#these parallels r just so *chefs kiss*

[butdaddyilovehimmm]

S1 // S5

[fisheito]

I started reading beastars so now HE's reading beastars .wait

THEY'RE reading beastars

[aouiaa]

can u write an abby x reader fic where it’s just fluffy and soft. like maybe abby comes back from a long patrol and reader missed her or smt like that :)

❝ MISSED YOU (R FINGERS) TOO ��� — 𝐀𝐁𝐁𝐘 𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍 !

warnings and disclaimers, wlw content, smut w/o plot, sub!abby (YAYAY), softdom!reader, cunnilingus, fingering, praising, usage of petnames (babe, baby, pretty girl).

TAPE THAT MOUTH SHUT, someone by the great name of @les4elliewilliams made this smutty. don’t worry it’s still fluffy and very soft, chef’s kisses to her!

the distinct sound of a key turning in the lock alerts your ears, causing you to turn your attention to the door. eagerly, you approach, your excitement akin to a dog with its tongue wagging, as it opens, the sight of your form clad in her oversized shirt brings a soft smile to her lips, clearly amused by the sight.

"hey, babe," she breathes out, her fatigue evident in her voice. noted. she willingly leans into your embrace, her eyes fluttering shut as if grateful for the comfort. in this unwavering tranquility, she subconsciously lets go of her bag, it falls to the floor with a soft thud, and she murmurs against your collarbone, "missed you."

"yeah?" you respond with a hint of a smirk playing at your lips. the dangerous undertone in your tone is evident, and she knows it's precisely what often lands her in tense situations.

“yeah.” she affirms, pulling away slightly to examine your features intently.

a shit eating grin is on your face as you stare at her, continuing. "you must’ve had a long day, how about i help you unwind some tension in your weary, weary bones?" you suggest with a playful pout.

she laughs softly and scratches her cheek, replying, "as much as i would love that, I'm still pretty sore from the gym, plus..."

"plus patrol too," you continue for her, nodding in agreement. "yeah, yeah. i know, but... what i'm offering to you is to just lay back, and look cute." you smirk, letting your words sink into the pulsing ache between her taut thighs. "just like you are now." your voice lowers a few octaves as your lips caress the tip of her earlobe, sending a shiver of anticipation down her spine.

a sharp gasp escaped abby’s lips as you skillfully kept her trembling legs from closing around your head, preventing them from closing around your head as you feasted on her, your hunger fierce and insatiable. your eyes met hers, your gaze that of a predator staring at its prey. you watched as her eyes rolled back, her body trembling as she clutched at your fingers, her grip parallel to that of a compressor. a testament to the pleasure you wrought.

wrapping your lips around her clit, you hummed against her, amusement flickering in your eyes. you chuckled, the vibrations adding to her pleasure, "you gonna cum for me, pretty girl?" you knew she wasn’t capable of forming coherent sentences, but it was entertaining to see her struggle. "yeah, you are. look at you, working so hard... yeah, baby, come for me." your words, combined with your skilled mouth urges her closer to the precipice.

requests are open, don’t be shy ;3

PERMANENT TAGLIST, @dyk3ang3l, @elliesprettygirl, @les4elliewilliams, @r3starttt, @slut4mascss, @marsworlddd, @bready101, @abbysleftbicepp, @airenaa, @caraphernellie, @astralnymphh, @whore87, @kaiilectric, @sapphicontherun, @mikellie, @nihilisticangelbby, @be3flow3r, @ppuussyyy, @clairoscharm, @lvlymicha, @brackishkittie, @loveyru

REQUESTED TAGS, @grey-jedi12

[!] — IF BY CHANCE YOU WANNA BE ADDED TO MY PERMANENT, look at this for more info!

[tentacledwizard]

transformers one spoilers under cut. i went into this movie knowing nothing about the transformers and I don’t think I know a lot right now. but did i enjoy it? hell yeah

smiled really big when i saw the meat spaceship. meat spaceships how i love you. also tentacle monster alien HELL YEAH 🗣️🗣️🔥🔥 made a very brief appearance but I hope we see more of her <3

in general the planet was cool. the combo of living and mechanical was neat. but yanno the meat spaceship stole the show.

beautiful animation. the way the metal was rendered? chefs kiss.

action scenes were. impossible to understand. too much machinery whirling around. but the scene of D-16 becoming Megatron as Orion becomes Robot Jesus was wonderful (I AM A SUCKER FOR PARALLELS.)

don’t really ship megatron/optimus but yknow I can see it. gay as hell to have an archnemesis and all that. in this house we love friendships that fail and then go nuclear

in general i liked the plot, two besties becoming worsties (understatement). want to watch more stuff like that.

kinda muttered “finally!” and “that’s my girl” when d-16 screams “I AM MEGATRON.” I also did this when Max Dillon yells “IM ELECTRO” in tasm 2. im a sucker for self-actualization I guess? but also like, what’s going thru megatron’s mind? is the cog thingy corrupting him? why does he hate orion THAT MUCH

very very glad that most of the jokes in the film are pretty decent. trust me I was worried.

ok so I was getting Tom Cruise kinda vibes from Sentinel Prime if that makes sense. you know what i mean

bee r u ok. if robot jesus is real then robot therapists should also be real

feel like they could’ve done better with elita idk. but her actress did well

banger credits music too

okay yeah this movie very much appealed to my inner uncritical guy that yells “WOAH!! BADASS!!” at vaguely cool moments in films. but let me just say. WOAH this film was BADASS!

very predictable movie! but wow does it look cool! good animation! yeah!

make more animated movies!

[parkcivanon]

WORDS CANNOT DESCRIBE HOW HAPPY I AM RN AFTER READING UR SIMULATION FICOMG,,,,,,,,, Like !! After watching mc but it's a simulation, it has been my new hyperfixation alongside park civ but the thing is it doesn't have nearly as much content. God I wanted a fic so bad I literally scrolled through all 18 pages of park civ tag just to find a sim fic.... UNTIL I SAW UR FIC AND I WAS LIKE OMG A SIM FIC??!???? And I didn't even realize you were the park civ anon cuz I was in such a hurry to read and God it singlehandedly became my fav fic,,, like your writing style is so satisfying and the flow is AMAZING BUT my favorite part is definitely your characterization of simEvbo.... He's so angry but in such a evbo way I honestly think this is what he would have been if he had been more fleshed out in canon. The inner dialogue is great hehe I love him he's full of issues and desperately need therapy<3

Also normally im more of a evbo fan than a seavbo but the bit with simSeavbo's dynamic is *chef's kiss* you really scratched the itch I never knew I had in my brain here..

(in the interest of not having this post be unreadably long, the second ask as well as my response is under the 'read more'.)

ALSO ALSO,, I actually read most of your fics so after the simfic I decided to give the amongus au a go since I usually don't read smut but your writing is just so nice I needed more... I loved the setting and the characters esp clown pierce and AJ which is very unusual (I never rlly liked antagonists😭) but your characterization is by far my favorite. I never knew I needed a morally grey villain where they r evil but not in a flat evilevil way ykyk,.. AJ was honestly such a refreshing character since you def fleshed him out from canon! Same goes to clown pierce but he is def less evil and mysterious than in canon since I assumed he and the old man never has a fall out. Tbh I was actually expecting clown pierce to idk.. do something mischievously evil and villain worthy but instead he actually became quite nice?? And sweet?? Ok yea I definitely prefer your choice more now that I think about it

hellooo :). there are more sim fics? i couldn't find any others but i only gave the tags a cursory glance.

thank you! simulation evbo has quickly become one of my favourites because i am a wee bit of a sucker for the evil alternate self trope (as well as some good ol' religious theming...) he should go to therapy, but he'd probably end up giving the therapist a crisis.

i think on some level seavbo has a large impact on both parkour civilization evbo and simulation evbo, romantically or otherwise; seawatt is a significant character in both, to the point where it's difficult to begin to describe evbo without describing him in relation to seawatt (this is more of an issue with parkciv evbo.)

anyway, onto the next half of the ask; the among us au is honestly something i still think about. i think clownpierce's character in canon is heavily influenced by the severe isolation he experiences, and this is represented in the au by his reclusiveness at the start; evbo hardly manages to speak to him until nearly halfway through, i believe.

clown's character is extremely divergent and this is something i'm aware of: i was considering having him be worse, but having him as direct foreshadowing for seawatt's arc almost felt like divine inspiration, as well as having his grief and how he reacts to it be a parallel to evbo's; you'll notice both of them immediately isolate themselves, and both of them fall back on their work as escapism.

i wasn't expecting this response to be mostly about clownpierce, but: you'd be right in assuming they never fell out. their 'falling out' is moreso tied to the old man's literal 'falling out' from life. clownpierce is only an antagonist in the sense that he is intentionally a misleading character: having the main antagonist be one of 'the good guys' is a bit of a red herring, no? :)

aj's character was mostly extrapolation from seawatt's, and he exists as a direct foil to him for that reason. most of what he does is in direct opposition to what seawatt would do, and generally i've characterised him with that in mind. where seawatt would probably go out kicking and screaming he goes with a great deal of grace, and where he is needlessly cruel seawatt is gentle; though they share a good amount of traits too, the most notable probably being their sense of pride.

tl;dr: thank you for the compliments lol... sorry to use your ask as an excuse to talk about among us au's characters and how i decided to develop them in new context, but i'm not really. ty again! <3

[trulybetty]

Sunday Week in Review XIII

Was it really Halloween this week? Because it feels like it happened like six months ago - that's how long this week has felt for me 🎃

It could also be because I finished my October prompts and now I'm wondering what I'm supposed to do now I don't have a daily deadline. Well, I know what I need to do (I hear you, Frankie) - I just can't seem to bring myself to sit down and write it right now. But luckily I've been given some great advice from some wonderful people and I hope to start posting it before the month is out!

I'm also trying to figure out how to get back into my reading - my TBR list has been all over the place since last month was nearly impossible to get much read. So going to slowly get back into the pace of reading a reblogging - which also includes all the lovely comments I received but haven't been able to get back to yet! 💕

But on with the 'condensed' Sunday Week in Review...

T R U L Y   U P D A T E S . . .

oct' x 29 - stormy days (sequins!joel x f!reader)

oct' x 30 - seance (tim rockford x reader)

oct' x 30 - seance (chiffon!dieter x ofc!bryony)

oct' x 31 - trick or treat (marcus pike x reader)

strings part IV (series complete) (joel miller x reader)

W H A T   I   R E A D . . .

Are You on Mute? (Benny Miller) by @rhoorl Now Benny Miller is not my type, but with the way Jess writes him? He's slowly worked his way into my rotation of reads! This is a spicey read that will have you rethinking Zoom meetings at home 🫠

Broadcasting Live Tonight (Dieter) by @morallyinept This was just *chefs kiss* a delightful steamy read written on the back of Pedro's own appearance on SNL the other week. The tension between the reader and Dieter is palpable and the payoff is 🙌, smut be smutting here. Not spoiling anything, but I hope we get a part two!

A Month of Sundays (Various) by @gnpwdrnwhiskey My parallel play partner in a month of writing daily prompts, Lellen, completed her Month of Sundays and if you haven't checked them out you should! She totally knocked it out of the park and managed to fit so much into six lines a piece!

Working Title (Dieter) by @rhoorl Jess is back with another installment that does not disappoint! We've got some cameos, we've got some Jurassic Park references, we've got a wet-haired Dieter and sound the alarm, we've got some 18+ action with Belle and Dieter that I think about at least once a day because it was that hot 🥵

Steep Is the Mountain (Tim) by @sin-djarin This fic is still playing on a constant loop in my head since I read it the other day. Becca's coming home series is amazing (go read them all) and this is another excellent addition to it with our Detective Tim Rockford.

Headshots (Marcus) by @secretelephanttattoo This is a dreamy update to our reader and Marcus finding them in Ireland. I'm not going to spoil anything, but El makes a strong case for the canon behind Marcus' leather jacket!

Fall Apart Again (Joel) by @wildemaven Heidi treated us to an interlude to this series with a letter to Joel from Eve and much like the series, pulls at the heartstrings. It's a truly beautiful story and this interlude just adds another layer to the whole thing and I'm still thinking about it the day after.

Hope everyone has had a great week and enjoying their Sunday so far!

Here's to the week ahead! 💕

[hqrarepairtournament]

ROUND 1B - Match 16

PROPAGANDA (from submissions)

BokuAkaKuroKen (Bokuto Koutarou/Akaashi Keiji/Kuroo Tetsurou/Kozume Kenma)

“Every combination has their own unique dynamic that are each so **chefs kiss** some of favorite scenes in BokuAka or KuroKen work is when the other pair show ups and we get to see BoKuro shenanigans and being dumb together or AkaKen being each others voice of reason or sounding board”

“THEY R SO COMFORTING I LOVEEEE RAHHH”

“um. they r so silly”

IkeDaiYui (Ikejiri Hayato/Sawamura Daichi/Michimiya Yui)

“there's not a lot of content about them but I like them <3 what do you mean Ikejiri and Yui are both parallels and Daichi helps them in their journeys of self discovery and self confidence and learning how to push through and deal with hard times and to keep trying even when they want to give up ???? listen Ikejiri and Yui's stories are so similar in their admiration of Daichi and we know that Yui at least had a crush on him, there's now way Ikejiri didn't also I just want them to be happy together, they're so sweet”

[sputnik422]

aespa's SYNK: PARALELL LINE Solos: Review and Appreciation

Dear Reader,

On October 6th, 2024, it was announced that Korean girl group aespa would be releasing a special single comprised of the solo songs each member had debuted during their SYNK: PARALLEL LINE tour. It wouldn't be the first time that the girls dipped their toes into solo endeavors, as their previous tour also featured performances from each member accompanied by original songs. It would, however, be the first time that every single aespa solo had such a big impact on the wider K-pop fan sphere.

Let's just be honest here, these songs are infinitely better than their predecessors in every shape way and form. The upscale in quality was obvious from when the first fancams from the Seoul concerts began to drop. These songs are a different breed and in honor of their official release on all streaming platforms I wanted to take some time to talk about all of the reasons why I love them.

P.S: I don't know anything about musical genres, and I'm actually pretty bad at picking them apart, but I'll do my best for this post!

UP - KARINA

Starting off with the one I have the least things to say about. "Up" is a track that fuses old school hip-hop and R&B elements with electronic pop. It's a complete turn around from her last solo, "Menagerie", and its dark, psychedelic ambiance. It sounded as if you'd just entered the lair of the unbeatable final boss and they were monologuing to you before eating you for dinner. "Up" is dark too, but Karina's rich vocal tone and tasteful delivery elevate the song to a level of class above the former's brash exterior. Where her first solo was rough around the edges, the syllables of her rap being spat into your ears, Karina rides the waves created by Up's prominent bass and makes you want to hear more. Honestly its the best she's ever sounded.

The lyrics aren't anything revolutionary. Karina talks about how she's letting loose, not caring who stands in her way because she's going to get what she's owed. She's not the type to stand back and let the world have its way with her, Karina takes charge in her life. She knows that this confidence is attractive and urges the listener to come closer, being entranced by her. There's nobody else that could ever measure up to her and everyone knows it. The singer herself has been very vocal about how happy she was to be able to write this song and be apart of the development from the start and it shows. This track was tailor made for her. My favorite part about the entire experience is how the power of her deeper vocal tone gets to shine, taking me back to some of my favorite vocal moments from her (her part during the second pre-chorus of Drama, her chorus in Spicy). If I had to nitpick, and I will, I would say that the bridge doesn't really do anything for me. It kind of disrupts the flow of the song in my opinion. Other than that, it's a 10/10. A real testament to the strength of these tracks that something this good could end up as my least favorite. The performance, both her actual stages and the ARTi film, were cool as hell. Mob boss Karina, chef's kiss.

BORED! - NINGNING

Ningning is the member who had my favorite solo from their previous set. "Wake Up" is just as commanding as the title would have you think, with Ningning blatantly provoking the listener. It's a game of cat and mouse, the classic tale of a puppeteer and her craft. There's no use in trying to escape—she knows your every move and you will end up as her plaything—but she doesn't seem to hate the chase either. That fight, the sweaty face and thrashing heartbeat, it just makes the inevitable end so much more satisfying.

"Bored!" is very much in opposition to these themes. The lofi R&B instrumental serves as the backdrop for Ningning and her crazy situationship. In this song Ningning is someone who loves fast and loves strong, feeling drunk on the feeling of infatuation. There's just one problem and I'm sure you could guess from the title: Ningning tends to get bored. No matter how much she may love this person she's never truly going to fall for them, and she doesn't really want to. Just like this we've entered a similarly twisted yet way more lighthearted game. The lyrics lay this plot out for us with feather-light phrases like, "feel the caffeine kicking in / episodic visioning" and "paradise on venus in your eyes". That second line in particular caught my attention when I first heard the song and was even singled out in the behind the scenes recording video. My mind immediately went to the goddess Venus, otherwise known as Aphrodite, who is known for her short yet passionate bouts of love and lust. Perhaps Ningning feels similarly about the subject of the song. Lyrics like "I'm so pretty in your head boy" and "tell me where it goes out of my body / whisper "Pretty" in my head" make it clear that Ningning wants to indulge in their powerful mutual attraction while never intending to commit. It's just not in her nature. It could also be a way of saying that, whenever they're together, the love interest makes Ningning feel like she's on a different planet, floating along the milky way because of his love. Whatever the deal is, Ningning will take the attention and she'll easily hand over her own love too, but the listener can't expect her to stick around. Only until she gets bored.

I'm obsessed with her tone, the sweetness really compliments the lighthearted and playful vibe of the song. It makes everything feel so detached in a way, ungrounded just like the narrator's approach to relationships. I loved her first outfit for the actual performance, the white(?) shirt with 'Bored!' branded across the middle and sparkly black shorts. I hope she'll consider using more lighter colors and pastels in her outfits going forward, I think it fits the song and the concept better than her newer all black ensembles (outfit one, outfit two). The lighter colors make her look unassuming and innocent, heightening the sense of surprise when she turns out to be a bit of a player. Overall, another 10/10. Very well done, (Ning)²!

DOPAMINE - GISELLE

Giselle was the member who I was the most nervous to hear a second solo from. Call me dramatic, call me an over-exaggerator, but "2Hot4U" has to have been one of the most superficial songs ever conceived. Giselle curated an image as "aespa's hot girl" basically since debut and SM very much knew that. What they didn't seem to know however was that the image worked because of her distinctive style and aura, not because she physically had to tell you that she's hot for about three minutes and twenty six seconds. It feels like when a politician mentions a popular meme and suddenly its not cool anymore ("Pokemon GO TO THE POLLS!"). Giselle's line delivery is nasally, making her character feel like a petulant mean girl rubbing her rejection of you in with extra salt and lemon. The song wasn't good and it just didn't suit her at all.

So you can all imagine just how high I jumped for joy was when Dopamine ended up being a masterpiece.

"Dopamine" is a delicate pop R&B track that details a very similar situation to that of Ningning's "Bored!". Where the former has no intentions of committing to a relationship, messing with people as she sees fit, Giselle is very much in denial. She portrays herself as cold and detached "(I don't need a man, just accessories") meanwhile on the inside she is spiraling. HARD. Giselle knows that she's falling in love but she's been burned before and is afraid of being vulnerable with this person ("lock it up inside, I gotta hide the way I feel"). So, she keeps them at arms length, never letting them in and in turn never allowing them the chance to hurt her.

That first line in the chorus, "Be my little secret / Keep it hush hush, but I think I'm in love", it just hits. There's so much emotion rolled up in her delivery of the line combined with the narrative of the song as a whole. Giselle could very well tell this person how she feels, she could even cut them off and never see them again if that option is too hard (and from the look of the lyrics it would be). But still she stays, addicted to the rush of dopamine that she gets from every encounter. Since she can't or won't let herself have love, Giselle will take jewels, diamonds, anything to help fill the void created by her self-isolation, a void only made more prominent by the subject of the song. Its all just so toxic and tragic, the way she wants this man to be choking on his feelings the same way she is. How, deep inside, both parties know Giselle will never open up, yet they choose to act on their desires every time. That is, until the end.

The bridge into the outro itself is better than the entirety of her first solo. The music quiets down as Giselle talks to herself, only able to spill her true feelings when she's alone. She casts away her mask, admitting that her supposed heart of ice has been bleeding this entire time, that even the heavens know she needs this person in her life. She charges up this admission into a beautiful high note, allowing the incoming storm of synth to represent her emotions. Its that final seventy seconds or so, right after the 2:43 mark, that really makes this song for me. The art of the release, when everything falls into place and all of the feelings you've been holding so close to your chest burst from your body. "Dopamine" is gorgeous and mature and paints the picture of a fully realized human being. It's so much more suited to Giselle than the song SM gave her for their previous tour, and I mean gave in the most derogatory way. The subject matter is so real and you feel every drop of yearning in her vocal delivery. I'm glad she got the chance to work with the producers on this one and reinforce the fact that, when they allow her to carry out her vision, she's a very capable artist. The stage performance? Insane. I heard that the couch she used sold out after the first performances in Seoul, that's so hilarious to me.

I want to briefly mention the special version of it that she performed in Tokyo, which switches up the big release at the end for something more subdued and playful. The original outro goes full steam ahead to emotional catharsis while this one, with its very electronic alarm type noises and little metallic tinks, feels much gentler. Like maybe she's learned to be a bit kinder to herself, she's a work in progress after all.

10/10, tens all around. This song was initially tied for first place as my favorite but with the official release I think the scales have begun to shift.

SPARK - WINTER

I don't remember Winter's first solo. I know it was a ballad, and I'm pretty sure it was called "Lips", but that where my knowledge of the whole affair ends. In one of their behind the scene videos for this tour Winter went on to say this about her new solo song: "Last time I did a ballad but this time I wanted to show off more of my dance. I like dancing too, you know". Well, she got me with this one. Boy, did she ever get me! I did not see this triumph coming.

If "Bored!" represents cheeky self-serving apathy and "Dopamine" is self-sabotage, "Spark" is self-actualization and the honesty that comes along with it.

From the very first note of you're left waiting, wanting, anticipation building alongside the beat. Winter's lines are delivered in this airy and sort of crooning tone, it's such a change up from how deep and robust we know her voice can be. In this self written track she urges the subject to tune in to her wavelength, study her down to the very last molecule and accept access into her soul. Winter doesn't shy away from her desires, unafraid of seeming desperate or being too much. She embraces the intensity of this love, this connection with the song's subject, and is practically begging them to acknowledge what is going on. These feelings that have been born between them are about to bear fruit and she knows it. Its only a matter of encouraging the subject to let loose, coaxing them into the headspace where nothing else matters other than the goddess in front of them. Winter needs to push the subject to their limit, until the build up becomes too much and they have to either take action or suffocate on this tension.

They both know what they need and what it takes to get it.

"One little spark and you set me free / Now one becomes two".

I urge you, if there's any part of the song that you choose to blast on full volume, let it be the build up into the chorus. Once again the art of the build and release comes into play here. The song has been steadily building throughout the verse and pre-chorus but as soon as Winter sings, "Now one becomes two", cementing the union between herself and the song's subject, something magical happens. Those four words become an incantation, a spell to open a portal to a technicolor dimension. Winter pushes you in and as you're left to freefall the colorful tunnel begins to churn and collapse in on you. Infinite shades of pink, purple, blue, and blinding white strobe violently; entering your system, charging through your veins and building on top of the already unbearable attraction. The force reaches your eyes as they begin to project a rainbow, different colors flashing into place in time with the quickened beat.

Winter is in front of you again and, holding out a singular matchstick. You both know she can't light it by herself. What is one to do when placed on the precipice, where the stable ground behind symbolizes everything you've ever known while the open air out front symbolizes everything you have ever wanted. Perhaps this was destined, written in the stars. After all, when faced with the latter conditions, is it ever really a choice?

You light the match.

"Only takes one little spark / And we're igniting"

The portal spits you out above a kaleidoscope of a city. You soar, high on the sheer intensity of your connection, the joining of two souls within a space illuminated by a myriad of brilliant colors. "Spark" is an invitation to face your feelings, face your truth. Should you choose to take the risk you'll be swiftly rewarded, sucked into Winter's world and warmed by the eternal flame that burns between the both of you. The moment your souls meet, that critical turning point where one becomes two, there's no going back. It's just so alluring and intimate and sexy and ughhhhhhh.

The live performance is everything I could have ever wanted from Winter. She's always been such a sharp and powerful dancer, the elements of vogueing really suit her and the piece overall. When I saw this fancam of her for the first time I was gagged, speechless because of her beauty and stage presence. That opening sequence with the shadows cast on Winter and all of her dancers as they move as one machine, it's so coooooooool. Her initial outfit is lovely but for the debut of the special version she wore a lilac corset style top with detached puffy princess sleeves and this long veil with flowers sowed onto it, I wanted to die. The special version also plays with the chorus drop, adding in a long moment of silence before the second chorus in order to build even more anticipation. They power walk towards the back, Winter looks back toward the crowd but the lights go out. Cue the lights and the big reveal: the dancers have formed a blooming sun shape around Winter. She flicks a hand and the whole thing implodes, sending the dancers away as she basks in the moment, in her power.

I am not exaggerating when I say that I need this song engraved in the grooves of my brain. The studio recording pushed this one to the top of the rankings for me, I was not prepared for the religious experience I would be faced with when we hit the pre-chorus and beyond. The genre of synth pop has so much potential for conveying the most powerful of emotions, truly one of my favorites. I think this song is single-handedly helping me come to terms with the fact that I'm very much Winter biased, something I've been steadily ignoring since Drama Era. I BOUGHT A TICKET TO GO SEE THEM IN FEBRUARY SIMPLY SO I COULD SEE THIS (and Dopamine, and Drama, and a couple other songs) LIVE!!! I think I might actual perish that day, we'll just have to wait and see.

Glad SM was able to scrape together some brain cells, read the room and actually release these songs to the public. I'm gonna have a blast with these leading up to my concert date. Credit to JUST, Timing, Tsuki, and Jiunan for the pictures that I struggled to make a collage out of. I'm kind of bad with technology sometimes.

Cheers,

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

[squireofgeekdom]

okay after the rereading ancillary justice shenanigans rereading ancillary sword has begun

This thread is so fascinating to me because back in AJ the person in possession of the Garseddai gun asks about why the ship's obeyed, did they hate that enslavement, and it's interesting to see that thread coming back.

And then this about the project of making an ancillary, with 'what was one body's temporary discomfort?' knowing that the body that survived to be Breq was left as one body while still in the midst of this.

AND how this paralleling forshadows what's done to Tisarwat and how and why Breq recognizes it *chef's kiss*

Absolutely obsessed with this. Goddamn brilliant worldbuilding. And 'If she had ever become someone other than who she was.' !!!! YES. I'm so. yes. I'm so about this.

'lately' Breq, universe's angriest AI (the anger is condensed)

"ships don't generally want partners... ships didn't yearn for romantic partners, either." *Bangs fists on table* AROACE ICON

and the whole bit about different bodies are different, like... the bodies come with different sex drives. it's just *chef's kiss*

'i'm told it's something like that' b r e q ahhh Seivarden

again this reminder that Breq has gone through this, acutely, as just one body

!! the way this parallels the conversation back in AJ about the fact that the person who had been in the body before the ancillary process is now dead, with Breq challenging on what choices were acceptable. Breq now giving that to the person in Tisarwat's body.

And kasdjglkjd 'things will seem better after you've eaten and slept' i'm pretty sure i've expressed this exact sentiment to fellow grad students before

I do appreciate that within a few pages of establishing Breq as ace we get a human character established as also ace. Medic you'll always be an icon.

also god this passage is so funny after like, twice that Seivarden's like 'i'm dtf' Breq's like 'i've logically sorted the available people for who you have the best chance of asking to fuck.' the available people does not include Breq, of course. icon.

'She doesn't want me to.' Seivarden gets it

[spacedykez]

Hiii just read your coral kids fanfic and it said to scream to you on tumblr about it/them in general so here I go:

Just FOR YOUR INFORMATION I was reading your ff during lunch break today and it broke me (in the best ways) I literally had to fight back tears. IT'S SOO GOOD WTFF I LOOOVE

The way your wrote Scott and Martyn has me in shambles! I relate so much to them but also I just wanna be like them and also I JUST WANT EVERYTHING FOR THEM OKAY THEY DESERVE THIS q.q

The parallels for both to 3rd life OH BOIII I was shaking and I loved every second of it. Esp the direct parallel´-scenes and such CHEF'S KISS I WANNA PUNCH A WALL.

Next thing that made me go insane is the colour-thingy. I didn't know I needed bright colour Scott in my life but OH BOI YES also the parallels between Martyn and Jimmy??? like??? My head is spinning and I feel like there's smth I missed but I enjoy having a spinny-head over blorbos <3

Oh and also how GOOD you've woven the series and curses and alliances together - it makes all so much sense and it just shows how hurt they are and also how deeply they feel- once again I would like to punch a wall

Despite that emotional level i LOVED how you got the humor and their personality down and their flirty selves and all that CHEF'S KISS THANK YOU SO MUCH

so yeah might have to reread and adopt parts of that into my own self bc it's jsut so SO good but I'm so very glad you wrote it <3<3<3

HIHI M SORRY I TOOK SO LONG TO REPLY TO THIS. short answer Life Happened. anyways!!! you are my favoritest person ever right now i adore you.

THANK YOU!!!! traffic!scott is one of my #1 projection characters he is just like me fr. obviously i have not been put through three death games like he has skldfjsd but i do relate to him quite a bit so i'm sure that shows through in my writing. theres no deeper reason that i was able to write an entire section about scott being lonely/scared everyone was going to leave him. at all. ever. absolutely not that would be crazy. (/sarcasm)

references/callbacks to other series my beloved!!! i am soooo emotionally stable abt 3L/DL (/lying). i don't know how obvious it was (probably very obvious but anyways) but i never really watched LL i only have a bit of knowledge from tumblr osmosis (the reason i didn't watch it has nothing to do w the series and more to do w general life stuff at the time that's not really relevant)

SPINNY HEAD OVER BLORBOSSS YES I have spinny head over blorbos syndrome. i cannot get over how martyn and jimmy are like opposites. jimmy was always in need of protection by scott, scott was always there to protect him (or try to) (and sidenote i love flower husbands and i will not tolerate flower husbands slander but thats another post). martyn is the opposite. where jimmy was in need of protection, martyn wants to provide scott with protection. theres just. theres something there. they make me insane /pos

I LOVE MAKING THE GAMES AS ANGSTY AS POSSIBLE they are all so traumatized autismbless <3 they r all so hurt they r all hurt people hurting others because they are desperate and i am so insane over the life series in general

i may have watched. a bit of scott smajor. just a bit. yk. a tiny smidge. a small amount. maybe. just maybe- /sarcasm

(i have watched an ungodly amount of smajor content . and i will admit i wasnt as sure about martyn goin in because i HAVE written him before but only once and i've not watched him as much before LimLife. i think i got him down? people seem to like it ! so i think i succeeded :D)

[bushs-world]

So, one of an (additional) challenge of the fantasy book bingo was to write a review of the books you read. I have been putting this off for sometime, but finally decided to sit down and write this book review, especially since I have a lot to talk about.

(also this is my first review so it might get a bit haphazard since it's more me keeping a track of my opinions)

THE PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐/5

Author: Samantha Shannon

Genre: Fantasy, Queer relationships

Bingo Square: Queernorm setting

Detailed review under the cut. Contains spoilers

What I loved

Worldbuilding: the worldbuilding in the first half of the book is so well written and the most enjoyable part of this book. There's so much worldbuilding in this novel, from the different kingdoms, their religion, their rulers, their practices and beliefs as well as how they see the other kingdoms. And yet it never feels like exposition or info dump. Which btw there isnt a typical expository dump at the beginning of this book. Instead we are dropped right in the middle of the world and we figure and understand the world slowly as we read through

Weaving of plot: again, in the first half of the plot, there are four different pov characters in different parts of the world. They rarely know each other (except for two characters but they are in different places) and yet somehow the plot connects them together in a very interesting and enjoyable way.

Religion: religion plays a very important part in this book and the difference of beliefs and faiths, and how that causes conflicts is very realistically portrayed in this book. As well as two different religions believing two different versions of the same story. For example, the west follows a religion called virtuedom and thinks of Cleolind, a prominent historical figure as a damsel rescued by their saint after he trapped the dragon while the south believes the saint is a liar and Cleolind was the hero who trapped the dragon, and hail her as the Mother. Similarly, the East worships the dragons of the east and hate the wyrms of the west while the rest of the places don't see any distinction in the two types of dragons and hate both.

Diversity: absolutely adore how diverse the characters in this book were. Eadaz, also called Ead is brown (her characterisation parallels the SWANA region) and sapphic. Loth is a black man. Tané is Asian young girl and Niclays is an old gay man. Sabran, a very prominent character in the book (though not a pov character)who rules as the queen of the strongest kingdom is bi.

Ead and Sabran's relationship: especially during the first part, the slow burn and tension was just *chef's kiss*

Gender neutrality: this book is queernorm so there's no homophobia. Ead is in love with Sabran, Niclays is gay and Tane seems asexual. Also instead of gendered terms like husband or wife, the book uses words like partner. Position of powers is held equally between men and women. And both Ead and Tane are strong fighters who have trained all their life. There's only one issue with the queer stuff of this book which I will discuss in the cons section.

Standalone Fantasy: lastly I loved that this is a standalone fantasy.

What didn't work

Too much plot: the second half of the book is weighed down by too much plot, which imo was totally unnecessary. There was so much additional new information and twists that it was difficult to keep a track of. For the first half it was an understandable simple plot- there r two dragons; the evil wyrms of the west and the benevolent dragons of the east. And the leader of the wyrms was imprisoned under the earth by Cleolind through a sword. Her descendents, now protect the world from the wyrms in a secret order of mages. In the second half suddenly, it was complicated with two different types of magic, two jewels, there's another second woman (that no one knew about) who together with Cleolind binded the dragons, a witch, a mulberry tree, a comet and what not. That along with too many unnecessary subplots made the book too muddled by the second half

Unsatisfactory resolution of subplot: there are often subplots which are set up or pointed towards, only for them to be quickly (and unsatisfactory resolved) in a few pages without the characters actively overcoming any struggles. Instead the subplots are resolved with a very conveniently timed coincidence. For example, the book sets up Loth going into an enemy draconic kingdom for a good length. People worry that he doesn't get hurt. But as soon as he reaches there, the princess of the kingdom very conveniently tells him she's on his side and the kingdom is suffering due to his father. He's out of the kingdom in 4 pages flat and without any struggle (n the draconic kingdom is rarely explored beyond a few passages). Similarly while he's carrying a box from the princess to the priory, he gets attacked by a wyrm and is conveniently found by a friendly mythical animal who not only saves him but also takes him to the priory (n they don't face any other struggle in the middle). Same way, a civil war was hinted for so long only to be thwarted in a very anticlimatic way before it could even start. Magical weapons are lost and found in the same page.

Passive characters: ties into the above point but everything is very conveniently set up for the characters and they rarely need to struggle. Most of the time they discover important stuff totally by chance or someone tells them everything. Tané finds a jewel stitched inside her body totally by chance, without no build up of it before

Weird queer setting: so like the book is queernorm, same sex relationships aren't looked down upon yet the marriage is between a male and female character tho the reason for that is given to be children.

[fungal-rot]

Questions Tag Game !!

thank u @strang3lov3 for tagging me <33 i love these they’re so fun

⁺˚°｡⋆♱✮˖☽𓋼𓍊◯𓍊𓋼☾˖✮♱⋆｡°˚⁺

Do you make your bed? yes. not everyday bc i don’t always have the energy but i feel like a neatly made bed really ties the room together and makes it look so purdy. i used to work housekeeping years ago so i know how to “properly” make a bed and i use it to my advantage. but then my bf messes it all up bc for some reason he has to sleep under EVERY single blanket the bed has.

Favorite Number? 2. idk why. i just love twos.

What’s your job? i work in retail ! i am a backup department head :) (essentially backup department manager/lead whatever u wanna call it). i work the fun stuff like health, beauty, and whatnot. the miscellaneous grocery lol

If you could go back to school, would you? see, now this is a tough question. i would love to bc the thought of working in retail the rest of my life is,,,, unsettling. and that is due to being constantly told i would be A Loser if i made that a career (despite making decent monies). but at the same time school has literally had such a negative impact on my mental health, i never wanna do it again. (i also dont want to be in debt).

Can you parallel park? [sweats nervously]

Do you think aliens are real? DUH. you cannot tell me we are the only living sentient things in this ENTIRE ASS UNIVERSE. i have always had a love for space, extraterrestrial, planets and all that like i am 100% certain aliens are real.

Can you drive a manual car? no <3

What’s your guilty pleasure? idk? tbh ?? like i genuinely can’t think of anything for this one.

Tattoos? all sorts of small ones. they’re also all stick ‘n poke that i did myself. sue me idc. the biggest one i have is on my forearm— it’s the snail from adventure time and he’s kinda ugly buT HES MINE I LUV HIM

Favorite color? G R E E N. mostly dark/muted greens. like phthalo green ?? *chef’s kiss* i also like any sort of dark reds. phthalo blue is another good one. i like dark colors

Do you like puzzles? i will fuck up a jigsaw puzzle any day. there are some i dislike bc i am Dumb™️ but those little mini puzzle things in video games like Bioshock or something? Those are fun.

Any phobias? yES. okay-

Acrophobia (fear of heights): idk where this came from. i used to not be afraid of heights as a kid. i fell out of a tree once when climbing it, but i don’t hurt myself or anything. i DID get the wind knocked outta me bc i fell straight on my back, but to this day i will still climb a tree. nothing can stop me from doing that. but the moment i am leaning against a railing or im on a high floor and look out the window? instant vertigo. i get so dizzy and my palms start to sweat. i fear the wall or railing is just suddenly gonna give out and im gonna plummet to my death or some shit. again, i don’t know why.

Scoleciphobia/Vermiphobia (fear of worms/being infested by worms): And I don’t mean things like earthworms. I mean maggots specifically. I cannot stand them. I see them and i get so itchy and anxious and i will cry. this one actually comes from a trauma thing but that’s a whole ‘nother can of biscuits. i hate it tho bc i love rice, but i’ve got a slight food aversion with it bc it reminds me of, well, ya know.

Agoraphobia (fear of places and situations that might cause panic, helplessness, or embarrassment): i feel like it’s self explanatory. but it’s gotten WORSE over the years. i genuinely believe i have avoidant personality disorder. but its worse being so self aware about it bc i know i am simply being irrational but despite knowing that my brain won’t stfu

Favorite childhood sport? i never got to really play sports as a kid unless it was in gym class but i LOVED soccer. also that game you could get in easter baskets with the two velcro mits and tennis ball? loved that too.

Do you talk to yourself? yes. not like i’m talking to another person or anything lol i just be mumbling shit aloud or in my head as i go about my day. helps keep me organized in a sense i guess.

if ur reading this, tag ur it <33

[thatsuhboldchoice]

i never thought it'd happen but i managed to find the almeida live richard iii???? i've very much wanted to see it to gauge another rupert goold shakespeare so here we are!

getting to this point was a challenge--like out of the blue the first act showed up on youtube, but the second act wasn't there, so i went searching for it, found it, but the audio in both acts was out of sync so i downloaded them and somehow that fixed the first act but not the second, so i found a free video editor, but had to edit and render it twice bc the issue wasn't that the video was offset, but that it was hair too fast for the audio and now it SEEMS to be fixed but for some reason there are still select scenes that are still out of sync so i think there is very much something deeper going on with varying frame rates in that video, but anyway i managed to get it for the most part watchable

okay time for actual analysis!

i reread the folger edition at work yesterday, which is for the most part pulled from the first folio and so in watching i had to keep looking at the text, because i think they were working by and large with the quarto text

anyway i am now aware that textual differences are many and that finding a cut of riii is going to be thorny

anyway

this production seems very straight to the point

ralph fiennes is obviously a great shakespearean, but there's not much velvet fist going on, more just fist

richard's misogyny is clear in the text, but i think it's a little more complex than what seems to be happening here

to make riii's scenes with the women work--he has to actually woo?

the dark humor is there but the charm not quite

but i know he's got the charm since his antony was solid

scott handy's clarence here is nothing short of spectacular

this is how we deliver text, kiddos

the murderers are a highlight. like this scene is already funny but this is top notch and again i follow everything with handy i see him fighting for his life.

god i really want more out of vanessa redgrave

sorry there are moments where i'm going to insert my own interpretations of this text which i know is not taking this production for what it is but Too Bad

but essentially the way i see the women in this piece, particularly margaret, is not that they're mad at all, but that their pain, rage, and curses are interpreted as mad by the men around them

their "curses" and "prophecies" come true, because they aren't that at all but experience

(which really makes sense if we get the civil war before this)

the doll symbolism makes sense, but the slight battiness to these incredibly powerful women is a little irksome

i feel strongly that the women are the key to this piece and i think that already puts me at odds with this production

continuing on

goold is just very good at clarity and this piece is no exception

rivers, hastings, buckingham, etc. do not give us much in the text to individualize them, but in performance feel totally distinct

again i am just not getting much of an arc out of fiennes' richard?

a little underwhelming

i don't know how to deal with the precocious children in the text other than to put precocious children onstage and...sigh

the scene with the women must be one of the longest and sits at the climax of the piece and is the showdown between the most developed member of the reigning monarchy and richard as the usurper, hence my entire thesis, but i digress..

these three do spectacularly

susan engel in particular is *chef's kiss*

again such clarity and intention and proficiency with the verse let me cry

aislín mcguckin is harrowing and fiery and i really love her elizabeth

but i do want to unpack that scene with richard

i am again missing an arc there

they just kinda bash heads until the r*pe (which i'll get to in a moment) and then she leaves

which i *think* i get---the intent of that action is to subdue her and then she agrees

but here's the thing--there is such parallel between this scene and the anne wooing scene--and he seems to end with the upper hand

and maybe this is just my own personal reading of the text

but again i think *he* thinks he's successfully reenacted that scene

but here's the thing...elizabeth lives? she agrees but then escapes

and it would really help if shakespeare gave us literally anything more with this character other than a brief reference to her daughter marrying richmond at the end

but the key point to me is the emotional conclusion of elizabeth's arc is that she gets away

this scene is so charged that r*pe is logical extension of it

(especially taking into account the fact that in henry vi, richard's VERY first soliloquy is in immediate reaction to watching his brother "woo" elizabeth and that the beginning of the "since i cannot prove a lover i am determined to prove a villain" sentiment. like this is arguably the end of an arc for them)

but i think the entire tension in that scene is that she avoids it or worse

again though that is all my VERY specific interpretation of a very challenging aspect of this play

and this richard has been utilizing sexual violence extensively so i see it

i just don't think it's necessarily the most interesting take

moving on

the staging of the ghost scene with richmond is lovely, just lovely

richard loves richard!

there's the fiennes i know

some depth finally

god i wish i worked in theatres where i could make it rain

really really really strong final image with the mother kneeling at the grave with the works lights from modern dig site

that cuts beautifully across the ages

[maximuswolf]

Favorite Diss Tracks Outside of Hip-Hop

Favorite Diss Tracks Outside of Hip-Hop Trash talking musicians are nothing new, certainly not limited to the hip-hip genre - early blues and jazz musicians constantly touted their supremacy over their peers, rock egos declaring their own godliness - it's nothing new. The underage-cousin-fucking, possible later-wife-murdering Jerry Lee Lewis did a show in Hamburg just to angrily reassert his claim to the throne of early rock & roll after being shamed into obscurity.The Diss Track, though, is a particular brand of trash talk that's so associated with hip-hop, that it's easy to forget just how often you see this in the music and genres that predate Biggie & Pac, Kendrick & Drake, etc. Where else do you folks get your dose of inter-scene drama where an artist calls out another by name for the purpose of putting them down? There are some obvious standouts in music history, like "Sweet Home Alabama" as a response to "Southern Man"/"Alabama", that kind of thing, but there are so many that have existed under the radar without the frothing media attention they deserve :) I'd like to submit for the record the following:Funkadelic on "Let's Take it to the Stage" calling out James Brown, Slick Rick, Sly, EW&F, and anyone else who wants to rep being funky (chef's kiss for referring to JB in the 70s as the 'Godmother!' or 'Grandfather') - Modern parallel would be Kendrick Lamar boastfully calling out everyone in the scene that he considers beneath his level- on his verse in "Control"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1deFnklMG0And one of my all time favorites, Rudimentari Peni taking The Clash & Sex Pistols to task for fame that came at the expense of their authenticity on "Rotten to the Core" (a more pointed attack at the specifics of a band's credibility, in the same vain as the recent Drake disses): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9tvmT7jHjUWhat else comes to mind? Maybe I'm in a mood, but these past couple of days I've been getting a kick of of finding all of the first-class-shit-talking in my collection (currently listening to Nation of Ulysses take, out of all the bands, the Beatles to task for being too old on "N-Sub Ulysses" - it makes me feel young again lol). Submitted May 17, 2024 at 07:19AM by Square_Bowler_3436 https://ift.tt/bpwWj75 via /r/Music

[megumiifushiiguro]

hiiii hazel how are you?? i fell down a rabbit hole of rogan videos and that time they’re in the restaurant and he’s playing with her hair???????? so so so cute i died watching that

also lowkey want your opinion on some of the rogan conflicts bc i feel like ppl use those as a way to hate on logan but i feel like as a couple they handled any arguments pretty maturely and like communicated? so idk what do you think?

(i’m also restraining myself from dming you bc I can be super annoying but ahajdl i just want to talk about rogan constantly)

heyy nadiya!! i'm good bestie just drank some cold coffee wbu? hasdfgf omggg this is so relatable when u start watching them u can't stop sjsjsj it's just one video after another lmaoo and GOSH IK THAT SCENE THEY WERE SO CUTE I WANNA SCREAM AAH like the subtle parallels between this scene and the s-7 scene of the dinner with logan's london colleagues when she is acting all posssdsive of him?? *chef's kiss*

hmm i mean which conflict r u particularly talking abt bestie?? cuz i sure do have a LOT of opinions sksksk

(THAT'S IT I'M DM'ING U I'M SORRY IN ADVANCE CUZ I'M GONNA BE SUPER ANNOYING AND U WILL PROLLY WANNA BLOCK ME LATER)

[crossbackpoke-check]

glenny with the chain (x) | 04.16.22

@crossbackpoke-check is for u 🥺