#someone save me from a very talented angst maker

[tomfrogisblue]

So

Today, I finished the third episode of O Segredo na Floresta

Then, I saw Cellbit was live on the QSMP and tuned in to the lore he just did

So

MUM!!! A BRAZILIAN MAN IS MAKING ME DEPRESSED IN A LANGUAGE I ONLY JUST STARTED TO UNDERSTAND!!!

[dinner-djarin]

Until the Sun Rises

Part 2: Beautifully Catastrophic

Anakin x Jedi!reader

Summary: The Clone Wars have begun, and although you and Anakin remain best friends, you have sensed your relationship growing distant, both from your time spent apart in battle, and from the inclusion of a certain woman into his life. When you finally get a moment to share alone with him, however, things do not go as you would have wished.

Notes: Part 2 takes place probably a year or so after part 1. Reader is young, probably around 18 or 19. Another Happy Birthday wish to @hellotherebonky

Rating: T

Warnings: fluff/angst. Reader gets very angry, yikes.

Part 1

Only one year later would Anakin be made an official Jedi Knight, just after the start of the Clone Wars. And as much as you hoped for peace in the galaxy, you secretly revelled in the start of the fighting, as it meant you were finally able to leave the Temple on a regular basis. You and your Master fought many battles together, and you felt yourself grow stronger with The Force every day. Master Sente admitted they may have been wrong to keep you guarded all that time, as you proved yourself to be a very cunning and diligent warrior. You learned ten times faster out in the galaxy then you did by studying away in the record halls. Being out there, learning on the battlefield, this was what made you finally shine.

The one downfall, however, was the reality that your assignments kept you away from Anakin.

He and Obi-wan stayed close, even after he proved himself capable and passed his trials, so the two of them often went on missions together… a fate you once dreamed of for yourselves.

But in all honesty, you were thankful for the space from Anakin. Ever since Padme Amidala had been thrust back into his life, you were tormented by how different Anakin had become. He didn’t confide in you as often, and when he did, the sole topic was her. How he couldn’t stand to be away from her. How he dreamt only of her. How only she could tame the fire that seared his soul.

One might think that a war should be the cause of such an uprooting to your life - but the war paled in comparison to the return of a woman.

You could see what drew him to her. Her beauty was only paralleled by her intelligence and kindness. She was stunning - you might even say she was perfect.

Her angelic form could not rival whatever you had to offer him. In fact, you had nothing to offer him, as the Jedi Code stood between any dreams you could dare to possess. At least with her, only his own morals were tempted. He didn’t confide the true nature of his relationship with Padme to you, but in your heart, you knew things had gone too far. It broke you to see him throw away his future for her, but it broke you more that he would never do the same for you.

She was lovely enough to include you in her life too, obviously noting the fact that you were Anakin’s only true friend at the Temple. You spent lunches and dinners and nights out together at the opera. Over the short time you spent together you unconsciously came to like her. More than that, you admired her.

You admired how she continued to fight for the rights of those who had none. How she was always unafraid to speak her mind and stand against what she believed to be wrong. You also noticed just how strong willed she could be in those opinions; ready to take on any voices raised against her own.

And as much as you tried to be happy for the two best people in your life, you couldn’t help the way that they remind you of the neutron star collisions you were taught about as a youngling. Two stars burning hot and bright, caught in each other's gravity, encircling one another over and over in a beautiful rhythm, until time and space can no longer accommodate for their existence. A beauty burning so bright that it can only be catastrophic.

Padme is brilliant and caring, but she is determined and independent. Anakin is willing to fight to the end for what he loves, but he is only satisfied when it is him who makes the sacrifices, and him who makes the choices. He needs to control everything, but she cannot be controlled.

You’ve grown alongside Anakin, and you’ve grown to love Padme. Separate they are unstoppable. They believe they can change the galaxy. But you know neither sees that goal in the same way.

You recount the way Anakin fought so hard against the council, over and over, believing that he knew better, or his approach would suit the situation over theirs. Often, he was proven right. He was talented, but the council only thought of him as reckless and lucky, making him seek to push against them even harder. For nights on end, you would hear him rant on about his distrust in such a system.

“We would be better off to decide for ourselves what we thought was right” he would go on. “How can we put our faith in a group of old, washed up Master’s who have long forgotten what it’s like to put their own lives on the line.” Eventually he would finish with sentiments along the line of: “I think they’re just scared to make the decisions that needed to be made”

But you also knew how faithful Padme was to that same system. She believed in the power of diplomacy and democracy. A freedom made by sitting and talking through their issues. Words right out of the mouth of Anakin; words of distaste for a future he couldn't see himself a part of.

It kept you wondering just how long it might take for fate - for The Force - to intervene. You knew it would have to, in some form or another. It always did. You waited for the day they would implode. And you swore you would be by his side when they did.

You waited. But the day hadn’t come.

Instead, the Clone Wars dragged on. You were eventually Knighted. A relatively small ceremony for the troubled times, but even Anakin made his way to be there. He looked proud as you knelt before the council and agreed to do the will of The Force.

“I can’t believe I finally made it,” you whisper to Anakin as you shuffle out of the council room.

“I never doubted you would, little one.” His voice quiet too but resonating directly into your ear as he hunched over to place his mouth next to your face.

“I did. All the time,” you say as you tilt your face to meet his.

“You wouldn’t be you if you didn’t.” Just then you realized you had worked yourselves away from the crowd into the hall where your adjacent rooms were held. “Come on, for old times’ sake.” His head nodding towards his own room, but you understood the final destination he had in mind.

You both carefully maneuvered your bodies over the ledge of his balcony onto the roof of the temple. “This was easier when we were children,” you remarked through laboured breaths.

“Everything was,” he responded, settling into the spot next to you so that your two thighs were barely grazing. The positioning reminded you of a night you spent together not so long ago. Watching the life of Coruscant fill the skies. Now the view had barely changed, save for the fact you were currently watching a setting sun instead of a vast darkness.

You both sat in silence, as you often did, words rarely necessary when you felt each other's presence so clearly already. Tuning into his aura, you felt a turbulence - an unease you had never felt before. What is that? You thought, forgetting how thoroughly lodged you were in his essence. “I’m sorry, Anakin. I didn’t mean to intrude-”

“It’s alright. I have nothing to hide, not from you. Never from you.” He admits as he turns to look into your eyes. You met his gaze instantly, and whatever you had felt in his aura had also taken root in his face. Besides the new scar, there were clear signs of worry and fear - his secrets slowly burdening him from the inside out.

“Please tell me, Anakin. You know you can tell me, whatever it is.” You attempt to reassure him. You know he must have a lot on his mind, and you know there is rarely anyone else he can truly confide in. His relationship with Padme meant he could not completely confide in Obi-wan, but the nature of his role and the severity of his actions during the Clone Wars caused a further rift between him and his wife.

“There’s so much. I don’t even know where to begin,” he starts.

“How about the beginning.” Your voice is almost teasing, until you see the bleakness in his weathered face. The horrors of war depleting the once joyful and youthful peace that filled him. Now he looked harsh and serious. He had told you of the things he had done, even before the Clone Wars began, and you could piece together how easily the added burdens had manifested in his soul.

“The council gave me a Padawan.” He spoke softly as he stared at the horizon.

“Already? They must have great faith in you.”

“I think the opposite. They wish to tame me, or to see me fail.” You could sense the hint of anger breaking through his otherwise stoic appearance.

“Anakin, I know you don’t trust them but-”

“But what? When have they ever trusted me?!” His quiet demeanor abruptly dissolving. “Why should I think they’re doing this out of my best interest?”

“How has it been?” You attempt to diffuse him. “What are they like?”

Anakin takes a moment to regain his peace. “She’s like me, Ahsoka.”

“Then she’ll be trouble.” You say with a jab to his ribs.

“Hey.” He nudges you back, and you almost slip from your spot to the balcony below. “Oh Maker, sorry.” He begins again, “I just fear she’s too much like me. She deserves a Master who is knowledgeable of The Force, who can help her find strength and stability. She is wild, and takes risks-”

“And is that bad? She sounds exactly like you. Maybe she needs someone to show her that trusting herself is as important as trusting The Force.”

“I don’t know if I can be that for her. I don’t even know if I trust myself anymore.” his voice reaching a quiet once again. So low, you understand that there is more to what he has shared.

“What’s really going on, Anakin?” You sense his trouble, and you know he has not fully divulged the root of his strife. In a moment of weakness, you let your emotions surface and ask, “Is it Padme?”

“What!? Why would it be Padme? Why would you ask that?” But his voice is too defensive for you to leave the subject alone.

“I just mean keeping the secret. Keeping her a secret. It must be weighing on you. And on top of everything-”

“On top of what?” He asks sternly. But his question stirs something in you, and pokes at all the thoughts you had bottled up over the months of observing the two of them.

“I mean you two already fight enough as it is. You get jealous and she gets angry. You just never seem to be on the same page.”

“You don’t approve of Padme?” He questions harshly.

“Of course I approve of Padme, as if I even need to. I mean she’s perfect. She’s almost too damn good for you-”

“What so I don’t deserve her? You think she should be with someone else?” You saw the aforementioned jealousy rising back up in him, further proving your point.

“I think you’re throwing away your life for a relationship you aren’t even happy in!”

“How could you know If I’m happy?”

“Because I know you, Anakin! I’ve known you for most of your life. I’ve seen you happy, and you aren’t happy with her.”

“It’s not that simple-”

“How is it not? You fight all the time; you don’t agree on anything. Is it supposed to be this hard? Why are you even still with her if she makes your life so difficult?”

“Because she’s my wife!” He admits loudly, a contrast to the deafening silence that follows.

You stare at him for what feels like hours. Your tongue runs dry from the stale air that passes through your agape mouth. Several minutes pass before you realize you hadn’t taken a proper breath.

“What are you talking about, Anakin.” These are the only words you can muster, and they come out painfully against the scratch of your dry throat.

“Just after the assignment where I guarded Padme,” he begins, “I lost my arm, and the Clone Wars began, and there was so much going on. I never realized how easily it could all be taken away. I almost died fighting Dooku.”

“So you decided to get married?” Your mind running too fast, too cluttered with thoughts to string together a calm response. “You lived, Anakin. You’re alive. So you decided to throw it all away because you almost died. Because you realized you could have died. We are Jedi. We could die any day. That’s the freaking point! How could you do something so foolish?!” You scream your words at him like blaster bolts, hoping for the first time ever that you could hurt him, like he had hurt you all these years.

“It was not foolish, I loved her then, and I love her now.” He admits to you angrily.

“And I loved you. I've loved you since the day you came here. And you never gave me a second glance. You never even tried to love me back. I've been here for you the whole time. Through everything. And still, you can't seem to care for me at all. I don't even know why I should care. I should have left you alone years ago. What have I ever gotten out of this? Pain. Hurt. Anger. You’ve pushed me to my breaking point time and time again. You have been more challenging than anything I faced in the trials. But I tried. I tried to be here for you, and hear every problem, every complaint. But you were never here for me. Not once. I’m done.” you say as you slide off the roof. “I cannot believe that all this time you’ve been married to her. And you never once thought to tell me. I am your best friend. At least I thought I was. Maker, Anakin, no wonder everything implodes around you.”

As you retreated, you felt the pain resonate from his aura. Your words tore at his soul and left him to bleed out. But you had enough. You were destroyed, and you needed him to know how deeply he had wounded you first. So, you abandoned him on that roof. You walked away from the one person who you truly loved. With every step you felt the strings of your attachment snap, you felt his presence leaving you in a way it never had before.

But he let you go. Not because he wanted to. But because you were right. He hadn’t been there for you. All those years you had been his crutch. You had listened to every childish rant. You had talked through every problem with him. But what had he done for you? He used you, and he knew it. What good would it do to beg you to stay? He could only be so selfish.

But you were also wrong, because he did love you. He should have shown it better. He should have told you long ago. But his world had become a destructive mess, and he decided he deserved all the pain and torment it had brought. Anakin wasn’t even sure how he loved you. It surely wasn’t the same way he felt about Padme. No, that love was raw. It was fire, and passion. It burned him alive. He loved you softly, like a warm embrace. You brought comfort and joy, even when the world was crumbling around him. Maybe he knew he didn’t deserve such happiness. Maybe that's why he let you walk away.

Part 3

[victoriareyloficlists]

09/01/2021 Additions to Reylo Angst

These fics have been added to the Angst list located here.

Say it With Sugar by fettuccine_alfreylo (AO3 2016  Rated E Complete, 20 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Ben Solo is the owner of his family’s small chocolate shop. Rey Kenobi is a talented chocolate maker he hires. They both share the same passion for chocolate. Unfortunately, they share the same kind of anxiety, too.) Java Empire And The Rebel Café by fairytalesandfolklore (AO3 2019  Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: A Reylo Coffeeshop AU. Rey works for the Solo's coffeeshop and finds out their son has gone to work for the competing corporate chain. She tries to get him to reconcile with his parents but a misunderstanding makes him push her away.) Your Half by Celia_and (AO3 2020  Rated E Complete, 4 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Classmates Rey and Kylo get off on the wrong foot. Too bad they’re partners for the whole semester...) Dumpster Dive Into My Heart by commandercrouton (AO3 2019  Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Inspried by a tweet from Reylo Prompts: My art professor told us a story about how he hated all his art and threw it out at a dumpster by his campus and then a little while later he went to a girls dorm (who is now his wife) and she had it hanging on the wall :) Love Makes Fools Of Us All by Darkcat18 (AO3 2020  Rated E Complete, 5 Chapters, Victorian AU, Quick Synopsis: Poe Dameron and Armitage Hux take their friend Ben Solo to Madam Natal's high end brothel so that he can be rid of his virginity. Ben, though nearly thirty, has no desire to lose his virginity to a whore. When he sees Rey, laundress and cook, he strikes a deal with Madam Natal to spend the night with her. Rey agrees after he offers her a very large sum of money, to be paid directly to her. What neither realize is that this deal will change the course of their lives.) It Feels Like Christmas by juniorstarcatcher (AO3 2017  Rated G Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: When Rey discovers she’s not the only one staying alone in her dorm during Christmas break, she tries to share the holiday spirit with the intimidating and solitary Ben Solo.) A Scandalous Match by Musickat18 (AO3 2019  Rated T Complete, 18 Chapters, Regency AU, Quick Synopsis: Despite a very poor first impression, Rey has found herself forced to wed the mysterious and intimidating Ben Solo, Duke of Ren. The marriage is deemed highly scandalous by society as Rey is no more than an orphan living on the good graces of Mr. Unkar Plutt. Rey, now Duchess of Ren, finds herself forced into a role for which she has no training, with a husband who does not even seem to like her.) Wash Over Me by Twisted_Mirror (AO3 2021  Rated M Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: This fic was based on a real life inspired prompt where a guy had posted about an experience with his girlfriend of tender intimacy and healing after past unhealthy relationships.) Those We Love by Everren (AO3 2020  Rated E Complete, 6 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey and Ben used to be friends, best friends, until one night and some bad news changed everything. Now, after not speaking for months, Rey is about to make the hardest day of Ben's life take a turn he could never have expected.) Off guard by TheReadingNook (AO3 2019  Rated M Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: The last thing Rey is looking for is love. As a single mom, her plate is as full as she wants it to be, but her son seems to think otherwise. And when he sets out to fill that void, they learn some interesting things about life, love, and the bonds of family and friendship.) A Reylo Christmas by Biekewieke (AO3 2018  Rated E Complete, 8 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: So when Leia Organa asks her Personal Assistant Rey to join her on a family vacation in Mon Torri for the holidays and highlights a big bonus, what is she to do? Only catch... Leia's son is coming along... Ben Solo is the enfant terrible of the family. Broody, sullen and with a huge chip on his shoulder, the young man is notoriously difficult.) A Dinner For Two by Ayearandaday (AO3 2019  Rated T Complete, 7 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: When Finn gets caught while hacking for the information about Rey's parents she agrees to spend an hour every day doing whatever Mr. Ren requests to save her friend from prison. But what could her mysterious employer want from her?) In Sickness And In Health by Theyna_Shipper (AO3 2020  Rated T Complete, 8 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey knows it's not an ideal situation, but it's a situation thousands of people are in. It's not like there's much she can do about it right now, anyways. She can go a little while without health insurance. Until she gets breast cancer. The treatment will be simple if she can get it. But she's worried she can't, until her old co-worker Ben offers a solution: "We could get married.") Convergence by kuresoto (AO3 2018  Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Not everyone had an Other, and the only way to find your Other was by saying their name. When that happened, memories of their life, where they grew up and the steps that led them to you, would be condensed into a single flashback that passed in a blink of an eye. The fact that someone had said Rey’s name and didn’t bother approaching her hurt, especially since she had a good idea why. Her parents tossed her aside when she was barely five, so she shouldn’t be surprised that her soulmate had done the same.) Chef's (Uns)Table by TheAlchemistsDaughter (AO3 2019  Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Kylo Ren is a high-powered chef with an explosive temper. Nevertheless, Rey likes him. To get him to come out of the kitchen, she and her friends try to wind him up. When someone asks for ketchup, it works a little too well.) les amoureux des animaux by reylomami (AO3 2019  Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey leaves her job in a whim after a quarter-life crisis. With too much time suddenly in her hands to rethink her life and her identity, Rey finds money-making respite in a pet-sitting job from Pawshake. A Reylo Pawshake AU with poor time coordination and fluff out of meet-cutes and mournings.) daylight by sparklylulz (sparklyulz) (AO3 2020  Rated T Complete, 4 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Coffee shop employee Rey has a run in with one of the difficult professors. Thus starts a very turbulent friendship until Ben needs a fake date to go with him to see his parents, the first time he's seen his parents in a while.)

[buckybarnesbingo]

BBB Week 8 Roundup!  

Some amazing fills made this week, go forth and appreciate our creators!

Title: Flower Petals Collaborator: writing-what-writing Link: Tumblr Square Filled: K5 - Hanahaki disease Ship: Bucky/Reader Rating: Gen Major Tags: very light angst Summary: Bucky’s been coughing up flowers and the only cure is if you love him back Word Count: 863

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

Title:  I’d Do It Again Collaborator: startrekkingaroundasgard Link: Tumblr Square Filled: U2 - Queer Platonic Relationship Ship: Bucky/Bruce Rating: Teen Major Tags: mention of torture, mild violence and threat Summary: After he is kidnapped, Bucky rescues Bruce from a facility which is trying to separate him from the Hulk. Word Count: 1620

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

Title: As the Spirits Guide Us Collaborator: 27dragons Link: AO3 Squares Filled: Chapter 3 - K1: Poison Chapter 4 - K2: Dark Ship: WinterIron Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Alternate Universe - Prehistoric, Running Away, Spirit Animals, totem spirits, Coming of Age, Sharing a Meal, Sex, Frottage Summary: The Clan of the Hydra value’s Bucky’s skill as a flintknapper but despises him for being a crippled outsider. The Clanchief, in particular, seems to enjoy watching Bucky suffer. Bucky dreams of escaping, of finding a home with a new Clan, one which will treat him kindly. A talented maker and only child of the Keeper of the Way, Tony has only to complete this last rite before he can fully assume his place as an adult of the Star Clan. On this journey, the spirit-talker assures him, the spirits will bring him to meet his destined mate. Tony is pretty sure the selection of his mate has less to do with the spirits than with the machinations of his mother and the clan chief. Little do either of them know what the spirits have in store. Word Count: 5713

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

Title: A sketch in red Collaborator: Nivelle Link: Tumblr Square Filled: Y4 - Seeing Red Ship: none Rating: Gen Major Tags: art  Summary: art

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

Title: A Night at the Nat - Chapter 4 Collaborator: Politzania Link: AO3 Square Filled: K3 - apology Ship: Bucky/Clint/Tony Rating: Explicit Major Tags: werewolf & supernatural AU, minor injuries/blood, eventual smut Summary: The fancy restaurant isn’t the only reason Clint feels out of his depth. Even though his dinner companions are clearly devoted to one another, they keep flirting with him. Maybe accepting this invitation wasn’t such a good idea. Word Count: 4701

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

Title: Fire in My Soul - Chapter 1 Collaborator: squadrickchestopher Link: AO3 Square Filled: C3 - free space Ship: WinterHawk Rating: Explicit Major Tags: graphic depictions of violence Summary: Natasha interrupts him. “So here’s what happened,” she says, letting her irritation bleed into her voice and her expression. Clint ducks his head even lower. “You two morons got the bright idea to get busy on a magic altar while wearing a magic amulet. Somehow, this triggered some kind of spell, and—I can’t believe this is an actual thing I’m about to say—it turned you both into little dragons.” Bucky stares at Clint, then looks down at his own claws. Then he looks back up at Nat. “What the fuck?” Word Count: 5442

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

Title: Art Collaborator: startrekkingaroundasgard Link: Tumblr Square Filled: Y1 - nerd Bucky Ship: Bucky & Peter Rating: Gen Major Tags: art  Summary: Bucky had always loved science fiction. He loved to get lost in the wonder of what was possible and consider how the future could be better. When he joined the Avengers, Peter soon learned of Bucky’s interest and immediately got him started on every major sci-fi franchise he had missed over the years. Star Wars ended up being his favourite and when Peter came in brandishing his new, fully functioning lightsaber Bucky couldn’t resist having a go with the weapon. That quickly lead to costumes and a fully fledged photo shoot to commemorate the occasion. 

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

Title: Red Carpet Rescue Mission Collaborator: darter_blue Link: AO3 Square Filled: B3 - Rescue Mission Ship: Stucky Rating: Mature Major Tags: meet cute Summary: Bucky Barnes can totally do this, he can fumble his way through a red carpet event and not lose his brand new nationally televised lifestyle presenter gig... he just has to remember to ask questions about the premier and NOT composting (being that he is, in fact, a Gardener and not an entertainment reporter). And when he sees a fellow sufferer in need of saving from all the lights, cameras, and hubbub, of course he's going to sidle over and be a friendly face. Except the poor, unfashionable gentleman perhaps isn't a ring in like Bucky imagined, is perhaps more famous than he looks?Is perhaps actually a real life superhero? This is just fluff and more fluff of disaster Bucky and an always charmed Captain America... Word Count: 5328

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

Title: Arboreal: Songbird protocol moodboard Collaborator: menatiera Link: Tumblr Square Filled: B4 - Sunrise/Sunset Ship: WinterIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: Fluff, Bucky Barnes Needs A Hug, (Arm Maintenance), moodboard Summary: Moodboard for the fic Songbird Protocol by Arboreal. Fic summary: Tony apparently has a thing for musicians. It’s brand new information for him, but Bucky is irresistible.

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

Title: we could take a chance, we could make it Collaborator: velvetjinx Link: AO3 Square Filled: K4 -  partner in crime Ship: Stucky Rating: Explicit Major Tags: historical AU Summary: Bucky likes to steal treasure. Steve likes to steal it back for its rightful owners. But when they have to team up to fight a common enemy and sparks fly, will either of them be willing to risk their hearts? Word Count: 5385

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

Title: When is a bed not a bed? (When you’re not in it) - Chapter 2 Collaborator: riotfalling Link: Tumblr Square Filled: C3 - free space Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: non-graphic injury and violence Summary: There’s a tiny safe house, with one tiny window and one tiny couch. And one tiny little bed. (Now with chapter 2, because no bed sharing fic is truly complete until they’re home.) Word Count: 2.5k

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

Title: Inspired By You Collaborator: MagicaDraconia16 Link: AO3 Square Filled: Y5 - Invisibility Ship: Teen Rating: Bucky & Tony Major Tags: AU artist/muse, smutty inspiration Summary: It was very hard work being a muse. Especially when the person being inspired absolutely refuses to be around the source of that inspiration. Word Count: 1004

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

Title: A Quiet Moment Collaborator: Caiti (Caitriona_3) Link: AO3 Square Filled: B3 - Hair braiding Ship: Bucky/Clint/Darcy Rating: Teen Major Tags: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Polyamory Summary: Natasha and Bucky spend a quiet moment together. Word Count: 1561

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

Title: Funerals Are Expensive. Get Well Soon. Collaborator: Ribbonsflying Link: AO3 Square Filled: C5 - Sharing Body Heat Ship: Stucky Rating: Teen Major Tags: funeral home, morticians Summary: “Is this the part where we turn from morticians into ghost hunters?” Sam asked as they flipped out the basement lights and locked the door back behind them. ”I sure hope not.” The men began their hustle back up toward the state rooms out front when they passed the cooler and heard the noise again. Steve and Sam both stopped in their tracks. “Is that-“ Steve turned on his heel and pointed toward the refrigerated room where people’s bodies were stored.“You know I ain’t ever been scared of dead people,” Sam answered, “...but if someone in that fridge is knocking, all you’re gonna see of my brown ass is a pinprick on the horizon as I get the hell away from here as fast as I can move.” === Did you know there's a woman who has a medical condition that has caused her to go to wake up in a morgue on three separate occasions? This is a story where Bucky has that same condition. Word Count: 7382

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

Title: Beetles Collaborator: Justamanlymouse Link: AO3 Square Filled: U5 - Bucky/Steve Ship: Stucky, WinterIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: Howlie memories, Light angst, tw bugs Summary: Steve hears Morgan singing a lullaby that James used to sing to him and remembers the last time he heard it.“You know the wormy song? James sings it to me before bed.” He’s going to fucking vomit. “Oh yeah?” he manages. “Yeah.” she says, molding dirt very seriously with a little spade, “Said he used to sing it to you and it helped you go to sleep. You remember that?” Word Count: 721

[bethhxrmon]

Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again Pt. 2

“Wishing I could hear your voice again, knowing that I never would” - “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again” from The Phantom of the Opera

Pairing: Peter Parker x Female OC

Word Count: 3k

Summary: We’re really in the plot of Endgame now!

Warnings: Spoilers, angst, some stuff that may make you cry if you care about any of the main characters????

A/N: Okay, so my summer’s been way busier than expected and I’ve been suffering from an extreme loss of motivation. So if y’all have any encouraging words that would rock??? But updates may also be spotty anyways because of my schedule. Also, flashbacks are in italics!

The day was sunny enough. That had to be a good sign. In a little bit of time, everyone would be back. Harper could finally see their best friend, and maybe they could go back to how things used to be before.

Being the youngest out of those in the car, Harper got stuck in the back. Though, Scott was there too. Somehow, Harper didn’t really notice that anyone was doing anything. Looking out the car window, it was easy to get lost in their thoughts. Thoughts about when things were easier. Before something like Thanos was even in the picture.

As they drove closer to the lake house, Harper was starting to realize why they never bothered to come. It was exactly like they thought it was going to be. Too much like all of those easier times. Only, the people who made those times easy were nowhere to be found.

“Annie? You’re up, right?” Harper asked, looking over from their sketchbook.

The girl sat up, a small smile on her face as she was playing with Peter’s hair, “Yeah, usually am.”

There was a beat of silence as Annie continued messing with Peter’s hair. He was already asleep. So was Ned. Harper had tried to get them to stay up, but that clearly didn’t work as evidenced by Ned’s soft snores.

“I don’t know if it’s because it’s four in the morning and I’m delusional, but… do you think there’s anything after we die?” they inquired, closing their book and setting it aside.

Annie stopped messing around with Peter’s hair and thought for a moment, “Well, I don’t really know. I mean, if there is something, I’m positive I’m going to the spot reserved for not so great people. But… it’s also kinda nice thinking someone like Tina actually got to start over.”

“Annie, sweetie, you’re literally a superhero. If there’s an afterlife or something, you’re going to the spot reserved for great people,” Harper insisted.

She laughed a bit, “Right, whatever you say, Harper. You’re always right.”

“Obviously. You can’t be the one always right, the world would spontaneously combust! The responsibility is therefore mine,” they claimed.

It was silly, but Harper really hoped they had been right. Maybe it wouldn’t matter, though. They couldn’t help thinking that Tony had something up his sleeve. Something that would make it so everyone could be saved. Then, they could ask Annie for real, and Annie would probably have an answer of some sort. They hoped so.

No one said very much on the ride over. Not even Scott who seemed to talk as a way to fill up any awkward space. Granted, Harper wasn’t sure if they wanted to talk about much of anything anyways. There was a solid chance it would get to the topic of the people they missed. Because Harper, Natasha, and Steve had five years to try and recover from their losses. Scott barely had a couple of days.

A couple of days after figuring out for certain who died, Harper could barely even get out of bed. Let alone travel across the country and go out on a limb to tell some Avengers that weren’t ever guaranteed to be there and explain how time travel could possibly exist and fix their problems. How Scott was managing this while keeping everything together was beyond them.

Maybe it was just because he didn’t let the grief sink in just yet. Hopefully, it wouldn’t. Then, Harper could brag to Annie about how they met her all-time favorite superhero. There was something gratifying about that picture. Probably because Annie was alive whenever they thought about it.

Before they could really finish that thought, the car was pulled into Tony Stark’s driveway. Harper hadn’t spoken to him since he formally told them that he didn’t need a suit maker or assistant anymore. Unbeknownst to him, Pepper kept Harper on call for different fashion things. It was more of a formality, but it helped Harper know that, if nothing else, Pepper didn’t see a need to cut them off.

Except, something told Harper this could be what finally did that. They knew a little bit about Tony’s daughter. Although, they also knew a little bit about this lake house too. It was a bit too much like Tahoe for their taste. Almost too many memories.

When all of them were sitting around on Tony’s porch, Harper could vaguely hear Scott explaining himself one last time. They couldn’t be bothered to pay complete attention. Honestly, Harper wasn’t sure why they were there. It wasn’t like they had any crazy powers or serious talents to be put to work in any type of time heist.

If Harper stared too hard into space, they almost expected to hear Peter say some weird science fact. Why that mattered so much, they weren’t sure. 

“So… you and Annie?” Harper asked, sitting next to the boy on the couch after unpacking everything.

He nodded, “Yeah. She’s great actually. I mean, I’ve liked her for months, so, I mean, I-I just wasn’t sure if she liked me or-”

“I get it. I’m the best friend. And I know that we kinda met before, but since it looks like this thing you guys got is gonna last for more than a week, then I gotta do the normal best friend thing,” Harper replied, cutting off Peter’s rambling.

Peter looked at them and shook his head, “What best friend thing?”

“Oh, nothing big. Just, if you even so much as consider hurting Annie in any way, shape, or form I will take your right foot and shove it so far up your ass that you choke on it,” they said, giving a light shrug.

His doe eyes went to the size of dinner plates and he scooted away, “Okay, okay, got it. I-I’d never do that,  for the record. I really like her. I mean, I can’t even hurt people that I don’t know, so… I really couldn’t hurt her. Promise.”

Harper laughed, “Oh, relax, I was only warning you. She was right, you get nervous really easily.”

“She says that?”

“Well, among other super top-secret things.”

Peter’s posture loosened up and he leaned forward, “What did she say?”

“It’s gotta be a secret! I’m gonna make some lemonade,” Harper said, getting up from the couch.

“Look, if you guys came for literally any other reason, I really like seeing you guys. There’s seven places set up at the table,” Tony started as the others got up to leave.

Somehow Harper managed to tune everything out. How they did it was unclear. Maybe there were more memories running through their head than they really anticipated. They still hadn’t gotten up. Natasha gave them a look, almost as though she was asking what Harper was doing.

There was a huge choice being offered up. If they didn’t bring up time travel, then they could see Tony and Pepper. But how couldn’t they bring it up? How were Peter and Annie not supposed to come up? They couldn’t just stay. It would bring back too many memories that they couldn’t understand how he didn’t see all of it the same way.

Except, no one ever brought up either of them. Then again, Steve and Natasha and Scott didn’t know Peter or Annie very well. Not enough to genuinely care about their deaths. Definitely not enough to realize how it probably impacted Tony.

“Um… just a sec,” Harper said, waving off Natasha.

Tony looked at them, “It’s been awhile.”

“It’s exactly like Tahoe, don’t you think?” they asked, looking around.

“What do you mean?” Tony asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You know… this is like when we were all in those cabins. I mean, that was, like, right before shit hit the fan and, well, you know. The snappening.”

“The snappening?”

“Yeah, and you know… I get that you’ve got this super great life with Pepper and your cute little daughter. I’m happy for you, I guess. But it really feels like you forgot all the other important people. I know Peter was important to you, I wasn’t as close, but he was a good friend. And, you know, you talk about not wanting to lose children but you’re conveniently ignoring that chunk of time when you were convinced Annie was your daughter. So, I guess it’s your choice, but some of us just aren’t as lucky as you were. And I’m not gonna make you help with this time heist or whatever, but I want you to know damn well that I’m gonna do whatever it takes to get both of them back. Because we both know they would do the same for us.”

Tony stayed silent for a few moments and sighed, “It’s a suicide mission.”

“Well maybe that’s better than doing nothing. You don’t have to agree, but suicide mission or not, I’m sticking with it,” they moved to stand up.

Tony shook his head, “It’s been five years-”

“Yeah, five years and I still can’t do anything without thinking about my best friend or my family or anything that I used to know before all of this. Some of us never had the means to move on properly. And-”

“Hey, calm down, if you just come in with-”

“Don’t cut me off when I’m clearly in the right here. Don’t cut me off when I tried to grieve properly and talk to you about everything and you would just change the subject. Look, if this doesn’t work out, I don’t lose a whole lot. So I’m doing this and so are the rest of us. I hope you realize that,” they finished, fists clenched as they stood up.

At that point, Tony didn’t say anything as Harper turned and went back to the car. He didn’t try to stop them. Probably because it was apparent that it would have all been for nothing.

Maybe Harper didn’t think they had any useful talent. But they also knew Annie would have been the first to tell them they were wrong about that.

The drive back, Harper never asked about where they were going. They were too wrapped up in thinking about what they brought to the table. Stubbornness sure, and designing for certain. And maybe Harper learned something from the different things Natasha taught them about fighting.

Although, it was starting to concern Harper a little bit once they noticed the route was a little bit different than normal. They weren’t going to the compound, that much was for certain.

When the car was pulled up to a diner, Harper looked around, “What’re we doing?”

“Getting reinforcement,” Natasha replied, “Kind of like a second opinion.”

Scott sighed, “You really think this guy will agree? I mean, he seemed pretty adamant about it.”

“I said he probably would be. But I’m sure as hell not giving up,” Harper replied, “I’ll become some sort of crazy physicist if that’s what it takes at this point.”

With that in mind, the four of them went to the diner. It was a little bit packed, but it was easy to figure out who the aforementioned “reinforcement” was supposed to be. Harper had seen Bruce every once in awhile, but it was always a tiny bit weird to see an oversized, slightly green man. Then again, maybe this was what they had asked for when they started working with one of the Avengers. It was really hard to say.

Again, Harper just couldn’t get themself to focus on what was happening right in front of them. Had they said the right thing to Tony? It was possible that they only made things worse. But if anyone was going to put things into perspective about just who they lost five years ago, Harper knew that Natasha, Steve, and Scott weren’t going to cut it. They tried nibbling at the grilled cheese they ordered, but it was hard to eat when it was clear the fate of their best friend was in the hands of the small group sitting around them.

A couple of kids asking Scott to take a picture of them with Bruce was what forced Harper back into reality. It was pretty clear that Scott hadn’t felt noticed at all. After all, he wasn’t one of the original, New York-based superheroes. Annie had gone through that too when she first moved. That was just another thing Annie would have probably killed to talk to Scott about. After she stopped freaking out over meeting her idol.

That was what would happen right after everyone came back. Maybe the environment would have a couple of kinks in there, getting half of the life from earlier back, but that was okay. There were far worse things going on with only half of everything. 

“You know, I’m a superhero too, Ant-Man?” Scott said, trying to hand back the phone to the kids.

It was a painfully awkward exchange with Bruce trying to get the kids to take a picture with Scott. Something that didn’t work seeing how the kids wanted to back away.

Scott sighed, mumbling, “No one knows who Ant-Man is.”

“Um… if I may, that’s not totally true,” Harper said softly, still keeping an eye on what else was being said.

Scott laughed, “Thanks, but I’m not totally sure you count if you work for the Avengers.”

“Psh… I’m not talking about me. I’m talking about my friend, White Swan, remember? She freaking loved you and thought you were amazing. And when, not if but when, we get everyone back, she’ll  probably take all the selfies in the world with you,” they insisted.

This was what Harper wanted to think about. Not about all the ways things could go wrong, but about all the things that could happen after everyone was back.

Harper gazed down at the paper that Bruce was drawing on. It looked like he was trying to figure out what the suits for time travelling would look like. Red and white with nothing but an exorbitant amount of padding. The whole thing was extremely tacky to say the least.

“Harper’s the fashion expert here,” Natasha said, looking at the design.

Harper nodded, “Yeah, just hand it over here, I think I’ve got some ways I can help to make it better.”

Bruce handed the sheet over to Harper and they looked at it and reached into the pocket of their olive green jacket, “Yeah… I feel like there’s just one tiny improvement to be made,” they paused as they pulled a lighter out and set the paper on fire.

“Woah what?!” Bruce exclaimed.

Harper put the burning paper in a glass of water, “Those suits are fucking hideous. I’m gonna take care of designing.”

Natasha couldn’t stop herself from laughing. Five years working with Harper taught her to expect things like this. Though, with a lot of the regular Avengers things on hold, it was also easy to forget they liked working on these projects.

“But they were functional!” Bruce replied, looking concerned.

Harper rolled their eyes, “Yeah, but on my watch something can look cool and be functional. And you don’t have the original design anymore. So tell me what makes this so functional.”

After getting the basic list of what needed to be put into the suit, Harper swore up and down they would have a better design done and ready to be tried out by tomorrow. Which meant a sleepless night for them and a whole lot of coffee. The sketch didn’t take too long, but getting the materials certainly did. And it wasn’t like they could ask Natasha for help since she was running off trying to get reinforcements.

They assumed “reinforcements” was code for a last-ditch attempt to get Clint back. It was understandable, Harper would have done the same for Annie if the roles were switched like that. Then again, Thor had yet to be seen since that day a few years ago either. 

Some upbeat music played in the background as they worked on building one of the suits. If one got done, then the rest would hopefully be a breeze. Looking at the clock, Harper noticed it was close to midnight and the first suit was halfway done. They would have to pick up the pace.

Their phone started to ring and they picked it up, not looking at the contact. Surely if someone called around midnight, it was something important.

“Hey, Harper… is that a sewing machine?” Ned asked, his voice coming through the speaker.

Harper laughed a bit, “Yep, I’ve got a super huge secret project I’m working on. If it goes right, I think you’re gonna love it.”

“But why can’t you just tell me now?”

“Because there’s a chance this project may end up not working out, and it’s only cool if it works.”

There was a pause as Ned tried to understand what they were getting at, “Well, you asked me to call you, is everything alright?” “Oh yeah, I wanted to tell you that I finally talked to Tony… went as well as you would expect,” they replied, the sewing machine still whirring as they spoke.

“What did you tell him?”

They sighed, “Not a whole lot, just kind of… well, when I went to see him… he’s got this lake house.”

“Like when we were all in Tahoe?”

“Yes! Exactly like that. Except, you know, it’s New York. But it reminded me so much of everything and I kinda snapped. I mean, I feel like I either said the right thing or that I just pissed him off.”

“I’m sure you said the right thing. You know you would’ve said it sooner or later. It’s better you said it earlier while it was daylight and you weren’t drinking anything,” he pointed out.

Harper reached over to get a drink of coffee from a mug balancing haphazardly on their table, “Hey, I drunk dialled you one time. And that was after I turned twenty-one!”

“Still, it could’ve happened again,” Ned pointed out as he listened to the sewing machine start up again, “Do you want me to keep talking to you while you’re doing your project?”

They nodded despite him not being able to see them, “That’d be nice… wait, don’t you work tomorrow? I don’t want you staying up late if-”

“It’s my day off tomorrow. Don’t worry about it. Besides, it’s more important you stay up, so I’m happy to help.”

Tag list (ask if you’d like to be added!): @moonstruckholland @flushings-here @parrkerspeters @twilightparker @gaypanda @lcy-thot @parkerpuffwrites @dolphinsarecuteandstuff @buzzinglee @ijustdontknowsometimes @lionsfandomsandbearsohmy

[tyandel]

Drop “the hustle” Mantras

I used to love the hustle rally cry, dearly, but I can’t take any more odes to “the hustle” anymore. Because it’s hollow and without any depth or purpose. 

For most of my career, I chose to interpret “the hustle” as a way for those with very little to outsmart those with a lot through clever steps and genuinely outwork the competition. Finding leverage where you had none. Beating out the more experienced person that may be more talented but lacks hunger. Doing things that weren’t supposed to scale or even work, and making it happen. Grit to succeed above all else. 

Yet while my original interpretation was once connected to the term, I can no longer pretend that it is. The hustle has become synonymous with the grind. Pushing through pain and exhaustion in the chase of a bigger carrot but never appreciating the last carrot. Sacrificing the choice bits of the human experience to climb the ladder of success. I can’t connect with any of that.

The grind doesn’t just feel apt because it’s hard on an individual level, but because it chews people up and spits ’em out in bulk. Against the tiny minority that somehow finds what they’re looking for in that grind, there are legions who end up broken, wasted, and burned out with nothing to show. And for what?

Even more insidious about the concept of the hustle and its grind is how it places the failure of achievement squarely at the feet of the individual. Since it’s possible to “make it” by working yourself to the bone, it’s essentially your own damn fault if you don’t, and you deserve what pittance you may be left with.

Its origin from a dog-eat-dog world has been turned from a cautionary tale into an inspirational one. It’s not that you need to hustle to survive, it’s that you seek the hustle to thrive, and still at the expense of yourself and others.

Now this opposition mainly comes from a lens focused on the world of creative people. The writers, the programmers, the designers, the makers, the product people. There are manual labor domains where greater input does equal greater output, at least for a time.

But I rarely hear about people working three low-end jobs out of necessity wear that grind on their popped collar out of pride. It’s only the pretenders, those who aren’t exactly struggling for subsistence, who feel the need to brag with bravado about their beat.

It’s the modern curse of having enough time to try to find a meaning to it all. And when an easy answer isn’t forthcoming through shallow inquiry, you just start running from the void. But you can’t outwork existential angst. At best, you can postpone it. Or temporarily bury it. But it doesn’t go away.

The truth is you’re going to die, and it’ll be sooner rather than later, the more feverishly you devote your existence to the hustle and its grind. Life is tragically short that way.

What really gets my goat, though, is that it doesn’t even work. You’re not very likely to find that key insight or breakthrough idea north of the 14th hour. Creativity, progress, and impact does not yield easily or commonly to brute force. It comes with patience, inspiration and situations you don’t put yourself in because you’re working yourself to friggin’ bone and have no time to experience anything. 

You want to be more productive? That’s great. First, of course, figure out what you’re actually trying to be productive at and make it happen. Then learn how to manage your time to focus on that without sacrificing everything else. Everyone loses if you’re just staying in the office for the sake of staying in the office. 

Here’s my cheat sheet and counter to the hustle:

1) Get a great night’s sleep. The studies on sleep deprivation and its cognitive effects are unanimous and devastating. You take a bigger hit on your productive and creative powers through lack of proper sleep than almost any other neglect.

2) Get plenty of fresh air. The latest studies on effects of CO2 accumulation, volatile organic compounds, and other indoor air quality killers are shocking. And unlike sleep, it’s far less known just how much cognitive impairment you can suffer from poor air quality. Running outside in the morning has been my saving grace later in life, so much do I wish that I discovered this earlier in my life, it would have saved so much built up stress. 

3) Get regular exercise. This isn’t about “staying fit” or “looking good”, although those are noble reasons in their own right. It’s about what moving your body does to your brain. And it’s good. These are moments to connect with your body and you should cherish every moment you have to connect closer within yourself. 

4) Read some classics. You probably read the equivalent of a few books a month in tweets, hot takes, and other low-calorie material. What if you shifted some of that consumption to not just what’s most recent, but the best humankind had to offer over the last few millennia? I’m all for great business books but I’ve found the more you are able to disconnect from the constant stream of business thought, the better you are when you return to that space. The influences compound and tickle your creativity in more profound ways than I can list. 

5) Say no. Engage with fewer things but at a higher intensity. Stick with it. Stop chasing so much.

6) Meditate on the regular. Your mind is a muscle, and perhaps the most important muscle you have, it needs work as well. I find myself quick to react when I pause meditation for a spell versus when I’m in the zone, I tend to listen more, reflect on my decisions and generally be more thoughtful in both business and personal life. 

7) Find a coach. Someone who is disconnected from your business and can offer you radical candor and accountability on yourself without needing to tie it to a business outcome exclusively. 

Finally: for God’s sake, relax. Pumping your mind full of anxiety about whether you’re getting enough, doing enough, chasing enough, good enough is no way to live. Background stress like that is literally lethal. 

Put in a good day’s work, then close the damn laptop. Stash the iPhone. Waste some time on the rest of the human experience. At this time of the year, eat some duck. Watch a shitty Xmas movie. Help decorate that stupid tree. Cuddle up with your kids or someone that’s young enough to appreciate the intense intimacy needed in the early years. There’s a desire for time from kids, asking to play, asking to be a part of things, perhaps they’re aware of how fleeting these years of intimacy will be with their family. Dare to be so bold as to embrace the beautifully ordinary every now and then.

Then help me whack the hustle with a shovel and bury it in the backyard. We can plant a tree in its honor, and maybe sing the best song we could every write, because after all, we’ll be more creative in the process.

[dangoghz]

legitimate advice for new phandom blogs

hey !! so i know sometimes posts like ‘RULES FOR THE PHANDOM XD’ are made and they’re all like “numba one. dan is a squishy bean respect this uwu” but this isn’t gonna be like that lol. im just going to list a few actual things that might help people new to the phandom learn about and become integrated into the community! of course these aren’t ‘rules’ and u dont have to listen to any of it ofc,,, im not here to control ur blog, just here to say what people normally do. feel free to rb whether u are a new blog or not, ill appreciate it either way!

(NOTE: PLS TELL ME IF ANY OF THE LINKS DONT WORK AND ILL FIX THEM PERIODICALLY!)

italicized text is defined in the glossary at the bottom!

1. be interactive! 

here, unique to our corner of timmy darn communism, we have a lot of like virtual traditions that everyone knows. these help you to make friends and also grow ur blog with some new mutuals. here are some examples.

networks: networks, or nets, are a sort of selective gc, usually with a theme or concept that it’s based around, in which all who wish to be part of fill out an application form that determines whether they get in. this is kinda the one with the most work, as u also have to make a group blog and info post, but it’s definitely worth it. i have made my closest friends in nets (such as @phleurnet which i birthed), and a lot of people on here would say the same. if you want to know more or apply, my friend diana runs an update blog @phandomnets! (examples, these are all open btw: x x x)

meetups: meetups are not in real life, don’t worry. a meetup is when someone organizes a specific time at which we all post thing around a certain theme! for instance, on halloween on tuesday, my friend milo hosted a halloween meetup. usually people post selfies but if u are uncomfortable with that, u can post art, music, or anything else related to the theme. a blog called @phandommeetupwatch keeps track of these! (examples, all happening soon/just happened: x x x)

follow forevers: a follow forever is a big celebration post when u reach a follower count milestone, no matter 50 or 5k. u tag all of the blogs you love, and they reblog it to appreciate u! it’s really positive and shows people how their work has paid off. usually people are tagged in alphabetical order, and sometimes people bold their favorites but the stylization is up to u. (recent examples: x x x)

milestone activities: sometimes people do things for their followers when they reach a follower count that involves their followers requesting something! there are many many forms of this type of thing. a common one is blog rates, in which there is a set template and the blogger rates each blog that sends in an ask using the template (info post ex: x; rate ex: x). there are also url edits (x), name/url moodboards (x), and more. u can certainly come up w an idea of ur own, being creative is great!

talk to people: that’s right dude!!! ye!!! u can message a blog u think is cool, or send an ask if u think something they made or are talking about is interesting, or add something sweet in the tags (more on etiquette later) when u rb their post. additionally, sometimes people stir up discourse, and u should participate in it if u want (past discourse examples: x x). u can also send asks when people reblog ask games, which are a list of questions with a theme (new one of mine ex: x). 

2. play around with your blog!

customizing your blog can start giving you what we call a branding, making you distinguished from other bloggers. this can include everything from as simple as using an icon to coding your own about page. 

themes: a blog can be way more appealing if it is aesthetically pleasing. admittedly, i often follow people just because of the smoothness of their mobile theme. a mobile theme is rather easy to construct as u can do it on ur own with a phone. it is how ur blog looks on a phone. although u don’t have to do this, i recommend sticking to two to four colors on ur theme and avoiding stuffing it with a lot of bright things because it can distract from content. additionally, bloggers often make their descriptions short and succinct. (my fav mobiles: x x x.) on a pc, your blog theme can be customized completely on html, meaning there is a lot of freedom. u don’t have to learn to code for this, bc u can find free themes anywhere, just search ‘free tumblr themes’ on google. once again, be creative, but u shouldn’t overload. (my fav pcs: x x x.)

about pages: in order to avoid chunky descriptions but still let people know the key deets about themselves, bloggers create about pages. sometimes these bout pages are uncoded but u can also use html code if u want to. some common things in an about page are interests, maybe personality types/horoscopes/hogwarts houses, original content, and links to other social media. (examples: x x x)

urls: urls are a key part of your blog’s brand. ‘rebranding’ is what people say if they change their url! if u are tired or bored with your url, changing it is an opportunity to change your theme and other parts of ur blog as well. (url change ex: x). 

saved urls: saved urls are basically when bloggers hoard sideblogs in order to reserve the urls used for them. if you ever encounter a blank blog that has ‘saved’ as its title, that’s probably it. sometimes people like to give away their urls, either as a constant thing (ex: x) or by doing a url giveaway (x). either way, it’s a good opportunity to change it up!

tags: in order to keep their blog cleancut and organized, a lot of bloggers have special tags for certain people, certain topics, and/or certain types of media. many people in the phandom particularly have tags for dan and phil that match (strawberries and cream, lune and sole, etc). if they have many of these tags, there can be a page for their tags on their blog. this page can be coded with special html or just a regular tumblr page, it doesn’t really matter. but it’s very useful for those who visit your blog, and makes it easy for u to navigate older posts as well! (examples: x x x)

3. learn to make og content!

producing original content helps you establish what your strengths are and why people should follow you. it also allows u to contribute to the fanbase, and gives u a chance of being noticed by dnp! and the validation is lovely. there are many options if u want to make something. 

gifs: gifs are an ART here in the phandom, and its mechanisms still perplex me to this day bc ive never tried it. u probably already know what a gif is, but if not, its essentially a short animation made in photoshop that repeats. gifmakers are often distinguished by a unique coloring (example gifmakers: x x x), such as my friend emily’s smooth dark blue tint (x). it can be a long process to learn how to gif but it is very rewarding in the end, from what i’ve heard. (tutorials: x x)

art: there is a very wide range of phanartists, all with such talents, either digital or traditional, that you can draw inspirations from for your own work. you can make cartoons, comics, realism, abstract, nsfw even, or any mix (or none) of the former. artists on tumblr definitely deserve more attention than they get here on tumblr, so be sure to show appreciation towards them! (my fav artists: x x x)

edits: edits are the Graphic Designs of our community and are usually very aesthetically pleasing. they can be centered around a certain event, like a video or something dnp made, or just for fun. the more practice you get making them, the more dexterous u’ll become. they can be a great tool if u like the design aspect of art but don’t want to actually draw. (edit makers: x x)

icons: icons are just the little profile picture that u can insert for ur blog. it’s really easy and fun to make them, kind of like a lazy version of edits. you can make them using photoshop or an app like picsart or medibang, and it doesn’t take a lot of time. more on how to use icons in section 4. (examples: x x x) (my lil tutorial: x)

moodboards: moodboards are nine pictures arranged 3 by 3 that have a certain color scheme. it’s kind of like a collage except the photo feature here separates the pictures for u. there are a lot of innovative moodboard makers that stun me w how pretty it looks or how they arrange the pics. moodboards are also an easy and fun option! (moodboard tags: x x x)

textposts: this is by far the easiest and more common form of content u will find. it’s just writing about dnp in a textpost! if a textpost isn’t very serious, people also call it a meme or shitpost. shitposting is defs on the rise here so its a good business to get into. it’s also a great outlet for ur emotions or personal connections to what dnp do! (example talk tags: x x x)

fics: by far the most famous media to come out of here, phanfiction is a popular form of phan indulgence. u have probably heard of the most scarring ones (list: x), but there is actually a really vast range of it, not just creepy smut! some other genres are fluff, angst, and slow burns. u will discover that, despite the sterotype, not all fanfiction is bad. you can find lovely fics on @phanfictioncatalogue by genre, au, or topic. and, if u need help writing something, many writers would love to help. (a few well-known fics: x x x x x)

4. tumblr etiquette!

i know tumblr might seem like a simple social media (or perhaps not after u’ve read all the above?) but there’s a lot of things that u just....u just don’t do. it’s sort of like virtual manners, and if u don’t follow them, then it’s unlikely that people will like ur blog. once again, this is by no means me forcing u to run ur blog a certain way. it just happens that the types of ppl who break these rules are who we mock in gcs :////////. so yea, here’s some advice.

credits: if u decide to use someone’s art, edit, gif, or icon on the theme of ur blog, check what they require of u before u use it. most content creators strongly ask for credit in the description of ur blog, either by link or like ‘icon/header/art by ____’. it is just a common courtesy to the person who spent time on that, and if u think credit will ruin the aesthetic of ur blog, a) u probably don’t have an aesthetic in the first place and b) learn to appreciate art, binch. 

anonymity: anon asks can be very powerful either negatively or positively depending on how u yield them, so make sure that u are careful with what u send. compliments are always welcome and criticism as well, but blatant rudeness or hate will do nothing. u will only make someone feel bad about themselves and it will not accomplish anything. also, u face the threat of all their friends turning u into a meme. 

sensitivity: a lot of people here are way too easily offended by harmless jokes, a common example in the phandom being when we insult dnp affectionately and people take it way too much to heart. please don’t start drama over something w no real meaning. however, there are times when it is indeed necessary. if u want to criticise a blogger, be respectful of them simultaneously. by all means, if u spot someone being racist, homophobic, transphobic, misogynist, or the like, feel free to call them out on it. but beforehand, make sure that u have done ur research and are educated on the topic, or u could turn out to be blatantly wrong. 

adding to posts: everyone makes this mistake when they start out here and that’s totally okay, but adding to every post u reblog is incredibly bothersome. a rule of thumb would be don’t add anything unless what u say will actually improve the post significantly. if ur additions are along the lines of ‘LOL’ or ‘i relate!!!!’ or ‘philly is a smol bean XD’, learn to use the tags for heaven’s sake. they’re there for not only organization but also for commenting. some exceptions, though, would be if u are mentioned in the post or the op is your close friend. 

respecting privacy: this should already be obvious to u, but respect dan and phil’s boundaries. do not tag them or their main tags (#daniel howell, #danisnotonfire, #amazingphil), in any phanfics, phanart (like specifically with them as a romantic ship), or phan edits. do not talk to their family members, expose their personal info like address or phone number, and do consider that they are real people just like u. we may make things based around phan, but it is kept in a community for us and not for dan and phil’s eyes. this is very important.

5. have fun!

sorry if this is all overwhelming, but i tried to make it as simplified as possible. and also sorry for the sass, i’m kinda tired of all the ding dongs on here and want to prevent further ding dongs from being created. thanks so much for readin and be sure to send me an ask anytime if u have questions! welcome to hell!

glossary

timmy darn communism: me being my usual weird self and replacing ‘tumblr dot com’ with random words that start with the same letters

mutuals: someone who you follow and who follows you; usually who u interact with most

rb: shortening for ‘reblog’

discourse: when theres is intense discussion of a certain topic, sometimes phan-related sometimes not, sometimes serious and sometimes silly

branding: the word ‘branding’ kinda started as a joke, but it’s generally what we use to call what someone’s blog reminds them of, whether it be a certain color or a discussion topic; my branding, if u asked a mutual, would probably be impressionism, tea, and baguettes (dont ask ab that one)

html: a simple type of coding used for designing websites! u can learn basic html here or here, it’s way easier and funner than it looks

dnp: dan and phil; we also say ‘deppy’, ‘dip and pip’, ‘the boys’, ‘the rats’, and more

coloring: basically the stylization of a gif, shown through filters, textures, contrast, brightness, etc. 

talk tag: a tag in which all of the textposts that a person makes are sorted into

phanfiction terms

smut: porn fic :/ 

fluff: just what it sounds like, a type of fic that usually has a lot of soft stuff like cuddling, flirting, and looooove

angst: a fic with a lot of drama, usually sad or very emotional

slow burn: a fic where a pairing, in this case phan, slowly falls in love

au: stands for ‘alternate universe’, a fic in which dan and phil are written not as youtubers but in a completely different scenario (ie. bad boy and new guy in high school, university students, space exhibition, anything u can dream up really)

anon: short for ‘anonymous’

op: short for ‘original poster’, aka who made the post

[senseandaccountability]

The Stolen Throne in 15 minutes

I wrote this parody back in 2010 and it would be a shame if Livejournal dies with this mocking post, so have a re-post here on tumblr. I actually love Stolen Throne, but it’s not going to win a Nobel prize, that’s for damn sure.   REBEL QUEEN: *is slain *

MARIC, a Level 1 Prince: OH NOES! I can barely hold a sword and now I'm all alone on the run from the usurper! HELP! HELP!

LOGHAIN, a Level 56 Warrior, several miles away: I have a really bad feeling about this shit.

MARIC: HELP! HELP! *cracks the skull of random attacker * HELP! HELP!

LOGHAIN: Oh for fuck's sake. Come along, then.

LOGHAIN’S DAD: Like all good leaders of men in the DAO canon, I am somewhat reluctant to lead. Yet I do. I’m also quite classy if I may say so myself.

MARIC: Agreed! I dub thee, ser Loghain's Dad to a knight in my service. Now, go off and die protecting me!

LOGHAIN: What the hell?

LOGHAIN’S DAD: Son, in a very foreshadowing moment I will now ask you to put your emotions and personal desires aside and do as you must. Sure, it will seem really fucking grim but so will the rest of your life. Now off you go and protect the Prince with your life.

LOGHAIN’S DAD and EVERYONE IN CAMP: *dies protecting the Rebel Prince* --

MARIC: *suffers prettily*

LOGHAIN: I hate you so very much.

MARIC: Naaah. 　

ENEMIES: *Attack!*

MARIC: Oh noes! *falls off horse/gets stabbed/is unconscious*

LOGHAIN: Okay, I can’t really hate you. It’s like hating a puppy.

MARIC: Told ya!

WITCH OF THE WILDS: Come boys, come...give me your semen. I mean, let me babble inexplicably off-screen about secret visions of mine...

MARIC: Oh, sure!

PLOT: *thickens *

LOGHAIN and READERS: Whatever. 　 　

-- ROWAN: *dramatic entrance*

MARIC: Oh look, it’s my future Queen.

LOGHAIN: Oh look, she can actually hold her own in a fight! WELCOME! Don't ever leave!

ROWAN: I'm the Warrior Maiden of this story. But don't worry, fangirls, I won't stand in the way of slash, plot or have much of a personality. I rejoice in seeing you alive, Maric. It would be pointless to rebel without a prince after all. And you’re cute when you fall off horses.

MARIC: Did you say something? I can’t seem to focus on non-elven women. 

LOGHAIN: Oh, Maker, warrior women are so sexy. I like my women like I like my coffee,with a spoon in them hot and strong.

ROWAN: Sorry, did you say something? I can’t seem to focus on commoners.

ROMANTIC DRAMA: *is obvious * -- 　　

ORLESIANS: *are Evil and Depraved even in their own POV-chapters*

LOGHAIN: See, this is what I keep saying! --

MARIC: *is endlessly fascinated with Loghain*

LOGHAIN: *teaches Maric how to use a sword*

MARIC: You make me a man!

LOGHAIN: You make me speak in semi-long sentences and open up my glum heart!

MARIC: I fanboy you so hard, there is nothing you cannot do! Here, have a pair of too tight leather trousers, for eh, plot purposes.

LOGHAIN: Who the fuck am I again? Fandom Draco?

MARIC: What? I don't sexualize you! Perish the thought!

ROWAN: I think I'm going to go for a walk. You two... hang out.

DAO FANDOM: Oh, look I wrote this multi-chaptered fic about how Alistair falls in love with my PC R'heaigh-Leihy-inneh Cousland, who is incredibly pretty! And then this long-ass sequel about their lives after the game, isn't that just so clever and romantic? It even has some NSFW bits!

SLASHERS IN EVERY OTHER FANDOM, EVER: OH COME ON! 　

-- ROWAN & LOGHAIN: *builds a small mountain of unresolved and badly written sexual tension*

KATRIEL: Hello. I am the Plot Device of this little story.

MARIC: OH MY GOD, AN ELF! *fans self *

KATRIEL: Indeed.

MARIC: Look, guys, there was an elf in my tent! She’s very pretty!

ROWAN: Yes, yes. Sooo, Loghain, maybe we should... duel. Just a little? Get the blood pumping, the adrenaline rushing… Nothing sexual about it, just to determine who’s the best…fighter?

LOGHAIN: I thought you’d never ask.

ROWAN & LOGHAIN: *fights*

LOGHAIN: *wins* I’m so sorry I hurt you! *angsts* And so incredibly turned on by the fact that you almost beat me.

ROWAN: I know, right. Now, let’s forget about the part where we are clearly perfect for each other because I am Maric’s.

LOGHAIN: Yes, duty first.

MARIC: *shags the elf* 　　

-- MARIC: *shags the elf*

ROWAN: *angsts*

LOGHAIN: *angsts*

ROWAN: I am so stupid and ugly and not an elf.

LOGHAIN: *mutters* I think you are beautiful.

ROWAN: No! Our UST must remain heavy on the U-part! For plot purposes!

LOGHAIN: He’s too stupid to breathe and yet I am the lesser man. Oh, this will define my character in many interesting ways, I’m sure! *storms off *

MARIC: Hey, where are you going?

LOGHAIN: I’m done now. You made it through the woods and it’s been eh,years

MARIC: But how can I make it one day without you? I've been taking self-preservation lessons from Bella Swan! I need a big, strong, dominant man to heal me sexually save me!

ROWAN: For true. I can't bloody take care of his emotional neediness all alone, please stay!

LOGHAIN: *angsts*

ROWAN: *angsts*

MARIC: *emo puppy*

LOGHAIN: Fine, I'll stay.

MARIC: I love you. Here, have a fancy title.

LOGHAIN: *kneels awkwardly* I love you, too. I swear to serve you well.

MARIC, ROWAN, LILITH & DAVID GAIDER: OH ♥LOGHAIN♥! -- 　 　

BATTLES: *a plenty *

MARIC: *is dumb*

ORLESIANS: *are evil and well-informed*

ROWAN: Loghain, we must – surprise, surprise – save Maric from a certain death! Someone who I'm sure my future king doesn't sleep with has told the enemies of our plans and we are overwhelmed and Maric will die!

LOGHAIN: I am a bit busy here, being the Commander and all. If we leave them they will die.

ROWAN: Surely you have realised by now that you are the one who will make all the harsh decisions that others can't bear and end up in a turmoil of politics you don’t master and internal fighting you care nothing for? I sure as hell don't want to make this decision, it's awful and I'm one of the Pure and Good Characters. Now, please tell me you will sacrifice my dad!

LOGHAIN: Oh, this will define my character in many interesting ways, I’m sure. 

MARIC: *emo puppy* I don't deserve to be saved. If this was a fanfic I'd be crying myself to sleep, listening to music that isn't invented yet.

LOGHAIN: There, there. One of my hidden talents is that I comfort very well.

LILITH: Awww.

MARIC: I second that awww.

ROWAN: Oh, me too! Me too! Now do me! I mean, in a non-sexy friendly kind of way.

LOGHAIN: Of course. Duty first.

MARIC: *shags the elf * 　　 　 --

DEEP ROADS: *are cool*

KATRIEL: *knows a lot*

MARIC: *is not suspicious at all *

ROWAN & LOGHAIN: *headdesk*　

MARIC: Oh, and I love the not-at-all-suspicious elf, by the way.

ROWAN: Bastard.

LOGHAIN: What the hell? I've angsted over your future queen for well over hundred pages of Gaider-prose and you don't even love her. I will kill you in your sleep.

MARIC: *puppy eyes *

LOGHAIN: Fuck you. 　 --

ROWAN: *angsts*

LOGHAIN: Did I eh…mention that I comfort very well? Cause I do.

ROWAN: Comfort me! With hot, brooding sex! With gingerly sexings accompanied by our mutual tears, because we do cry an awful lot, all three of us.

LOGHAIN: I'm not the object of our mutual desire Maric.

ROWAN: Can you pretend? And glad I am to hear it!

LOGHAIN: Only if you do, too. Really?

ROWAN: Damn straight. Eh. Pun intended. Really, really.

DEEP ROADS: We bring the sexytimes like nothing else in the DAO canon! 　 -- 　

MARIC: Oh noes! Betrayal! It hurts! I love her so! She is so completely without a personality save being pretty and shady and into me! My dream girl!

LOGHAIN: Much like the PC can choose to do in the game version of our future, I am now picking the option to harden you. Everyone’s out for themselves. There you go. Harden up, bitch.

MARIC: But I’m such a gentle flower! Girls dig that.

LOGHAIN: Yes, indeed. I dig that, too, and this breaks my fucking heart. But life’s a bitch and then your mother gets raped and killed by Orlesians while you are forced to watch and you must give up the woman you love for duty and Ferelden and FOR FUCK’S SAKE, MAN, JUST GROW A SPINE SO WE CAN GET THIS SHIT DONE!

MARIC: *grows an insta-spine*

KATRIEL: Oh, crap.

MARIC: This moment defines me. *stabs her to death*

LOGHAIN: This moment defines me. *turns off emotions *

KATRIEL: I think I was informed of this plot because I wrote a really obvious good-bye letter, but whatever. I still die prettily and redeem myself in doing so while also making Loghain look extra cruel. A little something for everyone! 　

ROWAN: We are, as always, the harsh pragmatists of this story. Or well, you are a harsh pragmatist while I may or may not act out of jealousy which really doesn't put me in a better light. Regardless, my heartless yet loving soulmate, why must it hurt so?

LOGHAIN: Because life’s a bitch and then-

ROWAN: Shut up!

LOGHAIN: *dark, brooding emo puppy*

ROWAN: You are the only one who can be allowed to see me weak. Which is quite touching.

LOGHAIN: It is. I see you as my equal, which also is hot and something that ought to be more present in fanfiction. Alas, for now I shall break up with you!

ROWAN: Look, the hardening quest is fun for like, five minutes, but for the rest of my life? COME ON! Why do I get to be Maric's consolation prize?

LOGHAIN: Well, life’s a bitch and-

ROWAN: DAMN YOU.

LOGHAIN: I AM DAMNING MYSELF AS WE SPEAK! JUST BLOODY PLAY ORIGINS AND YOU WILL SEE!

DRAMATIC BREAK-UP: *is dramatic*

ROWAN: *cries*

LOGHAIN: *cries*

MARIC, in a different room: *cries*

ORLESIANS: And these people will overthrow our brutal occupation? I think not. --

MARIC: I NEED A HUG!

ROWAN: I will hug you. I will also assume the role of your loving, forgiving and much-stronger queen. Such is my duty.

MARIC: Sexy.

ROWAN: Not particularly. Sexy just broke up with me.

MARIC: I killed sexy. I NEED A HUG!

ROWAN: This will get old very quickly. --

MARIC: I am hardened. It sucks. I suddenly have a spine, and I do things to further our goal.

LOGAIN: I am as surprised as the readers. And a bit guiltily conflicted about it but that's just going to be my personality from now on. So roll with it.

ROWAN: I am stuck with the elf-fetishist for the rest of my life, but hey, why mind me? I never had much of a personality to begin with and won't get a fanbase anyway.

PLOT: *is wearing a bit thin* Come on, get this book over with! --

LOGHAIN: I am very sexy as I lead my rebels in battle.

ROWAN: He is. The bastard.

MARIC: He surely is. And – wait for it - I seem to have found a few survival skills!

LOGHAIN & ROWAN: Praise the Maker! --

WAR:* is won in the epilogue*

ROWAN: *is dead in the epilogue *

LOGHAIN: *is miserable in the epilogue *

MARIC: *is a miserable king in the epilogue*

READERS: Wow, what a fun ride that was.

[thisaintascenereviews]

Album Review by Bradley Christensen The Menzingers – After The Party Record Label: Epitaph Release Date: February 3 2017

The Menzingers is a band that I’ve only listened to a bit from, that being 2014’s Rented World, but I loved the hell out of that album. The album came out before I got a debit card, so I could order stuff online, but I ended up finding a copy of that album at FYE for only $7.99. It was a used copy, no less, but it was in perfect condition. Rented World, along with a couple of other LPs, was my first foray into punk music, but I’ve never been able to get fully into punk music. I’ve talked about the reasons why, and I’ll go over them again, albeit briefly, because I’m sure you’re getting sick of talking about these same things throughout all of these punk reviews. First and foremost, I’ve never been able to get into punk, because of how it’s not the most catchy or melodic. Most punk bands I’ve heard don’t utilize hooks, but that’s the point of the genre – it’s not meant to be catchy or melodic, and instead, it’s supposed to loud, intense, and raw. The second reason that I’ve never been able to fully grasp punk music is how simplistic it is. There’s not much technicality or impressive musicianship, vocal talent, or even lyrical talent, and for the longest time, I never got into that. Like I said, though, it’s the point of the genre. It was supposed to sound like that, because it was made as a reaction to music at the time, where synth-pop and new wave was starting to become big. Digitally created music was starting to become the norm, and it was creating out of a reaction to that, but now that I’ve been able to get the point of punk more, I wanted to listen to more stuff. The Menzingers, as well as a couple of other bands, were a bit more unique in the punk scene, because they added more of a heartland-rock / alt-rock edge to their sound that added more melody and catchy hooks. That’s why I was able to really get into Rented World, because it wasn’t just a fast, loud, raw, and monotonous punk album that didn’t make any impact.

As much as I loved that album, I haven’t listened to any of their other stuff, which I should really get around to at some point, but I wanted to make sure to listen to After The Party, because I knew this was going to be good. It’s taken me about four months to listen to it, but that’s because I’m in the mood for punk music now. At least for a little while, anyway, thanks to picking up that new Rancid album, Trouble Maker. Very good album, by the way, and it’s worth taking a look at if you do want a louder, faster, and more intense punk album. Anyway, I made sure to take a listen to After The Party, and I picked up this LP on Amazon, along with the new album from Flogging Molly and the last album from Face To Face, two albums that I very much enjoyed (I’ve already reviewed those, too, and if you didn’t see those reviews, I’ll break them down for you – Flogging Molly’s Life Is Good is a great Celtic punk / folk-punk album that is very catchy, energetic, and fun, and Face To Face’s Protection is a very energetic, catchy, and short burst of pop-punk / punk), and this is the last one that I have to talk about. I’ve been saving this for last, though, because it’s a fantastic punk record. This album is one of the best of the year, hands down. I’ve been saying that about a lot of albums lately, but good albums are good albums, you know? After The Party is a great record, because it expands on the sound that The Menzingers had on Rented World. If anything, this LP sounds like a more weathered, older, and mature band, whether it’s in the sound or the lyrics. Hell, even the vocals have a rather weathered sound to them, and it makes sense, because the overall theme of the album is about getting older. It’s about what happens “after the party,” and becoming middle-aged, ultimately reflecting on how your life has gone up until that point in time.

If there is one nitpick that I have with this LP, it’s the same one that I had with the last album I reviewed, Incendiary’s Thousand Mile Stare, and it’s just how “samey” it is, but this LP isn’t generic at all. That LP was more generic, but it was still samey, too. This one isn’t generic, but it’s kind of a one-trick-pony. By that, well, I mean that After The Party isn’t all that diverse. A lot of the songs on this LP sound alike, but what keeps them afloat is that their sound is very unique. They remind me a lot of The Gaslight Anthem, especially their early stuff, which had a very Bruce Springsteen meets The Clash type of sound. Heartland-rock lyricism and song structures with a punk edge, and you know what? It works insanely well. That wouldn’t be much of an issue if the album was shorter, because the album wouldn’t overstay its welcome, and it doesn’t really do that, but this thing is 45 minutes long. It’s a bit lengthy at times, because every song has a very similar sound. This type of punk won’t do it for everyone, considering that it’s not as energetic or raucous as more standard stuff, and I could understand if this album bores you after awhile. It doesn’t do that for me whatsoever, but it will leave some people feeling bored and uninterested. If the album were shorter, maybe around 35 minutes, it wouldn’t bother me at all. That’s why I liked Thousand Mile Stare quite a lot, because it was only 27 minutes. That was a very, very short album, and despite being generic and samey, it was done really well and didn’t overstay its welcome. Otherwise, though, I do love the sound of After The Party. Its heartland-rock meets punk sound is unique, and it’s done very, very well. You can definitely tell how weathered this band has become over time, and how they’ve managed to refine their sound down to a science. Sure, I mentioned this band sounds like The Gaslight Anthem, but only their very early stuff, and even then, The Gaslight Anthem had more of that punk sound in their early albums.

Moving onto the vocals and lyrics, that’s where this band shines the most, I think. Vocalist Greg Barnett is one hell of a vocalist, as well as a lyricist. Sure, I don’t think he’s an amazing vocalist that has an insanely impressive range or power, but he’s still insanely good. His voice is perfect for this type of music, and he does have a rather gruff voice that fans of Hot Water Music and A Wilhelm Scream would enjoy. Like the vocalists of those bands, Barnett does have a lot of melody in his voice, and his gruffness doesn’t bother me in the same way that someone like Tim McIlrath of Rise Against does a lot of the time (he doesn’t have a bad voice, or anything like that, but his voice has always been very monotonous and boring to me, although he does sound better on Wolves). You can tell that his voice is tired and true, as well as that he’s been in the game for many years, and that he’s just lived life for so long. This LP is all about the pains of growing older, and you can tell that he’s been through a lot of things in his past. If you can’t tell all of this in the vocals, the lyrics really shine through as well. The title track is all about, well, what it says – after the party – and what happens when you’re too old to do the same things that you used to do when you were younger. Songs like “Midwestern States” and “Bad Catholics” are about things that middle-aged people would experience, or have experienced. I like the former track a lot, because it’s about a couple from a “Midwestern state” that wants to move to California at the drop of a hat. They want something different, a change of scenery, and as someone who lives in a Midwestern state, that thought’s come up before.

Either way, though, these lyrics paint a picture of a band that’s been through a lot, and they’re also growing older, so they’re not writing about the same things that they used to. These lyrics feel, well, “real,” relatable, and down to earth. Not saying that other bands, especially those that write about relationships and angst aren’t genuine, but this definitely feels more relatable to the average listener, and doesn’t feel overdramatic. After The Party is a killer album, no matter what, and it’s happily sitting on my yearend list as we speak. It’s going to change slots, most likely, even though I’ve most likely put out my mid-year list, but I wrote that before I got a lot of other new albums. This one will be on my list come December, as it’s that good, but I don’t know how high it’ll be. That’s the question and dilemma that I’ve got, mainly because there’s so much good music this year. It’s unbelievable at how many albums I’m talking about that are utterly fantastic. In a twisted way, I’m not looking forward to December, because it’ll be tough to get my yearend list together. I’ll end this review by saying this, though – if you’ve never listened to The Menzingers, or you always wondered what Bruce Springsteen would sound like if he joined a punk band, well, you can’t go wrong with this LP. After The Party is an album that’s about getting older, whether it’s celebrating it or looking back on life, and it does that in a perfect way. This LP feels weathered on all fronts, but not in an uninspired, boring, or tired way. You can tell that this band has been through a lot, but it’s all for the best. This LP isn’t your standard punk album, as it’s a bit more relaxed, catchy, and melodic, but that’s what drew me to the band in the first place. I could never get into punk because of how intense it was, and this band showed me that punk music can be catchy and melodic, too, as well as takes its time. After The Party is another solid addition to this band’s body of work, and they really need to more recognized than they are. They’re that good, folks.