#some combos are not worthwhile

[priscilla9993]

Reese’s, we all know that peanut butter and chocolate go great together, but who in the heck decided pretzels or potato chips should go inside of one?! Who let that go out the factory after test tasting?

Terrible mouth feel and too much salt ruins the whole thing. It’s like they said let’s make this into a batter bc the normal combos are delicious and what people like, but they forgot how a batter doesn’t take into consideration the amount of salt and sugar from the other ingredients.

It’s a tumblr recipe all over again except replace the vanilla extract with salt and crunchy crumbs. 😭

[the-busy-ghost]

Um Duolingo, what the hell is this:

As if it wasn't bad enough that the new pathway removed a bunch of my progress (AND takes ages to move onto the next topic so I'm not improving), and that they removed the wordlist so I can no longer keep on top of vocabulary, now I have no idea whether I'm meeting my own daily target or not?S

[redheadspark]

Hi, this is first time I am asking someone for a story, but your prompts are so fun... Well my request is for Benedict and can you pla make a combo of prompt #2 & #19 (did you know its going to be this hot, write it to confirm 😅) and when its about Benedict it will be fun to read something smuty 😉

Hope I am not being very demanding ... Thanks in advance 💮

A/N - This was great to write, I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for the request!

Distract

Summary - Benedict knows how to distract you, even on a hot day

Warnings - Just fluff and a HINT of steam ;)

“Are you sure all the windows are open, dear?”

“Trust me, darling.  I have every single window open in attempts to give us some relief with the breeze,” 

You hummed, using the fan as much as you could as your husband, Benedict Bridgerton, was working away at his canvas and trying his best to finish the latest piece he was working on for a month.  You loved watching him work, it was a peaceful time when you two would be in his art studio while you would be working on your correspondence and Benedict was painting.  It was what you two would do every Sunday before you would have to start your hectic weekly schedules again. 

You’ve been married to Benedict for almost 5 years now, you two have known each other since you were young and were madly in love with one another in your teens.  Of course, you both had to wait until you both were old enough for Benedict to properly court you, then propose to you.  It was rather silly since you both knew even as early teens that you would be married to each other for all of your lives.  It was also a perk that your families were close friends, both sets of parents were already inwardly planning on your courtship when they saw the spark between the pair of you.  It was safe to say that his mother, the sweet and kind Violet Bridgerton, was beyond happy to gain another daughter in her household and with her name.

You were glad too.

Having a small apartment in the Bridgerton Estate was an immense blessing, having new siblings to get to know and be social with, your own space to share with Benedict, and simply have your time as a wife with him.  He was beyond an amazing husband, making things light in diet times, knowing when to make you laugh when you were sad or simply hold you when you needed physical contact.  You both had flaws, but talking through them together as a team made it all worthwhile.  

But now there was a minor heat wave that came through the area, and even the massive Bridgerton estate would not bring any relief that would help you anytime soon.  

“Did you know it was going to be this hot today?” You asked nonchalantly as you were scanning the stack of envelopes on the desk for you to peer through.

“I wish I did, then we would have planned a better outing,” Benedict answered.  

“Perhaps we should have escaped to the lake, like Kate and Anthony,” you hummed as you looked over another ball invitation while fanning yourself, Benedict chuckling from his spot at his easel while he was drawing a long stripe of blue on the canvas.

“I’d rather be in an audience of their…love for one another,” Benedict replied with a snort, making you giggle as you looked over in his direction.  He was still dressed somewhat formally, you both coming back from a luncheon with your mother-in-law.  His blue coat and undershirt brought out the shine in his eyes and the flushness in his cheeks, making him look even more enchanting than ever.  

Every once in a while you would get lost in his appearance: whether he was working deep on a piece of art and his skin was stained in ink or charcoal, or even when you two were chatting during dinner and he was ranting about a family story.  He had a way with you, a way to make you lose your train of thought or make time stand still.  

“Darling?”

You blinked, seeing that Benedict stopped his painting and was watching you with a hint of concern, “Are you well?”

You smiled and blinked slowly, placing your fan on the desk and resting a hand on your cheek as you tilted your head at him, “More than well, since I get a marvelous view of my husband being a marvelous artist,”

Benedict grinned, the smirk he showed you was enough to make your stomach flip.  You knew that look, something reserved for the pair of you out of the public eye.  He may have Benn posted as a gentleman when it came to his name and how to conduct himself, but it was a different scenario when you two were alone.  He knew how to make you cave from a simple look or sweet talk.  Benedict has always been a flirt, before you got together and then after.  But most of the time you were the object of his flirtations.  

Which you would never object to.

“Just marvelous? Oh, you wound me,” He replied, you ruling your eyes as he continued, “The words I would use for my wife would be far more expressive,”

“Oh would they?” You asked, taking the bait that he was dangling for you.  Benedict could only smile, placing the paint brush on the easel before he walked over towards you.  He went around the desk, his eyes still drilling into yours with a signature smile as his fingers traced along the top of the dress, almost making a mess of your letter pile while he was getting closer to you.  It felt like you were frozen in your spot in the chair, your fan staying still in your hand, Benedict reaching over to take the fan from your hand delicately.

“Divine…exquisite…intelligent….kind….angelic….” He laced every word with love and affection, inching closer and closer to you as he was now perched on the top of the desk, his eyes twinkled in the sunlight and your breath was lost in your throat.  You felt every single one of those words hit you along your chest, making you feel so loved and almost as light as air.  

As soon as he was close enough to have his lips brush against yours, you felt your stomach summersault as he eyed your lips for the briefest of moments.  

“Just to name a few,” He whispered, you eyeing his lips in return as you finally grinned widely at you.

You dived in, kissing him deeply as he was perched over you on the desk.  You both kissed, leaning into each other smoothly and with no hesitation while it felt like you couldn’t get closer than ever before.  This was nothing new for you two, especially when it came to the throws of love.  Benedict was an amazing lover, knowing which buttons to push and where to touch you with both his lips and hands.  There was never a dull moment with your husband when it came to pleasure, and he would surprise you in the best way possible.

“Take off your jacket, the hell?” You huffed against his lips as you reached to push his blue jacket off.  Benedict laughed, kissing you deeply as he threw off the jacket to toss it to the floor you spoke again, “You’re making me hot just by looking at you,”

“Just by my looks?” Benedict asked in a breath, you laughing as he reached to undo a bit of your dress with his nimble and skilled fingers, “I must be lacking then.  Perhaps I should brush up a bit more,”

“Yes you must,” You hummed in return, almost in a growl.  You both let the rest of the world slip away, just like your dress slipping to the floor as well as his trousers.  

That hot day was bearable after all. 

The End

July Prompt Session

[moonshine-nightlight]

2025 Writing Plans

With this being the third such yearly plan post, i think its officially a tradition lol. my standard disclaimer is this is my high level plan right now, subject to change and likely overly optimistic, but still worthwhile to make and try to layout. posting about writing plans gets me excited for the new year.

here's what i'm thinking:

Nothing's Wrong With Dale: Borrowing some of my plan from last year, i need to finish my own edit of Dale, hire an editor, commission cover art, and then self-publish. I'd love to get all that done in time for december publishing, but given how long everything was taking last year, i'd settle for just pushing it over to editors by the end of the year.

Short Stories: I want to finish off Courtship Confusion and Free Piano: Haunted this year, along with at least one other new story, but i am not trying to predict what that might be lol. maybe one that's been on my shelf for a while,maybe the one i started a couple days ago, maybe a new idea I havn't even had yet, like Voluntary Sacrifice. Nothing's gonna get posted until May at the earliest.

Novella(s): I'd like to kick off work self-publishing two other Novellas: a combo naga novella (Finally Woken and Selfish) and Sacrifice. No idea how far I can get between my edits and revisions, scrounging up the money to pay for editor/publishing/cover art, and pulling together some sort of timeline for all that, but I want to get it all going so i have more self-published work out there (it'd b really cool to go to a con or something in 2026 and have a set of books to promo and not just 2 lol - not to get too ahead of myself).

Series: I want to make Sacrifice the first novella in a 6 book series, each focusing on a different deity returning to the temple with the final book about all of them coming together against a common enemy, likely focusing back on the MC from Sacrifice. I have some note sand outlines for the different stories (although they all need better titles). Currently, I was considering them being a published exclusive, but I might still post abridged version on here, especially as I work through my ideas. So for 2025, in addition to getting Sacrifice further on it's own publish journey, i want to complete all the outlines and notes, solidify the characters, etc - everything i need to start writing these stories.

Longer stories: I still want to work on planning them out and making a decision on one to start posting next, like with Dale, but I don't think that actually posting anything longer like that will happen in 2025 (see everything else i want to do above lol). Still, getting organized is important and i'm looking forward to fleshing them all out and knowing which one i'll be diving into next.

So lots of stuff i want to get into and multiple things I want to try to finish off lol Definitely overly ambitious, but its getting me excited to get to writing.

As always, my day job is extremely busy January - April and this year is no exception so new stories until that time passes.

Feel free to send in any asks about upcoming/current stories! I'm looking forward to all the exciting writing and publishing to come in 2025!

[cirillka]

A lot of unnecessary banter from "fans" clogging up Witcher 4 posts when we should just be excited and enjoying trailer edits and fanart. It's tiring, but every complaint has a logical answer, there's no "ah-haa" moment in any of these complaints.

"Ciri can't be a witcher." Except she's called precisely that in the books and in the... Witcher Ciri ending of Witcher 3. Which the entirely of the game's plot suggested (I understand there's alternative endings, but the game's logical flow goes to Witcher Ciri ending). Ciri is a playable character in Witcher 3 alongside Geralt. She is in every way Geralt's daughter, apprentice and heir to his profession. This is a classic "did you not play the game/read the books?" response and I don't know who, with any bare-minimum inkling of the lore, would say this with any seriousness.

"She couldn't have gone through the trial of grasses." Her going through the trial is clearly new Witcher 4 lore, but it's not an unreasonable route. The reason Geralt was a "super" witcher was that he was able to take on more mutations for his trial because he is the son of a sorceress, which isn't supposed to happen as sorceresses can't conceive children (this due to their bodies undergoing changes when becoming disciplined in magic, not some sacrificial ritual that the show suggested). Ciri's bloodline is not just a sorceress bloodline, but the Elder Blood/Lara Dorren bloodline which is so coveted for it's magic prowess, it... was a central aspect in the books and Witcher 3 plot. It is reasonable to assume that she would survive the trial of grasses should she elect to pursue it, which she clearly did.

"She's OP." Trust that CDPR will write to accommodate this? From the trailer, it seemed clear that Ciri had to resource manage her Lara gene. She wasn't teleporting at all, we saw the classic green magic associated with it, and she chose to channel it into a lightning spell. I think that's a great balance. Besides, who wouldn't wouldn't want to play as a combo witcher and sorceress, do you hate fun? lmao.

"I can't play cause Ciri is a woman and I need the protagonist to be a man to relate to them." Skill issue, honestly. I understand the feeling of playing a character that is your gender identity (I am excited to play Ciri for this), but I've played plenty of games as a man and the narrative experiences are still enjoyable and worthwhile, Geralt being no exception. Literally my two guy friends who are the biggest into Witcher, read the books and played the games with me, cite Ciri as both their personal favorite character and are so stoked she's taking the lead in Witcher 4. People with any attachment to Geralt as a character should feel naturally excited his/your daughter is taking up the mantle.

"She is ugly." Incorrect. She looks older, mature and beautiful all in one. This makes her look different from her younger Witcher 3 self, yes (as we should expect?), and in all the best ways. I'm sorry you hate attractive women, that is a personal problem and I wish you future clarity.

"She better not be gay/woke." She already is. The Witcher already was. Even without the books, there is a direct dialogue choice as Ciri where you can specify a preference in women (referencing her girlfriend from the books). The game will likely write her as bi and let the player choose, so sit down and quit crying.

Edit for one more I saw: "She has a School of the Cat medallion, that's wrong!" She's had it since the books, it was a pivotal moment and big spoiler how she got it, but it hung from her belt in her Witcher 3 designs. She just wears it on her neck now.

[midnightsslut]

what did convince you he cheated? (Genuinely asking)

so to be entirely fair, i started to entertain this theory again after it went viral on twitter last night. that nod during should’ve said no was pretty damning to me because… what other reason could there be? I went into the surprise songs today with that in mind, and she literally combined three songs about a relationship ending because of cheating. august you may be able to explain away because they’re both jack songs and kind of associated with each other, but the other side of the door? she is essentially saying, ‘this person wanted to get out of this relationship. you weren’t mine to lose (because you were with someone else or perhaps because you had tuned out of the relationship already). was she worth this mess?’ idk, i think this was a very intentional foreshadowing of what is to come on ttpd. she then followed it up with this is me trying, which she notably sang about a week before they broke up. granted, she may not remember exactly where she sang it, but it’s clear to me that the original performance of that song (especially since it was paired with state of grace, which is about love being a worthwhile fight) hinted that she was really ‘trying’ in some area of her life (she said as much when she introduced the song). ‘it’s hard to be at a party when i feel like an open wound / it’s hard to be anywhere these days when all i want is you!’

overall, what i took away from tonight’s surprise song combo is, one of us wanted to get away. i was trying so hard to salvage this relationship, but you weren’t mine to lose anymore. was she worth this? idk idk. might be reaching but!

edit: also, the three songs narrate cheating from three different POVs. getaway car is told by the cheater, august is told by the other woman, and the other side of the door is told by the woman who was cheated on. that may be the only reason why she chose this combination, or it may hint at something on ttpd.

[nerdieforpedro]

Weekend Update 05/19/2024

Three weeks in a row. I should play the lottery, I might hit for some big money!

Nerdie, please. We think it’s fine that you play the lottery, but have you done much this week?

I will have you know, that I worked three 12 hour shifts in a row, one of which I was the charge nurse. Something I’ve never done before and only had a 4 hour class once. The person that was supposed to be training me was not there so I just did trial by fire. I also worked this weekend. 

Though the highlight of the week was Friday night!

What? You had a hot date? Good for you!

Huh? This is Nerdie you’re talking about, no. Not at all what happened. I got to see Hozier live in a concert! It was wonderful! I might still be singing all the songs, have played them for my coworkers and that one guy whose room I was in for 30 minutes getting him cleaned up and bed changed should know a fair bit of “Almost (Sweet Music)” and “Something New.” I think I also had a brunch with my family this week somewhere in there.

We have so many questions…did that man even know what you were singing? Is he now a fan? How was brunch? How did you even find out about the concert? Why wasn’t that the first thing you said?

Sometimes you gotta bury the lead. Brunch was with mama Nerdie and two of Nerdie’s brothers. I have three total. I’m the only girl. The concert was magical, I’m trying to figure out something for September but it’s likely sold out. I think I really lucked out last Friday. 

Nerdie, do you have anything fanfic related? We’re happy to know you’re doing well. We wonder sometimes, but you know, this is Tumblr.

This week will be a bit different. I did a lot of reading last week but this week, I didn’t read much of anything except beta reading for a couple people. So Nerdie will highlight some series she thinks you should peek at:

Symphony by @maggiemayhemnj (A wonderful series featuring Joel - who is having a moment with his new hair by the way. I did notice, how could one not? Has Joel and a female OFC in post outbreak Jackson.) Fun fact - one of my patients called me symphony so it’s going to be one of my many aliases now.

If Wishes Came True by @schnarfer (A Dieter Bravo trilogy. Our beloved trash panda is many things and has many expressions, some not so great. Can it turn into something worthwhile?)

Headshots by @secretelephanttattoo (Marcus Pike - being the sweet man that he is. The OFC is a photographer. Love blooms. It will give you warm fuzzies and you’ll sniffle. It’s totally fine to do so.)

Bloody Kisses by @perotovar (Shane Morrissey and Tim rockford are the combo I was not aware I needed and now I think about them. The longing, the realization, the understanding, the build up, and the growing pains. Just read it and you’ll get it.)

IRL by @grogusmum (A sweet Javi G fic. You and Javi have been chatting about your shared interest in movies and sparks fly. So much so that you fly to see him in person. How does that go? Read and find out.)

These are five series I’ve read, loved and will read again because I enjoy them. I hope you all do too. 

I believe I did post a Dieter one shot for the Dieter Bravo Brain Rot May challenge about aliens. 

Also @fhatbhabiee back! 💖💖

I was tagged by people for WIP Wednesday through Saturday so I’ll do something from my not titled Pero x Dragon fic (look - it was a thought I had and it morphed into this but it’s dialogue):

Darkness is beginning to take him as is the cold. Pero cannot feel his limbs nor tell if he’s moving them. “Hmmpf, you care nothing of your life? Just to let it slip away like this. You appeared to be a warrior of some sort. Do all human warriors lay on their belly and wait for their final breath? Such a pity.” This voice, such torture before death to be mocked like this, couldn’t he have died in battle?  “I’m already in hell only hearing this voice before I die. Goddammit.” The mercenary laments.  “Are all humans fools like this? Why will you not heed my words? I am not trying to reach you for simple vexation.” “Stop with your flowery words then. Say what you actually need. I’m not going to listen to you the entire time before I leave this earth.”

Pero is the type to curse and argue with demons, angels, monsters and Gods if it means he has the last word. I stand by this. Contrary to what this conversation reads like, Pero does not die. His fate could be worse than death, we’ll have to see. 👀

The Peeps who maybe tagged me? @tinytinymenace @connectioneverywhere @magpiepills @604to647 @djarinmuse

@megamindsecretlair and @for-a-longlongtime There are either people I missed or people who didn't tag me. My bad either way. 🤣

I’ve also been toying with which series between my Marcus therapy series and my sweet Javi P series to start posting on Tumblr. I’m not sure which one. Everyone one’s welcome to ask me questions about any of these WIPs, just know I may not stop talking about them like most fic writers. 

I think I do dialogue well in my fics, and wacky ideas, but I could use work on world building, smut, descriptions and other things. I think. Who knows, I'm just going to keep wiring and we'll see what happens.

Stay safe and hydrated everyone!

Love Nerdie!

[warsofasoiaf]

Overall thoughts about the Elden Ring DLC?

Overall, I consider it to be an incredibly high-quality production. It pushes the envelope when it comes to boss design, had gobsmacking lore revelations, and overall was a worthwhile addition to the series.

FromSoft's boss design remains in excellent form. The early bosses (Divine Beast, Dancing Lion and Twin Moon Knight Rellana) look designed to punish you by using multiple elements in their attacks, the early optional bosses (Blackgaol Knight, the giant Furnace Golem in the distance) look to hit hard and break you out of your comfort zone. You cannot sleep on these bosses, even if you're on a NG-multiple+ with a tricked-out build. These bosses are hard, they're fast, and they will eat you for breakfast if you don't treat them seriously. Some of the design appears to be specifically designed to counter early player actions, like summoning the Mimic Tear as soon as you step into the fog gate - the boss might charge you and hit you hard specifically to break you of your had habits. They may tag on an extra hit after a combo looks over to punish flask use. This is precisely what DLC and additional content for games is for, breaking the stale combat doctrine of the existing game in new and exciting ways, to punish uncreative players and force a change in strategy.

It's for that reason that the hoopla about the boss's extra difficulty falls flat with me. Yes, these bosses are challenging, but there are ways around it. Scadutree Fragments are the big ones - it's a progression mechanic meant specifically to make your game easier and reward exploration. With many players already possessing plenty of endgame-caliber weapons and spells, Shadow of the Erdtree needed to create other incentives to reward players for looking carefully. There are still great weapons and spells to be found, certainly, but the punishing difficulty, and the utility of the Scadutree Fragments with which to mitigate it, encourages exploration. People not using them and complaining about the difficulty is the whole Spirit Ashes summoning argument all over again. If you don't want to use the tools that you have in front of you, fine, but you're going to have a harder time of it. Don't leave have your equipment behind and complain that the task is too hard.

Of course, a lore nerd like me is positively giddy with the revelations that the DLC has provided us. Marika's past and ascension into godhood, and why she was so cruel to the Omens and the previous Crucible era. One possible source for the corruption of the Golden Order via the Two Fingers by Metyr, Mother of Fingers. The surprisingly grandiose master plan of Miquella the Kind. The return of a fan-favorite character. Revelations for everyone from Melina to the tiny dopey jar-people. FromSoft didn't disappoint, and I'd go so far as to say they were, by FromSoft standards, quite coherent on the story. I'm always prepped and ready for essays on the subject.

Thanks for the question, Mistland.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

[beevean]

I have another idea: rank the NFCV villains :)

1) Dracula: the guy who wastes a whole season moping in his chair and lets girlbosses walk over him is the best villain of the series. We are talking about some serious peak here. Well, game Dracula is a menace of a monster, charismatic, terrifying and tragic, and this watered down version still holds some of these characteristics. I really like him in the first episode. Graham McTavish's back must hurt from carrying the whole character. As much as I make fun of the "killing my boy" scene, it is viscerally poignant. He does feel like a proper character, even if nerfed by the plot. Again, I must stress: this is because he's a mangled version of a game character, not an OC :P

2) Drolta: yeah. Surprisingly, I'm fine with her. Naturally, being not attracted to women, I don't think she's all that just because she's hot :P and she is hurt by dying like a bitch twice in a row. But for being so flat and tryhard, she at least accomplishes what she sets her mind to, and she doesn't have this air of "wow i'm so much better than the stupid game characters". If she didn't became a fanfavorite, I could take her as a shallow genderbent version of game Isaac.

3) Death: I don't mind the idea of this greater force manipulating the events to resurrect Dracula, and the foreshadowing surrounding him. I sure mind how irrelevant he is in the grand scheme of things, how he just wants to use Dracula as a feeding source when they could have had him as an ally, and naturally how he talks.

4) The Bishop: as uttelry caricatural he is, the most stereotypical embodiment of CHURCH BAD one could write, he did kickstart the entire story. That has to count for something.

5) Carmilla: she is the most proactive character in S2. This is not a good thing. Carmilla is a terrible combo of being obnoxious, tryhard, smug, flat, stupid (while making everyone else doubly stupid so that she can look smart), stealing screentime, and also being wasted and somehow treated like shit in the last season. It's really hard to explain what happened here. It's like she got sucked off in S2, then they got tired of her and pushed her out and then gave her an undignified end out of spite. Her very writing is sexist to boot, as she doesn't get one shred of compassion despite in theory being just as tragic as Dracula. I hate seeing her, but I also think she deserved better as a character. She's only this high because, again, she did accomplish shit in her only worthwhile season.

6) Olrox: for a value of a villain. He did kill Julia Belmont and give Richter trauma, as little as it matters now. He's entirely held up by his charisma and mystery, but he spends most of his screentime wanting to rail Bara Agent Stone raw and it gets old fast.

7) Lenore: I don't care about her supposed "charisma" or "complexity". She is a very minor villain in the grand scheme of things, she has one accomplishment on her resume (raping Hector into slavery), an accomplishment that was not even necessary by that point (Striga correctly pointed out that using a Forgemaster would waste too many humans for the livestock and Morana was going to hire mercenaries to solve that problem), an accomplishment that she cheated to achieve (if she's such a great manipulator, why did she need to use her pussy like any common woman? also, is it really something to brag about when Hector is pretty much portrayed as mentally challenged?), an accomplishment that did not even last two months because the plot said so, her demeanor in S3 is cartoonishly evil and a rehash of Carmilla's, and then she spends S4 whining about how sad she is so that we find her cute and shippable with her rape victim before ragequitting out of life like a brat throwing a tantrum. Pathetic. What a waste of a genuinely cool character idea and design.

8) Emmanuel: decent idea. Absolute dogshit execution. Maybe, if his idea of joining the vampires came halfway through the story, much like Maria's corruption arc in S2, I could perhaps understand his motivations and his inner turmoil, knowing and regretting that he sold his own soul for a cause that no longer seems worthy. As it stands, he's just yet another flat CHURCH BAD caricature, but this one pretends to be deep. Also I don't forgive him for completely butchering Devil Forging.

9) Isaac (S2 and S3): completely superfluous and idiotic in S2 ("yeah Carmilla would gain some advantage from this plan which isn't ideal as she made clear that she doesn't respect the Lord I worship, but hey she would get to shut the fuck up!"), a pretentious cunt who wants to sound all philosophical but is actually a brat who can't understand the simple concept of "humans won't let me through if I have my demon army with me" in S3. I may hate Lenore more as a character, but as a villain Isaac just plain sucks and I don't understand why the story sucks his dick so much.

10) Striga and Morana: why are they here?

11) Japanese not-twins: literal Disney twist villain-tier non-characters. They exist only to hurt Alucard for shock value. It says something that no one in the vast fandom gives them any thought or mercy (although it's probably just because they dared to hurt the fandom blorbo)

12) The Judge: same deal as above, except he doesn't even get the excuse of a tragic backstory. He's just evil because S3 is all about how much humanity sucks.

13) The cult of S3, Varney's lackeys, Vaublanc: i forgor

14) Sun Thundercat: what am I supposed to say? It takes an unique brand of incompetence to design the most generic, forgettable, ridiculous and stupid villain one could design while shitting on the toilet, then actively refusing to improve her because oh no, turns out people don't like generic, forgettable, ridiculous and stupid villains! and deciding to retcon the story and being like "surprise! her sexy lackey was the real villain all along! :D" and literally kicking her away like trash after the story wastes two seasons hyping her up as the greatest terror and so much worse than that stupid Dracula. I must stress: her being a monodimensional cackling villain is a plot point. This is beyond buffoonish.

(I'm not sure if I should count Hector, as while he is technically on the villain's side, he doesn't really do anything and mostly gets used and tortured. I guess he'd be above the Japanese not-twins?)

[wannab-urs]

The Spreadsheet Digest - Vol 12

Hi friends!!

I read a certain dark romance book this week and then also spent some time trying to catch up on all my lovely mutuals' fics (and there were many), so the rec list is only like 9 fics this week. I guess that's still a lot? It's no 27 fics though.

If you tagged me in a fic this week, I'm planning to get to those soon I promise. The actual spreadsheet with all my recs can be found here and the masterlist for my fic recs can be found here.

Anyway recs below the Pedge

Adversity a Frankie/Ezra series by @the-ginger-hedge-witch

This combo... okay I'll just start with how unreasonably HOT this is. Like you got Ezra: protective, talkative, wild, a little feral, definitely likes to use his mouth, lean and impeccably dressed with that dumb little blond patch. Then you have Frankie: Established Canon Pussy Eating King, def talks you through it, broad shoulders and a cute belly, patchy beard you'd just die to have between your legs, broody boy. So obviously, I'm already about to pass out. And then!! Their relationship with each other makes me feel so many things. The way Ez pulls Frankie out of his fucked up head and the way Frankie settles Ezra UGH. And then!!! and then!!!!!!! The way they take care of reader and the way they all love each other and balance each other out!! The hints of the other TF boys in there is v fun also. I know this series is old, but I am dying for it to be added to. Every glimpse into this wonderful lil throuple was wonderful. <3333

i've got headaches and bad luck but they couldn't touch you - a Joel one shot by @tremendum

Brat tamer!Joel is sooooo fucking hot. This is filthy and I love it!

warmth - a Joel one shot by @grippingbeskar

ooooh i love how at first this is just a sweet lil fluffy thing and then you put *you can stop reading here if you aren't a whore. however, i am, so i will continue* LMAO. I'm obviously a whore so I obviously kept reading. This one is for my thigh riding girlies <333

the worthwhile fight - a Marcus P one shot by @swiftispunk

So glad you decided to write some sweet angel baby Marcus P!! And I love the lil twist with reader being the protective one, because.... I actually cannot see Marcus punching anyone. Like I'm sure he would if he had to, but in my head he's such a soft boy I can't. The smut, as usual, was just absolutely immaculate. Looking forward to more marcus from you maybe...???? (please)

Sparks fly - a Joel one shot by @ezrasbirdie

Ok listen... This is the second anal fic I've read in as many weeks that made me have emotions other than filth... How do y'all keep doing this to me. The story is adorable, I love it!! And then they eat each other's asses and it's hot and it's a good time. Honestly I'd still give this a shot if you're not into the idea of eating Joel Miller's ass bc there's a bunch of super cute interactions and some smut before that happens... If you're a freak tho... this is the one

Just a little taste - a Din one shot by @jksprincess10

I fucking love inexperienced!Din and I love when he tastes pussy for the first time and just goes absolutely nuts. This was so hot ugh.

Fire a Din one shot by @jksprincess10

Din Djarin Fluff Supremacy

Hungry Hearts - a Joel series by @atinylittlepain

Young Joel... in booty shorts... playing baseball??? Being a gratuitous flirt and a total asshole in the most frustratingly charming of ways?? Ok and then... he's also a MECHANIC... Slutty Joel is everything. Oh but let's not stop there! We also get girl dad Joel being the most stereotypical softball parent ever. Sarah and Ellie being so very Sarah and Ellie about the whole thing. Also like if you needed more incentive for some reason Joel gets hit in the balls while being a douchebag. I feel like I'm not selling this as well as I should be, but I don't want to give too much away. It's delightful. Read it!!

Peace - a Joel one shot by @swiftispunk

As a former John Green novel SIMP, I love the living eulogy thing. It has a special place in my heart and I refuse to apologize for that. This fic had me tearing up bc like... Joel Miller deserves to hear how good he is and how much he means to people and he doesn't really ever get that in canon. Not really. I am going to have a literal breakdown bye

----------------oldies but goodies----------------

The Appreciation of Fine Liquor - an Ezra one shot by @write-and-buried

poor baby - a Joel series by @walkintotheriveranddisappear

Just a little game - Javi P one shot @walkintotheriveranddisappear

quickie (boyfriend's dad!joel x reader) - a Joel one shot by @joelscruff

𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒎𝒆, 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒎𝒆, 𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒎𝒆, 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒚 - a Dieter one shot by @psychedelic-ink

warm up - a Dieter one shot by @ezrasbirdie

Dieter Bravo x Library AU - a Dieter one shot @fuckyeahdindjarin

Bouquet, Bloom, Blossom - a Dieter series by @mypoisonedvine

----------------------------------------------------

Happy Reading

[pokemon-card-of-the-day]

Pokemon Card of the Day #3076: Tyranitar-GX (Lost Thunder)

Tyranitar-GX was meant to punish things. All its attacks were simply about damage, and anything that it Knocked Out was gone from the game for good. The power here was good but not great considering that this was a Stage 2, though softening up the opponent's Bench was a nice way to set up for other hits. You'd probably have to build around this to make it worthwhile, but at least there were some good traits to work with.

250 HP was no joke. Tyranitar would be taking a hit in almost every case, and if managing to play it in the format just before the Tag Teams came out it wasn't that rare for it to survive 2 due to 120 being a common damage number. The Fighting Weakness was actually worse in that SUM-On format due to things like Buzzwole and Zygarde still being relevant, with the Weakness not mattering too much afterward. The Psychic Resistance was nice against Malamar decks that weren't leaning on Ultra Necrozma-GX or Marshadow-GX, and the later Mewtwo & Mew-GX or even Dragapult VMAX could be annoyed by the lower damage in certain spots. The Retreat Cost here was 3, so having switching cards would be a good idea if you could fit them.

Lost Out was a really nice Ability. If damage from an attack from Tyranitar-GX Knocked Out an opponent's Pokemon, that Pokemon and all cards attached to it were sent to the Lost Zone. That meant having the chance to get rid of an important Pokemon for good, as well as lowering the amount of Energy that deck had access to in a lot of games. Tyranitar-GX didn't tend to KO Pokemon in a single hit, so it was kept in check by that, but later in a game this Ability could really shine.

Dusty Ruckus was actually quite solid. 130 damage was a good amount for 2 Darkness and a Colorless Energy, though it did get outdone a bit once Tag Teams were released. It also did 30 damage to each of the opponent's Benched Basic Pokemon, which actually did better with those 3 Prize Pokemon around since it got those into 2-hit range for Dusty Ruckus. You could theoretically win a game in 3 turns like that, with the obvious note that you were needing to swarm Stage 2's and get Energy onto them all against some strong and often fast Basic Pokemon. Not an easy task, even if the attack itself did the job.

Lay the Smackdown GX was there when you really needed more power to get a KO. The same 2 Darkness and a Colorless Energy and the use of the GX attack for the game did 220 damage that ignored all effects on the opponent's Active Pokemon. This would take down a decent amount of things on its own, and the rest just needed some prior damage which Dusty Ruckus was pretty good at. If needing the last chunk of Prizes, this could be here.

Tyranitar-GX would have been really good if it was easier to get Energy onto it. It sadly wasn't on the best type to pull off these sorts of tricks, likely needing both Weavile-GX and Naganadel to have a chance. While the deck was functional, that combo tended to have more like with the likes of Mega Sableye & Tyranitar-GX or Umbreon & Darkrai-GX just because those had to set up a bit less. While a set up Tyranitar-GX deck was indeed scary, it was pretty inconsistent and saw little serious play.

[olsenmyolsen]

Content

Part 1 of On The Inside With Elizabeth Olsen

Word Count: ~1.2K

masterlist

Y/N POV

"You just don't get it, Y/N. I'm tired. I am tired of coming home every single day and pretending to love you."

And just like that, I shoot up from my nightmare. Is it still a nightmare if you don't have dreams anymore, and the hell actually happened? I look myself over, and yep me, and my oversized white t-shirt are covered in sweat. I reach over, unplug my phone and look at the time 6:16 am. Greeaaaaat. I groan in frustration and shovel myself out of bed. I don't bother showering because what's the point of it all? Nothing says content like living with depression.

By the time I throw on my flannel, jeans, white vans, and make it out of my studio apartment, it's already 6:45. Just in time to rush to the train.

I don't mind the ride into the city. I keep to myself, so no one usually bothers me plus, you make it easier when you have the entire phone and airpod set going on, and it's New York, so people know how to handle themselves.

Right now, I'm trying to keep up to date on whatever news Twitter News thinks I'll enjoy. As I scroll down the feed, I spot something of interest. An article titled:

MCU STAR ELIZABETH OLSEN SPOTTED LEAVING SET OF THE DOCTOR STRANGE SEQUEL CRYING AND YELLING AT...

"Max lives for this kind of stuff." I awkwardly state out loud.

I wasted no time and sent it to my best friend and co-worker, Max. As I continue scrolling and scrolling, I find myself struggling to stay awake. So I close out of Twitter, open Spotify, and play my angsty/pop 2000s hits playlist. Nothing like Gives You Hell by The All American Rejects to start your morning.

Thirty minutes of songs later, a stop at Penn Station, and a ten-minute walk, I've finally made it to my place of work. Working in a coffee shop isn't for everyone, but it calls to me even on my days off; I find myself here... Like today.

As I enter our small coffee shop, I notice how it is filled to the brim. Is this normal? No. But days like these make the cash tips worthwhile, especially when Max is busting her ass on bar. Her red hair tied up into two buns with the coffee-stained graphic tee combo is always one of my favorite looks.

Max spots me as I shimmy my way to the employees-only section and playfully rolls her eyes. I reach down, grab my tips from the previous days of work and shove the amount, however much it is, into my pocket.  Max walks by me to throw some pitchers into the back.

"It's been nonstop."  Max tells me.

"How fun!" I cheerfully respond, earning a disgusted look from Mad Max.

"Excuse me! Sorry-Sorry Excu-. I just have to make my way! Please-sorry!" The plead from a struggling customer catches our attention.  Max walks back to the front to continue on drinks as that one customer squeezes her way to the register. To Alec.

Alec is one of our newer employees, and he's not bad, but I can tell this type of day is stressing him out.

Customer

Before Alec can even greet or remind the customer that there is a whole system of ordering called 'waiting in line,' she speaks. Now it's a little hard to hear over the people, music, and espresso machine, but I do manage to catch what she says:

"Hi, I'm really sorry, but I placed a pick-up order yesterday for checks watch twenty minutes ago, and I can't afford to wait any longer. So if I could just pay for it, pick it up, and go, that would be very helpful."She smiles, but I can tell she's not messing around. I look from her to Alec, and oh no, he's a deer in headlights. Max notices and looks back at me. I nod and head over.

Alec seems to get the message and backs up as I creep my way onto the register.

"Hey, so I understand you have an order with us?" I state, putting on my best face as I pull out a binder of call-ahead to-go orders. "Do you remember what the order or the name on the order was?"

"Yes. The order name was Liz." She proudly says. Though I can't see her eyes, I feel like I'm being looked all over.

I shuffle through our orders, and sure enough, three down, Liz. "Okay, order for Liz. 6 94oz coffee boxes, two boxes of a dozen croissants..." The more I read the order, the bigger my eyes get. I can't believe this! "And lastly, one vegan chocolate chip cookie." Liz gets a big toothy grin at the vegan cookie bit. "Anything else?"

Liz doesn't immediately respond and is smiling, caught in her own world.

"Liz?" I lean in.

"Huh? No, thank you!" She quickly responds as if embarrassed.

"Alright, well, slide your card when ready." I say in a less than enthused manner. I look to the other two around me. Max mouths 'what the fuck' as Alec, bless his soul, is trying his hardest to grab everything for this order. Man, this dude is really trying to impress this Liz chick.

I hear the chirp of the receipt printing. I tear it out and hand it over to Liz. "If you could just sign it at the bottom and no pressure to leave a tip, but it doesn't kill to be nice."

"Couldn't agree more." Liz says as she grabs a pen and marks on the paper. I'm too busy watching Alec struggle that by the time I turn back, Liz is gone. And the customer behind her is not a happy one.

Even though I shouldn't have, I helped with the morning rush. A part of me knows I did it because the thought of being stuck inside my house is a death sentence, and anything to take my mind off Naomi helps.

Once the dust settles, Max rushes over and gives me a huge bear hug.

"Oh my god. Thank you, thank you, thank you! You saved us today!" Max finally pulls out of the hug.

"For real, thanks, Y/N! And sorry, I kinda froze out there it's just once I saw who-"  Alec begins what I can only assume is a ridiculous apology.

"No worries, man. It happens to the best of us." As I make my way past him and onto the other side of the counter, I give him a thumbs up. He gives a shaky one back.

"Hey, did you see that article I sent you?" I ask Max.

"Oh shit, not yet. But are we still on for a movie tomorrow night? Maybe I can finally get you to watch the MCU?" Max holds her hands up as if she's praying.

"The MC - Who?" I sarcastically ask.

"The MCU!- Oh, you're fucking with me. Very funny, Y/N!"

"Always am!" I give Max a cheeky smile before plopping myself down at my favorite table. Oatmilk Latte in hand.

Part 2

[quirkwizard]

So I know you’ve done a post where you replaced the 6 ofa quirks. Could you do this but you’re limited to just mutant quirks. If this is too difficult then transformation, and if is still difficult the just emitters but your free to keep some like black whip for example

The issue with Mutant types is that they are too strong as they are, involve some physical enhancements, or just aren't that interesting. When picking out Quirks for this, I prefer the idea of weak Quirks growing stronger and that the new Quirks are worthwhile features, not further supporting the already immense power of "One For All". So I will try to stick to the two categories. I will give an honorable mention to "Beast" though. It is redundant with all the strength boosts, but hey, it could work as the dangerous super mode and could have a lot of fun design choices.

Zoom: Considering the lack of sensory abilities with the Quirk, this could help a lot with that. This could result in either growing to include more kinds of refined senses or being able to develop more kinds of senses in the eyes, either of which could be useful. Even then, it could have a cool to see it charged with "One For All", maybe going into a speed thinking state similar to "Overclock".

Jet: This is kind of redundant with Izuku's abilities, but I think would add another layer to it. Besides the consistent flight offered, it could be neat to see Izuku open up holes at any point in his body to project the air, using it to augment other parts his body, suddenly push himself around to redirect his body, or use it to make more focused, powerful blasts of his air attacks at any point.

Pliabody: This could wear a lot of hats for Deku. It's could help with ability to work in rescue, increase his survivability with evasion, and the stretchiness could a lot of fun options with the enhance physic. Rather then simply increasing the power output of "One For All", it simply gives the user more options to apply it. Think something like the various tricks Luffy has pulled off in his story.

Scales: I did consider "Hardening" because of how well it fit thematically, but I went with "Scales" since I think it had more to offer. Not only do I think that the grow scales could be fun to play around with, like making weapons out of them or firing them out on bursts of wind, they could have some fun combinations, like applying an effect through shooting out the scales, such as making bursts of air come out of them when used with "Jet".

Tape: While it could simply be my enjoyment of "Blackwhip" making me want to pick this, I think "Tape" can bring it's own to the table. Not only could Izuku use it to swing around and bind people, but I think would be great with rescue work, similar to how Sero uses it but on a larger scale, tying back whole structures together. Then it has some fun potential with other abilities, like using it with "Pliabody" to effectively make it act more like rubber.

Quad Arms: This may seem like a silly choice, but I think this would make for an interesting for one of the earlier Quirks for "One For All". Imagine instead of simply having two arms, it lets you duplicates parts like "Dupli Arms", but all around you body. Not only could this create so many interesting attack combos, but could be giving him more chances to apply the other Quirks, like more eyes for "Zoom", or combing the Quirks in other ways, like making super massive arms made from the "Scales".

[somethingwittyandweird]

So I finished Sea of Stars today (as anyone with me on their dash will find out as soon as they scroll past this post). Long story short, I loved it! It was a really solid experience from start to finish, and I'm going to take a moment here to sing some praises.

Early on the first thing that charmed me was the environment design- it felt like I could follow my character's journey visually on the world map through the zones when I entered and exited them, which just testifies to how well made the overworld map is. The environment designs were just great in general- every place was visually interesting and some of the backgrounds were absolutely jaw dropping.

I liked the combat system! It's not hard by any means but it's fun. It starts out slow to ramp up the interesting features and many times in the early game I felt like combats were over before I got to use any cool moves, but by the time you unlock all the mechanics it's a really dynamic system. I like the choice to flatten the MP bars and skill costs and put an emphasis on alternating spending MP on two-three skills and then basic attacking to replenish it. The live mana system gives another dynamic angle that ended up feeling a lot like Octopath's BP system in execution (again, setting up a cadence of small attacks to charge -> big damage attack -> repeat) but also interacted well with the lock system. The combo attacks are a highlight and the elemental lock system encourages nearly all of them to enter the rotation. The only gripe I have is that the Obligatory Indie RPG Timed Hits Like Paper Mario, while they do have good feel once you get them down, *really* could have used a timing example on first appearance, or someplace to practice using them. When a new party member showed up with a completely different attack pattern, it took me several fights of pressing A at random times during the animation to figure out where the right timing window was. Turning on the modifier that gave feedback on perfect timing was helpful to know when I had it, but I didn't like having to guess what part of the animation I was aiming at in the first place.

The characters were excellent- though I don't have much to say about some of them, others of them felt like they were aimed directly at me and the types of character I like. There were multiple times that I was delighted to see a new character get to join the ensemble and not just remain in place. I think they were all treated well by the story and most importantly, all had their moments to shine. On that, the story in this one was also excellent- some good twists and some *really* heartfelt plot beats that will stick with me. One visually shattering moment in the middle gave me that awe-struck "oh to experience that again for the first time" feeling whenever I passed through that area thereafter. Just an overall good story well told.

Like I said in my last post, I enjoyed the gamefeel of traversal, which is surprising since JRPGs aren't really a movement focused genre. But again, with the addition of verticality, climbing up ledges and rock walls, and later on the grapple hook to cross gaps, I was pretty engaged even when backtracking- though there was very little backtracking, since the world and environments were designed as very straightforward and easy to navigate. The collectibles and sidequests were at a good challenge level where they weren't free but they also didn't take dozens of hours to scour the world for the hidden door, etc. The game also gives you a modifier that gives a radar for collectibles too making it easy to get that nice shiny completion star. And the sidequests were all worthwhile too, especially the late game character-specific questlines. The full completion reward true ending surprised me at first, but I settled into it once the feelings started to flow.

It wouldn't be fair to the game to not mention the way it wears its love for Chrono Trigger and other SNES-era JRPGs on its sleeve. If "Guest Composer: Yasunori Mitsuda" wasn't enough of a clue, the story is tucked full of easter eggs and references, combo attacks and enemies and environments and plot beats that fans of Chrono Trigger would identify easily. But I think it handles the inspiration well, being an homage that still keeps up its own identity. The lore tying it to the studio's other game, The Messenger, helps with that. It's not just "hey let's remake this game we're all nostalgic for beat for beat" and more "hey let's do our own thing but throw in a lot of nods for us and for other people who are nostalgic for this."

Overall, playing the game was great to end 2023 and finishing the game is a killer start to 2024! A very hearty recommend from me.

[murdleandmarot]

hi <3

I felt weird just sending a message so I'm putting this as an ask for some reason, so it's easier to ignore if needed

I just want to say thank you for everything you've said, I hold on to every positive thing people say to me for when I'm in crises

I'm sorry I've been struggling so much lately ;; i feel so bad every time I call for help because I know it's nobody's place to. i probably shouldn't get into details of why I've been feeling like this because it's kind of a long ramble and I don't want to waste your time

I've been losing a lot lately and itzr4v3n and one other person on Discord seem to be the only people who want to talk to me anymore, so when they're not here I'm kind of on my own. I'm trying to make a name for myself in the murdle fandom but it's very hard because I'm not really making what the fandom wants lol

anyway, sorry for rambling... I owe you a lot, and I appreciate you so much <3

hi hello!!! thanks for reaching out, I’m glad my words have had a positive effect on you <333

I know it’s easy to get stuck in cycles of not feeling ‘good enough’ for fandoms-I feel this way OFTEN, mostly due to my own insecurities surrounding my art and my abilities. But you have to remember-it’s a FANdom and you are a fan. As long as you like what you’re doing, it’s worthwhile.

And your series is so cute!! I don’t engage with it much, simply because I’m not not as active on here as I used to be, (combo of school medication and general depression baybeee), but know I am cheering you on from the sidelines :)

Don’t feel bad about asking for help, ever, because otherwise people might not know anything’s wrong. I wish I could be brave enough to express feelings and doubts and insecurities on here without constantly worrying about validation-we’re all just trying our best, and you don’t have to be sorry or feel bad for admitting that life sucks for you at the moment :(

That got a lil ranty, my bad. The point is: I love you, keep doing what you’re doing, and don’t be afraid to ask for advice or anything! I’ll be happy to say what helps me with mental health stuff (or just catharsis-sometimes having a favorite sad song just to get the feels out is really helpful lol).

Sorry I was very much assigned yapper at birth, I LOVE YOU 🫶🫶🫶

[unproduciblesmackdown]

speaking of how going wheeee joe iconis halloween kicked off the combo move of not only "wheeee joe iconis oeuvre" but also the very funny identification process of being like yeah hang on jeremy morse what am i thinking of here & in a one-two Voice Smile recognition going like hey yeah oh my god the 7pm krampus, ft. cyril even here, & how fantastic it's even once again a funny little roles duet with your supernatural kindred spirit you're also fucking, wherein then i also end up going oh yeah bloodsong, finally time to get into that proper....also the resulting humorous thought like well first of all genuinely fascinating when the Funny Little Guy performance i [standing saluting >:'I ] for is put into a duet like that, where there's plenty of overlap like [role you could expect could go to will roland = to jeremy morse; vice versa] like both jeffing, jeremy of frequent similarly "now who's this funny little guy. uh oh is he okay" andy's songing (also was wondering like is Kevin in this vein? & just it also generally not being Unexpected like ah what if someone who can do fun & harmless turned out to really be doing Oh No, This Sicko, except also everyone of any initial apparent effect can be doing the Sicko pivot lol so. but there is at least One potato filmed jeremy morse kevin of yore) but like okay & so what happens Together lol

and what happens is what is fun about Funny Little Roles Together in a context in which a comedic lens is applied to Everything rather than being like ha ha with this lens you can burn who you turn it on, there's a boundary between who can be laughed at & who can do the laughing & Never be laughed at, & i'm remembering the other day like "wait people really have bad dreams about Oh No Everyone Laughing At Me??" b/c i have literally never had anything like that despite basically constant anxiety scenario dreams but there's also not these High Stakes like oh god what if i'm Laughed At as an expression of like negative judgment / contempt b/c like oh a tuesday 11am? nothing to do w/the general anxiety of "it's pathologized if you're anxious when potentially being around Anyone Else at home at school at work in public is indeed Unsafe; but if people find themselves unable to see a movie in theaters like they want to b/c they can't find a pal to chaperone them lest absolutely anyone think they look like a Weirdo or Loser or Geek or Whatever then that's just called being Normal & they should go pwn someone for finding phonecalls out of reach while also liking text messages too much etc" where was i. Not having a boundary between What Can Be Laughed At and You Yourself, who can safely Never be laughed at, or indeed the need to Wink at the audience like ah we're both in on it & both would never really be of [whatever is laughable], not the need for anyone to signal being Above It in whatever way, or for material worth taking seriously to be Not Comedy, or for like some end goal / truly Worthwhile way to be comedic being like ah it's just me being so good at Laughing At & passing that along to an audience whose laughter is "you're so right" & Knowing i could never be worth laughing At, not Really, my expertise in regardless creating that Effect, like when it's considered Actor Prestigious when like supposed states of Inferiority similar to "can be laughed at" like what if someone was Disabled or Ugly or Poor or Fat or Trans etc is performed by someone We All Know To Be So Totally Not That in a as to be typecast as Worthy Leads / Heroes lol & it's all done in a solemn dramatic fashion like wow what a Feat then

lost in the sauce back to What If Two Executors Of Funny Littleness when there's no presumed Boundary of [can be laughed at / L] vs [can Never be laughed at / W] (also like. well a tangent i'll set aside for now lol. heroically) & that it's so interesting & lively the Range therein because nobody's held back from "do NOT give this role depth like they have feelings & character too" so we don't get confused about who's the Real person in this scenario, & more specifically like if we look at the Straight Man role as like, not "try finding someone in the iconis zone where i don't assume everyone's gay unless & until like ah i see married to a woman for what that's worth, anyone can do anything lol" but like let's say the person in a scene who gives the audience Reference for what their Expectations are, so that a context is created where someone can do the Unexpected & there's your comedy. & it's fun how not only is it Already Flexible like well i'd say when the cyril / krampus scene started off last christmas it was the krampus who starts off in the straight man position while cyril is Doing The Unexpected. but then naturally it's the singer in my best friend's a skeleton who gives us context for what to expect, yet including introducing a bit of tension already like what's it mean that your best friend was heard coming from miles away cuz his bones make a ruckus when they hit the ground? & the A Skeleton is the unexpected. but then like even gets in the way of comedy when there's More Expectedness like we can expect the straight man to be the site of What We Should Expect & whomever to disrupt that, & that like really when that boundary is kind of there like the blessed can't be laughed at (save as punishment) vs barbarous can be laughed at (for existing, perhaps Gifted with being taken seriously one moment ever) (cough, e.g. billions) it's those who are Laughed At-able who get more thorough capacity as characters really rather than held back by the scruff of the neck in the realm of supposed guaranteed [everyone will always see you as Dignified & Admirable & Worthy] like yeah have fun

& so the way also that even within, say, a comedic duet / two-person scene, who is operating within Expectation & who is bringing the Unexpected can pass back & forth a bit & even be left entirely behind by both parties b/c the audience still has enough context for what all is going on to not simply be at sea in confusion as to what the effect is even supposed to be, though not suggesting a [??] moment/effect can't be humorous too lol & like i just love that for us. everyone can break out the range b/c nobody has to be the Not Laughed At Ever role & everything just becomes much more flexible, kind of like the range & flexibility granted to any & everyone in any situation where there is not a context of the worthy vs unworthy Lol Lmao, how about that

anyway this comedy commentary was all kind of a tangent as per my original joke being like yeah my sorta humorous thought like "big cabaret won't let there already be dozens of will roland jeremy morse funny little duets b/c they're SCARED" (of the power that would have) but then just last night while hopping around some vaguely relevant videos like omg THAT one yeah i KNOW her!!! you rang

(speaking of will ending up morse so the straight man role but not entirely. & obvious also less joke answers like even with "try finding funny little people who Don't perform delightfully together & have dozens of Recorded & Uploaded instances of this" but & like oh hi also one of the classic sam salmond "in new york" performances where will's singing the So You're Alone while jeremy is in the barbershop quartet, or this apropos cabaret "celebrate christmas (with me)" video....even One nice long crisp number like this like if that cup don't runneth over. while understanders in the comments like speaking of Big Cabaret Is Scared where it's also like well two for two beautiful love songs, someone identifying this as such, or the person right on the same page about this power whose coincidental use of the word bomb got a bath bombs reply lmfao & in that very vein of "source of many views on this vid from '16" someone a little confused but got the spirit in being like shoutout to the other guy, drew! like no & will is not alex. shoutout from Me to the whole thing obvi but also physical comedy or just Acting like parallel threads of what they do during giving the reins a Slap or the subsequent Just Two Dots On A Map which gets a nose (ft. vocal) Boop at one point & then later with more successful affinity a fist bump [slap] & returned form of the boop being Got Your Nipples [two dots on a map] like fantastic lmao. comedy so appropriate that when jeremy inexplicably like clacks his teeth as a Choice does will smile as himself or his role? as he gets to be this fun little guy who still also gets to be the "more normal" one for intents & purposes when you're not Guaranteed pushed into "oh You're the one we Laugh At" & we're not really doing that dichotomy anyway & there's only more surprises & possibilities for all roles & audiences if at any given time any given role might Not be contained within "well, doing things wrong. comedy" gay baby jail)