#the mun makes an announcement

[drengar]

Guys...

Guys...

There's MHA stuff now on the discord store...They have my angy fire man and my chicken...

[kalijhomentethi]

i took a long ass nap and im somehow still sleepy help me DKSS

[ravensroleplays]

Sooooo...

After much thought and internal debating with myself, I have decided to discontinue my main BATIM AU, and all subsequent sub-AUs/verses.

Really looking back on it, a lot of things about the AU didn’t make any sense, and it was probably one of the things I was most inconsistent with. I could technically retool some things in the BATIM AU, or even give it a complete overhaul, but seeing as how I’m trying to move away from my AUs in general, so I can focus on my original story, Oasis to Oakwood, it seems like a moot point, especially since many of the characters were based off my BATIM muses.

Plus, if I’m being totally honest with myself, I’ve never really been that attached to the BATIM AU, at least not as much as my AHIT AU, or even my FNAF AU, which I’ve had for close to a decade now.

I won’t remove the BATIM characters from my muse list, if only for sentimental reasons--like I said, many of the OTO characters were based off my versions of the BATIM characters, so I’m keeping them around basically as a template of how the characters started out, as well as to give anyone new to the blog a feel for the AU.

However, I will no longer be roleplaying BATIM, at least not for the foreseeable future.

I might very well end up changing my mind in the future and tweak my BATIM AU, maybe even add some elements from BATDR, and a possible third game--after all, I plan to keep RPing for both FNAF and AHIT for the time being.

But for now, I think it’s time for Bendy and co. to take a bow as I move on to other things.

[askponyinuyasha]

Happy 1-Year Anniversary!!

Sorry for the recent silence, but I've been working on something big, and this is it! (Group collages are hard, you guys!)

A big special thanks to everyone who has submitted asks and interacted with this blog for the past year! It's been tons of fun to be a part of the pony ask blog community and I hope for just as much fun and friendship in the year to come!!

(More yammering and a blog announcement under the cut)

I wanted to say thanks also to everyone who has interacted with this blog who didn't get a character in the group shot. I've been really busy lately and didn't have time to make new art for characters I hadn't drawn already, only time to make small edits to existing art for the group shot. I see you, and I love you! *Hoofsies!*

Apropos of nothing, hi! Mun here, peeking out from behind my emerald curtain! I wanted to give you guys a little glimpse of "me" before scurrying back into wacky Ponyverse AU mode.

(This is my sona, Rosin "Roz" Flux (they/them))

Before I scurry off again I wanted to make an announcement for myself and for this blog! Unfortunately I will need to put the blog on a bit of a hiatus during May. This may change depending on circumstance, but I will be having surgery at the beginning of May and recovering for several weeks thereafter. I may be able to work on some art while I recover, but I can't promise anything, so out of an abundance of caution, I'm letting you all know now that you might not hear from me again until June.

Okay! I'm gonna wrap up this post with tags for everyone who has a character in the anniversary group "photo"! (and I apologize in advance if the tagging doesn't work as Tumblr likes to break tag lists)

@drakowulf, @askbananapie, @dustygamma, @ask-coppertop, @ask-winner-drop, @gm-scoots, @ask-gadzooks, @ask-inkheart, @tekbro, @anideterm3, @ask-summer-epos, @a-spoonful-o-generosity, @zephyr-the-opinicus, @ask-wizard-sunburst, @ask-purple-power-ranger-pony, @dr-crimson-dawn, @askponydei, @asktheartpone, @askkali, @lumiere-angel-90, @ask-cinnavanillamelody, @ask-sweetie-and-pip, @teashle, @ask-luciavampire, @shattered-derpter, @asksolareclipse, @allhorsenoplinko, @ask-narratordoe, @ask-the-queen-of-the-night, @nox-lunarwing, @theherothestars

Thanks again, everyone who has made this blog a fun experience for myself and everyone else! It's an awesome community like you that makes blogs like this possible!

P.S. - The group photo is sized to be a desktop background ;3

[stray-kaz]

To Spar or Not to Spar : a So Mun x f!reader oneshot

Summary: Nobody wants reader and Mun to spar together, because they always end up making out in the ring.

A/N: Some suggestive stuff, but nothing explicit.

"Want to train with me?"

You looked up from your book to see Jeok-bong standing over you, eager eyes fixed on your face. Over to your left, you heard Ha-na snicker quietly to herself. You smiled, but shook your head.

"No, thanks, Jeok-bong. It's a little too easy. There's no real fight. I'm waiting for someone a bit harder to beat before I step into the ring."

His shoulders sank a little, then he jerked forward as a familiar hand slapped him on the back and Mun stepped around him, smiling down at you.

"I'm harder to beat" he announced cheerfully.

Ha-na groaned loudly.

"No! You're not harder to beat, you're just hard" she groused.

Mun's mouth dropped open and he stared at her. She glowered back, then returned her attention to Jeok-bong.

"These two should never be left alone in the ring to train. Never, you hear me? It's a health risk to everyone else."

Jeok-bong blinked at her, confused.

"Why?"

You stood up, leaving your book behind on the seat, and leaned into Mun, wrapping your arms around his waist. You rubbed your cheek against the softness of his hoodie and he slid a hand up to the back of your head.

"I have no idea" you mumbled, hiding your smile.

Ha-na sighed heavily.

"Because they never stop at just training" she said pointedly. "They get up in each other's space and suddenly, you can't tell where he ends and she begins. It's gross."

You blushed, but just hugged Mun harder.

"I can't help it that he's so cute" you argued. "I just wanna kiss over his whole -"

"Shut up!" Ha-na ordered abruptly. "I don't want to hear it. Go away, both of you."

Ten minutes later...

The ropes were hard against your back, denting your clothes, your feet planted wide. Now there was no earthly reason for Mun to be standing so close, his body taking advantage of your widely spaced feet to step in between them, incapacitating you with his big brown eyes and faint lingering scent of soap from an earlier shower.

You stared up at him, already breathing hard from the workout, but now breathing even harder, your gaze flicking from his hopeful gaze to his mouth and back up. You sighed and released your grip on the ropes to fist the front of his hoodie instead.

"This is why we get in so much trouble" you mumbled, and yanked him in.

He let out an excited gasp a second before you kissed him, his hands leaving your shoulders to palm at your waist and hips, taking advantage of your loose clothes to slip under the fabric and graze his fingers over your warm skin. You let go of his hoodie to run your hands up his chest and neck to reach his face, keeping him close, not that he had any desire to go anywhere else.

Mun whimpered when you nudged his mouth open, eager for more, but it was the last sound you heard before you were pulled apart, one of Mo-tak's hands squared evenly in the center of each of your chests, holding you firmly away from one another.

"I told you!" he complained, glaring between you. "Hands and mouths to yourselves! You are not teenagers!"

You blinked and bit your bottom lip, the ghost of pressure from Mun's touch lingering still.

"But -" you tried, to no avail.

"No 'buts', kiddos! Go to your rooms and think about what you've done!"

You glanced sheepishly at Mun before spinning away from Mo-tak's hand and ducking out beneath the ropes. As you walked past Jeok-bong, you saw that his face was bright red. Apparently he had witnessed the whole thing.

A few days later, Ms. Chu stumbled across the two of you laid out in the middle of the training ring, one of your legs tangled with Mun's. Your eyes were hazy and barely seeing, your hands lost in his curls as he worked his lips and teeth over your neck, one of his hands lost under your t-shirt. He was trying to get you to make that sound again, that lovely sound that tightened his stomach something fierce, when...

Ms. Chu clapped loudly and yelled.

"Hey! That is enough!"

Mun flailed away from you with a yelp and sat up, legs spread akimbo. You scrambled to follow suit, panting. She looked furious.

"This is a community space, you two! If you want somewhere to do...that...find a hotel!"

You were blushing firetruck red, twisting to hide your burning face against Mun's shoulder, still trembling a little from his earlier attention.

"...sorry" you said quietly, gingerly.

Ms. Chu snorted and stormed away.

Another week passed and Jang-mul walked into the hideout to find you in shorts and a sports bra, pinned to the mat by Mun, shirtless and sweating, arching into one another, mouths glued, barely separating to breathe.

He sighed, reached into a pocket and threw an electronic card at you. It bounced off Mun's bare shoulder, and it startled him just enough to pull away, glancing up. He spotted the card and grabbed for it.

"What's this?" he asked, confused and breathing heavily.

"A key card for a hotel room. Get out of here, you rabbits."

Mun pulled his t-shirt back on, and his hoodie, then helped you into an extra layer before pulling you to your feet with him. You barely had time to mutter a thank you to your benefactor before Mun was running you out the door.

The hotel room was lavish, but Mun didn't pause to notice. Neither did you, to be honest. You had eyes only for him as he closed and locked the door and backed you toward the four poster bed. He took careful hold of your hips and brushed his lips over your cheek.

"Now" he murmured. "Where were we?"

Tagging: @writingmysanity

[bisnes-socks]

i added my thoughts to the takavoltti lyrical analysis here but today i want to talk about why i think takavoltti is one of käärijä's most finnish songs ever.

this got a bit long, so just so you know what to expect going in: what i mean by most finnish is that there are references and tone of voice that are very specific to finland, there is complex use of the finnish language AND there are melodic/musical choices in the song that sound very finnish to me.

okay, here goes.

the dialogue that opens the song is already a sort of key moment to this finnishness of it all. when he says "emmä tiedä, kolisee jos kolisee, mut mun on pakko sit koittaa vetää tosi matalalla" he is doing a bit of a voice but more than that, he is talking in a way that is not quite his. his inflection, the rhythm, those are not natural to him or his dialect. you can hear it particularly when he says "koittaa vetää tosi matalalla". i don't know if it's at all easy to hear if you're not finnish, but it's not.. a serious voice or tone. the other two voices, one of them is modified to be high and the other talks like a sports announcer. the whole scene is quite comedic and it's a very specific genre of comedy that is very finnish indeed. it's also the type of thing he has been doing since always. (EDIT: OKEI MORE CONTEXT IN A REBLOG HERE)

funnily enough, you guys know köpi kallio now, the therapist in skit and autiomaa video? yeah köpi and his long time partner in crime viki are good examples of this type of humour i would say. they have their own podcast/show called viki ja köpi show but before that they were radio hosts and have been working together for ten years. the character voices and the whole vibe of the scene in the beginning of the song is very viki ja köpi to me, very ylex type comedy (yes ylex the radio station who did the ruisrock interview who still isn't back from the war).

and the small comedy bits stay in there through out the song, and they continue to have the same delivery instantly recognisable as comedic.

and that isn't to say the subject matter can't be serious. i think, again, this is something that feels inherently finnish to me. other finnish people feel free to chime in because this is hard to explain, but our culture is one where coping through making light of things is quite normal. and our sense of humour tends to be on the darker side, at least if you compare it to the american style of comedy that has taken over globally. so to make a song about there being too many demands on you and how you have a problem with setting boundaries and agreeing to insane shit, but to do it by interjecting the song with jokes just idk.. it sits in our culture lmao.

i honestly don't know how to explain this better, but quite dark comedic elements like this (after all he gets properly fucked up in the stunts it seems) in a song with a serious subject matter is something we've been doing for decades in this country (juice leskinen, for example) and it is something so loved by finnish people. we love a song that is just fucked up on multiple levels. käärijä is just adding his own style to this cultural history.

okay, onto the language.

the verse opens with "tekevälle sattuu" which is a finnish proverb.

quick finnish lesson: the word sattua in finnish means both to hurt and to happen. the word tehdä means to do but tehdä kipeää means hurting. like.. now that i think about it tämä tekee kipeää = this is doing (me a) hurt is valid and correct finnish lmao.

tekevälle sattuu, the proverb, actually means "things happen to those who do" but he is playing with the different meanings here, because he goes on to say "ain sattuu ku tekee" which can both mean "things always happen when you do" or it can mean "it always hurts when you do". then he goes on to say "ku tekee, ku kipee, ni kipeetä tekee" which is once again playing with words, because kipee here means both pain but also being sick. "ku tekee, ku kipee" would translate as "when you do as if you're sick" and "kipeetä tekee" means that it hurts.

so to recap (i'm not trying to provide a smooth translation, but highlight his wordplay:

tekevälle sattuu = things/pain happen to those who do [things]

ain sattuu ku tekee = shit happens/you get hurt when you do [things]

ku tekee, ku kipee, ni kipeetä tekee = when you do [things] like you're sick [in the head], you get hurt

so this is all to say two things: he's using the finnish language in a very clever way that really only becomes clear if you know the language and all of these idioms and proverbs. and also that he is very good at what he does. it has taken me four paragraphs to explain 13 words.

and he doesn't even end there. "oon yllytyshullu, ain hulluksi yllyn" is more play on words. jesus, jere. okay guys, stay with me.

yllytyshullu i explained in my previous analysis, but recap: yllytys means incitement and hullu means crazy. yllytyshullu is someone who does crazy shit when prompted.

"ain hulluksi yllyn" here he is using the word yltyä which is the same root as yllytys, but yltyä means usually more like.. to intensify. (for example: sade yltyy = the rain is getting heavier, or tuuli yltyy = the wind is picking up)

so to say hulluksi yllyn, he's saying like.. i let myself be incited and/or i always take it to the max, to the point of crazy.

and then he uses very clever rhyming words: "ja tää hullunmylly on kylmempi kylpy". hullu means crazy, mylly means mill, hullunmylly is basically a hullabaloo.

as you can tell, all of this is like bordering on impossible to translate accurately into a smooth translation. and that's just the first verse, but i'd be here all night if i explained the whole entire song 😭

and this to me is a very clear sign that no matter what sort of an audience he has internationally, he's not compromising on his language. and i find that admirable and, as a finnish person, very comforting too. this song is sort of reassuring, like he is reinserting himself very firmly into finnish culture, with the language and the comedy that do not translate very well. 

and if you look at the pre-chorus and chorus, the specific references keep coming: calling him kärtsä (finnish people have a lot of nicknames for him), "hyppää kybäst pommi" the slang use of kybä to mean ten meters, he mentions duudsonit (the dudesons) and he mentions jorvi hospital. all of these feel like he is signalling to a very finnish audience. (also "oon syypää sun hymyyn" could count as a cheek reference, cheek used to be like the biggest rapper in finland).

okay, time for melody and music speak. i only have one simple point here: melodically and musically speaking that has to be the most suomi iskelmä chorus i've heard from him. ever.

you could take that melody and insert it as the chorus to like any song on iskelmä radio. iskelmä is a finnish schlager music genre. kind of impossible to describe but something that finnish people will instantly recognise. the opening, with the piano synth could also open an iskelmä song.

very suomi, very iskelmä.

so.

all of this is why i think takavoltti is about as finnish as it gets. a suomi iskelmä about having serious issues with boundaries that uses clever finnish and paints a comedic picture of a banged up black-eyed käärijä who has dislocated his shoulder but is still showing thumbs up is like.. so much finnish condensed into three and a half minutes.

i know not everyone thinks the song is hilarious but i do. it's both hilarious and very serious and that's how we like it here.

and of course the fact that there is an "ai vittu" in there. we like that too.

[grayson-on-the-chandelier]

I think I'm overdue for an intro.

💙NIGHTWING IS IN THE HOUSE!!! 💙

They call me "peacock but masculine". I preen often.

My name is Richards "Dick" Grayson-Wayne, son of Bruce Thomas Wayne, and brother of...

Jason Todd-Wayne

Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne

Damian al-Ghul Wayne

Cassandra Cain-Wayne

And a lot more siblings. (Dad is a hoarder ✋😒)

Resident and Vigilante Hero of Bludhaven, but I do stop by in Keystone and Gotham.

I'm HelPol and I work with Hermes :]

I have three kids now :] @that-spider-in-gotham , her name is Sage, hero name Arachne. 🕷, Astro, @batmans-sidekick-robin 🫶 and Adam, @cookiesnotd3ad 🍪 but Adam is in shared custody with me and his other parent.

I broke up with Wally... 💔

I have someone living in my brain rent free. Say hi to Eo.

Hiiiii!!!!! :D I'm Eo, god of Birds and Dreams!!!! I love ducks and I'm Dickie's best friend!!!

You mean boyfriend?

Yeah!!!!

My account is @e0bard-birds-of-a-feather follow me!!!

Update, it's not Eo anymore. It's Stranger. Say hello, Stranger.

Hello... People of the web.

He's a manifestation of my god-marked shit. I don't wanna know.

Eo is still up, but he's out of my body now. So yeah. Same account.

ANYWHO, I'll be in touch! Nightwing out!

🐦🦇

P. S. I'm a bird until further notice.🐦

P.S.S. I think there's no further notice. I'm a winged person permanently. 🥲

OOC: Pro tip, he's turned into a God/demigod, specifically God of Memories since he's so in touch with the past and always thinking of the future.

Ooc: hi!! Gonna keep things simple, I hate disclosing myself to the public. No Offense!

Pronouns are She/They, but just call me Clay when referring to me! (No, I am not Clay face)

Dick has had Eo in his brain for a couple months, about 9-12. Eo is super smitten, I swear. I can see why. Don't worry, Nightwing is also on my hear me out list. You and I both Eo. Lmao

I make art, too, and I do free commissions!! Feel free to ask for any art and stuff. References for how my art looks like will be below 👇

I'm often busy, but if I am online, come say hi! I accept asks and I want more asks cause I can be bored easily. :/

✨Okay, here is where the crazy is. Dickie is a winged person! It's my AU of him

I'm a pan kid :] ❤💛💙

GMT +8 for anyone who's wondering. DMs and RP requests are available anytime!

My best real life friend is @ilikesnowbunnies !!

My girlfriend is @/e0bard-birds-of-a-feather !!

My social media bestie is @imbatman-imtired !! Hi!!

I am HelPol, but I don't discriminate any other religion! Don't worry! I work with Hermes and Poseidon most often :]

My favourite musical is EPIC: the Musical by Jorge Rivera-Herrans :)

Anything that is inappropriate, or something that includes any $3×ualized blogs/art are not allowed on my page. I also do not allow any 🔞 art commissions. Sorry :/

But if you block #suggestive cause that's where I keep all the spice, you're welcome to stay. :]

Not gonna disclose my age. :[ but don't worry! Mun's blog is well for viewers over 18. And mun is over 18. Trust.

I have both OCD and ADHD. :/

Mun also is not as free as a bird!!! I have parenting restrictions, studies and every week I have to take some time off to memorize some history for a quiz (translated from Asian-slang) so please bear in mind that I may not be online for several days at a time, most likely because my Tumblr is locked.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!!

Below is IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

Art references down here!!!

[midasfm]

hi idols! admin olive here with some updates and an announcement about the changes we've been working on for the past little while. please like this post once read.

as we've been working on the necessary rewrites and edits to haute pink, phaze, girl code, and parts of midas music's history, we've run into some issues that have had the admin team considering if a restructuring of the roleplay would be beneficial to the group as a whole. additionally, as we've been working on these rewrites, some members of the admin team have had personal issues pop up that will, inevitably, impact their ability to admin full-time. however, each member of the admin team is dedicated to seeing the midasfm universe thrive, so we've been discussing a restructure of the roleplay over the past week. before anyone worries too much over what the restructure will look like and what it will mean for your muses, we'll outline the changes we're interested in making below. following the description of these changes, there will be a link to a google form. this google form is a survey on how you, as a mun, feel about the below changes and how you feel they'd impact your muse. no changes will be made without considering every member's opinion, and we'll do our absolute best to accommodate as many requests as possible. regardless, we are well-aware that a restructure isn't an ideal situation for anyone, but the other alternatives are that things continue as they are now (with backdated posts, slow admin response and update times, and potential mistakes being made) or we close entirely. these are options we do not wish to pursue, as mentioned above. i created the midasfm universe over a year ago, and the most important thing to me is seeing the roleplay and all your lovely muses thrive. before we move onto the changes we're considering making, i'll address what everyone's probably wondering right about now — what does this mean for threads activity? for now, activity may proceed as normal. however, there will be no admin updates (doltalk posts, schedule posts, claims updates, etc) and comebacks (solo and group) will be postponed for the time being. to accommodate for the lack of admin updates, we'll only be a bit more lenient with activity checks until the changes are confirmed. you may continue your current threads (event or regular threads), start new threads (as long as they are not based around future or postponed schedules), complete character development tasks, and continue responding to ask memes. the admin team may throw up an additional task or ask meme to help out with this temporary pause. when we have enough feedback to the below form and the changes are confirmed, we'll post an update regarding activity. some of the changes may require a pause in activity if they significantly impact a group and its members, so an update will go up as soon as we're able to confirm which direction we're going in. as far as reapplication goes, it won't be necessary for all muses, unless the changes directly impact your muse or their group. this will be something that will be addressed in our next update.. however, if someone did wish to revamp their muse or reapply due to the updated tiers, you are free to do so, but please message the admin team if that is something you'd like to do. if no one agrees to any of the following group changes, then we'll focus on the things that don't directly impact any of our current groups (with the exception of the changes being made to haute pink and girl code) and no pause in activity will be needed (aside from us taking the needed time to recruit a new admin, and implement the other changes mentioned). regardless, please be assured we will do our best to make these changes as non-obstructive as possible. the changes we are considering can be found below:

company soloists

moving forward, we will not be opening any further company soloist positions. truthfully, the current number of soloist positions is far beyond what we initially intended to have, but we expanded the amount as we had more interest than we anticipated and wanted to ensure we had enough room for everyone. so, going forward, we will not be opening any additional company soloist positions as we believe any further soloists would be too much for the admin team to properly manage.

to make the company soloist positions easier for the admin team to manage, as we do find it difficult to manage the current number of soloists. we want to offer soloist muns as much creative freedom as possible, but we must ensure that our guidelines are being followed and things are being done reasonably and realistically, which we currently find challenging. additionally, we do find it difficult to incorporate company soloists into schedule posts and events while keeping their image, branding, and our mun's future plans for them in mind. we've also found it difficult to keep up with the requests being made by our soloist muns. this is in no way the fault of our soloist muns, but it's become glaringly obvious to the admin team that we do need to make some changes to how the company soloists positions operate.

to combat these problems, we'll be preparing new forms and additional mechanics that will help ensure our company soloist muns are offered creative freedom, while also ensuring things are kept realistic and our guidelines are being followed. some of these mechanics are still a wip, but we'll being added a more "in-depth" soloist comeback form, a soloist schedule form (that can be submitted monthly and will give you a space to share any goals or wishlists for your muse), and an increased amount of open career opportunities aimed at soloist muses. we hope that, in addition to recruiting more members for our admin team, these mechanics will help make things smoother for both sides.

however, some of our soloist muns have reached out and shared their concerns about these positions. we've heard from them that they find planning their own monthly schedules difficult, and that they find plotting to be more difficult with company soloists. we hope that the above-mentioned solutions will help make these things easier, but we've decided to add additional groups and additional group-based soloist positions in the event that any of our current company soloists would like to switch from a company soloist position to a group-based soloist position. in no way will we forcing or asking anyone to make this switch, but if there is anyone who would prefer a little more guidance with monthly schedules, a more cohesive narrative to follow, or more existing connections, this may be a good solution for you. below, we'll outline the new groups we're thinking of adding, as well as additional soloist skeletons we may add to our existing groups.

if anyone does switch their company soloist to a group-based soloist, that company soloist position will be removed from our roster.

note: we will be lifting our "no more than one group-based soloist" rule, but we will not allow muns to apply for a second additional group-based soloist position until our company soloist muns make their decision. any additional group-based soloist positions being added will be tentatively reserved for our company soloist muns. any positions not taken by our company soloist muns can be applied for (by new applicants or existing members) following the restructure.

new groups

daybreak, a four-member boy group inspired by got7 and seventeen with an age range of '93 to '97, and yng, a six-member boy group inspired by riize with an age range of '99 to '02, are both finished and will be unveiled once the results of the form are in. if any of our company soloist muns wish to switch their muse to daybreak, daybreak will have four group-based soloist skeletons available and we'll work with you to map out your desired soloist skeleton. if none of our company soloist muns wish to switch their muse to daybreak, daybreak will have a mixture of soloist and actor skeletons to choose from.

marionette, our npc group from ninety9 creative, will be made a playable group of four members, aged '93 to '96. if any of our company soloist muns wish to switch their muse to marionette, we'll work with you to map out your desired soloist skeleton.

one additional girl group: a group inspired by nmixx and possibly aespa or a group inspired by rescene and illit. both options will be aged '00 to '02. as their debut will take place somewhere between 2023 to 2025, they will not have soloist skeletons available yet, but we did want to mention they will be coming to the collective.

sonix, as mentioned below.

HAUTE PINK

as mentioned on the main and to the haute pink muns, we do have to do a pretty major rewrite of haute pink since their current image is tailored to their previous sound. since haute pink's rewrite has turned out to be much more significant than anticipated, we'll be in contact with the muns to discuss potential changes to their skeletons, their solo releases, and the group's history as a whole. changes are almost complete, so we should be in touch over the next few days. however, haute pink muns will have to resubmit their applications / claims due to these rewrites.

PHAZE

with all the changes being made to midas music and their groups, things around phaze have gotten a little messy and we're not entirely happy with the inconsistencies that have popped up, so we're considering a rewrite of phaze. this rewrite would likely include a few changes to their discography, as well.

we're considering splitting phaze's discography between two groups: phaze will retain their group narrative and their level of success (with a few changes to their history and overall group image, but those changes will be minimal as we're only looking to correct the above-mentioned inconsistencies). however, we think splitting their discography between two groups would be beneficial for the roleplay as a whole. first, splitting their discography between two groups would make the most sense when considering midas music's sound and image and would be the best choice to protect the narrative we wish to pursue with the group. second, we think splitting the discography would aide us in offering more group-based soloists and a more diverse age range, as we've heard complaints from both those interested in portraying older and younger muses. splitting their discography into two would also allow us to explore their history on nu phase, as outlined in our idea below.

phaze's discography will look like this (subject to changes depending on your answers) and their age range will be adjusted to '93 - '96 or '97. the skeletons may be adjusted, but the majority will remain the same and any changes will be run by the affected muns.

the discography items that will be removed from phaze will go to a new boy group, sonix, with an age range of '98 to '00 and a debut in 2017 or 2018. sonix's lineup will consist of members of team b from nu phase. as mentioned above, these discography items are subject to changes depending on your answers. the narrative we'll explore with them is one of mistreatment and damage control: sonix is considered "second best" to phaze, as the "losing" team of nu phase, and the company treats them as such. they're often used to clean up phaze's messes, but are mistreated and mismanaged by the company. despite midas music's treatment of them, they're popular and have a passionate fandom behind them, but still struggle to be seen by some as anything but a second phaze. sonix will be five members, with 2/5 having made a solo debut.

however, if all phaze muns are okay with the changes to their discography, we may shelve sonix for now and debut them at a later date.

ANGELIX

as we are planning to turn marionette into a playable group, we will be removing cosmic by red velvet from angelix's discography and replaced with another song from oh my girl, wjsn, or ive. angelix will keep feel my rhythm, however.

if any of our company soloist muns wish to switch their muse to angelix, we will edit the open and existing skeletons to include an additional soloist spot and may consider adding an additional member to angelix entirely, if the demand calls for it.

REMEDY

remedy may experience some changes to their timeline and history as a result of marionette's addition. these changes should be minimal and we'll do our best to ensure these changes do not impact your muses in any major way. however, there will be no changes made to their discography.

remedy has room for one additional member, so if any of our company soloist muns wish to switch their muse to remedy, we may add an additional slot to remedy.

however, with the addition of a seventh member, we may look at making adjustments to remedy's skeletons. truthfully, we have been a little unsatisfied with remedy's skeletons for some time and how similar some of them are (as it does make the narrative we wish to pursue for them a little tricky), so we may use this chance to diversify their skeletons somewhat. no changes will be made without your explicit consent and without allowing you to have input. on the below form, there is a section where you can let us know if there's any skeletons changes you'd like to see us make or that you'd consider beneficial to your muse — or anything that you're simply unhappy about or consider limiting. if we do make changes to your skeleton, we'll make them based on your feedback in the form (and any additional suggestions or input given during discussions with the admin team). again, no changes will be made without your consent and any changes that are made will take your ideas and preferences into consideration, so please do not stress over this. these changes will only occur if you consent to it.

NYMTH

changes to nymth's history and timeline should be minimal, but may be impacted due to the addition of marionette. however, these should not interfere with your muse in any way and will be communicated with you. there will be no discography or image changes.

nymth's skeletons may be impacted due to the addition of marionette, but this should only impact one or two muns, who will be contacted directly regarding these changes.

and following this post, another post is scheduled to go up. we are looking to expand the admin team to make sure things go much more smoothly from here on out — so, if you are interested in being apart of the midasfm team, please do check out that post. there will be detailed descriptions of the roles we wish to fill, and a link to the application form. please follow this link to fill out the restructuring survey and please don't hesitate to ask any further questions. as mentioned, activity can proceed as normal until we've received a response from every mun.

[sunsetblvdhq]

GOOD EVENING, MEMBERS!

We wanted to first thank you for your continued cooperation while we have been holding active discussions about the future of SunsetBlvdHQ. This group would not be the same without you. We have officially decided to remain open, pending major changes! We feel that these changes will benefit the group as a whole, creating a more relaxed and fun environment to write and thrive in. Please read this post carefully to ensure you don't miss anything.

First and foremost, we are opening apps back up again! Any current member or new member who wishes to apply for an FC are now free to do so! If you were here previously, we would be so excited to have you back!

For our current members, we ask that anyone still interested in remaining with us here at SunsetBlvdHQ to please respond to this post with your name and the FCs that you wish to keep within 48 hours of this announcement's posted timestamp. This is to make sure that anyone who wants to stick around will be able to! If you fail to respond within the 48 hours, you will be unfollowed and your role(s) will be re-opened, though we are more than willing to let you re-apply should you still want to stay, if you missed this announcement or weren't able to get back to us in time.

We are also making major changes to our rules. If you wish to have a more in depth look at what we changed, including revisions to our hiatus guidelines, banned list guidelines, and switch guidelines, please feel free to check our rules page. One specific rule change we do want to highlight here is in reference to our activity. The new, revised rule is as follows: In order to be considered an active member, you must be active on your celebrities twice a week (or more if you want!) and write with a minimum of three different muns during that time period to avoid bubbling. We have no minimum requirement for replies, we just ask that you be as active as possible. We want our activity guidelines to be as relaxed as possible to accommodate our members’ needs to ensure a fun, relaxed, and safe space to RP!

We are also extending changes to how we utilize our gossip blog. We will now be doing monthly (and maybe sometimes more!) gossip sessions, typically slated for the end of the month. This means gossip games, asks, and more! However, we encourage you to submit any fresh celeb gossip that you see at any time, and utilize our blind item submission space! The girls at SunsetDeuxmoi can't keep an eye on everything, after all. Look forward to the end of this month for their fresh take on the gossip blog!

In addition to the changes to the gossip blog, we are also making changes to how we handle memes. Memes will now also be done on a monthly basis, usually at the beginning of the month. We will be having a meme this month to start this, so stay tuned for that! We are also now allowing members to submit ideas for memes. If there's one you've seen that you've liked or done previously, send it to us via IM and we might just choose it!

Once again, we appreciate your kindness, patience, and continued cooperation as we navigate this exciting soft revamp. We have been open for almost a year now, and it would not be possible without each and every one of you being great writers and great members. We are planning an incredible comeback event for Pride Month next month, too, and we can't wait for you to see what we've been cooking up. Make sure you have mobile notifications on for the main so that you don't miss out on anything! - Your SunsetBlvdHQ Admins

[qveenofgluttony]

Beelzebub's Masquerade Ball Schedule

Mun’s Note: This is not a strict schedule.* I will move activities/events around slightly if needed or if something comes up. This is just a general outline of what to expect during the event. Once again, the event itself is not chronologically locked. Even before the event resumes the next couple of days or when it ends everyone is still welcome to continue event threads if they wish. If you would like to participate and still have not received an invitation, please feel free to like this post.

*Reminder that this schedule is in Central Standard Time (CST)

Friday

6 pm - Opening Words/Guest Arrival

- I will post an opening drabble that will kick off the event. After which, muns are welcome to make their own posts or drabbles of their muses arriving at the ball. Please tag either of my blogs @/infernal-feminae or @/qveenofgluttony if you would like me to reblog your arrival posts for visibility purposes.

7 pm - Beelza Opening Performance

- I will be posting a lyric drabble of Beelza performing for the guests. Muses are welcome to make dash commentary with their reactions or interact with Beelza afterward if they wish.

8 pm - Costume Contest

- I will post a link of all the submitted costumes so everyone can vote for the one they like best. I will try to give guests a couple of hours to vote before announcing the winner of the costume contest.

9 pm - 10 pm - Open Floor Dancing

- Pretty much down time for muses to mingle with other guests, grab drinks, explore the venue, etc.

10 pm - Costume Contest Winner Announcement

- The top three finalists and the winner of the costume contest will be announced!

11 pm - Midnight - Cool down

- More mingling, dancing, food and drink until guests are ready to retire to their guest rooms or go home and rest until the next day.

Saturday

3 pm - Ball Resumes

- Just as it says. The ball resumes!

4 - 5 pm - Dancing “Contest”

- The generated pairings of the muses participating in the dance contest will be announced. The paired muses are encouraged to interact with each other during this time. Muses who are not participating are also free to comment or react. Once the hour is over the paired muses are free to continue to interact or leave the dance floor. If you would still like to participate in the dancing contest, you can like this post here.

5 - 7 pm - Open Floor Dancing

- The rest of the guests are allowed to re-enter the dance floor after the contest is over. Also more down time for muses to mingle with other guests, grab drinks, etc.

7 pm - Verosika Mayday Performance

- Same as Beelza’s, I will be posting a lyric drabble of Verosika performing for the guests.

8 pm - Midnight - Cool down

- Another chill time for the guests to mingle, drink and eat, and dance.

Sunday

3 pm - Ball resumes

- Just as it says. The ball resumes!

4 - 8 pm - Open Mic

- Beelza will open the stage to anyone who wishes to entertain the rest of the guests with their musical talents. If muns would like, they are free to write a short drabble of their muses “performing” with a song of their choice. Please tag either of my blogs @/infernal-feminae or @/qveenofgluttony if you would like me to reblog it for visibility purposes.

8 - 11 pm - Open Floor Dancing

- Down time for muses to mingle, dance, etc.

10 pm - Beelzebub’s Identity Announcement

- Beelza will invite the guests to come up and try their luck at guessing Beelzebub’s identity before she reveals herself. The first muse to guess correctly will receive their reward. If no one can correctly guess then she will reveal herself instead.

11 pm - Guest Closing Performance

- A mysterious guest will give the closing performance!

[caramel-maveeato]

ᴡʜᴇɴ ʜᴇʟʟ ꜰʀᴇᴇᴢᴇꜱ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ♡˚₊。。。

❧❤ SYNOPSIS: sacrifice is inevitable if victory was yearned for… ♡ Pairings/Love interest: So Mun x Fem!reader ♡ Genre: sight fluff, angst, hurt/slight to no comfort ♡ TW: blood, crying, wounds, gore, cursing, death, self-harm, spoilers for ss2 ep12. ♡ word count: 2.1k

Note: All characters originated from “The Uncanny Counter/Amazing Rumor” except for Y/n.

English is not my first language!!! Sorry in advance if I make any grammar and vocabulary mistakes.

A gentle glimpse of sunset snuck through the window, bathing in his entrancing eyes like a pond of honey: “‘Til death do us part. I mean it.” 

“Damnnn, you’re so cheesy today!” You snorted, nudging your shoulder against your boyfriend's, who was quick to retaliate with a playful flick on your forehead.

“Oh shush. But I’m serious. I won’t die, and you won’t die, and everyone on our team won’t die. That’s it, I’ll make sure we all survive no matter what.” 

Despite his lighthearted tone, you could tell So Mun was beyond sincere about keeping his promise, and so were you. No matter how deadly it is waiting on the future path, everyone will make it out alive. 

“Um-hm, am I that dear to you?”

He scoffed, but there was no sign of mockery or ridicule, only playfulness emerged: “Yes, you are. First time knowing?”

“Please, I’m almost sick of how many times you said you unequivocally adored me, like everyday morning alarms, y’know?” You giggled, wiggling your index finger out in front of his face and quickly withdrawing it when he faked biting you: “But I still want to hear you verify it one more time, is that too much of a request?”

“After you had the audacity to say you’re getting sick of it, I’m sorry to announce your request has been declined.”

“Noooo.”

“Yeeees.”

“I take back what I said, I could never get sick of how many times you express your cheesy little lovey-dovey words for me. Like everyday morning alarms, but that means I can’t wake up and function normally without them.”

“Switched up smoother than I expected.” His effort at holding back a laugh evaporated: “That’s it? You just gotta be all sweet again after the “damage” you’ve caused? Your attitude is getting out of hand.”

You snickered, swiftly stealing a peck on his cheek to demonstrate an “apology” you knew he’d happily accept: “Verify it one more time and I’ll shut my attitude up.”

“I’ll do what you asked, but don’t shut it up.” A honeyed kiss pressed down on the top of your head. His arms closed around your waist a little tighter, enfolding the intimacy of your afternoon cuddle session to its fullest: “When hell freezes over, that’s when I’ll let go of you, satisfied now?”

You grinned, not acknowledging a dusting of pink already saturated across your cheeks. No matter what your level of lactose tolerance was, his “cheese” was always perfect for you in terms of ingestion: “Satisfied.”

The group portrait tranquilly sat on your desk, smiling at you two through its frame with the same encouragement. You and So Mun were the only ones in the room, yet the sense of security it conveyed still made you feel complete. 

“Everyone in this picture will make it until the end.” 

“I already did my part, what about you? Still determined to be stubborn and not say it back?”

Confronted by a tilt of his head, which was one of his ridiculously adorable tactics to persuade you. You eventually let out a frisky sigh and laid your head on his shoulder, eyes closed under the serenity of being with your beloved other half:

“Alright, ‘til death do us part. I mean it too.”

‘Til death do us…

‘Til death…

‘Til…

Too many things happened in just a short span of time, but all enervation departed as the unrelenting battles now came to an end. Knowing he had brought such miracles summoning Hwang Pilgwang, the overwhelming pressure intruding on his heart finally rested. 

For the first time in months, So Mun could finally escape the hushed corridors of his own mind. 

Finally.

As much as his teammates adored him, they weren’t dramatic people. Yes, it was a near-death experience for all, but the entire team knew they had succeeded, so there was absolutely no reason for them to give him such pained looks. His random thought contorted into an affirmation that they weren’t crying because he remained passed out longer than supposed.

The revolting metallic smell in the room sickened him to the core, yet it stood no chance against how atrociously nauseous So Mun felt being greeted by teary faces as the first thing after he woke up. 

For years he was never this afraid of his own voice, afraid of asking a question that might assemble answers he didn’t want to hear: “What’s wrong…?”

Only suppressed sniffles responded to him. 

The ambiguity only added more confusion to his already fuzzy sight. As much as he tried to deny it, something within him had already enclasped the possible truth he’d choose death over knowing.

Why was everyone crying? And why were you lying there on Hana’s lap, eyes closed, unmoved? 

“Noona, she, Y/n…” Fright clogged up inside his throat, making words stumble. The more he tried to stay calm, the more his composure shattered like a sand castle under ruthless waves: “What’s… what’s wrong with Y/n, why is she…?” 

He could feel Jeokbong’s hand supporting his back as he lunged over to your side. The sudden outbreak of panic was dizzying, yet he paid no attention to it. 

Reddened eyes of his teammates all ran away from him, obscuring themselves from a cry threatening to burst. So Mun inhaled shallowly, his own lungs betraying him with how torturously aching it was with each breath taken upon seeing your body now completely motionless. 

The welcoming warmth of your fingers was replaced with a vague, yet disturbing coldness, benumbing his skin when he grabbed your hand. The shock he felt appeared no different from receiving a thousand strikes at once, inside his ear rang a quiet shriek of nothingness: “Ms. Chu, please tell me…” 

At her name being mentioned, all the anguish she bit back for long unleashed in a choked snivel—a realization to So Mun that this wasn’t just some cruel, twisted nightmare he thought he was having. 

Time seemed suspended, sealed within the shadow of horror. 

This is not a dream. 

“No, there must be…” He stammered, squeezing your hand as an expectation that you’d return the gesture like you’ve always done: “Ms. Chu, there must be a way to save her. You can heal her, right? Y/n is strong, with your help, she’ll wake up in no time.” 

His voice died down when the woman closed her eyes, letting hopeless tears pour down her bruised face. He looked at Motak, then Jangmul, then Hana, then Jeokbong, one by one, desperately searching for a gleam of the dullest light he could at least clutch onto. 

Nothing worked. What happened had already happened.  

He took a closer look at your face, only to be pierced by a blade of emptiness. He had always loved to admire your sleeping face—so relaxing, so gentle, so peaceful. But not like this. No matter how loudly he called your name or how hard he shook your shoulders, you still lay there like a soulless doll, so close to him yet horrendously out of reach: “Y/n, wake up…. We won, we finally won…”

Calloused fingers stroked along your cheeks, looking for the slightest hint of miraculous movement. He was known to be good at performing miracles, but at the moment, even his miracles were impotent to save you.

So Mun had never felt so fucking useless.   

“No, she will be okay…” The facade of incredulity crumbled and he found himself seizing you into his arms, clinging onto the thin thread of fictional faith despite already noticing your body lacked the familiar warmth he fell in love with: “Y/n will be okay. She—she promised me she’ll be fine, she’s just taking a nap.”

Hands patting on his back like a call to the truth and cries eventually broke out, yet So Mun was too senseless to care about any of them. His mind was too busy hunting for your heartbeat, but all he received was the echo of silence. 

He pressed his hand on the side of your neck, eyes sore and fingers trembling lamentably at the absence of life. But the growling heartbeat of his own gave him hope—he could feel its rhythm through his digits. That could be your pulse, right, that must be your pulse, he can feel it.  

“She will be okay, we’re okay. I promised all of us would—”

The mutters of your name sank in the weight of disbelief, of false reassurance. His own tears wracked his body, dropping and dampening a piece of your soiled tracksuit like rain that slowly blasted into thunderstorms. 

He stared blankly into the lifelessness you were holding, dirt stains and blood-dried cuts of yours dyed his fingers with monstrous pain. Suddenly, his own existence felt alien, as if he were an outsider peeking into a world he didn’t belong in.

So much for “everyone will make it until the end,” now what?

He is a liar. 

He is a fucking liar.

For one of the rarest times in his life, he regretted trying. So Mun knew exactly what it felt like to regret. Each time, there was an explosive outrage at the injustice that had befallen him. But this one was the most destructive. 

Maybe Ma Juseok was right—what was the point in risking his life to save others? He tried so hard and worked so hard just for fate to repay all of these fucking efforts by destroying everything he had.

A lie. Maybe it really was a lie. 

Maybe this goddamn self of his was a lie. 

His distorted reflection spun and spun and spun like an annoying bug that kept buzzing despite numerous attempts to kill it. He had no idea where he was or how much time had passed, but it felt like an eternity knowing you hadn’t reached Yung. Just where are you? You didn’t vanish from the final battle’s impact, did you?

So Mun needed to see you again, or he’d go fucking crazy. 

The palpable heaviness in the air suffocated him. So Mun never hated his own reflection before, not until right now.

Colors deformed into the entrance of an abyss he wished to just jump into—black of darkness, white of Yung, muted grey of guilt.

And red, too. 

“So Mun! That’s enough!!”

Frightened yellings and sounds of falling glasses slashed on his ears. Yet So Mun couldn’t quite hear or feel anything, not even the hideous pain he just put himself through. 

Footsteps congested the bathroom he was in, tears that once dried up erupted again. Hana grasped his wrist tightly, almost fearfully, and god, the warmth exuded nearly drove him mad with how much he missed yours. 

“Stop hurting yourself, you know it doesn’t change anything! She’s gone!” The crack in Hana’s voice flooded his eyes. They couldn’t even pronounce your name around him, afraid of how much it might trigger him. 

Jeokbong’s cries in the distance and Ms. Chu’s pleas were helpless to distract the profound grief, more like a bargain for fate to rewrite itself: “Let it out, but please, you know it also hurts me to see you like this!”

The woman emanated a green radiance to envelope his hand, trying to console the blood-soaked skin he created himself from a brutal contact made against the mirror, tiny fragments of sharpness punctured on each of his knuckles. Shards warped together with flesh in a grotesque mess, crimson swathed the once-tidied floor and the paleness of his skin. It hurt his eyes. It hurt everyone's eyes. 

You used to say he looked good in red. Red tracksuits, red hoodies, red blazers. But you hated it when he was covered in the redness of blood. Does this mean he just failed you again?

“I’m sorry…” 

Was he saying this to his teammates or to you? He had no fucking clue. But the only thing he could recognize was how much effort it took to breathe, he didn’t feel like himself inside his own skin anymore when everything around him seemed fulminated. 

Strong arms whooshed him into an embrace, cramming So Mun’s hot tears and muffled sobs into a reliable shoulder. No words were spoken, but Motak’s bellowing heartbeat was already a silent bawl. 

Losing a loved one was like having life’s chapters torn out, leaving an unfinished tale with ragged ends that never fully fit in tandem. It can recover, and he can heal. Just not at the moment.

Shattered pieces of blood-drenched mirror reflected a history that repeated itself. Again, again, and again.

Winter was just gone by, hell didn’t freeze over. But the reality So Mun cherished still collapsed on that day.

[Tag List]✿⌦ @slytherinshua (feel free to notify me if you want to be on the tag list)

Thanksgiving is near so here’s angst I guess 🫶🏻 FLUFF AFTER THIS I PROMISE

[ravensroleplays]

Soooo...Snatcher might have ended up catching romantic feelings for someone again...

[narcissisticpdcultureis]

npd + bpd system culture is...

The fucking rage I feel on behalf of the one person I see as an equal—my loved one—not getting a slot with the artist Bileshroom is unreal. All because those fuckers decided to give their friend (my former friend from a dead fandom who ignores me for no reason), Bitter, the damn slot instead. Bitter was ALREADY in their fucking game! That was a slot my loved one could have gotten!

And then, as if that wasn’t enough, they had the audacity to get odd when my loved one finally had a shot at a slot. What do they do? DELETE the Patreon post, re-post it on fucking Twitter, and try to act like nothing happened. My loved one even has screenshots of the damn post, along with another person who politely asked for a commission.

Like, how fucking dare you?! My loved one is gold! I know they’re incredible—I picked them out myself! And you assholes are just screwing over your fans at every turn. What the actual fuck is wrong with you? If they want to take commissions for close friends so badly, why not handle it separately instead of mixing it into public slots? Make it private, or announce it clearly: “These are reserved for friends.” and "open to public, friends wait for another post" At least then, people would know what to expect instead of being jerked around like this. They already get enough narcissistic supply from making Tate Frost or doing those livestreams where they read books and draw the coms. Stop fucking over the rest of your fans just because your inner circle needs special treatment and their asses cleaned by hand. - 🖕💜🦊(if not taken) (ps to the muns: thanks for the dope ass blog it's a lifesaver and I bet this gives u a narc high running this /pos tone)(genuinely happy 4 u even tho I'm jelly about your success and get tempted to make another blog like this)

.

[gh0st-king-nico]

MAJOR RP ANNOUNCEMENT

sorry for being M.I.A for a bit. been busy but sadly the rp is disbanding. a significant portion of the members are leaving so staff made the decision to close it

I AM NOT LEAVING AND THIS BLOG IS NOT DEACTIVATING

i have decided to stay and continue to run the nico blog so that will not change. ill make a few minor changes such as revamping the look of the blog and whatnot and also changing from a closed rp to an open rp

What Does That Mean?

Previously due to rp rules I wasn't allowed to interact with any other character blogs outside of our own with the exception of ocs. That will be changing as of Dec 3rd. So any Nico accounts or other PJO accounts are free to interact. I'll also be posting more open starters

I'll be spending the next few days working to get the blog ready for open rp's as well as responding to my inbox and getting back to posting regularly. I'll also be affiliating more with my OC accounts

@im-probably-sleeping-rn is my main OC account I'll be posting more on now. It is also open rp where open starters will be posted

ill also be working on possibly opening a post submission box that would allow people to submit open starters for rps or ideas they have

In the future I may choose to affiliate this blog with an rp again but that is uncertain as to now as I would rather not loose the audience I have built up that i have come to adore as well as the blog. So going forward there will be absolutely no set RP group this is apart of

RP'ing Nico means so much to me and I don't want to stop

It is sad to see the group disband honestly, while I wasn't there for long the memories where good, and I hope to have many more memories within the community I send my love to everybody from the group and well wishes as well as love to our audience who has stayed with us and made this so much fun With love and towards a hopeful future - Mun xx

[oflostinfound]

🔥 Winter's Flame Ball Schedule 🔥

|| 🔷 ||: ❝ Hello again! Before tomorrow rolls around I wanted to let you all know what we have planned for the competition and games. This is a rough schedule, not everything will happen at the exact times and things can get pushed... but here's a general outline for what times the games start.

And remember all these times are in Eastern Standard Time! ❞

12pm - 1pm: Guest Introductions - It's encouraged to post an introduction of your muse arriving at the ball and to tag this blog @oflostinfound. If tagged I as the host will reblog to show who all is attending and hopefully spur on interactions! Please be respectful of other's rules if they're mutuals only or otherwise!

1pm - 2pm: The First Game: Winter Ball Test of Knowledge - A short 5 question quiz will be posted testing the knowledge of the Seven Royals of Winter competitors. It's not timed and guests can do the quiz at their own pace / their own time even outside this time block, just so long as it's done before the end of the Ball! Each question earns a point towards a royal title!

2pm - 3pm: The Second Game: Riddle Me This! - Eath will tell a grand total of three riddles, the first to successfully answer the riddle can earn 7 points, each person who answers afterwards can earn between 6-1 point(s) towards a title. (1st place 7 points, 2nd place 6 points, 3rd place 5 points, etc until 1 point is reach, then any answers at all still earn a point!)

3pm - 5pm: Open floor! - Mingle! Dance! Enjoy food and drink. This is the down time between the games for muses to do whatever they want (and for the mun to get in some very short interactions)

5pm - 6pm: The Third Game: Scavenger Hunt! - Eath will announce a number of object she's searching for (10, 5 per screenshot) and your muses will have to find them! I will post screenshots made with The Sims with the hidden objects strewn about the picture. Find and circle all of them, then submit / send and ask with the circled pictures to earn points! Points work the same way as the Riddles game (1st place 7 points, 2nd 6 points, 3rd 5 points, etc until 1 point is reached, then any submitted hunts still earn a point!)

7pm - 9pm: The Final Game: The Test of Laughter! - A staple for daemonic balls, this game has muses bring their best jokes to make one of mine (usually Grimbright b/c they're a grumpy ass) laugh. Points are awarded based on the quality of the joke and how much the listening muse laughs. Points range from 1-3 that can be earned. Each contestant is allowed to tell two jokes to earn a maximum of 6 points each!

9pm - 10pm: Cooldown / Tallying points / Open Floor! - Like before, open floor for muses to mingle and do what they like while points are tallied up for the final announcement of the Seven Royals of Winter and who was Best Dressed at the ball!

10pm - 11pm: Winners announcements and rewards! - The winners are announced, rewards are given, and the ball officially winds down for the evening.

[xhxhxhx]

One of the things that's kept me from writing has been an anxiety about correctness or completeness. I've been trying to stave that off, but it still eats at me.

In that spirit, I started writing this piece. It was meant to be what I know about the equal protection component of the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment.

But because the Equal Protection Clause itself has no apparent antecedents in the Constitution and laws of the United States, I wound up writing something else. An introduction.

I.

The Constitution of the United States has two Due Process Clauses, but only one Equal Protection Clause.

The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment sits with the Privileges and Immunities and Due Process Clauses at the end of one long sentence:

No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

The Equal Protection Clause joins the start of that sentence with its last clause, after that last semicolon, "No state shall . . . deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."

II.

Unlike its companion clauses, the Equal Protection Clause was new to the Constitution.

The Privileges and Immunities Clause had its antecedent in the Privileges or Immunities Clause of Article IV, and the Due Process Clause had its antecedent in the Fifth Amendment.

But the original Constitution doesn't have an Equal Protection Clause. The stem "equal" does appear in the original Constitution, but always an aid to addition and division.

The original Constitution guaranteed equality between classes of Senators, "divided as equally as may be," and forbid amendments that would deprive the States of their "equal Suffrage in the Senate." Equality between persons was harder to find.

Neither the original Constitution nor the Bill of Rights speaks to civil or political equality, nor expressly. The principle might be in there somewhere, but it's not in the text.

III.

Justice Douglas did find an implicit principle of political equality in the Constitution and laws of the United States. In 1963, he authored the phrase that became the standard for political equality in the United States, "one person, one vote." Gray v. Sanders, 372 U.S. 368, 381 (1963).

At the time, no State met that standard. In Georgia and Florida, a fourth or an eighth of the State's population could control the upper house. In Nevada, a twelfth could. Nat'l Mun. League, Compendium on Legislative Apportionment at iv (1962).

But the problem wasn't limited to the South or to State upper houses. In New York's State Assembly, where the average population of a district was 111,882, the smallest had a population of 14,974, and the largest 190,343. Id.

In California, where Chief Justice Earl Warren had been Attorney General, Governor, and Senator before making himself useful enough to Eisenhower to win his nomination as Chief Justice of the United States, the situation was worse than anywhere but Nevada.

In California's Senate, where the average district population was 392,930, the smallest had a population of 14,294, and the largest 6,038,771. In the Golden State, districts representing 10.7% of the State's population were a majority of the State Senate. Id.

In California, Warren had opposed attempts to reapportion the State Senate. "I believe we should keep it," Governor Warren had said. He approved of unequal representation in the State Senate because it was "in keeping with the federal system of representation."

Under the "one person, one vote" standard, first the Supreme Court, then the inferior courts of the United States, systematically compelled State legislatures to reestablish themselves on the basis of strict population equality between districts.

IV.

After announcing his retirement, Chief Justice Warren held a press conference during the Court's summer recess, on a day that happened to be the day after the Fourth of July. N.Y. Times, July 6, 1968, at 1.

But now, July 5, 1968, when asked what he thought the most important cases of his term were, Chief Justice Warren didn't say Brown, or Gideon, or Miranda. The most important case of his term, he said, was Baker v. Carr, 369 U.S. 186 (1962).

Baker was where the Court first held that legislative apportionment was a judicial question, not a political one. It was where the Court first held that unequal legislative apportionment was, or could be, a denial of the equal protection of the laws.

"For a long, long time we have swept under the rug a number of problems that are basic to American life," Chief Justice Warren told the reporters. "They have piled up. There must be great adjustments of some kind." Baker was Warren's great adjustment.

Baker was the start of the reapportionment revolution, a revolution that came to be known by the name Justice Douglas used in another reapportionment case: "one person, one vote." Gray v. Sanders, 372 U.S. 368, 381 (1963).

For Warren, "one person, one vote" was nearly a matter of faith. "I believe so devoutly," he wrote in his memoirs, that "ours is a government of all the people, by all the people, and for all the people." Memoirs at 308.

But Warren was more comfortable grounding the right in "the essence of a democratic society," Reynolds v. Sims, 377 U.S. 533, 555 (1964), than in particular provisions of the Constitution, much less the original Constitution.

Even Justice Douglas didn't trace "one person, one vote" to the original Constitution.

V.

Justice Douglas may be best known as the author of that unhappy metaphor about the Constitution's "penumbras and emanations." Griswold v. Connecticut, 381 U.S. 479, 484 (1965).

But for Justice Douglas, the "conception of political equality" that ratified the principle of "one person, one vote" ran, for the first century of the republic, outside the Constitution:

The conception of political equality from the Declaration of Independence, to Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, to the Fifteenth, Seventeenth, and Nineteenth Amendments can mean only one thing—one person, one vote.

Gray v. Sanders, 372 U.S. 368, 381 (1963).

Neither the Declaration of Independence, which recognized that “All men are created equal,” nor Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, which recalled and restated it, made law. Not domestic law, at least. The essence of democracy spoke one way; the constitutional text, for nearly a century, spoke another.

For the first century of the republic, the "conception of political equality" was hard to find in the Constitution and the laws of the United States. Even for Douglas, who could find rights in penumbras and emanations, its roots lay elsewhere. It came from America's political tradition, not its fundamental law.