#so much has happened since i last wrote for the book club

[crzyimp]

Finally! Enough time to breath and be unhinged over this book! A lot has happened but hopefully I'm back and being consistent now. I'll throw my thoughts on chapters(some more than others) I missed up to the latest!

@journeythroughjourneytothewest

Chapter 11, Burocracy! (the horror)

Emperor Taizong goes to the underworld to explain his case against the 10 kings after promising to save the old dragon but failed too. Promises or giving your word was(and I think still is) a big deal. It's tied to how committed, trustworthy, and reliable you are. It's the intent you give to the other and the strong meaning behind. In some cultures, you can be cursed to a terrible fate if you break it. So Taizong explains his side of the story and the king agreed he tried his humanly best and not in trouble. Which instead of a meeting, this could've been discussed over a letter. The kings tell him he has 13 years left to live, I rather I didn't know but that's just me, and he thanks them. He tours the underworld to see the inter workings and all the men he sent to death or killed. Taizong given a chance to start changing his ways and to save the lost souls who passed before returning to the living. Once the Emperor returns, he makes changes post haste by allowing concubines free and marrying officials, allowing those on death row to visit family and tie up loose ends for one year before their death, and giving offerings to the lost souls so they can pass on. Then he sends Liu Quan to posion himself to offer melons as thanks to the 10 kings.

Chapter 12:

You can't convince me that Liu Quan and the emperor’s sister didn't have something going on. I find it a little to convenient that his wife gets to have the sister's body. Either there was affair or something shady. Anyways, the emperor goes about giving thanks to those who helped him in the living, which leads up to Buddhism being popularize and temples in his name. And our good boy Xuanzang, Child River Float, the man who has many names/titles just like Sun Wukong. He's giving another name, Tripitaka, things and people to help him out his journey to the west.

Chapter 13:

Tripitaka gets kidnapped and watch his men and possibly friends devoured in front of him. The gods are on his side and saves him(literally) from being eaten himself and escapes. He's still in the Tang region and encounters a nice country man who gives him shelter, food, and a guide out of the territory.

Chapter 14:

Wukong back! And Tripitaka frees him out of the mountain after learning who and what Wukong's crimes are. Tripitaka trust him enough since old monkey didn't lie, HOWEVER!, Wukong the sneaky shit didn't mention how he pissed on Buddha's hand. The monk may have pardoned him not knowing that, but I'll always remember his piss crimes(never forget never forgiven!). After Wukong freed and given +1 tiger skin, the dou are actually pretty sweet and nice to each other. Though it might be the high for Wukong being free again and Tripitaka feeling safe against worldly and otherworldly threats. That all changes one winter day when six bandits attack and Wukong murked them. Then the two argued over it and Wukong leaves. Thankfully not mad enough to make the monk into a meat patty, but I could argue and say Wukong got some time to get to know Tripitaka. The two been traveling more than a few days, enough time to start getting to know each other better and forming a bond. So! With that in mind, Wukong goes back to his mountain but makes a pit stop at the dragon palace(maybe a subtle I'm back) for tea. The old kings catch up and the dragon king reminds Wukong he's been given another chance to be a true immortal and on the path of good. Now pre havoc Wukong wouldn't gives two shits and leaves without a second thought, post havoc Wukong however...does care (a little) and decides to go back. Finally putting his all into this journey, even telling a unhappy Guanyin he's going back. He joins up with Tripitaka.....and gets tricked into wearing the headband. Now don't be mad at our monk cause when he stops Wukong does tries to kill him AND left him defenseless and alone. So the two learn some new things about each other and themselves.

Chapter 15:

Lost a horse and gain a dragon horse after the dragon horse ate the other horse. The boys couldn't do much so they called Guanyin, or Wukong convinced them after some talking.

Chapter 16, 17, and 18

(go a head and steal the meme. Share it with your friends and the world)

Running theme or joke that Wukong needs Guanyin help to take care of the problems in the way. Especially in chapter 16 after burning down a monastery and having a rather beautiful cassock stolen. But hey! Guanyin gets a free bear to guard her place.

Now for chapter 18! Everyone favorite idiot, Zhu Bajie!

I like the fact the family might have been cool with Bajie if wasn't eating them out of their homes, letting them see their daughter, actually taking care of her(poor girl was so sickly when freed!), and ya know being upfront with what he is and not lying to them. If he was upfront about who he is and showed he's trustworthy then maybe he could've gotten a wife. (I can see a retelling like this, beauty and the beast ess) But know idiot being idiot didn't do any of that and now got a terrifying monkey on his back. Well until Guanyin shows up while he was hiding from Wukong(that is a horror in of itself). Another party member! Whoo! Still no meat for you Bajie. Be bitchless and get bald like the rest of us. (Not me though, I'm just here for the ride like the dragon horse)

[highlordofkrypton]

Thank you so much for the tag @zenkindoflove, I freaking love being tagged in writing games!

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 32 (To think I started??? This year??? Or end of last year???)

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 271,982

3. What fandoms do you write for? ACOTAR & DC Comics.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Regrets (Superbats, DC Comics)

Little Secrets for my Soul (Batjokes, DC Comics)

The Lighthouse (The Aquaman Family, DC Comics)

Wildflowers (Tamsand, A Court of Thorns and Roses)

The Justice League's Mom's Book Club's Guide to Vampire Slaying (Martha Kent, Alfred Pennyworth, Hippolyta & Atlanna, DC Comics)

5. Do you respond to comments? Always! My readers made the effort to comment on my fic, so I will absolutely respond with the utmost enthusiasm. It means the world to me when I get comments.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Oh, it's absolutely Wildflowers. I mean, it's canon ending so does it really count?

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? I think most of them have happy endings, especially the oneshots. If they're not happy, they're some kind of tender, or sweet. I do think Regrets has the most upbeat ending.

8. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Yes. More and more lately. I would say I write the kind of smut that makes you question yourself (and I haven't even dived into the kinkiest kinks). Are you confused? Yes. Do you know what happened? No. Do I know what happened? No. Were we all entertained? HELL YES.

9. Do you write crossovers? I didn't name my blog home of the crackships for nothing. I LOVE crossovers. I have a few on my AO3, but so many on my to-write list.

10. Have you ever had a fic translated? No.

11. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Nope! Not formally. I do roleplay with a partner. I tried to re-write one of ours as a fic, but it's soooo tricky.

12. What is your all-time favorite ship? SUPERBATS SUPERBATS SUPERBATS. At least, if we're talking something that has a fandom. If we're talking my fav ships forreal, it's Lambert x Gojo Satoru x Clark Kent, Orm Marius x Clark Kent x Bruce Wayne, Barry Allen x Hal Jordan x Komand'r, Lilith x Eskel, etc.

13. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? None that I know of. I usually circle back and/or can be swayed to finish one.

14. What are your writing strengths?

Details. I think I have a few. I get weird fixated on details that I think make the writing feel more 'lived in' and immersive.

Side characters. I think I'm very good at creating intriguing side characters that you'll get attached to. My trick is that the character is fully developed with their own story before they appear on my page. How else will I get their interactions down, even if it's for a chapter and they're never seen again?

Humour. I literally cannot be serious. I have to shitpost halfway through my story.

15. What are your writing weaknesses?  

Pacing. I am impatient, I wanna get to the juicy parts, but some stories need to cook a little before getting to the fun stuff. I tend to use the excuse that since it's fanfiction, I can #yolo and post.

I cannot write something short for the life of me. Everything needs to end up being multi-chapter, I'm TIRED.

Smut. It's not raw enough. It's not filthy enough. I need to let go and be less formal about it. Just dig right in and have a meatier writing. I just don't think my current style fits pure smut. It does fit trying to fuck an eldritch horror and soul-shattering orgasms tho 😂 But sometimes, I just wanna go to pound town, not achieve self-actualization through butt stuff, you know???

16. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I have some foreign words in my Illyrian fic, and I am fluent in french. I do hate seeing other people write dialogue in different languages SPECIFICALLY FRENCH, so I won't be doing that.

17. First fandom you wrote for? A Court of Thorns and Roses.

18. Favorite fic you’ve written? I have different favourite ones for different reasons.

I like cosmic bloom because it's unhinged smut.

I like Regrets because it's my first ever Superbats fic and got so many kudos!

I like Wildflowers because it's my first story I ever wrote from start to finish.

I like Needle & King because it's healing a lot of trauma to write it, and I get to discover my identity and explore lore/worldbuilding that I've been putting off for ages.

NO PRESSURE TAGS: @goldheartedchaoticdisaster @praetorqueenreyna @achaotichuman @arson-09 @unanswered-stars @matrixsss @watcherintheweyr @witch-and-her-witcher @chunkypossum @foxcort @positivelyruined @angelosearch @goforth-ladymidnight @themildestofwriters

[autisticrosewilson]

Since the Loser Grant au is generating interest I figured I'd tell you guys how it came to be! The idea was actually from @perseus-jackass and they sent me this excerpt from the song Want Me by Baby Queen

And I was so obsessed with it that I wrote a little blurb about their first meeting!

Grant stops short, midway through a joke that no longer matters. His eyes find the boy again, gaze raking over tan skin and the way uniform shorts hug muscular thighs. Perfect dark curls frame a flushed face and when the boy turns towards him Grant can see a sharp grin and crooked nose. There's a smattering of freckles on his cheeks and a scar cutting vertically through his bottom lip. He's the prettiest thing Grants has ever seen, a vision lit by fluorescent lights like some kind of angel. 

"-ant. GRANT!" A voice reaches through the dreamy haze that's settled over him, and he sluggishly glances back to Jade who looks remarkably unimpressed despite being in the same room as a nymph.

"Who's that?" He nods towards his future husband.

Jade looks even more apprehensive when she notices who he's talking about. "Don't start getting ideas Grant, Jason's so far out of your league it's not even funny." She informs him.

Jason... "Not what I asked." He insists stubbornly.

"Jason Wayne, newest ward of Bruce Wayne. Honors Society, skipped a grade so he's in our year, student body president two years in a row, and he attends at least half the clubs on campus. He doesn't do any sports though, he's got some kind of condition that makes him more fragile than others. Probably for the best, if I had to live up to Dick Grayson in the athletics department... It would drive me crazy." She relays with a sigh.

So basically he's perfect. "How do you know so much about him?" Grant squints at her suspiciously. Sure they both have honors Society but that's more than she usually knows about their peers.

She fixes him with a deadpan look. "He's my partner in AP chem and we're both in the gardening club." 

"Is he single?" Surely not, Grant thinks, surely someone has noticed this angel by now. "Is he into men?" He continues.

"Leave him alone Grant, I'm serious. He's a good guy and he doesn't need you to be...weird. We don't want a repeat of last time." She says pointedly.

He hates when she brings that up. It's really not his fault he got caught, how was he supposed to know she had a dog? He's positive it won't happen that way this time. Besides this is different, she wasn't Jason. "Answer the question." He pleads. 

"For your information, I don't know. But I suspect he has something going on with Eddie Bloomberg." She tells him wearily.

Grant narrows his eyes. He'd heard, vaguely, of the guy. A lanky redhead who'd transferred from L.A., some movie producer's nephew or something. The most interesting thing about him is that he hasn't been permanently dress coded for wearing graphic T-shirts under his uniform shirt. A plan starts to form. Clearly, Jason is as in need of Grant's company as Grant is his. He just needs to get closer-

Jason glances his way, the prettiest brown eyes Grant has ever seen brush past him, that perfect quirk of lips is angled his way for just a moment and in that half second everything is right. Something inside him settles even as every nerve is lit up, poprocks under his skin. The moment is over as quickly as it started, Jason closes his locker and adjusts his books. When he starts towards his first class Grant moves to follow, pulled through space by the gravity in Jason's orbit, but Jade's iron grip on his shoulder stops him.

He yelps as he's jerked back, Jade looks more serious than he's ever seen her. "I'm serious Grant. I know how you get, with your...fixations. Jason is a good kid, I don't want you messing with him." She warns.

Grant scowls, shaking her off. He opens his mouth to pick a fight before he gathers his thoughts. With a sigh he lets himself untense. "Okay,"  he concedes, "I promise."

Jade eyes him suspiciously but nods. "Good." She closes her locker with a little more force than necessary. "Do you have any ideas for the project in bio then?”

~~~~~~~~~

I imagine he got around his promise to her by bringing up that Jason OFFERED to study with him! So it's not HIS doing that they hang out so much!! He tactfully doesn't mention that he's the reason they got paired together to begin with.

[existentialterror]

Light's ARG notes - Dear Evelyn

Dear Evelyn (spotify link) is a horror podcast with a few ARG elements! It's just coming out and it's really good. I know some of the people involved (though don't know anything else about the podcast itself) and really like the other podcast on their network, the Creepypasta Book Club. Check em out! There are also some ARG elements. (It looks like you can listen to the podcast without engaging with any of the ARG elements, at least for now, but it's early on and anyways I love an ARG.)

Under the cut I'm dropping a lot of spoiler notes on Episode 1 "introductions" and Episode 2 "The Attic", which is all that's out so far. Really just my notes on the characters and what we know about everything.

I'm taking a break for this in between working on the shorthand code, which... might take me a while. I know nothing about shorthand and never claimed to be good at codes in the first place. XD

Characters

The Payne family

Sparrow Payne - The voice of the show. Sending recordings to get back in touch with their younger sibling, Evelyn. Their father has just died and they've moved back to the old family house in Keen's Cross, Indiana.

Got emancipated at 16, hasn't been back since. Refers to themself as "the scary one" of the siblings.

Evelyn Payne - Sparrow's younger sister. Was more online at a younger age. Also left Keen's Cross early and has been estranged from everyone. Things are really tense with Sparrow, who doesn't even know their address, which Sparrow thinks is fair.

As a kiddo, really morbid and into scary stuff. Made up and was scared of "Gabe the Cave Monster".

On a post-it note on the wall of Evelyn's room, in her handwriting, is "Pale_Horse1392".

Pastor Roger Payne - Sparrow and Evelyn's dad, who recently died. Was always a hardass but really became a pious dick after his wife vanished.

Naomi Payne - Sparrow and Evelyn's mom, who went missing when Sparrow was - I forget but I want to say like 12 years old.

Into new age stuff, not as into the religious stuff, which was a point of conflict in her relationship with Roger.

Wrote extensive diaries.

Sparrow is pretty sure she's dead.

Other characters

Mrs. Rapperty (sp?): Next door neighbor, lives alone in big dirty house. Recluse. Now maybe has Alzheimer's or something. Said Naomi was so beautiful but that she lost the faith and left the kids - all of which was news to Sparrow. She seems to know something about Naomi.

Jake Petty: Gay kid that the kids knew when they were younger, stayed in Keen's Cross. Closer to Evelyn's age.

Officer Petty: Jake's dad. Cop.

Pastor Drayer (sp?): The new pastor. Was really curious about Evelyn at Roger's funeral, despite having never met either of the Payne kids.

The missing person case

According to news report at the end of "introductions", Naomi was: Reported as missing:

4 days after last seen

3 days after authorities were notified

Reported to outside authorities (like, police in another town) BY one of the kids hitchhiking to a nearby town. Guessing that's Sparrow, since Evelyn was very young.

Sparrow tried to get help and answers as a kid but doesn't seem to have known much.

Since she died, the entire case has been publicized and become infamous online, which Sparrow hates. A lot of stuff like Naomi's journals are digitally available.

Naomi's journals

Naomi wrote some every day, almost.

Some missing ones mentioned in "The Attic", including various years. The journals are indexed with letters.

Also lots of albums, almost all of the mom. Lots with the mom and some baby in places that don't look like Keen's Cross, which is confusing to Sparrow.

A lot of the diaries were made public but not these ones Sparrow just found in the attic.

Sparrow mentions one specific entry - 1992 (May 18) - Talking about Mt St Helens erupting, on its anniversary. Naomi tried to get others to leave town - something bad is happening here too.

An excerpt of one of the diaries, written in shorthand, was shared with the episode description. I'm still trying to figure out what it says.

The Payne House

Dad left the kid's rooms mostly untouched since they moved out.

Bunch of stuff in the attic that is padlocked shut. Wild!

As of "The Attic", at Evelyn's suggestion, Sparrow found the key taped to the underside of Dad's night stand.

The attic contained a bunch of Naomi's things and diaries, mostly untouched in interceding years. Unclear how much of this, if any, the police ever saw. There are sections of the diaries - like in shorthand - that definitely never appeared online, and that Sparrow never saw before.

pale_Horse1392

Right, so in the description of "introductions", there's a link to this image:

The QR code goes to this youtube channel, which contains (at time of writing) only this cryptic video.

So I'm thinking pale_horse1392 is either Evelyn, or someone Evelyn was in contact with as a young person.

Riddle

If you click on the drawing of Gabe the Cave Monster in the episode 2 notes, there's a link to a riddle. I also have not figured out the riddle.

[ask-elland-n-will]

OOC Question:

I am sorry, I am sure you already answered that Question, but how did Will and Elland come to life? 💚

How did you come up with their names and personality?

[I'm gonna call this recent series of ooc asks "Lily rambles while on a walk without proofreading anything"!

Cyrus was first, I cannot begin this conversation without bringing him up. I played him in a DnD campaign for about a year. Elland happened a little while later, but was just an NPC, somebody for the game master to bring up to get the plot going. I switched into playing Elland cause I wanted to give another class a go: Cyrus went home to take care of family stuff, and Elland moved into his friendgroup to help prevent the end of the world. Typical DnD stuff.

Elland is supposed to Cy's foil. Their dynamic was great, their differences stood out more when they were paired up. I wanted a really strong bond.

HL came around — and as I was playing Elland in DnD at the time, I used him in HL. When starting a replay of the game, I went with another archetype I always loved, a talkative cute ginger sunshine boy (we know how he mutated since then 🤣). It was a switch from Cyrus into Will, because Cyrus, being an adult in DnD, was, for the lack of the better word, too horny and abrasive. He didn't fit in a school, and at the time the thought of changing him felt like a monumental task.

So I created another foil for Elland. Will now is so far from his original self that I might as well come up with another cute sweet OC. It always happens like that with my characters. When it feels like one has too much of everything, the character branches out into other characters. Will used to be a coward — and don't get me wrong, self preservation is strong in this one but he knows when to pick his fights and is not easily scared when he can explain things logically (pickle was an exception but he got over that fear after a while). But with time Fred took over the coward role.

Lilith was supposed to be sweet — yet now she's unhinged, strong, domineering — those qualities didn't sit right with any other characters.

Elland was supposed to be more like he is in DnD, this figure making tough choices and not being afraid to get his hands dirty to protect family. But it felt wrong for the HL setting, and thus I have Fyodor, who is even more straightforward. Wherr Elland still can tell a white lie — Fyodor is brutally honest, even if it needlessly hurts somebody's feelings.

I'm rambling at this point haha

Names? Elland — I was in a book club at the time, going through The Mistborn series and The City of Brass. There was a character in the first book series, Elend Venture, whom I liked a lot. When I was coming up with names, I wrote "Elland" and only way later realized why it feels so familiar. I got inspired without knowing.

The second book is fantasy set around the world of djinn. That was the inspiration that made Cyrus a genasi, and de Strontiums in general came from the Middle East (still haven't decided if Egypt or Turkey). There were a few centuries of assimilation both in DnD and HL, so Elland and Cyrus are mixed race.

Cyrus is a name of Persian origin with Greek roots. It meant "sun". With how the boy is burning, it was fitting. And in Genshin there is a guy named Cyrus who is the head of the Adventurers guild. So I had a good feeling about the name.

Their last names, too. Strontium is/was added to fireworks to give them red colour. I've mentioned before that their family came from firework making origins. It's a tradition for them, even when they became nobleman. They branched out into firearms eventually, that's how the majority of their family's wealth was accumulated, helping supply the Crown. In DnD — making weapons for the city guards, and a bunch of other experimental projects that had to do with explosives. Cyrus was reeeealy born for this.

William — always loved the name, no other reason. Abbott — I was looking all over the wiki for a family name that would soften their stance on muggles. I don't remember exactly, but later down the line Abbott's married muggles. Even is Sacred families weren't really a think in HL times (I think?) It doesn't make Will any less generationally pureblood.

For personalities - I'll lump Will and Cyrus in the same category. I needed someone fun. Fun, outgoing, energetic, inspired. And to pair them up for a dynamic I liked, I needed someone calm. Supportive, more empathetic, good listener but somebody with a firm hand to direct Will/Cyrus if they get carried away. W/C should hold E in high regard. E is the kind of person to ground them and make them see things they are too blinded to see.

In practice (roleplay) it's a bit harder to do, so don't be surprised if the characters sometimes do things you didn't think they would do. That, and coming from DnD, Elland especially, Tumblr will just never see some of the sides of him I see critical for understanding his character. Now that I made up my mind about my boys' as OCs lore, the dangerous and unforgiving environment that was HL MC lore and DnD lore — it moved aside.

Elland is a Hufflepuff here only because I couldn't decide between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff because I wanted Puff's commonroom. If I made a choose on behalf of the DnD Elland, he is more Ravenclaw than Puff in terms of personality. A lot of it just didn't come to him until he went to magic academy. And again, bringing up harsh MC lore, now I can't really show off how he operates under pressure and how smart and quick-thunking he is, and how passion can cloud his judgement, especially when his loved ones are involved. Dueling might be the only way for that to slip through.]

[nanuk-dain]

First Line Analysis

Rules: post the first lines of up to 10 of your last fics/chapters posted on AO3 or your WIPs and try to draw some conclusions.

Oh, that's interesting. I've never thought about that... Thank you so much @gorgeousundertow for the tag <3

1 - Mike keeps the 50-cal directed at the field to the right of the victor where numerous distant shapes in desert cammies and woodland flak vests are progressing at a slow pace. (From The World's Smallest Book Club Ch 33)

Okay, so we learn who the narrator is, that it's a military setting and that something is happening, but we don't know what. Those who know Generation Kill will also probably be able to place the scene even with the little intel we have.

2 - Gabe wakes because something is tickling his nose, and the first thing he realises is that he's lying on his ratty couch with his feet dangling over one side. (From Nocturnal Revelations)

What I like about this is that we're wondering what the reason for the tickling is, and we immediately know it's a civilian setting - two things that make it interesting to read on.

3 - "Ah, Ray... Is that Brad dragging the LT?" Ray looks up curiously at the sound of Walt's voice, because it's an interesting mixture of incredulous and concerned. (From Unit Ch 113)

One of the few times I start with direct speech, it seems. And the question itself is so unusual that I think it gets the reader curious right away, while we also know that it's Ray's POV and he's talking about Brad and Nate to Walt who's obviously having a hard time believing what he's seeing. I think that sets up the scene enough to draw the reader in, which is what I was going for.

4 - When Tim opens his eyes, the first thing he notices is that his head hurts, followed by staring up into a familiar face hovering over his own. (From Confluence Ch 1)

We end up smack in the middle of the situation here, and all we know is that it's Tim's POV and that something happened that apparently made him pass out and left him with a head that hurts. Enough to pique your interest, right? ^_^ This is in fact a collab with @mac-and-geese, but I think I can use it since I was the one who wrote the start of our fic.

5 - When Michael 'Budweiser' Brunmeier enlists in the Marine Corps, he knows that he's not straight, and he's okay with that. (From Origins Ch 1)

This time it's again setting just enough of the scene to make you curious. Just one sentence, but we already know there's going to be issues because being in the Marine Corps and not being straight at that time set you on a path of conflict with DADT.

6 - Sleeping in a tactical huddle is not gay. Chaffin knows that. It's a fact. Everybody in the entire military - no matter which branch - knows that. (From Tactical Huddle)

Okay, I notice a pattern here, because it's basically the same general issue set up here as in the fic before. Military, gay, DADT. Except that apparently our MC isn't nearly as okay with it as Budweiser XD

7 - Evan has no idea how it even happened. Because he's not fucking gay, and neither is John. (From Screwing Boundaries Ch 1)

Huh, again with the gay conflict, with just enough intel to get the readers curious. And again the scene's not set much beyond that we know who's talking and what the general issue is. I seem to do that a lot O_o

8 - Brad looks around and can't help feeling out of place. (From Welcome Home)

Oh, finally something a little different XD But again we only know who the narrator is and that something's up. Considering that Brad is rarely feeling out of place, that triggers the urge to know what situation he's in that he does feel out of place.

9 - When Rich returns to his victor after his tour around the perimeter of Alpha's watch posts, the firefights outside the walls of the cigarette factory are still going strong. (From Reassurance)

Okay, yeah, I definitely like leaving people with just enough intel to get curious. This is probably one of the more detailled settings of the situation, and again people who know Generation Kill will know from that sentence alone where we are and what the situation is.

10 - "The former patient rooms will do nicely as accommodation." Brad reports to Lieutenant Fick when they're walking towards the entrance to the large room that has been ransacked to bareness and where the men of Bravo Two are setting up camp. (From Sir)

Another first line that gives just enough intel to know where we are, whose POV we have and who is part of the scene. At least I have two fics that give a little more info than just a tease in the first sentence XD

Conclusion:

Huh... So I guess I like throwing the reader smack in the middle of the situation while also making it clear right away whose POV we're experiencing. Seems I never start a fic/chapter with describing the setting, I just drop my main character into it and leave the reader to figure out what's going on alongside my MC. I never noticed I do that. And I'm not sure what to make of it, either XD And apparently I tend to try to create curiosity in the reader about what's going on, and give just enough of the setting to get you interested. That's kind of a common thread I noticed going over those first lines, and the funny thing is that I actually don't do that on purpose, it just happens...

Okay, since this was such an interesting experiment, I want to give the same opportunity to @anthrobrat, @mac-and-geese, @military-bluebells and @meganmoonlight. Have fun, my friends, and learn something about yourself and your writing ;D

[besavedbyaperfectkiss]

This is the last thing I'm gonna say and god I hope the person who started this witch hunt for my best friend sees it.

You took one of the most loving, wholesome, wonderful people on this site and tried to make them a villain. And they were seen as a villain since April. Now you're starting it all up again just as it was getting better. That is what I call immaturity at it's finest. This vague posting, "oh i know all their lies" (there aren't any), she bullied all of my friends (no she blocked anyone who she thought was going to trash talk her, her family, friends, etc. all due to a MISUNDERSTANDING which is still happening in your brain because you have no comprehensive reading skills. Read what she actually wrote then get back to me on all your thoughts), several people on here who know her boyfriend irl and actually know he does what he does (he's even my cousin, an actual breathing human!!) including working with a certain singer and yes even talking to her PR manager from time to time (she never once said she talks to Tree directly so get off whatever high ass horse you're on) and everything else she is apparently lying about bc I'm sure all of your dumb evidence will definitely see all of this through and so much more.

You are Not a journalist. This is tumblr dot com. It is Not that serious and yet you want to make others hurt. And congratulations. Molly has left and not only her, but her friends are hurting as well. All because you have some wild delusional list that apparently makes her out to be an evil witch. Try again. Tumblr has never been a place for this. We have moved on. Everyone has. But then there's you. Talk to me if you want actual evidence that you so badly crave. Not people you think might possibly be right. You definitely aren't.

Bottom line stop with the pointless hate, stop with the bullying, stop with the vague posting. I can't not vague post because you blocked me when I never even spoke a word to you.

Be the better person here. We all want to have fun. You took away bingo nights, live blogging with her and her bf, book club, amazing black and white gifsets, a safe space for everyone, a place for great advice, a loving and dear friend to so many, and for what? Your little list? Please.

[myf00djournal]

Out on my morning walk looking like a well matched queen 👸🏻

Thinking about my peers on here doing some reflecting and setting of goals and pondering if I set concrete goals for myself this year. Retrospectively, yes I suppose I did! Things just kind of happened and I guess seeing them through was the persistence.

My brain dump looking back -

👩🏻‍🏫 Work - Hmm. Well I started in a role that will not exist next year which is a shame. I will still be in a similar role, albeit temporarily until the end of the year. Then, I am not sure what’s happening. My HSC class ranked 1st in our system so that’s pretty exciting. I made a lot of connections with my students and supported them through some pretty heavy shit…

📚 Study - …This then prompted me to start my Masters which I am 3 units into. I have been toying with the idea of pursuing this for ten years so that is a long term goal achieved for sure!

💵 Other work - I wrote freelance exam papers and did HSC marking for some side money 💰 I have said no to the exam papers for next year which I am so proud of myself for.

🏋🏽‍♀️ Training - I went to the gym 170 times which seems to average 3-4 times per week. Sounds right. Jan-Sept is hard because of netball, I was lucky to get to the gym 3 times per week during the season. My gym doesn’t open on Sundays either. Sept-Dec was a solid hit out during the challenge. I managed to lose 10kg, making my total loss since September 2022 16kg without any gains back. I didn’t suffer any major injuries in the gym and this contributed to my consistency and ability to push myself more.

🏃🏽‍♀️ Parkrun - I ran 33 parkruns this year. In April last year I set a goal to get back under 30 mins. I did it this year not once but nine times 🥹 all in the second half of the year. This was my biggest running year since 2019 due to lockdowns etc.

🏐 Netball - My rep and club team both finished 3rd 🥲 I had great seasons, particularly for club my shooting accuracy was the highest and most consistent it’s been for years sitting around 85-90% every game. That was my goal ✅ No injuries that sidelined me - except for my dislocated finger 🤣 briefly. Another goal ✅

💵 Monies - Without putting amounts out there it’s pleasing and also a privilege to get through the year comfortably. I got to travel with my bestie at the start of the year, book a holiday with Josh (Wednesday eee) and still save a good amount for my emergency fund, general savings and pay for my units upfront for uni (although 75% is subsidized thanks government). When I cleaned out my wardrobe I was pleased not too part with too much which means I haven’t overconsumed and wasted.

🏥 Health - I had my endo surgery which had been on my mind for about 3-4 years. ✅ I already feel so many benefits from it and regret not having it again sooner (last one was 2009!). Had another iron infusion. Generally, I do look after my health and try to do regular dental, chiro, GP visits etc. I only saw my psych once this year. I could probably have done with a top up because things got very dicey for me around April, but we made it through.

🥂 Alcohol - I stopped drinking between August-November and since have only had alcohol on 5 occasions (I use a dry days tracker). I’m sorting out when feels safe for me to drink and how much control I have. The reset has really helped me understand why I used to drink, sometimes alone, and that I put myself in unsafe situations when this happens. I still have some soul searching to go but I am on the right track.

My brain dump for 2024 -

👩🏻‍🏫 Work - Enjoy the year. Relax a little. Set boundaries. Know where you stand.

📚 Study - Complete 5 units

💵 Other work - HSC marking and that’s it

🏋🏽‍♀️ Training - Keep up with gym, average 4-5 times per week. Bench 60! Be nicer to people at 5am 🤣

🏃🏽‍♀️ Running - Attend as many parkruns as I can. Go under 28 (home PB). Volunteer more. Maybe do a half again in November? Depends on other factors.

🏐 Netball - Have already said no to rep (can you tell I am being so firm with my resources next year?). Will always play club. Goal - Win grand final again. Shoot at 90-95% accuracy.

💵 Monies - We connected with a financial advisor just before Christmas so plan to see that through and have a look at what we can do! Clearer goals will then form. I also want to stop shouting people things. I am overly generous with this and it needs to stop because a lot of the time it’s colleagues who never do a shout so it never comes back to me 🥲

🏥 Health - Find out what I am anaphylactic to on 28/2 😀 and hopefully don’t die during that test! Continue managing my endo and other factors that connect to all of that. Maintain my weight loss in healthy and sensible means (which I am confident in myself I can).

🥂 Alcohol - I want to continue to be mindful in my motives for drinking, how society has normalized alcohol consumption, etc. I want to be safe, feel healthy and not ruin next days for myself.

📷 - My bestie and I need to take more photos together

📱- I really need to reduce my screen time (cruise will help with this!)

📖- I really need to read more (2 books planned for our cruise!)

🧽 - I keep editing and adding to this lol. I want to maintain a really minimal space inside our home. We have done a lot of decluttering the last few weeks and I am really keen to keep it up. We have a council clean up booked for 2/1 and what better way to start the NY! Can’t wait to drag some of our old stuff out and say see ya 👋🏾

[wolfiemcwolferson]

My sweet friend @dm3rv hasn’t been feeling well so I wrote her a little ficlet since I’m doing that right now. 

Carlando & First Kisses. Background Maxiel and Piarles.

Max tumbles through their front door with Daniel in tow on a Thursday afternoon. He’s got an armful of groceries and news.

Lando is glad for the tea, not so glad for the news.

“He’s moving back?” Lando tries to get his voice even when he asks again, even though he heard Max properly the first time and the fourth time. 

“Next week,” Danny says, halfway hanging out of their freezer. “Something about a job and then something dramatic and broody - you know how he gets. Weird bastard.”

“He’s not weird,” Lando snaps at him and then has to watch in shame as Max and Daniel exchange a look.

They don’t know, of course, no one does. Not about the way Lando had been probably more than a little bit in love with Carlos when he left and not how Carlos had nearly kissed him, but then didn’t - apologizing with his words and his eyes and the frantic way he had fled the apartment that night.

They don’t know how much it wrecked him mostly because they don’t know how close the two of them actually were since their friendship had been built in the quite moments in the middle of loud ones. 

Danny dragging them all out to a new club opening and Lando sneaking out the back to get some fresh air, Carlos following and the two of them stealing away to share a plate of food in a tiny shop. 

Carlos calling him in the middle of the night when he was hiding from Max and Daniel on his balcony because only Lando would understand only for Lando to invite him over. Carlos would sleep on the couch and the two of them would eat badly cooked eggs together the next morning before Carlos would slip away.

“It’s only been four months.” Lando says, trying to be more neutral about Carlos. “What happened to his opportunity of a lifetime?”

“Don’t know mate.” Danny shrugs. “Just called and asked if I knew of anyone looking for a roommate.”

Lando nods stiffly, folding the bag up neatly and leaving it on the counter. “Gonna go shower,” he says quietly and then he slips out of the kitchen, but not before he hears Max say softly what the hell was that about.

.

Max invites him to the dinner that Charles and Pierre host for Carlos’ Welcome Back to London party, but Lando gives a halfhearted excuse and Max gives him another one of the weird looks he’s been giving him over the last two weeks and he and Danny leave.

The night drags on and Lando stuffs it all down - the silence between them and the anger and embarrassment of that last night and the feelings that he can’t seem to get rid of, no matter how hard he tries. 

He eats his cold takeaway from last night and he tries to read a book before he gives up and turns on that show he’s meant to be enjoying and then he takes another shower before pulling on his favorite hoodie, his favorite sweatpants, his favorite pair of socks.

And then someone knocks on the door. 

Lando checks his phone on instinct, assuming that he will see a half a dozen texts from Max about how he and Danny have both left their keys somewhere, but there’s nothing and it’s too late for anyone else to just show up unannounced, but Lando probably has no self preservation because he throws the door open without checking to see who is behind it and then he very nearly stops breathing.

“Carlos,” Lando chokes out, feeling unsteady and angry.

How dare Carlos show up after nearly five months of radio silence looking beautiful and tired around the edges and nervous as he shifts around with his hands in his pockets.

“What are you -”

But Lando can’t finish his question because Carlos takes a big step into his space, arms immediately wrapping around Lando’s waist. 

“Max said you were not seeing anyone.” Carlos whispers against Lando’s neck.

Which is ridiculous. He hasn’t seen him in this long and that’s the first thing he says to him? No.

Lando squirms away and glares and then Carlos - the bastard - laughs. Nose scrunched up and looking far too happy.

“Max said you were not seeing anyone,” Carlos says again, “And so I thought I would come and ask you to dinner.”

Lando’s blink is slow, he tries to give his brain time to catch up to what Carlos is saying to him. “You -” he clears his throat. “You want to take me to dinner.”

Carlos nods.

“You didn’t -” Lando thinks about that last night. How Carlos had pulled away from the kiss just before their lips connected. The way he had fled the apartment. It’s embarrassing and awful.

Carlos’ hand on his cheek and his nose is brushing Lando’s. “I should have.”

“You can take me to dinner,” Lando whispers, feeling warm all over and so so confused, but like he’s exactly where he wants to be. 

“Do I have to wait to kiss you?” Carlos laughs again, but in that awkward way he does when he’s nervous and Lando should say yes and make him wait but Lando has also been waiting months.

It’s nothing more than a press of lips. Lando missing a bit, mostly landing on the side of Carlos’ mouth, but it’s e v e r y t h i n g and Lando melts into him completely, pressed against him fully, readjusting to land more firmly on his mouth, shuddering when Carlos wraps one of his hands around the base of his neck -

“Well, I guess we know where Carlos ran off to.” 

Lando gasps, pulling away as Danny starts to cackle from down the hall.

“I am sorry, Landito.” Carlos mumbles to him before turning towards Max and Danny who are standing at the end of the hall with very different expressions. 

“Is this why you have been in such a mood?” Max points rather aggressively at the place that Carlos is still pressed against Lando.

“It’s why they’ve both been in such a mood.” Danny gasps out between his laughter. 

Lando tries to shrink away, but Carlos’ hand is firm around his waist. 

“Well,” Max drawls, “You will need to come inside and explain why you were just kissing Lando in the hallway.”

Carlos noses against Lando’s hair and whispers. “I missed you. Very much.”

Lando has a million questions, but he’s going to save them for tomorrow.

[moon-lv3r]

tutoring ~💎

🦋 category: fluff, one-shot, f!reader

🦋 characters: josuke

🦋 summary: your grades are slipping, exams are coming, and so you decided to ask someone as stupid as you to study together. makes sense since you aren’t the brightest tool in the shed

🦋 warnings: nil

🦋 notes: so how are we feeling about the ending of stone ocean? promise i will write something for stone ocean soon hehe. i got this idea to write a fic for josuke bc my mind started to drift into nowhere and a lot of idiotic stuff entered my brain and i suddenly felt inspired to write this fic with some elements of what happened to me. also i dyed my hair !!

The amount of Ds flooding your report book was enough to send any parent into a state of shock. It was a nightmare coming straight out of a nightmare itself. Who would have known that you would be this stupid?

If only you could treat the warnings given to you by your teachers as a love letter. You’d have many admirers then.

“At least you’re not the lowest y/n,” said your best friend, a tall boy who went by the name Nakamura Naoki. “I heard that Okuyasu broke his own record once again. As if his grades weren’t already bad enough. But apparently that Josuke improved.”

A curved smile carved onto your face at the mention of Josuke. Would it be a surprise to know that you liked that idiot?

Naoki knew of it, and he was disappointed.

He took notice of your stupid little smile and sighed. “Seriously why do you like that idiot?” He asked.

“Naoki, you have a crush on Hirai Rei! She couldn’t do literature to save her life. Have you not read some of her poems she wrote for one of our projects last year?” You retorted back. Teasing each other about your crushes was a hobby, and a need, developed by the both of you. Partially because Naoki kept on liking funny kind of people while making fun of you for liking Josuke.

What was wrong with Josuke anyway?

“Rei is good at math and she can help me with it at least. What can Josuke help you with? Getting into trouble?” Naoki replied.

It was unfortunate that Rei just so happened to be the top student in the school for math while Josuke was known for getting into a bit of trouble. Resulting from too much games and a lack of homework being done. You had heard that his nephew was a well-accomplished young man with a wife and daughter.

“Josuke has a rich nephew,” you replied. But before you could say anymore, Naoki stopped you from producing words as stupid as Okuyasu.

“That man is married. I know you’re joking but seriously,” Naoki stared at you, straight into your eye. The seriousness of his eye contact filled with intensity froze you from the inside out. Never have you seen him so serious before.

You and Josuke were in the same class, he sat behind you. You could always feel his stupidity from where you sat but it was a trait that you had admired from him. You didn’t know how your crush on Josuke started out. it was out of the blue, you were just ranting to Naoki about how most of the guys in class were annoying pricks, a rant that even Naoki took part in. He was a boy in band and hated most of the boys. You were in the art club. Josuke just happened to be one of the more tolerable ones and you just started paying more and more attention to him then. It didn’t help that he always started conversations with you and most of it always went from school related to something stupid. But it was never enough to spark a friendship.

Until your weak little heart gave out and started to catch a kind of virus — feelings.

Naoki noticed it way before you did. You refused to believe that you had caught feelings for Josuke and denied it. But you knew it was as truthful as saying the Earth was flat.

Before you knew it, it had turned into something your mind was too weak to reverse. The worst part was that he sat behind you so you could always hear the stupid little shenanigans he was always up to. It got worse when Okuyasu joined the school. The level of stupid reached an all time high that made Naoki question your sanity for liking Josuke.

Months had passed by since then, you and him barely exchanged any words, only ever talking when he started it, but he had been talking to you less these days. Naoki ended up dating Rei and they were happy together. The stark contrast in achievements made you the laughing stock for him and Rei. But hey at least you befriended someone enough to tell her about your hopeless crush on that Josuke.

“Nao is right, Josuke is a stupid guy. Did love blind you to the point that even Josuke can catch your attention?” Rei commented after finding out about your crush on Josuke.

“I am not listening to anyone who’s dating Nakamura Naoki!” You replied.

What was worse was the fact that exams were arriving sooner than your love life finally having something interesting going on. Your grades standing at a failing rate was simply not allowed. Naoki and Rei were studying with each other and you did not want to interfere with their little date.

But you could really use a study buddy.

You even told your mother that you would be getting a tutor for your poor grades so there was nowhere out.

There were virtually nobody you could ask.

And so one day when you were in class glancing through your biology textbook, Josuke approached you.

The Josuke sitting right behind you.

The Josuke whose special talent was being an idiot.

The Josuke you liked.

“Biology is so hard to revise,” he mumbled as you looked up to see his face masked with a grin. He looked like a moron.

This was an opportunity in disguise.

You looked out of the class to see Rei winking and cheering you on with Naoki beside her, shaking his head in disapproval. Naoki must have been forced into it.

“We can study it together!” You replied with an innocent smile that you hoped would not expose your crazy heart going absolutely insane over the both of you finally having the opportunity to spend time together.

he seemed surprised. Your heart sank, heart beat gone. He was going to say no wasn't he?

At least you tried your best. It wasn’t like you never tried anything before. You could live with this.

“Sure!” Josuke surprisingly agreed, making you question if he was really the Josuke you know and love. “Just us or do you want me to invite Okuyasu?”

He was really an idiot.

“The choice is yours. But we will be studying at my house if that is alright with you. The library is really crowded these days,” you replied, trying to be as normal as you could possibly master.

Josuke went silent once again, deep in thoughts inside his empty brain. You really wanted to know what kind of things this boy thought of everyday. It seemed like it would be a never ending land of chaos, would you love it? Probably.

“I will not invite Okuyasu then,” he finally replied. “Today? I’ll see you after school.”

He left before you could even say anything.

What in tarnation had just happened.

You didn’t even have time to fully process everything because Rei barged into the classroom like a rabid creature and Naoki followed behind like he was a sick old man.

“Y/n is finally getting a boyfriend,” she grinned.

“I hate you,” you replied. “What just happened?”

“Ask Rei, she got me to ask Josuke to approach you because you apparently need friends,” Naoki replied.

“He couldn’t resist my charms,” Rei chimed in. “He is like a dog.”

Naoki froze in terror from the sentence and you laughed. Naoki being with Rei was the best thing ever.

You would never know the meaning of boring while hanging out with them.

It felt like eternity until the school bell finally rang, allowing you to run like there was a serial killer chasing you. Your final class for the day was different from Josuke’s so you would have to wait for him by the school gate and walk to your home. There Josuke was, standing by the metal gate like the dashing young teenager he was and oh you could not wait for the events to unfold.

The events would just be you and him talking.

He smiled when he saw you and waved. It made you feel like you were floating in heaven.

Maybe you should stop being so crazy.

Okuyasu went with Koichi to study. So you and Josuke were truly alone. Ain’t this fun?

“Your mum wouldn’t mind me around?” Josuke asked.

“She is used to me bringing guys over all the time,” you replied without thinking. Only realising how horrible your words meant after it escaped your mouth. “Wait no I only brought Naoki over and now he is always crashing at my place with Rei and making me sit on the floor of my own room like they are the ones living there!”

“So you only had Naoki and Rei over?” He asked, looking amused. “You got so flustered.”

You hated this.

“Sorry,” you apologised meekly as your doorstep finally greeted your face.

Quickly, you and Josuke entered and made the way to your room. It was filled with books and music, the sight of games were practically non-existent. Josuke was appalled by the different your room was compared to his. The thought of living without games was simply foreign to him, something impossible.

The both of you managed to find a comfortable spot on your room floor and sat down. He looked through his textbook like it was plotting his murder. “I don’t understand physics at all. What is the principal of energy conversion, whatever its called.”

“I think its that energy cannot be lost or destroyed, only converted from one form to another?” You replied, equally confused and began to look at your own textbook. “Oh I am right.”

Josuke was extremely weak when it came to his sciences so he spent most of his time on that. You couldn’t do math so that was your main area of focus.

“What is the difference between alkanes and alkenes again?” He asked.

“Hold on let me check…” You muttered, moving yourself so that you would be beside him. You took a glance at the textbook he was holding, unaware of the gap that would almost cease to exist between your cheeks. He was aware of that however, but remained frozen in his posture while your eyes scanned the words printed on his textbook.

“Oh alkanes have a single bond with carbon while alkenes have a double bond with… carbon as well,” you replied. “Why is chemistry so hard, the spelling of alkane and alkene is so similar!” You whined. “How would anyone tell it apart?”

Math got worse for you when you got to trigonometry and whatever the name was for the topic that needed you to find the volume of shapes. What the hell were your eyes registering into your brain?

“What is the hypotenuse of a triangle?” You asked in distress. Your mind in shambles from studying, too tired for anymore.

“The longest side?” Josuke shrugged. “I don’t know either.”

You glanced at your math notes once more, flipping through like a sane woman gone mad. He was… right?

“Why are you actually correct?” You answered in shock.

He looked just as surprised as you to learn the fact that he wasn’t that stupid. His grades only went from failing grades to barely passing. But an improvement was still an improvement.

Time ticked by as the both of you continued your mindless studying. The only dialogue exchanged were questions relating to subjects and the, sometimes insanely wrong, answers to them. Josuke once thought basic oxides were the same as acidic oxides. It was a funny one. It made a good laugh escape your lips.

The sun soon vanished from the sky, replaced by the moon and its’ dark shine over the Earth.

Your mother arrived home and cooked dinner for Josuke. She saw you bringing a guy that wasn’t Naoki back home and immediately started to do an interrogation. Swore it was for your future as well.

The aroma was sweet, filling every corner of your home. But the stare from your mother felt intense. Josuke could feel it too.

“So you’re the smart tutor y/n decided to bring home to save their grades?” She asked.

Josuke turned to look at you with a funny expression. You had no idea what it meant but he nodded his head with a smile before returning to face your mum. “Yup, top of our class.”

Oh he definitely was.

“What does your parents do for a living?”

“My dad is uh… overseas with my nephew, my mum is working at a bank,” Josuke asked. He seemed hesitant about his father but answered rather smoothly.

Dinner went by without anything weird coming from nowhere. The chicken your mother made was as amazing as usual and the curry she made tasted just as good, you loved the spice burning your tongue senseless. After all three of you finished your meal, your mother decided that it would be a good idea to have you walk Josuke home.

“So… what was that about me being smart?” Josuke asked, grinning in a smug manner.

“Nothing,” you tried to shrug it off.

“We both know the top of our class isn’t me. I am nowhere close,” Josuke explained. “So?”

You sighed, it wasn’t like any lie would make sense anyway.

“Told my mum that I would ask a smart one for help but I asked you instead,” you explained.

“Why though? Naoki only told me to talk to you…” his voice became softer, his mind turned heavier.

It could only mean one thing…

“Wait… do you like me?” He asked. Your mind stopped producing thoughts. Your heart kept making heart beats.

He looked at your reaction and that gave him all of the answers you needed. “So you do…”

“So?” You replied, trying to sound nonchalant as you could.

Josuke looked like a happy little idiot. “And I thought I was the only person who would like someone who barely talked to me. I thought you didn’t like me because you barely talked to me, only I started the conversations so I just stopped, until Naoki told me to approach you.”

Oh…

He mistook your shyness for a sign.

“I was just shy…” you explained. “But yeah I do like you…”

Josuke’s smile appeared brighter than the street lamps at that very moment when you admitted your feelings and you felt him suddenly holding your hand. “So can I be your boyfriend now?” He asked.

“After our exams,” you shot back.

For the rest of the walk, he would never stop complaining about how he has to wait.

The exams came and went. The results? Both you and Josuke had improved quite an amount, even Naoki was surprised.

What reward did you get for it?

Higashikata Josuke.

[bronanlynch]

this one has a muffin recipe which hopefully makes up for the extended discussion on gender in a disappointing YA novel. anyway. happy wednesday

listening (podcast): keeping up with Palisade, where the table friends are as usual entirely on their bullshit. love a story that asks the real questions like, what if you follow some guy into a public bathroom and then it turns out he's in charge of the fucked up evil intelligence organization that used to kind of be in charge of the entire planet.

I'm also going back and listening to the Great Gundam Project episodes on original Gundam, which they did at the very beginning since they're going in chronological order and it is so funny to go from later episodes where I'm like "wow these people are so smart and know so much more about Gundam than I do" to "wow these people are so smart and are doing some incredibly insightful analysis considering they don't know shit about Gundam"

also this was a Media Club Plus week. Jack made lots of fun observations about Killua and his relationship to violence and also Gon that will be very interesting to revisit in like a hundred episodes. god I love dramatic irony

listening (music): for once in my life I'm listening to new music, from a self-described "flaming queer power pop" band from New Jersey called Teenage Halloween (I would say they're more punk than that description implies to me, the lead vocals especially are very classic punk, by which I mean rough and hoarse and shouty in a good way). here's their bandcamp, I think my favorite tracks are Takeaway and Getting Bitter, but they're a fun band and they have a sound that I enjoy. and also for normal reasons I like when people sing about New Jersey and/or living in a shitty suburban town

reading: finally finished Leigh Bardugo's Rule of Wolves (last book in the Grishaverse series). some wild tonal dissonance at the end because it's supposed to be a hopeful ending where the future is going to be better and maybe Ravka as a country can change and be better, except the main characters spent the past two books inventing industrialized warfare and that is not something that can just be undone?? they have missiles now??? sorry but once you introduce missiles to your fantasy setting I no longer believe that the future will be kinder & less violent than the past. also, the gender. it's time to talk about gender again. Nina's love interest Hanne, who has repeatedly been uncomfortable presenting as feminine, kills a guy who sucks and steals his identity, and talks about feeling more like themself because now they're not seen as a woman. this is the part that I like, it's fun and interesting and I think it's cool when trans people do regicide (the guy was a prince). the parts I feel conflicted are the way Nina reacts with such disappointment that Hanne no longer looks how they used to (though she does come around to the idea), the fact that all of this comes from Nina's perspective (when Nina has spent the entire duology waxing poetic about what a beautiful woman Hanne is, when Hanne is explicitly uncomfortable with being seen as beautiful or a woman) with nothing from Hanne's point of view, the fact that this reveal happens at the very end leaving no space to see how this changes their relationship moving forward or to see Hanne exploring what their transition means to them, and the way it ties to something Bardugo said, back between the Six of Crows duology and this one, where she said that the next time she wrote Nina, her love interest would be a woman. and don't get me wrong, I love that Nina's bisexuality is very present on the page. however. Idk. that doesn't seem accurate and it feels clumsily handled like. sorry that's a transmasc butch who deserves a girlfriend who isn't constantly thinking about how pretty they were when they were forced to have long hair

however, in books that I'm enjoying much more, I'm reading The Death I Gave Him by Em X. Liu, a near-future sci-fi Hamlet retelling about trying to create a scientific cure for death in which Horatio is the AI of the unethical science lab and also (I think, based on what I've read so far) in love with the Hamlet figure. it fucking rules. I'm a known fan of Hamlet & Hamlet retellings, and also when the setting is alive & sentient & loves you, and also relationships between people and like, non-humanoid intelligences (it's kind of like the reverse of a possession romance, instead of the god/robot/etc inhabiting the human the human is the one doing the possession). also, I think the sense of paranoia & claustrophobia from the original Hamlet is done really well here, in a way that works well thematically and also feels. Idk. I'm trying to figure out a way to say this without psychoanalyzing myself on main but it's a very compassionate depiction of the Hamlet figure's mental state that's just. nice to read. anyway. structurally I love that it's framed as though it's someone's thesis about an incident that they've researched, so there are bits that are excerpts from phone logs and trial transcripts and things like that. I'm partway through but it's extremely good so far

watching: continuing to keep up with the TGCF donghua (for once I've seen the newest ep before posting this), which continues to be a good fun time, even if the cr*nchyroll subtitles are pretty awful (both in terms of typos and also the way they sub gege as Lian). but I do like this arc! it's fun! Hua Cheng and Xie Lian are in love!

watched a few more episodes of Hunter x Hunter to keep up with MC+ and I've gotta say, I enjoy Hisoka as a character a lot more than I did the first time I watched this. I am not immune to when a fucked up guy with a cool design murders people with playing cards. however, even though Kurapika didn't do much in the assassin/battle royale bit of the Hunter Exam, Kurapika is still my favorite

moving on to the normal amount of Gundam we watched, we finished Zeta! god. Zeta my fucking beloved. I think the ending pays off a lot of the stuff about Newtypes as a stand-in for human connection, by which I mean it fucking rules that the Zeta Gundam has ghosts in it and that Kamille can defeat Scirocco, who does not form equal partnerships with anyone or listen to their advice, by listening to the advice of his (dead) friends who live in his brain & his robot. also like, I still don't like Reccoa's plotline overall but her confrontations with Kamille & Char do a lot of good characterization work for both of them (Kamille refusing to believe that she's not just really deep undercover! Char uninterested in hearing her reasoning and attacking immediately but still unable to kill her and surprised by that!) and also I love her final fight with Emma. her and Emma killing each other is yuri, to me. on a design note, I think I tend to prefer the mobile suits in 0079, because under no circumstances do you have to hand it to the Principality of Zeon but they knew how to make a grunt suit with some fun shapes in a way that the Federation/Titans simply do not apparently. however! shout out to the Qubeley. what a neat-looking robot

and of course, immediately after finishing Zeta we started ZZ so. that also is a thing I watched. the tone whiplash from the ending of Zeta with a bunch of people dying and a kind of bittersweet victory to the beginning of ZZ was wild. Judau is so much more of a plucky YA protagonist, and there's so much more of a tone of, these kids are going to do some wacky shenanigans. like, Yazan goes from horrifying to a comedic figure. which is not to say it's bad! I am enjoying it! but sometimes it kind of feels like an entirely different creative team (which I know it's not, I know this is still very much still Tomino. but there's such a major vibeshift). my favorite thing about ZZ so far is all of the class stuff, it's nice to have that as a lens to view this setting (an extremely predictable thing for me, guy who loves stories about class conflict, to say). but I like having protagonists who are concerned about their own economic stability (though it does raise questions of like, is Bright getting paid?? by whom??? is he getting paychecks from the Federation still/again?? who is paying for Kamille's hospital bills??? Tomino please show me the Argama's budget spreadsheets). my other favorite thing is that Bright is still here, even though he is very tired and deserves a vacation. he has Such big single parent energy now, good luck to him. my other other favorite thing is that Roux Louka exists, she's a lot of fun so far

playing: still working my way through Ace Attorney 5. Aura is back and I love her! also I'm becoming invested in the concept of Clay/Apollo, partially because I am not immune to Apollo wearing Clay's jacket and partially because I love when you go to Aura's lab and Apollo is there talking to her, and he immediately realizes that Aura and Metis were in love even though Aura denies it, and her loss of Metis is paralleled with Apollo's loss of Clay. there's something compelling to me there as a story about queer grief, and mourning someone's loss even when you can't talk about exactly what they meant to you

making: we've made a couple of recipes from the Skyrim cookbook (cheese fondue, glazed carrots) (not at the same time to be clear. those were different meals) and they both turned out pretty tasty. however, the most exciting thing we made was the muffins from this post. they are, in fact, extremely good. we doubled the recipe because what would we do with an extra half a can of pumpkin

drinking: one of Lamplighter's pride beers from this summer was a sour ale with butterfly pea flower & lemon, and I'm trying to drink through the summer beers in our fridge to make room for all of the autumnal ciders. this one's tasty! again, love it when beers are citrusy & floral

writing: still working on a zine fic that I can't share yet, and also the extremely Palisade spoiler-y Integrity fic from a few weeks ago (to be fair I haven't gotten to the spoiler-y parts yet, instead I'm continuing to be possibly the only person in the fandom who cares about Orbit Shard). also, predictably, I've started writing Gundam fic. predictably, it's Emma/Reccoa and instead of getting to the kissing part Emma is introspecting about ideology

[wondereads]

May Reading Wrap-Up

Reviews and thoughts under the cut

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik (10/10)

I love this book so much! I reread it for my book club, through which I recruited to of my friends to the cause. This was my first time rereading since reading The Golden Enclaves, and the foreshadowing is just so insane. El and Orion drive me nuts, I can't possibly be normal about them. This has to be one of my favorite fantasy worlds with tons of great worldbuilding and an incredibly interesting language and physical effort-based magic system. READ THIS BOOK!!

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas (7/10)

It took me a while to finish this book, but I got through it. It was a solid 7 for me, which is what I typically give average books. I think it moved way to slowly, and really could not have cared less about Dorian's whole thing, but there were parts I liked. I really enjoyed Manon's perspective—the wyverns are just so cool—I liked Aedion, and Aelin's finale was pretty good, even if I wasn't a huge fan of the build-up. I like that the romance seems to be taking a turn towards a slow burn, which I prefer infinitely to the meet-and-get-together-in-one-book approach that Maas often uses.

Broken Bonds by J. Bree (7/10)

This is technically a reread as well. I really enjoy the premise of this story, even though the plot isn't very strong. It's a great wish-fulfillment romance, especially for anyone who likes a heaping dose of angst. The substance is...nonexistent, but I still enjoyed it and sped through it.

Savage Bonds by J. Bree (8/10)

The second in the series, this one gets into it a little more. It feels like things actually happen in this book, and the cliffhanger is much better! There's significant developments in the romance, and a lot of the previously one-dimensional characters get some death. There's definitely still a lot of round-aboutness and frustration, but it's improving.

Blood Bonds by J. Bree (8/10)

I pushed through this one last night so I could include it in the post. I will say that I hit a block with this one. It starts out with a ton of action and then it just kind of stalls in the middle. Oleander expresses frustration about being protected and doing nothing, and I was right there with her. Honestly, a lot of the action is starting to feel recycled in this book; the Resistance has like one plan of attack. The huge upside is Oleander's bonds. We're finally getting to properly know them, and North in particular has a miraculous redemption arc. As of right now, my favorites of them are Gryphon and Atlas. The reason this book is an 8 instead of a 7 is an absolutely crazy, jaw-dropping, insane plot twist at the end.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins (7/10)

Suzanne Collins really wrote a book from the perspective of her most horrible villain and it worked. Collins does a great job of balancing reader investment with reminders about Snow's true personality, and it was so interesting to see the Games be shaped to what they are in the original trilogy. That being said, I did find it very slow; there was a lot of unnecessary detail that really slowed down the plot, especially in the third part.

Island of Silence by Lisa McMann (8/10)

The first book of The Unwanteds is firmly average. It's fun to read, but it lacks something that makes it stand out, especially considering when it was published. That all changes in Island of Silence. While the first half of the book is just okay and there are some character choices that irk me, the second half is just batshit insane. All sorts of things are happening, including some great worldbuilding developments, and there's a huge plot twist at the end. It definitely makes you want to read the next book!

Code by Kathy and Brendan Reichs (8/10)

I really enjoy the Virals series. It's a candy series for me; not exactly great quality but so much fun to eat. The mysteries in these books are always so well-planned and researched; it's obvious the Reichs put a ton of effort into writing these. If you ever want to know some facts about Charleston, just read these books. I'm a fan of Tory Brennan, she's a relatable and likable protagonist, and I loved that the romantic subplot was getting more attention in this one. My one major complaint is that Tory seems to be shifting more and more in not-like-other-girls. In the first book, she at least had one other girl she was friends with/looked up to. Now most of her female interactions are limited to her dad's well-meaning but frankly idiotic girlfriend and her school bullies, which doesn't really make for an incredibly feminist narrative.

The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System Vol. 4 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (10/10)

This book is after the main story has ceased and is a collection of short stories and extras that are basically just fanfiction. I loved it. It was cute, silly, and...steamy at times. I feel like after the third volume, which while great doesn't really have the time to delve into the main relationship, it's the perfect addition. It's pretty adorable to watch them become more comfortable around each other, and there's also some development for the secondary relationship and some side characters such as Liu Qingge and Yue Qingyuan. I enjoyed myself supremely.

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (9/10)

This book has been hyped up to the moon and back, so I was a little nervous going in, but I really enjoyed it! This book was packed to the brim with action, and I loved the romance. It is fundamentally a fantasy romance with the romance taking precedence over logic occasionally, but it was just so enjoyable to read. There's always something going on, I absolutely loved the worldbuilding, and the dragons, both their magic and personalities, were engaging and likable. Also, Yarros does a great job foreshadowing twists without over-compensating, which is an issue I run into frequently. I refrained from giving this book a 10/10 for two reasons. First, it is pretty cliche, and second, while I liked Violet and her skills, her personality is kind of cookie-cutter for NA romantasy protagonists.

[andromedasummer]

wow your reply on media studies was super informative, thanks so much! can i ask what uni you studied at? cause those courses sound really interesting. the uni closest to me doesn't really offer much in that realm, and journalism is probably my main interest within this area. also just out of curiosity, what made you pick media studies and how did you know this is what you wanted to do?

victoria uni would be the best for media studies, it has the biggest voices on media in nz and more specialized courses. its like how you would go to otago for archeology (only place you can study it in the southern hemisphere), nursing or law. auckland for it and technology. down south for engineering etc. vic is just more suited to social studies and the arts, esp kelburn campus (though pip campus known for law and a big law presence)

as for why i picked it, i did it in year 13 after my friends said it was fun in year 12 and i wanted to pick a subject i could share with my friends in our last year. i ended up really enjoying it because i could talk about subjects of representation and the effects of social media, which i already had read about on tumblr lot. i decided to pick it up as one of two minors when i thought i wanted to major in classical studies. i didnt enjoy classics at all. the way it wanted me to write didnt mesh with me. from 2017-2018 i tried to press on but hit my breaking point. a bunch of shit happened and i dropped out for a year to work on my mental and physical health.

during my study the only things i really enjoyed and did well at were media studies and english. so i decided to change my degree to major in media studies and minor in english in 2020, and graduated within 3 years. i nearly got a double major (one course from an english major!) but didn't want to have to do another trimester because i was over it. that degree was the best decision i made. loved doing my media stuff and i could follow special interests in my english courses on shakespeare, popular fiction, indigenous lit, literature in journalism, postcolonial lit and science fiction literature.

i'd recommend going onto the vic site and going through the course lists for subjects you like, see if theres a pattern of interesting courses you could turn into a specialization (i knew people focusing on narrative in writing in english, kids books, etc and ppl in media focusing in advertising, on breaking into the tv medium). vic has a lot of cool stuff, like midwifery which you cant find anywhere else and a new dedicated psychology degree. its such a cool uni that a friend i met through a fanfic i wrote years back actually moved here from america to study!!! one of my college friends i did classics with actually became a lecturer there, which is wild cos ive known them since i was 13! i wasnt the most social person, but i enjoyed participating in the media society and theres solid clubs, so if you find its a good fit for what you want to study, defo give it a look.

the other option for journalism would be a bachelor of communications, which you can get at vic as well but there also weltec, our polytechnic school, which is known for being a very very good place to get a communications/journalism degree. i have friends who went to polytechs and it was by far the best decision for them. my best friend did a web design diploma one year and graphic design the next and after 2 years of study immediately went into the industry with a job just like that. as you can imagine her student loan is tiny compared to mine (which is esp inflated after my dud first 2 years).

definitely look at their site if a comms degree sounds more up your alley. both weltec and vic have pdfs you can download as like, primers on their degrees and specializations i think? i have a physical copy of the comms one from a few years back so i know they exist. good luck and i hope you can figure out what place suits you! and if you change your mind you should know changing your degree is as easy as making a meeting with a course admin. 1 hr and boom i was in a new degree.

[bvnnyl0v3r]

can we talk abt my first oc's lore? Bc that ship was DEEP deep (and lowkey weird at some parts)

anyways I don't know how I remember this much but ngl if u wanna see the oc's I made (I still have some pics I drew/made in gacha/made in picrew) or the actual texts I wrote bc I wanted to write and actual book I'll post them bc I have nothing better to do

so like she (comawolf) grew up with her father (night) and her mother (hekima) and she has an older brother (mikey) and twin brother (david) and a little sister (wonderland (don't ask how I cam up with those names)) so like they were happy family :D

and then the mother died (I never knew why like omg she was jst dead) so the dad couldn't handle it and like abused them, gave her a massive scar, he killed the twin brother and like then the older brother and little sister ran away and she ran away too but to her grandma who wanted her to be the perfect lady (this plays in the 16th century or smth fantasy shit old times thingy) and she basically abused her :D

so then she ran away again and met some demon who gave her INFINITY COOL POWERS TRAVELS UNIVERSES AND TIMELINES JUMP across the multiverse (this was before I knew the multiverse media existed yknow marvel, dc stiff like that) and then she ran into her old childhood friend (zora) who has a (not mentioned) sister named lemon and a (not mentioned)brother named leon. Lemon is heir to the sun clan since their parents are both statues from night bc he cursed them after his wifey died. Zora has a friend (luna) and she comwolf falls in love with her but also has a little crush on zora so like lesbian love triangle :3

zora gets kidnapped by night, luna and comawolf are alone in a forest and luna is revealed to be a half wolf and she cries and yknow wolfs can smell half wolf tears so they have to run even though it's the middle of the night and so coma is PISSED at her and they try to save luna and both get locked in. Then in the cages night reveals that he is coma's father and zora is shook because, what? Her bestfriend is a bitch? (No idea how she didn't relalize that her childhood best friend's dad who she saw like every week was also the evil mastermind ESPECIALLY since they have the same name and all call him by that name) anyways they escape bc some old friends from the other clans (I think there was twelve) help them and it turns out the castle they're in was a trap so like everything breaks together and they go home to their base

then they make this club and david gets ressurected or smth bc he's suddenly there again but now he has wings (gacha 2020 crying child style) and mikey is also there (i'm only now realizing how big my fnaf era mist have been) so like david gets a boyfriend from the wing clan, who adopted luna some years back because luna is the last of the eye clan bc they all got turned to stone and yeah.

if you're wondering what happened to wonderland, if you didn't all ready guess she went to wonderland!!! (Who would've guessed) how did this happen? Well coma said "child you have trauma. Go to wonderland there it's all happy people and you die if you come back! :3" and then wonderland slowly turns unto weirdcore mothers world like you can enter mothers world at 3:33am 59 second real time but in mother's world it either feels like 3 seconds, 3hours, 3days, 3 years, 33 years (you get the jizz like if wonderland is in mother's world for 24 hours it's around 24 minutes in the real world OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT) so anyways comawolf visits every night ofc but for wonderland it feels like she visits like every 3 years or smth. Marilyn is a girl that lives in mothers world who later on turns out to be somewhat inlove with comawolf. (Even more lesbian love interest I could've guessed i'm gay back then) so like comawolf promises that she'll visit as often as she can.

they defeat night or at least he realizes he's wrong and coma is ofc still pissed but mikey thinks it's all alright so he tries to convince her that he's cool again and he forces her to this family dinner where they all somewhat make up. Also happy news, hekima is back! Yayyy....

luna and coma end up dating but reakize they actually don't like each other like that so luna and zora start dating. Marilyn and coma end up together, wonderland gets back to the real world and while comawolf is keeper of all universes or smth marilyn is keeper of mothers world (wich is basically all weirdcore locations + backrooms levels + scp places.... you get the jizz)

[emptymanuscript]

Since I got my regular reminder in my email that there are still free review ebook copies of H&M I thought I would give a link in case anyone is interested.

Consider this also your semi-regular/-random reminder that I wrote a book, that you can buy. Or in this case get for free in exchange for a review, if you like Urban Fantasy or Paranormal Thriller books (please don't try it if you're not into that genre, no one will be happy - yes, this has happened multiple times at this point -_-). If you like those, though, hey, free ebook (which also means you don't have to lug around a 375 page paperback if that matters to you.

Back Cover description:

A wizard’s failed apprentice and a self-doubting medium embark on a race against time in Eben Mishkin’s fantastical debut, The Hidden and the Maiden. The unsociable James Rathbone, once student to the last wizard, is forced into action when his dead master's secret elixir is stolen. Con artist Kenton Dean uses the elixir to release the fallen god of death. He needs just one more thing for his plans to work: Helena Lawson, an heiress who holds unfathomable magical potential. James sets off on a dangerous mission to rescue Helena and stop Kenton, but he cannot do it alone. Much to his chagrin, James must team up with Zephyr Wayne, a neurotic medium who’s convinced his powers are nothing more than the manifestation of his own psychosis. As the only humans capable of seeing the threat, James and Zephyr must band together to save the world as they know it. But can James finally get his magic to work? And will Zephyr’s self-doubt ever allow him to unleash his full potential? An absorbing blend of horror, fantasy, and real-world drama, The Hidden and the Maiden will leave readers guessing until the very last page. An absorbing blend of horror, fantasy, and real-world drama, The Hidden and the Maiden will leave readers guessing until the very last page.

Read some reviews on my tumblr page for it, its GoodReads page, or on it's Amazon page. I would offer other review places but there are no other places with reviews that I am aware of. Anyone who is willing to write a review on Smashwords for it, (you can read a decent sized sample to see if you are willing before you contact me) I'll absolutely give you a free code for a download from there. I need more reviews everywhere >_<. I think I'm still under 50 reviews in total anywhere and everywhere on the internet. I may in fact be willing to beg at this point.

So, yeah, if you're looking for a Urban Dark Fantasy Paranormal Thriller to read please check out the deal to get a free review copy from Reading Deals, which will also give you lots of other free review copies from other desperate authors.

[tippenfunkaport]

if ur still doing fic requests, can u do how all the SPOP characters react to Elon Musk and the twitter implosion?

I got this ask few days ago and wrote this but didn't post bc I left some characters out but I’m never going to have a better chance to post it than now so, here ya go!

Catra and Glimmer immediately went on the assault, using their verified status to impersonate the Muskrat… were both promptly suspended. Catra a few hours before Glimmer, which won her the bet between them, and she will never, EVER let Glimmer live it down.

Catra does still maintain Melog's Twitter presence (Entrapta buttered the cat as part of an elaborate experiment and Melog went viral) because its platform on unions and worker's rights was too important to squander.

In the spirit of Adventure!, Sea Hawk took advantage of the unregulated verification system to sow chaos by registering as a number of political figures and brands. At last count, he'd managed to tank the value of Amazon stock with what pundits are nicknamed the "wick in a box" stunt and was the direct cause of Old Spice suing Twitter for “damaging the sanctity of the brand and also several nautically theme shooting sets.”

Mermista claimed that the whole thing was, like, too stupid to join in but that was because she was secretly hoping to use her Twitter account to participate in #pitmad this year and finally get a book deal for Dead in the Water, the first in her series of undersea murder mysteries.

Adora immediately made accounts on Mastodon, Cohost, and every other Twitter alternative she could find and is trying to build up a following. She has tweeted the exact same joke on no less than five platforms as of this moment and is frantically researching tips for increasing engagement because social media is a game and she WILL win.

Bow's Twitter account was also suspended for impersonating Musk. Glimmer again. But he never really used it. He's more into making helpful YouTube tutorials. He has a Tumblr account too, but it's mostly filled with embarrassing old posts from his old Pirates of the Caribbean roleplaying days.

Netossa and Spinnerella finally ceded their long standing competition to see who could get the most Twitter followers and decided to concentrate on their popular YouTube channel where they document their ongoing prank war. They are currently competing to see who can stack the most verified checkmarks on their Tumblr account.

Kyle said it was a shame about Twitter going down but he wasn't too worried, since he still had his parasocial fanbase of 50 million fans who watched his gaming streams. Despite his underwhelming face reveal last month, he is still currently part of 3 of the top 10 ships on AO3.

Lonnie also streams and 99% of the comments on her streams are about how she's so underrated and deserves so much more popularity. She and Rogelio also have a big following on their fitness TikTok where they participate in funny trends and bully Kyle.

Entrapta does not need a social network. She IS the social network. She's so deeply tapped in she knows about every trend or breaking news story five minutes before it happens and has personally overthrown at least two governments without leaving her desk chair. She has an account on every major social network, but her close friends know those are just bots working off highly developed AI. If she does feel like actually socializing online, she makes a burner and hops on Reddit to start trouble in the Linux subreddits by recommending ethically dubious hacks for the lulz.

Hordak used to be a bit of a darkweb edgelord with an extensive collection of NFTs, but he's stopped hanging around with that bad crowd. These days, he's proudly not online at all, but always listens very patiently whenever Entrapta tries to explain the latest memes.

Frosta's deep into the Club Penguin fandom on Tumblr and has written 400k words of Jelsa fanfic she would die if anyone in the princess alliance found out about.

Castaspella only uses Facebook, where she shares nothing but wine-mom Minion memes despite the fact that she is not a mom and has never seen any of the Despicable Me movies. The day Farmville went offline, she wept openly.

Micah also only uses Facebook. His wizard roleplay group uses it for meetings. He signs every single one of his status (“Had a lovely with my daughter today! -Micah”) and no one can convince him to stop.

George and Lance share a Facebook account and also sign every post so when the three dads start talking to each other, it's too #cringe #oldfail for anyone else to look at.

Adora banned Swift Wind from the internet because he's too gullible and has fallen for every online scam there is.

Perfuma left Twitter at her therapist's suggestion because it made her too angry. She was incapable of not trying to “patiently” explain to people why they were wrong, no matter how bad faith the argument. She was once ratioed so hard in the comments of RoudUp’s official twitter account that she started a four day flamewar that only ended when Scorpia had to physically stop her from getting into her car and hunting down the other users. These days she just looks at the pretty pictures on Pinterest and takes a deep, calming breath. Though her eye still twitches at the idea that somehow, somewhere someone is probably being wrong on the internet.

Scorpia herself was at first heartbroken when she heard about Twitter’s potential demise until Perfuma showed her that there are also cute animal accounts to follow on Tumblr and Facebook and then she was all good.

Double Trouble has said they will be going down with the ship, keeping their dozen+ different troll and sockpuppet accounts going until the very end because they enjoy the chaos.

Wrong Hordak does not use Twitter but he would love to show you this most amusing meme he found that you definitely already saw four months ago.