#ye olde rancid opinions

[transchesters]

inspired by this post. couldn’t stop thinking about it so i had to write this <3 ends abruptly but i could be persuaded into writing more 🫢

sam winchester was cursed to be an abomination before he was even born. the fates, or perhaps god himself, decided long ago that the youngest winchester brother would be lucifer's perfect vessel. sure, it was mary who made the deal with azazel — her youngest for john's life — but azazel would have wound up in little sammy's nursery, dripping his rancid blood into the baby's mouth.

somewhere down the line, sam accepted this about himself. he was an abomination, only a slight step away from the demons he hunted. when he drank from ruby, he believed it was worth it, that it was the right thing to do. he was saving lives here! but then, ruby was dead, and lilith was dead, and lucifer rose from hell. all because of *him*. he had let himself grow blind enough to be manipulated by the lowest of the low, all because she told him it would make him powerful. and if he was powerful, then he could do anything, save anyone.

how stupid he had been. he had let everyone down. dean, bobby... castiel. castiel, who should have killed him the moment they met. who forgave him each time he fell. who picked him back up, rescued him from the cage, and took on the burden of his memories. like sam was something worth saving, or protecting.

it's well past midnight when sam wanders into the main room of the bunker, rubbing at his dark-circled eyes, unaware of the angel sitting at the table who is leafing through old men of letter's records.

"sam. you look unwell."

sam blinks, though he isn't startled by castiel's presence. if anything, he is grateful for it. grateful and undeserving.

"shouldn't you be sleeping?" comes castiel's voice again, his brow furrowed as it usually is. his blue eyes are sharp and curious as sam walks his way, soon sitting down in the chair across from his.

"probably. doesn't mean i can," sam replies, peeking over to see what castiel is reading, but the angel closes the book before he gets a chance to. when sam looks up with a raised brow, the expression on castiel's face is unreadable. "what?"

"why is it that you still torture yourself, sam?" castiel questions suddenly, leaning forward as he rests his arms on the table, lacing his fingers together in front of him. when the only response he gets is a confused look from sam, he tilts his head and continues. "you have such a low opinion of yourself. even after all the good you have done, all the lives you have saved, you still think of yourself as the boy with the demon blood."

sam's face falls flat, and he stiffens in his chair. why did castiel have to be so perceptive, and so straightforward? "i dunno, man. we don't need to get into that right now," he mumbles eventually, averting his eyes from the blue ones that see right through him. he runs a hand through his hair, trying not to think about the last time his insomnia kept him up for so long.

"yes, we do. if it will ease your troubles and allow you to heal, then yes. we do."

sam thinks about that response for several seconds before he finally looks at castiel again, heaving a sigh. "why do you even care, cas? you said it yourself, the day we met. i'm the boy with the demon blood. that's what i am, above being a hunter, above being dean's brother, above everything." something about castiel's eyes urge him to spill his guts, and he suddenly can't stop talking. "i'm unclean. unholy. even after all this time, i still feel it in me. every time i kill a demon, i think about how good it would feel to drink it's blood, and then i hate myself a little more. i'm a monster, cas. i'm no better than them."

their eye contact is unwavering, and as sam falls silent, they are both still. castiel, who has become as precious to sam as dean, stares at him with a profound sadness in his eyes. sam deserves none of it.

"you could fix me," sam says suddenly, the idea hardly formed in his mind before he's latching on to it, leaning forward suddenly so he's closer to castiel. "you, you're the opposite of me. you're pure and just and perfect."

castiel blinks owlishly, his head cocked to the side in a way that makes sam want to weep. how can an angel sit before him like this and not feel anything but revulsion?

"sam, if i could heal you, i would. but there is nothing to heal. there is nothing wrong with you." castiel frowns as sam scoffs at his words, almost pouting. "there isn't. the demon blood within you is just a part of you. there is nothing to be done about it. you can fight your urges, and you can do the right thing. that's all that matters, in the end."

perhaps he means to sound reassuring, but sam just feels sick. he's shaking his head before castiel even finishes his sentence. "you're wrong. i’m wrong, on a molecular level. but you can help me!" without thinking, sam reaches out, grapsing castiel's hand in his own. he's surprised to find that castiel's skin is much cooler than that of a normal human. he's also surprised that castiel doesn't recoil from the touch. instead, their hands twine together like they have done this before. like their hands belong together.

"i want to help you," castiel says in a quiet tone, briefly looking down at their hands, feeling an unusual flutter in his chest. "what can i do for you, sam? i will do anything in my power." devotion is clear in his tone, but sam doesn't notice. he's too far gone into hating himself and trying to fix himself.

"it's angel blood. it's your blood — don't you see? you're the only one who can save me and make me right. because, despite everything, you're still here. you let me hold your hand and you heal me after hunts, even though i'm... me. but if you let me have your blood... it would cleanse me." sam isn't sure, really, where the idea came from. if he's been thinking about it for awhile, or if it all just clicked rather suddenly. but he is without a doubt that it will work. that castiel can save him.

castiel looks up from their joined hands and meets sam's eyes again. he takes in the human before him, tainted but lovely, cursed yet trying his hardest. perhaps he is right. demon blood is what ruined sam in the first place, so why shouldn't angel blood be the antidote? and even though castiel tries to rationalize it in his mind, he knows there is no point. because either way, he would say yes.

"of course, sam," he agrees quietly, an angel blade suddenly appearing in his hand.

"wait — not here. i don't want dean to..." sam trails off, because the thought of his brother walking in on this is simply too terrible to speak.

with a ruffle of invisible feathers, they are suddenly seated on sam's bed, in his simple room, devoid of personal touches that would make it truly his. castiel casts his eyes around, noting the differences between this room and dean's, who filled his with memories and mementos the moment they claimed this as their home. he returns his gaze to sam, sitting beside him so their shoulders brush. "it'll be okay, sam," he promises as he begins rolling up the sleeve of his trenchcoat, and then his white shirt, exposing his pale forearm.

sam stares at the soft flesh — unmarked unlike his own which is covered with scars — with a strange feeling in his stomach. he watches with apt interest as castiel drags the silver blade across his skin, a red line of blood following. the angel and the boy with the demon blood lock eyes again for a lingering glance, before sam takes castiel's arm in his hands and pulls it up to his lips.

[aesethewitch]

Personal Protection: Surviving the Holidays

I'm of the opinion that far too many people around this time of year are fucking around, and it's high time they get to the finding out part. With major holidays right around the corner, many of us will be facing relatives we'd rather not see, parties we'd rather not go to, and conversations we'd rather avoid or exit as soon as possible. Political spats, unwanted opinions, snide remarks -- I believe that what you give out, you ought to receive back.

So, obviously, let's do some magic about it.

There are three main components to my method:

The Bubble;

The Quills; and

The Shake

The Bubble

Exactly what it sounds like, "the bubble" is the outermost layer of protection around you. It's the barrier between you and the unpleasantness you're trying to keep out.

The bubble can be one item carried or worn (such as a hat, crystal, or charm), or it can be multiple. I usually spring for two items, one to absorb/recycle and one to bounce/return to sender.

Absorb:

I've got a relative who is, at their essence, a fucking downer. That would be fine if not for the fact that if they're having a bad time or are mildly uncomfortable, it's about to be everyone's problem. This kind of negativity is something to absorb, not bounce. Sending it back would only double their misery, and that's no good for anyone.

So, instead, I have a special charm that I make for occasions when I know they're going to be around. It consists of a little piece of sponge that's sat in salt for a while atop a transformative sigil. The sponge, once fully charged and ready, will absorb the negative energy and recycle it into more positive feelings.

This means that their negativity won't impact me at all, and I actively improve the atmosphere. Their bad attitude can't do anything if everyone around us is only getting good vibes. The charm is powered by the exchange of negative to positive energy, so it requires no charging. However, it's smart to discard the sponge once it's done its job.

Bounce:

But sometimes, somebody's got to face real consequences. There are some things I don't want to deal with at all. Like gross political opinions from my conservative, religious family members. Or questions about having children.

The idea of the bounce is to reflect things before they reach me. It's a sort of glamor spell that projects an aura of "don't bother." It essentially lets me be passed over for conversations I want to leave or avoid entirely by bouncing attention away from me.

Negative energy, bad vibes, whatever you want to call it -- the goal is to return it to where it's coming from. Someone who's being an asshole will feel like an asshole. If it works right, they'll stop talking altogether because they're so irritated with what they're saying. I've had aggressive, vocal relatives go completely silent because they were receiving their own rancid energy back to themselves instead of the attention they were hoping for.

For me, this spell takes the form of a charm on my keys. It's a form of an evil eye charm -- not the blue-eyed stare you most likely think of, but another symbol meant to distract attention from me to it. It's a little pewter casting of the fig sign, an old and obscene gesture. It works on malevolent spirits best, but it does a great job of repelling unfortunate people, too. It bounces their nonsense back to themselves, often causing confusion, which forces them to reconsider what they're saying.

Again, this lives on my keys, which live in a key bowl when they're not clipped to my pocket or belt loop. The key bowl has a multi-purpose charging setup for the keys, my wallet, and other assorted charms I might wear when I go out.

The Quills

Sometimes, things get past our main line of defenses. That's fine, it happens. But under these circumstances, it happens because someone has deliberately crossed a line. So now, they get the quills.

When I say "the quills," you should be picturing something like a porcupine. Adorable, yes, but fuck with it at your own risk. Those quills aren't just for show, and neither should yours be. This is your second line of defense, and it's where we turn to offense.

Accordingly, the quills aren't passive spells like the bubble. These require conscious activation and direction to give you maximum control over their output. You can make your quills passive, but I often find that baneful workings work best when you're specifically choosing to use them.

Yes, baneful, and let me be perfectly clear: The goal is to harm whoever's crossed the line. You're not just returning to sender. You're catching what they've thrown at you, lighting it on fire, and pitching it back at full force.

To that end, there are two approaches I typically take (and are you sensing a pattern? I like to do things in twos). One spell to sharpen the tongue and give as good as I've gotten, and one to induce the smallest of lingering curses on the target.

Sharpen

The whole point of the quills is to make yourself an inconvenient, difficult target. Part of being difficult to swallow is not going down easily. Often, the answer is to avoid the conversation or problem altogether, but it isn't always possible. Or satisfying.

Sometimes, you gotta take a bitch down.

For me, this charm needs to do two things. It should boost my confidence in standing my ground and add some oomph to my argument. I have a pin with a particular design on it charmed for this purpose. The needle operates as the quill for stabbing (the oomph), and the design provides the confidence. Anointed with my Fuck Off Oil and laid in a dish of salt, garlic, and red chili flakes, the pin becomes extra spicy and effective.

This one has to be recharged each time it's used. It always lives on the same jacket, but I'll anoint it regularly to keep it fresh. If I use the charm on someone, I'll take the pin off at the end of the night and set it in the spicy salt mixture.

Linger

By far one of the most effective methods for reducing nonsense from unpleasant people I interact with regularly is lingering consequences. When someone associates bad luck with interacting with you, even on a subconscious level, they tend to avoid you.

Consider this the "slow poison" on the quills. The goal isn't to ruin their life by any means (although, I suppose you could...). It's just to make yourself unpalatable on an instinctive level. Think of how poisonous frogs are brightly colored to display that they're, you know, deadly. That's what we're doing here.

I prefer to use something kind of dangerous. Something you can hold onto and point with is best, in my experience. I've used a broken piece of glass, a rusty nail or screw, and various thorns. Right now, I'm using one half of a rusty pair of old cooking shears. The handle broke, but the blades are still sharp as hell. Waste not, and all that.

Anoint whatever the sharp, dangerous thing is in an oil infused with herbs and spices of your choice (again, the Fuck Off Oil is a good example). Or, if you prefer, coat it in something like hot sauce, urine, rust, or other corrosive and unpleasant things. Once prepared, stow it in your bag. Or your glove box, if you drive, since this makes a nice on-the-go curse to cast at shitty drivers.

You don't need to pull it out for it to work, but if you can get to a safe, secluded space (like a bathroom), it can help you focus. When you're creating it, you should set up an activation word, phrase, or motion. I prefer a motion -- something like tapping wherever the object is, a swirling movement with my hand, and then pointing at the target.

The curse you place is up to you. I tend to go for something like feeling nauseous or getting a headache. The spell should draw a connection between them being nasty to you and the unpleasant feeling, whether overt or subconscious. They'll be more cautious and reluctant to be a dick to you afterwards.

The Shake

Like a dog. Get that shit off of yourself.

No matter how thorough you are, there are always gaps and particularly stubborn people getting into them. Something they say just sticks to you like a burr, sharp and irritating. Or depressing, maybe.

The idea behind the shake is literal. You're forcibly removing the heavy weight or annoying itch someone else has placed on you. The shake isn't necessarily an item like with the bubble and quills. It can be, but it doesn't have to be.

Essentially, the steps to the shake are:

Identify what feels bad

Shake that shit

Resume normal activities

Maybe it's the neurodivergent in me, but physical movement is incredibly soothing. Self-regulation tactics are essential for survival. Transforming that into a little spell ritual at the same time is just two birds with one stone.

When things get overwhelming or I can feel my bubble failing to keep everything out at once (such as if a fight breaks out or someone decides to go in depth about one of my triggers), I remove myself from the situation. That's the first step. Retreat to a safe place, whether that's outside, in my car, in the bathroom, or elsewhere that's quiet. The second step is to figure out where in my body the anxiety or bad feeling is sitting. Often, it's in my shoulders and hands, but sometimes it's elsewhere.

Step three is to fucking shake. Shake those hands, roll my shoulders, jump up and down. Whatever it takes. As I do, I'm forcibly dislodging everything unpleasant out of myself and into the open air. And because I've got the negativity-absorbing bubble, it'll take the bad feeling and repurpose it into something more positive. Then, once I'm better, I can go back.

Again, you don't need an object for this, but you can certainly create one. Options would be comforting items, fidget toys, or even something like a joint. Sometimes, you just gotta blow smoke about it. You know?

Fun fact, though: You could also carry a vessel to contain the Bad Feelings for later use instead of letting your bubble absorb them. This comes in handy for people who are particularly abusive... as an example of what you want them to experience under the force of a more involved cursing.

If you like my work, consider throwing a tip my way! Supporters get early, exclusive, and extended access to my work for as low as $3.

[nkirukaj]

vVv is for Voe (3)

Pairing: StaticBeau & RadioBeau

Warnings: Swearing; Sexual Acts

Genre: Humor! SMUT!

Word Count: 4K

<Chapter 2

3. High Maintenance

“So who is this Radio guy, that has Vox in such a tizzy?”

Vinny is quite nervous hearing that question from Voe. His body shakes and his eyes dart around the room “I’m not sure that Mr. Vox wouldn’t want me to divulge that information,”

“Oh come on, I won’t tell. I just want to understand him better, is that a crime?”

He swallows and pulls on his collar as she enters his personal space

“Nobody has to know,” she puts her hand on his shoulder

“Um, you promise that you won’t tell?”

“I promise!” She lies

“The Radio Demon is one of the most powerful Overlords. He just appeared and started taking down other strong Overlords. He’s Mr. Vox’s mortal enemy. Their rivalry is one for the ages. They disagree on their views of technology,”

“TV vs Radio,” she moves back “I see,”

“Mr. Vox and he had some kind of a fight before the Radio Demon disappeared for 7 years. I don’t know anything else, okay?”

Voe blinks at him “Thank you for that information, Vinny. The secret is safe with me,”

“Well in my opinion TV is the clear winner, but I’m not an ancient fossil,”

“Vox. Vox!”

“What?” he rubs his forehead with his fingers

She steps closer to him “So here’s the deal. I need a nail technician, a hair stylist, a makeup artist, and my own assistant,”

“For your appearance on my show?”

“And if you want me to keep doing LIVEs hereafter,”

“Okay, you were getting those things anyway,”

She sets her brows “I just want us to be clear,”

“Is there something you actually wanted to talk to me about? Or did you want to tell me about more things that I already did?”

She looks back and forth on his face “Is poaching each other’s employees common?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, Valentino approached me, telling me to work for him and not you. Is that normal here?”

“Oh yeah, that’s pretty normal,”

“So that doesn’t bother you?”

He groans “Look, sometimes we trade employees back and forth,”

“So you wouldn’t mind me doing porn?”

He sits up “Hmmm, now that’s an angle I didn’t think about. An influencer and a porn star?” 

“Oh, I bet you would love that,” 

“All of Hell would love that,” Vox smirks at the idea

“Well unfortunately for you, I prefer for my sex to be up close and personal,”

“Soooooo are you not gonna do it? I need to know these things,”

“No,” She leans forward “But we can talk about something just as good,”

“What’s just as good as an influencer porn star?”

“How about topless photos?” she crosses her arms

Vox raises an eyebrow “I’m listening,”

“I am very confident in my body, so I’d be happy to do a semi-nude photoshoot to raise my star meter! I mean, my brand on Sinstagram is being sexy after all,”

“Hmmm, I guess that wouldn’t be bad but I want you to tease ‘em. Don’t just full-on show your nips.”

“Of course, and I assume you’ll be reviewing them?” She smirks

“Yes, but you seem smart Voe. Don’t do anything that will embarrass this company. Or we’ll have a problem,”

“Like what?”

“I think you know what. Make us look good and make the enemy look bad,”

She tilts her head “Who’s the enemy?”

“That old-timey prick Alastor and Lucifer’s bimbo daughter, and everyone else in that rancid Hotel,”

Voe nods “Noted,”

“Good girl. Now go, I have things to do and you have something to get ready for,”

“Hey guys, I’m getting ready to be on Vox-2-Nite. As you can see I’m getting my hair done!” She whips around “Not like that!” she snaps to the stylist “Have you never worked with curly hair?”

“Umm, should I get the flat iron?”

Voe snaps “You’re dismissed!”

She pouts and leaves the room

“VINNY!!”

“Yes?”

“Tell Vox that I need another hairstylist. Pronto!”

“Yes ma’am” he rushes off

Voe checks out her hair and is disgusted

nah she about to look stupid as fuck

yo somebody save her

she look like she just walked out the zoo!

“Okay, racist,” she tells the chat as she checks out her hair “I swear Vox must have been white when he was alive because what the fuck is this?” she flips the lamp in front of her on “and this foundation doesn’t even match my skin tone. I am Black, people!” she tells the LIVE before going back to fuss over her hair.

The entrance hears the click of Velvette’s shoes. The door is ajar, so it’s easy for the doll to see in. She hears the groans and scoffs of Voe inside struggling and decides to enter the room, being gretted by the sight of her hair all over the place, and her makeup looking clown-like “What the bloody Hell is going on in here?”

Voe glances up at her in distress “Whoever that sorry excuse for a stylist was, she needs to be fired!”

Velvette grabs her shoulders and looks her in the eye “Don’t stress, it’ll cause wrinkles, and what happened to your face? Have you always been this light?”

“Uh, no!”

“Okay, tell Vox that I’m taking care of this!” she screams to Vinny as he comes back into the room “Don’t touch it!” She smacks Voe’s hand away as she’s trying to flatten it.

Velvetted immediately summons a spray bottle to get Voe’s hair back to its normal state of curls. She brushes them from the ends up, placing just the right amount of product to define the curls and style them nicely and gracefully.

Voe is giddy, not knowing what the result will be, but knowing that it will be phenomenal “This is what I’m talking about! This is why you need Black women!”

Velvette hits her again “Stop moving!”

Velvette’s assistant Melissa enters the room with a garment bag “Miss, where should I put this?” she asks the Overlord

“On the bed Melissa, duh!” 

Melissa timidly drapes the bag over Voe’s mattress and stands awkwardly waiting for more instructions

“Melissa! You’re freaking me the the fuck out just standing there. Kindly fuck off!” she exits with a grimace

“What’s that?” Voe asks

“It’s your clothes obviously. I will not always do your hair and makeup, but I will pick your outfits. If I leave it to one of the boys, you’ll either end up looking like a housewife or a stripper,” she says as she adds some color to the doe’s lip

“And what will I look like with you?”

Velvette turns her toward the mirror “A star,”

Voe emerges onto the set of Vox-2-Nite with her hair half up and half down, her hair in perfect spiral curls, and a nice evening look with simple eyeshadow, a neutral lip, and highlight; while wearing a shimmering pink spaghetti strap dress with matching shimmering heels, ready for her close-up. She approaches Vox who is busy staring at his phone.

“How do I look?” she asked him

He looks her up and down “Late,” he says 

“Well, that’s your fault,”

Vox raises his brow “My fault? Watch yourself missy,”

“If you had given me a stylist that understood my hair type and my skin tone, then Velvette wouldn’t have had to step in,”

“So it’s my fault that you’re high maintenance?”

She furrows her brows “High maintenance?”

“Yes, high maintenance,” he mocks her and walks away, clearly done with the conversation, stepping out onto the set in front of the cameras 

“In 5…4…3…2…” they countdown to the beginning of filming

“Welcome ladies and gentlemen to Vox-2-Nite! Brought to you by VoxTek, trust us, with your entertainment!”

Voe stood and waited for her entrance. This had to be perfect, this was the beginning of her stardom, her rise to fame, and absolutely nothing would screw it up for her.

“Next up we have Hell’s next big thing…or maybe not. Let’s welcome Voe the Beau” Vox grins and presses a button that lights up a sign saying ‘CLAP LOUDER’, Voe steps on set to thunderous applause. She waves to the crowd and blows them kisses before sitting down opposite Vox. He pulls the chair closer to his desk.

“So, Voe,” he starts “How you feeling? They treatin’ you well backstage?”

“I feel quite well treated Vox, just wish they knew how to handle my hair and skin!” She laughs

Vox alongside her and presses his button again the sign saying ‘LAUGH LOUDER’ and they do, but when they die down Vox says “We’ve seen several of your LIVEs and I’ll say you have quite the following. And you’ve only been here for what two or three weeks, was it?”

She nods “Yes, I have been here in Hell for three weeks, and I don’t know about a following. How does 50,000 sound?”

“50,000? How did you manage to get that kind of following?”

Voe crosses “Now Vox, a magician never reveals her secrets!”

He laughs “His secrets!”

“Well, not all magicians are male!”

“Hahahaha! Anyway! How are you liking here in Pentagram City? Met anyone special?”

She laughs off the question “No of course not! I am not thinking about romance!”

“Awww,” came the crowd

“Not anyone? Not even a quick glance?”

“It hasn’t even crossed my mind!” she waves him off

He picks up his mug “So what are your plans huh? Any plans to get more followers?”

She takes some time to think about it “I don’t know. I never went in with a plan, and things just worked out for me. I mostly just follow my instincts”

“Ohh, so you’re a lucky doe! Another question, how do you feel about your fans calling you the Billboard Doe?”

Voe scrunches up her face “What? Why would they call me that?”

“This is why,” Vox presses another button, pulling up a screen with a hung billboard in the middle of Pentagram City, completely blocking another billboard. The billboard reads ‘Voe the Beau; a sinner you’ll love to see’. Voe can’t see what’s on the other billboard but she doesn’t care. “You sure stop traffic Voe,” he grins at her

Voe covers her mouth in shock, the audience whooping and applauding at her reaction “Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Are you serious?!”

“Am I serious? Am I serious ladies and gentlemen?”

“HE’S SERIOUS!!!” the crowd screams

“And you’re gonna be in Velvette’s next runway show!!”

Voe has to stop herself from standing up. She flaps her hands in front of her face in joy and surprise, then calms down for a moment “Wait, where did you get that picture from?”

“Ho ho ho!” Vox chortled

“Seriously, I don’t remember posing for that picture,”

“Isn’t she a beauty folks?!” Vox changes the subject, to the crowd that claps away “We are so happy to have you here Voe. Thank you all for watching Vox 2-Nite! Play us out!” The audience plays swing music as Voe can’t help but ask

“How did you get that picture?”

The cameras turn off and Vox drops the grin immediately “Everyone, go the Hell home! You’ll get your checks in the mail!” he walks off the set and Voe follows

“Vox, where did you get that picture from?”

“I have eyes everywhere my dear. Some you can see, some you can’t,”

She goes in front of him “Why did you put up that billboard? What do you get out of it?’

“Can’t I just be kind to a friend?” He sips his coffee “Like I said, I know you’re a good girl, and good girls get rewarded,”

A blush rises up her cheeks “Oh, well I do deserve it,”

“Yes, you do. And keep it up and I will give you so much more,” he cups her chin with his fingers

Voe jerks her head back slightly “Keep your fingers to yourself,”

Vox chuckles “Oh Voe, I’ll put my fingers on or in whatever I want,”

____________________________________

Voe tossed and turned in her bed. Something didn’t feel right. No matter how she moved her body, she knew there was something off. She feels a tuft of cool air directly on her neck and shoulder, causing her to remove her eye mask and sit up. When she places her left hand down on something warm and rock-hard.

“Ooh my!”

Voe flinches and turns to look at the space next to her. She can almost make something out, but turns on her lamp just to be sure “Valentino!”

“Hola,” he winks

She pulls off her bonnet “What are you doing in my bedroom, much less in my bed?”

“I just wanted to congratulate you on your first broadcast, and a billboard bigger than mi pene,”

She furrows her brows “Yeah, I’m pretty sure any billboard is bigger than your dick,”

He chuckles and slowly drags his long body up “I wanted to reward you,” he trails his hand down her face

Her core warms up a bit “Are you naked?” Val takes the cover off of his bottom half, showing his thick purple dick “You are. What makes you think I’d want to fuck you?” she crosses her arm

“You’re right, you’re right. You probably don’t want all of this,” his accent flossed through her body

“I didn’t say I didn’t,”

“Mmm, then why are we wasting time talking? Get undressed for Daddy,” he reaches for her buttons “Why are you so covered up going to bed? I need to go shopping for you because,” he unbuttons her top buttons until the tops of her breasts are exposed “These babies,” he caresses her skin, then cups and squeezes her breasts “Need to breath,” He grins, drool dripping from his lips.

Voe smirks back at him, unbuttoning the rest while keeping eye contact with the moth, slipping her arms out of their holes. Her breasts fall with a little bounce. “Better?” 

“Much better,” Valentino motions for her to come to him and she scooches forward. He places his bottom hands on her ass, groping each cheek and the top pair are on her waist. He pulls down her shorts and panties in one go, rendering her bare “Ooh, so you’re not shy, why don’t you want to be on film with me?” he purrs as her brown skin collides with his purple one. 

“I like to keep my body private,” she holds his face and throws off his shades

“This body shouldn’t be kept private,”

“You’re lucky you get to see it,” she whispers “Bite me,”

“Whatever you like,”

She can feel his saliva on her throat, his long tongue taking its time wrapping around her neck. She yanks on his nipple chain as she feels his teeth sink into the skin of her throat feeling the mark he was leaving there. She throws her head back in pleasure, holding his bald head in place. She wraps her legs around his torso and flips them so she’s on top of him. 

“Oooh, I didn’t know you were so freaky,”

Voe chuckles “Can you feel this?” she breathes out, and lowers herself onto his dick, feeling it spread her walls apart. She pulls on his nipple chain like the reins on a horse, as she rocks back and forth on his cock. Hearing him growl in response sets her off her speed. She leans down and twists his nipples. He bites his lip and groans, pushing himself as far as possible up into her cunt. She yanks him back up by his chain and tells him “Wrap me in your wings,” turning around and bouncing herself, her hand on her own throat, she feels the warmth of his wings around her body, the fluff grazing her nipples. Val growls and with a grin, grips her waist tightly to the point of pain and forces her head down into the mattress, his last hand around her throat, squeezing tighter and tighter. He rams into her cunt with a torpedo’s force as he looms over her, grinning evilly as he gets more and more aroused by his aggression. Voe pounds on the mattress, the pain slowly overwhelming her, pushing her head up and being pushed back down until she forces her way back up. She breathes heavily and turns back around, choking him with all her strength. He seemed to like it though, growling while cumming all inside her and pulling out when he’s finished. 

Val sits up and caresses her cheek “Did you cum baby?”

She stares up at him “No,” she pushes him

“Then it’s time to keep trying; Daddy doesn’t stop until he gets the job done,” he lays her down and begins rubbing her clit with his palm. Up and down, then side to side. Faster and faster he rubs with his fingers until the knot in her core snaps and the cum covers his palm, which he promptly licks off like tasty icing.

“That was delicioso,” he said popping his fingers into his mouth “Let’s repite? Hmm?” he winks as he leaves the room, butt naked and all.

_______________________________

“Why aren’t you the one in charge?” The doe asked the doll “You’re so much smarter and well put together than the boys are,”

Velvette smirks “Who says I’m not?”

“Well Vox walks around like he’s the big man in charge so, I guess he says so?”

Velvette paces around comparing swatches of fabric and looking at garments “My biggest piece of advice is to let the boys think they’re in charge when in reality, you’re the one running the show. You think this place could run for even a second without me? Absolutely not. And to me, a leader is someone that a place can’t function without. That’s me,”

Voe leans over a desk “You’re brilliant Velvette. And clearly, we’re very similar. That sounds like something I would’ve said before getting some CEO to drain his bank account to give me all that I need,”

“Oh, is that how you got here?” Velvette smiles, clearly impressed

Voe smirks “That and, fucking with their wives,” she checks her nails 

Velvette throws her head back and laughs “Oh that’s priceless!” She claps “Sweetheart you are definitely in the right place!” she walks over to Voe “Try this one,” Voe tries on the skirt she was given, and Velvette purses her lips “Hmm, no. That makes you look like you have rolls, and I don’t like the texture up against your skin. Take it off,” Voe does and watches Velvette work. She eventually notices her eye “What?”

“I think I might admire you,”

Velvette scoffs “You think you admire me?”

“Yeah, I’m not sure yet,” Voe chuckles as she steps back to admire the studio “This is honestly incredible, and it is not easy to get a compliment out of me,” She looks the doll in the eye “You are basically what I kept in my mind whenever I thought of the ideal version of myself,” Voe’s heels click on the marble floors “Though I am more of a performer myself,” Velvette just chuckles in response

There’s a beat of silence before Voe breaks it by saying “I am so glad that I’m not doing Vox’s dry cleaning anymore. Last time I ran into some old-timey dude who wasn’t watching where he was going,”

“Lots of old timey pricks down here that still haven’t gotten the hint that God won’t let them up if they’re a bit more racist,”

“Do the racists think they’re down here for a different reason?”

Velvette turns to her with a grin “Apparently Lucifer himself has a ‘waitlist’ for them and they’ll be waiting for eternity,”

Voe claps as she laughs “Nah, but this guy helped me up. It was still annoying though,”

“Was he at least good-looking?”

Voe thinks about it “Yeah, I guess so,”

“Hmm, don’t tell Vox or Val that. They’ll get jealous,” she grins devilishly “What did he look like?”

“The biggest thing I remember was that he had on. a bunch of red,”

“That’s like everybody down here,”

“Right, but his eyes were red too,”

Velvette scrolls on her phone “Mhmm,”

“And his hair was like the same color as my clothes, like a hot pink?”

“Mhmm, what he sound like?”

Voe put her finger on her chin “Like…..his voice was higher pitched, but it wasn’t normal. Like it sounded like he was talking into a synthesizer or something,”

“Synthesizer? Hmm….”

“Yeah, like there was a voice filter as he was talking, in person. Like what the fuck?”

“I don’t think old-timey and synthesizer go together. Do you remember anything specific about him?”

Voe pops, remembering “Yeah, his hair looked like ears!”

“Uhuh? You could be talking about any sinner here,”

“Like my ears,” she points to her ears on top of her head

“Welp, It’s no one I’ve fucked!”

Voe laughs “You know what’s funny?”

“Hmm?”

“I haven’t seen any other deer, but he looked like one,”

“Deer?” Velvette scrolls through her phone and shows Voe a picture “Is that him?”

Voe nods “Yeah!”

“You had an encounter with the Radio Demon?”

“That’s the Radio Guy?”

“The Radio Demon is the second most powerful Overlord, after the Vees,”

“Wouldn’t that make him the 4th?”

Velvette shakes her head “We are one, sometimes we share one shower, one bed, one sex partner. I told them we don’t have to do that off camera, but Vox says,” she mocks his voice “I have cameras everywhere,”

“Wait, so is this the guy Vox thinks is prettier than him?” She runs her tongue over her teeth

“Yeah,” she leans into Voe’s ear “Pretty cute isn’t he?”

Voe chuckles and nods “Rawr” she jokes

Both she and Velvette laugh when Vinny bursts into the room out of breath.

“What? WHAT?”

He takes his time catching his breath, both women getting more and more annoyed

“What do you want?” Voe asked him, her arms crossed

“Mr. Vox wants to see you two,” he breathes out

“That was it?” Vos snaps ��Ugh,” she walks past him with Velvette behind her, leaving him there clutching his knees 

“What do you want Vox?” Voe asks

“You heard us didn’t you?” Velvette put her hands on her hips

He stands “In fact, I did you traitor!”

Valentino shakes his head in disapproval “Mmmm,”

Vox turns to the doe “Voe, you’ve met with the Radio Demon?”

“I didn’t meet with him. I ran into him. Well, he ran into me!”

“And how did you feel toward him?”

“What do you mean?”

“Were you uh…seduced by his charm?”

She scoffs “Seduced? Of course not, I was pissed!”

Vox stands with his hands behind his back, he turns with his back facing them “How interesting,”

Velvette smirks “What’s that face for Vox? You have a thought?”

Vox turns back around, with a giant grin on his screen “More like an idea, my dear,”

“Oooh, I’d like to hear it,” Val said

“Voe, my dear, let me ask you something. How about instead of just being Hell’s biggest influencer how would you like to work alongside us as an Overlord?”

Voe’s jaw drops “An Overlord?” 

He nods “Yeah,”

“What are you on about Vox?”

He ignores her “I need more of those ‘accidental run-ins’ to happen between you and….Alastor,”

“Is that his name?”

He nods again. “Yes,”

“Okay, how am I supposed to make that happen?”

“You, are going to spend some time at the ‘Hazbin Hotel’,”

“What the fuck is that?”

He puts the hotel on his screen “Hell’s new shitty Hotel, on the edge of Pentagram City. Alastor stays there, and you are going to as well for the next month, you get some info on the the prick and report to Velvette, I’ll give you whatever you want,”

“So like a spy?”

“Not like a spy, a spy,”

“A sexy spy,” Val grins

Voe leans over the table, thinking about the offer “What kind of info do you want?’

“Something to shatter the Radion Demon. Destroy him,”

“Which means you’d have to get to know him love,”

“She doesn’t have to get that close to him,”

Velvette whips her head around “How do you expect her to get the information? Do you think he’s just going to give it up?”

“He certainly didn’t give it up to you,” Val snickers and Vel joins him

“Shut up!” Vox snaps and turns back to Voe “So, do we have an understanding?”

“Sure, why not? I did things like this for fun on Earth,”

“Excellent,”

Chapter 4>

[astrum-aetherium]

omg mother is back ✊✊ literally just had a thought ab henry with a percy jackson stan gf (me) bc it would be the most RANCID thing every and they would have the most loud cringe wet sex ever henry will start moaning like a girl

— flea

flea, i adore your opinions and contributions to this blog from the bottom of my heart if that hasn’t been made obvious by the amount of times i’ve voiced my utter amusement with them already. you keep outdoing yourself with every submission. all of them are a nice switch-up from all the debauchery i’m conducting here. this gave me a hearty laugh.

henry with a PJO-loving partner: always arguing about mythology, assigning random characters to him, forcing him to watch the movies and then enduring his complaints regarding logistics and historical accuracy (and how old the actors look). and, yes, the loud, messy sex — if you want. add roleplay if you’re feeling extra nasty. lmao

[daisymylove]

Hide the breakables and board up the windows, my beloved Mfs, for a rant is coming your way.

I want to be done complaining about chot I really do, I hate being so negative about a book I waited and yearned for, for so long, but there’s one more thing that annoyed me greatly, and, per usual, I want to know what yall think

Today’s subject is our Blackthorn sibling duo.

I wanna preface this by saying that Grace’s povs were one of my favourite parts of Choi.Her character in itself adds grayness to a narrative of angels and demons, good vs evil, and I really enjoyed all the complexity and layers given to her.I ended Chog cursing her name to the wind swear to god, the cursing emoji was a perfect visual representation of me when she put that thing on james again, but in choi cc achieved exactly what she aimed for with grace :” an explanation, not an excuse”

However, I feel like all that information we were given in the previous book was completely wasted in Chot.The characters never find out that she was threatened into putting the bracelet back on James, or that she tried to take it off at his wedding. Her motivations, too, are never known.The way it was portrayed, it looks like Grace stayed so long by Tatiana’s side bc she truly had some sort of fetish for torturing men, when, in reality, it was all for Jesse 

She could’ve begged for sanctuary in an institute, once she became old enough, she could’ve fled with Magnus when he offered to help her in TMH, but she never did.Grace never left bc leaving Tatiana would also mean leaving Jesse and what was all that for? home boy discarded her like some rancid food at the first opportunity  When she went to Curzon street to demand James kissed her? That was for him. Even that train wreck she caused by the end of choi was for him, bc she couldn’t bear the thought of controlling her brother and twisting his feelings for her.To me, this is some very relevant info that should’ve become known if all the secrets were going to be revealed, AND YET NONE OF THIS IS ADRESSED IN THE GODDAMN BOOK

the only explanation I can think of is because that knowledge would require of Jesse to have at least a little bit of loyalty towards his sister, or look like an ungrateful arse which he did, but I’ll get there.

Now about jesse.I had great expectations for him in this last installment, the first one in which he’s alive, but my main take away is that he has become an extension of Lucie’s feelings and opinions, in the most symbiotic way possible, with no personality of his own.

In choi we find out that Grace withstood a lot of physical and psychological abuse from Tatiana that he didn’t know about.I was expecting them to have a true heart to heart, they would discuss everything that went down when they were kids, not just james and the bracelet, and jesse would not only feel guilty about not being able to protect his little sister, but also decide to stick by her side no matter what.

And yes, he could’ve done that while also condemning her mistakes and treatment towards James.The two are not mutually exclusive, and would do justice to his little speech about complicated stories, which, to me, is a very hypocritical spiel since he decided to become his sister’s jury, judge and executioner

I never thought I would say this in my life, but I was infuriated on Grace’s behalf reading their scene in the silent city.Everything about it was very odd, Grace conveniently for cc withholding something so important, the way she explained herself, his storming off. Jesse had never had ONE conversation with Cordelia in his life, he barely knew James, can a kind soul explain to me WHY he would be more concerned about their marriage than his actual sister? Considering his beloved had just done necromancy (YES, Thats what it was, even if it was a unconventional form of it.Bro was dead, then bro was alive again, just like that. N e c r o m a n c y) his moralism is very hypocritical and his understanding of nuance lacking

It irked something so deep inside me to see not just kit defending a girl he barely knew tooth and nail over his cousin and life long friend, but also Jesse not giving a fuck about his sister.They were talking about leaving Grace completely isolated from society (that was disgusting btw, it was up to their authorities to decide her future, not a bunch of teenagers thinking they can treat a person like a broken doll, to be put away wherever they feel like it) and Jesse looked like he couldn’t spare a visit. He seemed more than eager to put Tatiana AND grace behind him in order to start a new life with the herondales. So much for them being all each other had growing up and his so called loyalty

As some last thoughts bc this is getting way too long, Grace should’ve been the one to kill Tatiana.That wasnt Cordelia’s business and had no emotional significance. When that fight happens Grace looks the polar opposite of everything Tatiana ever groomed her to be.She is dirty, shoeless, bedraggled and feral looking, Lucie even thinks that grace’s little training would only be useful if she got close enough.Imagine, my siblings in christ, Grace slitting Tatiana’s throat, after she kills Grace’s only friend, while she is distracted with Rupert.Tatiana molded Grace into her blade, and that Blade was responsible for her end.Feel the sheer power of it, the poetic justice that could’ve been ours.

I also think Grace should’ve been sent away to the scholomance (against her wishes, hence the I didnt choose this) for intensive training both bc she’s really behind in it, and as a punishment from the clave.Its not like she had a place to go to, and staying at her ex fiance’s parent’s house is not the way to go. . 

This new scenario would give her a fresh start to properly heal and eventually make friendships/ find love without the taint from the past on her heels.Her hanging out and chilling with James and his friends has no sense and is a disrespect to his abuse.James doesnt need his abuser living in his uncle and aunt’s house, Grace needs to start her life over where her past won’t haunt her everyday

[darkwitchhideout]

Taylor swift: Through all the damned seasons

Taylor Swift has emerged as one of her generation’s most prolific and authentic music artists. Swift’s rise to fame however, has been marked with numerous challenges — from facing misogyny from within the music industry to battling over ownership of her own work.

Recently, a very casual tweet of mine got traction from very unfortunate ends of the internet; one that loves to berate women over breathing, let alone having an opinion. To paraphrase, I had raised a proposition: “I think it is perhaps somewhat of a red flag when a man violently hates your interests, especially music. It is one thing to not hold regard for something and another to grow violent and spiteful in that dislike, or look down on you. And yes– this is related to men who will act high and mighty when you state your love for Taylor Swift’s music.” The response was extremely divided — mostwomen vehemently agreed that they had suffered through misogynistic encounters based on their likes and dislikes, and most men vehemently denied that any such discourse was significant. I muted the tweet because it was swarming with people, more specifically, men, telling me I was childish and immature, and that Taylor Swift made generic breakup music and deserved to be berated– as did I, for listening to her. Well… the shoe unquestionably fits the (un)intended audience here.

For anyone who spent much of their teens and now their adulthood listening to Taylor, you know it’s nothing new to get a scoffing remark over. “Come on? Her? All she does is date people, break up with them, and use it as an excuse to make shitty music.” Trust me, it sets your nerves alight to be near a music elitist, especially one that merely seems to berate music that is popular amongst young women in specific to give themselves a masculine ego boost for days. And Taylor herself is no stranger to misogyny in the music industry, excruciating controversies and very publicised feuds at merely the cusp of her adulthood– yet, she has always risen and resurrected herself as a person and an artist, continuing to grow.

Misogyny is rife in the music industry, and always has been. The time Taylor debuted, around 2006, and her rise to fame with her second album Fearless in 2008, was marked by a wider sociopolitical landscape for women that was very different. The industry was ages more exploitative than what we see now, and the social climate allowed it to be so. There was also a noticeable lack of female representation in key decision-making roles within the industry, such as producers, executives, and managers. This lack of representation perpetuated gender biases and made it difficult for female artists to advocate for their rights and creative visions.

Taylor herself has faced numerous instances of such attacks. She started her career in the early 2000s. Tabloids were horrible — I stumbled on a 2007 article from Kathleen Devon titled “Girls Gone Bad: Celebs and Kids.” To quote a segment from it that took me back to the good old era of flip phones and low-rise jeans: “Are we raising a generation of what one L.A. mom calls “prosti-tots,” young girls who dress like tarts, live for Dolce & Gabbana purses and can neither spell nor define such words as “adequate”?” That rancid air of ice-cold 2000s misogyny hit me right in the face. The article goes on to lament the love young girls have for Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, and how it is desecrating “sex, love and lasting commitment.” This is the environment Taylor stepped into.

She stepped foot into the industry with country music in her debut album, working with the Nashville Music Row songwriters. The country music industry had a noticeable gender imbalance with a predominantly male-dominated industry. Female artists often had to fight harder for recognition and airplay. However, when she moved away from this genre, she faced angry music listeners and country music enthusiasts blaming her for “abandoning” what had given her the fame she had.

The most popularised of the misogynistic tirade, however (that still has no lack of memes circulating around the internet) was 2009, when her music video for “You Belong with Me” was named Best Female Video at the MTV Video Music Awards. Her acceptance speech was interrupted by rapper and musician, Kanye West, who stepped on stage, snatched the microphone from her, and said: “Yo, Taylor, I’m really happy for you, I’mma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time! One of the best videos of all time!”, in reference to Beyonce’s “All the Single Ladies.” Taylor was 19 at the time- a very young girl, relentlessly bullied by peers that were supposed to be her guiding light. However, when Beyoncé won Video of the Year for “Single Ladies” later in the show, she called Taylor Swift back on stage to finish her speech.

This feud continued on, having highs and lows, and almost always seemed like a bemusing one-sided attempt. In February of 2015, Kanye spoke to Ryan Seacrest about a possible collaboration with Taylor and said: “Any artist with an amazing point of view, perspective, fanbase, I’m down to get in the studio and work. I don’t discriminate,” and merely a year later, put out the song “Famous” which takes a dig at her and explicitly says, “I made that bitch famous.”

A confessional poet, especially confessional poets that are women, are incessantly scrutinised. They have revealed what they want to, through symbols and metaphors, in their work. It’s all there for someone to find solace in; yet we need to know more because we think she owes us an explanation about her life. We think we can love her, hate her, dissect her, scrutinise her, because she has allowed us a window into her life.

I am in no denial of Kanye’s musical prowess as a rap artist; I have enjoyed his music for years and “My Beautiful, Dark, Twisted Fantasy” is a revolutionary, genre-bending work. However, to claim he is the key to Taylor’s success is confusing at best and disrespectful at most. There is a lot more to this feud, including a social media campaign against Taylor, a leaked phone call from Kanye West’s (now-ex) wife, Kim Kardashian, a naked sculpture of Taylor Swift featuring in Kanye’s music video (without Taylor’s consent — she later termed it revenge pornography) and as of the complete leaked call in 2020, which proved that the young Taylor laughing nervously when she was told about the song and saying she needs to “think about it because it is absolutely crazy.”

Taylor however, faced the misogynistic tirade through the years without allowing herself to be ostracised — she empowered herself, and insistently resurrected herself as an artist. In her acceptance speech for the Grammys in 2016, she told the audience: “I want to say to all the young women out there, there are going to be people along the way who will try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame… someday when you get where you’re going, you’ll look around and you will know that it was you and the people who love you that put you out there…” As a young, rising artist, she did deal with the event with none of the grace she owed her bullies, and she has been very vocal about gender equality, the Roe vs Wadeoverturn and about not shaming women for their personal life in light of what she has faced in her personal life and how it impacted it.

Then there is the issue of the media’s insistent fixation on her love life — it is not only pervasive, but also invasive. Every song that she would come forward with would be listened to so the listeners could find some symbolic representations of her trysts and scream, “See! This is a woman that is serial dating to include these poor, victimised men in her songs!” Gossip columns loved to know about her life, paparazzi hounded her, and her life was incessantly torn apart to become tabloid fodder. This reminded me of when I did my research on Plath, Sexton and other confessional poets — their experiences with uncomfortable questions by reporters that probed them to reveal more. A confessional poet, especially confessional poets that are women, are incessantly scrutinised. They have revealed what they want to, through symbols and metaphors, in their work. It’s all there for someone to find solace in; yet we need to know more because we think she owes us an explanation about her life. We think we can love her, hate her, dissect her, scrutinise her, because she has allowed us a window into her life. Now we must climb in and rummage her personhood instead of being spectators to what she has allowed us a glimpse into.

I wonder how Taylor felt — this young girl, stepping into an industry and being welcomed with rigid, patriarchal structures, and being constantly objectified like an antique shop curio — her love life seemed to overshadow her accomplishments as a singer-songwriter. It reinforced the idea that a woman’s worth is tied to her romantic relationships rather than her talent or achievements. Meanwhile, her male contemporaries got a clap on the back and cheered on. It’s almost as if dating women for men is conquest, and for women, is disgrace.

If you were on Tumblr, you might remember a very specific GIF that gained traction amongst feminist circles, regardless of whether they listened to Taylor or not. An interviewer asks Taylor why would a man want to date her if he knows she will write songs about them as jabs later on? She aptly replies: “…I’d just figure that if guys don’t want me to write bad songs about them, they shouldn’t do bad things.” As a poet myself, I have faced that lingering question.

You fell in love and wrote a book about it? Think about the man; he will forever be haunted by the fact that a girl immortalised that relationship in the form of writing. Well, if he didn’t want me to write about it, perhaps he shouldn’t have given me the words to put that humiliation into words. Comme ci, comme ça.

However, this is not a trajectory of the insistent harassment Taylor has put up with — this is also to see how that impacted her music and made her grow as an incredible artist, capable of exploring multiple genres. She has herself described her artistry as being a “music chameleon.” She self-identified as a country musician until 2012, when she released her fourth studio album, Red. After her success with pop and releasing albums in that genre, she stepped into experimenting with indie-folk and indie-pop — mild, subdued and emotionally evocative in “folklore” and “evermore.” With her latest release, “Midnights” in 2022, she goes back to pop but in an experimental tone — it is subtle, nebulous and mellow. Clash magazine commented on her career as being “one of transcendence and covert boundary-pushing.” Taylor cannot be boxed into a genre — she is just her own identity with her own ideas. What makes her artistry so special, however, is her lyrical ability. It is as if her lyrics trudge their own pathway to find their sound, rather than the other way around, and perhaps that is what makes her music resonate so deeply.

My favourite Taylor albums have to be a tie between “folklore” and “evermore” — in a piece titled “Growing Sideways” by Stephanie Burt and Julia Harris, they write, aptly: “The Taylor Swift of evermore is our pop Heraclitus: nothing here happens for the first time, everything’s a return to something, a rewrite, a re-take, a retraction, a chance to remember and do it again.”

It also means a lot to me because she takes back from the tabloids and paparazzi who hound her lyrics for trinkets of her romantic flames and instead carve out an entirely new pathway of story-telling through her songs. Her grief and loss become theirs, her angst is emulated through these figures, and they stand as a testament of her creativity. In “Bad Songs About Bad Things”, Summer Kim Lee gives Taylor’s narrative pathway in these albums a vivid description: “Writing is revenge without the need to ask for permission or apology… ethics is pushed aside for the political act of refusing to give in to gendered expectations… The personal is political…in folklore and evermore, Swift creates characters from which to write stories other than her own… seek out the fantasy of the folkloric rather than empowerment through the exposure of herself and others.”

It is as if Taylor stepped back from the idea of dissecting her own life and instead conned in on intimacy, relationships, and personhood from the viewpoint of a by-stander, and sometimes, a stranger stepping into another’s shoes and becoming imbued in their trajectory. This is what makes it haunting and charming at the same time.

However, while Taylor recorded her albums, she was also battling with Scooter Braun over his 2019 purchase of Big Machine Records, which effectively gave him ownership over Swift’s masters — which tied in with his affiliation with the Wests. Taylor vehemently opposed Braun’s “manipulative” bullying, and the fact that her unreleased work was released without her consent, as well as him profiting off her masters without a dime going to Swift herself. She then re-released her recorded albums to gain back ownership over them — Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version) in 2021 and Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) in 2023. All three peaked atop the Billboard 200, becoming the first ever re-recorded albums to do so. She opened up the industry to conversations about artists’ rights, the ethics of ownership of creative rights and intellectual property and for artists to negotiate for greater ownership of their music.

It is her authenticity that cultivates a sense of community — her vulnerability and openness in addressing both triumphs and tribulations in her life allow others to feel seen and understood.

I do sometimes come across the question, or question myself — why do so many women from so many different ethnicities and cultures and differing values find solace in Taylor’s music; a white woman penning down her experiences in her life? It took me back to the time I stood in my university’s restrooms after a tiring day, washing my face and someone played “exile” as they re-did their makeup. We all looked at each other with little grins as soon as we heard the first lyric, a sense of bonding and sisterhood. One of the girls’ spoke up about not having face wash and being annoyed — and despite my own nervousness with social contact, I handed her my bottle and we again smiled at each other. It’s all the little things that make up the joy of being a woman.

I think it is because she does not overstep her boundaries — her experiences are her own and she puts them forward to validate them and anyone else who may find solace in them, rendering her in a position where she does not overstep her boundaries. Summer Kim Lee, in “Bad Songs About Bad Things”, quotes Jean-Thomas Tremblay, who in an essay on New Narrative, describes it as “the assumption that impersonality, once intensified, will turn into commonality.”

It is her authenticity that cultivates a sense of community — her vulnerability and openness in addressing both triumphs and tribulations in her life allow others to feel seen and understood. She also stands as an empathetic storyteller, one that is able to vividly capture emotions and experiences in her lyrics allowing listeners to connect with her songs. This allows her to transcend cultural and racial boundaries and allow her to foster a bond with her listeners that transcends geographical boundaries.

I was not a girl that grew up dating or having any romantic affiliations, and still don’t — I always found myself hyper fixated on my career. And yet, Taylor’s music allowed me a glimpse into another life, another time, the ghost of a memory I might have had in another life. This is why her music stands special to me. I, too, was a young girl once that lamented how I wore t-shirts and all the popular girls in high school wore the preppier outfits, and I was not even on the bleachers because who wants to see high school basketball and football? And now it’s listening to Seven, revelling in the fact that all my friends who are women are just like me and that is something to celebrate; because within us, we will always have love and memories of each other because of it. It is realising that I do not want to not be like other women — it is indeed one of the few joys in my life to be just like them, and the only reason a cashew man might term you different is because you’re not the bland caricature of a one-dimensional person they hope to project on you. I am, indeed, wondering if I would “get there quicker if I was a man.”

[astarionsfavoritebhaalbabe]

Here's a bg3 confession/hot take: as a diehard Galemancer, and a Galemancer who absolutely believes in the "Mystra groomed Gale" take, defenders of it get WAY too serious about it when someone lightly disagrees. I feel like people who say "it didn't happen and Gale fans are reaching" are wrong, but there are some who will have an opinion something like "It was mostly just a power imbalance thing, she didn't send Elminster to scout him out when he was eight because she was fucking dead" and some Galemancers will flay the poor OP alive.

Again, don't get me wrong, grooming is grooming. But not all grooming is created equal. If we're sticking with the Forgotten Realms timeline and the idea Gale is at least 35 years old, Mystra literally could not have contacted (or been very conscious of) Gale until he was 22. Because she was dead. And yet Galemancers will hear the word "grooming" and assume the absolute worst version of the definition, and if you try to point out any level of nuance, you're a terrible person.

One last time: yes, Gale was groomed. No, Mystra is not a mega predator. Yes, Mystra still absolutely sucks rancid donkey scrotum.

And once again with topics like this people really tend to get worked up. On Reddit is usually where I see it the worst. Like whether someone agrees or disagrees is on them. Especially when it comes to a very much roleplaying imaginative game, I think it’s all out on the table. And like if it makes someone uncomfortable then don’t pick that piece up. But that doesn’t mean you get to tear apart someone who feels differently or sees the story differently.

On a different note, I can get behind the grooming. Especially the way their relationship is and the parts you get to see. That’s why I love romancing Gale and just like bro it breaks me. Let me fix him. Let me make him never think of Mystra again.

[omnipah]

for the character asks: pickman sangfielle and/or any malevolent guy of ur choosing

well if u insist!!!!

Pickman

Sexuality Headcanon: i do get very aro vibes from pickman and i think in a lot of cases she's functionally ace but. she sure did fuck that old woman! so i guess she's aro train-god-sexual lesbian. good for her Gender Headcanon: i mean i know this is the autism vibes but she truly does seem like the kind of person who's only doing woman because that's what she started as and knows how to do. she's still fairly cut off from traditional expressions of gender because of the autism and the Train Trauma but at the same time it's her version of womanhood and she's kind of spitefully attached to it now, even tho it's in a kind of nb way. A ship I have with said character: That Old Woman (shoutouts to chantilly scathe!!!) A BROTP I have with said character: duvall for that time he manifested into a scene he wasn't in to defend her honour A NOTP I have with said character: alekest i guess? i mean he did that himself tho. anyone else i mean. is it really friends at the table if the player characters don't all have weird unethical polycule vibes? A random headcanon: she seems like one of those people who can't cook for shit unless u give her a recipe with exact instructions and proportions and then even if she's completely unfamiliar with the technique she's suddenly a 5star chef. she thinks this is normal and everyone is like this and is baffled when colette gets moony-eyed at her over it General Opinion over said character: i am picking petals off flowers saying 'she loves me, she loves me not' i am doodling her name in my notebook i am cheerleading on the sidelines of every scene shes in i am holding her giant gun for her in case she needs it

Kayne Malevolent (i would say sorry but u did this to urself)

Sexuality Headcanon: i mean as far as canon goes he seems less concerned with gender and more concerned with whoever he doesn't consider boring. i could go ahead and just decide he's gay because he flirted with both john and arthur (not to mention the fruitiness) but that's too easy. if women were legal in malevolent he'd be uncomfortably horny about them too, i know it Gender Headcanon: whatever he's doing he's doing it a lot. A ship I have with said character: i mean given his whole deal he seems fairly impervious to like. intimacy. but i think it's fun when he gets all marina and the diamonds homewrecker in jarthur's already unstable marriage A BROTP I have with said character: well it would be lovely if there were sufficient characters in the actual show for him to actually have any kind of friendship with. or more likely affectionate rivalry considering how unpleasant he is as a person A NOTP I have with said character: i mean i don't know of anyone who's shipping him with anyone in particular but the only other recurring characters are larson yellow and the butcher and uh. all of them. less the butcher cus can u imagine the combination of fucked up hedonist trickster god + catholic guilt but still. the vibes are fucking rancid A random headcanon: this is mostly just taking the trope and running with it but i like to think he operates under fae rules, like, technically can't lie and technically has to keep his promises, so is like. extremely careful how he words things and what he avoids saying and leaves implied. bonus points cus he talks so fast u can't really tell he's doing it unless ur paying attention. yes i realise this is the third character in a row i'm headcanoning as a beaurocrat but listen it's my autism i get to project it General Opinion over said character: he's like a budget version of the outsider if the outsider listened to the orion experience. we love a fucked up trickster god and of course we love a bisexual covered in blood but yknow what else i love? characters who show up often enough to actually learn anything about them at all.

[greatwyrmgold]

I hate discourse that pretends it's about one issue, when it's actually about a dozen different issues with a common subject. And "AI art" is that discourse.

Is "AI art" good? Is it pretty? Can it have the same emotional impact as "real" art? Which AI art, and by what metric?

Are people who use generative algorithms "real artists"? If they just type a few words into DALL-E and accept the first thing it spits out, the answer seems like a clear no. If they try to find a good image to use as reference for their own art, the answer is an obvious yes. But there are countless techniques between these extremes, with no clear cut-off point between user-commissioner and AI-tool.

Is it okay to replace artists with generative algorithms? If it's just you making pretty pictures for yourself, no harm no foul. If Disney fired 90% of its background artists and used algorithms instead, or threatened to do so to extract concessions from its workers, that would not be good. But there are countless possibilities similar to these two examples to varying degrees, with no clear cut-off point between harmless personal art and screwing over artists.

Should generative AI be regulated? What regulations, written by whom, enforced how? Who writes the laws, and who are their donors? What are the loopholes that nobody wants to patch, or that were written in on purpose? How do these regulations affect artists who use DALL-E to make reference images? How do they affect artists whose artstyle looks like DALL-E images? How do they affect artists whose style imitates some other artist's style? How does it affect other types of derivative works? Does it actually stop companies from using AI to fuck over artists, or simply force them to develop in-house generators?

It would be bad enough if people involved in one of these arguments were merely unclear about their assumptions—both their assumptions about the subject and their assumptions about what everyone else thinks they're arguing about. But it's worse, because all of these discussions and others—discussions of philosophy, of politics, of aesthetics—all of them are about AI art, all of them get drawn into the swirling vortex of The Discourse. Discussions about impact on artists blend into discussions about IP law blend into discussions about the philosophical nature of art blend into discussions about whether AI art is as ugly as NFTs.

Even people who realize what's going on can't escape it. Every time I come across another chunk of this rancid Discourse, I feel the urge to respond, and the responses I think of drag the discourse from one issue to another. Away from the issues I consider pointless to discuss and impossible to answer, towards ones I have an actual opinion on. The only way to avoid muddying the waters further is to never so much as dip a toe in.

But the discourse continues to churn. I keep seeing new AI art takes—or more often, new versions of old AI art takes—stumbling onto my dash. Each begging me to do something about it, like a rhetorical itch. But I know scratching it is just going to make it worse. Hopefully this ramble can be the salve I need to just leave it the fuck alone.

[horseboneologist]

There have been a lot of posts going around lately talking about children posting 'discourse' and 'rancid takes' online. It's all "kids need to get off TikTok" and "when I was 12 I was playing outside, kids these days only know iPad and lie" and??? Are y'all okay??? I promise, I pinky-swear promise you that kids are still playing outside. Kids are still playing imagination games and running around by the creek and making paper airplanes in school. Yes the world is limited in ways it wasn't for older generations, and yes children need child-friendly spaces on the internet, but for fuck's sake y'all, these kids are still kids!! The real difference with this generation is that the rest of us are seeing them play-act as adults, because they have public platforms to do so! The don't somehow have worse opinions than we did at that age, we're just overhearing the shitty opinions that 12-year-olds share with each other.

"Different generation" this, "times are changing" that, I swear to god. When prehistoric humans settled their first villages and took up agriculture, how much you want to bet adults were saying "when I was 12 I was already leading my first wildebeest hunt, kids these days only know plough and thresh" like come ON.

Yes, my cousin has an iPad. He also has water balloon fights with his big brother. And he loves reading and doing cartwheels. His big brother has a girlfriend who holds his hand at lunch and he plays baseball and loves hotwheels. Kids are still out there making mud soup and pretending to be witches and inventing secret alphabets for their diaries. The kids are alright, I promise.

[thisisvoided]

VOILEMCE AASK

8, 24, 25

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥💥💥💥💥💥💥

VIOLENCE GALORE!!!!!! 💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥

i put it under a keep reading because it got a little long *COUGH* i may have. opinions about things. whoopsie doodles <3

8. common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

firstly, silver being a soft uwu baby. he isn't, end of discussion. idk WHY everybody is so fucking keen on infantilizing him and turning him into this idiot that can't tell left from right but it's just---UGH. stop having the most milk-white baby-ass surface-level takes, maybe? yes, he can be innocent and unknowledgeable in certain ways, but there is a difference between having a curiosity for the world because of all of the new experiences it holds and acting like a fucking infant. he doesn't understand social cues and norms and laws and shit because he was brought up in an apocalyptic hellscape! this doesn't instantly turn him into a toddler---in fact, it leans in the opposite direction! he acts too old for his age, he's grown up too fast, and he's probably got a martyr complex, people! seriously, out of everyone, you're going to infantilize the guy that was 100% willing and down to kill a guy he didn't know anything about if it meant saving the future? really?

secondly, shadow and sonic somehow turning into soft widdle sensual boys when paired up romantically with ANYBODY. i'm not even going to get into how shadow and sonic have such deep aro/ace-spec coding (along with every other sonic character), but the long and short of it is this: these two, no matter what they go through, will never turn into cuddly little babies in a romantic relationship. sorry babes, but its just the truth, plain and simple, and its been proven again and again. honestly, more people need to learn that in any relationship, physical contact is not a requirement or a need to keep that relationship healthy and long-lasting. (also not going to get into allonormativity and amatonormativity bcuz that would be wayyy to long of a discussion LMAO but. just understand that it is so very there with most/all of you)

24. topic that brings up the most rancid discourse

i'm. actually not too sure lmao. either anything involving shipping or the archie-or-idw bs.

probably the archie-or-idw bs.

25. common fandom complaint that you're sick of hearing

saying it again because this gave me more room to actually discuss it

"archie is better than idw because BLAH BLAH BLAH---" "idw is better than archie because BLAH BLAH BLAH---"

i am SICK OF EVERYONE'S SHIT regarding this because the two are so deeply different and incomparable on so many levels it's like--- what the fuck are even trying to accomplish? looking like a little whiny bitch? and it's never even like. valid arguments 90% of the time. its just "ohhh but archie doesnt have THIS" "ohhh but idw doesnt have THIS"

just SHUT. THE. FUCK. UP. creator almighty, do not waste yourself in my presence because i do not give a single shit my chum. <3

(if you have actual valid arguments then that's fine but like. if you're just spewing shit out of your ass then fuck you. which a majority of you are)

[cuisinecravings]

My Frozen Pizza Thawed Can I Refreeze? | Cuisine Cravings

Popular and practical, frozen pizza thawed provides fast and delectable meals. Nonetheless, many of us have encountered circumstances in which we have frozen pizza leftovers that require defrosting prior to consumption. One may inquire whether thawed frozen pizza remains secure for consumption. It is critical to comprehend the potential hazards and optimal methodologies associated with managing thawed pizza in order to safeguard the meal's quality and integrity.

My Frozen Pizza Thawed

My Frozen Pizza Thawed Can I Refreeze

Thus, the answer to this query is contingent upon these factors primarily. Alas, the answer cannot be simply a yes or no. It is fortunate that the present comprehensive guide will provide a thorough explanation of everything. The science behind freezing and thawing pizza, the physical changes it endures, and the effect of temperature on bacterial growth will be discussed in this article. Delving into expert advice and food safety guidelines, we will provide a comprehensive understanding of how to properly handle, store, and reheat thawed pizza to enjoy it without compromising on flavor or jeopardizing our health.

What occurs when frozen pizza is thawed?

Pizza undergoes a rapid temperature reduction to below freezing point when frozen, usually to an internal temperature of -18°C (0°F) or less. During this process, the water content in the pizza’s ingredients transforms into ice crystals. These ice crystals form throughout the pizza, causing physical alterations in its structure. As the ice crystals grow, they can create small ruptures in the pizza’s texture, resulting in potential changes in flavor and texture when thawed. When the frozen pizza is thawed, the ice crystals melt, and the water content returns to its liquid form.

Is Thawed Frozen Pizza Safe to Eat?

Generally speaking, there shouldn’t be anything hazardous about thawed frozen pizza. The greatest risk factor is bacterial growth, which is actually very easily controlled. The bigger question in our opinion is whether or not thawed pizza is still appealing to consume. This is a personal question and while many don’t mind the flavor and texture changes that occur during the procedure, others cannot stomach it.

How to Tell if Thawed Pizza Has Gone Bad?

Knowing if the frozen pizza has gone rotten is essential to avoid consuming spoiled food. Check the Expiry Date Start by scrutinizing the packaging for the “use-by” or “best-by” date. If the pizza has passed this date, it may not be safe to ingest, and its quality might have deteriorated. Inspect the Packaging Look for any indicators of damage, such as tears, punctures, or freezer burns. Freezer burn appears as discolored, dry, or frosty patches on the pizza’s surface and can indicate that the pizza has been inadequately stored or is too old. Odor Give the pizza a smell. If it emits an off or foul scent, it’s a clear sign that it has gone bad. Spoiled pizza can have an acidic or rancid odor due to bacterial growth or deterioration of ingredients. Texture Visually scrutinize the pizza’s texture. If the crust appears excessively desiccated, brittle, or discolored, it may be a sign of freezer burn or spoilage. Mold Check for any indicators of mold growth on the pizza’s surface. Mold indicates that harmful microorganisms have proliferated, and the pizza is no longer safe to consume. Sogginess If the pizza crust or toppings appear excessively soggy or mushy, it might have been exposed to moisture during storage or thawing, resulting to spoilage.   Related Posts: How to Freeze Pizza Dough? Step by Step Guide Can You Freeze Pizza Dough? How to Freeze Pizza Dough? Is Marinara Pizza Sauce? How To Make Marinara Pizza Sauce? How to Freeze Peaches? Full Procedure With Guide Can You Freeze Coconut Milk? How to Freeze Coconut Milk? Can You Freeze Brownies? Best Ways to Freeze Brownies? Taste If the pizza tastes sour, off, or different from what you expect, it is a strong indication of deterioration.

How to Properly Thaw Pizza

Improper thawing can lead to bacterial growth and spoilage, compromising the flavor and safety of the pizza. The best and secure method to thaw pizza is in the refrigerator. This process involves placing the frozen pizza on a plate or in a container and allowing it thaw slowly in the refrigerator. Refrigerator thawing allows for a gradual temperature change, which minimizes pathogen growth and preserves the pizza’s texture and flavor. Plan Ahead Thawing pizza in the refrigerator requires planning. Determine when you want to consume the pizza and take it out of the freezer accordingly. Large pizzas may take 24 hours or more to defrost completely. A pizza portion can take anywhere between 1-4 hours. Avoid Room Temperature Thawing Thawing pizza at room temperature should be avoided however enticing. Bacteria can multiply swiftly at room temperature, increasing the risk of foodborne illnesses. If you fail to plan ahead, opt for other safe thawing methods like cold water thawing (described below). Cold Water Thawing (Plan B) If you need to thaw pizza rapidly, cold water thawing is an acceptable alternative to room temperature thawing. Place the frozen pizza in a sealed plastic bag and submerge it in cool water. Change the water every 30 minutes to ensure it remains cool. This method can significantly speed up the thawing process. Avoid Thawing in the Microwave Thawing pizza in the microwave is not recommended as it can partially cook some sections of the pizza while leaving other areas frozen. Uneven thawing increases the risk of bacterial growth and degrades the texture of the pizza. Do Not Refreeze Thawed Pizza Once the pizza has been thawed, it should not be refrozen. Refreezing can result in a loss of quality and flavor, as well as increase the risk of bacterial contamination. Cooking Immediately After Thawing Once the pizza is thawed, it should preferable be cooked immediately. Cooking at the correct temperature ensures any potential bacteria are killed, making the pizza safe to eat. Read the full article

[talenlee]

Story Pile: The Lighthouse

As with Knives Out, Breaking Bad, and Old Boy, there is some media where I am concerned that by having an opinion, my mere me-ness is very much part of how that opinion is (and should be) perceived. Simply put, there’s a canon of media that I think millenial white guys are a little too excited to talk about, like they’re markers on a talent tree. I feel like there’s an envelope of time, now stamped down into wikis and articles, where people spilled all their thoughts and their feelings and then everyone else who was feeling a bit of the same stepped into the same space and sought some way, any way, to capture that they were feeling the same way, that they were also tangled up inside about this thing and what it meant and they weren’t thinking about it, they were feeling about it, but feelings are hard, and pointing out the reference to Sascha Scheiber’s Hypnose is a fact that can be collected and cleaned and pinned and then…

The feeling has a place to go.

Not going to spoil anything about this movie beyond its broad genre and invocations. You should watch it on your own if you think you can handle two hours of grown men losing their minds in isolation. I’m not going to tell you about what’s in it, as much as I’m going to try and tell you about how I feel about it, and what I feel about what it’s not.

Sooo, uh, first of all: This movie fucks. Not ‘holy shit, this fucks, I want this on as my sex jam,’ but it’s rancid with sexuality, just steeped in the kind of horny of two people who definitely fuck, who want to fuck, who might even fuck each other but absolutely are not going to, haha, unless? There’s this artwork, by Barbara Kruger, called Untitled (You Construct Intricate Rituals), which has been picked up by the internet as a sort of graffiti tag to underscore the ways in which men – yes, men, always men, so often men – will devise nonsense reasons to touch one another in intimate ways. There’s a contrast in life between the joy of their smiles and the energy of their violence, and that is the way in which this movie fucks. It’s the nasty, musty, smelly kind of fucking, it’s the maft of a space where the default smell is the sea and the spaces of people are full of these intimate wet smells. It’s not a story that’s sexy — there’s so much work, I feel, to put effort into making this story high effort, highly tactile and experiential… and then to make that experience the smell of a pair of boxers someone’s been wearing for a week because they’re not going anywhere and have given the fuck up.

I guess given that it’s a story about a pair of dudes being isolated on a island in a lighthouse, I’d guess I was kinda expecting the feeling to be about deprivation, to be about not having enough of anything, and then the rawness that came from feeling empty. After watching it though, I feel the opposite is true — it’s a movie about being overfilled, about having too much, about being overwhelmed by something. There’s this constant indulgence, this excess to how they behave. Shots hang on these experiences longer, and even things I think of as jokes kinda hang on longer than I feel like they should.

Drip by drip, this movie fills, fills, fills, and I drown in it.

It’s not Lovecraftian, by the way. I mean, I don’t feel like this has anything of Lovecraft’s work to it, beyond the fact that he was also scared of the ocean. If nothing else, trust me on this: Lovecraft stories don’t fuck.

Without being glib, though, Lovecraft’s work is often tightly coiled around indifference. The world doesn’t care about you, your privilege is meaningless, your education, your value (as a white man from Boston) does not protect you, and that there are things in the universe that do not and will not ever care about you existing. You are a plaything not because you are hated and punished, but because you do not matter. The world of Lovecraft’s horror is full of things that do not realise they hurt you and they do not care.

I almost wish when I first brought this up to my friend Rachel, she hadn’t said it to me because it’s too perfect, but the feeling I get of the horror in The Lighthouse is more of that old time religion. If you grew up like I did in a Christian country, you probably learned about the Greek pantheon from a fundamentally Christian perspective – which usually means, Zeus first, he’s in charge, he does a bunch of stuff because he’s in charge, and then you fill out the pantheon around him. Eventually you get around to learning about his backstory and how he has a dad who sucks, and that’s all good and interesting enough, but it still means that typically, Greek Myth is presented as having a coherent structure that centralises around Zeus.

And it doesn’t.

The earliest stuff we know we can find seems to suggest that Poseidon predates Zeus – that while as much as we know ‘Greek’ as a thing, Zeus and Poseidon showed up together, but before that point, when Zeus was introduced to stories, Poseidon was already there. Poseidon, which we associate with the sea, seems to have been at a time, a god of earthquakes and the underworld — as if there was some seeming obvious connection between the place everyone lived and the old dark deep.

That’s the horror of the Lighthouse. It’s feeling unattached to the life that fills you up, and rather than finding peace, you find something else

waiting there

to fill you up.

There’s also something to be said for how violence expresses in The Lighthouse. It’s not easy, it’s not clean. A lot of media simplifies the violence of men fighting – usually to save time, sometimes to clean up stunts, and often just because: You don’t need to see what it takes to punch someone so many times they pass out from pain. A clock in the head and they go down and the story can continue and also, people come out of that experience, largely, fine.

It’s weird because yeah, people can take a few hits better than movies make you think but also they can’t take being knocked unconscious as easily as movies make you think.

Anyway, uh, the violence in The Lighthouse feels a lot more brutal and a lot more honest? Like when a guy punches someone a bunch and stops, there’s this thought in my mind that oh okay, so he knocked him out and he stopped. But nah…

Nah, then you see the other guy groaning and whimpering.

It was a choice to stop, which usually happens sometime around when you notice your breathing or your hand hurting.

I feel like the ending is also really intentional, but also deliberately vague. I could point out all sorts of things happening in it, but then it’d feel more like a list of ‘this movie about a loss of a grip on reality has deliberate breaks from reality!’ like I’m just arguing that the movie exists at all. It almost feels like it was deliberately chosen to make sure you can’t take it entirely literally.

And I guess that’s how I feel about this movie. I enjoyed the experience of being unsettled by it, I liked how it refused to answer me, and I felt impressed by what it was willing to overdo.

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

[fullmoondagger]

I’m so sorry but I am legally obligated to defend this game with my life;

Blood Omen 2 is good actually! :-)

Disclaimer I know its your opinion, I am writing this in the most playful and light hearted way possible, I just really like BO2 for some deranged reason :>

First of all I think you completely missed the comical potential of the game, from its bugs, its miserable dialogue and the more than absurd story. I think it’s a necessary instalment of the Legacy of Kain series for these reasons exactly.

I played BO2 on PC between Soul Reaver 2 and Defiance because I needed a break from getting my heart blended into mush and BO2 was VERY welcome at that time. I had no idea what to expect going and I fell in love with the more modern setting, the characters (as wrongly written as they were) and the story completely against my will.

Just like it’s hilarious and refreshing to see Link in the dreaded Faces of Evil, or hear Mario and Luigi’s iconic dialogues in Mario Hotel (there are several similarities between these and BO2 in terms of voice acting/french translation I’ll bring up later), Blood Omen 2 generously gifts us with our favorite characters in a very new, low budget and almost parody-like setting.

Parody?, you may repeat in your head. You read me right :) I don’t think the devs took themselves too seriously  to begin with, nor were given the means to create a game that would have been “up to the LoK standards”, and I don’t think they would have been able to anyways. First of all they didn’t have Amy Hennig, the writer and director in (part of Blood Omen? I think) both Soul Reavers and Defiance(my detested) in their team, so you can throw the good characters and writing out the window, and they were a completely different team than Soul Reaver, as BO2 was developped alongside both SR titles. And honestly the stupidly edgy names/setting/designs, that cut from the final game line of dialogue that i cant stop thinking about that i cant link directly but its the second one, how everything is so cliché and Off, the comically long blood draining moments in the late parts of the game may not be intentional but it does give me the vibe of. We’re making a game but lets not take it too seriously and just make something that may not be good but at least funny, and honestly thats delicious.

Yes the game is kinda ugly! Embrace it! Adore it! The four fingered toothless humans still haunt me and give me shivers of disgust everytime I see one in game (currently replaying it for the third time), and Vorador is. Well. Yea. And I don’t think a single piece of furniture is at the right scale nor in a logical place, and it makes everything so much more fascinating honestly.

I agree with you that the gameplay was not stellar, boring at times, but I’m honestly more into slow paced easy to manipulate games and I sincerely find BO2 Kain easier to operate than any of the boys in Defiance. (Might just be me) and the AI is fun to exploit and figure out. I do wish the abilities you gain through the game were more useful, sneaking around in the mist is lots of fun.

OK now. the Voice acting.

Both in english and french we were lucky to get the same voice actors as the rest of the series which is INSANE and awesome. You get to hear the real voices saying the stupidest, absurdest lines, and even badly translated in french! Just like in Hotel Mario my beloved. I think the bad translations at times bring out la french touch (Markousse.... God I won’t ever get over this. Markousse and Boswor solidarity) which makes things infinitely funnier, esp when Taon told me that mister Allemane also dubbed King Harkinian in the Zelda CDI games. It gives BO2 a youtube poop vibe against its will and i think thats amazing. All three of these games are shamed and mocked and made fun of and I think that’s neat :) Makes for good comparisons.

Umah’s death scene is VERY fascinating to me because it’s like. It’s horror. You have the kick in the nuts of Umah dying for no reason, Kain behaving like a fucking toddler in a scene that IS emotional but its so BAD that I couldn’t stop laughing like a hyena and I felt HORRIBLE and DEVASTATED while pissing myself laughing and I think that was BRILLIANT, as unintentional as it might have been.

The whole game was rushed, had the budget of a roll of tape, five wrinkled pieces of printer paper and two(2) crayola markers in the color of your choice and that’s what makes it so special to me :)

Conclusion: I don’t think BO2 is necessary to play to fully understand the bigger story LoK offers, but if you wanna have a good laugh and enjoy sweet time w friends while visiting characters you know and love in a VERY different light, I think it’s simply delightful (when it doesn’t crash so bad it makes me have to shut my laptop off) and a good way to spend time :)

Acutally no please play it i swear it’s good

Blood Omen 2 Review

Hey everyone!

I know it's been a while since my last post, but Taonpest and I were busy finishing our Legacy of Kain Marathon with Blood Omen 2. And I've beaten Blood Omen 2, hell, I've COMPLETED IT by drinking every single character's blood and opening every chest from every chapter! And to anyone who wants to make a LoK marathon, do yourself a favor and skip this game. There's nothing for it.

When I started playing BO2, I thought it was fine. I thought it was one of the most basic action game you would find on PS2 and I was fine with this. But that impression of low-budget yearly action game soon dissipated and became motoneous, frustrating and overall boring. Just to make things clear, I played the PS2 version of the game which is apparently considered the worst port of that game. And you wouldn't know how overjoyed I was when I read that.

One thing that strikes the eye is the graphics. They're okay for a 2002 PS2 game, but, the atmosphere, the aesthetic. There's nothing LoK about it. I know it's technically supposed to be a transition between Blood Omen and Soul Reaver, but to me, it looked more like a WarHammer Fantasy look-alike. The characters are...what they are. Kain and his massive man-tits looks pretty okay, but Vorador looks like an estranged cousin of Shrek who decided to live in the sewers instead of the swamps. Janos looks good. Another thing that sort of annoyed me were the FMV cutscenes. Soul Reaver and its sequel had beautiful FMVs that set the tone of the game and hyped you up. Unlike Soul Reaver, BO2's FMVs were made with the in-game models which makes some shots absolutely ridiculous. Once again, I like to think this is a budget stuff that happened.

Then, there's the actual game and story. Gee, I wonder what the plot could be this time. Oh? It's another revenge story, what a surprise. No surprise here, the story is not only barely existant, but somehow, even the dialogues are actually terrible. All that poesy and Shakespearian-talk from the previous entries? Gone. And it tries so hard to be serious that it's actually hilarious.

The actual gameplay can go fuck itself. The fighting mechanics especially are the biggest pain in the ass. It's clunky and unresponsive and most annoying of all repeating way too much. Every single fight (with the exception of some bosses) are down to the exact same method. You parry 3 to 5 attacks, dodge, attack, knock your enemy down, wait for him to recover, rince and repeat. So imagine spending hours doing the exact same thing with boring puzzles and frustrating platform sequences. I did like the Eternal Prison however with its claustrophobic approach that kinda reminded me of Resident Evil. And then Magnus came in, and what could have lead to a Nemesis-like encounter just fell flat because the AI in this game is as dumb as a brick, which means there are no actual consequences for you to mess around with Magnus. This leads to the boss fights, and if you've played any Legacy of Kain game then you won't be surprised when I tell you that they suck. If Soul Reaver's bosses are on the same level as Crash Bandicoot then Blood Omen 2 is Wrath of Cortex. They are that bad.

I guess I should also mention the sound. Just so you know we played the game in French. Jean Barney and Benoît Allemane reprised their respective roles from the previous Soul Reaver installments (Vorador and Janos for Barney and Kain for Allemane) and it's great to hear them again. We also get VAs new to the franchise like the amazing Phillipe Dumond (voice-over actor of Keith David in French) as the Sarafan Lord and basicaly almost every male NPC from the game.

Unlike SR1 & 2 however, I thought the French Dub to be very hit or miss, making the poor dialogue looking even more dumber than it already is. I like to think this because of direction issues (voice acting for video games in France is very different than in the U.S or Japan) because you couldn't sound as deadpan and monotone as Uma. Maybe this is an adaptation choice? I don't know, but this makes her death scene almost funny to watch. Allemane is playing his dialogue in his usual Kain-fashion (though slightly less "jovial") but some of his lines sound wrong. And then, there is the actor that actually outshines Benoît Allemane: Phillipe Dumond. This man is 90% of the game's dialogue and each time, he delivers especially as the Sarafan Lord. There's also something weird around the end of the game where Vorador changes voice actors in the same cutscene or even mid-sentence. I think the voice-acting for this game was rushed.

That's all I'll say about Blood Omen 2. This game made me feel empty. It actually made me wish I played games I don't like because I think the problem comes from me and not the games themselves.

Blood Omen 2 is a 3/10/. Stay out of its net, brethrens.

P.S: I wish I could stream games, but I don't have the setting nor the actual physical place to do it.

[carvion]

After filling the Travis Tate Tag with stupid incorrect quotes and one Meme, I decided it was time to actually write something of “substance”. [let’s face it, this is hardly with substance] 

I have honestly no idea why I wrote this exactly, it just entered my mind and... here it is:

"Hey Trav, you in there?" There's a hand waving in front of his face, and Travis needs a second to pull himself out of his thoughts. Glenn is standing next to him, holding out a glass bottle. It's beer, or at least the watered-down concoction they call beer. Horrible, disgusting stuff, but it's better than nothing. Travis blinks a few times, before taking the bottle from his friend's Hand and shaking his head yes. "Yeah, yeah. I'm here."

 Glenn drops onto the couch next to him. They had dragged that damn thing out to the porch a few weeks ago and so far, it had survived most of the local weather and wildlife. Jonah refuses to sit on it though. They claim that there's an animal living inside, but neither Travis nor Glenn have noticed anything of the sort. So instead of sitting on the rancid thing they call their couch, Jonah has hopped onto the railing of the veranda.

Their girlfriend, Jules, is sitting adjacent to them in an old garden chair that had once been white. Her feet are propped up on the balustrade, and she is watching the few fireflies that are already out and about.

 "I've been thinking about the thing we were talking about earlier." Glenn finally starts, leaning forward to get everyone's attention. He is successful. A few hours ago, they had a very lively discussion about how they thought the world was going to end, and they had checked all plausible options off the list. Nuclear warfare, floods, fires and even killer robots had been mentioned at one point. Only Glenn had successfully refused to give his opinion. He had claimed that a serious topic like this needed more booze and more time to be thought through.

"Well? Don't keep us in suspense!" Jonah holds onto the banister to lean forward. "How do you think the world is gonna end?"

Glenn takes another swig from his beer and when he sets it down, he takes a moment to look each of them in the eyes. Then, with a voice as heavy as possible, he declares: “Alien Invasion!”

 A collective groan is his answer. "Oh wow, you're so full of shit." Jules laughs and Jonah nods affirmatively. Glenn is obviously not too happy about their reaction. He jumps up, almost spilling his beer in the process.

"I'm being serious! 50 dollars says it's gonna be aliens! Mark my words!"

Travis raises an eyebrow. "I'll take these chances." He offers, laughing to himself as he takes another swig from his own bottle. He is not one to ignore easy money. Especially not if it is so willingly offered to him. Aliens, that's just insane.

Glenn turns around and fixes his eyes and one accusatory finger on him. "Then get ready to pay up, Tatertot."

"Yeah, yeah. We'll see about that." Travis raises his hands in mock surrender. The sun is setting. "We'll see about that."

They are young, stupid and have no idea what the future holds in store. And maybe that's a good thing.

    Years later, Travis is sitting in a mostly dark lab, back hunched over a keyboard, empty cups of coffee scattered around him. His bloodshot eyes are fixed on the glowing screen in front of him, scanning lines upon lines of code. Making sure there is not the tiniest error to be found. Because there is simply no room for errors.

He catches a glimpse of the clock in one of the corners of the screen. It reads 02.07 AM. Which means that it has been multiple hours since he last checked the time. It also means that the literal deadline is one day closer. And for this one, there is no postponing. Because the world is ending, and it's definitely not because of Aliens, which means that Glenn owes him 50 bucks.

He has half a mind to call his best friend up and hold him to his word. He doesn't, of course. Because he has no use for 50 bucks anymore, and Glenn is dead anyway. Stupid selfless bastard. Going off to try and buy time for a "super weapon" that doesn't even exist.

Well, he did buy them some time, alright. But in the grand scheme of everything and with the swarm showing no sign of stopping, Travis isn’t sure if that means anything.

[transsexualhamlet]

001 for bsd 002 for dead apple trio 003 for shibusawa <33

Hihihi!! :3 :3 Ask game

001: BSD

Favorite character: It would be very difficult to come up with a favorite character of all time for bsd theres just SO many blorbos to choose from but um. Fyodor is my top blorbo

Least Favorite character: This is a no brainer but I just cannot stand fukuchi I know there's a lot of points about legitimate political themes but also I'm sorry I cannot take an old man who makes fart jokes seriously about anything

5 favorite ships: Fyogol Fyozai Atsuluaku (I think lucy could fix shin soukoku) dead apple trio and the whole DOA polycule ehehe gay people

Character I find most attractive: chuuya HANDS DOWN. No argument I will not be taking constructive criticism I am on my knees for this man

Character I would marry: ALSO CHUUYA but if i had to choose someone different, Lucy. I love them both so fucking much and I think they are actually good loveable fun and interesting people

Character I would be best friends with: Akutagawa or Fyodor. My type of best friend is wet cat i picked up out of the gutter I would fix them up good I promise

A random thought: God the tik tok fandom of bsd is absolutely rancid and it's really just a wasteland of people fighting each other tooth and nail for chuuya nakahara custody since literally everyone is convinced they're the only one who understands him and then proceeds to give the worst takes ever on him

Unpopular opinion: Mori is in general a good person and he really and truly wants the best for the city and for the world and the world he lives in has forced him to make very bad decisions, he has decided to be the bad guy for the world to function and near anyone else in his position would fucking crumble. He is fair and kind and allows the least amount of suffering possible though he knows that he does not deserve forgiveness for the things he has had to do. Without him the world would go to shit so fast.

Canon otp: I mean, there's not any canon ships in bsd really, but in terms of Most canon I would probably consider fukumori or shin soukoku? I love soukoku too but you know im Picky about it

Non-canon otp: ah yes the these characters have had One (1) interaction but they're fucking. Fyoya and Nikozai and also Sigzai i fucking love them

Most badass character: IM SORRY BRO ITS STILL HANDS DOWN CHUUYA HES TAKING ALL THE AWARDS TONIGHT CHUUYA CAN USE ME AS A FUCKING DOORMAT

Most Epic villain: Nikolai ofc he's 100 percent the most unhinged motherfucker in the cast and I am bonded to him on a molecular level Help

Pairing I am not a fan of: I feel like I've been over this a lot and at this point I just don't wanna make anybody sad bc I know people who ship just about everything sane and normal so you know you do you as long as it's not fucking gross yknow

Character I feel the writers screwed up: Teruko could have been an absolute girlboss if they didn't give her the. I don't know the. The Fukuchi Thing why did they do that seriously what why

Favorite friendship: Yes yes Dazai and Oda very much so Dazai and Oda but hAVE YOU CONSIDERED Chuuya and the flags. I'm all holding them so tightly you don't even fucking understand. They're so important

Character I most identify with: :|. Nikolai and Dazai. I should not be allowed in public spaces

Character I wish I could be: YOU ALREADY KNOW WHO IM GONNA SAYITS FUCKING CHUUYA. There's not many people in bsd whose situations/mental states I really envy tbh. Dazai is crusty and sad and I don't want to ever see the state of his apartment. Fyodor is even sicker than me. Akutagawa's on the brink of death at all times. Being Ranpo would kill me because I would not be able to keep up the illusion of having an ability and I wouldn't be able to handle the thought that I didn't have one and everyone else did. All my kins are so sad and sick and in awful situations except CHUUYA who is being BADASS and MAKING BANK and GETTING BITCHES. Yes, he has obviously had so much tragedy in his life and he has very much suffered but the fact remains that he has gone through it and come out even stronger than before. He's such a guy I want to be him so bad

002: Dead Apple Trio :))

When I started shipping them: Literally the second I met these guys I was like Oh They're Fucking. All thru the first time I watched dead apple it just. More and more. These fuckers gay as shit

My thoughts: I looove them so much and they are so fucking terrible they're awful people and they love terrorism and genocide and being queercoded villains. They're in their big gothic spire doing gay crimes. Everything they do is labeled under 'consensual but not safe or sane'

What makes me happy about them: I love thinking of them all as some flavor of transfem nonbinary and they are so queer and gnc girlbosses that did nothing wrong they're so important to me shibusawa designed their wedding dresses and dead apple is the honeymoon

What makes me sad about them: I mean, I usually just call them girlbosses and call it a day but the thing is, the one thing that really brings them together is their fucking mental illness. Without unmedicated depression, unconventional takes on religion, and several personality disorders each, those three would never even talk to each other. The reason they care so much for each other is because they're the only ones who truly understand each other, they can see through each other's lies and straight to their rotted empty fucking ribcages. They only come together when they're at their absolute worst. They probably met at a sleazy gay bar and if it weren't for all their own grand schemes, at the slightest negative emotion they would just meet up there again and lace all their drinks with cyanide

Things done in fanfic that annoys me: I mean. There's like 20 fanfics in the dead apple trio tag total, and 90 percent of them annoy the shit out of me, but yknow. I don't like it when they treat Dazai like some sort of victim in this situation, like, no he is 100 percent into this. This is normal for him and he signed up to get stabbed. Also people who think Shibusawa tops anyone are dumb as shit look at those acrylic nails sh;drgsfdoig

Things I look for in fanfic: IF IT'S NOT PRETENTIOUS AS SHIT, I'M NOT INTERESTED HSDIFHDS but seriously I think the important thing to realize is that this trio is that they're each other's bad habit. Most of the time they're totally clean of each other but every once and a while they will just fall into that hole again and come together to dig it deeper and deeper. They're awful for each other and nothing can save them. As much as the porn is good I wish there were more fics that had actual plots for them

My wishlist: I mean. Shibusawa is kind of dead for realsies now so it's not like they'll meet again anyway and I don't think I need them to be any more canon than they are, yknow? That's how I feel with most of my ships because like. There's already soo much subtext there for me, but if it was explicit, it would literally just be demonizing queer people and queer relationships and would be taken completely wrong and I think. It's just fine the way it is bc to me it is very clear they're gay sdhighdfs

Who I'd be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: I mean,, I don't know if I can really see a hypothetical Happy Ending for any of these guys. Perhaps there might be one for Dazai, if he can keep his shit together from now on, but not for both. I really do like the idea of both Fyodor and Dazai living and having to attempt to fix each other together, I really do, although I don't think Nikolai would survive in that situation :(, but that's not something that would happen in canon lol. Fyozai will either die together with Nikolai or it'll be Dazai alone. In that case, I think Dazai should be with Kunikida. They would actually be good for each other, I really do think that.

My happily ever after for them: There is NO happily ever after for the dead apple trio, as much as it's sad to say, there really and truly isn't. They're not good for each other, they're not a sustainable polycule as much as they love each other. Fyozai could hypothetically move on together and mourn Shibusawa, but there's no way they'd be good with him alive, there just isn't.

003 Shibusawa !!! Ok this is hard he interacts with like 3 people

How I feel about this character: Shibusawa sucks and I love him. He's a pillow princess. He's my wife. He tortures children but he would be a good mom I swear. He wants an e-z bake oven. He is an international terrorist but he is also a crazy cat lady. He walked into yokohama to start the apocalypse dressed like a cottagecore grandma with a million dollars of stolen jewelry in his purse and got called the t slur ten seconds before the fog came. I hate him hes my favorite he uses his science skills to create estrogen laced cupcakes

Any/all people I ship romantically with this character: Obviously Fyodor and Dazai but also Ivan. Shibusawa needed like a body double for some plot and Fyodor was like "I've got this crazy weirdo with long white hair who looks a lot like you, I can rent him out for five dollars an hour" and they hit it off like nobody's business. Now Shibusawa uses him as a crazy gay test subject for his unethical experiments and they kiss and Ivan is madly in love with him

My unpopular opinion about this character: I don't know why people hate Shibusawa so much. On international women's day week too?? Im sorry women can do anything. I'm all for awful evil women, Shibusawa included. Genuinely I don't get how anyone could think Shibusawa is like. A man. One thing you have to understand about me. Is that Shibusawa is my wife

One thing I wish would happen/had happened with this character in canon: I WANT HIM TO WEAR A DRESS. BIG DRESS. POOFY FANCY DRESS. VICTORIAN BALLGOWN. HE DESERVES IT. HE WOULD LOVE IT

Favorite friendship for this character: I think that Shibusawa and Nikolai would be good friends. They gush about Fyodor and Nikolai is Shibusawa's crazy friend who gives him all his awful ideas and Shibusawa encourages everything. Also there's my and my friend's ocs Fran and Kafu who are both. Around Shibusawa ™ but that's a whole nother story. Fran is his younger cousin who helps him exist and Kafu is this absolutely insane fucking creature who's deeply in love with him and is in his walls

Crossover ship: I have never thought about this ever before but after some consideration. Albert Moriarty. I think they would get along well. I really do think they would get absolutely fucking wasted and Shibusawa would get fucking railed after they talked about how much they hated rich people and killing rich people and stealing rich people's money to kill more people and how fucked up the world is and how they wanna die