatives - or just AU

• Elias never intended Chise to be his bride or the conversation about being his bride never happened, but wait... The whole bride thingy never made Elias more considerate of chise tho... So maybe things would still be the same? Lol but the title would just be "The Ancient Magus".

• Angelica didn’t give Chise the crystal and until the end she never realized that Chise is a Sleigh Beggy, tbh I love the slay vega more cuz slayyyyy I'm sorry

• Joseph got Chise first and use her for his magic battery to do alchemist thingy (yknow what I'm so late for noticing that Joseph is an alchemist not a magus... Idk why I just think he's old ancient so he's gotta be magus right but alas I'm dumb)

• Alcyone escaped from the evil granma and then she raised Philomela on her own happy ending yay

• Yknow what lets go backk to the very beginning. What if Chise got recruited in Japan not from the black shaddy auction in the London. Like we know magus are hard to find now almost extinct at this point, but we just met another magus recently so Japan gotta have at least one or two magus right... Or maybe alchemist, she got magic potential too tho. Like Seth go to Chise first, it's not like she's hard to find or Seth just randomly find this slay vega girly on the shibuya's crossing right? Someone gotta be spying on her. LIKE DUDE SHE'S ABOUT TO JUMP AND SETH MAGICALLY THERE TO STOP HER bro is stalking that big cash money.

[wikiangela]

wip wednesday

tagged by @daffi-990 💖

more of alive shannon, this time with chris! (we'll get more buck soon too lol) i literally just wrote this and need to add some stuff but it's okay for now bc I need to leave for work soon haha

prev snippet

___

“Are you okay?” Christopher finally asks, his tiny and scared voice breaking Shannon’s heart all over again. She squeezes his hand and smiles, the most genuine smile since waking up, and it feels so easy despite all her muscles feeling achy and heavy. 

“I’m much better now.” she assures. “I’m so happy to see you.” she adds, tears back in her eyes, this time of pure happiness. She really is so lucky.

“Can I hug you?” 

“Of course you can.” Shannon says, wanting nothing more, opening her arms. “Dad might need to help us a little, though.” she adds apologetically, not able to move without pain, back plastered against the bed. Eddie instantly lifts Chris up and onto the bed, and Shannon wraps her arms around him, around her whole world that she’s fortunate enough to be let back in. “I love you so much.” she whispers, closing her eyes and breathing him in. Her baby, that she missed so damn much for so long. She’ll never forgive herself for how she hurt him.

“I love you, too, mom.” he answers, voice muffled, his face pressed in the crook of Shannon’s neck, his little arms wrapped around her neck, holding onto tightly. “Does it hurt?” he asks, trying to pull away, so considerate and thoughtful. And even if she wasn’t on painkillers, and it did hurt, she would never want him to let go.

“No, it doesn’t. Can you hug me a little bit longer?” she asks, tears now falling down her face, as she catches Eddie’s eye. He’s watching them with that soft smile he gets, the one reserved for Christopher.

___

no pressure tags: @elvensorceress @andrewblur @diazass @thebravebitch @silentxxsoul @shortsighted-owl @eddiebabygirldiaz @arthursdent @jesuisici33 @diazblunt @911onabc @eddiediaztho @housewifebuck @thewolvesof1998 @fortheloveofbuddie @lover-of-mine @gayhoediaz @jeeyuns @rogerzsteven @watchyourbuck @cowboy-buddie @monsterrae1 @hippolotamus @loserdiaz @ladydorian05 @giddyupbuck @forthewolves @honestlydarkprincess @wildlife4life @spotsandsocks @disasterbuckdiaz @theotherbuckley @eowon

[alaydabug2]

Ok ok ok

Many people I've seen don't like Keefe because he's "taking all the spotlight" and "this is Sophie's story not his"

Let me have one chance to change your mind

One

And this is purely based off theories ive got and the story itself

If you don't like Keefe just cause you don't like him (while that is a perfectly valid opinion you're allowed to have) that is not the argument against this

It's just based on the actual plots of the book (if you have points against this I'd love to hear them I'm always up for some friendly debate)

Ok time to begin

I'm am about 90% sure that Keefe's plot line is intertwined with Sophie's

Ok so

To begin let's start with Sophie

I'm pretty sure the end goal for Sophie's story is to (out of many things) bring humans back as an intelligent species (keep that in mind its very important)

Sophie was raised with them for a reason and she can see the worth in them that not many elves do (including out of her own friends)

I also believe that Amy being able to keep her memory was no coincidence on Shannon's part

I think that Amy will be one of the first humans to integrate back to the Lost Cities as maybe even a spokesperson

The islands lady Giselle stole for the trolls also plays into this

Stuff like that happening in the human world is going to shake the balance of everything

Humans will get suspicious when things like that keep happening

Sophie also sees the value in humans and believes they don't deserve to have been shunned away and wants to make it right

Well why were the humans shunned away?

That's where Keefe's story plays into this (hang in there its about to get messy but stick with me)

They we're shunned away for "trying to uprise against the elves" and not sign the treaties

But they only did that because it's revealed that Vespera was experimenting and kidnapping their people

Vespera was experimenting for as she said "finding out how they can be so ruthless"

Cause elves and humans aren't all that different really

Mainly just the special abilities and skills

Vespera is also connected to stellarlune

And Giselle said that stellarlune is supposed to "bring out someone's potential"

Well what if the humans potential is to be like the elves

What if Elysian was a human that was experimented on by Vespera and the ancient council then locked her away because she was too powerful

Vespera in turn was locked up to hide the evidence from it and nearly all record of it was destroyed

But if that's what stellarlune did to a human what's that have to do with Keefe?

Hang in there

Vespera said her and lady Giselle's philosophies were exact opposites

Giselle said they were similar than she thought

Well I doubt Giselle would use stellarlune to make Keefe human

BUT

What she could do is give him those freaky abilities like Elysian to MAKE elves like humans

Think of what Elysian did at the end of stellarlune

She turned off everyone's abilities

Well in unlocked while in Keefe's pov

While having a breakdown in his inner monologue because he was scared he could just STOP people from manifesting or even take away abilities(I can get pages later if anyone is curious)

Here's where Sophie comes back in

I think Sophie was created to correct all of that

Even though the black swan didn't know how big exactly what they were dealing with back when they created her

She was still created to fix those issues all of that caused

So YES they were supposed to be nemesises

Without Keefe's end of the story and all of that stuff he's wrapped up in Sophie wouldn't exist

Yes this is Sophie's story

Without a doubt

But HER story wouldn't exist without all the stuff HE was wrapped up in

And that's why I love this story

It's extremely complex and has many sides to the same story to create one big intertwining plot with lots of branches and reasonings

Thann you for your time

[tisiphonewolfe]

Writeblr Intro

Heyo!

I'm Tisiphone - or Tiss, or Tizzy, I don't mind (she/her). I mainly write SFF, but I intend to try my hand at horror and potentially espionage thrillers in the future. I also can't seem to write anything without women being very gay in the middle of it all, so I'm leaning into it.

I follow from @princessw0lf

About me:

I'm a disabled trans lesbian from the UK

What I like seeing in books? Mysteries woven through the plot that resolve satisfyingly. Characters that bounce off each other and grate against each other in interesting ways. Weird romances that don't dominate the plot, but are a key part of it. Great character development.

Favourite books? The Locked Tomb Series by Tamsyn Muir, The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood, Malice by Heather Walter, The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. And a lot of Terry Pratchett.

Fiction I probably won't enjoy? Something where the plot is purely interpersonal drama or romance with nothing interesting happening outside of it. Literary fiction. YA.

Outside of writing? By day I'm a software developer. The rest of my time is spent drawing, playing games both video and tabletop, and playing electric guitar (badly).

DMs/Asks/Tag games? Fire away!

@sam-glade is my pal and you should go check them out too!

With this blog I'm aiming to post writing updates, inspiration, and probably writing-related memes.

About my writing:

At the moment I'm primarily writing high fantasy/epic fantasy, with a view to trying out some more genres later on.

Admittedly a lot of the classic elements of western fantasy are in there, but I've been trying to get back to the mythological roots of creatures like elves, gnomes, and dwarves, and to present them as not being all white and vaguely British.

The world of The Tectomancy Saga is also, like that of my childhood writing hero Sir Terry, an odd shape. There's a reason for that, and we'll get to it eventually.

While my stories are currently third-person multi-pov stories, I intend to experiment on that at some point in the future.

My stories will probably all revolve around two things; a central mystery and a central relationship. I love a plot where you can pick at the smallest words and phrases, theorise about absolutely everything. I want to write stories where people have a thousand ideas about what the truth is, and each one of them knows there's a good chance they could be correct. I also, as a queer trans lady, want to write about sapphic relationships and include many people who are not cis.

My favourite themes to write are anti-authority, people breaking out of systems they've been trapped in for a long time, people being more important than power.

I'm definitely a plantser. I know kind of where I'm going, but let's see where the journey takes us along the way!

Finally, you can expect the tone of my writing to be trying to find that sweet spot between serious and dry humour that makes you groan, with a healthy sprinkling of subtle meme references.

Current projects below the cut

The Tectomancy Saga

On a bowl-shaped world suspended far above swirling blue mists, nine goddesses, witches, or geniuses, blessed their peoples with divine magics, then disappeared. Now, the world is decaying, tensions are rising, and people scramble to control the magics in order to shape the future.

Made with Crown and Claw

WIP Intro

High Fantasy: The classic Princess-in-a-tower-guarded-by-a-dragon story, but we see the machiantions that put her there, and what happens afterwards.

Releine Sholt is hand-picked by the heir to Tectomancy, Princess Almyra Tectus, to be her new bodyguard. The role has one ominous stipulation: nobody can ever speak to the Princess, on the threat of dire punishment.

'There was only one bed' turns out to have horrifying consequences.

Progress: Fourth draft done at 129.5k

Bound by Stone and Blood

High Fantasy: The saga continues from different perspectives, having different adventures, that will eventually conjoin.

Almyra vies for control of her kingdom. Ellimane tracks down two misfits who are being hunted by a rogue automaton. Releine visits hell. A new threat rises in the shadows of Versewelt, the decaying land.

Bitter exes who technically never dated are definitely not thinking about each other.

Progress: First draft underway at 69k

Snippets and Short Stories:

Flash Fiction Friday: On the Edge

Flash Fiction Friday: I Can't Tell

Her New Captain (Alternate Chapter)

Other

Naenia, through Murder

WIP Intro

Naenia, the reaper who is responsible for death through murder, is shellshocked when a murdered homicide detective returns to life before her eyes and promptly asks her out on a date.

Detective Carina Choudhry has an odd - very Goth - new girlfriend, who saved her from the serial killer she was on the trail of.

Progress: Complete at 46k

Fay and the Red Kite (Title pending)

Fay Orrel, a trainee mech pilot, finds that her beaten-up old training machine holds an AI that has replicated its deceased former pilot. She tries to keep the other woman secret from the PMC that owns the mech, who would be certain to wipe the AI's memories, destroying Mina forever.

Progress: Well, I wrote the prologue and some of the first chapter. Being dabbled with!

[laurfilijames]

Do you have a favourite Charlie character to write for?

Do you get ideas and have to decide what character to write it for?

Ohhhh anon thank you for sending these lovely questions!! I appreciate it so much and it really made me think 💗

The answer to the first question is yes… though it didn't come easily.

Short answer is Pete Dunham.

Long answer to follow ⬇️

Why Pete?

I fell in love with this character the first time I watched Green Street Hooligans and have since made it my life goal to fix the ending and give Pete a wonderful life.

This character is so charismatic. Everyone loves him (take a hike Shannon). His mates are fiercely loyal to him (as is he to them), his brother-in-law Matt seemed to worship the ground he walked on quickly after meeting him, and I just know that he is the favourite teacher to all of his students.

Okay now as to why I love writing for him.

He's pure joy. He's fun and funny and doesn't take things too seriously aside from the dealings of his firm. Whenever I write for him, I very easily get sucked into that world and find it beyond enjoyable to not only write scenes between him and reader falling in love, but also between him and his mates/fellow firm members. I have never been big on dialogue in my fics and yet with my series Like My Dreams, I've written the most dialogue I ever have and it seems to come effortlessly which is a fun surprise. I can hear his voice whenever I'm working on scenes and clearly imagine his expressions and mannerisms, so I reckon this helps make it all the more enjoyable to write for him.

I also feel like he has so much depth to his character and I love further exploring the mix of the cocky Cockney Hammer who beats the piss out of people and the sweet, caring man who loves his family, mates and job. He is such an underrated character in my opinion which probably also adds to my appeal to him and wanting to do justice to the things that happened canonically in the film.

All in all, writing for Pete is fun. He's a cheeky hooligan who makes me swoon without fail 🥰

I do love writing for all of the ones I have already though, but for me Pete just feels like home.

To the second question!

I don't think I've ever had an idea where I've had to choose between characters to assign it.

My ideas usually come with the character already in mind, though many of them could easily suit some of his other characters as a lot of them have similarities where it could work as well. It's usually “I want x to happen with y character” and that's that! (the x being a specific smutty thing I want to write 🤣)

Thank you so much again for sending this ask!! I truly am grateful for it and love answering questions like these! 💗

[letstalkwhump]

Let's Talk Whump

Let's Talk Whump is a series of interviews with the wonderful members of the whump community. I'm Malice and I'll be your host. Joining us today is the one and only @oddsconvert !

Welcome to Let’s Talk Whump! Do you mind sharing a little about yourself?

Hi there, I’m Shannon! I’m a 21 year old psychology and criminology graduate from the UK! My favourite colour is yellow. I basically have a zoo of pets bahaha; I have four cats, a dog, a rabbit, two rats, three fish and two tarantulas (not mine - they terrify the life out of me!)

When I’m not whumping and traumatising my fictional babies, I love to crochet, listening to/playing music (I play piano, guitar, clarinet and ukulele), and I’m currently teaching myself to draw…for whump purposes ;)

What does whump mean to you? 

For me, whump is freedom and release. Not only is it enjoyable, almost like scratching an itch? But it’s cathartic, and what I now see as a healthy coping mechanism for managing difficult feelings and a way to navigate my own trauma. Although, looking back, whump has been something that’s always been an interest of mine since early childhood, and has stuck ever since! Like rewinding disney films when the princes get tied up ahahah.

And also the comfort element of whump, I think it also helps me explore wants and desires in my own life. Writing my caretakers and their fierce protectiveness, and unconditional care over whumpees feels like it heals a part of me that maybe needed that at times. It gives you such a heartwarming feeling when you see these characters go through hell and back, and have someone to fall on at the end who will be there through thick and thin, regardless how choppy the water gets. 

And how did you find the whump community? What made you want to join? 

I used to scour pinterest for writing prompts! I only ever wrote in private, I’ve never EVER shared my work publicly before and never dreamed I would. But the more and more whumpy pins I was saving I was like “hmmm. These all come from the same site! Let’s go check that out” and then I scrolled the  #whump tag for endless hours instead of doing my university dissertation. I remember coming across @deluxewhump and @darkthingshappen first!

At first I joined as a faceless, lurking blog. I really wanted to hop in and join all the creators I was loving so far but I was terrified. I think I had a bio as something like “working up the courage to post.” And then some lovely anon sent me my first ask saying they’d love to see what I’d post! And I slowly crept out of my shell and bit by bit started building my profile and adding my name and posting my whump drabbles!

Pinterest whump prompts gang rise up! That’s exactly how I found the community too! Has your view on whump changed since you joined? 

I used to be ashamed of liking whump. Like it was some dirty little secret that made me a terrible person and I should keep it to myself. Hide it at all costs. Since joining, and interacting with this world-wide community of whump enjoyers, I realised it’s not something that should be taboo. If anything, it almost feels normal! Look how many thousands love it! And every single whump creator I’ve had the pleasure of meeting has been so kind, supportive and such genuine people! 

It really feels like coming home when you find the whump community and realise you’re not a weirdo! Would you like to share your favourite whump tropes? 

I’ve definitely discovered more about my whump taste! I used to just purely like captivity whump, usually with creepy/intimate whumpers. That was always my go to. Now? I’ve discovered SO many tropes I never even knew about and love! BBU?! Pet whump, whumper turned whumpee, bad caretaker, vampire whump, sickfics, hero/villain and so much more! 

Non-optional, you have to share a favourite piece you've written? Hype yourself up, we want to hear it!

Without a doubt, my first ever chapter of ‘Shattered’ - my bloodbag whumpee/vampire whump series. I’m usually very self-critical of my writing, but I really love how this one came out and how well it was written. I pretty much never get whumperflies off my own writing, but my poor sweet Declan - just living dead and the way Vince is forced to take care of him. 

But also honorary mention - my latest chapter of ‘Play Pretend’ . Play Pretend is my baby, and it was the first chapter of this series I had beta’d by my wonderful friend @whumpcereal and I felt like she just took it to the next level and kicked it up a notch. Josh’s fear and exhaustion came to life and I really enjoyed writing his inner monologue!

You weren’t kidding about the whumperflies in “Shattered”! Hot damn! What's your writing schedule usually look like? 

Night time for sure! Dead of night - 3am most often ahaha. I’m a night owl, through and through. I’ll try and write in the day and nothing comes and then night comes and I’m like brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, whole chapter done! I usually have some music on in the background, sometimes I make a specific playlist for whatever vibe I’m feeling! And I mostly write when the inspiration strikes, as much as I can get out until the motivation vanishes.

And do you find that the words flow better for somethings than others?

For me, I find it really easy to write my creepy/intimate whumper scenes. For Play Pretend, writing Felix’s deranged and creepy obsession with Josh just comes so naturally (maybe I should be concerned…). The way he’s so unsettling but so adoring with how he speaks to Josh and touches him, I could write it in a heartbeat.

More recently I’ve been trying to delve into the nsfw portions of whump and writing. But I’m a newbie with it, and I really struggle with writing it or making it sound good. 

Is there anything you're working on at the moment?

My usual schedule swings around, I update my series in an order. It tends to be, A Taste of Your Own Medicine, Shattered, then Play Pretend - and I’ve just updated ATOYOM so Shattered is up next! I’m primarily working on a flashback chapter with August currently! But I dot in and out of future chapters too.

I also have planned future whump series to come whenever my current ones finish up! But that’s a little while off yet. 

Give us some writing advice. Bless us with your wisdom, oh awesome one!!!!!

I WILL SCREAM THIS FROM THE ROOFTOPS - WRITE FOR YOU!

Never ever write based on what you think people like/don’t like.  The absolute joy in writing is the freedom in putting the pen to paper, or cursor to doc , and just letting your imagination run wild. Your audience is out there. People that will love and cheer for your writing, and I think you can really tell when an author has enjoyed and had fun with what they’ve written. There’s no good in getting bogged down with what others think. 

Write for you, post for you, and if others hop along for the ride - all the better!

Is there anyone you’d like to give a shout-out to?

I love absolutely everyone in this community, I’m gonna tag so many people - my besties alongside some of my favourite blogs and creators. Ily all you talented people. 

@whumpcereal @darkthingshappen @sparrowsage @quietly-by-myself @whumpsday @for-the-love-of-angst @emmettnet @turn-the-tables-on-them @yetanotheraltwhumpblog @kira-the-whump-enthusiast @pigeonwhumps @whumpshaped @t0rture-me @ha-ha-one @not-a-space-alien @whump-queen @justsomewhumpee @livelaughwhump @writereleaserepeat and I’M PROBABLY MISSING SOME BUT YOU’RE ALL AWESOME

Finally, anything you'd like to add? 

The whump community has quickly started to feel like home to me, I have a lotta love for whumpblr and every soul I’ve met here! Thank you so much for having me and to whoever nominated me!

It’s been a pleasure! 

Happy whumping, people!

Thank you so much for joining us today, @oddsconvert! And to all you awesome folk at home, have a whump-derful day!

[ahoyimlosingmymind]

You dislike Sophie? Any particular reason?

This is all my opinion, I'm not even concrete in it ngl, there's just lil things that irk me about her character. I also haven't read the books in a fatty minute, so maybe I'm just delulu. its also 2am so hehe

Similar to how I feel about Keefe, it really comes down to execution of her character for me. I don't have as in depth thoughts on her as I do about Keefe's character, but anyway-

I really really loved her in books 1-5. <- I just think this was the golden age for the books in general but I digress. She was very moral, sweet, and logical. She rushed into danger and questioned things, which landed her in hot crap sometimes. But there was always a REAL motive behind her desire to not listen to the authority figures. She was really relatable in the way she wasn't totally over-powered, still trying to find her footing in this new world etc

But then, at some point, I'm not really sure WHEN it happened, Shannon decided that every single one of her female characters needed to be a girl-boss. No exceptions. And this was when I noticed the shift in Sophie's character. She lost her distinction a bit imo. you could easily interchange any of her 'Girl power'-esque lines with any other girl in the series and I wouldn't blink. That's how little her 'confident character development' sticks out to me. Because it comes off as FORCED.

here's the thing. Sophie already was a girl boss character. It was obvious. From book 1, she was brave and selfless and moral and strong... I love her for that.

The issue is that the narrative became aware of it too. And started TELLING us instead of letting her actions speak for themselves.

This telling was greatly reinforced by characters like Ro who always has to comment on being bad ass. And like- Linh losing some of her original softness for the sake of being 'powerful' and I AM ALL FOR empowering stories and characters- but when they lose the original aspects of their personality for the sake of it?? That's not growth, it's erasure. Confidence and softness aren't mutually exclusive. And when Linh was first introduced, that was one of the shining aspects of her personality. But now, There's so little distinction between a lot of the girl characters now for this reason. They serve as a comment on society, they're vessels to embed a message into. And they lose their individualism within that. BC THE MESSAGE WAS ALREADY THERE. IT DIDN'T NEED TO BE EXPLICITLY STATED EVERY OTHER PAGE. *cough* sorry.

And sadly, Sophie's character got lost in the sauce with it for me. (And it does not help that the side cast of characters is so vast they kinda blend together as well)

What really got me though, was when she started making weird choices that felt like forced edginess. Like burning down the storehouse. She's done some crazy stuff in the past, but I was always on her side. but this time??? no.

THERE WAS VALUABLE STUFF IN THERE. That was pure shock value. Because wdym we've been scrambling for answers for the past several books, and when Sophie stumbles upon a storehouse stock full of Neverseen stuff she just... burns it to the ground?? Like wasn't Gisela's Arche-something in there?

Sophie had no issue letting Alvar go for some info in regards to Keefe, but then she get's his mom's book of plans and BURNS IT???

And I get her thought process behind it was "The Neverseen has taken everything from me, so I'm going to take something from them. I'm tired of always sitting back and just reacting and never being proactive." I GET THAT. But burning the storehouse was SO not the moment lmao. She's also traumatized and the Neverseen is very triggering for her obviously, which means she doesn't always have the clearest thoughts in regards to it. But BOI-

I might just be an asshole. Idek.

I made a previous post talking about how unfair she was to Fitz when they were dating. It's buried in my blog somewhere. But she was not a saint in that situation (neither was he.) but just like Keefe, the narrative doesn't hold her nearly as accountable as it does when it comes to basically everyone else.

I don't hate her at all, but yeah idek. I'm tired lol

[soleadita]

the arospec eddie diaz post

in honor of aromantic awareness week and also me having a lot of thoughts about eddie diaz at all times, i'm going to talk about arospec eddie. sorry but not sorry. it needed to be said.

(tagging @xjustonemoremiraclex because i promised you a post about this a while ago but i had too many thoughts and no idea how to wrangle them. and ty @scattered-winter for witnessing the pure unfiltered chaos version of this unfold over dms <333)

this is sort of a spiritual successor to my queer pepa post, by which i mean it's about the possibilities!! i'm not saying i believe this is canon and i'm not saying i hope this is canon and i'm not saying it's the one and only and correct way to see eddie. i'm just saying the foundations are there, and the possibilities are fun to think about!! (and also ok fine, nothing about this man gives me any indication that he’s got a firm grasp on what romantic attraction feels like.)

disclaimers: (1) this is heavy on the projection; (2) I AM NOT SAYING I DON’T WANT BUDDIE CANON I DO WANT BUDDIE CANON I LOVE BUDDIE. this is just something i think about kind of a lot and i’m always saying i want more aro headcanons and interpretations of my beloved characters (or literally ANY characters, i'll take anything i can get), so i’m just trying to be the change i want to see in the world. (3) i really tried to make this as aro-focused as possible but it ended up being a blend of aroace + autistic because, like i said, this is projection, and for me, those three parts of me are wrapped up in each other in a way that's hard to separate; (4) re: canon and timelines, i did go and google a few things that i wasn’t sure about but other than that, most of this is pulled from my own recollections. if there’s anything glaringly and FACTUALLY incorrect, i’m so sorry, it was not intentional; (5) i tried to organize this in a way that somewhat makes sense but it's a little rambly; i hope the little subheadings help.

pre-canon | eddie & shannon

so ok. consider this:

maybe, as a teenager, eddie is captivated by shannon. she's pretty, and she's so vibrant, and she's interesting to him. he likes talking to her. he likes being around her. they're friends, but his friends, parents, sisters, whoever - they're annoying about him having a friend who's a girl. maybe his friends make suggestive comments and say shit, and maybe his parents start to ask questions, and maybe adriana is like, “oooh, eddie and shannon,” in that annoying (affectionate) way only little siblings can achieve. and at first he's irritated, but then he starts to overthink and wonder. “do i actually like-like her? well, what does that even mean? what does that feel like?”

and maybe he asks his parents or abuela, and they feed him lines that can basically double as a description for friendship: "someone you want to be close to, someone you can talk to, someone you can be yourself around, someone you like to spend time with." (entirely possible that the list would be different for people raised as cis dudes, idk actually, but this is what i grew up hearing.) and what if eddie takes this and thinks, “well...i guess i do feel like that about shannon?” and then maybe they touch a little more—they hold hands, they hug—and one day, she kisses him, and he's like, “well ok this is nice, i guess,” and he does like affection, his dad has always wanted him to be tough but he misses being little when abuela would pull him into her lap, and when it was ok to ask for hugs, and when his mom would kiss him on the forehead before he went to bed.

so he kisses shannon back, and that's just like something they do now? and he rolls with it. and he does care about her and he does love her but he just...? he just doesn't know what it feels like to be In Love. but that's ok, because he's still young, and this doesn't have to be forever, and maybe it's too soon to know anyway. he has fun with her. he likes being around her. and isn't that more important than knowing for sure whether or not he's in love with her?

and eventually they start having sex (obviously because, as we know, christopher exists), and, again, it's...ok? it's not the worst thing in the world, and he’s always heard that the first few times aren’t great, but he really just thinks it's overhyped and he'd rather, like, sit and listen to music with her and talk or something. but again, it's Something People Do, so he does it.

and then, you know, she's pregnant, and he panics, and they get married because he feels like they have to, and maybe it's actually almost a relief. because now he doesn't have to overthink whether or not he's in love with her, because that doesn’t matter anymore. they're getting married regardless. they're having a child regardless.

anyway, i know this isn't necessarily a groundbreaking interpretation of their relationship; i think this is probably how a lot of the fandom would interpret them (although i do tend to live in a little echo chamber, so i could be wrong). and i think this interpretation usually paves the way for gay eddie, sometimes demi/ace eddie. and that's totally valid!!! i love a gay eddie fic!! i am SO grateful for the abundance of ace eddie in the fandom!!

but lately i've been having a fun time looking at this and thinking about an arospec and/or aroace autistic eddie who falls into a relationship with shannon because it feels like an unspoken rule, a logical next step, something that others want for and expect from him. a tactile eddie who wants physical affection in ways that aren't socially acceptable for him to get anywhere else, and because he's not really sure what love in a romantic sense is supposed to feel like anyway, but he likes spending time with her, so why not? a quietly rebellious eddie who has sex because he is sorta curious, and his parents wouldn’t approve, and his friends are doing it, and people generally seem to enjoy it, and he tries it, and he's just like, “hm. whelp. that was that i guess.” an eddie who is not all that great at interoception?? who is not entirely sure how to interpret feelings in the first place??

season 2 | eddie & shannon 2.0

ok, so this is also well-established: we all know that when shannon comes back, eddie isn't thinking about what he wants. or, like, he is ostensibly, but he's thinking about what he wants for chris. he wants chris to have his mom around. he wants to "be a family" (god forgive him he knows not what he says, he knows not of the amatonormativity in which literally everything is steeped). yeah, he falls back into hooking up with her and then some sort of weird tentative relationship, but like: patterns of behavior. masking. once you Are a certain way with someone, it can be hard to Not be that way with them.

and i can't remember how much of this is canonically established or fanon embellishment, but there's the element of eddie feeling some sort of obligation (shannon is still technically his wife, maybe he owes it to her, to chris, to try again?) and searching for some form of absolution? (yeah, shannon is the one who left most recently and most permanently, but he left first, he made the first cracks, and maybe if he can make it work this time, he can forgive himself?)(<- i do not personally think this about him myself but it is something i can see eddie's gorgeous little traumatized season 2 brain coming up with.)

there’s also an argument to be made that maybe he thinks it would be easier for other reasons, too. like, yeah, it would be so much easier to have a household with two adults. it would be so much easier to have more childcare options for chris, less questions from places like chris's school, someone else to help with managing things like grocery shopping and making dinner and running errands and laundry (i swear to god i'm not listing these things because they're like "women's work" and shannon's a woman, it's just those are the things i fucking struggle with so they're at the top of my mind). they'd be a fucking dual income household. like. that shit would be LIFE CHANGING.

(are these things i've thought a lot about in relation to being autistic and aro…who can say…who can say.......)

seasons 4-5a | eddie & ana

i mean. i think this is also self-explanatory at this point, and eddieana has been dissected to shreds. i'll just say that pretty much every piece of evidence for gay eddie in this scenario could also apply to arospec (and aroace) eddie. (and it's not like he can’t be, like, gay ace, but we all know when fandom talks about gay eddie, it’s usually gay allo eddie. and i’m NOT AGAINST that (really, i love all queer eddie headcanons, they're SO SPECIAL), but. you know. it's like this post.)

ok, wait, no. i’ll say a little more. consider this:

maybe eddie was so weird around ana because the way he masked around her was, like, a little stiff and overly formal; partly because the first time he met her it was at a parent/teacher conference, and partly he was trying to perform the role of Good Date/Boyfriend, and then she ended up in his house and around his kid (outside of the classroom context) sooner than he originally planned, putting him in the awkward position of, "fuck, how do i be at-home-with-christopher-me and also trying-to-date-ana me?"

or maybe he just didn't know her well enough to have that basis of friendship he had with shannon (remember i'm extrapolating here, i don't think we know whether or not shannon and eddie were friends first, i think that's just something from the autistic!eddie series of all time that i've integrated into my eddie backstory fanon forever), so he just straight up didn't care about her the same way!! literally just in a “oh, i actually don’t know if i really enjoy this person’s company” way, and then in a “oh we’re not vibing as expected” way. only instead of peacing out once he realizes that, he fucking DOUBLES DOWN.

there's also, of course, the department store panic attack. feeling trapped. trying to convince himself that she is what he wants. that maybe if he stays long enough he'll change his mind. and i know this can all be attributed to MANY things; i'm just saying the entire eddieana arc was really relatable to me, local aroace autistic, who has fallen into Situations not entirely unlike this prior to realizing i am in fact aroace.

season 2-onward | eddie & buck

i don't have TOO much to say here, mostly because i know we all know the buddie moments inside and out, and there are so many beautiful posts that already exist about the depth of their relationship, and i don't really have anything new to contribute.

i guess i just wanted to say regardless of whether or not it's ever a canonized romance, it's SO clear to me that they care SOOOOO deeply for each other and in a way that transcends most people's framework for friendship. and i absolutely do not want to devalue platonic relationships or found family dynamics, because THOSE ARE SOOOO IMPORTANT, but like. okay. chim and hen? platonic soulmates. bobby and buck? father/son dynamic. chim and buck? brothers. hen and athena? besties.

buck and eddie? i look at them and i'm like WELL. it doesn't have to be romantic but it's also definitely not like, "oh yeah we're friends!" or even "we're brothers for life." like. they love each other, and in a different way than the rest of the firefam loves each other. and that's one of my favorite things about them as a ship; even without any elements of romantic or sexual attraction, they'd still like...fight like hell for each other. they're still home for each other. idk. can't think about it too hard otherwise it destroys me but in a good way.

ok that's all. <3

some miscellaneous things that make me giggle

(1) THE WAY EDDIE IS CANONICALLY SOOOOOOOOO DISINTERESTED IN DATING. COULD NOT CARE LESS. WOMEN FLIRTING WITH HIM ON A CALL? ANNOYANCE.* "I HAVE A KID THEY'RE NOT MY TYPE" ??????? SIR????????

*this is really valid, actually, aro or not; like, he's just trying to fucking do his job, please leave him alone!! that said, it also amuses me greatly.

not to fucking mention he's told ana (or maybe ana just inferred?) that there hasn't been anyone else since shannon. which is really interesting and could be interpreted in SO many ways (like...there haven't been any other women, but we all know buck's been there? not to mention the rest of the 118?), but to me, it also sounds like NOT REALLY INTERESTED IN SEEKING PEOPLE OUT AT ALL, regardless of gender. <333

(2) he never so much as LOOKS at maddie. granted, she’s almost immediately paired up with chim, and she's buck's sister but?? jennifer love hewitt is GORGEOUS. i am Looking i am Looking so hard and with no particular motive other than to admire because, you know, ace. but i'm just saying.

(3) he's soooooo embarrassed and constantly trying to downplay his relationship with ana in front of other people. like, the man does NOT WANT HER in the firehouse, he does NOT WANT HER around the 118. RELATABLE!! JUST SAYING!!

people start giving him a hard time about going to the christening because that means "it's getting serious" and he shuts that shit down immediately. "it's not that serious." PLEASE. PLEASE.

(that was fucking hilarious to me by the way because like. straight up denial. that IS serious, eddie, i'm sorry, but you are going to CHURCH with that LATINA AND HER ENTIRE FAMILY AND THEN TO A PARTY AFTERWARDS PROBABLY.)

in conclusion...

i guess i just feel really soft about the idea of characters who did things because they were doing what they thought they "should" do, and/or they didn't realize there were other options, and/or they didn't realize what they were feeling wasn't what other people feel. and i also feel really soft about people having ace and/or aro realizations, especially after struggling through a few relationships and feeling shitty and confused. AND i also feel really soft about eddie diaz.

💚💚💚💚💚

[thegothicarchitecture]

Track Reviews (Aug 14 -> 21)

Best

undescores - Old money bitch

The narrative on this song really beats out any competition. The nuanced portrayal of an obscenely privileged little princess who wants punk cred, one who shoplifts and dyes her own hair to fit in. I love that this titular "Old Money Bitch" is not an effigy to privilege, but rather a somewhat layered character who feels overshadowed by their parents accomplishments while perpetually unable to escape and live a normal life. Her frivolous and misguided attempts to fit in make her stand out more as an untouchable little shit, and the ambiguity about underscores relationship to the character (as a purely fictional character study, somebody they knew irl or a self insert) in a World that wants to tear down "industry plants" makes the song's dance with danger one worth exploring across numerous listens.

awakebutstillinbed - airport

Admittedly, the mix on this song isn't perfect. However, I have to recognize the amazing songwriting and lyrics. This song is raw as hell, and Shannon Taylor can still scream like a banshee murdering her fears. The lyrics at the end about not recognizing yourself hit me hard, maybe I can relate more to them than I'd like to admit. Overall, this heart wrenching little song was one of my favorites this week, and I'm eagerly awaiting this new album!

Meh

The Menzingers - Hope is a Dangerous Little Thing

The Menzingers have a tendency to sound a bit constipated on their more anthemic tracks (looking at you "America (You're Freaking Me Out)"), but the band also tends to shine when writing simpler songs. The concept on this track is broad but very relatable, and it's not hampered by some generic-as-Muse political gesturing. Hope is a dangerous thing indeed.

blackwinterwells, FloodDubs - Glass Cannon

This newest song from blackwinterwells sounds pretty dry and faceless, as if to be buried in a playlist with thousands of similar songs. I guess I'm not surprised the sound and structure of 2012 dubstep is coming back in 2023, I just wish blackwinterwells incorporated this signature sound with their own (and didn't eschew personality).

Eyedress, Mac DeMarco - The Dark Prince

Zzzz....

Worst

The Streets - Too Much Yayo

It's been diminishing returns for the Streets since Original Pirate Material, but this is a new low. The farty synth and drill 808s make for a strange instrumental, and the horrible singing makes this a worst song of the year contender for me. Mike Skinner, lay off the yayo.